Page 30 of Sold Blood
“Of course,” Mr. Williams says with a malicious tone in his voice. “I hope you get your money’s worth, because after tomorrow night, it will be me telling you not to touch what’s mine.”
Carlos releases a growl, pulling me too quickly in the opposite direction almost making me fall again. No one reaches for my arm this time. Tonight and tomorrow have to go well. There is no way I am going anywhere with that vile man.
Carlos pulls me to the ground. “Sit, pet.” The chair next to me scrapes against the floor when his body falls back in it. He pets the top of my head roughly. “Such a good boy. How about you keep sitting there, continuing to look pretty until I'm ready to use you.”
Based on Carlos's last words, I know we are no longer alone or in the safe zone. We now have a live audience and there can be no more mishaps. From here on out, I am nothing more than a pet and Carlos is my Master.
Sixteen
Carlos
I takea seat closest to the pool. I have no choice, but to sit close to others. It may come off as suspicious if I don’t anyway. I hold conversations with some of the men nearby, trying not to make the disgust I feel apparent on my face.
I've had to bite my tongue more than once when the man on the right side of me repeatedly slaps the boy in his lap until his nose bleeds. The red-headed boy yelps and tries hard to hold back his tears. “What did I say, boy?” the larger man with a head full of gray hair says while his hand cracks against the boy's cheek again. The kid couldn’t be older than seventeen.
“I’m not allowed to cry, and I must take what my Master is willing to give me without any complaint.”
“That's a good boy. Now wipe those tears away and show me your best smile."
The boy forces the corners of his lips to curve up with his jaw drawing tight, making it apparent how painful it is.
“There, that’s better.” The man runs his fingers through the boy's thick red hair, suddenly being gentle. “See what happens when you do as you're told? You’re rewarded with sweet pets from your Master. I love giving my boy sweet pets when he earns them.”
I sit up in my chair, trying to focus my eyes on the water splashing in front of me.
“I’m Stephen, you look like a first timer. Are you?” the man asks from beside me.
I nod, still staring ahead. “Yeah. I’ve been to a few others before, but never in this area. I thought it was time for some new scenery and I haven’t had a boy in a long time. Feels like ages. I’m usually always on the go these days, but things are starting to settle down a bit. It’s taken me a while to replace my last one. I was quite fond of him. Too bad he didn’t last past a year. But I may have found the perfect replacement,” I say, pulling Joey's head back by tugging on his collar. “I figured I’d grab a few extras too in case this one didn’t work out. If all goes right with this one, I could always use the others at one of my clubs. My customers usually prefer it when I have a large selection.”
“I see, well If you’re planning on taking that one home with you, you better act fast and be willing to pay enough money to outbid Cornel.”
“Cornel?”
He points at the man from earlier who nearly had me ripping his head from his body the moment he put his hands on Joey. “Ah, Mr. Williams. I’m not worried. Men like him are usually all talk.”
“I sure hope you’re right. I know what it’s like to have your eyes set on something special only to have it ripped away. It’s happened to me more than once. Then I found this beauty andwas willing to empty my whole account if it meant getting to bring him back home with me. I finally have a use for that new dungeon I had put in months ago.”
His laughter sends a chill down my spine. I want a reason to break away from our conversation and sigh in relief when it’s interrupted by a server wearing nothing more than a small pair of red shorts. “Can I get you two gentleman anything?”
“I’ll take your best tequila on ice and a cup of water for my pet.”
“All right, I’ll go ahead and get those for you and for you, Mr. Shoeman?”
“I’m fine, my boy is all I need right now. He knows just how to give me the best buzz.”
“Very well. I’ll be back with your drinks shortly, Mr. Masters.”
“Ah, so you’re the infamous Mr. Masters,” a sharp voice says from behind me. “You have made quite the impression in such a short amount of time.”
“What can I say, I guess I’m an impressionable guy.” I turn around meeting the eyes of a tall, slender man with piercing blue eyes. “I guess I’ll be the judge of that. I hope you are enjoying your stay,” the man says, taking the empty chair on the other side of Joey. He stares down at him, smiling in satisfaction. “From the looks of it, I'd say you are.”
“You’d be right and this one right here has made sure of that. I’m quite fond of him and am very interested in making you an offer. I’m assuming you're the man in charge of this place?”
“For this one here? And you would guess right. You can call me Ivan.”
“Yes. I was under the impression every boy here is up for sale for the right price.”
He nods, placing a hand under his chin. “You would be right. The only problem is Mr. Williams already made me an offer fifteen minutes ago.”
