Spark & Stone - Ch. 10

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"We will go first for something light," Aidan explained, linking his hands over the papers scattered in front of him.

He was glad he could get away from classifying papers so that he could meet up with Heathcliff at his place. It was like a breath of fresh air even though Aidan was sincerely afraid of facing the guy after he had spouted all that bullshit the last time.

One look at Heathcliff and he knew he was in hell. Heathcliff was so handsome it hurt. It was a good thing he was so spoiled and annoying, after all. It helped Aidan keep a clear head.

"I don't like the idea of mentioning the same product three times in the same video," Heathcliff said frankly. "It is excessive, not light."

Aidan nodded. "Two times then? At the end and the beginning?"

"Are you trying to play me, bunny boy?" Heathcliff smiled. "You knew I was going to say 'no', so you're now offering a so-called sweeter deal."

Aidan sighed. He had already told his boss Heathcliff was not brain dead, and trying a thing like that wasn't going to work. His boss had told him, in turn, to do his best for the company. Aidan didn't feel particularly thrilled to follow suit with that advice slash order. With his boss, one could never know.

"So one time, at the end of the video," Heathcliff concluded.

Aidan nodded. "Okay."

He was in no shape to fight Heathcliff over something like this. After a couple of days of filing and filing and filing all kinds on nonsense papers that served no apparent purpose, he felt empty on the inside.

"Why so gloomy? It looks like you've lost weight."

Aidan looked at Heathcliff. "That's not possible. We saw each other two days ago. Even if I lost weight, you would not be able to tell."

"Then maybe it's only your spirit that's down. Come on, you can tell me. What is it?"

Aidan opened his mouth to speak, and then reconsidered. If he fell into the same trap of spilling his guts to Heathcliff, it would not work well. The same thing was bound to repeat. He had no close friends to complain about his job, not with everyone 'living the life' and 'enjoying the job of their dreams'. But that didn't mean he could use Heathcliff to vent off. It wasn't fair, for the simple fact that he could not offer anything of equal value in return.

"Well?" Heathcliff interrupted his train of thought.

"It's nothing." He shook his head in sorrow.

"Are you seriously going to sit there and lie to me like this?"

Aidan could not risk looking at Heathcliff right now. He felt guilty over not saying anything, but the point was, Heathcliff was a stranger.

"Fine. As you wish. What are you going to wear on Saturday?"

"I haven't thought about it," Aidan said cautiously, a bit surprised with the change of topic.

"Think about it now," Heathcliff said curtly.

"There's still time. And what does it matter what I wear? You're the one who's going to hook up, not me. Of course, no matter what you'll wear, there'll be no shortage of partners for you ..." Aidan trailed off, realizing too late what he was doing.

"Thank you for the compliment." Heathcliff's smile was sweet, but his eyes were glinting with mischief.

"I wasn't complimenting you. I was stating some facts." Aidan wanted to turn this in a way that could not hurt him, but it was not that easy.

"Either way, I'll take it. Now, look at me," Heathcliff said.

Aidan looked at the other and cursed himself internally. Staring Heathcliff into his amazing blue eyes was like watching at a sign that read 'welcome to the house of temptations' or something like that.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" Aidan blurted out.

"Excuse me?" Heathcliff asked, taken aback.

"You told me, that time, that you can't drive because -"

"That's not a very interesting topic of conversation."

Aidan eased back into the rattan chair. It was good that at least something was working to disrupt Heathcliff's magical charm. Talking to the guy about his imperfections was his kryptonite. It was good that he had a weak spot after all.

"You are going to wear an outfit I will pick for you." Heathcliff's eyes set on him. "My treat."

"What?! But you don't even know my measurements!"

"I've held plenty of men in my arms to know what clothes fit."

"You must be kidding me! Are you doubling as a seamstress in your spare time?" Aidan expressed his bewilderment.

Heathcliff looked pretty smug over where he was sitting. The guy liked walking around the house in nothing but a pair of shorts. Besides his magnetic eyes, Aidan had had to look at his impressive looking muscles all the time.

If this wasn't hell, he had no idea what it was. Well, at least it was different from the corporate hell that was claiming bits of his soul with every day that passed.

"What can I say? Some people are just gifted." Heathcliff shrugged. "Don't worry. You'll like the clothes I choose for you. And if you don't, look at the bright side. You'll only need to wear them once."

"I will send them back cleaned and pressed," Aidan promised.

"I expect nothing less of you." Heathcliff's smile was broader now.

Aidan shifted in his chair. He could not exactly say 'no'. He didn't have money to splurge on new clothes. The suits had been a solid investment, but, otherwise, Aidan needed to budget properly for everything, from rent to food and gas. Clothes to wear at some posh club were not high on that list. And he supposed the usual stuff he wore when hanging out with friends at some student dive bar could not be considered up to snuff for such an occasion.

"Are you planning to get showered in champagne again?" Aidan asked, without thinking.

Heathcliff threw him a dumbfounded look. Then, it seemed as if realization was finally dawning on him.

"Ah, that." He smiled fondly as if that was a good memory. "It wasn't exactly a shower. And the downside was that I got sticky everywhere. And I do mean it, everywhere," he added with a wink.

Aidan blushed. Only the thought of bubbly liquid finding its way down through the fantastic shape of Heathcliff's beautiful muscles was making his knees wobbly. It was a good thing he was sitting.

"Of course, I didn't do the cleaning," Heatchliff added.

"What do you mean?" Aidan gulped.

"My friends were keen on doing that. With their tongues."

Aidan was sure he was making a face right now, but he couldn't help it.

Heathcliff burst into laughter. "You're so easy, Spark. I just took a normal shower. And both my friends and I agreed that it was the kind of thing that sounded better as a fantasy."

"So no licking?" Aidan asked.

"Don't be so disappointed. If that's something you'd like to try, I can arrange something."

"I don't really like champagne."

It was official. His tongue had a mind of its own. It was like he could not help it.

"What would you like to lick from my body, then?" Heathcliff's voice was curling around the still rational part of his brain like a snake.

Aidan shook his head.

"Sorry. It was just some curiosity. Frankly, I thought it would have been a little too much. I mean, how much champagne could they use to give you a proper shower? Plus, it would have made everything slippery, right? And you could not have danced on a wet table without risking to break your neck, right?"

"Spark," Heathcliff stopped him. "Breathe a little. You look a bit flushed over there. Come on, hypothetically, what would lick from another man's body?"

"I don't know." Aidan began to squirm.

"You're not leaving until you tell me. It's clear as day there's a kink here you don't want to admit."

"You can't keep me here!" Aidan protested.

"Do you want to try me?" Heathcliff looked at him like he truly meant it.

"I guess not." Aidan closed his eyes. "Fine. Body shots. Can I go now?"

"Yes. Just don't forget about what I told you. Your clothes will get by your place by Saturday afternoon. And if you're not here, at 9 pm sharp, I'm going alone, and you can hunt down the numerous men I intend to have sex with to your heart's content afterward. How does that sound?"

Aidan shrugged, trying to rein in a pang of jealousy upon hearing those words. "Like I got the short end of the stick, but whatever."

"Cheer up, Spark." Heathcliff grinned. "You're going to party with me. I promise it will be a night to remember."

"I'm sure of it," Aidan admitted with a long sigh.

So the hell he was living in presently was getting more complicated. What else was new?

TBC