The Adonis of Weho (7 page)

“No. No good.” Reese gave him a smile, but the sensation of butterflies was slow to leave his mid-section.

Chapter 5

Adonis sat in his Ferrari while his two friends jammed into the passenger’s seat beside him. This time, Heath sat on top of Doug.

“What happened at the beach, dude?” Heath asked as Adonis pulled into traffic. “You looked like you saw a ghost. An old lover?”

Adonis rubbed his face, feeling the gritty sand. “I don’t know what I saw.”

“I get that a lot.” Doug spread his legs as Heath wedged between them, slouched low. “This town is small sometimes, ya know? And you always end up bumping into someone you dated or had a hook-up with.”

“Yeah. True.” Heath nodded his head. “Must be it, Smith. You probably have been with a lot of dudes. Being an actor and all, I bet you even had a few stalkers, right?”

“Stalkers.” Adonis didn’t know what that was. “Yes. Probably.” He felt terribly distracted. “Where am I going?”

“I’m starvin’.” Doug ran his over Heath’s shoulders and arms affectionately. “Should we hit a Burger Barn or something?”

“Hit a barn.” Adonis couldn’t think straight. The penetrating gaze of that man. His brown eyes. The look that went right through him. Yes, he had seen his wings. Of course he had. How? No one else seemed to.

“I need a shower, dude.” Heath rested his head on Doug’s chest. “I feel like sandpaper. And I mean in my crotch. Not nice.”

“Can we head back to your place, Smith?” Doug asked.

“Yes. Of course.” Adonis waited his turn at a stop sign, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

“We can call for a pizza and hang out in the hot tub.”

“Too hot for the hot tub ‘til later.” Heath touched Adonis’

leg.

He jumped in the bucket seat.

“Whoa! Dude! Still jumpy?”

“Yes. I’m sorry.”

“What the heck happened? Was the break up bad with that surfer dude?” Heath asked.

Adonis didn’t answer, still trying to decipher what went wrong.

~

Reese slouched in the truck’s bench seat as he and Elvis ate burritos from a fast food chain. The more time that went by, the less Reese believed what he thought he saw. And what he thought he saw was crazy. He didn’t even want to tell Elvis. He stuffed the last bite of burrito into his mouth and sipped the soda through a straw.

Elvis began filling the wrappers into the bag the meal came in and got out of the truck to throw it into the garbage can that they were parked near in the lot.

Reese craved a nap. He laid his head back on the seat rest and closed his eyes. When he did, the image of that man—it must be a man—came back to him.

Tall—over six feet…long, wavy brown hair and sky blue eyes…solid muscle…the look of a model. Reese’s dream man. Only, men like that were narcissistic assholes who only worshipped the mirror.
Then why am I chronically drawn to
these pretty boys?

His groin tingled as he thought about his face. That face. What a face it was. One Reese would not only never forget, he would write about him the minute he got back to his computer. Elvis hopped back in the truck. “Where to?”

“I should go home. I am so fucking tired.”

“Cool.” Elvis started the truck and headed out of the parking lot.

Reese closed his eyes and visualized the man. He cupped his crotch and felt his cock throb.

“Are you going to be all right?”

“Huh?” Reese opened his eyes, exhaustion nailing him hard.

“Yeah. Just tired.”

Elvis nodded, patting his leg.

Reese gazed out of the windshield as they drove off, but he only could see the image in his mind.

~

After Adonis parked his car in his driveway, the other two piled out of the passenger’s side and met him at the front door. Once he unlocked it, Heath and Doug found their way to the bathroom, closing the door to shower together.

Adonis looked around for Maria. When he didn’t see her, he called her name. “Maria!” He looked at the ceiling, waiting. Shaking his head, he tossed his keys on the counter and walked to his bedroom. Behind the guest bathroom door he heard the other two men laughing as if they were being naughty together in the shower.

Trying not to be jealous, Adonis kept going. He stripped his bathing suit off and looked into the mirror. He fluttered his wings and tilted his head at himself. “Who will love me for the half-breed I am?” Sadness invaded him. “No one.”

He entered his private bath to scrub the sand and salt from his skin.

Just as he shut off the water, he heard Heath yelling, “Dude?”

“In here.” Adonis opened the door of the shower stall. Heath and Doug entered the room. Heath stopped short.

“Wow. Man. You’re like perfection.”

Adonis peered down at his body. “It is a lure, I know. But true love keeps evading me.” He took a white towel from the rack and rubbed his hair.

Doug stared at Adonis’ body. “Wish I looked that good.”

“You look fine. Both of you.” Adonis dried his back and could easily see his white wings in the mirror. Obviously the other two could not because they didn’t comment on it. And he grew weary of asking them to confirm it.

He tossed the towel over the shower door and ran a comb through his hair.

Heath stood behind him, took the comb and did it for him affectionately. “You look so bummed, man.”

Doug leaned on the door frame, arms crossed. “How bad was the break up?”

“Break up?” Adonis met Doug’s brown eyes.

“With the guy on the beach.”

“Oh. Him.” Adonis didn’t know what to say.

“I can blow dry it for you, man. I love doin’ hair. I should work at a salon.” Heath ran his fingers through the length.

“Are you two lovers?” Adonis asked.

“Yeah. Me and Heath have been a couple for a year.” Doug nodded. “We’re thinking of sharing a space. It would save money.”

Heath picked up the blow dryer from the wall mount. Adonis nodded for him to help with his hair.

Immediately the noise was too loud to talk over. Adonis could see the white feathers from his wings stirring from the hot air. Heath used his fingers to fluff up Adonis’ brown tresses. The pampering felt wonderful to him. He closed his eyes to savor it and immediately envisioned the man from the beach, his fabulous good looks and sultry dark eyes.

It made him shiver even with the warmth of the hot air being blown at him.

Adonis spun a fantasy in his head.

The charming surfer, instead of gaping at him in horror, actually winked. Flirted. They would stand face to face, exchange smiles. What would their first kiss be like?

“You’re turning him on, Heath,” Doug said over the noise. Adonis looked down at his cock. It was indeed thick and bobbing.

“Nice cock, man.”

“Thank you.” Adonis tried to smile.

Heath shut off the blow dryer, hanging it on the wall mount and ran the comb through his hair gently. Heath and Adonis met eyes in the mirror.

“You’re fucking amazing, Smith. No wonder you’re an actor. I’m just surprised you’re being so nice to us. I mean, we’re nobody.”

“You’re not nobody to me.” Adonis reached over his shoulder to touch Heath’s cheek.

Heath hugged him from behind. “We’re here for ya, dude. That guy didn’t know what he had when he lost you.”

“Did you see him?” Adonis asked.

“Yeah, we did. He was acting so weird.” Doug rubbed Adonis’ arm in comfort. “You’re better off without him.”

“Do either of you know him?”

Heath began leading Adonis out of the room. “He looks familiar, but I can’t place him. What’s his name?”

Doug opened Adonis’ closet and chose a shirt and pair of shorts for him to wear.

“His name…” Adonis took the briefs Heath handed him from his dresser drawer.

“You’d sooner forget it.” Doug nodded. “Yeah. I get it.”

“Do you still love him, dude?” Heath sat on Adonis’ bed. Love. Adonis stopped short and thought about that word. Had he ever loved anyone? Aphrodite claimed to love him once. But Adonis found her love empty and filled with jealousy. Then Persephone, another angry, jealous woman, sought to own him, spouted love for him.

Adonis didn’t believe it was real love. He thought they both treated him as a possession, a thing.

“Dude?”

Adonis woke from his thoughts and zipped his shorts, pulling his shirt over his head. “We are hungry.”

“We are.” Doug laughed.

“We need to find food.”

Heath cracked up. “You sound like you’re about to go hunting.”

Adonis opened the leather pouch he had placed on the dresser. He dumped it onto the surface and inspected the contents. He placed a solid gold watch onto his wrist, rings on his fingers, and began sorting the green currency to count.

“Dude! Your treat!”

“Yes. To show you my appreciation. My treat to you both.”

“Smith! You rock, dude!” Heath held up his hand.

Though he felt empty inside, Adonis said, “Yes. I rock,” and slapped his hand.

~

“You sure you’re all right?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. I just need to take a nap.” Reese climbed out of the truck, taking his wetsuit. “Thanks for storing the board.”

“Not a problem. Catch ya later.”

Reese shut the truck door and waved as Elvis drove off. In his bare feet, he carried his things to the lobby door and was lucky enough to have another tenant exiting. As they held open the door, he said, “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.” The young man walked away.

Reese stood at the elevator trying to focus. He wasn’t doing very well. His brain was churning the same image over and over. He stepped into the elevator, pushed the button to his floor, and felt cold now that he was in air conditioning, even though the common areas were not very cool. Maybe it was a chill from within.

He carried his wetsuit, shoes, and towel to the door, digging into his pocket for his keys. Once inside his unit, he dumped everything on the bathroom floor and stripped, stepping into the tub to stand under the hot shower spray. Like a video tape he replayed what he had seen on the beach again and again. Going mad, Reese shut the water, barely dried himself off, and slipped on a fresh pair of shorts. He sat on his bed with a sketch pad and pencil and drew that image, his hand seeming to have a mind of its own as he got the mental picture onto paper.

Nervous sweat beginning to roll down his temple. When he finished the drawing, Reese held it up and studied it. It was a picture of a stunning man…

With wings.

“Icarus!” Reese gasped, shivers rushed up his spine.

~

Adonis poked at his meal of seafood with little interest.

“You okay, Smith?” Doug asked, sitting beside Heath at the booth they occupied in an ocean-side restaurant.

“Hmm?” Adonis blinked and then propped his chin in his palm, letting go of a deep sigh.

“Dude. If you still love that guy. Go get him. He’d be nuts not to take you back.” Heath brushed Adonis’ hair back from his eyes affectionately.

“What happened to split you up?” Doug ate a battered shrimp dipped in tartar sauce.

“We didn’t split. I don’t know who the man is.”

“What?” both men gasped and sat up.

Adonis straightened his posture at the table. “I do not know the man.”

“What am I missing here, dude?” Heath scratched his head through his spiky bleached blond hair. “You don’t know him. Does he know you?”

“I don’t see how he could.”

“Then…” Doug and Heath exchanged puzzled looks. “Why did he react so strangely and you run away?”

“Cosmic, dude.” Heath whistled and dipped a piece of deep fried fish into sauce and ate it.

“I don’t know. I wish I did.” Adonis stared at his beige meal sadly.

“Whoa. Then we’re doing the opposite of what we need to do!” Heath sat up straighter. “We need to find him, dude!”

“You going to eat your fries?” Doug pointed.

Adonis moved his plate towards him. “Find him? Find a man who gave me a look that would terrify Medusa?”

“Ya want my opinion?” Doug ate several French fries at a time, chewing as he spoke. “He’s hot for you. I mean, who wouldn’t be?”

“Dude. He was just too nervous to ask. Been there.” Heath ate off of Adonis’ plate as well.

“How do we find him?” Doug sipped his beer. “Surfer dude…hangs on the beach…”

“I think he goes to the clubs. I know him from somewhere.”

Heath began eating the shrimp off Adonis’ plate.

“Which clubs? If he goes to the clubs we go to, then he’s gotta be gay.” Doug wiped his hands on the paper napkins, taking them out of the dispenser on the table.

“We’re gonna find him, Smith.” Heath drank his soda through a straw. “You don’t worry. We’ll find him.”

Adonis did worry. Though he was dying to find out if the man could see his wings—and if he could,
why
he could—

Adonis had no idea if this was a trick from Hera. He couldn’t trust anyone… He looked at his two new friends. “But you two.”

They both smiled in delight. “Us two?” Doug asked.

“Thank you both.” Adonis reached out his hands.

They took one each and held onto him.

“You can count on us, bro.” Heath grinned. “We got your back.”

~

Did he take a nap? No.

Reese sat at his computer looking up men with wings. Icarus.
Icarus? Do I really think I saw a Greek myth?

“That guy had huge white wings. He did!” Reese glanced at his sketch.
But why didn’t anyone else see it? Did they think just
because this is Southern California it was normal to play
volleyball with a guy who could fly up to spike the ball?