9 Chapter 9

“Ow!” Alex snaps. “What’s that for?”

“Stop making excuses. Or it’s your ass next.”

Alex opens his mouth like he wants to protest, but Mahiro sends him his most quelling look, standing over him with legs spread and crop over his shoulder. It’s an intimidating picture, he knows; he’s calculated his entire persona to be so without verbalizing much at all. Alex closes his mouth and kneels there, staring at Mahiro with wide blue eyes.

That’s got his attention. Mahiro circles him once again, wondering how long he could actually kneel there without getting tired. His muscle tone is still perfect, and, as he looks more closely, there is a tell-tale bruise on his hip from a fall on the ice. He reaches out with his crop and drags the leather tongue from Alex’s nape to his waist in a long, slow pull, and watches Alex’s skin twitch ever so slightly.