Moment of Truth

by Emrys Apollo

  He slumped into the bathroom rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He’d only managed to get about two hours sleep and that never felt like enough, especially after such a big day. Yawning, Antony cupped some water in his hands, splashing it over his face to try and wake himself up. He was supposed to have been asleep for as long as Desmond, he couldn’t show he was actually knackered.

  Placing his hands on the edge of the sink, Antony looked at his reflection. He didn’t look too bad; just like he’d had a bad night’s sleep. Which was the case; that sofa was probably the most uncomfortable sofa in the World. Stretching out his arms to try and relieve the dull ache in his back, Antony splashed some more water on his face before returning to the main room to get dressed.

  His eyes couldn’t help but be drawn to Desmond, snoring softly in the middle of the bed. He couldn’t deny that Desmond was attractive, and a part of his brain wanted to do nothing more than just jump him. But that wasn’t his mission. Of course, at some point it would be part of his mission, but his main objective was to find out as much as he could about the team Desmond worked for. Then kill him. Desmond was disposable.

  He deliberately turned his back on Desmond as he pulled his socks on. Something wasn’t right. Looking at Desmond, something felt odd inside of him. Antony wondered briefly if he had accidentally had a mouthful of Desmond’s drink, but he’d have known that way before now if he had. No, something was definitely up with him. Maybe he’d had some bad food at the party. Antony shook his head, pushing to his feet. This was stupid, he was a professional, an attractive guy was not going to throw him off this much.

  But as Antony turned to face Desmond again that weird feeling in his stomach returned.

  Antony folded his arms. What was he doing? What was his brain trying to put him through? Antony shook his head, moving to climb on the bed beside Desmond. He didn’t do love at first sight, that shit totally did not exist. He didn’t do love at all. His occupation didn’t have time for love, especially with the opposition. Desmond may have fallen head over heels off the cliff but Antony wasn’t going to follow him. Unrequited love was exactly how this was supposed to happen: Desmond was supposed to love him, sure, but Antony didn’t return those feelings. His body must just be going through some weird phase… He’d eaten some bad food at the party.

  Nothing that he’d told Desmond was true apart from his name. The story about driving trucks with his father when he was younger, the story about the old hotel he played in with his sister, and none of it was true. The hotel existed by Antony had no inclination to ever go near it. It was creepy and spooky and a homeless man had decided to take shelter in it. But all the things Desmond was falling in love with him for, it was all false. And Antony knew that everything Desmond had told him was a lie. He’d read them in his “Tony Harrison” persona file.

  But was everything Desmond had said false? All the things about his childhood, everything he’d said about his family and how much he misses them because his job forced him to move away from home. Was that all a lie? Antony didn’t read that in Desmond’s case report.

  Antony shook his head. Desmond was supposed to tell him the truth. Desmond was supposed to be falling in love with him. So long as Antony lied and didn’t fall in love with Desmond everything was going to plan. Ignoring whatever his body was feeling (still blaming it on bad food at the party), Antony curled into Desmond’s embrace, tucking the man’s arm around him and resting on his chest.

  Antony ignored the fluttery feeling in his chest; probably just indigestion. He ignored Desmond’s scent that was surrounding him; it was just a smell, nothing that made him want to curl closer to the man he was laying on. He ignored the way he fit perfectly against Desmond; that was just the way they were laying, complete coincidence. Antony ignored every red flag or sign his body was trying to give him as he closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep and waiting to feel Desmond move beneath him.

  The soft lips on his forehead made him jump.

  “Sorry… Didn’t mean to wake you…” Desmond’s voice sighed from above Antony, slightly rough with sleep. “Best night’s sleep I’ve had in a while.” Desmond smiled, beginning to move as he stretched out his stiff limbs. Antony’s eyes were wide in fear, his hand in a vice tight fist resting on Desmond’s chest. Oh no… Desmond hooked a finger under Antony’s chin, tipping his head up so they were looking in each other’s eyes. Desmond’s eyes were echoing the smile that was plastered on his face and Antony couldn’t stop his subconscious urge to mirror the expression. “Morning.” Desmond beamed.

  Antony was most definitely in trouble.

  - - - -

  “I don’t know why you just didn’t let him beat him into the ground.” Jody muttered under his breath, stood at the side of the room with Stuart. Desmond paced around a seated Antony - whose hands were bound behind the chair - in the middle of the room, listening intently.

  “How would we get answers if he’s dead.” Stuart shrugged, his eyes never leaving Desmond.

  “What the fuck do answers matter? Two of them are dead, we’d just be killing a third. We already know who we need to target. What can he give us?”

  “Henson seems to think he has some information for us.”

  “Henson wants to know why Desmond didn’t see this.” Jody corrected. Stuart swallowed uncomfortably.

  “Clearly you’re not very good at your job.” Desmond said, talking over whatever Antony was saying. Antony frowned at him.

  “What makes you think that?”

  “That meeting was seven years ago. That was the night we met.”

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t want to break it to you but I’m still here to tell the tale.”

  “Because did not want to kill you.” Antony pressed. Desmond rolled his eyes.

  “Don’t tell me you’re one for love at first sight?” Desmond mocked. Antony looked at his feet.

  - - -

  Two weeks later…

  “Antony, you are supposed to be all over this guy!” Lorenzo raged, slamming his fist on the desk between them. Antony kept his eyes locked on the desk. He refused to admit that he may have feelings for Desmond. That was not part of the mission nor something that he should be entertaining. That’s why he’d been staying away; he didn’t want his body to betray him and compromise his whole mission. “It has been two weeks.”

  “It’s not easy to bump into…”

  “You have his number so you call it. And you arrange to meet up with him!” Lorenzo snarled. “You are supposed to be all over this. We trained you for years for this mission. We need their information!”

  “I know…” Antony muttered, fiddling with his jeans. He was scared. He was scared of the feeling he had felt in that hotel room. What if his body had betrayed him? What if he had actually fallen in love with the man he was supposed to kill? How in the hell was he supposed to kill the man he loved? The only person who had really made his heart skip a beat?

  “You call him. Now. You meet him and you get me some new information.” Lorenzo ordered sharply, pointing towards the door. Antony got up without a word, moving swiftly from the office. He’d taken two steps when a hand curled around his wrist, pulling him into another room. Soft lips found his before he could utter a word. The kiss was brief, just as it always was when they were at work.

  “Why are you stalling?” Michelle asked gently, his hands soothingly cupping Antony’s face. Antony couldn’t look him in the eye. His newly discovered potential feelings didn’t only have huge ramifications for the mission but also his relationship with his partner. “Antony, have done this before, is only six months. I know is your job. Would never hold anything against you. Is what you have to do.” Michelle soothed, kissing Antony’s forehead. It made Antony feel worse. It reminded him of when Desmond had kissed his forehead. Of how perfect that morning had been. He kept his eyes on the floor, trying to push the idea of replacing Michelle with Desmond from his mind.

  “We have set them bait.” Michelle said, enc
ouraging Antony to look up at him. Antony frowned at Michelle, genuinely confused about what the Italian was going on about. “They will be there, he will be there. They think there is a mission, they think we will be there and they are going to try again like they did at the hotel. You bump into him, distract him, you get him alone, leave him wanting more then he will come for you. Then… Then you never do anything but your job and everything in the next six months is on him.” Michelle promised, pulling Antony into a tight hug. “Six months and is all over. Is just six months.” Michelle cooed, trying to reassure Antony.

  But it wasn’t working. Antony was faced with this situation again. The feelings he felt for Desmond rearing to the surface. How could he have done this? How could he had fallen in love with the man he was supposed to kill? He didn’t even know him! He’s met him for five seconds, how could his body have come to this conclusion?

  No. He couldn’t love Desmond. And just to prove it he was going to complete the mission he had been given.

  - - -

  Three days later…

  The plan had worked to every cross on the Ts and the dots on the Is. Antony had once again pulled Desmond off his mission and within a few hours of leaving him his phone was alight with messages from Desmond begging him to still be in town. It was just Antony and him now, in a moment that Antony knew was brewing. If he was to keep Desmond interested for a full six months then he needed something that kept Desmond coming back for more. Antony paced nervously as he waited for the three knocks on the door, eyes flicking to the various points in the room he knew were hiding cameras.

  Antony knew the cameras weren’t there for him but for the meeting that had taken place in this room mere hours ago. He knew however they would be observing, a precaution put in place in case something was disclosed during their exploits that Antony missed having been too caught up in the moment. Antony just hoped Michelle wasn’t in the observation room. With their relationship a secret from the rest of the team there was a chance Michelle was going to be the one to have to sit and watch this.

  Antony pushed the thought out of his mind as the three knocks came at the door. Antony was never nervous, but right now his palms were sweating. Glancing one last time at the flowerpot on the desk, Antony tried to dry his hands on his jeans before moving over to the door.

  Desmond smiled naturally as his face came into view. No words were shared as he stepped into the room, eyes scanning the area. From behind Desmond’s back, Antony took one last deep breath before settling into character. This was his mission: that was why he was doing it. Not because of this bizarre and highly annoying attraction he appeared to have for the man exploring his room.

  “Very nice.” Desmond nodded as Antony closed the door. “Seems they like to keep you in palaces.”

  Antony shrugged, leaning against the wall. “Home of the rich and famous.”

  “You kept it quiet.” Desmond stated, his arms behind his back and his body very open. Antony resisted the temptation to take in Desmond underneath the linen polo shirt he was sporting.

  “Not really.”

  “I didn’t realize you meant this.” Desmond said, moving closer to Antony. He resisted the urge to fold his arms. He wasn’t supposed to be acting defensive, he was supposed to want Desmond, and even though he was fighting every inch of his body that was screaming he did want Desmond.

  Antony’s breath stuttered when Desmond brushed his hair behind his ear.

  “We don’t have to do this now.” Desmond muttered, his voice gentle. It made Antony look up into his eyes, feel like what Desmond was saying was genuine. He clutched onto every word like it was the most precious thing being spoken to him. “I wasn’t lying when we first met. You’re different to anyone else I’ve ever seen, Antony. You make me feel things I didn’t think possible. I would wait years for you if you wanted me to.” Desmond said. Antony pushed into Desmond’s hand on his cheek.

  As much as every cell in his body wanted to wait, wanted to take it slow with Desmond and see how Desmond wooed him over time, discover everything that made Desmond who he is and at the same time discover everything about himself as well, he couldn’t. He didn’t have time to be courted by Desmond. He shouldn’t even be entertaining the idea. Desmond was here to be killed, so there was no point falling in love with him.

  Antony pushed up onto his toes, placing one hand on Desmond’s shoulder to stabilize himself as he lined his lips up against Desmond’s ear.

  “Have thought about nothing but you since the moment we met.” Antony purred, letting his voice curve into a soft moan to make sure his intentions were clear. It was like something snapped in Desmond as the sweet, caring guy was gone in a flash. In an instant, Desmond had Antony pinned up against the wall, teeth clashing as they hungrily tried to get hands on every part of each other. Antony grabbed at Desmond’s ass, pulling it into his hips until their groins connected. The moan Desmond let pour from his mouth had Antony turning to mush against the wall, his head thudding back in surrender as Desmond’s lips chased down his neck.

  Desmond wasted no time getting skin on skin contact. His hands were dancing up the inside of Antony’s shirt, pressing hot palms into his warm skin. Antony’s senses were alight as his body gave into Desmond, weakly holding onto the taller man’s shoulder to make sure he stayed on his feet. It was too much for Antony to focus on at once; his body and mind were already Desmond’s as he just tried to keep up with what was happening.

  As soon as Desmond’s lips had hit his, the primal and biological urge that had him desiring Desmond since that morning consumed his body. All thoughts were out the window as he sought the pleasure he desired with the man he’d been fantasizing about for weeks. He hadn’t realized how strong his desire for Desmond was. He’d been trying so hard to persuade himself that it was nothing he hadn’t realized how much Desmond had already climbed under his skin.

  Pushing off the wall, Antony forced Desmond backwards until the other man’s arms wrapped around his waist. Antony’s fingers were making fast work of the buttons on Desmond’s shirt as he clawed desperately at the material to reveal the taunt torso he thought about every time he closed his eyes. The situation was what it was and Antony knew he had to be invested in the moment to make Desmond want more. He was letting himself indulge it what appeared to be an all-powering crush.

  Desmond broke their intense kiss momentarily to pull Antony’s shirt over his head. The material slipped out of Antony’s peripheral vision and out of sight as Desmond dipped his head, sucking his nipple into his mouth. The pant of Desmond’s name that slipped out of his mouth was completely unintentional. His mind had let the word slip passed his lips before he had a chance to stop it.

  Tangling his fingers in Desmond’s hair, Antony panted hard as Desmond sank lower down his body. Desmond slowed; kissing light feathery kisses along Antony’s waistband as his fingers hovered over the button of his jeans. Antony caught sight of Desmond looking up at his through half lidded eyes.

  “If you want to stop at any point-” Desmond started.

  “Don’t you dare stop.” Antony moaned, his hand tightening in Desmond’s hair. The soft kisses were gone in a moment as Antony was exposed to the room. He threw all inhibitions to the wind as Desmond’s lips slowly broke over the flushed head of his cock. Desmond slowly took more and more of him into his mouth, Antony felt himself holding his breath as the hot heat surrounded him. He couldn’t move. It had been too long since his body had succumbed to this much pleasure. In fact, his body may have never succumbed to this much pleasure before. Desmond was doing things with his tongue that were indescribable. Antony couldn’t move for the pleasure that was engulfing his entire system.

  Desmond shoved Antony’s jeans and pants down to the floor as he started to bob his head against Antony. It was when Antony felt a damp tip at his entrance he had to grab hold of Desmond’s wrist to stop him. Desmond looked up at him, popping Antony out of his mouth.

  “No?” Desmond panted, a hint of disappoin
tment in his eyes. Antony panted, shaking his head.

  “If you do…. Will come…” Antony breathed. He had to bite down hard on his lip as he looked down at the debauched mess Desmond was between his legs, looking up at him like he would happily do nothing but suck his cock for the rest of his life. A smug smirk played at Desmond’s lips.

  “That good, eh? I haven’t even started yet.” Desmond beamed. Antony wanted to wipe that smile right off his face. Holding Desmond’s hair tighter, Antony pushed his cock back into Desmond’s mouth, using his hold on the other man to force him to take all of him down at a rapid rate. Desmond moaned around Antony, but Antony wasn’t willing to surrender again that easily. Forcing his cock as deep into Desmond’s mouth as he could, Antony felt slightly triumphant as Desmond began to struggle with the pace and girth of him. He released the tightness of his hold from Desmond’s hair, allowing the man the possibility to push off him if he needed too. But Desmond remained firmly in place as Antony fucked his mouth, lapping happily at his cock as it was thrust into his face.

  “Okay.” Desmond panted, getting a hold on Antony’s hips to stop the motion. Antony glanced down at Desmond, barely aware the man was moving. “I need you.” Desmond muttered, kissing Antony as he pulled his clothes off. Antony already felt wasted, nodding submissively. He sucked a finger into his mouth and reached round behind himself as Desmond led him to the bed. “Oh, no.” Desmond grabbed his wrist, causing Antony to frown at him. “I need you.” Desmond stressed, bringing Antony’s hand to his own mouth and sucking the digit between his lips. Antony’s eyes grew wide at the implication. “Please.” Desmond implored, looking deeply into Antony’s eyes. Antony grabbed the back of Desmond’s neck with his free hand, bringing him down for a kiss. As they kissed, he snuck his hand around behind Desmond, his finger slipping between the cheeks.

  Desmond slipped from his hold, lying himself out on the bed with his ass in the air, offering himself up to Antony. Antony wasted no time, quickly pulling open the bedside drawer to collected the supplies he needed. Tearing the packet of lube open with his teeth, Antony squeezed some between Desmond’s cheeks before lathering up a couple of fingers.