The boy was really young but that was okay with Phoenix. He liked them young. It made them pliable to training and since this one had no experience, it was going to be a bit of a challenge. Phoenix loved a challenge and hadn’t shied from one yet. The kid was really good looking and really underfed. Curly brown hair, dulled most likely by his diet and soft brown eyes framed by long curling lashes, the kid was really beautiful. He tried to play tough but Phoenix sensed a vulnerability that made him think, the kid might be a perfect sub. Phoenix wondered how long the boy had been on the street and what had forced him into the life. He was more than likely a run away or a throw away. Sadly, too many boys ended up on the street when their parents learned of their true nature. He wondered whether the kid had come from a broken home or had been abused.
“How old are you?” Phoenix asked between bites.
“How old do you want me to be?” the kid replied. Phoenix should have been angry, but all he felt was compassion. He frowned and the kid looked up from his plate when the conversation paused. The deer in the headlights look confirmed that he knew he’d fucked up. He immediately stopped chewing the large mouthful of steak and sobered.
“Eighteen, last Thursday,” the kid answered honestly. Phoenix knew that it was time to set a few ground rules. He sat back and folded his arms across his chest pinning the kid with a hard stare.
“Look, no more of the lies and subterfuge, you got that?” Phoenix said. He watched as the kid swallowed and then stared back across the table, looking guilty as hell.
“I’m sorry. I’m just not used to talking with a jo…” The kid stopped abruptly then finished quietly. “With anyone that I don’t know.” Phoenix held in the smile that threatened. He’d never been called a john before and it cracked him up.
