by Max Walker
Red’s jaw fell to the floor. “What the fuck?”
“Yeah, my thoughts exactly.” His shoulders slumped slightly. “It’s scary. I hate thinking it might happen again, although I doubt it. Sierra View has a different system set up, a lot stricter than my old hospital. I don’t think he’d ever be able to frame me. But still... And then, at the same time, I just want to enjoy being with you, but I can’t help and feel like I’m going to get fucked over again.”
“Shit…” Red was overwhelmed. He never imagined such a story lurking underneath Caleb’s calm, care-free demeanor. He seemed almost untouchable. As though his joy were some sort of magical shell that insulated him from how fucked up the world could be sometimes.
“Fuck, I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s ok. None of it is your fault.” Caleb took a deep breath. He was definitely stronger than most. Red wasn’t even sure if he could have made it through that. Not without some extreme trust issues at least.
And here I am, being a fucking coward and putting him in the same position.
The thought shot through him like a cannon ball. He physically felt it. Sure, he hadn’t known Caleb for long, but he sure as hell didn’t want to be the reason this man ever hurt again.
Their meal came then, the waiter disrupting them for a moment as he placed down the juiciest piece of filet along with their signature lobster ravioli dish, presented on the plates like pieces of art. Swirls of bright green sauce around the filet, raviolis resting on a plate decorated with flowers, matching the aesthetic of the entire restaurant.
They ate mostly in silence. Red was still processing the emotions Caleb must have gone through and the ones he must have been going through. Red was putting him on a rollercoaster ride, and Red hated himself for it. In a perfect world, he would have climbed on top of the table and yelled out to the entire restaurant: I’m gay and I want that man sitting right there. And in that same perfect world, no one would have cared. Everyone would have gone on with their lives and Red would be happy and in love and everything would be fucking perfect.
This wasn’t a perfect world, though. This was a world that kept Red in his seat, trying to enjoy his meal even though he hated himself more with every bite.
Eighteen
Caleb Forester
He was doing it again. Falling for someone deep in the closet. Deeper than Jackson was. At least Jackson wasn’t kissing his fake girlfriend on the cover of every damn magazine. Caleb thought he was smarter than this. Didn’t he learn from the first time he got burned?
Those damn eyes though.
Caleb couldn’t help it. The longer he stared into Red’s golden eyes, the harder he fell. The more he wanted to throw himself into the fire. He knew there wasn’t going to be a soft landing, but he didn’t care. Not in that moment. There was something else too, something that wasn’t there with Jackson. A spark that Caleb couldn’t ignore and a feeling that Red wasn’t going to hurt him in the same way as Jackson. Of course, a feeling was no guarantee, but it was something.
They finished their meal when Caleb spoke up. “Alright,” he said, clapping his hands, “let’s talk about other stuff. We can deal with all the little things later.” He smirked, drawing one from Red as well.
“You have a funny way of categorizing the ‘little things.’”
“Oh yeah. It’s how I keep sane. Just push off the little things. You know, like relationships, taxes, and sometimes laundry.”
Red laughed. It was deep and sexy. “Alright, so we’ll put the little things aside for now.” He sat up in his chair, his hands a fist on the table, the silver Rolex on his wrist catching the light from the setting sun.
“Can I ask you a question?”
Red nodded. “Shoot.”
“Is Red your real name?”
Red took a breath. He dragged the moment out a little bit. Took a gulp. Looked down at the ground then up to Caleb.
Shit, did I get him upset?
“Well,” Red started. Caleb was hanging on every word. “It’s hard for me to talk about it.”
Caleb leaned in. He was getting worried now, like he had made a mistake. Maybe this was too personal? Red took a breath. His brows furrowed. “That’s alright,” Caleb said, hoping he could diffuse some of the mess he created. “Forget it, that wasn’t a great opening question.”
Red took another breath. Bit his lower lip. Fidgeted in his seat. “My birth name is… Tina.”
“Oh.” Caleb’s eyebrows shot up faster than whack-a-moles.
That was not what he was expecting to hear.
Red seemed like he couldn’t hold the laugh in any longer. He burst open like a dropped soda can. “I’m fuckin’ with you, it’s Red. My parents didn’t stick to the typical name list when they were having me. I figured being named after a color is better than being named after food.”
Caleb took a moment to process it before he broke down laughing. “You asshole.”
“I couldn’t help it.”
“Tina?”
“Imagine.”
Caleb caught his breath, containing himself before his laugh bothered anyone else in the restaurant. They kept talking and joking through the delicious triple layer coconut cake Red had ordered for them. Caleb didn’t want their date to end. He didn’t care about the expensive food or the paparazzi still waiting outside. When he was with Red, he felt strong enough to handle it all. He could deal with it, as long as Red swore to him that it wouldn’t be forever.
Caleb was drinking his coffee when he felt something brush against him under the table. He cocked his head, still listening to Red tell a story about a crazy fan in Paris, but his attention was quickly getting diverted down under the table. The white tablecloth was long enough to fall down to the floor, obstructing anyone else’s view. No one else could see Red’s foot hook around Caleb’s calf.
Caleb swallowed, squeezing his thighs together. “Wow,” he said. “So she climbed over the fence to take a selfie with you?”
“Yeah. And when security started taking her away, she threw her selfie-stick at me.”
Caleb chuckled at that. “Persistent.” His answer was short, his focus now on Red’s smirk, the feeling of his foot rubbing his leg, the tightening of his briefs.
Red must have known exactly what he was doing to Caleb, and by the looks of it, that fucker was enjoying it. He seemed to like short-circuiting Caleb’s brain. “You ok?” he asked, a smile spreading across tilted, handsome face.
“Totally fine,” Caleb answered, sitting back in his chair, hazel eyes narrowed. “Just getting a little hot in here, that’s all.”
“Really?” Red’s lips disappeared in a puzzled frown. Meanwhile, his foot climbed higher. It was then that Caleb realized Red had kicked off his shoe at some point. He swallowed down a gasp-moan hybrid when Red’s foot suddenly pressed down on the hard bulge between his thighs. “Want to switch seats?” Red chewed his lip, a smile on his face. “I’m getting the air-conditioning here.”
“No, I’m ok.” Caleb was seconds from losing it. He couldn’t believe that he was getting an undercover footjob from Red while people went on eating their dinners around them, completely oblivious to what was going on under the table. Caleb swallowed, gently rolling his hips upward so that he could rub his hard length on the bottom of Red’s foot.
“You sure?”
Caleb nodded. “Very.”
Red crossed his arms. This had the effect of making his biceps bulge in his light blue button-up. The fabric on the front bunched up by the buttons, letting Caleb peek at the tanned ridges of muscles underneath. This only made Caleb harder, if that was even possible. He gave his thighs another squeeze, trapping Red’s foot while his cock throbbed between them. His balls were starting to feel sore from how badly he wanted a release.
The waiter came back in that moment and thanked them, placing Red’s credit card back down on the table. Caleb had leaned forward so that he could cover what was going on.
“Well,” Red said, his foot d
isappearing from between Caleb’s legs. “I’m going to run to the bathroom. You look like you’ll need to go in a few minutes.”
“Yeah, yeah I think you’re right.”
A few minutes later, Caleb was knocking on the bathroom door. It unlocked and Red opened. He stepped inside and took no time in finding Red’s mouth, who closed the door and locked it all in one swift move.
The bathroom was one of those meant for one person. It was a small room, beautifully decorated with ivy climbing the white walls and golden accents throughout. It smelled like eucalyptus and lavender, and there was a stack of expertly rolled white towels next to the sink, which was a white and gray marble bowl atop of a sleek black counter.
Caleb didn’t notice any of it. All he cared about was Red’s hard cock rubbing against his as their tongues dueled for superiority. It had been weeks since their time on the boat, and that had been way too long. Caleb had practically been in a state of constant erections since they had hooked up in the ocean. Porn just didn’t cut it. He had to taste Red, had to have him in his mouth, against his skin, in his hands.
Caleb reached down and unzipped Red’s jeans. He tugged them down and dropped them to the floor as they still kissed, causing Red to stumble back a little. His back hit the wall. Caleb’s hands grabbed Red’s hips as he lowered himself down, going eye-level with the object of his obsession. Caleb leaned in, licking the wet tip first, tasting Red’s salty excitement. He savored it, licking around the crown, fondling the heavy balls, relishing in the moans coming from above. He fucking loved this. He opened his mouth wider, grabbed Red’s cock with both hands, and started taking him in. His tongue pushed up and around the hard, thick shaft. Red’s fingers twined through Caleb’s hair, massaging his scalp as he continued to give Caleb exactly what he needed.
Caleb went down past the halfway mark before he had to come back up for air, leaving Red’s cock hard and wet in the air. He unbuttoned his shorts and pulled them off, still kneeling on the floor. His cock sprang forward, just as hard as Red’s. A rope of precome fell to the floor as he wrapped a tight fist around himself.
“Yeah, jerk your cock,” Red said in a low growl from above. Caleb listened, stroking himself while he went back to trying to deep-throat Red’s cock. He had never been with someone so big. Not that he had a huge sample size to begin with, but Red was definitely on the larger end of the bell curve.
“Fuck, baby,” Red growled. “Come up here.” Red pulled Caleb up, smashing their lips together, tongues wrestling like there was a trophy involved.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” Red said as they broke for air. Then, he did something that made Caleb completely melt. Red brought two of his fingers to his mouth and sucked them, making them shiny and wet. He reached around and slid those two fingers down Caleb’s crack, wetting him and causing him to push his ass back onto Red’s fingers. Caleb was more than surprised and really fucking turned on. Red found Caleb’s hole and rubbed the outside, applying just enough pressure to make Caleb’s knees shake and his cock jerk between them. Caleb pressed harder onto Red’s body, pushing him against the wall, rolling their hard cocks between each other, making their bellies sticky with pre-come.
Then, Red slipped inside of him. Caleb moaned, louder than he should have for being in public, and let his head fall down onto Red’s shoulder as he pushed his finger in, past the first knuckle.
“Oh fuck, baby, you’re so fucking tight,” Red whispered into Caleb’s ear, nibbling on the top as he pushed his finger in deeper, curling it and finding the spot Caleb needed to be touched.
Another moan. This time, Caleb bit down on Red’s shoulder, tasting the fabric of his shirt. It worked in keeping him quiet.
“Fuck, that’s it, baby.” Red was rolling his hips forward now, rubbing his cock on Caleb’s as his finger worked fucking wonders. Caleb looked up from Red’s shoulder and found he couldn’t see straight.
“I’m so close,” Caleb groaned, feeling his ass tighten with need, his balls twitching with an impending release.
“Take this off,” Caleb said, tugging on Red’s shirt. He didn’t want to get it soaked.
Red slipped his finger out of Caleb. He took his shirt off, Caleb doing the same, before they pressed against each other again. Red spit on his hand and slicked Caleb’s ass, sliding his finger back in, all the way this time, biting on Caleb’s neck as he did so. He kept doing this, picking up the pace. Caleb was grunting. He reached to the side and turned on the sink, hoping the sound of the water would drown them out.
“That’s it,” Caleb cried. “Yes, please, yes.”
Red continued to finger his ass, his palm slapping against Caleb, his cock throbbing between them.
Caleb couldn’t hold it back. He exploded onto Red’s belly, shooting ropes up to his chest. His thighs spasmed as his knees threatened to buckle. His ass convulsed around Red’s finger with every shot of come. It was so intense, he didn’t even realize Red was coming too, shooting his load all over Caleb.
When it was all over, they both took one step back and felt themselves unstick from each other. This had them both giggling like idiots. The sound of two men who just finished having the best sex of their lives.
They cleaned up after each other, taking a mini bird-bath in the sink. Both of them were still a little out of breath by the time they dried up and put their shirts back on.
“Stay the night with me.” Red was sweaty and red and so fucking sexy. “Come over and we can spend the entire night together.”
“Damn,” Caleb said. “I wish it were any other day. I offered to pick up a friend’s shift tonight. I’m working in two hours.”
Red nodded and looked down, as though he were working out a tough math problem in his head. He chewed on his thumb for a second. Caleb cocked his head, taking that time to etch Red’s features into his memory. The strong jaw and brow. Full lips. Eyelashes that looked like damn butterfly wings.
Red looked up. He looked as if he figured out something. “Come over for dinner tomorrow, then.” It sounded more like a demand than a suggestion.
“Huh? Ok, sure.” The space between Caleb’s brows wrinkled. “Anything special happening?”
“I want you to meet my dad.”
Nineteen
Red Miller
He couldn’t believe he was doing this. He had invited the man he was growing feelings for over for a sit-down dinner with his father. It wasn’t an intimate dinner, he wasn’t ready for that, but Caleb was still going to meet his father. He wished it was under the pretense of boyfriend and boyfriend, but Red didn’t want to rush anything. He wanted to introduce them under a relaxed setting and then figure things out later. Caleb seemed to feel better about it too once Red told him there would be other people attending the dinner. Red had invited a few other of his friends along with his father’s friends. Overall, twelve people were supposed to attend, which would ease the pressure off of Caleb.
The only negative? One of those people planned on attending was Selena. Red had talked with her a week ago, when he realized how strong his feelings for Caleb were becoming. She seemed to understand and said she knew that it was eventually going to happen, but it didn’t make things any less awkward. Red also didn’t want to hurt Selena. But, they still had parts to play and they needed to seem as though they were together, which was going to suck when all Red wanted to do was let go of Selena’s hand and grab Caleb’s.
“You’re looking extra sharp today.” It was Sandy. She was wearing a pastel pink blouse and extremely short white shorts.
“Thank you,” Red replied. He still wasn’t a huge fan of Sandy, but he did have to agree with her, he went the extra mile today. Red got an impromptu morning haircut, a new black t-shirt, and slick gray shorts that worked a sort of mirage on his ass, making it look bigger than normal.
Not that he was constantly checking. Nope. He didn’t care at all.
Yeah right.
He was also sporting a slick casual sports jacket, a navy color that ma
de his eyes pop.
Red found that he was beginning to care more about his appearance now than when he was going in for a photo shoot or a film. Caleb made him want to step things up a level. He had Red putting on his special shorts, for fuck’s sake.
“Have you seen your dad?” Sandy leaned back on the massive island in the center of Red’s kitchen. Her mimosa held tight in her teal claws.
“Yeah, he was outside by the barbecue.” If you cared, you would know.
“He needs to be careful around that smoke,” she said, looking down at something on her nails. Red was about to tell her they weren’t even eating barbecue but he decided to leave it alone. Sandy seemed to want the same as Red cut up the sandwiches on the counter across from her. Light streamed in through the row of windows, making the silverware glitter on the bamboo cutting board. He normally had a chef for these things, but his had just had a baby and the last thing Red wanted was to drag him away from his newborn to come and cook. So, Red decided he would try his hand at making bite-sized ham and grilled cheeses he had seen on some Facebook video. His didn’t come out quite as picturesque, but he felt like yelling ‘tasty’ after he took a bite of one, so that must have been a good sign.
“Your dad’s been so upset lately.” Sandy started out of nowhere. Red had almost forgotten she was even there. “He’s been going on and on, and I keep telling him to calm down, stress isn’t good for his heart, but, well you know how he is.”
“What (the hell) are you talking about?” Red controlled his tone, even though his drunk stepmother seemed to be spouting gibberish about his dad.
“Ugh,” she sighed, looked out the window, took a long drink from her glass. “I shouldn’t even say.”
Red narrowed his eyes, putting down his last square of grilled cheese. “Sandy, if it involves my father’s health, I want to know.”
She looked into her glass, as though she were reading a message in her ice cubes. Drunken tea reading. Her eyes came up, something in them. Red couldn’t place it. “One of his close friends, he came out as gay recently.” Gay. The world dropped like a boulder into a lake. “And, well, you know your dad. He’s incredible. He’s just, stuck.” She gave a shrug. “Anyway, he just keeps going off about how things will change forever now, and that he can never look at him the same way.”