Chapter 24

My wait to come face to face with Silvano was shorter than even I expected. I should have known he wouldn't be one to wait.

As he entered Jacob's locked chamber, he made a show of jangling his keys before pocketing them in his denim jeans. I was sitting at the desk on my laptop at the time and looked up expecting Jacob. On seeing my unexpected visitor though, I jumped from my seat, knocking it over.

"Silvano!" I said, unable to mask my surprise. 

Even now, knowing he was involved here, and having witnessed his dark personality, I couldn't suppress a fleeting thought of how hot he looked with those top three shirt buttons undone. There was a teasing view of the soft fur that coated his chest.

The display he made of pocketing his keys before speaking didn't go unnoticed. For him to have keys to Jacob's room, he would have to be one of Jacob's inner circle.

"It's a pity you saw me," he said, stepping into the room but not making any approach towards me. I kept the desk between us just in case though and snapped the laptop shut.  "You know you won't be leaving here," he finished.

"What do you mean?"  

Silvano laughed.  "You're rich, not stupid," he said. "You know who I am. Do you seriously think we can let you go? Before, it was just a matter of time until Jacob got bored with you, but now that you've seen me, it looks like I'll have to up the schedule. I don't like loose ends."

"I...I wouldn't say anything!" I stuttered, grasping his meaning.

"I'm rich, not stupid either," Silvano laughed humourlessly. He sauntered towards the desk. "Tell me, what does he see in you?"

"Josh?" My mind was racing harder with every step closer he took.

"Josh! Ha! He's just a piece of meat here. I'm talking about Jacob. Anyone else would have been taken out the day they arrived. What have you got on him?"

"Me? N-nothing. I don't have anything. He likes me, that's all."

"Oh, no," Silvano said, now leaning across the table on both hands. "Jacob doesn't 'like' anyone. They're either useful or their not. And he wouldn't become this obsessed about anyone unless they've got something over him. Whatever it is, I've been watching you: you've got him wrapped around your little finger. So what is it?"

It was my turn to snort an unintentional laugh. If Silvano thought I had something on Josh, let alone any power over him, he must be mad! I didn't know what to say, so I just shook my head and backed further away.

Silvano leapt onto the desk and crouched there watching me.

"I can make you talk," he suggested.  When I didn't respond, he added, "You saw what I did to Josh when we fought. Imagine what I could do to you!"

"Jacob won't like it," I retorted. "You shouldn't be in here."

"Then he shouldn't have given me the key!" He sprung off the desk and landed in front of me. My back hit the wall as I ran out of room to retreat. Silvano's hand grabbed my throat.  "One more time," he said. "Then things get nasty."

Without waiting for a reply, Silvano spun me around and lifted me off my feet, dropping me on the desk. I grunted as my back and head hit the hard wooden surface. While I grasped at his wrists, Silvano tightened the squeeze and leant over me, his hot garlic breath burning my nostrils.

"Tell me."

"I don't know!" I choked. "It's the sex! He likes the sex!"

"The sex!" Silvano echoed in disgust. "You had your chance!" He squeezed my throat tighter and I lashed out, landing a lucky blow to his face. He stumbled a step and released me but before I could get up he growled "Son of a bitch!" and pressed his hand over my nose and mouth, leaning over me to add his full weight behind the suffocation.

I squealed under his palm but his other hand was holding my chin, stopping my head from turning away. I yanked and slapped at his hands but couldn't pull them off. I tried hitting his face but his arms were longer, keeping his head out of reach. I beat at his arms and chest and when pushing him away did no good, I pulled him towards me, his shirt tearing in the process. He slapped me across the face, then resumed suffocating me just as I finished sucking in a lungful of fresh air.

My chest was on fire and my eyes felt ready to pop out of their sockets. My feet kicked and thrashed, but Silvano wasn't even breaking a sweat holding me there. Then just as I felt ready to pass out, he released me.  I rolled to my side, wheezing and gasping, only to have Silvano roll me onto my back again.

"Last chance," he said. "What do you have over him?"

"Nothing," I sobbed. "I'm his toy boy, that's all! I've got nothing!"

Silvano shook his head, disappointment written all over his face.

"I thought we could do business. I guess I was wrong. I guess you really are rich and stupid after all."

His hand wrapped over my mouth and nose again. My eyes welled with tears, but as the pressure returned to my lungs, I didn't struggle or sob. A strange calm settled over me. Suddenly I wasn't afraid. I returned Silvano's stare, and saw his brow crease slightly. His lips tightened and he pressed down harder, but still I didn't react. Death wasn't so frightening after all. And with all of my might, I was going to greet it with dignity.

[ TO BE CONTINUED ]

Chapter 23

I raced as fast as the guard would let me on my way to see Josh. The paper inside my tight shorts scratched uncomfortably at my thigh but I was more concerned about someone noticing it.  I had so much to share with Josh, including the appearance of Silvano, but I also wanted to be sure Miguel was okay. Since Ronan's disappearance, I didn't know what to expect.

As we passed through to the fighter's lounge room, Miguel lay on the sofa, one side of his face swollen. He looked miserable, lying there alone. The beating he must have received to inflict so much swelling had not come from the arena.

"Miguel!" I said. "What happened?" but the guard pushed me past him before Miguel could struggle to a sitting position. I was shoved out the room and hurried to Josh's room. My visits were always kept short, and the guards knew I was there only to see Josh. No other fraternising was encouraged.

In Josh's room, we embraced and I voiced my fright over seeing Miguel's face.

"It gets worse than that," Josh explained. "His back is covered in welts. He'll heal, but he was whipped pretty badly too. He lost his nerve in the arena. He let the fear take over and he couldn't think."

"A man that size should never have gone down so quickly," I sighed.

"He wasn't always that big, you know. As a kid he was bullied pretty badly; beaten up more than once," Josh admonished me. "You can build as much muscle as you like, but in the end, it's what's inside that counts. He's just as scared now as he was back then."

I nodded, knowing full well that childhood traumas could last a lifetime. It was a sad fact of life. I could only hope Miguel would find a way to fight his demons and get a second chance to prove himself.

"Jacob has another fighting ring here," Josh continued, lowering his voice. "The guys tell me its for erotic wrestling. Those fights are rigged to give the punters a hot show. When his bruising is healed, Miguel has to fight in that and lose." I nodded, careful not to let on that I already knew about the ring, but then the sting came: "Loser will get fucked," Josh finished.

I opened my mouth but no sound came out. That wasn't the deal between Colby and Saxon. When they fought in the erotic ring, it was a friendly, easy romp. Now, on top of his beating, Miguel was going to be humiliated and fucked in front of a crowd, all because he lost his first fight?! I felt a foreboding sense that Miguel's insecurities were about to get worse.

"It wasn't that he lost," Josh explained when I finally managed to voice my disbelief. "It was because he lost so badly. He didn't put up a fight. He embarrassed Jacob."

I was dumbfounded. The more I heard of what Jacob was capable of, the less I could reconcile it with the man I shared a bed with. I'd seen him angry, but everyone got mad. These deeds though, they were beyond anger. They were the sick retributions of a megalomaniac, not the actions of the sexy, albeit egotistical guy I knew.

They were thoughts I couldn't voice though, so I slipped the paper out of my shorts, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Josh as I reached into the front of my pants.

"These are the plans," I said, handing him the map I'd drawn.  "I have a laptop to fill in the time when I'm locked away. I've been progressively drafting a schematic of the building layout and think I've got it all now… at least, all I'm going to see."

"That's amazing!" Josh gaped. "You're amazing!" He grabbed my face and kissed my forehead before eagerly unfolding the map.

"I couldn't bring my laptop down, obviously, so I traced it out on paper. It's not to scale but it'll give you an idea."

He shook his head in disbelief.

"This is perfect," he said. "The other guys want to get out of here too. I've been building support for a revolt, although it’s a while off yet. They're still learning to trust me. But as much as I hate to say it, Miguel's punishment was exactly what I needed to build their support faster. It was a harsh reminder of the eggshells we walk on."

"There's one more thing you need to know," I said, unable to hold the big news back any longer. "Silvano is here. I think he's working for Jacob."

"Silvano?" Josh asked and then it dawned on him. "The crazy Italian?!"

"Yes. I think he was the one whoarranged our kidnapping. That's how they knew to use me as collateral."

"Shit! I thought it had to be an inside job… someone involved with our wrestling games."

"He knows I know," I said. "He saw me the same time I saw him. Do you think he'll try something?! I haven't been able to sleep ever since I saw him. What if he tries to kill me?"

"Remember the golden rule," Josh said. "Keep calm. If you panic you won't be able to think straight. Look at Miguel. Stay around other people as much as you can. If you get the chance, let someone know you're afraid he'll try something. He probably won't - no one seems to do anything around here without permission from Jacob, but if you put the word out, then he'll know the finger will point at him if anything does happen. It might be enough to deter him."

I nodded and said, "We have to get out of here soon. I'm feeling really freaked right now, with Silvano and Miguel, and seeing you get hurt in the ring."

"I'm fine," he promised me. "And we will get out of here. Just remember, you're doing okay so far. You're keeping safe and avoiding unnecessary attention from Jacob. Bit by bit I'm winning the guys over, not just here but in the other Houses too. Just a little bit longer and it will be over, I promise."

It killed me to say nothing, but I reminded myself again that Josh needed to focus on his own plight. If he knew about Jacob and I it would consume him, stopping him from doing his best in the fight pit. It might even spur him into enacting our escape before he was really ready. So I stayed silent and let my eyes drop to the floor.  He lifted my chin and smiled reassuringly, confusing my guilt for something more honourable.

Chapter 22

The next round of fights in the arena opened with two newbies on the fight circuit.  Soft spoken Miguel was second to enter the pit after his opponent was introduced. He would be fighting a man named Tyson, no doubt after the famous boxer.

Tyson was tall and beautiful, which seemed to be a mandatory trait for all the fighters from every House. His slim dark frame, with its light coat of hair, was as delicious as his unshaven face that could have graced the cover of any model magazine. His short messy afro was the only thing out of place on the otherwise perfect specimen.

The speakers introduced Miguel as Hades, God of the Dead and he entered sheepishly. I almost laughed when I saw his shoulders slump with relief at the sight of Tyson.  The were both tall and strong and would make an exotic pair in the erotic wrestling room. But Miguel had obviously been expecting someone bigger built to be fighting him. In the muscle department, Miguel easily looked the strongest but I'd already learnt that size and might were not everything in this game. I only hoped Miguel knew that too.

The men approached each other, both still showing signs of nervousness. Tyson looked the more nervous of the two though, having now seen his opponent.

They reached out and shook hands but Tyson kept moving, stepping past Miguel's side and bringing Miguel's arm up over his head, twisting it back. Miguel yelped and fell to a knee as Tyson stepped behind him and put a knee in Miguel's back, preventing him from dropping back.

The size of Miguel's bicep did nothing to deter Tyson from strengthening his hold forcing Miguel to lean further back into the knee on his spine. Miguel reached back over his head and Tyson snatched his wrist, forcing it back with his other hand. Miguel cried out, both arms now being pulled down over the back of his head.  As he arched further into Tyson's knee, Tyson locked one hand around both of Miguel's wrists and brought an elbow down on Miguel's chest.

Miguel grunted, one arm ripping free but as he fell forward, Tyson pulled his arm in place again before landing another solid blow to Miguel's chest. Miguel twisted his arm away as Tyson tried to raise it above him again but Tyson changed tack and pulled it down, forcing it behind Miguel's back.  Miguel winced, locked up in an awkward position that gave him no way to maneuver.

Tyson began tugging and twisting, weakening Miguel's shoulders. He used his knee in Miguel's back to push the bigger man down, pinning him face down on the ground. Changing his grasp, Tyson pulled both Miguel's arms straight back now, lifting his chest off the ground, but the knee that still pressed into Miguel's back pushed downwards, intensifying the stretch. 

Miguel cried out. Locked down like that, his arms must have felt like they were being ripped from their sockets. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and shook his head to fight off the pain, but it seemed like Tyson had no intention of letting go.  There was nothing Miguel could do. Even thrashing his legs jarred his tortured shoulders.

"Aargh!" he wailed, "I give! I give!"

Tyson dropped him to the ground and raised a fist to the air in a victory salute.  The crowd went crazy, booing loudly as empty cans flew from the stands into the pit.  They'd been starved of a fight and what little there was lacked movement and violence and tension.

Tyson covered his head and ran from the ring, leaving Miguel still lying defeated on the ground. Slowly, he got to his feet and keeping his head down, he staggered to the exit, too ashamed to look up, and too humiliated to even feel those cans that struck him.

It was a disaster! I realized I was covering my mouth with my hands, horrified at Miguel's utter failure to compete. My leash jerked and I turned to see Jacob fuming. He threw my leash to the ground.

"Stay here!" he barked and stormed out of our booth.  I watched him go as he exploded through the doors, startling two men conversing in the corridor. They whirled around to face him and my eyes locked with Silvano's.

I staggered back against the railing and we stared at each other until the door glided to a close breaking the eye contact. I couldn't move!

Silvano was a casual guard on my family's estate. He was a ring-in whenever someone was sick. His friendly fight with Josh in my gym had turned vicious and Josh barely made out the other side. He'd proven to be a nasty piece of work, and now it all made sense.

Silvano's style of fighting that day had been similar to the semi-street brawl style here. It had been Silvano that had set Josh up to be kidnapped, letting them know that I would be good collateral! That was how they knew to grab me first, and that was why they'd taken us in the first place. It was all Silvano's doing!

I found myself short of breath, knowing now that there was a mole within my father's security team. What else could Silvano be up to? He had my father's trust. He could do anything. I had to tell Josh. Now that Silvano knew that I knew about him, was my life in danger too?

I looked around for Jacob but he was somewhere on the other side of the door. Josh was tucked away in his own prison far from me. Not a single person was within easy reach if Silvano made a move against me.  I looked over the edge at the pit below. I could make my escape that way and weave between the guys cleaning up the mess of cans…

"What a disaster!" the announcer boomed through the speakers, as if announcing my very thought. He continued: "The House of Jacob has been shamed. Has Hades gone from the God of the Dead to nothing more than the Dead God?! More action coming up soon. Hang tight and grab another drink while we clear the pit. Our next two fighters guarantee not to disappoint you…"

I looked back up at the doorway. It was still closed but I could almost sense Silvano behind it, already plotting against me.

Chapter 21

I was gob-smacked and still horny has hell as we dressed and returned to Jacob's room. I wondered if Colby and Saxon would return to their bunker and scrub themselves silly having been through such an experience. I would have sworn they'd enjoyed themselves.

Jacob took great pleasure assuring me they were given strict instructions and no choice.

"Those people in there pay a lot of money for a private fight like that and the chance to get up close and personal with the fighters. Too much money for any one of them to dare fuck it up."

My mind churned over, trying to process what I was hearing.

"But if they're straight, they wouldn't have gotten hard, especially not that quickly."

"You've heard of Viagra, haven't you? Besides, it doesn't take much to make a man hard. Our dicks have a mind of their own. Throw in a pill and you can guarantee they'll be cumming."

I thought some more about it.

"What about Josh?"

"He'll get his turn," Jacob smiled. "I'll make sure you're invited." The note of sarcasm in his voice didn't escape me. I got the impression he didn't like Josh, so quickly changed the subject.

"Well," I said crossing over to him and peeling off his vest. "That was pretty amazing." I pushed him back onto the futon and came down on top of him, pinning his arms by his head. "How do you think you'd fare if I took you on?"

"I think I'd survive," he laughed, pushing his arms up easily.

I raised myself off him and pressed down on his arms with my full body weight.

"Not if I threw in a pill when you weren't looking," I smiled.

Jacob raised an eyebrow and grinned.

"It would have to be a horse pill to knock me out," he said, still holding his arms up, despite my best efforts to pin him down again.

"Oh it was," I said. "I had to grind it down just to fit it in your cup. It should kick in any minute."

"Is that so?" For a moment I thought he was going to play along, but he rolled me over, crushing me under his furry body as he pinned my arms down. "You wanna know what I do to people who try to fuck with me?" he growled.

He forced his lips onto mine, kissing me hard and rough. His legs forced mine apart and little grunting noises escaped his throat as the animal inside surfaced. I tried turning my head away but he buried his mouth in my neck sucking hard, leaving his mark. I cried out, struggling and suddenly his arms gave way. He pushed my hands back to the mattress but when I pushed against him again, I started lifting my hands.

"What the…?!" he said as he forced my hands down again. I realised he was playing after all and my panic subsided.

"You thought I was joking, didn't you?" I said, seizing the moment. I gritted my teeth, pushing against him again. My arms raised steadily this time and I pushed him over, rolling on top of him and pinning him to the bed. He gave a roar and flexed his biceps as he fought to raise his arms.

"Forget it bitch. You've had your day. You belong to me now!" I knew I sounded like a cheesy cheap porn flick but it wasn't easy to ad lib off the cuff like that.

Jacob thrust out his chest and contorted his face as he forced me off him but he didn't quite get back on top. I braced myself from rolling over and we struggled on our sides. He pressed into me, using our significant weight difference to his advantage. He twisted on top of me but I used his momentum to roll him back off.  He tried to pull away, getting as far as a sitting position before I leapt onto his back and pulled him down on top of me.

Pulling his arms up into a full nelson, I locked them there with one hand and reached around with my other to fondle his unprotected nipples.

Jacob gasped as I pinched them playfully and slapped at them with my fingertips.  I ran my hand through his chest hair before reaching town awkwardly to slap at his erection through his tight pants. He pulled himself off of me but I knocked him back to the bed and pinned his hands down once more.  I ground my chest over his, enjoying the feel of his fur scratching against my smooth skin.  I kissed him as hard and passionately as he'd done to me earlier and he lay there and took it.

Still holding him down, I breathed in his manly scent and used my mouth to moisten his neck and chest, leaving no part untouched. I enjoyed the sound of his moans and the feel of his rigid cock below.  I pressed my groin against his and began gyrating in a smooth, regular motion. His hips raised to join in the movement as our lips locked again, visions of Colby and Saxon replaying through our minds.

As our breathing became more laboured, Jacob thrust his hips harder against me. I matched his intensity and tightened my grip on his hands. His arms tensed and his biceps flexed in a final display for our fantasy as we both croaked and shook in unison, cumming in our pants as the sensitivity of our cock's fed off the cloth rubbing tightly against them.

My head fell on his chest as we lay there panting and I blessed the grove between his pecs with a kiss before raising my head. Jacob wrapped his arms around me and we kissed slowly this time, tenderly. His hand rubbed my back as he held me, and it took me by surprise when I realised how good it felt.