Underage relationship. James is in high school.

This story is a sequel to: Work of Desire, Chapter 9

"What?" Simon stumbled back a step, shocked by the fury in James' voice. He reached out and clutched the teen's arms. "You don't understand. Let me...."

"Go to hell, Si." James jerked free, his chest heaving as he struggled to control the startling pain in his heart. "Maybe I'm tired of fucking you."

"James!" Simon desperately tried to locate his lover, reaching out for him and finding only empty air. "James! Please don't leave."

With his only thought to get as far away from Simon as possible, James ignored the husky plea and twisted away, his foot catching the leg of the table next to him, the force of the collision causing the statute resting on its base to unbalance and topple to the floor. He stared at the broken pieces for several seconds, his anger strangling into silence as he viewed the destruction of the sculpture created in his image. "Well... I guess that pretty much says it all," James whispered, his voice completely devoid of emotion. With one last glance at Simon, he turned and walked away.

The sound of James' bare feet slapping against the floor stirred Simon to action and he moved to chase after his young lover. Failing to remember the floor was now littered with broken pieces of hard clay, Simon tripped and fell to his hands and knees, slashing his left palm on a jagged edge. He cursed his handicap as he struggled to his feet and slowly maneuvered around the mess next to his worktable. Ignoring the pain in his hand, Simon rushed out of his studio, arriving on the front porch just in time to hear Dawn's car pulling away. He stumbled down the stairs and stood listening, the realization that he was too late slamming into him.

"Shit," he exclaimed as he sat down heavily on the bottom step of the porch. Clutching his bleeding hand against his chest, Simon heaped curse after curse upon the head of one Stevie Ellison.

+++++++

James slammed the car door shut and slumped down in the backseat, completely missing the gloating smile on his brother's face. For a single moment he was tempted to turn around and look out the rear window but his pride prevented him. If Simon wanted a new ass to fuck then so be it. He sure as hell wasn't going to sit around and watch him romance his replacement.

"Let's get the hell out of here," he snapped.

Stevie wiggled around in his seatbelt and reached his hand out to his brother, tapping him on his knee. "Dad got me a new trailbike. Maybe we can go riding when we get home?"

James stared blindly at the passing scenery. "Yeah... whatever."

"And then we can work on that model airplane Dad brought back from Japan. I've been waiting for you to help me with it. And you know what? The new Jason movie just came out on DVD. If you want, we can watch it tonight."

Rubbing his hand over his chest, James closed his eyes and wearily leaned his head against the backseat. "Cut the chatter, Stevie. Okay?"

Stevie was quiet for all of one moment. "You know Sally's making lasagna tonight. Yuck!" He made a face at his brother. "How 'bout we ask her to grill some hamburgers instead. That way we could have burgers and fries while we're watching the movie." Steve shook James' knee. "Whadda ya say, James? Does that sound like a good idea?"

James snapped his eyes open and jerked his knee away from his younger brother's hand. "What I say is... shut the fuck up. I don't give a shit about supper and I sure as hell ain't watching no damn movie." James met Dawn's eyes in the rearview mirror and dared her to make a comment. "When I get home I'm going up to my room and you sure as hell better not bug me."

Stevie's face took on a look of utter dejection and Dawn was almost tempted to gather the boy close and hug him. She watched him gnaw on his bottom lip for several seconds before flipping back around in his seat and crossing his arms across his chest. She was sure she had seen the threat of tears in his green eyes.

"All I wanted was for him to come home and spend some time with me," Stevie whispered to himself. Looking over his shoulder at James, he offered a hopeful smile. "It'll be okay, James. You'll see. Me and you. Like always."

James ignored his brother and slumped further down in his seat. "Yeah... it'll be okay." Just as soon as my fucking heart stops hurting.

The two boys remained silent for the rest of the drive. As soon as Dawn brought the car to a stop, Stevie was out the door, screaming at the top of his lungs, informing Sally that James was finally home.

Dawn quickly slipped from beneath the wheel and grabbed James by the arm, preventing him from leaving. "What's with this attitude? You almost had Stevie in tears."

"And what business is that of yours?" James pulled free but remained standing beside the redhead. "Why should you care about Stevie? You sure as hell don't care about me?"

The urge to slap James into the next century nearly overwhelmed Dawn. "Who put a stick up your ass? Of course I care. Simon cares. We all...."

James whipped his head around and glared at her. "Yeah, right. Si really cares. I guess that's why he shipped my ass out of there." He viciously kicked the tire of Dawn's car. "But then, why should that surprise me? It's not like I haven't been dumped before. What's one more time?"

Speechless, Dawn raised her hand, prepared to comfort the angry teen. Before she could touch him, her hand was caught and gripped tightly. Looking closely, Dawn witnessed another pair of Ellison eyes that were wet with tears. "James."

Looking away, James forced himself to speak, his voice low and husky. "I really thought it would be different this time. Si said he...."

"JIMMIE!" William Ellison stood in the doorway, beckoning to his son.

Dawn watched as James shut down emotionally, his young face hardening into a sarcastic mask of indifference. Once again, she reached out to the teen. "James, wait."

Dropping her hand, James turned toward the house. "Wait? Wait for what? Love?" He shook his head. "Fuck it all to hell, Dawn. It ain't worth it." With a last look at her over his shoulder, he stomped away, brushing past his father without saying a word.

Dawn stood staring at the closed front door of the Ellison home for several moments. "I need to talk to Simon. Something is not quite right. Not right, whatsoever." Shaking her head in confusion, she climbed in her car and drove off.

+++++++

Simon was still sitting on the porch steps when Dawn arrived. Jeffrey was at his side, his head resting on the blind man's knee. Simon had managed to wrap a handkerchief around his injured hand, the white square of linen stained with a large amount of blood. He didn't acknowledge his assistant's arrival, instead he continued to pet Jeffrey's head distractedly, leaving streaks of crimson in the dog's fur.

Dawn ran up the stairs and sat down by her boss. "Simon, I'm not sure what's going on but I just dropped off a very confused and angry young man." She brushed back a stray strand of hair. "Did something happen between you and James?" Her attention was diverted when Jeffrey took off after a squirrel and she missed the wounded look that ghosted across Simon's face.

"All I did was follow Sharrie's advice and suggest he go home for the night." Sighing, Simon rubbed his face with his uninjured hand. "He completely misunderstood me."

"You got that right! James thinks you kicked him out for good." Dawn smiled as Jeffrey attempted to follow the squirrel up a tree. "I'm not trying to tell you how to handle James, Simon, but you have to remember he was abandoned by his mother and is totally ignored by his father. He might, just might, have interpreted your suggestion as another form of rejection by someone he loves."

"I was only trying to make Stevie happy." Simon readjusted the bloody handkerchief. "Hell, Dawn. I love James. Why in the world would he think I was kicking him out?"

"Who knows what goes on in that boy's mind? He's so...." Dawn glanced down and finally caught sight of Simon's hand. "Shit! Simon! What happened?" She took his hand and carefully removed the makeshift bandage, her face going white when she saw the gaping wound on the palm of his hand. "Dammit, Simon. What did you do to your hand?"

Simon hissed when Dawn gently probed the injured area with a finger. "It's nothing. Just a little cut. James knocked over one of the statues as he was leaving and when I tried to follow, I tripped on some of the pieces and cut my hand."

"Just a little cut? You have got to be kidding!" Dawn tugged on Simon's arm, forcing him to stand. "We have to get you to the Emergency Room. The wound is very deep, Simon. In fact, I think I see bone." The redhead shuddered as a wave of nausea threatened. "Come on, Simon. We need to get this hand looked at as soon as possible." She guided the tall man down the stairs. "I don't even want to think what this is going to do to your career."

"I really don't care." Whistling for his guide dog, Simon allowed himself to be maneuvered into Dawn's car. "All I want is for James to come back. Nothing else matters."

+++++++

James wrapped his arms around his knees and stared out across the backyard. He had taken refuge in the abandoned treehouse he and Stevie had built several years ago. A noise from below distracted him from his thoughts and he looked down to find his father standing at the base of the giant oak, holding the cordless phone.

"Call for you, Jimmie."

James lowered the bucket Stevie had strung up for hauling things to the treehouse. He silently watched his dad place the phone inside and walk away. Giving several quick tugs, he brought the basket up and set it beside him.

"Yeah?" He tucked the cordless under his chin and resumed his contemplation of the shadows creeping across the yard. His eyes widened in surprise when he heard Dawn's angry voice come over the line.

"You little shit! How could you run off and leave him like that?"

James' own anger boiled over again. "Run off? I didn't run off. Simon kicked me out."

"You selfish little prick. Simon sent you home for the night cause Stevie threatened to spill the beans to your dad."

"What the fuck?" James sat straight up and glared at the window to this brother's bedroom. "You little bastard, I'm going to...."

"... and the surgeon said it might be months before Simon could sculpt again." Dawn's voice grew louder. "This is all your fault! I don't care what Simon says, I hold you completely responsible for this."

"What the hell are you talking about?" James gripped the phone so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Simon fell and cut his hand on that sculpture you knocked on the floor, you idiot. He slashed it wide open." Dawn's voice turned away from the phone as she spoke to someone. "I'm coming. I need to talk to him before they take him to the OR."

"OR? Dawn! What the shit is going on?" James jumped up and moved toward the ladder. "Talk to me, dammit!"

"They're taking Simon to surgery. Are you happy now, James? You crushed his heart and ended his career in one fell swoop."

James felt his heart stop dead. "Si," he called out hoarsely.

Dawn ignored his cry and said, "Don't call us, we'll call you."

End Work of Desire, Chapter 10 by Angelise: angelise7@hotmail.com

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