Sex & Mayhem 04 No Matter What (9 page)

"Turn around,"
Frederico gasped, and his dick popped out of Luca’s hole in one
rapid pull back. Luca knew what this was about. Yet another way to
humiliate him. Frederico would probably make Luca swallow the
unwanted come. The loud, rhythmic slapping of skin came from
farther away, and Luca’s face burned when he realized Antonio was
jerking off to this pitiful scene. To Luca’s pain and
discomfort.

Keeping his
eyes down, Luca pulled up his knees and sat on the side of his
buttock, where he was hurt the least. He was numb, and by the time
he shifted position enough to face Frederico, he didn’t even look
up, shaken by cold tremors trailing up and down his body.

Frederico
forced Luca’s head up with a yank on his hair. The rubber came off,
tossed at Luca’s chest as Frederico started frantically
masturbating right in front of his face. Luca wished Frederico got
a heart attack from over-exerting himself. But that wouldn’t be the
case. Instead, Luca closed his eyes when the thick, bitter come hit
his face.

“Lick it up,”
Frederico whispered with a bit of a shudder in his voice.

Luca did his
best not to show his disgust, but he gathered some of the sperm
around his mouth and swallowed, trying to ignore the aftertaste.
That was what kept him safe from another beating. He hated the feel
of sperm drying on his cheeks and nose, and couldn’t wait for an
opportunity to brush it off, stop feeling like a cheap whore, who
was too useless to swallow come right and let it overflow.

Frederico was
still catching his breath as he got up from the bed. “Good boy.
You’ll give your new boyfriend some fun. All yours, Antonio,” he
added casually, making Luca’s eyes well up again.

Slowly, he
looked up at the menacing presence by the wall. He knew Antonio
frequently hired escorts and paid them well. Maybe if Luca seemed
reluctant enough, the guy wouldn’t touch him after all? There was a
slight chance. Not every man was as much of a cruel control freak
as Frederico. Luca swallowed, turning his body away, but the lusty
smile on Antonio’s face didn’t announce anything good. Neither did
the veiny erection sticking out of Antonio’s fly.

Luca hated that
his mind asked itself how that cock would feel inside him. Would it
hurt less or more, now, after Frederico’s rough pounding? He’d
never had sex with anyone but Frederico, so how would he know?

Frederico
tucked his cock back into his slacks and ran his fingers through
his slightly messy hair. “Oh, almost forgot. Everything you have is
still mine. The ring.” He held out his hand in a silent demand.

Luca froze,
staring at the outstretched hand, and hid the hand against his
stomach. He shook his head.

Frederico
squinted at him, and his lips got even thinner when he pressed them
together. “I’m going to be nice and give you a choice. You can keep
the ring in exchange for the finger it’s on.”

Luca tightened
his jaw and looked at his pinky, breathing hard. The ring looked so
good, so right on his hand. He got it from Ghost, and even though
it didn’t mean much to Ghost himself now that he knew Luca was a
man, it was a token of the love Luca craved. He wouldn’t get
another one. He looked up.

“Take the
finger.”

Frederico
raised his eyebrows, but gestured at Antonio. “Knife.”

Luca pulled off
the ring and put it on the little finger of his right hand before
handing over his left. He didn’t hesitate to look into Frederico’s
eyes this time, even though his head was getting oddly light. If
Luca’s choice hurt the fucker even a little bit, that was enough of
a satisfaction. And there it was. Frederico’s nostrils flared
slightly, more wrinkles appeared on his forehead when he
frowned.

Antonio came
over with a knife, and Luca could hardly believe when he saw his
cock still out, as if there was no line between violence and sex
for him. Frederico grabbed Luca’s hand and steadied it against the
nightstand. Without a word, he took the blade Luca knew all too
well and pressed it below the knuckle of his little finger. He
pushed down on it with his weight, making Luca’s world explode with
pain.

He forgot how
much it hurt, and when he looked at the shiny blade parting the
digit from his hand as if it were cutting a sausage in half, the
edges of his vision blurred, and then everything went dark.

Zara:
Can we
talk?

Zara:
Are you
working?

Zara:
Ghost?

Zara:
Chat to me
when you’re back? Please?

Zara:
I can’t
take BF anymore. I hate him so much.

Chapter 6

Ghost took an
extra raincoat with him, in case Luca didn’t have one. He was a
bundle of nerves, waiting for his arrival. Rain dripped down his
face as he walked up and down the length of the fence around the
compound with Nomad at his side. As Zara, Luca had always said he
wanted to meet the dog and was always eager to talk about it.

Ghost couldn’t
sleep last night, rolling from side to side and analyzing the
situation. Having to come clean to his parents about what happened
wasn’t helping his anxiety levels, but there was no way to lie
about it anymore. The news had reached his father’s ears before
Ghost even had a chance to break it to him. He guessed it was
Milk’s doing. Fucking gossip.

He still hadn’t
told his mother that he would be prospecting for the Coffin Nails.
The fifty thousand dollars of debt was also strictly confidential,
and Milk actually did keep his mouth shut about this, unlike about
Ghost’s love-life failures. The money was club business, and Ghost
was now a part of it all. He’d done an electronic bank transfer
last night to an account number sent over by Frederico’s henchman.
Ghost wondered if cash wouldn’t have been the better option, but
Priest had assured him that the Villanis were too tied to the club
not to keep their word.

Nomad kept
trying to walk between Ghost’s legs and poked him with his nose. He
was one clever dog, always aware of his master’s mood. Ghost had
found him when he was recovering from a gunshot wound, and the dog
with half his front paw seared off felt like someone who’d
understand what Ghost was going through. Lots of formalities had
been involved in taking Nomad to the US, but months later Ghost had
gotten home with a new pet. Nomad had his bad leg completely
amputated, and now that it wasn’t bothering him anymore, he was a
friendly, happy little dog. A sandy ball of fur with a curled-up
tail and a constant smile.

Ghost squatted
next to Nomad and started scratching his floppy ear, which was as
damp as the rest of him. It was only when a black limo pulled off
the road with a screech of tires that he realized his wait was
over. The driver’s door opened first, and Frederico’s henchman left
the car, holding up a black umbrella over his head. His unpleasant
face oddly reminded Ghost of a heavily swollen Sylvester Stallone.
Nomad hid behind Ghost’s legs as the man approached, sporting a
half smile.

“I’ve got your
boy.”

Something was
off about his expression, and alarm bells rang in Ghost’s head. “Is
that all? The money came through? Everything is fine?” he
whispered, trying to see through the tinted glass of the car
windows.

The man
discreetly pulled out an envelope and handed it over to Ghost.
“There’s been some issues yesterday, which resulted in Luca losing
some of his value. Mr. Villani is returning the amount he deemed
appropriate.”

Ghost couldn’t
comprehend what he was hearing. But the last thing he wanted was
for Luca to hear any talk of money being exchanged for him, so he
stuffed the envelope down his shirt. He didn’t care how much it was
anyway. He just wanted to know Luca was finally safe.

The henchman
backed away without waiting for an answer. He got back into his
seat, and just as he shut his door, the one behind him opened with
a low thud. Ghost’s chest clenched when he saw a bare foot emerge
and stand on the wet pavement. Luca grabbed the roof of the car and
slowly pulled himself out. Wrapped with a big, white bedsheet, he
looked around, pale and with his long hair rustled. The cotton
started soaking right away, and he hunched his shoulders, trying to
pull the fabric tighter around himself. Ghost wanted nothing but to
take him in.

Ghost didn’t
even know where to start as he walked up to him. “Christ! Are you
all right? I’ve got a rain coat. I’ve got some food for you, and
c-coffee…” With each word, he was more at a loss, wishing for
nothing but to shield Luca from the world. As the rain drenched the
sheet, the tan color of his flesh seeped through, and Ghost
realized that Luca was naked underneath.

The car moved
suddenly mere inches away, and Luca flinched when it drove off, as
if he expected it to charge at them. They watched its dark shape
crawl down the road until it disappeared. Ghost was tense, glancing
at Luca, who pulled the sheet tight around him, as if he wanted to
completely hide within the folds, even if the rain was making it
increasingly more difficult. Neither of them seemed to know how to
break the silence, and it was a low moan that turned their
attention to the pavement. Nomad sat down in front of Luca, with
his tail sweeping the wet pavement.

It worked like
a charm, and Luca blinked, his face slowly stretching into a pale
smile. “Oh my God. You brought him with you.”

“You always
wanted to meet him.” Ghost sighed and finally pulled the extra rain
coat over Luca, even though he knew that by now it wouldn’t make
much difference and was probably only pressing the wet fabric
tighter against Luca’s skin. “Come inside, you need some clothes.”
His heart was beating so fast he could hardly breathe, his body so
hot the rain didn’t even cool him down anymore. The love of his
life was here, right in front of him, and he stood there like an
idiot, paralyzed by uncertainty.

Luca gave him a
small smile that was pure politeness, nothing cheerful about it.
“Sorry to start like this, but I’m hurt. I think I need your help,”
he muttered and stretched out his left hand, which was covered in a
layer of bandage so thick it looked like a mitten.

“Oh God! What
happened to you?” Ghost was at a loss for words, but he tried to
get his mind to work for Luca’s sake. “Let’s go, you’re freezing.”
He slid his arm behind Luca’s back, and led him through the gate
into the courtyard, with Nomad following. He tried not to think
about kissing those shivering lips, but Luca’s mind seemed to be
somewhere else altogether. He flinched, probably hurting from
whatever happened overnight.

“I need
stitches on my hand.”

Ghost gritted
his teeth, leading Luca inside. He briefly considered carrying Luca
so he wouldn’t hurt his bare feet on the gravel, but as Luca sped
up, rushing for the door, he realized it would only slow them down.
“I shouldn’t have let you go. Come with me, I’ll have a look at
whatever is hurting you.” He hated the heads turning their way when
they stepped into the bar. Luca deserved to meet people in normal
circumstances, not like this. And, of course, Milk was there, with
his stupid, loud mouth and a beer in hand.

“Hey, Princess!
That’s one romantic getup!”

Luca ignored
him. “Where do we go?” he whispered, covering himself with the huge
sheet, as if he wanted for just his head to stick out.

“Milk, shut
your face for once,” Ghost hissed, as he led Luca through a bar
full of prying eyes. “Someone get me some clothes that will fit
him,” he said without even looking up. He led Luca into a corridor
in the members-only space and all the way to a guest room with a
big bathroom, which most often served as the place to deal with any
medical needs.

As they passed
the office, Tooth got up from behind the computer and followed
them. “What’s up with him?” he asked from the threshold.

“I’m fine,”
said Luca, gravitating toward the bathroom, still in the raincoat
and with a piece of the sheet trailing behind him. He opened the
door and looked inside. The bathroom had two sinks, a big tub, and
a shower stall. It didn’t make much sense to have both of those in
one room, and apparently was an architectural mistake, but the
bathroom also had a tiled floor that was easy to clean. Ghost had
once had a table brought here when he sewed up a wound on Blitz’s
leg.

Ghost took a
deep breath. “His hand is hurt, I need to have a look at it. Could
you get me a blanket?”

Tooth nodded
and drew back, closing the door behind him. Luca pulled the wet
fabric tighter around his body and waved at Nomad, who was making
rounds through the room, exploring the new territory. There wasn’t
much to look at―a bare bed, one cupboard, and a table with two
chairs, but at least Nomad was busy enough to let Ghost do his
work.

He wanted to
put Luca in a warm, dry cocoon, with a cup of hot chocolate. He
dared to reach for Luca’s hand. “It’s over now.”

Luca wet his
lip and glanced at their interlaced fingers. “Yeah. I need to get
used to it.”

Ghost unwound
the bandage on Luca’s hand with care. A part of his mind was
already screaming at him that he’d failed, that he should have
never let Luca go with Frederico. Not for a night. Not for an hour.
Not for a minute.

He forced
himself to smile, glancing up at Luca, who suddenly grabbed his
shoulder.

“Wait, I don’t
want you to freak out,” he whispered. “It’s a finger, okay?”

“Well, you have
fingers on hands, so I’m guessing it’s a finger…”

“I lost my
pinky.” Luca exhaled, but he pulled his hand out of Ghost’s when
the door opened.

“Got some
coffee as well,” said Tooth, walking in with a frown.

Ghost’s brain
was about to boil with silent rage, but he kept calm for Luca’s
sake. There was no need for the guy to feel worse than he already
did. “Okay, we’ll get you something for the pain. You want to tell
me what happened?” He slowly unwrapped the bandage, revealing the
bloody mess inside. Despite years of medical training and
first-hand knowledge of battle wounds, his back immediately
drenched with cold sweat. “Thanks, Tooth. Could you make sure my
dad won’t come in here now? He’s all riled up about this…
situation.”