A Place for Cliff

by Talon p. s.

  “Of course not. She comes too.”

  “I—” Cliff swallowed hard. God it seemed too good to be true. He loved Pyotr’s home even better since he would be with him all the time and not have to worry about Kimmi because so would she. “I don’t know I mean I don’t even know how to spring this on her.”

  “I do. So I have invited the two of you to spend the weekend with me. Then Sunday night you can decide with her if you want to stay.”

  Cliff glanced around his room. It wasn’t much, but it was theirs. “What about this place?”

  “Keep it if you like.” Pyotr wouldn’t dare suggest they get rid of it, though it would not please him more to see Cliff stay forever, but he did have to be realistic about this, “You can rent it out to generate some extra income for you and Kimmi. That way it’s always here if you change your mind. Though I hope once you move in you never leave, but there may come a time Cliff, when you will only see an older man—”

  “Stop. I told you I don’t care about that.”

  “Now you don’t, but one day you might.” His fingers went to Cliff’s lips to silence more of the protests, “I’m only trying to say is whatever time I have with you I want us to be all the way. I want you in my life and my home, because I am very much in love with you, draga.”

  Oh god how could he possible say no to this man. He hadn’t just heard the words he could see them in Pyotr’s eyes. He kissed him, soft and tender lazy embraces of their lips as they surrendered to the submersion of relaxation. Cliff rolled over to his back his neck notched into Pyotr’s arm pit with his arm falling heavily across his chest and he stared up at the ceiling just day dreaming of living with Pyotr. And for the first time in a while he had too much energy zipping through him despite their spent sex to doze away before they started up again. He thought about what happened earlier today and about what Sasha had told him. About Pyotr being more father then their own father, as he grew up. Funny how he hadn’t put the two together, but Sasha didn’t look much like Pyotr at all. Not like their brother Pavle, who not only lived with Pyotr, but also worked at Queens General where most of his EMT calls were taken too and saw him often in the ER. Him he could see the genealogy. Pavle looked a lot like Pyotr only lighter colored hair, sable or hazelnut. He grinned that Kimmi’s way of seeing color would just pop into his head all the time.

  Cliff rolled in place feeling too fidgety to lie back any longer and he looked up at the sleepy gaze of his lover, whose eyes smiled back at him. “Your accent is stronger than Sasha’s.”

  “Because I actually grew up in the Republic of Serbia, Sasha was barely five when we came to the United States. I was twenty five at the time.”

  “Tell me more please.”

  “I was born in Čačak. Eventually my father moved us all to Belgrade where there was more work and I attended the University of Belgrade up until the time we left—”

  “Do you ever wonder how your life would have turned out if you didn’t come to the states?”

  “Oh I suppose the time would come and I would have been arrested and publicly executed.”

  Cliff pushed up on his arms, his face filled with the alarm he felt, “Why do you say that?” Cliff couldn’t for the life of him think of any reason why a man like Pyotr would be given a death sentence.

  “Because I was gay and I had an Albanian lover. Our government considered them the dergs of our nation.”

  “What was his name?”

  “Kostandin. He had a sister, Ljena, a few years younger that lived just outside of the city. We’d go there on weekends so we could be together and not be confined to our dorm room. We told everyone I was courting her. So it seemed natural that we were together all the time. In our society men hung with other men, not their wives.”

  “Did you love him?”

  Pyotr closed his eyes a moment just remembering those far off times. “Yes very much so.”

  “Do you think you’ll ever fall in love like that again?”

  Pyotr reached down scooping Cliff up under the arms and pulled him up and wrapped around him. “I believe I already have.”

  They kissed like there was no tomorrow, slow and playful just enjoying that small moment. Cliff dropped his head over Pyotr’s shoulder with his face tucked under the man’s jaw. He could feel sleep coming for them and still his mind raced. “So do you really have eleven brothers and sisters?”

  Pyotr chuckled, “Well there are eleven of us in total. I’m the oldest, then Jovan, Pavle, Darko, Artyom, Trofim, Stanislav, Rury, Sasha then our sisters, who are twins Andjela and Varvara.”

  Cliff now understood why Pyotr’s house was so big. He never understood before why the man needed eleven bedrooms. “So is that why you have such a big house?”

  “Yes. When we first came to New York I walked over neighborhood after neighborhood deciding which ones were suitable to live in. I fell in love with Astoria. I picked out several homes that suited our needs. We grew from one rental home to another as we could afford. Over the years I made friends with the home owners of the houses I had on my list, to make sure if any one of them ever went up for sale I got the first offer to buy.”

  Cliff looked up at him surprised to hear this methodically calculated plan “Are you serious? You really did that?”

  “I had a plan to have a home we all fit in and it had to be in the right neighborhood. Of course by the time I got it, Jovan and Pavle were both married. Artyom was engaged. But it’s here if they ever need to return.”

  “Like Pavle?”

  “Yes, like Pavle.”

  “Do you mind if I ask?”

  “Pavle's ex-wife Maggie is a wonderful woman and they have two great kids, but Pavle is also gay and as much as he loves Maggie he couldn’t stay in the marriage anymore.”

  “But they’re still close?”

  “Absolutely, but she knew from the beginning. So that kinda helped. She use to go on dates and dinner functions with him for appearances. They were best of buddies and they started messing around occasionally and she ended up pregnant so he did what he thought was right. And they had a good life together, but at the same time he was being unfair about his needs. With the boys grown up they both decided it was time to set each other free.”

  “Wow.” Cliff lowered his cheek down over Pyotr’s chest. But then he remembered the favor to Sasha and jumped out of the bed. He found the pile of clothes in the middle of the floor and fished out the bandage then crawled back into Pyotr’s arms and handed it over.

  Pyotr took the bandage and held it up thoughtfully. “Sasha?”

  “Ah- humm-” Cliff hummed nodding into Pyotr’s shoulder.

  Pyotr let a smile come over him. His arms tightened around Cliff, curling around him completely and kissed his head. They snuggled into each other and were soon drifting into sleep. Now everything seemed perfect.

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

  Pyotr and Cliff were both up getting ready for work, which seemed to take longer than their normal routine did when they weren’t together as they often stopped just to kiss or tease playfully.

  “So will I ever get to meet them?” Cliff looked up watching Pyotr with his final grooming touches including a splash of day scent cologne.

  “Meet who? My brothers and the girls?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I most definitely expect them to honor me by coming to meet you.” Pyotr was matter of fact as he made the comment. But it struck Cliff as an odd thing to say.

  “What do you mean by honor you?”

  “I’m the papa by proxy; I laid my life aside to raise them all with the exception of Jovan and Pavle. But I still carried them through college since both pretty much had to start all over again. So when I call on them I expect them to respect my wishes.”

  Cliff walked over to him standing close yet hesitated just out of arms length, “This is a cultural thing, isn’t it?”

  Pyotr turned his face drawn in a serious expression, “In part yes. But I also raised them all to respect
family and the bond. We don’t leave each other. We don’t turn our backs to each other. That includes our extended family as well.” Pyotr closed the gap between them and wrapped around Cliff, “You and Kimmi are my family. They will come honor me.” Pyotr kissed his young lover with a slow lingering of his lips then moved for his overnight bag and throwing it over his shoulder. “Now. I will come get you and Kimmi after work. Be packed and ready then we'll go out for dinner before going home. I have training in the mornings both Saturday and Sunday but the rest of the day it will just be the three of us. So if there’s anything special she wants to do then that’s what we’ll do.”

  Cliff right away let out an incredulous expression, “Oh god! Just don’t say the word anything to her. Ever since Diesel got us internet her head has swelled with all kinds of ideas.”

  Pyotr let out a laugh, grabbed Cliff’s hand and towed him upstairs. Kimmi was already in the kitchen with a bowl of oatmeal and her morning tea. He looked at Cliff then back to Kimmi, “Anything, Kimmi.” He proffered a wry grin like he was leaking out the secret answers to win with.

  “Wha-?” her eyes shot from Pyotr’s to her brother and back again.

  “What did I tell you?” Cliff tried to scold Pyotr knowing damn well he could only get off with playful scoffing.

  Pyotr only grinned, yanking on Cliff’s arm pulling him against him and kissed him hard against the lips. “It's my treat. So anything she wants.”

  Cliff pushed off shooting him a scowl. “You’re gonna spoil her. I can see it already.”

  Pyotr laughed as he leaned out and planted a kiss on the top of Kimmi’s head as he passed her and headed out for work.

  Kimmi gave her brother a perplexed expression, despite the amused curl in her lips and the light that showed in her eyes. A light that had scarcely existed over the years. “What was that about?”

  “Nothing.” Cliff mumbled, pulling a dish down for his own breakfast, “What are you doing today?”

  Kimmi shrugged, “Library for the teen group.”

  “They picking you up or are you taking the bus?”

  “Picking up.”

  “Okay but don’t stay out all day. We’re gonna stay the weekend at Pyotr’s. So we have to pack.”

  Kimmi’s eyes lit up. As if there was room for more sparkles in there somewhere. He shook his head. He could tell already they were gonna have to start looking for boxes.”

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

  CHAPTER FIVE

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

  Just last weekend they’d had the little family outing which had consisted of a concert in Central Park and shopping. Lots of it. This weekend Pyotr had plans for dinner with some work associates so rather than stay at home pacing the house anxiously, Cliff decided to hit Club Pain for a night. He hadn’t been there in a while and was missing the crowd.

  He caught Gina just as she was heading out and she agreed to come by and pick him up. The ride there felt awkward

  “You know I’m really glad you called, I’ve been in the mood to be a naughty slave girl. So after I’ve been good some we can go back to your place and you’ll let me be bad to you.” she nearly hummed her excitement at him. Not at all questioning whether he was actually game for it.

  Cliff swallowed hard and glanced out the window. He felt the pang of regret twist in his gut. It even annoyed him that she was just assume he’d be up for it, but then he never actually played hard to get on the few times they got together. He was always up for whatever crossed their minds, but now it was different and he had Pyotr.

  Pyotr—the man’s face popped in his head. Would he be pissed if he found out he’d gone out to the club without telling him? It wasn’t like he’d done it purposely, Pyotr was already out for the evening when he got the idea. How would he have let him know? Okay so he could have called or text, but that would be rude. Pyotr was with friends of his own.

  Cliff ran his fingers threw his hair, pulling tuffs of it straight up til it stung and dropped his hands back to his lap. He could feel every nerve in his body start to jitter. He was fucking up somehow. He wasn’t in the right place. And for the first time in as long as he could remember he began to fret uneasily.

  Gina didn’t even notice as she pulled off the over pass onto Delancey Street taking them toward Club Pain. That’s how intuitive she was. That or she just didn’t care. Pyotr would have already pulled the car over and they would sit until he was ready to talk.

  Pyotr. Cliff knew he wasn’t where he was supposed to be. He was supposed to be with Pyotr and while he would like to go to the club he wanted to do it with Pyotr. Panic was setting in now. If he stayed with Gina it would be cheating. He hadn’t done anything, but she was already expecting something from him and if he didn’t get away now the questionability of how the night would end would not look good.

  His eyes flickered to the girl as she pulled the car into a parking space in the garage. Without a moment’s hesitation she was out of the car and heading for the stairs. He meant nothing to her. He was just a thing, not that any of it mattered he’d only wanted a ride, but the abrasion was enough to remind him in a harsh manner he was in the wrong place and it would cost him the one man that did matter.

  Cliff got out but when his feet hit the sidewalk he stopped and watched as Gina disappeared through the doors of the club. He stood staring at them blankly. He liked it in there. Liked the people and what it offered, even if he had not gotten to truly experience its offers, but now he wanted Pyotr more then he wanted what was behind those doors. A stinging wind swept down the street and brushed his cheeks delivering a chill through his long coat that was meant more for show then warmth. It wasn’t supposed to drop under the sixties but in the city it always felt colder. He gripped its lapel and closed it around him. Thankful for its trench coat length at least. It was going to be a long cold walk home, but a punishment he deserved. And with that he turned and started walking.

  ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

  Pyotr was glad to finally be freed of his company. The dinner meal had been good, but afterwards he found himself hustled into joining them at the Pink Flesh Club, a local strip club. It was only in his favor that he happened to know the owner Dane Masters and was able to show off a little to boost the guy’s faith in him to hang and let loose.

  But the whole thing was scorching to his personal appetite. Rather than watching the girls as they danced around, peeling away layers of already skimpy attire as the dollars made their way into their garters, Pyotr watched the men watching them. Seeing for the first time beyond perfunctory observation.

  It was fascinating really, take a group of men and place them in the company of a pretty naked girl and all manners of civility vanished. The way they carried on was beyond just complete civil disabling. They were worse than a locker full of naked gay men when boundaries were set aside agreeable from all participants.

  The girls, how they tolerated such ruthful behavior was a wall of mental defense he had built his career around breaking through. Now he was watching it being built. He glanced about eyeing the changed behavior when a man was alone and his attitude toward his subject of arousal changed. Lust burned much hotter in them, rather than a game of boisterous rudeness, the man’s mind was often consumed with acquisition on how to seduce the woman to come home with him either by words, a glance of finger tips to her thighs or just out right offering more money.

  Fascinating yet abhorring.

  After two and a half hours and four rounds of drinks he was finally able to excuse himself from the fun on excuses that he had practice 8am sharp and said his goodbyes.

  He’d just turned onto Houston to take to 2nd avenue, when he spotted a familiar shape walking down the other side of the street. Only he wasn’t alone.

  Pyotr wasted no time jerking the car to cut across the several lanes of Houston street and up on the curb just feet away from the five men crowding in on Cliff who was doing all he could to keep his back from being steered towards the brick wall of a nearby
building. Barely setting the car in park before he jumped out and approached the five men. “What seems to the problem here boys?”

  “Piss off old man. This is none of your business.”

  “Oh but that would be where you are wrong. This is my business—run along before you get a lesson from me.” Pyotr for all his calm responded fiercely like a man not to be reckoned with, but the punks weren’t going to give in so easily.”

  “You’re gonna give me a lesson will ya? I’ll show you.” the bolder of the five started to push his coat sleeve up, but the flash of an arm was the ending to that.

  Pyotr’s fist came up and down like a sledge hammer into the man’s face and in the blink of an eye the young man was on the ground out cold.

  “What the fuck?” one of the others cursed, but kept cautiously back despite his home boy on the ground.

  “Talk of fighting is a waste of time. Let us just commence, any one of you ready?” Pyotr held out his arms. Pumped and primed to bash the next contender. Cliff just stared on with a gaping expression. He managed to get a few stories of growing up from Sasha, some of which were of how Pyotr would whip some of the boys in the neighborhood into shape. But those stories didn’t come close to what he was seeing just now.

  Pyotr was the arcane hero, complete with buff body that you secretly whacked off to as a boy. And suddenly he turned and stared straight at him, some carnal fire burning in his eyes now. Pyotr walked for him slow and cautious like he was fighting his own control just then. Cliff could only gape and his eyes followed Pyotr’s hand as it reached out to clap his shoulder then moved him firmly for the car.

  Without a word they were driving off down the street then he pulled into a small parking lot of a nearby quickie store, “Wait here. I’ll only be a minute.” And he jumped out running into the corner mart.

  Cliff didn’t say a word. Hell he wasn’t sure what to say. He was afraid Pyotr was mad at him to tell the god’s truth. Disappointed that he turned out to be nothing more than just some runt kid who needed to be rescued. His hand flashed to his hair raking and tugging at it again. How could he have been so fucking stupid? First time he runs off on his own not thinking it through, may have very well cost him everything he wanted to keep in his life.