All Bets Are Off

by Marguerite Labbe

  Despite the cool air in the bedroom, Ash felt overheated. Eli’s throat was damp and tasted of salt, his hair clinging to his sweat-slicked skin. Ash groaned, pressing his face against the curve of Eli’s neck as the tension rose. His balls tightened, aching, as Eli cursed between panted breaths. Then Eli clenched around him and the tension shattered.

  Ash groaned and thrust hard up into him, coming, and just seconds into his orgasm Eli came, too, clenching around his cock in rhythmic bursts that only extended the intensity of his climax. They both trembled and panted, and Ash couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so shaky inside after sex.

  Eli slid, boneless, back onto the bed with a groan, and then reached back to tug Ash down beside him. Ash stared up at the dark ceiling, listening to Eli breathing next to him. It took several long minutes for Ash’s heart to stop beating so wildly and his breathing to even out. He rolled onto his side, slinging his arm over Eli’s waist and brushing a kiss to the top of his head. “Dinner is really going to burn now. I don’t feel like moving for a couple of days.”

  Eli’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. “What, you expect to be served in bed now?”

  “Mmm, I like the sound of that. No getting up and getting dressed,” Ash said as he nuzzled Eli’s cheek. “I could get used to that.”

  “I refuse to have crumbs in my bed or Jabbers clambering all over us so he can steal what we have.” Eli sat up and leaned over the side of the bed to grope for his clothes.

  “He wouldn’t do that to me.” Ash ran his hand over Eli’s hip. He couldn’t stop himself from touching him if he tried; trying to play it cool in class was going to be impossible by the end of the semester. He wanted everybody to know that Eli was his for now.

  “He’s got you fooled, my friend. He will take shameless advantage of your lapse in judgment.” Eli smiled over his shoulder and then leaned back for a quick kiss. “Hot stew on naked parts is no fun.”

  “You sound like you’re speaking from experience.”

  “A long story for another day.” Eli rose and shrugged into his shirt. “I do have some other news for you. I meant to tell you when you arrived, but you distracted me.”

  “Good news?” Ash asked, only half paying attention as he ogled Eli’s ass while he searched for his jeans.

  “Very. I found the baseball card.”

  It took a moment for that to sink in as Eli looked at him with an air of expectation. “Whoa, wait a minute. The baseball card?” Ash asked as he sat up. “The one that dipshit has been scouring your house for?”

  “That would be the very same one.”

  “You’d better not have given it to Wayne.” Ash snagged his clothes off the floor, and at Eli’s silence, he looked over to find him studying Ash with his arms crossed over his chest. That card was the ace up their sleeve, and frankly, Wayne hadn’t done a damned thing to earn it. “Jesus, please tell me you didn’t give it to him. Eli, I’m going to strangle you.”

  “Is that any way to speak to your lover?” Eli pressed his lips together in a way that made Ash think he was trying not to laugh. “Strangling me would be a bad mark on your record. You’d never be able to keep it out of the headlines.”

  “Eli,” Ash growled.

  “I didn’t give it to him, so you can calm down.” Eli gave him an exasperated look and brushed a kiss over Ash’s knuckles. “Wayne’s dad has the card, and no, I didn’t give it to him, either. Even though if I could’ve, he’d have been the only one who I’d give it to. It does belong to him.”

  “How did Mr. Grayson get it?”

  “I guess after hearing about Mr. Grayson’s stroke, Dad felt bad. He sent me to see him in the hospital this summer with an envelope. Ironically enough, Mr. Grayson has had the card this entire time and Wayne doesn’t know it.”

  “What are you going to do?” Ash asked as he began to get dressed.

  “I’m not sure. I figured we could sit on it for now. Mr. Grayson doesn’t want Wayne to know because Wayne will sell it. I’ve talked with his nurse and butted my nose into their business. Money is tight, but maybe not as tight as Wayne seems to fear. I don’t want Mr. Grayson to be forced to sell it if he doesn’t have to. That card made him smile every time he looked at it. It seems cruel to take it away now.”

  Ash frowned, but there really wasn’t any point in pushing the issue. He’d decided when he came here that he wasn’t going to strong-arm Eli into going to Cooper. Not since Wayne had decided to behave, at least for the moment. Maybe the threat of proof had only been a bluff or maybe the confrontation had scared Wayne enough that common sense had returned.

  “Okay, we’ll sit on it for now. To be honest, I don’t want to waste my time giving that man a single thought for the rest of the weekend. If he wants to stay silent and off my radar, that’s fine by me.”

  “I was hoping you’d say something like that.” Eli ran his hand over the short fuzz of Ash’s hair, and his gaze turned vulnerable. “Can I talk you into staying tonight?”

  “I think I can be persuaded,” Ash teased and was rewarded by a smile that brightened Eli’s eyes as they headed back down the stairs. He had a ridiculous pile of homework to do this weekend and he liked the idea of doing it in this cozy house instead of his drafty apartment. Knowing Eli, he’d probably work on his research or read a book with those sexy glasses and distract him often. At least at the house he could act out several of those fantasies he had about his professor.

  “You’ve got a wicked gleam in your eyes all of a sudden,” Eli said, his lips quirking as he headed toward the stove. The rolls were definitely on the dry side when Eli pulled them out with a groan. “Damn. Oh well, she left me a bunch, I can heat up more.” He cast Ash a quick, wicked glance of his own. “They were sacrificed for a very good reason.”

  Damned if the man didn’t have him tied up in knots.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Eli rubbed his brow as he made his final notations on the student composition in front of him. He had a good group of freshmen, for the most part, but the way some of them strung an argument together made his eyes cross. At least this lot was almost done. Only one more paper to go for that class and his suffering would be over. He was pretty sure his students would say the same, now that one of their English requirements was coming to an end. And they would probably all pass his class, which should please Britton.

  He shouldn’t have thought the devil’s name because his door opened and Britton entered yet again without knocking. Eli bit back a sigh of exasperation. The man wasn’t going to change any more than Eli was going to change for Britton. They were just going to have to get used to each others’ quirks, even if Britton’s made Eli grind his teeth.

  “May I help you?” Eli asked, stacking the papers together and sticking them inside his portfolio. At least he was looking forward to reading the papers from his Historic Letters class. He had faith in Ash and the rest of the students.

  Britton’s brows drew together as he looked at Eli in suspicion, and Eli gave him a sunny smile in return. “Please, have a seat.” Wasn’t that what Lu always told him? Kill them with kindness and if that didn’t work, use a shotgun.

  “I looked at that student’s papers and I have to agree that his claims are spurious.”

  Eli fought to keep from smiling at the disgruntled note in Britton’s voice and he certainly shouldn’t give him the sarcastic reply he deserved. “Do you want to give him the bad news?”

  “I already did.” Britton ignored the seat as he continued to stare at Eli as if he could see right through him and ferret out every secret he had. Eli gazed right back at him evenly. “I know you’re hiding something, Hollister. You’re a terrible liar, and I’m going to find out what it is.”

  There were times when Eli was just sick of the high school bullshit. This was borderline harassment. Britton wasn’t going to stop breathing down his neck until he either got rid of him or Eli made tenure. Or maybe Britton would give it a rest if he did discover a so-called secret of hi
s. He could tell him that he was gay. Eli’s stomach lurched with a sickening twist.

  His personal life was not something he wanted to discuss with someone whose mind was so narrow he could stab out both his eyes with a needle. Britton gave him enough scorn without Eli fueling it. To face it over his work ethic was one thing. The thought of dealing with it on an even more intimate level made him feel like a terrified teenager again, facing the sick look on his dad’s face.

  No. He wouldn’t tell Britton he was gay. He did not make a big deal of his sexuality at work. If someone asked he wouldn’t deny it, but there were only a few people with whom he had shared that personal detail of his life. Britton would respond in one of two ways: either he would stomp out in utter disgust and leave him be because he wouldn’t want to be contaminated by him, or he’d think it was some kind of joke and accuse Eli of lying.

  Eli didn’t feel like putting up with or responding to either of those scenarios. His patience for diplomacy was rapidly coming to an end. “Can’t we just call a truce? Because I have to tell you, this constant war is getting old. We should be concentrating on our jobs and not trying to one up each other all the time. When are you going to realize that I’m not thinking up ways to break rules or spite you? I like to teach and I’m a good teacher. I like to hole up with my books and write papers the same as you do.”

  Britton’s eyes lit up with obsession as he sat down in the chair opposite Eli. “I knew it. You’re plagiarizing your papers, aren’t you?”

  Eli’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Where the hell did the man come up with these ridiculous ideas? “No, for good or bad, all the papers I’ve published are my own. Sorry.”

  “Then what is it?”

  “It’s nothing! Christ, Britton, what the hell is wrong with you?” Eli snapped, ready to haul the old bastard out of there by his bushy eyebrows. “You know what, never mind. There’s nothing I can say that’s going to convince you that I don’t have a damn thing to hide.”

  As soon as the words left his lips, he thought of Ash. Maybe he should tell the dean about the relationship now, just in case. He wasn’t going to be able to stay away from Ash, and while there wasn’t a steadfast rule against seeing a student, it was frowned upon. He wanted steady ground to stand on if their relationship did ever come out.

  Eli glanced at the clock, already cursing himself for losing his temper. “If you don’t mind, I have class in thirty minutes and I need to prepare. And don’t bother threatening me again before you go. It makes you sound like some clichéd villain.”

  Britton’s face turned a furious red, but Eli’s last words worked as he’d intended, and the old man kept his mouth shut as he stalked out. Eli dropped his head in his hands with a low groan. One of these days he wasn’t going to let the man get under his skin, but until then Britton won, whether the other man considered it a victory or not. Maybe he should talk to Dean Newton. Britton’s behavior was becoming more and more erratic with every passing week.

  Wayne stood outside of Eli’s office, stunned by the angry words being spoken inside. He’d heard Eli complain about Britton, but he’d never realized that the man rode Eli so hard. Flushing with shame, he shoved the envelope deeper into his coat pocket. He couldn’t, in good conscience, slip that note under Britton’s door.

  As angry as Eli had made him when he confronted him at Dingers, it was time to make a full confession and hope that Eli was more forgiving than Wayne had been. He stepped to the side as Britton came charging out. The man didn’t even see him. Wayne took off his hat and crushed it in his hand as he peeked inside.

  Eli sat at his desk, his profile to Wayne as he stared out the window. He seemed so defeated that once again Wayne was ashamed of his recent actions. He knocked on the door, and Eli’s head whipped around. At first his eyes widened and then a wary expression settled on his face. He’d never looked at Wayne like that before. There wasn’t even a hint of a smile.

  Eli sighed and lifted his hand. “Come on in, Wayne.”

  Wayne took a step closer and twisted his hat between his hands. He hovered for a minute just inside the door before coming all the way in and shutting it. “I have a couple things I need to get off my chest.”

  “I’m listening.” Eli sat back in his chair and gave Wayne his undivided attention.

  Wayne’s stomach churned and he took a deep breath. He just had to get it all out. “I didn’t mean for Jabbers to get hurt. That was an accident. I swear I didn’t put that fisher cat in the shed.”

  “I didn’t think for one minute you had.” Eli’s expression softened. “You’ve never been deliberately cruel.”

  Wayne let out a sigh of relief and sat down in the chair. His knees were knocking so bad he thought he might fall on his face. “So you’re not going to go to Cooper? I swear, I’ve been jumping at the sound of a siren for weeks now. My nerves just can’t take it anymore.”

  “No, I’m not, despite advice to the contrary. I don’t want you to lose everything or have your dad end up in a home. That’s what could happen if you went to jail. And I have a friend who keeps reminding me that attempted blackmail is a felony, not to mention his outrage over you sneaking into my house.”

  Wayne flinched and felt all the color drain from his face. A felony? He’d never thought of that. His dad would’ve gone to a home for sure if Wayne had gone to jail. Thank goodness Eli was a decent man. There were so many other ways this could’ve gone, all of them very bad.

  Eli’s gaze became stern. “But I’m not going to put up with having my privacy violated, my belongings being vandalized, or having the threat of my dog getting hurt hanging over my head. You keep pushing me and I will talk to Cooper.”

  Wayne looked down at his hat, unable to meet Eli’s eyes any more. “You and me go back a ways. I shouldn’t have treated you like that. Wasn’t like you were some outsider.”

  “You shouldn’t have done it, period, outsider or not. There are better ways to make money.” Damned if Eli didn’t know how to make a man squirm inside. Wayne wanted to disappear, until Eli’s next words hit him. “I know you felt betrayed by my family, so I talked with my dad.”

  His head jerked up as hope came alive once again. “What did he say? Did he admit to having the card?”

  “My dad is not one to talk much about anything he deems personal business. Especially with me. But he doesn’t have the card anymore and it’s definitely not in my house.”

  Wayne slumped in the chair as that last flicker of hope died. “I thought he might’ve sold it. I found some appraisals in a box in your home office. I got so mad, thinking that you were saying one thing to my face and doing something else behind my back. I’d hoped that the card was still there, since the appraisal wasn’t for that one, but that’s pretty much dead now.”

  “I’m sorry, Wayne. Why don’t you talk with your dad? I saw him the other day, and he seems as sharp as ever. Ms. Parisot thinks he’s recovering better than you think he is. I bet between the three of you, you’ll be able to come up with a solution for your bills that doesn’t involve crime or selling off cherished possessions.”

  “I think he wants to sell the business,” Wayne said, miserable over that thought. “It was supposed to be mine. All my life, I understood that he wanted me to take it over one day, and when that day came I couldn’t hack it.”

  Eli sympathized, he really did, and not just for Wayne, but for Tilly and the others who worked there, and Jonas, who liked the convenience of the hardware store when something unexpected came up at a job. But the truth was, Wayne was not a businessman like his dad. He did not have the patience or acumen to run the store, and it had been going downhill steadily the past six months.

  “The store needs a manager, and you’re not right for the job, Wayne. You like to be out tinkering and working with your hands, not dealing with invoices and employees. And Tilly hates the paperwork even more than you do. Have you given any thought to hiring a manager? I bet Jonas might know someone who’d do a good job. You shoul
d ask around, delegate.”

  “Maybe,” Wayne said in a dubious voice, and Eli decided not to push it further. He’d planted the seed, whether or not the other man did anything with it was up to him.

  “I’m glad you came by, Wayne, but I have a class starting soon. I really should get going.” Eli thought longingly of his next class, where he’d get to see Ash for seventy-five minutes and have the promise of a weekend hidden away at home with his lover.

  “How’d you know?” Wayne frowned at him as he rose, his gaze puzzled. “How’d you know it was me? I mean, you never treated me like you suspected. How’d you figure it out?”

  “I didn’t. I trusted you even when others said I shouldn’t. A friend of mine figured it out after you broke into my office, and I didn’t believe him for a while.” Eli shook his head. Ash had better instincts than he did. He’d thought that Wayne was more honest than that. He could’ve been straight with Eli from the beginning and saved them both the angst.