Page 52 of Under His Skin

“I coulda paid it, I guess,” Alex mumbled as they walked away. It would have sounded more convincing if Alex had made the offer before Tracht had already paid.

“Well, if you hadn’t heard, I’ve been stealing from you.” Tracht led Alex back to the main hall. He was done with this stupid farce of a trial. If he was stuck on Cadmus, he might as well enjoy himself with Alex.

“Man, I still have way more money than I ever had in my life.” Alex bumped his shoulder against Tracht’s. “Also, did you see the look on the judge’s face? It was so frickin’ red. I thought he was gonna explode. He reminded me of Espinosa, when she got so mad at me but couldn’t say anything ‘cause you were there.”

Tracht was about to ask if that happened often, when he noticed Galanis approaching them. Although Galanis was not as clearly bothered as the judge, he had disapproval written all over his face.

“Mr. Stone. That was quite the performance you put on for everybody,” Galanis said in clipped words.

Alex stood up taller and smirked. “Yeah? Glad you enjoyed it.”

“I believe that’s everything that you needed Alex for, correct? He is now free from his courtly duties, and as such, free to associate with whomever he might wish?” Tracht tried to maintain his veneer of calm, but some of his delight must have come through anyway.

Galanis sneered at him. “I don’t know why you’re so happy. None of this will help your sister out in the least.”

Maybe it would, maybe it wouldn’t. There were a lot of testimonies to consider, a lot of them with far more weight than Alex’s. All Alex had really done was discredit himself as a witness, and made the prosecution look foolish for having called him up in the first place.

Tracht placed one hand on Alex’s shoulder. “Then you can look forward to her guilty verdict. She might become a bondservant herself. May I suggest that you buy her contract, if you’re so eager to see her fall?”

“Oh, like that guy, back then—uh, what was his name? The party where I met Nadia.” Alex’s grin didn’t even falter when he talked about that event, as if he hadn’t been emotionally completely broken after that evening.

“Yes, exactly like that. I wouldn’t necessarily wish it on Anna, but if that’s her fate, I suppose she called it upon herself.” Tracht did hope it wouldn’t come to that, because it would strain his business relationship with Vasilis.

“That’s… that’s your own sister,” Galanis hissed. “You’re saying these things to me right now, and you want me to believe that you aren’t just as bad as your mother claims?”

Before Tracht could articulate his response, Alex said, “You in love with Franziska or something? Or she pay you so much that you’re doing her dirty work for her?”

“What? No. She came to me with concerns about you, and that her son had hurt you. But I see her concern was misguided. There is nothing anybody can do to help you.”

“Yeah. She can mind her own damn business. I can fucking take care of myself.” Then Alex put his hand on the small of Tracht’s back and started herding him away from Galanis. “Let’s go.”

Galanis’s reaction amused Tracht too much to protest Alex’s attempts to command him, although he might have to file this away for later. He couldn’t have Alex thinking he was the one in control.

Only once they were outside did Tracht step away. Alex clearly wanted to maintain the contact, but that was all the more reason not to.

“I suppose this settles matters,” Tracht said lightly.

Alex looked at him in confusion. “Huh?”

“There won’t be any confusion going forward. You still belong to me. You chose this, after all.” Tracht put his hand on Alex’s bare throat. “If I asked you to get on your knees right here, in front of the courthouse, with all the cameras on you, I’d expect you to do it.”

“What? No! That’s—”

Tracht pulled his hand away. “Those are my terms. I told you once, long ago, that the more I like you, the more I want to hurt you. It hasn’t changed, Alex. I want to see your tears, your humiliation, your blood, your pain. But legally, I can’t do anything right now. You have to choose it. After all, I am an honest, law-abiding citizen.”

Alex looked around the street, where indeed several camera crews were set up, probably hoping to find a juicy shot of Anna when she walked out. A few reporters were eyeing them, probably debating on whether an interview with either of them would make a good story.

Alex closed his eyes, grimaced, and started to sink to the floor.

If only they were at a venue where Tracht could make the most of this situation. He wanted to savor the look on Alex’s face, and he wanted to force him further down, to kiss his boots.

Alas, Tracht knew he had to be more pragmatic. He stopped Alex before he tried to bend further. “Good. Just remember that. I can’t threaten to send you back to the Nilsens anymore. But I can certainly send you away from me. That’s what will happen if you don’t submit to me the way I want. Understood?”

Alex nodded eagerly and took Tracht’s hand to get back upright. “Yes. Yes, I got it. I don’t… I don’t want to leave you, ever.”

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The hotel Tracht took them to was super fancy. Alex had never stayed at a hotel this nice, not even the few times they’d gotten a room in Atalanta.

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