Fahey’s hand lashed out, delivering a hard slap before Danny could even open his mouth or reach for his phone. Then that same hand grabbed his head again, forcing him down into a kneeling position.
“Stupid bitch,” Fahey growled. With his other hand, he undid his pants. A thick cock pushed out as the zipper descended. A musky smell assaulted Danny’s nose when Fahey stepped even closer to him. “Open up, you little skank. Time for you to realize who’s boss around here.”
Danny resisted the pressure on the back of his head moving his face closer to the ugly thing waving in front of him. No, this couldn’t be happening. Fahey wasn’t Danny’s boss. Mr. Fiorello was. Master Ben was. His amazing Paul was. God! If Fahey made him do this thing, would Paul even want him again? Danny didn’t think he had it in him to hide yet another dirty secret. Tears welled up and threatened to spill onto his cheeks as he tried to hold himself in place. He had to claw at his own thighs to keep from pushing against Fahey. No matter what, he couldn’t lay a hand on a free person. Nothing would be accepted as an excuse for that most egregious act.
Fahey’s free hand grabbed Danny’s jaw. “I said open up.”
The pressure couldn’t be ignored. The tears did escape Danny’s eyes as his mouth was forced open and his lips made contact with the head of Fahey’s dick.
“Let him go.”
Shit. Help had miraculously arrived, but not the kind Danny wanted or needed. Big John’s body loomed in Danny’s peripheral vision. Fahey stopped pushing Danny’s face toward him, giving Danny a chance to shift his gaze up enough to see his father stop beside them. The other slave’s fists lay clenched by his sides and a look of pure hatred filled his face.
“Let him go, Mr. Fahey,” Big John repeated, his voice icy cold. “You don’t have the right to use him like that.”
A second ticked by before Fahey barked out a laugh. “Get the fuck out of here, boy. You have nothing to say about this, and while you go about doing your actual job, picture how I’m going to beat your ass for your insubordination.” A couple of more seconds passed without the slave moving a muscle. “I said get!” Fahey’s order was issued at almost a screaming level.
And still, Big John didn’t move. “Take your fucking hands off my son.”
In all of his life, Danny had never heard his father talk to anyone like that, let alone a free person. Let alone a free person who had the power to, as Fahey had said, beat his ass and every other inch of his body. Danny struggled to find his voice, to beg his father to do as he’d been told. Danny didn’t want to be responsible for his father’s punishment. Before he could make his tongue and lips move in the right direction, Fahey yanked him hard against his cock.
The world exploded.
His father lunged toward them, grabbing Fahey’s arm and pulling it up. The force of the move caused Fahey to lose his grip on Danny’s face. Danny toppled over with the momentum of the release, catching himself against the warehouse wall. He watched with mounting horror as Fahey and his father wrestled, Big John keeping the supervisor away from Danny, while Fahey tried to shrug the slave off. Of course the freeman yelled his drunken head off. A security guard came racing toward them.
Danny screamed in useless warning when he saw the guard’s Taser being drawn. Big John went down with a massive thud, his body jerking in agonizing spasms. Danny screamed again and pushing off the wall, scrambled to reach his father. Not caring now that tears streamed down his face, he cradled his father’s head in his lap. A low chuckle reached his ears. He looked in the direction of the sound and saw Fahey smirking down at him. The fucker may have missed out on his blowjob, but he knew he’d hurt Danny far more than that.
****
Paul ran around the Tanner Lumber dorm at break-neck speed and stumbled to a halt at the shocking sight that greeted him. Slaves knelt on hard-packed dirt in sloppy rows in front of a worn punishment pole. Big John, naked, yet standing tall, had his hands strapped above his head, waiting for the kind of rough justice Paul had only heard about. A few free people loitered about waiting for the show to begin. The idea of it sickened him, but he was there for one reason only—to get his boy.
Ben’s call an hour ago had shocked Paul right down to his toes. It had pissed him off, too. He blamed himself. He should have known Fahey wouldn’t walk away from his interest in Danny simply because of Paul’s bravado. He should have told Ben and tried to get the supervisor fired, or at least cowed. Now, John would be punished even though Fahey was the one who deserved to be beaten. The man in question stood close to the pole, his face even from a distance a vicious snarl of glee.
Paul didn’t give the guy more than a second of his time. He swept the yard to find Danny. Paul’s stomach dropped when he saw the boy way off to the side, huddled in Oliver’s arms. The sound of his crying reached Paul even at a distance. It made Paul desperate to take his slave in his own arms to comfort him and keep him safe. Not that there was any comfort to be had. Danny’s father was about to be badly hurt and Paul expected Danny blamed himself every bit as much as he blamed Fahey.
Before he could reach the boy, however, Ben intercepted Paul. The man looked the way Paul felt. Danny had said that the punishment pole hadn’t been used since Ben took over. Of course not. While Paul barely knew the guy, he recognized that Ben was a decent person, not a sadistic bastard like his father. Still, Ben held a wide, worn leather strap in one hand. He reached out to grab Paul by the arm.
“Thank God you’re here. I’ve been holding off until you arrived, but people are getting restless, and poor John must be dying to get this fucking thing over with. I know I am.”
“I don’t get it, Ben. If you believe the slaves when they say Fahey tried to force Danny to suck him off, why beat John?” Even as he asked the question, Paul knew the answer and he hated it.
Ben’s face crumpled in disgust, his anguish palpable. “I don’t have a choice,” he said in a low voice. “John assaulted a freeman and the provocation makes no difference under the law. If I don’t punish John, Fahey will swear out a complaint. Not only will the company be fined, but Fahey can sue us, plus they might take John away from us anyway under the truancy laws. You know what will happen to him if they do.”
Yeah, Paul knew. If a slave owner couldn’t control their slave, the government stepped in under the guise of police power, protecting the general public. John would be sold off for some use that guaranteed he wouldn’t be a menace, like drug testing. The idea of it sickened Paul and he understood a beating would be a much better fate.
“I get it.” He glanced over at Danny. “He doesn’t need to see this.”
“No,” Ben agreed. “He doesn’t. I want you to take him out of here and keep him home tomorrow. We’ll call it a long weekend. He won’t be much good to work anyway, and John should be doing much better by Monday when Danny comes back. Even if John’s not fit for work, I’ll make sure Danny can spend some time with him.”
Paul nodded. While the whole thing sucked, at least Ben’s plan would be the best for Danny. He flicked his gaze down to the strap. “You’re going to do it yourself?”
Ben grimaced. “Yeah. Fahey normally would handle this and he wanted to, that’s for sure. I’m not going to let him. Even though there’s only so much damage one can do with a strap, I know Fahey would try to inflict as much as he could. With Fahey watching, I won’t be able to pull my punches, but at least I won’t put any extra effort into it, either.”
“I don’t envy you,” Paul said, moving off toward Danny with Ben at his side. “You’re going to fire that asshole afterward, aren’t you?” he added.
“Damn right I am. I’ve warned the fucker before about drinking during lunch, and I’ve made it more than clear to my employees that the slaves are not toys for them to play with.”
“Good, ‘cause I won’t tolerate Danny being at his mercy again.”
“I understand.” Ben reached out and drew Paul to a halt. “Was Fahey the reason you wanted Danny with you every night?” Paul n
odded because it was partly the truth. “I wish you’d leveled with me.”
Paul drew his mouth into a hard line before saying, “I wish I had, too.” There was nothing more to be said, so he hurried over to the slave boys. “Danny,” he called out.
The boy pulled his head from where it lay on Oliver’s shoulders. “Master!”
That one word, spoken in a broken voice, brought tears to Paul’s eyes. When Danny raced to him, he wrapped his arms around the boy and pressed his lips to Danny’s temple. He held him tight for a few seconds, but Ben had already gone to stand behind Big John. The punishment needed to begin, meaning Paul needed to get Danny out of there.
“Come on, baby. We’re going home.”
He turned to steer Danny away. The slave dug in his heels and tried to pull out of Paul’s embrace. “No, we can’t leave yet. My dad….”
“He’s going to be punished now, baby. You can’t be here for that.”
“I have to! He’s my father and this is all my fault.” Danny struggled enough that Paul had to tighten his grip on the lithe body enough that Paul worried he’d leave bruises.
“No, it’s not. Come on. Big John doesn’t want you to witness this. You won’t be doing him any favors if you stay.”
Once more, Danny insisted he had to, his words coming out in a rush, garbled by concurrent crying. With his feet dragging, the slave made it hard for Paul to keep him moving. Paul corralled the boy around the waist and practically had to pick him up and carry him. The loud crack of the strap, followed by a muted cry, only served to increase Danny’s efforts. Paul picked up his speed, desperate to get the boy away before his father started to scream. Paul didn’t know for sure when or even if that would happen. He only knew that he had to keep Danny from hearing it.
When he reached the truck, Danny was thrashing so hard, Paul couldn’t get him inside. There was only one thing left to do. He turned the slave and pressing him against the vehicle, got into his face.
“Knock it the fuck off, Danny!” he yelled, giving the boy a hard shake along with the command. He’d startled Danny enough that he stopped fighting. His gaze met Paul’s for a second before Danny hung his tear-streaked face down. His body trembled within Paul’s grasp.
Yanking the passenger side door open, Paul said, “Get in.” He kept his tone firm, although he lowered his volume.
Once Danny had complied, Paul shut the door and got in behind the wheel. He drove out of the parking lot as fast as he dared. Anger, at himself and Fahey, fueled his need for speed. He tried to ignore the sniffling ball of misery sitting next to him. He wanted so badly to take Danny into his arms and comfort him. But he had to get him home first, and he frankly wasn’t sure how receptive the slave would be to his touch. He’d just bullied him into leaving and regardless of his motives, surely Danny resented him.
He became even more convinced of his boy’s feelings when they arrived home. Danny shot out of the truck, not even waiting for Paul. He used the key Paul had given him a week ago along with a phone, just in case, and stormed into the house. Even though he needed to get back to his work site, Paul wasn’t about to just drop Danny off. He followed him inside quickly enough to see the slave rip off his collar and toss it near the sink. Then, with his arms wrapped around his waist, the boy leaned against the kitchen counter. He stared down at the floor. He no longer cried, but his expression had turned stormy. Paul had never seen his boy look so angry.
Paul resisted the urge to try to hug Danny. Instead, he planted himself a couple of feet away. “I’m sorry,” he finally said, the silence driving him crazy. It was a lame thing to say. So inadequate and useless. Yet, he had nothing better.
“It’s not fair. My father was only trying to protect me.”
“I know he was and so does Ben. We know it’s not fair, either. Ben doesn’t have any choice, though. The law doesn’t give him a choice.”
“I don’t care!” The vehemence and volume was so unlike Danny that it took Paul aback. His sweet boy didn’t act like this, except he’d been driven to this point. There’d be something wrong with him if he didn’t hate what had been done to his father. Paul couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to know his own father had suffered like that.
“They gave him fifty.” Danny’s head popped up and he looked at Paul with his pissed and miserable eyes. “Did you know that?” Paul could only shake his head. He hadn’t thought to ask Ben what the punishment would be. Didn’t really want to know, truth be told. “The most I ever got was ten and that felt like I’d been lit on fire. He got fifty.”
Paul winced, not only because of John’s punishment, but at the idea that his precious boy had been hurt so badly. He opened up his arms and stepped forward. “Oh, baby.”
Danny slid away. “Don’t touch me.”
His reaction was like a punch to Paul’s gut. Nevertheless, he stopped and dropped his arms. “Okay.” He kept his tone low and matter-of-fact. He didn’t want the boy to know how much his reaction hurt. The kid had enough on his plate.
“You said I could say no any time,” Danny reminded him as if Paul hadn’t acquiesced.
“Yes, I did and meant it. I won’t touch you if you don’t want me to.”
Danny looked away and nodded once. “Good. And, I want to go back to the lumberyard.”
“That’s not going to happen, not until Monday.”
With a cry, Danny stood up straight and faced Paul. “I want to see my father!”
“You will, on Monday. You’re taking tomorrow off and then we have the weekend.”
“That’s not fair. He needs me.” Danny’s tone had turned to a mixture of outrage and pleading.
“Ben will see that he’s cared for, I’m sure. Your father will be happier knowing you’re here, safe and not having to suffer along with him.”
“You can’t know that. Besides, I’m already suffering. I know how much pain he must be in and I want to be there for him.”
Paul shook his head emphatically. “Not going to happen.”
Danny’s expression hardened. “I won’t let you fuck me.”
Paul’s heart ached. He understood that Danny needed an outlet for his anger and fear and that Paul was the only target within range. Still. He swallowed past the lump forming in his throat. “That’s your call entirely.”
“And.” Danny’s chest heaved. “I’ll ask Master Ben to terminate the lease.”
Oh, God! That one hit way below the belt. He forced himself to nod again and keep his face passive. “That is also your prerogative. For now, though, you’re still my responsibility, so I’m telling you you’re staying here. I have to get back to work. You do whatever you want. I’ll bring take-out home and we can figure out what to do about meals for the rest of the weekend later.”
Danny turned his head away, refusing to acknowledge what Paul had said. Paul really wanted to reach out and at least give him a kiss on the cheek. Instead, he backed up and left. He jumped into the truck and gave himself a few seconds to fantasize about going back to Tanner Lumber, finding Fahey and pounding his face into the ground. Except his crew waited for him and Fahey should be long gone if Ben was true to his word. The best thing Paul could do for his boy was to just be there for him. The next three days were going to suck, but that’s what it meant to be in a relationship. You took the good with the bad and he had to hold onto the hope that Danny would calm down and not end the lease.
Not break Paul’s heart.
Chapter Sixteen
Danny swiped at the sweat beading up on his forehead and sat back on his heels. While warm, the day wasn’t terribly hot, but he’d been pushing himself for the last few hours. Weeding was mindless and he’d worked hard in an effort to tire himself out. It helped keep the bad thoughts at bay. He’d been trying to chase away the images of his father being beaten. He didn’t have to see it to imagine it. He’d witnessed enough beatings and suffered enough to know what it must have been like for his father. Fifty. God, how horrible.
&nbs
p; He shook his head. Don’t think about it. That was the whole point of working on the yard. Plus, it had the additional advantage of perhaps making Paul a little happier when he got home. Holy shit, Danny had fucked up bad. He shuddered every time he remembered the awful things he’d said, the way he’d acted at the lumberyard and here. How could he have lashed out at Paul like that? As upset as he’d been about his father’s punishment, it was no excuse for talking to his master with such insolence. He’d yelled at Paul and threatened to deny him sex. He’d threatened to end the lease.
If he let his mind stray from the weeds in front of him, he could see the hurt look on Paul’s face when Danny had thrown up his bile and misery all over the man. Paul had only been trying to help. Now that he’d calmed down, Danny could understand that. Of course Big John wouldn’t have wanted Danny to watch him suffer. Master Ben was a fair man, Danny knew that. He’d only done what he had to and no doubt had allowed Big John medical care after the beating. Danny’s hovering around and fretting wouldn’t help anyone. Paul had been absolutely right about that and Danny owed him a really big apology.
Would Paul accept it? He’d been lenient with Danny so far, allowing him freedom and perks that few slaves ever received. Would he forgive and forget such inexcusable behavior? God, Danny hoped so. He hadn’t meant any of the terrible things he’d said. Spending a long weekend here in Paul’s house, taking the comfort that Paul had tried to offer him earlier, would go a long way to ease Danny’s hurt. He hoped with all his heart that his master would be in a forgiving mood. It was going on close to five o’clock. Paul wouldn’t be back for another hour at least.
Danny wanted to cook him dinner to begin his atonement, but Paul had said he’d pick up food. Maybe Danny should call him and tell him not to bother with take-out. His phone sat deep inside his front pocket. As he reached for it, a shadow loomed over him. He looked up, startled, and then fell back on his ass in shock.
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