Just a Bit Wicked

Chapter 23

Vlad was back at Luke's apartment in the early hours of the morning.

He found that the security device had been turned off—not by him, but by someone else.He immediately went on high alert.

He pulled the gun out of the holster, trying to see if there was anything unusual in the dimly lit living room.This top-floor apartment is quiet.I hope Luke is still sleeping soundly in the bedroom.If an unauthorized person turns off the security system - which seems to be the case at the moment - the bedroom door can only be opened from the inside.He cursed himself inwardly; he shouldn't have left Luke alone.Strictly speaking, he doesn't need to be around Luke to protect him all the time—he has four hours a day off, and Luke's private elevator is guarded by security; but with enough thought, someone can Take advantage of other loopholes to break in.Although Roman told him a few days ago that Chavez was unlikely to target Luke during this period, Roman had many enemies, not just Chavez.Maybe someone else found Roman's sweetheart.

He shouldn't have left, or at least he should have come back as soon as he was done, instead of spending over an hour kissing Sebastian and looking at him so submissive, flushed and exhausted, that he didn't want to leave.What he's been doing lately has often annoyed him.sad.

A sarcasm in his subconscious said: But he wasn't annoyed enough to stop.

Vlad shrugged off the voice and focused his attention on his surroundings. He held his breath and moved soundlessly.

The silence in the apartment meant that the intruder had heard him, was hiding somewhere, or was approaching him quietly.He couldn't make out the movement of the intruder in the dark, but he didn't panic, there was no distraction in his mind, and he was fully alert.

Where.left.Very light breathing.Vlad pounced on it without even further confirmation.He collided with the intruder, and both fell to the ground.The man was tall and strong, about Vlad's build, and they huddled together in the dark, trying to overwhelm each other.To Vlad's surprise, they were evenly matched in strength, and it took all his strength to hold each other down and keep him immobile.The way the intruder fought felt familiar to him.

"Vlad, let me go," the man said.

Vlad let him go cursing, rolled on the spot and stood up.He found the switch and turned on the light.

He saw the extremely unhappy face of his boss at a glance.Roman also stood up. "Where the hell have you been? Why didn't you come back at three o'clock in the middle of the night?" He asked coldly.He didn't ask "why didn't you stay with Luke", but they knew it.

Vlad gritted his teeth.He was tired of Roman's oblique attitude.Yes, he'd betrayed Roman's trust once - sort of - once, but he'd saved his life countless times, too. "I have four hours a day to make my own arrangements, it's in the contract. I don't have to be here all the time to listen to your little one. He's asleep, what am I staying here for? To prevent his nightmares? You told me Chavez was no longer a threat."

Roman looked at Vlad, his expression became serious, with a look of scrutiny.

Vlad told himself that there was no way Roman could have seen what he had been up to the last few hours.

"How's it going?" Vlad tried to divert Roman's attention. "Chavez?"

"He can't block the way anymore." Roman's eyes flashed with a satisfied cold light.

Vlad almost sympathized with Chavez.But then again, that's a crazy guy.

"Roma?"

Vlad turned around.

Luke blinked dazedly, and then a big smile lit up his face. "You're home!" He rushed to Roman desperately, crashing into his arms.Roman hugged him tightly, burying his face in his curls.

Vlad looked at everything in disbelief, Roman rubbed the tip of his nose against Luke's hair, breathing shallowly and greedily. "Hey kitten," he whispered, kissing Luke's ear.

"I miss you," Luke's words fell on Roman's neck. "Want it so so much."

"Yeah." Roman responded hoarsely.He lifted Luke's legs around his waist and carried him out of the living room.

Vlad watched their backs, then went to the bar to pick up a small bottle of vodka.Roman is back, which means that he no longer needs to be Luke's bodyguard, and he can get drunk as much as he wants.

Vlad unscrewed the bottle and walked to the balcony.It's cold and windy tonight, but he doesn't care.He had long been used to colder weather.

He leaned against the railing, looking down at the nightless London.He took a sip of vodka, enjoying the burning sensation, trying to clear his mind.But the effect is not very good.

From what he'd just seen, he could only admit that Luke was more than just a whim to Roman.It was clear that Roman was serious about the kid.And even so, Vlad still didn't feel that Roman was a second chair.

The second chair is a poor coward, not a real man.

Now, his uncle's words seemed ridiculous.Roman Demidov was the opposite of coward, and he was one of the most ruthless and powerful men Vlad had ever known.Just because he is now sleeping with a man, do you think he is weak, pitiful, and not like a man?Vlad couldn't do it.

His uncle must be wrong, at least on this point.

But Stepan might be right about one thing, being attracted to other men - at least to a certain man - is abnormal.uncharacteristically strong.

It has been more than a month since they first had sex.He thought he would get tired of it after so long, and then he could forget about it.But now it seems that there is no fucking effect.Just thinking about the past few hours - enjoying Sebastian's body and kissing Sebastian's mouth afterward - made him feel horny.It was hard for him to tear himself away from Sebastian, it was hard for him to force himself to leave.He felt like a teenager again, but he'd never been this obsessed with someone as a teenager—nor as an adult.Vlad couldn't help thinking that he must be sick, because he'd never felt like this before, with hormones out of whack and only one thing on his mind.Sebastian's smile, and the desire to touch him and kiss him, made it hard for Vlad to breathe, as if someone had punched him in the chest, preventing him from cumming a second before, holding his breath pain.This is not how it should be.

Maybe it's just a midlife crisis.

Maybe his uncle was right, it was a disease.

Or, maybe he was just a second chair and just too fucking depressed.Maybe it wasn't because of Sebastian; maybe any handsome guy he met would end up looking like this--although his lack of feelings for Antonio proved otherwise.

Maybe Sebastian is not a special case, Antonio is.

To confirm this guess, Vlad closed his eyes and tried to imagine sleeping with Luke.The kid's beauty was top notch, and Vlad didn't resent the idea, but this meager interest was nothing compared to his insatiable hunger for Sebastian.Besides, if he just touches Luke, Roman might actually kill him.

Roman.

Vlad sneered as he imagined doing that with Roman.Just thinking about it made him feel a little sick—Roman had always been a bit of a brother to him—and if it wasn't, he knew it would be a disaster for the two of them in bed.Roman's heavy taste in bed was no secret to him, that bastard was a dom; Vlad had no sub tendencies.If he had a problem with Roman's instructions, he seldom held back—so the two of them had endless battles over the years.They are absolutely not compatible in bed.

Well, let's just say he doesn't have the same desire for Luke and Roman that he does for Sebastian.

Vlad wasn't sure if he should be happy about it, either.On the one hand, he figured out that he didn't become an all-rounder overnight, which is a good thing; on the other hand, his obsession with Sebastian brought him great panic.He was sick, symptomatic of a desire to kiss Sebastian, to touch him, to fuck him—to see him.Even now, he couldn't help but turn his gaze to the right, to the area where Sebastian's apartment was located.He couldn't see the building from here, but he couldn't help looking, like some drug addict, psychotic nympho.

Vlad sighed and took another sip of vodka.He looked melancholy at the dark night sky, letting his thoughts wander.

He didn't know how long he stood there, maybe an hour, maybe longer, until someone opened the door behind him.

Roman lit his cigarette and walked out.His coat was draped over his shoulders, and his bare chest was bared.He smelled strongly of sex.

"Can't sleep?" Roman took a deep puff on his cigarette.

Vlad shrugged.

"Luke said you were a model bodyguard."

Vlad was a little surprised, he snorted and didn't answer.Even if he and Luke worked out their differences, they weren't friends yet.He thought the kid would always hold his grudge.

"I'm glad you and Luke are accepting of each other."

Vlad was silent, waiting.Roman wasn't one for small talk; he'd definitely move on to other things.

"I want you to go back to your old seat," Roman said.

Vlad laughed a little.Of course Roman is not asking for his opinion.He was just expressing his attitude, and he was absolutely sure that Vlad would not refuse.This bastard is always so awesome.

"Who said I want to go back?" Vlad replied. "I'm taking this job to pay you back, because I owe you one. Maybe I don't want to be here at all. This place is so fucking boring."

"That's right," Roman said lightly, taking another deep breath of the cigarette. "That's not what I've heard. Luke says you're hooking up with his model friend."

Vlad tensed up.It took a lot of effort to keep his face impassive.How did Luke know?By chance?Or had Sebastian told him?

He felt uneasy.He didn't want so many people to know about...that person, it made him uncomfortable.

"If Luke's been gossiping about me for the last hour, you're not good enough," Vlad said gruffly.

Roman didn't take the bait, but was amused instead. "It seems he's right. I'm surprised."

"What's wrong?" Vlad shot back. "You used to change women every night, but now you're fucking that Whitford boy."

"I'm not 'fucking' Luke," Roman's voice grew cold. "Don't say that about him. Understand?"

Vlad looked at him.Roman looked very serious, his posture tense, and the anger spread from him.

Watching his always-calm boss behave uncharacteristically, Vlad realized that Roman felt more than liking for the boy.He loves him, which means he is planning to fight a protracted war.

It made him feel... weird.Strangely enough, he didn't feel sick.

"Okay." Vlad turned away.After a while, he added stiffly: "If I knew he was so important to you, I wouldn't help Anastasia. I thought he was a bad influence." Good intentions do bad things.

"I know." Roman said. "That's what made me decide to forgive you. If I can forgive your betrayal, you don't have to be so damn proud. You have to come back, Vlad. Anya has your job, so she didn't Time to deal with her own business, she is too annoying." He paused. "Compared with you, she never said anything to my orders, which made me very comfortable. But I'm still used to your way."

Vlad curled his lips.Saying this from Roman's mouth is equivalent to admitting that he misses him.

"All right," he said. "But you have to give me a raise."

"Salary increase?" Roman said with a smile. "I drove you high enough, you greedy bastard."

"Everything in the goddamn place is expensive as hell, and besides, the cheap ones just don't suit my taste."

"Look at you now, who would believe that you were a country bumpkin with only two shirts before." Roman muttered softly and lit another cigarette.

Vlad's smile disappeared.If the bumpkin saw him now, he would be disgusted and terrified—if he knew Vlad was so crazy about another man.

"That's been a long time coming," he said. "I'm changed now."

Has he changed?