Tempting Him by Isabel Lucero

24

Thirty minutesinto being in my dad's room with absolutely nothing to do but text or call friends—most of which go unanswered, because they're all probably having fun, I get up and search for the remote to the TV.

Dad's room is smaller than Alek's but bigger than a typical single-bed room. There's a mini-bar, small balcony, and a separate bedroom from the living area and kitchenette.

Just as I'm thinking I can probably leave without my Dad knowing, my phone starts ringing. When I look at the screen, I see my dad's face.

"Really? FaceTiming me to make sure I'm where I'm supposed to be?"

Dad laughs. "Told you he'd be pissed."

"Who are you talking to? Al—Mr. Drakos?"

"Calm down. We're just making sure you're not drinking and driving."

"Oh? Mr. Drakos cares?" I murmur.

Whether he heard me or not, I don't know. Dad laughs at something else, and I roll my eyes. "You getting drunk, Dad?"

"Of course not."

I shake my head. "Uh-huh. I'm tellin' Mom."

"Oh please. Just stay put a little longer so I know you're safe."

"I think I need to make sure you're being safe."

"What's that?" he asks, his face disappearing from the screen for a few seconds. "Oh. Jay, is your friend over?"

My curiosity is piqued. Is Alek actually asking my dad if I have someone over?

"Well, I gotta go. See you later, Dad. Have fun!"

I wait another fifteen minutes before I grab my keys and head to the door. There's no point sticking around. My dad's enjoying his vacation and getting drunk with his friend. He likely won't be up for a while, and I'm far from feeling intoxicated, so I'll just leave and deal with my dad tomorrow.

When I pull open the door, I'm met with both my Dad and Alek on the other end.

I step back and sigh. "Oh great."

"Hey," Dad laughs. "What does that mean? We're not that bad."

Alek chuckles, and it's the first time I'm noticing he's probably a little tipsy, too. Less drunk than my dad, but not sober.

"Well, y'all can have the room. I was about to leave."

I don't miss Alek's eyes scouring the area, searching for another person. When he realizes it's just me, he seems to relax, giving me a sort of smug smile.

I purse my lips. "I have someone to meet. So, you're good?" I ask Dad.

"Come on. Stay. Let's have a guys night in. We got drinks in the mini-bar."

"I don't really want to have a sleepover with my dad and his friend, and if I have even one more sip, you're gonna make me stick around even longer. No thanks."

"I thought you liked staying in hotels," Dad says. "You did when you were younger."

I glance at Alek. "I've had my fill."

He arches a brow at me, and I stare back at him.

"Well, I'm gonna use the bathroom. I'll be right back," Dad announces.

As soon as he's out of the room, Alek approaches me, backing me into the wall. "I don't find your little games amusing. Didn't I tell you I don't play them?"

"No, you only play games according to your rules, but they're games, nonetheless."

"I don't appreciate you trying to make me jealous. The thought of you in here with anyone else..." He lets it trail off as he inhales deeply through his nose.

"What? Makes you jealous? You know what that means, right?" I say with a smirk.

"It means nothing."

"We're not fucking anymore, Alek," I say, stressing his first name. "You made it clear you're not capable of pleasing me."

He clenches his jaw. "You made it clear you're not capable of sex without forming attachments."

"I'm hardly attached to you. I wasn't lying about having options. I could call up three different people tonight."

"Then why didn't you?"

"The night's not over," I say with a shrug.

"I think it's because you're hung up on me."

I choke out a laugh. "Funny, coming from the guy asking my dad if I had anybody in the room. Just admit you care more than you want to." I step forward until my chest touches his. "Admit you're still thinking about how much you want to kiss me."

His eyes travel to my lips briefly, but before anything can happen, the bathroom door opening has us stepping away from each other.

"Okay, so who's ready for another drink?" Dad asks, entering the room.

"I'll take one," Alek answers.

"I'm gonna leave."

"All right, fine. I get it. You don't want to hang out with two old folks," Dad says with a laugh. "I'll call you tomorrow. We'll get together and do whatever you want, okay?"

"Try not to have a hangover," I say with a smirk. I give him a hug before pausing in front of Alek. I have to be polite, otherwise my dad will get into my ass about it later, so I extend a hand to him. "Mr. Drakos. See you Monday afternoon."

He slips his hand into mine, squeezing it firmly while his beautiful eyes penetrate mine. "Yes, I'll see you soon."

Taking my hand from his, I spin around and walk out. By the time I get into my car, I realize my mood has shifted and I no longer want to hang out with anybody. I could join my friends wherever they are, but I feel too agitated. I wouldn't be any fun.

I regret the way I've been acting, but he's brought out this side of me I'm not used to. What is that? Why am I so bothered?

Yeah, I probably like Alek more than I should, but that doesn't mean I can't be without him. I just want him to be honest with himself and with me. We could easily still have a friends-with-benefits situation that doesn't require emotions, but can include kissing and blowjobs.

Nearly thirty minutes later, I'm still in my car, just driving around and listening to music. At a red light, my phone vibrates with a text so I check it before the light turns green.

Alek: Come to my room.

My heart leaps,and as excited as I am to read that message, part of me is still holding onto frustration and I don't want him to know how eager I am to be alone with him again.

I wait until I can pull off the road and into a nearby parking lot before I respond.

Me: Why?

Alek: Just come.

Me: You're not my boss outside of work, you know?

Alek: Why are you acting like you don't want to see me?

Me: I just did see you.

Alek: Your age is showing.

Me: Fuck you.

Alek: Do you want to?

My stomach clenchesas my heart stutters in my chest before warmth floods my veins.

Me: Don't play with me.

Alek: Please come over.

His useof the word please has any resolve I had crumbling. I doubt he uses that word much. I don't respond to him, I just drive.

Fifteen minutes later, I'm in the elevator, on the way up to his room. After I knock, he doesn't take long to answer, and though he's still showing signs of being a little drunk, his shoulders appear to sag in relief when he sees me.

With a half empty glass already in his hand, he walks to his bar. "Drink?"

"I'd have to sleep over."

He snorts but starts pouring. His bare feet pad toward me, arm outstretched, offering me a glass.

"I think we need to talk."

I put my drink down. "Oh Lord. If this is the, it's not you, it's me talk, it could've been done over the phone."

He struts to the couch and plops down. He's still in his slacks and button up shirt. The top two buttons are undone, the sleeves are rolled up, and though he looks a little tortured, he still looks damn good.

I follow his lead and sit across from him. He takes two drinks before he speaks.

"I'm sorry I was a dick. I didn't mean to make you feel like you were being used. I thought we were both on the same page, and I didn't stop to think that maybe I was hurting your feelings."

"When you say it like that you make it sound like I was at home crying. I'm not sad about anything. Just frustrated. I'm not saying I haven't been with someone who hasn't wanted to suck dick, but usually it's been a woman, and that was because it was a one and only hookup situation. Gay men can have a lot of differences, but one of the similarities is liking cock. And I've never been with anyone who was opposed to kissing." I shrug. "Saying it out loud now, I get that it sounds trivial."

"It's not. Look, I know that I'm the abnormal one, but I have reasons. They may not make sense to anybody else, but to me they do."

"Okay," I say with a nod.

"I told you a little about how my parents reacted, but that was just scratching the surface. Growing up, I didn't have it easy. I knew I was attracted to the same sex when I was about twelve. I fought that attraction for a while, because I was confused, but then I met a kid a little older than me. We became close, and I guess I saw things differently than he did, so when I tried to kiss him, he became enraged. It wasn't until later, after he told his older cousins, that I knew just how upset he was.

"They caught me in an alleyway as I was walking home and made sure I knew to never come near that boy again. That was the first time I heard the slurs and felt the hate, but it wasn't the last time."

"Alek."

He holds a hand up, stopping me from saying more.

"I lied to my parents about why that happened, feigning ignorance. I said it was just a random attack and that maybe they were just wanting money. I was afraid for a couple years to even try to get close to another guy again. I thought everyone knew and would only be attempting to catch me trying something just to have an excuse to attack.

“I was angry, too, and in my fear of being found out, and anger for being a victim, I became friends with people who I thought would protect me. They were angry kids just like me, but because of their own reasons. We were constantly getting in trouble for doing stupid shit. They hated people who were like me, and I had to pretend I hated them, too.

"They beat up a kid for being gay. It was for fun. They had no reason to hate him, but they heard he was a homosexual and wanted to punish him for it. I wasn't there that day, but they told me about it later. That only instilled more fear into me." He takes a breath and runs a hand through his hair. "Fast forward a couple more years, and I'm working at a restaurant, where I meet this guy. We both worked until close, having to clean the kitchen, and we became good friends. One day he said something about an ex-boyfriend, and I was so surprised at his honesty. Besides the shock, my first feeling was fear. What if he was laying a trap? Trying to get me to admit to being gay?

"A long while went by before I realized he was a genuinely good person. He was two years older than me and not even in school anymore. One night after we had closed up, we ended up messing around a little. That went on for a few weeks, and I was finally accepting that I was gay and it wasn't a big deal. I liked what we were doing, and he was a good guy."

Alek stops talking and takes another drink. His eyes find mine, and I can tell whatever comes next is important. I'm almost afraid to hear it. He already admitted to being attacked. Maybe that's where the scars on his torso came from. I can't imagine it getting worse.

"My dad decided to come pick me up one night. Usually, it was my mom, and typically she waited out front. My dad was impatient, though, and he drove around to the back. We always kept the back door cracked for fresh air, and when he came in looking for me, he found us in a compromising position."

I take in a sharp breath as my eyes bulge, imagining the scene. "Oh."

Alek nods. "He walked in on us as Phillippe was...well, entering me."

My eyebrows shoot up. "Oh shit."

"To keep a long story short, he lost his shit. He shoved Phillippe away, knocking him into a table. He tried fighting him, and I jumped on him in an attempt to protect Phillippe. It turned into a messy brawl that ended with me being forced to quit my job. I never saw or heard from Phillippe again. My dad beat me even more when we got home that day, and after that, it was non-stop verbal attacks mixed with a few physical fights.

"Mom found out and cried for weeks. For a long while, I rebelled. I stayed out, got in trouble with friends, drank, did drugs. I did a lot of shit I regret. Dad had enough right before I turned eighteen and refused to have me do anything that would stay on my record once I was legally an adult. He moved us to a new town and forced me to work for him.

“The slurs never ended. He wanted to make it known that he was disgusted by homosexuality. He said only women sucked cock. He told me I was a bitch for bending over for another man. He hated me and wanted me to hate myself. He told me I should be ashamed and embarrassed. Both of my parents eventually got to the point where they pretended like they didn't know, but that was only when I stopped fighting. They broke me over time, and I was done trying to defend myself. They'd never understand. They introduced me to women, they talked about grandkids, and made it known I was to have a son take over the company. They said they hoped to have a real man in the family again, hoping I wouldn't ruin a child with my sickness."

I stand up. "Alek, I can't even listen to this anymore. This is awful. Fuck. I'm so sorry."

He finishes his drink and drops the glass to the table noisily. "That's the gist of it. It was hell for a long time. Their deaths brought a minute sense of relief, but the damage had already been done. Mental abuse lingers. People are always concerned with physical abuse, but my wounds have healed. The ones in here," he says, pointing to his head, "are very much still raw and open."

I sit next to him, unsure if he wants any sort of affection or not, but being close seems better. "I know there's nothing I can say that'll make you feel better, but I wish I could take that away from you. Nobody deserves that."

He holds my gaze. "I think you're right. I probably should talk to a therapist."

I barely nod, my lips pinched together. "I'm sorry for making you feel like shit when this is what you were living with."

"I shouldn't expect people to know, and you'd think I'd be more aware of people's feelings considering that's all I wanted from my parents—some sort of consideration and understanding."

I sigh. "I like you, Alek. More than I should, probably, since you're my boss, my dad's friend, and leaving soon. I know nothing will come of this, and continuing will only make it harder when you do leave."

"Feels like there's more to that."

"But I don't want to stop."

His lips quirk up slightly. "I don't either, but I can't promise you anything will change."

"I get it."

"Okay."

"Okay."

He laughs. "You want to stay over?"

"Of course," I say, rolling my eyes.

"Good."

I drop to my knees between his legs and start undoing his pants.