Just A Bit Ruthless

A slice of stale bread, a small glass of water.This is his daily routine.

It's been almost a week, and any remaining optimism in Luke has been eaten away by the hunger in his body.He felt tired and weak, and sometimes dizzy.Before that, he had never known what real hunger was like, and now he did.His stomach constricted and throbbed with pain, and all he could think about was food.He needs foods rich in glucose.Luke knew that if he hadn't had hypoglycemia, it probably wouldn't have been so dire; but as he curled up on the only narrow bed in the house, too hungry to sleep, knowing that didn't make him feel at all. What comfort.

The most terrible thing is that some guards like to eat all kinds of delicious food in front of him to torture him, and when Luke stares at them with a pair of hungry eyes, these people will laugh laugh.Sometimes, if a guard is drunk or bored, or drunk and bored at the same time, they'll kick him around like a beanbag, but even that's better than watching and smelling a bunch of food and eating No, I feel much better.

Their boss never showed up.From what Luke had overheard, the man wasn't even in the house.Luke couldn't help but feel stupid for looking forward to meeting the badass boss.This isn't some stereotypical Hollywood movie where the bad guy always comes up to the victim and smugly tells how he did something bad.Most likely, Luke and his situation were, in the eyes of the mastermind, irrelevant to the grand scheme of things.The kidnapping was obviously not out of personal vendetta against him, and the villain didn't need to give him any explanation.The thought hit him hard.He had never felt so powerless in his life.

One night, Luke was curled up in bed, shivering with the cold clutching his stomach, when he heard the door lock being unlocked.He couldn't help but tense up.They had already brought him food in the morning.Are the guards bored again?He's still not healed from the rib pain they've been "bored" from last time.

Luke wanted to get up, but since he was so tired it might not be wise to do so, so he managed to sit up on the bed with his back against the headboard.Even this position drained what little strength he had left, and he had to take deep breaths to beat back the dizziness that had suddenly hit him.Damn, he mustn't faint.Don't be dizzy now.

The door opened and closed, but everything in front of him was still spinning, and the only thing he could make out was a vaguely tall figure entering the room.

Finally, as the vision gradually recovered and the vision became clear, Luke couldn't help gasping, because in front of him were Roman Demidov's cold blue eyes.

Hold.

Several times in the past week he had thought of Demidov and wondered if he might have anything to do with the kidnapping, but he had dismissed that notion.Roman is an arrogant bastard, and the look in his eyes really scares Luke, but that doesn't mean he's doing anything wrong.After all, he calls himself a "Russian tycoon of incredible wealth", not a "Russian mafia".Well, it seems that this time he was really wrong.

After a long time, the two didn't say a word except to look at each other.

Luke shifted uneasily, feeling uncommonly embarrassed.He is probably in a mess now.His curls had been freed from gel, and his bangs fell over his eyes.The blue dress shirt Luke had been wearing for a week ago was wrinkled, dirty, and bloodstained.Good thing he was allowed to take a shower last night (also because the thug who brought him food complained to Vlad that he stinks).

All in all, if Roman Demidov didn't take Luke well-groomed a week ago, he couldn't take him back when he looked like a bruised, half-starved, hapless kid. something happened.

"What do you want with me?" Luke said calmly—at least he tried to be calm, but his voice was weak and his words were odd.

Roman still had that inscrutable expression.He continued to look at him silently, that sharp look in his eyes was a hundred times more terrifying than any words.

Luke tried to calm down his inner unease. "Look, whatever you're having with my father, I don't know anything about it. Let me go, please?"

The man came closer and grabbed his jaw so hard it hurt Luke. "What trick are you playing?"

Luke winked at him inexplicably. "I don't understand what you're talking about," he said slowly, trying not to frown in pain or show his fear.

Roman pursed his lips. "Who do you think I am?" he said. "Why did Whitford send his only son to meet me? No weapons, no bodyguards, no preparations? It would be ridiculously easy to tie you up."

Luke couldn't help laughing, but his lips were still a little swollen from the previous beating, and it hurt a little from laughing. "Should I say sorry? You sound a little disappointed."

The man stared at him condescendingly, as if Luke were some strange creature he couldn't even imagine. "You can't be such a stupid kid who doesn't know anything," he said with disgust, and he let go of Luke and straightened up.

Luke eyed him curiously, a plan taking shape in his mind.If this person can only see his youthful face, then he can take advantage of it.Maybe this childish baby face can finally come in handy?He can do whatever he can, pretending to be harmless to humans and animals, ignorant and ignorant—pretending to be a delicate little boy who is completely different from himself.Luke is an optimist at heart, and he believes in his heart that there is no such thing as an absolutely evil person.Even the most heartless and ruthless criminals think twice before preying on weak children... right?

Well, at least it's worth a try.

Luke put on his most authentic puppy eyes, raised the eyeballs under the long eyelashes and looked at the man, with fatigue and weakness written all over his face. "I'm so hungry," he said weakly. "If you don't want me to get sick, then let me eat well. I have low blood sugar. If I don't eat well, I get dizzy and nauseous."

Demidov didn't show any emotion on his face. "You're alive," he said simply. "This is the only thing I care about. A weaker hostage can save a lot of trouble."

Makes sense.

Luke refused to accept his fate, he bit his lip and looked down. "All right."

The other party said nothing.

He waited, not daring to get angry, but as time passed, the facts proved more and more: this man was indeed as ruthless as his appearance.

"You didn't answer my earlier question," Demidov said, reaching out and gently pressing the top of Luke's head with his big hand.

Luke didn't dare move, didn't dare look up, didn't dare vent his anger.There was something in this gentle touch that made him startled from the bottom of his heart.He knew very little about this man, but he was certain of one thing: he didn't have any gentle cells in his body.

"I don't, don't know what you want me to say," he managed to say, trying to suppress the dizziness of fear, and looked down at his bare feet. "I don't know anything about the deal between father and you. He won't tell me anything. He doesn't know that I came to see you. I don't know what I'm facing, so I stand up for him gone."

His slender fingers combed his curly hair very gently.

Luke couldn't breathe.

His fingers tightened suddenly, pulling his hair and causing him to raise his head.Cold blue eyes stared at him aggressively, "You think I'll believe it?"

"You hurt me," Luke said, letting tears fill his eyes and trying to make his lower lip tremble. "I'll tell you all I know, I swear."

The hand in his hair didn't let go, but Demidov's eyes fell to Luke's trembling lips.It was a glance of a few tenths of a second, but Luke didn't miss this action.

That's it.

A new thought popped up, and he lowered his gaze again.Luke didn't really want to make this move—a part of him couldn't believe he was actually considering it—but... BUT!He's not some troubled girl.He doesn't want to be like a girl in distress who can only wait pitifully to be rescued.He was all to blame for his own reckless actions, which brought him into such a predicament.Besides, if his father paid a sky-high ransom for him, he would have to skin him alive in the end.Yes, Luke screwed up on his own, but this is also his chance to prove to his father that he can handle dangerous situations on his own.If he could play tricks on such a powerful man, then he could prove to his father that he was far from useless, that he was talented and resourceful, and that he could be trusted.

However, this man's eyes can make his knees go limp, and a pretended gentle touch can make his heart beat faster and it is difficult to breathe. Under such a premise, can he really succeed?

Luke looked up again to meet the man's gaze.When his eyes collided with Roman, his heart was tangled up.The Russian was not ugly.Not ugly at all.He has a rugged good looks.Short dark hair, a straight nose, and a square chin covered in light black stubble.He lives up to his name: he reminds Luke of an ancient Roman warrior.He was well-built, with broad, muscular shoulders beneath a black polo-collar sweater, and thick muscles in his arms and chest.If he had been shorter, he would have looked stocky; as it stood, he was a perfect killing machine.There was a quiet, carefully restrained aggression in his gestures, something deadly and dangerous.Although Luke was of medium height and not weak in build, he felt small in front of this man.Vulnerable.

Luke stuck out his tongue and licked his lips.

The hand that was holding onto his hair tightened even more, but Roman's tone was still very gentle, and he said, "I want you to explain. Say it quickly."

Luke took a deep breath, trying to shake off the tension in his heart.Roman Demidov is also just a mortal.A mortal like him or James.Well, even if it's different from him and James, it's still just a man.No matter how ruthless or shrewd, every man has a little possibility of being manipulated and persuaded.He just needs to find the right angle to cut.

"I'm telling the truth," Luke whispered, trying to sound as frank and innocent as possible. "I made a mistake with the email. I came to see you behind my father's back because I want to prove to him that I am a mature adult and that I can participate in the family business."

Roman snorted mockingly.

Luke swallowed back the retort and said, "You don't think much of me. Do you think my father would take me seriously?"

Got to the point.He could see that Demidov was finally trying to trust him a little bit.

The hand clutching his hair loosened, and it turned into a gentle caress again.Luke didn't know which of the two situations was worse.

"So you're here just because you're a stupid brat?" Roman said, his tone softening.

In his mind, Luke fantasized about punching the opponent on the nose, thinking about every detail, not to mention how much he felt.But in reality, he bit his lip and shrugged. "Can you tell me why you kidnapped me?" he asked, trying not to notice the fingers still tangling in his hair.

"No," Demidov said.

"Aren't you afraid of being regarded as the number one suspect in kidnapping me?" Luke raised his head as he spoke. "There is that email, and someone knows that I am going to meet you." By the way, James has seen Roman's photo, and he is likely to describe his appearance to the police.

Demidov looked unfazed. "We had a public meeting in a public place, and the meeting itself was arranged through official channels." His voice was still so soft, and he gently combed Luke's curly hair with his fingers, and the disturbing hollow Keep your eyes on the movement of your hands. "It's more that I was seen leaving before you and flew to Sochi, and I stayed there for a week. The president of Russia can personally testify to my alibi."

Luke's eyebrows were raised high: what is this man's background?He is obviously not very old, how on earth did he gain such great power?

Guess how he did it?Three chances, Luke thought, resisting the urge to shudder. "So, are you going to ask my father for a ransom?"

Roman said nothing.

"What did my father do to make you so angry?"

Not a word.

Luke gritted his teeth with hatred before he remembered his situation—remembered his plan.He couldn't show his anger, he couldn't just throw a fit.He has to behave obediently and soften the opponent's defense somewhat.

If necessary, he has to seduce the other party.

Luke felt his cheeks flush a little.The task seemed daunting, almost impossible.If this person was really that easy to control, then he would not be in his current position.He's dangerous, if he gets suspicious of Luke's intentions...

Luke's heart tightened.

"At least ask your men to bring me something to eat? Please. I'm so miserable." Luke looked at Roman and licked his lips with his tongue. "I am so hungry."

Roman's eyes followed the movement of his tongue.If Luke hadn't been in a terrible mood right now, he would have laughed out loud.It seems that his first boyfriend, Neville, really told the truth once.The scumbag lied to him for months, hiding the fact that he was married, and when the truth came out - his wife suddenly came to Luke's apartment - Neville dared to blame Luke for seducing him "Crooked way", what are you talking about? Any straight man with a strong blood, as long as he sees his two lips, he can't help but want to insert his dick in the middle.Back then, Luke felt stupid and mean and nasty, but maybe, just maybe, Neville was right.Maybe.

Luke exhaled carefully, Roman's fingers were wrapped in his hair, the vivid touch made his heart ache with tension, and those cold eyes made him uncomfortable.I couldn't fathom what was going on in this man's mind.Even when Luke caught Roman's gaze lingering over his mouth, his Kedar did nothing.All of his mind is telling himself to be careful with this man, it is not wise to simply seduce him and play tricks on him.What he had to remember was that, although the man spoke impeccable English, he was still a Russian.While homosexuality is stressful in the UK, it's even worse in Russia.While Luke doesn't want to look at people through colored glasses and stereotypes, he can't help but notice: Anti-gay culture has a deep-rooted tradition in Russia.More than half of the curse words the guards used were homophobic, regardless of whether the subject of their conversation was actually homosexual or not.In the past week, Luke has been called "the second chair" -- "pidaras" in Russian -- more often than he has ever been called in his life, even though he doesn't display anything that the guards would see as gay. Come.Luckily, Luke can't help but guess that this group of people is also homophobic and won't do anything that would make them look gay, but that's hardly consolation.He felt very uneasy surrounded by such a group of people who were full of hatred and hostility towards his attributes.Luke secretly wondered if the guards would take it as a license to do whatever he wanted if they found out he really liked men: they would take it for granted that he "wanted that"—and Of course, making a stinky and shameless second chair doesn't mean they're bent.

Because of this, he must be cautious when dealing with the man in front of him.One wrong step can lead to catastrophe.

"Please," he said softly. "I'll be good. I'll do whatever you want." He kept his tone unintimidating, making sure his expression was sincere.He can't steal the show -- that would be too easy to see through.His intuition told himself that Roman Demidov was the kind of person who enjoyed the pleasure of power, the kind of person who liked to see others submit to them, but it didn't have to be sexual submission.Luke could put on a gesture of submission.If he handled it right, he might not even have to sleep with this man.Luke shuddered at the thought of actually having sex with this man, of Roman laying his hands on him while looking down at him with disturbing eyes.

His eyes moved down unconsciously, aiming at the man's muscular thighs.He could make out the outline of Roman's penis under the material—it was big enough, long and thick, even though it wasn't erect.Luke swallowed, licked his dry lips, and felt restless in his heart.Damn, it's no wonder that a dick like that doesn't fuck him up - and besides, a man like Roman Demidov isn't much of a sweetheart, he's rough and bossy in bed and only cares about himself pleasure.Luke seemed to have seen the scene: the Russian's body was heavy on top of him, squeezed between his legs, and every rhythm hit him hard, as if Luke was just a place for him to vent. Tool of--

Roman let go of his hair and stepped back.He narrowed his eyes, studying Luke's face like a hawk.

Luke met his eyes, praying he wasn't blushing or putting all the erotic thoughts on his face.Sometimes, he really hates his vivid imagination.He didn't know why he thought of that scene.Anyway, Roman didn't see him at all, he had nothing to be afraid of in that regard.He's got bigger things to worry about than this man's cock - like, getting something to eat.

"Please," Luke said softly.

Something flitted across Roman's face.He stared at Luke for a while longer, his expression returning to the mysterious before, then turned and left.

Luke slumped back, almost overwhelmed by disappointment.He failed.He failed again.

At this moment, he heard Roman's cold voice - muffled but still audible through the door - saying:

"Daitemalchishkechto-nibudpoyestsuschestvennogo. Myortvymmneonnenuzhen. (Get this kid something good to eat. He's useless to me when he's dead.)"

A faint smile slowly emerged on the corner of Luke's mouth.

Maybe it was just a small win, but he felt his optimism returned.

Take one small step at a time.