Mr. Butler laughed. “That being said, I’m afraid I’ll have to ask for a favor.”
“All right,” Thom agreed immediately. He didn’t need any trouble. “What can I do for you?”
“I have the same needs my wife does, you see,” Mr. Butler said, still smiling. He paused, clearly waiting for Thom to respond in some way.
“What?” was the best he could muster.
Mr. Butler sighed and walked over next to Thom. “I need the same treatment you give my wife.”
Thom blinked at him blearily for a moment. “You want me to fuck you?” he asked bluntly. He was in no condition to dance around the issue tonight.
“Yes,” Mr. Butler said, his expression relieved. “I’m glad we needn’t pretend it’s anything else. Yes, I want you to fuck me. Even more now that I’ve actually seen you. You are a handsome one, aren’t you, although a little worse for the drink.”
“I don’t need a diagnosis, Mr. Butler,” Thom said drily. “But thank you.” He cleared his throat, embarrassed. “I’m not sure I’m capable of servicing you this evening, however. I’ve been rather busy today and have drunk more than I should.”
“Well, I certainly can’t blame you for that last one, not if you’re fucking women like my wife.”
He surprised a laugh out of Thom. “Yes, well.”
Without preamble Mr. Butler dropped to his knees. “Let me,” he said. “I’ll have you ready to go in no time.”
He had Thom’s pants unbuttoned before Thom could protest. Suddenly his cock was engulfed in Mr. Butler’s small, hot mouth, Butler’s mustache tickling the sensitive skin and Thom shuddered in awareness. He’d never done this with a man before and wasn’t entirely sure he could, but he didn’t want to offend Mr. Butler. A fuck for his silence concerning Thom’s rather questionable professional behavior seemed a small price to pay.
To his astonishment he grew hard almost immediately. He liked the way Mr. Butler sucked cock. His friends had commented that a man knew how to suck cock instinctively. In Mr. Butler’s case it was most definitely true. His beard scratching Thom’s prick was exciting. He tried to think of Kitty, but that beard made it impossible. He tried to think of a man, someone of his acquaintance, but his friends did not make him lustful. Suddenly the image of Kitty’s companion, Devlin O’Shaughnessy, came to mind. He was Kitty’s lover. If Thom ever found the courage to approach Kitty, would O’Shaughnessy become his lover as well? His friends had all found a great deal of satisfaction in their relationships of three. But O’Shaughnessy wasn’t like the rest of them. He ruled a criminal empire here in London. He was hard as nails and his name was synonymous with the devil to half the city. A man like that surely wouldn’t want to share his woman, or have an intimate relationship with another man. But the thought of a man like that sucking his cock made Thom’s pulse quicken. Imagining O’Shaughnessy’s brooding, dark Irish looks made him shudder with a blast of desire. O’Shaughnessy wouldn’t be an easy lover.
Suddenly Mr. Butler let go. “There,” he said with satisfaction. “Nice and hard.”
Thom looked down and he was indeed nice and hard and more than ready to fuck. “Yes,” he said stupidly, not sure what to do next.
“You know how this works, correct, Doctor?” Mr. Butler asked with his ever-present smile.
“Yes,” Thom said, “in theory.”
Mr. Butler laughed. “Well, let’s try out that theory, shall we?” He turned, pushed his pants down to his knees, and leaned over the exam table.
Thom just stared at him. His buttocks were firm and attractive, and his hole looked swollen and shiny. “I don’t wish to hurt you,” he said cautiously.
“Oh,” Mr. Butler said happily, “you won’t. I’ve prepared myself ahead of time. Go ahead. Do it nice and hard.”
Thom laughed in disbelief. “All right, then.” He stepped up behind Mr. Butler and without thinking too much about what he was doing, pressed his cock against the entrance being offered. A thrill chased down his spine at the touch of the hot, puckered skin.
“Yes,” Mr. Butler said breathlessly. “Please.”
Thom pressed inside. He met with a little resistance, but when he stopped Mr. Butler pleaded with him to continue. When he was inside he had to stop to catch his breath. Fucking hadn’t excited him this much in ages. “You’re extremely tight and hot,” Thom said, panting.
“Oh, good,” Mr. Butler replied, also panting, “you like it. Good. Go on, now. Fuck me.” Thom pulled out and pressed in slowly, experimentally. Mr. Butler whimpered, but it wasn’t in pain. “More,” he said. “Harder.”
In less than a minute Thom was thrusting in and out of Mr. Butler, a hard, fast, earthy fuck while Mr. Butler moaned beneath him. Thom grabbed the edge of the table with one hand and Mr. Butler’s shoulder with the other to hold him in place. Mr. Butler made a high-pitched sound of pleasure and Thom loved it.
“Yes, yes, yes,” Mr. Butler panted. “You’re so good. Yes.”
“Come,” Thom told him. “I can’t last much longer. Christ, you’re a good fuck.”
Mr. Butler’s passage immediately clamped down on him as he came with a whimper. Thom kept thrusting, not willing to pull out until the very last second. He felt his balls tighten and started to pull away but Mr. Butler stopped him with a hand on his thigh. “No! Come inside me. I like that.”
Thom lost it then, coming hard inside Mr. Butler until he could feel his own release surrounding his cock. When he was done he stood there shivering and panting. His cock fell free and Mr. Butler sighed in contentment as he laid his head down on the table. “Perfect,” he told Thom.
Thom backed away, embarrassed by how intense the experience had been. He’d never even met the man until a few minutes ago. But it was the first time he’d fucked a man.
“Here,” Mr. Butler handed him a handkerchief. “Clean yourself off.” Thom did as he was told and Mr. Butler took the handkerchief back and tucked it in his pocket. “I’ll just keep that as a memento until the next time.” He’d pulled his pants up and was buttoning them.
“Next time?” Thom asked, feeling far too stupid.
“Oh yes,” Mr. Butler said, still smiling. “You’re an exceptional fuck. I’ll be back soon.” He frowned and wagged a finger at Thom. “But you mustn’t see my wife again. I won’t share you with the likes of her.” He stepped over and kissed Thom’s cheek. “Don’t worry, lover. I’ll pay double your fee.” He stopped at the door and waved his fingers at Thom. “Goodbye, darling.” And just like that he was gone.
Thom hadn’t needed a drink this badly since, well, since he’d fucked the man’s wife that morning. Whiskey ought to take the sting out the fact that he was now completely lacking in self-respect and, for all intents and purposes, whoring for a living.
Chapter Three
London, February 1822
Devlin knocked on the door with a little more force than one would if this were a social call. He hoped for a quick response even though it was night. He had no desire to stand here on the doorstep of this decrepit boarding house any longer than necessary. What the hell was the doctor doing living here?
The door opened a crack. “Yes?” a querulous voice said.
“I’m here to see Dr. Peters,” Devlin said impatiently. “Go fetch him for me.”
The door opened wider and an older woman peered suspiciously at him. “He’s not here. Who shall I say called?”
“I am O’Shaughnessy. Where is he?” Devlin demanded.
She shrugged with a superior sniff. “Probably at his office still. Stays late all the time. Doesn’t come around here much anymore, and that’s fine with me. I’ll not have any of that unsavory sort of business here.” She sneered at Devlin. “Are you a patient then? Come for a treatment?”
Devlin raised a brow at her tone. It didn’t take a great deal of intelligence to decipher her meaning. “I am not,” he replied coldly. “And might I add that my business is none of yours. A word of advice, madam.” He suddenly gripped the door
frame, leaned in close to her and glared at her. “I recommend you keep your lurid, speculative gossip to yourself from now on,” he advised. “Should I hear it being bandied about the streets I’ll know where to look. You do not want to irritate me. Do you understand?”
She nodded with wide eyes. “Yes sir.”
He turned away and the door slammed behind him. He trotted down the steps, slapping his gloves against his palm in irritation. “He’s not here,” he told his protection man, Rufus. The little redhead had been holding the horses in the street waiting on Devlin and the doctor. “His office.”
“Oy,” Rufus said with an angry huff. “Are we to be hightailing it all over London looking for a sawbones, I ask ya?”
“Kitty says he can save the girl,” Devlin said in a voice that brooked no argument. “I believe her.” He climbed into the saddle. “To his office. Baker Street.”
“What the hell’s the matter with you?” the young man exclaimed angrily. “I came for a fuck.” He yanked hard on Thom’s cock, and Thom cried out, trying to shove him away. The man ignored him and sucked Thom’s sore, flaccid cock into his mouth. It stung and Thom hissed.
“I can’t,” he said between clenched teeth. “Too many fucks today and too much whiskey make Thom less a man.” He wished he were joking.
The young man pulled back. “You damn sure will,” he told Thom. “I was told this was where to come for a fuck. You don’t ask questions and you don’t talk. I want it.”
Thom just looked at him, completely at a loss. “It doesn’t matter if you want it,” he said sadly. “I don’t.”
His would-be seducer stood, clearly unhappy. “Then sober up,” he barked. He slapped Thom hard across the face. “Sober up and fuck me or by God you’ll regret it.”
Thom put a hand to his mouth and felt the blood on his lip. He laughed weakly. “Well, that’s not the way to do it,” he told him. He didn’t look at the blood on his hand. He couldn’t. He was halfway to a nightmare already.
“Then I will,” the young man said. He yanked open his pants and Thom saw he was hard as a pike. Clearly he liked this rough play. He gripped Thom’s arm and shoved him toward the exam table. Thom stumbled and rammed into it, knocking the breath out of him. He felt his pants being ripped down to his knees and then the other man’s cock was trying to force its way into him. “Take it,” the young man said in a hard voice. “Spread your legs.”
“I don’t,” Thom said, his mind too fuzzy to catch up with what was happening. “Sorry.”
His head was slammed into the table and Thom groaned. As if his hangover tomorrow wouldn’t be bad enough.
“Spread your legs,” his attacker demanded again.
The door to the operatory suddenly slammed open, startling Thom. He saw a large man standing there who immediately, in a blur of movement, crossed the room and pulled Thom’s attacker away and flung him to the floor. “Get out of here,” the stranger said coldly.
“See here,” the man exclaimed angrily. He awkwardly came to his feet before pulling up his pants. “I paid to see the doctor.”
“I don’t give a shit,” the man said, a trace of a Cockney accent creeping into his voice. “Walk out or get thrown out, your choice.”
“I’ll be back, Doctor,” the man said with mock politeness.
“Don’t bother,” Thom said, then gingerly felt his split lip with his tongue. “I can’t cure what ails you.”
When he was alone with the tall, rather imposing figure dwarfing the small room, Thom blew out a breath, trying to bring his face into focus. “I know you,” he said slowly, squinting as he thought very hard. Tall, dark hair, fair complexion, strong jaw. There was a memory trying to surface. The alcohol was dulling his brain. He tapped the middle of his forehead. “I know you.” He took an unsteady step closer only to discover his pants were still down. “Ah, the devil,” he said with a laugh, trying to pull his pants up without falling down. “That’s right. Devlin.” He pronounced the name with a long vee sound. “Devlin O, O’something. You’re Kitty’s. Lucky you.”
“Yes,” the man replied grimly. “I’m Kitty’s.” He took a step closer this time and peered into Thom’s eyes. He wore a severe frown. “How drunk are you?”
“Drunk as a lord,” Thom replied with a grin. “It’s a state I try to retain with religious fervor.” He laughed at his own joke.
Devlin took over, yanking up Thom’s pants and buttoning them efficiently. “Fetch two buckets,” he said with the same grim intensity. “One full of water. Cold water.”
Thom weaved a little on his feet and sought the table behind him. “Why do you want me to fetch buckets?”
“Not you,” Devlin replied. “Rufus.”
“Who’s Rufus?” Thom’s head was beginning to spin. If he could just lie down he might actually sleep. If one could call unconsciousness sleeping, which he did. It was as close as he came to it.
“Here you are,” a little redheaded man said as he came into the room. He reminded Thom of a banty rooster.
“Hullo, Rufus,” Thom said.
“Oh Lord,” Rufus grumbled. “We don’t need this. Come on, Dev. We’ll find another sawbones.”
“Put the water here,” Devlin said, pointing to the top of the table. He walked over to Thom’s medicine cabinet and began rifling through the contents.
“Be careful,” Thom said, closing his eyes. “Some of those are noxious. I don’t want you to get sick.”
“God forbid a sick man actually show up,” Devlin said, not looking at him.
“I caught the sarcasm,” Thom said without rancor. “But you speak the truth.”
Devlin stood, holding a bottle close to his eyes to read the writing on it. “Kitty sent me for you,” he said, surprising Thom. “If I show up without you she’ll have my head.” He turned and looked at Thom. “Here goes.”
“Here goes what?” Thom asked. He closed his eyes. “Kitty wants me? I like Kitty. Pretty Kitty.” He cracked his eye open and saw Devlin watching him dispassionately. “You’re lucky.”
“You already said that.” Devlin came back to his side and handed Thom a glass of water. “Drink.”
Thom took a deep drink and pulled back coughing uncontrollably. “What the hell did you put in there?” he asked. He wasn’t too alarmed. He didn’t much care what he’d done, if truth be told.
“An emetic,” Devlin replied with a cold smile.
Thom’s stomach began to churn. “It won’t work,” he said a little desperately. “Too late to get it out of my stomach. It’s in my head already.”
“Then I’ll have to get it out of your head, too,” Devlin said with finality. “Won’t I?” He reached out a hand as Thom felt his gorge rise. “Bucket.”
Thom’s head was unceremonious shoved over the bucket as he cast up his accounts. As soon as he stopped and caught his breath, Devlin grabbed the back of his head and shoved it into the bucket of cold water. Thom gasped and swallowed a lungful of water and came up choking and coughing. He felt sick again, and again Devlin shoved his head into the other bucket just in time. Then back into the bucket of cold water. This time he held his breath. When Devlin pulled his head out he held up a shaking hand. “Enough,” he croaked.”
“Not yet,” Devlin said. He poured more emetic down his throat. Thom managed to spit most of it out but enough made it down to have him grabbing the bucket and retching again. Devlin yanked the bucket out of his hands when he was done and dunked him in the cold water again. He was beginning to feel alarmingly sober and quite, quite, miserable.
“Wish you’d left me to that bugger,” he mumbled as he came up for air and leaned on the table shivering with cold and misery.
“Enjoy a hard fuck, do you?” Devlin said with a noticeable lack of humor. “If that’s where your taste lies, I can certainly get you a better one than that.”
“Thank you for the offer,” Thom said, still trying to catch his breath, “but I don’t wish to anger Kitty. Although you are a fine-looking man, don’t ge
t me wrong.”
Rufus choked off a laugh behind Devlin, while Devlin just looked amused. “You‘d have to be a sight cleaner and more sober than you are to tempt me, Doctor,” he said.
“Duly noted,” Thom said, brushing his hands through his hair. “But I think you might be too rough by far, if this treatment is any indication.”
“It’s true,” Devlin said without remorse. “I am a hard, rough fuck. Are you sober yet?”
“Disgustingly so,” Thom said with a grimace. “Why are you here?” He stood straighter, his chest constricting. “Kitty sent you? My God, is she all right?”
“She’s fine,” Devlin assured him, again with an enigmatic look. “She sent me for you because there’s a girl at one of my houses who’s losing her baby. Something’s wrong. Kitty said you could save her.”
Thom looked at him, aghast. “What?”
“You are coming with me,” Devlin said slowly. “And you are going to save that girl’s life because Kitty thinks you can.”
“I can’t even save myself these days,” Thom protested. “How am I to save that poor girl?”
Devlin ignored him. “Can you sit a horse?”
“Under protest,” Thom replied, his anger rising. Rufus shoved a cloth into his hand and he wiped his face off and roughly dried his hair. “Don’t I have anything to say about this?”
“No.” Devlin turned to Rufus. “This took longer than I planned. He’ll take your horse. Meet us there.”
“Right,” Rufus said briskly. “He needs dry clothes.”
Devlin looked at Thom and merely raised a brow in question. Thom sighed, resigned. “I have some in my office.”
Devlin waved a hand at the door. When Thom walked out he found Devlin right on his heels. At his office door, Thom turned back and nearly bumped noses with him. “What are you doing?” he asked, irritated.
“Following you to make sure you don’t try something asinine like locking yourself in your office to drink yourself back to self-pity.”
Thom snorted and turned back to his office, letting Devlin follow him in. “You have it backward. First the self-pity, then the drinking. It doesn’t work as well if you do it in reverse.”
FightforLove Page 2
