STORY EXCERPT

"Come in," a male voice encouraged, and a man about his age, through wearing expensive, tailored slacks and an unbuttoned white shirt, came out of bedroom holding his phone.

His eyes met Alex's. They stared at each other, silently measuring one another.

"Yes, Arianna," the man said into the phone. "He is here." The call disconnected, and he lowered his arm.

"Nice digs," Alex said, crossing his arms over his chest. He gave a pointed look to their surroundings. The man, Sean, Arianna had said, glanced around like he was seeing it for the first time. "Yes. Want something to drink?"

Alex shrugged, seating himself on the couch. "Why not? I want something expensive. The hotel staff already thinks you are paying me to be here. Might as well act like it."

Some of his annoyance must have bled into his voice, because there was a barely noticeable pause before Sean went to the room bar, but Alex got his drink. He tasted it. He didn’t know much about alcohol. It didn’t have much influence on Amplified, so he didn't drink often, but it had that smoky taste luxurious brands did.

"Yes. We thought that might be the case," Sean said, taking the chair opposite him. Alex, balancing the glass in his hand, frowned at the still-opened laptop and the dark blue screensaver on it with stylized letters P and L. Alex vaguely remembered seeing the logo somewhere.

They had? Well, in all fairness, Arianna did say to wear something nice, not that it would have changed things very much. He would likely be regarded as a pricy escort instead of cheap one. "Not very nice of you," Alex pointed out.

Sean shrugged, apparently not bothered.

"Perhaps. But I don’t want this meeting to become public. This way if it does it will be easily chalked up to that."

"I don’t know you."

Sean toyed with his own glass. He had poured it at the same time he’d poured Alex's drink but had yet to try it.

"It’s not who but what that should concern you," he said.

"Which is?" Alex prompted. He knew absolutely nothing about this meeting or this man, but he and Arianna apparently thought they needed precautions. Why? Who was this man?

"Are you aware of Foundation?" Sean sounded like he was unaccustomed to saying the word.

"There are lots of those," Alex said carelessly, stiffening imperceptibly. The name did ring the bell. They were among the more prominent organizations for Amplified but not much was known about them, which put Alex's hackles up. There were too many possibilities for abuse with organizations that operated from shadows.

"Ah," Sean said. "I see." Then he added, almost as an afterthought,

 "Drain the glass."

Alex processed the words. They didn't make sense, except the next thing he was aware, he was holding an empty glass and staring at it in befuddlement. He didn't like the drink that much. He’d asked for it more to prove a point. So that was an emphatic command, and Sean hadn't even looked like he was trying, which was worrying on several levels. Alex was an Amplified and had some degree of immunity to emphatic influence. Sean shouldn't have been able to push him so fast and so easily.

He narrowed his eyes at the other man. An Empath, and a fairly powerful one then. Sean raised his palm and rose to pick up Alex's glass.

"I apologize, but I had to prove myself somehow." He sounded sincere.

Fair enough.

"Please don’t do it again," he warned. Even Amplified were wary around Empaths.

ADULT EXCERPT

Alex could see he had puzzled Sean, but now that they were both naked he had other priorities. He pulled Sean down for a kiss then used his distraction to flip him down on the bed. Sean was fully hard now, and his cock, pale and long, left a wet trail on Alex's skin. Sean made a displeased sound when Alex moved back. He sucked on Sean's neck then dropped lower, pausing to give his nipples tentative licks.

"What are you… Oh." Sean's hands clenched on his shoulders.

"Come on. You like this.”

Sean did. That much was obvious. Alex was careful to keep his thigh away from Sean, stopping him from gaining friction, which frustrated Sean. He pressed Sean harder into the mattress, keeping him in place. Sean reacted predictably on the display of strength, breath quickening and lips parting. And speaking of that…

"And if you didn't"—Alex licked his nipple again—"you could stop me, couldn't you?"

With his previous partners, Alex was always aware he could overpower them. He wouldn't have done that, but it was always in the back of his mind, an uncomfortable reminder. For the first time, he was understanding the thrill they got from it. Being with someone who could overpower him. Sean was at least as powerful as him. He had gotten a taste during their first meeting. Sean wouldn't, but the risk and the control Sean had of his abilities was turning Alex on in a big way.

He and Sean were different people, with different ideas and abilities, but they were remarkably similar in some ways, and Alex was preparing to enjoy every single one of them.

Sean was quiet while Alex paid attention to every inch of his skin, drinking in the sight and devouring it with his mouth and hands. He hadn't realized just much he wanted until the moment he could have it all, and he wasn't about to stop himself. His arousal was steadily climbing, but Alex ignored his body demands in favor of driving Sean crazy. He rolled his hips against Sean, aligning their dicks together. Sean stifled a moan, moving restlessly under him. He was leaking steadily and Sean wasn't in better shape. Sean lost patience and hauled him up, pushing their bodies together. He shuddered and almost came all over Sean. He was that on edge.

"Enough," Sean said after the kiss, after he bruised Alex's mouth. "It's enough."

You're the one who made us wait, Alex thought meanly but managed to bite back the words. Sean was an Empath, and even if he wasn't, apparently Alex had been obvious enough, but that seemed something he could argue with Sean about when he was not about to get laid. Priorities.

But it did give him bit of information. Sean liked control. He was used to control, and it was obvious in the expensive room where he met Alex the first time, wearing the suit worth as much as Alex's apartment at the time. And the first break in his facade was the threat Alex made against him, and looking back, it was the same look he had whenever Alex pinned him down to the mat during training or, hell, argued against him about the best course of action for Amplified.

Sean watched him under his lashes as Alex knelt back and reached for the lube stashed in the nightstand. Sean had ridiculously long lashes, and his eyes were dark with desire and the color had changed to stormy blue. He closed them when Alex reached between his legs, letting out a small puff of air.

Alex appreciated both his Strength and Speed, but for some things, Amplified touch and hearing were much more useful. his silky length. Sean pushed into his grip.

"I assume you don't want me to come now?" he said.

Alex reluctantly let go of him. "Not just yet." There would be time for this later. Now he picked up the lube and coated his fingers before slipping them inside Sean.