...Jeff smiled, removed his fingers from David’s chin and reached behind him for something David couldn’t see. When he turned around again, he held two blue cords. Dressing-gown ties, David thought.

“Take off your clothes,” Jeff said and his expression now was serious. “I want to see how you look naked.”

Still standing, with the light flickering over his skin, David began to undo the top buttons of his shirt. Jeff sighed, as if he’d been waiting a long time for this moment and could hardly believe it had arrived at last.

His fingers were slick with sweat and it seemed an age before David was able to slip his shirt from his shoulders. It glided to the floor, but he didn’t notice it land. His eyes fixed on Jeff’s as David lowered his hands to the zip on his trousers. Already his cock was hard, and when he finally let his trousers and pants drop to his feet, stepping out of them and pushing them to one side, it sprang out, quivering, the tip wet with pre-cum.

He could hardly believe it. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this excited. Caring for Patrick had taken away everything else in life but itself and, since his partner’s death, the only thing he’d felt was a terrible blankness. From instinct, he reached for himself.

“Stop it,” Jeff said. “I haven’t given you permission to touch your cock.”

David’s hand obeyed the command at once and his heart began to pattern its own irregular rhythm in his chest.

Jeff eased himself down onto the bed until he was in a sitting position opposite David. The younger man’s head was at the same level as his groin and it was all David could do not to thrust himself in the direction of Jeff’s mouth.

“Good,” Jeff whispered. “Just do what I tell you and everything will be fine. Because obedience gets rewards. Like this.”

With that, he reached forward and licked the wetness from the tip of David’s cock. David groaned and arched his body, eyes closed, but the next second the contact was gone and he had to step backward to regain his balance.

“You see,” Jeff said, his tone as calm as if he were doing nothing more taxing than pouring a drink, “your body’s mine to do what I like with. It’s not yours any more. Do you understand?”

David opened his eyes and nodded. Right now, words were beyond him. It didn’t even seem like he was involved in this. Not as the man he understood himself to be. On the contrary, he felt as if someone else deep within him had taken over. He had no idea what might happen next, but he knew that whatever it was, he wanted it.

What happened was that Jeff stood up and walked slowly around him. David felt himself admired from every angle, the strength of Jeff’s gaze all but blistering his skin.

“You have a very attractive body,” said Jeff. “I particularly like this part of you.”

With those words, David felt a finger slip between the cheeks of his arse and trail upward. He shivered, wanting to turn around and look at the man, but understood he could do nothing unless it was permitted. Not even that. The finger circled his hole, once and then again, before continuing its upward movement and then withdrawing. He groaned, already regretting its loss. Jeff made no comment. He simply continued his inspection.