by Kelsey Hodge
“I’ll be gentle,” he says. I feel a finger at my hole, slowly pushing into me. I wince in pain for a second and wait for the pleasure to hit. Lorenzo must have seen the wince because he shifts, and my cock is in his mouth, hitting the back of his throat. The pain of his finger inside me is forgotten as the pleasure of his mouth takes over.
“Oh God, that’s good. Want you inside me.” He lets go of my cock with a pop.
“Have to get you ready.” I feel another finger added, my hole stretching around him. He eases his fingers in and out, and it feels so good. He crooks his fingers and hits my prostate.
“Argh, right there,” I tell him, but he knows already. “Need you inside please.” I need more than his fingers.
“You need more prep. Don’t want to hurt you.”
Panting, I say, “Just do it. I can take it.” Just as I think he’ll protest, he removes his fingers, making me feel empty for a second. I hear him squeeze the lube bottle and picture him covering his cock. Then he raises my legs again, and I feel the tip of his cock at my entrance. Slowly, he pushes inside me. He goes inch by inch, pausing every now and then so I can adjust to him. It’s too slow. I need him inside me, so I push down on him with all I have. He’s inside me, and it feels so good.
“Oh God, you’re so tight,” Lorenzo says breathlessly and then moves. His cock sliding in and out feels so good, but he’s still gentle.
“Harder,” I tell him and am pleased when he picks up the pace, slamming into me. I’ve never been very vocal in the bedroom, and Lorenzo has never minded my body language and facial expressions giving me away. So, when I arch my back, he knows I’m getting close. He ups his tempo again, hitting my prostate with every thrust. “So close,” I tell him, but he knows. On the next thrust in, he takes my cock in his hand and pumps me. This added sensation pushes me over the edge. I come all over his hand and chest. I feel my hole clenching around his cock, and that’s enough to push him over as his orgasm hits him. I feel him filling me up with his cum. He collapses on top of me, not caring about the cum all over my chest. We lie like this for a while, breathing hard and not saying anything, sated and happy. Eventually, he pulls out of me, and I feel the smallest amount of pain. I’ll be sore tomorrow. But it’s so worth it. I hear him in the bathroom and know I should move to clean myself, but I don’t have the energy. I don’t want to leave the post-orgasmic euphoria bubble I’m in. When I feel Lorenzo wipe a cloth over me, I can’t help but smile and breathe out a happy sigh. I hear Lorenzo chuckle to himself as he takes the cloth back into the bathroom. Then he climbs back into bed, lifting my arm, and we’re back into the position that started all this.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” he asks.
“No, it was amazing,” I tell him and pull him close to my side. That’s how we stay, and eventually, Lorenzo’s breathing changes, and he has fallen asleep. I pull him closer to me, being careful not to wake him, and quickly fall asleep myself. With the smile still on my face, I’m no longer thinking about tomorrow.
Chapter 19 – Lorenzo
The following morning, I make my way to the shop to open it for the first time in almost two weeks. I’m not looking forward to the mass of dead flowers I’ll have to deal with or the customers I’ll call to apologize. Thankfully, this week would have been quieter without me being in the shop to take the orders, but I still hate the fact I let some customers down. Being in a world of my own, trying to mentally catalogue everything I want to get done today, I almost miss a sign taped to the inside of the door.
‘CLOSED DUE TO ILL HEALTH. APOLOGIES FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE.’
I initially think Wyatt must have put a sign up for me, but then I remember he doesn’t have keys. The only people that do are Dad and me. I certainly haven’t put a sign up, unless I’ve started to sleepwalk. So, that makes me question who the fuck put the sign on my door. Dad left me for dead, so he won’t try to save the business. My thoughts drift to Frank, but surely this couldn’t be him either, not after he risked his life saving me. The more I think about it, the more confident I become that it must be him. That means I need to find out why he’s doing all this, yet I have no way of contacting him. I’m not going to risk using my new cell, even if I withhold the number. I’ll have to hope he gets in contact with me.
As I unlock the door and open it, I expect to be hit with the smell of dead flowers, but there’s nothing. I close and lock the door behind me and remove the sign, scrunching it up into a ball to throw in the trash. I pause to look around the shop and notice that all the flowers have been removed, even the ones that would have been in the cold storage, which is designed to keep flowers at their best for longer. This means my shop is empty, so I’ll now have to order a whole stock delivery. Suddenly, I wonder if Joe’s will still do business with me, especially because of the connections with Dad. It will be a complete pain to find a new wholesaler if that’s the case.
I make my way to the counter, place my bag on the hook behind me, and open my order book to try to figure out what business I lost and what I have coming up. Deciding to start by looking at my future orders, I’m pleased to see I have nothing for a few days. Then I have a wedding in about a week, so I’ll need to contact the bride and let her know what has happened; I bet she’s panicking. Luckily, it’s a small wedding and not too many flowers need to be ordered. I find the bride’s cell phone and call her. I apologize and promise her that everything will be fine. I tell her to pop in the shop if she has any problems. If not, everything will be delivered on time. I might not have mentioned that I currently don’t have any flowers in my shop, but fingers crossed, that will change by tomorrow.
Realizing that I need to look back over the orders I couldn’t do and see what damage control is required, I open the order book to the day after the attack and see writing underneath each order. It looks like each order has a date and the word ‘EXPLAINED,’ next to it. After the first few days, the words change to ‘EXPLAINED + CANCELLED.’
What the fuck?
It means that whoever put the notice up called all my customers too. This whole situation is getting more bizarre. The only person who I think could do all this is Frank, considering what he has done for me already. I could accept Frank putting a notice on the door but calling customers too? That’s way too much. Not being able to talk to him now is killing me. I need to take my mind off everything. I make a list of all the flowers required to fill my upcoming orders, especially for the wedding in case anything special needs to be ordered. I get so lost in making my list, I jump out of my skin when my cell beeps with a text message. Retrieving my cell from my bag, thinking Wyatt must be texting for an update on how I’m feeling, I’m surprised to see my brother’s name. I decided that after everything we told him yesterday, he could have my number. I made him agree to save it as a fictitious name.
>Dad is acting strange. Going on about how it was a phase in your life. Why is he talking about you in the past tense?
>Remember, Dad thinks they left me for dead. Maybe he doesn’t know I’m alive.
My cell is quiet for a while after I replied to Marco. I guess my statement needed some time to sink in. He has struggled with the information that Dad organized the attack; he can only see the family man he’s portrayed to Marco, not the gangster he is.
>Still cannot believe Dad did that.
I hate that I’ve destroyed Marco’s idea of our dad. He looked up to him and wanted to build a family like ours. Of course I had no idea that the family would have involved two dads. I’m still trying to get used to the notion that Marco is gay. I think about the conversations we’ve missed out on, the support we could have given each other, not to mention the boys we could have talked about. With a chuckle, I wonder what his type is. Everything is settled if I can play matchmaker… Oh, the fun I’ll have… Reality has a way of getting in the way. Just thinking about the future makes me have to deal with today, and I must reply to Marco but decide to choose my words carefully.
>I couldn’t beli
eve it either, but it’s true. Dad is different with you, but please don’t say anything. I want you to be safe.
>This is one gay who’s happy to stay in the closet… for now.
His jokes make me so happy. He’ll be safe. But sadly, his safety comes at the price of his future. I hope that once this is all over, he can be the open person he obviously wants to be and can find someone special to spend the rest of his life with.
I shake my head. I need to get my focus back on work and stop thinking about Marco and Dad. I need to finish my flower order. Otherwise, I’m never going to get the delivery tomorrow, then things will be desperate. Twenty minutes later, I’m pleased that my list is complete, and I make the call to Joe’s Flower Wholesaler.
“Good morning, Joe’s Flower Wholesaler. How can I help?” I’ve always smiled at the greeting, thinking it’s so long winded.
“Hi, this is Lorenzo from Romano’s Flowers. I was looking to place a large flower order.” All I hear is silence, and it goes on for so long, I look at the phone to see if it’s still connected.
“Did you say Lorenzo?” the salesman asks.
“Yes, is there a problem?” I ask.
“No, sir. Can you please hold the line for me?” Before I can reply, I hear the hold music start, and I wonder what the hell is going on.
“Lorenzo?” I hear Joe’s voice. I would know it anywhere even if it sounds surprised to hear my voice.
“Hi Joe.”
“I thought your flower shop had closed?” Joe says to me, and his voice still holds that edge of wonder and confusion to it.
“I’ve been a little unwell the past few weeks, that’s all. Is it okay for me to place an order? I can look elsewhere if it isn’t?” I say to him, so he has the option not to serve me.
“Of course you can place an order. I was surprised to hear from you. What are you looking to order?”
For the next five minutes, I discuss the flowers needed to replace the stock and get confirmation that most of them will be delivered tomorrow. Once I’m happy with that, I then go on to discuss the wedding flowers and what I’ll need later. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed work until I’m doing it again. Everything in my life is coming together better than I thought. Wyatt is back in my life, there are no more lies, and the shop is still going. The only dark spot is my dad, but I’m sure that, with the info I’ve supplied, it won’t be long before they stop him.
I’m so lost in my thought I miss Joe asking me a question until he asks, “Lorenzo, you still there?”
“Sorry, Joe. My head was in the clouds. Did you ask me something?”
Laughing on the other end, Joe says, “I only asked if there was anything else you need.”
Grinning back at him, even though he cannot see me, I say, “No, that’s everything. Thanks, Joe. Bye.”
As I’m about to hang up, Joe suddenly whispers so I can barely hear him, but it sounds like, “Be careful. Please stay safe.” Then the line is disconnected. I stare at the receiver for a while and wonder what the hell he meant by that. Does he know something I don’t? I think back over the conversation we had, seeing if I can pick up any clues. He believed that the shop was closed, but the way he said it was like it was permanently closed. Dad must have said something to him. Maybe he told him I had died, but that wouldn’t tally with what Marco has been saying, but Joe isn’t Marco. He knows the business we’re in. Dad could have told him anything. At least he knows I’m back, and the shop hasn’t closed. He’ll still sell me flowers; I would have hated trying to find another wholesale in New York. Joe’s flowers are the best in the city.
I place my flower list in my order book and store it safely on the shelf so that when the flowers are delivered tomorrow, I can make sure everything I ordered is delivered. Looking around the shop, I decide that the next port of call is to check all the display flower holders. I must make sure they’re clean. I’m feeling energized after my call with Joe. Making my way to the back of the shop that contains a sink, there’s a knock on the door. I had locked it when I came in. That knock must belong to someone I know. The only persons who know I’m working today are Wyatt, Liam, and Marco. With a smile on my face, I turn to the door, but the smile drops when I see the man standing on the other side of the glass.
What the fuck is Frank doing here? I cannot believe I was only just thinking about him, and here he is. I unlock and open the door a few inches, so I hear him, but I don’t offer him to come inside.
“What the fuck are you doing here, Frank?” I say. I add a harsh edge to my voice. I need to make out I’m wary of him.
“Can I come in please?” he asked.
“Why?” I say to him.
“We need to talk, and it’s important. Please, Lorenzo, let me in,” he almost pleads to me, so I open the door wider and let him in.
He goes straight to the back and looks around. I have to wonder what he’s thinking, but then my thoughts drift to why he’s here. The only way I’ll get answers is to ask him.
“Why did you save me?” I say to him as bluntly as possible.
“What!!” he says, and the shock on his face proves to me he hadn’t expected me to say that.
“You heard me,” I say. “Why did you save me? Why did you come to the hospital too?” I watch him clam up, and the tension in his shoulders is visible. I have no idea if he’ll talk to me. I’ll have to say something else to him. “Frank, please. I need to know. Why would you put yourself in so much danger for me?”
My words have affected him. The tension leaves his shoulders. He knows that I understand the danger he put himself in.
“I couldn’t let your dad do that to you. I couldn’t.” That’s the first honest thing Frank has said to me. “I had planned to leave you at the hospital, but then I couldn’t rest. I needed to know you’re safe, so I went back.”
“How long have you known about Wyatt?” I then ask.
“From the beginning,” he says, and it’s my turn to be shocked.
“Do you know what he does?” I ask, hoping to God the answer is no.
“Yes,” he says simply, and I can’t believe it. He’s known all this time and has mentioned nothing to my family. Dad’s reaction to my coming out is genuine, but this leads to more questions. How does he know and why hasn’t he said anything? The questions must have been all over my face. “I wasn’t just employed to be your driver. Your dad also wanted me to follow you. Keep tabs on you. Make sure you were saved. So, I’ve always been close by. I’ve known you’re gay for a long time, and I decided this was information your dad didn’t need to know. I hoped that when the time was right, you would tell him.”
“You’ve been following me?” I couldn’t believe that in all these years, I never spotted him. When I went out, I would always check my surroundings, looking for anybody who might be linked to Dad. Never once did I spot Frank in the background.
“You wouldn’t have. I made sure of that,” he says.
“I don’t understand any of this!”
“I honestly don’t expect you to. I’m employed by your dad, but you were always my priority.”
“Is that why you left the note at the hospital and how you got Wyatt’s number?” This conversation is so strange. I hadn’t expected it from Frank. He has been in danger not for weeks, but years. If Dad finds out he has been withholding information, Frank will be dead. I cannot believe the risks he has taken for me.
“I was there when you went on your first date, and I remember looking at you. I hadn’t seen you that happy, maybe ever, so I made a point of finding out who he was. That was when I discovered he was a cop, and I’ve been afraid for your safety ever since.”
“I never intended it to continue,” I say to him, almost whispering like I’m betraying Wyatt by admitting that. “I couldn’t stop myself. I never told him who I was until the night I was attacked. I used a fake name.”
“I know,” he says. “It was one of the things that put my mind at rest. I also watched your behavior when you
were out and about. You never acted like a couple, and I always saw you watching your surroundings. You were always careful. Until that night—what changed?”
I’m suddenly unsure what to say, but considering what he knows, I may as well go with the truth. “Wyatt found out about me and walked out. I didn’t know if he was coming back, and I decided he was more important than my family.”
“I thought that might be the case.”
“But there’s more,” I say. “We talked about everything. He has my gun. I gave him information to try to bring Dad down.”
“Lorenzo, are you fucking nuts? Why the fuck did you give him your gun?” I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so angry.
“I’m hoping Dad thinks I’m dead.” Pointing around the shop, I say, “I want this shop, and I want Wyatt. I don’t want to be scared that Dad is around every corner, so I gave him my gun, to let him know how serious I am about everything.”
“Can you hear yourself? You aren’t going into hiding, you know? He knows this is your shop, and it won’t take him long to find out you’re back up and running. You’re lucky he doesn’t know your address. For whatever reason, he has never asked me for it. You’ll be on very thin ice.”
“I hope he leaves me alone. That he doesn’t want to risk talking to his gay son. No more hiding. I’m going with being disowned. I never plan on letting Dad back into this shop again,” I tell him, and as I hear the words, I know how delusional they sound.
Frank stares at me as he tries to digest everything I’ve said to him. “He can’t take the shop. That’s legally yours; we know this. I don’t trust him with everything else. You’ll have to be careful. I’ll help—as best as I can.”
“No, Frank!” I tell him. “You’ve risked so much already. “I cannot and won’t ask you to do that.”