Page 82 of Stable Hand

Luke pushed the briefs down, exposing his ass cheek.

“Je—sus,” I commented, bending down to get a closer look.

The usually pale skin of Luke’s ass shone a deep red with three raised white stripes running diagonally from hip to crack. “Yeah. I won’t be borrowing Adam’s room again anytime soon.”

“Shit. I guess not.” I shook my head. If those marks were on my ass, I’m pretty sure I’d be crying and trying not to move.

Luke pulled his shorts carefully back up. “I guess I got what I deserved. But those marks hurt like fuck. Still. Looks pretty killer. And I think Kamal enjoyed making me whimper and sob. So, y’know.”

Adam was standing outside his office comforting Noah when we went into the main office.

“Thank God,” Adam said. “He’s got him, Noah. Luke’s brought him back.”

Noah lifted his head from Adam’s shoulder and stared at me. I watched the emotion in his eyes turn from relief to sudden, outright hostility in moments. Then he disengaged himself gently from Adam, turned, and walked out the back door.

“Ah fuck,” I said, dropping my bag.

I heard footsteps before Kamal appeared at the bottom of the staircase and approached us. Dressed in jeans and a black T-shirt, he held a braided black riding crop in one hand. I glanced at Luke in time to see his eye twitch as his gaze locked on the weapon.

“The drama’s over?” Kamal said gruffly, giving me a friendly nod. “I can have my pineapple boy back?”

“Fuck you, Kamal,” Luke said. “You’re such a weirdo.”

Kamal looked Luke over and licked his lips. “Oh, dear, the language. Upstairs, now. You have some floor scrubbing on your list before I strap you back to the bench and do more unspeakable things to you.” He jerked the crop against his leg making a sharp slap echo through the hall.

Luke shuddered as his cock twitched in his tight shorts. “Fine. Love you too, Kamal.” He threw me a tight smile as he walked past Kamal and clumped up the stairs.

Kamal chuckled and raised his eyebrows. “You sure you want to stay? He’s not going to be domesticated anytime soon.”

I nodded. “I promised. And I’ve got some ideas.”

Kamal nodded. “I bet you do. You know, Jensen, from what I’ve heard so far, you might be a candidate for trainer someday.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Adam said with a sly grin.

I held my hands up, shaking my head. “Stable hand is all I can handle at the moment,” I said. “And now I need to go grovel for a certain person’s forgiveness.”

Adam raised his eyebrows and looked at his watch. “Yeah, well, hurry up. You both need to be in the grooming barn in twenty minutes. We have a show to put on. A show I’m relieved you’ll get to see.”

Chapter Sixteen

“Noah. Noah, wait,” I said as I caught up to the shorter man walking swiftly toward the grooming barn. “I’m sorry.”

Noah turned, giving me a furious look.

“I’m really sorry,” I said, moving forward as if to embrace him.

“Don’t. Don’t touch me right now,” he said, holding up his hand.

I stopped, gazing with guilty frustration at the man I’d hurt with my thoughtless behaviour. I didn’t know what else to say.

Noah breathed carefully for several moments and let his hand drop. Then he spoke in a barely audible voice. “Wait until I’m in there. Ask Liv if you can get me ready today. Okay?”

I nodded, relieved. “Okay.”

“Then you can touch me.”

“Okay.”