To See the Sky Read online

  When he looked up again he saw Ryder watching him carefully. AJ glared at him, daring him to say anything about the collar. Ryder remained silent, but AJ thought he caught a hint of disapproval in his eyes. He forced himself not to care. He hadn’t come here to make friends. He had only come to the party to earn the credits for the pharmacist. Ryder could think what the hell he liked.

  Chapter Two

  Waiting on the guests at the party wasn’t the hardest job in the world. AJ was handed a tray, given strict orders not to sample the delicacies, and sent to circulate amongst the guests. His instructions were to return to the kitchens when the tray was empty and collect another. Since the gathering was a private party there was no exchange of credits, except for those who, like AJ, intended to make a few more credits on the side.

  AJ caught the appreciative glances in his direction from several men as he wove his way through the room. Looking didn’t earn him credits though, and some time passed before any of the men decided to take him up on his silent offer. A lean, pale-skinned man with a piercing green gaze waved him over as he wove his way round the tables.

  “How much?” he asked.

  AJ smiled even as his stomach flipped. This was his last chance to back out. He could say he didn’t know what the man was talking about and the collar was merely an accessory to his outfit. He could still change his mind about going through with this.

  “What did you have in mind?” he asked as he stalled for time.

  “I want you to get on your knees and suck me,” the man replied. “How much do you charge for the pleasure?”

  AJ suddenly realised he hadn’t thought about figures at all. Even though he had been told he could set his own prices, he hadn’t given Landon’s advice on pricing any consideration at all. “Ten credits,” he said, plucking the random figure out of thin air. It would double his wages for the evening if his offer were accepted.

  “Deal,” the man said immediately.

  In the mirror across the room AJ saw his collar stop flashing and the lights turned static. “Where do you want to go?” AJ asked.

  “I’m comfortable right here,” the man replied with a grin as he undid the buttons of his trousers and pulled out his cock.

  AJ glanced round the room nervously. He had seen a couple of the others wearing collars slip out of the main room with their pick-ups. He hadn’t seen anyone doing anything in public, as this man suggested.

  “Do you charge more for voyeuristic displays?” the man asked as he slowly stroked his length. “I find it quite a turn on to have someone else watch.”

  AJ didn’t know what to say. His first trick didn’t wait for him to answer his question before he made his own suggestion.

  “How about an extra two credits for each person watching?”

  AJ glanced round the room and counted a dozen people lingering in the vicinity, not including the staff. He set aside his tray, nodded and dropped to his knees. He just wanted to get this over with. Thirty-four credits would go a long way to getting the medicine. As long as he kept thinking about his goal, he could go through with this.

  At least the man appeared to be clean, AJ considered as he took the mushroomed head between his lips. Down in the labyrinth, where no one could ever get completely rid of the dust, it was unusual to seek pleasure in such a manner. On the rare occasions AJ took another man’s cock into his mouth he made sure he hurried and had always been relieved to end things. This time the experience was different in more ways than one. The man, whose name he didn’t even know, had washed and shaved his genitals, and he was paying AJ to pleasure him. AJ had to make the blow job good for the man or risk making nothing else the rest of the night. He just hoped his lack of experience didn’t show.

  He sucked slowly and deliberately on the head, tasting the essence of the other man as his seed coated his tongue. He used his hand to stroke the flesh his mouth couldn’t take. Hand jobs were more familiar territory and his fingers expertly sought out the most sensitive spots.

  AJ heard the man moan loudly above him, as well as a couple of catcalls from other guests. He tried to shut out the voyeurs. He’d never get through this if he didn’t block out everything else. Normally, his own dick would be straining for attention by now. Instead the flesh hung limp between his legs, barely even interested in the proceedings.

  Hands gripped his head, tugging his hair roughly, and the man bucked his hips, fucking AJ’s mouth hard. AJ’s eyes watered and he squeezed them shut. When the man shot his load down his throat a few moments later AJ swallowed back his tears along with the cum. He felt shame such as he had never known it before. Even as one of the lowest members of society, and someone who was looked down on most of the time, he had never felt as dirty and humiliated as he did right now.

  When it was all over AJ pulled back and wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

  The green-eyed man gazed down at him and dragged him up by the wrist. “Thirty four credits, and I’ll give you an extra one for swallowing. Most whores spit it out.”

  AJ watched his own credit band jump from the previous count of four credits, all he had left this morning, to thirty nine. Even with the ten he’d get at the end of the night for waiting on the guests his target was still a long way off.

  The transaction completed, AJ picked up his tray and continued his circuit round the room. He imagined he could feel the gazes of the other guests on him, judging him for what he had done. His tray had been emptied while he had been sucking off the guest and he hurried to the kitchen to get a fresh one, relieved to escape the judgemental glances for even a couple of minutes.

  When he returned to the main room he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His lips were slightly swollen, but other than that there was nothing to mark him as the whore he now was. Nothing except the collar anyway. He fingered the strip of fabric. Now that the contract had been fulfilled the lights flashed once again. He was apparently open for business once more.

  Two rounds with the tray later, AJ found himself approached by a second man. This one, middle-aged and with a bit of a belly on him, wanted to go to one of the private rooms for a hand job. AJ, glad to escape the crowd for a few minutes, agreed with relief.

  When AJ returned to the main room—five credits richer—he passed one of the collared women going into the room next to the one he had just exited.

  “Two hundred credits to fuck me, seventy-five for your friend to watch.”

  The man laughed. “Ash can wait outside, unless he wants to pay himself.”

  They disappeared behind the closed door while AJ stood rooted to the spot in shock. The waitress was about to make two hundred credits in just a few minutes. AJ needed to be charging those sorts of prices. This could all be over within a few hours if he could command as many credits as the waitress did. Unfortunately, no one had offered to pay him for sex. He realised he would have to put himself out there if he had any hope of getting the credits he needed so desperately.

  When he picked up his tray and continued his duties he made much more of an effort to chat and flirt with every man who gave him a second glance. Eventually he seemed to get a bite.

  “What are you offering?” a blond Adonis asked with a sly smile. “And I’m not talking about the rubbish on the tray.”

  AJ didn’t consider any of the food he served to be rubbish, but he pasted a flirtatious smile on his face and perched on the arm of the Adonis’ chair. “Depends on how much you want to spend.”

  “How about you tell me your prices and we’ll see if I can afford you?” He laughed with amusement at the idea of not being able to afford something AJ had on offer.

  Recalling the woman’s prices, AJ hoped he wasn’t raising his own too high when he replied.

  “Twenty-five credits for a hand job, fifty for a blow job. I’ll fuck you for one hundred credits. One hundred credits on top if you want to get off in public.”

  “You only charged Pablo ten credits for a blow job,” the blond pointed out with another sly gri
n. “Why am I charged more?”

  AJ shrugged. “Inflation.”

  The Adonis roared with laughter. “That’s some rate of inflation you have going there. But you missed something off your list.”

  “You asked what’s on offer. I’ve told you what I’m offering.”

  “What if I wanted to fuck you?”

  AJ looked away. He’d never let anyone take him before, always preferring to be the one on top during intercourse.

  “Come on, what do you charge for that?” the man pressed.

  “Five hundred credits,” AJ replied firmly. The figure would be far too high for any man to pay for the pleasure of fucking him. Even the waitress only charged two hundred credits, and she seemed to know what she was doing.

  The Adonis whistled shrilly. “That’s pretty steep. Has anyone ever paid your price?”

  “No.”

  The Adonis looked at him steadily for a few moments. “Has anyone been buried inside this pretty arse at all?” he asked as he ran his hand over AJ’s rear.

  “No,” AJ admitted. His face flushed at his admission.

  “A virgin arse,” the Adonis commented quietly. “There are many men here who’d pay five hundred credits or even more for the pleasure.”

  “I doubt it,” AJ said.

  “How about we put that to the test?”

  “What do you mean?” AJ’s stomach did another flip-flop. He had a feeling he might be getting in over his head.

  “An auction.”

  “You can’t be serious?”

  “Why not?” The man tapped AJ’s credit band meaningfully. “You clearly need the credits or you wouldn’t be here offering yourself at all.”

  “No one would pay five hundred credits just to fuck another man.”

  “To fuck the tight hole of a virgin they would.”

  “Then they have more credits than common sense.”

  The Adonis pulled back his shirt sleeve to reveal his own credit band. He had more credits than AJ’s entire family would see in a lifetime.

  “What’s your name, gorgeous?”

  “AJ.”

  “Let’s find out, shall we then, AJ?”

  AJ watched with astonishment as the blond stood up and called the room to attention.

  “It seems we have a novelty here tonight,” he said. “A virgin arse on offer for the highest bidder. What do you say to an auction, boys?”

  The crowd turned to look at AJ. His face flushed and he half-hoped the floor would open up and swallow him. What had he let himself in for?

  “How do we know he’s really a virgin?” one of the men shouted. “He’s been sucking cock like a pro tonight.”

  AJ glared at the man who dared to insinuate he’d lie about his anal virginity.

  “If he turns out to be lying, AJ will only accept his starting bid of five hundred credits as payment.”

  “Hey!” AJ interrupted. He wasn’t sure he liked the way this was going.

  “You said you’d charge five hundred before you admitted you’d never let anyone fuck you before. Even if the winner claims you lied, you still get your asking price.”

  “You’re missing the point.”

  “Damn right,” another man added. “I wouldn’t pay five hundred credits to fuck anyone, least of all some lab rat whore.”

  “Then don’t bid on him,” the blond stated simply. “In fact, you can take over the auction, okay?”

  The man stepped forward and took centre stage. “Fine, who wants to start the bidding at five hundred credits?”

  “Five hundred credits,” a bearded redhead called.

  “Six hundred,” the Adonis countered.

  AJ turned to him with surprise. “Why didn’t you just pay the five hundred instead of holding an auction?”

  “Curiosity to see how much you’d get,” he replied easily. “And like you said, some of us have more credits than common sense.”

  AJ wondered what it would be like to have so many credits that he would think nothing of casually throwing them away like these men were. Did they even realise there were people dying in the labyrinth, simply because they couldn’t afford to eat, to take care of themselves or move away from the choking dust?

  “I want to see the goods,” another potential bidder shouted out, reminding AJ of the proceedings.

  The blond turned to AJ, who didn’t wait to be asked to strip. He tugged off his clothes and at the suggestion of the current high bidder, climbed onto a nearby table and let the crowd ogle his naked body.

  “He’s a bit scrawny.”

  “But look at his gorgeous cock.”

  “Yeah, but you aren’t bidding on him sticking it in you, are you?”

  “Who cares? I’d pay a bit more to let him fuck me as well.”

  “Seven hundred.”

  “Eight hundred.”

  “One thousand credits.”

  AJ looked around as he tried to place the voice of the newest bidder. He could see Ryder standing near the door to the kitchen. The voice had come from his direction and for a moment AJ fancied that maybe the waiter had placed the bid. Of course the thought was a ridiculous one. What waiter would have a thousand credits to spend on a whim?

  “One and a half thousand,” the Adonis replied with a grin and a wink at AJ.

  “Two thousand.” The new bidder raised the stakes and only the blond man at AJ’s side appeared to be willing to go so high.

  “Two and a half.”

  “Three.”

  “Three and a half.”

  “Five thousand.”

  AJ’s hands shook and he still couldn’t pick out who the second bidder was. He looked down at the blond man beside him and silently begged him to outbid the unknown stranger.

  “Five and a half,” his Adonis said.

  “Ten thousand credits for a week with the virgin,” the hidden bidder declared.

  AJ closed his eyes and waited for the blond to raise the bid again. He had seen the credit band of the Adonis. He could afford to go higher, much higher. But he remained silent as the auctioneer called out.

  “Any advance on ten thousand credits?”

  “Wait!” AJ shouted when he realised what the bid was for. “I can’t be gone for a week.”

  “One week in the tower is surely better than a week in the labyrinth,” the blond pointed out.

  “It’s not that.” AJ faltered. He didn’t want everyone there to know his private business, but it seemed he had no choice. “I need five hundred credits for a pharmacist.”

  “You look perfectly healthy to me,” the auctioneer interrupted.

  “Not for me, for my sister.”

  The high bidder stepped forward and AJ got a look at him for the first time. He was classically handsome with a strong jaw. His dark hair had greyed at the temples, though the silvery strands were the only sign of his age. His cold blue eyes pinned AJ to the spot.

  “The pharmacist will still be there in a week,” he pointed out sharply.

  “But my sister won’t be,” AJ whispered. “She only has days if we don’t get her the medicine.”

  The high bidder snapped his fingers and Ryder appeared at his side. “My servant will escort you to the pharmacist, procure the medicine and deliver you to your sister. He will then return you to my side for the week.”

  “You haven’t won yet, Blake,” the auctioneer pointed out.

  “I don’t hear any other bidders,” Blake replied. “Unless Garrett here wants to put in another bid with the pocket money his daddy allows him.”

  Garrett, the blond, visibly bristled. “Eighteen thousand credits.”

  AJ gasped, knowing Garrett had just bid everything he had on his credit band.

  “Twenty thousand,” Blake immediately replied. He turned to glare at the auctioneer.

  “Gone,” the auctioneer squeaked.

  Blake looked AJ up and down with a critical eye. “Cover yourself up,” he ordered.

  AJ quickly put his clothes back on and waited while Blak
e transferred five hundred credits to Ryder’s credit band.

  “I expect you back at my place in two hours,” Blake stated before he disappeared into the crowd, leaving AJ to trail after Ryder. He had the credits for the medicine, but what was it going to cost him?

  Chapter Three

  In the changing room the collar wouldn’t come off and AJ cursed when he recalled it couldn’t be removed until after the contract was complete. That meant he had to wear the thing for a week and his brother and sister would no doubt see it. The thin material of his shirt would never cover the collar’s lights. His siblings would ask questions and he didn’t dare hope they would be as ignorant as he had been about the meaning of a coloured collar.

  He changed back into his own clothes and tossed the shirt and trousers into a basket which appeared to be for the used uniforms. Ryder stood at the door, silently waiting to escort him.

  Ryder maintained his silence as they travelled down from the tower and headed towards the commercial district that separated the tower dwellers from the labyrinth. The district was part of the original cave system, although it had changed a lot over the centuries. While it had once been a mixture of residences and facilities, now the only residents were those who maintained the trading caves. Everyone else had moved to one of the towers—if they were lucky—or down into the labyrinth, if their fortunes were not so blessed.

  As they made their way to the pharmacist, AJ missed the chatter that had come so easily to them in the elevator up to the party. Finally, he decided to break the silence.

  “Are you a waiter or do you work for Blake?”

  “I work for Blake. He likes to make sure I’m on hand at public functions.”

  “Is he a good man to work for?”

  “I’ve never known anything different,” Ryder said. “My family has worked for him for generations, since before the Last War.”

  AJ couldn’t have even said what his family had been doing at the time of the war. Probably scrambling to survive whatever life threw at them if the present day was any indication.

  “Which way?” Ryder asked as they walked out into the commercial district.