The Case of the Voracious Vintner

by Tara Lain

  Jeremy stiffened. “Do you believe her?”

  “No.” He exhaled. “Maybe a little. She says she sent the release exactly the way I saw it to the wire service last night. You know what time I got to your place. It was still way before midnight, which was her deadline. So if she sent it after she got home or to the office, there was still time for someone else to call and change it.”

  “Ottersen.”

  “Of course. And as her boss, he’d have had the authority to edit the release.”

  “God damn him to hell. I actually thought for a little while that something good had happened to me.” His chest heaved on a gasp.

  Heat filled every cell, and Bo heard rushing in his ears. They’d hurt Jeremy. Funny, smart, adorable Jeremy. He’d been bouncing back from Ottersen’s blows for months, but this…. He’d been so excited and amazed at the win. Now it was worse than if he hadn’t won anything. “Oh, darlin’.” Bo’s lips traveled from Jeremy’s hairline to his cheekbone. When his lips touched the corner of Jeremy’s mouth, for an instant Jeremy froze; then he turned in Bo’s arms and planted those soft-as-eiderdown lips right on top of Bo’s.

  Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. It wasn’t that Bo had never been kissed. He’d been kissed the first time in middle school by a boy who headed the junior dressage team. He’d accosted Bo, who was also on the team, in the stables, and with the warm, sweet smell of horses all around them, he’d pushed Bo against the wall and kissed him senseless, his hard erection pressing against Bo’s. Way too confused and turned-on to fight, Bo had tried to learn the rules before he even knew the name of the game and kissed back. Then the boy, Izzy, had whispered, “I figured you were a fag. Don’t tell anybody, or I’ll say you came on to me, and everyone will believe it. I’ll wreck this school for you, got it?”

  He got it.

  Now, some piece of Bo’s brain still screamed What are you doing, idiot? but his body knew the answer far too well. His lips parted, his cock unfolded like a flower finally reaching sunshine, and he wrapped Jeremy so tight there was no light between them.

  Sweet Jesus, listen to those noises. Jeremy moaned and whimpered, and Bo’s deeper grunts joined in the chorus. Bo’s tongue shifted, caressing Jeremy’s and battling him for who got to explore the deepest.

  Suddenly Jeremy pulled back, still gasping but also frowning. Not a good look at this particular moment. “You’re gay.” The crease between his eyebrows got deeper. “Either you’re gay, or I’m irresistible and gay-for-you is real.”

  “That’s true.” He could barely catch his breath. “That you’re irresistible, I mean.”

  That frown was becoming unhappily familiar. “Why didn’t you just tell me? We could have saved a lot of jerking off.”

  “All the reasons you know. My family, mostly. My business, some. With everything going on, I thought it would be better not to start something.” Bo raised his shoulders and let them drop. “You could decide you’ve had enough of this mess and just leave. I’d lose you.”

  “And you weren’t willing to take a chance?”

  “If it meant giving up my life as I know it and losing you? It’s a testament to how much I care about you that I’ve been thinking about telling you every time I’ve seen you.”

  “Jesus, that’s why I’ve been picking up such mixed messages.”

  “Yes. Quite honestly, I also didn’t want you to think that my help was contingent on you being my, uh, lover. Like I’d been buttering you up to get in your pants.”

  Jeremy crossed his arms across his chest. “Have you?”

  Bo wiped a hand across his face. “I like you and I’m attracted to you. I can’t separate them. But I do know I believe you’re getting a rotten deal from Ottersen, and I think you deserve help—from me and anyone else who chooses to give it. Those are my motives.”

  Jeremy slid the crossed arms up until they were folded on top of his head. “It’s not like I’d prefer that you weren’t gay and didn’t want me. Damn, I’ve been on the verge of jumping you since the day we met. But I don’t want you getting mixed up in a hopeless cause.” He sighed. “We can have sex, and you sure don’t need to be my knight in shining armor to do it.”

  “What if I want to be?”

  Jeremy buried his head against Bo’s shoulder. “Give it up, Bo. I think he’s won, or he’s well on his way to winning.”

  Bo gripped Jeremy’s upper arms and gazed into his face. “Hell no. Fuck no. If I have to write a message in the sky, people are going to know that the news release was a lie engineered by an enemy. I can’t directly accuse Ottersen unless I can prove it, but everyone we know will understand.”

  Jeremy shook his head, the matted golden hair still waving around his face. “Why are you so stubborn?”

  Bo sighed softly, pressing his lips to Jeremy’s hair. “Because I care about you and I know you didn’t cheat. I can’t let you go through this mess all alone.”

  Jeremy snuggled his head further under Bo’s chin and snuffled. Bo rocked him gently until his breathing slowed a little.

  He tried mightily to just give comfort and not feel the hard heat of Jeremy’s lean body, but the warmth seemed to be turning to fire. Jeremy’s slow breath picked up, matching Bo’s heart. His cock stretched in his pants, and he wriggled a little to keep the erection away from Jeremy’s thigh.

  “Bo?” Jeremy’s whisper tickled Bo’s neck.

  “Hmmm?”

  “Your messages don’t seem to be mixed anymore.”

  “Feel free to ignore them.”

  “Not a chance.” Jeremy raised his head and in one smooth move, captured Bo’s mouth.

  Oh yes, nutrition for a starving man.

  Enthusiastically, Bo’s tongue plundered hidden depths, and Jeremy seemed to have come to the end of his disbelief. He wrapped himself around Bo in a move worthy of a monkey, even making monkey noises.

  When their lips finally parted, Jeremy whispered, “Top or bottom?”

  Whoa. That inspired heart palpitations. “I better top. It’s been so long since I bottomed, it’d take a year to get me loose enough to penetrate.”

  “Truthfully, I’m not much better.”

  That made Bo ridiculously happy.

  “We’re pretty sorry excuses for hot dates.” Jeremy pressed his lips against Bo’s.

  Bo nibbled Jeremy’s bottom lip while his own bottom throbbed. “I seem to recall from somewhere in the past that we can have sex without, uh, having sex.”

  “Oh yeah.” He grabbed Bo’s hand. “Follow my every move.” He pulled Bo after him as he rushed down the hall, arriving at—angels surely sang—a bedroom!

  Jeremy turned and backed toward the bed, holding both Bo’s hands in his. His bare chest gleamed in the soft bedroom light, enhanced by the golden mane falling over his shoulders. Even better, the front of his jeans stood out like he was smuggling chinchillas.

  Jeremy’s jeans pulled tight across the escaping beast as he sat on the bed, then scooted back, still pulling Bo toward him. For a second, Bo wasn’t sure what to do, but Jeremy kept pulling until Bo’s only choice was to fall on top of him.

  Then he needed no instruction. He pressed his mouth into Jeremy’s while he wriggled until most of their parts fit together. While Jeremy was tall, Bo was taller, so getting cock to cock and still kissing was a challenge.

  While Bo was readjusting his mouth, Jeremy said, “Too many clothes.”

  He ardently agreed but hated to give up those delicious lips, so he tried to keep kissing as he writhed his way out of his jeans. He managed to get them somewhere below his hips using one hand, but then he was stuck. Besides, he was still wearing his sneakers, so eventually he had to quit kissing.

  Jeremy pushed his chest. “Up.”

  Bo obeyed, rising with his knees on either side of Jeremy’s legs, though hindered by the stretch of his partly removed pants.

  Jeremy moved back, sat up, and shook his head. “This isn’t working. Stand up and remove those jeans, cowboy.”

&n
bsp; Bo pushed backward and slid his legs off the bed, managed to stand, then pulled up his jeans again so he could get his shoes off. After the shoes he stripped off his shirt and then slid his thumbs into both his jeans and his boxer briefs and started to pull. Wait. He looked up at Jeremy, who gazed at Bo with wide, avid eyes. Hmm. Let’s make this a bit more fun.

  He turned his back.

  “Hey, wait a minute. I want to see.”

  “Oh you will, darlin’. Don’t you worry.” He pulled the pants and briefs down on one side, giving Jeremy a clear view of one buttock, and a pretty firm one at that.

  “Oh yeah.” Jeremy licked his lips, and Bo wanted to offer spots he could put that tongue, but all in good time.

  He performed the same gradual reveal on the other cheek, then turned slowly. As Bo had hoped, Jeremy glued his attention to the target.

  Bo slid his waistband down another inch. Jeremy grinned. This was fun. Only problem was, he was trying to tantalize Jeremy, but he was seducing himself too. His erection was so hard, it hurt.

  With a smile back, he slid the elastic over one very anxious cockhead.

  Jeremy licked his lips. “Hi, there. Aren’t we a grown-up boy?”

  Bo felt the blush creeping up his cheeks. Yes, he knew he was well-endowed, but he never much thought about it. Not since college, when his dick had gotten him a little attention, both positive and negative. Some guys just didn’t want it near their butts, not that he’d been very romantically active. He’d attended a college close to home, and there had been too much chance of talk. He yanked his pants and briefs down and let the beast free. “Too much?”

  “Whoa. Just enough.” Jeremy smiled.

  All attempts at a career as a male stripper gone, Bo stepped out of the jeans, kicked them aside, and dragged his shirt over his head.

  Jeremy’s grin got bigger. “Look at all that loveliness. I didn’t imagine you’d be quite so fit.”

  Bo shrugged. “I’m a farmer. I work hard. Hey, I’m a wimp compared to you.”

  Jeremy looked oddly uncomfortable for a second; then the grin snapped back. “Not in the family jewels department. There you win by a mile.” He pulled open the fly of his jeans and showed off their enthusiastic resident.

  “More like an inch, I’d say.”

  “Bring that farmer’s helper over here and let’s do some milking.” His blue eyes glinted as he slid off his jeans and lay gloriously naked, dressed only in silken hair.

  Wow. Just wow. That sounded so ridiculously good, Bo could have come just from the thought. He got to lie down next to that breathing wet dream and do—something wonderful. It boggled his mind.

  Still, he felt almost shy. Carefully he sat on the edge of the bed, then stretched himself out until he was lying next to Jeremy, not touching. “I barely believe I get to do this.”

  Jeremy scooted closer until just the tips of their dicks touched, like a little kiss. “Believe it.”

  Suddenly Bo’s brain—the one in his head—took over. He pressed his fingertips against Jeremy’s rock-hard chest. “I-I wish I could say that I’ll take care of you and never let anyone hurt you again. I wish I could be—someone else, who has no qualms about—being who he is.”

  Jeremy touched his lips. “It’s okay. I understand. I just want this so much that I’ll settle for what I can get. I can’t promise I’ll feel that way forever, or even tomorrow, but I do now. If that’s okay, I’m going to kiss you.”

  Was it okay? They were both desperate for sex. How would they feel tomorrow? The simple answer was he didn’t care. He wanted this too, desperately, in body and soul. “Yes.”

  Jeremy closed the inches between them, and his warm lips and seeking tongue drove the last vestige of doubt from Bo’s brain. Soft, inquisitive exploring turned to hot flaming passion in seconds, and Jeremy wrapped his arms around Bo and drew him close but didn’t get on top—or pull Bo on top.

  In seconds Bo knew why—as the gasp pulled his lips away from Jeremy’s. Jeremy’s strong hand wrapped around his own cock and then around Bo’s. Well, almost around Bo’s. Jeremy whispered, “When I conceived this move, I didn’t quite plan on the girth of Donkey Kong down there.” He smiled. “Give me your hand.”

  Of course, Bo’s big hands went along with the size of his penis, so he was able to wrap almost around Jeremy’s fist, gripping both cocks. Jeremy squeezed. Bo moaned and did likewise.

  “You like?”

  Nodding was all Bo could manage since his breath was being used for gasping. Holy angels of mercy, that feels good.

  “Show me your pumping skills, Farmer Bo. And look at me while you do it.”

  Bo fluttered his lashes open to find Jeremy’s intense blue eyes inches away, gazing into his very heart. Jeremy gripped tighter, and Bo did too. Together they began a slow pumping. “Oh God, oh God.”

  “Good?”

  “Beyond.” His eyes wanted to close.

  “Keep staring at me. I want to see you go crazy.” He intensified the jerking motion until Bo’s hips were snapping in time to the rhythm.

  “You’ll make me blush.”

  “Good. I want it all. Your blushes and your moans and whimpers and screams.”

  “Oh. Oh God, you’re going to get them.” Bo’s head snapped back, and Jeremy slicked his tongue up Bo’s throat from Adam’s apple to chin. Bo giggled.

  “Don’t look away.”

  “O-okay.” It was intense staring into those eyes, but the heat built until he could barely see anyway. Their hands worked together. Jeremy varied the rhythm for a while, stroking long and slow and then jerking quickly. But neither of them had the staying power to take that teasing for long. Their dicks leaked profusely, and they panted like dogs in heat.

  Finally, eyes glazing over, Jeremy gave up and just started pumping like a son of a bitch.

  “Holy shit! Oh God, Jeremy, I won’t last. Too much. Too much!”

  “Just the right amount, darlin’.” Emulating Bo’s drawl, Jeremy grinned until his mouth flew open. “Oh, oh God. Shit. I’m—oh man—” His head dropped back, and a wail poured from his throat while the heat of his cum squished around his fingers, filling Bo’s hand.

  But Jeremy didn’t stop jerking. He let his own cock go and used the sticky slick of the cum to pump Bo like he expected oil. “Come. Now. Come for me.”

  He didn’t have to ask twice. Holy streams of heaven, can a person live without the top of his head? “Ah, ah, ah!” He didn’t just come, his cock blasted off into the lower atmosphere, taking his eyesight and all the nerves in Bo’s body with it. He couldn’t stop trembling as more juice than he knew he had shot from him in spurt after spurt of ecstasy. “Sweet mother of heavenly mercy, is that even legal?” All the straining muscles in Bo’s body let go at once, and he dissolved into noodle soup.

  “Not in some parts of the world.”

  “The last time I produced an orgasm like that, I think I was fourteen.”

  Jeremy chuckled. “Sex keeps you young.”

  “Sex with you sure does.”

  Of course, worrying about what happened next would put the age back on.

  Chapter Thirteen

  JEREMY OPENED his eyes, smiled, stretched his arms, and felt the smile fade. No Bo. No, he hadn’t sneaked out like some ninja. They’d done another round of creative hand jobs and, after they’d both contributed their second stream of cum to Jeremy’s hand and sheets, Bo explained that he should go home since he didn’t want to raise too many questions about his whereabouts, plus he wanted to get to work on dispelling the lies in the news release.

  Jeremy rolled over and inhaled. The scent of Bo, all musky and fresh, filled the whole bed. I could just stay here inhaling all day. He’d tried to get some sleep after Bo left, but no go. Hell, it was midmorning by then.

  His phone rang, and he grabbed it from the bedside table. Bo? He was actually disappointed it was Christian. “Hi.”

  “Oh my God, Jeremy, what the hell did that Sage woman do to us? To you? Everyone who did
n’t attend the event will think you cheated to win. Shit, I could cry. I was wanting to send out an email blast to all our customers bragging about how great we are.” He drew a breath and actually sounded like he was crying.

  “Unfortunately, I don’t know. She swears she didn’t do it. Of course, she works for Ottersen, so who the fuck can trust a word she says?”

  “This is just awful!” It was a wail.

  Jeremy took a breath. “Tell you what. I’ll call Genna Greenstein and ask her for a quote to go in our email on the validity and excellence of the contest. At least that should count for something.”

  “Okay. Do it quick.” Christian hung up.

  Talk about mood killers. He pushed himself up, swung his legs out of bed, and ran a hand through the mane. Bo was addictive, but just how much was Jeremy willing to put up with? A grown man who cowered in front of his own mother? Damn, as if I can talk. My whole life is about escaping my family. Of course, it seemed unlikely that Bo’s mama would kill him.

  He stood, realized his hand was still crusty from cum, sighed, and walked nude to the bathroom. A half hour later, he’d taken a shower and called Genna, who was all outrage over the release and happily agreed to the quote, which he forwarded to Christian. Then, hair still damp, he piled into his old Toyota and headed for Marchand.

  Halfway down the long dirt road to his house—yes, it had been chosen for its hideout characteristics—Jeremy’s phone rang. He glanced at the screen. Do I know that number? It was local. He clicked it on. “This is Jeremy.”

  “I knew you damned well cheated.” The sneering voice sounded familiar.

  “Who the fuck is this?”

  “It’s Ezra Hamilton, and I didn’t think you’d stoop so low in public.”

  Jeremy hissed breath between his teeth. “First, let me ask you this. Was your win rigged? Did you pay off the judges?”

  “Of course not! What do you think I am?”

  He wanted to ask what Ezra thought he was, but he already knew. “Well, I didn’t pay them off either and neither did Bo.”

  “I never said Bo cheated.”

  “Since he and I were together planning the whole damned event, how could I have paid somebody off without him suspecting?”