Page 24 of Gay for Pay
Victor dug through the fridge, pulling out a couple of beers, some bottled water, and the stuff to make sandwiches.
“Vic, love, we just had breakfast.” Andrew handed the first aid kit to Chris.
Victor huffed, shoving a slice of salami into his mouth. “That was hours ago, Andy. I work up an appetite, leave me be.”
All Chris could do was shake his damn head, pulling the peroxide and gauze from the kit, wiping the blood off Linc’s knuckles. Already swollen and turning blue, Linc hissed when Chris wrapped his hand tightly with the gauze. As if they needed any more excitement that day, Kory chose that moment to come bounding downstairs.
“Oh hey, Linc, was that Lance I heard out front just now?” Kory purred, and all Chris wanted to do right then was choke the living shit out of him.
“Shut it, Kory,” Linc snarled. Chris didn’t think he’d ever heard such a derisive tone in Linc’s voice before.
“My bad,” Kory said defensively, hands raised in the air. “Just wanted to know if he was here to see me or honest Abe.” He finished off the sentence with a sneer.
Chris stood up straight, closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Shut. Up. Kory. I will seriously pay you right now to shut the fuck up and go away!” he barked.
Kory looked like he was about to protest but a nasty glare, the likes of which Chris had never seen grace those baby blues crossed Andrew’s face, and Kory quickly retreated.
Andrew sighed, speaking softly to his partner, “I hate to do it, babe, but if this behavior keeps up, we’re going to have to let him go. He’s pissed off at the world, and I’m not sure how much longer we can try to help someone that doesn’t seem to want the help.” The hateful glare from moments before was replaced with sorrow and worry. Victor pulled Andrew into his arms and wrapped him in a tight hug. Andrew was a softie; it was why a lot of the guys so lovingly called him Mom. He could be fiercely protective of his awkward family, but he was usually very laid-back and non-confrontational. It would seem that Captain Cranky could bring out the worst in, well, everyone.
“Don’t…just, don’t be too hard on him.” Linc sighed, leaning into Chris. “I know he’s been through some shit. He won’t talk about it, and he puts on this cock of the walk front, but he’s hurting too—you can see it in his eyes. Maybe someday he’ll trust one of us enough to tell us why.”
Chris didn’t understand why Linc was defending Kory. Hell, he’d have beat the fuck out of him long ago if he were the one affected by Kory’s behavior. But then, Linc had infinite patience and a kind heart. He finished wrapping Linc’s hand and gave him a couple of Aleve and a bottle of water, shoving him and Mattie into the den to watch TV while he helped Victor make sandwiches. Though he longed to be alone with Linc and talk about everything that happened that day, Chris knew there would be time enough to discuss things later. In less than twenty-four hours, their relationship had gone from “Let’s take our time and see where this goes” to “I will murder that motherfucker if he ever comes near Linc again!” Needless to say, Chris was already a goner.
Chapter Twenty Three
Not a Vacation
Chris quickly grew accustomed to waking up next to Linc every morning, loving the time they got to spend together, away from everyone else in the house. Late nights spent talking, kissing and touching, learning everything they could about each other, were amazing.
“It looks bad, but the swelling has gone down.” Chris wrapped Linc’s black-and-blue knuckles with fresh gauze, kissing the material when he finished. “WebMD said it can take up to six weeks for your hand to completely heal.”
“I guess it’s okay then, since it’s only been a week.” Linc teased, shoving Chris’s shoulder playfully.
Chris’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He pulled it out and read the text from Michael:Hey stud, how’s the boyfriend? We’re docking in Aruba tomorrow for three whole days, I can’t wait. I’ll send pics. Hugs XXOO Love you!
Chuckling, he typed out a quick response and tossed his phone onto the table. “Michael?” Linc asked. Chris nodded, leaning in for a quick kiss.
“Chris, Linc, can you come up to the office, please?” Andrew called out from the bottom of the stairs.
“Coming!” he and Linc shouted in unison, laughing. He followed Linc up the three flights of stairs. “Why do I feel like we’re in trouble?”
“Because you’re always waiting for the other shoe to drop.” Linc seemed to realize what he’d said only after saying it. “Shit, Chris, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
“You two, get in here!” Andrew was so excited, he was bouncing on the balls of his feet. “As of about an hour ago, we have our first video on the All Cocks site to hit one million downloads. And do you know what video that was?”
Linc leaned into him, nuzzling Chris’s chin and kissing him on the cheek. “I didn’t mean that in a bad way, babe. We’ll talk about it later, promise.”
“That’s right, the threesome video has been so popular, the likes of which we’ve never seen on the site!” Andrew grabbed each of them by the arm, pulling them over to the couch. Victor appeared, carrying a tray that held a bottle of champagne and five glasses. Dracula popped the top off the bottle as Mattie bounded up the stairs, waving a photo in the air he squealed, “I’ve got it! We’ll do the scene on the boat!” His little body vibrated with enthusiasm.
“What the hell are you talking about, Mattie?” Chris took the glass Victor handed him.
The little fairy buzzed with excitement. “We’re going to do a movie, our first feature-length video, with you and Linc!” Mattie was literally vibrating, his tiny body barely able to contain his enthusiasm.
“Matthew, my love, you are spoiling surprise.” Victor poured a generous amount of bubbly into each glass, passing them around before he settled back into his chair. Mattie climbed into his lap, downing his glass before Andrew could even finish the toast.
Andrew looked as if he wanted to be irritated while watching Mattie, his scowl softening into something more like a frown. Neither one of the older men could ever stay cross with Mattie for more than five minutes, tops. Anyone on the outside looking in would think the pecking order was Victor, Andrew, and then Mattie. Truth be told, Mattie held all the cards in their wildly unique relationship.
They spent an hour or so talking about specifics for the shoot that would happen in two to three weeks, depending on the weather. They would take the boat out on the water early in the day to catch some stills of Chris and Linc as the sun rose, then hang out with the Jet Ski and boogie board before taking more stills of the two men at sunset. The following day, they’d head back out to a secluded area to shoot the more…intimate scenes for the video. Andrew wanted to put it all out there in the open. “I know this business that we’re in is all about fantasies, blowjobs, and come shots. But there are men out there watching the two of you online and wondering, ‘Is this all make-believe and fancy photography for the site? Or are they really in love?’” The fact that Andrew’s words didn’t completely freak him out only solidified Chris’s resolve.
