Bought and Paid For
One
One
Jade sat stiffly on the edge of his bed and looked round the tiny room that had been home for the past three years. Not that there was anything in there to be remotely sentimental about, the room was strictly functional, everything plain clinical white.
Footsteps approached and Jade looked up expectantly. Two of the anonymous, grey-suited attendants appeared at the door. “Ready?” Wordlessly, Jade shrugged and stood to follow the men out of the room, through the maze of corridors and security checks, towards his new owner.
He was leaving behind years of coldly institutional life, where he’d been herded form bed to class to meals to exercise to bed again like an animal at the hands of unfriendly Bios employees. For three years he’d undergone ruthless procedures to turn him into the personification of perfection for some grossly-rich client. But suddenly, life here seemed very attractive compared with the unknown he was heading into. The man behind him squeezed his shoulder comfortingly as they made the final adjustments to his hair and clothing before he was presented.
Hunter shifted in his leather armchair, impatient to finally take home his perfect specimen after three years of waiting. He felt the same knot of excitement in his gut as on the day he’d met his previous purchase, though he’d had that one delivered to his New York penthouse and readied for him when he returned. He’d been astounded at the accuracy to his specifications they’d achieved. Back then, the purchase had taken a significant chunk of his assets. Now, even with the grossly inflated prices they were charging these days, it would barely make a blip on his bank balance, such had been his success in business.
His coffee was cooling, untouched, besides him; he was too preoccupied to enjoy the first-class amenities the Bios Institute offered their clients. His foot tapped against the polished hardwood floor. Finally, spotlights filled the small stage at the front of the room with light and the soft background music took on a more triumphant tone. Hunter leaned forward in his chair in anticipation. One of the identikit attendants took to the stage, clipboard in hand.
“Mr Hunter Burgan, the Bios Institute is honoured to have enjoyed your custom a second time, and we are proud to complete your order. May we introduce Mr Jade Puget.” Some canned applause filled the room and, being led by two attendants, Jade stepped nervously onto the bright stage, blinking in the spotlights.
Hunter sighed in satisfaction. The man was perfect. Exactly what he’d envisioned when he’d placed his order with the Institute, three years ago. And they’d certainly used those three years well, following to the letter his exact specifications.
Instead of waiting for the boy to be presented he rose and gestured for him to come down off the stage. There was a brief moment of confusion, but he obediently stepped down and one of the staff raised the main lights so that Hunter could examine him properly. He was dressed in the uniform of tight white t-shirt and pants with white shoes and already ideas of what he’d look good in were unfurling in his mind.
Jade was slim to the point of being underweight, but with good muscle tone lurking under his lightly-tanned skin – they had fixed his dreadful tan-lines. His skin had been tattooed to Hunter’s specification: he’d combined the designs from some of his ex-lovers and though they didn’t mix well as a whole, each image was intensely important to him. The ink contrasted nicely with his freckled flesh.
His hair was longer, the front nearing jaw-length, and it had been given a two-tone dye job, in deference to Hunter’s inability to choose between a blonde or brunette. His eyebrows were slightly lighter, his ears had been pierced and his irises had been tattooed a more pleasing shade of brown. His lips were perfect already.
He was physically taller, having undergone immensely painful limb-lengthening surgery to add two inches to his frame and his fingers had also been artificially lengthened; the bones in his legs and hands broken and pins inserted and screwed tighter each week to make the healing bones stretch. And he'd had a number of other, more intimate, surgical enhancements to bring him closer to Hunter's ideal. It was these procedures that had taken up most of the waiting time, not to mention the sky-high price.
As well as the physical adjustments, Jade had endured three years of intense tuition in the arts, literature, music, sciences, history, politics and economics. He had been drilled in trivia on Hunter’s favourite sports and hobbies; not to mention extensively trained to fulfil his personal and sexual needs. On paper he was perfection, and if the Institute’s reputation was to be believed, he’d prove to be all that and more in the flesh. Hunter could hardly wait to get him home.
Jade sat stiffly on the edge of his bed and looked round the tiny room that had been home for the past three years. Not that there was anything in there to be remotely sentimental about, the room was strictly functional, everything plain clinical white.
Footsteps approached and Jade looked up expectantly. Two of the anonymous, grey-suited attendants appeared at the door. “Ready?” Wordlessly, Jade shrugged and stood to follow the men out of the room, through the maze of corridors and security checks, towards his new owner.
He was leaving behind years of coldly institutional life, where he’d been herded form bed to class to meals to exercise to bed again like an animal at the hands of unfriendly Bios employees. For three years he’d undergone ruthless procedures to turn him into the personification of perfection for some grossly-rich client. But suddenly, life here seemed very attractive compared with the unknown he was heading into. The man behind him squeezed his shoulder comfortingly as they made the final adjustments to his hair and clothing before he was presented.
Hunter shifted in his leather armchair, impatient to finally take home his perfect specimen after three years of waiting. He felt the same knot of excitement in his gut as on the day he’d met his previous purchase, though he’d had that one delivered to his New York penthouse and readied for him when he returned. He’d been astounded at the accuracy to his specifications they’d achieved. Back then, the purchase had taken a significant chunk of his assets. Now, even with the grossly inflated prices they were charging these days, it would barely make a blip on his bank balance, such had been his success in business.
His coffee was cooling, untouched, besides him; he was too preoccupied to enjoy the first-class amenities the Bios Institute offered their clients. His foot tapped against the polished hardwood floor. Finally, spotlights filled the small stage at the front of the room with light and the soft background music took on a more triumphant tone. Hunter leaned forward in his chair in anticipation. One of the identikit attendants took to the stage, clipboard in hand.
“Mr Hunter Burgan, the Bios Institute is honoured to have enjoyed your custom a second time, and we are proud to complete your order. May we introduce Mr Jade Puget.” Some canned applause filled the room and, being led by two attendants, Jade stepped nervously onto the bright stage, blinking in the spotlights.
Hunter sighed in satisfaction. The man was perfect. Exactly what he’d envisioned when he’d placed his order with the Institute, three years ago. And they’d certainly used those three years well, following to the letter his exact specifications.
Instead of waiting for the boy to be presented he rose and gestured for him to come down off the stage. There was a brief moment of confusion, but he obediently stepped down and one of the staff raised the main lights so that Hunter could examine him properly. He was dressed in the uniform of tight white t-shirt and pants with white shoes and already ideas of what he’d look good in were unfurling in his mind.
Jade was slim to the point of being underweight, but with good muscle tone lurking under his lightly-tanned skin – they had fixed his dreadful tan-lines. His skin had been tattooed to Hunter’s specification: he’d combined the designs from some of his ex-lovers and though they didn’t mix well as a whole, each image was intensely important to him. The ink contrasted nicely with his freckled flesh.
His hair was longer, the front nearing jaw-length, and it had been given a two-tone dye job, in deference to Hunter’s inability to choose between a blonde or brunette. His eyebrows were slightly lighter, his ears had been pierced and his irises had been tattooed a more pleasing shade of brown. His lips were perfect already.
He was physically taller, having undergone immensely painful limb-lengthening surgery to add two inches to his frame and his fingers had also been artificially lengthened; the bones in his legs and hands broken and pins inserted and screwed tighter each week to make the healing bones stretch. And he'd had a number of other, more intimate, surgical enhancements to bring him closer to Hunter's ideal. It was these procedures that had taken up most of the waiting time, not to mention the sky-high price.
As well as the physical adjustments, Jade had endured three years of intense tuition in the arts, literature, music, sciences, history, politics and economics. He had been drilled in trivia on Hunter’s favourite sports and hobbies; not to mention extensively trained to fulfil his personal and sexual needs. On paper he was perfection, and if the Institute’s reputation was to be believed, he’d prove to be all that and more in the flesh. Hunter could hardly wait to get him home.