They walked over to us and stood at the end of the table. "Hey, guys. How was court?" Gray asked.
Josh stood and hugged Gray. When he pulled away, he smiled. "It's good to see you again, Gray. I've missed hanging out with you. Who's your friend?"
Craig rose and walked around the table, placing a possessive hand on Ethan's shoulder. "Josh Moore, this is Ethan Glass. Ethan, this is one of my co-workers, Detective Josh Moore. He's single, so if you guys have a friend like either of you, I'm sure Josh would love to meet him," Craig offered.
Josh laughed. "I can get my own twink, Baxter. Thanks."
I saw Gray tense, but I gave him a smirk and a wink so he calmed down. I had an idea I needed to really consider, and I didn't want to tip off anyone until I gave it some more consideration. I had a feeling we were on the brink of something important, but I wasn't tipping my hand. Hell would rain down soon enough.
##
I opened the door to the apartment, listening for any sounds. I was late again, intentionally. I went with Craig to work out after we got off shift. I was getting a bad vibe about how things were coming together in my head, and I needed to discuss it with my friend. We had talked it through during our workout, but we hadn't solved anything.
"Gray?" I called as I kicked off my boots and carried my gym shit to the laundry room, tossing it into the washer so as not to stink up the apartment.
I poured in soap and turned it on a quick cycle. I checked the dryer, seeing towels, so I put them in the basket and carried them to the living room to fold later.
I took off my camel-hair sports coat, draping it over a chair, and pulled out the holster from behind my back. Just like every night, I ejected the mag and checked the safety before locking it in the gun safe in the front closet. I could hear noise coming from the bedroom, so I walked down the hallway, opening the door to see Gray on the bed, naked.
His mouth was covered with duct tape, and his feet were tied together. His hands were cuffed to the goddamn headboard, and I was shocked for a minute. "Jesus Fuck! What the hell?"
I hurried over and gently peeled off the thick, gray tape, seeing it didn't stick well. "Good God, what happened?" I asked as I moved down the bed to untie his feet.
"My prince has returned to free me from my bonds," he stated as he smiled at me. It wasn't what I expected at all.
I stopped what I was doing when something clicked in my brain. "Wait. You did this to yourself? Do you know how fucking sick this is? Do you have any idea how many times this sort of shit really happens? I've gone into situations and found someone like this who had been brutalized! This is revolting, Gray," I snapped as I left the room.
He flexed his wrists and the cuffs gave way. "Derek, wait!" he called as I walked down the hallway, trying to collect myself.
Seeing him like that was like a waking nightmare. I loved him so much, and if anyone ever harmed him…if anyone ever dared to take him away from me? I’d hunt them like a fucking dog and kill them brutally before I ate my gun. Without him, I had no life…no reason to live whatsoever.
I went to the kitchen and turned on the tap, cupping my hands to splash water on my face as I tried to calm down. The picture was on a loop in my mind with some sick fuck getting into our home and doing something horrible to Gray. I was stymied at how to act knowing Gray had done it to himself.
He rushed into the kitchen wearing a robe, and he grabbed my hands, placing them on his face. "Derek, baby, I'm okay. Didn't you get my text? I thought…well, clearly I thought wrong. I was trying to spice things up a little and make up for the fact I’d been so busy with my tests. You were so great to me, and I just wanted to pay you back," he stated, panic on his handsome face.
I reached into the pocket of my jeans and found my phone, seeing it was off. "Fuck, I'm sorry. I turned it off for court this morning, and I guess I forgot to turn it on. You're okay?" I asked.
"I'm horribly embarrassed. I sent you a text sort of setting up one of my fantasies of being rescued, but clearly, it was a bad idea. I'm so sorry, Derek," he whispered before he hurried down the hallway and slammed the bathroom door.
After my phone came to life, I checked my texts. There was one from Preston Wayne I'd check later, but the one from Gray was my first concern.
Daddy – I've been kidnapped by a very, very bad man and he's tied me up at our home. Come rescue me…I'll make it worth your trouble…wink, wink. ILY – Your Baby Boy
I took a deep breath and let it go, releasing the knot in my gut and the tension in my shoulders. I was fine with a little fantasy role play, though I'd never done it before. The fact Gray was instigating it got me hard, but I needed to do some damage control. I'd overreacted, clearly, and I needed to make it right. He had definitely given me the heads up about it. It was my fault I hadn't received it.
I walked down the hall to the bedroom and found Gray pulling on sweats. He was already wearing one of my t-shirts, and I could see fresh tears on his face. I had to make things right because it was actually sweet what he’d done, as I thought about it. He'd tried to surprise me with something really great, and I'd fucked it up.
"Gray, baby, I'm so…"
He held up his hand. "Don't Derek. I forget things about your job. I'm so sorry. I won't ever…" He began sobbing and sat down on the bed, holding his head in his hands. "I didn't think about things regarding what you might have witnessed in the past in your job. I'm so embarrassed about what I did and how I worried you, it makes me sick to my stomach. I’m so very sorry," he sobbed.
I walked over to the bed and picked him up, pulling him onto my lap to comfort him. I swept my hand through his perfectly styled hair, seeing it part naturally and the longer parts fall onto both sides of his head. I wasn't sure how to fix the thing I’d totally fucked up it, but I heartily wanted to.
"I'm sorry I didn't get your text and totally overreacted."
"No, it's my fault. I forget about the horrible things you have to deal on a daily basis because you don’t bring your work home with you, ever. All things considered, yes, I can understand why you'd think what you walked in on was sick. I was just trying…" He began sobbing again, and it actually made me cry as well.
I held him tightly because we…I…had to separate the real-life shit I faced every day from the wonderful world of having a great sex life with the person I loved more than anything. It was okay for us to enjoy role play or sex games or sex toys, and he should never be embarrassed about trying to offer the two of us new experiences. I was more than fucking happy about the prospects.
I pulled his head up and looked into those gorgeous green eyes, smiling at him through both of our tears. "Stop. I made the mistake, baby boy. I know I ruined it tonight, but can we try it again? I like the idea of being your hero, coming to your rescue. I was just too damn dense to figure it out when I came back here. How'd you deal with the duct tape?"
He giggled as he dried his eyes with the collar of my t-shirt he was wearing. "I didn't want you to rip off my face, so I put Vaseline around it except for a few spaces so it would stick," he explained.
"I see. Where'd you get the cuffs?" I asked, picking up the cheap set and giving it the once over. The black feathers on them should have tipped me the fuck off, immediately. I was a fucking chump.
"Some hokey shop near campus. I'm sorry, Derek. I shouldn't have…well, I'll never do it again," he stated as he started to move off my lap. I knew I had to do something to turn the tide, so I let him go.
"Dinner will be ready in about half an hour if you wanna take a shower and get comfortable. Again, I'm sorry, Derek." He walked down the hallway, and I sat on the bed trying to decide what I could do to make it up to him.
I went to the bathroom and stripped down the rest of the way, and I climbed into the shower. As I cleaned myself, an idea came to mind. If my man wanted a fantasy, I'd give him one.
Nineteen
Derek
I put on the sunglasses and looked at myself in the mirror of the locker room. I had
n't been in beat cop garb in a long time, and I was actually deliriously happy the old uniform still fit. I'd had to hunt high and low for everything, grateful when I finally found my blues in the back of our closet, along with my old hat.
I'd twisted my hair up under the baseball cap emblazoned with "HPD" on the front. I straightened the sleeves on my winter uniform, checked to see if I had everything, and closed my locker. With a last glance in the mirror to make certain everything was up to code, I walked into the bullpen because I'd forgotten to turn in my time sheet for the week. I was surprised to see Josh at his desk.
He turned to me and laughed. "What the fuck, Vali? You look like a really old rookie," he teased, the fucker.
I could see the worry lines on Josh’s face were deep…much deeper than they’d been since I’d known him, and that development was recent. He wasn't sleeping well and he was on edge. As I glanced at him, taking in his demeanor, and grabbed a timesheet out of my desk drawer. "Yeah, well, I've got a little something planned for Gray tonight. If things go right, we'll be getting married in the near future. I'm nervous about asking him because he's younger, but if he says no, I'll just keep askin' till I wear him down," I told Josh, watching his reaction.
Oh, I was honest about my intentions because I’d been thinking about it for quite a while, and it killed me to wait until a quasi-proper amount of time before I begged him to marry me. It was my new dream, being Mr. Gray Carson, or whatever he chose. I was truly at his mercy.
Josh laughed. "You and that kid? That's a surprise, Vali. Why him? I mean, don't get me wrong I've had my share of young meat, but they're not faithful. They want us older guys for a while because we're stable and maybe a challenge, but when a younger piece of virgin meat comes along, they're gone like the wind."
I turned to Josh and looked him in the eye. "Which piece of young meat was yours, Josh? Cary or Drew?"
I saw the anger flare in his eyes immediately, confirming I was, indeed, onto something. "You think you've got something to pin on me, Vali? You think you know something about me? Well, fuck you. Consider our friendship over," he snapped as he grabbed his shit and left.
It was really all I needed to hear. Offer had snooped around and found out the Evidence Officer never received the DVD Preston Wayne dropped off. I did some snooping myself and learned the day Preston dropped it off, the group's receptionist, Mrs. Benson, had a vacation day.
There wasn't anyone available to sit at the desk, so it would have been empty, the lobby desk outside our bullpen. All calls that day were sent to the main switchboard for the Precinct, and any deliveries were simply left on the desk until the night receptionist came on duty.
Anyone…including Josh, whose desk was by the window looking out to the reception area…could have taken the DVD and trashed it, leaving none of us the wiser. In my opinion, there was a neon arrow over Josh's head.
I'd make sure to catch Craig up regarding the turn of events during our next shift, but I had something to make right with my lover that night, and I wasn't going to waste time.
I quickly filled out my time sheet and my vacation request, putting them into the L-T's inbox. I hurried out of the station before anyone saw me and teased the shit out of me for the outfit. When I pulled up in front of the apartment building, I grinned, excited for what I was about to do.
I climbed the stairs and heard the music coming from our apartment. It was Gray’s favorite country singer, and that meant Gray was cooking. My boy had tells, and I loved each and every one of them.
I knocked on the door and held my finger over the peephole. "HPD, Mr. Carson."
He opened the door and gave me the up and down. "Officer, may I see your badge?" Yeah, it was just as I'd taught him.
I handed it to him and when he handed it back, he stood at the door. "What might I help you with, Officer?"
"We have information leading us to believe you might be in danger. Seems your name’s come up in an investigation into a stalker in the neighborhood. It's been tipped that some strange Cherokee guy has been following you around and is going to attempt to kidnap you," I stated as I walked into the hallway of our apartment, closing the door and locking it behind me.
"I…uh…what should I do?" he asked, trying not to laugh. That glint in his eye let me know he was playing along, happily.
"I think the best way to handle it would be for me to perform a search of the premises and then secure you to something stable so he can't take you. I think I'd like to know what his interest is in you, Mr. Carson," I told him.
I began backing him down the hallway to the bedroom, stripping him the whole way. I secured Gray to the bed and not with those crappy break-away cuffs. I used my real deals and had him on his belly after I'd undressed him. I quickly stripped before I shoved my tongue as far up his ass as I could while he struggled against the cuffs, and when I shoved my cock inside him after I got him ready, we both sighed in relief.
After the mix-up regarding his attempt at role playing and my total freak out, it was great to be on the same page again. When we both released very large loads and I released him from the cuffs, we laid on the bed, catching our breath. "How was that?" I asked.
Gray took the stupid HPD cap off me and tossed it over the bed, snuggling up to me. "That was hot. I love you so much, and all I was trying to do was steam things up a little. Next time, I'll give some thought regarding your job, I swear. Maybe I could be a window cleaner who prefers to clean the windows in the nude? Or, how about I could be a Mormon? White shirt, black tie, backpack. I’ll even get…well, I’ll keep it a surprise. Anyway, Derek, I'm still really…"
I stopped him with my mouth on his. It was my hang-up, not his. It was a hazard of the job, but I'd get over it. He was worth it for me to go see the department shrink to work through it if it bothered me too much. He was worth me doing anything I could to get over the shit I witnessed on the job.
After a little recovery time, we began kissing and touching each other again caressing and worshiping the other’s body. When he entered me from behind, it was more than incredible. He reached around my body and stroked me with a well-lubed hand, and I held off as long as I was able. When I exploded on the sheets, he followed me, "Derek, baby, that was amazing," he gasped as he pumped his load into my ass. I loved it, just as much as I loved him.
Later that night, we were eating Thai food and watching one of Gray’s shows, snuggled up together, just as I always loved to be. When it went to the commercial, he turned to me after he put down his container and chopsticks, and his brow was furrowed, leading me to believe he was worried about something.
“If you’re going to apologize again, I’m going to spank your sexy ass,” I told him, hoping to head him off of his apology tour. Fuck, it made me feel guiltier than he’d ever feel about that night, and with my cop routine, I hoped we were passed it.
“No, no, that’s not it. Have you talked to David O’Shane lately? Do you know where he’s been transferred?” Gray asked me.
I was surprised at his question. After that shit at the football party, O’Shane had got himself out of the 16th on a bullet train. I knew better than to ask Josh (the fucker) about him, and I actually hadn’t thought of him since he’d left. “Actually, he and I were friends, but mostly out of convenience, if I’m being honest. He always seemed like he didn’t want to be around me, and I kind of wrote him off as a bit racist…you know, the kind who smile to your face but think about ways to rid the earth of you? Why?”
Gray took a sip of his sweet tea and picked up his Pad Thai, taking another bite and glancing off into the distance. Some shit was brewing, and I didn’t like the smell of it. “Baby boy, what’s going on?” I asked him, tossing my fork into my Cashew Chicken and placing the container on the coffee table.
Gray glanced at me and smiled, but I knew it was fake. There was some shit going down, and he wasn’t sure if he should tell me, but I wasn’t having it. “Gray, what’s wrong? You’re worried about something, and I want to know what
it is,” I told him.
My love swallowed his food and wiped his mouth with his napkin as he began to explain things to me. “I ran into David around Christmas-time at the drug store by the deli. He said he was moving into the area, and I’ve seen him a few times since. He doesn’t come up to talk to me, but it’s just weird that I seem to see him a couple of times a week. I told him to call you because I was sure you’d like to get together with him, but if he didn’t, I’m not sure why,” he explained.
That was all the fuck I needed. There was a stink circling Josh I didn’t want to think about, and now I had David O’Shane stalking my fucking boyfriend? I’d put a stop to that bullshit pretty quick.
“Where’d he say he moved?” I asked, trying not to sound too curious.
“Well, he didn’t, really. He said he found a place in the area he liked, but I think he was talking about the neighborhood of the deli, not here,” Gray explained. I offered him a bite of my chicken to change the subject because I had a whole lot of information to process and I didn’t want to ruin our night, so I blocked it out…for the time being.
##
Baxter and I were sitting in the Vic down the street from the deli when I saw the man in question strolling down the street. It was the day before Gray and I were leaving for Spring Break and I wanted to get to the bottom of things before we left town. I was worried that asshole had some sick obsession with the man I loved, and with the plans I had, I wouldn’t dare allow him to get in the way of things.
“There he is,” Baxter told me after he got his beak out of his fucking cell phone.
“Yeah, Sherlock, I already saw him. You suck at surveillance, lately,” I told him, watching David walk passed ‘Wayne’s Deli’ slowly, glancing in the window. He passed by the door and turned around, slowly strolling by again. Gray was at school, so if he was looking for my man, he was shit outta luck.
“I’m sorry, but a man in love has a short attention span, remember?” he stated as he watched David pass the deli again.
A Valentine's Quest (The Valentine's Trilogy) Page 16