Page 38 of He is Poison
The moment he spoke,Peter squeaked his name in a pitch so high Seth had to pull the phone away fromhis ear. He sat on the bed with a sigh, absent-mindedly watching Domenicodevour the food. The broken sob he heard in the receiver made him cringe.
“I... ah... I’m atNeil’s. I miss you so badly.”
Oh God, it had to be badif Peter couldn’t even stay at his apartment. Seth already imagined Peter andNeil sitting around a tub of ice cream and ripping him apart. Wouldn’t be thefirst time. “I know, I’m sorry. I just… I needed to call you, so you know I’mnot coming back.”
The silence in the cellphone was crippling, and for a moment he considered hanging up, but then Peterburst with whiny blabber. “Please, just tell me where you are, I’m good withrelocating.”
“I can’t tell you, Pete.It’s…” He hesitated and looked to Dom, who was headed for the bathroom.“…dangerous. I can’t. You wouldn’t like it.” He combed his fingers through hishair nervously.
“I’m okay withdangerous. Just tell me where to find you. I miss you so fucking much!” Withina few seconds, Peter was already crying into the receiver.
Seth was feelinghorrible, but it had to be done. It didn’t help that Dom was watching him fromthe bathroom. Leaning against the door frame like a young god: powerful andsensuous enough to make any man lose focus.
Seth took a deep breath.“I’m not coming back. And you can’t join me. I can’t be in a long-distance relationshipeither.”
Dom rolled his eyes andturned to face the bathroom. It took a moment for Seth to understand what hewas looking at when his new mentor opened the fly of his pants.
Peter’s voice was likean annoying fly in Seth’s ear. “I don’t care, just—” The sentence was brokenoff by a series of sounds, and it soon became clear someone else had gottenhold of the telephone. Neil’s icy voice was like a cold shower.
“Seth, I know you’rethere.”
“Hi, Neil…” Sethfrowned, ready for another portion of Seth-bashing, but his eyes were instantlydrawn to the dark shadow of Domenico’s cock. Seth couldn’t help the slightshiver that went through his body when he watched a stream of liquid leave thetip to the slight splash of water.
“If you want to leavehim, man up and say it to his face!” Fucking Neil. Always in the way, always”protective”, when actually he was just curious for new gossip. The guy shouldmind his own fucking business. Just because he had a husband, he thought hecould tell everyone else how to live their lives.
Seth took a deep breath,not to swear at Neil. “He’s better off without me. Just take care of him forme, okay?”
Neil was silent for overa second, which was fucking unusual, and when he spoke, it was to tell Seth hewas passing the cell to Peter. Seth looked up to the ceiling before his gazegot drawn back to Dom. He and Peter weren’t a good match, that much was true.They’d hit it off at the beginning, but as soon as they moved in together,things started going sour. The novelty of having a steady boyfriend wore off,and Seth couldn’t help being irritable about some of Peter’s favorite things.Like those stupid, tacky porcelain figurines, or when he wanted to get a dogand couldn’t understand Seth’s protests.
“Seth? Please, don’t...”Peter’s voice was shaking. Seth looked up at Domenico, who waved his hand tosignify it was high time to end this torture.
“I’m sorry,” Sethmuttered and turned off the phone so he wouldn’t have to hear any more crying.He rubbed his forehead, tired as if he had run a marathon.
“Good, you did the rightthing.” Domenico was slowly approaching him.
“What do you know aboutthe ‘right thing’?” Seth rubbed his eyes, annoyed that they were itching. “Itwas a long relationship.”
“How long?” Dom pulledhis cigarettes out of his trench coat.
“Two years.” Seth heldout his hand in a silent demand. One of these days, he was sure it would work.And it did! Domenico pushed a cigarette against Seth’s lips and turned on thelighter at its tip. The flame danced in front of Seth’s face until thecigarette was burning red.
“Not bad.”
Seth took a deep breathof smoke, looking up at Dom. “My first boyfriend,” he confessed, hoping Domwouldn’t laugh. Seth had no one else to turn to.
“Thought as much.”Domenico’s face lit up with the burn at the top of his cig, and he inhaled,pushing wildfire through the cigarette.
“I started late.” Sethstroked Dom’s thigh absentmindedly. “No one hits on the Don’s son.”
“I know I wouldn’t,”said Domenico in a voice so serious Seth had to look up, but the diabolicalsmile on the man’s face was all he needed to see. Dom was batshit and proud ofit.
Seth gave him a halfsmile and took a swig of smoke. He wondered what kind of teenager Dom had been.Calm and collected, sensitive, or aggressive and bloodthirsty? “Had you plannedall of this when you found out about me back in New York?”
Domenico shifted hisweight, drawing Seth’s attention back to Dom’s crotch. He was actuallysurprised that after what had happened yesterday, he still didn’t find Dom’scock threatening. He just didn't. Maybe he should. “You could say that. I didthink about the possibilities.”
“Yeah? What did youexpect when you first found me?” Seth exhaled smoke.
A chuckle leftDomenico’s lips. “A miniature of your father.”