His mood shot after that last meeting with Mokuba, Seto headed home. It would be of no use his going back to work, as he wouldn’t get anything accomplished. Home...his sanctuary. He longed for the peace and quiet that came with the absence of his brother. Seto found himself enjoying their moments apart, even more than the time they spent together as kids. Every moment together became just cause for confrontation. He tried remembering the last time they had actually talked civilly to each other and found he couldn’t. Outside of business meetings, which they were both required to attend, Seto was unable to think of one conversation that hadn’t ended with one or the other storming out of the room.

Pulling into the driveway, Seto pushed all thoughts of his brother to the back of his mind. There were other things needing his attention, like his new ‘home’ at Toxic Pleasures. Anything he wanted or needed, for his purposes, a room of his own, to use for things other than sleep or work, a place to feel the touch of another body on his. The only rooms he now considered his covered the other purposes, but a place to be free of the reality of his life, he would have to come up with something special.

Parking the car, Seto left it out of the garage. He’d take it again later so there was no need putting it up now. He walked in the house, heading straight for his bedroom, determined to do a little research online.

Seto stripped off his coat, tossing it on the bed after entering the room. Immediately, he sat down at the computer terminal, his fingers beginning their dance upon the keyboard. He knew most of the things he planned to get, so it was just where to get them. It took a bit of searching but after awhile, Seto was more than satisfied with his choices. He compiled all the information and burned it to a CD to take to Toxic. Then it was just a matter of getting ready for the night ahead.

Obviously, he wasn’t going as he was now. Still dressed for business, his whole outfit felt stiff and tainted especially after dealing, or more correctly not dealing, with Mokuba earlier. He wanted to go into this tonight clean and relaxed; especially as he wasn’t sure what situation he was going into. A long hot shower called to him, the best way known to man for cleansing the body if not the soul.

Seto walked into the bath connected with his room, turned on the water and waited for it to heat up while undressing. Stepping into the shower, Seto let the water pour over his head and body. It caressed his body, pounding away the mix of dirt and stress that covered him. Steam from the water filled the air, wrapping him in a cover of mist as he ran the bar of soap over his chest.

His thoughts left the mundane tasks at hand, traveling instead to the night before him. Seto wondered first if the white-eyed one would happen to visit Toxic this night, also. Of course, if not, there were many other possibilities.

Soapy hands traveled the distance of his body, the thought rose of another’s hands caressing him instead. Imagined touches from a dark-haired lover running across his skin invaded his mind to the point of a more base reaction. It crossed his mind briefly that he had already decided to see the white-eyed one once again; however, this time would be different. Water flowed down him, washing away the soap that lubricated his touch. Desire grew within him, calling out for release, demanding his attention to the point Seto found himself giving in as his hand slipped further down his body. His thoughts focused on the look and feel of the one he had been with the night before…the way he planned on the night going the next time the two met…the absolute carnal pleasure he intended for the both of them. It surprised him how his whole body reacted to just that small amount of stimulus and his touch, as he stood there afterwards stunned.

He went back to the task of cleaning up, especially after the last few minutes. Went back to thinking of how good it felt to have release. Perhaps he would also take the woman up on the offer of an ad. He laughed to himself at the idea of writing it, for how did one describe oneself? Very few people in his life had ever looked on him with anything close to interest, so he wasn’t sure how others saw him. Well, there was always Mokuba’s latest view, of course that was less than flattering. Yes, he was cold and impersonal at times, not having time for the little things that were just too unimportant. However, he had always made time for his brother…maybe just not enough.

He reached over, grabbing the bottle of shampoo from the shelf, shaking his head to clear away these thoughts. They weren’t getting him anywhere except depressed and he had other plans for the night ahead. Water cascaded over his skin as soap, shampoo and other cares rinsed away from him.

Seto turned off the water, stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his wet body to dry off. He ran a comb through his damp hair before walking back out to his room. Searching the closet to choose the night’s attire, Seto rejected half the clothes there. Nothing appealed to his ideal, nothing stood out screaming for him to choose them. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it was the same thing. It didn’t really matter what he wore after all, he was not dressing to impress…impression came from what was under the clothes, in this case. He decided to dress for ease and comfort instead of style, at least he would feel more human dressed down, whether or not he felt like himself. A quick glance in the mirror to make sure everything was in place, and he was out the door not even stopping to determine if his brother had returned yet.

The drive seemed to take longer, whether due to traffic or anticipation he wasn’t sure. When he walked through the doors to Toxic this time, he was ready. He had the routine down, barely acknowledging the receptionist on his way to the next door. Seto had written the girl off as a prop after the first visit. She was someone to keep out those who didn’t belong there, or at least to distract them. The girl behind door number one was the one to deal with, and he already had her figured out, so he thought, so she wasn’t anything to worry over either. Just get past the pinpricks every time and this place had become a cakewalk. Well the entrance was. What happened after that first door became the difficult part.

The door slid open, allowing him access to the next room. “Welcome back.” She smiled up at him while gesturing to the seat in front of her. Seto sat down, handing her his card and the disk he had written earlier with the specifics he had in mind for the room. “We’ll get to work on this as soon as possible; it will be ready for you tomorrow night at this time. Now, was there anything in particular you wanted tonight?”

He thought about it before answering her. “Is the one from yesterday here tonight? If not I don’t care.” A few clicks on the computer terminal and she had his answer. The white-eyed one was there, but presently was not alone. “Fine, whatever fits then.”

The girl looked over the system trying to match his information with any who were currently in building. There was one, but would this one go for it or not, that was the question. “You wouldn’t happen to speak German would you? It’s not necessary but, it would help.”

Seto shook his head at her wondering what she was up to, “German, no.”

“Any other European languages?” she asked hopefully.

He ran through his memory trying to remember the foreign language classes he had to take in school. “Yes.” As long as they didn’t ask him many questions and took it slowly, he could get by.

“Well, as he doesn’t speak any, you could be saying the alphabet and he wouldn’t know the difference. Do you want me to tell you about this one? Or would you like the computer’s rundown in the room?” Seto sat back and signaled for her to continue. “It’s his fantasy...when you walk into the room he’ll already be there waiting for you, tied to the bed and blindfolded. You don’t have to wear a mask this time as he won’t be able to see a thing. You will be able to speak, but only in whatever foreign language you know. As I said, you could be reciting the alphabet; he won’t know the difference or care. Do what comes to mind, you’ve probably noticed there are extras in the rooms. He’s looking for whatever you can dish out.”

The computer signaled he was clear. After she programmed the way into the system, he left headed toward the next door and what waited behind.

 

onward