Stripped Naked

by Jan Springer

  For a moment the shock of seeing Sander here, especially when he’d just been thinking about him, had Daniel forgetting how to speak.

  “How’s the hip injury?” Sander asked as he placed a foot on the rock edging around the pool. It was at that moment Daniel remembered he was completely naked.

  Oh shit.

  On the other hand, Sander didn’t seem to notice and if he had he was acting casual about it.

  “Did Madilyn call you?” Daniel asked, silently cursing his assistant. It was something she would do—getting the doctor to come out here behind Daniel’s back. It was probably why she’d been acting so strange.

  Sander nodded.

  “I told her it wasn’t serious and not to bother you about it,” Daniel replied as he treaded toward the ladder.

  “You’re not a doctor. I am. So hop on out and let’s check on it. Then I’ll give you a tetanus shot.”

  “I don’t need one.”

  “I checked your records and you are overdue. I should have caught it during that last exam…” Sander stopped and coughed, looking bashful.

  That last exam. Daniel grew warm at the memory. Sander had cupped his balls a bit too intimately and glared at his cock with too much appreciation. Oh hell, Daniel had been denying the attraction between them hadn’t he?

  “So guess what? You’re getting a shot in the butt. No arguments,” Sander said firmly.

  As Daniel grabbed on to the ladder Sander moved closer, towel in hand.

  “I’m going to kill Madilyn.” Daniel joked as he climbed, feeling a bit self-conscious at how his cock was hardening and raising with arousal.

  “You can kill her when she returns. She did the right thing.”

  “Just give me a few minutes and she’ll be dead. Too bad there’s a doctor around to revive her,” he grumbled.

  Sander shook his head. “Actually a few minutes is out of the question. She was getting on the jet as I was getting off.”

  What the heck?

  As he reached the top of the ladder, Daniel accepted the towel from Sander. They were both the same height yet the doctor’s shoulders were much wider and more muscular than his. Suddenly he had a craving to ask Sander to remove his clothes.

  He inhaled sharply at that idea and tried to concentrate on wrapping the towel around his waist but before he could do it, he caught Sander’s gaze lowering and looking directly at his shaft.

  Was that hot interest in Sander’s stare? He inhaled softly as a funny flippy kind of feeling vibrated deep inside his lower belly. His dick reacted, stiffening and swelling. His heart began a crazy beat against his chest.

  As Daniel tied the towel, their gazes met. Sander’s cheeks seemed a bit pink and his coffee-colored eyes flared with unmistakable excitement. The doctor cleared his throat and his gaze darted away.

  “Um, I’m going to need to take a look at your injury. Maybe if you just…” He cleared his throat again. “If you’ll just open the towel…”

  He coughed again, making Daniel grin. The doctor appeared to be nervous. Or maybe excited?

  Sander’s gaze drew to Daniel’s hands as he untied the knot. Suddenly a teasing mood hit and Daniel’s momentary shyness disappeared. He dropped the towel, enjoying Sander’s eyes widening as he studied his erection. He liked the fascinated way Sander stared at him. Liked it a lot.

  “Okay, I’ll just examine your, ah…injury, then.”

  Furrows rippled across Sander’s forehead as he hunched down. Delicately he peeled off the patch and then examined the damage more closely.

  “Doesn’t look bad,” he mumbled.

  It appeared in the way Sander’s gaze kept straying to Daniel’s blossoming erection that Sander was trying hard not to appear interested. Yet he was failing miserably.

  “Do you have pain?” he asked in a choked voice.

  “Not much. It’s just tender when I move my leg.”

  “Any burning?”

  “Nope.”

  “There doesn’t appear to be any redness. That’s good. No sign of infection. Do you have any antibiotic cream?”

  “Madilyn made sure I have some and tons of waterproof patches. She’s got an entire medicine chest up in my room,” Daniel replied.

  “Before you go to bed I want you to apply some and then place another dressing on.”

  Daniel nodded. He silently thanked his matchmaking assistant for setting this up and for giving them some alone time. He should have known she was up to something earlier with her nervous attitude.

  Come to think of it, she’d been acting fluttery and absentminded all day. She’d burned the breakfast toast. She never did that. At lunch she’d asked if he wanted coffee when she’d poured him some only seconds earlier. And she’d been overly fussy about his hip injury, mentioning at least a dozen times that he should contact Dr. Jonas.

  “Good. I don’t see any problems with the injury. Now I’ll just give you that shot and you’ll be good.”

  “Maybe you should stay the night…just in case.”

  Sander’s head snapped up. His eyes were definitely darkening with interest.

  “Uh, I assume you have an extra room set up for me?”

  Daniel wanted to say he could bunk in his room. With him. But it might be moving too fast. Sander was here professionally and he might not be ready to hop into bed with him. At least not yet.

  He nodded. “I’m sure Madilyn has taken care of that.” He had six bedrooms in his estate. He just wasn’t sure which one if any Madilyn had prepared for Sander.

  Daniel knew that Sander preferred men over women. He’d always come to Daniel’s parties with a man. Never the same one twice. He’d assumed Sander was a playboy or sowing his wild oats until he decided to settle down when the right man came along.

  Maybe you’re the right man for Sander? A teasing voice whispered inside his head.

  He tensed as Sander grabbed the shot from his black bag on the chair.

  “Okay, hold still while I inject you,” Sander said softly. Daniel grimaced at the prick on his right ass cheek.

  Shit. That hurt.

  “All done,” Sander said. Daniel turned around and watched Sander pop the cap back on the syringe and place it into a small medical-waste receptacle that he dropped into his black bag. “There now. That didn’t hurt, did it?”

  Daniel sucked in a breath at the teasing twinkle in the doctor’s gaze. “I can tell you one thing, if I was a kid and I got stuck with that needle, I would demand a sucker.”

  A grin lit up Sander’s face and Daniel’s breath caught at how handsome he looked when he smiled.

  “You would, would you?” Sander replied.

  “Would I get one?” Daniel prodded.

  “Well I don’t know. It would depend. If you started to cry, then you’d get one for sure. But since you took it like a man with no complaints I would give you two suckers.”

  “Dr. Jonas, I like your bedside manner.”

  “You do, do you?”

  Yeah, and I’d like to see more of it.

  “Can I interest you in a drink?” Daniel asked.

  “That depends.”

  “On?”

  “If I’m still on duty. You are the boss.”

  So that’s the problem. He was the boss and Sander wasn’t sure if this employer/employee relationship was a moral idea? This was good to know. He’d have to reassure him and quickly.

  “I am at that. Yes, you are off-duty and at ease. Come on, I’ll show you around and we can get that drink.” He grabbed his robe from a nearby lounge and slipped it on.

  “Don’t forget your bag,” he added. “Not that it wouldn’t be safe out here. There’s no security personnel on the island but they are out there patrolling the island in several boats.”

  Sander nodded and picked up his bag. “Impressive. Security that isn’t seen.”

  “I value privacy. Besides, I’ve had trouble with trespassing photographers in the past and a couple of run-ins with robbers so security is a must,” he sai
d as he showed Sander into his home. “You mentioned earlier that you saw Madilyn getting onto the jet.”

  Sander nodded. “She said she had an appointment.”

  “And she didn’t give you anything?”

  “For instance?”

  “An apple pie?”

  Sander shook his head. “No, why?”

  Should he tell Sander what was truly going on with Madilyn? Hell, why not. He had a right to know.

  “I think we’ve been set up.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “She wanted us to be alone. She doesn’t have an appointment. She retires every night promptly at eight after serving me evening coffee. Any appointments would have been mentioned to me.”

  As they strolled into the living room, Sander didn’t respond to what Daniel had just said. So Daniel kept quiet. He pointed to the dark-brown wood-planked door in the far corner of the living room and motioned for Sander to put his bag down nearby.

  “I hope you don’t have claustrophobia.” Daniel said as a moment later he twisted the smooth black doorknob.

  “Where are we heading?” Sander asked as the door creaked open.

  “We need a drink. So we’re heading to the wine cellar.”

  “Okay. Count me in.”

  Chapter Two

  Sander followed Daniel down a dimly lit, narrow and steep staircase that seemed to go on forever. Quite a fitting route for a wine cellar. The walls and stairs were made of light-colored cobblestone and thick wood support beams. The lamp fixtures were black wrought iron with flickering candle bulbs ensconced behind gold frames.

  The farther they descended, the cooler and damper the air became. Daniel remained silent and Sander mulled over what Daniel had revealed moments earlier about Madilyn setting them up to be alone.

  That was an interesting twist. A matchmaking assistant. How in the world had she known Sander was interested in Daniel? Had she caught him watching Daniel at the parties he’d thrown? His cheeks grew warm at that thought. Had he been so transparent while secretly lusting after his employer?

  At the bottom of the stairs, Daniel pushed open another wood-planked door and they entered what Sander could only describe as a wine cellar out of the Dark Ages.

  The air was crisp and fresh as they stepped out onto a small balcony with stairs that descended on both ends to a main dark-stained timber floor. The walls were riddled with antique wood shelves that embraced hundreds if not thousands of different types of bottles. There were several recessed portions of wall spread around the room and those nooks contained more shelves of bottles. And damn if there weren’t wine bottles lacing shelves above them in the ceiling.

  In one corner of the main area was a huge stone fireplace. Flames flickered and wood snapped and crackled as it settled in the hearth. Wow, a fireplace in the wine cellar. Very eccentric and cozy.

  In front of him Daniel chuckled. “I should have known Madilyn was up to something.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  Daniel moved aside and Sander’s breath caught. In the middle of the expansive wine cellar, near the fireplace, sat an intimate table for two. Upon the pristine white linen Madilyn had set an arrangement of food that included fruit, cheese, crackers and vegetables with dips.

  Daniel turned toward him and grinned. “You wouldn’t by any chance be hungry, would you?”

  “It does look very inviting. I guess I could go for a bite or two,” Sander confessed.

  He followed Daniel down the stairs.

  “I have no idea how she knew I’d want to bring you down here,” Daniel said as he shook his head. “Madilyn seems to know me more than I thought she did.” He pointed to the middle of the table where a silver bowl contained ice and pinecones along with a bottle of white wine. A bottle of red was on the table.

  “It appears you enjoy wine.” Sander continued to gaze around at the spectacular surroundings. There were even a few wood barrels set in a corner. He assumed they would be full of wine too.

  “I’m a wine collector but most of these came with the place when I bought it. The previous owner was a collector as well but his new wife didn’t approve of his drinking the collection so she gave him an ultimatum. Ditch the booze or she was taking him to the cleaners in a nasty divorce. However I’m not like that. I only drink wine on special occasions and since Madilyn went to all this trouble to get us alone I would say this is a special occasion. Agreed?”

  “Most definitely,” Sander said in a voice that sounded way too husky.

  “Let’s try both the red and the white,” Daniel said as they sat at the table. He nodded to the platters laden with food. “Help yourself while I get these open.”

  Sweet fruit aromas drifted beneath his nostrils and Sander’s mouth watered. There were giant cubes of orange mango, coconut slices and banana figs. Green salads were doused with various dressings and on a separate platter were a few slices of different cakes, most of which appeared to be cheesecake, his favorite. Yes, Madilyn sure did do her homework.

  As he filled his plate Sander spied glimpses of Daniel as he twisted the corkscrew into the wine bottle. His hands were big and strong and Sander ached to have those hands touching his body. Wanted Daniel’s palms to slide tenderly along his flesh and have Daniel’s fingers tweak his nipples and his palms trap his cock and balls as he held him.

  The sound of the cork popping ripped him back to his senses. Daniel chuckled as he poured some white wine into two gold-edged wineglasses. He handed one to Sander.

  “Give it a sniff. The notes are a blend of pear, apricot and different types of stone fruits like peach and plum. The red wine contains black currant and red-berry notes.”

  Sander brought the glass of white wine beneath his nose and inhaled. The fruity aroma splashed against him like a seductive explosion.

  “Very nice. I’ve never smelled such a rich flavor before. Madilyn picked a good blend.”

  “She does have an eye for fine wine, doesn’t she? This one is an 1811 mixture from a producer in France. They found the wine stored in dark-oak barrels in a sectioned-off area of the basement of an abandoned winery. Last I heard a bottle sells for seventy-five thousand US dollars. I’m really excited about it as I plan on auctioning off much of these beverages for charities.”

  Sander whistled softly beneath his breath. Seventy-five grand for each bottle could put a lot of food on people’s tables. That was another thing he liked about Daniel. His generosity toward the many charities he participated in was something they shared.

  He sipped the wine and the array of fruit notes made his taste buds tingle.

  “I’ve never tasted something like this before. It’s so smooth.”

  Daniel grinned. “Just like velvet, right?”

  “Exactly like velvet.”

  “Drink up. Let’s eat. I am starved.”

  Sander dug into the food. Everything tasted exceptional. It seemed as if he’d never taken the time to taste food before but he was doing it now. Flavors exploded and happiness wrapped around him like a long-lost friend. Across from him, Daniel opened the bottle of red wine and Sander enjoyed it even more than the white.

  “So? How hard did Madilyn have to twist your arm?” Daniel chuckled half an hour later. He was giddy from too much alcohol or maybe it was the company. He’d never seen Sander so relaxed before. Who knew a bit of wine would loosen the guy up so much?

  Across the table, Sander seemed to sober at his question. He dabbed a napkin at the sides of his mouth and bit his lower lip as if Daniel’s inquiry worried him.

  “What? Did I say something wrong?” Daniel prodded.

  Sander shook his head. “No, it’s not that. I just…well, she made your wound sound worse than it actually turned out to be.”

  “Disappointed?” Daniel teased. “I can pop open another bottle of wine and drink so much that I can get alcohol poisoning. Then you’d have a reason to be here.”

  Seriousness exploded in his gaze yet his voice was totally the opposite. Sof
t and tender.

  “I don’t need a reason to be here, Daniel. And you shouldn’t joke about alcohol poisoning. It’s a serious matter. People die from that.”

  “You’re absolutely right. According to my mom, my dad was an alcoholic and he was drunk and died in an alley after being mugged. I was just a little kid.” He gazed around the wine cellar. “I’m glad I didn’t acquire his taste for drinking. At least not too much.”

  Sander hiccupped and they both laughed.

  “I guess we should turn in for the night,” Sander said and stood. “We can get the dishes in the morning?”

  Daniel nodded and joined Sander as they climbed the stairs.

  Moments later they walked into the living room, where Sander retrieved his bag, and back outside to the garden. Sander hesitated and looked up at the sky as Daniel had done a little while earlier when he’d been doing the back float in the pool.

  “The air is fresh on this island and it’s very relaxing,” Sander said softly. “Do you mind if I listen to your heart? Just to check if things have settled down a bit.”

  Daniel’s breath caught at the suggestion. He nodded and held still as Sander placed the bag back onto the table and retrieved his stethoscope.

  “Um, open your robe for me, please?” Sander’s voice was so quiet and sexy. Daniel’s cock began to betray him by swelling and hardening.

  Oh yeah, he liked the way Sander made him feel.

  Daniel untied the sash on his robe and let it fall open, allowing Sander to see his arousal. Might as well give the man an idea of Daniel’s feelings and his sexual needs. His breath halted as Sander placed the end of the stethoscope over Daniel’s heart and listened. Sander smelled nice. The scent of his spicy aftershave drifted enticingly beneath his nostrils, teasing his senses.

  He noticed the tips of Sander’s lips curl upward and one eyebrow lifted as if in question. After a good solid minute, Sander dropped the end of the stethoscope and lowered his gaze way down. Daniel’s shaft hardened even more. Sander’s smile grew.

  “The vacation is doing good for your heart. Everything sounds normal. Um, you better cover up or you might catch a cold.”