by Lynn Stark
“We covered that, didn’t we? With some kind of bacon-wrapped meat and cheese hors d’oeuvres?”
After leaning in and kissing Peyton a second time, Brag grinned. “We did. You can’t go wrong with bacon-wrapped meat. It should make them happy. Now, why don’t we go look at the apartments, and then go for a swim before lunch?”
They were planning another visit with Bart. He said he had some material he wanted to give to Peyton to help him with the details of his stories, now that he had decided to write an entire series with the hotel as the backdrop. It was very generous of the elderly man, but he was quickly discovering that Bart had a huge heart and was willing to help others out in any way he could.
“That sounds good to me. That pool looks like something out of a magazine.”
The huge swimming pool was incredibly beautiful. At the time it had been built, no expense had been spared. The tiles had been brought from Italy. The columns had probably once been part of Roman temple. There were beautiful frescoes, fountains, and a waterfall.
Peyton and Brag stepped out of the alcove and headed toward the enclosed walkway that would take them to the apartment building several hundred feet away from the original hotel. It had been designed to complement the hotel on the outside, but they’d been told that that was about all the two structures had in common.
Once they were inside, they could easily see the differences. The lobby of the apartment building instantly gave the feeling of a relaxed environment. There were exposed peeled logs beams overhead and a huge elk horn chandelier in the center. The walls were a soft buttery yellow, which complemented the amount of dark wood used in the construction. The hardwood floors gleamed. Some of the areas were covered by rugs in muted tones, helping to anchor those spaces where comfortable-looking leather furniture had been grouped together for the residents to enjoy. And at the center of it all was a stone fireplace that was almost large enough for a man to stand upright in. The stone went all the way to the ceiling and was all of ten feet wide with a thick, carved mantelpiece.
He couldn’t wait to tour the three apartments that were presently unoccupied and asked if they could go through them on their own, without the manager there with them. The woman graciously agreed and told them she would catch up with them within the hour.
Because they were told it had the best view, they went to the apartment on the top floor first. All three apartments had the same square footage, but it only had two bedrooms, each with its own bath. The living area was also larger than those on the lower floors.
Peyton was seriously considering leasing an apartment in the building. He had given some thought to buying a house in Silver, but that had been before he’d learned about the hotel’s apartments. This would be much better for a weekend getaway. There were so many amenities in one place. They agreed that if they wanted to stay overnight or for a weekend in Silver, they could get a room at the hotel there.
“Oh, wow! Look at that view,” Brag said as they walked together across living room to the doors that opened out to a balcony.
It ran the length of the apartment and was wide enough to put a small table and chairs and a couple of loungers. The balcony for the apartment to the right was at least forty feet away, certainly providing enough privacy. Peyton believed a few carefully selected potted plants could provide even more.
They could see the lake’s end in the distance. The mountains were a few miles away on their left and the hotel was on the right. From their vantage point they could look see the boathouse and dock, which was about five hundred feet away. There were presently several people getting into canoes and kayaks. The colorful craft provided an added bonus to the view. The sounds of laughter coming from those by the lake caused Peyton to smile. Looking down, he saw a garden that was perfect for relaxing in.
It wasn’t difficult to imagine coming out here with his laptop to work. In fact, he couldn’t wait to try it.
“It’s great. Why don’t we look around?”
The living room and kitchen were one room, separated by a dining area. They walked down a hall, paused long enough to peer into the compact laundry room, passed a decent-sized powder room, to the first bedroom. It was fairly large for a guest room. They moved on until they reached master bedroom. Peyton liked the fact that it was furnished as nicely as the rest of the apartment. The bedroom was stunning and easily as large as the living room and also had sliding doors to provide access the balcony.
“If we decide to get this, I need to contribute my share. I want an equal partnership with you. I don’t want you to be my sugar daddy, because I’m getting the feeling you have a whole lot more money than I do.”
Peyton could understand Brag’s feelings on the matter. He nodded and smiled. There was no possible way he would insult Brag by being highhanded or overbearing. They would think about the leasing the apartment and discuss it. Then they could make a decision after that.
“Sweetheart, I want to share everything with you. Including the bills,” he teased. When Brag didn’t say anything but did stare hard at him, Peyton frowned. “What’s wrong?”
A slow smile spread across his handsome face. “That’s the first time you’ve called me by anything other than my name. I like it.”
With his heart doing a happy little pitter patter in his chest, Peyton moved close to Brag. He reached up to toy with the buttons on his shirt. “And I liked saying it. You know, we could try out the bed, to see if it meets our expectations.”
“Do you think we should?” Brag chuckled. “I’m not much of a rule breaker.”
“Then let me turn you into a bad boy.”
It didn’t take long to strip off their clothes. Then they were tumbling to the bed, kissing, licking, and stroking any part of each other’s body they could reach. Peyton hadn’t brought any supplies with him and doubted Brag had either. As if they understood their predicament, they arranged themselves so Peyton was on top, his face very close to Brag’s hard dick, while his own dick was hovering above the man’s face. He could feel the warm, damp breath on his heated flesh. The anticipation of sinking his dick in Brag’s mouth until it touched the back of the man’s throat caused pulsing waves of pleasure to flow through him.
Brag’s strong fingers wrapped around his shaft, guiding it, as Peyton did the same with Brag’s gorgeous dick. He’d teased his lover earlier, saying that it should be on the cover of a magazine. That had made Brag blush until Peyton thought he might spontaneously combust.
Now Peyton took Brag’s beautiful, delicious flesh into his mouth, moaning with pleasure as he did so. He worked his way down, flexing his neck as he took as much of Brag’s length as he could manage. It wasn’t an easy task, but it was so pleasurable he completely lost himself in what he was doing. His tongue rubbed over the taut skin. He discovered where the twisting trails of the veins led. He tasted the man he loved, committing it to memory, and savoring it for seemingly endless minutes.
Peyton moaned when Brag began fucking his mouth. Because it seemed like the fair thing to do, Peyton did the same, lifting his hips, pushing back, until his dick was sliding effortlessly in and out of Brag’s hot, wet mouth.
When his balls tightened, Peyton knew he was close to coming. Although he didn’t want it to end so soon, he knew they had to finish up quickly before they were discovered in this very compromising position. The tip of Brag’s finger pushed into his asshole, sending Peyton flying over the rainbow and into the oblivion beyond. He grunted and his hips flexed as cum pumped from his balls and into Brag’s mouth. A moment later, Brag was filling Peyton’s mouth with a tangy and salty mixture of cum. He shivered, moaned, and swallowed the load of spunk.
Once he was drained, Peyton rolled to the side. He stared at the ceiling, laughing with delight. Brag grabbed his foot and kissed it, then his ankle. They shared many playful moments. It was one of the things he liked best about the man. The one in his past had been too serious and too in control of Peyton and himself. Meeting Brag was like throwing back the
drapes from a window and seeing that there was sunshine beyond the darkness.
“We better get dressed. I’d hate to be busted like this.”
Brag chuckled and left the bed. “Yeah, it’s not something I’d want to experience. I haven’t gotten over my mom catching me…uh…well, you know.”
Peyton thought Brag’s bright red face was cute. He pulled on his underwear and pants, and then reached for his shirt. He held back his teasing when there was a soft, musical tone announcing someone’s arrival.
They stared at each other. “Busted!”
They finished dressing in record time and smoothed out the blanket and straightened the pile of decorative pillows against the rustic headboard. With the exception of the smell of sex, the room was as they’d found it.
A glance in the mirror over the dresser told Peyton he needed to straighten his hair. He did so as there was a second ring of the bell. Brag opened the sliding doors, allowing in the breeze, freshening the room.
Peyton walked back through the apartment and opened the door. The building’s manager, Sharla Tanner, stood there, a pleasant smile on her face. “It’s a gorgeous apartment, isn’t it?”
“Stunning, inside and out.” He glanced at Brag. “It’s everything we want in a getaway. You said the building is dog friendly and that we could let friends or relatives make brief visits.”
Sharla smiled. “Dogs are welcome. Our handbook will give you all the details, if you’d like to look it over before you make a decision. And you may allow guests to use your apartment, but they are limited to one week per month. Have you looked at the other apartments? Or does this one get your vote?”
“We haven’t looked at the other two apartments yet,” Brag confessed. Peyton thought the reddening cheeks were cute. “One of the apartments is on the second floor below this one, right?” They were on the fourth floor, which was also the top one.
“Yes. Beyond the quantity of bedrooms and the reduced size of the living area, the view is similar. The view from the apartment on the far side is of the mountains in the distance and the rolling hills between. When there’s a lot of snow melt, there’s a waterfall. Unfortunately, it doesn’t happen all year round. Most of the time it’s a trickle of water that’s barely noticeable.”
“Could you give us a moment?” Brag asked.
The manager nodded and smiled. “Take all the time you need. I’ll be downstairs.”
Once she was gone, Peyton and Brag looked at each other. “First, do we agree that we want an apartment here rather than one in Silver?”
Brag nodded. “This place is great. I love that everything is right here. And it’s closer than Silver from our place. So, if you wanted to come here to write or investigate ghosts for a few hours, it wouldn’t be as far for you to travel.”
There was that. “We don’t need three bedrooms, and I prefer this view of the lake. If I want to see something similar to the view on the other side, I have that at home.”
“Yeah, paying for an extra bedroom doesn’t make any sense. Why don’t we go down and look over their handbook and see if there’s anything in it that would make us change our minds?”
“Sweetheart, I think that’s an excellent idea.”
After closing the doors in the bedroom and living room, Brag put an arm around Peyton and guided him out of the apartment. He thought it was amazing how a single touch from the man could make Peyton feel things he’d never felt before. If this wasn’t love, he didn’t know what it was.
Before they left Sharla’s office an hour later, they read over the handbook, discussed what was in it, and then signed the lease. The apartment came furnished. Because the building was new, so was everything in the apartments. But if they wanted to use their own furnishings, they could do so. They decided to keep the furniture and would bring a selection of things back to give it personal touches.
They returned to the hotel in time to share the midday meal with Bart. More stories and excellent food were shared. Peyton was amazed by how sharp Bart was at his advanced age. Not many reached it and, he suspected, fewer were able to recount details from their life, whether it was ten or a hundred years before.
Books filled with organized photographs were stacked on tables in Bart’s living room, along with several thick binders filled with notes a historian had taken for Bart and the men who had purchased the hotel. Bart told Peyton they were available for him to peruse anytime he liked. The man’s generosity was second to none. The information provided would give him enough information to fill volumes. Peyton’s mind was already forming ideas. Some he discarded mentally. Others he added bits and pieces to. However, he wrote it all down, both good and bad. He never knew when something could be reworked or used like a puzzle piece to make a story flow or make more sense.
When it was time for Bart’s afternoon nap, Brag and Peyton hugged the elderly man before they left. They planned to make use of the hotel’s swimming pool at least once before they checked out of the hotel the next morning. That was, if they didn’t get sidetracked once they got to their room.
It could happen.
“Remember to keep your hands to yourself,” Peyton told Brag as they went into their room.
“Why should I?”
“Do you want to go swimming or not?”
Brag chuckled. “Well, I did see that it’s open to guests until eleven. That gives us plenty of time to fool around.”
“You’re a bad influence on me,” he responded, but without heat. “I used to be so disciplined when it came to my life. Now, I’ve come here to Montana and all I want to do is spend time with you.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that. My dad cuffed me on the back of the head the other day when I was sitting there on my horse and woolgathering.”
This was the first time he’d heard this. “What were you thinking about?”
“Showing you would be easier.”
Peyton threw back his head and laughed. Then he leaned in for a kiss. “You’re incorrigible. Let’s get changed. Once we’ve finished swimming, we can come up and spend the remainder of the evening doing whatever it was you were woolgathering about, when you should have been working.”
Although Brag pretended to pout for a moment, he followed Peyton’s lead in changing into their swim trunks. They pulled on the short robes the hotel provided, as well as the sandals. Then they headed down to the pool.
They were nearly there when they heard angry shouting coming from a room. It was quickly followed by someone screaming in pain. Peyton and Brag exchanged concerned glances and headed toward the room where they heard the screams coming from. Brag pounded on the door, after which there was nearly complete silence. Peyton could hear whimpers from someone and another voice telling that person to shut up or he’d make sure to pay him back.
Peyton stiffened, shock rocketing to his core. He knew that voice. At least he thought he did. It was one he had hoped never to hear again. The door opened and Roger stepped into the opening. The man didn’t look the same. He was obviously older and he’d stopped covering his graying hair. It was now silver-gray. He positioned himself so that they couldn’t easily see past him.
If Peyton was surprised to see him, it was mirrored with Roger’s expression. “Peyton!” The man only got one word out before rage flared through Peyton. His fist flew, connecting with Roger’s perfectly straight nose. Blood gushed as Roger tumbled backward onto the floor. He grabbed his bleeding nose as he pushed himself up on one arm as he glared at Peyton.
“Brag, please call the sheriff and see to the young man over there. I’ll take care of Mr. Boswell.” Satisfaction surged through Peyton. He didn’t take any pleasure in hurting Roger but enjoyed the fact he was about to settle a score with his former abusive, asshole boyfriend. “You’re about to go to prison. I doubt you’ll be getting out of it this time.”
“We’re going to need an ambulance, too.” Brag was speaking to someone on the phone. Peyton guessed it was the 9-1-1 service.
“I do
n’t need an ambulance,” the young man curled up on the floor needed. Brag grabbed the blanket off the bed and pulled it over the slender figure, covering his nakedness and providing some warmth. “I’ll be okay.”
“You don’t know that,” Brag responded gently. “Just be still. We’re here to help.”
Roger was getting to his feet when the hotel’s security showed up. One was a woman and the other was a man the size of a linebacker. Neither appeared pleased by what they were seeing. No one should be. It was a terrible situation.
“Explain what happened here.”
“This man attacked me,” Roger exclaimed as he tried to wipe away the blood with his hand, succeeding only in making a bigger mess.
Seriously? He was trying to shift the blame to Peyton?
“Roger, you’re such a sorry sack of shit. Your victim is right over there and no longer has any reason to be afraid of you. Then there’s Brag, a respected member of this community. And finally, me, the man you beat so badly I nearly died and spent weeks recovering in the hospital. You remember that, don’t you?”
As he had then, Peyton didn’t believe the bastard had escaped going to prison for nearly killing him. If it had been up to him, Roger would have been tried and given the maximum sentence. It hadn’t gone that way, however, and he’d done his best to move on with his life with his father’s help. Now his father wasn’t here, but Brag was. The shock was extraordinary, and now that a few minutes had passed, he realized he was shaking.
The female security officer pulled out handcuffs. Her male counterpart stood by, ready to assist if it was needed. She turned Roger around and pulled his hands behind his back, doing her best not to get blood on her. “You’ll have your chance to tell your side of the story. Now, come along and don’t bleed on the floor. We’ll wait down the hall for the paramedics to get here.”
“Hon,” Brag called softly. He turned and saw Brag straighten from where he’d been crouched beside the young man on the floor. Peyton frowned as he saw how pale Brag was. When he got close enough, he said in a near whisper, “He says he’s seventeen. Roger is a friend of the family and they were supposed to be on a camping trip together. Instead, they ended up here and he doesn’t believe his family knows he’s been taken across the country.” Brag drew in a shaky breath before continuing. “Roger brought him up to the room in a large, rolling suitcase. He’s been raping him since they arrived two days ago. He’s kept him gagged and tied up, and he hasn’t been fed.”