Love and Human Remains

Kiss Me, Kane

Part 15 

Kane looked over his shoulder as best he could. David had taken the imported silk ties the younger man had given him as a token of his remorse, and tied his wrists and ankles to the posts of the double bed that had been their first purchase together. 

Flat on his stomach, his arms secured above his head and his legs spread wide, Kane felt exposed and vulnerable, which was exactly how his lover wanted him to feel. 

David snapped the velvet cat-o’-nine-tails he had bought the day after the debacle of Kane’s yellow hair, and now he was following through on his threat to use it. 

Tears streaked the young man’s face and he sniffled inelegantly. “Please, David!” 

“Please, what? What do you think you deserve for this idiotic stunt, little boy?” 

Kane shuddered. Whenever David called him ‘little boy’ in that tone of voice, it meant he was seriously cross with him. The warm velvet of the cat whispered over the muscles of his back, following the curve of his tailbone and teasing the crevice between his buttocks. The sensation of the thongs stroking his balls left him biting his lips to refrain from moaning. 

The younger man attempted to wriggle away from the gentle touch of the napped material, but that caused his cock to rub against the cool satin of their sheets. His cock grew even harder, and he knew David would be displeased with him. He hadn’t been given permission to come yet. 

And then a pillow was shoved under his abdomen, raising his hips enough to make a handy target of his ass, and he no longer had anything to rub his cock against. A warm breath of air blew over the engorged tip, and a drop of precome beaded there. 

He moaned helplessly. Something warm and wet licked up his exposed flesh, from the sensitive skin just behind his balls to the puckered opening that afforded both him and his lover such pleasure. 

“Do you like when I fuck you with my tongue, Kane?” David’s voice was a hoarse whisper in his ear. A finger slick with lube pushed gently into him, and he tried to back onto it, to take more inside him, but David just laughed softly. “This is a punishment, little boy! You can’t think I’m going to let you enjoy this!” 

“What…what are you going to do to me, David?” 

“You know, your hair is so yellow, like a palamino pony! I think I’ll make a pony boy out of you!” 

“What…?” 

David removed his finger and something cool and hard began to slide into the younger man. “Oh, that looks very nice, baby!” The older man fussed with its placement, drawing it out slightly, then pushing it deeper into Kane. 

Whatever David was pressing into him slid across the spot that left him whimpering and tugging uselessly at his bonds. Then Kane heard a soft snick. “What are you doing to me, David?” 

“I’m going to untie you and let you see. Now hold very still.” 

Kane struggled to obey the orders, his inner muscles clenching around the ungiving intruder wedged deep inside him. “David…!” 

Quickly, the older man released the silk ties and helped Kane to his feet. David pressed a button on their nightstand and a recessed panel swung out and open to reveal a floor length mirror. He led Kane to it and turned him so he could view his backside. 

David had inserted the cat-o’-nine tails into him! The long velvet strands were draped in an elegant fall, looking for all the world like a horse’s tail. They spilled down around his thighs, tickling the soft skin behind his knees. Thin silver chains fastened with a tiny padlock kept the implement of punishment securely fastened in place. The little lock hung low, nestled in the curls at his groin. With each movement it brushed against the base of his cock, warming to the heat of his arousal. 

Helplessly, he looked into his lover’s dark eyes. “David!” 

“Tell me what you need, baby.” 

Kane groaned and leaned into him, desperately seeking his mouth. His tongue swept past David’s teeth to fill his mouth, then swiftly pulled back, as if to dare the older man to follow. A crooked grin kicked up the corner of David’s mouth and he wound his fingers in that long…yellow…hair. Holding Kane’s head still, David covered his lush lips with his own and began to feed off his sweetness. 

Tremors racked the younger man’s body, and he rubbed his weeping cock against David’s conveniently placed thigh. 

“Ride me, baby!” David whispered hoarsely, nipping his way down the curve of Kane’s throat, pausing to lick at his adam’s apple before settling on the pulse that was beating so erratically under the hinge of his jaw. 

Kane rocked against the coarse hairs of David’s thigh, the tantalizing abrasion driving him closer and closer to climax. 

“David! I need to feel you inside me, sliding in and out of me, fucking me!” 

The little padlock fell open and gently David eased the butt of the cat-o’-nine tails out of his young lover. Kane’s breath sobbed out at the loss of that fullness. 

David turned him and pushed him gently toward the settee. Which had been their second purchase. 

//// 

David had teased Kane that he wanted something of a comfortable height, so when he bent Kane over it to fuck him, he wouldn’t strain anything important. The older man rather thought his lover would get a ruler and measure the height they would need, and was disappointed when Kane just smiled absently at him and led him out the door. 

They got to the furniture display room, and while David was conversing with a salesman, debating the merits of various pieces of furniture, Kane had gone from one sofa and couch and loveseat to another, until he saw one he thought they might like. 

“David!” he had called excitedly, “what do you think of this one?” 

David had strolled over to admire the clean, contemporary lines of the couch. “It’s very nice,” he agreed. “Is this the one you want?” 

“Well, I don’t know. Do you think it’s high enough?” And he turned and flopped over the back of the settee, leaving his ass at exactly the right level to be ravaged by his lover. 

The salesman had turned beet red and David had dissolved into laughter. 

And they had bought that particular piece of furniture. 

//// 

Kane willingly bent over the back of the settee, spreading his legs wide in a silent invitation to be taken and thoroughly enjoyed. 

With a single smooth thrust, David was buried deep in the younger man.  He lay along Kane’s back, his fingers busy with nipples that had proved to be surprisingly sensitive. And then he began to hum. 

The sweet sound vibrated along Kane’s spine and arrowed straight to his cock. He had never heard David use his voice other than for speaking, and the unexpected richness of the smooth tenor tones left him panting and desperate to come. 

David straightened until he and his lover formed a right angle. The height of the settee was perfect for him, but Kane’s toes were forced off the floor. He was balanced on the back of the couch, David’s cock in his ass, one hand on his hip to steady him, and the other wrapped around the younger man’s erection. 

“Do you like what I’m doing to you, Kane?” 

“Yes!” 

“And do you promise not to listen to any advice that Candy might want to give you?” 

“Yesssss!” 

“Do you think I should let you come now?” 

“Oh, yesssssss!” 

So David did.

Warning: m/f in this, so it that squicks you, pass it by 

Part 16

In spite of his compact build and flamboyant good looks, Mike hadn’t scored in a long time. He had reached that stage in his life where he controlled his hormones, rather than the other way around. 

And, quite frankly, he hadn’t met anyone he really wanted to fuck. Except, perhaps…. no. Kane was his good friend, and he wasn’t willing to jeopardize that friendship no matter what his libido might be thinking. 

But David was one fine looking man! 

Bemused by the fact that he was suddenly finding another man attractive, Mike barely noticed the petite brunette who was standing in the vicinity of Benita and her lover, Guy de Villiere. 

Oh, she was pretty. Seriously pretty, her body toned and filling out that little red dress in all the right places. And when she walked, the fringe that decorated the hem and sleeve and neckline shimmied and trembled, enticing a man to slide his hands under it, to see if her skin was as soft as it looked. 

He jerked himself out of his reverie. He wasn’t looking for a relationship, and he was sure she was the sort of girl who would settle for nothing less. 

So he turned away from her, only sneaking occasional glances in her direction until a thoroughly sated David emerged from the walk-in closet, followed by a Kane who was clothed solely in unfastened jeans and a pair of handcuffs. And whose hair was a shocking shade of yellow! 

It came out that David believed the brunette, his former roommate, was somehow behind the shocking change in his lover’s hair color. 

Mike observed her closely then, observed her petulance and discontent and…unhappiness, and he wanted to ease her pain. Then he saw the way her eyes lingered on Kane’s lover, and he stiffened. 

If Candy was bent on making trouble, then she was about to meet her worst nightmare, because Mike would let no one hurt his friend. 

**** 

Sacks of groceries from an all-night supermarket filled Candy’s arms and she fumbled with the key to the apartment she had once shared with David McMillan. 

Everyone was picking on her, and David didn’t love her anymore! 

Kane had come to her for advice, and she had proffered it. He didn’t have to take it! 

She wasn’t sorry she had persuaded Kane to color his hair, she assured herself. 

She wasn’t! 

But she could not get that last look David had pinned her with out of her mind. There wasn’t just anger there. There was rage. As if he would gladly find an excuse to circle her throat with his long fingers and just…squeeze! 

She slammed the door shut so hard it bounced before swinging gently back in place, never noticing that the lock didn’t catch. The keys and her shoulder bag were allowed to fall heedlessly to the floor. The grocery bags were dropped onto the tiny table that served their…her needs. Frantic hands ripped at them and packages of chips, jars of marshmallow cream, bottles of soda cascaded to the floor. 

Candy scooped up a package of Snoballs and tore it open with her teeth.  She stuffed the coconut-covered white cake into her mouth, the creme filling smearing over her lips. The bottle of cherry pop she opened fizzed and spilled over and she gulped it mindlessly. 

She took the second Snoball out and dipped it into the marshmallow cream, then twisted open a container of chocolate syrup, and covered the sickeningly sweet concoction with that. 

The ringing of the telephone shattered the silence of the small apartment and jolted her to her senses, putting a halt to her feeding frenzy. Candy dropped into a straight-backed chair and buried her head in her arms. Ignoring the imperative demand of the phone, she began to cry. 

**** 

Mike lost count of the number of times he let the phone ring while he waited for Candy to pick up. And he became concerned. 

After all, there was a serial killer at large in the city. 

And as much as he wanted to warm the seat of the little troublemaker’s panties for what she had done to his young friend, he didn’t want to see her seriously hurt. 

Mike knew where she lived. Kane had walked him past the apartment house when he was in the beginning throes of his infatuation for the actor who shared it with her. Kane sneaked a peek at David’s personal file at the restaurant they both worked at to find his address, but had been too intimidated to pass it by unaccompanied. 

So Mike had gone with him. He shrugged, that’s what friends were for. And now that information would stand him in good stead. 

He slammed the receiver down. 

“Hey, Butch…!” He turned to let his friend know he needed to leave but would return the next morning to supervise the clean up of the housewarming party. 

Benita swallowed a smile. “You missed him, Mike. He and David have turned in for the night!” 

Mike glanced first at his watch and then at the crowd that was still milling around the first floor of the remodeled house. He cocked an eyebrow at the petite psychic. 

The man with Benita grinned unabashedly. “Ah, l’amour!” Guy murmured. 

“He does have it bad!” Mike conceded. “Listen, I have to see about something that’s come up…” 

The look in Benita’s eyes was knowing and he swore, having forgotten she was psychic. Her eyes became unfocused. “Go, Mike. Candy needs to have someone with her tonight. There’s danger…” She shook herself and forced a bright smile. “Go. Guy will give this lot his rich man in control of all he surveys look and they’ll be more than happy to go home!” 

Mike expected the other man to take exception to her words, but Guy merely wrapped his arms around Benita’s tiny waist and pulled her back against him. Gently he rocked his hips forward, letting her feel his arousal, nestling it against the curve of her buttocks. His warm breath washed over her ear. She reveled in his closeness, knowing she would need it in the stressful times to come. 

Mike felt an ache in his gut, and wished there was someone in his life who wanted to cuddle with him. 

The door closed quietly behind the deli man and the roar of his motorcycle shattered the chill night air. Vintage World War I, he had rebuilt it from the wheels up. It was his pride and joy, and came complete with a sidecar. The only problem was the muffler.  He was always meaning to replace the muffler, but somehow never got around to it. 

**** 

It took him about ten minutes to make the trip from the part of town that housed Kane and David’s new residence to the neighborhood Candy lived in. It was still a nice area, but it teetered on the knife-edge of change, and the least breeze would send it toppling to the wrong side. 

He parked in front of the apartment house and just sat there for a moment. Mike liked the feel of the antique cycle vibrating between his legs. He often wondered what it would be like to take a lover on that bike, to slide himself into the warm, moist depths of her body while the powerful machine idled. His eyes closed and he surreptitiously adjusted himself. It wouldn’t do to confront his friend’s bete noir with a raging hard on! 

**** 

Eyes that were slightly mad watched from the shadows as Candy cradled her head on her arms, sniffling, but no longer weeping hopelessly. Now was as good a time as any… 

A sharp rap on the door drew the attention of both occupants of the apartment. 

“Candy? It’s Mike. Are you all right?” 

Candy walked to the tiny foyer, taken aback to find the deli man hovering in the open doorway. “Mike!” Her lips were tight and her eyes narrowed in annoyance. “You could have waited for me to let you in!” 

“The door was unlocked!” he defended himself. “I just knocked and it swung open!” 

“Yeah, well, what do you want?” 

“Maybe to offer you a little comfort?” 

Candy’s mouth dropped in stunned surprise. Mike was Kane’s friend. Why didn’t he want to make her pay for what she had done to the young man? 

And then she thought that maybe he did, that maybe this was just a ploy to put her at her ease, and then take his revenge. She gathered a breath to tell him what she thought of him. 

Mike watched in fascination, as her breasts seemed in danger of spilling out of the little dress she wore. 

Neither heard the window in the other room quietly sliding shut. 

Part17

Rehearsals had gone on way over the allotted time, the author of the play growing increasingly frustrated and frustrating. Finally he threw a major tantrum and stalked out of the theater. 

“That’s it for tonight, people,” the director gritted out. “Let’s take tomorrow off and see if the prima donna can learn to string together a coherent sentence. Unless you hear otherwise, be here bright and sharp in the A.M. on Friday.” 

There was tired grumbling from the cast as they stretched to get the kinks out of stiff backs. David scooped up his jacket and was on his way out the door. 

“Hey, Davey!” 

“Yeah, Sal?” David waited patiently until his friend could reach him. A onetime lover, Sal was still competitive enough to enjoy beating out the other man for the lead role in this production. David didn’t begrudge him his victory. There might not be too many more in Sal’s future. He had tested positive for HIV. 

Sal slung his arm around David’s neck. “We’re going out for a few drinks to wind down. Join us!” He nuzzled the skin under David’s ear. 

“C’mon, Sal, quit screwing around!” David slid out of the embrace uncomfortably. 

Sal’s face seemed to fall apart. “You afraid you’ll catch it by being hugged by me?” 

“Sal, you’re a pain in the ass, you know that? If I wasn’t afraid when I sucked you off, why would I be afraid when you touched me?” 

“Then why won’t you come with us?” Deep in his heart, the blond hoped that if he could just get his former lover into the casual atmosphere of the clubs they used to frequent together, he might have another chance at loving him. 

“It’s been a long day, Sal. And Kane’s waiting for me. I just want to go home and crash!” 

Before Sal could protest, David ran a friendly hand over the short blond hair and turned to leave. Sal stood forlornly watching his back until the theater door swung shut, praying that the other man would look back at him just one more time. 

But David’s mind was on his young lover, and he left without another thought to the other actor. 

**** 

“Honey, I’m hooome!” David called as he closed the door to the house that was fast becoming the first real home he had ever known. It was late, but not so late that he wasn’t expecting his young lover to be waiting up for him. 

He saw the blinking light on the answering machine and walked to the telephone. Hitting the message button, he took off his jacket and went to pour himself a drink as he listened to the messages. 

“Hey, Butch, it’s me. I haven’t been able to find what you’re looking for yet. When I do I’ll let you know. Got a hot date with Candy tonight. Wish me luck. Later, kiddo!” 

David scowled at the machine. He wasn’t too thrilled that Mike, the deli man, was so certain Kane would recognize his voice that he didn’t bother to announce his name. He muttered a couple of curses under his breath and pressed the button for the next message. 

“Hi, baby, it’s me. Guy is taking me out to dinner tonight, so I won’t be able to do that reading for you. Call me and we’ll set up another time, okay? Bye, sweetie.” 

“Shit!” He had completely forgotten that he had asked Benita to read Kane for him again. And after all the arm-twisting he had done to get Kane to agree to it. The last time the psychic had read the younger man, David had gotten him high on heroin. Kane had revealed his love for David, his cock hard with the fantasies that had swirled through his drugged mind. David had refused Benita’s offer to leave them alone, and she had taken care of Kane’s hard on. 

David shuddered as he recalled Kane’s reaction to the knowledge that the petite woman had jerked him off. He hated to think how close he had come to losing his lover before they had ever become intimate. Fortunately, Kane had a forgiving nature. He had taken the older man home and they had rocked each other’s world all night long. 

He smiled, relishing that memory. It went completely over his head that Benita had not announced her name either. 

There was one last message. “David, it’s Bernie. Where are you? I need to see you. It’s important. Call me.” 

David pressed the button to erase the messages, wondering idly how Bernie had gotten this number. He hadn’t seen his old friend since the late fall, when he had taken Kane dancing. 

Benita was very uncomfortable around Bernie. She would have told him nothing. 

As for Candy, she hated Bernie’s guts, and never lost an opportunity to tell David he was wasting his time on the misogynist. 

But David was loyal to his friends. He might have made a piss poor lover at one point in his life, but he stood by his friends through thick and thin. He winced at the trite phrase, and raised his voice once more. “Kane? Are you up, baby?” 

David suddenly realized how quiet the house was. And how dark. Only a small night-light burned in the kitchen, illuminating the area by the telephone. 

Was Kane angry with him because he hadn’t called to let him know he’d be late? He couldn’t still believe David was seeing anyone else, could he? 

Panicked by the thought that his young lover might indeed believe that and might have gone out looking for a little payback, David ran up the curving staircase to their bedroom, which occupied the entire second floor. If Kane wasn’t in their bed, he had no idea where to look for him. 

It dawned on David that he really knew nothing about Kane’s friends, other than Mike. Kane could be anywhere in the city, with God alone knew who, and David would be unable to find him. 

His mouth dry, David slapped the light switch, casting a restless gaze around the enormous room. His eyes swept past their bed, and then jerked back. He sagged with relief. Huddled in the middle of the bed, buried under a mound of blankets, was a decidedly forlorn shape. 

Smiling softly, he braced a hand on the edge of the bed and rubbed the rump that was all he could identify. “Baby, I’m home. I’m sorry I forgot to call you, but Barton was making things difficult, as usual.” 

There was no response from the younger man, only long shudders that rippled through his frame. 

“Baby, what’s wrong? Please. Talk to me.” 

Kane shivered so hard David was surprised he couldn’t hear his bones rattle. “Don’t be mad at me, David. Please?” 

David had never heard that tone of voice from his lover, even at his most desolated. Balancing on his knee, he tried to pull him free of the blankets, but Kane only burrowed deeper into them. 

“Kane. I love you. Whatever it is, I’ll always love you. Tell me what’s wrong, and what I can do to make it right!” 

“Nothing!” came the forlorn moan. “There’s nothing you can do to make this right! You’re going to hate me!” 

“Baby, you’re scaring me, now!” David tried to joke, but his heart was making an attempt to climb out of his throat. What could have happened to the young man in his bed? Recalling the attack by the group of young street thugs weeks before, lurid pictures of Kane being raped flashed through his mind. “Have you seen a doctor?” he demanded, really scared now. 

“Huh?” 

“How badly are you hurt? Are you bleeding?” Frantic hands tore at the blankets, finally revealing his lover. Kane’s arms covered his head and he ducked it down, keeping his face averted. 

Peeking under his arm, Kane was aghast at the fear he saw in the older man’s face. He threw himself into David’s arms, seeking to reassure him of his physical well-being. “I’m all right, honey man. I’m all right!” 

Shudders now swept through David, and he ran his hands over Kane’s body, desperate to confirm those words. Abruptly, he recoiled. 

“Oh. My. God. What did you do to your hair?” Everything fell into place. “This is what you didn’t want me to see?” 

Shame-faced, Kane nodded. 

The fear trapping David left with a whoosh of breath and he dropped down onto the bed, his legs nerveless from relief. Less angry than he otherwise might have been, he rubbed his chin over Kane’s startlingly hued hair. “Tell me what you did,” he instructed mildly. 

“I know you were pissed because I bleached it, so I decided to dye it back to my original color. Only the salesgirl told me I had to strip the yellow out first and she sold me something that was guaranteed to do that. Only it turned my hair green!” he ended with a wail. 

“You know what you need, baby?” 

Glumly, Kane nodded. “You’re going to spank me again, aren’t you?” 

“Well, you deserve a spanking, little boy.” Kane grew hard. “But this is my fault too. Apparently I haven’t been doing enough to convince you that I love you, and that you don’t have to change anything about your delectable self to keep that love. Just go on being you.” 

“David!” Kane held on tightly. 

“And love me!” 

Part 18

Kane lifted aside the heavy drapes that shielded the warmth of the home he and David were making together. Outside it was cold and blustery, a typical March day. 

He looked at the curb-link platinum chains that nestled in his palms. A simple charm hung from each one. Etched on the surface was the mizpah, an ancient shield against darkness. 

The Lord watch between thee and me when we are parted one from the other. 

Separated, the two halves looked as if they had been broken jaggedly in two. 

Together, the charm formed a perfect circle. 

****

David had not really been angry when he discovered that his young lover had mistakenly wound up changing his hair color to green. But Kane had given him such a fright that he was determined to have him feel the weight of the pain that had torn through his heart. 

“Get out of those clothes. Right now, little boy!” 

Kane’s cock became so hard he whimpered. But he obeyed his lover and got to his feet, slowly peeling off the wrinkled jeans and shirt that he had worn to bed. 

He stood before David, naked, tears streaking his cheeks. 

“Don’t think that because I hate seeing you cry, I’ll let you get off easily. You’re going to be spanked so hard you won’t be able to sit for a week!” 

“Yes, David,” Kane said softly, peeking at his lover through his lush lashes, thrilling to the stern look he saw on David’s face. 

“Turn around and climb on the bed. On your knees, and brace your arms.” David began gathering his supplies while he waited for the younger man to obey him. “Now spread your legs. Wider!” 

Kane jumped as a hard smack punished his right buttock. “Yes, David.”  He shuddered and felt a drop of precome bead on the tip of his cock. Involuntarily his hips jerked and he reached to take his shaft in his hand. 

Another hard smack caught his left buttock. “I didn’t give you permission to touch yourself, did I, little boy?” 

“David!” 

There was rustling behind him and he dared to steal a glance, enthralled to see the older man naked, his arousal jutting proudly before him. Kane felt something relax inside. David might be angry, but he still loved him. Even if his hair was green. 

“What is it, little boy? Tell me what you want me to do to you.” 

“Fuck me, David! Please!” 

“I don’t think I’m going to do that. You’ve been very naughty, and you scared the shit out of me!” 

Kane knew from the last that David had slipped out of character, and that he had been very frightened. Pain like white heat streaked across his ass, and he yelped. David was using the crop. Another blow fell on his upturned cheeks, and the heat became voluptuous. 

After the fifth one, Kane lost count, wallowing in the warmth and the helplessness of his position. Tears were trickling down his cheeks, but the words flowing from his mouth did not indicate a cruel punishment. 

“Harder, please, sir! David, crop me harder!” Kane’s ass was bright red, the skintight and hot to touch when the older man tossed the crop aside. 

“Tell me what you want now, little boy!” But David was inserting a lubricated finger before Kane could answer him. 

“Oh, yes! That’s what I want!” the younger man groaned. 

Kane lowered his cheek to the sheet and raised his ass higher, trying to take the finger deeper into him. His lover withdrew it and he moaned a breathy protest. And then two fingers were sliding inside him, and a warm hand was stroking his weeping cock. 

David pressed against the younger man’s prostate and Kane almost rose off the bed, whimpering at the delicious agony. This time when David removed his fingers, he replaced them with his condom-covered cock, forcing his way steadily into his lover’s needy passage. 

When he was all the way in, the heat of Kane’s abused backside on David’s balls caused him to forget thoughts of further retribution. Instead of taking it slow and easy and tormenting the younger man by bringing him ever closer to climax, but never all the way there, David began pounding into him, his weight forcing the smaller man to hold still for his deep strokes. David took his lovely cock in both hands and caressed him in time to his thrusts. 

“David!” Kane was shuddering on the brink as his lover suckled the side of his throat, scraping his teeth across the sensitive spot. And then he was tumbling, falling, his climax so powerful he was insensate to everything but the man in him, on him, with him. 

David stayed in Kane for as long as he could, but finally the trembling of the younger man’s thighs signaled his exhaustion. Gently, David eased out of Kane and discarded the used condom. Turning his lover onto his back, he licked the spatters of come that coated Kane’s chest. 

He had come so hard that David found spatters on his chin as well. “I love you so much, baby! Don’t you ever forget that!” 

Kane nuzzled against his lover, and smiled. “I’ll never love anyone like I love you, honey man,” he said drowsily. 

David sighed contentedly and drifted into sleep, his hand lightly petting the younger man’s ass. 

**** 

The next day David took Kane to a highly recommended hair salon and the damage he had done to his hair was corrected. It had taken all morning. Kane had fidgeted in the chair, his butt still sore from the night before. Every time he squirmed and looked over at David, the older man would give him a smile that had him squirming even more. 

But by mid afternoon, Kane’s hair was back to its normal lustrous brown, although the golden highlights would have to return on their own. Barely pausing to give his stylist a hefty tip, Kane grabbed David’s hand and dragged him home, where he had every intention of spending the rest of the day in bed. 

Waiting on their doorstep was Bernie. Kane felt his insides clutch. 

“Bern! What are you doing here?” David asked, clouting his old friend on the shoulder. 

“You never returned my call, David. I need to talk to you. Who’s this?” 

“Bernie, you know this is Kane.” 

“Oh, yeah, your busboy. Go ‘way, Kane. David and I need to talk.” 

“Bernie, Kane isn’t my busboy anymore. He’s my …” David paused as he seemed to consider all the things that Kane was to him. A tender smile lit his face as he took in the younger man next to him. “He’s my everything,” he finished simply. 

“David, he’s a fag!” 

David stared open-mouthed at his friend. “Bernie, in case it hasn’t occurred to you, so am I!” 

A dark flush crept up over Bernie’s cheeks and the look in his eyes turned ugly. “Don’t say that! You’re not! You’re not gay!” 

“Bern…since The Beavertons, buddy. You knew that!” 

“No! Never! I couldn’t have loved you if you were queer!” Wheeling so sharply his overcoat flew open like a bird’s wings, Bernie rushed down the walk to the street, going faster and faster until finally he was running. 

“David, I’m afraid of him!” Kane whispered. 

“No, baby, don’t be! He’s just…Bernie!” David shrugged helplessly. “But it might be a good idea if I urged him to seek professional help. The boy definitely looks like he’s unraveling!” 

“David, this isn’t funny!”

“Do you see me laughing, baby? Bernie is one of my oldest friends, and I can’t do a fucking thing to help him!” 

Kane slid his arms around his lover and held on. David dropped a kiss into his coconut-scented hair and urged him into the house. 

“Hey, baby, I never gave you your housewarming gift, did I?”

”David, this house belongs to both of us! Having you here with me is the only gift I want!” 

“Well, I’ve got something for you. Don’t tell me you don’t want it, you’ll break my heart!” 

“And you know I’d never do that! All right, if that’s how you want to be, gimmee, gimmee!” 

“Oh, baby, I do love you!” David opened the front door, then leaned down and scooped Kane up into his arms, carrying him across the threshold. He took his lips in a passionate kiss, and let him slide to his feet, making sure every inch of Kane’s body came in contact with every inch of his own. 

Kane wound his arms around David’s neck and rested against his lover. David took the younger man’s left arm and brought it down in front of him. Between his fingers, the older man held a tiger’s eye sapphire in a scrolled setting. Kane’s eyes grew huge as David slid the ring onto his finger and kissed it into place. 

“It’s official now, baby. We’re engaged!” 

“David, you don’t have to... I don’t need a…” 

“Yes, I do and yes, you do! I love you baby and I want everyone to know it!” 

**** 

Kane smiled as he recalled how they spent the rest of the afternoon. And then Mike had called, to tell him he had found exactly what Kane had asked him to keep an eye out for. 

Looking down at the larger chain that he would place around David’s neck, Kane shivered. It was the Ides of March. He felt, now more than ever, that his lover needed something to keep safe. 

Kane just hoped that his love would prove to be that talisman. 

Part 19

It was the weekend, and as usual, Salante’s was mobbed with the after hours crowd. Kane whisked from one table to another, snapping his fingers to make sure his busboy refilled water goblets, replaced fallen silverware, and removed used plates. 

David would be working late at the theater again. He had auditioned for, and been accepted into a very exclusive, very avant-garde repertory company that did daring, fringe playwrights. 

And to pay the bills, they performed Shakespeare on the weekends. To pander to the snobist elite, it had been announced that the plays would be authentic, done as in Old Will’s time, with men portraying every character, even the female ones. 

Kane was a little uneasy with that notion. This week Twelfth Night was scheduled. He had been to some of the rehearsals, and the actor who played Viola, the twin who survived a shipwreck and was forced to dress as a man to earn her way, made a very pretty woman. 

He was an even prettier man. 

Kane did not like that fact. He did not like David holding that…actor’s chin between his fingers and almost kissing that pouting mouth. 

The paying customers adored it. They never knew from one show to another whether this would be the one where they would see a man kiss another man. And so they flocked to the theater. 

David loved the hoopla. He loved the notices he was starting to get in the local papers. And he loved the fact that after he came home from those performances, Kane would crowd him toward their bed, stripping the clothes off both of them, and make passionate love to him. 

Oddly enough, the actor who was turning Kane as green as his hair had recently been, was straight. He was dating the make-up woman, who was a few years older than he. David found the whole thing as amusing as Shakespeare’s more clever comedies. 

Denis, who was known for chasing and bedding anything with boobs, had been thrown for a loop when he met Josephine. He went after her, but she merely smiled indulgently at the younger man and refused to take him seriously. And so his pursuit became more and more earnest. Until he found himself well and truly caught. 

They were into the last few scenes of the play. “Come, boy, with me; my thoughts are ripe in mischief: I’ll…” David snarled in character, to find that Denis was nowhere in sight. “I said, Come, boy…!” 

And then the young actor stumbled to his mark, his cap askew, the greasepaint on his mouth smeared. His eyes were crossed and he peered myopically in the general direction of David’s voice.  “And I, most jocund, apt, and willingly, to do you rest a thousand deaths would die.” 

David couldn’t help himself: he lost his focus and broke up. This was the night the audience got what they were salivating for. David grabbed the young actor and kissed him, to cover up his laughter. 

Fortunately, this was the night when Kane was not there. 

Unfortunately, someone else was. 

**** 

What was David thinking of, kissing that slut in front of the whole audience? The lurker in the shadows of the mezzanine clenched his fists impotently. He turned abruptly and stalked past others who could only find admission in the SRO section. 

Toes were trod upon and shoulders were brushed rudely past. More than one injured party opened their mouth to protest, then thought better of it when they looked into his eyes. Pausing in the lobby, he glanced around, then made his way out of the theater and down the alley that led to the stage entrance. 

The old man whose job it was to keep unauthorized personnel out, was in the john, and the watcher was able to slip into the dressing room unseen. Thunderous applause filtered down to where he waited, and then excited laughter as the actors hurried backstage to meet with the wealthy ‘angels’ who sponsored this company and with the press who came for the free food and drinks. 

Denis was even more euphoric than the others. Josephine had kissed him deeply, endeavoring to count each of the caps his dentist had been at such pains to implant in his mouth. And she had whispered her agreement to finally meet him after the show. 

He threw open the door of the dressing room he shared with David and bounced in. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize someone was already in here. Are you waiting for McMillan? He should be right…Hey! Owww!” 

To Denis’ shocked amazement, the stranger had struck out at him. He recoiled and stared stupidly at the thin line of red that appeared across his middle. His fingers reached toward it, and came away stained with blood. Staggering backward, he managed to get himself into the corridor before he collapsed against David. 

David went to the floor with him, cushioning the limp weight. “Denis, what…?” He looked into the dressing room. “Bern, what are you doing here?” And then he saw the knife, and the blood beading its edge. “Oh, God, Bern! What have you done?” 

Bernie’s eyes no longer held even a hint of sanity. “You’re mine, David! You’ve always been mine!” He stepped toward his friend and the actor flinched and tightened his hold on the unconscious man. Bernie touched him fastidiously with his toe. “He’s trash, David. You should have been kissing me! I’m much better for you! Why can’t you see that?” 

“Get out of here, Bern! Just go!” David whispered harshly. He raised his voice. “Someone call 9-1-1! There’s been an accident!” 

Bernie leaned down and took the earring the younger actor wore as part of his costume. With an abrupt yank, he tore it from his earlobe, and more blood was added to the streaks on his tunic. And then he was gone, and David was struggling to keep from vomiting. 

The cast and crew gathered around, stunned by the violence that had been committed in their theater. 

They backed away as Josephine came running. “Oh, mon Dieu! Denis!” She sank to her knees and cradled his head to her lush bosom. 

David had carefully opened the tunic, and breathed a sigh of relief. “It’s not deep, just through the upper layers of his skin.” 

“Why then has he fainted?” the make-up woman demanded. 

David shrugged. If someone had pulled a knife on him, he was pretty sure he would have passed out too. 

By this time the ambulance had arrived and the EMS techs took over. They appeared to agree with his assessment. They wiped off the blood and applied a pressure bandage, and prepared to transport him to the nearest hospital. 

David staggered to his feet, his hands shaking. Who did he think he was, Cleopatra, queen of denial? Candy had warned him more than once that Bernie was not too tightly wrapped. And Kane had begged him to be careful… 

He bolted for the pay phone and cursed his costume for being without pockets. “Whose got a coin? I need to make a phone call!” 

One of the crew tossed him a quarter and he fed the phone and punched in the numbers to the home he and Kane now shared. It rang, and rang. 

There was no answer. Not even the machine picked up. David felt his heart give a lurch. 

“Shit!” He slammed down the receiver and retrieved the coin, then dropped it in the slot again and dialed another number. 

“Candy, it’s David. Is Mike there? Please, I need to talk to him right now!” He chewed on his lip and would have paced if the phone cord had been long enough. “Mike!” He gave a sigh of relief. 

“What’s up, David? You’re putting a damper on a hot date, you know!” 

“I need you to go pick up Kane. He’s working at Salante’s.” 

“David…” Mike wasn’t able to continue. 

“Please be careful! Bernie sliced someone here at the theater, and I’m afraid he might go after Kane now.” 

“I’m on my way, David. Try not to worry.” 

“Mike, keep him with you, please. And have him call me here as soon as you have him.” 

Feeling a little more at ease, David hung up the phone and waited. 

He had been involved with a few cop shows, enough to know the drill. A knife wound would be reported to the police, and Denis would be questioned. They’d probably want to question him as well, since he had seen who had done it. 

David lit a cigarette, although he had promised his young lover that he would quit, and began puffing. He really needed a drink too. He glanced at the wall clock and started pacing. 

**** 

Kane looked up from where he was splitting the tips with his busboy. “Mike! What are you doing here? We’re closed, but I can get you a bite, if you don’t mind something cold.” 

Mike’s face was pale, and the lines around his mouth stood out in bas-relief. “You’re coming with me, kiddo.” He noticed the young man’s hand go to the chain he wore around his throat. 

“David?” 

Mike shook his head. “He’s fine. You know he worries when you stay out late.” 

Kane’s lips tightened into a determined line. “What’s wrong, Mike? The last time David wanted me watched was when my father…” He choked. After all this time, he still had trouble accepting the lengths his father had been willing to go to get him. 

“It’s Bernie. Apparently he cut someone at the theater. Not David! Calm down! David is afraid for you. You’re not going to make me get ugly in order to get you to cooperate, are you, Butch?” 

Kane shook his head and pushed the tips to where his busboy sat watching the unfolding drama with interest. “Take this. Go home!” 

“David wants you to call him at the theater, Butch.” 

“Okay, yes. I’ll…” Kane made the call and waited impatiently until someone finally answered. “I need to speak with David McMillan. This is Kane.” He listened in silence. “What do you mean, he’s not there. Where the fuck is he? All right, all right, I’m sorry.” 

“Maybe he went home, Kane,” Mike said quietly, rubbing his young friend’s shoulders. Kane nodded his head jerkily and dialed again. His breathing was audible. 

“There’s no answer. I want to go home, Mike.” 

“Let’s go back to Candy’s place. It’ll be safer, and you can try calling him again from there.” 

“I want to go home, Mike.” Kane’s mouth took on a mulish look. 

“Kiddo…” 

Kane shook his head. “Please, Mike!” 

His friend sighed and nodded. He needed to get Kane someplace safe as soon as possible. 

His motorcycle roared through the night. He could feel the tremors coursing through the young man’s body. And every now and then he could make out the words that spilled from his mouth. “Don’t let him be hurt. Please God. Don’t let him be hurt.”

Warning: m/f

  Part 20

The man in the somewhat worn business suit slowed his pace. He was in a part of town that was familiar to him, but he had no recollection of how he had gotten there. 

The clubs had closed down for the night, and the area was fairly deserted. A couple of junkies, hoping to cop one last score, a few hookers looking to make enough to pay the rent. 

And him. His brow furrowed in confusion, he considered taking one of the hustlers back to his place, but he never shit where he slept. And besides, he didn’t need to pay for it: he could get it for free any time he wanted it. 

It was just that lately…he wanted something different. He wanted David. 

Bernie had waited years for him, accepting the meaningless one night stands, the impersonal sex that his friend substituted for love. 

When David had gone east to the big city to try his luck in the theater there, Bernie was caught short. He hadn’t had time to make his move. That was when he started looking for something to take his mind off his friend. He had found it in those faceless, nameless nonentities, secretaries, hairstylists, students. 

But then David returned, and Bernie was sure that it was going to be his turn. He was the one David loved, that he had always loved. 

Only David didn’t seem to realize this. 

Now the actor was involved with someone else. Bernie clenched his hand in his pocket and winced and swore. He’s forgotten about the knife he’d slipped in there. Pulling his hand free, he eyed the blood welling from the cut across his palm in disgust. This was something else he could blame on that tramp his friend, his…friend was living with. 

Bernie knew how to get there. He had been there before, had even stayed overnight one time after he had disposed of that inconvenient bitch who had fought back and left him bloodied. David had believed him when he said it was the result of a brawl in a sports bar. 

Sweet David. He was such a sexy piece of meat. But so stupid! Bernie had told him that night that when he was away he had missed him, but David acted as if that was only his due and had gone to bed. 

Bernie was going to love getting into his cock into David’s ass after all this time. He’d show his friend what it was like with a real man. He’d fuck him so long and so hard David would never be able to get him out of his mind again! 

He looked around and got himself oriented. Then he began walking in the direction that would take him to his friend. 

**** 

Candy was in a petulant mood. What was it about her that caused the men in her life to drop her? For another man? 

Mike, the man she was dating had split as if his tail was on fire. And what a nice tail it was, too, she mused.

That call from David, who had been her lover for about two seconds a few years ago, had sent him rushing out to find Kane. 

David loved Kane. Mike was inordinately fond of the young man. So what was it about him, that drew both the men she was interested in? 

She had worn that sexy little red dress in the hopes of luring Mike into doing more than making out on the stained futon. The last time she had put it on had been for Robert, the bartender who couldn’t decide if he was married or not. His lovemaking had left a good deal to be desired. 

She sighed, recalling how, when he asked her if she had come and she replied it was fine, Robert had accepted her lukewarm enthusiasm. And she had let him fuck her without a condom, too. How stupid could one woman be, that she’d risk her life because she wanted to be loved? 

So Candy had turned to Geri. She thought the schoolteacher might be able to give her what she sought, but something was missing there too. 

She guessed she wasn’t cut out to be a lesbian. For her, being eaten by a woman wasn’t half as satisfying as being fucked by a man. 

She had finally given up looking for that one person in the world who would have complimented her, who would have made her feel whole. That was when she found Mike, at David and Kane’s housewarming. 

Their relationship actually started when Mike realized that she was behind Kane’s shocking change of hair color. He had come to her apartment, and somehow or other she found herself over his knee. His broad, calloused hand had edged under the hem of the casual romper she wore, palming her buttocks. And then a blunt finger had stroked the crotch of her silk panties, causing them to dampen. 

The shock of his hand spanking her was so sudden that she struck out with her legs in protest. He wound his leg around hers, controlling her movements. Mortified by being treated like a child, startled by feelings that were in no way childlike, she swore at him, every foul phrase she could remember David using, but Mike ignored her cries. He just continued to paddle her lush tush while he stroked her moist folds. 

And then, unexpectedly, she came. And it had been the best climax she had ever had. 

That had been weeks ago, and Mike still hadn’t made love to her, but Candy was getting more determined to have his cock inside her. She had been positive that tonight was the night, and then had come that goddamned phone call! 

She stalked around the darkened room, kicking her toe against whatever got in her way. She was deep in a fantasy of Mike, naked, his cock rising proudly, and she swallowing it, when a soft purring brought her back to reality. 

Lying on the radiator was the cat that David always fed, but claimed not to. Candy had never permitted him to bring it into their apartment. 

**** 

“Hey, McMillan! Phone for you!” 

David glanced over his shoulder. He had about worn a path in the carpeting that covered the corridor that led to the dressing rooms. He pinched out the end of his cigarette and took the receiver. “McMillan.” 

“David, it’s Candy!” Her voice was barely a whisper. 

“What’s up, C? I can’t stay on the line long, I’m expecting a call from Kane.” 

“David, I think someone is here in the apartment with me!” The fear came across clearly. 

“Have you called the police?” David demanded. 

“I want Mike.” Her tone was forlorn. “Oh, God, David, I’m so scared! That damned cat you were always feeding is sitting on the radiator right under the window. The window is open!” 

It was too late in the year, too cold for Candy to have left that window open. David felt frigid fingers squeeze at his gut. “Candy, call the police!” 

She wasn’t listening to him. “I tried calling your place, but the phone just rang. David, what should I do?” 

“Fuck calling the police! Get out of there now Candy! Do you hear me?” 

“Yes. All right. I’m on my way out. Oh!” Her voice became shrill. “What do you…Bernie? What are you…” and then the phone went dead. 

David didn’t waste any time. “Someone, call the cops and get them to my old place!” He dropped the receiver and ran out of the theater. 

Why was there never a cab around when you needed one? 

He started running. 

Note: skint is flat busted broke

Warning: Language (I’m a lady, I am!), violence, character death.

Part 21

Bernie had the little red dress that Candy wore down off her shoulders, trapping her arms and leaving her breasts exposed. He crouched over her as she lay writhing beneath him, helpless on the floor. 

His knife glinted in the stray light that filtered in through the open window. 

Candy’s flesh was pebbled with goose bumps from the chill air that was permeating the room. Her nipples were painfully tight, and stood upright, calling unwanted attention to themselves. 

Bernie scraped the edge of the wicked blade up the curve of her breast and let it rest just beside a nipple. “Do you know how sharp this blade is?” he asked idly. “With just the least little pressure I could…” 

He let the thought sink into Candy’s mind and smiled in satisfaction as he saw her imagination run wild. Her eyes widened in horror and her breath caught in her throat. 

“No!” she could barely whisper. “Oh, please, no!” She hated the pleading tone in her voice. 

Bernie grinned and eased back, his hands going to the hem of her flirty skirt. He frowned when he realized that he couldn’t raise it with her lying there like that. He lifted himself off her legs to slide further back. 

“He wants to taste you, you know.” He leaned forward and started licking and biting a path up from her thigh. “Hot. Wet. Red!” 

Candy screamed shrilly and bucked under his weight. Somehow she managed to get her legs free of him and caught him under the chin with her knee. Bernie reared back with a howl of rage and pain and Candy was able to roll away from him. 

Before the unhinged man could seize her again, the apartment door burst open. 

Bernie stared at the man that he wanted, had wanted for what seemed like a lifetime. //Look at me!// his mind wailed. //Love me!// But all he saw in those dark eyes was horror and sadness. With a cry of despair, he dropped the knife and fled the apartment. 

David ran to Candy, who was sobbing helplessly, a hand over her mouth to hold back the hysteria that was threatening to overwhelm her. He stroked her hair gently back from her eyes as she burrowed into his arms. “Candy, I have to go after him!” 

She nodded and rubbed her cheek against his sleeve. “Stop him, David!” She swallowed another sob. “I’ll be okay. But, please, be careful!” 

David went out into the hall and listened carefully. He could hear the pounding of footsteps on the stairs leading up and he turned and began to follow after them. 

**** 

Candy listened to the silence of the room as she dragged herself over to the phone. She dialed David’s home number and this time someone picked up. 

“David?” Kane’s voice was pathetically anxious. 

“Kane, it’s Candy. You’d better get over here right away. Is Mike with you? Can I speak with him?” 

“Yes. Wait a minute.” 

There was a pause as Kane handed the phone to his friend. “Baby, what’s wrong?” 

She burst into tears. “Mike, Bernie was here. I …” 

“Are you all right?” His panic soothed hers. 

She nodded, although he couldn’t see her action, and tugged her dress up over her breasts. “Please, Mike. I need you.” 

“I’ll be there as fast as I can!” 

**** 

The entire ride to Candy’s apartment Mike cursed the fact that Kane’s Porsche was in the shop. The way his friend drove, they would have made the trip in record time. 

He had tried to convince Kane that it wouldn’t be a good idea to go with him, but one look at the younger man’s white, constricted face, and he had given up on that. Mike climbed on his bike and Kane mounted behind him, holding on for dear life. 

**** 

The door that opened onto the roof was just banging back against the wall. David went through it and up the short flight of metal steps that ended on the flat expanse of rooftop. 

Bernie stood by the edge of the building, gazing down onto the street below. He was lost in memories of all the times he and David had shared a bottle of vodka if they had money, or a beer if they were skint. They would smoke a cigarette and read the newspaper on this roof. David had been so shocked when he realized Bernie was spitting over the side. “They never know where it comes from,” he had told the actor. 

David approached the other man cautiously. “Bern, come on, get away from the edge.” 

“Give me one good reason why, man.” 

“You’re my friend, Bernie.” 

“So’s that cunt, Candy. Not good enough, David. Not nearly good enough. You’ve got too many fucking friends.” 

“What do you want from me, Bern?” David was close enough to his friend to touch his sleeve. He remembered when he had asked that same question of his young lover. //I just want to be your friend,// Kane had answered hesitantly, knowing that the next few minutes would change his life forever. 

//I don’t need another friend!// David had spat. 

//What do you need?// 

//I need a lover!// David had been aghast at the words that had come unbidden from his mouth, and would have left, only Kane had opened his heart to him and taken him in. 

Bernie spun around so quickly that David was unable to control his flinch, and the other man’s face hardened. “I want you, David.” 

Now his breath fanned David’s mouth and he leaned forward to press their mouths together. The actor’s lips were a tight line. Bernie licked at the seam delicately. “Open to me, David,” he pleaded. 

David jerked his head back and turned his face aside. “I can’t, Bern.” 

Bernie’s eyes reflected the madness within. “It’s Candy, isn’t it?” 

“Bernie, I’m gay.” 

“Then why not me, David?” He seized David’s mouth, biting at it brutally. 

David stood unmoving, letting his old friend assault his mouth. Bernie’s fingers wound in his hair and yanked it back so hard that tears formed in the other man’s eyes. “You’ll love me, David, or I’ll kill you like the others!” 

“I’m sorry, Bern, I can’t. I love someone else!” 

“It’s that kid, isn’t it?” Realization dawned. “The one you were with at the arcade that time I bought some coke! Your busboy!” 

David refused to discuss the younger man with his friend. “Why, Bern? Why’d you do it?” 

The deep-throated roar of a motorcycle shredded the stillness of the night. 

Bernie released his friend and shrugged. “Secretaries, hairdressers, cashiers. They weren’t important.” 

“They were people, Bern!” 

“They weren’t…you.” He walked back to the low wall that edged the building. 

“Bernie, let me get you help.” The wail of the police sirens tore down the street. 

“I need help? I need help?” He laughed bitterly, and a single tear curved down his cheek and clung to the corner of his mouth. He stepped up onto the wall. 

David leaped forward and grabbed for Bernie. Their fingertips touched.  For a single moment, Bernie’s eyes were sane. His smile was sweet, and he was the friend of David’s younger days. “I love you, David.” 

Flinging his arms wide, as if to embrace the night, Bernie let his weight tip him backward and he went over the edge of the building. 

David stood frozen, hunched against the sound of his friend landing on the roof of the police cruiser below. Vaguely he heard footsteps ringing on the metal steps, but he was too shocked by the events that had just taken place to connect that with the sudden appearance of Kane at his side. 

The younger man’s arms went around his lover. He eased David down as his legs gave way under him and he collapsed onto the roof, curling in on himself. Desolate, racking sobs shattered him. 

Kane stroked his hair and murmured softly in his ear, pressing warm, gentle kisses over his lover’s face. He pulled David deeper into his embrace and rocked him, as a trail of silver tears streaked his own cheeks. 

His hand gripped the charm that hung from his lover’s neck.

Part 22

All through the misery of that night, David had clung to Kane, waking from nightmares in which his lover had been the one Bernie had at the mercy of his knife. Unable to reveal the horror of those dreams to the younger man, David had swallowed his terror, turned Kane onto his stomach, and slid his length into the snug passage that beckoned him home. 

Afterwards, David had fallen asleep still buried in his lover, and Kane remained motionless, reluctant to lose the warmth of the older man within him and around him. But eventually David’s cock slid out of him, and Kane lost his battle to stay awake. 

And then the nightmares returned and the scenario was replayed. David’s fingers were gentle but implacable as he stroked the crevice between Kane’s buttocks and pressed his cock past the tight ring of muscle. Roused from a sound sleep, the younger man sighed in drowsy pleasure and spread his legs wider, content to let David thrust into him, savoring the glide and the burn of his lovemaking. 

David had groaned and stiffened as he poured himself into his lover. His weight bore Kane down to the sheets and he murmured a protest at landing in the wet spot. Warm lips caressed the side of Kane’s throat, and then David’s breathing evened out to the deep, steady rhythms of slumber. 

The next time the nightmares attacked, David was too exhausted to fight his way out of sleep. He tossed and moaned, finally crying out, “Kane! The knife!” 

The younger man jerked up, his heart thudding in panic. David thrashed around, fighting the pillows, tangling the sheets. “Bernie, no! Please! Don’t hurt Kane!” 

“It’s all right, honey man. I’m okay. Bernie didn’t get me.” Kane’s soft murmurs reached his lover’s unconscious and loosed the hold of the nightmares. 

Easing himself out of bed, Kane took a moment to clean the residue of the night’s passion from his body, then got a fresh washcloth and dampened it. He returned to the large bed the two men shared and knelt next to his distraught lover. Running the cool cloth over David’s flushed face, Kane wiped away the tears and the sweat of the frightening dreams. 

David opened his eyes, remembrance fading to nothingness. “Kane. What is it, baby?” 

“You had a bad dream, David. That’s all. I’m here. I’ve got you. I won’t let you go.” 

David sighed and settled deeper into his lover’s embrace. And this time, Kane kept the nightmares at bay. 

**** 

Kane had held David, and comforted him, and cradled him in his arms through the dark hours of the night. The older man had roused once more; this time to the feel of his lover’s riotous curls feathering his skin as Kane licked a path across his abdomen to his half-hard cock. 

Which did not remain half-hard for long. 

The younger man had shown a remarkable talent for cock sucking, and he never hesitated in swallowing. David couldn’t remember ever being loved so unselfishly. The flutter of Kane’s tongue over the slit at the tip of David’s cock, the pressure of his teeth along its length, just short of painful, had the older man shuddering on the verge of orgasm. 

Kane had squeezed the base of David’s erection and the need to come abated for a while longer. 

But it couldn’t be halted, and eventually his thrusts became more and more erratic as he fucked Kane’s willing mouth. And then he drove himself deep into Kane’s throat and erupted in a volcano of completion. 

With a groan of satisfaction, he had slumped bonelessly onto the mattress and slept. 

The sun was climbing high in the morning sky when David finally awoke, alone in their bed. The younger man was nowhere to be found in their bedroom, which comprised the entire second floor, but the alluring aroma of dark brewed coffee was wafting up from the kitchen below. 

David slipped on what Kane loved to describe as his dressing gown, but which was in reality just a toweling robe. The hem reached to mid thigh, and Kane’s eyes always sparkled with interest whenever he could persuade his lover to wear it. 

Rubbing his hair absently, the actor made his way down the curving staircase to the first floor, grumbling at the chill of the bare parquet floors. He followed his nose to the breakfast nook, which faced the rear of the house. 

A steaming mug of hazelnut coffee sat, abandoned, on the round table that had pride of place at the center of the nook. David picked it up and sipped, unerringly finding the spot that Kane’s lips had touched. 

Standing before the windows, he contemplated the large, grassy lawn that spread from the house to the wooded area that edged the perimeter of their property. It was yellowed from the cold of winter, but he knew that come the spring it would become a sea of green. 

A sudden vision of Kane, naked on that grass, with him comfortably between his thighs, made David’s sated cock twitch with interest. 

A subdued splash caught his attention and he turned his head. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls that separated this portion of the house from the pool area, David saw his lover leisurely stroking across the length of the Olympic-sized pool. 

When he reached the shallow end, Kane jack-knifed around and swam back the way he had come. He hoisted himself onto the deck, and as the water sheeted off his compact frame, it became apparent that he was swimming au naturel. 

The way David loved best. He smiled to himself, and refilling the mug, he walked through the short passage that led to the lower sundeck that bordered the inner half of the pool. 

“Morning, baby.” 

Kane’s eyes were tired, but they lit up when he realized his lover had joined him. “David!” He flowed into his arms and pulled his head down for a leisurely kiss. “Mmmm, you taste of coffee.” 

He took the mug from the older man. David watched avidly as Kane’s adam’s apple bobbed with each swallow. 

“I love you so much, baby.” 

“What’s that in aid of?” Kane regarded him cautiously. 

The corner of David’s mouth curved up and he retrieved the mug. “Can’t I tell you that I love you?” 

“Well, yes. And I know that you do. You just don’t tell me very often.” 

“My mistake, baby. I’ll have to remedy that. I love you today.” He kissed his lover’s lush mouth. “Tomorrow.” His lips traversed Kane’s cheek to his jaw. “Always.” His teeth latched onto the lobe that bore the silver earring that matched his own and bit down gently. “Will you do something for me, baby?” 

“Anything, David! I’ll even marry you if you want me to! Oh, no, wait a minute!” Kane licked David’s throat. “I already promised to do that!” He dissolved into relieved laughter. 

David smiled into Kane’s chocolate brown eyes. “Yes, you did, and I’m holding you to that.” 

Kane snuggled deeper into his arms. “I wish you were just a poor, struggling actor, David.” 

“Good God, Kane! Why?” David was distracted from what he had been originally going to say. 

“I’d give anything to keep you.” 

David stared at his young lover. “Let me get this straight. You want me to be poor, so you can be my sugar daddy?” 

“Yeah. That would be so hot.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“Sure!” Kane began to wax enthusiastic. “I’d take you to fancy restaurants, and show you off. I’d take you to those really snooty men’s furnishings shops and buy you all these expensive threads, and make sure all the salesmen knew you were mine!” 

“Kane, you’re depraved!” 

“But you love me anyway!” 

‘Well, didn’t I just say so?” David began crowding Kane back toward a chaise longue, intending to ravish his body. 

And the doorbell chose that moment to ring. 

“Damn!’ 

“Well, hell!” Kane groused. David snatched a final kiss before the younger man scooped up his own robe and slipped into it. 

“Are we presentable? Nothing’s showing that shouldn’t be, is it?” 

Kane glanced down before he could prevent himself, and blushed. “I’ll get the door.” He hurried to the front of the house. 

“Kane!” 

The younger man stopped short, stunned at the fear in that one word. 

David tried to smile, but it was a travesty of his usual insouciant grin. “Make sure you check the peephole first.” 

Kane paled and nodded jerkily. But David was right behind him as he crossed the short vestibule that led to their front door. Hefted casually in his right hand, was the carafe of coffee, the best he could do for a weapon on the spur of the moment. He’d have to go out and buy a baseball bat. He’d be damned before he resorted to a gun! 

It would be a long time before he would get over the nightmares that saw Kane substituted for Candy, and no white knight handy to rescue him. 

Benita was waiting impatiently to be let in. She hugged Kane, and then David, eyeing the carafe. “Fresh coffee? Wonderful, I need it after the morning I’ve had!” 

Kane did a double take when he saw the jug. David shrugged and gave a weak smile, then led the way back to the kitchen. He took down a mug for his friend and sat with her in the nook while Kane set about making some breakfast. 

“Aren’t you going to ask how David is doing?” Kane asked as he broke eggs into a bowl and began whisking them. 

“No, I can see his aura, and he’s going to be fine. I do have a question to ask, though.” Benita smiled into her coffee and watched the two men she was so fond of. 

“But you’re psychic, Nita. You’re supposed to know the answer to all the questions,” David teased. 

“Oh, I do. Sometimes,” she said, reminding him that while she had seen danger around him, she hadn’t been able to pinpoint the target. “I was just wondering if Kane does.” 

“If I know what?” Kane asked absently as he slid the French toast onto plates. He drizzled them with maple syrup and then sprinkled confectioner’s sugar over them. With a flourish, he set the plates before his friend and his lover. Then he took the pitcher of warmed syrup and the butter dish and placed them on the table between them. “Let’s eat. I’m starved.” 

They all took a bite. Kane’s cooking was surprisingly delicious. He took another sip from the mug he and David were sharing and realized that Benita had never answered his question. “What am I supposed to know?” 

Benita paused with the fork halfway to her mouth. Her lips curled in a wicked smile. 

“When you’re going to marry David.” 

Part 23

David took Kane’s hand and rubbed his thumb over the tiger’s eye ring that the younger man was never without. 

“So, baby. When are you going to make an honest man of me?” 

Kane’s eyes softened and he leaned toward his lover, taking his lips in a kiss that tasted of want and need and love. And maple syrup. 

Benita cleared her throat and hid her smile behind the rim of her coffee mug. “I really wish you guys would pick a date. Maybe that would get Guy off my back.” 

“What?” David’s brows drew together in an impressive frown. As an actor, he knew how to do disapproval really well. “What’s the rich man been doing to you?” 

“Back off, David,” the psychic bristled. “I'm the only one who calls him that!” 

Her friend’s mouth tightened as he struggled to prevent a grin. Well, well. It seemed things were progressing between the dominatrix and her one-time client. 

“Okay, sorry. What’s de Villiere been doing to get your panties in a twist?” 

She scowled at him, but she was too concerned with the sudden turn of events with her own lover to maintain her snit. “He wants me to meet his family.” 

“Well, it’s about time. You’ve been seeing him how long now?” 

“You know very well how long it’s been, David McMillan! You paired with Kane around the same time!” 

“So I did.” David smiled as he felt his young lover’s bare toes stroke up his calf under the table. 

“I don’t see what the problem is, Benita,” Kane remarked, his foot comfortably in David’s lap. Absently he began rubbing his heel against the flesh that was hardening beneath it. 

She looked exasperated. “Kane, I’m a…” 

“Yes? You’re a…what? You’re a caring, loving woman. And Guy knows that.” 

“Yes, but he’s…” 

“He’s lucky to have someone like you in his life. Just like me. I’ll never stop blessing the day I saw David on the street and followed him to Salante’s.” 

David’s head spun back toward his lover. “You followed me, baby? I never realized!” 

Kane leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “You can be insufferable enough, when you want. Your ego doesn’t need more stroking.” 

“Yes, it does, baby,” David contradicted. “When you’re doing the stroking.” 

Benita cleared her throat. Two sets of eyes reluctantly broke off their silent communication. 

“Anyway, I think it’s high time he introduce you to his family,” the younger man stated. 

“They’re going to hate me!” 

“They’re going to love you!” 

“That’s what Guy said.” Glumly, Benita regarded the remains of her coffee, wondering if one could read the future in coffee grounds as well as in tealeaves. “But you know these old money types. They’re so protective of the oldest son. And they’ll want pedigreed offspring.” 

David paused in massaging Kane’s foot against his arousal. “Who’s talking children?” he asked with interest. 

“No one.” Her response was too quick. 

“Benita, is Guy asking you to marry him?” 

She looked miserable. “It’s impossible. I’m…” 

“Don’t say it!” David snapped. 

“…just not suitable. What did you think I was going to say?” The psychic was very aware of her friend’s protectiveness toward her. “Oh shit!” 

The doorbell rang a split second later, followed by a thunderous knocking. “I wonder who that could be?” David murmured dryly. He gave Kane’s toes a final squeeze and released his foot. Then he rose to answer the door. 

The pair remaining in the kitchen could hear the muted rumbling of the conversation in the front hall. 

“It’s Guy,” Benita sighed, and Kane grinned at her. 

“It could be Mike,” he suggested. 

She curled her lip and folded her arms across her chest. “It’s Guy.” 

David returned, projecting a cheerful front. “It’s Guy, everyone!” 

Kane choked on his sip of coffee and began to laugh. 

The Frenchman scowled at the younger man before turning to his lover. “You’ve been avoiding me.” 

“Not at all. I’ve had things to do.” 

“Really?” His voice was so silky that she went pale. David stepped to her side. And then Kane was on her other side. 

It was so reminiscent of the night he had first met them, that for a moment he was taken aback. He knew that if he took his foul temper out on the actor, the younger man would leap to his defense. Nothing would be settled. And he definitely wanted Benita’s agreement to meet his family. 

He backed off. 

To his surprise, the actor took his part. “Give the man a break, Nita. Don’t let wrong-headed notions keep you apart.” 

She worried her lower lip, and the desire to draw that lip into his own mouth swept over de Villiere. As sophisticated as he was, he felt himself flush as he hardened. 

Her gaze dropped from his and landed unexpectedly at his crotch. Guy was making no effort to disguise his arousal. Dark eyes tangled with dark eyes, and then she gave in. 

“Where, Guy?” 

He took her hand and raised it to his lips, caressing it with his open mouth. “You won’t regret it, I promise you! I’ve taken the small banquet room at Amore’s.” 

David began to choke. “The small one?” 

Benita looked suspicious. “What’s up with the small banquet room?” 

Kane dissolved into a fit of snickering. “That’s the one that can seat one hundred and fifty people.” 

“And that’s the smaller one? Guy, I don’t know a hundred and fifty people!” 

De Villiere remained silent. 

David grinned and turned away. “If people are going to come calling at such ridiculous hours of the morning, I need to get some clothes on. Come on, Kane.” 

“No, that’s all right, David. I’ll be along shortly.” 

“Now, Kane!” He took his lover by the arm and proceeded to drag him from the room. 

“I was enjoying that, you know!” they heard the younger man complaining. “You never let me have any fun! Dav…!” 

The rest of his gripe was cut short, leaving no doubt of how the older man silenced him. 

“Bien-aimee.” 

Benita looked away shyly. This was the first time that Guy had called her ‘sweetheart’, and she didn’t know how to react to it. She got down a mug and poured him a cup of coffee. 

All she could give him was half a cup. “Sorry, this is all that’s left.” 

Guy took the mug and set it aside. Then he took her in his arms. “N’important! Baise-moi, aimant! Kiss me!” 

She turned her face away. “But, Guy. A hundred and fifty people!” 

He wound his fingers in her thick hair and urged her mouth closer. 

“Don’t worry about it, p’tite bijou. The rest of my family can meet you another time!” 

Part 24

They stood in the entrance of the small banquet room of Amore’s, drawing avid eyes, the tall, striking actor, the petite, dark-haired woman slightly behind him, and the young man whose hand rested familiarly on the actor’s arm. 

Small was a misnomer. It was filled with more than a hundred and fifty people, most of whom were Guy de Villiere’s relatives. 

Waiters traveled swiftly between tables, carrying trays of hors d'oeurves and taking drinks orders. 

The pair with David McMillan stayed close, Kane because he loved the dark haired man, and Benita because she was scared to death. 

Guy had worn down her resistance and convinced her to come to this party to meet his family, and she had regretted it ever since. “I know he’s going to tell them he wants to marry me, and they’re all going to hate me!” 

“Y’know, for a psychic, you’re not handling this very well, Nita,” David murmured. 

Benita glared up at her friend. “I’ll handle this however I damn well please!” She ruined the effect by moaning softly under her breath. “Oh, God, I feel sick!” 

Kane leaned around his lover. “You’ll be fine, Benita. You’re a wonderful woman, and Guy is lucky to have found you. If I didn’t love David, I’d just be so jealous!” 

“Yeah? You think? Okay, let me take a few breaths.” 

David smiled above their heads, his eyes traveling over the crowded room, ignoring the interested looks he was getting, searching for de Villiere. 

“Signore McMillan.” A waiter deferentially touched David’s sleeve. 

“Yes?” he responded idly. 

“Signora de Villiere wishes to speak with you.” 

“Who?” 

“The lady at the head table.” 

“Kane, keep an eye on Benita, will you? Make sure she doesn’t take off. I’ll be right back.” 

With the easy expertise of his own years as a waiter, David made his way to the other side of the room. 

The woman who awaited him impatiently would have been attractive if it hadn’t been for the tight, discontented line of her mouth. Her hair, which was a rich auburn, was expertly coiffed, and he just knew her watered silk gown, which showed off her elegant figure, had an exclusive designer label sewn into the seam. 

“Madame de Villiere?” 

“Mr. McMillan,” she responded coldly, and David’s brows met in surprise. Hostility was rolling off the woman in waves. “Forgive me, I have not time to be polite. What connection do you have to my stepson?”

“I beg your pardon?” 

“What are you to Guy?” 

David stopped a passing waiter and took two flutes of champagne from his tray. He handed one to the woman who sat rigidly before him. “I’m afraid I don’t understand you, Madame.” 

“Everyone knows that Guy is bisexual.” 

David began choking on his wine. 

“And word has gotten back to me that he is forever seen in your company!” 

David gasped and choked some more, tears starting to stream down his face. 

Her eyes traveled insultingly over his body, and she sneered. “Do you deny it, you…you actor?” 

David finally managed to catch his breath. “Guy sails both sides of the lake? Our Guy?” 

“Our Guy? Merde! I knew he was having an affair with you, amoral fool that he is! I can see how your looks would attract a man of his caliber. Very well, you will cease seeing him immediately! And of course, I will make it worth your while!” 

David realized politeness would afford him nothing with this woman. “Why?” he asked baldly. 

She gaped at him, then snapped her mouth shut. “Because I have decided that Guy can do better than a mediocre actor!” 

David decided the best way to deal with the situation was with humor. “I’m deeply hurt, Madame. You don’t think I’m worthy of your stepson?” 

“Who isn’t worthy of me?” Guy had appeared so silently that neither combatant was aware of his approach. David grinned at the wealthy man, but the woman before them just gritted her teeth. 

“You know your father would be severely disappointed in you if he knew you chose to tie up your life with this man!” she snapped. 

“McMillan? Papa would have loved David. He always was partial to Shakespearean actors. I might even have been forced to fight him for David’s favors.” 

Madame de Villiere’s lushly painted mouth dropped open. “Your father…your father…” 

“Oh, surely you knew he never let the beliefs of the bourgeoisie apply to his own appetites?” Guy murmured as he picked a piece of lint off his elegant black tuxedo. 

“That’s a lie!” 

His expression was hard. “Yes it is. And so it is if anyone links my name with this man’s!” 

She looked stunned. “Then who…?” 

Guy signaled to the young man who, while filling a plate with Amore’s delicious hors d’oeuvres, was keeping a surreptitious eye on his lover. 

Kane hurried to where the trio waited, trailing Benita along behind him, aware of the sudden silence that enveloped the room. He smiled into his lover’s dark eyes and proffered the plate of goodies. 

“I wasn’t sure what you’d want. See anything here that tempts you?” Kane asked saucily. 

“As a matter of fact…” David drawled, drawing the younger man to his side. His posture made it quite plain that this pair was a…pair. 

Madame de Villiere’s face became flushed with anger. “Are you trying to make a fool of me?” she demanded. 

“Not at all, Madame,” Guy answered coldly. “You seem to be doing that quite well, all on your own. I’m sure you’ve seen Kane at various Community functions. David belongs to him!” 

The actor leaned over and whispered in his lover’s ear, “Do you have any idea how hot that makes me? Being referred to as yours?” 

Kane’s chocolate brown eyes grew sultry, and promised a torrid time in their bed when they got home. “Are you sure you haven’t changed your mind about me keeping you?” 

“I want you to belong to me for all time, just as I intend to be yours,” David stated softly, rubbing the tiger’s-eye ring Kane was never without. He drew the younger man into an affectionate embrace. 

“Oh, I like how that sounds!” Kane murmured, resting his head against his lover’s chest. “Can we go home soon?” 

David smiled down into Kane’s’ slightly flushed face. “As soon as Guy announces his engagement,” he promised. 

“What?” Madame de Villiere shrieked, and conversation throughout the room once again came to a halt. 

“Well, that’s letting the cat out of the bag, David. Thanks so much!” De Villiere reached for a spoon and tapped lightly on his glass. “My dear family, if I might have your attention for one moment? I would like to present to you all my fiancée, Benita…” 

There was another scream of rage. “Of all the women in this town, you select a whore? I will not allow you to disgrace the name of de Villiere!” She turned to Benita, ready to spew her bile on the woman she considered so out of her league. “You trollop! You tramp!” She lowered her voice. “You fucking bitch!” 

Benita opened her eyes very wide. “Did you just call me a fucking bitch? I'm so sorry, but if you're not calling me a bitch with a capital B, I simply can't accept that!” 

Snickers from the very people whose opinion mattered so much to her destroyed what was left of her composure. 

Guy’s stepmother struck out with the sequined bag that dangled from her wrist. Who would have thought such a little purse could be so crammed full with a feminine arsenal of cosmetics? 

Guy shoved Benita behind him. David shoved Kane out of the way. 

Time seemed to slow and stand still. The blow landed. And then David stared stupidly at the older woman as she stood panting in front of him from the exertion of swinging her weapon. 

Blood began pouring from his nose, and he sat down abruptly on the floor, his hands attempting to stem the tide. 

Kane uttered a cry of distress and went down on his knees beside his lover. David looked blankly from his stained hands to his young lover. “Baby, I’m bleeding!” 

Benita thrust a linen napkin into Kane’s hands, and he took it thankfully, holding it to his lover’s nose. “Is it broken, Slick?” 

“Shit, baby, did it hurt this much the time I hit you?” 

Kane became alarmed. “It hurts that bad?” Carefully he felt the abused nose, and breathed a sigh of relief. “No, it isn’t broken. Just dented a little!” He buried his head in David’s shoulder. “Don’t scare me like that!” 

“Baby, let’s go home!” 

**** 

Guy stepped forward and took his stepmother’s wrist in a punishing grip. He signaled to security. “Madame is not feeling well. See that she is escorted home, and does not leave!” 

“You’ll want to speak with her later, sir?” 

“Tomorrow. I have nothing to say to her at this moment. She has succeeded in disrupting my fiancée’s special day!” 

“Very good, sir.” The man relieved Guy of his stepmother, and hustled the subdued woman out of the restaurant. 

An insistent hand was tugging on Guy’s sleeve. His frozen expression changed to one of fond exasperation. “What is it, mon petite chou?” 

“Please, Guy, do not be cross with Maman!” 

“’Tienne…” 

“Please, Guy. Please! She hasn’t been well!” 

The wealthy man crouched down until he was at eye-level with his younger brother. He ran his hand through the boy’s thick, dark hair, so like his own. “All will be well, little cabbage. Do not fret so. I will take care of everything.” He got the attention of the boy’s nanny. “See to it that Etienne has his dinner, and then take him home." 

Guy turned to speak with his fiancée, but she was gone. 

**** 

Benita opened the door to David and Kane’s home, hurrying to the kitchen. She turned on the tap and grabbed a clean dishtowel from the drawer where they were kept. When the water was warm enough, she stuck the towel under the faucet and soaked it. 

By the time she got back to the front door, Kane was solicitously helping his lover into the foyer. 

Benita tipped David’s head back, brushing the hair out of his eyes. Kane took the once white napkin from the older man, and the psychic carefully wiped the blood from his face. She held the towel to his nose, which, she was pleased to see, had finally stopped bleeding. 

“I’m so sorry, David!” Guy stood hesitantly at the door, uncertain of his welcome. 

David waved a negligent hand at him. It was the hand that held the towel, and his lover shoved it back under his nose. 

“Kane, take David up to bed. Guy will help me lock up, and I’ll come by to see you in the morning.” She pressed a warm kiss to David’s cheek, stroked Kane’s, and watched as they went up the curving staircase to their second floor suite. 

Guy watched the psychic step into the powder room and wash the blood off her hands. “Benita?” 

“Guy?” 

“Don’t toy with me. Are you going to terminate our engagement?” 

“Why? Do you want me to?” 

“Well, no. No, of course not!” 

She looped her arms around her lover’s neck and pressed herself against his lean body. “Then I rather think I won’t.” 

“You won’t?” 

“Guy, I’m a dominatrix. It’s what I do, very well I might add. I think I just might want to see how your stepmamma looks in black leather.” 

The image of his belle mere in a dog collar and torso harness burst full-blown into Guy’s mind, and he shuddered. 

Part 25

The tiny set of bells above the door of the Lite and Bite Deli tinkled, signaling the entrance of another customer. Mike wasn’t surprised; it was noon, one of the busiest hours of his day. He and the two people he had hired when he first came home to help his Pop out of a tight spot put together one order after another while his old man sat in his wheelchair by the register and rang up the orders. 

What did surprise Mike was who the latest customer was: David McMillan, his best friend’s lover. Mike felt his heart lurch. “What’s wrong?” he demanded. He knew he wasn’t David’s most favorite person in the universe. That spot was reserved for Kane, the young man David had committed himself to. 

But Mike was so far down on the chain of people David even tolerated, that he feared the only reason the actor was here now was because something had happened to Kane. The younger man’s kidnapping by his own father was still fresh in his mind. 

David smiled ruefully, acknowledging the fact that there wasn’t much love lost between him and his young lover’s best friend. “Kane’s fine, Mike. I just…I need to talk to you about something.”

“Me?” 

“You, Mike. I can wait until the rush is over.” 

“Thanks. I am a bit busy right now. Pop, get David a latte, okay?” 

The older man nodded and competently wheeled his chair to get a styrofoam container and draw a coffee. When David tried to hand him payment, Mike’s father waved it away. “Your money’s no good here. Any friend of the little guy is worth at least a coffee.” 

“Hey, now, Pop! No need to go overboard!” Mike wrapped up a Reuben and marked something on the white paper while his old man laughed. 

David took a seat at one of the few tables that was unoccupied and watched Mike handle the lunchtime crowd. He tried to think of the best way to broach the topic. It really wasn’t that big a deal, except it was that big a deal, at least to him. 

Finally Mike felt the crush had eased up enough for him to leave his help to deal with it. He poured himself a diet soda and approached David. 

“Your nose doesn’t look too bad. I guess the old bi--witch didn’t break it?” 

“Hmm? Oh, no. And she isn’t really old!” 

“No? Well, she’s still a bi--witch! Candy and I heard all about it when we got to Amore’s.” 

 “You mean to say you missed all the excitement?” 

“What can I tell you? We got there after it was all over. But it was the chief topic of conversation. It even overshadowed Guy’s announcement that he was marrying Benita. And he wasn’t too happy about that.” 

“He and Nita went back to Amore’s after they left our place?” 

“Would you believe he wanted to dance with her? Seems they had never danced before! Isn’t that romantic?” Mike waited a beat, then changed the subject to what concerned him more than the rich man and the dominatrix. “Okay, McMillan, what’s up?” 

Now that the moment was at hand, David still didn’t know what to say. “Um, how are things with you and Candy?” 

Mike grinned. He knew David was skirting around the issue, but the truth was, he didn’t mind talking about his lover. Candy had been making him nuts for weeks now. “Not too shabby, McMillan.” 

“She’s had more than her share of bad relationships, you know.” 

“Including you?” 

David looked uncomfortable. There had been a time years back when he was so uncomfortable with his sexual orientation that he had caved in to Candy’s not-too-subtle pressure and had sex with her. It had only been a couple of times, and he had broken it off immediately. But although they remained friends, Candy never gave up the hope that David’s homosexuality was just a passing phase, and that he would come back to her. 

It never would have happened, even if he hadn’t met Kane. Candy was at last starting to accept that. 

“Yes, including me. And that asshole Robert. And Jeri.” David was reluctant to bring up Jeri, the schoolteacher who had been Candy’s sole experiment with alternate sexuality. She had broken Jeri’s heart when she chose the bartender over her. Shortly afterwards, Jeri had given up her job and left town. 

David wasn’t sure how upfront Candy had been about the young woman. She did have a tendency to be less than forthcoming at times. 

Mike looked at the actor through the fringe of blond hair that fell into his eyes. “Yeah, Candy told me about Jeri. It’s no big deal, as long as she doesn’t leave me for a woman.”

“Would you let her go?” David asked, curious. 

“Hell, no! I’d spank her bottom until it was bright red and spend the night making love to her until I changed her mind!” 

“Spank her, huh?” David had sometimes incorporated that into his lovemaking. He had found that afterwards Kane was so hot he’d go off like a firecracker. Although he wasn’t about to tell his lover’s best friend about it. “We can’t help whom we love. Can I offer you a word of advice about Candy.” 

Mike looked at him cautiously. “You can offer it. Doesn’t mean I’ll accept it.” 

“Fair enough. After you make love to Candy, don’t ask her if she’s come. She’ll lie to you every time. She’ll tell you it was great. She’ll tell you you’re the best lover she’s ever had. She might even lie and tell you she did come, if you press her enough. But Candy doesn’t like to lose control, as much as she might think she does.” 

“So, you’re saying you never got Candy to come?” 

“Yes. I think maybe the closest she’s ever come to an orgasm supplied by a partner might have been with Jeri, and I think that’s why she wouldn’t continue that relationship. She was too afraid, so she went back to Robert the asshole, who was undemanding and predictable and safe.”

“Thanks for telling me this, David. Nice of you to share what you know about Candy’s psyche.” There might have been a bite to his words, but Mike did not have the look of a jealous man. As a matter of fact, he was looking insufferably pleased with himself. “She did try to pull that with me last night. Fortunately, we were at my place. I think she always thought that multiple orgasms were just a fairy story, if you’ll pardon my choice of words. So I just pulled out a few of my toys, and between me and them, the poor girl didn’t stand a chance!” 

David just sat there with his mouth gaping. He had never thought his former roommate would find someone who would take her measure, accept it and be willing to hang around. “Mike, I think I might come to like you!” 

“Well, I’m all for giving friendship our best shot shot. And that would please Kane. Speaking of whom, if he’s not in trouble, why did you need to see me?” 

“I…I’m the one who needs a little advice, Mike. You see, it’s about Kane’s birthday…” 

“Never tell me you forgot it, man! That will about break his heart! No, wait, you’ve got a couple of weeks.” Mike regarded the actor carefully. “He never had a birthday when he lived at home, you know. I don’t think his parents were ever around, and the servants couldn’t have cared less.” 

“Oh, yes. His father was there for one of them, the bastard! Kane had just turned eighteen, although I didn’t know that at the time.” 

“You cradle robber, you!” Mike chuckled, always fascinated when the actor revealed his deep feelings for his young lover. 

David’s face was flushed, but he grinned. “What can I tell you? The kid is irresistible!” His smile faded. “Kane’s father showed up just after I had spent the night making love to his son, and he would have used the fact that Kane had taken me for his lover to try to break the trust.” 

Mike hissed something vitriolic under his breath, and David nodded in agreement. They both considered it a good thing that Kane’s father was no longer in his life. 

“Fortunately, Kane was of age, so that was a nasty bit of business he never had to deal with. That’s why I could never forget it. His birthday, our anniversary. The thing is, I want to get him something really special this year, but I haven’t a clue. What can I get for someone who can get whatever he wants all by himself?” 

“And that’s your question? What you should get Kane for his birthday? I should think you’d know anything from you would be precious to him.”

David nodded. “I do know that. But still…You’ve known him longer than I have. Did he ever mention anything that he wanted, but that for some reason or other he just never had?” 

Mike stared off into space, recalling the years since the young man had come into his life. Thoughtfully he ran his fingers over the side of his neck, inadvertently bringing David’s attention to the livid love bite that was there. 

Hmm, that was a thought. He hadn’t marked his lover in some time. But that still didn’t answer the question of what to give him for his birthday. 

Suddenly, Mike sat up, almost knocking over his soda. “I’ve got it!” Then he sagged back into his seat. “No, I don’t think you’d go for this idea.” 

“Mike, I’m desperate. At least tell me.” 

“Well, you see, McMillan. Kane has never had a puppy!” 

Note: For those who never had a puppy, weewee pads, which are much like Chux for incontinent patients, can be used in place of newspapers to paper train the puppy. 

Part 26

Kane was feeling morose. 

It wasn’t as if anyone had ever made a big thing of his birthday. His parents had never been in town for it, and even if they had, they didn’t believe in such frivolous celebrations. He had never even gotten to blow out the candles on his cake. 

He had never even had a cake. 

Last year, though, that had changed. David had given him a birthday that still brought a glow to his cheeks. David had rented the Palladium for the entire night, and booked Kane’s favorite alternative rock bands and invited all their friends. The gifts had been silly or raunchy, or in David’s case, sweetly sentimental. And when they had gone home, David had made love to Kane all night long. 

It was only one birthday out of nineteen. How foolish of him to feel bereft because his lover appeared to have forgotten his birthday this year. 

David had given him so many other wonderful things. And in the not too distant future, they’d be getting married. 

But still Kane was hurt that this year David didn’t even try to subtly discover what he might want for his birthday. He didn’t even tumble him back into bed this morning, covering him with birthday kisses. 

“Um, do you know what today is, David?” 

David squinted at the mirror, trying to make sure the tie he wore was suitable. He had another audition, this time for the role of Petruchio in Taming of the Shrew, and he was already working himself up into a bundle of nerves. 

“Wednesday, baby?” 

“Well, yes. But do you know what else today is?” 

David had hurried to the bed and given Kane a quick kiss. “Third Wednesday in the month? I’ve got to run, baby. I won’t be able to make dinner tonight.” 

“David! You promised! We were going to…” But David was already running down the curving stairs to the first floor of their home. Kane hadn’t even had time to offer to drive him to the theater. “Break a leg, slick,” he murmured. 

He was about to indulge in a pity party when the phone rang. “H’llo.” 

“Kane, it’s Jacques. I need you to come in tonight. Half the staff has called in sick!” Jacques was the manager of Salante’s, the trendy restaurant when Kane had found the man who would be his one true love. When David left to pursue acting permanently, Kane had been promoted from busboy to waiter. And now he was in line for position of headwaiter, the youngest Salante’s had ever employed. 

“Oh. Sure, Jacques. No problem. No, I’ve got no plans. I’ll be in at seven, all right?” 

“NO! I mean, no, I need you to help me get everything set up, we’re having a private party here tonight! Can you be here for five?” 

For a moment Kane wondered if it might be a surprise party for him, but then he banished that thought. It was too obvious, and David was nothing if not avant-garde. “All right, Jacques. I’ll be there.” 

The other man barely managed to restrain a sigh of relief and say good-bye before hanging up the phone. 

Kane replaced his receiver. His self-pity gone, the young man decided to clean the house. 

And then he would take one of their joint credit cards and buy himself the most fabulous, the most expensive birthday gift he could find! 

**** 

As promised, Kane arrived at Salante’s at five, and was promptly put to work. He folded napkins in lovely, intricate patterns. He set up place settings. He procured fresh flowers and put them in the bud vases. He did all the things he had done as a busboy, but had not had to do since his promotion. 

And despite Jacques’ words to the contrary, the entire Wednesday night staff seemed to be there. Starting to feel more than a little put upon, Kane went to the manager, who was just hanging up the phone. 

“Jacques, what’s up? You really didn’t need me here tonight! You’ve got more than enough staff, and I’m just doing make work!” 

The manager gave a heavy sigh. “I don’t know what it is with these people, Kane. They call in sick, they show up. No sense of order! I’m sorry I ruined your evening. You want dinner? Come, sit, I give you dinner, okay? You all right, Kane? You look a little down tonight.” 

“Well, I’d kind of been hoping I’d have dinner at Amore’s tonight.” 

“What, Salante’s not good enough for you?” 

“I’m sorry, Jacques, I didn’t mean anything. Of course Salante’s is good enough. But I wanted to go someplace special…Oooh!” he moaned. “I’m sorry, I just keep putting my foot in my mouth!” 

Jacques kept his mouth primmed, but secretly he was delighted to see his normally unflappable waiter shaken. Surreptitiously he glanced at the clock over the bank of ovens. “I’m just teasing you, Kane. You a good boy. Go on home now. That’s the best place for you to be.” 

“Sure. I’ll see you on Friday.” That was the start of his regular workweek. The manager waved him into his black Porsche and watched as Kane drove out of the parking lot and onto the main road. 

Then he dove for the telephone and punched in a number he was too familiar with. It was answered on the first ring. “David? He’s on his way!” 

**** 

The house was in darkness when Kane pulled into the circular drive. He really should put the Porsche in the garage, but he was so emotionally exhausted. His depression from the morning had returned. 

And he was starting to worry about the gift he had bought himself. Sinfully elegant, sinfully luxurious, even more sinfully expensive, it was an extremely rare, black Russian sable coat with a pure silk lining. It was being displayed to a customer of the consignment shop, who decided the price tag was a little too steep. 

Kane had fallen in love with the beautiful fur. And then he discovered that it had a provenance that was in itself most impressive. It had been ordered exclusively for a well-known Hollywood leading man of classic 40s film noir, whom David worshipped. The replacement value was astronomical, but for some reason the owner was willing to sell it at a fraction of the cost. Kane had closed his eyes, held his breath and tendered the charge card. 

He paused with his foot on the bottom step. Surely he had left the security light on? Then again, perhaps he hadn’t. He climbed the stairs and inserted his key into the lock. 

There was a curiously expectant atmosphere to the house. And then lights flashed on, noisemakers sounded and people popped up from behind furniture and jumped out from behind doors. 

“Happy Birthday, Kane!” 

The young man stood there staring at his friends. And at Benita and Guy, Mike and Candy, and David—his family. 

His breath snagged in his throat and he blinked furiously to prevent tears from falling. While everyone was singing “For he’s a jolly good fellow, for he’s a jolly good fellow, for he’s a jolly good fellow, and so say all of us!” David walked up to him, his arms tentatively out-stretched. 

“I didn’t forget, baby! How could I?” 

With a muffled sound that might have been a sob, Kane threw himself into his lover’s arms and hugged him tightly. “Thank you, David. Thank you!” 

Gently the older man ran his thumb under Kane’s eyes and gathered the moisture that was spiking his lashes. He licked the salty drops from his finger, and Kane buried his face against him. “I love you, David.”

“I love you too, baby. And I have a special present for you.” David was starting to get very nervous over this idea. After all, it was a big commitment. And maybe Mike was wrong; maybe Kane had outgrown his boyhood desire for a puppy. 

Kane dried his eyes on the heels of his hands and smiled at his lover. “Whatever you give me will be special.” 

“Yes, well…” 

A high-pitched bark interrupted him. Kane frowned at the older man. And then a woman he didn’t know came forward with the most beautiful little puppy Kane had ever seen. He looked from David to the puppy to the woman, and back to David. 

The woman extended her hand. “I’m Viola Challenger. I breed Golden Retrievers. And this little lady now belongs to you!” 

“Mine?” Kane’s voice was just above a whisper. “She’s mine?” 

David nodded, fairly sure that the young man was happy about his gift, but still not certain. “Do you like her?” 

“Like her?” Kane dropped to his knees and let the puppy come to him. Wagging her little tail so hard her whole hind end shook, she tried to climb onto his knees, and yipped her displeasure when she couldn’t. “Oh, you are a sweetie! What’s her name?” he asked Mrs. Challenger as he scooped her up and nestled her to his chest. 

“Well, since she’s your dog, young man, I imagine that’s up to you to decide.” She handed him a packet of papers. “You’ll want to register her with the Kennel Club. Her lines go back to the first Goldie registered in the United States in 1925, and I’ve given you an extensive family tree. She’s show quality. Your…friend… wasn’t sure if you’d want a show dog or not, but just in case you do decide that’s what you’d like to do, you should have no problem with that.” 

David had come up behind Kane and wrapped his arms around his lover. The woman became exceedingly uncomfortable. Kane was oblivious. “Thank you so much, Mrs. Challenger.” 

Her eyes had taken on a rather glassy look, and she ignored the hands that both men held out to her. Mike touched her shoulder. “You’ll be wanting to leave now, I assume. Thank you for bringing the puppy.” He led her to the door, and shut it with a little more force than was perhaps warranted. 

“I’m sorry, David. If I’d known she was like that, I’d never have recommended her!” 

David waved aside his apology, although he was disturbed. The woman had not seemed homophobic when he had first met her. But then again, she hadn’t known of his relationship with Kane, either. 

Kane couldn’t have cared less. He was the perfect guest of honor. He oohed and ahhed over each of his gifts, which covered the needs of his new pet. A crate, food and water dishes, chew toys, a leash and collar. And a very large supply of weewee pads. 

Benita wheeled out the birthday cake and Kane flushed a deep red. “Oh!” 

And as everyone sang Happy Birthday, this time, the young man blinked repeatedly. 

“Make a wish, baby!” David said softly as he stood behind Kane, encircling his waist. 

Kane leaned back and kissed his lover’s jaw. “You’ve already made them all come true!”

Note: Apologies for taking liberties with the Bard. 

Part 27/End

Kane let himself into the house. A night-light cast a dim glow over the foyer of the home he shared with David McMillan. It had been a tiring shift at the restaurant where he worked as headwaiter, and he was looking forward to climbing into bed with his lover and crashing for what remained of the night. 

There was the rhythmic click of nails on the hardwood floor, and then the young Golden Retriever ran into the room, woofing softly. She skidded to a halt before him and sat at his feet, her tail wagging furiously. Kane dropped to one knee to let her greet him on her own level. 

“Hi, Sweetie. Were you a good girl for daddy? Did you miss me?" He hugged her and laughed when her tongue swept over the side of his face. "Do you need to go out, pup?” He snapped his fingers and pointed to the door. She went to it and glanced expectantly over her shoulder at him. Kane felt his heart swell with love for the man who had given him this fantastic present. He opened the back door and stepped outside with her, waiting as she took a quick tour of the back lawn. 

An extremely intelligent and well-behaved animal, Challenger’s Princess Sweet Pea sniffed a few bushes, took care of business, and then signaled her desire to get out of the damp night air. Kane ruffled her ears, made sure her paws were dry so she wouldn’t leave muddy prints behind her, then locked up the house and went up the stairs to bed. 

David was already asleep, exhausted. Tomorrow would finally see the opening night of The Taming of the Shrew, performed by an internationally renowned theatre troupe. David had been astounded not only to be accepted by them, but also to have won the plum role of Petruchio. That day had been the final dress rehearsal for the play, and the director had worked his actors hard. 

Kane showered and brushed his teeth, then quietly got into bed. David turned toward him, mumbling unintelligibly, and reached for his young lover. 

With a contented sigh, Kane settled his head on David’s shoulder, pressed a kiss over his heart, and fell asleep. 

**** 

He was awakened by a sharp spank to his butt. “Hey!” he protested, rubbing the abused cheek. 

“Care to explain this, baby?” A sheet of paper dangled from David’s thumb and forefinger. His other hand was behind his back, but Kane was too groggy to notice. 

Kane blinked, his mind clouded by sleep. “Huh?” 

“Mail’s in. Guess what I found in the mailbox?” 

The younger man cast a glance at the windows, which were illuminated by the late morning sun. “You let me oversleep!” 

“You aren’t going anywhere!” 

“I’m supposed to meet Guy for lunch! He’s going to go over my trust fund and let me know if I can still keep you in the manner to which I'm accustoming you.” He tried for a naughty smile, which usually reduced his lover to a mass of lust-filled incoherence, but this time David just frowned at him. 

“Not today, Kane. I called and canceled. You want to tell me what this is all about?” 

Kane pushed a lock of curly brown hair from his eyes and gingerly took the paper. It was a letter from the credit card company, informing them as a matter of courtesy that the card had been maxed out. 

“Oh." He'd been hoping Guy would help him see to the transfer of funds before this notice arrived, and David learned of that particular purchase. "Um… I can explain?” He moistened his lips. 

David stared down at him, his mouth going dry with desire. More than two years, and he still wanted the younger man more than he wanted his next breath of air. Seeing him sitting there amidst the tangled sheets, seeing the tip of that tongue sweep out to lick those lips, sent the blood pooling in his groin, and his cock grew hard. He took Kane’s chin in his fingers and tilted his face toward him. “I’m listening.” His eyes were fastened to Kane’s lush mouth. 

Kane took a deep breath. He had seen his lover’s response to his nervous gesture, and he shivered with arousal. But would David still be willing to make love with him when he’d heard Kane’s explanation? “Well, you remember, I thought you had forgotten my birthday? My feelings were really hurt. It was a dumb way to get back at you. I… uh… I bought The Coat.” 

“The Coat? The fun fur that we’ve made love on? There's no way that coat cost enough to max out a platinum credit card!” 

“It’s… uh… it’s not exactly fun fur, David.” He rose to his knees and ran his hands over his lover's chest to his shoulders, trying to distract him. "Angel eyes? Sweetheart? Love of my life? Um…"  Kane felt a blush heat his cheeks, dropped his eyes, and finished in a rush. “It’s a Russian sable.” 

“A Russian sable? A genuine Russian sable?” The older man’s voice rose. “Jesus, Mary and Joseph! Do you know how expensive those things are?" 

"David," Kane said with exaggerated patience, "I was there! I was the one who handed over the credit card!" 

 David spoke over him, ignoring the interruption. "Do you know how rare they are? How… Fuck! We made love on that thing!” 

“Well, we didn’t get anything on it.” 

“But we made love on it!” David looked stunned. 

“It belonged to…” he named the actor. 

David’s expression became exasperated. “We. Made. Love. On it!” 

“I’m sorry,” Kane said in a small voice. He peeked at his lover through his lashes. “You could always spank me,” he suggested hopefully. 

“Yeah, well, 'sorry' doesn’t cut it, baby. And you’re getting too old to spank!” 

Kane gasped, and David took advantage of his parted lips to lean forward and slide his tongue into the younger man’s mouth. He tumbled him backward on the bed, parting his ass cheeks and teasing his hole with the lube that had been in his other hand. Kane whimpered, and his hips jerked as he sought to get that first finger into him, but David laughed and took his hand away. 

"Uh, uh, uh," he chided as he ran his fingertips over Kane's arousal. "You'll get it when I decide you're ready to get it. You've been very naughty." 

"David, please." Kane’s voice was frantic. 

"Begging is good." David's laugh was becoming desperate. Teasing his lover rarely worked, because he wound up teasing himself as well. He captured Kane's mouth in a voracious kiss, and swallowed the younger man's moan. He drew his mouth back enough to whisper, "Oh, yes, begging is very good!" 

Unable to wait any longer, he shoved a finger into Kane's back passage, curling it to rub across his lover's sweet spot. It was joined by a second, and then a third finger. Kane's body readily adjusted to the intrusion, and soon he was mewling in mindless delight. 

"Don't make me wait," he panted. "Please, David, fuck me now! Please, god, I need to feel you inside me, David…" 

David removed his fingers and placed the tip of his cock against Kane's spasming hole, and then he was pushing past that tight ring of muscle, burying himself in his lover's snug, hot passage. 

“Ohhh!” It was just a whisper of sound. They had long since stopped using condoms, and Kane relished the feel of his lover taking possession of his body with nothing between them except want and need. He pulled his legs back and tilted his hips so that David's cock brushed against his prostate not only when David was thrusting in, but also when he was pulling back out. 

David braced himself on his forearms, and his hips undulated rhythmically. Kane's cock was trapped between their bodies, and each movement stimulated nerve endings that had become so sensitive Kane thought his heart would truly burst. He wound his fingers in David's thick hair and pulled his mouth down for a kiss that enslaved them both. 

Kane sucked on David's tongue as it explored his mouth, and his lover groaned and shuddered as he came, filling him with the hot flood of his semen. The scalding heat sent Kane tumbling into the abyss after the man he loved, and his own come spurted over their abdomens. 

His legs sprawled wide, Kane lay beneath the older man, and they panted raggedly, struggling to regain their breath. As they lay there basking in the pleasurable afterglow of their lovemaking, David toyed with his lover's curls, wrapping and unwrapping them around a finger, and tugging lightly. 

"David?" 

"Yes, baby?" David nibbled the earlobe that bore a gold hoop. 

"Am I really too old to spank?" 

"Never, baby!" And he flipped him over and proceeded to demonstrate. 

**** 

By the time that evening's performance rolled around, David was a mass of nerves, but since it was nothing compared to his reaction to auditions, which saw him with his head hanging over the commode and his stomach trying to climb back out his throat, he accepted it and was able to take the teasing from his friends good-naturedly.

"That Petruchio is such a horn dog!" Mike snickered. Candy, his girlfriend and David's former roommate, gave him a poke in the ribs. 

"This is Shakespeare, you philistine! Show a little respect!" 

"Mike's right. He's just looking for the main chance. It's as easy to love an ugly, wealthy person, as a handsome, poor one." Guy bit his tongue, afraid he had offended Benita, the psychic dominatrix who had finally agreed to marry him. She was not wealthy. Well, compared to him, neither was anyone else on Earth. 

Benita just smiled at him. "You know I don't love you for your money, baby." 

Guy was familiar with that taunting tone of voice. He tensed and waited for the other shoe to drop. 

"I love you for your c…" 

Afraid of what she might say, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her roughly. When he drew back slightly, she was looking decidedly pleased. 

"For your kisses, baby, definitely for your kisses!" 

He raised her hand, but instead of caressing it with his lips, he sucked a finger into his mouth. Mike cleared his throat. "Shouldn't we be going to our box? Kane, we'll meet you there. You know which one, don't you? It's down on the right." 

The two couples hurried out, leaving Kane with his lover. 

David was distracted. He ran a hand over his hair, tugged fitfully at his costume's tunic, mumbled lines under his breath, wound and unwound the whip that he would carry at his waist. 

Kane gave his lover a final kiss. "Break a leg, David!" He rushed after his friends, almost as nervous about the performance as the actor, and took his seat at the front of the box. 

David examined his face in the mirror, drew in a deep breath and blew it out, and then went to wait in the wings. 

It was show time. The house lights dimmed, and the curtain went up. Actors made their entrance, spoke their lines, exited stage left, stage right. Kane began to fidget in his seat. Mike rested his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Relax, Butch. He'll be fine; he always is." 

Kane nodded, but he didn't take his eyes off the stage. 

Act I Scene II was underway, and David, his nerves fallen away, swaggered on stage as Petruchio. He gazed arrogantly at his surroundings, placed a hand upon his hip, and began to speak. 

"'Verona, for awhile I take my leave,

"'To see my friends in Padua; but, of all,

"'My best beloved and approved friend,

"'Hortensio; and, I trow, this is his house:--

"'Here, sirrah Grumio; knock, I say.'" 

Kane leaned back to speak to his friend. He whispered, "You were right, Mike, he is a horn dog! I bet there was something going on between Petruchio and Hortensio! 'Best beloved,' humph!" 

It was fortunate Kane didn't hear Guy murmur to his own best beloved, "Good thing we don’t have to worry about anything going on between David and the pretty actor who plays Hortensio. Kane would be devastated!" 

Benita smiled at him. "I remember how Kane reacted when David thought he was cheating on him, and it would be nothing compared to the fallout if things were the other way around. I've seen Kane's aura, Guy. Everyone thinks he's a pussycat, but if anyone threatened his relationship with David, they'd find they had a tiger by the tail." 

Having known of the old woman who had been the matriarch of Kane's dysfunctional family, Guy could only agree. 

Act II was drawing to a close, and he turned his attention back to the stage, where Petruchio, to the audience's delight, was now using his whip to capture the shrew and pull her into his embrace. 

"'We will have rings, and things, and fine array;

"'And, kiss me, Kate, we will be married o' Sunday.'" 

They left the stage to thunderous applause. 

When the curtain fell for the last time, Kane bounded to his feet, clapping so hard his palms were sore. He whistled shrilly between his teeth, then turned to glare at his companions until they rose also. Kane turned back toward the stage and missed the conspiratorial grins. They had been planning a standing ovation all along, and were just waiting to see how long it would take for the younger man to demand it of them. 

The curtain rose and the cast stepped forward to receive the audience's accolades. The actress who played Bianca, the shrew's sweet-tempered sister who couldn't be married until she was, gracefully accepted a bouquet of roses. The actress who portrayed Katharina was presented with a large bouquet of orchids. 

And then an usher approached the stage, bearing a huge open heart of delphiniums and mums and roses and calla lilies. A deep purple sash banded it, stating in gold glitter 'Beloved'. He handed it to David, who looked first startled, then confused, and then delighted. He grinned as he sought the box where his lover stood. 

Candy leaned closer to Mike. "That looks like it belongs around a horse's neck in the winner's circle!" she whispered. 

Kane sank down into his seat, biting his lip. "Butch?" Mike spared a scowl for his lover, then crouched down beside his friend. "What's wrong?" Kane turned his face away. Mike grew worried. "The flowers are gorgeous, and David obviously adores them." 

Guy touched the other man's shoulder. "Mike, that's a funeral arrangement!" 

"What?" Mike's mouth gaped open. "Those fucking assholes! Ah, geez, and you went to so much trouble to get the perfect flowers? Listen, Butch, tomorrow I'll go down to the florist and beat the shit out of them!"

"I ordered them over the phone. I told… I told them I wanted a heart. I told them I wanted the ribbon to say something appropriate.  I didn't think to tell them it was for a live person!" Kane's lip began to quiver. 

"It didn't strike you as odd when they said they were sorry?" David was standing in the doorway to the box. 

Kane shook his head glumly. "I thought they made some kind of mistake; nothing to do with me." 

David opened his arms, and his lover bolted into them. "Only you, baby. Only you!" 

**** 

Kane brought the Golden Retriever in from a romp in the back yard. She went to her bowl and began to noisily lap the water, leaving puddles on the floor. The young man tore off some paper towels and squatted down to blot up the moisture. David walked into the kitchen, his face pale. 

"What's wrong?" Kane was beside his lover and had his arms around him. 

David looked down into the younger man's chocolate brown eyes. He swallowed, and when he spoke, his voice was a stunned whisper. "I've… I've been nominated! Baby, I'm up for a Will!" 

"The award for best actor in a Shakespearean play? Oh, David! I'm so proud of you! When is the ceremony?" 

"A couple of weeks, I think." 

"Great. You'll have plenty of time to write your acceptance speech!" 

"Kane, what makes you think I'm going home with that statuette? There are other, much better actors, who've been doing this for ages!" 

"None of them are as good as you!" Kane insisted stubbornly. He kissed him, then kissed him again. "Let's go shopping! We need to buy you a tuxedo! Come on. I've got a credit card, and I'm not afraid to use it!" 

“That’s what I’m afraid of!” He’d known they had the funds to cover the bill, but to spend such a large amount, and for a coat that had been treated rather cavalierly, still gave him a pain in his stomach. 

Kane rolled his eyes and hustled his lover out to the car. 

They drove in Kane's Porsche to the Quadrangle, a strip of exclusive shops near Benita's apartment building. He slid the sporty black car neatly into a parking spot David would have sworn was an impossible fit, then hopped out. "I went shopping here with Benita, and they have the hottest fashions, David!" 

"Just don't take me to a Tux's R Us, baby!" 

Tucked away down a quiet lane was a discreet shop that fairly reeked of class. 'Cedric's Black Tie Emporium'. 

The interior was cool, tastefully lit, and exuded the scent of money. Expensive floral arrangements added a touch of color to the otherwise stark black and white décor. Kane went to examine a mannequin garbed in a black, double breasted notch tuxedo. 

The salesclerk approached them, curling his lip. "That's an Oscar de la Renta, sir," he sneered. "I'm sure it's out of your price range." 

"It's the Barcelona model, isn't it?" Kane ignored the way the man's mouth dropped open. "Want to try this one on, David?" 

"Hmm?" David responded absently, looking at the After Six collection. He glanced at Kane, and saw his lover had selected another of the After Six offerings, the San Dominico VI, and was intent on trying it on. “Baby, do you really need a tuxedo?” 

Kane grinned and shook his head. “But I love trying them on!” 

David gave a spurt of laughter. As Kane disappeared into a fitting room, he signaled to another salesclerk. "The Couture Tails. I want you to set them aside for me." He grinned as the clerk competently took his measurements. "I'm going to be married soon, and that will be perfect." 

"Oh, yes, sir," the clerk gushed. "The ivory will go excellently with your dark looks." The man blushed, but David shrugged it off. 

"I'd like to see the Christian Dior over there, also." 

"The Black Parisian, sir?" 

"Yes. I like the black satin strip and the single breasted notch." 

"Oh, yes, sir. It will…" 

"I know. Go with my looks." David grinned at him and waited while the clerk went to see if they had one in stock. Meanwhile, Kane stepped out of the dressing room, and David caught his breath. 

"What do you think, slick?" His eyes were fastened on the length of the sleeves, and he missed the avid look in his lover's eyes. 

"Very nice, baby, but I think you need some help getting out of that tuxedo." David crowded the confused Kane back into the fitting room, set a chair under the doorknob to insure their privacy, and thoughtfully removed the formalwear. Then, as Kane stood there in his shorts, David laced their fingers together. He thrust his thigh between Kane's legs, rubbing the growing arousal, and nibbled his way up his lover's throat. "God, you looked so hot in that outfit, baby. I could just eat you alive!" 

"David! What are you… oh, yes, right there!" Kane quivered as the other man freed one hand and stroked the bulge of his lover's cock through his shorts, then eased his fingers past the waistband. 

"Come for me, baby. Come for me!" David pressed his thumb over the slit that was oozing precome and swallowed the needy sounds Kane was making. He held the man he loved as he came apart in his arms. 

"David!" Kane sighed and looked at him with sated eyes. David couldn’t resist stealing another kiss, breathing in his scent and stroking the lines of his back. Kane relaxed bonelessly against him. 

"I want you to have this tux!" 

"I already have one, David." 

"Why haven't I seen you in it, then?  Wear it tonight when we go to bed. I want to unzip those trousers and…” He whispered in Kane’s ear his plans for the evening, and was rewarded with a breathless moan. “Then I’m going to strip you out of it and…" He left the promise hanging and kissed him once more. "Get dressed, baby. I'll go pay for the tuxes. I'm buying this one for you." 

Kane's color was still high when he left the dressing room with the tux on its hanger. He handed it to the salesclerk. "Um, the trousers need adjusting, but… uh… we can do that when we come back for yours, David, all right?" 

"Sure, baby." David signed the charge slip and grinned cockily. "Thank you, gentlemen." He slung his arm around Kane's shoulders, and they walked out of the shop. 

**** 

On the drive home, Kane kept insisting that David needed to write an acceptance speech. David kept refusing. "Baby, there's no chance in hell I'm going to win." 

David started to find notes with suggestions for a speech. He found them in the bathroom, in his sock drawer, in the pocket of his favorite leather jacket. There was one under a can of dog food, one in the weekly television guide, and one actually in the microwave. 

"Enough, baby. Why should I bother to come up with something to say, when the odds are against me having to say it?" 

Kane's mouth took a mulish turn. And the phone calls began. 

"Hi, baby, it's Benita. Have you written your speech yet?" 

"It's Mike. So what's the story with the speech, David? You wanna break Butch's heart?" 

"David, it's Candy. Write the goddammed speech, already!" 

"McMillan, it's de Villiere. Do you want me to hire someone to write this speech for you? You're cutting it close, you know!" 

The evening arrived. The two men were dressed in their new tuxedoes. Guy had his chauffeur come round with the limo to drive them to the Judelon P. Robinson Pavilion, where the ceremony was to take place. 

Because this was the first time David had been nominated, and because he was relatively unknown, the media hounds left him alone. He and Kane walked into the Pavilion and found their seats with no fuss. The younger man fidgeted, and finally David linked their fingers together. "Don't worry, baby." 

"How can you say that?" Kane demanded. "You aren't even prepared! They're going to call your name, and you're going to go up there, and…" 

"Kane." He brought his lover's hand to his mouth and kissed his knuckles. Kane sank down in his seat, and then straightened abruptly as the orchestra began playing, signaling the beginning of the evening's events. 

Awards were handed out for costumes, innovative lighting and set design, avant-garde directing. Finally it was time for the best actor to be announced. 

The distinguished man who was president of the Shakespearean Actors' Guild smiled at the expectant audience and opened the envelope. "Ladies and Gentlemen, in the roll of Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, David McMillan." 

Kane threw his arms around David and hugged him tightly. "Oh David! I knew you could do it!" he whispered, then let him go. The actor swallowed and rose to his feet, and walked down the aisle to the podium. 

He took the bronze bust of William Shakespeare, thanked the president, then turned to face the audience. The lights shining in his eyes prevented him from making out anyone in particular, but he knew where the most important person was sitting. 

And he reached into his cummerbund and withdrew a number of crumpled papers. "My notes," he apologetically informed the people watching him, trying to smooth them out. He stared at the first page. “Oops, sorry, wrong ones. This is the laundry list.” He smiled ruefully and from that point, David McMillan had them in the palm of his hand. 

He began his acceptance speech, and it was afterwards remarked how heartfelt his final words were. 

"And in conclusion, I'd like to say a very special thank you to someone who has always believed in me, and kept telling me to write this acceptance speech. Who could have said 'I told you so' when my name was announced, and he thought I was unprepared, but who graciously didn't. Thanks, baby. I love you." 

A gorgeous young woman took his arm and led him to the backstage area where the press were waiting to photograph and interview the winners. "Too bad you're taken," she murmured. "You are a dish!" 

She kissed his cheek just as a flashbulb popped, then stepped away to find someone who wasn't attached. 

The reporters were fascinated by the whip. "Whose idea was it?" "Did you know how to use it before the play?" "Can you really use it?" "Will you give us a demonstration?" 

"The director. No. Yes. I don't have one with me." David grinned as they tried to match answer to question. 

"I do!" The director in question waved the coiled leather above his head. He had taken an award also, and had already celebrated with a few glasses of champagne. Plus he hoped the additional publicity would draw more ticket buyers. After tonight, the play would be sold out for an additional six weeks. 

David took the whip. "I'll need a vict… subject," he teased, and the crowd parted to reveal a young man whose brown hair curled around his shoulders. 

"Will I do?" Kane asked huskily. 

"Very nicely," David said, and shook out the whip. "Stand away from Kane, please," he advised the reporters and photographers. 

Kane stood fearlessly in the center of the room. There was a sudden whistling as the whip cut through the air and wrapped around the young man's waist. With a gentle tug, David drew his lover to him. 

The crowd watched in fascination.  

"'What is your will, sir, that you send for me?'" Kane spoke softly the words that Shakespeare had written for another who loved. 

David's eyes were warm as he looked into eyes that reflected his love. He ran his palms over the lapels of the tuxedo and closed them, pulling his lover closer. Their mouths were just a breath apart, and David whispered, "'Why, there's a lad!—Come on, and kiss me, Kane!'" 

And Kane did.

~End~

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