Then

So, Tuesday was his day to die.

The loud sound echoed off the concrete and seemed as if it would never end. Phoenix had not moved, had not breathed. He had accepted his fate and waited for the pain. Pain had never registered with him before, but a mortal wound, dying, he would feel, right?

When the sound had faded, the faint rustling of concrete dust falling to the ground sounded beside him, and everything in Phoenix wanted to turn to look, but he did not take his eyes off the barrel of a gun, staring straight at him. The man's hand trembled, and his finger on the trigger looked ready to squeeze another charge out of the gun. Phoenix had felt the bullet when it passed him and went into the wall, but not realized it had not hit him.

"You would really die for him?" the man stammered, looking shocked with wide eyes and shallow gasps. His hand shook, and he kept the gun up between them, almost as a shield from the truth. "Give up your life rather than give up him?"

Phoenix cleared his throat, because as stoic as he might look on the outside, as shaken he was inside. He had literally dodged a bullet. There was no saying if he would get a second chance.

"I could never give up Jace for you or anyone. I love him, and that's my choice." Phoenix shrugged lightly, knowing he should not make too sudden moves with the gun still pointed at him. The man might have missed the first time, on purpose or not, and Phoenix knew how easily one could pull the trigger if surprised. "Of all people, you should know what you feel is your choice, despite what the other feels."

Maybe putting in that jab was unwise, but they both had feelings for someone and would keep those, no matter what. In that they were alike, though Phoenix hoped he had handled his feelings a tad better. He knew in his heart he would have backed off Jace, if Jace had asked, and he would have wallowed in self-pity for the rest of his miserable existence, but Jace's quality of life mattered more to him than his own. He would have let Jace roam free to find his happiness, but never given up on Jace. And that was where he and the man differed.

"I know," the man answered and let his arm fall, dropping the gun to the floor with a loud clank. His hand still trembled, as did the rest of him. His shoulders hunched, and all the power and confidence he had displayed earlier left him. Slowly, he fell to his knees and leaned on his hands in front of him. "Once. Be with me once."

Deep down, Phoenix wished he could do it if only to prove they were not a match, but he could never betray his feelings for Jace. The mere thought made his balls crawl into hiding and his cock shrivel up. "You know I can't," he said with sincerity in a low and understanding voice.

Phoenix waited in silence, watching a myriad of emotions cross the man's face. Confusion, sadness, defeat, hurt, desperation. At that moment, Phoenix felt sorry for the man. His heart hammered with painful thumps in his chest, because he understood that level of heartache. Delusional or not, unrequited love hurt, and Phoenix knew better than most what it was like to wait for something seemingly impossible. Dreaming every day for those wishes to come true, to be deemed good enough, and get granted that ticket to the holy land. Yes, he understood, and it pained him to know he was the cause of someone's pain.

"I'm sorry..." Phoenix whispered in a show of compassion.

All those emotions from before swirled in the man's wet eyes and culminated in a tornado of something that looked impossible to handle. Then anger and vengeance surfaced to cover everything else like an eclipse, and only darkness was left. The wheels of his mind looked to work overtime in correlation with the darkness.

"You will be."

All humanity left the man's face, and it set in a cold and unyielding mask.

"Fine, have it your way," he gritted out through clenched teeth, the red anger spots back in his cheeks and a new kind of determination in his eyes. He rose from the floor and rolled his shoulders as if preparing for a fight and stood straighter, looking at Phoenix. An evil smile pulled at his lips, and his face darkened even more. He heaved for air a few times and ground his teeth with a nerve-grating sound. "I'll make you be with me, and then I'll make you lose everything."

"I won't be with you, and my life doesn't matter. Kill me if you want to."

A manic laughter burst into the room when the man threw back his head and raised his hands into the air. It looked as if he called upon the heavens to fall.

"Killing you is too easy. I'll kill your soul, your love, as you've killed mine..."

"Killed your love?" Phoenix interrupted in surprise. "It's not love. Attraction, infatuation, lust, whatever you wish to call it, but not love. You don't even know me."

"Of course I know you."

"Is that so? Then what's my favorite color? My favorite flower? What type of movies to I like? What charity holds my heart? And which have I donated over half a million to over the last years?"

The man stood with a dumbfounded look on his face and thought about what Phoenix had said. His body language said it all when the anger faded, and he stood fidgeting with his belt buckle.

"You don't know, do you? My favorite color is orange, and that leads to my favorite flower, which is orange Freesia. I like to watch dramas because that's how I learn about people's emotions." Phoenix sighed because it was deeply personal to tell a stranger, but also his one card to show he was right. "I've supported SHINE since it was founded in 1999 to help underprivileged children get an education, which is one of my largest pet peeves. Everyone deserves an education, not just the ones born with a silver spoon up their asses. And over the last years, I've donated to Alzheimer's research, because that's important to Jace, and what matters to him matters to me."

The man huffed at the last comment but shook it off, dismissing Phoenix's passion about himself with a snooty wave of his hand. "Those are just details. I would have learned all that eventually. We match on what's important and have the same interests."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow and cocked his head. "Do we? Do you like martial arts? Do you enjoy Joe Cocker's voice or the absolute marvel of Queen's music? You've stalked me long enough, shouldn't you know these things? Aren't they part of loving someone?"

"I love the part of you that makes you into you. I understand your mind, your passion for business, that we share."

"You don't get it, do you? Yes, I have a deep passion for analyzing numbers and figuring out how to optimize something to make a profit. But that's what I do, not who I am." Sighing, Phoenix tried to keep his temper in check. It was the same mistake all those scientists in his youth had made. They had categorized him on what he could do, not who he was. "You don't love me. You love the concept of me."

The man turned away from Phoenix and stood in a tense stance, making it impossible for Phoenix to see his face and to read what went on in him. The sudden silence between them stretched on, leaving an awkward void, but the tension in the room was thick and oppressing, working hard to fill that void.

Phoenix was unsure if he had finally gotten through the delusional wall inside the man. All he wanted was to get out of there. To leave that cell and know it was over. In his mind, he saw it as a business deal to negotiate. Despite his usual desire to come out on top, to claim a victory, he would settle for anything that did not prolong his stay there. He just wanted to go home.

He tried to think of home, of where he felt at ease, and came to a not shocking conclusion. When he thought of sinking into his large bed, he felt Jace's arms embrace him. When he imagined the hot rays of water in his shower, he imagined Jace's body heat next to him, seeping into him. He smelled that unique coconut smell of Jace's when he wished for his bath products, and the silence of his apartment, which he usually appreciated a lot, was filled with laughs and jokes coming from Jace.

Jace was the home he wanted to return to.

"Can't we just forget all this? I won't press charges if you just release me, Artyom, and Timur. You didn't pull the trigger on Danil. All you're guilty of is kidnapping, and if we don't go to the authorities, there's nothing stopping you from having a good life. Go out and find someone who'll love you for the unique qualities you have and let us go home."

A seed of hope grew inside Phoenix the longer the man stayed silent. It forced its way through the dark soil of despair and reached for the sky to bathe in a single ray of sunshine. Maybe he had finally made an impact and gotten through to him? With no legal charges to face, the man would be free to seek a life elsewhere, preferably far away from Phoenix.

"Home to him?"

Phoenix lifted his head, hoping the man would turn around and show some humanity. Any kind of understanding of a way out of the situation. In time, Phoenix could probably learn to forgive and accept that decisions had been made in the heat of the moment. He had read enough medical studies on love and love-driven reactions to know it was commonly known as acceptable insanity. Sometimes it could lead to obsessive, uncontrollable, and illogical thoughts. To understand his relationship with Jace and the emotions involved, he had done what he did best. Researched.

"Yes, to Jace. To my parents, my friends, my job, my life."

"No!" The man spun on his axis and faced Phoenix. "If I can't have you, no one can!"

Famous last words just before the criminal killed the object of their affection in every crime show Phoenix had ever watched, with an episode about crazy stalkers. Discreetly, Phoenix gave the gun on the floor a glance, assuring himself it was out of reach for the man, at least for the time being.

While Phoenix sat puzzled by that comment, the man found his phone in his pocket and clicked around for a moment. He stood and tapped his foot impatiently as he held the phone to his ear and waited for his call to be answered.

"Are you at the hotel?" The man waited for a reply and continued, "It seems I'll need your services now. How soon can you get here?"

Phoenix followed the conversation with interest and a growing worry inside. That prickling of something unknown and maybe pivotal ran through him and made his hands shake a little. He had forgotten all about his wrist from whatever he had caused inside it earlier. It did not hurt, it just felt stiff, and the shackle squeezed tighter than before. He looked down and saw how the skin had reddened and swelled. It did not look good.

"...I'll see you tomorrow morning, then."

When the man closed the call, Phoenix snapped his attention back from his wrist, wondering what would happen next. Maybe the psycho did not have the guts to kill him himself and had called for reinforcements. The man tilted his head to look back at Phoenix, studying him for a moment, which unnerved Phoenix even more.

"You're curious? You should be. I'm kind of sad it came to this. I had hoped you'd see reason and give me a chance." He laughed, a sinister sound that was a combination of a laugh and a cackle. He then shrugged. "But I can work with this. You'll soon know there are worse fates than being with me, and your friends will find out too."

The threat was real. Phoenix realized he had won nothing by choosing himself. Especially now that his feelings for Jace were in the mix. Those could be used against him, and he knew that. The man had no honor and would go after everyone at the mansion now that he had been denied. And by the looks of it, he would enjoy it. Hopefully, Gareth would keep everyone safe. Especially Jace.

A real enemy will not play by the rules. They'll do whatever it takes to bring you down.

"Why are you doing this? Do you really think you can do anything to me that'll make me change my mind?"

"You say that now. But I've planned this since last year, when it became apparent that you were becoming too attached to Jace, and I've hired a lot of different people to make this work for me. I've gotten computer tech people, muscles, a kill squad, and some with very specific trade skills." The man smiled with pride. He puffed out his chest like a peacock. "All of them are a phone call away, waiting to do what I pay them handsomely to do. The guy I just called will help me make you realize your place."

Snorting, Phoenix shook his head. Never had he met someone that stubborn or delusional. "I'll fight you all the way."

"I know you will, but my friend will make sure you regret turning me down." The man picked up the gun and put it in his bag and went to the door, looking back at Phoenix over his shoulder with a self-satisfied smirk. "Why don't you relax and gather your strength? You'll need it soon enough."

On his way out, the man had flipped the switch for the ceiling lights and the bulb, leaving Phoenix in darkness when the gate had whirred shut.

Darkness and even darker thoughts.

Phoenix sighed and leaned back against the wall. For a brief moment, he had thought he had gotten through to the fucker. Closing his eyes, he took a moment to relax and send out a thanks to the universe for still being alive. What he had survived for, that remained to be seen, but he still firmly believed Jace would come through for him. That Gareth would move heaven and earth to get his men back.

Now it was just a waiting game, and waiting, he was fucking good at.

How he had fallen asleep with all his chaotic thoughts and worries, Phoenix could not understand, but he woke with a start when the gate whirred once more. He had been lost in a loop of disbelief at finally knowing the identity of his stalker. Someone he had not suspected, and neither Gareth nor Jace would either, which would make it harder for them to come to Phoenix's aid. How could they come for him if they did not know who they were up against?

There had been no clues whatsoever. Despite Phoenix's exceptional mind and memory, he could not look back and say there had been one incident at all where they could have figured it out if they had looked at the clues differently. The man had simply been too devious and an expert at covering his tracks.

Blinking against the bright light, this time meeting it head-on, Phoenix awaited whatever horrors the man had in store for him. Though nervous, he knew he stood a better chance when he knew what he was up against to prepare his mind, and it was disappointing to only be greeted by his usual guard patrol. They took him to the bathroom and then gave him a bottle of water and stew.

He ate the stew, wishing he could care about being drugged again, but he would rather be out cold for a few hours to rest than sit an entire night and worry himself into the ground. There would be plenty of time for that, and for each night he made it through, he would be closer to the cavalry getting there.

That decision he thanked himself for when he woke up to the jarring sound of a pulley crank. He was not completely awake, and the usual headache hammered inside his head along with the confusion, when he felt his arms slowly lift off the ground. Phoenix shook his head to clear his mind and took in the room he was in, while his body slowly got hoisted into a standing position with his arms shackled above his head.

In front of him, he saw one guard operate the handle on the pulley, and another stood behind him to 'help' him get on his feet. Mainly, he poked at Phoenix's legs to follow the upward movement until he got on his feet, and a few cranks of the pulley later, stood taut between the floor and his bindings. The room he was in looked similar to the cell he had been in when he fell asleep: concrete walls, floor, and high ceiling with bright lights. But it was larger and felt warmer. The burned smell rose to his nostrils more powerful than in his old cell, and though Phoenix craved a cigarette, the smell did nothing for him.

There was a long table and a comfortable-looking armchair close to the man at the pulley. And another table near the door to his left. When he twisted a little, he saw other things, looking like furniture, covered by white sheets, so it was hard to figure out what they were.

When the guards were satisfied with their handiwork, they offered Phoenix a store-bought protein smoothie and a bottle of water, which they held to his mouth and patiently waited for him to sip through a straw. When done, they left him hanging there and turned off the lights before they let the gate close.

More rest was out of the question, and Phoenix adjusted himself to stand as comfortable as possible to preserve his energy. The smoothie had tasted of berries, and the water had been refreshing, but he missed the chance to have brushed his teeth. His need for a toilet break was not pressing, as his body had become accustomed to the sparse amount of food and water. That was a small blessing, because as cavalier as he had been about taking a dump with the door open, he was less inclined to wet himself and ruin the only set of clothes he had.

As much as his mind yelled at him to start his counting again, Phoenix did not bother with trying. It had to be morning, and whoever his stalker had called the day before would arrive soon. Those were undeniable facts, and counting would not let him know anything new other than maybe the location of his new room, but as it were, he had no chance of escape from his current position, even if he knew where he was.

The time came soon enough, and the gate whirred open. Despite his wrist telling him it had been a stupid move, Phoenix twisted his body to see who came in.

Unexpected as it was, Phoenix showed no expression when only the man entered. He flipped on the lights and stood by the door with a sort of indecisive, jittery fidgeting. The ball was in his court, and Phoenix stayed quiet, though every fiber in him wanted to hurl questions at the man.

"You can still stop this," the man finally said. "Choose me, and this will end."

When Phoenix said nothing, the man sighed. "Are you really this determined?"

"I've already told you my decision. Nothing will change my mind."

"The man who just arrived will make you comply."

Phoenix rolled his eyes since shrugging was not an option, thinking of Jace to calm himself. Whatever beatings or torture he had to endure, Jace's image in his mind gave Phoenix strength. "So be it."

"I've always admired you for your unwillingness to back down," the man mumbled and leaned against the doorframe. "But right now, I find it foolish. Save yourself. Give me one time. Let go of Jace and weigh your options. You can stop this with one word. Choose me or be your own downfall."

Since the man seemed unable to understand Phoenix's choice, no matter what he said, Phoenix chose not to reply. Shaking his head and putting as much weight on his feet to spare his arms, he listened to the footsteps outside in the hallway.

The usual heavy thumps from the guard boots sounded, with a distinguishable heavier set mixed in. It did not take a genius to figure out who the extra set belonged to. What had Phoenix wondering were the fast-shuffling clicks in between.

The thumps stopped with the creak and clang of the guard door, leaving only the heavy thumps and clicks to make their way closer. Phoenix kept a keen eye on the opening to his cell, willing his mind ready for whatever would come.

The man pushed off the doorframe and moved outside to greet his guest, after he had sent Phoenix a disappointed look. "Bull," he said and shook hands with the person Phoenix could not see yet.

"I was beginning to think I had to wait in that hotel room for weeks," a deep voice with a thick southern European accent responded. "I'm glad it's finally my turn. Where's my project?"

"In there." The man pointed a thumb toward Phoenix and added, "He's not exactly the compliant type."

The other man, Bull, or whatever his name was, laughed a rough laugh. "I like a challenge. Besides, you pay well and have promised me some suitable subjects to play with if I cleared my schedule."

"I have special plans for this one."

"I'm intrigued. Let's go meet whoever it is."

The man gestured with his arm into the cell, where Phoenix stood and waited. He had listened intensely to the conversation, and though he did not fully understand what they had talked about, he knew he was about to face someone in charge of whatever his stalker had planned for him.

In the bright-lighted doorway a shadow appeared, and a man in his mid-to-late forties stepped into the cell. He was everything Phoenix had expected from a set of hired muscles. About six feet and two inches of sturdiness, and his Hispanic appearance fit nicely with the accent. Slicked back dark brown hair with a receding hairline over dark brown eyes and thick eyebrows. Well-trimmed motherfucker beard around his thin-lipped mouth to accentuate a square jaw, and a rather pointy nose. He had a Schwarzenegger neck, which meant his head sat directly on his shoulders, and those shoulders were wide, going into corded muscles in his arms and chest, barely hidden behind a black wife-beater. A wide belt held up a pair of painted-on jeans, though they did not look to be skinny jeans. They were simply tight around his tree-trunk legs. Everything finished with a pair of standard military boots, which made the heavy thumps logical.

"Oh, I don't recognize this one," he said when he had walked around Phoenix and curiously taken in his appearance. "I had hoped for that cutie with the greenish hair."

"You'll get him later, but first I need this one, you know, educated. Ok, Bull?"

The large man's face split into a wicked smile. "It makes no difference to me, as long as I get to play with the other one too. He'd be so fun making look like my playthings. Get in here, puta."

Shuffling clicks followed the command, and a skittish-looking girl appeared next to the man. She had a pale complexion and exquisite features on her young face. A mane of auburn hair fell from her head, going well with her blue-ish eyes, which reminded Phoenix a lot of Jace's. Around her neck was a wide, pink leather collar with a brass nameplate with the word 'SLUT' on it. She kept her eyes down, though looking at Phoenix with dead-like emptiness in her gaze. That was when Phoenix noticed...

The girl was not a girl at all. She had no breasts above a harshly tied steel-enforced corset, narrowing the waist to an unnaturally tiny size. She was definitely a feminized man. Boy, actually. An obscenely short mini-skirt sat low on his skinny hips, and below it a set of thigh cuffs kept his legs together with a short chain, explaining the shuffling steps, because he could barely move enough to walk. Cuffs around his slim wrists were locked to the thigh cuffs, effectively limiting the femboy's ability to do anything with his hands. The ensemble was finished with a pair of insanely high stilettos, which were locked to his feet with small padlocks, again with a short chain between them.

So the stalker had promised this guy he could get his hands on Chess? And that was his fate? To be a femboy like the young man standing there with no life in him. Phoenix was appalled. Then again, it should not have come as a surprise, but the reality of seeing the poor man, and knowing the stalker had planned to put Chess in that situation, was more than he had expected. The extent of the planning the stalker had done finally dawned on Phoenix for real. The psychopath had made plans for all of Phoenix's friends and would have gone through with each plan one by one until Phoenix had given in, and now that he felt rejected, he would do it anyway. Phoenix could not imagine what the plans were for the rest of the people on the website, but looking at the man in front of him, and somehow sensing what was in store for Chess, he figured each friend would be in for something extremely unpleasant.

As sad as it sounded, maybe Tana's accident had been the lesser of the evils planned.

"What do you want me to do with this one?"

"I want you to break him. He's a Dominant, and I want that mindset removed. Erase all Dominant pride in him and then train him as a slave until he's ready to beg me to be with me."

"I can do that. So you want a submissive toy like mine? Any preferences in style?" Bull looked at Phoenix to assess him and rubbed his beard while he thought. "He's got nice features, but feminization won't do. Sure, it would be humiliating, but I don't believe he's suitable for that. He'd look like a seven feet drag queen. How about a pony? He could be trained to carry you around."

The man laughed, and his eyes twinkled when he looked at Phoenix. "I'm not interested in that, though it sounds fun. I just want him to degrade himself completely by crawling to me and begging to suck my cock before he asks to be taken by me. And when he does, it'll be with his sub in a front-row seat to see his former Dominant reject him and give in to me."

"That's cold." Bull raised an eyebrow as he nodded in approval. "And then what?"

"Then I'll kill his sub in front of him. I hate that guy." The man looked straight at Phoenix when he spoke, and every word came out laced with hatred. "After he's seen his sub die, I'll probably kill him too. I don't want him anymore. I just want him to suffer now."

Phoenix had listened in silence, and finally knew what was to come, and he was not particularly excited about any of it. But Jace's death, that he had to prevent at all costs. He had, to the extent he was capable of, understood the obsession his stalker had with him, those latent desires and wishes for something unobtainable. But he had not realized the depth of his jealousy toward Jace. Sure, he had expressed his feelings of superiority compared to Jace, but the next level hatred went a lot deeper than Jace being in Phoenix's favor. It almost seemed personal.

"Maybe I can offer a better idea. I know a few people who'll pay top price for a piece of merchandise like this. As I said, this one will make a great pony, and will sell easily."

"Wait? You can do that?"

Bull shrugged. "I know people who can do anything."

"Is there a market for muscle subs?" The stalker went to stand directly in front of Phoenix for them to see each other. "I thought the worst I could do was kill his sub in front of him. But letting him see his sub get sold like a slab of meat, and knowing that they'll both live out their lives as slaves, will be a better and prolonged torture."

Pulling out his phone, Bull unlocked it and shuffled around a bit before he showed the man what was on the screen, flipping through several images. "Muscle men can be used as hard labor slaves, test subjects, and even aggression toys to take a beating or torture whenever an owner needs some stress relief. They're quite popular, though the sex slaves sell best."

"But you could find a buyer? Not only for his sub, but the rest too? I can just imagine that bouncer drag wood logs and quarry stones naked all day."

"I will take a commission for each sale, and I want the green-haired one and the brown-haired twink as a down-payment for introducing you to my buyer friends." Bull straightened his back and stared the man down, throwing his hand out at Phoenix. "I don't care what game you've got going here, but I want those two permanently, not just to play with as part of your plan."

"Be my guest."

"They won't be missed? Or that one?"

"His sub, the brainless idiot, hasn't even noticed he's gone yet." The man smirked at Phoenix and came closer, poking a finger into his chest for emphasis. "My very well-paid sources keep me updated on everything that moron does. And so far, all he's done is nothing."

Phoenix's heart plummeted with that information. He had been sure Jace would have noticed and told Gareth. Maybe his time counting had been off? Maybe it had not been Tuesday yet, and it was still weekend, and the drugs had thrown him off his usual accurate game? But Jace would tell Gareth by Tuesday, even if he was not worried, that Phoenix believed in. For the sake of their common friends, Jace would inform Gareth to keep them safe with the deadline on the website. All Phoenix had to do was wait and survive. They would come for him.

Eventually.

"Sounds good to me. And is this place secure? Do we need to move to another location for his training?" Bull looked around the cell, assessing the use of the space and then looked at the man. "Have you installed my wish list under those sheets?"

"Everything is as you've specified. And this place is fine. No one will think to look here. As you may have noticed when you came, half this place is burned down, and it's been sold for redevelopment, but permits and shit have it pickled in some state office somewhere."

"Good, good. And the timeline? When do you want him ready? What means do I have the liberty to use?"

That was information Phoenix was interested in too, and he watched with worry as the man scratched his head and thought about it. No matter what, Phoenix would not succumb to what came next. Jace's life depended on him never giving up. If he did, then the stalker would grab Jace, and it would be game over for both of them.

"Take the time you need. It'll probably be a few days before they figure out he's missing, and then some weeks of them futilely trying to find him before they give up."

"Does a month sound good?" Bull smiled. "That'll give me plenty of time to break him."

"A month sounds perfect. Make sure he feels every moment until he gives up. I want him completely compliant and broken when I bring his sub to see him." The man looked at Phoenix with a 'you can still stop this' kind of look, but his face turned sour when Phoenix snorted and looked away. "No permanent damage, and don't touch his face. I want to see his eyes when he submits to me."

"No need to worry. There are many ways to break someone. Physical violence isn't the only way." Bull shot out an arm and grabbed the femboy, pulling him to his side. "This little one withstood pain exceptionally well. It took me almost two days to make her scream, and even after a week of brutal training, she still had fire in her. But the second I put her in a dress and makeup, she folded. Her mind couldn't handle that. Her breaking point was humiliation, not pain, and she's been such a good toy since."

Phoenix followed the conversation closely, and Bull was too busy bragging to the stalker to notice the burning hatred that flashed in the femboy's eyes for a moment. He still had fire in him, and Phoenix guessed he just waited for his moment to escape. Maybe that could work for him. If the boy was ready to rebel, then he could become an ally.

"She seems well-behaved," the stalker commented with a nod.

"She knows the consequences." Bull had his hand up the boy's skirt from behind, grabbing and smacking as he wanted. "Go on, puta, get my bags from the car. Have one of the apes help you, and be nice to him."

"Si, Jefe," the femboy whispered and shuffled off when he got released.

"Do you want to watch while I work him over?" Bull went to the armchair to inspect it, sitting and leaning back to test the comfort level.

"No, I have places to be and appearances to make to not cause suspicion. I'll start a payment of your day fee for three days in advance at a time. Before I make the next payment, I'll want pictures and maybe some video clips to know the job is being done, and the next payment will come. Does that sound fair?"

"Absolutely."

"Then I'll be off. If you need the men's help, they know to do your bidding, and they'll order food if you tell them what you want and when."

Before he left, the man turned one last time to Phoenix, still with that misplaced hopeful glint of dreaming that Phoenix would have changed his mind, but once again, Phoenix denied him the satisfaction.

You might be in a situation by yourself, but you're never alone. That tattoo you have somewhere is a pledge from you to Gareth, it is, however, also a promise from him to you, that you'll never have to stand alone.

All he had to do was hang in there until Jace had alerted Gareth, and Gareth's brilliant mind somehow figured out who the stalker was. Then they wud come for him. A bit of pain would not break him. Fuck it, that Bull guy could put him in a tutu and Phoenix would not break from it. The only thing that would break him was Jace getting hurt, and that he had control over for the time being.

The second the stalker had left, the entire atmosphere in the room changed. Bull was no longer the hired help. He was in charge, and that knowledge emanated from him in nauseating waves. He had not even touched Phoenix yet, and still he felt the man's presence everywhere.

"I think it's time for introductions while my toy brings my bags. I'm Master Torro, or Bull, as most call me. To you, I'm Master or Jefe." He waited for Phoenix to acknowledge him, but said nothing to Phoenix's silence. That was to be expected at that early a stage of things. "You need to know, I don't give a shit about why you're in this situation. I get paid to do a job, and mostly I enjoy it, but will finish my commitments even if I don't."

Phoenix had nothing to say. That was Bull's job, and where his moral boundaries were, just as Phoenix had come to terms with what he was ok with doing in the line of duty for Gareth.

"Since you're not in a talkative mood, I'll do a bit of business while we wait." Bull went back to the armchair and sat down. He pulled out his phone and clicked around, taking a few pictures of Phoenix. He did not bother much with anything until his phone rang, and he began talking in French, still with his thick Spanish accent, but he spoke the language well.

Not letting on he understood every word, Phoenix stood with an indifferent expression, feeling how tired his arms had grown with the position they were in. His fingers already felt numb, and that was never a good sign. He always made sure to check Jace's blood flow when they scened, because cutting off the blood flow could be dangerous.

"I might have a new subject for you," Bull said after the boring greetings and formalities. "You were looking for a new pony, right?"

Bull laughed at what the person on the other end said and continued, "Well, this one is a stallion. I sent you his picture. You like?" Again, he laughed, because the call had come seconds after the picture had been received. "I hold the commission to sell after I'm done with my job. If you want, you can come and inspect him before I let word get out."

"Ireland. Yes. Ok. I'll see you next week."

As if he had not had the conversation, Bull said nothing, probably expecting Phoenix to not have understood a word, and he stood and tapped his foot impatiently while mumbling curses at his slow toy.

A while later, the femboy came back with one of the guards. His hair was ruffled, his lipstick smeared, and a glob of cum slid down his flat, hairless chest.

"I see you've tested my plaything?" Bull commented and went to the boy. He dragged his finger through the cum to scoop it up and fed it to the boy. "Was she good?"

"Very," the guard said. "Some of us have been bored here, and this one could be nice entertainment."

"You can play with her tomorrow. I'm sure she's already looking forward to it." Bull took the bags and dragged them to the table and unpacked as he spoke. "I'd like grilled chicken and salad for lunch. And a large steak for dinner. I'll need water bottles, applesauce, and boiled rice for these two."

The guard nodded at the order and waited to see if he was needed.

"I'll handle things from here. Bring lunch at two o'clock."

"Ok."

When the guard had left, Bull found a packet of cigarillos in his bag and lit one, clicking the Zippo lighter open and closed several times, listening to the sound of it. He pointed at a spot beside Phoenix and made a gesture with his hand. The femboy instantly responded and went there, dropping to his knees. Bull found a vicious-looking knife in his bag and held it up against the light, admiring how it shone.

With the knife in hand, he came over to Phoenix, still pulsing on his cigarillo. He used the knife to flick off the buttons of Phoenix's shirt one by one. Whenever he had to drop ash from the cigarillo, he held out his hand and waited for the femboy to open his mouth and stick his tongue out, before he dumped the ash on his tongue. The boy sat silently and waited until given permission to swallow.

Slowly and meticulously, he sliced Phoenix's clothes off, and with each revealed piece of skin, Bull let his fingers trail over the skin to feel it. He did nothing more than that. No pinching, pulling, or grabbing, just sensual gliding motions.

"You have a magnificent body, slave." Bull rubbed his fingers down Phoenix's spine to his now naked ass, then he moved around him and sized up his chest with his hands, the cigarillo still hanging from his lips.

Phoenix did nothing but stand there. He was not about to spend unnecessary energy before it was needed. He already knew he was in for a ride, and a bit of touching, that he could easily ignore. The smoke, however, burned his nose. It invaded his mind, and though he got little effect from it, just breathing in some smoke helped with his withdrawals.

"The only problem is the hair. Slaves are supposed to be hairless." Without warning, Bull flipped the Zippo and lighted it, holding it to the black, happy trail of hair on Phoenix's stomach.

The hair easily caught on fire and melted away, stinging a bit, but nothing Phoenix could not handle. The fire burned out fast because there was not much hair to work with. Holding his breath, Phoenix stood perfectly still while Bull burned away the hair on his ass, his balls, and under his arms. There had barely been any hairs on his ass and balls. Only the flame's closeness had been felt, but under his arms, Phoenix had never shaved. Those hairs too yielded to a force beyond them, and Bull dusted away the remnants, and found a wet nap to wipe the area after.

"As a slave, you need to learn a few things. Food, drinks, sleep, toilet use, and even the air you breathe is a privilege given to you by your owner. If you don't please them, they can take away any of those until you learn to comply. Your life literally belongs to your owner."

Bull grabbed Phoenix's cock and lifted the flaccid member to inspect it. "Not bad, but you won't need it anymore. Pleasure is not for you. Your only job is to give pleasure, if your owner should want it from you."

Phoenix had listened in silence to the excessive amount of bullshit flowing from the Bull. For once, that saying made sense to him. Mucho excremento, right there. Did this guy really believe all that nonsense he spewed? Or was that just what his buyer friends expected him to teach his subjects? Sure, Bull had a toy, and the boy did not nook too happy with the situation, but he did not look malnourished or abused. He was skinny, but pale and bruise free.

"Up, puta!"

The femboy rose from his kneeling position with difficulty because of his restraints and the impossible heels on his shoes. Phoenix imagined only a lot of training had taught the boy how to do that fast enough to not get punished.

"Orgasms are a thing of the past for you. The only time you'll get to shoot again is if your owner allows it. Like this one."

Bull lifted the front of the femboy's miniskirt to reveal the chastity cage he wore, and for the first time, Phoenix felt a reaction inside to what he saw. He had in no way been near aroused at anything that had happened, but the vision of the boy effectively killed any chance of it happening, even by force.

A thick stainless steel ring went around the base of the balls from above where the boy's penis was supposed to be. But there was no trace of a male organ at all. Instead, there was a flat cage chastity locked on tight. Small holes in the metal allowed the boy to urinate, well, if Bull gave the ok, Phoenix supposed, but all in all, the boy had been fully feminized.

"This one hasn't shot his clitty in over a year. Those balls ache all the time, because I like to play with her, but she can't finish." Bull admired the boy's genitals and spoke with an almost caring voice, caressing the tight ball sack in soft motions. "It took us a while to get to this point, right, puta? Smaller and smaller cages until you finally became my perfect girl."

It was official. Phoenix wanted to throw up, and by the look on the boy's face, so did he. The bile burned the back of his throat because he could not openly swallow and let Bull know the cage on the boy had gotten to him.

"Depending on what you're sold for, your cage will probably be different." Walking to the table where his bags were, Bull threw the stub of his cigarillo on the floor. He rummaged around and withdrew something that shone in the bright lights and showed it to Phoenix. "This will be your starter cage."

It looked way too small, and Phoenix wanted to squirm at the thought of wearing that. Hell, at wearing a chastity cage at all. It was one thing to use as a play enhancer for a short period. He had done it with Jace for an evening of foreplay several times. But the idea of constant chastity, Phoenix would never understand. The pleasure of the sub should also come in the form of orgasms. Even those who enjoyed being locked up every day should still have time without for the skin to breathe and the body to not take damage.

Unceremoniously, Bull lifted Phoenix's penis and balls and squeezed them through the steel ring, letting it settle snugly at the base, then he put the short metal grid cage over the tip and forced inch after inch of penis into the cage until the loops could align with the base ring. He snapped his fingers, and the boy shuffled to the table to grab a small padlock and came back with it. Bull hooked it in and clicked the lock closed with an ominous sound.

There was no way around it. The pinching around his balls and shaft said it all. Phoenix had lost the first battle without a fight. He hoped he would not have to wear that thing for too long.

"Look at you," Bull said with glee and roughly grabbed Phoenix's balls to feel them. "It might be uncomfortable right now, but you'll soon get used to it. Learn to love the cage, because it will be a part of your life until you die."

About that...

Yeah, that would be a resounding no.

Phoenix willed his body to stand still, and he clenched his jaw to stop himself from speaking. He had to play along, at least while what happened was relatively harmless and without much denting to his dignity. He knew enough of Dom/sub interaction to know if the Dom was pleased, the sub might have an easier time, and so far, Bull seemed more eager to sow seeds of fear for the future than actually doing anything.

Pleased with himself, but apparently not too happy about Phoenix's apathy, Bull went to the table and undressed. Stark naked, he walked to the armchair and sat down and beckoned the femboy to come to him. The boy obviously knew the drill and kneeled, taking Bull's member in his mouth.

"That's it, puta. I love your mouth." He caressed over the boy's hair with a soft smile on his face. "You look so adorable like that. Now take it deeper. I want to see that makeup run."

For what felt like an eternity, Phoenix stood and listened to the sloppy sounds of the blowjob. The gasps for air and gagging sounds with the occasional moans from Bull in between. To give the femboy some privacy, he tried not to look too much, but it was like a car accident, and he could not look away. Not only because he was conveniently tied to stand with his face in that direction, but because Bull locked eyes with him over and over while smirking.

"Enjoying the show, slave?" Bull clearly did not expect an answer, which he did not get either way, because he just grabbed the boy's hair and pulled his mouth off his dick with a lewd pop. "Go lick the slave's balls. I don't want any slacking. Do a good job, or I'll give you to the guards every night until we're done here."

Shuffling on his knees on the raw concrete with his face screwed in a painful expression, the femboy made his way from the armchair to Phoenix. He glanced up and blinked his blue eyes at Phoenix, for once with some life in there as he silently begged Phoenix to help him not be given to the guards. Those eyes, so similar to Jace's, and the plea in them told Phoenix he had to accept it. He could vividly imagine those brutal apes abusing the poor kid all night, and he did not want that on his conscience. He saw the relief in the boy's eyes when he moved in closer and snuggled his face close to Phoenix's genitals.

The feeling of the boy's soft tongue and nibbling lips on his most sensitive area, a place he had only allowed Jace for many years, had an involuntary shiver go up Phoenix's spine. Over and over, he kept telling himself he was doing it for Jace and for the femboy. To save them from something worse, but it still felt wrong, and no matter how skilled the boy was, and how eagerly he worked to please his Master's order, Phoenix felt nothing but disgust.

With himself and the situation.

It did not help at all when Bull began jerking himself off while watching them. Phoenix kept his gaze down at the boy, and together they had a silent conversation in their misery. As gently as possible, Phoenix tried to convey his understanding and acceptance to the kid. A soft kiss to Phoenix's inner thigh and a lone tear rolling from his eye showed the boy understood.

At some point, the show became too much for Bull. He stood up and Phoenix instantly looked to see if he could figure out what he intended to do. Bull was a magnificent male specimen naked. That much Phoenix could admit, though he felt no attraction to the man. His body was fit, and he was blessed with a well-sized dick. Not as long as Phoenix's when erect, but definitely thick and hard.

Slowly, he stalked over to them and caressed over the boy's hair. "You're doing so good, puta. I love seeing you play with your new friend. You want cum, don't you?"

Of course, the boy did not answer, and Phoenix inwardly rolled his eyes. Never had he heard so many lame lines from a Dominant, and he had heard his fair share over the years. Playful taunting was one thing, but Bull seemed to believe what he said.

"Why don't you lick the slave's clitty? You can wiggle your tongue between the metal of the cage. I'm sure he'll appreciate it, since it's the only pleasure he'll get."

Jerking himself off with a handful of the boy's hair, Bull kept eye contact with Phoenix. "You see how easy it is to please an owner? My puta knows, and she'll do anything I tell her."

That time Phoenix could not help himself, and he rolled his eyes tiredly. He only had so much stamina to withstand pompous assholes, and his limit was getting very close. The moron obviously had no idea about how Phoenix's mind was wired. Apparently, the stalker had not given him that information, because he did not notice it did nothing to Phoenix to feel the boy's tongue tease its way around the skin it could reach through the cage, and it did even less when Bull began touching him sensually.

Long, gliding motions over his pecs and around his nipples, then down his stomach and up his sides, along the arms, and back to his pecs. The man moved around Phoenix and touched him, rubbing his naked body against Phoenix's. He ground himself against Phoenix's ass and kicked his legs apart while he fondled his way around all over the hips and outer ass cheeks. Kneading and grabbing Phoenix's ass, he whispered commands to the femboy to do a good job, and for Phoenix to enjoy it.

Reaching between Phoenix's legs, Bull grabbed his balls from behind and squeezed them. "Oh, so nice and wet. Puta, lick my fingers."

He waited while the boy did as he had been told and then used his slick fingers to pull and squeeze more on Phoenix's balls. When he grew tired of that, he pulled back his hand, leaving a wet trail all the way up between Phoenix's crack, and then he went back to mauling the ass cheeks. Moving in close, to once again grind against Phoenix, he reached around and grabbed the boy's hair, guiding his head around to lick where he wanted him to.

"My little one wants cum, and since you can't give it to her, I have to step up." Bull leaned closer to Phoenix and whispered the next in his ear, "But first, I'll teach you something I teach all my subjects. The best kind of lube..."

He held onto Phoenix's stomach by pressing the boy's head against it. "...Is blood."

Hi dear Wattlings.

Thank you for reading.

This one was hard to write. I have known this scene would come forever, but the actuality of putting it on paper was beyond difficult, and I hope you know why.

So, Phoenix wasn't shot, but he was not rescued either, as we might have hoped. The stalker got extremely butt hurt when rejected, and his new plan is sinister. How long do you think Phoenix can keep his cool? When will the guys figure it out and find him? Tell me what you think.

If you like it, then pop a vote and please leave comments. The comments are important for me to know how the story is progressing and the characters are developing. And I'd love to know what you think and interact with y'all.

Give me a follow too for updates on other work and put this book in your library. I'd appreciate that.

Love, Alix

Published: June 1st, 2023. ©Alix Davenport, Copenhagen