Chapter 195 - 9

"Well?" Marczak urged.

"With you," the boy confessed. "Iwo was in love with you. I think he wanted to see you."

I won't find out more, Marek decided. The boy called because he needed him, because for some reason he convinced himself that he and Marczak were close. Maybe Marek himself misled him by calling him too often and arranging for him the role that the boy dreams about. There was no way to know why he had called him that fateful evening. He took the secret to the grave and the manager had to come to terms with it.

He said goodbye to Mężyński's former roommate and headed back.

Marek Marczak was already on Aleje Jerozolimskie when his phone rang. It surprised him that it was Nowicki. This guy wasn't one of the people who would like to interact with him, but Dominik was in America now, so maybe he felt lonely?

"What a nice surprise!" he answered with a hint of mockery in his voice. That's how they always talked to each other - arrogant, brazen, provocative.

"He has... Marczak..."

It was not Nowicki's natural voice. He sounded anxious as if something was wrong.

"Where are you?" Marek asked, wasting no time. If Nowicki called him and spoke in such a voice...

Andrzej gave the address of the hotel, although his speech was not entirely consistent, he also gave the number of the room.

Marczak glanced through the glass at the passing buildings.

"I'm around. I'll be there in fifteen minutes. No, in ten. Wait for me," he ordered, and stepped on the gas pedal.

It was not good with Nowicki. His voice sounded like the photographer was in shock or under the influence of drugs. Knowing him, the probability that he took it consciously and voluntarily was zero. Then someone gave him something. And if Nowicki calls him instead of the emergency room, the matter is probably scandalous. What did this idiot get into?

Marczak abandoned the car in front of the hotel and burst inside as he was scalded. Nobody stopped him as he ran into the elevator and chose the floor. He searched for the indicated room immediately. He knocked. As soon as the door opened, he strode inside.

"Where's Andrzej?" he asked. "Andrzej!"

Some guy was tangling under his feet. He was gibbering something in some language. He was in the way. Marek hit him knocking him unconscious to the ground and began searching the apartment.

"Andrzej!!!"

"Marczak?" he heard a muffled, familiar voice. "It's you?"

"Yes! Andrzej, are you in the bathroom?" he walked over to her door, but it was locked. "Open it."

"Wait a minute." There was a movement in the bathroom. The door gave way and suddenly Nowicki, standing in it, flew forward. Marczak caught him immediately.

Not good, Marek thought. The guy's really high.

"Look at me. Hi!" Marczak recommended. He had to judge how much Nowicki drifted away into the unconscious.

Andrzej wanted to raise his head and look at the speaker, but he couldn't find him. Marczak brutally grabbed his chin and looked deep into his eyes. They completely lost focus, although they tried very hard to regain it.

"Marczak? What are you doing here?"

"You called me. You do not remember?" He asked brusquely. In such situations, there is nothing to caress.

Nowicki tried to collect his thoughts, but he clearly failed.

"Can you walk?"

"I can."

The legs, however, did not obey him. They trailed after him as if they had something better to do than go. Marek had to hold him tightly and almost pull him to make them move forward somehow.

"You smell nice" said Andrzej suddenly and brought his face close to Marczak's neck.

Marczak already knew that Nowicki was under the influence of a strong aphrodisiac. The names of every he knew started running through his mind.

"Shut the hell up," he growled. Such advances of Andrzej would be sweet if he were not stuffed with something. In this state, however, not only was he not himself, but also, if the dose was too strong, he could be in danger.

"You do not like me anymore?" Nowicki asked in a tone of disappointment.

"Andrzej, for God's sake, shut up!"

So he shut up.

The matter was too serious, and Marek had to, discreetly and definitely, quickly lead him out of the hotel and put him in the car.

Somehow he succeeded. Nowicki acted obediently, but only because he completely drifted away. He didn't even know he was in the car.

Marczak had experience with drugs and aphrodisiacs. After Andrzej's behavior, he knew it had to be something extremely strong. As he led him to his apartment, he noticed a strained hardness in his crotch. Throwing Nowicki in the shower and unscrewing a strong stream of cold water, he was almost sure that photographer was under the influence of the White Lady.

Now he was standing next to him and watched Nowicki trying to stay upright under the stream of water.

"Thank you," the photographer said, his teeth chattering.

"It won't get through that easily, you know? Ache. You'll have to relieve yourself."

Andrzej, who had almost fully regained consciousness thanks to the cold shower, blushed. It would be absolutely wonderful if the situation were not so serious.

"You can't do it on your own," the manager continued. "This is not your usual measure. It's best if you let me help you."

"No," he replied firmly, though he didn't seem confident.

"I'll raise the water temperature a little, or you'll be hypothermic in a few minutes. Stay in the shower, it'll be easier for you to endure the drug. It will be faster and less painful if you let me help you."

"No" Nowicki put his arms around himself. He was starting to tremble, this time from the cold. "I'll be faithful to Dominik."

"I'm sure he'll understand the circumstances."

"No" Andrzej replied for the third time.

Marczak gritted his teeth. Although he had previously dreamed of dragging Nowicki to bed, his proposals today were purely humanitarian. He suspected that by worrying about the photographer, he wouldn't even get his own pleasure. It's hard to even talk about sex. Rather, it would be a necessary medical procedure to ease the sufferer, but Nowicki, as always, was adamant. Even in such a situation, he wanted to be faithful to Dominic.

Marczak felt a twinge of jealousy. To love someone so much that, even in such a situation, you don't want to be with anyone else. To be loved so much...

No, such love is pure stupidity. It looks beautiful and noble, but it works only in fairy tales. There is jealousy, infidelity and pain in real life. What is now between Dominik and Andrzej is just a moment that will not last forever.

And yet this moment was worth Marczak's envy.

Nowicki, however, will suffer, here and now. A strong drug will torture his body beyond the limits of its endurance. Sex at this point would not be an act of betrayal, but a natural element of survival.

Apparently, for some, there was more than a survival instinct, more than a fear of pain. These people were fools, but sometimes even fools can impress.

So Nowicki suffered like the idiot he was. His devotion, however, made Marek liked him even more, although he realized more and more painfully that he had no chance with Andrzej.

***

Andrzej Nowicki's organism fought and lost. Pain and fever ravaged his body. Marek had the impression that only his willpower kept him alive. Willpower and… love for Dominik.

***

The hardest is over. Nowicki will sleep for a few hours, his fever will drop and everything will return to normal. Marek will be the bad guy again, only... Why didn't Andrzej suspect him of giving him a drug? With all Marczak's reputation, after all he had said and done, why did Andrzej trust him?

The manager looked into the sleeping person once more. His handsome face was calm, apparently the anesthetic worked well. Nothing bad should happen in the next few hours. Marek said he would also use this time to rest. He left the door open and sat on the couch in the living room to keep an eye on the bed in the bedroom.

Marczak was not actually sleeping, but dozing until noon, waking up every few dozen minutes and glancing at Nowicki. He listened for troubled noises, but nothing happened. The drug worked fine. Marek had lunch and dinner appointments for today, but canceled both without giving any reason. With his reputation, no one was surprised. It was an advantage. He didn't have to make up lies. It's not that he couldn't or didn't like to lie, but it took energy, which he didn't have at the moment. At least not for that.

So Marek spent the rest of the day caring for the sick Nowicki.

He couldn't help but feel there was something abstract about the fact that he was caring for his ex-lover's lover.