Chapter 9
Aron
Matt stays long enough to make a midnight breakfast for me, then he books it back to the Syndicate mansion. Since he was only supposed to be checking out a possible vandal or squatter, I don’t blame him for cutting out. To be honest, it’s suspicious enough that he stayed as long as he did.
The past couple of weeks have been wild. Getting kidnapped, Dad’s torture, Emily’s surprise resurrection with Maria, the fucking kitchen, briefly joining the Empire only to fake my own death to escape … I swear, I couldn’t make this shit up.
Matt says he’s cut the manor off from the mansion’s surveillance, so I should be safe to stay here at least for a few days. While I wait for Matt to return, I plot.
Dad can’t be allowed to continue his fucking Empire, at least not the way he’s currently running it.
Even without Matt’s forces pushing and nicking at him, he’s disorganized.
That much was obvious last night. He hasn’t trained his men properly, which is odd for my dad.
He taught me everything he knows, so I don’t understand why he’s not doing the same for his associates.
It’s not just risky, it’s stupid—and in this life, it’s suicidal.
Then there’s Emily. She’s completely off her nut, such a different person from the woman I married. Was she always crazy, or did something snap before she faked her demise?
If it hadn’t started before she gave birth, I’d swear this was just some postpartum depression or psychosis or something. That wouldn’t explain the murder of an innocent woman and her unborn child, though, so that theory’s out.
So much of this doesn’t make sense. Dad was never one for power grabs, so why did he kill Tito in the first place? I feel like there’s something important we’re missing, some clue.
Whatever it is, I can’t see it. Emily and Dad and their strange behaviors seem completely unrelated, though it’s odd that they started around the same time. I get the feeling that’s a crucial fact, but how? How do the two connect?
Frustrated by my lack of understanding, I head for the gym. Matt said to take it easy on my injury, but I have to keep my strength up. I won’t be of any use to him if I let myself go.
The stationary bike seems least likely to strain anything, so I head for that.
If someone else was here with me, I’d maybe put in an earbud to play some music, but not alone.
Never when I’m alone. I have to be vigilant.
What if Matt was followed despite the precautions he took?
He’d be devastated if someone got the drop on me because I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings.
After about an hour on the bike, I take a shower.
As I’m lathering up, I stroke my cock while thinking about yesterday with Matt.
The way he savored me while I devoured him like a starving man—the fucking contrast was intense.
All the tension of being without him melted away, and I felt like I was home.
Maybe this place can be home for a bit. I can hide out here, help Matt from behind the scenes.
Yeah, right. I’ll be back from the dead before we know it. I can’t keep myself away from Matt, not for that long. The big question is whether or not I can stay in hiding until Matt can save Maria from the insanity that is my family.
I finish with the image of Matt cradling Maria in his arms. The paternal figment sets off a veritable fountain of cum, and I’m glad I already had the water running. Easier to clean up.
It seems strange to think of raising a girl in this life, but I suppose it’s not unheard of.
Matt’s mom navigated life with Tito well enough, until a car bomb ended her life early, and Gia and Cinder seem to have adapted as well.
Emily’s holding her own, but … shit, will Maria inherit Emily’s madness?
So many uncertainties, and it feels like the time to figure them out is slipping away.
I fix a sandwich for lunch and continue to plan while I eat it.
Stop Dad and Emily. Get Maria. Return from the dead. Help Matt merge the Empire back into the Syndicate? I’m not sure what else we’d do with Dad’s men. Raise Maria with Matt.
Somewhere in there, a happily ever after. I think we’ve earned that, haven’t we?
One thing’s certain: It all starts with Dad’s end.
I can’t let him continue to oppose Matt and the Royal Syndicate.
His delusions of grandeur have to stop, and he has to either yield or die.
That’s just the way things are in the life he chose.
Maybe with Dad out of the way, Emily will fall in line, but I doubt it.
She seems immersed in her fantasy world.
We might have to have her committed, locked away somewhere, so she can’t hurt Maria.
Since this is home for at least a few days, I clean up my mess in the kitchen and move on to the trail of blood and bandage wrappings I left behind yesterday when I arrived. Everything gets picked up, wiped, and scrubbed. When Matt comes back, I want him to find this place sparkling.
With that done, I find myself becoming bored.
I’m used to having Matt to watch over; I don’t know what to do with myself when I’m alone.
I never took days off before I met Emily, so I was never alone.
I can only work out so much with my injury, and sleeping alone is just as boring as being awake and alone.
Matt has entertainment centers throughout the massive manor, but I’ve never been one for TV or movies.
The only things I ever watched were with him or Emily, and I definitely never watched any porn with either of them—which seems to be Matt’s primary form of entertainment in stock here.
He’s got enough gay films to fill a whole weekend and then some, but I don’t think that’s something I’d be into.
Right around eleven, I meander back to the master bedroom and pick up the burner Matt left for me. It’s only programmed with one number: Matt’s. I stare at the phone, unsure if I should text right now. Matt might be busy, or he might not be alone. A random text from someone might rouse suspicions.
As if summoned by my thoughts, the phone buzzes with a text from Matt.
You hanging in there?
Should I tell him I’m going crazy without him here? No. That won’t achieve anything productive. He might leave the mansion again and come here.
Yeah.
I rub the side of the device with my thumb, trying to think of what to add. I want to talk to Matt, but it’s too risky to call. Texting via the burner phones is the safest way to communicate right now.
Missing you.
Matt’s text dots appear and disappear over and over again, making me nervous. Finally, his response comes through.
I miss you, too. Cinder and Gia are going at it next door, and I have no one to enjoy myself with here. I want you in my arms. I want my cock buried inside you.
That brings a chuckle to my lips. Is that why this place is stocked with more porn than anyone could ever watch?
I’ll have you know that I’ve watched every single movie that manor has to offer. That’s a finely curated collection you have there. Any other man would be grateful.
Maybe I don’t need porn. Maybe I need you.
More text dots … the anticipation is killing me.
Find the one labeled “Guido and Hector.” You’ll thank me.
To humor him, I grab the remote and start searching the files. The title he gave pops up, and I see that it’s a full-length production.
You spend two hours at a time on this stuff?
Matt sends three laughter emojis. You have no idea. I was lonely before you came to your senses.
And you think I’d enjoy watching this?
A photo comes next, and my cheeks break out in a furious blush.
I think you’d enjoy it if we watched at the same time.
Sexting and porn: Two things I’m completely an amateur at.
Still, since Matt’s got his out, it’s only fair that I show mine.
I shimmy out of my shorts and shirt, leaning back and holding the phone camera high to get a good angle.
Just the sight of Matt’s cock has me hard, and I think I captured my mood accurately.
Do you think I’ll enjoy it this much?
Fuuuuuck, Aron! Even with the bandages, you’re fucking gorgeous. I want to lick my way down those fucking abs and suck that cock while you watch my favorite movie.
That gives me an idea. Turn on video chat.
Yeah?
Yeah. You can’t suck me off, but you can watch me watch. Maybe I’ll even give you a little show while I’m at it.
A few seconds later, the phone pings with an incoming video call.
Matt’s naked as the day he was born, holding the phone at a similar angle to the one I used in my photo. I realize as soon as he settles with his other hand on his cock that this position won’t be fun for either of us. Our arms will wear out before I come.
“Set the phone down. Keep it where I can see you, but set it down.”
Matt complies, changing the angle but not the full-body view. It takes me a bit to situate my phone, but I finally get a good view for him.
“Good. Now, let’s start at the beginning.”
“Oh yeah? You don’t want me to recommend a good timestamp?”
“This is your favorite movie. I want to watch it all.”
I wrap my thumb and forefinger around my cock and start slowly stroking as I press play. The content of the movie holds no interest for me, really; I want to see Matt’s reaction to me partaking of something he enjoys.
“Eyes on the big screen, baby,” Matt says, and I realize I’m distracted, mesmerized by Matt’s fisted cock.
“Whatever you say, Don Matteo.”
He gives a shuddering sigh as I call him by his official Syndicate title. “You can peek from time to time, but watch the movie. Please, Aron.”
As the movie unfolds, I notice there’s an actual plot to it, thin though it may be.
The two leads obviously have a hidden affair, one they can’t let come to light, but they take every opportunity that they’re alone to indulge in each other.
Guido, the Italian, is clearly the top in the relationship, while Hector, the Latino, takes my role.
It doesn’t take long to see the parallels to our life growing up together, though Guido and Hector hook up much earlier in their timeline than Matt and I did.
I guess Hector was more aware of his attraction to Guido than I was of mine to Matt.
As the movie progresses, my hand pumps faster. Short, shallow breaths huff out of my chest, and Matt pants in kind on his end. I spare a glance at the phone for a moment only to see Matt’s gaze transfixed on his own phone.
He’s not watching the damn film.
“Watch the movie,” he admonishes even as I grin and turn my eyes back to the TV.
“Hypocrite.”
“I know this movie by heart. I could quote you every line in it.”
“Then do that.”
His fist stutters in its pumping. “What?”
I click a button on my remote, and the movie mutes. “Quote me the lines. Read them for me while I watch.”
“Aron, this movie is so cheesy. Just watch it, listen, and I’ll watch you.”
“Uh-uh! Now I need to hear it in your voice. I want that deep, sexy grumble to read this to me. Line. By. Line.”
Matt sighs and finally tears his eyes away from the phone screen. “Fine. Let me catch up to where we are.”
“Mute yours, too. I only want to hear your voice.”
“My, someone’s feeling pushy.”
“You can punish me for it later. Now, though, it’s time for your acting debut.”
I focus on the TV again, but now I’ve got Matt reading me the lines for both characters—and, apparently, any side characters in the film.
When I spare another glance in his direction, I see that his eyes have drifted closed while he fucks his hand.
He’s not even watching, but his dub is spot on.
I’d never know he wasn’t paying attention.
“Eyes open, lover. If you’re not gonna watch the show, then just watch me.”
To incentivize his attention, I squeeze my balls with my free hand while I pump my fist even faster. Matt’s speech falters, but only for a second.
Then he reads some lines that don’t sound rote. They sound real.
“I love you, Hector. This is so much more than sex to me. This is my hope, my salvation, my home. My life begins and ends with you.”
The raw emotion in his voice, the powerful way he delivers the lines, is finally enough to set me off. I come with a shout, spilling over my hand onto the sheets below.
With that, the spell breaks. Matt comes as well, and we both lie there, panting, as the movie ends.
“Don’t go anywhere, Aron. Stay there. Stay safe.”
“Where would I go?”
Matt sighs and wipes his hand on a blanket. “I don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise me if you wandered into a minefield when I wasn’t looking. Just please, for the sake of my sanity, stay in the manor. Stay safe.”
“For you, Matt? Anything.”