Foolish Me

by Tinnean

  And frankly, neither had I. That Wills was the one to discover it….

  He sucked my big toe into his mouth, and I convulsed with laughter again. He looked up, brushed the hair from his eyes, and grinned. You’d think he was the first person to ever pay attention to my toes.

  Oh, wait, he was!

  “Don’t make breakfast today, babe.” He ran a fingertip from the ball of my foot to my heel, and I squirmed at the ticklish sensation.

  “Wills, don’t….” To my disappointment, he stopped. But then he surged up, pushed my cock out of the way, and drew his tongue over my balls.

  I didn’t have time to catch my breath, though, because he shifted slightly and took my cock between his lips, dipping his tongue under my foreskin.

  “God, you drive me crazy!”

  He didn’t answer, just hummed, and I tugged on his hair. He grunted and looked into my eyes.

  “Swing around. I want you in my mouth.”

  He shuddered, changed his position, and settled his cock within reach of my mouth. I wet the forefinger of my right hand, and while I stroked my left palm over the curve of his ass, I circled his hole and pressed into it, searching for his prostate. He groaned, then groaned harder when I gave it a vigorous rub and swallowed his cock. I loved the feel of it, whether in my hand, my mouth, or my ass. I teased the area just below the crown, pulled back a bit to lap at the precome that oozed from the slit, and lost myself in the pleasure of his taste.

  I lost myself so far that I was stunned when he pulled off my cock. “Gonna… gonna come, Theo!”

  “Sorry.”

  “What are you s-sorry about? I’m having the best…. God, that feels good!… the best time! I just… just thought you should know.”

  “Okay.” I concentrated on the moist heat of his mouth as it surrounded my cock, and I was startled to realize it wouldn’t take long for me to climax either.

  And then my balls tightened and drew up, and there we were, both of us flooding each other’s mouths with the familiar taste of semen.

  “Mmm.” I let his cock slide out, careful of the sensitized head, and Wills did the same, making no effort to roll off me. He rested his head on my thigh, pressing kisses to it from time to time.

  “Wills?”

  “Mmm?”

  “I love you.” I no longer had to make an effort to say the words. They’d become easier and easier.

  “Love you too, babe.” And I could hear the pleasure in his voice.

  Yeah… a gorgeous Sunday.

  “SO, WHAT did you have in mind?”

  “For?”

  Breakfast.” I glanced at the bedside clock. “Brunch.”

  “Ah. Charmaine?”

  “Works for me.” Charmaine was a little restaurant within walking distance of our home. Vince had mentioned it in passing, and we’d tried it and liked it enough to make it ours.

  Since it featured outdoor dining, we didn’t need to wear anything fancy, just casual trousers and short-sleeved, button-down shirts, so we showered and dressed.

  Miss Su was stalking a catnip mouse, and she paused as we looked into the living room.

  “Watch the house, Miss Su, and be a good girl.”

  She left the mouse and came to us. “Mrrow?”

  “You’re such a pretty kitty!” I scooped her up into my arms, brushed my cheek against her face, and dropped a kiss onto her furry little head. “We’ll bring you something back.” I rubbed a finger under her chin, grinning as she slitted her eyes and purred. “What?”

  Wills was watching me with such a tender expression my cock hardened, and he smiled as if he knew. But all he said was, “Nothing, babe. Got your key?”

  I put her down, fished my key out of my pocket, and held it up. “That reminds me. We keep a spare—”

  “Please don’t tell me under the doormat!”

  “We don’t have a doormat.”

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “You’ve got a flowerpot.”

  “Yes.” It was a huge thing by the front door. Before Wills moved in, it had held nothing more than shriveled plants that died from lack of watering or drowned from being overwatered. Now impatiens bloomed in it, and once they faded, he’d replace them with geraniums.

  “Do you keep a key in that flowerpot?”

  “You know I don’t.”

  He gritted his teeth. “Theo! Where the fuck do you have a spare key?”

  “Come on, I’ll show you.”

  Miss Su followed us to the foyer, carrying her mouse. We’d placed a bed under the console table near the door after we’d constantly found her waiting for us and decided she might as well be comfortable.

  “Bye, puss.”

  “Mrrow.” She settled herself in her bed.

  Wills locked the door behind us and followed me down the stairs, grousing the entire time. He was just so cute!

  When we got down to the front entryway, I pulled him against me and kissed him.

  “That’s not going to get you off the hook, Bascopolis.” But he looked a little cross-eyed.

  “Trust me, babe.” I opened the front door. To the right was the intercom. I made sure no one was in the vicinity, then tugged on the bottom. A small drawer opened to reveal the key.

  Wills groaned.

  “What?”

  “Do you realize how obvious that is? Oh, Jesus, don’t tell me you had that when Mr. Vincent lived here!”

  “No. Vince got us the intercom. A cl-friend of Paul’s put the drawer in for us.”

  Wills groaned again. “I’ve got to fix this!”

  “Okay, worrywart. But in the meantime, let’s go have brunch. I could eat a horse!”

  CHARMAINE FEATURED a patio area adjacent to its front entrance, and we chose a bistro table near the wrought-iron fence that separated it from the street. Chris, our waiter, had taken our order and brought our coffee and a basket of sticky buns. He fluttered his lashes—Jesus, here was another one who was going to cause a windstorm!—and then mercifully had to hurry away to wait on other patrons.

  I added a sugar to my coffee, poured in some cream, and stirred it. I didn’t want to bring this up, but next week was Father’s Day, and Wills had asked about it. “I’m not sure if I should send Poppa a Father’s Day card.”

  “Because of what you found out at Easter?”

  “Yeah.” I didn’t forgive easily, not when it came to this. Besides, he’d done without a card for the past thirteen years, and I guessed he could wait another year longer. Or thirteen.

  “It’s your call. I’m… uh… I’m sending my grandfather a card.”

  “All right. But you know the odds are he’ll probably throw it out without even opening it.”

  “Yes, I know.”

  “How long will you keep it up?”

  He shrugged. “They’ll always be my grandparents.”

  “Ah, babe.” I twined our fingers together.

  Chris chose that moment to bring out our order—sausage and brie casserole for Wills and the mango and avocado salad with spiced candied pecans for me. Chris studied the table. “Do you want more sticky buns?”

  “No, we’re good for now.”

  “I’ll just bring the coffee out and refill your cup.” He kept batting his eyes at Wills.

  “And Theo’s too. Thanks, Chris.”

  “Yes, thanks, Chris.” I brought Wills’s left hand to my mouth and brushed a kiss across the finger that would bear my ring in a couple of months.

  Chris frowned at me but then turned a thousand-watt smile on Wills. “Anything for you, brown eyes.” He gave him a saucy grin and sauntered back into the restaurant with an extra wiggle to his butt.

  “One of these days, I swear I’m going to—”

  “You know you don’t have to worry.”

  “Wills, he makes a play for you every time we come here!” And I was getting fucking sick of it.

  “Would you rather we didn’t?”

  “No, I like this place, and I’ll be damned if I let him chase us awa
y.”

  “You know, I think he does it just to get under your skin.”

  “Well, he’s succeeding.” I trusted Wills, but I didn’t want someone like Chris… well, anyone, if it came to that… to think my lover was available just for a flutter of long eyelashes. I tightened my grip on his hand.

  He stroked the fingertips of his free hand over mine and gave me a sweet smile, one that I would commit mayhem to keep aimed at me. “I’ll never leave you. I promise. Now, let’s eat. I’m starved.”

  WILLS FORKED up a piece of his casserole. “Try this, babe.” He offered it to me. I closed my lips around the fork and drew it off, smiling at him as I chewed.

  “This is good.”

  “Yeah, which is why I order it when we come here for brunch.”

  “Maybe next time I’ll order this. Save a piece of the sausage for Miss Su.” I cut off a piece of mango, picked it up with my fingers, and held it against his lips. “You should—”

  “Well, well, well. If it isn’t the lovebirds.”

  I jumped, dropped the fruit, and swore. I could have lived without hearing that particular voice.

  “Chuckles. How come you’re out in the sunlight?”

  “Charles, Theodore.” Charlemagne scowled at me. “I’m on my way home.”

  “And you just happened to pass by Charmaine? Lucky us.” A glance at my watch showed it was after 11:00 a.m. “It’s been a long night for you.”

  “I was well paid.” He let his gaze crawl over Wills. “Why are you still with him? I know a dozen boys who’d kill for the chance to show you what they can do.”

  “Including you?” I tossed my napkin onto the table and pushed my seat back. My intention was to slug him, but Wills put a hand on my forearm, and that kept me effectively in place.

  “I don’t need anyone to show me what they can do.” He had a smile on his face, but there was no amusement in his voice. “I’m with Theo because I love him. As a matter of fact, we’re getting married.”

  Charlemagne curled his lip, his disdain obvious. “It won’t be legal.”

  “Why does everyone feel the need to tell me that?” Wills complained mildly. “I’m aware, but I’ll do whatever I have to in order to keep Theo at my side.”

  “Do I get an invitation?”

  “No!” I snapped.

  “I… didn’t… think… so.” He sneered at me.

  “Why would you even want to come?” I trusted Paul and Spike, Tim and Cris. They’d keep what we’d done all those years between us and not say anything to Wills’s family, but Charlemagne… I could see him taking Jack Matheson to one side and regaling him with what I’d done to survive. I’d always been discreet, but rent boys could be notorious gossips.

  “I don’t,” he said dismissively. “And I wouldn’t have been free to go anyway.”

  “You don’t know when it will be!” I did a little sneering of my own.

  “I still won’t be free.”

  “Would you like a cup of coffee, Charles?” Had Wills lost his mind? Did he want Chuckles to join us?

  “No, thanks. To have Sweets scowling at me the entire time would give me acid reflux—”

  “I’ve told you before not to call him that.” Wills’s voice was ice cold. “Do it again and you’ll regret it.”

  “Sorry,” he said coolly, although he was obviously surprised my lover would call him on that. “Old habits.”

  “It will be healthy if you break them.”

  “Are you still with… what was that angel’s name? Michael?” I asked. I had the feeling the angel was a straight boy who’d decided to walk on the wild side. He’d come to the Halloween party dressed as an archangel, and then he’d turned up on New Year’s Eve as well. He and Chuckles had seemed really cozy when Wills and I left the affair.

  Charlemagne’s gaze shied off mine.

  Wills must have thought he saw something in Charlemagne’s gaze. “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “Don’t be.” Chuckles looked down his nose at him. He didn’t realize how close he came to being clocked. No one looked at my lover like that! “I dumped him. I was getting bored with him anyway.”

  “The way you would have gotten bored with me?” I demanded.

  “What?”

  “I’m not a fool, Charles.” I could make his name sound just as ridiculous as Chuckles. “I knew it would only be a matter of time before you tossed me aside. That happened once in my life. I wasn’t going to let it happen again.”

  This time he looked down his nose at me. “You’re saying you’d have stayed with me otherwise?”

  “If it hadn’t been for your reputation of loving and leaving whichever rent boy you… tempted into your bed? Probably.”

  “You came to me willingly, and if you deny it, that’s nothing but a bald-faced lie!”

  Yes, I’d gone to him. I’d thought he might be someone to curl up against on those cold days after equally cold nights with men who only wanted my body. But he wasn’t, and I’d realized it never would have lasted.

  “Charles, why don’t you find him and retire?” Wills’s heart was too soft. In spite of his earlier annoyance, he was ready to take pity on him.

  “He won’t want me.” He flicked a glance in my direction. “You, of all people, know how good I am at breaking off an affair.” He turned his wrist to check his watch. “I’ll leave you to your brunch. It was… interesting seeing you again. I’ll try to make a point of it never happening again.” And then he was gone in the Sunday morning crowd.

  I stared after him, my hands fisted and my nails digging into my palms. That son of a bitch! He’d made it sound like he was the one who’d broken up with me, instead of the other way around.

  “Babe?” Wills drew my attention back to him.

  “I broke up with him!”

  “I believe you.” Those three words reined in my temper, and I took his hand and stared into his chocolate-brown eyes.

  “I am so fucking lucky I found you, that you wanted me!”

  “I was thinking the same thing.”

  “If Paul hadn’t wound up in the hospital—”

  He held my hand tightly. “I’d have found you, babe. If I’d had to move heaven and earth, I’d have found you!” And in spite of being in such a public place, he leaned forward and kissed me.

  Chapter 31

  CHRIS HAD refilled our coffee cups and removed the plates, and I was about to ask for the check when a shadow fell over our table.

  “Will?”

  He looked up and then grinned and jumped up. “Cathy!”

  “I thought that was you! Hello, cuz.” She hugged him over the fence. “It’s good to see you again.”

  “It’s good to see you too! This is Theo, my fiancé. Theo, my cousin, Cathy.”

  “It’s nice to meet you.” I had risen—Ma had taught me manners—and now I offered her my hand. “I won’t even hold it against you that your father is an… a jerk.”

  “You don’t have to mince words with me, although I appreciate the intention. My father is what he is.” Her smile was crooked. “But let’s not talk about him.” She turned back to Wills and drew a petite redhead forward. “I have someone I want you to meet.” Before I had a chance to panic, Cathy blushed prettily and said, “This is Alexis Cavanaugh. Lexi’s my girlfriend.”

  “Hello, Lexi.” Wills shook her hand.

  “Hi, Lexi. I’m really pleased to meet you!”

  She was puzzled by my enthusiasm, but she shook my hand also.

  “Do you need to be anywhere, Cath?” Wills asked. “We’ve finished brunch, but if you’d care to join us, we could go for another cup of coffee and more of the sticky buns this place offers.”

  “Coffee would be good.”

  “Awesome.”

  “We’ll be right around.” She and Lexi headed for the front entrance of Charmaine. The outdoor area could only be accessed through the restaurant.

  “Will?” I cocked an eyebrow at him.

  “The Sabitini side of t
he family never mingled much with the Matheson side after Mom died, and even less after Dad and Jill married, so they never called me Wills.”

  “Got it.”

  Just then Cathy and Lexi arrived at our table.

  “Sit, please!” Wills looked around for our waiter. “Chris! Two more place settings! What kind of coffee would you like?”

  “Nothing fancy.” Cathy smiled at Chris. “Just two regulars, please. Although those sticky buns sound yummy.”

  “Two coffees and more… buns coming right up.” He sauntered off, giving that extra wiggle to his butt again, and I glowered after him.

  “I swear to God, one of these days….”

  “It’s all right, babe.”

  “What is it, Will?” Cathy asked.

  But I answered. “That… gym bunny,” I snarled, “makes a pass at Wills every time we come here!”

  “Why keep coming?”

  “I like the buns.” Both women burst into giggles, and I had to acknowledge my unintended double entendre. “Not those buns, and it’s not funny. I was sitting right here!”

  “Now, babe….”

  “The only reason why I didn’t punch his lights out is because he isn’t a redhead.”

  “Oh?” Cathy looked interested. “That’s right, I remember Uncle Jack saying you always had a thing for redheads.” She turned her head to smile at Lexi. “It must run in the family.”

  “Yeah.” But Wills was looking at me, and I smiled reluctantly. “So, Cath. What are you doing in DC?”

  “Lex and I are applying for positions on the ambassador to Italy’s staff. Although I’m not sure if we’ll get them.”

  “Why wouldn’t we, Cat? You’re fluent not only in the language but in quite a few dialects, and I’ve got that master’s in psychology.”

  “But we’re also lesbians. How are you going to manage it at work, Will?”

  “Marrying Theo?”

  “You know it won’t be legal, right?”

  Still steamed by Chris’s actions, I muttered under my breath, “Everyone makes sure to let him know about that.”

  Wills just said, “I know. My company doesn’t have any policies against sexual orientation. As a matter of fact, Theo will become beneficiary on my life-insurance policy, and he’ll get health benefits also.”