EMDS - #1 - A Congressman's Temptation (MxM)

c.11

 I rushed into a separate Uber immediately after exiting the plane. I decided on the place I hadn’t been in months: my apartment. I needed to clear my head and figure out what my next move would be. The driver pulled up to the building and I grabbed my luggage and headed upstairs. I inserted the key into the lock and turned it, rushing inside. The sweet aroma of vanilla was still fresh in the air. The AC had turned over and the cool air whispered from the vents. I inhaled deeply as I dropped my bags. I walked over to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water and drinking it like an alcoholic and his favorite bottle of whiskey.

  “ Elijah. “ 

  My heart stopped beating the moment I heard his voice. He was the last person I expected to see. He held a white envelope in his hand as he leaned against the door frame leading into the back of the first floor of the apartment. 

  “ Hey, wh-what are you doing here? “ 

  “ I’ve been texting and calling your phone. “ he looked at me. 

  “ I know, I’m sorry. “ I thought for a moment and knew that telling him what happened would be the right thing to do, especially in the long run. “ Andrew, something happened and I need you to........ “ 

  “ No need to enlighten me about the disgusting activities that you took part in this weekend. “ I could hear the restraint in his voice. He was focusing so hard on not becoming angry. So hard that he couldn’t even look at me. He fiddled with the lip of the envelope, slipping out a stack of pictures. He tossed them onto the counter, causing me to flinch. I walked over to the black and white photos as they displayed everything that took place at the club that night. But that wasn’t the worst of them. A photo of Keenan holding me tightly by my waist as he pulled me onto him. And another one. And another one. 

  “ Where did you get these? “ I mumbled. 

  “ Does it f*****g matter? “ he bellowed as he punched the wall. He snatched his arm back, shaking the residue away from his hand.  “ What the f**k is this? “ 

  “ Andrew, I can explain. We were drinking and it just happened. “ 

  “ Elijah, s**t like this doesn’t just happen. “ he pointed to the pictures. 

  “ Well, that’s how I have to explain it to you. I don’t understand how or why...... “ 

  “ Did you talk to him about this? “ 

  “ Of course I did. He found it amusing. “ 

  “ I’m going to f*****g kill this...... “ 

  “ No, are you kidding me? “ I don’t know where the strength came from, but I managed to pull him away from the door effortlessly. “ If my mother and father find out about this, I don’t know what will happen. “ I told him. “ And apparently, he’s done this with Erica, too. “ 

  “ What kind of sick, twisted games are ya’ll playing? “ he was utterly disgusted. I felt my heart shatter into a billion pieces. Those words and his tone made me feel low. Like scum. s**t! Complete s**t! 

  “ Excuse me? “ I tried holding back the tears. 

  “ Give me the f*****g keys. “ he held out his hand. 

  “ Andrew, I promise....... “ 

  “ Give me the f*****g keys! “ 

  I huffed as I grabbed my keys, struggling to unhook them from the silver ring. I placed them in the palm of his hand as he quickly closed it. 

  “ I never want to see you again. “ he mumbled. 

  “ I.......Andrew? “ 

  He held his hand up to me. He turned to look at me, shaking his head. He walked out of my apartment, slamming the door behind him. I let out the loudest yelp that I could. I sobbed! I didn’t cry, I sobbed. I should have known that it would come to this, but I couldn’t handle it. I became so damn light headed from crying that I decided to just lay down. I drifted off shortly after. 

  I woke up to the sound of distant police sirens and distinctive rap music playing. I looked over at the clock on the wall as it read eleven fifty-nine. I tossed the covers off of my body as I got up and walked towards the kitchen. I looked at the scattered photos that covered the counter. I took a deep breath, examining them over and over. Until one picture caught my attention. It was a picture of all of us that night at the restaurant. I furrowed my brows as I remember the thought of seeing Andrew’s ex-wife. The energy in the room shifted and I knew that I had my culprit. 

  I reached for my laptop and begin typing in whatever came to mind. Names. Dates. I had to find some information that linked me to where this b***h lived. And then I found it. Two hours and fifty-seven minutes. This couldn’t wait until later today. I hopped into the car, heading to the gas station. I grabbed the red canister from my trunk and filled it with the hot liquid. Once I was finished, I put her address into my GPS and headed there. I pulled up to the beautiful home and could foresee the empty lot. I got out of the car, grabbed the gas canister, and walked around the house, pouring the liquid over the red brick, even tossing some on her windows. Once I was pleased, I walked back to the front of the house and pulled out my lighter. One last sight before the disaster.

  “ Elijah? “ 

  “ Jesus. “ I jumped. “ Would you stop f*****g popping up, Andrew? “ 

  “ I’m sorry, I........ “ he looked at the canister and the lighter in my hand. “ What are you doing? “ 

  “ What does it look like? She ruins my life, I ruin hers. “ 

  “ You would burn her house down for me? “ he chuckled but I was serious. “ Okay, I can’t let you do that. “ 

  “ Why the f**k not? “ 

  “ I thought about the whole situation. I figured that she had something to do with the pictures once I took a closer look. Every time we went to Vegas, we stayed at the same resort. She knows the in’s and out’s of that place like the back of her hand. Plus, she is the only one that has something to gain from doing this. “ 

  “ Can I burn her house down now? “ 

  “ I’m sorry, kid. I shouldn’t have blown up the way that I did, but.......I was angry and I’m still very angry. “ he sighed. “ Why don’t you come back home, and once we are in our right minds, we will talk this thing through. “ 

  I turned back around to the house and flicked the lighter. “ Today was your lucky day. “ I faced Andrew. “ I’ll meet you back at your place. “ 

  “ Okay. “ 

  We both stood there, staring at each other. He darted his eyes between the gasoline and the lighter. 

  “ Oh. “ I handed them over to him as he nodded. 

   I returned to my car and made my way back home. The sun was coming up at this point. I finally made it, walking upstairs and unlocking the door. I just realized how much I missed this place. My own space! I opted for a quick shower and some breakfast. As I pulled the muffins out of the oven, I received a text from Andrew stating that he would be in his office all day. Whenever I was ready, I knew where to find him. I smiled, placing the phone down as four faint knocks sounded off in the silent space. I walked over and looked through the peephole. 

  “ The hell is he doing here? “ 

  I opened the door as ‘Mere froze in his tracks. 

  “ Can we talk? “ 

  “ About what? “ 

  “ Keenan. “ 

  “ I don’t have anything to say. “ I folded my arms. 

  “ Please? “ 

  I moved aside and let him in. He walked straight to the couch and sat down. I removed two muffins from the baking tray, placing them onto a white saucer plate and walking them over to him. 

  “ Thank you. They smell great. “ he smiled before placing the plate down on the coffee table. “ He told me what happened? “ 

  “ It just doesn’t end. “ 

  “ Elijah, he has a serious issue. I keep suggesting therapy, but he keeps insisting that he's okay. I don’t know what it is, he just has no restraint. Even though he knows it’s not right, he will do anything to get what he wants. “ 

  “ These are things that we already know. “ 

  “ You are the only one that can talk some sense into him. “ 

  “ Really? After what I just went through...... “ 

  “ Elijah, I’m begging you. “ he got down on his knees, looking up at me. “ Please, do this for me. “ 

  “ Get up. “ I lightly pulled him off the floor by his buff arms. “ I’ll do it. Tell him to meet me here later tonight. “ 

  “ Thanks, kid. “ 

  I watched ‘Mere to the car, retreating into my bedroom to catch more sleep before I get this whole process started with everything. I woke back up around one in the afternoon and decided to go ahead and get this over with. I took care of my hygiene, dressing casually, and heading down to the city hall. I stopped by my father’s office before heading to Andrew’s.

  “ Where the hell did you go, ‘Lijah? “ he embraced me tightly, pulling me back and examining me. 

  “ I went back to the apartment. Nothing serious, I just missed it there. “ I lied. 

  “ That’s a lie, but we will talk about this later. “ he nodded, patting me on my back before I left his office. 

  I made it to Andrew's office. He was going over some documents as light music played over his speaker. He looked up at me and smiled. 

  “ I’m glad you came. “ 

  “ I couldn’t resist. “ I sat down in the chair in front of him as he placed the papers to the side. “ I invited her here. “ 

  “ What? “ 

  “ Elijah, this is the only way to solve it. “ he insisted. 

  “ Why can’t we sue her? Or at least get a restraining order. “ 

  “ We have to figure out what she wants so this can end. “ 

  There was a knock on the door as he got up, guiding me to the opening under his desk. 

  “ You got some nerve doing this. “ 

  “ Hush. “ he sat down in the chair as he slid towards me. “ Come in. “ 

    The latch turned, followed by the sound of her heels clicking against the carpet. How the hell could I still hear them? I took in the familiar scent of her perfume. It was one of my mother's favorites. Her amused chuckle sent shivers down my spine. This woman was something. What I saw in that courtroom was only an act. 

  “ Why am I here? “ 

  “ I know that you took those pictures, Kelly, and I know that you had something to do with how they got to my doorstep. “ 

  “ I don’t know about any of that, Andy. “ I could tell that she was smiling. 

  “ Kelly, let’s not play games, I have way too much work and not enough time. “ 

  “ Alright. “ she gave in. “ It was me, but I’m sure you knew this. I just took the pictures, everything else happened just for me. It was like the universe was finally giving me something to hold over your head. Something I could use to kill your happiness. “ 

  “ I was the perfect husband to you. “ 

  “ The perfect husband? The perfect husband? The perfect f*****g husband doesn’t become obsessed with a faggot, mediocre writer. “ 

  “ Mediocre? “ I whispered. 

  “ Is that what this is about, Kelly? Because I’m finally happy with someone? Because I feel like I can truly be myself for the first time in my life? Because I finally feel appreciated? Valued? Heard? “ 

  “ Because I feel appreciated and valued? “ she spoke in a goofy, mocking tone. “ Be a f*****g man and suck that s**t up! “ she picked up something off of his desk and tossed it at the wall. 

  “ Could you not? “ 

  “ This is only the beginning, Andrew. You are going to wish that you never met me. “ 

  She hurried out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Andrew pushed his chair back and looked down at me. 

  “ Look at what you did. “ he chuckled. 

  “ This is not funny. Nobody should have to deal with this. “ I stood up and leaned against his desk. 

  “ Well,” he stood up. He walked over to where I stood and hovered over me. “ I guess our lives are about to be a living hell, then. “ 

  He kissed my lips softly. He pulled me towards him for another one, but I stopped him. 

  “ I just need a little time. “ I held his hand as he rubbed his thumb against mine. He nodded, kissing my forehead. 

  “ Don’t forget about me, kid. “ 

  “ I could never. “ I kissed his hand as he pulled me in for a long hug. He didn’t want to let go. I didn’t want to let go. “ We’re having dinner tonight if you want to come by. “ 

  “ You know I won’t miss that good southern cooking for anything. “ 

  I left downtown and headed back home. I saw Keenan’s car parked as I pulled into the complex. I parked my car, sighing deeply before turning the ignition off. I coached myself as I walked up the stairs to the front door. I reached to put the key into the lock but the door swung open. Keenan looked at me for a moment before returning to the sofa. Something that I noticed was while he sat there, he was still. Eerily still. The same way Erica and I had found him at the beach that night. I recalled that night and his odd behavior. Was it the PTSD? 

  “ What happened while you were deployed, Keenan. “ I sat down on the ottoman in front of him. He clenched his jaws, fidgeting with his fingers. Something he did when he was trying not to cry. “ This is a safe space. “ 

  “ I.......... “ he started but paused. 

  “ Take your time. “ 

  “ I got close to someone while I was in Afghanistan. He reminded me of you. Always so eager to help people. Selfless. He was friends with another young woman who reminded me of Erica. All three of us became friends. It was like having my family away from family. That’s why I stayed gone for so long. A year goes by and I realize that the woman doesn’t come around as much. Even when she was around, she wouldn’t deal with him. I remember one night; it was just her and I. She took my hand and she looked dead into my eyes and told me to stay away from him. That he was the devil incarnate. I believed her without question and I did what she asked. That wouldn’t end so well for me in the end. The first time something happened, I woke up tied to my bunk. Naked. Alone. I felt like I was dreaming, but I knew that it wasn’t a dream. All of a sudden, he comes out of nowhere. He began sucking my d**k. I screamed for help. I squirmed as much as I could, but when I released, he was satisfied. He untied me and told me that if I mumbled a word, I wouldn’t last long in this world. That it was easy to murder a soldier in the vulnerable position that we were in. So I didn’t say anything. The second time it happened, we were on patrol that night. He pushed me against the wall and stripped me out of my uniform. I couldn’t, for the life of me, figure out why I was aroused by this. I hate myself to this day for being aroused. But he slides me inside of him and had his way. It hurt. The whole time, it hurt. Not just the s*x, but my body. My heart. I had a bad migraine, but yet my d**k performed well. Out of nowhere, the sounds of the bullets rang out and didn’t stop. He managed to pull his pants up and go fight, but me? I couldn’t move. I heard everything. The screams. The crying. The bullets. We lost ten troops that night. And when they found me in that guard station, still naked and covered in sweat and dirt, they sent me to a base in Japan. A representative from s****l assault was there as well as a lawyer. They were going to arrest me and send me to jail for the rest of my life, but I told them what happened and they managed to strike a deal. They sent me back home with the money I had in the bank and a VA card that stated I was disabled. The day before we went to Vegas, I saw him at the mall. He spoke to me as if none of what I just told you happened. And that made me feel........I don’t know. “ I wiped the tears away from his face as he held his head down. 

  “ I wish I knew what to say, Keenan, but I don’t. I’m angry! Not angry at you, but angry at how the situation was handled. That you were chewed up and spit out like you didn’t mean anything. “ I aggressively punched my fist. “ We have to get some professional help. Do you understand? “ 

  He nodded. I embraced him as he began to cry. He held me back, tightly. I took in his pain. His confusion. His frustration. I just wanted to take all of this away from him, but I wasn’t strong enough. I couldn’t fix this one. And that hurt. I didn’t even want to run the risk of giving out my worthless advice because I could unknowingly say something that pushed him over the edge. 

  “ I’m so sorry this happened to you. “ I rocked him back and forth. 

  “ Stay with me, ‘Lijah. Please? “ he begged. 

  “ I’m not going anywhere, Keenan. I promise! “