by Anders Grey
“Even if you get sucked into the gravitational spacetime vortex?”
“Yes.”
His easygoing nature loosened me up. I guided the tip of my cock to his entrance, probing it gently.
“Hey,” Alec said, shooting me a sly glance. “Want to watch?”
“Watch what?”
Alec poured some lube over his fingers then reached around to press two inside his hole. He thrusted and twisted them, groaning softly as he stretched open right before my eyes. I couldn’t rip my eyes from the obscene display. My cock throbbed.
“There we go,” Alec said roughly. “Started myself for you. Now you can do the rest.”
I was disappointed when he stopped playing with himself, but I was also excited to be inside him. The tip of my cock kissed his lubed-up entrance, and with minimal effort, slipped inside. Alec and I both moaned at the sudden pop of hot friction.
“Fuck, I forgot you’re big,” Alec said with a laugh.
“Are you okay?” I asked, worried it might be too much for him.
Alec pushed back on me, my cock disappearing an inch inside his hole, and I bit back another moan.
“Unless I tell you to stop, you better not,” he growled. “I wanna feel you in me, Rowan.”
I shuddered. Fuck, he was hot.
I grasped his hips and eased myself inside slowly. The hot, tight sensation of Alec wrapped around my cock sent my mind reeling. Pleasure washed over me as I pushed in deeper, chasing that feeling of intense friction. Alec moaned, raising his ass higher in the air as his front half melted onto the bed. With his face in the pillow, his sounds were muffled but undeniably ecstatic.
“Feels so fuckin’ good,” Alec mumbled.
Every whimper and moan that came out of Alec’s mouth set my blood on fire. I wanted more of his lustful praise. I bit my lip and sank inside him until his ass enveloped my whole shaft. We both let out salacious groans that made most porn sound tame.
“Fuck,” Alec said, then gave a weak laugh. “Rowan, your cock is huge.”
“Sorry.”
“God, don’t be. I love it.”
I smiled. “How do you feel? Should I start fucking you?”
Alec licked his lips. “Squirt some more lube in there and I’m good to go when you are.”
I nearly spilled half the bottle all over myself as I scrambled to pour it. I felt every twitch of Alec’s hot ass around my sensitive cock, and the cool sensation of the lube only amplified it.
I pulled my hips back then slammed into Alec. He cried out. I did it again, pulling farther and fucking deeper.
“Yes! Fuck, yes!”
I leaned over Alec’s back, gripping his sides tighter. My arousal burned like a fanned flame, getting hotter with every thrust and pleasured cry. My balls felt full enough to burst, but there was no fucking way I was going to cum yet.
“God, Rowan, you’re amazing,” Alec moaned.
He reached lazily for his own cock, but an urge came over me, and I gently slapped it out of the way. Before Alec could ask why I did it, I wrapped my fingers around his hot shaft. He gasped. When I started pumping his cock in time with my own thrusts, Alec’s noises became incomprehensible. He moaned and gasped into the pillow, unable to form words that weren’t curses or my name.
My orgasm was closing in on me fast. The tight coil of arousal below my belly peaked, threatening to unravel at any second. I jerked Alec off faster. My cock twitched. My balls felt unbearably full. As I fucked Alec harder and deeper, I was lost in a haze of lust and affection.
I realized that I’d never wanted to top anyone before I met Alec. I wanted to fuck him. I wanted to make him feel good—to make him cum.
I wanted to be the one to love him.
Alec’s cry was sharp and choked. “Rowan!”
I sank into him one final time and nearly whited out. My mind went blank from pleasure as I filled up the condom. My hand kept pumping Alec’s cock absentmindedly, and he wasn’t too far behind. He came a second after with a loud groan, splattering my hand and the sheets with sticky fluid.
“That was good,” Alec said, still trying to catch his breath. “Need to… do that more often.”
I pulled out with a groan then collapsed next to him, too exhausted to deal with the condom.
“Hey,” Alec said. “What time is it?”
My eyes snapped open. I glanced over at the digital clock on the bedside table. We were so busy we didn’t keep track of the time.
“Oh, fuck,” I muttered.
“Oh, fuck is right,” Alec mumbled in amusement. Then he shot upright, struck by the same hurried panic as I was. “Oh. You meant—okay.”
The sex romp did a good job of taking my mind off all the drama for a while, but the stress and anxiety all came rushing back as soon as we went out for dinner. It didn’t help that we were late. As we skulked into the fancy restaurant, I kept my head down, feeling like a guilty dog.
We found the table easily enough since my family was easy to spot. I quickly scanned the group for Tiffany. Even though Alec said she regretted our spat earlier, I still didn’t want to sit close to her. She and Mark sat at the head of the table. They were both all smiles and bubbling laughter like nothing was wrong.
I grimaced and shuffled to the opposite end of the table where Grandpa was dozing off. The petulant part of me wanted to ignore Tiffany for the rest of the trip and let whatever happened happen. If Tiffany wanted to marry Mark knowing what she knew, that was her problem. But I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with my guilty conscience. I had to get to the bottom of this.
Alec sat next to me. I sensed the same awkward tension radiating from him like he was still thinking about me and Tiffany’s fight, too.
“I don’t think she noticed us arriving,” he said under his breath.
“Either that or she’s ignoring us,” I mumbled.
I narrowed my eyes and shot a glance down the table. Tiffany was so absorbed in whatever Mark was saying that she didn’t notice me.
I turned my glare on Mark. Since the blow up with Tiffany, I’d deeply regretted following him in the courtyard. All it did was rouse his suspicion. He knew we were on to him now, and he’d be twice as careful about hiding whatever he was hiding.
Slip up, I begged silently.
I suddenly felt a prickle on the back of my neck. I sank back in my seat and looked around but didn’t see anything. I shifted closer to Alec.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I mumbled.
As a waitress came to attend to me and Alec, I noticed Tiffany finally looking in our direction, apparently seeing us for the first time. I couldn’t read her expression, and when I turned to face her, she glanced away. I didn’t know if her reaction was from anger or shame. I stopped looking when Mark dramatically put his arm around her shoulder and shot me a nasty glare. His phone was clutched tightly in his other hand face down on the table.
“You seem distracted,” Alec commented.
“I am. How can I not be?”
He smiled sympathetically. “I was hoping our activity earlier would help you relax a little.”
I glanced at Grandpa, not wanting him to overhear. Thankfully he was still passed out and borderline snoring.
“I enjoyed our activity very much,” I said to Alec, “but that still doesn’t solve our problem.”
“Do you want me to talk to Tiffany for you?” Alec offered.
“Thanks, but I’m tired of making you fight my battles.” As upset as I was with Tiffany, I knew this wouldn’t go away if we kept ignoring each other. I didn’t want to spend the wedding—assuming there was still a wedding—thinking about how mad Tiffany was. “I’ll do it myself.”
“Right now?” Alec sounded surprised. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”
I scooted back in my chair. “I’m not gonna cause a scene. I’m just gonna tell her I want to talk after dinner.”
But right before I got up, movement from the corner of my eye stopp
ed me. Mark was standing, too. He leaned down to say something in Tiffany’s ear, and she nodded before continuing to chat with Aunt Rose, who—judging by the margarita in front of her—had apparently gotten over her hangover.
“He’s leaving,” I whispered to Alec.
We watched subtly as Mark disappeared deeper into the restaurant heading towards the bathrooms.
Tiffany wasn’t paying any attention to the other end of the table. If I left now, I could follow Mark without her knowing.
“I’m going.” Before Alec could reply, I touched his arm and said, “Don’t follow me. It’ll look more suspicious of both of us go.”
Alec frowned like he wanted to argue but just sighed. “All right. But don’t take too long.”
I nodded and slunk out of my seat. My heart thudded as I trailed Mark, wondering what I’d find.
Maybe it’s nothing. He really could just be going to the bathroom, I told myself, trying not to get my hopes up. Then I realized what a sick bastard I was for hoping to find evidence of Mark’s betrayal. But even though it would hurt now, it would help Tiffany in the end. If Mark really was doing something ugly behind her back, she needed to know before they tied the knot.
In the dark hallway that led to the restrooms, Mark suddenly stopped with a low curse. I held my breath and stuck to the corner. Mark brought his phone in front of him and typed something furiously. I realized I hadn’t seen him without his fist clutched around it since we arrived.
Mark ducked into the men’s room. I swallowed down my racing heart and waited a solid thirty seconds before following him. It was a large, luxurious room with an entranceway wall that I used for cover. I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard his angry voice.
“Stop fucking texting me when you know I’m at dinner,” Mark snapped.
I struggled to hold my breath and keep quiet.
Mark went on berating whoever he was talking to. “Seriously, I have message previews turned off, but it’s still suspicious when my phone’s constantly vibrating.”
A man with a bitter voice replied. “Maybe if you actually responded, I wouldn’t have to nag you.”
I froze.
I knew that voice. My head spun and for a second I thought I might choke on my own heart.
No. It can’t be him.
My mind screamed at me to turn and leave, but I was too close to the truth to run now. I braced myself, holding my breath as I inched closer to the edge of the wall and peered past it.
I wasn’t hearing things. There, standing in the center of the room, were Kyle and Mark.
“What’s the big problem that you needed to talk to me right now?” Mark demanded.
All the blood in my body stopped running as Kyle’s gaze flickered to me. He stared, unrelenting and unblinking.
“The problem’s right behind you.”
26
Alec
With nothing to do but wait for Rowan to return, I bounced my leg impatiently. I looked across the table at Rowan’s Grandpa who was still snoring. I sighed and risked a glance towards Tiffany to make sure she wasn’t getting suspicious of Mark’s absence, but she gave no indication of that.
Come on, Rowan, what’s taking so long?
Just as I was wondering if I should get up and find him, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I winced when I saw it was my boss, Harvey. Dread pooled in my gut when I realized I hadn’t sent him any of the content I promised yet. With everything that happened during this trip, I’d been seriously lagging behind on any actual work—which was the whole reason I accompanied Rowan here in the first place.
I bit back a curse and took the call, shielding the mouthpiece with my hand. “Hello?”
He grunted in his gruff voice. “Alex. It’s Harvey.”
I grimaced. Years of working with the guy and he still fucked up my name, but at this point it was less embarrassing not to correct him.
“Hey, Harvey,” I said. “I know I—”
“Jesus, where are you? I can barely hear you.”
Damnit. Of course he had to call now.
I didn’t want Tiffany to see me running off and assume something was up, but I couldn’t talk to Harvey here. I made a quick mental map of the restaurant. If I went outside through the front door, Tiffany would definitely notice me slipping past. I had a better chance of going in the same direction as Rowan and Mark. I knew he told me to stay put, but I had no other choice right now.
“Hang on a sec,” I told Harvey.
I kept the phone pressed to my ear as I dipped out of my seat and shuffled towards the restrooms. Harvey let out an exasperated grunt.
When I got to the dim hallway that led to the restrooms, I asked, “Is this better?”
“It’s fine,” Harvey said. “Listen, the job you promised—”
“I know I haven’t sent it yet,” I said quickly, hoping he wouldn’t be too annoyed that I cut him off. “But I promise I’m working on it.”
“Don’t worry about it, Alex,” he said. I sighed quietly in relief, but my relief was short lived as Harvey went on. “We’re pulling that segment completely.”
My heart dropped like lead. “Wait, what?”
“They ran a poll on our social media. The readers want exotic. Roses and flowers and other crap you can find in North America aren’t gonna cut it. We’re scrapping the macro gallery or whatever.”
“I don’t understand,” I said, feeling cold. “What do you mean by exotic?”
“Oh, you’ll love this,” Harvey promised excitedly. “We booked you a plane ticket to Bali. Leaves this weekend.”
I gaped. “What?”
“Bali. Indonesia.”
I held my tongue, even though all I wanted to do was snap, I know where fucking Bali is!
“Did you say this weekend?” I asked.
“Saturday morning.”
Tomorrow was the rehearsal at the Botanical Gardens, and the wedding was the day after—the same day Harvey wanted me to leave.
“I—this is a huge honor, thank you, Harvey, but I can’t make it,” I said. “Can’t someone else take this segment?”
Harvey sputtered. “What d’you mean, you can’t make it?”
I gritted my teeth. “I already have plans for this weekend—”
“Then cancel them! What part of a free trip to Bali don’t you understand? And might I remind you that I’m not asking you for a favor. I’m telling you it’s your job to do this segment!”
I chewed the inside of my cheek. How could I even begin to explain to Harvey the clusterfuck that was going on with Tiffany and Mark? And Rowan? I couldn’t just leave him here all by himself to deal with this. He needed me.
But what about my job? Harvey sounded pissed. If I didn’t take this opportunity, I knew it wasn’t going to come around again. If I said no, would he even bother keeping me around?
“I—I’m not sure what to say,” I admitted honestly.
“Say yes,” Harvey barked. “Seriously, Alex, I thought you’d be happy to hear this. Hell, anyone else would be!”
I made up a work-related lie and hoped it would be enough to satisfy him. “I’m sorry. I’m just really invested in this project. There were a lot of fans looking forward to it.”
Technically, that wasn’t even a lie. I knew Rowan was excited about it, at the very least.
But Harvey didn’t want to listen. “People will forget all about it when they see tigers and monkeys.”
Does he really think I’m going to run into a fucking tiger in fucking Bali? I thought bitterly.
“You’re doing this segment, Alex,” Harvey repeated, his voice sharper now. This clearly wasn’t up for debate. “I’ve already forwarded you the ticket. I don’t care what your plans are, just cancel them and get on the damn plane. I can’t believe I’m even arguing with you about this. Anyone else would jump at this opportunity.” He took on a bitter tone. “Maybe it’s time for a new hire.”
My stomach churned. He’s threatening to replace me.
This was
happening too fast. My mind swarmed, and I couldn’t think straight.
If I said no, would Harvey fire me? I couldn’t afford to lose this job. Bitterness welled up in my chest like tar. I’d been working at the magazine for years, and I was damn good at it. If Harvey was only bluffing, it was an asshole move. But if he wasn’t, the risk was too great.
I had to say something.
“I’ll do it,” I blurted out.
Harvey huffed. “Good man. Glad to hear it. Well, I’ll let you get back to whatever it is you’re doing, Alex.”
Harvey hung up. I shut my eyes and sank back against the wall as the reality of what I’d just done dawned on me. I’d agreed to get on a plane and go to Bali on the same day of Tiffany’s wedding—or risk losing my job.
Saturday morning was less than two days away. There wasn’t enough time. Nothing with Tiffany or Mark had been resolved. And Rowan—
I frowned and opened my eyes. Where had Rowan gone, anyway? Shouldn’t he have been done by now?
With a bad feeling churning in my stomach, I paced nervously down the dim hallway towards the restrooms. The voices I’d heard in the background while on the phone grew louder now. Angrier.
My brow furrowed. If someone was having a fight in the bathroom, I didn’t want to be a part of it. I backed away from the restroom, then picked up my phone and called Rowan. He didn’t pick up. I tried again. Uneasiness prickled my skin.
Am I going crazy or is that his ringtone coming from the men’s room?
It suddenly stopped at the same time that the call on my phone was shut off.
“What the hell?” I muttered.
I pushed into the men’s room and stopped instantly.
Mark and a man I didn’t recognize towered over Rowan, whose back was up against the wall. Rowan’s face was screwed up in anger and fear. I stormed towards them, my blood boiling.
“Hey! Get away from him!” I snapped.
I ran to Rowan. Without thinking I pulled him aside, putting myself in between them like a shield.
“Alec,” Rowan said in a breathless gasp.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
