Little Big Man

LITTLE BIG MAN – a serial novel by Travis Creel

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: TO MARKET, TO MARKET

Previously: Freed from the van, the captives spend their first night in Mogadishu huddled together on a cold cement floor, Alex sandwiched between Matti and Rhody. As Rhody sleeps, Matti asks Alex for a kiss – possibly their last chance for one ever. Alex complies – "it makes you happy", still denying to himself the sexual component of his attraction to Matti.

Boris and Sergei, unhappy at the order of selection that the Royal Family has imposed, press for them to revert to their prior arrangement, in which the Russians chose their slaves first. The meeting does not go well; two of the Prince's brothers, Khalid and Mustafa, are particularly hostile. During this meeting, Yuri lets slip that Boris favors Black slaves and Sergei likes Latinos.

Alex and the other virgins are taken to a room where they are inspected for over an hour by the Royal Family, prior to the selection Saturday night. South Carolina, who had previously tried to escape, makes a mad dash for the exit and has to be drugged to ensure his cooperation during the inspection.

Witnessing this, the Russians are fearful that, stuck with the last pick, it could be South Carolina, a slave none of them wants to spend a year with. Fortunately, there is dissension in the Royal Family, which gives Dmitri a chance to renegotiate, getting the Prince Regent to agree to take the last pick, in exchange for the Family having the first two.

DMITRI: SATURDAY, 18 JUNE, EVENING – MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

• (Boris) You did WHAT?!

• I saved you from a year of misery.

• (Boris) No, you saved YOU from a year of misery. You weren't going to stick ME with South Carolina.

• Boris, calm down. Even if you don't get Illinois, we have five excellent white boys who –

• (Boris) Yes, but I want Illinois. You could have just left things alone, and I'd probably get him. You have no reason to think they want him.

• Actually, we do.

• (Sergei) What, they told you?

• Not in so many words. But they were worried that the boy they wanted would be taken by us first. And they knew you wanted a Black boy.

• (Boris) What fucking idiot told them that?

• (Yuri) Uh, that would be me. It just slipped out this morning, after you left.

• (Boris) Brilliant. I'm fucked.

• (Sergei) Actually, it would be your boy that's fucked, but speaking of boys we want to fuck, did they say anything about Nevada?

• No names were mentioned.

• (Yuri) But I uh, might also have mentioned that you liked Latinos.

• (Sergei) Oh, shit. Now I'm as pissed off as Boris.

• (Boris) So you don't know which of them they were worried about us taking.

• No.

• (Boris) So it might be Nevada and not Illinois.

• (Yuri) Or it might be Illinois and not Nevada. Or it might be both. We don't know. If it's only one of them, we've got the other for sure in slot three. And – tell them about the money, Dmitri.

• They've upped their offer by 20%. That's 20% of their latest offer, which was 50% more than last year. Which means 80% more than last year.

• (Yuri) You mean 70%.

• (Sergei) No, he means 80%. You artistic types can't do math. You forgot the 20% of the extra 50%.

• (Boris) I don't care. I've lost Mississippi and if I lose Illinois too, no amount of money will make up for that. And I'm holding you responsible, Dmitri.

ALEX: SATURDAY, JUNE 18, LATE AFTERNOON – MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

On the way back to our bare room, they let us use an actual bathroom (though my needs were minimal). When we were all reassembled, the Russian known as Thomas' appeared to brief us. I appreciated that, even though I knew the news would be bad and Thomas' was a psychological sadist. Still, better to know than to not know. I think.

• Here is what will happen now. You know you are all slaves. The question is: who owns you? The Royal Family who inspected you this afternoon has purchased the four eunuchs. As for the others: Four of you will also be purchased by the Royal Family. The other four will live with myself or one of my colleagues in Russia.

• I cannot tell you who is going where. I do not know.

You're shitting me. YOU don't know?

• As for the Bottoms: At four o'clock a selection process will take place – twelve Bottoms will be allocated to the Royal Family, the remaining sixteen will be put up for auction at five. We have no idea what will happen to them, nor do we care. We only care that we profit from their sale. I regret you cannot attend – it's enormously entertaining to view nude boys on the block and to watch their faces as men bid on them.

Like I said, psychological sadist.

• After the auction of the Bottoms, your fate will be determined. The Royal Family and my colleagues will make choices. I do not know whom they will choose – they do not know whom we will choose. There is no need for your presence – the Family spent considerable time reviewing your `qualifications', and of course we are highly familiar with your assets – and liabilities.

The last two words were spoken directly to South Carolina, who wisely kept his mouth shut.

• Tomorrow you will be taken to your new home, where you will meet your master. Are there any questions? No matter, you may not ask questions.

And with that, he left.

DMITRI: SATURDAY, 18 JUNE, EVENING – MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

As an amusement, the four of us had voted for which Bottom had the most beautiful ass. Three of us voted for the same boy – Idaho.

So it was no surprise that the Prince Regent chose Idaho first when it came time to split Bottoms between Abdul and the Royal Family. After Idaho, the Prince chose Ohio and Iowa, two beautiful black boys, and Michigan, a brunet initially in Alexei's group. After Abdul chose the next eight, the Prince Regent's remaining picks included four Blacks (Maryland, Louisiana, District of Columbia, Pennsylvania), two Asians (California, Tennessee) and two whites (Massachusetts, Nebraska). Boris noted with alarm that fully half of his selections were Black – the Family's interest in Black boys was not a good omen for Boris, who wanted Illinois for himself.

The remaining sixteen were auctioned off in spirited bidding. The luckiest Bottoms were, for the most part, those purchased by a single individual. Maine, whom we had witnessed being dragged by his balls in an amusing spectacle three nights ago, was bought by a Parisian businessman who was only an associate member of IAMSO, and reportedly had given previous slaves multiple `days off' sex. Another associate member bought New Mexico – a Kuwaiti who treated his slaves more like servants than sex slaves – albeit naked servants without the freedom to take another job.

With such infrequent sex, these masters would likely be expelled from IAMSO; while they could still own slaves, they would lose access to IAMSO markets, software and organizational support. And if their slave ownership were to be discovered by authorities, they were on their own. [Author's Note: You will learn more about IAMSO – the International Association of Male Slave Owners – later.]

Not all those bought by individuals were so fortunate. A Vietnamese general bought Alabama – he is a harsh master and Alabama will feel the pain – but if he adapts he will survive. Missouri, a lovely dark brown boy from St. Louis, was purchased by a man known to discipline his slaves with a Singapore-style caning, which can scar buttocks permanently. Poor Virginia was bought by an Iranian mullah, who intended to use him as a cautionary example for infidels. And a Libyan government official eagerly took Florida. I suspect his life-expectancy was greater than Virginia's, but still in the single digits. And I'm speaking weeks here, not years.

Suleiman, as expected, bought three boys for the Red Lion – Washington, New Hampshire, and West Virginia who – scuttlebutt had it – had the potential to be a cocksucking specialist.

Kentucky was bought by another brothel, the Unsheathed Dagger. This brothel was known to have a snuff night every three months where a boy was auctioned off to – well, you've seen the movie Hostel. Kentucky should do all right, though. Only the least favorite boys were made available – and the few Western boys at the Unsheathed Dagger were extremely popular with the clientele. Kentucky's red hair would be a novelty, protecting him further.

Others were bought by military units – doubtless to be used until they were worn out and then disposed of. Montana and Hawaii were purchased by local militias, while Kansas and North Carolina became the property of the Egyptian army. A Yemeni militia will enjoy New Jersey more than he will enjoy them.

Most importantly, Abdul raised a record amount of money, 85% of which he shared with us.

As is traditional on these evenings, the auction was followed by a grand orgy. After their new Masters fucked them, it was open season, losing bidders getting a chance to sample what they had missed out on.

It made Wednesday's lunch rape look like a school picnic.

ALEX: SATURDAY, JUNE 18, EVENING – MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

The tension was growing. The twelve of us were awaiting word, bunched in little groups: I with Matti and Rhody, Noisy with Del, Wyoming with Nevada and Oregon, the Dakota twins together, Mississippi with South Carolina.

I was trying not to listen, but I couldn't help but pick up pieces of what the others were saying, as the room wasn't that large enough to really keep separate.

Del was still devastated by the loss of his balls and Noisy was trying to comfort him. Wyoming was trying something similar with Oregon, although Oregon seemed to be dealing with it better. Nevada was sitting nearby doing nothing; I imagined him being jealous of the attention Wyoming was giving to Oregon. Nodak and South Dakota were reminiscing about better times, trying to distract themselves with cheerful memories. Mississippi was trying to talk some sense into South Carolina, and convince him he could salvage the situation if he shaped up.

The reason I could hear all this was because our group was largely silent. It was awkward, trying to sort out how to deal with the last hours together, sitting with two men who were both in love with me. I knew Rhody was aware of how Matti felt, but I'm not sure Matti was aware of Rhody's affections toward me. I was relying on Matti's customary brio to lighten the mood and get us through this – and he wasn't saying anything. Just sitting there brooding. Not like him. Not like him at all.

We stayed like that for a good long time.

DMITRI: SATURDAY, 18 JUNE, LATER IN THE EVENING – MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

We attended part of the orgy, just to observe, not to participate. After it ended, the well-ravaged lads were secured and readied for transport. Some would fly to other nations, others driven across town to their new home in a brothel. None of them would ever wear clothing again.

We had our four assistants and twenty-four enforcers, plus Abdul's crew to organize this. We trusted Ramses, DeJuan, Joey and Abdul to take matters in hand, so about 10:00 we walked the two blocks to the hotel and the Prince's suite for the most important event of the day – the selection of our personal slaves.

The Prince Regent offered us his whiskey and his boys. We accepted the whiskey and declined the boys. We would have our own boys shortly – we just didn't know who they would be.

• (P.R.) Very well. Let us begin. As agreed with Dmitri and Yuri this afternoon, the Family will have picks one, two, five, and eight.

This, apparently, was news to Khalid and Mustafa, who reacted with delight. Momentarily.

• (Khalid, becoming agitated) I am glad, brother, that you agreed to our demands and secured for us the first two picks, but must we have the eighth pick? Do you not remember what happened last year when we were stuck with inferior product?

• Khalid, you inspected the merchandise this afternoon. Did you see any inferior product?

Khalid didn't respond. Mustafa answered for him.

• Not . . . physically. But we don't know about their mental suitability for slavery.

No, indeed you don't.

• (Rashid) We never know about that. But if a slave has an attitude problem, we either break it or we replace it. I'm the one who's going to get the 8th pick, and I'll take the risk if it doesn't work out. If I have to trade it for a boy who's already been broken in, well it won't be until after I've taken its cherry. And there are some excellent options for replacement among the Bottoms we purchased today.

• (P.R.) Well said, Rashid. Now, shall we get started? Our available virgins are Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Khalid, you have the first selection.

A sort of glow came over Khalid's face. This was his moment, and it mitigated any disagreements he might have had with the P.R.

• (Khalid) Thank you, brother. I choose Nevada.

I saw Sergei's frown. He was disappointed, but he would get over it. His preference for `exotic' types (neither white nor Black) was not absolute.

I looked at Boris, who became hopeful. It was Nevada they wanted, not Illinois, I could see him thinking. But Boris had overlooked one thing: The Family already had the first choice before tonight's renegotiation. If it was only Nevada they were worried about, they wouldn't have insisted on having the second choice.

• (P.R.) Mustafa?

I tensed myself for what I knew in my gut was going to happen when Mustafa spoke.

• I choose Illinois.

Ka-boom. Boris spat.

• (Boris, insincerely) Apologies, Your Majesty.

The Prince Regent simply smiled at him and ordered one of his slaves to lap up Boris's spittle off the floor.

• (P.R., to me) You have the next two picks.

• Sergei?

Sergei, having lost his pick first, was entitled to go first among us. He considered for a moment, and then said, impulsively:

• Wyoming.

• (Yuri, outraged) What?! You have five to choose from and you choose my TOP pick? You couldn't take one of Dmitri's, you couldn't take my number two, you have to choose my TOP boy?

• (Sergei) You should never have agreed to this arrangement. And you should never have told them I like Latino boys.

• (Yuri) He was their first choice. They would have gotten him anyway.

• Friends, let us resolve this later. Sergei is entitled to whoever he chooses, and Yuri has other options, as do I.

Had our legs been under a table, I would have kicked Yuri surreptitiously. I was hoping and praying the Family hadn't noticed his little faux pas.

• (Mustafa, with a wry grin) Your colleague seems to have trouble counting. He said Sergei had five to choose from. He had six.

Shit. They had noticed.

I smiled my most disingenuous smile.

• Yuri is our artist and media designer. Maths were never his strong point.

• (Yuri, trying to cover his tracks) They're always teasing me about it.

South Carolina being out of the question, to Yuri there were only five choices. I hoped they never put two and two together and realize how I had manipulated them into taking him.

• (P.R.) Continue. You also have the next selection.

• (Boris) That would be mine. I choose . . .

And then he looked straight at me.

• I choose North Dakota.

So that was how it was, huh? Sergei chose Yuri's top pick and Boris chose mine. Petty.

I reacted by not reacting, as if this was not a blow. Yuri and I exchanged glances but my nod said, No worries and I just hoped and prayed that with the next pick the Prince did not select Rhode Island, Yuri's back-up in case Wyoming was stolen out from under him. Which it had been.

Please, South Carolina, I thought. You like them Black, Prince, that's obvious from the number of Black Bottoms you bought. Take South Carolina.

• (P.R.) The next choice is mine. I am planning on giving this slave to my son Abdullah. I am wavering among three of your excellent specimens. But in the end one of them stands out to me, especially after its rectal capacity was measured this afternoon. It will be the tightest fuck.

• Therefore my choice is . . .

ALEX: SATURDAY, JUNE 18, LATE EVENING – MOGADISHU, SOMALIA

They took the eunuchs away early. There was no suspense: Everyone knew they were going to the Royal Family, and not the one at Buckingham Palace. We had to say goodbye to Del, and Nodak bid South Dakota an emotional farewell. South Carolina and Mississippi hugged, and Wyoming comforted Oregon as he left us.

Perhaps we will meet up again, we all said. Some of us were also going to live with the Family, probably we'd see each other.

We said. But we didn't know.

There was a tense hour or so as we awaited our destiny.

And it was tense as long as Matti was being as un-Matti as he was. Finally, he broke the ice.

• I've been thinking, Alex.

• About anti-Finnish bias?

• I'm serious, Alex.

• Still Alex? Not Cheesehead. Oh, you are serious.

• Yeah, I fucking am. So cut the crap.

• Whoa. (Who are you and what have you done to Matti?)

• You know I love you. (Obviously, he isn't aware that Rhody is feeling the same way.)

• Yes.

• But you don't love me.

• I do, Matti, I've told you that, only –

• Only what, fuckwad?

(`Fuckwad'? Really?)

• Only you love me as a friend, as a brother.

(Haven't we established that?)

• Yeah, you just gave me your answer, right there. You're a fucking coward, Alex.

• Matti –

• Don't `Matti' me. You are. You're a fucking coward! A fucking, fucking coward! You're a coward afraid to fuck.

• Have you gone –

• If you loved me, you'd let me fuck you right now. Or you'd fuck me right now. I'm so in love with you, I'd let you do it.

• Matti, sex is not the only way to care about –

• Shut the fuck up! I don't want to hear it! You won't even admit you're gay!

• Matti, everyone is staring at us.

• See, that's exactly what I'm talking about. You're so afraid of what other people think that you won't admit the truth. Say it out loud – `Matti, I love you.'

• Matti, you know I love you.

• Say `Matti, I'm gay and I love you and I want to fuck your ass right now.'

• Don't be ridiculous. I'm not going to say that.

• Because it's a ridiculous thing to say or because you don't love me and you don't want to fuck my ass?

• Jeez, you're really pissing me off, Matti. You want me to be honest, fine. Both!

• If you loved me, you'd say it, and you'd do it because I want you to do it.

• Oh, really. You want me to do it?

• Yes.

• You want me to fuck you in the ass?

• Yes.

• Matti, we've just spent two weeks doing everything we could to AVOID getting fucked in the ass. And now you want to get fucked in the ass.

• I don't want to get fucked in the ass for the sake of being fucked in the ass. I want to be fucked in the ass by you, Alex Sorenson.

• This is silly.

• Why?

• Because it's a silly discussion.

• Give me one reason why you can't fuck my ass right now.

• For starters, there's no lubricant.

• There's saliva.

• Everyone is watching.

• Believe me, they've seen a lot of buttfucking the last two weeks. They won't be shocked.

• Matti, you're the pragmatist in this group. Think for a goddamned second. They want you as a virgin. If you aren't a virgin, what do you think they're going to do?

• Do you hear yourself, Alex? Are you listening to just how far you're willing to go to avoid making a commitment? To avoid saying that you love me? To avoid saying that you're gay?

• Yeah, and are you listening to yourself, Matti? Are you listening to how far YOU'RE willing to go to force me into saying something that isn't true just because you want it to be?

• What isn't true? That you're gay?

• Exactly.

• You're a work of art, Sorenson. Why in God's name did I ever fall in love with you, that's beyond me. Get the fuck out of my sight.

• Matti.

• Go! Just go away. Go to some other corner of the room. I'm done with you.

• . . .

• I said I'm done with you! GO!

I stared at him, not understanding what I was witnessing. I looked at Rhody, and he shifted his head to the side: Come on, better go away, leave him alone for a bit, he'll calm down.

I got up and went over to the corner and sat with Nodak, aware of every eye in the room. Rhody stayed for a moment to try to talk to Matti, but Matti waved him off and Rhody came over and sat with us.

Rhody was about to say something when Joey and a literal ton of other maroons burst into the room.

• Hope you've said your goodbyes because you're not speaking anymore.

Talk about bad timing.

Rhody tried to hug me but we were soon pulled apart.

• None of that, boys. No more party time.

Party time, right. A hug was party time.

I wanted a hug from Matti in the worst way. I looked over and he still looked furious. He looked away as soon as he met my eyes, and his face was unforgiving.

This felt . . . wretched.

I was so confused. We had talked about this so many times, in so many different ways, and he'd never gotten angry like this. He was always supportive, understanding, encouraging. And now he was pissed and there was no time to kiss and make up, even figuratively.

The maroons circulated among us. We were cuffed, shackled, and our mouths were again covered with duct tape.

• Okay, we're going to take you out in alphabetical order. Illinois, you're first.

And I watched them drag my friend out of the room. He struggled, as if there was something he could do to resist. The maroons, seemingly amused by this, lifted him up by his armpits and carried him out, his legs swinging wildly as he vainly tried to register a modicum of protest against his fate.

They returned two minutes later. "Minnesota."

My heart leapt. It did not occur to me that Minnesota was second alphabetically among eight states.

They pulled Matti to his feet and marched him out of the room. He went straight with them, and never looked back. The last thing I saw was his cuffed hands behind his back, above the naked ass he had dared me to fuck.

Nevada went next, and then they came for Nodak. Another pang of regret as I saw that handsome would-be flutist calmly walk out the door, presumably never to be seen again.

And Rhody would be next.

I looked over at Rhody in our last minute together. He was looking straight at me, his eyes trying to send some kind of message, but I couldn't tell what it was.

When they came for him, he looked back as he passed through the door, like Orpheus giving Eurydice one last glance before she descended into Hades. There were tears in his eyes.

Oh shit, Rhody. This is painful for you, too. You really are in love with me, aren't you.

After they took South Carolina, it was just me and Wyoming. We couldn't hug each other or speak, but we moved toward each other and bumped chests and looked at each other as if we'd been best friends for a long time. There was a sadness in Wyoming's eyes that I had never seen before, not even when his best friend, Nevada, was escorted out of the room.

I didn't even hear them come in. "Wisconsin."

One last glance at Wyoming – ironic that, of all the men in the competition, the last face I would see before they sent us off to be slaves would be his. The asshole I had only recently grown to like.

He winked at me, I winked at him, as if to say `good luck'.

And the maroon – omigod, it was Latronius – escorted me out of the room.

He kept one hand on my ass the entire time he walked me down the hallway.

• You think you've escaped me, haven't you? Well, I have connections. I know people where you're going. I'll manage to get access to you. And when I do – party time!

Stuff it, Latronius. You're talking out of your ass.

• Sorry it won't be me who captures your cherry. Say goodbye to it, bitch. You won't stay a virgin for long. Less than twenty-four hours would be my guess. But I'll get my chance eventually – and that's a promise. Hey would you like to know where are you going? Is it Russia? Or that Arab country? Wouldn't you like to know?

I nodded. He laughed.

• Like I'm going to tell you.

In other words, you don't know. I knew a bluff when I heard one. And while I was terrified about what was going to happen next, I was no longer afraid of Latronius. Wherever I was going, he won't be there.

Sorry, pal. Your window of opportunity is over.

We walked to a room about two minutes away. He unlocked the door, physically picked me up and tossed me inside. Unable to move enough to break the fall, I landed hard on the floor, with an 'oomph'. Another cement floor, cold. I just lay there, alone, listening to Latronius' parting shot.

• You're a slave now, Wisconsin. Somebody bought you. And he owns you forever.

The door slammed. As I lay there, naked on the cold floor, in complete darkness and in shackles, I thought back to the initial e-mail that had lured me into this trap, and its cheery sign-off: "You have nothing to lose – and a whole new life to gain."

Nothing to lose? Just my freedom, my clothing, and the most important person in my world.

A whole new life to gain? Well, it would be a whole new life, all right.

Insert bitter laugh here.

[AUTHOR'S NOTE: And thus we end Book One with a bit of a cliffhanger. We know where Alex is going, even if he doesn't, but what is the fate of Matti? Will Alex ever see him or any of his friends again? And how will Alex adjust to slavery? Stay tuned as we begin Book Two ("A Whole New Life").

I'm curious to know what you think will happen. Hearing from readers is the only way I know that people are still reading it. So don't be shy if you have something to say, or ask. All my best to all of you - Travis.]