Chapter Text
“Did you see who’s here tonight?”
“I saw. Do you think he’s gonna make a trade with the Master?”
“Maybe, but like, which would be worse, working here or getting shipped to fucking Boston?”
“I hear that he only takes Doms who are particularly rough. Like they’ve been kicked out of other clubs and shit, and that’s why they end up at Raiders.”
“I heard that he bought a slave from another dom a few years ago and then the sub just disappeared. Like, no one saw him again.”
“Fuck, that’s sus.”
Shane sat on the floor, his head tipped back against the cold wall behind him. He listened with interest to the other subs’ and slaves’ conversation and speculation on some new big-shot Dom that was visiting Andrei’s tonight. Whoever this guy was, people were clearly intimidated by him and he wasn’t even here yet. If Shane kept his head down, served his master, and didn’t cause a fuss, hopefully he would never even see the man.
Or maybe he would never leave this room. Andrei had tossed him in this room two days ago, with barely any food or water. Only tonight, as the club prepared for a special evening, were there even other people allowed in here. Two days of complete isolation weighed on Shane, with nothing but his memories and anxieties. Andrei had told him to use the time to think about what he had done, but it felt like a game he set up to lose. Shane had done everything the Dom had demanded of him, but he must have been too slow, too on edge, too sloppy. Andrei never lost a chance to tell him he was a bad sub. As if Shane had chosen his own biology and was now failing to uphold some unspoken deal.
Andrei hadn’t put him in proper subspace in weeks, and Shane’s body was starting to feel it. It was like an ache deep in his bones. It was ever creeping in on him, like a shadow spreading in the late afternoon, getting ready to pull him down into the darkness.
Maybe tonight Andrei would use him. Or let one of the visitors play with him. Play, such a harmless word for the horrible ways Shane’s body and mind were treated every day. Before this, before Andrei, before the man before him, before all of it, Shane had plenty of sub friends who enjoyed their dynamics, loved the attention and care of their Doms, wanted it more than anything. Shane had always been too brazen, too loud, too much. He had never found a Dom who he clicked with, who wanted his brattiness and worked with it.
And now it didn’t matter. Shane’s body would eventually get sick if Andrei or one of his men didn’t force him to scene at least occasionally, and so even when he hated himself for it, he still found the stillness, painful as it was, in their touch. He had been counting the days since he’d last been in subspace, and his math told him that he was coming dangerously close to dropping if he didn’t scene properly soon. He had a week at most. So hopefully someone, not the scary Dom everyone was gossiping about, would at least use him enough tonight to take the edge off.
“Pet. Up. Andrei wants you.”
Shane stood, eyes downward, and followed the handler out into the main room.
The club was blissfully warmer than the room Shane had been locked in. He was still wearing the tight black lace underwear Andrei had him dress in most of the time. He had spent the last two days hunched in on himself trying to stay warm. Now, he felt the eyes of the patrons on him, or, more likely, on the medley of scars, bruises and cuts that covered his body.
The lights were low and had a faint reddish, purple glow to them. Garish decor and fake velvet couches gave the room a bit of a discount-dungeon vibe. EDM music pumped through the speakers, accompanied by the sounds of people scening in different corners of the room.
The handler led Shane to the top of the room, where Andrei and several men were lounging and smoking. Shane kept his eyes downward, so he wasn’t able to get a good look at the guests, nor did he see Andrei’s hand raised before it came down, hard on his face. His mouth hadn’t been fully closed, and he felt the extra pain of the hit on an open jaw.
“Approaching on your feet?!” Andrei spat. “Get on your knees where you belong, pet.”
Shane immediately complied, but shot a dirty look at the handler. The handler had told him to walk over here, why was he being punished for an expectation he didn’t know? He kept his mouth shut, because speaking up only made Andrei more angry.
The hand slapped across his face hard again. “Nothing to say, little one?” Andrei demanded. He grabbed Shane’s hair and yanked his head back painfully. “You better hope you find a way to make up for it tonight. We both know the clock is ticking, yes?” This part he whispered in Shane’s ear, and the sub felt his blood run cold. Andrei was tracking him as well. Andrei knew he was due for a scene. He was using Shane’s own biology against him, and using the impending drop as a new form of punishment.
“I’m sorry, Master,” Shane said in a small voice. “Please, let me serve you tonight.”
“We’ll see,” Andrei said, in a faux casual voice.
Shane stayed on his knees, head bowed. What else could he do. He hadn’t realized Andrei was tracking him so closely. He hadn’t realized that he even paid attention to Shane when he wasn’t using him. He needed to get this right, tonight. He needed to either serve Andrei or attract the attention of one of his guests.
“Our guests are thirsty, pet,” Andrei said eventually.
“Yes, sir.” Shane bit back his anger as he crawled over to the table in front of them, ignoring the shame that crept through him Andrei forced him to do this. He poured drinks for the four men and began handing them around, Andrei first, then to his guests.
His fingers brushed against the fingers of one of the guests and hunger shot through him at the brief touch. Shane looked up and stared into beautiful eyes. The man had curly blonde hair and a strong jaw. His eyes trailed over Shane’s face, but he didn’t leer at him the way the guests usually did.
Shane’s hands were shaking as he gave glasses to the other guests when Andrei clapped his hands loudly together right next to Shane’s ears, causing him to startle and spill a bit of the vodka.
“See. This one scares too easily, makes for shit play,” Andrei said to his guests as though Shane wasn’t there. “Broken and bratty, basically useless.”
“Did you apologize to our guests?” Andrei demanded of Shane. “So rude to spill their drinks and you don’t even offer to make up for it.”
Shane pushed down the anger bubbling inside him. He bowed his head towards the guests. “I’m sorry, sirs.” Fighting to steady his hands, he refilled their glasses and waited for the slap to come.
“Andrei,” the blonde man said, “I was looking for a bit of fun tonight. I don’t want to overstep, but would you let me … would be okay if I got to play with this one a bit?”
Shane could feel the dom’s eyes on him and he forced himself to stay still.
“This useless shit needs to be punished before he gets to play,” Andrei mused.
“Andrei, come on. I can handle punishment, yes? That will be our warm up before the real fun.”
“Ah, you know I can’t say no to you. Enjoy.” Andrei grabbed Shane’s hair and yanked him close. “You hear that? Rozanov is going to punish you. You’re lucky you haven’t heard the stories. I wonder what he’ll do to you.”
Shane felt the blood leave his face as he forced himself to stay steady when Andrei shoved him down.
“Come, little sub,” the man called Rozanov said. “Let’s have some fun.”
Shane knelt in the playroom, waiting to see what form of punishment this dom would subject him to.
“What is your name, little sub?”
“Pet, sir.”
“Ha. Yes I heard Andrei call you that. But what’s your name, pet?”
“Pet.”
“Yes, but what is your name?”
“I don’t understand, I’m sorry.” Shane clenched his fingers on his thighs.
“Okay, you can be pet. Andrei says you are bad sub. Are you bad sub?”
“Yes sir, I’m sorry, sir.”
Rozanov put a finger under his chin and tilted it up. Shane brazenly met his eyes.
“I don’t think you are bad sub,” Rozanov said after a moment. “I think Andrei is terrible dom. Does he always make you fail and then punish you?”
Shane wasn’t sure what to say. He probably shouldn’t shit talk Andrei to one of his guests. Wait, did Rozanov just say Andrei was a bad dom?
“There is couch over here, much more comfortable than kneeling. Come sit.”
Shane stood up and followed Rozanov to the couch. He sat down, still waiting to see what the dom had planned for him.
Rozanov handed him a bottle of water, but Shane just stared at it. “Is okay, drink.”
It was an order, and as Shane took a long sip from the bottle, something settled for a moment in his mind.
“Good job, pet.” Rozanov sat down beside him, but didn’t touch him. “Andrei wants me to punish you, but I didn’t see you do anything that needs punishment.”
“You can punish me, sir.” Shane wanted him to. Maybe Rozanov would like it enough he would properly scene with Shane and take him into subspace, let his mind rest.
Rozanov smiled darkly. “And maybe I will.” His eyes raked across his body, pausing to examine some of the cuts and bruises on Shane’s arms. “These have not healed. Why?”
Shane did not answer.
“No antiseptic? No cream or bandage? Does Andrei not treat your injuries?”
Shane didn’t know what to say.
“Are you here by choice, pet?” Rozanov asked.
“What?” The question caught Shane so off guard he responded without thinking. “I’m sorry, sir, I mean —“
“Can you leave?” Rozanov asked.
Shane shook his head. “I don’t understand.”
“Andrei does not treat you well. Is visible on your body, these marks should have been treated. Is visible watching him hurt you. You are scared, I could see it the minute you came over. Sub should be respectful, not scared.”
“Please sir. I don’t understand. I don’t know what you want, just tell me how to play sir and I will.”
“Pet, this is not game. I am asking you question. Can you leave here or are you Andrei's prisoner? You choose to be here?”
“I belong to Andrei, sir.” Shane could tell it wasn’t what the dom wanted to hear. “I’m sorry sir, I don’t understand. Just tell me what you want and I’ll do to, I’ll say it. Just tell me what to do, please.”
“Do you want to be good little sub?”
Shane nodded. Fuck yes, he wanted to be good for Rozanov. He wanted Rozanov to use him and touch him, he wanted to taste him. He usually hated being alone in the playrooms with Andrei's guests, but there was something calming about the dom next to him and he wanted to keep that feeling with him for as long as he could.
“Yes sir.”
“Then tell me if you like working here.”
Shane felt the tension between knowing he shouldn’t disrespect his master and wanting to tell Rozanov the truth.
“Pet? Be good. Tell me if you are safe here.”
What was this game? Shane couldn’t wrap his mind around it.
“Okay, I ask something else. Say I am going to punish you, what are your limits? Pet. Answer me. Limits. What do you hate?”
And Shane found himself telling the truth. “There are no limits here, sir. You can do whatever you want to me.”
Rozanov nodded. “Okay, but I want punishment to be fun for both of us. So what should I avoid?”
Shane knew what he was doing. He was trying to learn Shane’s deepest fears to hurt him, just like all of them. He wasn’t in the mood to play along.
“You don’t have to, I’ll be fine, sir.”
Rozanov put a hand on his cheek, and Shane realized belatedly he was putting soothing cream where Andrei had hit him.
“Okay. No limits. So if I lock you in cold dark room for say, three days, you would not mind?” His tone was light but he was watching Shane closely. And fuck. Shane’s body must have responded because he saw the gleam of success in Rozanov’s eyes. “If I injured you, but didn’t treat your wounds and you just had to hope they don’t get infected, that would be okay? And if I never let you scene properly so you were always at risk of drop, this would be fine?”
Shane sucked in a breath. He had already given too much away.
“Stay here.” Rozanov said. He handed Shane a bar of chocolate. “Eat this before I get back. Small bites. You’ll have at least three minutes, don't rush.”
And then he was gone. And Shane was left confused, curious, and intent on fulfilling the dom's order. It took him less than two minutes to eat the chocolate. He hadn’t had anything this luxurious in months, and it wasn’t even good chocolate, just the generic bars in the playroom. He closed his eyes and waited for the dom to return.
At some point Rozanov entered and smiled when he saw Shane had followed orders. “Good job, little pet,” he soothed. “You did so well for me.”
Shane tried to ignore the pleasant feeling that bloomed in his chest. This dom was unpredictable and he didn’t like that. Everyone else he could anticipate, and thus keep himself out of trouble and pain; but with someone as strange as Rozanov, so unpredictable, Shane was terrified trying to figure out how to please him and what it would be mean for him if he didn't.
“Andrei and I have little chat. He agrees you can come home with me. Does that sound good, get you someone safer than here?”
Shane stared at him.
“Little pet, do you hear me? I’m getting you out of here.”
Shane couldn’t move. He didn’t understand. Andrei had just … given? ... sold?... him to this dom? What was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to argue and ask to stay with Andrei, was this a test of loyalty? Was the devil he knew better than this perplexing stranger?
“Stand. Come. We are going to my car outside. Do you have anything?”
“Anything?”
“Things. Things you want to bring with us. Pet. You aren’t coming back here, do you understand?”
Shane didn’t understand, but he wasn’t going to let this new dom know how confused and scared his was. He set his jaw defiantly.
“No sir. I don’t have anything.” Anything he did “have” was Andrei's, so it wasn’t like he could take it with him.
“Let’s go. You will not speak until we are in the car, unless Andrei addresses you and you are scared for your safety if you stay quiet.”
Shane’s head was spinning. Who was this Ilya Rozanov? Nothing about him made sense.
Rozanov led him out of the playroom, back through the main hall. Andrei was there, leering at him. He grabbed Shane’s arm and pulled him roughly aside.
“Rozanov is doing me a favor, getting rid of you. Who knows how long you’ll last in his house, I’ve heard people simply disappear. Before you go, just let me hear you say it one more time, pet.”
Shane wanted to scream. Because of course Andrei wouldn’t lose one more chance to humiliate him, even while he was sending him to seemingly a much worse fate. Shane glanced at Rozanov for a moment and Andrei slapped him hard.
“I am still your master until you leave this room. Say. It.”
Shane’s head was reeling and the slap had caused tears to well up in his eyes. He pushed down the bile in his throat and spoke, his voice hollow.
“I’m a broken and useless sub. No one should waste their time on me.”
Rozanov stepped closer, he looped his finger through the clunky steel ring on Shane’s collar. “Well done, pet. Now. Say thank you to Andrei.”
Shane didn’t risk another look at Rozanov, not with both men’s eyes focused on him.
“Thank you, Master.”
“Good job. Thank you, Andrei. I will have particular fun breaking this one.”
Rozanov put a hand on Shane’s arm and led him out the door. And for the third time in three years, Shane found himself passed from one dom to the next with no idea where they were going or what to expect.