I had the weirdest dreams, with several senseless scenes, one after another. In one of them, I was in a long white corridor in search of a way out, but every door I tried to open was locked. The closer I got to the end, the more desperate I felt. I had no idea where I was, all I knew was that I had to get out of there as soon as possible. A claustrophobic sensation was taking over me.
After having tried to open more than twenty doors unsuccessfully, when I got to the last one I was already nervous and desperate for that to be the one that would take me out of there. However, before I could reach the silver doorknob, I was awaken by someone shaking my shoulder. I sat on the mattress on a leap, startled by being awaken like that. Paulo was standing in front of me. I was gasping and my t-shirt was soaked wet with sweat.
It took me a few seconds to understand that I had just woke up from a nightmare before I could wonder why Paulo was there, in my bedroom.
“Where is Eric?” I asked him. It was the first thing to come to my mind. I needed to know how he was. I tried to take a deep breath to get back to normal.
“He went to work already. It’s two in the afternoon, Ianto,” he answered, staring at me in an odd way. Paulo acted coldly; very different from the way he usually behaved. Something should have happened.
“Did he send you here?” I asked. Maybe that was it; after all, it was understandable that he wouldn’t want to have lunch with me after everything that I have done to him.
“Of course not,” Paulo answered me, seeming annoyed.
I looked at him, unable to understand why he was acting like that.
“Then, why are you here?” I asked.
“I’m here, little Ianto, because you don’t know how to keep your mouth shut!”
“What?” I asked, nervously, getting on my feet. Paulo looked off.
“Don’t play dumb with me, kid. Today, Eric arrived at work with an awful face, asking me if I knew someone to do a dirty job for him. As if there was a sign in my forehead announcing that I have contacts with criminals. Luckily for him, I really have.” Paulo stopped talking, facing me. “He didn’t want to tell me why he needed a hitman, but I assume that is because the little princess here opened up his mouth and told him about the things Lucy said to you.”
The way Paulo was talking to me was scaring me, he clearly wasn’t in his normal state and he had a lot of aggressiveness in his voice.
“If he hasn’t told you, how do you know this?” I asked, shivering in nervousness and wondering how he knew about Lucy.
“Because I was the one who asked her to tell you those things. Simply as that,” Paulo revealed, surprising me. “Have you never wondered for a moment how have I managed to enter here?” he asked, pointing to the door right behind him. He was making the same expression Eric had made a few hours before, unable to believe that I could be that stupid.
I didn’t say anything and just took a step back. Of course, I hadn’t asked him about that. I had never thought that Paulo could be dangerous at all. At that moment, though, I felt completely threatened by him. I wanted to run, but it didn’t seem such a good idea, considering Paulo’s size, standing right in front of me.
“Once you haven’t asked me, I’ll tell you myself. I have the copies of every key in here; thanks to Lucy, who has provided them to me,” he told me, shaking the key holder in his hand. He approached me slowly, pressing my body against the wall and letting me unable to retreat any further.
“Why?” I asked, my voice shaking.
“Why what?” he asked, biting his lower lip and staring at me.
“W-why did you ask her to lie to me?”
“That’s quite obvious. I wanted you to hate Eric, so that it would be easier for me to take you from him,” Paulo said, caressing my face with his hand. My heart was beating so hard and fast that I felt like it would jump from my chest any time soon. Even though he was touching me gently, it was scary considering the way he was talking and acting towards me. “It is a pity that you didn’t manage to keep your mouth shut and, right now, Lucy might already be dead due because of you,” he remarked in disdain.
“I can’t see why,” I said, feeling the tears starting to roll down my face. I felt completely vulnerable in front of Paulo. All I wanted was to leave that place, but he was blocking my way. He wanted to corner me there. “You've done all this for loving me?” I asked and he stared at me for a moment, just before he started laughing, making me even more nervous.
“Of course I don’t love you, dear,” Paulo said, giving a few slaps on my face, leaving it with a burning sensation. “I just said that so I could fuck you,” he admitted.
I felt a mortal rage taking over me because of those words and the way he had slapped my face. I wanted so much to punch him, but I just closed my hands in fists and tried to keep myself under control. I wouldn’t stand a chance against Paulo, so I had to consider things well before trying anything to take me from that scary situation.
“Then, why doing all this?” I insisted.
“As I’ve told you before, to take you away from Eric. I just had to offer Lucy some money and she didn’t think twice before agreeing to tell you anything I said. She told me she was in desperate need of money, for she had a dream of going to college and rising to a higher caste, so she wouldn’t survive on mopping floors or working in dirty factories anymore,” he said, gesticulating as if mocking her. “Poor thing! I almost felt sorry for her when she called me two hours ago, worried about a black car in front of her house when she was completely alone. I asked her to calm down and not to worry, for I was on my way there. However, once I’ve known Lucius for a long time, I didn’t even bother. He is a bit impatient. He usually doesn’t take more than an hour waiting for the right time to kill his victims.”
It was horrifying to hear Paulo telling those things with that smile on his face, as if it was nothing serious. The panic was taking over me and my wish to run away from there was getting even harder to control.
“You are a monster!” I yelled and he squeezed my neck. “Stop it!” I begged him, almost unable to breath.
“The hell I’ll stop it!” Paulo cursed, raising me a few inches from the floor. I felt desperate, believing that he was about to kill me. I tried to take his hand off my neck, but he was too strong. “I won’t allow you to call me this. I wasn’t the one who killed her. It was you and your dear boyfriend! You, for being an idiot and telling the housemaid that you had been bought. And Eric for being a smart ass and having her killed before she could open her mouth.” Paulo spat those words with rage, before letting me go. I almost fell on the floor due to the dizziness that followed it. I tried to keep my balance and took a deep breath to regain my breath.
I have never imagined he would be able to do something like that to me and I was completely scared and unable to react.
“What do you want from me?” I asked, crying.
“You already know it. I want you to come and live with me.”
“Why? You’ve already told me you don’t really love me!”
“Eric does, though. That’s why I want you to shatter his heart into little pieces. When he is feeling lonely and rejected one more time, just then, I will be satisfied.”
“I’m not going to do this!” I shouted.
Paulo pulled my hair hard and lifted my face so I could look into his eyes, which, only then, sparkled with coldness and hatred.
“You will, if you are really smart,” he said, with that scary and annoying smile of his.
“No, I won’t,” I said, in tears. “I’m going to tell him you were the one trying to manipulate me.”
“Good luck with this,” Paulo said, letting me go so he could pick up his cellphone from his pocket. “Not only Eric know me way longer than he knows you, I mean, since forever, and, of course, consider me an exemplary friend, but I have something in here that might not look quite good on you,” he told me.
A few seconds later, Paulo turned the screen of the phone to me, where a video of the hotel ro
om where I stayed with Eric in Alendor started.
In the video, Paulo was standing in front of the bathroom, where I came from covered only in a white towel. I stared at him for a few seconds before, without a word, I let the towel fall on the floor, getting completely naked.
“Are you sure about this?” Paulo’s voice asked me in the video.
“Yes, I am. I want to do this,” I answered with conviction and he approached me, starting to touch my body.
“Can you imagine Eric’s reaction after seeing this and the rest of the video?” Paulo asked, in a victorious tone, putting the cellphone back inside his pocket.
“You wouldn’t have the guts to show him this,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure about that. The fear I had that Eric could watch that scene was massive.
“I would, no doubt. And, on top of that, I would tell him that you threw yourself at me,” he said, pressing my body against the wall. “By the way, you are too easy to get, kiddo. If you get in bed with another guy every time you feel annoyed, you will end up becoming a used bitch. Get a grip!” Paulo scorned me, slapping my face with more force than before.
“Let me go,” I said, bothered by having him so close.
“I give the orders in here, Ianto!” he said, pushing against me even harder. I wouldn’t be able to push him away no matter how much I tried. “That is why, tonight, you are going to tell Eric that you love me and you wish to move away and live with me. Tell him I feel the same way and that I am willing to pay him the same amount he paid for you. However, of course, try not to tell him I’ve already fucked you.”
“No!” I yelled.
“Do you want me to show him the video?” he threatened me.
“I’d rather have Eric finding it out than having to live with you.”
“As if Eric would ever forgive you. My word is worth a lot more than yours, Ianto! Besides, of course, I have the proof that you offered yourself to me. And, well… Considering the way Eric acted towards Lucy, if he gives up on you I don’t believe he will let you free, taking the risk of you opening your big mouth once again. He might love you, but he values his life above all things. After all, he is the great Eric Pitz!” Paulo said with conviction, despite the final irony.
“Why are you doing this to Eric? Why do you want so much to make him suffer?” I asked, unable to understand the reason behind all that.
“Because I’m tired to live in his shadow, my little Ianto,” said Paulo, moving away so he could look at me. “Let’s say that he had always been the most popular, both in school and college. Every boy wanted to befriend him and the girls, to date him. In the meanwhile, everybody knew me like “the boy who is friends with Eric Pitz, the future heir of Pitz Enterprises”. Time has passed and I became his partner as soon as he took over, helping him in this new phase. However, while I worked hard and did everything to make the company grow, spending nights awake with my face immersed in contracts, all the merit went to him. It has always been Eric’s face on the cover of business magazines. He was the one nominated “Entrepreneur of the Year”, twice in a row, while I was only quoted as a minor partner. All this admiration and respect people have for him annoys me! Even my family like him more than they like me. It was hard to grow up beside him and I’ve been through hell because of this, but I was always smiling, always faithful to our friendship.
Now, I ask you this: how many times has he noticed there was something wrong with me? Not even once! While I have always dropped whatever I was doing to help him when he was heartbroken or sad. If it wasn’t for me, he would have killed himself years ago, when he lost the man he loved. If it wasn’t for me, the company would have already succumbed and he would be a great joke. I’ve been swallowing these and much more for so long that now I’ve had enough. At least this time I want to have something that he loves and desires a lot. Maybe then, he will be able to feel a bit of what I feel every day, living in his shadow and having all my merits and conquests stolen, living a miserable life for choosing to be beside him no matter what,” Paulo confessed with deep sadness in his voice and at the verge of tears. I’ve never been too good in understanding people’s feelings, but, in this case, it was obvious that Paulo loved Eric more than as a friend and he was probably hurt for never have been noticed the way he wanted to be.
“I’m so sorry for all of this, Paulo. Nonetheless, you don’t have the right to use me as a revenge weapon. I’m not an object; I’m a person with feelings, just like you!” I exclaimed, nervously.
“I do have it and I’m gonna use it. So, be aware, Ianto! You have only tonight to ask him to sell you to me. If, by tomorrow morning, Eric doesn’t come to talk to me, I will show him the video and ask for his forgiveness for having fallen in your seduction game. I will also convince him to get rid of you, so he won’t keep hurting himself with someone who doesn’t love him for real. There is no way he will doubt me, not after everything I’ve done for him. I’ve always been there when he needed me and he has always considered me as a brother. If necessary, I will make him choose between us. Therefore, don’t go thinking you have more power of persuasion than I do, for you don’t. And, if by any miracle, he chooses to believe in you… Well, I have nothing to lose. I will remain rich, with or without him. You, on the other hand, is the one with a chip inside your body that can turn you off with just a click. He won’t even need to hire a hitman. Think wise, for I’m playing for real and, if you don’t abide by the rules, you might get yourself eliminated.”
“He wouldn’t do this to me…”
“Never doubt a hurt person, Ianto. We are able of anything to recover ourselves or to take revenge. Thus, at least this time, do your best with your lies,” Paulo said, turning around and leaving the bedroom. “See you tomorrow!” he said, as goodbye.
I fell on my knees on the floor, still unable to react. I was completely screwed this time!
Chapter 19
I waited anxiously for Eric to return. Sitting at the couch, at the living room, I did my best to calm down and do what was right when he came. I was going to tell him the truth about what I had done and that Paulo wasn’t the kind of person we believed he was.
Every minute I had to wait felt like forever and I wasn’t sure if that was a good or a bad thing. After all, I would need to gather a lot of courage to face Eric and tell him that I’ve had sex with his best friend. I had done nothing but terrible choices in the last couple of days.
Thinking that he would never forgive me was terrifying, but not as much as the idea of living with Paulo. The way he had talked to me and slapped me was horrible. I would never feel safe living with him. Now, the only thing I could feel for him was disgust.
When the door finally opened and Eric got in, I was already shivering and my hands were sweaty, so nervous that I was. He looked terrible too and didn’t even show any reaction by seeing me there, waiting for him. He just came to where I was and, after placing his briefcase over the table, he sat beside me, breathing heavily.
I wanted to start the talk, but I didn’t have the guts to do it and, as he hadn’t addressed any word at me, I decided to wait a while longer until he was willing to talk to me. Several torturing minutes passed until he finally spoke up.
“I still can’t believe what I was forced to do,” he said. I remained silent; I just didn’t know what to say. “Even though I didn't lay a finger on her, Ianto, my hands are dirty with her blood. Just a phone call. A 5-minutes phone call was all it took me to sentence someone to death. That is scary!”
“I’m sorry. It was my entire fault,” I said, turning to look at Eric. My tears started to fall, but he seemed to be just annoyed.
“No doubt.” He looked into my eyes. “How can you be so stupid to tell everything to someone you barely know?” Eric asked me, in awe.
“I don’t know… I just felt so lonely whenever you wasn’t around and I believed that Lucy was really my friend. To me, it was important to talk about what I was experiencing with someone, for each passing day I was getting
more and more confused about my feelings for you, Eric.”
“But I was here the whole time, Ianto. You could have talked to me, in the same way I’ve opened myself to you about my feelings and fears,” Eric said. His eyes were wet, but he regained control of himself soon after. He was also trying to keep strong.
“Please, forgive me,” I begged him, taking his hand.
Eric stayed silent for a moment, as if considering my plea.
“Fine. I’ll forgive you, Ianto. However, I swear that, if you betray my trust ever again, I will give up on all this. I may love you, but I don’t want anyone in my life that is only going to hurt me. I had to kill someone due to your mistake and this was the first and the last time. If anything like this ever happen again, I’d rather get myself rid of you, no matter how painful it is. I might have bought a teenager, but now I want you to act like a man, you owe me that, after all,” Eric said in a firm tone, not blinking or dodging his eyes from mine. I felt my heart almost jumping from my chest and a panic attack started. This was exactly what I feared the most and he noticed my despair. “What is it now?” he asked, nervously, letting go of my hand.
“Nothing,” I answered, crying in despair.
“What do you mean by nothing? Look at you! Tell me at once, Ianto. What happened?” Eric asked, annoyed, getting up.
I tried to start talking, but I couldn’t gather the strength to do it nor the courage to let the words come from my mouth. When I saw him losing his patience and getting angry in front of me, it only scared me even more. At that moment, what Paulo had said to me seemed to be completely true. Eric would really have the courage to get rid of me, if necessary. After everything I have heard, I doubted he would forgive me if I have told him about the betrayal.
“You’re hiding something from me, right?” Eric asked and I didn’t answer, I could only look at him, crying non-stop. “Tell me now!” Eric demanded, shaking me by the shoulders. He had also started crying and he probably could sense that what I had to say was something really bad.
Boy for Sale Page 15
