by Turner, CJ
“Hmmm,” Theo said. “Soho shabby chic.”
“The only thing shabby is your pick-up lines. How dare you insult my design style.”
Theo turned the side and propped his head on his hand and scanned the room.
“You do take minimalist to new heights here.”
“That’s not what I want to take to new heights,” said Lennox.
“That sounds like a promise.”
“I don’t welsh on my bets, though you may have cheated.”
“Moi? Cheat? Then we’ll settle it with rock, paper, scissors.”
“No. We’ve wasted enough time.” Lennox pulled off the apron and took his wallet from his pocket. He slid a condom out.
Theo raised an eyebrow. “I thought we were talking blow jobs here.”
“And so we were. Safety first.”
“We’ve been kissing.”
“And so we were bad.”
“You do have trust issues.”
Lennox bit his lip. “No, just some scares.”
“Let me ease your mind.” Theo took out his wallet and pulled the report from the test he had done the first full day back in New York. He handed the paper to Lennox.
Lennox started at it. “I don’t know whether I’m impressed you thought ahead or scared you did.”
“You mentioned it as a concern, and I didn’t want you to worry.”
Lennox drew his mouth tight. “So, you planned all along to get me into the sack?”
“No, I hoped I could spend time with the sexiest man I ever met. Because, even though I just met you, I can’t get you out of my head. While I was in New York, all I thought was, ‘How soon before I can leave and see Lennox again?’”
Lennox handed the paper back to Theo. “Must have been torture.”
“It was.”
Lennox pulled Theo’s belt buckle while the man watched with half-lidded eyes.
“And now, for driving me insane in the same vein, it is time for your punishment.” He pulled off Theo’s shoes, and then his khakis, and finally his boxers. He held the underwear in one hand.
“I should have known. Silk.”
“It’s a natural fiber,” said Theo. “Keeps things very cool.”
Lennox tossed the boxers away. “All I see it hotness.”
Before Theo could answer, Lennox dived and buried his face in heaven. Lennox found he got hard while he licked and sucked and caressed the man’s cock and balls with his tongue. Feeling Theo stiffen under his ministrations and respond with little noises from his throat made Lennox’s heart beat faster. He wanted to give Theo pleasure, feel his hips buck under Lennox, to watch the expression on Theo’s face when he tumbled over the edge. Theo’s muscles grew rigid, and he tried to push Lennox away, but Lennox refused to stop.
Theo arched his back and cried out, and Lennox took it all.
“Oh, God,” said Theo. “Damn.”
Lennox breathed hard, not sure what to do now. But Theo glanced at Lennox and smiled a huge grin.
“Your turn. Time for round two,” he said.
“I promise, it you put that mouth on me, I will not last long.”
Theo smiled, put his hands on Lennox’s shoulders, and turned Lennox onto his back.
“Whoa,” said Lennox. “Strong man.”
“No. All technique. Benefit of intermural wrestling at prep school,” said Theo.
“I can see where a private school education has its advantages. What else did you learn at the school?”
Theo grinned. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Hmm, same-sex dormitories. Lots of horny teenage boys running around naked in the showers. The imagination runs wild.”
“Do you know what else is wild?”
“What?”
“How much I want this.” Theo put his index finger at Lennox’s hole, and Lennox made a needy noise.
“You are an impulsive man, aren’t you? One blow job and you’re ready for more.”
“When it comes to you, totally.” Theo turned his head to the side of the bed next to the wall. “Lube! Perfect.”
“So, you don’t disparage my minimalist style now that you can grab the lube easy.”
Theo popped the cap and drizzled the lube on Lennox’s rosebud then Theo leaned forward
between Lennox’s leg and kissed him. He dived into his mouth while grabbing Lennox’s cock with his left hand and first lightly tapped his right index finger at the entrance rimming the ring. Lennox whimpered, overwhelmed with Theo’s assault on his mouth, cock, and the questing finger between his cheeks.
“Oh fuck.” But with Theo covering his mouth it came out as a muffled “oof.” Theo slid his finger inside and a thousand tingles danced up Lennox’s spine. He was hard, and leaking, and was about to tumble off the edge, but Theo kept him on the edge with light, halting strokes on his cock, and easing his finger in then out of Lennox. Time stopped, and Lennox entered a space of no thought, only sensation. He didn’t know how long it took for Theo to put in two, then three fingers. Lennox’s heart raced, and his cock throbbed demanding release. He barely registered Theo’s questioning, “Ready?”
He gasped as Theo pressed his cock at Lennox’s hole, not in pain but because he was so hot, he could barely wait.
“Please,” he choked out.
Theo’s breathing sped up and he pushed inside inch by inch, until their balls met.
“Babe, please,” said Lennox again.
Theo wrapped Lennox’s hand around his own member. “Look at me,” he said.
Lennox opened his eyes and stared into Theo’s intense blue eyes that were fixed on Lennox as if he was the center of Theo’s universe. Theo began to move slowly at first, but then his Adam’s apple bobbed, and his breath stuttered as his pace quickened.
“Come for me, babe,” gasped Theo.
Lennox pulled on his cock, frantic for his release, and then Theo moved and hit Lennox’s prostate. Stars lit his vision and he burst apart, bucking under Theo. And Theo pulsed inside him with a long sexy groan. He fell to the side, clutching Lennox, and both men held each tight as their breathing slowed.
“Wow,” said Theo. “I can’t wait until we do that again.”
“You are a greedy man,” said Lennox between hard breaths.
“Nope. Just hungry for the sexiest man I’ve even met.”
The two men held each other and fell into an exhausted but contented sleep. But Lennox woke while it was still dark, and he remembered the arrangements that waited completion.
But when he descended the stairs, Bonkers stood at the bottom, looking distressed.
“Sorry, boy.” He grabbed Bonker’s leash from the hook by the door of the workroom and clipped it on Bonker’s collar.
“What’s going on?” said Theo at the top of the stairs.
“Go back to sleep. I need to walk Bonkers, and then I must finish the flower arrangements for Livvy’s party.”
“I’ll take Bonkers for his walk. How about it, boy? Do you want to take a walk with me?”
Bonkers waggled his bottom and yapped excitedly.
“I think my dog likes you better than me.”
“Don’t even say it. He’s just happy his master found someone special. Aren’t you, Bonkers?”
After throwing on his clothes, Theo took Bonkers out, and Lennox worked on the arrangements. He lost track of time when he heard banging on the back door.
There he found Theo, juggling bags of food, and an overly excited Bonkers.
Lennox ate as he worked, and Theo stayed with him and heaped praise on Lennox for his talent. He wasn’t used to this, and it embarrassed and pleased him at the same time. He sighed with relief when he finished the arrangements and the hospital delivery order. Theo gave him a rueful look. “I guess my job of offering moral support ended for the day, and I need to get to Livvy’s house. I’m supposed to spend the night there. So, I’ll go. See you tomorrow? Oh, and wear something nice.”
“What?” said Lennox as Theo headed for the b
ack door.
“Didn’t I tell you? Um, no. We were too busy. You’re my plus-one at Livvy’s party.”
And without waiting for Lennox’s reply, Theo slipped out the back, and the door banged shut.
“Wait. What?” He stared at the back door in shock. Plus-one?
Bonkers turned his head toward him and yapped happily.
“Upstairs, you. Maybe if we slept, things would make more sense because I did not hear what Theo said. It’s not possible.”
Driving Mrs. Pearson’s creaky delivery van to the Grant’s house on Watchtower Hill upped his anxiety to the stratosphere. The sprawling Grant estate covered the atoll, with a gigantic main house and several cottages as outbuildings. As Lennox followed a small caravan of caterers down a service drive to the rear of the house, the meticulous groundskeeping and gardening amazed him. A small fortune went just in upkeep. Lennox shook his head. This was Theo’s world, but it could never be his. There was too much “pretty” here, and unconscious consumption of wealth, for Lennox to feel comfortable. He had come up hard, with an awareness of how painful and challenging life could be. In Theo’s world, a bad haircut was a tragedy. Lennox had suffered far more heartbreak as his bill for living.
As he waited his turn in line to off-load the flowers, he couldn’t see how things could work between Theo and him. Sure, last night was fun, but maybe that’s all there was.
And then Lennox’s heart stopped when he spotted Theo walking toward him with a bright smile. Theo waved, and Lennox rolled down the window.
“Hey,” said Theo. “Sleep well?”
“You did wear me out.”
“Likewise. Let me show you where to set things up.”
“You’re drafted as help?”
“I’m Livvy’s big bro for all intents and purposes. The Grants always consider me a resource.”
Lennox noted different well-dressed men and women milling around in the garden.
“Guests have arrived already?”
“Guests arrived last night. The main house is full. And the guest cottages are stuffed. The kitchen staff put brunch out. Hungry? When the Grants hold a party, all the stops are pulled out.”
“I’d like to get the flowers inside. I don’t want them to wilt in the heat.”
“That would be a shame after your hard work. I’ll have someone bring you a cart.”
Lennox raised an eyebrow. “So, you don’t actually work?”
Theo laughed. “What do you think? I supervise. That’s the hardest work of all.”
“Says the supervisor,” said Lennox.
A rolling cart made it easier to bring in the flower arrangements. Theo led him to the Grant’s ballroom, and Lennox did his best not to gape at the gilt and the tables set with crystal, china, and silver. The only thing the tables lacked were the centerpieces.
Lennox navigated setting first an oval display mirror then a centerpiece on each table and almost had a heart attack when he nearly tipped over a goblet.
“Relax,” said Theo.
“Are you kidding? This goblet is antique crystal and irreplaceable.”
Theo cocked his head. “For a man of self-proclaimed humble origins, you know a lot about antiques.”
“That’s the benefit of working for a living. I clerked in an antique store for a couple of summers when I was a teen.”
“Don’t be too awed. The Grants can replace anything here if they so choose. But most likely, they’d just trot out another set collected over the centuries.”
Lennox shook his head. “I can’t even fathom.”
“Yes. When you talk about old money, the Grants are the real deal. My family is nouveau riche by comparison.”
“Oh, please,” said Lennox as he set the last three arrangements on the head table.
“It’s true. Those look fabulous, babe. The lighting inside the vase is genius. The Grants will be pleased.”
Lennox sucked in a breath at the term of endearment Theo casually tossed out. He liked it and knew if he never heard it again, he’d miss it.
I am in such trouble.
Theo walked Lennox to the back but instead of letting him climb into the van, steered him to the garden where extended canopies sat side by side with tables filled with food that would put a restaurant buffet to shame.
But instead of leading Lennox to food, Theo led him to a group of men about their age.
“Gentlemen, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine, Lennox Sewell, a brilliant designer. He’s been working with me on new designs for my project and has expanded the vision.”
Lennox froze. What the hell was Theo doing?
“Lennox, this is Aubrey Henderson, Charles Monroe, and Richard Eamons, old friends of mine.”
“Nice to meet you, Lennox,” Aubrey said.
“What new ideas are these?” said Eamons. “Theo has talked us to death on the other.”
“Better yet, I have blueprints to show you, but later. I see Livvy’s brother.”
“Good talk,” said Monroe. “We’ll listen, but make it good, Theo. We need to see the potential.”
“And you will, I promise. Later, gentlemen.”
As they walked away, Lennox hissed. “What are you getting me into?”
Theo winked. “I have plans for you.”
Lennox had no time to ponder the meaning of that before they met up with two slightly younger men. “And who is this, Theo?” said one.
“Alister, this is Lennox Sewell. I told you about him.”
“Oh, THAT’S Lennox Sewell. Aren’t you a tall drink of water?”
“Alister, unfortunately, is an inveterate flirt.”
“You take all the fun out, Theo,” complained Alister.
“Lennox, this is Alister Grant, Livvy’s younger brother, and his boyfriend, Jesse.”
Jesse raked Lennox with his eyes. “Delighted to meet you.”
“How are you? You got in when? This morning? Livvy’s been fretting if you’d show.”
Jesse broke in. "It was the best trip."
Theo tossed Alister’s boyfriend an annoyed glance.
“Where?” said Theo. Lennox saw Theo worked hard to be polite.
“St. Croix,” said Jesse too breathlessly.
“You went to St. Croix in the summer? Wasn't it hot?" Theo’s voice said he couldn’t believe their choice of vacation spots.
Alister, in an annoyed tone spoke up. “I know! It wasn't my idea.”
Jesse cut him off. “It was amazing, I got the best pics for my social media. I got so many likes and comments on these posts.” Jesse whipped out his phone and flashed the pics at them.
The braggart gave a pointed glance to Lennox. I model on Insta, you know, to launch my career. I get a ton of views. You probably saw me there.”
Alister snapped his fingers as if remembering something important. “Theo, Livvy said she needs to speak with you.”
Theo sighed. “Time for me to attend to my real work. Don’t go anywhere, Lennox. I’ll be right back.”
Alister trotted after Theo as they disappeared into the house, leaving Lennox with Jesse.
“They’ll be a while. Olivia’s having one of her meltdowns. Carlton didn’t call this morning as she expected, and she’s beside herself.”
“Carlton? Oh, right, Olivia’s fiancé?”
“I don’t remember seeing you around.”
“I’m helping out the grandmother of Elias Pearson. You might know him.”
Jesse tossed his head dismissively. “I don’t know him. Don’t know why I would.”
“Sure,” said Lennox. He did not believe this man’s attitude. His “all that” lacked a bag of chips.
“And just how well do you know our Theo?” Jesse put his hand on Lennox’s chest, acting too familiar.
Our Theo? Did not these people have any sense of boundaries?
Lennox stepped back. “Well enough.”
“How close are you to him?”
“Not your business, Jesse.”
“I’
d like to make it my business?”
“Don’t you have a boyfriend?”
“What’s one more?”
Lennox stared at him in disbelief, which he should not have done. Jesse used that second to plant a kiss on his lips. Lennox put his hands on Jesse’s shoulders and eased him away.
“Jesse!” said an indignant female voice.
“Oops,” said Jesse. “Here comes the witch of Watchtower Hill.” He stepped away from Lennox. “Olivia, darling.”
“Don’t Olivia darling me. How dare you in front of my family and our guests. How dare you humiliate my brother. And who is that with you?”
Lennox wanted anything but to face an angry Livvy. There was no telling what she’d say to Theo. But he turned to face her anyway.
“Lennox Sewell? I should have known. I warned Theo about you. Just another, another—”
“What am I, Miss Grant?” he said coldly.
She jerked her head up, and her eyes blazed. “Another man to take advantage of my best friend. Get out, and don’t come back.”
Lennox nodded his head.
“You don’t need to worry about me. I won’t darken any of you fine people’s doors again.”
And he was okay with that, at least that was what he told himself. He didn’t need the judgmental world in which Theo Collins lived. It didn’t matter what he felt for Theo if the people closest to him couldn’t trust his choices. It would be endless grief for both of them, and Lennox didn’t want that.
Lennox kept his composure until he entered the back entrance of his building, telling himself this was for the best until Bonkers ran down the stairs and barked furiously. Someone started pounding on the back door of the flower shop. He peeked through the peephole, hoping it was Elias.
It wasn’t. It was Theo Collins. Lennox sat on the staircase steps and hung his head while Bonkers barked his head off.
Chapter 10
Theo
“You did what?”
Theo stared at his best friend, trying to control his anger. He had watched the exchange between Livvy and Lennox from a distance. He was confused at why Lennox would walk away and climb into his truck. When he reached Livvy, she glared at him defiantly.
“I sent that duplicitous rat packing. And this one,” Livvy pointed to Jesse, “needs to go next.”
