I should have known it would have come to this. Opening the door, Maddox and Demitri were on the other side.
"I brought you a gift." He smiled, all but shoving Demitri inside the condo.
"You shouldn't have, really." I said. Dragging my hand through my hair in frustration.
"Oh, don't be like that." Maddox said, coming inside and closing the door behind him.
"Demitri, you're welcome to the room you used last time."
As soon as he was gone down the hall, I bitched at Maddox.
"Just what the hell is your game, Maddox? I told you I didn't need the babysitter, and you still brought him here."
"But he's your type, Theo."
"I swear to fucking god, if I hear one more of you fucks say that he is my type, I'm going to lose my fucking mind."
Maddox looked puzzled, but smirked again.
"Alexi?"
"Do you even need to fucking ask?" I snapped.
"No, I guess not, but I really should be on my way back home. You can borrow him for a few days and bring him back in one piece."
With that, Maddox left. I grabbed the closest thing, which was the tv remote, and whipped it at the door. More angry Italian flooding out of me. I was pissed. Demitri came out, a tank top and sweatpants that hugged every part of the man that I found dangerous.
"Are you alright?"
"Peachy."
"You don't sound—-"
"Maddox abandoned you here for a few days. If you want to go back, just let me know. I'll take you."
"Alright."
He yawned, and I watched him. I felt dirty watching him like this, but he was handsome. Giving my head a shake, I walked away to the kitchen.
"Would you like anything?"
"Have you eaten dinner yet?"
"No. I was working. I sat down to relax before I was going to order something. Then you guys arrived."
"Great, I'll order something. Are you picky?"
"No. Not at all."
"Even better, Chinese?"
"Sure."
While he ordered food, I sat there and watched him move around my space comfortably. It was odd to me. The thought of sitting here and picking him apart was there, but I didn't. At the moment, there was no need for that kind of behaviour from me.
"Theo?"
"Huh?"
"I said, thank you for letting me stay here again. I understand this isn't under the best circumstances. Maddox forcing me on you. I mean."
"It's fine. You've been polite and respectful of my space. I would rather you at this point than anyone else Maddox decides to force on me."
"I can assure you, I will be nothing but respectful."
The urge to say 'Are you sure about that?' was there, but I settled on something entirely different.
"Thank you, I appreciate that. I will try my hardest while you are here, to be a kind host."
He smiled softly, and I wanted to curse the ground that Maddox and Alexi were walking on. Maddox was really out here trying to serve this man to me on a silver platter. Signed, sealed, and fucking delivered.
I wondered how Demitri would like to know his boss was serving him up like meat for me.
When the Chinese arrived, Demitri picked it up from the lobby and brought it back upstairs. He opened the door like he owned the place before he seemed to check his own behaviour as he sat down the food on the counter.
In the kitchen, I pulled down plates, bowls, and took out the utensils. Demitri was watching as if he was committing it all the memory. Opening the wine fridge that was under the sink, I pulled out a white wine and set it on the counter.
I didn't miss the look from Demitri about the bottle of wine. Rather, I chose to ignore it. It wasn't a look of judgement, more like concern.
"Would you like a glass?" I asked.
"No, thank you."
"There are a ton of drinks in the fridge. Help yourself."
"Thank you."
He broke open the bags and before he let me grab food; he grabbed my hand suddenly, nearly causing me to drop my glass of wine.
I looked down at the hand like it was an unwelcome intruder. He didn't let go of me, even though I knew he saw my reaction.
"You're not allergic to anything, are you? I should have asked, but it slipped my mind." He said, his voice gentle.
"No, I'm not, to my knowledge."
He let go of me then, and when he turned to grab something out of the bag, I downed the wine in my glass, looking for that bit of alcohol to take the edge off here. I shoved the cork back in the bottle before I felt the need for more and got a glass of water. Shoving the bottle back in the wine fridge.
I didn't need to be drunk right now. I had proved already that I could make shit decisions while sober. Sleeping with Luca was enough proof of that.
We ate sitting on the couches in the living room and discussed our childhood oddly. Demitri was fairly open about how he grew up with his mother and his stepfather. How English was a second language for him because his stepfather was Italian and made sure he knew it before English.
"Was your step father part of the Mafia?"
"Yes, though I didn't have any idea until I was in my early teenage years. He made sure home life was just that, home life."
"That must have been nice?" I questioned.
"It was a gentle upbringing, if it can be. Compared to the others who grew up in this family, it's nothing like theirs. Both my parents were gentle and never abused me, and family was important to them. What about you?"
Setting the fork in my hand down. I laughed.
"Would it surprise you if I told you I grew up with a silver spoon, fancy private school, less than stellar family, gambling father? A lying, cheating mother?"
"No. Not at all."
"My mother took off when my father went broke and had to beg Maddox for money. I think I was still a teenager then. But honestly, I don't care enough to remember. I just know I took on my father's debt to Maddox to keep him above dirt."
"You're paying your father's debt?"
"Yes, and I have been for a while. You would think he would be grateful for that, but ungrateful is more like it."
"Hm, Have you spoken to Maddox about the situation?"
"Maddox will always say the same thing he always has. 'Just tell him you're done paying, tell your father no, and I'll handle the rest' But I know what that means. That spells the end for my father."
Demitri nodded because he had a bite of food in his mouth. He really wasn't by any means a bad guy. I had seen him in passing, but never had a conversation like this with him. I knew all the underbosses fairly well, with the expectation of Sasha, who was fairly new to the complex.
Demitri waited until I was done eating before he took our dinner dishes to the sink. He turned the water on and started the dishes. I stood up and walked to the kitchen, all but shoving him out of the way.
"I was going to wash them."
"No. You're a guest. I refuse to allow you to wash dishes."
"I'm more of an intruder."
"Not if you ask Maddix,. You were a gift. For a man that shuns prostitution here you are again, at my house."
I muttered, not really thinking about what I said until it was already out of my mouth.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. That was wildly out of line and disrespectful." I said.
"Considering that Maddox knows I fall into your pattern of males you like, for example, like Luca does as well, I am not all that surprised."
My mouth went dry. The plate in my hand slipped out as I turned to address what Demitri said and hit the floor, shattering. Without thinking, I dropped to the floor, trying to clean up the glass shards. Demitri never even stepped back, so when I looked up I was entirely eye level with his goods.
Kill me now.
He stepped back and grabbed the plastic bag off the counter and helped me clean up the glass, not saying another bloody word. I wasn't sure if the flush on my face was from the single glass of wine or the comment Demitri had made so casually.
"Why did you bring up Luca?"
"I watch people for a living. Don't tell me you don't think I didn't see you sneak off with him."
"I think you're mistaken."
"I think the hickies on your neck from yesterday and today are more than proof enough."
I would have blamed the wine for my actions, but one glass wasn't enough to excuse it.
"If you know so much from watching the actions of me and others, why did you come here willingly? More so if you knew my type."
Demitri was still being gentle, his voice was calm, and it was throwing me through a loop. More so because I was becoming agitated with him.
"Perhaps I came simply because Maddox ordered it, or I saw the way you have looked at me in passing, debating if I was worth the time and energy it took to fuck me." He said and before I could respond, he closed what little space there had already been between us.
"Maybe, though, I just wanted to watch you squirm. But I wonder how Luca would feel knowing you want to fuck me, too."
He stepped back and gave me space, retreating to the room I had let him use, while I stood there, unsure of what the fuck had just happened.
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