17. Zero
17
ZERO
R aising his glass, Zero took a swig of his beer before placing it down on the coaster sitting just before him. He watched Diesel as he took his own drink and continued to act like he wasn’t sitting right in front of him.
The man was being an idiot.
“So, how long are you going to continue to pretend that you’re sitting here alone?” Zero asked, leaning back and placing his arm across the back of the booth they were sitting in.
Eyes never leaving their subject, Diesel continued to stare away from him. “I’m here to keep an eye on the good doctor, which is what I’m trying to do. Not sure why you keep trying to distract me like a needy little princess.”
Zero gave a snort.
Needy? Him? Please.
If anything, Diesel was the one who was all needy and attention-seeking. Watching him sleep last night like an attention-starved little puppy. He could almost hear the man whimpering at the door as he tried to sleep. But that fucking heat. Heat always made him horny for some reason.
Lying on his stomach, he couldn’t help but feel his boner pressing into the mattress. Wishing that he was pushing his cock deep inside two luscious mounds… mmm , he could feel his dick starting to thicken at the thought.
It was only after a few seconds of rubbing his cock into the mattress that he heard steady breathing coming from his door. It was then that he realized he had an audience to his very stiff situation. And what better way to get off than putting on a show for the horny perv staying across the hall. His horny little perv.
His perv? When did they become such a thing?
He’s more like you than you think , that annoying voice deep inside him said.
Zero hated to admit it, but he could see a lot of similarities between them both. They both used sarcasm and insults to keep people from getting too close. They both struggled with addictions. Zero’s had been painkillers, which, thankfully, only lasted for two years. He’d fallen off his motorcycle one day, breaking his arm and having to suffer through eight months of recovery, during which he became way too fond of the disassociated feeling that painkillers offered.
It was only after he woke up covered in blood—to this day, he still did not know whose blood it was or what had happened to the person—that he decided he needed help.
Part of him worried that he killed someone; another part of him was convinced that it was simply a bar fight. He didn’t think he had it in him to take a man’s life, but when you are out of it, do you really know what you are doing?
Across the bar, Dr. Baasch was having a drink with a young man probably half his age. They were both sitting on the same side of the booth, leaning into one another as they discreetly played with each other’s… parts.
Zero had to give it to the doc—hehe was able to get some pretty hot tail. If he had to judge the doctor in the looks department, he would give the man a solid seven out of ten. He wasn’t ugly or anything, just very plain and ordinary-looking. Perhaps that was why no one else in the bar seemed to notice that the two were quickly rounding second base.
“Geez, at this rate, the dude will be pregnant by morning,” Zero whispered to no one in particular.
“My guess is they fuck in the bathroom.”
“My money is on them boning in the alley.”
“I’ll take that bet,” Diesel said, finally turning and acknowledging that he was not sitting at the table alone.
“And what do I get when I win?” Zero asked, raising his glass to his lips, wondering how far he could take this. He was getting horny watching the two playing “pet the weasel.”
“I’ll let you eat my ass.”
Zero stared at him from behind his glass trying to assess whether the man was joking or being serious. With Diesel, you never could tell.
Placing his glass back down on the table, he asked, “How is eating your ass a reward for me?”
“Have you seen my ass?” Diesel asked with a cocky smirk.
“Given the wicked reputation of my tongue, it still seems like a prize tailored in your favor.”
Diesel took a swig of his beer before locking eyes with Zero. “Fine, what is it you want?”
“You to eat my ass.”
A mischievous smile spread across Diesel’s face.
Was this what the devil looked like when he was making a deal for an evil man’s soul?
“Fine. You got a deal.”
They both reached across the table and shook each other’s hand.
“Here, you might want to put this on.” Diesel reached into his jeans, then pulled out a tube of lip balm. “I like my men nice and smooth.”
Zero rolled his eyes.
“Sounds like all you’ve been with have been boys. Real men are rough and hairy.”
Eyes locked on his, Diesel took a drink without saying a word.
Movement caught Zero’s eyes. The good doc and his meal for the night were on the move. Which way would they go?
They watched with fascination as both men walked toward the bathroom.
“See?” Diesel said in that confident tone of his.
Just as the boy was about to push the bathroom door open, the doc grabbed him by the hand and pulled him past the bathroom and down the hallway leading to the back alley.
“You may want to lube up your lips,” Zero said, standing up from the booth and making his way toward the back door.
Diesel sucked back the last of his beer and then followed.
Once they reached the back, Zero opened the door carefully and glanced around to make sure that the coast was clear.
“Stay close,” he whispered over his shoulder.
Zero slipped out of the bar with Diesel close behind. He glanced around the alley, wondering where their target had disappeared to.
Just when he was about to call Chase and let him know that they lost the doctor, he heard whispered moans.
Pressed up against the wall, hidden behind some discarded empty boxes and crates, were the doc and his horny male companion.
Zero pulled Diesel down a stairwell leading down to the back entrance for the restaurant next door. From there, they could keep an eye on them and make sure that nothing bad happened.
“Seems a little pervy sitting here in the dark watching them fuck,” Diesel noted, flipping over a crate and taking a seat next to the door.
Zero sat down on one of the steps and turned to face his mouthy partner. From here, he could at least hear the doc and his companion’s evening activities. He didn’t need to view them to know what was happening. It was easy to tell when a man was being murdered versus sucking a dick.
He hoped the man wasn’t going to be murdered. He wasn’t in the mood for dealing with blood and screams and death.
“So, what do we do now?” Diesel asked, picking some dirt off his shirt and flicking it away.
“Well, you do have an ass to eat.”
Diesel’s eyes shot up.
“What? Seriously? Now?”
Zero chuckled. “What? Stairwell sex is beneath you?”
Shrugging his shoulders, Diesel didn’t look insulted.
“Tell you what. I’ll give you a pass on the eating my ass portion of the deal if you answer me one question.”
“What’s that?” Diesel asked, looking mildly interested.
“What made you decide to go and work at the strip club?”
“It’s not a strip club.”
“Fine, the whorehouse.”
“It’s not a whorehouse,” Diesel responded, looking rather annoyed.
“Fine. The mansion.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“So, which is it? Hot-ass meal? Or honest conversation?”
The minutes ticked by as the stoner stripper boy weighed his options. If he was being honest with himself, this would be a difficult decision for him as well. He did have a fucking delicious ass, after all.
Seeming to finally come to a decision, Diesel let out a breath, then leaned his head back against the wall of the restaurant.
“Fine. But if you begin to judge me or say anything stupid, I’ll stop sharing and punch you in the fuckin’ throat,” Diesel threatened half-heartedly.
“I’d never make fun of someone’s difficult past.”
Diesel stared at him once again as if trying to convince himself that sharing this information with him was going to be okay.
“A few years ago, Matteo found me passed out in a park, barely breathing. I had mixed a few too many party drugs and basically was on my way to death. M took me to the hospital, which pretty much saved my life. After I recovered, he offered me a room to stay in at the chateau until I was able to get my life back in order. He didn’t ask me for anything, and there were no strings attached, just concern that if I went back onto the streets without a plan, I would end up back in the hospital in no time.” Diesel looked down at his fingers as he took a moment to breathe.
Diesel’s hoodie was still down, so that was a good sign that, emotionally, he was still okay to talk. The last thing Zero wanted was to push Diesel to talk about something that he wasn’t ready to talk about.
“After a couple of weeks, I started helping out around the mansion to try and contribute where I could. Guests kept tipping me as I walked past them without even having to dance or anything. They kept saying how hot I was and that they would love to buy me a drink sometime. Within a week, I had made close to eight hundred euros, and nobody even sucked my dick. That was when I realized just how much money Matteo’s boys were making. So I asked M if I could try dancing one night?—”
“And let me guess, you were a hit?” Zero jumped in.
Diesel shrugged his shoulders and gave a little smirk. “Have you seen my dick?”
Zero began to chuckle before slapping his hand across his mouth. Shit . He had to remember that the doc was only a few feet away, giving some dude a physical exam.
“Needless to say, I was very popular with the crowd that night. So I decided to ask Matteo for a job. Hey, it’s easy money, and there’s nothing wrong with using your body to make a living.”
“But isn’t it dangerous? Can’t guys hurt you or force you to do things that you don’t want to do?” Zero asked, suddenly concerned for Diesel’s safety. The man wasn’t a small guy, but still, all it took was one pill or one surprise attack for things to go very wrong.
Diesel shrugged his shoulders.
“No matter what job you do, there will always be risks. But Matteo really does love all of us, and he takes a lot of measures to help ensure our safety. He does background checks on all members and has security and cameras all over the place. Plus, I think all of the members are actually afraid of the guy. There have been… incidents in the past which have led to some guests turning up for work with black eyes and broken limbs… and even a few who were never heard from again.” Diesel looked conflicted before adding, “We are all operating under the assumption that these men just simply moved away.”
Zero wasn’t so sure how he felt about that one. All the guys he had met who worked at La Maison seemed like pretty decent men so far. He didn’t think that they were the type of guys to work for someone who murdered his clientele. No judgment, remember?
“It sounds like you really enjoy it,” Zero added once Diesel had finished explaining.
“I do. But now, we are more than just co-workers and employees. We are family. Those guys are my brothers, and Matteo and now Ares are both our fathers. We trust them and would do anything to protect them.”
“Which explains why Jared followed you on this trip.”
“Yeah. He’s my best mate.”
Further down the alley, someone gave a grunt and then cursed.
“Sounds like the good doctor is finally done taking the young man’s temperature up his butt,” Zero joked.
Diesel shook his head. “You’re such an idiot.”
For some reason, that warmed Zero’s belly and made him smile.