by Jana Downs
“They certainly taught you well,” Alec said with a gasp.
Payne stilled instantly. He removed his lips from Alec’s nipples and sat up, irritation flickering over his face. “Yeah. They did,” he snapped. “Want to see how well my ass takes a whip? Want to invite a few friends over and watch them take turns fucking me? Is that what turns your buttons?”
Alec’s eyes widened, and he sat up to be on equal terms with the suddenly surly Vessel. “What is your problem? I gave you a compliment.”
“No. You complimented my training. Like I’m without skills that are independent from the Facility’s little check sheet they gave you at the door. What happens when I’m defective? Going to send me back?”
Where the fuck is this coming from? They had been getting along so well last night. “Christ, you are a specialized Vessel whose primary function is to be a sexual object. Of course I compliment your training. Until I teach you something else, I’m assuming that everything you have learned thus far is from the Facility.”
“I—” Payne started, going red faced. “Don’t know why I just ripped your head off.” He swallowed hard and looked absolutely bewildered. “I’m sorry.”
“You are the strangest Vessel I have ever seen,” Alec said, rolling out of bed and grabbing his pants from the floor. “You’re giving me whiplash with your personality changes. One minute you’re this amazing angelic sex kitten and the next you’re ripping my head off and filling the room with so much testosterone that I’m choking on it. Pick a personality already.” He knew he should’ve been more sympathetic considering Payne was adjusting to a new environment and a new would-be lover, but this was a little ridiculous. He didn’t need that much drama in his life.
Payne remained where he was, drawing the comforter up to his chin and starring at the floor. “Maybe you should have given me the personality alignment,” he whispered. “I’m a horrible Vessel.”
“Maybe I should have,” Alec agreed in exasperation. “I’m going to go cook up some dinner. Do you have preferences?”
Payne looked up. “My preferences are yours. I don’t know what else I like. I was raised on your favorite foods.” That sounded infinitely sadder to Alec than it should have. It made sense, but it seemed so…inhuman.
“Of course you were,” Alec said, annoyed all over again. “Get dressed and come downstairs.”
He slammed the door on his way out.
* * * *
“Hey, Father. Do you have time to talk?” Alec asked as he brought up his father’s messenger in the 3-D screen beside him. He hardly ever answered the phone because the signal went in and out in the lab, but he always had his laptop and answered his IMs.
The senior Kane answered in his usual gruff manner, his blue eyes piercing him even through the screen. “I wouldn’t have answered otherwise. What is it?”
“I’m having issues with the Vessel you bought me,” Alec said. He felt a twinge of guilt for essentially telling on Payne, but he was a little unnerved by his seemingly erratic emotions. He didn’t mind if he was just adjusting, but if there was something wrong with him, Alec needed to know. “He’s having these…” He paused, searching for a word. “Outbursts of… Hell, I don’t even know what you’d call it. Rebellion, maybe? He seems moody, and whenever he’s reminded of the Facility, he gets really agitated.”
His father was silent as he pulled up Payne’s file on the master database with a few clicks of his fingers. It always amazed Alec how much access his father had. “It’s noted in his file that you overrode the Trainer’s suggestion for a personality alignment and that you had an altercation with the Vessel before you left which you failed to allow rehabilitation for.”
“He was terrified of it. You should have seen him, Dad. He was shaking like a leaf.”
His father studied his expression for a good minute without speaking. “You are aware that you’re speaking of the Vessel as if he were a new boyfriend? He’s supposed to be your life partner, but he is still very unused to you despite knowing all of your preferences.”
Alec winced at the condescending tone.
His father’s eyes narrowed even further. “He is an intelligent, able-bodied, and well-engineered partner, Alecander. Your expectations of him as an instant reward are very typical of the immaturity I have been lecturing you about for months.” His father’s reprimand made him wince. “And for that matter, why are you cooking? He’s been trained in food preparation rather extensively. Giving him tasks of which he’s trained for will help him adjust faster. Had you gone ahead with the initial suggestion the Trainers gave you about his alignment, he would be adjusting better, but doing it naturally makes it slower.”
“I haven’t had a chance to show him around the kitchen yet,” Alec grumbled. He hated how his father made him feel like a child. He’d asked a simple question. Why couldn’t his father ever be supportive?
“He would’ve figured it out. I didn’t breed you a simpleton.”
Alec rolled his eyes. “Father, I called you for some advice on how to deal with him, not a lecture on how I’m babying my Vessel.”
His father snorted. “Well, if you stopped treating him like a stupid person and like well trained, well-bred Vessel, he wouldn’t be acting like a petulant child. Vessels thrive on order and dominance. They can be trained to be tops, but they’re bred to be submissive. This one is no different. I made sure he was better educated than most. I made sure he shared your interests and that he was a strong personality to rival yours. Even though he’s perfectly compatible with you, you have to keep in mind that he needs you to be stern with him if you’re not going to get his personality aligned. Bring him into the room, and I’ll show you a few things from the packet that you obviously haven’t read.”
Alec sighed. Condescending dick. “All right. Hold on just a second.”
“No need. I’m here,” Payne interrupted from behind him. He made a formal bow and entered the room from the hallway. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Alec.” He turned toward the Holo-Pic of Alec’s father and gave another bow. “Hello, sir.”
“You’re letting the Vessel call you by your first name?” Kane senior asked, ignoring Payne’s greeting.
Great. Just what I need, more lecturing. “Yeah. It’s weird to have someone calling me ‘Master’ or ‘my lord’ all the time. It’s creepy.”
His father sighed heavily. “If you say so. He’s going to end up as unruly as your mother before long.” The last was said with a hint of a smile. They both knew that he preferred her that way. His eyes went to Payne. “Vessel 8189, face the vid screen full on.”
Payne fell into position one slave stance like an old pro. Contrary to his father’s declaration, Alec had read parts of the manual. It wasn’t his fault he found that stuff archaic and demeaning.
“Good,” his father complimented. “Your stance is perfect. Now, for my son’s personal knowledge, recite the credence of a Vessel.”
Payne didn’t hesitate, but Alec could practically see the vibrant man he’d been getting to know vanish and an automaton take his place. “I am a Vessel for my Master’s will. I belong to my Master and my Master alone. I desire nothing but his pleasure. I know nothing that does not please my Master. I do nothing that does not please my Master. I say nothing that does not please my Master. And I will think nothing that does not please my Master. I am nothing without his will.”
“Good. Now, Vessel 8189, look at my son,” his father commanded. “Tell him what you desire above all things.”
Payne’s eyes sparked with something that looked like anger, but there was a sadness as well. “I desire your joy above all things, my lord.” He paused before continuing. “After all, I am nothing but your toy, and I can’t think for myself. Shall I pleasure you now in front of your father, or should I cook you your meal?”
Alec nearly laughed aloud as his father’s eyes bulged out of his skull. God, I love that fire.
His father snapped. “Vessel 8189, Odynia.”
Payn
e’s eyes widened and then rolled into the back of his head. With a pain-filled groan, his muscles started jumping under his skin like he’d been plugged into an outlet. Convulsing, he fell to the floor where he continued to seize.
“Fuck! Father, what the hell did you do?” Alec snapped, dropping to his knees beside Payne and trying to still his jerking limbs. “Stop!”
“Vessel 8189, Hypnos.”
Payne settled instantly, his body relaxing into a languid state that resembled sleep. He looked almost dead, staring at the ceiling blankly.
“What the hell was that?” Alec demanded, rocking Payne’s limp form.
“That was a verbal reprimand that is hardwired into his mind via nanos. If you had bothered to read the packet, you would have found that there are certain words that can trigger a keyed response in a Vessel. Odynia is the word you would use to reprimand the Vessel when they display a grossly inappropriate behavior. It causes severe pain. You also have the word Hypnos. That is the word to calm a Vessel when they are experiencing high levels of stress. It’s almost a dream state, but he’s still conscious. The other two words are Eudaimonia and Eros. The first will induce a state of joy, and the second…” His father chuckled as if remembering something pleasant. “The second is used as a reward and reinforcement tool. It induces extreme pleasure in a Vessel. So you see, son, you have all the tools you need to keep him happy and let him know how he fits into your life without treating him like a simpleton. He’s flesh and blood, but he’s also more than that. I would suggest using the tools given in the beginning. He seems rather aggressive for a Vessel, but then again he is supposed to be compatible with you, and God knows that you prefer your lovers to be a bit barbaric.”
Alec didn’t agree, but he didn’t say so. Vessels could have human children and didn’t have a damn off switch. This could get infinitely complicated if he allowed it and beyond that he had the sneaking suspicion that if he tried to use those words in any sort of regimented way Payne would not react kindly to it. He seemed more free spirited than any other Vessel he’d met, with the exception of his mother. “Thanks for the assistance, Dad. I’ll try to be more firm with him and read the damn packet.”
His father nodded as if nothing unusual had happened during their conversation. “Good luck,” his father said, hanging up.
Chapter Three
Alec carried Payne into the living room and deposited him onto the couch. As he turned and crossed the carpet to head back to the kitchen, a muffled sob interrupted his progress. He stopped and turned around. Payne lay exactly where he left him, except he’d grabbed a pillow from the couch to put over his face to muffle the sound of those pitiful sobbing noises he was making. The training isn’t right. I wouldn’t even do this to an animal.
“Oh, Payne,” Alec whispered, coming to stand beside the couch before kneeling there. “Are you all right, sweetheart?”
“Don’t concern yourself with me,” Payne said, sounding strangled. He wiped furiously at his face as if pissed beyond words at his tears. “He’s right. I’m just a toy.”
Alec stroked his forehead, pushing the hair back off his face. “He wasn’t really saying that. My dad is a bit of a hard-ass with Vessels, but you should see him with my mother. Once he gets to know you as a person he’ll stop acting like you’re a…” He didn’t even have a word for the box his father was trying to put Payne into. A lot of other people only thought of Vessels as expensive toys, himself included until quite recently. He’d never viewed his mother as less than human, but everything in their marketing and treatment seemed to rank new Vessels as subhuman somehow. He cleared his throat. “It really bothers you that people don’t consider you human, doesn’t it?”
Miserable emerald met his gaze. “How would you feel if someone told you tomorrow that every thought you’d ever had, every emotion you’d ever felt, and every opinion you’d ever formed was not only unimportant but inhuman? I’m better educated and more opinionated than ninety percent of the population, but I’m so inferior to them just by my being a Vessel.” He shook his head, obviously chastising himself. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m even telling you this. I usually only tell my sister about my issues.” He sighed before draping his arm over his eyes as if to block Alec out. “God, you probably think I’m even a bigger failure now. You should have my personality aligned. Then I wouldn’t know I was unhappy.”
“Shut up about that,” Alec said sternly. “I’m not going to mess with your personality. I want you to talk to me when you’re having an issue. Then we can talk through it instead of you bottling up how you’re feeling and then exploding at me over something small. Look, I know that I’m not supposed to look at you like you’re a boyfriend, but I’ll be honest with you, over the last few days I’ve seen very little that resembles an inferior being. I want you to be my boyfriend. No one but me and you have to know you’re a Vessel at all. Let’s get to know one another. I’m not promising anything, and our chemical compatibility doesn’t guarantee happily ever after, but I think we could really make this work.”
Payne looked downright astonished at his suggestion. Every bit of literature that Alec had read cautioned against letting Vessels assume independence or a separate existence from their owners. However, his father had just as adamantly claimed that anyone who wrote those books were full of shit. He claimed that only books written by him on the subject were anywhere close to being unbiased. Alec wasn’t sure about that, but he figured that dad knew best considering he’d invented Vessels to begin with. Alec never was one for tradition or for the warnings of people who were motivated by greed. If Vessels suddenly had independent thought, they wouldn’t make very good servants to the wealthy, spoiled masses. He supposed he shouldn’t complain too much given that the Facility paid his paycheck and he was one of the top earners in the company, but his heart wasn’t in it. It never had been. He had taken the job at his father’s company after graduation because he hadn’t been passionate about anything else.
“Really?” Payne asked, obviously still incredulous.
Alec smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. “Really.”
Payne’s answering smile was his undoing. He leaned over and captured the Vessel’s lips with his own.
Their first kiss was magic. The spark that erupted between them every time they touched was unnerving. Had Payne been the smallest bit openly aggressive, it would’ve been too much, but the razor’s edge they’d been dancing on the past few days was perfect. Alec coaxed Payne’s mouth opened, and a lusty ache formed in the pit of his stomach. He’d never wanted anyone like he wanted Payne. Maybe it was because the man was literally made for him, but whatever the reason, he could see himself doing a lot more than enjoying the company of the Vessel who wanted to be his equal.
Payne’s arms crept around Alec’s shoulders to hold him close. “I really like you,” Payne whispered against his lips. “I always thought that I could resist you when I finally met you, but now that I’ve felt you, known you, I am yours.” The knowledge that Alec affected him that way was better than any aphrodisiac known to man. He was intoxicated by Payne’s genuine desire for him.
Alec pulled back reluctantly. They couldn’t spend the whole day lounging about in bed ravishing each other. They needed to eat at some point. He didn’t want to let Payne go. He compromised with himself by taking Payne’s hand in his own to maintain that connection.
“You hungry?” Alec asked. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen the Vessel eat. He frowned at the thought. He recalled that when they’d stopped for food on the way to his home Payne had only gotten a bottle of water each time. “When was the last time you ate?”
Payne looked puzzled by his frown. “The day before we left the Facility. Vessels aren’t allowed to eat in the last twelve hours before being displayed. It emphasizes the muscular system when they restrict our diets.” He paused. “And yes, I am hungry if you’re willing to share your meal.”
Alec’s anger ricocheted in his ch
est, shooting up again. “You haven’t eaten in almost three days? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Vessels are taught not to complain. I’m sorry if that made you angry, but I wasn’t sure you’d welcome the reminder.”
Alec slowly counted backward from ten. “For future reference, whatever the Facility taught you is out.” He couldn’t believe his father would approve of those sorts of training methods. That seemed insane. “I always want you to tell me what you need. You’re my responsibility now. I take that seriously.”
“All right. I’ll let you know. Alec?”
“What is it, Payne?”
“I’m really hungry now.” His stomach growled as if to emphasize the point.
Alec couldn’t help but laugh. His Vessel was going to be the death of him. He just knew it.
* * * *
Payne had taken over the cooking halfway through Alec’s preparation of shrimp scampi with linguini. His father had been right when he’d said that the Vessel had extensive food preparation training. He was a dervish whirling around the kitchen, tossing spices and bits of food in pans and mixing sauces. Alec had always been a sucker for a man who knew how to cook.
“Can you hand me the lemon and the parsley leaves?” Payne asked in a chipper voice. He seemed very happy in the kitchen. The pasta smelled phenomenal, and the last bit of ingredients was the final touch to a beautiful meal.
Alec handed them over and placed a kiss on Payne’s cheek. “Just so you know, I’m never cooking again. That smells fantastic,” he complimented.
Payne smiled. “Thanks. I actually really like to cook. It was my favorite set of lessons. So I’m okay with doing the cooking.”
“Okay with doing it? I like the independent side of you,” Alec teased. “You practically shoved me out of the way when I wasn’t doing it right.”