Page 26 of At The End Of The Day

His gasp was audible and it made me cringe.

Craning my neck to look in his direction without looking at him, I was quick to continue with, “But I won’t take this no further. I crossed lines I shouldn’t of, and you got my word, as a Serpent, as a brother,” I emphasized through gritted teeth. “I won’t cross them again. I don’t want any wedges between us, Dash. I’ll deal with this attraction without disrespecting you again.”

He didn’t respond, so I finally made eye contact. His lips were taut, chest heaving, nostrils flared.

“Please, Dario. Tell me we’re okay.”

His tone harsh, he scoffed and shook his head. “Yeah, Vincent. We’re just fine.”

“Really?”

Rolling his eyes, he yanked open the door. “Yup. Brotherhood for life,” he grumbled, walked out, and slammed the door.

I sat down and slouched low, taking a drag. Scanning the screens, I couldn’t get Billy out of my thoughts. If he found out what happened in this house, would he follow through? Were those idle threats? Surely, he wasn’t serious, after all, he had a wife. He had the image he wanted. Why would losing me cause him to take such dramatic actions?

Banging my head to the back of the chair, I closed my eyelids, the confusion growing thicker. I had no idea what I felt, what I wanted, what to even think right now. Since I’d only ever had one romantic relationship my whole life, I couldn’t even figure out my feelings at the moment. If I really loved him, how could I be so goddamn attracted to Dash?

That made me spiral into another rabbit hole of did I even love Billy anymore? Of course, at one time, I had been madly in love with him, but something changed when he married Rebecca. I could sit here all day and dwell over betraying him, but didn’t he do it first? Not just with his wife but the other women he’d dated over the years in an attempt to hide us.

Naturally, whatever I was feeling for Dash wasn’t real, either, because he was not gay. He was very aggressively against homosexuality. The only reason he reciprocated anything was because it was forced. That’s not what I wanted, I didn’t want someone because they had no choice. I never wanted someone to feel helpless like I did, like I had since I was fifteen. I wanted someone who wanted me, as much as I wanted them. Someone willing to take a stand against everyone and proudly claim me as theirs.

Billy would never do that, and neither would Dash. If I did manage to start something with him, it would be repeating history. I’d be yet another secret. I couldn’t do that.

I had never felt so lost. I had no idea what to do. I could either continue with how things were for the rest of my life and eagerly lap up the crumbs of affection he threw my way a few times a year, or I could leave him, leading him to possibly commit suicide and staining my hands with his blood forever. All I knew was I was bound to Billy forever, one way or another.

Chapter 13

Dario “Dash” Mangiacavallo

Wednesday, 08.28.2019

The last few days, Vincent and I had done pretty good with avoidance, whether it be one another, our thoughts, or what happened between us. I should be grateful, but I wasn’t, it was only making things worse. I still was incapable of cumming, leaving me lingering right on the edge of complete insanity with a side of an emotional breakdown, and our friendship was deteriorating a bit each time we looked at one another and ignored the elephant in the room.

My hands on my sides, I stood in front of the monitors, my focus on the burned carpet. Then it shifted to the cracked pane with duct tape over it. On repeat, my brain replayed him slamming me against the window and sucking my cock like his goddamn life depended on it. He said I was the best he’d ever had? Well, the feeling was quite mutual, and I didn’t even get to orgasm. I could only imagine what would happen if he took me all the way to the end. I would, no doubt, absolutely scream that man’s name and beg him, just like he asked.

And then what? I become his little pussy? In my head, I knew that if things went that far, I would have to fuck him back, just to appease myself that I was still a man, I was still dominant. Could I, though? Could I fuck a man?

The toilet flushed and water turned on, drawing my attention toward the bathroom. My arms crossed over my chest, one hand lifted, my thumb cracking my knuckles near my jaw. A couple seconds after the faucet cut off, the door swung open and our eyes locked. My heart skipped a beat, my focus lowering to him zipping his jeans.

Out of nowhere, I was slammed with the memory of sucking his dick. The first few minutes, I had been so goddamn disgusted, I was mentally plotting his death the moment I was free. The more he groaned and the more turned on he got, however, something shifted and I’d gotten aroused, as well. So much, my briefs had been soaked with precum. Had he lasted just about another minute, I probably could have orgasmed right along with him.

How the fuck was that possible? I’d given women head thousands of times over the years but had never been as turned on as I was with Vincent’s dick lodged in my throat. Even after puking, I still couldn’t make myself feel gross. He had tasted fantastic.

He cleared his throat and tugged at the seam to readjust the denim. My eyelids thinning, my attention shot back to his face, my thumbpad rubbing against my ring finger that had been bare since the night I broke my wife’s neck. I should resent this man for what he’d done to me since being here. After all, I was risking my life for him and his family.

My family. They were my family, too. Even the bitch was not looking so bad these days.

Vincent had gone to jail for me. The second we realized I’d been busted, he stood up for me and took the blame. He didn’t have to be asked or convinced, hell, I hadn’t even thought to look for an out, my brain had already been preparing for the next ten years. If he hadn’t done that, I would still be finishing out my sentencing. I wouldn’t have my daughter, I would be sitting in a cell for another five months. Though I’d never wanted kids until Mary forced it on me, I worshipped my little girl and could never live without her. Hell, I even wanted more acorns to plant an entire forest of just my legacy.

As a result of him sacrificing himself, his little sister fell prey to a sick, twisted monster who brainwashed, groomed, trapped, and then abused her for the next decade. Yet, he wasn’t bitter toward me, he had no regrets taking the fall.

Some of the resentment faded, my mouth tugging into a frown. No one had ever done something like that for me. Vincent was the real deal, a solid companion, a true friend. Which made this wall between us hurt that much more. We were about to lose Jackyl – we had already lost him – and now our bond was breaking.

He thumbed his nose and looked away, creeping closer. “Hey.”

“Hey,” I muttered.

Coming to stand beside me, he was glaring at the screens, matching my stance to rub at his beard. “Where the fuck is he?” he grumbled under his breath. “This is getting out of hand. Why hasn’t he made a move yet? This ain’t like him, man.”