********

Seven.


Fortunately, Daphne wasn’t about to let Justin mope following that huge, depressing revelation about the nature of his Surrogate’s reality.

Justin had left the Surrogate lying in his bed after servicing him and gone back to his office where he’d managed to get in a couple more hours of work. Then he’d dined with his wife, the Dom’l and the Dom’la, as usual. Nothing more had been said by Hobbs about the Surrogates. It was all very mundane and unexceptional. And at the end of the meal, they all wished each other a good night and then went off to their respective chambers, just like any other night.

Of course, once they were behind closed doors, the Surrogates had been summoned, and Daphne took charge, all suggestions of propriety vanished.

Because Mis’la Daphne was on a mission that evening. See, she'd managed to acquire yet another contraband item that she wanted to try out and wasn’t going to be deterred by anything or anyone. Not even by her husband, the Mis’l of the Estate. Consequences be damned.

“Look! Look what I got,” she demanded after making sure that the door to Justin’s chamber was locked.

Justin looked at the five small, square packets his spitfire of a wife was waving in his face with confusion. He didn’t have a clue what the things were. He plucked one from her fingers and examined it closer. He could tell that the contents of the plastic square were round and, when he felt it, it seemed like there was a hard ring inside. Then he looked at the writing on the packet and almost couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

“One latex condom . . .” He read the description aloud before turning to Daphne with disbelief. “What the hell, Daph? Where did you manage to get condoms from? These are fucking illegal, you know.”

“Duh! Isn't it cool, though? The merchant Lindsey hooked me up with for the sex toys had them and I just couldn’t resist. I don’t know how he got them or from where, but I’m beginning to think the man can get anything,” Daphne gushed as she danced around Justin with excitement.

Justin looked at the little packet dubiously. Condoms were considered serious contraband. They’d been outlawed in an attempt to counter the catastrophic drop in the population caused by the War and the subsequent decrease in overall fertility caused by the pervasive chemical contamination. As it was, there were barely enough people left in the Easternness to man the factories and work the fields, so the use of any kind of contraception was anathema. Penalties for those caught with such contraband were steep and Justin didn’t think that even a Mis’l would get away scott-free if he was found using one. What was Daphne thinking? And what was the point when their goal was to try and get the Surrogates pregnant?

“Don’t look at me like that, Jus,” the woman chastised him, taking back the condom from his hand. “I had a good reason for getting these . . .” Then she paused and, after looking at her skeptical husband for a few seconds, she towed Justin by the hand over to the couch and sat him down before continuing with her sales pitch. “Listen, okay? You promised I could play with whatever Surrogate you got, but then you went out and picked two males. Well, I just want to play with them.” Justin started to object, but the Mis’la hurried on without letting him get a word in. “I know you’re going to say we already discussed this and tell me that it’s not appropriate and yadda, yadda, yadda, but that’s just bullshit, Jus! I mean, look at them.” She gestured towards the two male Surrogates watching the argument from where they were sitting on the edge of the big bed. “They’re both fucking gorgeous and those two lovely, luscious cocks are just going to waste. It’s practically criminal not to put them to use. And I get the whole argument about it being wrong for the Mis’la to have sex outside her marriage bed and how that would create doubt about the bloodline of any heirs, etc - not that that line of thinking makes any sense considering the fact that offspring of Surrogates are automatically accepted as heirs despite the fact that THEIR bloodlines are, of necessity, mixed - but even so, if that IS your argument, then the solution is simple. We just make sure that there won’t be an heir whose lineage is questionable. Which is where the condoms come in.”

“Uh, Daph, this is fucking insane. You do realize that, right?” an exasperated Justin countered lamely.

“It is not. It’s perfectly logical. I want to play and I found a sure fire solution to any possible objection you might have. How is that insane?” Daphne argued, only half teasing. “Come on, Jus. Please. I’m bored with the other stuff already. And it’s not like I’ve been getting any real action lately myself. You’ve been so busy since we got these three you haven’t been to MY bed even once - not that I’m complaining, mind you, since I know you’ve been too fucked out from covering these guys to do me - but don’t I deserve a little attention too? As long as we use one of these condoms, there’s no risk, right? Please, Jus?” She implored again, plopping down on the couch next to him.

Justin looked at his pleading wife and then down at the condom packet again. He knew he shouldn’t even be considering such an outrageous suggestion. It was bad enough that, apparently, the entire Estate was already gossiping about the manner in which the Mis’l and his Mis’la were handling their Surrogates. If THIS was ever found out, it would be a disaster. Tch’fl Craig was going to be hard enough to manage as it was when he found out about the males. If what Daphne was proposing ever came to light . . . Well, he didn’t want to even think about what Craig might do then. Suffice it to say, it wouldn’t be pretty.

“Please, Jus. Just this one time? Nobody will find out. Once I’ve had my fun, I’m sure the idea will be out of my system and I promise not to say anything about it again. Please?” Daphne begged.

And, despite the fact that Justin knew it was wrong, not to mention dangerous, he just couldn’t say no to his sweet, understanding, playful wife.

“Fine . . . Let’s . . . Let’s just get this over with fast, though, please. Before I come to my senses and realize how truly foolish this whole idea is.”

“Yay! I love you, Jus! Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Daph leaned over to kiss him enthusiastically before she vaulted off the couch and started arranging things to her liking. “Brian, you first! Come on, get that huge ankle-spanker over here and show me what you can do with it,” the Mis’la ordered as she took off her robe and situated herself on her back, sideways across the mattress. “Jus, you can do Rosie at the same time, right here next to us. That way you’ll get to watch too, and everyone will have fun. Don’t worry, Troiyes, dear, I haven’t forgotten about you; you’ll be next!”

Before he knew it, Justin was standing in front of a reclining Rose, who was lying on her back, side-by-side next to Daphne. Brian was standing to his left. And the two women were staring up at the men expectantly. Daphne had already stroked Brian to the point he was semi-hard and rolled the first condom down his reluctant boner. Justin had never seen a condom used before and the little latex sheath on the male’s cock looked strange to him, but whatever. Now came the part where the fun was supposed to start, right? Only, it seemed that neither man knew quite where to begin.

“Shit. Totally pathetic,” the other male muttered with a shake of his head. But he did offer the two confused-looking men a sympathetic smile as he trotted around to the far side of the bed where he immediately started playing with himself. “Okay, fellas. With me now. Stroke it nice and slow. Good, good . . . That’s better. Now, grab your ladies and let’s do this thing.” Troiyes coached them along, the stimulating sight of his own prodigious member plumping up helping the Mis’l quite a bit.

Justin followed directions and, when Troiyes said it was time, he pulled Rosie close enough to slide inside her. He only gave a fleeting thought, though, to the regret that she just wasn’t nearly as tight as either of the males, because the Surrogate directing this fuck instantly commanded that both men keep their eyes on him. And why would Justin not want to look on the man who was doing such a great job entertaining them with the way he was jerking himself off? The sight was more than enough to keep Justin’s attention, to the point that he almost forgot who it was he was fucking. A quick glance to the side told him that Brian was also fixated on The Troiyes Show to the exclusion of all else.

“How we doing there, boys?” Troiyes crooned, talking them through it with a suave seductiveness. “You’re almost ready now, aren’t you. That’s the way. Feels good, huh? You can feel my hands on you, can’t you? I know just what y’all need, boys. That’s right. You’re ready now. Come for me now, boys. Come on . . .”

Troiyes took that opportunity to shoot his load into his sturdy right hand. Right on command, first Brian and then Justin followed him. Justin released his seed into the female Surrogate and then almost immediately pulled out. It might not have been the most thrilling fuck of all time, but done was done. And it’s not like his Surrogate was going to complain, right?

However, that wasn’t the case for his neighbor. As Justin reached for a nearby towel to clean himself off, he noticed the uncharacteristic hesitancy of the male Surrogate that Daphne had chosen to ‘play’ with. Brian seemed unsure what to do now that he’d finished his assigned task and was standing there, the used condom sagging off his rapidly deflating dick, as the Mis’la continued to lay there and look up at him.

“Daph? You okay,” Justin asked, handing off the towel to her.

“Sure,” she replied, accepting the towel. “Just a little surprised is all. I figured that something like THAT,” she pointed disdainfully towards the male’s nether regions, “would be more impressive in action. But I guess that old saying is true; size isn’t everything.”

Daphne’s pronouncement raised a snort of laughter from the stocky Surrogate that had been guiding the other males along during the fuck.

The Mis’la looked over at the man with an answering smile of her own. “You think YOU can do better?” she asked.

“No doubt,” Troiyes answered confidently. “I mean - no offense to my brother here - but our Brian ain’t never gonna be considered much of a Ladies Man, Ma’am.”

Everyone looked over to the accused, where Brian was just stripping off the used condom. The Surrogate looked up, gave a half-embarrassed shrug, and then darted a sideways glance towards Justin as if to gauge how the admission would be received. Justin gave the male a small, non-committal nod but didn’t say anything.

Because what was there to say? What was he going to do; admit that he felt the same? That sort of thing was fine for some people, but it wasn’t allowed for a Mis’l of the Domain. Justin’s duty was to carry on the family bloodline, so the question of who - or what sex - he was attracted to, simply didn’t come into consideration. If he’d ever so much as mentioned anything of the sort, his father would have quickly corrected him, probably in a physically painful way. Justin was lucky that Craig didn’t have any other heirs, or he might even be risking disownment were his proclivities to become known.

While Justin was contemplating all this though, the conversation in his chamber had already sped on.

“So, you think you can do better?” Daphne teasingly asked a grinning Troiyes, who simply gave his Mis’la an assured nod. “Well, then, get on over here, big guy, and show me what you’ve got.” Then she turned towards Justin, who was still just standing there bemusedly. “Don’t just stand there, hubby. You’re not done for the night yet. You can cover Brian while I’m playing with Troiyes.”

“I . . . I actually serviced him earlier in the afternoon,” Justin answered, trying to hide the blush that this confession engendered, “so he can wait a bit. I could use a bit of a break anyway. Why don’t I just wait for you to finish with that male and then I’ll take care of him and be done for the day.”

Daphne didn’t respond to him, though, seeing as she was already busy - and from the looks of things, enjoying herself immensely - with her legs locked around the muscular back of the male Surrogate servicing her. Justin looked on with confused curiosity, noting how enthusiastic both Daphne and Troiyes seemed to be going at things. His wife was making all sorts of happy sounds too. Sounds that he hadn’t really noticed her making whenever he had engaged in his husbandly duties. The Surrogate appeared to be enjoying himself as well, if the energetic way he was thrusting into the Mis’la, the way he was kneading at her breasts, and the way he was devouring her lips with intermittent kisses, was anything to judge by. Justin, meanwhile, was left standing around, feeling like a third wheel in his own bed chamber.

Or maybe more like a fifth wheel, seeing as the two other Surrogates were also idling their time away, both of them looking on the proceedings with the same sort of bemusement as their Mis’l. Since he didn’t know what else to do with himself, Justin eventually went to join those two on the couch. He wasn’t sure what to say, though, so they all just sat there quietly watching the show over on the bed. It WAS fascinating in a kind of detached, anthropological way. The Mis’l was mostly just surprised that he didn’t feel any hint of jealousy over the display. He didn’t actually feel anything at all, to be honest. No possessiveness, no desire, not even any shame that this Surrogate seemed to be doing a better job at pleasuring Daphne than he could have. Shouldn’t a man feel SOMETHING watching another man having intimate relations with his wife?

“It’s okay, you know,” a quiet baritone voice whispered in his ear.

“Huh?” Justin asked stupidly, looking at the face bent so close to his own.

“It’s okay that you don’t find women attractive,” Brian asserted in a confident, albeit hushed, voice. “There are lot of others like us out there, you know?” Justin must have looked shocked because the Surrogate chuckled. “It’s perfectly natural. Some men are simply more attracted to other men. And some women are more attracted to other women. Not everyone is like THAT.” Brian indicated the pair on the bed, rutting away like bunnies in heat.

“Is it . . .” Justin stumbled over how to word what he wanted to ask without totally betraying himself - although it seemed this male had already seen through him to at least some extent. “Out there, in the rest of the world, is it . . . usual? Is it allowed?”

Brian laughed even louder at that question. “Outside the walls of your fancy Estates, the people don’t have the time or energy to worry about whether or not it’s okay to love the ones they love. They’re too busy not dying. Only you Dominion types have the luxury to care about that stuff.”

That comment gave Justin plenty to think on for the duration of the Daphne and Troiyes show. When the pair seemed to finally be reaching the conclusion of their little tryst - as evidenced by the very vocal cries of ‘Yes! Yes! Yes!’ coming from the Mis’la - Justin was finally brought back to the present moment. He waited as patiently as he could for the inevitable conclusion, noting with an abstract approval how truly happy his wife looked, before he got up and walked over to the pair, offering Daphne a towel.

“You look all played out, Daph,” Justin teased the gasping, panting woman.

“I never . . .” she started, before pausing and looking at her husband with contrition. “Sorry, Jus, you know I love you, right? But I’ve NEVER experienced ANYTHING like that before. That was . . . there aren’t any words for what that was. I’m . . . I’m . . . I’m going to bed now and try to recover.”

Without further comment, and without actually looking Justin or any of the Surrogates in the eye, Mis’la Daphne got up, pulled a robe on, and shuffled out of the room, wobbling a little as she walked, as if her knees weren’t feeling quite stable yet. Troiyes, who’d been left lolling on the bed as he caught his own breath, looked after her with a cocky little smirk that was totally inappropriate for a servant. Justin felt he should probably do something to take the male to task for that flash of insolence. But, then again, Daphne had been the one that instigated the whole thing, so it wasn’t really Troiyes’ fault.

Perhaps Justin should have another talk with Daphne about this whole ‘Playtime’ thing. They had both enjoyed themselves so far, but maybe they’d gone too far? Especially considering that Hobbs - and presumably the rest of the staff - were already gossiping about their antics. Just imagine what the fallout would be if any of the Estate found out about what had gone down here tonight? He really should start treating the Surrogates like the servants they were.

With this new determination in mind, Justin got up off the couch and went over to the bed.

“On your knees,” he ordered the waiting Surrogate brusquely.

The burly Surrogate immediately complied, presenting himself to the Mis’l without comment. Justin set right to business. He lubed himself up, pushed slowly but inexorably into the male’s tight ass, then proceeded to fuck the male with clinical efficiency until he’d reached the point of release. And, as soon as his seed was deposited in the Surrogate, he pulled out, slapped the male’s ass to indicate he was done with him and moved away.

That was how this thing was supposed to be done. You weren’t supposed to get so intimate with your servants. It would only encourage inappropriate familiarity.

So, even though he would have liked to keep his Brian with him again that night - like he’d gotten into the habit of doing recently - Justin thought it best to dismiss all the Surrogates for the night at that point and go to bed alone.

********

As it turned out, that had probably been a wise decision, since Dom’l Hobbs again made an appearance in his chambers early the next day. Justin had not slept well the night before, so he was groggy and not inclined to be amenable to the Estateman when he woke the Mis’l. Justin might have actually growled at the man, but that was understandable so early in the morning, right?

“What is it this time, Hobbs? I don’t recall any appointments on my calendar this morning. So this better be good or I’ll . . .”

“I’m sorry to wake you so early, Mis’l,” Hobbs interrupted his ranting, “but Tch’fl Craig wishes to see you immediately in his Office.”

“Father is back?” That, of course, got Justin’s immediate attention. “The delegation wasn’t expected to return till at least the end of the week.”

“Apparently the negotiations went so well that they finished their business ahead of schedule and the Tch’fl was able to return home earlier than expected,” Hobbs replied, barely concealing his glee.

“Damnation.” Justin rolled out of bed, yelling over his shoulder as he grabbed at his clothing, “inform my father I’m on my way.”

Fifteen minutes later Justin was admitted to the Tch’fl’s offices where the old man was seated behind his desk, looking regal as he shuffled through piles of paperwork.

“Welcome home, Father. I hope your trip went well,” Justin greeted the patriarch deferentially.

“Quite well,” Craig asserted as he waved his son towards a waiting chair. “There seem to be a lot of potential trading opportunities out there in Calcascadia. Now, if only we can figure out how to deal with their leaders - those people have some odd ideas, you know - we could clean up. But we’ll see. We’ll see.” Craig leaned back in his chair as he looked at his heir critically, automatically making Justin want to shrink away and hide. “So, what have you managed to screw up while I was gone?”

“Everything here at home has been going fine, Father,” Justin rushed to assure him. “In fact, I think you’ll be quite pleased with the deal I finalized for the Peterson land. I was able to negotiate a very advantageous arrangement on that front. And I’m almost finished with my review of the construction plans for the factory. Everything else is right on schedule.”

That news seemed to cheer the bellicose Tch’fl, whose judgmental bearing seemed to thaw a bit as Craig and Justin spent the next half hour discussing the details of the Estate’s business. Justin was handed several files with directions about additional work his father wanted him to take on. There were no big issues with any of that though, so Justin had begun to relax a bit by the time they finished and Tch’fl Craig turned to his next agenda item.

“Good enough,” he pronounced as he set aside the quarterly financial report they’d been discussing and looked at his son critically. “Now, tell me; what’s all this nonsense about you taking on a whole passel of MALE Surrogates? What the hell were you thinking, Justin?”

Justin mentally cringed. He had been hoping to escape this particular discussion, at least for a little while longer. But it was inevitable that Craig would eventually find out, so he might as well deal with the issue now as later, right?

“First of all, Father, I did not get a ‘whole ‘passel’ of Surrogates; I only took on three. I do not think that’s an unreasonable number. I did think, though, that we’d have a better chance of getting you that heir you want with more than one Surrogate,” Justin explained, earning a gruff nod of acknowledgement as to this first point. “Secondly, they’re not all males. I took one female and two males.”

Craig interrupted at that point. “Why did you take on any males at all? That’s not what we discussed, Justin, and you know it.”

“You never specified what kind of Surrogate you wanted me to take, Father,” Justin reminded him, carefully laying out all the arguments he’d outlined in his head. “I was as surprised as anyone when the Merchant showed up with several males for offer amongst his stock. I hadn’t even contemplated that possibility,” he admitted honestly. “But when I looked over the offerings, the two males I took on appeared to be the best of the lot. I did get a female too, to make sure I covered all my bases, but I thought it best to get an assortment. After all, you’re the one that taught me it’s always wisest to diversify. Right, Father?” Craig frowned but didn’t interrupt. “And, the males are certified fertile, just like the female, so I don’t really see the distinction. The goal here is to get healthy offspring, so what does it matter what means we use to attain that end?”

“You know how I feel about the kinds of men who resort to male Surrogates, Justin,” Craig barked, his rising passion evidenced by the angry red creeping into his cheeks. “Look at Mis’l Humphrey - the way he’s always prancing around with that bevy of fancy boys following him, it’s a disgrace! He's the laughing stock of the Dominion. And you can’t tell me it’s about trying for a second heir either; he hasn’t managed to sire a single get off one of those boys of his in the past fifteen years. I won’t have MY son acting like that or making our house look like a bunch of fools, Justin. I won’t have it!”

“I’m hardly the same as Mis’l Humphrey, Father,” Justin objected, starting to get almost as angry as his obstinate parent. “Besides, it’s too late now. I’ve already been servicing all three of the Surrogates for more than a week. I’m not going to stop at this point; not when one of them could already be breeding.”

“You’ve been servicing all three of them this whole time?” Craig asked, betraying just a hint of pride in his apparently randy son.

“Of course. What’s the use of having Surrogates if you’re not going to make use of them,” Justin answered. “Look, Father. This was your idea, not mine or Daphne’s. But, if we HAVE to do it, then we intend to do it our way. I’m not going to start over again with new Surrogates. We’re going with the ones I’ve already started with or not at all.”

Tch’fl Craig looked at his stubborn son with grudging respect. Justin didn’t often stand up to his father, but when he did, he could usually out-obstinate even the Master. So, after a full minute of futile staring without Justin backing down, the Dominion Lord finally gave in.

“Fine. I still don’t like the idea but, since you’ve already started with this set, I won’t make you start over,” Craig conceded. “However, you only have three months. If they’re not breeding by then, the males will have to go and I’ll replace them with females of MY choosing. I will not have you parading around with an endless harem of males like Humphrey. Got it?”

Justin shook his head at the intransigence of the man but he knew that tone of voice and it meant that he wouldn’t win any further arguments today. Frankly, he was surprised he’d won as much of a concession as he’d got. A strategic withdrawal at this point was probably the wisest course of action.

“I understand, Father.”

Craig nodded and then summarily dismissed the boy, sending him off to wade through the piles of additional work he’d just laden him with. Justin took up his files and fled to his own office where he collapsed in his chair. If he hadn’t already been exhausted after having slept so poorly the night before, he would have been wiped out after that interview with his father. The man was exasperating.

But Justin hadn’t even had time to catch his breath before the door to his office was opened and a touselled-looking Daphne barged in. “My maid told me that the Tch’fl is back. Did you see him? How did it go?” she fired off before she was even seated.

“About how I expected it to go. Obviously, Hobbs had tattled on me before I had a chance to explain things to Father my way,” Justin explained. “Needless to say, he was NOT happy about the male Surrogates. But I managed to convince him that, since I’ve already started servicing them, we should keep going as we have been.” Daphne looked relieved, at least until Justin explained the rest of the conditions. “He gave us three months. If the males aren’t breeding by then, he’s going to replace them with females that HE selects for us.”

“Damnation!” Daphne cursed. “He can’t do that, Jus! I love our little family. Brian and Troiyes are perfect for our group. It just wouldn’t be the same without them and I’m sure they’ll make the most beautiful babies.” Justin agreed with his wife but, knowing his father, didn’t think it would do any good to voice that opinion. “Well, then, we just need to make SURE that both the boys are breeding as soon as possible. You’re going to have to service them both more often. Three times a day should do it. I’ll send them both up here at lunchtime,” she declared and then got up with a determined look on her elfin face.

“Daph, I don’t think it works like that,” Justin tried to talk her out of this cockeyed plan. “Isn’t there something about the more sex you have the less likely you are to get pregnant or something? Shouldn’t I save up my sperm and use it wisely?”

“Nonsense! The more times you cover them, the more chances they have of getting impregnated. And I want to keep them both, so you better get going, Justin.”

Daphne turned and stormed out of the room without giving Justin time for any further objection. Justin leaned back in his chair and sighed. It looked like he was going to be a very busy boy for the next three months or so. Not that he really objected to being ‘forced’ to spend more time with the exquisite asses of his two male Surrogates. He just hoped it would work.

********