Scene IV
SCENE IV
DES
" I don't want to leave," Des said, wrapping himself up in Othello's arms.
"Then don't. Spend the day with me." Othello buried his face in Des's neck, making him giggle.
"I wish I could, but I need to meet with Erin about my mom." He sighed. "Stop that. I'm trying to be serious." Des playfully slapped Othello on his arm, then wiggled out of his hold.
"Me too."
Othello dived on top of him, holding Des down, and honestly, he didn't put up much of a fight. He enjoyed feeling his lover's strength pressing down on him. Othello snuggled into his chest, and Des circled his arms around him, giving comfort to his man.
"Tell me what's going on," Othello said.
"My dad cheated on my mom, and now they’re getting a divorce." Othello didn't comment or move, which got Des's attention. "You don't seem surprised."
"I'm not. I knew about the mistress, and the son they had together."
Des felt his anger surge and tried to push Othello off him. "Get off me," he growled.
Othello didn't fight him and sat up, looking at him.
"What the hell do you mean you knew?" Des shouted.
"You can't get angry with me–not when I did as you asked," Othello said in an even tone. "You told me you didn't want to know what your father was into, and I'm a man of my word, Des."
"But something as important as my father having a lover and another child is something you could have warned me about," Des yelled. He got off the couch and stomped to the bedroom, grabbing his clothes and angrily pulling them on.
"What are you doing?" Othello asked.
"What does it look like? I’m leaving," he spat.
"Des, don't do this. You asked me not to tell you about your father's affairs."
"I get that, alright. But you go on about trust and being upfront with each other. The least you could have done was warn me. Do you know the doctor who assisted me with Emilia's birth is that woman's son? If I’d known who he was that night, I would have kicked his ass for breaking up my family."
"No, I didn't," Othello mumbled. "You're right, I should have warned you about your father's infidelity."
Des nodded, understanding where Othello was coming from, but his anger didn’t diminish. He had asked not to be told about his father's dealings, but that was when he thought it was only business. Who knew his father was a philanderer? He felt betrayed by Othello, who knew for a while that his father was cheating on his mother.
"I have to go," he said, not looking at Othello as he walked to the door.
"Wait," Othello said, stopping and meeting him at the door, handing him a thumb drive.
"What's this?"
"Everything I’ve got on your father," he said.
"Thanks," he said, taking it, then walked out of the door, wondering if he had done the right thing by not smoothing things out with Othello.
Once I calm down, I'll talk to him.
Des didn't waste time and went to the cafe where he'd meet Erin. He'd just gotten to the cafe and was about to open the door when an annoying voice whispered in his ear.
"Des, I was hoping to bump into you," Cassio Ricci said.
How the fuck does he always show up where I am? I really need to find out if he has a bug on me or something.
Des turned to face the man and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why? I told you the painting will take some time to complete."
"You seem angry. What happened?" Ricci asked in a calm tone.
"It's none of your fucking business," Des snapped.
"Did you have a fight with your boyfriend ?"
"Cut the shit, you know I'm with Othello."
"What did he do to piss you off?"
"Why do you care if Othello made me angry? Our relationship has nothing to do with you."
Cassio Ricci cupped Des's cheek. "Don't be like that. I thought we were becoming friends."
Des smacked his hand away. "Don't fucking touch me," he growled, stepping closer to Ricci and staring the man square in his eyes. "I'm not Phillip. So don't hold your breath waiting for me to spread my legs for you. I belong to one man, and that's Othello Romano-Moor."
"So he told you about Phillip?"
"Yes," Des said, stepping back, putting much-needed distance between them. "And since I know what you did, I no longer want to work with you. I will send you your deposit back with interest and give you the unfinished painting to do whatever the fuck you want with it."
"So he tells you one little story, and you believe him? How easily he fools you into thinking he's some good guy," Ricci snarled. "If I told you who he really is, you'd leave him in a heartbeat."
"And what?" Des cocked his head to the side, studying Ricci. "Run into your arms like a damsel in distress? Is that how you seduced his last lover? Look, I don't give a fuck what he has to do for the family; at least I know he'll protect everyone he loves. Now, get the fuck away from me."
Ricci didn't move but smiled as if Des had said something funny. "You really are a gem, Desmond Ellington. I can see why Moor is drawn to you." Before Des could fathom what was happening, Ricci grabbed him by the back of his neck and brought his lips down on his.
Des's eyes widened in realization. He pressed against Ricci’s chest pushing him away as he struggled for breath. Opening his mouth, he bit down on Ricci's lip, drawing blood, and pushed him away.
"You asshole," he spat, dragging the back of his hand across his mouth.
"Delicious," Ricci said, licking his lips, chuckling. "We'll meet again, Des." He then walked off, leaving Des feeling disgusted.
"I told my brother you were a slut, and he should dump you before you break his heart, but he wouldn't listen to me."
Des looked over his shoulder as Iago Romano walked up to him.
"I didn't kiss him. He kissed me," Des said defensively.
"That's not how it looked. I'm sure my brother will see it my way. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Des quirked a brow.
"If you want this to remain between us, you will dump Othello. You're not good for him."
"I'll just tell Othello the truth," Des said.
"You really think Othello will believe you, especially after seeing this?" He held up his mobile phone, showing Des a video of what happened with Ricci, and he felt his world crumble. From the way Ricci held him possessively at the back of his neck and the tilt of his head, his palms on his chest, it appeared he was into the kiss when it couldn’t have been further from the truth.
"It's really not what it looks like," Des mumbled.
Iago reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card, pushing it in front of Des, who didn't take it. "Call me when you're ready to break things off." He stuffed the card into Des's hand and walked away, leaving him unsure of what to do.
He wasn't sure how long he had been standing there when he heard Erin's question.
"Des, why are you standing out here in the cold?"
"Erin, I fucked up," he said and rushed into her arms, holding her.
"It's okay. Tell me what it is, and we'll deal with it," she said, wrapping her arms around him.
"I hope so," he said, holding her tightly. "Because if we can't, I will lose Othello."
Later that night, Othello threw his phone down on the coffee table, frustrated for the fifth or maybe the hundredth time. He had been trying to call Des, but it went to voicemail. He wasn't sure when he had grown so attached that Des's voice would put him in a good mood.
He still can't be angry with me, right? I did what he asked me to do. Fuck!
He was about to reach for his phone again when someone knocked on his door. Othello quickly got up and opened it, hoping it was Des.
"Oh, it's you," he said, walking to the kitchen for a drink.
"Don't look so happy to see me, little brother," Iago said, letting himself in, following behind Othello.
"What are you doing here, Iago?"
"I came to see if we're cool about last night."
"As long as you stop thinking Des is going to fuck me over, then, yeah. Besides, we're brothers; we fight and argue, make up and move on."
"You're right, we are." Iago smiled.
"Good. Want a drink?" he asked, holding up the whiskey decanter.
"Sure," Iago said. "But you don't normally drink. What's going on? Are you worried about the commission?"
"No, I just feel like having a drink," he said, pouring them two glasses.
"I heard you were summoned," Iago said. Othello's glass stopped halfway to his lips, and his brows tightened in question, which Iago noticed. He hadn't informed anyone of Luca's message, and he was certain Des hadn't either. "I was informed that, as your consigliere, I needed to be there with you."
"Oh," he said, downing his drink in one gulp, ignoring the slight burn.
"You have to be careful, O. For what happened, they might take our properties or demote you to a capo.”
“Enough! What’s with you being so fucking negative lately? It’s not my time to die yet. I plan on living a long fucking time.”
“I’m just worried, okay? We’ve worked hard to get the family as far as we have…”
“And we’re going to go to the top. Soon Ricci and Greco will be out of the way and we will be the only powerful family in Verona Heights.”
“Are you planning on telling Papa?”
Othello shook his head. “No, Alessandro and Maria don't need to be bothered on their vacation."
"But what if they..."
"Iago, stop. I'll be fine. We'll be fine. If they demote me, you'll be the don."
A gleam flashed in Iago's eyes but disappeared quickly at the mention of him becoming the don, and if Othello hadn't been paying attention, he would have missed it.
"I'm not don material," he said softly. "If I were, Papa would have picked me over you."
"There was more to Alessandro choosing me than you," Othello said.
"Yeah, what's that?"
"You're not a killer. You're strategic and tough; you can handle yourself in a fight, but killing is not your thing. Growing up, you were the one who came up with all the plans; I followed them. The night we were ambushed, you went and hid, Iago."
"I..." Iago started, but Othello stopped him.
"Don't try to defend it. I know that you did. I'm not mad at you for that. You did what you had to do."
"Then it proves I'm not cut out to be a don."
Othello smiled and placed a gentle hand on Iago's shoulder. "If I get demoted, I will have your back just as I know you will have mine."
Iago smiled and cupped the back of his neck, bringing their foreheads together. "Damn right, I will."
They chuckled and spent the next few hours discussing everything under the sun and moon. After a couple of drinks and a long talk, Iago finally went home. Othello felt it was too late to call Des and planned to see him in the morning to make up with his lover.
The next morning, Othello groaned, reaching for his phone when it vibrated. He hadn't slept well since he'd grown used to Des being next to him. He grabbed his phone and saw that it was Zoraki Law calling.
"You better have a good reason for waking me up."
The throaty laughter on the other end of the phone made him scowl.
"I'm in your neck of the woods, my friend,” Zoraki said in perfect English.
"Why?"
Zoraki Law was born in Japan, but his parents moved to the States when he was five. They’d moved back a few years later.
It was then that he found out that Zoraki was part of the yakuza and had moved up in the ranks, becoming the leader, which was handed over to Zoraki after his death. When Othello set up the meeting with Kurohue's rival, he had no idea it was Zoraki since he had changed his name and persona after moving back to Japan.
"I'm meeting with an investor. I knew you'd be interested in it."
"Really?" That had Othello sitting up in bed. "Who?"
"Cassio Ricci."
"When did he contact you?" Othello asked seriously. "And why am I just now hearing about it?"
"I'm telling you now. So, do you want to go with me or not?"
"Postpone it," Othello said.
"Why? Is something going down?"
"My execution,” Othello joked.
“Ah, brother, who did you piss off?" Zoraki joked. "Can I join in on the fun?”
Othello chuckled. “Sure. I’ll send you the details later.”
“I’ll be waiting. Until then, I’ll enjoy your city.”
They ended the call, and Othello put his cellphone back on the nightstand and flopped back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He hadn’t heard from Des since he left yesterday, and he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. His cellphone vibrated, and he grabbed it, seeing that it was a message coming through from an unknown number. He was going to ignore it until he realized it was an image. The second he opened it, he saw red.
Des kissing Ricci.
"What the fuck," he snarled, pushing to blankets back and getting out of bed.
He called Des, and just like yesterday, it went right to voicemail. Othello growled in anger as all kinds of thoughts ran through his mind. He didn't want to think everything was a lie between him and that Iago was right, and there was something going on between Des and Cassio.
He didn't want to think he'd been wrong all this time about Des, and the argument was a ploy to throw him off, stopping him from asking about Cassio. Othello was about to call Des again but instead threw his phone at the wall, angrily smashing it. It felt like it was the fucking Phillip situation all over again.
Cassio seducing his lovers was an act of revenge for an act of the past. Cassio was a fucking prick on all levels, and his every action was to bring Othello down. He had been angry when Phillip cheated on him with Cassio, but not enough to kill.
Othello had figured that if Phillip loved him, he wouldn't have cheated. Othello sat on the bed and dropped his face in his hands, trying to calm down. He wanted to believe that Phillip and Des weren’t the same.
"I need to know the truth, even if it hurts." Getting up from the bed, he dressed, ignored the broken phone, and left his apartment. He headed straight to Des's apartment and banged on the door and wished he had his gun because, at that moment, he wanted to kill Cassio Ricci, who opened the door.
So he did the next best thing and used his hand and started slapping and punching Ricci before the man could open his mouth to utter a word. He heard a crack and someone yelling, but he suddenly went deaf, and his mind went blank because all he could see was red.
He could tell they were moving back as Ricci fell and Othello straddled his waist, not letting up. Othello didn't know how many times he'd hit Ricci, but he was pushed away just as he raised his fist again.
Othello growled and was about to lunge at the person who interrupted him, giving Ricci the beatdown he needed. He stopped when he saw Des standing between him and Ricci.
"Othello, what are you doing? What the fuck are you even doing? Why would you attack someone like that?"
"Is that all you have to say to me?" Othello shouted.
"What do you want me to say?" Des asked, looking away from him.
"What the fuck is he doing here?" Othello bellowed, pointing to a bloody-faced Ricci groaning as he got up off the floor. He waited for Des to respond, but his lover had not spoken. Othello scoffed and shook his head. "So, this is it."
"Othello, it's not what it looks like," Des whispered.
"Really? So you kissing him is not what I think it is?" Othello raged.
"How did you find out?” Des exclaimed, his eyes widened in shock.
"So you're not even going to deny it?" Othello shouted.
"Shut the fuck up, Moor! Can't you see you're scaring the little dove," Ricci said, standing next to Des. "I told you he was a beast and not good enough for you. He's been hiding this part of himself. Imagine what else he's hiding."
"Keep talking, Cassio, and I'll snap your fucking neck," Othello said, burning with anger.
Cassio went to retort, but Des spoke up, stopping him.
"Leave," Des said.
"Don't you hear him, Moor? He wants you to go."
"I meant you." Des turned his gaze to Ricci. "You got what you came for."
"Are you sure you want me to leave? Especially when he's like this? He might do something to you."
"I'm not the one he wants to hurt." Des looked at Othello. "It was a mistake to call you here, Mr. Ricci. I should have met you in a public place, but like yesterday, I'm sure it wouldn't have stopped him from doing what he did." Des sighed. "I will repeat this: you and I will have nothing to do with each other."
"Call me if you need me," Ricci said, ignoring Des's words and Othello's growl, purposely spurring on his anger. "Moor, count your days. You have one week to get your shit together. Be grateful that I might not add this little incident to your list of crimes."
"Fuck you, Ricci," Othello spat. "I went too easy on you since you're able to fucking stand and talk. But I can fix that real quick."
"You're a fucking unmannered bull who's never been taught how to heel," Cassio sneered.
"Say that shit again, and I'll pull your fucking tongue out and shove it down your throat," Othello roared.
"Don't you dare say another word," Des cut in. He couldn't take Cassio insulting Othello, calling him names, and referring to him as an animal; it was degrading and disgusting. "Please, just go."
"You're right, I should go. After all, I have a trial to prepare for. Lots of evidence to collect. And Moor, I'd rather fuck the pretty dove instead."
With that last barb, Cassio left them alone. Des didn't want to look at Othello. He had been avoiding his lover's call since yesterday. After what happened, he'd spent most of the night at Erin's house, crying on her shoulder.
Erin had convinced Des to cut all ties with Cassio by giving him the unfinished painting and his deposit back with interest. She also suggested that Des tell Othello everything. He didn't expect Othello to show up at his front door and beat the shit out of Cassio, who deserved it in many ways.
Des had never seen Othello so angry before, but it didn't scare him as much as it should have. His only worry was how he would hide the evidence from Gray.
Fuck, I'm not even concerned if a man dies, but how to protect Othello.
If he was being honest, he had to force himself to stop Othello from kicking Cassio's ass. He couldn't deny that a tiny part of him was shaking in fear. The rage he saw in his lover's eyes should have made him want to run and never look back, but it aroused him. And now he might lose him over something as stupid as a kiss he didn't want.
He loved Othello too much. Othello was the man he wanted to have children and build his life with. A family of his own was something he yearned for but thought he couldn't have because he’d been so focused on living the life his parents set out for him. But now he had a chance. Othello knew and understood him far better than he did himself. Although it wasn't his fault, he knew their trust in each other was fractured but not unrepairable.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled.
"For what? For liking him touching you?" Othello hissed. "For ignoring all of my calls? Or could it be for liking his lips on yours? For giving in to him?!"
"No!" Des shouted. "For not telling you the second it happened. We were arguing, and I told him we shouldn't work together anymore. Then he just hauled off and kissed me, and by the time I got my head on straight, Iago..."
"What the fuck does my brother have to do with you kissing another man?"
"He saw us, so I assumed he told you..."
"My brother would never keep something like this from me," Othello said, cutting him off. "I received an anonymous video this morning."
"Then he must have sent it," Des said.
"You're saying Iago would send me a video of you kissing Cassio? For what reason?" Othello shouted.
"I don't know," Des yelled back. "Yesterday, when everything happened, he told me to break up with you, or he'd tell you himself. I guess he jumped the gun and sent you the video," he explained, a bit calmer than he felt.
"You're lying to me, Des."
"I'm not, Othello. Please, listen, I'm telling you the truth," Des pleaded, hoping the man he loved would see he was telling the truth, but to his disappointment, Othello scoffed and shook his head.
"After every fucking thing I asked you not to do, you did it. I asked you never to cheat or lie to me, and you did both."
"Othello, I..."
"I saw Iago yesterday, and he mentioned nothing. And I know my brother. He would tell me, no matter how much it would hurt me."
"Well, I don't know what to tell you," Des screamed, not hiding his anger at Othello for doubting his word.
"How about the damn truth?" Othello exploded.
The tension between them was so hot that Des was sure his apartment was going to burn down.
"Why bother fighting when you don't believe me?" Des growled. "Is there so little trust between us that you can't even tell when I'm telling the truth?" Des shook his head, taking ragged breaths, trying not to cry that the illusion he had built of him and Othello was a mirage.
"Othello, please believe me. I'm not like Phillip or any other man who has trampled on your heart. What I feel for you is real. What happened yesterday wasn't my fault. I didn't ask to be kissed. He simply did it on his own. In fact, I told Ricci to go to hell, and then Iago threatened me..."
"Leave my brother out of this," Othello said furiously. "He warned me you would break my heart, and I refused to listen. I kept telling him you're not like Phillip."
Hearing that, tears slid down Des's cheeks, unable to stop them.
"Othello." He went to touch the other man, but Othello backed away, cutting Des deep. "Fine, if you don't believe me, ask Iago yourself."
"I will," Othello said. "But until then, I don't want to see you. I can't trust you right now, Des."
"Othello, don't do this, please. We need each other. I need you," he cried, wanting to hug his lover and feel his comforting arms around him, but Othello simply walked by him and out the door. Des let out a howling cry, falling to his knees as he felt his heart shatter into pieces.
Othello stood outside Des's apartment, listening to him cry. It broke his heart even more. Part of him wanted to return inside, and the other refused to let him cave in. Othello couldn't believe Des lied to him.
Shaking his head, Othello walked away. He stopped by the Romanos' home to get an extra phone he had stashed away, before heading to Iago and Emilia's place. With so many things happening, he needed to contact his men, but he wasn't in the mood to talk with anyone.
No more than one hour later, Othello pulled up to Iago's home, still burning with anger. He could have had one of his guys get the phone for him, but he didn't want to deal with the hassle of explaining things. Getting out of his car, he noticed Roderigo's car sitting in the driveway and shook his head. Lately, it seemed that Roderigo was everywhere. Iago was like his little puppy, begging for scraps.
Othello thought he should turn around and leave because Roderigo was another person on his hit list, but he needed answers. Clenching his fists, he ignored the slight pain he felt as he took a deep breath. Othello had forgotten how hard Cassio's face was. He walked up to the house and knocked on the door, waiting for Emilia or Iago to open it. But he had to hold on to all his anger when Roderigo opened the door.
"Moor, what the fuck do you want?"
Othello grunted and pushed Roderigo out of the way, not saying a word, and entered the house just as Iago came out to meet him.
"I need to talk to you," Othello said.
Iago furrowed his brows. "You look upset. What's wrong?"
"Get rid of your friend so we can talk," Othello told him. He went to the living room, sat on the couch, and waited for Iago to get rid of his annoying guest. Othello looked around, seeing pictures of the twins spread out around the room. He smiled for the first time in hours. They were getting bigger, and it had only been a couple of months since they were born.
"Alright, talk to me," Iago said, walking into the room.
"Where's Emilia?" Othello asked, not answering immediately. It was unusual for him to be in Iago's home for more than five minutes, and Emilia hadn't come to greet him.
"She went to meet one of her friends." He smiled. "She said she wanted to show off the twins."
"Oh. Things getting better between you two?"
"Not even close," Iago tsked. "She keeps pulling away from me."
"I don't know how to help you."
Iago shook his head. "I'll get her back. I need to give her time to get over her anger. So," Iago said, sitting down and staring at Othello.
"Did you see Des yesterday before you came to my place?" Othello asked, getting right to the point.
"No," Iago told him. "I haven't seen him since the night the twins were born." He leaned forward. "Why, did something happen?"
"He lied to me," Othello whispered, his voice cracking. "He said you told him to break it off with me."
"What?" Iago said, his eyes widening in shock, sitting on the edge of his chair. "I know I have problems with him because he doesn't understand our world, but I've never even talked with him. Why would he say that? Is he trying to come between us?"
Othello stared at Iago for a few seconds before responding. "I found out he kissed Cassio Ricci."
"Fuck. What? Please tell me you broke things off with him?" Iago asked.
Othello didn't say anything.
"O," Iago growled. "You can't do this to yourself again!"
"I know, alright," Othello shouted. "It's just..."
"It's just what? You think it won't happen again. Isn't that what you said with Phillip?" Iago argued.
"Des is different, okay! And just because he made one mistake, I don't..."
"You know, for a smart man, I swear when you get a piece of ass, you become stupid," Iago shouted at him. "I kept telling you..."
"I'm not in the mood to hear I told you so, Iago."
"Well, too fucking bad," Iago snapped. "I warned you he would break your heart."
"It was only a kiss," Othello said, no anger in his voice.
"For now." Iago huffed. "What's to stop it from being more next time? And again, another of your lovers runs to Cassio Ricci. Are you sure he's not working with him?"
"You know, I'm getting the feeling that you're enjoying my heartbreak," Othello said, looking at his brother.
Iago rolled his eyes. "Of course not. I want you to be happy. You know that, but with someone who never betrayed you."
"I don't think that will ever happen," Othello mumbled. "Look, I'm going to go. I need some time to myself right now."
"Are you sure you should be alone?"
"Yeah, I have work to do." Othello didn't forget that he still had to meet with Gratiano later that night. He thought about telling Iago about the meeting, but that would mean breaking a code between him and Gratiano.
No one, not even Iago and Alessandro, knew he was their agent on the police force. The Romano family and all the other families had their own people, but Gratiano was his alone. Othello stood and wobbled just a bit as his stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything all day.
"You alright?" Iago asked, coming to stand next to him.
"Yeah, I gotta go," he said, brushing off Iago's worry. But before he could take a step, Iago stopped him.
"You don't look so good; you should rest here a bit.
"I'm fine, Iago," he said, walking away before his brother could stop him again. He needed to be alone and think about what to do about his relationship with Des.