Play Along

by Mathilde Watson

  Mark took a deep breath and yanked the door open, prepared to tell Nate off, but the reproof died in his throat. Instead of Nate, the door swung open to reveal a pair of worried blue eyes and a shock of frizzy blond hair. Mark stared at the vision before him, afraid to move or even breathe, afraid that Chance would disappear if so much as blinked. Fortunately, Chance didn't harbor the same qualms about moving that Mark did. The young man's face broke into radiant grin and he moved into the room eagerly.

  "I knew it was you." The soft words didn't even register at first over the pounding of Mark's heart. His mouth hung open, speechless, while Chance gently patted his face dry with a handkerchief he'd pulled out of his breast pocket. Mark closed his eyes and breathed in as deeply as he could, wanting to fill himself with Chance's intoxicating scent.

  Chance's fingers brushed over his open mouth and Mark bit down quickly, capturing the digits between his teeth. Chance gasped and pulled his hand away, a dark blush spreading across his face. Mark reached out and cupped his cheek, bending down to taste Chance's parted lips.

  Chance returned the kiss with enthusiasm, sucking Mark's tongue into his mouth and tangling them together. Encouraged, Mark reached down and grabbed the younger man's butt, wanting to lift him up and press him against the wall. Instead, Chance wiggled out of the embrace, breaking their kiss and panting for breath, but clinging to Mark's forearms.

  "Wait. Please, can we talk?" Chance's eyes were worried, and Mark felt like a horny bastard, ready to start another round with the guy without even stopping to talk first. Nodding, he stepped back and took his hands off the tempting body before him. Struggling for breath, he waited for Chance to explain why he was there.

  Chance stepped back and wrapped his arms around his chest like he was giving himself a hug. His confidence was gone, he looked nervous, scared even, and Mark's pulse began to race.

  "I, uh, didn't realize you were in town for the big event tonight. That's… um, why I'm here too. So, I was wondering… are you a friend of the bride or the groom?" Chance was fidgeting now, kicking the toe of one shoe with the heel of the other, and he suddenly seemed very young. It surprised him to hear that Chance had been at anniversary party, and he wondered why someone his age would be there.

  Mark didn't like watching Chance flounder, and wanting to reassure the younger man he reached out and cupped his chin, raising his face so their eyes met. Chance leaned into the touch, offering Mark a weak smile while he waited for his answer. Mark smiled back and stepped closer, drawn to the young man and eager to move back again from talking to kissing.

  Mark leaned down and angled for another kiss, but stopped himself when he saw tears standing in Chance's eyes. Mark's answer was clearly important to him. Chance had only come to talk, and Mark was way out of line pressing for more. Ashamed and disappointed, Mark pressed his forehead to Chance's and tried to rein in his out of control libido.

  Chance's hand's reached out and clutched Mark's hips, toying with the waistband of his boxers. Mark chuckled, reminded of his state of undress. He pulled away, heading for the pile of clothes he'd left on the dresser. There was no way he could carry on a conversation with this sexy young man while wearing nothing but a shirt and underwear.

  Chance saw where he was headed and he chuckled too, finally relaxing. Mark reached for the buttons on his shirt, deciding he might as well change that too, while he was at it.

  The door to his room rattled, and then opened with a loud bang. Startled, Mark turned to find Nathan Marshall strolling into the room. He slipped a card key into his suit pocket, the passkey again, and his gaze landed on Chance. Mark stiffened, furious and horrified by the thought of his sweet young lover being exposed to Nate's viciousness.

  Nate smirked and walked over to Chance, throwing his arm over Chance's shoulder. His gaze shifted from Chance's face to sweep up and down Mark's body, taking in his half-naked state. Nate's smirk widened and he began slapping Chance's shoulder. "Well, shit, Chancellor! It didn't take you any time at all to get Mark Nelson to drop his pants for you. You really are a chip off the old block, after all!"

  The laugh that followed Nate's words hit Mark like a physical punch to the face. He took a moment just to stare into the faces of his ex and his new lover. Shit! With the two of them standing side by side, Mark couldn't miss the resemblance. Chance got his build, his eyes and his hair from his mother, but the line of his jaw, the long thin nose and those wide set eyebrows? Those he got from his father. God, how had he missed that? How could fate be so cruel?

  Chance just stood there under his father's arm, not saying a word. He seemed shell-shocked, as surprised by Nate's appearance as Mark had been, and a bit of Mark's anger subsided, but not for long. Nate squeezed his son's shoulder and advanced on Mark, leering openly.

  "Since you like Marshall men so much, why don't you try and handle us both together?"

  Chance just stood there, blinking between the two men. Enjoying the show? Mark couldn't keep the disgust off his face, and he didn't want to. The idea that Chance had set him up for this suddenly filled him with rage. How had they set him up? How had they managed to plan this little get-together?

  "Get out of here. Both of you." Mark hoped that he could intimidate the two smaller men enough to make them go. He'd been had, and he could concede to that gracefully, but he would not submit himself to their games any further. He didn't deserve this, no one did, and his heart couldn't take any more.

  Without a word Mark walked over to them and put his hand on Chance's shoulder in an effort to push him toward the door. He couldn't bring himself to even touch Nate again, and he berated himself for the fact that touching Chance still shot jolts of desire through his body.

  Instead of stepping aside and allowing Mark to guide him to the door, Chance wrapped his arms around Mark's waist and pressed his thigh between Mark's legs. Startled by the unexpected move, Mark froze, glaring down into the boy's deceptively angelic face. He didn't know what to think when the little imp winked up at him and turned back to his father.

  "I don't know, Dad. Mark's an energetic man. Are you sure you're up to playing with us?" Chance slid his hand across Mark's chest and down his stomach and Mark had to suppress a gasp.

  Nate snorted, palming his own crotch and eyeing the two of them with obvious enjoyment. "Don't worry. You two are both going to have a hard time keeping up with me."

  Mark had to swallow back the bile in response to Chance's words. How could he have been so wrong about him? He put a hand on Chance's chest to push the younger man away, but stopped when their eyes met again. The mischievous gleam in those bright blue eyes, and Chance's disarming smile made Mark pause, curious to hear what he would say next.

  Chance's hand slid down Mark's stomach and cupped his cock, rubbing and squeezing gently. "Well, what do you say lover? Do you wanna play? Want to watch me suck his cock while you fuck my ass?"

  Chance mouthed the words "play along", before turning away and grabbing the bulge between his own father's legs. Mark had to bite his tongue to hold back a stunned laugh. Chance was nothing like his father. He hadn't betrayed him. What Mark had done for Chance back at the bar the other night had nothing on what Chance was doing for him now. The look of horror on Nate's face alone made up for almost everything.

  Taking the hint, Mark decided to follow Chance's lead and play along with the scene the younger man had set. Moving around Chance he came up close behind Nate, crowding against his ex-lover's back and reaching around to grab Chance's butt, sandwiching Nate between them. Leaning over Nate's shoulder, Mark licked the side of his face while Nate struggled to get free of them.

  "How about I fuck him while he sucks you?" Mark asked, thinking he sounded like something out of a cheap porno film, and loving it. "Would you like that, baby? I don't want anyone else's dick inside of you. Your body is mine pet, and I don't share."

  Chance moaned and leaned in so their mouths met in an unexpected kiss, and for a moment, Mark forgot where they were. He forgot about
Nate and what was happening around him until his irate ex's elbow slammed into his stomach.

  Winded by the hard blow, Mark pulled back and grabbed his stomach, allowing Nate to pull free. Chance leaned back against the wall and grinned at Mark, looking like three kinds of a fool. Despite the pain in his gut, Mark found himself chuckling at the look on his young lover's face. Chance looked like he'd just conquered the world, and Mark doubted that anything could ever damage his spirit again.

  Nate rounded on Mark, his face almost purple with rage. "What the fuck are you trying to pull? Are you punishing me for not sticking around to play house with you? Are you trying to destroy my son's life instead? Is that it? Because it won't work!"

  Nate turned back to face Chance, pointing an accusing finger at him.

  "And you. I've said all I'm going to say to you. If you want to throw your life away, fine! Be some guy's bitch! But don't think for one minute that I'm going to get you out of it when you realize that I'm right."

  Nate took a moment to glare at them both before storming out of the hotel room. Mark waited for the door to close behind his retreating back, releasing a sigh of relief when he heard the soft click of the door closing. In the silence that followed, he turned his head to meet Chance's stunned gaze. Their eyes locked and held for a few brief seconds before they both sank to the edge of the bed, laughing with uncontrolled hysteria.

  Slowly the laughter faded into a few scattered snickers and even a couple of hiccups. Chance managed to regain his self-control first, landing a thoughtful gaze on Mark's face. "So, you and my Dad…" Chance looked away, his face flushing a deep red before he continued his thought. "You guys were… you know?"

  "Lovers?" Mark supplied softly, shaking his head. "I thought so, once. We lived together for a time, and we had sex—a lot—but, honestly? Our relationship was completely fucked up. I was in love with him, and I thought we were going to be together forever, but he had other plans." Mark shrugged and looked away too, embarrassed to admit how foolish he had been.

  Chance leaned over, wrapping his slender arms around Mark's neck. Mark smiled and buried his face in Chance's neck, breathing in his delicious scent and kissing the sensitive skin behind his ear.

  "Who are you, Mark? What's your last name? What do you do? Where do you live? You are single, right?"

  Mark smiled against Chance's neck and rubbed a hand up his back, tangling his fingers in the soft ponytail at the nape of Chance's neck. He pulled back and peered down at the hopeful expression on Chance's face. Mark had hated the way they'd parted on Friday morning. He'd felt a strong connection to Chance, had even imagined that with a little more time he could easily have fallen in love with the younger man. But he never imagined that Chance might have felt the same way, and parting as strangers had seemed like the only logical course of action then. Now, he wasn't so sure.

  "Well, Chancellor Marshall, let me see if I can answer everything for you. My name is Mark Nelson. I own a bar in Sacramento called the MN. I am single. I… My partner of over twenty years passed away in an accident a year ago, and I've been alone ever since."

  Chance frowned and sat up, reaching for Mark's hand and threading their fingers together. "Twenty years? Mark, I'm so sorry. I had no idea."

  Mark squeezed Chance's hand and raised it to his lips, planting a kiss on the back of it. "Thank you. Ricky was a good man, a good partner. He went out doing what he loved, at least. The worst part of it, I think, is not having someone to wake up with." Mark tried to shrug it off, not wanting to talk about it anymore.

  Chance got the hint. He wrapped his other hand around the back of Mark's, sandwiching Mark's hand between his own. "So, the MN in Sacramento, huh? That place is amazing. It's really yours?"

  "Yeah. I opened it right out of college. It's uh… The M stands for Mark and the N was for your father. We were planning to go into business together before… Well, before he met your mother. "

  Chance squeezed his hand. "I'm sorry. For what he did to you."

  Mark smiled and looked up at the ceiling. "It was a long time ago. And if it hadn't happened, we wouldn't be here now, hmm?" Mark shrugged and turned to look Chance in the eyes. "So you've been to the MN then? You're at college in Sacramento, aren't you?"

  "Yeah. We uh, live in the same town." Chance ducked his head, but not before Mark noticed the deep blush and wide grin that covered his face. They sat together quietly for a few minutes, each lost in his own thoughts.

  "Mark?"

  "Yeah?"

  "I was wondering. When we get back to Sacramento, do you want to maybe get together some time? I'd really like to get to know you better, if you'll let me."

  Mark's breath caught with surprise and relief. He had never heard a more welcome suggestion. He'd wanted to ask Chance the same thing, but held back, sensing that if things were to go any further between them, Chance needed to be the one to ask. Mark squeezed Chance's hand, reassuring them both, and nodded.

  "Yeah, I'd like that."

  ****

  "Thank God." Chance chased Mark's lips, attacking them with greed. His heart was pounding painfully against his ribs, coursing adrenaline through his body and making him needy. Finding the courage to ask Mark to see him again was the most frightening thing he had ever done. He'd feared his parents' anger when he came out to them, but that was nothing next to the fear of rejection.

  Mark opened to him, allowing Chance's tongue into his mouth. Encouraged, Chance climbed onto Mark's lap, straddling his hips and cupping the back of Mark's head with both hands, holding him still and taking the kiss deeper.

  Mark's hands cupped his ass, pressing their groins together and Chance lost control, shamelessly grinding their hard cocks together in a frantic rhythm. He leaned forward, pressing Mark back onto the mattress, looking for better leverage.

  Chance lay with his chest flush against Mark and his knees planted on the mattress next to Mark's hips. He continued to thrust wildly against him, desperate to come. His lungs were beginning to burn, but he didn't care. He never wanted to break the contact between their lips. The pressure against his ass increased, becoming almost painful, but it barely slowed Chance down.

  Mark pulled his lips away and Chance whimpered, trying to capture Mark's mouth again. Mark dodged, turning his head and denying Chance what he wanted. "Whoa, now. Slow down, baby! Too many clothes. You'll ruin your suit."

  Mark let go of his ass and he worked his hands between them, sliding them up his chest and over his shoulders, trying to work the suit coat off Chance's shoulders. Chance shrugged the garment off and sat up, reaching for his belt.

  In a few moments they were half-naked. Mark reached for the buttons on Chance's shirt, but Chance slapped his hands away. The essentials were bare, and Chance needed too badly to care about the rest.

  Chance settled back on top of Mark, clinging to his upper arms and aligning his aching cock with Mark's hard shaft. Chance was trembling with need, his entire body covered in a layer of sweat. He stared into Mark's eyes, grinding his groin forcefully against Mark's and silently begging him for release.

  Mark stared back up at him, not blinking and not uttering another word of protest. Chance increased his pace, thrusting harder and faster against Mark, looking for something, anything, to send him over the edge.

  Suddenly Mark smiled, laugh lines appearing around his beautiful eyes, now almost black with arousal. His hands landed on Chance's bare ass with enough force to sting, startling Chance enough to still his frantic motions. Mark's hands gripped his ass, holding him still while Mark braced his feet on the floor.

  With a loud grunt, Mark thrust up against Chance, and that was all it took. Chance's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he came, shaking violently with the force of his orgasm. Mark wasn't far behind him, adding his own release to the mix. Chance let his body go slack, collapsing on top of Mark, sated and exhausted. He nuzzled into the crook of Mark's neck and closed his eyes, breathing in deeply and enjoying Mark's scent. Mark's arms slid up his ba
ck, holding him tight and Chance sighed, content.

  He had almost dozed off when Mark's body began to shake beneath him, the older man suddenly laughing. He rolled off Mark and onto the mattress beside him, suddenly realizing just how uncomfortable a position Mark must be in.

  Mark slowly sat up on the edge of the bed and turned to look at Chance. The laughter even reached Mark's eyes and Chance couldn't help but join in as he looked them both over. Mark was still wearing a half buttoned shirt and his tie hung loosely around his neck. Chance was still fully clothed, except that his pants and underwear were bunched over his knees. Hoping to hide his embarrassment, Chance reached behind his head and pulled the rubber band out of his hair, shaking his head and allowing it to fall around his face.

  Mark rose to his feet and turned to face Chance, grinning and holding out his hand.

  "I think maybe we'd better get cleaned up, don't you?"

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chance grinned and took Mark's outstretched hand, allowing Mark to pull him out of the bed. Once he was on his feet, Chance let the rest of his clothes fall away and followed Mark into the bathroom.

  When he entered he found Mark bent over, naked, reaching into the shower stall to turn on the water. Chance nearly swallowed his tongue at the sight. Then Mark stood and turned to him, smiling as he climbed into the narrow space, and Chance's cock twitched against his thigh.

  "Come on, baby." Mark held his hand out again, and Chance didn't hesitate. He immediately pressed into Mark's arms and ducked under the warm shower spray, tilting his head back and begging for a kiss.

  Mark eagerly gave him what he wanted, sliding his tongue into Chance's mouth. Their tongues dueled and Chance got lost in the moment, only breaking away when he heard the snap of a bottle opening. A moment later Mark's hands where in his hair, massaging a sweet citrus-scented shampoo into his curls.