Disasterology 101 (20 page)

And Kevin was the first guy to visit him in NYC. How the hell did he get so lucky? It was surreal.

Kevin glanced behind him to make sure he wasn’t leaving boot marks on the carpet and almost landed on his face when he tripped over his own feet, but he kept walking.

“Based on what I’ve seen so far I have to say you did a great job,” he complimented Cedric. Then again, the guy
was
an architect.

“I’m glad you like it.” They shared a smile, and Kevin couldn’t help but think his opinion of the place actually mattered to Cedric. “Here we are.” Cedric opened a door and gestured Kevin inside a bedroom that was… well, straight out of a showroom. “The door to the right is the bathroom. The one to the left is the closet. Leave your things there once you’re done showering, and remember to place them three inches away from the walls. Wipe everything. Towels go inside the basket.” Cedric took a shuddering breath and flicked his lip ring. “I apologize for giving you so many instructions, but I need things done a certain way.”

Kevin nodded. “I understand.”

“Use the phone on the nightstand to dial number nine when you’re ready. I’ll come get you.”

Because the place was so big he might get lost, or to make sure he didn’t touch anything he shouldn’t? Kevin didn’t know, and frankly he didn’t care. If he could, he’d walk on air just to spare Cedric anxiety and aggravation.

“Number nine… got it.”

“I’ll leave you to it then.” Cedric’s smile was sweet when he scratched his neck and pulled on one of his black gauges. That’s when Kevin noticed they were fake.

“Wait up.” Kevin grabbed the guy’s forearm and stopped him from leaving the bedroom. “Are you even pierced?”

Cedric’s thick eyebrows formed a “v” above his aquiline nose. “Pardon me?”

“Your ears.” Kevin brushed one with the tip of his index finger before letting go of Cedric’s arm and backing off. “Do you have holes at all?”

“Oh.” Cedric turned a violent shade of red, but he didn’t look away. “Not big enough for the gauges, but yes, I’ve been pierced for about five years.”

“Why did you choose gauges?”
And not hoops or diamond studs
? Kevin thought.
They’d look awesome, and it isn’t like he can’t afford them
.

Cedric’s grin was unrepentant. “Because they make me look badass.”

“Right….” Kevin smiled sideways and looked at Cedric from head to toe, understanding finally dawning on him. “The more badass you look, the wider berth people give you.”

“Exactly.” Cedric confirmed with a wink and a chuckle. Fuck. He was adorable.

“Is the hair part of the guise?”

“The hair and the clothes are all me. It’s what I like, but I must admit they help.”

“I’ll say.” Kevin stole a quick peck on the lips and smacked Cedric’s ass. “I’m a bit disappointed you’re a faux gangster, but you look amazing.”

“So do you.” Cedric’s expression went from relaxed to intent in the blink of an eye, and a tiny muscle pulsed in his jaw.

Heat flared inside Kevin. Cedric’s undivided attention on him never failed to make his heart flutter, but the coiled tension that spoke of raw sexual desire was like a flame roaring to a full-fledged fire when gasoline was thrown on it. That’s how hot he felt and he loved it.

Soon
, he promised himself. His gaze fell to Cedric’s crotch, and his mouth watered at the sight of the clearly outlined erection the sweatpants couldn’t conceal.
And it’s going to be great
.

“I’d better go get dinner started,” Cedric muttered hoarsely. “I’m making pasta. Is that okay, or should I think of something else?”

“Pasta’s fine.”

“Marvelous,” Cedric said on his way out. “Call me when you’re ready.”

“Wait.” Kevin opened his backpack and took out the bottle of wine he’d bought earlier. Luckily his change of clothes had protected it from breaking. “It’s Merlot.” He offered the bottle to Cedric. “The guy at the store said it can be paired with almost anything.”

“That was very thoughtful of you.” He read the label and smiled at Kevin. “Thank you.”

Cedric cradled the bottle carefully, and Kevin almost forgot he only paid a few bucks for it. But that was Cedric. Nice, authentic, and seemingly unspoiled by his family’s fortune. Kevin didn’t know many millionaires, but he was fairly positive Cedric wasn’t like most of them. And boy, he was grateful for it.

“You’re quite welcome,” Kevin said.

“Don’t be too long, okay?”

Kevin waited until Cedric disappeared down the corridor before closing the door and running to the bathroom. He didn’t take time to explore the space. What for? He didn’t care if the bed was an antique or if the bedspread had been sewn with pure gold threads. The only thing that mattered was getting clean and Cedric cooking dinner downstairs. The rest was material shit and irrelevant.

He showered and dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark green t-shirt in record time, then made sure to clean everything as per Cedric’s instructions. Good thing he did too, as his host actually checked the closet and the bathroom before heading back to the kitchen. Kevin felt equal parts amused and annoyed while he watched him do it.

They went straight to a breakfast nook off the kitchen, and Kevin almost swallowed his tongue when he caught a glimpse of the set up.

The lights were out in that particular area, allowing the city lights to provide the perfect background for the round table set with expensive china, pretty red flowers and burning candles. Cedric had gone out of his way to create an intimate ambiance, but romantic didn’t even begin to describe the outcome of his efforts.

Dinner was another surprise.

Instead of the spaghetti and meatballs Kevin was expecting, Cedric fed him “strangozzi al tarturo nero”, which was “a pasta similar to spaghetti but thicker with an olive oil-based sauce and black truffles.”

Cedric definitely knew his dishes, and Kevin hadn’t had truffles before. He had a feeling they were expensive, but Cedric served it with Kevin’s thirty-two dollars a bottle merlot.

Like he’d said before, Cedric Haughton-Disley was a stand up person. And beautiful. And wonderful.

Throughout dinner Kevin discovered Cedric took pleasure in the smallest things, and was incredibly informed about a staggering number of subjects. Global warming. Endangered species. Evolution. Science. Economy. Politics. If Kevin could think it, Cedric could discuss it. He read a lot. He was curious about everything, and the result was a young man equally passionate about both medieval history and video games.

The more they talked, the more smitten Kevin became. Cedric didn’t get into details about his condition, but Kevin could tell his daily battle was as difficult as it was inspiring, and he was left with nothing but tremendous respect and admiration for him.

Yeah.

No doubt about it.

He was smitten all right.

Taking all things into consideration, Kevin had to say that as far as first dates went, theirs was a success. Yes, Cedric got up from the table several times to make sure everything was in order in the entire penthouse, and his constant need to realign the china could be off-putting, but those were things Kevin had been expecting. Once he got used to the interruptions it was smooth sailing.

The key, he realized, as he drank wine and waited for Cedric, was to pretend he was having dinner with his children. Granted, Cedric was an adult—a damn sexy one at that, and not rowdy or messy— but he got fixated on certain things, and he tended to get distracted. Waiting for him to perform his rituals was no different than Kevin having to stop eating every five minutes in order to wipe hands and faces, and clean up spills and messes on the table.

Kevin was fine with the constant interruptions.

It would never be a deal breaker, especially considering how much he enjoyed Cedric’s company, and how bummed he got when he couldn’t prolong his presence anymore.

“I want to see you again,” he told Cedric as he got ready to leave. He didn’t want to, but it was almost two o’clock in the morning. He had to make it home and catch some sleep in order to be semi-functional for work in the morning.

“Tomorrow after class,” Cedric agreed immediately.

“Can you handle it so soon?” He extended his arms and let Cedric help him put on his sweater.

“Probably.” Cedric pulled up the sweater’s zipper and smiled shyly at Kevin. “I think your awareness of my condition makes things a little easier for me.”

“That’s excellent.” Kevin grinned and reached for his hard hat, pleased that he was able to help Cedric relax a little. “Same time?”

“Yes.” Cedric leaned down and pecked him on the lips softly. Not the tongue-heavy kiss Kevin wanted, but it made him feel crazy-wild with lust nevertheless. “I had a wonderful time, Kevin.”

“I did too,” he said as he stepped into the elevator. The night was everything he’d hoped for since he started meeting guys. There was chemistry between him and Cedric. A real connection he wanted to explore. “I’ll see you in class, oddball.”

And so they spent the following week getting to know each other.

Somehow they managed to keep things strictly professional while they were in school. They avoided looking at each other, and Kevin never joined Cedric during the breaks, but once class was over, they got to relax and just be a couple of guys discovering what they had in common.

They hung out at Cedric’s place mostly every night after work or class. They shot pool, watched a movie, and even took a walk in Central Park, stopping by the concierge desk to talk to Jeffrey for a while before going back to the penthouse.

They talked a lot.

About Kevin’s kids, about their personal and professional goals, about how neither one of them was into the whole gay scene, or considered sex a sport.

They shared sweet kisses and not-so-casual touches that Kevin noticed multiplied as the nights went by, but they didn’t have sex, which of course had him thinking he needed to be more careful about what he wished for. Yes, he wanted to establish a connection with a guy before getting busy with him, but he didn’t want to be stuck on first base. Not with Cedric. Not after sampling the guy’s mouth, his studded tongue, and his dick. Not when he was dying to be with him.

Fortunately for him, Cedric must have decided it was time to finish what they’d started so many weeks ago, because Wednesday night, exactly one week after their first date, he kissed every coherent thought out of Kevin, and smacked him on the ass. That was the most forward he’d been since the sex shop.

“I’m definitely shagging you tomorrow night, just so you know.”

Cedric’s final words before the elevator doors closed rang in Kevin’s ears all the way home.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Same as every other night he’d been there, the penthouse door opened before Kevin reached it. He barely had time to say hello before Cedric pinned him against the wall, and shoved his tongue down Kevin’s throat.

Hard and fast.

Warm and wet.

Absolutely no finesse.

Kevin loved it. He thrived on the meeting of their hard bodies, the rawness of their desire and the almost brusque way in which they touched one another. They were men. No need to always be careful and delicate while making love. It was okay to let go and be primal and animalistic if that’s how they felt, because they both could deal with it.

“I want this gone.” He fisted Cedric’s pullover sweater and yanked it hard. “Please tell me you can handle that.” He knew Cedric had never been completely naked with a guy, but he was hoping to change that.

“We’ll find out soon enough,” Cedric answered between kisses.

“How long do we have?”

“Thirty minutes after you’ve showered, but I’m hoping for more.”

“That’s
it
?” How the hell was he supposed to get to know the guy intimately if they had such limited time?

“For physical contact while exchanging bodily fluids,” Cedric explained in a clipped tone. “And three hours for just being in the same room.”