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by
The young man climbed up the last six rungs of the maintenance ladder and entered the cargo bay. Though he had climbed almost sixty floors, he was barely winded. The light jacket and pants he was wearing were suitable for the city's current balmy summer weather, but not for the low temperatures of the night. The maintenance door wasn't locked, it never was, and the young man pulled his long, athletic body through.
Mel Cornwall ducked into bay number 7 where the Singing Baker was being loaded. The small merchant vessel was almost fifty years old, designed for long haul freight not comfort, and looked like an overturned copper pot, but unlike almost every other space ship in the docking ring, it was not a Riverworld ship. Right now, Mel needed to get as far from his homeworld as possible.
The man leaning against the wall and watching the cargo whiz up the conveyor was in his late forties, slightly heavyset, less than average height, spacer pale, and, hopefully, Mel's lifesaver. The older man was wearing what was virtually the merchant spaceman's uniform--coveralls, thick rubber soles on his canvas shoes, and two timepieces--one set to local time and the second one still aligned with his ship's time.
"Excuse me, Sir," Mel said as he stepped closer.
The merchant looked Mel up and down and almost licked his lips. The older man's dark brown hair hung limply around his face, was slightly tangled, and in need of a cut. Since he was an inferior, the name Riverworld natives like to pin on anyone who wasn't genetically engineered for superior genes, the merchant hadn't bothered to spruce himself up for his arrival on Riverworld. None of the locals would touch him. With precious few exceptions, the people of Riverworld wouldn't lower themselves to have sex with an inferior.
"What do you want, kid? I'm in no mood to pay any bribes today," the older man growled.
"I was hoping to get passage on your ship," Mel explained.
The man scowled. "The Singing Baker ain't no pleasure ship, Charlie. She works for a living. I don't take passengers." He went back to watching his cargo.
"Then can I sign on as crew?" Mel asked. He tried to keep the panic and desperation out of his voice. He didn't know how much of a lead he had before they caught up with him.
"Kid, this is a one-man operation, and I'm the one man," the older man explained.
"I'd work for passage, and I don't eat much," Mel offered.
The man grunted. "Kid you must pull in at 105 kilos, and if you ain't pushing 1.9 meters tall, then my name is Mary Frances. That's a lot of dead weight for a small ship."
Mel touched the other man's arm. "I can earn my keep." Mel fumbled the buttons of his tunic open and exposed his chest and a hint of his firm stomach. "It must get lonely on these long hauls. I'll do what I need to do to go with you." Mel dropped his chin, and let his youth and relative innocence speak for him.
"What have you done?" the older man asked. He was no longer watching his cargo, he was looking directly into Mel's eyes.
"I was born on the wrong side, the losing side. I'm all that's left of my family," Mel whispered.
"Can't you go to the police?" the spacer asked. "If they're going to kill you just because you've got the wrong name, the cops have got to protect you."
Mel didn't laugh because someone not born to Riverworld wouldn't understand. Once his family fell, Mel, still a year away from his 21st birthday and age of majority, was no longer a citizen. If you're not a citizen on Riverworld, you are nothing. "The police won't interfere, Sir. Without my family, I'm nothing on this world. I have no rights as a citizen anymore."
The lights in the cargo bay dimmed. The spacer checked his schedule. "I'm the only one supposed to be in this section," he grunted. The corridor leading to the bay lit up and the sound of heavy boots echoed back to them. "Get in the ship and hide," the merchant commanded.
"Thank you," Mel said as he jumped up onto the ramp and moved inside the ship. Cornwall was able to wedge himself into the pilot's section where he could see what was happening in the bay. He didn't have many options if the spacer decided to turn him in, but Mel wanted to go to his death fully aware of who was responsible for his demise. The black- clad men, with their weapons clearly visible, bearing the symbol of the Family Drummond walked up to the spacer.
"I got this bay for two more hours. No use trying to shake me down for bribes, I'm paid up," the spacer grunted as he looked away from the packing crates, which held his cargo, as they zoomed up the cargo loader and dropped into place in the bay.
"We're looking for a young man," the first man explained.
"I thought they frowned on that kind of thing around here--prostitutes will be executed," the spacer sneered. "But as you can see I'm not a young man." He went back to watching his cargo.
"Have you seen or heard anyone walking around here in the last hour?" the second man asked.
"Look, I have two hours to secure the cargo and get off this planet. Time is money to a man like me. Other than you, the dock chief, and some stupid monk-like guy, it's been quiet."
Both men looked uncomfortable at the spacer's description of a Riverworld priest. The brethren visited and blessed every ship which docked or landed on Riverworld. But even the priests would offer Mel no protection from the Drummond family. Once you were no longer a citizen, you apparently also lost your soul.
"It's important we find this young man. His name is Melvin Cornwall, he's blonde, blue- eyed, rather small for one of us--"
The spacer stopped the conveyor belt. He turned back to the other men and drew himself up to his full height. For a moment, he seemed to equal the two mercenaries who had been dispatched to kill Mel and return with his head.
"What part of 'I haven't seen anyone' don't you get?" the spacer demanded. "You high- and-mighty types don't seem to get the fact you need people like me. Only a handful of us shippers will even come to your happy little planet. Now I've got a ship full of mail to deliver, and it's not loading itself." The spacer hitched up his belt. "Get out!" He flipped his input device back open and turned the conveyor belt back on.
The two men were not used to having an inferior talking down to them, and they didn't like it. The first man leveled his pistol at the spacer. Suddenly the laser guide, which determined the size of a package and where the belt should route it, turned and fired into the man's chest, and he fell to the hard floor. The second man pulled out his pistol and aimed at the first laser guide, only to have the second guide, which directed the stacking arm, shoot him in the chest.
"That was rude, boys." The spacer stripped the two men of their weapons, pocketed them, and spit in their faces. "I can't imagine the headache you're going to have." He chuckled, then returned to loading the mail.
Mel peeked out. "You didn't kill them?"
"I prefer not to kill, kid. Just a personal quirk of mine. I know you Riverworld people think life is cheap, otherwise you wouldn't have to offer up your body for passage." The spacer watched the last of his cargo load.
"Do you want me to leave?" Mel asked the smaller man.
"No, kid. You've got a place on the ship." The spacer pointed at the two unconscious men. "I wouldn't leave too many people to that fate."
"Thanks," Mel whispered.
"Don't thank me yet, Kid. My next stop doesn't even have a city yet." The spacer began closing up the cargo bays of his ship.
"Where are you going?" Mel asked.
"Orion V," he announced.
"Orion," Mel mouthed. He had no family or friends there, but he also had no enemies there. Orion would let him in as a refugee, but he'd be on his own to sink or swim. Mel planned on swimming. "Orion would be a good place to start over."
"It's a shame someone as young as you has to start over at all, Melvin Cornwall." The older man put his hand on Mel's back and guided him up the ramp. "By the way, I'm Stan Burke."
"Nice to meet you, Stan."
It was a seven day flight from Riverworld to Orion V. Mel slept with Stan every night, but the older man only took his pleasure of Mel twice.
Burke had no technique. He would climb on top of Mel, push his lubed cock into the younger man's ass, pump a few times and cum. Afterwards, the spacer would roll over onto his back and snore. Cornwall never came during this, he didn't even get hard. But Mel would have done it twice a day and called Stan his love-god if the older man asked, but Stan didn't ask.
The Singing Baker landed on Orion V, off- loaded some mail, but took on a lot more. Mel could have skipped off immediately, but he stayed and helped Stan with the cargo. It earned him his first salary--sixty Orion dollars.
"Okay, kid, just follow the signs to the refugee center. They'll let you in," Stan promised. "You take care of yourself."
"Thanks, Stan." Mel wondered if the man expected a hug, but the spacer just waved and headed up the ramp.
Sixty dollars. It didn't sound like much, but here the money could be stretched. A night in the Rooming House, a very stripped down version of a hotel, was only three dollars. Less if you booked for a week or longer. That price included a bed with clean sheets, access to a fully equipped bathroom, and a glass of orange juice in the morning. Back on Riverworld, the orange juice would have cost nine dollars. Mel's goal was to not spend his cash. Hopefully, he would land a job that included room and board.
After leaving the refugee center with his legal status settled--he was landless, homeless, friendless, sponsor-less, but free. Mel had no debts, but neither did he have assets.
Civil war had erupted on Riverworld and its sister world, Magnus. Refugees had flocked to Orion, the closest non-corporate world. Corporate worlds were literally owned by corporations--opened for profit, explored for profit, and run for profit. They accepted no refugees or uninvited guests. Orion was just staring up as a colony world, and its resources were stretched very quickly. At first the government had been able to pair up refugees with sponsors, but there were no sponsors left. Mel was on his own.
Just outside the refugee center there was an electronic board which listed sites where day workers were needed. On the top of the screen were permanent positions, but the credentials and competition would be stringent for those.
Mel was just discovering how worthless he was on a frontier planet. He was in training to be an accountant, but didn't have a degree or the experience to offer a potential employer. The rest of the jobs only required a strong back, which thanks to his ancestors decision to improve their genes, he had.
Mel spent five hours moving bricks. The foreman was so pleased with his strength and stamina, she offered Mel a protected slot for the next day's work. A protected slot was one step away from a permanent position. But this wasn't a permanent job. Once the high school auditorium was completed so would the construction contract. Mel would be back on the streets.
Cornwall was moving slow as he left the job site, otherwise the three men who jumped him for his day's earnings would have been left in far worse shape. Sure he'd run from two heavily armed, professional, Riverworld assassins, but he stood his ground before three unarmed men. By the time the police arrived, and Mel hadn't realized Orion had a police force, one of muggers had gotten away, but the other two were moaning on the ground.
Mel had managed to hang onto his money, but he would be in no shape to lay bricks the next day. The cop was sympathetic, but that was about all she could be. She did give him a chit to present to the clinic for free treatment.
The clinic was lightly populated, and the doctor who saw him seemed to be barely older than Mel. Doctor Sam had him fixed up pretty quickly, and even told Mel where there was a place to get a good meal for little money. That sounded good to Cornwall.
The Apple Blossom was situated on the edge of an apple grove. The place was brand new, everything on Orion was brand new, but had an almost antique look to it. It took a moment for Mel to realize what it was--the place had an enormous bay of windows. Windows, not view-scenes to simulate windows, but real windows you could look in and see who was eating.
Cornwall stepped in and wondered what he must have looked liked to the proprietors. Mel was wearing all the clothes he owned on his back. He'd spent hours hauling bricks in them and topped the day by having a fight. Blood, dirt, and dust clung to the garments, as well as the reek of a man in need of a good wash. If Mel hadn't been so hungry, he would have walked out and made his way to the Rooming House to secure a room and get cleaned up before attempting to dine in public.
"Come on and sit down," a handsome, bronze- skinned man said as he gently tugged Mel toward a table. "Do you know what you want?" The waiter was tiny, about 1.63 meters in height and no more than 65 kilos. He was very beautiful with full lips, thick hair, sparkling brown eyes, and a gorgeous smile. Mel guessed the other man was around 25 years old.
"Food," Mel croaked. "Something with meat, if you have it. I was told at the clinic you have a blue plate special for two dollars."
"On the way," the older man said before bouncing off. Six beefy men at another table whistled and teased as the waiter moved past them. "In your dreams," the waiter retorted.
Mel made his way to the bathroom. It was clean, well-equipped, with thick cotton towels not disposables. After cleaning up as best he could, Cornwall watched as the dirty towel with through the automatic cleaner and rejoined the stack awaiting customers.
Minutes later, Mel was eating his meal--a stew of beef, large vegetables, and a savory onion filled broth, a large salad with a light, tangy dressing, a large glass of fruit juice, and an entire loaf of soft, wheat bread. He'd never tasted food so good, and there was so much of it. Cornwall finished everything on his plate, including the parsley.
"Would you like a dessert?" the waiter asked as he removed Mel's dirty dishes.
Mel started to say no, because he just couldn't afford it. His five hours of labor had netted him another twenty Orion dollars, but he needed clothes and a roof over his head. Clothes would be very expensive here since textiles were still shipped in from other planets.
"Go ahead. It's included in the cost of the blue plate special," the waiter prompted.
"What have you got?" Mel asked.
"Apple cobbler, apple tart, baked apples, and Apple Brown Betty. I'm sure you sense a theme." The older man grinned.
"Apple Brown Betty sounds wonderful," Mel answered. It arrived complete with a tall glass of milk, which Cornwall drank down gratefully.
Cornwall watched the waiter and the chef. They were talking about him, he was sure. After a lengthy discussion, the two of them walked over to his table. The closer they came, the dirtier and more unkempt Mel felt. "I have enough money for the meal," he said quickly. Mel pulled out his wallet.
The chef was taller and heavier than the waiter, but still a little shorter than Mel. The chef was dark-skinned and handsome. "We believe you," the chef assured him. "We were just curious. Is this your first day here?"
Mel nodded. "Almost my last, I got jumped just after I left my work site."
"They know you get paid cash every day as a day laborer," the chef explained. "The cops are spread thin watching all the sites."
"Jake's brother and sister are cops," the waiter explained. "She called earlier about a man who'd been mugged."
"I'm Jake Anderson, and this stud is my husband Mike Anderson," the chef announced as he held out his hand.
Mel wiped his hand on his napkin before shaking Jake's hand. "Nice to meet you."
"Susan said you were really something out by the high school. She said you managed to level two of the guys and leave the third limping," Jake said with admiration.
"He still got away," Mel complained. "At least he left without my money."
Jake and Mike sat down at the table with Mel. "Have you found a job yet?" Mike asked.
"I have a protected slot at the high school, but I don't know if I'll be able to haul much brick tomorrow," Mel explained. Lord, he could not afford to lose a whole day's wages, but if he hurt himself, he had no one to look after him.
"Where are you from?" Jake asked.
Mel knew the planet's government didn't care he was from Riverworld, but the government was not the people. But he wasn't familiar enough with other worlds to pretend to be from somewhere else. "I'm from Riverworld."
Jake frowned. "Any sign of the civil war winding down?" he asked.
Mel sighed. "No. More families join and take sides every week. The central government, such as it was, has collapsed. The few office holders who haven't been assassinated have gone into hiding."
"What happened to you?" Mike asked. The smaller man's voice was very kind and sympathetic.
"Thursday night I was studying for my Accounting IV final exam. Friday morning I passed it. Friday afternoon my family's merchant ship was blown to smithereens along with my entire family. Friday evening I was running for my life from assassins who were hired to make sure my family would not rise from the ashes." Mel twirled his spoon around his empty dessert bowl.
"Tuesday I managed to get a ride here." Mel didn't bother to explain how he arranged that. They were adults, they knew the score. Riverworld money was worthless off-planet, and that's all a college student would have had--cash. Stan only accepted cargo as payment for delivering off-world mail to and from Riverworld. At least he'd made an exception and had taken Mel's ass as currency.
"I'm so sorry for your loss," Mike said softly. He reached over and gently stroked Mel's hand. It was the first caring human contact Cornwall had felt in so, so long. Cornwall started to sniff. He fought. Lord knows he fought those shameful tears, but they came anyway.
Jake folded Mel into his arms and let the younger man cry it out. Cornwall expected all sorts of jeers from the table of big men, but there was none. Sometime during his long cry, Mike slipped away and tended the customers. Mel suspected everyone got to hear a quick version of his troubles.
"Hey, Mel, let me take you upstairs where you can have a shower, and I'll wash your clothes while you get clean. You can sleep here tonight," Jake offered.
"Thanks, but I was going to get a room at the Rooming House," Mel explained.
Jake snorted. "The Rooming House will be turning people away by now. You've got to book a room first thing in the morning."
Mel was stricken. The Rooming House was huge, he'd thought he'd have plenty of time to get in. "I don't want to be any trouble."
"You're no trouble, Mel. Come on." Jake got up and led the way to the side stairs.
Jake and Mike had a three bedroom apartment over the restaurant. The rooms were large and filled with well-executed antique reproductions. At least Mel assumed they were reproductions. Otherwise the two older men had come from a very wealthy background.
Jake stood with Mel's clothes in his arms for a moment before heading into the laundry area. Just long enough for the chef to see his guest's naked body. The young man was very slender for a Riverworld man. The guy had muscles, but they just weren't as developed as Jake's.
Mel's clothes were filthy, but they weren't torn. The kid was somewhat taller than Jake, who liked to think of himself as a tall man, and he couldn't wear much of Jake's clothes. Thanks to spending the money on a laundry system, Mel's clothes would be clean and dry in about five minutes. But the kid would need something to wear for the next day's activities.
Jake had known Mike since the other man was fifteen years old, and there was one thing he already knew about his husband--Mike had just acquired a pet, and his name was Mel.
Seeing the young man standing in the doorway of the cafe--dirty, hurt, and tired, but with his dignity still intact, had caused a lump to form in Jake's throat, so he knew the impact Mel had on Mike. When Mel had cried in Jake's arms, Anderson knew he'd want to look after the young man.
Jake selected some of his clothes, and placed them on the bed. He'd chosen a pair of drawstring pants which would look just as good gripped at mid-calf as it would at the ankle and a soft, short-sleeved shirt which fit Jake tightly and would hang loose on the much more slender Mel. He also left a new pair of briefs from Mike's drawer. Despite their height difference, the two men wore the same size in briefs.
When Jake made it downstairs, Mike was settling the bills of the last customers. "How's Mel?"
This was Mike-speak for 'did you take care of that poor man?'. For a man who was born in New York City, one of the toughest cities known to man, Mike was a softy.
"I left him in the shower, and before you ask, yes, I left him some clothes for tomorrow."
Jake wasn't surprised to find most of the prepared food gone. They'd had a very busy night. He set aside food for his sister and the rest of her squad, who they expected at any minute. The government repaid the cafe for those meals, but Mike would have fed them anyway. Within a few months they had become like family to him.
A light knock announced the cops arrival. Susan had a key, but she always knocked and waited to be let in. Jake grinned when he saw his brother, Kirk, was also with them. "Come in, come in, you ruffians," he teased.
The six members of Susan's squad moved in, cleared the two tables they favored for the view of the streets, then lined up for their chance at the bathrooms.
Most people would instantly know Susan, Kirk, and Jake were siblings. They were all tall, dark haired, and dark skinned. They also shared a similarity of face. Susan was 25, ten years younger than Jake, and Kirk was 32. They had another sister, Gwen, age 39, but she was a doctor and still on Earth. Gwen and her family weren't scheduled to immigrate from Earth for another three years. Long enough to get her second child out of high school.
"What's cooking today, Big Brother?" Kirk asked before kissing his older brother on the lips.
"I made beef stew, and I still have two servings of fish," Mel explained.
"Did Melvin Cornwall make it here for his meal?" Susan asked, slightly worried. "I couldn't find him at the Rooming House."
"Yes, he did," Mike answered. "He's upstairs getting a shower."
"Could you ask him to come down and join us?" Kirk inquired. "We'd like to invite him to take the policeman's exam."
"So you've gotten the funding for the extra officers already?" Jake asked. "I thought the council wasn't meeting until the day after tomorrow."
"They met about two hours ago in emergency session," Kirk explained.
"Emergency session? What brought that on?" Mike asked.
"The idiot who mugged Cornwall was tracked down to the Rooming House. He tried to set fire to his room so he could escape," Susan explained.
Jake was horrified. The Rooming House would have had over two thousand people inside. "What happened?"
"The firefighting equipment came online and doused the flames. We grabbed our foam- covered criminal and dragged him down to our spanking new jail." Susan held up the electronic key which gave her access to the jail. "Peter Von Braumstead was tried and convicted of arson. Normally we would have tried him on the mugging charge too, but the arson conviction was enough to get him expelled from the planet and put onto the asteroid detail."
"When does he leave?" Mike asked. "I'm in a mood to go down there and kick his ass for hurting Mel."
"Too late, O Mighty One, he's already gone," Kirk reported. "He and his mugging buddies were able to share a small room on the freighter. At least the other two are only looking at three years in the asteroids. Von Braumstead will be serving twenty-five years."
"I'll go get Mel," Mike volunteered before heading up the stairs.
"Why didn't Mel have to testify?" Jake asked. "Not that I'm complaining." He placed the last of the stew, the two servings of fish, and a stack of dinner plates on the counter.
"He was the fifth victim of the same crime committed by the same people. His testimony wasn't necessary, and he'd already made his statement at the arrest. The law only requires the first three victims to testify." Kirk glanced back at the bathroom and made a dash to beat his sister to the open bathroom door.
"Jerk," Susan complained.
"So, the arson was the reason the council met this evening?" Jake asked as he mixed up a new salad for his police officer friends. Most of them lived on tiny snacks during their shift, and their meal at the Apple Blossom was the only real food they had all day. Jake poured each of them a glass of milk, which he would insist they drink. Thinking about it, Jake poured another glass for Mel.
"Definitely. It's the first life-threatening crime we've had. The muggings were bad enough, but when criminals start setting fire to occupied buildings, the council felt it had to act."
"I'm glad to see they haven't completely forgotten about us little people," Jake mumbled.
"Jake, you know that's not fair. The refugee flood has really overextended us. The colony was set up and scheduled for a gradual colonization, not this surge of people."
Jake nodded. "I know, I know. If we turn them away *most* of the refugees will end up dead. Ninety percent of them work hard to start over and build a life, it's the other ten percent who make most of the problems."
"There's always going to be a percentage of humanity who find that stealing and taking is easier than working and doing," Susan agreed. "That's why they've decided to expand the police department by another 100 officers."
"Wow. That's quite a jump. Do the new recruits get the same benefits as you?" Jake asked worriedly. He didn't want Mel facing the same dangers for less pay and benefits. Lord, look at him. He'd known the guy only a couple of hours and he was already planning the man's future. Mike would roll on the floor with laughter.
"Me next," Susan proclaimed as she took her place in front of the bathrooms.
Mike grabbed up a pair of Jake's lounging pajamas and headed toward the back of the apartment. He peeked into the guest bedroom and found Mel sitting on the side of the bed towel drying his long, blonde hair. It hadn't seemed this golden when Mike had first seen the younger man, but now Mike couldn't imagine Mel's hair being any other color.
"Mel, could you come downstairs and talk to Jake's brother and sister?" Mike asked softly. "Susan's squad is down there also."
Cornwall looked up at Mike and smiled. "Sure, do they need another statement?"
Mike pushed the lounging pajamas into the younger man's arms. "No. Your mugger has already been shipped to the asteroids for punishment."
Mel stood up, and the towel at his hips fell to the floor. Mike got a good look at the younger man's body. Nice. Very nice. Long legs, not too heavy with muscle, with light golden hair gently dusting them. Nice package too.
"Dress while I can still think," Mike pleaded.
"What's this about my mugger going to the asteroid belt?" Mel asked as he stepped into the pajamas.
"They ran him to ground at the Rooming House where he set fire to his room so he could escape," Mike explained. "Thankfully no one was hurt. He was convicted of arson and sentenced to 25 years in the asteroids."
"Didn't he get a trial?" Mel asked. "Trials take months, not to mention appeals."
"He was given an advocate and a chance to get a psychic to read him for the court, Mel. We don't have the facilities or the desire to hold people for long periods of time before their trial." Mike came from Earth where the longest you could delay a trial was three days, and most people had their day in court within forty hours of arrest. He wondered what it was like on Riverworld.
"I know the guy is scum, I just didn't want to think of someone not getting justice." He ran his long fingers through his thick golden hair and pushed it away from eyes. "I've had too much recent experience with that."
Mike put his arms around the much taller man and hugged him. Sure Mel was larger than Mike, but Mike, being an exceptionally young looking 30 years of age, guessed he was around nine years older than the guy. It put Mel in the "please look after me" category.
"Come on downstairs, Mel. Kirk and Susan want to talk to you about becoming a police officer."
"I don't know anything about being a constable," Mel protested. "I'm too small."
Mike snorted. "Only on Riverworld, Mel. Here you're a big guy." He placed his hand on the younger man's ass and propelled him out of the room, down the hall, and back into the restaurant.
"There you are," Jake called. "I thought I was going to have to mount a rescue, or at least come up and watch." Mike's naughty husband wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, causing Mel to blush furiously.
"But, Darling, there's so much of him. You know I'd share," Mike teased. He wrapped his arms around Mel's waist and rested his head against the larger man's back.
"You'd better share," Jake countered with a pout. "I'd throw a tantrum otherwise."
The cops ate up this exchange, laughing loudly and demanding to know when their turn with Mike and Jake would be.
Mel chuckled, sending a pleasant vibration to Mike as he gave the younger man a tight hug. "Have a seat, Mel, before I decide to snuggle you to death."
Kirk grabbed at his chest. "Yes, Lord, that's the way I want to go!"
Mike kissed Kirk soundly, then did the same to Susan, so she wouldn't pout, and because he liked to kiss the woman. "Mel, this beefy specimen is my brother-in-law, Kirk Anderson. The goddess is my sister-in-law, Susan. This is Bill Thompson, Maria Esposito, Radhje El Fahd, Sergei Gorky, Kim Sweetwater, and Tanya Barnard. They patrol our section on the mid- shift."
"We're going to be opening up 100 positions on the force," Kirk announced. "After Susan's glowing report, we'd like you to put in for one of the positions."
"I wouldn't know the first thing about being a cop," Mel replied honestly. "I was an accounting major and still a full year away from getting my entry-level degree."
"None of us were cops until we got here," Susan explained. "I was a reporter back on Earth. Kirk was in the military. So were Bill, Kim, and Sergei. Radhje was a fitness trainer, Maria was a martial arts instructor, and Tanya was a receptionist at an insurance company."
"There's a written exam, a physical exam, four months on the job paid training, then you're a cop," Kirk said excitedly.
"Most of the time all we do is keep an eye on things," Kim explained. "Today was definitely an exception."
"At least sleep on it," Kirk encouraged.
"I will," Mel promised. He accepted the glass of milk Jake handed him, and gave Mike the two dollars for his meal.
Mike accepted the money, not because they needed it, but because it would be a matter of pride for Mel. He patted the younger man on the shoulder.
"How did all of you end up on Orion?" Mel asked.
"I owned a restaurant in New York, but not the building it was in. The whole place was sold out from under me," Jake reported sourly. "They gave me the cash equivalent of the rest of my lease, but they still kicked me out."
"Why?" Mel asked.
"The building was completed in 1999 and was only a mere eighty floors tall, they tore it down and replaced it with a building with three hundred floors in it," Jake explained.
"Then they offered us a space in the new building for ten times our original rent for about half the space," Mike threw in. "We'd have to shake down every customer we had and rob banks to make that back."
"So we sold out and emmigrated. I managed to talk the rest of my family into coming with us." Jake paused to hug his siblings. "We have another sister, but she wanted her youngest to finish high school before they left Earth."
"Are your parents here also?" Mel asked.
"Yes, they live pretty close to here and run the bakery. Right now, it's the only bakery," Susan answered. "Kirk and I live with them."
"What did your parents do on Earth?" Mel asked.
"They ran a bakery, so they know what they're doing" Kirk answered. "They had the best pastries in Manhattan, if you want my opinion."
"It's good you're all together," Mel said softly. "I..." He didn't get any further because Mike just had to hug the man.
Mike soothed the young man as best he could. Everyone finished their meals, signed their checks, and slipped out into the night. Normally, Susan and Kirk would have stayed to help clean up, but Jake sent them home since they'd had such a hard day.
Mel did insist on helping clean up to pay for his bed for the night. Back on Earth, Mike and Jake once had a staff of six who did nothing but load and unload the dishwashers. That was their whole day of work at the Satin Doll Restaurant. But here at the Apple Blossom, it was just the two of them. It was a step down in lifestyle for them, but after nine months on Orion, Mike knew he never wanted to go back to Earth. This was home.
"Are you going to tuck Mel in?" Jake asked as they were turning out the lights.
"No, but let's leave our door open in case he needs us," Mike suggested. The two men shared the shower, a water saving habit they'd gotten into on Earth and had yet to break, gave each other a massage, and settled down for some sleep.
Moving to Orion had affected their love life. Late night sex was rare as they were just too tired to do it properly. Now the sacred mid- afternoon hours, when they closed the cafe and took care of each other, saw the majority of their sex life.
Mike woke up and patted the mattress, even though he already knew Jake wasn't in the bed. He didn't have to pad far to find his husband. Jake was wrapped around Mel, protecting the younger man from whatever had brought Mike's husband to his side.
Watching the two of them, with Mel's golden head nestled on Jake's muscular chest, made Mike sigh with contentment. His husband never looked more magnificent than he did right at this moment. The role of protector fit him. Almost as well as it fit Mike. He slid in behind Mel, threw his leg over the larger man and settled down to protect him from the memories which might threaten his sleep.
===============================
~Okay,~ Mel thought. ~I'm snuggled tightly between two men, both sporting big erections.~ Not the normal start of a day. But an alarm clock ringing in a room two doors away had awakened him. It was sinfully early. Orion's distant sister sun was barely visible in the sky, and the primary sun was maybe an hour or two away from rising. The alarm increased in volume, sounding like a pod of dolphins squabbling loudly over their human pets.
"Uh, Mike, Jake," Mel whispered as he jiggled the two older men.
"Fifteen minutes," Mike begged as he absently petted Mel's stomach. He really shouldn't have done that because: [1] Mel had to go the bathroom, and [2] Mel's cock was totally uninterested in the fact the two sleepy and sexy men in bed with him were married to each other.
"Time to get up." Mel jiggled again.
Jake sat straight up and looked around in confusion. After spending a few seconds assessing his situation, the big man leaned over and kissed both Mel and Mike soundly. "Time to make the donuts," he declared as he swung his muscular legs over the side of the bed. "Last one in the shower doesn't get his stomach rubbed."
Mike, who looked like he was in coma, jumped out of the bed like it was on fire and rushed down the hall. Mel was close behind him and half out of his pajamas when he wondered if he'd been included in this invitation.
Jake answered that by removing Mel's top and pulling him into the large shower after allowing the younger man to relieve himself. Mel was put into the middle and thoroughly soaped front and back.
Melvin Cornwall was not a monk, when two handsome men are touching you all over, your body must react. Leaking, aching, and begging for caresses, Mel's cock was all but drilling a hole into Mike's firm stomach.
"Is this for me?" Mike asked as he soaped the base of Mel's cock.
Thinking Jake could probably hide Mel's body quite easily in the enormous apple orchard behind the restaurant, Cornwall tried to say something that didn't sound like "Suck it, taste it, stroke it, and make me cum. Make me scream!" He would have to be firm while not venturing into insulting. He would have to be strong.
"," Mel replied. It would have to do.
"That sounded like a yes to me," Jake interpreted. The big man reached around Mel and gripped the base of the younger man's cock while Mike bent over and sucked the head of Mel's cock into his mouth.
"Holy Jesus!" Mel shouted. Cornwall had to lean back against Jake as his knees threatened to buckle. Every other blowjob he'd ever given or received was suddenly a distant, pale memory.
Mike had a mouth of silk and a tongue with the perfect amount of roughness to it. He knew more about Mel's cock and his responses than Mel knew. How did Mel miss the fact he liked to have the slit of his cock scrubbed with the tip of someone's tongue? How did he miss the fact that a gentle tug of his foreskin would send shivers all over his body?
Mel gripped the smaller man's head and dug his fingers deep into Mike's thick hair. "Damn, that's good."
"It gets better," Jake promised.
Mel was going to ask the older man what he meant, but the words were transformed into a long sigh of lust and completion. Jake eased two soaped fingers into Mel's ass, stretching and filling him at once. "Good, good," Cornwall whimpered. Mel's voice acquired so much vibrato, he sounded like a tenor warning up.
Mel often finger-fucked his ass while rocking off, but having someone else doing it gave it an extra edge of sensuality.
"You want to cum, don't you, Mel?" Jake asked. His voice had gone deeper and huskier. Mel nodded as he began rocking himself back onto Jake's fingers. "Let it go, Mel. I'll catch you, and I won't let you fall," the big man promised.
Mel kept one hand buried in Mike's curls and reached back with the other to hook Jake around the neck. With his two anchors to support him, Mel let it go. He let go of the pain, the anger, the fear, and the doubts. For one glorious moment he was free. His orgasm forced the rawest sound he'd ever heard out of his throat and sent it crashing into the slick, wet tiles of the shower. And as promised, Jake didn't let him fall.
Shaken and drained, Mel was cleaned then bundled out of the shower.
"There's so much of him to dry," Mike purred, "which means there's so much of him to play with."
Mel looked at the other men through his eyelashes. His father used to tell him to save that look for when he was trying to attract a rich wife. It had always gotten him what he wanted. Too bad it wouldn't have worked on the assassins.
"What about the two of you?" Mel asked. "Don't you want to cum... on me or in me?" He dropped the towel and lay down on the bed.
"No time, Sweetness. Fucking you should take at least an hour." Mike pulled Mel's head to his and kissed the younger man into near dizziness. "We have to serve breakfast and prepare today's menus."
"We'd like a rain check, Bright Eyes." Jake pulled Mel to him and nibbled the younger man's lower lip. "Hmmm, sweet indeed."
Mel turned the nibbling into a full kiss. "I'd like that too."
"Come on and get dressed before we're all late," Mike prompted. He swatted both Jake and Mel's asses.
Reluctantly, Mel dressed and followed the older men downstairs. He had no idea what it took to get a restaurant going for the day, but he learned.
Floors had to be swept and mopped. Deliveries of fresh milk and vegetables had to be accepted. Bread from their parent's bakery had to be picked up. The tables and chairs needed to be ready . Dishes had to be stacked and aligned with glasses and silverware. While Mel draped the tables with cloths, Jake and Mike gathered fresh herbs and vegetables right out of the garden. After all, there was no such thing as a corner market on Orion.
By the time the doors were opened, a crowd was already waiting. Mel's payment for his early morning labors was a breakfast suitable for a warrior about to take on the day. He was just finishing up when Kirk strolled in.
"Hi, Mel. You're looking much better this morning." The cop sat down at Cornwall's table. "Are you going to take the police exam?"
Mel looked around the restaurant. Mike was being teased and flirted with by a table of surveyors. He winked at Mel, which caused the younger man to blush. Jake was almost obscured by a cloud of steam as he produced plate after plate of delicious food. As he rang the bell which signaled Mike more food was ready, the chef also caught Mel's eye. Jake blew the younger man a kiss.
Kirk chuckled. "Well, well. My brother continues to gather the best looking men the planet has to offer. How does he do it?"
"He can cook," Mel suggested.
"In and out of bed," Kirk countered. "So, what about it? Put those Riverworld muscles to some good."
Just a week ago his life had been so different. His goals had been to graduate, work, and marry into a more powerful family, therefore pulling his entire family up with him. Now all that was gone. He had to start over. But at least he was no longer alone. Luck had put him into the hands of Mike, Jake, and their family. He'd miraculously escaped certain death and been given a second chance.
"Yes, I will," Mel answered.
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