Eclipse Of The Moon ~ Book 1 of Aaron
Chapter 35
Lust

Monday 25 August 2003

"Ugh... such a pain!" I grumble, writhing on my chair to find a better position.

The bath and the ointment helped a bit yesterday, but after nearly four hours sitting at my desk, the soreness is coming back, as if my butt was covered in pins and needles. It was already the case yesterday afternoon while I worked, and last night, I couldn't sleep on my back either. It's not really painful, just uncomfortable enough to remind me of my wrong-doings and the shameful sanction I had to deal with.

I won't make the same mistake twice, believe me!

Nonetheless, determined to be on my best behavior, I spent the rest of my Sunday in a very studious fashion while Ivan was at work, only taking a half-hour break in the late afternoon to swim a few laps in the pool as per his recommendations, and didn't leave the library until 8pm, once I had achieved everything I had to do and it was time for dinner.

I would have willingly returned to the library after my evening meal, to start catching up on the rest of my weekly program, but between my numb backside and my extremely short previous night, I decided to call it a day. I still grabbed my Social Science book, hoping I could still get ahead of the essay I'm supposed to do this afternoon... after barely two pages into the US westward expansion, I had fallen dead asleep.

Although the night was good enough, I swear I could have smashed my alarm clock when it went off at 6:30 this morning, and yet, full of resolve, I got up, quietly performed my morning routine, had a quick breakfast on my own, and by 7, I was reading that chapter in the library. While all the information I read is sinking in, I am trying to do a few exercises in Science, but my knowledge in graphs is so poor that I'm close to give up.

And that's precisely the moment Ivan chooses to walk in, offering me a sexy distraction as he slowly approaches my desk, barely awake, his hair completely disheveled and only wearing an old pair of sweat shorts. Does that man know how fucking hot he is?

"Morning, Menino," he whispers as he leans down drops a peck on my head.

"Morning, old man," I reply cheekily, earning a playful slap at the back of my head – being grounded certainly won't drag me away from my teasing self. "Did you have a good night?"

"Hmm. A great evening and a good night. How about you?"

"Just a good night."

"Yeets..." he chuckles as he moves to stand behind me and bends over to whisper in my ear. "There could have been a bit of fun... watching TV or playing games... but someone's grounded..."

"Duh! I wasn't complaining! Just saying I was asleep before 9, that's it," I snort.

"All good then. I saw you've been busy, though."

I'm pretty sure it was around 5am when I heard him come back from the club, but I know he still took the time to check on my progress before he went to sleep. My notebooks, which I had put in a neat pile on my desk yesterday evening, were all open this morning and his good mood shows he was happy with what I accomplished yesterday.

"Yeah, quite a lot."

"Good boy. How long till you're ready to have lunch?"

"Fifteen or twenty minutes?" I offer with a grimace. "I'm just stuck on that graph and I'd like to finish the exercise."

"Need help?"

"Nah, I'll manage."

"Alright, just call out if you need me. I'll go prepare our lunch."

With a warm smile, the sexy hunk walks out, leaving the door ajar, and I return to the fucking graph I was trying to understand before he arrived. The only true way to redeem myself in Ivan's eyes will be through hard work and success at my exams, so I focus a bit more and eventually get to answer all the questions of this quiz. All through the next fifteen minutes, I tune out the noises of pans and the smell of fried bacon, and I am nearly done when his phone suddenly goes off.

"Oh, hi T-" I hear him cheer without finishing the other person's name, and I wonder if he was interrupted or something, because his tone quickly changes. "Wow, wow, wow... will you please calm down?" he then mutters. "Hold on a sec..."

The next second, I hear his bare footsteps click on the tiled floor, getting closer and closer until his head pops into the library.

"Aaron, are you nearly done?" he asks, and I nod in answer. "I need to take a call, can you please watch over the bacon and eggs? I won't be long."

"No probs!"

"Thanks, Menino," he says with a wink before he hurries to his own office. "It's not what you think, just let me explain again, I'm sure you'll und..."

Well, I don't get to hear more, but my curiosity has been aroused. Since I'm finally done with the Science exercise, I rush to the stove, lower the temperature and check the food before I silently tiptoe back to the other side of the living room. Unfortunately, as much as I prick my ears, I barely decipher a few words that don't make sense out of their context, so I return to the kitchen and set the table in the dining room.

Ivan said he wouldn't be long, but five minutes later, he still hasn't come back and our food is more than ready. I can vaguely hear his voice now, which makes me think he has stopped whispering, so I hurry back to his study and stand there, holding my hand up as if I was going to knock.

You can be such a smart ass sometimes, Ron...

"Nah, you should give it a try. You sound like a strong man and your past screams authority. Perhaps your lady would enjoy it!" Ivan says, and suddenly bursts out laughing, obviously from what his interlocutor replied. "Is she? Oh wow, that must make for an explosive couple!"

I really don't get what he is talking about, but it seems like the conversation is hilarious as he keeps laughing for a whole minute after that.

"Okay, I understand your worry, but you shouldn't..." Ivan then says and once again, his voice lowers till it gets almost inaudible. "No... until 18... young... immature... ready... perhaps..."

Dang! Can't he fucking speak louder!?

"But even then, I'm not sure. I'll think about it in due time," I hear him say much clearer.

I'm about to believe he heard my previous thoughts, but Ivan suddenly appears. Thank goodness, I was expecting this to happen, so my hand instantly reaches for the door as if it was about to knock, and despite his furrowed eyebrows, I play it extremely naturally.

"Oh, you're still on the phone?" I ask, my heart somersaulting in my chest nonetheless. "Lunch is ready..."

"Yeah... I'm nearly done, I'll be with you in a minute," he replies before he shuts the door again.

This time, I don't try my luck any further and return to the kitchen. Once I have brought all the dishes and food to the table, I fetch a book from the library, settle at my usual seat and patiently wait for Ivan to show up. Which he does only five minutes later.

"Who was it?" I ask casually without looking up from my book.

Ivan has reached the long table, but instead of sitting down, he comes to stand beside me and using his thumb and forefinger to seize my chin, he makes my head tilt up until my eyes meet his very dark orbs.

"Were you eavesdropping?"

Haaa... As if I was going to confess that! No fucking way!

"Who was it?" I insist, rolling my eyes in disbelief.

"I asked you a question, Aaron. Were you eavesdropping?"

"I asked a question first."

"I'll answer your question once you've answered mine," he replies very seriously, still holding my chin.

"Of course, not!" I snort with mock offense, pushing his hand away but still holding his stare. "The food was ready and I was just going to ask if you were finished."

He only hums in answer before he sits down and begins to help himself with bacon, eggs and toasts, and I follow suit.

"So? Who was it?" I ask again after a couple minutes of silence.

"Is that any of your business?"

"Nope, just being curious."

"It was just a business acquaintance you don't know."

"Hmm... What's his name?"

"Is this the Spanish Inquisition?"

"Maybeeee..." I smirk, wriggling my eyebrows.

"Jerk," he grumbles under his breath, filling his glass with pineapple juice to swallow some pills before he squints at me. "I like to call him Mr. J."

"Mr. J?"

"J for... Jefferson, but his name's Anthony. Anyway, that's none of your business. How about we talk about your morning progress?"

Yeah, whatever he says. I spend the rest of our lunch proving details on everything I did this morning and what I plan to do this afternoon, and this at least sets him in a good mood. This man's facial expressions will never fail to amaze me, whether it's sternness or joy and pride. I swear it's like facing two different people, and what's even more amazing is that I love them both.

Ivan even dismisses me from clearing the table and tidying the kitchen and promises a little reward for later today if I work really hard this afternoon. Hadn't I fucked up last weekend, today would have been a fun day; I would have convinced Ivan to go for a hike; we would have spent the entire day out in the comfortable warmth of a forest; we would have fooled around; teased each other; we would have laughed.

But I fucked up and consequently, the man has decided to deprive me of my sole day off – justifiably so – and here I am bound to spend the rest of Monday studying without any form of recreation. I'm not even sure I'll be allowed to watch television with him in the living room tonight, so I will gladly take whichever surprise he has in stock for me.

With much resolve, I truly strive my best to focus on that history quiz for a couple of hours, and once done, I get back to Math exercises I hadn't finished. Through the closed door of the library, I can vaguely hear music playing in the living room and as usual, it's none other than Queen – or Freddie Mercury by himself. As much as Ivan doesn't get used to my musical tastes, especially when I listen to Placebo, Evanescence or Linkin Park, I have grown quite fond of his favorite band. Out of stubbornness, I wouldn't admit it to him, but the more I listen to Queen, the more I get to appreciate their beautiful melodies and Freddie's powerful voice.

"How's it going?" Ivan asks as he suddenly barges into the library.

"Shhhhh!" I hush him, writing down the last calculations of a Math problem.

I feel him walk further in and as he reaches the table where I do my homework, he quietly sits down and begins to read through all I did in the last few hours. Despite a few hums and grunts, as well as some quick comments in red, he looks pretty satisfied with my work and can't seem to even spot a mistake in the last assignment I just finished.

"That's really good, Menino," he praises warmly once he has checked everything.

"See? I can be serious..."

"When you want, yeah. You're still getting that tutor," he replies firmly.

I exhale a mock sigh of frustration, just as a matter of form, but deep down, I am truly happy. Happy to see pride and joy on his face.

"Right, I guess that's enough for today. Let's not burn that brain out when you're starting a new intense week tomorrow. By the way, I spoke with Mr. Borak over the phone this afternoon and we agreed to a schedule. I want him to work with you when I'm not available to watch over you, so that would be Tuesday to Saturday. On his side, he suggested to do 1 to 6 pm those days, so that you'd be reviewing your lessons and accomplishing assignments in the morning."

"But... but when do I get to use the gym!?" I exclaim with genuine frustration this time.

"We'll adapt your schedule accordingly. If you get up at half past six, it should be way enough time to do your homework and spend an hour at the gym, and you could train a little more in the evening," he deadpans.

"That won't leave much time off..."

"One hour of gym each day is more than enough, Aaron," Ivan reasons, but I can't help another sigh. "Talking about the gym, it's already 5pm, and since you did really good today, I was going to reward you with a session together," he then offers with a warm smile.

Before he can change his mind, I jump of my chair and dart for the staircase, screaming like a goof in happiness, and five minutes later, I am back downstairs dressed in shorts, a tee-shirt and sneakers. Now that's a very welcome distraction after nearly nine hours at my desk. Not only do I need to let some steam off, but within these last two months living with Ivan, I have grown really fond of this gym room and physical work-out.

Back in my high school days, PE was the only class I felt good enough in, I have always loved physical activity, and now that it also helps my body to get back into a better and more attractive shape, it has sort of become a new addiction. A healthier one, though. All these machines have served more than one purpose lately, sometimes alleviating my occasional urges to smoke, sometimes alleviating my stress, and above all allowing my body to gain several pounds of muscles, even if it still hasn't fully recovered what it had lost during my eight months of homelessness.

My other motivation is Ivan's gorgeous body. I am aware that each human being has their own specific metabolism and that some people just won't ever grow huge muscles like others can't ever be skinny, but I am giving mine every chance to one day reach Ivan's perfection. I would love this beautiful chest with chiseled pecs and abs, those round biceps and strong shoulders.

That's the show I am given to drool on as we both run on our respective treadmills right now – almost face to face. Whereas I am training in my complete sports gear, Ivan has discarded his tee-shirt, exposing his perfect upper half to my greedy and lustful eyes. His naturally-tanned skin only makes him sexier, especially with the sweat trickling down his torso.

Unfortunately, contrary to Ivan who is a hundred percent focused on his respiration and the monitor of his treadmill, I get drowned into the contemplation of the Adonis and end up losing some of my automatisms. So badly so that I miss a step, and losing my balance, I find myself ejected from the belt and thrown to the floor. Of course, it had to catch Ivan's attention and there he is, laughing his ass off as he steps off his own machine and reaches out to help me up.

"How the heck did you manage this?" he asks through his laughter.

"I just tripped, there's no use making fun of me," I grouse, a bit vexed by the embarrassment.

"Right, let's try something less dangerous if you're distracted," he chuckles.

"I wasn't distracted!!!"

Or I was, but I won't admit it to him. Anyway, he leads me to the weight bench where he coaches me to build up muscles with the leg developer, then makes my arms work thanks to a curl yoke, and to top it all, I have to perform two series of forty push-ups. All through this half-hour, Ivan never fails to tease me on my budding muscles, tensing his own abs and biceps to show how mine look so ridiculous, but I don't mind. I'm just happy to see him relaxed and playful.

"Enough for today, you worked real good today, Menino," he declares after the last series.

"As opposed to someone else," I retort coyly since he only coached me after the treadmill incident.

"Training you is just as physically exhausting," he argues, and he might be right considering all this sweat dripping from his scalp down his face and covering his bare chest.

Right then, I don't know what gets into me.

Perhaps it's all this wetness all over his taut body.

Perhaps it's the tension of the last couple days finally loosening up.

Perhaps it's just Ivan's good mood, his warm smile, his sparkling brown eyes.

Or perhaps it's just the teenager in me crushing on his guardian like a captive would on his captor.

Crushing? What? No, it must all these freaking hormones bubbling within me together with the lack of sex over the past two months.

Whatever it is, a certain boldness suddenly rises within me – to be honest, it's not the only thing that rises – and as we get to stand face to face, I throw myself at him and crash my lips against his. I must have caught him off-guard because he doesn't react, allowing my hands all the time they need to roam all over his broad chest and his powerful back before they reach his shoulders and my fingers lace at the nape of his neck.

As I pull him closer, Ivan gasps and I take it as my cue to invade his mouth. Holy goodness... my tongue finally gets the chance to meet his own velvet muscle and to taste his sweet saliva. It feels so fucking good! I swear that the thrilling power is real...

Well, that's until his tongue suddenly pushes against mine and he takes control, wildly raiding inside my mouth and his lips forcefully clutching mine. His arms have wound around my waist, squeezing me tightly against him which allows me to feel the hardening bulge in his shorts against my own swelling crotch.

I don't know what I should feel about this swift power demonstration, and sadly, Ivan doesn't give me enough time to find out.

As if caught by a sudden spur of lucidity, Ivan promptly breaks our kiss and brutally pulls back, leaving me breathless and panting.

"FUUUUUUUUCK!"

The curse comes out full of anger and spite as he begins to furiously pace the room, punching a treadmill and a wall in his wake and scratching his head in anxiety. I easily recognize this tension in his body, and although I don't feel like I am the source of his wrath this time, I know better than to provoke him. All I have to do is patiently wait for him to calm down.

After about two minutes, Ivan walks back to me, contrite and repentant. His hands tentatively reach for my cheeks in one slow gesture and this unforeseen hesitation feels weird from a man who usually looks so confident. For a long moment, he simply stares at me, very intensely, and there are no words to break the deafening silence. Until I decide to speak up.

"What's wrong?" I ask in a broken voice from my dry throat.

I hate all this sadness and worry in his darkening eyes. So much remorse and yet a powerful determination suddenly draws in his features as his brows furrow.

"What's wrong? Are you asking me what's wrong?" he asks with a lot of bitterness. "The kiss was wrong, Aaron! We can't do this..."

"Why?"

"There are so many reasons, Menino," he sighs, pulling away again before he goes to sit on a bench.

"What reasons?"

"There are some I can't tell you about for now, Aaron, I'm sorry," he says apologetically. "But there are obvious ones. Like you're a minor..."

"Oh come on, I'll be 18 in less than two months!!!"

"You're still a minor, Aaron," he insists firmly. "And I'm almost 40. I could be your father!!"

"You look much sexier than my father..." I gibe, but the party-pooper doesn't even crack a smile.

"I'm serious, Menino," Ivan scolds me, scowling deeply.

"Me too," I insist. "What if I have a preference for older males? Age difference is just bullshit!"

"Language, Aaron!!!" he grumbles, rising to his feet. "As far as I remember, the guy you hooked up with at the nightclub two days ago didn't look much older than you," he argues, but I just ignore his remark.

I actually don't really care. It seems like my tastes in men have never been much defined since I have enjoyed myself as much with twinks like Isaiah, Danny or Andrew and bigger men like my friends or Vance, the truck driver who drove me to LA. Ivan could be one of them.

"Anyway, I have a preference for older guys," he eventually adds in front of my silence, as if I was going to believe that.

"Sure... That's why you picked a young prostitute a few months ago and made him lick your balls!" I reply sourly.

"I... I... FUCK!!!" he growls, snatching his tee-shirt from the floor before he barges out of the gym, me in his tracks obviously.

"Oh, so you're allowed to swear, but I'm not!! And now, you're fleeing the conversation!" I scream at him as we traverse the garden at a fast pace and walk back inside the house.

"I'm an adult, so I can curse. You're the child, so you can't," he replies. "And I need a shower before I can talk any further!"

"Need help to rub your back?" I offer, feeling in a teasing mood despite the rejection.

He ignores my proposition and hurries upstairs. I do the same, but instead of going to my bathroom, I follow him in the corridor toward his bedroom.

"Just fucking go shower in your own bathroom, Aaron," he grunts before he disappears and slams his door shut, leaving me with a huge grin on my face.

Well, I wasn't expecting him to let me in – double-entendre intended, obviously. Though, now that I think about it, the second meaning might be one of the reasons why he rejected me...

I need a shower too, and while I relax under the stream of mild water, I try to focus and sort my thoughts out. I can't say that I have that much experience in men, but Ivan clearly looks like a strong man, one who likes to command, a bit like a leader, and inexplicably, I can only imagine him as a top. As an alpha. I really doubt he would bottom for me, and yet, my biggest question is, how does he consider me? I may not be anywhere close to his level of powerfulness, I still consider myself as an alpha too – a young alpha, but still an alpha – and I wonder how things go in couples where both males are tops. It might be complicated... Is that another reason for Ivan's rejection?

Oh well, that wouldn't prevent me from trying my luck with gorgeous hunks like him.

When I am finally ready, I head back downstairs, dressed in a clean pair of shorts, and meet Ivan in the kitchen. Weirdly enough, I don't feel any sort of embarrassment or discomfort after what happened at the gym. Quite the contrary in fact. I can even assert that I am feeling great about it and it may have something to do with how uneasy Ivan is. It is so rare to see him doubt or hesitate that it makes me feel stronger.

"Can I help?" I ask cheerfully as I come to stand very close to him at the counter where he is chopping raw vegetables.

"Hmm... yeah..." he grunts, taking a step to the opposite side. "Please set the table."

The strain in his voice has me smile as I walk away to get all the dishes I need. He knows I will bring up the subject again, but exactly like he does in a reverse situation, I decide against pushing him now and to leave him in a state of anticipation. For once I have the upper hand, I will just enjoy it, playing it with nonchalance and whistling as I place the plates, glasses, forks and knives on the table.

I am overtly smirking when he brings the raw veggies and Caesar dressing together with very thin slices of ham a bit later and sits down at the end of the table. I barely feel any remorse as we start eating in silence, Ivan wearing his stern mask while I smile like an idiot.

"I'll remind you what I said a couple of months ago when we discussed our agreement," he suddenly says sternly, eventually breaking the silence. "When I picked you up in my car that evening, I didn't mean to have sex with you. I did test you a bit, because I thought you were over 18, but I didn't intend to take it further."

"Don't deny you were aroused," I snap back, remembering the lust in his eyes when he looked down at me as I was kneeling between his legs, and how hard he was. "Don't say you aren't attracted to young men too."

"You're still too young... and it's not meant to be this way between us," he retorts without much conviction. "I'm your guardian."

"For two more months, yeah..."

"Probably a little longer. Remember our deal, Aaron, you're pursuing a higher education after the GED."

"Don't you try to change the subject again!" I exclaim, still feeling strong. "So just because I'm not 18 and because you're twenty-two years older, we can't kiss or... do whatever else?"

"That, and other reasons I won't explain just now," he dismisses with determination, but I'm not yielding so easily. Not tonight.

"What reasons? You have a boyfriend you haven't told me about?" I ask, but he simply rolls his eyes and shakes his head before he grabs his glass. "Or is it because you don't want to bottom for me?" I add boldly, causing him to choke and cough out the bit of water that went through the wrong pipe, and I just can't help laughing at the expression of shock on his face.

"I swear you're seeking problems," he grunts. "I wouldn't bottom, you're absolutely right on that point," he then adds in smug tone, squinting at me. "As far as you're concerned... topping...?"

I wish I could slap the tremors of laughter that make his chin tremble.

"What did you think? I'm no bottom either," I deadpan.

"Unless it's for a thousand bucks..."

"I... I... You're not playing fair, Ivan! I was homeless. Do you realize what one grand means to a homeless!? How could I refuse it? How..."

"Aaron, I'm sorry, I'm just teasing you, and it wasn't even funny, sorry. Anyway, it's not a conversation we should have, you're too young."

"Are you taking me for a prude?" I squeal with a grimace.

"I know you're not, but you're still too young..."

"A young adult with needs!" I shout, louder than I meant to, but my anger is building up.

"Aaron..."

"Yeah, yeah, sorry, I'm going to watch my tone," I apologize because I don't want to get in trouble again. "But what do you think, Ivan? Were you not the same at 18? Were you still a virgin back then?" I accuse more quietly. "For some reason, I'd have a hard time believing you if you told me so. In any case, I'm not."

"Aaron..." he sighs again.

"There's no Aaron, Ivan. I sincerely appreciate all you're doing for me, I'm really grateful, but after two months more or less locked in this house, I need to see other people... I need to... I need to interact with other people to... you know... I mean... you know what I mean, right?" I ask pleadingly.

The jerk reclines against the backrest of his chair, folds his arms across his chest and just stares at me, cocking his head to the side and raising his eyebrows. As if he didn't know what I'm talking about! Yet, I can see it. I can see the sparkle of humor in his eyes. That bastard is making fun of me, he is enjoying himself while I struggle with words.

There's just this weird emotion in his expression, one that I can't pinpoint. Is this worry? Fear? It won't prevent me from being clear, though.

"I need to meet other people because I need sex," I eventually state.

"Remember you need to focus on the GED too. It's less than a couple months left, can't you go without sex for two little months?"

"Can you?" I snap back, adopting the same position and squinting at him, and he only exhales a long sigh of exasperation. "That's what I thought. You can't either. So, it's just do as I say, don't do I do. It's not fair, Ivan, you should understand me."

"I do, Aaron, but..."

"No, that's fine. Your rules won't let me go to clubs, it's okay, but they don't say I'm not allowed to go out at all. I'll just use my recreation time differently from now on. There must be parks or whatever nearby, so I'll meet other teenagers there instead of staying home and playing games."

"Okay, okay, okay! I understand you, I truly do, but I don't want you to get in trouble or hang out with the wrong people!"

"Do you fear I'll relapse into drugs and stuff like that? Is that what it is?" I ask sourly because the lack of trust displaying on his face stings, even if I'm touched by his genuine affection. "I won't, Ivan. I learned that lesson well and I wouldn't compromise all the hard work you've done keeping me away from that crap."

"It's a bit hard to fully trust you, Menino, but I'm willing to try," he finally concedes. "Under certain conditions, though."

"Conditions? New conditions? Are you kidding me? Don't you think there are enough of them already!?"

"Take it or leave it."

"But what conditions then?"

"Your working hours remain the same, so you may go out in the evening, but I'm setting the curfew at 9:30 pm on weeknights and 10:30 on Saturday and Sunday nights. Then, if I'm not home, I want you to text me when you go out and when you get back home. And finally, I want to know the people you'll hang out with..."

"Why!?"

"Because I need to make sure they're respectable and serious people. Break the rules and you'll be grounded."

"Great. So, I'll be like... hey, we could be friends, but my guardian wants to meet you first, can you please follow me for a complete investigation?"

"Don't be insolent, Aaron, I'm talking about people you'd start hanging out with regularly."

"It'd be easier if you had friends you could introduce to me," I sigh.

"You already know most of my friends, but they're either straight or taken. And too old for you."

"Yeah, old like you," I snort. "And what about that guy who visited a couple of weeks ago... Hmm... what was his name again... Pietro?"

About two or three weeks ago, a man visited us unannounced, and Ivan introduced him as another high school friend he kept in touch with. Not as close as Anton or Marcus, but close enough for Ivan to offer him to stay for dinner when he saw that the guy looked distressed. Although they spent a long moment in Ivan's office for more privacy, I still gathered that Pietro worried over a younger brother and that said brother was gay.

"What about him?" he chuckles. "Pietro is straight as a pole, you heard him talk about his girlfriend."

"But he also mentioned a much younger brother who' gay, so..."

"Forget it, Aaron," Ivan replies in a drier tone, making me wonder if he'd consider his friend's brother as a bad influence. "You'll have to make new acquaintances on your own."

"I'll do that," I retort in the same icy tone as I rise to my feet and begin to clear the table.

I am putting stuff on the main kitchen counter when Ivan's body suddenly collides against my back, pinning my front against the counter, and I can feel his warm lips close my right ear.

"Good luck with your already heavy schedule, Menino. Make sure you respect the rules, that's all I'm asking. And don't forget you're grounded until Saturday."

Jerk!

Well, I can play smart when I want to and the old fogey doesn't seem to know me as well as he thinks. If he believes I won't manage, he is strongly mistaken.

Published on 3 March 2020

Hope you enjoyed this lighter chapter!

Well, got a few things to say, so...

First, I'd like to remind something important further to an interesting comment I saw in last week's chapter (about the fact that Ivan shouldn't have spanked Aaron). I don't want to give too many spoilers, but like I said before: 1/ Remember we only get Aaron's POV in this book 2/ Ivan's perspective will be given in Book 9 (if I really write it) and should clarify some things. So who knows what was in his head? How do we know he was really going to do it in the first place? Wasn't he simply trying Aaron? Also remember that Ivan is quite manipulative and NOT a flawless character, which means that some of his future actions will sound quite confusing to you, readers, but trust me, each of his acts and words aren't innocent, and there's a reason behind each of them ;)

Second, I'm certain that many of you will have made a parallel between Ivan/Aaron and Camden/Noah, and of course, it was a purposeful wink to Twisted Moon here, even if things happened differently. The goal was also to prove that Aaron and Noah have different personalities for obvious reasons, even if they also have a lot in common. Well, one's a mischievous Sub and the other is supposed to become a Master Dom, so they couldn't be the same, right?

Third, I know some of you keep wondering if Ivan will ever tell Aaron about his seropositivity. Of course, he will. In due time. Let's just take things in order. Well... the order I chose :)

Fourth, about Marek: once again, he's a temporary character, so don't expect him to see him much. In the very first draft of the plan I had made, he was barely mentioned anyway, but as usual, I can't help developing and adding more chapters as I write, and these two chapters aim at posing a few more important things for the future.

Anyway... there was going to be a fifth point, but I'm deciding against it. I'm sure some of you will have picked on the hints in this chapter more clearly than in the previous ones, so we'll see!

See you next Wednesday for the next update with a little jump about ten days later ;)