If asked, Luke would have said he assumed Jai’s Sydney flat wasn’t going to be that different from Luke’s own student accommodation. Obviously Jai was a cool guy, so he’d expected maybe some interesting décor, but young radiologists didn’t earn that much, and Sydney prices were so outrageous that cramped was a pretty decided expectation. The apartment he’d walked into definitely told him there was something in Jai’s story he’d missed. The huge living room had full-height windows that looked down onto the Newtown streetscape, soft lounges created several seating areas, and the open-plan kitchen/dining room looked like it should be featured in a high-end design magazine.
In the middle of all this glamour, Jai hugged a boy as beautiful as the surroundings. Well, hugging now, but Luke was pretty sure he’d witnessed a kiss on the lips between them.
Luckily, he thought bitterly, they’d been too wrapped up in each other to see him flinch.
Luke wasn’t too mature not to get a jolt of satisfaction at startling them with the thump of his duffle onto the wooden floor. Jai’s smile didn’t dim as he dragged the pretty blond man toward Luke.
“Luke, this is Kris.”
The way Jai hadn’t released the delicate hand from his made Luke wonder how friendly these two were. This was the guy with whom Jai had invented the rituals of dance parties for two, foot rubs, and boy talk. Maybe he was someone with whom Jai had also practiced his prodigiously good bedroom skills.
Luke’s only satisfaction in offering his hand to shake was that it forced the men to release their affectionate hold.
“Nice to meet you,” Luke lied.
“Always happy to entertain a police officer,” Kris replied in a way where Luke couldn’t miss the sarcasm. “After all, the cop was my favorite Village person.”
Kris was not a fan. However, watching Jai’s smile dim had Luke forcing a more genuine smile on his face. “I always liked the cowboy myself,” Luke tried. “Jai tells me that is the costume we are going with tomorrow night.”
“American icons” was the theme of the party Jai had gotten them tickets to.
Luke watched as Kris lightly slapped Jai’s arm. “You lazy thing,” Kris accused. “Talk about the easy way out.”
“Did you forget that where we are living is a small country town? Costumes are a little hard to come by.” Jai caught Luke’s eye with a smile. “We actually have to go shopping this afternoon for some jeans and toy guns.”
“I’ve got jeans,” Luke protested.
Jai snorted. “I’ve seen your jeans. They are so not Mardi Gras suitable. You’re a gay boy; you know that actually being able to make out your very nice ass on party night is kind of the point.”
Luke couldn’t help the slight flinch at Jai referring to him as gay in front of an audience, and immediately knew from the quick look Jai and Kris exchanged his reaction hadn’t been subtle enough.
Jai’s voice, though, was kind. “Kris isn’t going to out you to anyone, but he is my best friend, so him knowing a bit about you is necessary.”
Luke was grateful Kris didn’t roll his eyes in response. Luke knew that being older than thirty and in the closet was kind of pathetic, but that was the life he had chosen and, despite his sudden impulse to apologize for his choices, he wasn’t going to go change it. Instead, he stood stoically while Kris nodded his agreement.
• • •
A few hours later, Luke was trying not to sigh as Jai dropped yet another pair of jeans into his arms. They had only been in the store for about eight minutes but already Jai had picked out another six pairs of jeans and three T-shirts that definitely looked the wrong size.
The music from the shop blasted and Luke tried not to stare at the exclusively male crowd as they chatted, laughed, and moved to the music around him. As Jai explained earlier, the whole of the King’s Cross neighborhood saw the weekend as an extension of the party. The atmosphere was as amped as any club Luke had been to, and Luke felt almost as out as place as he usually did. Jai’s hand on his arm brought Luke back to earth.
“Okay,” Jai said, squeezing his arm lightly. “I can see your eyes glazing over. You can try on what I’ve already picked out, and we’ll see if it works. Kris was sort of right about the cowboy thing; it’s a bit of a cheat in the costume stakes.”
As they walked toward the back where the change rooms were located, Luke could feel the blatant eyes following them both. He guessed he couldn’t blame anyone for wanting to take another look at Jai. Here in the city where he was most comfortable, Luke could see him moving just a little easier and had enjoyed the way Jai’s hips swung with a little more abandon. Those eyes appreciating Jai had Luke suggesting that Jai come into the change room with him.
“I need your opinion and there is no way I’m going to come on out there for everyone else to see me parade around.”
Jai acquiesced easily enough, even though the change rooms were a tight fit for two men of their height and shoulder span. Luke was especially aware of the fact when he started pulling down his own jeans. There was no way Jai was going to miss the way his cock hardened. It was just having Jai so close, and being able to see them together in the mirror behind him, was a little too much like one of his fantasies for comfort.
Luke tried to distract them both through complaining. “I don’t think these jeans are going to go on.”
“You’ve got muscles, use them,” Jai’s reply was more amused then sympathetic. The real pain came, however, when after squeezing the skintight jeans over his thighs, he had to manhandle his more than half-hard cock into them. Pushing it down and slightly to the left, he finally managed to zip the jeans over it.
“Nice, very nice,” was Jai’s evaluation. He even squeezed around Luke so Luke could see the full effect in the mirror.
Luke took in the picture. The jeans were too revealing, of course, made even more so by the fact that his dick was firmly imprinted on the zip of the denim. Although of far more interest to him, currently, was the picture that he and Jai made. Jai’s muscular arm was visible next to his as he stood behind him. The thought of that would be how Jai would look if he took Luke from that angle had a series of erotic fantasies running through his mind.
“No fucking in the change rooms.” Luke got a shock at the closeness of the amused voice of the shop’s salesperson.
“He’ll be saying that all weekend,” Jai commented before raising his voice. “Sadly enough I’m only strictly fashion evaluating.”
That was enough to jerk Luke out of his daze. They were two men in a tiny space on the gayest weekend of the year, of course that was what people thought they were doing in there. The only comfort he got was that literally no one he knew would ever consider shopping in this very fashionable boutique in the center of the city.
“I’ll just get them,” Luke said. In his embarrassed state, he got the uncomfortably tight jeans off faster than if someone promised him a blow job, and his thankfully looser jeans on just as quickly.
“You haven’t even tried the shirts,” Jai protested as Luke started opening the dressing room door.
“You pick,” Luke offered rashly. He could see from Jai’s expression that he was disappointed with Luke’s reaction again today at the implication of Luke’s gayness. Hell, even Luke knew he was overreacting, but he wanted out of there. Now.
They left the store with only a slight amount of fuss about payment, as Jai tried to put down his credit card first. Luke had to use his sternest cop expression, and he was pretty sure it only worked because Jai knew that a scene in the store would have him dying in a pool of embarrassment.
“What about your costume?” he asked as they headed to the toy shop where Jai assured him that a prop gun would be easy to obtain.
“You forget I spent many a year as a party boy,” Jai assured him breezily. “I’ve got many a closet of party clothes and way too many costumes. The only reason we had to shop for you is that your muscles are a little too big for any of my outfits.”
Luke couldn’t quite understand Jai. The guy obviously took some pleasure in shopping, but in that boutique hadn’t looked wistfully at anything for himself. Judging from the fact that Luke had realized that Jai actually owned his huge apartment money wasn’t a problem.
The toy shop excursion actually was fun. Now that Luke had reminded himself, again, that no one he knew was going to be in this part of town, he had relaxed and was enjoying the show. Even in his few club excursions, he hadn’t come across the diversity of sexuality here today. There were lesbian couples picking out hair dye, gay teens who weren’t old enough go out clubbing even with the most convincing fake ID arguing over princess tiaras, as well as every other variation of queer singles and couples going though the bins of toy props and costumes.
“I’m pretty sure it’s the pink dollar that keeps this place afloat through the year,” Jai told him. “They definitely stock up with party-friendly accessories ahead of time. I don’t think any other toy store in Australia has quite this many pink or silver wigs.”
They had easily found their booty of small silver toy guns. Luke was relieved at the dinky silvery toyness of them all. He wore a real gun often enough not to need the macho boost of wearing a masculine accessory, and really didn’t want any chance of being searched by the police if they thought his weapon looked too real. Not for the first time, he was grateful for the strict Australian laws regarding the sale of replica weaponry. In this country, if you sold a toy gun, it better look like a toy gun.
The sheer silliness of what he was buying gave Luke a boost. That combined with the party atmosphere in the store and the sight of same-sex couples all around them meant that when he and Jai walked out of the shop, he kept on letting his hand brush against Jai’s. Each touch, though fleeting, heightened the awareness in Luke’s body. Out here as they walked down the street, he didn’t allow that awareness to turn sexual; it was just a simple burst of affection in each accidentally, on-purpose touch.
“Did you grow up around here?” Luke asked, gesturing to the odd combination of terraces and apartment buildings that made up inner city Sydney.
“Twenty minutes and about a million miles away.” Luckily they were walking close together because Jai’s voice was quieter and lower pitched than normal. He must have had some awareness, because he shot a tight smile at Luke. “My parents are very Eastern suburbs. I grew up in beautiful house with lots of expectations that I was going to be the perfect son. It wasn’t even so much the gay they objected to, just the rest of the mess.”
“They must be proud of you now.” Luke was sure of it. For all he knew that Jai had a problematic past, the man was among the most confident and competent he knew. No one had ever extended the type of kindness to Luke that Jai seemed to give casually, as if it were an everyday thing.
Jai’s face was now tipped, looking at the path, only lifting when Luke again let his fingertips brush his palm. “They can’t quite see past who I used to be. Which was a pretty fucking selfish guy, to be honest. I got sober five years ago but by then, to them, I was a lost cause. Hey, it’s not like they threw me out. They paid an expensive rehab bill and gave me my very lovely apartment. So in the scheme of LGBTQ horror stories, my wealthy parents losing interest wouldn’t even move the gauge.”
Luke wasn’t proud of the fact that he took a long look around to see if anyone was watching before grabbing and squeezing Jai’s hand. “Absolutely their loss if they didn’t get to know this version of you.”
Jai squeezed his hand back almost painfully before dropping it. “Sad private-schoolboy stories aside, we aren’t here for anything more serious than a game of spotto the perfect ten.”
As they made their way the three extra blocks to Jai’s apartment, Luke learned that Jai’s taste ran more toward the hard-bodied men in their thirties, and Luke was definitely glad he wasn’t that far from that. Seeing all that male perfection around them made him very aware that beautiful Jai had other options, but Luke felt grateful Jai didn’t respond to any of the obvious stares and come-ons that seemed to come his way. Jai stayed close to Luke and murmured comments in his ear, some appreciative of the talents with a fair amount of critiquing of the fashion choices thrown in.
Luke was glad when a particularly beautiful boy walked past and tried to eye-fuck Jai and Jai’s whispered response was, “A little far from the beach and early in the day for totally shirtless. Maybe he’s from a city where abs are a little less a dime a dozen.”
Even his, “Oh yeah, who wouldn’t hit that,” as a particularly attractive South American couple walked toward them, seemed more academically interested than a man making future plans.
Luke was amazed to find that his own focus wasn’t much shifted from the man beside him, despite the absolute smorgasbord of attractive men on the street. Though he was interested to find that his taste had begun to run a little more exotic. Before he had been attracted to the men in clubs who almost could appear to be straight, now he couldn’t help finding some of the more twinky options appealing. Yet nothing seemed remotely as good an option as the attractive man he couldn’t stop touching next to him. Each flicker of hand against hand, each flex of Jai’s intriguingly tattooed arm and glance at his perfect profile confirmed to him how lucky he felt to be out with Jai today.
He could understand how Jai’s beauty caught the attention of others. Here in Sydney, Jai even looked different. His hair was down, silky and falling across those beautiful eyes. Even his jeans were tighter, and if Luke turned around, he was sure he would find men taking a second look at Jai’s great ass.
However, the eye candy in the street was not enough for Luke not to feel relieved when they got to the cool foyer of Jai’s apartment. Kris had earlier stated his plans for dinner, so they had the whole place to themselves for the night.
• • •
The other nights this week, as they had gotten ready for bed, Luke had known it was only comfort that Jai was offering, a reprieve from the horror of what Luke had been working on. Tonight the awareness was different. He was away from the trauma of the week and climbing into bed with Jai had a different purpose. He just had to check it wasn’t sympathy that Jai felt.
“You don’t need to protect me from the nightmares anymore,” he told Jai. “So if that’s why I’m not on the couch, you can ask me to go back there.”
He knew there was a touch of whiney defiance in his voice, but he didn’t know how to make the offer any other way.
“I’m glad the nightmares are fading,” Jai replied, and Luke couldn’t help but be touched by the sincerity in the statement. “We had fun together today though, and me offering for you to sleep here tonight has more to do with me wanting to taste you than me giving you a hug.”
Thinking of all the ways Jai could taste him had Luke resisting the temptation to readjust the sudden erection that had fully stiffened his already half-swollen dick. The flick of eyes toward his crotch told him that loose sweatpants with no underwear did nothing to disguise his state.
Luke tried to keep his shrug casual as he settled himself against the pillows. “Not going to say no to any taste testing you want to do.”
Jai leaned over and put his lips almost to Luke’s shoulder, so close he could feel the warmth of his breath, as he said, “So generous letting me taste whatever I want.”
Luke started a reply but lost all breath when Jai’s lips latched on to his nipple. “Ughh,” was the only sound that managed to make its way from his mouth.
Jai’s teeth scraped the sensitive skin, and Luke couldn’t help the jerk of hips as he tried to buck against Jai’s body. The occasional guy who had bothered to tweak his nipples in the past on the way to a blow job had bored him as he waited for the “good” stuff to start. Jai’s rough focused treatment of Luke’s body was different. It was like he took pleasure in the details of it. Jai’s teeth worried at one nipple while his fingers pinched the other. For Luke, it was like all the nerves in his body were attached to his dick, and each change of pressure, each bite, each pinch, served only to make him harder.
Jai pulled his mouth away from Luke’s body for long enough to comment, “As your host, I suppose your guest status entitles you to ‘one welcome to Sydney’ blow job.”
Luke laughed lightheartedly, even as his dick flexed in response to the words. “Has the Sydney tourism board properly advertised that deal?”
“You saw all the men on the street in this town. Believe me, they are aware that if they can’t get a welcome blow job from a local they just aren’t trying hard enough.”
Luke pressed his rock-hard erection to Jai’s thigh, wanting his to be the only body Jai could possibly think about. “Well, as your only guest, I wouldn’t want to rudely turn your offer down.”
Instead of heading south immediately, Jai kept up his play, coming up to lave Luke’s neck with his tongue and chuckling against his skin when that made Luke’s hips jerk even harder.
“Neck guy, huh? I’ll have to remember that.” Luke liked the implication there was going to be another repeat and liked even more the way Jai took gentle bites of his abs as he headed toward his cock.
By now his dick was leaking for Jai, so when Jai scooted far enough down the bed to get his mouth in the vicinity, Luke was a little embarrassed at the rough noise he made when his dick shining with precum made contact with Jai’s mouth.
He put his hand to Jai’s head, loving the feel of the long strands through his fingers, combined with the masculine growl that accompanied his touch. “You can touch my hair, but start pushing my head and I’ll bite your dick, and not in a fun way.”
Luke gentled his hand and kept his fingers running through Jai’s hair. “Message definitely received, though now I’m a little interested in the fun way of biting.”
Jai’s reply came by way of sharp teeth scratching the delicate skin at the base of his balls.
Yep, Luke really was making that sound again and trying not to buck his hips farther into Jai’s mouth.
Jai had obviously received the reaction he was hoping for and went back to his strong suction. Part of Luke wanted to close his eyes, but there was a strong impulse not to miss the show. Not to miss the sight of this strong and beautiful man putting his mouth on Luke, purely for Luke’s pleasure, stretching his swollen lips around Luke’s cock and swallowing it down like it was the most delicious thing he had tasted.
When Jai started tugging at Luke’s balls, Luke knew it was going to be very quickly over. He tried to warn Jai, but when Jai just redoubled his efforts, he let himself come down his throat. Watching Jai’s throat actually take his release down was enough to have him spurting again, and the pleasure was so great that for a long minute all he could do was softly stroke Jai’s hair and offer up a disjointed stream of thanks.
When he was finally cognizant enough to meet Jai’s gaze and see the desperate lust there, he asked, “What do you want right now?”
His body clenched at the idea that Jai was going to ask to fuck him. As much as he secretly wanted that invasion in his body, he still wasn’t sure what his answer would be. Luckily, Jai was already desperately turned on, so all he choked out were the words, “I need to cum on your chest.”
Luke just pulled him up so Jai sat on his body. The sight of Jai sitting on Luke’s stomach, with his legs wantonly spread, was enough to have Luke’s already sated dick give a lazy, almost painful twitch. Luke’s mouth knew what it wanted to do. He spat in his hand and then stretched his neck down enough just to get the head of Jai’s dick in his mouth. Jai was desperately turned on enough that it only took a few sharp pulls of Luke’s mouth and a few rough tugs of his slicked-up hand before Jai started to shake. Luke let go with his mouth and let Jai cum all over his chest and face.
Sticky and salty as it was, the wet evidence of Jai’s pleasure painted over him felt like a reward, as did the way that Jai didn’t seem to be able to catch his breath into a steady rhythm as he slumped awkwardly over Luke. Jai didn’t seem to be able to move, so Luke used his hard-earned strength to rearrange their bodies so they lay side by side. That he’d sexed Jai from his usual control only made Luke feel more uber male.
He probably should get up and get something to clean them both up, but as Jai looked more relaxed that he’d ever seen him, he just used the bedsheet to wipe away the worst of the mess and accepted that he’d be waking up sticky tomorrow.
• • •
Erotic dreams flicked through his sleep but waking up to the feel of Jai’s hard bare cock against his ass was a shock. He had become used to sleeping in Jai’s arms in the last week, but they had been clothed and respectfully shy when it came to their morning wood. This morning’s awakening had definitely none that of previous politeness, and it was so shockingly hot that Luke’s cock swelled to an almost painful arousal.
The awkward stiffening of the rest of his body must have alerted Jai that he had awoken, as the silence was broken with a question from him. “I’m guessing you’ve never let anyone play back here before.”
His strangled “no” must have told Jai how conflicted the whole thing made him, as Jai’s voice was gentle when he said. “Don’t worry, Luke, I’m definitely not going to stick my dick in your ass this morning, but can you trust me enough to show you something new?”
His words were accompanied by a gentle stroking down Luke’s spine. Jai’s next words were a little less soothing. “One day in the future I’ll put my dick in you, but it will only be after you beg me to do it.”
Luke shivered with arousal at the idea but managed to reply shakily that Jai could play.
He felt the loss of closeness almost immediately as Jai leaned away from him to pull something out of the draw of the bedside table, and then heard the click that could only be a bottle of lube opening. If he hadn’t already decided to implicitly trust Jai, he would have been more worried, but nothing had ever happened between them that he didn’t consent to, and he knew Jai well enough to know he wouldn’t blow past any boundaries that had been already set.
Even so, it took his breath away when Jai’s fingers, wet with slick, came back to his hole. Instead of pushing in, they traced a pattern around the rim that had Luke really flinching, this time with pleasure.
“Nice, babe. Doesn’t it feel so good?” said Jai, his free hand resting gently on the back of Luke’s neck. “Just let yourself relax and enjoy this.”
Jai’s fingers lit up all of Luke’s nerve endings. His own recent explorations had taught him there was pleasure to be found down there, but nothing had made him feel so edgy and tingly as Jai in this moment. Jai tapped against him, the tips of his fingers pressing in just a little, and Luke almost stopped breathing. A whine of pleasure caught in his throat, but he couldn’t let it out, couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge how much pleasure his body felt in this play. All his old prejudices came flooding back about not being the kind of man who took it up the ass, and even the pleasure couldn’t banish those ideas.
His discomfort must have become evident, even without Jai being able to see his face, and Jai moved his hand toward Luke’s balls and put a few gentle kisses across his shoulders blades.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Jai said. “It all feels so good. I’m going to rub off my cock against those massive thighs.”
The idea of feeling Jai’s bare cock taking his pleasure against him had Luke enthusiastically agreeing. Jai added a ton more lube, and the feeling of Jai’s hands playing behind his balls was a new discovery that had Luke urging him on. As Jai moved himself into position, the head of his cock caught the edge of Luke’s hole, and for a second Luke almost considered asking Jai to put it in and let him experience that. It was only that he knew how completely Jai would make him own his decision that made him stop. Then the feeling of Jai’s bare cock, pushing through his thighs and against his balls and the tender underside of his cock, blasted all thoughts out of his head. He quickly pressed his thighs tighter to provide Jai with more friction and was rewarded with a guttural moan.
“I’ve wanted to try this since I saw you doing squats at the gym and I could see how powerful your thighs were,” Jai admitted in his ear.
Luke considered moving his hand down to where his erection hit his stomach with each of Jai’s movements against him, but before he could put that thought into action, Jai had grabbed him with his already slick hand.
The combination of the rough twisting strokes and the feeling of Jai getting his pleasure against Luke’s body had him coming hard all over Jai’s hand and the bed. Jai must have been holding back because, as soon as Luke’s groans made his release known, he could feel Jai’s teeth on his shoulder blade and his spend gushing onto his balls and thigh.
“Ugh,” Jai said. “As much as I want to pass out again, I better get us into the shower. I already left you sticky last night, if I do it again this morning, you can definitely report me to the inconsiderate lover authorities.”
Luke twisted his shoulders to face Jai and smiled. “Seeing I came like a racehorse both times myself, you could find yourself forgiven, but I wouldn’t say no to running water.”
Jai surprised him by getting up onto what looked like shaky legs and then extending a hand. “It is Mardi Gras morning; the best way to celebrate pride is to share a shower.”
The bright smile that was thrown his way was definitely beyond his ability to resist, so Luke didn’t even try as he let himself be led to the decadent bathroom.
“You know the best thing about this morning?” asked Jai as he turned on the complicated shower.
“What?” Luke replied.
“We have the whole day together and you have nowhere else to go, so you can’t possibly run away.”
There was a time when those words would have had Luke panicked at the idea of this being more than simply getting his pleasure with a man. However, this morning, the sex and affection of the previous night had left him feeling so content all he could do was reply. “Hey, you might be the one to get sick of me.”
• • •
Having someone gently wash him was another item on his list of great new experiences Jai had given him. Having breakfast with a roommate, who knew where he had spent the night, definitely didn’t make that list.
“Hey, boys,” Kris said when they finally made their way from Jai’s bedroom. “Need to refuel before another round?”
Luke reminded himself he was an experience police officer who routinely was abused with the most foul language in the street. He reminded himself that he was a senior officer at that. None of that seemed to be stopping his cheeks from heating red though. All he could do was pull up a stool at the kitchen island and hope the dim lighting meant that his blushes were at least partially hidden.
“Ignore him,” Jai said as he made for the chrome coffee maker sitting on the bench. “It is pure bitterness that he is waking up alone.”
“Ah, wounded,” Kris replied, clutching his chest theatrically, in what looked to be a practiced move. “There wasn’t any shortage of offers for this last night.”
Luke could understand why that would be. Kris might not have had Jai’s tough beauty, but his slightly fragile blond beauty was likely to be appreciated by many types. Yesterday, though, when Luke asked Jai if they had ever been together—casually asked he hoped—Jai’s reply had been a wry laugh. “Not each other’s type,” he had told Luke. “Anyway, we are rehab friends, and if you are smart, you definitely don’t fuck those.”
Now Jai was giving Kris shit about his overly high standards leading to a state of dry spell.
“I’d say shared dry spell. But from where I am sitting,” Kris, raised a coffee cup at Luke, “those fields aren’t looking so arid anymore.”
Luke wasn’t sure if he should feel ridiculously pleased that Jai was picky about his sexual partners or be super embarrassed that Kris knew he was one of them.
At this point all he could do was bury his face in his coffee and try to remember that it was the least of his worries was that it was pretty obvious that Jai knew his coffee preferences without being asked.
The boys might banter, but Jai had revealed enough of their relationship for Luke to understand that their emotional ties ran deep.
“I was a last-minute stowaway on the trip, so it is only fair that I give you guys some uninterrupted face time.” Luke didn’t let their polite objections leave their mouths. “Hey, your boy,” he pointed to Jai, “taught me that the eleventh best thing about being a gay man is being able to talk about gay sex with your gay best friend, so now I understand its importance. Don’t worry, I’m not a nice enough guy to actually leave your apartment, but I’m going to Jai’s very comfortable bed, closing the door tight, and putting on headphones and banking some sleep for our presumably very late night tonight.”
Luke shared a more relaxed smile with both men. “This last week I learned a lot about supportive friendships, so you have your boy talk; it’s probably very appropriate for pride.”
Luke started clearing off the table and was at the sink when a gentle hand ran down his back.
“Jai?” he inquired hopefully. If it was Kris it could get awkward.
“Yeah, dumbass, you are earning your pride stripes today,” came Jai’s soft amused voice close to his ear. “Respecting the sanctity of the BBF boy debrief and then you said gay, like, four times in one sentence and didn’t even flinch.”
Luke shrugged and tried to look like he was taking everything about this weekend in his stride. “What can I say? I’m a big brave cop.”
Jai kept his affectionate hand on his shoulder and squeezed. “You have totally earned yourself some gossip when you wake up. Don’t worry, we have a costume timetable that we take seriously. I’ll have you woken up and fed before it’s time to get dressed.”
“You know me, I was really worried about making sure I had enough hours to change.”
This time Luke received a gentle whack on the ass.
“Half the town started getting dressed hours ago, so be grateful you’re getting a nap and lunch.”
• • •
Six hours later, and Luke felt a little like a Ken doll as Jai and Kris argued about his outfit and accessories. Luckily, the tight jeans and black button-down were the only things in the house that actually fit him, otherwise he could be on his fourth clothing option like Kris. Although the household had a worrying amount of cowboy hats and seemingly even more masks.
He did enjoy it far more than he had anticipated with both Jai and Kris including him in their excitement and laughs. He had learned that Kris was relationship adverse after a bad breakup years ago, but the beautiful boy had no objection to one-night stands and was planning on picking up tonight.
“If you can’t find something delicious on the Mardi Gras smorgasbord, you just aren’t trying.”
Kris had gone for the angel cowboy look. Tight white jeans and a transparent white button-up ensured that he wasn’t going to have a problem with options at the party.
Jai held all of Luke’s attention, especially when he came out of his room bare chested and all but dragged Luke back in to start pocking at his eye with some sort of eye pencil.
“The eyeliner will help you not look like you in case the mask comes off,” Jai said, in response to Luke’s admittedly weak protests. Luke was too close to the smooth planes of Jai’s torso and very distracting tightly furled nipples to put up any sort of resistance.
He did start paying attention though when Jai’s tone changed. “It’s your first time out there in Mardi Gras, and it can be such a powerful experience, so if you want to see what your options are out there, I won’t be horribly offended.”
Luke took a few deep breaths as Jai finished poking his eyes. “Is that because you want to hook up with someone else?” Luke was proud of the way his tone stayed even and not accusatory.
“No.” Jai’s reply didn’t have hesitation. “I’m not interested in hooking up with anyone else tonight, but I also don’t do thirds, and I’ve done my time playing. So I needed you to know that if you wanted to go all out for the excitement of your first Mardi Gras, I wasn’t going to hold it against you.”
This was the first time that their relationship had any definition, that they even admitted it went beyond the next few hours, and the friendship they had fallen into. Luke felt its importance as he pulled Jai down to sit on the end of the bed next in to him in order to meet his gaze.
“This morning I woke up next to the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever met and we had the kind of sex I’ve only had in my head. So I’m going to be sleeping in this apartment tonight, and whether I sleep in your bed or the couch is up to you, but nothing is going to stop me feeling lucky about those choices.”
Jai’s reply was a slowly dawning smile and a gentle kiss to Luke’s mouth. “I’m not sad that’s sorted, and you won’t be sleeping on the couch.”
Luke reluctantly unwrapped his arm from where it was warmly banding Jai’s bicep. He did enjoy the show of Jai putting on his own makeup and shrugging on the kind of shirt that had Luke considering closing the door and reintroducing them both to Jai’s mattress.
Jai had made his already exotic eyes even more smoky and mysterious, and the intimacy of watching him play with makeup was something Luke hadn’t expected to find so arousing. The shirt he was wearing tonight was some kind of mesh, which meant his perfect torso was barely hidden and the tattoo that ran up his arm became another accessory. Luke wasn’t sure if those elements as well as Jai’s elaborate braid really authentically read as bandito but it was pretty fucking hot which he supposed was more of the point of all the costumes tonight.
Luke was sitting against the headboard of the bed lazily enjoying the show when Jai looked at his watch. “Shit, I’ve just got to run down the street. I told Kris I’d pick up the milk.”
“In that?” Luke was incredulous. You certainly didn’t go to Woolworth’s in Dungoon wearing something where your nipples poked through.
“Babe, we are three blocks from the cross. No one would look twice at my outfit at eleven a.m. on a weekday, let alone on Mardi Gras night. I’ll only be five.”
Luke wanted to go with him and protect him from any unfriendly stares but got the impression that his need to offer protection would be both obvious and unwelcome.
• • •
Jai had barely closed the door on the way out when Kris came into his room looking disconcertingly serious in his angelic pickup outfit. Sitting at the table, Kris’s words came tumbling out.
“I know you figured I wasn’t a fan to start with. It was that the self-hating gay wasn’t a million miles from the homophobic straight cop that Jai originally described you as.”
Ouch, that one hurt mainly because it wasn’t untrue, but before Luke could refute or confirm anything, Kris went on.
“But somehow you’ve given Jai a center, and believe me when I say that is something worth seeing. So in the spirit of that, I’m going to give you the heads-up that Jai would kill me for sharing.”
The cautious respectful side of Luke raised an eyebrow and asked, “Is that the smartest decision?”
“Lucky for you I’m a good enough friend to Jai that I’m going to help you both not have this blow up in your faces. His wishes or not.” Kris looked over to the front door again. “Okay, I’ll make this quick. Jai will tell you to do anything you want tonight. Just don’t. Really don’t.”
“Don’t,” repeated Luke, even as he was aware that he sounded nothing more than a dopey echo.
“He’s a former addict, and tonight is the biggest party night of the year and being with someone who doesn’t know the rules will just make it trickier. So, instead of fucking it up, please help him. Strictly no drugs, preferably no drinks, and if you come back here drunk, I’ll be the one locking you out. He’s been a long time sober, but he still feels like people remember too much about his bad old days, so if you care about him, just stay close.”
Kris’s sincerity had Luke thanking him with genuine gratitude. Jai had fought back Luke’s demons this past week, and he was determined to return the favor. Knowing where the emotional land mines were hidden could only help.
They could hear the jingle of keys in the door, so Luke had only time to say, “You’re a good friend.”
• • •
Less than an hour later, they were heading out the door. The street buzzed and Luke had never seen anything like the rainbow flags that hung from most of the businesses and even half the apartment blocks in the street. That, and sadly the fact that the mask and hat had made him completely unrecognizable, had him reaching out and taking Jai’s hand in his.
The smile he got in return made the slight sweatiness of his own palm worth it. There was a freedom in the air tonight, and he wanted to feel it, even if it was completely temporary.