Connie Bailey - Miles to Go

by Connie Bailey

  “Have you and Billy been together long, Gareth?” Rick asked. Gareth’s smile broadened. “Persistent. I like that. No, Billy and I haven’t been together long, though we’ve traveled in the same circles for a while. I imported him rather recently. A little taste of home, if you know what I mean.”

  Rick grinned. “Sweet, yet spicy.”

  “I can’t stomach sissies,” Gareth said. “And that boy drew blood the first time we kissed.”

  “Are you talking about me?” Billy asked, blocking the sun as he stopped in front of the table.

  “What else would we be talking about?” Rick asked. “After the show you just put on.”

  Billy draped his towel over a chair, but didn’t sit. “If this much skin embarrasses you, I can put more clothes on.” “It doesn’t embarrass me,” Rick said, eyeing the translucent white micro-thong Billy was almost wearing. “It embarrasses you. Though, I must say, a brown butt is a very nice sight.”

  Gareth looked up at his speechless lover like a sailor searches the sky for signs of bad weather. “I think you’ve met your match, my salty crumpet,” Gareth said. “If Rick’s as good with his fists as he is with his tongue, he’s hired on the spot.”

  Billy looked down at Gareth through his lush lashes and gave the man a halfhearted pout before abandoning the ploy in mid-expression. Instead, he picked up the pitcher of orange juice and poured a glass. After taking a long swallow, he stared at the drink as if insulted. “I can’t even taste the alcohol,” he said.

  “There’s no alcohol in it, tiger kitten.”

  “Why not?”

  “Try the bar, my lusty lamb, or the liquor cabinet. I’m sure you’ll find something,” Gareth said, smacking Billy’s rock-hard glutes. “Rick and I have some business to finish up.”

  “Are you going to make him fight Levere? Or Epiphano?” Billy asked.

  “What do you care?”

  “I don’t; just wondering which one of your attack dogs is going to the emergency room.”

  Gareth looked at Rick, but spoke to Billy. “You have a lot of confidence in someone you only met last night.”

  “I’ve seen his sort before,” Billy said. “It’s something in the eyes, something that shines like steel.” “Go on then, my poetic little fortune-teller, and have your drink,” Gareth said, with an edge of something like steel in his voice. “And don’t go out. I’ll want to see you after we’ve put Rick through his paces.”

  Billy’s face went utterly still for a brief second before he turned and walked away. Gareth was looking at Rick and didn’t notice. Rick wasn’t sure he’d seen it himself, it was gone so quickly, but he got the impression that the young man wasn’t exactly thrilled at the prospect of a post-fight visit from his…. Rick wasn’t sure what to call Gareth: lover, sugar daddy, pimp?

  “Are you finished eating, Rick?” Gareth asked. Rick nodded. “I’m ready.”

  “Good,” Gareth said.

  Rick saw the man’s eyes change and some sixth sense sent him sideways out of his chair, dodging the surprise attack. Scrambling up from the flagstones, he faced Epiphano. Epiphano rose from the wreckage of the table with a crepe stuck to his massive bare chest and met Rick’s charge. Rick hurtled into the muscle man, intending to take him down as quickly as possible. It worked better than he’d hoped. Epiphano put his foot down on a piece of china that skidded out from under him. The big man flew backward and tumbled down the steps with Rick wrapped around him. Locked in an inimical embrace, the two men hit the lower deck and broke apart. Rick rose first and delivered a roundhouse kick to Epiphano’s jaw that sent the big man flying into the water. Gareth came down the stairs behind them, laughing heartily as he applauded.

  “Enough,” the Brit said. “You’ve proven that you can take care of yourself.”

  “It’s the steely-eyes thing,” Rick said. “My secret weapon.” Gareth laughed again. “Bloody hell, mate, you’ve got reflexes like I’ve never seen. What a fucking brilliant boxer you’d make. You might be interested in the local bare-knuckle tournaments. Fierce wagering. Bit of cash to be made there.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Rick answered, as he warily watched Epiphano climb out of the pool. “Can I assume my references checked out okay?”

  “Marcial’s people say you’re un macho, which Billy assures me is the same as a righteous dude and a stand-up guy,” Gareth said. “I’m not certain of all the connotations, but I assume it’s a good thing. I’m sure you’re aware that I’m the new lad in town and that I took this territory from someone else. The turf war is over now, and I need solid people to help me build my empire. You have to decide your own level of commitment.”

  “What are you offering me?” “You can be a soldier like Epiphano, Levere, Macross, and the other lads that do the heavy lifting, or you can be a lieutenant. You’ll have to start as muscle, of course, but I think you’re too smart to spend much more time breaking heads.”

  “I’ll think about that, too,” Rick said. “When do I start and how much are you paying me?”

  “The money is sweet, and you’ll be living here, so you won’t really have any expenses. How long do you need to make the move?” “I can be back in the morning, ready to work.” “We’ll talk actual figures later, but I’m sure you’ll be satisfied with the accommodations and the wage,” Gareth said. “See you for breakfast tomorrow?”

  “You got it,” Rick said as he left. “That didn’t last nearly long enough,” Gareth said to the dripping Epiphano. “Let’s go a couple of rounds, Pete. I’m in the mood to do a little sparring.”

  Half an hour later, Gareth walked into Billy’s bedroom. He was sweating and a small cut on his brow bone trickled blood down his left temple. Tearing off his shirt, he used it to mop his armpits before throwing it on the floor. The bathroom door opened, and a naked Billy glared at the intruder.

  “I’m busy. Get the hell out of here!”

  Gareth’s smile would have made a crocodile nervous. “Not until I get what I came for, you beautiful brat,” he said.

  “Get out of my room!” Billy shouted.

  “I will,” Gareth assured him as he dropped his trousers. “As soon as I’ve fucked you silly. I might even take the time to fuck you back to your senses.”

  “I’m not in the mood right now.” Billy looked defiantly into the eyes of the man stalking purposefully toward him. “If you touch me, I’ll kill you; I swear it.”

  “Keep it up, baby; you know I like it when you talk tough,” Gareth said.

  “Then you’re really going to love this,” Billy said. Gareth ducked the punch the young man aimed at his head and wrapped his arms around Billy’s supple frame. Billy writhed like a demon in a pentagram, but the big man held him fast. Pivoting to the right, Gareth pitched them both onto the bed.

  “Fuck you, you bastard,” Billy said, bucking under the other man’s weight.

  Gareth chuckled as he gathered Billy’s wrists in one large hand. “Make me work for it, my darling devil.”

  “Get off me, arsehole!” Billy barked as Carey settled against him. Gareth pinned one of the young man’s thighs to the mattress with his knee and yanked the other leg over his shoulder. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” Gareth growled as he gazed down at Billy’s manicured crotch.

  “Fuck you,” Billy replied.

  Gareth nodded as though the young man had agreed with him. With his free hand, he gave his hard cock some finishing touches. “Don’t,” Billy said as the blunt head touched his opening. “I swear I’ll make you pay if you do this, Gareth.” Carey shivered and eased forward. The tip of his cock pushed through the opening and slid a few inches into the well-lubricated passage. “Good lad,” he muttered absently in approval.

  “Fucking bastard,” Billy groaned.

  Gareth moved his hips, working his shaft deeper in small increments.

  “Damn you, you son of a bitch! Stop torturing me. Get it over with.” Gareth thrust, sheathing his length to the hilt, as he stared down into Billy’s
furious gaze. “There’s no one else quite like you, tiger kitten,” he said. “I hope you don’t make me do something fatal to you some day. I’d miss you something rotten.”

  “Just fuck me if you’re going to, you great ugly brute. You’re killing the mood with all this chat.” Gareth was hard as granite and felt as though he could cum without moving another centimeter. This fractious lad excited him to a degree he’d not known was possible. No girl or woman, saint or whore, or any of the rent-boys or cellmates he’d played his rough games with, could compare with this insolent, devil may care live wire. Gareth enjoyed the role-playing precisely because he knew Billy wasn’t afraid of him, not even a little.

  With no further prelude, Gareth began to thrust, releasing Billy’s hands to take up the young man’s lolling cock. Billy squirmed restlessly, punching and pushing at Gareth’s darkly pelted pectorals as he tried to unseat him. Gareth laughed giddily as he increased the speed and force of his stroke, leaning over Billy to look into the other man’s eyes.

  “You…bloody…bas…tard,” Billy panted as Gareth pounded into him.

  “Cum for me, baby,” Gareth panted. Billy blinked at this command as though waking from a trance and a convulsive shudder ran the length of his frame. Gareth groaned deeply as the tight sheath clamped down on his plunging cock. Clutching Billy’s hip with bruising pressure, he worked the young man’s limp shaft with his other hand.

  “Fuh-uh-uh-uck…you,” Billy stuttered with the force of Gareth’s thrusts. “I ha-hate you, you fuh-fucker.”

  “Oh, hell yes, baby!” Gareth cried hoarsely as he buried his hard shaft in the clenching channel. Billy squeezed his eyes shut as the big cock pulsed deep inside him. He imagined he could feel the bastard’s seed flowing like venom into his system, becoming part of him, tainting him with the same evil. Despite these distressing thoughts, his smooth face wore a blank expression as his employer sank down to rest against his chest.

  “That was absolutely marvelous,” Gareth murmured, nipping lightly at Billy’s neck. “You were bucking so hard that I thought you were going to throw us onto the floor a couple of times.”

  “Piss off.”

  “The game’s over, dolly boy. You’re not still sore, are you?” “In quite a few places,” Billy said. “Mind getting off me now?”

  Gareth shifted his hips and pulled his wilting shaft free. Rolling onto his side, he scrubbed at his crotch with the top sheet. “You didn’t cum,” he said. “Again. If this continues, I’m going to start taking it personally, crumpet.”

  “You had more foreplay than I did,” Billy said, flicking at the dried blood on the side of Gareth’s face.

  “Are you going shopping soon?” Gareth asked in a seeming non sequitur.

  Billy gave the man a look that plainly asked if he were insane. “Silly question,” Gareth acknowledged. “While you’re out spending my money, make sure you buy yourself a dildo, whatever type you fancy, and the next time I tell you to be ready for me, I want you to be ready.”

  “Whatever you want,” Billy said and changed the subject. “Did you hire that nervy bloke from the bar?” “Yes, I did. He made Epiphano look like a bumbling fool.” “I told you so.”

  “Yes, you did, you clever sausage,” Gareth said. “I’m very glad I asked Barrow to send someone over to keep me company. Shame he got nicked, but his misfortune is my good luck since I get to keep you.”

  “You know something, Gareth? I think you hired Rick just so you can watch him insult me.”

  “Now why would I do that?” “Because you revel in conflict and violence, you walking vat of testosterone.” “Oh yes, that’s right,” Gareth smirked as he sat up and began pulling on his trousers. “Listen, I have to meet with some blokes; business, you understand. I have to be there in person, but afterward, I could come back here and we could have a late dinner. How does that sound?”

  “Boring,” Billy said immediately. “Tell me where to meet you, and we’ll party like lemmings.”

  Gareth was silent for a long moment as he bent to retrieve his discarded shirt. “Fine. I don’t want to go to your silly meeting, but is there a club nearby? I could wear something crotchless and you could fuck me right on the dance floor if it’s crowded enough.”

  “Jesusmaryandjoseph,” Gareth breathed. “Meet me at that Greek place you like.”

  “Acropolis Now?” “Yeah, that one,” Gareth leaned over the bed and grabbed a fistful of the young man’s thick dark hair. “You don’t know what you do to me when you say those nasty things with those pretty lips.”

  Billy surrendered his mouth as Gareth took bold possession. Drawing back, the crime boss looked down into his paramour’s eyes. “Crotchless,” Billy whispered, smiling impishly.

  “Be there,” Gareth said and left before he lost control of himself again. The day was coming when he would have to think long and hard about the amount of influence Billy had over him. He needed to focus on consolidating his base of power here in the Colonies and the gorgeous spitfire was proving a major distraction. Gareth mustn’t lose sight of the fact that Billy was a convenience, an appliance, a gadget that relieved stress. Someday, Gareth was going to have to point out these facts in a way that the lad wouldn’t forget. Not today, though, Gareth thought with a sense of relief that he refused to acknowledge. Taking his hand from the doorknob of Billy’s room, Gareth moved on down the hall.

  After the man’s footsteps finally faded, Billy got up and took another long, scalding hot shower.

  ~ Chapter Three ~

  “THERE’S Carey,” Graciela said to her partner.

  Rick rose up a little in the backseat. “The thugs with him are Pete Epiphano and Paul Macross. Guess it’s a two-bodyguard minimum tonight.”

  Graciela smirked and put down the tiny camera. “Marcial’s boys are a different breed than Carey’s,” she observed.

  “There’s diversity even in the Mauve Mafia,” Rick said, making his partner smother a giggle.

  “I’m just saying that Perez and Allende are hardly the size of Epiphano and Macross.”

  “They’re no less dangerous,” Rick said. “Coral snakes aren’t half the size of diamondbacks, but they’re twice as lethal.” “ Gracias,” Graciela said. “Thanks for the herpetology lesson. If I’m ever on Jeopardy and the category is venomous snakes, I’m all set.”

  “Shit!” Rick said, sliding down in the seat.

  Graciela looked out the back window and saw two men getting out of a new Maserati Quattroporte four cars behind them. One was big and beefy with the coldest eyes she’d ever seen; the other was young, coltish, and staggeringly attractive. Instead of entering the club across the street, the pair walked into the alley beside it.

  “That was Levere,” she said. “Is the kid Carey’s punk?” “He calls himself Billy Red,” Rick said. “No idea if that’s his name or not, but I wouldn’t bet on it. I’ll get the full name for you tomorrow.”

  “You do that, hombre, and in a few hours, I’ll have his life history for you.”

  “You never disappoint,” Rick said. “Now if you’ll excuse me…” Graciela sighed. “I don’t think you should go snooping around here, but I can’t stop you either.” Rick rolled his eyes. “If anyone spots me, I can always say that I was out looking for love in all the wrong places,” he said. “Coincidences happen, you know.”

  “Just see that one doesn’t happen to you,” she said as he got out of the car. “Okay, Mom. We already saw who Carey’s meeting with. I’m just going to look down the alley and come right back, and then we can go, okay?”

  Nonchalantly, Rick walked past the mouth of the alley and nearly stopped dead in his tracks, unable to believe what he was seeing. In the minimal shelter offered by a doorway, Levere was leaning against the jamb with Billy at his feet. Billy was in the act of unzipping Levere’s trousers. Mesmerized by the sheer audacity, Rick watched the young man pull the bodyguard’s hard cock out through his fly. With a grace that ill befitted the alleyway setting, Billy leaned in
and rubbed his cheek against the firm column of flesh. Levere’s expression revealed his pleasure as the boss’s private stock put out his tongue and lapped at the head of his arousal. The heavyset thug wrapped his big hands around his benefactor’s skull and pushed the tip of his cock between the tempting lips. Billy didn’t protest as Levere held his head in place and began thrusting into his mouth. The young man braced a hand against the brick wall and wrapped the other around the base of Levere’s dick. Levere groaned deep in his chest and the small sound broke Rick’s paralysis. The cop shook his head as he retraced his steps. He’d assessed Billy as reckless, but giving Levere head in public went far beyond mere flirting with disaster. The kid must have a death wish.

  Graciela looked at Rick inquiringly when he got back in the car. “Nothing,” Rick said. “Just a little dishonor among thieves.” “You’re kidding,” she said. “Levere and Carey’s squeeze are getting it on in the alley? Man, that kid is hot stuff.”

  “He’s a fool,” Rick said. “A child who thinks he can go into the lion cage and pet the big kitties without getting hurt.” Graciela gave her partner a sidelong glance and continued the drive in silence. When they reached Rick’s apartment building, she pulled over to the curb.

  “Buenos noches, guapo,”she said warmly.

  “Good night,” Rick said, as he opened the door.

  Graciela stuck her head out the window as he walked by. “Hey, Rick. One more thing before I go.”

  “Yeah?” “We just saw Roger Levere escort Gareth Carey’s toy boy to a club in a new Maserati. Carey arrived in a gorgeous BMW 760Li, and we know Antonio Marcial drives the biggest, plushest, whitest car that Cadillac makes. You and me are on a stakeout in a crappy old Chevy that smells like farts. Why is that?”

  “I guess crime does pay, after all,” Rick said. “Go get some downtime, chica. I’ll call you when I get up tomorrow.”