Chapter 11

By the time Thursday rolled around, Avery was cautiously grateful for his father's good humor. His father hadn't hit him in the last few days and had only used him once this weekend and was even rather gentle--one of the times he'd called him his mother name again--so his bruises and welts had finally started to fade. Apparently, this visit with Mr. Degasio was lifting his father's spirits greatly. Unfortunately, his dad never said how long they'd be staying exactly, only a vague answer of 'a few days', so he was unable to let Matt know if he'd be able to see him over the break.

They had texted each night since he received the phone, even though they'd spent the afternoons together. Erin had texted him as well, but he didn't feel his heart race every time he got a text from her like he did with Matt's.

Still not sure when we'll be home, he texted. Let u know when we get back.

Okay. Have a good holiday. Hope to see u soon.

Avery managed to hide his cell phone in his duffle bag when he packed for their trip, hoping to be able to at least text Matt and maybe even Erin while he was gone. Imagining their voices when they texted grounded him when he started to feel so lost and broken lately.

"Come on, boy!" his father called, and Avery jumped at his father's voice, moving quickly to grab his bag and run down the stairs. He'd packed all of his "nicer" clothes, knowing that his father would want him to dress appropriately as the son of a respected businessman. His dad didn't grab a suitcase, and Avery figured his dad had already put it in the trunk of the car.

They drove over an hour in relative silence to the secluded house in the hills. Avery stared out at the passing trees, lost in thought of the last few days he'd spent with Matt. He couldn't help the giddy feeling he got when he thought of the simple kiss that they had shared the day before. He held onto that memory as he forced himself to be the 'good son' that his father expected. If his father knew about his budding relationship, Avery was sure the man would kill him.

Apparently, Mr. Degasio was really well off as there was a wrought iron and stone fence surrounding the immense property. They pulled up in front of a sprawling white stucco house with an expansive porch and attached garage.

His father grabbed his neck and pulled him close before they got out of the car. "You WILL behave, boy, and do as you're told. Mr. Degasio is worth a lot of money."

Avery nodded quickly as his father exited the car and slowly followed him to the large oak doors. A sour looking butler let them into the foyer, and Avery admired the gleaming marble floors and grand staircase.

"Carl," a deep voice came from the room off to the left of the foyer, a study of some kind. "Welcome." Mr. Degasio shook his father's hand and nodded to Avery, with a wink in his eye. "Welcome, Avery."

"Thank you for having us, sir," Avery responded.

"William, it's good to see you again," Carl greeted, but then he cast his gaze at the dour butler.

"Barry has been with me for years," he vaguely heard Mr. Degasio tell his father, and Avery assumed he was referring to the older, sad looking butler. "He came to me when his family was struggling and they were about to be deported."

Avery glanced again at the sour looking man.

"He's extremely devoted," William continued. "And discreet."

His father smiled. "Good to know."

Whatever that was about, Avery's gaze flickered between the two men. It made him briefly wonder if his father was getting into something illegal.

Avery felt Mr. Degasio's gaze rake over him before turning back to his father. "I assume you brought the contract with you?"

"Of course," Carl stated.

"Barry, why don't you show Avery to the game room for a bit, while I talk business with his father," William Degasio suggested.

"Very well, sir," the butler indicated for Avery to follow.

Avery was grateful when he was left alone in the large rec room as the men adjourned to the elegantly decorated study. Barry looked at him sadly and almost looked like he was going to say something more but simply nodded and disappeared back down the hall.

Weird guy, Avery thought as he turned to look around the room.

He glanced around at the huge pool table and bar, then decided to sit on the couch in front of the massive TV. He was afraid to touch anything, so instead he dug in his duffle bag, quickly checking his phone. It occurred to him that he'd forgotten to pack the charger that he hid under his bed. Oh, well, he thought, it was probably better anyway; he'd be less likely to get caught with it.

There was a message from Erin. Heard u were gone for the holiday. Hope u have fun!

Avery smiled at the friendly, carefree message. He didn't expect to have much fun in this mausoleum of a house. It was probably going to be rather boring actually.

He quickly typed back a message, always worried his father might catch him with the phone. Pretty boring here. Dad's working a deal, so no fun for me. Would rather be in school!

Avery was surprised when a response came back right away.

Haha. Sorry u r bored. It's boring at home too! Matt is pretty mopey without u.

Avery snorted. He quickly put the phone away when he heard footsteps in the hallway.

"Master Avery, your presence is required in Mr. Degasio's study post haste," Barry stated formally, avoiding Avery's eyes.

Really, who talks like that? The formal, indifference in his voice just made Avery feel even more uncomfortable in this massive house.

"Yeah, sure," Avery grumbled as he unfolded himself to move from the couch.

He followed the stiff butler down the hallway back towards the entrance. Barry indicated that he would take his bag, and Avery reluctantly handed it over--it didn't have much, but now with his new phone, he was a little more protective of his things. Avery hovered in the doorway of the study. His father was lounging on the couch, and Mr. Degasio held a pen in his hand as he scribbled on a piece of paper.

"Ah, good, you're here," his father rose, beckoning him into the room and curling his fingers around his neck.

Mr. Degasio looked up as he handed his father a file folder, then turned to quickly scribble on what looked like a checkbook. "Here, you go, Carl. Ten thousand dollars for a week."

Avery frowned. A week of what? What the hell was going on? His father sold real estate. Was he renting a property?

Carl smiled as he took the check. "Very good. I'm sure you'll be satisfied. He's a good boy."

Wait-- what? Avery jerked under his father's hand, looking up at him in shock. Was he--?

"I think he will be just fine," Mr. Degasio leered as he came around from behind the desk to tower over the teen.

Avery felt himself shaking his head disbelievingly as he tried to back away. No, this wasn't happening....

"Hold still, boy," his father growled, tightening his grip on his neck.

"Dad, what--?" he looked up imploringly at his father, hoping what he thought was happening wasn't.

"Remember that debt you owed me for your little outing?" his father smirked.

Oh, christ, no...

"Time to pay up, boy."

Avery froze in shock. Had his father really just sold him?! And had they written a fucking contract?! Like that could hold up in court!

His father laughed at the shocked look on his face, then turned to head for the door. "I'll see you next Saturday, boy. You better be good for Mr. Degasio, or else."

Avery broke from his stunned trance to race after his father, begging, "Dad! No! Wait! You can't--"

He barely caught the flash of his father's movement as the man backhanded him across the cheek. Avery crashed into the wall, slumping to the floor in a heap, cupping his cheek.

He could hear the snickers of the two men above him as his vision wavered.

"Such spirit," Mr. Degasio gleamed.

"Just don't break him," he heard his father's voice tell Mr. Degasio.

Fuck, Avery felt an almost giddy, incoherent chuckle bubble from somewhere inside him turning slowly into sobs, it was too late. He was already broken.

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"Barry!" he heard the deep voice above him call. "Collect young Master Avery's things and store them away. He won't need them. He'll be staying downstairs for a while."

"Yes, sir," he heard the sad voice of the butler.

Avery could feel a tug on his arm, but he was too numb with shock to really process it.

"Get up, boy," he demanded, as Avery managed to get his feet under him. "You will do as I say, without question. You will call me sir and speak only when told. Any disobedience will be met with punishment. Understand?"

What the hell? Avery shook his head, attempting to clear his head. Apparently, he didn't answer fast enough because he felt his chin yanked up violently to meet the man's snarl.

"I asked you a question, boy. You will answer!"

What was the question, again? Avery wasn't sure, but he'd survived in his father's house long enough to know what the right answer should be. "Yes, sir."

Mr. Degasio patted his sore cheek. "Better. Follow me."

The teen trudged along behind Mr. Degasio toward the dining room. William sat at the head of the table as usual. "Sit."

Avery moved to pull the chair out to the man's right.

"No," the voice stopped him cold, and Avery glanced up. "Kneel."

The man was pointing to the floor at his right side.

He's got to be kidding, Avery thought. He stared at the spot Mr. Degasio was pointing out dumbly. No, fucking way.

"I said, KNEEL!" The man moved fucking fast for a fifty year old man, and Avery barely had time to register that the man came toward him, thrusting something into his ribs. Suddenly, his body jolted like it had been set on fire, held briefly in the clutches of the agonizing pain before it stopped and he dropped heavily to the floor, panting.

When Avery regained his vision and control of his limbs, he slowly pulled himself upright from the floor, casting a glare up at the man holding a device in his hand.

A fucking taser, Avery groaned. God, that hurt like hell. The man was pointing again at the spot next to his chair, and Avery obediently crawled over, too exhausted and in too much agony to fight.

He felt William's hand caress the top of his head, running his fingers through the strands. "Good boy."

Avery closed his eyes in defeat. Like a fucking dog. He let his forehead fall to the man's thigh, tears leaking from his eyes.

When William nudged his chin, forcing him to look up and offered him a bite of sausage, Avery recoiled a moment at being hand-fed like a pet. It only took a narrowing of William's eyes and his hand tightening on the taser for Avery to open his mouth and accept the morsel.

Fuck, it's not like I had any dignity left anyway--it had already been stolen from him six years ago. He just didn't realize just how much farther he could fall into the broken abyss what his life had become.

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Avery followed dully behind Mr. Degasio as he led the way toward a basement doorway. The basement stairwell hosted a plush carpet and opened into a small cozy rec room, that sported a plush couch and TV and even a small bar area, similar to the one upstairs. Avery was pleasantly surprised by the warmth of the room in comparison to the cold, stone basement of his own house.

Mr. Degasio led them down a short hallway, and stopped at a locked door. He pulled out his keys and clicked the lock open. William swung the door open and stepped inside.

Oh, no... Avery's heart began to race in his chest and he instinctively took a step backwards before William caught his arm and dragged him over the threshold.

"Welcome to my playroom," Mr. Degasio waved his hand wide, grinning proudly.

Avery could barely breathe as he took in the complete and utter change in atmosphere from the warmth of the other part of the basement. His eyes focused briefly on the large wooden X in the middle of the room with cuffs attached to it. His eyes flickered around the room, briefly landing on some sort of bench and tables, and oh, fuck even a cage in the corner. The dark mahogany walls were littered with whips, floggers, and other things that Avery couldn't name-- and didn't want to know the name of--hanging on hooks like an elegant display of torture implements. The cement floor was cold beneath his feet.

As his knees began to buckle under him, Mr. Degasio chuckled, catching him around his waist. He led Avery over to a queen size bed in the corner that Avery hadn't noticed before. There were hooks and chains attached to the headboard and footboard, Avery felt his vision blur again.

"The bathroom is through that door," Mr. Degasio was saying. You will keep yourself showered. While I have no use for you, you may wear the pajama pants in the drawer there, something easy to get out of--or of course, nothing at all," he smirked.

Avery felt his dinner roil in his stomach and the room seemed to shift violently to the left. He lurched toward the bathroom, sprawling on the floor as his stomach emptied his dinner into the toilet. He could barely hear the rumbling laugh from the doorway, before his vision turned black.

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The woodsy scent of sandalwood drifted around him as he felt hands drifting over his back, gently massaging the muscles. Lips nuzzled the back of his neck and ghosted over his shoulders. Avery felt the warm breath trail down his spine. Gentle, loving touches that he longed to feel.

"Boy," Avery jerked at the sound of the voice. That didn't sound right. He jerked from his dream. Another scent filled the air, something like Old Spice or some crap like that. His stomach instantly recoiled at the smell of the older man standing next to the bed.

"I trust you have recovered your senses," Mr. Degasio snapped.

Avery realized he was now naked and curled himself protectively into a ball. There were also padded leather cuffs on his wrists and ankles. Shit.

"Get up," William demanded.

Avery took a second too long to move, and he noticed Mr. Degasio pull the taser from his pocket. Avery stumbled as quickly as he could from the bed, crashing to the floor. A slow smile spread across William's face.

"Good boy, you're a quick learner," he praised. "Get over there by the cross."

Avery knew better than to hesitate; he'd learned over the years how to minimize the pain. But he didn't know what to do when he reached the wooden X.

"Face it, put your arms up," Mr. Degasio ordered, coming over to snap Avery's wrists to the chains at the top of the X. His bare chest was pressed to the middle of the cross. Mr. Degasio kicked his legs apart and hooked his ankles in place at the bottom of the cross. He felt so utterly exposed and humiliated, tears silently streaked down his face.

Avery shivered as he felt Mr. Degasio's hand rake over his back. While it didn't hurt yet, Avery had no illusions that this man's hand would cause him pain, and a lot of it. He briefly thought back to his dream of Matt and allowed a moment of living in the fantasy that he could ever have a normal life free from pain.

"I can't wait to pull your screams from you," Mr. Degasio breathed in his ear, and Avery felt his breath quicken.

Mr. Degasio's touch disappeared for a moment, and the next touch he felt was the kiss of a steel tipped flogger stinging across his back. He cried out in shock.

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He wasn't even aware when the blows stopped. He could feel a warmth trickling down his back and thighs, and looking down realized blood was pooling on the ground by his feet.

Mr. Degasio wrenched his head back as he pressed his naked chest against Avery's stinging back. "Such lovely screams."

Avery couldn't even muster the energy to fight the punishing kiss, and was only vaguely aware of a hardness pressing against his ass.

"Oh, Christ, boy! You are so good," William moaned, breathing harshly against his ear.

Avery felt him stabbing into his body, causing an ache in his belly and lower back. When finally the man stuttered to a halt, Avery was able to catch a breath when the man released his hold across his neck.

Avery sagged against the cross, hissing as William ran his hand through his sweaty hair and down his lacerated back. "You are so beautiful in your pain, boy, just beautiful."

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Avery felt himself being lowered into a warm bath, flinching reflexively at the sting of the water on his back. He looked up to see Barry starting to gently sponge water over his back to rinse away the blood and sweat.

Avery tried to meet the man's eyes, but the old butler refused to meet the gaze of the terrified boy.

"Help me," Avery croaked, "please."

Avery saw Barry's Adam's apple working as he struggled with his emotions. "I'll help you bathe and shower. I have some cream for your back--"

"No, I meant--"

"I can't," Barry cut him off, gazing into Avery's liquid green eyes. "I'm sorry," he sniffed. "He'll hurt my family--"

Avery just nodded understandingly. He hadn't really expected any help, he'd never gotten any before when he'd asked for it.

When the water was pink with his blood, Barry drained the water and refilled it. He scrubbed Avery's silky black hair with sweet smelling shampoo and conditioner, and carefully washed the sweat and grime from his body. Barry did his best to rinse the thin body with a cup, but eventually pulled Avery up and set him in the shower for a full rinse.

After carefully drying the boy's body, Barry led the kid over to the bed, easing him onto his stomach. He felt the boy shudder when he laid his hand on the jutting hip bone.

"Easy, I'm not going to hurt you," Barry said soothingly. "I'm just going to put on some salve to heal your back."

Avery's muscles relaxed slightly as Barry smoothed the cooling, medication over his warm, lean back. Avery felt cool silk slide across his legs as the butler slipped a pair of silk pajama bottoms on him.

"Thank you," Avery muttered briefly as he began to drift off from exhaustion.

Barry hesitated briefly before moving to leave. "You should, uh, find anything you might need to refresh yourself in the bathroom cabinets."

Barry smoothed his hand over the boy's head, an ache for the kid clutching at his chest. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, but the boy was already asleep.