“You need to get some sleep.”
Derek shook his head. “I’m too wired still.” There was such a long pause that he opened his eyes again to look at Brad. “What?” he asked when he saw Brad watching him like a hawk—a very predatory hawk.
“I know a way to get you to unwind.”
Derek cocked an eyebrow. “Lesson number three?”
Brad chuckled. “Are you reading my mind?”
“Nope, just your expression. I’m up for that, no pun intended.”
“I see.” Brad glanced at Derek’s crotch. “No pun intended.” He moved closer. Close enough to cup the nape of Derek’s neck in one hand before leaning in to kiss him.
Derek instantly hardened even more than he already was, while returning the kiss hungrily. The next thing he knew, his shirt was being stripped off and Brad was kissing his throat, his collarbone, and each nipple, teasing them with his tongue. Derek felt sparks of electricity head straight to his groin. Suddenly he was in Brad’s arms, being carried to the bedroom while they kissed again.
As soon as his feet touched the floor, Derek quickly began unbuttoning Brad’s shirt. Once he had, he pushed it off Brad’s shoulders and reached for the button on his jeans.
Brad captured Derek’s hands. “Slow down. We have all night.” He put Derek’s arms behind his back, holding his wrists with one hand, tangling the fingers of his other hand in Derek’s hair. He kissed him, a heated, probing action when Derek opened his mouth to Brad’s questing tongue.
The kiss continued, firing Derek’s need until he couldn’t bear it any more—a need not only born from what was happening, but to erase the horrors he’d witnessed for the past few days. A need to feel…human again. He broke away, realized Brad no longer had his hands trapped behind him, and immediately went back to what he’d been doing before, stripping Brad of his jeans.
When Derek was finished, Brad picked him up again, set him on the bed, and peeled his jeans off him, stopping only long enough to rid him of his shoes and socks before finishing the job. He kissed him again, gently this time, before asking softly, “Are you sure you want to do this?”
Derek understood he meant moving on to the next level and nodded. “But I’m not certain if I’m ready for, well…”
“To have me in you. I suspect not.” Brad opened the nightstand drawer, taking out a condom and lube. Tearing open the condom, he sheathed Derek’s throbbing cock, saying, “From now on, you use one too.”
“You know. You were there watching,” Derek groaned, turning bright red.
Brad laughed, patting his shoulder. “Not watching, but I heard. The man was not a happy camper but at least he agreed to the condom. Still, we’re taking no chances.” While he talked, Brad stroked Derek’s erection. Then he handed him the lube. “Now you have to get me ready. Good lord, I sound like a school teacher.”
Derek grinned. “Well, you are teaching me.” He lubed his fingers while Brad lay back, lifting his legs.
“One finger at a time,” Brad cautioned when it looked like Derek was going for more. “I should have gotten a porn movie for you to watch first,” he added, chuckling.
“Um…no.” Derek inserted one finger, moving it around. He yelped when Brad suddenly arched up, saying “Right there.” Derek felt something, about the size of a walnut, and stroked it again, earning him a hissed “Yesss…” as Brad was instantly fully hard and erect. He kept it up until Brad breathlessly gasped, “If you don’t stop I’m going to come right now.”
Reluctantly, Derek did. He liked having such control over Brad. He slipped in another finger, using both of them to stretch him.
“Now, the next step,” Brad said.
Derek grinned. “Yes, teacher?”
Brad winked when he picked up the lube, squirted some onto Derek’s cock, making certain it was well covered.
“Damn,” Derek whispered, trying to ride Brad’s hand.
“There’s a better place to do that,” Brad pointed out, lying back and pulling his legs up again. He watched as Derek tentatively pressed the head of his cock to his entrance. “I won’t break,” he muttered, when Derek hesitated.
Clenching his teeth, Derek pushed in, and stopped again. “You’re so…so tight. I’m going to hurt you.”
Instead of replying with words, Brad lifted his hips, taking Derek farther in. Derek groaned. It felt…
“So good. Oh my God.”
“You should feel it from this side,” Brad told him, his words halfway between a laugh and a moan of pleasure. “Now, all the way in then…well, I think you know what comes next.”
Derek did, and he proved it. If he thought being sucked off was intense, this was ten times more so. He started to move faster, need driving him. He focused on the feeling, the look of pleasure on Brad’s face, and finally on his cock. Wrapping one hand around it, he pumped it to the same beat as he was riding Brad. When he felt Brad tighten around him, he knew he was going to come. He pulled back then thrust in hard, his balls tightening. Seconds after Brad shuddered and came, Derek did the same.
“Holy Hell,” Derek gasped when he could speak almost normally again.
“That about describes it,” Brad agreed, pulling Derek down to him.
They kissed and Derek felt Brad’s heartbeat against his chest. He wondered if his was going as fast, wondered if his breathing would slow down, and why he felt so sticky. He lifted up enough to look, realized Brad’s cum now decorated both their chests, and wrinkled his nose.
Brad laughed. “The wages of sin, D-Boy, so a shower is probably in order.”
“I want to just lie here. I don’t think…” Derek didn’t get to finish his sentence when he found himself unceremoniously moved off Brad’s chest and onto his back on the bed, the cool air hitting his almost flaccid, condom-encased cock. He pulled the condom off, tying it, then followed Brad into the bathroom.
Watching him as Brad stepped into the shower and the water ran down his muscular body almost sent Derek’s libido into gear again. Only the fact that he was suddenly beyond tired kept it at bay.
They showered quickly, toweled off, and returned to bed. When Brad set the alarm, he said, “We’re meeting with Samson at eight.”
“I don’t wanna.” Derek pouted. “I want to spend the day in bed with you.”
“Sorry, that’s not happening.”
For a moment, Derek wondered if he meant tomorrow—or ever—and was afraid to ask. Even more so when Brad wrapped his arms around him, kissing his temple, telling him is was time to sleep. He nestled into the embrace, closing his eyes.
* * * *
They shot open when a loud noise broke the silence. For a moment, Derek thought someone was pressing the apartment buzzer. Then he realized it was morning, the sun was shining through the window, the alarm had gone off, and the smell of coffee tantalized his senses.
“Rise and shine,” Brad said, coming into the bedroom. He was dressed and carried a large mug, which he set down on the nightstand. “We leave in twenty minutes.”
So Derek did, between gulps of coffee, and they took off to meet Samson.
Chapter 9
The debriefing seemed to take forever, at least in Derek’s opinion. Samson was there along with two CPD police detectives. By the time they had all finished asking him questions, he felt as if his brain had been drained. Once that was completed, Derek and Brad stopped back at the apartment just long enough for Brad to pick up his things then they headed to the airport. Derek slept though most of the flight home.
When they arrived in New Orleans, it was hot and humid, and yet Derek sighed happily when they got out of the cab in front of his apartment. “I love this. Almost as much as I loved Colorado.”
“Almost? You’re supposed to like it more. It’s the best city in the world.”
“How many have you been to?”
“More than my fair share. This is the first time I’ve ever really been settled in one place since I joined the Company.”
“That’s…
sad.”
“Naw. I like the travel, the adventure. Still it’s nice to have a place to come home to. Okay, I should rescue my bike from your lot and head home.”
Derek nodded, suddenly feeling let down. “Probably. Unless…It is almost dinner time if you want to eat first.”
“You have food?”
“Umm, probably not, be we could find a restaurant. There’s enough of them around.”
Brad looked thoughtful. “The café by the French Market.”
“Sure.”
“Mind if I leave my stuff in your place?”
“Of course not. Besides, I have to change. I feel like I’ve been in these clothes forever.”
They went up. Brad dropped his bags by the front door and settled on the sofa while Derek went into the bedroom. He came out a few minutes later wearing fresh jeans and a T-shirt. He was limping slightly, probably from having spent most of the day sitting. So when he said, “Let’s walk,” Brad frowned.
“You’re sure you’re up to it?”
Derek’s mouth tightened. “I wouldn’t have suggested it if I wasn’t.”
“Okay. Sorry. Let’s go get some good food and listen to passable jazz.”
“Sounds like fun.”
By the time they got to the café, Derek’s leg was aching, something he did his best to hide. Still he couldn’t help the sigh of relief when he sat down next to Brad at a table at the edge of the area next to a small park.
“D-Boy,” Brad said, frowning.
“I’m all right, honest. It’s just all the sitting and probably leftover tension from the last few days.”
“Okay. But if it gets worse, tell me.”
“I will.”
Brad took his hand. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
They both ordered gumbo and decided to share a seafood platter. By the time they finished eating, Derek was stuffed, but happy—and his leg had stopped aching, which was a definite plus.
Brad insisted they walk back slowly and kept one arm around Derek’s waist as they did. Derek didn’t know whether to be insulted that Brad though he needed to support, or happy that he did, and had offered it without comment. He decided on the latter.
When they were back in the apartment, Derek hesitated then asked shyly, “Do you…would you…you know?”
“Stay the night? Sure. But only if you promise to behave.” Brad grinned.
“If you insist.”
“Well—” Brad closed the distance between them, putting his hands on Derek’s shoulders “—I won’t, as long as it doesn’t bother your leg.”
“Screw my leg!”
“Not quite what I had in mind.”
They both broke into laughter as they headed to the bedroom.
* * * *
Two days later Derek was sitting in Samson’s office, alone except for his boss.
“What do you mean you sent him off on a job,” Derek asked, trying to rein in his dismay.
“You’re experienced enough you don’t need a babysitter any more, and he was needed somewhere else. And before you ask, it was sudden and he had to leave as soon as I got in contact with him to tell him about it.”
“When’s he coming back?”
“When the assignment’s over.”
“So what do I do in the meantime?”
“I have a job for you. There’s a new dealer in town…”
* * * *
Three weeks later Brad returned, but not alone. Derek didn’t even know he was back until he saw him leaving a restaurant down the street from the alley he was using for part of a drug sting. For a second his pulse quickened and he almost broke character, pushing off the wall to go greet him. Then he saw Brad was with another man, his arm around his waist as they talked. The man was tall, blond, and definitely hanging on Brad’s every word.
He’s working. He has to be.
Derek tried to believe what he was thinking. But something in their postures, in the way Brad looked at the man, said he was lying to himself.
Biting down on his anger and heartbreak, Derek went back to the job. When the informant he was waiting for appeared, Derek did what he was supposed to, got the information he needed, and he took off.
Twenty minutes later, he stormed into Samson’s office, made his report, then told him tersely, “Send me somewhere else. I’m getting too well known around here.” To an extent that was true, although no one had made him so far. But he knew it would happen one day if he wasn’t careful.
Samson said he’d take it under consideration.
It was two days before Derek heard from Samson, telling him to come to his office. When he arrived, Samson told him his request had been granted. He handed him the keys to what turned out to be a three-year-old SUV with Colorado plates.
“Pack up what you want to take with you. You’re expected in Denver three days from now.”
With a sharp nod, Derek left the office. Two hours later, he was on the road.
Chapter 10
Colorado, 2007
Derek twirled the martini glass between his fingers while he kept an eye open for the man he was to make contact with. At the moment, Derek looked older than his twenty-four years. His hair was now short and well styled, and he was wearing a conservative business suit. A briefcase sat on the floor at his feet.
While he waited, he checked out the other people in the club in downtown Grand Junction. The city was the largest on the Western Slope, so despite its reputation for being fairly conservative, he wasn’t surprised to see a few gay couples mixed in with the rest of the crowd.
The city was also the home of Jaime Torres. Once suspected of being a member of a minor Mexican drug cartel, he had chosen to retire to the States before someone decided to retire him permanently. He settled in Grand Junction and started what became a thriving auto dealership. Now a naturalized citizen, he was to all intents and purposes a model citizen, a member of the Chamber of Commerce, a devout churchgoer, and a loving husband and father of two grown sons.
Not so, according to John Larson, Derek’s boss in the Company. Torres was still in the drug trade. He was heavily involved in the manufacturing of illegal prescription drugs to be sold over the Internet. Derek’s assignment was to get the proof, starting with a meeting with Torres intermediary.
“Mr. Parker?”
Derek looked up and nodded. “Mr. Johnson?” When the man nodded, Derek invited him to have a seat.
Johnson did, setting his briefcase on the table then ordering a drink. While he waited for it to arrive, he handed Derek a file. “Here is the prospectus. I think you’ll find everything is in order.”
Derek opened the file and spent the next few minutes reading through it while sipping his Martini. “Very good. However—” he bent and opened his briefcase, taking out a sheet of paper, which he handed to Johnson “—I was asked to give you this. It’s a short list of additions my superior is interested in.”
Johnson took it, scanning it quickly, nodding when the waitress set his drink down beside him. “I see no problems here. I will, of course, run it past Mr. Torres. If he gives his okay, we should be able to get started by the end of the week.”
“Excellent. How soon after that can we expect to be able to pick up the first order?”
“You don’t pick it up. We deliver it.”
Derek slid the file back to Johnson. “We only deal with people we trust, for obvious reasons. Part of that trust requires that we pick up the first order, at the point of manufacture. My superior likes to see for himself that the conditions at the plant meet with his expectations. If that doesn’t happen—” Derek smiled tightly “—we’ll take our business elsewhere. I’m quite certain there are other people who would like to get their hands on an order of this magnitude.”
Johnson took a sip of his Manhattan. “I’ll have to talk to Mr. Torres, of course. You’re correct however; we don’t want to lose such a large and ongoing order.”
“Ongoing if we find the plant is well run,�
� Derek pointed out.
“Believe me, it is. I do understand your concerns, though, given the recent problems one company had that hit the news.”
“Precisely.” Derek picked up the file again. “Talk with him and let me know his answer. I’ll be at the Fairport Inn for the next two days.” He finished the last of his Martini, thanked Johnson for meeting with him, and left.
* * * *
The next day, Derek heard back from Johnson. Mr. Torres had agreed to the conditions imposed by Derek’s superior. The first shipment would be ready to be picked up the following Tuesday. As soon as he got the news, Derek left the hotel, heading to a park he’d discovered five blocks away. It was empty except for the area around the playground and a few older people taking their morning walks, with or without dogs in tow.
Finding a vacant bench, Derek sat and took out his phone to make a secured call.
“We’re in,” he said, when Larson answered.
“When?”
“Next Tuesday. They expect you to be with me, with a truck and a driver.”
“Perfect.”
“One added bonus. Mr. Torres will be there. Apparently he wants to meet you to discuss our increasing the order. I told him you were very secretive and would not meet him anywhere but at the manufacturing site.”
“And he bought that?” Larson asked, sounding surprised.
Derek chuckled. “I can be very persuasive when necessary.”
“All right. I’ll be in Monday evening, with everything set up to track us to the site. Do you have any idea if it’s in town or up in the mountains?”
“In the mountains. I was warned to make certain the truck was in good condition, as some of the roads are steep and narrow. Coming back down will be hard on the brakes.”
Derek could picture Larson frowning as he began thinking aloud, “The truck will be no problem. Getting our people up there undetected could be, especially since there won’t be much lead time.”
“Helicopters? It worked with the Wyoming case.”
“No. Too loud. We’ve got two small fixed-wing planes we can use if the weather permits.” There was a tapping sound and Derek knew Larson was thinking again. He tended to rap his pen on whatever was handy when he did. “We’ll go with the planes. Anything else you can tell me?”
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