“Shit,” whispered Ollie, stroking Goran’s spine slowly. That did sound like Goran. “Have you also been drunk by any chance?”
Goran rubbed his face. “No excuse. Sober as fuck. I was pissed off, they were rude. I didn’t think they’d actually go on all the review sites and shit on my parents’ hotel. And have their family, and friends, and acquaintances, and their fucking dog do the same.”
As much as Ollie felt for Goran, he couldn’t just pat him on the back for fucking up so bad. At least he was recognizing his mistake now. “Maybe that’s why my mom employs people to manage our hotels. She’s got quite a temper.”
Goran nodded but didn’t comment, and his silence immediately made Ollie wonder whether he hasn’t said the wrong thing. They were approaching a group of straw parasols spread above beach chairs and plastic tables. Lanterns hung on a line spread between several wooden poles, and their light bathed the whole area in a warm glow.
When Goran and Ollie left the sidewalk and buried their feet in the sand, a small bungalow emerged from behind the trees with a blue neon sign reading Las Palmas above a bar counter. A couple was slowly dancing to soft tunes coming from the speakers, but there weren’t that many patrons, and the beach bar seemed cozy despite being in an open space.
Ollie sighed, savoring the relaxed atmosphere. At the same time, Goran’s silence was making him uncomfortable, and he felt the need to fill it somehow. “I went to business school so that I could work for the hotel chain in the future.”
“You want a drink?” Goran asked as he ordered one for himself. “So you know how a bad reputation can make or break a hotel.”
Ollie exhaled and touched Goran’s hand discreetly. “Orange juice,” he told the bartender before turning to face the newly discovered nice Goran again. “I can imagine, but I was never really working for the hotels. We live in one, but that’s not really the same.”
Goran did a shot of something strong and got himself a beer to sit down with on top of that. “You lived in the hotel?” He paid for Ollie’s drink.
Ollie took the juice and tapped the cool glass with his fingers. He didn’t even notice when his body started swaying softly to the background music. “We have an apartment at the top floor.”
Goran sighed and sipped his beer. “Wow, living in a penthouse. That must be great,” he said without much enthusiasm.
Ollie bit his lip and moved away from the counter, not wanting anyone to eavesdrop on their conversation. His brain was coming up with interpretations of Goran’s tone. Was he envious of Ollie’s life? It seemed probable considering his words in the cat tree earlier, so he was intent on tackling the elephant in the room.
“You know, it only made sense. The family owns the hotel, so no need to buy another property in an expensive city.”
“Did you have a maid too?” Goran stopped making eye contact.
Ollie grinned, suddenly reminded of the many times he and his brother had pranked the maids when they were still kids. “We did have nannies and other employees who took care of us.”
“Now I get it.” Goran smirked.
“Get what?” Ollie chose a cozy space at the edge of the bar, behind a palm, and sat down in the beach chair.
“Why you’re so self-centered. Did you even listen to what I told you? I haven’t actually told that to anyone in this way. And all you do is go back to talking about yourself. Why do I even bother?”
Ollie froze in the seat, looking up at him. His chest tightened, and he quickly put his glass on the table and stood up to face Goran. “Of course, I listened, but what do you want me to say? You stopped talking. I thought you wanted input.”
Goran drank more beer and spread his arms. “You didn’t give me input. Do you even see me, or am I just a mirror?”
Ollie exhaled and crossed his arms, increasingly uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure what was required of him. “How did you want me to react? I asked questions. Should I have told you that you fucked up? You know that much.”
Goran exhaled loudly. “You asked me if I was drunk. That was all you had to say.”
“Because I thought it would have made sense. What else? Was the guy you made out with a boyfriend or a hookup?” hissed Ollie, spreading his arms.
"That's your question? Do you even know how to make conversation? Where’s the how did your parents take it, Goran? or how are they coping now, Goran? Where’s my fucking hug?” Goran downed his beer and crossed his arms with a scowl.
Ollie shifted his weight and slowly reached out his arm, wondering if Goran would push it away. It didn’t happen. “You want a hug?”
“Of course, I want a hug! I’ve just told you about the biggest failure of my life!”
Ollie brushed his hands up and down Goran’s arms, feeling an odd need to pull away while simultaneously being drawn to Goran’s body. He closed his arms around him and squeezed the hard, fragrant torso. “I’m not used to doing this,” he whispered, surprised himself. Sexual closeness was something else altogether. It had a purpose, whereas this... it was just closeness for the sake of it.
When Goran put his arms around Ollie as well, it felt as if he was yet again receiving more than he was giving. “Why?” Goran asked. “And yes, you can talk about yourself now.” He sighed and kissed the side of Ollie’s head, uncaring of who might see them.
Ollie stirred, and his eyes shut as he relaxed into the unexpected coziness of the embrace. He turned his head slightly, brushing his nose against Goran’s shoulder. “I don’t know. I never really had this kind of... relationship, I guess. My parents are quite formal.”
“Not even with Luis?” Goran pulled away slightly, and Ollie missed his touch already but didn’t dare to ask for more hugs.
Ollie brushed his palm over his forehead. “Luis doesn’t need a friend. He wants a cat,” he said, but the smile froze on his mouth, and he looked at their feet in the white sand.
“What do you want?” Goran pushed Ollie’s chin up and looked into his eyes.
Ollie gave a shuddery breath, uncomfortable with the intimacy of that gesture. His fingers dug into Goran’s shirt. “I don’t... I haven’t thought about it.”
“Think about it then. You can’t run away from it forever.” Goran pulled Ollie back to the table and they sat down, but the sparks between them wouldn’t stop flaring. If anything, they got even brighter.
Ollie swallowed and squeezed his fingers into fists, watching Goran with shudders going down his spine. “I tried to do everything right, you know. I went to business school because I was encouraged, I tried to not be a problem, but I can’t stop being gay. I don’t even want to talk to them anymore. I joined the cattery because I needed to escape from all of it, but it’s slowly choking me.”
And Goran didn’t joke about it, didn’t sneer or mock him. He leaned closer over the small table and nodded. “I can imagine. Cooped up in there for so long. Someone could say it’s first-world problems, but it can’t be easy in the long run. You’re not a cat, after all.”
Ollie’s heart was slowly turning into lead as he leaned back in his chair. He took a deep breath, choking up, but all of a sudden, there was an opening for him to talk to someone about things that bothered him. Things he didn’t trust anyone else with. “Last week, I had sex with Luis. And then I wanted to talk to him. He gave me a strike. Me,” whispered Ollie, already struggling to keep his voice steady as his eyes started to sting. “I’ve been here from the beginning without a single strike. He simply doesn’t want to talk to me anymore.”
Goran sighed and squeezed Ollie’s hand under the table. And the request for a hug came back to him in full force of understanding. How could he not have thought of it? It now felt so good to physically feel Goran’s support even by just the simple handholding. Had Ollie really forgotten how to be human, or had he never learned?
“That’s horrible. What did you want to tell him?”
Ollie squeezed back Goran’s hand and brushed back his hair. The weight of the last few days was crumbl
ing all over his skin and slowly falling off. “I felt like he was more interested in all the others, and I missed him. He doesn’t want to see me as Oliver anymore. I’m just supposed to be a pleasure pet.”
Goran looked straight into Ollie’s eyes. He had that way of doing so that was both intimidating and captivating. “Are you in love with him?”
Ollie rubbed his face and broke into a sad, low-sounding laughter. “Doesn’t matter, because he clearly doesn’t love me. You were right. I am a prostitute. Happy?”
Goran shook his head and pulled his chair closer. “No. I don’t want to see you upset. But there’s no room for change when you’re not facing reality. Take your time to think about it though. Think what’s best for you, think about what you want. You’ve earned out the money. You only need to come up with your next steps now,” Goran said and stroked Ollie’s thigh.
Ollie took a deep breath, watching Goran’s fingers touch his skin. Their eyes met again, and Ollie swallowed, feeling slightly relieved now that he’d unburdened his heart. Something about Goran’s frank ways made his icy shell crack. Ollie had never met anyone quite like him, and somewhere during the course of this night, his original resolve to use this outing to cast Goran out of the cattery dispersed like watercolors in a pool.
“But it’s hard. The world outside seems so tough after the cattery. I don’t know if I’ll fit in anywhere else.”
Goran nudged Ollie with his forehead. “That invitation to Croatia still stands. You have a few months to think about it, and you’ll have more than enough money to make the trip. My mom makes fantastic tuna steak.”
Ollie’s heart sped up, and he straightened his head so that their noses touched. “Why? We hated each other just days ago. What’s going on?” he asked but was already stroking his fingers up Goran’s calf. He knew the answer. Once they got to talk, the pull was incomparable with anything else Ollie had felt before. But he still wanted to hear Goran’s take on it.
“I don’t hate you. I want to get to know you better. You’re hot, sweet, unbearable, and insufferable. I’m not perfect myself though.” Goran shrugged and gave Ollie a cocky smile that Ollie wanted to kiss already. “Maybe after a few months, I’ll revoke my invitation. I’ll get sick of you. Maybe you’ll start hating me again. But I have a good feeling about you, so I don’t want to let you off the hook so easily.”
Ollie gasped and kissed Goran gently, still closing his eyes as their lips touched. “I don’t hate you now,” he said, grinning into the kiss.
Goran smiled back and despite other people being able to see them, he deepened the kiss, setting Ollie’s heart on fire and making his toes tingle.
Touching a man hadn’t felt like this in a long time.
Chapter 11
The sun was still down when they came back, but Goran was already sensing the phantom touch of the first warm rays of the day. He had no idea what time it was, because his night with Ollie had passed like a warm breeze. Sneaking out together had been enlightening, fun, and an illicit pleasure. Something about breaking the rules made Goran’s skin tingle, and being around Ollie made the whole experience even more exciting. Ollie had been unnervingly scared at first, but as the night had progressed, he’d relaxed enough to open up, and for the first time, Goran had gotten a glimpse of the real Ollie hidden behind the smiling facade. He liked what he saw.
As they pushed through the bushes toward the fence, Goran itched to pull Ollie close and steal another kiss to seal the unspoken pact of over the outing, but it wasn’t like they weren’t allowed to touch in the cattery, and the sun would rise soon enough. Goran felt so light after his confession that he finally understood the merit of Catholicism. Shedding the sins and all that.
In the shadows, it was difficult to distinguish Ollie’s features, but Goran liked to think he was smiling, just like he had all the way back to the cattery. Only now, it hit Goran how rarely Ollie had looked happy before, and it seemed that the few hours of honest conversation broke some rotting dams behind the pretty face.
The fence wasn’t that tall, as it wasn’t there to actually trap them inside. It made Goran’s stomach cramp with guilt. Luis had to believe no one would break his rules and leave the cattery behind his back, so betraying his trust left a sour taste in Goran’s mouth no matter how much he had enjoyed the last few hours.
Goran climbed off the wall first, fighting the swaying that reminded him of being on a ferry during stormy weather. He might have had one too many. “Come on,” he whispered, reaching out to Ollie but ended up with a drunken chuckle as he watched the slim figure against the dark sky. “Cum on…”
Ollie laughed and shifted on top of the fence, finally sliding straight into Goran’s arms, along with his fresh scent. He pressed his face into Goran’s neck and hugged him—yet another thing they both couldn’t seem to get enough of. “How many drinks did you have?”
“I don’t know. Five? I need to drink when I dance.” Goran smiled into Ollie’s lovely blond curls and hugged him tighter, letting his hands slide down to Ollie’s ass.
Ollie arched into him as he got to his toes and rubbed his delicious body against Goran in the permissive darkness. “Usually, or just when you dance with me?”
“Usually. But I don’t always get a boner when I dance with other guys.” Goran chuckled and enjoyed taking his time with Ollie, sliding his hands up and down his back, exploring each muscle.
Ollie was silent for a moment, and then his soft, warm tongue briefly touched the tip of Goran’s nose. “We’ll test you soon.”
“Oh, will you? You’ll give me a test ride?” Goran bit on Ollie’s lip, happiness bubbling up in his chest like it was Christmas.
“As soon as I get a bit of rest after tonight,” said Ollie with a light-hearted laugh and slowly pulled Goran through the bushes, which petted them with their leafy arms. “I haven’t walked this much since forever.”
Goran laughed and put his arm over Ollie’s shoulders, partially because he needed something steady in his life. “I usually walk everywhere at home.”
“Jeez, must be why you have such amazing legs,” said Ollie, stopping close to the edge of the bushes. He looked out at the open plain of the garden and only then continued walking. The house was completely peaceful, with the glaze of the moonlight making its white walls stand out in the darkness.
“Me? You like my thighs or calves more?” Goran leaned down and licked up Ollie’s cheek.
Ollie chuckled, squeezing his shoulder to his jaw to protect the sensitive skin. “I don’t know. I’d have to take a good look at both first. It’s a tough choice.”
Goran tickled Ollie’s side, and they approached the patio sliding doors. It was quiet, with everyone most likely asleep, so he forced himself to stop giggling.
Ollie sped up and faced Goran on the terrace by the pool. His blond locks seemed alive in the cool glow, and his face was relaxed for once. “Thank you. We need to be quiet inside, but we’ll talk tomorrow, right?”
He froze, eyes wide as saucers when the light went on in the living room. Cin approached the glass door and opened it in one rapid motion. “Why would you need to be quiet? Did you do something you shouldn’t have?” he asked, and Goran’s gaze fell on the sofa, where Luis sat, watching them with the somber expression of a man whose cat had pissed in his shoe. Bounce looked up with half-lidded eyes, tangled up in a blanket on the floor, and Clove wouldn’t even look their way, seated next to Luis.
Ollie spun around, and his shoulders hunched as he stared at Luis through the glass. His breath shook, and only after several moments, he moved his gaze to Cin’s face, which twitched, battling with a smirk that was threatening to emerge.
“W-we didn’t want to wake you all up,” said Ollie in the end. “What’s going on?”
Goran’s mind rushed but kept stumbling over the hurdles of the beers he’d had, and nothing sensible came out of his mouth.
Luis got up and approached them slowly with his hands in his pockets. The guilt at dece
iving him had been background noise, but now it came back with vengeance. “You tell me what’s going on.”
Ollie backed into Goran, stiff as a mannequin. “Luis...”
“I’ll sum it up for you,” said Cin, crossing his arms as if personifying the very concept of righteousness. “We noticed the two of you were gone and then spent hours looking for you. Luis finally reviewed the security footage, and you both know what he saw there.”
Goran only needed one glance at Ollie’s terrified expression to know what to do. He looked into Luis’s eyes. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I felt… I just wanted to go out for one night. It’s been a month here, and… yeah... it took its toll on me.”
“I can smell the booze from here,” groaned Cin and stepped closer, loudly sniffing the air around Goran.
“I wanted to stop him,” said Ollie quickly, stepping away from Goran, as if just being close could result with being infected with blame. “I’m sorry, Luis. I thought he’d get in trouble and make you angry, so I followed to make him come back, but he wouldn’t listen.”
Goran’s lips parted. He took the fall, but deep down he hoped for something better from Ollie than this stream of lies.
Bounce bit his lip, looking between the two of them. He pushed closer to Clove, who wordlessly put an arm around him.
Luis came closer to Goran and smelled him as well. Goran shrunk on the inside at the sneer of disgust passing through Luis’s face. “That’s two rules broken. Going outside and drinking alcohol.”
Goran’s fingers went cold, and it hit him like a slap in the face. He needed the money Luis was offering. What was he doing sneaking out with Ollie? Had it been worth the risk? “I—We kind of thought we’d be back soon.”
“It doesn’t matter if you go out to buy a pack of chewing gum or leave for a week. You are not allowed outside without a valid reason that I agree to,” hissed Luis, and it was the first time Goran ever heard him raise his voice. Ollie shuddered, and the other guys seemed equally shocked, staring at their master in stunned silence.
The Cattery (M/M contemporary sweet kinky romance) Page 10
