No, it couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t. Why would Reese do such a thing? Hank was a vindictive, crazy bastard, trying to stir up shit for his own twisted purposes.
Luca’s gaze landed on the small manila envelope on the coffee table. He would throw the thing away, unopened. Whatever it was, it had to be a lie. It had to be.
He pulled himself to his feet and walked heavily to the table. He felt dizzy and disoriented, as if he’d been smashed in the head with a mallet. He picked up the nasty thing and started with it toward the kitchen, intent on tossing it in the trash.
Yet, he found himself moving toward his laptop. He collapsed onto the chair and opened the envelope with shaking hands. He dumped a small flash drive into his palm. He shouldn’t do this. He should call Reese and tell him what had happened. There had to be some explanation.
He started to reach for his phone, but something stopped him. Instead, he turned the stick over and over in his hands. Knowledge is power. He should at least see what was on the drive. It was probably a total fabrication, created by Hank in a vicious attempt to drive a wedge between Reese and Luca. Whatever was on there, it couldn’t be real.
With a pounding heart, he slid the flash drive into the USB port. There was a single audio file in the directory. He clicked on it and listened.
“Wait. Before you go, let’s be sure we both understand the terms.”
Luca recognized Hank’s deep voice.
“You have two weeks to seduce that computer nerd hiding in the corner, that Luca whatever his name is.”
Luca’s heart hammered painfully in his chest. He remembered now where he’d seen Hank before. He was with Reese that day in the office. At the time, Luca had assumed it was a client. No. No, no, no, no…
“You will record the action and present me with the proof. Once you do that, I’ll hand over the cash. Ten thousand big ones. But if you fuck up and can’t seal the deal, then you agree to be my sex slave for one solid week. Got it?”
There was a sound like a car door opening, along with sudden background noise of traffic.
“Got it.”
Was that Reese’s voice?
“Oh, and Reese?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t fall in love.”
“No chance of that. I don’t even know what the word means.”
The air had slammed out of Luca’s lungs. He was too stunned, too destroyed even to cry. He dropped his head into his hands. “Reese,” he gasped with strangled breath. “Oh, Reese. I trusted you.” Something cracked painfully in his chest.
His heart had broken in two.
Chapter 14
Okay, now he was starting to freak out. Why wasn’t Luca answering his calls or texts?
The presentation yesterday for Stan’s client had gone well, and they’d insisted on taking Reese to dinner afterward. Finally ensconced in his hotel room, he’d called Luca.
The call had gone to voicemail. Reese had left a message, letting Luca know the meeting had gone well, and now he wanted to celebrate on the phone with his sexy Master.
He’d taken a bit of risk, using the word Master, since they were still so new in their exciting exploration of D/s. But each step with Luca had felt so right. It was almost as if Luca became another person when he adopted the mantle of Master. Or no, that wasn’t it. Not another person, but more of himself. He stepped into this awesome comfort zone that his life experience had denied him. The stammer disappeared and the sweet shyness, which Reese found endearing at other times, vanished. Luca’s voice actually deepened, his posture straighter when he took control. And Reese had loved every second of it. It was so different from the rough and tumble play Hank and he had engaged in during their BDSM games.
Yes. That was the difference, in a nutshell. What he was sharing now with Luca wasn’t a game. It was real. For the first time in his life, Reese had found something real. Something they could cherish, nurture and develop together. While the fallout with Hank had been rough, he would do it again in a heartbeat. It had been the necessary next step in finally taking control of his own life. He felt empowered and joyous. Just the knowledge that Luca was in the world made it somehow a brighter place, even when they weren’t together.
“I’m falling in love,” he said aloud. Love. How Hank would laugh, his mouth curling in derision. There’s no such thing as love, he could almost hear Hank saying. But Hank was wrong.
He’d called again after about an hour. Again, it had gone to voicemail.
Maybe Luca had been lost in one of his computer games. Maybe he was working out or in the shower. Maybe he was at the office, so absorbed in a programming issue that he didn’t hear his cell phone.
Reese was disappointed but not worried—not at first. It wasn’t like they had to be in constant communication, even if he would have liked to be. He didn’t need to act like a lovestruck teenager. He would be mature about it all, instead of clingy.
Before bed, he sent a text: Thinking of you, sexy boy. See you tomorrow.
Radio silence.
He’d called again in the morning before his meetings. This time the call had gone instantly to voicemail. Was something wrong with Luca’s phone? No way would Luca ignore two voicemails and a string of texts.
Yes. That was it. His phone was on the blink. The battery was dead. Maybe he didn’t even know Reese was trying to reach him. Okay, no big deal. He’d see him tonight, and they’d get Luca’s phone fixed first thing. Meanwhile, he sent a quick email letting Luca know of the problem with his phone. Since he was constantly on his computer, he’d see that, at least.
Reese kept the email light and breezy, refusing to give in to the niggling feeling that something else might be wrong—something more than just a dead cell phone. He refused to entertain the thought of Luca lying bloodied and battered on the side of the road after some careless driver hit him head-on. Or crumpled naked and broken on the floor of his shower, the water running over his lifeless body after he tripped on a bar of soap…
Okay, this was just stupid. If he was going to be in love—to feel for the first time in decades—he was going to have to toughen up. He mustn’t jump to horrible conclusions every time he couldn’t get in immediate touch with his lover. Everything was sure to be fine. Soon he would be home again and in Luca’s arms, where he belonged.
He arrived back in Denver in the late afternoon. He caught the shuttle to the airport parking lot and climbed into his car, tossing his overnight bag on the seat beside him.
Initially, he’d planned to stop at his place to shower and shave but he was too worried now about Luca’s complete lack of communication to consider that. He drove as fast as he dared from the airport to Luca’s apartment, telling himself all the while that everything was fine. In a few minutes, he would see Luca again, and all would be right with the world.
When he pulled into the parking lot, he saw Luca’s car in its spot. Phew. At least he hadn’t been in an accident. He parked in a visitor space and leaped from the car, his heart pumping with anticipation. He race-walked to Luca’s front door and rang the bell. How long until they exchanged keys? Or moved in together? Maybe they could talk about it soon, though he didn’t want Luca to feel pressured.
He had to chuckle at himself. He and Hank had never lived together. They’d never wanted to, each too jealous of “his space” to consider it. He could almost hear Hank saying, “Who the hell is this guy, and what’s he done with Reese Armstrong?” But maybe, like Luca, Reese, too, was becoming his real self. Maybe that was what love was—being your real self with someone. Taking that risk, and having it rewarded with trust and love in return.
He waited a few seconds and then a few more. Luca didn’t come to the door. Had he gone out for a run or something? “Luca?” he called through the door. “It’s Reese. Are you there?”
This time he heard something. He stepped back, smiling broadly at the peephole, his body tingling in anticipation of Luca’s embrace.
The door didn’t open.
“Go away,” Luca called from the other side.
Reese couldn’t have heard that right. “What? I can’t hear you. Open the door, for chrissakes!”
The locked snicked and the doorknob turned. Finally! The door opened inward and there stood Luca. He looked awful, his clothing rumpled, his hair a tangled mess falling into a face that was drawn and haggard, a frown tugging down the corners of his mouth.
“Oh, my god. What is it? What’s happened?” Reese cried, concern overtaking confusion.
“Fuck you,” Luca spat.
“What?” The words hit Reese like a blow, and he staggered back from their impact.
Luca was breathing hard. His face was flushed. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides. Something had happened. Something horrible.
“Please, Luca.” Reese stepped forward and Luca started to close the door. Shocked, Reese blocked it with his shoulder. He felt dizzy with confusion and despair. “What’s going on?” he begged, his voice cracking. “Please tell me.”
To his relief, Luca stepped back from the door, though he didn’t let Reese in. He grimaced in an imitation of a smile. “I bet you’re really p-p-proud of yourself, huh? S-s-scored another notch on your f-f-fucking belt. D-d-did you even go to Austin, you f-f-fucking liar? Or did you s-s-spend the night at Hank’s place, having a g-g-good laugh at the loser nerd while you c-c-counted your f-f-fucking winnings?”
Everything slowed as the world spun off its axis and into the void.
Hank.
That fucking bastard had to be at the bottom of this. “You don’t want to cross me. I’ll make you very, very sorry.”
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Luca was glaring at him, his nostrils flaring with rage.
Somehow Reese made his mouth work. “No. No, it’s not like that. Hank came here, didn’t he? Whatever he said, he’s a fucking liar.”
Tears filled Luca’s eyes, and Reese longed to take him into his arms and kiss them away. “You’re the one who’s lying. J-j-just get out of here, okay? I d-d-don’t want to s-s-see you. Get the f-f-fuck out of here.” A tear ran down his face. He wiped it roughly away.
Hank must have told Luca about the bet. God only knew how he’d spun the story to make Reese out to be a monster. Hank could never stand to lose. Damn it. If only Reese had found the courage before now to tell Luca about that stupid bet. Now he’d never believe him, no matter what he said.
But he had to try. He had to.
“Listen. Please. I can explain.”
Luca started to push the door closed again but Reese couldn’t let him.
“No, wait. Please. Please, hear me out. You were right back when you picked up on my bullshit at lunch that first day. And I was still playing when I came by your place that first evening. But after that, Luca—after that, it was all me. No games. I swear to god. I told Hank I wasn’t going through with the bet. I told him I was done with those games. I swear it. On my life, I swear it.”
Luca stared at him for several long moments, while Reese’s heart hung precariously in the balance. Then Luca reached into his jeans pocket. He threw the small object directly at Reese. It bounced off his chest and fell to the ground between them.
As Reese bent to retrieve it, Luca slammed the door and slid the deadbolt home. His hand shaking, Reese picked up what appeared to be a memory stick. Confused, he slipped the bit of metal and plastic into his pocket and then rang the doorbell again.
“Please, Luca. Please, open the door. Let’s talk this through. Please.”
He waited several agonizing seconds, to no avail. Desperate, he banged on the door with his fist, but there was no response. This couldn’t be happening. It just could not be happening. Reese let his forehead fall to the door, tears of frustration and rage pricking his eyelids. He stayed in that position for several long moments, unable to move, unable to think. He felt weak and sick, as if he’d been kicked in the balls.
Finally, he managed to walk to his car on leaden legs. He climbed inside and collapsed against the seat. Dropping his head to the steering wheel, he began to cry. Wrenching sobs racked his body so that he could barely breathe. Even while crying, a part of his mind—the cold, analytical part—noted that he hadn’t cried in years. In decades. Not since…
He banged his head against the wheel, welcoming the pain, sobbing all the while. Finally, no tears left, he reached for the box of tissues he kept on the floor behind the passenger seat. He wiped his face and blew his nose. He stared out the front window for a long time, lost in a daze of misery.
Something was poking unpleasantly at his hip. Digging his hand into his pocket, he pulled out the memory stick Luca had thrown at him. He stared at it for several seconds. Then he reached for his briefcase from the back and pulled it onto the passenger seat. He opened it and removed his laptop. Lifting the lid, he booted it up and slid the memory stick into the USB port. With a trembling finger, he clicked on the single file contained on the flash drive.
Hank’s voice issued from the computer’s speaker. “Wait. Before you go, let’s be sure we both understand the terms. You have two weeks to seduce that computer nerd hiding in the corner, that Luca whatever his name is. You will record the action and present me with the proof. Once you do that, I’ll hand over the cash. Ten thousand big ones. But if you fuck up and can’t seal the deal, then you agree to be my sex slave for one solid week. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“Oh, and Reese?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t fall in love.”
“No chance of that. I don’t even know what the word means.”
Horrified, Reese jerked the stick from the drive and hurled it across the car. “Hank,” he growled. “I’ll kill you. I’ll fucking kill you.”
He drove like a lunatic, nursing his rage as he tore through the streets of Denver and toward Hank’s fancy neighborhood. Anger was easier to bear than sorrow, and he gave his fury full rein, shouting curses and banging the steering wheel as he drove. He pulled up to the guard’s booth at the gates and managed a wave to the guard, one that he recognized.
The guard nodded and pressed the button to allow the gates to swing slowly inward. Reese drove through, slowing as he went over the speed bumps of Hank’s gated community. He screeched into Hank’s driveway and leaped out of the car. He rang the doorbell, jabbing it sharply several times in succession as he bounced angrily on the balls of his feet.
Julio pulled open the door. He wore an apron and there was a spot of flour on his nose. “Oh, Mr. Reese, there you are. Mr. Hank just left. I’m not sure when he’ll be back, but I know he’s been very eager to see you.”
“I’ve been out of town. He decided to destroy my life while I was gone,” Reese said through clenched teeth. Luca’s face, twisted with rage and pain, loomed in his mind’s eye in that second before he’d slammed the door. In spite of himself, a small cry of despair escaped Reese’s lips, tears flooding his eyes. He looked down, furiously wiping away the tears before they could spill.
“Oh, Mr. Reese,” Julio said sympathetically. “Please, come inside. I have fresh chocolate chip cookies just out of the oven.”
“I don’t want cookies,” Reese growled. “I want to see that fucking bastard, Hank.”
Julio sighed, shaking his head. “Things are getting very difficult these days, Mr. Reese. Mr. Hank has been acting muy loco. He’s been very angry with you for ignoring his calls. He is not happy you are seeing the new guy instead of him. When I went in to tidy his den this morning, he’d left information about the young man up on his computer screen.”
“Information?” Reese snapped, looking up sharply at Julio.
“Contact information. Email and address and the like. Mr. Hank doesn’t see me as more than his houseboy and occasional toy”—Julio actually blushed at this admission, not that it was news to Reese—“but I see things, I hear things…”
Reese k
new that was true. Though Hank had always treated “the help” as if they were little more than furniture, this houseboy seemed different than the typical vacuous pretty boys Hank liked to employ. Julio was very observant and smarter than he pretended.
“He went over there,” Reese blurted. “He went to see Luca and filled his head with all kinds of poison. He told him…” Reese drew in a deep breath. Hot tears again burned his eyelids, his heart seizing with pain as he desperately tried to hold himself together.
Julio stepped forward and put his arm gently around Reese’s shoulders. “Come in a moment, por favor.”
Julio’s gentle touch broke through the last of Reese’s reserves, and the tears flowed, misery nearly overwhelming him. He allowed Julio to lead him inside and to the kitchen. Julio seated Reese at the table and brought him a plate of warm, fragrant cookies and a glass of cold milk.
Julio sat across from Reese and said gently, “You are in pain, Mr. Reese. Maybe talking about it will help you to feel better.”
“We did an awful thing, Julio,” Reese whispered. “We made this stupid bet. It wasn’t the first time, but it’s definitely the last time.” Haltingly, he confided in Julio about what they’d agreed to, shame washing over him as he shared the sordid details.
“Until I met Luca, I was like Hank. We didn’t treat these guys like people. They were just toys to use and then toss away. But it was different this time. Something changed. Really, it’s been changing for a while now, but falling for Luca Hartman really made it clear to me how destructive and damaging our behavior was, even if the guy in question never knew he was being played. I wanted nothing to do with that stupid bet, the money be damned. I didn’t go through with it. I couldn’t. Luca is a wonderful man. He’s the best thing that ever happened to me. But now he won’t talk to me. He won’t even open the door to let me explain.”
Dangerous Games Page 16