by Snead,A. M.
Todd didn’t become aware of the third presence until Rodney Castle’s voice stabbed through his brain. “I knew there was something between you two.”
A sharp gasp ripped from Todd and he shoved away from Drew, his back smacking the wall. He blinked to clear his vision and gripped the wall, chest heaving as his eyes widened in fear. “What…what the fuck are you talking about?” he choked out. Beside him, Drew turned and looked at Rodney.
“It’s the Hamptons all over again.” Rodney smiled coolly, triumph in his eyes. “You sneaking off to get nailed by one of the staff boys. Bet you didn’t have any problems when he was sticking it to you, did you, now?”
“Shut the fuck up!” Todd cried. “Or I’ll fucking shut you up!”
Drew turned on Rodney. “Get the fuck out of here,” he ordered. “This is the employees’ wing. You don’t have any business being over here.”
Rodney shot a look at Todd. “Unless I’m here for a fuck, then it’s okay, huh?”
“I came over here looking for Lane!” Todd shot back, his throat closing and tears welling. “That’s all!”
“Really?” Rodney perked up. “And what would Lane be doing over here? Paying a visit to the little queer bartender?”
Todd trembled, wanting to deny it and it be the truth. But right down the hall, around the corner, Lane and Nolan were going at it. Rodney can’t find out about that. “He isn’t here,” Todd snapped. “So shut your fucking mouth.”
“I told you to leave.” Drew stepped toward Rodney.
Nodding, Rodney smiled. “I get it. You two want to be alone.” He smirked. “You looked like you were about to get into something when I showed up. Didn’t mean to interrupt and spoil your fun.”
“Nothing happened!” Todd raged. His heart beat fast and hard, laboring his breath. Fuck—fuck! It’s over—it’s fucking over! He’ll make sure everyone knows about you and Drew. It didn’t matter if the fucker didn’t know the details, he would invent what he didn’t know.
“Of course not,” Rodney said. “Because I interrupted you.”
Was that true? Todd recalled how he’d been clinging to Drew, and Drew wrapping his arms around him. And how good it felt to be in his arms again. Tears thickened and blurred his vision; would he have gone back to Drew’s room?
Rodney backed away when Drew again ordered him to leave. “Like I said, the Hamptons all over again.” He smiled dryly.
“That never fucking happened!” Todd shouted. “You’re a fucking liar!”
“Todd…” Drew started then silenced abruptly as Todd shoved away from the wall.
“Just stay away from me,” he choked out and brushed past Drew and Rodney. “Both of you—just stay the fuck away from me!”
Todd fled the scene, not knowing where to go; there was no safe place to run to. No refuge.
There is, his rebellious heart insisted. Why are you running away from it?
♠
“Uuh!” Nolan’s back hit the sheets when Lane spun them around and dropped him on the bed without leaving his body. He shoved deep between Nolan’s legs and thrust in fast and urgent. “Oh fuck!” Nolan gasped and clawed his back, his thigh’s clamping Lane’s flanks as he lifted to his lover. “Yes…fuck me!”
Lane crushed his mouth in a hot, desperate kiss and fucked him harder, his breath bursting up his throat in grunts and pants. Nolan clutched his ass and pulled him in deeper with each thrust of his hips.
“Oh my God…” Nolan broke from the kiss, his body arching, rocking to Lane’s rhythm as the man’s hard, thick cock drove into him faster, deeper, harder. “Uuh—fuck! Oh God…don’t stop! Fuck me, Lane! I wanna come…make me come!”
Lane shoved up on his arms and pumped his hips forcefully, pounding Nolan’s ass. “Uuh! God! I’m gonna fucking come!”
Nolan grabbed his own cock and whipped his fist furiously up and down his rigid shaft. “Fuck!” His back bowed away from the bed, shoulders digging into the pillows. “Uuh! Fuuuck!” He came hard, shooting his load all over himself.
“Oh fuck-fuck-fuuuck!” Lane slammed in deep, hips jerking then pumping wildly as he gasped and panted, fucking through his orgasm. “God!”
A sudden knock on the door made them both jump and collapse on the bed, eyes wide, breath ragged and uneven. Nolan’s heart raced, beating against his ribs.
“The Hotrod’s trolling the halls,” Drew spoke low through the door, that something in his voice that gripped Nolan’s heart. “Might want to keep it down.” Nolan sensed him lingering briefly outside the door before moving on down the hall.
Lane remained tense for a moment, then sank down against the pillows, chest rising and falling rapidly. The haze of liquor still glazed his eyes, which were already growing heavy with exhaustion. “Mind if I stay until the coast is clear?”
“I don’t mind,” Nolan panted softly. “I don’t mind at all.”
Lane swallowed thickly and turned his stare to the ceiling, releasing a slow, shaky breath. “I’m gonna be so totally fucked on the slopes tomorrow,” he mumbled. His eyes shifted to Nolan. “I’m too fucked up to beat Rodney.” He reached out and slid his fingers through Nolan’s damp hair. “So you’re gonna have to kick his ass. I don’t care about our deal. Don’t hold back. Wipe the slopes with him.”
Scooting closer, Nolan rested his head on the pillow and tentatively caressed Lane’s hot skin. “There’s a storm coming in tonight,” he whispered. “The race is postponed. If the storm holds all the way through the weekend, it might be postponed indefinitely. Until next year, anyway.”
Lane stared at him. “We don’t have to race tomorrow?”
“No.”
What sounded like a sigh of relief escaped Lane. “Good,” he mumbled and draped his arm around Nolan. His head sank down tiredly, his lips pressed to Nolan’s hair. “Maybe I’ll just sleep here tonight.”
Before Nolan could reply, Lane was already drifting off. Nolan wasn’t far behind.
When Nolan awoke a few hours later, the power was out and the storm raged outside the lodge…and he was alone in bed.
Grabbing a robe and a flashlight, Nolan made his way to Drew’s room and crawled into bed with him, cuddling up close to Drew’s warm body. Drew said nothing as he wrapped Nolan in his arms, softly kissed his lips, and they held each other, listening to the storm outside…and deep within…grow louder and louder.
–3–
“Dad?” The boy entered through the rear door, peering anxiously into the kitchen. The room was empty. The whole house felt empty. He closed the door quietly and slid his book bag off his shoulder, gripping the strap tightly. His dad was supposed to be home early from work today—home before his mom. “Dad…are you here?”
The living room was empty, too, and the boy hurried over to the window when he heard a car pull up into the driveway. His stomach pinched and he started to feel sick as he watched his mom get out of the white Cadillac; his dad’s car nowhere to be seen.
Clutching his bag, the boy rushed upstairs and into his bedroom, closing the door behind him. He wanted to lock it but if he did, he’d just get in more trouble.
Just lie to her, he thought fearfully. For now—just lie.
He tensed when he heard the front door open and his mom call his name. Where was his dad? He was supposed to be home by now! It was better when his dad was here.
Footsteps on the stairs heralded his mom’s approach. He sat on the edge of his bed and waited, his heart racing. He’d never lied to his mom before; would she know?
A single knock and the door opened before he could answer it. His mom stood in the doorway in her neat, soft gray pantsuit, her golden blond hair pulled back stylishly—the way she always wore it for work. She was very pretty—all the men said so. But they never saw her the way her son did; face tight, eyes angry, glossed lips nothing more than a rigid straight line. The boy didn’t see “beauty”, but rather an angry force to be feared.
“How was practice?” she asked with a neutral tone, waiting for the boy’s ans
wer before she decided how to react. “Did you make the team?”
The look in her cool eyes—as gray as her suit—warned him not to lie. But in those eyes he also saw the consequences of telling her the truth.
He swallowed thickly and tried to keep his voice from shaking. “Yes.”
“Yes?” She stared at him, studied him.
The boy nodded and squeezed the strap of his bag that lay on the bed beside him.
“What position?”
Oh no! He didn’t know what to tell her. He didn’t even know the positions. “I-I don’t know yet,” he murmured. “The coach hasn’t assigned them to us yet.”
“I see.” His mom’s face softened a fraction and the boy relaxed a little as she walked into the room. “You’ve surprised me. I didn’t expect this of you.”
The boy looked up, a small smile wavering on his lips.
The woman stood before him and cupped his face. “You are certainly your father’s son.”
The smile faltered and he cried out suddenly as she slapped him hard, knocking him down on the bed.
“Neither of you can lie for shit.”
The boy huddled on the bed, face buried in his arms, sobbing.
“I called Coach Pearson,” she said with a brittle tone. “He said you never showed up.” She grabbed his arm and jerked him upright, wrenching his shoulder socket. The boy choked on another cry as pain shot through his shoulder. “Where were you?” When he looked at her fearfully, his throat working, she slapped him again but held onto his arm, keeping him in place. “Don’t you dare lie to me again!”
“I…I was in drama class,” he whispered, shaking hard.
“Drama?” Her face twisted and she threw him down on the bed. “What are you—queer? I gave birth to a son! When are you going to start acting like a fucking boy?!”
“There’s…there’s a lot of boys in the drama class,” he trembled.
“Yeah,” his mom scoffed. “A lot of queer boys!” She grabbed him by the jacket and yanked him off the bed, slapping him to the floor. “I swear to God, Todd, if I have to beat you into a real man—I will! I will not have a weak, disgusting faggot for a son, too!”
♠ ♠ ♠
“Todd. Wake up.”
Todd jerked awake, a knot in his throat and tears in his eyes. “Huh…” He blinked and coughed, swiping the back of his hand across his wet face. His heart thumped fiercely, shortening his breath. “What…?”
Sitting on his bed in just her panties and a thin tank top, Tonya’s hand rested on his arm. “You were having a bad dream,” she said quietly. “Are you okay?”
Todd stared at her; what was she doing there? “I’m fine,” he mumbled and cleared his throat.
“You don’t look fine. What were you dreaming about?” She reached for his face. “You were crying.”
He wiped his eyes and scooted back, withdrawing from her touch. “I said I was fine. What do you want?” He wasn’t fine. The dream played vividly through his head. Except it wasn’t just a dream. His stomach twisted and pinched as the memories surfaced alongside yesterday’s events with Drew. I knew it, his mother’s voice snapped through his mind as if she were right there. I was right all along—you’re just a weak, filthy faggot! I should have beaten you harder—maybe you’d be a real man by now! God knows, I was the only one to show you how.
Todd trembled and pressed his back to the wall, his eyes watering. I’m nothing like you said! I’m not weak! I’m not a…he swallowed hard as he was thrust back into the hall last night…back into Drew’s arms. Right where you wanted to be…don’t try to deny it. You know it’s the truth. You fucking know it!
“I want all this craziness to end,” Tonya said and reached for his hand.
He pulled away, his breath catching. “What craziness?”
“This…vicious circle we seem to be caught in.” She drew her feet up on the bed and sat cross-legged. “First I’m mad at you, then you’re mad at me, then I’m pissed again. It’s stupid.” She leaned forward and ran her hands up his thighs, the thick blanket between them. “I want us back, Todd. I miss us. I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting. I know I’ve been a major bitch. But I really do want to be here for you. I guess maybe my ego got bruised because of our sex problem. You know me, I’m used to being able to get a rise out of a guy with just a bat of my lashes.” She smiled. “I know it’s shallow, but it was kind of offensive when you stopped rising. But I know that isn’t your fault. It isn’t like you stopped responding because you wanted to.”
Todd leaned against the wall, feeling drained; empty. He glanced at Lane’s bed; the guy was sprawled face down in his pillow, out cold. His shouts of sexual ecstasy still rang in Todd’s head. Admit it, man, you were jealous of him last night because he’d drank himself into a state of mind where he could take what he wanted without feeling guilty or ashamed.
“Todd?”
“Huh?” Todd looked at Tonya, his vision blurred.
“Don’t you want to fix this thing between us?” she asked softly as she caressed his thighs and slid further up between his legs. She planted a warm, tender kiss on his throat. “Don’t you remember how good it used to be?” Her tongue traced a slow path up to his ear. “How hot we were?”
His eyes drifting to Lane again, Todd remained silent. He didn’t remember anything anymore except the feel of Drew’s arms around him…his kisses…the heat he ignited inside Todd.
Tonya’s hand slipped under the blankets and into his crotch.
“Hey!” Todd flinched and shoved her back. “What the hell are you doing?”
She stared at him. “Trying to make my boyfriend feel better.” She sat back on her heels, head slightly cocked to the side. “Why don’t you want me to touch you anymore?” she asked quietly. “Is it because you think you won’t get hard?” She crawled forward again and kissed the base of his throat, then his chest. “Just relax, baby,” she murmured, slowly moving lower down his stomach. “And everything will be just fine.” She tugged the blankets off his midsection and pressed warm kisses to his navel and lower abdomen, then touched her lips to his cotton-caged cock. “Mmm…I’ve been missing your big boy.”
Just let her do it. Maybe you will get hard this time—and prove you’re a real man. A “normal” man!
Tonya looked up at him and smiled as she hooked her fingertips under the band of his briefs and began dragging them down.
Todd watched her, his body frozen in place as she kissed lower and lower, following the descent of the underwear—then he suddenly broke. “Stop!” He shoved her over backward onto the bed. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You treat me like shit and expect me to just forget about it like it never happened? What is your fucking game, Tonya? Because, yeah, this is craziness.” He jabbed a finger at his head. “You are fucking crazy.”
Her eyes narrowed and brow pinched as she crawled off the bed. “And you’re a fucking ass.” She squinted coldly, the smile slithering across her lips equally chilling. “Or should I say…you’re fucking ass?”
“Get out,” Todd whispered tightly, heart pounding.
“I tried to give you a chance,” she said, ignoring him.
Todd frowned. “What’re you talking about?”
“To redeem your masculinity,” she told him. “I overheard you back by the restrooms yesterday. I heard you say you fucked that faggot. And last night, Rodney said he saw you and that same fag making out in the west wing hallway.” She scoffed and shook her head. “I came here to give you one last chance to be a real man, Todd. But I guess you’re just a cock-loving faggot now, huh? Can only get it up for a guy’s ass, is that it?”
Todd trembled, his shoulder blades grinding into the wall as he subconsciously recoiled from her verbal attack as he’d done all his life from his mother.
“You’re fucking pathetic,” she hissed.
“Hey, cunt,” Lane snapped, his voice partially muffled by the pillow. “He said get the fuck out.”
Tonya backed toward the doo
r. “I bet you’re both a couple of queers. Probably fucking each other.”
“Say another word, whore—just one,” Lane growled and pushed up off the pillow as he twisted his head and looked at her with frigid eyes. “And I’ll forget I’m a gentleman and knock you on your fucking ass.”
Apparently taking him at his word, Tonya scowled and left the room, slamming the door hard.
Lane dropped back down against the pillow and exhaled deeply. “Good God, dude, what the fuck did you see in her?”
Dragging his blankets up over his body as he scooted down in bed, Todd shook his head and whispered sickly, “Beats the fuck out of me.”
Silence settled over the room and about time Todd thought Lane had drifted off again, he mumbled, “She’s just a cull bitch. Don’t fucking listen to her. She doesn’t really know you, man.” He sighed, his voice fading toward sleep. “She never did. You’re fucking awesome…”
Todd looked at him but he was already out again. Wiping his damp eyes, Todd whispered, “So are you.”
–4–
The storm hadn’t calmed, transforming the morning into nothing more than a swirling blanket of snow. In his sleep, Nolan snuggled deeper into the covers and closer to Drew, cuddling his body, his head on Drew’s chest.
Sleep had been Drew’s enemy last night, though thankfully Nolan had quickly drifted off soon after he came to Drew’s bed. His trek to Drew’s bedroom had signified that Lane Cassiter had vacated Nolan’s bed, no doubt while Nolan was asleep. Had the man remained, Nolan would not have left him.
Sliding his fingers through Nolan’s hair, Drew kissed his head. Just stay with me, baby. I know you like the guy, but he’s going to tear your heart apart. An overpowering need to protect Nolan consumed Drew. The young man wasn’t weak by any stretch—for three years, he’d held his own against Lane Cassiter’s verbal assaults. He could certainly take care of himself when it came to the bigots of this world. It was love that Nolan was vulnerable to. Whether he meant to do so or not, Nolan offered up his heart much too quickly and easily. And to offer it to a man like Lane Cassiter who was caught in his own storm of uncertainty and confusion…Nolan was taking a huge risk.