“Sure you can’t get into the master suite?” Steven grinned. “Wanna make you come in front of a Michelangelo. You remind me of David. So beautiful.” He nipped Sebastian’s earlobe. “So hot.”
Sebastian moaned. “I might be able to guess the code. But my father would kill me if he found out.”
Withdrawing his hand from Sebastian’s trousers, Steven sucked on his index finger. His eyes locked with Sebastian’s as he slid his hand down the back of Sebastian’s pants this time, finding his hole. He teased it lightly and whispered, “All the more exciting.”
His thighs trembling, Sebastian bit back a loud gasp as Steven pushed the tip of his finger inside. He’d only been penetrated with his own fingers, but this was so much better. Thrusting against Steven’s hip, his orgasm was building already, his balls tightening as the pleasure boiled up and—
Suddenly Steven’s hand was gone, and he took a step back. Eyes glittering, he nodded to the closed door. “Come on. Give it a try.”
Breathing heavily, Sebastian went to the keypad. Part of him felt a forbidden thrill at the idea of being with a man inside his father’s private suite. He knew he’d only have one shot at the code—an alarm would sound even on only one false try. A security guard had been fired on the spot last year for making an input error.
With a deep breath, Sebastian punched in a sequence of numbers and pressed Enter. The red light disappeared, and a green one illuminated in its place. He exhaled, excitement thrumming in his veins as he pressed down the steel door handle.
“Shh! What was that?” Steven glanced around nervously. “I think someone’s coming.”
Sebastian’s excitement was tempered with fear, and he stepped back from the door, letting the handle lock back into place. The red light on the keypad turned back on. He strained to listen beyond the distant sounds of the party. “I don’t hear anything,” he whispered.
Steven indicated the closest bedroom. “I’ll wait in there. Maybe you should go back to the party for a minute and make sure you haven’t been missed. I swear I heard someone calling your name. A woman.”
Sebastian groaned. “Probably the girl my brother’s lined up for me.”
“Go tell her you’re not feeling well.” Steven kissed him, his fingers strong in Sebastian’s hair. Then he rolled his hips forward, rubbing their cocks together. “I’ll be waiting.”
Sebastian practically ran, fortunately realizing before reaching the great hall that his trousers were still embarrassingly tented. He shucked his jacket and folded it over his arm, holding it in front of his waist. At the top of the staircase, he scanned the crowd for Ben and the girls.
Ben waved to him, and Sebastian resisted the urge to take the stairs two at a time, walking calmly instead. Ben slung his arm around Sebastian’s shoulders when he reached them. “Ladies, this is my brother—”
A piercing alarm filled the air, and partygoers clapped their hands over their ears. Security guards appeared, storming up the stairs and disappearing into the east wing. Sebastian’s heart thumped against his ribs. What if they found Steven? What if…
The alarm’s shriek matched the icy chill that took hold. The code to his father’s suite. Steven. “Oh, God.” Sebastian rocked on his feet, and then he was off and running, his jacket flung aside, his brother’s confused shout in his wake.
When he made it to the end of the main hallway, he rushed into the bedroom where he’d left Steven.
Empty.
Angry shouts emanated from his father’s nearby suite, which was the last place Sebastian wanted to be. Still, he crept as close as possible and caught a glimpse of the suite’s sitting room—and the open safe. With a terrible sinking sensation, he ducked back into the empty bedroom and rushed to the window, peering into the darkness. A wall surrounded the estate’s grounds on three sides, but by the water’s edge, he caught a flash of movement.
Steven.
Guards raced through the gardens and across the wide lawn. Sebastian’s eyes widened as he realized they’d raised their guns. Shots rang out, but they were too late. Illuminated by the faint moonlight, he watched as a small motorboat sped off into the night. As the alarm was silenced, his father’s bellow of rage took its place.
And in that moment, Sebastian really knew fear.
Chapter Two
By the time he approached the lakefront in the village of Bellagio, Kyle was ready for a nice cold beer. Preferably a Bud, but he was willing to settle for whatever European brew he could find. It had been a long walk from where he’d abandoned the boat, but at least his T-shirt and jeans offered a little respite from the heat compared to the stifling tux.
He was just about to curse Marie for being late when her lilting French accent floated over to him on the gentle breeze. “Bonsoir, my darling!”
Putting a smile on his face, Kyle opened his arms to her and kissed her passionately, caressing her through the soft cotton of her sundress. As he held her close, he felt Marie’s small hand steal into the front pocket of his jeans and remove the three-inch vial.
“Oh, how I’ve missed you, mon cher.” Marie sighed, gazing at him lovingly. A few years older than Kyle, she was quite a beauty.
With a final kiss, Kyle took her hand, interlacing their fingers as they strolled along the water, one of dozens of couples. At night the promenade became a lovers’ lane, and Kyle nuzzled Marie’s brown curls affectionately. She looked up at him with a loving smile on her beautiful face, dark eyes gleaming.
She spoke quietly. “Any trouble, Mr. Grant?”
“None,” Kyle replied, his tone equally hushed, yet casual.
“The boy was no match for your charms?”
“Of course not. Putty in my hands.” They always were. Men, women—didn’t matter. He always got the job done.
Marie’s moony smile remained, but he could hear the smirk in her tone. “One day I’d like you to meet someone who can resist you.”
“But I’ve met you already, my sweet.”
“Ah, but I fear you wouldn’t be giving me your best work, given my deficiencies. Lack of a prick, for starters.”
“Chéri, your balls are bigger and more fearsome than any man’s.”
She laughed genuinely, pressing into his side. “On that we can agree, Mr. Grant.” They arrived at a small, two-story hotel. Standing on tiptoes, Marie whispered in his ear. “Wait for further instructions.” With a final kiss, she melted away into the humid darkness.
In his small room Kyle gazed out over Lake Como. By now his abandoned boat would be found, although the rumpled tuxedo was safely disposed of in a pizzeria dumpster on the outskirts of Bellagio. Brambani’s men would certainly be searching for him, but they’d expect him to leave the Como area as soon as possible.
There was no fridge in the room, so instead of a beer he had to satisfy his thirst with tepid tap water. Kyle stripped off his clothes and stepped into the shower, hoping for half-decent water pressure. It was passable, and he tried to relax under the spray.
His mind replayed the night’s events. It had all gone smoothly, at least. Sebastiano Brambani had proved to be as pliable as expected and also as clever with numbers as Kyle’s research showed. Kyle recalled the few hours he’d spent reading through the blog Sebastian had kept during his year at Harvard.
Not the typical writings of a wealthy son of a crime boss. Math had never been Kyle’s favorite subject in school, yet Sebastian wrote with a passion, clarity, and wit that had intrigued Kyle and made him think about the subject in ways he’d never considered before. Cursory research was usually all he needed, but with Sebastian he’d found himself tracking down all the details he could. According to his research, Sebastian had done almost no partying at school, focusing his attention on studying and a friend or two.
As he rubbed shampoo into his short hair, Kyle mused that with that kind of stimulating mind and Sebastian’s looks, it was a shame it hadn’t been a longer assignment. He would have enjoyed taking a few days to get close to him. In his lin
e of work, Kyle had seduced countless women, and it was rare to get to charm a man. And Sebastian hadn’t disappointed him, proving just as bright and appealing as he’d seemed.
If there’d been more time, Kyle would have greatly enjoyed seeing if Sebastian was as creative in bed as he was with numbers. Shaking his head, he decided he really needed to find the time to get laid after the mission was completed. Clearly it’d been too long since he’d had a man if he was getting this distracted by the idea of a math geek with a pretty little body. Kyle groaned and reminded himself that Brambani’s son was just a tool he needed to do his job, and he snapped his focus back to that night’s mission.
He’d known there was no way around the internal alarm he knew had to be in the safe in Brambani’s private room, but by gaining access to the room itself, he’d had precious minutes to crack the combination. It had been easier than expected, although of course the internal alarm sounded as soon as he removed the vial from the weight-sensitive interior. A quick shimmy down one of the house’s ornate columns and a sprint to the water had been child’s play.
Now he’d move on to the next mission. Move on to the next country, another city or town. He hoped Marie would have the assignment in the morning. He didn’t like waiting or staying in one place too long. Made him restless. Always better to be moving forward.
As Kyle rinsed his hair, his mind stubbornly returned to Sebastian. He’d liked listening to Sebastian talk. Liked touching him. Of course he hadn’t been able to truly enjoy it at the time, not mid-mission. But he could now. What would it hurt? He gave in and allowed himself the luxury of a smile at the memory of the boy’s surprisingly aggressive kiss.
His hand slick with another squirt of shampoo, Kyle spread his legs and leaned back against the tiles, letting his mind go. His eyes drifted shut as he stroked himself to hardness, remembering the sweet taste of Sebastian’s mouth, the warm panting of his breath as he eagerly leaned into Kyle’s touch.
Sebastian wasn’t Kyle’s usual type, which was older and experienced. Rough and ready, with no emotions to get in the way. But there had been an unexpected heat between them that had gone straight to Kyle’s dick. He twisted his palm over his cock, squeezing his nipples with his other hand.
He thought of how tight Sebastian’s hole had been on his finger. Despite his indiscretion at college, Kyle had a feeling Sebastian’s ass was virgin. There was still an innocence about him that was unmistakable. The sound Sebastian had made when Kyle kissed him echoed through his mind, and he wondered just what other noises Sebastian would make. As Kyle sped up his strokes, he imagined bending Sebastian over and plowing into him.
He’d be so tight and hot around Kyle’s cock as Kyle took him and made him beg for more. Sebastian would moan prettily, spreading his legs wider and pushing back as Kyle claimed him. Kyle would come inside him, or maybe pull out and fuck Sebastian’s mouth, those full red lips wrapped around his cock as he—
With a ragged exhale, Kyle spurted onto the wall of the shower stall, shuddering with pleasure as he roughly milked himself. It was rare that he didn’t have to fake attraction to a mark, but with Sebastian Brambani, there had been no imitation of desire necessary. If anything, Kyle had been forced to hold back; Sebastian’s kiss had been almost distracting enough to make him wish he could forget his mission. Too bad he’d never have him properly.
Kyle snapped off the water and toweled himself. His was not a business of regrets.
The rap at the door was so sharp with irritation that it could only be Marie. Once inside, her mouth was a grim line. “It’s not the right compound. This is little more than pepper spray. Maybe he was expecting an extraction attempt and had a decoy in place. The Chimera prototype is still out there, and Brambani has it. Word is he’s upped the asking price.”
It was barely eight in the morning, but Kyle wanted that cold beer more than ever. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he pondered their options as he yanked on his jeans and T-shirt. “I could try the son again. Although getting to him would be difficult. Getting to anyone will be difficult now that Brambani’s guard is up.”
“Forget the boy. He’ll likely be dead by noon.” Marie paced the short length of the room. “And yes, Brambani’s guard will certainly be up. Very up. We had one chance at this, and you failed.”
Kyle clenched his jaw. “Failed? I was told the vial of powder would be in the safe. Other than what I extracted, there were only diamonds and gold bars.” Something else Marie said registered belatedly, and his stomach strangely somersaulted. “You think Brambani would take out his own son?”
“Our contact says it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Brambani is a ruthless man. He killed his wife for less.”
“But Sebastian’s…”
Marie frowned. “What?”
Kyle didn’t have an answer. Sebastian was a good kid? Lots of collaterals were good people, solid citizens. Nothing made Sebastian different from any of those who’d lost their lives in the past—not his passion for numbers, or his clever way of writing, not his wide eyes, his aggressive kiss, or his tight, round ass. He was like any other guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, Kyle told himself.
Or like any other guy whose father couldn’t accept him. With a deep breath, Kyle bit back the unwelcome memories of his own father’s fury. He needed to forget the past and forget Sebastian Brambani.
“The boy’s irrelevant.” Marie continued pacing. “We need to figure out where Brambani’s hiding the Chimera. Our sources say the sale to the terrorist cell is on for Friday. We have to get to the weapon before he can hand it over.”
Five days. “Even if we find this prototype, what’s to stop him from making more?”
Marie paused. “This is high level, but we’ve eliminated the source. The formula has been destroyed. Brambani doesn’t know it yet; he’s just the dealer. But if we don’t get to the vial first, the buyer will be able to analyze the compounds and recreate it.”
“Why don’t we just kill Brambani before he makes the sale?”
“You know why. Politics, Mr. Grant. The Association has its reasons. And—” Marie broke off as her phone vibrated. She answered and listened. After about five seconds, she said, “Understood,” and hung up. She glanced at Kyle. “We’re out. Take the black Ferrari outside and drive to Geneva. You’ll fly to New York from there.” She reached into her purse and tossed him a set of car keys.
“No other assignment?” Kyle didn’t like going back to his threadbare Hell’s Kitchen apartment. He needed to keep moving. Keep hunting.
Marie already had a hand on the doorknob. “They’re not happy. After Rio and then that fuckup extraordinaire in Singapore, you needed this one. If you’d successfully extracted the Chimera, things might be different.” She seemed to want to say more but finally smiled softly. “Get some rest, Kyle.”
The hairs on the back of Kyle’s neck stood to attention. “Marie…”
But she was already gone.
Downstairs a minute later with his battered duffel bag in hand, Kyle walked around to the hotel’s small parking lot. He examined the underside of the Ferrari, the trunk, and the engine. No sign of explosives. Still he hesitated, Marie’s farewell ringing in his ears. She hadn’t called him by his first name once in nine years.
Turning on his heel, he left the Ferrari behind. He needed to catch a boat to the other side of the lake. He’d find the Chimera yet.
Kyle Grant wouldn’t be put out to pasture.
The sun had been up for several hours, but the house was still silent. Sebastian strained to listen at the door of his room and couldn’t even hear the staff going about their daily duties. He dressed in black slacks and a dark red button-down shirt. His father disapproved of sloppy clothing.
He’d spent the long night huddled on his king-size bed, waiting. While part of him hoped he was tying himself into knots for no reason, he knew it was extremely unlikely. He hadn’t slept a wink as he imagined the ways his father might punish him. Seb
astian had no doubt it wouldn’t take long for Arrigo to discover his son’s role in the robbery. Steven’s image had undoubtedly been captured by one of the outdoor cameras as he made his escape, and surely someone had noticed Sebastian and Steven together.
Steven. At the thought of the bastard, Sebastian began pacing the length of his room. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have thought an older, gorgeous man wanted him? Steven—or whatever his name really was—had only been after one of Arrigo’s treasures. He wasn’t sure what Arrigo kept in that safe; perhaps his mother’s jewels? He wasn’t about to go and ask.
So he waited. After running through the hexadecimal approximation of pi, he calculated Fibonacci sequences. But he kept losing his place as images of Steven leaning down to kiss him flickered through his mind. He’d never been kissed like that before, and he couldn’t help flushing with remembered desire. “Think of what Papa will say,” he muttered to himself.
Yet his father didn’t come. The silence was even more terrifying than one of Arrigo’s rages, when his face would become red as a tomato as he screamed a litany of curses that would make a Napolitano street criminal cover his ears.
There was a quiet sound from beyond the door, and Sebastian froze, holding his breath as he listened. Then a furtive knock. “Basi?”
Relief coursing through him, Sebastian ushered his brother in. “What’s happening? Is Father very upset?”
Ben’s normally golden skin was decidedly ashen. “Basi, how could you be so foolish? Is it true? Did you open the door to Father’s suite?”
“I… How did you know?”
“How do you think?” Ben exclaimed. “You think Father doesn’t have eyes everywhere in this house?”
“I’m sorry. He just wanted to see the Michelangelo.”
The Chimera Affair: Gay Romance Page 2