Instead, I went into the kitchen and brewed a pot of coffee, finding the french roast in the freezer where I’d seen him grab it from. The aroma brought me back to our little apartment while we were in college. It was just a small one bedroom. Connor insisted I have the bedroom for my exercise equipment. I was looking for an inexpensive gym and he surprised me when we moved in, fitting all my gear from my parent’s house into the small room. Connor even bought a couple full-length mirrors to make it more gym-like. It was one of the sweetest things he’d done. I was able to go from studying to my work out without worrying about travel time. Of course, the first day we had to christen the gym.
I was standing there admiring my gift when Connor came up behind me. “You look mighty sexy standing there in complete shock.”
“I can’t believe you did all this while I was in class. How?” We didn’t have a vehicle. Getting back and forth to NYU was just a short taxi, bus or subway ride away. Depending on our mood. However, public transportation aside, there was no way to get the equipment across town.
“Your dad loaded it all up and drove it over. He helped me get it on the elevator and into the room. Then I organized it. You’ll notice it’s set up the way it was in your parent’s basement.”
“I see that,” I said dropping my bag on the floor and taking off my jacket. “This is amazing, baby. Just one more reason why I love you.” I placed both hands around his face and pulled him to me so I could kiss him.
“Well, I was hoping to get something out of it.” Connor reached around and squeezed my ass. “And now we get the college dorm feel.”
“How so?”
“We’re living in a studio with gym access. So, why don’t you show me some of your skills.” Connor reached under the back of my sweat-shirt and lifted it up and over my head. “You’re going to sweat your ass off if you work out in this.” He threw the hoodie out the door.
“Oh, I’m gonna get sweaty, but so are you.”
Seeing as how he was shirtless, I grabbed him by the waistband of his shorts and pulled him back over to me, while simultaneously kicking my sneakers off. I sat back on the end of my weight bench and pulled Connor’s shorts and boxers down to pool at his feet. On the upsweep, I slid my hands along his legs.
“If I’d known I was getting a thank you gift, I would have showered before you came home.”
“Oh, no. I like you sweaty… and salty.” My hands snaked around and grabbed his ass, and I took his cock into my mouth. “Mmm.” I let my tongue glide up and down his vein before taking it in my mouth again.
Connor slid his hands over my shoulders and behind my neck pushing his shaft further into my throat down to the root. “Oh fuck, babe.” I could see his legs begin to tremble, so I wrapped my arms around him and turned us to sit him on the bench and went down on my knees.
“Lay back,” I placed my lips around his helmet and ran my tongue over the slit.
Once he laid back, I pulled him by the back of his knees making his ass hang over the cushioned bench. It was just enough that I could lick my thumb and press it against his pucker. I rubbed in circles around his entrance, probing the tip of my thumb into his hole but not enough to hit the ring, while my mouth sucked hard on his shaft. My tongue danced down length of him and when I got to the base of his cock, I bit lightly letting my teeth glide up.
“Oh, fuck I love it when you do that,” he said.
He was at war with his actions. Trying to decide whether he wanted to continue to thrust into my mouth or bear down on my hand. I removed my thumb and replaced it with my middle finger, pushing into his pucker and passing the ring. Connor finally figured out what he wanted and pushed down on my finger until my hand was flush with his ass. I slipped in another and bent them until I made contact with his prostate, and the same time I slammed his cock to the back of my throat.
“I’m not going…to last…oh my god. I’m gonna come.” Connor panted grabbing the weight bar to push himself in rhythm with my ministrations. “Yeah, baby. Take it all,” he yelled through the room as his hot stream of come blasted the back of my throat. I kept my mouth around him through the aftershock, swallowing all that I could. Once his body calmed, I crawled my way up to him, kissing him intently.
“How was that for a thank you gift?”
“Fuck, Parker. That was one hell of a thank you. I think I’m getting a better appreciation for your equipment.”
“I didn’t even give you my equipment yet. For me to do that, I think we need to move this workout to the bed.” He gave me a wink, and I noticed his cock was beginning to reflate.
“Oh, yeah. My baby needs to get some too.”
We made love after that for the first time, and that’s when I found out Connor was the ultimate power bottom. I loved that Connor wanted to wait until after high school.
Now I was walking around his house touching his things and wondering if any of it was purchased with our dream in mind. Everything from the brown leather sectional to the picture frames made with tree limbs was something we had always talked about. All that led me to believe there was a chance I was still occupying a part of his heart. That maybe I had come to him at the exact moment he’d been set free so we could rekindle what we lost what I threw away.
So why was I hanging out in his house and not on a plane to Florida? Why had I agreed to stay here alone for the week when I had nothing pinning me down to one spot?
When my phone rang, I jumped. Literally jumped. My coffee spilled down my leg but thankfully didn’t hit the floor.
“Parker.”
“Hey, Mr. Sunshine. Did you make a decision?”
I thought about that for a moment before it registered that Rodeo wanted an answer about the offers, he sent over yesterday. “Yes, I’m pretty sure I have,” I said toweling off my leg.
“So, which is it?”
“None of the above. I’m done. I’m so over all that bull shit. I don’t need it.”
“Wait. What are you talking about, Parker? Come on. We have a guaranteed paycheck with these. They might not be game checks, but close enough to it.”
“No, Rodeo. I’m done. I think I’ll just get a job here in the city. I don’t want to play ball again.”
“Then don’t fucking play ball, but don’t throw away the celebrity status. Do the damn interview, a commercial or two and get your face seen. If you leave now with this thing over your head, nobody is going to hire you ever again. You’ll be a walking pariah.”
“I realize this is bad for you too, and you’re right,” I thought for a minute. Rodeo had a point. I could still bring in decent money by doing some face time on screen. “Fine,” I told him. “I’ll do the interview. Set it up for next week. Get the promos out. I need to talk to someone before this shit hits the fan. Oh, and I’ll do the toothpaste commercial and the low budget movie. We can see what I have a talent for and what I don’t.”
“Yessss! Thank you, brother. You won’t be disappointed. I promise.” There was a long pause when I heard his familiar mumbling as he jot down his notes. “Hey, am I to assume you’re talking about Connor? You still got him in your head, don’t you?”
“I do. I think he’s gonna be there for a while unless I can figure out why this all happened. Do you believe in fate, Rodeo?”
“Of course, I do. I work for athletes and actors, models, and entertainers. When I signed you, I knew it was fate. All this other bull shit is just a road to something bigger and better. You’ll see. Why? You think fate brought you back to him? It’s not like you didn’t know yer boy was in NY.” He emphasized the letters when he said them.
“Yes, but to finally see him in a bar, the same night his man walks it just ”
“So, what are you gonna do about it? Where he at?”
“He has a race. He’s in Daytona for the week.”
“So, where are you?” I couldn’t tell if he wanted to know where I was physically or mentally.
“He invited me down, but I blew him off.”
�
�Parker, my man. You need to get on a plane… pronto. If you’re ever going to figure this shit out and get with him or get him out of yer head, you need to go. Don’t think, don’t question it, just move. I’ll get you a flight, and text you the deets.”
He didn’t even give me a chance to answer him. The line went dead, and I knew I was about to pack a bag and head to the airport. I set my mug in the sink and then thought twice about it. Washing it out, I noticed the only picture in the entire place was sitting on the window sill behind the kitchen sink. It wasn’t a big picture, nor was it in a frame. Just a simple print of Connor in front of his racecar. His arm around a light-skinned man with dark hair and bold eyes. He was covered in tattoos and was looking at Connor instead of the person taking the picture. A spark of jealousy hit me in the chest. I wasn’t there for him. I missed one of the biggest things in his life. Then again, when he finally got the custom bike shop up and running.
I visited it once. The showroom was magnificent. In the middle was a personal project I knew Connor would never sell; his father’s Triumph. It was roped off and spun on a platform showing off the amazing refurbish job Connor had done before he even had proper tools at his disposal. I was there for that. The day he put on the final touches and said it was done. I want to be there for all the rest of his picture-worthy moments. I want to be the one with my arm around him, kissing him for a job well done.
I left the picture where I found it and ran to the guest room. I threw some clothes in my bag and grabbed the key card off the nightstand. The bed was made, and I had a small pile of dirty clothes, but I left them. I could take care of all that later. I need to get to the airport before I change my mind.
When I got downstairs, I noticed a car was waiting. Fishing my cell out of my back pocket I saw the text from Rodeo and shook my head.
Rodeo: Car should be out front in fifteen.
I got u a private jet. It’s fueling up
right now. Go get yer man.
“Afternoon, Tony,” I said to the doorman when he looked up from the desk.
“Afternoon. Heading out?” He made notice of the bag and probably thought I was leaving for good. Or hoping I was.
“Connor invited me to his race.”
“I don’t like it.” The man tensed.
“I’m sorry, you don’t like what?”
Tony teetered on his feet then stopped and squared off like he was gearing for a fight. I’d seen that stance before. “I don’t like you hanging around Mr. Reed. You people are all the same. You're just going to drag him down with you.”
“You people? You got a problem with black people, because if so, I think that’s grounds for dismissal.”
“No, sir. This has nothing to do with your skin color. It has to do with your profession. I caught Sharp’s interview the other night. I’m just saying Mr. Reed has been through a lot. It would suck if he had to endure more. Especially with Mr. Benjamin’s recent departure.”
“Oh wow. I’m sorry, man. It’s just…when you’ve been on the receiving side one too many times of men with racial issues…” I shook my head and looked down at the floor. I felt about as high as a grasshopper. “As far as the rest of it, Sharp’s lying. I left Miami to get away from all that. It was either partake or catch shit on a daily. So, I made a mistake. One I’m trying to overcome. I’m not trying to hurt Connor.”
“Well, then. I guess we both had it wrong. I apologize.” The man offered his hand, and I took it. An understanding, for now, I’m sure. Until he saw that I had no intentions of making life harder for Connor. I just wanted to be in his.
Chapter 9
Connor
It wasn’t simple. It was god awful nonsense. I was standing beside my car looking at the ripped fender for twenty minutes. I had to visualize what the hell went wrong. There was nobody else on the track today with me, and I still managed to clip the damn wall.
“Where the fuck is your head?” Terri came stomping down to the pit in another pair of fashionable high heels that could probably break her neck if she fell. Her hair was down, and most of the braids were undone from the middle to the ends.
“Nothing. I was driving. You were yelling, as usual.”
“What the fuck were you thinking about?” She kicked the fender, and the damn thing fell off. It was nothing Rob couldn’t put back together, but the point wasn’t the damn fender. It was the crash itself. Terri was right to be mad. Hell, I was livid.
“I promise you I’m clear headed. I always am when I walk in here. You know that.”
“I do, which is why I can see something is floating around in there.” Her perfectly sculpted fingernail pushed into my forehead between my brows.
“Ouch. What the fuck, Ter?” I spun around wincing.
“Come on, guys. It was a clip. It happens.” Rob tried to come to my defense.
“Roberto, you know damn well these things don’t just happen to Connor. If he won’t talk to me, you’d better get him to talk to you,” she turned and stalked off toward the building and the air conditioning.
I picked up the fender and stuck it on Rob's workbench, careful not to knock anything else off. Then took a seat after picking up an overturned chair.
“Is it Parker?”
“No. That’s just the thing. I haven’t thought about Parker since we talked Sunday night. I was clear. I swear, it was just a clip. We’ve been non-stop for three days. Maybe the heat is getting to me.”
“Hey, you heard me tell her. It happens. Maybe we have a leak or something. Could have been an oil slip. I’ll check her over, and you go take a nap or something.” Rob said laying down on his roll board and sliding under the car. I hadn’t even noticed he’d already gotten the thing jacked up. A few others were under the hood looking at the engine.
“Fine. Text me when you get it squared.” I turned heading for my rental. I’d go back to the hotel and take a shower, maybe shave my face and get in a nap. My cell rang, and I looked at the name on the screen.
“Hey, Ryan. What’s going on?”
“Not much. Just wanted to let you know you got an offer on the Triumph again.” He laughed knowing my answer for that. “Oh, and Matthew stopped by looking for you.”
I stopped walking and looked back to the building. One, to make sure Terri was nowhere in sight, and two, to make sure nobody else was either in case I had to scream.
“Did he say what he wanted?”
“Nope. Just asked for you and was trying to get into your office. I told him no admittance and sent him on his way. He may know you’re in Florida for the race.”
“Shit.” I did yell out but then stopped. “I doubt he’ll come down here. He hates being here during race week.”
“Well, here’s hoping. Oh and we got an additional request on the build for next week.”
“Remind me which one that is.”
“The Make a Wish bike.”
“Oh yeah. I have the stars with the logo done up. I sent them out for paint last week. With everything going on I forgot about that. You should get them back by Friday.”
“You want me to open them up?”
“Yeah, take a look and make sure they were done right. What’s the addition?”
“You’re never going to believe it. A sidecar.” I could hear Gabbie in the background cussing her head off.
“Would you tell her to stop. I’m trying to run a business. Damn.” Ryan yelled a few choice words across the garage, putting what Gabbie said to shame and making me cringe. “Did they push the due date?”
“Oh yeah, we got three extra weeks out of it, but because the event has already been planned, that’s all they could give us.”
“Okay, well we will just have to make do. I’ll dig in and help out once I get back. I see some long nights in our future.” I had to laugh. It was an everyday occurrence. Long nights, and early mornings. I even had an empty office I threw a couple bunk beds in for when we were really on a tight timeline. Oh, it was never our doing. Customers just never knew what
they wanted at the initial meet. I always had people calling me a week after the build had started to add shit. But I had faith. We still pulled it out in the end.
“Yeah, boss-man getting down and dirty with the help.”
“Don’t be rude or I’ll make you do it alone.” I started back to my car and got in the front seat, buckling up. “I’ll see you Monday morning.”
“What happened to Sunday?”
“I think if we’re going to be working nonstop for a few weeks, I might as well enjoy the whole weekend. You, too. Close up Sunday.”
“Don’t have to tell me twice.”
Ryan hung up in the middle of yelling they would be closed Sunday, and he was having a party. Wait till he remembers the client coming by Sunday afternoon. I just shook my head and started the car.
I needed to get to the hotel. I probably wouldn’t be shaving, but I wanted a shower before I laid down. I saved on time by driving myself around. I knew how to speed and wasn’t afraid of it. I drove a racecar for a partial living anyway. Also, the drivers from the service always seemed to take the long way to get everywhere. It was nonsense.
I got to the hotel and was told I had a visitor. He paid for his own room so they couldn’t ask him to leave the hotel, but they wanted me to know in case I have some kind of stalker. I never registered under my own name. I used an alias. Most anyone with celebrity status did so.
I wasn’t going to think about it until I had to. I was still on time for a shower, and as soon as I got into my room, I started to strip. I got down to my boxers before there was a knock at the door. I chose to ignore it and made my way to the bathroom.
“Connor, I know you’re here. I just saw you in the lobby,” a familiar voice yelled.
I ran back to the door not remembering the state of dress I was in and pulled it wide open. “What are you doing here,” I said tersely. “I don’t have time for this right now.” I turned to allow him to step inside and heard the door close behind me.
Connor's Achilles (Fast and Loud #1) Page 6
