by Gale Stanley
Black?
“Get in. I’ll give you a lift.”
Rolf protested but Levi shut him down. He was not about to let his only link to Noah drive away. As he slid into the passenger seat, Levi glanced in the back. The seat was empty. Shit. Did he lock Noah in the trunk? “So, uh, how did you find me?”
Simon Black grinned at him. “No offense, but I wasn’t looking.”
Levi felt like an idiot. He might as well have a stupid sticker plastered on his forehead. “You, uh, knew my name and I figured…”
Simon chuckled as he stepped on the gas. “I asked your boss. Told him he should give you a raise for checking out the customers so thoroughly.”
Levi felt his face flame. “I don’t live far from here,” he said, changing the subject.
“Do you have someone waiting for you? I could use a drink and some company. “
A lucky break for me. “A drink sounds good.”
“Any preference?”
“Strokers is just ahead and if we hurry we can make the last call.”
“Perfect. I’m on it.”
Another after-hours club, the proprietor would stop serving alcohol at the designated time but had a special license to remain open and sell non-alcoholic drinks. At this time of the morning, no one really cared. The draw was boy meets boy. Men who showed up after all the other bars had closed weren’t interested in drinking more. They wanted to get fucked. Levi hoped the crowd had thinned out by now. He just wanted a quick drink and some conversation in a quiet place. Hopefully a little liquor would loosen Simon’s tongue.
Simon parked on the street. Levi got out of the car and couldn’t help glancing toward the trunk. Simon called out. “What’s wrong? Do my tires look low?”
“No, just admiring the car. It’s a beauty, but you can’t have much trunk space.”
Simon walked up behind him and punched the trunk release on his key. “It’s more than ample for me.” He opened the hood all the way so Levi could take a look.
Empty.
Levi took a good look anyway, searching for signs of disorder, or worse—blood. There were none. He straightened up, not sure if he was relieved or more upset. “You’re right. You could hide a body in there.”
Simon regarded him with contemptuous amusement. “Yeah, if I was a serial killer.”
Levi forced a chuckle and headed for the entrance to the club. Strokers’s clientele included bartenders, bouncers, and strippers from the hottest gay bars in town. Levi wasn’t a member, but when he flashed his Hot Rods ID, the doorman waved them through.
A party atmosphere raged inside Strokers. By the looks of the crowd dancing to the throbbing electronic music, full nudity was obviously allowed and encouraged. The combined scents of male sweat and testosterone took Rolf to a state of arousal that rubbed off on Levi. Not what he was looking for. Levi wasn’t against having sex with Simon, but he wanted some answers first. He’d been hoping for a quieter scene, something more conducive to conversation. He could hardly hear himself think. Unfortunately, it was too late to go anywhere else.
They made their way to the bar and claimed two empty stools at the far end. Simon ordered bourbon. No ice, no frills. He looked over at Levi.
“Captain & Cola.”
As soon as the drink was set in front of him, Levi downed half of it and signaled the bartender for another round. “Drink up,” he told Simon.
Simon’s mouth twitched with amusement. “You don’t have to get me drunk, Levi. I’m easy.”
I hope your tongue is as loose as your morals.
Levi leaned in close, his lips near Simon’s ear. “Can I ask you a personal question, Simon?”
Simon turned until his mouth was scant inches from Levi’s. “Sure.”
Levi felt a flush spread over the surface of his skin and he drew back.
Focus, Levi. Focus on Noah.
“But I might not answer it.” Simon’s lips parted in a dazzling display of straight, white teeth. His smile was magnetic and Levi found it impossible not to return it.
“Fair enough. I was just wondering why an attractive guy like you buys a slave.”
“It can be a mutually beneficial power exchange. The submissive in the relationship wants to give up control and the dominant partner wants to take control.”
“You’re generalizing. I’m more interested in why you want a slave.”
This time Simon tilted his head closer. He upped the ante by putting one hand over Levi’s. “And I’m more interested in why you find me attractive.”
Goosebumps spread from their point of contact and Levi’s arousal spiked to a new level. Simon’s gaze locked on his and Levi couldn’t tear his eyes away from the dark hypnotic stare. For a few seconds he was tongue-tied. “It’s just that I, uh…I don’t understand why you’re here when you just bought yourself a very expensive slave?”
“Does it bother you that much?”
Levi gave a noncommittal shrug.
“What are you looking for, Levi?” Simon mouthed softly.
Focus on who you’re looking for, Levi told himself. “Just a drink and a little conversation.”
“And if I told you the slave doesn’t belong to me?”
Levi’s pulse quickened. “Does he?”
“No.” Black watched him thoughtfully as he spoke. “I’m just the middleman tonight. The buyer wants to remain anonymous.”
Levi digested this new information. So, Black hadn’t bought Noah for himself. It didn’t make him trust the man any more than he had, but it was more important that Simon Black trust him. The man was Levi’s only connection to Noah.
Simon squeezed his hand. “Still interested in talking?”
Levi suspected that Simon was done talking. If Levi didn’t take things further, Simon would probably be pissed and take off. On the other hand if they had sex, there was a chance he might see Simon again. That was incentive enough to pursue this. Friend or foe, businessman or thug, something about this man attracted Levi, and he wouldn’t find it a hardship to trade sex for information.
“Let’s talk somewhere private.” Levi tried to make his smile seductive. “Do you live nearby?”
“No.” Simon hesitated for a second. “Let’s get something straight, Levi. I’m not looking for romance. No strings, no repeats, just sex. After tonight, that’s it.” Simon looked at him expectantly.
Levi had to try, but he wasn’t surprised by Simon’s answer. Simon appeared to be a loner, much like Levi himself. Levi actually preferred anonymous sex with men he’d never see again afterward. He wasn’t interested in a drink or conversation, and most definitely not a second date. Parks, bathhouses, restrooms, that was where he usually cruised when his testosterone level reached its boiling point.
Am I in? Hell yeah. What choice do I have?
Levi slipped a finger under his collar and pulled on it. “It’s hot in here. Let’s get some air.”
Levi’s inner wolf was pissed. If left to his own devices, Rolf would be shifting and tearing Simon’s throat out. But Levi was in charge here and his human blood pulsed hot and wild through his human body, as he pictured the drool-worthy Mr. Black pounding into his ass. It was true he hadn’t been with anyone in months and Simon was a very tempting package, but first and foremost, Simon brought him closer to Noah. And if he got fucked in the process, he’d enjoy the ride. Most men didn’t give him what he needed. One side of his dual personality enjoyed topping, the other side wanted to bottom, and if he had his way, he would alternate between the two, a flip-flop. Switching from top to bottom during one sexual encounter was heaven, but it had only happened a few times in his life.
Although Levi was loath to admit it, Simon Black gave off an aura of power that appealed to Levi’s human side. Earlier, Simon had inspired the biggest boner he’d had in years, and while it had made his wolf angry, it had primed Levi for an orgasm that never came.
Levi could go home and take care of business himself, but lately jacking off just wasn’t good enough. Tonight he craved
the closeness of a warm male body topping his—Simon Black’s body. At least he’d get half of what he needed.
Simon grinned and threw some bills on the bar. Levi stood and started walking toward the back exit of the club. He couldn’t hear Simon’s footsteps in the din, but he didn’t doubt the man was following close behind him.
When Levi opened the door, the night air cooled his heated flesh. He waited until Simon stood next to him and then he tilted his head to the right where the entrance to an alley yawned like a sinister black hole. It was a blatant invite that guaranteed both men would get what they needed.
Simon stood his ground. “You first.”
Something else we have in common. Our distrust.
It occurred to Levi that boxing himself into a dark space between two brick buildings wasn’t the smartest thing he could do, but instead of putting him off, it did the opposite, arousing him to a level he hadn’t experienced in a long time. But he wasn’t a complete idiot. “If you don’t trust—”
“Stop stalling, Levi. Playing hard to get doesn’t suit you.” Simon glanced at his watch.” “Do I have to drag you into the alley?”
Levi sucked air between his teeth. “No.”
“Sure about that?” A sinfully wicked grin played at Simon’s lips.
He can read me like a book. He knows exactly what I’m feeling.
Levi’s cock leaked at the thought of Simon’s forceful domination. With his arousal already almost beyond the point of control, he couldn’t deny it. But beyond the sex, he wanted to find Noah, and Simon presented his only hope. Danger be damned. Levi still had an advantage. He could rely on the wolf blood flowing through his veins to get him out of trouble.
Levi gave Simon Black an almost imperceptible nod and started walking into the dark alley. Footsteps sounded behind him and made his heart race. He hadn’t felt this excited in a long time. He hoped like hell that all Simon wanted was a fuck.
Levi stepped over empty liquor bottles and broken glass as he walked deeper into the shadows. The stink of rotting garbage and animal waste assaulted his nostrils. His supersensitive eyesight made the most of the pale moonlight that filtered into the narrow lane. Even if he couldn’t see in the dark, his senses of smell and hearing were so incredibly developed that he could find his way blindfolded. Halfway into the alley, Levi was suddenly slammed up against the brick wall. Two strong hands gripped him, and a hard body pinned him in place.
“Hey, what the fuck?” Levi made a move to turn, but the hands held him firmly.
“Don’t move.” Black’s voice, low and harsh, cut through the darkness behind him and sent a buzz of arousal through Levi’s body. His slacks tightened around an uncomfortably thick erection, but a thrill of fear skittered up his spine, too. Maybe he’d been wrong about Simon Black. He waited for the sudden click of a switchblade opening or the prod of a gun in his back.
Chapter Three
The only weapon at Levi’s back was the hard cock riding his ass, but he didn’t feel any safer. Two opposing impulses raced through his body.
Fuck or flee?
An element of danger always ramped up Levi’s arousal but his wolf clawed at his gut in warning. Rolf would never put himself in a position where he felt cornered.
Levi expected this kind of reaction from his inner beast, but suddenly even his human side had a problem submitting to Black. He kept picturing Noah on the auction block.
Give in to this stranger and you’re no better than a slave.
Wolf-shifters weren’t supposed to like being submissive. That had been pounded into his head again and again when he’d been kidnapped by the Were Resistance Movement years ago. It hadn’t changed the way he felt inside. He still enjoyed receiving as much as dishing it out. No wonder his head was so fucked up. It was a good thing that half-breeds were rare because Werewolves and humans were too different to coexist in the same body.
Most humans believed that conception couldn’t occur between human and Were, but Levi was living proof that it could. For a long time, Levi had believed he was the only half-human Were in existence. Now he wasn’t so sure. With the shortage of shifter women being so severe, it stood to reason that straight Weres would mate with human females. It wasn’t such a stretch to think biology might mesh in some couplings and produce a half-breed. His father, a Werewolf, had fallen in love with a human woman, and their union had produced Levi. Despite the fact he had never come across another half-breed, Levi knew there had to be more like him. If not, WRM wouldn’t be so aggressive in seeking out Weres who mated with humans. Above all else, the Resistance wanted to keep their bloodlines pure.
Times had always been dangerous for Weres who went outside their species. They were considered traitors. Levi had only been ten when someone had dropped a dime on his family, probably to save their own ass. Were terrorists had come in the middle of the night, dragging his parents out of their bed and torturing them in front of his eyes. He might have been a kid, but he had fought against the attackers with all the strength he had. It wasn’t enough. Werewolves come into their own at puberty, and Levi was still a skinny runt. He watched his father die while trying to save his mother. God only knew how he’d managed to get away from the bloodthirsty wolves who came after him, but he’d run like a bat out of hell and somehow he’d gotten away.
After living wild for months, hiding inside his furry pelt and existing on the small animals he caught for food, Levi was more wolf than human. When he was caught in a snare by a human hunter, he thought his luck had run out. But the man took pity on him and decided to keep him and train him as a hunting dog. Noah, the hunter’s six-year-old son, was given the task of feeding and caring for Levi. Every day they became closer until finally Levi shifted and revealed himself to the younger boy. But still afraid to trust Noah’s parents, Levi refused to approach them in humanskin. Noah was pure and innocent. He didn’t have a bigoted bone in his body, but the majority of humans hated Weres, believing them to be freaks of nature. Stupid humans, they watched too many fucking horror movies.
It took a lot of months and a lot of talking with Noah, but finally Noah convinced Levi to reveal his true nature to his parents. To Levi’s great surprise, Noah’s family had accepted him immediately. It seemed that Noah had inherited his generous spirit from his parents.
When Noah’s family gave Rolf a home, they gave him their last name as well. It was done to protect him, and Levi appreciated the gesture. Levi’s last name had been Wolfe back then. A lot of Weres took the surname Wolfe. Too many. Through the years so many wolf-shifters had been wiped out that ancestral names had been lost. Humans called the orphans Wolfe to brand them as Weres. Having the Levys’ family name made him feel like he was really part of their family. It meant a lot to him.
Noah had been like a brother to him. Instead of being annoyed at having a six-year-old boy shadow him constantly, Levi had loved it. He and Noah became inseparable, until once again, love and family were snatched away.
When Levi turned sixteen, the Resistance found out that he was still alive and living with humans. They came for him in the middle of the night. His stepparents were murdered in their beds, but the bastards took Noah.
Levi begged the wolves to let Noah go, but they didn’t listen. When they got back to the WRM hideout, his best friend was taken away and he never saw Noah again—until tonight.
Levi had expected to die back then, but instead the rebels had tried to brainwash him and turn him into a monster like themselves. Levi went along with the program, but it was all a sham. The first chance he got, he ran.
He blamed himself for everything. If he hadn’t revealed his shifter identity to Noah in the first place, the Levys would still be alive. He knew then he needed to stay in one identity or the other, and he’d been hiding his wolf ever since. He had changed his name, calling himself Levi York. It reminded him of the human family that had given him a home, and it kept him focused on his goal—finding out what happened to Noah.
So yeah, Levi
had learned the hard way that his own kind couldn’t be trusted. There was no one in the world he could count on except himself. If he had any hope of getting to Noah, he’d have to do it alone. He couldn’t let Simon Black know what Noah meant to him. Levi leaned his forehead against the bricks and tried to calm Rolf. You can do this.
A strong, muscular arm wrapped around Levi’s waist, and a hard chest pressed against his back. Levi gasped at the feeling of being caught. Simon had him trapped between his big body and the brick wall, a position that Levi found exciting as well as a little disturbing. Levi had had very few partners taller than himself, and he liked the sensation of being overpowered. Levi’s wolf was another story. His inner beast railed against submission and the muscular man currently blocking its only avenue of escape.
Logically Levi knew that there was a difference between giving up some control in a physical encounter and completely surrendering like…like a slave. Like Noah. That was the problem. He kept putting himself in Noah’s place—a helpless slave with no will of his own. Maybe if he could look into Black’s eyes, he could at least establish an illusion of power-sharing that would make him more comfortable. He struggled to turn, but Simon wouldn’t release his tight grip. Christ, he was strong. A shudder ran through Levi’s body as he felt his muscles contract and release. His wolf wanted out. Levi tensed and exerted a great force of will to keep the enraged animal inside him.
“Is this what you’re looking for?” Simon rubbed an impressive erection against his ass, and a shiver of anticipation shot right to Levi’s groin. The man’s heavy weight settled against his back, giving off a possessive, demanding vibe that made Levi’s cock fill. Good thing this human couldn’t scent his pheromones.
“I want to fuck you.” Simon’s voice throbbed in his ear.
Levi couldn’t help the groan that escaped his mouth, or the growl that followed it.
“Very sexy.” A tongue traced his earlobe, and then teeth nipped at Levi’s neck, leaving goose bumps in their wake. “Put your hands up on the wall.”
Levi did as he was told, and a muscular thigh pressed between Levi’s legs, spreading them apart. A hand came around his waist to unzip his pants. He went commando, and there was no obstruction to the big hand searching for his aching shaft. Harsh animal sounds escaped the back of his throat and Levi pressed his hot flesh further into Simon’s hand.
