Chapter thirteen
A week later, armed with a laptop and a ton of materials we’d prepared for our ‘presentation’, Jay and I headed to the centre to try and convince Shane of our brilliant idea. Surprisingly, he didn't kick us out the door straight away. Shane watched us with his green, piercing gaze as we babbled on about websites and cookie sales and charity runs. Well, I babbled. Jay was determined to convince Shane this was the way to go, and kept his cool the whole time. Unlike last time when he’d been all flustered meeting Shane for the first time, Jay was now eloquent, precise and engaging, never once wavering when Shane asked a question.
In the end, I decided it’d be best to sit down and watch. Jay needed me here more for moral support than anything else.
“This is just a demo version,” Jay was saying as he opened his laptop to show Shane the new website. He’d saved the best for last – the website was brilliant. I couldn't believe Freddie had managed to do all this in a week.
He went on to explain all the tabs and pages, and how everything worked. The colour scheme was minimalistic – a white background with splashes of colour here and there, making all the important bits stand out. It was clean and functional, and yet very elegant.
“How much is this going to cost?” Shane asked when Jay finished showing him the website.
Jay grinned. “Nothing.”
“Jay, I know we’re primarily a charity organisation but I can’t let you...”
“No, listen,” Jay cut him off gently perching on the desk while Shane leaned back in his office chair. “My roommate Freddie is a graphic designer, and he’s always looking for new projects to practise on. He took one look at my dad’s company website, and the new catalogue, and nearly screamed with frustration. My dad got him to update the website and everything, and it’s been generating so much more traffic since then. Even the catalogue subscriptions have doubled.”
Shane watched Jay with a carefully blank expression and I wasn’t sure if he’d liked anything he’d heard so far. I could bet he was processing all the information in his head as Jay spoke, but in all honesty I wasn’t sure what his final answer would be.
“He said he’d be happy to help with the centre’s website, including the maintenance after it’s up and running. And he doesn’t want to charge you anything.” Jay paused, watching Shane anxiously. “I can ask him to come over and meet you so that you can discuss everything. He said he’ll do the website any way you want it.”
Shane nodded but still didn't say anything. I was starting to get frustrated with him. Jay had gone through all this trouble to help and all Shane could do was stare at him? What did he have to lose after all? The centre was practically doomed if money didn't start pouring in soon.
“Shane?” I prompted, raising an eyebrow when he cast his gaze to me.
“I don’t particularly like the naked calendar idea,” Shane said with a sigh.
“What? I was so looking forward to that!” I said from the sofa. “And I was promised the cover, if I may add.”
Jay glanced at me with the faintest of smiles, before turning to face Shane again.
“So, what? You like everything else?” Jay asked.
“Yes. I do.”
Jay beamed at him, then turned to me, his eyes sparkling with pride and delight.
“We did it,” he said to me.
“I told you he’s not completely unreasonable,” I said with a wink. From the corner of my eye I saw Shane flipping me off.
Jay and Shane exchanged phone numbers and emails, arranging to iron out all the details later. Shane looked pleased as he walked us to the door, squatting down to pet Flo. Recently, the only time I’d seen his smile reach his eyes was when he looked at my dog.
“Listen,” I said as I gave Shane a one-armed hug at the door of the centre. “Why don’t you come over tomorrow evening?” Shane started to shake his head and decline, but I spoke before he had the chance. “It’s Friday night and Jay is coming over as well. We’ll cook dinner and maybe bake something and watch Netflix all evening. Come on, it’ll be fun. You need some fun, Shane.”
My tone was gentle but I was sure he could sense the concern in my voice. After studying me for a few moments, Shane nodded. I felt a weight lift off my chest all because of a simple nod.
******
We had only about a week to get everything ready for the first fundraiser on Halloween. It would be the trial run, as Jay put it, a chance to see how it’d go, and – more importantly – a chance to prove to Shane that Jay’s ideas would work in the long run.
He spent every night in my apartment after school. Freddie came over a couple of times to help with the banner and promo materials design, and he worked on the website the rest of the time. Chris and I discussed cookie designs and what we could do to make our sweets stand out. We came up with chocolate spider cake pops which Jay said looked disgusting and he’d never put them in his mouth. I convinced him otherwise and he ended up loving them, even if he still scrunched his nose in disgust before he took his first bite.
We also made pumpkin shaped mini cakes filled with gooey caramel, which Chris sprinkled with glitter in a moment of late night inspiration; eye balls with marshmallow filling; body parts made of rice crispies and melted marshmallows, and covered with red cherry sauce resembling blood; butter cookies in various ghost shapes.
A few days later, the banner and the leaflets with the centre’s information were ready, stacked in neat piles on the counter. Freddie had done a brilliant job designing them, and managing to get a great deal on printing them out. The website was also up and running a day before Halloween. All we had to do was make all the Halloween treats.
Easier said than done. Jay insisted we had to make a lot, just in case people loved them. He smirked as he said that and I suspected he’d done everything possible to spread the word about the event through his friends in college. How he managed to spend his days in school, his lunch time at the library, and his evenings working on the fundraiser and not keel over was beyond me.
Jay, Chris, and I barely slept the night before Halloween. My kitchen looked like a war zone, but at 2 AM we had piles and piles of cookies, cakes, cake pops, brownies, and scones, all of them Halloween themed.
I looked at the mess, my vision blurring with exhaustion. It was a bad idea to leave everything until the morning but I couldn't be bothered to lift a finger right now.
“Come on, babe,” Jay said, sneaking an arm around my waist. “Let’s go to bed. We’ll deal with it later.”
I wanted to protest but my leg was hurting and I was aching all over. So I nodded and let Jay lead me to the bedroom.
“Where do you keep your extra blankets and linens?” He asked as I sat on the bed and started removing my clothes. I pointed towards the high right shelf in the wardrobe, exhaling in relief when I finally removed my prosthetic. “Chris is crashing on the sofa,” Jay explained as he walked out the bedroom with an armful of pillows and blankets.
Laying down on the bed, I barely managed to wrap the duvet around me before exhaustion took over. I was asleep even before Jay came back.
******
The knock on the back door was so soft I barely heard it over the noise of the coffee machine and the crowd of customers.
“I’ll get it,” Chris said, leaving the coffee cup she’d just made next to me on the counter.
I handed it to the lady waiting for it, along with a bag full of Halloween treats.
“Thanks, darling,” she said, depositing a tenner in the donation jar and picking up a leaflet.
“Sorry I’m late,” Jay said as he stormed in. “I had classes back to back and had to finish something in the library.” He stepped behind me, giving me a kiss on the cheek.
I smiled at him, drinking in his flushed skin and sparkling eyes. He must have seen the crowd out front, and the adrenaline was starting to affect him just as it was affecting me.
“It’s alright,” I replied, putting cake pops and ghost cookies in a box for the next customer. “Grab an apron from over there and come over.”
He did as instructed and joined me out front taking orders while Chris made coffees and fresh batches of cookies at the back.
“How is it going?” He asked me between customers.
“It’s been madness, Jay!” I exclaimed, still unable to believe the crowd we’d attracted. I’d already had to empty the donations jar a couple of times – and that was on top of all the sales we’d made. “Good madness, though,” I added quickly, glancing at Jay with a smile.
He’d made this. All of this.
“Awesome,” he replied, before focusing on the man next in line.
We didn’t have much chance to talk after that. People kept coming, keeping us busy. Nearly everyone asked about the centre and donated money. Jay had been right – even though it was a local centre a lot of people didn’t know it existed.
At some point when the crowd thinned a little Jay took out his phone and shot some pictures of the bakery and the Halloween sweets we had left. He asked a few people if they minded answering some questions on camera and did impromptu interviews.
Yet again, I was astonished by his creative and resourceful mind.
By five o’clock we were sold out of nearly everything, the leaflets were all gone, and all three of us could barely stand upright. Working one of our busiest days on less than four hours’ sleep was taking its toll.
We had to turn people away and draw the shutters down an hour before the official closing time. In a fit of fatigue induced insanity, I declared we’d keep the bakery closed through the weekend, making Chris gasp in surprise; we’d never been closed for a whole day since we opened a year ago. Then again, we’d never had such a crazy day. A crazy week, really. Ever since we’d set the plan in motion we hadn’t had much rest. I could see the dark circles under Jay’s eyes, even if they were sparkling in delight. I was sure I didn't look any better. And Chris – even though she never complained about the long hours – could use a weekend off.
“So, does that mean I get you all to myself for two whole days?” Jay asked as we walked out of the bakery.
“Mhm,” I hummed, drawing him in for a quick kiss.
Jay beamed, weaving his arms behind my neck. “Your place or mine?” He whispered in my ear.
“Mine. I don’t plan on wearing many clothes so I’d rather not have an audience.”
I fired a quick text to Shane to let him know the day had been a success and to ask him to take Flo home for the weekend. I knew he needed her more than I did right now.
******
Awareness of the world around me slowly crept into my consciousness, pulling me out of the dreamless slumber. Something felt good. Really, really good. My body was tingling all over, waves of pleasure forcing me completely awake. My cock was hard, throbbing and... enveloped in tight, wet heat.
“Jesus,” I mumbled, realising Jay was sprawled between my legs, sucking my cock leisurely.
The covers were thrown off, hanging off the edge of the bed, and I only had to prop myself on my elbows to see Jay. The curve of his gorgeous, round ass was the first thing that drew my gaze. He slowly moved it, humping the bed, not hard enough to get himself off, but enticing enough to make me want to haul him up and make him sit on my face.
I didn’t, though. I watched, captivated, as Jay’s long fingers worked my shaft slowly while his wet lips sucked on the head. His blue gaze rested on me, the quiet desire in his hooded eyes nearly my undoing. Sneaking his pink tongue out, Jay licked my length from base to tip, tonguing the slit as he reached it. I moaned, my head dropping back between my shoulder blades, the instinct to thrust my hips up into Jay’s hot mouth overwhelming.
“Fuck, Jay,” I whispered, grasping to any strands of control.
“Mornin’,” he said, smirking, my cock resting against his mouth. He kissed along the shaft, his eyes holding mine. Taunting me.
I wanted more. I wanted to thrust and writhe and grind against him until the knot inside me unravelled.
Sensing my growing need, Jay drew his knees up and knelt between my thighs, and his grip on the base of my shaft tightened. Flicking his tongue over the head, he met my eyes again, my own primal need reflected in them.
“Don’t hold back,” he said, before swallowing my cock nearly to the base.
I cried out, couldn't stop myself. The teasing had been an excruciating pleasure, but Jay sucking my cock in earnest brought a whole new level of desire on the surface. He watched me under his lashes as he released his grip on my cock, placing his hands on the bed. The sight of Jay kneeling on all fours between my thighs, his head bobbing over my cock, was too much. I was ready to come when he slowed the pace, his eyes burning into mine, begging me to take over.
God, I wanted to. But a dark shadow of doubt crept into my lust filled mind, warning me that it might be too much. My hips stilled the slow movement they’d begun, my fingers finding their way into Jay’s hair.
A flicker of disappointment passed in Jay’s eyes before he closed them, letting my cock pop out of his mouth. It lay on my stomach, wet, hard, and leaking, the lack of stimulation driving me wild. My fingers tightened in Jay’s hair and I wanted nothing more than to drag his mouth over my cock again.
I didn’t.
I held back.
I had no idea why. There was something so vulnerable about Jay, so delicate, that I was afraid of destroying it. He wasn’t some hook-up, he was Jay, my Jay, the man I was falling for. And for some inexplicable reason that notion kept me from losing control with him.
“Amir,” Jay said in a husky, seductive voice as his tongue flattened on my shaft, licking it from root to tip as it lay on my stomach. “Do you want me to keep sucking your cock, baby?” He cupped my balls in his hand, playing with them, teasing me with enough pressure to make me beg for more.
“God, yes!”
“Then fuck my mouth.” His tone had turned from seductive to gravel, filled with need to rival my own.
Jay crawled up my body until our lips met in an urgent kiss. He thrust his hips against mine, our cocks sliding together, making me see stars.
“I want you to fuck my mouth until you come down my throat,” Jay was saying between kisses. “I need it just as much as you do.”
He didn’t give me a chance to speak before he slid down and swallowed my cock, his wicked tongue swirling around the head, then flattening down my shaft. His eyes urged me on as much as his mouth.
The sight of those swollen lips around my shaft and the feel of that hot tongue doing wonderful things to my cock was enough to bring me to the brink of orgasm in mere seconds. And when Jay growled deep in his throat, I lost it.
Burying my hands in his messy hair, I stopped his movements and began thrusting in and out of his mouth. Slowly at first, lazily, enjoying the sight of my cock sliding between those gorgeous lips. Jay moaned, his eyes rolling in pleasure, his cheeks hollowing as he sucked me harder. Tighter. Testing me. Teasing me.
I had no control left when I started pumping my hips harder, faster, my gaze never wavering from Jay’s mouth. Fuck, it was hot. So fucking hot were those lips wrapped around my cock, the pure, primal pleasure on Jay’s face, enough to make me fuck his mouth even harder, hitting the back of his throat with every thrust.
Jay sneaked a hand between his legs and it started moving in rhythm with my thrusts until his eyes fluttered closed, a loud groan vibrating through my shaft. His wet come splattered on my thigh as Jay milked himself dry.
It was my undoing.
With a final, hard thrust I spilled in Jay’s mouth, tingles of pleasure spreading over my whole body. For a few moments I was aware of nothing but my all-consuming orgasm, letting it wash over me in wave after wave of pure bliss.
Jay licked me clean, mindful of my too sensitive cock, then climbed gracefully on top of me and kissed me. I wrapped an arm around him and pulled the covers on top of us with the other. We kept kissing, our lips tasting and teasing without any sense of urgency. Jay smiled, pulling away slightly before he spoke.
“I think we have to talk about why you think I’ll break if you’re a bit rough with me,” he said matter-of-factly.
“I don’t think you’ll break. I just...” I paused, trying to find the right words.
I couldn’t. I had no logical explanation, I just... didn’t want to hurt him. Didn’t want him to think I’d be one of those guys who’d use him and then move on to the next willing body.
“Amir, look at me, babe,” Jay said, laying a hand on my cheek and making me face him. “I like it a bit rough. I like being manhandled and overpowered. It turns me on.” He stared at me, his red lips parted, his blue eyes heavy-lidded with new-found lust. “I love how strong you are and how I make you lose control. I love how much you want me, and I know you don’t want me just for sex. Is that what worries you?” I nodded, swallowing hard. “I feel safe with you,” he added, his voice quieter. He bit his lip and searched my face as if he wasn’t sure he should have said that.
“Me too,” I replied.
He knew what I meant.
I hadn’t given my scars a second thought all morning. Jay made me feel as if I was normal. No, more than that. He made me feel special.
“So maybe next time...” Jay said, pausing for effect as he smiled devilishly. “You can hold my wrists behind my back? Or above my head when you straddle my chest and feed me your cock?”
I groaned loudly. His filthy mouth was making my cock grow hard again.
“You like that idea?” He asked with an arched eyebrow.
“You know I do,” I said, flipping us over and pinning him underneath me.
We kissed until both our stomachs growled. We’d been too tired to have a proper dinner last night, and I couldn't remember when the last time I had a decent meal was. I felt like the past two weeks I’d been snacking on whatever I could scavenge from my fridge or the bakery. A good, unhurried, three-course meal was long overdue.
“I’m taking you to lunch,” I said between kisses, making Jay laugh as he patted my belly. “And then back to bed.”
“Is that how we’re spending the whole weekend? Leaving the bed only for food?”
“Yes.”
I didn't give him any more chances to speak as I devoured his mouth. Judging by his keen moans, Jay approved of the idea.