Page 42 of The Politician

Staring at the gossamer material that covered his canopy bed, his own hot tears rolled carelessly down into his hair. He didn’t have the energy to swat at them, so they flowed unfettered.

Hating the man from afar for the previous five years, hearing from him all the things his party was loathed for, and still, a couple weeks in his presence had made Eli want more. It made no sense at all, and it hurt in ways he didn’t understand.

Hatred left him, though. Pity replaced it, knowing that he was a man that couldn’t be himself. He had to be the straight, religious politician whose skewed ideas of family values and defense of heartlessness wasn’t him. It was echoes of a past that wouldn’t die.

Brett, though strange and had spent too much time in a dungeon, he was right. The only way was to drag Lee out of the pit he’d been born in and grew deeper with every decree by his family and their people.

The next morning, breakfast was served to him by a small olive-skinned man with green eyes. The perfect man offered to rub his feet while he ate, and he said no at first, then thought better of it. “How about my shoulders?”

The brilliant smile that spread on the man’s face was priceless, and he hurried onto the bed to crawl behind Eli and start to knead his shoulders in the best way. Eli’s eyes rolled back in his head, and for once, they weren’t rolling back in annoyance over Lee.

Lee…Eli wondered if Lee had slept at all or was too busy taking advantage of the beautiful men that were in abundance in the dungeon. He nibbled on the brioche toast and sipped the strong but perfect coffee while thinking on all of it. His brain was starting to tire from that, thinking constantly.

Then, he had had enough, and he stopped his brain from doing all the work, letting his body take charge. “That’s enough. Thank you.”

“Sir, anything you need. Would you like me to suck you?”

He almost said no, despite needing to unload on someone, but then, he changed his mind. “Later. Right now, I need you to get me some things.”

“Anything!”

The list was made and handed off to the slave, who’s name Eli swore to himself to get, then he called Brett on the housephone. “Eli? What can I do for you?”

“Give me a few tips. I am not going near that asshole Lee, but I can maybe get my job back.”

“Sure. What do you need?”