“Never is an awfully long time. Hell, it’s the twenty-first century, and until someone has the balls to come out on tour and be gay and be proud, things won’t change.”
“It’s no one’s business, Aaron! What I do in my personal time is my concern.”
“It’s not about what you do in your spare time. It’s not about who you sleep with.”
“Oh, bullshit! Have you read a tabloid lately? That’s all anyone cares about when you’re a celebrity.”
“Okay, you’re right. That is what the public’s concerned about. Gossip, rumors, anything juicy. But what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Maybe you’re right, and to other people, being gay is about who you sleep with and that’s all.”
“Yes, we’ve established that.”
“But it shouldn’t be about other people.”
“Well, welcome to the real world.”
Aaron drained his beer and stood up, placing his hands on Luke’s shoulders. “It’s about who you are. And you know it.” He left, the door closing quietly behind him.
Luke paced the room, returning repeatedly to stare out the window. Finally, he turned on the TV, trying to drown out the little voice in his head telling him that Aaron was right.
When that didn’t work, he headed downstairs to the bar.
The hotel lobby was quiet. As Luke waited for the elevator, he could hear nothing more than the murmurs from the reception staff over the hushed muzak. Once on board, Luke pressed the button for his floor and leaned back, his eyes drifting shut. He’d drunk more than his fair share and he felt a warm buzz through his veins.
As the elevator began moving upwards, a beep sounded quietly at each floor.
“Having a good night?”
Luke’s eyes popped open and he found Jesse looking back at him. “What are you doing here?”
Jesse shrugged. “I was in the neighborhood.”
“You were?” Luke shook his head, tried to clear the fog.
“Yeah. Last minute thing.” A smile tugged at Jesse’s lips and Luke felt a rush of blood to his cock.
Another beep and they were almost at Luke’s floor. Jesse was so close, only a foot away. All Luke would have to do was reach out and he could feel him again, taste his skin, his mouth, smell him, let him fill his senses …
With a jolt of impulse, Luke jabbed the red emergency button on the elevator. It jerked to a stop somewhere between the twenty-first and twenty-second floors.
“Luke, what are you—”
Jesse’s sentence cut off as Luke thrust his tongue into his mouth. He slammed Jesse up against the wall and kissed him until they were both gasping for air. Luke’s fingers were tight in Jesse’s hair, keeping his head in place, his mouth and throat vulnerable to Luke’s kisses.
Sinking to his knees, Luke yanked Jesse’s pants and underwear down to his knees, swallowing Jesse’s throbbing cock deeply. His head bobbed up and down, lips and tongue working Jesse, making him groan loudly in pleasure. He inhaled deeply, Jesse’s musky scent filling his nose.
When he knew Jesse was about to come, Luke pulled away and got to his feet as he turned him to face the wall. Two swift movements, and he was ramming into Jesse’s ass.
It felt like paradise.
Jesse was hot and tight and he squeezed around Luke’s cock, taking in every inch of him. “Harder, Luke. Harder,” he muttered.
Luke’s fingers bruised Jesse’s hips as he thrust in and out, his balls slapping against Jesse’s firm, round ass. Jesse’s head tipped backwards and he moaned, his mouth open, eyes closed. Luke’s teeth found his neck as he plowed into him.
When Jesse came, he shouted Luke’s name and Luke felt him shuddering around him. He pumped his hips, the wave of pleasure building before he crashed over the top, filling up Jesse with long spurts of come.
They both sank to the floor, exhausted, struggling for breath. Jesse twisted around and kissed Luke, his tongue sweeping into Luke’s mouth. His blue eyes sparkled and he said something, but Luke couldn’t hear it. Luke leaned in closer, but even though Jesse’s lips moved again, he could hear no sound.
Suddenly Jesse began to disintegrate in Luke’s arms, his body slipping away. Jesse was falling and Luke screamed, hands grasping at the air, unable to catch him as he disappeared from sight, the elevator walls gone, only blackness remaining.
Luke woke with a start, heart pounding, and reached out in the bed, searching. They had only been together a few months, but Jesse’s presence had become so familiar. So comforting. Luke remembered with a sickening feeling that Jesse wasn’t there.
His stomach was sticky with drying semen, but Luke couldn’t be bothered to move. The memory of seeing Jesse fall was fresh in his mind and Luke worked to banish the thought. Eventually he drifted back into an uneasy sleep, waking often from disquieting dreams.
Manhattan was crowded and stiflingly hot, but Luke was able to walk around unnoticed and unrecognized, a baseball cap and sunglasses working wonders. He found that in New York City, as long as you stayed out of people’s way, they didn’t pay you much attention. Which was fine by him.