STORY EXCERPT

The world was a cruel place, no one cared for anyone else, and the only thing that mattered was survival. A rich guy who was drunk enough to pass out that kind of money, who looked as if he was getting drunk to wash away some sorrows, was exactly the sort of person August needed right now.

He couldn’t tell if the guy was gay, straight, or bi. His gaydar wasn’t exactly going off.

August could usually sway the drunk ones. Men’s inhibitions tended to get thrown out the window whenever they were drunk. Sometimes it didn’t work, and August had been beaten up once because of that and had a couple of close calls, but usually he could find someone who was curious, or too drunk to care.

He didn’t like doing this. He didn’t want to do this, but he was hungry, his brother’s kneecaps were on the line, and that guy had way too much money for his own good.

Hell, August was probably saving him from being robbed later on down the line, wearing a fancy suit like that, even though it was wrinkled to hell, and a watch on his wrist that probably cost more than the car Bobby drove around to show off.

Right. No one in the world cared about anyone else. August was just one more person in the world doing shitty things and excusing himself for them.

He finished off his water, slid out of the booth, and walked over to the bar. He didn’t have to pretend to be casual about it. The guy was so plastered he clearly didn’t notice when August slid onto the stool next to him.

August said nothing. He just sat there, putting his hands on the bar. The bartender didn’t stop washing his glasses to help him. By now he must have figured that August didn’t have any money.

August took one look at the guy beside him. He couldn’t really make out his face. His dark hair was hanging in his eyes, and his shoulders were slumped.

He looked depressing as all hell.

“You just get dumped or something?” August asked.

The man’s lips curled up. “Or something,” he said.

August was half shocked the man had even responded. August had figured he would be too plastered to notice August was there.

“You want me to buy you a drink or something?”

“Or something,” August replied.

He would rather this man bought him a sandwich, but he wouldn’t complain. Underage drinking was nothing compared to some of the stuff he’d been forced to do the last six months, and the alcohol tended to help him get over his nerves when things were about to get underway.

The drunk man in the business suit waved over the bartender, who came quickly. Why wouldn’t he when this guy kept giving him so much money?

“Give him whatever he wants and keep it coming,” said the rumpled suit.

He handed the bartender another hundred-dollar bill, an American hundred dollar bill, which the man took, nodding, and he didn’t so much as ask to see August’s fake ID when August asked for a simple beer.

August was more concerned with how thick the man’s wallet was. His eyes widened when he saw the stack of bills inside.

Holy shit. This could be what he needed.

When the bartender walked away, August had to say something. “Thanks for the drink.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“You know those aren’t singles you’re handing him, right? You’re giving that guy a hundred US every time.”

“I know.” The man in the suit shrugged.

He knew? Christ, how rich was he?

Maybe he really had gotten dumped. August hated to hope so, but he needed to bring this guy somewhere where they could be alone.

“Whatever’s bothering you, I can help you forget it.”

“Huh, can you now?”

August took a long drink of his beer, needing the alcohol to kick in. He didn’t much like this part, but he’d gotten better at acting it out. “Sure. I’m pretty good at being a shoulder to cry on, among other things.”

“Uh-huh, and you’re going to do it out of the goodness of your heart, are you?”

“Not like you can’t afford it.”

The man beside him chuckled darkly at that. “True.”

August would never have been so open and bold about what he was after. Sometimes he didn’t tell the men there was a price until after he got to the room, though it wasn’t very often they didn’t see that one coming.

There was something about this man, however, that was putting him at ease.

Or maybe it was just the radio playing over the dimly lit bar room and the alcohol could also be kicking in a bit faster than he’d expected. Who knew?

He kind of wished the suit would look at him. From the side he looked pretty good, and his voice was nice to listen to, but that wasn’t enough. August wanted to at least see his face.

“You sure you want to be with me tonight?” asked the suit. “I might be a little rough with you.”

“I can handle that.”

“Sure you can.”

August frowned. “How rough are we talking? I don’t let people tie me up on the first date.”

He was not going to risk that he’d run in with a psycho, no matter how much this man put him at ease.

“Nothing like that. I’m just…I need someone right now.”

“I’ve been with people who needed company. I can handle it.”

“You’ve never been with anyone like me.”

“Okay, and who are you?”

“I’m…”

The man in the suit trailed off when he finally looked August in the face.

Their eyes met, and August swore it was almost as if the stars were aligning, singing. Something in his soul called out to this man, and all that romance-novel, fate-of-the-world, Disney-type of stuff hit him in that moment.

I’ve found you.

ADULT EXCERPT

August sucked on William’s tongue, loving it, adoring it, and then he jumped and pushed his hips forward when William’s strong hands reached down, taking one of August’s ass cheeks into each of his big palms and squeezing tightly, pulling their cocks together.

Well, as much as could be done considering how much shorter August was than William. He got a little of the other man, but August’s erection seemed to press more against the other man’s thigh while William’s cock, his rough pubic hairs touching August’s skin, made him feel as if he was on fire.

August had to break off the kiss. It was too hot. It was getting too hard to breathe, and he needed to be able to breathe.

He gasped for breath, holding on to William’s shoulders tightly. If he didn’t, he was going to collapse, and there was going to be nothing he could do about it.

“That’s it,” William said, almost cooing the words, his strong hands still massaging August’s ass. “This is mine, you’re mine. I missed you so damned much.”

August had to have misheard that last part.

Unless he hadn’t, and William wasn’t really talking to him but to the person he was trying to forget.

August’s throat closed. Right. This was a job, and he was a stand-in for the person William really wanted. Did he look like the woman, or man, that William was trying to forget? Or did it not matter at all and William was just pretending here?

August didn’t expect his eyes to burn the way they did. He tried to ignore that. It didn’t matter, and he wasn’t going to be here after an hour or so anyway.

William turned August’s chin up, forcing their lips together again. August moaned into it, leaning forward, needing it, needing to forget that he was nothing to this man.

His heart ached.

His body was on fire, however.

More. He needed more. It didn’t matter if they were both just using each other at this point. August had to experience this. His body craved it like he’d never craved anything in his entire life.

William suddenly groaned, his cock humping forward, fucking against William’s stomach and thigh. He was like an animal, powerful and hungry, lustful and intoxicating.

August was able to forget about his own heartbreak and focus on the pleasure, the thing he was really here for, when William suddenly pulled back with a hard gasp of breath.

“Fuck, Oh God, I need to slow down.”

August shook his head. “No you don’t. Don’t slow down.”

“I have to,” William said, smiling about it, as if it was supposed to be amusing that he was prolonging August’s suffering here.

August growled at the man. He didn’t think he’d ever growled at anyone in his entire life. “I hope you have a good reason for that.”

William smiled drunkenly down at him, showing off his perfectly straight, white teeth. “I do. This is my first time.”

August gaped at him, the entire world freezing to a halt. The only sound was the noise of the water rushing around him.

“You…no you’re not. That’s such bullshit.”

“It is,” William replied, blinking stupidly down at him, as if he didn’t get why August would definitely not believe such a lie.

August glared at the man. “You are never going to make me believe that you’re a virgin. Unless…”

It was the way William’s smile returned that clued August in.

“You’re saying you’ve never done it with a guy before.”

“Right,” William said. “I’ve had anal sex before with a woman, but I guess this is going to be different. That’s only natural. I need you to let me know if I hurt you or if it’s too much, understand?”

August nodded, even though he thought the other man might be going a little overboard. If he’d already had sex with a woman like this, then he knew well enough what to do.

It almost sounded as if he was trying to take a little extra care with August’s body. That was flattering as all hell, and August almost couldn’t believe that was happening.

This man cared enough about someone he didn’t know, someone who probably wasn’t worth the dirt beneath his shoes, to take care during sex, to ask August up front to tell him what he liked and didn’t like.

No one had ever done that before.

August’s eyes burned again. He acted quickly before William would notice by reaching up, grabbing the man’s hair into his fists, and yanking him down for a hard, crushing kiss.

It was nice to make William’s eyes widen for once as August pushed his tongue into the taller man’s mouth, tasting that same sense of home and familiarity. He didn’t stop kissing the man until he was sure he wouldn’t look as though he’d been crying in the shower. Only then did August pull back to look William in the eyes.

There was lust there. It was as clear as day, but there was something else within those eyes that made August stop and really look at the other man.

No, he had to be wrong. That was a mistake because there was no way in hell that a virtual stranger cared for him, would look at him as if he…

August refused to so much as think about the L word.

He reached out and grabbed onto the first thing he could find, which turned out to be one of those little bottles of conditioner the hotel put out for bathroom use.

“Use this, stretch me open, be generous, follow your gut.”