“Whole wheat, please,” Simeon says. “Butter on the side. My metabolism isn’t what it used to be.” Simeon palms his rotund belly. Giovanni glances down at it and back up, makes no comment and says nothing in response, simply turns back to the task of toasting and buttering bread. Perhaps I should have put him behind the piano.
“So, this is what’s been keeping you so busy,” Simeon says, still staring at Giovanni’s back. I pour Simeon a glass of champagne, then show him to a seat at the dining table. “Keller told me you were training himexclusively. I’m sure you’re breaking a lot of hearts.”
I chuckle at that. “It’s my turn to settle down. I haven’t been serious with anyone in years.”
“Is this serious?” Simeon asks, looking somewhat astonished.
“For now. But as you said, he’s young. He has a lot of options.”
Giovanni’s attention is piqued at the mention of his training. As for Simeon’s insinuation about our exclusivity being somewhat rare for me, he’s not wrong, but Giovanni is all that I can handle and more than I could want. Building trust between us is what matters most.
“I’ve never known you to be so laissez-faire when training a sub,” Simeon remarks.
“I’m highly involved but we’re taking it one day at a time.” It would be terribly disappointing to invest so heavily in Giovanni only to have him leave me in a couple of months when he’s feeling more secure, but whenever that sentiment strikes, I remind myself that I assumed this endeavor to provide him with structure and stability, not with the expectation of any long-term commitment on his part. If friendship is the result of our time here together, then I will cherish that too.
“How oldishe, Valentin?” Simeon asks, leaning toward me as if to be discreet but the sound of his voice carries. Giovanni doesn’tglareat Simeon but there is something aggressive in his expression.
“Nineteen. But Giovanni’s an old soul.”
“I’d sure hope so. Christ, it’s practically criminal.”
I try to laugh it off. To reveal our true connection might compromise Giovanni’s safety, a risk I’m not willing to take. “Lucky for me, it’s not.”
“Well, we missed you at my party. We had averygood time. The best thing about New York City is the men are always cycling through. Here to San Francisco to L.A. to Miami then back again, and don’t get me started on the ex-pats. Did you know that European men shaveeverything.”
“I am European, Simeon,” I gently remind, though I do not shaveeverything.
“Your breakfast,” Giovanni announces too loudly. He abruptly drops the plate in front of Simeon who glances up sharply. Giovanni moves on to serve me and then himself. Once seated, his cat-like gaze focuses on Simeon again.
“Valentin tells me you’re interested in classical studies. Anything that might be of interest to me?” Simeon asks.
“I’d have to know you better to know what might be of interest to you,” Giovanni says, a little snottily.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the Romans and the great emperors who ruled those vast kingdoms.”
“Many of them were sexual deviants,” Giovanni says in an offhand way.
“Really?”
“One of the biggest perverts was Tiberius. He had a pool where toddlers were trained to swim between his thighs and suckle his cock to arouse him. He called them ‘minnows.’”
“That is… quite disturbing.” Simeon glances warily at me.
“If someone displeased him, he would force them to swim with electric eels or make them jump off a low cliff, not to kill them necessarily, but to break all their bones.”
“How gruesome.”
“He orally violated infants too.”
“Giovanni,” I warn.
“Oh, are these topics not of interest to you?” he asks, feigning ignorance. His behavior is more than just bratty, it’s rude, but I’ll deal with that later.
“Go play us something,” I tell him with a wave of my hand, even though his breakfast is untouched. Something has put him in a foul mood, though what it could be, I have no idea.
“Yes,Sir,” he says with an exaggerated bow that borders on hostile. When he stands, it is with a posture of willful defiance. Soon after, he’s banging out Vivaldi, a brash choice and not at all accidental.
“His English is very good for only being here a few months,” Simeon observes, clearly looking for something complimentary to say.
