by Jerry Cole
No, not things.
Jon.
Just Jon.
Sitting there, writing him a check for the work he had done, making sure to fill in “interior design services” in the memo field in small, tidy handwriting.
Tearing the check from his checkbook, standing up and moving toward Mark. Depositing the check in his hand and leaning down to kiss him on the cheek, his lips soft against his skin, his nose cold.
“I’m sorry,” Jon said into Mark’s ear, his breath tickling his skin. “Please let me make it up to you.”
Mark turned to look at him and smiled, despite himself. “How?”
“I have some ideas,” Jon replied.
“Oh,” Mark said. Jon was already blushing. Mark could feel his heart beating faster. That wasn’t the only part of his body that was excited, though. “What kind of ideas?”
“Let me show you,” Jon said. “They mostly involve you being in my bed.”
“Is that right?”
“Yes,” Jon said, nibbling on Mark’s ear. Sending an electrical signal all through his body. “That’s right.”
Chapter Fifteen
Jon’s heart had dropped when he had seen how upset he’d made Mark. He couldn’t believe how selfish he had been. Or how stupid. All he wanted was to make Mark feel the way that Mark had made him feel in the shower a few days before. Because he deserved it.
Mark seemed hesitant, though. Despite how excited he obviously was, there was another part of him that seemed to hate the idea of going upstairs. Jon could tell by the way his hands were fisted at his sides. While his words made it sound like he was willing, his body language made him look afraid.
“Look,” Jon said, straightening up. “I really like you. Like a lot. And if what we need to do is take it slow because of — because of how much of an idiot I am, then I totally get that. But I also think you kind of deserve this.”
Mark looked up at Jon’s face and swallowed. “Deserve what?”
“Deserve to be worshiped,” he replied. He wasn’t normally a sweet talker, hadn’t been with his previous lovers, but there was something about the way Mark looked. There was something about Mark that made him feel like he needed to tell him everything. “Deserve to have every part of you kissed, licked, nibbled on. I don’t — I’m not going to say that I know what it’s like to sleep with a man, because, you know, I don’t. But I want to know. I want to know how to make you feel the way that you made me feel. Please.”
“Fine,” Mark said, obviously trying to hold back a smile. “Okay.”
He finally grabbed Jon’s outstretched hand, his grip firm and his hand warm. Jon smiled at his touch. He helped Mark to his feet and held his hand until they went upstairs and walked into his bedroom.
“Are you sure about this? Because,” Jon swallowed before he continued speaking. He wanted this, but not at Mark’s expense.
Jon watched as Mark hesitated before he sat down on the bed. “Yes,” Mark said. “I’m just — I don’t know. I guess I’m just a little overwhelmed.”
“Okay,” Jon said. He sat down next to Mark and smiled at him. “We don’t have to do this. We can just, I don’t know, talk. Do you want to talk?”
Mark chuckled, shaking his head. “No. I don’t want to just talk. I’m just having a hard time believing that this is real, I guess.”
“Believing that what is real?”
“You,” Mark said. “Because —”
Jon didn’t let him finish the sentence. He pressed his lips against Mark’s parted ones, putting his hand on Mark’s firm chest and leaning forward so that he was on top of him as they kissed. He spent a while kissing Mark’s mouth before he moved down to his jaw and then his neck. Mark was still clothed, something that Jon knew had to be remedied soon. He kissed Mark’s neck as he moved his hands down to his jeans, fumbling with his buttons until he finally managed to open them. He accidentally brushed his hand against Mark’s erection. It made Mark moan and writhe under him, which made Jon’s heart beat faster. He noticed that his fingers were trembling as he kissed down Mark’s still covered chest and then his stomach, until he was kissing right above Mark’s neatly trimmed pubic hair.
Which, he noted with some curiosity and more than a little anticipation, was new. “Can I take your jeans off?”
“Please,” Mark replied breathlessly. He bent his legs up to give Jon easier access. Jon peeled them off his legs, his nails digging lightly into Mark’s skin as he did so.
Once they were off, he took a second to admire the view. Mark was lying there, his breathing quickened, his stomach moving fast. There was also the bulge in his black boxers, a thin strip of black hair visible right above the waistband.
“What about these?”
Mark laughed. “Stop teasing me.”
“I’m sorry,” Jon said, kissing the inside of Mark’s legs until his cheek was brushing against Mark’s balls. “I can’t help myself. You’re so beautiful.”
He pressed his face into Mark’s inner thigh before he started to kiss him, his approach increasing in both intensity and speed until he had even more visual confirmation of how much Mark was enjoying his attention.
He hesitated for a second before he kissed Mark’s erection through the fabric of his underwear.
“Hey,” Mark said, stroking his hair. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m just — I guess I’m a little overwhelmed, too. I didn’t know I could have all these feelings about someone’s cock.”
Mark laughed, which made his entire body shake under Jon. “Good feelings, I hope.”
“Great feelings,” Jon replied. “Amazing feelings. Just confusing, too.”
“Okay,” Mark said. “I guess it makes sense that you would take your time, but you are kind of killing me here.”
“I’m sorry,” Jon said. “Here. Take those off.”
He watched as Mark peeled off his underwear, his cock standing erect and at attention before Jon took a deep breath and ran his tongue along the slit until Mark was moaning again and then around the head. He saw that Mark was digging into the sheet with his fingers which galvanized him enough to actually pop his dick in his mouth.
He tasted like salt. Just the smell of him, the feel of Mark’s cock in his mouth, was almost enough to make Jon explode. And he could tell that, as soon as he had, that Mark was trying hard to contain himself, too.
He played with Mark’s balls as he slowed down the intensity of the blowjob, his fingers lightly stroking Mark’s testicles until they were small and tight. Jon could tell that he was about to burst before Mark grabbed him by the hair, tugging on him.
“Wait,” Mark said, breathlessly. “I don’t want to —”
“Why not? I want to taste you,” Jon replied. “I told you that I wanted to have all of you.”
Mark nodded, his eyes half-closed. “You can. I just, I want to — I want to be inside of you. Can I?”
Jon’s eyes widened as he sat up. He had thought about it, but he was scared. It was something he had never done before. If it was anything like what Mark had made him feel before, it was probably worth it.
“I — I want you to. But I’m scared,” Jon said quietly. “What if I’m —”
“What if you’re what? You’re amazing,” Mark replied, sitting up and leaning over, quieting him with a kiss. “We’ll take it slow. And if you don’t like it, we’ll stop. I kind of have a feeling you’ll like it a lot, though.”
Jon heard himself speak before he had managed to process what Mark had said. “Why?”
“You kind of strike me as a natural bottom,” Mark replied, moving away from Jon and smiling. “You’re trembling.”
“I just — I just wanted to make you feel as good as you made me feel,” Jon whispered.
“I know,” Mark replied, brushing Jon’s hair away from his face and kissing him on the mouth again. “And I wanted to be inside you ever since I first saw you. You still trust me, right?”
“Yes,” Jon replied. “Of course I
trust you.”
“Okay,” Mark said. “Then I need you to take your clothes off, lie on your back and tell me where you keep the lube.”
Jon pointed toward the nightstand and did as he was told, stripping off his clothes slowly. Watching as Mark knelt over and opened his nightstand, he could feel the blood going to his cock, getting harder than he even knew was possible. He didn’t realize just how much he was looking forward to this until he saw Mark gripping the white bottle of lube in his hand.
Mark smiled at him as he placed the bottle of lube next to him and leaned over to kiss Jon on the mouth. “Play with yourself,” he said into Mark’s ear. “I want you to get ready for me.”
“But I’m going to —”
“You won’t,” Mark replied. “Because if you wait, it’ll be even better than it was last time. So just keep yourself on edge, okay?”
Jon groaned in protest. Or maybe it was excitement. He couldn’t be sure exactly because as he gripped his hand around his cock and he felt Mark’s eager digits massaging around his asshole, he already felt like he was about to explode. He shifted down and thrust his hips forward.
“You’re eager,” Mark said, pressing his finger down but not quite into Jon.
“Yes,” Jon replied breathlessly. “Please.”
“Okay,” Mark grabbed Jon’s legs and positioned himself so that his erection was between Jon’s ass cheeks and right in front of his eager hole. “Just relax.”
Before Mark actually thrust himself into Jon, he lathered his own dick with lube, inching closer to Jon. He entered Jon without announcing it. Mark looked at Jon’s face, which was hot and flustered. Jon thought he probably looked foolish, but it seemed to drive Mark crazy. He seemed to have to stop himself from actually fucking Jon. “Is this okay?”
“Yes,” Jon said, barely able to actually speak. “More — more than okay.”
“Good,” Mark replied. He started moving away, thrusting his hips against Jon’s ass. Every time he did, Mark felt like he could see fireworks inside his eyelids. Not that he wanted to close his eyes — he wanted to look at Mark as he was riding him, bringing him closer and closer to orgasm. Then Mark leaned over, kissed him on the lips and wrapped a strong grip around Jon’s erection. He started to speed up his hips and his hand until Jon was writhing under him.
Soon, he was unable to hear anything but a high-pitched noise as the pleasured spread all over his body. Making his entire body spasm as he slowly shot his load, unable to even warn Mark about it even though he knew how close he was. It was like his mouth wasn’t responding to his commands.
He thought he could hear himself murmuring something, but he wasn’t exactly sure. Then, as soon as he started to be able to hear again, Mark moved away from him and came all over Jon’s stomach, his eyes rolling back in their sockets. Jon watched him, knowing that if he had anything left in him, his dick would have sprung into action again.
Mark looked at him and smiled before he threw himself down next to Jon.
Chapter Sixteen
“You’re okay, right?” Mark asked Jon, probably for the third or fourth time.
Jon rolled his eyes. “I’m more than okay. Seriously. Do you ever just relax?”
“You’re one to talk,” Mark replied, nuzzling into Jon’s neck. Jon’s arm was wrapped around his shoulders. They were both still naked, still lying in their own mess. Part of Mark wanted to get up and have a shower, but he also needed to extend this moment as much as possible.
Being next to Jon reassured him that he had been wrong. Maybe he could actually trust that it was real.
Jon smiled at him before he kissed Mark on the top of the head. “That was amazing. Is that what it’s like for everyone?”
“No,” Mark said. “Not for everyone. Some people really like it, some people don’t like it so much — I had a feeling that you’d love it.”
“Why?”
“I played with your prostate a little bit and you practically fainted,” Mark said, laughing.
Jon purred and nodded. Lying there, with his hand over Mark’s and his skin still hot and sweaty from sex, it was hard to believe that this man was a huge star. It was hard to believe that he was anything other than into Mark, which made Mark glow with happiness. It also scared him. For the time being, he was determined to enjoy the joy he was feeling, temporary as it may be.
And then Jon had to speak. “You know, you can have your job back if you want.”
Mark straightened up, moving away from Jon.
“Look,” Jon said. “I’m obviously not going to pay you for today. But, uh, I do need you to keep doing your job. You’re really good at it, and I don’t want to find another interior designer —”
“I’m not an interior designer, Jon,” Mark replied. He was sitting up now, watching Jon intently. “I went to school for like two semesters.”
Jon sat up, too. “I don’t care about your educational background. Have you seen what you did to my living room? You’re an interior designer, regardless of whether you have a degree or not. You know I never went to magic school.”
Mark shook his head, laughing. “There’s no such thing as magic school.”
Jon smiled, his eyes shining. “You keep telling yourself that. Seriously, though.”
“I can’t take the salary you were giving me,” Mark said. “I never want to feel like —”
“I’ll officially demote you,” Jon replied. “Do you need a team? That may be easier for you.”
“Like a — a team to redecorate the house?”
“Right,” Jon said. “Yes.”
“Okay,” Mark replied, smiling back at him. “So you’re docking my pay, and you’re giving me more responsibilities.”
“Yes,” Jon said, nodding. “How is that?”
“Perfect,” Mark said, kissing him again. “Absolutely perfect.”
“There’s another thing,” Jon said, extending his leg so that his foot was touching Mark’s leg. “Will you move back in?”
“I —”
“You’d have to pay rent,” Jon interrupted him. “Not much, but some.”
Mark smiled. “Yeah, okay.”
Mark dried his hair in front of the mirror while Jon stepped outside of the shower. Jon kissed him on the shoulder, one sweet, quick kiss, before he opened the bathroom door.
“So listen,” he said quickly. His voice had an edge to it that Mark didn’t think he had heard before. “I have this thing next week and I won’t be here at all.”
“Oh,” Mark said, his heart dropping. Maybe there was someone else. He wondered if he was being stupid again. Maybe, to Jon, this didn’t mean as much as it meant to him. He had no way of knowing if Jon was lying. Maybe he was only trying to pacify him and —
“Stop it,” Jon said. “I’m not cheating on you or anything like that. I just, I was really upset when you left, so I scheduled some work.”
“You’re not — you’re not cheating on me?”
“Of course not,” Jon said, rolling his eyes. “You’re, I don’t know. You’re the first person who has ever made me this happy. Why would I jeopardize that?”
“Wait, are we — are we like a couple?”
“Oh, shit,” Jon said, his eyes widening. “I mean, not if you don’t think we are. We totally don’t have to be. I did not mean to freak you out, oh my God, I —”
Mark put his hand on Jon’s cheek and kissed him softly. He smelled the soap on his skin and tasted himself on Jon’s lips. “It’s okay,” Mark said. “I want us to be. I just didn’t realize that you wanted that, too.”
“I want us to be a couple,” Jon said. “I want to wake up next to you every morning. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything more in my life.”
Mark smiled, stroking Jon’s jaw as he did so. “Then why are you leaving?”
“I couldn’t stand to be here without you,” Jon said. “I knew you weren’t going to be around, and you know that I hate this house. But then you were here and it was — I don’t know. I
t was okay for once. Like waking up in the morning and knowing that you would be nearby, that was enough to make me smile. Then when you left, when you got angry with me, I realized how much I actually hated it. Because I do, I hate it a lot.”
“Right,” Mark replied.
“But not when you are here,” Jon said. “When you’re here, I kind of forget about everything else. I forget how awful this place makes me feel.”
“Thank you,” Mark replied. “That’s very sweet.”
“That was not meant to be sweet. That was meant to be factual.”
“Things can be sweet and factual, you know,” Mark said. “Or maybe you don’t. You are, after all, a magician.”
Jon shook his head, but Mark thought he was smiling.
Chapter Seventeen
Jon’s head was pounding. He was staying in a tiny hotel room right above the venue, which was not something that he would ordinarily do.
The shows had gone well. They had actually sold out within minutes of going on sale, which was a record for both the venue and Jackie Mack. He should have been happy, but mostly he was upset. Because despite the thirty-minute phone calls when he woke up in the morning and the quick ones when he went to bed at night, he still didn’t feel like he was getting enough Mark.
And it was starting to scare him.
He had never felt that way about anyone. He thought he may had crushes on men before — he wasn’t sure about it, but he thought that maybe he had, especially his best friend when he was in high school — but he had never felt anything as intense for anyone before Mark.
There had been girls before. There had even been Taylor, whom he had considered proposing to for about two weeks before he realized that he actually hated her. But there had never been anyone like Mark.
Ever since that night they had spent burning the paintings together.
Weirder than that, Mark actually seemed to like him, too. Actually like him. He only ever brought up the magician thing if he wanted to tease Jon, but it was never about his act, and it was never about his money. He had actually demanded that Jon pay him less money, which Jon found strange, terrifying and amazing.