Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

When I hired Nicky for the summer, I thought it was going to be the best one of my life. Instead, it was shaping up to be the longest summer of my life.

He was becoming an obsessive thought. Since the moment he’d offered that outrageous proposal, I had thought of little else. Here I was, thinking I should be ashamed of myself for my budding attraction to him. But in reality, Nicky was gunning for me, and he was coming in hot. There was absolutely no way I could hold out much longer. I intended to put up a good fight, though, for the sake of morality and whatever allegiance I might owe Brian.

I was preparing for a four-day jaunt to Key West and back, stocking up on supplies, giving the boat a good cleaning, and pretending like I wasn’t going out of my mind waiting for Nicky to show up. As much as I was dreading being alone with him, the other half of me, the half not ruled by guilt and sense, was thrilled. I felt jittery; like I’d downed three energy drinks in a row.

Glancing at the dock for what must have been the six hundredth time, I saw Nicky finally jogging toward me. He was breathless and pink-cheeked by the time he reached me.

“Looks like it’s gonna rain.”

I looked up at the dark gray clouds looming overhead. “We’re supposed to have some bad weather roll in this weekend. Should be all right, though. We’ll be back before you know it.”

“Where are we headed?”

“Key West. We’ll be gone for four days. Just waiting on Sam and our guests. We’ll be dropping them off in the Keys and then we’ll have the boat to ourselves on the way back.”

“I’ve never been to Key West,” Nicky said excitedly. “Will you show me all your favorite spots?”

Aside from the thrill of his touch and the way I burned when his eyes raked over me—like he was figuring out the best way to get me naked—this was the stuff I was excited about. I loved that he just wanted to be in my company, to spend time with me and see the places that I loved, the places I’d told him stories about over the years. And now, I was finally able to share them with him in person .

“You bet. You’re gonna love the Sunset Festival.”

Nicky was hesitant with his hug, but once he had his arms around me and I returned his embrace, he planted his lips on my cheek, and I smiled. Whatever it was he dreamed of being to me, he was still my Nicky—he always would be.

He disappeared down the stairs to stow his bags, and I caught a glimpse of Sam coming down the dock, carrying six grocery bags and his duffel.

“Looks like it’s gonna get rough this weekend,” he observed, glancing at the sky.

“Looks like it. Good thing I’m an excellent captain.”

He smirked. “You figure things out yet with Nicky?” he asked, climbing aboard.

“Not even close.”

“Well, this should be interesting. Looks like the seas won’t be the only thing that’s rough this weekend.”

“Hey, do me a favor.”

“Maybe,” he shrugged.

Jackass . “Don’t let me do anything stupid this weekend.”

Sam chuckled. “Your idea of stupid and mine are probably very different things. My advice is to tie the drawstring on your shorts real tight, maybe even knot it. That way, it’s harder to lose your pants.” Sam waggled his eyebrows and popped a kiss on my lips before heading down the stairs after Nicky .

Absolutely no help.

The voyage to Fort Lauderdale wasn’t too rough, and we made good time, docking at the Riverfront Marina. Our guests went ashore to enjoy the city for the afternoon while we refueled. The three of us ate lunch on deck, and when our guests returned with shopping bags from the downtown Riverwalk, we set sail again for our final destination.

We pulled into a slip at the Key West Marina, giving us easy access to Duval Street and the downtown area. Christ, I’d forgotten how expensive it was to dock there. As soon as we ushered our guests off board, Sam and I took Nicky to lunch at Sloppy Joe’s Bar.

“I can see why this is one of your favorite places,” he gushed. His bright smile made me feel ridiculously happy.

They kept all their doors wide open, and the warm, humid air kissed my skin as we nursed mango iced teas while waiting for our conch fritters and sloppy Joe sandwiches.

“I’m gonna hit the head,” Sam announced.

“I’ll join you,” I added, following him.

When we returned to our table, Nicky’s smile was a little wider, and his eyes shone brighter. I eyed his refill of iced tea, wondering what might be in it. Grabbing his glass, I took a sip from the neon pink straw. There was enough rum in it to knock me on my ass .

“Is this a Long Island Iced Tea?” He shrugged and giggled, and I shook my head. “She served you?”

“I told her it was for you,” he said mischievously, taking another long pull from the straw.

Do not look at his lips. Fucking quit, Cass!

“Well, take it easy. With this heat, that shit will hit you quicker than you think.” When it came to drinking, Nicky was a lightweight. His inexperience and small frame couldn’t handle much.

He finished it, and I kept quiet when the waitress refilled it. Let him have his fun, we were on vacation. Tomorrow we would head home, but today, he could drink, eat, and be merry, and I would enjoy watching him come alive.

Of all the exotic islands I visited every year, Key West was one of my favorite places on Earth. It wasn’t fancy or exquisite, but it was hella fun and interesting and openly welcomed the LGBTQ+ community. Sam and I didn’t have to hide here. We could walk down the street hand-in-hand, stay the night at an all-male gay resort, and just let loose and have fun.

For Nicky’s sake, we did all the touristy things, like visiting the southernmost point of the United States, and I took Nicky and Sam's picture in front of the buoy. I paid an artisan to paint the sunset on a conch shell for Nicky, who recorded the entire process from start to finish. His exuberance at everything he encountered restored my aging soul. Quite simply, he made me feel young again .

Nicky reminded me of what it felt like to live.

Sam treated us to a massage at one of the exclusively gay hotels. There were a few of them in Key West, and we always made a point to visit. I was dying to see Nicky’s reaction when he realized it was a clothing-optional resort.

We stretched out on massage tables by the pool, surrounded by men both nude and barely dressed, and Nicky’s eyes were as wide as saucers as he took it all in, while I was taking in his rapidly growing chub. He couldn't hide his excitement or his attraction. Me and Sam opted for total nudity, and Nicky left his briefs on but quickly changed his mind once the masseurs' strong hands touched his body.

“Every place we visit is better than the last,” he sighed, and I hid my grin in the headrest of the massage table. He was so easy to please, easy-going, and full of joy. “Does this massage come with a happy ending?”

Even the masseuse couldn’t hold his laughter inside.

John’s talented hands felt divine digging into the tight muscles in my neck and shoulders, and all the stress I carried melted away on the warm breeze. I might have moaned out loud when he massaged my ass, but not as loud as Nicky was moaning. But unlike mine, his moans sounded decidedly horny.

Sam tapped my shoulder, and when I turned my head toward him, I grinned along with him. He could pretend like Nicky got under his skin all he wanted, but I knew the truth; he was entertained and charmed by him.

After the massage, we sat poolside, sipping frosty drinks as we eyed the gorgeous man candy walking around in little to no clothing. Sam and I were more discreet about our attraction than Nicky was. His little boner poking through his tight shorts was hard to miss, especially because he kept stroking it. By the time we left the resort, Nicky had finished off two more Long Island Teas, and he was very clingy and handsy as we made our way down Duval Street. I was constantly swallowing my laughter as he stumbled and swayed and giggled. This was a side of him I wasn’t familiar with, but as with every aspect of Nicky’s personality, it was just another reason to love him.

Key West rivaled anywhere for the prettiest sunset on earth. They even named their nightly street festival after it. As the big, blazing ball of orange and fuchsia disappeared over the watery horizon, the night came alive with street performers and vendors, the smell of fried foods, and the buzz of the touristy crowd. We stopped to watch a man painted bronze, who was a dead replica of a real statue. I was hard-pressed to tell the difference, and when I turned around to remark on it to Nicky, I realized he was gone.

“Where’d he go?” I asked Sam .

“Probably saw something exciting. He’ll turn up in a minute.”

I learned a valuable lesson that night. One I would never forget.

Nicholas Laurent was a danger to himself and others when he was inebriated.

Eventually, we found him—sweaty and shirtless, and standing on stage, about to swallow a fiery torch.

“Nicky!” Panic didn’t begin to describe the fear that choked me.

“Cass,” he waved excitedly. “Sam! Watch this!”

My heart stopped beating as I watched Nicky open his jaw wide, bringing the torch closer to his mouth. He was really going to do it. He was going to swallow a ball of fire.

“Fucking dumbass,” Sam grumbled, shoving people aside as he jumped onto the stage. How could he move that fast when I was frozen with fear?

Sam wrapped his fingers around Nicky’s skinny biceps and hauled his ass off the stage in a hurry. Nicky dropped the torch and stumbled along behind him, falling into his arms when he tried to navigate the stairs.

“Sam,” he whined.

“What were you thinking?” he spat.

“That fire is cool?” He sounded confused. Christ . “That guy said he needed a volunteer. So I volunteered. ”

“Next, you can volunteer to wear a fucking leash, so I don’t lose you again,” Sam said angrily.

“Nicky,” I breathed with relief, hauling him into my arms. “Please don’t scare me like that ever again.”

“But that guy said?—”

“That guy is trained to do what he does. And he uses a special alcohol on his breath to manage the fire. You have enough real alcohol in your system to blow up an entire fucking building.” I tried to lower my voice when I realized I was shouting, and I dragged a deep breath into my chest, trying to slow my racing heart. “I should turn you over my knee and beat your skinny ass raw for that dumb stunt,” I hissed.

“That’s a great idea!” he cried excitedly, and I realized there was no talking sense to him until the alcohol was out of his system.

“Let’s go,” I demanded, sliding my arm around his shoulders. “I think we’ve had enough fun for one night.”

Nicky dropped his hand to my ass and squeezed, then giggled, and I didn’t say a word. Again, there was no point while he was still this intoxicated. “I think I’m gonna start calling you ‘Tricky Nicky’ because that was a clever trick you pulled, running off and joining the circus like that, while my back was turned.”

His other hand, the one that wasn’t squeezing my butt cheeks, draped across my chest. “No, you should call me Philip McCrack,” he slurred, “‘cause I want you to fill up my?— ”

“Okay, Nicky, I get it.” Jesus Christ. How did I not know the boy was a lush? Of course, Sam was no help, not even trying to hide his laughter as we ambled back to the boat.

“That’s a good one, kid. I’m definitely going to call you Phillip from now on.”

“Nooo,” Nicky pouted, swatting Sam’s ass. What the hell? “I like it when you call me little Nicky.”

Since when had he started calling him that?

“We should get a room at that meat market hotel with all the naked gay men,” Nicky suggested.

Like fucking hell. He was horny enough without adding fuel to the fire.

Sam laughed. “That’s a great idea, Philip.”

“No, it’s not. I’ve had it with the both of you tonight.”

“Help me get him to bed,” I urged Sam as soon as we boarded the boat. He helped me get Nicky down the narrow stairs and into the bottom bunk— My bunk—because that was easiest. Fuck it, it wasn’t like I didn’t have other options. I could take his bed, or one of the guest cabins, or even sleep up on the deck. One by one, I pulled off his shoes and then covered him with the blanket.

“Good night, Philip McCrack,” I murmured, placing a kiss on his forehead. He was already dead to the world .

“I’m gonna hit the shower. Want to join me?” Sam asked.

Yes, and no . “I’ll be right there.”

Sam hadn’t allowed me into the shower with him, or his bed, or anything else in days, not since he stood his ground and said he wouldn’t be Nicky’s replacement. Not that I could blame him, but my desire had built to unmanageable levels, and I needed him.

Then again, was it really him I needed?

When the water ran hot enough to fill the tiny bathroom with steam, I squeezed into the stall with Sam, our bodies practically flush in the cramped space. Awkwardly and not without a good laugh, we managed to soap each other. The slippery slide of his body against mine, his cock pressed against mine, reminded me how many days it had been since I last shot my release.

“Fuck, that feels good,” I hissed, grabbing both our cocks in my grip.

“Hell, yeah. Stroke me.”

Sam stared down at our cocks joined in my hand, licking his lips, as both engorged heads popped out of my fist, and then disappeared into my palm again. The easy glide made my already desperate need unbearable, and I could feel my heart pumping harder and faster, and my breath coming shorter as my desire heightened. The faster I stroked, the louder Sam moaned, and the sound drove me wild. He had the thickest cock. It was fucking mouth-watering, and I could barely get my fingers wrapped all the way around both of us.

“Coat my knuckles,” I urged, gripping him tighter.

“Fuck you, you owe me. You want my load? Suck it out of me.”

It was extremely difficult to drop to my knees in the minuscule stall, but I managed. Sam gripped the back of my head, forcing all seven thick inches down my throat. I had to breathe through my nose, my fingers digging into his ass as I held on tight while he abused my throat.

“Are you ready to swallow?”

With my mouth stuffed full, I couldn’t answer beyond nodding my head—not that Sam was looking for an answer. He was ready, and he was going to force his load down my throat, whether or not I was ready.

I gagged on his thick white seed as it clogged the back of my throat, struggling to swallow every drop without spilling any. The taste took me over the edge, and I pumped my shaft harder, gasping as I shot my load down the drain. Sam helped me to my feet, using his tongue to cleanse my mouth with his kiss.

“We’ve got about two seconds left before the water runs cold,” he warned, reaching around me to shut it off.

Drying off together in a bathroom designed for one person at a time was more of a challenge than showering together. There was just no space for us to bend down to dry our lower halves, so we had to get creative. Sam shimmied down my body, towel in hand.

“Spread your legs.”

Fuck, he was getting me hard all over again.

“Turn around, hands on the wall.”

I wasn't sure putting my hands on the wall was completely necessary. He could probably dry my body if I stood straight, but I played into it, popping my ass for him.

Sam licked a wet stripe between my cheeks. When his tongue passed over my hole, I clenched, wishing he had penetrated me in the shower.

“Damn, you're all wet again, sorry.”

“You're not sorry,” I laughed, my deep rumble echoing off the walls. “And neither am I.”

We finally emerged from the bathroom, dry, clean, and pink-skinned.

“Where are you going to sleep?”

“I'll just climb up into Nicky's bunk.”

I grabbed for the ladder to climb up, but Nicky's sleepy voice stopped me.

“That was so hot. I heard everything, and damn, you two are fire.”

Still slightly slurred, so most likely still drunk. Drunk Nicky equaled horny Nicky.

Before I could tell him to go back to bed, he slid his hand down his shorts, shimmying his hips as he moaned. “Ungh, firrreeee.”

The back-and-forth movement of his hand was unmistakable, even if I couldn't see what he was doing.

“Yeahhh, ssooo go?—”

And then there was silence. Sam caught my eyes, and we both fell apart with quiet laughter. He'd fallen asleep mid-moan. Who did that?

“He's a fucking mess,” I laughed. “No more tequila for him, or rum, or anything stronger than club soda.”