Rough Attraction (13 page)

“
I’d like to see him. Even if it’s just for five minutes. I haven’t seen him since I left, Darko
.” The voice a dark plea.

“It’s good Trofim. It’s all good.” Darko’s face warmed just then, a look that took Maxum by surprise, but he still didn’t like the concern over this
Frannie
arrival.

“So what’s the deal with Frannie?”

Darko’s expression bucked some, “You, me and several more of my brothers are going to burn in hell according to her.”

Maxum yanked back, breaking free from Darko’s warm arms, the November chilled air seemed to breach the walls and sought out his spine just then. “I thought this was supposed to be a gay friendly weekend.”

“It is.” Darko’s hand reached out catching his and laced their fingers together, tightening to keep him. “But my baby brother Stanislav is as forgiving as his bride is evil. We haven’t seen him in two years. We didn’t even get to see his wedding. So Pyotr hopes to get him here for all of us and he’s willing to deal with her some to do so.” He pulled a reluctant Maxum into him with just the sheer strength of the one hand tangled with his. “Don’t worry, Pyotr makes a good barrier when it comes to people’s misplaced hatred.” Darko gave him a playful peck on the nose. “Come on, let me take you upstairs to meet everyone before she comes in and dampens the mood some.”

Upstairs Darko ran through the introductions, “This here’s Trofim, who just moved back last spring after living in the UK for five years. Trofim this is Maxum.”

Maxum and Trofim shook hands, “You look familiar.”

“If you’ve picked up a magazine then you’ve seen him. He models for cologne and men’s fashion. His body is all over the women’s magazines.” Darko shot him a wink.

“And the men’s.” Trofim quibbled for his defense.

Darko chuckled back at him, “Yeah, he’s quite the supermodel.” He reached out to snag his brother into a rough hug.

Trofim dodged him, slapping the muscular arm away. “Well, I wouldn’t go that far.” And before he could execute a counter attack, Maggie was stepping between them to be introduced.

“Hi. I’m Maggie.” She took Maxum’s hand and shook it with a warm smile.

“This here is Maggie. Pavle’s ex-wife.”

“Ex?”

Maggie rolled her eyes at Darko, “Well yes, but we were best friends before, and still are.”

Next up for introductions was Sasha and his twin lovers, Isaac and Isaiah. Maxum recognized them as well, but he kept silent over it, not wanting to invite any discussion about his involvement with the owners of Club Pain. It wasn’t a family friendly atmosphere for sure.

Next, Maxum was lead to a frail looking young girl just barely out of her teens from what he could tell. The decorative scarf that wrapped her baldhead along with the dark circles under her eyes, giving too many clues to a present illness.

“This here is Kimmi. Pyotr’s newly adopted daughter.” Darko pulled her in for a deep hug, tucking her head under his chin and the young girl wrapped herself around him to complete the hug. “Kimmi here should be world famous for giving the best hugs.” Darko bent down kissing the top of her head.

“You said adopted?” Maxum looked at the girl too old to be adopted.

“Yeah. Kimmi is Cliff’s sister. Cliff being Pyotr’s lover,” he twisted his arm around to point to the bratting boyfriend that belonged to his oldest brother. “But my brother became so taken by little Kimmi, he asked if she would be his daughter, and she and Cliff accepted.” Maxum offered a smile and saw a happy face peek thru the veil of her illness when she glanced up at Darko. Who in that moment seemed just as taken with her as he claimed his brother was. Maxum sensed more to the story, but being this was supposed to be the quick round of intros, he decided to leave it alone.

After the extended Kimmi hug, Maxum was quickly being led toward the living room where he was brought face to face with a man who was clearly a genetic match.

“This here is Pyotr. Headman in the family. Pyotr meet Maxum St. Laurents.”

Maxum’s eyes darted from Darko to his brother and back again while they exchanged a shake of hands. Same hair, same blue eyes even the shape of their chins and the tanned color of their skin. A few years difference was all that separated them. He glanced around the room now seeing the astounding familiarity from brother to brother. As if they were a snap shot collection of all the prior years until it came to this one man. But none resembled Pyotr as closely as Darko and the older brother was absolutely stunning. Maxum looked at the man wrapped around his waist, if Darko looked this good now he was going to be impossible to turn away from in the years to come.

A chuckle from Pyotr had him glancing back at him and the man was watching him with an all-knowing expression that told him he knew what he’d just been thinking and found it equally arousing.

“So this is the man you tricked into joining us for the weekend.” Pyotr teased his brother with a wink, letting him know he’d made a good catch. Darko didn’t need to be told by his brother. He knew what he had standing next to him and leaned in offering up a healthy kiss to Maxum to display it.

“Oh my god! I don’t believe this!” A shrill voice blasted in their direction.

Darko and Maxum jerked around to see a young, conservatively dressed woman standing at the top of the stairs on the landing before the great room. Then hastily turned heel and stomped back down the stairs she’d come. Stanislav the brother they’d all been waiting to arrive going aft. “Frannie wait.”

Darko’s face went white, “Pyotr, I’m sorry.” He whispered.

Pyotr tried to force a smile on, but the pat in the arm he gave did more, “Don’t be. Nobody in this house is going to be made to feel ashamed.”

“But I didn’t need to be kissing—”

“Stop. You’re in your right to do so. A good-looking man like Maxum and I’d be more worried if you weren’t kissing him. However, I do believe an apology is owed to you, Maxum.” Serious eyes shifted to his brother’s date, “As our guest, I hope you don’t let my sister-in-law’s lack of understanding dampen your desires to be here with my brother.” Pyotr glanced towards the stairs, then over to Sasha, “Take your boys upstairs. Play some music for a bit will you?” Sasha nodded and soon had the twins heading upstairs.

“What’s that all about?” Maxum whispered in Darko’s ear as he watched the three head up as told.

“Their parents messed them up pretty bad as they grew up and pretty much flipped when they learned their precious indigo boys were gay. They don’t need to hear any of this.” Darko whispered back to him.

Pyotr nodded to Darko then to Maxum, “Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He turned and headed out after Stanislav and Frannie.

Maxum followed Darko to the window, watching the heated talks unfold down below. He glanced around at the number of family and extended members. It changed everything for him. Darko was supposed to be the hot fuck you take advantage of over a holiday vacation and walk away. Now he was standing here, watching the man and his deep roots with family. With the exception of the one outside, everyone seemed to be connected, close to one another. He looked when he saw Darko’s hand go up to the glass, pressing his palm out flat, as if trying to reach out to the younger man down below, looking up at him, and as Maxum took notice, so did all the others. They were all gathered at the window watching, trying to reach out and connect with the brother who yearned to be touched by them, the pain of his wife’s hate ripping at him, becoming a bridge he could not maintain anymore.

And in a matter of minutes, it was over with Pyotr heading back inside, while Stanislav lead his wife back to their car, placed her in the driver’s seat and saw her off—
without him
.

Darko was instantly at the top of the stairs to meet the patriarch of the family, “Pyotr—” but Pyotr wouldn’t have it.

“We have our baby brother with us for awhile; let’s enjoy his company shall we?” His arm came over Darko’s head and razzed his hair a bit. “The bright side is, I don’t have to worry about where you two will be roomed at, in proximity of Frannie’s ears now.”

“Us?” Darko let his brother’s mockery effect him, “What about Cliff? Pavle tells me he’s quite a noise maker.”

“That’s why I bought him a gag for the weekend.” Pyotr winked at him and Maxum.

“Oh you did not!” Maggie made an exaggerated gasp from across the room.

Just then, Cliff was rushing into Pyotr’s arms to console his lover and ward off any teasing. Pyotr brought Cliff against him, lifting one of Cliff’s arms to drape over his neck and tangled their fingers together on the other side, pressing Cliff back against his chest and kissed the side of his young lover’s head. “Mmm, but I did.” He groaned to tease them all. Pyotr whispered something else in Cliff’s ear and the two turned off down the hall towards their bedroom, obviously taking some personal time to ease Pyotr’s mood before rejoining the family.

When Stanislav came up, his brothers instantly swarmed him.

Maxum watched, feeling like he was a tourist in this family affair, yet a part of it at the same time. Being a part of something, he hadn’t counted on being. This weekend was supposed to be the last installment of his affair with the man. Some great sex, some indulgent food, maybe even a nice drive to nowhere for half a day. Then say goodbye, thanks for the steamy weekend and go back home to try to decide what to do with himself and if it included letting Simeon back in or not.
Not this
. This was too real. It affected his fantasy and completely obliterated his definition of an affair.

“Hard isn’t it?”

Maxum’s head jerked around to see the glowing pixie-faced, Maggie, standing next to him, but he said nothing.

“You thought Darko was just this beautifully rugged man as just a thrill ride and soon he’ll ride off into the sunset and you’ll go back to what you were doing before. Like coming home from vacation and going back to work. Now, here you are finding a warm cozy cottage with the white picket fence, parked right in the middle of the most exotic island setting. And don’t forget the ultimate garage to park your hotrod.”

Maxum’s eyes swept over to the man who’d possessed his head and desires beyond recognition over the last several weeks. Then back at the woman who spoke like she had just seen right into his head and knew what he was thinking.
Had to be a family thing
. “I already have a 28 car garage.” He answered rather sullenly. Not sure how that was even relevant, but said it nonetheless.

“Yeah?” her eyes lit up but looked at him like she almost pitied him, “But does it have a white picket fence?” And then she smiled. The warmest friendliest smile he had ever seen on another’s face, “What’s a heart to do?” she spoke playfully, her eyes twinkling up at him and she stepped off to claim a hug of her own from the young brother taking center stage.

From there on through the afternoon, everyone gathered, somewhere between the great room and the kitchen, either pitching in to help or stealing tidbits to hold themselves off as the whole house filled with the aromatic smells of home cooked food that ignited stomach growling and more thievery. Jovan, who was the second oldest of the Laszkovi family, took charge of the turkeys being cooked in a roast pit outside, while the women took some pleasure skylarking that he was doing it wrong. It wasn’t until the dinner birds were brought in and taste samples divvied out to be finger fed to the women, that apologies and
mm-mm-good
praises were offered over for his forgiveness.

Maxum tucked himself behind Darko as they sat together on the brick step to the fireplace hearth after Darko had released his baby brother Sasha from a wrestling hold on the floor. He curled into the man and teased his neck with his warm breath, “You never said you came from such good stock. Look at them all— they’re as ruggedly handsome as you are.”

Darko grabbed his lover’s arm that was draped across his chest and held him in place, “Yeah, well, you only get to have one and that’s me.”

And only for the one weekend Maxum thought silently. Just this weekend to get his fill and then get over this infatuation with the man and go back to familiar pastures he had begun to sow years back, no matter how stale they may seem from this angle.

The twin girls made the cattle call from the kitchen and the family and friends herded into the dining area just like that.

Conversations jumped from one subject to the next with as much frequency as the news squawk box, that included local news, cars— Maxum’s cars especially, friends and family, and the latest hobbies. Most of that was about rowing.

At the table, it was a closer version of just catching up with each other. Rury talked about what it was like since he and his partner had moved out to Los Angeles just a year ago. Who then passed the floor, to talk some about Trofim, and his five years in Britain.

Darko reached over and tussled his little brother’s hair and pulled his head in for a hug, “It’s good to have you back.” The act hinted to some further back-story unlike Rury’s move away. While missed with equal expression it lacked the shadows several of the brothers harbored when talking to Trofim’s absence. Notes on the faces Maxum was well versed to pick up on as a business man who had to read the faces of other businessmen. Always on the lookout for
the
tells
of a shady deal and deception. Only Maxum was factoring in deception here, just perhaps Trofim’s absence was due to something other than his career choice.

“You say that all the time.” Trofim brushed him off, not worrying over his hair anymore.

“Because it’s true.”

“After five years over there, I’m surprised you don’t talk more like them.” Jovan commented on the lack of Trofim’s strobing accent.

“I’m trying to lose it, but it picks back up whenever I’m around someone who is British.”

“I hear it and I think it’s sexy.” Maggie smiled at him.

“So are the babes in London really freaky hot?” One of the teenage boys cackled up. Of course it came from the one with more jewelry in his face then the average woman wore as a whole.