Pure Innocence by Victoria Sue Page B

drew up
a smaller one to perch on and fed him. He wrinkled his nose at the
thought of soggy bread and Damon had laughed outright. It had been
a good sound, and it warmed Oliver up as he ate. In no time, Oliver
glanced down, amazed at the sound of the spoon dropping in an empty
bowl. Damon grinned again. “I thought you’d get your appetite back
when you were eating proper stuff.”
    Oliver smiled back happily. Damon fished a
couple of tablets out of a bottle and held a glass of water to
Oliver’s lips so he could swallow them.
    “ There are a few people who
are wanting to see you tomorrow,” Damon said. “Agent Kinley from
the FBI who I have been managing to put off all week. He just needs
a statement.”
    “ Of course he does.” Oliver
sighed. “But I don’t remember much.” A shiver raced up Oliver’s
back, and the room seemed suddenly cold. Damon immediately frowned
and his large hands rubbed up and down Oliver’s arms.
    “ You cold?”
    Oliver shook his head, and Damon nodded
understandingly. He had a sudden thought. “A few? You said a few
people wanted to see me?”
    “ Adam and Lee.”
    “ You mentioned Adam. He-he
got taken too?” Oliver wasn’t sure he wanted any reminders of the
last few weeks.
    Damon got up and moved the tray. “You comfy?
Thirsty?” He nodded to the pitcher of iced water he’d brought in
with the soup, and Oliver shook his head.
    “ I’m fine.” He waited
patiently for Damon to explain. He knew Damon was going to tell him
some things.
    “ I told you I’m a private
detective?” Oliver nodded. “Adam and Lee are both submissives at
the club I belong to. It’s getting a good reputation as being LBGT
friendly.” Damon paused, as if it were important Oliver understood
that. “Oliver, what do you know of the Dominant/submissive
lifestyle?”
    Oliver stared at Damon, shocked at the
question. When Damon calmly met his eyes, Oliver dropped his, and
mumbled. “It’s a lie.” He tried to keep the bitterness out of his
voice.
    “ Go on.” Damon prompted
gently, sitting on the bed.
    “ It’s an excuse for guys to
be bullies. I saw it at Ecstasy.” He had. Some of the boys loved
it, it got them extra money to let some guy play at being the big,
bad boss. Who was he kidding? He’d been just as bad.
    Oliver shuffled restlessly, no that wasn’t
exactly true. When he’d originally seen it he was awed, awed and
jealous. He’d so desperately wanted it to be true, but it seemed
the more Oliver gave of himself, the more the Doms took. Oliver
remembered a couple that had come to Ecstasy once, just after he
had started there. He’d never seen such contentment, such pleasure
that they took and gave each other. The sub had awed Oliver, he
seemed to anticipate everything the Dom would ask and have it
happen even before words were spoken. They’d only been there once
though, and he wasn’t surprised. They had been far too good for
Ecstasy.
    This was it. This was where he was going to
find out that Damon wanted exactly what everyone else always did.
His breathing hitched, and he trembled in dread.
    Damon rested a steady hand on Oliver’s
shoulder. “Breathe.”
    Oliver obeyed, taking a shuddering
breath.
    “ And another.”
    Oliver relaxed, his limbs pliant,
trusting.
    Damon smiled. “You’re submissive, Oliver.
And, no”—Damon held his hand up to Oliver’s obvious objection—“I
don’t mean a push over. Don’t confuse submission with weakness.
True submission takes a strength of character few men could ever
aspire to. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to put your life
in someone else’s hands.”
    Oliver looked away from Damon’s gaze to the
movement of his hands. They rested on his knees, palms up.
    He swallowed. The meaning and the invitation
were achingly clear.
     

Chapter Six
     
    Oliver’s heart pounded furiously. Could he
put his trust in Damon? Why would this beautiful man want him? He
would have subs falling at his feet, and he certainly didn’t