Bathhouse Slave

"Bathhouse Slave"
Part 2
by Beryll & Mayetra

Ryan looked at his slave, not really seeing the person but the problem he had brought into his life. There had been lots of household slaves at his father's estates, they had been around constantly like useful spirits, but Ryan had never actually perceived them as actual beings with a personality and a life of their own. They were remarkably apt at staying invisible anyway. Very different from this slave.

At a loss Ryan said the first thing that came to his mind. "So... erh... Colin, yes?"

The slave kept his gaze glued to the floor and nodded. "That is my name, master, unless you wish to give me a new one."

Ryan blinked at him caught by surprise yet again. The thought of renaming a slave hadn't even crossed his mind. What a cruel thing to do to even steal a name from a man. Even though it was probably quite common.

"I think Colin will do fine." He said quickly, as much to reassure the slave as to reassure himself. He noticed that his hands were starting to twitch nervously. This really was more than he could handle and there was nowhere he could run to hide from his own slave. That would... Ryan wasn't sure what it would be but for sure it would be inappropriate. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans to get them under control.

"You don't happen to cook, do you?" he asked hopefully. Maybe there was at least some use for this expensive toy.

Colin was somewhat disheartened by this question. He wasn’t the domesticated sort. In the brothel, it hadn’t been part of his duties and before that, he would typically charm someone else into taking care of things like cooking his meals.

"No, master, I’m afraid that I can’t. My talents lie… elsewhere," Colin replied. He supposed it wouldn’t be a good thing to mention that those talents included, picking locks, disarming security systems, and other useful things that helped you survive out in the streets.

"Yeah... well didn't expect you to... being a pleasure slave and all..." Ryan grumbled, clearly disappointed with Colin’s answer.

Licking his lips, Colin began to reconsider his position. He found it a bit strange that his master would have purchased a pleasure slave to serve as domestic help. If he wasn’t useful, his new master might reconsider his purchase. Besides, how hard could it be?

"I’m sure it can’t be too terribly difficult," Colin said with more confidence then he felt.

Ryan groaned in despair. "We'll... figure something out..." he muttered, as he walked toward the door leading off the small kitchen to the slave quarters beyond. He opened the door and said, "This is the slave’s quarters. You can stay in here." He opened the door, looked in side, and muttered, "Maybe not."

Colin peered past his new master to the unfurnished room beyond. This situation was really getting worse by the minute. He had a feeling that his new master hadn’t even been prepared to buy a slave at all. He was just going to have to make the best of the situation until he could figure out a way to escape. "I am sure you will figure something out, master."

The older man was hopeful that Ryan would offer to share is bed at this point. Colin couldn’t help but continue to be infatuated with his new master despite everything that had happened up until this point. He shifted uncomfortably. His tunic was still damp and made to reveal rather than provide any warmth or comfort.

He watched as Ryan rubbed his face in exasperation over the situation. His young master dropped his hands and looked wildly around the room. "You… can sleep on the couch."

Colin eyed the hard, bulky, and obviously uncomfortable couch. He tried to hide his disappointment. Hell, why didn’t his new master just tell him to sleep on the floor, it might be more comfortable. Really, what had he expected? His new master was probably relishing thinking of ways to make him suffer. "Whatever you command, master," he retorted in a much snottier tone than he intended.

Ryan looked over at Colin in exasperation. "What do YOU suggest?"

Colin risked looking at his new master. Flashing him a rather wolfish grin, he purred, "I can think of several posit... err... options, master."

Ryan stared at his slave in outrage. There it was again! That insolence that had made him lose his head and buy Colin in the first place, not even really considering what for. Just wanting to have power over the other man.

"How DARE you?!" he hissed angrily.

His hand clenched around the remote control in his jeans pocket. Just one flick of his finger and this slave would be on the floor again, writhing in pain. Just like he deserved.

His anger flared even higher when Colin gave him a fake look of innocent confusion. "Forgive me, master, but wasn't that the whole reason you purchased me?"

Without even thinking about what he was doing, Ryan took one step forward and slapped his slave as hard as he could.

"Bastard!" he hissed, feeling cold hatred mixed with fury and tears of helplessness welling up inside.

Not wanting his insolent slave to see his weakness, he whirled and stalked off towards the bedroom, shaking with all his suppressed emotions, his hands clenched into fists at his side not to grab that remote and jolt the living daylights out of his slave.

Colin rubbed his sore cheek and wondered what had possessed him to purposely taunt the boy. He should really go apologize but he wasn’t willing to risk another jolt from his slave collar. He was actually a bit surprised his new master hadn’t used it already. He silently cursed this Ryan’s ability to make him lose his head.

He heard the bedroom door slam shut. Well, that was fine, the less time he spent in Ryan’s presence, the less likely he was to say or do something stupid.

I’m not going to follow him and apologize this time either, Colin thought stubbornly even as he began to move toward the door.

Ryan sat down on the bed with a heavy sigh and took out the cursed remote, staring at it like it was a poisonous snake. Why did he have to have the blasted thing anyway? The temptation to use it was just overwhelming. It ought to be illegal for one human being to hold such power over another.

But that was the whole point of it, wasn't it? Slaves were not considered to be human beings.

He would be better off reselling Colin as soon as possible. Obviously, he just wasn't capable of dealing with a slave properly.

He looked up in utter surprise as he heard Colin's voice from outside, his tone slightly muffled by the door but still ringing sincere.

"Forgive me, master. I was angry because I realized that you had no intention of purchasing me and it hurt my pride. I know a good slave should not have pride and I will try to work on that flaw."

Oh hell, that wasn't exactly making selling this slave easier. How on earth could Colin WANT to stay with him? After all the insults he had flung at his 'master'. That was just not really believable so why was he trying to convince Ryan to keep him now? And rubbing Ryan's nose in the fact that he was a prideful bastard didn't exactly seem like a bright thing to do either.

Entirely undecided what he was supposed to do about this wretched situation he called:

"Come in."

Maybe - just maybe - they would be able to figure out what to do together. Even if a slave wasn't supposed to have an opinion in the first place.

Colin opened the door and entered the room. He crossed over and knelt at Ryan’s feet, like a good little slave. He was very careful not to look up at his master so he wouldn’t lose his head, yet again.

"You're a terrible slave, you know?" Ryan said with a sigh.

"Yes, master," Colin replied in a respectful tone. His only thought was to agree with anything Ryan said and not piss him off again. Twice in one day was enough.

"And I guess I'm not the best of masters either..."

Colin tucked his bottom lip between his teeth in an effort not to agree with Ryan on that point. He lowered his head to hide his face. He didn’t want Ryan to read his thoughts, which were probably written all over his face.

"Look... maybe I better just resell you. I don't know what I was thinking anyway..."

Colin looked up suddenly at Ryan’s statement. He hadn’t expected the boy to seriously consider selling him. His only chance of escape lay in the fact that Ryan had obviously never owned a slave before and would be easier to get away from. If he sold Colin, there was no telling what kind of master he would end up with.

The coverlet form the bed being wrapped around his shoulders and Ryan’s soft voice saying, "Here", interrupted his grim thoughts

Colin was surprised by the sudden kindness and grateful for the warmth the coverlet provided. He automatically responded without thought, "Thank you, master."

Pausing for a moment, he eyed the remote in Ryan’s hands wearily, before he continued, "Master... I know that I can be insolent at times, but... if you give me a chance, I'm sure I can make you happy. I'm a faster learner and you have better things to do then worrying about domestic issues. I'll learn to cook. Cleaning isn't that hard. Please... I don't want to go back to that... place."

Ryan eyed his slave wearily, not trusting the sudden subservience.

The thought of taking Colin back to the bathhouse hadn't even crossed his mind. He could well imagine how that owner would look at him. Just like his father would. Clearly seeing that he had failed, that he wasn't even able to keep a simple slave in check.

Only there was nothing simple about this slave.

"I'd not take you back there..." Ryan muttered, more to himself then to Colin, "just sell you at some store..."

That sounded outright nasty even to Ryan's own ears. Like dropping him off at a supermarket for worthless slaves or something.

He looked down at Colin and found his slave looking back at him, his eyes wide and pleading like a kicked puppy's, shooting guilt right into Ryan's heart.

"Good Heavens!" he exclaimed. "Don't do that!"

Colin slowly lowered his gaze to the floor again, shoulders slumping, seeming to shrink down.

Ryan rubbed his face in despair. "Oh shit... why did I ever go to that fucking bathhouse..." asked himself lowly.

Maybe his survival instincts were only rudimentary but he just KNEW that Colin would be nothing but trouble.

Colin knew that his fate was teetering on a fine line. He had to do something to sway the balance in his favor. Deciding that he had nothing to lose at this point and everything to gain, he risked touching Ryan. Reaching up he laid his hand gently on the younger man’s knee, careful to keep the pressure neutral and not sexual. "I’ll behave, Master. Please give me another chance!"

He was begging, but he didn’t feel any shame in doing so. One of the first things he learned about survival is pride will get you killed. Better to beg and get your way.

There was a brief silence before Ryan looked down at him. "You are doing that really well, you know, emotional blackmail, it's called..."

Colin resisted the urge to smile. His gamble had paid off. He had pushed the right buttons and he knew it. He plastered a timid smile on his face and looked up at Ryan with hope shining in his eyes.

Ryan was giving him a look full of open despair, entirely vulnerable and lost. Suddenly, Colin found himself in the position of reassuring his new master. He let the timid smile on his face expand into a more confident one. He couldn’t help but feel suddenly very protective of the younger man much to his own chagrin. This really wasn’t working out like he planned.

"Okay, okay, we’ll give it a try," Ryan finally conceded. He reached down and ruffled Colin’s hair.

"Thank you, master. You won't regret it I promise," Colin said with a small sigh of relief. He was surprised that he actually meant what he said.

Hoping to stay in Ryan’s good graces, he continued a bit timidly, "Perhaps we could start with finding me something a little more appropriate to wear, Master. Then I can check out the kitchen and see about make you something to eat." Colin hoped like hell that he could manage to pull off preparing a meal.

Ryan kept running his fingers through Colin's soft hair without really noticing what he was doing. It just was kind of reassuring to have something to do for his nervous hands.

He looked at Colin thoughtfully. Something more appropriate. Actually, he kind of liked the lack of clothing on his slave. Even if it was hard to admit. But of course, it would be more sensible to dress him in something warmer. Only he very much doubted he would have anything fitting. And buying something was out of the question when he wasn't even sure how long his money would last to put food on the table this month.

"I don't think any of my stuff will fit you." He said with a small sigh.

Colin's reply was more a soft purr than actual talking. "Perhaps you have a robe that I could borrow, master, until you can purchase a proper tunic for me?"

The sound was even more reassuring. "Yeah... I probably have..." Ryan looked down at his slave dreamily, drifting off into the pleasant state of fuzzy arousal he had felt when they had first been in the pool together. That broke the pleasant mood quickly.

Ryan snatched his hand away before he could get more carried away.

"Why don't you check my wardrobe, I'll see about food... have you eaten today?" he asked, trying to get back to a safer topic.

"I was given a small breakfast, master." Colin replied and managed to look sorry at Ryan's sudden withdrawal.

"I'll make us some food then." Ryan got up quickly and left for the kitchen, feeling like he was fleeing the room but not caring about it. Better to get out of there before his complicated slave started doing something stupid again.

As soon as Ryan left, Colin got up and walked to the closet. Inside he found a set of rather expensive suitcases still unpacked. There were only a few items hanging in the closet - some t-shirts and a couple pair of jeans.

Well, that explains the unlived in look about the place, Colin thought to himself. He pulled out the first suitcase and undid the latches. It was filled with various articles of clothing, nothing that really suited Ryan at all.

He carefully began to unpack the suitcase and put the clothes away, keeping an eye out for anything that might possibly fit him. At first, he thought that maybe these were simply gifts from well-meaning relatives that were clueless about Ryan's personality, but by the third suitcase, he was beginning to get another picture.

Everything in the suitcases seemed to fall into the 'safe and conservative" category. Like the furnishings in the apartment and the glider, they were also boring and bland. He supposed that one or both of Ryan's parents were very controlling of their son.

He began to wonder if his new master had enjoyed hurting him as much as he initially though. Ryan hadn't used the collar again despite the fact that Colin had gotten out of line. Also, his new master had turned on the heat in the glider and wrapped the blanket around him for warmth not even twenty minutes earlier. It was a contradiction to be sure and something Colin would investigate further, albeit carefully.

He finished putting the last of the clothes away and returned the now empty suitcases to the wardrobe. He had managed to find a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants that would fit him and quickly changed out of the flimsy tunic.

He left the bedroom with the intent of trying to find out a little bit more about his new master.

Cooking for some reason always managed to tremendously calm his nerves. He hadn't really had chance to do it living at home with all the servants. But in the four days since he had arrived here in the city, he had enjoyed it every single time.

He had prepared well. At home, he had always closely watched the kitchen staff whenever he was able to sneak in there and he had studied some cooking books when he was sure neither his father nor mother was anywhere near. He smiled at the thought that he seriously had had to hide his cooking book under his bed like another boy might hide his porn videos. One thing at least that he would not have to worry about anymore, here he could leave his stuff lying around in the open as he pleased.

Keeping an eye on the two pans on the stove - one with scrambled eggs, the other with frying bacon - he started setting the table for two. Maybe sharing dinner with his slave would improve their relations. After all sharing food was a time-honored way of making peace.

He looked over when Colin came out of the bedroom and caught himself thinking that his slave had looked a lot more delicious in his flimsy tunic than he did wearing some faded sweatpants Ryan had managed to smuggle into his suitcases and a wide t-shirt. But he also looked a lot more comfortable so he probably shouldn't complain.

"Master... I hope you don't mind but I unpacked your clothes and found some that would fit me." Colin said, coming over to the kitchen alcove. "You haven't lived here long have you?" he asked then.

As Ryan had still been more intent on the way, the sweatpants clung to Colin's legs he hadn't paid attention to what exactly his slave was saying.

"Excuse me?" he asked, starting to feel foolish again.

"I was simply commenting that it doesn't seem that you've lived here very long, master." Colin repeated, looking around the room he added, "The decor doesn't seem to match your personality."

Ryan felt unease coil in the pit of his stomach. Now what was that supposed to mean? "Very perceptive..." he said cautiously, "And what do you know about my personality...?"

He did not get the nasty comment he had expected. Instead, Colin smiled at him softly. "I think you are rather warm, full of life, and a bit more eager than this reserved decor would imply." he said obviously meaning every word.

Now Ryan felt really foolish and quickly turned back to the stove to hide the blush creeping up his face. Maybe his slave wasn't even half as insolent as he had thought. "Oh..." he mumbled, "yeah... well, my father had the place set up."

"I suppose you will make it more to your liking in the future then?" Colin asked.

Ryan could not suppress an unnerved chuckle. He had definitely planned to make it more to his liking. But with the amount of money he had just spent on a slave that would have to wait a while. So they would both have to live with the grayness. "Some time..." he said non-commitively.

Colin watched has Ryan picked up the two pans with the bacon and eggs and walked over to the dining room table. He was surprised to see it was set with two places. Ryan took a seat and looked at him expectantly.

The older man was taken aback by the obvious invitation. Still, he couldn't argue with Ryan's 'order' and the food smelled delicious. He sat down at the empty place-setting feeling a bit awkward.

"Thank you, master," he said softly. Deciding to test the waters a bit, he added, "It is very kind of you to share your table with me."

"Huh?" Ryan looked over with a rather surprised expression on his face.

Colin continued a bit hesitantly. "After my punishment at the baths, I hardly expected to be allowed to share a meal with you." He watched Ryan's reaction to his statement carefully.

The younger man had been in the process of putting food on both their plates, as if Colin were a guest instead of a slave, and he stopped mid-movement.

Ryan simply stared at the plate in front of him and then after a moment, said, "You… What you said… in the bath. You weren't mocking me, were you?"

Colin was shocked by how unhappy Ryan sounded. He wanted to reassure him and spoke without thinking. "No! I look into your eyes and I feel like I am drowning. You are the most amazingly, sexy man I've ever met."

Crap, Colin winced, half expecting another shock, what are you trying to do, piss him off again?

"I'm sorry... I... I misunderstood... my mistake... won't happen again" Ryan muttered sounding even more unhappy.

Colin cracked open an eye and saw that Ryan had continued to fill their plates. His hands moved in a detached, mechanical manner. He slowly realized that Ryan was about as lost as a guy could get. Reaching over, he gently lifted Ryan's face so they were looking at each other. At this point, he didn't care if he was out of line or not. "I'm so sorry that I hurt your feelings. I just wanted to make you feel special. I know it was foolish to think that you would care what a slave thinks but that was why I said what I did. I never meant to hurt you. I would never hurt you."

Ryan gave Colin a look that clearly said he was unsure what to think. Then he laughed, his voice shaking a bit. "You really ARE terrible at being a slave!"

Colin was somewhat shocked when Ryan very boldly grabbed his hand and kissed his fingertips, before adding, "I promise I won't... hurt you again... at least I'll try very hard..."

Unable to suppress an impish grin, Colin retorted, "And I promise never to mention your amazing blue eyes again." He was rewarded for his insolence with a violent blush from Ryan.

The younger man let go of Colin's hand. "Yeah.... I... yeah..." Seemingly unable to respond, Ryan gave up and started eating.

Colin followed his lead and began to eat as well. He was feeling much more secure and in charge of the situation. He also had the overwhelming urge to throttle anyone who had hurt Ryan in the past. Things were definitely looking up at this point.

If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to: Beryll & Mayetra

go to PART 3

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