“I am sort of hungry,” Hayden said and sank into one of the chairs. “This smells amazing.”
“It’s one of the hotel’s signature dishes, and I make it a point to order it every time I’m here.”
“You stay here a lot?” Hayden asked. He took the cover off his plate to reveal lamb in curry sauce, sautéed spinach and mushrooms, and mashed yams slathered in butter. His mouth watered, and he picked up his knife and fork, eager to begin his meal. It tasted twice as good as it smelled.
“I do,” Neal said between bites. “I think I told you I used to have a condo in the city? It was after I gave it up and moved to the house I started staying here. I can bring the boys if I have to. This place has a pet-watching service, so they’re there right now. Otherwise I keep them here with me.”
“They can join us?”
“If you’d like, of course. We can decide later.”
“Nathan is very nice, but I think the lady at the front desk thought I was hired or something,” Hayden confessed.
Neal sighed and reached out to take Hayden’s hand. “Ignore them. If it wasn’t our age difference, it’d be something else.” He took the wine from where it rested in ice, uncorked it, and filled their glasses.
After they finished their meal, Neal picked up a small remote and aimed it at the sound system. Soft music issued from the speakers. Standing up, Neal held out one hand. “We probably won’t get a lot of quality time later, and I want to be sure I get at least one dance.”
Hayden looked up, then laid his hand in Neal’s and let himself be led to the middle of the room. Neal pulled him close, and they began swaying to the music. While Hayden ran one hand over Neal’s muscular back, Neal’s hands roamed down to cup and squeeze Hayden’s ass.
Neal moaned softly and drew Hayden in closer. Hayden tipped his head, nuzzled Neal’s cheek, and then planted gentle kisses along his jaw.
“I need to tell you something,” Hayden whispered.
“It can wait.” Neal spun Hayden in time with the music and shifted Hayden in his arms so he could capture him in a kiss.
Hayden wanted to tell Neal that what he had to say couldn’t wait, but the tone of Neal’s voice was kind and reassuring. Again Hayden had the feeling Neal knew more than he was letting on. It was difficult to believe that Neal wouldn’t press to know what it was that Hayden had now twice mentioned he needed to tell Neal. It would’ve driven Hayden nuts to hear someone say, “I have to tell you something,” and then not know what they had to say.
What Neal did do was press his fingers between Hayden’s asscheeks and move them slowly up and down. Thoughts of what Hayden had meant to say and why Neal wasn’t interested dissipated with the moan Hayden exhaled. They stopped moving, and Hayden reached up and combed his fingers through Neal’s lush hair.
Hayden shivered and rocked his hips forward, reveling in the heat and firmness of Neal’s groin. Neal broke their kiss and lightly licked a path along Hayden’s jaw and down his neck. Leaning into Neal’s arm, appreciating his strong grip, Hayden let his head fall back and exposed his neck, sighing softly when Neal nipped and sucked ever so lightly on his heated skin.
Warmth surged through him from Neal. He drew in a deep breath, enjoying the heady scent that was a combination of Neal’s cologne and his body. Added to the effects of the wine, it all swirled around Hayden’s head, heated his groin, and drove his lust to the boiling point. He slid his hands between their bodies and tugged on Neal’s belt.
As if a switch had been flipped, both of them were suddenly in a flurry of motion, stripping off shirts, pants, shoes, and socks. Neal captured Hayden around the waist and guided him toward the bed, all the while planting hot, hungry kisses across Hayden’s neck and chest. With one gentle push from Neal, Hayden fell backward onto the bed, his legs draped over the edge.
Neal dropped to his knees and used both hands on the inside of Hayden’s legs to move them apart and give him room to shimmy between Hayden’s thighs. Neal started at Hayden’s balls, sucking them inside his mouth and pushing his tongue up and moving it side to side. The sensation sent ripples of pleasure through Hayden. He dropped his arms on the bed, spread wide, and fisted the material of the comforter in both hands. His back arched; there was no way he’d ever stop the breathy moans from leaving his lips.
Neal gripped Hayden’s ass and lifted him up a bit. Using one hand, he slipped his fingers between Hayden’s asscheeks and rubbed circles around his entrance, making him gasp. Neal shifted slightly and took Hayden’s cock in his mouth. Pressing his tongue against the base of Hayden’s cock Neal pulled upward in an agonizingly slow movement. Hayden thought he’d die before Neal reached the tip. Neal ran his tongue through the slit, and Hayden was sure he’d died and gone to heaven.
Moving his hand out from under Hayden, Neal sucked on Hayden’s cock. He used both hands to hold Hayden to the bed while he clamped his lips tightly around Hayden’s erection and dragged his mouth from the root to the tip. He repeated his actions twice more. Hayden was sure he’d fall apart in seconds.
But Hayden wanted this to last.
“I’m gonna… not yet… don’t want to… inside me.” He panted the words between drawing in breaths of air.
Neal left Hayden’s cock and used his tongue to blaze a trail up Hayden’s body. He nuzzled Hayden’s neck for a few seconds before licking and nipping the tender skin there.
“As you wish,” Neal murmured softly. His warm breath in Hayden’s ear sent renewed shudders through him.
Leaning to the side, Neal scooted higher on the bed. He put both arms around Hayden and held him tightly against his chest, taking Hayden with him. He reached for the night table and pulled out a small leather travel kit. Hayden pulled the comforter and sheet away from the mattress, pushing them toward the foot of the bed.
Neal slid open the bag’s zipper and extracted a condom. Hayden took it out of his hands and tore the package open. He held the base of Neal’s dark, swollen cock and used his lips to glide the condom slowly over the head. Neal heaved in a few deep breaths and blew them out in deep, throaty moans. His legs stretched and trembled, and the way his stomach muscles quivered made Hayden very happy. He let go of Neal’s cock and sat up. Running his hands over Neal’s chest and abs, Hayden pinched his nipples and pressed his thumbs against Neal’s ribs as he went.
After a minute of fumbling around with the travel kit trying to get the bottle of lube free, Hayden dropped it, and both he and Neal rolled to the side and nearly dove off the bed retrieving it. Their foreheads whacked together.
“Oh ow!” Hayden said and laughed. He put one hand on Neal’s forehead. “Sorry.”
With a chuckle, Neal sat up facing Hayden and pulled him in for a kiss, then whispered in Hayden’s ear in a husky voice, “No harm done.” He took both of Hayden’s hands in his and kissed them. Inching closer, he put both arms around Hayden and drew them together.
Neal squirted a generous amount of lube into Hayden’s palm, then repeated the action and applied some to his fingers. Neal reached between Hayden’s legs and worked his lubed finger around and finally into Hayden’s entrance. Hayden curled his lube-slicked fingers around Neal’s cock and began slow, even strokes. Neal’s finger inside him was working magic and making him moan and shift his ass side to side. Finally he couldn’t take the teasing any longer, and he leaned back, supported by Neal’s other arm, canted his hips, and drove Neal’s finger deeper.
Neal lifted him up a bit, and Hayden shimmied onto his lap, his legs straddling Neal’s hips. Neal eased his finger out of Hayden and wrapped both arms around him while Hayden adjusted his position and lowered himself onto Neal’s cock.
Hayden was immediately consumed by the glorious burn and the stretching that came with it. He arched his spine and let his head fall back, groaning and trembling. He loved that first feeling of being entered. Neal swiped his tongue along Hayden’s throat, then bent and nibbled his collarbone. As they moved together, Hayden gripped Neal’s shoulders. His cock w
as trapped perfectly between their bodies and the slight scratch of hair against his skin caused delightful tremors to ripple through him.
Neal’s grip on him intensified, and he moved one hand to Hayden’s head, cupping it and moving him to capture Hayden’s mouth in a kiss. Their tongues intertwined and moved in time with their bodies. Hayden pulled his knees together, gripping Neal’s sides, and shuddered when Neal shoved one hand between them and grasped Hayden’s cock. He gave a twist on the upstroke, then swiped his thumb over the slit.
“I… gah… ahh….” Hayden had a full-body convulsion, then another, and warm, sticky fluid covered both of their groins.
Neal jerked his hips up, shouting between clenched teeth as Hayden’s ass clenched around him. Hayden wiggled over Neal, delighted with the thumping of Neal’s cock deep within him. He pitched forward and slid his hands off Neal’s shoulders so he could wrap both arms around him.
They rocked together, holding tightly to each other and gradually slowing. Neal’s cock softened and Hayden eased off him, moved around so he could settle between Neal’s legs, and leaned back against his chest. Neal sighed heavily and stroked Hayden’s hair a few times, then kissed his cheek.
Hayden relaxed even more, surrounded by the warmth of Neal’s arms and the heady aroma of their bodies mingled with the sweet fragrance of fresh flowers.
Chapter Eight
HAYDEN woke with a start. He was still nestled against Neal’s chest, which rose when Neal breathed in deeply, grumbled, and reached to the table to turn off the alarm.
“I had Nathan set it earlier,” Neal explained.
“Always planning for every contingency?”
Neal snorted a laugh. “Something like that. I wanted to be sure we had plenty of time to shower and get dressed.”
“Is that your roundabout way of saying you planned this afternoon to go the way it did?” Hayden used the very tip of one finger to lightly circle Neal’s left nipple.
Neal shrugged and pushed himself higher on the bed so he was sitting up. He took Hayden’s hand in his own.
Hayden peeled himself away from Neal. He reclaimed his hand, then turned to completely face Neal, scratching his fingers through his hair at the same time. “You want first shower?”
“First?” Neal raised his eyebrows, and Hayden laughed.
“Now you know darn well if we get in that shower together we’ll either be very late or miss the party altogether. And since you’re—”
“We’re,” Neal corrected.
Nodding, Hayden conceded, “Since we’re the hosts, that would look very bad.”
“It would,” Neal agreed. He waved at the bathroom. “You go first. I think you need it more.”
Looking down at himself and the splotches of dried semen that were beginning to itch, Hayden nodded. A familiar warmth crept up his cheeks. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
After grabbing clean underwear and his shaving kit from his suitcase, Hayden headed off to the bathroom. It was easily as large as his entire studio apartment. The walls were copper tiles and the floor dark brown tile. The toilet was behind a half wall. Three steps led to a tub encased in marble that looked big enough for a dozen people to bathe in at once. Jet sprays were positioned around the inside at regular intervals. The fixtures were gold and chrome, as were the ones for the sinks and shower. The shower mimicked the terrarium in the main room. It stood in the center of the bathroom, dividing the bath and sink area from the section housing the toilet. Three sides were clear glass and the wall facing the toilet was marble with copper tile borders and accents.
Above the dual sinks was a wall of mirrors. The wall at the end of the bath was covered with a television and speakers. A sound system and MP3 player dock was on a corner shelf halfway up the wall. Recessed lighting encircled the bathroom about a third of the way down from the ceiling. He looked around and found a remote on the counter next to a tray with glasses, soaps, and small bottles of lotion and cologne. After a minute of playing with it, he had the room lights dimmed to a soft glow while the lights over the sink remained brighter. He turned, aimed the remote at the sound system, and clicked through playlists, settled on one, and set it to play, adjusting the volume so he’d be able to hear it inside the shower.
He reached into the shower and turned on the water. There were twin showerheads on each end of the marble wall and he cranked them to full. In less than a minute the shower stall filled with steam from the hot water pouring out. After a thorough scrub down, Hayden turned off the shower and grabbed a towel from the chrome shelves just outside the door to dry off. He shaved and took care of other personal needs before he opened the door and went into the suite.
Neal had flipped on the television but wasn’t watching it. He’d donned a robe and was sitting at the table with a laptop and open sketchbook. Every few seconds he’d tap on the keyboard, then turn to the sketch pad and make some alteration to whatever he was drawing on the paper. Hayden stood quietly near the bathroom door, leaned back against the wall, and watched Neal work.
Staring intently at his project, Neal sucked his lower lip between his teeth. He combed the fingers of his free hand through his hair. It was more disheveled than normal, and a few thick strands had fallen out of place and lay across his forehead. When Neal put the end of his pencil in his mouth and moved his jaw so the pencil bobbed around a little bit, Hayden’s cock gave a slight twitch.
Neal stopped what he was doing and looked up. “I had that being watched feeling.” He closed the sketchbook and smiled. “I thought I’d get a bit of work done.”
“You’re cute when you work.”
“Oh, that’s what I always go for. The cute work ethic,” Neal teased and stood up to stretch. The robe fell open, giving Hayden a glimpse of bronze skin with a dark line of hair running along his midline to vanish beneath blue-and-gray boxers. “I’d better start getting ready.” He closed his laptop and shoved it into a carry bag.
Neal headed to the bathroom but stopped when Hayden put his arm around his waist. “I… um… feel…. Us. It hasn’t been that long, but it’s special, what we have,” Hayden whispered.
“It is.” Neal put one finger under Hayden’s chin and tilted his head up. He brushed his lips over Hayden’s. “I don’t fall into bed with just anyone.” He ran the backs of his fingers gently over Hayden’s cheek and murmured, “I won’t be long.”
Hayden let his head fall back against the wall and stood there until he heard the water in the shower begin to run. Heaving a deep sigh, he finally pushed himself into motion and headed to the closet. As he dressed, he played over various scenarios in his head about how he’d disclose everything to Neal. He kept telling himself over and over it would all work out and Neal would understand. Maybe they’d even get a good laugh out of the whole thing.
He was standing in front of the big mirror over the dresser tying his tie when Neal left the bathroom. Hayden met his gaze in the mirror and smiled shyly.
“Wow. Mr. Owens, you look fantastic. I love the color of your tie. It’s perfect for you.” Neal took hold of Hayden’s shoulders and turned him so he faced Neal. Hayden’s cheeks warmed when Neal’s gaze roamed appreciatively up and down Hayden’s body. “Who does your tailoring?”
Hayden looked down at himself, then brushed his hands over his jacket. “I was hoping you’d like it. My friend Rick is working on breaking into men’s clothing design.” He grinned and shrugged. “I’m sort of his guinea pig a lot. I figure I get the better end of that deal—most of the time. The shiny, multicolored checkered pocket squares that were supposed to look hip failed miserably.”
That made Neal laugh. “I bet they did, but sometimes you have to take chances.”
“Those were a tiny bit too chancy.”
“He seems to have redeemed himself with this suit. You should stick some of his business cards in your pocket and hand them out.” Neal walked to the large closet and pulled his own tuxedo out. “Actually I have a few clients we could introduce him to.”
“Yeah? I’m sure Rick would be grateful. He’s finishing up his master’s and can never have too many contacts.” Hayden pushed away the thought that it was odd Neal didn’t ask why Hayden wasn’t using his family’s business contacts as well. Maybe he simply presumed Hayden was and wanted to add more.
“It’d be my pleasure.” Neal finished dressing. The final thing he did was put the same watch onto his wrist that Hayden had secretly admired on their first date. “We have time to go down and check on the boys on our way to the ballroom.”
Neal was dressed in a tuxedo that likely cost more than Hayden made in six months, and he was talking about stopping at a kennel along the way to a formal party he was hosting. Hayden decided he not only admired that about Neal but it endeared Neal to him as well. Neal had plenty of money and obviously spent some of it on things he liked, but he didn’t flaunt it or use it to hold himself over others.
“I’d like that. I’m sort of curious to see what the doggy care looks like.” Hayden slipped his arms around Neal’s neck and stretched to kiss his cheek. “You look good.”
“We look good,” Neal said with a small laugh. “Ready?”
After a quick check to make sure they had keycards and other essentials, they left the suite and walked the short distance to the elevator. There was another of the concierges standing beside the elevator door. He nodded politely to them, but didn’t engage them in the friendly chatter Hayden had enjoyed with Nathan.
They rode the elevator down to the lobby, then Neal nudged Hayden to one side. A sign above an entryway listed the facilities: Laundry, Fitness Center, Wine Cellar, and Pet Care and Grooming. Hayden stuck his hands in his pockets as he wandered along beside Neal, peeking through the glass doors at the various amenities and wondering what it would be like to have an extended stay in this hotel. Eventually they came to a glass door with the words Pet Care and Grooming painted across the front.
Neal used his keycard to open the door, explaining, “The only guests who can gain access are those with pets registered here. They tie your keycard in when you register at the reception desk.”
High Test Page 10
