by Jet Mykles
Noble laughed. “I wish it was that juicy.”
“Juicy enough for him to slip you a card. Do we need to drive around the block until the rest of his guests leave?”
Noble clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, sliding the card into his pocket with his wallet and phone. “No. I don’t think his handler would let me back in the building.”
“His handler?”
Noble spent the rest of the ride telling Danny about Zach and about the two conversations he’d had with Foxy that Zach had interrupted.
“So you think Foxy’s closeted?”
“Probably.” Noble paid the cabbie before getting out at their hotel. “But there’s no way Zach’s letting him near me.”
“Too bad.” A doorman opened the door to let them pass into the heated lobby. “That is one beautiful man.”
“That he is.”
* * * *
Noble gave thought to waiting until the next day to call, but his resistance just wasn’t that good. He called when he was finally alone in his room. He hadn’t even taken off his shoes yet, but he was dying to know what Foxy wanted. It could be nothing. Could be that he just wanted to hook up for tickets. Could be he wanted to introduce Noble to one of his gay friends. Could be he wanted Noble to come back and teach him the joys of giving a blowjob. The possibilities were far too intriguing.
“Hi.” Foxy’s voice was breathless, barely audible. “Hold on a sec.” The murmur of Foxy’s voice suggested he was talking to someone else.
Noble smiled in amusement as he sat on the love seat to remove his shoes. Only a single lamp was on, but the one big window let in plenty of moon and city light for a cozy blue-white haze that Noble loved. He had both shoes off and had propped his socked feet up on the low coffee table before the talking stopped and what sounded like a door closed.
“Hi.” Foxy’s voice was normal this time. “Noble?”
“That would be me.”
“Hey. I was hoping you’d call.”
“You slip a card in my pocket all secret-like. How can I not call?”
Foxy chuckled. “Yeah. I guess.”
Pause. Noble grinned in anticipation. “So…?”
“Right. I, uh…” A breathy laugh. “Geez, I don’t know what to say now.”
Languidly, Noble pulled his T-shirt up to expose his abdomen to the air-conditioned room. “How about you tell me why you slipped me the card?”
“I wanted to talk to you some more.”
“You just wanted to talk?” Noble deliberately put a purr into his voice.
Pause. Would Foxy try and talk around it? Would he get right at it? Straight boys were so much fun sometimes, especially when they might not be so straight. “That. And…more.”
“Oh.” Noble smoothed a hand over his flat belly, watching his silver rings catch shine and shadow. “Tell me about the ‘more.’”
“I…just thought…”
“Yes?”
“Well…I…”
“Mmmm?”
“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?” It was muttered.
“Make what easy, sweetheart?” Noble fingered the hair that grew below his navel.
Frustrated sigh. “I like talking to you. I thought we could get together again sometime. Alone.”
“Alone.”
Noble could just about hear the swallow. “Yeah.”
“To…talk.”
“Sure.”
Noble probably shouldn’t enjoy the wordplay, but he did. “Sounds like you had more in mind than just talking.”
“Uh…”
Slowly he stroked himself from navel to waistband. “Won’t Zach mind?”
“Why would Zach mind?”
“He was pretty set on keeping the two of us apart tonight.”
“Oh. That.” Then there was an actual growl. Not huge, but it was there. “Fuck, Zach.”
“Have you?”
“What?”
“Fucked Zach?”
“No!”
“Because he might be up for that.” Teasing himself, Noble slid his hand up to circle a nipple with one fingertip. “You never know.”
“Zach?”
“Sure. Us gay boys don’t always flaunt it like me.” He let Foxy hear his carefree laugh as he plucked at the silver bar through his other nipple. “For all you know, Zach is sneaking in to watch you while you sleep.”
“Shit. What? No. That’s fucking creepy.”
“Is it?”
“Yeah.”
“Mmm.” Fingers spread, Noble let his palm slide down toward his fly. “Does he live with you?”
“No.”
“No? He must be nearby.”
“He, uh, he’s staying with me. But he sleeps in the other room.”
“Close enough.” He fingered the happy trail just above his waistband. “He watches you like a hawk.”
“Yeah. Well. He’s paid to do that.”
“He earns his keep. Keeping you away from dangerous gay men.”
“Yeah.” That sounded rather melancholy. It also wasn’t a denial.
Flipping open his fly, Noble took pity on Foxy. “So. Is this what you wanted? To talk? Like this?”
“Uh…”
“Or were you thinking more like fucking?”
“I…”
“Because I’m up for that.”
“Shit.”
Noble hummed. “But I get the impression you’re not supposed to be. You’re like the American girl’s teen dream, aren’t you? Your people will flip if they found out you’d come all alone to a gay man’s hotel room.”
Silence. Had Foxy seriously not thought of this? “Does it matter to you?”
“To me? No. I’m thinking of you, sweet thang.” He let his Tennessee drawl fill with the pleasure that filled his cock as he squeezed it.
“You’re right. I, uh, can’t. Be seen.”
“So what’s the plan, sexy?” Noble kept his tone light, as though they made plans to meet all the time. He didn’t let on that he was now massaging his junk. “Because I’m on a plane to good ol’ England on Monday.”
“So soon?”
“Yep.”
“And you’ll be gone all year.”
“Yep.” He let his hand still, just resting on his cock as he waited for a response that didn’t come. “So…?”
“Can I come see you before then? At your hotel?”
Good boy. He had actually asked. “You really think you can get up here without being seen?”
“Oh. Right.” Foxy took an audible breath. “I’ll figure something out.” Said with a certain determination. Noble had to resist the urge to applaud.
He laughed softly, squeezing his cock and letting the sizzle in his blood warm his tone. “You so sure?”
“Yes.”
“All right, then. When?”
“Now?”
He laughed louder. “Afraid not. It’s almost five, and I’ve got a photo shoot later today. They’re gonna kill me for not getting any sleep as it is.” Although, truth be told, he was sorely tempted.
“Tonight?”
Noble pretended to think about it as he swiped his thumb through the wet that oozed from the tip of his cock. He already knew the right time, but the game was too much fun. “I can be back here by seven.”
“What’s your room number?”
He gave it, smiling. Foxy sounded rather eager. “Are you sure you can get in without being seen?”
“I’ll think of something.”
“You do that. Meanwhile, I should be getting my beauty rest.” But first, I come, he thought as he started to pump his hand.
“You don’t need it. Beauty rest.”
The surge of pleasure at hearing that actually made him squirm. How novel. “What a sweet thing to say.” He rushed on, realizing he needed to get off the phone before Foxy heard more than he’d bargained for. “Tell you what—you’ve got my cell number now. Text me when you figure things out.”
“Okay.
”
Noble stilled his hand for a moment, tormenting himself. “G’night, pretty boy.”
Foxy laughed softly. “G’night, drummer man.”
It wasn’t the best comeback, but Noble was willing to let him slide. Amused, he cut the connection, then sat back to finish his handjob.
Chapter Three
“Are you kidding?” Lance, of course, sounded skeptical.
“Nope.” Noble dug into the fried eggs and hash browns before him. “I’m not kidding.”
Lance gave him a searching look, trying to decide if he was telling the truth. He grinned back, letting Lance come to his own conclusions. “Donny Foxy?”
“Yep.”
“Isn’t he just a kid?”
“Hardly. He just turned twenty-three.”
“I thought he was younger.”
“That’s his character in the movie.”
“Right.” Lance chewed, thinking. Then pointed with his fork. “How the hell did you get to Donny Foxy’s birthday party?”
Noble grinned. “I know people.”
Lance waited.
“I was with this actor last week, and he took me to a cast party for that movie.” He was going to have to remember the movie title sooner rather than later. “Then he asked me to go to this thing last night at Donny Foxy’s. Danny was with me. You can ask him.”
Except that he couldn’t right now, because it was only the two of them for breakfast. Danny and Rabin were likely still asleep in their own rooms. After only a few hours’ sleep, Noble had checked in on Lance, and the two of them had decided on brunch. The hotel’s cafe was mostly deserted, and their little table was tucked away in a quiet corner.
Lance cut into the rare steak that had come with his eggs. “So. What? Are you saying something happened?”
Noble smiled.
Lance snorted. “Come on. Isn’t he straight?”
“Do you even know me?”
Rolling his eyes, Lance started to take a bite, but then his phone blipped. After a quick look, he put the phone down and went back to his food. “Gordon’s on his way down.”
“Good. He’ll believe me.”
Lance shook his head. “So what happened?”
Noble smiled at their waiter as he poured coffee. Cute, but very straight. After the man left, “He came on to me.”
“Get out.”
“He did. He wasn’t very good at it, but we talked; then he slipped me his cell number before I left the party. Okay, wait, he came on to me after that, when I called him from the hotel.”
“He slipped you his cell number?”
“On a card. Slid it right into my back pocket.”
“Come on.”
“Ask Danny. He was there.”
“Hmm.” Lance considered that as he chewed. “So you called him?”
“I did.”
“And?”
“And he wants to see me tonight. In my hotel room. Alone.”
Lance put down both fork and knife and just stared at him in disbelief.
Noble grinned as he chewed and swallowed.
That’s how Gordon found them. “Good morning.” He leaned over for a quick kiss for Lance, then another for Noble, before he sat on the chair between them, facing the entrance to the café. Lance’s lover, who was also the manager of the Indigo Knights, looked perfect, as always. A dark blue dress shirt brought out the green in his hazel eyes, his black hair was perfectly moussed, and he smelled divine. Noble didn’t begrudge his best friend the love of his life—especially after all they’d been through to be together—but he still wished he’d at least gotten one chance at Gordon before he was off the market.
Lance picked up his utensils. “Noble was just telling me how he’s turned Donny Foxy.”
Gordon paused with his hand in the air to flag the waiter. “Donny Foxy? Isn’t he straight?”
Grinning, Noble raised an eyebrow. Lance rolled his eyes again.
The conversation paused as Gordon ordered his breakfast. It gave Noble a chance to realize why he smelled so good. He’d just showered. He must have been working out. When they were alone again with a fresh cup of coffee for Gordon, he gave his attention back to Noble. “So? Tell me.”
“There was a party last night that I was invited to. You would have been proud of me, by the way. I talked to two different producers and dropped hints about the band doing soundtracks.”
Gordon’s brows rose as he poured creamer into his coffee. “I am proud of you. Names?”
Noble got sidetracked giving Gordon information, names he’d been careful to commit to memory.
Gordon took in what Noble told him, pleased, then brought the conversation back on topic. “Now, about Donny Foxy…?”
Lance, by now, had finished his steak and was poking through his eggs. Gordon’s omelet had arrived, and Lance swiped a cube of cantaloupe from the fruit side.
“Right. We managed to start talking, alone. He was obviously attracted to me—”
“Obviously,” Lance drawled.
“Hey, I know your gaydar is broken, but mine is fully functional, thank you.”
Gordon chuckled. “Go on.”
“I was going to leave it. I was.” That in response to Lance’s snort. “But just as Danny and me were leaving, he came up and slipped a business card in my back pocket.”
Gordon’s eyes sparkled. “How intriguing.”
“Isn’t it?” He sat back in his seat, coffee cup cradled in two hands. “Don’t think I’ve had that happen to me before.”
“It doesn’t have to happen.” Lance shook his head, eating more of Gordon’s fruit. “No one needs to be subtle with you.”
“True. True. Anyway, I had to call, didn’t I?”
“Of course,” Gordon agreed, picking up the cup of fruit to move it from his plate to set it in front of Lance.
“So I did. He asked to meet me.”
“Where?”
“Well, that’s up for debate. Since he obviously doesn’t want to be seen with me.”
Lance scowled.
“Oh, quit it. It’s not a big deal. He’s a teen fucking poster boy. He can’t be seen with the big, bad gay drummer.”
“Danny’s a poster boy.”
“And Danny’s been gay from the start. This one’s probably never touched another cock in his life.”
“Poor man,” Gordon mused with a wicked smile.
Noble grinned at the comment.
“So how did this conversation go?”
“It was kind of cute. He wants to see me, but he’s not sure how.”
“How romantic.”
Lance snorted again. Gordon gave him a withering look.
“So I told him to think about it and text me today.”
“He knows you’re getting on a plane on Monday, doesn’t he?”
“Yep. Kind of sad, that.” He mused over his cup. “Might be nice to see where this goes.”
“Where this goes?” Lance’s jaw dropped. “This isn’t going anywhere.”
It was Noble’s turn to roll his eyes.
Lance shook his head. “I don’t get why you’d even waste time with him.”
Noble’s brows crowded down. “What’s got you all worked up? Since when do you care that I do a straight boy?”
“I care about this one.” It was clear that he did. More than Noble thought was warranted. “This one’s famous. This one’s a little girls’ heartthrob.”
Gordon lifted a shoulder, casually sitting back in his seat. “He’s not entirely wrong, Noble. This one has potential to blow up rather spectacularly.”
Noble finished off his coffee. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’ll see him one night. Maybe. If he doesn’t run scared. Which he probably will.” He shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”
* * * *
Got a room 2nite. Ur hotel
Noble grinned at the text. Room #?
1550 starlite
I won’t be back til 7
Am here now. Will be all night.
Come when you can
Noble smiled, thinking of coming immediately. But that wouldn’t do when he was in the middle of a photo shoot on a grassy knoll an hour out of the city. Will text in a few hours
K
“That him?” Lance asked when Noble wandered back to their spot on the grass.
“Yep.”
Danny turned toward them, the wind plastering platinum hair to his face. “Who? Foxy?”
“Yep.”
“So?” That from Rabin. Noble had filled in his other two bandmates on the previous night’s call. Both were far more intrigued than Lance.
Noble tucked his phone back into his pocket, then tugged at the collar of his T-shirt. It was hot despite the shade of the tree they were stationed under. Currently, everyone was waiting for the setting sun to be just right. Or so said Turner Waite, the photographer. “He got a room at our hotel for the night.”
Danny beamed. “So. Guess you’ll be staying in tonight.”
“Looks like it.”
Lance turned away. Noble ignored him. Lance was and always had been a moody son of a bitch, one of many reasons they were better friends than they ever could have been a couple.
Rabin patted his shoulder. “Hope you know what you’re doing.”
“I know.” Noble fingered the studded leather bracer that dominated his left wrist. “Believe me, I know.”
* * * *
The Weiss hotel had two towers: Serenade and Starlight. Bridges connected the towers on both the tenth and fourteenth floors. Noble and his bandmates were staying in suites in Serenade. The fourteenth and fifteenth floors were designed for celebrities, with all sorts of security to keep out those who shouldn’t be there. The hotel’s owner was none other than Johnnie Heaven’s husband, so he knew firsthand how to guard a famous person’s privacy.
Noble was all by himself as he crossed the higher walkway, hands in the pockets of his sleeveless olive-green cargo jacket. He’d stuffed supplies—a small bottle of lube and a strip of five condoms—in a couple of the many pockets. He’d considered bringing the whole box but decided that it probably wouldn’t be necessary. He still wasn’t sure this was going to pan out. He got a text from another friend as he made it to the Starlight Tower, asking if he wanted to meet up later. He texted a decline as he waited for the elevator, amused with himself. Normally he’d be out. Especially since he was leaving town in a few days. He had a bunch of friends he should probably talk to before he left. But this…this was a special occasion.