What's his Passion?

by Bailey Bradford, Ethan Stone, T. A. Chase, Sean Michael, L. M. Somerton, Morticia Knight

  “Not very many guys are as good as me.” He grinned.

  “He wasn’t nowhere near as good as you were.” I closed my eyes for a second and continued the story. I ended when I got to the part of hiding behind the dumpster where Javier had found me.

  “I saw that you were hiding from Kirchen and Edgewater so I knew something shady was up. They’re a couple of assholes.”

  I cleared my throat. “You know them?”

  “Unfortunately. They’re always harassing me. I understand they got a job to do but they don’t have to be douche canoes all the time.” He stood. “Let’s get these cuffs off you.” He put a hand under my armpit and helped me up.

  “How?”

  “Stay here,” he replied. “I’ll be right back.” He ran down the stairs then returned a few minutes later with a bolt cutter. “Turn around.”

  I faced the wall and he cut the center chain of the restraints. I spun back around and he cut off the cuffs. I rubbed my wrists. “Thanks. For everything.”

  Javier shrugged. “I hate those cops. They don’t deserve to wear a badge. Helping you is the right thing to do.”

  “They’re out there searching for me right now,” I said.

  Javier shrugged. “We can stay here tonight. Tomorrow I’ll get you to your hotel.” He went down a few rows of seats and pulled out a sleeping bag and blankets from under the chairs. He spread them out on the far side of the balcony.

  “Do you live here?”

  “Temporarily,” he replied. “I think the place is gonna be sold soon. A few weeks ago I was almost caught by a realtor and some rich bitch.”

  I chuckled. “That rich bitch was probably my dad.”

  “Oh.” Javier looked sheepish. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t worry about it. He’s not buying it anyway. The guy wants way too much money for this shithole.”

  “It might be a shithole to you, but for me it’s the best place I’ve slept in years.”

  It was my turn to be embarrassed. I offered an apology but he waved it off.

  “We all have different lives. I can’t hate you for growing up privileged or blame you or your dad because I’m on the street.”

  “Why are you homeless?”

  “You’ve heard the story a hundred times. Alcoholic parents. Asshole siblings. There are thousands of kids just like me who were kicked out because they’re gay. I’m not special.”

  “Isn’t hustling dangerous?” I asked.

  He nodded. “It can be. But I’ve been doing this since I was fourteen years old. I’ve learned a thing or two.”

  “Fourteen? That’s horrible.”

  “I don’t want or need your pity.”

  “But…”

  He glared at me. It wasn’t a subject he wanted to discuss.

  “How’d you end up staying here at the Huntridge?”

  He chuckled, reached into his pack then handed me an Aquadeco water bottle. I knew they were from the Bellagio but mine had been in my room when I left. He must’ve taken them from the client before me.

  “This place has been vandalized a shitload so the owner put up the security fence and hired rent-a-cops to occasionally patrol the area and check inside. I watched the fence being built and paid attention to the security schedule. It was way easy to figure out the weaknesses. First of all, even though there are two entrances, the guards always use the same one. I bought a bolt cutter, cut the lock on the gate they never use and replaced it with my own. I sleep in the balcony because they’ve never once checked up here.”

  “How long have you been staying at the theater?” I asked.

  “Coupla months.”

  I lay down with my back to the wall and closed my eyes. I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep but I was out very quickly.

  Chapter Three

  When I woke in the morning I was warm and comfortable and didn’t want to get up despite the urging of my bladder. I shifted slightly and pain shot through my leg. I didn’t know how Javier could sleep on the floor every night.

  I also had what most men had when they woke—morning wood. Something touched my hard-on and I finally opened my eyes. Javier was spooned against me and rubbing his ass on my crotch. I quickly shifted away.

  “You didn’t have to move,” Javier murmured. “I was comfortable.”

  “I didn’t mean to snuggle,” I replied. “I’m sorry if I bothered you.”

  Javier rolled over and peered into my eyes. “I said I was okay with it. It felt nice. I didn’t mind the boner either.”

  I felt myself blush. “Oh, fuck, I am so…”

  “Don’t apologize.” Javier touched my arm. “I really didn’t mind. It’s not like we haven’t already had sex.”

  “That was business, though.”

  “It was nice to be touched by someone not paying me. It helped me go to sleep, actually. So I should be thanking you.”

  “I’m just embarrassed about the hard-on.”

  “Christ, kid.” Javier chuckled. “It’s not the first time I’ve had a dick pushed up against me. You could’ve slipped it in and I doubt I would’ve minded.”

  I paused and pictured me fucking Javier. I’d always fantasized about being fucked that I’d never considered all the options. “You bottom?”

  “Adam, I do almost anything for the right price. That means top, bottom and everything else two men can do together. However, in my non-professional life, I am versatile. I enjoy being fucked as much as I like doing the fucking.”

  Damn, the images his words presented in my head were amazing and erotic. I’d seen his entire body naked and could truly imagine penetrating his ass.

  “What’re you thinking about, kid?”

  I flushed again. “Nothing. Why do you call me kid? I’m eighteen and I bet you’re not much older.”

  Javier chuckled. “Just turned eighteen last month.”

  “Ha! I’m two months older than you, so I am not a kid.”

  Javier smiled like he knew something I didn’t. “Okay, I won’t call you that anymore.”

  “Thanks.” I sat up and my bladder reminded me how badly I needed to piss. “Where’s the bathroom?”

  Javier stood and regarded me with half-shut eyes. “Well, the theater bathroom is downstairs but I don’t think you’ll want to go in there.”

  “Why?”

  Raising his eyebrows, Javier said, “Umm…no running water, remember?”

  I felt stupid for not remembering. “So where do you go?”

  “Depends on what you gotta do. If it’s just piss there’s a spot outside I use. If it’s more than that I go to a diner down the street.”

  I got up. “I just have to pee right now.”

  “Follow me.”

  Javier led me down the stairs, through the old auditorium, down a short, dark hallway and out through a door marked ‘Emergency Exit’. Just outside was a patch of weeds. I looked around, unsure of where exactly I was supposed to relieve myself.

  “No one from the street can see us.” Javier leaned against the door so it wouldn’t shut, opened his pants, pulled out his cock and pissed.

  “Thought you had to pee,” Javier said when he was done.

  “In front of you?”

  “What, you never used a urinal with other guys around?”

  “Yes, with dividers or separators.”

  “I don’t want to leave you alone out here,” Javier said. “So you should just get it done.”

  “Can you at least turn around?”

  “I’ve already seen and touched your dick.”

  “This is different. Please?”

  Javier sighed but I saw a slight smile on his lips before he turned away. I fished out my cock and relieved myself.

  “Feel better?” Javier asked after I had finished.

  “Much.”

  On the stairs going back to the balcony, I asked, “What’s the plan?”

  “We’ll go to a nearby used clothing store to get you some different clothes so it won’t be as easy for th
e cops to spot you.”

  “I don’t have any money on me,” I said.

  “Yesterday was pay day.” He chuckled. “I had a client who tipped very well.”

  I laughed. “I’ll pay you back, I promise.”

  He didn’t acknowledge me. “We can stay on the side streets until we get to the Strip but it’s almost five miles.”

  I bit my bottom lip. “I didn’t realize we’d gone that far last night.”

  “Yeah. You’ll be spotted for sure in the nice clothes you got on. I’d let you use some of mine, but you’re just a bit taller than me.”

  I laughed and glanced down at Javier. “You are rather short.”

  “Whatever, beanpole.” After Javier rolled up the sleeping bag and blankets, he hid them under the seats.

  My stomach grumbled. “How about some breakfast?”

  Javier rolled his eyes. “I count myself lucky if I get one meal a day. Breakfast is something I usually can’t afford.”

  I shifted my eyes away shamefully. I knew there were homeless people everywhere but hadn’t given it a lot of thought. I’d lived my life in a bubble, never worrying too much about others. “I’m sorry,” I mumbled.

  “For what?”

  I shrugged. “For forgetting that not everybody has enough money to eat every day, let alone do whatever they want like I do.”

  Javier stared at me like I’d grown a third arm. “Are you really apologizing for being privileged?” he asked. “I’ve been hired by plenty of wealthy men of all ages. The younger ones were the worst. Entitled, arrogant, obnoxious bastards. You’re different. You may have had the same upbringing but you’re nothing like them.”

  I didn’t know what to say. “Thanks?”

  “Don’t ever be sorry for who you are, Adam.” He waited until I met his gaze before going on. “You were lucky enough to have parents with money and, I’m guessing, parents who cared. I didn’t have either.” He grabbed his pack. “Let’s get going.”

  We went a block before I spoke. “Thanks again, Javier. I’m not sure where I’d be without you.”

  “I haven’t done anything yet, except give you a place to stay.”

  “When we get to the hotel I’d like to return the favor,” I said. “You can stay the night in the extra bed. Or I can get you a different room.”

  “I’m not doing this to get paid. I’m doing it because it’s the right thing.”

  I nodded. “I know. That doesn’t mean I don’t want to thank you. My dad has more money than he or I can spend in a lifetime.”

  “Don’t worry about that right now,” Javier said. “We can talk about it later.” He turned a corner. “The shop is just down here.”

  Twenty minutes later, I came out of the store wearing a Def Leppard T-shirt, dark jeans and a Nike baseball cap.

  Javier checked me out. “You look like a totally different person. You want breakfast? My treat.”

  “I am starving. I’ll repay you when I get back to the hotel.”

  “Quit worrying about that.”

  “Thanks, Javier.”

  He smiled. “Call me Javi. All my friends do.”

  His grin was contagious and it truly made me feel great inside knowing he considered me a friend. “Lead the way, Javi.”

  At Shirley’s Diner, I ordered French toast and Javi ordered a tall stack of flapjacks. When the food arrived, Javi doused the pancakes with syrup and wolfed them very quickly. I watched him eat as if he hadn’t had a meal for days and wondered how long it had been. I only ate half of my food, but Javi ate every bite of his and polished off the rest of mine.

  When he was finally done, Javi sat back in his chair and patted his belly. “Damn, that was good.”

  I chuckled. “Glad you liked it.”

  “I need to use the bathroom,” Javi said. “Then we can take off.”

  When he returned he was breathing heavy and appeared scared.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “We have to get out of here now!”

  “Why?”

  “Go out back. Stay hidden. I’ll pay and be right behind you.”

  I didn’t know what was going on but trusting Javi was the best option—the only option, really. I nodded, pulled the hat over my eyes and hustled out of the back entrance. I stepped into a dark corner and waited for Javi. He came out a minute later and I whistled so he knew where I was.

  “I think we’ll be okay,” he said. “The waitress knows me pretty well. I asked her to say I was alone if anyone asks and that she never saw you.”

  “Why are you freaking out?”

  He pulled a wadded piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to me. I straightened it and read it. It was a picture of me. The line underneath the image read—

  Wanted for murder. Armed and dangerous. Reward.

  “Fuck!” I ran a hand through my hair. “I didn’t kill Dean. He was my best friend. I’m not armed, either.”

  “They’re saying that to protect their own asses, man. They won’t be playing fair.” Javi put a hand on my shoulder. “They want you bad. I’m sure this flyer is everywhere. Lots of homeless people will be looking to turn you in to get on Kirchen’s and Edgewater’s good sides and for the reward.”

  “Really? The homeless don’t stick together?”

  Javi shook his head. “Some of us do. But it’s dog eat dog out here. Someone will see us if we try to go to the Bellagio. The cops will stop us long before we get there.”

  “Should I turn myself in?”

  “Hell, no,” Javi answered. “Kirchen will find a way to get his hands on you. Put you in a cell with other guys and let them take you out.”

  “I need to call my dad, he’ll know what to do. I didn’t want to bother him. I wanted to prove I was an adult.”

  “How do you plan on calling him?” Javi rested against the brick wall. “I don’t have a cell phone and yours was stolen.”

  “How much are the prepaid cells?”

  “I’ve seen ‘em for around thirty for the cheapest shit. Another twenty for enough minutes to last a while.”

  “Will you buy one? I’ll pay you back, just like with all the other money.”

  “Damn, you’re going to cost me more than I earned.”

  For a second I thought he might be angry until I saw the shit-eating grin on his face.

  “All right. I’ll get a phone. Nearest store is a couple blocks. You gonna be okay here alone?”

  I nodded. “I’ll make sure no one sees me.”

  * * * *

  When Javi hadn’t returned thirty minutes later, I began to wonder if something bad had happened or if Javi had decided I was more trouble than I was worth. I breathed a sigh of relief when Javi came into sight.

  “Here you go.” He handed me a phone. “All set up and ready to go. Took longer than expected because I needed help to activate it.”

  I nodded. “Thanks.” I dialed Dad’s number.

  The call went to voicemail as I had expected. My father wouldn’t answer an unknown caller. “Dad, its Adam. I’m in trouble. Call me back right away.”

  “How long before he returns the call?” Javi asked a second before the cell beeped.

  “Dad?” I answered.

  “What’s going on? Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine for now, but I don’t know what to do.”

  “What happened?”

  “The short version is that Dean was beaten to death by a couple of cops. They’re after me now. They’re saying I killed him. I would never do that. You believe me, right?”

  “Of course I believe you.” Timothy Brand could be a ruthless business opponent but he’d always been an excellent father. “Can you go to different cops?”

  “I don’t think so. Javi says other police can’t be trusted. They’ll believe their own and not me.”

  “Who’s Javi?”

  “He helped me last night and this morning. I trust him. One hundred percent.”

  “Does he know Vegas?”

  “Yeah, Da
d.”

  “Okay, without Barry there I don’t have anyone in Vegas I trust enough help. Fuck, I have to tell Barry his son is dead if the authorities haven’t already contacted him. We’ll get on a plane as soon as we can. I won’t be there until tomorrow, though. Can you stay with this Javi guy?”

  “His place isn’t…safe,” I answered.

  “Okay.”

  Dad was silent for a few moments, but I knew he was coming up with an idea.

  “I just bought an old club near the corner of Market and East Sahara,” Dad said. “It was called Dreamz, with a Z. It’s pretty dirty inside, but the utilities are on. Power, water, et cetera. I don’t have anyone scheduled to start the renovations for a month. I’ll give you the security code to get in. You can hang out there. There are even beds to sleep in.”

  “Beds? In a club?”

  “It was a sex club, Adam. Swingers, bondage, etc.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “Ask your friend if he knows where it is,” Dad said.

  “Hey, Javi, do you know where a club called Dreamz is?”

  Javi laughed. “Yeah. It’s been closed for a couple years, but I know where it is.”

  “Yeah, he knows, Dad.”

  He gave me the codes to the realtor lockbox and the security alarm. “Go there and wait for me. I’ll call if anything changes. You got it, Adam?”

  “Yes, Dad.”

  “Okay, son, I love you.”

  “Love you too.”

  The call ended.

  “Why did you ask about the old fuck club?” Javi asked.

  “Dad owns the building. He gave me the security code to get in. He’s in Sydney right now but will fly out as soon as he can.”

  “Australia? What the fuck is he doing there?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know everything about his business. He buys a lot of properties and businesses, renovates them then sells them again for a profit.”

  Javi whistled. “Let’s go. The sooner we’re hiding the better I’ll feel.”

  The club was several blocks away but we stayed hidden by using alleys and shadows as much as possible.

  When we got there I checked out the front of the club and shook my head. The windows were covered with plywood and several curse words were spray-painted on the face of the building.