Page 46 of The Chemist

“You’re an idiot.”

“So, which is it? Hot-ass meal? Or honest conversation?”

The minutes ticked by as the stoner stripper boy weighed his options. If he was being honest with himself, this would be a difficult decision for him as well. He did have a fucking delicious ass, after all.

Seeming to finally come to a decision, Diesel let out a breath, then leaned his head back against the wall of the restaurant.

“Fine. But if you begin to judge me or say anything stupid, I’ll stop sharing and punch you in the fuckin’ throat,” Diesel threatened half-heartedly.

“I’d never make fun of someone’s difficult past.”

Diesel stared at him once again as if trying to convince himself that sharing this information with him was going to be okay.

“A few years ago, Matteo found me passed out in a park, barely breathing. I had mixed a few too many party drugs and basically was on my way to death. M took me to the hospital, which pretty much saved my life. After I recovered, he offered me a room to stay in at the château until I was able to get my life back in order. He didn’t ask me for anything, and there were no strings attached, just concern that if I went back onto the streets without a plan, I would end up back in the hospital in no time.” Diesel looked down at his fingers as he took a moment to breathe.

Diesel’s hoodie was still down, so that was a good sign that, emotionally, he was still okay to talk. The last thing Zero wanted was to push Diesel to talk about something that he wasn’t ready to talk about.

“After a couple of weeks, I started helping out around the mansion to try and contribute where I could. Guests kept tipping me as I walked past them without even having to dance or anything. They kept saying how hot I was and that they would love to buy me a drink sometime. Within a week, I had made close to eight hundred euros, and nobody even sucked my dick. That was when I realized just how much money Matteo’s boys were making. So I asked M if I could try dancing one night?—”

“And let me guess, you were a hit?” Zero jumped in.

Diesel shrugged his shoulders and gave a little smirk. “Have you seen my dick?”

Zero began to chuckle before slapping his hand across his mouth.Shit. He had to remember that the doc was only a few feet away, giving some dude a physical exam.

“Needless to say, I was very popular with the crowd that night. So I decided to ask Matteo for a job. Hey, it’s easy money, and there’s nothing wrong with using your body to make a living.”

“But isn’t it dangerous? Can’t guys hurt you or force you to do things that you don’t want to do?” Zero asked, suddenly concerned for Diesel’s safety. The man wasn’t a small guy, but still, all it took was one pill or one surprise attack for things to go very wrong.

Diesel shrugged his shoulders.

“No matter what job you do, there will always be risks. But Matteo really does love all of us, and he takes a lot of measures to help ensure our safety. He does background checks on all members and has security and cameras all over the place. Plus, I think all of the members are actually afraid of the guy. There have been…incidentsin the past which have led to some guests turning up for work with black eyes and broken limbs… and even a few who were never heard from again.” Diesel looked conflicted before adding, “We are all operating under the assumption that these men just simply moved away.”

Zero wasn’t so sure how he felt about that one. All the guys he had met who worked atLa Maisonseemed like pretty decent men so far. He didn’t think that they were the type of guys to work for someone who murdered his clientele.No judgment, remember?

“It sounds like you really enjoy it,” Zero added once Diesel had finished explaining.

“I do. But now, we are more than just co-workers and employees. We are family. Those guys are my brothers, and Matteo and now Ares are both our fathers. We trust them and would do anything to protect them.”

“Which explains why Jared followed you on this trip.”

“Yeah. He’s my best mate.”

Further down the alley, someone gave a grunt and then cursed.

“Sounds like the good doctor is finally done taking the young man’s temperature up his butt,” Zero joked.

Diesel shook his head. “You’re such an idiot.”

For some reason, that warmed Zero’s belly and made him smile.

18

DIESEL

Sitting on the roof of the house, Diesel took a swig of whiskey from the half-empty bottle clutched in his hand. He drew his arm across his nose and wiped the moisture that had been collecting there.

He hated nights like tonight. These were the nights that often led to his all-night benders or, worse yet, all-week meltdowns. If he weren’t trying his best to keep his promise to Matteo, he would have hit the closest drug den he could find and welcomed the instant release that accompanied copious amounts of cocaine and whatever else they had on hand. He stayed away from heroin. That was a line he wasn’t willing to cross. Anything else was fair game.

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