To See the Sky

by L. M. Brown

  AJ shook his head. “I can’t keep doing this. I don’t want to be a whore forever.”

  Landon chuckled and leant closer. “Once a whore, always a whore,” he whispered. “Stopping won’t change what you’ve done. Whenever you’re hard up and strapped for credits you’ll always have the knowledge that you spread your legs once before and can do so again.”

  “Is there anything else?” AJ pleaded.

  “Sorry. Maybe next week.”

  AJ stood up to leave.

  “Or you can come back any time if you change your mind about the other offer,” Landon suggested.

  AJ hoped never to be that desperate again.

  Since he still had plenty of time before Blake expected him back AJ decided to head down into the labyrinth to see if his siblings had calmed down and got over the shock of what he had done.

  JD was nowhere in sight when AJ arrived at the cave. Essie sat in the entrance and the smell of some sort of stew cooking came from inside.

  “What are you doing back here?” Essie asked when she saw him approach.

  “I wanted to check you were okay.”

  “I’m fine, as you can see,” Essie replied. “You should leave before JD gets back.”

  “Do you want me to leave?”

  “I don’t want any trouble or any more shame brought on the family.”

  “I’ve done nothing I’m ashamed of,” AJ lied as he sat down across from Essie.

  “You’ve whored yourself to a tower dweller for credits,” Essie reminded him. “I never thought I’d live to see the day one of my brothers lowered himself to such a level. I wish I hadn’t lived to see it.”

  “Don’t talk like that. I had to get the credits somehow. This was the only way.”

  Essie shook her head and repeated her advice to him to leave. It was too late though and JD rounded the corner with one of their neighbours.

  “Get out of here, whore,” JD shouted.

  It was obvious from the moment he appeared that JD had not calmed down at all during the last few days. AJ got to his feet and brushed the dust from his borrowed trousers.

  “Hey, not so fast,” JD’s companion said. “I’ll pay a credit to fuck your brother, if he’s offering.”

  AJ blanched as JD roared with laughter.

  “Just get out of here,” Essie pleaded. “And don’t come back this time.”

  AJ nodded and ran all the way back to the elevator. He had made a mistake in returning to the labyrinth. His family wasn’t going to forgive him for what he had done. Landon had spoken the truth. Once a whore, always a whore.

  Chapter Nine

  Back in the tower no one seemed to have missed him during his trip down into the labyrinth. Other than Corrine passing him a damp flannel to wipe the dust from his face, his brief sojourn went unnoticed.

  Ryder had been kept busy all day. Apparently he wasn’t going to be getting the afternoon off today.

  Blake growled at everyone who approached him and AJ noticed several missing glasses and ornaments. Ashleigh was disposing of yet another breakage when Ryder stormed into the kitchen, causing everyone to jump.

  “That man is impossible!” Ryder shouted. “I’m on the verge of quitting this post right now.”

  “Take a deep breath,” Corrine advised. “You know how he gets in a temper sometimes. This is no different to the time he was convinced someone was breaking in here when he was at work. He’ll calm down soon enough.”

  “What set him off this time?” Jessiah asked.

  “He didn’t like the book I checked out of the archives yesterday,” Ryder said.

  “What book was that? How to seduce your master’s whore?”

  Corrine smacked Jessiah on the shoulder and tutted under her breath. AJ tried to make himself blend into the background.

  “It was a book about his great-grandfather’s work,” Ryder said. “I only wanted to check a few things in comparison to the journals in the study. He lost his temper as soon as he saw the book. Tore the thing apart completely. And you know I’ll be the one who has to pay the archive for the damage. It’ll cost me a month’s credits to pay for it.”

  “Maybe there’s some scandal in the book he doesn’t want anyone to know about?” Ashleigh suggested gleefully.

  “Like what?” Jessiah replied. “He probably just wants to make sure Ryder isn’t spending any more time teaching AJ to read.”

  “He can teach him to read with any book he likes,” Ashleigh pointed out. “There has to be something in that particular book which upset him. Perhaps you can get another copy and find out?”

  Ryder shook his head. “I’m not having him tear up another one for me to pay for. I’ll go to the archives some time and read the damn thing there instead. Hopefully they have another copy of it.”

  “Just try to stay out of his way,” Corrine advised everyone. “He’ll calm down eventually.”

  “He wants to see AJ straight after supper,” Ryder said, turning to AJ with a grimace. “Can I have a word in private?”

  AJ frowned as he followed Ryder into the sleeping quarters. “What is it?” he asked after Ryder had closed the door behind them.

  “Blake wants to know where else you’ve been when you ran his errand. He noticed you’d been gone for longer than you should have.”

  “I went down into the labyrinth,” AJ said. “I thought I’d see if my family had changed their minds about me.”

  “And?”

  “They aren’t going to.” AJ ducked his head to hide his watery eyes.

  “Are you okay?”

  AJ shrugged and sat down on the edge of the capsule. “I guess.”

  “That’s not much of an answer.” Ryder sat down beside him and gave him a soft nudge with his elbow. “You know you can talk to me, right?”

  “What’s there to talk about?”

  “Maybe about how you’re feeling? It’s just you and your brother and sister?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Have either of them thawed a bit since we took your sister—Essie, right?—the medicine?”

  “Not so you’d notice.”

  “Do you think they’ll ever come round?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Maybe with some more time they’ll reconsider.”

  “It doesn’t matter. Screw them both. Let them live in the labyrinth forever, if that’s what they want.”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  “Why not? They don’t care about me, so why should I give a shit about what happens to them?”

  “Because they’re your family. It’s okay to be upset.”

  “I’m not!”

  Ryder raised his hand and ran a finger under AJ’s left eye, wiping away a stray tear. The small gesture opened a flood barrier and AJ collapsed, sobbing into Ryder’s arms.

  “It’s okay, AJ,” Ryder assured him as he rubbed his back in a soothing circular motion.

  “I did it for them,” AJ sniffled. “I only wanted to get my family out of the labyrinth, to give us a chance of surviving. Except now they hate me and I don’t have a family anymore.”

  Ryder pulled AJ tight against him. “You have me.”

  AJ let himself be enveloped in the hug and resisted the urge to answer ‘yes, but for how long?’

  * * * *

  After supper AJ went to face Blake, resolving to be honest about where he had been. Blake had never said he couldn’t visit his family when he wasn’t needed. He had every right to go where he pleased. All his words died on his lips when he saw what Blake held in his hand. The paddle looked hard and unforgiving.

  “Get on the bed,” Blake ordered.

  AJ shook his head. He wasn’t going to let this happen again. The first time had been bad enough and that had only been Blake’s hand. He should have said stop then, but he’d held his tongue. There was no way he was letting Blake near him with a paddle or anything like it. “I never agreed for you to hit me during this week.”

  “Are you arguing with me?”r />
  “I’m not going to let you beat me with that thing,” AJ said. He stood his ground at the top of the stairs. It wasn’t worth it. No amount of credits was worth being paddled.

  “Who were you with today?” Blake yelled. “Who was fucking you when you should have been here with me?”

  “No one.”

  “Who is he? I know it wasn’t Ryder this time. Who have you been spreading your legs for?”

  AJ backed away down the stairs. He didn’t have to put up with this.

  “You deceitful little whore,” Blake shouted as AJ dashed for the staff quarters, barely closing and locking the door behind him in time.

  “AJ, what’s the matter?” Ryder asked as he came out of the sleeping quarters to see what the commotion and shouting was about.

  AJ slid down the door and curled up in a ball, his head buried in his knees. “I won’t let him do it.”

  “Do what, AJ? What happened?”

  “He wanted to hit me with a wooden paddle,” AJ whispered. “I don’t care how much he pays me, I’m not going to let him beat me again.”

  Ryder sat down beside him and pulled him into his arms. “He won’t strike you again, I promise. No one will lay a hand on you while I’ve got a say in the matter.”

  “Where am I going to go?” AJ asked. “I’ve got about fifty credits to my name and nowhere to live.”

  “We’ll find somewhere.”

  “We?”

  “You think I’m going to let you walk out of here without me?” Ryder asked. “I’ll find another job and once you’re able to read you’ll be able to find work too.”

  AJ clung to Ryder and the hope he offered.

  * * * *

  The next morning Blake had calmed down and was most apologetic to everyone in the household. AJ suspected Ryder handing in his notice had a lot to do with Blake’s change in temperament.

  “You don’t have to leave,” Blake insisted when he saw AJ heading out the door with only his borrowed clothes on his back.

  “I broke the contract,” AJ reminded him.

  “As you said, the terms never said anything about physical chastisement. If you stay until the end of the week I’ll pay half your fee.”

  AJ bit back a sarcastic response about how paying him only half the fee altered their terms as well. Still, ten thousand credits would go a long way to finding him somewhere to stay and putting food in his belly while he looked for work.

  “If I stay, you won’t hit me again?” AJ clarified. He wanted to be sure on that point if nothing else.

  “Agreed,” Blake said.

  “AJ staying won’t make any difference to my decision,” Ryder commented.

  Blake didn’t appear happy at the reminder.

  AJ turned to Ryder. “It’s only a couple more days.”

  Ryder nodded and AJ could see the disappointment in his eyes as AJ made his choice.

  “Very good,” Blake said. “Now how about we make up for last night with a quick blow job before I leave for work? Ryder can even stay and watch if he likes.”

  AJ could tell the suggestion was actually an order. He dropped to his knees with a resigned sigh.

  “You suck so nicely,” Blake said. “You should try this some time, Ryder.”

  Ryder made a non-committal sound behind him.

  “Or have you already let him taste you? My whore has such a talented mouth. Did you know he charges fifty credits a blow job? If you want, you could pay me the fifty credits and I’ll let him blow you next. What do you say?”

  “I’ll pass,” Ryder replied, his voice tight and strained.

  “Maybe Jessiah would like to take me up on the offer, though perhaps the price might be a little high for an errand boy. Maybe I’ll promote him now that you’re leaving.”

  AJ tried to block out the voices and concentrate on getting Blake off as fast as possible. The sooner he came, the sooner he would leave for work and the quicker the end of the week would arrive.

  When he was done Blake tucked himself away and left for the laboratory. “Remember, Ryder, if you want him to blow you, you pay me his fee.”

  The door closed behind him and AJ slumped against the sofa. Just a couple more days to get through.

  Ryder sat down beside him and sighed loudly. “Do you still believe this is worth ten thousand credits?” he asked.

  “Probably not, but that’s the only thing keeping me from walking out the door right now.”

  “Would you hate me if I said I’m tempted to take Blake up on his offer?” Ryder asked quietly.

  “If you want me to blow you, all you have to do is ask. I’d do it with pleasure, no charge.”

  “While you belong to Blake he can charge for you,” Ryder pointed out.

  “What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, or us,” AJ countered.

  “Or I could blow you,” Ryder suggested with a grin. “He never mentioned your charge for that.”

  “No charge,” AJ said with a grin of his own. “Most people who pay whores want to get off themselves. They aren’t too fussed if their partner doesn’t.”

  “Says the virgin whore,” Ryder teased with a laugh. “Would you like me to?”

  “What? Blow me?”

  “Yeah.”

  AJ nodded eagerly. “Not here though.”

  Ryder stood up and pulled AJ to his feet. They went through into the staff area and Ryder shooed Jessiah out of the sleeping quarters, closing the door behind him with a warning not to come back unless the place was on fire.

  Ryder eased AJ down onto the sleeping capsule and slowly undid the buttons of his trousers. He carefully moved the fabric out of the way and spent so long gazing at him that AJ began to feel a little weird about the close scrutiny.

  “I can go shower if you wish,” he suggested in case uncleanliness was the problem.

  Ryder shook his head and knelt between his legs, planting soft kisses along AJ’s inner thighs. Each time he got close to AJ’s rigid flesh he darted his tongue out to give the tip a quick lick. AJ groaned and gripped the edge of the capsule. With the way Ryder tormented him he suspected he’d be coming before they even got to the best part. His cock grew harder and ached with need. Ryder nuzzled at his groin and took one of his balls into his mouth, sucking gently. AJ fell back on his elbows and closed his eyes as Ryder moved from one sac to the other and back again, his fingers lightly squeezing whichever one was not in his mouth.

  “Ryder, please,” AJ begged.

  Ryder ignored his plea and continued to lick his balls, only occasionally brushing against his dick as he moved from one to the other.

  Finally, Ryder licked his way along AJ’s erection and took the head between his lips. His tongue did something wonderfully delightful to the underside of his cock and AJ quivered as Ryder paid homage to the overly sensitive flesh. AJ chuckled as he considered maybe Ryder was in the wrong profession since he could have made a fortune doing this.

  Ryder pulled away and looked up at him curiously. “What’s so funny? You aren’t supposed to be laughing when I’m sucking you off.”

  “I’m just thinking how talented you are at this,” AJ hedged. Ryder raised an eyebrow as he waited for AJ to elaborate. AJ shook his head and fisted his penis, guiding the rigid member back to Ryder’s slightly swollen lips. Ryder took the hint and sucked the head once more. AJ gave a contented moan and when Ryder began to suck in earnest he couldn’t control the bucking of his hips as he strained to stop himself from fucking the other man’s mouth.

  AJ reached between his legs, only to find Ryder had beaten him to it. A quick squeeze, a long hard suck and AJ collapsed back onto the mattress as his orgasm ripped through his body.

  Ryder sucked him through every last shiver and when he had finished he climbed up and leant over him, kissing him deeply. AJ could taste his own cum on Ryder’s lips and with renewed energy he kicked off his trousers and rolled Ryder onto his back.

  Ryder, still fully clothed, spread his legs wide and let AJ settle between them.
He grabbed AJ’s arse and urged him closer. AJ could feel Ryder’s erection hard beneath him and he ground his hips downwards.

  “Oh yeah,” Ryder moaned. “Right there, AJ. Keep doing that. Don’t stop.”

  AJ had no intention of stopping and he continued to rub up against Ryder, increasing the pressure with each thrust of his hips. The friction of the material of Ryder’s trousers against his still-sensitive flesh was almost unbearable, but he didn’t want to halt. He could tell Ryder was close from the delightful noises he made each time AJ pressed up against him. He could feel Ryder’s hardness, trapped in his trousers, as he ground against him.

  By the time Ryder stiffened beneath him, AJ’s erection had begun to rise again. Ryder came with a throaty cry and shivers that caused AJ to moan with renewed arousal. The damp heat of Ryder’s release seeped through his trousers and AJ reached down to touch the evidence of the pleasure he had brought his lover.

  “That feels so good,” Ryder whispered as AJ continued to stroke him through the thin material. “Sticky, but good.”

  “Maybe we should take a shower?” AJ suggested. “I think this time I might be able to enjoy the experience a little more than the last time we shared one.”

  Ryder laughed and shook his head. “I don’t think I can move just yet.”

  AJ wasn’t entirely sure he could find his own feet and so he slid off of Ryder’s chest and nestled in beside him and closed his eyes. “Later,” he whispered.

  Chapter Ten

  Showered and satisfied, at least for the moment, AJ and Ryder snuggled together on Ryder’s sleeping capsule. The silence turned from comfortable to awkward until eventually Ryder brought up the subject they had both been avoiding all day.

  “What do you intend to do after tomorrow?”

  “I don’t know, find somewhere to live, I guess.”

  “I meant, what are you going to do about work?”

  “There’s nothing out there according to the agency. Not unless I want to earn my living on my back.”

  “I don’t want my lover working as a whore,” Ryder said simply.

  “Me neither, but at the moment I don’t have any other options.”