{Thank you to my wonderful beta, Denise xxx}
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Chapter One: WITHOUT MY WINGS
“Conscience is but a word that cowards use.”
Shakespeare wrote that, so it must be true.
Delicately, Brian grips his cigarette with two fingers and brings it to his dark wetted lips. He inhales slow and deep drags into his lungs, and breathes it out almost in slow motion. His crossed feet are resting on his dark Milano coffee table and his ass is comfortably sitting on his black Le Corbusier seat sofa. For the past hour and a half, Brian’s been drinking, smoking and watching the view of the three big windows of his mansion. His luxurious styled loft is decorated with Mies Van de Rohe chaise loungers, Barra mirrors, Compasso Floor lamps, and his Modern Classic Lotus bed. A true Italian mansion, with dark blue and red painted walls, cherry hardwood floors, and eighteen foot ceilings. Everything a well-mannered twenty-seven year old stud could ever wish for, or so you would think. Brian is rich to die for, but once he bought everything he ever wanted, it was hard to please him with more shit he didn’t need.
He takes another deep drag and kills his last cigarette. He grabs his JB with four fingers, leaving a water ring on the stereo, and throws back the last shot from it, feeling the hot liquid trail down his throat. Usually in the morning, he’s sober enough to keep upright. A loud Beep echoes in the large room. He eyes his answering machine on the coffee table by his bare feet. It stops beeping the third time and takes the message.
“Brian. Brian, pick your fucking phone up,” Emmett’s voice emerges, with his natural tone from the machine.
Brian presses on the black lustrated button. “What?” He softly says.
“Hey Bri, how you feeling?” Emmett asks with his sweet, sympathetic voice.
“Like usual.” He answers, his tone, practically lifeless.
“That bad, unh?”
Brian ignores his statement and lets his head fall back on the black leather couch.
“Listen, you should take a walk, it’ll change your mind, maybe you’ll even find something else to do, other than…”
“Sex and drugs.” Brian barely keeps his voice up.
“Yeah… Tell you what, I’ll meet you in the park in about an hour, we can walk together.” Brian can hear him smile as he talks.
“Fine, whatever.” He says with his lips parted. Getting up from the sofa with little effort.
“See you later baby.” Emmett nicely says.
“Yeah, see you… later.” Brian pauses. He hangs up and grunts with exaggerated boredom.
Brian stands up. He walks to his closet, wearing nothing but dark, unzipped denim jeans with scratched holes in the hips and thigh. He slides open the large doors and steps in his closet, grabbing a simple black v-neck shirt and black Levi’s boots. He puts his picks on his slim and lean body, grabs his wallet and cigarettes, and puts them in his back jean pockets. He takes his jacket and leaves, locking the door behind him.
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