Mixed Signals

by Cooper West

  Benjamin let out a heavy breath and wiped a hand over his mouth. Things were well beyond containment at that point. He emailed Corsak to let him know they might have to move up the time table and then debated what to do. If he went with Corsak suggesting that there was a scandal, Teague would bail on the sting and they would be left with no proof. If he did nothing in response to López’s email, she would turn to CNN or FOX or, hell, TMZ. Sheldon-Kane felt like they had enough “evidence” to at least raise serious questions, but was probably hoping that MudzNewz, aka Benjamin, would do the footwork. Which, ironically, he was already doing.

  He held his hands over the keyboard, wondering when it all became such a mess. He wanted to go to Frank right then and tell him everything, confess to MudzNewz and his crush on Frank and shoplifting a pack of cookies when he was ten. He had always felt good about the secrecy surrounding him as the operator of one of the most infamous career-destroying political sites on the web, but he was having a hard time reconciling that when someone he cared about was going to be ground through the gears of this particular scandal.

  Collateral damage was a hazard of the job. It was luck that Rachel had not been dragged into the case against Lamarque, and some days Benjamin was still haunted by the photos of the girls who were dragged into it—the way so many people shamed them and called them whores, when they were just fifteen-year-old children who had desperately searched for security and love only to end up abused by a monster. Some of the stories Benjamin had broken were victimless crimes—politicians taking bribes or drugs or sexual favors—but usually there was someone standing on the sideline who got hit by the shrapnel of a career exploding in scandal. Often it was the family who had no idea what was going on and got blindsided by just how terrible a person their spouse/parent turned out to be.

  This time, it was Frank who was going to be dragged into the spotlight and through the mud, and that nearly made Benjamin sick to his stomach.

  He swallowed and opened an email to respond to López. He wrote like a jerk, telling her that MudzNewz did not trade in baseless gossip and that without proof he would not touch the story with a ten-foot pole, adding in snidely that no one cared about Frank Sheldon because he was already out and wasn’t even running for office. He ended with a flourish, suggesting that he knew full well who had sent the email and that if “CL” thought they could make MudzNewz a propaganda tool for the Sheldon-Kane campaign, she was sorely mistaken. He was playing hardball, but if anything, it would keep her from going anywhere else with the “tip” and might also motivate her to find their own proof, which, combined with what Corsak could get out of Teague, might be enough to ensnare the asshole.

  He packed it up then, wanting to get ready for his next training flight in less than an hour. Frank had started picking him up at his house, which simplified things for Benjamin even if it meant Frank had to go out of his way, all the way across town, to do it.

  It wasn’t surprising to find Frank in a silent, sullen mood. Benjamin waffled between letting him stew or trying to pull conversation out of him, but by the time he made up his mind, they were at the executive airport.

  Frank gave him a few strained, insincere smiles as they went about their by-then well-oiled routine. Once they were in the air, Frank’s posture relaxed a little. He had moved to sitting in the copilot seat while Benjamin took the primary controls a few flights prior, but kept his focus on the plane. It was a level of trust that had not existed when they first started, and Benjamin treasured it. It was hard not to needle Frank about his mood, but he kept things friendly and businesslike. It seemed to be working to thaw Frank out right up to the point they were back on the ground, when all the tension that had seeped out of him while they were flying through the sky came crashing back down. Benjamin followed along, uncertain of how to help Frank but wanting to do something. He walked next to Frank as they headed out to the parking lot, feeling guilty about knowing too much and doing so little, and agonizing over what, if anything, he could say to help lighten the stress that was written in every step Frank took.

  It was only then he realized just how far gone he was on the guy. Because, he thought, bad timing was definitely something of a Kaplan family legacy.

  Chapter Nineteen

  FRANK KNEW he was being an asshole. He was rattled by Paulie and his sister and everything, but for a change, being around Benjamin wasn’t helping.

  Because it wasn’t enough to just be around Benjamin, to have him nearby and yet so far away. The fact that Benjamin had been quiet and deferential throughout the flight hit home just how much keeping things “friendly” put distance between them. It was an itch under Frank’s skin that he wanted, no, needed to scratch.

  He stopped next to his car, standing there with the key fob in his hand.

  Benjamin stood next to him. “Frank?” He sounded cautious, uncertain. It sounded wrong.

  “Can I trust you?” His hand flexed, squeezing the fob. He needed to trust Benjamin. He needed to know if Benjamin was willing to accept that kind of responsibility.

  Benjamin paused, and Frank wondered what was going through his head, but in the end he simply nodded.

  “So the ex? Who I thought may or may not have set me up to get booted out of the Air Force?”

  “Frank—”

  “It was Paulson Teague,” Frank snarled. “And apparently he’s being blackmailed by Corsak, or something. I don’t know. Paulie texted me, accusing me of siccing Corsak on him.” It felt so good just to say it like that, feeling the anger as it coursed through him.

  “What?” Benjamin yelped.

  “Yeah.” Frank nodded grimly.

  “Why… uh, why are you telling me this?”

  “Because my lawyer thinks this is going to blow up. It’s no coincidence that Corsak decided to grab this opportunity. I don’t know why that son of a bitch is making a money grab now, because it’s been seven fucking years.” Frank heaved out a sigh. “Not my problem, really, except for how this could impact Nancy’s campaign. They have decided to give MudzNewz some kind of inside scoop, or a tip-off, I don’t know.”

  Benjamin turned so that he was facing Frank, resting against the door of the car. He squinted up at the sky before replying. “What can MudzNewz do without proof, though?”

  Frank shrugged. “Nothing, in my opinion, but my opinion doesn’t count for much. Nancy is on the war path; she’s always hated Paulie, and hated my relationship with him. She has the opportunity to attack him, hurt him badly, and she’s going to take it.”

  “That’s pretty hard-core of her,” Benjamin said. He looked uncomfortable, but Frank could hardly blame him.

  “The word you are looking for is ‘ruthless,’ and yes, she is.” Frank bared his teeth in a smile that felt more like a painful grimace.

  Benjamin nodded but then shook his head. “I have a hard time imagining you with Teague.”

  Frank rolled his shoulders, then shrugged. “You and me both, in retrospect. Maybe he got worse as he got older. Maybe it was all about the fact that opposites attract. We broke up and got back together so many times, it’s not even funny. I should not even be surprised that he set me up. He’s just that kind of fucker.”

  “You seem pretty sure about that, now.”

  “Honestly it’s the only explanation for why he’d text me about Corsak. Which I kind of wish he hadn’t, because it gave Nancy the green light to go after him. She’s playing with fire, and chances are good that if MudzNewz or anyone picks up this story, Teague is going to get outed in a very public way. Which I joke about sometimes but would not wish on anyone. Not even someone like him.”

  Benjamin snorted. “That makes you more noble than I am. Teague is antiqueer, and supported that ridiculous ‘Gender Protection Law’ to keep transgender people out of bathrooms. Forever, you’d think, like he’d be happy if they never peed again. If he gets outed because he literally set you up to get thrown out of the military based on DADT, then fuck him. He earned it.”

  “Y
ou and Nancy will get along just great,” Frank mumbled.

  “Is that your way of asking me to dinner with the family? I’m already on a first-name basis with your dad, you know.” Benjamin smiled.

  Frank appreciated the lighthearted attempt at changing the topic, but he was not in the mood to play games. “Now that really would be a date.”

  Benjamin blushed.

  “I thought you said no dating,” Frank said, moving to lean against the car next to Benjamin, their shoulders brushing, his anger at Paulie bubbling away in excitement and anxiety.

  “Yeah, and look how well you’ve been following that rule.”

  “We’re not dating,” Frank pointed out, shoving his shoulder harder against Benjamin, who shoved back.

  “Oh sure, you just never let me pick up the check for dinner. Total coincidence.”

  Frank pouted at him. “Maybe I’m just a nice guy.”

  Benjamin rolled his eyes. “Or maybe you aren’t used to getting turned down and now feel like it’s a challenge,” Benjamin said, sounding a little bitter.

  They stood there in silence for a moment while Frank gathered his thoughts. Benjamin shifted a little but did not look at him.

  “You’re a challenge.” Frank nodded and Benjamin’s expression fell. Frank stood up straight and held up one finger to point at him. “You’ve been a challenge since the first moment I met you. You were a challenge to talk to, to get to know. You’ve been a challenge for every minute I’ve known you. You keep me on my toes. Yeah, I haven’t had anyone turn me down for sex since I was old enough to get a hard-on, but I don’t even care about that.” He moved to point at the small airport behind them. “See that? That’s my first love: flying. No one will ever come close to that, and most guys I’ve dated can’t handle it. You? You want to share that love with me, to learn how to fly and build a fucking flying car just so you can fly every day if you want.” He moved to stand directly in front of Benjamin, too closely for casual comfort, but Benjamin did not move, his eyes wide and shocked. “You’re brilliant and sexy and cute and a damn challenge. You don’t want to date me? Okay. I’m trying to respect that, but I still want to spend time with you. If this is all one-sided, I can live with that, but at least let me have this much of you, let me have your friendship and companionship and I’ll make it work. I swear to God, I’ll do anything to make it work.”

  Frank felt a little stunned at having said so much, but he held his ground.

  Benjamin stared back for a long moment, then without warning raised his hands and placed his soft, strong fingers against Frank’s jaw, pulling him in closer. He pressed a gentle kiss on his lips.

  They both froze in shock. Benjamin took a deep breath and started to fall back and away, but Frank’s arms shot out and snapped around Benjamin’s waist, hauling him back so hard and fast he nearly lost his balance. With a huff, Frank got them settled on their feet, then set in on him, his mouth hot and wet, firmly demanding its right to own Benjamin’s lips. Benjamin groaned into it, the vibration of the sound shooting through Frank’s whole body. He scrambled for a second but grabbed on to Frank’s shoulders, holding him in place as they kissed like their lives depended on it.

  They barely moved otherwise, hands locked in place, as if they were both scared that shifting in any way would break the spell. Benjamin made soft little whining noises into his kiss, though, and Frank had to lock his knees to keep from rolling them down onto the asphalt of the parking lot. For all that, it was a tentative kiss, long on intent but not lewd. Frank was happy to follow Benjamin’s lead, keeping his lips barely parted, tongues teasing as lips moved against each other in slow motion.

  Benjamin settled back against the passenger-side door, panting. “Holy shit.”

  Frank felt as rattled as Benjamin looked, but Benjamin growled at him. “Only someone as beautiful as Frank Sheldon could end a make-out session more rakishly handsome than when he started,” he said, although his eyes were fond.

  Frank leaned away but kept his hands tight around Benjamin’s waist. “Are you going to call it off now, Dr. Kaplan?”

  “You asshole,” Benjamin hissed, trying not to laugh.

  “You started it. Literally. Me? Standing here, baring my heart to you, and then suddenly I’m accosted! Out of the blue!”

  “Oh shut up,” Benjamin said, rolling his eyes.

  “No. I’m not shutting up. Not until you agree that we are, in fact, dating.” He grinned at Benjamin.

  “Fine. Fine! We’re dating. Happy now?” Benjamin slung his arms over Frank’s shoulders.

  Frank tipped his head forward until their foreheads were touching and closed his eyes. “Only if that’s what you want, Benjamin. I told you, I’ll take what I can get. I’m falling for you, but that’s not your problem if you don’t want it to be.”

  “Oh for fuck’s sake, c’mere and kiss me.” Benjamin yanked him into a kiss. It felt right and risky and passionate—it felt like they were flying.

  Frank pushed himself off Benjamin before they got indecent in the parking lot. “We’re leaving,” he said, trying to look businesslike as he shepherded Benjamin into his car, but feeling the flush to his toes.

  “I, ah—” Benjamin stuttered but allowed himself to be manhandled. “Okay.”

  “Your place.”

  “Rachel’s at work, yeah, okay.” Benjamin still looked stunned. “Are we…?”

  “Damn right we are,” Frank answered, nodding vigorously. Benjamin grinned.

  By now, Frank knew the route to Benjamin’s home, a nice but not fancy city house that took up most of its lot. The bushes and trees were overgrown and unkempt, but the grass was cut and the exterior was clean, although Frank did not care about any of that as he bustled Benjamin up the walk to the front door.

  Benjamin got them inside and suddenly stalled out, looking at Frank with wide eyes. “Really?”

  Frank rolled his eyes, stepped forward, and pushed Benjamin into the wall as he used his free hand to slam the front door shut behind them. Muscling closer until they were touching all the way down their bodies and Benjamin was starting to pant, Frank leaned in to the shorter man as if to kiss him, but stopped.

  “You’re the one who thought we were dating.”

  “Not really, I just thought it was a possibility. I hoped? You’re, uh, pretty persistent.”

  Frank nodded. “Usually. I was beginning to think that you weren’t interested at all, though.” He breathed out, blowing warm air over Benjamin’s jaw and making him squirm. “You played hard to fucking get.”

  “Oh, interested! Yes, yes very interested! But, uh, no, I wasn’t playing at anything. Don’t know if you noticed, but I’m not really in your league. You noticed that, right?”

  “Not many people are. My father’s a billionaire, and I got a plane for my sixteenth birthday. But just because you don’t belong to the country club and don’t have a lot of money… dammit, I don’t care about that. Any of that.”

  Benjamin blinked in confusion, then puffed up in annoyance, which Frank did not find adorable at all. “It’s not about the money!”

  Frank frowned at him. “It’s not?”

  “I don’t care about your money!”

  Frank rolled his eyes. “Everyone cares about our money.”

  “Okay, maybe a little. Who wouldn’t? I’m only human! A human whose hot water heater is old and finicky and needs replacing, and… okay, never mind. I didn’t mean that.” Benjamin flushed and looked off to the side. “I just mean, you’re beautiful. And I’m, uh, not so much.”

  Frank pushed in close to kiss him again and sucked on his tongue, going for deep and wet. Benjamin was on board with that idea, grabbing at Frank’s waist to haul him in even closer. Their groins pressed together, cocks plump and, at least in Frank’s case, firming up quickly. He rolled his hips, causing Benjamin to gasp into his mouth. It was dead sexy, and Frank groaned with the hot burn of desire rushing through his veins.

  Frank moved to grab Benjamin’s upper arms,
pressing him harder against the wall, and shoved his thigh in between Benjamin’s legs.

  Benjamin hauled his head back, looking up at the ceiling. “Really. Hot.”

  “Yeah, you are.” Frank trailed off, smiling, kissing Benjamin’s neck lightly and letting up on the pressure between them, allowing Benjamin to decide the pace.

  Benjamin wrapped his arms around Frank’s shoulders again and pulled him back, rising up on his toes to gain leverage and kissing frantically while trying to talk. “Ysmph… yes… mmm—” His hips stuttered against Frank’s thigh, his cock hard in his pants. Frank angled up to force Benjamin’s thigh against his own erection, and they were quickly into a humping rut against the wall.

  Frank shoved himself backward. “I am not coming in my pants in the foyer.”

  Benjamin blinked. “This isn’t a foyer, Richie Rich, it’s a living room.”

  “Whatever, Einstein. Bedroom. Now.”

  Benjamin sprung off the wall and practically jogged to the back of the house. He pulled open a door and entered a small bedroom that looked frozen in time from 1999. Including an early Star Wars: Phantom Menace poster. Frank stopped to stare at it.

  “Look, I didn’t know the movie was going to suck.” Benjamin stood defensively by the bed, which took up most of the room and was very rumpled.

  “Is this the room you grew up in?” Frank crossed his arms.

  Benjamin looked uncomfortable. “No. It’s… it’s the master bedroom, I guess. My old room is down the hall—” He pointed.

  Frank walked over and gave Benjamin a slow, full body hug. Benjamin sighed, leaning into him. “Sorry, I wasn’t…. Can we just pick up where we left off in the foyer?”

  “The living room,” Benjamin snarled, and then they were kissing again.

  Frank pushed them back onto the bed, using his long-neglected hand-to-hand combat training to control the fall and end up on top. He crawled up Benjamin to straddle his hips.

  “That is so hot,” Benjamin whined, rubbing his hands over Frank’s thighs.