Never Forget The Importance of Style

12. The price of discretion

Leone never knew how the mask of rightful indignation into which he managed to school his face stayed in place so long. It stayed on while the Inspector reminded Merdos sternly of the horrible consequences of lying to a representative of the law (as if he needed a reminder, after being brought up by his father of all people). It didn't show the slightest crack as they walked side by side all the way to Merdos' home. It didn't crumble as he entered the house in his friend's wake and left his hat and gloves with the butler whose unemotional face looked like something carved eons ago into soft sandstone and then left at the questionable mercy of the elements. It held up until the moment when he finally slumped into an armchair and laughed until his stomach cramped and tears flowed down his face.

Merdos watched, dark eyes glittering, an indulgent smile on his round face, until Leone leaned back in his chair and tilted his head up in an effort to finally breathe again. When his friend hadn't emitted anything louder than a soft chuckle for about two minutes, he nodded in satisfaction and proceeded to pour two glasses of port.

"Here, take this."

Leone's head snapped down again from where it had been leaning against the back of the chair, one shapely dark eyebrow arched and a slightly tanned hand took the offered glass. After sipping some of the drink he raised cool, measuring eyes to Merdos who was standing in front of him, one hand in pocket and the fingers of the other caressing absently the delicate stem of the glass. They looked at each other for a good while, neither saying anything, expressions unchanged: Leone's cool composure, Merdos' good-humored nonchalance.

Finally it was Leone who broke the silence.

"Why?"

The dimple on Merdos' cheek deepened just visibly. He shrugged. "Because."

Leone huffed and tossed the rest of the tawny liquid into his throat, closed his eyes for a moment as he swallowed it, savoring the sweet tang on the back of his tongue. "Not good enough."

"No?" Merdos raised his leg a little and sat sideways on the armrest of Leone's chair. His soft, slightly musky cologne slowly enveloped Leone as he bent closer. "Well well. Tell me then, were you really alone or was there someone else with you?"

"No." Leone's gray eyes were steady and unflinching. Merdos' smile broadened.

"Very well. Then it was me. 'Cause I sure wasn't here either."

"Where were you?" Suddenly Leone felt alarmed. If someone, anyone, could come up and say they'd seen Merdos somewhere else during that crucial four hours, his friend would be in real trouble. And suddenly that thought made him thoroughly uneasy. Merdos chuckled.

"Out."

Leone rolled his eyes. "You're being extremely informative today!"

"And you're snappy," Merdos observed. "Especially considering that I just saved your skin a moment ago."

"Merdos..." Leone took a deep breath and let his fingers caress a white sleeve. "I'm just concerned for you. The Inspector is a real bastard. I'm sure he didn't swallow your story just like that, and he won't leave any stone unturned to find out whether it was true or not. And if he manages to produce a witness to your being somewhere else at the time -"

"Don't worry, he won't," Merdos assured and dug the cigarette case from his breast pocket. "I know for sure he will not be able to do that."

He pulled out a cigarette, lit it and blew a smoke ring. Then he gave Leone a sideways look under his black bangs and his full mouth pursed flirtatiously. "But I'm really impressed, you know. That you should actually be concerned for silly old me..."

"Merdos!" Leone knelt on the armchair and grabbed him by the shoulders. "You might not believe me, but I actually am serious!"

"Me too," Merdos said easily. "I'm truly touched. Honest."

"What am I going to do with you?" Leone spread his arms in defeat and stood up. Merdos' smile broadened.

"Something very nice, I hope," he drawled. "After all, you owe me a reward."

The corner of Leone's mouth began to twitch and he sprawled out on a small settee. "That is very definitely true. So, what might you want, my friend?"

"Well that's something I must think about very carefully," Merdos said. "Oh, by the way. Before I totally forget, I must return something to you..." He fished for something in the inside breast pocket of his jacket, gave a satisfied grunt and slowly pulled his hand out again.

Leone's breath hitched when he saw the glitter, the dull glow of gold interspersed with water-bright glints and the occasional flash of red flame. He could only stare at the thing that Merdos dangled in front of him. "How do you have it?"

"Ah-ah-ah," Merdos shook his head a little. "Wrong question. You should have asked what this is. Or at least hesitated a little before venturing to positively recognize it. But that's beside the point now. And as to how I've got it, the answer is simple. From Torell."

Leone's eyebrows very nearly reached his hairline. Merdos cocked his head at the piece of jewelry hanging from his fingers. "When I heard what the situation was, I told him he'd better hand it over before some overzealous policeman might think about including your servant among those earthly possessions they were supposed to search thoroughly." He took in Leone's widened eyes and continued with a chuckle: "That happened after we were asked to kindly go outside of the apartment, because we were making such a ruckus, loudly disapproving of the way they were treating a gentleman's belongings."

Merdos sat casually next to Leone and let the necklace gently slip into his hand. Leone raised astonished eyes at him.

"Do you mean to say you walked straight to the Inspector to demand my release, with this thing in your pocket?" he asked. "Brazen..."

"Oh, but who could suspect silly old me?" Merdos batted his eyelashes.

"Silly old you, indeed... it seems no one could." Leone took a deep breath. "Not even me, and yet I pride myself on being such an excellent judge of people. Looks like you've fooled me completely."

Leone studied his friend in disbelief. He felt slightly dizzy. He couldn't yet quite believe that he could be so thoroughly deceived, and found himself trying to decide one thing: was this reluctance just his wounded pride trying to rescue what was left of it, or was he really seeing a totally new side of Merdos? And if the latter, why hadn't he ever even suspected that such a new and fascinating side existed?

"But I haven't." Merdos seemed to be echoing his own doubts. "Been fooling you, I mean. Even at the risk of losing your high opinion as soon as I've gained it, I must declare that I have not been intentionally deceiving anyone. Until about an hour ago, that is."

Leone examined the necklace in his hand. He let it slip between his fingers, lifted it a little so that the rays of sunlight from the window caught in the precious stones and cast capriciously flickering reflections on the walls.

"And now, all of a sudden, you change," he mused softly. "I wonder what has brought that about?"

Merdos frowned at the thing that seemed to captivate his friend so thoroughly and missed the quick, appraising glance that Leone shot him through the glitter. He stood up abruptly and turned to pour himself another drink. Confusion. It was a feeling he definitely did not like, and just looking at the way Leone was fondling the cold piece of metal and stone was enough to confuse him. That much he could admit to himself, now that other feelings besides relief were again making their resurgence, after the few hours that he'd been ruled entirely by his impulses. Oh, he was used to generally being run by them. He was impulsive by nature, and after having been brought up as the only son of a rich couple, also largely unaccustomed to feeling the slightest need to curb them.

The puff of air on his ear, and the tip of a tongue flicking against his earlobe, took him completely by surprise.

"Whoopsie..." An arm stole under his, another hand deftly grasped the bottle that nearly slipped from Merdos' hand, and he could feel the smile on lips surrounded by the prickle of a carefully trimmed beard. "We don't want to be clumsy now, do we?"

Inexplicably, Merdos felt hurt. So childish, really, but then Leone was once again treating him like one. And that was really ridiculous, considering that they were very nearly the same age. He didn't get much beyond bristling, however, before the voice spoke again, dangerously close to his ear.

"Merdos... do you really think I wouldn't be grateful for what you did?" Leone paused for a moment but when no reply was forthcoming, he went on: "If you do... but then, you're not silly. No, not silly at all. In fact -" A hand pushed the artistically wrapped kerchief lower so that an enticing kiss could be planted on the side of Merdos' neck. "In fact I think you're an infinitely trickier piece of art, Merdos my friend, than anybody could ever have imagined."

"Oh." Merdos appeared to melt in Leone's arms, and the blond man smiled more broadly at the breathed word that told him his friend was still determined to keep his cool. At least a little longer. "How then?"

"Simply that you, my friend, have managed to fool everybody. Including me. Including even yourself."

"Fool how?" Merdos turned his head enough to give Leone a very suspicious sideways glance.

"Into believing that you are, indeed, just 'silly old you' and nothing more." Leone's eyes were very intense. "No wonder then that I fell for that trick."

Merdos spun completely around and Leone's arms tightened behind his back. Under those black bangs, with his boyish face and a disbelieving shine in dark eyes, he looked absolutely adorable, Leone decided. And irresistibly kissable.

"You..." When they finally had to pull apart for air, Merdos was breathing almost as hard as Leone. "I can't make heads or tails out of you, you sly fox..."

Leone's eyes were sparkling with mirth and something that looked suspiciously like - admiration? "And you, my dear friend, I might say the same of you." He bent again closer, their noses nearly touching, and the corners of his eyes creased. "You fascinate me, Merdos Alayssian."

If the previous kiss had been exploratory, this was nothing short of voracious. Merdos returned it enthusiastically. He felt Leone halt briefly as his legs met the settee somewhere behind him, and grinned into the kiss as he nudged the back of Leone's knee with his own so that the taller man lost his balance for a tiny moment. It was enough for Merdos to make sure that when they fell on the overstuffed piece of furniture he ended up in Leone's lap, smirking jubilantly at the blonde underneath him.

"I have a feeling that this discovery is turning you on," he purred. "Am I correct?"

"Hmm... you just might be." Leone bucked his hips just enough to let Merdos get a definite feel of the hardness in his crotch, and Merdos grinned. "And what do you think about it?"

"Me?" Merdos tilted his head slightly; such a characteristic gesture, and one that made him look positively rakish. "I think it's highly interesting. Especially considering the fact that I've managed to turn you on before, I'm intrigued to find out that I can do it even more effectively."

"I couldn't agree more," Leone sighed. "'Intriguing' is exactly the word I was thinking about."

Merdos grabbed a hold of Leone's wrists before the adventurous hands made any more progress inside his jacket, and pursed his lips. "I assume that you're going to start paying me back for covering for you?"

"Mm-hmm," Leone nodded against the front of his shirt, tongue rapidly making a wet circle around a nipple. Merdos' fingers tightened around his wrists.

"And you'll do it by making sure I'll have no reason to - o-oh - regret that I said I was getting some last night?"

Leone hummed again in agreement, too busy to actually say anything while nibbling at a shirt button with his front teeth and ignoring the now vice-like grip on his arms.

"In that case," Merdos nearly squeaked, "how about taking this into the bedroom?"

He forced himself up on shaky legs from where he had been straddling Leone and backed towards the correct door, all the while breathlessly admiring the catlike grace with which Leone unfolded his limbs from the settee and stalked after him, eyes hooded and a feral grin on his lips. Merdos fumbled for the doorknob behind his back, wrenched the door open, and was duly pounced on as soon as he set a foot inside. A brief wrestling match on the large, luxurious bed took care of superfluous clothing - after all, a light summer suit was such a bother to clean if it got properly soiled - and then Leone was able to fully concentrate on demonstrating to his friend the extent of his gratitude.

Leone took the task seriously. Very seriously. Merdos knew he was being far too vocal, especially considering that it was only early afternoon, but quite honestly he couldn't have cared less as his friend pounded into him with unbridled passion. Leone's altogether too skilled hand pumped him into ecstasy and he came with a loud moan only seconds before he felt Leone's bronzed body freeze at the breathless moment of climax and then collapse on top of him. Merdos smiled into the pillow and eased his hips to a better position. Leone was panting hard and kissing his sweat-slicked shoulder, muttering something unintelligible. Merdos chuckled.

"Good lord, but you're fantastic," he sighed. "Did I make you hot or what?"

"You always do, dear friend." Leone's voice was just a soft rumble on heated skin, lips grazing the nape of his friend's neck before he slid down and lay on his back on the mercifully cool sheets. "You always do."

"Never this hot," Merdos corrected and turned to look at Leone, lifted a hand and let a finger wander down the love path: the trail of fair brown hair leading down from the man's chest to his navel where it turned upside down and broadened into a slightly darker triangle, finally ending in the curls surrounding his sex. Merdos let his hand slip around it, squeezed gently, eyes laughing, and the blonde licked his parted lips, spread his legs a little, pressed against the exploring hand.

"You're absolutely horny today," Merdos purred. "Is it the excitement or what? Does it turn you on?"

For a while Leone's face was devoid of all feeling, then a slow smile crept on his lips. Merdos let his hand slide lazily up and down, he grinned when Leone's hips bucked involuntarily to maintain contact. "Of course it's the money too, no doubt," he mused aloud. "But you could think of other things to do, I've no doubt about that. It's got to be the excitement. The suspense." His grasp tightened minutely at each word and Leone gasped, threw his head back, so erect that it had to be almost painful. Merdos looked at him in fascination, then giggled and let go. Leone's eyes snapped wide open when Merdos reached out and pulled at the bellstring next to his bed.

"What're you doing?" he hissed.

"Something important has to be settled right away," Merdos said, feeling absolutely reckless. Leone stared at him for a moment and then, a mere second before the doorknob turned, ducked under the bedcovers throwing them into a rumpled heap around his friend. Merdos had barely time to bite back a yelp when the door opened and his manservant stepped in.

"You rang, sir." If the man felt shocked or amused or scandalized, he didn't show it. The smell of sex had to hang heavy as a blanket in the air, but the servabt didn't bat an eye as he stood demurely by the door and leveled a questioning look at his master. Merdos cleared his throat and pulled the duvet a little higher to make sure the hands that were drawing curly curves on his hips were not visible.

"Yes, Gaill. About last night - if someone was to ask you wh-where I was, what could you tell them?" Merdos congratulated himself on the fact that only a slight stammer betrayed the moment when something warm, muscular, slightly rough swirled gently around the base of his cock. The servant's expression turned wary.

"I would say, sir, that you returned unusually early," he said tentatively. "Around ten o'clock."

"Right." Merdos closed his eyes for a moment before they crossed too badly, and pinched the first part of Leone's anatomy his hand met with. Pinched hard. "And what did I do after that?"

"What do you mean, sir?" Gaill looked at him expectantly.

"Surely you are not forgetting, Gaill, that I told you I'd go to see Mr. Leone? Despite the late hour?" Merdos continued suavely. The man's face brightened and he nodded.

"Certainly not, sir, how could I forget that?" he said easily. "You left - ahh - towards midnight?"

His voice trailed off and Merdos nodded. "That's - right..." His hand clenched in the stiff mane of hair and he felt the graze of teeth added to the wet, tight heat that was rapidly ruining the rest of his communicative abilities. "Around midnight. Came back 'round five in the morning. You had left me... a... a... breakfast tr-tray."

"Yes, sir," Gaill nodded with conviction. That part was even true. His young master was frequently hungry early in the morning, hours before breakfast time, and he often left a tray of cold snacks waiting in the room. Particularly if the said young master had for some unfathomable reason gone to bed early, or (a more normal occurrence) was expected to return from his romps only with the first rays of the sun. "I found the empty tray outside your room, as usual, when I started my day around six this morning."

"Excellent, Gaill." Merdos took another deep breath to steady his voice. "That will be all for now."

"Yes, sir." The servant turned on his heels and closed the door softly behind himself. In whatever way it pleased his young master to entertain himself, it was not and needed not be any of his business. Nor was he going to bother his head with the whereabouts of the young master's friend who had arrived in the house with him and, judging from the clothes that had littered the bedroom floor, had been in close proximity all the while. Probably in the bathroom, he decided and pushed the incident out of his head. As far as he was concerned, the discussion had never taken place anyway.

Merdos tore the duvets away and took a two-handed death grip of Leone's hair. "You!" he snarled. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You nearly ruined everything!"

"No," Leone corrected and crept upwards along Merdos' body, lips glistening. "I was merely getting you ready."

"For what?"

"For this."

Merdos let out a rather undignified grunt of surprise when Leone locked wiry arms behind his back and flipped them both around. He looked down at the devilishly grinning bearded face and blinked as long legs clasped enticingly against his sides, supporting himself with both arms above Leone. "What..."

"Come on, partner," Leone hummed. "Ready for a ride?"

Merdos' eyes went impossibly large before glazing over briefly. "Are you... do you mean... but you've never let me fuck you before," he spluttered, not understanding how it was possible for him to get still harder than he had been a minute before. Leone smirked, eyes smoldering.

"I haven't," he sighed. "You see, I don't quite trust myself with just anybody... I like it rather too much."

"But..."

"No buts." Leone pulled him close. "After all, don't you already know my biggest secrets? So why couldn't I entrust you with this one as well?"

Merdos grinned. Yes, things were definitely getting interesting. He bent lower, lips nearly touching Leone's nose. "You know me, my friend. Always ready to oblige. Now I only have one question left."

"Which is -?"

"Do you prefer me to use nut or blue reed scented oil?"