by Wendy Qualls
“Which brings us to you,” Ronald interjected. “I know we just asked you to take on the Alabama project a few months ago, but we’re going to need someone to oversee the decor and branding for this new chain and we’d like to give it higher priority. The rates are going to be lower than Dayspring’s, which means you’ll be decorating on a budget, but the mint-and-cream makeover you talked us into was a sorely needed change and you nailed it. Customer reviews reflected that. You have good instincts and you balance the artistic requirements with the financial ones.”
He’d been much less enthusiastic when Lito first proposed the new color scheme two years earlier. The praise felt wonderful. “Thanks.” Lito knew he hadn’t been entirely responsible for Dayspring Inn & Suites’ ratings and revenue going up, but the more modern artwork and the noticeable lack of 1950s-era cement pineapples probably helped. Ronald had a terrible artistic aesthetic, but he and Betty both knew it and were quick to defer to Lito’s eye. “This sounds like a huge job, though,” he added. “If you need it done quickly I don’t know if I’ll be able to juggle the Alabama renovations with—”
“Oh, this would be another straight-up promotion,” Betty assured him. “We’re offering you a fifteen-thousand-a-year raise and we’ll cover your relocation costs to Miami. I know you weren’t all that keen on Black Lake initially and moving twice so close together is a pain, but this opportunity came up rather suddenly for us and you’re the logical choice.” She flashed him a motherly smile. “I’m not saying I play favorites, but…”
“Yes, she does.” Ronald squeezed his wife’s hand. “And we wouldn’t offer if we didn’t think you’d be an excellent fit for what we need.”
Well fuck. Between the raise he’d already gotten when they moved him to Black Lake in the first place and another fifteen thousand, Lito would be making almost half again what he used to. “You’d want to keep me in Miami for good, then?”
“That’s the other half of this.” Ronald sat back in his chair. “Ideally, we’d like you to be a local presence while we sort through the staffing issues and growing pains with the new chain. Conduct interviews, help new employees receive appropriate training to meet Dayspring standards… You’d essentially be a part-time HR department for us. Betty and I will both be down there as much as we can in the beginning, of course, but we can’t do everything. You’re a long-time employee who knows Dayspring’s culture better than anyone, and you’ve got a good head on your shoulders.”
“It means we’ll be looking to hire someone new to take on what you’re currently doing in Black Lake,” Betty added. “Whatever you’re able to pass off. The new hire would also function as a long-distance assistant for you going forward to handle whatever tasks you think would be easiest to delegate—you know your workload better than I do. I know it’s inconvenient, but you’re from Miami originally, right?”
“It’s…been a while. But yes, that’s where I grew up.” Grew up, came out, ran away—so many memories, and not all ones he particularly wanted to remember. Still, for another step up the ladder it might be worth facing his childhood demons. “I haven’t been back in forever.”
Betty didn’t press. He’d never talked about why he left Miami with her, but she was frighteningly observant sometimes. “Think about it,” she said instead. “Like we said earlier, we’re still in negotiations for this, so it could be a month from now or it could be six months. We’d like to have you hit the ground running when it does go through, though. And that is a when. The sooner we can rebrand and get Sunshine State Motels back up and running, the better.”
“We’ll have one of the pet-friendly suites in the Coral Gables location available for your use until you find somewhere you like better,” Ronald added. “There’s no rush.”
Damn. A promotion, another raise, an assistant. Plus free rent. “That’s…incredibly generous.”
“It’s a big step,” Betty said. “For you and for us. But I think we have the ability to recoup our renovation costs back quickly by offering a pet-and-budget-friendly hospitality experience. There’s nothing like that anywhere in the area. Hopefully we’ll be able to expand too, sometime in the next decade or so.”
“One thing at a time,” Ronald added.
“So.” Betty stood and busied herself collecting their plates. “Strawberry trifle time?”
Chapter 14
Dave tried to convince himself he wasn’t desperately missing Lito’s company the whole week Lito was visiting friends in Atlanta. Tried and failed. The frequent sex after Dave’s so-long-it-felt-like-forever dry spell was one thing—a fantastic thing—but the Lito-sized empty space in Dave’s bed every morning was just as bad. Christ, when had that addiction appeared? Lito didn’t even stay over more than two or three nights a week and already Dave was mourning his absence. Because he was a fucking romantic, apparently.
He and Lito weren’t even formally “dating.” Dating would be the freedom to kiss whenever the hell either of them felt like it. Not having to ask if Lito was coming over for a bit before practice so they could eat dinner together. Lito keeping more than a toothbrush and a change of clothes at Dave’s house. They almost never ended up at Lito’s own place, mostly because his yard wasn’t big enough for three large dogs to act like idiots without bothering the neighbors, but that just made the sense of “something’s missing” worse. He ended up restricting himself to texting Lito no more than twice a day so he didn’t come off as desperate.
Dave spent Christmas weekend at his parents’ house, then the rest of the week catching up on year-end necessities for both work and NALSAR. Donations were down substantially from when Steve and his ex were still together, back when their daughter had still been on the team. She’d been a social butterfly who knew everyone in Black Lake and half the state besides, and she’d always volunteered to take point on the begging-for-money portion of their fundraising. She was good and the team bank account had shown it. Then Steve’s ex left him, his daughter left the team, and Dave was left with a list of former contacts and no idea what the hell to do with it. He ended up as the team treasurer mostly because nobody else wanted the job.
Dave didn’t particularly want it, either, but at least the lack of a recent fundraiser within the last year meant the paperwork for tax time wouldn’t be all that complicated. With Lito on the team—assuming he stuck around—maybe they’d have the manpower for something soon. Was Lito planning to stick around? Dave’s brain immediately conjured up how Lito had looked at their last practice before the holiday. He’d been laughing and pretend-chasing Spot across the field after she finished her find. Spot discovered a stick that particularly needed gnawing and Dave had been literally caught in his tracks at the sight of the two of them. That night they went back to Dave’s house and headed straight for the bed, not emerging until almost ten o’clock to raid the fridge together.
Hi honey, I’m home! You already in bed, or up for some company?
Dave read the text twice. Then dashed to his bedroom to put on something other than his current boxers, slippers, and sweat-stained t-shirt.
What about company *in* bed? he texted back. The pups left Spot’s end of the sofa open if she wants it.
Lito showed up twenty minutes later, looking a bit rumpled from all the driving but still sexy as hell. He barely let Spot get clear of the door before he slammed it behind himself and had Dave pressed up against the wall right there in the entryway. There were probably dogs-greeting-each-other sounds coming from the living room, but Dave’s mind was wholly focused on how Lito was mouthing at all the parts of his neck he could reach.
“Was thinking about you the entire way home,” Lito growled. “There’s a crap-ton of nothing between Atlanta and here, which makes for a lot of time to daydream.”
“Mmph.” Dave whole-heartedly approved of Lito being this pushy—it was usually a sign they were about to have some acrobatic and extremely satisfying sex. “You missed me
, then.”
“Couldn’t even jerk off to fantasies of you, not with Ian and his new roommate right there. It’s a small apartment and the walls aren’t that thick.”
God, that was even better. Lito horny and unsated for an entire week… “What would you have fantasized about? If you could?” Lito was already grinding against him, and it felt fantastic. “Am I dressed appropriately for a demonstration?”
Lito sputtered through a startled laugh even as he started working Dave’s shirt open. The incredibly comfortable button-down shirt Dave had just put on a whole fifteen minutes earlier because when he was turned on the soft fabric felt heavenly against his skin. “Getting there,” Lito said. “Damn, I love this one on you. You look good in blue. Leave it there—I just wanted it open enough I could do this.” He pulled one side away from Dave’s chest and ducked in to catch a nipple between his teeth in a grip just sharp enough to make Dave swallow his own tongue.
“Damn.” Anything else he might have wanted to say had disappeared.
“Oh, you should know by now that I’m just getting started. Gonna take a while.” Lito nipped the other one for good measure, then hooked a foot behind Dave’s left leg and tugged. It wasn’t enough to actually throw Dave off-balance, but he let himself fall to his knees anyway. Lito’s brilliant smile was reward enough. “There, that’s more like it,” he murmured. “So damn tall—your face is at a better height now. I want to fuck your mouth for a while.”
“Yes,” Dave said immediately. Lito pliant and submissive was wonderful, but Lito toppy as hell was even better.
Lito nodded, like he hadn’t expected any different, and quickly had his own jeans unzipped and his cock out. He didn’t even give enough time for Dave to admire the sight before his fingers were splayed over Dave’s skull and were guiding his mouth to where it was needed. He wasn’t cruel—he let Dave set the initial pace—but before long Dave was pinned, the back of his head pressed against the wall and Lito pistoning in and out of his mouth with sharp, controlled thrusts.
“So good,” Lito moaned. “Fuck. You look gorgeous down there with your lips wrapped around me. Letting me fuck your mouth. You get off on this too, I know. Maybe one of these days I’ll catch you by surprise while we’re off in the woods alone and nobody can see us. I’ll shove you up against a tree and put you on your knees and make you suck me off until I come all over your face. In your hair, your eyelashes, that sexy beard stubble you sometimes let grow for a day or two. I’d show you how much you turn me on just by being there with your mouth around me. That sound good to you?”
Dave groaned his approval.
“Thought so.” Lito pulled back and smirked down at him. Dave instinctively leaned closer to keep the connection before he realized Lito was just advocating a change of venue. “Come on,” Lito urged. “I’m sure we’re supposed to start off by asking about each other’s Christmas, but mostly I just want to ride you until you can’t make words anymore.”
“God, yes.” Dave scrambled to his feet and followed Lito to the bedroom. Lito strode in like he owned it and fuck, wasn’t that a nice thought? Dave could own the house, the foyer, the kitchen, the living room…but Lito taking over his bedroom. Making it his. It was so different from his easygoing persona when in public. Dave’s previous experience usually tended toward guys who were more on the submissive side, but Lito genuinely seemed to love both taking control and giving it up. The contrast had a growing appeal.
“On the bed,” Lito commanded, Army-sharp. “Did I mention I had a really long drive to plan this little reunion out? Because it was. I got stuck behind a farm truck doing fifteen under on the windy two-lane road over the mountain. I’ve got some frustration to work out. On you.”
Whatever Lito “working out” his frustrations was, Dave was in. “Do it.” He sat on the mattress and reached to pull Lito down with him. Instead, Lito pushed him over backward and shoved his arms underneath his back, so Dave was lying fingertip-to-elbow with his forearms digging into his spine. The position forced him to hold his back in an arch and to thrust his chest out. His nipples were free for Lito to pinch or bite again. The brief feeling of vulnerability quickly changed to lust. Toppy Lito was creative, strict, and sexy. Hell, Lito breathing was sexy when Dave was this turned on.
“Atlanta’s not the only stronghold of civilization,” he said. Lito might have been in a bossy mood, but that didn’t mean Dave couldn’t sass back. “Black Lake has a theater and a Walmart, like everywhere else in America. Can’t be uncivilized if you have a Walmart, right?”
Lito grinned. It was practically feral. “I don’t feel particularly civilized at the moment,” he growled. And swept a leg up and over Dave’s hips so their cocks ground together. “Feel a bit picky tonight, actually. Keep your hands where they are—let me do all the touching tonight. You good with that?”
Hell yes. “I’m good with anything right now,” Dave answered honestly. “As long as it’s not ‘don’t come for a week.’ Might have issues obeying that one, with you looking at me like that.”
“Mmmm.” Lito ran his fingernails lightly up and down Dave’s chest, brushing the open button-down shirt to the sides. The sensation sent literal chills over the newly-exposed skin. “Trying to stave it off isn’t a turn-on for you, then?”
Fuck. “It, um. Not tonight? Or at least, not for too long? I’ve never…” He had to swallow hard to get his voice coming out properly. Talking was great, yes, wonderful, but not when he was already trying to picture the many ways Lito could deal with his “frustrations.” Later, once they’d both come at least once and could think straight again. Talk then.
“That can be remedied.” Lito’s fingers were working lower, now, tracing over the lines of Dave’s abdominal muscles and inching toward the waistband of his jeans. “For the record, I’ve tried the orgasm delay thing. And loved it from both sides of the equation. We can table that for tonight, though—right now I need to get you naked.” Dave started to get up, but Lito flat-out sat on top of his hips and pinned him to the mattress. “I said I need to get you naked, not that you should be doing anything. You just watch for a bit.”
Watching was good too. “Might have trouble getting my shirt off, with my arms pinned like this,” he pointed out.
“I meant the parts that matter.” Lito scooted backward, then leaned down to press his face into where Dave’s thigh met his torso. “You already smell good, though,” he murmured. “I can practically taste you through your jeans, you know that? If that superb mouth-fucking hadn’t gotten me hard before, this definitely would do the trick. You smell like sex already and we’ve barely done anything yet.”
Dave couldn’t help a little thrust upward. “Not for lack of trying.”
Lito huffed and sat back up. “Long drive, remember? We’ve got some lost time to make up for. I suppose I could take pity on you for now, though.” Nimble fingers unzipped Dave’s jeans and snuck a quick fondle through his boxers, which nearly had Dave levitating off the bed. Already. “Oh God, that’s good. Helpful. Hips up so I can—there we go. Half naked on the top and all naked on the bottom. I’m feeling overdressed.”
Lito was in his usual tight t-shirt and ass-hugging jeans, white and black today, and his hair was more mussed than he ever let it get outside of the bedroom. The usually elegant swoop of bangs he carefully styled each morning was crooked and a bit limp and made him look like he’d already been fucked silly. Except tonight, Dave was the one who’d be on the taking orders side of things, however Lito had planned them. Fuck.
“Keep your eyes on me.” Lito backed off the mattress and came around the side of the bed. “No moving, no touching. You can do all the ogling you want, though.”
Right, like he would have had enough willpower to not look. “Drooling okay?”
Lito winked at him. “Guess we’ll find out.” He ran his palms down his front, twisting his hips as he did so, and… Christ. This was a strip
tease. Lito was going to perform a fucking striptease. Dave had to lick his suddenly dry lips. Which Lito noticed, of course. “You’re going to have to imagine the music,” he murmured, “because I don’t really want to futz around on my phone right now. That would go against the point of all this, which is to get your cock inside me sooner rather than later. First, though…” He stripped his shirt slowly up over his head, displaying his toned abs and flat brown nipples at an agonizing pace which made futzing around on his phone look like the quicker option. When he finally got it off, he tossed it onto the bed—straight onto Dave’s bare stomach. The shirt was still warm. “As it so happens,” Lito said, “I’ve devised a cunning plan both to get your cock up my ass and to get you gibbering while I do it. I like it when you’re post-verbal.”
“You’re doing an excellent job so far.”
“Not good enough, if you’re still talking in full sentences.” Lito rotated a hundred and eighty degrees, hips dropping in a few teasing twerks. Dave had been ogling that bubble butt already, but now he couldn’t tear his eyes away. “We’ve been doing this long enough by now,” Lito said, “that I feel pretty confident in saying I know what you like. And you like my ass. Don’t try to deny it.”
“Wasn’t going to.” It was true, after all.
“Good.” Lito gyrated back around, dancing to music only he could hear, and unzipped his jeans for the second time that evening. The front of his briefs was already a darker color—from precome or from Dave’s residual saliva, it was hard to tell. “Because my ass certainly likes you. God, these jeans are too tight now. Ooh, there we go.” He put on a good show—from multiple angles—as he got his own cock free and stepped out of his clothes so he was completely, wonderfully naked. “Next up, we’re gonna need some lube. No, don’t move.” He shot Dave a warning glare. “I’m doing this and you’re watching, got it?”
Crystal clear. “I’m leering, preferably.”