Kent, always eager for the chance to remind Emerson of his place, let out a low chuckle. "How’s the business going, Emerson?" His voice dripped with mock sweetness.Emerson clenched his fists at his sides but kept his face neutral. "It’s going well," he replied coolly, knowing that any further engagement with Kent would only serve to fuel the condescending remarks."Good to hear," Kent said, still smiling that smile that had always rubbed Emerson the wrong way. "You know, you really should be more active in the family business. It’s such a shame to see someone with your potential waste it."Emerson’s chest tightened at the implication, but he bit his tongue. He couldn’t get into it now. Not in front of them."Excuse me," he muttered, his voice cutting through the silence. "I need to check on the meal." He turned abruptly, retreating into the house before anyone could respond.____Emerson stood by the dining room, hands clenched at his sides, the air thick with tension. The clink of
The door to the living room slammed open with a force that shook the walls, its impact echoing through the stillness of the house. Emerson stood in the threshold, his body rigid, eyes blazing with a sharp, unrelenting fury. Kent, as always, had his back turned, speaking with their mother and grandfather, while Felicia sat at the far end of the room, her hands folded tightly in her lap, a perfect picture of restraint. The sight alone, the calm pretense of family unity, twisted something deep inside Emerson.The forced smiles. The rehearsed pleasantries. It was all a performance, one he could no longer stomach.Kent, without so much as glancing over his shoulder, spoke as if he had known Emerson would arrive precisely at this moment. "Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Granduncle, Felicia and I need to leave. You know her condition." His voice was smooth, like an actor delivering his lines, as though nothing had changed. As though Emerson was just another part of the scenery.Emerson’s voice sliced
Porsche stood frozen, the words hanging in the air like a heavy weight. The woman holding his hand—her face pale with worry—gripped his fingers tightly, her other hand resting protectively over her pregnant belly. Her voice cracked as she spoke again, her words urgent, desperate."You can’t leave me, Percy," she pleaded, her eyes wide with confusion and pain. "You don’t understand. I’m pregnant, Percy. Six months... I’ve been searching for you for six months. You just disappeared. You left me, on our honeymoon, for God’s sake."The air seemed to spin around Porsche as her words cut through the fog in his mind. Pregnant? Honeymoon? The confusion overwhelmed him, and he struggled to piece together the fragments of memories that were slipping through his fingers like sand.He remembered the crash. A sudden impact. A moment of pain. And then... darkness. The sharp scent of burning rubber, the roar of the engine... Percy Cyrus. He was sure that name belonged to him, but it felt like som
Emerson’s hands clenched into fists at his sides as he watched the exchange before him. The woman—frazzled, desperate—gripped Porsche’s hand tightly as if letting go would unravel her entirely. Her words were laced with pain, cutting through the awkward tension in the air."You can’t leave me, Percy," she pleaded, her voice cracking under the weight of emotion. "Can't you see I have a life growing in my stomach... Why do you have to leave? I’m pregnant, Percy. Six months. Six! Do you know what it’s been like without you?" Her free hand rested on her visible baby bump, trembling.Porsche stood frozen, his gaze darting between the woman and Emerson, his synthetic mind processing too many contradictions at once.From where he stood, Emerson’s patience snapped. He stormed forward, his presence dominating, and grabbed Porsche by the arm, pulling him sharply. "That’s enough," he hissed, glaring at the woman. "Who are you to take him away? You think throwing a sob story will stop me? Let h
The office hummed with an unsettling quiet, broken only by the occasional rustle of papers and the distant hum of the city outside. Emerson leaned against his desk, his hands gripping its edge as though to steady himself. Across the room, Porsche stood by the window, his silhouette illuminated by the pale glow of streetlights. He seemed distant, lost in thought, yet his presence dominated the room.“Come here,” Emerson finally said, his voice low but insistent.Porsche turned his head slightly, his expression unreadable, before stepping closer. His movements were measured, graceful, as though he was calculating the space between them with each step. Emerson’s heart raced, but he maintained his composure, refusing to let his emotions spill out too soon.“Porsche,” Emerson began, his voice cracking slightly, “what are we doing here?”Porsche paused, tilting his head in that familiar, mechanical way that always unnerved Emerson just a little. “What do you mean, Emerson?”“You know ex
The office was suffocating. The low hum of the air conditioner barely stirred the stale tension. Emerson stood rigid by the large window, his silhouette bathed in the harsh glow of the city below. The vibrancy of the skyline felt mocking, an indifferent world outside his own crumbling one.His fingers tightened around the edge of the windowsill as he fought to compose himself. The betrayal, the scandals, the relentless grind of holding everything together.. it all paled in comparison to this. Losing control over Porsche. Losing him.He took in a shuddering breath, the air scraping against the hollow ache in his chest. He had never felt this before, this unbearable weight of longing. It was foreign, maddening, and undeniable. He wasn’t a fool; he knew exactly what it was.Love.But love wasn’t supposed to feel like this. It wasn’t supposed to unravel him, make him question everything he thought he was. And yet, here he stood, barely holding himself together, because the thought of
The room was dim as Emerson sat back in his chair, his fingers drumming against the desk. Porsche had already left for the car, waiting patiently as instructed. The silence in the office was a stark contrast to the storm brewing in Emerson’s mind. He needed answers, and he needed them now. Pulling out his phone, he stared at it for a moment, debating his next move. The dropout kid who created Porsche—what was his story? How was that mysterious woman connected to all of this? And why did Emerson feel as though he was being pulled into a deeper web, one he hadn’t anticipated? He didn’t have the kid’s number. Hell, he hadn’t cared enough to keep track of him in the first place. But Raven would know. Raven always knew. Raven had the number, right? Dialing Raven’s number, Emerson leaned back in his chair, listening to the phone ring. It rang and rang before finally clicking into voicemail. He tried again, his frustration mounting with every unanswered call. This time,
The apartment was supposed to be empty.Raven had checked the locks twice, made sure the windows were latched, and killed the lights before settling into the quiet hum of his own busy thoughts. It was one of those rare nights where exhaustion hit in waves, on where the world outside could keep spinning without his interference.Then came the sound. Soft. A shift in the air. The kind of thing a man learns to pick up when he’s been through a lot already.A click. Then the lock turned.Raven’s grip tightened around his wine glass before he carefully set it down on the kitchen counter. He hadn’t touched the door in over an hour. Someone else had.He moved quietly, slipping toward the nearest drawer where his knife was stashed. His fingers brushed the door handle….“Don’t.” Came a strange, gruff voice. The voice was low, flat. Unfamiliar.Raven froze, his jaw clenching.A figure stood by the front door, barely illuminated by the streetlights filtering through the window. A man, dressed in
Once again, Leroy Jr. awoke feeling warm and content.His back was pressed against Xcott's front, his head resting on one massive bicep, while Xcott's other arm was wrapped tightly around his waist. A heavy thigh was thrust between Leroy's legs, anchoring him in place.Leroy sighed sleepily and nestled back against Xcott before the memories of the previous evening rushed in. His muscles tensed. Oh my god. Xcott had spanked him—hard. It had hurt like hell. But Xcott had also given him the most intense orgasm he had ever experienced.Then again, he was a virgin.His conscience screamed at him. What is wrong with me? How could I have reacted like that?Moving carefully, Leroy tried to slip out from under Xcott's arm, but the hold immediately tightened."Running away, my little son?" Xcott’s deep, amused rumble sent an involuntary shiver through Leroy.Before he could protest, Xcott laughed and rolled on top of him, his broad hips settling against Leroy’s. His chest was warm and heavy, pr
Leroy was vaguely aware of the shelf beneath his body and of the fiery glow of his abused bottom, but they seemed very distant. A warm hand stroked his back and it felt nice… very nice, but that was distant, too.Xcott's voice finally penetrated. “Little son, answer me.”“Hmm?” Had he asked him something? Leroy tried to focus but he couldn’t remember the question.“When was the last time you ate?” Xcott asked patiently. He tried to wave a hand, mildly surprised when it responded. “Berries… pool… earlier,” he finally mumbled.A low laugh sent a pleasant shiver through his body. “I think I had better feed you before we continue with my plans for the evening.”“Okay,” Leroy whispered obediently. His tears had dried up now.Another low laugh and this one was e
“No,” Leroy shook his head. “No, please. No. Stop.”Xcott didn't pay heed. Once he fastened them around Leroy's wrists, the catch disappeared. They were beautiful and Leroy now admired the gleam of the gold against his pale white skin. They were just… bracelets. And this time, masculine ones.Leroy opened his mouth to thank him but he was already reaching for two more. These matched the first set but were slightly longer and Leroy eyed them with uneasy suspicion as he bent to fasten them around Leroy's ankles.Leroy's thoughts immediately flashed back to the metal cuffs the slavers had used, but those heavy metal bands were a far cry from these delicate golden links.“What are those?” he demanded.Xcott laughed softly and the low rumble sent a shiver of pleasure up Leroy's spine in spite of his trepidation. “Let’s
Once Leroy stepped inside, K'coba closed the door quietly.Leroy's heart started beating unexpectedly hard in his chest, his eyes went straight to Xcott. Xcott was seated at the desk, bent over a screen, and he didn’t look up immediately so Leroy was able to study him.His eyes traveled appreciatively over Xcott's handsome alien features and the muscled perfection of Xcott's chest visible through the open vest. But he could also see the tension in those broad shoulders and he had a sudden desire to walk up behind him, wrap his arms around him, and nibble kisses into the strong column of his neck.Leroy felt his nipples tighten at the image of his own filthy imagination. Damn, what was wrong with his stupid self?As if aware of his own appraisal, Xcott looked up, a half-smile curving his lips until he took in Leroy's appearance. The smile remained but his eyes hardened. “Take t
Leroy’s heart pounded in his chest, his mind racing with possibilities."I might know a way actually."His fingers curled into the fabric of his loose-fitting tunic. He should be overjoyed; this was the first real thread of escape he’d been given. But something about the way both women looked at him made his stomach twist.It’s not that simple, is it? It never was.“You know a way?” Leroy asked, his voice coming out rougher than he intended. This was hope, but in an upsetting way. “And you’re just telling me because?”Jadona exhaled, as if she had expected that reaction. “Little man…”“No.” He shook his head, his eyes burning. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to wake up in a place where you don’t belong? To be dragged into a life you never agreed to?”
A completely unexpected pang of jealousy shot through Leroy. Tsk, tsk. What was that about?Sure, he was tall, sexy, and kissed him so hard his bones melted. He was also arrogant, demanding, unfeeling, and he had him, a little ‘son’, kidnapped as a slave.If he didn’t want to have sex with that big golden guy—although he wasn’t as convinced of that as he would have liked—why did it matter who else he was having sex with?Pushing the thought aside, Leroy probed further. “But do you want to be slaves?”An identical expression of sorrow crossed each woman’s delicate face, their hair drooping inunison, and Leroy felt like he had kicked a pair of puppies.Trocana sighed. “Of course not. We were traveling with a relative. He sold us to pay off his gambling debts.”“He could
“That’s it? Watch television or pamper myself?”Leroy was more than ecstatic. Was this how life was in the world outside of Earth? It was really enticing that someone as greedy would choose to stay here and never leave. But not him.“Of course. I told you that Almighty Xcott was very generous,” K'coba said proudly.Leroy stared at him, trying to figure out how to explain to the alien man that his suggestionshorrified his little heart rather than pleased it. There had never been a time in his bitter life when he wasn’t constantly busy.As little as he was at 20 years old, he was the only child of a dead mother and an imprisoned father who hadn’t managed to secretly save up good money before the doom that befell. Things were never so difficult that none of his parents ever experienced a series of low-paying jobs and Leroy had been sp
“Why do people come here?” The idea that such a huge operation was just floating around in space stunned him, who had a tech and science geek father.K'coba shrugged again. “Various reasons. The repair shops and refueling stations drive a certain amount of traffic. And, of course, the fight pit, the brothels, and the gambling dens draw others. Then there are the merchants, the restaurants, the lodgings. At any given time, there are thousands of people here—some permanent, some transient—but all expecting a certain amount of…order. Order thatAlmighty Xcott provides.” A small smile curved his mouth and it was unexpectedly appealing. “Ofof course, order is relative.”Leroy stared out into the atrium, still trying to process the immense space as his words registered. “What do you mean fight pit? Brothels? Gambling dens?”K'coba looked at him a little uneasily. “They are some of our most profitable businesses.” Hehesitated. “If you have any additional questions, you should ask our maste
Leroy stared into space, planning the whole thing out after Xcott departed. The thought of never going back to earth again… it was saddening even if he was treated as shit there.His legs suddenly gave out to the sad thoughts and he collapsed down on the lounge chair. From one nightmare straight into another.Well, admittedly the surroundings and the food were significantly better here than earth of course, but at least on the earth he knew what his belonged to him and no one else to control it. Here his chains were not visible but they were just as strong. Even worse, his stupid straight body responded to Xcott with an intensity he had never felt before, betraying his every attempt to remain angry or even aloof as he has been all his life. And Xcott had seemed to respond just as strongly. Maybe he was a gay alien and he enjoyed this sort of rainbow life?Despite the circumstances, Leroy had almost believed that there might be a connection between them. When Xcott's eyes warmed, whe