Page 26 of Molly Boys

“Such a little thundercloud, aren’t you?” Louie hummed. “Not to worry. You can adjourn to one of the quieter parlours if you like. You are quite welcome to go anywhere you please and enjoy the fullest extent of my hospitality.”

“Thank you, Louie.” Everett set his untouched goblet of wine aside. He really had no taste for it, red wine always sitting too heavy on his stomach.

He rose from his chair and glanced over at Dickie perched in Francis’ lap. The pretty young man was fascinated by the commotion occurring across the other side of the ballroom. Francis stroked the boy’s back affectionately, amused by Dickie’s open curiosity and appetite.

For a moment, Ev experienced the ghost of that feeling. He’d once been as young and eager as Dickie. While he had never quite shared Francis’ love of exhibitionism, Ev still remembered what it had felt like the first time his best friend had brought him to Mother Clap’s to meet Louie. For him, it hadn’t been about promiscuous sexual relations with anyone and everyone, but the feeling of safety and of acceptance. For Ev, it had always been more about a sense of belonging, of knowing his desires were not as deviant as society had always told him.

Lost in his thoughts, he was startled when he looked up to find Francis watching him intently. Ev didn’t say anything, he didn’t need to. Francis knew him better than anyone. Instead, he gave a little nod of acknowledgement before he turned and walked away, leaving Dickie and Francis to be entertained.

* * *

Everett made his way through the throng of guests and out of the ballroom. Not in any particular rush, he wandered through the maze of corridors and past various parlours and billiard rooms. He hadn’t visited in a while, but he was still familiar with the place and navigated it with ease as his thoughts remained on Dickie and Francis.

There was no question the sweet boy was as randy and sexually adventurous as Francis, but it hadn’t ever been that way for Ev. He may have had sex with more than one person at a time, mostly with Francis and one of his latest favourites, but that was generally because he trusted Francis more than anyone.

But secretly…

He’d always wondered what it would be like to have a true lover. Someone just for him, someone he could hide away with, wrapped in the sheets of their bed while they made love. It was such a sweet and simple fantasy, one that made him ache with longing, and one that he was not sure his best friend would ever understand.

That unattainable little fantasy of his was also probably why he preferred a single sexual partner as opposed to multiple partners at a time. He rarely even engaged in penetrative sex unless it was with Francis. Letting anyone else into his body in that way felt too intimate. It was the same with kissing deeply. He did, however, very much enjoy giving and receiving pleasure with his hands, and lord knew he loved the feel of a hot wet mouth around his cock.

God, he scrubbed his hand over his face tiredly. He needed a distraction, his head hurt from thinking so much. He turned a corner and finally found the room he’d been looking for, a small private parlour that was so small it was rarely used. Ev liked to call it the room of forgetfulness—Louie always kept something in there to chase away demons, whether it was opium or cocaine or any number of other things.

He opened the door and was met with a small crackling fire to ward off the winter chill. In front of the fire stood a card table between two wingback chairs, angled slightly away, one of which appeared to be occupied.

The attractive man wore regular evening dress rather than a makeshift toga, unlike many of the evening’s guests. His waistcoat was casually unbuttoned, his dinner jacket was discarded over the back of a nearby sofa, and his open shirt collar bared his smooth throat. His dark blonde hair fell like a curtain over his eyes, a slight stubble blooming along his jaw. A curve graced his mouth as his eyes locked on Everett.

He nodded to the empty chair. “Would you like to join me?” he offered, his voice smooth and pleasant.

Everett’s gaze slid to the table which held no deck of cards. Instead, it held a cigar box, a bottle of absinthe, and a glass. The gorgeous man smiled at him in invitation. There was no mistaking the intention in his eyes.

Perhaps this was the perfect distraction.

Everett crossed the room and lowered himself into the empty seat.

“David,” the man said, hand outstretched.

“Everett.” Everett took the warm hand and shook it firmly. Even though he was titled, he never bothered to introduce himself as such in a place like Mother Clap’s.

David picked up the small box and opened it, offering Ev a fragrant-smelling cigar which he accepted, rolling it slowly under his nose and inhaling the rich scent as their eyes met.

“Would you care for a drink?”

Ev lit his cigar and inhaled, letting the smoke fill into his lungs and escape from his lips in a sinuous coil. Not in the mood for conversation, he nodded in answer. With a smile, David rose from his seat and crossed the room to retrieve a second glass. Setting it in front of Ev, David rested a silver strainer over the opening and placed a sugar cube at its centre.

Everett watched as David picked up the bottle of absinthe and poured the emerald green liquid over the sugar cube, allowing it to flow over the edges and cascade into the elegant stemmed glass. They stared at each other intently as David lifted the sugar cube and held it to Ev’s lips in offering. Ev opened his mouth for the cube, the pad of David’s finger teasing his lips as the sweetness of the sugar laced with the notes of wormwood, fennel, and star anise burst over his tastebuds.

Knowing that he was going to chase the green fairy made Everett glad he hadn’t indulged in the heavy red wine earlier. He much preferred the hazy escape to a heavy intoxication. As David filled his own glass, Ev raised his to his lips and drank.

Leaning back in the chair, he watched as David took a sip and smiled his way. Slowly, as the absinthe took effect, Ev began to relax. He set his cigar in the sturdy glass dish on the table and lifted his glass to his lips once again.

They sat in silence, the air between them heavy with more than words. David filled his glass yet again as Ev watched him with languorous, hooded eyes. His hand drifted down to the front of his trousers as he palmed himself through the material, enjoying the sight of David’s eyes following the movement of his hand.

David licked his lips as his eyes lifted back to Ev’s, the question clear in his gaze. Giving a nod, Ev watched as David dropped smoothly to his knees and positioned himself between Ev’s spread thighs.

So pretty, Ev thought to himself. As the drink took effect, he lifted one weighted hand and cupped David’s jaw. Feeling the rough scrape of his stubble beneath the pads of his fingers, Ev dragged his thumb across David’s plump lower lip. He had the mouth of a voluptuary, smooth and sumptuous, crafted for pleasure.

Ev pressed his thumb between David’s lips and stroked his tongue as David began to suck, his eyes filled with hunger. Everett drained his glass slowly, his gaze locked on the hollowing of David’s cheeks and feeling the suction of his thumb. Setting his empty glass on the table, he withdrew his thumb, dragging David’s lip down with it and leaving a wet trail along his chin.