Little Big Man

LITTLE BIG MAN – a serial novel by Travis Creel

CHAPTER TWENTY: A MORNING OF SURPRISES

Previously: The Tops have been separated into three groups at meal times – with Red, White, and Blue tablecloths. They correctly infer that one complete table is to lose their anal virginity after the next – and final – competition. In fact, the plan is to force the captives to turn against each other and vote to `bottom' one whole table. The Russians want it to be the Red table, as they've placed their top eight choices for personal slaves at the Blue and White tables. They have made the Tops watch a puzzling video, which the contestants think will be the basis of the upcoming competition. The real purpose of the video, however, is to contain subliminal messages to influence them to vote against the Red Table – at which Matti is seated.

In the meantime, Latronius has devised his own plan to try to influence the Tops to vote against Alex's Blue Table – specifically by fomenting anger and jealousy directed at Alex himself. He locks Alex in his room at breakfast and spreads a rumor that Alex has been given special treatment by the Russians, including a champagne breakfast with them and the opportunity to wear clothing. Latronius hopes to have Alex lose his virginity so that it will be permissible to fuck him. The plan seems to be working, as Alex has lost the trust of Illinois and Delaware, two of his closest friends.

ALEX: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 15, MORNING – INDIAN OCEAN, OFF THE COAST OF AFRICA

I woke up on Wednesday to two unexpected sights. One was the sun out my window. I was on the starboard side of the ship: If the morning sun was off to our right, then we were heading up the east side of Africa. And the sea I was looking at was the Indian Ocean.

The other unexpected sight was Latronius, holding a tray, a cheerful expression on his face.

• Rise and shine, bitch. Breakfast time.

Shit, not again.

• No thank you, Latronius. It's supposed to be a luxury to have breakfast in bed, but I'd rather eat in the Dining Hall with the others.

• Good to see you haven't lost your sense of humor. But you better enjoy this breakfast, because it's the only one you're getting. You're not going to the Dining Hall or anywhere else this morning. By then, your friends – or perhaps I should say `former friends' – will have seen pictures of you walking around the deck in a pair of jeans and a nice print shirt. And shoes.

• Don't be ridiculous. No such pictures exist.

• Ever hear of Photoshop?

I made a sudden lunge toward him, intent on grabbing the hot coffee and flinging it in his face. But he deftly stepped aside with the result that I fell on the floor, landing on a knee that was now in great pain. Latronius broke into gales of laughter.

• Why are you doing this, Latronius? Why do you hate me so much?

• I don't hate you, white boy. Quite the opposite. I want to make love to you. Well, it may not feel like love, more like getting jackhammered up the wazoo, but I want you so bad I can hardly stand it. And I'm going to get you, boy. I made you a promise yesterday, and I'm going to keep it.

• How is this going to help you achieve that?

• Because you're going to lose that competition tonight.

• I repeat – how is this going to help you achieve that? The competition is obviously about this video they've been force-feeding us all day yesterday. I happen to be pretty good at memorizing details and recognizing patterns, so I think I'm going to be just fine in tonight's competition.

This was totally false bravado; I was flustered by the video and couldn't identify the patterns they contained, other than that the asses at the end belonged to the Red Table.

• Ha! You think that's what the competition is about?

• What do you mean – it's not about the video?

Latronius just smiled.

I thought about what he had said and the wicked expression on his face. Possibilities:

(1) Latronius was telling the truth, and the video was a ruse to distract us. The real competition was something else, for which the fact that my friends thought I had been receiving favors from the Russians might contribute to my losing the competition.

(2) Latronius was lying and was toying with me psychologically, trying to get me so upset that I messed up the competition and made myself eligible to be penetrated by his enormous tool.

I couldn't believe they would spend the energy to create this elaborate video if they weren't going to us it in some way. On the other hand, Latronius was clearly going to a lot of effort to get the others to dislike me. Why would he do that if the competition were only about answering questions about the video?

I could ask him for more information, but it wouldn't work.

• Now, baby, before you have your breakfast, I want you to have a little appetizer.

He waved his huge cock up and down.

• You're going to bring me just to the edge, like before. Tantra, baby. But this time in your mouth. On your knees, bitch.

I had no choice. I knelt in front of him and he manipulated his humongous tool to close to an erection and moved toward me. He didn't have to tell me to open up, he would only slap me into submission if I didn't.

And he slipped his prick past my teeth and onto my tongue, where I began to gag almost immediately.

• Suck it, boy.

Before I could do so, there was another surprise. And this time, it was on Latronius. His phone beeped.

• Shit. What's this about?

He pulled his cock out of me, grabbed his phone and read what was apparently a message.

• Oh, fuck. I've got to go. Don't worry, little bitch – I'll be back. But your friends won't see you at breakfast – and do you think they'll take your word for where you've been? Not after they see you with clothes on, that's for sure. Get your mouth ready for some tantra when I return. And get mentally prepared to surrender your pretty little ass. It's getting reamed tonight.

DMITRI: WEDNESDAY, 15 JUNE, MORNING – INDIAN OCEAN, OFF THE COAST OF MOZAMBIQUE

As we were steaming northwards toward our final destination, it was time to brief the enforcers on what would happen when we got there. We called a breakfast meeting, texting them and summoning them to the gym. The boys had not yet had their breakfast, but we didn't need enforcers to be present for that to take place; we dispatched our four assistants and some of the kitchen staff to supervise the Dining Hall. By this point, the boys were docile enough that there was little risk of them causing disruption just because they didn't see enforcers around. They knew that if they made any trouble, the cost would be enormous: they could be gang-banged for hours, whipped bloody, or have non-elective surgery. They weren't going to start a revolution at breakfast.

Some of the enforcers didn't look any too happy about being summoned without warning to meet with us. But when they saw the sumptuous feast we had laid out for them, they broke into broad smiles and dug in with relish. Comfortably sated, they were a receptive audience when it came time for the meeting itself.

I explained what was going on.

• As you know, the final competition is tonight, and it is important that the boys not know what our plans are for after that. As a security precaution, we are going to withhold that from you as well. We have indications that a few of you have engaged in casual conversations with boys, a protocol violation, although we have not enforced it to any degree thus far.

• However, the less you know, the less you can communicate to the boys. After the boys are sold, four of you - you know who you are - will fly to Russia with us to accompany our new slaves. The remainder will be flown back to the U.S., with fatter wallets.

A remark that prompted cheers.

• Now I have some bad news and some good news, regarding sex: Tonight, our final four Tops will be demoted to Bottom status. As was the case Monday night, they will pull a train of eight men each – two fellow Tops, five crew members, and, in this case, one of the four of us. But not you.

Sour looks.

• And tomorrow will be a sex-free day for everyone – Tops, bottoms, us – and you.

Sour looks augmented by groans of protest.

• As compensation, today you have free rein to use any Bottom or Eunuch you like. After breakfast, they will be locked out of their cabins, so they will have to locate in public areas around the ship. We want you to take them then and there, in public. We want the Tops to see you doing this, as a reminder of what Bottom status really means, since four of them will become Bottoms tonight. We want you to enjoy yourselves, but our principal objective is psychological intimidation and demoralization.

A hand went up. Marcus, one of our first-time enforcers.

• If that's your goal, sir, I have a suggestion.

He relayed his idea, which was met with broad enthusiasm. And made me smile.

ALEX: Latronius' phone call was my godsend, if not my salvation. Of course, he had locked me in my cabin, but he had left before everyone had left for breakfast. And he had not gagged me or tied me up. Which meant that others were around to hear me bang on the door and yell at the top of my lungs.

The first voice I heard belonged to, of all people, Wyoming.

"Whoa, Wisconsin. Easy, boy," he said, like he was calming a fractious colt. "I hear you, I hear you."

• He locked me in again!

• Who did?

• La – this maroon.

• Latronius? Is that what you started to say? I know that dude. He's the one told me you were wearing clothes.

• Yeah, well, I wasn't. I was locked inside. Only you didn't know it because you were locked inside, too. And now I'm locked in again today. Listen, Wyoming, could you get Minne – no, get Illinois and Delaware. They need to know I'm still here, and that I can't get out. They need to know the truth. Go get them, please, could you?

• Sure, anything for a friend.

He said that with heavy irony that we were both aware of. I was also aware that, for some reason, over the last day or so Wyoming and I were a lot less hostile toward each other. I didn't hate him anymore, though I wasn't sure why. Some of my hostility had been redirected toward Nevada and Oregon and South Carolina, all of whom were at Matti's table. Inexplicably. Or maybe just because I resented that he was at their table and not mine.

Wyoming fetched Noisy and Del, and, within a minute or two, most of the other Tops had assembled outside my door.

I explained what had happened, with some judicious editing, such as Latronius' efforts to force oral sex. I explained that it was Latronius' plan to have me be absent again during breakfast and stir up suspicion in their minds. I didn't tell them about his Photoshopping me with clothes on, as it sounded so ridiculous. I held that in reserve in case I needed it, but most of them seemed to accept my story and apologized for doubting me yesterday.

• (Nevada) How do we know you're really locked in? Maybe you're just pretending.

• Get a maroon. Get him to check it out. Get Nelson or Joey. They can get in here and prove that the palm pad doesn't accept my palmprint.

• (Nevada) Maybe we'll do that.

He left. Matti was one of the last to arrive and I didn't really hear his voice until the others had left.

• Hey, Cheesehead, you okay?

• Yeah, I'm just –

• I know, I heard. You're lucky he got that phone call or I think it would have worked. Even Rhode Island was getting a little suspicious. He fell over himself apologizing to me just now for even doubting you for a minute.

• He's good, Rhody. And Nodak has been supportive as well. I just got to know him a couple days ago, but he believed me when Noisy and Del didn't. Listen, you better get to breakfast or you'll miss it.

• Can I bring you something?

• And how would you get it to me? I'm locked in. Anyway, I have food. Fortunately only of the edible variety.

• That's the best kind.

• Well, Latronius had something else to put in my mouth.

• Ew. Sorry to hear that.

• I was saved by the bell, literally.

• I'll come back after breakfast. If I don't, you'll know they locked us in.

• I'm sure they will. They'll run that damn video a few more times.

• True that.

About forty-five minutes later, I heard a knock on my door, and heard Matti's voice. Which meant that they had not been returned to their cabins like yesterday. Just in case, I tried my hand on the palm pad – and found that the door opened.

Matti took a look inside, said, "Just a minute" and disappeared for a moment, returning with Noisy, South Dakota and Nevada. He pointed into my cabin.

• (Matti) Look. There's his breakfast tray.

• No champagne. No caviar.

• (South Dakota) Sorry, dude. Shoulda believed you.

The other two mumbled something vaguely resembling apologies and then left, as Matti came in.

• What's with Noisy? He should have said something more than he did just now.

• Don't know, Cheesehead. He's been very standoffish with me. Del was somewhat apologetic but Illinois is weird. Mississippi's been hanging around him a lot lately, instead of South Carolina. Something weird is happening with the guys at my table. We don't seem to be flavor of the month.

• Well, it's only for today. I can't imagine this tablecloth thing will last beyond tonight. But I'm really nervous. It really looks like it's group against group, and the chances of both of us staying Tops looks small.

• One in three, of course. Well, maybe we'll finally get to have sex.

• Don't joke about that, Matti. Being a Bottom – those guys are going through hell.

• You've talked to them about it?

• Of course not. I empathize with nice guys like Kentucky and Ohio, but I can't go up to them and ask them how they're feeling. All you have to do is watch their reactions as they're getting gang-banged. I don't want either of us to go through that.

• Study that video like hell, and get your tablemates to do the same.

• Right. They'll probably show it any minute now. Want to tempt fate and go for a swim before they send us back here to watch it?

But they didn't interrupt our swim, nor did they call us back to our rooms the whole day. After the swim, we dried off on the sun deck and then went to the Rec Room. They had let the Bottoms out today, to intermingle with us, which was nice to see. Some of them had organized a basketball game, enough players to have reserves. They had, somewhat stereotypically, teamed up by race, Blacks against whites, and I was pleased to see they had even included some Eunuchs – Oklahoma was on the Black team along with D.C., Missouri, Louisiana, and Virginia, and Colorado was on the white team with Massachusetts, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Nebraska, with Ohio, Pennsylvania, Idaho, and Indiana on the `bench'. A group of Latinos and Asians was also watching, apparently willing to take on the loser, not the winner, of this game. One of them – New Mexico, my initial victim in Round One – was acting as referee. Somehow he had even acquired a whistle.

I took a risk and approached Ohio, with whom I was as friendly as I was with any of the Bottoms.

• Well, you seem to be winning handily.

• (Grin.) You know what they say – white men can't jump.

• A bit odd watching a basketball game where every player should be a guard, with no forwards or centers.

• D.C.'s our center – he's a full five seven and three-quarters.

• Good to see you guys having some fun. You've had a rough time of it.

• They gave us yesterday off. This morning, too. That helped, having a break. Last week, during Round Two, it was pretty intense. And then Monday night this huge Polynesian named Tupu fucked me four times.

There was nothing I could say to that.

• Brutal. But, you know? I took it. I was proud of that. I didn't yell, and I didn't cry. I didn't even say a word, I just . . . took it. Like a man. After a while, it was kinda – I know this sounds odd, but I didn't mind it. I was like – okay, this guy really wants me. Yeah, he's just using my body, but he wants ME. There were like fifteen other guys available when he chose me. He could have chosen any of them, but he didn't, you know? He chose me. I felt wanted.

• I hadn't thought of it like that. Maybe being a Bottom isn't so bad.

• It's a matter of perspective, Wisconsin. It's like, that first day. I wound up getting beaten by California. I mean, it was close. Could have been him, could have been me. Now he's a Bottom too. I've had time to adjust. I think it's harder after you've been a Top – and then to get gangbanged like that, I mean –

• That could be me tonight.

• Oh shit, dude, I'm sorry. I mean, I like you, you were considerate when you fucked me and kind when you shaved me. I'll be honest – if I had to pick a Top to fuck me, I'd choose you. California was a bit of an asshole about it, frankly – I didn't mind it so much when I heard he got his. But if you get turned tonight, well, I'll feel bad – it's going to be worse for you than it was for me.

• Maybe what happens tonight doesn't matter. They told me eight of us would still be Tops when we get off the ship. But after that, what? Are we safe forever? I'd like to think so, but . . .

• Look, we're going to be slaves, right? I mean, that seems obvious. Seems like they're preparing us to be sex slaves. Which is why I'm proud of taking Tupu's cock up my ass four times in one night. If I'm going to be a sex slave, I want to be good at it. But you – I don't know. Say you make it off the ship as a Top. What are they going to do with you? They can't let you go – they've already told us we'll never see the USA again. Only three options. Four.

• Which are?

• One. They could kill you. Doesn't make sense. Why keep you alive on the ship and then kill you afterwards? Two. They could throw your ass in prison. Possible, but what would they gain from that? These are Russians, corrupt Russians, and you know they're in it for the money. So they're going to sell us. Which leads us to Three. They make you a slave, but not a sex slave. They make you a coal miner or a factory worker in some obscure town in Siberia you'll never get away from. Doesn't seem like enough of a profit motive there. So Four. You become a sex slave, too. Maybe they're keeping you a virgin to improve your market value – but in that case why not keep us all virgins? Or maybe you'll get to stay a Top, maybe even service women. Unlikely, but possible. That's the only possible outcomes I can see.

• Cheery.

• Sorry, dude, but I think we're all fucked. Literally or figuratively, and probably both.

The whistle blew for a time-out. Ohio joined his group in the huddle, and when play resumed he was in the game, both teams giving bench players some playing time. I watched them play for a while – Ohio was a better defender than he was a shooter – and then left.

I went outside where I found Rhody standing at the railing, watching a group of dolphins that were following the ship for a bit. A maroon, posted nearby, had cuffed Rhody to the railing so that he couldn't leap overboard in the misguided hope of ever swimming to shore.

He was standing on the port side, so I knew we were facing Africa, but how far away was it? No land on the horizon, so it was at least eleven miles, and even a strong swimmer like Matti or me might have trouble fighting the currents and making it that distance.

When I approached Rhody, the maroon – name tag Ezequiel – came over and cuffed me to the rail as well. Rhody looked moody.

• You okay, Rhody?

• That's probably Mozambique out there. Somewhere.

• Not that we'll ever see it.

• We're getting close, Wes. This trip is coming to an end.

• In a few days.

• Maybe sooner.

• You worried about tonight?

• (Pause.) I wouldn't say worried. I would say sad. I have friends at all three tables. So unhappy ending no matter what happens. I don't care about myself any more, I'm ready to bend over for them, it's gotta happen sooner or later.

• Not necessarily. I was just having this conversation with Ohio, of all people. He thinks we might be service studs, and that's why some of us are still Tops.

• He's dreaming.

• Well, he didn't mean himself, he's resigned to life as a bottom.

• I am, too. I'm just accepting that as fate accompli. The only reason I will even try tonight is because if I didn't, it wouldn't be fair to you. I feel especially bad for even half-believing that crazy story about you getting special treatment from the Russkies. And wearing clothes.

• Latronius said he'd photoshopped some pictures of me dressed. He was going to show them to you guys today. Obviously, he's given up on that plan or I wouldn't be standing with you now.

• No, what's bothering me is that this is Mozambique.

• You got something against Mozambique?

• (smile) Yeah, I was terrorized by Mozambique as a child. No, seriously, it's too close to our final destination. I don't know where we're going, but even if it's the Emirates, it can't be more than three or four days away. But they say the last competition is tonight, so I think we're closer than that. Which means this is all going to end.

• You don't want this nightmare of a voyage to end?

• There's an old expression about frying pans and fire, Wisconsin. They're going to sell us, you know that.

• It looks that way.

• And I doubt they're going to sell us as one large group. We're going to get split up. I've made friends on this ship. I'm a kinda shy guy, I don't make friends that easily. And then I come onto this ship and I've got friends. I've got you and Minnesota and Illinois and Delaware and the Dakota twins, and there were others before they got Bottomed. And I'll never see you again.

• Rhody. You'd never met us until, what, ten days ago? You'll settle into your new life and forget all about us.

• Not you, Wisconsin. I'll never forget all about you.

Okay, what do I say in response to THAT?

• I know you're closer to Minnesota, but you're my best friend on this ship. I'm really very . . . I don't know how to say this. I'm attracted to you. I want to be with you all the time. I don't – I stay away a lot because I don't want to offend you or upset you because I know you're not gay. Well, I didn't think I was gay, either. But now I realize I am. Or at least part of me is. And that part wants to be with you.

How did I become so popular? Matti wanted our relationship to go to the physical level. Latronius has been going to extremes to try to get his cock into me. And now Rhody has confessed a crush. Three people who want to go to bed with me. Four, if you count Ohio's declaration that he would choose me over other Tops for his next sexual encounter.

And I'm not gay. I'm not. I'm close to these people – well, excluding Latronius – and think of them as friends, but I don't want to have sex with them. Okay, it feels nice when they touch me – even when Latronius touches me. I liked lying next to Matti – horizontally. I even liked it that evening with Kentucky when he shared my bed.

But I am NOT GAY.

Just then my cock started to rise. These things happen spontaneously sometimes, you know how it is. But I didn't want Rhody to get the wrong idea, so I turned away from him in hopes he hadn't spotted the movement.

"You have such a great ass, Wisconsin," he said, and I realized that in hiding my budding erection I had presented him with my most attractive feature.

I felt his free arm close around me then, and he pulled his body next to mine. It was bare skin against bare skin, and I could feel that his cock, rubbing gently against my left buttock (but not in danger of proximity to the cleft), was hard. His head rested on my shoulder, and he planted a gentle kiss on the side of the back of my neck.

And my cock continued to rise until it was entirely horizontal. From his position at the nexus of my shoulder and my neck, my full erection was in his view.

• Oh, God, Wisconsin. I'm so glad you feel the same way. I'd feel so bad if I offended you.

• Rhody, I don't feel the same way. Not quite. I mean, I like you, but –

He reached around and squeezed my cock.

• This says otherwise.

• It's just a physical reaction, Rhody. It's just –

• Exactly. A physical reaction.

And he rubbed his hand up and down the length of my shaft.

I had to confess, it felt wonderful. It felt thrilling. Girls had done that to me, but when Rhody did with his meaty yet gentle hands, while I felt his chest against my bare back and his hot breath against the side of my face, I felt like I was in heaven.

I felt so many things. I felt dirty. I felt ashamed. I felt like I was unfairly leading Rhody on, when there was nowhere this could go. I even felt like somehow I was betraying Matti. And mostly I was confused because I was enjoying this. But I was not gay. I am not gay. It was just like men in prison who have no other course – they have sex with each other but they aren't gay. It's just the circumstances.

But damn, it felt good.

Ezequiel took notice of what was going on and pulled us apart. Thirty seconds more and I would have been shooting my seed into the Indian Ocean. He scolded us:

• Masturbation is forbidden. You want sex, fuck a Bottom. But if I were you, I'd save your sperm for tonight. You may need it. Of course, you may have to use this instead.

And with that last comment he moved his hand between my cheeks and thrust the tip of a bony finger past my anus.

I concentrated on the dolphins and created mental images of them being slaughtered to help me deflate. When I was back down, I told Ezequiel I wanted to leave and he uncuffed me.

"See ya," I said to Rhody. His boner was still at full strength. I took note of it, and added, trying to be kind, "We'll talk."

Although I didn't want to. After this it would be tough to convince him that I wasn't gay.

I went back to my room where I figured I'd wait for the video to come back on, surprised it hadn't yet. Then I wondered: was that the plan? Were they testing us to see how much we remembered a full day removed from it? That would be scary.

The video didn't reappear all morning, and neither, to my relief, did Latronius.

At noon, they called us for lunch, and Matti came to collect me. Rhody was with him, which made it awkward – I had not told Matti about the event at the railing. We picked up the Dakota twins and headed for the Dining Hall where yet another surprise awaited us: We were back to one long table, and free to sit wherever we chose. The five of us were joined by Del when he arrived. Noisy sat with Mississippi and South Carolina, while Wyoming, Nevada and Oregon clustered. Everyone was talking about the absence of the videos and the disappearance of the colored tablecloths.

There were only two possibilities. It was their plan for the videos and team arrangement to be yesterday's news, and that the competition tonight was designed to test our recall a day later.

Or something had changed.

DMITRI: WEDNESDAY, 15 JUNE (TWO HOURS EARLIER) – OFF THE COAST OF MOZAMBIQUE

Something had changed, all right. Disaster unfolded at our ten o'clock Zoom meeting with Abdul. Abdul was our broker. Despite our remote location, we were able to contact him via satellite.

The four of us sat around the conference table with DeJuan, Ricky, Carlos, and Ramses. Ricky and Carlos had not met Abdul before, so introductions were made. Naturally, I ran this meeting.

• We will arrive in port with 44 slaves: 8 virgin Tops, 4 Eunuchs, and 32 Bottoms. We will keep four of the virgins to take back to Russia, and Abdul will sell the others. Although it is not contractually guaranteed, it is an agreed-upon understanding that we will choose which four Tops we take back to Russia, as I'm sure Abdul will confirm.

Abdul, rather than confirming, said nothing. He looked mildly agitated, as if something was wrong. He didn't look upset, but there was clearly something on his mind. I decided if it had been important, he would have said something, and moved on.

• Our principal client is, of course, the Royal Family. They will buy the other four Tops, the four Eunuchs, and twelve of the Bottoms. In negotiations with Abdul and ourselves, they have contracted one set price for these twenty slaves.

• (Ricky) Which twelve Bottoms do they get – how is that determined?

• The Family will select the first four. Abdul will then select eight to sell at auction. The Family will choose four more and Abdul will select an additional eight. This will leave eight Bottoms, and the Family and Abdul will take turns selecting them. This will give Abdul a stock of twenty boys to sell. Mind you, even the last boy chosen will be a tempting prize – we did not bring any ugly or unfit merchandise with us. With one exception, Abdul. The boy named Florida should not be offered to a client who expects him to be obedient. I will advise the Family of that as well. The Family will thus have twenty boys to add to – or more accurately, replenish – their stable of slaves: twelve Bottoms, four Eunuchs and the four Tops we don't take.

• (Ricky) Replenish?

• (DeJuan) don't be naïve, Ricky. Not every slave performs to the satisfaction of his master. Naturally, they have to dispose of some.

He left it to the imagination what that meant.

• On Friday, the Family will take possession of their twenty slaves. The same day, Abdul will auction off his twenty. Did I summarize that accurately, Abdul?

• (Abdul) My friend – and you ARE my friend, Dmitri, please know that. I would say that is a completely accurate description of the way it has worked in the past.

That remark landed with a thud.

• In the past? What do you mean, `in the past'?

• There is some good news and some less than good news.

• Let's hear the worst of it.

• I would rather tell you the good news first. It may make the rest of it easier. I have negotiated an increase in price with the Family. They will be paying 30% more than they paid last year. This is a very generous amount, which, of course, goes mostly to you.

That was true. Since we were delivering the entirety of the merchandise, Abdul took a relatively small percentage of the Royal Family's payment – only 7.5%. He took double that - 15% - of the amount from the auction sales, since he took responsibility for organizing the auction and contacting all the potential bidders.

• This is very good news. But I gather it comes with strings attached.

• It does. I need to ask you an important question. What progress have you made toward assigning the boys to their final category?

• Why are you asking this question, Abdul?

• I'll explain in a moment. Just – where are you in the process? I'm familiar with your competitions – have they all been held?

• No, the last one is tonight.

• And your counts at present?

• Twelve Tops, twenty-eight Bottoms, and four Eunuchs. Tonight, we will convert four of our remaining Tops to Bottoms.

• This is a relief. The contract can still be saved.

• Saved?

• The Family has insisted on some changes. First, of your eight fully male virgins –

• The Tops –

• The Tops. Of these, you may no longer have the first four. You may have the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth picks.

• Unacceptable. We each have specific tastes. Boris wants a Black boy, Yuri prefers a muscular build – what if the Family takes all of our choices?

• That is a risk you will have to take.

• I repeat: Unacceptable.

• I told the Prince Regent that you might find it so. He authorized me to increase the price to 50% more than they paid last year.

• (Pause.) Fifty percent.

• Correct.

• Which we get ninety-two and a half percent of.

• Also correct.

• Let us confer.

I muted our end of the conversation. I will spare you the details of our conference, but in the end we realized that any of the twelve remaining Tops would be a serviceable slave to have in our homes for a year, even if they didn't fit our personal type'. Oregon was neither blond, Black, muscular, nor exotic' – but he was still a sexy young man who should make a perfectly satisfactory slave.

I re-established contact with Abdul.

• We agree.

• Good.

• But why are you concerned about whether or not we've held the final competition?

• Ah. That is the other complication. What are your present coordinates?

I sent Ricky off to the captain to obtain them. After he returned, I conveyed them to Abdul.

• Excellent. You should reach Mamoudzou by mid-afternoon. You will dock there.

• What? Why?

• Because the Prince Regent is there. He wants to look over the cargo and be involved the competition tonight.

• Involved? Involved how? We've gone to a lot of trouble to set up this competition. Yuri has spent hours –

• Cancel it. Things have changed. You are not to convert four of your Tops to Bottoms.

• (Irritated pause followed by an extremely annoyed pause.) Explain.

• The Family insists on buying eight virgins this year, not four. If you hold your competition as planned, you will only have eight virgins on board, and the Family will take all of them. If you want virgins to take with you to Russia, you will have to keep all twelve of your Tops inviolate.

• I don't understand. If that's the case, then we simply go with what we have now. We cancel the competition. What competition are you talking about then, that the Prince Regent wants to `be involved with' – and what does that mean, anyway?

• Quite simply this. You will disembark with twelve virgins. But four of them must be eunuchs.

• What?!

• Instead of fucking four of your Tops tonight, you will have four of them gelded. And the Prince wants a role in determining which ones they are.

[COMING UP NEXT: CHAPTER 21 - ENTER A V.I.P.]