Page 2 of Under His Heel

He almost didn’t. But he’d struck out with the previous four potential buyers, and if he couldn’t find somebody to take on his debt, Alex would be screwed. Might end up in prison, working off the debt for the next twenty years. Or he might end up having to clear the debt with the people he owed.

He cleared his throat and enunciated, “I consent to a full body inspection.”

The broker laughed. “I guess you find him suitable, Captain Tracht?” She took the tablet out of Alex’s hands and went to the small cabinet in the corner of the room. “Are there any tools in particular you would like?”

Tracht stood up and approached Alex. After a few seconds, Alex stood up too, because having Tracht looking down on him was a bit unnerving. They hadn’t signed the contract yet. For some reason, though, Tracht smirked.

“Just gloves should suffice, I believe. And you, Mr. Stone, please strip.”

Already? Alex looked over at the broker, but she was pulling out the latex gloves and obviously not going to argue that this was inappropriate. Because, right, it wasn’t. This was what he was signing on for. It wouldn’t be for that long, Alex reminded himself. He’d just have to hold on for a bit.

He pulled the tank top off first, letting it fall to the stool. This time he did flex his muscles a bit, and he didn’t miss the appreciative look on Tracht’s face. Good.

And now... the rest. He stepped out of the flip flops and pulled off his slacks and briefs in one go. No need to prolong this. If Tracht wanted a strip show, he’d have to make it an order. After they’d signed the contract.

Tracht took the thin latex gloves the broker offered him and pulled them on with a loud snap. “Ms. Stiegler, would you pull up his chart and make notes, please?”

Alex couldn’t help the scowl. “Notes? What notes?”

“The contract says no body modifications. We are going to note which modifications already exist, so you can’t accuse me of breaching contract at a later time.” Tracht tapped Alex’s scarred cheek. “This, for example. One large scar, badly healed, from right temple down to chin.”

The broker typed away on the tablet, and then she took a few pictures too. They repeated the procedure for his nose, the burn scars on his left shoulder, the three scars across his right thigh, and even the small scar on the back of his hand that he’d received from a dog bite when he was a kid.

Alex was starting to sweat a bit, despite being naked, and he felt a flush every time Tracht touched him with his latex-covered hands. He’d never been ashamed of his body before, didn’t even usually mind people touching him, but, fuck, this entire situation felt weird. Like he wasn’t human, just an animal getting checked over. Tracht even briefly fondled his dick and balls, remarking that he was uncut—and would stay that way, thank you very much—all while Stiegler took photos.

Tracht circled around behind and touched Alex’s sides with a light touch, making Alex squirm.

“Are you ticklish, Mr. Stone?” Tracht asked in that same mild tone.

“Yeah. Isn’t fucking everybody?”

Alex couldn’t see the guy’s face, but he heard a soft “hmm.” The next touch on his ass wasn’t light at all, but a hefty grab. Alex forced himself to stay still. This was what he was signing up for, he reminded himself. For just a while, but he had to sell it. He had to make Tracht want him. His ass cheeks involuntarily tensed when Tracht ran a gloved finger down Alex’s crack, but he managed to relax while Tracht pulled his cheeks apart and poked at his hole.

“Nice,” Tracht murmured. He let go and circled back around front.

Alex thought the inspection was over when Tracht removed his gloves, but he looked at the broker and asked for another pair. The snap as Tracht put them on seemed stupid loud in the room.

Then Tracht tapped on his jaw and told him to open up.

It wasn’t any worse than the rest of the inspection. Definitely not worse than his ass getting poked and prodded. Alex still wanted to balk. He didn’t even realize that he had brought his hand up to cover his mouth, not until the broker was saying something in a sharp tone.

Tracht subtly raised his eyebrows. “Mr. Stone,” he said, in that same low-key voice he’d been using the entire time, “Please remove your hand and open your mouth. If you do not allow me to inspect your teeth, we’ll have no frame of reference. This is for both of our protection.”

Right. Right. So that if Tracht did do something to Alex’s teeth, there’d be proof that they’d been fine before. So that Alex couldn’t try to screw Tracht over by claiming he’d breached the contract. His hand shook as he forced it back down to his side. It took him another two breaths to pry his jaw apart, two breaths during which Tracht simply watched him.

Once his mouth was open, latex-covered fingers were inside, forcing his jaw wider. They touched everywhere—his gums, his tongue, the back of his throat, and yes, his teeth. They found the spot where Alex was missing a molar, and Alex shuddered hard when a finger pressed in there. The spot still felt tender and raw.

“One missing tooth,” Tracht said to the broker. “First molar, lower jaw, left side.” He withdrew his fingers. “Have you had dental work done at any point, Mr. Stone?”

Alex was this close to punching the guy. He shook his head instead, not trusting himself to stay civil if he tried to speak.

That seemed to satisfy Tracht though. “I’ll have the ship’s doctor do a full x-ray when we get in and send those records over,” he said to the broker, and she responded with an affirmative noise.

“All right. I believe I am willing to accept this contract. I have full rights over your body, with the exception of any modifications to that body. You obey me, you fulfill my needs as I request them, regardless of how trivial or non-trivial they appear to you. In exchange, I will, over the course of the next five years, pay off this, frankly, exorbitant debt you’ve somehow incurred, and keep you housed, fed, and in general good health. Is this as we both understand it?”

Still unnerved from the fingers in his mouth, Alex almost flubbed it. But this was better than the alternative. So he swallowed, forced a cocky smile on his face, and accepted.

[Chapter 2]

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