But tonight something kept distracting him. It hadn't started out that way. When he first came to Meg's, it went the way it usually did. He came in and the women mobbed him, all eager to greet him and snatch a kiss or two. Then they all broke into a couple choruses of his favorite version of "Joxer the Mighty."

He always liked that part. At least here there were people who appreciated his song. Didn't tell him to shut up or threaten his life if he kept singing. Here, the women thought the lyrics were clever and they loved the tune. Everyone had fun with it.

This time had been slightly different though. Joxer hadn't noticed anything amiss until the singing ended and the women were clustered around him, begging for stories about his recent adventures -- and maybe he did exaggerate those stories a bit, but it didn't hurt anything. He'd only just started one when he noticed that he and the women weren't alone in the tavern.

Usually at this late hour there weren't any customers downstairs, they'd either already gone up to one of the rooms or left. That's why Joxer came late. He liked to have the women to himself. But this time there were two other men there, at the bar. They were watching him, not surprising considering he'd become the center of attention the moment he'd walked into the Tavern, but something bothered him about these two.

One of them looked very familiar. He was tall and blond, with a handsome face and an incredible body that his plain brown leathers couldn't hide; he stood at the bar, obviously trying not to laugh at the display Joxer and the women had just put on. Joxer didn't care for the amusement in the man's expression, but he couldn't shake the feeling they'd met before and that really bothered him.

"C'mon, Joxie! Tell us about how you protected that poor village!" one of the women, Dordei, insisted. The other women quickly voiced their agreement.

He hadn't realized he'd stopped speaking so he quickly went back to his story, always glad to have an attentive audience. But still, he couldn't quit glancing over at the two men who still watched him. The blond apparently found the story hysterical, judging from the expression on his face, but the other man looked mildly interested.

That one confused Joxer. At first he'd thought both men were customers, but now he revised his opinion slightly. Oh, he still thought the blond was a customer, he didn't have the look of a prostitute, but the other one, now that was a different story. Just the way he sat, or rather, lounged. The casual grace of it combined with the tight, black pants and silk shirt that clung to his wiry frame, painted a very seductive picture.

Strange, really. Joxer couldn't remember Meg ever mentioning plans to branch out into another line of customers. But then, if this little number had come looking for work, he couldn't blame her for jumping at the opportunity.

The direction his thoughts took came as a slight surprise. It'd been a long time since he'd done anything like that. But the man did look good, and he seemed to be just as interested in Joxer, completely ignoring the blond man next to him.

Finishing up his story, Joxer uncharacteristically, but as nicely as possible, turned down the requests from the women for more stories. When they reluctantly let him go, he walked over to the bar. He still wanted to know why the blond looked familiar but that could wait. For the moment he had his attention on the pale young man who watched him approach.

Those eyes! Joxer really hadn't been all that sure about doing this, but those eyes convinced him. The palest blue he'd ever seen, framed by thick black lashes. Gods, the guy looked good enough to eat! Sitting next to him, Joxer smiled curiously.

"Haven't seen you here before," he said the first thing that came to mind, then realized how silly it sounded. "I mean, I'm here a lot, and well, Meg didn't say anything about hiring anyone new, but I'm glad she did anyway."

The man's eyebrows went up incredulously and Joxer immediately felt foolish. That'd been a stupid way to start things off. He really wished he could carry on a simple conversation without sounding like a twit.

The sound of muffled laughter distracted him. The blond man had a hand over his mouth to cover the noise of his laughter. That made Joxer feel even worse.

"You know, nevermind. Sorry to bother you," he mumbled, starting to get up. He'd just go back to the women. They wouldn't laugh at him when he didn't say something right.

A hand on his arm stopped him.

"Joxer, right?" the pale young man asked, fingers curling lightly around Joxer's upper arm.

Nodding in reply, Joxer couldn't help but be surprised when the other man pulled him back down into the seat.

"Hold up a sec," the man said, smiling slightly. Then he turned to the blond next to him. "Do you mind? I'm busy here."

"What? You've gotta be kidd--"

"Hey! Kiss off already! Or maybe you just want to stick around and get an eyefull?"

The blond turned an interesting shade of red from an apparent mixture of embarrassment and anger. Then he abruptly turned and walked off towards the women, muttering under his breath.

"Now, you were saying?" The young man smiled, a strange expression that Joxer didn't quite understand.

"Um, well, I just thought that you were, you know, really good looking, and I, uh, well, I don't do this usually -- well, of course I come here a lot, but I mean I don't--" His words were cut off by two long fingers pressing against his lips.

"I know what you're getting at," the dark-haired man said quietly. "So what do you want?"

What did he want? Joxer hadn't thought about that. "Well, um...." He felt himself blushing a bit.

"Didn't think that far, huh?" The other man's smile widened. "You know, you really are cute. Think I get why the girls here like you so much. But they don't just like you for your pretty face, do they?"

The suggestive tone of the question made Joxer blush even more, but he smiled back. "No, they, uh -- they like me for...other stuff." He didn't understand why he kept blushing. Discussing sex usually didn't have this affect on him, at least not while in the company of a professional. He wondered if he'd missed something in his assessment of the other man. Maybe he needed to step back and take another look, see if he had a reason to be nervous here.

But before he could carry out that plan, the young man suddenly leaned forward and kissed him. A gentle kiss, at first, but when Joxer didn't pull away, it quickly turned more passionate.

The tip of a tongue touched his lips and he let it in, a slight moan escaping him at the skillful way it set about exploring his mouth. But kissing he knew, and he could give as good as he got. He'd always been told what a great kisser he was and now he set out to prove it.

Long minutes later when they pulled apart, both gasping for air, Joxer realized with some surprise that they were both nearly clinging to each other, in danger of falling out of their seats. "Wow," he whispered.

The other man grinned mischievously. Lips swollen, face slightly flushed, he looked even better than before. "Cool," he said with a strange, slightly high-pitched giggle.

"Oooh, way to go, Joxie!"

"Do it again!"

The feminine laughter and encouragements drew Joxer's attention away from his companion. Reluctantly looking away from the young man, he saw that they had company. A number of the women had gathered near them and were watching raptly.

"Oh." He felt himself blushing again. He started to say something to the women, but a mouth covering his cut him off.

Oh, gods, the guy could kiss! Joxer forgot all about being watched as he leaned into it, sucking the other man's tongue into his mouth, groaning as his whole body responded to the stimulation.

This time when they parted, even the sound of the women giggling and cheering couldn't take Joxer's attention from the man before him.

"Think we can figure something out?" the young man asked, his voice deepened with lust as he slid a hand Joxer's arm.

"Yeah," Joxer breathed. He didn't care what it cost him, he wanted this guy.

"Can we watch?" The question from one of the women brought enthusiastic agreement from the others.

The young man raised an eyebrow questioningly. "What do you think? Floats my boat either way."

Joxer couldn't say he'd never had an audience before, but that'd been with women. Besides, he wanted a chance to get to know this man a bit better before sharing like that. "Maybe next time," he replied.

"Oh, next time, huh?" The other man seemed to find that funny for some reason, but he didn't say anything else about it. "Okay, then let's find a room," he suggested.

"Uh-huh." Joxer managed. He couldn't recall the last time he'd been this turned on.

"Cool."

That strange phrase again. In fact, the man had a very strange way of speaking in general and Joxer had the nagging suspicion that it should mean something to him. But then the young man took his hand and pulled him out of his seat and he decided he knew all he needed to.

The first couple rooms were occupied, judging from the noises coming out of them, but they finally found an empty one. The instant they were inside, the door closed, Joxer grabbed the young man and kissed him hard, imitating with his mouth and tongue what he wanted to do with other parts of his body. This time he only stopped because they couldn't get undressed if he didn't.

"Whoa, talk about intense!" the other man whispered, breathing hard. "I'm so going to love this!"

Well, if the guy liked his work then that sat just fine with Joxer. It would make things even better. But he didn't want to stand around and discuss it. Glancing pointedly at the bed, he began pulling off his makeshift armor.

With a slight smirk, the young man leaned back against the door and began to very slowly unlace his black leather vest.

Already undressed down to his pants, Joxer paused as he realized just what the other man intended. This would definitely be a show worth watching.

Letting his vest slide off his arms to the floor, the young man then gripped his silk shirt and pulled it up over his head, dropping it on the floor with his vest. Smiling at Joxer, he ran a hand back through his tousled black hair, wetting his lips with the tip of his tongue.

"You like?" he asked, a teasing glint in his ice-blue eyes.

Joxer let his gaze roam over the surprisingly developed chest and arms. Not muscular by any means, but definitely well toned. Very pleasing to look at. The man was on the pale side, true, but no more so than Joxer himself. And then there were the nipple rings. Both nipples pierced with the small silver rings. It gave the man a wonderfully exotic look.

Joxer grinned, a look tinged with more than a little lust. "Yeah. Keep going."

The young man rested a hand on the laces of his pants, but instead of undoing them, he just lightly stroked the growing bulge beneath them. With his other hand he began rubbing a nipple, slowly moving his thumb back and forth over it until it tightened. A sudden, hard pull of the nipple ring and he gasped softly, his hips thrusting forward.

Oh gods... Joxer swallowed hard, his mouth dry as he watched the skillful show being put on before him. He felt light-headed, all the blood in his body seeming to have drained right down to his cock. Then the other man smiled at him. A blatantly seductive smile that made Joxer moan.

Maintaining that expression, the young man finally worked open the laces of his tight, black pants. Using just one hand he began pulling them free as his other hand continued to work his nipples; rubbing, lightly pinching, then that quick tug at the nipple rings that always made him gasp in pleasure/pain.

When the laces were finally undone, the young man toed off his boots, then took hold of the waistband of his pants and keeping his movements slow, pulled them down, revealing the rest of his body bit by bit.

It was frustrating to watch, and yet so erotic at the same time. Joxer didn't know whether to demand he get on with it or beg him to draw it out some more. Then the man casually tossed aside his pants and leaned back against the door again, completely naked and obviously proud of his body. He gave Joxer a slightly mischievous look.

"Is that what you had in mind?" he asked, at the same time sliding a hand down his stomach.

Joxer could only stare. A response would've required actual coherent thought, and he really couldn't manage that at the moment.

"No?" The young man teased. "Then maybe you wanted this?" He moved his hand lower, wrapping it around his rather impressive cock. He stroked slowly up and down the thick length, keeping his gaze fixed on the other man.

A moan escaped Joxer's lips, his own cock jerking in response to the sight before him.

"You like this, huh?" One last, drawn-out stroke and he released himself. Standing upright and stretching, showing off his lithe form, the prostitute blatantly looked Joxer over. "Let's see what else you like."

Joxer could only watch as the other man approached him. Gods, the way the guy moved! So graceful and deliberately seductive, it reminded Joxer of his own lack of coordination, made him reluctant to move for fear of tripping over his own feet and embarrassing himself. Then the man's hands were on him and he forgot everything else.

A soft, lingering kiss, then the man's lips moved to his throat. The feel of a tongue flicking over his skin, tasting him, drew another moan from Joxer, and suddenly he felt unsteady on his feet. He needed to lie down before he fell.

"Bed." Somehow he managed the word, although the hands sliding down his chest, around to his back, had most of his attention.

"Hmm?" The young man replied almost playfully as his hands moved lower.

Before Joxer could reply, those hands cupped his ass and pulled their hips together. He gasped sharply at the feel of a hard cock pressed against his, just thin leather separating them.

"You say something?" the man asked with a slight smirk, just before he rocked against Joxer.

"Oh, gods!" Joxer gasped out, his arms going around him for support.

"Uh-huh." Continuing the rocking motion, the man kissed him hard, teeth, tongue and lips meshing in an act that felt more like fucking than kissing.

It was almost enough to make him come, just a little more and he'd be there. Tightening his hold on the other man, Joxer started pushing harder against him, release the only thing he could think of.

Suddenly the young man broke away from their embrace and gave him a slight push. Caught by surprise, Joxer stumbled back a couple steps until the wall stopped him. Grinning, the other man moved back in close to him and again pressed warm lips to his neck.

Joxer could only stand there, held up by the wall as the young man began to slowly kiss and lick his way down his chest and stomach. Dropping to his knees, the man ran his tongue over the leather covering the Joxer's hard cock, causing him to shiver and moan.

"Looks uncomfortable," he commented before licking again. "Maybe you want to ditch these?" He tugged at the laces to the pants.

"Please..." Joxer couldn't manage any more than that. Then the laces were being pulled loose, mercifully quick, and suddenly he was free from the confining leather and he groaned in relief.

"Whoa." The young man glanced up at him with raised eyebrows. "The fates were good to you."

Joxer bit back a cry as he felt the warm wetness of a tongue sliding up the underside of his cock, flicking over the spot between the head and the shaft. The licking continued, torturously slow, moving up his cock, lightly around the head. Then fingers began moving over his balls at the same time, stroking, caressing, in counterpoint to the rhythm of the tongue strokes on his leaking cock.

Oh gods, it felt incredible! And it wasn't nearly enough. It kept him at a constant level of almost unbearable arousal, but didn't let him go any further.

"More!" He gasped out, trying to thrust into the man's mouth. And he got what he wanted, or so he thought. Hot, wet warmth closed over his cock, sliding down, all the way to the base.

Joxer nearly cried out at the intense pleasure as the man slowly drew back, sucking hard. Then he felt a tongue, swirling around the head, probing into the slit. And it was good, so good....

The young man suddenly pulled back. Licking his lips, he looked up at Joxer thoughtfully. "You know, we never talked about how you'll be paying me."

The guy wanted to talk now! At that point Joxer couldn't have cared less what the other man wanted, just as long as he finished what he'd been doing!

"So what'll it be? Money? Maybe your sword? Or how about that helmet of yours?" He grinned teasingly, running a fingernail up the inside of Joxer's thigh.

Joxer groaned, his head falling back against the wall. "You can have it all," he answered breathlessly, suspecting he'd regret it later but unable to care now. "Gods, you can take me too! Just keep going!"

The light touches on his thigh stopped abruptly and the young man stood. He looked completely serious as he studied the other man's face. "Done," he said quietly, then he leaned in for a hard, fast kiss.

Before Joxer could wonder about the meaning of that statement, the other man pulled away and walked over to the bed. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, leaning back on one arm, he smiled invitingly. "Coming?" he asked, letting his fingers lightly run up and down the length of his thick cock.

His attention focused entirely on the young man; somehow Joxer managed to only trip once on his way to the bed. He'd barely made it there before the other man reached out, grabbed hold of his open pants and pulled him down. He didn't fight it, preferring to just lie there and see what the man did next. He wasn't disappointed.

The young man moved slowly back down Joxer's body, lips, tongue and fingers working to make him gasp in frustrated pleasure and push up urgently. Joxer groaned in some measure of relief when his pants were finally pulled all the way off and tossed aside, but the groan turned to a cry when a hot mouth closed over his cock again, taking it all the way in, sucking steadily. He thrust up and the young man let him, not protesting when Joxer began fucking his mouth hard.

Joxer could've easily come like that, and gods, was it ever tempting! But he wanted something more. Reluctantly, he grasped a handful of the young man's soft, black hair and gently tugged, urging him up. The man complied, again without comment, moving over him.

Putting an arm around the other man, Joxer reversed their positions. He looked at the man pinned beneath him, those swollen lips and pale blue eyes bright with lust -- he looked incredible.

Joxer sat up then, and the young man, seeming to know what he had in mind, turned over onto his stomach, resting his head on his arms and spreading his legs in invitation.

The temptation to grab hold of those slim hips and just shove in bordered on overwhelming, but Joxer resisted. He never acted that brutally with his partners, prostitutes or not. Looking around he almost instantly found what he wanted: a cruet of oil on a table beside the bed.

Retrieving it, he quickly coated his cock then more gently, worked an oiled finger into the young man. A second finger soon followed, both carefully stretching the tight muscles. It'd been more than a few years since he'd done this but he hadn't forgotten. Searching for a moment, he found the right spot and rubbed against it.

The young man gasped sharply and pushed back. Smiling at the response, Joxer continued the caress, again and again, until he had the man panting, rocking hard against the fingers.

Urging him up to his knees, Joxer removed his fingers and quickly replaced them with his cock, groaning as he slid into that tight, slick heat. The man beneath him shuddered and thrust back against him...and Joxer lost it. He wasn't violent, never that, but he still took the other man far more roughly than he'd intended, and he couldn't stop himself.

Quick, deep thrusts, hitting that spot inside the young man with each movement. The sounds that drew from him drove Joxer to take him harder, pounding into him. Keeping one arm around the other man's waist to hold him up, he slid the other hand around to grasp his cock, stroking the long shaft, slick with pre-come, making the man cry out and tighten around him.

Working the thick cock in his grasp, Joxer continued thrusting into him at a fast pace. Hearing the increasingly desperate, incoherent sounds from the other man, he wasn't surprised when the slim body suddenly stiffened and the man came, ass clamping down on his cock, hot semen covering his hand.

But Joxer wasn't finished. The body beneath him went limp and he let the young man drop onto the bed, but he didn't pull out. Not satisfied yet, he braced himself up on his forearms and resumed his hard, deep thrusting, rocking the other man's body.

For a few moments the man just lay there, not responding, then Joxer changed the angle of his thrusts, finding that spot again, and the young man jerked beneath him, crying out. A cry that quickly turned to a groan as a tongue licked the back of his neck.

Moving from the man's neck to his shoulder, Joxer continued licking the sweat from the pale skin, sending shivers through the other man. Then hips were pushing back against him again, slow at first. But the movements soon became fast and urgent, the young man's cries growing louder.

Starting to feel the familiar tightening in his balls, Joxer began riding him harder, nipping at the man's smooth skin. A few last deep thrusts, and he bit down on the other's shoulder, groaning as he came, barely aware of the young man bucking up beneath him, coming again.

Pressing a gentle kiss to the back of the man's neck, Joxer moved off him, stretching out on the bed beside him with a satisfied sigh. Oh yeah, that'd been worth whatever it cost him. Putting an arm behind his head he watched as the young man pushed himself up unsteadily.

Sitting back on his knees, he looked down at Joxer with an expression of mild surprise and pleasure. "Well, Joxer the Mighty, I'm totally impressed," he finally said. "You made me come twice! I've got myself a pretty bitching deal here."

That's right, Joxer had almost forgotten about payment. They hadn't really settled on that before. "So, what do I owe you? I mean, I know some of it goes to Meg, but if there's something special you wanted, like, well, I did offer you my helmet, if you really want that or something."

The young man laughed. Not a giggle, but a real laugh accompanied by a smirk that made Joxer suddenly nervous for some reason he couldn't put his finger on. Then the man looked down at him seriously.

"I don't work for Meg," he said.

"What?" Joxer frowned. "But you--"

"Hey, you just assumed it, I never said I did. See, me and my cousin decided to get dressed up, come down here and kick back. Get away from work and all that. But I'm not complaining. I definitely had a good time!" he said with a slight giggle. "But, now I have to bail. Got to get back before someone starts wondering where we took off to." Cracking his neck, he started to get off the bed.

Joxer couldn't believe this. "Wait a second." He quickly sat up and grabbed the other man by the arm. "Who are you?" He demanded, not really sure he wanted to know, but too curious to let it go.

Glancing down at the hand on his arm, then up at the warrior, the man smirked again. "Strife."

"Strife?" Joxer didn't know what to make of that. "You're named after a god?" he asked in confusion.

The other man looked at him in exasperation. "No, clueless; I am a god." A small flash of light and suddenly he stood there completely dressed.

At first Joxer could only stare in utter shock, then he realized he still had hold of Strife's arm. Quickly releasing it, he moved back on the bed some, trying to put a bit of distance between them. Not that it'd do any good. If Strife wanted to kill him then he'd be dead. Nothing he could do about it.

Standing up beside the bed, Strife's smirk widened as he looked down at the frightened mortal. "Oh, by the way, I already got what I want."

"Huh?" That comment completely lost Joxer.

"You offered me a lot of stuff, including yourself, in exchange for a good fuck, remember? I accepted. So now, you're mine." He grinned wickedly. "I'll be seeing you around, 'Joxie.'"

A bright flash of blue flame and Strife disappeared, leaving a stunned mortal sitting on the bed.

What had he done? Joxer couldn't quite wrap his mind around what had happened. Getting off the bed, feeling numb from shock, he started to gather up his clothing, pulling it on as he went. A few seconds later reality hit him hard when he realized a number of things were missing. Specifically, his money, his sword and his helmet. Strife had taken everything Joxer had foolishly offered in the heat of the moment, which meant Strife had been serious about owning him.

Slumping back down on the bed, he nervously ran a hand through his hair as he wondered what in Tartarus he was supposed to do now.

He'd sold himself to a god. The thought kept running through his mind over and over. He'd done it for sex. Okay, incredible sex, but that didn't excuse it. Nothing could. He'd really screwed up this time.

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