“Good afternoon, handsome guys!” he said, hugging Eric.
Eric laughed. Paulo was wearing black shorts and a short-sleeved white shirt that, even then, showed his muscled arms. What I really had to avoid looking, though, was his legs and thighs, the parts I loved the most in men. His were a bit more hairy than Eric, but that only made them even more desirable.
As soon as he let Eric go, he came to me. He also hugged me tight, almost crushing me. I let out a laughter.
“Good afternoon for you too, my gorgeous Ianto!” he said.
“Why all this excitement?” Eric asked him, as soon as Paulo released me.
“I didn’t tell you yesterday because I only had the confirmation this morning, but I just closed one of the best deals I’ve made in my entire life!”
“Don’t tell me that...”
“That’s right, my boy! I’ve just signed with Lauzon!” Paulo shout and Eric seemed to get excited as well.
“Come here that I’m going to hug you again, you bastard!” Eric said, hugging Paulo one more time with a huge smile.
“What’s Lauzon?” I asked, feeling a bit left out.
“They are the greatest department store in the entire Sarnaut. They want us to become their main supplier,” Paulo explained, releasing Eric, who seemed very pleased.
“But isn’t Sarnaut in the middle of a crisis?” I asked, confused.
“Yes, for now. However, all the economists point out that this is about to change and that they are going to expand again. So, if we bet on them now, we may multiply all these investment in a few years. We are taking advantage of the lack of interest of the international competition and thinking in a long term.”
“I think I get it,” I said.
“I want to drink your best wine!” Paulo told Eric.
“No way! It cost me a fortune and it’s not easy to find,” Eric cut him.
“Come on! I just signed a contract that will make you even richer, just as I told you I would. You can find a way to order another one later. You know I deserve this!”
Eric laughed.
“Fine, let’s go get it.”
After they took the bottle from the wine dispenser at one of the kitchen cabinets, we went upstairs to the penthouse. As soon as we got there and the wind blew in my face, I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. The feeling was amazing. Eric and Paulo didn’t even seem to notice, so excited they were.
As Eric had said, there were gym equipment there, also a pool and a barbecue grill. We sat on the loungers in front of the pool. Paulo opened the bottle and served three glasses, one for each of us and, then, we made a toast.
“How did you manage to close the deal? I didn’t have much faith in this,” Eric asked him.
“You know how good I am in making other people’s mind,” Paulo answered and blinked for Eric.
“If you don’t want to tell me, fine.”
“I never reveal my secrets; they are what keep me as your partner, after all,” Paulo stated and Eric laughed in agreement.
I was drinking my wine, watching them. I hated wine, but I had to admit that that one was very good. I was happy that things were working fine in Eric’s work, even if I didn’t understand much about that.
“Anyway, tomorrow you need to have all packed and ready to go,” Paulo informed him.
“What, already?” Eric asked, surprised.
“Sure, or do you want to give other companies the chance to make better offers?”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“How long will you be away?” I asked, nervous.
“About three or four days,” Answered Paulo and I felt a shiver running down my spine. It was terrible to stay a few hours without Eric and now we would have to stay days apart. I was going to lose my mind!
“I’ll try to come back as fast as I can, Ianto! I promise!” said Eric, placing his glass beside the chair and taking my hand.
“That’s fine,” I said, holding my tears. Paulo seemed to notice how shaken I was.
“Why don’t you take him with you?” he asked Eric.
“You know I can’t.”
“Stop it, Eric. You are going to let the boy locked in for four days in a row, all by himself? Besides, it’s obviously that no one is going to recognize him in Sarnaut,” said Paulo.
“I’m not sure if it’s a good idea. You know how conservative they are in Sarnaut. If anyone at Lauzon finds out that I am in a relationship with Ianto, we can lose the contract. Not to mention the danger of having our relationship spread around by the media,” Eric pointed out.
“You’ve always being a great actor at school, so don’t bother making excuses. Ianto, come on! Wouldn’t you love to travel with Eric and see the best beaches in the whole world?” asked me Paulo.
“Yeah, but I don’t want to cause any problems to Eric.”
“You see, Eric? He wants to! Ianto has been here for more than two weeks; consider it as a vacation, for both of you. I think the new scenery would do wonders to your relationship. I promise to help you, so that no one will question anything.”
Eric remained in silence, thoughtful, for a few minutes.
“Fine, Ianto will come with us,” he informed.
“Seriously?” I asked him, surprised.
“Yes, it will be fine to have him around,” Eric answered, giving me a peck on the lips. I stayed static, completely surprised and happy for a moment. When I finally got back to reality, I probably opened the greatest smile ever. The two of them had probably noticed, since they were laughing at me, excitedly, but I didn’t mind. After all, I was going to travel with Eric!
“Enough with the talking. Let’s start working out!” said Paulo, getting on his feet and walking towards the running machine.
“Let’s go?” Eric asked me.
“Yes…” I answered, facing the floor.
“What happened?”
“Thank you very much for deciding to take me with you!”
“You don’t have to thank me. Even though our relationship is a bit different, I think we have the right to enjoy for a while.”
“I love you!”
“I love you too, Ianto!” Eric said and bent forward, kissing me once again.
I was very anxious to tell Lucy about that trip in the following day, for she would realize that Eric loved me for real, even though he had indeed bought me. And, of course, I wanted to know how my family was doing before I went to travel for the first time in my life.
Chapter 12
I had barely slept, so anxious and excited I was about the trip. Eric laughed of my silly ways, but it was inevitable for me to feel that way. If I had remained in my old life, I would never have the chance of visiting a foreign country. Moreover, the best of all: I was going with Eric.
We had our breakfast together, as always. Then, he left for work to deal with a few issues regarding his absence in the following days. He locked me in the bedroom and we were going to pack our things together as soon as he got back. Since he had many things to do that day, he wouldn’t be able to come home and have lunch with me. Therefore, I ate quite well at breakfast and took two sandwiches with me in case I felt hungry later.
Since Lucy would come to clean the apartment in the beginning of the afternoon, I was anxious for the time to come, so I would be able to tell her the news. Therefore, as soon as she opened my bedroom’s door, I was already waiting for her in front of the door, with a big smile in my face. She threw me a questioning look.
“Why are you smiling that much?” she asked me.
I could notice the dark circles around her eyes. She probably hadn’t slept well. However, considering that I also hadn’t slept at all, I should probably be sporting the same tired face.
“I’m going to travel. By plane and all that,” I told her.
“What do you mean? Where are you going?”
“Sarnaut, with Eric and Paul. They need to go there in order to close an important deal, so Eric decided to take me with him. I’m so excit
ed! Have you ever traveled by plane?” I asked her.
“Of course not! I’m just as poor as you were. Have you forgotten that already?”
“Right, true. I can’t hardly believe that I’ll have the chance to know how things are in another country. I heard they don't have a caste system in Sarnaut and not even these rigid laws. Even with the crisis, it might be a much better country than here.”
“Yeah, I’ve read about it once. But, how are you going to travel? The ID number in your documents won’t alert people that you are dead?” Lucy asked me, crossing her arms.
“Eric told me he would settle this for me. With all the power and influence he has, he shall probably manage to get this in five minutes.”
“Sure! Forge documents must be a piece of cake for someone who deals with people trafficking,” remarked Lucy.
“I’ve already told you that Eric likes me. So, I’m very happy and grateful that he was the one who bought me and not someone else,” I intervened.
“Why would you feel like that? Let me guess. He feeds you? He put a TV in your bedroom?” she pointed to the device, which was hanging from the wall. “He is affectionate when he fucks you and he even helps your family, right? He couldn’t be more perfect! Oh, no! He still has to say that he loves you too,” she said, ironical.
“Actually, he had already told me. He was just afraid, but he loves me just as much as I do!” I said coldly, bothered with the way Lucy was attacking Eric.
“That’s even worse, Ianto! Can’t you see how much you are being manipulated? You shouldn’t love him. No one in his right mind would love someone like him. I just can’t get you!”
“Someone like him? Someone who bought me in the attempt of being happy? Someone who treats me right? Someone who wants to protect me? I’m the one who can’t get you, for I know exactly my reasons for loving him,” I retorted, annoyed.
Lucy covered her face with he hands, taking deep breaths as if trying to keep herself calm.
“Ianto, you shouldn’t trust him!” she said, facing me again, her eyes full of tears.
“And why is that? Just tell me and stop with this bullshit about him having bought me. I’m over this and I know exactly the reasons he had for doing so.”
“Are you sure you do?” she asked. “Because Eric is lying to you!” Lucy yelled, startling me.
“What? What do you mean?” I asked, nervous.
She remained silent for a while, shaking her head in denial. She seemed pretty shaken.
“Tell me at once, Lucy!” I shouted.
“I can’t, because this will affect my whole life and my family too. I wish I’ve never got involved in this. My curiosity is my curse! Eric hid this master key and never once told me about its existence. I found it by chance one day. If I had never used it, if I hadn’t found you, everything would be just fine. Now, I’m putting not only my job at stake, but also my father’s and my brother’s ones. They both work to one of Eric’s companies,” revealed Lucy, starting to cry.
“I promise you I won’t say anything to him, just tell me. Please, Lucy! I have the right to know!” I begged her, feeling my cheeks getting wet with the tears that were also rolling from my eyes. She was right; she was in a delicate position. I should never have told her the truth.
“Ianto...” she took a long pause. “I went to your house, to know how your family was, as you asked me on Friday,” she said. Lucy was rubbing her arms in a restless way.
“Are they alright, Lucy? Tell me!” I begged her.
“You have to promise me that you will never tell Eric.”
“Of course, I promise,” I said promptly.
“Your mother is fine, but she is still resting at home. You father, though, seems very exhausted. He is working eighteen hours a day, including the weekends. Your brother had to abandon school, in order to cut the expenses with school supplies and transport,” she said, while I heard every word in silent, completely shocked.
“W-what do you mean? Why are they doing this?” I asked, gasping for air. It was hard to breathe and I could feel my heart jumping inside my chest. Hearing that made me panic.
“They are doing this because Eric never helped them, Ianto. When I visited them, I told them I was a friend of yours. They are still pretty shaken about your death. I tried to talk about you, so they wouldn’t get suspicious. As soon as I had the chance, I asked about their financial situation. They told me that Eric had really been there offering them a lot of money for them to leave the capital. However, since your mother was too sick and they didn’t know if they could trust Eric, they refused his assistance. That is why your father is working in two factories and that is terrible. I guess it’s just a matter of time before he gets sick as well.”
“That makes no sense. Eric told me they had accepted his help and that everything was fine now,” I fell on my knees on the floor, crying hard.
“Exactly! You can’t trust Eric, Ianto. He lies to get you to love him, but I have serious doubt about him loving you back. After all, he wouldn’t lie to you if he loved you,” Lucy said, kneeling down to hug me.
“I really believed that he loved me… I believed it…” I was mumbling, repeatedly, between sobs.
“Stop it, Ianto! You need to be strong now that you know the truth. You need to find a way to run away from this.”
“I have no idea what to do. I have no choice. Eric has me in his hands! He can make me do whatever he wants.”
“We will find a way, Ianto. Just calm down, calm down!” Lucy asked me, caressing my arm.
“What do I do now? We are going to travel tonight.”
“You can’t tell him what you found out; otherwise you will put me in danger as well. We will have to deal with this in secret. Unfortunately, you will have to act as if everything was fine.”
“I’m not a very good liar.”
“You will have to give your best, my dear.”
“All right. I can do it. I can be stronger.”
“You already are, Ianto,” Lucy said, hugging me tight.
We stayed there for a while, crying together. The truth was very painful to digest.
“Dear, unfortunately, I have to clean the apartment so he won’t suspect that we are keeping in contact,” Lucy informed, looking me in the eyes.
“Can I help you?” I offered, wiping away my tears. I had to try to distract my mind in order not to freak out, until the moment I would have to face the reality of what I was living. I wasn’t in a fairytale anymore, but in a nightmare.
“Of course! Come on!” she said, standing up and offering her hand for me to do the same. It was great to know that at least I had Lucy, who seemed to worry about me for real.
We cleaned the whole apartment in silence, each of us lost in our own thoughts. When Lucy left, I returned to my bedroom and felt the anxiety returning. I did my best to keep myself calm and pretend that nothing had happened. I definitely needed to learn how to lie as well as Eric did. How many things hadn’t he distorted in order to make me idolize him?
I was feeling like a fool for loving him and that hurt a lot. My heart felt like it was bleeding inside. My desire to cry was huge, but I couldn’t afford to let him see me that way. I didn’t want him to destroy anyone besides me. I had promised Lucy that I wouldn’t endanger her and I was determined to keep my word.
When I heard the key turning, I stood up and saw him enter the room with a smile. I forced myself to smile back. He took a step and hugged me tight before kissing me. How could a liar’s lips be so delicious? I tried not to lose control so I wouldn’t start crying right then. A part of me didn’t want to kiss him, but another one was dying to do it.
Being disappointed by someone I loved was the second most painful thing that I have ever felt. The first one was to want to be comforted by the same person that had hurt me.
“Are you excited?” Eric asked when he interrupted the kiss.
“A lot,” I answered, trying to keep the fake smile in my face. Eric glanced at me, suspici
ous.
“Are you nervous?”
“Ye-yeah... After all, I’ve never traveled anywhere before,” I said. Being a good liar wasn’t that easy. Especially with Eric, who was a great observer.
“You don’t have to worry about that. Everything is going to be fine. We have hired the best pilot,” he said.
“You hired a pilot just for us?” I asked, surprised.
“Sure! Did you think we would lose our time in an airport? We will take the jet.”
“I was excited just for traveling by plane, but I forgot that you are much richer than I can even imagine,” I stated, making him laugh.
“Yeah… and I’m all yours. Aren’t you a lucky guy?”
“I thought that I was the one who belonged to you.” I couldn’t help but tease him.
“That too. In fact, our hearts belong to one another. Just as you are mine, I’m yours as well. You've got me, Ianto. I’ve never been that happy in my life,” Eric said, without taking that silly smile off his face.
I just smiled back, unable to say anything. Those words, no matter how beautiful they sounded, felt like daggers in my heart. After all, how much could I trust of what he was saying? Maybe for him was just as easy as telling me he was going to the bakery.
Eric seemed a bit upset when I didn’t return his affection, or fake affection.
“Anyway, let’s start packing?” he asked, releasing me.
“Let’s go,” I said, following him to his bedroom.
Eric had bought new clothes for me, after all Sarnaut was a tropical country. Before knowing the truth, I was excited and anxious to see the beach. At that moment, all I wanted was for that trip to be over soon. I just wanted to stay in my bedroom alone, so I could cry my heart out.
We packed our things, in silence. When we were almost done, Eric received a call in his cellphone.
“Hello?” He picked it up and waited for the other person to talk. “We are almost ready here. You can wait in front of our building, in about five minutes.” Another pause. “Fine, see you!” Then, he turned it off.
Boy for Sale Page 9
