SIX

 

It would have been fine, Brad knew, hesitating on the brink of a decision that he knew that he couldn’t come back from. It would have been fine if Aaron hadn’t kissed him like that out of nowhere. It had been difficult, but Brad had been keeping his hands to himself, and he had been relatively sure that he could have continued doing that indefinitely.

But Aaron had kissed him, and it was like his willpower had been snapped, rendered no more powerful and restrictive than a piece of thread around the neck of the wild animal of his desire. It was impossible for him to comprehend, even right on the brink of plunging inside of Aaron, just how this had all happened. How he’d lost control so thoroughly.

It was those eyes, glistening at him, made even more rare and unique a shade of brilliant blue by desire. Those eyes, those lips, that tight little body which had yielded so perfectly to Brad’s touch.

Damn it, it was everything about Aaron, and just like that, Brad’s vaunted willpower was gone. Their clothing was stripped off in seconds, and before Brad even knew how to comprehend what had happened, he was pressed against Aaron, then entering a body which was far too tight, which gripped him and seemed to draw him further inside of himself.

Aaron was so tight, it was almost painful around Brad, and he knew that it must have been a long time since he’d last been with anyone. So why this, why now? There were so many questions, and yet, the only thing that seemed to matter was the movement, the thrust of their bodies together, the way Aaron’s cock was burning hot to the touch as Brad wrapped his hand around it.

The young man’s slender legs wrapped around Brad’s waist, anchoring him to himself, and they moved together in the sort of perfect rhythm that, in Brad’s experience, only came when people had been sexual partners for quite some time. But Aaron’s body just seemed to move, to work, in the exact same way that fit perfectly with Brad’s natural movements, until their writhing bodies seemed more like one person than two.

Dangerous thoughts, and not thoughts that he was used to having, but they were there anyway. Brad wrapped his arms around the gorgeous young man’s slender body and hauled him hard against himself, squeezing until they could both barely breathe, trapping Aaron between the desk and himself.

They were tangled together, Aaron’s legs and arms around Brad, Brad’s hands on Aaron’s back, kissing over and over as they writhed as though they could somehow get even closer.

When the orgasm ripped through Brad, when it stole his very breath from his lungs, it was out of nowhere. It had been intense enough just to be this close to Aaron, to feel his body against him, to have him clenched around his cock. The pleasure was almost a surprise, rather than the end goal, and it was all the more intense for being unexpected.

At the same time, Aaron was crying out, panting against Brad’s lips as he rocked up onto Brad and spilled his own fluids, hot and sticky, all over them both. It was all so unacceptable, so not allowed, so hot and desperate and messy and so utterly unlike anything that Brad would usually go for.

What made it better somehow, though, was the knowledge that it was the same for Aaron. This wasn’t normal for either of them, but that only helped a little. Gradually, Aaron’s legs and arms loosened from around Brad, and he pulled away, gathering together his clothes and his dignity as best he could.

Silently, Aaron dressed himself, too, while Brad dealt with the condom and ran shaking fingers through his dark hair, trying to neaten it up a bit. As something like sanity returned, Brad had to face some facts, and he sat down in his chair, gripping the edge of the smooth wood of the desk, looking up at Aaron.

“I’ll have to leave now. I’ll speak to Lara today.”

He had so wanted to do amazing things with this band. To bring them up out of the ashes that Lester had brought them down into, to make them all a lot of money. But obviously, now, the only ethical thing to do, with what he had just done, would be to walk away, to let someone else do it.

Aaron shook his head, dropping down into a chair of his own, moving just a little bit stiffly in a way that might have made Brad smirk if he hadn’t been so lost in his own thoughts. Aaron seemed like he might be just a little bit sore, and that was, despite everything, deeply gratifying.

“No.”

It was just the one word at first, but truthfully, Brad hadn’t expected Aaron to have any objections at all. He had thought that Aaron would even be glad to get rid of him, and he arched his eyebrows in silent, eloquent question as he waited for Aaron to say more.

“It didn’t mean anything,” Aaron spoke, and Brad’s eyebrows rose higher. “I won’t tell, because there’s nothing to tell. It never has to happen again, so let’s just move on and forget it.”

Brad frowned, turning the words over in his mind, trying to get a grip on them. At least he knew what Aaron wanted now, and that was for this to not happen again, so he could put aside any thoughts he’d been having of this being anything. The sex had been good, but was Aaron right? Did it really mean nothing?

Nothing compared to his job, anyway. So Brad told himself, so he wanted to believe because more than anything he did want to stay. He’d had so many plans, and he’d wanted to be around to see them to fruition.

“Do you really think so?” Brad mused, and Aaron nodded.

“Yes. We just got it out of our systems. We’re professionals, right?” Aaron gave him a tight little smile, maybe the first one that Brad had seen out of the intense, focused young man. “Besides, in six months, I’ll be gone.”

Well, that part Brad didn’t intend to let Aaron get away with. He wasn’t sure why Aaron was so intent on getting out of the band, out of the business completely, but what he did know was that he had six months to change Aaron’s mind. Six months was a very long time.

Really, the truth was, Brad wanted to be convinced. More than anything, he wanted Aaron’s words to be true because he had worked too long and too hard for this. He really didn’t want to bow out of his first major assignment, not when part of him was still shocked that Lara had picked him for the role at all.

“Okay,” Brad allowed, but it seemed that Aaron had already anticipated his answer because he was rising to his feet and heading for the door. Obviously not one for long goodbyes, which might have offended Brad considering what they’d just shared, only they had already been over how it didn’t mean anything.

In seconds, Aaron was gone, leaving Brad with his own thoughts. Thoughts which all revolved around Aaron, in one way or another. The professional was more important, of course, but …

… But Brad wasn’t sure he would ever, ever be able to forget the look on Aaron’s face as Brad thrust into him, spread out over Brad’s desk, face blurred and helpless with passion. Maybe they could never have this again, and Brad would do his best to move on, but there was no rule against him remembering.

 

* * *

 

The rest of the band was all ready to sign. They were all just waiting for Aaron, who had been even more elusive than usual for the last couple of days. Realistically speaking, Brad supposed, he could just replace Aaron after the six months, but somehow, he was still holding out some hope.

For a moment, at their previous meeting, Brad had been almost sure that he had seen traces of interest in Aaron’s eyes. The stubborn young man might need some convincing, but if he could be talked into it, it would be good for both of them.

Everything that Brad had said, he had meant. Aaron had it in him to be a big deal, maybe the biggest deal. With his smoldering, intense beauty, his deep voice, the smooth, seductive shapes his body made as he danced, he had everything.

So why not give it a shot? Brad had had two contracts drawn up by his lawyer, one for the six months that Aaron had requested, the other for a longer, two-year term, as Brad had originally wanted.

Brad wasn’t going to try to trick Aaron, of course. But he should give it a shot, so he got everything in order. Two contracts for Aaron to choose from, and a one year contract for all of the other members of the band. What the rest of the Lost Boys would do, Brad wasn’t sure. Maybe some of them would go on to have their own solo careers.

They were a talented group of young men—he told his conscience. They would be fine.

With all of that done, Brad called Aaron, made arrangements with him to see him that night. It was just business, he told himself, though that didn’t explain why he made reservations at one of the hottest new restaurants in town. It was just that he wanted to try it out.

It wasn’t a date or anything. And he wasn’t putting on his nicest suit, either, or taking extra care with his appearance. His stomach wasn’t tingling, filled with the butterflies of anticipation at seeing Aaron, either.

It was just business, just like he and Aaron had agreed. And if Brad enjoyed himself, well, he supposed there was probably no rule against that, either.

Only even then, he didn’t really fool himself, not completely. Something in Aaron had started to worm its way into Brad’s defenses, and even though he knew that, it seemed like he was powerless to stop it. But as long as they kept it professional like Aaron said, there was no harm in it, right?