Human After All (4 page)

“Sweet,” the Exotic remarked, watching the way Valen’s patron doted on the Companion.

“I suppose it disgusts you,” Jaymes said.

“I wasn’t being sarcastic. They really are sweet together. If I didn’t know Vale was under contract, I’d believe they were in love.”

“Vale won’t say it out loud, but of course they’re in love. Just look at them.”

“Then it’s bitter as well as sweet.”

“Are you two having a drink?” Parry called out, holding his glass aloft.

“Would you make a batch of Glaznosties for everyone while I say hello to the Prince and his friend?” Cade asked. “Good evening, Jaymes. A genuine pleasure to see you again.”

“Thank you, sir,” Jaymes said. “With me is Drue….”

“Cotes,” Drue supplied. “Drue Cotes, better known as the Fox.”

“I’m pleased to meet you, Drue,” Cade said as though they were cousins. “I hope you’ll have a drink, but I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you all to leave before very long. Unfortunately, I have a brief meeting before I can relax in pleasant company.”

“A meeting at the Covillion?” Parry exclaimed in patent shock, as he handed glasses around.

“A very brief meeting,” Cade said. “I’m sorry, Vale, but I really need the room. Would you and your friends mind coming back a bit later?”

“Too late,” Parry said, setting his tray down and going to answer the door.

“Wait,” Cade said quickly. “Let me check first.” Speaker Londean touched his lapel pin and spoke a few words. “All right, Parry, you can open the door now.”

“Who is it?” Vale asked as one of the Combat-Ulteem bodyguards from down the hall entered the room.

His question was answered when a tall, gaunt man strode in behind his guards. The hawkish profile and the wings of iron-colored hair that fell straight to sloping shoulders identified the Deputy President of The Cities as surely as the badge of rank he held up.

“There’s no need for that, Brandel,” Londean said. “We have spoken face to face many times.”

“Men with your sort of compassion are easily deceived,” Brandel Ampery said in a deep, rich voice at odds with his mantis-thin frame. “What a charming council you have.”

“I know I said I’d be alone.” Cade smiled equably at the D.P.’s veiled insult. “But who can tell the breeze when it may come and go?”

Brandel’s lips moved in something that could charitably be mistaken for a smile. “Your Companion is exquisite, of course,” he said. “But they’re such flighty creatures.”

“Then we’ll talk about something more down to earth.” Cade beckoned to Brandel to join him by the bar. Valens started to accompany Cade, but the Speaker bade him wait. “What I need to say to the Deputy President is for his ears alone. I won’t be long.”

Jaymes handed Valens a drink. “He’s only a few feet away,” Jaymes said. “You’ll be able to see him the whole time. I wonder what he’s discussing with the D.P.”

“I don’t trust Citizen Ampery,” Valens said.

“Why would you?” Drue joined the conversation. “The Deep’s a politician.”

“So is Speaker Londean,” Jaymes reminded the Zot.

“But he doesn’t act like one,” Drue said. “More like a duke or something.”

“He doesn’t use his title, but he actually
is
a duke,” Parry said. “When his father is gone, he’ll be a Sire.”

“That would explain it, then.” Drue took another sip of his drink. “Looks like they’re through with their meeting already. That didn’t take long.”

Valens’s eyes had never left Cade during the conversation, constantly monitoring for the subtle cues of minute changes in posture or expression. “It didn’t go well,” he said.

“Don’t worry. You’ll find a way to make him feel better.” Parry smirked.

Jaymes heard Valens answer Parry’s innuendo, but the words were just background noise. He had caught the Deputy President’s gaze as the man walked toward him, and everything else faded like recorded music when the volume is turned down. Brandel Ampery’s eyes were like chips of black glass, but Jaymes could discern the complex arrangement of dots and flecks in the man’s irises that made him unique. As soon as he recognized the pattern, there was another change in his perception of outside stimuli. The world was saturated with color, each line sharply drawn by a master draftsman, every detail etched on his retinas. As a slow, grainy wave surged in the T-bred’s brain, he felt an inexorable shift of priorities and knew that the next stage of the compulsion program had been activated. Whatever Jaymes’s pre-ordained task was, it involved the man who oversaw the daily management of the Cities.

Despite the fear that ran along his veins like frost forming on a windowpane, Jaymes’s lips drew up in his most fetching smile. Deploying every ounce of his charm, he let his gaze brush Brandel’s again, letting the Deputy President know he found him interesting. By subtle degrees of changing demeanor, the Companion insinuated that he was attracted by the kind of power the D.P. wielded. Jaymes could no more stop this process than he could tell the moon not to rise. For purposes unknown, Citizeness Alvera wanted Jaymes to seduce Brandel Ampery, a man famous for never contracting Bioware. And Jaymes was compelled to try.

Drue entered Jaymes’s line of sight, breaking the trance. With good-natured brashness, the Exotic flirted openly with the Deputy President. The Citizen barely looked at the Fox, dismissing him with less regard than an importunate lackey. Brandel looked past the Exotic’s shoulder, fathomless eyes narrowing slightly as though he were trying to remember Jaymes’s name.

When Parry offered the politician a drink, he saw the direction of the D.P.’s stare and hurried over to Valens. “Check it,” he said. “The Deep has a pash on.”

“Don’t be sillier than usual,” Valens said. “He’s not even looking at the Zot.”

“Naturally.” Parry put his hands over Valens’s ears and physically turned his head. “But our Prince has caught his eye.”

The Deputy President flicked a glance at Jaymes, and Valens gasped. “Prong me! You’re right! He’s letched on to Jaymes properish. I can’t believe it and yet I’m seeing it.”

“We have to make this happen. We’ll be legendary if we pipe the Deep.”

“Actually, Jaymes will be the one to pipe him.”

“But we’ll be the ones who fassilled it. Come on. It’s too scrump to pass up.”

“It really is.”

Valens tugged gently on Cade’s arm, drawing the Speaker closer so he could whisper in his ear. Cade’s eyes searched Brandel’s face as he listened to the Companion, and a smile formed slowly on his lips. When Valens finished speaking, Cade nodded, running his hand surreptitiously down Valens’s back as he walked away from him and approached Jaymes.

“I wonder if I might presume on your friendship with Valens and ask a favor of you.”

“Of course, sir,” Jaymes said immediately. “How may I serve you?”

“Are you under contract this evening or free-booting?”

“I’m free,” Jaymes lied as if he deceived people all the time. There wasn’t even a twinge from his veracity assurance inhibitors; it was as though all the benign safeguards that Gentren had implanted, even the oldest and most basic, had been wiped away like fingerprints from a mirror.

“I don’t like the crassness of this situation,” Cade said. “However, if you could see your way clear to giving the Deputy President the gift of your time, I would see that you were very well rewarded in the form of Citizenship Capital, or anything else within my means and the bounds of the law. You see, I think if Citizen Ampery were more… relaxed, my words might find more favor with him. Do you think it’s worth a try?”

In that moment, Jaymes saw why Vale was willing to be such a fool for this man. Any other Citizen of Londean’s stature would have simply called Gentren’s booking offices and dealt with another Citizen, but that was not the Speaker’s way. Instead, he came to Jaymes and made his proposal, apologizing for any air of tawdriness. Unless Cade Londean was a very skilled actor, he genuinely respected Jaymes as a person. Even if the T-bred hadn’t been under the compulsion of the mechemical, he would have wanted to do as Vale’s patron requested.

“I have my doubts about the Deputy President’s ability to relax, but I’m willing to try and divert him, sir.”

“He may not even take the bait,” Cade said. “But this is the first time I’ve seen him show the slightest interest in… diversion.”

“I’ll do my best,” Jaymes said. “You’ll make the introduction?”

“A pleasure. My thanks, Jaymes.”

“And mine to you for the way you take care of Vale.”

“I love him,” Londean said. “And I can only say it aloud to someone like you…. Sorry, that sounded terribly condescending.”

“I’m not offended.”

“Perhaps you should be, but that’s a discussion for another time. Shall we?”

“I
CANNOT
believe the Deep is with our Prince right now,” Valens said as he obligingly raised his arms.

Cade Londean pulled the synsilq singlet over Valens’s head, leaving the Companion completely bare. Caught, as always, by the T-bred’s sheer physical beauty, the Speaker let his eyes rove where they would. No matter how many times Cade saw Valens naked, the sight never failed to awe him. If the young man had nothing more than his astonishing good looks, he would have snared Cade’s fancy, but Valens had so much more to offer than his smooth, sculpted body. It was the Companion’s innate sweetness, his willingness to give the benefit of the doubt, to believe the best of all around him until proven wrong that had won Cade’s heart. More than anything, he wished he could make a marriage merger with Valens, but even if he bought the T-bred’s contract and Valens were granted Citizenship, there were still many legal battles to be fought before the union would be approved. And, of course, Cade would be fighting his family every step of the way. It was better for now that Valens Waukeen remain a Companion, under the protection of Gentren, while Cade worked on changing the laws that kept them from having a legal bond. It was better this way; they had both agreed, but it did not ease the guilt that shaded Cade’s pleasure in Valens’s company.

“I’m sorry,” Cade said. “Did you ask me a question?”

Valens rolled his eyes. “Let some of the blood flow back up to your brain,” he suggested.

Cade grinned. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Valens put his arms around Cade. “And you know I adore your romantic streak, but we haven’t much time. Do you think we could just fuck without the trappings?” The Companion paused as Cade’s expression changed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. It’s just that I want you so much. I truly don’t think of our love as
trappings
.”

“I believe you,” Cade said. “But my heart stopped for a second. I know how… vivid a Scenario can be to a Companion.”

“This is real,” Valens said, pressing his mouth to Cade’s in a kiss as fierce as it was tender.

Cade’s arms tightened around Valens with equal passion, fingertips sinking into the hard muscles of the young man’s back as their tongues slid together. “I was thinking about our future,” he said when their lips parted.

“Cade,” Valens groaned. “For once, leave your conscience at the bedside.”

“When I say the future, I mean fifteen minutes from now, when I expect to be licking the sweat from your collarbones while basking in the afterglow of a truly epic orgasm.”

“Fifteen minutes? You call that
epic
?”

“You said we haven’t much time.” Cade unfastened his trousers and pushed them down.

Valens looked down at Cade’s crotch. “You certainly aren’t wasting any.”

“You know how undressing you affects me,” Cade said as he backed Valens up to the synswade-upholstered vanity.

“The same way being undressed by you affects me,” Valens murmured as he settled back against the coolness of the freeform mirror.

Cade leaned in to run his tongue around the tip of the Companion’s arousal, running his fingers through the manicured pubic thatch. “It excites me that I excite you,” he said.

Valens clutched at the edge of the vanity top as the Speaker sucked strongly at the head of his cock before releasing it. “Should we be doing this on the furniture?”

Cade moved between Valens’s thighs, resting his hands on his lover’s hips. “I’ll pay for any damage.”

“I’m in love with a crazy person,” Valens said fondly as he looked down into Cade’s eyes.

“Really? Are you going to leave me for him?”

Valens framed Cade’s face in his hands. “Never,” he said as he leaned in for a kiss.

Cade wrapped his arms around Valens’s back and pulled him forward until their crotches were pressed firmly together. The kiss deepened, their tongues sliding over and under and into every corner as their hard cocks rubbed together.

“Every time,” Valens gasped as their lips parted. “Every time you kiss me, I feel as though my bones are melting. How do you do that?”

“I learned it from you,” Cade said.

Valens reached between them to take a cock in each hand. Cade sucked in a harsh breath as Valens smacked the head of his shaft lightly against his lover’s before gathering both in one fist. Letting a glob of saliva fall from his lips, Valens used it to slick his palm as he stroked their hard shafts together. Cade pulled Valens’s head down for another kiss, groaning into the other man’s mouth as Valens thumbed the sensitive head of his cock. Pulsing his hips, Cade thrust into Valens’s fist, rubbing the underside of his arousal against Valens’s hard length.

“That feels so good,” Valens breathed, breaking the kiss for air.

“Makes me glad we’re both men,” Cade admitted, running his palms down Valens’s shoulders to his chest, brushing the peaked nipples perched atop the smooth pectorals. “Every time I think it can’t get better….” Cade’s voice trailed off in a groan.

“It does,” Valens finished for him. “Every time.”

Cade kissed the end of Valens’s perfect nose as he reached for a bottle of scented oil. Valens unwrapped his legs from around Cade’s waist and propped his heels against the edge of the padded surface. Cade gazed on the riches laid bare to him and had to blink back the extra moisture that gathered in his eyes. “I love you so much,” he said. “I can hardly believe my luck sometimes.”