Page 15 of Doubts of the Egoist
He turned to the durable oak bed, expecting to find it as always, bound with chains and straps, but saw no metal. Suspecting his vision wasn’t strong enough to distinguish fine details, he approached it and ran his palm over the warm carved wood. The anchor holes gaped in the pillars, but the chains were gone. Stripped of its elaborate fittings, the bed looked naked and pitiful.
Hmm, something did change.
The feeling of being trapped on a hamster wheel evaporated just in time as the door creaked open and warm arms wrapped around his chest. A sharp chin dug into his shoulder, and tobacco-laden words warmed his ear. “Still angry?”
“I am,” Kuon lied because a stubborn part of him hated the idea of Yugo manipulating him into another make-up sex session by exploiting his touch starvation. He shrugged in a half-hearted attempt to break free, still staring at the bed.I can’t believe Yugo listened to my request…
“Don’t be. I’ll buy you a new phone.” With long, beautiful fingers, Yugo removed Kuon’s sunglasses and tossed them onto the bed. His lips glided down the side of Kuon’s face as his hands wandered over his abdomen and snuck under his T-shirt.
“With just your number in it? No, thank you,” Kuon huffed but unconsciously craned his neck as Yugo sucked on thetender spot below his earlobe.
“Then what should I do to improve your mood?”
Kuon hummed, mentally coming up with some ideas. He was about to turn around to look his lover in the eye when a knock sounded at the door. He instinctively looked toward the sound. A man sporting a messy mop of yellow hair burst in without an invitation. Head tilted to the side, the intruder paused to survey his surroundings.
“Are you lost?” Yugo’s chest tensed against Kuon’s back. “Get out! Can’t you see I’m busy?”
“I see that. Hey, Puppy.” The man flashed a creepy, distorted smile that made Kuon’s skin crawl. “Sorry to interrupt your fun time. Nice hickeys, by the way.”
With two fingers, the stranger tapped the side of his neck, underscoring the fact that Kuon remained locked in Yugo’s embrace, whose cold hands still groped his abdomen. Those possessive arms unclenched reluctantly as Yugo pulled away, face stiffened with discomfort and growing embarrassment.
Dripping with annoyance, Yugo stomped to the door. “Have you gotten bored with life and started looking for trouble?”
“Just kidding. Chill!” The stranger raised his palms in the air and retreated a step, grinning. He tried to appear harmless and friendly, an air of power and danger still surrounded him.
Kuon squinted. For someone to barge into the master bedroom like that, he had to be very close to Yugo. Still, his face was unfamiliar, or maybe his unstable vision made it impossible to recognize him. He couldn’t even tell how old the man was as he appeared to be just a little more detailed than a deformed,colorful blob. The distressed maroon T-shirt, worn-out jeans ripped at the thighs, and an air of casual familiarity suggested the intruder was on a list of friends and family rather than a business associate.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Yugo asked with iron severity in his usually soft baritone. Half a head taller, he towered over the intruder yet seemed to inspire no fear. The blond man looked up at Yugo with a grin and shimmering audacity in the… blue eyes? Kuon wasn’t sure. He wanted to approach this person and take a closer look, but couldn’t think of a good excuse to do so.
“I didn’t invite you here today, and certainly not to my bedroom.” Yugo blocked the man’s view with his back, causing Kuon to move reflexively to the left.
“Don’t fret about it. I invited myself. I come and go as I please, remember? Anyway, we need to talk. Now.” When the Black Duke didn’t move, the man looked over Yugo’s shoulder at Kuon. “Puppy, do you mind giving us some—”
“Be gone,” Yugo hissed, “unless you want me to help you find the door.”
Kuon frowned. He’d never seen this man before, but the stranger obviously knew him. The degrading nickname “Puppy” triggered his murderous instincts, but he tried to keep his cool to glean information.
“Well, really, I wouldn’t be here at all if you’d returned my calls. It’s not like I wanted to drive two hours to look into your pretty eyes,” the man retorted in a lazy, nasal slur.
The only reaction Yugo allowed himself was a curt jerk of his square chin at the door. Kuon’s gaze flicked between the two. He wanted to ask what was going on, but the impenetrable maskon Yugo’s face convinced him otherwise.
“So, are we going to your office or do you have no more secrets from Puppy?”
“You have five minutes.” Yugo shouldered the blond man on his way out of the room.
The man winked. “Bye-bye, Puppy. It was a pleasure to finally meet you. I hope we’ll talk again soon.”
“Tobias!” Yugo turned in the hallway and pierced the blond man with a lethal glare. Tobias’ grin widened as he waved and followed Yugo out.
The door slammed shut, leaving Kuon alone with a stinging swarm of questions.
Tobias…He remembered the faceless dossier on one of Yugo’s business partners.
He was an arms dealer, a well-known black-market figure but a media ghost. Always wearing a baseball cap or a hoodie, he skillfully avoided cameras, and for some reason, no one had ever given a clear description of him. Whether he was handsome or ugly depended on the witness.
Wanting to know more, he stole to the door and put his hand on the bronze handle, when a bolt of realization struck him.
What the hell am I doing?
