Undercover - Chapter 18

UNDERCOVER

Chapter 18: The Dinner Massacre

At first, I was shocked, and then, I think that I became numb.

I should have known.

I should not have been surprised.

Literally, they had warned me about this.

Once, the first time we were driving to San Antonio, Peter had told me that they had “eyes everywhere”.

It was true.

Another time, at a coffee shop, he had told me very straight forwardly that he knew that I was “fucking my neighbor”.

I just let it slide.

I mean, how could have I been so stupid?

How could have I confided myself in Amber?

The Police Department had spent the entire mission, from the initial tests to the latest developments, monitoring my every single move and purposely omitting crucial information from me.

The mission was bigger than me, it had been clear from the start.

It did not prevent the feeling of hurt and betrayal.

I liked Amber. Sincerely.

I enjoyed fucking her and then, I appreciated spending time with her.

She had become the only person in my life not linked in one way or another to the undercover assignment, when in fact, she was an integral part of it, placed there to watch me, guard me.

I bet that, at first, they wanted to see if I would put aside the mission for her charm.

Despite banging her, I probably passed this test.

I never let my relationship with Amber interfering with the assignment.

Then, they used her to get into my head, to catch what I was not telling in the reports, to make sure that I was still acting like I should have been.

In the end, she was probably there just in case something happened.

Let’s say that I wanted to turn against the P.D., well, Amber would have been right there to catch me.

Funny how I came to think about turning against the police force.

It was the first time I was recognizing that thought.

It had been there, somewhere in the back of my brain, but I had never dared to stop to consider it.

Not that I was actually considering turning then, but the seed was definitely there, planted.

I was running in circles and I could not express my frustration to anyone.

Most of all, I hoped that my discovery had gone unnoticed and that my superiors did not know that I knew about Amber.

I sort of expected them to come and get me after I had left her apartment and created that stupid leak, but nothing happened.

That evening, I worked at the Rainbow, behind the bar with Jake, as planned, and then, I spent the night with Artem.

I had to pretend with him too.

I had to fake it with everyone.

In the end, it felt like only the sex was real in my life.

The physical touch, the sweat, the warmth, the pleasure…

I fucked Artem twice during the night, the first time, I bred his ass, and the second time, I came on his pretty pale face.

It had been a while since I had not given him a good facial. I let him nut on my face shortly after.

He licked me off like a dog once he had sprayed me with his spunk.

I slept at his place.

Artem was lightly snoring while his face was lying on my chest, going up and down on the rhythm of my breathing, but I could not shut my eyes.

I was too startled.

My mind could not stop reliving the past couple of months, every discussion I had had with Amber, every time we had fucked.

How did I not see it before?

Why did I need a damn tempered alarm-clock to finally realize what had been under my nose this whole time?

I was such a mediocre spy.

Literally, I was more spied on than I was spying on anyone. What a joke!

It was a tough pill to swallow.

But the worst part was not even the lies or the deceit. 

It was difficult but I could accept that the Police Department had been watching me much more than I had anticipated.

As I mentioned, I knew from the very beginning that it was part of the game and I had signed up for this shit.

The bigger problem, - and I realized this only when the sun rose and I got to look at Artem’s naked body intertwined with mine -, was that, now, I knew how it felt to be betrayed by someone you trust.

It hurt.

I knew in my heart, in my bones, deep in my guts, in every fiber of my flesh and of my skin what it felt like to think that you know someone only to realize that they had been playing you all along.

Artem and I had certainly become much more than friends… And what I was doing to him was much worse than what Amber had ever done with me.

See, this was exactly when the seed was planted.

How the hell could I betray Artem now that I had felt how much it would destroy him?

I rethought my entire career and choices.

I was not a cool undercover spy; I was a pathetic snitch. I had gone for the worst possible job.

Artem had been so good to me lately, and I was about to push him off a cliff, him and his whole family.

My stomach ached.

I almost spilled the beans right there, when Artem woke up.

I could have confessed everything and ended this for good, I could have warned him about the police being after his father.

Instead, and to keep my sanity, I fucked him all over again.

I sucked his semi-hard cock first, I played with his balls gently, I swallowed them, I rimmed his smooth bum and then, I banged him.

Hard, in every position you could think of.

The more frustrated I was getting, the rougher I was being when it came to fucking Artem.

The good thing was that my boyfriend liked it rough.

See, we truly were a great match.

After a bareback pounding in the morning, we could take a shower and start the day right.

What better way than a climax to forget about your problems?

I wondered if I had the same effect on Artem.

He was so concerned with his father’s businesses on the daily but with me, in my arms or impaled on my fat cock, I could tell that he felt all right.

Sadly, as soon as we were done, the guilt crept back in.

I wanted to spend the entire day in bed with Artem, but if I were to indulge, it would hurt so much more afterwards.

We were doomed, why torturing myself more than I needed to?

Instead, I went home to my lonely apartment.

I checked if Amber was not looking through her windows as I entered the building.

I did my report as I always did, using a neutral tone.

I had learned a few more things in the past hours.

I knew that Artem had to meet with his father in a warehouse near Floresville, a small city situated at the south of San Antonio.

I shared all the information with the P.D.

I waited for further instructions from my boss but that day, I did not receive any.

Outside of sex, the other thing which was helping with my nerves was working out.

I got even more consistent at the gym and even Manuel was impressed with my routine.

My muscles were getting visibly thicker which was convenient for my Girthy Ry’s reputation.

“Soon, you’ll be bigger than me!” Manuel joked, feeling me up outrageously.

“Stop it… I’m not a beast like you. I’ll never be.”

“I’m just kidding, bro, why are you so moody? Problems in paradise? Mr. Kravchenko is not what you wished he was?”

I flipped my middle finger at him.

I was not in a mood for the usual banters.

Gym was my safe place; I did not want to be reminded of the bullshit which was my life.

Manuel did not insist. He went to take a shower on his side. I felt bad for my reaction.

I was way too on edge.

Manuel hated cops, why would he think of me if he knew who I truly was?

Hell, I hated cops too!

In fact, I had hated them ever since the police academy and it had only gotten worse at the precinct.

When we saw each other later for our evening shift at the Rainbow, Manuel and I were fine.

I bet that he had already forgotten about my irritability at the gym. I did my best to be friendly and to take part in the horsing around pre- and post-shows.

It had been a few days since I had not stripped for a crowd and Artem had come to the club to witness this.

The dress code of the night? Jockstraps. The star of the show? Our juicy shiny bums.

Since the big boss was there, everyone was on their best behavior. It was pretty funny to see them hustling around.

Manuel and Javier were not as late as they were usually; Matthew twerked his peachy ass until exhaustion; And Colin gave one of his best performances, oiling up his body and feeling himself like he was in a trance-like state.

I could swear that his cock had grown a little.

Maybe the weird experiment he was following with his college buddies was working after all.

But that was not all.

Lamar was not hosting the evening alone. A drag queen had been invited to perform for most of the night, delivering zingers and introducing us on stage.

I froze when I first saw her.

It was Nona Bynaree who I had met once during my very first stripping lesson in a club in Dallas.

I remembered her very well because firstly, that night had been very intense for me, - it was the very beginning of my mission -, and secondly, I had ended up nutting partly on her wig.

Oopsie.

So much had changed since then that the hand job with the quote-on-quote “Man of Steel” seemed to have happened in another lifetime.

I hoped that she would not but the drag queen recognized me backstage while I was changing.

Ironically, just like the first time we had met, she stumbled on me bending my hairy ass over and only after, she saw my face… and my bare cock hanging between my legs.

I had just pumped it, it looked massive.

“Wait… I felt like I know you, gentleman. That peachy hairy bum… And that girthy cock!” She brushed her fingers on my chest until she reached my pubes.

“You’re sure?”

“She’s from Dallas, Ryan, you’ve never met her?” Lamar intervened.

I was worried for my cover at first, but then, I realized that it was only strengthening my back story of being a stripper in Dallas.

It made sense that I would have met her during a gig.

“Oh, right. We must have crossed paths for sure.”

“As if you don’t recognize me, sweetie. Nobody forgets about Nona Bynaree!”

She was called back on stage so our conversation ended there.

Later in the night, after our last group performance, she had retrieved a picture of the two of us together on her phone.

Artem was hanging out with us backstage after the show and he loved the queen joining us, he was a big fan of her eccentric energy.

Ferguson was also there but he was much less of a fan of drags…

He had always been a buzzkill anyway.

“You see, Girthy Ry, I’ve told you. You and me, we were already bonding back then! Of course, you couldn’t resist my charms. Look how happy you are on this shot!”

She passed the picture around, - I was basically naked on it -, and everybody else teased me, including Artem.

“Yeah. Those were good times.” I eluded.

“Do you remember who took the photo?” She asked.

“I’m not so sure… It’s been a while now.”

“I bet it was Allan, right, the Man of Steel?”

“The Man of Steel, really?” Javier mocked.

“It’s just his stripper’s name. Allan is a cool guy, mainly working in Dallas.” I explained.

“Cool and well-endowed!” The drag queen added.

“And see, Ry, look how big you’ve gotten in the past couple of months!” Manuel intervened. “I’ve told you!”

Indeed, when we were comparing the picture taken about ten weeks prior with how I looked then, my gym progress was remarkable.

“I suppose so.”

“And how’s the Dallas scene?” Colin asked us.

Thankfully, Nona took the lead on this one so I did not have to elaborate.

I was having a good time but to prevent anyone from digging deeper into my past, I whispered into Artem’s ears that I was sort of eager to be by ourselves.

He got the message.

He thanked the strippers crew and the drag queen for their work, and we left together, holding hands.

It was no longer a secret to anyone, we were boyfriends.

Dang, it felt strange to recognize that!

“We can go to my place but I’m not sure you should spend the night. I have to leave before 7 AM tomorrow.” Artem explained outside.

“That’s in 3 hours… Why do you do that?”

“Work. The usual.”

“Hmmm… I see.”

“Don’t make that face, Ryan.”

I sighed.

“I’m not sure I’m up for a quickie tonight…”

“I thought you were horny?”

He wrapped his arms around my neck.

The way he was looking at me, it was hard to resist.

I wanted but I was not managing to keep a safe distance between us.

“I’m always horny when I’m with you, you know that.” I told him.

“So what?”

“It’s strange dating someone and having a huge part of his life you know nothing about.”

“You know much more about me than most people.”

He kissed me.

“Yeah, great achievement.”

“I like it though.” He whispered.

“What?”

“I like that you wanna spend more quality time with me. I wanna spend more time with you too… In fact, I want to get to know you more as well, on a deeper level. I don’t know much about your past either, barely nothing about Dallas or your family.”

“There’s not much to say.”

“See, you’re the mysterious one. But honestly, I’d like to…”

He looked for his words.

“Tell me, Art.”

“I’d like for us to be more committed to each other.”

“Really?”

“Really. I… I have feelings for you, Ry.”

There they were, the butterflies flying in my stomach and the violent gut punch, happening all at the same time.

“I guess we’re in the same boat cause I have feelings for you, Art.”

I was going down such a dangerous path.

We kissed again.

“And you’re right, we shouldn’t pretend as if what we do are just one-night-stands.”

“I don’t want to pressure you.” I spoke.

In the back, a group of guys starting howling at us.

Colin, Manuel and Javier were having a laugh in front of the Rainbow doors.

I rolled my eyes.

“Your friends like to tease you.” Artem noted.

“Yes, those are your employees, you should control them.”

He smiled.

“If this is getting serious between us, I don’t want you to be stripping anymore.”

“You’re jealous all of the sudden?”

“It’s more like I don’t want to be your boss anymore. It’s weird.”

If only that was the only weird dynamic in our relationship.

“I agree.”

“There’s something else. My father is throwing a dinner tomorrow. I’d like you to be there.”

That caught me off guards.

“Oh, wow. I didn’t expect that.”

“To be honest, I was not sure at first. Actually, if you can believe it, it was my father who suggested the idea, but… Anyway, given the conversation we’ve just had, I’m sure now. I want you to come.”

“I’d love to.”

“You know this is gonna be awful, right? You met with him already. You know how he is.”

“I’ll be with you. It’ll be fine.”

One last kiss and we got into his car.

It was nice being driven around by a chauffeur. I would definitely miss that, among other things.

We did not go to his place but Artem avidly blew me in the backseat of his car.

I came in his mouth after the sloppiest blowjob, there was a huge mess of saliva on the leather seats.

Another flimsy moment of joy.

Walking back into my apartment was the worst though.

The rollercoaster of emotions was getting more difficult to handle at each reunion and then separation.

I had initially refused to go to Artem’s penthouse precisely because I wanted to take a little break and re-asses where I was, and in the end, we had confessed our feelings to each other and now I was about to have a freaking Sunday family dinner.

My situation was simply getting worse by the day.

I sent my report to Peter.

I kept it short but I mentioned the next day’s dinner since it would be another milestone in getting closer to the target.

I had to, right?

Then, I threw up.

That was a very bad sign.

Not only was the mission weighing on my mind, but I was starting to see physical manifestations.

When the P.D. asked me about that, - they were watching everything, including me puking my guts out in my own toilets -, I lied and I told them that I had drunk too much.

They scolded me because being drunk was obviously not tolerated when you were undercover, but it was still better than the truth.

Early the next morning, Lucio from the P.D. was at my place to wire me with various mics for the first time.

Peter was still unsure about this, - having me this exposed for the dinner may be unsafe -, but it was one of the rare occasions where it could have been worth it.

Maybe Andriy would talk about sensitive and interesting topics.

Still, until the very last minute, Peter had told me that I could change my mind if I did not feel it.

“Better be safe than sorry, all right, champ? Don’t forget that.”

The truth was, I was so lost in my emotions that preserving my own life was not on the top of my priorities.

The entire day, I was considering quitting the mission altogether.

And remember the seed about turning against the P.D.? It was growing as well.

The more I was thinking about it, the dizzier I felt. 

I was supposed to meet with Artem directly at his father’s mansion, an old house on the hills, in the west suburbs.

I went there wearing a mediocre black and white suit to play the part of the ideal son in law.

The microphone and the wires were hidden in the back of my briefs.

It was supposed to be the most thrilling moment of my life, but I hated every second of it.

I got out of my car, walked towards the house and as I was about to call in to pass the gates, - you could not enter the estate with your own car, Andriy was too paranoid for that -, I suddenly walked back.

I simply could not do it.

I was weak, I was a failure, but I could not betray Artem like that. It was beyond what I was capable of.

Artem was including me in his family, he was trusting me, loving me…

And fucking hell, I realized that those feelings might have been reciprocal for real.

I returned to the car. I took off my pants and I ripped the microphones and the wires.

It was an impulsive reaction.

I was done.

I knew that there would be consequences but I could not go further with the assignment.

I hated myself too much.

Also, I had to consider that sometimes, doing the brave thing was to take a break. Peter had told me that many times.

I breathed in and breathed out.

I almost left the place entirely but another car parked behind me.

Fuck. It was Artem, driven by his chauffeur as always.

I had no choice but to confront him.

I pushed back my tears, and I tried to collect myself once again.

“Great timing, babe.” He greeted me with a smile.

Once again, he looked so handsome. Unlike mine, there was nothing mediocre about his suit.

“Yes, I just got here.” I said, kissing him.

“Let’s go, my father hates it when I’m late.”

“And we wouldn’t want to disappoint the old man, right?”

I bet Artem could tell that my palms were sweaty but I supposed he put it on the account that I was stressed for the first formal dinner with Andriy Kravchenko.

It made sense.

The mansion was as extravagant as one could have imagined in its size but the truth was, it was a bit disappointing in the inside.

The vibe, the decoration, the carpets, the furniture… Everything was old, and not in a good-looking vintage way, just plainly old.

Andriy was not big on interior design.

Most importantly, the house was way too big for a man living alone, even with security guards being there.

We were the last ones to walk in the dining room.

I did not know who else I expected to be there, but certainly not Katia, Natasha and Irina, the three escort girls I had already seen at the Sorrow.

Apparently, they were part of the family since they were sitting side by side on the long dinner table.

Unless Andriy only wanted to signify with their presence that I was, like the others, just a whore.

Artem did not seem surprised and greeted them politely.

There was another man there too, that he called “uncle”.

He was older than Andriy and he did not look like his brother. He was black.

I did not ask any question.

“Welcome home, son! How is your Girthy toy boy today?”

“Father, don’t start.”

“I’m only kidding. I’m glad to see you both, kids. Relax.”

Andriy gave me a hug. Quite warm. It was the weirdest shit ever.

And it was only the beginning.

For the dinner, European dishes were honored. A French chef was working in the kitchen. We had snails, frogs’ legs and duck confit.

I hated every single dish but I still ate everything in my plate.

Worst case scenario, I would puke again.

The conversation mostly revolved around politics in Europe.

Andriy and “Brosky” (the so-called uncle) were talking about things I knew nothing about, including the war in Ukraine.

I felt very out of place and I wisely did not intervene aside from complementing the meals.

Yes, I was a good liar.

In fact, I followed the women’s lead.

They only talked when addressed to and I did the same.

Artem tried a few times to make things lighter and he talked about entertainment or sports but that did not last for very long.

Obviously, Andriy was seated at the end of the table, and he was clearly leading the evening and the conversations.

All of that was pretty awkward but it was all right.

Not talking helped me process my thoughts.

I had been on the edge for several days and the latest break down when I had ripped the equipment was the latest sign that I needed to do something.

Even I could recognize that.

I was truly losing it and I needed to find a way out.

At times, I was managing to recenter and focus on the goal, getting the Kravchenkos to prison and gathering evidence.

What the fuck else may I do anyway?

At other times though, I could not stop searching for other options, a way to save Artem and to stay on his side.

I think I was falling in love with him.

Fuck me, right?!

While I witnessed the environment, he had grown up in, I was flabbergasted by how Artem had turned out to be such a gentleman and decent guy.

We held hands under the table for most of the night. That helped a lot.

Anyway, I thought this would be fine until it was time for dessert.

At this point, the evening definitely took a turn.

“Now, dear guests, one thing I like to do before sharing cake and champagne with anyone is to ensure that I’m in good company.” Andriy announced.

“Father. Not again… What’s that about?”

“Just a simple routine check. Noone needs to be offended or over-dramatic, all right, son?”

Artem tightened his hold on my thigh.

He was pissed but he said nothing else.

He could not talk against his father, particularly not in his own house.

Andriy lit a cigar, Brosky the “uncle” smiled right next to him. He was loving this.

“What is it that you want to know, Sir?” Natasha asked.

I could hear the slight tremble in her voice. She had a thick Russian accent.

“Stand up. The three of you.” Andriy then looked at me. “In fact, the four of you.”

Only then I realized that I should have been concerned. Just like I had feared, I was mixed in with the gang of whores invited to the night.

The three escort girls sitting in front of me stood up. Out of the three of them, the gothic girl, Irina, looked the more serene.

She had been eying me all evening though.

Artem held my thigh but I followed suit and I stood up as well.

“Father!”

“Don’t mingle in this, son. I won’t say that again.”

His tone was very harsh and he slammed the wooden table with his fist; It was properly terrifying.

“Strip.”

It was Brosky who talked.

I was not sure I had understood the command right. What did he mean by that? Was he too drunk or something?

“Strip?” Natasha asked.

Andriy licked his lips.

“You heard the man. Strip down. All of you! Now!”

Artem was boiling on my left.

I was confused.

Was this another private show?

Katia who was right in front of me was the first one to remove her top. She was not wearing a bra and she exposed her breast. Just like that, in silence.

I was stunned.

But it was too slow for our host, Andriy quickly lost patience.

“God damn it! We have found and gotten each of you in sleazy strip clubs, you can strip!” He barked.

Immediately, I started shaking and I unbuttoned my shirt.

Artem looked away. I thought that I saw him crying.

Once again, I felt for him.

He was hoping something else from this invitation.

What was this about? What would Kravchenko do to me?!

At first, I supposed it was just a twisted game. The drug lord was wicked.

The women in front of me quickly found themselves in their panties. They were not wearing much to start with.

It took me more time to get down to my briefs.

I was wearing tighties whities.

Once I was barely naked, Brosky stared at my crotch, looking disdainful.

I normally loved to show off, but not there, not in these circumstances. I had never felt this vulnerable.

At the same time, I wanted to attack them both. They were the worst kind of human beings.

I could hurt them; I could make them suffer.

Thinking that Artem had been forced to go through this bullshit all of his life was infuriating.

Andriy sighed.

“Good Lord. Why are you all still wearing clothes? Strip naked, now.”

Katia was once again the first one to comply with the instructions. Natasha followed.

Jaded, I slid my own underwear down to my ankles.

My dick and my bare ass were fully exposed.

Andriy glanced at me but he did not make any comment.

I guessed I was better off this way.

He stood up and slowly walked towards Irina who was still wearing her sexy lingerie. Black panties.

“Move.” He groaned to the two other girls.

They hastily ran to the other side of the room. Stark naked and afraid.

“Sir… I… I don’t want to get in the nude… Not in front of… Of these other men.” Irina pleaded.

Andriy sniffed her neck.

“And why not, my dear?”

“I… I just don’t want to. It’s… It’s my intimacy.”

“Dad!” Artem stood up violently.

He could not take it anymore.

Andriy pulled a gun out of his back pocket with a quickness that surprised everyone, and he shot in a plate.

Everybody jumped.

Pieces of glasses and of snails' shelves flew around the room.

“Son, I’ve told you not to interrupt me! Wasn’t I clear!? Have I lost your respect!?”

My boyfriend was violently shaking next to me.

He was about to break.

“Art… Please… Please, sit down.” I whispered to him.

Frankly, I was just mortified that Andriy would not aim for a plate the next time he would shoot.

I could not lose Artem. Not like this.

“Listen to your boy toy. He’s a smart one.”

Artem sat down.

“Please… Can I… Can I just leave?” Irina begged.

Andriy was behind her. He was apparently checking her ass. Freaking pervert. The scene was getting more and more sickening.

“Come here, smart boy.” He told me.

“Me?”

“I’m obviously not talking to my son. Maybe you’re not that smart.” He chuckled. “Come here, Girthy Ry. I need your expertise.”

Trying to hide my nerves, I walked towards Andriy. I hurt myself stepping on a piece of glass since I was barefoot

“What do you want from me?”

“Just look at that butt. Aren’t you seeing anything strange?”

I was even more lost.

What game was he playing at? Was he expecting something sexual?! Like, was I supposed to fuck Irina?

“LOOK!” He howled.

He grabbed my neck, pushed the back of my head, and I had to look down.

My heart skipped a beat.

Wires.

Just like I was initially supposed to, Irina was hiding various spy devices in her panties. There was no doubt.

I gasped as I understood the whole purpose of the dinner.

“What do you see, boy?”

“I… I’m not sure… I…”

“Exactly, this is why we need her to get naked. Right? Just to be sure I’m not making a regrettable mistake.”

“Get those panties down!” Brosky yelled from the table.

Irina was no longer serene. While crying, she got naked and the wires fell on the floor.

I looked at Artem, he seemed properly disgusted.  

“That’s regrettable.” Andriy whispered. “Such a beautiful woman.”

Irina turned around.

She held her hands in the air.

“Please, Andriy, please. For everything we’ve shared together, spare me.”

“There’s one type of animals that I hate above all else. And that’s moles.”

Andriy held his gun and fired.

One time. The bullet was shot right between her dark pleading eyes.

Irina died there. In an instant.

The two other women screamed behind me and Irina’s body collapsed onto the floor.

I had been in the police for nearly five years and I had never seen someone die, and even less so, being murdered in front of me.

I felt something else under my foot.

It was blood. A puddle was already forming.