“It’s funny how things work out sometimes.”
Blake smiled to himself. “Yeah, it is.”
“Because, I know I haven’t told you this yet, but you came at the time I needed you the most.”
Shocked, Blake turned around. “Why in the hell would you need me? You’re rich, famous and great looking.”
“I’m so sick of being surrounded by fake people. They only like me because they want me to introduce them to my cast mates, or because I have money. Until you, nobody has ever wanted me for just being me.”
“You’ll always be Eric, the hot senior with the most incredible smile I’ve ever seen.”
Before Blake could become embarrassed by that, Deke grinned. “I think that’s the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me.”
“If that’s the case, then you’re hanging out with the wrong people.”
“Maybe before, but not right now.”
Then Deke turned off the light, ending the conversation.
Deke let out a sigh before he massaged his fingers over his aching temples. It was only noon, but he was already sick of the damn interviews.
What he really wanted was to grab Blake and take him out for some real sightseeing. Deke could vividly recall the look of awe on Blake’s face as he’d entered the suite last night, and Deke would do almost anything to see it again.
He let out another sigh. It just wasn’t meant to be though. Even if Deke had managed to get away, Blake’s stand had been surrounded all morning. Which was great, since the guy obviously needed the sales, but it sucked that he probably wouldn’t be free until the end of the day.
When the assistants came around with the food, Deke made sure Blake got some, too. From what little he’d seen of his friend’s body last night, Blake was way too thin. It was one thing to be a starving artist, but a walking skeleton was quite another.
Deke saw that a lot of the people talking and hanging out at Blake’s stand were younger guys and girls. While he knew he had no right, a burst of jealousy went through him. Deke wanted to be the one on the receiving end of those charming comments and that sweet smile. Not some wannabe fanboys or girls.
“Wow, I never thought I would see the day,” Linda leaned over and whispered in Deke’s ear.
“What are you talking about?”
“Where you actually took your nose out of a script long enough to look at anybody. Now you’re all but drooling over some comic book geek.”
“He’s not a geek,” he snapped.
The triumphant smile on Linda’s face showed that he’d given her the exact reaction she was looking for. “So, what’s his name?”
“Blake. We went to the same high school.”
“Were you friends back then?” she pressed.
“No, because I was too stupid to look around and see that I had something great standing right in front of me.”
“So, what are you going to do about it now?”
“Try and prove to him that I’m worth a second chance.”
She tapped her fingers on the table. “I noticed he stayed the night with you last night.”
“Damn, you’re nosier than the paparazzi,” he teased. “Yes, he stayed with me, but he slept in the other bed. I was only trying to help him save some money.”
“I guess the comic book business isn’t very lucrative?”
“Not for somebody who’s just starting out like him. I thought I would give him some guidance.”
She smiled. “Like when you made that big announcement to the news that you’re gay and a certain has-been eighties television star better shut his homophobic mouth before you sicked some of our zombies on them?”
Deke grunted. “It probably would have ended up giving the zombies food poisoning.”
She tilted her head to the side. “What was he like in high school?”
“Who? The has-been actor or Blake?”
She gave him a playful tap on the arm. “Blake.”
“Quiet. That’s why it took me a while to remember him. He was always in some corner, all by himself, drawing in a ratty sketchbook His fingers were always smudged with paint and charcoal and he had the worst haircut. I think his parents took him to one of those cheap salon chains that were always having $7.99 specials. Poor guy.”
They glanced over at Blake. While he may not have much more money, he was way more fashionable. He still had those red and black streaks running through his hair and they went well with his black jeans and stylishly aged T-shirt—the colour of which had faded from red to nearly pink.
Then Blake looked over at Deke with a smile and Deke knew he truly was a goner. His stomach even did that flipping thing as his heart thudded in excitement. Just like in all those old bodice-ripper romance books that Deke’s grandmother used to insist on reading out loud to him. It never occurred to her that it was inappropriate material for a sixteen year old. She had just thought that maybe hearing how ’real’ love worked would shake the gay out of him. All it had managed to do was put him off girls even more and hate anything that was Civil War themed, since those were the only books she seemed to like to read.
“He’s cuted-out quite a bit,” she mused.
He cocked a brow at her. “Isn’t the term filled out?”
“Yeah, but since he’s skinner than Angelina, cuter fits better. Seriously, that boy needs to eat more. Does he live in a homeless shelter or something?”
It took him a couple of seconds to realise Linda’s question was serious, but given that she was raised in a rich, show-biz family, he decided to give her a pass. She wasn’t the best at knowing how things worked in the real world. She was so self-centred that she actually thought Linda Blair had been named after her, regardless of the fact the famous actress was actually decades older.
“No, he told me last night over dinner that he lives with his mother.”
Deke didn’t add the fact that it was in her basement and that he had to fight five cats for living space. Knowing Linda, she would judge Blake for that. While she was sweet, it only an outer shell, whereas her inner parts could be as sour as a lemon.
As if proving his point, she wrinkled her perfect nose, the one her daddy had paid top-dollar for. “Yeah, that’s the bad thing about those artist types. A lot of them are poor and most of them never make it.”
“Funny, people say the same thing about actors.”
Her brows drew together in confusion. “Really?”
Deke thought back to all the horrible cattle calls that he’d gone through, all the mean rejections, and the times where he hadn’t had enough to pay for dinner. He was willing to bet that Linda didn’t realise that was how most actors made it.
There was a lull at their table, so Deke got up. “I’ll be right back.”
“Fine, but if Bert comes and asks where you are, I’m not covering for you,” she shot back.
God, Deke knew it was mean of him, but he really hoped that they followed the books their show was based on and killed Linda off next season. It’s not like she couldn’t easily get another job.
As for Deke, he’d been pleasantly surprised over the past couple of days to find that Blake wasn’t his only fan. It seemed the viewing population had a thing for the nerdy underdog and Deke’s character was quickly becoming popular.
He snagged a water bottle out of the cooler on his way over and handed it to Blake as he walked up to the table. The smile of gratitude Blake shot him was so sexy it made Deke want to forgot the convention and all their other obligations and just go up to their room.
Last night he’d held back, but damn had it been hard. Just one look at Blake’s slim body and Deke had wanted some action—him fucking Blake—Blake fucking him, he didn’t care how it went down, just as long as they both got off.
“Thanks,” Blake said.
He opened the bottle and swallowed, his throat moving oh so perfectly. Deke had to repress a groan of desire as he imagined how it would feel to have those pink lips wrapped around his cock, drinking him down in
stead.
Since he couldn’t very well ask for a blow job in the middle of the busy convention hall, Deke cleared his throat and said, “It looks like you’re selling a lot.”
Blake grinned as he stared down at his nearly empty table. “Yeah, ever since you gave me that shout-out it’s been crazy. Thanks for doing that for me.”
“Hey, I was just pointing out true talent.”
A blush covered Blake’s cheeks. “I’m okay.”
“You’re amazing and it’s time you admitted that. Have you ever thought of moving to New York or LA? You could probably do way better in a bigger city.”
Blake shrugged. “Maybe I’ll do that one day.”
Deke wanted to kick himself. Even though he hadn’t meant to, he’d once again reminded Blake of how poor he was. He couldn’t afford an apartment as it was, let alone some place in a big city.
Hoping to brighten the mood, Deke changed subjects. “How about you let me take you out to dinner tonight? There is supposed to be this really great Italian place nearby.”
“Okay, but only if you let me pay you back somehow,” Blake hedged, his tongue darting out to lick his bottom lip.
Damn, if that movement didn’t make Deke’s cock do a little ‘happy dance’. “I already told you that you don’t have to do anything to pay me back.”
“But…” Blake blushed deeper, then took in a shaking breath. “…what if I want to?”
It was such a sweet, yet sensual offering that Deke knew he was powerless to refuse. He still forced himself to say, “Only if you really mean it. I don’t want any regrets.”
Blake lifted his gaze and there was no mistaking the raw desire in his eyes. “Are you kidding? I’ve wanted it for almost as long as I can remember.”
Well, shoot. How did one respond to something that revealing? Deke decided to just go with his instinct. Reaching over the table, he cupped the back of Blake’s head and brought him in for a deep, heated kiss.
It was sweet, it was sexy, it was all Blake. And it would have been perfect had it not been for all the camera flashes that went off.
Chapter Four
By the end of the day, Blake felt ready to pop out of his skin with excitement. While he’d been busy making sales, talking to new and old readers, plus signing actual autographs…who would have thought anybody would ever want that? He kept sneaking peeks of Deke?
The man was more tempting every time Blake looked. All of the show’s cast were wearing T-shirts with their trademark zombies on it, but in Blake’s opinion nobody pulled it off better than Deke. He managed to look adorable with an edge of sensuality, just like he had in high school. Only this time, Deke was shooting heated glances in Blake’s direction too.
When it came time to finally close up for the night, Blake almost broke out into the Party Rock Anthem. He quickly packed up his remaining merchandise into boxes and was just shoving them under the table when Deke approached.
“Are you ready to go?” Deke asked, with that devastating grin.
Blake bit his bottom lip, worried to voice what he truly wanted, for fear of coming off as slutty. Then again he’d allowed Deke to slip through his fingers all those years ago and Blake was determined not to make that same mistake again. Taking a deep breath, he blurted, “How about we get room service instead?”
For a second Deke stood there, his face an unreadable mask. Blake’s heart thudded in his chest and he worried that maybe he’d made a mistake after all. He was just about to call it back, when a wicked grin spread over Deke’s face. “I think that’s a perfect idea.”
A rush of relief went through Blake, to be replaced with brain-dulling desire. “But, can we order the food in after…well, you know?”
God, he was so messing this up. Living in LA, Deke had probably been with a lot of great, self-assured guys. The last thing that he probably wanted was to be saddled with some babbling idiot.
But that smile never left Deke’s face. He reached out and grabbed Blake’s hand. “We must be on the same wavelength, because I was thinking the same thing.”
Stumbling after him, and still fully aware of the fact that more people were taking pictures, Blake said, “Really?”
Deke only paused long enough to look over his shoulder so that he could wink and wave at the cameras. “Are you serious? All I’ve been able to think of today was getting you upstairs and in bed.”
That prospect sent a warm thrill through Blake’s belly until another picture was taken and someone asked, “Is this your new boyfriend, Deke?”
A sudden thought occurred to Blake. “Are all these photos of us together going to ruin your career?”
“Nah, I’ve been out forever.”
“I know, but you’ve never been photographed with anybody before.”
“Ah, so you followed me enough to notice that?”
Blake felt a warm heat come over his face as he realised how dorky that made him sound.
Then Deke gave his hand a squeeze and said, “Damn, that’s a turn on.”
Everything became a haze as Deke dragged him out of the convention room and into the main hallway. The elevator doors opened and Deke shoved Blake inside, pinned him against the wall and began to kiss him.
Dimly, Blake was aware of a few laughs of surprise from the other occupants, but he was too caught up in the moment to care. Hell, his Granny Eddy and her preacher friend Bob could have been standing there and Blake wouldn’t have noticed.
Yes, this was it. What he’d wanted for so long. Not only was he being out and true to the whole world about who he really was, but Blake was doing it with the one guy who he’d been in love with for years.
He did at least have the decency to open his eyes long enough to make sure that there were only adults in the elevator, spotting only a couple of older looking women, one of whom had her cell phone out.
“Ignore them,” Deke advised, between kisses.
“Is it always like this with you?” Blake asked.
“Just since the show became popular.”
They reached their floor and Deke dragged Blake out. As he tagged along, Blake realised that, despite the fact he was only about an inch taller, Deke liked to be the one who called the shots. Blake was fine with that…this time. Next time, all bets were off, though.
They reached the room and quickly got inside, grabbing for their clothes before the door was even fully clicked shut.
Tossing his shirt over his head, Deke asked, “You sure you don’t want to eat first?”
The only thing that Blake wanted to eat was every inch of Deke’s body, but he held that comment in, because even a small-town bumpkin like him knew that line would be clichéd. Instead, he lost his own shirt and shucked off his shoes, before moving his fingers to his belt.
His jeans were a little tight so he had to wiggle to get out of them, it probably wasn’t the sexiest of moves, but Deke didn’t seem to mind. If anything his gaze only grew more heated as it lingered over Blake’s body.
“I’m a little skinny,” Blake hedged, thinking of all the hunky actors that Deke worked with.
Damn, Blake probably looked like Gumby in comparison, yet Deke continued to stare at him as if he were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. For the first time in so, so long Blake felt like he wasn’t the loser who’d been forced to leave college, rejected by his father and forced to live in mother’s basement. He felt…wanted.
They were both naked and Blake couldn’t help but notice that Deke was tanned all over. He briefly wondered how he managed that without burning any sensitive parts, then Deke crooked his finger and Blake forgot about anything else, but getting on his back and Deke being inside him.
So, when Deke laid him down and just began to gently kiss his way down Blake’s body a bit of confusion and frustration went through Blake. He’d waited so long for this moment that he didn’t want to have to put it off any longer. That was until Deke’s teeth found Blake’s nipple and gently tugged
White, hot flashes of pleasu
re shot through Blake, he arched up, a single word slipping past his lips, “Eric!”
Deke looked up, raw pleasure in his eyes, none of the jaded expressions that the star had shown so often during the past days. Blake made a silent vow to himself that even though they had only the rest of the week, he’d find a way for Deke to realise that his old self was just as important as the new famous one.
After a savage grin, Deke dipped his head and began to kiss his way down Blake, seeming to take great delight in learning every ridge and dip of his torso. By the time Deke reached his cock, Blake was ready to beg for mercy. He was pretty sure he even managed to get a few babbled pleas out between the gasps and groans.
Then finally, when he thought he’d never feel it, the velvet glide of Deke’s tongue caressed the tip of Blake’s cock. Blake thrust up, trying hard to get in deeper without taking things too far and gagging Deke. It was so hard though, because Blake wanted it so bad.
As if sensing his urgency, Deke made a low humming, soothing sound, at the same time, running one palm up Blake’s flank. The message was wordless, but it still came across loud and clear—I have you and I’m not letting go anytime soon, so just lay back and enjoy the ride.
So, that’s what Blake did. He allowed his lids to flutter close as the pleasure rushed up his spine Damn, but Deke had a talented mouth. A bit of resentment went through Blake as he wondered how Deke had learnt his technique, but Blake quickly pushed it aside. The moment was too good to let the past interfere.
Deke worked Blake’s erection, his mouth creating the perfect vacuum, while his tongue did some moves that would have the Cirque du Soleil guys jealous. Deke must have also learned a few tricks from Chris Angel, because a bottle of lube seemed to appear out of nowhere.
Deke paused only long enough to slick up his fingers before getting back to work on Blake’s cock. A shiver of pleasure rippled up Blake as he felt a cool digit sliding inside his holee.
Blake wanted to shout that he was ready and could take whatever Deke had to give him, but he was still reduced to sexy-muddled blabbering so he rode it out as Deke added a second finger, then finally a third. It wasn’t until then that Deke glanced up, the expression in his eyes clearly asking for permission.
Fan-Tastic Page 3
