--The Replacements--

*~*~*

Three Years Later-1985

�Master! I�m fully deserving of your wrath, Again oh master!� The man I currently straddled screeched. He made pitiful attempts to release his hands from the binding handcuffs and I punished his impertinence with a slap to the face.

�Quiet fool! Your measly cries disgust me!� I delivered another slap and fought back the urge to look at the clock. The stud leather collar dug tight into my neck and the sight of my client�s perma-tanned skin and overall greasiness sickened me to the core. I stifled a yawn and pinched him for making eye contact. �These eyes are superior eyes so��

KNOCK KNOCK

�Master?� He snivelled. �The door?�

�Yes, I hear it. Shh, they�ll go away soon.� We sat still for a while but the knocker persisted, adding calls of �Darren are you there? Darren?� Annoyed I clambered off him and threw open the door.

Tobey Maguire stood with his left hand still raised and eyes staring straight down.

�Tobey its nudity, you�ve been here for three years you should be acquainted with nudity by now.�

�I�m just not accustomed to nudity with thigh high boots and holding a whip is all.� He answered in that slightly grating way he had of talking. As if on the edge of puberty, ready to break any minute. Perhaps the secret to his popularity with the clients? Of course his youthful good looks added to the overall package.

�Master? Is that another captor?� I rolled my eyes at Tobey and ignored the man.

�Why are you here? Could it not wait?�

�Master?�

�Look do you want me to get the damn pliers?� I shouted over my shoulder. He groaned in excited anticipation, but quieted down.

�Well� er�I didn�t know you were busy. I thought you�d want to know. He passed!� Tobey�s voice went into new levels of squeakiness at the end of his sentence.

�Passed?� I asked, ignoring the ringing in my ears �Who?�

�The new guy? Paul said last night at dinner.� A look of realisation dawned on him �Oh I forgot, you were with Dr Lewis last night weren�t you?� I shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

�So he passed?�

�Yeah! Isn�t it exciting? It�ll be great to have a new face around.� I winced at the volume of his voice

�How long has he been here?� I said,

�Surely you�ve heard him? He�s in the one next door.� Tobey answered looking puzzled.

�The locked one?� My mouth went dry.

�Yeah, storage room was it?� Tobey asked not noticing my expression.

�No, not storage.� I clenched my jaw and closed my eyes. My hands tightened round the whip in my hand.

�Aren�t you cold?� Tobey nodded down at my lower frame and I remembered my nakedness.

�Oh, yes, you�d better go.� I closed the down on his retreating frame and turned to face my client. Suddenly I was filled with a lot more energy.

�Now where were we Simon Cowell? Ahh yes.� I cracked the whip and advanced on him, �Never interrupt the master when he is talking��

*~*~*

�I�m hungry?� Brian said, licking his lips.

�But your dinner�s right in front of you.� Jason pointed out.

�Not for that peanut head, for new blood!�

�Brian, I won�t keep telling you, don�t call Jason peanut head.� Paul offered me the potatoes while he scolded, but I declined.

�Well he has a peanut head! He looks like a witch doctor�s been at it. All those muscles then that tiny bean on top. It�s like a little cherry on top a mountain of ice-cream.� Brian continued, ignoring Jason�s glowering and Heath�s giggling.

�Brian, you�re becoming a nightmare to control. Look at young Joshua why can�t you be as composed as that?� Paul beckoned towards Josh at the far end of the table he looked sullen as always.

�Because I�m not a corpse, honestly all of his clients must be necrophilliacs.�

�Brian! My goodness! Is there anyone at this table you actually like?� Paul exclaimed

Brian looked round the room critically, pausing on us all a second before moving on.

�Not really, I�m bored of the lot of you.� He gave a toothy grin and continued shoving his food down his mouth.

Paul looked ready to burst but was interrupted by Darius ushering a young man into the room.

My heart skipped a beat. He was tall, skinny, with longish brown hair and lips like Jim Morrison's. His eyes were a piercing and almost unearthly blue and his skin was smooth and white, as if he were a marble sculpture. A sculpture of a God.

�Hi.� He said, and then looked puzzled at the deathly silence that followed.

�Holy shit, it�s a woman!�

�Brian!� Paul shouted, almost shrieking.

Then everyone began talking at once. Cries of, �Sit here!� �No, sit here.� Were the only words I could understand above the racket. Paul sat back, watching the proceedings with a smug little smile upon his face. Josh and I remained quiet. I felt eyes upon me and looking up I saw a bemused Dr Lewis smiling at me, I smiled shyly back.

�Everyone. Quiet down! Don�t crowd our new friend. Now we have a tradition here. We go round the table and say our names, hobbies so forth and so on. Would you do me the honour of going first?� Paul smiled as the young man nodded.

�Jonathon Rhys-Meyers umm I can�t think of any hobbies really. I�m greatly into music, I like horse-riding and��

�Knitting? Sewing? Playing with dolls? All sorts of womanly fun I don�t doubt.� Brian grinned slyly and took a large gulp of his drink.

�Afraid to lose your androgyny crown?� Brian�s coffee revisited us in a burst as he spat it out on hearing the young Irishman�s words.

�Wha...what?� Brian spluttered staring at Jonathon in disbelief

�Well you are very effeminate yourself you know, put you in a dress and we could call you Alice. Oh, and I like your nails.�

The silence returned. This time in anticipation of Brian�s response but none came. Instead he sat with his eyes downcast and muttered quietly under his breath.

�Well, I�m Tobey Maguire.� Tobey started up and everyone continued to introduce themselves.

�Darren?� Paul asked softly. I looked up startled after drifting off into my own world during the introductions.

I noticed those beautiful eyes upon me and realised that it was my turn. �I�m just Darren.� I shrugged �That�s all.�

�Oh I doubt that.� He answered in his soft lilting voice and I felt my face burning. Stealing a glance sideways I saw Dr Lewis was biting his bottom lip, his eyes darting from me to Jonathon.

*~*~*

�How are you finding your room Jonny?� Paul asked as the desserts arrived.

�It�s quite stuffy actually.� He answered with a small pout.

�Well it has been locked for quite some time, but I had my cleaners do their best with it.� Paul sounded slightly annoyed.

�Well not well enough, I found a whole bunch of journals in one of the drawers.�

I stiffened and felt as if the wind had been knocked out of me.

�Journals?� I whispered

�Oh, yes, at least six or seven.� He continued on oblivious to the fact that everyone at the table was holding their breath.

�Did�did you read them?� My voice was shaky.

�Darren, don�t.� Dr Lewis said cautiously.

�What did they say?�

�Pretty juicy stuff. You see there�s this guy and I figure he must�ve worked here and he was dating this lad called Elijah and then it turns real sappy when someone called Dar�� His eyes widened and they met mine. �Oh��

�Okay, that�s enough. After dinner Jonny you will deliver the diaries to me is that understood?� Paul looked at the miserable Jonny who nodded glumly.

I felt as if I had been punched in the gut. When I looked up both Jonathon and Dr Lewis were staring at me sympathetically. The pudding was tasteless in my mouth.

Once again silence descended upon the table and this time it was Orlando who broke it.

�Paul? May I speak with you after dinner?�

�If this is about Everett again��He sighed.

�I�d rather talk about it later.� Orlando said, looking embarrassed.

�We can talk about it whenever you like but my answer is no. Everett is a paying client like all the rest. If you can�t handle him then you can jolly well learn. Everyone at this table has had difficult punters to contend with in the past and none of them have passed it over. Now hush up and continue your meal.�

�He�s not difficult, he�s violent!�

�Orlando, settle down. We can discuss this later.� Dr Lewis soothed.

�No, Damian, we won�t. I�m in charge here and what I say bloody well goes understood?� Paul countered, angrily.

Orlando sat hunched over, angry tears in his eyes. Shooting Paul a venomous look he pushed back his chair and stormed from the room.

Jonathon�s first dinner was a roaring success.

*~*~*

�Oh god that was awful. I wanted to comfort you so bad.�

�I�m not a pet Damian, I don�t need comforting.�

The fire in Damian Lewis� office blazed majestically, causing his shadow to dance behind him as if it belonged to someone else. He crossed the room and crouched down in front of my chair.

�Don�t give me that, Darren, I saw your face when he mentioned those journals. You were a wreck that first year. Never coming out your room, never talking to anyone, not eating. My god you must�ve lost at least three stone those first couple of months.�

�I talked to you didn�t I?� I answered sullenly, pulling the blanket he gave me tighter around my body.

�No, *I* talked to you. You just sat there. And when you finally came out of your shell, in walked Tobey to throw you off into the deep end. Elijah reincarnated! Really what were you thinking?�

�But he DOES resemble him.� I pointed out and then I smiled softly.

�Did he ever tell you about the journals?�

�Yes. He mentioned them. Once.� I thought of the night of our escape, in the maze.

He brushed my cheek gently. �Still cold?�

�Warming up.� I answered leaning closer.

�Then allow me.� He leaned in and kissed me deeply on the mouth and removed my blanket. Quickly we undressed and I pushed him backwards so we lay sprawled in front of the roaring fire. I trailed licks and kisses down his collarbone to his Adams apple and then to his chest. Making my way down to his stomach I stopped and gave due care, my lips massaged the tense muscles they found, gradually working their way downward, nuzzling the hard cock before taking it deep into my mouth. Slowly I moved up and down the hardened organ, feeling it penetrating all the way to the back of my throat and still I tried to take it deeper. His hands clutched at my hair, not forcing me down but entwining it over and over with loving care.

�Oh, Darren.� He whispered softly, then again more roughly as I quickened my pace. He bucked up into me. His back making a perfect arch as he came.

We lay with arms around each other for a while, warm under the fire glow. Damian�s breathing became slower and more regular until I realised he was asleep.

I drifted off soon after. I dreamt of Stuart.

tbc