Ashland

by Lynn Lorenz

  He put down the phone after he’d booked the cage for the rescheduled session with Antonio and Granger. Thank God Granger had been good-natured enough to rebook and hadn’t just thrown up his hands and walked away.

  The phone rang.

  Stoltz’s heart leaped into his throat as he grabbed the phone. “Hello.”

  “Mr. Stoltz? It’s Frank…Frank Sutton.”

  “Hello, Frank. Call me Dan. Do you have news?”

  “Yes, I do. I’ve got a note from the league offices. Your hearing has been set for next week.”

  “That’s good.” Relief flooded him. “And you’ll have everything ready by then?”

  “Yes. Your defense is falling into place. Durio couldn’t have paid the back taxes even if he’d had the extra days. I have his account records. He was flat broke. It wouldn’t have mattered if he had two days or twenty. And I’m hoping the league will take that into consideration.”

  “That’s great!” It was the best news Stoltz had heard since he’d gotten the lawyer’s letter.

  “Don’t get too excited. He could still win, Dan. It all depends on knowing he couldn’t pay and whether the board feels as if he’s grossly abused his rights as a slave owner and especially as a werewolf owner. He’s broken a few of their rules, you know. They don’t want the fighters mistreated, even if they are slaves.”

  “I know. They try to put those guidelines in place, but I’ve never heard of anyone being brought up on charges for breaking them.”

  “Me either. This might be a first.” Frank chuckled. “Look. Relax. I’m working on it. I’ll see you next Monday, at the league offices at nine in the morning.”

  “Got it.” Stoltz grabbed his appointment book and wrote in the information, not as if he’d forget it.

  Frank hung up. Stoltz got up to change and pick up Ash.

  At least he had some encouraging news.

  In the meantime, just in case, Stoltz had to figure out how to get the gun from Murphy before Monday.

  Chapter Twenty

  On Sunday, Stoltz sat in the coffee shop across from the Coliseum building as he waited for Murphy. He had to get his friend’s gun without drawing any suspicion, and he’d finally figured out what to say.

  Murphy had asked to meet at the shop, since it was so close to the multilevel Coliseum and they both had business there.

  Murphy’s office was just down the block. It wasn’t fancy, but he wasn’t running it out of his apartment, like Stoltz was. Stoltz had a long way to go to be at Murphy’s level, both economically and professionally, and if things went south on Monday, he’d never get there. Not if Ash were dead.

  And if Ash were dead, what was the point of living? Stoltz had decided. He’d kill Ash and then himself.

  And Murphy could never know what he planned.

  He took another sip. The door opened, and Murphy entered, spotted him, waved, and went to the counter to order. When he’d gotten his coffee, he came over and sat across from Stoltz.

  “Dan. What’s up?” Just like Murphy to get right down to it.

  “The hearing is set. Monday at nine.”

  “That’s great. What’s Sutton say?”

  “Frank thinks we stand a good chance, but it’s not a sure thing.”

  Murphy nodded. “And?”

  “I need a favor.” Stoltz didn’t own a gun. He believed in managing his werewolf without using fear tactics.

  “Ask, you got it.”

  “I need to borrow your gun.” Stoltz lowered his voice. Guns were legal, and a lot of slave owners carried them, especially werewolf owners. These fighters were large, powerful, and could be violent. Most owners carried stun guns, like the guards, but a few owners, like Murphy, had the real thing. Murphy always said, “Carry a big stick, and you’ll never need to use it.” And as far as Stoltz knew, Murphy never had to use it.

  “My gun? What for?”

  “It’s Ash. Durio has been coming around the training cages threatening him, and it’s freaking him out. If the league rules against us and he has to go back, he’s going to go berserk when I tell him. There is no fucking way he’s going to go quietly. And I’m not sure I can control him if he shifts.” Stoltz shook his head. This was all true. Ash would go wild.

  Murphy nodded. “Do you want to call in the guards to handle it?”

  “No. I have to do it. I promised him.” Also not a lie. “I can’t just let some guards come in, shock him down, and drag him off. But I want to protect myself. Not that I think he’d hurt me, but if he loses control, shifts…” He shrugged. Both of them knew an unarmed man didn’t stand a chance against a wolf.

  “Yeah. I get it.” Murphy grimaced. “Sure. Can you come with me to the office now?”

  “Yeah, I have time.” Not much time, but enough.

  “You know how to use it?”

  “Sure. Point and pull the trigger.”

  Murphy chuckled. “Yeah. Sort of. We’ll go over shooting it, okay?”

  “Okay.” He only needed to know how to aim and pull the trigger to kill Ash and then himself.

  They chatted a few minutes more, then got up to leave. As they headed out the door, Stoltz decided that when and if the time came, he’d have to leave a note for Murphy. Explain and thank him. It was the least he could do for his best friend.

  At the office, Stoltz sat in the chair across from Murphy’s desk. His friend reached down and pulled open a drawer.

  Stoltz jumped when the shoulder holster and gun hit the desk. Murphy grinned at him.

  “Sure you want this?” He shot up his eyebrows.

  “Yeah. I don’t want to, but I don’t want to call in the guards.” Stoltz had to stick to his story. If Murphy even caught a sniff of his plan, Stoltz would have to find a gun on the black market. Gun licenses were regulated by the government and took months to get approved.

  Stoltz didn’t have months. He had one day.

  “Right.” He pulled the gun from the holster and showed Stoltz the safety, the ammo clip, how to house a bullet in the chamber, and how to aim and fire. By the time he was done, Stoltz felt confident he could handle the weapon, and so did Murphy.

  “Now, I want this back as soon as you’re done with it. If anyone asks where you got it, tell them on the street. It’s not registered, so it can’t be traced back to me.”

  “I thought you had a license.”

  “I do. But I have several guns. This one I keep for just such an occasion.” Murphy gave him a wicked grin.

  “You old dog.”

  “Guilty as charged.” Murphy laughed as he handed the gun across his desk to Stoltz. “Now put that in your pocket, and go straight home. Don’t go walking around with it, in case you’re stopped.”

  “Right. Thanks, Murphy. I really can’t tell you how much I appreciate this. Here, I don’t need the holster.” He slid the leather back to Murphy.

  For a moment, Murphy stared at him, a strange look on his face, and Stoltz thought he’d blown it. He tensed.

  “Not a problem. What are friends for?” Murphy seemed to relax and regain his easygoing manner.

  Stoltz nodded. He had to fight the urge to bolt from the office, so he stuck the gun into his jacket pocket and sauntered out.

  Now he had the gun, it was just a matter of time.

  Tonight he’d spend with Ash.

  Tomorrow they either lived or died.

  »»•««

  Ash was waiting for him when he got there—naked, except for his collar, and stretched out on the bed, half-erect, stroking himself.

  “I’ve been waiting for you, Master.”

  Stoltz swallowed as a rush of heat and desire raced through his body. He slammed the door shut. With each step he took toward the bed, he yanked off a piece of clothing until he reached the bed, naked.

  Standing over Ash, Stoltz cupped his balls.

  “What do you want? Dan,” Ash added, trying out his name. Stoltz liked hearing it from him almost as much as he loved hearing Ash call him Master.
/>   “I want to watch you jerk off.”

  “Only if I can watch you at the same time.”

  Stoltz laughed. “Pushy.” Yeah, that would be hot as hell. Neither of them touching, but bringing each other off all the same. “Let’s do it.” He went over to the kitchen table, dragged back a chair, spun it around, and sat. He splayed his legs wide and cupped his balls.

  Ash groaned and tossed him the oil. Stoltz slicked up his cock and balls, and even painted his taint with it. He tossed it back to Ash, who did the same. Watching Ash rub the oil around and under his balls turned Stoltz on. Everything about Ash pushed all his buttons. The man was fucking gorgeous.

  His man. His wolf.

  And he belonged to Stoltz.

  For now.

  Forever.

  Stoltz groaned when Ash pushed his finger into his hole and finger-fucked himself. Damn that was hot. Stoltz’s dick hardened so fast he had to grab his balls to keep from coming. His cock wanted to be buried deep inside that tight tunnel, but that wasn’t the game they were playing now.

  Ash arched his back as he worked his finger.

  “Talk to me.” Stoltz need some contact, even verbal. “Say my name.”

  Ash grinned and looked at Stoltz through slitted eyelids. “This feels so damn good. I’m rubbing my bump, Dan. Feels like you’re inside me, fucking me, hitting it over and over, making me want to scream.”

  Stoltz moaned. “Yeah, wolf. Tell me.” He quickened his pace, sliding his hand up and down his shaft, letting Ash’s words and the sensations fill him up. Push him closer to the edge.

  “I like that. When you call me wolf. Turns me on.”

  Ash took his cock in his hand and gave it a few slow pulls. Up. Down. Then he added a swipe of his thumb over the tip, catching drops of his precum, spreading it over the head and then down the rigid rod.

  “Still hot. So, so hot.”

  Ash bucked up into his own hand and closed his eyes. “You’re fucking me. I can feel it. Feel you. Every time I jerk off, it’s you, Dan. You’re the only one makes me feel like this. Like a real man. Not like a slave.”

  Stoltz loosened his grip on his dick so he could jerk off, letting his hand slide as he sped up to a blurring speed, the rasp of his skin against skin setting off sparks behind his eyelids.

  “Dan. I’m yours. Your wolf. Forever. Until the moment I die. No one but you will ever touch me like this.” Ash groaned as he pulled out his finger and wrapped his hand around the base of his cock. He jerked with the other one, working, squeezing out the precum, letting it drip down his shaft, going hard and fast.

  Stoltz’s dick stiffened, unbearably hard, aching to let go. His balls shot up tight to his body, and the tingling at the base of his spine signaled his release. He tried to hold on, but his body started the steep climb, his genitals seizing, bunching up, on the verge of shooting.

  “God, Ash. I love you. No one but you. Until I die.”

  “Dan!”

  Stoltz opened his eyes at Ash’s hoarse cry. Lines of white cum shot from Ash’s dick, painting his chest, hitting his chin. Ash opened his mouth as a line landed across his lips. He licked it off, swiping his tongue over and around his mouth.

  That one move set Stoltz off. Seeing Ash capture and lick his own cum from his face. Stoltz let go, unable to fight it, and plunged over the cliff. In free fall, he shot his load as he kept stroking, riding the crashing waves of orgasm.

  His cum splattered his chest in abstract patterns.

  Ash fell back against the bed with a little chuckle. “That was hot.”

  “Hell, yes.” Stoltz slumped back in his chair.

  “Come here.” Ash patted the bed next to him. “We still have the rest of the night.”

  Stoltz groaned as he stood. He got to the bed and fell into it. Ash pulled him close, and they kissed, deep and lazy, as if they had all the time in the world.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The next morning, Ash rolled over and ran his hand over Stoltz’s back. “Do you have to go so soon?” They’d made love all night, until neither of them could give one more drop of cum. The room reeked of their mingled scents. He must have taken Ash on every surface in the small apartment.

  “Hearing is at nine. Got to go home and get dressed and get my papers.” He reached over and snagged his pants from the floor. After he shoved his legs into them, he stood and gave a hop as he dragged them over his ass.

  “I’m scared, Master.” Ash’s voice trembled.

  “Don’t be. It’ll work out.” Stoltz tried to sound positive for Ash’s sake.

  “You never mentioned it, but did you get the gun?”

  “Yeah. I got it.” He didn’t want to talk about it.

  Ash was silent.

  Stoltz pulled on his shirt and turned around to face his lover. “Are you having second thoughts? We don’t have to do this.”

  “No!” Ash sat up. “If Durio wins, I want to die. I…I just don’t want you to die, Master. I know what you’re thinking. Don’t do it. Don’t kill yourself over me. Please.” Ash clutched at Stoltz’s arm and, deep inside, at his heart.

  “I won’t go on without you. What’s the point?” He shook his head.

  “But you have a life. You’re not a slave,” Ash cried out.

  “I’m a slave. You’ve captured me.” Stoltz reached out, looped his finger into Ash’s collar, and dragged him up for a hard, fast kiss. “Never forget you own me.”

  They rubbed faces, the scratch of unshaven cheeks and jaws marking each other.

  He let Ash go, and he fell back onto the bed.

  Stoltz strolled to the door. “I’ll be back after the hearing with the decision.”

  “I’ll be ready.” Ash gave him a lift of his chin. His brave wolf.

  Stoltz was the coward. He wanted to take his slave and run. They were fucked, no matter what they did to get out of this mess. Only the league could set them free.

  Stoltz opened the door and left.

  »»•««

  Stoltz entered the courtroom and spotted Frank Sutton. He sat at the front, behind the first row of seats. Stoltz sat next to him and leaned over. “Everything ready?”

  “Yes. My arguments are in, they have the evidence. Now they just have to render the decision.”

  “What do you think of his case?”

  Sutton cleared his throat. “I don’t know.”

  “What?” Stoltz’s stomach rolled over.

  “In these sorts of hearings, the sides don’t get to see the other side’s evidence. This isn’t a formal court of law; it’s the fucking league.” He shrugged.

  “So, we don’t know what they said? What they claim? What if it isn’t true?”

  “That’s for the league to discover and sort out. And trust me, they will find out.”

  “God. I hope you’re right.” Stoltz ran his hand over his jaw, and then around to the back of his neck. Without thinking, he stuck his hand into his pocket to touch the gun he’d hidden there.

  The door at the back of the room opened, and Stoltz turned to see if it was Durio and his lawyer.

  It was Murphy.

  Stoltz stood as his friend approached. “What are you doing here?” He’d never been so glad to see the man.

  “Supporting you, Dan. Didn’t think I’d let you go through this without me, did you?”

  “Thanks.” They sat, and Frank and Murphy said their hellos.

  The noise of the door hitting the wall startled them. All three men spun in their seats. In marched Durio and his lawyer, looking as if they owned the place.

  “This doesn’t look good,” Stoltz whispered to Frank.

  “Forget it. Theatrics.” Frank grimaced.

  Durio took seats across the aisle from them, but Stoltz refused to look at the man or his lawyer and stared straight ahead to the front of the room. A long, low table with five chairs waited to be filled.

  Three men and two women, members of the league’s adjudication board, entered the room from a side door. They
sat and nodded to each of the sides.

  The woman in the center shuffled some papers and then stacked them in front of her.

  “This is the case of Durio vs. the WereWolf Fight League. Mr. Durio claims he was denied the appropriate number of days to repay his back taxes after notification that his property”—she looked down at the paper, then up again—“the werewolf known as Ashland, would be sold to recover those monies.”

  She folded her hands in front of her. “Is the current owner of Ashland here?”

  Sutton nudged Stoltz. He stood. “I am.” What did she mean, current owner? His gut clenched.

  “Your lawyer has filed papers, stating you bought the slave Ashland legally, from the auction house, after he was seized by the league for failure of payment.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Sit down.”

  Stoltz sat.

  She addressed Durio. “In Mr. Stoltz’s claims, he alleges you starved and abused Ashland, leaving him in deplorable condition.”

  Durio’s lawyer stood. “My client will agree the slave was underfed. It’s not a crime.”

  “And was this slave abused. Sexually?”

  “What is abuse? Define it. A slave owner has complete and total control of his or her slave. That includes having sex, whether or not the slave consents. According to the law, my client did nothing illegal.”

  The woman’s mouth twisted as if she tasted something bad.

  Stoltz held his breath. If she agreed, part of their defense was gone.

  She continued. “This case is about whether or not Mr. Durio was given the correct time limit to pay his back taxes before his property was seized. From the records, which state the date of the letter notifying him to pay, and the date of seizure, we find that the league denied Mr. Durio of two days.”

  Sutton swore under his breath.

  Stoltz felt as if a truck had struck him. He couldn’t breathe in or out.

  “However, Mr. Stoltz’s lawyer also claims and puts forward evidence that, at the time, Mr. Durio was unable to pay the monies, even if he’d had the two days.”

  Durio’s lawyer stood. “That’s not true. My client had resources at his disposal.”