Into the Lion's Den (23 page)

He took his coat from the rack and gathered his backpack full with his books. “Don't forget your scarf, darling,” Guntram heard her voice from the back shop and he said good-bye. At the usual corner was Yuri waiting for him to walk him home, a true waste of the man's time in Guntram's opinion but who was brave enough as to discuss with Mikhail and Constantin over such issues. They walked in amiable companionship without speaking for half an hour till they reached the imposing house. Guntram's heart skipped for a bit when he saw the familiar black Rolls Royce sitting at the entrance and he dashed toward the iron gate but two dark-haired unknown men crossed his path with a menacing expression.

“He's with me, gentlemen,” Yuri said and both men moved aside, letting Guntram into his own house.

“Who are those twerps?”

“Lintorff's men. Very crazy Serbs. He brought them to play with the boss. Inside is a full party boy. The Duke is here, speaking with Repin; they both flew together from New York. A Boeing 737 wasn't big enough.”

“I don't like Lintorff here.”

“Neither do I but they're in the middle of a peace agreement.”

“He's a mobster with more money than the others!” Guntram said very shocked. “Look what he did to Argentina!”

“Boy, there's a little bit of a Godfather in each one of us. It's a minimal survival skill,” Yuri huffed. “Do you want to eat? I can get you something from the kitchen. Dinner is going to be late today.”

“No, I'm fine. I'll be studying in my room.”

Guntram crossed the foyer finding three of Constantin's bodyguards and another unknown one that probably belonged to the German. Massaiev came from the living room and sent him to his room while the man inspected him from head to toe, casting a disdainful glance at the youth.

In his room he took the small watercolour he had made from the flowers Constantin had given him for his birthday and with infinite care squared the edges with a cutter and glued it to the light blue passe-partout, writing on the back side, “Thank you for your friendship, with love, Guntram.” He took a white envelope and placed the card inside; softly smiling at the idea that even if he had brought a bastard home, Constantin was downstairs and they would be together for dinner.

He opened his book and supported his head with the hands to read the chapter.

The feverish kisses from Constantin took his breath away and he was barely able to respond to them in his futile attempt of avoid suffocation. Guntram could feel that his lover was happy about something as he muttered “I missed you Constantin.”

“I also,” he replied tearing his angel's clothes off as he kissed his neck almost biting him.

“Let's try to reach the bed,” Guntram chortled but not stopping his kisses or his hands from unbuttoning his lover's shirt.

Guntram pushed Constantin playfully onto the bed and positioned himself over the man to kiss him better while his hands unbuckled the man's belt and opened his trousers, enjoying how he held his breath and surely was trying to anticipate Guntram's next move. The boy licked the already engorged member and took it in his mouth, gently sucking it, exactly as his lover preferred.

“Get on all fours my angel,” Constantin whispered in his ear as it was one of his favourite positions although Guntram hated it. He felt so exposed and the position was so mechanical, only designed to enjoy better the sex but it felt so cold, as there was no eye contact or hugs, nothing to share, only the sex. Guntram tried to make the man change his mind by lacing his arms around his neck and pulled him against his chest, kissing his neck and lightly touching the skin with his chin.

“Come on, Guntram, don't be difficult,” Constantin growled partly crossed that the boy was being so hesitant. Guntram sighed but tried it once more; “please my friend, you know I don't enjoy it so much.”

“Nonsense dear, we both like it. You always play difficult at the beginning but you always climax with me. I missed you so much these weeks,” he said, taking Guntram by the hips with a strong grip and turning him around. The boy suppressed a sigh, hating what was coming, but Constantin deserved to have some fun and after all, it wasn't that bad, just uncomfortable and humiliating as he was taken like the animals on the National Geographic pictures.

Guntram nearly cried at the semi-brutal penetration and the fast pace he set. He grabbed onto the silken sheets, trying to relax as much as he could. The man's weight over his back or the arm across his chest, trapping him, were painful but Guntram knew that that was Constantin's way to reassure him and make him feel his love. “You're so wonderful, my angel,” the man gasped into his ear just before he got his release inside his young lover.

The boy panted from sheer exhaustion but his Constantin was finally sated, exhausted, still on top of him and not letting him go to wash himself. In the afterglow, he briefly pondered if he should tell or not, but he was uncertain of his friend's reaction. He was extremely jealous of any man or woman that could come near him.

“Constantin, are you at peace with Lintorff now?”

“We reached a settlement. That's all, my love. Why do you ask?”

“When I came from work there were two men—Serbs according to Yuri Alexandrevich—and they looked like bad news. Inside was a tall blond and he inspected me in a very obtrusive way.”

“That must have been Holgersen; he's Lintorff's favourite young hound and the grandchild of the owner of Wallenberg Oil Industries in Sweden and one of his heirs. All of them are Order's members but he always preferred the Navy and was in a unit similar to the American Seals; lethal in combat. There's the rumour that Lintorff trains him to be a strategy advisor in the future. The others were Ratko Bregovic and Radovan Mircic, crazy Serbs from Krajina.

They like to be called Executioners but in fact they're murderers.”

“What were those people doing here? They could be dangerous for you!” Guntram shouted.

“No, my love. There are no problems between us at the moment. Lintorff and I spoke, settled our differences as I'm not interested in Central Europe and he's going to support a project of mine for extracting oil from tar sands in Canada. It's a huge investment and will take most of my capital. The building costs of the processing plants are huge but we calculate that the reservoir is superior to those in Saudi Arabia. Lintorff agreed to lend me the money I need. It's a project for the next twenty-five years.”

“If it was only business, why did he bring his killers?”

“Perhaps he was thinking I was going to kidnap him and force him to sign the loan,” Constantin chuckled and he grabbed Guntram closer to him to kiss the boy's neck and ear, making him shudder. “You're so sensitive and delicate my angel.”

“I love you, Constantin but why do you have to go away for so long?”

“I would love to take you with me but you have to study my angel. Perhaps you could make your MA in Paris and we could have more time together but we have still two years to think about it. I really would like to have you with me all the time.”

“I know you do your best to be with me whenever you can. Mikhail told me you came from New York this time, sharing the plane with Lintorff.”

“Yeah, very bad idea, my angel. The menu was sausages and potato salad. These Germans are impossible!” Guntram couldn't help to laugh at the image of his very gourmet lover sitting in front of a beer jar and a bowl of potatoes and kissed his frown.

“That was a huge sacrifice. I have something for you,” he said, jumping from the bed to look for the envelope. “Open it.”

“I should be giving you something. I missed your birthday.”

“We just threw the party,” Guntram grinned like the Cheshire cat. “Or should we throw another?”

“After dinner; I'm over forty now,” Constantin joked as he absently opened the envelope to be rendered speechless at the picture of the flowers.

“Those are the flowers you gave me. The cookies didn't last enough as to pose.”

“It's very beautiful. Thank you. I'm deeply moved.”

“I was very glad that you didn't forget it.”

“How could I forget it? You're the most important person in my life. Besides Irina is an excellent secretary,” he chuckled making Guntram flash him an accomplice smile. “Come on, get dressed and let's have your birthday dinner. Tomorrow I'm taking you to the Covent Garden.”

“I have an opening at the Barbican. Robertson gave me the card and told me I have to be there and socialize with the customers. All in the class are very cross because I'm invited and they're not. I really tried to get another card but Robertson's nearly sent me to Hell.”

“We'll go to the Barbican and eat dry cheese and warm champagne.”

“I'm afraid you're not invited.”

“Is the opening for this William Blake's exhibition?”

“Yes, it is.”

“I must have a card somewhere and if not, I will be most upset with the curator. She got like 1.3 million pounds from me this year. If she forgot to invite me, I'll dump her in formalin and send her to David Hirst so she keeps company to his shark.”

“You're very nasty when you're crossed,” Guntram laughed. “Almost like Lintorff.”

“You have no idea, my angel. Today's goons were not because of me but because in the morning some protesters were shouting and throwing things at him at his bank's entrance. It was a funny moment for me, but the Rolls will have to be thoroughly cleaned. It was a hard moment for him to meet the populace.”

“Who were they? Are they still alive?”

“Of course, some Americans and locals. The leader is a journalist and knows about the Order. Most of the chants were mentioning it. I've never seen him so furious at his own people when we went inside.”

“Those people deserve a medal.”

“The Order of Merit of Great Fools, Guntram. Do you really think that if Lintorff were to disappear, the Order would be extinguished? No, they will only hide in the shadows for a few years while they kill all the traitors and those who opposed them. They're deep rooted in our society. Write something about them and people will think that you're crazy. Only once you have dealt with them first hand, you know about their existence and they come to you, not you to them. It has been like this for centuries and I guess that they do this long before they founded the Order in the aftermath of the Thirty Years War. But let's do not spoil our dinner with them. I have a surprise for you downstairs, in my studio.”

“How you are faring with your teacher? I don't ask about the university because I saw you studying.”

Constantin asked while he drank another glass of champagne.

'Now or never.' “There's something I must tell you. I changed my hours with him. I'll only go twice per week to his studio.”

“Why is that?”

“I had some problems with one of the students and I preferred to avoid him for the time being. I also will have to work one day more in the store to compensate the hours I'm losing. Besides, I don't feel like I'm progressing with this man or with the other students around. We just don't get along at all. Honestly, throwing paint to a canvas and yelling at the same time is not my style.”

“Guntram, don't try to lie to me. What happened really?”

“On my birthday I was out with some of the students. We drank some beers and we walked the girls home. Then I walked with Peter to the underground. He asked me to go to his house and I thought he wanted to drink some more and I said no because I had school and work the next day. Then he said that he wanted some sex and I replied that I was in a relationship and said no. He said that he was not jealous and I stood there, frozen and he kissed me. I pushed him away and went home. I don't want to see him any longer.”

Constantin's fury nearly came to the surface but his many years of self-discipline made him control himself in less than a second while Guntram was telling the story in a slurred and confusing way. 'Obviously he has done nothing, but better show him the whip. I'll take care of that man who dared to pollute my angel.'

“If you did nothing, why are you so nervous?” He started the offensive.

“I swear I did nothing! It's just that I didn't see it coming! I don't want to be near him ever again. God, I'm such an idiot! Constantin, I never wanted to hurt you!”

“Why should I be hurt if you allegedly did nothing?”

“Because I'm bringing you an extra problem when you already have so many! Because when you were thinking on me I was drinking with an idiot! I'm terribly sorry to bring this up.”

“Guntram I trusted you and now you tell me that you were kissing another boy in the middle of the street when I was out, working?” Constantin used a hurt voice.

“I didn't do anything. I stopped seeing him! You have to believe me,” Guntram pleaded.

“How can I be sure? That you want to leave the class shows a certain degree of guilt from your part.”

“The man jumps on me and I'm guilty?”

“Why are you reacting so much then?”

“I don't know any longer, my friend. I don't know,” Guntram said dejectedly, the dizziness hitting him with full force and his heart hammering in a nasty way. “If you think that you can't believe in me any longer, I'll leave the house tomorrow or now if you prefer.”

Constantin laid his back against his damask chair and poured himself another glass. He tasted the champagne and let the time pass by. Nothing like properly bidding your opportunities. He could hear Guntram gasping for air and he knew without looking at him that he was staring at him with his big blue eyes full of pain, hanging from each of his words.

“Guntram there's nothing to bind us but trust. Without it…”

“You speak about trust but you don't believe me, Constantin.”

“It's you who cast the doubts with your illogical actions. Why going away?”

“Because that's what Mikhail Petrovich told me to do! I'm grounded without reason till next Christmas!

All of you drive me insane with your suspicions. Both were yelling at me!”