The Beck and Call King: The Beckoning.
"Do not give me a taste of what could be. Don't tease me with the dream and offer me a nightmare."
Follow up to the Beck and Call King. Jareth had offered Sarah his all, but was he honest with her? What will Sarah do when she learns the truth?
This is going to be a 3 chapter fic. And I plan on writing a third installment as the last in the series too after this one.
If you want The Beck and Call King to remain ambiguous, maybe don't go past this point.
If you want answers after the last oneshot, read on.
If you've come here and you're confused, then read The Beck and Call King first.
Thanks for all your support.
Chapter 1: Discovering the Truth From the Lies
Jareth was a liar.
Sarah should have known better than to trust him. He hadn't stayed to see the dawn with her. But she guessed it was not completely his fault.
Sarah had startled awake when guilt gripped her heart.
Benji. He was worth more than whatever Jareth could offer her. He was real. He couldn't manipulate her with magic. He wouldn't be knocking boots with four other people Aboveground, and countless others Underground. Jareth claimed he wasn't but it suddenly occurred to her that she had ways to prove whether that was true or not.
She shoved herself feet first out of bed. Rummaging around in her handbag for her mobile phone, she kicked herself for not thinking of this earlier. She flicked off a quick text to Jason.
U STILL SEEING DA GK?
Jason was a DJ and would thankfully be awake at this time of night. When she had discovered Jason coincidentally through her job, she had ensured she kept in regular contact with him. He bore the mark of one of the Goblin King's bedmates. As she did. They should have hated each other, but despite the fact they were both rooting the Goblin King, they had become friends.
She cast her eyes over her bed and guessed Jareth was still asleep. Or at least keeping up the pretence.
He wasn't.
"Are you crouched down on the floor for any particular reason?"
She ignored him as a message popped up on her screen. She flipped her phone open and read the message.
YA. WEEKLY. U?
The guilt that woke Sarah compounded in her stomach as she read those nine letters. Jareth was sitting up now, watching her through narrowed eyes.
"Sarah?"
"You need to leave."
"You agreed to see the dawn with me." His tone was a whisker's breadth away from petulant.
"You assured me that you weren't seeing Jason or the twins or Amelia."
"I am not." He sounded offended, hurt and the slightest bit ticked off. Sarah wasn't about to believe any of that wasn't an act. "I haven't made contact with them for ten months."
"You need to leave," Sarah repeated, flicking her phone shut with a click. Hearing him repeat his lies, had acid boring holes in her stomach. "It's your day with Jason."
"But I told you—"
"Jareth," she cut him off sharply. "I grow tired of this dance; this cold, emotionless tango. You have been a distraction; a very welcome distraction but that is all."
"But last night—?"
"What?" Sarah laughed, rising off the floor with her hands on her hips. "You seriously think you could win me over with some pretty words and a show of possessiveness? You seriously think I believe that a single date with Benji was enough to prompt something deeper from you?"
Sarah shook her head as she walked over the window, pushing it open. "Fly your feathery arse back home, Jareth."
"Are you going to see Him again?" The intonation of the word 'him,' was undeniably bitter. She hoped Benji would see her again, despite the performance he witnessed from Jareth last night. He walked over to her, deliciously naked with his arms across his chest. "You will regret this." He reached down and gripped himself as if to prove what she will be missing.
Sarah wasn't swayed. "Say hello to the Bog for me, Jareth."
He growled, and with a flurry of feathers, flew out of her open window. Sarah shut it, drawing the curtains tight.
She scrambled back to her phone and flicked off a reply.
NOT ANYMORE. I PUSHED THE OWL OUTTA DA NEST.
Jareth didn't go back Underground. Instead, he flew to Jason's workplace and slipped into his mortal guise. Exiting the alley he had landed in, he hitched a left and strode with purpose through the club door.
The bouncers barely glanced at him before allowing admittance. They knew who he was and if they didn't, magic always helped.
The raucous atmosphere was layered with lights, music and the wave of bodies jumping up and down to the bassy sounds. The smells of body odour, alcohol and arousal hit Jareth with a punch.
It was not enough to drown out the rage pumping through him.
How dare that mortal kick him out after everything he confessed?
He saw Jason near the DJ station leaning against a pillar staring at the phone in his hand. He wasn't working tonight but Jareth had guessed that he would be hiding out here.
He gritted his teeth as he moved through the crowd that parted for him like the Red Sea. He watched as Jason's thumbs moved furiously over his phone's keypad as he chewed up the metres between them.
Without him even noticing his approach he tapped his lover upon the shoulder. Jason glanced up, his eyes instantly widening and swallowed a visible lump in his throat. Fearful was just the way he liked them.
"Hello, Jason."
Sarah nursed her coffee as she sat staring at her computer monitor. She had a backlog of work to complete and zero motivation. She couldn't take her mind off Jareth. Or rather the message Jason had sent her after she told him she'd booted Jareth to the curb.
IM SURPRISED U DIDNT KIK HIM OUT SOONA
Sarah had asked him why he believed that.
HE A PLAYA. TOLD ME HE HAD STOPPED SEEIN EVERY1 BT ME. SED SAME THNG 2 TWINS.
Sarah bit her thumb as she went over that message in her head. Jason was friends with the twins before he had met Jareth. In fact, the three of them had been playing together as children when they all summoned the Goblins to take away Jason's baby cousin.
None of them had ever contacted or been contacted by Amelia though. They knew of her existence simply because Jareth had been upfront about his other lovers.
He had always been honest with her; until last night that is.
Sarah had replied to Jason with: I DOUBT HE STOPPD SEEIN AMELIA EITHER. O WELL. IM MOVIN ON WIT MY LYF
Jason replied with: I WANT TO BRK DA HABIT. GK ADDICTION NO FUN
Sarah hadn't known how to reply to that so she sent off a simple, THANX 4 UR HELP. DNT TELL THE OWL WE CHATTD
She didn't hear back from him after that. She eyed her phone sitting on her desk, tempted to text Jason again. He would probably be with Jareth today anyway. Thursday was his day. And he usually saw the Goblin King during the day because of his job.
Sarah yawned and took a sip of her coffee as she stared blankly at her monitor. Email after email kept pinging into her inbox but her eyes remained unfocused.
Lunchtime meant a sushi date with Benji. Sarah went through the door expecting not to see him after last night. But he sat in their usual seats with a smile— a civil one— plastered on his face.
"Sarah." It wasn't said warmly.
"You weren't expecting me to turn up." Sarah could see the truth of it in his face.
"No."
"May I still join you?"
"Of course."
Sarah sat down opposite Benji who gave her a complacent smile which was the polite side of smug. Sarah's brow furrowed, but she hid it behind her menu. The tension was definitely thick between them.
She placed her order for a bento box and rejoined Benji. She gave him an apologetic smile.
"You really didn't have to leave last night." Sarah splayed her hands on the tabletop.
Benji gave a sarcastic huff. "That man—"
"—is a man from my past who doesn't get the hint." Sarah rubbed her forehead with her fingertips. "I think he finally got it last night."
Sarah wasn't going to mention that last night was actually this morning.
"He's seeing someone else and I am just the one that got away." Sarah fabricated her tale with ease. "I want to see you, Benji."
"I want to see you too, Sarah," he confessed. "But I am not going to compete with him."
Sarah gave him a blank stare as she tried to process the fact he didn't think she was worth fighting for, or that his self-worth wasn't up to the task of vying for her attention over the Goblin King. She nibbled her lip as she considered his statement. Was he after an ego boost?
"There is no competition." Sarah released a sigh. "All he can offer me is sex. If you think you can offer me more than that, then we can see each other again. If not, then I am not looking for another bed warmer, Benji."
Her sushi arrived at this time and she almost missed the fleeting look that skidded across his face. Relief? Amusement? She wasn't sure.
"The perils of dating the most attractive woman in this city." Benji shrugged. "I guess I will always have to fend off other men."
Something uncomfortable settled into her stomach. She ate her sushi and discussed safer topics such as books and video games for the remainder of her lunch.
They agreed to another date and Sarah hurried back to her office; guilt abated but something new in its place.
The rest of her work week and her weekend was uneventful. As was their replacement dinner date.
It had gone off without a hitch. And without anything more than dinner occurring. Sarah played it safe and they had dessert in the restaurant.
Monday rolled around and Sarah arrived early to work only to discover a flurry of people rushing around barely stopping to greet her in their haste.
"Marguerite?" Sarah called her mousy haired, curvy assistant over. "What is going on?"
"The last-minute art event is to take place on Wednesday night," Marguerite explained, twirling her pen in the air. "The client was booked with another company but he has just now switched over to us."
"Shit," Sarah swore as she shrugged off her jacket. "Who's the client?"
"Mr Leon Delaware-Boothe."
Sarah groaned. "Shit."
"You've met him?" she asked, tapping her pen against her teeth, drawing attention to the slight gap between her two top teeth.
"No, but I've heard he is fastidious and almost impossible to please."
Sarah marched into her office and threw her jacket across her desk as she started pacing up and down. Marguerite shifted her weight from foot to foot with her pen poised. Sarah rattled off some instructions and then fired up her computer. It was going to be a long day.
Wednesday rolled around and after three days of little sleep and much work, Sarah couldn't be happier that it would soon be over. She detested this last-minute event.
Leon Delaware-Boothe sent many emails to Sarah about his demands. Which she preferred infinitely better than phone calls. He saved those for Marguerite.
She had brought her dress to the office to change and once she was ready, and had finalised some last-minute details, she started heading to the function.
"Mr Delaware-Boothe has ordered a car for you." Sarah's boss, John, had caught her on the way out. Sarah curled her lips around her teeth. Clients liked to show her their power by sending cars or chaperones for her. She didn't expect Big-Bucks Leon Delaware-Boothe to be any different.
She was about to inform him of her own form of transport when she met John's eyes. He would brook no argument about it. The clients always came first. She swallowed her retort and nodded briskly. If she wasn't so good at what she did she would tell him to go fuck himself. There weren't many job opportunities in her line of work though.
Of course, the car was flash, sleek and black. It reeked of money. Sarah let the driver open the door for her and she slumped into the thankfully empty backseat. She wasn't to be his date then.
Many wealthy clients had expected Sarah to be their arm candy for the night too. It seemed Mr Delaware-Boothe did not, much to Sarah's relief. She had work to do while she was there and couldn't fritter the time away stuck on some rich twat's arm.
Besides, it was a semi-public event and she had given Benji a ticket.
The ride was short and before she knew it, she was slipping out of the car and heading up the stone steps to the old Edwardian style house that had been converted to an art gallery; The Rybal Gallery.
She flashed her VIP card to the bouncers and slipped through the milling crowd in the foyer. Sarah had visited the day before to ensure everything was in its place, so she was familiar with where she needed to go. She darted down the maze of corridors to a little back room that she had established as Headquarters.
Sarah dumped her belongings and plugged in her laptop. She would only really be required if something went wrong. Her assistants would let her know if there were any issues. She would make an appearance later.
Jason hadn't expected the Goblin King to show up at his place of work in the wee hours of last Thursday. The King had silently gestured to Jason to follow him. Meekly, he did so.
They went backstage, where it was quieter and private. They ended up in his dressing room. His stomach fluttered with nerves at the sight of the imposing King in his small secluded space. His cock also twitched.
"Master?" Jason ventured.
"You have been in contact with Sarah Williams."
Jason clutched the phone in his hand and nodded warily.
"I can't hear you."
"Y-yes, Master."
"Tell me what you spoke of." His voice, as authoritative as ever, had Jason's bowels convulsing in fear. Fuck. Why didn't he just ignore her text?
"S-she asked—" he stammered but stopped when to his horror he found he was opening his phone against his will. He looked down at his hand and saw his thumb pressing the arrow buttons to open up his inbox. "Master?"
"I haven't got all day and I am rather bored with your stuttering." A gloved hand closed around the phone and yanked it from his hand. Jason sucked in a lungful of air and held onto it for agonising seconds as he watched the Goblin King read his messages. I'm such a fucking idiot.
"Your modern-day hieroglyphics do not deter me," Jareth said in a deceptively calm voice as he crushed his phone in his hand. Jason winced as he watched the shattered phone fall to the ground. "You told Sarah Williams you were still seeing me."
Jason collapsed to his knees, nodding in shame. "Yes, Master."
"Why?"
Jason could not answer. He shook his head, knowing instantly that would stoke the King's ire.
A sigh met his ears. "It doesn't matter why. For it to matter, I would have to care for your reasons. And I don't."
Jason swallowed as the sound of the King moving closer drowned out even the sound of blood rushing in his ears.
"What I care about is that you told her such a thing in the first place. " The King was now standing directly above him. Jason focused on his shiny black mortal shoes, so similar to his boots. "You ought to be punished."
A glimmer of excitement rushed down Jason's spine. "Yes, Master."
He looked up to see the implacable face of the King of the Goblins staring down with imperious disdain at him. It wasn't going to be the pleasurable type of punishment after all.
"You won't like this one bit, Jason." The name was spat out of his mouth.
He hadn't liked it; not one bit. A week later he still hadn't recovered. But he didn't have time to dwell on that. He had a gig to attend at some poncy art gallery.
Sarah yawned and snapped her laptop shut. She had put off attending the event for an hour now. She stood up and glanced in the mirror to check her hair and makeup was still in place.
She was wearing a strapless steel-blue dress that she quickly rearranged to ensure her breasts were still comfortably covered. Then she joined the fray.
The first thing she saw as she entered the main gallery was Jason behind the DJ station. Sarah raised both brows and made her meandering way towards him, chatting to people she knew on the way over.
As she got closer, she saw he had a strangely haunted look and he was quite twitchy. The last time she had seen him, he was cocksure and had a swagger. He was certainly not that now. His black hair was scruffy like he had run his hand through it a billion times. Bags hung under his brown eyes, and he hadn't shaved in a few days given the stubble that graced his chin.
Sarah was about to approach him when someone grabbed her by the elbow. She swung around to berate whoever it was when she came face to face with the person she least expected to see.
"Sarah!" exclaimed the well-manicured and groomed blonde who still grasped her elbow. "How are you doing?"
"Cassie?" Sarah couldn't believe she was here. As well as Jason. Cassie (and her twin) were tall, blonde, gazelle-like models with perfect cheekbones and crystal blue eyes. Cassie wore a white shimmery dress that revealed miles of slim white legs, and she was practically dripping in diamonds. She could get anyone if she put her mind to it. Why would she get hung up on the Goblin King?
"The very same." Cassie gave an airy titter. "Leigh is here too. Jason invited us."
"I see."
"I heard that you stopped seeing the Goblin King." Cassie leaned forward so her words would be indiscernible to the others around them. "Is that true?"
"I have."
"And he was not the one to break it off with you." Cassie's blue eyes widened dramatically. "Jason said you kicked him out."
"Correct." Sarah shrugged.
"That's quite shocking," Cassie gasped from behind her hand. "Why would you choose to end it?"
Sarah ran her tongue over her teeth, feeling the waxy feel of her lipstick coating them. "I wanted more than what Jar—"
Cassie gasped again; louder this time. "You know his name?"
Sarah nodded, her brows furrowed and her eye twitching. Did she not know his name? Why was it so shocking that she knew it when they didn't?
"You need to tell me how you know his name. And how you kept his attention."
"What do you mean?" Sarah's frown deepened and she started fidgeting with her dress.
"We haven't seen him for nearly a year." Cassie's face fell. "One day he just turned up and told us our arrangement was over and he wouldn't be returning."
Sarah's mouth dropped open. "But—"
"There you are."
Sarah turned to face the intruder. Marguerite stood with her hands on her black silk-clad hips.
"May has been looking for you." She gestured with her thumb over her shoulder. "A form to sign."
Sarah nodded and cast her eyes over Cassie. With an apologetic shrug, she followed Marguerite away from one half of the set of twins Jareth had been bonking. Or apparently not anymore. Jason however still had a neon question mark over his head. He'd told her Jareth was still seeing the twins concurrently with him. Had Jason lied to her?
She needed to speak to him. But work came first. Sarah followed her mousy haired assistant towards May who greeted her with a chirpy 'Ni Hao' and a thrust of her clipboard.
Sarah finished filling out the forms May had presented her and then went back to mingle. She saw Benji striding towards her in a navy blue three-piece suit. He walked with a confidence she wasn't sure he naturally possessed. He greeted her with a kiss on her cheek.
Sarah returned the kiss and then pulled him into a tight embrace. She saw Cassie and Leigh watching her over their wine glasses as she rubbed the back of Benji's neck.
"You're not too bored?" Sarah asked as she pulled away.
"I have seen many fantastic pieces and now you." He smiled as he ran his finger over her cheekbone. "I could never be bored surrounded by such beauty."
"Gross," Sarah replied, laughing and pinching his arm playfully. "Alas, I have time to grab some food with you before I have to return to the work side of this night."
"You have done a stunning job."
"Honestly, all I have done is oversee it. My assistants are the ones that have done the hard yards." Sarah stifled a yawn. "Let's grab some food."
After a few canapés—mostly cheese-based—Sarah left Benji with a kiss on his lips, to return to the crowded gallery.
She spied Jason who was taking a break, leaning against the wall. She made a beeline straight for him.
He flinched as soon as he saw her approach. He pushed off the wall and shook his head.
"You never replied to me." Sarah cornered him with a raised brow.
"My phone was destroyed and I had to buy a new one. I didn't have your number." The pleading look in his eye was revealing enough. It was so unlike the Jason she had met a few years ago.
When Sarah first met him, his arrogance had nearly stopped her from hiring for an event she had organised. This man was not the same as that complacent man who had told her she should hire him on the spot. His hubris almost blinded her to the fact he wore His mark.
They both had realised simultaneously.
"You're Jason, aren't you?" she had asked, her eye on the tell-tale mark.
"And you're Sarah or Amelia?"
"Sarah."
Shortly after that, he had introduced her to Leigh and Cassandra. They had surprisingly got on well with one another without any trace of jealousy as they shared their stories. They bonded over their interest in the mysterious Amelia who they were sure was his favourite; based on how little Jareth ever mentioned her.
Jason had given her his number and they remained in sporadic correspondence with one another. Sarah did find Jareth's broad taste interesting; from the two models to the heavily coiffed Jason with a thousand products on his skin and in his hair, to her— a career-driven, independent feminist.
The Jason before her shifted from ball of his foot to ball of his foot. He was clearly uncomfortable in her presence.
"Sarah, you should probably leave."
"I organised this event, Jason." Sarah gestured to her VIP card. "But you are not the DJ I hired."
"I was called in to cover DJ Kassa." Jason's eyes flitted side to side as if looking for someone.
"Did you lie to me, Jason?" Sarah tapped her fingers on the wall next to the nervous man. "Answer me that and then I will leave you in peace."
"No, Kassa was sick so he asked me to cover him."
"Not about that." Sarah studied the man in closer detail, noticing the sweat breaking out on his brow, his foundation that was not impeccable but rather cakey, his roots exposed the tiniest hint of grey under the dyed black, and the whites of his eyes swallowing any other feature. "Did you lie to me about still seeing the Goblin King?"
Jason swallowed and nodded, his eyes closing. "Fuck, you're just as bad as him."
"How so?"
"You're both terrifying." Jason swiped at his brow. "You deserve each other."
Sarah opened her mouth to speak when Marguerite appeared at her shoulder again.
"Mr Leon Delaware-Boothe would like to meet you now."
Sarah groaned. "Has he got a complaint?"
"Not that I am aware." Marguerite guided her away from the sweaty DJ towards the stairs that lead to the VIP lounge. "His PA just asked me to fetch you."
"Well, at least I got through nearly half of this without having to pay lip service to another rich bastard."
Sarah loathed the part of her job where she had to suck up to rich jerks. They either treated her like a piece of skirt or a servant to do their bidding; kings of the mortal realm.
She made a pitstop to the bathroom to remove the lipstick smudges on her teeth and fix her hair and makeup. She hoicked up her dress and then smoothed it down before exiting to the main gallery.
Sarah refrained from stomping up the stairs, but only just. She paused on the landing to collect her wits and then continued to follow Marguerite up the remaining flight.
"Rita," Sarah addressed her assistant by her nickname. "Mr Delaware-Boothe is probably going to thank me, but I want you to imagine that he is actually talking to you as he speaks to me." Sarah scratched her wrist as they approached the VIP lounge. "This is your hard work, not mine."
Marguerite laughed. "It is your leadership that got this completed in time, Sarah. You lead by example and for that May and I are extremely grateful. Thank you for acknowledging our hard work. That is more than we ever got working under John."
Sarah laughed her agreement. John was all about taking all his credit as well as that due to others. Tosser, Sarah yelled at him in her own mind.
The bouncers outside the VIP lounge let her in no questions asked. Rita followed her in an almost reverential manner. May scurried in after, having just caught up.
The room was darker than the other rooms she had been in. It was a cosy room full of dark wood and red velvet furnishings. And so many —in Sarah's opinion—gaudy mirrors.
She could tell from the group of seven people in the room, instantly which one was Leon even from the back of his blonde head. He was the one surrounded by sycophants. It was almost too cliché.
A dainty, pixie-like man greeted her and steered her around the maze of furniture to meet Leon. Once she was through the maze of furniture she allowed her eyes to seek out Mr Delaware-Boothe.
"Oh, for fuck's sake," Sarah swore as she saw who sat there casually leaning back in his a chair with his leg resting over the knee of his other leg. Marguerite let out a little startled squeak and then she became aware of who else was sitting with 'Leon' when an angry voice started up near her left side.
"Ms Williams!" John, her boss sat there with his face turning beetroot red. Sarah groaned internally. "Professionalism, please."
Jareth just chuckled as he unfolded himself from his chair. He eyed her with the corners of his mouth twitching.
"Do not worry about it, John," he said without taking his eyes off Sarah. "I like a girl with a spark."
"What are you doing here?" Sarah hissed.
John cleared his throat and Sarah instinctively rolled her eyes.
"I am Leon Delaware-Boothe and this is my event." He splayed his hands wide. "Where else would I be?"
"Of course," Sarah replied, swallowing her indignation. "You just reminded me of someone I used to know."
"There we have it." He ran his hand through his short-cropped mortal hair. "A case of mistaken identity. All is forgiven."
If Jareth got her fired for her outburst so help her—
"I wanted to meet you, to thank you for all your hard work at such short notice."
He held out his hand. Sarah stared down at it and then at him with her chin jutting out defiantly. She shook it all the same. The familiar tingle from his skin contact raced up her arm. It was unfair that he has such smooth, blemish-free skin without a single callous.
"It is my assistants, Marguerite and May, that you should be thanking." Sarah gestured behind her. "They pulled it all together."
"But I believe you were the glue that stuck it all together," Jareth smirked. "You can not have one without the other, Miss Williams."
"Ms," Sarah corrected.
"I beg your pardon." He smiled and turned to Marguerite and May. "And thank you for your service to Ms Williams. I am eternally grateful to the pair of you."
Sarah fisted her hands, hidden from view in the swathes of fabric that made up her dress. She was furious that he was here. What was he playing at? She hadn't even had a chance to process that the twins and Jason hadn't been bonking him, making Jareth less of the liar that she had painted him as. And now he was here, flaunting himself with stunningly beautiful sycophants draped all over him.
"You're welcome," Rita squeaked, revealing the gap between her teeth as she beamed broadly at him. May gave a polite but bored smile. Her eyes were focused on one of the attractive people sitting with the Goblin King.
"I will be down shortly to join the festivities you have planned for me." Jareth strode to the bar to pour himself some liqueur. "You may all go."
Sarah grabbed Marguerite's arms and nearly dragged her back towards the door.
"Not you, Ms Williams."
Sarah was about to tell Jareth to fuck off but saw John eyeing her with a glint of warning in his stare. She released Marguerite who asked in a whisper if she was going to be alright.
"She'll be fine." Jareth stood beside her, swirling the Amber liquid around his glass. "I will return your boss in one piece, I assure you."
Rita flushed and stuttered, clearly embarrassed that he had overheard her.
Sarah nodded at her and patted her arm.
"Go with May and find Devon," Sarah instructed. "Get them to check the Soundsystem one final time."
And with that, she was left alone with the Goblin King for the first time since she asked him to leave.
She was seething but with one inhale and exhale she spun on her heel to face her ex-lover who was now reclining against the bar watching her. She would control her temper and get this over with.
"Hello, Sarah."
"Hi, Jareth." Her voice was flat as she resisted her anger trying to burst through the cage of her ribs.
"I thought you would appreciate me giving this gig to you," he eventually reasoned as they stared at each other in silence. "I had originally hired your competitors so I wouldn't cause a conflict of interest, but seeing as we are no longer bound, I thought I would be generous and give it to you."
"So Leon Delaware-Boothe is really you?" Sarah raised a skeptical brow.
"It is." He shrugged. "I have a few fingers in a few mortal pies." He rubbed his thumb against his glass. "I am particularly invested in art. Leon is my Aboveground persona."
Leon seemed just as rich, pompous and arrogant as Jareth.
"Well, thanks for throwing the work to us, even at short notice."
"Sarah" —he scrubbed a hand over his face—"about last week—"
"Jareth," she replied, shaking her head. "John is right. Let's try and stay professional."
Jareth ignored her. "Are you still seeing that mortal boy?"
"Considering you have never mentioned once that you were a rich, mortal art connoisseur, I don't believe you're entitled to information about my private life anymore."
"It never came up." Jareth shrugged. "I never knew that you slept with Jason until recently either."
Sarah raised her brow. "Well, he's been busy blabbing to you, hasn't he?"
Sarah had regretted sleeping with Jason all those years ago. It was not something either of them spoke about. Sarah was surprised Jareth never suspected that it had happened.
"Fear makes revelations rather easy to gather." Jareth studied his fingernails. "It was far too easy to get him to tell me that he lied to you in such a repugnant way that you would throw me out of your house, and your life."
"Despite his lie, I still did the right thing, Jareth." Sarah sat on the armrest of one of the seats and crossed her arms. "I am not in my twenties anymore and I am no longer interested in meaningless sex. I don't want you to be my Beck and Call King any more than you want that role."
"So despite the fact, I was honest about not being with anyone for ten months, you still hold true to your decision to cut me off?"
"Yes." Sarah stood back up. "I have work to do."
"Sarah, please."
"What, Jareth?"
"You're the only one that knows my name," he almost pleaded with her. "You're the only one who doesn't fear me. And you're the only one who I have ever let kiss me on the lips and touch my hair."
Sarah remained unmoved, her face stony and her arms crossed.
"Even before I stopped fucking half the Underground— as you put it—even before I stopped fucking the other four mortals, you were the only one I would allow to touch me above the shoulders."
"Am I supposed to be moved, Jareth?"
He didn't reply. The only sound in the room was of the goings-on below them, muffled by the floor between them.
"It pains you to confess those things, doesn't it?" Sarah bit her lip, smiling. "I wonder why if it is so unbearable for you to tell me that you allow me to do those things others can't, that you let me do them in the first place?"
Jareth's lips twitched and his fingers curled tighter around his glass. But still, he remained staunchly mute.
"Look, whether you lied to me or not is beside the point." She uncrossed her arms and headed towards the door. "We would never work out, and last week was just the wake-up call I needed to get me to move on with my life."
"I am not asking you to upheave your entire life and move with me to the Underground, Sarah."
"No, you're not."
"So what is the problem?"
"You're asking me to reciprocate something I could never feel for you without trust."
Jareth's face fell instantly, but he hastily recovered. "You could learn to trust me."
Sarah showed him the side of her neck where a sickle-shaped tattoo sat behind her ear. It was a match for his medallion.
"Remove your mark."
"I have removed it from everyone else." His voice hinted at pride. He took a sip of his drink and licked his lips. "I lay no claim to anyone but you."
Sarah rolled her eyes, huffing as she backed up towards the door. "You still don't get it, do you?"
Jareth placed his empty glass on the bar without a word.
"Remove your mark from me."
"That mark keeps you safe," he said, incredulously. "It lets others know that you belong to me."
Sarah clapped her hands slowly, as she turned back towards the door. "Bravo. Got it one, Goblin King. You do know why I could never trust you with anything deeper than carnal pleasure."
She threw a pointed look over her shoulder as she grasped the door handle. "I do not belong to anybody, least of all you. You just proved to me that you could never see me as anything more than a possession."
"Sarah, I have told you I wanted more."
"If you wanted more from me you should never have agreed to our arrangement." Sarah pushed the handle down but held it there. "I'm afraid, I can't see you as anything more than a mere toy to play with after everything we've done."
She pulled the handle towards her and marched out into the corridor
A/N:
I have two more chapters written but they need editing so hopefully I will have them posted this week.
I haven't started on the third installment yet, but it will be called: The Beck and Call King: The Calling.
I can't believe I did this after promising myself it would remain a oneshot hehe. I hope you enjoy.