Chapter Twenty-Nine

He woke up with the warm suction of Tessler’s eager mouth wrapped around his shaft and moaned out his appreciation. Mason’s fingers combed through the longer hair at the top of Tessler’s head and smirked while he watched him work his tongue up and down his cock.

“I could get used to this,” Mason said.

“That’s the plan,” Tessler replied. “You can wake me up like this tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah, why?” Tessler asked. “Do you already have plans?”

“Well, no, but you’re implying I’ll be sleeping with you again tonight,” Mason countered.

“I sure do like the sound of that,” Tessler said around Mason’s aching cock.

Tessler’s tongue swirled over Mason’s tip again and he moaned loudly, then spread his legs wider to expose more of himself. He’d never been this needy—or slutty in bed, but he felt so comfortable with Tessler and that made him act a lot differently. It also made him willing to do and try new things and feel the pleasure that came from it all.

“You enjoying yourself?” Tessler asked.

“Fucking bliss,” Mason mumbled almost incoherently.

“It’s not polite for me to speak with my mouth full, so let me finish you off,” Tessler said.

Tessler made a humming sound when Mason’s cock hit the back of his throat. His suction increased and the tongue action around his shaft did, too. Once Tessler had Mason’s dick slick with his spit, he wrapped his fingers around the thickness and added a twisting stroke of his hand.

“Fucking Jesus,” Mason cried out. “I’m gonna unload if you keep that up.”

“That’s my goal,” Tessler confirmed.

His words were music to Mason’s ears. A few seconds later, he arched up into Tessler’s hot mouth and emptied himself in his throat. The release was so powerful Mason saw white spots in his vision and started to laugh.

Tessler crawled up Mason’s sweat-dampened body and grinned at him with satisfaction. “Something funny?”

“I can’t believe how hard you make me come,” Mason said with panting breaths. “I swear I almost blacked out that time.”

“Breakfast of champions,” Tessler said and then winked at Mason.

“Your turn,” Mason said and gave Tessler a gentle shove onto his back.

“If you insist,” Tessler said and laughed.

“Oh, hell yeah.”

Mason joined Tessler for a hot shower before they finally made it downstairs for breakfast, which turned out to be more of a brunch since it had gotten so late. Tessler was scrambling eggs while Mason toasted a few English muffins and then set them onto plates. Tessler was adding strips of cooked bacon to their plates when his phone began to ring.

“It’s my lawyer,” Tessler announced. “I’ve got to take this. Finish plating everything and go ahead and start eating. I can reheat my plate when after this call.”

Tessler took his phone out into the living room and answered it. “Hey, Will. I hope you’ve got good news for me,” Tessler said.

“Not particularly,” William answered.

Tessler sat down on the end of his leather couch and closed his eyes. His attorney never bothered to soften the blow for him. He just simply got to the point and ripped that band-aid right the fuck off the wound without any foreplay at all. It was probably the best way to do it, but this right now wasn’t what Tessler wanted to hear at all.

“What did you find out?” Tessler asked.

“I went through all the contracts you had with Barry Edleman,” William stated. “He had the documents you signed worded in such a way that it gave him lifetime royalty rights to any of the books you may write in the Black Key Trilogy and also anything else published that has a connection to the books, including but not limited to notes or story timelines, or even if you were to write a spin-off series that uses any of the characters from the Black Key Trilogy. There’s even a provision in these contracts which includes a percentage of earnings from merchandise you might sell with the Black Key Trilogy logo on it. Worst of all, you’ve given him permission to publish any notes or promotional pieces you may have written that could be used as part of an advertisement campaign to support the books.”

“But I don’t have any merchandise or even a logo for the trilogy,” Tessler explained.

“The language in the docs has these points listed as potential future royalty ventures,” William stated. “It’s a pretty savvy way to keep himself invested in your highest-grossing series, regardless of whether or not he’s currently working for you.”

“Is that even legal?” Tessler asked.

“It is if your signature at the bottom of the page says you agreed to it,” William answered. “I can tell you, this isn’t common practice, that’s for sure. Who was the lawyer on this deal?”

“An attorney from the legal department at the agency Barry was working for at the time,” Tessler explained.

“Well, that explains a lot,” William stated. “If these documents had come across my desk, I would have advised you not to sign them.”

“Hindsight, Will. That doesn’t exactly help me now, does it?”

“You were young and didn’t know any better,” William replied and added, “but that doesn’t explain why you never had me renegotiate the terms in these contracts once you put me on retainer.”

Tessler rubbed at his forehead. The afterglow from waking up beside Mason was now long gone and replaced with a low-grade headache which undoubtedly would end up becoming a migraine by the time he ended this call.

“So what now?” Tessler asked.

“That’s up to you,” William replied. “At least the mystery of why Barry is doing all this is solved. He’d serve to gain a lot of money if you wrote another story for that series or even decided to release a line of merchandise.”

“What about renegotiating the contract now?” Tessler asked.

“Not a chance in hell he’d agree to that now,” William said.

“What are you advising I do?”

“Follow through and refuse to write another story for the series and let him have his last fifteen minutes of fame when he releases all your names,” William said. “In the end, I don’t believe this ‘big reveal’ will hinder your book sales at all. If anything, I see this as great publicity to get the name of the series back on the front page of the newspapers, and your sales will spike.”

“Barry still profits from that, too, judging from what you just explained to me,” Tessler said. “So for him, this will end up being a win no matter what I decide.”

“That’s true. However, a new release for that series would mean millions for Barry,” William stated. “A spike in sales for books already a few years old will pale in comparison.”

“I suppose so, but my family doesn’t know that trilogy is based on my own experiences,” Tessler countered using a softer voice. “They’ll be horrified to learn that side of me existed.”

“Secrets like that never stay buried forever,” William added. “This was bound to happen eventually, and once the dust settles from Barry’s press conference, you’ll look back and be glad it’s behind you. Think of it this way. You’ll no longer have to hide who you are, and you can always tell your family the trilogy is ‘loosely based’ on your real life.”

Tessler leaned forward over his knees. He felt nauseous and a little bit dizzy. “I can’t believe this is happening,” he said.

“This could be so much worse,” William countered. “I’ve handled several clients who definitely had more severe circumstances, Tessler, so count your blessings. I’ll tell you what though, once this situation is resolved, we are going to take a hard look at all of your contracts and see if we can renegotiate any of them to give you better terms. Does that sound like a plan?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Tessler said. “It’s time I get a better handle on managing all of my books.”

“Maybe the timing of this is perfect,” William added. “The world learns who you really are at the same time you officially take full control of your book empire.”

“I do like the sound of that,” Tessler admitted, “but it’s terrifying as hell.”

“How so?”

“There is the distinct possibility I will lose readers once they find out I wrote such a dark and erotic series as the Black Key Trilogy,” Tessler said.

“True, but I predict for every reader you might lose, you’re going to pick up three new readers who want to read an erotic series. Plain and simple. Sex sells.”

“I understand that, but it’s different when the sex scenes you’re selling are your own.”

“You’re going to survive this, Tessler, and come out of it even wealthier,” William said. “You can count on it.”

“I hope you’re right,” Tessler said.

“Keep me updated,” William replied. “I’ve got to run. My next appointment is here.”

Tessler ended the call and remained seated on the couch until Mason’s warm hands began to knead the muscles in his shoulders and neck.

“Everything okay?” Mason asked.

“Nope, not at all,” Tessler replied.

“How so?” Mason asked as he came around the front of the couch to sit beside Tessler.

Tessler’s fingers pressed into his eye sockets. “The contracts I signed with Barry for the trilogy are all designed to keep him monetarily invested in the books, and anything else even remotely connected to them, for a lifetime. All of that translates into me being fucked over by that prick.”

“What did your lawyer advise you to do?”

“He thinks I should refuse to write another book, and let Barry have his stupid fucking press conference while I sit back and enjoy the spike in sales all this publicity gives to the trilogy.”

“Will that actually happen?” Mason questioned.

“Yeah, most likely,” Tessler replied. “With Barry running his mouth off, it’ll bring attention to the books already in print and that will reel in those who haven’t read the books yet. If that does happen, Barry still wins because he is connected to the royalties to all of those titles and that fucking pisses me off. No matter what my decision is, he will financially benefit from it.”

Mason shifted closer on the cushion and bumped shoulders with Tessler. “You know I’ll help you any way I can with this,” Mason said. “Whatever you need, I’ll do it.”

“There’s nothing I can do now except wait for Barry’s call to see what I’ve decided,” Tessler explained.

“Once you tell him no, you might consider taking a trip to disappear for a while,” Mason suggested.

Tessler considered Mason’s suggestion. There was logic in what he said. No way in hell did he want to be around to see the headlines as his dirty laundry was aired for all to see. His phone would definitely be ringing off the hook, too. Maybe he should think about another visit to Key West and avoid all of the bullshit that Barry was sure to stir up if he went through with his press conference.

“Hey, where’d you just go on me?” Mason asked as his fingers stroked the back of Tessler’s neck.

“Key West,” Tessler confessed.

A slow smile curled Mason’s lips. “That would be the perfect place for you to escape the insanity for a while.”

“Care to join me?” Tessler asked.

“I would love that, but I think I’d be more help to you if I stayed behind and cleaned up the mess,” Mason said.

“Do I want to know what you mean by that?” Tessler asked with a tip of his head.

“Nope, the details aren’t necessary,” Mason explained.

“Remember what I said about the murder for hire bullshit,” Tessler added.

Mason laughed. “I’m not a vigilante, Tess.”

“Good to know.”