Inherent Cost

by Alicia Cameron

  “Don’t tell that to the Human Veterinary Association,” the governor cautioned with a laugh. He gestured to the other side of the room. “They’re here supporting the new candidate from the Belasso district. The candidate’s trying to make it illegal for human healers to treat slaves.”

  Jere was only slightly bothered by that news. He doubted it would ever become reality, especially with the new diseases and the threat that they posed. Even if such a law did go into effect, he knew that even some of the staunchest supporters of slavery would oppose it—it was a quality control issue. Besides, what he did with his own property was up to him; Wren and Isis would be safe.

  What bothered him more was seeing the veterinarian he and Wren had run into. She had hurt his lover and she dared to be in the same room as him? He decided to step outside of his usual comfort zone. “Well, one of them provided some of the most subpar care I’ve ever seen,” he mentioned, pointing her out. “Not only was my slave not healed, he was distressed. She charged twice as much as I would have to do the job right, and she’s been harassing me since.”

  Mr. Wysocka looked over with interest. “She’s been seeking a loan to expand her practice. If that’s the reputation she has, I don’t think I’ll be interested in funding it.”

  Jere was stunned. Was it that easy to buy someone’s approval, or to lose it? “Um, you don’t have to do that.”

  Mr. Wysocka shook his head. “I’d rather have an excellent doctor in town than a sub-par veterinarian. I don’t even own animals. They’re dirty and far too delicate.”

  “What’s she been doing to you?” Paltrek asked.

  “I guess she didn’t like my attitude or something. I let her know that her clinic was filthy and didn’t let her treat my slave further. Now she’s claiming that there was something unusual about me, and about Wren, and some investigator came over the other day.”

  “Bitch,” Paltrek dismissed the vet. “The slave agency can get pretty nasty if they want to. The way the laws are right now, someone just has to make a complaint and you’re a target.”

  “At least now I’m not worried that I will be in trouble for what my slave is doing,” Annika mumbled, going silent when her father gave her a dirty look.

  “You’ve had the sense to keep a rather low profile since you’ve been here,” Mr. Wysocka reflected. “Where do you think you stand, politically?”

  Jere paused. He stood on whichever side allowed his loved ones to be safe, but even voicing those concerns put them in danger. “Well, I certainly won’t be supporting the candidate from Belasso, if I want my clinic to keep prospering.”

  The flippant answer worked well, drawing laughs from the people standing around. Jere continued. “I’ve seen places torn apart by disease. Hojer is my home, now. I don’t want it to end up like that. We need to protect everyone, and we need to protect our business interests as well. My vote will go for whoever can do both of those things. Especially if those things can be accomplished without some regulation agency breathing down my neck.”

  “I never thought I’d agree with the outlander,” Annika muttered.

  “It sounds like you’re running on the same ideas as our current president is,” Mr. Wysocka pointed out. “Clemente hasn’t made a stance either way on the SRA. He just says that he’ll do what’s right for Arona. Of course, that only matters if he can get reelected. He’s not making friends by refusing to pick a side. The veterinarians and most in the slave industry are opposed, but the police force, the medical doctors, and the public safety experts are all supporting it.”

  “It’s unnecessary!” Annika complained.

  “You just know you won’t be able to control yourself,” Paltrek said, barely loud enough for Jere to hear from just a few inches away. He felt vindicated that his friend was actually fighting back against his family.

  “If we want to make interstate business a reality, we need to appease the sheltered outlanders,” Mr. Wysocka said. “Personally, I think the SRA and anyone who supports it are soft, weak, and not fit for a fine state like Arona. Professionally... I think we need to make concessions in order to accomplish our main goals. Survival and success. Wysocka Enterprises was among the first to get involved in the slave industry after The Fall. If we need to adapt to the world again, we will do it with finesse.”

  Annika looked increasingly less pleased as her father talked. She left without a word, grabbing Arae by her hair and dragging her into a bathroom.

  Paltrek frowned at his father. “You know she’s dragging the girl in there to vent her frustrations.”

  Mr. Wysocka shrugged. “She knows I’ll disinherit her if she embarrasses me at an event like this. I’m certain she’ll gag the girl if she becomes disruptive.”

  Jere felt his stomach churn. Paltrek had his crass moments, but it was easy to forget just how casually cruel the rest of the Wysocka family was. Image, wealth, and power were all they cared about. Jere had seen it too many times, both when he had visited the Wysockas at home, and when they had paid him social visits.

  Some of the other guests moved away, and Mr. Wysocka fixed his gaze on Jere. “I’ll make sure that veterinarian doesn’t stay in business very long.”

  Jere didn’t want to panic, but he didn’t want to anger the veterinarian any more. She had already caused enough problems for him. “Really, I’m sure it will blow over.”

  “Anyone who so casually burns bridges isn’t someone I want involved in my business arrangements,” Mr. Wysocka said. “I wouldn’t trust her, and I want to make sure my name isn’t associated with hers. You, on the other hand, you’re a strong connection. With your position, I’m sure you’re not in need of funds, but if there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know. I’d be happy to introduce you to some of the more established individuals. Help you build a real presence here. I wasn’t sure if you’d stick around, but from what my son tells me, you’ve really started a life here in Hojer. Have you ever considered private employment, instead of state? Wysocka Enterprises would happily hire you as our company doctor. After all, I’m not getting any younger.”

  “I haven’t,” Jere replied. He hadn’t even realized such a thing was an option. It seemed so elitist, but that was what Wysocka Enterprises was all about. “I appreciate the offer.”

  “Take some time to think about it. For now, I’ll let you boys mingle,” Mr. Wysocka said, stepping away from Jere and Paltrek. “I have a few more private transactions to discuss.”

  As he walked away, Paltrek laughed. “He’s going to buy off some candidates,” he explained, his voice low. “Tax breaks, regulations, things like that. He’ll probably cut his funding to the Slave Control, Regulation, and Enforcement Agency. He wasn’t pleased by what they made you do last year, and he gets angry any time they’re mentioned. They’re getting in the way of a lot of slave business, trying to push all sorts of regulations.”

  Jere nodded. It would be nice to have the agency not just off his back, but closed entirely. He had no idea how it would work, but the less funding they had, the better off they would be. Jere was thrown by the support that the Wysocka family gave him, but he was glad to be in their good graces.

  Annika finally emerged with Arae, who was looking pale and sick. Jere didn’t want to know what had happened to her, but he did notice Paltrek reaching down to run his hands through Dane’s hair, soothing him.

  “Sick of seeing that,” he mumbled. “I swear, if there was a suitable place nearby, I’d move out, I really would.”

  Jere tried not to laugh. He was pretty sure that if the man hadn’t left the family home yet, it wasn’t just because of a lack of suitable accommodations. Paltrek enjoyed the Wysocka mansion as much as he enjoyed the rest of the benefits that came from having a wealthy and powerful family.

  As the speeches and mingling died down, the event became more lighthearted, with an open bar and dancing. The event had already taken a decidedly progressive turn; after some of the candidates gave their speeches, a number of very co
nservative groups had left, fortunately including the veterinarian who had been giving Jere dirty looks for most of the night. Annika left with them, insisting she wanted to talk to “right-minded” people. Mr. Wysocka stayed, and Jere wondered if he had something to do with getting some of the attendees to leave. The man was only protecting his business, but if those goals aligned with Jere’s, Jere was happy to have him as a supporter.

  Jere and Paltrek even played around in a friendly manner. Paltrek had ceased his attempts to flirt with Jere when he was sober long ago, but as he got more and more intoxicated, he started again, good-natured teasing and touching and joking coupled with hopeful requests. As the night continued, Jere was actually glad that Dane was there, because it was easier to push Paltrek off on him than to keep turning him down. By the end of the night, Paltrek was happily sandwiched between Dane and another man, a free one, and he seemed as eager to take those two home as Jere was to return to Wren. Jere smiled, pleased to see his friend having so much fun. Dane even looked like he was enjoying himself, the man Paltrek had picked up was mostly sober and was handling Dane carefully.

  When they parted ways for the night, Paltrek gave Jere a sloppy, drunken hug, and Jere couldn’t stop himself from laughing at it, or the way that Paltrek walked away, one hand down Dane’s pants and the other down the pants of the other man he was bringing home. Aside from the knowledge that Dane was a slave, Jere would have thought that Paltrek was just a lucky man taking home two playmates for the night, like his old friends in Sonova used to do. He wondered how different it really was.

  Jere was walking home alone, but he wasn’t going home alone. He was going home to the most wonderful person in the world.

  Chapter 9

  Explorations

  Wren was only half-asleep when he sensed Jere’s return to the area where the mind connection could reach him. He woke up and happily contacted Jere.

  “How was it?” Wren asked. A part of him was curious if Jere had made any useful connections, and a part of him just hoped Jere had some fun. He liked seeing his master go out and enjoy himself.

  “It went well,” Jere replied happily. “I mingled with Arona’s finest and some political people without utterly embarrassing myself, got complimented by Paltrek’s father, and finished the night with dancing and drinks!”

  “Did you meet anyone exciting?”

  “Not really. I sent Paltrek and Dane home with a new friend to keep them company.”

  “Was this new friend cute?” Wren teased.

  “Not as cute as you are.”

  Wren smiled at that; even though Jere couldn’t see him, he would be able to feel the happiness through the connection. He cuddled back into bed, waiting for Jere to make his way home and join him. At one point, he would have gotten up, maybe even answered the door, but those days were long gone. As a slave, he trusted Jere enough to know that Jere wouldn’t hurt him for not doing so; as a partner, he had overcome that anxious new lover stage of his life. Jere would want him to be comfortable, and he was fully in agreement.

  He didn’t wait long. He heard the door opening, since he had left the door to the bedroom open in anticipation, and he could feel Jere coming closer. A few seconds later, Jere came into the bedroom, smiling as he saw Wren in bed. Jere stripped off his clothes and joined him. Wren reached over and pulled Jere close, tugging him down on top of himself for a long, lazy kiss.

  “I missed you,” Jere said through the mind connection.

  “You weren’t gone that long,” Wren protested, although he was in no way willing to unlock their lips, either.

  “It was long enough,” Jere countered, closing his eyes and rubbing his entire body against Wren’s.

  Wren had been tired earlier, but he had enjoyed his little nap. Even more, he was enjoying feeling Jere touching him. They kissed for a while longer, and then Jere moved lower, taking his time as he licked a slow trail from Wren’s neck, down to his chest, where he paused, resting his head and looking up at Wren.

  “You up to play tonight?” Jere asked.

  Wren smiled greedily. “Absolutely. And I want to feel you inside of me by the time we’re done, so keep that in mind.”

  “Yes, sir,” Jere teased.

  Wren knew that Jere liked it when he gave him orders, and he enjoyed doing it.

  “One day, I want to take you out dancing again. You liked it last time we went, right?”

  Wren smiled at the memory. “I liked it a lot. But I like being here with you, too.”

  “I forgot how fun it could be to go out and do things,” Jere admitted. “It felt wrong to be out there without you, but I enjoyed the fundraiser more than I thought I would. I miss things like that.”

  Wren just nodded. Jere got nostalgic sometimes, but it didn’t bother Wren nearly as much as it did Jere. Wren trusted Jere to stay with him even if it meant giving up the life he had once loved.

  “Besides, I think it would be fun to watch you flirt with other people, knowing that you’ll take me home in the end,” Jere suggested. “Maybe pretend we’re strangers who just happened to meet up, half-naked, on the dance floor.”

  “Why would that be fun?” Wren knew he’d be at least a little uncomfortable with a situation like that; at least, if he were in Jere’s position. It seemed wrong, dishonest somehow.

  “I like the competition. The thrill. Not knowing if I’m going to get picked up, or if I’m wasting my time and might have to start all over again from the start, or go home alone. It’s fun to see if you can win. I mean, it would just be pretend, but I still like the game.”

  “That’s fun?” Wren laughed. “Sounds like a lot of uncertainty to me.”

  Jere grinned up at him for a moment before trailing his tongue down Wren’s chest, biting lightly at one of his nipples. “It’s a challenge. And besides, all that happens is you go home alone if you’re playing for real. There are worse things.”

  Wren smiled. For a slave, who knew what such actions would bring, but Jere’s world was more fun. “And what kinds of rewards come with those challenges?” he asked, running his hands over Jere’s body, cupping his ass possessively.

  “All sorts of things,” Jere said, playfully squirming until he was situated between Wren’s legs. “Then you go home, and you get to find out what the other person enjoys. It’s like a game, to see who can figure it out faster. You know, what the other person wants, where they like to be touched....”

  As Jere spoke, he made his way down Wren’s body, using his fingers and tongue to explore. He found the spots that just barely turned Wren on, teasing him and making him ache for more. A glance into Jere’s eyes convinced Wren that his lover knew exactly what he was doing, how much the light touches and intentional flicks of his tongue were contributing to Wren’s arousal. No matter how many times they had touched each other, Wren was always amazed by how good Jere made him feel.

  “You know what I like,” Wren said softly, not wanting to interrupt anything. Jere was doing exactly what he liked.

  “Yeah, but if you had just met me and taken me home I wouldn’t,” Jere teased, making his way down to Wren’s cock and toying with it lightly, dragging his lips over the head as Wren shuddered in pleasure, but not wrapping his lips around it, yet. “For all you’d know, I might just be a cock tease.”

  “Is that why you came home and jumped right into bed with me?”

  “Maybe I just want to explore,” Jere continued. “I mean, I might not have any idea that you like it when I lick and suck your cock like this. I’d have to try it gently at first, to see if you like it. And if I like it too.”

  As he spoke, Jere made good on his suggestions, taking the very tip of Wren’s cock into his mouth, as if he had never done it before. His tongue flicked around it tentatively, and his hands rested on Wren’s legs. Wren felt his heart start to race and his temperature rise. He wanted more, but the waiting was only making things better. He lifted his hips to meet Jere’s mouth when Jere pulled off, but Jere turned his head aside a
nd smiled.

  “See, if I had just met you, I might think that you wanted me to take you a little deeper.”

  With his eyes still fixed on Wren’s, Jere did exactly that, dipping his head low and taking Wren deep into his throat, his tongue driving Wren crazy as he fought to keep himself from grabbing Jere by the hair and just fucking his mouth until he came. When Jere pulled off again, Wren clenched his hands into fists, desperate for more contact.

  “Then maybe I’d work my tongue lower, taking it over your hole, dipping in a bit... just to see if you like it, of course.”

  With each sentence, Jere did as he described, backing off slightly to describe the next action. His words made soft, warm puffs of air blow across Wren’s skin. He seemed perfectly aware of how much he was turning Wren on.

  “If I just met you and brought you home and you teased me like this, could I just grab you and fuck you already?” Wren asked, curious to see how Jere would reply.

  Jere was silent, but he worked Wren’s cock more vigorously as he reached and grabbed for Wren’s hand. He pulled Wren’s hand close and entwined it in his hair. Wren smiled. Jere hadn’t exactly read his mind, but he did know his preferences well enough to guess that this was where it had been going.

  “Oh, do you like to pull hair?” Jere asked, teasing. “Maybe we should give it a try.”

  Wren was perfectly aware that Jere knew he loved to do so, but the game was fun. “Yes,” he admitted, feeling himself blush. Somehow, doing it was far easier than talking about it.

  “I really like having my hair pulled,” Jere said, an overly innocent look on his face, like he was just confessing it for the first time. “Maybe we should try it. Maybe you should show me what happens to cock teases when you take them home.”