The Adonis of Weho (9 page)

~

While Reese watched those enormous white wings spread out like the span of an eagle’s wings. “Icarus? I’m going nuts!”

Reese felt his knees wobble at the fright. There was no way that six foot plus wingspan could be missed. Nope. He was the only one who could see this death angel. “I must be having a heart attack.” Reese felt his chest. His heart was pounding rapidly from his terror.

He sat down on the sand, trying to fathom what on earth he was seeing.

~

Adonis saw the man drop to his bottom and grab his chest. He took a few steps towards him and stopped. “Hera! I swear to you if this is a trick and he is Artemis in disguise I shall plague you!”

The man was gaping at him, holding his heart.

Adonis couldn’t hold back if the man was in need. He sprinted up the sand towards him.

~

Seeing that enormous predatory bird-man coming his way, Reese cried out and tried to get to his feet, scrambling in the dry sand, his gaze glued to the fast approaching beast. The wings flapped like a hawk hunting a mouse. The terror of seeing his own death coming had Reese frozen.

~

“Are you all right?” Adonis asked, panting to catch his breath.

“Don’t kill me!”

“Kill you?”

“Oh, God, I don’t want to die!”

“Are you dying?”

“Aren’t you death?”

“Death? Me?”

“The Angel of Death?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Are you Icarus?”

“No. Who are you? Do you know Icarus?” Adonis crouched down by this man, smelling fear and seeing his skin beaded with sweat.

“The…the wings!” The man pointed, his arms shaking.

“Why can you see them? Are you mortal or a god?”

“What? Am I mortal? What the fuck are you? You’re not mortal?”

Adonis looked up at the sky. “What are you doing to this poor man?”

“Who are you talking to?” The man cowered. “Am I going to die? Are you an angel?”

“An angel? No.” Adonis reached out to touch the man’s hair but he scooted back. “Don’t be frightened.”

“Are you out of your mind?” He choked. “Don’t be frightened by a guy with huge white wings who asked if I was a mortal or a god?”

“Why did you come back here?”

“To find you!”

Adonis smiled. “I won’t harm you.”

“Am I insane?”

“I don’t know. By whose standard? They are all different.”

Adonis sat down on the sand in front of him, sifting handfuls through his palm.

“Why can’t anyone else see this?” The man looked around.

“What I want to know is, why you can?”

“Who are you?”

Adonis bit his lip. “Smith. Smith Gold.”

“Are you an angel? Did I ask you that?” The man was still shaking terribly.

“You did. And no. What is your name?”

“Reese Anderson. If you’re not an angel what are you?”

“I am a man. Like you.”

“Bullshit! I don’t have those.” He pointed.

“Well, half man.” Adonis shrugged. “Are you calmer? You have my word I won’t hurt you. I never had the intention of even scaring you. Though you scared me.”

“I scared you?”

“Yes. When you saw my wings I thought I was going to be in big trouble.”

The man brushed the sand from his hands, appearing to calm slightly. “In trouble from whom?”

“Never mind.” Adonis admired him for a moment.

~

Reese tried to stop trembling. Smith was giving him an adoring smile. “A gay non-angel?”

“Yes.”

“Half man, half…?”

“Are you a gay man?”

“Yes. All man. Not half anything. Oh, half Polish. Half…Heinz fifty-seven.”

Smith tilted his head as if he had no idea what he had just said.

“Why are you here in LA?” Reese tried to stand, testing to see if his legs were going to support him.

Smith reached out to help him. At first Reese recoiled, then something in Smith’s blue eyes gave him faith. He took his hand. The heat and spark that connected them was instant. Reese got to his feet and before he brushed the sand from himself, he looked at Smith’s hand as it held his, then up into this strange creatures light eyes.

Smith glanced upwards and said, “Eros! Arm your bow!”

Reese panicked and jerked back his hand, looking for an armed assailant.

“I’m joking.” Smith grinned. “Sort of. I mean, if you were shot by Eros’ arrow, well then…”

“Shot?” Reese spun around to see if he could find someone aiming a bow at him.

“Eros,” Smith said calmly, “The god of love.”

“Man, either I’m on a good hallucinogenic or you’re nuts.”

“If I didn’t have these stupid wings, what would you think of me?” Smith put his hands on his hips.

Seeing a look of annoyance on the man’s face, Reese tried to give him an honest opinion, his frazzled nerves notwithstanding.

“You’re…” Reese started his appraisal at Smith’s face, his angular jaw and straight narrow nose, high cheekbones and full lips, clean shaven and with a full head of ridiculously thick brown hair. He panned lower, seeing the size of Smith’s broad shoulders, his chest muscles pressed against the fabric of his black shirt, a narrow waist, sculpted biceps, and muscular thighs tapering to fabulous legs. Then Reese gazed at his crotch. Through the tight white fabric he could see an imposing hard cock.

“Wow.”

Smith perked up. “Wow?”

“You’re…”
You’re the best looking fucker I have ever seen
.

“I’m…? Yes?”

“Smith… Wow. I mean, without the crazy wings?” Reese shook his head and couldn’t stop looking at the man’s dick once he’d seen it.

“Yes. Without the crazy wings. Reese, am I attractive to you?”

Reese began to sweat and his cock swelled. “Are you?” He laughed nervously. “Like you need me to tell you how hot you are?”

Smith opened his arms. “Hot. Good then?”

“Are you someone I should know?” Reese felt dizzy. Maybe he was dreaming. He pinched his arm and flinched. No. He wasn’t dreaming.

“Why did you make yourself cringe?”

“I…” Reese felt disoriented. “What’s going on? Is this a reality show? Am I being punked?”

Smith’s head tilted like a puppy who can’t understand human language. “Punked.”

Reese checked the time. He didn’t know why. Just out of habit.

“Am I keeping you from an appointment?”

“Huh? No. I’m just tired. I only slept two hours last night.”

“Why?”

Reese’s gaze kept being drawn to the white feathers. They moved in a gentle fluttering rhythm that was hypnotic. He raised his hand to touch them. They appeared to glimmer and got ruffled by the ocean breeze.

Smith stiffed up and his expression narrowed to the act.

“What are you doing?”

“Can I…?” Reese swallowed down a dry throat.

“Can you…? Can you what?”

“Touch them?”

“Them?”

“Your wings?’

~

If Adonis imagined finding a mate he certainly didn’t expect his pathetic wings to be part of the attraction. “Why?” Suspicion emerged in him. Why would a mortal want to touch his strange appendage?

“They look so soft.”

“Out of all the places on me there is to caress, you choose the part I am humiliated by the most?”

“What? Your wings humiliate you?”

Adonis threw up his hands. “Yes! It’s freakish. Do I need to tell that to the man who thought I was the angel who had come to claim him?”

Reese’s hand hovered near them.

Adonis ground his jaw and stared at the sky. “Is this a trick?”

At the contact from Reese’s hand to the shoulder of his wing, Adonis froze. A sensation so strong it scared him rushed over his body.

“They are amazing. Can you fly?”

“Stop touching them. They are not me.” Adonis flinched away. “They are a curse.”

“Who cursed you?”

His heart aching at Hera’s treachery, Adonis dropped to his knees and covered his face. Here he had met an ideal man and all he was concerned with was the one part of his body that he detested.

“Smith? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

Reese crouched down near him.

“It’s cruel. What she’s done to me. She sucks.” Adonis struggled with his emotions. “The pain I have suffered at their rules, their jealousy, their spite…” His tears flowed down his face.

“She? Then you are not Icarus in the flesh?”

“How do you know Icarus?” Adonis wiped his eyes roughly.

“Everyone knows the Greek myths. Don’t they?”

“Mortals know about the gods?” Adonis used his shirt to wipe his face. “Do they?”

“Some. I guess we all know there are stories about each one, and it’s up to us mere mortals to read them.”

“You read them?”

“I do know some of them. I read and I write.” Reese reached over Adonis’ shoulder, going for the feathers again. Adonis fought the urge to flinch away.

Someone walked by. “Get a room.”

Adonis looked up to see two men sneering as they past. They both stood once more, and Adonis didn’t know what to make of this situation. He didn’t want a man who found him fascinating for the freakishness of his wings. That would not do.

“I should go.” Adonis stared at his feet in the sand.

“Can I see you again?”

Feeling mistrust, Adonis glared at him. “To touch my feathers? I’ll pass.” He started walking off the beach towards his car.

~

There was no way Reese was going to let him leave this way. He kept up with Smith’s stride. “No. Look. I’m sorry. I don’t know how to react to you. I mean…I never met a guy with wings. You have to cut me some slack.”

“If all you want to do is touch white feathers, go buy a chicken.”

“Smith. Wait.” Reese felt terrible. When Smith approached the red Ferrari, Reese was surprised. “That’s yours?”

“Yes, what did you expect? I would fly away?”

“Can you?”

Smith threw up his hands in frustration and headed to the driver’s side door.

“Wait! Come on! You’re not going to just vanish on me!”

Reese stood close to the car fender as traffic rode by, ruffling the feathers of those crazy wings.

~

Adonis was considering doing just that.

This man was not meant to be his mate, he was meant to be his tormenter. Hera surely had sent him here to make his life a misery.

“At least give me one date.”

“For what? So you can ogle the one part of me I hate?” He tried to get into his car.

“Wait.”

At a touch to his bottom, Adonis shivered. He closed his eyes and leaned against his car as the noise of motorists drove close behind them.

“Can we get out of the street?”

“Leave me alone. I don’t know who you are or why you’re interested in me if you can see these pathetic wings.”

“Smith! Come on! At least let me get to know you a little.”

“Why?” Adonis glared at him.

“Why?”

At the sensuous look in Reese’s eyes, Adonis softened his angry tone. “Yes. Why?” He pouted.

Reese massaged Adonis’ bottom, leaning against him.

“Because.”

The surge to Adonis’ groin was substantial. Someone honking at their public display woke Adonis from his swoon.

“Let me go.” He pulled open the car door and sat down in the low slung bucket seat.

Reese held back the door from being shut, risking his life from the passing traffic behind him. “Can I have your phone number?”

“I don’t know it.” Adonis didn’t. He had a phone to communicate with his two friends, but had no idea how they had gotten his number.

Reese looked behind him at the cars. “Can I sit next to you for five minutes?”

“Why?” Adonis was exasperated.

“Fine!” Reese stood and slammed the door shut, walking back around the front of the car, to the sidewalk. Adonis felt terrible. He glared at the ceiling of his car. “Is this a trick? Dad! Hera? Is he a god? What have you sent me?”

Seeing Reese walking away, Adonis turned the car on and opened the passenger’s window. “Reese!”

He spun around.

Adonis waved him closer.

Reese leaned into the window.

“Get in. Five minutes.” Adonis looked at his gold watch and tried to calculate the time. Mortals were obsessed with it. Reese opened the door and sat beside him, closing them in. Reese lowered the loud music blasting on the radio and turned in the leather seat to face Adonis.

“Where is your phone?” Reese asked.

Adonis reached for his leather pouch, which he had placed behind the seat, and put it on his lap. When he went to hand Reese the electronic device, he caught him staring at his wings again, as they tucked behind his back.

Rolling his eyes at the folly, Adonis handed him the phone.

“Nice one. I need to get one of these.” Reese scrolled through the tiny symbols and pushed numbers. Adonis heard a strange noise and Reese took his own phone out of his pocket and read the number. “I got it now.”

“Let me see.” Adonis took the phone from him. “That’s my number?”

“Yes.”

“There are so many. Ten? You can contact me through pushing these ten numbers into the phone?”

Reese stared at him strangely.

Adonis gave him back his phone and shook his head. “Never mind.” He put his own phone into the pouch and dropped it behind the seat again. After he had finished fussing, he looked at Reese. Something in those dark brown eyes had Adonis fluttering on the inside, never mind his feathers. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Reese parted his lips to reply but nothing came out but a puff of air.

Adonis noticed Reese glance down at his lap. He did as well, seeing the outline of his cock showing through his white shorts.