Playing With Fire

by Dirk Greyson

  Jim touched Barty’s chin and kissed him as his pants slipped down his legs. Jim carefully guided Barty to the bed and then took care of his remaining clothing, stripped Barty of the last of his covering, and climbed into bed next to him.

  “I want to make you forget and let you be free for a little while, but I….”

  “Honey, just having you here takes away some of the worry.” Regardless of what happened at work or outside the walls of his house, having Barty there in his bed felt right. Hell, it was perfect. He wasn’t ready to completely give away his heart… not quite yet. But none of his other boyfriends had ever been able to settle the turmoil and sometimes unsettling ache that his job created. He spent his days seeing the worst of man’s treatment of others. He needed to come home to a place where that couldn’t intrude, and Barty seemed to give him that.

  “That’s good.” Barty pulled him into another kiss and then pushed him back and down onto the bed. “Now you’re mine.”

  “Okay. What are you going to do with me?” Jim asked, and Barty paused like he’d never contemplated anything beyond this point. It was cute and adorable. Part of Barty’s appeal was his innocence and the look of delight when he found something new.

  “I watched movies and stuff…,” Barty said. “And I know what you did to me that I liked.”

  “Honey, there isn’t a test, and no one, least of all me, is going to be critical or judgmental. It’s all about what makes us feel good, and nothing else matters.” He smiled as Barty climbed on top of him. “I know you didn’t have a lot of it growing up, but think of it as playing for adults. It’s about showing how you feel and having fun.”

  “But it’s sex, it’s serious, and….”

  Jim pulled Barty down, stroking his back and then grabbing his ass. “It can be intense, enthralling, passionate, exciting, sublime, and many other things, but sex between people who care for each other should never be serious. That makes it sound like something that must be done, like closing a business deal, rather than engaging your heart.” Jim was starting to understand just what effect on Barty’s life his childhood had had on him. “Let go of what you think you must do… and just do what you want.”

  “But what if I hurt you?”

  “If you’re thinking of your partner and what they want, then you won’t hurt them.” He had never considered this. “Just relax, think a lot less, and be happy.” Jim lifted Barty’s head and cupped his cheeks. “When you took my hand, you said you wanted to make me forget about today, so do that.” He wrapped his legs around Barty’s waist.

  “Why don’t you show me?” Barty said, and Jim shook his head as he watched Barty’s eyes.

  “Just follow your heart. Let it guide you instead of your head.” Jim got the idea that even though they were naked and Barty had planned on having sex, this had turned into something much more. He kissed him, tugging on Barty’s lips, licking them lightly. “I want you to be happy. That’s what matters.”

  “But what about you?”

  “If you’re happy, then I’ll be happy.” As far as Jim was concerned, that was how things should work in a relationship. It hadn’t been that way up until then for him, but that was what he’d always hoped to find. “You’re an incredible man.” Jim rolled them on the bed and licked over one of Barty’s pink nipples, feeling the quiver that ran through him.

  “I’m skinny and….”

  Jim kissed away the rest of Barty’s protest. “I love the way you react to me.” He figured a little exploring was in order. He kissed down one of Barty’s sides, measuring the groans and gasps as he went, especially when he found that little divot above his hip.

  Barty giggled and tried to pull away. “I hate tickling.”

  “Maybe, but I was only playing.” He licked again, and Barty quivered once more. This time he didn’t laugh, and his cock jerked off his belly.

  “The kids used to tickle me until I threw up,” Barty explained.

  “I’ll never do that.” Jim stopped and sucked the head of Barty’s cock between his lips. He didn’t want to talk about what others used to do. All he wanted was for Barty to know happiness. He took more of him, listening as Barty groaned loudly while he slipped his lips down. Once Barty had closed his eyes and his mouth hung open, Jim pulled away and let him slip from between his lips.

  “Why’d you stop?”

  “Because I want you to be able to enjoy making love, not think it’s some sublime experience. It can be that, but it’s so much more.” Jim settled between Barty’s legs, his face right above his belly. He sucked at Barty’s navel, swirling his tongue in it, stroking Barty’s chest.

  “But sex is important. All the books and texts say so. It’s how people bond with each other.”

  “Yes. But it’s through play, foreplay, that we really bond and get to know each other. I learn what you like, and you do the same. It isn’t just insert and thrust. Sex is much more.” Jim stroked down Barty’s sides. “See, I’m not touching anywhere near your cock, and yet I can tell I’m driving you crazy. I do it because I want to make you happy.” Jim kissed him, and Barty returned it with what felt like years of pent-up confusion and frustration.

  Barty rolled them on the bed and pressed Jim’s arms over his head. “I think I want to try to play.”

  His smile touched Jim deep down. He knew this concept was relatively new for Barty, who kissed him and then sucked on a nipple, running his fingers up and down Jim’s sides. Luckily he wasn’t particularly ticklish, but he still squirmed and smiled against Barty’s lips.

  “I like it when you play,” Jim whispered.

  “I don’t know if I’m doing it right.”

  “You can’t do it wrong.” Jim groaned as Barty gripped his cock, stroking slowly. “Oh damn. Okay, maybe someone can do it wrong, but you can do it like that anytime you want.” Jim bit his lower lip. That was heavenly. Barty tightened his grip, tugging a little faster, and Jim closed his eyes. “Don’t stop.”

  “I won’t.” Barty kissed him, stroking and pressing to him. “There were all kinds of things that the guys did in those movies.”

  “What did you like, besides oral sex? We already know you really get a bang out of that.”

  “I want you inside me. But I’m not sure if it will hurt.” The concerned fascination in Barty’s eyes was all Jim needed to see before he knew what to do.

  “How about if we leave that for a little later?” There were so many things for Barty to experience. Jim flipped them, slunk lower until his face was at just the right place, and then tipped Barty’s cock upward before taking him to the root. Barty gasped, and Jim slid his tongue along the shaft while Barty moaned and whimpered. No song he’d ever heard filled him with such joy as the one Barty was singing right then.

  “Jim…,” Barty cried, most likely as a warning, but Jim wasn’t going to stop. He sucked harder, bobbing his head until Barty’s release struck both of them like a bell. Jim swallowed what Barty offered, partaking of him until Barty lay still and quiet on the sheets.

  Jim let Barty slip from his lips and brought their mouths together. “That’s what we taste like, you and I,” Jim whispered, and Barty held him still, deepening the kiss.

  Barty pushed Jim onto his back while they kissed. He had no idea what Barty had in mind, but he settled that wonder when Barty mirrored Jim’s actions, kissing and licking his way down Jim’s ever more sensitive body. Each touch of Barty’s tongue seemed to stoke the fire within him to greater heights. His nipples ached from where Barty sucked them, and his stomach muscles fluttered at Barty’s touch. He wanted more so badly, and when Barty took him into his mouth, Jim gasped in surprise and sensual anguish.

  The bedding cradled him as Barty slid his lips down his shaft. He was warm and surrounded by comfort and intensity all at the same time. Jim corralled the urge to thrust his hips, pressing them down into the mattress instead so he didn’t ask for too much too soon. Barty was new at this, and his technique was a little uncoordinated, but he made up for hi
s inexperience with enthusiasm, which went a long way to blowing Jim’s mind.

  He clenched the bedding in his fists as Barty sucked, moving his hands and head at the same time, sending tendrils of excitement through him. Jim’s balls pulled to his tingling body as the release that was building came closer and closer. Jim thought of England… or anything else he could for a few seconds in a vain effort to stave off his release.

  “Barty…,” Jim hissed in warning.

  Barty continued his amazing ministrations, wet heat surrounding him, taking, wanting, and Jim pressed his head into the pillow as the last of his control snapped and his release washed over him like a tidal wave of ecstasy.

  “Was that okay?” Barty asked, cutting through the haze of residual passion.

  “Uh-huh.” Jim groaned, unable to move. Barty had said he wanted Jim to forget, and at the moment, his brain was almost totally fried, so Jim figured Barty had done a great job. He tugged Barty into his arms, letting their warmth mingle once again as he lay still, pulling air into his lungs. The world outside was going to intrude eventually, but for a few minutes, Jim could let it go and just be. It was temporary but a reprieve he loved Barty for.

  Chapter 8

  “I KNOW it’s early, but we have to get going,” Jim said, and Barty waved his hand in the air like he was swatting a fly. He didn’t want to get up and think about shooters or murderers. The psychotics were probably smart enough to stay in bed at this hour, so why was Jim forcing him to get up. “Honey, I have work to do, and….”

  “Go away,” Barty groaned even as he got out of bed.

  “You were the morning person, remember?” Jim said as Barty made it to the bathroom.

  “I changed my mind. Sex makes me want to sleep in.” Barty wanted to go back to bed and relive what they’d done the night before, but Jim was right. They had things to do and a bad guy to catch. Barty thrust off the sleep that lingered over him and forced his mind to function.

  “I’ll go make coffee, and you come down when you’re ready.” Jim kissed him on the shoulder and tweaked his butt, which only made Barty want to hole up in bed for the entire day and not enter the world of crime and punishment.

  He cleaned up and dressed, then wandered down to the kitchen. Penelope wound around his legs, and Barty picked her up, petting her while she scolded him because her food dish was empty. Barty took care of that and saw Jim had a travel mug of coffee waiting for him.

  “What’s the first order of the day?”

  “Seeing what we might have missed,” Jim answered. “There has to be something or else we’re at another dead end.”

  “We’ll find something.” Barty sipped his coffee. “Why don’t we get the others involved?”

  “What do you mean?” Jim asked.

  “If we’re going to review what we know, let’s get the other officers involved who have been helping you. They might have some ideas or insight. I see different things than you, so maybe one of them can help too. I don’t want to step on any toes or anything, but—”

  “That’s a good idea. You never know when some piece will fit together.” Jim led the way to the car, watching the area around them. They got in, and Jim pulled down the drive and out onto the street.

  “Is something wrong?” Barty asked.

  “Just keep a lookout.” Jim turned back toward the front of the house. “There’s nothing I can put my finger on, but I feel like I’m being watched.” Jim pulled to the side of the road, jumped out of the car, and took off across his lawn.

  Barty wondered what the hell was going on until a figure jumped out of the bushes and Jim leaped toward it. The two of them rolled to the ground, Jim coming up on top, and then he hauled the other man to his feet. He pulled the stumbling guy closer to the car and then dropped him on the grass.

  “Jim?” Barty got out and hurried around. “What are you doing here?” he asked, recognizing Willard.

  “My client didn’t want to give up.”

  “Well, they will now, or you’re going to find yourself in jail, and then we’ll find out who is conspiring with you to break the law.” Jim seemed ready to punch the guy, not that Barty could blame him.

  “She didn’t believe that he was gay and wanted proof.”

  “Who?” Barty asked. He was getting sick of this whole thing. “We’ve caught you twice, so you’re not a very good detective, and Jim is about ready to take you in for trespassing and maybe breaking and entering.” Barty never lied, but in this case, a little exaggeration couldn’t hurt.

  “I haven’t done anything wrong.”

  “We don’t know that, but I’ll tell you this: someone took a shot at me the other day, so following me might not be the smartest or safest thing to do. You could find yourself in the line of fire. So why don’t you tell us what this is all about.”

  Willard blanched, and Barty thought he was going to wet himself. “I can’t say her name, but one of your students has a thing for you, and….”

  Barty groaned. “This is over some coed crush or something?” He was ready to punch the guy. “Tell your client that I don’t date students, I’m gay, and that if I find out who she is, I will fail her and turn her in to the dean.” He leaned closer. “Do you think you can give her the message?”

  Willard nodded.

  “Good.” Barty got back in the car and waited for Jim to scare the guy a little more. Then another cruiser pulled up and took Willard into custody. Barty watched out the back window until Jim walked toward the car. As soon as Jim got in and closed his door, Barty burst into laughter. “I liked that game.”

  “And you were good at it.” Jim closed his door. “I have to radio in. The captain will want to speak to him as well to make double sure he isn’t involved in any of this.” After doing so, he put the car in gear. “Where did you get that breaking and entering stuff?”

  “I made it up. I wanted him to start thinking jail and possible big hairy cellmates. He folded like a house of cards.” Barty felt pretty good. That was one issue taken care of, and now all they had to do was catch the shooter. It wasn’t going to be that easy, but Barty figured they could do it.

  BY THAT afternoon Barty wasn’t so sure. Willard had been released as he expected with no additional information and they were fairly sure he wasn’t involved. But they all agreed to keep him on the suspect list as a precaution. The happiness and moment of mirth that had started the day had worn off long ago. Jim sat in the conference room going over everything one more time and growling like a bear with a thorn in his paw, or in his butt—Barty wasn’t sure and didn’t care.

  “Bring in the others and go over things. You need help.”

  “What I need is to figure out what I’m missing,” Jim snapped, and Barty had had enough.

  He left the conference room, where pictures had been tacked up on boards and statements were piled on the table, and went to the captain’s office. “He needs help and won’t ask for it.”

  “What do you suggest?” Captain Westin asked as he looked up from his desk.

  “Get everyone who has helped in the conference room and let’s see if they have ideas. This is one man, but maybe it will take a group to catch him.”

  “Okay. Give me ten minutes, and I’ll handle Jim when he has a fit.”

  “Deal.” Barty returned to the conference room to more growling and even a few bangs on the table until the others started coming in.

  “What do we have?” Captain Westin asked when he entered. “Barty thought we should recap for everyone, and I thought it was a good idea,” he said when Jim sent him a ball-shriveling, cold look.

  Jim shifted his gaze and finally looked at the others. “As you all know, we had four seemingly random shootings that gave us very little to go on. We brought in Barty to try to help us, and he’s developed a psychological picture of the shooter, but we don’t have much physical to go on. None of the victims seemed to have anything in common, not even a physical type.”

  “The shooter is smart, genius-smart
,” Barty interrupted. “I believe from the messages we’ve received that he’s an academic.” He quieted because he’d interrupted, but Jim nodded. “I also believe that he’s angry with the world. As you know, not everyone starts shooting people when they get pissed off, but this guy has. So I believe that not only is he intelligent, but he believes he is smarter and better than everyone else.”

  “He has a superbig ego,” the same officer who’d given them a ride the other night added.

  Barty didn’t remember his name and leaned in to read his name badge: Tag Miller. The guy was certainly handsome, with nice eyes and a touch of stubble on his jaw. He wasn’t as handsome as Jim, but Barty could see where the ladies would love him. He wasn’t Barty’s type. That was definitely Jim-centric.

  “Exactly, and that’s what’s driving him. The world isn’t treating him the way he thinks he should be treated, so there is something wrong with the world, and this is his way of trying to right it.”

  “What about the other shooting?” Tag asked.

  “That’s where it gets tricky. The shooter left a message taking credit, but he’s changed his MO because that shooting was more personal. That’s the one we’re concentrating on because if it is personal, then there is more to investigate.”

  “Is it true the shooting happened at your sister’s home?” Tag asked.

  “Yes, it did. Barty was one of the targets, as was my niece, according to the message and ballistics. We got lucky because of some interference, but we won’t get a second break like that,” Jim explained. “Deidre was recently named the head of economics at Templeton. We thought that could be the incident that pushed the shooter over the edge, but the people most likely to be involved have alibis.”