The noise of the club hit him like a two-by-four to the brain as he walked in. He kinda liked that. A mental reset. Off with Stone, the security expert. On with Nolan, the guy looking to get laid. Giving his stride more sway than he would outside these walls, he headed to the bar.
“Strawberry daiquiri.” Standing there, six-foot-six with a pink drink in hand, always got him second looks. Plus he liked the damned things, and he could sip it slowly. Sleep-dep and alcohol didn’t mix.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the first guy wandered his way and parked at the bar beside him, eyeing him from under lowered lashes. Too young and too… something. Nolan sometimes enjoyed femme guys, but tonight he wanted ordinary. Someone low-maintenance to suck his dick or let him suck theirs, nothing fancy. This guy, with his three-toned styled hair and makeup, looked high-maintenance. Nolan toasted him with the daiquiri, but turned away and a minute later, heard the guy flounce off.
Half an hour later, he decided he’d become too picky all of a sudden.The next guy between twenty-five and forty who looks plausible wins.
Which was how he found himself in the parking lot five minutes later with a tall, blond, handsome dude he had very little interest in. Although… when the guy ran a hand across Nolan’s zipper, his dick perked up to “some interest.”
“Where do you want to go?” Nolan asked. They’d mutually agreed to avoid Rockenstein’s well-used bathrooms. Nolan never had sex where he might be observed or recorded. Too many clients who’d made that mistake. Which meant the parking lot was out, too.
“It’s about half an hour to my place.” The blond whose name was either Derrick or Darren— damn the club music— sounded uncertain.
Nolan was used to that reaction. Sitting on a bar stool, his full size wasn’t as obvious as standing under streetlights. He wasn’t the guy most men wanted to bring home on first sight. “Hotel? The Knightsbridge is five minutes away. I could meet you there.”
The blond’s shoulders relaxed. “Sounds good. I’ll even pay.” He moved close to Nolan and leaned in. Nolan wasn’t into kissing hookups, but the guy only licked Nolan’s neck and nipped his earlobe, murmuring, “Should be fun.”
“I’m parked a couple of blocks away. I’ll see you there.”
“My car’s over there if you want a lift.” The guy gestured at a sporty-looking Nissan.
Nolan was glad of an excuse. “No one my size is going to fit in that front seat. I’ll meet you.”
“I do like your size.” The blond looked him up and down and grinned. “See you in the hotel lobby.”
Nolan had time on the walk to his car and the drive to the Knightsbridge to rethink his decision about five times. He wasn’t as enthusiastically onboard as usual for a hookup with an attractive man. Maybe from the exhaustion of working multiple shifts, even though he had gotten some sleep on that sadistic couch. But his flip-flopping ended up athell, yeah, let’s get laid, so he parked outside the hotel and went inside.
The Knightsbridge was low-rent for that part of downtown, sitting on the edge of a rougher neighborhood. The hotel was known among guys who frequented Rockenstein as reasonably clean, with thick walls in 1950s concrete, and not too pricey for a fast fuck. If there was speculation that the K kept their prices down by hotboxing and re-renting a room after a fast cleaning when the first customers didn’t stay the night, well, whatever kept them in business.
The blond guy was waiting close to the check-in desk and followed through by putting the room on his card. Nolan got a look at his ID and his name was Derwyn which, okay, Nolan would give himself a pass for not picking that up in a noisy club.
They went up to their room. Nolan set a hand on Derwyn’s back in the elevator, and the man leaned into his touch. The room was what they’d expected. Derwyn wanted Nolan to top, but he didn’t feel like making the effort or taking the time to make sure his partner could handle his size, so he suggested a 69. It was good, it was fine. Derwyn knew how to use his tongue and throat and wasn’t shy about hands as well. Nolan came with a shout and a rush of satisfaction, and made sure Derwyn did as well.
But when they were done and cleaned up, and Derwyn suggested exchanging contacts and maybe meeting again sometime, Nolan shook his head. “I don’t do repeats. My job keeps me moving all around, and it’s easier to go with the flow.” Two half-truths. He’d had a few fuck buddies over the years, guys he had enough fun with to come back to in a casual way. Most of them eventually wanted something serious, and since he wasn’t that guy, he let them go find someone who was. He was still friends with a couple of them.
And his jobhadmoved him around. One actor had been prone to jetting off for Europe on a moment’s notice. But for right now, he wasn’t going anywhereuntil he was sure Fynn would be safe long term. Derwyn was nice enough and serious enough to assume a second round meant something. Not happening. “You were really hot, though. I’ll remember this one for a while.”
Derwyn laughed, although his lips twisted. “Thanks. Don’t strain yourself. I needed to get my rocks off, and it seemed like you did too. We’ll call it a night.”
“Sure.”
“Go on, head out. I’ll check out.”
“Thanks.” Shaking hands with a hook-up was always weird, so Nolan sketched a salute and left the room.
On the drive home, his body felt more relaxed, but not the way it should’ve after coming that hard. There was still an antsy buzz down deep somewhere. Maybe he should’ve drawn things out, taken the time to fuck Derwyn properly. But imagining that didn’t appease whatever was nagging him, so he took himself and his stupid body to bed for a solid six hours of sleep.
Chapter 5
By the weekend, Fynn was mostly used to having bodyguards around him twenty-four-seven, though he had a feeling he’d be climbing the walls in another week or two. It helped that Nolan had apparently assigned himself daytime duty. Watching Nolan come in the door each morning and trade off with whomever had spent the night made some jittery part inside Fynn relax.
Fynn was usually wary of someone Nolan’s size. All through school, huge and athletic meant a good chance that smaller, gay, and nerdy would end up shoved in a locker or picking books up off the floor. Knowing Nolan was gay took Fynn’s self-protective prey-instincts offline, though. For once, a man’s looming bulk was calming.
By the third day, Nolan had also clued in to Fynn’s habit of leaving something important behind in the rush out the door. His interrogation of “Phone? Wallet? Keys?” would’ve been irritating if they hadn’t wasted twenty minutes on Wednesday, and fifteen on Thursday, plus a double run up and down from the lobby, going back for Fynn’s stupid phone twice and wallet once. Anyhow, Nolan made the words sound like a mission check, like “Ammunition? C-4? Machine gun?” Or whatever soldiers would use. Completely matter-of-fact without hidden impatience, a tone Micah had never managed.
So Fynn was disappointed Saturday to come out of his bedroom yawning and find a woman he’d only met in passing sitting at his kitchen table. Nolan had made a point of introducing all his people, but Fynn couldn’t remember her name. He glanced at the microwave. Ten past seven.Crap, I hate when someone screws with my routine.“Is Nolan running late?” He hoped that was all this was.
The woman looked up. “No, he has the day off. I’m Amelia, in case you don’t remember.”
