Space Invaders (55 page)

When AJ got back he found Ashleigh humming as she dusted the main room. Ryder sat at a desk in an alcove, scowling at a book as he tapped away on his computer.

“You’re back early,” Ryder commented.

“So?”

Ashleigh snickered. “Perhaps he isn’t as good a whore as he thinks.”

Ryder laughed with her, though to AJ’s ears his humour sounded a little forced. Or perhaps it was merely his imagination.

AJ sighed. He wasn’t sure what he would do for the rest of the day. He wanted to offer to help out with whatever jobs were needed round the place, but neither Ashleigh nor Ryder seemed particularly approachable.

“Maybe the whore should clean Blake’s bedroom?” Ashleigh suggested, almost as though she had read AJ’s thoughts. “I don’t want to be cleaning sheets covered with a whore’s spunk anyway.”

AJ resisted the temptation to tell her he hadn’t even come the previous night, and that their employer wasn’t so great a lover himself. It was none of their damn business. Instead he grabbed some of the cleaning products from the floor and took them up the stairs, muttering “fine” under his breath.

He heard Ashleigh say she was only joking as he reached the top of the stairs, but he didn’t care or stop his progress. The bedroom would be sparkling by the time he had done with his cleaning.

He stripped the rumpled sheets from the bed in a few moments and kicked them out of the way. Screw them all. He’d make it through the week, take his nineteen and a half thousand credits and be living a life of luxury while Blake’s staff slaved away at their miserable jobs for the rest of their lives.

He’d never let them know he cared about their opinions of him. He might have been reduced to a whore, but he had some pride left.

Chapter Five

When Blake returned he stamped around the apartment, growling and snarling at anyone who approached him. His temper hadn’t calmed since the morning. All the staff spoke in whispers and walked on eggshells until he retreated to his bedroom with orders for AJ to join him immediately.

AJ followed Blake up the stairs with even more trepidation than the previous night.

Blake pulled AJ towards him and tore his new fine clothes right off his body. Buttons scattered across the floor and AJ looked in horror at the ruined garments. “What a waste of credits,” Blake muttered. “Should have left you naked since it’s the only time you’re of any use.”

When AJ tried to cover his nakedness with his hands Blake pulled his arms apart so he could look at him. “I’m going to use you hard tonight, to make up for a day of frustration at having you here when I needed you at my side.”

Hard?
AJ wondered how much harder Blake could be.

“Do you agree to my terms?” Blake asked. “You can always leave now with nothing more than the five hundred credits I paid for your sister’s medicine with.”

What choice did he have? AJ nodded. “I agree.”

Blake smiled for the first time since his return from the laboratory. “Excellent. Now bend over the end of the bed.”

AJ did as Blake ordered and closed his eyes, trying to prepare himself to be taken. He jumped at the hard slap of a hand against his arse, instead of the expected thick cock between his buttocks.
What the fuck?

“That’s for neglecting to tell me you couldn’t read,” Blake said.

A second smack landed on his other cheek.

“That’s for the waste of my credits on your suit.”

AJ closed his eyes and tried to ignore the sting of the slaps as they rained down on his arse, one after another, each one punctuated by Blake telling him what it was for.

“For making me look a fool.”

Smack.

“For sitting around on your arse all day doing nothing.”

Smack. AJ suspected he wouldn’t be sitting down again for a week if Blake kept this up.

Finally Blake finished meting out his punishment and when his thick cock pushed its way inside him AJ was almost glad. Blake held him in a tight grip, the hands bruising the already tender flesh.

This time when Blake had finished with him AJ didn’t wait to be dismissed. He stumbled from the room and retreated to the kitchen. Even though the door to the staff sleeping quarters had been left ajar AJ didn’t want to face the others. He slipped into the space beneath the counter once again and tried to find a comfortable position in which to sleep. Maybe Blake would be in a better mood tomorrow, so he could ask him about sleeping on the sofa then.

* * * *

The next morning AJ woke to the sound of someone moving about in the kitchen.

“Looks like the lazy whore’s sleeping in today,” Ashleigh said. “Blake left for the lab an hour ago.”

“Idle good-for-nothing lab rat,” Jessiah replied. He sounded like he spoke round a mouthful of food.

“Have you met him yet?” Ashleigh asked.

“Can’t say I’ve had the pleasure,” a stranger replied. AJ guessed the voice belonged to Corrine, the housekeeper who had had the previous day off. From the tone of her voice her idea of pleasure wouldn’t be meeting him.

AJ pushed himself back under the counter, as far into the corner as he could get. The movement caused him to gasp in pain as his sore buttocks brushed against the now cold pipes. Thankfully, the chatter of the others masked his noise and no one noticed his presence.

Eventually they all went about their business and AJ crawled out from under the counter, stretching his aching muscles and wincing in pain. Only when he stood fully upright did he realise the kitchen wasn’t as empty as he had thought.

Ryder sat at the table, watching him in silent contemplation. AJ grabbed a towel from the counter to cover himself.

“Eavesdropping?” Ryder asked casually.

“Not on purpose,” AJ said, not bothering to deny he had overheard much of the morning’s conversation.

“What were you doing under there?” Ryder asked.

“Sleeping, or trying to.”

Ryder shook his head. “Try again.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Why weren’t you with Blake?”

“He’d done with me for the night,” AJ explained. “He only fucks me. He doesn’t sleep with his whore.”

“Where did you sleep the night before?”

“Down here,” AJ admitted.

“Why didn’t you come into the staff quarters?”

“Someone had locked the door.”

“Not last night, they didn’t.”

“I didn’t think I’d be welcome with the rest of you through there,” AJ whispered, unable to look Ryder in the eye.

“Oh for the love of—” Ryder stood up and steered AJ through the door to the staff quarters. “Corrine and Ashleigh have the room to the right. Jessiah and I sleep here in the room on the left. The door straight ahead leads to the washroom. Go take a shower. You reek of sex.”

AJ slipped into the washroom and showered as quickly as he could. When he exited the room Ryder stood leaning against the wall, waiting for him.

“This way,” Ryder said as he shepherded AJ into the men’s sleeping quarters. “Jessiah has the capsule next to the window. I have the one near the door. You can use either of the other two.”

“Why are there so many?”

“There used to be more staff, back when Blake’s parents owned this place. Now get some sleep.”

AJ turned to the nearest unoccupied capsule. It didn’t look as comfortable as Blake’s bed, but anything had to be an improvement on the kitchen floor.

“What happened to your arse?” Ryder asked quietly.

“Blake was unhappy with me.”

“He hit you?”

“It doesn’t matter.” AJ’s reply was firm. By saying nothing he had silently agreed to Blake’s punishment, no matter how much it pained him to do so.

Ryder didn’t say anything as AJ crawled into the capsule. He showed AJ which button to press to bring down the shield to soundproof the sleeping chamber. Just before the shield closed AJ heard Ryder say they would talk later. He tried not to worry about what the conversation would entail. It didn’t take him long to fall asleep, after the last two nights trying to sleep on the floor and several nights of concern over Essie before that, he was so exhausted even worry couldn’t keep him awake.

* * * *

When AJ crawled out of the capsule several hours later Ryder sat across from him on his own capsule. He worked on his hand-held computer, but he put it aside as soon as he spotted AJ had woken.

“Sleep well?” Ryder asked.

“What do you care?” AJ snapped back.

Ryder held up his hands. “Okay, how about a truce?”

AJ sat up and brushed his hands through his hair. He was always grouchy in the morning, but Ryder didn’t know that.

“Why was Blake angry with you?” Ryder asked.

“Because I can’t read,” AJ explained.

“But you’re a lab rat. Everyone knows lab rats aren’t educated.”

“Everyone apart from Blake, apparently,” AJ muttered. “It seems he might have forgotten. Rather like you don’t realise just how few jobs there are out there for those who can’t read.”

Ryder mumbled something under his breath. “Get dressed and come through to the kitchen. We’ll talk more over lunch.”

AJ didn’t want to admit he had no clothes to wear. Once Ryder had left the room he wrapped the bed sheet around him and hoped he was at least modestly covered. Ryder took one look at him when he entered the kitchen and rolled his eyes.

“Is there something wrong with your new suit? Isn’t it up to your high standards?” he asked sarcastically.

“Blake tore it. Apparently it’s a waste of credits to buy clothes for a whore.”

Ryder stalked past AJ and returned a minute later with a set of clothes from what AJ guessed was his own wardrobe. “Blake might be happy with you wandering round naked all day, but I’m not. Put those on.”

AJ didn’t argue. He didn’t want to. He was just happy to be able to get dressed.

“Right,” Ryder stated as they sat at the table, a large plate of sandwiches between them. “What do you say to some reading lessons?”

“What?” AJ choked down the first bite of his cheese sandwich. “I can’t afford to take lessons, not until after the week is over anyway.”

“There’s plenty of reading material round the apartment. Blake’s grandfather was quite a hoarder and his great-grandfather kept journals about his science experiments. Blake lets the staff read them if they want to. I’ve read several of them myself. I’ll teach you how to read from them, if you want?”

“Don’t you have work to do?” AJ asked. “It’s bad enough I’m in trouble without getting you into Blake’s bad books too.”

“I usually have the afternoons off. I finished my jobs for the day this morning, so there’s nothing to stop me spending the afternoon teaching you how to read.”

“But why would you want to? I’m just a whore.”

Ryder looked down at his plate and AJ thought perhaps he regretted his hastily made offer.

“I shouldn’t have introduced you to the rest of the staff they way I did,” Ryder finally said. “And I should have stopped Ashleigh and Jessiah from treating you the way they have.”

“It doesn’t matter. They have a right to treat me however they want.”

“No, they don’t!”

AJ stared at Ryder in shock. Ryder's cheeks flushed red and he turned back to his sandwich, picking at the filling. “I’m a lab rat, which is barely a step up from a whore. Do you think I’ve never been insulted before?”

“That’s not the point. I've never judged anyone for how they earn their credits. I was right down in the labyrinth with you. I could see how bad things were down there, compared to up here in the towers. I'm furious with myself for treating you the way I have. In some ways I'm no better than Blake.”

"What do you mean?"

"I'm treating you like all you are is a whore, just the same as he is. Even worse, I encouraged Ashleigh and Jessiah to do the same, when I should be setting them a good example."

"Like it or not, I
am
a whore."

Ryder tossed his sandwich down on the table. “I don't want to argue with you. I’m apologising, okay?”

“Oh.”

“I’m sorry I judged you when I had no right. Can we start over?” Ryder gave him a hopeful look and the last of AJ’s anger melted away.

“Do you really want to teach me how to read?”

Ryder smiled and AJ recalled their first meeting and his thoughts about how handsome Ryder was. “Come on, eat up and we’ll get started.”

AJ tucked into the sandwiches, enjoying a meal for the first time in a very long time. When he followed Ryder through to Blake’s study he thought he might even be happy, for the first time in nearly as long.

* * * *

“Okay,” said Ryder, the pleasure evident in his voice. “I think you have your letters all clear now. You’re a fast learner.”

AJ practically glowed with delight at the praise. “Maybe it’s because you’re a good teacher?”

Ryder grinned back at him. They had been going over the alphabet for hours and finally AJ could recognise each letter by sight. He could even recognise his own name and write it down.

The other staff members had been popping in and out during the course of the afternoon. Corrine had introduced herself and provided AJ with his first taste of chocolate, something he felt sure he would never be able to survive without now that he had tasted it. He only vaguely recalled his parents, but he recognised the motherly vibes emanating from Corrine and let her fuss over him, exclaiming about his lack of a good diet and promising to build him up.

Ashleigh had appeared briefly and mumbled her own apology to AJ, who suspected she had been prompted by Ryder. She had also offered to loan him one of the children’s books her mother had left her for her own children. AJ had graciously accepted and now that Ryder had declared him competent with his letters, he picked up Ashleigh’s book and carefully opened it to the first page.

Ryder sat close beside him and together they read Ashleigh’s book, AJ stumbling over the simple words as he read aloud the story of the three little pigs.

The light from the window had long since dimmed when Ryder declared AJ knew the story by heart and suggested they move on to another book the following day.

Disappointed though AJ was to end the pleasant time they had been having, Blake would be returning soon and their time had nearly run out anyway.