"I'm so sorry for that back there..." Karl waved him off. "You have the most distressing habit of apologizing to me. That needs to stop." "I'm..." Orlando stopped himself just in time. Karl simply laughed, white teeth gleaming in the dark. "What your friend did was very brave. And loyal. I like that." He placed a soft kiss on Orlando's forehead, slid into the limo. //Are you going to stand out there shivering all night?// Orlando smiled at the question, clambered next to Karl. Before the car even started moving, he was thrown against the baby-soft leather, trapped between it and a hard body. Karl loomed above him, sex and grace, as he lowered his head. "Have I told you tonight how much I love your body?" Orlando wasn't given a chance to answer as his lips were claimed in a soul-shattering kiss that sent every emotion scrambling for purchase, every tiny foothold on reality slipping off a never-ending chasm. Velvet brushed against his chest in erotic movements, smooth, long fingers drifted down his shoulders, to his ribcage, and still Karl's mouth ravished, captivated, fed him with bold thrusts of wicked tongue and melding of perfect lips. Fingers moved to the waistband of his pants, slipped inside, found hard flesh. Orlando gasped in Karl's mouth, crushed Karl's shirt beneath his hands as he held onto Karl's shoulders. //Come apart for me.// His eyes fluttered open as the hand on his cock moved faster, fisted now, enveloped him in heat. Karl moved his head, scraped teeth along Orlando's jaw, his throat, sunk canines in soft flesh just enough to tingle, but not enough to break skin. "Karl." The name was a benediction, a plea, a curse. Lips moved down his body, moved in time to the hand still stroking him into liquid fire. Orlando shuddered, his skin glistening with sweat, with desire. A pink tongue darted out, traced a path of moisture as it rolled down Orlando's stomach, pooled in his navel. "Nice," Karl murmured, licking the skin, the gold ring that nested there. "Salty Orli. My favorite dish." Orlando didn't even have time to wonder at Karl's first use of his nickname as he finally came under questing hands, steady strokes on his cock, sultry kisses on his body. He dove into the sublime flames, drowning in Karl's eyes, his want. Karl lifted his hand from Orlando's pants, licked each sticky finger clean with slow swipes of his fingers, eyes still pinning Orlando to the cushions. The sight was unbearable. Erotic was too tame a word. "Christ," Orlando breathed, already feeling his body harden again. Karl bent his head to taste Orlando's neck. "I don't think that God has anything to do with my plans for you." Then that mouth was back on his, bruising, spiraling, igniting. And no, Orlando supposed that God didn't have anything to do with it. * * * Good fuck, Karl had his own corporation. Corporations. Plural. Orlando looked at the spreadsheets on the computers (again, plural, for fuck's sake), the files, folders, portfolios, on the desk, the graphs, the maps showing holdings on the walls. He'd never been in Karl's study before. Wished he'd had a chance to scope out the place on his own, learn a little more about all of this...this fucking wealth, in private. He couldn't even begin to comprehend the figure that had rolled so casually off Karl's tongue. Karl wasn't just rich. He wasn't even filthy rich. He was obscenely, disgustingly, filthy rich. Karl wasn't just a vampire. He had his own corporations. Multi-billion dollar, multi-national, motherfucking corporations. "Pay attention." Orlando looked up from the pile of papers strewn across Karl's desk into laughing eyes. "I am paying attention," he stated, crossing his arms. "I'd be paying more attention if your hand wasn't creeping up my thigh." Karl simply smiled. "Learn to concentrate." "You first." Karl just flashed Orlando a small wink that had all of his blood crawling over itself to race to his crotch. Christ, he was so gone. Karl returned to the folders and portfolios, used a long finger to tap a blue-colored one. "This is one of my most valuable companies. But they're having a problem with new management. I'm going to need you to fly to Tokyo next Tuesday to meet with some of my people, get that straightened out." Tokyo? Tuesday? "I'd go with you, of course, but I'm needed here for Council meetings all next week," Karl continued, oblivious to Orlando's wide eyes and white face. "I could reschedule, but I've already done it twice and I'd like to get this particular scenario dealt with. They've got a lot of potential and..." Karl's low voice was a drone in Orlando's ear. Tuesday. Tokyo. He was going to Tokyo on Tuesday. Tuesday he would be in Tokyo. "...and I figure you would have plenty of time to look over notes between the ceremony and the party..." Orlando shell-shocked brain finally caught up with the conversation. "Hold on, did you just say ceremony?" Karl's sigh was loving, patient. He squeezed Orlando's thigh again. "On Friday. Pay attention. The ceremony's on Friday, the party is on Saturday. That gives us Sunday to finish going over notes before you need to fly to Tokyo." "Party?" Someone had replaced him with a parrot. "Your introductionary party? To the Council, my partners?" "Party? On Saturday?" "Orlando, are you alright?" No. He most assuredly was not alright. Karl had been sitting here for the last hour, ever since they'd gotten back from his old apartment, explaining his various holdings, his various companies. Software, electronics, entertainment, hotels -- chains of them -- and the money. Sweet Jesus, the money. Explained that Orlando was going to become CEO of one of his companies. CEO. Christ. Right...quitting his job, taking over the company, going to Tokyo. No, hell no, fuck no, he was not alright. But he couldn't tell Karl that. Karl must never know how horribly inadequate he was for the position of pet. "It's not just a partnership," Karl had told him. "Not just a marriage. We will be equals." Equals, yeah, right. In Orlando's dreams. He wasn't equal to this, wasn't up to this task. Couldn't let Karl see. Mustn't let Karl know. So he forced his face into something resembling calm and willed his heart to slow its thundering rate. It was dangerously easy for Karl to read him, and he wanted to radiate calm, poise. "Yeah, I'm fine," he lied. "Tell me about the party." "It'll be small. Just to introduce you to the other members of the Council, introduce you to key people in the corporation. You'll be working with many of them closely, so this is a good opportunity to get to know them in a relaxed setting. And you'll already know Dom and Sean and Viggo and Harry." Orlando was almost afraid to ask, but forced himself to do it anyway. "Why?" "They'll be at the ceremony, of course. Viggo is presiding, and Sean and Dom and Harry will be witnesses. Was there someone you would like to witness? Any family or friends? Your young Elijah, perhaps?" Witness. Ceremony. The binding ceremony...flashes of that earlier conversation with Dom floated across his brain. Biting, cutting, witnesses. Jesus fuck. Tokyo, Tuesday, CEO, partnership, beyond marriage. There was absolutely no way in hell he was going to be able to do this. He let his gaze roam over Karl, over those perfect features, that lush, lean body. No, he had to. Would do anything for Karl, be anything for Karl. Whatever he wanted, however he wanted it. Karl had placed a tremendous amount of faith in him. He would do his very best to deserve it. God, he needed a cigarette. Too bad he didn't smoke. Onto Part Ten
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