Shattered (2 page)

Chapter Two

“Barely Holding On”

The door was cool beneath his palm as he hesitated entering the room. He hadn't been in there all day, carefully avoiding this entire floor. What was he supposed to say to her? His heart was empty, torn to shreds – what was he supposed to say when she asked about Abel? And she would, she always did.

Maybe the main reason for avoiding this floor was the fear of running into Abel. He couldn't face him, couldn't even look at him right now. The kid had crossed lines that could never be uncrossed in making such horrifying accusations against his brother, desecrating his memory. In all honesty, it would be best if he never saw the boy again.

But Savannah had done nothing wrong, and she needed all the support she could get right now. He had to figure out how to set aside the pain Abel had caused him and be there for her.

Taking a deep breath, he shoved open the door and entered as casually as he could. The first thing he noted were the tears in the girl's eyes. He frowned, concerned, “Savannah?” he went to her bed. “Sweetheart, what's wrong?”

“He left.” she whispered and her face crumpled. “He left me.”

“Who?” Devlin's stomach knotted, though there seemed no plausible reason for it.

“Abel.” Savannah choked on a sob. She wiped her face. “Cole came here earlier and he said...he said Abel had to go away for awhile. He didn't know when he would be back.”

“Away...where?” Devlin frowned, the knot in his gut twisting tighter.

“I don't know.” she cried softly. “Why would he leave? He didn't...he didn't even say goodbye? Why wouldn't he?” She broke down and Devlin sat on the edge of the bed and held her.

Guilt ground his guts. “I don't know.” he lied.

“He wouldn't leave like this unless...” she didn't finish as a tremor rushed through her.

“Unless what?”

She shook her head and whispered, “Nothing.”

Devlin considered pushing it – but did he want to travel down this road? Was he prepared for where it would lead him? A fear chilled his heart that this young girl held the detonator to the bomb that would blow apart his life entirely.

***

Abel closed his eyes. Pressed his cheek into the soft, silky pillow, his stomach pressed against the slick sheets as Kaplan laid kisses down his spine, through the depression of his lower back, then on down over the swell of his butt. At first, he had waited for Kaplan's  intimate touch to conjure up the panic, but it never presented itself. He didn't know why – perhaps because he didn't care what Kaplan did to him anymore. Or what anyone did to him. Why panic when one's very life didn't matter anymore?

How can you say your life doesn't matter? It does to Savannah, and therefore it should matter to you as well.

He pushed away thoughts of Savannah, and him just walking away without even visiting her one last time. Max had advised against him going to the hospital, wanting him out of harm's away as soon as possible – and not trusting Devlin's state of mind.

His eyes squeezed tighter and he focused rather on Kaplan. The man's strong hands pushed open his ass cheeks and his warm, slick tongue slithered through the crease of his ass, probing his tight hole. His breath jumped up a notch and he moaned, his body shifting; he wasn't faking, as he had faked it with the customer at the club. He let the pleasure that Kaplan incited seep into him, take the forefront and shove everything else away.

The soft pillow squeezed in his fists as Kaplan slowly worked the tip of his tongue through the tight anal ring, thrusting at him. His inner ass muscles flexed then pulsed with anticipation. “Fuck...” he gasped soft, tight when Kaplan's finger penetrated him, working him nicely, then another finger joined the first, then finally, one more – stroking, circling, stretching...preparing him for the man's thick cock.

“You have the most amazing ass.” Kaplan groaned, pumping him with his fingers, working his p-spot as Abel began to squirm and writhe beneath the intense pleasure. “That's it, baby...just go with it. Don't fight it.” His fingers slid in and out of Abel's tight entrance a little faster, pushing in a little harder.

“Uuuhhh!!” Abel's back arched then bowed, his ass shoving back onto Kaplan's fingers.

Warm lips touched his cheeks, teeth nipping his soft skin then grabbing a larger bite, sucking forcefully as he was finger fucked good and thorough.

“Ah fuck!” Abel choked, clawing the pillow, squeezing it in his arms, the man's finger  action causing his cock to turn rock hard and slip against the slick sheets as he rocked with the man's rhythm.

Kaplan's hot mouth continued to suck his ass cheek in various places, then finally released and gasped ragged, “Do you want me to fuck you, Abel?”

A hard moan squeezed up Abel's throat. “Yes...” he nearly cried out. “Please...”

His answer pleased the man and Kaplan removed his fingers then slid up over Abel's fevered body, his wet cock head pressing between his cheeks, still throbbing from Kaplan's biting and sucking. He grabbed his cock and began to push inside Abel's tightness. “Fuuuck!” Kaplan gasped. “Oh god, baby...I've never had ass like yours.”

Abel responded with a whimpering cry as the man pushed in deeper, harder, then stretched out over Abel's back, his body conforming to the boy's, and rocked his hips against Abel's firm, round ass.

“Yes.” Kaplan panted and slipped his arms under Abel's armpits, locking him in as he fucked him with more urgency. “Oh fuck, baby...oh my god...you are heaven on earth.” He grunted and thrust harder, faster, hot breath bursting against Abel's shoulder, the back of his neck. “Oh yes...yes...fuck...you feel so good, Abel.”

Abel fucked him back, shoving against his cock.

“Fuck!” Kaplan backed off suddenly then grabbed Abel's hips. “Come on, baby, get up on your hands and knees.” Abel did as he was told, gripping the headboard of the bed with one hand. Kaplan knelt behind him and fed his cock back into his ass, clutched Abel's hips and began to fuck him with more urgency and force. “Fuck! Yes!”

Hard pants burst from Abel's throat and he dropped his face against his arm as his free hand reached under him and grabbed his cock, jerking himself off as Kaplan fucked him with fervor. “Oh god!” Abel shoved his face harder into arm, his hand whipping up and down his shaft. “Oh fuck...fuck...Uuuhh!”

“Yes!” Kaplan grunted, pounding his ass, breath erratic, words choppy. “Yes...give it up...cum for me, baby...do it...Oh god! Cum with me!” Kaplan's pelvis smacked against Abel's ass, hammering as his orgasm swelled fast. “Fuuuck! I'm cumming!”

A whimpering cry exploded from Abel and his cock burst, squirting forceful tendrils of cum onto the blankets. Kaplan slammed in hard and yelled as he unloaded, pumping Abel's ass erratically, pouring himself into him. “Oh fuck yes...yes...oh my god, yes...”

He stroked Abel a few more times then pulled out and dropped down on the bed on his back, chest heaving. Abel's body was shaking with the after effects of his orgasm and the intensity of their fucking. He slowly laid back down on his stomach, stretching out his cramped up limbs. His face was turned away from Kaplan but he could hear his staggered breath, feel his body laboring for air. The man's hand touched Abel's back and rubbed down slowly to his flushed ass cheeks, gently massaging the heated flesh.

“You're so...perfect, Abel.” he murmured heavily, exhaustion already dragging him back towards sleep.

Perfect. Abel stared blankly at the night stand and for the first time in many hours – tears welled up and slid down his face.
Why don't you say what you really mean, Mr. Kaplan? I'm a perfect 'fuck' – and that's 'all' you meant
.

Abel closed his eyes and fell back to sleep as the hot tears continued to roll freely down h
is cheeks.

***

“Cole?”

Gabe rubbed his eyes then shoved up on his elbows beneath the twisted sheets and looked at the man sitting on the edge of the bed, his back to Gabe. His eyes moved helplessly over the man's nude body and, under other circumstances, might have tried to coax him back beneath the blankets for another wild go round. But the tension in Cole as he leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, informed Gabe that this wasn't the time. He scooted up and leaned against the wall. “You okay?”

Cole sighed and shook his head slowly. “I think I should have a word with Devlin.” A tightness squeezed his voice. If Abel hadn't stopped him, Cole would have likely beat the doctor within an inch of his life. And in all honesty, Gabe had been ready to lend a fist. Devlin should thank his lucky stars that Abel loved him enough to want to see his life preserved.

“You sure that's a good idea?” Gabe wondered doubtfully. “You're still pissed at the guy.”

Standing quick, Cole turned on Gabe. “Fuck yeah, I'm still pissed.” his face tightened with anger. “A second doesn't go by that I don't want to beat that motherfucker to a bloody pulp, after what he said to Abel. He destroyed him!”

“Exactly,” Gabe murmured. He slid across the bed then rose up on his knees and cupped the sides of Cole's neck. The man's pulse pumped hard against his hands, the tendons in his neck straining. “Maybe it's best if you give it a few days, at least. The last thing we need is for you to get arrested on assault.”

Cole stared at him and Gabe rubbed his thumbs across the man's skin, his heart beat quickening. Cole's love and concern for Abel just made him that much more amazing. It seemed ironic that it took them making love to Abel to make them see they were in love with each other.

A shadow of a smile corked the corner of Cole's mouth. “I thought you said you would help me hide the body.”

“You were speaking of Kaplan at the time.” Gabe reminded.

Cole lifted an eyebrow, and shrugged, “Semantics, baby.”

Shaking his head, Gabe chuckled low then kissed him. “Okay, so the identity of the body is irrelevant. But,” he kissed him again, “I still think you should wait. Give the doc some time to absorb what Abel told him.” He rubbed his hands down Cole's chest. “Devlin was dealt a devastating blow as well. As much as he wanted Abel to tell him the truth, we all knew he wasn't expecting that. That was a hard dose of reality to swallow...and he choked on it. Can you blame him?”

Cole looked at him dryly, “Defending him now?”

“Come on.” Gabe said low, “You know I'll always be on Abel's side. But the reality is – both of them took a hard hit. Yeah, I wanted to smash his face right along with you. But the man's world was being ripped apart from the inside out. Did you really expect anything less from him?”

Cole sighed hard. “I get what you're saying.” he said thickly, emotion swelling. “But I can't ignore what it did to Abel. He reached inside the boy's chest and ripped out his heart, then crushed it. What if...” he shook his head then cleared his throat. “What if Abel doesn't come back from this?”

Sliding his arms around Cole's neck, Gabe pressed closer and hugged him tight. “He will.” he whispered. “Abel's a tough little shit. He'll make it back, and we'll be there to make sure he does.” He smiled, his throat squeezing. “He's our boy, Cole. No way in hell we're going to let something like this take him from us.”

Cole's arms wrapped around him and held tight. “You should be a motivational speaker.”

Chuckling, Gabe wondered, “Could I still do my strip tease?”

“Fuck.” Cole laughed softly and drew back, “Now that would sure a
s hell motivate your audience.”

Chapter Three

“Behind The Veil”

“What're you doing?” The older kid turned over in his bed and propped on his elbow.

The boy gasped and froze; he'd thought he was asleep. He squeezed his eyes shut, pretending to be asleep himself, his hand motionless between his legs, stuffed down inside his underwear. He'd only recently began to notice other boys in a sexual manner, and wondered if there was something wrong with him that he was more aroused by the boys, than by the girls. Just that day at school, in the locker room, he'd started to get hard when the other boys took off their shorts and went to the shower. He'd concealed himself and gotten dressed quick without showering and hurried from the locker room.

But he couldn't stop thinking about boys, and he kept seeing Bradley Tames – the school hunk – stripping down, his body perfect even at thirteen years old. The memory wouldn't leave him alone, and when he'd crawled into bed that night, he tried to go to sleep but couldn't. When he was sure no one else was awake, he'd slipped his hand down inside his underwear and started touching himself. He'd never done it before but it felt good and he started to moan without realizing it, his hand moving faster, shaking the bed a little.

Now he lay frozen, heart racing and fear twisting his guts; he'd been caught in the act. He didn't move a muscle, not even to pull his hand away from his hard member, just clutched himself in tension – and squeezing a little too tight. Tears burned his eyes and he forced his grip to loosen but still didn't want to move and let it be known he was awake.

“I know you're not asleep.” the kid smirked. “What are you...doing?” the tone of his voice implied he knew exactly what he was doing.

The boy couldn't fool him by pretending to be asleep. “Nothing.” he mumbled and finally pulled his hand from between his legs and huddled deeper in the blankets, his back turned to the other bed.

“Ahhh...haaa.” The kid chuckled. “I know what you were doing.” the other bed creaked as the kid crawled out, then the boy's mattress pressed down. “Do you even know how to do it?”

“Shut up.” the boy's face burned with embarrassment and he dragged the blankets up over his head. “Go away.”

“Don't be embarrassed, bud.” he snickered. “Nothing to be ashamed of. We all do it.” he leaned closer, chin brushing the boy's shoulder. “So who were you thinking about? Some cute girl at school?” when the boy didn't answer but simply jerked his shoulder away from the kid's chin, he grinned, “or perhaps some cute...boy?”

The boy gasped; did he know he liked boys? He couldn't. He'd never told anyone. “That's dumb.” the boy choked, face muffled in the blankets. “Why would I think about a boy? That's...weird.”

The kid laughed low. “No it isn't. A lot of boys like other boys.” he leaned close again. “I like boys too.”

The boy frowned. “What?” he whispered. “But...you have a girlfriend.”

“So.” he said. “I like boys and girls.” His lips touched the boy's ear and he jumped a little. “But just between you and me...I like boys better.”

He liked boys? But he'd never seen him act that way towards other boys. The boy yelped when the kid slid his hand down between his legs and gripped his dick. “Wh-what're you doing?” his breath quickened and he grabbed at the kid's hand to shove it away.

“Relax.” the kid said smartly. “I'm not getting fresh with you. I just want to show you how to wank off the right way.” But there was a notable quickness to the kid's breath and he was working under the blankets, then pressing his body to the boy. An unmistakable hardness pushed against the kid's shorts, bumping the boy's butt.

“Don't...” the boy grabbed his hand, but the kid held on.

“I said relax, for fuck sake.” the kid suddenly sounded annoyed. “It'll feel good. And next time, you'll know how to do it right.”

The boy tried to relax, and withdrew his hand, letting the kid handle him. Something about all of this felt wrong and made him feel sick to his stomach. The kid squeezed his cock and stroked, applying pressure at different times, twisting his hand back and forth as it moved up and down his dick, his palm rubbing over the tip, massaging. The boy's breath turned ragged, uneven, as his body responded.

“Told you it would feel good.” the kid's thick, husky voice was in his ear, his own breath puffing out erratically. His hips pushed harder against the boy's butt, the hardness in his underwear even more fierce. His hand moved faster and the boy began to pant as his balls burned and tightened. The kid was rubbing his crotch more urgently against the boy's butt, his hard dick pushing between the boy's cheeks a little. “Oh fuck...” the kid groaned.

The boy gasped hard, sharp, and came, creamy, sticky fluid squirting onto his sheets as the kid beat him off harder, rubbing against his backside with more urgency. “Oh fuck...fuck...” the kid groaned tightly, then a hard breath burst out of him and shoved harder against the boy. “fffuuuck...” A sudden, warm wetness seeped through back of the boy's underwear.

The kid panted hard, relaxed a little but kept stroking the boy's cock, though it had softened. The boy was in a daze, numb, not sure how to feel about what just happened.

Releasing his dick, the kid rubbed his hand around behind the boy and down the back of his underwear, squeezing his butt cheeks. The boy tensed, then jerked in start when the kid slid a finger between his cheeks and poked at his tight hole. “Maybe some night,” the kid rasped, “I'll show you how to do...other things.”

“W-why?”

“Well isn't that my job?” he withdrew his hand and squeezed the boy's arm affectionately. “To teach you how to be a man?” He kissed the boy's head. “Isn't that what big brother's are for?” His lips raked over the boy's ear. “This is our little secret, okay? Don't tell anyone...ever.” He kissed the boy's neck. “If you do...then you don't love me...and I'll go away.”

Tears filled the boy's eyes. He shook his head. “I won't tell. I promise. Please don't go away...I-I do love you.”

The kid smiled and hugged him. “I know you do.” he turned him over and kissed his mouth, startling the boy again. “I love you too. And that makes this okay...what we just did. Because we're brothers and we love each other.” He kissed the boy again, longer this time. “It's our very, very special secret.”

***

Abel didn't resist when Kaplan laid out another suit for him. He dressed, tying the tie as the man had shown him before, applying just the right amount of Egyptian musk so as to be appealing, even arousing, but not gaudy.

Hands gripped his shoulders lightly and Kaplan dipped his face down to his neck. “Mmm. This scent truly suits you.” he dropped a light kiss on the sensitive skin below Abel's ear. “Do you like it?”

Abel nodded slowly, “Yeah.” he whispered. It may not have been something he would've picked out for himself originally, but he was becoming accustomed to it. It was the scent of...distant lands, far away from everything that wounded and hurt.

“Last night was amazing.” Kaplan's hands dropped down and rested on Abel's hips. “You were amazing. And surprisingly...enthusiastic.”

Abel sighed, “Just trying to be a good little whore.” he murmured dryly, “want to make sure you get your money's worth.”

Kaplan stiffened and stepped back. “I'd appreciate it if you didn't use that word.” The lightness was gone from his tone. “It's rather unpleasant.”

“If not whore,” Abel turned and faced him, “then what title should I give myself, because whore seems rather fitting.”

Shaking his head slowly, Kaplan clamped his hands on his hips and stared at the boy. “You're not a whore, Abel.” he said. “And I don't want to hear you refer to yourself as such again.”

Abel laughed low, but it lacked humor of any kind. “You can stand there and tell me I'm not a whore – when you're paying a fortune just to fuck me?”

“How many men have you had sex with, Abel?” Kaplan asked, almost casually. “I'm just curious. How many?”

Abel stared at him, his lips tightening. “Well that depends,” he said, his voice suddenly straining with unwelcome emotion. “Men I've had sex with willingly...or should I include those who've raped me as well?” Tears threatened but he forced them back.

A tightness pinched Kaplan's brow, causing a frown to shadow his face. “Willingly.” he murmured slowly.

“Three.” Abel told him, then shrugged, “Well, I suppose, technically, you make four. You didn't exactly force me to fuck you.”

Rubbing his hand over his mouth, Kaplan sighed, “So you think having sex with only four men in your entire life...qualifies you as a whore?”

“No.” Abel cleared his throat. “Taking money in exchange for sex makes me a whore.” he stared at the man dryly. “But let’s be honest, Mr. Kaplan...if you hadn't thought I was a whore to begin with...you wouldn't have offered the money. And you can dress me up all pretty, splash lovely scents on me, but face it – you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Underneath all this...coating...I'm still just gutter trash.” he shook his head. “Why are you wasting your time trying to convince me otherwise? What do you care how I think of myself, as long as you get your allotted fuck time?”

The sting of the slap on his cheek rendered him speechless. It wasn't hard, or even violent, just enough to shock. Kaplan jabbed his finger in Abel's face as Abel just stared at him. “Knock it off, right now.” Kaplan ordered sternly. “I get that you have shit being slung at you from all sides right now, and it can cause a man to feel bitter. But I won't have you talking this way in my presence. You're not a whore, Abel. And you're not gutter trash. And I didn't ever...” his words faltered as his hand dropped, voice lowering. “...think you were a whore. That isn't why I paid you.”

Abel's vision blurred and he turned away from the man. “Whatever.” he choked, and wiped at his face with a shaky hand.

“I liked you, Abel.” Kaplan spoke low, an unaccustomed glitch to his voice. “The first time I saw you, I liked you...as more than just a...potential fuck.”

***

The nasty mess flushed away as Devlin swiped at the toilet handle. He straightened up, legs shaking, stomach still clenching with the need to vomit. The image in the mirror didn't look like the confident, well adjusted doctor he had always seen staring back at him. This man looked like an escapee from a mental institution.

He washed his mouth then gargled with Listerine. His hair was disheveled and eyes wet, bloodshot, from the strain of vomiting. Combing his fingers through his hair, he ran a hand over his face, cleared his throat then returned to his bedroom. He stood at the foot of the bed in just his boxer briefs but made no move to crawl back under the blankets, get anywhere near sleep again. The dream was there, lurking on the other side of the veil, waiting to drag him back in.

It was just a dream. That never happened.
You know it didn't. You would have remembered something like that. It was just a dream induce by the shit Abel told you.
It wasn't real.

Still, the sick feeling from the dream lingered in his gut now, strong enough to make him want puke again.

Rather than return to bed, he went to the kitchen and prepared a fresh pot of coffee, though the digital clock on the microwave informed him it was barely four in the morning.