CHAPTER EIGHT

Tony

 

“Talked to someone last night who’d like to get into the business.”

I froze at the sound of Cane’s voice. I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but hell, Skitz had cracked the kitchen window after burning the oatmeal, and Cane and Blaze were on the back porch.

“Yeah? Who is he?”

“His name’s Seb, and he’s a server at the Banana. He’s interested in something different. Great ass, and he can deep throat better than anyone I’ve ever met.”

I barely saved my dish from dropping into the sink. Gently, I placed it on the counter and walked as fast as I could out of the room and away from the conversation. It was nothing short of goddamn pitiful the way I couldn’t stand the visual Cane’s words had evoked of a guy on his knees with Cane’s cock in his mouth. I hated this Seb guy already.

Hung reclined on the living room couch, feet propped on the end, playing a handheld game.

“Where’s the fire?” he asked, not taking his eyes off what he was doing. “Although I guess that’s a bad choice of words after Skitz nearly set the kitchen ablaze.” He cursed as I shoved his feet off the couch to make room to sit.

“Fuck! What the hell? You messed me up.”

“You’re not playing one of those games again where you’re the princess, and you have to choose a prince, are you? Did I just make you put on the blue dress instead of the pink?”

Hung sneered at me. “That was one time, Sarto, and I was just tryin’ it out to see if my niece would like it.”

“You don’t have a niece.”

Hung put the game down. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing. You don’t want to tell me why you came barreling in here like you were trying to get away from something.” At the sound of the back door opening and Blaze and Cane’s voices, he added, “Or someone.”

“Fuck you,” I grumbled and kicked Hung in the shin when he laughed, causing his game to fly from his hands and land on the floor.

“Tell him to come by tomorrow morning,” Blaze said to Cane as they entered the room.

Hung flopped back onto the sofa after retrieving his game, scowling at me but aiming his words at Blaze. “What’s goin’ on, Bossman?”

“Cane’s got a guy lined up to work for Hard Time.”

Something I’d been thinking about the night before popped into my mind, and I spoke up.

“Blaze, I’ve been meaning to ask you if I could do a scene or two.” I refused to look Cane’s way. “Not like before. Um, something light.”

Blaze looked surprised but didn’t question me. “Okay, sure. If that’s what you want.”

I shrugged. “I could use the money.”

“Web design not going well?” Blaze knew I’d quit my night job before I’d left town, and that I sent nearly everything I’d made on my last porn scene to my mother.

“Just taking me a while to get back in the swing of things, that’s all. I spent a lot of money on my trip.” I hadn’t. I’d stayed in cheap motels and barely eaten.

Blaze frowned. “I’d offer you a loan, but our money’s a little tied up right now after what we loaned to the Pistons.”

After hearing the new leader of the Pistons was lacking some of the funds needed to rebuild their clubhouse after a fire, in the name of good club relations, the Hedonists had come to the decision to loan the money to them.

“I don’t want you feeling like you have to go back to porn. I know you don’t like it very much.”

“I don’t mind it,” I said, standing. “No big deal. Really. Let me know when you have something.” On the way to my room, Cane shifted on his feet as I walked by, causing our arms to brush. The way the touch of his bare skin affected me told me I had a long way to go before I’d be over him, no matter what I tried to tell myself.

Fuck.

 

****

Blaze arranged for me to do a solo jerk-off session, which was perfect.

Lying on the bed on set, bright lights blocking out the faces I knew were just behind them, I concentrated on pleasuring myself while Kevin circled the bed with his camera. It was a challenge when doing porn to not climax too fast, but also not to turn the scene into a marathon that would have to be edited down, and I hated I had to imagine Cane’s big hand wrapped around my dick instead of my own in order to get anywhere. I wondered if he was standing behind those lights watching.

Resting against a nest of white pillows, when I’d given enough footage of me stroking myself, I pictured Cane’s broad chest with the sprinkling of dark hair over muscular pecs, his washboard abs, and the delicious trail leading down to his long, thick cock and hefty balls that I vividly remembered slapping against my ass when he’d fucked me in the BDSM scene.

I gasped, coming hard over my hand and stomach. Moaning, I slowed the tugs on my sensitive skin until the waves of pleasure ceased, at which point I finally let my cock droop against my hipbone and sighed.

“And…cut!” Kevin called. God, I’d forgotten about the filming for a moment. “We’ll do a fade out there. Nice work, Tony. That was hot as hell.”

At the sound of mumbled agreement behind the lights, I blushed and accepted a towel from Nick.

“That really was hot,” he said to me as I mopped up my abs and stomach.

“Thanks.” I was a little embarrassed. I’d been around Hard Time enough not to be bothered by watching the porn scenes, but it was different when I was acting in one, especially on my own.

Nick handed me a robe, and I slipped it on as, one by one, the hot lights around me were extinguished.

Nick leaned forward and whispered in my ear. “He was watching. Wouldn’t be surprised if he had a boner too.”

I smiled and gently shoved Nick away, his words pleasing me far too much.

“Got plans tonight?” Nick asked. “Royce has a friend who needs some work done on a website, and I thought maybe we could have dinner so you two can talk about it. If you’re interested.”

I met Nick’s gaze as I pulled on my pants. “Really? That would be awesome.” Web design was what I enjoyed doing, but my long absence had cost me my client base, forcing me to effectively start over again.

“Around seven? I’m going to go home and change, and then I could swing by and pick you up,” Nick said.

“Sounds good.”

Dinner kind of sounded like a double date, but I supposed that wouldn’t be the end of the world.

 

****

Nick picked me up in his black Hyundai Santa Fe. In an attempt to appear professional, I’d worn a dark pair of slacks and a blue button-down shirt. I also wore my glasses, as my contacts had been bothering me for the past hour.

Nick looked typically sassy in a blousy forest green shirt and black leggings. He greeted me as I slid into the passenger seat and set my messenger bag containing my laptop and charger at my feet. As I buckled up and Nick began backing the car out of the driveway, an unmistakable orange and black Harley pulled in beside us. Hung took off his helmet, and Nick hit the gas hard, forcing me to throw out my hand and brace myself on the dash as he lurched backward, shoved the car into drive, and took off down the dark street.

“Whoa! Where’s the fire?” I asked, hand over my galloping heart.

Looking flushed and more than a little flustered, Nick slowed the car down and glanced at me. “Sorry. He just pushes all my buttons.”

“I can see that.”

At Nick’s glare, I chuckled. “I get it. You know I do.” I sighed. “God, we’re a pair, aren’t we?”

Nick took a deep breath and let it out. “I’ve got to get Jeovanni out of my head. I mean, Royce and I aren’t serious, but still. I’m with him, you know?”

I nodded, although I didn’t understand why Nick stayed with someone he wasn’t completely happy with. I was looking forward to seeing him with Royce so I could get a better handle on their relationship.

We were meeting Royce and his friend at an exclusive gay club in upper Manhattan called Lux. I was pretty sure it was the same place Isaac had worked for a while.

“Royce is a member here?” I asked as Nick pulled into the dim underground parking garage.

“Yeah. He and Dallas were meeting at the gym in the basement, so we thought it would be easiest to eat in the dining room.”

“Dallas is the guy who wants to talk to me about making him a website?” I clarified.

“Yeah. Dallas Spencer. He’s a jeweler.” Nick found a parking spot and pulled in.

When we got out of the elevator on the top floor, I looked around. The halls were painted a rich gold color and dotted with expensive-looking paintings of scenes from various famous cities in Europe. Nick saw me looking at them and said, “You should see the ones upstairs. All male nudes doing very provocative things.” He winked at me.

“Oh, yeah? What’s upstairs?” I asked.

“That’s where people go to get to know one another better, if you know what I mean. There are some very interesting things up there, believe me.”

I looked at him curiously. “You go up there often?”

“No. But Royce has shown me.”

We passed several groups of men on our way to the dining room, and a few gave me interested once-overs that made my skin tingle with awareness. I’d been told all my life I was a good-looking man, but I really didn’t think there was anything special about me. If you’d seen one lean blond, you’d seen them all. Although flattering, attention and admiration made me a little uncomfortable, but I made an effort to meet each man’s gaze and not cast my eyes to the floor and hurry my steps like I wanted to.

We entered the dining room and were immediately led to a table in the corner where two casually dressed men sat. Both had damp hair as though they’d just showered. One, a powerfully built man with dark hair and a goatee, stood at our approach and smiled at Nick fondly before shaking my hand.

“You must be Tony,” he said, dark eyes warm.

“And you must be Royce,” I returned. “Good to meet you.”

“This is my good friend, Dallas Spencer. Dallas, Tony Sarto.” Royce’s broad-shouldered companion stood, obvious pleasure warming his blue-green eyes.

“Sarto. Italian?” he asked.

I nodded as I shook his hand. “My father was Italian, but my mother is Swedish.”

“That explains your unusual looks,” Dallas said. “I hope I’m not too forward in saying you are an exceptionally attractive man with that blond hair and olive skin. Not to mention the blue eyes.” I felt myself blushing, and Dallas continued, “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. Nick here says you’re very talented.”

I glanced at Nick, who gave me a look that plainly said, Well, you are.

“I hope I can live up to Nick’s confidence in me,” I said, and Nick rolled his eyes.

“He will, don’t worry. He’s just infuriatingly modest.”

We sat, and a waiter approached our table with menus.

“Do you live in the city?” Dallas asked me after we’d all ordered drinks and the waiter had left.

“Clinton Hill,” I said, watching for a reaction to the area, which wasn’t exactly impressive. I didn’t get one. Ten points for him.

“Lots of diversity there,” Dallas said, smiling.

“Yes,” I agreed.

“Did you have a nice workout, Daddy?” Nick asked Royce. Dallas didn’t seem fazed at the moniker. I, on the other hand, was a little uncomfortable. It would take some getting used to.

“A hard one, Nicky. I have to keep myself in shape so I can keep up with you.” Royce tugged gently at Nick’s earlobe.

The server returned with our drinks, and the four of us fell into easy conversation. While we talked, I observed Royce and Nick. Royce brought to my mind the term gentle giant. He smiled indulgently at Nick when the younger man spoke, but the longer I watched them, the more I felt like Nick was bored. I could imagine him pushing at some kind of invisible boundary, trying to get a rise out of Royce but failing with the patient man.

The chicken cordon bleu I’d ordered was delicious. Dallas offered me a portion of his porterhouse steak, but I politely declined, not particularly fond of red meat, although I ate it sometimes. Nick seemed out of sorts the more the night wore on and poked dejectedly at his chef salad as Royce, seemingly oblivious to his boy’s mood, ate his shrimp and pasta dish with gusto as he spoke about his last trip overseas.

Our meals finished, the server approached with the dessert menu. I was far too full but encouraged the others to order.

“I’m just going to find the restroom.” I stood and headed for the hallway.