Part two of three, "A Sensible Choice"

[rabidfan.livejournal.com]

Here are chapters three and four of “A Sensible Choice.”  It’s still AU, still Slave fic…so please, if any of that bothers you, don’t open.  Content doesn’t exceed PG-13.

 

3.Getting Acquainted

 

Waking up with someone in his bed was disorienting for Nick.  He moved to ease his cramping back, and jerked back at the warmth of the body next to him.  He slowly shifted over onto his side, trying not to disturb Greg.  Greg had worked hard yesterday; the kind of work Nick was sure he’d never done in his life.  There had been the wood chopping, with some amusing moments until the axe became more familiar to him, and learning to lay a fire.  The stalls had to be mucked out and the horses brushed and fed.  One chore after the other, all afternoon and into the night.

 

After a hasty meal and turns in Nick’s tiny shower, they faced the awkward moment of getting into bed together.  Nick had tried to be pragmatic about it.  The little settee wasn’t nearly long enough for anyone to get any rest on.  The floor was drafty and cold.  That left the bed.  When Nick had pointed out those facts to Greg his eyes had dropped to the floor again.  He’d looked Nick square in the eyes all day, asked questions about the ranch and had seemed interested in the answers.  With one look at the sleeping arrangements, he’d been reminded of his status with Nick, and all the lightness of the day vanished.

 

“It’s a little colder by the wall, so if you want you can have the outside.”  Nick thought that giving him even that small choice might make him feel more in control.  Greg’s eyes stayed down.

 

“What ever you prefer.”  He looked so young in the dim light.  It made Nick’s heart clench.  “Look at me, Greg.”  Eyes down.  “Greg.”  Finally Greg looked up.  He was frightened and unable to disguise it.  “You have nothing to fear from me.  I mean that now, and I’ll still mean that during the night.”  Greg nodded and swallowed hard.  “Yes, Nick.” 

 

Once they’d actually turned down the lamps and gotten into bed it took a long while for the stiff fear to fade enough to allow Greg to sleep.  Once asleep though, he slept like the dead. 

 

The trip into town the next day was nerve wracking for the both of them.  Greg had no idea what to expect, and assumed the absolute worse.  Nick dreaded the comments about him now owning a slave, something he’d sworn never to do.  Of course, with Doc knowing about Greg for nearly two days now, it was likely everyone in town was fully aware of their newest resident.  He decided to face them head-on and steered Greg into gossip central, the café.

 

“Heh, Nick.”  It was Otis, the owner of the towns’ one gas station.  “Real pretty.  Since you’re so anti good times, send him to me!  He can keep my bunk warm this winter!”  Otis made an obscene gesture to indicate the method that ‘warming’ would take.  Greg shivered and tucked a little bit into Nick.  Laughter around the room and more ribald suggestions followed.  Here goes, thought Nick.

 

“Okay.  Listen up!”  The room abruptly fell silent.  “No doubt by now you’ve heard all about my folks gifting me with a slave.”  Nick avoided indicating the level of Greg’s indenture.  They all knew of course, but he wouldn’t add to Greg’s humiliation by saying it aloud.  He gave a pointed look at Doc, sitting at the counter.  Doc just smiled cheekily at him, not even bothering to look sorry.

 

“I don’t believe in slavery, you all know that.  Be that as it may.  The fact is this is Greg.  He’s here now, and he’s here to stay.”  He looked each and every person in the dining room in the eye, daring them to make another comment. 

 

“We’re a small town.  Those of us that spend winters here have always needed to depend on each other.  Trouble starts up here, we’re all effected by it.”  Some of the men in the room were looking sheepishly at each other.  “I’d hate for anything to cause trouble, I know you all feel the same way.”  Again, Nick met their eyes.

 

“As I said, this is Greg.  In a good world, he’d be finishing his senior year in college about now.  In a good world, he’d be welcomed into a new community without someone making disgusting suggestions to him.”  Here Otis had the grace to look ashamed.  “You’ve got a boy in college, don’t you Otis?”  Otis squirmed.  Nick turned to another commenter.  “You have two girls up at the university, right Silus?  How would you feel if someone there made those kind of suggestions to them?”

 

“Now Nick, you know we were just having a little fun.  None of us would hurt your boy, you know that.”  Silus was a little upset to have his daughters lumped in with a slave.  They weren’t the same at all!  Nick could see the resistance in his stance.

 

“I do know that.  I do.”  Nick nodded at the man.  This was the one he’d need to win over if Greg was to have any freedom this winter at all.  “The thing is, Greg here doesn’t know you like I do.  Here just five months ago, he’s a college student.  Now, he’s in a room full of red-necks making him feel lost and scared.”  Now even Silus was feeling a little ashamed.  Good. 

 

“No one should have to feel that way.  Not your boy, Otis.  Not your girls, Silus.  And not Greg.”  The majority of those in the room nodded.  “So.  Maggie?” Nick directed the question to the waitress, “What’s the special today?”  He guided Greg to a table near the rear of the café, indicating by action that the subject was closed.  The noise level went back to normal as conversations resumed all around them.

 

Greg had been silent all the rest of the morning.  He picked at his breakfast, never lifting his eyes from his plate no matter how Nick tried to engage him in conversation.  A trip to the mercantile to get boots and a winter coat had also been silent.  Now on the way back to the ranch, Nick was growing weary of trying to jolly Greg into speech.

 

“Talk to me, Greg.”  Nothing.  “Are you angry with me?  If this is about the announcement in the café, I didn’t do that to embarrass you.  If they get it out of their systems now, you’ll have some freedom of movement this winter.  That’s all I was trying to accomplish.”

 

“You didn’t want me.”  It was a statement, not a question.  It was Nick’s turn to be silent; he truly didn’t know what to say.

 

“I don’t believe in buying and selling humans.  It goes against every thing that I am.”  Nick pulled his truck over to the side of the road.  It wouldn’t do to be distracted on the winding road up the mountain.  “If I had met you some other way, I’d be very interested.  You’re beautiful, smart, and when you’re not all tense, insanely funny.  But I didn’t meet you somewhere else, and even though I’m attracted to you, I’m not going to act on that attraction.  You’re not in a position to say no, so I’ll say no for both of us.”

 

“But your parents…I mean…” Greg sighed.  “They said you’d be happy, that you were lonely, and that we’d be a good match.”  He looked sad.  “But all the time, you hated the idea, and I’m just in your way.”

 

“You’re not in the way.  You’ve been a huge help to me.  I couldn’t have taken care of things on my own, not with my back still bothering me.  Trust me, G.  You’re not in the way.”  The use of the new nickname encouraged a small smile from Greg. 

 

“What happens when your back heals?  What use am I going to be then?”  Greg seemed to need clarity on this, and he needed it now, so Nick attempted to give it. “I meant what I said.  If I’d met you any other way, I’d be asking you out. As to what happens when my back is healed up, my folks were right about the lonely part.  I’m glad for the company.  I don’t want you to worry about the future, Greg.  We’ll work it out between the two of us.”  That seemed enough of an answer for the time being, so Nick pulled back out on the road. 

 

“We’ll be home in a few minutes.  We should try to call your folks.  They must be worried sick.”  Nick nearly veered off the road when Greg threw his arms around his neck.  “Easy, easy.”  Nick thanked the stars that there was no traffic on the road.  He clumsily patted Greg with one hand while trying to keep the big vehicle on the blacktop.  “It’s okay, everything is okay.”  Another pat.  “Sit back, Greg.  Buckle your seat belt.  It’s just going to be a couple more minutes.”

 

Greg sat back to comply with Nick’s wishes.  The teary smile on his face would feed Nick’s fantasies for years to come.

 

4. Putting A Plan in Motion

 

Nick made himself busy in the barn while Greg spoke to his family.  He’d told him to spend as much time with them as he wanted; to take the opportunity to catch up.  He’d made sure Greg had the number to give them, and instructions that they could call anytime.  It was like Nick had given him all he had ever wished for, all he had ever wanted laid at his feet. 

 

He wasn’t really sure how long he’d been working when he realized that Greg had joined him. “Done already?  You didn’t have to cut it short, you must have had a lot to talk about.”  Nick wasn’t trying to pry, just establish this little freedom for Greg.  Greg laughed.  It was the first time Nick had heard him laugh.  It sounded fine, truly fine.  Nick knew he’d be casting about for ways to hear that laugh again. 

 

“I was on the phone for over an hour, Nick.  My ear is permanently damaged.”  The smile on Greg’s face shown like the sun, like he was lit from within.  Beautiful.  “Thank you.  I can’t tell you how much that meant to me…to them.”  Greg’s eyes teared.  “They wanted me to thank you for the number.  They weren’t…” Greg had to pause to clear his throat.  “They weren’t really expecting to ever hear from me again.”  Nick reached over to gently brush the first trailing tear away.

 

“It’s okay, Greg.  I know I keep saying this, but it’s going to be okay.”  Nick didn’t want to tell Greg of his progressing plan for his future.  If anything fell through, the disappointment would be cruel.  Better, he thought, to wait.  To be sure.  Greg gave him a watery smile at the reassurance and turned to begin his chores.

 

The weeks that followed were a new kind of hell for Nick.  He meant every word he’d said about the immorality of having sex with someone who couldn’t refuse to cooperate.  He believed that with every fiber of his being. It didn’t help at all that Greg was becoming so relaxed around him, to the point of initiating little physical intimacies.  A quick hug, a gentle touch, a brush of his hand.  It was as sweet as it was painful.  It made Nick’s chest ache.   It didn’t stop his traitorous body from wanting that intimacy.  It didn’t stop his breath from catching when he caught glimpses of Greg’s lithe form as he bathed or dressed.  It didn’t stop him from getting hard when Greg curled into him in the night.  Moral superiority sucked.

 

It sucked now, as Greg was moving against him while he dreamed.  Nick sighed.  He’d never get to sleep this way.  He eased out of the bed, careful not to wake Greg.  Maybe he could just jerk off in the bathroom.  If he was quiet, maybe Greg would never know.  It would all be settled soon.  The buyers were due in two days.  If the price was good, it would be settled.  Nick made his way into the bathroom. 

 

Nick was pleased that Greg seemed undisturbed when he eased himself back in beside him a little while later.  He let out the breath he’d been holding and snuggled in a little closer to Greg’s warmth.

 

“I could hear you, you know.”  Nick jumped, drawing a chuckle from Greg.  “I could have taken care of that for you.  I would have been happy to.  He leaned over and gently kissed Nick.  It was the first kiss between them, and it relit the fire Nick thought he’d put out in the bathroom. 

 

Nick struggled to separate himself from Greg.  “No.”  He pushed back to gain a little distance.  “No.  We’re not going there.  No.”  Nick had backed completely out of the bed and was heading for the security of the small sitting area.

 

“But why?  You want it; that much is obvious. It’s okay.  It’d be good.  Really Nick, it’s okay!”  Great.  By trying to preserve Greg’s dignity he’d managed to hurt his feelings. 

 

“Look Greg, we’ve covered this ground before.  I won’t use you for my own gratification.  You don’t have the option of telling me no.  No choice means no sex for me.  So let’s just try to forget this and get some sleep.  We have a lot to do tomorrow.”

 

“So you can give me chores and order me around but you won’t sleep with me?”  Greg sounded incredulous.  “That’s kind of hypocritical, isn’t it?”  As soon as the words left his mouth, Greg gasped.  Someone in his position didn’t talk back.  They surely didn’t call their owner a hypocrite without expecting a beating or worse.

 

“Yeah.”  Nick just nodded.  “Yeah, I’m a hypocrite.  I figure you’ve got a sort of room and board here, so no harm if you work for it.  I can live with that.  It is a little hypocritical, you’re right.  But I’m not a rapist.  Not going to be either.  So just drop this, and let’s try to get some sleep.”  He didn’t mean to snap at Greg.  He was frustrated and exhausted, and yeah, horny as hell.  His plan had better work.  He wouldn’t survive too much more of this.

 

“It’s nice that you’re all noble and self-sacrificing.  Really, I’m impressed.”  Greg couldn’t seem to control his tongue tonight.  He was sure he was going to get it this time.  “But while you do without, so do I?  I can’t say no to you, okay.  I get that.  But I can’t say yes to anybody else either.  I belong to you.  Are we going to be celibate forever?”  Nick thought Greg looked really good with that angry flush blooming across his cheeks.  He felt the urge to touch, to smooth away that anger with kisses.

 

“You that desperate after just a month?”  He’d try for distraction.  Maybe it would work for at least one of them.  “Not much stamina for a young guy.”

 

“Funny.  I could show you just how much stamina I have, if you’d just let me.”  Greg was not to be put off.  “My pay-off must be astronomical.  There is no way anybody in my family is ever going to be able to put that kind of cash together.  I’m here, Nick.  Just like you said in town, I’m here for good.”  He rose from the bed, pulling his tee shirt off as he approached Nick.  “I’m right here. Let me do this for you, and you can do it for me.  No pressure, no force.  No force at all.”  He wrapped his arms around Nick’s waist and leaned in to kiss him again.

 

Nick shoved him back with a little more force then he’d intended.  Greg sat back down on the bed with a grunt.  “I said no.  I mean no.”  Now Greg was looking angry again.  “I told those clowns in town that so they’d leave you alone, let you have a little freedom of movement.  I mean this, Greg.  Go to sleep.  Stop trying to push my buttons.”

 

With those last, cold words, Greg’s anger melted.  His eyes dropped back down in the submissive posture that Nick had grown to hate over the weeks they had shared.  Without another word, Greg settled back into the bed.  He lay as close to the wall as he could get, turning his face away from Nick.  Nick stood there, feeling defeated.  He’d hurt Greg, and no doubt lost ground in the budding friendship they’d discovered between them.  It hurt more than he expected.  He was doing this for Greg’s own good, damn it!  Nick wouldn’t, couldn’t back down.  With a sigh, he lay beside Greg, and willed sleep to come.

 

In the morning, while Greg drove the truck out to bring hay to the cattle, Nick took the opportunity to make the calls he’d been putting off.  The first one was to Greg’s parents.  As he’d expected, they had been beyond delighted to assist him in his plan.  They’d promised to not mention anything to Greg, or lose hope if things didn’t work out this time.  Nick’s assurances that he would keep trying to win Greg’s freedom were a comfort to them, and their gratitude made him decidedly uncomfortable.  Here, he owned their son, and could do God knows what to him and they were thanking him.

 

The second call was more difficult.  He didn’t technically need the cooperation of his father for what he had planned, but he did need the exact payout on Greg’s contract.  It wasn’t in his paperwork, and as the sitting judge, his father had access to it.  Maybe he could get the information somewhere else.  He’d refused to answer the phone each time they’d called.  It just seemed like more hypocrisy to go to them for help now.  The bailiff’s office!  They would have that information, and Nick was legally entitled to it.  If he considered selling, it would be the base price for the transaction.  That’s the number he needed.

 

Greg headed back towards the cabin.  Cattle fed, check.  Stalls mucked out, check.  Fence repaired, check.  Firewood stacked, check.  Every inch of him hurt, even his hair.  If he was working for room and board, he wanted a bigger room.  He could see Nick through the open door, talking on the phone again.  He’d spent the better part of the day talking to somebody.  Greg approached quietly.  He wasn’t meaning to eavesdrop; he just didn’t want to disturb the conversation.  At least, that’s what he told himself.

 

“Let me repeat those numbers, just to make sure I wrote them down right,” Nick said into the phone.  “His payout is $145,000.  Correct?  Plus the court costs and the debt bond.”  Nick nodded at what ever he was hearing.  Greg’s vision grayed.  His buyout?  Was Nick sending him away?  They’d barely spoken for the last two days, but Nick had promised he wouldn’t send him away.   He’d promised!

 

Nick looked up from the paper he’d been scribbling notes on and saw Greg swaying by the door.  “Thanks for your help.”  He said into the mouthpiece. Hanging up, he gestured for Greg to come in.  “You okay?  You look a little pale.  Did you do too much?”  He reached to help Greg into a chair.  “I’m sorry I wasn’t out to help, I had a bunch of business to take care of.  Just relax a minute, I’ll get you a drink.” 

 

“Are you sending me away?”  Greg could barely get the words past the lump in his throat.  He had been terrified to come here, and now he was terrified to leave.

 

“No, no.  Not at this time.”  Nick hated being the cause of the stricken look on Greg’s face, but he didn’t have a better answer for him until after the cattle buyers made him an offer.  “Don’t worry so much.  Everything is okay.  Those numbers weren’t in my paperwork, and I’m going to need them.  At the very least, I need them for my taxes.  I like to have all of my files up to date. Honestly, you shouldn’t worry.  Everything is going to be just fine.  I was just cleaning up loose ends.”  The explanation did little to ease the panic Greg felt, but it would have to do.  In any case, it would only be another day.  He’d have better answers for him one way or the other after tomorrow.

Comments

[psyko-kittie.livejournal.com]

So v. awesome! :) Part 3, here I come!

[rabidfan.livejournal.com]

Thanks :)

[mangojunkie.livejournal.com]

I love this. For a second I thought Greg would run away thinking Nick would get rid of him. ..

I love this fic, so much, you did a great job with writting it.

[rabidfan.livejournal.com]

Thanks! It was so very different than any I had done. I was uncomfortable with the whole "slave" idea...but I got thru it.