Simply Pleasure (7 page)

“Did you have these boarded up?” Peter asked.

“With Helene's permission, yes.” Val shrugged. “We didn't want you smashing through the glass and hurting yourself.”

“This is ridiculous!”

Val ignored him and finished his tea. He had made sure that there were no metal implements on the tray before placing it on a table near the door. Peter watched his movements like a stallion scenting a mare. Without saying anything more, Val resumed his seat by the fire and opened the morning paper. When he sneaked a look at Peter he found his friend had returned to bed and lay slumped against the pillows.

There were no clocks in the rooms at the pleasure house. Val checked his pocket watch and silently groaned. It was late afternoon. Helene had said she would check with him every two hours to see if he needed anything. He suspected it was going to be a very long day, and that he and Peter had a very long way to go.

Peter woke up and stared uncomprehendingly up at the ceiling. His mouth was dry and he was nauseous. He rolled onto his side and the whole room revolved with him and everything went black for a moment. He blinked hard and stared at the fire in the grate, steadying himself with that familiar sight. What in God's name was wrong with him? In an instant it all came back to him. Val locking him in the room and refusing to let him out until he did—what?

Promised to give up opium—that was it.

He narrowed his eyes and focused on the fire again, aware that there was a figure sitting in the chair. He slowly sat up and got out of bed. Val's head turned toward him, and he got a glimpse of his friend's cool amethyst stare. He had to get away. What could he do to make that happen?

“Val, I'm sorry.” He sank to his knees in front of Val's chair and rested his forehead against his friend's knee. “Don't punish me like this. I understand that you are in earnest now. I promise I won't steal from your father anymore.”

“Are you thirsty?”

Peter raised his head. “Yes.”

“I have fresh water here for you.” Val handed him a cup. “You'll feel much better if you drink as much as possible.”

Peter drank greedily and allowed Val to refill the cup and finished that one too. He remained on the floor deliberately leaning into Val, aware of the tension within the other man and hoping it could eventually be used in his favor.

“Thank you.” He kissed Val's knee and then his thigh. “Thank you.” He brought his hand up to cup Val's balls and kissed him there. A second later Val's hand was in his hair, yanking his head back.

“Don't.”

Peter smiled up at him. “Don't what? Touch you with my mouth? You love fucking my mouth.”

“Not tonight.”

“Come on, Val, you love it because I can suck you so much harder than a woman, and you can shove yourself deep down my throat without worrying about whether I can take it or not.” He licked his lips. “You know I can take it as hard and as deep, and as long as you want it.” He risked a glance at Val's breeches and saw the unmistakable swell of his big cock.

Val's grip tightened in his hair, and Peter moaned. “I love it when you yank my head back like this. I'd even love it if you came all over my face and made me lick myself clean.”

A tremor shook through his lover, and Peter lowered his gaze. “Would you like that, Val? Coming on my face?”

“No.” Val shoved him away. “I'm not playing these games with you.”

Peter sat cross-legged on the rug and cupped his own cock and balls. A bead of pre-cum glistened on the tip of his cock, and he swirled his finger in it. “Mmm, I'm already wet for you. But I won't come until you order me to. Even when I'm desperate and begging for release, I'll wait.”

Val shot to his feet. “Stop it. I know why you're doing this, but it won't work.”

Peter let his gaze linger on Val's groin. “It already has. You could bend me over that chair and fuck me right now. You could punish me by forgetting the oil and just shove yourself in me until I had no choice but to take you raw.” He bit his lip as his cock pulsed, releasing more fluid. “I'd love that.”

Val walked over to the window and stood looking out before drawing the curtains.

“No.”

“Liar.” Peter crawled toward him with languorous grace until Val was backed up against the window. “You want to do all those things to me. You always have.” He knelt up and set his teeth around the thick column of Val's cock outlined in his soft buckskin breeches.

Val shoved him away, his breathing harsh. “Stop it.”

“I'll stop when you are balls deep in me and making me pay.”

“It won't solve anything.”

“But it will be fun.” Peter stroked his own shaft. “If you want me to stay here willingly with you all night, you've got to give me a good reason. Otherwise I'll just keep pestering you.”

Val slowly let out his breath. “It won't work, Peter.”

“What won't?”

“I'm not letting you deliberately drive me away just so you can leave.”

Peter stared at him, his mind working furiously. “I'm not trying to drive you away. I just want you to fuck me. I miss you.”

“And I miss the Peter you used to be. The one who stood by me and gave me hope.”

“I haven't changed.”

Val shook his head. “Yes, you have, you've lost yourself somewhere.”

“Let me out, Val.” Peter's voice was shaking. “I can't do this right now. Let me—”

“Drown yourself in oblivion? Can't you see it's
killing
you? Do you remember those beggars who lined the roadsides in Turkey, who would do
anything
just to have a grain of opium?”

Peter slowly rose to his feet and rubbed a languid hand over his chest. “I'm fine. If you don't want to fuck me, let me go and find somebody who does.”

“And how will you pay for the opium now that you have no money? By whoring yourself out to anyone who'll feed your addiction?”

He shrugged. “I've been whoring since I got an erection. It doesn't mean anything.”

“But it should.”

Peter's smile disappeared. “You fuck women all the time and none of them mean anything to you.”

“This isn't about me.”

“One might say that you are as addicted to sex as I am to opium.”

“Sex won't damn well kill me!”

“How do you know that? What about if you fuck a diseased woman? Surely by indiscriminately fucking your way through all of womankind you are taking just as big a risk as I am?”

“It's not the same, and you damn well know it! I'm careful.”

“So am I.”

Val swung around. “You are damn well not! Look at you! Practically licking my boots in an effort to force me to let you out, offering
anything!
God!”

“You're right. I'll lick anything you want, Val, if it gets me out of here.”

“Damn you.” Val returned to his seat by the fire and sat down with a thump, his face averted.

“Val.”

“What?”

“I'm—” Peter wrapped his arms around himself, fell down onto his knees, and threw up all the water he'd recently drunk. “God—” He retched again, this time dry-heaving until he was curled up in a ball on the carpet.

Suddenly Val was right there, lifting him into his arms and laying him on the bed. A wet cloth appeared and covered his face. He breathed in the coolness of the water and managed to clean himself off.

“Better?”

“
No
.” He grabbed Val's wrist hard until the bones grated against each other. “Let me go,
please
.”

“No.” Val's gaze was as pitiless as a saint's. “We'll see this through together.”

“I don't want you to see me like this.”

“I know.” Val kissed his fingers and then unwrapped them from around his wrist. “Try to sleep.”

Val looked down at Peter, who was moaning constantly now and writhing on the sheets, his body glistening with sweat as he fought to breathe. How many hours had it been now? How many days? Val rubbed his jawline, noticing the roughness of his stubble. At least Peter had stopped trying to seduce him. He could deal with the sickness, the panic attacks, and even the hallucinations without blinking. The physical and mental goading was another matter, especially as what Peter said usually had a grain of truth in it.

There was a tap on the door. After another glance at Peter, Val went over and, as arranged, knocked twice. He heard the key turn in the lock and then Helene's worried face appeared in the small crack.

“How is he?”

“Still bad.”

She wrinkled up her nose. “I'll send someone to change the sheets and bring you fresh food and water. You could probably do with some clean clothes yourself.”

“There's no point yet. He's still too sick to keep anything much inside him.”

“Do you need laudanum, or anything? Shall I send for a doctor? Mine is very discreet.”

“I don't want to give him any type of medicine at this point, but I would appreciate some coffee for myself.”

“I'll send it up immediately.” She reached in and stroked his cheek. “Courage,
mon ami
.”

A servant slipped in and quickly helped Val strip the bed and replace the sheets. Peter hardly seemed aware of what was going on, his blond hair darkened and lank with sweat, his breathing uneven.

The scent of coffee made Val's mouth water. Keeping an eye on the still figure on the bed, he forced himself to eat some bread and cheese and downed three cups of the excellent coffee to help him stay awake. He'd already taken off his coat, waistcoat, and cravat to avoid spoiling them even further, so it was no hardship to take off his boots and sit on the bed. Eventually, even the coffee made no difference and he had to stretch out beside Peter.

He closed his eyes.

“Val!”

He jerked awake, aware that the room was in darkness and that he'd allowed the candles to go out. Peter was trying to sit up and was pointing frantically at something near the window.

“Make it go away, Val. Whatever it is, make it stop!”

Val reached across to touch Peter's arm and almost flinched away at the heat burning off him.

“It's all right. There's nothing there, you're dreaming.”

“I'm not!” Panic shuddered through Peter. “It's bloody Aliabad, and he's going to kill you this time. Don't let him, Val. I can't stop him, I'm too weak, I can't—”

Val grabbed hold of Peter and wrapped his arms around him, stroking his hair.

“I swear he's not here. It's just you and me and this old nightmare we share. Aliabad is gone now. He'll never trouble either of us again.”

Peter shivered and burrowed his face against Val's shoulder. “He's
here
.”

“No, it's just me. Just Val. Lie down with me. Let me hold you.” Peter was so hot that Val shrugged out of his shirt and breeches until he was naked. “See? Just me and you keeping each other safe, like we've always done.”

“Couldn't save you from Aliabad,” Peter croaked. “Offered to do anything to take his attention from you, but he wasn't interested.”

Peter was shaking now, long tremors running from his head to his toes. Val gathered him even closer.

“He hurt you, Val.”

“I know.” Now Val wasn't sure where Peter's shaking ended and his began. “I don't want to think about it. He's gone now. I pray I'll never have to see him again.”

“But he
hurt
you.”