Jack

by A M Snead

  “I know.” Daniel chuckled. “Doesn’t look old enough to be in here. But he checked out.”

  Bailey stared at the kid gyrating around the pole. “What the fuck is he doing?”

  Daniel smiled and shook his head. “Okay, so maybe he could use some lessons. But fuck, once he learns, he is going to own the stage. He’s too damn cute not to.”

  “Where did you find him?” Garrett asked. His eyes followed the boy’s every move. Despite his lack of “routine,” there was a smidge of potential in the way his body moved. Garrett’s thoughts were instantly invaded by images of Jack…and the way he had used his perfect body to seduce Garrett onstage. The memory caused a throb in his crotch and an ache in his heart. In that moment, he had truly believed Jack was his. That Jack wanted to be his.

  “He showed up on his own,” Daniel said. “Walked in a couple days ago, asked for a temporary job to make some extra cash until he got his first paycheck from another job he just started.” Daniel smiled. “He was just too beautiful to say no to.”

  Bailey nodded. “Indeed.” He watched the boy a moment. “So, what’s his other job?”

  “I don’t know,” Daniel admitted. “But he sure doesn’t seem shy with his body.”

  Bailey bumped Garrett’s arm, startling him from thoughts of the other night. “What?”

  “Why don’t you hop on up there and show him some moves?” Bailey suggested with a smirk.

  “You’re the club dancer,” Garrett said. “Not me.”

  Bailey chuckled and stared at the kid. “He sure likes that pole, doesn’t he?”

  “Customers aren’t complaining,” Daniel pointed out. And he was right—the sparse audience was fully tuned in to the kid, and his G-string was crammed full of bills. The Lion’s Den customers weren’t stingy with their tips either. Most were middle-upper-class men who enjoyed a little discreet entertainment away from prying eyes, and the Den was the perfect place. Daniel had his “code of cleanliness” as well. A man didn’t have to have an engorged bank account to be allowed into the club, but he did have to be clean with decent attire.

  “Of course, they aren’t,” Garrett murmured and smiled. “They come here for a cock-hardening experience. He’s certainly giving it to them.” He twisted his head and looked at Daniel. “Has Gideon ever suggested doing a stripper skit here at the club?” His smile widened. “That would be something.”

  Daniel eyed him uncertainly. “You mean…shoot one of his scenes on my stage?”

  “Yeah.” Garrett shifted on the stool as Bailey turned his attention from the kid, showing interest in the new topic of conversation. “A short acted-out skit that ends with sex onstage.” He flicked his eyebrows. “That would be hot.”

  “Mm. No, he hasn’t suggested anything like that.” Daniel’s eyes narrowed. “And who would be the actors?”

  Garrett shrugged. “Whomever Gideon chose, I guess.”

  “You and Jack?” Daniel proposed. “You did a hell of a show last time.”

  Garrett’s smile—and enthusiasm—wavered and he glanced away, eyes back on the new kid. “No,” he mumbled. “Not me and Jack.”

  “I think it’s a great idea,” Bailey said. He smiled, but his eyes were serious. “I mean, the part about you and Jack being the actors.”

  “That isn’t going to happen, and you know it,” Garrett said, voice low and tight as he glared at Bailey.

  “My apologies,” Daniel offered sincerely. “I didn’t mean to touch on a sore subject.”

  Garrett shook his head. “You didn’t,” he said. “Jack and I just aren’t…compatible. Pairing us for the skit would only ruin it.”

  “I disagree,” Bailey murmured. “All that sexual tension and raw anger…the viewers would go crazy.”

  “Well, nobody asked you.” Garrett stepped off his stool.

  “Where are you going?” Bailey straightened up.

  Garrett looked at him dryly. “You suggested I show the kid some moves.”

  “Oh.” Bailey nodded and smiled, sinking back on his elbows again. He flicked his fingers. “Go to it, baby. This I wanna see.”

  ♥

  The fact that Scotty accepted the smile Jack had given him, fulfilled Jack’s “heart of the day” task and he placed it in the appropriate box, closing the bureau drawer. He was compelled to ask Scotty how he’d gotten over Garrett, but clearly he hadn’t. Would that be Jack in a year from now? Broken down and still pining for a man who had never really loved him, but whom he couldn’t let go of?

  “Fuck that,” Jack mumbled and flopped down on his back on top of the bed. Once he cleared the air with Garrett—he was fucking done. Jill’s fate, or even Scotty’s, would not become his own. Maybe Garrett had gutted his heart, but he would not surrender, and he sure as fuck would not grovel for his attention.

  If you’re so cock-sure of your resilience, Jill challenged. Why don’t you hop in your car, find him and talk to him? Get it done with.

  Jack exhaled heavily, his breath raking through his teeth. “I don’t know where he went,” he muttered. “I’ll talk to him when he gets back.”

  You always did procrastinate, Jack-o. Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow, right?

  Grumbling, Jack huffed. “I tried talking to him. He wasn’t there. I’m not…stalling.”

  “I must be working you too hard.”

  Jack flinched with a start and sat forward. Gideon leaned against the doorframe, smiling. “Huh?” Jack frowned.

  “You’re starting to talk to yourself,” Gideon mused. “Maybe you need a rest.” He straightened. “I’m heading into the club, I need to talk to Daniel about a couple things. You want to tag along?” He smiled. “Garrett might be there…if you are serious about talking to him.”

  Had he heard his muttered comments to Jill? Jack’s former courage had waned quickly and now he felt anxious about confronting Garrett.

  “Well, meet me out front in fifteen,” Gideon said when Jack hesitated. “If you want to go.”

  Jack nodded. “Okay,” he mumbled. Gideon left, and Jack lay down again. Was this really something he wanted to do at the club where the memory of their stage show was the strongest? He’d only been back to the club once since that night, and it hadn’t been easy warding off the assault of those images. How much more difficult would it be with Garrett there as well?

  Minute after minute ticked by as Jack stared at the digital clock on his nightstand.

  You’re scared, little brother, Jill whispered softly. But you have to face your fears sooner or later. Might as well be sooner.

  Jack closed his eyes and his sister’s face instantly materialized in his mind. Somehow it felt like it would be so much easier if she were actually here, forcibly taking him by the arm and making him do the thing he was most reluctant to do. She had been the stronger of the two. Even after Aaron had broken her heart, she had tried to hold on for Jack, for their parents. But how do you keep living when your heart is already dead?

  Warm tears seeped out when he opened his eyes. Maybe in confronting Garrett, he could take back what little of his heart had remained after Jill’s death—which Garrett had stolen.

  Stolen? Is that how it happened? Or did you hand it over?

  Whether that was himself or Jill asking the questions, he didn’t know and didn’t care to analyze. He had less than five minutes remaining to meet Gideon out front before the man left for town. Jack hesitated another minute or so, then jumped up and grabbed his jacket and raced out of the room.

  Just do it and be done with it.

  ♥

  Some of the customers cast Garrett eager looks when he approached the corner edge of the stage and stood watching the new kid in what appeared to be an attempt to procreate with the dance pole. Though Garrett wasn’t one of Daniel’s employed dancers, he’d been onstage enough that most of the regular customers knew him by sight—and were clearly eager for him to join Benjamin. Many had surely been at the club the night he and Jack…

  Garre
tt cleared his throat and thrust the memory away. The kid glanced his way and caught his stare and smiled. Garrett smiled back, arms crossed loosely over his chest. Abandoning the pole, the boy moved toward Garrett. He definitely had potential, Garrett admitted yet again as he watched the kid’s slim hips sway and gyrate. He could do with a little more rhythm, but with a little practice…he would be burning up the stage in no time.

  “Hi,” the boy mouthed, though the music drowned out his voice. His dark eyes devoured Garrett, sizzling with invitation. Garrett gave him a small nod and his smile widened. Despite his nearly naked body and provocative antics, the kid retained an air of innocence about him that was reminiscent of the twins.

  When the boy turned and cast him a sidelong, come-on nod and smile, Garrett cocked an eyebrow and pointed to himself then the stage. The boy nodded and moved across the stage toward the pole, his perfect little ass shiny with sweat and beckoning for Garrett to follow.

  If you insist, baby, Garrett groaned inwardly and flattened his hands on the stage floor, vaulting up onstage. The small crowd went wild, whistles and catcalls exploding through the club. Garrett glanced toward the bar. Bailey grinned and gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up then mimicked for him to remove his shirt. Garrett chuckled and whipped off his shirt, which ignited the men even more.

  Benjamin had his back against the pole, clutching the metal rod above his head, his lean little body rocking back and forth, urging him to come closer. Garrett stepped forward and for a split second felt his feet falter as images of Jack replaced Benjamin. He blinked and swallowed hard, ridding his thoughts of the young man who had so effortlessly gouged out his heart—and flashed the new kid a charming, seductive smile as he closed in.

  Fingers hooked in the band of his jeans as soon as Garrett was within reach and didn’t hesitate to twist the button loose. Garrett’s reaction was instant—as it always was when a hot boy reached for his goods—yet he grabbed the kid’s hands as the zipper began to slide down, halting the progress. He dragged the boy’s hands up his torso, rubbing Benjamin’s palms against his chest, holding them in place as his hips slowly swayed from side to side, close enough to graze Benjamin’s bulging crotch.

  “Easy, now.” Garrett smiled and leaned in close, so the boy could hear him. “Let’s get to know one another a little bit first.”

  The kid seemed agreeable and rubbed Garrett’s chest, his fingertips playing over Garrett’s nipples, causing them to pebble beneath his caress. He had nice hands, that was for damn sure. Garrett took hold of the boy’s narrow hips and urged him to meet Garrett’s own rhythm. Benjamin was a quick learner and seemed to know what Garrett wanted without having to be told.

  Garrett pinned him gently against the pole and let his hands slip around behind him, gripping just the upper swell of his tight little ass, his fingertips slipping against the boy’s hot, slick skin.

  “You’re gorgeous,” Benjamin moaned and rolled his crotch against Garrett’s growing erection. He had a shy evasiveness about his eyes, but his words were bold and to the point. “I would love for you to fuck me.”

  Garrett’s cock leaped at the prospect of getting inside the boy’s tight little body, and there was really no cause to turn him down, yet he was finding it difficult to openly accept the invitation. He hadn’t been with anyone since Jack and though his body craved sexual action, he couldn’t get the feel of Jack’s body out of his mind. The mind-blowing sensation of being buried deep inside him, their rhythm so perfect and in sync…

  A shiver rippled through him and his member responded to the memory as much, if not more, than the hot boy rubbing against him.

  Why are you hesitating? You’re not obligated to anyone—least of all Jack.

  Even so, Garrett cleared his throat and started to tell the boy to just slow down and take it one step at a time, when movement at the club’s entrance drew his attention—and Gideon and Jack walked in. Jack seized his stare, but in that brief moment the chill wafting off the young man was enough to give his cock frostbite. Jack looked away with indifference and walked to the bar, greeting Bailey with a smile and a kiss.

  Hard breath surged through Garrett’s nostrils as an annoying pressure squeezed his chest. He turned his full attention on Benjamin and pushed his wanton cock against the boy’s eager body. He dipped his head and brushed his mouth across the kid’s damp, parted lips, hungry for Garrett’s kiss. “Maybe,” he whispered sensually and flicked his tongue inside Benjamin’s mouth. “We’ll see.”

  The boy smiled and pushed urgently into the kiss.

  60 “The Aching Heart”

  Jack felt sick to his stomach. Not because of the scene he walked in on but because of his fucking words, spoken aloud, outside Garrett’s door. Had Scotty heard what he’d said? Where the hell had those words even come from? He didn’t “love” Garrett, for fuck’s sake, and he sure as hell didn’t care whether they had ever met or not.

  It was just that fucking skit. It had your head all fucked up.

  Taking consolation in that little bit of reality, Jack nonetheless kept his back to the stage as he took a seat at the bar next to Bailey. But though he could keep his own eyes off the activity onstage, he couldn’t keep the others from watching and commenting.

  “Is this one new?” Gideon asked Daniel.

  “Yeah.” Daniel smiled. “He was only asking for a temporary job, but I’m kind of hoping he’ll stay on. I don’t think it would take Garrett long to teach him some things.”

  Jack’s indifference wavered as his blood sizzled and hairline prickled. He felt like punching himself in the face for letting any of Garrett’s shit get to him.

  “What do you think of the new kid?” Bailey bumped his arm and leaned back further on his elbows, grinning at Jack. “Think he’s got potential?”

  Jack licked his lips slowly and forced his words to pour out smooth and casual. “He can take off his clothes and shake his ass. Sounds like potential to me.”

  “Maybe you should go up there and show him a thing or two.” Bailey wagged his eyebrows. “You sure as hell taught Garrett some things the other night.”

  “Garrett’s doing just fine,” Jack mumbled and ordered a beer. “And how would you know? You weren’t even there.”

  “I hear things.” Bailey sobered when Jack fell silent and drank his beer. “Hey.” He nudged Jack lightly. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I know this whole Garrett thing is a sore subject with you. I don’t mean to make light of it.”

  “It’s fine,” Jack told him, but didn’t meet his eyes. “I’m over it. I don’t care what Garrett does, or what he thinks of me. I’m just done with the whole fucking thing.” His next sip of beer didn’t go down so well past the sudden lump in his throat.

  “All right then.” Bailey nodded. “On another subject…how did you like the skit? Was it everything you thought it’d be?”

  Jack twisted the bottle on the bar. “It was good.”

  “Good?” Bailey twisted around, his back to the stage. “If Lucas asks, you better tell him he was fantastic, or you might burst his ego bubble. And Lucas with a deflated ego…” Bailey shook his head and Jack smiled.

  “That would be a sad sorry sight,” Jack admitted.

  “It would.”

  Jack started to relax a little. He was fine with any topic except Garrett. But in the short time he’d known Bailey, he’d come to understand that the man was a fix-it guy. A peacemaker. It should have come as no surprise when he quickly found his way back to the subject of Garrett.

  “Listen,” Bailey spoke low, leaning toward Jack. “I know it’s none of my business, but maybe before you write this whole thing off with Garrett, you should talk to him about what happened.” He shrugged. “Maybe he wants to talk, too. You never know.”

  His jaw tightening, Jack shoved his beer away and twisted around, indicating the stage. “Does he look like he has a problem with how things are between us?” he asked stiffly. “He never gave a fuck about me.” Jack’s voice rose
a notch, instantly grabbing Gideon and Daniel’s attention. “What the fuck do I have to say to him? I get that he’s your friend, but he doesn’t care about me, all right? And I don’t…” Jack’s throat closed, and he shoved his beer away, stepping off the stool. “He just doesn’t fucking care, Bailey.” He swallowed hard and glanced at the stage, his vision swimming. Garrett and the kid had ceased their activities and were looking his way. Jack jerked his eyes away and looked at Bailey, carefully avoiding Gideon’s stare. “I am so fucking done with this. With him.”

  Jack swept past Gideon and Daniel, walking swiftly toward the restroom as the club began to blur and distort all around him. He locked himself inside the bathroom and gripped the sink, his reflection in the mirror swimming badly.

  Why the fuck did you go off like that? And right there—in front of Gideon and Garrett?

  “Fuck,” Jack choked and wiped at his eyes, irritated and troubled by the tears. He turned on the cold water and cupped water in his hands, washing his face. But after drying off, he still looked like shit and his eyes remained bloodshot and rimmed in red. “Why did you fucking come here?”

  Jack stared at himself and wondered at the depth of that question.

  As if things weren’t spiraling down fast enough, Jack’s cell vibrated in his pocket and he retrieved it to discover an incoming call from his dad. “Fuck,” he groaned. The last time they had talked, Jack had hung up on the man. He’d hoped they would just leave him alone. Jill was gone, they could now pretend they were childless. In their minds, surely they did feel that way. Jack refused the call and stuffed the phone back into his pocket. He wasn’t in the fucking mood for his dad’s self-righteous bullshit.

  Seconds later, the cell chimed with an incoming text.

  Jack hissed out profanity and checked the message.