by J. M. Snyder
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THE POSITIONS OF LOVE
BOOK VIII: PILLAR AND THE IVY POSITION
by
J. M. SNYDER
Amber Quill Press, LLC
http://www.amberquill.com
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Pillar And The Ivy Position
An Amber Quill Press Book
This book is a work of fiction. All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the author's imagination, or have been used fictitiously.
Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
Amber Quill Press, LLC
http://www.amberquill.com
http://www.amberheat.com
http://www.amberallure.com
All rights reserved.
No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.
Copyright © 2008 by J. M. Snyder
ISBN 978-1-60272-299-6
Cover Art © 2008 Trace Edward Zaber
Layout and Formatting
Provided by: Elemental Alchemy
Published in the United States of America
Also by J. M. Snyder
Beneath A Yankee Sky
The Bonds Of Love
Crushed
Matching Tats
Persistence of Memory
The Powers of Love
The Regent's Knight
Under A Confederate Moon
The Positions Of Love
Book I: The Positions Of Love
Book II: Two Pillars Position
Book III: Clasping Position
Book IV: Hammock Position
Book V: Two Dogs Position
Book VI: Cowboy Position
Book VII: Kneeling Butterfly Position
Book VIII: Pillar And The Ivy Position Book IX: Tripod
Book X: Lotus
Book XI: The Arc
Book XII: Sideways
PILLAR AND THE IVY POSITION
* * *
Matt diLorenzo sat at the end of the couch, leafing through the Kama Sutra book he'd given his lover Vic Braunson for Christmas. It was early evening, the setting sun casting its last golden rays through the balcony door onto the dining room table. The sound of water running in the kitchen sink drowned out the television, which was on but turned down because Matt didn't want to watch it. He'd rather look at the Kama Sutra pictures, imagining Vic and himself in the variety of acrobatic sexual positions that made up the bulk of the book. The book's spine pressed against his crotch, where a slight erection was beginning to form.
Abruptly, the water cut off. Matt glanced up, first looking toward the dining room area that connected to the kitchen, then to the hallway that opened onto the living room beside the TV. When he saw no one in either place, he raised his voice and called out, "Vic? You done?"
From the kitchen, he heard the clatter of pans as his lover set them into the sink to soak. "Be right there," Vic promised. There was a gruffness to his voice that made him sound angry, but Matt knew that wasn't the case. Cleaning up after Matt had cooked dinner was one way Vic thanked him for a good meal. Though Matt could think of a few other ways for Vic to show his appreciation...
He stretched out his legs and crossed his ankles on the coffee table, enjoying the heavy press of the book in his lap. Maybe they could try a new position tonight, something a bit wilder than their usual sexual romp late in the evening. Though Matt had no problem with lying twined together in the bed, bodies tight against each other, their movements slow and measured as they made love before falling asleep. It'd been a long day for them both, and the summer heat didn't encourage much vigorous activity. Still, if they cranked the A/C up high, and Matt asked nicely, he knew Vic wouldn't say no.
As if thinking about his lover conjured him into being, Vic came into the living room from the hall, shucking off his work shirt as he stood in the doorway. He looked menacing, with his shaved head and the gold hoops in his ears and eyebrow. The only hair he allowed on his body was a devilish goatee that framed his mouth and gave him a wicked look. The shirt fell to the floor, exposing muscled arms covered with tattoos that snaked beneath the white "wife-beater" tank top he favored as an undershirt. Stepping out of his work boots, Vic kicked them aside, then unbuckled his belt, unzipped his pants, and dropped those, too. His white boxer briefs strained around the length at Vic's crotch.
Matt knew there was a teddy bear inside the grizzly countenance Vic portrayed to the world. The knowledge that he could control a man as lethal in appearance as Vic, that his lover could be brought to his knees by nothing more than a sweet smile or a gentle touch, only fueled the desire that roared through Matt's veins every time he thought of Vic. Letting out a randy wolf whistle, he patted the empty seat beside him on the couch. "God, what a man," he sighed with a grin. "Walk those fine legs over here and sit that sexy ass of yours down next to me."
Vic joined Matt on the couch. Running an arm around Vic's shoulders, Matt pulled him close for a tender, lingering kiss. "Thanks for cleaning up."
With another kiss, Vic murmured, "Thanks for dinner. Damn, you can cook."
"I knew there was a reason you came home every night," Matt joked.
"I come home for this," Vic said, pressing his lips to Matt's in a hungry kiss. His arm eased around behind Matt's neck as he leaned his lover against the arm of the couch. His other hand danced over the front of Matt's shirt, rubbing his nipples erect through the fabric.
"And this," Vic sighed as his hand drifted lower to cup Matt's cock through the front of his jeans. Vic's large fingers massaged Matt's length, picking at the zipper that separated them. His kiss grew demanding, eager; his tongue dipped into Matt with a single-minded purpose that rekindled the fire banking in both men. His teeth nipped Matt's lips, tugging gently, nibbling them until Matt moaned beneath Vic's ministrations. Then his lover trailed tiny kisses down his chin and along the length of his throat, pausing to suck on his Adam's apple, and again to lap at the hollow of his throat.
The hand at his waist had his zipper undone now, and strong fingers fondled Matt's hard dick through his briefs. Matt shifted in his seat, thrusting his hips up toward Vic's palm, pushing more of himself into his lover's hand.
"Yes," he gasped, when Vic's lips found one pert nipple and bit at it through the thin T-shirt Matt wore. One leg rose up next to them and Vic ran his arm beneath Matt's knee, pulling it to one side. "God, Vic, yes."
Moving lower, Vic nosed the hem of Matt's shirt out of the way, then licked the faint line of hair that led down Matt's fly to disappear into his briefs. The book in Matt's lap fell to the floor as Vic's mouth closed over Matt's length, massaging the outline of his shaft through his underwear. Matt rose up off the couch, rubbing against that tongue, those lips, the hot breath that warmed the saliva-damped fabric of his underwear. "Vic," he sobbed. He'd been hard before just looking at those pictures, and his lover only spurred on his impending release. Matt wanted Vic's mouth on him; he wanted to thrust into Vic's throat and come as he watched Vic swallow his juices. "Oh, God, please."
But Vic seemed content to play. He teased along Matt's sheathed length, kneaded it with his lips, buried his nose into the crotch of Matt's jeans to lick over his balls. His tongue eased into the flap on the front of the briefs, the soft, warm touch maddening on Matt's fevered dick. The briefs were transparent now, soaked through with sweat and spit and the first hint of pre-cum that Matt struggled to hold back. "Please," he gasped again. "Jesus, Vic, just suck it already, will you?"
"You are so romant
ic," Vic kidded. But he kept one hand on the arm of the couch, holding Matt's leg out of the way, and the other picked at Matt's teats through his shirt.
Only Vic's mouth seemed interested in bringing Matt to release, and his slow motions and loving tongue-job would drive Matt insane before he came. Grabbing the waistband of his briefs, he rolled the wet fabric down an inch or two, just enough to expose the head of his dick. The red tip felt swollen, engorged--Matt wouldn't have been surprised to see it pulse with his need. Like a divining rod, it stood up from his pubic mound, angled for Vic. "Please..."
Then Vic's lips closed over the tip and Matt bucked into the hot, wet mouth. The moment Vic's tongue touched his cockhead, he came in a thick rush. "Yes!" Matt cried as Vic drank him down. "Yes, yes!"
He lay back against the couch, spent. For a moment, Vic continued to lick his length, an absent gesture like a cat grooming itself. The touch felt feathery as Matt's damp briefs began to cool. Then a banging on the floor from the neighbor beneath them made Matt laugh. Dropping his leg to the ground, he stomped his bare feet on the carpet and yelled out, "Get laid already, will you?"
Vic laughed, his breath ticklish against Matt's damp crotch.
"What?" Matt asked. "He's always banging whenever we get it on, have you noticed that? What he needs is a good mind-numbing fuck to mellow him out."
"Maybe we're too loud," Vic suggested.
"Maybe he can fuck off," Matt shot back. Then, with a laugh, he added, "He's just jealous of my man. Get back here, you." He caught Vic's arms before Vic could stand and pulled his lover back down beside him on the couch. "Who said you could leave? We're just getting started."
* * * *
Later, Vic picked up the Kama Sutra book from the floor and frowned at the cover. "You're always looking at this book."
Matt laughed. "It has some sexy pictures in it," he admitted. "My favorite..."
Rising to his feet, Matt leaned against Vic's shoulder as his lover flipped through the pages and stopped at a position called Pillar and the Ivy. Like the rest of the photographs in the book, it depicted two men having sex. One man stood while his partner latched onto him, arms around his shoulders, legs encircling his waist. The standing man held his partner's full weight as they fucked. "That's got to be bad on the back," Matt said. "God, can you imagine--"
"What do you think about," Vic wanted to know, "when you look through this?"
There was something in his tone that told Matt it wasn't a simple question. Reaching out with his mind, he prodded Vic's thoughts and was surprised at the sadness he felt there. He wrapped his arms around his lover's waist and hugged him tight. "Vic, no," he murmured, kissing the nape of Vic's neck. "It's not like that at all. It's just a book."
His lover glared at the book in his hands, an ignoble pout pulling at his lips. Matt touched his cheek to turn his face toward his. "Vic," he sighed, covering Vic's mouth with a tender kiss. "Listen. They're just pictures. Those men aren't real, not to me. I can't hold them or touch them or love them the way I do you. And I don't fantasize about them, God knows. It's just a book I thought we'd get some fun out of, that's it."
For a moment, he didn't think Vic would answer. His lover looked at him with troubled eyes the crystalline color of the cloudless summer sky, and at that moment Matt would've thrown the book off the balcony if it meant he'd see Vic smile again. Nudging his lover's thoughts with his mind, Matt poured everything he felt for the man into the mental connection they shared. ::I love you,:: he told Vic. He said it silently, allowing his lover to feel the depth of his emotion. ::Only you, and you know it. This book can't change that.::
When Vic finally spoke, his voice was quiet. "Then tell me what you see when you look at these pictures. Tell me what you're looking at, Matty. I want to know."
Matt nodded at the book in Vic's hands. "Open it again. Pick a page, any page."
Vic opened the book to the Pillar and the Ivy position, where his finger rested between the pages. Leaning his chin on Vic's shoulder, Matt peered at the picture in the book--the men were faceless to him, just bodies posed to show off their position. When he looked at the photos, the men in them morphed into himself and Vic; he grew hard leafing through the book because his imagination went wild. Hoping to convey that to Vic, he closed his eyes and sent his lover the mental image of the two of them in that position. ::That's what I see,:: he assured Vic. ::Whenever I look at this book, every picture in it becomes the two of us.::
With a surprised laugh, Vic turned and kissed Matt's temple. One arm came up around Matt's face to tousle his hair. When he spoke, Matt could hear faint relief in his lover's voice. "I really don't think we could pull off that position," he said, grinning. "I'd probably break your back."
Matt laughed. "Not if we prop you up on something. The bathroom sink, maybe?" He hugged Vic tight against him. "Want to give it a try?"
Vic's eyes lit up. "Do you know where this would really work?"
With a shake of his head, Matt let his lover's excitement ignite his own. "Where?" Before Vic could answer, Matt glanced over his thoughts and laughed. "Oh no. You don't mean..."
"What," Vic asked, "you don't want to get it on in the pool?"
The gym where Matt worked housed an Olympic-sized swimming pool--Matt was head lifeguard, coached the adult swim team, and ran the pool's administrative office. Every morning he swam a couple laps before the first class was scheduled. It wouldn't be any trouble to sneak Vic in early, but... "Remember what happened the last time we had sex at the gym?" Matt asked.
It had been in the locker room's shower, and Vic gained the power of phasing, or the ability to pass through solid objects. The problem was, he tended to leave his clothes behind whenever he passed through a door he'd meant to open. Matt had to keep the door to his office area locked to prevent anyone from accidentally stumbling upon his nude lover until the power wore off.
But Vic gave him a wicked grin. "This is just a variation of missionary style," he pointed out. "What's the worst that could happen?"
What indeed?
* * * *
Vic was usually up by the time Matt left for work in the mornings, but saying he was awake would be pushing it. He was on his feet, drinking coffee, with his eyes open--that was the extent of his wakefulness. His mind was still asleep, clenched tight for the first hour or so after he rose. Waking up came slowly to Vic, and he was a grouch until he managed to shake off the throes of sleep.
There was nothing Matt loved more than to pick on Vic when he wasn't fully cognizant enough to defend himself.
As Vic shuffled into the kitchen, heading for the coffee pot, Matt caught hold of the sash on his lover's robe. Reeling Vic toward him, Matt kissed his stubbly cheek. "Hey there, sexy. We still on for today?"
Vic's brows furrowed down in confusion, and his lips pulled into a harsh pout as he tried to remember what they had planned. "What?"
Giving Vic a playful nudge, Matt winked. "You know what I'm talking about."
From the look on his face, Vic had no clue what Matt meant. He glared at the coffee pot, his frown deepening. Beside him, Matt bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. Catching Matt's snicker from the corner of his eye, Vic muttered, "Matty, it's too goddamn early for this and you know it."
Now Matt laughed; when Vic turned toward him, a growl deep in the back of his throat, Matt leaned against his lover and pulled him into a tight embrace. "You're so cute when you're out of it," he said, kissing the corner of Vic's mouth. "The gym, remember? You said you'd swing by before you went to work."
Vic's brow didn't smooth out. "The gym," he said softly, as if he'd never heard the word before. Then, he added, "Why?"
"Vic!" Matt sighed, exasperated. Leaning into his lover, he let one hand drop to the knot in Vic's sash. He jiggled it a moment, then rubbed lower, his fingers easing between the folds of Vic's robe to fondle his lover's thick cock. "Don't tell me you forgot..."
The dick in his hand jumped; at least some part of Vic was up and at 'em desp
ite the early hour. Grasping his lover's balls in his fist, Matt rolled them in the palm of his hand. "The pool? Hello? It was your idea."
To emphasize his point, he squeezed gently; Vic moaned, his eyes slipping shut, his head lolling back as he thrust his hips into Matt's hand. "The pool," he sighed. Then, "For what?"
Matt laughed and kissed Vic's parted lips. "You need to be to work by noon," he said, speaking slowly. When Vic nodded, Matt added, "I'm going to close the pool this morning for cleaning."
Another nod--Matt didn't know how much was sinking in past Vic's morning mind-block--he suspected his lover simply responded to the sound of his voice. Matt kissed Vic again, this time on the chin. The mussed goatee tickled his lip. "So if you stop by this morning," Matt explained, "before you go to work, maybe we can try out that position we talked about last night."
For a moment, he thought he might have gotten through. The balls in his hand had grown warm and pliant beneath his touch. Then Vic's eyes opened, and his throat worked around the question, "What position?"
With a sigh that tapered off into a snickered laugh, Matt told him, "Just stop by the pool today, okay?" Before Vic could ask why, Matt kissed his lover's neck, his hand massaging Vic's balls. His other hand grabbed a fistful of his lover's meaty ass. "That's all I ask."
* * * *
By ten o'clock, Vic hadn't shown up at the gym, and Matt resisted the urge to call home. If his lover had gone back to sleep, perhaps he needed the rest. Matt would call in an hour, make sure Vic was up for work, but if he didn't make it to the gym, no big deal. It wasn't like Matt needed a morning fuck...
But it'd be nice.
Pushing that thought aside, he stacked together the small pile of bills for which he'd written checks and headed for the gym's reception area. At the front desk, Roxie sat in front of her computer--typing something personal, Matt guessed, from the way she hit the ALT and TAB keys to change to a new window quickly. "There you are," she said, turning her chair around to face him.