Plus, though the material was baggy, it was still clinging closer to her breasts than it should. The shape of them was almost visible through the thin gray material, which was causing Lathe to look at her chest strangely.
“Oh, uh…sorry.” Ari hastened to change her towel so that it hung around her hips. It felt incredibly uncomfortable to be walking around bare-breasted but since her look/touch projected the image of a flat, boyish chest, it greatly enhanced her disguise as a male.
“Is everything all right?” she asked Lathe, who was still staring fixedly at her chest.
“Everything’s fine. Before you moved your towel, I thought I saw…” He shook his head. “Never mind.”
Ari’s heart caught in her throat. So he had seen the shape of her breasts under the towel before she moved it! How stupid and careless could she be? Feeling comfortable with the big Kindred was making her sloppy—she had to get back on track.
Twitching the towel to one side as though straightening it, she made sure to flash the big Kindred with the sight of her projected phallus. She saw his eyes widen and then he looked away. Good—that was certain to throw him off the scent—at least until she could decide if she ought to trust him with her secret.
“So…you’re sure we won’t have a repeat of yesterday like what happened with…with Hexer?” she asked, to change the subject…and also to reassure herself.
Lathe shook his head.
“Shouldn’t be a problem.” He frowned. “Hexer, Gods…I hated like the Seven Hells to kill him.”
“You did?” Ari was surprised. “Why? After the way he came after you I would think you’d have no compunction at all about taking him down.”
“He was my patient.” Lathe sighed and ran a hand though his hair. “Well, they’re all my patients, really. But Hexer was special. When I first came here, he nearly lost an arm in an industrial accident. I managed to reattach it—the Goddess alone knows how it didn’t become infected. I used every skill and tool I had—I even milked my fangs and gave him a little of my essence to help with the healing. I didn’t tell him that, of course…” He shook his head. “But he acted so grateful when he made a complete recovery. I just never thought…”
“That he would be the one to try to kill you?” Ari finished for him in a low voice.
Lathe nodded. “Exactly.” His face went suddenly hard. “I hate people who don’t tell the truth about who they are. If Hexer had showed himself to be an ungrateful bastard from the first, it wouldn’t have hurt so much when he came after me.”
“Oh,” Ari whispered. Suddenly she remembered his muttered words as he sat at the table after killing Hexer. “I hate liars,” he’d said and now he had just told her the same thing again.
He hates people who don’t tell the truth…who lie about what they are, she thought, her heart sinking down to her toes. So much for telling the big Kindred her secret. He would hate her for fooling him—for making him feel confusion and doubt over his own sexuality. Because that was surely what he had been feeling last night when he left the bunk so suddenly—Ari was certain of it.
I’ll have to find another way to keep my identity as a female a secret, she thought, despair creeping over her. I can’t tell Lathe—he’ll feel betrayed and be angry at me. I’ll have to find another way…
But what way that was, she had no idea.
“Well, come on.” Lathe sighed. “It’s time for a quick shower before First Meal. Let’s go.”
“Right behind you,” Ari said. She followed the big Kindred out of the cell but under the thin gray towel, her stomach was tied in knots.
Twenty-Two
“So there are some rules you need to remember in the shower,” Lathe told her as they walked down the corridor leading to the trustee shower facilities. They were dressed only in their towels and holding two identical bars of gritty brown soap. Ari was still having trouble with the feeling of parading around bare-breasted. But her holo-projection was holding up well and as long as no one grabbed for her chest, she ought to be all right. Safer than if someone happened to see the curves of her breasts under her towel, for instance.
I’ll just have to deal with it, she told herself sternly. But how would she manage once the limited power source for her holo-projector ran dry?
Since she had no answers, she tried to put the question from her head and concentrate on what the big Kindred was saying.
“What rules?” she asked, looking up at him. She had been having trouble keeping up with his long stride, taking two or three steps to every one of his. Seeing this, Lathe shortened his gait a little so that they could walk together without Ari having to run.
“First and foremost, keep your eyes up,” he instructed. “You don’t need to be looking around—you don’t want to be perceived as a shaft-gazer.”
“A shaft-gazer?” Ari didn’t know whether to laugh or be offended. “I wouldn’t want to look at men’s—uh, other men’s shafts,” she protested.
“Of course not. I’m just telling you to keep your eyes up so no one thinks you are,” Lathe said mildly. “Also, if you drop anything in the shower, let it go—it’s gone.”
“So…don’t bend over for any reason?” Ari asked.
“Exactly.” He nodded. “That kind of behavior is seen as…an invitation. And unfortunately we share this shower room with Tapper, as well as the other prison trustees, most of whom are gang leaders. You don’t want to give any of them any ideas.”
“Tapper showers?” Ari couldn’t keep the skepticism out of her voice. “He certainly doesn’t smell like he does.”
“I agree with you about his stench.” Lathe wrinkled his nose in apparent disgust. “He mostly just wets his face and hands—that’s his idea of a morning wash. But he likes to make a showing in the shower—strut around and let the rest of the trustees see that he’s in top form. Just stay away from him.”
“Won’t I be safe if I stick with you?” Ari asked. “I mean, after what you said yesterday in the Mess Hall—”
“You should be,” Lathe said grimly. “I swear I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe, little one. But it’s best not to invite trouble.”
“Got it.” Ari nodded. “Keep my eyes up and don’t drop the soap. Anything else I should know?”
“Don’t ignore a barrier if there’s one up,” Lathe said.
“A barrier? What do you mean?” Ari asked, confused.
“A trashcan standing in the doorway…a towel hung across the entrance—basically anything that might serve to block the showers is a message.”
“A message? What kind of message?” Ari frowned.
“A message that there’s something private going on in the showers—something you’re probably not going to want to see,” Lathe said darkly. “Also, never go to the showers alone. It’s not a safe place to be unless there’s a crowd.”
“Okay,” Ari said neutrally. She was fairly certain she could promise not to wander into any dark corners of the prison on her own but she couldn’t help wondering how she would get a shower once her look/touch stopped working.
Worry about it later, she told herself. Right now concentrate on the matter at hand.
There was a lot to concentrate on because just then they came to the end of the hallway and found themselves at the entrance of a large, echoing room rapidly filling with men.
The slap of bare feet and the deep, masculine voices that echoed from the tiled space filled the air. Tattooed flesh was on display everywhere but Ari resolutely didn’t look below the waist. As she and Lathe walked in with some of the other prison trustees, she scanned her surroundings—careful to keep her eyes up as she did so.
What she saw made her heart sink. The walls were dirty yellow tile that might once have been white and there were no stalls for separate showers. Instead, rusted showerheads were placed every few feet around the long wall—about fifteen in all. Great—so she couldn’t even wear a towel into the shower stall and hope to get some privacy that way. She was really
going to be in trouble once her look/touch power supply ran out.
“Come on,” Lathe said and jerked his head at the far corner which was, as yet, unoccupied. As he walked, he casually removed his towel, just as all the other men around them were doing.
Biting her lip, Ari removed hers as well. She thought she had never felt so vulnerable in her life as she did standing naked in a room full of nude male convicts, any one of which wouldn’t hesitate to rape and kill her if they got the chance.
But I’m here with Lathe, she reminded herself. He’ll keep me safe. Well, as long as he doesn’t know who I really am, anyway.
Speaking of Lathe, he was right in front of her. And though she had been told to keep her eyes up, Ari couldn’t help staring at the big Kindred’s firm, muscular ass. She had absolutely no urge to look at any of the other naked men filling the shower room—in fact, she would really rather not be anywhere near them. But she couldn’t help wanting to see Lathe naked.
You’re not supposed to be looking, she reminded herself as the big Kindred turned on a shower and adjusted the temperature until steaming water rushed out. But as he stood under the stream of water and lathered himself with the bar of coarse brown soap, she found that her eyes were drawn inevitably downward.
What she saw nearly took her breath away.
Goddess of Mercy is that thing real?
His shaft was huge. It hung down to his mid-thigh like a sleepy snake, so thick that, even flaccid, Ari seriously doubted she’d be able to wrap her fingers all the way around it.
Why are you thinking about wrapping your fingers around his shaft? whispered a sharp little voice in her head. What’s wrong with you, Ari? You know you can’t do anything like that! You’re not even supposed to be looking at it.
“Well, well—looks like the newbie here is a peter-peeker, ‘ent he?” a horribly familiar voice said quite close to her ear.
“What?” Ari jumped away instinctively and looked up to see a naked, hairy Tapper standing there—his massive belly protruding pregnantly over a low-slung towel.
“A peter-peeker…a shaft-gazer…a cock-looker.” Tapper leered at her. “And here I thought you didn’t like cock, pretty boy. But maybe you were just saving your virgin ass for Medic over there.”
“What’s the problem?” Lathe came over and stood by Ari protectively, his big hands balled into fists at his sides. “You looking for trouble already, so early in the morning Tapper?” His voice came out in a low, menacing growl.
“Oh no, not now anyway.” Tapper smiled benignly, showing his crooked yellow teeth. “I was just sayin’ as how it seems like pretty boy here can’t get enough of your cock—seeing as how you gave it to him all night long and now he can’t stop looking at it.”
“That’s not true,” Ari blurted, feeling hot all over with embarrassment. “Lathe—I mean Medic—never did that to me. And I wasn’t looking at his, uh, his equipment either,” she finished lamely.
“Oh, so you’re still a virgin, are you?” Tapper looked at her with renewed interest and Ari felt her heart sink. Somehow she always managed to say the wrong thing!
“I—” she began but Tapper cut her off.
“I thought sure Medic here would sheathe his cock in your sweet ass last night—especially after seeing how you swallowed his snake on the Rec Yard yesterday. Looked like a pretty good warm up to me, so it did.”
“How I what?” Ari demanded. “What are you talking about? I didn’t…we weren’t…” But then Lathe caught her eye and gave a swift, short shake of his head. Abruptly, she shut her mouth.
“Don’t try to deny it, pretty boy.” Tapper leered at her again. “The two of you were in the fuck and suck corner long enough for you to swallow his load at least twice. We couldn’t see much cause Medic was blocking the view but there were plenty of us who noticed what the two of you were up to.”
“What Ari and I do in the privacy of our bunk or anywhere else is none of your business,” Lathe growled. “Are we going to have trouble, Tapper? Because I can give you some of the same medicine I gave Hexer after you sent him for me.” He bared his teeth, his fangs long and white and glistening. “They don’t call me Kill-All for nothing.”
Tapper paled ever so slightly but since the entire shower was watching now, it was clearly a matter of honor for him not to back down.
“You kill me and my whole gang will be out for your blood and you know it,” he said. “You might be big but you can’t bite ‘em all before one of ‘em gets you. That you know, old son.”
“That may be so but I’d take at least ten of them with me before I went.” Lathe’s voice was still a menacing growl, his big body tensed and ready for action.
“Easy now—easy,” Tapper put up both hands. “There’s no need to speak of such…unpleasantness. You’ll find no trouble here, Medic. Just agree to start treating my boys at the Infirmary again and we’ll call it even.”
Lathe barked a laugh.
“As though we could be even after you tried to have me killed! But fine, I’ll take your deal—as long as you agree to leave Ari alone.” He put a hand on Ari’s shoulder and drew her close to him. “The boy is mine—swear not to touch him and I’ll treat your gang again.”
Tapper gave him a regretful little smile.
“Ah now, old son—I’m afraid I ‘ent able to do that. You see, pretty boy here is still on my list. Especially after hearing that he’s still a virgin. Tell you what—“ He leaned forward and pointed at Ari. “Let me ride his ass once and take his cherry for you, and then I’ll never touch him again.”
“No!” Ari took a step back involuntarily. She found herself pressed back against Lathe’s front with his crotch against the small of her back since he was so tall. But no matter how embarrassing the intimate contact was, she couldn’t bring herself to step away from the shelter of his muscular form.
“Absolutely not,” Lathe rumbled angrily. “I told you, Ari is mine. You touch him and you die, Tapper. Just like Hexer did. Am I understood?”
Tapper still didn’t look upset.
“Understood, old son. At least for now.” And giving Ari one last lascivious look, he took off his towel and turned away whistling to stand under a nearby showerhead, although it appeared he was only washing his hands and face while the rest of his hairy body remained dry.
The exchange left Ari feeling shaken and disgusted and twice as vulnerable as before. She looked up at Lathe, who was still glaring daggers at Tapper, a possessive growl rising in his throat.
“Lathe,” she said, her voice tight and dry. “Can…can we go now?”
He leaned down to her.
“I’m afraid not—that would be showing weakness,” he murmured in her ear. “If you look weak at BleakHall, you’re dead.”
“Oh…okay.” Ari certainly felt weak but she understood why she couldn’t show it.
“Have to get you a shower, little one,” Lathe said in a louder voice. “Come on—we’ll make it quick.”
Ari didn’t want a shower anymore—she didn’t want to do anything but get out of the shower room and get far away from Tapper. But she followed Lathe to the still-steaming showerhead and washed herself quickly anyway. It felt funny to be naked and wet and soapy so near to the big Kindred. She might actually have enjoyed it if they hadn’t had such an ugly scene with the hairy gang boss.
When she finished, Ari blotted herself dry and wrapped herself in her towel again to follow Lathe from the showers. But she could feel Tapper’s greedy little eyes on her as she walked away and it was as though she’d taken a shower in slime.
Twenty-Three
“No more laundry duty for you—you’re a fix-it now—so you are, my lad!” Wheezer beamed at Ari as though he’d just given her a beautiful birthday present.
“I’m sorry—what?” She stared at him, uncomprehending.
“A fix-it. You’re to go around the place fixing things that need fixing,” the old inmate explained patiently. “After you did such a bang-up job on the m
ain clothes press, I went to Mukluk and told him you was wasted in the Laundry—so I did! And since things is allus getting busted around here and we’re short handed of inmates who can be trusted not to kill someone the minute they get their hands on a wrench or hammer, you’re the new fix-it!”
“So…I’m supposed to go all around fixing whatever mechanical things are broken?” Ari asked, finally understanding what he meant. “I’m a kind of handyman?”
“Exactly! You’re BleakHall’s new fix-it and it’s lucky to have you this place is,” Wheezer exclaimed, nodding. “Only thing is, now you report to Stubbins of the Spice Lords.”
“The Spice Lords?” Ari frowned, trying to remember what Lathe had said about that particular gang. “Don’t they run the, uh, pornography ring?”
“Aye, lad and that they do.” Wheezer nodded enthusiastically. “And you’ll have access to some mighty-fine pussy vids and holo-mags as long as you stay on Stubbins’ good side, so you will!”
“I’ll be sure to take advantage of that,” Ari said dryly. “But why do the same people who do pornography also head up the maintenance department?”
“Since the Spice Lords don’t claim a specific area in BleakHall, they get the honor of keeping track of the fix-its,” Wheezer explained. “Stubbins is a good boss if you stay on the right side of him. Just don’t try stealing any of the porno—ask nice and he’ll like as not loan it to you. Try and take it and he’ll chop off your hand.”
“All right, all right—I can safely promise I won’t try to steal any of the porn,” Ari assured him.
“See that you don’t!” Wheezer’s eyes were wide behind his cracked glasses. “That’s what happened to the last fix-it. Couldn’t keep his hands to himself, don’t you know. Now he’s wipin’ his arse with a stump. And seein’ as how it’s damn hard to fix things one-handed, well, that’s how the position came open.”