“You can have pretty much everything you see,” Rick answered. “Does ‘get a room’ mean anything to you?” Gracie asked from the doorway.
“Jealous much?” Billy countered.
“Course not, gorgeous,” she said. “Rick and I share everything. Hope it’s not a problem with you if I join you two on occasion.” Billy’s head spun around, and he fixed an incredulous stare on Rick.
“Oh, for cryin’ out loud! Surely, you don’t believe her,” Rick yelped. “I’m not taking any chances,” Billy answered. “Come on; let’s go somewhere more private. I’ve been fantasizing about this since the pool house.”
Graciela raised an eyebrow. “Pool house?” she repeated with interest.
Rick took Billy’s hand. “Can’t talk now, Gracie,” he said. “Gotta go.” Campbell Frehley entered the kitchen just as Rick and Billy were exiting down the hall that led to the bedrooms. “What are they doing?” he asked.
“Same thing we’re gonna be doing, if I’m lucky,” she winked broadly. Graciela had the distinct pleasure of seeing Campbell look surprised for the first time since they’d met. Then the back of her thighs were against the kitchen table and the long, cool Brit was leaning over her with an arm around her waist.
“I trust I’ve not misunderstood you,” Campbell said, just before their lips met. “No misunderstanding, hombre,” she said. “But I didn’t mean right here and now. Geordie Cook is still out there somewhere and somebody in this house needs to stay alert.”
“I’ll radio Paul to bring in the chaps from the perimeter,” Campbell said.
“Your eagerness is flattering, by the way,” Graciela said. “Not to mention out of character, but I think we should cool it for now.” “You are wise,” he bowed to her restraint. “However, I will confess to you, woman, that you stir me so that you make me forget my duty.”
“Almost,” she amended.
“Almost,” he agreed. “Any rule against staying alert together?”
“Nope,” Graciela said, kissing his cheek and reaching blindly for the platter on the table behind her. “Here. Have a brownie.”
~ Chapter Eighteen ~
“THIS is weird,” Billy said as he closed the bedroom door. “You’ve
seen me naked before, but I feel…shy all of a sudden. Is that weird?” Rick smiled, despite the turmoil of his feelings. “It’s a little weird,” he agreed. “Considering what an exhibitionist you pretended to be.”
“Who was pretending?”
“I see that being a smartass wasn’t an act either,” Rick answered. “Would you rather have a dumbass?”
“I think I’d like to have Willem Rosen, if he’s home.”
Billy met Rick’s eyes. “How do you do that?” the young man said.
“What?” Rick put a hand on Billy’s neck, stroking the hinge of the young man’s jaw with his thumb.
“Remind me of who I really am.”
“My partner was born with a bullshit detector and I think it rubbed off on me. Just be you, Billy. You don’t have to hide from me.” “You’re going to make me cry again,” Billy said. “I’ve saved up a lot of tears in the last two years.”
“You were with Carey for two years?” Rick asked in disbelief. “Of course not,” Billy said. “I would’ve killed myself by now. It’s been almost two years since Arthur was…” Rick put his arms around Billy and held him tenderly. “You talk too easily about killing yourself,” Rick said. “Let’s see if I can’t convince you that life is a pretty good alternative.”
“You’re going to convince me with sex?” Billy raised his head from Rick’s shoulder. “I don’t want to rain on this particular parade, but sex is what I do. It’s not much of a reason to get up every morning.”
“Then you’re doing it wrong,” Rick smiled. “Sex can be a wonderful, joyous, bonding, life-affirming experience—providing you love the person you’re doing it with.”
“I’ve never had…” Billy’s voice caught, and then he continued. “I’ve never… made love with someone that really cared about me,” he said frankly.
When Rick heard these words, he knew without doubt that the snare had closed around him, and he would never be free of his love for this young man. Moreover, he knew that no matter what came of this union, he would not regret it because it was a chance at true love. Even if it was only one in a million, a long shot was better than no shot at all. “Why do you think I stayed at Gareth’s after you told me you knew I was a cop?” Rick asked.
“You wanted to bust him.”
“No. I stayed for you,” Rick said, kissing Billy’s forehead. “Because I care about you.”
Billy shivered in anticipation. “Show me,” he invited. Rick tilted his head and took Billy’s mouth in a long, slow, deep kiss that Billy was praying would never end. Lips and groins pressed firmly together, the two men moved dreamily against each other in the late evening gloom. Maintaining the sensual contact, Rick’s nimble fingers danced down the front of Billy’s shirt, unfastening buttons and sliding under cool cotton. Billy made a small sound into Rick’s mouth when the exploring hands brushed his nipples.
“You taste so good,” Rick said as he relinquished Billy’s lips. “Sorry for the break in the action, but just so there are no misunderstandings: you want to make love, right? The whole enchilada?”
“I want your beautiful cock inside me,” Billy said. “I’ve only held it in my hand so far.”
“I think I can oblige you,” Rick said. “Although the holding thing is nice too.”
Billy didn’t have a comeback to this banter. Rick stopped rubbing lightly at the young man’s nipples and looked into his eyes. “What is it?” Rick asked. “Is there something that bugs you that I should know about? Or some fantasy you have? Just tell me.” “I won’t cum,” Billy said.
“Excuse me?”
“I can’t,” Billy said. “Not while we’re, you know.… Not while you’re inside me.” “Sure you can.”
“No, really. I can’t.”
“I’m betting you can,” Rick said. “I just have to find your trigger, and I don’t care how long it takes me.”
“Don’t make it a pride thing,” Billy said. “Pride’s got nothing to do with it,” Rick assured him. “When you cum, it’ll be because you want to, because you love me. Now let’s stop talking about it. What do you say?”
“Well, if you’re determined to make me cum, I won’t stand in your way,” Billy said.
“That’s my boy,” Rick said, pushing the shirt from Billy’s shoulders and down his arms. Rick urged Billy to sit on the bed and settled beside him. With gentle, almost reverent touches, Rick accelerated the young man’s breathing and heart rate. When Rick pushed against Billy’s sternum with a fingertip, the kid lay back with a moan of pure desire.
“What?” Rick asked facetiously. “I didn’t quite catch that. Could you repeat it?” “Mmm, I said. Why don’t you take your clothes off so I can feast my eyes on that splendid body and that enormous bum-tickler you carry around between your legs?”
Rick grinned. “Is this how you talked to your clients?” Billy stiffened immediately and Rick lay down beside him. Stroking the young man’s chest, Rick spoke gently, but firmly. “We can’t let our past be this thing we never talk about,” the cop said. “If we give it that kind of power, it will eventually split us apart. I know what I’m talking about here.”
“It’s hard for me,” Billy said.
“You bet it is,” Rick said, pushing off his jeans.
Billy’s eyes went to the other man’s crotch, taking in the long cock, unfettered by boxers, briefs, or any other version of male undergarment. It was hard all right, hard and thick and curved perfectly to fit inside Billy. Billy was sure of it. “Okay,” the ex-callboy said. “I’ll make a bargain with you. I’ll agree to talk about anything even if it cuts me to the bone. You agree to give me your willy whenever I want it.”
Rick frowned. “I can’t see a down side for me, but there has to be a catch to
a deal this good.” Billy chuckled softly and Rick’s erection twitched in anticipation. “Look at you,” Billy said. “An hour ago, you hated me, and now you can’t wait to top me.”
“Actually, the two aren’t mutually exclusive, but I told you, I never really hated you. I just…. I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to love you.”
“You’re probably right about that,” Billy said as a naked Rick lay back down next to him. “I don’t care anymore,” Rick said, touching the young man’s cheek. “I want to love you and I want to believe that you love me. At the risk of repeating myself, I’m consciously making the decision to take this chance. Okay?”
“Still protecting the naughty boys?” Billy asked as Rick’s fingers trailed down his neck.
“Yeah, but I’m narrowing my focus,” Rick said, dipping his head to kiss a beckoning nipple.
“Only the naughtiest?” Billy guessed. Rick’s tongue circled the puckering nub, and then he drew it between his lips. A sigh of pleasure made the man smile around the resilient flesh he was sucking. Taking the nipple between his teeth, Rick basked in the quick intake of breath that emerged as a pleased groan and a request for more.
“Is this something you particularly like?” Rick asked. “Because I could do this all day.”
“You bloody wonderful man,” Billy said breathlessly. “Yes, I like it. I like it a lot.”
“How about this?” Rick deftly unfastened Billy’s trousers and slipped a hand inside. Grasping the warm, suede-skinned length of the young man’s arousal, Rick tugged gently as he lavished attention on the sensitive nipple.
“God, that feels bloody marvelous,” Billy moaned.
“Hang on to your hat,” Rick said. “I’m just getting warmed up.”
Rick never gave the kid a chance to reciprocate as he swarmed over the superbly toned and tanned body, taking his pleasure in the responses he evoked. Used to being the provider, Billy relaxed for once and reveled in the role of receiver.
“Did Gareth ever touch you like this?” Rick asked. For a second, the question shocked Billy out of his fevered state. Rick worked his fingertip a few millimeters deeper into the young man’s tight sheathe and Billy whimpered his pleasure.
“No, Gareth never touched me like this,” Billy said slowly and found the words didn’t hurt nearly as much as he thought they would. “He was always rough, and he liked for me to pretend I didn’t want to be touched. Forcing me got him hot; forcing me to take him without preparation really got him off.”
“And did it get you off?” Rick asked as he circled the young man’s prostate with a teasing fingertip.
“Ngh! God! You’re driving me mad with that,” Billy panted. “Please answer the question, Mr. Rosen,” Rick said flicking his tongue against a taut nipple.
“No!” Billy moaned. “It didn’t get me off and it pissed him off that he couldn’t make me cum while he was fucking me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you,” Rick said. “And I’m going to prove it to you now.” Billy’s heart began to hammer as Rick knelt between his wideflung legs. His breath came short and fast as strong hands grasped his hips and settled his buttocks on muscular thighs. Billy’s bones melted as a hot hardness pressed against his cleft.
“Shit!” Rick hissed. “Hang on. I forgot about lube.” Billy groaned his disappointment as Rick lowered his leg to the mattress.
“Don’t pout, tiger kitten. Try this.”
A small clear plastic bag landed on the bed next to Billy as Rick spun toward the sound of the rich, familiar voice. “That’s pure cocaine,” Gareth said. “It’ll numb you up a treat and then Rick can tear up that tight little arse. Remember, sugar bum? All the fun we used to have?”
“No,” Billy said, scrambling up. “You can’t be here. You’re dead. You’re dead. You can’t be here. You can’t!”
“Whoa there, old son,” Gareth said, leveling his gun at Rick. Rick froze with one foot on the floor. “Can we put our pants on?”
“Negative,” Gareth said. “Get back on the bed, stud. Billy, as you were.”
“Fuck you,” Billy responded instantly. “You always get everything arse-backwards, kitten,” Gareth sighed. “Now pick up that coke and use it or I’ll blow Rick’s willy off.”
“Easy there,” Rick said. “Let’s take it down a notch, Elvis. Before anything else happens, will you tell me how you managed to get in here?”
His vanity touched, Gareth smirked at the cop. “It was quite easy actually. I stole an ambulance and drove right up to the police car at the top of the drive. It was a simple matter to shoot them as they got out to see how they could help me. This silencer is worth every penny it retails for.”
Rick knew it was a mistake, but he had to ask. “And the guards in the house?” “Mmm,” Gareth purred. “I happened across a truly stunning dusky-skinned bird, and who do you think she was snogging? You can’t imagine.”
“A British cop named Campbell Frehley?” Rick said to keep Gareth talking. “Oh. Well, it looks as though you can imagine. Speaking for myself, I was quite astounded I can tell you. It looks as though everyone that worked for me had a secret agenda. You and Paul are both coppers, Geordie was out for himself, and Billy…well, he’s the biggest surprise of all.”
“Fuck you,” Billy said. “Now you’re just being repetitive,” Gareth said, glancing at the young man, “and very tempting. Use the cocaine, Billy, unless you want me to apply it with the barrel of this gun. And be sparing, if you please. That’s all that’s left of my fortune.”
“Are you deaf as well as daft?” Billy asked. “Fuck you, Gareth.” Gareth rolled his head on his neck. “You keep talking about fucking. Do you want me to fuck you, baby-snakes?”
“That’s not going to happen,” Rick heard himself say. “And his name is Billy.” “His name is whatever I say it is.” Gareth pointed the gun at Rick again. “Did I mention that your partner is alive? She’s tied up in the sitting room right now. I had to threaten Frehley’s life to subdue her, but after I shot him the second time, she saw I meant business and settled right down.”
Rick took a deep breath to steady his voice. “You know we check in with headquarters at regular intervals,” he said. “That’s right, so we’d better get on with it. Make no mistake; I’m here for one thing. Vengeance. I’m going to make the two of you pay, and I don’t give a shit what happens to me after that.”
~ Chapter Nineteen ~
“HOW?” Billy asked his former employer. “How is it possible that
you’re here?” Gareth chuckled. “You’ll like this; it’s ironic. I hooked up with Geordie when we were both cutting our teeth on the London drug scene. He was from the same area I was and just a few months older. It wasn’t until some whore mentioned it that I noticed how much we looked alike and began using it to advantage. It comes in awfully handy when objective witnesses will swear they saw you in a bar while you were allegedly shooting some shite-for-brains dealer in another part of the city. Never thought Geordie would fuck me over like that, but I guess he got his instant karma for stealing the car from me.”
“So it was Geordie in the car with the bomb, and you on the roof with the sniper rifle,” Rick said.
“And Colonel Mustard in the library with the candlestick,” Billy muttered.
Rick wished Billy would keep quiet as Gareth’s eye fell on the young man again. “You’re quite a piece of work, my red angel,” Gareth said. “It staggers me to think about it. You fucked your way to me just so you could kill me. And now that you think you’ve gotten away with it, and with a bonus boyfriend no less, I show up. What a burner on you, eh?”
“Yeah, but you’re fucked, too, aren’t you?” Billy said. “No money, no thugs, no blow.”
“Keep talking, tiger kitten. You’re making my payback sweeter with every word.”
“Why don’t you kill me or do whatever twisted thing you came here to do? Because I’m just bloody sick and tired of you.” “You are such a bitch,” Gareth said, putting the hair
up on Rick’s neck. “You know, I stood at the door for a few minutes listening to you before I came in. I was a little offended by what you said.”
“I can’t imagine how I could care less,” Billy said. “You’re bad in bed, you arsehole. That’s the truth, and I’ll stand behind it.” Gareth smiled, his eyes glinting with nasty glee. “You’re really getting me worked up, baby. The way only you can.”
“Ah, fuck it,” Rick said. “Kill me, if you want, but I can’t listen to you talk to Billy like that anymore. It just turns my stomach.” Gareth rolled his eyes. “If it isn’t Sir Galahad,” he said. “Don’t kid yourself, mate. Billy likes being treated like a whore. Now why don’t you climb back on top of him and give him what he really wants.”
“Not a chance,” Rick said. “We’re not going to perform for you.” “Why not?” Billy said unexpectedly. “Why don’t you show this wanker how a real man makes love?” Rick finally turned to look at the kid. Their eyes met and a silent message was exchanged. Rick nodded fractionally. He had to start trusting Billy sometime. “Sure,” the undercover cop said. “If that’s what you want.”
Gareth gestured to the door with his gun. “I think it’s what your partner would want,” he said. “You can start fucking, or I can walk out there and shoot her in the head.”
“Just for the record,” Rick said. “How does forcing me to do Billy help you get satisfaction?”
“Here are the rules,” Gareth said. “If Billy cums, I shoot you. If he doesn’t, I shoot him. Understand?” Rick took a second to appreciate the perverse cleverness of Gareth’s scheme. “I don’t think I can get hard again with that gun pointed at me.”
“No one could,” Billy said. “No one except for psychos like Gareth. Why do they gravitate toward me?”
“It’s not your fault,” Rick said. “I love it,” Gareth said. “It’s not your fault. Say it enough times and it becomes the truth. Blame society. Blame your parents. Shite, blame me if you want to, but the truth is that Billy’s a born whore.”
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