by Gavin Atlas
I was close to coming, too. In all the times I’d had sex, I’d never had such a ferocious pounding. This was the fuck I’d been waiting my whole life for. And I’d be able to relive the moment over and over on video. My stomach tightened, and I shot come up to my neck, a feeling of pure joy spreading from my tailbone to my shoulders. At the same time, José shouted “Yeah! Yeah! Oh, yeah!” and then groaned as he orgasmed deep inside me.
“Awesome, Rick,” said Will. “You should be in porn.”
“I’ll give you a little rest,” José said, breathing hard, “and then I’m taking it again. One down, fourteen to go.”
“Hey, don’t we get turns?” asked Ben. I felt myself flush as I looked at José. I may be the one in our group who gets passed around to all his friends, but I will never not be shy about it.
They’d both enjoyed having me before, but from the look on José’s face, not today. “You’re here to document this weekend. That’s all. I need to show Lamont.”
My stomach tightened in heat. For someone so easily embarrassed by his sex life, I can’t believe how many men watch me get fucked.
José stretched and his elbow bumped my answering machine, activating it. The message was indeed from my new “boyfriend.”
“Hey, Rick,” he said “I’ve been feeling like you want us to get closer, so it’s time to tell you I’m married. I’d love to still spend time in you, uh, I mean, with you. But I needed to be honest in case you want to meet someone else. Give me a call if you’re still interested. Bye.”
“I’m not interested,” I said to the answering machine.
“Perfect,” said José, “Now you are mine.” He grabbed my ass possessively while my friends grinned at each other.
“I am?” I asked. “But you’re so far away.”
“Stud pup, my company can transfer me to Houston any time I want. Just say the word.”
“What? Really?”
“Ricky, I have wanted your ass for fifteen years, and now that I’ve had it, it’s just as incredible as everyone said it was. But it’s so much more than that. I’m sorry to admit it, but I’ve been praying for you to break up with Lamont. I’m crazy about you and always have been.”
“Honestly, I think about you all the time, too.”
Ben moved in for a close shot for the camera. “You two kiss already,” he said.
We did so. His lips were soft, and the kiss was so strong. He lifted my legs again.
“José, I’m yours,” I said, pulling my thighs back to offer my hole to him for round two. “I’m yours for as long as you want.”
Snapshots of Seduction
Joseph needed to get off the phone. The prospect of seeing Cody in the flesh meant he couldn’t think straight, and lies would unravel in moments if his ex, Randolph, kept him any longer.
“I don’t understand. Why have another interview, Joe? I thought you decided to stay in Anaheim.”
“I’m giving Roxborough another look.” Why lie? Why feel guilty? Randolph was just a colleague now.
“I see. So that’s why you’re in Las Vegas. Over a thousand miles from Roxborough.”
Joseph winced. Stupid “friend” radar app. Or, really, Joseph was stupid for not turning it off.
“I need to clear my head. It’s a huge decision.” Right, clear my head. As if I can think about anything except Cody.
“You don’t gamble. You don’t like shows. You won’t even go to Cirque de Soleil with me so—”
“We’re here, sir.” The cabbie rolled into the circular drive of a glittering if uninspired hotel. Cody said he’d be waiting out front, but no surprise, he wasn’t.
Randolph whined into his ear. “Oh my, I think I can tell where you are. Flamingo Road? Perhaps the Mojave Suites, Joseph?”
Oh my God, I’m going to throw this phone out the window. “There was a special deal online.” Joseph gathered camera equipment with his left hand while fishing for his wallet with his right. “I have to go now.” Randolph could be a vindictive gossip. The chances the department chair would hear rumors were high.
“There’s that bar, Commando, at the Mojave. It’s the only club with go-go boys anywhere near the Strip, but you already know that, don’t you? Speaking of, that little stud pup, Cody, whom you’re always mooning over wouldn’t happen to be there? Well, I hope this isn’t the third time you lose a gold watch or a credit card—”
“Rats. This phone drops more calls,” Joseph said, clicking END. The driver chuckled and gave Joseph a sympathetic look, but Joseph’s mood had slipped. There was a reason bad boys were called bad boys. As he paid his fare, he knew all he could hope was that he’d stick to taking it slow and prove to Randolph that Cody was different. Or at least, not get hurt.
Yep, he had the right place. He noticed a freestanding cutout depicting Diva Scarlet Fever and Her Joy Boys. Three nights only. The photo showed Scarlet all over Cody, an octopus with glamour-length red nails. She had a look of simmering triumph on her face, but Cody didn’t look like he objected. Instead, his face seemed to say, “come to the show, and you can have me, too.”
Joseph swallowed, told his cock to go down, and told the voice in his head, which sounded a lot like Randolph, to shut up. Instead of checking in, he asked the concierge to call up to Cody’s room. Apparently, that boy never remembered to charge his cell.
“You’re here!” Joseph could hear the happiness in Cody’s voice. “Come on up. Bring your camera.”
Joseph figured that would be Cody’s suggestion, but he wasn’t on board. As much as he told himself there was nothing wrong with seeing Cody, he knew any kind of “play date” with a college-aged young man would not be well-received if Randolph blabbed. “Yeah, no, Cody. We said we’d go to a late lunch. Then take photos at Hoover Dam.”
“I can’t go out. I got caught in a downpour and my clothes are drenched.”
Joseph smiled, the tension draining. He is so ridiculous. “A downpour? Really? In Las Vegas?” Joseph looked up. Not a single cloud.
“I know, right? Who would think of an umbrella?”
“And who would think you’d only have one set of clothes for a three-night engagement?”
“I pack light, sir.”
Joseph exhaled. The thrill of being called “sir” traveled from his chest to his groin. He whispered so the concierge wouldn’t overhear. “I’d rather take this slower, Cody.” They may have talked nearly every day, but they hadn’t even spent a total of an hour together in person. Joseph’s urges to barge in and power-fuck Cody’s ass, not yielding until the boy passed out, felt more than improper.
“Okay, sir, absolutely. I’ll get dressed, but whatever I find, it’s not going to be good enough for any kind of fancy restaurant. But come up while I get ready? There’s a view you totally need to see. The sun is centered right over that pyramid hotel. It’s so cool, but hurry. Bring the camera. Room 909!”
Cody hung up before Joseph could point out taking a picture of the sun wouldn’t turn out. The part of him that wanted to be stubborn and have the boy do what Joseph said had faded since hearing Cody’s voice, as always mixed with humor and seduction. Up he went.
“It’s open!” Cody yelled before Joseph could knock twice. Sure, bad boy, no need to help me through the door with my lugg—oh my God in Heaven.
Cody only had on a bright red jockstrap. Joseph felt his lungs and heart tighten as if lust had taken his ability to breathe. Pixies or elves must have offspring that look like this beautiful, nearly naked young man of mischief, and they must possess magical powers of arousal. Yes, that would explain everything.
Joseph swallowed and regained his composure. “You’re correct, Cody. That’s not going to work for a fancy restaurant. Or, actually, any restaurant.”
“Joseph! You made it! I’m so happy!”
“I did. And you’re not the least bit dressed.” And I’m also so happy.
“Oh, come on. It’s not like I’m naked. And I got this just for you.” Cody ran his fingers along the w
aistband of his jockstrap.
“You…you did?” It did look new.
“I’ll use it for our shows sooner or later, but you know, you’d probably want to be the first to take it off me.” Cody looked down as he said this as if embarrassed by what he offered. “You told me red’s your favorite color.”
Joseph had meant to look out the window at the view Cody had raved about, but whatever was out there wouldn’t compare to the view on the bed. Then he noticed something odd. “Cody, why is there a ladder in here?”
“Oh, um, they needed to fix a light and, I guess, they accidentally left it. “
“Really?” Joseph looked up. No ceiling lights.
“No. Actually, I sneaked it from backstage at their club. It’s in case you wanted to shoot from more than one angle while you’re here.”
That, I believe. Joseph chuckled. He could get honesty out of Cody, but he often had to ask twice. “I said I needed to do this outdoors. A foreground portrait with middle distance and background. I’m not sure I see how that would work here.”
“We’ll still do that tomorrow, I promise. But maybe you’d like to do a shoot now, too?” Cody looked down in concentration, all the while fiddling with the front of his jock. He looked up with a smile. “Maybe help me out since you live near Hollywood? You could show my pics to a modeling agency or a film studio?”
“You just thought of that this minute. But you’d already prepared.”
“You mean the ladder?”
“And the jockstrap. And the fact you left the door unlocked so I could find you in bed.”
Cody bit his lip. “All right. You’re too smart. You got me. I wanted to do something to make you feel special, and when you said you didn’t think you’d want to, you know, do stuff, I thought this would be fun.” Cody made a show of being insecure, vulnerable, but then stretched his right arm above his head as if needing to work out muscles sore from weightlifting. He gazed at Joseph, then blinked slowly. “Don’t you think it’d be fun?”
Joseph’s stomach flip-flopped. “The question isn’t whether it’s fun.” It’s whether I can control myself from fucking you senseless. It’s whether I can stomach a heartbreak—“hey, what happened to you getting dressed for lunch?”
Cody shrugged.
His smile was sheepish. “Yeah, about that. My clothes really aren’t wearable right now, so I guess I just have to be nearly naked.”
“That must have been some downpour.” Joseph had never known Cody to tell a lie that wasn’t some kind of fun mischief, but there was something odd about the look on Cody’s face. Not that Joseph was all honesty. He’d already completed the alleged photo assignment months ago, not to mention the entire enrichment class. He’d even agreed to photograph some “young acquaintances of Randolph’s” who wanted portfolios to show modeling agents.
“You don’t like me like this, I guess?” Cody ran a hand down his chest, at the same time wincing with disappointment. “Maybe I’m not good for modeling?”
“Oh my God, that’s not it at all.” Joseph didn’t mean to be that honest about the intensity of his attraction, but there it was. He saw Cody turn his head with a pleased-with-himself smile. The young fellow knew how to play him, and the need to stop resisting tightened Joseph’s lungs. The room had been sprayed with a heavy air freshener, but that wasn’t why he had trouble catching his breath. He inhaled and began unpacking his camera. There was no denying he wanted this and so did Cody. Joseph would just have to control it.
“So, enough light, right? So what pose should I do for you? Does one arm up, like this, make me look better to you?”
Joseph almost said, “No, not better because you’re already perfect.” How do you answer that honestly without giving him the biggest ego on the planet? “Yeah, that’s a good look.” He had a detached tone he used when he spoke with students, particularly attractive male students. At the moment he sounded hoarse and out of breath. Likely because he was hoarse and out of breath.
Joseph flexed his hands and closed his eyes before reaching for his camera and lens. Cody talked about this meeting non-stop. How he’d never worn more than a jock strap in Joseph’s presence before and how he didn’t want that to change.
The first time at a club in West Hollywood where Cody had come up to him and said, “Hi. This is weird. I don’t want you to tip me, but I really want to kiss you.” There was a hesitation, as if Cody were afraid no one would believe a stripper could offer affection to someone without wanting to be reimbursed.
But Joseph had thought otherwise. He’d had a “hot silver wolf” effect on boys before, and he went for it. He grabbed Cody and kissed him hard for, perhaps, thirty seconds. Cody’s skin had been warm from stage lights and dancing. He tasted sweet, a light cologne and the after effects of a watermelon Popsicle he’d been fellating on stage.
When Joseph had pulled away, he saw Cody’s face had flushed. He looked dizzy. “Uh…I’m dazed and amazed,” he’d said.
Someone had called Cody’s name. He turned back to Joseph and said “Don’t go anywhere. I’m getting a pen.” A minute later he was back with a napkin on which he’d written his name, his number, his email address, and a smiley-face. He never reappeared that night.
Joseph shook his head, his realization that he’d checked his camera flash three times meant he wasn’t present with Cody now. The boy looked down at his own stomach, loosening the lace in the front of his jock. Then he gave Joseph a sleepy look of longing.
“Watch where your hands are going, young man.”
Cody shrugged. “The jock is new so it’s a little scratchy.
“Yeah, I always find 100% cotton underwear scratchy. And silk? Utter agony.”
Cody laughed. “Shut up. It is. I need to loosen this.”
Joseph snapped a photo. “I don’t believe it. Stay dressed, you.”
Cody huffed in protest. “It’s tight, okay? Being around you is making it tight.”
Joseph took a long look at Cody’s crotch. Okay. That he believed. His own underwear felt more snug than usual.
That reminded him of the second time they’d met. Joseph had gone to an interview at Roxborough, found out where Cody would be performing that night, and sent the boy a quick text. The moment they saw each other, Cody jumped in Joseph’s lap and hugged him around the neck. Joseph remembered inhaling the smell of clean sweat mixed with an inviting citrus cologne. Each time Cody took a break from the stage, he returned to Joseph. So Cody had literally felt how endowed Joseph was and how much he wanted to be inside Cody.
“Can I flirt while we do this?” Cody asked. “I want to ask you an X-rated question, but I want permission first.”
What did he want to know? Joseph’s curiosity almost boiled over, but he flexed his hand again and focused the camera. “No, let’s just—”
“—pretend we’re not driving each other crazy?”
“Right.” Joseph took another photo. “We’re just—wait a minute. What did you say?”
“That you’re driving me crazy. And I can’t pretend you’re not.”
Another photo. “You told me you were good at role playing.”
“But not something that wildly unrealistic. Let’s role play something else. How about school? You can’t tell me you don’t have the hots for some of your students, right?” Cody blinked and shook his head as if getting into character. His expression was eager and friendly, but Joseph noticed there was still mischief in his eyes. Cody raised his hand. Barely. It was really another pose. “Professor Collin! Oh, Professor Collin. I did the assignment.”
What is he talking about? “All right, Cody, what did you read?”
Cody looked down in thought. His sudden shyness spoke volumes. School or studies did make him nervous, even though Joseph knew they shouldn’t. Still, Cody’s vulnerability was breathtaking. Joseph captured it forever on film.
Cody looked back up. “I think there’s a big, big difference between Tadzio and me and you and that Aschenbach guy or whatever hi
s name was.”
Holy crap. I told Cody that thinking about him made me have my class read Death in Venice last semester. He read it? “All right, young fellow. Defend your premise. What differences did you notice?”
Cody shot Joseph a Hello, it’s so obvious look. “I don’t think Tadzio knows Aschenbach is alive. He sounds like a little kid. Meanwhile, I’m crazy about you, and I’m pretty sure you’re into me. But Aschenbach is just stupid.”
“Obsessed.”
“Exactly. He’s stopped thinking. And I don’t think malaria or black plague or whatever was going around killed him. His obsession did.”
“And you’ve proved my point, Cody. Instead of stripping nude for everyone every night, you should be using your brain.”
Cody blinked. “But I am using my brain.” His smoldering look said, “How do you think I got you up here, sir?” He stroked his stomach and tilted his head. “You know you gave me the biggest compliment of my life.”
“I did?”
“I made you think of that book. I think that means you’re the guy who can’t stop thinking about a hot boy. And you’d pretty much die to have him.”
Joseph’s feelings were transparent as glass, and he’d had no idea he’d been so obvious. The realization made his face flush with heat. He swallowed. “I suppose you’re right. I hope that kind of intensity doesn’t bother you.”
“No. Remember the part about it being the biggest compliment ever?”
Joseph winced. “Yes. Somehow I was distracted. So I’m not a meddlesome letch?”
“I don’t think you’re meddlesome. More…cuddlesome.” Cody moved his hand under the sheets, suggesting he wanted Joseph’s hands where his own were. “And I don’t strip totally nude for everyone, by the way. You’re special.”
Baloney. “I am?”
Cody’s expression was earnest. “I’m serious. I love people looking at me, but I can be slow to show everything.”
