Scott Summers tried to look down the street as he huddled in a doorway niche. He knew he really needed to be on the corner to get a customer but there were so few cars and the rain was barely warm enough to not be sleet and his jacket did nothing to keep out the cold. He thought about heading back to his apartment, but the memory of the last time he showed up without his quota for Joe kept him outside freezing his ass off.
Scott bent over as a fit of coughing surprised him. He stayed leaning over to catch his breath once the coughing ended to catch his breath. The sound of a car driving slowly down the street brought his head up. He took a few deep breaths and grimaced at the sound of him exhaling was accompanied with a liquid sound.
“Great, just what I need. Pneumonia.” He sighed and stepped out of his cover and posed at the curb. His shoulders dropped as the car drove past. He started back for his niche when he looked down the street the direction the car had gone and he saw it make a U-turn in the street and come back towards him. It made another turn and pulled up at the curb where Scott was standing.
The window rolled down and Scott leaned down and looked it. The driver was the only person in the car. He looked to be somewhere in his thirties and had thick brown hair.
“You looking for a good time?” Scott asked in a voice he hoped was seductive.
“Maybe. What’s your price for the whole night?”
“Depends on what you want,” Scott replied. Part of him hoped the guy would take the whole night. It would give him a chance to get out of the rain for the night and would give him more then enough to give to Joe. It might even be enough to hide away for some food. The rest of him was worried. He hadn’t had great luck with all nighters. They tended to be into the rougher stuff.
“Nothin’ extra or painful. Just company.”
“Two hundred.”
The driver’s eyebrow raised. “That’s all?”
“Yeah, that’s all.”
“Get in.”
Scott opened the door and sat down in the leather seat. He closed the door and rolled up the window. His fingers started to ache as the thawed out in the warm interior.
“Ya know, Kid. I coulda been a cop,” the driver said as the navigated through the slippery streets.
“That’d be okay. I’d get some food and a warm cell to sleep in. I’d also get in less trouble if I got arrested instead of just not bringing home my quota.”
“That’s the problem with pimps, but I ain’t a cop. Ya don’t have ta worry about that.” He pulled into an expensive hotel entranceway.
“Uh, you don’t really think they’re gonna let me in there do you?”
“They aren’t gonna care. Trust me.”
“Okay.” Scott got out of the car and avoided the looks from the valets. He followed the john into the hotel and over to one of the penthouse elevators. They stepped into the elevator and Scott let out a sigh of relief when the doors closed.
“What’s the matter, Kid?”
“Gee I don’t know, maybe I really don’t like what I do for food? Maybe I’m embarrassed by it? And don’t call me ‘kid’.”
“So what should I call ya?”
“Scott.” The doors opened and the john quickly opened the door to the room and ushered Scott in.
“My name’s Logan.”
“Okay, Logan. Why don’t you tell me what you want.”
“The first thing I want you to do is take a shower. You need to be warmed up and you look like you could use a scrubbing.”
Scott looked down at himself and saw the dirt under his fingernails and the stained and ratty clothes. “Yeah, well the cash I get tends to go for food, not other stuff.”
Logan reached out and placed a hand under Scott’s chin and tilted it up so he was looking at the boy. “If the money you been gettin’ has been goin’ for food, you must not be gettin’ much.” Scott shrugged in response. “Get in the shower. Take as long of one as you want. We got all night.”
Scott gave him a wary look as he left the room. He entered the bathroom and his jaw dropped. It was bigger than his entire apartment. It had a separate bath and shower and big fluffy towels. He was more than a little confused at how Logan was treating him, but he supposed that Logan was one of those who where picky about who they screwed.
He quickly got undressed, memorized where the soap and shampoo were, took off his glasses, and turned on the water. He turned the temperature up until it was almost too hot and he stepped under the spray. He sighed as the water beat against his skin. He had forgotten what it felt like to have a shower with pressure. He felt around for the area where he knew the shampoo was and once he found it lathered up his hair.
It was starting to get long again. He made a note to cut his hair when he got back to his apartment. He rinsed out the shampoo and lathered it up again. This might be the last real shower for quite sometime and he wanted to be squeaky clean when he got out. He made quick work of the conditioner and then used most of the little bar of soap to clean every part of him he could reach.
Once he was done washing he just stood under the hot water and let the water massage out the tension in his muscles. It had been a long year on the street and before that, a long two years under the watchful eye of Jack Diamond.
The water started to cool and he turned it off. He reached out and fumbled for his glasses and slid them onto his face. He picked up one of the big towels and dried off. He looked for his clothes but found them gone. There was however a robe hanging on the door that hadn’t been there before. He pulled on the robe.
A fit of coughing struck him by surprise. The humidity of the shower had loosened some of the gunk in his lungs. He spit it out into a tissue and looked at it. He smothered a curse when he saw it was streaked with yellow and green, a sure sign of infection.
He sighed and ignored it for now. There was nothing he could do about it at the moment. He opened the bathroom door and stepped out. He was surprised to see Logan fully dressed standing by the phone. “So what now?” Scott asked.
“Take a seat, Scott. It’ll only be a few moments. We’re waiting for someone.” Scott started to open his mouth to say that he charged extra for multiples but was stopped by Logan. “It’s not what you think, Kid.”
Scott sat back and looked at Logan. He wasn’t a tall man but it was clear that the man worked out. Not for the first time in his career did Scott wonder if he had gotten in over his head. So far Logan seemed kind, strange but kind, but he knew that looks could be very deceiving.
A knock on the door drew Scott’s attention from Logan. He watched as Logan opened the door and admitted a porter pushing a cart. Logan tipped the porter and took the cart from him. The porter left and shut the door behind him. Logan pushed the cart to the table.
“Well get over here. Ya need some meat on those bones.”
Scott stood up feeling very confused. First this guy picks him up on a rainy night, brings him to a swanky hotel, lets him take a long shower, and now he’s feeding him. Scott was waiting for the shoe to drop. He made his way warily to the table.
“What’s the catch?” Scott asked looking at the plates of food.
“No catch. You just look like ya haven’t had anything real to eat in a while.” Logan looked at the amount of food on the table. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a bunch of different stuff. It’ll keep if you don’t eat it now.”
“You’re just doing this out of the kindness of your heart?” Scott asked sitting down. Mentally he chastised himself. Why was he arguing with a guy who was willing to feed him?
“You could say that. I also don’t wanna be in the middle of sex when your stomach decides to make it’s self known.”
Surprise allowed a snicker to escape. Scott looked down into his lap. He really didn’t want to think about why Logan was being so nice to him.
“Why don’t ya take off the glasses and start eating?” Logan suggested.
“Um, I can’t take off the glasses. I have… a sensitivity to the light. If I take them off I have to keep my eyes closed. That would make it rather hard to see what I was eating,” Scott replied. He tried not to show his fear. If Logan found out Scott was a mutant he might get violent. He had barely escaped being beaten to death once before.
“Okay. Eat. We’ll talk about what happens later.” Logan sat down in one of the armchairs. Scott looked at him confused.
“Aren’t you going to eat?”
“Not hungry. Actually I ate about two hours ago. This is all for you. Dig in.”
Scott looked over the food trying to decide where to start. He decided to start with the salad. It had been a long time since he had eaten anything green and he really didn’t want to end up getting sick over it.
After he finished the salad he moved to the hamburger. He took a bite and his eyes closed with pleasure. He couldn’t remember the last time something tasted so good. He was completely oblivious to Logan watching him.
Logan grinned at the look on Scott’s face as he bit into the burger. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why he decided to turn around on that street. He wasn’t in the habit of picking up prostitutes, as a matter of fact he couldn’t remember the last time he had done so.
The kid was striking; he would be pretty once he had some weight to him. That sharp chin and the high chiseled cheekbones would be unforgettable. He wondered for a moment what color the eyes were under those glasses. He knew Scott hadn’t told him the truth about the reason for them but he could smell the fear when he had asked about them, so he figured the kid must be worried that if Logan knew he was a mutant he might try to hurt him.
He watched carefully to make sure that Scott didn’t eat too quickly or too much. He was pleased to see that the boy knew enough to stop. He also noticed that the food left was the kind that could be put in the refrigerator and eaten cold. The kid clearly had a good head on his shoulders.
Scott pushed away from the table and looked over at Logan. “So what now?”
“Come here, Scott.”
Scott walked over to where Logan sat. He stood in front of Logan and looked down at him.
“There are some things you should know. I like to give pleasure to my partners just as much as I like to receive it, but I don’t want you faking it. If what I’m doing doesn’t turn you on, fine, but don’t lie to me. Understand?” Logan waited for Scott to nod. “The next thing is that I’m a mutant. You have a problem with doing mutants?” Scott shook his head. “Good, now my mutations means that you don’t need those.” Logan gestured to the condoms on the nightstand. Scott opened his mouth but was stopped from saying anything by Logan.
“I have accelerated healing, which means I don’t get sick, I can’t have HIV or AIDS or any other disease.” Logan walked over to the table and picked up a steak knife. “Watch.” Logan made sure that Scott was paying attention before using the knife to slice into his arm. It immediately started to heal. Logan wiped off the blood and Scott stared at the unblemished forearm.
“Do you believe me?” Scott nodded.
Logan walked over to him and placed his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “I ain’t gonna hurt you. I promise.” He dipped his head and pressed his lips to Scott’s. At first Logan thought it was like kissing a brick wall. Clearly no one had ever kissed Scott before. Slowly Scott softened and started to return the kiss.
Logan licked at Scott’s lips and Scott jumped. His mouth opened in surprise and Logan took advantage, slipping his tongue into the virgin territory.
Scott pulled back. “What…what are you doing?”
Logan’s hands ran up Scott’s neck to cup his face. “I told you, I like to give pleasure, not just receive it, and kissing is a great way to do both. You’ve never been kissed before have you?”
Scott shook his head as much as he could in the confines of Logan’s grasp. “Most guys don’t wanna take the time. They just want a quick fuck or blowjob and that’s it.”
Logan’s thumbs ran along Scott’s cheekbones. “It’s not going to be that way this time. This isn’t going to be fast. I know it’s a lot to ask of you, but trust me, Scott.”
Scott wanted to. His instincts were telling him that Logan wouldn’t hurt him and his instincts hadn’t been wrong yet.
Logan moved around behind Scott and wrapped his arms around the younger man’s waist. His hands untied the sash and the robe fell open. Logan reached up to pull it off of Scott’s shoulders. The robe fell to the floor and Scott stood naked in front of Logan.
Logan’s hands started mapping the thin body while his mouth worried the skin where Scott’s neck met his shoulder. Scott’s head fell to the side to give Logan more room and he moaned. No on else had made him feel like this. Occasionally one of the ‘johns’ would be fucking him and they would strike his prostate at regular intervals and he would get hard. After the ‘johns’ left he would jerk off and go back to his corner.
He gasped when Logan’s hand curled around his erect penis. He was surprised to find himself hard. None of his previous ‘johns’ had been able to arouse him with only a few touches. He felt Logan smile against his neck.
“Yer body might be skinny but yer cock sure ain’t. I bet yer a mouthful. Anyone ever give ya a blowjob?” Scott shook his head. “Shame. Ya have no idea what yer missin’.” Logan pulled away and turned Scott around. Without a word Logan dropped to his knees and swallowed Scott.
Scott’s hips bucked and he yelled in surprise. His hands when to Logan’s head to keep him from falling over. Scott felt like his knees were going to buckle at any moment.
The feeling of Logan’s mouth around his cock was like nothing he had ever felt before. He looked down and saw Logan watching him. The sight of another man’s mouth around his cock mixed with the feeling was too much. With almost no warning Scott erupted in Logan’s mouth.
Logan swallowed as much of the salty liquid as he could and then lapped at Scott’s softening penis to clean it. He rose to his feet and steadied Scott. Scott’s legs were shaking and he looked like he might fall over at any minute.
Logan led him over to the bed and pushed him down onto it. He looked at the younger man spread out on bed and then quickly disrobed. He crawled over top of Scott and kissed him.
This time Scott participated in the kiss, his tongue dueling with Logan’s. He wanted Logan to know how grateful he was to Logan for what he had done. He was tempted to give Logan the night for free, his only payment the pleasure and the chance to feel human again, but the thought of what Joe would do to him if he didn’t come up with his quota ended that thought.
Logan’s mouth trailed down Scott’s neck and he nuzzled the pulse point. He was ignoring his instincts that were screaming at him to take the boy, hard and fast, to mark Scott as his. If Logan had his way there would be time for that, but for now he wanted it soft and sweet. He needed the kid to want to stay with him. He wasn’t sure when he had decided that the kid was the partner he’d been looking for, but he couldn’t complain.
Scott writhed under Logan when his mouth found one of Scott’s erogenous zones behind his ear. Scott’s arms raised and he ran his hands along Logan’s back. He could feel Logan’s muscles bunching under the skin. He decided he wanted to be an active participant, not just a useful hole to be filled. He raised his head and ran his tongue along Logan’s collarbone.
“That’s it, Scott. That’s what I want. I want someone to play with. If I wanted someone to just lay there, I could have gotten an inflatable doll,” Logan’s voice rumbled in his hear.
Scott tentatively started to explore Logan’s body. Foreplay was not something he knew. He was worried about disappointing Logan. He wanted to give Logan his money’s worth plus some.
Logan wasn’t normally a vocal lover but to let Scott know that he was doing the correct things, Logan made sure to vocalize his pleasure. If he was truthful to himself he would admit that it wasn’t hard to be vocal, Scott was managing to find all of his hot spots.
Scott’s hesitation quickly melted away with Logan’s clear approval of what he was doing. His hands roamed the body on top of his with a firmer touch and his mouth sucked and bit.
Logan was quickly losing control of his urges and he rolled over so that Scott was on top of him. His hands trailed down to Scott’s ass and he ran his fingers over Scott’s anus. He was surprised to feel it slick and he pressed for entry. His finger slid in easily and he pulled back to look at Scott.
“Pre-lubed?”
“A few johns don’t want to wait while I prepare. After the first time of a guy going in dry I learned.”
Logan winced. “There’s no worry of that with me.” He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the tube. “Have you ridden a guy?” Scott nodded. “I want you to ride me.”
Scott sat up and moved back so he was straddling Logan’s thighs. He took the lube and squeezed some out into the palm of his hand. He wrapped his hand around Logan’s erection and ran his hand over it, coating the entire length. Logan’s hands gripped Scott’s thighs, trying to remain in control.
Finally when Logan was ready Scott raised up and moved forward. He spread some of the extra lube on his finger and reached back and prepared himself. Logan’s eyes flickered between Scott’s face and down to between his legs. When Scott deemed himself prepared enough he steadied Logan’s cock and sank down on it. He winced at the burning; Logan was larger than any of his other johns.
Logan’s hands wrapped around Scott’s waist and held him still until the discomfort on Scott’s face passed. Scott moved again, taking in Logan’s cock completely.
“Hold still,” Logan ordered, trying to hold of his orgasm. He wanted this to last longer. After a while the urge to erupt passed and his hold loosened on Scott. Scott rocked back and forth and up and down, his internal muscles squeezing Logan’s length.
Logan’s hands roamed Scott’s chest. “Don’t come, Scott. There’s something else I want you to do. Don’t come.” Scott nodded, he wasn’t sure if he could do as Logan ordered but he was going to try. Soon, Logan’s body tightened and Scott felt the liquid warmth flood his insides.
Logan pulled him forward and cradled him in his arms. “God, yer good, Kid.” Logan slipped out of Scott and he gave a slight sigh. He could still feel Scott’s erection digging into his stomach. “I want you to fuck me,” he whispered in Scott’s ear.
Scott pulled back and stared at him. He swallowed hard. “You… I…”
“You’ve never fucked anyone have you?”
“No.”
“First time for everything, Kid. Fuck me.” Logan spread his legs and grinned at Scott. He reached for the lube and handed it to Scott.
Scott looked at the tube in his hand and back at Logan. He couldn’t believe what Logan wanted him to do. Logan reached up and wrapped his hand around the back of Scott’s neck. He pulled the younger man down into a long kiss.
“I want you to, Scott. Don’t be afraid,” Logan said against Scott’s lips.
Scott pulled away from Logan and spread some of the lube on his fingers and reached down between Logan’s legs. Logan spread his legs apart and bent his knees to give Scott more room to work.
Scott inserted one finger and worked it in and out. Logan pushed against the finger and Scott added two. Soon he had three fingers in Logan and Logan was growling at him to get on with it. Logan handed him a pillow and he shoved it under Logan’s raised hips. Once Logan was settled, Scott knelt between his legs and pressed into the tight hole.
Logan watched as Scott’s face grimaced and Scott bit his lip to keep from coming at the tight grip on his cock. Logan’s body jerked as one of Scott’s thrusts hit his prostate. Logan wrapped his legs around Scott’s waist and pulled him in, forcing Scott fully into Logan. Scott cried out at the suddenness of it.
Scott held his body still, his fingers clenching on Logan’s hips. He knew that if one of them so much as moved there would be nothing he could do to keep from coming. Finally the urge to come passed and he pulled back and slowly eased back into Logan. Logan moaned and he repeated the movement.
“I’m not gonna break, Kid. Harder!” Logan ordered. Scott obeyed and pulled out and slammed into Logan as hard as he could. “Yes! That’s it, Scott. Again!”
Scott started thrusting as hard as he could. He knew that at that pace he would not be able to last long, but it was what Logan wanted, and what Logan wanted, Logan got. He was a paying customer after all.
Soon Scott slammed in and his entire body tightened. He cried out as his body emptied into Logan’s. He fell forward and Logan wrapped his arms around Scott. Scott started coughing and he couldn’t stop. He could still feel Logan’s erection pressing into him, but he couldn’t control his coughing.
He felt Logan roll over and get up out of the bed. He came back with a glass of water. He propped up Scott and held the glass to Scott’s mouth. Scott managed a few swallows before choking on the water when another fit struck him. Logan wrapped him in his arms and rubbed his back until the coughing ended.
Logan laid him back on the bed and noticed that Scott was already half asleep. He ran his hands through the thick brown hair and watched Scott fall completely. He nodded knowing that the drug he had slipped into the water was working. He got up and dialed a familiar number.
“Dr. Henry McCoy. If this isn’t an emergency you are going to die.”
“It’s me, Hank. Have you ever known me to call when it wasn’t an emergency?”
“Logan! How good to hear from you old friend, and no you never call anymore. So what is the emergency my self-healing friend?”
“I have a young man in my hotel room who I think might have pneumonia. Would you mind coming over and talking a look?”
“I’m guessing that you are in New York and I’m not going to have to fly to Nepal or something, yes?”
“Yeah, Hank. I’m in New York.” He gave Hank the hotel name and room number.
“I will be there in ten minutes. Then you can explain why there is a young man in your room, when I know you don’t have a partner.”
“I’ll tell ya everything.” Logan hung up and waited for Hank. The promised ten minutes later there was a knock on the door. He got up off of the bed and opened the door. He waved the bulky bespectacled Doctor into the room.
“Thanks for coming, Hank.”
“Not a problem, Logan. So where is this sick young man of yours?”
“In the bed room.”
“So what are his symptoms?”
“A wet soundin’ cough, plus what he’s coughin’ up is a green yellow. He has a slight fever. Nothin’ major. He’s underweight though.” Logan stood aside at Hank pulled back the sheet over top of Scott.
He looked up at Logan. “I’m sure you have a valid reason for this boy to be nude?” Logan shrugged. “Fine, after I examine him, you will tell me.” Hank opened his bag and pulled out his equipment. “If you would go out into the living room I’ll be right out with my findings.”
Logan took one last look at the boy on the bed and turned and left the room. He sat down on the couch and thought about Scott. He wanted so badly to go into the bedroom and pull Hank’s hands off of that pale flesh. Logan growled at himself. He had only known the boy for a few hours and already he was thinking of the kid as his. He couldn’t remember ever imprinting on someone so fast, but there was something about this kid that was different.
He looked up when Hank came out of the room. “Well, my old friend, it had not yet become pneumonia but it was close. I gave him a shot of antibiotics but I’m leaving some oral ones as well. He is to take them once a day, everyday until they are gone.”
Hank sat down next to Logan. “Now, you will tell me why there is a nude young man in your bed.”
Logan looked down at the ground. “Ya ain’t gonna like it.”
“I have a feeling I know where this is going. Let me guess, he is a street kid?”
Logan nodded. “Prostitute actually.” He quickly got up and moved out of Hank’s reach. He knew it wouldn’t do him much good, but it gave him a sense of security.
“Tell me you didn’t bring him here to fuck him,” Hank demanded. He was answered by Logan’s silence. “Tell me you noticed he was sick before you fucked him.” Logan’s silence and wince was telling. “Logan! He is under age! What the hell where you thinking?” The only thing keeping Hank from roaring was his wish to keep Scott from being disturbed.
“It’s not like yer thinkin’, Hank. I didn’t go out lookin’ fer someone. Ya know what the weather’s like. He was standin’ on a corner in that shit and he looked miserable. I drove past him, but somethin’ made me turn around. When we got here, I told him to take a long hot shower and I ordered him some food. Ta be honest, Hank, I don’t really think I meant anythin’ ta happen. I just wanted ta give him a warm place ta sleep, but… Hell, Hank, I don’t know. There’s somethin’ about him. I can’t let him go. I’ll kill his fucking pimp if I have ta. I just know I need him.”
Hank sighed. “You have imprinted on him haven’t you?” Logan nodded. “There is nothing I can do then. You would probably try to kill me if I attempted to take him from you. I will say this though, you will keep your hands off of him until he is of age. If I find out you are even thinking of having sex with him, I will hunt you down, rip you limb from limb and run the most painful experiments on you that I can think of. Is that clear, Logan?” Hank growled.
Logan swallowed and nodded. He knew that Hank meant every word. “You have my promise, Hank. Believe me, I only want what’s best for him.”
“Good.” Hank handed him a bottle of pills. “Make sure he takes those. Start him tomorrow night, the shot I gave him will work for today. When you go back to Washington I will give you the number of an associate of mine. You should really take Scott to her. I didn’t like the sound of his lungs. He might have scarring from previous illnesses. If that is the case, you will have a very sick young man on your hands a great deal of the time. I do not envy you.”
Logan gave him a small smile. “At this point, I don’t think it really matters, Hank. Thank you, though.” Hank nodded and collected his things.
“If he changes for the worse call me.” He turned and started out the door. He looked back at Logan. “What’s his name anyway?”
“Scott.”
******
Scott opened his eyes and blinked, trying to get the world in focus. Every thing was blurry and it felt like someone had set a car down on his chest. He tried to take a deep breath and started coughing.
“Easy, Scott. Easy.” He could feel someone rubbing his back and he tried to remember where the hell he was. He knew he wasn’t in his apartment, there was no smell of pot and no sounds of passing traffic.
Logan. He remembered now, he had been picked up and taken to a hotel for the night by Logan. He turned his head to look up at his customer. “Sorry for collapsing on you like that,” Scott rasped. He tried to clear his throat, but only succeeding in coughing more.
“Careful, Kid. Ya coughed yer throat pretty raw last night.”
“What time is it?”
“Eleven.”
“In the morning?” Scott asked starting to panic.
“Yup.”
“Shit!” Scott tried to fight his way out of the bedclothes. Joe was going to kill him. The last time he had been late for his eight o’clock deadline, Joe had kicked him around pretty bad and he had only been fifteen minutes late.
“What’s the matter?”
“I gotta go, Joe’s gonna kill me.”
“Joe’s yer pimp?” Scott nodded. Logan grabbed his arm and sat him down on the bed. “Scott, listen ta me. Ya don’t have ta go back ta him. Stay with me.”
Scott stared at him in disbelief. “What, you wanna be my pimp now?”
“No! Look, I don’t understand it, but… I like ya, Scott. I wanna get ya off of the streets. Yer really sick right now. I got some meds fer ya, just at least stay with me ‘til ya get better. Then ya can leave, but ya can get away from Joe.”
“What do you want in return?”
Logan shrugged. “Not much. I wanna train you. See I own my own business and I’ve been lookin’ fer a partner. I haven’t found anyone I like yet, but I think you might be the person I’m lookin’ fer. I just want ya ta try it, and if ya like it, ya can stay, if not, yer free ta go.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that. Look, ya don’t have ta make yer choice now. Stay today. Ya at least need that much time off yer feet. Think it over, and then ya can tell me.” Logan stood up and pushed Scott down into a prone position. “You need more sleep, but before ya do, ya need to some antibiotics. Do you want some water or orange juice to wash them down with?”
“Some orange juice please.”
“Okay, you just rest there and I’ll get the stuff.”
Scott stayed exactly where Logan had pushed him and tried to figure out what Logan really wanted with him. He knew he wasn’t the best looking thing on the block, and while he wasn’t stupid, he wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer either. Scott pushed the thoughts out of his head. At the moment he was dry, warm, and well feed; and he didn’t have to worry about Joe beating him up. Of course there was always the possibility that Logan was abusive, but so far he had shown no signs of it.
Logan entered the room with a glass of orange juice and a couple of pill bottles. He set the juice on the table and opened up the bottles. “Hold out your hand.” Scott did as he asked and Logan shook one pill from each bottle into Scott’s palm. “Swallow those.” Logan handed him the juice and he swallowed them one at a time.
After he had finished off the juice, Logan muscled him back under the blankets. “Get some sleep. It’ll help you get better faster.”
Scott thought about arguing with Logan but the yawn that caught him unawares changed his mind. He snuggled into the bed and fell into the waiting darkness.
******
Scott sat at the table in the hotel room, hunched over a piece of wood with a lock imbedded into it. A few hours ago, Logan had dropped the wood into his lap along with a small packet and book. “Work on that. It should keep you from getting too bored,” and he had walked out without another word.
The title of the book had been “Lock picking secrets”. He had quickly read the book and had started work on the lock. He was starting to get frustrated. The book made the process of picking a lock sound fairly simple. He adjusted his tools and worked at it again and suddenly he heard a click and part of the wood fell away from the rest.
“Very impressive. Did you have any experience in picking locks before?” Scott forced down a startled response when Logan asked from behind him.
“No.”
“Amazing. You learned that quickly just from a book. And I thought you said you weren’t smart.”
“I’m not a genius.”
“That’s debatable. Anyway, Hank said that you were well enough to leave the hotel for a short amount of time. Is there anything you need to pick up at your old place?”
“Yeah, I got a few things.”
******
Scott and Logan walked slowly down the street. Scott was still recovering and he was easily winded. Logan had wanted to take the car but Scott had convinced him that where they were going it wasn’t a good idea.
“I still don’t know how we are gonna get all your stuff back,” Logan said.
“I really don’t have that much I wanna take. Most of it I’m gonna leave, but there are a few things that belonged to my parents that I want.”
“Where are your parents?”
“Dead. They died in a plane crash. They pushed my little bro and me out of the plane with one parachute. I hit the ground pretty hard and got some brain damage.” He reached up and tapped his glasses. “That’s why I have to wear these.”
Logan looked at the red lensed glasses. Scott still hadn’t told him the truth about why he needed them, but Logan could wait. He had all the time in the world.
*******
Joe stalked down the street. People quickly got out of his way. It was very clear that he was pissed off. He had a regular customer coming into town and the guy had requested Scott. The only problem was, was that no one had seen the kid in four days. Joe had searched his apartment and he didn’t see anything missing, but that wasn’t saying much, there wasn’t anything in there but junk. Scott might have skipped town on him.
He glanced across the street and grinned. If it wasn’t his missing moneymaker. He crossed the street and grabbed Scott’s arm. He looked at the boy’s companion. “If you’ll excuse me, Scotty here has some business to talk with me over.”
He dragged Scott into the alley and pushed him against the wall. “Where the hell have you been?” Joe growled.
“I’ve been sick, Joe.”
“I don’t care if you’ve been dead. You’re supposed to be working. There’s a customer coming in tomorrow night and he asked for you. Now you are going back to your apartment and you’re gonna get ready to go out there tonight, and tomorrow you’re gonna spread em like a good boy and take it up the ass or down the throat. Understand?”
“No. I’m not doing it anymore, Joe. I quit. I’m not working for you anymore.”
Joe stared at him in disbelief. He had never had a worker quit on him. He grabbed Scott’s arm and leaned in towards the younger man. “I don’t think you understand. No one quits. You’re gonna work for me until you are so fucking old that no one wants you anymore. Get used to it.” Joe glanced over at Logan who was snarling. “Who’s the guy? Some one you thought was going to be your new pimp? I don’t think so.”
Logan walked over and put a hand on Joe’s shoulder and pulled him away. “Hands off, asshole. Scott’s not yours anymore.” He held out a hand to Scott and pulled him towards him. “Let’s go get your stuff.”
“I don’t think so, mother fucker. This ones mine. I sell his ass and I always will.”
“Not anymore. His ass isn’t for sale at any price.” Logan pushed Scott in front of him and started to walk away. His body stiffened and he spun around, taking Joe’s knife in his side. He extended his claws and ran them through Joe’s midsection. “I told you. Scott doesn’t belong to you any more.” He withdrew his claws and pulled the knife out of his side. He looked back at Scott who looked at him in shock.
“Come on, kid. Let’s get your stuff, then we can talk about what just happened.” Logan led Scott out of the alley and back down the street.
“Are you just going to leave him there?” Scott asked frantically.
“Yup. The bastard deserves to die.”
“But what about the police?”
“They ain’t gonna care. Besides, they won’t link it to me. Trust me, Scott. I got friends in high places.”
Scott didn’t answer and when Logan looked over at him, he could see that the younger man was thinking. Scott led him to the apartment and Scott quickly gathered up what he wanted and stuffed the items into a back pack. He started to put it on but Logan took it from him.
“Ya don’t need to be carrying that.”
“Logan, I’m not an invalid. What do you think I did before you came along?” Scott asked.
Logan looked at him and took in the overly slim build, white face, and dark circles under the eyes. “Clearly you didn’t do that good of a job. That’s what I’m here for.”
Scott glared at him. “I’m really starting to have second thoughts about our agreement. I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”
“Yeah, Slim you do.”
“My name is Scott, not Slim.”
“Get some weight on your bones and I’ll call you Scott, but until then you’re Slim.”
Scott frowned and turned to leave. A fit of coughing doubled him over. Logan hurried to his side and started rubbing his back.
“Shh. Don’t fight it, Scott. Relax.”
Slowly Scott started to recover. He leaned against the wall and tried to get his breath back. Logan went into the kitchen and brought him some water. Scott took the glass and let the water soothe his raw throat.
“I’m gonna call Hank over and have him take another look at you. That cough isn’t getting any better. Come on, let’s get you back to the hotel. We can go get you better clothes later.”
The End ?
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