Happy World (11 page)

“Dude, I love the way you look when you come. And sound. Shit, I think they may have heard you over in the Wild West section of the Park.”

“Shit,” Kyle whispered. “Really?” He peeked around the corner of the well. He could barely see a boatload of tourists sail by. None of them seemed to be paying much attention to the well, never mind the men who crouched behind it with their dicks out.

Rory chuckled. “Nah. But it was really sweet music, baby.”

“Stop calling me that. I’m not your baby.”

“Oh, so sorry. I thought having mind-blowing sex in an off-limits area of a ride made us more than just co-workers,” Rory answered. He sounded huffy.

“Sorry. I’m just not used to... to... “

“Being bad?”

“Yeah, that.”

“Admit it, Kyle. You’re starting to like being a bad boy,” Rory said. His grin was impish, and it somehow irritated Kyle while pleasing him at the same time.

Plus, he was right, not that Kyle was ready to admit it.

“Come on, let’s clean up and get out of here before somebody sees us,” Kyle said.

“Okay,” Rory replied. He handed Kyle a wad of tissues from his pocket. “It ought to hold us for a while, at least.”

A while? Kyle frowned. How often did Rory think they were going to do this? He tried, but was unable to stop the steady stream of possibilities from flooding his brain, including one he wanted desperately, but was too embarrassed to ask Rory about. Was Kyle just Rory’s work fuck buddy, or was there a possibility of them doing it in a real bed some time?

As they snuck back outside, tossing the tissues soiled with evidence of their crime into the nearest trash can, Kyle reluctantly admitted that not only would there be a next time, but he was actively looking forward to it, be it hidden behind one of Happy World’s animatronics, or bare-ass naked on a soft bed.

Chapter Ten

His Observation Day had come and gone, and now Rory was officially a Groundskeeper. Not a Groundskeeper-in-training, not even a Groundskeeper-on-probation. He was an employee for Happy World and no longer had to answer to a trainer.

Not that he’d ever really answered to Kyle anyway. Rory grinned to himself. Poor Kyle, stuck with a troublemaker for a recruit. That had been way more than Kyle had bargained for, but Rory knew Kyle didn’t regret it. Despite his protests and frustrated expressions, Kyle had eventually given in to Rory’s slow seduction of him.

And it was a seduction, no doubt about that. Rory had seen something he’d wanted and gone after it. Just as he’d suspected, Kyle had been totally worth it. So responsive, so eager, so willing to let Rory touch or suck or fondle any part of him. God, he was delicious to taste.

Damn it. There went his dick again, firming up just at the thought of what Kyle tasted like. Rory adjusted himself inside his white costume pants, which wasn’t easy. The stupid Wardrobe department never had any pants that left a little extra room.

Rory thought about baseball for another minute or so until his cock was under control, then wandered out of the break room in the general direction of the time clock. He knew Kyle had been working for a couple of hours already and was scheduled in Galaxy Land for the morning.

His own schedule dictated that he start his shift on Shell Island, then move to Galaxy Land from there. Hopefully, he and Kyle would overlap and Rory would have a chance to haul Kyle into a private space somewhere. Even stealing a few kisses would be better than nothing, but Rory was hoping for more.

Things were pretty much status quo on the Island. A few random food wrappers, one paper towel mess in the restroom, and a little girl who fell on the wooden bridge and needed a bandage. Several times, Rory caught himself turning to ask Kyle a question before remembering that his trainer wasn’t hovering over his shoulder anymore.

Kind of a bummer, actually.

Right at the stroke of noon, Rory boarded a raft to take him back across to the mainland. If he timed it right, he’d be in Galaxy Land before Kyle left the area.

Thank God for the underground tunnel system. It saved him at least five minutes of dodging and weaving his way through the Happy World crowd. Mid-August and the Park was at near capacity every single day with tourists hoping to squeeze one more day out of their summer vacation.

Rory rounded the corner, still following the colored stripe on the wall, and passed one of the many doorways that led to a break room. His mind registered that there were at least two employees in the room, but it wasn’t until he was halfway up the stairs to a Park exit that he realized who it was. Or who one of them was, anyway.

He backtracked quickly and stuck his head into the break room, a grin stretching his face. “Hey,” he began, but the word died in his throat.

Kyle was leaning against a counter. That much Rory had seen as he’d breezed past. But the second person in the room was none other than Charlie Taylor. And man, he was standing really, really close to Kyle. With a hand on his arm.

Rory blinked a time or two to make sure he was seeing the right people. For a moment he thought Charlie was trying to start some type of fight, but his stance wasn’t aggressive and Kyle didn’t look afraid, just… wary. Instinctively, Rory pulled back out of sight and turned his head to try and hear the conversation.

“So did you give it some thought?” Charlie asked.

“Give what some thought?” Kyle sounded nervous, although his voice was strong.

“Aw, you know. Come on.”

A peek around the corner confirmed that Charlie was smiling at Kyle and had leaned in a bit closer. Rory felt an immediate flash of possession. What the hell was Charlie trying to pull, being that close?

“I told you before. I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Kyle looked as if he wanted to back up a step, but the counter behind him prevented that.

Charlie laughed softly. “I think it’s a great idea. You ever been to Martinique?”

Martinique? The fuck? It was a ritzy French restaurant about ten miles from Happy World. Rory had been once or twice with his father and girl of the moment. Why the hell would Charlie be asking Kyle about it? Unless… nah.

“No,” Kyle answered, sounding very unsure.

“Then let me take you. Come on, you’ll love it, Kyle. You ever had escargot?”

If Rory hadn’t been so dumbfounded by what he was hearing, he would have laughed out loud. Of course Kyle had never had escargot. That would be out of his comfort zone. Outside of his comfort zone was a place Kyle rarely went. Anyone who paid attention could see that. Charlie Fucking Taylor obviously didn’t pay attention.

“He doesn’t like French food,” Rory announced, stepping into the room. He actually had no idea if Kyle liked it or not, but eating anything with Charlie would be enough to turn him off to it forever.

Kyle and Charlie both whipped their heads around quickly. In the split second before they both wiped their expressions clean, Rory caught guilt on Kyle’s face and what could only be described as triumph on Charlie’s.

Charlie straightened up and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I’ll catch you later,” he said to Kyle. Rory was ignored, but that wasn’t surprising. Only sheer will power kept Rory from shoving Charlie with his shoulder as the other man passed him on his way out the door.

“What was that?” Rory folded his arms and leaned against the door jamb. The break room was surprisingly empty, but he didn’t know for how long.

“What?” Kyle had an embarrassed flush working its way up from his neck, coloring his cheeks and staining them pink.

“Really? You’re going to pretend? Come on, neither of us is stupid. What was that?”? Rory thumbed over his shoulder in the direction Charlie had gone.

Kyle darted a glance toward the door, then back to Rory. “Nothing. It really was nothing. He… he’s… I don’t know. He thinks I want to go out with him.”

Rory blinked. “Why would he think that?”

“I don’t know, Rory.” Kyle had a furrow between his brows and his expression had changed from guilty to confused. “He’s never talked to me before you started working here. I have no freaking clue why he thinks I’d want to date him.”

“Uh-huh. Is this the first time he’s asked you out?” Rory knew he was sounding like a jealous lover, but somehow he couldn’t help it. Seeing Charlie standing that close to Kyle had been like a punch in the stomach.

Kyle shifted nervously and licked his lips. “Um. No. There was one other time, about a week and a half ago. He cornered me then, too. I said no.”

Okay, this was sounding weirder by the minute, but if Kyle’s puzzled look was anything to go by, Rory knew he was telling the truth. “All right,” Rory sighed. “Let’s forget him. That idiot isn’t worth anyone’s time.”

Kyle gave an uncertain nod and flicked his gaze toward the clock on the wall of the break room. “He made me late.” He didn’t make a move toward the door, however.

“Then I guess you’d better go. Why were you down here, anyway? Your shift up there didn’t end until noon, and you always wait to make sure your relief shows up. Even if it costs you your break.” Infuriating when Rory had to lose out on his break too, but now that Rory was on his own, Kyle’s work habits were kind of… cute.

“I knew you were on your way over.” Kyle looked up, his brown eyes soft as he met Rory’s gaze. “As soon as it hit twelve, I came down here to try and catch you before you headed upstairs. Then Charlie found me.”

Any thoughts of what game Charlie Taylor was playing vanished. Rory leaned in and planted a hard kiss on Kyle’s mouth. He snaked a hand down to cup and squeeze Kyle’s prick through his white pants, then stepped back and grinned. “Take that with you to Freedom’s Fair. You want to go out to dinner tomorrow?” Rory knew they both had the night off.

Kyle blinked slowly and touched his mouth, then gave an embarrassed glance downward at his crotch. His cock had responded nicely to Rory’s squeeze. “Um,” he said, cheeks turning pink, “dinner? Where?”

“Martinique.” Fuck Charlie Taylor.

“You can’t get in there without a reservation! It’s booked weeks ahead of time.”

“I’ll handle it. Dinner at Martinique, yes or no?”

“Like a date?” Kyle looked mystified, as if he didn’t go on many of them.

Rory chuckled. “Sure, I guess. Why not? A date.” The idea had merit.

There was a long pause in which Rory found himself holding his breath, though he wasn’t sure why. Then Kyle finally gave him a slow nod.

“Yeah,” he replied. A corner of his mouth turned up in a charming way. “Okay, sure. Dinner tomorrow night. And it’s okay if you can’t get us in there. I’m fine with Mama Rosa’s Italian Café, even.”

“Martinique,” Rory said firmly. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at seven.”

***

“Wow.” Kyle looked around with wide eyes. “I’ve never been in a place like this.”

Rory looked up from his menu and glanced around the restaurant. Martinique was one of the nicest places in town, for sure, but it wasn’t the finest Rory had been in. “Yeah, I guess it’s kind of pretty.”

Not as pretty as Kyle, though. When he’d opened the front door of his apartment, Rory had to fight the temptation to forget their dinner reservations and eat something else instead. Kyle was gorgeous in black slacks and a short-sleeved, light blue shirt.

“Pretty? Rory, this is the fanciest restaurant I’ve ever been to.” He laughed a little and looked slightly embarrassed.

“Fancy places aren’t all that.” Rory grinned at him. “If you ask me, I’d rather have a good cheese steak sandwich from the food truck. But this place does okay. Get the lobster bisque.”

Kyle nodded and went back to reading his menu. “Lobster bisque, okay.” There was a momentary pause. “And… what else? What are you having?”

When Rory looked up, Kyle was studying the menu with what appeared to be alarm, and Rory realized his earlier suspicions had been correct. French food was not an everyday occurrence for Kyle. It probably wasn’t an every year occurrence, actually.

“Hmm, let me see. You want to just get what I’m getting? Then you don’t have to worry about it.”

The answer was abrupt. “Yes, uh-huh. I want what you’re getting.” Kyle nodded a lot and shut his menu.

Rory ducked his head and pretended to read the menu again. “Their sweetbreads with poulette sauce are pretty good. How about that?”

“Sure! And lobster bisque.” Kyle looked relieved to have the choice made for him.

“Heh. Do you know what sweetbreads are?” Rory did.

“Uh… yes. They’re like… they’re bread. The sweet kind. Like pastries.” Kyle looked hopeful and Rory laughed out loud.

“They’re the pancreas of a calf. Among other organs. Still sound good?”

Even under the dim lighting, Rory could see Kyle turn an interesting shade of green. “That’s what you’re having?”

Rory considered teasing him some more, but at this rate the guy wouldn’t be able to eat anything. Besides, Rory had plans for later and they didn’t involve watching Kyle find the nearest toilet to lose his dinner in.

“No,” Rory chuckled. “I’m having beef bourguignon. Beef with wine sauce,” he added, when Kyle still looked uncertain.

“That,” Kyle said firmly.

Rory grinned and placed their order for them when the waiter came around. He took a sip of wine and nodded at Kyle’s almost full glass. “Not a wine drinker?”

“Oh!” Kyle reached for his glass and took a sip. “Not usually, but I like it. You were right, the French know how to make a good one.” He took another taste. “How the heck do you know how to order wine, anyway? And I still don’t know how you got us in here on such short notice.”

“I dunno.” Rory shrugged it off and buttered a roll. “Been here a couple of times with my family. They know my dad or something.”

Kyle looked impressed, but Rory was bored with the topic of discussion and turned their conversation to other things. They chatted easily about school, friends, and of course, Happy World. It seemed that Kyle knew plenty of gossip about their coworkers, and revealed much of it with only a little prompting from Rory.

Their food arrived and Rory laughed at Kyle’s relieved expression when he tasted it. “Good,” Kyle pronounced with his mouth full.

“Of course it’s good.” Rory dug in too and they ate in companionable silence.

When their meal was complete, topped off with a perfect vanilla bean crème Brule, Rory found himself reluctant to end the evening. The valet brought Rory’s truck around and they both climbed in.

“So, my mom’s out of town this week.” It sounded kind of dumb when he said it, especially considering Kyle lived on his own. But Rory was kind of partial to the fifty-five-inch television at his mom’s place and the swimming pool in the back yard. She’d made out pretty well in the divorce, and Rory sometimes wondered if she avoided getting married again just to keep receiving alimony from his father.

“Oh. Were you planning on introducing me?” Kyle gave him a half-smile.

“No! I mean. Um, maybe. Sure. Sometime.” Rory found himself unexpectedly flustered. “Jeeze. I just meant if you want to come over and go for a swim or something, that’s all. Watch a DVD? We’ve got a good library.”

Kyle considered the invitation. “Are you allowed to have friends over when your parents are gone?”

Rory snorted. “You and your rules. One, I’m twenty-five years old. Two, there are no parents, there is only parent, singular. My mom’s cool. She doesn’t care who comes over, as long as I don’t drink her liquor cabinet dry.”

Kyle gave Rory a sidelong look. “You might be twenty-five, but you still live at home.” There was a very gentle tease in the tone, if Rory listened hard enough.

“Oh, you want to give me a hard time about that?” Rory reached out and poked Kyle in the ribs.

“Hey!” Kyle laughed and grabbed Rory’s hand. “Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel!”

“Fine, fine.” Rory put both hands back on the steering wheel. “So, is that a yes? You’ll come over?”

Kyle nodded and looked out his window. “Yes.”

Rory made it home as fast as traffic laws would allow. Suddenly, all he could think about was getting Kyle naked somewhere in his house. That seemed to be pretty much all he thought about lately when Kyle was near him.

He pulled into the driveway and caught Kyle by the hand as soon as the truck door was closed. “Come on, I’ll give you the whirlwind tour. Here’s the front yard.” Rory gave a vague wave at it and then pulled Kyle up the front steps and into the house. “Living room, dining room, kitchen. Back porch is there.” He pointed to the sun room where Dandy was asleep on her bed. “Pool is behind that. Want to swim?”

Kyle was looking around the spacious kitchen. “Swim? I didn’t bring a suit. Wow, this place is really nice.” He craned his neck up to look at the wide skylights that graced the ceiling.

“What do you need a suit for?” The more Rory thought about it, the better it sounded. The weather was perfect for a late swim. Especially a naked one. “Come on. The pool is screened.”

Florida weather necessitated a screen around and over the pool to deter mosquitoes and other bugs, but it also worked as a sort of privacy shield from their neighbors. Rory had skinny-dipped out there plenty of times. If anyone had seen him, he didn’t know about it. Or care, really.

Kyle allowed himself to be dragged through the sun room to the door in the pool fence. Rory let them in and immediately stripped down, leaving his nice clothes in a crumpled heap by one of the lounge chairs. It took him another ten seconds to unhook the tiny tube of his insulin pump and set it on the chair. Without even looking at Kyle, he strode to the far end of the pool and dove underwater.

By the time he surfaced in the shallow end, Kyle was just finishing folding up Rory’s dress pants and shirt in a neat pile on the chair. Rory watched with one eyebrow arched as Kyle undressed and carefully did the same to his own clothes.

“Seriously, man?” Rory used his hand to splash water at Kyle. “Drop trou and get in here. Screw folding them.”

“I always fold,” Kyle said primly. “What’s that?” He motioned toward the little black box that Rory had put on the lounge chair.

“Insulin pump,” Rory explained. He waited for Kyle to make a concerned face or ask a hundred questions like other guys had, but Kyle merely nodded. Then he made a neat stack of shirts and, without warning, turned and cannonballed into the pool. Rory was doused.

“Hey! You’re a jerk!” Rory jumped on Kyle, laughing and holding him underwater.

They wrestled and splashed for a few minutes. Kyle was much stronger than he appeared and Rory found himself pinned underwater several times. He was only able to free himself by making a grab for Kyle’s cock, which always made Kyle jump and loosen his hold enough for Rory to wiggle away.

Finally, Rory was able to pin Kyle to the side of the pool, his stomach pushed up flat against the brick and Rory’s chest pressed against Kyle’s back. They were both panting and laughing in between gasping breaths. “Gotcha,” Rory said, pressing in even harder. “Now you’re stuck.”

“Lucky me.” Kyle turned his head to look at Rory over his shoulder. “Now what?”

Now what, indeed? Rory’s dick was quite pleased to be rubbing up against Kyle’s bare ass. “Now this,” Rory murmured and kissed him.

They were both wet and slick and their skin slid against each other’s beautifully. Kyle moaned and tried to turn around to face Rory, but Rory tightened his hold and kept Kyle right where he was. “No, stay there,” Rory whispered. “I like you where you are.”

To prove the point, Rory slid one hand from Kyle’s shoulder down to the curve of his ass. Letting his hand linger there, Rory began sucking up a mark on Kyle’s shoulder at the same time he began rubbing his erection against Kyle’s crack.

Kyle made a soft sound and dropped his head forward. One hand gripped the side of the pool but the other one disappeared into the water. Rory looked over Kyle’s shoulder and saw him jacking himself in time with Rory’s thrusts against his ass.

“Oh, yeah,” Rory encouraged. He moved his fingers slightly and felt along Kyle’s crack, sliding them up and back while he continued to thrust against smooth, wet skin. He moved his free hand to Kyle’s chest and teased at one of the small, peaked nipples Rory found there.

They had quieted to only soft sounds and murmurs and a bit of splashing, but when Rory worked the tip of one finger into Kyle’s ass, Kyle’s sounds grew louder and a bit more urgent and his hand flew faster on his prick. “Rory. Please.”

Rory nodded against Kyle’s wet shoulder and slid his finger in just a bit more. He was careful; Kyle was awfully tight. The thought of how the tight passage would feel around Rory’s cock almost made him come right there, but he took a deep breath and found some last vestiges of control.

When his finger was buried in Kyle’s ass, Rory managed to turn his hand a bit and pressed forward. He was rewarded with a jump and groan from Kyle.

“Again. Do that again!”

Rory obliged, pressing his finger up and forward against the sensitive gland while still rubbing himself in the perfect spot along Kyle’s crack. This wasn’t going to last too much longer, but at the same time, Rory wanted it to go on forever.

His cock had to be leaking, though of course it was impossible to tell underwater. Rory gave himself an absentminded reminder to have the pool guy come tomorrow to clean.

He increased his pressure on Kyle’s gland while rubbing himself a bit harder. “Kyle,” he whispered. “Tell me when.” And please, for all that’s holy, let it be soon.

“Tell you-- oh, God!” Kyle tossed his head back and cried out to the night sky, his body jerking back against Rory’s finger and bucking into his own hand. Rory could feel him shuddering.

“That,” Rory said with a shaky laugh. He withdrew his finger carefully and pressed his full body weight up against Kyle’s limp form. With two more hard rubs against Kyle’s ass, Rory came with hard, quick pulses.

It was a good thing that the pool steps were close to them. Rory half-swam, half-sank onto the middle one, pulling Kyle down with him. He leaned back onto the step behind him and started laughing. “Don’t tell my mom I came in her pool.”

Kyle was nearly draped across his lap. “Okay,” he mumbled, one hand caressing Rory’s thigh. “Don’t tell her I did, either.”

“No problem. It’ll be our secret.” Rory petted Kyle’s shoulder and grinned up at the stars through the screen.

Take that, Charlie Taylor, he thought. Fuck you.

Chapter Eleven

Kyle sighed as he sank into one of the molded plastic chairs in the cafeteria. He leaned his dustpan and retractable claw against the wall next to the table, and thought briefly about getting up to buy something to eat on the lunch line, but quickly decided it wasn’t worth the effort. Eating was overrated anyway. Resting was much more important, especially since he only had twenty minutes left to his break and another four hours to get through until the end of his shift, and his feet were already killing him. He tried to wiggle his toes and fought the impulse to kick off his shoes.

He hated breaking in new tennis shoes. They were always stiff and made his feet ache and his heels blister for the first two weeks he wore them, probably since he bought the least expensive ones he could find in Wal-Mart instead of a pair from one of the better quality (and pricier) shoe stores in the mall. Plus, his choices were limited by more than budget -- he needed to adhere to Happy World’s Wardrobe policy, which firmly stated that tennis shoes be completely white (or black, depending on the area of the Park you were scheduled in), without any splash of color or visible trademark. No comfortable, stylish Nikes or Adidas for his poor little piggies, even if he could’ve afforded them.

He sighed again and let his mind wander. As usual, at least lately, he thought about Rory. His thoughts went back to the day before last, when he’d gone skinny-dipping with Rory at Rory’s house after the great dinner at Martinique. They’d had sex again, something that was turning into a regular habit with them. Kyle’s lips curved into a smile. A nice habit, to be sure, and one he could get hopelessly used to, very fast. Except of course, they simply had to stop doing it inside the Park. It was too dangerous. If they were caught, they’d be fired on the spot. Danger, though... it made everything just a little more exciting, a little juicier. His smile broadened, thinking about exactly how juicy Rory could be.

“Hope that smile is for me.”

Kyle looked up and his smile instantly fled at the sight of Charlie Taylor’s handsome face grinning down at him. “Oh, hello.”

Charlie was the last person Kyle wanted see. He didn’t trust Charlie, and felt Charlie was up to something, although what it might be, Kyle had no clue. Still, it couldn’t be good. Charlie simply wasn’t that nice a guy and had never found the time to acknowledge Kyle’s existence before. Charlie’s sudden interest in him was a giant red flag. He knew he sounded totally bitchy but didn’t care.

To his chagrin, Charlie slid into the chair next to him. “I heard you went to Martinique without me.”

Kyle felt his mouth pop open. How did Charlie find out? More importantly, why did Charlie care? “Uh... “

“Yeah. I have a buddy who waiters there part-time. You must know him. Phil Setters? He’s one of the character handlers here. He was working my Daniel the Dragon Slayer autograph session yesterday. Told me he’d seen you and a dark-haired guy at Martinique. Who were you with?”

Kyle frowned, feeling anger begin to nip at his normally placid personality. Where he chose to go and who he spent his time with after his shift was over was none of anybody’s business, including Charlie Taylor. “Why do you care?”