Sink or Swim

by Lissa Kasey

  Free Short Fiction

  Distributed at http://lissakasey.com, http://xaraxanakas.com, and http://www.goodreads.com by Lissa Kasey and Xara X. Xanakas

  This is a work of fiction. Characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the authors.

  Sink or Swim © 2011 Lissa Kasey and Xara X. Xanakas

  All rights reserved worldwide. This eBook may be distributed freely in its entirety courtesy of the authors, Lissa Kasey and Xara X. Xanakas. This work may not be sold, manipulated, or reproduced in any format without express written permission from the author.

  This work contains graphic language and sexual content between two men and is not intended for anyone under the age of 18.

  Cover Design © 2011 L.C. Chase

  For ♥♥Lynn♥♥

  Thank you for giving us the inspiration and letting us borrow your enthusiasm

  ~* Written as part of the Hot Summer Days anthology for the M/M Romance Group on Goodreads. *~

  ~* Visit them at: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/20149 *~

  We were running late. Again.

  Beau just couldn’t tear himself away from the well-wishers. All his dive buddies had shown up as we were getting ready to leave, wanting one last moment with him, throwing him an impromptu going-away party. I saw more than one person, male and female, tuck slips of paper into his pockets. Email addresses and phone numbers, no doubt. Seeing how many people were going to miss him made me realize just how few real friends I had here. It was probably just nerves about moving, but I was starting to wonder if I would be enough for him.

  We’d nearly been too late to make it through the International terminals, but we made it with a few minutes to spare.

  “Shipping our stuff was a good idea,” Beau said.

  “Well, it sure helped today.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean we almost missed the flight with your little bon voyage party. It’s a good thing we didn’t have any baggage to check and our carry-ons are light.”

  “I can’t help it if the guys wanted to say good-bye. We are moving out of the country, you know.”

  I sighed, settling into the large leather seats. Yes, I knew very well how popular Beau was. “It was nice of Mr. Medina to pay for the flight.”

  “Yeah, it’s almost like having a sugar daddy taking care of us. Wouldn’t it suck to be in coach for this whole flight?” Beau stretched his long legs out in front of him as he leaned back in the seat.

  “He didn’t have to pay for first class though.”

  “No, he didn’t, but I’m sure glad he did.” He turned toward me, his eyes gleaming with mischief. He wiggled his eyebrows at me. “Wonder what he’ll want in return?”

  “Beau,” I said, the thought immediately taking root in my head. “You don’t think…”

  “You never know. Look at you and your pretty blue eyes. I bet you’re just the kind of boy he’d like.”

  My head spun. When I’d talked to Mr. Medina on the phone, he didn’t seem to be the kind to trade expensive gifts for sexual favors. “I didn’t think he was like that.”

  He reached over to ruffle my hair, even though he knew how much I hated it. “I’m just yanking your chain, kiddo. Besides, you’re my boy.” He leaned over to kiss my cheek.

  “That’s not funny, Beau.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you from the dirty old man.” He laced his fingers through mine and ran his thumb over my knuckles. “Besides, Abram. We’re going to have our pick. You won’t have to do any of them you don’t want.”

  “What?” I asked, wondering what the hell he was talking about.

  “Yeah. Those guys won’t know what hit them. We’ve got something to offer them all. Choices. They can go with Option A,” he pointed at me. “Or, Option B.” He made a sweeping motion down his body.

  “What are you talking about?” Did he want to play the field? Was I not enough for him anymore?

  “Just listing what’s on the menu.”

  I stared at him as he closed his eyes, looking for any sign of teasing on his face.

  He yawned and mumbled. “I’m beat. I think the Ambien’s kicking in.”

  Within seconds, he was snoring.

  ####

  The silence after the plane took off was deafening. I could try to pretend it was airsickness that made my stomach churn, but Beau’s flippant attitude didn’t help any. Did he truly want to play around? What did our last year together mean if he was just looking for the next new toy?

  The flight attendant offered me a drink, but I refused, and plugged in the headset to try to settle into whatever dumb chick-flick premiered on the Qantas flight. Australia had seemed like a good idea. Now looking at nearly a full day stuck on the plane, dread knotted my nerves. A new life, new beginning, that’s what this was supposed to be. Just what kind of beginning was it that Beau wanted? And where did I fit into it?

  He mumbled beside me in his seat as I shifted again. The unease in my head made my body just as restless. Maybe I should have taken an Ambien, too. His words kept replaying like a bad song stuck on repeat.

  The movie jerked me out of a light sleep twice. I’d be the one needing a massage when we landed at this rate. Maybe I could convince Beau to work the kinks out of my shoulders. If he wasn’t too busy flirting with the pool boys.

  I tuned out the movie and just watched him breathe for a while.

  He was so beautiful. Thick broad shoulders, take charge attitude, and those silly flower tattoos that made up most of his right sleeve. He kept talking of getting it finished, but had become so devoted to his diving job he couldn’t bear to take the time out to heal. Salt water and fresh ink didn’t mix. How many times had I traced those tats with my lips, fingers, or eyes? It was just one of those things that made Beau, Beau.

  The dark stubble on his face tempted me much more than it should have. I loved the way the scruff felt against my skin, and the way those dark eyes of his always seemed to peer right to the core of me.

  Did others feel that pull? He had the confidence that age could bring a man, even though he was only twenty-eight. Was that why so many others were drawn to him? Or was it because he was just so damned hot?

  Sleep overtook me with that thought. A dream pulled me down onto a beach filled with beautiful men, sprawled out on towels and lounge chairs. All the bared skin surrounding me seemed like a sea of debauchery.

  My hands pressed into the flesh of a groaning tourist, kneading the tension from his stiff muscles. The man subject to my skill was attractive enough, but the open patio area overlooking the dock had my attention.

  Beau stood on a boat in his dive-suit, top pealed to his waist, arms gesturing with excitement and smile wide. A group of young twinks hung on his every word, all crowded around, nearly close enough to touch. The sun caught the honey color of his skin and illuminated him like an angel. But there was nothing angelic about the drooling boys closing in on him.

  One blond haired boy grabbed the dive-suit, pulling the zip further down. Instead of pushing him away, Beau laughed and rubbed the kid’s head just like he had mine so many times before. My hands tensed, and the man I was working on groaned and reached for me. He turned his face in my direction, and I realized it was Mr. Medina.

  He caressed my arm and said, “You still owe me for the flight, Abram.”

  I bolted up in my seat, grateful to be free of that crazy dream. Grabbing the thin black case stuffed in my carry-on, I pulled out my iPad. When the flight attendant didn’t come rushing to tell me to shut it off, I browsed my list of stored books for somethi
ng to distract my wandering thoughts. But after searching for several minutes and finding nothing appealing, I closed the app and stared at the bright background. The picture was of the two of us lying in a field of wild bright red poppies. It looked like something stolen from a fairytale. But I remembered that day in vivid detail.

  ####

  Beau woke me up before dawn that morning, shoved a travel cup of coffee at me, and practically dragged me to the car. He hadn’t even given me time to grab a shirt, which I guessed was okay since he wasn’t wearing one either. A cooler sat between our seats, a beach towel draped across the backseat, and Beau wore a crazy grin.

  That smile of his had always been infectious. That day it hit me hard, and I couldn’t keep my heart from swelling. Obviously we were going to the beach, that wasn’t new. We went there often, and that was where we met. But when he turned away from the highway that would take us to the beach, I shifted to watch him and tried to determine what he had planned.

  “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  “It’s not my birthday, or our anniversary.” It wasn’t his birthday either.

  “You want cake? We can go get cake.”

  “I don’t want cake. At least not right now. I’m just wondering what has you grinning like a villain.”

  “Grinning like a villain? Does anyone still say that?” Beau’s smile was teasing.

  “Did you win the lottery?”

  “Maybe.”

  Okay, now I was really curious. He didn’t buy lottery tickets. Beau was a planner. He always knew where he was going, and he never dove with filing a plan. “What’s that mean?”

  He shook his head, happy expression remaining firm.

  I scratched my very prickly jaw. “Are other people going to see us? Couldn’t you have let me shave first?”

  He reached over and stroked my chin, the sensation shooting right to my cock. “I like you scruffy. And no, it’s just us.”

  “In that case maybe you could take that hand a little further south.” And he did, but only to rest his warm palm on my thigh. “Not exactly what I had in mind.”

  “Plenty of time for that later. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.”

  We drove for almost an hour up to a hiking trail we hadn’t used since the summer we met. In fact, we’d come here on our first date. I’d been so nervous that day. Beau had been so far out of my league, I’d nearly had a heart attack when he asked me out. We’d hiked up to the top, taking it slow because I had been still recovering from an accident, and sat there, making out on the rocks overlooking the ocean. Best first date ever.

  That morning the rich salty air brought strength and warmth to my heart. Beau grabbed the cooler, towel and my hand before dragging me up the path. I dug in my heels a little to get him to walk slower. He only had three inches on me, but I swear he was all legs. I nearly had to jog to keep up with his long strides. He pulled my hand up and kissed the back of it, softly, that heavenly smile still on his face.

  We moved in silence, two parts of the whole, until we reached the top. The view was the same. Beautiful blue-green water, white waves crashing, and blue sky meeting water as far as the eye could see. I knew what he saw in the water, why he loved it so much. I knew he loved me, but sometimes I just wished he would look at me with that same glint of joy in his gaze.

  He tugged me along with him. “Little further, Abe.”

  “We’re not hanging here?”

  “Nope. Got a better plan.”

  I followed him over the rise of rocks and down a slight incline until a little valley came into view. The ground was littered with red pops of color. Flowers, much like the ones on his arm, decorated the open area. And though I couldn’t see the waves, I heard them crashing nearby in that peaceful swoosh-shoo sound.

  Beau set the cooler and blanket down then pulled out a huge breakfast: California rolls, fruit, cinnamon raisin bagels, and honey nut cream cheese. He even had more coffee in a thermos.

  I spread out the blanket, trying not to squish too many flowers and patted the seat beside me. “That was a long drive for breakfast on the beach.”

  He plopped down and used a set of chopsticks to hold up a roll for me to bite into then took the other half for himself. “Anything for you, baby.”

  I fed him a strawberry, letting him lick the juice off my fingers. We ate until I was ready to burst and lay down on the blanket. The scent of the flowers mixed with the salty air was oddly soothing. He rested his face on my shoulder, staring at me like he was trying to memorize the moment. I watched his eyes close in peaceful calm, his scruff tickling my shoulder.

  After fishing my cell out of my pocket I tried to maneuver around Beau to get a picture of him sleeping so sweetly. But since my arm was half trapped under his head, the angle turned out a little weird. He must have heard the click because he smiled at me.

  “You faking it?” I nudged him.

  “Never with you, baby.”

  His loopy attitude was really starting to worry me. “What’s going on?”

  “How do you feel about Australia?”

  That was an odd question. “Um…”

  “I’ve been offered a job at an exclusive resort called Summer’s Pointe. They want a dive master and EMT. They’ll give me room, board and all the access to the ocean I could ever dream of.” Beau’s words came out in rushed excitement, but they made my heart sink. “It’s a place just for people like us. People who aren’t afraid to live the truth.”

  And what was the truth? Was he leaving me behind? How many times had I feared this happening? “Exciting. Sounds great,” I managed to say without my voice cracking.

  “It will be awesome. There’s a private cabin, and space always available at the resort. Mr. Medina said he’s got a room ready inside if you prefer to work in the air conditioning since it gets pretty humid in the summer.”

  I blinked at him, trying to process the words flowing from his lips. “Huh? Inside?”

  “Yeah. Mr. Medina said to let him know what kind of table you prefer because he’ll order it and have it shipped in rather than making you drag everything along. Or if you want to bring your old one, we can pay to send it over. It will probably cost more than just buying a new one though.”

  I put my finger to his lips to stop the barrage of words. “What are you talking about?”

  He pulled it away. “Your job. When I was offered the dive job I asked if they had a masseuse on site yet, he said no and asked if I knew of one. And of course, I do.”

  My heart pounded in my chest like it’d suddenly come back to life with a lightning bolt surge. “You want me to come with you?”

  “Duh.” He leaned over and kissed me. “I want to follow you to the end of the earth.”

  My cheeks burned. Sure he’d been saying those things for a long time, but Beau was Beau, and surely someday he’d see that he was too good for me.

  “That is if you don’t mind leaving the US behind to live with me in a tropical paradise?”

  My family was long gone; I’d been taking care of myself since I was fifteen. And though I had friends, Beau had really become the apex of my life. Could I imagine staying here without him? No, that was unthinkable. It was either sink or swim, and I chose to swim. “I’ll go.”

  The picture I’d taken that day had turned out better than I thought, though I’d cut off more of Beau than I’d hoped. When I said I’d go with him, we’d made love among the flowers for hours, not heading back toward the car until the sun began to sink in the sky. If our world was going to change, I was going to enjoy every moment I had left of it.