The Copper Horse #1 Fear (33 page)

Reuben nodded, as he didn't know how long this would really take. All his focus went to keeping his backside facing away from the guest, so he wouldn't see the tail stuck in between Reuben's buttocks.

But of course, Erik had to coat Reuben with others' attention as well. "Isn't he a gem?" He asked Reuben's abductor, walking back to his chair.

"Yes, Mr. Dal. A ruby," the man said with a forced smile.

Reuben realized this had to be Blake the Buff, about whom he had heard of back in the kitchen.

"I don't know how I could have even lived without him." Erik leaned back in his chair with a soft sigh, but Reuben recognized that for some reason the words were meant as a challenge for the guest.

"I'm glad he's doing well," Blake muttered through clenched teeth.

"Oh, yes, it would have been a shame if he'd died in that arena like some common street boy." Erik patted his knee in invitation for Reuben, who moved closer on his knees and leaned his head against Erik's thigh. There were so many things he liked about this position. It was quite comfortable, and he would be petted all the time. Remembering that it was Erik who'd taken him away from this man, not to mention an unspeakably horrible death, made him imagine what else he could do on his knees if they weren't in company.

"You wouldn't know what kind of slave he would be, if he did, now would you, Mr. Dal?" Blake sighed and Reuben noticed glistening beads of sweat on his high forehead.

"True, his talent would be wasted. Poor, poor pony." Erik bowed his head to kiss his pet's arm. Reuben smiled with a soft sigh, and he knew if it weren't for the restraints, he would gladly sneak his arms around his master's calves. No touch felt as good as his.

"Aww, it's good he did find his true calling and has no backbone whatsoever. It would be a shame otherwise." Blake's mouth stretched into a tense smile and Reuben swallowed, unsure if the man had just offended him or not.

"You do know I can have you thrown out into the wild, right?" Erik's tone was cheerful even when he voiced the threat. "Watch your tongue when you speak about my stallion."

Blake's face went blank and he gave him a wordless nod, lips pursed into a thin line. Reuben discretely kissed the side of Erik's thigh to show his gratitude. No one could hurt him with a protector like that.

"Now, where were we again?" Erik focused his attention back on his guest, but he never stopped stroking Reuben's scalp.

"I was saying, thanks to our farms, we don't pay labor costs, but if Gregorovich cuts off our tax-free way into the city, we'll be screwed on many levels. We'd have to raise prices and won't be so competitive anymore. You have to tell your brother to make the farms bigger... Sir." Blake's face tensed when he understood he'd forgotten his place.

Erik's brows gathered into a frown "Do I look like an errand boy to you?"

Blake grumbled. "I don't have the leverage! He won't listen to me!" His fingers dug into the leather upholstery of the chair.

"Well, you are forgetting two things, Buff man." Erik rolled his pen in his hand, playing with it like a hyperactive child. "First, my brother detests me. Second, you are forgetting that bigger farms need more food, and I fail to see the benefit of more produce if we can't use the stiffy train."

Blake exhaled loudly and slouched into the chair with a face so blank it seemed the answer had killed him. "I will think about it, Mr. Dal, and come up with a solution," he muttered in the end.

"Good." Erik sank deeper into his seat.

"I will go now, sir." Blake got to his feet, made a move for the door and stopped as if he remembered something. "Unless there's something more you need me for?"

"You can go, just bring some of those tiny cookies for Copper next time. The ones they sell on Friar Street." Erik seemed to enjoy his power over people.

Blake the Buff, the same terrifying man who snatched Reuben's freedom away, only had a nod for Erik. "Yes, sir."

Only now it occurred to Reuben that there was one more person in the office. Hans was sitting in the shadow, looking more like a statue than a man. Reuben only noticed him when Hans got up to open the door for Blake.

"Sir, do you want me to take the horse away, for intruding?" His voice as devoid of emotion as usual, but Reuben had already noticed that when Hans actually talked or suggested something, it was mostly about punishing him.

"Oh. No, why would I want to punish him for missing me so much he had to barge in?" Erik lifted Reuben's face gently and smiled at him. "That's why we all love our pets."

Reuben reciprocated, though meeting the man who'd sold him was a disturbing experience. He tried to focus on his master instead, but his eyes inevitably darted to a small bronze statue of two stallions mating, both of their members unnaturally huge. It once again reminded him of how perverted his master was.

He gave an enthusiastic whinny and carefully got up to his feet. The sugar cubes only made his appetite grow!

"What, are you hungry?" Erik patted the side of his abdomen and Reuben nodded. He tried to say the word 'hungry' but it only came out as a bit of a grumble.

Erik got up from his armchair and took the reins in his hand. "So you missed me, is that it?"

Reuben leaned in to nibble on his ear, and Erik laughed, gently tugging him toward the door. Reuben had almost grown to like the pull of the bit and its weight on his tongue. It was comforting to be denied the chance to say something that would earn him another nickname for being stupid.

"You're adorable. I have been thinking about you a lot today."

"Mm?" Reuben couldn't speak, but he'd learned to work with the intonation of his mumbling, so it sounded like a question.

"Yes, you are so easy to train that I keep getting ideas how to develop you further." Erik guided him toward the stairs, Jack and Hans trailing behind in silence.

Reuben looked to his master, not sure if he liked the sound of this, but Erik immediately calmed him down.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you, if that's what you're thinking."

Reuben nodded and brushed his fingers against his master's trousers, making him chuckle.

"I see food's not the only thing you are hungry for, is it?"

Reuben sighed in defeat. As much as he didn't mind the bit on a general basis, he couldn't wait to talk to Erik at dinner. There was so much he wanted to share about his day!

"I was thinking we should advance your training. You are getting larger and I'm sure you are able to pull my cart by now."

Reuben furrowed his eyebrows but gave him a slow nod. He was strong enough to walk the treadmill all day, so he supposed this kind of task lay within his abilities.

When they reached the dining room, Jack stayed outside for the same reason Reuben didn't like this room. The heads were almost too much for him to handle when eating. If the food were any less delicious, he'd definitely pass on dinner.

John went off to fetch their food and Erik removed Reuben's bit, finally freeing his mouth. His jaws had gotten used to it by now, so what remained was merely an ache.

"I'm sorry I barged in like that, Master." He walked over to the feeder and gave his master a smile.

Erik waved his hand, sipping his wine. "Don't worry about it. That man's always getting on my nerves anyway."

Reuben shifted his weight from one foot to another. "He's a bad man."

Erik laughed. "Aren't we all? Being boring, however—that I cannot forgive."

The answer baffled Reuben for a moment. He had a feeling he'd heard that sentence before. "I...
I'm
not bad," he said flatly, searching for confirmation in Erik's weird eyes. His master blinked and eventually shook his head, acknowledging his worries.

"You're absolutely right. You, my ruby, are not bad." It was hard to interpret the way Erik's face tensed for a moment before breaking out into a broad smile. "I was thinking I shouldn't keep your charm all to myself."

"No?" Reuben gulped, his stomach clenching in fear. He wouldn't sell him, like some kind of slave-horse-bunter, right?

"That's right. It would be a shame to hide such a fine stallion away. There's an event I always throw, and I want to present you to my friends there." He gave Reuben a questioning look, restlessly moving the wine glass over the tablecloth.

Reuben's throat clenched. Even the tiny dumplings John placed in his bowl couldn't drive the fear away. "What is this event? Is it at the arena?"

"Oh, don't be silly!" Erik ripped a piece of bread from a slice and put it in his mouth. "I will be holding it here this year. You'll love it."

Reuben stared at him with growing interest, the unease wiped out by his master's assurance. "I will? What happens here?"

Erik shrugged. "There will be pets playing and competing for their masters' pleasure. I'm sure you will be so popular this year," he said with conviction, his two-colored eyes piercing Reuben with pride. "I don't think I ever had a better stallion than you."

Reuben felt his mouth stretching into a smile at the praise. "No? I'm not well-bred or nothing." He was amazed by the idea that more people like Erik existed. "Is it there that I will get to be a champion?" He munched a dumpling, only to happily discover it was filled with meat.

"Yes. In fact, Copper, I think you should be one to sire champions, even if you haven't been born a pedigree horse yourself." Erik stared at him, his cheeks getting a bit of a rosy tint.

"Me?" Reuben laughed. "Nah, I don't think I'm good enough. I know nothing..."

"You are." Erik swallowed a piece of food. "And it would please me very much to see you being mounted…" he trailed off, his eyes never leaving Reuben's face.

Reuben gave a vigorous nod. "I might be strong enough, if you want to give it a try."

"By another stallion."

"Oh." Reuben felt a sudden flush rush up to his face, and his mind went blank.

"No rush, Reuben." Erik finished his entree and washed the food down with wine. "Just think about it for now."

John hurried to their master's side to refill his glass.

"And when is this competition?" Reuben's gaze followed the bottle with longing.

"October 29th, ponyboy," Erik told him with a wide smile. "Aren't you excited?"

Reuben bit his lip, looking at him from over the feeder, all his insecurities kicking in. "Maybe, but what if you get bored with me by then, Master? It's a long time..."

Erik shot him a curious look. "Why do you think that? So far, you've been nothing but a joy."

"I've made you angry many times," Reuben reminded him, though his worries were melting like ice cream, and he was already looking forward to the second dish. He knew he was getting steak today, all nicely cut up for him so it was easy to eat.

"Oh, not that many." Erik shook his head, smiling when John put a plate of steaming vegetables in front of him. "You've been actually exceptionally good so far."

"Was I? What did other horses do?" Reuben leaned in for a chunk of steak after John tossed a whole pile of them into his bowl.

"Oh, they resisted." Erik pouted. "I think they really hated me, their master." He shot Reuben a calm, searching look. "It hurt."

Reuben froze and swallowed. "Well... you can be... uhm... abrupt." Reuben tried not to cross a line.

Erik's answering laugh sounded quite cheerful, even though he averted his eyes from Reuben. "I'm not cruel to you."

"I know it could be worse. It's just that... if you said they resisted, I can't even imagine what punishment they would get," he said, with his mouth full, and seeing Erik wasn't going to give him an answer, he went on. "Or maybe they were some wealthy people themselves, or dukes, or princes or stuff."

"Why?" Erik stared at him from the table.

"'Cause that kind of people, they don't want to give up things, right? And they always want everything their way! But me... I don't really have nothing." He shrugged, hoping his master would understand the logic behind his words.

"That's right. You only have me."

Reuben swallowed, hit by the reality of it being said flat out like that. He didn't want to dwell on it though.

He decided to change the subject. "So I've been to the kitchen today."

"Oh?" That got him Erik's full attention. "Why?"

"I got lonely and bored after work, and I like Jack very much, but it's just not enough. And he already told me some time ago that if we stick to the rules, he can take me for walks around the house. So I wanted to see more of the servants, hear them talking, be..." he trailed off, to make sure Erik understood. "Be a part of something. And they all know what I do here anyway, so I figured, why not?"

Erik looked at him for the longest time and his stare started to give Reuben the creeps, but the master's expression suddenly turned into a smile. "Why not indeed? And? Did you like it?"

Reuben beamed at him, happy that Erik considered his chattering important. "I did. I was scared at first but then people were really kind to me. I got a blanket to kneel by the table and Mr. Fry took care of me, so no one would tease me. And I could listen to all the gossip." He winked at Erik and bent down in for yet another delicious piece of steak.

"You should try Fry's pies. They are divine."

"Can I get some on Sunday?" Reuben asked, but then went on with what he wanted to talk about most. "And they said Percy Preston was banished from London and is now in some place in Bylondon!"

"Percy Preston, the actor?" Erik chewed on his food slowly. In Reuben's opinion, it had a lot to do with the fact that he just had some vegetables. Why would he only eat vegetables if he could afford meat?

"Yes! I have seen him once, and he's very skilled and funny!" Reuben wouldn't dare go on about the fact that he was also handsome, with skin as smooth as a baby's butt. Thankfully, Erik was there to help.

"Is he good looking?"

"He's uhm... I wouldn't know," Reuben muttered and ate a piece of hot broccoli in order to gag himself into silence.

"Which is a lady lover's way of saying, 'He's absolutely stunning'!" Erik chuckled and drank more of the wine. "Now you've gotten me interested."