Broken Pottery
As Tony Bianchi sat in on yet another business meeting his mind began to wander to Daniel Willis. He looked at his watch again. It was another three hours before he could pick Daniel up at the hospital and take him home.
Every evening for the past two weeks, Tony had spent sitting beside the small beaten man’s hospital bed, trying in vain to get him to open up. Daniel still wouldn’t tell Tony who had handcuffed him and beaten him senseless.
Thinking back, Tony remembered that day like it was only yesterday. He’d left Charlie Salinger’s ‘welcome to town’ party and gone to Daniel’s to make sure he was okay.
Pulling up in front of the apartment building, Tony looked around, finally spotting Daniels bright red Volkswagen Bug. Knowing he was home, Tony got out of his sedan and entered the small apartment building. Looking at the mailboxes right inside the door he determined D. Willis lived in 3C. Deciding to take the stairs, Tony made it up the three flights in no time. Finding Daniel’s apartment, he knocked several times. When no one answered, he tried the knob, surprised to find it unlocked.
“Daniel? It’s Tony Bianchi, Rocco’s friend.” He entered the apartment slowly, noticing the tipped over coffee table. The black hair on the back of his neck stood and he headed straight for what he assumed was either the bathroom or the bedroom.
“Daniel?” Tony gave a soft knock on the door as he opened it. Tony’s breath froze in his chest at the sight before him. Spread-eagle, handcuffed to the bed, a naked Daniel laid bloody and lifeless. Swallowing the bile in his throat, Tony walked closer to feel for a pulse. When he was rewarded with a weak but steady beat, he pulled out his cell phone and called the police.
Frantically looking around the room for the key to release the unconscious man from his shackles, Tony panicked. “Shit, where is it?” he questioned aloud.
He started to leave the room when he heard a gurgling noise coming from Daniel. Tony sprinted back over and knelt beside the bed. “Daniel? Did you say something?” He watched as Daniel’s body stiffened slightly. “It’s Tony, Rocco’s friend.”
Opening one eye enough to see through his lashes, Daniel spoke again. “Key.”
“Yes, I’m sorry, I’m trying to find it,” Tony said brushing the blood matted blond hair out of Daniel’s battered face.
“Cock… ’s in there.”
Tony’s eyes went wide. “Fuck,” he said, unable to believe what he’d heard. Before reaching under Daniel, Tony needed to make sure. “Are you saying the key is in your cock?”
Daniel gave him a slight nod. Taking a deep breath, Tony reached under Daniel, wincing at the hot skin and sticky substance he encountered. No doubt Daniel’s front looked as bad as his back. Unsure of where exactly he was hurt, Tony tried not to touch Daniel’s skin any more than he had to. After brushing a finger against Daniel’s cock, Tony swallowed and quickly found the head. Shoved into the slit on the crown of Daniel’s cock was the key to the handcuffs. With not enough metal to grab hold of, Tony looked back up at Daniel’s closed eyes. “I’m sorry, I need to…”
A grunt of consent sounded from Daniel as Tony put both hands on the bleeding man’s cock. A few milking gestures, and the key protruded from the head. Using his other hand, Tony grabbed the metal and slowly pulled the key out. Exhaling, Tony unlocked the cuffs as the police entered the room.
“Don’t touch him,” the first officer warned, hand on his service revolver. “Step away from the victim."
In Bear's Bed
“Hey, Bobby, have you seen Coach Billings?” Liam asked, sticking his head into the weight room. There were a couple of players working out, with Rudy right in the centre, laughing and telling off-colour jokes. From the looks of the sweaty towels draped over every machine, Liam thought maybe Rudy had better things to do. Rudy gave a fluttery wave, but Liam chose to ignore the worst trainer who’d ever lived.
“I think he’s in the equipment room,” Bobby replied.
Before Liam could turn around, Rudy piped up behind him. “How’s life in Fairy Land?”
Rolling his eyes, Liam continued down the hall to find Aaron. “Hey, Coach?” Liam knocked on the equipment room door and waited for a response.
“Come on in,” Aaron Billings yelled through the closed door.
Stepping inside the small room, Liam looked around. “Everything set for practice later?”
Aaron put down his clipboard and turned to face Liam. “I guess, although Rudy did a piss poor job of checking this stuff in last season.”
“Don’t get me started on Rudy. He just asked how life is in Fairy Land.” Liam shook his head. Damn he hated that homophobe.
“Sounds like Rudy needs another session with Charlie Salinger. I’ll talk to Charlie about it, or maybe you could ask him to call me when you get back to the dorm?”
Liam shrugged. “Sure.”
“So, what’s up?” Aaron asked.
“I was just over at the football offices looking for Julian. Someone told me he was out of town, and I wondered if you knew when he’d be back?”
A concerned look crossed Aaron’s face. “He’s in California on a personal matter, but he and Koby should be driving back sometime this weekend. Why? Is something wrong?” Aaron looked down at Liam’s leg.
Having injured his hamstring last season, Julian was the trainer who’d gotten Liam playing again. It was too bad Julian worked for the football team instead of the soccer team. Julian said he didn’t mind working with Liam, so he’d taken advantage of the offer when he needed it.
“No,” Liam admitted. “I wanted to go over a few exercises with him before he gets too busy with the football players. No big deal. I’ll catch him when he gets back.”
“Okay.” Aaron looked at Liam for a few seconds. “So how are things going at BK House?”
“Good. It’s just been me and Charlie so far, but more of the guys should be moving in over the weekend.” Liam ran his hands through his shaggy black hair. “I hate to admit it, but I’ll be glad when the dorm fills up. Charlie’s nice, but I miss having people my own age to talk to.”
Aaron’s head tilted a little to the side. “What about Rocco and Koby? I thought they were becoming friends.”
“Oh they are.” Liam was quick to correct his error. “They’ve both been busy over the summer, and I’ve had way too much free time on my hands. I’m sure it’ll change once school starts up again.”
“Would you like to go out to dinner with me and Demitri later? Nothing fancy. We thought we’d swing by McGilley’s. It's steak night which means most of the gang will be there as well.” Liam wanted to go, but he didn’t want to leave Charlie at the house by himself. “I’ll have to call Charlie. He’s been making dinner for the two of us lately.”
“Invite him along. Hell, it’s a pub, the more the merrier. Remember though, you may be twenty-one, but you’re still in training.” Aaron gave Liam a wink.
“I don’t drink. I’ve never seen the point. I use my money for the finer things in life...like food,” Liam said laughing.
“Okay, well, call Charlie. If you want a ride, I’ll be leaving around five-thirty.”
“Sounds good. Thanks, Coach.”
Charlie was free for dinner, so Liam opted to ride the bus with him. Liam was looking out the window as the bus slowly moved through town. “Too bad one of us doesn’t have a car,” he said without thinking.