Ethan and Dominic (manxman) Short Story

Chapter 1

Ethan and Dominic

Chapter 1

Ethan…

(La Casa Restaraunt-------->)

Fear and disgust paralyzed every muscle in my body. I stood still as a statue as I tried to take in the unbelievable scene on the main floor of my restaurant. I couldn’t believe it was him. Why, oh why, of all the fine dining establishments in this city did that sadistic prick have to show up in, why mine? He must know that La Casa belonged to me? And yet there he was all decked out for the evening and preening in front of his colleagues that were seated at my V.I.P. table waiting expectantly for me, the head chef, to work my magic and cook for them right there at their tableside grill. Well, I couldn’t do it, I wouldn’t do it. I would rather drop dead before I served that asshole in my establishment. I glanced out once more and felt the bitter memories surge to the forefront of my mind and catapulted me right back to my senior year of high school, the year my life shattered into a million pieces.

 To the day that bastard took everything from me to be precise, those dark painful moments that caused me withdraw even further into my shell and not even Dominic, my best friend could have come close to drawing me back out again, even to this day. I have never been able to muster up the nerve to tell Dominic what Corey Engle had done to me on that life changing day. I never told a single soul what had happened on in that janitorial closet at the end of the senior's hallway. When the son of a bitch had thought it was funny to violate the one of the only outed gay boys in the senior class. It was the one and only day that Dominic had missed a day of school and wasn’t there shadowing my every footstep like he normally does even now.

Someone snapped their fingers in front of my face effectively drawing me out of my tormented recollections. I jumped and let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding.  “Chef, your diners are waiting for you.” My right hand sous chef told me and I looked at her and tried my best not to start hyperventilating, but I failed miserably as I groaned and leaned over to clutch my knees. My stomach contents churned and bubbled up my throat and I could taste the bile trying to surge forward and choke me. Nobody knew who Councilman Engle really was and what he is capable of. I began to panic and my sous chef started fluttering her hands nervously and called for some more of my staff for assistance. They managed to get me into my office and someone shoved a glass of water into my hand, but it was shaking so badly that I spilled half the contents onto the tiled terracotta floors.

“Someone call Dominic, he will know what to do.” I heard Melanie, my hostess call out to someone in the middle of my epic meltdown. I mewled and curled into myself wrapping my arms tightly around my body as helpless tears streamed down my cheeks. God, I felt like a pitiful loser letting just the sight of that man reduce me to this blubbering mess. I heard Carlos, my other chef bark out orders and everyone scattered to obey his instructions. My staff was a loyal handpicked group, but I only wanted and needed one person right at this moment. The only person that would be able to calm me down and made me feel safe. Melanie tried feeding me sips of water to soothe me down some, but I refused to open my mouth in case I vomited all over her and myself.

It seemed like hours passed before I heard that deep baritone telling people to let him through before my office door swung wide open and there he stood. All six foot and six inches of him, his coal black hair was windblown and disheveled, and his forest green eyes pinpointed themselves on my pale pinched features with laser precision. I wanted to run to him, I wanted to plaster my entire diminished five foot and five inch frame against his and draw on the comfort I so desperately needed from him, but I was afraid to be touched. That bastard had made me this way. And I much as I wanted to be held by the one person I knew in the depths of my soul would never hurt me. I still couldn’t bring myself to do it, and I burst into tears over the depressing knowledge of my weakness.

Dominic shooed everyone out of the room and closed the door behind the last person's back. I just sat there and rocked myself back and forth unable to make eye contact with him as he cautiously made his way to my side. He knelt down in front of me and rested his huge forearms his on his knees and he looked up into my distressed tear streaked face. After years of dealing with me and nuances he knew not to touch me because it would just send me into another panic attack. “Ethan, what happened, can you tell me what’s wrong?” He quietly whispered and I keened and vigorously shook my head no.

I never wanted him to know my secret shame, I never wanted him to see me as some defiled and violated used up boy toy. I couldn’t tell him what Corey had done to me. He would ruin his prominent career as an up and coming surgeon by attacking the popular Councilman. I knew he would do it without question and nothing good would come from it. So I stayed quiet and continued to rock back and forth, trying to get a hold of myself and my frayed emotions.