Chapter 21 Nikolai
NIKOLAI
He fucked a dude.
Those words kept circling around inside Nikolai’s head.
He. Fucked. A. Dude.
Was he now gay? Bi? Or perhaps something else completely. There were several letters in the queer alphabet. He wasn’t exactly sure what all of them were, but one of them had to explain why he just fucked his best friend.
And liked it.
There was one thing he discovered during their last night’s sexcapade and again this morning—he was really fucking attracted to his fiery badass of a friend.
Which was odd because he had never had these types of desires before toward men.
When he’d been having threesomes with other dudes, he never felt the need or the desire to stick his dick in their mouth or vice versa.
Sure, watching Blade or some other dude fuck a chick got his dick extremely hard, but who wouldn’t?
It was like watching porn. Live action porn—which was the best kind of porn if you asked him.
But for some reason now, whenever he was around Reid, he wanted nothing more than to throw the man down onto the nearest surface and have his way with him.
Was it because Reid was his oldest friend?
Or was it because they shared a special bond like no other?
Reid was the only person who truly understood who Nikolai was. The experiences they had shared and gone through together must have created a sacred bond that perhaps had shifted into some kind of sexual connection.
It is said that shared trauma can bring two people closer together. But this felt like more than just sharing a traumatic past.
Reid had always cared for Nikolai. Ever since the first day they met, Reid had always looked out for him and made sure he was taken care of.
Staring out his bedroom window, Niko thought about all the times Reid had been there for him, even if it was just to lift his spirits whenever he was feeling down or missing his family.
Nikolai had been in America for just over two months. Mikhail had been keeping him busy, entertaining four to five clients a week.
Initially, Nikolai loved it. What eighteen-year-old wouldn’t enjoy getting as much pussy as he wanted and getting paid for it?
But to be honest, he was starting to miss home.
He missed his sister and his mom. He missed his mom’s homemade cooking and his sister’s constant teasing.
He talked to them every few weeks, but he was finding it harder and harder to do so, knowing that he was nothing more than a high-priced prostitute.
But the job was only temporary. Once he paid off his travel debt, he would be free to leave and find a job doing something else…
perhaps in construction. He was good with his hands and enjoyed building things.
Then at least he would be proud to tell his mom what he was doing with his days.
But for now, it all had to stay quiet.
“Hey, buddy. What’s going on?” Reid asked, leaning against the wall next to his bedroom.
He wasn’t sure how long Reid had been standing there watching him.
“Not much. Just missing Mom and Misha.” Misha was his sister.
Reid pushed off the wall and walked toward him.
“When was the last time you called them?”
“Two days ago. They keep asking how I’m doing and where I’m working. I keep telling them I’m still looking for a job. I don’t want to tell my mother that I fuck women as a job.”
“I know what you mean. But you got to admit, the money is good,” Reid said, always trying to see the bright side of things. He placed his hand on Nikolai’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. Reid was always sweet like that.
“I guess I just miss home.”
Reid checked his cell phone.
“Tell you what. Go get dressed. I’m taking you out somewhere.”
“What? Where are we going?” Niko asked, looking at him like he had suddenly lost his mind. “What if Mikhail needs us?”
“It’s ten in the morning. No woman is horny at this time of day. Don’t worry, we’ll be back well before nightfall.”
An hour later, they stepped off the subway in Brooklyn. Brighton Beach, to be exact.
“What?” Niko gasped as he looked at all the shops around him. Many had signs written in Russian.
Blue and white and red splashed the backdrops of many of their signs. As Nikolai took a step forward, a mother and her little girl passed them, speaking in Russian.
“Where are we?” Niko asked, mouth hanging open as he took in the smells of freshly baked goods he recognized from home.
“This, my friend, is Brighton Beach, also known as ‘Little Russia.’ It’s got one of the highest populations of Russians in New York. I thought you might like a reminder of home. Come. Let’s check out this bakery.”
Reid slapped him on the shoulder and led him into a small mom-and-pop shop.
Niko took in a deep breath and let the smells of home invade his senses.
“God, this smells amazing.”
He walked over to the display case to check out all the sweet-smelling baked goods.
Niko’s eyes went wide. “Oh, you have to try this!” He quickly waved at an elderly woman sitting on a stool, hoping to get some assistance.
The elderly woman was sweet. She smiled at Niko and began conversing with him in Russian, laughing and explaining more about her shop. She ran it with her daughter and her husband. She did the baking, and her daughter did the selling.
Niko quickly discovered that the woman came from a small village a few hours north of his own. Feeling that sense of community warmed Nikolai’s heart.
Thanking the woman, he paid for the desserts before handing one of them over to Reid.
They each enjoyed a Russian honey cake while sitting on a bench in a small park across the street. They sat there for an hour, talking about Nikolai’s life back in Russia—what he did as a kid, and how he always dreamed of coming to America and making a life for himself here.
Once they were done with their honey cakes, they walked the streets, stopping in at various shops to check out their stuff.
By the time they got home, Niko was smiling like a kid on Christmas morning and was no longer feeling homesick.
Turning to his friend, he smiled.
“Thank you for today. You always seem to know exactly what I need to cheer me up.”
Niko wrapped his arms around his best friend and gave him a huge bear hug.
“You’re the best, man,” Nikolai whispered, slapping his buddy on the back before slowly pulling away.
Looking back on that moment, Niko was reminded just how much Reid had done for him over the years. He always seemed to know what Niko was thinking and how to cheer him up.
He fucking loved the guy.
Walking toward Reid’s bedroom, he slowed when he heard his buddy talking on the phone.
“Yeah, I can try and come out to see you today. I’ll just have to borrow the truck from Niko. Yeah, I’m sure it will be fine. What did you find out? Fine. Don’t tell me. Yeah, I can meet you there. It’s just a few hours away. Okay. See you later.”
Niko quickly rushed into the kitchen, not wanting Reid to know that he was eavesdropping on his conversation.
“Hey, buddy. How’s it going?” Niko asked once Reid walked into the kitchen.
Reid was looking all around the kitchen as if agitated by something he had just learned.
“It’s good. Hey, do you mind if I borrow the truck today?”
“Sure. What do you need it for?” Niko asked, wondering if his friend would tell him about the phone call.
“Oh, I’ve just got a few errands to run. Nothing exciting.”
That was odd. This was the first time that Reid had ever lied to him.
“Well, I can come with you and give you a hand,” Niko offered, hoping that would spur on the conversation.
Reid continued to look everywhere but at Niko.
“Umm, it’s okay. No need to bore you. I’ll be a while. Got lots to do.”
So it appeared that Reid didn’t want him involved. Now Niko was really curious.
“Sure. Here you go,” Niko said as he tossed Reid the keys to his truck. “Drive safe, buddy.”
“Thanks. I will.” Reid turned and headed back to his room.
There was no way in hell that he was not going to follow his best friend. Seeing him all nervous and shady didn’t sit right with Niko. It was his job—as his best friend—to make sure that everything was alright and to back Reid up if he needed.