Chapter Fourteen
~Bailey~
With the cool spray of the shower trickling down between the cheeks of my ass, I took extra time to enjoy the relief it gave. Nolan had delivered on his word last night with the best sex I had ever had. I was not just saying that because I was still basking in the afterglow, he knew what a guy needed and he served it up generously on a silver platter. I had this idiotic smile pasted to my face as I stared up at the powder blue sky. When Nolan stepped into the shower and hummed, I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“Hmm… look at you,” Nolan pulled me against his chest. “My shower invitation must have gotten lost in the mail, huh?”
“Like you need an invite,” I grinned, meeting the glitter in Nolan’s cocoa brown eyes, a look of tranquility swimming in them.
For the first time since Nolan and I met, I could say with clarity that Nolan Brahms looked completely placid. I don’t even think his brain had switched into gear yet, and from the look in his eyes his brain was switched off. It suited him.
“Want to fool around?” Nolan asked, licking around the shell of my ear with the tip of his tongue, his hot breath roaring past my ear as he spoke. “Or do you need time to recover?”
“Are you trying to put me in the hospital, Doc?” I kidded as I slid to my knees, my fingertips raking over each rise and dip of his smooth chest and abs.
Nolan’s mouth dropping open as I took him in hand, kissing my lips against the head of his swollen cock, causing his hips to jerk back. Nolan’s head banged off of the cedar wall of the shower when he let out a mellow groan. He grew to life in my mouth, there was nothing like a man’s cock coming to life while you sucked him. I took care cradling his balls in my hand, rolling them in my fingers like a set of dice, listening to him panting and moaning. It was sexy as fuck knowing I was causing his legs to quake as they weakened and his release drew nearer.
With his arms spread out across the wall, the water spraying off of my shoulders and Nolan trembling as his release threatened, I clasped the back of his thigh and sucked for all I was worth.
“I’m not too shy to cum down your throat,” Nolan gasped for air. “But if you’d rather have pancakes for breakfast, I’d stop right fucking now.”
“Hmm…” I hummed around Nolan’s cock, grasping hold of the base of his cock and stroking as my cheeks hollowed, my eyes staring up at the look of ecstasy written on his face.
“Have it your way,” Nolan forewarned. “I’m going to cum!”
Nolan grabbed hold of my hair, tugging as his hot seed erupted from him, shooting it into the back of my throat filling my mouth to capacity. I eagerly swallowed and sucked, milking every drop from him until he slid down the wall, sitting on the shower floor panting like a greyhound that had just won the big race.
Wiping my mouth with the back of my arm and grinning like the cat who literally ate the canary, Nolan let out a laugh and he stood holding out his hand, helping me to my feet. Just as Nolan reached for my dick, I swiped his hand away and stepped out of the shower.
“I’m starving,” I proclaimed with a smile. “How about we head over to the hotel, we can order room service when we get to the guys room. Maybe Jeff remembers something this morning.”
“You don’t want the favor returned?” Nolan looked at me astonished.
“All I can think about is my stomach growling,” I patted Nolan cheek. “I don’t need favors returned, believe me, I’m going to remember you for the next few hours, Doc.”
“Oh,” Nolan chuckled, rubbing his hair dry with a towel. I detected a sense of pride in that snicker. “Maybe later?”
“I feel like waffles,” I intentionally steered clear of committing to another night of rough hot sex so soon. “With bacon and pineapple sauce and a gigantic cup of coffee, I’m thinking I need copious amounts of coffee.”
The sand along the shoreline had been purposely raked into swirling patterns, the combed lines meticulously even. All traces of footprints from last evening were raked away. It occurred to me that perhaps someone meant to cover up signs of a certain onshore delivery. I couldn’t help the feeling that there was more to last night’s distribution.
“I wonder what was in those crates,” I tried to calculate the spot where the golf cart had been loaded.
“Does it matter?” Nolan shrugged, stepping from the dock onto the sand. “It was probably food from the mainland or spa supplies.”
Nolan yanked my arm, heading to the path leading to the hotel. He was right it was probably nothing more than supplies. So why was it niggling at me?
“Maid service,” Nolan joked in a high-pitched voice when Pete opened the door and invited us in.
“Feel like getting food from room service?” I asked, snatching the menu from beside the phone.
“What I want is to get the hell out of this room,” Jeff grumbled, sitting on the edge of the bed, tying the laces in his runners. “Let’s go for breakfast on the hotel terrace.”
“Martinez is on his way,” Pete told us as he slid the patio door open. “The results are back already. Pull your panties out of your crack, you’re getting uglier by the minute. Here, have a few peanuts to hold you.”
Pete tossed a small packet of nuts from the mini fridge over to Jeff and then a few more onto the table beside me. Quick to open a pack, I munched on a salty handful.
“Fine, but I’m only giving Detective Clouseau half an hour,” Jeff snapped. “Then he can go fuck his results. No one’s going to mess with me when I’m hungry or while I’m guarded by you three.”
Pete brusquely massaged his brow, his patience obviously rattled to the core. I didn’t know Jeff and Pete well, but from the way Nolan spoke these two were like mixing fire and gasoline, a lethal combination.
“Keep it up and you’re on your own, dick weed,” Pete snarled. “I don’t need this shitty abuse. I can be sitting in the sun with a fucking Mai-Tai and a good book right now.”
They were actually quite a funny pairing, kind of like an R-rated modern-day version of Laurel and Hardy. They made me laugh.
“Aww, am I abusing you, princess?” Jeff snarled. “Want I should give you cuddles?”
“Fuck you!”
“No, fuck you!” Jeff jumped up from the bed, butting chests with Pete like a pair of peacocks fighting for mating rights.
I had to admit that I was disappointed when Nolan tore them apart, hiding my amusement behind my hand. If they thought, for one minute, that no one would mistake them as a duo, they were sadly mistaken. A couple was the exact thing that came to mind watching them arguing as if they had been married for thirty years.
“Give it a rest you jackasses!” Nolan scolded, shoving Pete away as a knock came at the door. “One of you answer that.”
“I’ll get it,” Pete growled. “It’s not safe for Jeff.”
Unquestionably, it was a love/hate relationship between the two men. Pete groused and protested on one breath and then became protective and concerned on the next. And while Pete played the defensive papa bear, Jeff voluntarily submitted to his mandates. Yep, just like a marriage.
Martinez eyed us sideways as he took an envelope from the interior pocket of his perfectly pressed suit jacket and offered it to Jeff. Martinez was not a congenial man at all, his uni-brow creasing tightly between his eyes as proof, set there for all eternity I imagined. His suspicious gaze was nonplusing and I felt myself returning the glare as Jeff tore open the envelope and blew into it before taking out a letter and reading it to himself.
“What the fuck is Ketamine Hydrochloride?” Jeff asked, passing the letter to Nolan.
“It’s an anesthetic used by veterinarians to tranquilize animals,” I spoke up. I had knowledge of street drugs, their effects and side effects. Beat cops learned a lot on the streets. “It is used as a club drug, often slipped into women’s drinks causing them to black out.”
“A date rape drug?” Pete asked with a frown, as he sat beside Jeff, his arm draped lazily over Jeff’s shoulder.
“Not the most common. But yeah, it’s one of them.”
“Are you trying to tell me I was raped?” Jeff asked, shifting nervously on the bed and forcibly knocking Pete’s arm away.
“You tell me,” Martinez asked. “Do you suspect… I mean, did you have any discomfort of any kind when you woke?”
“If you are asking if my ass hurt, no!” Jeff stood with a snarl, his face pale as he took a bottle of water from the table and drank from it. “I’d know… I’d know, right?”
Jeff looked to Nolan his eyes pleading for the answer he wanted, no, he needed to hear.
Nolan placed his hand on Jeff’s shoulder and acquiesced. “I’m almost certain you would know.”
“I’m not even going to ask what’s going on here,” Martinez said, his eyes narrowing in confusion. “But if I find out you four are here under false pretenses, messing with my nice, quiet resort, I’ll arrest each of you, lock you up, and toss away the keys with great pleasure. This is the one place in the hemisphere where gay men and women can come and not have to worry about being judged and harassed.”
“He’s a fucking virgin,” Pete snapped, wrapping his arms lovingly around Jeff to thwart off Martinez’s suspicions.
“Yet you have been married for how long?” Martinez asked, a sense of ah-ha set in his tone.
“You’re not gay, are you detective?” Pete snickered. “My darling husband here has never bottomed. Should I explain what that means? Would you like all of the juicy details?”
“I’m not stupid,” Martinez said, looking to Jeff. “We will be treating this as an open investigation. I suggest staying as a group for safety sake. And if you remember anything, and I mean anything, even the tiniest detail, you contact me right away.”
“We’ll make sure he does,” I assured the detective, escorting him towards the door. “Thank you for bringing by the test results in person, much appreciated.”
My job of pacifying the detective was done. I knew from experience that it was better to keep him on our side. Pissing off the one person that may be capable of helping, especially on foreign ground, was like cutting off your dominate arm and then trying the write an essay in long hand.
When I closed the door and turned my attention back to the other three, Pete and Jeff were butting heads and Nolan was standing watching with his arms crossed over his chest, his foot tapping on the wildly patterned carpet impatiently.
“Anyone else feel like they could eat a scabby horse?” I yelled over them. “Or an entire cow on its last legs?”
“What?” Nolan asked.
“I’m hungry,” I answered. “Could we take this discussion to a restaurant?”
Jeff and Pete apologized countless times as we walked along a stone path to the poolside buffet. It had been located in such a way that the morning sun was shaded from the area yet offered a gorgeous view of the turquoise ocean. And what a buffet it was. Every kind of egg was served as requested with a choice of pancakes, waffles or Texas-style toast, hash browns and bacon, link sausages and ham, even vegan rounds and home-style biscuits. I swear I had died and gone to Chef Ramsey heaven. There was fruit and yogurt, pastries, mini quiche and cheeses from the four corners of the earth. So, while I happily stuffed my face, I listened to the conversation between Jeff and Nolan, while Pete drank coffee, refusing to eat anything. He said he was too worked up, he would just end up losing his breakfast, said he didn’t want a waste perfectly good food.
“Still drawing a blank?” Nolan asked, pouring blueberry syrup over a stack of pancakes.
“There is something,” Jeff frowned. “But you’ll think I’m crazy.”
“What?”
“Well, I don’t exactly remember anything,” Jeff rebutted, taking a bite of his omelet and chewing. “I just recall this image myself, but it wasn’t me. You know what I mean? It was like an out of body experience. It was me. I was looking at, but it wasn’t like looking in the mirror. It wasn’t me. I can’t explain it any better than that. Tell me why someone would drug me? It’s not like I’m someone important, like a rock star or a politician.”
“Politicians suck,” Pete added his two cents before holding out his mug for the waiter to refill as he walked past.
As self-confident as Jeff had come across, his insecurities were shining through. He was a chaotic mess. Lucky for him, the drug he had been slipped had no adverse effects, he would be fine. He simply looked as if his night had been full of too much partying and too much alcohol. Much like the higher percentage of island visitors, which meant he blended in perfectly.
“I don’t know,” Nolan said, patting Jeff’s arm. “Maybe that drink wasn’t meant for you.”
“Mistaken identity,” I declared, scooping my hash browns into a puddle of egg yolks on the side of my plate. All eyes landed on me as if what I had said was something monumental. They waited for more, but all I could do was ask, “More coffee?”
“None of this makes sense,” Nolan said, his tongue buried in his cheek and his one brow cocked high. “And as Judge Judy would say, if it doesn’t make sense, it’s not true.”
“That made no sense,” I laughed.
“Okay, Byrd, let’s go over this one last time,” Pete set his cup down and took a pen from his pocket. He took the napkin that was folded around a set of cutlery and smoothed it out. “So, we go to the spa. I get groped, I leave. In the meantime, some douche comes along and drugs Jeff with Ketamine whatsit. When I go back, he’s gone. I don’t see him again until the next morning. He’s beat up, sick to his stomach, and he can’t remember fuck all. Now he thinks he remembers seeing his own face. This is one fucked up story.”
We laughed at Pete’s last remark and Jeff kicked Pete under the table, causing him to cry out and we laughed even harder.
“More coffee?” the waiter offered, filling each of our cups to the brim.
After taking a mouthful of the steaming hot brew, I moaned my pleasure. The nutty aroma and the buttery flavor sat on my tongue like a tease, the body complex to the point I couldn’t quite identify the origin of the bean. I was almost certain it was Columbian, but no matter, I needed to find out where I could get my hands on a few hundred pounds.
“I’m going to go back to the kitchen and see if I can talk someone into giving me the name of the coffee supplier,” I pushed back my chair, rubbing Nolan’s shoulder as I squeezed past him.
“Wait,” Jeff stood. “I’ll go with you. I need to stretch my legs.”
Gaining access from the restaurant was not going to work, I decided to go out and around to the back of the building, there had to be a delivery entrance we could sneak in.
“I hope it’s okay if I tag along,” Jeff apologized as we skirted the building. “I had to get the hell away from Pete, the man is worse than my mother. If I had to listen to him tell me one more time how to eat, I was going to shove a fucking sausage up his nose.”
“You sure you two aren’t married?”
“I used to like you,” he grumbled.
“Kidding.”
Because of the time of day, the kitchen was booming, servers and kitchen staff hollering, glass plates, metal pots and pans, all clanging and clattering. We stepped into the back kitchen area where boxes of produce were stacked and supplies had been loaded onto wire racks. A man peeling potatoes with a cigarette dangling from his mouth barely took notice of us. That was when I saw crates with 100% Guatemala stamped on them. That explained the hint of chocolate I had detected. Two of the crates had been opened making it easy for me to check out the content. I lifted away the lid and took in a deep sniff, to me this was like heaven on earth. I scooped up a handful and held them under my nose, closing my eyes and basking in the aroma of the ultimate in coffee beans.
“Hey look,” Jeff raised his brow. “This coffee comes with its own creamer.”
“Huh?” I looked at the four-inch plastic bag Jeff was holding and dug into the beans pulling out another. “That isn’t creamer.”
“No shit, Sherlock,” Jeff stuffed the bag back under the beans. “Let’s get the fuck outta here before someone sees us.”
“Hang on,” I took out my pocket knife and made a small slice in the plastic, dipping in my pinky and touching it to my tongue. I spit onto the floor and stuffed the bag into the beans. “And it isn’t sugar either, come on.”
“Wait,” Jeff whispered, taking his phone from his pocket, arranging a plastic bag on the beans and took a picture, jamming the phone back into his pocket.
We hightailed it out of there. Not stopping until we were back at the table in the restaurant, where Nolan and Pete eyed us curiously.
“How come you two look like you just robbed a bank?” Pete asked.
“Not here,” I looked at Jeff and let out a faux laugh, talking through clenched teeth like an amateur ventriloquist. “Stay cool and pretend I said something fun, but don’t draw attention.”
“What the hell,” Nolan spoke into his napkin, pretending to wipe his mouth.
“Let’s just all get up to leave, slowly, and once we’re outside split up,” I instructed. “You guys casually head east, we’ll head west. I’ll fill in Nolan and you fill in Pete. We should ignore each other for most of the day, you know, lay low. We’ll meet on the dock at four for the dinner cruise.”
“Do you think that’s wise?” Jeff asked, tossing a tip onto the table of dirty dishes.
“Not sticking to the agenda is going to draw attention,” I said, taking Nolan’s hand in mine. “Blending in is optimum. We need to be seen, it draws less suspicion.”
“What in God’s name did you two do?” Nolan whispered into my ear, faking a kiss on my cheek.
“Later, I promise.”
We said goodbye to Pete and Jeff, like we had just had a wonderful brunch with our new besties and slowly sauntered along the walkway holding hands. Neither of us spoke until we were locked inside our hut lying on the bed facing each other, and then I told Nolan of our findings.
~
~Nolan~
“Doc?” Bailey asked, noticing my hesitation when I looked at the couple ahead of us waiting to board the ferry. One man had an all too familiar face, the platinum blond hair of the other no one could mistake.
“Oh, God!”
“Nolan.”
“Erik,” I dryly acknowledged.
Since the first day at the resort when I sensed Erik’s voice on the beach and fought with every ounce of my being to believe he couldn’t be at the same resort, I knew in my gut this was going to happen. The world was not a large enough place to be completely safe from ever seeing Erik’s cheating face again. But please, even on vacation I had to be revisited by ghosts of my past?
“Pooker?” the pitch in the blond’s tone practically peeled the skin from my bones, causing me to openly cringe. “Introduce us?”
“Simon, this is Nolan,” he lazily fanned his hand in my direction. “My ex.”
“Oh,” Simon’s eyes mapped over me before he held out a hand. “Lovely to meet you, Nolan. Who is your friend?”
“I’m Bailey,” he offered when I made no attempt at introductions.
“Enjoying your vacation?” Bailey directed his question to Simon, while Erik and I bombarded each other with imaginary daggers.
Erik had nerve treating me like some inconsequential piece of trash, when he was the fragment of muck on the bottom of my shoe, to be wiped away onto a decomposing doormat. He still had a way of making me uncomfortable and I didn’t like it, but I would never give him the satisfaction of knowing he still had that hold over me.
“Loving it,” Simon squeezed his shoulders to his ears, tugging at Erik’s arm while Erik stood stone-faced. “We are having a fabulous time. As a matter of fact, we’re here celebrating. Erik, can I tell them, can I? Please Pooker?”
“I don’t think either of them would be interested, Simon,” Erik narrowed his eyes.
“Pooker, be nice,” Simon scolded, resting his hands on his hips as the toe of his neon green high-top with neon pink laces drummed wildly. “I just have to tell someone before I burst. Please, Pooker, please?”
“Simon, I said no!” Erik snapped.
The flamboyant air gracing Simon instantaneously deflated from him faster than the Hindenburg going down. His brow raised indignantly, his lips pursed, and his jaw tightened as he crossed his arms over his chest. He tapped his long fingers along the alabaster skin on his forearms like he was playing the keys on a piano. Erik closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose and huffed an all-too worn out breath.
“Fine, Simon. Tell them. Tell the whole fucking world if you have to.” Erik caved like a tinfoil pan yielding under the weight of a bowling ball.
It was wonderful to see Erik crumble to his knees. I had to wonder what it was about this Simon guy that had Erik puckering up and kissing ass. A smile curled the corners of my mouth, as I took great delight in Erik’s suffering.
“We’re getting married,” Simon said, his demeanor doing a complete one-eighty, as he bounced up and down on his tiptoes and clapped his hands.
Married, well wasn’t that a kick in the face?
“Congratulations,” Bailey smiled, while his eyes examined mine for a reaction.
“Have you been together long?” I had to ask. Curiosity wrenched me into the center of the conversation though I honestly would have paid my weight in gold to be anywhere else.
“Eight months,” Simon said, with a proud grin smeared on his sweet face. “His proposal was a complete surprise, and romantic? You have no idea. Erik rented our favorite restaurant for the whole night, had the chef make all my favorite dishes right down to the chocolate lava cake for dessert. He even bought me twelve dozen white roses and a ring, see?”
“Nice,” I couldn’t believe I was looking at the precise ring I had bought for Erik. It took everything inside not to rat the son-of-a-bitch out. “Unusual design.”
“Erik said it’s one of a kind,” Simon held his hand up to the light. “It’s a moon stone.”
“Actually, it’s a cat’s eye,” I shot a knowing glare in Erik’s direction, nevertheless he played it cool. After all, he was well practiced in the art of duplicity.
“Really?” Simon eyed Erik, who in turn gave him a nonchalant shrug. “Well, it’s exquisite no matter what it’s called.”
It was an exquisite ring, an oval shaped cat’s eye set elongated in a simple white gold band.
“You have to come to the wedding,” Simon placed his hand on Bailey’s arm while he jumped up and down like a drunken kangaroo. “Daddy’s making all the arrangements, we’re getting married right here on Friday at sunset. Daddy said nothing is too good for his baby. He’s flying in Maritime lobster and the finest Beluga caviar from Paris. He’s even arranging for Wolfgang to come and organize the dinner.”
“Wolfgang Puck?” Bailey looked impressed.
“Simon, they don’t want to come,” Erik stepped towards Simon, grasping hold of his upper arm. “Think about it Simon, my ex attending our wedding?”
“Yeah,” I was in full agreement. “It would be awkward and I’m sure Bailey has made plans for us.”
Simon gazed up through thick black lashes at each of us with an exaggerated pouty face. His eyes were the kind of icy blue that mesmerized. He could easily get his own way with just the bat of his lashes. Simon was every bit a twink, with full plump lips and a natural pout to them and skin as white as the snow, his complexion was flawless. I had never been attracted to someone as ostentatious as Simon, but I understood the attraction all the same.
“Well, if you change your minds,” Simon smiled sweetly. “We’re in hut fourteen. Feel free to drop by and I will hook you up with an invitation, not that you really need one.”
“Can we board now?” Erik glared at Simon.
Oh God, we had forgotten about Pete and Jeff.
“Don’t let us keep you,” I faked a smile. “We’re meeting friends. It was a pleasure Simon, good luck with the nuptials.”
Bailey said goodbye to Simon as Erik walked away. Simon raced after him up the gangway and we proceeded to where Pete and Jeff were patiently waiting.
“There was something strangely familiar about Erik’s marriage proposal,” Bailey tittered with a sideways glance.
“Seriously a case of déjà vu,” I agreed. “And the worst part? Simon, the poor kid, is wearing the ring I bought when I proposed to Erik.”
“How small is this world?” Bailey slipped his hand around my waist pulling me into his side as we walked up the gangway. “They couldn’t have gotten married on some other island in some other tropical destination? I know you have no interest but I’d kind of like to see daddy and the size of his wallet.”
“Money!” My brain pinged.
“I’m not following,” Bailey walked ahead to the table that the maître de directed us to.
“Something from the bar?” the maître de asked, as he handed each of us a four by eleven single page menu.
“How about a bottle of sauvignon blanc?” I suggested. Once everyone was in agreement I tossed in, “Would it be too much to ask you to remove the cork at the table?”
“Not at all, sir. I’ll be back in a few minutes with your wine.”
At this point I figured it was better safe than sorry, I would forever order drinks sealed. Right down to the diet coke I ordered with my burgers at Harvey’s.
“Doc, you can’t leave me hanging here,” Bailey grumbled. “What money?”
“Money?” Pete piped in.
“Daddy’s money, of course,” I sat back, throwing my arm across the back of Bailey’s chair. “Erik was always interested in my bank accounts. He was always trying to talk me into investing in this or that. I even gave him an investment allowance at one time, he could do as he pleased with the funds. Sometimes he came out ahead, other times I reinvested. Hey, it kept him out of my hair.”
“So, he likes money, don’t we all?” Pete chuckled.
“And you think Erik proposed to Simon because daddy’s rich,” Bailey had put two and two together and it added up to one cheating sleazebag, unfortunately for Simon. “You gonna say something?”
“Erik proposed to someone?” Jeff asked.
“Yes, he did, and nope,” I shook my head. “Nobody warned me.”
“Did you tell Doc what we found?” Jeff asked Bailey.
Pete and I looked at the few photo’s Jeff had taken as Bailey quietly retold the story of their findings.
“Wild,” Pete laughed. “Sent on a work-action to stakeout the place thinking we were going back to tell people about fun in the sun, and little did we know how much fun. So do you think they’re selling it or this is like a stop on the way?”
“What do you mean?” Jeff asked.
“It’s called trafficking for a reason,” Bailey began. “Drugs never travel from A to B, it would make them easily traceable. Say an order is placed by New York and the drugs are coming from Costa Rica, the drugs are zigzagged from country to country, usually by water, from port to port, slipping under the radar. And each time the drugs hit a new destination, they lay low for a certain amount of time. Until the final shipment hits New York and then the streets.”
“So, this isn’t the final destination,” Jeff nervously tore a paper napkin into strips.
“I’m pretty sure it’s not,” Bailey said. “Never know, they could be selling it to island guests.”
“They use coffee to cover the smell, right?” Jeff asked. “I saw that on Beverly Hills Cop. Oh, hang on that wasn’t drugs, that was bearer bonds. Well, same shit, right?”
“Yeah, but it’s usually ground coffee because it’s stronger, throws the dogs off,” Bailey’s brows pulled together. “Maybe that’s why the crates were in the kitchen. Maybe they are going to grind the beans. Which means the cocaine is more than likely here to be repackaged.”
“Okay, so what do we do with all this new-found knowledge?” Pete asked.
“Nothing,” I interjected, the three of them sitting huddled together, their heads spinning to pin me. “I’m serious. We’re probably talking about a drug cartel or worse. I don’t want fuck all to do with that shit. I like my boring, nothing existence. And I especially like being alive.”
“But-” Pete began to speak, swiftly rethinking the decision when his eyes met my cautionary stare.
“Enough has happened.” I leaned forward, lowering my voice to a whisper. “Doing something totally unadventurous like going dancing or taking a walk on one of the trails will suit me just fine from this moment on.”
Dinner consisted of prime rib and silence, as we ate our meals absorbed in our own thoughts.
From the upper deck, the view was amazing as the sun began to set and we sat quietly sipping wine, in all probability contemplating our own ideas of life. The only one remotely interested in what was happening on shore was Pete who spun in his seat for a better view.
“Has anyone wondered if what happened to Jeff could be tied to what you found in that coffee?” Pete squinted towards the shoreline.
“Dah, dah, dahhh…the plot thickens,” Jeff sing-songed. Pete poked Jeff’s cheek. “What in the hell are you doing?”
“Hmm… it is you sitting here, right?” Pete’s brows tangled into a tight knot as he looked from Jeff to the shore and back repeatedly.
“I’m with Nolan,” Jeff went on ignoring Pete. He rubbed his eyes and shook his head as if trying to wiggle his brain free. “I vote we keep our noses out of any crap that could end up getting us dead. I want to just blend in with the crowd, eat too much, drink too much, and work on my tan.”
“Jeff, if I didn’t know better, I’d swear I just saw you walking on the beach with some redhead.”
“Where?” Jeff was the first to look, rolling his eyes and whacking Pete’s arm when he didn’t see who Pete was trying to point out. “Losing it or what?”
“I swear,” Pete stretched to see over Jeff’s shoulder. “Maybe I need something stronger to drink, this wine is making me hallucinate.”
“If we’re all in agreement, let’s go blend in at Stride,” I suggested, though from the look on Bailey’s face it was going to take some major convincing to get him out of his thoughts.
~
“Come on, kitten,” I tugged on Bailey’s arm. “Dance with me. I want to show you a good time.”
“Sorry,” Bailey apologized. “I just find it hard to forget what’s going on right under our noses, you know? Sweeping shit under the rug doesn’t work for me. I think we need to call the police.”
“What about telling Martinez?”
“You are kidding, right?” Bailey allowed me to pull him off of the barstool and direct him to the dance floor. “The guy’s a joke.”
“We can’t do anything tonight,” I hauled Bailey into my arms. “So, put it out of your mind for now and just dance with me.”
“First thing in the morning, I’m going to call a friend of mine,” Bailey agreed. “He’s still in vice as far as I’m aware, he’ll tell me what we should do.”
As we danced pressed chest to chest, my hand splayed across the dip along Bailey’s spine, I could feel him begin to relax in my arms. It may have been a tad more difficult for the rest of us to understand this mess from Bailey’s view, but we were still aware of how dangerous this could turn out if others knew what we had managed to unfold. I was conflicted. Yes, what Jeff and Bailey discovered was disturbing, but the danger factor, for me anyway, outweighed morals by a long shot. I was certain Jeff and Pete felt the same.
Bumped from my thoughts as a couple swaying to the beat knocked into us, I nodded with a smile at the apologetic expression on the younger man’s face. The one guy seemed to be well on his way to inebriated. He was wobbling on his feet and swaying as the younger man tried to steady him.
“I’m so sorry,” the younger man apologized. “I really should get him back to our hut.”
“No worries,” I said with a smile.
“You look like you could use a hand,” Bailey tittered, as he lifted the drunken guys arm over his shoulder.
“Oh, no, really, I don’t want to ruin your night, I’m sorry,” he apologized again. “If you could just help me get him back to our table, I can handle it from there.”
“Sure,” Bailey lifted the drunken man off his feet and followed behind the younger guy. He directed Bailey to a bench seat at the back of the table, where he set the drunken man and they watched him slowly fall over onto his side and close his eyes. “I think your friend’s pretty much toast. You’re welcome to come join us. I’m Bailey, this is my husband, Nolan.”
I knew we were playing a part, but when Bailey called me his husband a delightful wave rolled in my gut and a smile the size of Texas proudly spanned across my face. I think at that point it was safe to internally tell myself I was falling for Bailey.
“He’s Roger,” the young man thumbed over to the man who was now passed out cold. “I’m Devan, we’re not married. In fact, I can’t see us being together much longer. I should have never agreed to come here with him.”
Devan’s thick straight brows highlighted his tragic dark eyes. He had the black man’s version of James Dean happening, the sweet, bad boy with sexy pouty lips and a cool, smooth demeanor. There were clearly issues hidden under that brooding exterior.
It wasn’t my place to nose in Devan’s life and, damn it, I’d already had enough drama to last me until my dying days, but, of course, that therapist inside of me was barking instructions in my head.
“Would you like to talk, or just distance yourself from your friend?” I asked, looking over to Pete and Jeff sitting at the bar, snarling at each other. “You really are welcome to join us.”
“Thanks anyways,” Devan’s weak attempt at a smile made me feel sympathetic to his circumstances. “I appreciate your offer, but you go enjoy your night. I’m going to finish my drink… In fact, I may have a few too many, might even find someone to dance with. And then, if Roger isn’t awake by the time I’m finished, fuck him.”
I had to laugh, this Devan kid was sweet. Too bad he was stuck in a less than stellar situation, though he seemed to be handling it just fine now.
“Okay, kid,” I shook his hand. “You need anything we’re in hut fifteen.”
“I’m in twelve,” he told me with a shrug.
“It was a slice,” Bailey joked and we left Devan, as he placed an order for a long island iced tea with the server and sat down, his sad eyes fanning over the excuse for a date, passed out cold.
“Back to the dance floor, Ginger,” I joked, spinning Bailey in a circle as the music slowed.
“Okay, Fred.”
~
~Jeff~
Even I had to admit Nolan and Bailey really looked happy. It was nice to see Nolan truly content again. He sure got the shit end of the stick with that Erik knob, he crushed him like he was a nasty bug, poor bastard. Infidelity wasn’t reserved to heterosexuals, even the gay world suffered the grim reality of betrayal. What the hell was wrong with people? Nolan looked over and nodded, I held up my drink and tipped my head, giving him a silent cheer.
“You want to dance?” Pete asked, drumming the pads of his thumbs to the beat of the music on the brass rail of the bar.
“Looking for a punch in the face?” I snarled, because he was getting on my nerves, again.
“Just asking,” Pete held up his hands. “We’re supposed to fake like we’re married… my wife likes to dance, she’d like this place.”
“Well, too bad she isn’t here,” I finished my drink in one mouthful before setting the glass down and standing. “I’m going to the can.”
“Should I go with you?” Pete asked.
“You really do want a fucking punch in the face, huh?” My fist met his shoulder with a quick whack.
“Just for that, I’m not ordering you another drink.”
“Hang on, let me see if I can do this,” I blinked my eyes as he watched, rubbing his arm. “Nope, not one fuck given.”
“Asshole,” Pete grunted, turning away as I headed to the washroom.
As if on cue, the three men occupying the washroom made a hasty retreat, I would have questioned why if I had not needed to go so badly. Standing in front of the urinal, I unzipped my fly and let out a long sigh as a steady stream trickled down the urinal wall and I read limericks written on the tiles. Completely off guard and unable to react as the air left my lungs in a rush, a sharp elbow forced between my shoulder blades shoved my chest forward, the urinal lever jamming painfully into my sternum.
“What the fuck!” I tried to turn, but the man with the sharp elbow held me in place, as his other hand crushed my face against the cold tile wall.
“You either have nine fucking lives my friend or horseshoes up your ass, but sooner or later your luck’s going to run out. I’m feeling generous tonight, so I’m giving you one last chance to close the deal.” The elbow of the angry man dug in deeper to make his point as he whisper-yelled into my ear, “Tomorrow at noon, you take my money to the water slide, nice and public. You make the deal and then drop the goods off in the spa change room, locker ten. Got all that?”
“You got the wrong guy,” I immediately regretted opening my mouth, when a fist rammed into my kidney, the breath ripping from my lungs, the burning pain enough to bring tears to my eyes. “Got it… noon… slide… spa… ten.”
“Glad you decided to use what little brains you got left. I’m telling you, if it wasn’t for your cousin Gino… conclude this little business transaction and you get to live, fuck it up or think you can keep my money and you’re done. It won’t matter who you’re related to,” the guy with the sharp elbow growled. “Now, a nice slow count from one to fifty will guarantee I don’t stick around and finish you off. Enjoy your evening and don’t forget to set your alarm.”
After counting to one hundred, because I was sure the angry man had every intention of killing me had I attempted to move before my countdown was finished, I opened my eyes and looked around as I zipped up my fly. Only then did I move to the sink and splash my face with cold water. My side ached like a bitch and I was shaking like a leaf. An indentation on my chest from the urinals lever reminded me that this guy had been serious with his threats. But who the fuck did he think I was? I wasn’t waiting around to find out.
“I’m leaving,” I told Pete, as I grabbed my jacket from the back of my chair.
“Wait, what’s going on?” Pete asked, startled by my bark. “Aren’t you going to tell the guys you’re leaving?”
“You tell them for me, I’m outta here.”
“What do I say?”
“Tell them I had a headache, I’ll see you later.”
“Wait,” Pete tried to holler over the music. “What happened? What’s going on?”
The fear of death had me moving at a speed I didn’t think possible. I was back in my hotel room before I realized it, sweat rolling off of me as if I had been standing under a waterfall. I stripped out if my clothes and jumped into the shower but not before making sure the bathroom door was locked and a chair was wedged under the door handle.
~
~Nolan~
Sticking around to find out what happened between Jeff and Pete was not my idea of getting out for some fun. Those two were pathetic with their constant squabbling and as if that wasn’t bad enough, now Jeff had stormed off in some kind of hissy fit for a reason God only knew.
Bailey and I walked back to the hotel with Pete and waited until he assured us Jeff had been seen by the desk clerk going up to their room. Since I knew they were safe for the night, I planned on spending some quality time alone with Bailey.
“Put the pair of them out of your mind,” I instructed Bailey, as we walked hand in hand along the shore of the beach. “I have a surprise for you when we get back to the hut.”
“I like surprises,” Bailey grinned.
He tripped stepping onto the dock, my hand reaching out and grabbing him before he ended up on his face.
“Clumsy fuck,” Bailey laughed.
“Are you okay?”
“Tired, I get clumsy and trip over my own feet after a long day,” he bent and tapped Taz with his knuckles.
“Come here,” I whipped Bailey around to face me. Grabbing hold of his hips and lifted him, his legs encircling my waist and his arms around my neck. “I like you vulnerable, it makes my dick hard.”
“Brushing my teeth makes your dick hard,” he joked. “In fact, walking, sitting, standing, breathing, even picking dirt out from under my fingernails seems to turn you on.”
“What can I say, I like everything you do,” I grasped his ass cheeks, boosting him into a better position as I walked along the dock.
My earlobe sucked between his teeth, a blanket of goosebumps swimming over my skin as Bailey gently nipped at the lobe, chuckling when I jumped. He poked the tip of his tongue into my ear and swirled it around as I hummed with pleasure, my dick twitching with anticipation. Knowing Bailey was going to appreciate my surprise that waited inside, I rushed to the closed door.
“Keep that up and we won’t make it inside,” I jokingly grumbled.
“Fine by me, Doc,” Bailey purred, peppering kisses across my throat, he had magical lips, strong nimble fingers and, oh, that ass of his.
“Open the door, but close your eyes,” I instructed. Bailey felt around for the door handle and turned it while keeping his eyes glued to mine. He then closed them with a smile. “Keep them closed.”
As instructed, room service had laid out a Nutella fondue picnic by the glass floor and placed a few candles in Mason jars around the room. The bedspread had been pulled back and a tray of assorted oils and lubes sat on the bedside table. There was even a white rose and foil packed condom on each pillow, which I had not requested, and music was softly playing from the bedside docking station.
“Open your eyes.”
“Wow,” Bailey’s jaw dropped open as he slid from my hold, looking around. “Did you do all this for me?”
“And me,” I tittered, resting my chin on Bailey’s shoulder as I wrapped him in my arms from behind. “I can be extremely selfish when the mood takes me.”
“No way,” Bailey argued. “Sharing chocolate is the least selfish thing you could do, and I know because I’m a self-professed addict. And look, there’s healthy fruit for you. Oh my God, is that bacon?”
“Yep, and it’s not just chocolate, it’s Nutella.
There was that childlike conduct that made me feel younger, alive. Bailey was the perfect man for me, I just hadn’t realized how perfect until that very moment. He was everything I had sought or demanded in a partner. Besides making me feel alive again, he challenged me both mentally and physically, made me laugh and even when I felt my worst, Bailey had a way of bringing me out of my deepest funk. He was the reason for the smile on my face.
Tonight, I was going to tell Bailey that I loved him. There was no sense questioning further how I really felt or prolonging the inevitable, since one way or another Bailey was going to know tonight. He had used the L-word once, though it was in his dreams, but he had confessed it and so would I.
“Wait,” I said, as Bailey wiggled from my arms. “Underwear only, ’cause this is going to get messy.”
“Promise?” Bailey grinned, pulling his shirt over his head in a hurry and purposely dropping it at my feet.
“Promise,” I said, as he then removed my shirt and tossed it over his shoulder.
Down to our Andrew Christian’s, I cautiously dipped my pinky into the chocolate pot. It was warm, not hot as I feared and I laughed when Bailey quickly grabbed my wrist and sucked my pinky into his mouth with a moan of satisfaction. Visions of my cock coated in chocolate caused me to smile widely.
“You have such a dirty mind,” Bailey snickered as he dipped a strip of bacon into the chocolate and brought it to my mouth and chocolate dribbling onto my chest.
I took a bite and watched as Bailey popped the other half into his mouth and chewed, humming and closing his eyes, pleasure overwhelming him. He swallowed, smiled wickedly and leaned forward licking at the chocolate off my skin. It was heaven feeling his warm wet tongue on my flesh.
“Your turn, let me see what there is,” I pored over the platter of goodies before making my choice. “Biscotti?”
“Yum.”
I selectively chose a piece of biscotti with a divot so I could spoon up a hefty amount of chocolate. Bailey monitored my every move, the smile in his eyes contagious as I unhurriedly brought the biscotti to his lips. We both knew my move was intentional as the warm chocolate trickled across Bailey’s thigh, a small amount landing with a splash on his purple underwear and more falling in a long string as it cooled onto his stomach.
“Open,” I directed, and watched his mouth open, his tongue waited with expectancy.
As his head tipped back, I pulled away just enough to tease and allow the chocolate to dribble onto his chin. Bailey raised a brow and I laughed as he took an aggressive bite, my beautiful man made me laugh. I bit my lip and looked him over, coated in chocolate. I licked his chin and kissed his mouth, darting my tongue inside for a taste, the biscotti and chocolate still warm on his breath.
“More,” Bailey invited, his voice so quiet the whisper on his breath nearly stole it.
With a wicked sneer, I pressed my palm to his chest and shoved, knocking Bailey off balance, falling back with a laugh. The glow of the water reflecting up through the glass floor under Bailey’s head made him look almost angelic. My eyes were bonded to Bailey’s as I licked my way up his body, his breath catching and becoming more labored. I loved the way he reacted to my touches, my kisses, my tongue.
“You’re beautiful,” I whispered, as my lips met his, our kisses deep with passion. “Bailey… I think I love you.”
Bailey pried my shoulders back looking into my eyes, confusion and something damned close to trepidation held within his mocha brown brilliance. Ensnaring our feet together, Bailey hefted me onto my back, pinning me under his weight. He brushed the hair off of my forehead and studied my face for a long minute, giving me the opportunity to really see into his soul. The trepidation I thought I had seen was no longer there, not even a trace. Bailey’s thumbs stroked over my cheeks as he held my face in his hands, emitting a drawn-out sigh.
“I don’t think I love you,” Bailey spoke tenderly, his words barely audible because of the beat of my heart whooshing past my ears.
Moisture sparkled in the corners of my eyes, the last thing I wanted Bailey to see was me crying like a big, disheartened baby. I tried to wiggle out from under him, but Bailey held me in place, increasing his grasp on my face.
“Doc,” Bailey wiped the tears away that escaped my treacherous eyes. “I don’t think I love you, I know I love you!”
“What?” I asked, hoping to hell that I was hearing right.
“I love you, too, Doc,” Bailey melded our lips together.
“You bastard,” I pulled back and chuckled feeling like a fool. “Making me think-”
“Never mind that,” Bailey grumbled. “Make love to me, Doc. I need to feel you inside me. Right now.”
“Grab the lube,” I nodded over to the bed, “while I clean this up.”
Bailey latched onto my wrist. “Fuck it. I’m only interested in making more mess anyway. So, in the time it takes me to grab the lube, a condom and a few pillows, you better be naked and hard like a steel pole.”
“Mmm… I like it when you’re all take charge,” I growled, as Bailey stood up sliding his underwear down his thighs and stepping out of them. His white ass lightly coated in hair reminded me of the down on a duck.
“Whatever it takes to get your dick hard,” Bailey giggled over his shoulder. “I’ll be happy to do. Name your fetish, we can negotiate. I’m not into dressing up like Little Red Riding Hood or the misbehaved school girl, but I’m not opposed to the smell of leather or even the touch of fine French lace.”
“My, oh my,” I rubbed the head of my cock through the ribbed fabric of my underpants, a wet spot of pre-cum growing larger as Bailey stood over me. “This is a side of you I think I’m going to enjoy.”
“Not with those on,” Bailey hooked the leg of my underpants with his toe and laughed as he wobbled off balance. “Clumsy fuck.”
Hooking my thumb into the waist of my underpants, I pulled the fabric back, my cock bobbed to attention. The glistening bead of pre-cum dribbled over the crown onto his hand as I positioned it as a silent invitation to my lover.
“Mmm… is that for me?” Bailey asked, dropping over my body in a rush, causing me to gasp. “So, what are your fetishes Doc? You must have at least one.”
“I like kink,” I quickly admitted.
“Such as?” Bailey began doing pushups, each time he lowered himself his cock rubbed against mine, like rubbing two sticks together causing a spark to ignite.
“Edging,” I said sharply, as my cock twitched and my balls tightened. “Flogging, handcuffs, and ropes once in a while, just for fun.”
“Flogging?” Bailey seemed stuck on the word for a few seconds before sitting up and pinning my legs in place as he beamed into my face. “I wonder if they sell floggers in the gift shop?”
I bit into my bottom lip as Bailey suited me up, sliding the condom down my shaft and holding the clear bottle of lube in the air, allowing it to drizzle in a long string like a chain of sparkling diamonds. He had me nearly breathless as he clutched my cock before he straddled my hips and then lowered himself onto my waiting cock. There was no buildup, no foreplay or preparing whatsoever, just the delicious feel of Bailey’s tight hole stretching around me, swallowing me whole, taking the breath from me in a low deep rumble.
In a kneejerk reaction, my hands grasped Bailey’s hips holding him in place while I sought control, taking deep steady breaths with my eyes pinched tight. If I had looked at Bailey, I would have been finished, literally.
“Easy, big boy,” Bailey messaged his hands back and forth across my belly. “Lay back and let me enjoy the ride, it isn’t going to take long.”
With his head tipped back, his mouth gaping wide, moaning out each breath like a wounded animal in heat, I bit into my bottom lip and attempted to recite the alphabet backwards. I was going to cum and ruin it all far too soon for poor Bailey. But looking at his face scrunched up as if in agony, his hips slowing down the pace he had built, I could tell he was just as close as I was.
“Doc, I’m almost there,” Bailey grumbled. “Look at me, look at me, baby.”
Staring into Bailey’s eyes, the sparkle of hot need behind the mocha glow sent a tingle racing along my spine, my balls tightened, readying for the explosive orgasm I knew was moments away. Bailey pinched my nipple between his thumb and finger, the surge of sweet pain just enough to toss me over the edge.
“Oh, Bail’s, fuck!” I roared, hot jizz spurting inside the sheath in Bailey’s ass. My release felt like heaven.
“Ohhh…” Bailey moaned, stroking his cock with fury, the sweat glistening on his beautiful face as he grunted and his seed blasted from him like a cannon over the side of my cheek. “Jeff!”
“What the fuck?”
~
Shocked when I heard Bailey calling out another man’s name, I sat up on my elbows with a scowl, ready to shove Bailey as far away from me as I could get him. But from the strange look masking his face as he looked past me, I knew that look had nothing to do at all with rapture.
He pointed and I twisted myself to see, both of us scrambling to our feet as Jeff’s cold stare through the glass floor shook us.
“Jesus, Jeff!” I yelled, my feet moving before I was aware.
The cold water on my hot, sweaty skin felt like razors cutting into me as I jumped in and ducked under the porch of the hut, swimming as fast as I could to get to Jeff. There was four, maybe six inches maximum between the hut floor and the water, where I could take a breath before grabbing hold of Jeff. Sucking in a lungful of air, I latched onto Jeff’s shirt and tugged him close to me. He was cold to the touch and lifeless. I feared he was beyond help. There was no time to assess the situation I needed to get him out of the water. I dragged Jeff behind me as I swam out from under the hut. Bailey was stooped over the edge of the porch. When we surfaced, he reached out and as I shoved, Bailey pulled until we got Jeff out of the water and rolled onto the porch.
“Call 911!” I shouted, even though Bailey was right beside me when I jumped out of the water, scrambling over to Jeff and rolled him onto his back.
Pressing my fingers to the side of Jeff’s neck, I wasn’t surprised when there was no pulse. His skin was gray, his lips blue. His hair was matted to his face and as I reached out and gently swept it away I noticed the temperature of his skin was icy. Not just cold, it was void of life. He was gone and no amount of CPR was going to bring him back.
“I called Martinez,” Bailey assured me, both of us staring down at Jeff lying lifeless on his back. “I don’t know your friend very well, Doc, but something is different about him.”
“Yeah, he’s dead,” I said, tears beginning to roll down my cheek. “Give me your phone, I need to call Pete… and grab us shorts or something.”
Bailey sped into the hut returning with two resort robes tossing me one as he slipped into the other. He handed me his phone and knelt down beside Jeff, inspecting him closely. I didn’t know what Bailey was looking for, but it irritated me, the way he was inspecting Jeff like a cadaver. I snorted, realizing that’s exactly what he was.
“What the hell are you doing?” I asked when Bailey carefully pinched the skin on the back of Jeff’s hand.
“How long ago did we see Jeff?”
“Very funny,” I shook my head.
“How long?” he insisted.
“I don’t know,” I shrugged, wiping fresh tears from my eyes. “A few hours, maybe three.”
“This isn’t Jeff,” Bailey said with bold conviction. “I was never tops in forensics class, but based on the condition of this guy’s skin and the bloating… I’m telling you, this guy has been dead in the water at least six hours, maybe more. And I’d bet my coffee shop he didn’t drown, he was floating which means the airway to the lungs was blocked, causing the body to float. Besides this hole in the side of his head screams blunt force trauma. This Dead Jeff was hit with something hard enough to knock a hole in his skull and then he was tossed in the water, probably in hopes of floating out to sea and never being seen again.”
“You’re serious, aren’t you?”
“Dead serious.”
On closer inspection, not that I wanted to get too close as my stomach lurched, Bailey was right. This Dead Jeff as Bailey called him had longer, darker hair. And yes, he was slightly bloated, but even a bloated Jeff couldn’t increase in height, this guy was well over six feet, Jeff was five six, maybe five seven at most. And this dead Jeff was missing the third finger on his left hand and had been for some time.
“Humor me,” I pled Bailey as I punched numbers into his phone. “Hey Pete? Is Jeff with you? Uh huh, I see,” my eyes met Bailey’s. “Me and Bailey will be over in a little bit… I’ll explain when we see you.”
I hit end on Bailey’s phone and snapped a few pictures of the dead Jeff, slipping it into the pocket of my robe as a storm of footsteps approached. Martinez and his men rounded the corner of the hut and looked down at the body, Martinez’s’ stare pinned us as he walked closer.
“Gentlemen,” Martinez greeted, with his own twisted rendition of pleasant.