CHAPTER 25
DAINE
After sleeping the day away, I awoke to a freakin’ festival going on outside. There was a band playing nineties covers and a dance floor with flashing lights, and as I walked out by the pool, everyone stopped and started singing Happy Birthday to me. Surrounded by Fox, Richie, Blaze and Tillie, my heart filled with love.
“Make a wish!” Tillie said. I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
“You’ve already made them all come true, sweetheart,” I said.
“Oh, you!” she gushed, blushing. “Make a wish!”
I closed my eyes, thinking hard about what I wanted to wish for. All I could think of was to wish for was that none of this ever ended. I blew hard, the candles flickering wildly before they fluttered out. The cheering was a loud roar, followed by the band starting up again.
I trailed my gaze around, drinking in the magic.
“You guys didn’t have to do all of this,” I said.
“It was all Richie and Tillie,” Blaze said, patting me on the back.
“And me!” A voice called from behind them, Mario pushing through and standing in front of me with a sassy smile. I’d met Mario a few times already, as he was a frequent guest of Tillie’s. He was cute as hell, and had a butt that looked rock hard.
“Thank you, Mario,” I said, hugging him. He wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back, hesitating just a second too long before letting me go. I smiled down at him and he raised an eyebrow.
“Come get a drink, brother,” Blaze said, pulling me away.
“See you later, maybe,” I winked to Mario, before allowing Blaze to led me to the full bar they’d set up. A few minutes later, drinks in hand, we took in the crowd together.
“Where did you find all these people?” I said.
“Just called your favorite haunts and asked the staff to spread the word to your friends,” he said.
I smiled over at him.
“You’re a good friend, man,” I said. “Thank you.”
“Just returning the friendship, man,” he replied. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Hey, did you bring Harley?” I asked, suddenly remembering as I searched the crowd for her famous face.
“I did,” he said. “She’s inside. Ready to meet her?”
“Hell, yes, I am,” I said.
We walked into the house together, past a stream of scantily-clad waiters and waitresses holding trays full of sparkling drinks. There were people everywhere. Spilling onto the couches in the sunken living room, gathered in lively groups in the kitchen, I even spotted a few people huddled together out the front door.
“I don’t think I even know all these people,” I muttered, as we trailed through the house.
“Here she is,” Blaze said, stopping as Harley approached us in the hallway with a champagne glass in her hand. She was even more beautiful in person.
“You must be Daine,” she said, smiling warmly.
I took her hand and kissed it gently, bowing to her.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Ms. Jamison,” I said.
“Oh, please, call me Harley,” she said. “Blaze has told me so much about you!”
“Has he?” I asked, stealing a glance at Blaze. “I hope it was all good.”
“It was, it was!” she insisted, with a lilting laugh.
“Harley, I must say you look more beautiful in person than in any movie or picture I’ve seen you in. I don’t know what you’re doing hanging out with this guy.” I winked, nudging Blaze with my elbow.
“Blaze is a delight! Such a refreshing change from the usual Hollywood men.”
“He’s one of a kind, that’s for sure,” I teased.
“Alright, that’s enough, jerk,” Blaze said. “You’ve got a party to attend. Get out there!”
“Alright, alright,” I replied. “I’m going! Harley, it was absolutely delicious to meet you! I’ll see you later?”
“Of course.”
“Thanks again, Blaze,” I said, as I wandered away, losing myself in the crowd. The party was in full swing, with the energy pulsing from the music and the increasingly intoxicated guests. I downed my drink, heading back to the bar to catch up with everyone.
Mario was standing at the edge, talking to a handsome dark-haired guy I’d never seen before. I laughed to myself. The staff at the bars Blaze had called had invited everyone, whether I knew them or not. It was great. It was like all my favorite bars had come to my house for the night.
The mixture was insane. Bears from the Eagle hung out with the hipsters from Akbar. The dancers from Tomcats were mingling with the go-go dancers from Fubar. And Tillie and Richie were in the corner talking to a huge, hairy tattooed drag queen I’d met one night at Redline.
Mario noticed me and abandoned the guy he was talking to, sidling over to me with a sly smile.
“How’s your birthday so far, handsome?”
“I slept most of it away,” I said. “But so far, so good.”
“How’s the booze treating you? Want a little something more?”
“Like what?”
“Just a little bump,” he shrugged.
“Sure, why the hell not?” I asked.
“Should we go somewhere private?”
“Let’s just go in the pool house real quick,” I said. I led the way and he followed behind. The house was empty. I closed the door behind us and we sat on the couch together. Mario pulled out a tiny pouch of white powder and began spreading it out on the glass table in front of us.
“I don’t usually do this, but since it’s my birthday.”
“Of course,” he replied. “Time to let your hair down a little.”
He handed me a rolled up hundred dollar bill and I snorted a quick line, the high hitting me quickly. He followed suit and sat back up smiling at me.
“Has anyone given you a birthday blowjob yet?” he asked, winking.
“Not yet,” I replied, smiling over at him. He was fucking adorable, and the coke just made him that much more attractive.
“Maybe I can take care of that for you real quick?” he suggested.
I looked around, making sure nobody was in sight.
“Well, that’s awfully generous of you,” I said.
“Maybe you can return the favor sometime,” he winked again, before sinking to his knees in front of me. I growled, instantly hard as soon as he pulled my zipper down.
His hot mouth engulfed me swiftly, and I leaned my head back, groaning as I submitted to the pleasure. If there’s one thing I love about being a gay man, it’s the fact that we can get right down to business without any of the pretense or bullshit games that I saw my straight friends suffer through.
“Goddamn, Mario, that’s amazing,” I said, gritting my teeth.
He moaned, the vibrations of his mouth sending shivers of pleasure up my spine.
“Fuck yeah,” I moaned. “Happy Birthday to me, this is incred —.”
“—What the hell!” A voice sounded behind me and I jumped, causing Mario to fall back on his ass in front of me. I turned around and saw Finn standing there, his mouth open, his eyes practically bulging from his head.
“Oh, shit, I should have locked the door,” I said, standing up. I zipped up and offered Mario a hand up. He grabbed it and I helped him to his feet. We turned back to face Finn and he was shaking his head like he’d just seen a murder.
“Sorry, dude,” I said. “You okay?”
He shook his head, glaring at me like I’d just killed his dog or something.
“Dude, it’s no big deal,” I said, holding a hand up.
He shook his head again and ran out, and I wasn’t sure, but I think I saw a tear beginning to pop out of the corner of his eye.
“Damn, what was that about? Was that an ex of yours?”
“Oh, hell no. That boy’s way too young for me. I don’t know what his problem was.”
“Well, I bet he’s not coming back for a while now,” he shrugged. “Wanna finish?”
“Sure, why the hell not?” I said, sitting back down with a smile.
He beamed up at me, his hands reaching for my zipper again.