The Other Side

by Shawn Lane

  Nick’s breath hitched and he handed a foil wrapper to Ray. Pre-lubed, Ray noted, though as he turned in Nick’s arms he saw the man also had a bottle in his hand.

  Ray tossed the items on the bed. He lowered his mouth to Nick’s. He quaked with need when the other man’s tongue slid inside, hot and wet. Slowly, he maneuvered them until they fell onto the bed, Nick pinned under him.

  “Wow,” Nick murmured, when Ray allowed him a moment to breathe. “Are you as horny as I am?”

  “More.” Ray’s fingers itched to caress Nick everywhere. His tongue dipped to stroke at Nick’s right nipple, then his left. Nick jumped. “Like that, huh?”

  Nick swallowed. “Uh-huh”

  Ray’s hands spanned across Nick’s abs, tracing the muscles. “You are fucking gorgeous.”

  Nick’s laugh turned into a moan when Ray continued kissing him. He grabbed Nick’s wrists and held them over his head, assaulting him with kisses and nibbles everywhere. He was on fire, more turned on than he’d been in a hell of a long time.

  “Want you,” he whispered in Nick’s ear. He felt the other man shake, watched as goose bumps appeared on his flesh. The contrast of his dark skin next to Nick’s pale, flushed skin excited him even more. He’d never paid that much attention to the difference of his skin with his lover’s before. But for some reason with Nick it fascinated him.

  Nick made a little soft sighing noise, and Ray released Nick’s wrists to reach for the foil packet. He tore it open and rolled the condom onto his own hard cock. Nick didn’t protest, so Ray decided they were likeminded.

  Nick grabbed his neck and brought Ray’s lips to his again in a crushing, deep kiss. When they came up for air, he rolled onto his stomach presenting his fabulous ass to Ray.

  An invitation Ray could not refuse. He was awkward like a young man again during his first time, dropping the bottle. He picked it up and squirted lube all over his fingers and inserted his slicked digits in Nick’s entrance. The other man tensed a moment, gasped, then slowly relaxed, letting Ray’s probing fingers fuck him.

  Nick made little moaning noises that tightened Ray’s balls. Ray wished they’d had all night so he could have stayed there thrusting his digits into Nick’s ass for hours. But his own aching cock reminded him it wanted to replace the fingers. His fingers slid out.

  Nick groaned in protest.

  “Don’t worry,” Ray assured him. He raised himself up on his arms behind Nick, poising his cock at Nick’s ass. He pushed in as slowly as he could manage.

  “Shit,” Nick said.

  “Are you all right?” Ray asked, his heart racing, afraid he’d hurt Nick.

  Nick nodded. “It just burns a little. It’s been a while.”

  The idea that it had been a while since another man had fucked Nick thrilled Ray. He pushed in farther, making soothing noises as he did so. When he’d thrust all the way in, Ray took a moment to lay there, savoring the feeling. Extreme pleasure tingled through him. He closed his eyes.

  “Ray, move,” Nick urged with a little gasp.

  Ray chuckled, but did as Nick asked. He pulled out almost all the way, and then pressed back in, faster, harder than before. He repeated the movement, biting his lip against the almost overwhelming need to come. He was too conscious of the man beneath him to selfishly think only of his own pleasure.

  He threaded his fingers through Nick’s, once more loving the sight of the contrast of his dark skin against Nick’s paler flesh. Ray pumped into him over and over, increasing the pace, the intensity. Nick rose a bit and pushed up against him. He couldn’t hold back much longer, already his orgasm tingled, tugged at him.

  It had been too long and Nick was too hot. Ray groaned, long and loudly, snapping his hips against Nick’s ass.

  “God,” Ray gasped, relieved when Nick found his own release, pouring out onto the sheets, the smell of sex permeating the room. It was too much, too intense. He roared with his own release, pumping hard into Nick.

  He stayed within the other man for a moment, but then, not wanting to crush Nick, Ray withdrew. He lay next to Nick and pulled him close, both of them breathing in harmony.

  “I’m still hungry,” Nick said after a while. Ray could hear the amusement in his tone. He stretched and yawned.

  Ray laughed. “Okay, okay. We’ll get re-dressed and go.”

  Nick rose and grimaced. “I’ll need a shower.” His cheeks pinked. “Um, I hope your car is still there when we go to leave.”

  “Still there?” Ray frowned. “Is that a real possibility?”

  Nick shrugged. “Maybe. You might want to go check while I’m in the shower.”

  Ray watched his hot ass disappear into the bathroom. Damn, his cock perked up all over again. He hadn’t been this into a guy in…Well, he couldn’t even say. He got out of bed, pulled on his clothes and walked out to the living room to check on his car.

  Chapter 4

  There was one other couple and a family seated before the Teppan chef cooking their food. Nick didn’t pay any attention to them, so neither did Ray. He only had eyes for Nick, anyway. They’d both ordered steak and lobster from the chef and applauded at the appropriate moments when the performing chef did his little tricks.

  Ray found himself wishing he’d chosen another restaurant so they could have a private table. The food was excellent though.

  “When did you first realize you were gay?” he asked Nick.

  Nick shrugged and took a large swallow of his Japanese beer. “Pretty young, I guess. I remember even as a kid when other boys picked on girls they liked I was more apt to tease another boy. It was difficult, though. As I told you, I was in trouble a lot with gangs and thugs, so you can imagine how being gay would go over. I hid it mostly.”

  “Yeah. I’m sort of surprised you’re out on the force.”

  “I take some shit,” Nick said. “But there comes a point where you just want to be yourself. And for every asshole that treats me differently I have five other friends who support me.”

  That did surprise Ray a bit, but he didn’t say so. He’d come to realize Nick was pretty sensitive to talk of bad cops. He had little doubt Nick was sincere, but in Ray’s experience, Nick was the exception.

  “How about you, Ray? When did you realize?”

  Ray smiled. “Well, as you can imagine, being gay doesn’t go over great in a black family either. Sure, there are black gays, but many are still in the closet. I’m sure you’ve heard the term being on the down low. I knew by puberty and I told my family when I was in high school. They weren’t thrilled and things were pretty tense for a while. But they’re pretty supportive about it now. My brother even offered to set me up with a guy who eats at his restaurant.”

  Nick raised an eyebrow. “Oh, he did, did he?”

  Ray shrugged. “I told him I was seeing someone. You’re not jealous are you?” he teased.

  Nick smirked. “Nah. Not really. Besides, there’s not much I can say if you do want to see other guys.”

  Ray touched Nick’s hand. “I don’t.”

  “Good.” Nick turned his hand a little until their fingers molded together. Nick squeezed, then let go. They lapsed into silence for a moment as they enjoyed their food and watched the chef cleaning up.

  Nick looked thoughtful, as if wondering if he should mention something. “How about gay rights?” he finally asked. “You’re a big activist about race, how come you’re not as active about gay rights?”

  “I am when I need to be. I guess I feel I’m a black man first.” Ray finished his glass of wine. “But I do feel strongly about the rights of gays and lesbians, Nick. Even if I’m not as vocal.”

  “Okay, fair enough. I guess I sort of feel that way about working with troubled youth and gang members.”

  Ray exhaled a little. He had been afraid their conversation might lead to another disagreement between them. He’d felt the tension radiating off Nick for a moment, but it seemed to have lessened and Nick relaxed.

  He picked up the check an
d placed his card in it, handing it to a waitress who’d just passed by their table. “Listen, I don’t know how you feel about this, but I was wondering if you’d like to come back to my house. I have a Jacuzzi and thought you might enjoy that.” He paused. “Do you have to work tomorrow?”

  “No, I’m off.”

  Ray plunged ahead. “Well, then, if things get too late, you could even stay over and I can take you home in the morning.” He held his breath, just knowing Nick would balk at it.

  “I’d like to, yes.” Nick smiled.

  Yes!

  Okay, play it cool, Ray told himself. He smiled, too. “Great.”

  * * * *

  Nick had to admit lounging around in hot bubbly water in Ray’s chilly backyard was a most excellent idea. Ray had spare swim trunks, so he’d borrowed a pair. They weren’t the same size, but close enough. He leaned his head back and gazed up at the stars. It amazed him how many he could actually see. The neighborhood he lived it was just too brightly lit to see stars really well. Damn rich had all the breaks.

  “What are you smiling at?” Ray asked him from the other side of the spa.

  “Just the stars.” He hadn’t realized how sore his muscles were. Since transferring to Internal Affairs he didn’t get much in the way of physical activity. He had a gym membership, but work kept him pretty busy most days. And then there was the workout Ray gave him before dinner. Nick chuckled out loud.

  “What’s funny?” Ray splashed a little water in his direction.

  “I’m realizing I’m a little sore.”

  Ray laughed. “I hope not too sore.”

  “No such thing.” Nick sighed. “Now that I have a bit of a desk job I’m wondering if I’m gaining weight.”

  “Doesn’t look like you have an ounce of fat to me. As I told you before you have a fantastic body.” Ray glided across the Jacuzzi to sit next to Nick. “So if you don’t like it, why do you stay?”

  Nick looked at him. “Like what?”

  “Internal Affairs. Look, I know what you said about it being where the opportunities were, but don’t take this the wrong way, Nick.”

  “Okay.” Nick frowned, wondering what Ray thought he might take the wrong way.

  “But whatever opportunities you think you’re getting from IA don’t seem to be doing much for you. You don’t seem altogether happy there, correct me if I wrong, so you’re not getting any emotional or intellectual stimulation from it. And based on your apartment and car, you aren’t being rewarded too much monetarily either.”

  Nick shrugged, uncertain how to respond or what he wanted to say.

  “And I think if you’re looking for challenge on the job, you’d probably be better off working with youth and gangs, too. I know it isn’t my business, but I can’t help questioning your choices there.”

  Nick supposed it was a legitimate question even if it did raise his hackles a bit. But he had nothing to hide. “I live below my means for the most part. I save what I can. The thing is, working with the anti-gang unit is dangerous.”

  “I won’t believe you’re afraid.”

  He grimaced, trying not to be offended by the remark. “No, I’m not. But, it’s not about just me.”

  Ray stared at him. “What? Don’t tell me you have a secret love child somewhere.”

  He laughed. “No, I’ve always been gay, so there’s no hidden woman in my past. Not that kind anyway. I do have a family, though, and no matter what mistakes my mother has made, I do try to take care of her and my siblings, Caleb and Vanessa.”

  Ray frowned. “So, you’re saying you support them?”

  “To an extent, yeah. I’m not their entire income, but close. The other day when you took me by there, I brought my mother money. She’d called to say she needed it for groceries. I just hope that’s what she really used it for.” His heart twisting a little, Nick tilted his head back to gaze at the stars again. “They’re really important to me. If something happens to me, it also jeopardizes them. It’s not all about how much money and prestige I can get. There are high level jobs with the gang units.”

  “I had no idea,” Ray said softly.

  “Yeah, it’s not something I really talk about. My family’s pretty screwed up, Ray, to be honest. My mother is a drug addict. Has been since I was young. She’s been in and out of rehab, had interventions.” He sighed. “I’m kind of surprised she’s still alive. Sometimes I wonder if the money I give her for the kids is going up her nose.”

  Nick wasn’t sure why he was telling all this to Ray. He’d never shared stuff like that with any other guy he dated. The less his dates knew about his loser family the better off it was, really. He even hid a lot of it from the force. Probably wouldn’t look too good to the powers in charge. After all, they were already not happy about his sexual orientation.

  “It’s got to be tough, Nick. I’m sorry.” Ray rose out of the spa. “I’m going to get a glass of wine. Want one?”

  Nick smiled, glad the subject of his career choices and his family had been dropped. His stomach had twisted in knots while he’d spoken. “Nah, you know I’m not into wine.”

  “Maybe we should go wine tasting or something.” Ray went to a nearby picnic table and poured himself a glass of white wine. “Maybe you just haven’t had good wine.”

  Nick laughed.

  “Bad idea?”

  “Not really. It’s just, Ray, it’s okay if we don’t agree on stuff. You know? There’s nothing wrong with having different likes or dislikes. We don’t both have to like wine. It’s great that you do and I appreciate that you want me to because you like it, but I don’t. I’ve tasted fancy, expensive wines. I still don’t like them. Do you like beer?”

  Ray grinned. “No.”

  “I could tell you there are all kinds of beers and you should try them. But chances are, you’re still not going to like beer, huh?”

  “I see your point.” Ray nodded. “Okay. But if you ever change your mind, let me know.”

  “I will.” Nick climbed out of the spa and grabbed a towel. “Thanks, that was great. Really relaxing. My apartment building has one, but, well, I don’t really spend a lot of time there and, besides, I’m not sure how clean they keep it.”

  “You want to watch a movie or do something else?”

  Nick glanced at Ray and noticed the prominent erection in his swim trunks. His own penis perked up at the sight. He probably ought to play harder to get, but hell, he was still a guy and still wanted sex. Even after their pre-dinner romp. “I’d say the something else.” He smirked. “I’d say your cock agrees with me.”

  Ray threw his towel at him, then chuckled. “Never mind. You’re absolutely right. Sex it is then.”

  * * * *

  Ray’s bedroom was freaking huge.

  “How high is that ceiling?” Nick asked, his mouth hanging open to gape at the ceiling that seemed to reach the sky.

  Ray shrugged. “Not sure. Tall. The master bedroom is connected to the highest part of the house.” He gestured to the massive canopy bed he had. “This is an antique.”

  Nick eyed it cautiously. “An antique?”

  Ray sat down on the mattress and bounced. “Don’t worry, it’s sturdy. It’s withstood plenty of activity.”

  Nick grimaced. He didn’t like hearing how many lovers Ray had before him. They weren’t young kids with no experience of life, but still, Nick could probably count on one hand how many lovers he’d had. Ray…not so sure.

  “H-How many lovers have you had?” he heard himself ask.

  Ray glanced at him, his face showing his surprise at the question. “A few. I’m in my thirties. I’m not a slut or anything and I’m very careful, Nick.”

  He nodded. “I didn’t think you weren’t. I just have a feeling you’ve probably been with more lovers than me.”

  “Does that bother you?” Ray came up to him and put his arms around his waist, tugging him close.

  “Maybe a little,” Nick admitted.

  “I can’t change what happ
ened in the past, Nick. But when I’m with a guy, it’s all about him and only him. Okay?”

  Nick smiled. “Okay.”

  Ray’s bedroom had an air of masculinity. The colors of the drapes and bedding were dark plums and greens. Besides the gigantic canopy bed, the only other furniture in the room, bigger than his whole apartment he did not fail to notice, was a cherry wood dresser and matching armoire.

  Enough with checking out Ray’s bedroom. Nick was far more interested in Ray’s bed. He would have thought with the sex they’d had before dinner, he wouldn’t be so horny now. But, well, he was.

  “Be right back.” Ray kissed him quickly, then disappeared through the bathroom door, returning seconds later with a box of condoms and a bottle of lube. He liked that Ray was of a like mind. That was the good thing about two guys. No stupid playing around about whether sex was going to happen.

  “How do you want me?” Nick peeled off his still damp swim trunks, freeing his hard cock.

  “Well, you’re already taking care of the naked part,” Ray said with a huge grin. He got himself naked, too. His large dark chocolate cock pointed toward Nick. He opened up the box of condoms and removed a foil wrapper.

  Nick walked up to Ray and ripped the condom from him. Feeling aggressive, he pushed Ray down on the bed. Ray’s dark eyes widened, awareness and lust in their depths.

  Nick used his teeth to tear open the wrapper. Kneeling on the bed next to his lover, Nick leaned down, and framing Ray’s face in his hands, seared his lips to the other man’s. Ray’s tongue slipped between his teeth, tangling with his. He tasted of wine, but Nick didn’t mind. Nick hadn’t done a lot of kissing with other men. Usually he was of the opinion women liked kissing more than men anyway. For him, it had always been just a way to get to sex. But he liked kissing Ray. His lips were soft and sensuous and always melted under Nick’s.

  After a few minutes of kissing, Nick was eager to be fucked. He straightened and rolled the latex on Ray’s hard cock, giving a little squeeze to the man’s balls. He grabbed the lube and rubbed a generous amount all over Ray’s erection. He handed the lube to Ray. Nick straddled Ray and reached behind to part his ass cheeks.