were empty.
Jeff rolled onto his back, his heart thumping high in his throat. When he could
move, he turned his head toward Reese, who was watching him with a bemused
expression. Glancing downward, he saw the sticky ejaculate on the bed between them,
and on Reese"s fingers.
“Sorry,” he mumbled, embarrassed. “It just snuck up on me.”
Reese grinned. “No big deal.” He licked the cum from his fingers, his eyes on Jeff"s
as he did so. Leaning down, he dipped his head toward Jeff"s spent cock and licked
away the drops that still trickled from the head. His touch made Jeff shudder in
aftershock and sigh with pleasure.
You see,
a voice in his head whispered.
You were wrong about Reese Armstrong. He
puts on that swaggering façade to hide his true, loving nature. He just needed the right man to
bring out the goodness. He just needed you.
The old Jeff would have laughed out loud at such a preposterous thought. There
was no way in hell someone like Reese Armstrong would be interested in someone like
him for more than a one-night-stand. But the old Jeff seemed to have left the premises,
and a new, confident man had taken his place. Why shouldn"t Reese want to be with
him? Why not?
He had no idea what would happen now, or where they would go from here. All he
knew was, if he could spend the rest of his life right here, in this one moment, with this
one man, it would be enough.
~*~
Reese was swimming in cold water beneath a dark, starless sky. He was exhausted and
trying desperately to stay afloat. Something kept pulling at his legs, its grip relentless. Reese
tried to kick it off, but the grip only tightened, dragging him down below the murky surface. He
kept his eyes open, desperately trying to see his assailant.
It was Jeff, only not Jeff—this nightmare Jeff had bared teeth and a twisted expression, like a
vampire waiting to suck the life blood from him. He leaned toward Reese, his fangs bared,
morphing as he did into Ray Sipos, whose corpselike visage stared with wide unseeing eyes.
Reese struggled wildly in the demon’s grip, but he couldn’t move. His lungs were bursting and
terror oozed over him like slime…
Reese sat bolt upright in his bed with a gasp, his heart beating like a drum. It took
him a moment to realize he"d been dreaming.
Ray Sipos. Jesus
. He hadn"t thought about
him in years, at least not directly. With a conscious effort, he willed the nightmare from
his mind. His head ached and his mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton.
He looked at his watch. It was one-twenty in the afternoon. He reached for the
bottle of water beside his bed and took a long drink, the nightmare still hovering like a
ghost on the edges of his consciousness.
He hadn"t meant to fall asleep after Jeff left that morning. For that matter, he hadn"t
meant to let Jeff stay the night. It was rare that he let a lover stay over, and certainly not
the first time.
The first time.
Did that mean there would be other times?
What the hell had happened last night?
He had planned to fuck the guy, plain and simple. Yes, he was attracted to him, so
what? That should have just made it easier to stick his dick where it needed to go to
collect on his bet.
So what had happened?
He lay back against the pillows, his mind moving over the events of the evening.
Dinner had been pleasant, with a sizzling undertow of sexual possibility. Unlike the
guys Reese was used to hanging out with, Jeff didn"t brag about his latest conquests, or
gossip about who was or wasn"t doing what to whom. And when Reese spoke, he felt
Jeff"s total focus and attention. Jeff was actually interested in what he had to say, not
merely waiting for a lull so he could jump in and talk about himself.
He"d been confident of how the night would go. Once he got Jeff completely
relaxed with booze and the hot tub, he"d seduce him in short order and send him on his
way. Yeah, he liked the guy, but so what? That didn"t mean anything. Anything at all.
Until they"d made love.
Reese closed his eyes, remembering. They"d made love again sometime near dawn,
this time Jeff penetrating Reese. Jeff had spooned Reese, wrapping strong arms around
him as he entered Reese from behind, nuzzling his neck.
What would Hank think if he knew Reese had let Jeff stay the night? He"d remind
Reese, with the contempt ripe in his voice, that sure, their new thing seemed nice now,
even wonderful, but Reese knew how it would go. Jeff would want to see him all the
time. He"d want to talk on the phone every day. He"d want to know where Reese was
when they weren"t together. He"d become clingy and needy. The sex would become
boring and predictable. He would be suffocated, dragged down, drowned in Jeff"s
insecurities.
The imaginary Hank was right. Who the fuck needed that?
It was good Jeff had left first thing in the morning, claiming he had to finish some
programming for a project due on Monday. Things had been entirely too intense
between them. Reese needed some time to figure out just what the hell had gone down.
If Jeff thought they were now having a relationship, he had another thing coming.
The phone rang and Reese let it go to voicemail. “Reese. Pick up, you coward. The
morning has come and gone, and I haven"t heard a word from you. I"ll expect you here
in an hour, ready to be my personal slave for the rest of the week. I told you that you
wouldn"t be able to get into that geek"s pants. He probably doesn"t even have a cock,
but only a computer-generated simulation of the real thing.” Hank laughed at his own
joke. “Get your ass over here. Bye.”
Reese sat up, putting his feet on the floor. He showered and dressed, slipping his
phone and wallet into his pants pocket. He glanced up at the fake smoke detector,
wondering if the movie now captured on his DVR conveyed the intensity of the
experience.
Once downstairs, Reese turned on the TV and retrieved the DVR remote to access
the video. It was all there, from the moment they entered the bedroom until he"d flicked
off the switch. “Jesus,” Reese whispered softly, watching the scene unfold as if it were
two other people. His cock hardened as he watched the image of Jeff lean over him,
dark hair sweeping Reese"s stomach as he swallowed Reese"s cock.
The thought of Hank watching this and making fun of it, as he surely would,
irritated the crap out of Reese. He fast-forwarded through the action. To fulfill the terms
of the bet, all Hank needed to see was the penetration. None of the rest of it was any of
his damn business.
Reese found the portion of the video he would need to prove his seduction, and
copied it onto a memory stick. Slipping the stick into his pocket, he flipped open his cell
phone and punched the speed dial.
“"Bout time you called. I"ve got my whips and chains ready. You"ll look extra hot
with a bit gag in your mouth.” Hank said.
“Have those tens and twenties ready,” Reese snapped, hanging up before Hank had
a chance to reply.
~*~
Jeff realized he hadn"t moved for the last ten minutes. He was staring blankly at his
monitor, the symbols on the screen nothing more than a thousand lines of gibberish to a
mind focused elsewhere. He closed his eyes, abandoning any pretense of work. He"d
been sitting in his space at Strata Systems since early that morning, but he"d
accomplished next to nothing.
He"d awakened before Reese, whose back was to him, his arms wrapped around a
pillow. Jeff lay quietly for a while, watching Reese sleep, admiring the strong curve of
his shoulder and listening to the sound of his breathing.
A feeling of wonder stole over him. He was in Reese Armstrong"s bed! The night
had been amazing. He had never craved another man"s body as much as he had
Reese"s. He had been consumed by him, completely enveloped in the moment. Nothing
had existed outside of their lovemaking.
Jeff had watched Reese sleeping His face looked younger in repose, the long golden
lashes sweeping his cheekbones, his mouth curved in a gentle smile. When he opened
his eyes, would the smile remain? Would he reach for Jeff, whispering how wonderful it
was that they"d found each other?
Who was Jeff kidding? Whatever they"d shared the night before, no way would it
mean anything in the morning to this guy who could, and did, have his pick of men.
They"d both had plenty to drink during dinner and after, and Reese had been
horny. But now, in the cold light of morning, would he welcome a stranger in his bed?
Jeff couldn"t bear the thought of Reese waking and turning to stare at him in
incomprehension, or worse, dismay.
Goaded by these unwelcome thoughts, Jeff had slipped quietly out of the bed,
careful not to disturb Reese. He"d made his way to the bathroom to use the toilet and
wash his face and hands. When he returned to the bedroom, Reese was awake, his tan,
strong body barely covered by a bit of white sheet over his groin.
“Hi,” Jeff said, feeling suddenly shy, though his cock stirred at the sight.
Reese had nodded his greeting, saying nothing. If he had held out his arms, Jeff
would have gone to him. If he had said anything, given the smallest sign that he wanted
Jeff to stay, he would have climbed back into bed and made love for the rest of the day.
But Reese only watched him with opaque eyes, his expression closed.
“I have t-t-to go. I have p-p-programming to do,” Jeff stammered, inwardly cursing
his nerves.
Even then he would have stayed, if Reese had asked him. He hadn"t. “Okay. Later,”
was all Reese said, his eyes sliding away.
Jeff stared at his computer monitor, frowning at the memory of the morning. Where
had the warmth gone? Why was he so attracted to a man who could turn on and off his
emotions like a faucet?
In the light of day, he couldn"t deny the power rush he"d experienced from
reducing the cocky, arrogant Reese Armstrong to trembling, panting lust. No question,
the sex had been phenomenal, but was sex enough to base a relationship on? Apart
from his sexual attraction to Reese, was there enough of a foundation to move forward?
Maybe he needed to figure out his own heart before expecting more from his new
lover. He would give it time. He wouldn"t press or push. He sensed that would only
make Reese more skittish. No. Jeff was nothing if not a patient man. He would wait and
see what the future held, if indeed it held anything at all.
~*~
“Come on. Hand it over.” Hank sat beside his pool, which was dappled with
golden coins of sunlight. Julio appeared, a pitcher of frozen margaritas and two glasses
filled with ice on a tray. He set them down beside Hank and went back inside.
“What?” Reese slid onto a lounge chair, watching as Hank filled the glasses. Now
that he was here, the reluctance that had been building bloomed into full flower.
Granted, Jeff would never have to know what he"d done, and yet to share it, even just
the small section he"d saved for Hank, felt like a betrayal. Somehow, this time was
different than the others. Maybe because, for the first time, he cared for the man he was
about to expose.
Then he noticed the fat envelope on the table beside Hank. Five thousand tax-free
dollars.
What the fuck was wrong with him lately? Hank would accuse of him of losing his
balls. And really, what was the real harm? It"s not like Jeff and he were a couple. They"d
spent one night together. Big fucking deal.
That morning when Jeff said he had to go, Reese"s first impulse was to beg him to
stay, but his mouth had refused to move. He couldn"t find his voice. Maybe that was a
good thing. Maybe it had saved him from getting too close, too fast, to a guy he had no
business being with in the first place.
Hank handed him a glass and Reese sipped at the tangy slush. He closed his eyes,
wishing this strange, new, nearly constant sense of confusion would leave him.
He hadn"t been confused last night in Jeff"s arms. He"d been at once on fire and at
peace. It was a curious but powerful combination. Would it be that way again, or was it
just because it had been so new?
“Reese, you"re doing it again.”
Reese had almost forgotten where he was, or why he had come. “Huh?” He turned
toward Hank, who was scowling at him.
“You"re ignoring me. You"re off in la la land again. What the hell"s been going on
with you this past week, anyway?”
“I don"t know what you"re talking about.”
“No?” Hank eyed him again, but Reese offered nothing more. Still scowling, Hank
held out his hand. “Okay. Whatever. Hand it over. You want your money, I get the
goods.”
Reese could feel the memory stick poking in his pocket. “You know, this is kind of
lame…” he began, not sure himself where he was going with this.