...“Look at me, Liam.”

My gaze shot upward to his face.

“Are you listening?” he said.

Wordless, I nodded.

“Good. I want you to know that just because I have the gun and my brother doesn’t, it doesn’t mean I won’t use it if I have to. What we’re going to do is this: we’re going to go to Luigi’s, where you made such a scene last night. We’re going to sit down, nice and polite, and then you’re going to apologize to Luigi in the way in which I tell you to do. Afterwards, if Luigi accepts your apology and if my brother and I are happy with how you’ve performed, we’ll eat. I mean, Johnny and I will eat, and you’ll watch us. If you’re very lucky, you might get the odd mouthful, but again it depends on whether you can behave properly.

“When we’ve finished, we’ll go back to your flat. We’ll go into your bedroom, and if we still want to fuck you, then we will. If we don’t, or if we’re not happy with you in any way, then Johnny will shoot you. Where we promised he would. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Mr. Delaney.” My voice was barely above a whisper, but he seemed to understand it well enough.

He turned back around again and snapped a command. “Then let’s drive.”

Our journey progressed in silence for a while. Through the gap in the seats, I could see the gun where it now lay on Mark’s lap. I tried not to look at it, instead staring at anything else I could focus on. The streetlights, other cars, even my own knees.

A cool touch on my cheek almost made me jump. When I glanced to my left, I could see Johnny had eased over the seat so he was right next to me. Somehow, I hadn’t heard him. Now he was stroking my face, his finger moving across my skin. I tried to steady my breathing and, when he touched my mouth, I opened my lips and sucked his finger inside. His breath hitched.

The driver said something I couldn’t hear, and Mark turned in the front seat towards us. I stared at him, all the time sucking Johnny’s finger. Another one joined it, and I sucked on that one, too. Mark’s lips opened slightly. After a few moments, Johnny removed his fingers and began trailing them down my neck, leaving a line of saliva dampening my skin. I stretched my head up to give him easier access. When he came to my top button, he began to undo it.

“Leave him,” Mark said suddenly, his voice rough. “We’ll have time enough later, if we want to.”

At once, Johnny obeyed and shifted back to his seat. I sat there, panting a little.

“Yeah, Mr. Delaney,” I whispered, slow and soft. “You can have anything you want from me for as long as you want it. Do whatever you want to my body. How does that sound?”

In all honesty, I couldn’t believe I’d spoken at all, let alone had the balls to tease them. Hell, at least I still had my balls. This was something to be grateful for.

Johnny made a groaning noise and ran one hand through his hair, but Mark simply stared at me. I might have been wrong about this, but I thought he might not have known quite what to say. So I smiled at him and undid my top button. I did it nice and slow, just how I’d spoken to them. Then another button and another, while he kept on looking. When I reached inside and pinched my left nipple, it was he who gasped. It broke the spell.

“Jesus, Liam, do yourself up, would you?” he said, spinning around until he faced the front again. “We’re nearly at the bloody restaurant. What are you, some kind of man-whore?”