by Jack Harbon
“You never need to apologize for that,” Arthur said. Mateo nodded and stood up again, heading to his luggage. Before he got too far, the other man caught his arm and tugged him back into his lap. “C’mere,” he said softly. Mateo sat down and looked up at him expectantly.
“Hm?”
“Where did he hit you?” Arthur looked over Mateo’s body. Mateo took his hand and guided it to some of the bruises and scars that had been left from all of the fights he’d been in. Sergio had a good right hook, even in his old age.
Carefully, Arthur slipped Mateo’s shirt off his shoulder, looking for a bruise caused by a baseball bat that was no longer there. He looked up at the boy. “Right here?”
Mateo nodded.
Arthur dipped his head and pressed his lips to the phantom wound. He kept still, his mouth against Mateo’s natural warmth. “You are so beautiful,” he murmured.
Mateo guided his head up and tenderly kissed him. “This is the first of many Vegas kisses,” Mateo said once they were separated. “You should order room service. We can get something sweet, watch a movie, and just hang out until it’s time to get ready?”
“I like the way you think.”
“I give good brain,” Mateo teased. Arthur gawked at the comment before swatting Mateo on the ass.
“Go get undressed and get in bed. You pick the movie, I’ll pick the food.”
“Deal,” Mateo said. He watched Arthur pick up the phone and dial for room service, his stomach clenching tight. He’d been unsure about coming here with the two of them, but they’d only been in town for a few hours and Mateo was already having the time of his life. He’d never been happier for saying yes to something.
12
TOO MUCH
Mateo, Arthur, and Nicola were in the elevator on the way to the spa when Arthur’s phone rang. He slipped his hand into his pocket and answered. While they waited to get to the right floor, Nicola glanced at Mateo with a look on her face.
“What?” he mouthed.
“Work,” she said with a roll of her eyes and a jerk of her head. Arthur’s face seemed to fall as he listened and spoke to the other person on his line. Sure enough, the moment he was done with his call, he frowned at the two of them.
“I hate that I have to do this. I know you were looking forward to all of us getting full treatments today. It’s just that work…”
“It’s fine,” Nicola said, brushing her hair over her shoulder. “We have plenty of time to hang out afterwards, right?”
“Exactly,” he said, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. “I hope you guys have fun, though. Make sure to spend plenty of time in the mud bath. That’s my favorite part.”
When the doors opened, Nicola led Mateo out, his head swiveling back to get one last look at Arthur. The man gave him a sad wave, but Nicola spent no time waiting for him. She marched through the halls of the massive hotel like she knew every nook and cranny in the building.
“Sorry he had to leave early, baby,” Nicola said as they walked. “He does that sometimes, especially when we’re here. They’re building a hotel in L.A. sometime in the near future, so my suggestion is to get used to him occasionally disappearing. One thing Arthur doesn’t play around with is his business.”
Mateo shrugged. “No, I get it. He has responsibilities. He told me about his family yesterday. I wouldn’t want to get in the way of that considering how hard his Mom worked to get the company off the ground.”
Nicola paused and looked over her shoulder at him, her rich brown eyes narrowed in his direction. “He told you about his parents?”
“Yeah? Is that not…normal or something?”
“I’m just surprised, that’s all.” She resumed walking, leading Mateo into the spa. The immediate blast of cool, refreshing air was nice, but it was no distraction from Nicola’s reaction.
Why did she seem so surprised that Arthur had talked to him about his family? Was that not the norm? Was it some kind of secret that only she and Arthur shared? As he pulled his clothes off and changed into his robe, Mateo wondered what he was missing from the conversation. He was like a dog with a bone until the moment he got down on the massage table next to Nicola and the large woman with buttery soft hands kneaded and rubbed away all his concerns.
He was no stranger to a bit of frivolous luxury, but this was all much different than Mateo, Valerie, and Rob doing face masks and manicures. For one thing, Rob wouldn’t be bossing them around and instructing them to make his fingers look perfect. They also never had unlimited refills on anything they wanted to drink, nor did they receive $1,000 illuminating facials.
By the time Mateo slipped into the mud bath beside Nicola, he felt like the only way this could all get any more bougie is if Beyoncé herself came out to serenade them. Nicola grabbed for her phone and changed the song playing through the speakers in the room, and he couldn’t be mad at the 90s R&B song she’d chosen.
She set her phone down and turned to him. “What’s wrong?”
“Hm?”
“You’ve had this vibe all afternoon, Mateo. What’re you thinking about?”
“I guess I’m still just hung up on what you said when we got here.”
She smiled softly. “You’re a Cancer sign, aren’t you?”
“Maybe,” Mateo said, blushing.
“I knew it. When I said that I was surprised, it’s because Arthur doesn’t tell any of his babies about his life anymore. He’s very trusting, just like the Pisces that he is, and he’s had to learn the hard way not to trust every boy he meets. The fact that he told you now is… I don’t know, it’s just surprising. Not for any bad reasons, either.”
She shrugged and let her head fall back on the headrest, eyes closed. Mateo sat back as well, holding back his smile and staring up at the ceiling. So, Arthur trusted him enough to tell him about his family, huh?
Mateo never wanted to measure himself against the other guys that Arthur had been out with, but it was hard not to glow with satisfaction with this new information. Maybe it was silly to let such a thing go to his head, but he couldn’t help it. He knew it, just like he was sure his friends knew it. He was falling for Arthur fast, faster than he’d ever fallen for anyone else.
With this newfound information in his back pocket, he couldn’t wait for Arthur to get back from handling work business. He knew for a fact that the trip to the casino they’d planned would be even more exciting now.
*
Who was rich? Who had taken two hundred dollars of his own money and turned it into six thousand? Mateo had.
By the time he’d earned that money, he’d made more than a few enemies, and even more friends. He’d started with the blackjack table first. Growing up, that had been his game at family reunions and get-togethers. He knew when to hit and stand at the right times, almost like a second nature. Part of him liked to thank the movie 21 for making him better at the game.
After blackjack, he and Arthur headed over to the poker table. While he may have enjoyed the previous game more, he was much better at this one. He’d been blessed with a relatively flawless poker face. Ask any of his customers. Rarely did he crack, and he broke even less when money was on the line. It didn’t really matter to Arthur whether he won or lost, so halfway through the game he ended up helping Mateo scare other people out of the running.
It came down to him and a woman across the table. She was his biggest competition, and he had to give her props. She knew what she was doing. She flipped over her cards to reveal a straight. Mateo raised an eyebrow.
“Let’s see what you’ve got, kid?” she challenged.
“You better call D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle, because I’ve got a full house,” he said, showing his hand. For a moment, anger flashed on her face, but she sighed and smiled.
“Damn it,” she said dejectedly. “Good game.”
“You too,” he smiled slightly.
What he wanted to do was dance around and throw his chips in the air, but he kept his composure and acted
like he had some kind of home training. That was it for him, Mateo decided. He’d made way too much money to risk it and he didn’t want to press his luck too hard. This was why he’d picked games that depended on his own skill rather than pure chance, like slots or the roulette table.
Arthur followed him from the tables. Mateo leaned back against a slot machine and looked up at him.
“You having fun?” Arthur asked.
“Mhm. You keep losing money, though,” Mateo teased, poking him in the ribs. Arthur squirmed and swatted at his hand.
“Don’t rub it in, brat. I’m just glad you’re winning. We made a good team back there at the poker table.”
“We make a good team, period,” Mateo grinned. He stepped forward and wrapped his hands around the man’s waist, his head pressing against his chest. “Thank you for bringing me out here. I know, I already thanked you, but I’m just…really grateful.”
“You ought to thank Nicola for that.”
Mateo pulled back. “I wonder what Nicola’s up to. I hope her dinner date went well,” Mateo said. Arthur smiled knowingly.
“It actually went terribly. I texted her earlier to see how she was doing with her old beau, and she said she was just going to a strip club. At least they could give her a good time,” Arthur laughed. Mateo’s mouth fell open. “You look surprised.”
“It’s the surprise I’m feeling,” Mateo said. “I didn’t take her for a stripper kind of woman.”
“She’s recently single and looking to forget Lincoln. That’s probably the first place you’d want to check.” He brushed Mateo’s hair from his face and looked down at him. “You should probably go cash out.”
“That’s a good idea,” he said. He took Arthur by the hand and brought him to the cashier. The man smiled politely and got to work. “Can I get it in a check, please?” Mateo added. The cashier nodded.
When everything was all finished up, Mateo deposited his check through the app on his phone. He wanted to get the money in there immediately.
“Done?” Arthur asked. Mateo nodded and tucked the check into his wallet. “I need to get a little bit of air. Come with?”
“Sure.” Mateo followed Arthur outside of the building. At night, everything seemed so much prettier. The lights were gorgeous, and the whole sight was surreal. He hugged himself and stood next to Arthur. “What’s up?”
“I just wanted to get out of there for a little bit. Get my head back on straight.”
“Are you okay?” Mateo asked.
“I’m fine. It was just seeing you in there. Seeing you in your element. What a strange element to be in.”
Mateo smiled and dropped his gaze to his shoes. “Any time my family is around, we always play cards. I grew up watching them. Cards, dominos, dice.”
“Well, I liked seeing it. I liked seeing you be completely organic. You weren’t worried about asking for something. You took those guys in there for all they had, and you didn’t even bat an eye.” Arthur smiled faintly and looked at him. “I had to clear my mind, otherwise I might get ahead of myself.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning I’d kiss you too long. I might have my hands on you just a bit too low.”
Mateo nodded and fell silent. He understood that feeling. In school, he’d been in more than one situation like that. Leaving the room was the best way for him to look at things logically. But tonight, that wasn’t something he wanted to do.
“Would it be bad if I said I liked the sound of that a little too much?” He turned his head and looked at the man. Arthur stared back, his brows knit as he tried to understand him.
“No, I don’t think it would be bad.”
“I actually think... I think it’d be good if you touched me too low, kissed me too long. I’d—I’d want you to, I think.” Mateo knew what he was saying, but he wasn’t sure if he was right to say it. He’d only been with one person before, and even then, it was nothing like going all the way. Imagining doing that now with Arthur made him nervous.
“Do you mean that?”
“I mean that,” Mateo said after a moment of thought. He moved in front of Arthur. “It’s not the first time I’ve thought about it. But it’s the first time I’ve been nervous and still wanted to say yes.”
“What are you nervous about?” Arthur’s hands were on Mateo’s hips now, only inches away from reaching around to cup the back of his pants.
“I’m nervous because this is new to me and because I’m excited. I’m nervous because I just... I am. It’s like the jet all over again.”
Arthur nodded and said, “Did I make the flight over here okay?”
“You did.”
“Do you trust me?”
“I do,” Mateo nodded.
“Will you trust me if we go up to our room? One hundred percent, no questions?”
“One hundred percent, Art. No questions.”
The older man smiled softly and rubbed his thumb across Mateo’s cheek.
“Let’s go then.”
13
NEVER-ENDING
Moving through the hallway felt like slow motion. Mateo held onto Arthur’s fingers tight and made eye contact with two women passing. Their smiles made him wonder if they knew what was happening. Did they know where the two of them were going? Were they cheering him on or smiling out of discomfort?
Arthur let go of his hand and unlocked the door, pulling him inside soon after. They removed their shoes and turned to face one another.
He started to speak, but before he could get anything out, the man’s hands were hooked through his belt loops and tugging him forward. He moved with Arthur until he’d trapped the older man between the wall and his body. Mateo’s mind raced. He wasn’t sure if he was rethinking this or if he was just nervous.
He distracted himself and stepped up on his toes to kiss him. It was slow and lingering, and he could taste their night on the tip of his tongue. Whiskey, and the sweetness of vanilla lip balm. Arthur groaned softly and wrapped his hands around the other’s waist. Mateo made a humming noise and broke the kiss, trailing more down his chin and throat. He could feel the man’s pulse, fast and growing faster, and he licked against his skin.
Arthur shuddered.
Mateo smiled softly and repeated it, a noise of his own rattling the back of his throat. He kissed lower, tugging the collar of his t-shirt down so that he could reach his clavicle. He sucked firmly, his lips stroking the hot flesh running taut over the bone. His hand found its way up through Arthur’s hair and he pulled his head back, exposing more of his throat. Mateo had his way with it, pecking and sucking feverishly.
His hands absently groped for the hem of Arthur’s shirt, and when they found it, he tugged up and pulled it over his head. He tossed it away and turned his head, missing as it lingered in the air before falling beside the bed. Arthur, clearly not wanting to be the only one shirtless, began unbuttoning Mateo’s shirt. Mateo grew impatient and yanked the last few buttons open, tearing them from the fabric. He’d buy another one. Better yet, Arthur might. Arthur slipped the shirt down his shoulders and dropped his head to kiss him as the material lowered. It, too, was discarded without focus.
Arthur leaned down and grabbed the back of Mateo’s thighs, pulling him from the ground. Mateo’s legs wrapped around his waist tight and held on as his bare back was pressed against the wall. Their lips were together again, this time more eager and hungry than before.
Mateo’s hands slid along the ridges of his broad back, the slight goosebumps like Braille to his touch. He moaned and began grinding his hips down. He could feel the hardness beneath him, and adding pressure to it only made Arthur grip his thigh harder. He let out a short grunt and kissed Mateo deeper. They were connected at the mouth until the boy pulled away to catch his breath.
Mateo’s eyes fell upon the bed. Understanding his gaze, Arthur regained his grip and carried him from the door to the bed. Mateo held tight and peppered kisses across his skin as they moved. Soon Arthur laid him down, watching as
his body eased into the mattress. He leaned forward and unbuttoned Mateo’s pants, and with a little help, he slid them down his legs, pausing to stroke his thighs tenderly. He stood back and took in the sight of the younger man, a faint smile on his face. Mateo’s toes curled into the comforter and his knees touched, hiding away the tent in his underwear.
Arthur unzipped and unbuttoned his slacks and stepped out of them. He removed his socks as well. Watching Arthur strip down to only a pair of black boxer briefs was something Mateo hadn’t realized he needed to see until now. It made his own erection feel even tighter in his underwear, and he adjusted himself to relieve the pressure. Once he was free of clothing, Arthur climbed across the bed and situated himself between the other man’s legs. Mateo stared up at him, looked over his massive body looming up above, and smiled. Their lips reconnected once more.
Arthur’s body pressed down against Mateo’s like a puzzle piece, a perfect fit. Soon there were legs wrapped around his waist their excitement pressed together. He let out a small groan before rolling his hips down against him again. The room was filled with the sounds of their tiny jolts of pleasure, and with each faint touch came an urgency for more. Mateo began meeting his downward moves, his legs a vice around Arthur’s waist as they worked their bodies together.
The feeling was almost too overwhelming, and Mateo had to calm himself down for a moment. This was more stimulation than he’d ever received, and he didn’t want to ruin things by reaching his peak too early.
To keep that from happening, he fell back onto the bed and dragged the elastic of Arthur’s underwear down. He continued pulling until the material was nestled just above his knees. He then reached out and stroked him, his skin hot against his palm. Arthur groaned and sat back on his haunches, watching as Mateo twisted his hand up and down. Their eyes met, and Arthur’s face contorted in pleasure when the other ran his tongue along his bottom lip and trapped it between his teeth.
He reached out and rubbed his palm against the front of Mateo’s boxer briefs, the feeling of his excitement only serving to make him friskier. He took hold of the bottom of his underwear and began pulling lower, waiting until Mateo raised his hips before pulling it off completely. He tapped Mateo on the hip and the boy rolled over onto his stomach, nerves dancing inside his stomach.