Things hadn't been going well lately.It had started with the headaches. Then, it wasn't long before the insomnia had set in; Vin would lie awake, staring at the stains and shadows on his ceiling, only to fall asleep just as the sun was dawning, moments before his alarm would go off. It was no wonder then that he couldn't concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes at a time. Still, he'd drag himself out of bed — he had to, he had to go to work — but, in truth, he knew he was in no shape to be of any good to anyone.
Chris Larabee seemed to sense this, too. He had finally pulled Vin aside. "You don't look so good," was his opener.
"Neither do you," Vin had reminded his team leader, fresh out of the hospital and back at work way too soon in the opinions of both his doctor and their team's field medic, Nathan Jackson.
"We're not talking about me. We're talking about you."
Vin had just raised his eyebrows. He didn't like being talked about or talked to. Vin had always been able to handle his own life, his own problems. Sometimes it took him a while to get things sorted out, but he'd never needed anyone else telling him how to do it.
But, Chris was adamant. He'd made up his mind. "I want you out of here. Out of this office, you got me?"
Vin should have seen this coming, should have known, but he'd been too caught up in things lately, too preoccupied with ... well, honestly, with Chris. The man was becoming everything to him. It wasn't good, Vin knew. He had to get his mind off this man, his supervisor, who also happened to be straight. So, maybe Chris was right after all.
Vin had finally just nodded.
Two days later, he was on a plane, bound for Phoenix. A little R&R, a short weapons refresher course: those had been Chris's orders. Vin wasn't to return to work until both had been completed, successfully. The weapons course would be no problem, Vin knew — he could do that in his sleep, if he could sleep — but the R&R was going to be more difficult.
Still, maybe getting away from Denver would do it for him.
He'd settled into the hotel, had taken a shower, and then changed into shorts and a t-shirt, before checking out the hotel facilities. The place had a nice gym, a great pool, sauna ... you name it. There was even a restaurant just off the lobby that supposedly served the best enchiladas in the city. Vin had made a mental note to try them for dinner.
After the plane flight, and the hassles of the airport, he'd thought about having a workout, doing something really physical, just to burn off the pent-up energy from being cooped up in the airplane, the airports, and the taxicabs, but instead he found himself in the hotel bar, nursing his second beer.
The place was rather empty, but it was still early, even for a Friday afternoon, so Vin was rather surprised when someone sat down on the barstool next to his.
"Hi," the man addressed him and Vin noted an odd, breathless quality to his voice — not like from any physical exertion, but more from ... anxiety?
Vin eased a glance in the man's direction — not bad looking, forties, suit. He was a businessman. A businessman in a bar before Happy Hour — so maybe he was anxious, or stressed, and maybe even for a good reason. Vin turned his attention back to his beer. A moment later the bartender came over and the man ordered bourbon on the rocks from her, but even after the woman had served him and walked away, the man remained where he was, on the stool right next to Vin.
"I'm, ah ... John..." the man finally said.
Vin just nodded, then took another sip of beer.
"It's my first time in Phoenix. I'm here on business..."
Vin glanced over at him again, this time noting the fine tailoring of his suit — something Ezra might wear ... well, maybe on laundry day, but nicer than anything he or any of his other friends owned. He also noted the salt and peppering of the man's dark hair, right around the temples — late forties, Vin amended his earlier assessment. And maybe just a little better looking than not bad.
"... I, ah, I'm not familiar with any of the bars here in town yet..."
Vin had been to Phoenix a few times before, and while he wasn't as familiar with the bar and club scene as he was back home in Denver, he did know a few places. ... Just none this guy would be interested in, he added to himself, as he caught sight of the guy's gold wedding band.
"... So..." the guy continued, but then paused to down another swallow of his drink. "So, you have a room here? Upstairs?"
Vin set down his beer and looked the man square in the eye. He suddenly had an odd feeling about this guy, an odd but not unusual feeling. It was like a sting operation, sometimes you knew when things were about to go your way and other times you just knew you were about to be fucked over but good. This was one of those times.
"I, ah, I have a meeting, but not until later...."
"You're married," Vin said quietly; it was almost a question. He knew some married men did this, had affairs, picked up both women and men, in bars, at clubs, wherever — he wasn't naive — but that didn't mean he had to be a party to it. He may not have many morals when it came to sex, but this was one he did have. He just didn't believe in cheating; it was hard enough to find one person you wanted to be with, who wanted to be with you. Why would you risk messing that up? He didn't get it, and he hoped he never would.
"What? Oh, the ring. Yeah, um, no, I'm not. I mean, I was, but, ah, we're, ah, divorced, divorcing. But, it's good for business, you know, if the client thinks you're married." The guy shrugged, swallowing the last of his bourbon. "They think it makes a man more ... stable, reliable, trustworthy ... you know."
Vin just stared at the guy, trying to gauge him, but that wasn't one of his strongest skills — not usually. Josiah, yeah, he'd have this guy pegged by now, but Vin, well, when his dick started hopping there was just no use in even trying. Of course, it went without saying that his dick was already in command — just the thought of getting laid ... it had been weeks. Since the hospital. Since the orderly ... what was his name? Nice guy. Noel ... Noah ... something. When he remembered, he'd have to go back, hook up with him again—
"Well, ah ... as they say in my business ... yours, too, no doubt" — the guy chuckled as he slid off the barstool — "Time is money. Shall we?"
Vin looked him up and down as the man stood there waiting. Nice package, Vin finally added to his earlier assessment list. He took one last gulp of beer, then slid off the stool and followed the guy to the elevators. Inside, Vin pressed the button for his floor, then they road up in silence with two other hotel guests: a wrinkled old man and a silver-haired woman who had to be his wife.
"This is, ah, sure a nice hotel. I don't know ... I just didn't expect to meet someone like you in such a nice place," the guy said, once they were alone again, in the hall, though it struck Vin as an odd thing to say; he wasn't sure if he'd just been insulted or not. "Then again, I suppose you meet a lot of rich business men, huh?"
Vin shrugged. In the places he normally hung out, it was hard to tell what anyone's day job was. He supposed some of them were businessmen; some of them might even be rich. It was just hard to tell between all of the drinking, the dancing, the touching, and the fucking. He'd never run into very many talkers.
He opened the door to his room and allowed the man inside. It felt a little strange to Vin; he'd never been picked up in a hotel bar before, taken a man back to his room. Hell, he'd never even taken a guy back to his own apartment. Still, it was just a room, and he'd been in plenty of those, with plenty of guys over the years.
The man immediately began undressing, but when Vin began to do the same, the guy asked, "Can you, ah, would you, wait?"
Vin just shrugged, then nodded, though he wasn't sure what this was leading to.
The guy quickly finished undressing before sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Okay, go ahead. Just, ah, just go slow, okay?"
Vin nodded, though, he didn't have much to take off, so no matter how slow he went, it wouldn't take long.
He began by easing his t-shirt up his torso, as high as he could, finally pulling it off over his head. He tossed it aside. As he was slipping off his running shoes, he noticed the guy stroking his hardening cock, obviously enjoying the show, though this only made Vin feel self-conscious. Still, he continued, trying to make it look like he was going slowly, even though he was undressing as quickly as possible now.
He unbuttoned his shorts, and then unzipped his fly before pushing the fabric down his slender hips. He was about to push his briefs off as well, but again the guy stopped him.
"Let me," he said, releasing his own cock, and then coming over to kneel before Vin. He placed his hands on his hips and slowly eased the faded denim down Vin's lean legs, until it pooled around his ankles. Then the guy slipped his fingers under the elastic waistband of his briefs, caressing the skin there for a moment before gently pulling the white fabric down, down, down, so slowly, until finally Vin's swollen dick popped free. An instant later, the briefs had joined the shorts around his ankles.
The man smiled up at him, his hands still on Vin's legs. Vin thought the guy was going to suck him off, the way he was staring at his dick, but, without even touching his erection, the guy stood and returned to the bed, sitting again on the edge. He then reached out one hand toward Vin as his other hand moved back to his cock, though this time, he didn't stroke it — he merely held it at the base, as if waiting for Vin to get a clue.
Vin did.
He kneeled before the guy, immediately taking the hot flesh into his mouth. The man emitted a soft groan a moment later as he relaxed back onto the bed, spreading his legs a bit in the process. Vin assumed this meant the guy wanted his balls fondled, so he ran his fingers up the skin of the man's inner thighs until he reached the scrote, then he cupped the sac with one palm, using his fingers to massage the back side.
The man squirmed a little bit and let out another groan, so Vin figured he was doing everything right. He kept sucking the guy, though he had no intention of allowing this guy to come in his mouth: he had the feeling this guy didn't want this encounter to end that way either.
Vin plied his tongue along the length as he slowly drew his mouth upward, then he circled around the tip, tasting the saltiness of the small slit at the apex before moving his mouth to the side, kissing down the shaft to the base, and beyond to lick and suckle at the man's scrotum.
He felt hands in his hair, the man encouraging him, urging him on, so he opened wide and took the man's balls in his mouth, pushing them around with his tongue, as one of his hands groped for and found the guy's rigid cock. He stroked his fingers over the thick organ as he silently wondered if this guy was a top or a bottom. He couldn't tell. For some reason, he could never tell, not unless....
Vin moved his free hand over to his mouth, and then slipped a finger inside. He pulled the moistened digit free, moving it to the smooth patch behind his balls before venturing further back. Vin did not hesitate to move his finger over the pucker of skin there and the man didn't seem to mind, so he pushed his finger inside.
The man tensed immediately, nearly sitting bolt upright. He scooted back on the bed, moving away from Vin's finger, while pulling his balls out of Vin's mouth. "No. I, ah, don't...."
"You're a top?" Vin asked, and the guy nodded. "You've never...?"
The guy shook his head, and just didn't look at all like he wanted today to be his first time.
"So ... you didn't like that at all?" Vin asked, knowing first-hand how good it could feel.
The guy shook his head again, but not as vigorously.
Vin smiled gently. "I'll go slow. Slower. I promise. You'll like it."
The businessman stared at him for a moment, and Vin assumed he was trying to gauge his sincerity. Finally, the guy nodded. Vin motioned for him to lie back again, and then he brought his hands to the man's thighs, gently caressing the long muscles until he felt him begin to relax. He plied his tongue once more to the guy's cock, licking it from tip to base before continuing on to his balls. When his partner was groaning in pleasure again, Vin rewetted his finger, but before he did anything else, he raised his head slightly.
"Just relax. This won't hurt. Okay?"
He waited for the guy to nod before he moved his hand between the man's thighs, behind his balls. He spent a few moments caressing the soft, smooth patch of skin there before slowly moving his finger back to the pucker of skin. He rubbed back and forth until, of his own volition, the man eased his legs just a little wider, and then Vin began to make slow, lazy circles, like a hawk gliding over a field, watching, waiting for the right moment.
Vin briefly pressed the tip of his finger against the pucker, and then began alternating between circles and strokes. Another pause over the hole, pressing just a little more this time, only to resume the gentle caresses again. Then, finally, he pressed until the tip of his finger dipped just a fraction of an inch inside.
The man tensed, but Vin waited until he relaxed, then he pushed a little deeper, pausing before moving further in. Soon, his entire finger was buried inside the man, and the man was there, taking it — maybe even beginning to enjoy it, but Vin wasn't quite sure yet.
Still, this was a unique experience for Vin. Most of the guys he hooked up with were just as experienced as he was, if not more so. He rather liked playing teacher, for once.
Vin continued to press his finger deep into the guy, stroking the wall of his rectum, searching for that one spot he knew every man possessed, the one spot which would make this guy forget all his reservations about allowing this to happen.
When he felt a shiver run over the length of the man's body, Vin knew he'd hit the spot. He took the guy's cock into his mouth again as he continued to caress him inside, playing over the sensitive gland again and again, until the man was trembling beneath him and leaking warm, droplets of jizz into his mouth. He knew he could make this man come this way, and he was tempted to try, but where would that leave him? This guy was in his forties, after all — late forties at that. Would he be able to get it up again any time soon? Vin wasn't sure, which meant this encounter would end in mutual blowjobs, and Vin was debating whether this guy had ever given one of those before. He doubted it.
Finally, he released his partner's cock and just asked, "You wanna come?"
The guy groaned, writhing beneath him as Vin stroked over his gland again. "Y-yes. No. Ah, no. No, not yet. Not, ah — Oh God! Not like thi— Ahhh," he finished, squirming against Vin's hand, moving the finger inside of him even more than Vin intended.
Finally, the guy pushed Vin away, sitting up, sweating and panting as if he'd just run a mile. But he smiled, and then reached out, stroking Vin's cheek.
"You really are something," he said, still short of breath. "I never expected to meet someone so ... beautiful."
Vin blushed slightly. No one had ever called him that before: beautiful. It seemed such a strange word. Something you'd call a girl, maybe, but not a guy and certainly not him.
He looked at the man for a few moments, up and down, like he'd done in the bar downstairs, but this time, he wasn't checking out the goods, what this guy had to offer. No. Vin was still trying to figure him out and he thought he just might have, mostly based on his reaction to being finger-fucked. This guy was not only a top, he was a back-door man. No face to face. No kissing. No long, lingering embraces afterwards. He'd want to do all the thrusting, be in complete control. Hell, Vin might as well be a beautiful girl for all that it would matter to this guy once he got going.
"Come on, baby, I'm, ah, I'm ready for you now," he said, patting the mattress.
Baby? Vin didn't care for that, but he crawled onto the bed anyway. Didn't really matter what they called you, as long as they didn't screw up the fucking.
"Put it on me," the guy said, handing Vin a blue Trojan packet he must have had with him. Vin tore off one side, removing the disk, which his fingered for a moment, getting the orientation right, and then he pinched the tip between his fingers and reached for the guy's cock. "With your mouth?" he requested at the last moment.
Vin hesitated. He'd never done it with his mouth before. He wasn't sure he knew how. And, he'd only ever had it done once to him, so he didn't have much experience to draw from, but he decided to try anyway.
He placed the disk in his mouth and almost spitting it right back out again. The latex might not have been so bad, but the guy had given him one with spermicidal lubricant and it was just about the most disgusting thing Vin had ever tasted. Still, he'd started, so he figured he'd better get this over with as quickly as possible.
He grabbed the guy's hips to steady himself, and then took the tip of his cock into his mouth. With his tongue, Vin pushed the rolled edge over the bulbous head, and then used his lips to try to unroll it down the shaft, but he just wasn't very good at it. The taste, at this point, was beginning to make him nauseous, but the guy was moaning and didn't seem to notice Vin's discomfort.
Vin gently eased his hands over, slipping them around the base of the guy's cock, pretending to stroke him, but really moving his hands up until his fingers reached what remained of the rolled edge. Then, he quickly unfurled the remainder of the condom and pulled his mouth free. He smiled at the guy, doing his best to hide his growing desire to run to the sink and wash the horrible taste from his mouth.
The guy smiled at him, then pointed toward the bed. Vin knew exactly what to do: he turned, and then kneeled down on all fours, waiting. A moment later, he felt hands on his hips, and then firm flesh being pressed against his hole. Vin took a breath, bearing down slightly, until the glans popped smoothly inside. The guy pressed forward and Vin allowed him to do all the work from then on.
The guy wasn't bad. The strokes weren't too shallow or too uneven. Fingers weren't digging painful into his skin, for which Vin was very thankful. Soon the thrusts became faster and Vin leaned his head down onto the mattress, licking the fabric quickly in an attempt to wipe away the still-lingering taste of the condom and only marginally succeeding. Then he reached back and grabbed his own dick, stroking himself in time with the guy's thrusts.
It did feel incredible, having this guy inside of him. He was long, which was always a good thing, and thick enough to send tingles radiating out from around Vin's ass without feeling as if the skin were about to tear. And, every once in a while, the guy would stroke over his gland, giving Vin a wonderfully pleasant shudder.
As the guy continued to thrust faster, deeper, Vin kept at the rhythmic tugging of his own dick, squeezing with his fingertips, kneading the length, swiping his thumb over the tip to collect the first dribbles of slippery cum and redistribute it down to the base.
During a particularly strong shudder, Vin released his dick and reached further back to grab his balls, squeezing the sac in his hand, causing another shudder to echo the last. Then he returned to stroking his dick: quick strokes just at the base, then long ones over the entire length, and then short ones again, right beneath the glans. Until, finally, he felt the tensing inside. His ass muscles clenched tight ... the tingling at the base of his dick began to spread.... Then, the guy hit his gland again, causing hot jizz to spurt into his hand; Vin groaned fiercely from the unexpected intensity.
Then, a moment later, he was just as surprised when his partner let out a guttural cry of his own. The grasp on his hips became firmer as the guy pounded into him, so hard that Vin thought he would be shoved up against the headboard. Then the guy cried out again, and again, as he continued to shove his cock deep into Vin's ass.
Then he slowed, and Vin could feel slick hands moving over his sweaty back. A few moments later, he felt his partner's hand between them — no doubt gripping the base of the condom — then the guy pulled himself free as he flopped down onto the mattress. Vin merely straightened out his knees, sliding himself down to lay flat on his stomach. He turned his head to look at the guy who was breathing hard as droplets of sweat ran down his forehead to collect in the salt and peppered hair at his temples.
It suddenly occurred to Vin that this was the first guy he'd ever been with who'd had gray hair. Come to think of it, he realized, he'd never been with a guy in his forties before. He knew some guys that old, even older, but none of them hung out at the clubs Vin hung out at. Most of them were from work — and that was one spot he never trolled for a date! Hell, he couldn't even think of a guy that old that he'd even want to do this with ... well, except one. But he didn't think of that guy as being old, or even being forty. No. Chris Larabee was in better shape than guys half his age, and, despite the hard years he'd endured and the countless hard jobs he'd had to do, his face showed little of it.
Now there was a man you could call beautiful, Vin thought to himself.
He allowed his thoughts to drift and was only partially conscious of the man getting up off the bed, heading into the bathroom. Vin vaguely heard the toilet flush and paid no attention to the water running in the sink.
"Baby," he tried the word out for himself, but then just shook his head. No, he could never call Chris that, if Chris was his lover ... if Chris wasn't straight. No. The man would most certainly deck him if he even tried. Still, he had to wonder what his wife had called him when she'd been alive.
Darling? Sweetheart? Honey?
None of those seemed to fit the intense Chris Larabee he knew. Vin wondered if Buck had ever heard Sarah use a nickname, an endearment. Then he wondered how he could manage asking Buck without sounding ... well, queer. And that was the last thing he wanted. These men, they couldn't know what he was, the things he did. They wouldn't understand, even if they tried, and Vin didn't want to risk losing their friendships because he was gay.
Vin sat up on the bed then, and was startled to find the man who'd just fucked him dressed, his hands at his collar snugging up the knot of his red tie.
"That was ... the most incredible experience I've ever had," he admitted to Vin. "I hate to say that I have to go ... I'd certainly like to stay and do that again, if I wasn't afraid my heart would give out," he laughed. "But I have a meeting...."
Vin stood up, unconsciously giving the guy one last, long look at his naked form. When he realized the guy was staring, he dipped his head in embarrassment. That's when he saw it, on the dresser. He wasn't sure what it was at first, only that it hadn't been there before. He crossed over to it, picked it up, but he still wasn't sure what he was looking at.
He held the stack of new, crisp twenty-dollar bills out to the man in silent question.
"Two hundred, just like we agreed on the phone," the businessman quickly explained. "Actually, a little more — you earned it!" Then he looked at his Rolex. "I really need to go, but ... I'm in town all weekend, so I might have time to call you again."
Vin just stared. He watched the guy turn, open the door, and step through, closing it behind him with a soft thud that echoed through the now-empty hotel room.
He looked down at the money in his hand, then back up at the closed door. The bills felt odd in his fingers: the ink slightly raised and rough, the paper stiff despite the silkiness of its texture.
Oh, God.
His hand dropped lifelessly to his side, the twenties now fluttering to the floor like so much spent confetti.
Oh.
God.
Then, in an instant, he was kneeling, desperately gathering up the scattered bills.
Bastard!!
He'd go after the guy. He'd find him. Give him back his damn money. Tell him.... Tell him ... what?
The breath was suddenly gone from Vin's lungs as the reality dropped him to the floor.
Take your money. I may be a slut, but I'm no whore...
~ fade ~
March 2002Please do NOT repost this story anywhere outside of the Blackraptor Fiction Website.Characters from "The Magnificent Seven," were used without permission and this story in no way signifies support of, or affiliation with, The Mirisch Group, MGM, Trilogy Entertainment, or CBS Worldwide, Inc. The M7-ATF universe was created by Mog, and extra thanks go to her for allowing other people to play within it. The story itself and any non-Magnificent Seven characters belong to the author. This story will not be sold for any reason.Thanks to my beta reader for all of her help and encouragement!