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Leone Abbacchio,
I can’t thank you enough for saving me the other night. You are a true hero and my savior. I knew it was a terrible idea to try and eat shrimp while rushing around in heels. Nonetheless, I would like to thank you for your bravery.
If you have the time, I would love for you to come to my place. I can show you how much I appreciate your valor. My card is in this envelope with my phone number, and I wrote my address on the back. Please give me a call so we set up a date!
I look forward to (hopefully) spending time with my guardian angel!
Yours truly,
Bruno Buccellati
P.S. If you do agree to come, show this to the man at the door and he will let you in!
Abbacchio held the letter with shaky hands. He stood in front of the large building and gulped. He’d walked past this building many times, admired it and the people inside, but never thought he would be going in one. Especially to meet Bruno Buccellati .
He did the makeup for big shows around town and a few weeks ago he was working a modeling job. Abbacchio had been told to be on perfect behavior that day because legendary local model Bruno Bucciarati would be in this show. If he left happy, then everyone would receive a large bonus.
Abbacchio was returning from a smoke break when he noticed a model choking. Without thought, he ran over and performed the Heimlich maneuver, and a shrimp flew out of their mouth. It was only when the model turned around did he realize who he saved.
Buccellati sang his praise for the entire evening, earning Abbacchio a very large bonus. Then Buccellati had sent this letter to his job and invited him over. Who was Abbacchio to refuse him? Especially with the way he kept praising Abbacchio. He’d never blushed so much in his life.
Although the bonus was nice, Abbacchio had spent most of it on his outfit for the night. He didn’t know what Buccellati had planned, but if other socialites were at Buccellati’s place, Abbacchio wanted to blend in.
With a deep breath, Abbacchio walked to the door. He showed the doorman the letter and he handed Abbacchio a card. The doorman repeated special instructions from Buccellati himself, he said to insert it into the slot before pressing number ‘39’. He would inform Buccellati that Abbacchio was on his way up.
Abbacchio followed the doorman’s instructions perfectly. He spent the ride up mentally preparing himself for what he was going to find while listening to the terrible music. He knew there had to be other people there. Why would Buccellati invite only him? That would be strange, right?
He passed floor thirty and the nerves set in. He bounced on his feet and checked his reflection on the shiny metal of the elevator. Not a hair could be out of place and thankfully nothing was. On the outside, he looked perfectly ready for a social get-together.
“‘ Hey, Buccellati, how are you? ’ No that sounds dumb. Maybe ‘ Hey Buccellati, how’s it hanging? ’ no. Definitely not.” Abbacchio huffed. He needed to seem chill and relaxed, like he belonged at this sort of thing. “Cool, collected, friendly, that’s who you have to be.” He pointed to himself in the mirror. “I could try ‘ Hey Bruno— ’” Abbacchio blushed at even the thought of calling Buccellati, Bruno .
One last ding meant he was on Buccellati’s floor. The doors opened and Abbacchio was met with the inside of a penthouse. He thought he was going to knock on a door, not walk straight into Buccellati’s home.
Even at the entrance he could see expensive paintings, a large couch, the largest flat-screen TV he’d ever seen; to top it off there was even a sleek, black grand piano with the white pin drop design. On the piano were boxes from some company, Aven it said, which felt slightly out of place in the pristine place.
Abbacchio should have expected that Buccellati lived in a penthouse. He made a mental note not to touch anything in this place. It would probably cost an entire month’s salary for the box of tissues on the table.
“Leone Abbacchio! My lovely savior has arrived!” Buccellati greeted as he appeared around a corner.
“Mr. Buccellati—” The words caught in his throat.
Buccellati looked spectacular. Not a hair out of place and his outfit tailored perfectly to his body. The shirt he wore was mostly unbuttoned and was showing the lace underneath. It hugged his tanned skin and made Abbacchio’s eyes want to travel south.
He never thought someone could look exactly like they did on a magazine cover. Buccellati was breathtaking.
“Please, call me Bruno. We’re in my home now and you’ve earned the right, my knight.” Buccellati walked up to Abbacchio and looked at his outfit. “You look divine tonight.”
Abbacchio blushed and cleared his throat. “I—you do too.”
Buccellati smiled his perfect smile at Abbacchio. “Thank you,” he purred. “Here, let me take your coat—I like the button-up.” Buccellati’s eyes raked over the tight-fitting shirt.
Without waiting for an answer, Buccellati took Abbacchio’s coat off. Buccellati’s hands ran down Abbacchio’s arms, taking their time feeling the muscle there.
Buccellati hummed to himself. “Do you work out often?”
“I—uh.” His face burned with embarrassment. “Yeah…few times a week.”
“You should invite me next time,” Bruno said as he took the coat and hung it in a closet. “I would love to watch those muscles work. And to see how my champion stays to fit.”
Was Buccellati flirting with him? That didn’t seem possible, why him of all people? Abbacchio had seen the people that Buccellati worked with and Abbacchio wasn’t even close to them. This had to be how Buccellati acted with everyone.
“If you’d like—I don’t have a workout partner.”
“Perfect! We’ll be quite the pair together. Imagine all the people that would look at us, the attention,” Bruno sighed. “I can’t wait. Now come with me.” Buccellati grabbed Abbacchio’s hand and pulled him through the penthouse.
Finally, Abbacchio realized that there was no one else here.
“Am I early?” Abbacchio knew he wasn’t. He was right on time. “Where is everyone else?” With the current attention Buccellati was giving him, Abbacchio would almost be relieved if someone else showed up. Almost.
Buccellati chuckle. “There is no one else, my silly watchman. I have you all to myself tonight.”
Abbacchio bit his lip to keep himself together. Buccellati’s chuckle was adorable.
“Oh, I thought there would be others…”
They stopped in the kitchen with an island covered in food. It definitely looked like there should be more people here. Abbacchio also noted more boxes that had been on the piano. The company seemed so normal that it felt out of place in this luxurious apartment.
Buccellati hadn’t let go of Abbacchio’s hand yet.
“Nope, just the two of us. How could I properly show you how much I appreciate you saving me? I wouldn’t be here without you.”
“It was nothing.” Really it wasn’t, Abbacchio had taken the training for a reason. “I would have done that for anyone.”
Buccellati turned with a smile. “Oh, such a humble hero! You deserve all my praises.”
“No—no it’s fine. You don’t have to—”
“I do!” Buccellati squeezed Abbacchio’s hand. “I will sing my praises of you to the world. Though I’m sure you hear it all the time. I’m sure you have a line of people praising you and receive tons of praise at home.”
Abbacchio looked down at his shoes. “No, actually. People tend to avoid me.” Why did he say that? That had to make him sound super weird.
“Really? No one has tied you down? That’s such a shame.” Buccellati didn’t sound too upset. “I wasn’t sure what you liked to eat, so I ordered a few different things. Eat anything you’d like. I also have some drinks…do you like wine?”
“Yes!” He cringed by how excited he sounded. Hopefully a little alcohol would help him relax. “—I like white, dry.”
“A wonderful choice, not that I’m surprised my protector has fine taste.” Buccellati finally released Abbacchio’s hand and turned to the fridge and looked for the right bottle.
Abbacchio took the brief moment to breathe. Buccellati’s attention was a lot, but he kind of liked it. He didn’t receive positive attention like this often, especially from someone so wonderful, it was overwhelming in the best way. He grabbed some food from the counter to try and distract himself.
Laying amongst the food was a magazine—or catalog. It also had ‘ Aven ’ on the cover. Buccellati must have been a huge fan of their products or received a large promotional box.
“So, does my hero have any hobbies outside of doing exquisite make-up and saving people?”
Abbacchio looked to Buccellati and quickly looked away. Buccellati was bent over to look on the bottom shelf and had his ass popped towards Abbacchio. He had to shove a piece of cheese in his mouth to stop himself from staring and the very sculpted ass in expensive pants.
He shoved another piece of food in his mouth before answering. “I don’t have a lot of free time outside of work.” That was a lie, he had too much free time, but he didn’t have any friends to spend it with. Buccellati didn’t need to know that.
“That’s a shame.” He did sound a little disappointed this time. “ There you are! ” Buccellati turned with a bottle of wine and set to opening it. “How long have you been doing make-up?”
“My sister used me to test out different styles and then eventually taught me when I started to like it. I was maybe twelve or thirteen?”
Buccellati passed a glass to Abbacchio. “That’s adorable, I always wanted siblings, but I’m an only child. Your sister taught you well, though.”
“Yeah…it was the first time we bonded since we were kids. She made me not feel bad about liking it either. She always supported me…” he trailed off, lost in happy childhood memories.
After a long silent pause, he looked up from the glass and saw Buccellati staring at him with a soft look.
“Um…” Abbacchio didn’t know what to say.
“Oh! I’m sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?”
“No, no!” He panicked. “I’m just not used to talking about my family much.”
“Well, let’s talk about something I know you’re very interested in.” Buccellati grabbed Abbacchio’s free hand and pulled him to the living room. He sat on the couch and patted the spot next to him. “Sit with me.”
He did and took another sip of wine.
Buccellati grabbed a small remote and music played from all around. Abbacchio would have been jealous of the surround sound if the type of music didn’t make him very aware of the man next to him. It was soft, almost jazzy, and it felt slightly romantic, and his mind started to wander.
“Close your eyes for me, please.”
Buccellati brought Abbacchio back to reality.
“What?”
“I just need you to close your eyes for a moment. Please my knight, I promise I won’t do anything bad.”
Abbacchio swallowed past the nerves. “Okay,” he whispered and closed his eyes. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but his gut told him Buccellati wasn’t going to do anything bad to him. Abbacchio found himself almost feeling at ease or maybe it was the wine.
He heard shuffling on the couch and felt it dip towards him. Abbacchio held his breath and prepared for anything. All the praises from Buccellati played in his head and blushed. He could smell Buccellati’s cologne, it was an amazing smell and he felt drawn towards Buccellati. He felt the couch adjust again and half expected lips to touch his until—
“Open those beautiful eyes, rescuer!”
Abbacchio wasn’t sure what to expect, but this was definitely something he appreciated. There was a box of new Aven make-up in front of him.
“What’s all this? Not that I don’t appreciate it.”
Buccellati moved closer to Abbacchio. “I partnered with Aven to help sell their make-up. They offered me some money and rewards if I sell enough, and this is a promotional package I received. I thought that maybe,” Buccellati walked two fingers close to Abbacchio’s hand, “if you wanted, you could show me some tips on make-up?”
“Y—yeah, I could do that.”
“Maybe after you show me your techniques , I could try them on you?”
Abbacchio was trying his best to not misinterpret Buccellati’s words, but the intensity in those eyes made him have dirty thoughts.
“Of course, sounds fun.” Abbacchio was relieved, he could focus on make-up and not trying to tell interesting stories about himself.
“Perfect! Show me your skills.”
A few hours passed and Buccellati kept pouring him more wine as he painted Buccellati’s face. He had tried several different styles on Buccellati because the model kept asking him to do more. His sweet smiles and compliments made Abbacchio want to swoon.
He was doing his best to stay professional, but he kept losing himself in Buccellati’s beautiful eyes and warm personality.
The longer he was there, the more he felt himself falling for this beautiful model more and more. He knew he had no chance with Buccellati, but he could dream. He’d seen the people Buccellati dated and hung out with, but for the moment, he was able to touch this amazing face and listen to stories of other famous people that he didn’t care about. He’d listen to Buccellati’s attractive voice.
“Leone?” Buccellati purred. His eyes were closed as Abbacchio put on eye shadow.
He tried not to be affected by the way Buccellati said his name. “Yeah?”
“Are you having a good time tonight?” There was a hint of worry in his voice.
“I am. This is much better than hanging out by myself.”
Buccellati smiled. “I’m very glad. I wanted you to have a nice time with me.”
“Are…” Abbacchio paused, worried about Buccellati’s response. “Are you having a good time?
“I am having the best time tonight with you.”
Never had Abbacchio been so glad that Buccellati had his eyes closed. He couldn’t keep the cheesy smile from spreading across his face. He felt warm inside.
It was quiet for a few minutes while Abbacchio touched up a few more spots. Finally, he sat back. “I think I’m done.” He grabbed the mirror from the glass coffee table and held it out to Buccellati.
“I’m so excited to see!” He grabbed the mirror and examined himself. “You’re really good at this! The blending looks wonderful.” Buccellati held the mirror at different angles to really see all the work Abbacchio did. He made little noises of happiness as he found more details. “This is so amazing, my protector, some of the best work I’ve ever seen.”
He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and chuckled. “You flatter me too much. But I’m glad you like it…it’s one of my favorite styles. I wish I could wear it more.”
“Why don’t you do it?”
Abbacchio stared at the eyeshadow in his hand. “My job isn’t as fond of it as I am. But I thought it would be fun to try it.”
Buccellati was still looking at his reflection. “I’m glad you did; I like this darker look. They always make me look so angelic all the time, it’s fun to have something else. And the make-up looks very nice, Aven has good quality products, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Uh, yeah, they look nice.”
“I’m glad you like them!” He set the mirror down. “Anyways, my turn?”
“Your turn?”
“To do you.” He paused with a smirk and then searched for something in the box. “You did me, now I do you.”
“O—oh yeah, of course.” Why did Buccellati have to phrase things like that?
“Ah, here it is!” He pulled out a fancy tube of lipstick. “I think this shade will look good on you. Is it okay if I put this on you? It’s a brand-new shade. ‘ Experimental, ’ they said. I’m the first to try it out.”
Abbacchio nodded, he trusted Buccellati. The model grabbed a make-up wipe and crawled close to Abbacchio. Buccellati grabbed the other’s chin and turned it towards him and gently ran the wipe over his lips.
Every nerve was on edge, especially since Buccellati never broke eye contact with him as he wiped the lipstick away. His beautiful eyes were holding Abbacchio hostage—was he a hostage if he didn’t want to move in the first place?
“There we go,” he whispered. His hand lingered a moment longer before pulling away.
He tossed the wipe aside and opened the lipstick. Abbacchio agreed that the color was very nice.
“I’m glad Aven sent this to me. Maybe if you like it, I can have them send some to you. Or you maybe convince your job to buy some with my code…”
Abbacchio could only hum in response, he wasn’t sure how to respond.
Buccellati twisted the base of the lipstick. “Here we go.”
He turned Abbacchio’s face down towards him and touched the lipstick to his lips. Abbacchio felt it glide over his lip a little before Buccellati pulled it away.
“This angle is terrible for me; I can’t apply it properly. Hold on.”
One moment Buccellati was next to him and then he was on Abbacchio’s lap, straddling him. He wiggled around until he was comfy. Buccellati’s chest was almost pressed against Abbacchio’s, making him sweat.
Something dropped into Abbacchio’s stomach and he’s pretty sure it was his heart. Even though he could still feel it beating hard against his ribs, loud enough that he was sure Buccellati could hear it. He knew his face was red, but hopefully it blended in with the red from drinking.
Buccellati titled Abbacchio’s face down slightly, fingers gently running along Abbacchio’s chin.
“Much better angle,” Buccellati whispered with a grin.
No words came out of Abbacchio’s open mouth. He’d never felt comfortable having people sit on his lap before, but something about Buccellati made it feel different.
“Pucker your lips for me, hero.”
Abbacchio followed the order.
“So obedient for me.” Buccellati’s voice sounded strained, like he was into how easily Abbacchio followed orders. Slowly, very slowly, he painted the lipstick on Abbacchio’s lips. “Are you always this obedient, or am I just lucky? Wait, don’t answer, I’m going to pretend I’m lucky for tonight.”
With his face still held by Buccellati and lipstick to his lips, he was unable to answer. Not that he knew what to say. If only Buccellati knew…
“Your lips are so plush…they look so soft and…kissable,” Buccellati giggled, the wine clearly going to his head. “Oh, your face is so red.” His thumb ran over Abbacchio’s face affectionately. “How did I miss that before? You’re adorable.”
Abbacchio felt like putty. He would do anything this beautiful model asked him to without hesitation. He would be obedient only for him.
“Okay…I think I’m done.” He pulled away for a second. “Yes, done.” Buccellati capped the lipstick and tossed it on the couch. He grabbed the mirror and held it up to Abbacchio’s face. “What do you think?”
The deep purple looked very nice. This wasn’t a color he’d thought to try before. It was something he would wear again. “I like it.”
“Would you buy it?”
“Y—yeah, I think so.”
“Wonderful!” Buccellati bounced on Abbacchio’s lap and clapped.
Abbacchio grabbed Buccellati’s hips and held him down. That feeling that had just shot through him was dangerous. He had to make Buccellati stop moving before that feeling became obvious.
The man on his lap looked at him in confusion before settling down. Abbacchio tried to take his hands away, but Buccellati brought them back. “Stay,” he whispered and bit his lip.
He nodded silently, wanting to only listen to Buccellati. Those eyes looked so happy and proud, he felt like he was drowning in those blues. He kept his hands on Buccellati’s hips and lightly squeezed.
“ Fuck ,” Buccellati moaned. His eyes closed for a moment before they locked with Abbacchio’s and trailed down to his lips.
Abbacchio wasn’t sure why, but it felt like Buccellati’s stare made his lips tingle and burn. He shouldn’t have drunk so much wine, it had to be the wine.
“My protector…my handsome protector.” Buccellati’s voice was soft as he stared at Abbacchio and pushed a loose lock of hair behind Abbacchio’s ear.
Abbacchio held his breath, Buccellati thought he was handsome.
Buccellati’s warm thumb ran along Abbacchio’s bottom lip. “I wonder what this color would look like on me.” Without waiting for an answer, Buccellati kissed Abbacchio.
There wasn’t much chance to react because Buccellati cupped Abbacchio’s face in his hands and held him in place. He left no room for Abbacchio to escape, not that he wanted to, especially with the way Buccellati kissed him.
Abbacchio couldn’t pull away, the continuous praises all night had turned him on, and he need to release some of that feeling. He was gasping for air any chance he could find. He kept his grip on Buccellati’s hips, digging his fingers in. He knew Buccellati liked it by the way the man grinded against him and the little moans that came from his mouth.
His head was spinning, he wasn’t even sure if he was awake anymore. It felt like a dream, the best dream he’d ever had.
“Leone,” Buccellati murmured against his lips. His hands left Abbacchio’s face and trailed down to the top bottom of his shirt. Slowly, he started unbuttoning the shirt. He wasn’t forceful but those hands knew what they were doing. They popped the final button and Abbacchio’s shirt was pushed off him.
The man in his lap broke the kiss so he could stare down at Abbacchio’s bare-chested. Buccellati ran his hands slowly down Abbacchio’s chest, admiring every part of it.
This left Abbacchio to admire Buccellati whose lips were smeared in lipstick. The color looked fantastic on him, but Abbacchio wasn’t surprised by that. He wanted to see Buccellati covered in lipstick.
“You’re perfect,” he breathed. Buccellati’s eyes traveled back up to stare at the flushed face and caressed Abbacchio’s face. “My hero, my rescuer, would you let me show you how much I appreciate your bravery.”
Buccellati didn’t move as he waited for Abbacchio to answer. Abbacchio nodded his head, unable to speak.
“No, no, no, my beautiful makeup selling guardian, I need to hear your voice.”
“Pl—please,” Abbacchio whimpered. His lips felt heavy and swollen, he didn’t realize the kiss had been that intense. Even his throat felt a bit swollen, but he ignored it. This could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “Please Buc—Bruno.”
Buccellati grinned hungrily and kissed Abbacchio again. He worked his way down Abbacchio’s chest, leaving burning kisses down his body. Eventually tossing the rest of Abbacchio’s clothes to the side.
“Explain to me what happened, the nurse seemed confused.”
The light in the hospital room was really bright. Abbacchio wanted to close his eyes and disappear from this embarrassing experience. It didn’t help that most of his body burned and itched. The rough hospital gown was making it much worse.
“Well, you see,” Bruno spoke slowly so that his words didn’t slur much over his swollen lips. “I was given this experimental lipstick from Aven, and I think it has something bad in it.”
The doctor sighed. “So you tried some random lipstick that was sent to you and decided to, what, put it all over your friend here?” The doctor gestured to Abbacchio who blushed.
From his lips to his groin and his throat, Abbacchio was having an allergic reaction to the lipstick. Bruno was a little more lucky, only his lips and throat were swollen.
“He saved me, and I wanted to reward him…and see if he would help me sell more make-up. Look how handsome he is. Who would say no to someone like him?”
Despite the burning, Abbacchio felt a little warm inside. Bruno was still complimenting him even though he knew his face and neck looked terrifying and swollen. But he didn’t miss the part about using him to sell make-up.
“I’m sure he is,” the doctor said, looking at the two of them. “You’re both going to have to spend the night under observation. We think we know what caused the reaction, but we have to run a few more tests to be sure. The shot we gave you should make the swelling go down and the burning should stop. Just stay here and don’t go anywhere just in case.”
“Yes, thank you, doctor.”
Bruno turned to Abbacchio. “I’m sorry, Leone.”
Abbacchio swallowed hard, a mix of embarrassment and his swollen throat. “You didn’t know, you don’t need to apologize.”
Bruno smiled, or Abbacchio guessed it was a smile with his face swollen.
“Are you free later?”
Abbacchio looked at Bruno confused. “I think so?”
“I need to go talk to my lawyer about this,” he gestured to his face and to Abbacchio, “but after do you want to play with more make-up?” Buccellati wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
“Maybe we should try coffee…”
“That sounds good too!” Bruno slid off his bed and made his way to Abbacchio’s. “But I do plan to finish what I started earlier.”
He wasn’t sure what to say back to Bruno, so he moved over on his bed for him. Bruno snuggled up to Abbacchio and rested against his shoulder.
“What will the doctor think?” Abbacchio mused.
Bruno shrugged. “He told us to stay here, and this is the best way to keep me here.”
Abbacchio relaxed and ran his hand down Bruno’s exposed back and stopped to rest on his hip—
“Are you not wearing underwear?” Abbacchio accused.
He snickered and just snuggled closer.