by Ann Lister
“Explain that to me,” Victor said pointedly.
“The ex is Tessler’s former literary agent,” Mason said. “He wants Tessler to write another book using his other pen name because it would be a guaranteed moneymaker. If Tessler doesn’t write the book, the ex-agent is threatening to reveal all of Tessler’s identities during a press conference. It’s the other pen name Tessler used which made him a boatload of money, but no one knows that’s his work. The reveal might not be catastrophic to his career, but it would certainly be embarrassing to him and his family on a personal level.”
“Can you tell me his other pen name?” Mason glanced around the otherwise empty office and Victor held up his hand. “Mason, we’ve got the office to ourselves. Whatever you say to me right now stays here between us. The same rules apply to this principal as they do to any of our others, okay?”
“Have you ever heard of LJ Mechum?” Mason asked after a long moment.
Victor rubbed at the dark whiskers shadowing his jawline. “Wait. That name sounds very familiar. Isn’t he the author of that famous trilogy which came out a few years back?” Victor asked. “It supposedly broke all kinds of sales records, and they even made movies out of each book.”
“Yeah, that’s the right author and his trilogy.”
“Holy shit! If I’m remembering correctly, that series was kinky as hell and very controversial. It was a real life story about a young guy who basically grows up at a sex club, with bondage and some other seriously racy stuff,” Victor elaborated and Mason inwardly cringed. How had that once been Tessler’s life? “Jesus, that’s your guy?”
“Yes, he’s the author,” Mason said. “For obvious reasons, he’d like to keep his identities private, and he should be allowed to do that. So, what can I do to ensure he’s properly … protected?”
“Well, you know the drill, Mason. In order for us to take Tessler on as a client, he’s going to have to sign some paperwork giving us a certain level of legal access to his life.”
“I’m not sure he’ll go for that,” Mason stated. “I don’t think he even believes his ex would cause him serious harm.”
“But you do,” Victor said as a statement and not as a question.
Mason set his elbows on his desk and leaned over. “I’m not willing to risk being wrong about the ex’s level of instability or Tessler’s safety in the process,” Mason confirmed. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
“Definitely,” Victor replied. “The situation stinks enough to warrant taking precautionary measures. See if you can get him in here to talk to me. In the meantime, how are you feeling?”
Mason smiled at that question. “I feel great,” he answered proudly. “When the ex made a move on Tessler this morning, I was able to disarm the situation rather quickly. I was pretty excited about that.”
“Seriously?” Victor asked.
“Yep, I had him slammed up against the opposite wall before he knew what hit him,” Mason recalled. “It felt really good, like old times.”
“I’m really happy to hear that, Mase. It sounds like you’re really close to coming back and doing some field work with us.”
“I agree,” Mason replied. “It’s been a long damn time coming, and I feel ready.”
“Get me a timeline from your doctors of when they think they’ll be able to sign off on your medical leave,” Victor said.
“I’ve already put in a call to their office, and I’ll be meeting with them later on in the week,” Mason retorted.
“Seems like your personal trainer and all that physical therapy he’s been doing with you is working like a charm.”
“I think so,” Mason said and grinned broadly. “Plus, I’ve been doubling up on the workouts when I’m at home. I’m feeling stronger than I have in years.”
Victor set the mail down on the desk and folded his arms across his chest. “I’ll tell you what. If you can get yourself cleared by the doctors this week, then I’d like to assign you to be a presence at court next week when Kensey’s case goes to trial. I want as many of my guys at the courthouse as possible.”
“You mean, the grandfather is finally having his day in court?” Mason asked.
“Yeah, Fizzbo mentioned that the prick could go for a plea bargain, so it doesn’t sound like the case will be in court all that long. Could be nothing more than a matter of a few hours.”
“Figures that piece of shit would be a pussy and take a deal,” Mason added.
“I’m hoping the prosecutors won’t be feeling generous enough to offer the scumbag a deal at all,” Victor countered.
“Well, either way, I’m ready to get back to field work, and helping out with Kensey’s case would be a great first job back with the guys on the team. I miss them.”
“And they miss you,” Victor agreed.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
It was close to ten o’clock by the time Mason made it back to Tessler’s apartment, but the warm welcome Tessler had for him made it worth the wait to see him again. He was first greeted with a fiery kiss in the foyer which turned into a grope-fest once they managed to get onto the elevator. Both of them were so absorbed with grinding on each other, they missed the stop at Tessler’s floor and took the elevator straight to the roof top. That error turned out to be a wonderful mistake.
They stumbled together into the oasis Tessler had created up on his roof. A flick of a couple of switches on the wall beside the elevator doors had the area glowing from numerous overhead strings of tiny, white lights which Mason remembered from the last time he was in this space on their first date.
“Are you thirsty or hungry?” Tessler asked Mason as he leaned in for another wet kiss.
“I’m starved—but not for food,” Mason said and went to nip at Tessler’s lips, but his fingers stopped him.
“What’s got you all worked up?” Tessler asked. He cupped Mason’s groin with one hand and kept the fingers of his other pressed to his mouth.
“I’ve been hard ever since you mentioned the Tiramisu earlier,” Mason admitted.
“Is that what you’ve been thinking about this whole time?” Tessler asked as he began to unbuckle Mason’s pants.
“I actually did manage to get some work done,” Mason said, “but I was mostly thinking of your fingers smearing that sweet delicacy all over my cock and balls.”
Tessler finished undoing Mason’s pants and opened his fly, then he dropped to his knees at Mason’s feet. “You’re a very dirty man,” he whispered against the skin above the waistband of Mason’s boxer briefs.
A long drag of Tessler’s tongue worked its way down towards Mason’s happy trail and had Mason hissing his pleasure. “My god, Tess,” Mason sighed. “You have no idea what you do to me.”
Tessler pulled down the front of Mason’s boxer briefs and kissed the tip of Mason’s leaking dick. “Oh, I think I have a pretty good idea of what I’m doing to you.”
Mason cupped the back of Tessler’s head and let his fingers caress his scalp. There was a moment when their eyes met and Mason held his breath at the sight of Tessler’s warm brown eyes filled with such affection gleaming up at him. Tessler’s hands slid around the back of Mason’s thighs and he winced at the friction from the fingers on his damaged skin.
“Did I hit a bad spot?” Tessler asked.
“A little bit, but I don’t want you to stop,” Mason answered.
“I’m not stopping,” Tessler said and hooked his fingers over the waistband of Mason’s jeans. He gently eased the fabric over Mason’s hips and onto his thighs. His cock sprang free and bobbed against Tessler’s warm cheek. A string of pre-come stuck to the whiskers at Tessler’s jawline, and Mason shivered from the bristly friction on his shaft.
Tessler placed careful kisses over the rough skin on Mason’s hip, then inched lower. He was so gentle and seemed to take extra precautions not to rub his whiskers against the hypersensitive skin. Watching Tessler’s mouth work on an area of his body which he was repulsed by, and do it with such endearing tend
erness made funny things happen inside Mason. His chest squeezed tight and his heart raced. He felt too exposed and wanted to ask Tessler to focus on another area, like his aching cock, but the fact Tessler cared enough about him to want to get to know all of him—scars and all—said something about the man.
Allowing Tessler to do this was a huge step for Mason, but he was willing to push through all the uncomfortable sensations and emotions and let him see and taste all of him. Sharing this took all of what was growing between them to the next level, and Mason felt dizzy with that knowledge. He looked down and watched the flat plane of Tessler’s tongue drag the length of a scarred ridge of skin on his upper thigh. It took everything inside of him not to push Tessler away, then their eyes connected and Mason flinched at the intimacy he saw there.
“Does it hurt?” Tessler asked softly.
“It’s ... it’s too much and yet, not enough,” Mason said in a shaky breath.
“You’re so strong, Mase. I can feel all your muscles bunching up in your thighs.”
Mason’s fingers sifted through Tessler’s soft hair. “I’m not sure …”
“Not sure of what?” Tessler asked. “Do you want me to stop?”
Mason shook his head and licked his lips. “I want . . . “ he started to say and then stopped again.
“What? Tell me. Please,” Tessler said and sat back on his heels.
“I need … Jesus, I need your mouth on my cock, Tess, so fucking bad,” Mason pleaded.
“I fucking love it when you beg for your pleasure,” Tessler said and looked up at Mason again with those heavy lidded eyes that swirled with lust.
Mason gripped himself at the root and pressed the wet tip of his dick to Tessler’s lips. He watched Tessler open his mouth and stick out his tongue. Mason set his shaft in the center of Tessler’s tongue and began a slow rock of his hips to keep his cock sliding back and forth over Tessler’s slick tongue. That visual in itself was sexy as hell for Mason to watch, but what tipped the scene over the edge was Tessler’s low, gravely-sounding moan when the taste of Mason’s pre-come exploded on his tastebuds. Mason could almost see the moment that happened, and it made him shiver.
“You’re literally making me weak in the knees,” Mason said and sucked in a breath.
“You’ll be feeling a whole lot more than that in a few minutes,” Tessler answered and then he took Mason’s cock all the way to the back of his throat.
“Oh, my fucking god,” Mason groaned. He pitched his hips forward and closed his eyes while Tessler worked him into oblivion—and it didn’t take long, either. All too quickly, he was seeing starbursts exploding behind his eyes. The tingle in his balls turned to an ache as they lifted tight to his body. When Tessler coated his finger with saliva and began to circle his hole, Mason knew it was all over. There was no way in hell he’d be able to hold back his orgasm if Tessler put his finger … and there it was. Suddenly, Mason was adjusting his stance to allow Tessler better access. That’s how badly he needed this.
“Fuckkkk,” Mason said on a sigh as Tessler’s wet finger slid inside his hole and swirled over his prostate. The first touch over his gland made him shiver, the second pass, Mason knew he was losing control. The third stroke of Tessler’s probing finger brought on those anticipated spasms, and Mason didn’t even bother to shout out a warning. He simply arched into Tessler and shot an enormous load of his spunk right down his throat.
When the final aftershock quaked through his body, he pulled out of Tessler’s mouth and dropped to his knees in front of him, then grabbed him for a blazing kiss. After he’d gotten his fill of thoroughly tasting his release inside Tessler’s mouth, he used his tongue to clean Tessler’s chin and jaw, then moved his lips down onto his throat. He nibbled his Adam’s apple and gently sucked the skin there while Tessler’s moans urged him on.
“Tess, you drive me crazy with need,” Mason whispered below his ear. “I want you all the fucking time. I can’t stop thinking about your mouth, your cock, and Jesus, even the words that come out of your mouth make me a needy pile of mush.”
Tessler turned his face and caught Mason’s mouth. “You say the most romantic things,” he said in a teasing tone.
Mason cupped the sides of Tessler’s head and held him still. “I must sound like a complete dork, but I can’t help it,” Mason admitted. “For some reason, you just got under my skin in a way that’s never happened before, and god help me, I want more.”
“More?” Tessler asked.
“So much more,” Mason added.
“Then, let’s go downstairs to my bed,” Tessler suggested. “It’s more comfortable than rolling around up here on the floor of the roof.”
Mason happily followed Tessler to the elevator, kissed him again and again during the short descent down to the apartment, and continued to tease his mouth until they got inside Tessler’s bedroom. Tessler went right to work pulling off his own clothing while Mason stood transfixed and watched. Each new bit of skin Tessler exposed had Mason’s heart thumping harder inside his chest. The inked artwork Tessler had adorning his chest and stomach was as beautiful as it was sexy, and Mason itched to drag his tongue over all the intricate designs.
He was in the middle of that fantasy when a very naked Tessler tackled him onto the bed. His moves were so quick it had Mason wondering if Tessler was a trained wrestler. Before Mason had any opportunity to counter the moves, Tessler was straddled over his groin with his arms pinned up above his head on the mattress.
“Your cock feels good under my balls,” Tessler said as he ground his pelvis against Mason’s groin.
“I bet it would feel even better sliding in and out of you,” Mason suggested with a skyward thrust of his hips.
“I top,” Tessler answered and dipped his head to take a harsh kiss from Mason, “and I didn’t hear you complaining about my dick inside of you last night, so I think that dynamic works well for us, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Jesus, that was so good,” Mason hissed. “I can still feel you and it’s been over twenty-four hours.”
Tessler dropped his weight onto his forearms and brought their noses together. “I want you again,” he said and hot breaths fanned over Mason’s face. “Think you could handle me so soon after last night?”
The bottom fell from Mason’s stomach. It wasn’t like he didn’t know when they stepped into Tessler’s bedroom what was going to happen, but hearing Tessler ask for it made Mason ache for the intense feeling of fullness all over again.
Mason studied the intent on Tessler’s face. His gaze was fiery hot and his breaths came in short bursts. Tessler rolled his hips against Mason. “Are you okay?” he asked Mason.
“I’m feeling a little overwhelmed,” Mason replied. His fingers caressed Tessler’s smooth back all the way down to his firm ass. “In the best possible way.”
A slow smile softened Tessler’s features. “Me too, but being with you feels so fucking perfect.”
“It feels better every time we’re together,” Mason added.
Tessler dipped down and licked at Mason’s lips. “It’s so good, Mase.”
Mason cupped Tessler’s ass cheeks in his hands and squeezed harshly to hold him in place as he lifted his hips up to grind against him. “Condom?”
“Say no more,” Tessler said and grinned. “I’ve got enough supplies to last us a month.” He reached over the mattress and opened up the drawer to a small table beside the bed and pulled out a foil packet and a tube of lube, then placed both items next to the pillow where Mason rested his head.
“A full month?” Mason questioned.
“Possibly longer, if we pace ourselves,” Tessler said and chuckled. “I’m not sure I feel like pacing myself. Do you?”
Mason’s snigger turned into full on laughter, and a moment later, they were both enjoying the levity. Tessler stretched out on top of Mason and rested his head on his shoulder with his face nuzzled into his neck. Mason wrapped his arms around his muscled body and sighed contentedly.
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“It’s been a long time since I’ve been with anyone, Tess, and I’ve only ever bottomed for you. That being said, my libido is sure on board with us fucking nonstop until we run out of supplies, but my body is sure going to protest that notion very early on.”
Tessler playfully sucked and then bit at Mason’s neck. “Not to worry,” he said. “It was just a figure of speech, and I’d never do anything to hurt you.”
“Good to know,” Mason said and pressed a kiss to Tessler’s forehead.
“What’s your safe word?” Tessler asked him.
“Am I going to need one?” Mason answered as he turned his head quickly to see Tessler’s face.
Tessler burst out laughing again, and Mason flipped him onto his back before he climbed up over him. “I bet if I double-checked your drawer I’d find a condom packet with your name on it,” Mason said.
“Wishing for it won’t make it happen,” Tessler said and grinned up at Mason.
“We’ll see about that,” Mason replied.
“I guess we will.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Watching Mason come undone in his arms as he reached for his orgasm was his new favorite thing in the world to do, and pleasuring Mason until he blew apart, was tied with first place. The guy was ultra-sensitive, and the way he responded to any kind of caress was addictive as hell. The more of a reaction he got from Mason, the more Tessler wanted to do to make him lose his ever-loving mind.
Being inside of Mason was intense. The physical sensations that came from their joined bodies were matched with a layer of emotional bliss that was all new to Tessler, and he was almost certain it was unfamiliar to Mason as well. Experiencing this for the first time with him made it all the sweeter.
Tessler rolled off the bed to get a wash cloth from his bathroom, then returned to clean up Mason. The care he offered to him after they fooled around was something he looked forward to almost as much as the sex. It gave Tessler another opportunity to touch Mason and truly show how he felt about him. Often times, Mason never said a word; he just closed his eyes and relaxed while he allowed Tessler to clean him any way he wanted. Other times, Mason would watch Tessler as he worked with glassy-eyed appreciation; the feeling was incredibly powerful. Tessler felt the weight of Mason’s gaze all the way to his bones.
