STORY EXCERPT

Preston wasn’t planning to listen to the guide’s spiel. He was more interested in trying to work out how to spend some time with Ryan, if he could even locate him. But then the guide said, “At Carnivore, as well as beef, lamb, pork, and chicken, they also serve crocodile, ostrich, zebra, and venison, as well as soups, salads, and vegetables in authentic sauces.”

Preston stopped listening to the guide’s patter. Crocodile? Ostrich? Zebra? Lamb and venison he could get back home, although they were damn expensive. But ostrich? Not so much. Maybe he would go there and perhaps he could encourage Ryan and his father to join him. He had an expense account after all and surely in a candle-lit restaurant it would be possible to get some kind of romantic photograph.

Back at the hotel he asked for a brochure about Carnivore and checked the dress code. There wasn’t one. That suited him just fine. Then he asked the clerk at the desk to ring Mr. Holder’s room for him.

“If you go to your room, sir, I’ll put through the call if Mr. Holder accepts it.”

“Thank you.” That sounded like Ryan was back from his day touring around anyway, or the clerk would have said, “When he returns,” not “if he accepts it.”

“Hey there, Preston, what’s the problem?” Austin asked.

For a moment, Preston was taken aback. He’d been expecting Ryan to answer, but of course Austin was Mr. Holder as well.

“Hi, Austin. The guide today was telling us about a restaurant called Carnivore. I hoped you and Ryan would be my guests there tonight.”

“Is it a dress-up kind of place? I didn’t bring a tux with me.”

Preston laughed. “Neither did I. According to the brochure I collected, there’s no dress code. I was just planning to put on a clean pair of Calvin Kleins.”

“Ah you bought some of those extra thin tropical weight jeans, too, did you? Ryan and I each bought a pair as well as some madras cotton shirts. Haven’t needed to wear them yet, though. The weather isn’t too hot and the nights are cool enough a man can get some sleep.”

Austin must have covered the telephone receiver as there was a muffled conversation going on. Ryan must have asked what was happening. Preston hadn’t had to buy any new clothes. Well, what with getting his immunizations he hadn’t had time anyway. But because of his career he had a wide-ranging choice of clothing with everything from lightweight breathable cotton to quilted snowsuits. Not that he liked going anywhere cold. The weather here suited him perfectly. He had his sunhat if he was walking around. However, he suspected the temperature out in the Serengeti at Masai Mara would be hotter.

Just then Austin was back. “Thank you for your kind offer. Ryan and I would enjoy that. I’ll book the taxi. What time do you want to meet us out front?”

“How about in an hour?”

“Sounds good. See you then.”

Preston took his time showering and shaving, and walked down the stairs. True to his promise, Austin sat in the foyer, his cane between his knees, with Ryan standing beside him. Austin waved to the clerk at the reception desk, who nodded. Preston guessed the clerk was going to summon a taxi. Sure enough, only a few minutes later one pulled up at the door.

Carnivore was an experience indeed. The restaurant was roofed, but there were no walls where the guests sat, so they looked out over the grass at other diners, and the sky gradually darkened as night fell. It was quite romantic, but nothing that could be expressed in a picture. Nevertheless, Preston determined to add a sentence to his daily blog to send to Tyler about that. He also snapped a few pictures for Twitter and Facebook, updating his status and saying where he was.

“My boss should be very pleased with me today. I’ve uploaded dozens of pictures of birds and animals from the national park.”

“He really expects you to do that all day long?” Ryan asked.

“Not all day long, but this vacation is for work, not just for fun. I only wish I could think of ways of making it seem romantic. It’s absolutely a bucket-list kind of trip, but romantic is a lot harder to explain.”

“What do you mean romantic?” asked Austin.

“The places the four of us have been sent to are to be marketed as the ultimate romantic destinations for gay men.”

“Ah, I see,” the old man replied thoughtfully.

Preston had a moment’s worry that maybe he shouldn’t have used the “g” word out aloud, but there was a lot of noise around them, and this was a tourist destination after all. It wasn’t like on the sidewalk where he was imposing on the lives of the local inhabitants. Here in this restaurant, apart from the staff, everyone was a tourist.

Soon the first selection of meats arrived. Leg of lamb, chicken gizzards, pork sausages, and chicken livers. Even the hot vegetables tasted different from normal in their special sauces, and all the conversation centered on the meal.

The meats were roasted over charcoal fires, and the waiters carried skewers around the restaurant, slipping chunks of meat onto guests’ plates if they wanted to taste each different dish.

Later zebra, crocodile, hartebeest, and ostrich were served, and the three of them tasted everything.

“What’s a hartebeest?” Austin asked the server.

“They’re grassland antelopes. They weigh up to two hundred kilograms and stand a meter high at the shoulder,” he replied.

Preston translated the sizes into American. “So twice as heavy as a man although not as tall.”

“And with two long horns,” added the server, smiling broadly.

“Remind me not to get too close to one,” muttered Ryan.

Preston laughed. “Unless he’s on your dinner plate.”

“There is that, indeed.”

They were laughing and about to begin eating this new meat when another server appeared with some more vegetables and described the sauces to them. While she was talking, Austin was looking at something behind him, but Preston thought it might be rude to turn around to see what had attracted the old man’s interest.

Fortunately once the server left, Austin leaned forward. “There’s a young couple behind you feeding each other food off their plates. If you swapped sides of the table with me, so behind you looks out over the lawn, and copied them, that would make a romantic picture.”

Preston just stared at Austin. “You’re right. It would.”

“That’s fine by me.” Ryan picked up his plate and glass and moved it to the empty space to the right of his father. Austin pushed his plate across the table and they all moved around. It was a small table, with one of them on each of the four sides, but for the purposes of the picture, Ryan and Preston sat together where Austin had been, with their backs to the garden. They rearranged the food platters so everything looked neat, placing a tiny tea candle between their plates, and then linked arms and held a forkful of meat at each other’s lips. Austin took several photographs which they all looked at and pronounced good before Ryan moved back to his side so they could each be sitting in one space again.

ADULT EXCERPT

He rolled onto the bed and reached out his arms. Preston slid between them as if he belonged there, which to Ryan’s mind, he did. They fit together so damn well. Like two parts of a single item. Even when they’d kissed in the shower there’d been no arguments. They’d automatically turned in each other’s arms and kissed. Not as passionately as if there was no camera, but passionately enough for a picture Ryan hoped Preston’s boss would appreciate. But right now there was no boss, no camera, just them. And the first kiss went wild with the need both of them had kept subdued for days.

Alone at last, with the freedom to be themselves. Ryan entwined his legs with Preston’s so their cocks were pressed together. Preston pulled their bodies closer so they were skin to skin all the way down, and then their lips meshed and tongues tangled once again.

Ryan’s cock was as hard as a rock, the head already damp with pre-cum. One kiss from Preston was all he needed to set his body on fire with desire. Preston gripped his head, holding it still as he fucked Ryan’s mouth. Hell, yes, that was what he wanted, too.

They’d said before they were both flexible, but right now Ryan couldn’t think of anything better than Preston’s long, thick cock filling his ass and pounding them both into pleasure. But not just yet. First he needed some more of these drugging kisses.

“Damn, you taste better than champagne,” he murmured.

“I hope I taste better than microbrewery craft beer as well.”

“Shut up and let me kiss you.”

Soon, though, kisses weren’t enough. He began running his hand up and down Preston’s side, noticing the hard, lean muscles, and the dips and hollows of his chiseled frame. Ryan kissed Preston’s nose, his eyelids, his eyebrows, earlobes, and the line of his jaw where a few dark brown bristles were already visible.

He settled his ass more firmly across Preston’s hips and sucked Preston’s nipples one after the other. But before he could explore much further, Preston was rubbing his back, pulling him closer, and then flipping him back onto the bed to lie over him and kiss him some more. The bed creaked underneath their weight and Ryan gasped.

“Shit. Be careful. We aren’t going to be able to explain to management how we came to be trapped on the floor naked underneath a splintered bed frame.”

“Trust me, if we smash the bed I’ll be figuring a way to get out of the mess and into my pajamas before I call maintenance.”

Ryan giggled and then gasped as Preston pushed him over and pulled lube and condoms from the nightstand. He folded his hands under his head and watched over his shoulder as Preston started to lube his ass.

“That’s sexy, you know. You’ve got this intent look on your face, almost as if you’re the lion and I’m the impala.”

“We can play a game of lion and impala one day, when we’re back home, if you like.”

Hell, yes. Ryan did like. Both the idea of them playing a sexy game, but even more so, the idea of them still being together after this trip ended.

“Tomorrow we need to exchange cell phone numbers and addresses and all that shit. Right now all I can think about is getting inside your mighty fine ass.” Preston leaned over Ryan and licked his shoulder before kissing the side of his face. “I want you so much it’s killing me.”

“That’s how much I want you as well. I like the idea of meeting up when we get back home.”

“Fuck yes. I’ll never complain about people being rude to gays again. There’s a world of difference between people sneering and a government threatening to send a man to jail.”

Preston slid a second slippery finger inside Ryan’s ass and he completely lost the ability to think or talk. All he could do was lick his lips, swallow hard, and push back onto that teasing, torturing, and insanely carnal touch.

Preston dropped the lube back onto the nightstand and reached for a condom. “Enough. I can’t wait any longer.

“Neither can I.”

Ryan rolled over and put his feet on Preston’s shoulders. Preston’s hand shook as he finished gloving himself, and then he was inching closer and closer until his cockhead pressed at Ryan’s back door. Ryan slid his feet over Preston’s shoulders and used his heels to pull Preston closer to him. Preston rocked and wiggled as his cock pressed deeper and deeper inside Ryan, until their bodies were jammed tight together. They both rested like that for a moment, breathing heavily.

“Damn, you’re hot,” Preston whispered.

“Not half as hot as you.”

Preston grunted and pulled out. Ryan reached for Preston’s forearms and held on as Preston paused before pushing back inside. So slowly Ryan wanted to scream, Preston drove in and out of his ass, only increasing his speed by microscopically small increments, which made the tension around their bodies snap and crackle like an electrical force field.

Ryan tightened his heels against Preston’s back and lowered his hands to grip Preston’s hips. It probably didn’t give him any more influence over the fucking, but he felt more balanced, more in control, more as though he was contributing. He’d have liked to kiss Preston again but that wasn’t possible right now, and really, thinking or moving at all was incredibly difficult. His body was burning with the need to come. His cock was harder than it’d ever been before and he was balancing on the edge of the cliff, not wanting to jump off it alone.

Sweat was rolling down his chest and his back felt damp against the sheets, but Preston was in exactly the same condition. His back was sweaty against Ryan’s feet and Preston’s face was gleaming with perspiration. Even his hair was damp. They both really needed another shower already. But not yet. Neither of them had come yet, although how he hadn’t exploded was a mystery. He was so damn close it was killing him.

Preston groaned. “Now. Come now. I can’t hold on another second.”

“Ahh.” Ryan sighed as his cum jetted onto their bellies. Inside his ass, Preston pumped madly three times and then dropped over him groaning. Ryan held his lover in his arms and kissed him, Preston kissing him back enthusiastically.