Cage Match Read Online Free PDF Page A

he didn‟t, Andreas went
    on.
    “This will be your room. You‟ll have access to any part of the house or grounds
    you want. I want you to feel like an employee, not a…an indentured servant.”
    “But I‟m your slave, right?”
    Andreas‟s face flushed, and his gaze dropped. “No. It‟s not like that.”
    Jabez grunted and looked around his new cell with its clean white walls and plush
    furniture. His gaze stopped at the open window. Fluttering curtains framed an achingly
    blue sky and the top boughs of a tree. He hadn‟t seen the sky in almost a year and
    hadn‟t seen a sky this clear ever. Where he‟d lived, there‟d always been a pall of smog
    and towering buildings boxing him in.
    “They told me your name is Jabez, but they didn‟t have a last name for you.”
    “Never needed one.”
    The other man cocked his head and studied him. “You have no family?”
    The image of a girl with ragged brown hair and a throaty chuckle flashed in his
    mind. She hit him in the arm and called, “ You’re it !” before disappearing into the crowd.
    “No,” he answered.
    “Mm.” The long fingers tap-tap-tapped against his leg. Jabez wanted to grab his
    hand and stop the tapping. He wanted to suck one of those long fingers into his mouth
    and shock the man into silence. His cock hardened at the fantasy, despite the drugs
    dulling his senses.

    16
    Bonnie Dee
    “What‟s your last name?” Jabez asked to break the tension.
    There was a moment‟s pause before he answered, “Fortias. I‟m Andreas Fortias.”
    The name sifted through his consciousness like the fine powder floating from the
    converter plants and blanketing the streets of Brick Town.
    “Fortias,” he repeated before the name suddenly clicked into place. Shock froze
    his tongue for a moment. He‟d known the man was rich, but hadn‟t imagined he was
    corporate royalty.
    Jabez studied Andreas more closely, from the loose fall of black curls around his
    fine-featured face down to his body clad in shimmering garments of green and gold.
    The name Fortias was stamped on most products at the stores and appeared in ads all
    the time. It was emblazoned on business and civic buildings across the city. Fortias
    meant power, wealth, and privilege.
    He met Andreas‟s silvery gaze once more. “Should I call you „Master‟ or „Your
    Highness‟?”
    “Andreas is fine.” He offered another smile with those intriguing brackets around
    his mouth, but his fingers went tap-tap-tap . He was more nervous than he let on. “I‟m
    putting my trust in you. You won‟t find a better work situation out there.” Andreas
    nodded his head to signify the world outside the window. “Legally, you‟re bonded to
    me for the next few years, but if you work well with me and prove your loyalty, I might
    let you out of your contract sooner and with a generous stipend. Does that sound fair?”
    Oh it sounded fair, all right, but words were lies. No one could be trusted.
    Jabez nodded. The slight movement of his head made him dizzy again. His ears
    rang, and he squeezed his eyes closed.
    “This is a lot to take in all at once, I imagine.” Andreas‟s voice pulsed loud, then
    soft with the throbbing in Jabez‟s head. “You must be thirsty. Let me give you
    something to drink.”
    Suddenly the man‟s hand was at the back of his neck, lifting his head. Jabez
    opened his eyes in surprise as a glass of water was pressed to his lips. When the cool
    liquid touched them, he drank automatically. Nothing had ever tasted so good. The
    water washed down his wasteland of a throat, and the warm hand supporting his neck
    offered more comfort than he‟d ever known.
    It pissed him off. He jerked away from the gesture of kindness, bumping the glass
    so water spilled on his chest.
    “I‟m sorry.” Andreas wiped the water from his chest with the sleeve of his silky
    shirt. “You get some more rest now, or if you‟re hungry, I‟ll bring you something to eat
    from the kitchen.” He