Human After All

by Connie Bailey

  Valens looked down at Cade’s crotch. “You certainly aren’t wasting any.”

  “You know how undressing you affects me,” Cade said as he backed Valens up to the synswade-upholstered vanity.

  “The same way being undressed by you affects me,” Valens murmured as he settled back against the coolness of the freeform mirror.

  Cade leaned in to run his tongue around the tip of the Companion’s arousal, running his fingers through the manicured pubic thatch. “It excites me that I excite you,” he said.

  Valens clutched at the edge of the vanity top as the Speaker sucked strongly at the head of his cock before releasing it. “Should we be doing this on the furniture?”

  Cade moved between Valens’s thighs, resting his hands on his lover’s hips. “I’ll pay for any damage.”

  “I’m in love with a crazy person,” Valens said fondly as he looked down into Cade’s eyes.

  “Really? Are you going to leave me for him?”

  Valens framed Cade’s face in his hands. “Never,” he said as he leaned in for a kiss.

  Cade wrapped his arms around Valens’s back and pulled him forward until their crotches were pressed firmly together. The kiss deepened, their tongues sliding over and under and into every corner as their hard cocks rubbed together.

  “Every time,” Valens gasped as their lips parted. “Every time you kiss me, I feel as though my bones are melting. How do you do that?”

  “I learned it from you,” Cade said.

  Valens reached between them to take a cock in each hand. Cade sucked in a harsh breath as Valens smacked the head of his shaft lightly against his lover’s before gathering both in one fist. Letting a glob of saliva fall from his lips, Valens used it to slick his palm as he stroked their hard shafts together. Cade pulled Valens’s head down for another kiss, groaning into the other man’s mouth as Valens thumbed the sensitive head of his cock. Pulsing his hips, Cade thrust into Valens’s fist, rubbing the underside of his arousal against Valens’s hard length.

  “That feels so good,” Valens breathed, breaking the kiss for air.

  “Makes me glad we’re both men,” Cade admitted, running his palms down Valens’s shoulders to his chest, brushing the peaked nipples perched atop the smooth pectorals. “Every time I think it can’t get better….” Cade’s voice trailed off in a groan.

  “It does,” Valens finished for him. “Every time.”

  Cade kissed the end of Valens’s perfect nose as he reached for a bottle of scented oil. Valens unwrapped his legs from around Cade’s waist and propped his heels against the edge of the padded surface. Cade gazed on the riches laid bare to him and had to blink back the extra moisture that gathered in his eyes. “I love you so much,” he said. “I can hardly believe my luck sometimes.”

  Valens sighed as Cade ran a slick finger along his crack, rubbing lightly at his entrance. “I know exactly what you mean,” he said. “The day I was informed that I had been booked as a gift for you, I could never have imagined where it would lead. I had no idea how wonderful you were going to turn out to be.”

  “It was like the romantic clichés you hear and dismiss as holodram fantasies,” Cade said, pulsing his fingertip against the ring of muscle that guarded Valens’s passage. “I saw you, and nothing was the same after that.”

  “For me, as well. I thought I was a professional, and then….”

  Valens’s words trailed off in a little whimper as Cade eased a finger into him. His heartfelt speech went unvoiced as all his breath was commandeered by a gasp of pleasure when Cade found his prostrate. Cade curled his finger in a coaxing gesture and stroked the resilient bump again. Valens’s legs began to tremble as Cade added a second finger, twisting into the tight passage, probing, sliding, and teasing in short, darting jabs interspersed with long moments spent rubbing against every surface of the velvet sheath.

  “I love the look you get on your face when I do this,” Cade said, his voice grainy with lust.

  “Now,” Valens answered succinctly.

  Cade pulled his fingers from the tight heat and reached for the bottle again. Valens got there first. Pouring a stream of oil into his palm, Valens took hold of Cade’s cock as he hooked his ankles around Cade’s thighs. Cade curled his fingers around Valens’s upstanding rod, rubbing little circles with his thumb over the sensitive tip. Valens made the little shivery moan that always went straight from Cade’s ears to the end of his dick, bringing the honey from the rock, welling up in a gleaming pearl of thick liquid. Making love with Valens made him feel more alive than anything he’d ever done. Unable to wait another second, Cade pulled his length from Valens’s fist and lifted one of the Companion’s feet to rest against his chest. Valens was bent double, his knee touching the mirror above his head, but he didn’t complain.

  “I love it when you’re on fire for me, so eager that you lose control,” Valens said breathlessly.

  Cade yanked Valens’s ass a little farther forward and seated the head of his cock. This was a delicate moment in their lovemaking. Valens loved being taken with abandon, but he also savored the sensation of being penetrated slowly, and Cade strove to strike a balance that pleased his lover. It was a difficult task with the small soft sounds of Valens’s need sending bolts of heat lightning through Cade’s groin. His excitement was mounting so rapidly that he ran the risk of spurting untimely if he didn’t sheath himself soon. He enjoyed the long, leisurely bouts they indulged in when he could take a day off, but, like Valens, he also craved these moments when he felt he’d implode like a dying star if he couldn’t have his lover that very instant. They had spoken of that intensity of feeling, wondering if it would ever fade. Cade didn’t think so. He believed an enduring flame had been kindled in their hearts, and that it would never die.

  Cade looked up from the point where his shaft was disappearing in the world’s oldest magic trick, and he was lost in eyes as soft as velvet, as fathomless as the spaces between the stars, as welcoming as the lights of home. Valens gazed back, mesmerized by the emotion that shone so clearly from Cade’s eyes, the windows of heaven thrown open, the sapphire lamps lit with star fire, filling him with joy that they belonged to one another and that they had a way to express that joy. He pulled Cade’s head down as the rod of hard flesh sank into him by degrees. Cade covered Valens’s mouth with his as he sheathed his full length. Valens bore down on the shaft that stretched him so agreeably, and Cade sagged forward at the exquisite sensation.

  “That is so sweet,” Cade moaned against Valens’s lips.

  He began to flex his buttocks, shifting his arousal subtly in the tight channel, backing out until only half his length was sheathed. Wrapping an arm around Valens’s thigh, he took hold of Valens’s cock with his other hand, and thrust in short, rolling strokes. Valens moaned and panted, his taut belly trembling at each shallow stroke that dragged over his most susceptible spot. Cade was nearly mindless with lust from Valens’s squeeze-and-release tactics and countered by thrusting deeper and harder until they were rocking against one another in an ardent rhythm. As the sweet tension in their balls drew out to the point of no return, Cade increased the power of his thrusts until Valens came with an ecstatic yelp, spilling hot cum over Cade’s knuckles. Cade continued to stroke Valens, smearing viscous fluid down the sated shaft and over the empty sac as he pushed into quaking quicksand. Putting his fingers to Valens’s lips, he groaned in bliss as his lover sucked them clean, and his seed unfurled deep inside the clinging passage.

  “Never will I grow tired of this,” Cade purred as they clung together in the afterglow that bloomed outward from the point where they joined.

  Valens uncoiled, relaxing one muscle at a time, until at last he relinquished his grip on Cade’s forearms. Cade withdrew slowly, snagging a handily placed, lightly scented towel from the top drawer of the vanity. Gently, he wiped Valens’s crotch before wrapping his lover in his arms. Valens squeezed Cade’s hips with his thighs, running the soles of his feet down the backs of Cade’s m
uscular legs. Cade fulfilled his prophecy, lapping at the fine sheen of sweat on Valens’s neck and shoulders, working his way up to the Companion’s enticing lips. A few lazy kisses later, Valens reluctantly reminded the Speaker of their guests.

  “My friends will understand,” Valens said, his eyes gleaming with good humor. “But suppose the Deep gets spooked and calls off the Scenario?”

  Cade sighed, placing a final kiss on the young man’s damp neck. “Very well,” he said, pulling his pants up. “I’ll try to think of a new approach in my argument for Bioware rights. If I’m ever to call you my maritus in a legally binding sense, I have many laws to change. I hope your elegant friend the Prince has managed to change the Deep’s— Oh dear, I’m spending too much time with your set and picking up your slang.” A sheepish smile curved Cade’s lips as he amended his words. “I hope Jaymes has broadened the Deputy President’s views.”

  “Jaymes deserves some sort of medal.” Valens shuddered melodramatically. “The Deep is a handsome enough man, but he makes my skin crawl.”

  “He’s a first-rate admin. In the six years he’s been a pol-exec, he’s increased commerce and decreased unemployment. That’s no easy trick.”

  “I know he’s competent, but something about him still puts me off.”

  “I promise you that when we’re married, we’ll never have him over for dinner.” Cade finished fiddling with his tie and watched Valens dress. “I wish we could do it again right now.”

  “After the Deep’s gone, we can leave my friends in the salon as cover and sneak off to my place.”

  “I like your plan.” Cade brushed the dark auburn hair from Valens’s forehead and kissed him.

  “Then let’s join the others before they drink all the liquor.”

  Cade chuckled as he followed Valens back to the salon’s lounge room. “It looks as though we could’ve taken our time,” he said. “Ampery and your friend aren’t back yet.”

  IV.

  “YOUR skin is like—” Brandel Ampery paused, unable to think of an analogy that pleased him. “It’s very smooth and creamy.”

  Jaymes stifled the impulse to smile at the mental picture of himself as a pudding. He and the D.P. had been alone for almost fifteen minutes and hadn’t yet moved beyond the first contact stage. Taking a chance, he said something deliberately provocative. “Would you care to feel how smooth?”

  “It’s uncanny.” The gaunt politician cocked his head to one side. “There is not a trace of vulgarity in your words or manner.”

  “Would you like me to be… vulgar?” Jaymes raised an eyebrow in what could be taken for archness or disapproval.

  “No,” Ampery said quickly. “I don’t find that arousing at all.”

  “I’m of the opinion that there’s a time and a place for everything.” Jaymes looked around the private salon. “What shall we do in this place at this time?”

  “I’ve never been entertained by a Companion, but I confess that you intrigue me. As you were designed to do, of course.” Ampery paused. “I was hoping you might be my guide.”

  Jaymes was very familiar with the type of powerful man who craved being dominated in the bedroom, but Brandel Ampery didn’t seem the sort. The Companion thought he’d taken the Deputy President’s measure back in Speaker Londean’s salon, but now he was not sure. The politician gave away precious little in body language, and his expressions were carefully controlled. You saw only what he wished you to see. “Do you need me to teach you to love a man?” he asked with as little inflection as he could manage.

  One corner of Brandel’s mouth hooked upward. “No. I want you to tell me the guidelines. What is and is not permissible. And I’d like you to undress as you speak.”

  “Of course.” Jaymes let the frock coat slide from his shoulders and down his arms. “These are the infractions that will result in termination of any interaction between yourself and Gentren Metacorp inclusive.” The heavy brocade jacket dropped to the floor in a susurration of crumpling cloth, and Jaymes began working on the studs of his formal shirt. “You may not do damage to this body that will cause permanent scarring or result in disability.” Cuff links went into a trouser pocket, and Jaymes shed the drift of snowy silk to lie atop the coat. “You may not give me any stimulant or depressant of any kind without permission.” Jaymes deftly toed off his knee boots, marring the glossy polish. “You may not keep me longer than the agreed-upon term of contract unless you renegotiate the contract before that time has expired.” The Companion pushed his narrow-cut trousers slowly down long, lean-muscled legs and straightened up with just as little haste. “Of course, the last doesn’t apply since I’m technically not here under contract.”

  “It would be very flattering to believe that, but Londean is so transparent. Don’t worry, I don’t mind the attempt to deceive me. Not only do you intrigue me, Jaymes, but in accepting the gift of your company, I’ve made the Speaker wonder if he knows me at all.”

  “You’re a very intelligent man, that’s no secret.” Jaymes held his arms out from his sides. “And now I have no secrets.”

  “You are….” Once again, Brandel Ampery could not find words adequate to describe his surging emotions at having this perfect creature under his control. “Of course, you know you’re beautiful. You don’t need me to tell you that. What compliment would please someone of your… occupation?”

  Jaymes didn’t think Ampery really cared what pleased a Companion. It was more likely that the man irreverently called the Deep was a little nervous about what he wanted to do with a piece of Bioware and was covering it with talk. “Speaker Londean asked me to keep you company as a favor, but I wouldn’t have said yes if I hadn’t wanted to know you better.”

  “You’re a very convincing liar, and I think I would like to touch you after all.”

  Without a sound or moving a muscle, Jaymes invited the D.P. closer.

  “Uncanny.” Brandel acknowledged the Companion’s charisma. “I find it difficult to resist you, but I’ll have to ask some specific questions first. Since you’re not under contract to me, I don’t have your leash code and—”

  “Collar code,” Jaymes corrected automatically and knew immediately that he’d made a mistake.

  Brandel turned to the bodyguards and signaled to them to wait outside in the hall. The Combat-Ulteems went reluctantly, but they went. As soon as the door was closed, the Deep dealt Jaymes a backhanded slap that made the Companion’s ears ring. Jaymes held a hand to his stinging cheek, trembling with the conflicting impulses that threatened to overload his system. He’d been slapped before, but always as a pre-arranged part of a Scenario, and he’d known how to react. The Deep’s attack had been unexpected and vicious, and Jaymes’s survival programming urged him to retaliate by neutralizing his attacker. However, the parameters set by the modified matrix compelled Jaymes to submit.

  “You won’t fight me. I see it in your eyes,” the Deep said as he raised his hand to strike again.

  For the first time in Jaymes’s twenty-two years, he felt real fear, mortal fear, the fear that he was going to be damaged beyond repair. Because the Deep was right. Jaymes wouldn’t fight back. He couldn’t. The chemical code restrained him as effectively as a straitjacket. Unable to take his eyes from the Deep, he waited in dread.

  “Why are you so compliant?” Brandel asked curiously.

  “I’m under the influence of a compulsion program,” Jaymes said, unable to lie.

  “This is far too apt,” Brandel murmured. He had no illusions about his popularity, but being liked was not high on his list of priorities. The Deputy President’s ambitions were few and he devoted himself to them with monastic fervor, seeming not to need food or sleep or any other of life’s basic comforts. He wanted stability and order in the everyday lives of the population he was responsible for. He wanted the office of the President-General that would give him the power to govern The Cities properly. He wanted control over everything. Only then would the world be truly safe for the good Citizens. />
  Brandel had never been tempted to hire a Companion and didn’t see the appeal they held for others. What attraction could there be in an orchestrated Scenario? What real pleasure could be found in such artifice? He had never understood it, and if the ruling of the world were up to him, he’d do away with Bioware altogether. On that point, the D.P. and Cade Londean were agreed.

  However, their policy diverged when it came to the matter of what to do with a surplus population that hadn’t the means to support themselves without the convention of indentured servitude. Londean proposed that the ultra-wealthy owners of the metacorps donate a portion of their vast land holdings to be turned into an agrarian colony on the greenbelt that already existed between the Inner and Outer Cities. It would require time and enormous expenditure, but in a decade or so, everyone would benefit in the form of employment and cheaper, fresher, more plentiful produce. The Deputy President’s plan was much simpler: enforced sterilization for those who fell below a government-determined economic level, and conception licenses for everyone else. Perhaps when all people learned to control their urges, such restrictions could be lifted, but for now, extreme measures were necessary, and the Deep intended to see that they were implemented.

  “You’re a Thoroughbred,” Brandel said. “You’ve never known life outside the Cloister, is that right?”

  “I was conceived in the Outers.” An odd calm had come over Jaymes as he accepted that he had no control. He breathed in and out and answered with absolute candor.

  “But you were delivered in the Cloister by a Gentren obgine and raised by Gentren staff, yes?”

  “Yes.”

  The D.P. shook his head in disapproval. “They might as well start breeding your sort. Or do they already? It wouldn’t surprise me to find that Gentren is manipulating the more attractive Outties to rut and reproduce.”

  “That’s against the law.”

  “I’m guessing you haven’t had much contact with criminals. In fact, I’ve heard that it isn’t possible for a Thoroughbred Class Companion to have a duplicitous thought.”