4. SAMUEL

I couldn't hurt him more than they had already. He was young, precious, and I wanted a taste. I exercised caution and a watchful eye as I showed him to a room in my father's house. It was the middle of the night; my father was sleeping in the lounge while the TV played sports news.

Leo. His name. I'd seen him on the Little Me app. I debated messaging him there weeks ago, under an anonymous account with zero pictures. But I knew that face. It was him, little Leo, searching for a Daddy, someone to dominate his life. And he didn't know it yet, but I was staking my claim.

My mother had seen me in the hallway as she watched me lead the blindfolded boy to a bedroom.

"Stay there," I said as I left him standing in the bedroom. Stepping outside to meet my mother, I pulled the door shut.

"You know, I don't ask questions," she said. "I won't start now, except, how long is he staying?"

I gave her a hug. "Just the night, then he's coming with me. I want to get him cleaned up."

"You need to get cleaned up. There are spare clothes upstairs." She hugged me back and kissed my cheek. "Make sure you don't get blood everywhere, you know how much bleach we went through last time there was an incident."

"Mother, this is different." The last time was murder, I'd stabbed a man, slowly, making sure he begged for his life. The blood went everywhere. "I don't want to hurt him. He works for me now."

"Well, be safe," she said.

She knew the business the family were in, and I knew there was something that put her mind at ease when she told me to be safe. "I will."

"Right, now I've got to go wake your father, he's going to get sores on his legs with the time he spends in that armchair," she grumbled before leaving.

Inside the dark bedroom, the boy stood where I'd left him. I turned the light switch. This was my bedroom when I stayed the night, which I rarely did anymore since I owned a 3.4 million pound flat fifteen minutes away.

"I'm going to take the blindfold and binding off you now," I said. Reaching behind his head, I pulled the knot loose, letting it fall down the front of his face. "You can open your eyes. I'm not going to hurt you."

He had green eyes, bloodshot and watery. It made his eyes seemed brighter. I stared into them as he blinked.

"There's a shower through there. Go clean yourself. I'll get you something to wear."

He nodded, turning on my order.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I asked.

Pausing, he must've forgotten, or at least grew used to it. "I—thank you."

"No." I grabbed his hands, still tied together. "You're not going to achieve anything if you can't use your hands. And allow me to warn you, don't steal anything, and don't attack me. If you do either of those, I'll tie them behind your back, and—" I didn't want to threaten him. With what I knew about him, the last thing I wanted to do was make him fear me more than he already did.

"Ok. I won't."

"Your name is Leo, right?" I asked, tugging the rope free from his wrists. "Or is that just a name you go by when you're stealing?"

"Yeah, that's my name." He lulled his head. "Do you have my phone?" he asked. "I should tell my friend where I'm at. I live with her, so—so I don't want her to worry."

I had his phone, and I was desperate to check it to make sure he was the little from the app. I was ninety-nine per cent sure. But if he wasn't, then I didn't know what I'd do. It was downstairs with his other belongings.

"I'll bring it up. And something for you face." It was going to take a while for him to heal, and I wanted to see him in his perfection now rather than later. "Take a shower, then we'll talk."

He walked to the adjoining bathroom, massaging his wrists and pulling his hands to his face to feel the swelling on his skin. He turned to me. "I'm sorry," he said, once more. Apologies meant little to me, even coming from his gorgeous mouth. "You promise you won't hurt me."

"I promise that the longer you stay on my good side, the longer you'll live," I said. It was a fact. I couldn't promise I wouldn't hurt him, because I often hurt people, I grew close to, and I wanted to grow close to him.

Closing the bathroom door, I waited until the shower was on before leaving. I had to collect his things, and while downstairs, I asked the butler of the house, Borley, if he'd make a sandwich and some hot chocolate and bring it to my room in fifteen minutes. I couldn't have the boy go hungry.

The bathroom door was ajar when I arrived with his things. For a moment, I thought he'd tried to escape. I looked to the window; it was too high. I squatted and looked under the bed. He wasn't there. I went to the door and pushed it with my foot. In the mirror, I saw him behind the mist of the glass shower door. It obscured his body.

I watched for a moment, resisting the urge to claim him right now.

He only had a wallet and a phone, alongside a grass-stained dirty hoodie. I placed them on top of the dresser before I went in search through the drawers to find something for him to wear. There were my clothes in here, which meant they were now too small for me, and perfect for him.

I'd put on a lot of muscle, if I was to be the head of the family, then I had to be in shape. I worked out most mornings from my home gym, it was a room with a large glass pane window overlooking the park. I had a treadmill, a stationary bicycle, a rack of dumbbell weights, and a boxing speed bag.

I pulled out a pair of thin cotton shorts and a t-shirt for him, at least until I told him my terms, one of which being he was required to move into my flat and live there. I needed to keep a close eye on him, and there was only one way I could do that.

He came out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel around his waist. "I—I—I didn't know if you had clothes, or—"

"I do." I handed him the pile, including a pair of unworn underwear. "I have food coming in a moment. Then we can talk. I say we, but you know I mean, me." I flashed him a smile.

Nodding. He seemed obedient for someone who was confident enough to steal. I wondered if this was an act as well. With the clothes under his arm, he walked back into the bathroom to change.

In the past, I'd never been with anyone who wasn't sweet and innocent. And yet, he wasn't innocent at all, and I wanted him more than I wanted anything else. I waited, sat on the side of the bed for him to come out. There was no escaping from the bathroom, unless he could climb to the ledge through small, frosted window.

"So, what do you want me to do?" he asked, standing in the doorway.

"Take a seat." I patted the duvet.

He sat, playing with his fingers and massaging at the muddy bruising on his wrists. "I'll do anything."

"For someone who had the balls to steal, now you seem to have lost them," I said, looking him over in my old clothes. They were still too big for him. "It shouldn't be a surprise that they hurt you, considering what you've been doing."

He nodded. "I always thought I was careful, stealing from people who had money, they could afford it."

I couldn't deny that I admired the Robin Hoodesque charm to him. "You won't have to do that for a while. Because if you agree, then you become mine."

Looking away to his hands, he was nervous. "What does that mean? You know, I need to text my friend. I pay rent. I—I can't just be here. Is this kidnapping?"

A smile touched my lips, it wasn't going away. "Yes," I scoffed. "I kidnapped you. But it was a necessary action. Now, I know I said we'd talk terms, so."

"Can I see my friend?"

"Well, you don't get to request terms," I snickered. "They're simple. I'll clothe you, house you, feed you, and keep you until your debt is paid."

Stuttering over his words, I placed my open palm beneath his chin. He looked up at me. It was a reminder of the pain he'd been through after being punched. But I didn't want him to suffer.

"How long will that be?" he whispered.

"As long as I feel like it," I whispered back.

There were tears in his eyes, and I felt for him, I wanted to console him with my dick. I refrained, of course, patting myself on the back for not trying to use my cock as a tool of persuasion, or that to keep him quiet.

"I can help you with things," he said. "I can rob for you."

"Good." I patted his knee, my hand resting on his inner thigh, I squeezed. He didn't flinch or try bat me away, he just accepted my hand on his body. "Well, I—I'm not sure what I want from you just yet. Maybe your skills as a laughable low-level criminal. Or maybe just to take notes for me."

Or maybe I wanted to get to know him better. His profile from the Little Me app was on a carousel in my mind.

"Can I ask you a question?"

The paradox of him asking to ask a question. I grinned. "No. You don't get to ask questions. I believe I'm being fair." I pulled my hand from his thigh. "You listen. You obey. You don't ask questions."

Leo's bottom lip trembled. "What do you do?"

I suppose he'd found his balls and with it, confidence. "You'll find out soon enough. Text your friend," I told him, handing him his phone. "And don't tell them anything that happened. I have friends in high places." I stared deep into his green eyes, on the verge of tears. I liked to see fear, genuine fear, but this also wasn't any way to start a relationship. "I want it back after you're finished, unlocked." I was desperate to figure him out.

"I believe you," he mumbled.

A knock came at the door. "That'll be dinner."

I had to remind myself, even with his puppy eyes, he wasn't innocent. No matter how cute he looked in those clothes online.