Page 57 of Under His Skin

He didn’t want to imagine how pissed Tracht would be about this. His body was still aching from all the stuff Tracht had put him through this past week. But he wasn’t going to hide, either. Tracht would be even more pissed off if he wanted Alex and couldn’t find him.

So with a lot of dread, Alex headed to their quarters, forcing himself to breathe steady and not tense up too badly. Tracht always knew when Alex was scared.

Surprisingly, he didn’t find Tracht doing any of his usual pissed off things like yelling at people, smiling menacingly, or staring at the vid screen with a slight scowl. Instead, Tracht was seated comfortably on the couch, feet on the coffee table and his tablet propped on his lap.

“Alex, good timing,” Tracht said, patting the spot next to him on the couch.

With bewilderment, Alex sat down next to him, not even bothering to strip first. He was too confused. Had Tracht not heard yet?

“Is… is everything okay?” Alex asked hesitantly. He took the spot Tracht indicated, although it felt like a trap.

“Yes, everything’s fine. We’ll be departing in two days, and I managed to convince a few clients that whatever the situation with Anna, it wouldn’t affect my business.”

Did that mean that Tracht hadn’t heard about Anna yet? But when he peered at Tracht’s tablet, he saw one corner taken up with the news broadcast.

If Tracht wasn’t going to bring it up, neither would Alex.

“Why did you say good timing?” he asked instead.

Tracht tapped the sleep button on his tablet and pocketed it. “Because we have an appointment. We have to go pick up an item I had custom made.”

“Can’t they deliver?” Alex asked, bewildered.

“I’m sure they could. But I want to make an outing of it. So come on.” Tracht got up and headed to the door, stopping there and looking at Alex pointedly. “Well? Are you going to help me with my boots?”

“Uh, yeah. Yes!” Alex hurried over and got to his knees. He sighed when he felt Tracht’s hand on his shoulder. He couldn’t explain why, but whenever he helped Tracht with his boots, it felt like things would be all right.

He kissed Tracht’s socked foot first before guiding it into the boot, then he laced it up. He finished all that by kissing the tip of the boot.

The entire process was repeated for the second shoe. Alex stayed on his knees, looking up at Tracht, until Tracht smiled and gestured for him to stand.

“Good. Now let’s go.”

Alex expected them to take a cab, but once again Tracht opted for public transport. The train was emptier this time, so Tracht got a seat. He made Alex stand in front of him, though, despite there being an open seat right next to him.

“We should let others have a chance to sit as well.”

Whatever. Alex didn’t mind. He didn’t even mind that Tracht settled his hands on Alex’s hips, digging his fingers in, while the train moved.

The vid screen at the top played an interview with Galanis, following up on the trial.

“This is, of course, a momentous occasion for justice. But we can’t rest easy. All too many trials like these end up resulting in nothing but a slap on the wrist. We should also not assume that Judge Tracht’s conviction is the end. She is not the only corrupt official on the station, and until we weed out all of them—”

Wow, did Galanis not know how to shut up? Just the sound of his voice grated on Alex. He and Tracht had talked through a few fantasies about what they’d do to Galanis if they caught him alone somewhere, and that had been so hot.

He tuned out the rest of what Galanis was saying and let his eyes wander, although it took some effort not to move his hips when Tracht’s thumbs started massaging the insides of his thighs. Some dude on the other end of the train looked at Alex with a slight frown on his face. Could he see what Tracht was doing? He shouldn’t be able to, no with Alex’s body blocking the view.

Well, whatever. Alex glared at the guy and was satisfied when the dude looked away. It was nice to know that people still didn’t want to mess with Alex. What the fuck did all the losers like Galanis think? That Alex was nice and harmless? Because Alex wasn’t, and he refused to be treated like an abused puppy.

The train slowed as they got to the next station.

“This is our stop,” Tracht said, letting go of Alex. “Come on.”

Turned out they were going to the main shopping district. It wasn’t half as nice as the one on Atalanta, limited as supplies were on Cadmus. Most of the stuff sold here was imported from Atalanta anyway, with jacked up prices. Tracht even pointed out one of the shops that he’d supplied in the past.

“Is there any point in shopping here?” Alex asked. “Can’t we get all this stuff cheaper on Atalanta?”

“Of course we can. But I needed this item now, not in three months’ time.” Tracht led them towards a jeweler.

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