Raw (Raw Instinct Book 1)

by Lee Quail

  “You called me an asshole. How does a friend declare his loyalty to an asshole? It’s too late for second chances, Caine.” Raw said, flinging his hands up above his head.

  “It’s never too late for a second chance, boy,” Curisco said. “Your mama gave me a second chance; I gave you a second chance.”

  “I don’t roll that way, Dad.”

  “It’s time you learned something,” Curisco said. “Hopefully, it will stick with you. Second chances are the greatest thing since the invention of the motor car. Understand? Caine seems to have recanted. Now it’s your turn.”

  “No, Curisco. I won’t.”

  “You are prepared to throw away his friendship because of this gym?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why are you crying?”

  “Because he broke me. Okay.” He turned to Caine still standing in the doorway. “You fucking broke me!”

  Caine couldn’t stand to watch Raw crying. He buried his face in his hands and wished his whole body would disappear.

  “Now go! Get out of here! Fuck off!”

  Caine turned to leave. His own tears blurred his vision. But nothing he said would make Raw run after him and beg him to come back. Absolutely nothing.

  Curisco sank into his seat behind the desk. “You kids. Never cease to amaze me. Go wash your face, Raw. And stop snivelling. We have work to do. I want plans for the refurbishing of this gym by the end of the week.”

  ***

  Angie, caught completely off guard when Raw turned up at her house in Morningside later that evening, welcomed him with open arms and a kiss on the cheek. The house, an old, large A-frame home with a narrow, open patio behind a high wall, had been built in the early forties and belonged to an aging mining magnate from a bygone era. After all the renovations, it still kept the old peach-pip flooring and high tromp l’ oeil ceilings with it’s marvellous, engraved patterns.

  She greeted him on the steps and invited him in, offered him coffee and gestured for him to sit.

  “This is an honour, darling,” she said, moving her knitting needles from her seat to the round coffee table in her sitting room.

  “Not a pleasant one.”

  “Something happened between you and Edward?”

  “Something happened between me and Caine.”

  “Oh, dear.”

  “He tried to buy my dad out so that he could open a disco. He told me you agreed with him.”

  Angie gazed at Raw for what seemed like forever. “Continue.”

  “How could you do that, Angie? I thought you were dad’s friend. You’ve known him since childhood.”

  “I like your chutzpah? Coming here to reprimand me for something that I thought was a wise move. Let me tell you something, darling. Roberto and I were lovers once. Before he met Maria, who by the way I simply adore. We looked out for each other. When he went overseas for six years and came back married, it didn’t faze me because I had met a wonderful man who promised to take care of me through health and sickness, poverty and wealth. He never left me. But he always knew that your dad and I were nigh inseparable. We all became good friends. Now, here’s the lesson. Caine and I are good friends, not as good as you and me, but good friends nonetheless, and good friends listen and give good advice. Did you know that Gordon, my late husband, once owned your father’s property?”

  Raw leaned forward. “I didn’t know.”

  “Of course I wouldn’t expect you to know that we hit rock bottom in the ’90s because we lived a lavish lifestyle and money doesn’t last forever.”

  “I had no idea.”

  She continued, “We were virtually on the street, darling. So, when your father suggested, as a by the way kind of thing, that he would be willing to buy that property and the building on it, we were at a loss for words. We were in trouble, owed the bank hundreds of thousands, and they were about to declare us bankrupt when your father deposited and paid off all the accounts we had. He bought the property and started the boxing gym. Now your father is in trouble. Caine came to me. He explained that he wanted to modernize the gym and build her membership and I agreed. I had no idea that Caine wanted to open a disco. He said he’d refurbish and modernize it with computers and the latest, state of the art gym equipment. You would run it, of course, because your father, bless his soul, is getting on in years and doesn’t have the energy to deal with modern technology. The idea of setting up a disco appalls me. What is he doing discoing in the first place, he’s not getting younger? The fool.”

  Raw said, “I never want to see him again, ever.”

  “This is all grave, darling. I had no idea of his selfish, arrogant plans and if I did, I would have warned him against it. The majority of discos don’t make money.”

  “Has he made contact with you?”

  “Earlier today. He told me about that little domestic you had with him. He didn’t give me full details, but now that I know, I shall be confronting him too. A disco? What nonsense.”

  Raw stood and smiled. “Thank you for being honest with me, Angie.”

  “Sit, young man.”

  Raw sat down again.

  “How is your father coping?”

  “As well as can be expected under the circumstances. Did Caine tell you that Edward and I have put up the money to save the gym?”

  “Yes. Admirable. I knew Edward to be quite wealthy, but not you.”

  “I saved up all my prize money. It’s not a heck of a lot, but it’s something. The money was transferred to the gym’s account this morning.”

  “That gym is part of your family. It should stay that way. How is Edward?”

  “He’s doing well. We’ve started organizing fundraisers and boxing tournaments to raise more money for the refurbishment of the place. We’re hoping it will bring more people to register as members.”

  “Make it gay friendly. You’ll be booming in no time. Before you go - I know you have a busy schedule - I want you to give this envelope to your father.” She went to the redwood cabinet that spanned across the one wall, opened a drawer and retrieved a thin, green envelope. “Tell him it’s a gift, from me. There’s a note inside for his eyes only.”

  “What’s in it?”

  “You’ll see soon enough, darling.”

  “Sure, I’ll give it to him.”

  “Now toddle along. I’m sure you’ll be up bright and early in the morning for your daily training schedule.”

  She waved goodbye as he drove off the property and hit the main road.

  The pain inside his head came on suddenly and he grimaced, veered off to the side of the road and pushed the brake pedal. He clutched his head, screamed out and punched the steering wheel column as the pain grew like an epileptic seizure held him in a terminal vice-grip. He buckled over and hit the steering wheel again and again.

  A good twenty minutes passed before the pain subsided. Exhausted, he slowly made his way home.

  To his joy and surprise, Edward waited for him in the parking bay.

  ***

  In Raw’s small, but cosy apartment, framed pictures of famous boxers like Mohamed Ali and George Foreman and Lewis hung on the walls. He possessed few items of furniture and ornaments. Classified himself as minimalist.

  “Take a seat, I’ll be with you in a sec.” He said. Edward sat on a leather couch similar to the one in Curisco’s office. The only piece in the room and it faced the hearth.

  “Does this fireplace still work?” Edward called out.

  “Yes. Are you cold?”

  “A little. Another month before Summer arrives.”

  “I’m cold too. Help me make this fire.”

  “Sure thing.”

  Raw opened a bag of wood and Edward placed each piece carefully in the hearth as though he were forming a tent. Raw sprinkled twigs as kindle over the logs while Edward broke several pieces off a large bar of fire starters and scattered them amongst the logs and kindling. Raw reached for a lighter on the mantelpiece above the fireplace and lit each firestarter.
Soon the fire spread through the kindling and the logs started to burn.

  “I can feel the heat already,” Edward said, relaxing onto the couch.

  “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “Juice will be fine, as long as you’re having.”

  “Of course. I don’t have much in the way of food, so please forgive me. We could go out or I could order pizza from the guy down the road. He delivers.”

  “Pizza will be fine.”

  Raw went to the fridge and poured two glasses of orange juice in tall glasses. He returned and handed a glass to Edward.

  “You’ve never been to my apartment.”

  “First time,” Edward said. He looked around. “It’s warm, cosy. I like the minimalist look.”

  “I don’t like to have too many material objects around me. They collect dust and becomes clutter. This way I know where everything is and I can cope.”

  “You’re comparing aren’t you?”

  “This, to your apartment? Oh, god, no. I love your place.”

  Raw stood in front of the fireplace and it worried Edward that he hadn’t taken a seat beside him.

  “Aren’t you going to sit with me?”

  “I’m a little nervous, that’s all.” Raw took a seat beside him. “You’ve never been to my home.”

  “Relax. I’m not being critical. I like this place. It becomes you.”

  “I best order pizza before they close.” He grabbed his cell phone, dialled, and ordered two large pizzas at their special Monday price.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Edward asked.

  “About what?”

  “About today.”

  “Caine was wrong on several levels. Most of them you know now. Angie said she didn’t know that he wanted to turn it into a disco.”

  “You believe her?”

  “She would never allow a disco. I told her the reason Caine had pissed me off. His attitude to you and that he’s “working on me”. That he lied and kept it to himself, and that he’s obsessed with me. She was horrified.”

  “And you, how do you feel about Caine and his behaviour?”

  “You know how I feel. You saw it.”

  “I did. But sometimes seeing it all means missing something.”

  “I’m ready for a shower, you coming?”

  “I think I’ll stay here and put on some music. I’ll shower afterwards.” The hi-fi system stood proudly on a flat oak table on the far wall. The speakers looked down from the ceiling.

  “Be my guest.”

  Raw kissed him sweetly on the lips. “You'd better be here when I finish showering.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  He left the room and Edward rummaged through his music collection. He found several CD’s he liked, Shane Ward, Joey Niceforo, Ricky Polidoro, Matt Elber, Eli Lieb and Steve Grand, all independent artists who had made a name for themselves. He put on Joey Niceforo’s cover of Abba’s, The Winner Takes It All, and sat back to listen. The music infused his mind. The lyrics reminded him of moments in his relationship with Raw.

  He played the song twice and then allowed the other CD’s to play automatically in the player.

  The pizza arrived. He had ordered Boston seafood and an Italian Godfather with salami and olives and a whole lot of other things. Raw returned after showering, wearing a soft woollen nightgown closed up in the front.

  Edward lay back on the couch with his eyes closed and Raw smiled at him. He bent over Edward and kissed him gently. “I see the pizza arrived and I like your choice of music.”

  “I heard you singing the song in the shower.”

  “Joey Niceforo is an amazing opera singer, but this is his new classical voice. I’m glad you chose it.”

  Edward put his arms around Raw and drew him closer as Shane Ward began to sing Stand By Me, an original piece that Edward had come to enjoy.

  “I’m the happiest man alive tonight,” he whispered into Raw’s ear.

  Raw gazed into Edward’s ice-blue eyes and wagged a finger in his face. “I think I am. I mean here you are, with me, in my home at last. It’s something I only dreamed of, that someone as stunning as you would come into my life and blow me away.”

  “You did that for me. I don’t think I can live without you.”

  “Bullshit, of course you can. And maybe one day you’ll have to. But in the meantime, the words of this song ring true. You stood by me through all the pain and the dark hours, for that I’m so grateful.”

  Edward couldn’t stand being so close to Raw without kissing him and he brought his lips crashing in on Raw’s open mouth. They grappled with each other, making each second of the kiss count. Their tongues enmeshed, their breathing became as one, and their hearts beat faster and faster.

  With that kiss it felt as if Edward wanted to be Raw. He wanted Raw’s eyes and he wanted Raw to have his eyes, he wanted to be Raw’s legs and he wanted Raw to have his legs, he wanted Raw’s clean, unmarked skin and he wanted Raw to have all of his tattooed skin.

  Raw threw off his nightgown and stood for a moment, naked before Edward, his cock as hard as a rock, bouncing, and yearning for the sex that made Raw unforgivably happy.

  “I haven’t showered,” Edward said.

  “Fuck that. Come here.” He pulled Edward up and backed him against the wall where he felt his thick cock beneath his trousers, then ran his hands up into Edward’s hair while his tongue played inside Edward’s mouth. Slowly he removed Edward’s shirt and threw it aside, followed by shoes and socks and finally his trousers. Raw went down on his haunches to suck Edward’s cock beneath his underwear, leaving the material wet and Edward’s cock throbbing.

  He left the underwear and came up to meet Edward’s eyes, gazing lovingly, and wantonly at him.

  He stopped gyrating against Edward's body, and, not taking his eyes off his beautiful man, placed a silencing finger across Edward's lips.

  “I love you.” Raw said, keeping his finger on Edward’s lips. He didn’t want Edward to spoil this moment by saying anything. “I loved you from the moment I saw you. All I wanted to do was smack myself because I knew back then, with you standing behind Angie, I knew your heart and I desperately wanted it to be mine and I didn’t know how to make that possible. But you made it possible for me to find love. I love you. With all my heart and soul. We belong to each other. Never forget that.”

  The music in the background played softly. Ricky Polidoro’s cover of Celine Dion’s, I Surrender.

  Raw removed his finger from Edward’s lips and finally allowed him to speak. He placed his hand over Edward’s tattooed heart.

  “Jesus, Raw. I love you too. I’ve been waiting for you. I love you so much it hurts being without you for one second.”

  Raw smiled at him with pure, melting love in his eyes. “I feel the same way,” he whispered. “You’ve made me believe in love again.”

  They touched each other gently, making each other squirm with touch, making Edward’s hair stand on end as Raw came down on his cock and sucked lovingly, leaving his cock lubricated with only his spittle. He looked up into Edward’s eyes and said, “That’s for ownership. You’re completely mine now.”

  He kissed the rose on Edward’s neck and left it wet and red. “That’s so that our love will always grow and never end, not even when we’re old and grey and knitting jerseys like Angie.”

  Edward burst out laughing.

  “What? You think that’s funny?” Raw smiled, taking Edward’s cock in his hand and slowly masturbating him. “Be careful what you say, I have your amazing cock in my hand.”

  “I’m not saying anything.”

  Raw released his cock and picked him up. He carried Edward to his bedroom and lay him gently on the bed where he climbed on top of him with his thick, beautiful thighs and brought his cock into Edward’s mouth.

  Edward sucked gloriously with lots of tongue and a touch of his teeth.

  “Suck on it. You like that?” Raw said, arching his back to take Edward�
��s cock in his hand.

  Edward groaned in agreement and sucked a few moments more before releasing and gasping for air.

  Raw slid down Edward’s body and licked under his arms, taking in the naked, dusky smell of his skin, all the while playing frottage with their cocks between each other, sliding against their groin areas. Edward moaned with such pleasure.

  Raw came up and met his gaze. “I want you to fuck me. Will you fuck me? I want you inside me. Will you?”

  “I’d love to fuck you, babe. I also don’t want to hurt you. My cock is thicker than yours and slightly bigger. Are you sure you’ll be able to handle it?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never been fucked by a real cock before. I’ve tried dildos but they aren’t the real thing. I want you so much, babe. I want to be a part of you. I want you to come inside me so that you’ll always be in me. I want to remember this moment as the most beautiful moment of my life. If it gets too much we’ll slow down.”

  Raw reached into his bedside drawer, brought out a tube of KY and pushed the lubricant onto Edward’s fingers. Edward first went down and kissed Raw’s hole with his tongue, a hint of the feeling to come.

  Raw gasped. “I love it when you do that.”

  Edward spread the lube around his hole and gently inserted his finger as Raw lay on his stomach, ass cheeks spread wide open. Edward took the tube of lube and pushed more out on his cock and a little more into Raw’s ass.

  “Damn, it’s cold.”

  “Sorry.”

  Edward brought his cock to Raw’s hole and gently nudged it. Raw moaned as he felt his lover’s cock slip around his hole in a playful, gentle manner. He closed his eyes and waited in expectation, knowing this would be the highlight of his life. Edward found Raw’s hole and pushed his cock a little way into the opening. Raw moaned. It felt like heaven had opened.

  “Are you okay?” Edward asked, stopping for a moment.

  “I want it.”

  Edward pushed a little more and Raw opened his eyes wide, breathed in deeply, and breathed out.