Operation Green Card

by G. B. Gordon

  He started dancing around the room, because he couldn’t contain his joy while standing still. All the while Jason was watching him with the strangest expression on his face, half smile, half tortured tension.

  “Approved,” Arkady said again. “We should stage some kind of celebration. Thanksgiving, maybe? Seems appropriate.” He got carried away with his own plans. “Do you think Kendra will let Lily stay with us for Thanksgiving? Or is it a big family thing, like Christmas? Oh, that reminds me, what are we going to do for Christmas?”

  He ran out of steam when Jason didn’t say anything, but when he turned, a tentative smile was slowly spreading across Jason’s face. “You’re really staying, then?”

  Arkady stopped short, then crossed the room in three long strides, and took Jason’s face between his hands. “Of course, I’m staying, Yasha. I told you. Family. One day you’re just going to have to believe it.”

  “Yes. I will. I do.” The smile was happier now, but still a tad uncertain.

  “I’ve thought of an excellent way to claim this house, by the way,” Arkady said with a salacious wink to lighten the mood. “You’re going to fuck me in every single room. I was originally thinking, when we’re done renovating. But we can start right now. I don’t mind a little dust.”

  Jason took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “You are so on.”

  “Don’t move. I’ll get the goods.” Arkady raced upstairs for condoms and lube. When he came back, Jason was indeed standing in the same spot.

  “We both took a medical, do we need condoms?” he asked.

  Arkady inhaled sharply. “I don’t.”

  “Me neither.”

  The condom package went sailing onto the table, and Arkady wiggled the lube bottle. “This, though.”

  “Oh yeah, tons of it,” Jason agreed. “Because I think it’s my turn.”

  The room instantly turned several degrees warmer. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

  Jason grinned. “I’m saying you have way too much fun getting fucked for me not to at least try it.”

  Arkady’s throat was very dry, suddenly. “Oh, you got it, solnishko,” he whispered. “Now kiss me. Breathing is overrated.”

  Jason pulled him close with one finger by the waistband of his jeans. Which did funny things to Arkady’s toes. Then Jason did kiss him, which did funny things to the rest of his body, especially his brain. He had no idea how long they stood like that, but by the time they came up for air, he was on fire and ripping the clothes off his body.

  Jason did the same, then pulled Arkady close again, pressing their bodies together skin to skin. He didn’t seem to have a single thought for the fact that part of his skin was black gel liner.

  Arkady counted that as a win, then he stopped thinking, because Jason bent him over backward and sucked on his nipple, then licked a line down to his navel.

  For a second, Arkady felt himself falling backward, but then his ass touched the armchair. He arched his back over it laying himself open to Jason’s hands and tongue and lips. But he let out a surprised shout when those lips closed around his dick and Jason started sucking him in. Jesus, God, he was going to lose it.

  He tried to protest, but no sound came out; tried to grab Jason’s head, but bent over backward as he was, couldn’t reach him, and his abs had inexplicably turned to jelly. Jason was a natural, and the fucker had a rough tongue that did— Sweet Jesus! Yes, exactly that.

  He started floating, and did his best not to, because if Jason wanted to get fucked, he needed to hold it together, but then that thought, too, was gone. Wave after wave of pleasure washed through him, carrying him further and further along, until their energy crested and collapsed, leaving him panting and limp, and vaguely aware of Jason’s arms pulling him up and around and cradling him in his lap.

  “Sorry,” he murmured. “I lost it. You have one talented mouth.”

  “Talking of which, as distracting as you are, that mouth needs to eat.”

  Arkady huffed a laugh, but dragged himself upright. “So mercenary.”

  They sat across from each other at the table, buck naked, Jason as tense as Arkady felt pliant. He’d forgotten how hungry he was until he took the first bite, then he was ravenous. He polished off his burger in a few large bites, and practically poured the fries from their container straight into his mouth. Sated in every way, he licked his lips, then got up and prowled around the table until he stood behind Jason. He dug all ten fingers into Jason’s shoulder muscles and got a tight groan in return. “Come on, big guy. Let me see how decorative you are bent over that chairback.”

  Jason promptly stood up and went to lean against the chair.

  “Oh, no,” Arkady said. “The other way around. I want your ass in the air.”

  Jason drew a shuddering breath, then turned and let his upper body fall forward into the seat.

  If Arkady had worried that, having just come, he’d be out of the game for a while, he needn’t have. Just the sight of Jason’s ass and those powerful thighs was enough to get him interested again.

  He gave Jason a pile of pillows to lean on so he wouldn’t pass out head-down in the middle of the action. “Legs as wide as you can,” he commanded, and Jason complied, his heavy balls giving Arkady all kinds of ideas. He filed those away for later and poured a generous amount of lube into his hand. He cupped Jason’s balls, then moved his hand upward, spreading lube all along Jason’s ass crack. A tremor ran through Jason’s thigh muscles, and, damn, that was hot too.

  Arkady poured more lube, lined his dick up in Jason’s crack, and rocked gently up and down across the hole, getting himself hard again. Jason had both hands curled around the armrests and was breathing audibly.

  With a step back, Arkady spread Jason’s ass cheeks, then bent over and blew across the little star-shaped pucker, watched Jason’s glutes clench and relax.

  He spread lube over his fingers and ran his index finger across the place. Same result. He pressed down on the tight muscle and started massaging it with his thumb.

  With a loud groan, Jason relaxed, and Arkady got his index finger in. More lube, and slicking the finger in and out had Jason tighten his hold on the armrests, fingertips denting the soft material.

  Arkady pushed his finger in all the way and crooked it slightly, pressing down. Jason twitched as if electrified. Jackpot.

  “Oh God, sweet Lord,” Jason breathed when Arkady started finger-fucking him with well-controlled pressure. He listened to Jason’s breathing getting ragged, then pulled his finger out and lubed himself up, pouring more lube on Jason’s ass for good measure. First time and all that.

  He jacked himself a few times, groaning with anticipation and the slick friction of his own hand, and then with the pressure of Jason’s ass against his glans. Slowly, ever so slowly, he inched past the first barrier, and with a little gentle rocking, past the second. Then, knowing exactly where the sweet spot was, he kept his strokes shallow, making sure to hit it with every forward motion. Happy that he’d come earlier and had all the time in the world now, he set a steady, deliberate rhythm, watching the sweat run along Jason’s spine and into his hair, watching his knuckles turn white on the armrests.

  At some point Jason began to curse, a constant, inventive stream of expletives that furthered Arkady’s knowledge of the English language to no small extent.

  Then Jason started begging, and that finally kicked Arkady off his plateau. He watched Jason fall completely and utterly apart under him. It was the most erotic thing in the universe, and it pushed him inexorably farther toward his own edge. He sped up and thrust deeper until his body was slapping Jason’s ass with every move.

  When his balls tightened, he curled his fingers around Jason’s dick and started jacking him, concentrating on Jason, delaying his own orgasm by a few heartbeats, until Jason’s staccato breathing told him he was close. Then he allowed himself the staggeringly sweet release.

  Jason was only a few seconds behind. His whole body jackkn
ifed into the chairback, then slowly relaxed in a long shudder, interrupted by a number of smaller tremors.

  Arkady massaged the long muscles in Jason’s back, then helped him stand up. It was a good thing, though, that they merely had to twist and take a half step to collapse on the couch.

  Occasionally another small spasm still ran through Jason’s body, before his breathing slowed to normal and he wrapped one arm around Arkady’s middle and rested his head on Arkady’s chest. A low chuckle rumbled through his body. “That chair’ll never be the same again.”

  Arkady grinned under the arm he’d thrown across his eyes. “I hear jizz is good for leather.”

  They both started laughing, though neither had much breath for it. Then they simply lay there for a while, not talking, just listening to each other’s heart beat.

  “The answer is yes,” Jason said suddenly into the darkness. “I do want to stay married to you.”

  Arkady’s smile nearly split his face, and his free hand caressed the side of Jason’s face, his jaw, his neck, until he felt himself drifting off to sleep.

  He was almost gone when he heard Jason’s sleep-heavy voice mumble, “Thanksgiving, huh?”

  They were going to pick up the turkey on their way back from the airport. Jason threw a glance at his watch. If Arkady’s parents ever made it through customs, and they all ever got out of here, that was.

  Arkady had opted for a precooked turkey from the get-go—the man knew his limits. But Jason, seduced by the idea that maybe he could have that elusive experience, a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, had actually started to google turkey recipes. It hadn’t taken him long, however, to realize that the arcane instructions—what the hell was brining or basting—were best left to acolytes. Arkady was right; for the uninitiated, it was a recipe for only one thing: a disaster.

  He checked his watch again. Breathe, Cooley. They had ample time. Nothing to be nervous about. Except meeting Arkady’s parents, of course. Jason tried to tell himself that, having nothing to offer meant he could just lean back and relax. Impressing parents was impossible at the best of times. He was here to make this an amazing visit for Arkady, because Arkady was looking forward to their visit. That was all that mattered. And, man, was he ever.

  Arkady’d been fidgety all week and had buried himself in work, prepping like a demon for his new job at the Russian Community College. He was prowling in front of the gate like a tiger now, ready to pounce. As Jason watched him, his body suddenly straightened and his arms shot up in a wide wave, which was answered by a tall, lanky man and a tiny woman coming through the door: Nikolai and Alina, Arkady’s parents.

  Arkady somehow managed to wrap himself around both of them at the same time, and was enveloped in answering hugs that dissolved into kisses, shoulder slaps, and reassuring touches on arms and chests and faces, luggage forgotten at their feet.

  Jason couldn’t remember if he’d ever tried to hug his parents, but probably not. The concept was too alien. He hung back, wanting to give the three of them as much privacy as possible before the inevitable round of awkward introductions, but Arkady was already waving him over with that slight dip of the head that said, Come on, what are you waiting for?

  As it turned out, there were no introductions, or none that Jason caught, anyway. There was only the same consummate hug for Jason that Arkady had received earlier. It didn’t feel as awkward as Jason had expected, but it threw him off-kilter, regardless. Or maybe because—it was too unexpected.

  Nikolai held him by the shoulders for a moment and beamed at him, his eyes a little paler than Arkady’s, but equally frank. He said something in Russian to Arkady, then, with a slap on the shoulder and a laugh, let Jason go.

  “He says, he knows American men don’t kiss to say hello, and that he hopes he’s greeted you properly,” Arkady translated with a wink.

  Jason gave a thumbs-up all around, then snatched up the two big suitcases, leaving them to deal with the smaller items. Since he didn’t understand anything, it was easy to ignore what sounded like polite protest behind him as he headed out.

  Having stashed everything and everyone in the car, he drove, so Arkady would be free to chat and point out landmarks and contort backward in his seat almost constantly.

  Occasionally Jason’s eyes met Nikolai’s in the rearview mirror, and he knew himself watched and silently evaluated.

  Precooked turkey loaded in the back, they made their way to Natalya and Anna’s place, whose guestroom would be the parental quarters during their stay. They’d all agreed on a quiet evening in, to give everybody a chance to catch up, or indulge their jet lag. Though, as Anna whispered to Jason, when he and Arkady finally said their goodbyes after midnight, “Man, it’s hard to keep up with Russians partying.”

  Lily, Kendra, and Dan came to town the next day, and Lily immediately dragged her parents upstairs to show them her room. Arkady and Jason had put the finishing touches just a week ago, and though Lily hadn’t seen it completely finished in person, they’d kept her involved with pictures and chats, so she could choose colors and themes she liked. She’d considered it her room since they’d first started, and couldn’t wait to sleep in it. Arkady had told Jason in no uncertain terms that the slide was next and that they’d have to finish it in time to be her Christmas present.

  Arkady’s parents, Anna, and Natalya arrived about an hour later, and the silent and staid house of Jason’s childhood disappeared forever, conquered by laughter and voices; food was being piled onto the table and breakfast counter, beer cooled and wine opened, and Lily slid the banister blank until she was called to dinner.

  Jason didn’t even try to follow the Russian part of the conversation, though he nodded and smiled when he caught Yelena’s name, and guessed that Arkady was telling his parents about Jason’s new line of work. Yelena had recommended him to friends and business partners; she’d also taken Jason aside and told him bluntly that he needed to hire a guy she knew to design him a website, and that he’d better triple his price if he wanted to be taken seriously. He’d done both and was now slowly pulling in business; enough that he’d cut down his work at the studio to one shift. All because Arkady had known what he was good at better than he had himself. He met Arkady’s gaze across the table and quickly concentrated on the sweet potatoes Kendra had brought to the feast, to get past the sudden tightness in his throat. Seriously, while gratitude was what Thanksgiving was all about, there was no reason to get all mushy over it.

  Nikolai said something that made Arkady roll his eyes and Natalya burst out laughing. “Papa likes you,” Arkady growled. “He says previous experience with my choices made him set his expectations low, but that due to some miracle, I seem to actually have found a good man, and that I’m to stick with you.” His eyes were full of light, giving the lie to his injured tone.

  Jason barely managed to swallow the needy, Yes, please, that was on the tip of his tongue. “He only thinks that because he doesn’t understand a word I’m saying,” he quipped instead.

  “Well, I understand you just fine,” Natalya cut in, “and I agree with him—it’s a freaking miracle.” Arkady mimed flinging mashed potatoes at her from his spoon, and Lily giggled.

  Jason ducked low over the table, made sure everyone had what they wanted, and tried to keep the bowls and glasses full, and Arkady happy. That last part was easy. Arkady was juggling several conversations in two languages while teaching Lily the Russian words for the foods on her plate; a blind man would have been able to see that he was in heaven. Jason found it hard to tear his gaze away from him long enough to get more beer from the kitchen.

  He grabbed the cold ones and straightened up to find Nikolai standing next to the fridge, handing him reloads. They silently exchanged bottles, and when Jason had closed the door, Nikolai pointed at Arkady, then at Jason and back at Arkady. “Good,” he said, raising his bottle in a toast. Jason hurried to open one for himself and raised it in answer, then hid his blush behind a deep gulp. Nikolai snickered and return
ed to the table. Jason stared after him for a heartbeat, then followed him, bemused. What the fuck had just happened?

  As per Lily’s decree, they played Jenga after dinner, until her eyes started drooping and Arkady dragged her upstairs and put her to bed. Natalya broke out a bottle of vodka, which some of them ended up drinking from coffee mugs because there weren’t enough glasses.

  When Arkady came back, he caught Jason around the middle, kissed him, and flashed him a big contented smile. “See? I’m still here. You’re stuck with me now.” A thousand thank-yous and I-love-yous danced in his eyes, making Jason feel warm and amazing and powerful.

  As weird as their thrown-together, sharing-a-child-with-his-ex-and-her-husband family was, it seemed to be what Arkady had been looking for and what he needed. And Jason was the bridge that connected them. He was good for someone after all.

  He belonged here. With Arkady.

  “I know.” He tapped his chest. “You’re stuck right here.”

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