Page 35 of Body Slave

True to his vow, Ben hadn’t touched the guy even in a casual way. It made him achy and twitchy, but on the chance Oliver had been truthful about not caring for Ben the way Ben did for him, he didn’t want to pressure him for sex. Forcing Oliver, raping him to Ben’s way of thinking, would be unforgivable. No, the first move had to be Oliver’s in that regard. Although he wasn’t sure how many more months he’d make the guy sleep in his bed, eventually he’d have to accept what Oliver said at face value. In the meantime, at least he’d found something productive for Oliver to do. He was a natural at woodworking, and Fiorello had been happy to put the guy to work. If nothing else, Oliver now had a job more meaningful and fulfilling than being a body slave.

Putting a slice of pizza on Oliver’s plate, he said, “Eat up, you must be starving. I know I am. I hadn’t realized moving would be so difficult. I have more crap than I thought.”

Oliver pleased Ben by taking a large bite of his slice. “Thank you, Master, for ordering this,” he said around the food in his mouth.

“Given that the kitchen is completely empty of anything edible and I’m too tired to go shopping, it was the least I could do.”

Swallowing down his mouthful with some iced tea, Oliver said, “I’d be happy to go buy anything you’d like after dinner, Master.”

Ben frowned and shook his head. “No way. We’ve been at this all day, even with the movers I hired. We’ll go out for breakfast tomorrow. After we sleep in,” he added. “Then tackle shopping for supplies and clearing the rest of this mess.”

He looked around his small and currently chaotic house. Living in his family home, especially when his father had come back from the hospital, had been awkward. He’d made finding his own place a top priority, although finding it while he acclimated to his new role as boss at the lumberyard had been difficult. It was a nice place, though, with three bedrooms, an open floor plan for the kitchen, dining area, and living room, and a neat backyard with a swimming pool. He’d been adamant about that because he still took great pleasure in teaching his lover to swim.

Oliver finished his slice of pizza and sat back, fiddling with his almost-empty glass. With a suppressed sigh, Ben slapped another slice on the guy’s plate and grabbed the glass to refill it. “I swear it’s like you’re a baby bird. Pretty soon I’m going to have to regurgitate my food and pass it into your mouth.”

Oliver snorted with amusement before schooling his face to a passive expression again. “Thank you, Master.”

Ben just rolled his eyes. Damn, every once in a while, Oliver let his guard down enough to remind Ben of those few blissful days they’d shared. Despite everything they’d almost forgotten one of them was enslaved, or at least Ben had. Maybe he expected too much to think Oliver had ever felt like he was something more than a thing to be owned.

After a few minutes of quiet, steady eating, Ben remembered he had some good news to share.

“Hey, I meant to tell you that I finalized the paperwork yesterday for your sister.”

Startled eyes looked up at him. “My sister?”

Ben licked sauce off his thumb. “Yeah, remember I promised you I would buy her when she’s of age? Well, I had my lawyer contact the brokerage house to track your old master down and make an offer. We signed a purchase agreement that guarantees she’s mine as soon as she turns eighteen. I gave him a deposit and everything. My lawyer assures me it’s watertight. Now it’s just a matter of time. And, I’ve set up visitation rights for both your mother and your sister, starting next Saturday. We’ll have to go there, but eventually they may be able to come here. Your sister will certainly live here once ownership has been transferred. I figure we can use the third bedroom for storage for a few years then she can have it.”

He didn’t mention that he hoped the second bedroom would stay the office he had currently set up because Oliver would continue to share a room with him. He thought it, though, as he watched Oliver’s face light up with joy.

“Thank you, Master!” He made a move as if he were going to hug Ben then checked it. Ben hid his disappointment. Oliver’s expression turned more somber. “I thought maybe you’d changed your mind, given that I may not be living with you for long.”

Seriously? Tired and emotional from the big move, Ben’s patience snapped before he could stop it. Tossing his napkin down, he pushed his chair back. “Oh my freaking God! Only you think this isn’t permanent. How many times do I have to tell you that I am not giving you up?”

“I’m sorry, Master. I didn’t mean to upset you,” Oliver replied in a quiet voice.

“Yeah, yeah,” Ben muttered, standing up and grabbing the pizza box. Dinner was over as far as he was concerned. They’d both benefit from some sleep. When Oliver tried to beat him to it, Ben slapped his hand away.

“Knock it off, I’m cleaning the table. You go get ready for bed.” He didn’t even wait to see if he obeyed. Of course he did.

He took the time to do it right, leaving no rubbish or dirty dishes lying around. No sense in starting out in his new home by leaving more of a mess. There were a couple of slices of pizza left, so maybe that would be the start of breakfast in the morning. He wasn’t as familiar with this town as he was with his own and it might take a while to find a diner that would allow slaves. God, he really hated his father and the world at large each time he realized all over again the constraints on him and Oliver.

With one last satisfied look at his place, he turned off the lights and wandered to the bedroom. Oliver lay on his designated side of the bed already, watching him warily. Ben said nothing as there was nothing to say. He went straight to the bathroom. He felt kind of sticky with the exertions of the day, so he hopped into the shower. The water was hot and the pressure great. Efficient as usual, Oliver had already stocked it with soap. Ben could have stayed standing under the soothing spray forever, but sleep threatened to put him under right there. He got out reluctantly, dried off, and padded naked back to the bedroom.

Oliver hadn’t moved a muscle it seemed, still looking at him as if waiting for the order to go to sleep. Crap, if he didn’t love him so much, he might have opted to sleep on the sofa. Instead, he turned off the overhead light and slipped between the crisp, clean sheets. With an audible sigh, he closed his eyes.

The mattress dipped with the rustling of the covers. Ben’s breath caught in his chest as a hand slid onto his pelvis.

“Master?”

Oliver didn’t dare breathe. He held his palm lightly against Ben’s warm skin waiting for the man to acknowledge him. Here in the relative safety of his mind, the man lying next to him was Ben, not Master. It was hard, excruciating, to be so close to the man he loved and not be able to express it. So many times in the last few whirlwind weeks of change, he’d wanted to throw himself into his master’s arms and declare his devotion. If he’d ever had a dream for his life, this would have been it, owned by a man who loved and cherished him.

But he’d held back, remained true to his silent vow to do what was best for Ben. Nothing had changed his mind, especially when he saw how hard Ben worked now and how difficult taking over control of the lumber company was for him. The old master didn’t help matters, being far from gracious in his victory. His occasional looks of hatred directed at Oliver didn’t matter. The way he seemed to relish riding Ben over every little thing pissed off Oliver, though. If ever he’d entertained the idea of hitting a freeman, it had been over the last few weeks. Moving into Ben’s new home was such a relief.

Yet, it was still possible for Ben to change his mind, to renege on the deal, and pick a path more to his liking. The only change he’d have to make would be to give up Oliver. Buying his sister would still be possible. She’d make him a great housekeeper, and even if Ben somehow became attracted to her, that was, too. He knew from experience how kind Ben was to his bedmates. And that’s why Oliver rested his hand where he did. As much as he wanted to keep his distance, to pretend he didn’t want his master, he could give in to his impulse because now it was a gesture of gratefulness. Ben would not misconstrue it as actual desire, at least he hoped he wouldn’t.

“What are you doing, Oliver?” Ben’s voice sounded weary as well as wary.

Oliver took a deep breath and slid his hand closer to Ben’s groin. “I want to thank you, Master, for buying my sister. It’s so kind of you.”

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