by Carol Lynne
“It’s nothing big, really. My mom was a beautiful woman, she met a rich man, he took her around to all the biggest parties in town…blah, blah, blah. When she became pregnant with me, he paid her a chunk of money and asked her to go away.”
“Fuck. That’s shitty. So did he ever bother to see you?”
Mario laughed. “I don’t even know who he is. His name’s nowhere on my birth certificate.” Mario shrugged. “Suits me fine. I didn’t need to know someone who’d do something like that to her.”
“But now you’re painting Asa with the same brush. Maybe he’s not like that at all. I know I’ve never gotten that impression from him.”
Mario’s fingers went to his soul patch, tugging lightly. Is that what he’d been doing?
He received another elbow to the side. “Just cut the guy a break, will ya?”
Mario felt like he was being backed into a corner. Predictably, he did what he’d always done, came out swinging. “The fucker tried to pay me off.”
“How so?” Rio asked. He had that devilish grin plastered to his face which meant he was trying to make a point.
“Trying to hire me at double salary? What would you call that?” Mario sputtered.
“Uhh…a job?”
Mario opened his mouth to argue, but he quickly snapped it shut. If he was honest with himself, it wasn’t the job offer that had hurt him. He’d worked with Asa for a year, getting the guy into better shape. It wasn’t working with Asa that bothered him. It was being treated like a stud-for-hire, instead of a friend.
A soft knock sounded against the door, getting both men’s attention.
“Yes?” Rio called.
The door opened and Pam’s cute face lit up with a grin. “Caught the two of you goofing off, didn’t I?”
Mario chuckled and got to his feet. Since the tragedy, Pam had decided she needed to get into better shape. “No, just taking a break in between pain-in-the-ass clients.”
Pam laughed in return and faked a jab. “Just wait until I get my boxing gloves on, then I’ll show you who the pain in the ass is.”
Shaking his head, Mario followed Pam out of the office. One thing he’d noticed since the events six weeks earlier was that there were decidedly two different reactions to the tragedy. Some people, like Pam, used the event to re-evaluate their lives. They took stock of what they had and were determined to live every day to its fullest. Others seemed to still be in a state of shock. For some, dealing with the death of a loved one hadn’t come easy, for others it was a glimpse into their own mortality.
Mario still didn’t know which group he fit into. Maybe putting the past aside would help him deal with the present. Hell, maybe if he did that, he’d have some kind of hope for the future?
As he sparred with Pam, his thoughts kept returning to Asa. Mario guessed that Asa fit into the second category of survivors. Although he’d wager Asa’s broken bones were healing nicely, he wasn’t as sure about his spirit.
He remembered the feeling that washed over him when he’d heard Asa had been airlifted to the hospital. Those feelings were still inside him, despite the anger he’d suffered afterward. Maybe it was time for a peace offering.
Chapter Two
With the DVD on pause, Mario picked up the phone and punched in Asa’s number. He’d gone back and forth with himself the rest of the day and had finally made a decision.
He was momentarily shocked when Asa answered the phone, expecting his housekeeper’s voice.
“Hello?”
“It’s Mario,” he replied.
There was a moment of silence before Asa spoke again. “Have you changed your mind?”
“Yes and no. I’ll help you as much as I can, which’ll only figure out to a couple hours a night, but in exchange, you have to do something for me.”
Again, Asa paused. “What?”
“Help Nate secure corporate donations for the new arena.” He may not want to be paid for being a friend, but he wasn’t about to let Asa off that easy. As one of the richest men in the country, Asa had connections that could come in handy in their fund raising efforts.
“That’s it?”
“Yep. You can keep your salary.”
“Why?”
“Because I won’t work for you. I’ll help a friend, but I won’t be an employee.”
“Which means you’re free to walk away at any time,” Asa concluded.
“Don’t kid yourself, Ace. I can walk away regardless. This is about more than that, and I think we both know it.”
Asa chuckled. “No one’s dared call me Ace since I made my first million.”
Mario smiled. “Well, Asa’s the big jackass billionaire. Ace is my friend that I used to work out with.”
“Thanks. I got the hard casts off two weeks ago, but I’ll be in the braces until I can build up the muscles again. I’ve been going to Matt for regular therapy, but a couple hours a week isn’t cutting it.”
“I figured as much. What about the collar bone? Has that healed?”
“Yep. I’ve been using a walker to get around.”
“Good. We can start on re-strengthening your upper body. I couldn’t help but notice you’ve gotten a little soft. No jab intended,” Mario was quick to add.
“None taken. When you spend twelve weeks of your life either in a hospital bed or sitting in a chair, you tend to lose what little muscle mass you’ve acquired.”
“I don’t get off until around seven most evenings. Is that going to be a problem?”
“No problem at all, but Ms. Guttenberg’s usually gone by then. I’ll have her drop a key and the codes to the front gate and alarm system off in the morning.”
Mario was touched that Asa trusted him enough to do that. “Thanks.”
“I’ve been spending most of my time either in the sunroom or the office. I’m sure no matter what time you get here, you’ll find me in one of those rooms.”
Mario realised he had no idea where Asa’s office was located in the large home. “Do me a favour and be in the sunroom, at least until I get a tour of the place.”
Asa chuckled. “Will do.”
Unsure of what else to say, Mario prepared to hang up. “Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Should I bring my own equipment?”
“No need. I’ve got a fairly well stocked weight room.”
“Okay. ‘Night.”
“Good night, Mario. Thanks for doing this,” Asa replied.
“I would’ve done it in a heartbeat if you’d just asked in the first place.” As soon as the words had escaped he knew he probably shouldn’t have said them, but it was too late.
Several seconds ticked by before Asa answered. “I should’ve realised that. I’m sorry.”
Mario said another goodbye and hung up. It was then that he noticed his cock had hardened at some point during the conversation. Never a man to deny himself the pleasure of a good jack-off session, he opened his jeans and pushed them down and off.
With his movie turned back on, he spat in his hand and began a leisurely stroking, his thoughts switching from a singing Yul Brynner to Asa. He started to wonder, and not for the first time, what it would feel like to be balls deep inside Asa.
His cock jumped in his hand, liking the image very much. Mario moaned and flung his leg over the back of the sofa as his speed increased. He wondered what else Asa would like to have done to him? Was he a gentle lover, or did he enjoy a good hard fuck, Mario’s particular favourite activity.
With his right hand busy, Mario moved his left down to manipulate his sac. He cupped the two heavy balls, and began to squeeze. He always enjoyed a bite of pain with his sex, and self-induced was as good as he was likely to get at the moment.
He pictured Asa’s mouth clamping down on the head of his cock. He exploded, shooting rope after rope of seed onto his bare chest. With his breathing still laboured, he reached down and ran his fingers through the thick cum before su
cking them clean.
The main reason he’d continued to see Erico as long as he had was because of the fantastic sex. Erico was his equal in the bedroom as far as giving and receiving that bite of pain they both seemed to crave.
He was surprised things weren’t awkward between them after all the things they’d done together, but they’d parted amicably, and that’s the way Mario liked it. He’d never had love in mind when he’d started hooking up with the restaurant owner. They were simply two men looking for sex.
It wasn’t until he started giving Asa private martial arts training that his views on sex and love had changed. Damn him. Suddenly sex for sex’s sake wasn’t enough to get him off. He’d embarrassed himself twice with Erico before he’d finally called a halt to their arrangement.
Mario had noticed the way Erico was eyeing Jay the evening of the collapse. With everything Jay had gone through with his ex-lover, and knowing Erico’s brand of passion, Mario had quickly informed his old friend that Jay wasn’t someone he needed to mess with. He hadn’t gone into details with Erico, but he got the feeling the man understood regardless.
With his climax came that sleepy feeling, and Mario eventually rose from the couch and stumbled to his bedroom after turning off the television. The King and I would have to wait for another evening.
* * * *
After washing the last juice glass, Mario turned over The Gym to Smitty, the part-timer they’d hired a month earlier.
“Hey, I was wondering if you’d like to pick up a few extra hours for the next month or so?” Mario asked. He’d been thinking all day about working out with Asa, and had come up with a better solution than to have the man exercising so late in the evenings.
“Sure,” the young man answered.
“Can you start coming in at four-thirty, or will that compete with your college classes?”
“Nope. I mean, no, it wouldn’t get in the way of school. I’m an early riser, so I take the bulk of my classes first thing in the morning.”
“Cool. Start tomorrow?”
“No problem.”
“Thanks.” Mario picked up his gym bag and slung it over his shoulder. He was already hitting speed-dial as he climbed into his pickup.
“Hello?” Rio answered.
“Hey, it’s me. Would you mind if I switched a few hours with Smitty while I’m helping Asa?”
“So you’ve decided to go for it, huh?”
Mario rolled his eyes. “I’ve decided to help him get back on his feet if that’s what you’re asking.”
“No, that wasn’t really what I was asking, but okay.” Rio chuckled. “While you’re working him out, go for it.”
“Smart ass.” Mario hung up and started his truck. In the ever-present cloud of black smoke, he tore off towards Asa’s place.
Once he arrived at the gate, he pulled the envelope out of his bag and punched in the entry code. He waited for the heavy iron gates to fully open before pulling through. His stomach was doing something strange, and for a moment he thought he might be ill.
It wasn’t until he fit the key in the lock that he realised what was wrong. Anticipation. Fuck!
The last thing he needed was to hand over power to Asa. If the man saw Mario liked him too early in their newfound arrangement, he was doomed. He knew he had to toughen up and hide his emotions, at least for the time being.
He entered the house and immediately tapped the security code into the unit on the wall before wandering to the back of the house.
Asa was seated in the same chair as the previous day, although Mario was quick to notice the freshly shaved face and combed hair.
“You look a hell of a lot better than the last time I saw you,” Mario remarked. He stuck out his hand and shook with Asa.
“Don’t tell Stella, but I feel a hell of a lot better.”
“Stella?” Mario glanced around, expecting to see signs that another woman had been in the house.
“Ms. Guttenberg.” Asa carefully lowered his legs to the floor.
Mario could see the strain on the older man’s face as he struggled to stand, knocking over his walker in the process.
“Can you help me with that?” Asa asked.
Mario bent and retrieved the walker and set it in front of Asa. “You okay?” he asked, seeing the sweat on Asa’s forehead.
“Yeah,” Asa replied in a defensive tone.
“Sorry,” he mumbled.
Asa shook his head. “No problem. I’m just not used to being damn-near helpless. You don’t realise how much you take mobility for granted until it’s gone.”
Asa took several steps with the aid of his walker. Mario noticed him wavering a bit and rested a hand on the centre of his back to help steady him. “We’ll get your mobility back in no time.”
“That’s what I’m counting on.”
Mario could feel the warmth of Asa’s skin under his palm and yearned to feel more. Asa led them into a room off the sunroom and turned on a light.
“I admit I haven’t been in here in a while.”
Mario’s jaw dropped as he studied the fully outfitted gym. “You’ve got everything The Gym has, why the hell would you want to work out there instead of here?”
Asa turned a slight shade of red. “It’s more fun to work out with someone else.”
“Surely you could get one of your friends to exercise with you.”
Asa glanced up at Mario. “I thought that’s what I’d been doing with you.”
For some reason, the statement filled Mario with joy. “That you have.”
Deciding to start slow, Mario retrieved two small five-pound hand weights as Asa straddled one of the benches, a braced leg on each side.
“Okay, curl these one at a time to your chest,” Mario said as he demonstrated the action.
Although Asa seemed to have no difficulty, Mario didn’t even consider moving him up to the next weight. “Good,” he commented.
Asa rolled his eyes. “I may not look like it, but I’ve been lifting weights for several years now.”
Mario grinned. He liked to see that the Almighty-Asa had his own insecurities. Mario took a seat on the other end of the bench, facing Asa. “Before your injuries, you were in excellent shape. I’m just trying to help you get back there.”
Asa stared down at the bench as he continued to do the arm curls. “Sometimes I don’t know why I bother. No amount of working out is going to make me look like you.”
Bracing his hands on the bench, Mario leant towards Asa. “I make my living with my body. You do it with your mind. Don’t sell yourself short. Don’t you think I’d rather be as smart as you? We all want what doesn’t come natural.”
Asa glanced up and met Mario’s gaze. Had Asa’s eyes always been so green? Although he didn’t say anything, Mario could tell he appreciated the observation. What the hell had happened to the man’s self-esteem?
“Take a break whenever you need to. No sense in overdoing it the first night,” Mario reminded him.
“I’m okay.”
“So what happened to all your friends that were staying with you during the festival?” He hoped he wasn’t being too nosy, but he couldn’t believe the man’s so-called friends would leave Asa in his time of need.
“They got bored and went on a cruise,” Asa answered simply.
“Fuckers. They don’t sound like my idea of friends.”
“You’re right, they don’t. Which is why I told them not to bother coming back.”
Mario wondered where he’d be without the support of his friends. It didn’t matter that he’d only known Rio, Ryan and Nate for a short time, they’d become a lifeline while trying to deal with his mom’s declining health.
“I guess it’s time you made some real friends,” he stated.
Asa chuckled. “Know where I can pick up a few?”
“You mean besides right in front of you?”
“Yeah.” Asa sobered as he set down the hand weights. “I’ve never been good at making friends. I’m not su
re what it is about me that puts people off, but without buying presents and doling out cash to my family, no one comes around.”
Without thinking about the repercussions, Mario reached out and covered Asa’s hand with his. “You start by surrounding yourself with real people that don’t have a hidden agenda.”
“Easy for you to say. Fake friends or not, it was easier than being alone all the time.”
Mario rubbed the back of Asa’s hand with his thumb. Despite wanting to keep Asa to himself, he knew the man needed more. “I’m going to show you how to be Ace, the friend, instead of Asa the billionaire. You’ll have so many friends you won’t know what to do with yourself. Hell, I’ll probably be pushed to the side once again, but at least I’ll be able to prove to you that you are likeable without having to pay for it.”
Asa stared at Mario’s mouth as he leant forward. Mario’s cock began to swell in his workout pants as he smelled Asa’s sweet breath. He felt like he was standing on a ledge. Did he let go or hang on to his control?
Asa lifted Mario’s hand and placed it behind his head. “Kiss me,” Asa begged.
With a soft moan, Mario threaded his fingers through Asa’s soft, dark brown hair and closed the distance between them. He lightly brushed his lips over Asa’s several times before licking the gorgeous man’s sealed mouth with his tongue.
When Asa’s mouth opened, allowing entrance, Mario was lost. How long had he dreamt of kissing this man? He wanted more. He wanted everything Asa would give, but he also didn’t want to move too fast. What he wanted with Asa was more than a couple of weeks of hot, bone jarring fucking. Besides, Asa wasn’t well enough for Mario’s brand of sex.
Regardless of his new resolve, Mario allowed himself the erotic kiss. He swept the interior of Asa’s mouth a few more times before pulling back. Asa surprised him with a whimper as he leaned further towards Mario, trying to follow his lips.
“Friends don’t kiss,” Mario reminded Asa before giving him another light kiss.
Asa licked his lips. “What about friends with benefits?”
