Page 32 of Body Slave

On hearing the words, Ben’s own heart threatened to have an episode. “What do you mean?” He didn’t dare hope.

“I mean I accept your proposal. You get the slave in exchange for taking over the lumber company. You don’t have to pay for him, though. What would I do with your money anyway? I have plenty of my own.”

Ben’s mouth went dry. He couldn’t believe what he’d heard. He tried not to show too much enthusiasm for fear his father would think he was glad about the reason he was getting what he wanted. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Don’t thank me. You haven’t heard the other terms of the deal yet.”

Instantly alert for trouble, he asked, “What other terms?”

“You get his ownership outright, but I’ll put a condition on the bill of sale that you can’t take him anywhere to free him. You try to take him to Canada or any other country or state that outlaws slavery, and I can revoke the transfer. This condition will last for twenty years and it will pass to Vince if I die before then.”

Ben stared down at his father for long seconds. Even lying in a hospital bed, the man managed to be an asshole. Fuck it! He could live with these terms as long as he had Oliver. Twenty years was a long time to wait to free the boy he loved, but he could wait. Oliver was worth the time and the effort.

“If I die before the time is up, can I leave him to Deidre or someone else?” Given that Oliver’s life depended on it, he had to nail the details down.

“With the condition in place, yes,” his father replied in a weary voice.

“Deal.”

His father grinned up at him, although the expression held no genuine joy. “Good. Get my lawyer here first thing in the morning with the paperwork. I want this done and over with. Now go away, I need to sleep.”

Ben watched his father close his eyes before turning to leave. Before he reached the door, however, he broke out in a broad smile. Oliver would soon be his.

****

“Here’s a fresh ice pack.”

“Thanks.” Oliver took the offering from Mary and placed it against his aching cheek. He had a hard time choosing what to treat. He’d spent all night applying cold to the various parts of him that were swollen and painful. They didn’t have enough packs to put one everywhere at once and he didn’t want Joe running up a tab at the local pharmacy buying more. Things were bad enough without his costing the family money for a well-earned beating.

“I brought you some toast, too, with a little jam on it.”

“Thanks, but I’m not hungry.” He lay on the lumpy couch in the slaves’ lounge. Sleep had eluded him and it wasn’t just the bruises on his torso that made his stomach queasy.

Mary tsked and sat on the coffee table. “You need to put something into your stomach or all that ibuprofen will make you sick.”

“I killed him,” he said in way of an answer.

With a big sigh and a shake of her head, the older woman said, “No, you didn’t. First off, we don’t know Master’s dead. No news is good news, I say. Second, even if he is or does die, it wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes, it was.” He would never forget the look of utter fury in the master’s eyes as he’d vented on Oliver.

“Boy, you are a slave! You don’t have enough power in this world to cause anything to happen. And there isn’t a soul alive who can control who they love.”

Oliver slanted his gaze over to her. “You know I’m in love with Ben?”

“I’ve got eyes, don’t I?”

He grimaced. “Yeah, I guess it’s pretty obvious. Pretty dumb, too, falling in love with a free person.”

Mary didn’t respond right away. Instead, she shoved the plate in front of his face and held it there until he took a piece of toast and started nibbling on it. “Not dumb at all. Master Ben’s a wonderful man. Handsome and kind. Hard not to fall in love with someone like that, if you ask me.”

Oliver swallowed his small bit of food. “He was the first person to kiss me, you know, that way. He held me in his arms and made me feel cherished.” Taking another bite, he shrugged. “Maybe I don’t really love him,” he said around the mouthful. “Maybe it’s only gratitude.”

Mary scoffed. “I don’t believe that. I’ve been watching you two for days now, worried, to be honest. I could see how you felt about each other. Maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic, but it looks like love to me for both of you.”

Alarm shot through him. “Ben doesn’t love me.” He’d been assuring himself of that for hours. Despite what the master had said during the fight, he had to believe that Ben’s offer of sacrifice had merely been born from the heightened emotions of the event. “He’s a decent man, is all, and he’s trying to protect me. I’m not worth sacrificing what he wants for the rest of his life.”

“Oh, darling,” Mary said, patting his arm. “He’s old enough to make his own decisions. You have to trust him to know what he wants. God knows you have no say over it. If Master Ben wants you, be grateful that he’s someone you want, too.”

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