Page 104 of Too Many Beds

“I won’t fuck another man’s boy,” he says, shaking his head. “Even if that other man is O’Connor.” He sighs deeply and sits down on the edge of his cot, head falling into his hands. “Go, Eden. Go back to your top dog.”

“But Tarrant wants?—”

“I don’t care what Tarrant fucking O’Connor wants! Go, Eden. Go—leave!”

My feet don’t move for a moment. I’m stuck here—I’m stuck onhim. But I can’t disobey. Not Tarrant. Not Kim. Not anybody.

So I run.

Idon’t look Tarrant in the eye, even when he’s fucking me. On my back, I stare at the ceiling as he thrusts between my thighs. I can’t stop thinking about Nikolai Reid. About Tarrant’s role in his death.

About Heron Kim.

“I need you to take a break from seeing Kim tomorrow,” Tarrant says after he’s regained his breath. He’s finished and rolled off me, now lying propped up on an elbow, fingers combing through my hair. “There’s something else I need you to do.”

My head snaps towards him, a fist in my gut.

Sooner or later he will ask.

“I’ve got a meeting with my defence counsel,” he says, and I can almost hear the smile in his words. “Looks like the little stunt you pulled to get yourself in here has bought me some negotiation power. You took the fall for me, baby. My charges will be dropped. I’ll try and cut us a deal.”

“You’d … get us out of here?” A warm bloom of hope spills from deep in my belly.

“Of course,” Tarrant whispers, breath hot on my cheek. “You’re my boy. My beautiful, useful boy. Business is booming thanks to you. When we get out, we’ll have enough credits to leave the slums. To start over somewhere fresh, just like we always wanted.”

Do I still want that? A life with Tarrant? I kiss him to find out. The spark is there, distant and dim. I indulge it. Languid tongues and roaming hands breathe fire into a slow, sensual exchange I’d not felt with Tarrant in a very long time. Arousal pricklesmy cock, stoking it to life. I run my fingers through his hair, relishing the long, silky feel of it … but Tarrant’s hair is short, prickly, and I open my eyes, disorientated.

“What do you need me to do?” I ask abruptly, trying to hide the flush colouring my cheeks.

“A guard owes me a favour,” Tarrant says simply. “I need you to go collect it.”

“And then we can be free?” My voice cracks.

Tarrant smiles. “And then we can be free.”

I’m summoned to an interview room shortly after Tarrant goes to meet his defence counsel to negotiate our release. I try to keep my nerves in check but it’s a losing battle. This could be the last time I do this. Anticipation of the end flutters so viscerally over my body it almost gets me hard.

Almost.

The guard swipes us into a small room in the administration building, similar to the one I was in during processing. There’s nothing in here but a steel table with a single chair. I’ve fucked in worse places.

“I’ll disable the camera,” he says, punching a code into the holoscreen projected from his device. “You’ll have five minutes.”

“I’m sure it won’t take that long,” I mutter, slipping out of my shoes. He’s one of the older guards here. I’ve seen him around during work orders, but we’ve never interacted before. Ironic, that I’m about to know him more intimately than others Ihavespoken to.

He steps towards me, not waiting for me to finish undressing. My muscles tense as I steel myself in preparation to be thrown to the floor. He places his hands on my shoulders, hisgrip ghosting down my arms until he reaches my wrists. Then he grabs me hard and pushes something into my palm—a plastic sleeve filled with translucent squares of tape.

Phets. Raw, synthetic, phets.

My blood runs cold. A mule. Tarrant’s turning me into a fucking mule. And the Authority’s his supplier.

Just like Heron said.

“Well?” the guard barks. “Don’t let anyone see you with that. Put it away before the camera’s back on.”

I stuff the pouch into my pocket, heart still hammering. “Right. Thanks, I guess,” I mutter and push my feet back into my shoes, head down to hide the tears stinging my eyes. I turn towards the door; it’s still locked.

“Where you going?” the guard asks gruffly. “I’ve done my bit. Time to do yours.”

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