Chapter 24 #2
Will counts on the mayor knowing how much bad blood runs between him and the sheriff to make the thought of them working together seem preposterous.
“He’s already gotten one innocent man almost killed. I doubt he’ll try again anytime soon.”
The mayor nods. “That we can agree on.” He pulls out two bottles of wine. “These will do.”
In the living room, Will asks each of the guests which wine they would like, and once their glasses are filled, Hal snaps his fingers at Will. “Hurry up and take those clothes off. No use for you dressed.”
“It is rather rude of him to still be wearing clothes,” Doctor Levi says before taking a sip of his wine.
Facing the flames in the fireplace, Will pulls off his shirt, then removes his shoes, socks, and pants. They’re usually fine with him staying in his underwear before he goes upstairs with one of them, but this time Hal signals him to take it off as well.
Fully naked, he stands quietly as they make demeaning comments. They tell him to turn around, to flex, and to touch himself. They discuss things they did to him and things they are planning on doing tonight, sharing ideas and recommendations of how to make the best use of their time with him.
He lets their words pass him by as much as he can, telling himself that soon they’ll face consequences for their actions and shady dealings. He’d be wise to hide one of the recording devices in this room, but since he can’t see a way to do that, he’ll focus on the mayor’s office.
“I told you to go down on your knees,” Hal barks.
Will obeys, facing the guests as they sit with their wine.
“I’ve been waiting to unwind after this shitty week,” Hal grumbles.
“Everyone can be replaced,” Doctor Levi says. “Especially those so low on the food chain. I wouldn’t let that little drama bother you.”
The mayor clears his throat in a warning. Will keeps his face blank as though he doesn’t know they are talking about the two drug dealers who were supposed to murder Owen.
A crooked smile stretches across Hal’s lips as he watches Will. “You like how I put you in your place, don’t you?”
The only right answer is a lie. “I do, sir.”
Hal nudges the lawyer next to him. “He’s even prettier when he lies.”
“And is he pretty when he’s in pain?”
“Oh, Will looks fantastic when he’s in pain,” Doctor Levi says, swirling the wine in his glass. “But don’t take my word for it.”
Hal stands up. He kicks Will onto all fours, then pulls out his leather belt. “Look at your betters when I whip you.”
Hal doesn’t believe in gaining momentum—he goes hard from the get-go.
Will makes sure to keep eye contact with the men in front of him as he grunts in pain with every lash of the leather belt against his skin.
They take turns whipping him until the pain feels like another layer of skin covering his back and his ass.
He needs all his self-control to keep from snatching that fucking belt and throw it into the fireplace.
Finally, the mayor puts a stop to it, telling his guests to get on with the rest of the evening.
Hal lands a final lash across Will’s ass and tells him to go take a shower. “I’ll be up soon to make you feel better.”
It hurts to move and to climb up the stairs, but he manages.
Inside the bedroom, he walks toward the side bathroom and glances at his backpack on the floor.
He halts, then crouches next to the backpack.
He remembers leaving the zipper fully closed, but it’s now hanging a few inches above the bottom.
He easily would have missed it if he hadn’t given it an extra look before leaving the room.
He carefully opens the bag and looks inside.
His clothes are there, and so is his wallet.
Nothing was taken, but someone clearly checked his things.
He rises to his feet. With his heart beating fast, he opens the closet and reaches past the pile of sheets, searching for…
he lets out a sigh of relief. The two devices are there, safely hidden.
If he hadn’t thought to hide them, Veronica would have learned about his plan and ruined everything.
“What are you doing?”
He jolts and pulls his hand back. “What?”
Hal takes a step inside, shutting the door behind him. “I asked what you were doing. Couldn’t have used plainer words.”
“Just looking for a towel.”
“Hmm.”
He’s going to check. Maybe the mayor has mentioned to him Will’s relationship with the man they almost got killed. Maybe they agreed to keep a closer eye on him tonight. And maybe he’s not the only one who’s looking to set up a trap.
Trying not to show his distress, Will reaches into the closet and pulls out a towel. He’s sure there’s at least one towel waiting in the bathroom, but the lie has already left his mouth. He should go shower, but he can’t leave Hal alone to look inside the closet.
The man watches Will through narrow eyes, and Will isn’t making things better by standing like a dummy.
“You used to like fucking me sweaty,” he says, his mouth braver than his heart.
Hal cocks his head. “Come again?”
“Just something I remember. You liked licking the sweat from my skin.”
Hal crosses his arms, his eyes traveling up and down. Without his cowboy hat, his head is almost bald, with sunspots decorating his scalp. “That hasn’t changed.”
Will drops the towel. “I’m not going to get any sweatier than this, Hal.”
“That’s sir to you.”
“Sorry, sir.” Will sinks to his knees, hoping his attempt to distract the man isn’t too obvious.
Hal snorts. “Seems like you’re waiting to have something in your mouth.”
“What gave it away?”
Hal smiles, but he still takes a step forward and slaps Will for his bluntness.
Keep it coming, asshole. Just stay away from the closet.
He grabs Will’s hair and tilts his head back. “You’d best pull it out if you want to choke on it so badly.”
Will pulls Hal’s cock out, hating how familiar it feels.
He opens his mouth and slips it inside, looking up because he knows that Hal is looking down at him.
He gives it his all, wishing they would move away from the closet.
The way they’re standing, Hal can easily reach inside and fish out the recording devices.
“Oh, you’re in the mood tonight, aren’t you?” Hal strokes Will’s cheek, a rare gesture of gentleness from a man who’s all thorns. “You and I are going to get along just fine.”
Will would have ignored that comment if he didn’t know about the mayor’s secret plan for him.
He can’t help but wonder how long they have been planning this and how they are supposed to execute that plan.
Sending people to kidnap him in the middle of the night?
Drug him while he’s at the mayor’s house and make him disappear without a trace?
He’s been living on borrowed time, gullibly waiting to leave this town while others were waiting to take away his freedom.
As expected, Hal goes through his usual dirty talk, and Will keeps on sucking until a dark realization suddenly sinks in.
Owen is hearing this.
Everyone in that van is hearing this.
The devices have been recording this whole time.
“Why the hell did you stop?”
Will swallows down his panic, though it nestles at the center of his chest, pressing on his lungs. It’s too late to stop now, and it’s out of the question to suggest moving to a different room without raising suspicion.
“Get up.” Hal pulls his cock out, and Will rises to his feet. “How’s your sister?”
Will frowns. “What?”
“Your sister. How is she?”
Hal has never asked about Julie, nor have any of the others at these events, even though they all must know she’s the reason he’s doing this. “She’s fine.”
“Hmm. I see.”
He has the audacity to look and sound disappointed, and Will’s control over his mouth is all but gone. “You’re one fucked-up son of a bitch, you know that?”
“That may be, but I’m not the one getting fucked tonight for money.” He tilts his head at the bed. “Lie down. This son of a bitch is going to teach you some manners.”
*
As they walk in one after the other, Will prays that those in the van have had the decency to cut out the volume. Something tells him that Owen would insist on them doing so, and that provides a degree of comfort.
When it’s finally over, he lies over the damp sheet, staring at the ceiling with his body sore inside and out. He should use this chance to try hiding the devices, but his brain demands a few moments of peace to collect itself.
He can’t hear the sounds from downstairs, but he assumes that the guests are still in the living room. They never leave right after, and sometimes they want him to stay as a decoration in the background.
He rubs his face and forces his tired and aching body out of bed.
He should skip the shower and focus on his mission, but there’s too much of those men still on his skin.
He starts the water in the tub, and before it can even get hot, he scrubs his body with quick and angry movements, but that can only do so much.
He has enough experience to know he can never leave this house feeling clean.
He exits the shower, dries himself, and then gets dressed.
Downstairs, he hears the faint sound of a telephone ringing, or maybe it’s the music.
His shoes are still in the living room, but he was planning on doing this barefoot anyway.
He takes out the two recording devices from the closet and examines them.
They feel too big for him to walk around with, so he hides them back in his backpack.
Once he has what he needs, he glances at the bedroom and the messy bed. The scent of sex is heavy in the air, and Will can’t think of a single good moment he experienced here during the years he’s been doing this.
Telling himself that this was the last fucking time, he quietly steps out of the room.
*