IT WAS Kage’s big night. The gala to promote the Alcazar had finally arrived, and the place was packed with some of the most influential people in town. I scanned the room again looking for Kage. It appeared the host was late to his own party.

The bartender leaned against the bar directly in front of me, ignoring a guest at the other end who was calling for another drink. His eyes were bright, his dark hair slicked, and his jaw chiseled. He was the kind of bartender who probably made a lot of tips.

“Can I get you something to drink, Jamie?”

“Something hard,” I said. “ And straight.”

When he slid a shot glass in front of me, I picked it up and slammed it. Tequila. I didn’t even wince.

“One more,” I said.

He retrieved a clean shot glass, and came to stand in front of me as he poured it. His head bobbed to the beat of the electronic dance music that thumped from speakers at the other end of the conference room, where the lights had been dimmed and multicolored spots moved on the floor.

“You know these are double shots, right?” he asked.

I shrugged and downed the second, bracing against the burn and showing nothing. “I can handle it.”

“I hope so.” He nodded toward the door. “The boss man just arrived.”

My head whipped around, and there was Kage hovering just inside the entrance. The world slowed as I took him in. Navy blue button-down shirt in a crisp fabric, its sheen catching the light with every movement. Top three buttons undone to reveal a herringbone chain of the finest gold, and below it, enough chest hair to make my mouth water. His slacks were a deep charcoal, almost black, ironed and creased and hugging his ass just so.

I was wearing a similar outfit, which he’d left on the end of the bed for me when I got out of the shower. The shirt was almost identical to his, with the exception of mine being slightly lighter in color, but I was pretty sure I didn’t look nearly as stellar in mine as he did in his.

Watching him now, I was mesmerized as if I’d never seen him before. As if I hadn’t watched his back as he left our bedroom at 6 a.m. that morning and headed off to the dreaded job that waited down below. The job that was stealing him from me as surely as a secret lover.

He worked the room with a social skill I hadn’t known he possessed, the brooding rebel fighter replaced by a slick doppelganger, a fashion plate with a smile that lit up the face of every person caught in its path. He could have been a politician or a movie star, having left behind the cocky attitude he’d shown the reporters on the first night we’d met. He had worn a suit that night, too, but tonight he wore it differently. His cockiness had morphed into a mature confidence that was both intoxicating and terrifying.

I wanted to go to him, to run my fingertips through that chest hair and beg him to come up to our apartment. Instead, I motioned for the bartender to bring me another drink. Fuck it.

Kage had been distant for weeks—since just after the Grace Howard interview—and I knew it wasn’t just my imagination. There were moments when he was the Kage I knew and loved, but more and more he was a stranger to me. I still couldn’t figure out what the problem was. We’d had more harassment from reporters since he came out, and the expected social media backlash, but I didn’t think that’s what was bothering him.

“Might want to go easy on these bad boys.” The bartender slid another shot glass in front of me, this one smaller than the previous two.

“What was your name?” I asked, swallowing the shot and adding the glass to my growing collection.

“You don’t remember me?” he asked with a frown. “I’m Max. We met last summer when you were interning here. You came into the casino one night and ordered a Blue Moon, and we talked about your job and school. You said you were hoping to be a sports writer.”

“Oh, yeah.” I nodded, pretending to remember. “Well, Max. Next time bring me one of those doubles. I’m not a lightweight.”

He gave me a knowing smile and went to serve a group of guests who had bunched up at the end of the bar.

Steve appeared beside me, vanilla-scented and flamboyant as ever in a skin tight aqua shirt and peach bowtie. A teardrop was etched in glitter beneath the outer corner of his right eye.

I laughed. “What is that? A gay prison tattoo?”

“Very funny,” he said. “Are you drunk yet?” He grabbed an empty shot glass from the bar and sniffed it. “Did you know that tequila alters the personality? Shamans use it to get in touch with their spirit animals.”

“You’ve been spending too much time on Wikipedia.”

“It’s true, smarty-pants. Look it up.”

“No, it’s not. You’re thinking of peyote. It’s a hallucinogen.”

“Well, I know tequila gets me in touch with my spirit animal.” Steve winked, then waved at the bartender. “Max, two double shots of tequila, please. I need to catch up to Jamie so I can’t be expected to carry his drunk ass out of here.”

As Max walked away to get the shots, Steve leaned in close to my ear and stage-whispered, “I’d love to get in touch with Max’s spirit animal. From what I’ve heard, it’s probably a stallion.”

I chuckled, distracted, and turned back toward the room— toward Kage, who had some poor woman caught in his orbit. She floated there, smiling, preening, wanting. I recognized the look all too well.

Steve slammed his second empty glass down on the bar and coughed, his eyes watering. “If you glare any harder at Kage, you’re going to have crow’s feet by morning.”

“I’m not glaring. Just watching. He looks nice tonight, don’t you think?”

“Nice is an understatement. He’s like a blueberry Popsicle. Cool as ice and just waiting to be licked.” At my narrowed eyes, he added, “By you, of course.”

“I wish. My tongue can’t get anywhere near him with all these people around. I don’t think he even knows I’m here.”

Steve laughed. “I assure you that man knows where you are at all times. Remember, he’s got those bionic eyes. Go find a hot guy to flirt with and you’ll find out right quick whether he knows you’re here or not.”

“You really think I should?”

“Ummm, no. Hell no. The clean-up crew is going to be busy enough without having to scrub blood stains out of the carpet.” He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. “Cheer up. It’s just a party. He’s trying to be a success at this business. Taking his uncle’s place means rubbing elbows with influential people, and hosting a party is a great way to do that. I mean look at him. He’s come a long way, don’t you think, from the growly fighter in workout clothes?”

“But I like the growly fighter in workout clothes. I like him all hot and sweaty and mean.”

“Mean to everyone else, right? Because when he’s mean to everyone else, you’ve got him all to yourself.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“Hey, I totally get it. If he was my man, I’d be jealous as hell, too. I’d want to keep him busy in the bedroom all day long, not coming up for air except to eat and workout. But things are different now. He’s got a business to run, and if you ask me, he’s doing a great job of getting in there and making it happen. You should be proud of the man he’s becoming.”

“I am proud of him, Steve. But I can’t help wondering where I fit into all of it, and for how long. Jesus, I can’t believe I just said that out loud. Max!” I waved for another drink. “I need to get numb and enjoy myself. He’s just doing his job. There’s no reason for me to be freaking out, right?”

“No reason at all. Michael Kage— excuse me, Mr. Santori— is completely smitten with you. He just has a lot on his plate right now. When things settle into a nice groove, the two of you can take a trip somewhere, like Cancun or Seychelles. You’ll suck down drinks with little umbrellas in them and make love on the beach, and all will be right with the world. You’ll see.”

“I hope you’re right. It might sound crazy, but I don’t have anything but him anymore. School is over, and my friends and family… they’ve faded away. It’s like I gave everything up and made Kage my entire world. If I don’t fit into his, then I’m lost.”

“Oh, Jamie.” Steve draped his arms over my shoulders and pulled me in for a hug, filling my nostrils with a whiff of vanilla and tequila, and my eyes with the burn of unshed tears.

“I really have had too much to drink,” I said, rubbing my eyes against Steve’s shoulder to dry them before pulling away. “I’m about to get all blubbery over here.”

“That means it’s time to dance.” Steve grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to a spot in front of the DJ table. “I recommended this guy to Kage. He DJ’s down at the club I go to on Friday nights.”

We danced to the beat of an edgy song I’d never heard, and then a faster song came on. I followed Steve’s moves, being the sub-par dancer that I was. The alcohol I had consumed made me loose enough that I didn’t much care if I looked like an idiot.

After another couple of songs, when I could feel a thin sheen of sweat coating my skin, Vanessa joined us. The doubts that had her crying like a baby in the wake of Kage’s coming out seemed forgotten now as she twisted and swayed in a designer dress that did precious little to hide her Victoria’s Secret curves.

“You look hot tonight,” she yelled to me over the music, as if she’d picked the words straight from my brain. At the sight of my shocked expression, she giggled and twirled around, swiping at her nose and sniffing.

“Blue is really his color,” Steve said. “If he wasn’t already taken, I’d be hitting on him so hard.”

“Stop it, you two. I don’t need cheering up.” I rolled my eyes, but I liked the attention.

Vanessa looked perplexed. “Why would you need cheering up? You’re co-hosting an amazing party. Look at all the people who showed up. Do you realize how many politicians and celebrities are here? You’re living the dream, baby. Like seriously.” She swiped at her nose a couple more times, the tip glowing pink in the low light.

“Do you have a cold?” I asked.

She gave a flippant wave of her hand. “I’m fine. Nothing that could keep me away from a party.”

“Jamie is pouting because Kage is busy working the room like a boss,” Steve said, apparently eager to air my emotional problems to Vanessa. “I told him he just needed to chill and let him do his thing. Kage is the man now. He can’t just go running off to a corner and make out with his boyfriend. This is the big time, not high school.”

“You didn’t tell me all of that,” I said. “You were talking about umbrella drinks and sex on the beach.”

Steve shrugged, still dancing. “Well, I should have told you all of that, and now I have. Just relax and have fun. Just think, you get to dance and get drunk with us while Kage is working. Lucky you.”

Vanessa did a slow spin, maximizing the sway of her hips as a man who was dancing nearby watched with undisguised interest. When she came back around, she grabbed me by the hand and made me move with her.

“Imagine if Kage was one of those controlling men,” she said. “He could make you stick to his side like glue the whole time, nodding and smiling like some trophy wife. Only you would be a trophy boyfriend. No man is ever going to do that to me. I’d rather party.”

I didn’t tell her that I thought I might rather be the trophy boyfriend, because how lame was that? Instead, I lost myself in the dancing until my mouth got dry and I decided it was time for another round of drinks. I motioned for them to follow, and we rushed the bar, where we slammed double shots at the same time.

“We need something stronger than this,” I said. “What’s stronger than tequila?”

“Peyote, apparently,” Steve said.

“Oh, I know.” Vanessa jumped up and down in her heels, defying the laws of physics as only a model could. “Everclear. The first time I drank it, I woke up on the front lawn of a frat house wearing only my underwear.”

Steve smirked. “And a Victoria’s Secret model was born.”

I tuned out their chatter, because who really cared? I was on a mission to find euphoria at the bottom of a glass.

“Oh, Maaaxxx…” I called, slapping a quick drum roll on the bar with my palms.

He made his way over to me with a grin. “What do you need now, Jamie?”

I motioned him in closer, so close our noses nearly touched, and in a conspiratorial whisper asked, “Do you have something harder?”

Max raised a brow and kept his voice low. “Just how hard are we talking?”

“The hardest thing you’ve got back there.”

I was flirting, throwing out obvious double entendres, but I was beyond giving a shit. Maybe if another guy showed me some attention, Kage would snap out of whatever funk he was in. Even Steve had suggested it, even if it had been in jest.

Max gave my lips a subtle glance. Then he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and opened them again. “Jamie, I think you need to slow down. I’m cutting you off.”

“What? I’m fine,” I protested, hearing the slur in my own voice.

“I’m not losing my job over you,” he said.

“Why would you lose your job? I’m celebrating, and if anybody doesn’t like it, they can kiss my Versace-wrapped ass. Or whatever this stupid brand is.” I spun around like a dog chasing its tail, digging into the waistband of my pants in an effort to locate a label, when I ran right into Kage.

He stared down at me, and the friendly smile he’d charmed all of the guests with had been replaced by a scowl. A really sexy scowl that made my knees weak.

Michael Kage was back in the house.

Without a word, he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me away from Steve and Vanessa, who both made sounds behind us like I was in big trouble. Great. Steve was right, this wasn’t high school. At the moment, it felt more like preschool, with me being hauled away to a time-out.

Kage dragged me all the way across the room to an area behind the DJ table. I had never been in that part of the hotel, so I didn’t know what to expect. Kage pulled me through a door into a dark room and slammed the door behind us. Then he flipped the light switch, revealing the interior of a supply closet.

“You trying for a replay of my mom’s pantry?” I asked.

Kage scowled. “Not really in the mood for jokes, Jamie. What the fuck are you playing at tonight?”

“Kage, I didn’t know they were double shots at first. And then Steve and Vanessa showed up and—”

Kage didn’t let me finish. He shut me up with hard kiss on my lips, wasting no time shoving his tongue in and lapping hungrily at me. All I could do was melt against him and let him have his way with my mouth. It was an assault. A glorious, mind-numbing assault on my mouth and my senses.

“Kage,” I gasped as he pulled away enough for me to catch my breath.

“Hush.”

He started unbuttoning his pants, kissing me several more times as he worked them loose and pushed them down his muscled thighs. Just the sight of him like that, with his fancy clothes pushed askew and the caramel hairs on his legs catching the light, had me rock hard and ready. I reached down to unfasten my own pants and set my erection free, but he snatched my hand away.

“You’ve been teasing me all night,” he said, his voice low and rough. “Getting drunk, dancing and flirting with everyone. Trying to get my attention.”

“But I—”

“Tell me, Jamie. Tell me you were trying to get my attention.”

“I was trying to get your attention.” I sighed and leaned into him, dragging in a lungful of his aphrodisiac scent. “Seems like I’m always trying to get your attention these days.”

“And you think flirting is the way to do it? Making me think you’re hot for someone else?”

I glanced down at his hard cock and smiled. “Looks that way.”

“Fuck you, Jamie. Get on your knees.”

“What?” I asked, shocked at the ruthlessness in his voice.

“You heard me. I said get on your knees.”

“Aye aye, captain.” I dropped to the floor, wincing at the bite of concrete through the thin layer of carpet. I was drunk, so I had no doubt I’d be feeling it even worse when morning rolled around.

Kage grabbed me by the hair and reeled me in toward him, rubbing the velvety head of his dick across my lips. It felt like heaven.

“This mouth is mine,” he said. “When I hear you using it to talk dirty to some other guy, it makes me crazy. I think I need to remind you who you belong to.”

I nodded, eager to be reminded.

His eyes softened just a little. “Open your mouth, baby.”

I spread my lips and opened wide for him, groaning as he pushed inside. I closed my mouth around him and sucked hungrily, but he controlled the movements, using a handful of my hair to guide me.

He wasn’t gentle, but I didn’t expect him to be. This was Kage, my hot fighter, and I was dying for him to use me. I wanted him to be brutal. I deserved it.

He pushed his cock down my throat, moaning with pleasure when I sputtered and gasped for air. My eyes watered, and still he pushed in again, even deeper this time, before pulling back just enough to give me a breath. He repeated the movement slowly and methodically until tears were streaming from my eyes and he was trembling with the need to explode.

I reached down and palmed my dick through my dress pants, rubbing hard, trying to make myself come. I’d never jerked off through pants before, but this wasn’t any normal sexual encounter. It was raw and dirty and needy as hell. It was about being used and getting off however I could. I needed to come, and I wasn’t above ruining my pants to do it.

I whimpered, my movements becoming erratic, and Kage didn’t try to stop me. He watched me with fevered eyes and kept his painful grip on my hair as he fucked my throat.

I finally jerked myself to climax, moaning long and low around Kage’s cock as I shot my load all in my pants. He went up onto his toes and thrust down at an angle, bypassing my gag reflex. His shaft quaked and pulsed as he finished deep in my throat.

When he pulled out, I gasped for air and worked to even out my breathing for long enough that Kage got worried. He knelt down beside me and wrapped his arms around me.

“You okay, baby? I didn’t mean to choke you for real.”

“I’m fine,” I said, almost back to normal. “Guess I’ve gotta keep my lungs in tip top condition if I’m gonna be blowing Michael Kage. I’ll start doing breath-holding exercises in the hotel pool.”

He chuckled and rubbed his hand in my hair, messing it up even worse. There was no mirror in the storage closet, but I was pretty sure I looked like the only male hooker at a gay biker convention. Puffy eyes, hair standing on end, jizz in my pants. Jesus Christ.

“My clothes,” I groaned. Now that I had come back to my senses, jerking off in a Versace suit didn’t seem like such a good idea.

Kage, who had his cock out but still managed to look like a million bucks, laughed at me. “Here, I’ll be your mirror. Let’s get you straightened up enough to sprint through the party, and then I’ll take you upstairs and tuck you in.”

“I have to go home?” I whined, wishing I had stopped drinking about five shots back.

“Baby, I can’t focus with you here. This is an important event, and there are a lot of key people here. I need to do big things with this hotel or I’ll never—” He stopped abruptly and leaned his forehead against mine. “We really need this, okay?”

“Okay,” I said. “I’m sorry I got drunk and acted like a jerk. I just miss you so much.” I choked back tears. “See? I’m crying drunk. That’s not good.”

Kage pulled me up to standing and helped me get presentable. We couldn’t do much about the puffy eyes or the subtle wet spot on the front of my pants, but he was able to comb my hair with his fingers enough that I looked fairly presentable from a distance. On our way back through the party, a group of people tried to flag Kage down, but he made up a vague excuse about a matter that needed his attention and promised to return soon.

The elevator ride passed in a drunken haze. Before I knew it, we were back in the apartment, where Kage made good on his promise to tuck me in.

“I know this is hard for you,” he said, pulling the covers up to my chin and giving me a wistful smile. “I’ve been busy and distant. You’ve tried to tell me, and I haven’t been listening. Please try to have patience with me a while longer. I’m doing my best. In the meantime, I’ve decided I’m going to set you up with your own MMA blog. It will give you something of your own to focus on, and hopefully that will take some pressure off of both of us. I’ll get you whatever for the business. The sky’s the limit. How does that sound?”

“It sounds…” I searched for words, my emotions waffling between hurt and elated. My own blog? It was a dream come true. But was he doing it just to get me out of his hair?

No. It wasn’t fair for me to have thoughts like that. Kage was thoughtful and caring, and he loved me. And by God, I did need to get out of his fucking hair. I was just being selfish and paranoid. And let’s not forget drunk.

I smiled at him and pulled him down for a goodnight kiss. “It sounds amazing.”