by Max Hudson
“What’s he smiling at?” Aris whispered to me.
“Us. He’s smiling at us.” I pushed Basil’s menu down. “Stop. We’re trying to order.”
“Sorry.” He wiggled in his seat, he was so amused. “I never get to play matchmaker. Now I know why people do it. It really is fun.”
“Matchmaker?”
I sighed. “Aris, Basil could tell that I was into you the first time we met. He tried to get me to admit it but I wouldn’t, and now he’s being a smug little pain in my butt about the whole thing.”
“Ah.”
A waiter swung by and helped us change the subject. I reminded myself to take a deep breath. My nerves were still a bit rattled about the whole thing with Clive and I really wanted to talk about Aris’ strange need to protect the guy.
“So,” Basil said, grinning, “what’s it like?”
My face fell. “What’s what like?”
“You know, dating someone who isn’t in law enforcement. A creative.”
Aris laughed and put his arm around me. “I’m sure it’s a nightmare. The poor guy got woken up by my assistant this morning.”
“That’s right. I did.” I nudged him and looked over at his face. He looked relaxed and charming. I could have eaten him up. “What was that all about, anyway?”
“New commission. A big consulting firm wants a few pieces for their lobby, but they have to be something, you know, consultation-y.”
“What does that mean?”
“Abstract. It always means abstract.” Our beers arrived and we paused the conversation to have a quick ‘cheers’. I tasted mine and it was nice and smooth, just like I liked. I let myself sink into it while Basil told Aris some stories from work. One thing I loved about Aris was what a great listener he could be. Nothing about it was forced or fake. He genuinely wanted to hear what people had to say. His interest got everyone to open up on a whole new level. No wonder he felt so inspired all the time—he had love all around him.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I checked the screen. It was Blanche.
Darling, where are you? Can I talk to you right now?
“You guys mind if Blanche joins us?”
“Who?”
Aris put a reassuring hand on Basil’s arm. “She’s just a harmless poet that our Mark has become friends with. She used to be my friend, but he stole her away from me.”
“Well, I’m adorable.” I frowned at my phone. “She sounds a little upset. I’m going to say she can come on down.”
Basil and Aris agreed, nodding. “Yes, please. She’s more than welcome.”
I sent her the address and within twenty minutes she was standing over us looking angry and flustered.
“Hello. Hi. I’m Blanche.”
“Basil. Nice to meet you.” Basil straightened up considerably as soon as he had the chance to shake hands with the glamourous Blanche. She gave him a little smile and then climbed onto the bench next to me so she could collapse onto my shoulder.
“Hey,” I said, putting a hand on her back, “has something happened?”
She nodded, blinking back some errant tears. “Yes. It happened just like I saw, only it wasn’t me. It was Minerva. Again. It’s always her.”
“Wait, slow down.” I waved the waitress over. “Get a drink first and put your head on, then tell me from the beginning.”
“Yes, good idea.” She turned the waitress and ordered a whiskey soda and then pulled out her little compact to check her reflection. Satisfied, she put it away and happily greeted her cocktail when it came around.
“All right,” she said, wrapping her graceful, manicured hands around her glass, “here’s what happened. The other day, I had a vision.” She stopped and turned to Basil. “I’m psychic.” He nodded politely but shot me a quick look. I gave him a little headshake, “Don’t ask.” Blanche took a drink then went on.
“So, I thought I had seen myself. There was money, and the phone ringing off the hook, a big party. It had appeared as though I was about to get a big break of some kind. I didn’t tell anyone about it except Mark because I was so excited. When the phone did ring today I was ecstatic—I ran to answer it.
“Well, it was Minerva. She was crying. I thought something horrible had happened. Then she explained, she was crying from excitement. She just got someone to put up the funds for her first film. Apparently, she wrote the script with a group of actors in London. It’s some artsy, high concept thing.” She took another drink. “Guess how much money she’s getting to make this awful bore?”
“How much?”
“Ready for it? Five million. Not a penny less.” She picked up her drink and took a big swig. “Right after she told me, we got interrupted by another call, my publisher. I switched over thinking, maybe this is my five million.” She put her drink down and placed her head on top of it. Her shoulders slumped down as if she were very, very tired.
“Blanche? What did your publisher say?”
She lifted her head up to look at us. She had a perfect circle on her forehead where the top of the glass had left an impression. “They’re dropping me. My sales are down and they don’t want to work with me anymore. They don’t even want the book I just finished for them. So.” She picked up her glass and downed the last of her cocktail then gestured to the waitress for a refill.
I wrapped an arm around Blanche. She shook her head no, but I pulled her in for a hug all the same. Aris went around to her other side to give her a big embrace as well.
“It’s always her,” Blanche sniffed. “I’m happy for her, I am. But when do I get a little success? When is it my turn?”
“But sweetheart,” I said gently, “you have your wonderful book. It’s truly great.”
“It was a failure,” Blanche said bitterly. “Minerva had to call up all her friends to get them to buy copies to boost my sales. The only reason I can afford to live is because she pays me an allowance. It’s humiliating but I can’t say no. I’ll starve without it.”
“Darling, no one is going to let you starve,” Aris said, stroking her hair. “Call your sister and tell her you’re done with all this. You’re struggling because you’ve got too many safety nets. You’re tangled up in all of them.”
“But where will I live?”
“With me,” I declared. “I have a guest room in a little place just south of downtown. It’s not much, but you’re free to decorate or rearrange or whatever you need to feel at home. And then you’re going to focus on your work or a new project or something. Something Minerva has no stake in.”
Blanche looked around at us with wet eyes. She bowed her head for a moment, then asked meekly, “You would do that? For me?”
“Without hesitation.”
My friend threw her arms around my neck. “Mark, you’re an angel. Just an absolute angel.” She dug her phone out of her purse. “I’m going to call her right now. Be right back.” She swung her leg around the bench and practically bounded out the door. We watched her go and then turned to one another.
“You sure about this? Living with Blanche?” Aris spoke with his beer poised in front of his chest, uncertain whether to drink it or set it down. “I mean, I love her, I do. But she can be, you know, a lot.”
“I’m not worried,” I assured him. “I think what she needs right now is a big dose of independence. Once she gets out from under her sister, she’ll be able to see a little more clearly.” I caught Aris and Basil exchanging a look just after I said this and I put my drink down to confront them. “Oh, forget you two. I have faith in her. She’s got natural talent.”
Both men did noncommittal head bobs in response to that and went back to their beers. I sighed and joined them, more frustrated than ever. First, I had to listen to Aris beg for mercy for his stalker, now I had my new love and my old partner questioning my taste in roommates. The food arrived and I munched on a few fries while Aris and Basil took over the conversation.
“You know,” Basil said, “I did some drawing a while back. Comics. My mo
m used to buy me these little blank books and I would fill them in with black pens and permanent markers. I loved it.”
“You should get back into it! A cop with his own comic—it would be a hit!” Aris looked over at me. “Like that book you were reading. Wasn’t it all the more interesting because a cop wrote it?”
I considered the question. “Yeah, it did give it a certain quality.” Then, before I could stop myself, I added, “I’ll write the story and you can draw it, Bas.”
Both turned to me with impressed faces. “Will you? Well, jeez, partner. That would be great.”
“Sure. We could do an art heist like the one that introduced us to Aris. Except, maybe it doesn’t get solved so quickly.”
We all chuckled and looked up to see an elated Blanche standing by our table. She was clutching her phone to her chest.
“I did it. I told her, no more money. From now on, I have to do it on my own.”
Everyone raised a glass to in a ‘cheers’ to her and she did a modest little bow. “Oh,” she told us with false modesty, “you’re all too kind. It’s just poverty. Really, I don’t deserve this.”
She joined us again and we all settled into a relaxed, cheery lunch hour. It was full of laughs and good stories, but the whole time something irked me on a deeper level. I couldn’t let go of some of the things Aris had said, and I knew I would have to confront him. The thought put a dread deep in my chest, but I knew not saying anything would be even more painful. I finished my toasted sandwich and took a deep breath. Whatever happened, I was ready.
“Well,” Blanche said after stealing a final fry from Basil’s plate, “I better go and beg my landlady for my deposit back. It’s all I’ll have to live off of until I find some way to make a bit of money. Wish me luck.” We sent her off with a round of good wishes.
“I’d better go get to work myself.” Basil gestured at me. “We can’t all be on paid vacation like this one.”
“It ends soon,” I reminded him. “Call me in a day or two, all right?”
He nodded and smiled and we all said goodbye. Then Aris and I were alone again and he leaned against me. “What now, gorgeous?”
“Actually, I was thinking I could show you my place.”
“Please!” He sat up. “I’m dying to know where you live. And how you decorate. Is it all jail cell gray?”
“You’re hilarious.” I threw some money down on the table and we stood to go. “Why would I paint it in anything other than jumpsuit orange?”
We walked to my house and I opened the door to show Aris my very plain, very basic home. He walked in and let out a low whistle.
“So,” he did a slow turn, “basically it’s exactly what I expected. I mean, down to the very last nonexistent detail.”
“It’s a little austere,” I admitted. “I’m kind of hoping Blanche will spend some time adding a little bit of color to the place. Not that I plan to obligate her or anything, just hoping she’ll want to.”
“Sure.” Aris cocked his head at me and leaned against the couch. “Hey, is something on your mind? You look a little, what am I seeing here? Upset?”
I took a deep breath. Internally, I reminded myself to be honest and straightforward since that was the only way to make anything work between us. Taking his hand, I looked into his eyes and went for it.
“I am upset. Today I got attacked by your pseudo ex-boyfriend and then had to listen to you defend him. Aris, the guy is a criminal. Attacking an officer is something very few people ever do and the guys who do, they’re, well, a special kind of dangerous. You asked me to not even press charges. That hurt. And it also hurt when you doubted my choice to have Blanche move in. You know we’re close friends.”
“Whoa.” He put a hand on my chest. “You’re angry with me, aren’t you?”
“Well, yes. I guess I am.”
He focused on my chest and then let his eyes work their way down the rest of me. “That’s kind of hot.”
“Yeah?”
He nodded. “I’m really turned on right now.” We paused and looked into each other’s eyes, then grabbed each other and started kissing madly.
I wrapped Aris up in my arms as tightly as I could and tasted him everywhere. I felt his smooth, firm skin and lost it. Everything about him turned me on and all my frustration started to bubble under my skin until it steamed out as lust. Lust for Aris—for his chest, his arms, his butt and his cock. I needed him so much I started gasping for more.
“Get undressed.”
He paused and then complied with a “Yes, Officer.” I crossed my arms and watched him undress. He pulled his shirt off slowly and then went for his belt, holding my eyes while he unbuckled it.
His pants hit the floor and he stepped out of them as well as his shoes and then was down to just his boxers.
“Get ’em off. Now.”
He slid them down and then stood naked in front of me. I stepped toward him, then turned so I could walk around him, taking him in from every angle.
“Oh, you are in for it. I have no mercy for you. You have really done it this time.” I stopped behind him and put my hands on his butt cheeks. “You think you can just strut around, do whatever you want?” I grabbed his hair and tilted his head to the side so that I could bite the side of his neck. “I’m in charge now,” I whispered into his ear. He leaned back into me and I grabbed his pectoral muscles with my hands. “Walk. Down the hall.”
He stepped forward and I let him go in front of me. For a moment, I just watched him, then I followed a few steps behind. “Second door on the left.”
The door opened and we went into my sparsely decorated bedroom. Seeing it at that moment helped me see what it must have looked like through a visitor’s eyes: sad, lonely. But I told myself it was stark and cold, perfect for our cop and criminal fantasy.
“Get on the bed. Face down.” He did and I quickly undressed. He peeked over his shoulder and I smacked his butt cheek as a punishment. “You don’t do anything unless I tell you to.”
“Yes, Officer.” He put his face back in the pillow. I quickly grabbed my emergency condoms and lube from the dresser.
“Now, don’t expect me to go easy on you.” I lowered myself down over him and hovered just above his body, then tilted my head down to the nape of his neck. “Just because you’re the hottest criminal I ever arrested doesn’t mean you get a pass.” Slowly I put myself down on top of him, letting his butt cheeks cradle my cock.
Gently, I held his earlobe between my teeth and worked them back and forth over the soft, gentle skin, then kissed it lightly. He turned his face and I gave him a kiss on the lips.
“Don’t go easy on me,” Aris whispered.
“I won’t.”
Sitting up, I got my protection and lubrication on my erection and then squared my hips to his. I patted his hip. “Lift up a little.”
His butt rose into the air and I slid into him slowly. I felt so free with Aris—his body seemed to invite me into a wilder, more primal state of mind. The friction, the heat, and the closeness set off little fireworks in my brain. My eyes rolled back into my head and I lost myself.
Holding myself up on my hands with straightened arms, I started just pumping into him with an insatiable madness. It felt like I was driving straight through him and into the mattress. I heard him yell out from underneath me but I could hardly process the sound. He pushed up onto his hands and knees and I just grabbed his hips and slammed myself into him even harder, faster.
“Grab my cock! Please Mark, grab my cock!”
I reached around and took ahold of him in my hand as I kept the other one on his hip. “I want to cum with you,” he told me.
“Yes. Yes.”
We moved together in our crazed state, and I kept a tight clench on his hard, long cock and stroked it as I moved in and out of him. I felt a huge, unavoidable force build up inside me and let it come to the forefront of my brain. It crept over the top of my head and down into my body, concentrating itself right at my groin.
“I’m cumming. I wanna feel you cum.”
“I’m almost there!”
I breathed deeply. The feeling of anticipation stayed with me for a moment, and I felt Aris arch his back and drive his hips into me. Then I just let go.
The dark, intense wave that flowed through seemed to carry me up and toss me around in a way I had never felt before. My hands clutched Aris’ shoulders for support and I felt his hand grab mine. I jerked and shuddered with the force of my climax and then collapsed down on top of him as the wave subsided.
We caught our breath side by side in my bed. The two of us just stared up at the ceiling and let our chests rise and fall with the force of the air flowing out of us.
“Wow.”
“Yeah.”
I reached out for him and he rolled over into my arms.
“That’s the first time I’ve done anything like that. The role playing.” He spoke into my shoulder, and I tilted my head toward him to snuggle in closer. He smelled like sweat and warm, soft skin, the way a man only smells right after sex.
“Me too.”
He pushed himself up a bit to look at me. “No way! You’re so good at it.”
“Well…” I shrugged. “Not counting the moment I broke character. Wasn’t I a little too nice to you for a moment there?”
He shook his head. “It was great. Just a little breather from the big, mean cop character.” He lowered down again and we kissed softly and slowly. I wrapped my arms around him and cradled his head as we lay on our sides, just looking at each other.
“Aris,” I said softly, looking at him through my eyelashes, “I’m really falling for you.”
“It’s mutual,” he whispered. “You may just convert me to monogamy, Mark.” We laughed a little and kissed again, then closed our eyes and savored the moment as long as we could. The peace that washed over me took away all of my doubts, my numbness and apathy. It made me want to feel everything, even the craziness of new love.
Chapter Ten
The next few days were some of the happiest I can remember. Blanche moved in and she turned out to be an amazing roommate. When she saw how sparse my place was she brought in her collection of throw pillows, ottomans, paintings from artist friends and some amazing photography from a former lover.
