Carlos squeezes me tighter as the silence swells again. My breath shakes as I exhale, my own gilded cage cracking wider with each word. This vulnerability feels like standing at the edge of a cliff, blindfolded, waiting for the drop.
Carlos presses his forehead to the back of my shoulder, his voice a low promise in the dark.
“I could find him. I wouldn’t mind dedicating some time to show him the errors of his ways. I’ll kill him for you. You can watch if you like.”
“As fun as that sounds, I’m not sure killing him would be enough. I can’t even be open and honest to those closest to me. It feels like that part of my life will always be in hiding.”
“You don’t have to hide from me.”
The words are almost unbearable in their gentleness. I squeeze my eyes tightly shut, fighting the instinct to pull away and run.
“You’re not going anywhere, little lion, so stop thinking about it and sleep.”
For the first time, I do as I’m told and I don’t move.
Instead…I stay.
17
SIMON
I t's morning and I’ve awoken from the deepest sleep known to man. It takes a few seconds to realize where I am. In Carlos’
bed. I fell asleep in his arms, and while that felt great last night, in the harsh light of day I feel embarrassed and annoyed at
myself for allowing that side of myself to be exposed. Especially to him. This is going to be fucking awkward. Carlos isn’t in the bed with me, which is a blessing, so I quickly get up and dress. I use his adjoined bathroom to take a piss and wash my face. As I stare in the mirror all I can see is sex. My cheeks are pink, my neck has a large hickey on it and my eyes are filled with a satisfaction that I know the nosy fuckers at home will see.
Taking a few deep breaths before I leave the room, preparing myself for coming face to face with Carlos, I leave the bedroom and walk down the long corridor. This place is impressive. A lot more homey than I expected of Carlos. I thought it would be white walls and have the vibe of a morgue. But this is nice. Cozy.
I hear movement behind a partially open door, hesitating at whether I should just run out of the apartment without saying anything, or doing a half decent thing, and speak to Carlos. Being an adult fucking sucks and I really do fight the urge to leave, which would be my standard response. But I force myself to open the door.
Wow. This office is more impressive than Dima’s. It's very elegant, warm and my eyes fall straight onto the huge glass cabinet on the wall. The glass sparkles with the reflection of the light coming from the large windows. Not as impressive as the topless guy sitting behind the desk, his head buried in paperwork. The sun highlights that smooth, golden skin that I couldn’t keep my hands off last night.
“Good morning,” he says, and I avert my wandering eyes from his chest to his face. His hair is perfect as always. I try so hard to maintain eye contact and not look at his nipples.
“Hey. I’m gonna head out,” I say, pointing my thumb behind me sounding as awkward as I possibly can.
Carlos leans back into his chair and clasps his hands across his abdomen. I can’t help licking my lips when I see his belly button. How can a belly button be so sexy?
“You can stay, Simon. At least for coffee. There are no expectations here.”
I mull that over and decide to ignore it, not wanting to talk about last night. I’m uncomfortable as it is, being cordial with him. The cabinet catches my attention and I walk over, curiosity getting the better of me. What the hell is that?
“Are those…teeth?” I ask, my eyes wide as I look at the large open case, with a purple velvet interior. Every tooth shines. Are they gold plated?
“Yes.”
I spin around to look at him, my mouth gaping at the weird display.
“You collect teeth? Are you a dentist or something? Because that’s weird as fuck.”
He stands from his chair, chuckling as he moves closer to me.
“No. They are souvenirs of the men that have crossed me.”
“Uh huh. You should spend more time with Ivan. He’s into weird shit like this.”
“Everyone has a hobby of some kind, don’t you?”
