Knight of Ocean Avenue (12 page)

The light flashed green. He didn’t turn around.

Rhonda said she and Mitch were going to help support his folks. He wouldn’t count on that—but it sure would make him feel better to know someone else was in that loop. At least both his sisters would be well and happy.

The sign said Seal Beach. He turned right onto the side street and started looking for a space. Not as lucky as last time.
Hope that’s not an omen
. Three blocks inland, he found a space next to a vacant lot and pulled into it. For a second, he sat there. Why was he doing this? Why?

Shit, right now he didn’t care. He pushed open the door, climbed out, and beeped the lock as he walked away.
Just something
. He just needed something.

Guys were falling out the door of Anthony’s. Made sense. It was Friday night. Two men leaned against the wall drinking. Not good if the police saw them. One, a short guy with big muscles and a bigger mustache, looked Billy over. “Hey, gorgeous.”

Billy smiled and nodded but kept going. Not his style. Not that he had a style in men, exactly.

He managed to push his way between the guys near the door. Aftershave, sweat, and alcohol perfume. The bodies stopped him dead as he approached the bar, so he moved sideways, parallel to the action, until he got about halfway through the big room. A guy backed out with three drinks in his hands and Billy grabbed his spot, which got him an arm’s length from the bar. The bartender was lining up beers. Billy nodded at one of the drinks, got a nod back, tossed a ten on the bar, grabbed the beer, and took a swig. The bartender pulled three dollars from his pocket and Billy waved it back at him. The guy smiled, winked, and moved on to the next man.

Billy turned around and stared into the crowd. Being taller helped, but it was such a crush he wasn’t sure he’d be able to pick out Kobe Bryant if he was five feet away, much less Perry. He slid sideways between two guys and managed to get close to the wall. At least he could have a beer.

“My, you do look fine.”

Billy turned and smiled. “Hi, Perry.” The blond had used heavier eyeliner tonight, but his roots were showing. Still, a soft pink gloss emphasized his finest feature. Billy stared at Perry’s lips. “How you been?”

Perry grinned. “Mighty fine and even better now that I see you. Hell, you look edible.”

Billy felt the heat creep up his neck. “Thanks.”

Perry leaned in. “Was it eating you had in mind? Or should I say, being eaten?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“I’d be most happy to oblige.”

“Do you want a drink?”

His lips turned up. “Why waste time? I can drink later.”

“Okay.”

“Where’s your truck?”

“A few blocks. It was so crowded.”

“I don’t mind the exercise.” He stuck out a hip.

A hand grabbed Billy’s arm from behind.
What the hell?
He pulled his arm back and got a body slamming into his back. “What the fuck? Who are—”

He whirled and found narrowed, cat eyes staring up at him.
Shaz
.

Those green eyes flashed. “What the bloody, everlasting hell are you doing here?”

Billy just swallowed. He’d always thought if he saw someone he knew here it would be okay since they’d kind of blackmail each other. But that didn’t include a gay man in a gay bar. It didn’t include Shaz. “I, uh, I’m—”

“You’re nothing.” Shaz pulled Billy’s arm and then turned and glared at Perry. “Listen, blondie, this is a friend of mine, and he’s going nowhere with you. Got it?”

“Sure, Shaz. What the hell? He’s a grown-up.”

“Not that kind of grown-up.” He pulled again. “Come on.”

People were staring. A couple of guys laughed, and one yelled, “Cat fight!”

The power of Shaz parted the crowd, and he hauled Billy out the door. The night air slammed into him after all that sweat, but it didn’t cool him one bit. They were a block away before Shaz turned and faced him. “What the bloody hell were you doing in Anthony’s?”

Billy frowned. “I came for a drink.”

“Nobody goes to Anthony’s for a drink.”

Billy pulled his arm from Shaz’s hot grasp. “You did!”

Shaz stepped up until he had to bend his neck to look in Billy’s face. “How do you know I wasn’t in there to get laid?”

“Because you’re so gorgeous you could get any guy you wanted any time you wanted him. You don’t have to troll at a gay bar.”

Shaz sucked in a breath, paused, then let it out slowly. “Billy, why did you go there?”

Billy pressed his lips together.

“Have you been there before?”

He nodded.

“With Perry?”

Billy walked a couple steps and stared at his beautiful boots. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“I just wanted—something. To feel good. Tired of my hand.”

“What you said about me—that I could get any guy—well, you could get any girl. Why are you here?” His voice rose on the end.

Billy wanted to crawl under a rock. “Girls don’t like me long. And they’re so damned much trouble.”

“You think guys aren’t?”

“I don’t know.”

Shaz stepped closer. That high, musical voice softened. “So you’ve been coming here and letting Perry do what? Hand job? Suck your dick?”

Shit. “I only did it once before. I mean, with Perry.”

Shaz glanced up. “Have you been safe?”

“Yeah.”

Shaz stuck out his hip and propped a fist on it. “Because believe me, darling, you don’t know where that mouth has been.”

Billy almost laughed.

Shaz crossed his arms over his chest. “So you like blow jobs from men?”

Billy crossed his arms too. “Men are good at it. The women I know are crappy.”

“Hmm. Interesting. Why do you like it?”

“I guess the guys know what they like themselves and do that.” He shifted feet. “All I know is it feels good. Really good.”

Silence.

Standoff.

Suddenly Shaz uncrossed his arms and grabbed Billy’s wrist. “Where’s your truck?”

Billy pointed, and Shaz started hauling him down the narrow street past the eclectic beach houses. The guy was damned strong. Billy could have pulled back and stopped him, but why? He sure as hell couldn’t go back to Anthony’s now.

Shaz half dragged him to the truck and around to the driver’s side that was next to a ditch and the open lot. Dark. “Open it.”

“Okay, okay, bossy.” He beeped the key and pulled open the door.

“Sit.”

“Jesus.” He started to swing his leg in and Shaz stopped him.

“Not like that. Sit facing me.”

What the hell?
He propped his butt against the high seat.

Shaz stood there in his black leather and skintight jeans, his hair still hanging down his back. The dim light from the moon reflected off the buckles of his jacket and the diamond in his nose. His eyes glittered with a funny expression, like he was talking to himself inside his head. He took a breath. “So you really wanted a blow job from a guy?”

Billy sighed. “Yeah. I guess so.”

“Really?”

“Yes, dammit!”

The green eyes glittered in the moonlight. “When you need something, really need it, I always figure you should ask your friends.”

“What?”

Shaz moved so fast Billy couldn’t figure out what the hell he was doing until he felt the cool evening air on his bare, half-cocked dick. “What the hell?”

Shaz dropped to his knees in one graceful move, grabbed Billy’s cock from inside his slacks, and had the sucker in his mouth before Billy could even yell.

Holy Jesus
. “No, wait. You don’t have to—”
Oh God
. He couldn’t get the words out. Heat flowed from his groin like warm oil, making his legs shaky and his belly convulse. If he hadn’t been propped on the car seat, he’d have fallen down. Stop? Shit, he didn’t ever want to stop.

Shaz’s tongue painted Billy’s cock like a work of art. Up one side, down the other, around the head, then tickling the frenulum. Every lick sent shockwaves through his balls and into his brain. The same brain that ought to be working. That ought to be telling him that Shaz was his friend and this was not something friends did together. But Jesus, it felt so frigging good. Billy’d had blow jobs from two men up until now. Both great. But those events weren’t even on the same Richter scale as this.

“Oh God, Shaz. Stop. No, don’t. Crap.” His hands slipped into that brilliant hair that even managed to look red in the dark. Satin. It felt like Yerby’s fur. His fingers explored while his cock drowned in heaven. “Shit.” Shaz swallowed. Muscles worked over Billy’s cockhead, stirring the pot of boiling cum in his balls.

Best of all, Shaz made little moaning, whimpering noises as he worked. Every noise vibrated through Billy’s heart.
I should think
. Hell, who could think? Too amazing. His head fell back and a long groan poured out of him as his hips popped up into Shaz’s hot mouth. The idea of Shaz blowing him. Those gorgeous lips wrapped around his cock. So special, so hot, so amazing. “Oh God, she-it. Too much. Oh. Oh.”

Shaz sucked, swirled, and swallowed, and Billy blew so hard his vision went white. Then everything blacked out for a second as gush after gush of cum shot straight down Shaz’s throat. The man never let up. He swallowed and swallowed. Some unfried brain cell in Billy’s head registered that they hadn’t used a condom, but convulsing through three aftershocks of that mind-blowing orgasm, it was hard to focus. Shit, it was hard to care.

His breath sounded like he’d won the third race at Santa Anita. Or maybe it sounded like he’d lost it.

Lost his mind.

Lost it all.

What the fuck have I just done?

His breath slowed. Scared to open his eyes, he just sat there frozen with his dick wilting and some piece of his heart cracking. He liked Shaz. A lot. The guy was kind and seemed to understand him. He’d just wrecked it.

“Billy, quit thinking so hard.”

Billy opened his eyes. Shaz was standing in front of him looking composed and gorgeous. How did he do that? Billy looked down, shoved his dick back in his pants, and zipped up. “I sure as fuck should have been thinking this hard fifteen minutes ago.”

“A different head was in charge.”

“Yeah, and he’s an idiot.” He didn’t want to look in Shaz’s eyes.

“Come on, darling. I don’t work that hard for just anyone.” He laughed, but it sounded kind of forced. Billy looked up. Shaz’s eyes flitted away from his, then came back slowly. “I’ll admit, neither of us was really thinking. I wanted to do it, you wanted me to. Nobody got hurt. So let’s just put it behind us, okay?”

Billy nodded, but his eyes glued to the bulge in Shaz’s jeans. The big, unsatisfied bulge and the fact that all Billy wanted to do was give Shaz as good as he’d gotten. He wanted to suck him to infinity. Crap, his lips hurt from holding back.

Shaz frowned. “We can’t take it back. We have to go on.”

Billy nodded again and forced his eyes away from Shaz’s crotch. He had to get out of here.

“Billy, we can still be friends, right?”

Jesus, why am I thinking about sucking a man
? His hands started to shake.
Did Shaz say something?

Shaz sighed. “Fuck it.” He turned and walked slowly back toward Anthony’s with his head hanging.

Billy felt like crying. He barely knew Shaz really, but seeing him walk away hurt like a hole in his chest. He wanted to run after him. But what would he do if he caught him? Drop to his knees like Shaz had? What the hell was wrong with him?

He slid onto the seat of the truck, started it, and pressed his foot to the fucking floor.

S
HAZ
WIPED
his cheek against his shoulder and carefully folded the blue suit into the hanging bag.

“Are you crying?”

He didn’t look back at Ru. He just shook his head, but he sniffed.
Damned nose
.

Ru pushed up beside him, invading his space. “Shaz, what the hell is going on, baby?”

Tears ran out of his eyes, and he tried to keep his face turned away. He shook his head again.

“Jesus, sweetheart, you look like you lost your best friend.”

Oh shit
. A whimper escaped, and he turned and threw himself into Ru’s arms.

Ru patted his back and smoothed his hair. “Did you and Giles break up?”

“Not yet.” Shaz sniffed.

Ru snorted. “What does that mean?”

Shaz stepped back and wiped his eyes. “It means I screwed up and will probably lose Giles as a result.”

Ru crossed his arms. “Okay, you screwed up.” He glanced at the garment bag. “Hey, why are you packing up Billy Ballew’s clothes? I booked Orstrum to photograph him. New face of Shazam and all that.”

Crap
. “Because he asked for them. He paid in full.”

“But you offered him half off to do the shoot. That’s a lot of money, and I didn’t notice the guy being independently wealthy. Did he get cold feet?”

More like warm cock.
Shaz shrugged.

Ru looked confused as he stared back and forth from the clothes to Shaz.
Okay, he’d catch on in ten, nine, eight—

“Damn, Shaz. Sending these clothes back is not unrelated to you screwing up, is it?”

Blast off
. “No. It’s directly related. I gave you a couple more seconds to realize the depths of my depravity. Obviously, you know me too well.” He sighed and put two dress shirts in the bag.

“Come on, dear, tell me.” Ru sat on the upholstered bench by the wall.

“What do you think I did?” Did he want to spill the beans? Even to Ru?

“Something that upset Giles?”

“More like something that will upset him when and if he knows.”

Ru threw up his hands. “This had to have occurred last night, true? As far as I know, you were with Giles at the bachelor party.”

Shaz frowned. “Until I told him I wanted to go to Anthony’s with Oscar and Lad. He refused to go, said he wanted to stay at the party. It was ridiculous. The party was awful, Mitch was drunk, Rhonda was upset and rightfully so, and I wanted out. Giles not only refused, he disappeared. He’s been doing that a lot lately. I got pissed and left with Oscar and Lad.”