Cervena (14 page)

“Please,” he whispered.

“Please, what?”

“You know what I want.”

“I know. And we can’t until I go shopping. However safe we are, I won’t do it without condoms.”

“Okay.” He smiled and bucked his hips under me, thrusting his cock against mine. “Do you want me to suck you again?”

“How about we share? Turn around.” I rolled onto my side and Sasha scrambled up, turning so he lay facing me, his dick level with my face. I extended my tongue and licked the tip, making him groan. Eager to reciprocate, he leaned in closer and guided the head of my cock into his mouth. Thighs quivering, I fought the urge to thrust and instead concentrated on giving his erection and balls the attention of my mouth and hands. The clean musky scent of him filled my nostrils, and I buried my nose in his soft black pubic hair as I took him deeper. I tasted precome and knew he wouldn’t last long. I slipped a finger into the corner of my mouth to moisten it, then probed between his legs until I felt the tight puckered skin surrounding his anus. He lifted his leg a little to give me easier access and I pressed in.

Sasha’s groan vibrated around the head of my cock and I shuddered as my arousal rose several notches. I doubted I’d last much longer than him, and it amused me how this gorgeous young man turned me into a helpless mess, ready to shoot in minutes like a teenager who’d never been touched.

Distracted, I almost choked as Sasha’s cock jerked on my tongue and spilled down my throat. I swallowed and drew in a long breath through my nose, steadying him with a hand as he bucked his hips. He’d released me from his mouth and pressed his face into my groin, his moans of pleasure coupled with gasps for breath. I let him slip free and wiped my mouth, then gave myself over to my rapidly approaching orgasm as he resumed sucking me.

It didn’t take long. I came hard with a yell that could have been heard by my neighbors. When Sasha pulled off, licking his lips, I tugged at him until he turned again and nestled against my heaving chest.

“Damn, that was good.” I stroked his sweat-dampened hair.

“I need another shower.” Sasha laughed softly and pressed closer.

Eventually, we dragged ourselves from the bed to the bathroom and shared the shower. The glass stall was plenty big enough for two. I took my time, working up a lather of shower gel and slowly soaping up Sasha’s body, one silky inch at a time. His skin was warm and slippery under my hands, and he stood there, eyes closed, enjoying my explorations and humming his approval. By the time the water ran cold, both of us were half-hard again, despite coming such a short time ago. But I doubted I had the energy for another round just yet.

We dried and dressed, and headed for the kitchen. I cooked some bacon and eggs for breakfast while Sasha made coffee. I couldn’t suppress a broad grin as I flipped the eggs and dropped bread into the toaster. It seemed so domestic and yet exciting, being so new. It was a long time since I’d done any of this with someone else. Phillippe hadn’t been one to stick around in the mornings. When he’d dragged himself out of bed, usually not before the middle of the afternoon, he’d been quick to make his escape, even when we were in love and I’d begged him to stay. Maybe that hadn’t been real love after all.

Stop comparing them.

Sasha watched me in consternation, and I realized the smile had slipped from my face and I’d clenched my teeth. I relaxed and smiled again.

“What were you thinking?” he asked solemnly.

“Nothing important. What do you want to do today?” After passing him a plate, I took my own to the breakfast bar where I’d already placed cutlery and condiments. “Do you need anything else?”

“No, thank you. I think I should probably get out of your way soon.” Sasha reached for a slice of toast, and to my amusement spread it with peanut butter and then topped it with a layer of raspberry jam.

“You like that combination?”

“Peanut butter and jelly? Mm.” He hummed around the first bite.

“You watch too much American TV.” I grinned and folded my own toast around a slice of bacon. “You’re not in my way, but if you have things to do….”

Sasha shrugged. “Not really. But if I go back early, most of the others won’t be up yet and they won’t see me coming in.”

“You’re worried about them knowing you’ve been out all night?”

“No, but I didn’t know if it would bother you, them knowing I stayed with you.”

“It doesn’t bother me. Don’t you think I’d be proud for people to know you stayed the night? That we’re together?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have much to offer you, Joel.” He looked up and met my eyes. “All I have is what you gave me.”

“No, you earned it. Maybe I gave you a step up onto the first rung of the ladder that night when I took you in, but the rest of it’s been down to you. Besides, you had plenty I wanted when you arrived on my doorstep—it just took me a little while to say so.”

Sasha grinned. “I doubt I was very appealing that night. I don’t think I’d taken a shower for more than two weeks.” His grin turned into a grimace and he shuddered.

“Well, you scrubbed up well. You’re beautiful, Sasha.”

His lips curved up at the corners. “I think there must be something wrong with your eyesight. I’m just ordinary.”

We chatted idly as we finished our breakfast, and Sasha decided he would go back to his studio. He needed a change of clothes and to do some laundry, and I wanted to take a trip to the drugstore and then do the books at the club.

I called a cab for Sasha and insisted on paying for it upfront. He’d been planning to walk but rain hammered down and he’d have been soaked in seconds.

After I’d stripped and remade the bed, I made a note of food items I needed to restock. By the time I left the condo, the rain had lessened enough for me to venture outside without becoming drenched. I made the drugstore my first visit and bought a box of condoms and extra lube. A brief trip to the supermarket followed, and I took my purchases home before heading out again to Červenà.

My pulse quickened as I let myself into the club. The thought of Sasha upstairs made me want to run up there to be with him, but I needed to get some work done before I could think about that. I entered my office, shrugged out of my damp coat, and switched on the computer.

A couple of hours passed before I finished paying the latest batch of bills, filling in the accounts book, and ordering stock of liquor and mixers. I put everything away and was about to leave the office and head to the kitchen when the phone rang. I picked it up and answered quickly.

“Good afternoon, this is Červenà.”

“Am I speaking with Karel Doubrava?” The caller’s deep voice sounded rough, as if he smoked heavily.

“No, this is Joel Jones. I own the club. Who is this?”

“I understood Doubrava to be the owner.”

“He used to be joint owner. Not anymore. Who is this?” I repeated.

“My name is Vincenc Jankovic. You may have heard of me.”

I stiffened and gripped the phone tighter. Jankovic was well-known, although his name hadn’t appeared in the press in the last few years. It seemed he’d been keeping a low profile since his release from prison. As the son of a Slovak mobster, he’d taken the fall for his father when an elaborate fraud had been uncovered. He’d been let out of jail earlier than expected on good behavior. So far as I knew, neither he nor his father had been instrumental in anything like what Karel’s gambling enemy had done, but I didn’t know for sure. Fraud seemed to be the Jankovic family’s bag, but they’d been suspected of arson and murder at times. Nothing had ever been proven, and I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn they had a whole posse working for them, including the best lawyers money could buy.

A shudder ran through me at the way I’d been drawn into a world I’d only ever spared fleeting thought to when similar situations had been portrayed in movies. Whatever Jankovic wanted with me was surely something to do with Karel.

“What do you want?” I gritted my teeth and my jaw clicked.

“I had a meeting with your partner—ex-partner—a month ago. Perhaps he told you. Unfortunately things got in the way and I hadn’t been able to consider his offer fully until now.”

“What offer?” My heart slammed against my ribs and my sweaty palm slipped on the phone. I changed hands and wiped my hand on my pants leg. What the fuck had Karel done? After what had happened so far, I hadn’t thought anything else could surprise me. A rumbling laugh filled my ear, ending abruptly with harsh coughing. I waited in silence for Jankovic to speak again.

“So he didn’t tell you. Secrets in partnerships always end a business eventually. Is that what happened with Červenà?”

“Will you please tell me what’s going on?” I demanded.

“Doubrava contacted me, asking if I would consider buying the club. I wasn’t particularly interested in the beginning, but I came around to the idea. A good way to lift my profile in a positive way, wouldn’t you say?”

“The club’s not for sale.” I seethed inwardly, shocked by the depth of Karel’s deception. What would have happened if Jankovic had agreed without needing to think about it? Would Karel have sold the club without my knowledge? Selling would have required for us both to sign, but considering everything else he’d done, I wouldn’t put it past him to have forged my signature. It wouldn’t have been necessary for both of us to see the solicitors in person so long as the paperwork was signed by the two of us.

“Very well. I won’t waste any more of your time,” Jankovic said pleasantly. “Good-bye.”

I found myself listening to a dial tone and I hung up the phone with a shaky hand. A wave of nausea brought on by shock made me groan, and I sat down at the desk and rested my head in my hands. I wanted to go and find Karel and have it out with him again, but what would be the point? He’d either deny it, or admit it and make excuses. Neither outcome would be satisfactory. I’d still be mad and shocked that someone I considered a trusted friend could have stabbed me in the back in such a way. I still had the club, and it was solely under my control. He couldn’t hurt it, or me, anymore.

I didn’t know how long I sat there staring at the knots in the wood of the desk. A gentle tap on the door pulled me out of my thoughts and I straightened up with a sigh. “Yes?”

The door opened a little, and Sasha peeked through the gap. “Are you busy? I’m sorry to interrupt.”

“No, it’s fine. Come here.” Relieved by the interruption, I waited for him to reach me and pulled him down onto my lap. Hugging him tight, I buried my face in his neck and breathed in the warm, sexy scent of him.

“Joel, are you all right?” He stroked the back of my neck and I looked up at him.

“I’m fine. Just business. I won’t bore you with it.”

“You’re very pale. You look worried.”

“Not really, I’m just pissed. I had a call from someone Karel had contacted. This guy was expecting to buy Červenà.”

Sasha’s eyes widened. “Karel was going to sell the club? Without you knowing?”

“So it seems.”

“I thought he was your friend.”

“I thought he was too, once.” I shrugged. “Maybe he thought he was. I guess people do stupid things sometimes when they’re desperate. He owed a lot of money.”

“Did you ask him about it?”

“No, there’s no point. It won’t achieve anything except to make me more angry. Červenà’s safe. That’s all that matters.” I tilted my head back so I could meet his eyes. “We have a few hours to kill before opening time. I have an appointment with the bank soon, but when I’m done, would you like to go to dinner with me?”

“I’d like that. I’ll change before you come back.”

I loosened my hold on him and glanced at his gray sweater and black jeans. “You’re fine as you are. Why don’t we go to that little Polish restaurant you like?”

“Okay.” Sasha brushed his lips across mine. I ran my hands over his back, caressing him through his sweater as we kissed. Reluctantly I released him to head for the bank. The setting up of the new account shouldn’t take long and soon I’d be able to spend the rest of the day with Sasha.

AFTER OUR
meal in the Polish restaurant, we lingered over coffee, holding hands across the small table. Eventually, we returned to the club just in time for opening. Sasha got to work behind the bar, and I spent an hour on a bar stool, sipping a beer and talking to him when he wasn’t too busy.

At the end of the night, I took him home with me, although I was too exhausted to think about sex. In addition, the call from Vincenc Jankovic was still on my mind, and I couldn’t help wondering if I’d hear from him again. The Jankovic family usually got what it wanted, one way or another. If Vincenc wanted Červenà, perhaps the apparent polite acceptance of my refusal to sell meant nothing.

I didn’t sleep well. Sasha snuggled against my side initially, but rolled away from me in the early hours of the morning and slept about as far from me as he could get. Eventually, I dozed off, and when I opened my eyes again, it was almost noon. Sasha was still sleeping, curled up with his back to me. Guilt filled me over how I’d practically ignored him last night when we got into bed. I probably should have left him at the club, but I’d wanted his company. At least I could do something about it now.

I slipped out of bed and went to the bathroom. Sasha didn’t stir until I slid back under the covers and spooned up behind him. I slid my arm around his waist, and when the tip of his erection nudged my wrist, I grasped it and stroked gently until he arched against me.

“Morning,” I whispered in his ear.

“Hey. Are you okay now?”

“Of course I’m okay.”

“You were tense last night. Thinking about that phone call maybe?”

“Yeah, I was. I’m sorry.” I gave his dick a firmer squeeze and kissed the back of his neck. “Gonna let me make up for it?”

“Please.” He turned his head so I could reach his mouth, and I brought our lips together. My half-hard cock swelled and pressed into the crack of Sasha’s ass, and I gyrated slowly, ramping up my arousal as I imagined pushing into him. I released his cock and leaned over him to get the lube and condoms from the top drawer of the cabinet. Sasha whimpered at the loss of contact, and the movement of his arm indicated he’d replaced my hand with his own.