He is poison, p.6
He is Poison, page 6
Seth didn’t have a lot to pack, but he wanted to get as much alone time as possible, so he rushed to his room, without wandering to the rooms where the reception was held. He ran down the empty corridor and went right in, freezing in place when he saw a tall figure at the window.
“Fuck,” slipped out at the sight of his uncle. He didn’t mean to swear, but his nerves were in tatters already, without having another thing thrown at him. If the consigliere was here, there had to be a good reason. Wishing his nephew a safe journey wouldn’t be it. “I mean, good afternoon.”
A small smile ghosted over the narrow, permanently serious face. “Tough day?” Frederico had the same handsome features as his brother, yet was much slimmer and reminded Seth of a starved wolf.
“Yes, I was close with my mother.” Seth nodded and started packing, even though most of his things were already in the travel bag.
“I remember. It’s a shame a woman as remarkable as her left us. At least now you will be busy enough not to think too much.”
“Yeah, Acerbi is supposed to be training me,” Seth pushed in his leather jacket and zipped up the bag.
The consigliere nodded with a small frown. “You’re in good hands. He’ll take care of you properly.”
Seth rolled his eyes and went over to his desk to pour them both a drink. “Sure. You remember how he wanted to ‘take care of me’ when we were kids.” Though Seth’s mind kept wandering off to visions of other ways in which Dom could take care of him. He really needed that drink.
The consigliere shook his head at the alcohol. “Just do as he tells you. He is our best man.”
“Yeah, I suppose he’s capable.” Seth let the smoky flavor of the whiskey linger in his mouth.
The consigliere was silent for the longest moment, but eventually went on with a slight cough, “You aren’t afraid he’d go for it again, are you? Your father assigned him to you precisely because he thinks you may need someone like him now.”
Seth took a deep breath, courage stemming from a good whiskey. “He’s a killer, isn’t he? He’ll do any dirty job?”
The consigliere snorted. “He will negotiate.”
Seth wanted to stop the stream of horrific imagery rushing through his mind, but it was no use. “And he doesn’t like me. He could get rid of me and say it was an accident. No one would know.”
The consigliere shook his head and after a sharp intake of breath said, “He would not betray his own blood.”
Seth crooked his head to the side, unsure of how to interpret that. They weren’t exactly ‘blood’ just because Domenico worked for their family. “I don’t understand…”
The consigliere frowned, stepping back. “You never heard the rumors?”
“What rumors?”
The slow bob of the consigliere’s Adam’s apple wasn’t reassuring, but his next words made Seth’s hair bristle. “Your father is visiting his mother.”
“His mother?” Seth’s heart started a ferocious rhythm.
The consigliere’s nose flared, and he gave a curt nod. “You can’t let him know you’re aware of this. But you need to know what’s going on around you.”
Seth’s body went rigid, and his voice turned into a whisper. “And it’s been going on for years?” The answer was obvious, taking into account Domenico’s existence, yet he needed to hear it.
The consigliere nodded. “Villani blood. You can practically smell it on him.”
Seth looked into his whiskey glass, suddenly wanting to puke and then bleach his mind through the eyeballs. He wanted to fuck his own half brother. “G-good to know,” he choked out, still in shock that his father could have cheated on his mother. And as to smell, he wasn’t sure if Dom smelled of Villani blood, but he surely smelled fucking good. Especially after he fucked that guy in the church. It was the smell of come, testosterone, and good cologne all rolled into one sexy scent.
Frederico sighed and put his hand on Seth’s shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. “I know this comes as a shock, but I hope it will make you feel better in the long run.”
“Let’s say so…” Seth nodded and downed his drink. “Thank you for your honesty, Uncle.”
“I honestly advise you to rely on him.”
There was a knock on the door, and without waiting for an invitation, the door opened and Domenico burst in, freezing in place when he saw the consigliere.
“I think I have to go,” Seth grabbed his bag before gazing at his… half brother, who didn’t stop looking insanely hot just because of the new knowledge.
“Yes, we need to go,” muttered Domenico, stepping outside. He reached out toward the staircase in a surprisingly polite gesture.
Seth said his good-byes with his uncle once more before rushing out, straight into Dom’s clutches. He still didn’t trust the guy one bit, but right now, his mere presence made Seth’s skin crawl under the black mourning suit. None of them said a thing all the way to the car, where the same driver was waiting for them with his eyes fixed on the road.
Domenico outran Seth and opened the door for him in a mockery of being courteous.
Seth gave him the glare of death, but sat inside. “Cunt,” he muttered.
“Fag,” answered Domenico, before slamming the door shut.
Seth’s mouth fell open, blood rushing up to his face. He didn’t even know how to respond to that. He pushed the travel bag down between his legs. Fuck. This would not end well. He could hardly believe the irony of it. They were both from the same father and both gay.
Chapter 4
Domenico was the only good-looking object in the attic of a tiny studio in central Berlin. Each ceiling was a slope, so it was almost impossible to walk without slouching, or even bending, except in the middle. The main room was smaller than Seth and Peter’s living room, with only one bed that wasn’t even meant for two people, a clearly secondhand wardrobe, and a table with two chairs by the small window. In the corner stood a portable gas stove and a cupboard with kitchen necessities. Other than that, they had a restroom so tiny it didn’t have a door, with a sink the size of a soup bowl and a dirty looking toilet.
Seth was sitting on the bed and kept curling the fingers of his injured hand into a fist and then stretching them again. “Classy place. Looks historical. I bet the mold has been here since World War Two.” Seth watched Dom hang his suit in the closet.
“I can give you a tour. The mold in the bathroom is even more epic,” answered Dom. He pulled out a pre-packaged sandwich he got at the airport and threw it on the bed. “If you’re hungry.”
“I’m not a dog.” Seth rolled his eyes but never took his gaze off Dom. Just window-shopping. His blood ran faster when Domenico pulled on the band in his hair, releasing the ponytail. His hair looked impossibly strong and healthy. As much as Seth had mocked Dom’s long hair as a kid, now he considered it yet another aspect of Dom’s sex appeal.
“Well, you have to eat, just like any other animal.”
Seth grabbed the sandwich, since he didn’t know when the next time he would eat was going to come. “Might as well. I’m tired. Can’t we go shopping?”
“No, not at this hour. Wrong country,” chuckled Dom as he pulled his shirt over his head and carelessly dropped it to the floor.
Seth inched away, as if the rays of hotness would hit him, and he would succumb, falling to his knees and revealing his own sexuality in the process. “Yeah, I… what?” He didn’t really get what Dom was saying, focused on his fit body with quite a few scars scattered all over his torso. “What about tomorrow?”
“What about tomorrow?” repeated Domenico, pulling one chair away from the table and closer to the bed. He sat on it, back to front, hugging the backrest with his firm thighs.
“I mean… It’s Tuesday. Is someone following us or something?” Seth bit into his sandwich, trying to think unsexy thoughts. Mold on the ceiling. Nah, he still had the hots for Dom.
Domenico crossed his arms on top of the backrest, flexing the muscles that seemed packed impossibly tight into the sleeve of his olive-colored skin. Raven black hair fell over one of his shoulders, caressing one side of his face. “I don’t know yet. Better keep your head low and let me know what you want from the store.”
“Why can’t I go?” Seth inched back on the bed with his mouth full. He wanted back some control over his life. He wasn’t a baby. The way Dom’s eyes followed his moves made Seth feel like prey, and he hated enjoying it.
“No. I’m responsible for your safety, and for now you aren’t to leave this place without me.”
Seth looked down at his sandwich, feeling patronized. He was freaking twenty-six. He looked at the wall to avoid ogling Dom’s stomach. “So this girl we’re gonna watch, Vera, she lives close?”
Domenico smiled and nodded at the window. “She will be returning home soon. You might take a look if you like. Apparently, she often forgets to draw the curtains when she changes.”
“Yeah?” Seth lay back on the bed and looked at the window. “Free peep show?”
“That’s what I heard.”
“Yeah, ’cause what do you care about titties. Only chauffeurs for Domenico Acerbi.” Seth snorted and licked the breadcrumbs off his fingers.
Domenico spread his hands with a small smile. “You watch her, and I’ll take my time watching you. A circle of energy. She can watch me if she wants.”
Seth frowned. Did Dom just joke or was there something he didn’t get? “You can’t watch me like that.”
Domenico sighed. “What do you mean ‘you can’t’?”
“It’s just… it’s wrong,” Seth finished flatly, unsure how else to explain it without revealing his newfound family knowledge. He looked out the window, though he couldn’t care less.
“I’d like to watch you. I showed you some of my skin, why don’t you reciprocate?” said Domenico in a conversational tone.
Seth groaned and tucked his T-shirt into his jeans. He liked them tight, but now he regretted how short the garment was. “No.”
“Aw, that’s so cute. Are you shy, Villani?” chuckled Domenico, resting his chin on top of his forearms, which he folded on the chair’s backrest.
Was Dom flirting with him? Seth swallowed, uncomfortable with his new roommate’s confidence. How could the bastard be flirting with a straight guy? “It’s not ‘cute’. I don’t wanna be ogled.”
Domenico grinned, leaning back, which showcased his hard torso and stomach. The guy wasn’t bulky, but he was all muscle, like a wild cat. “News flash, Villani, you’re always gonna be ogled.”
Uncomfortable was Seth’s new middle name, but being as big as he was, there was nowhere to hide. “Not by guys.”
“Yeah? You think your round ass somehow deflects their attention?”
Seth pulled a blanket over himself, heat rushing up his neck. “Here. Better?” he groaned, confused and unsure how he felt about Domenico Acerbi liking his ass.
Domenico let out a laugh and slapped himself on the thigh. “Are you gonna buy a burqa next?”
“Ah, fuck you.” Seth rolled to his side, but then realization dawned on him, and he glared back at Dom. “Hey. Where will you sleep?”
“On the bed.”
“Where’s the other bed?”
Domenico took another sandwich out of the bag and smelled it with a grimace of distaste. “There is no other bed.”
“We’re sleeping in one bed?” Seth was dying with anxiety. He would so get a boner. “Maybe add a chauffeur on top of that.”
“What?” Domenico bit into the sandwich. “A three-way in a single bed? That’s fucking dreadful.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“I’m not the one who dragged poor Tony into this.”
“Listen, can we stop talking gay stuff? I’m really done with it.”
“Of course you are.” Domenico chewed another bite off the sandwich.
“So… do you think it’s dangerous for me to go out?” Seth curled under the blanket.
Domenico gave him a shrug, his skin had a warm tint in the glow of the naked lightbulb that hung from the ceiling. “Not sure, but better safe than sorry.” Slowly, Domenico looked up at Seth. “So better don’t try anything funny. Next time, you might lose more than a finger.”
“I have a gun, you know.” Seth slid off the bed and started looking for his sleepwear. Domenico had picked out some weapons on the way from the airport.
“A gun you don’t even know how to use safely.” There was no mocking in Domenico’s voice this time. It was contempt.
“I forgot,” Seth mumbled, quickly changing into the tank top he’d packed for sleeping, but he would go to the restroom to change his pants. Even if it didn’t have a door.
“That’s the thing. Next time you ‘forget’, you might lose your balls,” said Domenico with his mouth full.
Seth rolled his eyes and went into the dark bathroom, almost hitting his head on the slope of the ceiling. He quickly took off his pants, staying behind the wall. He was so glad they’d had a shower on the plane, because the apartment had no facilities for a proper bath.
“Don’t take too long, we need to get up early tomorrow,” said Domenico from the bedroom.
Seth changed into jogging bottoms and looked into the crooked little mirror above the sink, which had more spots than clean space. It still let him have a look at Dom, finishing his sandwich in the room. “Would you want to be the boss?” he asked all of a sudden. Dom certainly looked like one.
“Huh?” Dom dumped the plastic container into a disposable bag and glanced toward the bathroom. “What kind of question is that?”
“Just asking. Would you? You know, be in charge of… human resources.”
A flicker of light accompanied the bittersweet smell of tobacco. Domenico leaned on the backrest of his chair and looked at the window. “You know I’ll never be one.”
“What if I wasn’t there?” Seth swallowed and looked back, feeling the atmosphere thicken with every second. He could use a cigarette, but he wasn’t gonna ask for one.
“You are here.”
“You could easily kill me…” Seth bit his lip. He needed to see what Dom would say to that. He didn’t expect a laugh.
“Those aren’t the orders I got. I’m to protect you and train you to protect yourself.”
Seth looked back at the yellowing sink. Not the orders he got. What if he got a different kind of order? Would he at least hesitate? Seth doubted that. He ran his fingers through his hair, happy that at least his face was looking better. His hand still hurt now and then, but it was time to man up and brush his teeth. A new day awaited tomorrow.
In the mirror, he watched Domenico get up and kick the chair into place with unexpected precision. He stretched, bending his body backward and to the side. His chest hair wasn’t too thick, but oddly organized, growing sideways, as if Domenico combed it into perfection. Seth’s gaze followed Dom’s hands, all the way down to the belt, which he opened, along with the slacks, revealing a flash of white underwear.
Seth watched him in the mirror as he cleaned his teeth. There was nothing left of the skinny boy Seth had known when they were kids. Then again, if Dom really was his protector, then it was for the better that he was such a scary man. Seth’s skin prickled when the catlike silhouette moved toward him, all Dom’s moves relaxed yet somehow calculated, controlled. His bare feet were silent even on the old wooden floor, as if he knew where to step to avoid unpleasant creaks.
Seth gave him a surprised look in the mirror, with his mouth full of toothpaste when Domenico stopped behind him, clear amber eyes meeting his in the mirror. Even through his top, Seth could feel the body heat radiating from the man.
“Don’t stand so close, you gay molester,” Seth said with his mouth full, actually enjoying cock-teasing Dom.
“Why, are you afraid of me, big boy?” asked Dom and leaned forward, placing his palm next to the mirror, his skin brushing Seth’s, as if by accident. Seth knew it couldn’t have been so. Dom knew how to control his moves.
Seth spat out the last of the toothpaste and flinched away, even though he’d gladly melt into Dom’s chest with his back. “We need some kind of bowl here, for washing. There’s no fucking shower.”
“I’ll get one tomorrow.”
Seth changed places with Domenico, who also wanted to use the meager facilities, but eventually, he headed to bed. He couldn’t help but watch Dom from the bed though, the white briefs peeking out like an invitation to pull them down. They were Calvin Kleins, too.
Domenico eventually returned to the bedroom and turned around to pull down his slacks, letting Seth see the gloriousness that was his tight ass under the layer of prime quality cotton. Ogling wasn’t below Seth, so he enjoyed the view. All he needed was some popcorn. He didn’t understand how Dom could be so calm about being gay and caught red-handed. It wasn’t just looked down upon in the Family, it was a death sentence. Seth already imagined a lonely life for himself in the future.
His train of thought muted when Domenico pushed down his briefs, presenting a firm ass with dimples at the sides. Seth’s eyes went wide when he realized there was nothing around for Dom to change into. When Domenico turned around to face him, the world seemed to slow down. Seth’s eyes went straight for the prize that was the heavy, uncut cock, presented to him on a plate of incredible abs and thighs of a panther, with a side order of a gorgeous set of balls. Domenico clearly trimmed his dark pubes, but he didn’t look overly manicured.
“That’s how you’re going to sleep?” Seth choked out and unconsciously inched away on the bed, already under the comforter. His heart pounded and every inch of his skin screamed for contact with the dangerously hot man in front of him. It was as if he hadn’t had a drink for a year and Dom was the best smelling rum.
“I need to let my cock loose once in a while,” said Domenico, dropping his ass on the mattress. “You should try it. Good for male virility.”
“Wear something loose then! You’re not alone here. Or with some fuck-boy of yours!” Seth could not tear his gaze away from Dom if they paid him.
