Service with a Smirk

by Ariel Tachna

  “DO WE have to go back?” Mathias asked as they paused near the riverbank two hours later. “Can’t we just stay out here on the river?”

  “Adrien might not appreciate that,” Pascal said. “For that matter, Simon at la Colombe d’Or probably wouldn’t appreciate it either. I’m opening tonight, so I have to be at the restaurant at four.”

  “We need a weekend off,” Mathias decided. “Two full days where neither of us has to work or visit family or do anything other than just spend time together.”

  “As lovely as that sounds,” Pascal said—and it sounded lovely!—“I’m not sure how realistic it is, not without a reason to give our respective bosses. Especially for you. I’ve been at la Colombe d’Or long enough I could probably just tell Simon that I need a weekend off, but Adrien doesn’t know you that well or have that kind of loyalty to you yet.”

  “Yeah, cute twinks are a dime a dozen on rue Sainte-Catherine,” Mathias agreed with a sigh. “And that’s all I am to him.”

  “To him,” Pascal agreed, “but only to him. You’re certainly more than that to me.”

  Mathias swiveled in the seat of the canoe so he could look back at Pascal. The intensity in his brown eyes took him aback. With Mathias facing away from him all morning as they canoed, Pascal had found himself talking more than he had in years, lulled into a sense of safety because he couldn’t see Mathias’s face. All of that was gone now that Mathias was looking his way again.

  “What am I to you?” Mathias asked breathlessly.

  “I don’t know yet,” Pascal replied honestly. “It’s too soon to say for sure, but we talk all the time. I like spending time with you. You make me laugh and get me out of my usual routine and….” He took a deep breath. “I still haven’t figured out exactly what you see in me, but when I look at you, I see my second chance.”

  “Maybe we should go back to Montréal now,” Mathias said huskily.

  Pascal was tempted, so tempted by the offer, but he wasn’t quite ready. “We can go back,” he said, “but there are some things I need to tell you first. If you still want this after that, we’ll talk about it.”

  “You sound like you expect me to go running for the hills,” Mathias said.

  “You wouldn’t be the first if you did,” Pascal replied, “and I wouldn’t blame you any more than I did them.”

  “And if I don’t?” Mathias asked.

  If he didn’t, Pascal was pretty sure he’d just lay his heart at Mathias’s feet and be done with it.

  BY THE time they got off the river, dropped their canoes at the rental place, and made the drive back to Montréal, it was nearly two thirty, late enough that Mathias had to go immediately to get ready for the bar.

  “We’ll see each other next Saturday,” Mathias promised as Pascal parked the car. “And you can come into the bar on Tuesday when you’re off work. It’s not the same as us getting time alone to talk, but at least we can see each other. It’ll give us something to look forward to.”

  Pascal wouldn’t have used those words in connection with the conversation he knew he needed to have with Mathias. He needed to explain about Robert, about his past and everything, but they didn’t have time now, so it would have to wait. “I’ll see you on Tuesday,” Pascal promised. “Even if I just come in for a few minutes.”

  They reached Mathias’s apartment, and Mathias leaned in to kiss Pascal good-bye. It should have been a simple buss of lips to signify their parting, but Pascal couldn’t stop at that. He needed more than that, and he needed it now. Fortunately Mathias didn’t hesitate, throwing himself into the kiss with the same exuberance that had marked their day on the river, and Pascal felt himself going under again, giving in to the rise of passion between them. It would be so easy to push through the door, to follow Mathias into the shower, and make him late for work. Only the thought of what might ensue if that happened allowed him to pull back. He wouldn’t be the cause of Mathias getting in trouble at work, not while he still needed the job at the bar to make ends meet.

  “I’ll see you on Tuesday.”

  “I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Mathias countered. “I know you have to spend the day with your parents, but we can still talk before we go to work.”

  “I’ll call you as soon as I get home,” Pascal promised. “Be safe at the bar tonight.”

  “I always am,” Mathias replied jauntily.

  Pascal wasn’t so sure about that given how they’d first met, but he kept those thoughts to himself. Mathias was an adult. He could make his own decisions.

  Chapter 10

  MATHIAS HAD been at Le Salon on Tuesday for two hours without a single customer in his section. That was bad enough. It would have been worse if anyone else were having better luck, but the bar was dead.

  “Mathias,” Adrien called.

  Mathias headed toward the bar owner, hoping he hadn’t done anything wrong without realizing it. He’d done his best to stay busy, but with so few customers, there hadn’t been much to do.

  “You don’t have to stay,” Adrien said. “You aren’t earning tips because no one’s here. Take the night off, catch up on your sleep. I know you’re burning the candle at both ends.”

  Mathias thought about the lost income if he didn’t get paid for the night, but honestly, most of his income came from tips, not from Adrien, so he wouldn’t be losing much if he left, and tonight was Pascal’s night off. Pascal hadn’t come into the bar yet, but Mathias could head him off if he was planning on coming to Le Salon, and they could spend the night in.

  In him if he had his way.

  He all but ran back to the apartment building and took the steps two at a time all the way up to Pascal’s door. He was a little out of breath by the time he got there, his heart pounding in his chest, but that was as much anticipation as exertion. He knocked on the door and waited, hoping Pascal was home. He hadn’t mentioned meeting his friends for dinner when they’d texted earlier in the day, but that could have changed, and since Mathias was supposed to be working, Pascal wouldn’t necessarily have let him know about the change in plans. He’d just have to hope for the best.

  Pascal opened the door a minute later, and Mathias took a moment to just stare, his mouth watering as he raked his gaze over Pascal. Mathias had gotten used to seeing him in tailored slacks and a nice shirt, and Pascal had worn jeans and a sweatshirt when they went canoeing, but neither had prepared Mathias for the sheer wall of lust that slammed into him at the sight of Pascal in a pair of sleep pants and a threadbare T-shirt that had to be two sizes too small to hug his body that way. “Can I come in?”

  Pascal took a step back, and Mathias took that as an invitation. He kicked the door closed as he passed and then pounced, kissing Pascal with all the fervor that had gone from a low-level awareness to a full-out burn in the span of ten seconds.

  “I thought you were working tonight,” Pascal gasped between kisses.

  “I was,” Mathias said. “The bar was dead. Adrien gave me the night off.”

  As far as Mathias was concerned, that was all they needed to say. He rubbed against Pascal, the friction on his erection driving him wild, and when he felt an answering hardness against his hip, he shifted so they pressed together. Pascal groaned and rutted back against him, giving Mathias all the encouragement he needed.

  He worked his hands under the hem of Pascal’s T-shirt. The soft cotton offered no real impediment to his touch, drifting upward as Mathias caressed the soft, hot skin of Pascal’s back. He loved Pascal’s body, all hard, lean muscle, not an ounce of fat anywhere, but broad-shouldered at the same time, the body of a man, not of a kid barely out of adolescence. One day Mathias would outgrow that stage.

  Mathias stripped the T-shirt over Pascal’s head and paused to look for a minute. He could all but see the doubt creeping through Pascal’s mind at the momentary cessation, so he didn’t stare as long as he might have at the crisp mat of silver and black hair covering Pascal’s chest. He’d “look” with his fingers instead because he di
dn’t want Pascal to have any doubt about how much Mathias wanted him.

  With one hand, he pulled Pascal into a kiss, licking over Pascal’s lips until they opened. As soon as they did, he delved inside, seeking Pascal’s tongue with his own and enticing it to come out and play. As he’d hoped, Pascal quickly took control of the kiss, leaving Mathias free to enjoy and tantalize. He gave in eagerly when Pascal’s tongue surged into his mouth in imitation of what Mathias fully intended Pascal to do with his cock before the night was over. He moaned encouragingly and ran his fingers through Pascal’s short hair, ruffling it even if he didn’t break the kiss to take in the surely delightful sight. He’d get a chance to look later, after they’d finished thoroughly mussing each other. Pascal bucked against him at the sound, so Mathias moaned again. When Pascal had the same reaction, Mathias filed that away for future reference. Pascal obviously appreciated Mathias’s sounds of approval, which suited Mathias just fine. He’d never been good at staying quiet in bed. Wondering if he could seduce a few noises out of Pascal as well, he sucked on Pascal’s tongue. He felt the answering groan all the way to his toes.

  As much as Mathias loved kissing, it wouldn’t be enough tonight. He was already too on edge to be satisfied with making out on the couch. He needed more than that, and he needed it now. Determined to speed things along, he ran his hands over the curve of Pascal’s chest, appreciating the soft friction of hair over the hard bed of muscle.

  Pascal arched into the touch with a soft gasp of his own. Mathias grinned into the kiss and repeated the caress. Almost immediately, Pascal pulled away, making Mathias wonder if he’d hit one of Pascal’s sore spots, but Pascal simply grabbed the hem of the red T-shirt Mathias had worn to the bar that night and pulled it over his head.

  Mathias lifted his arms to facilitate his disrobing. While he didn’t want to stop touching Pascal, getting undressed was a necessary step if they were going to do more than kiss. The minute his hands were free of the cloth, Mathias grabbed Pascal’s waist and pulled him close again, rubbing up against him. The rasp of chest hair against his sensitive nipples made him gasp. Pascal mimicked his stance and took control of their movements, dragging himself back and forth across Mathias’s chest.

  “Fuck,” Mathias gasped.

  “Isn’t that why you came?” Pascal asked.

  “I haven’t come yet.” Mathias thrust against Pascal’s hip to emphasize his point, winning a groan from Pascal that he answered in kind. “You should do something about that.”

  Pascal ran his hand over the curve of Mathias’s jeans-clad ass. “I would if I could get my hand inside these. They’re so tight I wondered if they were painted on.”

  Mathias didn’t hesitate, unbuttoning the waistband and shimmying the denim down over his hips. “Better?”

  Pascal slid his hands inside Mathias’s jeans and right past the waistband of his jockstrap to bare skin. Mathias didn’t bother trying to stifle the noise that left his throat at that sensation. Pascal’s hands were hot and hard, even as tentative as they were. Mathias didn’t want tentative. He wanted Pascal to take charge, throw him onto the bed, and fuck him senseless. If that wasn’t going to happen, though, he’d settle for pushing Pascal onto the bed and riding him until they were both senseless.

  With that goal in mind, he shimmied again until his jeans were around his knees. He toed off his shoes and stepped clear of his pants. Then he grabbed Pascal’s sleep pants and pushed those down as well. “Bed?” he suggested.

  Pascal seemed startled by the question, but Mathias grabbed his hand and pulled him deeper into the apartment toward the open door to Pascal’s bedroom. Pascal followed willingly enough. When Mathias glanced over his shoulder, Pascal had his gaze fixed on Mathias’s bare ass framed by the black straps of his jock. Mathias wasn’t above swishing his hips a bit as he walked to keep Pascal’s focus where he wanted it.

  He could see the need in Pascal’s eyes when they reached the bedroom and he turned to face his soon-to-be lover, but Pascal still didn’t make a move. Deciding he’d had enough, Mathias pushed Pascal backward onto the bed and straddled his hips. “What’s a boy got to do to get a little attention around here?” he teased as he rocked his ass against Pascal’s groin. “Beg?”

  Pascal bucked up beneath him, his cock slotting enticingly into Mathias’s crease. He reached out and snapped the waistband of the jock. “Get rid of this, and we’ll talk about it.”

  Mathias lifted up enough to strip the last of his clothes away, leaving them both completely bare, and then settled back across Pascal’s body. “Mmmm… perfect.”

  He ran his hands over Pascal’s chest again, taking the time to look as well as touch now that he had Pascal naked and pinned beneath him. Pascal didn’t have any interest in getting away, if the way he stroked Mathias’s skin in return was any indication.

  Before long, looking and touching weren’t enough. Mathias slid down enough that he could lower his head to Pascal’s chest and lick over the nub of flesh peeking out from his chest hair. Pascal undulated beneath him, encouraging Mathias to continue. He angled his hips enough to get a hand between their bodies as well so he could stroke Pascal’s cock. The whiff of musk that reached his nose made his mouth water, so he abandoned one treat for another. Pascal bucked up into his mouth when he closed his lips around the tip of his erection, but Mathias had expected the motion and moved with it so Pascal didn’t choke him. Pascal tasted salty and a little bitter, but not enough to stop Mathias from what he was doing, not when Pascal was gasping and moaning, his hands scrabbling for purchase in the sheets.

  Mathias took his time, lingering over the head and working the foreskin with his tongue. Pascal bucked up again, and this time, Mathias let him press deeper, relishing the feel of the thick shaft against his tongue and the way the head nudged the back of his throat. He pulled back a bit, took a deep breath, and plunged his head down, taking Pascal all the way in.

  Pascal moaned and jerked into Mathias’s mouth, fucking deeper. Mathias followed the movement and swallowed as the head of Pascal’s cock pushed into his throat. Pascal bellowed out his pleasure. Mathias would have smiled if his mouth hadn’t been full. As it was, he cupped Pascal’s balls and rolled them against his palm as he bobbed his head in counterpoint to Pascal’s thrusts. With his other hand, he squeezed the base of his own erection to keep himself under control. He didn’t want to come like a kid with his first crush. He wanted Pascal to see him as an adult, an equal, age difference aside.

  He worked Pascal hard until he could feel Pascal’s thighs start to tremble on either side of his head. Only then did he pull off and crawl up over Pascal’s body. “Do you have supplies?”

  “Now’s a fine time to ask,” Pascal said shakily. Mathias nuzzled into the curve of his shoulder. He had a condom in his wallet, but it had been too long since he’d last bottomed to take Pascal with nothing but spit as lube. Hopefully Pascal would have something. Even if he didn’t do casual sex, he might have some for self-pleasure. And if not, Mathias could go back to what he’d been doing. It wouldn’t be the same as having Pascal inside him, but it would do for tonight.

  “I wasn’t exactly planning this when I got dressed for work tonight,” he replied. “I can get dressed and—”

  “There’s lube in the drawer, and I think I still have a box of condoms in the bathroom. I don’t know how old they are, but not more than a couple of years.”

  The one in Mathias’s wallet was newer than that. “Find the lube. I’ll get a condom.”

  He walked back into the living room to get his wallet out of his jeans. He could feel Pascal’s eyes on him as he went, sending a rush of power through him. This a-fucking-mazing man couldn’t take his eyes off him. He rifled through his wallet and found the foil-wrapped packet. He checked quickly that it hadn’t torn or punctured, but it appeared intact, so he carried it back to the bedroom.

  Pascal had moved while Mathias was out of the room. He lazed against the headboard, his eyes dark with lust as he wa
tched Mathias come back toward the bed. Mathias started to crawl back over Pascal to his earlier spot, but Pascal caught his arm and rolled him onto his back. “My turn,” he murmured.

  Mathias lay back and grinned at him. “My pleasure.”

  “It will be.”

  Mathias bit back a moan at the thrill that shot through him from the promise in Pascal’s voice. He’d pushed Pascal into taking control. Now he’d reap the benefits of having an older, experienced lover. Pascal pinned him in place with a kiss, deep and hungry and claiming, until Mathias whimpered a little from the sheer desperation for more. His chest ached with need and his legs twitched restlessly, trying to find purchase on the bed, but Pascal stilled them with his own leg across Mathias’s knees. Passion churned in his gut and clawed at his throat until he wanted to scream with it, and all Pascal had done was kiss him. He’d never survive the rest.

  “Relax,” Pascal whispered against his ear.

  How the hell was he supposed to do that? He was strung tight as the bowstring on his dad’s hunting bow, the one Mathias had never managed to pull all the way. Mathias cried out when Pascal brushed his fingers over the tip of his erection.

  “I’ll come,” Mathias gasped. “Just… just get me… ready.”

  Pascal shook his head and took Mathias’s mouth in another deep, devouring kiss as he found the spot on the underside of Mathias’s cock that robbed him of all control. He came with a shout that was lost in the depths of Pascal’s mouth, his cock spurting all over his belly. His cheeks burned with embarrassment coupled with his continuing need. He’d wanted to stay in control, but all it had taken was the touch of Pascal’s hand.

  “I’m sorry,” he said when Pascal broke the kiss.

  “I’m not,” Pascal drawled. “You’re young. You’ve got another one in you. And this way, I can take my time and play.”

  Mathias swallowed hard at the thought. “What did you have in mind?”

  Pascal’s wicked grin sent renewed need curing through Mathias’s stomach. He slicked his fingers and nudged Mathias’s hip. “Roll over. I’ve been dreaming about your ass.”