STORY EXCERPT

Mickey McKenzie stared at himself in the mirror. His normally flawless skin was marred by several scratches and one very large black and blue bruise around his eye. Even one corner of his rosy red lips was swollen and cut. He looked like shit.

This crap just wasn't worth it anymore. He always said he'd quit the business when he reached the ripe old age of twenty-five, but maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to retire a couple of years early. His body sure would appreciate it.

Mickey was tired of being beat up, accosted, arrested, and just generally being used and abused. Granted, being a male prostitute didn't exactly come with job security, but the marks on his face and body hadn't come from a customer. Each bruise had come from his boyfriend.

Scratch that, ex-boyfriend.

Mickey shook his head. No, he was done. He had enough money stashed away that he could start over somewhere new. He could live off of his savings for about six months before he had to look for work.

He didn't have a clue what he would do. Being able to suck cock and take it up the ass wasn't something normally listed as a job requirement. Mickey just knew he was tired of doing what he'd been doing since he started living on the streets eight years ago.

Mickey went to his closet and pulled out his backpack. He grabbed several items of clothing out of his dresser and a few personal items as well as a box of condoms and some lube. He never knew when he might need to make some extra money.

Once he had all he needed from his dresser, Mickey went to the bathroom where his stash was hidden. Kneeling on the floor beside the toilet, Mickey carefully pulled back the wooden slat in the floorboard and set it aside. He reached in and grabbed the quart-size plastic bag that held his rainy day fund. Mickey turned it over in his hand. It seemed to all be there.

He quickly shoved it into his backpack along with the other items in the small hiding space in the floor—a necklace that belonged to his mother, a couple of watches given to him by long-term clients, and a set of cuff links that were supposed to belong to his father, whoever that was.

Mickey placed the wooden slat back into place then stood, stomping on the slat a couple of times. He didn't want anyone knowing he had a stash hidden away. He'd get mugged before he reached the next block.

He walked back into the main room of his studio apartment and looked around trying to ensure he hadn't forgotten anything important. He wouldn't be coming back. While his little room was better than most, he wouldn't miss it.

Well, not much anyway. It was the first place that was all his, and he'd been here five years. Before that, Mickey had lived with friends, in alleys, and with whoever would take him in. He'd even done a stint in a pimp house. Having his own place was much better.

Not seeing anything else he wanted, Mickey pulled on his jacket, shoved his cell phone in his pocket, then grabbed his backpack. He didn't even look back as he walked out the door and shut it behind him. The landlord could have whatever was left.

Mickey bounced down the stairs and headed for the front steps of the brick building. As soon as he walked out the front door he turned to the left. Sure enough, Ms. Dixie, the woman that lived across the hall from him, was right where she always was sitting on the front porch with her small dog in her lap.

"Hey, Ms. Dixie," Mickey said as he walked over and sat down in the chair next to her.

"Mickey, honey, what happened to your face?"

"Donny happened."

Ms. Dixie frowned, the pale skin in her face wrinkling. "That boy never was any good, Mickey. You need to get rid of him and find yourself a sweet young man that will take better care of you."

"I'm working on it, Ms. Dixie." Mickey chuckled.

"Is that why you have your bag, son?"

Mickey glanced down at the backpack he held in his hands. "Yeah, I, uh, I've decided to leave town. I'm headed down now to see how far a bus ticket will get me."

"Have any place in mind?"

Mickey shrugged. "Not really, just anyplace that isn't here."

"Have you ever been to Idaho?"

"Idaho?"

"Well." Ms. Dixie chuckled. "The eastern edge of Idaho, really, where it borders Montana and the Rocky Mountains. It's beautiful country up there, lots of room to roam."

"You've been there?"

"I'm from there, dear boy, a small town way up in the hills called Castle Creek." Ms. Dixie chuckled again and reached over to pat Mickey's leg. "What? Did you think I lived my entire life in San Francisco?"

"I guess I never really thought about it. I try not to delve too deeply into other people's pasts. Mine isn't exactly stellar."

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Mickey. We all do what we need to do to get by."

"Even you?"

"Mickey, do you really think I've reached the age of eighty-four without doing a few shady things here and there?" The little satisfied smirk on Ms. Dixie's withered face made Mickey wonder if she was proud of the things she'd done, whatever they were. "Never be ashamed of things you do to take care of yourself, Mickey. Be proud of the fact that you've taken care of yourself."

Mickey tilted his head a little, confused. "Ms. Dixie, you do realize I sell my body for money, don't you?"

ADULT EXCERPT

Mickey looked flushed even in the dim light. He looked hot. He looked kissable. Vinnie watched Mickey's eyes widen as he lowered his head, but not a sound of protest fell from Mickey's lips as he covered them with his own.

Vinnie groaned when he got his first good taste of Mickey. The man tasted like the sweetest wine he had ever sipped, and he wasn't much of a wine drinker. He might have to change his mind.

A hot ache grew in the back of Vinnie's throat when Mickey moaned and leaned into him. He traced the fullness of Mickey's lips with his tongue then covered Mickey's mouth hungrily with his own, pushing his tongue inside to explore.

He was shocked at his own eager response to kissing Mickey. He had never desired kissing someone so much as he did Mickey right then. He didn't even care that they were in some strange building with the earth shaking around him. He just wanted to go on kissing Mickey.

He continued to explore Mickey's lips as he stroked his hands down Mickey's sides. Mickey had all the right curves and muscles in all the right places. His hips gave Vinnie something to grab onto as he held Mickey against the wall. The soft slope of Mickey's lower back gave Vinnie something to explore with his fingers. And Mickey's tight rounded ass gave Vinnie something to squeeze.

When the need for air became paramount, Vinnie regretfully pulled his lips away from Mickey's and stared down at him. Vinnie couldn't tell from the expression on Mickey's face whether he enjoyed the kiss or not. Mickey was panting heavily, his eyes hooded by long thick lashes.

"The earthquake stopped," Mickey whispered.

"Did it?" Vinnie was pretty sure he could still feel the ground beneath his feet shaking—but maybe it was him. He felt like his whole world was going wonky. The city was falling down around his ears, and all he could think of was fucking a retired hooker up against a wall in some strange building.

Mickey's eyelashes suddenly lifted. Vinnie knew in that moment they were sharing an intense physical awareness of each other. Vinnie just couldn't help but wonder if it went deeper than that or if it was only superficial.

He took Mickey's chin in his hand and held it gently as he lowered his lips for another kiss. If this was all he was ever going to have, then he planned on making it the best kiss of his life. Vinnie captured Mickey's mouth again, his lips hard and searching.

Mickey seemed to lean into the kiss for a moment then he started moving. Vinnie didn't pay any attention to Mickey's movements until he felt something being pressed into his hand. He leaned back and looked at his hand, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise when he found a condom and a small tube of lube in the palm of his hand.

He looked down at Mickey. Mickey just stared up at him intently, not saying a word. Vinnie knew the decision was up to him. He could accept Mickey at face value and fuck him into the wall or he could balk and complain that Mickey had supplies so readily at hand.

Vinnie went with fucking Mickey into the wall. He glanced around the small room that they were in, looking for a good place. It was only then that he realized they were in some sort of clothing store.

Vinnie closed his hand around the condom and lube then grabbed Mickey's arm with the other one. He pulled him into the back of the store and into a large changing room. The moment Mickey was inside with him, he closed and locked the door behind him.

Vinnie turned to Mickey and held out his hand, opening it up to reveal the condom and lube. "Are you sure about this, Mickey?"

Mickey bit his bottom lip, not answering right away. Vinnie could feel the weight of his stare like a thousand-pound sledgehammer. He wished that he could just take what he wanted, but that wouldn't be fair to him or Mickey. This had to be Mickey's choice.

"I'm sure," Mickey finally whispered.

That was all Vinnie needed to hear. He closed his hand back up around the condom and lube then shrugged his jacket off. He hung it on the hook on the back of the door then turned back to Mickey.

"Come here, baby." Vinnie held his arms out and gestured with his hand for Mickey to come closer. Mickey licked his lips then stepped into Vinnie's arms. He looked nervous, which was strange for someone that had sex for money. "Have you ever had sex just because you wanted to?"

"A few times."

"Just a few?" For some reason, that made Vinnie very sad. It also made him want to give Mickey the best time of his life. He just couldn't think of anything he could do that Mickey probably hadn't already done. "Well, we need to start with another kiss."

Mickey grinned. Parting his lips, he raised up to meet Vinnie's. It was just as hot and intense as the first one. Vinnie couldn't help but wonder if they would get worse or better. He was hoping for better.

As he kissed Mickey, he worked his shirt down off his shoulders, tossing it to the side of the room. He could feel Mickey's hands working his own shirt up his chest. He leaned back just long enough to whip the shirt off over his head then went right back to kissing Mickey. He really liked kissing Mickey.

The soft groan that fell from Mickey's lips when their bare chests met was heaven to Vinnie's ears. He ran his hands down Mickey's back, following the soft concave at the base until he reached the edge of Mickey's pants. Vinnie tried to push his hands under the waistband but Mickey's pants were too tight.

"These have got to go, baby," he said as he dropped to his knees and started undoing them. Vinnie almost swallowed his tongue when he parted the denim material and realized Mickey didn't wear underwear.

He wanted to sing a hallelujah chorus when he pulled the pants down even further and a nice thick—hard—cock bounced up and slapped Mickey in the abdomen. He could see Mickey's entire body shudder as he ran his finger over the top, wiping away drops of pre-cum, then down the sides of the thickly veined erection.

"This is nice," Vinnie murmured as he stroked his fingers over the smooth skin surrounding Mickey's cock. "This is very nice."