STORY EXCERPT

It was like the Fourth of July! Stars exploded in Mark’s head right before the shock subsided and the pain set in.

Victor just punched him smack in the eye! Moaning, he tried to stop the throbbing.

“I’m so, so sorry, Mark.” Guilt plagued Victor’s face as he jumped off the bed and ran to the kitchen to get a hand towel. He tossed ice cubes in it and came back a few seconds later, placing the towel on Mark’s right eye. “Please, put this on it to stop the swelling.”

Mark did what he asked and stared at him with his good eye. “What was all that?”

Victor sighed. “A nightmare, I guess.”

“Was it a nightmare? Because the look in your eyes now that you’re awake tells me differently.” He paused. “You have the fear of God in you.”

Victor turned his gaze away. “It’s probably my imagination.”

Mark placed his hand gently on Victor’s. He was obviously hurting and Mark wanted to help him like Victor had helped him the night before. “You can talk to me, you know. I’m a real good listener.”

“I can’t,” Victor stated with fear in his eyes.

“Victor, I can see how much this is bothering you and how scared you are now. Even last night, I saw how emotional you were and how you tried to hide it from me.” He remained motionless. “In your dream you were shouting at someone that they wouldn’t win. That they murdered your father and that now you’d be coming after them.”

Tears began to film Victor’s eyes and he turned completely away. He waited to compose himself, before replying, “It was just a dream. It wasn’t real.”

Mark gently pushed his shoulder, so he would turn and look at him. Cupping his face, he peered long and hard at Victor. “Something is bothering you. It manifested itself in your dream. Please tell me what it is. Maybe I can help you, even if it’s just by listening.”

Victor shook his head. “If I tell you, I’d put your life in danger.”

Mark eyes widened. “Then it’s true. Your father was killed?”

Victor leaned into Mark and let the sorrow break free. He cried silently, only a few tears escaping his eyes. But Mark’s strong, wide shoulder and his kind and gentle strokes on his arm seemed to be enough to help him find courage inside to speak. Wiping the tears from his eyes, he sat up and peered into Mark’s eyes.

“My father was a private investigator. My mom was his research and office assistant until she died four months ago. After that, I took over helping him. He was working on several cases, which I assisted him on. But there was one that he worked on alone for months. When I asked him if I could help, he refused. He’d get nervous whenever he had the file open on his laptop and I’d walk into the room. I’d see him rushing to change the screen before I could see anything he was investigating on that case.”

He took a deep breath and continued, “A few weeks back, he started acting weird. He was nervous, scared. I asked him what it was, but he said he couldn’t tell me. Not yet. And on the morning of the day he was murdered, he warned me. He had said if anything ever happened to him, that I shouldn’t trust anyone, even the police. That I should just get out of Tinley Town, go far, far away, and never come back.”

Mark frowned. “Why would he say that?”

Victor shrugged. “I don’t know. He wouldn’t tell me more. And now I’ll never know because he’s gone forever.” He sighed and blinked, trying to dry the tears that threatened to escape.

Victor continued to tell him the graphic details of his father’s murder and when he was done, Mark rubbed his back and hugged him. “I’m so sorry for what you went through. And you had no one to talk to, just keeping it all inside you.” He kissed his cheek sweetly and hugged him tighter. “I’m here now for you and I will help you through this.”

Victor didn’t speak. He closed his eyes and hugged Mark back for a few minutes. Breaking free, he added, “This may sound crazy, but I have this uncontrollable feeling in the back of my mind that the killer is following me. He can see me. He knows who I am.”

Mark furrowed his brow. “You feel like he can see you now?”

Victor shook his head. “No, not now. This sounds so crazy!”

Mark tilted his head and shrugged. “It could be you’re paranoid. And I don’t blame you after what you’ve been through, what you saw. Or maybe you’re right. Maybe the killer has been following you ever since you ran out of your house door yesterday. Either way, you need to call the police. They need to investigate your father’s murder.”

Victor moved to stand, pure terror resonating from his eyes, his body. “I know, but whatever my dad was investigating was big, real big. He didn’t trust the police on it. And he said I shouldn’t, either!”

“Calm down. I’m not the enemy here, Victor. I’m your ally, your friend who wants to help you in any way I can.”

Victor sat back down, his eyes cast to the floor. “I’m sorry for over-reacting, but my nerves are rattled.”

“I know.” Mark sighed, then after some thought added, “You still need to report your dad’s murder to the police. You can’t let his body rot, abandoned in the house. You also need to bury him.”

With the word “bury,” Victor’s eyes seemed to water. He blinked. “I know that. That’s why I plan on going back there today. Report the murder. But before that, I need to get my dad’s laptop and all his files on this mysterious case he didn’t want me knowing anything about.”

Mark’s heart began to beat faster. “No, you can’t. Your dad said it’s too dangerous. He said you should get out of Tinley Park and never go back.”

Victor gazed at him. He cupped his cheek and kissed him lightly on the lips. “You’re an amazing, sweet, kind guy, Mark. I can see in your eyes you’re worried.” He sighed. “But you have to understand that I’ll never be able to live with myself if I don’t solve this case. I need to know what my father was investigating and more importantly, I need to know who murdered him. I want justice served, my father’s murder avenged.”

“Even if it kills you?” Mark said, his voice cracking with stress.

ADULT EXCERPT

Victor nodded and opened his lips, welcoming Mark’s kiss. Victor wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer to him. Mark licked his lips before sucking and nipping his lower lip, which sent chills of pleasure surging through Victor’s body, pushing him closer to the brink. He panted as his body demanded more stimulation. He raked his fingers up and down Mark’s back, slipped his tongue into Mark’s mouth to taste the sweetness of coffee mixed with sugar and cream. Mmm, Mark tasted good.

Mark’s arms began to move away from Victor’s neck and traveled to his chest. He rubbed it over the T-shirt, massaging each pec. His fingers then traced and caressed his muscular abdomen and slowly he tugged at his shirt tucked into his pants, lifting it to give his hand free passage to Victor’s skin.

Victor moaned and his cock hardened until the tightness in his briefs and pants became uncomfortable. He slid his hand down to his jeans, unbuttoning them to ease the pressure on his hard cock and tight balls.

Mark broke their kiss to stare at his unbuttoned pants. He returned his gaze briefly to Victor’s eyes. “You’re hard and excited.”

Victor moaned, with sultry eyes staring at Mark’s mouth, imagining his hot, full lips around his cock. He whispered, “I wouldn’t mind some relief right about now.”

Mark rubbed his cock through his jeans as he looked Victor in the eyes. Victor groaned in pleasure and leaned back while Mark pushed open his jeans and then pulled Victor’s briefs down, too. Victor’s cock sprang up, throbbing for attention. Pre-cum leaked and hovered over the tip. Mark gave him one last sensual, hungry look, bowed, and wrapped his scorching hot lips over Victor’s cock.

Victor held his breath in anticipation. Mark wrapped his hands around the bottom of his shaft and began to stroke it up and down while his heavenly mouth enveloped the tip. He sucked it and licked it, teasing Victor to the edge of madness. Victor combed his fingers through Mark’s hair, staring at his mouth working its magic. Each time he pushed Victor’s cock deeper into his throat, Victor’s cock thrust forward, and it moved back when he slipped his lips up to the tip.

Mark began to fondle his balls while still giving him the blowjob of his life. Victor’s heartbeat quickened and intensified until he heard its thumping in his ears. Gooseflesh formed under his exposed skin and he moaned in ecstasy. And right before he was about to come, he groaned, “Let’s fuck instead.”

As much as he wanted to come in Mark’s mouth right now, he wanted to sink his cock into Mark’s ass and come in him more. Mark withdrew his swollen, sexy lips from him and without saying a word, stood.

He started to undress, gazing at Victor’s clothed body. Victor understood what he must do next and began to strip naked, too. They observed the other as they shed and discarded each piece of clothing. Victor saw Mark’s tanned, muscular chest and big biceps bulge at him. When his massive cock made its introduction, Victor bit his lip in satisfaction. “Mercy,” he whispered in a husky and hungry voice.

Mark personified sexy to the highest degree imaginable. He was God’s perfection. Mark observed Victor’s naked body, too. His admiring eyes sent shivers of pleasure through him.

Mark took a deep breath. “I need to get a few things. Open the sofa bed and I’ll be back in a few seconds.”

Victor did as he asked, his excitement only mounting as he envisioned fucking Mark, sinking his cock into his asshole slow and steady. The sofa bed easily opened and the scent of fresh sea breeze from the cleaned and ironed bed sheets greeted his nose. He closed his eyes and inhaled the pleasing scent once he lay on the bed, waiting.

When Mark came back, he had lubricant, a blindfold, and handcuffs. With a naughty tone, he stared at Victor through seductive eyes. “I was thinking maybe we could experiment with these.”

Victor’s mouth fell open and his eyes widened with surprise.