The Plot Bunny (10 page)

"All people have things they pray for," a sudden voice said in a low whisper. Simon almost expected it to be Dury, but as it turned out, it was a priest. "Can I help you, son?"

Simon shook his head. "I'm just waiting for her. Thanks, though."

"No problem," the other man said. "If you change your mind, call me."

As the priest started to walk about, Simon decided to ask the question on his mind, "Father… would God take away someone's gift if that person did something bad?"

The man turned. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"I used to love sculpting," Simon said. "But now, I can't do it anymore."

"And you think it's because you did something bad? Well, Our Lord gave us talents to be used, and it does depend on us how we use them. But I don't think you're referring to that."

The priest gave him a piercing look and Simon found himself speaking, pouring out everything that had happened. The other man nodded, but never once spoke until Simon finished.

Strikingly, he didn't seem shocked about Simon's homosexuality. The only time Simon thought he could see a real reaction was when he mentioned Dury and the peculiar emotions that emerged whenever he saw the younger man.

"My dear Simon. I cannot tell you what to do. The choice is always yours. But real gifts always stem from love, and when there is no love, the gift has no value."

"So what you're saying is that because of my problems with Luc, I can't sculpt." That was no help. Simon knew that already. Before, he'd sculpted out of sheer love for the art, but that stopped being enough after meeting Luc.

"Yes and no," the priest said. "It depends on what you feel for Luc and what you are willing to do to get him back."

Simon was musing over that when he heard Dana approach."Oh, Father Michael, hello," she said.

"Hello, dear. How have you been?"

"The same," Dana said with a sigh. "It's not very easy."

"I keep you in my prayers at all times, Dana. I'm sure God will listen."

Simon had the feeling that he was missing out on something in this conversation, but he didn't ask. Dana respected the limits he'd sent, so he'd do the same for her as well.

Finally, they said their goodbyes, and Dana ushered him to the exit. "We need to get back. My friend will have reached the publishing house by now."

As they left the church, Simon threw another glance over his shoulder, wondering what the priest meant. Father Michael was gone. Weird.

Shaking himself, Simon decided to muse over this later. Unfortunately, his lapse in attention caused him to run into someone. On instinct, his arms shot forward to catch the person. As it turned out, seconds later, he found himself embracing Dury.

"Oh, hello," Dury said.

Simon just stared at him. Was the younger man stalking him or what? The thought didn't disturb him as much as it should have. In fact, Dury's proximity and his sweet scent were starting to have a significant effect on Simon's body.

Feeling guilty, Simon immediately let go. "What are you doing here?"

"Actually, I was looking for her," Dury said, nodding toward Dana. She stood there watching them with narrowed eyes, as if she couldn't understand what was going on.

"Me?" she asked.

Dury smiled at her. "I have something for you." He then proceeded to open his knapsack and handed Dana a manuscript. "From Luc."

Dana took it and scanned the first page quickly before looking at Dury again. "Who are you again?"

"A friend of Luc's," Dury replied. "I'm helping him out with some stuff now. The manuscript isn't complete by the way, but he wanted you to have a little something, to give him an opinion."

"Okay," Dana said hesitantly. "Although I still don't understand how you knew I'd be here."

Dury just shrugged. "I have my ways. Call Luc as soon as you get a chance to look the manuscript over." He turned away from Dana and offered Simon a smile. "It would be nice if you called too."

Simon didn't answer, still too shocked to see Dury there to even compute the request. Before he could get over it, Dury said, "See you later." With a wave, the mysterious young man started walking away.

"What the hell was that all about?" Dana asked.

"I wish I knew," Simon muttered, more to himself than to her. "I wish I knew."

* * * *

An hour or so later, the taxi left Simon in front of his residence. He was tired, the entire day having effectively exhausted him. Father Michael's words swirled in his mind, and his brief meeting with Dury didn't help. There were simply too many coincidences, and Simon didn't know what to believe anymore.

At least he'd managed to get his car to someone who could fix it. That was probably the only success of the day.

As he entered his home, he decided against going to the upper floor. At the lower level, he usually stashed materials for future sculptures, as well as his completed works that hadn't been sold, his car, and other miscellanea. Now, most of it was empty. He'd shipped off or moved most of the items, either to galleries or material vendors. With the car in the shop, the entire area seemed as empty as Simon felt.

He sat down on the cool floor, all energy drained out of him. What the hell was he going to do now? He had three days to finish his task for the agency, but he couldn't care less about it. Luc and Dury followed him wherever he went, and he knew he needed to find a solution.

"It's easy, you know," Dury said. This time, Simon didn't even look up. He was beginning to get used to the young man's sudden appearances.

"Is it?" he asked. "I don't quite think so."

Dury laughed. "You have a phone in your pocket, do you not? You just have to press 1 and speed-dial Luc."

How did Dury know Simon still had Luc on speed-dial? Feeling lame and humiliated, he shot to his feet to face Dury. The younger man just stood there, a kind smile on his face, eyes warm and sad.

Realization struck Simon and he gaped at Dury."You love him too, don't you?"

"That doesn't matter," Dury answered. "He has to be with you."

Meeting Dury had Simon strangely off kilter, but for once, Simon understood. It seemed somewhat easier to make sense of Dury's actions, even if Simon still didn't know how Dury managed to do the things he did.

Dury's obvious sadness called out to Simon, and he found that he could no longer hold himself back. These new emotions confused the hell out of him, but for once, he'd go with the flow and see what happened. Fighting it didn't seem to show any result anyway. He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around Dury. The younger man tensed, but Simon held him tightly. "Shh. It's okay."

Dury gave him a startled look. "Simon…"

"It's okay," Simon repeated. "You can let go for a little while."

Dury buried his face in Simon's shirt, and his small body fit against Simon's. Tears soaked through the material, and a sense of protectiveness swelled inside Simon. In that moment, he could only think about making Dury's pain go away. "We'll work something out."

Dury looked up, and offered Simon a small smile. "Thanks. But really, I'm fine."

Simon was not convinced. He had no idea why he cared, but he did. And then their gazes met, and Simon felt himself fall into the green depths of Dury's eyes. Without really acknowledging his own actions, he lowered his head and pressed his mouth to Dury's.

Dury let out a sound of surprise, and tried to move away. His efforts to break free were weak and feeble at best, though, and in a few seconds, he surrendered and parted his lips. Slender arms wrapped around Simon's neck, and Simon deepened the kiss, Dury's taste so intoxicating it made his head spin.

He pushed Dury down gently, never separating their lips. His hands slipped under the tight material of the younger man's shirt. Dury's skin felt so soft to the touch, like hot silk, and Simon couldn't get enough.

The cold concrete was uncomfortable and Simon flipped them, allowing Dury to be on top. He couldn't stomach the idea of seeing bruises taint that flawless body. Gasping, Dury threw down his top and began to work on Simon's shirt. He pressed kisses to every inch of skin exposed, and Simon groaned as pleasure shot through him. God, he wanted Dury so badly. He ached to bury himself inside that sweet ass, to fill the younger man's body with his seed.

Dury sucked on his neck, rubbing against Simon in a frantic rhythm. He moved lower down, unbuttoning Simon's shirt all the way through. His tongue swept over Simon's chest, then down his abs, following the treasure trail that lead to his cock. Then, his hands went to unbuckle Simon's belt and lower his zipper. Simon arched against Dury as he felt the younger man's fist dig into his boxers and grip his shaft.

"Fuck… Dury. Touch me."

At his plea, Dury pushed off Simon's underwear altogether. Simon would have liked to do more, but Dury took control. The younger man moved his hand up and down Simon's shaft seemingly fascinated with the hard flesh. Simon saw Dury lick his lips and give him an uncertain look.

"Dury," Simon begged, "suck me. Please."

Simon's words must have cast aside Dury's doubts. He lowered his mouth over Simon's dick and his beautiful, full lips enclosed the engorged shaft.

At first, Dury's motions remained slightly hesitant, but he got over it quickly. His head bobbed up and down Simon's cock and Simon gasped, forcing himself to stay still. He could tell Dury was inexperienced and he didn't want to hurt or surprise the younger man. Alas, Dury also seemed a natural at this, and his enthusiasm more than made up for his lack of experience. In spite of his good intentions, Simon found himself thrusting inside Dury's mouth, fucking his lover's face.

Dury took him gladly, his moans sending sweet vibrations through Simon's dick. The sensations escalated until he could no longer contain himself. He tried to warn Dury, but his young lover just took him deeper. Their eyes met, and Simon exploded, pouring his seed down Dury's throat.

Dury sputtered, and a bit of Simon's essence trickled out of his mouth. Dury's lips looked beautifully swollen from taking Simon's cock. Still reeling from the orgasm, Simon reached for his lover, aching to give Dury the same pleasure, to make the other man his.

Their mouths met once again and Simon tasted himself on Dury's tongue. His trembling hand reached inside Dury's pants, palming his lover's hard dick. But as his hand touched Dury's erection, the young man recoiled as if he'd been struck.

"God, what am I doing? I'm sorry. So sorry. This was a mistake."

Simon's heart hurt at Dury's words. Sure, the situation looked very complicated, but Simon somehow knew that, with time and patience, they could make things work. "Dury," he tried, "don't say that."

Dury shook his head. "I have to go," he said, voice small and startled. "Please, call Luc."

Before Simon could say anything else, Dury simply vanished. Simon stared at the place where Dury had been and wondered if this had all been a peculiar dream. Finally, he decided there was only one way to figure things out.

Taking a deep breath, he retrieved his phone and pressed 1.

Chapter Seven

Luc agreed to meeting with Simon that very same day. He'd sounded a bit confused, but also decided, and Simon wondered how much Dury had told him. More importantly, he wondered what he himself would say. It all depended on what Luc felt and wanted.

Of common accord, they met at the same café. This time, Simon arrived later, and by the time he got there, Luc was already sitting at a hidden table, sipping from a cup.

"Hi," he greeted Simon.

"Hello," Simon answered as he swept his gaze over his former lover. Luc's eyes were shadowed, and he looked tired, but serene. He smiled, and Simon felt he'd gone back in time. Only he hadn't, as his heart and mind irritatingly provided. Dury was still there, between them.

He sat at the table and the waiter appeared to take his order. "How's the book going?" Simon asked, reluctant to begin the serious discussion at once.

"Good, good," Luc answered. "Dana seems to like it, and for once, I'm not struggling with writer's block."

"I'm happy to hear that," Simon replied. The waiter returned with Simon's espresso and Simon took a few moments to figure out how to breach the topic.

As usual, Luc didn't prod. He just waited, dark eyes scrutinizing Simon's face. For some reason, they gave Simon strength. This was still Luc, the man who knew him best. "I wanted to talk to you about Dury," he said.

Luc seemed surprised. "What about him?"

"We've been… ah… spending some time together for the past few days," he said. Luc's eyes flashed and Simon wondered how to explain things without making it sound like they were fucking behind Luc's back. "He insists that we should get back together, that we're meant to be."

"He told me that too," Luc replied neutrally. "I didn't know that he met with you as well, though."

His voice took an accusing tone toward the end, and Simon knew he needed to tell Luc the truth. "Luc, I'll be honest. I'm in love with you. I have been for almost two years now. I never wanted to break up with you, just to push your hand into loving me back." Luc's eyes widened in obvious shock. "Please, let me finish," Simon said. "I can't sculpt anymore because you're not at my side. Someone asked me what I was willing to do to get you back. I'd do anything, Luc, anything. I want us to be together." He paused, and watched his former lover gulp in nervousness.

"I feel a 'but' coming in," Luc said.

Simon nodded. "But I care for Dury too. I don't know how it happened. Hell, I don't even know who Dury is, how he can do the things he does. I just…" He choked, the memory of Dury's tears overwhelming him.

"I know," Luc answered. "I feel the same."

Simon didn't think he'd heard that right. "What?"

"For the past months, I've wanted to crawl back to you, to beg you to take me back. But it didn't seem right, not with the way things ended." He paused, and Simon winced, knowing his former lover was remembering that night. On impulse, Simon had invited another man over, his anger and frustration besting his reason. Luc had heard the man's voice, and probably thought Simon cheated on him. In truth, Simon had kicked his guest out shortly after their call, too depressed to even think about sex. "Nothing happened that night. With the guy, I mean."