“Baby, we’re embarrassing Slade.”
“A shy prostitute? How charming.”
She smacked his arm. “Don’t say that to him. And another thing, don’t you ever call me a slut again, understand?”
“Angel, it was only for the pig fucker’s benefit. You are my queen, my joy.”
Slade chuckled.
Samson arched his eyebrows. “What is so funny?”
“Pig fucker. You can definitely keep calling him that, dude.”
“I only speak the truth.”
Valeena cuddled into his side. “See? I told you.”
“Well, my darlings.” Samson surveyed the seedy motel room. “I do believe we are to be captive here for the night. How about a pizza, yes?”
Slade grinned as Valeena clapped her hands. It was almost normal, as if they were merely good friends hanging out for the night. He refused to slip into a melancholy mood over how it had been so long since he’d experienced such a simple joy and might never again. For the rest of the night, he would pretend that there was no Julio, no handsome cop who would never be his. He would just relax and have fun even if it was only for a few hours.
“Add anchovies on one half and jalapeños on the other.” Samson pulled his cell from his ear. “Shy Slade, what kind of pizza would you like?”
That was the one. That one simple question almost tore him completely apart. He swallowed hard a few times before he spoke to keep from bawling like an infant. “I, uh, pepperoni would be great. Thank you, Samson.”
“And a large pepperoni. Oh, and can you have the delivery person pick up a deck of cards on his way? There’s a hundred dollar tip in it for him.”
Samson ended the call and considered them both. “What? We need something to do, right?”
Slade laughed, the fear in his chest lightening somewhat. But as predisposed to worry as he was, he couldn’t help but feel bad about one other thing.
“Um, Samson, I don’t know how I can ever repay you—”
“Shush. None of that. I pay much more than that for the other parties I throw. This is a bargain.” He waved his hand around in the air. “Let’s enjoy ourselves, yes?”
Slade nodded. “Thank you, man. I mean it.”
“You’re welcome.” A look passed over Samson’s face as if he wasn’t sure if he should go on. “Shy Slade, I feel I should mention this to you. I have…family members who engage in business pursuits with which I’m not involved.” He shrugged. “I do my thing, they do theirs. It’s an equitable arrangement. However, I sometimes find out about certain…events that are about to transpire. The mutual respect and understanding we have in our family for one another doesn’t allow me to elaborate on such events, but I will say that it is the main reason I’m moving faster to get Valeena away from Julio.” He fixed Slade with a piercing gaze. “It’s too dangerous for you to work for Julio anymore. There are things about to go down that you can’t even begin to imagine.”
So much for relaxing and enjoying myself.
“I know I shouldn’t be working for Julio, that he’s dangerous—”
“No, Slade. You don’t know. You need to get away immediately—more than most of the others he controls—you are at risk.”
“Why? What’s changed?”
“I can’t say any more. If I gave you ten grand, could you get out of town? My only condition is that you would have to wait until Valeena and I have disappeared. We’ll be far away by Friday morning. Can you wait that long?”
“But… How…? I… It’s very generous of you to offer that, but I can’t hide ten grand from Julio, he’d fucking kill me if he found out.”
“I’m not so much generous as I am a captive to love.” He squeezed Valeena tighter to him. “She would not agree to come with me unless she knew you’d be safe.”
The tears spilled from his eyes freely, long black streaks likely forming paths down his cheeks. He sucked in small sobs, his shoulders shaking, unable to control his emotions any longer upon hearing Samson’s words. Valeena disentangled herself from Samson’s grip. She hurried over and crouched down in front of him, grabbing his hands.
“It’s okay, Slade. Everything’s gonna be okay for both of us. We’ll see each other again. Someday when all this fucking shit is over and done with, we’ll meet up somewhere really nice. You’ll see, everything’s gonna turn out all right.”
He sniffed, nodding his head then wiping his eyes. “God, I’m a mess.”
He gave her a hug then rose to get some tissues from the bathroom. He splashed some water on his face, taking deep breaths to calm himself. Could it be real? Would he actually be able to get away from Julio for good? He had no idea what he would do with his freedom, he didn’t even have any of his original identification anymore—Julio had made sure of that.
It doesn’t matter.
As long as he got away from Julio, that was all that was important. He was scared to believe that it might be real. He didn’t want it to be ripped away from him—it would be too cruel.
After he’d pulled himself together somewhat, he reentered the room to the sight of Valeena and Samson in the middle of a heated make-out session. He cleared his throat. Loudly.
“Sorry!” Valeena giggled.
Slade shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. You guys probably want to be alone.”
He moved toward the door, but Samson moved faster, blocking him.
“We’re having a party, remember? We have spicy fish pizza and cards on the way. And besides, Julio thinks you’re mine tonight. We don’t want him to get suspicious, yes? Not when you and Valeena are about to make the break.”
Valeena rolled her eyes. “He means ‘make your break’.”
Samson waved his hand around again. “What she said. Now please, have a seat.”
Slade returned to the chair he’d been in all evening. “I’m very grateful for your offer, I really am, but I don’t see how it can work. I couldn’t possibly hide ten thousand dollars from Julio until Friday.” He snorted. “I’ve never even been able to hide a twenty dollar tip.”
“I’ll set up a date for you through Rita for Friday night. It will be an all-nighter—that way it gives you time to get away before he figures out you’re gone. One of my personal colleagues will meet with you then give you the cash. Easy as cake.”
Valeena shook her head as if in resignation. “Pie, baby. Pie.”
“You want some pie? I’ll get you some pie.”
He stood and she grabbed his shirtsleeve. “No!”
Slade laughed for the second time in one night. He figured it had to be some sort of record.
Maybe not for much longer.
After Friday night, who knew? He might want to laugh all the time then.
* * * *
Parker leaned over the bed to tuck in the last corner of the newly cleaned bottom sheet around the mattress. Once he’d completed that task, he arranged the rest of the bedding. Brett would be in that night and had asked if he could stay over at Parker’s apartment instead of going to the hotel right away. That had been the norm for his last few visits, but he still asked, which Parker did appreciate. It wouldn’t make things any easier, though.
He’d decided to give it one more shot between him and Brett that week before deciding whether to break things off or not. If Brett had concluded the same as Parker, that they were only getting together on occasion for some good regular sex, then why shouldn’t they keep on seeing each other? As long as both of them knew what the expectations were, no one would get hurt.
He had to admit that he was really looking forward to Brett coming by. After the incident with Slade the night before, he’d been unsettled. It would be good to have someone to distract him. For some reason, all he’d been able to do since the whole thing had gone down was to wonder if the so-called Slade Wolfgang was okay. If he was safe. It was as maddening as it was disconcerting.
One of the first things he’d learned as a rookie was to not allow personal feelings to intrude on the work he
did as a police officer. He interacted on a daily basis with people who needed more help than he would ever be able to offer. The only way he could survive emotionally and continue to do his job properly was to keep a shield around his heart when he was at work. He idly wondered if maybe that attitude had spilled over into his personal life.
After finishing up in the large, airy bedroom, he strolled into the main living area. The kitchen was an open design, but generous. There was enough room in the square-shaped area to have a center island. The spacious main room was covered in a soft beige plush carpet and Parker had a matching cream-colored sofa ensemble. He’d added large throw pillows and area rugs in deep blues and burgundies to add pops of color to the room.
It was a new experience for him. Once he’d received a decent pay raise the year before, he’d moved out of the older, two-story apartment he’d lived in and leased the luxury place where he currently resided. He was on the tenth floor and had a good-sized balcony with a view of the Strip. Downstairs there was a sauna, gym and Olympic-sized pool. There was a twinge inside him where he wished he could be sharing it all with someone. It wasn’t as if he needed such a large place for only himself or the occasional fuck buddy.
He winced at his thoughts. It wasn’t a good sign that the plan to have occasional casual sex with Brett made him cringe.
But isn’t that what we’ve been doing this entire time anyway?
That wasn’t entirely true—there had always been that little voice in the back of his head, the one that had said ‘maybe’. It wasn’t until recently that he’d recognized that the voice had changed to a definite ‘no’.
The intercom buzzed and he was surprised to discover that Brett was a bit earlier than planned. Typically, if he wasn’t going to be on time, he would be spectacularly late. Parker pushed the button to let him in and he decided that he was glad Brett had shown up early. The voice could hold off until after he’d gotten laid.
“Hey.”
“Hey.”
Parker opened the door to his place and Brett dropped his bag to take Parker into his arms. Brett was silent, holding onto Parker a bit longer than he typically did. Finally he stepped back then retrieved his things. Parker stepped aside to let Brett come through then shut the door.
“Everything okay? You’re earlier than usual.”
Brett held up his duffle and messenger bag. “Bedroom?”
Parker gestured to it. “Of course, Brett, you don’t have to ask.”
Brett winked, his model-worthy grin lighting up his tanned face. “Just making sure.”
Parker watched him as he went to put his things down. He had a nice tight ass, was tall and lean, with short, almost white-blond hair that was striking against his bronzed skin. They were similar in age—Brett was a few years older. Parker really did enjoy his company on occasion. And that was the crux of it. He couldn’t picture living out his life with Brett always by his side. Sometimes there wasn’t any good reason other than that something deep down told him it would never work.
“You want me to open a bottle of wine, or do you wanna stick with beer?”
Brett reappeared, unbuttoning his cuffs then rolling up the sleeves of his shirt as he drew closer to Parker.
“Depends. We staying in or hitting a bar?”
Parker shrugged. “Whatever you want is fine.”
Brett eyed him hungrily. “What I want is you, handsome.”
They faced one another and Brett pulled him flush to his body by his waist. He plunged into Parker’s mouth, lowering his hand to grab Parker’s ass, burying the fingers of his other one in Parker’s hair. All other worries or considerations fell away as Parker moaned into the kiss. Brett was familiar, warm. He didn’t light Parker’s heart on fire, but he filled him with need.
Parker clutched at Brett, sliding two fingers down his crease, pressing the soft fabric of Brett’s suit pants in between his cheeks. He was rewarded with Brett shoving his hardened length against Parker’s own heat. They ground together as urgent moans were exchanged between them. Brett abruptly stopped, breaking their connection. Parker gasped, startled by the suddenness of Brett’s actions.
“Can’t leak in this suit. Let me get out of it real quick.”
Parker nodded, his shaft softening. He thought it might be a good idea to grab that drink. “I’ll get the wine and a couple glasses.”
Brett glanced over his shoulder as he sauntered to the bedroom. “Good idea. Bring your hot ass too.”
Smiling, Parker gathered everything then followed his lover. Once he’d opened the bottle and they were both down to wearing only their boxers, Parker poured a glass of the chardonnay then handed it to Brett. He poured one for himself, momentarily startled when Brett held his drink up as if to make a toast. Parker waited, curious to hear what he had to say.
“To my handsome man.” Brett winked again.
Words escaped Parker, he wasn’t quite sure how to take what Brett had just said, so he simply smiled and nodded. They both took healthy swallows, then Brett gently pried Parker’s glass from his fingers. He set it next to his on the nightstand, pushing Parker down on the bed as he did. Once Parker was on his back, Brett straddled him. He gazed down on Parker with an almost awed expression.
Before Parker had the chance to dwell too much on anything, Brett had leaned over to capture his lips in a passionate kiss. He slanted his mouth over Parker’s, repeatedly, deepening each time, seeking more with his tongue. Parker thrust gently, the urge to fuck wiping away any other considerations. Brett ground into him, his full sac rubbing against Parker’s rock-hard length. Brett’s dick was pressed to Parker’s torso, held in place by their bodies. Parker flipped them, briefly breaking their kiss when Brett laughed. Parker rutted between Brett’s legs, their heated erections sliding against one another through the dampened fabric of their boxers. Parker wanted to grab a condom, wanted to slick Brett’s ass up nice and good so that he could plunge into the gripping heat, but he couldn’t stop. Their moans filled the room then turned to grunts as they forcefully humped one another.
Parker held onto Brett—one arm wrapped around his head, forcing him to stay locked in the kiss—the other pressing into his hip. Brett had one leg wrapped around Parker’s waist and had both hands on his ass, squeezing and kneading the cheeks in time with his thrusts.
With barely a warning, Parker’s nuts tightened, a spark shooting up his spine right as he released. He threw his head back, yelling. Brett joined him almost immediately with sharp cries and jerky movements, warmth soaking their underwear. Parker dropped to his elbows, panting, eyes closed as he basked in the afterglow of his orgasm.
“Mmm. So nice, Parker. God, I’ve really missed you.”
Parker’s eyes flew open. As he gazed down at Brett he was startled to see a look of…
No. Oh no. We’d agreed that we weren’t exclusive. We’d agreed…
It had been at least six months since their last vague relationship conversation. In the meantime, they’d continued to see each other regularly and Parker had never once discouraged Brett. He’d said it was cool for Brett to stay at his place when he would come into town—even when Brett had already had a hotel suite provided for him by his company.
Brett continued to stare into his eyes as he gently ran his fingers through Parker’s hair. He lifted his head slightly, offering his lips to Parker. Parker kissed Brett timidly, not deepening it, suddenly unsure as to how to proceed.
Parker’s cell phone went off. He’d never been so thrilled to be interrupted in his entire life. Brett tightened his arms around him, opening his mouth to encourage Parker further. Parker tensed, pulling back. He noted the startled expression that Brett gave him.
“Sorry, could be work.”
Brett loosened his hold and Parker practically leaped off him. Without checking to see Brett’s response, he scurried to get his cell from where he’d left it on the dresser. He recognized the caller.
“Beau, how’s it going?”
Once in a w
hile he got together with Homicide Detective Beau Williams to go on a run, but he couldn’t ever remember a time when Beau had contacted him at home during the evening.
“Hi, Parker. I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”
Parker resisted the urge to snort.
If you only knew…
“No, not at all. What’s up?”
“I hate to bother you like this, but we’ve got a situation and are against some time constraints. I need to ask you about that kid that got away from you the other night. It’ll just take a minute.”
Parker felt as if a large boulder had landed in his stomach—he’d had such a bad premonition about the kid’s predicament. Why would a homicide detective be asking about him?
“S-sure. What do you need?”
Had Beau been asking him about anything, anyone else Parker would have requested that he call him back in a few minutes instead of allowing drying cum to glue his shorts to his skin. But he had to know, couldn’t wait to find out what was going on.
“Well, as you know, we briefly touched on the escalating violence in the sex industry at the station, but some of our informants have passed on newer information about something getting ready to go down sometime this week. Unfortunately, we don’t have an exact day or time. But we’re trying to get as many of the targeted sex workers off the street as possible until we can defuse the situation, make some arrests.”
A wave of nausea passed over Parker. “What does this have to do with the kid that got away from me the other night?”
“He matches the description of one of the known targets.”
Parker sucked in a breath. “He…? Uh, I’m not sure what more I can tell you.”
“Did he give you any indication as to who he works for or if he’s flying solo? Because maybe we have him confused with someone else. Did he give you any clue as to what his real name is? How long he’s been in town? Anything that might have seemed insignificant at the time, but sticks in your brain?”
“Jesus. No. He just…” Parker swallowed hard. “He was just really scared and I knew it wasn’t because of me, or jail. He was scared of someone coming after him, I was sure of it. When I asked if he was in danger, offered to help, he practically freaked out and insisted that he was fine. It was right after that he… Well, he got away.”
Copping an Attitude Page 4
