Alternate Universe
RESCUED
Tricks and Treats

by Charlotte C. Hill

Author's Note: "Escorts" AU. JD is very new to the company, "Secure Service Professionals," and he boasted and fought his way in very similarly to the way he did it in the original Series pilot. The company fronts as a security service that fits in quite well with the discreet needs of their clients. The Sanford sisters appeared in stories by Stan and Eclipse, and are borrowed with permission.

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"Halloween sure is a strange time to be a hooker," JD announced as he stepped out of the hotel suite's second bedroom. Vin was the only one in the living room, maybe because there wasn't much to his costume; it couldn't have taken him ore than five seconds to change once he'd dropped his overnight bag.

"Hey, kid," Vin greeted. "You look great."

JD struck a pose like a superhero, secretly relieved that his get-up actually covered most of him. He felt kind of bad for Vin, but as near as he could tell, Vin had no problem with his costume. "You wanna see my fire hose?" he joked.

Vin smiled kindly. "Yeah, use that one tonight. Want a drink?"

JD hated to admit it, but he'd have several if he didn't know Chris would kill him for it. This was his first orgy, and he was scared as hell. "Uh, yeah."

"Don't worry about tonight, JD. These people are either regulars or brought in by regulars, they know the way this works. If anything gets too much for you to handle, you just high-tail it out of there for a little bit, get your head together, and slip back in when you're ready."

After Vin's little pep talk, they sat in near-silence for a couple of minutes until Vin asked him about the car he was hoping to buy around Christmas, and JD forced himself not to think about Vin's loincloth or the fact that in an hour, twenty people might be trying to fuck him.

Josiah joined them before the conversation wound down, wearing a cardinal's red cassock and carrying a wooden yardstick. The sacrilege still kind of amused JD; the church had never done anything for him or his mom, and it suited Josiah's stiff bearing and the distance he cultivated at work.

"You don't think you're taking the dress-up a little too seriously, Josiah?" Vin asked him.

Josiah just shrugged as he bent to grab Vin's empty glass off the table. "Marcy chose it, not me. I think she's beginning to see the light."

"Ow," Vin winced. "See the light? You ain't gonna start up on a pun fest, are you?"

"This is gonna be a little different for you tonight, huh, Josiah?" JD asked, hoping that somebody, anybody besides him was nervous.

Josiah nodded soberly, and sipped at his drink. "Maybe. I haven't decided yet."

"You get to decide, JD," Vin reminded him and reached to run a reassuring hand down the cotton jumpsuit fabric. The more the kid remembered that his limits were his to choose, the quicker his limits expanded; it had happened that way for all of them except Buck and Ezra, and Vin still didn't know how those two had figured this job out.

JD frowned. "I know," he muttered, probably embarrassed.

Vin just sighed. They'd watch out for him. "So, Josiah, what do priests wear under those robes?"

Josiah mock-ordered, "Get your mind out of the gutter before I bend you over my knee."

"Promises," Vin shot back.

JD looked at them like they were both idiots, much to Vin's relief. The kid was wound up about tonight. Vin, who knew this would probably be the easiest introduction to group sex that JD would ever get, hoped he made it through all right.

A hand slid over his ass cheek and squeezed, and Vin jumped in spite of himself: Buck, a silly grin plastered across his face. It figured.

"The oil's a nice touch," Buck said, rubbing his hand over the sheen on Vin's thigh. "Me Jane."

Vin snorted and slapped his hand away. "I'm gonna get that enough tonight, don't you reckon?"

"You're gonna get plenty of everything tonight, slick," Buck replied absently.

"You too, Buck," Vin said when he got a good look. Stone washed, faded jeans looked to be painted on, and the tan work boots and orange reflective vest finished out his actual clothes. Buck had drawn the brawny construction worker getup, but he'd amended the tool belt to the task at hand. A little thrill ran through Vin. "You really went all out with the accessories there, didn't you?" Where hammers, screwdrivers and whatever else construction workers used should be, sex toys in varying styles, colors and sizes now hung. "You're gonna be the life of the party, stud."

"Guess so," Buck replied, distracted. He headed for the mini-bar and fished out a miniature bottle of vodka.

"Buck?" Vin called, frowning. Nothing. Vin looked to Josiah and then JD for enlightenment, but they looked as surprised as he felt.

JD unzipped his jumpsuit another inch and strolled over. "Hey, what do you think?" he asked.

Buck hesitated a second before his face relaxed, and Vin took in the details along with Buck. JD's dark blue FDNY Firefighter's jump suit was a size too large, and with the careful selection of props, JD had managed to turn the big tough guy thing into an innocent kid playing dress up. For the second time tonight Buck had serious doubts about his ability to win the bet.

"Hell kid, you look like you ditched junior high and snuck in where you don't belong."

"Good," he said seriously. "That's what I was going for."

"You made it. You're definitely fuckable. You use the fire hose gag yet?"

Vin couldn't hold back a snicker; it figured, that JD wouldn't have dreamed up a bullshit line like that on his own.

JD flushed a little. "Where's Chris?"

A faraway look ghosted back over Buck's face, and Vin grinned suddenly. "How's he doing in there, Buck?"

"He kicked me out is how he's doing," Buck said gruffly.

Vin chuckled. "You getting in his way?"

"I couldn't help it!" Buck exclaimed, defensive. "Vin, I... he..." Buck ducked his head with a frown. "What the hell made Alicia pick all these outfits anyway?" He was off balance, and it showed.

"Halloween?" JD stated the obvious.

"Undiscovered depths," Josiah observed, and Buck's eyes jerked up. Josiah just blew out a breath. "Given the various things you like, Buck, I'd say your reaction is natural enough."

"Ain't nothin' natural about..." Buck trailed off again. "Damn. That ain't right, that something like that would look so good on him."

"Right?" Josiah asked. "I'd have to disagree with you. Only JD or Chris could really pull that kind of thing off without it being a joke."

Buck looked hard at Josiah and realized the truth of it, and he knew then that Alicia had probably ordered it for JD, and that Chris, well aware of how worried JD already was about tonight, had counter-offered. JD was the logical choice for that costume, being the youngest and the smallest and smoothest... best not let JD guess what Josiah already had. "Well, it's no joke," he said, anxious in spite of himself. "Unless maybe the joke's on me," he added under his breath. Chris' smooth, hairless legs had been attractive enough, appealing to a side of Buck that he tended to leave at the door to their home. But when the clothes and make-up and colors came out, Buck had felt like an overeager teenager with a hard-on a cat couldn't scratch.

"What's no joke?" Ezra asked from the doorway, and Buck determined to get his mind off Chris and into the party spirit.

"Chris' outfit," Buck said, filling him in. "Josiah'says I'm discovering a whole new fetish. Ez, you're looking good, " he complimented. Ezra did, too, in the buttoned coat and tights of a French Musketeer, complete with wig, ruffled shirt, and sword.

"It would have been better if there were three of us, don't you think?" he asked, tugging lightly at his lace cuffs and unconsciously preening.

"Nah, one of you is all they can handle. You won't be in those duds too long anyway."

"On the contrary, Buck, I plan to keep at least a part of this costume on all night."

"Want to make a bet on that?"

Conversation degraded into various wagers, from who could hold out the longest to who could bring off every guest at the party, to their traditional challenge of who would make the most in tips, and Nathan, dressed as a motorcycle cop right down to the mirrored sunglasses, joined in the fray a couple of minutes later.

Vin checked his watch finally, and glanced toward the bedroom Chris, Buck and Ezra had taken. "You reckon one of us ought to go in there and fetch him?"

"I'll do it," Buck offered quickly, and made to rise.

"You will not," Vin countered and grabbed his arm to topple him back down onto the couch. "You go in there and we won't see either one of you for who knows how long. I'll be back in two minutes."

Ezra, watching as Vin disappeared through the bedroom door, commented idly, "A hundred dollars says it takes him more than two minutes."

"I'll take that," Buck said. They were short on time now, and Chris hated to be late.

Ezra was counting down the last ten seconds when the door opened and Vin returned, looking a little addled. Chris, right behind him, had to be the reason.

"Well..." Ezra coughed, and relinquished a Franklin without even bitching.

Buck snapped it out of the air, and as much as he wanted to ogle his lover like the rest of his friends, he wasn't willing to miss their reactions. Josiah assessed like an artist, measuring, appraising, and finally nodding approval. JD's jaw had dropped open, and he worked unsuccessfully to close it. Ezra's poker face didn't quite hold; he was shocked and maybe a little repulsed. For that look alone, Buck wished he'd brought a camera along. Nathan looked acutelyl embarrassed--another Kodak moment. Vin just kept shaking his head, as if he didn't quite believe what he saw, and Buck could appreciate that. He wondered if the picture crawled into Vin's balls and tickled like it did for him.

"Well?" Chris demanded. "How is it?"

Ezra walked a small semicircle around his boss. "Chris, I can honestly say that it makes even me want to fuck you."

Ezra was right. Buck gave up on his friends and focused on his lover.

There was nothing feminine about Chris, and never had been. There was no joke or cheat in the outfit, not the heels or the stockings or the wide choker that hid his Adam's apple, that would make anyone think he was a real woman. But there were plenty of women Buck had known who couldn't do for that outfit what Chris was doing for it. Or maybe it was doing something for Chris. Or maybe Buck was a lot more kinky than he'd ever imagined, because all he wanted to do was throw Chris onto a carpet and make love to him, nibble and lick and suck and explore, whisper sweet nothings and tenderly drive Chris crazy, and keep that little French maid's dress on him the whole time.

Make-up had been applied with unnerving precision. The short black maid's uniform complete with white ruffled petticoat stopped just past his package and left his legs on display from groin to ankle, and the longish black sleeves tempered the breadth of his shoulders and the bulge of his biceps. Chris strode into the room, working it, keeping his head demurely downturned and balancing pretty well on the chunky heels. One arm swung with a weirdly masculine energy, the little silk purse at its end swinging wildly. Buck sighed and adjusted his jeans once more.

"Geez..." JD whistled low.

Chris' brows drew together in a very macho frown, even as his red-lipsticked lips puckered and Buck imagined them leaving marks at the base of his erection. "Well?" Chris demanded.

Amid reassurances and backhanded compliments, Buck strode up to his lover and slipped his hands around the slender waist. "I'd pay twenty grand to take you home right now," he breathed.

"Yeah," Chris chided, "but would you pay eighty? Plus tips?"

It was worth considering, but even if he wanted to, Chris would never let him piss off the Sanford sisters. Besides, he liked them... Regretfully, Buck squeezed Chris' waist gently and backed away. "Yeah," he said anyway as he reached down to tug on his jeans, "I would."

"Well," Vin argued, confirming Buck's suspicion, "he might not be the only one. Chris, you look... damn, I never would have thought it, but you make that gender fuck work, pard."

Chris smoothed his slicked-back hair, all his own and too short, but femmed up by the wet look. "Yeah," he said doubtfully. "Scary, isn't it?"

"It is a bit unsettling," Ezra admitted, head tilted to one side.

Chris grinned. "And you're not even the one in the dress."

"So what's in the purse?" JD asked.

Chris swung it experimentally, a little bag-type silk thing with string ties. "Make-up. If I'm doing my job right I figure I'll need it."

Oh yeah, he'd need it, Buck thought, tugging unsuccessfully at the seam of his too-tight jeans. He was going to do damage down there, at this rate. "Let's go before I explode," he groused, and strode to the suite's hall door. He opened it and stood back, bowing Chris on through, and Chris, damn him, tossed him a grin and wiggled his ass out the door.

"We'll give you a couple of minutes to meet with our hostesses," Ezra said, hustling Buck out and slamming the door behind them. "All right," he said, getting down to business, "ten thousand dollars says one of them fucks the other before the end of the party."

"You think we suddenly got stupid?" Vin scoffed.

"Five to one odds, my ten to your two" Ezra offered to sweeten the deal. It was a sure thing; he could offer a million to one if it wouldn't tip everybody off. No, the trick was to offer enough to arouse even the best man's greed a little....

Out in the hall, Chris frowned at the closed door. "He's being subtle tonight."

Buck couldn't resist stepping up close; with the heels, Chris met him eye to eye, and that was sweet too. "I want you so badly right now."

"Thought you always wanted me," he challenged.

"Aw darlin', you know I do. But Chris, you can't see yourself."

Chris smirked, and raised his knuckles to Buck's crotch, touching gently. "I looked. I figured you'd rupture something, if you didn't laugh first."

"Keep doing that if you want to kill me," Buck croaked, rocking his hips against the back of Chris' hand. "Otherwise, let's meet the girls and get this show on the road."

"Let's at least get your tool belt full of tricks out of the hall before Security tries to arrest you, eh?"

"Shit. Uh, yeah."

The presidential suite was the Plaza's largest and grandest, with vaulted ceilings above marble floors and a main room easily as big as two of their apartments. Chris whistled when Abigail, the sisters' personal assistant, ushered them in. The space had been dressed up with silks and music, brass and candles, and it called to mind a sheik's harem without losing any of the modern conveniences or rich appointments that came with place. Not even the bowl by the door that contained candy, condoms and single serving lube could detract from the appeal.

"Nice," Buck echoed beside him. "Abby, you look great tonight, honey. How are they treating you?"

"Fine," she said with a perfunctory smile. "Mr. Larabee. Where are the others?"

He had a profound desire to tug at his skirt in front of this girl. She was a professional, talking to him like he was wearing jeans or a three piece suit, but all he could focus on was how the air conditioning chilled the three inches of bare upper thigh that weren't covered by black silk panties or stockings.

"Aw, we don't need them, do we?" Buck practically oozed. He couldn't seem to help himself, trying to charm every woman he met, even when vast personal experience should have told him he was wasting his time here. This lady was on the clock, same as he was.

"They'll be right along," Chris reassured. They'd better damn well be.

A discreet tap came at the door as Abigail was leading toward the larger bedroom. Chris briefly locked eyes with Ezra, who smiled and nodded at the pile of silk cushions by the picture window. There was an older couple there; he'd seen them before, but not met them. Maybe Ezra would pick up some new money tonight.

Abigail knocked lightly, and then pushed on through, not waiting to be acknowledged. The bedroom was decorated, too, far more traditionally in black crepe and bedding, colored lights, spiders' webs and jack-o-lanterns. It seemed oddly out of place compared to the main room, and made him wonder if the bathroom and other bedrooms had their own motifs.

Chris hadn't believed it for a second when Vin had told him that the outfit wouldn't get him fucked from one end of the suite to the other. The "girls" were dressed similarly, in tail-coated evening suits, and pleat-fronted shirts of what Chris was sure, once he got close enough to touch, he would find to be soft, fine silk. But they looked no more like men than he looked a woman. Maybe Vin was right, and they were looking for a little girl-on-girl action without the girl.

The sisters smiled welcome; Chris never could tell the damn girls apart, even though Vin and Buck both claimed it was easy.

It must have been, because Buck walked right up and grabbed one around the waist, hefting her not-inconsiderable weight easily. "Hi, Alicia, honey. You're looking edible tonight."

Alicia smiled easily, but didn't seem much more inclined than Abigail to be distracted by Buck's antics right now. "Put me down," she ordered, friendly. "Let's get logistics out of the way, honey, before we move on to the fun stuff."

Marcy hung up her cell phone and offered Chris a computer printed list of names. "Hot off the press." She smiled easily, eyeing him up and down, and Chris kept his face completely still. If he could take it from the guys, he could damn well take it from the woman who was paying a fortune for the pleasure. He smiled back--completely professional-- and then took the time to review the updated guest list. "A few first timers, and a couple of old friends from Europe," she informed him as he read. "But mostly you know everyone."

Chris eyed the list again, and then drilled Marcy with a sharp look. The mascara had to be diminishing the effect, but she paid attention well enough. "And the people I don't, they know it's hands-off the fireman. Right?" They'd struck a very clear deal on this, and it had landed Chris in this get-up. The Sisters would keep their end, or there'd be hell to pay.

"Honestly, Chris," Marcy shook her head, "you coddle your people too much."

Chris looked away from her to Buck's too-wide grin, then tilted his head down and looked up through his lashes. "That's what keeps you coming back, isn't it?"

Marcy turned to meet her sister's eyes. Buck had put Alicia down, but his hands rested lightly on her ass. They swayed to the muffled music from the main room.

"I think we can handle the rest of this somewhere else, Leesh," Marcy said dryly, and in the blink of an eye, Buck hefted Alicia over his shoulder and tossed her to the center of the tall, king-sized bed. "Let's get to it then, girl!" he bellowed.

She laughed, bouncing up to prop on her elbows. Chris watched, stunned, as Buck launched himself to land next to her, setting her bouncing and giggling again. Sometimes he couldn't believe what people would actually pay for. But Buck and Vin had been keeping the Sisters happy for almost a year now. Obviously, they knew what worked. Buck, focused on his job and the woman he'd been friendly with since he'd first met her, didn't even look over his shoulder.

"See you, stud," he called, and Buck barely waved a hand back in his general direction. Under the circumstances, Chris thought as he tugged at a garter, he supposed it was a good thing.

The party ran pretty smoothly; guests trickled in between ten and midnight, tipsy already from partying in the elite bars. More drugs than Chris liked to see came out, and he whispered an order to Vin to make sure JD understood there could be a urine test tomorrow that he'd better pass. There wasn't, but he wanted to put a fear of God into the kid; JD was like an ecstatic puppy and Chris was determined to housebreak him, for his own good as much as the company's.

A little game of Nathan's with the cop-speak and a pair of handcuffs turned into a floorshow, and after a very unprofessional frisk Nathan fucked one of the new people into November. And then someone turned down the music and turned on a big screen TV, and a weird game of horror flicks and fucking ensued for the next couple of hours. Most of the sex actually stopped for Ghost Busters, and Chris found himself surrounded almost entirely by women. He regretted not making JD wear the dress after all, as the kid had caught the attention of the men again, and every time Chris saw him he was on his knees, fucking or sucking... Chris sighed. Maybe this wasn't a job for anyone, but they all were alive with a roof over their heads and money in the bank. And they were a family.

He crawled away from his current date--Betty, Beth, please God don't let her ask him to say her name--and whispered to a youngish woman who had kept mostly to herself. "See that kid with the dark hair over there?" he whispered, pointing to JD. "He's got a fireman's tattoo on his chest, right here..." he stroked just above the curve of her breast, "and on his ass, right..." he touched her hip delicately. "Go on over there and say 'trick or treat.' You won't be disappointed." When she smiled her thanks and walked over to tap JD on the shoulder, Chris smiled. The kid deserved a break. He was holding up well, though, better even than Chris had thought he might, and Chris made a mental note to say a few words to him later.

The evening turned into a long, sexual tension-filled blur of bare flesh and whimpering climaxes, of stress that rode high and a hard-on that Chris suffered with in case somebody in the room wanted it. For the first time, he thought that maybe he hated this job. It wasn't the sex--Buck had taught him early how little sex had to do with other things, and how much. It wasn't the people; some of these folks were nice enough, and all of them treated his men with a modicum of respect, under the circumstances. It sure as hell wasn't the money... hell, maybe the dress was getting to him. He felt like an idiot even though several of the women really seemed to get off on it. Normally, doing silly things for loads of money didn't bother him, but in this get-up, every time he spotted Buck in the crowd his lover was staring at him with the strangest and most familiar look in his eye. It didn't do for Buck Wilmington to like something as much as his eyes said he liked this dress.

One of the Sanford sisters knelt down beside him and touched her thumb to his lipsticked mouth. "You could use a touch-up, Chris," she said gently, and he flinched, the makeup forgotten for the more pressing concern of women's panties and silk stockings.

"I'll go take care of it."

"Would you mind some company?" she asked, but she didn't move.

Chris kept his face carefully welcoming and started to nod when her hand stayed his words.

"It's my party, Chris. You're working hard, and taking care of me isn't necessarily the priority I'd ask you to set. Do you mind? It's an honest question."

Chris looked at her, really looked, and realized suddenly why Buck and Vin so enjoyed working for the sisters; they liked whores, actually liked them. He grinned more genuinely this time, and shook his head. "I reckon I can think of something we could do in a bathroom that you'd like," he said, and slid his hand between her slightly parted thighs. "And no, I don't mind."

She grinned back. "Thanks. Come on. It'll be nice just to be in a room that's quiet for five minutes, won't it?"

The woman had a point. "Let's see if we can't make it at least ten minutes, huh?"

JD was getting a little frazzled. A really pretty girl had come over, and that had been a nice change of pace, but he was getting worried that he'd lose his erection or come, and neither one seemed like it was what he was being paid for. He'd never really thought about what it took to keep feeling sexy for hours on hours, and he wondered how the other guys did it. Easing off the condom and disposing of it, he tucked his cock back inside his jump suit and zipped it up as he looked around. Vin was still going strong, as was Nathan. Josiah had chased a woman into one of the bedrooms not long ago, yardstick cracking the whole time. He didn't see Ezra, or Chris, for that matter.

A hand grabbed his collar and he shied away, then caught himself before he realized it was Buck. Damn, what a relief. He didn't think he could take care of anybody else right now.

"Come on, kid, let's get some air," Buck said without preamble. Even if he'd wanted to say no, Buck's solid grip on his jumpsuit collar wouldn't have let him without making him look like a kid being dragged behind the wood shed.

"Uh, sure," he said, and jerked out of Buck's clutches. Buck laughed softly, a laugh meant just for him rather than to draw attention, and hustled him out onto the balcony.

"Beautiful out here, huh?" Buck whispered, crowding him a little.

"Cold as shit," JD shot back, and zipped his jumpsuit all the way to the collar. But it wasn't, really. One of those heater things radiated warm air down on them, and while the chill of autumn definitely had control of this balcony, it wasn't unbearable. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing at all, kid." Buck's voice was soft and warm. "I just wanted to tell you that they love you in there. You're doing a great job."

JD shrugged, diffident. In some ways, this whole group sex thing was easier than he'd thought it might be, but in others it was harder. He'd lose himself in giving the customer what he or she wanted, and remember suddenly that he couldn't come, that there were more people maybe waiting for him. It helped that the guys were around, but most of them acted differently than they did at home, and it was especially weird to look at Chris.

"How do you feel?"

JD shrugged again, not completely sure what to say. Chris was the reason he'd first come to Access Security Services, determined that if he was going to live this kind of life, he was going to start at the top. He had loved the angle that Chris used, operating as a professional security service, loved that most of the clients didn't call him a whore or a hooker or any of the names he'd been called before. But he'd been around less than two months, and the Chris in that room was so different from the guy he thought he knew. Gone was the cool, calculating look and the arrogance that had seemed backed up by such a powerful personality. Gone was the ruggedly masculine man he'd seen when he'd crashed the party in an upscale hotel.

Buck sighed, long and loud. "Anybody give you any trouble?"

"No, nothing like that."

"Might as well tell me before we freeze to death, kid."

JD debated for all of two seconds before he blurted out, "Chris."

"What about him?"

"He's in a dress, for Pete's sake!"

"And you're in a fireman's costume," Buck pointed out.

"That's different!"

Buck chuckled. "Yeah, it sure is."

"No, I mean..." he didn't know what he meant, he just knew he didn't like it.

"He freaking you out?" Buck asked.

Guiltily, JD nodded.

"That's okay," Buck said after a second. "He's freaking me out too, just not for the same reasons."

"You like it, don't you?" JD ventured, steeling himself for the truth.

"No kid," Buck clarified, "I love it. JD, you don't need to worry about stuff like that yet, you hear? On the street, tricks like to do hard shit, vicious shit sometimes. At our level, they like to play games in their heads. It's all about them. It don't mean nothin' about Chris, any more than your fireman's outfit means something about you. Now come here," Buck told him, and leaned back against the balcony's wall.

Reluctantly JD sidled up against Buck and let himself be manhandled around; Buck's arms came around him, bare and radiating warmth like a furnace, and he couldn't help leaning back a little, sharing more body heat.

"That's it. Feels good to relax a little. Take a break." He'd pulled JD more tightly against him, and JD felt the press of his hard dick against his butt.

"Buck?" he started, but his voice cracked and he wasn't willing to try again.

"I'm real proud of you, kid," Buck whispered, and the breath tickled his neck. "We all are."

"But I--"

Buck tilted him a little and that full mouth closed on his before he could think of what to say. Damn it! He didn't need this! He was already on his way to a bad case of blue balls, and he didn't need Buck winding him up!

But it felt good. Buck hadn't handled him like this before; they'd never gone beyond friendly kisses or maybe a cuddle on the couch when everybody was watching a movie. "Buck..." he whined into his friend's mouth.

"Hush," Buck whispered back. "I'm not gonna leave you hanging, kid, I'm gonna let you cut loose. You're pushing yourself. Just relax."

It was hard not to listen to that voice, and harder not to sprawl his legs wider when Buck's hands dipped down into the vee of his thighs. Why had he zipped up his stupid jumpsuit, anyway? Big hands rubbed firmly at his belly and stroked up, up, and JD clenched his hands into fists, ready to be embarrassed and furious if Buck was just messing with him.

A finger touched his throat, right at the zipper's mouth, and traced his skin as Buck's other hand teased the zipper down. JD knew he was holding his breath, but he was desperate, and he'd wanted this for a while, wanted it ever since the day he'd seen Vin jogging down the stairs with a shit-eating grin on his face and realized Vin had been upstairs with Buck and Chris. The way Chris always acted, he hadn't known either of the guys were in play when money wasn't on the table. And the way Buck treated him like such a kid brother, he hadn't expected to get the kind of attention that Vin obviously did.

Mustache brushed his neck, and he shivered. "You okay, JD?"

"Buck..." he licked his lips. "Buck, please..."

"Hush, don't you worry now. I'm gonna make you feel great."

JD believed him.

And Buck did, saying nice things to him, sliding the zipper down all the way to his groin and reaching in with knowing hands, pulling him out and stroking him and thrusting gently against his butt the whole time.

He bit his lip. "Buck, if you're gonna stop, now's the time..." he warned.

"I'm not gonna stop." The fingers stroking him gentled, but sped up, and Buck's other hand slid between his legs to tickle his balls. With a bitten-off groan, JD thrust and spilled then, and all the while Buck whispered to him, that low voice telling him he was doing great, that he was cared for and appreciated. Stars flickered behind his tight-shut eyes and it took awhile for orgasm to wash through him and wane, that edge of pain from holding back too long riding right under the intense pleasure of release. Leaning heavily back against his friend, JD opened his eyes and looked out over the city. Right now he could be sleeping out in the cold, or in the drafty garage apartment of some rich bastard, tuning up someone else's classic cars, making sure the dust stayed off the chrome.

That life wasn't for him. Maybe it never had been, it seemed so far away. Now, the only way he'd be on some rich bastard's car was if the guy paid heavily to fuck him across it. He huffed out a laugh and shivered in the cold night air.

"Hmm?" Buck questioned.

JD shook his head and, feeling kind of dirty and daring, slid his hand behind his butt to cup the hard bulge in Buck's jeans. He had barely squeezed once when the slider door opened and Chris stuck his head out.

Chris read the scene with one glance, from Buck's breathless smile to JD's guilty look and wide-open jumpsuit. Damn it! Buck could've waited to initiate the kid until they weren't working, couldn't he? Even as he thought it, JD turned half away to tuck himself in, and the poor guy looked panicked.

"Chris, um..." JD twitched and feinted right. "I ought to get back in there..."

"No hurry, JD," Chris said, closing the sliding glass door behind himself. "We all take a break now and again at long hauls like this one." He glanced at Buck and forced a grin. "Some of us take breaks together. Gives us a chance to get the tension under control." He grinned more lewdly. "So Buck gave you a hand?"

Buck groaned. "Is there something in the water? That's got to be the tenth pun I've heard out of you guys tonight."

"Uh," JD mumbled.

Buck snorted, and Chris sighed. "Come on, JD, you haven't lied to me yet. Don't start now."

After a second JD ducked his head. "I'm sorry, Chris, I wasn't trying to--"

"Nothing to be sorry for," Chris said, cutting him off aggressively. "You're one of us now, and you're out on this balcony because Buck and I like you." He reached out a careful hand and slid it under JD's chin, tipping his head up. "You know that, don't you? It's okay."

"Yeah?" JD asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.

Chris eased him into a one-armed hug. "Yeah, kid."

"Damn, you're tall in that outfit," JD groused, obviously relieved, and Chris grinned. It was the only good thing he could say about it. "Okay no shit, I'm going back in now."

"Get something to eat before you dive back in," Buck coached.

Mere seconds after Chris slid the door shut behind JD, Buck had him bent over the balcony rail, staring at the traffic twelve stories down.

Buck's hands were warm on his skin, one wrapped around his chest and the other sliding up under the damn skirts, baring Chris' ass to the chill autumn breeze and the Boston skyline. Getting someone out of a pair of women's panties wasn't a difficult task for Buck; they slid down and Chris eased one foot up to release them. A jeans-clad knee pressed his stance wider, and their balance shifted.

"You are so beautiful, darlin'," Buck whispered at his ear, his breath warm and moist. His hand shifted again, pulling Chris up and back against him, rocking his groin gently against Chris. His hands wandered, touching, stroking: up the line of the garters, down to the top of the stockings that he couldn't seem to leave alone. One hand pulled Chris' head around into a wet, seeking kiss.

"Buck!" Chris wavered between arousal and outrage as Buck's hands shifted to his padded chest, massaging as if those assets were truly his. Buck just chuckled, and dipped a finger below the plunging neckline to search for a taut nipple.

"Buck!" Chris tried again.

"What?" Buck mimicked his tone, and then diverted to nibble and suck at Chris' earlobe. Chris' own arousal reasserted itself, and he didn't stifle the groan. Buck's laughter rumbled, vibrating from his chest through Chris' whole body. "You can't blame a man for wanting to lay his hands--" Buck tightened his grip on Chris' hips"--on something as drop-dead gorgeous as you are."

Chris stiffened. "Don't," he whispered.

"Don't what, darlin?" Buck's hands stilled. "Tell you how hot you are?"

"Don't treat me like a girl, damn it," Chris grumbled. He felt embarrassed enough as it was.

Buck stepped back then, turning Chris, and holding him away so their eyes could meet. "I'm not treating you like a girl," Buck countered, serious concern and gentle amusement seeming to battle for supremacy. "Maybe the dress makes you feel like a girl, Chris. I’m just treating you like you're mine."

Damn. It was no wonder the chicks fell for it. And kept falling. If Chris didn't have any defense after fifteen years... He stepped forward then, bearing Buck up against the wall and back into the one shadowed corner where they'd be invisible to the crowd inside. Until and unless someone stepped out, like he had, they'd be safe.

Buck relaxed back, though without a shirt he must have been damn near as cold as Chris was. Chris leaned in, exploring the novelty of standing eye-to-eye with his lover. He tapped one high heel, and watched the reaction shiver through Buck. Chris tilted his head, asking silently for preference, though there was no doubt what Buck was after.

"You can do me if you want," Buck offered, ever the gentleman.

Chris thought about it, and left Buck hanging for the better part of a minute. But he could be a gentleman, too, whether he was dressed for the part or not. Smiling slightly, he turned, bent, and propped his elbows on the railing.

The traffic below was thin, mostly cabs and delivery vehicles, and Chris took a moment to scan the surrounding buildings. They were as safe as they could be up here, unless there was a perv with a telephoto lens somewhere in the Hancock Tower. Then, when Buck's hands--still unreasonably warm--slid up his stockings and made contact with his bare skin, Chris' eyes dropped shut.

Buck leaned into him, the fire-heat of his cock warming Chris' ass, and then, easier than drawing a breath, warming him from inside. Chris consciously relaxed into Buck's hands, into his care, and the scratchy crinoline fabric seemed less important in comparison to this communion. And Buck, damn the man, was as careful as he would have been with a virgin, rocking in so slowly and carefully that Chris thought he might scream.

Buck's hands were unnaturally still, too, where they lay at Chris' waist and hip, holding him. And, in the face of such patient adoration, it was nothing to give in to this fantasy he'd never even known Buck had. On the rock back from Buck's next easy thrust, he gathered one long-fingered hand from his waist and drew it up, guiding it to the falsie, pressing Buck's hand under his, holding it there.

Buck's fingers gently curled, grasped, and Chris felt first shudder of ecstasy rock through his lover.

He figured he'd be in this outfit again, sometime soon, and probably in this position. But this was too powerful, too complex to try and examine in the middle of a job on a balcony in the middle of the night. So Chris just pressed harder with his hand, making the fake rub against his nipple underneath, and groaned out, "Buck..."

Things got a little hazy, after that.

Inside the suite, Ezra lifted his head from between the legs of his paramour of the moment, and trailed his lips up her smooth thigh so he could do a quick head count: Vin was less than three feet away, in much the same position; Josiah was still in the other bedroom; Nathan had lost half of his outfit and reclined on a glorified Lazy Boy with a woman draped across him, the contrast of dark and light skin artistically appealing; and JD had slipped behind the buffet table, where he had propped his chin on his hands, obviously taking a breather. JD seemed to be holding his own, but... no Chris, no Buck.

He tried to catch Vin's eye when Vin slid up one of the sisters and buried his sheathed cock in her with one strong thrust. Vin looked over, grinned, and tilted his head toward the balcony.

Buck hadn't come back in when JD had? Then... he raised his eyebrows, and Vin nodded before nuzzling his face in the sister's throat and going back to work. Ezra smiled down at Gwen; he'd been surprised to find her name on the guest list, as generally she kept to herself and to him. "Well that was fun," he said silkily, and curled up against her side.

"Mmm hmm," she half-moaned, then stretched.

Meanwhile, Ezra peered intently through the gauzy curtains, trying to decide if he could make out a shape... yes. Big, it had to be Buck, and Ezra gently brushed Gwen's skirt down and happily made small talk; he was eight thousand dollars richer now than he'd been two minutes ago, and that was before Gwen decided how generous she was feeling.

Vin groaned behind him, and he thought about edging over Gwen to let her watch the show. But no. Vin had been working hard, and Ezra thought he might be a bit more tight-strung than he realized. Better to let Vin alone until or unless someone requested something different.

He wondered what time it was, anyway.

* * *

They piled back into their suite just after six in the morning, too exhausted to care and too wired to sleep.

"I need to get out of this shit," Chris announced, and headed for a bedroom.

Buck dropped his tool belt on the table by the door and stretched tall with a groan. "I'll never get all those toys back," he said mournfully.

Vin snickered. "I think you can afford to replace 'em, Buck."

Buck glanced toward the open bedroom door. "Yeah."

Nathan took in his partners' moods and energy levels, and decided that a whole lot of relaxing was in order. "You think Chris needs a little help getting out of that dress?" he teased gently.

Buck turned back toward him and leaned heavily into the sofa cushions. "Give him a minute." Unnecessarily he added, "He really didn't like that dress."

Nathan looked at the motorcycle boots he still held, thinking that he couldn't say the same. A part of their game was the stereotype, and the number of times he'd said "massah" for a few grand irked him on occasion... never when he was at the bank, but still. He wondered if he couldn't get Chris to follow up with the new people for him. Far more entertaining was this cop role, some military thing maybe, a street punk even... damn, he was tired. It wasn't like they had many clients who asked for weird fantasy shit every day of the week.

"Guess I could get a shower," he pondered out loud.

"Guess we all could," Vin agreed, then yawned. "I smell like a whorehouse."

Ezra said, "We'll take it in shifts to speed things up. Buck, go crowd Chris, but try not to get distracted."

"I don't think I've got it in me to get distracted, Ez," he said tiredly. He dragged himself up off the sofa and plodded after his lover.

Nathan smiled kindly as Buck cleared the bedroom door. "Don't hear that too often from Buck, now do we?"

Ezra frowned. "He's deluding himself; if Chris bent over, he'd find a way to take advantage of the situation. But while they're out of the room, I'll take my eight thousand, now. Two each, gentlemen."

Ezra was good at taking advantage of situations too. Nathan sighed and covered a yawn. He was too tired to spar with Ezra, and Ezra was too tired to appreciate it.

"When did they do it?" JD squeaked.

"When they were on the balcony," Ezra elucidated.

"No way! I was the one on the balcony with Buck."

"Doin' what?" Vin asked, humor and friendly antagonism combined.

JD actually flushed, and Nathan didn't know whether to smile or be pissed at Buck for finally giving JD a piece here, of all places. "So they didn't..."

"Did Chris, or did Chris not come out onto that balcony, JD?" Ezra demanded, and not for the first time Nathan thought Ez would make a good trial attorney.

"Well... yeah."

"And did you, or did you not return to the suite?"

JD looked like he was going to rub his toe on the carpet and revert to childhood, and the smile won out for Nathan.

"Yeah..."

"Well then? What's the problem?"

"How do you know they fucked?" Vin asked, but his face told Nathan he knew something, or thought he did.

So Nathan decided to end the argument before anyone actually got irritable. It happened sometimes, after long nights like this. "Vin? Come on, man, give. We've got to get to sleep sometime."

Vin sagged a little then, and pushed his hair back out of his face. "Okay, yeah, they were out there for long enough... and I caught a glimpse through the curtains. Looked like ol' Chris was getting it over the railing."

"Shit," Nathan muttered. He really had thought they might win, given the nature of this party.

"We'd have had a chance if not for the dress," Josiah added.

JD laughed for the first time, and for the first time Nathan realized how unnaturally quiet the young man had been. "No shit," JD said. "You know," he added in a low voice, "that dress sure freaked me out. Did uh, anybody else think it was weird?"

Vin shrugged. "I've seen weirder. Hell, I wouldn't have thought it, but Chris pulled it off okay."

Josiah nodded, while Ezra shrugged. They all knew how Buck felt about it... Nathan came to the defense of their youngest. "I did," he said quietly. "I thought it was weird as hell. That little outfit--that one especially, I mean--it's everything Chris isn't. Not just the women's clothes angle, or the make up. But he was dressed in a damned servant's costume..." he shook his head. "That ain't the Chris I know."

"Yeah, exactly! I don't know how he just stood there and let everybody look at him. And the women... it was like they weren't hiring his dick at all." JD glanced around, anxious. "Anybody else ever wear a dress for a client?" he asked carefully.

"Not to my knowledge," Ezra interrupted, "but I would if the money was right, and speaking of money, I want mine. Now, if you please, gentlemen."

Amidst good-humored bitching, everyone slowly coughed up their debts. Nathan had plenty of cash, as did Vin. Ezra stuffed their money into the back of his pants and held out his hand to the others. Really, Nathan thought, they should have learned not to bet against Ezra by now.

Josiah unfolded bills, counting out the smallest methodically. JD made a big show out of straightening out and stacking crumpled bills as if he might not have enough, which set Ezra's foot to tapping impatiently.

Nathan yawned again. There were worse things they could do for a living. And better? He wondered what they might move on to, when the time came. Chris and Buck, at thirty and thirty-two, would be too old for the game soon, or too sick of it. Ezra had more time. JD had the most, but Nathan couldn't stomach the thought of leaving the kid in this line of work if the rest of them moved on... to what?

Maybe next Halloween they should all dress up like each other. Firemen, cops, PIs? Cowboys? EMTs if he had his choice.... Hell, Chris had the license for tax purposes; they really could really run a legitimate security firm, and watch over newer, younger whores if not the rich they served.

"Hurry it up! I'll grow old and die before I collect at this rate," Ezra complained.

"Collect for what?"

Ezra jerked, startled at the sound of Buck's voice, and Nathan glanced over himself. Chris' hair was still slicked back, with water this time, and his face was clean of make up. Barefoot, he was again a few inches shorter than Buck, and Nathan catalogued that small detail and what a huge difference it seemed to make.

Buck had showered too, and they both had nabbed the hotel bathrobes from that bedroom. It gave Nathan an idea, and he sidled a step toward the other bedroom before someone else realized that there were only two robes left: two soft, expensive, voluminous robes.

Chris stepped in front of Buck then leaned back against him, heavily enough that Buck had to shift his feet to counter the weight. "Yeah, Ezra," Chris mimicked, "collect for what?"

"Uh..."

Damn, Ez really was tired. "Whether you two would shag each other during the party," Nathan supplied with a grin.

Ezra's glare, all by itself, was worth it.

"You bet on us fucking?" Buck's brows drew down and his face looked like a thundercloud. "You bet on us fucking during that party?"

"I fail to see why last night's party should be different from any other," Ezra retorted, and sniffed. Then he reached and snatched the cash from JD's hand.

Chris pushed off Buck then and strolled right up to Ezra. "If it was our performance won you that money, Ez," Chris said with playful menace, "I reckon we should get our cut."

Ezra's eyes narrowed, and Nathan could barely contain his laughter. "And what percentage do you think you deserve?" Ezra asked, in full negotiation mode.

Chris held his hand out. "All of it. We were the ones did the work, after all."

Ezra looked like someone had stolen his favorite teddy bear, but he handed the cash over. Chris didn't even count it. "This all of it?" he asked.

Nathan wondered why the hell they all kept doing this; Chris hated them betting on each other, much as they joked about such things.

"No," Josiah piped up, then waved his two grand in the air before handing it to Chris as well."

"Et tu, Josiah?" Ezra asided.

"I lose it either way, Ezra," Josiah pointed out reasonably.

"Just trying to teach you generosity, Ezra," Chris said.

"Easier to teach me to breathe under water," Ezra shot back, but he was smiling a little.

Buck rubbed his hands together. "So! You all stink. Come on, get cleaned up and I'll order room service. We'll shovel in some good food then crash for awhile."

"Share the shower with you Ez," Nathan offered.

"Thanks," Ezra responded, and made like speed racer for the bedroom door. Yep, he'd cottoned on to the bathrobe shortage.

Chris went to the window as Buck went to the phone, and Nathan grinned when Ezra, in their full view if only they'd looked, pulled out the rest of his winnings. Ezra Standish was a defiant little prick, no two ways about it, Nathan thought fondly. He headed after his friend for the shower. Maybe a little mutual wash up would be fun.

The End