Never Forget The Importance of Style

14. Early birds

At Torell's discreet cough, Leone raised his eyes from the newspaper and arched one dark brow questioningly.

"Sir, the Inspector wishes to see you," the servant said, the faintest of smirks on his lips as he took in his master's slightly ruffled appearance. Leone's hair was sleep-mussed, bathrobe barely held closed by the sash tied loosely around a narrow waist so that a generous amount of softly tanned chest and just about all of lithely muscular legs were available for scrutiny. Torell honestly didn't mind scrutinizing the eye candy that was his handsome master, even in various states of undress, but considering that there was currently a visitor waiting to see Leone, he wouldn't have minded seeing some more clothes on that lean body.

"Inspector?" Leone repeated, already on his feet. "Damn... bring him in and ask him to wait a moment, I'll be right back."

Torell exited with a small bow, seeing as he closed the door how his master vanished into the bedroom with remarkable speed.

When Leone reappeared, astoundingly alert and immaculate considering the extremely brief time that had passed after his dash into the bedroom, the tall, dark police inspector was standing next to the small bookshelf and examining its contents, hands crossed behind his back. Upon hearing the door he turned around and nodded a little stiffly in greeting.

"Good morning, Inspector!" Leone said amiably. "I am extremely sorry to have kept a busy man such as yourself waiting. Please, would you sit down?"

"I must apologize for this early visit," the Inspector replied courteously and accepted the offered seat. The armchair that he chose looked smaller than it was, and he settled into it obviously somewhat surprised at the comfort it offered. Leone stifled a smile; being long-legged himself, he always took care to get furniture where he didn't have to feel like a bird perched on a line, and the chair in question was no exception to the rule. His hand brushed against the bellstring.

"I'm sure you wouldn't mind a cup of tea?"

"Thank you, indeed it would be welcome." Ah, the man had something unpleasant to talk about. And judging by his well-masked yet detectable uneasiness, the unpleasantness only applied to the Inspector himself. If the purpose of the visit had meant something bad for his current host, his whole demeanor would most certainly have been totally different. The Inspector wasn't that good an actor.

"Excellent. Tea for us, please, Torell."

"Very well, sir." Torell demonstrated once more his near-uncanny ability to come and go like a genie, and slid out of the door. Really, the man ought to consider adding a puff of smoke for better effect, Leone thought absently.

"So, my dear Inspector, what gives me this unexpected pleasure?" He was careful to keep any hint of irony out of his voice. The dark man scowled a little but then forced himself to relax, with some effort, it seemed.

"I have come to bid farewell," he said with a tiny quirk of his lips, as if he'd tasted something bitter. "I will be returning to Uman, and my coach leaves in the afternoon."

"Oh?" Leone's eyebrows climbed up. "You mean your investigations have now been completed?"

This time the man didn't even attempt to conceal his ill humor.

"Yes," he ground out. "Or rather, the case has been dropped due to lack of evidence."

"And now you mean the...?" Leone prompted gently.

"The case of the diamond-and-ruby necklace," the Inspector nodded. "Since there was no case of the emerald hatpin after all."

"Really? So she had misplaced it somewhere along the way?" Leone had to try very hard not to look smug, and he succeeded tolerably.

It was only two days since the Inspector had last paid him a visit, that time feeling far too professional to even sit down for the time it took to question him and Merdos. They had been informed that Mrs. Lydee, in Leone's firm opinion one of the worst airheads he had ever had the dubious honor to meet, had apparently lost an ornate, emerald-studded hatpin a couple of days earlier. Knowing that the impressive Police Inspector from Uman was in town, she had naturally insisted on referring the case to him.

Oh yes, the pin had been a gift of considerable monetary, let alone emotional, value, and it had evidently been stolen from her at some point. As luck would have it, matters were made worse by the simple coincidence that Mrs. Lydee had spent the best part of that day in town, visiting a large number of people and persuading them to take part in some new charity effort she was trying to arrange. She was always busy with something of the kind, had a veritable army of acquaintances, and was very familiar with the times when each of them could best be caught unawares at their homes. So she had actually met quite a few people during the course of the day. And those people included Leone and Merdos, who had been lounging in his friend's apartment at the time.

The Inspector had been forced to track the lady's every step, and the round had included all of the dozens of places Mrs. Lydee had visited on that fateful day. Not unexpectedly, the Inspector had been filled with glee when he had spotted Leone's address in the list. Maybe he had even been hoping to fix his quarry once and for all with a hairpin, even if he had so far been unable to get a stranglehold with the necklace.

But unfortunately for him, no such luck. The Inspector had arrived and asked his questions. Torell had been called in as well, and they all had unanimously and truthfully stated the same thing. The lady had only stayed a few minutes, had not partaken of any refreshments even though those had been offered to her, and no, she had not taken off her hat. For that Leone and Merdos had been very grateful to her, as her visit had most irritatingly interrupted an impromptu makeout session on the settee and they had both been impatient to get back to more pressing matters.

In retrospect, that had probably been the main reason why Leone had so readily agreed to a small donation to the charity, the beneficiaries of which he couldn't even be bothered to remember. He was ready to admit to himself that at least in this occasion he had been, for once, reduced to mostly thinking with his cock. How lucky that he had still had the presence of mind not to make that lapse of judgement a too costly one.

The Inspector scowled morosely at the teacup that Torell placed in front of him.

"In fact, no. She had not misplaced it. She hadn't even taken that particular hatpin on that day."

Leone primly placed his teacup back on the saucer in his left hand that was shaking a little, and congratulated himself on the fact that he hadn't choked on suffocated laughter while it had been next to his lips. He fought the terrible urge to say 'I told you so'. Because he really had.

"But surely her maid should've been able to tell you that?" he said smoothly. Honestly, if the Inspector had been blithe enough not to interview the maid as the very first thing, then Leone really couldn't understand how the man had managed to get to his current position.

"In fact she wasn't," the Inspector said sourly. "No matter how hard I pressed, she couldn't be sure which one of the pins had finally been picked. And when it wasn't in the box where it was supposed to be, the chaos was ready. But now it has been found, so that was definitely a false alarm."

"May I venture a guess?" Leone asked. "It could've been... hmm... got stuck to a dress hanging in the wardrobe? No, wait, that's not a viable idea after all. Why would the maid have taken it to the wardrobe, when it probably was kept in a jewelry box on the lady's toilet table?"

"Correct so far," the Inspector nodded. "It was kept in the jewelry box."

"So then, my next guess would be that the maid had for some reason failed to put it back there. Ahh, now it would be helpful if I were familiar with the layout of the room!" Leone crossed his legs, one index finger caressing absently his well-trimmed beard. "But there would be an extra table, or perhaps a chest of drawers. Maybe the maid had been holding several things in her hand, put them down for a moment, and lo and behold, the pin has rolled down and fallen behind it?"

"Very well guessed." The dark man eyed him with poorly concealed malice. "In fact that is exactly what seems to have happened. You definitely are a connoisseur of people and their behavior."

"Thank you, I pride myself on it." Leone picked up his cup once more and sipped from it. "I have heard so many examples of that kind of little accidents that it's really the first thing that comes to mind. Sometimes, sadly, maids or valets have even been kicked out because of such minor calamities. Poor consolation to them when the thing that they allegedly have stolen has then been found in some utterly innocent place."

"However, the same kind of scenario doesn't seem to have befallen the diamond-and-ruby necklace," the Inspector continued. "Several houses have been turned upside down, without finding a trace of it."

Now it was time to be wary. Leone shrugged delicately, refusing to avoid the dark eyes that bored into his from the other side of the low table.

"Including my apartment, I recall," he observed neutrally. "Are you sure that the lady hasn't simply dropped it somewhere? It is not unheard of that the locks become defective."

It was the Inspector's turn to shrug. "That is of course possible," he admitted. "But extremely unlikely, considering how heavy the thing was. I cannot find it too credible that she wouldn't notice it coming loose."

Leone chuckled a little. "Perhaps not, under normal circumstances," he said slyly. "She might have been distracted at the moment, though."

The Inspector perked up. "What are you insinuating?" he asked sharply.

"Come, come, Inspector!" Leone's voice was amiable. "Surely you don't think it absolutely impossible that the bearer of the necklace might have taken a stroll in the gardens with an admirer? And in such a situation, all kinds of things might take place..."

"And who might this admirer be?" The predatory look was again beginning to make its appearance, and Leone decided that it didn't suit his adversary at all. He permitted himself an indulgent smirk.

"To my knowledge there are several possibilities," he said modestly. "But I cannot claim to be a very good source. If I were one of the gentlemen involved, I'd no doubt be far better informed of just who my rivals are. However, as you might recall, my tastes are... slightly different."

The Inspector flushed, but Leone pretended to be completely focused on the demanding task of pouring some more tea into their cups. Let the man have some dignity, he thought.

"But I thought you said the investigation has been dropped?" he asked aloud. "And yet you still appear to be remarkably interested in the case."

"The investigation has been called off," the man said stiffly, "but that doesn't have to mean I should be satisfied with the outcome. Or rather, lack of it."

"Ah. Professional pride."

"Indeed." A broad hand reached out towards the filled teacup, then clenched into a fist and slammed on a dark-trousered knee. "Listen, Mr. Leone. Why don't we drop this pretense? I know it was you. I know you spirited the necklace away, and that this wasn't the first time you've had your hands on jewelry that doesn't belong to you. Not by a long shot. But goddamn you, I cannot find anything with which I could nail you down. And as much as I hate it, I have to congratulate you. You really are a master of your art, as questionable as it is."

"All that, my dear Inspector, is what you believe." Leone wasn't stupid enough to fall for this trap, if it was one, nor did he believe that the man had actually thought he would. "And you have been very careful not to say your insinuations aloud whenever there's anyone around who could testify against you, in case I'd be silly enough to believe you are serious, and demand atonement. For slandering my honor."

The Inspector snorted in laughter. "Your honor? Very well, of course you deny it to the end."

"I repeat what I've said to you earlier, at least once," Leone said levelly. "People are shockingly careless with their valuables. The more they have, the more recklessly they handle them. And if they happen to lose something, I cannot be expected to be very appalled by it, can I? A person courting disaster only gets what's been coming to him, or her. That is my view of the matter."

"Very well!" The visitor gulped the nearly transparent china cup empty and stood up. "I believe it's time for me to be on my way. I cannot say that it would've been a pleasure to get to know you, Mr. Leone, but it certainly has been interesting."

"Likewise, Inspector." Leone mirrored his movements and, in passing, called for Torell. "So you're heading for Uman now? That probably means that we aren't likely to meet again. I have visited the place but didn't particularly like it."

"Oh, one never knows. We just might." Dark features twisted into a wolfish smile as the Inspector grabbed Leone's hand in greeting. "But I have to tell you something. After this debacle with the hatpin... I am somewhat more inclined to share your outlook."

"Inspector?" Leone didn't pull his hand out of the man's grip, merely looked at him quizzically.

"I can't help agreeing with you. People are shockingly careless with their possessions. These people in particular. And in a way I am tempted to think that they are getting exactly what they deserve."

Leone cocked his head slightly and chose to just smile a little.

"But that still doesn't mean I would approve of others appropriating said possessions just like that. However easy it is made for them." Cool gray met dark brown, then the Inspector nodded and clasped Leone's hand a little more tightly. "And you have one possession, Mr. Leone, that you are being shockingly careless with."

"That being...?"

"Your freedom. Goodbye."

When the dark gray cape had whirled out and the door had closed behind the tall man, Leone took a deep breath.

"Was that a threat?" he wondered aloud.

"Whassup...?"

Leone spun around and couldn't help grinning broadly at the sight that met his eyes.

Merdos was standing at the bedroom door, one hand still on the doorknob and the other raking sleepily through his already disarrayed black hair. It looked like he was trying to get those lovely long bangs out of his eyes that were squinting distrustfully in the undeniably soft yet rather bright morning sunshine pouring in through thin curtains, and failing because said bangs kept falling back to tickle the bridge of his nose. He was of course naked, save for a sheet that he had obviously grabbed from the bed to cover at least the more strategic spots of his nudity and that by some divine intervention managed to hang loosely around his hips, draping around his legs and bare feet. Another couple of steps, and he'd probably stumble on it.

Merdos looked golden, totally adorable, very much like a little boy roused in the middle of the night. But not quite. Leone wasn't into little boys, he preferred men, and the contours of the body he was looking at made it clear enough that Merdos definitely was a man, a delectable male in his early twenties.

Leone's gaze skimmed down the man's arms, smooth chest and stomach, and gray eyes flared as they met the edges of dark hair showing above the sheet that had slipped still a little lower. Good god but Merdos was beautiful. And desirable. And fun. And good company, in bed and outside it. And Leone knew with absolute clarity that he had really, thoroughly, irrevocably broken his early promise to himself to never fall in love.

He was in love, not just lust. Sure lust played a great big role too, he knew he'd never wanted anyone nearly as much as he wanted Merdos, but that was beside the point. He wanted to keep this man, to have him close, go to bed with him and wake up next to him in the morning, and to learn what made him tick. He knew that Merdos was only figuring himself out, and he wanted to be around to take part in the process. Yes, he was feeling possessive, but he didn't worry about it too much. Merdos was the friend and companion he wanted to have. Life would be so much more fun with someone to share the adventures with.

"Leone?" Merdos, slightly more awake, frowned a little at the teapot and used cups on the table. "What're those?"

"Oh, I had a visitor," Leone said airily to cover up the emotions welling inside him. He was not used to feeling like this, not used to the force with which they roiled under his heart. "The Inspector just left, luckily before you made your appearance."

"The Inspector?" Merdos yawned widely, took one step forward and almost stumbled on his sheet-cum-loincloth. "Damn!" He yanked it back up and tried to wrap it more securely around his waist.

"Yes, the honored Inspector," Leone repeated, lips twisting into a smirk. "He's leaving town."

"What!" Merdos' face lit up in glee and he plopped down on the settee. "Leaving? So he's giving up?"

"He's been ordered to drop the case," Leone said and stretched languidly, looking quite as smug as he was feeling. "Just told me in plain language that he knows the truth but can't prove anything, and that I should take care of myself lest we meet again..."

"Oh-ho? Threatening you? Well I never!" Merdos smiled affably. "Should I start studying law after all, just in case?"

"Don't bother... I think we can find some other, far more rewarding things for both of us to do."

For some reason Leone was finding it hard to snap out of the loop into which his thoughts had run. Possessive, breathless, overwhelmed, tender, desirous, yes, he was feeling all that. Not to mention frightened by the depth of those feelings. This was dangerous. Merdos was dangerous, threatening to undo all his carefully erected defenses. Merdos was fully capable of rendering him truly heartbroken one day, something he'd sworn that he'd never allow himself to experience. But then, that was something Leone could work to prevent from happening. Even if he was more used to keeping his partners at an arm's length, surely he could apply his observational skills and adaptability to obtain exactly the opposite, too?

He drew a deep breath and slunk with feline grace into the armchair recently vacated by the dark Inspector. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"With utmost pleasure," Merdos said candidly. "I'm starving."

"When aren't you?" Leone asked reaching for the bellstring. "But let it not be said that I wouldn't feed you enough, when we burn so much energy every night... yes, Torell, breakfast please."

"Very well, sirs," Torell said. "Any special wishes?"

Leone cocked an eyebrow at Merdos who shook his head. "No, the usual will do nicely."

"Yes sir."

"So you haven't eaten either?" Merdos was ineffectually tugging at the sheet he was sitting on and trying to get it stay properly over his crotch.

"No, I was just reading the paper and waiting for you to come round, and then had a cup of tea with the Inspector." Leone's eyes were again fixed on the black curls just discernible in the shadow of the cloth. Merdos yawned again and ruffled his hair, then flexed his arms and spread them on the back of the settee.

"What is it?" he asked curiously. Leone smiled dreamily.

"Just looking at you," he replied. "And trying not to ravish you right here, as starters."

"Insatiable!" Merdos squeaked. "I swear I'm beginning to get worried here! How can I ever be enough for you, fiend?"

"Ah, but I'm not insatiable," Leone retorted. "There's a big difference. If I were insatiable, I'd be looking for more and more, regardless of who I'm sleeping with. But I want you."

Ooh, the triumphant smile that crept on Merdos' rounded face... Leone resisted the urge to correct his position in the chair, instead savoring the by now almost painful tightness of underwear against heated skin. Nobody else could make him feel like this. Nobody but Merdos, his lover. And he just couldn't take it any more, pushed himself on his feet and stepped next to the settee. Merdos raised a pair of amused, nearly black eyes to look at Leone, smile turning sultry.

"Leone..." he purred. "Before breakfast? And you're fully dressed, too."

"Just a little sample," Leone promised, knelt on the settee to straddle Merdos so that he could squeeze the legs between his thighs a little, and bent down to kiss the man. Merdos' full mouth was pliant and soft at first, then a tongue darted out to touch Leone's lips and front teeth nibbled playfully on his lower lip. Leone made a soft sound in his throat and pulled back a little. "Imp."

"Devil," Merdos sighed happily and gave up on the sheet to push his hands under Leone's short jacket. "What, and a vest too? Damn you... you're making this too difficult for a man who's just woken up!"

"Oh? And here I was thinking that you'd know how to wiggle your way under my clothes even fast asleep!" Leone chuckled, fingers playing with heavy black strands of hair.

"Just give me a moment," Merdos said and nuzzled his face on the blonder man's chest. "Ahh, there..." He deftly unbuttoned the slacks with one hand while the other dipped under the waistband behind Leone's back, to the small of his back. "Mmm, now how am I doing?"

"So far so good," Leone admitted, tensing when the hand ghosted still lower towards the cleft between his buttocks, peeling also his trousers and underwear down in the process. His eyes closed against his will, hands seeking the back of the settee for support, and he braced himself against it letting his head sink forward in relief as Merdos laughed underneath him and freed his aching erection completely from its confinement. "Merdos... what the hell are you up to?"

"Just a little sample," Merdos echoed and squirmed lower under Leone to give the glistening cock a playful lick. Leone gasped and arched, but the hands tightened on his hips and steadied him. "Heyyy, stay put! You like this, don't you?"

"Merdos..." Leone practically heard all of his sense flying out of the window as the tongue continued to graze on his swollen sex, caressing the underside, swirling around to pull it into the hot mouth. Merdos' hands were massaging his buttocks, hard and unyielding. Heavenly. "Merdos!" The man was now sucking him greedily, teeth rasping a little against tender flesh, humming softly so that the gentle vibration shot through Leone's whole body. The fingers of one hand had crept to stroke between his legs, behind his balls, they forced him to struggle for breath, and the mouth was still working on his erection, bringing him inexorably to the edge and over it. "Oh god... Merdos!" He came hard, knuckles turning white as he gripped the decorated back of the settee, head thrown back in ecstasy, and heard Merdos laugh breathlessly underneath him.

"Leone, you're absolutely gorgeous," the dark man grinned licking his lips. He fumbled for the sheet that had slipped nearly all the way to the floor and pulled it lazily up to wipe off the mess that had spilled all over him. Leone looked down with hazy, half-lidded eyes, trying to catch his breath, arms shaking... no, actually his entire body was still trembling with the aftershock. Nearly black eyes smiled back to him and he felt his lips curling as well.

"When did you get so damn good at that?" he breathed, one hand creeping to brush on Merdos' flushed cheek, down the side of his neck, behind his shoulder. The man pressed into the touch with a low purr, and Leone couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled out from deep inside him. Irresistible.

"I've been taking lessons from the best," Merdos grinned. "Lame line, isn't it?"

"Very lame," Leone sighed. "Especially as I'm willing to bet I'm nowhere near that good. So who's this unknown master of the art that you've been learning from?"

"Silly." Merdos pushed himself upwards until he was once more sitting mostly upright. "Give me credit for having surpassed my teacher, then! But baby, aren't you a little uncomfortable there?"

"You could say so," Leone admitted. He was still perched on his knees on the settee, legs spread just enough to straddle the dark angel underneath him, which of course meant that Merdos hadn't been able to pull his trousers down very far. He slid one foot to the floor, then the other, stood up with a rakish grin and began to tuck himself back into the slacks.

"Don't bother," Merdos said lazily, eyes closing, and slid a hand down his own stomach until it slowly pushed the sheet out of the way to reveal him in his full glory. Leone's breath caught when the wandering hand brushed on the black curls and then closed slowly but firmly around the jutting cock. Merdos let out a long sigh of pleasure pulling his full lower lip between his teeth. "Aren't you going to do anything about this?" he inquired huskily.

"Hmm... I did think I might make you wait," Leone said, enthralled by the sensuous sight. "For being so impatient."

Merdos' hand was moving very languidly up and down, his breathing falling into the same rhythm. "I'm not going to wait, though," he informed his lover. "So I'm afraid you're going to miss this round if you don't take that back."

Good god, how well you can play me by now... "Then I don't think I really have any choice, do I?" Leone said softly and shrugged out of his jacket. The vest followed within seconds, but the shirt buttons weren't as obliging. He cursed under his breath, and Merdos chuckled again.

"Leave the shirt," he ordered. "What're you going to do?"

"You choose," Leone groaned, eased himself out of the trousers and dropped them on the floor. "And you'd better have chosen by the time I get back."

He didn't spare a glance at the bed as he snatched the delicately shaped bottle of oil from the bedside table and returned to the living room, and to the mouth-watering sight that awaited him there. Merdos caught the tossed bottle with one hand, twisted its cap open with a grin and poured a generous amount into a palm.

"Come here," he purred, eyes narrowing in anticipation. Leone nodded, climbed back on top of him and sank slowly down to press against a slippery hand with a heartfelt whimper of pleasure.

On the other side of the door to the living room, Torell smiled to himself and lowered his tray of cups, plates and silverware on a small side table. Just as he had guessed, the gentlemen were not going to require their breakfast quite yet. Such a good thing that he hadn't prepared the toast or boiled the eggs yet, or they certainly would have had ample time to get cold; but then, the stove was hot and all that would only take a moment to complete once they were actually needed. And judging by the muffled sounds he could catch from the other room, that would still take a while. The gentlemen would certainly want to have a bath first, get dressed, and then be hungry as wild beasts.

The doorbell rang, and Torell stepped swiftly to answer it. Through the frosted glass he saw a familiar, square figure and had a suitably regretful yet welcoming smile ready by the time he got the door open.

"Good morning, Torell!" the dark solicitor greeted. "My son and your handsome rascal of a master are probably here?"

"Good morning, Mr. Alayssian, indeed they are!" Torell nodded. "Unfortunately the gentlemen are otherwise occupied at the moment."

"Oh dear... at this hour? And didn't our dear Inspector just visit them?" Merrell Alayssian's dark eyebrows jumped. "I met him a while ago, and he said he'd been here on a farewell visit."

"That is true, sir," Torell admitted. "Perhaps the gentlemen wished to ahh... celebrate the Inspector's departure?"

"Hmph!" The older man shook his head, mouth quirking into a rueful smirk. "The stamina of young people... well then, I have no desire to wait here until they have celebrated enough. Do you think they'll be decent, and enough in their senses, in an hour's time?"

"Perhaps an hour and a half?" Torell suggested. "They will probably be having breakfast then."

"Ah well, there goes the lunch I planned to enjoy in their company." Merrell Alayssian shrugged.

"Sir, I would be more than happy to provide a combination of breakfast and lunch," Torell offered without a moment's hesitation. "The gentlemen will certainly have nothing against it. I will inform them so that they will know to expect you."

"Very well, Torell! I can hardly resist a breakfast-lunch if it is put together by you," the man rumbled and winked to the servant. "I'll be back around noon then."

He turned and sauntered away, the silver knob of his dandyish walking stick glimmering in the sun. Torell bowed and closed the door, just in time before a particularly loud moan could be heard by the stylish couple taking their morning stroll on the street, and shook his head with a smile. Young Mister Merdos certainly had brought about certain changes in his master, he thought, and while most of the changes were definitely for the better, some others might yet cause moments of embarrassment. Torell rolled his eyes. For one thing, he had never known that his soft-spoken master could get quite so vocal...