43
Jack finds himself in the key position of a deadly game.
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Jack’s Wage Slavery –
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Jack struggled to move his arms but they remained lifeless dead weights pinned to the platform he was trapped on. He couldn’t see anything in the inky darkness of the chamber he was being held captive in. Oppressive heat bathed his body and sweat covered his limbs. He struggled to draw a breath but something was blocking his nose and mouth.
A deep rumbling droned on and on in his ear.
He tried to call out but he couldn’t get a breath and his voice was drowned out by the rumbling.
He suddenly realized he was going to die in this pit of darkness and heat.
Alone.
Jack woke up gasping for air as his heart pounded with his dread. His gasp was rewarded with a mouthful of fur and hair.
Turning his face to clear his mouth, he blinked the sleep from his eyes and realized he was pinned to his mattress under the hot bodies of two females. Diana, a tall ebony haired human, was lying on her right side covering his right arm, the round dome of her pregnant stomach resting on the mattress. Her back was tucked up tight against his side and her long hair was flowing back over his face.
SennLann, the ebony furred Phem Kalos who resembled a tailless cat, was squeezed up against his left side, her smaller but still bulging tummy resting on his left arm. Her furry left arm was flung up over his face and she was purring loudly in his ear as she slept.
Jack realized his arms really were dead weight from the two ladies sleeping on them.
“Diana! SennLann! Wake up!” he called to them and felt them begin to stir. The purring immediately stopped and he felt the feline’s nose pressing against his cheek.
“You’re lying on my arms!” he complained to get them to move quicker.
“Ugh, you’re all sweaty!” Diana growled as she slid herself away from him. SennLan stretched and accidentally scratched Jack’s chest with one of her sharp claws.
“Ouch! Hey! Be careful!” he yelped.
“Don’t be a crybaby! I’m moving!” Diana replied thinking he was talking to her.
“No, SennLann just scratched me!”
“Are you the baby who cries Jack?” the feline female grinned sleepily as she rolled away from him, flicking her large tufted ears.
Jack gritted his teeth as his arms began to ‘wake up’ from their trapped state. Millions of pins and needles stabbed him up and down his arms.
He frowned at Diana who was rubbing her stomach fondly. “I wasn’t sweaty when I went to bed alone last night. I thought you were more comfortable in the guest room.”
She blinked her beautiful green eyes at him and pouted. “I woke up and needed to feel you close by.”
He tore his eyes away from hers with difficulty and looked into the gold eyes looking back at him from his other side. “I know for a fact that you were sleeping in your own room when I went to bed last night. How did you end up here?”
“I entered the final phase of my pregnancy last night. I am drawing very close to my delivery date so I must be close to my mate. As he’s still on Phem Kalos playing those silly war games you introduced him to I naturally came to your bed. Crybaby,” she grinned at his frown.
He really was a sweaty mess and the ladies weren’t much better. He’d have to wash the sheets as well.
Jack was finally able to lift his arms from the bed though his control hadn’t completely returned. He grimaced as he flexed his hands feeling the numbness slowly fading. He looked at the clock and realized he was up an hour early. The cold, sick dread from his nightmare was still lingering so he didn’t feel like trying to get more sleep. He decided to go for a run. Hopefully he’d be able to clear his mind of the remnants of the nightmare with exercise.
He pushed himself awkwardly off the bed and padded over to the washroom. He drained his bladder then quickly stepped into the shower to rinse his body. There was no real point in fully washing himself if he was going to run but he didn’t want to start out looking and feeling like a drowned rat. He stepped out and quickly dried himself in front of the mirror.
He’d been able to get back to his routine of running in the morning. He’d managed to tighten up his muscles and lose the jiggly stuff that had begun to accumulate. He was back to his normal lean body… well, almost. He looked up.
Horns.
He stared at himself in the mirror and wondered if he would ever get used to seeing the large black horns rising from his forehead and curving back over his head. At least they’d stopped growing. Three inches wide at the base and ten inches from base to their deadly sharp points. He’d learned just how dense they were when he’d actually deflected bullets from them, leaving behind brilliant streaks of silver from the bullets. With the extra mass on his head the muscles on his neck, shoulder, chest, and back had grown to compensate and his skeletal system had altered to support the extra mass as well. He wasn’t hugely muscled but he no longer had the slim runner’s body he once did. He thought he looked a little top heavy but he was a little biased towards his original shape.
He’d been concerned the horns and the extra muscle mass would affect his running but so far it hadn’t.
He walked back into the bedroom and heard two appreciative growls. He looked to the bed and saw green and gold eyes glowing back at him. Both licked their lips as they looked at his naked body.
“No! I’m going for a run. I need… to clear the cobwebs from my mind,” he said sternly.
“Oh poo! You never want to have morning sex!” Diana pouted.
Jack looked at her incredulously. “Excuse me? What about yesterday when you had me take you on the kitchen table? And the day before that in the shower? What was the day before that… oh yes. We never made it from the bedroom until I was late for work!”
Diana was smiling now, recalling the delicious sex from the previous days.
SennLann was about to say something when Jack interrupted her. “For you it was when I got home from work last night. You’re not a morning person.”
The princess smiled and nodded.
He pulled on his running shorts, socks, and a tight running shirt. As he pulled it over his head he heard the telltale ripping sound of the fabric tearing as it snagged on the point of one of his horns. “Dammit! There goes another shirt!” he cursed. He pulled it off and sure enough there was a large tear down the back. He dug in his drawer and the only thing he could find was an oversized, stretched out t-shirt Diana had taken to wearing which he was NOT going to wear. He decided he’d just go without this morning. He’d need to do some shopping again.
He strapped his music player to his arm and put his ear buds in.
Jack looked back at the bed and the women were still drinking him in with their eyes. He grinned. “Have you ladies seen the Gun Show?” he quipped and flexed his muscles at them. Delighted giggles erupted and he headed to the kitchen with a grin on his face. He drank one of his energy shakes while he looked into the fridge to see what he’d make for breakfast when he got back. Then made his way to the front door, sat on the bench and put on his running shoes. When he stood up he was face to face with Diana.
“When will you be back?” she said running her finger over his muscles. She bit her lower lip as she gazed at his broad chest.This is property © of NôvelDrama.Org.
Jack took her hands in his and lifted her fingers to his lips. He sensually kissed the tips causing her to gasp. “I’ll be back in about an hour.” He slipped out the door as he heard her moan behind him.
He took the lift to the ground floor and started his music. He waved to the building’s security staff as he crossed the lobby but he didn’t see them staring at his body or hear the burst of giggles that followed him outside.
Jack loved his neighborhood. The building was within walking distance of work and was surrounded by seemingly endless walking and running paths. He could set off in any direction and run for hours without the scenery becoming dull or repetitive. Today he thought he’d go… right.
Before he did, he began his stretches as he was feeling a little residual tightness from his unusual start to the day. He rarely had nightmares and this one really disturbed him. He pulled his mind away from that and concentrated on easing his muscles into a better state. He leaned against a pillar supporting the building’s front awning and bent slowly and deeply. He repeated this until he felt his muscles begin to warm and loosen. It was going to be a good run today.
His sandy blond hair fell forward over his face as he bent over. He pushed it aside with an annoyed swipe. He’d forgotten to tie it back with a rubber band when he left the bedroom. He really wanted to cut his hair short like he used to wear it on Earth but he’d have a mutiny on his hands at the Trade Commission and Embassy where he worked. The staff in both offices had let him know in no uncertain terms that as the Earth’s Trade Commissioner for Altaria and Altaria’s Ambassador he had to represent them by looking his best. ALL of his staff insisted this meant no haircuts though they understood his bangs got into his eyes so trimming there was allowed. He still had no idea where the clippings went… and he really didn’t want to know.