Fearless Leader (Juxtapose City) (18 page)

Black's face was flushed with color, his pupils dilated with lust. He glared up at Calyx but it only served to stoke the fire raging in the empath's blood.

"Stop it," Black gasped. "This is enough, Starr!"

"Not until I say so," Calyx panted, and shoved his hand down the front of Black's jeans. The moment his fingers curled around hot, stiff flesh, Black closed his eyes and threw back his head. Calyx's mouth caught the moan before it left Black's lips.

It had been too long since he had last kissed anyone, Calyx realized as he plunged his tongue into Black's mouth. Black tasted of night and secrets. His tongue didn't run from Calyx's. It tangled with the empath's in a fight for dominance that left Calyx thrusting hungrily against Black. If everything went the way Calyx wanted it to
this
would be his reward: Black, hot and desperate beneath his touch, needing Calyx,
begging
him. He could have this every night if he wanted it. Calyx just had to play his cards right. He had to. The punishment for failure was steep but the rewards... oh, god the rewards were all that mattered. Calyx wanted Black almost as much as he wanted the Silent City and revenge. Groaning as Black responded so ardently beneath him, Calyx thought that maybe, just maybe, he could have it all.

Pain shot through Calyx's tongue so sharply it cleared his head like a dunking in ice water would. He fell back as his mouth filled with blood.

"You bit me!"

"What did you expect?" Black shot back, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "What the hell were you thinking? I thought you were going to give me a hickey not... not
that
!"

Despite the pain of his throbbing tongue Calyx smiled. "
That
felt pretty good, wouldn't you say? I don't need to ask you if you liked it. I felt your enjoyment loud and clear."

Color heightened the flush of arousal already on Black's cheeks. "It's a physical response that had little to do with you, Starr. It could have been anyone."

The high Calyx had been riding abruptly fell away, dropping him to the concrete. "Oh, yes," he snarled, "it could have been your oh-so-talented lover Cole. Or what about Lieutenant Sundhill? It could have been him too. Who else could make you respond that way? Have you got a list to keep track of them all?"

Calyx hated the jealousy that roared in his ears, deafening whatever protests Black was currently making. Black was just an obstacle in the road, one he needed to seduce out of the way. Calyx had no business making this more than it was.

Easier said than done.

"-- did what you said. Now if you're done pouting, let's see your friend and get out of here."

Calyx tentatively touched his tongue with a forefinger. The digit came away red with his blood. His eyes narrowed at Black, promising with the look that he wouldn't forget this.

"Fine. Playtime is over," he agreed in a dark, silken voice. "Let's go see Razzy and put your new markings to good use. I always did enjoy showing off my latest conquests."

Calyx chuckled at the flash of anger Black sent his way. He turned away and strode in the direction of the trams.

Black waited a moment to follow, giving himself time to gather his control. As he buttoned up his shirt he imagined buttoning up his emotions. His skin tingled where Starr had bit and sucked on him. By the feel of it there were a lot of marks on his body. He cursed beneath his breath. If Jake caught sight of the hickies everything would hit the fan. There was no way his ex-lover would believe the reasoning behind letting Starr touch him like that.

Nor would Jake believe that Black hadn't enjoyed it.

Black firmly closed the lid on
that
train of thought. He wouldn't think about that now or hopefully at any time in the future. He didn't want to get involved with Starr so therefore he wouldn't, no matter how his body might occasionally betray him. It was all a matter of control.

Starr was several yards ahead of him, forcing Black to jog to catch up to him. The empath's long, lean legs ate up the concrete quickly as they headed into the heart of the slums. They followed the metal and concrete spine of the overhead tram system, like tracing the gutted carcass of a great, prehistoric beast. Black noticed homeless people huddled around the tram's girders like insects picking the meat off of metal ribs. Small fires lit up the occasional alleyway, illuminating the grim, dirty faces circled around them. Black was thankful for the gun in the back of his jeans as distrustful and not always sober eyes followed him. He kept close to Starr's side but he doubted that the word or presence of an empath would mean anything against so many.

Starr came to a stop before an old liquor store. The windows had been boarded up and covered with layers upon layers of gang graffiti. A large man -- Black guessed that he weighed nearly three hundred pounds -- stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his considerable chest. He was bald. Rolls of fat ringed his neck and the back of his head like pasty doughnuts. More fat spilled over the thin, sweat-stained white tank top that he wore.

"Hey, Sammy," Starr greeted the man.

Sammy wore dark circular sunglasses, making Black wonder how the man could see at all, but the big man's surprise was evident when his mouth fell open.

"Oh, holy hell. Calyx Starr. Man, we thought the pigs locked you away for good." Sammy grinned, showing a mouthful of dark teeth. "Either that or they'd made you their latest bitch."

Sammy wasn't too far off.

Starr allowed himself to be engulfed by soft, puffy arms as he was drawn into the large man's chest.

"I missed you too," Starr said with a light laugh as he extricated himself from the too-long embrace. As the empath pulled away, Sammy stroked Starr's hair with both hands, lingering on the long strands. Black guessed that Sammy was on Bliss. "Is Razzy around, sweetheart? I think he's waiting for me."

Sammy shrugged with massive movements of his shoulders. "Yeah, he's here. When he said you might be coming I didn't believe him." He peered behind the empath at Black. "Who you got with you?"

Starr sent Black a smirk. "My latest toy. Isn't he cute? He makes the most adorable noises when I squeeze him."

Black ground his teeth so hard he was amazed they didn't shatter.

"He looks kind of mad," Sammy observed, eyeing Black warily.

"He's pouting because I promised him I would tie him to the bed posts tonight but now I may not have the time." Starr sighed melodramatically. "I told you that I was sorry, sweetheart. Sometimes your kinks just have to wait until I finish my business. I'll butter your bottom when we get home, how's that?"

Black's hand edged a little closer to his gun.

Sammy chuckled, the rolls of fat on his body rippling like water in a pond. "You'd better see Razzy and get this over with. Looks like you got your hands full with this one." The big man stepped away from the doorway. "He's in his office." Rotted teeth made their appearance again as Sammy smiled. "It's real nice to see you again, Calyx."

"You too, sweetheart." Planting a quick kiss on the big man's fleshy cheek -- and deftly avoiding another attempt at a grope -- Starr slipped past him into the liquor store.

Black started to follow but was halted by a meaty hand on his shoulder. Startled, he looked up into Sammy's dark glasses.

"If he doesn't give you what you want I'd be happy to lend a hand," Sammy offered in a low voice. He grinned, giving Black a close-up view of his teeth that he could have done without. "Or a belt or whip, whatever you're into. I'm good at laying down the discipline, especially for a wild thing like you."

Black shivered. "Thanks," he mumbled. "I don't think that will be necessary." He saw Starr within the store, looking back at him. Dipping his shoulder to remove himself from Sammy’s touch, he quickly slid past him to join the empath.

"Sammy likes you, eh?"

Calyx laughed at the furious blush that stained Black's cheeks. His uptight leader was far too easy to tease. Calyx ran a finger down the inside of Black's shirt. "Good thing I marked you. It tells others to keep their hands to themselves. Otherwise who knows who'd like to play with you, hmm?"

Black caught the empath's wrist and twisted it. "You made a promise, remember? You said you wouldn't grope me."

Calyx winced at the pain and at the younger man's memory. "I did say that, didn't I? What a pity. Remind me to think twice about making hasty promises to you." He smiled innocently and was rewarded with his wrist being released. "Come on, Darkness, let's get this over with so you can punish me at home. My preference is a good spanking but I'm open to sexual torture if that's your other option."

"Starr, shut up."

"So hostile, Darkness. Tsk, tsk."

Calyx peered through the darkness of the empty store. Razzy's office was straight ahead. Red light peeked out from the foil that lined the office's single window.

His stomach twisted. He hadn't seen any of his old friends since being picked up by the cops. Although Razzy was his friend -- had been since Calyx was a kid -- loyalties could be strained when the police became involved. And the police were
heavily
involved in Calyx's life now. He just couldn't let his friend know just how deeply he was embroiled.

Passing quickly through the empty store, he knocked on the office door and watched as the pinpoint of light beaming out from the eyehole winked out. He posed for whoever was looking out at him.

"Open up, sweetheart. It's Calyx, your favorite boy."

The door slid open a few inches, red light blazing out around the darkened figure of a man just visible within.

"S, you actually showed up, you little slut." The man laughed. "When I saw you on Dewar Street, scoring that awful shit from Mr. Vagabond, I thought: no way, Calyx Starr isn't in the market for that mystery shit. He only buys from me. Right? Wrong. Some friend you are."

Ah, so Razzy had seen him buying Bliss the other night. Hopefully he had been the only one. "My choices were limited at the time," Calyx sighed. "I needed something fast and I'm afraid I didn't have your number, sweetheart. You know I think yours is the best."

He could feel Black tensing behind him, probably itching to slap some cuffs on Razzy. Razzy was a small-time dealer, nothing like the big guns JC2 normally took down. Still, Calyx knew that Black didn't care if Razzy sold only two tabs a day. In the lieutenant's mind evil was evil even if only slightly.

"Yeah, nice try, Calyx. You blew me off. I'm wounded." The man in the doorway leaned sideways, looking around the empath's shoulder. "Who you got with you? If that's a cop I'm ramming my boot up your ass before I kill you, Calyx."

Calyx had been considering the story he would feed his friend and had decided to keep things as close to the truth as possible. While JC2's team members were, for the moment, anonymous, Calyx knew that it was only a matter of time before the street demanded the names of one of their most aggravating foes. Black's would be the most valuable, but for now he remained just a faceless man behind a gun and a badge. No one Razzy would recognize.

The door opened wider and Razzy stepped out. He was short -- shorter than Black -- with closely cropped brown hair and a deceptively innocent-looking face. He was wearing his usual attire: a black T-shirt with dark-colored bondage pants and boots. Just a club kid, except that Razzy had his own following and was considered a minor presence in the drug scene. Razzy smiled as he moved past Calyx and approached Black. Still smiling, Razzy reached for the taller man intending to frisk him.

Black backed away.

Mmm, Darkness must be armed
, Calyx thought, aroused by the knowledge. When he finally succeeded in seducing Black, Calyx promised himself he'd coax Black to bring his gun into bed with them. A shiver of anticipation passed over his skin. Oh, yes.

"Don't scare him," Calyx said lightly when Razzy continued to study Black. "He's shy around strangers."

Razzy dropped his hands. "He's a cop."

Calyx nodded, unconcerned. "As I'm sure you already know I live with a whole delightful troop of them. It's a safe house of sorts. The JCPD's trying to figure out what to do with me so they keep me there until they figure it out. It's so fun. Every night it's like a slumber party with handsome boys and handcuffs."

Razzy looked Black up and down. The other man met his look squarely. Razzy smirked. "So they're just holding you, huh, Calyx? Not making you work for them? Not making you squeal on the rest of us?"

Calyx fixed a leering smile on his face, knowing he'd pay for this later. "Honey, if they were using me for something so important do you really think they'd have me being watched by a kid like this?" He waved carelessly at Black whose mouth had drawn into a tight, angry line. "Look at him. He's just out of the Academy. Maybe I flatter myself, but I think if I were such an important source of information they'd give me more qualified keepers." Calyx stepped up to Black, ignoring Razzy for the moment. Holding his leader's furious gaze, he stroked Black's throat, using the motion to push his shirt aside and 'accidentally' reveal the line of bruises on Black’s skin. "Besides, this one isn't my keeper," he murmured huskily. "I keep
him
. Isn't that right, sweetheart?"