Surreal

The planet Draton was nothing special. It was located within Helia Cluster which housed a variety of habitable planets with bustling populations. Ja’el had stopped here to refuel his ship after he had left Hemparon Sector disappointed that his investigation would once again take him in a different route. He now stood outside a modest looking building that no doubt had seen better days. This was the address the clerk at the refueling station had given him, so he took a deep breath before climbing the stairs to the front door.

Ja’el knocked three times and when he did not receive a response he thought of leaving. On second thought he decided to try the door and wasn’t surprised to find it open, this was a place of business after all. Although he had expected some type of proper greeting.

If he thought the outside of the building was dreary, well the inside was certainly no better. The office was a mess, a large desk sat in the center of the room as the focal point. It was filled with so much paper and clutter, Ja’el was unsure how the owner could get anything done. There was a couch in the right corner of the room that was also filled with clothing as well as left over food wrappers. The room was lighted by a single chandelier that had no doubt seen better days due to several bulbs that no longer shone.

Ja’el made his way towards the desk and stopped short when something crunched beneath his boot. Looking down he saw shards of broken glass and could only imagine where they had come from. A part of Ja’el was telling him he should leave this place, would he really want to hire someone who lived like such a slob? The person himself would no doubt reflect the mess his living quarters was subject to. Ja’el was interrupted from his thoughts when a side door swung open. He expected to be greeted with the resident slob, but instead what he saw left him with his mouth agape.

A tall bronze skinned man with wet, slicked back jet-black hair entered the office wearing nothing but a short white towel wrapped around his waist. Ja’el’s eyes were drawn to his mostly nude body and the muscles that rippled over his arms, powerful thighs and legs indicated a man who did much working out for a living. However, he had the face of an angel which made Ja’el’s heart beat faster. Arched black brows framed his bronzed face as well as high cheekbones. The most alluring aspect of his lovely features were his forest green eyes that seemed to stare into his soul.

Ja’el had originally expected someone employed as a bodyguard to be physically fit but this man certainly went beyond that. He had to force himself to focus on his reason for being there. He realized that although he had made changes to his appearance and made a constant effort to remain under the radar; he would still need protection. Especially since his investigation would now take him further into dangerous territory. So perhaps he had come to the right place after all, the man was attractive but appeared to have the assets to do the job. Speaking of assets, Ja’el’s eyes fell to the half naked man’s firm lips which were currently twisted into a sneer.

“Who the fuck are you?”

Ja’el was taken aback by this question. Was this man not open for business? Why would he address a potential customer so harshly? “I’m sorry, are you not the body guard…” Ja’el quickly looked at the card in his hand to remind him of the man’s name. “Erik Dannos?”

“That would be me,” Erik strode into the room closing some of the distance between him and his guest. He smirked at the puzzled look on the smaller man’s face.

“Are you not open for business?” Ja’el was truly confused.

Erik shrugged his powerful shoulders before walking towards his desk and sitting on it, paper clutter and all. “Well I live here, what do you think?”

Ja’el’s mouth suddenly went dry when the short towel rode up from Erik’s sitting position revealing an indecent portion of his privates below. “Could you please get dressed,” Ja’el sputtered.

“Listen, you’re the one that walked in on me, now either state your business or leave.” Erik stared at the stranger with a slightly bored expression on his face. The man was nothing special; the narrowness of the black cloak he wore suggested a thin possibly skinny body beneath. Brown hair, eyes and small mouth also suggested your typical mousy brown unattractive male.

Ja’el was peeved that the other man made no effort to cover his exposed parts. He quickly diverted his gaze away from the offensive area and once again considered leaving. Perhaps he could find a bodyguard elsewhere that was a bit more conservative. Wait, what the heck was he thinking; a conservative bodyguard? Did those two words really go together? Plus this man had come highly recommended from his accomplishments in the past. So if this Mr. Dannos could get the job done then who was he to complain of his crudeness?

“I’m currently conducting an investigation to find someone,” Ja’el stated.

“Find someone? Is he or she missing?” Erik began to pick at a hidden piece of food stuck between his even white teeth. When his guest didn’t immediately respond, Erik glanced over at him and saw the annoyed expression on his face. He squelched a chuckle before continuing. “Are you sure this person wishes to be found?”

“That’s none of your concern; I’ll be paying you for your protection, not to stick your nose into my investigation.”

Erik chuckled before removing his finger from his teeth. His laughter which stopped almost as suddenly as it had begun never reached his eyes. “Get the fuck out of my office.”

This gave Ja’el a moments pause, he wasn’t sure if the bodyguard was serious or not until he saw him jump off the table and head towards the door he first entered through. This prompted Ja’el into action. “Please wait, are you not in the least interested in what I can pay you for this job?”

Erik paused in his retreat and turned to face his visitor once more, his smirk was also back. “Do you really think I do this for the money?”

Ja’el took another glance around at his dump of an office before replying. “Why wouldn’t you?”

Erik’s smirk widened into a grin as an idea came to mind. He’d teach this foppish man a lesson, one that he would never forget. “Fine, I’ll take the job.”

Ja’el was distracted by the way Erik’s handsome face lit up when he smiled that at first he didn’t realize the man had acquiesced. “Thank you, you won’t regret this. I can pay you one million credits, half now and the other half after we arrive at our destination and my mission is complete.”

Erik whistled at the large number. “A little man like you carting so much money, impressive.”

Ja’el immediately bristled at Erik’s reference of him. “You may address me as Mr. Leighton. I’m staying at this docking station.” Ja’el closed the distance between them to hand him a card. “Meet me there tomorrow at noon, we’ll be leaving post haste.”

Erik took the card, but instead of perusing the contents he grabbed Ja’el’s arm and pulled him against him. He saw the frightened look in the man’s widened brown eyes and grinned. The immediate protests seemed to die on his visitor’s lips when Erik leaned in close enough to smell him. His scent was clean and fresh, but there was also something else that added to Mr. Leighton’s mystery. There was something he was hiding and that intrigued Erik even more.

Ja’el was completely stunned when he felt his loins stir at their intimate contact. He’d never experienced such instant attraction to another person in the past before and it downright frightened him. He quickly pulled away from Erik’s grasp and realized that hiring him was probably not such a good idea after all.

“I’m afraid I’ve made a mistake, I’ll have to terminate our business dealings at once.” Ja’el was halfway to the door when suddenly Erik was there, laying a firm hand against it preventing Ja’el from opening it.

“Perhaps I’ve overstepped my bounds, if so I offer my apologies,” Erik began. “But consider this; you came to me for a reason. Either because you had no choice or you knew that I am very good at what I do. So let’s move forward from this blunder shall we?”

As much as the attraction had scared Ja’el witless, he realized the bodyguard was right. He wouldn’t have much time to try to locate someone else, and if the stories he had heard of Erik’s prowess were true, then he would be in good hands. Ja’el nodded his agreement and was relieved when Erik opened the door to allow him to leave.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Erik gifted him with a dazzling smile.

Ja’el nodded; “Tomorrow.” He was extremely grateful to leave the cluttered office and enter the streets below, although his heart felt like it was beating faster than a spinning drum.

~*~

Kisku Draymond liked experimenting…in the bedroom that is. As sole owner of two of the largest male brothels in the entire galaxy, The Elite Den and Cadence Palace; he was given every opportunity to do so. Currently he was enjoying the charms of one of his favorite whores, a small boy by the name of Chav Stovoy.

While the brothel’s were known for the mind control substance called Euphoria that turned the whores into willing pawns, Kisku’s partner’s were never under the drugs’ control while they pleasured him. It was true that many of the slaves were dangerous and would not perform unless forced to, but there were others like Chav who was completely submissive with no other thought on his small mind besides pleasing his current lover. He was also very pleasing to the eye. Shoulder-length auburn colored hair framed his face beautifully. His eyes were a rich violet hue. The thick, sooty lashes covering the lovely orbs also added to his appeal. And those pert, soft, pink lips – the ones that were currently wrapped around Kisku’s hardened member could not be denied.

Chav was currently suspended above Kisku’s bed by a pulley system consisting of soft ropes that allowed him to spin in the air of the high ceiling before lowering himself to Kisku’s naked body and sucking him off. After a quick gulp of the owner’s stiff cock, he’d allow the ropes to lift him back into the air and perform another acrobatic spin before repeating the process once more. It didn’t matter to the slave that he was completely naked, or that his own unused cock hung stiffly between his thighs, jerking lightly to the movements of his body.

Kisku sighed in pleasure when Chav descended and his pink tongue shot out from between those lips to lick at the drop of pre-come that had appeared on the tip of his dick. After the secretion vanished the boy once again allowed the ropes to lift him to the ceiling. Kisku supposed his cock had had enough teasing. “I want your ass this time,” Kisku’s voice filtered up to the slave.

Chav did a small spin flip before positioning himself with his legs facing downward. As the ropes lowered him to the king-sized bed where his master lay, he opened his legs wider and lined up his ass with his lover’s upright cock. The penetration was swift and complete. Chav winced at the pain he knew the direct impalement would cause, but immediately wrapped his slender hands around Kisku’s waist so that he would remain in place as he was being fucked.

Kisku’s bucked his hips upwards, ramming his hard-on into the smaller man above him. The whore had a magic asshole. Each tightening around his cock caused pinpricks of ecstatic sensations to course through him. Kisku eventually sat up and wrapped his arms around the slave seated on his lap while sheathing his cock with that velvet ass of his. The brothel owner pumped his hips furiously, causing the firm bed they lay on to shake slightly.

As Chav was being fucked by his master, something he had endured countless times. The image of another man appeared in his memories. This man had waist length jet-black hair that was pulled back in a loose queue, and stunning crystal blue eyes. He always wore his black uniform so impeccably. He remembered admiring the way the thin, patent leather belt cinched his narrow waist. He was slender, yet one could make out the muscles beneath his tight, black shirt. Chav had unfortunately never seen the Captain of the Guard naked, while many other important guards were allowed to use him, the Captain never did.

Chav was disrupted from his thoughts as Kisku began to moan loudly beneath him. His face was buried into the older man’s chest; his breath coming quickly. It wasn’t long before Chav felt a bucket-load of semen coating the inside walls of his ass. His own stiff cock lay unspent between them; he’d have to wait to see if Kisku felt courteous today and would help him to completion. Chav wasn’t surprised when Kisku raised his head and soon their lips collided.

Kisku could still taste himself on Chav’s lips. However, this was one whore where he did not mind it. It was almost as if Chav’s mouth took his taste and turned it into something sweet. He lowered one hand to wrap it around the whore’s rigid cock without breaking the kiss. He did all this while his semi-hard spent cock lay still buried within the whore’s slick body.

Kisku brushed his thumb against the boy’s cock head and was delighted when he heard him moan. All of his reaction was genuine, not coerced as it would have been under Euphoria. He was going to enjoy watching him find release, as he’d done countless times in the past. There was always a look of utter ecstasy on the slave’s lovely features which he found fascinating.

Kisku was about to deepen the kiss when a light buzzer sounded throughout the bedchamber. He knew immediately that it was the communicator complete with visual screen located on the right side of the room. Kisku sighed before untangling himself from Chav and allowing the boy to be lifted back to the ceiling. The brothel owner paused to don a robe to cover his nudity before pressing the button on the communicator panel to answer the call. He’d forgotten that it was still early in the day and his ‘do not be disturbed’ time was still several hours off.

Kisku recognized his second in command and Captain of the Elite Den Guard, Rais Dian. He liked Dian, mostly because the man was a no-nonsense leader. He wished he had two like him, for the Cadence Palace had suffered under the leadership of Gregon Tillman. There was a bout of bad business a few years ago that led Kisku to have the man relieved of duty. But since then he’d been unable to find a lasting Captain skilled enough to do the job. Currently the position was vacant which could lead to a host of problems if it remained that way for too long.

“Sir, I wanted to give you my report ahead of time. I’ve found two candidates for the Captain position at the Palace. I’ll be interviewing them this afternoon. Once they have my approval I will leave it to you to suggest the one we need,” Rais stated. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his black uniform impeccably radiant.

“Well done Captain, am I to assume that your second in command is not among those listed?” Kisku asked.

“That is correct sir; I need Commander Shuoy with me. She is essential to our everyday running here and I could never find her replacement,” Rais replied. As he waited for Kisku’s reaction to this, he saw when a naked slave fell from the ceiling to the bed below him. “Forgive me sir; I was unaware that you were otherwise occupied. I can contact you later.”

“Go ahead and conduct your interviews, but keep me posted,” Kisku said.

Rais nodded, “Yes sir.” The screen immediately went black.

Kisku glanced behind him and saw that Chav had worked his way out of the pulley system and was sitting on the bed; legs spread wide and cock still hard. He felt his own cock stiffen at the sight the whore presented and began to make his way to the bed, peeling his robe off in the process.

~*~

Rais stood in the main control room of the officer barracks still standing before the blackened screen. The image of the slave that fell from the ceiling was still in his mind; he’d known exactly who the boy was. He wasn’t quite sure what was wrong with him. Chav was a whore who serviced countless clients and guards throughout the facility. So why did it bother him to know that he had currently been fucking his brains out with Mr. Draymond.

“You need to fuck that boy and get him out of your system already.”

Rais glanced up at the person who had spoken; his second in command, Soiph Shuoy. She was a tall woman with stunning beauty. Shoulder-length red hair framed a pert face; dazzling pale green eyes could send chills through a foe. Her uniform matched his, minus the golden shoulder plates that indicated his rank. The long sleeved black shirt with one breast pocket was fitted to her shapely form, including the tight pants and knee high boots. A phaser hung in a holster strapped to her right thigh.

“Soiph, you promised we wouldn’t talk about this again,” Rais sighed before moving away from the computer panel to sit on a nearby couch.

“Really I did? I don’t remember.” There was a feigned look of innocence on Soiph’s face as she came to stand before him, arms crossed beneath her ample bosom. “You are the Captain of the Guard, you could have any one of those whores in your bed at night but the one you really want, you avoid him like the plague. Why is that?”

“You think you know what I want.” Rais tried his best to avoid her insight, but she knew him too well. They had worked closely together for many years, even before they both came to work at the Den.

“Yes, I can tell when you’re suffering from sexual frustration, believe you me; I’ve been there. But the part that doesn’t make any sense is that you refuse to take what you can so easily have.”

“Soiph, could you just…” Rais paused.

“Could I just what? Stop being a nagging female? Stop pestering you about your love life? Oh I know, ‘Soiph, get a life and leave me alone.’” She hid a grin.

“Well I wouldn’t want that now would I? Or I’d be out the best partner this side of the galaxy.” Rais smiled, she always knew what to say to brighten his mood.

“Seriously though, why not fuck him?” Soiph asked.

Rais sighed and paused for a moment before replying, “Because I have principles.” The last thing he wanted was to take advantage of Chav. Yet he knew they could never have a serious relationship due to the varying difference of their positions.

“Yeah, well those principles are going to lead to many a sleepless night for you.”

There was a beep on the computer console which indicated a message had just been received. “You let me worry about that,” Rais said before standing and crossing the room to the console.

Soiph followed behind him and listened to the recorded message. It was from the Cadence Palace, the secondary guard currently in charge had been visited by a wealthy man who had questions he could not answer. It seemed the man now intended to take the problem to Kisku Draymond himself.

After the message was complete, Soiph’s eyes sparkled as she glanced at Rais. “Say, how about you call Draymond about this right now? You might get another chance to see the hot little number he’s with.”

Rais ignored Soiph’s jab at him. “As far as I can tell this matter is inconsequential and that idiot should not have even bothered us with it. I have more important things to fill my afternoon with, like interviewing those two new recruits for the Palace position.” Rais paused as something else came to mind; “Unless of course you’d like me to delay that process thus forcing you to take the position at least temporarily until we find someone else.”

Soiph frowned at that last comment, before pointing a finger at the door. “Get going!”

~*~

Ja’el stood outside the docking bay waiting. A sleek, silver space craft was parked on the steel platform. Ships had been taking off and landing all around him, yet Ja’el continued to wait for his bodyguard that was now twenty minutes late. He sighed, he should have known better than to trust the man. He figured their whole meeting in his office must have been one big joke to the sexy, green-eyed jerk. Well, Ja’el hadn’t paid him a single credit yet so if he didn’t show, then he wouldn’t have lost anything.

Ja’el did one last glance around at the people milling about the docking bay. There was no sign of the tall bodyguard. He sighed and retrieved the remote control in his pocket to lower the stairwell of his ship. As he was about to descend the stairs he heard a deep voice behind him.

“You’re not leaving without me are you?”

Ja’el spun around perhaps a little too quickly and his heart did a dance of joy when he saw Erik Dannos standing before him. He couldn’t mask the appreciative look in his eyes as he took in his bodyguard’s attire. It was a change to see him fully dressed from head to toe. Although it was slightly disconcerting that Ja’el found him just as attractive now fully clothed as he did when he was half naked. He wore a dark green trench coat that gleamed in the well lighted docking bay. By just looking at it, Ja’el couldn’t tell if it was a raincoat type plastic material or patent leather. The coat was held together by thin strips of black buckles that matched his leather pants and rugged-soled boots completed his attire. He certainly looked the part of a bodyguard, minus the weapons which Ja’el assumed were in the gray sack that was slung across his shoulders.

“You made it,” Ja’el stated the obvious.

“Was there ever any doubt?” Erik raised a dark eyebrow at him, daring him to say otherwise.

Ja’el had to fight to not roll his eyes. “Let’s just get going.”

Moments later on board the deck of the ship, Ja’el had pulled up a blueprint of the vehicle on the viewer screen and outlined some areas for Erik. “These rooms are my private quarters; you are not to come here for any reason unless asked.” Ja’el indicated 3 separate rooms in the northern part of the ship. “You’ll have the run of the ship otherwise, and this will be your quarters.”

Erik was not surprised that his quarters were located in the west, the furthest room away from Ja’el’s. He also found this little “know your boundaries” outline a bit humorous considering the ship had yet to take off. He decided he’d put the little man at ease by taking the conversation in a different direction. “You pilot this on your own?”

“I don’t, it’s a Class A Light Fleet vessel. It runs on auto pilot, all I need to do is indicate where I want to go in the computers’ logs.” Ja’el moved toward the ship’s terminal to do just that.

“You actually purchased one of these?” Erik was familiar with the ship and knew it to even have cloaking ability which would make traveling through even pirate ship territories quite easy. These types of vessels never came cheap.

“It’s a rental – I need it only for the time being.” Ja’el finally finished entering the coordinates into the ships computer log.

Erik saw as a map of the solar system and soon all of Andrenon Galaxy appeared on screen. A red light flashed which indicated where they were going – Letria Sector. It seemed they were in for a fairly long trip.

“The computer indicates the voyage will take two weeks,” Ja’el began. “Let me know which account you’d like me to transfer the first half of your fee to, and it will be done.”

“That’s all well and good, just one question. I had no idea our destination was so far off. How exactly am I going to entertain myself for two weeks?” Erik gave him a knowing look as he closed the distance between them. It was in his nature to tease and something told him that he made the little man uncomfortable which in itself would make for great entertainment and the main reason he had said yes to the job in the first place.

“There is a REC room located on board, feel free to make use of its perks, for you won’t be seeing me much,” Ja’el stated.

Erik heard the ships engines come online, and glanced out a nearby window to see that they had begun to move. “And why is that?” He asked, returning his attention to the smaller man.

“I have my reasons.”

Erik came to stand directly before him and crossed his arms over his chest. He towered over his client and was at least a foot taller than him at 6” 7”. He was trying to force direct eye contact with Ja’el but realized that the mousy brown man wasn’t having it. “Do I make you uncomfortable?”

Ja’el sighed and actually decided to respond with the truth. “When you get his close, yes you do.”

Erik chuckled before responding, “You have nothing to worry about, you’re not exactly my type.”

Ja’el bristled at this response and couldn’t help the words that left his lips. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“Let’s just say I like my men…” Erik paused to rake his gaze over Ja’el’s modestly clothed body, “taller.”

Ja’el didn’t know what to make of this man, he was an infuriating enigma. The former slave realized that his outward appearance was boring and unattractive but for a very good reason. Yet it bothered Ja’el that this man could not and would never see him as he truly once was. Why should Ja’el care what Erik thought of him, once his investigation was complete he would pay the bodyguard, send him on his way and probably never see him again and that would be the end of it.

“So, you still haven’t told me what this mission is all about?” Erik began. “Why are you going to Letria Sector? Don’t tell me it’s just business. You needed a protector for a reason.”

Ja’el put some distance between them by walking over to a nearby side couch and taking a seat. “You don’t think some business deals can get dicey enough to warrant protection?”

“And just what sort of business are you in?” It wasn’t lost on Erik that a man who could throw around this much money as he was paying him was definitely involved in something big. Could his money have been inherited? Maybe. Something told him that he was going to have to do some research on his new boss to learn the answers to the questions he sought, and Ja’el’s next statement proved it.

“Mr. Dannos, you are currently my employee and you are on a need-to-know basis. All you need to do is your job of protecting me and you’ll be paid. End of conversation.”

“Fine, let’s switch topics then to this person you’re searching for.” Erik ignored the annoyed expression that crossed Ja’el’s face. “You aren’t looking to murder him are you? Because I’m not a bounty hunter, and I won’t be party to that.”

“Oh that’s right; you said you don’t do this for the money. So tell me Mr. Dannos, why do hire yourself out as a bodyguard?” Ja’el’s brown gaze was unwavering as he finally found the courage to hold onto Erik’s steely green stare.

“No changing the subject now; answer my question first,” Erik stated.

Ja’el was silent for a few moments before replying, “What do you think?”

Erik shrugged, “Forget the tough guy attitude, am pretty sure you couldn’t hurt a fly.” He noticed when Ja’el’s demeanor suddenly changed at his last comment. True, Ja’el didn’t look dangerous and he’d only asked his question to once again grate on the man’s nerves and see how far he could push him before he pushed back. He hadn’t expected to actually hit a nerve and it only brought up more questions about his mysterious new boss.

Ja’el quickly stood and glanced out a window to see the stars forming white streaks across the glass. “We’re in hyperspace, now if you’ll excuse me; I’m tired and will be retiring for the night.”

Erik watched him go but said nothing. So, they were going to spend two weeks in space alone together before Erik would be required to do what he had been hired for. He was more determined than ever to peel away the layers of this little man, and find the truth behind his motives, one way or another.