Cage Match (7 page)

clear he didn‟t want to be a sex toy, practically taunted Andreas about his reasons for

bringing him here. Now sex with Andreas was the one thing he craved.

Jabez launched his body from the bed, his ribs aching at the sudden movement.

He crossed the room to look out the window at the patch of garden below. He needed

to be out there walking along the paths, burning off some of his pent-up energy.

Andreas strolled into view. The man‟s glossy black curls shone in the sun. The

curve of his neck, the way his shirt hung loose over his lean torso, his sexy walk, all

riveted Jabez‟s attention. He wanted to touch him, to comb his fingers through the silky

hair and stroke his hands over that tight body.

When Andreas had emerged from the pool, sleek and wet, Jabez‟s cock had risen

beneath the towel around his middle. But instead of getting out of there fast, he‟d come

on strong, making that stupid comment about his eyes and practically offering himself

to the man. Was that really what he wanted, the instant pleasure of hot sex? Maybe

there was a better way to use the attraction between them to his advantage, make

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Bonnie Dee

Andreas crave him so much he‟d give him money and gifts—legal swag, not stolen for

once, a stake to use in the future when he was back on his own once more.

On the other hand, Andreas might tire of his new hobby soon and sell Jabez back

to the fight club, so maybe it would be better to steal everything he could lay his hands

on and get out of here fast.

As he pondered his options, Andreas disappeared from his view around a clump

of bushes. Jabez considered going down to the garden to find him but decided it was

better to keep some distance between them until he decided how to play this situation.

He turned from the window.

Sitting in a chair, he flipped on the mass-media-viewer set into one wall and

scanned through the music, vids, and library of books he didn‟t know how to read. He

finally settled on a show about dog breeding. He snorted at the crazy amounts of

money rich people put into their pets, but watched the vid until the very end.

When it was over, he went to take a shower in a bathroom so white and clean, he

felt dirtier than ever just from walking into it. The mineral bath had soothed his aching

muscles like the doctor promised, but left scum on his skin. The shower jets‟ stinging

spray washed away the mineral salts while the heat evaporated the last twinges of pain

from his bruised body. He scrubbed from head to toe with the fragrant soap and

emerged feeling better than he had in a long time.

His new clothes smelled good and pampered his body with their soft fabrics. The

shoes were a little tight, but that might have been because he hadn‟t worn any since

he‟d been in captivity.

He checked out his reflection in the closet mirror. Except for his close-shaven

head, a look that wasn‟t in style, he could pass for a man from uptown, perhaps one of

Andreas‟s friends come to stay for a while. But there was something wrong, something

that set him apart from the faces he‟d seen in the vid with the happy dog owners. His

expression was too hard-eyed and angry. Jabez practiced revealing his teeth in a smile,

but the grimace wouldn‟t fool anybody. He looked like a dangerous criminal wearing

fine clothes.

After closing the closet door, he stood wondering what to do next. Should he go

find Andreas or wait until he was called? Just then his boss‟s voice sounded through the

com on the nightstand.

“Jabez, hope I‟m not waking you up, but dinner‟s ready if you want to come down

to the dining room.”

It was the first time Andreas had said his name. He liked the way it sounded

spoken in that cultured voice.

“Yeah, I‟m ready.” His own voice sounded like a crow‟s squawk responding to the

soft coo of a pigeon.

Jabez went downstairs, took a wrong turn, and ended up in the living room before

following the delicious aroma of food to the dining room. The table was laid out with

gleaming silverware, plates, bowls, and glasses. Flowers and candles stood on the

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center of the table surrounded by dishes with covers. It looked like a fancy dinner in a

vid. He‟d never seen a table set like this in real life.

He raised his gaze to Andreas, whose eyes were wide as he took in Jabez‟s

changed appearance. Inside, Jabez swelled a little at the admiring look. He‟d seen it

before, of course, on dozens of faces. But the people who‟d come to visit him after a

fight were lusting after his naked body. It was nice to have someone appreciate him

with his clothes on.

Andreas stood at the head of the table and opened a bottle of wine. He poured the

pale rose liquid into two glasses as he welcomed Jabez to sit down.

Feeling big and clumsy and likely to trip over his own feet, Jabez carefully pulled

out the other chair and sat. He stared at the place setting before him, several different

kinds of forks and spoons and varied sizes of plates. In addition to the wineglass

Andreas placed in front of him, there was a tumbler of water, a coffee cup, and other

empty glasses. He put his hands in his lap so he wouldn‟t accidentally knock something

over and waited to take his cue from Andreas.

“This bisque is one of Mrs. Gamble‟s best. I think you‟ll enjoy it,” Andreas said as

he ladled brown liquid into Jabez‟s bowl.

He sniffed the rising steam and realized it was just soup. He watched Andreas

serve himself and noted which spoon he used before picking up the same one from his

place setting.

The soup was delicious if not very hearty. Jabez ate it all while Andreas talked

about the wine. When he was finished eating, he set his spoon down and tried the

blushing liquid. It was tart and dry, not that great, but he drained his glass as if he liked

it.

“Are you feeling better?” Andreas asked. “You look good.”

“I‟m fine.”

His host offered him a bowl of greens. Jabez put some on his plate and was

embarrassed to see Andreas place his portion on one of the smaller side plates. He

devoured every leaf while Andreas chatted about how he‟d happened to buy this house

a few years earlier. Jabez tried to think what a regular guest might say to fill the pauses

in Andreas‟s one-sided conversation.

“It‟s a nice house,” he finally said.

The rest of the meal continued in the same awkward manner with Jabez trying to

choose the right silverware and add an intelligent comment now and then. By the third

course, he realized he was eating too fast, finishing long before his host every time. He

slowed down and tried to savor the food, but was so nervous he had trouble

swallowing. Numerous sips of wine helped with that.

“Have you ever been off planet?” Jabez asked abruptly in response to the other

man‟s discussion of jet-glider races.

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Bonnie Dee

“A few times. My first trip was a gift for my tenth birthday. I‟ll never forget it.

Seeing the galaxy on a vid screen isn‟t remotely the same as experiencing it firsthand.

They even let me suit up and go outside the shuttle for a little while. Floating in zero

gravity was… Well, you just can‟t imagine what it feels like.”

Like freedom, Jabez thought.

“I went one other time when I was older, but it was never as impressive as that

first time. You come back to Earth and it makes the planet suddenly seem a lot smaller.”

“What about overseas, you been there?”

“Yes.” Andreas smiled and told a few of his experiences visiting remnants of the

old cities and the new ones around the globe.

Jabez slowed down, then stopped eating altogether as he was caught up in

Andreas‟s tale of going on a safari and seeing wild animals only yards away from his

vehicle.

“You‟re interested in nature, aren‟t you?”

Jabez shrugged and returned his attention to his food. He didn‟t like talking about

himself and what he liked or didn‟t like. No one had ever asked him before, and he

didn‟t know how to respond to Andreas‟s questioning.

“If you like, I could arrange a trip sometime. We could go on a safari or backpack

in the mountains or scuba dive, whatever you‟d like to try.”

Although he was intrigued by the offer, it reminded him he was Andreas‟s new

favorite project—a pet to play with as surely as any of those fancy dogs he‟d seen in the

vid earlier.

“I thought I was here to teach you to fight?”

“Yes, of course.” The other man dropped his gaze, and his cheeks flushed.

Jabez enjoyed seeing Andreas flustered. It gave him back what little power he

possessed.

“After dinner we‟ll order what we need to turn the studio into a gym. The

equipment should be delivered tomorrow, so you can get the room set up while I‟m at

my meeting.”

For the rest of the meal, Jabez retreated into silence again. It was much easier to

eat than to think of things to say, and Andreas did a good job of filling the silence all by

himself.

As he watched him talk, Jabez was distracted by memories of kneeling before him

and sucking him off. How strange to sit so politely at the table while that image flashed

in his alcohol-fogged mind.
I’ve held your cock in my hands and mouth, tasted you,

swallowed your cum. I’ve seen you naked, yet we don’t know each other at all.

Perhaps sensing the sexual drift of Jabez‟s thoughts from his gaze, Andreas fell

silent and stared at his glass of wine—a deep red now.

He‟d explained that this particular wine went well with the meat. Jabez had drunk

his in three big swigs. It was no beer, but it tasted okay, and the beef was as rich and

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soft as butter, a world away from the tough, chewy hunks he‟d eaten in the cafeteria at

the Fight Palace.

Andreas cleared his throat and spoke again. “Do you have room for dessert? Mrs.

Gamble has made a delicious mousse.”

Although his stomach was stretched to the breaking point, he muttered, “Sure,”

and accepted the fluffy pudding Andreas served him. It was light and only a little

sweet. The bitter bite of the chocolate made him salivate and eat faster.

Finally the meal was finished. Jabez felt strangely disappointed. As awkward as it

had been for him, he‟d enjoyed hearing about Andreas‟s travels and his life. He wanted

to know more.

“Let‟s have our coffee in the garden. It‟s a beautiful evening.”

Jabez followed Andreas‟s lead, taking his delicate cup and saucer and carrying

them carefully. He was surprised Andreas hadn‟t had someone serving them

throughout the meal or bringing them coffee in the garden. Maybe he‟d seen too many

vids, but he thought rich people had servants to fulfill their every need.

The scent of rich earth and green plants rolled over him as they stepped outside.

He breathed deeply, and his eyes nearly closed from the pleasure of the natural smells.

The wine he‟d drunk had his head buzzing and his body tingled with sensation. Joy

swelled and burst in him—pure, simple happiness at being here rather than in a cell or

on the filthy streets of B-town. He wanted to cry with relief or grab Andreas and kiss

him in gratitude for saving him. Instead, he lifted his coffee cup and took a sip to steady

himself.

Andreas led him to a pair of benches facing a large fountain in the center of the

garden. He sat on one bench and Jabez on the other. Jabez would have been happy if

there was only one and they‟d had to share.

“My little paradise.” Andreas leaned back and looked at the jets of water trickling

down the three tiers of the fountain.

“It‟s nice.”

“Growing up in the city, I spent a lot of time with Marianus at the park. It was my

favorite time of day, being outdoors with no structured activities for a change.” He

gestured at the garden around them. “Even though I have a gardener, I spend a bit of

time working out here myself. I actually know the names of a lot of the plants now.”

“You need a dog.” The words slipped from Jabez‟s mouth before he could stop

them, but he felt they were true. There should be a dog running around chasing a ball,

maybe digging up the flower beds and making a little mess in the perfect garden.

“I‟ve thought about it, but I‟m gone a lot and I don‟t want to leave Mrs. Gamble

the extra work of caring for a dog. I may get a pet sometime, but not yet.”

Setting his cup on the bench beside him, Andreas rose and walked over to Jabez.

“I have my handheld. We can order the training equipment right now.”

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Bonnie Dee

As Andreas sat on the bench beside him, Jabez‟s stomach jumped, maybe from the

jolt of caffeine in the coffee. The other man‟s hip was warm against his. As he displayed

the palm-sized computer, his arm rubbed against Jabez‟s, making the hairs rise like they

were electrically charged.