by Lily Harlem
Steve’s mouth felt dry, his tongue heavy. “Er…no…well, not since…”
Carrick released him and sat back down. “Not since?”
“Me,” Robert said.
Carrick turned to him, eyebrows raised. “Ah, I see. The barman and the bar prop.” He chuckled. “Yes, I see now.”
“What about you?” Steve asked, the words tumbling from his mouth. “Do you have anyone special?”
“What, travelling around the country like I do? You have to be kidding right? Who the hell would put up with that?”
“I would,” Steve said. A rush of heat swarmed up his back around his neck and to his cheeks. His guts clenched and his vision fogged a bit.
Damn, why do I have to sound so needy?
“Oh, bloody hell,” Carrick said. “What the hell did you do?” He shook his head at Robert.
“What do you mean?” Robert asked, sipping on his drink.
“I mean why did you let this one go? Sounds like he’s a perfect little sub.”
Robert huffed. “Yeah, he is, and for the record I didn’t, it all just went—”
“Don’t talk about me as if I’m not here,” Steve said. How the hell did Carrick know he was a sub? Was it tattooed on his forehead and he hadn’t noticed?
“Oh, I know you’re there all right,” Carrick said. He stood, picked up his drink and tossed it back in one go. “Who do you think I’m talking to when I’m on stage?”
“I don’t understand,” Steve said.
“You, Steve, you the barman, you’re at the back of the room. If you can hear me, if I have your attention, then the rest of the room will be just fine.”
Steve wanted to add that Carrick could have as much of his attention as he wanted but instead he bit his lip. He’d come across needy enough as it was.
Carrick turned to Robert. “Good to see you.”
“And you.”
Carrick nodded. He began to walk back to the door at the side of the stage.
Panic rose in Steve. He didn’t want that to be it. He wanted more time with Carrick. He’d happily re-explore his submissive side with him. He’d happily explore his body, make him come however he wanted and as many times as he wanted.
“Where are you staying?” Robert called as if reading Steve’s thoughts.
Carrick stopped. He didn’t turn. He stayed staring forward.
Steve held his breath. It was as if the walls had also held theirs.
Slowly, very slowly, Carrick stretched out his arm, hand balled into a fist. He hovered it over a table then banged it down hard, twice.
Knock, knock.
“Come find me,” he said. “I’ll be waiting… for you both.” He started walking again and within ten strides had gone.
“What the…?” Steve said, shaking his head.
“Fuck was that supposed to mean?” Robert finished for him.
Chapter Two
Steve drained his small cider then washed up the glass.
“I don’t get it,” Robert said. “Does he want to see us again tonight or not?”
“I have no idea.” Steve shoved the drying towel to the base of the glass and spun it around.
“He must be staying in a local hotel.”
“Well, yes, obviously. But what does that have to do with banging on a table?” Steve rolled his eyes.
“Fuck knows.” Robert huffed then drained his drink. “Just when I thought I might get lucky with someone famous. Someone hot and famous.”
“He’s not that famous yet.”
“No, but he will be, and you can’t deny he’s hot.”
Steve switched off the till and pulled out the key. He secured it in his wallet ready for the next day. “No, I won’t argue with that…and he thinks I’m pretty.” He loved being told he was pretty. Most men would think it an insult, but Steve liked it. He was more delicate-looking than most so he’d decided a long time ago to just embrace that, and besides, it seemed to appeal to lots of guys.
“You are.” Robert stood and pulled on his leather jacket. “But I’ve told you that before.”
“Yeah, I know, but always nice to hear.”
“Steve?”
Steve paused in pulling on his hoodie. “What?”
“You’re pretty.”
Steve laughed. “You are incorrigible.”
“Oh, big word.”
“Shut the fuck up, will you.” Steve walked out from behind the bar. “But what does it mean?”
“What, incorrigible? You shouldn’t use words you don’t understand.” Robert laughed.
“No, this…” Steve rapped his knuckles on the hard surface of the bar. “And then come find me. I mean seriously.”
“Yeah, there’s playing hard to get and there’s playing impossible to get.”
“And that’s definitely impossible.” Again he banged on the bar.
Robert froze. “Do that again.”
“What?”
“That.”
“Okay…” Steve drew out the last syllable long and slow then knocked on the wood again.
Robert’s eyes widened. “It’s easy.”
“What is?”
“The clue. He’s a funny man, right?”
“Er, yeah.”
“And that’s knock, knock.”
“And?” Steve held out his palms.
“So isn’t that like the start of a joke?” Robert said, nodding frantically.
Steve sucked in a breath. “Oh yeah. Knock, knock.”
“Who’s there?” Robert swirled his hands in the air.
“What?”
“The most famous knock-knock joke, the one you’ve likely been saying since you were a kid.”
“Oh, of course, knock, knock, who’s there? Doctor—”
“Doctor Who!”
Steve laughed. “Yeah, that’s the one.”
“But don’t you see?”
“See what?”
Robert gripped his shoulder. “We’re in Cardiff Bay. The Doctor Who Exhibition is right around the corner. That was a clue. Knock, knock.”
Steve looked up at Robert’s excited expression. “But he can’t be staying there. It’s like a museum or something.”
“But perhaps he’s waiting there for us. Maybe he didn’t want to be seen walking out of Jugglers with us.”
“God, you’re right. Come on.” Steve turned and rushed to the door. “Hurry.”
“Lights,” Robert said, flicking them off.
“Damn.” Steve glanced around. “I’ll have to get in early and tidy up.”
“I’ll help.”
“Yeah, right.”
Steve hurriedly set the alarm by the front door and locked up Jugglers. Outside it was cold, the air laced with pre-Christmas frost that chilled his throat and lungs. The lampposts wore amber halos around their lights, and as the two men walked down the alley, past a Chinese restaurant in darkness and a Café Nero, the inky water of the bay came into view.
“It’s quite a walk,” Steve said.
“Nah, only a few minutes.” Robert strode ahead.
“Hey, wait for me.” Steve ran a few steps to keep up. Robert was several inches taller than him and that height seemed to be all in his legs, making each of his steps longer than Steve’s.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I fancy getting laid tonight, and if I’ve got an invitation from a hot bloke, I am going to do my fucking best to make it on time,” Robert said.
“Jesus, talk about desperate.”
“Only as desperate as you.”
“Fuck off.” Steve huffed; a billow of cold air spilling from his mouth.
They walked over the bridge in silence, their footsteps loud on the planks, then past a carousel, the unblinking horses hidden behind yellow tarpaulin for the night, and up to a small white church with a pointed roof.
“That’s it, on the other side of the dock,” Robert said, pointing at a long, domed building.
“Yeah, looks creepy at night.” Steve eyed it warily.
“Whaaa!” Robert suddenly grabbed him around the shoulders and pulled him close, tucking him beneath his arm and to the side of his body. “I’ll protect you from the cyber men and the Daleks, Stevie baby.”
“Get off. I need protecting from you more like,” Steve said but made no move to wiggle free.
They stumbled slightly then carried on walking, locked together.
Steve liked being close to Robert. Always had done, probably always would.
Maybe he’d been ignoring it, denying it existed. But at that moment, he knew it was true. They still had a soft spot for each other. The spark was still there.
And damn, he missed Robert and how he made him feel sexy, protected, full of fun…alive.
But he wouldn’t go back. Couldn’t. There’d been a reason for their split.
Hadn’t there?
As they rounded the church and made their way over yet another bridge, he tried to remember what their reasoning had been. He’d wanted to settle down, Robert hadn’t. Then the next month the tables had turned and he’d needed some freedom to go and visit his cousin in South Africa and Robert hadn’t wanted him to go. They’d argued.
When he’d come back from Cape Town they’d fizzled out, stopped shagging each other stupid, but still spent time together.
Lots of time. Christmas, birthdays, night after night Robert propped up his bar at Jugglers.
“Can you see him?” Robert asked.
Steve looked at the large expanse of glass before them. A neon blue sign sat above the doors with a picture of the latest actor who played the Doctor and next to him a Tardis spinning through space.
“It’s well and truly closed,” Steve said, peering into the shadows left and right.
Robert dropped his arm from Steve’s shoulders.
Instantly Steve felt as though his temperature had plummeted. Robert had been keeping him warm by hugging him close. His hoodie was made of the thinnest material, hardly worth wearing.
“Damn wild goose chase,” Robert muttered. He walked up to the doors, his reflection growing as he got closer.
“No way he’s in there,” Steve said, rubbing his hands up and down his arms to stimulate blood flow.
“No, of course he’s not.”
“We must have guessed wrong, whatever clue knock, knock was.”
Robert cupped his hands around his eyes. He pressed up against the glass. “You ever been in here?”
“Nah, not really a fan.”
“Me neither.”
“I like proper museums, you know, like the ones in London, dinosaurs, fossils and stuff.”
“God, I haven’t been there for years.” Robert turned. “We should go.”
“Yeah, that would be fun.” Steve smiled. The thought of a trip to London appealed. Maybe they’d share a hotel room, drink too much and end up rolling into bed again.
His cock thickened. Damn, what was it with him tonight? He was so horny. Any thought of sex had him preparing to hammer nails.
“I’ll have a look at hotels, see if I can get us a deal,” Robert said. “We’ll get the train.”
“Mmm…” Steve could picture it now—a dark, warm room, him bent over. Exactly how Robert had described earlier; spanked, prepared, trembling with need.
“You okay?” Robert stepped close, real close, and looked down at Steve.
Steve swallowed and longing grew in his belly as the image in his mind moved on to Robert sinking his glorious thick cock deep into his arsehole.
The blue-tinged lights from the sign on the museum shone down on Robert’s face, highlighting his strong features and the denseness of his black stubble. Heat from his breath and his body radiated towards him. He was so big; Steve had always felt engulfed by Robert, consumed by his physical strength. He loved that about him.
“Yeah, just been a long time since we had a weekend away together, that’s all.”
“Too long.” Robert reached up and stroked the back of his index finger down Steve’s cheek.
The gesture was small but it weakened Steve’s knees. Every tiny patch of his skin that Robert touched felt on fire and his cock went from semi to full hardness.
“Too long since,” Steve repeated.
“Since?”
“Anything. Everything.”
Robert licked his lips, leaving a light sheen on them.
Steve stared at them and remembered when they were his lips to kiss—his lips to slide his cock between.
“Fuck!” Robert said, his eyes flashing.
“What?” Steve felt like his heart was going to thump right out of his chest. What was going on? Was Robert going to admit there was still something between them? Did he feel it too, this growing need and lust?
“I…” Robert shook his head.
“What?”
Robert frowned then took Steve’s face in his hands and hauled him closer.
Steve gasped and pressed his palms on Robert’s jacket, feeling the dense muscle beneath the cool leather.
Their toes touched. They were both breathing hard, the air misting between them.
“I need…” Robert whispered.
“What?” Steve asked again, knowing full well what Robert needed—and it was the same thing as he needed.
“I need to kiss you. So long…for so long I’ve wanted to kiss you again, Steve. Please.”
“Yes, kiss me, fuck…” Steve clenched his fists, bunching Robert’s jacket. “Kiss me now.”
Robert kind of groaned then ducked his head and claimed Steve’s mouth.
Steve opened up and let Robert’s tongue sweep between his lips. A blizzard of remembered sensations blustered through this mind. The taste of Robert—beer, heat and raw maleness—the texture of his mouth, the determination of his tongue. It all sent Steve crazy with want.
Robert released his face and wrapped Steve into his arms.
Steve sagged into him, glad of the support and feeling like he’d come home.
Why the hell had they been denying themselves this?
Robert broke the kiss. “Fuck,” he said, grinning.
“Fuck exactly.” Steve pushed his pelvis against Robert’s crotch. His erection scraped and dragged on his clothing and the pressure made him groan. “Oh…damn…”
“Ah…” Robert said, raising his eyebrows. “I still have the magic touch.”
“I had a semi before you kissed me,” Steve said, running one hand up to the back of Robert’s head. He curled his fingers into his overlong strands and felt the warmth of his scalp.
“Mmm, but that isn’t a semi, Steve. That is a full-blown hard-on.”
“Tell me about it,” Steve said then moaned. “I’ll have to sort it out later.”
“No you won’t.”
“You offering?” Steve said, then tipped his head and batted his eyelashes a couple of times.
“Fuck yeah, but not later.”
Steve pouted. What was all this for then? “When?”
“Now,” Robert said. He suddenly released Steve and took his hand. “This way, quickly.”
“What?” Steve said, looking around. “Don’t be crazy, they’ll have CCTV here.”
“Not in those trees they won’t. Come on. Live dangerously for once.” Robert tugged Steve and began to walk with purpose. “You used to like that, being on the edge, taking risks, letting me take the lead.”
And I still do.
Steve jogged along with him, staring at the dark thicket of evergreens. His cock was straining at the zipper of his jeans. Just Robert offering to sort him out had sent a new rush of blood to bloat it further, then to start talking about taking risks and taking the lead. Oh, Robert knew how to push Steve’s buttons all right.
They left the path and the cold, grassy ground was crunchy underfoot. They ducked beneath several branches until it was almost too dark to see anything other than Robert’s silhouette and the trunks looming around them.
“We shouldn’t, not really, this is all so…”
“Quick?
Dangerous?” Robert pushed Steve up against a tree so that his back was pressed hard onto the bark. “Really fucking hot?”
“Well, hot, yeah, but…”
“Stop worrying,” Robert said, leaning close.
His warm, damp breath sent a scurry of pleasure over Steve’s scalp then down his spine to his arse. His hole trembled and his balls tightened.
“Stop worrying and let me remind you how I used to make you feel, Stevie. How I can make you feel again if you’ll let me. Tonight, on a trip to London, at home in my bed, your bed…our bed.” He slid his hand down Steve’s body and cupped his cock through his jeans.
“Oh, God, yeah…” Steve said, letting his head fall back against the tree. “Damn it, touch me, remind me. Robert I…”
“Shh, I know.” Robert found the button on Steve’s jeans and popped it open.
The release of the confinement drew yet another moan from Steve’s throat.
“I’ve missed you so much,” Robert murmured into the shell of Steve’s ear. “Kept wanting to tell you but couldn’t find the right time.”
“And this is it?”
“As good as any.” Robert drew down Steve’s zipper then delved his hand behind his underwear and gripped his erection.
Steve, gasped, reached out and gripped Robert’s shoulders. “I’ve missed you too.”
“I just bet you have. ’Cause you know damn well that I can keep you coming all night, drain those cute little balls of yours dry and leave you exhausted but happy.” He pulled Steve’s cock out between the gap in his trousers and into the cool air.
Steve clenched his belly muscles and stared upwards at the eerie canopy. He could make out a few tiny patches of night sky through the top branches.
“Oh, yeah, I’ve missed this cock and how fucking responsive it is.” Robert rubbed, root to tip, then slid the tip of his finger through Steve’s slit.
A shiver attacked Steve’s body, not with cold, but longing. “More,” he gasped, shutting his eyes. “More.”
“Oh, there’s more,” Robert said, kissing the angle of Steve’s jaw then down his neck. He set up a steady pumping action, working Robert’s cock with sure, firm strokes.
Steve locked his knees. This was all happening so fast. Him and Robert? Back together? But hell it was good. He could feel a climax simmering in his testicles. The need for release building, stacking up.