Backstroking With a Tiger Shark

by Charlie Richards

  “Guess I look a little rough, huh?”

  Kaiser shrugged. “Your work hasn’t suffered, if that’s what you’re talking about.” The huge male settled in the chair across from him and leaned his forearms on the table. His deep green eyes were as intense as always when he gazed at him. “But you’ve been withdrawn these last few days. We want to check on you, on where your mind is at.”

  William relaxed in the chair between his brother and Tort. While he appeared a hell of a lot similar in appearance, he was far more relaxed than his brother. Tort could always tell the difference between the two by the smile creases around William’s eyes and lips.

  Laugh lines, some people called them.

  However, while William grinned at him, it didn’t warm his eyes as it normally did. “Want to make sure your animal won’t take over and we won’t have to hunt you down.” His smile turned wry. “Our kind don’t do well in cages, ya know? So we gotta keep you sane.”

  “Well, fortunately, it’s not that Kane doesn’t want to be here, dating me and learning how we fit together, it’s because of some damn yahoo at his work that’s causing problems.” Tort growled softly, remembering the condescension in Pierce’s voice on the message. “A guy at Kane’s work is attempting to sabotage him. Kane had to hurry back and fix it.”

  “What is it that Kane does?” Doc Keller asked from where he’d settled in the chair opposite William.

  Tort guessed the doc had come in case he needed to be sedated or something. He wasn’t that far gone, though. It’d been less than a week, after all.

  “I talk to Kane each night,” Tort told Kaiser, answering the shifter leader’s unspoken question first. “He says he’s doing his best to get things worked out and corrected at his job, but he says it’s gonna take some time. Evidently, Mr. Nesky has refused to work with Pierce in any capacity, which has put Kane at odds with not only his new boss, but his superiors.” Growling low under his breath, he added, “Kane told me that he heard Pierce made a comment to Carla, who’s both their bosses, that he thought perhaps Kane had said some derogatory things about him to Mr. Nesky, and that’s why he won’t work with him.”

  With how kind and thoughtful Tort had quickly realized Kane was, the slur against his mate pissed him off. “If Pierce was around here, I’d hunt him down and—”

  “Whoa, Tortelion,” Kaiser rumbled, holding up his hand. “Ease the aggressive thoughts. That’ll only rile your animal and strain your control even more.”

  After blowing out a breath slowly, calming himself, Tort nodded. “Yes, Alpha.” He smiled wryly at his leader. “I won’t do anything to endanger our people. I’m good. Really.” Tort turned his attention to Doc Keller. “I hear his voice every night, even if only for a few minutes because he’s still at work at the office.”

  That had actually happened two out of the four times he’d called him. Tort had been surprised the evening before when Kane had called him—earlier than usual—and he’d been at home. They’d even talked for over an hour. Hearing his mate’s voice for so long had settled his shark more than he could say.

  “And he’s in graphic design,” Tort added, remembering the doc’s question. “He creates pieces for marketing, for company brands, and he was even telling me about bits of animation he’s created for clients’ websites.” Smiling, Tort remembered the vibrancy of Kane’s voice as he’d talked about his work. “He loves what he does.”

  “And it’s something he could do from anywhere,” Keller pointed out, smirking.

  “Yeah, like here.”

  Tort refocused on the brothers, glancing between them. He took in Kaiser’s slight smirk, just the smallest curving of his thick lips. William, however, grinned widely, his arms crossed over his chest as he lounged in his chair.

  “Y-You’d offer Kane a job?”

  While Tort would be the first person to admit he didn’t really know much about graphic design, the idea that it sounded like something Kane could do from anywhere had indeed occurred to him... more than once. He’d just never mentioned it to his mate. Tort hadn’t wanted to push.

  Dumping that shifters and other paranormals existed was enough for a few days, wasn’t it?

  “If he’s good, sure,” William responded. “Besides, Kane is your mate. That means once he accepts you, and by extension us, he’s family. We help family.”

  “So even if he’s not good, you’ll still help him?” Tort teased, watching Kaiser open and close his mouth, obviously struggling with how to respond. He appreciated that his bosses had his back. “And I know he’s good. The client Kane is attempting to placate will only work with him.” He growled softly. “It’s his new boss that’s a jackass.”

  “Really?” Kaiser leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “What’s the asshole’s name?”

  Tort froze for a second upon hearing the feral growl underneath his words. Seeing the cold smile curving Kaiser’s lips, he felt a shiver work down his back. He almost felt as if the man’s animal was staring out at him, searching for some mischief to wreak.

  Not for the first time, Tort wondered what Kaiser and William were, but he’d never heard. Nor had any of his friends. Clearing his throat, he answered his alpha.

  “Kane’s boss is Pierce Sherman.”

  Chapter Seven

  Tort groaned as he woke to the sound of a ringing phone. Cracking open his eyelids, he reached for his phone. He nearly knocked it off his nightstand before managing to snag it and check the screen.

  He smiled and hit the accept button.

  “Hey, babe,” he rumbled softly.

  “Damn, I’m sorry,” Kane responded quietly. “I should have realized you’d be asleep by now.”

  Glancing at the clock on his nightstand, Tort noticed it was almost one in the morning. He frowned, realizing he’d fallen asleep waiting for his mate to call. Rolling to his back, he stared at the ceiling.

  “It’s fine, Kane,” Tort assured. “I’m happy to take your call day or night.” Hell, he lived for Kane’s calls. It’d been over a week, and he missed his mate terribly. “Except, why are you up so late? Don’t you have an eight AM meeting?”

  “Yeah. I do,” Kane confirmed, sighing. “I, uh, I just wanted to hear your voice. I didn’t look at the time. I’m sorry, Tort.”

  Tort chuckled softly. “Stop apologizing, Kane.” He liked the idea that his mate had been so preoccupied by his need to talk to him that he hadn’t realized the time. Still—”Babe, why were you working so late?”

  “Pierce showed up at work just as I was getting ready to leave.” Kane grunted softly, and the sound of fabric rustling came through the line, telling Tort his mate was lying in bed.

  Mmmm, my mate and a bed.

  His prick twitched at the thought.

  “I had gone to the bathroom, and when I returned, I saw him exiting my office. I didn’t like the smug smile on his face, thought he’d sabotaged my presentation for the morning.” Kane groaned. “Boy, did he ever.”

  Fighting back a growl, Tort rubbed over his chest, trying to ease his desire to hunt the bastard down and snap his leg off. “What happened?”

  “He deleted my presentation.”

  Tort let the growl out. “Bastard,” he snarled. “If I could meet him in a dark alley, he wouldn’t walk back out again.”

  Kane sighed. “Probably best if you didn’t, then.” For a second, he hummed. Then he asked, “Hey, Tort? Do our phone calls count as dates?”

  For a second, Tort was thrown by the question. “Uh, if you want them to be considered dates, I’m okay with that,” he responded slowly.

  After getting nothing but silence on the end of his phone, if he hadn’t been a shifter, Tort would have thought the line had disconnected. He could hear Kane breathing, however. Had he fallen asleep?

  “If they were dates,” Tort began again. “What number are we up to?”

  “Nine,” Kane immediately answered. He sighed before whispering, “I’ve never had
a boyfriend that I talked to every day. It’s nice.”

  “It is.” Tort smiled at the ceiling. “I love hearing your voice, learning about you, listening to what you have to say.”

  “I wish I was there right now.”

  Tort froze for an instant, thinking he’d heard what he wanted to hear. “Y-You do?” Without waiting for an answer, he admitted, “I wish you were here, too.”

  “If I were there right now, what side of the bed would I be lying on?”

  Smirking, Tort closed his eyes and visualized what he’d wanted since the second he’d smelled him. “Actually, you’d be lying on my chest, your legs straddling mine, our bodies pressed together.” His mouth watered at his thoughts. “We’d be naked, you know,” Tort continued, his voice growing husky as his blood heated in his veins and his heart pounded in his chest. “I’m so hard, babe. We’d be rubbing together, rocking slowly as I plundered your mouth and fingered your ass.”

  A soft whine came through the phone. Hearing it caused Tort’s prick to respond with an almost painful throb. A groan of his own escaped him. He lowered his free hand to his prick, which was already hard and weeping, just like every time he’d spoken to Kane.

  “W-Would you like that?” Tort asked roughly. “My fingers in your ass? Opening you up? Preparing you for a ride on my cock?” His dick jerked and flexed, his blood surging through his veins. “Do you like your ass played with dry? I could massage your prostate with a dry finger or two until you come, soaking our abs with your seed. I’d use it to open you up, then add more lube, and slide my cock into you.”

  Tort began panting harshly, barely able to think, let alone talk. Still, he managed to gruffly demand, “Tell me, Kane. Tell me what you like.”

  “Y-Yes,” Kane panted, his voice rough. “God, I can’t stop thinking about—” He paused and moaned, his voice cracking. “A-About your cock in my ass. Wh-What you’ll feel like... feel like... oh!” A low harsh groan followed by a grunt sounded through the phone.

  Tort’s balls rolled, and he relished the way his body responded to Kane’s noises.

  “Yeah, damn it. Come for me.”

  He’d barely managed to get the words out before he heard Kane moaning his name. Swiping his palm over his crown, Tort massaged his pre-cum into his cap and stimulated the sensitive skin. He rubbed his fingertips under his cap, tickling the soft skin beneath.

  When Tort felt his testicles roll and tighten, he didn’t fight it. He jacked his dick once, twice, and moaned deeply as his orgasm swelled through him. His body arched as his dick pulsed and throbbed, his seed arcing into the air only to splatter across his chest.

  Tort shuddered as endorphins pinged through his system. Clutching the phone to his ear, he listened to Kane’s ragged breathing. He closed his eyes and floated on the pleasant sensations.

  Coming back to himself, Tort gathered his thoughts. “Kane? Babe?” He softly called to his mate. “You still with me?”

  It took a few seconds, but Kane finally responded. “Yeah,” he murmured. “I’m here.” He sighed, the sound soft. “Are you a cuddler, Tort?”

  Hearing the wistfulness in Kane’s tone, Tort felt his chest clench. He’d never been a cuddler in the past, but with his mate... hell, yeah. “If you were with me right now, I’d clean you and tuck you into my bed.” Tort smiled at the thought, the fingers of his free hand twitching. “I’d curl around you and hold you close, suck up some marks on your neck.”

  Tort’s mouth watered, and he smiled absently.

  “That sounds nice,” Kane responded quietly.

  If Tort hadn’t been a shifter, he bet he wouldn’t have been able to hear his new lover. Does getting off over the phone together make us lovers? Tort wasn’t actually sure, but he was going to claim the title.

  He also realized his mate was almost comatose with fatigue.

  “Go to sleep, my love,” Tort crooned. “Get some rest. Dream of me holding you, keeping you safe.” His heart panged, wishing he could do that for real. Keeping his voice pitched low and soft, he mentally urged his exhausted mate to sleep as he rumbled, “When I see you again, I’m not letting you go, babe. I’m going to convince you to move in with me. I’ll take you swimming with my shark.”

  Tort smiled at the ceiling of his room as he anticipated that day. “When we get tired, we’ll go back to the beach. We’ll lie down on a blanket, and I’ll feed you strawberries. Maybe I’ll eat them off your stomach, then lick up the juices.” Tort hummed as another idea entered his mind. “Honey. Sweet, sticky honey. I’ll pour it on your cock and lick and suck it off of you.”

  Feeling his prick begin to thicken anew, Tort rubbed lightly over his erection. He swallowed hard, listening carefully for any sign of response from across the line. When all he heard was the sound of a soft snore, he grinned.

  Tort felt a deep sense of satisfaction that he’d helped his tired mate. Being so far away, it was hard for him to satisfy his need to care for his human. Oddly enough, this gave it to him.

  “I love you, Kane.”

  After whispering the words, Tort disconnected the call. He set the phone on his nightstand. Tort noted the time and realized it’d taken less than fifteen minutes for Kane to get off and for Tort to send his exhausted mate into dreamland.

  Tort rolled over and fished his dirty t-shirt off the floor. Returning to his back, he rubbed himself down, suddenly wondering if Kane was a neat freak. Would his mate want everything in its place? He did a mental inventory of his apartment and the messes in each room.

  Yeah, that would take some work.

  On the other hand, Tort figured at least one person in a relationship had to have a desire for some level of neatness. Otherwise, the result could be disastrous. They’d end up living in a home the likes of a college dorm.

  Tort snickered softly at his thoughts as he tossed his t-shirt to the floor. He rolled over and shoved his arms around his pillow, wishing it was Kane. Closing his eyes, thinking of his mate instinctively calling him when in need, he sighed and slipped back into slumber.

  * * * *

  Kane glanced from the screen to Arthur Nesky and back again. While his eyelids were heavy and his eyeballs felt as if sand filled them, he also felt a certain sense of satisfaction. Not only did Mr. Nesky sport the calm, serene expression that Kane had come to associate with him being pleased at what he was hearing, but Pierce sat next to Kane’s old boss, Carla, and seemed to be grinding his teeth.

  Every few minutes, Carla would glance over at Pierce with a concerned or curious expression on her face.

  Wendy, on the other hand, had a bland smile on her face... but her eyes danced with mirth. She’d stayed late with Kane the prior evening, remaking, well, everything. His assistant was being hella-amused at seeing Pierce being put in his place.

  Evidently, Mr. Nesky had interrupted Pierce many, many times while the man had given his presentation.

  Kane clicked to the final slide. He focused on the client and spoke his last bit of information. Once done, he asked for Mr. Nesky’s thoughts and if he had any questions.

  “Yes, actually,” Arthur Nesky replied slowly. “I do have a question.”

  Kane offered the smartly dressed, broad-shouldered, dark-haired business man what he hoped was an encouraging smile. At one time, he’d thought the muscular male who looked fantastic in dress slacks and a sports coat was the epitome of sexiness. Arthur Nesky cut a damn fine figure, after all.

  After meeting Tort, however, Kane didn’t think Mr. Nesky could compare to his man in the sexiness department.

  While Kane had never considered public speaking his forte, he’d become far more comfortable with it after so many years of conducting presentations. Oddly enough, as he waited for Mr. Nesky’s question, he found his attraction to Tort made him more relaxed in the powerful businessman’s presence. He’d worked with him so many times that he could read his responses, and the man’s tone hadn’t been a frustrated or irritated one. Mr. Nesky
sounded more interested than anything else.

  “I’d like to know when you can implement this marketing strategy... just as it is.”

  Kane nodded slowly. To his surprise, his stomach actually dropped. He had hoped to have a conversation with his boss before that particular question came up.

  Carla rose from her chair, a small smile on her face. “Well, it sounds like it’s time for us to get out of your hair,” she stated, holding out her hand. “It was good to see you again, Arthur.” She turned to Kane. “Let me and Pierce know once you have a schedule set up.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Kane responded with a nod. “I’ll do that.”

  While Kane turned toward Arthur, he still kept half his attention on his new asshole boss. He saw the way Pierce’s eyes narrowed and how the muscles in his jaw flexed. He couldn’t help but wonder what new nastiness Pierce was cooking up in his mind.

  God, I hate that he’ll think he’s won when he learns that I’m turning in my notice.

  Still, Kane knew it didn’t matter. He couldn’t stay at his job anymore. All he had to do was remind himself of Tort’s sweet words the night before. He’d already made up his mind to quit, but Tort telling him that he loved him... that just made it all so much sweeter.

  While Kane knew Tort hadn’t realized he was awake, that was okay. He was going to figure out a way to show how much he appreciated it anyway. Kane knew he would just need a little help.

  With that thought in mind, Kane led Mr. Nesky to his office. Before closing the door, he asked, “Do you need a cup of coffee? Water?” He shoved his hands into his pockets as he thought about what he wanted. “Tea?” Then he turned and, just as he knew he would, found Wendy standing a few feet behind him. “An earl gray, please.”

  “Of course,” Wendy responded. She smiled at Mr. Nesky. “And for you, sir?”

  Arthur Nesky glanced Kane’s way, then smiled at Wendy. “I’ll take the same. Thank you.”