by Jake Biondi
Rachel wrapped her mouth around Hugo’s semi-erect cock as he prepared to fuck her yet again.
As Rachel and Hugo made love for the third time, Dustin Alexander was preparing for bed. Dressed in only his underwear, he washed his face and then stared at himself in the mirror above the sink. When he heard his phone ring in the living room, he left the bathroom and picked it up. The screen on the phone indicated the call was coming from “Adam.” Looking out of his living room window into the night sky, he answered the call.
“What’s up?”
“It’s me,” Adam Miranda replied. “I needed to hear your voice.”
“It’s late here, and I’m exhausted. We can talk later.”
“I miss you, Dustin. Don’t you get it?”
“I’m sorry about that,” Dustin said. “You need to move on. I told you that months ago.”
“I can’t,” Adam said. “I miss you too much.”
“I’m sorry, I really am. But there’s nothing I can do to help you.”
“Tell me something. You dumped me and moved there just to pursue him; are you at least dating him, that man of your dreams?”
“Not that it’s any of your business anymore,” Dustin said, “but no, I’m not with him.”
“Wow, after all that, and your big plan flopped.”
“I haven’t given up yet. Besides, I’m having a good time here and meeting some great new people,” Dustin said. “So this conversation is over.”
“Please, no.”
“Good night.” Dustin ended the call and placed his phone down on the table in front of him. Before he had time to fully understand the meaning behind Adam’s call, he heard a knock at his door. He walked over to the door, looked through the peep hole, and opened it to welcome Max Taylor into his apartment.
“Max, what are you doing here?”
Max stood in the doorway and examined Dustin’s nearly naked body from head to toe. “May I come in?”
“Of course,” Dustin replied, gesturing for Max to enter the room.
Max slowly walked into the living room and Dustin closed the door behind him.
“It’s late. Is something wrong?”
“I needed to see you.”
“Where’s Emmett?”
“Keith was really drunk; he took him home.”
“I hope he’s okay.”
Max stepped dangerously close to Dustin. “He will be.” He put his hands on either side of Dustin’s neck and kissed him.
Dustin stepped backwards, ending the kiss.
“I can’t get you out of my head.”
“Well, you better. You’re marrying Emmett in just a few days.”
“I know. And I love him; I do.”
“Then why are you here, Max?”
“I don’t know. Something made me come.” Max grabbed Dustin and pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him.
“You’re horny; that’s why. Go home to Emmett.”
Max forcefully kissed Dustin, working his tongue into his mouth. Dustin kissed him back, running his hands up Max’s broad back and pressing his body against Max’s. The kiss grew deeper and more passionate until Dustin stopped it and pushed Max away.
“No, Max,” Dustin said. “I’m not going to do this again. You can’t just keep coming over here like I’m a fuck buddy or something. I’m an employee and a friend. I’m not doing this with you anymore. You need to make a choice.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I don’t want you to do anything except to make a choice. Either you marry Emmett and commit to him entirely, as he deserves, or you don’t, and then we can see what’s between us. But this...this is not good for either one of us.”
“I know,” Max admitted. “I don’t know what I was thinking coming here.”
“I do,” Dustin said, smiling. “But it’s not going to happen. Good night, Max.”
“Bye,” Max said as he turned around to leave.
Dustin closed the door behind Max and then leaned up against it, letting out a loud sigh.
The morning brought with it more chilly air, but also some sunshine as well. Keith Colgan awoke and sat up in his bed. He ran his hands over his face and head. Slowly, he got out of bed and, wearing only his underwear, made his way into the kitchen. The smell of fresh coffee guided his way.
Upon reaching the kitchen, Keith was greeted by Emmett Mancini, who was sitting at the counter with a cup of coffee in front of him. Emmett smiled at Keith, who rubbed his eyes once again.
“Good morning,” Emmett said.
“What are you doing here?”
“How do you think you got home last night?”
“I don’t remember,” Keith said, shuffling over to the cabinet and taking out a clean coffee mug.
“I’m sure you don’t remember much about last night at all. You were in pretty rough shape.”
“And you took me home?” Keith asked, pouring himself some coffee.
“Yup. I spent the night on the couch.”
“You didn’t have to,” Keith said, taking the seat at the counter next to Emmett. “But thanks for the coffee.”
“I used to live here, remember? It was just like old times.”
“What, me drunk and you taking care of me?”
Emmett laughed. “I guess so. How are you feeling this morning?”
“Like I got run over by a truck.”
“That good, huh? Well, drink your coffee. It’ll help. And I’ll get you some Advil in a minute.”
“Thanks.”
“Keith, I need to ask you about something you said last night.”
Keith put his hand to his head. “I’ll answer, if I can remember.”
“Last night you said that you poisoned me,” Emmett declared.
Keith sat up on his stool but didn’t speak.
“Then it’s true?”
Keith grew panicked. “Emmett, wait. It’s not like that. I was blackmailed.”
“Blackmailed? What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s true; you have to believe me.”
“I’m listening,” Emmett said.
“I did something bad, a long time ago and Rachel Carson somehow found out about it.”
“Rachel? What does she have to do with any of this?”
“I told you -- she found out about something I did and she threatened to expose me unless I helped her get her hands on some of Mancini Global.”
“You mentioned something last night about killing somebody. Is that what this is about?”
“Rachel had me give you an untraceable drug that would affect your thinking, alter your mind a bit so that you’d sign off on her papers.”
“And you just went along with it?” Emmett asked, jumping up from his stool.
“I didn’t want to, I swear. But she was going to expose me.”
“You must have done something pretty awful that poisoning me was the lesser of two evils. My God, Keith, we were engaged once. How could you do this to me? You saw how sick I was.”
Keith grabbed Emmett’s hands as tears filled his eyes. “I know. I didn’t want to, I swear. I tried to get her to stop. She promised me you’d be okay.”
“Okay? I was like a crazy person. If Jensen hadn’t pulled me out of the fire when I collapsed from the drugs you gave me, I’d be dead.”
“That wasn’t supposed to happen. She promised me.”
“And you believed her? She’s bat shit crazy. You know that.” Emmett paused. “Does Michael know about this? Is that why he dumped you?”
“He knows some of it.”
“Some of it? Jesus!”
“You have to understand--”
“I have to understand what? That you nearly killed me? That you once said you loved me and wanted to marry me, but now I find out you actually tried to poison me? And I’m just supposed to understand? Is that what you’re asking me to do?”
“I’m so, so sorry...”
“Do me a favor. Stay away from me, stay away from
Max. And, for God’s sake, stay away from our wedding!” Emmett stormed out of the kitchen.
“Emmett, wait! Please!” Tears streamed down Keith’s face as the slam of the front door echoed throughout the apartment.
Not far from Keith’s apartment, Cole O’Brien and Jesse Morgan were beginning their day in their apartment. Jesse was folding laundry at the kitchen counter while Cole, wearing the Michigan t-shirt that Derek had given him long ago, sat on the sofa clicking through TV channels.“Anything I can do to help you pack for tomorrow?” Cole asked from the couch.
“I’m good,” Jesse said. “Just getting everything organized. I’ve never been a best man at a wedding. Are there things I’m supposed to do?”
“I’m glad Max asked you. That’s really cool. Glad you two are getting along better.”
“We’re taking it one day at a time,” Jesse explained. “But I am happy about it. And I know my mom would be, too.”
“So you’re going to have to give a toast, you know.”
“I know. I’ll think about it on the plane. It’s pretty cool that we’re all going on a private jet. I’ve never been on one.”
“You’ll have to tell me all about it when you get back.”
“You gonna be okay while I’m gone?”
“Of course,” Cole said. “Why do you ask?”
“You said you talked with David last night. And you’re having dinner with Derek tonight.”
“I promised I’d have dinner with him if he clarified things with David. That’s all.”
“You’re wearing his shirt.”
“It’s just a shirt. Come on, Jesse. I told you I am looking forward to some quiet, alone time. With all the craziness of the modeling stuff, I’m busy enough. I have trips to New York, L.A., and Paris coming up. Gino has me on a crazy schedule once the wedding is over.”
“Okay, okay,” Jesse said. “I’ll get off your back, for now.”
“Thanks.”
“Quick workout before I head into the office?”
Cole jumped up from the couch. “You’re on.”
As Cole and Jesse grabbed their gym bags and headed to the Boystown Athletic Club, Emmett was talking with Jensen Stone and Max in the kitchen of Derek’s condominium. Jensen and Max were seated at the counter as Emmett paced the room in an animated fashion.
“He said he caused my illness by drugging me.”
“I’ll kill him,” Max said. “What the hell was he thinking?”
“Don’t go flying off the handle,” Emmett said. “It’s not going to help matters.”
“He could have killed you,” Max added.
“And nearly did,” Jensen said. “I have to be honest; I knew about this. I recently found out, only after you were already feeling better and Keith had stopped what he was doing.”
“You knew? And you said nothing?” Max asked.
“I overheard Rachel and Keith talking long after it was all over. That’s when I came forward about getting you to sign the documents.”
“But you left out that part of the story,” Max declared.
“I didn’t know what to do. I knew you two were engaged once and you still cared about him a lot.”
“That’s why you asked me all those questions about him,” Emmett said. “Now I understand.”
“I didn’t want to hurt you or come between your friendship.”
“Keith did that all on his own,” Emmett said. “There is no friendship left. We’re done. I told him not to come to our wedding.”
“I’m going to talk to him,” Max said, standing up. “And I’m calling Michael.”
Emmett wrapped his arms around Max. “No, please. We leave for California tomorrow. We’re getting married in a few days. Let’s put this out of minds for now and not let it ruin our special time. Please. We can deal with it when we return.”
“That’s probably best,” Jensen said. “You guys have so many positive things about to happen.”
“Besides, your temper has only gotten you into trouble in times like these,” Emmett added with a smile.
Max sighed. “You’re right...as usual. I’ll forget about it...for now.”
“Thank you.”
“Emmett, forgive me?” Jensen asked, spreading his arms wide for a hug.
Emmett embraced Jensen. “Of course, I do. It’s not your fault; you were caught in the middle and didn’t really understand how everything fit together. I know you’d never do anything to hurt me. I used to think the same of Keith.”
“You said he’s a complex guy.”
“I think now I’d use a different adjective,” Emmett replied.
Max laughed. “Well, he’s out of our lives now. We don’t have room for toxic people in our lives. Okay, we need to get back to packing.”
“I’m so glad Mateo is letting Hugo go with me,” Jensen said.
“I’m sorry you won’t be with us tomorrow on the private jet.”
“It’s okay,” Jensen said, as his cell phone rang. “Hugo and I are flying out together the day after tomorrow. We’ll be right behind you.”
“I’m glad that worked out for you,” Emmett said
Jensen pulled his phone from his pocket and answered the call. “Hello?” Jensen paused a moment. “Yes, this is Jensen.” Another pause. “No way. That’s fantastic. Thank you so much.” He waited as the person on the other end delivered some information. “I’ll be there. Oh, my God. This is great news. Thank you so much. Bye, bye.” Jensen ended the call.
“What was that all about?” Max asked.
“You’re practically bouncing off the walls,” Emmett added.
“I’m in. That was Northwestern; they accepted me.”
Emmett hugged Jensen. “That’s fantastic. Congratulations.”
Max hugged Jensen. “That’s great news.”
“I could never have done it without you. Wow. Wait ‘til I tell Hugo.”
“He’ll be as happy for you as we are,” Emmett said. “Now we have even more to celebrate.”
“Thank you, guys, for everything,” Jensen said and he left the kitchen.
Max embraced Emmett. “Come here, you. I don’t want you to think about Keith. Or anyone else. I just want you to think about me and how much I love you.”
Emmett smiled. “I love you, too. And I cannot wait to be your husband. We’ve been through so much.”
“We have,” Max agreed. “And we can overcome anything that comes our way. Never forget that.” Max kissed Emmett and then hugged him tightly.
At the hospital, Michael and Mateo Martinez were seated in the hospital cafeteria having coffee. Mateo took a drink from his cup and then made an odd expression.
“Next time, how about treating me to a real cup of coffee?”
“You’re the Chief of Staff around here. Can’t you do anything about this tar they pass off as coffee?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Mateo said with a smile. “So what’s up?”
“Jesse asked me to talk to you about Logan and his surgery.”
Mateo rolled his eyes. “Good God, doesn’t that guy ever give up? I told him a million times, the answer is ‘no.’”
“He loves him, Mateo. When you love someone, you don’t just give up.”
“You gave up on Keith.”
“We’re not talking about Keith; we’re talking about Logan and Jesse -- and you.”
“I already told Jesse I would refer him to a great reconstructive surgeon. What more does he want?”
“He doesn’t want a great surgeon; he wants you,” Michael said with a smile.
“Very funny.”
“Seriously, what’s the problem? As much as I hate to admit it, you were the best. You got every award and recognition possible. And then you just suddenly stopped performing surgeries and took this office position.”
“Office position? I’m the head of this big place.”
“You know what I mean. Come on, bro. Logan is in a really bad place. He’s finally making a turn for the better. K
nowing you can help him with his scarring would be a huge help. It would mean a lot to them, and to me. I’m their friend.”
“There are plenty of good doctors here.”
“Please?”
Mateo rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. “Okay, I’ll think about it. On one condition, though.”
“Uh oh. What’s that?”
“That you reconsider your opinion of Rachel. I really like her and we are getting along very well.”
“But I told you--”
“If you want me to think about helping your friend...”
“Okay, okay. I’ll try to keep an open mind about Rachel.”
“Thank you.”
“But the thought of her ever being my sister-in-law makes my skin crawl.”
“Careful.”
“Oops, sorry,” Michael said, taking another sip of his awful coffee. “I’ll let Jesse know that you’re considering it. I’m sure he’ll be very grateful.”
While Michael called Jesse with the good news, Logan Pryce stopped by The Boys and the Booze site. He walked in through the front door and stepped into the work area where he found Max adjusting a booth in the far corner.
“Hey,” Max said. “Come on in.”
“I thought I might find you here, even though you should probably be packing for your flight tomorrow.”
“I know, right? I just wanted to make sure things were in order here before I left for the wedding, so the workers can continue while we’re away.”
“You’re not coming back right away, are you? You’re at least taking a little honeymoon, right?” Logan asked.
“Nope. Emmett and I talked and we decided we would take a delayed honeymoon. We will be staying on in California for a few extra days after the wedding. The Ciancios are being nice enough to host us. But then we’ll be back. There’s just too much work going on here that it’s hard to stay away for too long.”
“Well, I just wanted to stop by to see how you’re doing and wish you all the best.”
Max smiled. “You’ll be in California the day after we get there. You can wish me luck then. I may need to hold your hand a bit if I’m nervous before the ceremony.”
