Bad Behavior (Bad in Baltimore) (28 page)

“What the hell is going on with you?”

“Nothing. So really, how are things with Jamie?”

“I’m shocked you admit to knowing his name. Things are fine.”

“Speaking of boyfriends…” Beach reached into his breast pocket and took out Tai’s check, “…this is from him, for the shelter.”

Gavin glanced at it before tucking it away. “Thank him for me.” His hand smoothed the surface of the table. “So, is this the one I met at the hospital, the one you’re trying out your kinks with?”

Beach leaned back, shifting the plug, and smiled at Gavin. “Exactly how many boyfriends have you known me to have?”

“Point taken.” Gavin’s sudden attention made Beach flush, as if his friend could see what was putting the grin on Beach’s face. “He’s…big.”

Beach rolled his eyes.

“So that’s what you do? All you do? Leather and bondage?”

Beach looked down at Gavin’s fingers splayed on the cream-colored linen. For twenty years, Beach had told Gavin everything and listened to his complaints about his father and his siblings. Gavin had been with him on every adventure of Beach’s life. But he froze at the thought of trying to explain that kneeling at Tai’s feet made Beach feel more content than anything ever had, that the only thing that scared him now was not having that again.

“Seems like more than you and Sergeant Boyfriend have in common.”

Gavin shrugged infuriatingly.

“No. That’s not all.” Today they’d sat and talked for two hours outside Le Vol au Vent. Beach couldn’t remember what they’d discussed, only that he hadn’t been bored for an instant. That he would have sat there longer.

It was easier to control the movement of the plug sitting down. Damn, he could work it pretty sweetly like this. Though that wasn’t going to make it easier to stand up, and he wanted to check on his bid for the cultivar.

“Goddamn it, Beach.”

He jerked his attention back to Gavin. “What?”

“You’re high. What are you on?”

“Nothing. I swear.”

“I know you.” Gavin reached forward and pulled Beach’s sunglasses from his face. “Jesus. Look at your eyes. Your pupils are huge.”

“It’s dark in here.”

“Bullshit. I can’t believe this. Do you want to go to jail?”

“Of course not. Gavin, I’m not— I swear, I haven’t had anything stronger than orange juice in two months.”

“I wish I could believe it. I hope they don’t call you in for a test before you get it out of your system.”

Beach tried to keep a straight face. He really did. But he felt so damned good and
get it out of your system
was just too funny to ignore. He clenched his jaw, but that only clenched all his other muscles, including the ones reminding him exactly what was still
in his system
. Laughter erupted from his chest.

“God, Beach, do you need to go somewhere and sleep it off?”

Going somewhere to jerk off wouldn’t be bad, if only Sir would allow it. Beach shook his head, pinching his lips together so that the laughter made its way out of his nose.

“I’ll get you some coffee.”

When Gavin left, Beach took out his phone. The sight of the message from Tai set off a fresh round of his ass clenching around the plug. He had to grind the heel of his hand against his dick to settle himself down.

Find a quiet place and text me.

Beach rocked in the chair before he realized that wasn’t going to help get him in any state to walk through the party. He thought of cold and shriveling things and then strode off to the house, easily finding his way to Gavin’s room and his private bath.

He pressed Tai’s number as soon as he shut the door.

“I told you to text.”

“This is better.” Beach put the phone on video.

“Don’t push, brat.” Tai glared back at him.

“Yes, Sir.”

“Where are you?”

Beach explained.

“Kneel.”

“Yes, Sir.” Beach lowered himself, propping the phone on a shelf.

“I gave you an order, and you didn’t follow it.”

The argument came and went in Beach’s mind, then regret left his mouth dry. “I’m sorry, Sir.”

“You will be.” The rumbled threat turned the regret to anticipation. “Lower your trousers and briefs. Then show me.”

Beach had been hard since he made the call, but exposing his cock made everything tighten more. The skin stretched, the precome welled from his slit.

“Tell me how that plug feels,” Sir demanded.

“It’s heavy. And every time I think I’m used to it, it moves and God, Sir, I need to come. I’m so hard it hurts.”

“Tell me how it feels in your head.”

Beach lowered his eyes. “Like you’re here. When it moves, you… It’s like you’re making me feel it, and I want to show you.”

“Show me now. Reach back and work it in your hole. Let me watch your face.”

It was exquisite and impossible like this. The waves of sensation rippling out from the friction drove him mad, but at least the suffering had a point. Sir could see it.

“Stop.”

Beach whimpered and forced his hand away with a jerk. “Please, Sir, please let me come. I’ll be good.”

“I know you will be, David. But you still have to wear the plug, and it will be uncomfortable if you come now.”

“I don’t care.”

“Do you need a lesson about who’s in charge?”

“No, Sir.”

“Good. How’s the party? Food good?”

God, he couldn’t be like this and talk about the quality of the duck tartare with roasted hazelnuts and orange-blossom-scented crème fraîche.

“David.” Tai said it softly, and Beach met his eyes on the tiny screen. They were shadowed but focused on him. “I’ve got you.”

Beach slowed his breathing, concentrating on letting Sir lead him instead of pushing. The scrape and burn on that desperate edge of need softened, Sir’s authority cushioning him from the worst of it. “Yes, Sir. I think the foundation is going to make a lot of money. Gavin knows what he’s doing.”

“Good. Now behave, and I’ll see you in an hour.”

“Yes, Sir.” Only an hour. Beach tried to hold on to that as Tai disconnected.

“What the fuck is going on with you, Beach?”

Beach tried to spin around to face the door, but he was tangled in his undone pants, and his shin felt like he cracked it again as he dropped back down on the tiles. Dignity was hell and gone from where Beach flopped around like a gaffed tuna in front of the shower, but he gave faking it a shot.

“Sweet Jesus, Gavin, don’t you knock?”

“It’s my own goddamned bathroom. What the hell are you doing here?”

“Taking a piss.”

“Bullshit, Beach. I’ve been standing here for five minutes.”

Beach wanted to curl up and hide. At the moment he’d gladly trade places with the tuna. “If you enjoyed the show, I’d appreciate a tip. Leave it on the sink.” He managed to wriggle back into his pants.

“I didn’t.”

“Well, it wouldn’t be the first time we’ve had sex in front of each other. Guess that can get old.”

“Is that what that was? Sex?”

It was so much more. It was his fucking soul on the line there in those moments when he surrendered, and he wished his best friend could understand.

“Look, Beach, I’m not judging the kink.”

“Really? Because it sure as sweet, spicy hell sounds like it.”

“This stuff getting you off in bed is one thing, but—”

“Right, because you’ve never been bored enough to sneak off at a party for a little fun in a bathroom.”

Gavin acknowledged that with a bland nod that pissed Beach off more. “So, did you?”

“Did I what?” Beach crawled to his feet. The plug was still making itself felt, but now his leg was throbbing enough to make him forget everything else.

“Get off.”

“You said you stood there and watched, you perv. So you must know the answer.”

“I know you get fascinated by new things.” Gavin was doing that thing where he chose his words carefully, pretending diffidence when he really was looking for a way to make you feel like an idiot.

“What am I now, a kitten with a ball of yarn?”

“No. But you’re pretty damned defensive.”

“You spied on me.”

“Beach—or should I be calling you David now?”

“God no.” Beach shuddered.

“You were acting weird. Giddy. I thought you were high, so when you came up here, I followed you.”

“Bet you wish I was up here having a sniff instead.”

“I don’t want you to go to jail.”

“Me either. That is so not on my bucket list.” Beach started washing his hands for something to do. Now he got why Eli had called him twice. You got a little hungry to talk to someone who didn’t look at you like you belonged in a zoo.

“I don’t really care what—or who—you do for fun. But you’re different. It’s like this thing is changing you.”

“This
thing
is my relationship. With my boyfriend. Did I tell you how to conduct yourself with that squat pile of attitude you’ve started dragging around?”

“Yes.”

“Well, then I was wrong.” Beach limped past Gavin into the bedroom. “Sorry.”

“I’m in love with him.” Gavin’s words made Beach freeze.

He’d known that, of course. Had to be love to put up with Mr. Short, Ginger and Surly. It would be easy enough to say he was in love with Tai, except that love didn’t seem to be enough to cover it. He loved the
Nancy
. And Pappy Van Winkle bourbon. And Gavin.

Beach worshipped Sir. As difficult as it was to separate them in Beach’s brain, Tai was more than Sir.

Tai had given Beach a piece of himself he didn’t know was missing. Made him not only complete, but more. It wasn’t only the moments when Beach gave everything he was over to Tai to hold. It was that Tai had held all of him and wanted to again. That was so much more than love.

“Mazel tov. Have you set a date?”

Gavin caught Beach’s arm. “I’m trying here, Beach. Is this BDSM all you do?”

“Jesus, Gavin, you sound like your father. And for the record, it’s mostly the D and the S parts. But we also talk and we eat and we watch TV and go for walks—”

Gavin choked and let go of Beach’s arm. “For walks? You go for walks?”

“He has a dog. So, what do you do with Jamie when your cocks aren’t hard? You ride along on cop stuff?”

“We…hang out. With his friends.”

“Did you really say hang out?” Though the
with friends
part went a long way toward explaining why Beach had seen so little of Gavin lately.

Gavin shrugged. “We went to the movies.”

“We’re going next week,” Beach threw out. “See? No leather or whips involved.”

“What are you going to see?” Gavin’s eyes narrowed.

“We haven’t decided yet.” Blithe conviction was the key to a successful lie.

“I’ll find out when Jamie’s working. We can go together.”

“Absolutely. It’s a date.”

Cha
pter Twenty-One

Des
pite being the sort of bastard who spied in bathrooms, Gavin would never be so ungenerous a host as to make people walk to their cars, a gallantry for which Beach was profoundly grateful as he made his way to the front of the manor. As the valet went to get his Spider, Beach took stock. He was three-quarters of a million poorer, but for good reason. He was in possession of the rights to a rose cultivar for Tai’s daughter, a no longer intriguingly erotic ball of steel in his ass, and what he was pretty sure was his first case of sub drop in weeks. And without the comfort of a mind-blowing orgasm to soften the blow.

The man who crawled into the molded, Daytona-style seat behind the wheel of the Ferrari wasn’t the one who’d swiveled out of it with a gleam in his eye a few hours earlier. He handed a fifty to the valet and managed to get to the end of the drive before the shakes and nausea got so bad he had to pull off on the side of the road.

The things that he’d come to rely on at moments like this, orange juice, Tai, a safe place to crash, and Tai, weren’t easily found in the dashboard of Beach’s Spider, despite his having the full range of upgraded options. Beach shivered under the hot afternoon sun, his nuts drawn up so tight and small they were trying to crawl back into his body. A spasm knotted his guts, and he popped open the door, hunched over to heave, but only managed a pathetic shot of spit.

You really have your shit together, Beach.
He drew himself back up into the driver’s seat and punched the radio dials. He needed to get out of here, find something to distract his brain enough to—
crawl to Tai and tell him you couldn’t manage an afternoon alone with your oldest friend? Who the fuck are you?
Maybe Gavin was right. Beach wasn’t himself.

He tuned the satellite radio to an aggressively cheerful pop station, cranked the volume and put the car in gear.

He pulled off the verge, tapping the wheel in time to the beat. As he glanced in his mirror, he realized he didn’t have his seat belt on. For some reason, buckling his seat belt seemed like the height of responsibility at that moment. If he could buckle his seat belt, he’d prove capable of handling everything else. A simple action he’d performed thousands of times, and under far greater impairment than some damned endorphin crash.

Fuck. His hands were shaking. Stupid. Irrational. He could do this. It was just a goddamned seat belt. A simple buckle in a latch. A two-year-old could do it. So a thirty-four-year-old man damned well ought to be able.

He glanced down at his hip, fumbled and finally shoved the tongue into the latch when a horn blared over the peppy chorus.

He jerked his gaze back to the road.

A gigantic black SUV loomed over him, barreling down. He yanked the wheel, went off the road, overcorrected and crossed behind the SUV, plowing deep into thick brush. The belt burned against his neck, but at twenty-five miles an hour, he hadn’t hit anything with force enough to set off the airbags. What hurt most was his heart, hammering high and sharp into his sternum. He put a hand over it to make sure it was still inside.

Through the adrenaline-spiked panic of swerves and squealing brakes, the fear that had reached deepest into Beach wasn’t for his own safety, nor that an accident could revoke his probation. But God, he’d looked into that windshield and seen two frightened people and a curly-haired toddler in a car seat, and oh shit he really was going to throw up now.

But he didn’t. Assuming he could get the Spider back on the road, which didn’t seem likely, he was obviously in no shape to drive.

He pulled out his phone. There were other people he could call. Gavin, less than a mile away. Ruben, down in Riviera Beach. A tow truck. But he was going to need to explain this to Tai sooner or later, and for once, Beach picked sooner.

When Tai picked up, Beach strove for a casual tone, though his heart was still hammering in his ears.

“Hi, I’m sorry about the unscheduled call, but—”

“What happened? Are you okay?”

The sudden concern that softened Tai’s voice almost sent Beach over the edge into babbling. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop the flow of words.

“I’m fine.”

“David, skip the bullshit and tell me. I can hear it in your voice. No hiding, no running, remember?”

“Yes, Sir.” So much easier like this. No worrying about whether he should be able to handle it alone. Surrender.

“I wasn’t feeling good when I left the party. I pulled off and waited until it passed—”

“Just tell me where you are and what you need.” Tai’s voice dropped to the purring rumble Beach loved to feel against his back.

He took a deep breath. “The GPS says 2799 Holly Neck Road in Essex. And I think I need a tow truck.”

A t
hirty-minute drive was a long time to discover exactly how deep into a pit of guilt Tai could dive. He should have brought David off. Had him take out the plug. Then he wouldn’t have been distracted while driving, wouldn’t have run himself off the road. Obviously, a twenty-four-seven D/s relationship had way more potential for disaster than Nic could handwave into unimportance.

As Tai slowed at the scene, he saw flares and lights flashing from an unmarked cop car.

A uniform was talking with David as he leaned against the Spider, but it wasn’t the usual county uniform. His windbreaker said Harbor Police.

Tai pulled off behind the cop car, turning on his hazards and ordering Jez to stay as he climbed out. He couldn’t override a cop with his badge, but it might help make sure David didn’t get caught up in proving he wasn’t violating probation. David was lucky he’d already cleaned up his tickets.

Approaching, Tai said, “Tow truck is already on the way.”

The cop had bright red hair and a pissant attitude to match. “Yeah. And you would be?”

“Officer Fonoti, Department of Corrections. Reaching for my badge.” Tai pulled the shield out and offered it to the cop, who gave it a glance before he snorted.

“You called your probation officer?” That disgusted sneer was aimed at David.

David opened his mouth, but only ran his tongue over his teeth, glancing helplessly at Tai and then back to the cop. “Not exactly,” David said finally. “This is Officer Donnigan.” He made the introduction like he was still at his garden party.

Tai fell back on acting like a probation officer. “Any property damage, Officer?”

“Other than to his piece of Eurotrash here?” Donnigan jerked his chin toward the Ferrari. “Nope. Ran over some saplings. There’s a preserve that way.” He jerked his thumb behind him. “But this much belongs to the county.”

“Who called you?” Tai asked.

“And how the fuck is that your business?” Donnigan tipped his cap back to glare up at Tai.

David started to explain, “Officer Donnigan has a friend in the area, and he was just—”

“And what are you trying to pull with that, asshole?” Donnigan’s aggressive attention shifted back to David. “You think you can make me clear up your shit for your PO?”

Tai had his body between David and Donnigan faster than a thought. When Tai went on a warrant with a cop, they were on the same side, disgusted by the assholes who thought the rules didn’t apply to them. Now he was protecting David—his boy—against a bully with a badge.

David tapped Tai’s shoulder, three deliberate taps. “Officer Donnigan and I are previously acquainted.”

Tai brought his red alert back to amber but didn’t move out of the way. An engine sounded from the road, wrong direction and too low in decibels for the tow truck.

A familiar sleek black car rounded the corner. Donnigan threw up his hands in disgust and pointed behind Tai’s car. “Fucking party now. You happy, Beach?” He stomped off toward the new arrival.

David put a hand on Tai’s arm. “Jamie is Gavin’s boyfriend. He was on his way to Gavin’s, and he stopped to see what had happened.”

The scene made a lot more sense with that bit of information. “Then why was he being such a dick to you?”

“In Jamie’s defense, he’s a dick to everyone.”

“Not much of a defense.”

David pulled Tai to face him. “I didn’t know what to say when you showed your badge. I don’t want you to get into trouble.”

Tai reared back. “Is he that much of a dick?”

“No. At least I don’t think he is. Anyway, you aren’t my PO, and Jamie doesn’t have a lot of stones to throw, considering how he and Gavin met.”

Gavin and Donnigan came into view, the swagger of the cop making Tai want to punch him in the face.

“You’re Beach’s probation officer?” Gavin asked, eyes narrowed. “I don’t think I knew that when we met outside the hospital.”

“Because it’s not true.” David straightened from his lean. “Tai is not my probation officer. My probation officer’s name is DiBlasi.”

“Same office though?” Donnigan’s insinuating tone had Tai’s fingers curling into a fist.

“Tell us again how you and Gavin met?” David stepped forward.

“Sure. Since Fonoti isn’t your PO, he probably doesn’t have the details. That would be the night you slipped liquid X into Gavin’s drink, and after driving while you were both high, you decided to stop and take a swim in the bay—while you were on top of the fucking Key Bridge.”

David’s smile was brittle, though his tone was lazy, heavy on the accent. “I’m sure you’d know plenty about those sudden urges to cool off. Since y’all got pissed enough to drive your truck off the end of a pier and all.”

“I didn’t drag Gavin in with me.”

“He got wet just the same though.”

Gavin gave Tai a look and a nod he’d seen often on other dog owners. A concise version of
I’ll hold mine and you hold yours.

“David.” He said it quietly, but David’s rigid pose relaxed instantly.

“Have we had a chance to talk about what movie we’d like to see?” Gavin’s brow wasn’t the only thing arched.

David laughed and gave a little bow to Gavin. “
La Commedia è finita.
”

Gavin chuckled and bowed back, making Tai wonder if it had something to do with the school skits David had mentioned.

As the tow truck arrived, slowed and got into position, Tai asked David about it.

“No. It means ‘the farce has ended’, but it’s used kind of darkly. It’s from an opera where everyone dies.”

“As opposed to the operas where everyone lives happily every after?”

“Exactly.” David laughed again and then gasped. “Making me laugh is mean, Sir.”

Tai tightened his jaw at the reminder, though David’s flushed cheeks and dark eyes didn’t make it seem like he was suffering. Maybe they could do this. Draw the boundaries where they wanted them—needed them to be.

David frowned. “I wasn’t— I didn’t have anything to drink. Today I mean.”

Tai put a hand on David’s hip, shielding it from the view of the tow-truck driver where he stood talking to Donnigan. “We’ll talk about it later.” Tai pushed him at the driver.

“Yes, Sir.”

As David settled up with the driver, Tai became aware of Gavin’s appraising stare and returned it with a caught-you nod.

Gavin gave a faint smile and drifted closer to Donnigan.

The winch lifted the front end of the Ferrari, and David winced and cringed as the brush scraped and pinged off the undercarriage and frame.

“I told him to take it to the body shop. A vine got wrapped around the front axle,” David said as he rejoined them. “I hope I can get a ride.” He smiled at Tai.

Jamie rolled his eyes. “Sure you can fit him in your car, Fonoti? Saw your dog.”

“We’re fine.” Tai put his hand on the back of David’s waist.

“Thank you kindly for your assistance, Officer.”

“Christ.” Jamie turned and reached for his car door. “Hey, Fonoti. You’re a pretty big guy. You really need a dog like that for protection?”

“Does walking poor Annabelle really challenge your masculinity that much, Jamie?” David threw back.

“If you don’t mind—” Gavin started.

“Not at all. We’re done.” Hand on David’s lower back, Tai headed for his car.

David was quiet on the drive back, and Tai snuck a glance over to see him drift asleep, jerking awake when Tai pulled into a parking place on South Streeper. Tai watched him drag himself awake, putting on his usual dimpled smile with effort.

“Sorry to nod off.”

“No problem. Stay here for a minute. I’ll be right back.”

Tai left the car running for the a/c and took Jez up to the apartment. He fed her and did his best to ignore her devastated expression as he went back to the door without her leash. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but he needs me more right now.”

David was dozing again when Tai opened the car door. This time David shook himself awake then gave Tai a leer as familiar as it was feigned. “Usually if I’m going to fall asleep in the middle of the day, it’s because I’ve gotten off. Must be this feeling of having you inside me. Where’s Jez?”

“At my place. Thought we’d have some just-you-and-me time.”

“I could be up for that.” David waggled his brows.

Tai shook his head. “I mean you and me, boy. No distractions. No games.”

“Yes, Sir.”

In David’s apartment, Tai steered him into the bathroom.

“Strip for me.”

As the jacket and trousers came off, Tai hung them in David’s closet. Coming back into the bathroom, Tai wrapped his arms around David from behind. “You were so good for me, wearing this.” Keeping one arm across David’s chest, Tai brought his other hand down to grab the base of the plug and fuck it gently back and forth.

David gasped, the strangeness Tai had felt coming from him washing away.

Tai worked the plug faster, drawing it out enough to stretch David’s hole, driving it back in across his gland until he clutched Tai’s arm for balance.

“That’s it. I want you to feel good. Want you to come for me. Do you want to come for me, boy?”

“Yes, Sir, please.”

Tai got David steady on his feet and turned on the shower. Holding David’s hand, Tai unsnapped one of the cuffs.

At the startled, wide-eyed look on David’s face, Tai said, “You’re getting them back. Don’t want to get them wet.”

“Right.” David flushed and looked down.