by Max Walker
But not with Caleb. With him, there were no expectations, just a guaranteed good time. It allowed Red to relax with Caleb in a way he hadn’t done with anyone else before.
Caleb fell into character with a smirk, crossing his arms across that sexy, slightly furry chest of his. “Sorry, matey, this booty needs at least two more dates before it’s open for plundering.”
They both cracked up as Red took a step forward, holding an eye closed to really complete the pirate look. “Arg, we’ll sword fight for it.”
Red, unable to hold back another laugh, swung his dick like a bat, slapping it (a little harder than he expected) on Caleb’s. They both winced, still laughing, and continued playing around on the boat, both of them having the time of their fucking lives.
Sixteen
Caleb Forester
The sounds of the water breaking on the nearby rocks echoed around the cavern, along with the sounds of their laughs. Caleb was having so much damn fun, he could barely believe it. First off, he wasn’t a huge fan of open water and so he thought he would secretly be miserable the entire time and second, he thought he would be incredibly self-conscious being naked next to a damn movie star. Red’s abs might as well have been photoshopped on, they looked so perfect.
Thankfully, neither of those things came into play. His fear of open water evaporated five minutes into the trip when Caleb and Red were sitting in the captain’s quarter’s, laughing about the most recent episode of Drag Race. Caleb felt too comfortable and was having too good of a time to even think about being scared.
The getting naked part was a little more nerve-wracking. He had dreamed of this exact moment happening (and jerked off to that dream plenty of times), but he only recently began to think it was a possibility in real life. His heart was racing and his palms were getting a little sweaty, but he dried them off on his shorts as he pulled them off. He was getting naked next to the ‘sexiest man alive’ according to a few magazine covers. If that didn’t get him thinking about the stretch marks on his ass, then he would have felt delusional.
All the nerves disappeared the moment he and Red started to joke around. They were completely naked and sword fighting with their hard dicks in the middle of the ocean, one pretending to have a peg leg and the other an eye patch. It was ridiculous and crazy and so great in every sense of the word.
When the sword fighting finished and Red declared himself the winner, he led them both to the top deck of the yacht, where a large hot tub sat steaming in the center.
The moon cast a soft white glow on the entire scene. Caleb and Red were in the hot tub; their bodies pressed as close to the others as possible, as their lips met and their worlds exploded. A tsunami could have rolled up out of nowhere and consumed them both without either of them ever noticing. That was how powerful their kiss was.
A kiss Caleb never thought he would experience. He was a big romantic at heart, and the fact that he was sharing this exceptionally perfect moment with an exceptionally perfect man under an exceptionally perfect moon… well, it was fucking perfect. He never even dreamed he could feel this happy, but there he was, feeling as if he was ten seconds away from launching up at the moon itself.
Caleb’s hands went up to tangle themselves in Red’s unruly mop of hair. It was a thick, sexy mess from being battered around by the wind all day. He tugged at the light brown strands as their lips parted and their tongues danced together. Immediately, Caleb’s body felt like it had been lit on fire with a gallon of gasoline. From his toes, which were already beginning to curl, up to his balls, which were already beginning to tighten, and all the way to his head, which was feeling way lighter. Red tasted like salt water and wine and sex. A combination that couldn’t have been hotter for Caleb. He gave a moan, one that was immediately swallowed by Red.
“How are you so perfect?” Red asked, their lips inches apart.
“I’m not. You should see me when I wake up. I’m a grumpy mess.”
“I can’t wait,” Red said, a sexy grin on his handsome face.
“No, seriously, I’m terrible. I can’t even speak a proper sentence for at least an hour.”
Red chuckled at that, putting a hand on Caleb’s face and stroking his thumb over Caleb’s cheek. “I used to hate mornings,” Red offered.
“Oh? And what happened?”
“I started getting more excited about the day ahead. Funny enough, it started around the time you came into my life.”
“Hmm,” Caleb said, smiling, feeling completely relaxed in the hot water. His cock bobbed around with the current created by the jets. “I’m seeing a cause and effect here.”
“I think you might be right.” Red went in for another kiss, taking Caleb’s breath away when he felt Red’s hand close around his dick.
“I’m feeling another cause and effect,” Red said with an X-rated smile.
“Mhmm,” Caleb groaned, letting his head rest on the cushioned edge of the hot tub as Red jerked him off under water. It felt insanely good. He started to involuntarily thrust his hips up, driving his cock into Red’s fist, feeling himself pulse in Red’s grip.
Caleb reached out and found Red’s erection. He returned the favor, closing his hand around the shaft and stroking. His thigh went over Red’s, tangling them together. Both of them started to grunt into the air, turning on the other one more and more.
They continued jerking each other off, going slow at times, one holding on tighter than the other, Red massaging Caleb’s balls while Caleb was obsessed with stroking Red’s thick cock.
“Tell me when you’re close,” Caleb said in a low voice against Red’s ear. His breath tickled Red’s lobe, causing him to shiver in response. The jets massaging their backs, their breath steaming in the air.
“Fuck, baby.” The tightness in Red’s response should have been enough of an answer for Caleb. Red wasn’t just getting close. He sounded like he was already pulling into the station.
“Oh fuck,” Red groaned. Caleb felt him throb in his grip under the water, nearing the edge. Then, when he was just about to reach the point of no return, Caleb let go of Red’s cock and drifted to the opposite end of the hot tub.
“Not just yet,” he said, biting his lower lip.
“What?” Red asked. Caleb was surprised at how disappointed and desperate he suddenly sounded. He was also turned on by it. It was like Red had just been told his winning lotto ticket was a fake and he was now going to become an internet meme. Disappointed and shocked.
“I want to keep you on that edge a little longer,” Caleb said, smiling as stroked himself off under the bubbles.
“Oh, you little tease,” Red said, his voice turning predatory as he pushed off the wall and landed on Caleb, both hands holding either side of the hot tub, trapping Caleb between them. Caleb smiled and gently bit on the hard, smooth bicep. He wouldn’t mind going to prison if these were his jail cell bars.
Red rolled his hips forward, rubbing their cocks together under the hot water. Caleb looked up, almost getting lost in Red’s golden eyes before looking past him, up at the canvas of stars above them. He had never seen anything like it. Without any light pollution, the night sky was awash with white glowing stars.
“Come on,” Red said, grabbing Caleb’s hand and pulling him up from the water. Caleb followed Red, who lead him over to a two-sided white and black vinyl couch. He walked him over to the side that faced the ocean and laid him down on the soft cushions.
Red towered above him. The moon lit him from the back, giving him an otherworldly glow. Caleb couldn’t resist. He propped himself up on the arm of the couch and leaned in, his lips open and closing around Red’s swollen cock. Red’s body immediately tensed, still close to the edge Caleb had been trying to avoid.
There was no avoiding it. Caleb could feel it in the way Red suddenly twitched. He said something, but Caleb didn’t hear. All he cared about was grabbing Red’s ass and pulling his cock deeper down his throat, where Red unloaded. Caleb reached down and jerked himself off. The se
nsation and taste of Red’s come shooting down his throat was enough to push him off the same cliff. He erupted, shooting his seed onto his chest, getting some on the couch. His thighs tensed and his toes curled until the final wave crashed.
Red scooted Caleb over, both of them smiling from ear to ear as they got comfortable.
“I’m so sticky,” Caleb said with a laugh as Red took the position of little spoon.
“That’s ok. That’s good seamanship.”
Caleb snorted at that. “I didn’t know you were such a professional seaman.”
“Oh yeah. My life revolves around being a seaman. Always out on the sea, just being a man. A seaman.”
“Ok, stop,” Caleb said, feeling so damn silly and so damn happy. It was the best feeling in the world, and it kept up the entire night, until they both drifted off to sleep right there on the couch, and awakened by the rising sun.
Seventeen
Red Miller
TWO WEEKS LATER
“I’m standing by the entrance,” read the text message from Caleb. Red shot back a quick reply, “c u soOn!” (he was an atrocious texter), and hopped out of his car. He handed the keys over to the valet, who drove off with the ice white Tesla. Almost immediately, Red heard the clicks of the cameras. Typically, Red didn’t care if there were paparazzi buzzing around, but today was different. Caleb was there. He would be in those photos. And beyond that, he would get a taste of what Red’s life was like. Always under the spotlight. Always getting whispered about as you walk by. Hearing the shutters of phones left unsilenced, people trying to get their sneaky souvenir shot. It wasn’t always terrible, Red couldn’t be that ungrateful, but it was a burden and one he wasn’t sure Caleb wanted.
“Red! Red! How’s the new movie coming along?”
Red kept walking, his eyes to the ground, shielded by jet black Raybans. He had learned early on, if you answer one innocent sounding question, another question was going to follow that was designed to make headlines. He wasn’t about to open that can of worms. Instead, he kept quiet and walked the short distance it took to get to The Ivy’s entrance.
It was a well-known restaurant, perfect for a brunch or, in Red’s case, an undercover date that was long overdue. Red had been away for about two weeks, filming in Mexico. He always loved traveling and seeing new places, but this time it had been excruciating. All he wanted to do was fly back and see Caleb again. They had constantly been texting and even managed a few Facetime hours thrown in for good measure, but nothing compared to seeing Caleb in person.
And damn, did Caleb look good in person. He was wearing a white t-shirt with some abstract blue and black design on it and a pair of khaki shorts that showed off his crazy sexy legs. Red couldn’t help his thoughts from immediately painting a picture of those same legs up in the air, held in Red’s hands.
“Hey there,” Red said, smiling from ear to ear as he opened his arms for a hug. Caleb seemed a little surprised but returned the hug. It wasn’t long, but it was enough to get Red’s pulse racing. He didn’t want to let go. Why did he have to let go?
Click. Click. Flash.
“I put us down, they said the wait is going to be thirty minutes.”
“Thank you,” Red said, wishing he could reach out and kiss him for how grateful he was to see him again.
Flash. Click. Red, how are you? Red, who’s your friend? Flash.
He didn’t tell Caleb that he usually didn’t wait for tables. He didn’t want to seem like that kind of guy. Not in front of Caleb. So, he stepped to the side of the entrance and ignored the growing group of paparazzi, turning his back to them and making sure to try and block Caleb as much as he could. A gaggle of teens showed up, pulling out their cellphones and trying to muster the courage to ask for a selfie with Red. Seconds later, the hostess, a stunning girl clearly working a day job while following her dreams in the industry, came over to them.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Miller, I didn’t know you were the second in Caleb’s party. We have a table that’s ready for you both. Right this way.”
Caleb put a hand to his forehead. “Duh, why would I think you’d wait.”
“Don’t even worry about it,” Red said. They followed the hostess into the restaurant. It was a beautiful, red-bricked building with an even more stunning interior. The inside was cozy and dressed up with an eye for the shabby-chic. There were beautiful painted plates hung on the soft yellow walls, and a homey brick fireplace that was surrounded by some of the most comfortable looking love seats ever made. They were upholstered with bright flowery patterns on white fabric, like they someone’s rich grandmother who also moonlighted as a celebrity interior designer came along and added her personal touches to the place.
They followed the hostess to a table near the back, just next to a window that faced out to their private garden. The iconic rustic white picket fence that encased the outdoor patio was also brought inside and pushed against the wall.
A waiter came by and took their orders. With the lobster ravioli and filet mignon headed to the kitchen, Red and Caleb got to talking.
“Is it always that crazy with the pap?” Caleb asked.
Red chuckled. “The pap?”
“Yeah, isn’t that, like, the ‘term’? I don’t know, I’m new to all of this.”
Red laughed and thanked the waiter as he placed the waters on the table. “I think they may have gotten wind about a celebrity being here, so it was a little more intense than usual, but yeah, it gets a little crazy sometimes.”
Red was using the term ‘little’ loosely.
“Wait, someone leaked you coming to have dinner? Why?”
“Maybe not me, but this place has constant celebrity traffic. They may have been camped here since this morning. Sometimes, it takes longer to build a crowd. Depends. Malls are pretty much a no go for me, and I haven’t been to a movie theatre in years. Unless it’s for a premier.”
Caleb’s eyebrows rose. “I mean, I knew it was difficult, but damn, something about hearing you say it makes me want to go and beat up those paps.”
Red couldn’t help but chuckle at Caleb’s use of ‘paps.’ “In my particular situation, it gets even more complicated. Other celebrities sort of feed off the paparazzi. I’m sure some of them get their own people to leak their schedules. But I can’t have all of me captured on camera.”
And yet, a part of him wanted it all to be on camera. Red was getting a strong push to just let everything go out into the open. Fuck it. He wanted to be able to give himself all to Caleb, and that meant not treating him like a damn skeleton in his closet.
“So, you’re not worried about the cameras outside?”
Red shook his head. “Nah, they’ll get their pictures and move on. They have no idea why we’re here, anyway. You can just be a friend.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Red wanted to grab a plate and smack himself with it, fuck if he got kale and salami everywhere. Caleb looked as if he were just reminded of a death in the family. His almost always smiling face flickered into a frown before he composed himself.
“Fuck, I’m an idiot.” Red leaned in across the white table cloth. It took everything in him to not reach out and grab Caleb’s hands in his. “I’m sorry, that’s the last thing I want you to be.”
“Red, it’s ok, I get it.” Caleb took a breath. He looked powerful in that moment. Not that he looked weak regularly, far from it. But now, he looked like he had donned a suit of armor. Something affected him and forged that armor. Flame. Pain. Red saw it in Caleb’s eyes.
“My ex was in the closet,” Caleb started. “He was also the top plastic surgeon at my old hospital. I dated him for a good three years. The entire time, I was his dirty little secret, being strung along because I loved him and thought he felt the same. I was positive he’d come out, it was just going to take time. I wasn’t going to be in the shadows forever.” Caleb swallowed. Red saw the pain clear as day. “He didn’t. He ended up dumping me and then telling me I had to leave the hospital.
He got paranoid. Positive that I was going to out him.”
“Fuck.”
“Yeah.” Caleb looked out the window. Red kept his eyes glued on Caleb, watching the muscles in his jaw flexing. “I didn’t want to leave. I made so many good friends there, and my family was close by, only a twenty-minute drive to my mom’s house. Dinners every Saturday. It was great.” He sighed. “And he fucked it all up. He told me that if I didn't leave on my own, he would accuse me of stealing drugs. He said he knew how to work it in the system so that it looked like it was me who was stealing drugs, and no one would be able to prove I was innocent.”
Red couldn’t handle it. He didn’t give a fuck anymore, he reached over and grabbed Caleb’s hand. Caleb took a breath and looked down, then up. He smiled and took his hand back, putting both of them in his lap.
“Thank you, Red. I mean it. But I don’t want you stressing out about the pap tonight.”
“Please stop. I keep picturing you giving me a pap smear and I don’t even know what those look like.”
Caleb cracked up at that. “You should probably keep on without knowing.”
The moment of levity helped bring them closer, but it in no way erased the shit Caleb had been put through. Red felt his heart grow heavy with sadness. Why would anyone force someone to uproot their entire life over some self-installed paranoia? It was terrible, reprehensible.
“And, get this, a few weeks ago, he ends up walking into Sierra View’s break room.”