Page 31 of Drag Me Up

“As nice as that is, Scotty, I think we need to focus on the immediate problem,” Jackson pipes up as he grabs another beer from my fridge. When the fuck did he get here? “We need to make sure the vultures can’t come after Eric or any of us. We might have to cancel our trip to DC this week.”

A chorus of groans can be heard from half the room, but Eric waves at them to stop.

“That won’t be necessary,” he tells us all when the room quiets. “The only Mr. Mendleton in the city is my father and unless he tells the press what he forced on me when he kicked me out, they won’t be able to find me. Thursday at the Devil won’t be affected.”

24

ERIC

The looks I get from around the room make me squirm. I love the spotlight, but this is like being a bug under a microscope.

“Explain,” Eli commands from his spot, arms crossed in front of him. I stiffen at the order and struggle with the urge to go against it just for fuck’s sake. You would never know this is the guy who has spent the last four years cleaning me up when I crash after my lack of inhibitions fucks up my life.

“Watch your tone,” Matt snarls from behind me. “You aren’t his Master. He isn’t yours. He’s mine. No one gets to speak to my boy that way.”

Oh, hot damn. That was sexy as fuck! I’m really regretting not taking the time to replace the panties I forgot in the hotel room last night. These pants really don’t do a good job hiding the way my dick is responding to this assertive side of my Mattie.

In the silence that follows, Matt gently asks me toexplain to everyone what I meant since we all need to be on the same page. It’s like he is fine tuned into my brain and what triggers the stubborn defiance. I’m practically putty in his hands… I don’t hate it.

Turning to the rest of the room, I take a deep breath and dive into the details of things I should have shared a long time ago.

“So, some of you know what happened to me five years ago in general terms,” I say before I glance at Spencer and then over to Steve. “Some of you know a bit more detail, but I have never told anyone every detail of what happened, especially after.”

“I don’t want to know the details,” Shiloh interrupts. “Can we skip to the after part? Or I can go back home. You don’t need me here for this.”

Before our kitten can get up to leave, Lucky jumps off Spencer’s lap to hug him. “Eric can skip to the end. Or I’ll hold my hands over your ears for the scary parts. You’re family and this is a family meeting.”

Nodding my head, I tell the room, “I’m not ready to share the full story with everyone just yet. But the end is something you all need to be aware of.

“So you all know how my father has always been obsessed with the image of the perfect family more than actually putting in any work to be a real family, right?”

Everyone in the room makes some indication of agreement. I chuckle at Matt and Spencer both snorting. Eli makes some sort of comment under his breath. I think I can make out the word “understatement” somewhere in there.

“So when…the event… happened, my father tried to force me to drop the charges because of the negative light it was shining on our family name within the police force and the district attorney’s office. The chief of police was his golfing buddy at the time.”

The only ones in the room not surprised by this are Spencer, Clarence, and Eli. They were the ones who helped to pick me up after all. Closing my eyes, I fall back into my memory and tell my friends about the night my father tried to kill me for being a victim who was unwilling to let my abuser go free.

“You will tell the university that you were mistaken and you will rescind the police report!”

My father is still yelling at me to drop the charges against the hockey players that assaulted me. I can’t stop the maniacal laughter that bubbles out in response. This is what finally breaks me. I can’t keep doing this dutiful son routine with such a bastard.

“Your son was fucking attacked and you care more about the potential future careers of his fucking rapists than his own wellbeing!”

The look on his face is comical. I’ve never even talked back to my father, let alone raised my voice to him. But this… this event is the straw that fucking buries the camel.

“I never asked for your love,” I continue while he’s still impersonating a goldfish. “I never asked for your money. Hell, I never fucking asked to be born! You and whatever coochie I crawled out of didn’t give me a fucking choice on anything.

“All I ever received from you in my twenty one years on this earth were shame, guilt, and abandonment issues. If you tell me one more time to drop the charges, I will make sure no one in this city, in this fucking country, will do business with you, you homophobic piece of shit.”

I watch as my father’s face morphs from shock to rage. There is nothing more he can do to hurt me. He can’t touch my trust fund, and that will be mine unrestricted in just a few years. I can live with that

“You are no son of mine. Not anymore!” he screams at me and hauls me up out of the chair by my arm. He drags me from his study and throws me toward the stairs. I barely catch myself on the banister and turn back to look at him in shock.

I honestly didn’t think he could do or say anything to hurt me any worse than I was already feeling.

I was wrong.

His hatred of my sexuality was one thing. This is a whole universe of hate. My father would rather kill me than face the scandal of having a gay son who was raped.

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