Tarth City, Di Lusso District
Nizamrak Building, Penthouse Level, "The Loft"
Wulf entered the bedroom he shared with Luc, closed his eyes and breathed in the lingering amber of his master's cologne. He understood now why Luc had insisted neither of them wear scents. A Kin's sense of smell was five times greater than theirs.
How long had the man planned this? Luc did nothing haphazard. No doubt he'd had Jawk investigated, maybe even arranged to have him work at Batchelors. No one got close unless he knew everything about them.
At the dresser, he emptied his pockets onto a wooden tray: keycard, ID holder, comb, handkerchief and nail file. Draap pieces, all of them. One of a kind. The tiny handful of high fashion items cost a week's pay, but Luc insisted. He preferred Wulf to dress as if he were still a model instead of a business partner.
When working with music clients, Luc often told him, Fuel the fantasy. No motto fit their private life better. Reality had less and less involvement in their lives. With a sigh, Wulf slipped off his debit bracelet, but the platinum ring embedded with the symbol of the Chosen he kissed instead and left on. Jawk had already seen it, anyway.
An hourglass shaped like the eternity symbol, the Chanoyu represented the joining of eternity and time--everything about Wulf's relationship with Luc. A human and a Sempervian. A mortal and an immortal. Night and day different, yet one.
The blue tint of the glass stood for freedom, the white for purity. A real Chanoyu was made from hand-blown glass to represent the unique individuality of each Chosen. Wood encased it, representing the way the Chosen grew and changed--and could die. The Sempervians were the gold spikes fastening the hourglass to the wood, unchanging, yet capable of being reformed into something new. Luc could die--had died countless times--but he could not stay dead. Like gold, Luc was immutable. Unchanging and yet capable of transformation into a new identity when needed.
When Wulf opened the closet doors, the valet droid activated. The metallic-skinned creature helped him out of his jacket and accepted each piece as he removed it. Wulf showered with non-scented soap and stepped out into a warmed robe the valet droid held for him.
He deactivated the droid and dried himself. He had dressed himself in a loose white tunic, flowing pants, and white slippers by the time McDoth came to collect him. He followed their household butler-android into the hall and down the elevator one floor.
The white furniture, floors and ceiling lent the room a dreamlike quality. Wide-open drapes revealed floor to ceiling glass. The room overlooked the white glitter of Tarth City's night. The three doors on the far wall led to rooms designed for pleasures more specific and cruel. Luc could do whatever he pleased in this place. No one could see in; no one could hear. Nothing intruded on the pure white oasis.
He set about lighting the clusters of white candles in the four corners of the room. A square bed big enough for six dominated the center. A few low stools and two chairs faced it. Big enough for two, each chair was firmly bolted to the floor for safety during play. And to hold Wulf fast when Luc ... Clutching a hand to his throat, he turned away.
He soon would be Luc and Jawk's toy, but otherwise, Wulf had no other expectations. On the rare occasions Luc found someone of whom he approved, he oversaw and directed most if not all of what transpired between them.
Elsewhere in their three-story penthouse, he was Luc's equal. As much as any man could be. On this floor, however, Luc's true nature reined. Here, he was master and lord.
Wulf knelt to wait.
* * * *
Luc leaned on the opposite wall of the elevator. "No one warned you about my eyes, did they, Jawk?"
The Kin swallowed. Swallowed again. "No."
He moved closer and remained still, let Jawk have time to take him in. The youth held his ground, though his nostrils flared, and his throat flexed as he swallowed.
"Are--" Jawk hesitated. "Are--Can you see?"
"Yes." He blinked once. "They're contacts. They cover my entire eye."
"Oh." The tension in Jawk's shoulders hadn't been visible until he relaxed them. "I--Uh, you--uh..."
Luc chuckled.
Jawk stared up at him, wide-eyed.
"It's all right, Jawk. I'm used to the reaction. I do it on purpose." He tilted his head again, blinked, and the Kin youth flinched. "You see?"
"Oh." He brushed a hand over his mouth. "Kind of freaky, there."
"Remember--you can't tell where I'm looking or at whom. It might be at you, so be at your best." He opened the elevator doors and stepped out first. "This way."
Behind him, Jawk muttered in his native tongue. It translated--basically--to "What the hell was I thinking?"
That both Luc and Wulf were fluent in Felis, Luc kept to himself.
*
JAWK LAID HIS ears back and rubbed one temple. He set aside his nerves with a reminder to himself he was here to do a job. He followed Luc down a short hallway and around a corner to what resembled a theatre.
In reality, the screen was a large window. When Jawk reached his side, Luc pointed inside. In the center of the room sat a giant bed with two chairs. Wulf knelt on the floor between the chairs, hands resting open on his thighs. He could have been anywhere from sixteen to sixty--the age of humans was not Jawk's strong point, despite having grown up among them.
Everything done in there would be visible. This guy's into watching.
The same thought he'd had upon first seeing Wulf struck him again. Why would someone this gorgeous ever pick up a whore? He'd have cruised Wulf anywhere, but not expected to score.
"He's beautiful, isn't he?" The husky voice of Luc broke in on his thoughts. The man studied Wulf like a jeweler studied diamonds. "I can't get over he wants to be with me." He rested both hands in his pockets and met Jawk's eyes with as much honesty as a man like Luc ever could.
Jawk shared a smile with him. "Do you guys do this a lot?"
"Have sex with strangers, you mean?" Luc lifted one shoulder in an elegant shrug. "It adds spice. We chose carefully."
Jawk scratched a claw across his lower lip. "I bet it's not so much 'we' choosing as it is 'you'."
Luc was not as easy to read as most humans, but he had his tells. When his mouth tightened to one side like it did now, he was happy. "Yes. True. Although Wulf gives his approval first." He stared back through the window.
The scent of sadness wafted to Jawk on the air. Almost a stale beer smell, it made his nose twitch, and he rubbed it. Luc would rather have Wulf all to himself. Perhaps he assumed sharing Wulf would draw them closer. Geez, do these guys ever talk to each other? Hell, maybe he is blind. Jawk turned his head, unable to bear the poignant expression on the man's face.
"What is it, Jawk?"
Jawk swallowed, his throat tight. "Wulf. He..."
When he didn't continue, Luc pulled one hand out of a pocket. "He what?"
"In the car, he--Wulf, he--" Those whiteless eyes stared. This was not the time to play sex counselor. "Kin can sense emotion, you know? We can smell it."
Luc's apprehension cut off in the snap of a finger. The man guarded his emotions better than most humans. "And?"
"Wulf is proud of being yours. He loves you."
Luc turned toward the window, his face almost glowing with joy. "There is nothing I wouldn't do for Wulf." He set his fingertips on the glass. "Nothing. Not one thing." He brushed past him and opened the door on Jawk's right. "Come on. It's time for some fun."