Taming Beasts | MxM | Petshop

Part 24

"But he's a just a pet, Leah."

"So?" She rolled her eyes in that particular way of hers that told me she was exasperated of talking to me, yet somehow, she still continued on. "You're human, but here you are, behaving like animal, ready to fuck anything willing to take your cock. Don't judge him for wanting some commitment."

"But it's not what I bought him for," I pointed out, glaring at the last bit of my waffles because I didn't dare to glare at Leah. She was intense enough as it was, so I didn't want to add to it by giving her more attitude.

"Then what did you buy him for, Vince?" She groaned, teetering on the edge of annoyance. "You could've gotten a pet like Joe's if that's what you're looking for. Doesn't seem to mind who he's sleeping with, doesn't seem to mind who Joe's sleeping with, doesn't care much about anything but being the centre of attention."

"No," I said quickly, instantly appalled by the idea. Taz was fun and all, but that wasn't what I needed. I'd been having fun all my life, knew where to get it and how to get it easily. I'd had enough of people sucking up to me. I wanted something different, so that's what I told her. "I want something different."

I flinched when suddenly, her manicured finger snapped up, pointing right at my face. It made me suspect what she was about to say next, causing me to cross my arms defensively as I awaited the words.

Leah sighed and waved her finger at me. "There. See. That's it. So you don't really want a pet pet after all, so stop complaining about it for a change. Now you only need to figure out what kind of different you actually want, and then maybe there's still a chance for you."

Her finger made these circling motions as if attempting to hypnotize me, causing me to quickly avert my gaze because honestly, there might have been a chance that she was actually capable of it. I wouldn't have put it past her. The woman always got her way; there must have been some trick to it.

"Vince, baby," she said, leaning back in her chair and finally lowering her finger. Her hand now rested on the table, and she scratched the surface absentmindedly. She only continued when her gaze had found mine, looking worried. "Any thoughts on that different?"

Instinctively, I wrapped my arms tighter around my upper body, feeling ridiculously cornered because of a simple question. I huffed and shrugged.

"Come on, you can do better than that."

"I don't know, Leah! Okay?" I snapped, irritated beyond reason. "I guess I just wanted something else, something challenging. I thought – I mean – I don't know. I wanted something that was mine, but I guess – I just never –"

"Never thought he'd want you back?" she offered quietly, a gentle smile on her lips that was too understanding to be welcome.

"I need some air," I murmured, already pushing my plate away from me, then got up with a start. Leah waved her hand dismissively, but that stupid smile was still on her lips, taunting me. She knew I was being difficult, and that knowledge reflected in her eyes, making me upsettingly aware of the fact.

I decided to take the long way home, meaning I was going to walk instead of calling a taxi. After all, while I wanted to get back to the source of my predicament, I also didn't know what to do once I was facing Moondrop again, so taking some time seemed like a good idea. Only that with each step I took, I became increasingly aware of the fact that I'd slept with someone else yet again, and Moondrop wasn't going to like it.

I sniffed at my clothes, checking whether there was any residue scent of what had went down last night. Though I couldn't smell anything, I still bought a new set of clothes and threw the old ones into the first garbage bin I came across, just to make sure. It only then occurred to me that the circumstances alone were enough to make it obvious what had happened, and Moondrop was likely going to smell that I had storage-fresh clothes on me.

Groaning, I resigned to my fate. He was going to know it, and doors were going to be thrown shut in my face yet again. The memory made my skin crawl, causing me to rub my arms to chase away the eerie feeling. Maybe I shouldn't have been going home, yet I needed to know if Leah was right.

"Vince, baby, I think he's in love with you. That's why he doesn't want you to be with anyone else."

It sounded ridiculous the more I thought about it. After all, he'd never told me that he liked me before, not even when he'd acted affectionately. It just didn't make any sense, yet Leah had sounded quite certain, and that had ignited a spark of doubt inside my heart that I needed to get rid of. The thought of Moondrop being in love with me was simply irritating.

His behaviour didn't make sense if I added these feelings to the mix. Then again, his behaviour confused me in general. He wanted me, then he didn't, and back and forth. This wasn't the kind of challenge I had envisioned when I'd bought him, that much was certain.

My thoughts travelled to the kind of different I might have been looking for, but I couldn't figure out what it was that I wanted, only that there was much that I didn't. First, I didn't want someone who went along with each of my whims without complaint, though I wasn't looking for a second Leah, either. Something in-between Taz' compliance and Leah's attitude would've been nice. Then, I wanted someone who liked me, not just my money or my looks. I wanted to be understood, to have another Joe. Not exactly, though.

I arrived at the apartment too soon considering that I still hadn't made up my mind. It seemed necessary though, yet I'd run out of time unless I was willing to take another stroll – which I wasn't. Moondrop was up the stairs, and despite knowing better, I envisioned him waiting for me like he had not too long ago, sitting on the couch and watching the door, ready to greet me the moment I got home. That had been nice.

Maybe I should put that on the list of things I wanted, Moondrop eagerly awaiting my return.