The Plot Bunny (7 page)

"I might, and for that reason, I need to get my act together and be human once again."

And then suddenly, he looked away from Susanne and his gaze met Luc's. His eyes widened and all color drained out of his face. "Simon, what's wrong?" Susanne asked, instantly alarmed.

She turned, and once again, Luc was struck by the resemblance between her and Simon. He'd already met Susanne, of course. With her and Simon being so close, Luc had ended up going to barbecues and helping children with homework. He'd never minded, and he'd begun to love Susanne's family as well. That had all come crumbling down. Why? Why had he let them drift apart?

"You," Susanne said, glaring daggers at Luc. "What are you doing here?"

When Luc didn't reply, her gaze fell on Dury. Luc wouldn't have thought it possible, but she seemed to turn even more furious. "So this is your new squeeze? This is the whore you replaced my brother with?"

She got up, apparently ready to attack and defend her twin. Simon caught her before she could take any measures against them. "Susie, calm down. You're making a scandal."

"I will not calm down," Susie cried. "Are you forgetting what he did to you?"

In that moment, anger flooded Luc. Yes, he'd made mistakes, but Simon had cheated on him. Luc could well remember the male voice he'd heard over the phone that day. Susanne apparently didn't know about that little thing. He hadn't thought Simon such a two-faced bastard. "That's between Simon and me, Susanne," he told her coolly. "You have no right to interfere."

"I can't believe this," Susanne said, staring at him. "I simply cannot believe this."

Luc ignored her, too busy looking at Simon now. His ex-lover had changed in the months they'd spent away from each other. His hair was shorter, cut in a respectable, classic way. He wore a suit that screamed office job, and his eyes looked so sad it cut Luc to the core. And he was still so very handsome, the same man Luc had fallen for.

"Hi, Simon," he said.

"Hi." Simon's gaze fell on Dury. "Introduce us?"

"Right. Dury, this is Simon Roth. He's the sculptor I told you about. Simon, this is Dury…" He paused, realizing he didn't know Dury's last name.

"Dury Smith," his house mate came to his aid. "I'm helping Luc with his book."

"You're writing again, then?" Simon asked.

"Trying to," Luc replied. "It's been a tough couple of months."

"Yeah," Simon replied. He held Luc's gaze and for a few seconds, time seemed to flow backwards, and Luc was back in the art gallery, standing in front of the beautiful statue, and meeting the world's most amazing sculptor for the first time. It felt beautiful, electric, like a memory, but not. And when Simon smiled at him, Luc took a step forward, aching to hold his lover once again, to feel those sweet lips against his own.

"That's enough," Susanne said, breaking the moment. "We're going."

She put a few bills on the table and grabbed her brother's hand. "Have a nice life," she threw to Luc. "Jerk." She pulled Simon out of the café and as she passed Luc, her shoulder collided with Dury, seemingly by accident. Dury oomphed, but made no comment.

"Susie," Simon growled. "Stop it."

He gave Dury an apologetic look. "Sorry about that. She's very protective about me."

"I can see that," Dury said with a warm smile. "You're very lucky to have her."

Simon scanned Dury's face, as if uncertain. Once again, Susanne interfered. "Let's go already."

This time, Simon obeyed, and moments later, they disappeared in the crowd.

"Wow," Luc said when he could finally speak.

Dury rubbed his chest where Susanne had hit him. "Yeah. Want to stay for coffee or just go home?"

Suddenly, Luc felt more exhausted than ever. "Home. Please."

Without a word, Dury hailed another cab. Five minutes after they got home, Luc collapsed in bed and fell asleep.

* * * *

The next day, Luc woke up sticky and frustrated. He'd had the most amazing and peculiar dream. In it, both Dury and Simon loved him and the three of them did everything together. Luc groaned as his dick responded to the memory of the dream. Dury and Simon touching him, fucking him. It aroused him beyond compare, and confused him like hell.

He lay there, remembering it for the longest time. How could all of this be happening? Perhaps it was all a wild dream, and Luc had only imagined the fluffy tail. Perhaps Dury didn't even exist. Writer's block must have insanity as a side effect.

He was almost afraid to get up, to see if these past few days had been a fantasy and nothing more. But then a knock sounded at his door, and Luc hastily covered himself, knowing Dury had the habit of coming in uninvited. It shocked Luc that he was already catching onto the habits of someone who may well be an illusion.

Seconds later, Dury opened the door and peeked inside. "Oh, you're awake. Wonderful."

For a few seconds, Luc just stared at the young man, taking in the now-familiar beautiful face. So Dury really was true. Where did that leave Luc? And what about Simon? What would Luc do about that?

The solution escaped him, so Luc decided not to over think it and just go with the flow. Dury had come to him for a reason. Luc would enjoy the younger man's company and decide what to do along the way.

Nodding to himself, Luc offered Dury a smile. "As if you didn't already know that."

Dury grinned at him and pushed the door open. He wore one of his weird outfits, and this one left his flat abdomen bare. The black tights molded against his body like a second skin, reminding Luc of the dream. He carried a tray filled with a delicious looking breakfast and Luc's mouth watered, and he didn't know if it was because of the food or because of Dury.

"Breakfast in bed," Dury said with a smile.

"Why?" Luc asked as he stole a piece of bacon off a plate. "Should I be frightened?"

Dury shook his head. "Not at all. I'm just going to be out for a bit so you can do your thing."

Luc choked on his mouthful of bacon. "You're leaving?" he said. "Already?"

"Of course not," Dury replied. "You've yet to write a line."

The panic started to dwindle at Dury's reply, although it did bring close to home the fact that Dury wasn't here to stay. "Right. So where are you going then?"

Dury offered him an enigmatic smile. "It's a secret. But I'll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone."

Luc arched his brow. "Who would I tell?"

Dury shrugged. "I'm going to see my dad and visit a friend."

Luc gaped at him. They'd not really spoken about their families much, although Luc had mentioned his and Simon's in passing. "Your dad?" he repeated.

Dury nodded. "He gets nervous when I'm here for too long."

Luc suppose that by here, Dury meant something mindboggling like "Earth" or "this realm", so he decided not to ask. "Okay, then… when will you be back?"

"No worries," Dury replied. "I'll be back by tonight. Lunch is already ready, and you can reheat."

"Sure. Thanks."

As Dury pecked Luc on the cheek and bounced out of the room, Luc returned to his breakfast. The thought of Dury's imminent departure turned the delicious taste of his housemate's cooking into dust.

But as he sat there, thinking about Dury, Simon, and the many things he'd seen and done in the past few days, Luc knew he could no longer hide and curl into bed like a loser. He could become Lucas Black, bestselling author once again. For himself, for Dury, for Simon, and for his own gift, he would not give up.

Nodding to himself, Luc drank a bit of the cooling coffee and decided to get ready for the day. He took a shower, allowing himself to linger a little and make good use of his hand in the process. Finally, once he felt a bit calmer, he sat down at the desk. He booted his laptop, opened his word processor and started typing.

Part Two:

The Sculptor

Chapter Five

"Will you listen to what I'm saying? He's bad for you," Susie said for the millionth time in the past half hour.

Simon rolled his eyes. "Why do you feel the need to repeat that? I got it the first time."

Susie glared at him as he retrieved a cigarette pack. "When did you start smoking? It's his fault, isn't it?"

Simon groaned and buried his head in his hands. The day before they'd run into Luc and Luc's current boyfriend at Café Mont Blanc. Since then, Susie had been even angrier and more unreasonable than ever. Simon now regretted not giving Susie the real details of their break-up. She seemed intent on hunting Luc down and bringing an end to his existence.

"Okay, Susanne, listen up," he said, voice serious. Her eyes widened as he addressed her by her full given name. "This whole thing isn't Luc's fault. I was the one to break up with him."

"What? But you said—?"

"I never said anything. You just assumed. Some of it was his fault, some of it mine. We tried; it didn't work out. End of story. Please let it go."

Susie's eyes filled with tears. "But Simon… you love him," she said softly. "And you've given up sculpting for him. How can I possibly let that go?"

"I don't know," Simon replied. By the look in Susie's eyes, she knew he didn't refer to her emotions, but to his own.

For the first time in many years, an awkward silence stretched between them. Finally, Susie looked at her watch and said, "Oh dear. I'm sorry, Simon. I have to pick up the kids. See you later?"

Simon nodded and smiled. "See you. Kisses to the children."

The relief he felt at watching her go made him angry and frustrated. He lit a cigarette and brought it to his lips, allowing the smoke to fill his lungs. Slow death, he knew, but the scent somehow reminded him of Luc. Simon had always loathed smoking, but for some reason, Luc could make even that sexy.

Simon cursed and extinguished his cigarette in his most recent addition to the house, a crystal ashtray. He got up and went to the bar, his entire being itching for something he could not define. As he poured himself a shot of whisky, he distantly thought that at this rate, he'd be dead of cancer by the age of forty.

What the fuck was wrong with him? He'd been the one to end things with Luc. It made sense that Luc would move on, find someone else.

But that man—that Dury Smith person—he was unlike anyone Simon had ever met. Simon had never particularly liked cross-dressers. He got hard over muscled chests and hot erections, not women's clothes. Case in point: Luc. But Dury had something special, a light that seemed to radiate from his very being. Simon could still remember Dury's sweet smile, and his heart hurt with a weird sense of longing. He hated to admit that Luc had found someone better, more patient, and God, so beautiful.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" a voice said suddenly, startling Simon.

He dropped the glass, and the expensive liquor splattered all over the place. It reminded him of a different moment, when Simon had been the one to scare another man. Back then, Luc spilled his champagne all over his shirt, which led to Simon impulsively whisking him away from the party and giving him a blow job in the bathroom.

But it wasn't Luc invading his private sanctuary now. Simon gaped as he saw Dury Smith stand there, in the middle of his living room, giving him a concerned look. "Are you all right? Let me help you with that."

"No," Simon said automatically. "I got it."

He didn't bother to clean up, though. He could change the carpets and even the floors if he wanted to. Seeing his ex's current lover here was too mindboggling to compute, and Simon needed to understand why.

"What in the world are you doing here?" he asked, hating himself for sounding so weak.

"I came to see you, of course," Dury replied. "I can wait, though, if you're too busy."

"Busy?" Simon repeated in disbelief. Who the hell did this kid think he was? Was this some sort of show of possessiveness? Dury hadn't seemed like that upon their first meeting, but Simon had been wrong before. Anger flowed through him at the thought of Dury and Luc together, in bed, mocking him. "What the fuck?" he growled. "Did you come to tell me to stay away from Luc? You don't have to worry, you know. That's all over now."

Dury didn't look intimidated. "I doubt that. And Luc isn't my lover."

Simon snorted. "As if I believe that. Why else would he—?" He stopped himself just before he finished the phrase, realizing how insulting it would sound. He didn't know Dury well enough to judge.

Dury arched a brow. "Why would he be with me if it wasn't for fucking? That's what you were going to say, right?"

Simon fought to keep a straight face and not let his embarrassment show. After all, Dury had been the one to intrude. Hell, Simon should call the police and have Dury arrested for trespassing. "I apologize if I'm wrong," he said levelly, "but you have to admit the situation is suspicious."

Dury let out a thoughtful sound. "And it bothers you, the thought that I might be sleeping with him?"

"Of course it bothers me," Simon snarled. He had no idea what game this kid was playing, but he wanted it over. "Look, I think you'd better go."

"I'll go, but first I want to say something. Luc loves you still. You shouldn't give up on him so easily."

"I did my best," Simon said defensively. "It didn't work out. I've had enough."

Dury shook his head. "You bluffed, you lost, and now you're afraid to try again. Isn't that right? You never wanted to break up with Luc. You thought that an ultimatum would give Luc a little nudge, bring him back to reality. Only it didn't work out the way you'd hoped, because Luc didn't fight for you."

Simon's vision started to blur. Suddenly, he felt like he couldn't breathe. Having his failure thrown in his face by a stranger, Luc's new lover, hurt more than he could have ever imagined. He opened his mouth to deny it, but the calm certainty on Dury's face convinced him otherwise. "How did you know?" he asked instead. He'd never told anyone about it, not even Susie. It still hurt too fucking much, and Simon suspected this wound would never fully heal.

"I just do," Dury answered simply. "Luc doesn't, though, and he's hurting."