by D. J. Manly
Noah had been speechless, a position he rarely found himself in. And that night, Noah found George, naked, and in his bed at the dorm, equipped with lube and condoms. But nothing had happened. Noah had had a boyfriend, and by the time that relationship was over and done with, George’s crush had faded and he and George had become fast friends.
The one thing they both did have in common was their politics. They were committed to equal rights and were very proud to be gay. They marched the marches and participated in the protests, and came out to anyone who’d listen. And the one thing neither one of them could tolerate were those so-called “straight men” who liked to fuck gay men out of “curiosity.” Closet cases became Noah and George’s mission in life. And out of that disdain, they founded Hide magazine, which was dedicated to drawing out and exposing closet cases, primarily celebrities or public officials.
Upon graduation, they continued publishing Hide. Neither of them had ever expected to make a living out of it, but the magazine became a huge success, affording Noah and George nice houses, exclusive sports cars, and everything they could really want in life.
Noah and George now employed almost fifty people and were reaching their five-year mark. They were planning a big celebration soon. Life was good except when they didn’t get an exclusive.
Each time Noah was unable to accomplish the task of exposing one of these closeted bastards, he took it personally. The guy he’d been seeing when he and George met was one such case. They’d met in high school. Danny had played football, dated cheerleaders, and fucked him on the side. When they got to university, Noah had been sure that Danny would come out. It never happened. He couldn’t help thinking of all the men out there with broken hearts because of these closeted pricks.
“Politicians are tough,” George was saying sympathetically as Noah drank his coffee. “Did you even get to speak to him?”
“For a few minutes.” Noah smirked. “Then I got thrown out of the party he was attending. I landed in the mud, ruined my Armani suit. I have a good mind to send the old queen a bill.”
George laughed. “That’s my boy. You need more ammunition. Anyway, are you ready for some good news?”
“Sure.”
“Two words: Ace Taylor.”
“What about him? Wait, let me guess, the record company sent us another threatening letter warning us to cease and desist?”
“Yeah, but that’s not it. That guy we contacted last summer in Reno, ah…” George checked his clipboard. “Lindsey Peters, the one who claimed to have slept with Taylor in his hotel room after the concert?”
“Yeah, the one who wouldn’t agree to do the interview?”
“Well, he phoned me yesterday. He says he’s changed his mind.”
“Well, well.” Noah sat up in his seat with a smile. “How much does he want?”
“He says he’s willing to negotiate.”
“Offer him ten grand,” Noah said, “but we want full disclosure. I want all the dirty details. Get our lawyers working on it right away so there will be no legal backlash. Are you sure this guy can prove he was with Taylor?”
“He says he can.”
“Why’d he change his mind?”
“What do you think?” George smirked. “Taylor never called him back.”
A few hours later, after Noah finished catching up on the work he’d missed while he was wasting his time in San Francisco, he dragged out the file he had compiled on Ace Taylor. Taylor was drummer for the rock group Savage Heat.
The man was hot as hell. He was twenty-four-years old, six foot three and solid muscle, with long wavy brown hair which he usually wore in a ponytail, and killer eyes. He had that rock star look, brutishly handsome with an arrogant smile, but beautiful, almost gentle eyes, a startling turquoise color, which George swore up hill and down were the result of colored contacts. Noah, though, believed that Taylor’s eyes were the only authentic thing about him.
He was a heartthrob. Women threw themselves at him when he came into a room, rushing security to jump him onstage. He was often photographed with half-naked girls hanging off of him, and yet, rumors abounded that Ace Taylor enjoyed hot man sex, and the hotter the better.
His macho image pissed Noah off, reinforcing the idea that big, tough he-men like Ace couldn’t possibly be gay. He wanted Ace out of the closet, exposed, naked, and held up as proof that not all gay men were limp-wristed girlie boys prancing through the posies.
Noah studied the glossy photograph of Ace’s handsome face and smiled. Ace had always refused Noah’s offer to be interviewed. And due to the fact that Noah was well-known as Hide’s publisher, he was refused entry to any of the backstage parties after the concerts, although he’d seen Ace onstage many times. But now, what with the man who was willing to tell all about him and Ace Taylor hitting the sheets, things were about to change. “Your ass is mine, beautiful,” he whispered. “You just wait.”
* * * *
Lindsey Peters came in the next morning on a first-class flight from Reno, paid for by Hide magazine. He was tall and lanky, a little older than Noah had expected, and looked as if he belonged back in the sixties.
“I’m going to take you to lunch, Mr. Peters,” Noah told him, having had his secretary make reservations at a nice little French restaurant nearby.
“Sounds good; I’m starved,” he said. “And please, call me Lindsey.”
“Lindsey, fine, and please, Noah.”
George gave Noah the thumbs-up as he headed to the elevator with Lindsey, and Noah grinned back.
They descended to the parking lot and Noah drove to the restaurant, making small talk as they went. He inquired as to Lindsey’s flight, and what he did in Reno.
“What else?” He laughed. “I’m a blackjack dealer.”
Once they were installed in the restaurant with menus in hand, Noah edged closer to what he was dying to ask Lindsey. “George tells me that what made you change your mind about going public had to do with your relationship with Ace. Is this revenge?”
Lindsey glanced around. “No, it’s not for revenge, although the son of a bitch fucked me and then wouldn’t even take my phone calls after.”
“Why did you wait all this time? Why didn’t you come to us before?”
“I kept hoping he’d call, you know.” He looked down at the table.
“Can you prove you were with Ace?”
“Damn right I can. We weren’t alone.”
Noah raised an eyebrow. This was getting even more interesting.
“You weren’t the only one he fucked that night?”
“It was at a party, after a Savage Heat show. The show was at the casino, a special favor to the boss, Brian Jacobs’ brother-in-law.”
“The casino owner is related to the lead singer of Savage Heat?”
“That’s right. It was kind of a wedding gift to Brian’s sister.”
“Okay.”
“After the show, the band members hung around the casino, signing autographs, playing games and such. Ace eventually came over to my table.”
“And he propositioned you?”
“No. I wish. I’d been trying to catch a glimpse of him all night. I had such fantasies about him. When he finally came over, I could scarcely hold the cards. He played for quite a while. He did pretty well, but he ended up losing it all in the end. It wasn’t a lot of money, and he took it well. I wanted him. I didn’t know if he was into men or not, and I didn’t care. I knew rock stars were less uptight, and they got into all kinds of things, and I wanted, no, I needed Ace to get into it with me.”
“So then what happened?” Noah couldn’t help feeling excited. His cock had stiffened even thinking about it, and he told himself to concentrate.
Just then the waiter came back. Impatiently Noah ordered a salad, and Lindsey went for the filet mignon. At that price, his info better be good.
“So?” Noah insisted. “What happened?”
“We were all invited to the VIP suite for a party after. The boss ha
d reserved the entire top floor of the hotel. An hour into it, everyone was either stoned or drunk. I still couldn’t get near Ace. He was surrounded by people. And then at one point, I looked for him and he’d disappeared.”
“He was busy?” Noah raised an eyebrow.
“Oh yeah,” Lindsey breathed, nodding and leaning closer. “He was busy all right. I walked down the hallway to where the pool was. There were three naked men by the pool, and one of them was Ace. I sucked in some breath, stopped dead when I saw them. They’d all been in the pool because they were wet, and damn it, the moonlight was shining down on Ace, and I just about…” He paused, shifted in his seat. “I almost came right there and then. He has one gorgeous body, and the other two men were helping themselves to it. One was sucking his cock. The other one was busy kissing him all over.”
Noah swallowed, reached for his water glass and took a drink. He adjusted his tie. “Go on.”
“I undressed. I didn’t think about anything except touching him. I wanted Ace to fuck me. That’s all I could think about. I think I actually pushed one of the guys aside. I lowered my cock over Ace’s mouth. He leaned his head back, looked into my eyes, and I trailed my cock over his lips. When he opened his mouth and tilted his head back, I lowered my cock into his throat. He…” Peters paused. “He deep throated me. Man, he was no novice. He’d done that before.”
Noah drank some more water. He felt the sweat on his forehead, the wetness in his underwear. Damn. “Then what happened?”
“I came. And one of the guys sucking Ace impaled his ass on Ace’s cock. Ace released my cock and fucked the guy, eventually sitting up and lifting him up and down on his cock. Damn, he was in control, and he’s got muscles in his arms like … wow … there’s no question he’s a drummer.”
“So you watched?”
“Oh yeah, I watched and I came. And then he turned on his belly and crooked his finger at me. The guy he’d fucked was on his back, finished, but Ace wasn’t. He was still hard and ready to go. He fucked me over the balcony at the hotel. He spread me there, and as I looked down at the traffic, he took control of my ass. And I’m telling you, I felt as if it was the first time. He’s rough and tender all wrapped into one. And he can go, and go.”
“And then?”
“That’s it. I saw him in the morning, and he took my number. He told me I had a nice ass. I called him a few times and got no reply.”
“Is there anything on Taylor’s body that only someone seeing him naked would know about?”
“He’s got a small drum with two drumsticks across it tattooed on the inside of his left thigh. I noticed it when I was licking his balls, just before he fucked me.”
“Excellent. Those other guys who were there, do you think they’d do an interview? Any idea who they were?”
“There’s something you should know,” Lindsey said just as the waiter came to set down two plates of food in front of them.
Noah nodded at the waiter, impatient for his departure. “What? What should I know?”
“One of those guys who was out there on the roof that night was Brian Jacobs.”
“Shit.”
“Um. He seemed pretty wasted, and I really didn’t recognize him right away. He was the one bouncing on Ace’s cock.”
Noah grinned. He sat back in his chair. This was far better than he expected. Gotcha.
Chapter Two
Back at the magazine, Noah summarized Peters’ story for George. “Now, put Peters up in one of the better hotels, have the contract prepared, and based on what I told you, develop the interview questions.”
“Ah, why do I get the impression you’re going somewhere?” George lifted an eyebrow.
“I am. I’m going to Los Angeles.”
“To do what?”
“To see Ace Taylor. According to my sources, Savage Heat is working on a new CD in the studio. Mr. Taylor is at home.”
“Taylor has never granted you an interview before. And why in hell would you want to see him, now that you have him exactly where you want him?”
“To let him know I have him exactly where I want him, and to see if he wants the chance to come out before we go public with Peters’ interview.”
“That’s not like you.” George narrowed his eyes. “What if Ace decides to sue? He could hold up the entire thing for months, even years. What if the informant is lying?”
“He’s not lying, and Ace Taylor won’t sue. And given what I got on him, Mr. High and Mighty will finally grant me an audience. Alice,” Noah called to his secretary, “get me on a flight to LA today. I’ll call you when I get in,” he said to George with a grin.
“What about payment for the informant? How much should we—”
“Hold off on that. How much we pay Peters will depend heavily on how much Ace is willing to put out.”
George lifted an eyebrow. “Put out?”
“Figure of speech, my friend, figure of speech.”
It was seven in the evening when Noah checked into the hotel. He put down his suitcase and dialed the number for Anthony Fortuna, one of the managers at Ground Sound Music, the music company that produced Savage Heat.
Speaking to Fortuna was as close as Noah had ever gotten to Ace Taylor, as the man often acted as Ace’s messenger boy. Fortuna’s cell phone rang several times before the message machine kicked in. “You’ve reached Fortuna. Leave a message if it’s urgent.”
“Oh, you might consider this urgent, Anthony.” Noah smiled into the receiver. “This is Noah Daniels from Hide magazine. I have some interesting information concerning Ace Taylor. I’d like to give him an opportunity to comment before I publish the interview. You might want to call me back.”
His phone rang twenty minutes later. “Hello, Anthony,” he said.
“You were that sure I’d call back?”
“Yes, if for no other reason than curiosity.”
“What do you want, Daniels?”
“I have a verified source who has agreed to talk to Hide about Ace Taylor. His name is Lindsey Peters. He’s agreed to give Hide an exclusive interview. He has some really interesting things to say.”
“Like?”
“I can’t tell you that. I’m here in town at the Hilton, and I want to talk to Ace Taylor, face-to-face.”
“Ace has no interest in speaking to a hack like you.”
“Okay, but he might change his mind. I want you to give Ace a message for me.”
“What’s that?”
“Tell him his drum tattoo between his legs is very attractive and that his fans will be really interested in the love affair between him and Brian.”
“Huh? What?”
“Well, at least I know you haven’t been sucking his cock.”
The phone went dead.
Noah put down his cell phone and sat back on the bed with a smug smile. Now all he had to do was wait.
He was half-asleep when the pounding came on the door. He opened his eyes and stretched. “Hold on,” he groaned, glancing at the clock on the nightstand. It was after eleven o’clock and it felt like much later.
Noah stumbled to the door, annoyed when he noticed there was no peephole. “Who is it?” he demanded.
“Ace Taylor.”
Whoa. Noah literally took a step away from the door. The voice on the other side was deeply male, and deeply pissed off.
“I don’t know if I should let you in or not. You sound angry, Mr. Taylor.” Noah smiled but glanced at the chain lock to make sure it was in place. Taylor might be pissed off, but he was here outside his hotel room, Ace Taylor himself; that meant Peters’ story had something to it.
A string of curses suddenly assaulted his eardrums, then something hit the door hard. It sounded like thunder and the chain lock rattled.
“I don’t want to have to call security.”
“Don’t be such a coward, Daniels; open this fucking door. You wanted to see me, and now’s your chance. I’m here, in the goddamned flesh. At least have the balls to face me lik
e a man.”
Noah laughed. “That sounded very cowboy, like you’re calling me out for a showdown at the OK Corral.”
“Look, I promise not to beat the shit out of you. We need to talk.”
Noah took a breath and slid the chain back. He turned the lock and stood back a little. “Okay, it’s open.”
The door swung wide like a tidal wave, causing Noah to take a few steps back. Ace Taylor stood there, his eyes filled with anger.
“Come in.” Noah attempted a smile then walked over to the window as if he was going to look out. He ran his gaze over the length of Taylor as Taylor closed the door.
His hair was loose, hanging about his shoulders. It looked a little wet like he’d just gotten out of the shower, or a pool. Maybe it had been raining outside. He wore faded jeans and black leather boots with an oversized jean shirt haphazardly tucked into his belt.
Ace Taylor didn’t say anything for a moment. He just looked at Noah, his mouth curling into a sneer. “Can you tell me what your problem is? What have I ever done to you for you to hound me in this way? I don’t even know you.”
“It’s nothing personal,” Noah said, shrugging. He felt overdressed in his rumpled blue suit. His tie was still hanging around his neck, the first few buttons of his cotton shirt open.
“Nothing personal? I’d say commenting on the fucking tattoo I supposedly have between my legs is goddamned personal.”
“Lindsey Peters told me that.”
“Who?”
“Oh my God,” Noah accused, shaking his head. “You don’t ever remember his name, do you?”
“Should I remember it?”
“You fucked him.”
“I fuck a lot of guys. I can’t remember all of their names.”
“Then you don’t deny it.”
“Don’t deny what?”
“That you’re gay.”
“Why in hell should I deny that I’m gay?”
“I don’t get it. If it’s not an issue with you, why haven’t you agreed to come out in my magazine?”
“Because who I fuck is my business and I have no intention of coming out in any magazine.”
“You’re ashamed. You don’t want the world to know. It would damage your image with the ladies.”