Page 1 of Daddy's Muse
1
Bodin
Two Months Prior
I watched the young man sitting on the steps outside of one of the university’s student dorms. His arms were curled underneath his slim thighs, and even from this distance, I could see the trembling in his fingers as they clutched at his shorts. His sapphire eyes were watery, but it was almost as if he were too exhausted to let his tears fall.
His unruly auburn hair was damp, droplets of wasted beer trickling down onto his t-shirt and legs from the curly strands.
He stared despondently at the concrete pavement under his feet, not making any effort to get himself cleaned up. I wasn’t sure why I was still watching him. I didn’t need to be.
I needed to continue on my way to the other side of the campus, where I knew my prey for the night waited.
Instead, I hid in the shadows of the building across the small walkway that lay in front of the boy’s dorm. With most of the university’s students home for winter break, the campus was as quiet as a ghost town. Maybe that was why I’d been drawn over here in the first place: the noise.
Usually, on a hunt, I stayed completely and utterly focused on my carefully made plans, ignoring everything else. I stayed vigilant, of course, but I never strayed from the path like this; I was never distracted like this.
His voice had called to me, drawing me closer like a bee to honey.
I crept behind two large garbage bins, keeping myself invisible as I peered through the small gap between them to watch as the scene unfolded.
There were three college-aged boys, the larger and taller two were bundled up in typical winter wear for West Virginia—thick coats, hats, boots. But the smaller man between them, looking incredibly uncomfortable, was only clad in a thin shirt, jersey shorts, and socks. It was as if he’d been pulled straight out of bed.
“I just want to go back in,” the little redhead had said, his arms wrapped around his thin midsection as if to shield himself from the frigid night.
The tallest among the group placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, pulling him closer. “Come on, we’re doing you a favor, dude. Quit whining about it and drink with us.”
“No, thank you. I wanna go back to bed, guys…”
“God, your roomie’s so fucking lame, Bryan,” the third man grumbled. “Just fucking drink with us already, man.” He shoved an open can of beer at the small one’s chest, spilling some onto his threadbare shirt.
“Stop it, David! You two can go be drunk in our room, but I don’t want to be a part of it,” the redhead said, his voice shaky as he tried to stick up for himself.
Bryan, the redhead’s apparent roommate, grunted as he was elbowed in the gut by a bony arm. The redhead managed to squirm away from Bryan’s arm, stepping back and away from the others. His freedom was short-lived, though, as the one named David grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back into the fray.
Bryan spoke, slurring some of his words, “Just one drink. C’mon, stop being such a fucking pussy, gay boy.”
David smirked, “I’m not convinced he even has a dick. Always acting like he’s on his damn period. Hey…” He drunkenly giggled, wrapping a hand around the redhead’s upper arm, causing him to flinch in what seemed like pain. “Have you ever actually seen his dick, Bry?”
The redhead’s already pale face became stark white as he came to the same conclusion that I did.
“Nah, why would I want to see another dude’s dick? I’m not gay, man. Don’t even joke about that,” Bryan recoiled, a sneer on his face.
“But… like… what if he’s a chick?”
The redhead went still between his two tormentors. “I’m n-not! That doesn’t even make any sense! Just let me go, please. I’ll even find some other place to crash for the night. You two can have the room to yourselves, okay?”
Bryan and David exchanged a look. Then, bursting into motion, David restrained the redhead’s arms behind his back while Bryan went to grab at the waistband of his shorts.
“What the hell, guys?! Stop!” He managed a good kick to Bryan’s shin. It wasn’t a kick that would have usually done that much, but it definitely helped that his aggressors werewasted because Bryan stumbled back, his hands slipping off the redhead’s hips.
“Fuck, that hurt. You’re so goddamn dramatic all the time. We’re just playing around,” Bryan cursed. “Can’t even take a fucking joke.”
“No, you’re drunk and just tried to strip me!”
David scoffed, “Jesus, bro. We aren’t gay.”
“Try to do one nice thing for you, and you freak out,” Bryan spat, grabbing the beer from his friend. His free hand shot up to harshly grip the redhead’s chin, forcing his jaw open from the pressure. He poured the stale liquid directly into his mouth, only to be shocked when the redhead spat it back in his face.
