The bathroom door closed behind him.
Noah leaned against it, drawing several deep breaths.
The bathroom was enormous larger than his bedroom back home. White marble walls, soft recessed lighting casting a dim glow, a massive bathtub in the center with a separate shower enclosure beside it. Glass shelves held an array of toiletries in neat rows. Plush white towels hung from a rack, and a folded charcoal gray robe waited nearby.
Noah stood motionless, staring at it all.
His heart was racing. His palms were damp, his fingertips cold.
Was he afraid?
Of course he was afraid.
He'd never been with anyone like that. The company had forbidden it during his trainee days. After debut, he'd been too busy to even sleep properly. And after the group disbanded, all he had left was dance.
His life had never made room for intimacy.
And now he was about to give his first time to someone who saw him as nothing more than a transaction.
Noah clenched his fists.
He'd chosen to sign that contract. Now he had to face the consequences. This was his decision.
He forced himself toward the shower, stripped off his clothes, and turned on the water.
Warm streams cascaded over his body. He stood beneath the spray, eyes closed, willing his mind to go blank.
He stayed there a long time, until the heat had turned his skin pink.
Finally, he shut off the water, stepped out, dried himself with a towel, and put on the robe.
It was silk. Fine quality. Cool and smooth against his skin. He tied the sash at his waist in a simple knot.
Noah looked at himself in the mirror.
His face was pale, but he forced his eyes to go cold.
Don't be afraid.
Don't show weakness.
Deep breath.
Then he pushed open the bathroom door.
---
The first thing Noah saw was the door across the hall standing open.
Dim golden light spilled from within, like a silent invitation.
His heart beat faster.
He could feel his hands trembling slightly. He clenched his fists, forcing the shaking down.
Then Asher's voice drifted from the room.
"Come here."
Not loud, but carrying an authority that brooked no argument.
Noah drew a deep breath and started forward, but stopped at the threshold.
He saw Asher sitting on the edge of the bed.
Those eyes looked even darker in the dim light, fixed on him.
Like he was looking at something about to be claimed.
"Come here," Asher said again.
Noah didn't move.
He stood in the doorway, meeting Asher's gaze.
He knew he should go. The contract spelled it out clearly he couldn't refuse any request. But his legs wouldn't obey, as if nailed to the floor.
His heart hammered wildly.
His breathing grew shallow.
But his expression didn't change. Still that same cool detachment.
A few seconds of silence.
Asher's brow furrowed slightly.
He stood and walked toward Noah.
His footsteps echoed in the quiet room.
Then he stopped in front of him.
The distance between them was close, close enough for Noah to catch the faint scent of him.
Asher looked down, his gaze lingering on Noah's face for several seconds.
Then he reached out and pulled Noah against him by the waist.
The movement was sudden, the grip firm.
Noah's body went rigid.
His heartbeat seemed to stop for an instant, then surged back faster than before.
Instinctively he tried to step back, but Asher's arm was like an iron band around his waist, impossible to escape.
Noah gritted his teeth.
Don't panic.
He lifted his chin and met Asher's eyes coldly.
Asher noticed the look.
He showed no reaction. He simply lowered his head, and his gaze began to travel over Noah's body.
From his face, to his neck, to the collarbone hidden beneath the robe's collar.
That gaze... like he was appraising an object.
Cold. Distant. Without any warmth.
His hand began to move.
From Noah's waist, slowly upward, caressing through the silk.
The motion was slow, almost exploratory.
Noah's body tensed further.
The sensation was too unfamiliar.
No one had ever touched him like this.
The heat of that hand seeped through the thin silk, carrying something unsettling.
Noah grew more and more anxious, but his expression betrayed nothing.
He simply stood there, letting Asher's hand roam across his waist.
Asher watched his face, watched those eyes struggling to stay calm.
Then he lowered his head and pressed his lips to Noah's neck.
Noah's breath caught.
That skin was too sensitive.
Asher's lips were hot. When they touched him, Noah felt like he'd been scalded.
Then came the tongue.
Wet. Agile. Tracing slowly along the line of his throat.
From behind his ear, to the side of his neck, to his collarbone.
The sensation was... strange.
Tingling. Like electricity spreading from every point of contact through his entire body.
Noah clenched his jaw, refusing to make a sound.
But his body was going soft, his breathing growing ragged.
Asher noticed his response.
He bit lightly at the side of Noah's neck not hard, but enough to leave a faint mark.
Then he sucked.
As if trying to brand something there.
Noah's fingers curled, nails digging into his palms.
The small pain brought a moment of clarity.
Meanwhile, Asher's other hand had moved to the sash at his waist.
His fingers hooked into one end of the tie and began pulling it loose...
Noah grabbed Asher's hand.
Both of them froze.
The air seemed to solidify.
Noah was breathing hard, his voice tight. "I..."
He didn't know what he wanted to say.
Just instinct, trying to stop this.
Asher raised his head and looked at him.
"What." His voice was flat no mockery, no impatience. Just stating fact. "Scared?"
Noah said nothing. He just held on to that hand with everything he had.
His heart was pounding so hard it hurt.
He was scared.
But he didn't want to admit it.
Asher watched him for a few seconds of silence.
Then he spoke, his voice still even:
"You already signed. It's too late to back out now."
Before the words had fully landed, he swept Noah up into his arms.
Noah's body went stiff. Instinctively he tried to struggle.
But Asher was too strong. There was no breaking free.
Asher didn't look at him. In a few strides he reached the bed and set Noah down.
The soft mattress caught his body.
And Asher was already pressing down over him.
His hand reached for the sash again. This time there was no hesitation. He pulled it open.
The silk robe fell away.
Noah's body lay exposed to the air.
Pale skin. A slender waist. Clean lines from collarbone to stomach.
Young. Untouched. Carrying the rawness of someone who had never been claimed.
Asher's gaze fell on that body and lingered for several seconds.
Then he straightened and removed his own clothes.
Noah turned his head away, refusing to look.
His body trembled faintly, but he fought to keep it under control, not wanting to let it show.
Asher didn't seem to care.
He leaned down, took hold of Noah's chin, and forced his head back around.
Then kissed him.
This kiss was different from before.
Asher's lips were hot, aggressive, prying open Noah's mouth as his tongue swept through every corner.
Noah didn't respond. He didn't struggle either.
He simply lay there, passive, enduring it terrified and tense.
Asher kissed him for a long time. Long enough that Noah thought he might suffocate.
Finally he pulled back, putting just a sliver of distance between them.
He looked at Noah's face. Still taut. Lips kissed red and swollen. But his eyes still fighting to stay composed.
Asher said nothing. He reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a small bottle.
Clear liquid. Cool to the touch.
He squeezed some onto his fingers, and then...
Noah felt something cold touch the most private part of his body.
His whole frame went rigid, his breathing turning rapid.
"Relax." Asher's voice came close to his ear. "The more you tense up, the more it'll hurt."
Noah clenched his teeth and tried to make himself relax.
But he couldn't.
The sensation of being entered was too foreign. His body's instinct was to resist.
Asher's finger pressed in slowly, slicked with that cool lubricant, gradually opening territory that had never been touched.
Noah's hands seized the sheets, knuckles white.
It was uncomfortable.
Very uncomfortable.
Something was entering his body. The intrusion made him want to flee.
But he made no sound.
He just closed his eyes, turned his face to the side, and bit down on his lip.
Asher's movements were slow, carrying a kind of mechanical patience.
One finger. Then two.
The cold lubricant gradually warmed with his body heat, but the sense of invasion remained intense.
Noah's body shook. His breathing grew more and more uneven.
But still, he didn't make a sound.
Finally, Asher withdrew his fingers.
Noah exhaled in relief, thinking it was over.
The next instant, he felt something larger, hotter pressing against that entrance.
Noah's eyes flew open.
Asher loomed above him, looking down.
Noah tried to say something, but before he could speak.
Asher thrust forward.
In that moment, Noah felt like his body was being torn apart.
Violent pain exploded from deep inside, radiating through every limb.
His spine arched. His lips parted. No sound came out.
It hurt too much.
Ten thousand times worse than he'd imagined.
Like something scalding was forcing its way into him, stretching him open, ripping him apart from the inside.
Noah's hands clawed at the sheets.
Liquid seeped from the corners of his eyes not from wanting to cry, but from his body's raw response to the pain. Physiological tears he couldn't stop.
He bit his lip, swallowing back every moan that tried to escape.
Asher felt the tension in his body, the trembling.
He stopped. Didn't move.
Just held that position. Waiting.
Noah's breathing slowly steadied. The trembling gradually subsided.
The tearing pain was still there, but he was starting to adapt.
He kept biting his lip. The tear tracks on his face hadn't dried, but his eyes had regained their composure.
Asher watched his reaction. Then he began to move.
Slowly. Inch by inch. In and out of Noah's body.
Each withdrawal, each thrust, carried an inexorable force.
Noah's body rose and fell with his rhythm, like a small boat tossed by waves.
The pain persisted.
But gradually, something else began to mix with it.
A strange, unsettling sensation.
An ache. A tingle. And something he couldn't name...
Noah gritted his teeth, refusing to think about what it was.
He just closed his eyes and endured.
Asher's pace quickened.
The force grew stronger.
Each impact carried something primal, as if he meant to consume Noah entirely.
Noah's body shook with Asher's rhythm. Those involuntary tears kept sliding from the corners of his eyes, soaking into the pillow.
But still, he made no sound.
He endured in silence.
Asher watched his face that face tight with restraint those eyes stubbornly refusing to yield.
He found he couldn't stop.
Not just from physical need.
But because... he wanted to see more.
He wanted to see that stubbornness break.
He wanted to see those defenses crumble.
He wanted to see Noah completely undone beneath him.
Asher's movements became fiercer.
Deeper each time. Harder.
Noah's body was pushed upward with every thrust, then pulled back by Asher's grip on his waist.
The force of each collision was overwhelming, leaving Noah's mind blank.
---
Time lost all meaning in that room.
Maybe it was minutes. Maybe hours.
Finally, Asher stopped.
Noah felt his body press down, breathing heavy, and then...
Something warm flooded deep inside him.
Noah's thoughts were hazy.
He only knew it was finally over.
Asher pulled away from him.
Quick. No lingering.
Noah lay on the bed, utterly drained, as if every ounce of strength had been wrung from him.
The pain in his body hadn't faded. Some places had gone numb.
He turned his head and stared at the ceiling, his gaze unfocused.
Rustling sounds came from beside him.
Asher getting dressed.
A few seconds later, his voice broke the silence.
"Your room is at the end of the hall. Second door on the left."
His tone was cold. Emotionless. Like he was mentioning something of no importance.
"You can go now."
Noah slowly turned his head to look at him.
Asher had already put on his robe and was walking toward the door.
He didn't look back at Noah once.
The door opened. Closed.
Footsteps faded away.
Noah was alone.
He lay on that bed, staring at the closed door, silent for a long time.
His body still ached.
Slowly, he sat up.
The movement pulled at certain parts of him, making him wince.
But he didn't stop.
He found his robe at the edge of the bed and struggled into it.
Then, bracing himself against the wall, he made his way to the door, one step at a time.
He followed Asher's directions. End of the hall. Second door on the left.
It was a large room. Simple décor. A big bed. Curtains drawn, blocking out the view.
Noah went in and closed the door.
He was too exhausted.
Still in his robe, he collapsed onto the bed.
The soft mattress caught his worn-out body.
Noah closed his eyes. Almost the instant his head touched the pillow, he sank into a deep sleep.
---
Elsewhere.
Asher returned to his own room.
He walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows and lit a cigarette.
Smoke curled through the air.
He stared at the night view beyond the glass, but his mind was elsewhere.
Noah's body.
Noah's eyes.
Noah's silence. That stubborn refusal to break, no matter what.
Asher took a drag and exhaled a cloud of white smoke.
He realized he was still savoring it.
Before, after something like this, he never felt anything extra.
Just physical need. Satisfied and done.
But tonight...
Asher's fingers tightened slightly. Ash fell to the floor.
Interesting.