Inherent Cost

by Alicia Cameron

  A slight cough directed his attention to Wren, who was frowning at him. Jere could tell that Wren was trying to be serious, but the slight upward curve at the corners of his mouth gave him away. Jere stopped touching himself rather reluctantly, and Wren nodded at him. That was a hard lesson, one that Jere wouldn’t care to repeat. There was no opportunity to ask to be allowed to come, or even to beg. He just had to accept what Wren offered.

  Wren gave him an expectant look, and Jere started touching himself again, slower this time, watching Wren’s face. When he nodded, Jere continued, becoming hard far more quickly than he had last time. When he got right to the edge, he gave Wren a desperate look, but Wren just watched, silent.

  Jere kept stroking himself, gritting his teeth to keep himself from coming. He had a hunch that wasn’t going to be part of the game.

  Just when he thought he couldn’t hold out any longer, he saw Wren hold his hand up again, signaling him to stop, and he did so immediately, thankful for the reprieve. Of course, he would have been happier to come, but he knew they would get to that eventually. Wren let him stand there for a moment, gasping and trying his best not to thrust into thin air, and then he motioned with his hand, indicating for Jere to come closer.

  Jere took a step toward Wren, watching for the displeasure he saw earlier, but he saw none of that. Emboldened, he moved closer until he was standing right next to the bed. Wren’s arm shot out, catching Jere by surprise. Wren used his speed gift to grab the end of the belt that was wrapped around Jere’s neck, pulling him closer. Before Jere could catch his balance, he found himself on the bed, close enough that Wren could kiss him.

  Jere melted into Wren’s mouth, always happy to kiss and be kissed by him. His arms came up to wrap around Wren’s body, but they and Jere were pinned to the bed just moments later as Wren flipped him onto his back and lingered on top of him, predatory and dangerous. Jere shuddered at the sight.

  When Wren backed off, Jere stayed, drawing a smile from Wren, and indicating that he was on the right track with his actions. Wren moved rapidly, grabbing some lube and stripping off his clothes, returning in just seconds to stretch across Jere’s body, pinning him to the bed once more. Wren made his way down to Jere’s cock, taking it into his mouth and sucking hard and fast, making Jere struggle to stay still.

  He let out a strangled moan instead, and then a cry of protest as he felt Wren’s warm mouth leave his cock out in the cold. He sat up, giving Wren a sad look.

  Wren just raised an eyebrow at him and then raised a finger to his lips.

  Sighing in frustration, Jere committed himself to silence. After a few moments, Wren resumed his task, licking and sucking as Jere pressed his lips tightly together to conceal any of the sounds he wanted to make.

  As he worked Jere’s cock, Wren also worked his ass, applying lube with his fingers and stretching Jere carefully. Jere was aching to come already, being so worked up, and he forced himself to sit up slightly, catching Wren’s eye and giving him what he hoped was a desperate look. Wren needed to stop sucking him so well, or let him come, because Jere wasn’t sure if he could hold off any longer.

  With a slight smile, Wren backed off, focusing just on his ass.

  Jere was relieved not to have to struggle to not come anymore, but the aching desire to do so hurt even more. It was compounded by his desire to get fucked. He had long since been ready enough, there was plenty of lube, and his ass felt ready to pull Wren’s cock in, but still, Wren kept teasing him with his fingers.

  Finally, Jere started to rock back and forth on the bed, fucking himself on Wren’s hand, desperate for any release. He felt a slap on his leg and he stilled, looking up in frustration.

  Wren shook his head and slapped him again, and Jere started to move. Another slap, and he moved faster, starting to get the picture. Wren was spurring him on, encouraging him to move faster and more energetically, and Jere was happy to comply. Wren felt so good; the only thing that would make this better was his cock.

  This would usually be the point where Jere begged, but he was stripped of that option for tonight. Desperate for contact, but too proud to break the rules of their little game, he curled his legs around Wren’s body instead, trying to physically pull him up. He reasoned, in his rather altered state, that if he could just get Wren’s cock near his ass, he could probably convince him to put it in. After all, that’s the way their bodies were built, they were supposed to fit together that way. They just needed a little help getting there.

  Wren seemed a little thrown by the heels digging into his back, but he did move forward, an indulgent smile spreading across his face as he did. Encouraged, Jere tried to pull him up closer, even reaching out with his hands to stroke gently along Wren’s back, around to his ass, and then moving around to reach for his cock.

  Wren laughed, finally breaking his role. “You are the most un-subtle person I have ever met,” he pointed out, grabbing Jere’s arms and pinning them above his head again. “I should have tied you before we got started.”

  “I want you to fuck me,” Jere begged. If Wren could break character, so could he. “I’m all hot and ready, and your cock is right there, and I know it wants to be inside of me!”

  “Oh really?” Wren asked, rubbing his cock against Jere’s ass, tantalizing him further. “You’re that good at reading my body that you can tell what my cock is thinking?”

  “Yes,” Jere insisted, arching his back so he could rub against Wren more effectively. “See, I learned it all. Now you can fuck me.”

  “Oh, believe me, I will,” Wren promised, giving Jere a devious look.

  Jere stopped moving, transfixed by Wren’s expression for a moment, and once he was still, he was filled with the almost overwhelming sensation of Wren sliding into him, taking him unexpectedly considering the fact that he had just been begging for this.

  “Wren,” Jere breathed, his fingers tightening around Wren’s hand, which held his arms above his head.

  “Shh. I kind of liked the no talking part.”

  Wren accentuated the order with a kiss, keeping his lips tightly pressed against Jere’s to prevent him from making another sound. Jere thrust desperately at Wren, feeling his cock hard inside of him. Clearly, the games had turned Wren on as much as they had Jere.

  Lips locked to Wren’s, arms pinned above his head, and his ass filled with Wren’s cock, Jere felt utterly possessed and he loved it. He could thrust his hips, but he couldn’t really move otherwise, and that was perfectly fine by him. He did thrust, and in a few minutes, he felt himself tensing, getting almost ready to come, and his eyes opened, looking to Wren desperately for permission. He felt the slightest nod, and he felt Wren increasing the speed, fucking him even faster until he came, unable to make a sound except a small whine, deep in his throat, which seemed to inspire Wren to kiss him more roughly.

  Wren continued to fuck him for a few more minutes, while Jere almost whimpered from the additional sensation. He had been so worked up for so long. Now that he was finished, he just wanted to relax, but Wren was having none of it. He fucked Jere until he was finished, coming hard, and only then did he pull out, leaving Jere shaking.

  Jere was left speechless, only able to make a slight whimper as Wren smiled at him and got a towel to clean up.

  “See, we don’t always need to talk,” Wren whispered, climbing back into bed and pulling Jere close.

  Jere agreed. There was something especially intimate about communicating without words, and he doubted that he would forget that lesson anytime soon.

  Chapter 14

  Shutdown

  Jere was surprised when Wren handed him a very official-looking letter while they worked in the clinic.

  “Can they audit us twice?” he muttered, sarcastic. He wouldn’t put it past the regulation agency to try.

  “No.” Wren smiled a little. He always seemed amused by Jere’s suspicion of the state. “It’s from the state’s medical regulation board. Maybe it’s time to recertify the clinic or
something.”

  “Just what we need.” Jere finished what he was working on and then opened the letter, expecting a general reminder for some sort of administrative thing that would waste his time and take away from the more important things he was supposed to be doing. What he found instead made him go silent, furiously reading the letter over and over again.

  Dr. Peters,

  It has come to the attention of the board that your clinic may not be performing to the high standards expected in Arona. A number of community members have complained of long wait times, inadequate healing and lack of attention to detail. These complaints correspond with your recent decision to treat the slave population at your clinic.

  We regret to inform you that your practice will need to remediate this issue immediately. Unless you would prefer to schedule a thorough meeting with the Arona Medical Regulation Board, the following actions must be addressed effective immediately:

  CEASE TREATING SLAVES IN YOUR CLINIC

  INFORM YOUR CLIENTS OF YOUR NEW POLICIES

  SUBMIT DOCUMENTATION INDICATING YOUR AGREEMENT

  While your medical clinic is privately owned and operated, significant state funds contribute to the upkeep of your clinic and its supplies. In order to continue receiving these funds and operating as a state-certified health clinic, your compliance with these directives must occur immediately. In addition, the International Medical Review Board has been notified of these community complaints. You may wish to check with your Board contact person for additional requests or sanctions.

  If you believe this decision has been made in error, you may request a board review in order to address these concerns.

  Please direct any questions or concerns to our central office.

  Jere threw the letter across the room, ashamed when Isis darted out and even Wren flinched away.

  “Bad news?” Wren asked, retrieving the letter and reading it when Jere didn’t respond.

  “This is bullshit!” Jere snapped. “This is my clinic.”

  Wren nodded, conciliatory. “And it’s funded by our benevolent state agency,” he reminded Jere. “You don’t really have the option not to comply.”

  “Fuck their funds!” Jere snapped. “I have enough money to run this place on my own for a few years. Maybe I could seek my own damn funding. The Wysockas like me—maybe they could help.”

  Wren shook his head. “Cutting off the funding is the least of your concerns. If you try to fight this the wrong way, you could be looking at trouble with the International Board. Being shut down in Hojer is bad enough, being shut down everywhere... Jere, that’s bordering on practicing without a license. That could mean jail, extradition to Sonova.”

  That would mean leaving Wren and Isis vulnerable for who knew how long.

  Jere stayed quiet for a moment, trying to collect himself. He didn’t want to intimidate his lover any more, but he wanted to rage. He thought it over, thought of all the things that had led up to it. “This has to be the slave agency. This is just another way of messing with us, of trying to investigate, to harass us.”

  Wren shrugged. “You did sort of torture the president of Arona’s daughter a few months ago. You denied her pain relief on the excuse that you were depleted of your energy. Did you really think that wouldn’t come with consequences?”

  “I did it because of what they did to Isis. I was drained of energy, exhausted, too weak—”

  “You put the welfare of a slave over the welfare of a free person in a state where that is utterly unacceptable. You rubbed it in their noses and now they’re doing the same to you. Consider yourself lucky you’re not being shut down altogether.”

  Jere made a noise of disapproval, but he knew Wren was right. The plan that he and Kieran had concocted last winter had been amazing, hitting the citizens of Hojer and Arona’s leader where it hurt the most, but he was not without fault. He should have expected something like this, and he hadn’t. He hadn’t expected any of the retaliation for doing what he still felt was the right thing.

  “Hojer is lucky I’m not shutting it down all together. There have to be other states—other slave states. I could pull out of here, take you both, and move to somewhere that I’m more appreciated.”

  “Harder than you think,” Isis cut in. “Most of the slave states work together really closely. I don’t remember much of the spy work they used to have me do, they cut those memories right out of my brain. But the only way this slavery business works is for the slave states to band together. You’d have to go really, really far to get away from it, and even then, the same shit would still happen there. I’ve lived in dozens of slave states. They’re all about the same—except the ones that are worse.”

  Jere scowled, but he was running out of options. It always came down to this: he had to fit in, or he had to leave and abandon his family. Only one was an option, but he wasn’t going to take it lying down.

  “I want to talk with Kieran about that SRA,” Jere decided.

  Wren gave him a skeptical look. “Because you haven’t angered the higher-ups enough?”

  “I don’t remember everything that it does, but I know it mandates that slaves are seen by real medical professionals. It provides some other protections as well. I was perfectly content to leave well enough alone, but if they’re going to interfere with both my slaves and my clinic, I want a more active role in this. I need it. There’s not much I can do, but I can do this.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be happy to hear that,” Wren said, but the doubt on his face was obvious.

  “I’m not doing this to make her happy. I want to keep treating slaves in the clinic. A lot of owners are already bringing them here because it’s inexpensive and convenient, and from the survey we did a few weeks ago, even the biggest assholes seem to like the fact that their slaves are up and ready to work a lot sooner. When I tell people that I’m being forced to stop, they’ll be just as angry. Do you really think we should lie down and take this?”

  The survey had been another idea passed down by Kieran and her team. Many free people had been outraged when Jere had started offering the service just over year ago, but now that the practice was firmly established and showing positive results, they really did seem to like it.

  Wren shook his head. “Fighting it is risking a lot. It’s not that I don’t agree with you, I’m just saying we need to be prepared.”

  Jere nodded. “We need to be prepared for the audit, anyway. What’s another fight?”

  From the look Wren gave him, another fight was more suffering, uncertainty, and risk. He realized just how selfish he must sound, ranting about his clinic when his anger could put Wren and Isis in danger. Challenging the state agencies was a dangerous act, as they had all experienced already.

  “Look, I’m not going to go out and campaign or anything like that,” he conceded. “I know that would put us at risk, and I’m not going to do that, especially when you don’t want me to. I trust you to be smarter about this than I am.”

  Wren smiled, too tactful to actually say that he agreed.

  “But I want to find out more about it, maybe see who I can talk to or how I can help just a little bit. If I have to inform my patients that I can’t see their slaves anymore, I should be able to tell them something else. I mean, if the SRA goes through, they’ll have to let me see slaves, right? Maybe it will generate more support.”

  Wren gave in and nodded. “I guess it does make sense that you support it. I mean, I’m sure if you asked anyone from town, they’d all guess that you did. You’re a doctor, it’s supposed to be for healthcare. And I doubt they’ll be pleased that you can’t heal their slaves anymore. The local veterinarian will be angry about that; I hear his practice is thriving now that he’s able to start focusing just on animals again.”

  Jere nodded. He wasn’t happy about any of this, but at least it made him feel better to know that there would be other people on his side. “We’ll lose quite a bit of business.”

  “We could use some down
time anyway. We need to get any of the anti-slavery literature out of the house, including letters your friends and family back home. And all the things Kieran has sent us to give to ‘like-minded’ clients need to be gone as well. We want this place to look perfect, and we have to be operating efficiently if we’re going to try to challenge this request from the medical board. It will be good to have it all out before the audit, too.”

  Jere frowned, wondering just where all that information could possibly be stored.

  “You sure know how to piss people off,” Paltrek observed, laughing. While he visited during lunch, Jere complained about the audit, the clinic shutdown, and his dilemma with finding a safe place to put his personal items. “You’ll still be treating slaves personally though, right? Just not officially?”

  Jere nodded. “Of course. Anything happens to Dane or any of the other slaves in your household, let me know. I just have to stay sort of underground with it.”

  “Why don’t you just let me hold on to any of your incriminating evidence?” Paltrek suggested. “I mean, my family would destroy anyone who dared to try to go through our things.”

  “Really?” Jere wasn’t exactly surprised; he just hadn’t realized he had this many resources in Hojer. It was nice to have that reminder. “I can never tell. I know the rest of your family isn’t such a fan of me, or of my views on slavery.”

  “Yeah, but it won’t be a problem. I think there’s a dead slave out back I can stuff your things into.”

  Jere paused for a moment, hoping that Paltrek was joking. He trusted his friend despite their differences, but the casual cruelty that slipped out from the Hojer native sometimes took him by surprise.

  Of course, Paltrek’s thrilled laugh clued him in.

  “You’re too easy, Jeremy,” Paltrek teased. “Really, though, we have enough money and jewelry and all that sort of shit that we have some pretty heavy security measures. Besides, nobody will think to look in my family’s mansion. We’re one of the biggest supporters of slavery, financially and politically. Wysocka Enterprises was built on slave labor.”