Page 60 of Besties
He nibbled his bottom lip. “But that sounds selfish to me.”
And if there was one thing Richie wasnot, it was selfish. Throughout our lives, he’d always been front and center for me. Never once backed down when I was having problems—which was far more often than I’d like to admit—and he had my back more times than I could count.
I reached out and palmed his cock. “No, withholding this would be selfish,” I assured him. “I don’t mind bottoming. I prefer it, actually. My dick is nothing to write home about, and—”
“You shut the fuck up!” he snapped. “We talked about you being negative in regards to yourself. I love your cock. It fits perfectly in my mouth, and it tastes amazing, especially your cum. I—”
“Richie, take a breath.” He did. “Look, there are a few things you need to understand, okay? My cock doesn’t get all the way hard when I’m expected to top. It’s… embarrassing. When I bottom, I’m like a rock. Topping—or at least being good at it—requires something I don’t think I have. When you’re in me, what are you thinking of?”
“How to make it feel good for you. How to bring you pleasure.”
“Right. See, for me that’s how I feel when I bottom. Topping takes skills I don’t possess and, honestly, don’t really care to learn.”
He frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Think back to when you were tutoring me. Remember when you told me that everyone has strengths and weaknesses? This is like that. You’re good—great—at topping, because you can read my body movements, see the expressions on my face, listen to me without me having to say a word. You use all your senses. When I bottom, I know what feels good for me, and I try to let the man know he’s doing that. It makes him happy and feel accomplished.”
“So you’re not telling the truth?” he asked, his face scrunched in confusion.
“You’ve looked into my eyes. Did you think I was lying?”
“No, but—”
“Because I wasn’t.” I stroked a finger over his ear, noting the sharp inhale. “I’ve never in my life faked it with anyone. Well, that’s not true. Toward the end, I did lie to Jesse, because I just wanted him to leave me alone.” I cupped Richie’s neck and drew him close. “I have never lied to you about anything, and I never will. You being inside me is beyond amazing. I love it, because I can see the concentration on your face. Even when we’re having sex, you’re still the nerd I fell in love with all those years ago.” I kissed him, loving when he opened for me and the small gasp that escaped. “And I can’t see that ever changing.”
We smooched for a bit, but then I grudgingly pushed him away.
“And now we need to get to work, because we’re going to stop this shit and take back control of Teaching Time.”
Chapter16
The first thingI did when we got into the office was look up Kramer’s son. Going through Kramer—Dennis’s—things to get the information, I called him.
“Hello?” This was the voice of someone who’d been through the wringer. His throat sounded scratchy, beat down.
“Hi, may I speak with Jeff Kramer?”
“Who’s calling, please?”
“My name is Max Henry, and I’m calling from Teaching Time. I was—”
“Is it about my father?” he asked, sounding desperate. “Have you heard from him? Is he okay?”
From the sound of it, Jeff was afraid Dennis had died. Admittedly, I’d wondered the same thing myself. Who just disappears like that, not leaving word with loved ones?
“I’m sorry, I haven’t. I was hoping maybe you had.”
I thought he sobbed, but I couldn’t be certain. “I wish I had. I don’t know where he’s at, and the police are no help at all.” He cleared his throat. “What can I do for you, Mr. Henry?”
“Max, please. Look, I was hoping we could meet for some coffee or something. I’d like to talk to you about some… allegations that were made regarding your father. If I’m honest, I don’t know what to think and was hoping that you’d be able to fill in some gaps for me.”
“Allegations? Aboutmydad?” He barked a laugh. “My old man is probably the straightest of straight edges. He’s the kind that always made me wait until the walk symbol came up, because he was afraid someone would go barreling through the crosswalk. He wouldn’t let me take the car until I filed an itinerary with him, so he’d always know where I was. My dad’s a pain in the ass, but I know it’s because he loves me. After he lost Mom, I became his world.”
This was not the man I’d heard about. “Would you have time for coffee? Or maybe an early lunch? My treat.”
He hesitated. “I should stay here in case he shows up.”
Nothing Jeff was saying spoke of a man whose father was homophobic. “Jeff, can I ask you something?”
