Page 27

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Luca

With each passing day, I felt more drawn to Juri, making things worse.

The incident at Exil happened almost two weeks ago, and he acted as if nothing had happened.

Good Lord! He even had such a loose tongue that he kept teasing me.

How many times had he made some frivolous comment and offered himself to me?

The situation was so absurd. I saw no reason to take his advances seriously, especially since he was the one who had refused to kiss me back then—for whatever reason.

But it was clear to me that our encounter at Exil was only about satisfying his needs. Not about me.

I was only in it for the satisfaction too .

So, calm down.

It’s absurd to think it could be more than that.

But, damn, that was so hot!

I clicked my tongue in disdain, irritated by my own thoughts.

Despite working behind the bar and attempting to manage orders, my brain refused to cooperate.

I was too distracted, all because of Juri, that rascal.

It was my own fault—I had thrown him down the stairs.

If my guilt hadn't tormented me so much, I would never have considered bringing him to my place.

Just one more week, then he gets the walking boot. I hope it helps him climb the stairs again.

But that wasn’t the only reason I had brought him home.

I saw an opportunity to atone, not just for Juri but also for Jér?me.

It didn’t matter how I felt about it; what I hoped to achieve was irrelevant.

I didn’t matter. My feelings were unimportant, and my guilt was too overwhelming to ever be loved by anyone anyway.

My thoughts were drowned out by the metallic beats of the industrial sounds.

I placed two beers on the counter, wiped the sweat from my forehead with my forearm, and collected the money.

The club was packed, and all the bars were open.

Daniel and I served the small bar on the main floor and we were quite busy.

The loud music seemed to be an attempt to drive away any chance of quiet contemplation.

It was only ten o’clock, but instead of their usual wave and gentle electro, the DJs started the evening by blasting everything they had right from the start.

The music boomed and rattled in my head, which made it hard for me to understand the orders, forcing me to rely on lip-reading.

Strobe lights kept flickering throughout the venue, making me feel like I was about to have an epileptic seizure.

You might have assumed that was already demanding enough for me, but thoughts of Juri wouldn’t leave me alone.

No matter how hard I tried to banish him from my mind, he kept coming back.

I saw him on the dance floor, moving smoothly with gentle movements to the hard beats, almost weightless.

Then I remembered the moment when he held me and calmed me down a week ago when I went berserk.

It had felt so good. Somehow so right. So warm.

I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to focus on work. But when I opened them again, the light flashed once more.

“The vodka’s running low,” Daniel called next to me. “Could you get some?”

He was busy with a large order of five cocktails, so I nodded and went to the main bar to get two bottles of Absolut. Back at my station, he practically snatched one from my hand. I went back to work, but ten minutes later, I heard Daniel swearing again.

“Fuck! Who forgot to refill the orange juice? Luca! Could you?”

I was busy with three whiskey colas and a tequila sunrise myself, so I ignored Daniel for the moment. But that didn’t sit well with him at all.

“Luca! Did you hear me?”

“Yeah, but why don’t you do it yourself! I’m busy here.”

I didn’t even need to look at Daniel’s face because I could feel that my answer didn’t please him. But the situation was already demanding enough, so I tried to ignore him at least. When I finished an order, the next one came: two vodka oranges.

At the bar, I always worked fast. My movements were precise, and I enjoyed always being in motion. I needed that. It was the only way to distract myself from the storm brewing inside me.

The orange juice was just enough for the two drinks. I collected the money and moved on to the next order.

“One whiskey cola, one beer, and one tequila sunrise.”

“Sorry! Orange juice is out right now!” I called over the counter.

“Then just a gin and tonic.”

“Coming right up!” I shouted to the pale-faced gothic girl with the pink dreads.

As I reached for the gin behind me, I noticed Daniel. He looked at me incredulously and poured beer from the tap. I ignored him, but when I saw that he only had that one order of beer, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.

“If you have nothing to do, you can go get the orange juice.” I was well aware he didn’t like my remark at all, but I didn’t see why I should be punished for something I didn’t do.

“You’re making yourself very comfortable,” he said irritably, moving on to his next order.

“I’m just being pragmatic.”

“Sooner or later, you’ll need orange juice.”

“No, I don’t.” I placed the drinks on the counter and collected the money.

The next few orders were beers, and as I heard Daniel sending someone to the main bar because he couldn’t make three Sex on the Beach cocktails, I smiled to myself. Daniel noticed, but he got to the point where he fetched the orange juice himself.

I already knew that working with him wouldn’t get any better now, but the mood between us had been screwed since last week anyway. So, I didn’t care when he returned with a sour face. Instead, I wondered why we were working together at the same station again.

In the next half-hour, everything got much worse.

Daniel and I kept getting in each other’s way.

It was the same pattern as last week. Daniel never tired of giving me orders.

Whenever I could take a minute to breathe, he dumped orders on me.

When the lime juice ran out, he demanded that I refill it.

The same with the ice. And when he seriously wanted to send me to get more white wine, I lost it.

“Stop it!” I snapped at him.

“What?” He acted as if he didn’t know what I was talking about.

“I’m not your slave! We’re working together here.”

“Oh yeah? Then concentrate! Or don’t you realize how distracted you are?”

Unfortunately, he was right, but the music wasn’t making it any easier for me. There was screaming building up inside me, and I just wanted to get out of here. But then I thought of Juri again and how he managed to calm me down last week. Damn it! My heart was racing as if I were about to fight.

I turned away from Daniel and refocused on the customers.

As I reached for the vodka, Daniel beat me to it.

The same happened with the orange juice.

Feeling dizzy, everything spinning, I had to lean on something for a second.

I jolted as Daniel bumped into me while heading to the fridge.

In an instant, my senses switched to danger mode, and I pushed Daniel away from me.

“What?” he snapped at me irritably.

I broke out in a cold sweat, my breath catching, as blood rushed through my head as if it were boiling. Damn it …

“You better get moving! There are guests waiting!”

As I poured a beer from the tap, I noticed my hands were jittery.

I couldn’t ignore the music and the flickering light any longer.

The faces of the people standing in front of the bar, waiting to place their orders, twisted into grimaces, and my head throbbed incessantly.

Daniel pushed past me again. I knew he probably only brushed against me, but the touch felt so massive and abrupt that I was startled and the beer splashed over my hands.

“Fuck!” I cursed.

Daniel pushed my shoulder. “I’ll say it one more time. Pull yourself together!”

I felt sick. I didn’t want to be here anymore. Anywhere was better than here. Everything around me was spinning, and by now, I didn’t even know where I stood.

“You know what?” I yelled heatedly. “Run the bar alone! I’m sick of this shit!”

I disappeared among the people so quickly that I didn’t even hear what Daniel said.

A storm raged inside me, growing into a monstrous tempest. Hastily, I grabbed my jacket and dashed out onto the street.

Once there, I paced like a hunted animal in circles until I finally managed to light a cigarette.

“Fuck!” I shouted into the night.

It was freezing cold, but I was so heated up that I felt feverish. Chaotic thoughts piled up inside me, yet I couldn’t hold onto any of them. I kept clenching my fists and trying to breathe, but I would have much rather smashed something to pieces.

I hated feeling so helpless, but ultimately, I had brought it upon myself. I just had to take a job in a club. It was only a matter of time before the loud music and the crowd got to me and made me lose it.

The cold calmed my anger; I could gradually breathe again and sort out my thoughts.

I’m probably finally losing the job. However, I couldn't help but smile. Juri made so much effort last week to prevent this.

It wasn’t even eleven o’clock when I arrived home.

Hector’s coat was still in the cloakroom.

The living room light was on, but no one was there.

Juri’s room door was closed; he was probably already asleep.

I went to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water when I heard a muffled sound.

Puzzled, I set the glass down and went to check.

The noise came from the hallway toward Hector’s office.

The closer I reached the half-open door, the clearer it became to me what was happening in there.

A clapping sound mixed with a soft moan. That alone made my cock twitch, and I stood still in the dark hallway. But not only heat flowed into me, but there was also this icy coldness running down my back. A premonition. A fear.

“Yes … harder …”

My heart sank as I heard Juri’s voice. No!

“You like that, don’t you?”

Hector?

Of course, Hector! Who else could it be? His deep voice was unique. And the two of them were in his office.

The two of them.

Just two words, yet everything about them was wrong.

No, it can’t be. I’m just imagining things. Hector has a TV in his office. It must be coming from there.

I mentally slapped myself. You can’t be so naive. But there was this tiny glimmer of hope. I had no other choice. I needed certainty. Silently, I approached the open gap of the door.

The room was softly lit, and the sight that greeted me was anything but innocent.

Juri leaned on the desk with both hands while Hector stood behind him, fucking him hard.

Both were naked, their bodies gleaming with a velvety film of sweat.

The sound of flesh slapping together echoed as Hector dug his fingers into Juri’s hips and thrust hard.

Juri gasped and moaned, and when Hector wrapped his arms around him from behind and jerked his cock, Juri threw his head back.

“Oh fuck …”

Hector slid his other hand over his chest and wrapped it around Juri’s neck. Juri moaned, holding onto Hector’s arm and squirming lustfully in his grip.

“You like that, don’t you?”

“Harder,” Juri pressed out, visibly enjoying it as Hector picked up the pace.

My mouth was dry as I swallowed heavily, but something stirred in my pants, and my cock rose. Fuck … seeing Juri like this … It was just hot. At the same time, I was horrified. With Hector? Nevertheless, my hand wandered into my pants, and I massaged myself.

Hector released Juri, allowing him to lean on the desk again. But his twisted ankle made it hard for him to keep his balance. Hector noticed and pulled out of Juri, turning him around. Then he helped him sit on the desk.

“Your things,” Juri said breathlessly. There was a greedy sparkle in his eyes.

“It doesn’t matter,” Hector said, pulling Juri closer by the neck and capturing his mouth.

Fuck!

What?

Juri seemed to enjoy it too. He wrapped his hands around Hector’s neck and even slipped his tongue into his mouth. Meanwhile, Hector jerked his cock. Seeing Juri crave the man did something to me that I didn’t understand.

On one hand, I got angry. Why is he kissing Hector but not me? Why are they even doing it together? Doesn’t Hector have a wife and kids? Seriously?

But on the other hand, watching these two increased my lust immeasurably. Not that I would have considered going there and joining in. No. I was exactly where I needed to be. In the dark. Watching and jerking off. My gaze was always on Juri. I didn’t want to miss a second of him.

As he broke away from Hector’s lips and reclined on the table, I held my breath.

Juri was so damn sexy. The way he moved showed he knew exactly what he was doing, reminiscent of our time at Exil.

His gaze, brimming with lust and desire, made it impossible for me to ignore him.

All his suggestive remarks since moving in, which I had resisted, vanished into thin air.

Just seeing Juri like this was arousing.

Hector lifted his legs and pushed back into him.

Juri squirmed, thrusting his chest forward and clinging to the desk.

As Hector began to move faster and harder, pounding into him relentlessly, Juri suddenly turned his head in my direction.

With a lustful look, he glanced at the door and started pleasuring himself.

I was sure he couldn’t see me, but maybe he sensed something. Because when Hector pulled his legs up a bit higher and relentlessly penetrated him, a gentle smile crossed Juri’s mouth, and he licked his lips. Everything he did from that moment on felt like he was doing it for me.

“Harder,” he said, grabbing Hector’s chest with his free hand. “Fuck me really hard.”

“You need it, don’t you?” Hector pressed out.

“Hell yes.”

“You can have it.”

While Hector spread his legs wider and fucked Juri like a bull, I too approached the edge.

“Yes!” Juri screamed, his face contorted in pleasure. “I’m about to come!”

“Oh yes, show me,” Hector growled.

As he placed his hand on Juri’s throat once more, Juri threw his head back, tensed his whole body, and came loudly, moaning onto himself.

At the same time, I jerked myself to heaven, carried away by a warm wave and poured into my boxers.

Hector pulled out of Juri, tore off the condom, and breathed heavily as he ejaculated onto his stomach. Both panted as they came down from their high. Juri smiled, and Hector grinned.

“Now you don’t have to feel guilty anymore,” he said, pushing his sweaty hair back.

“Thank you,” Juri replied. “I needed that.”