I Beleive Now (17 page)

"What are you doing, Asher?" Max mumbled, as he watched Asher moving very slowly down his torso kissing, touching, caressing every part of Max until arriving finally at Max's member, not surprisingly, already standing at full attention. Asher smiled, a shiver running up his spine.

"Nothing," he whispered, "Just playing." Asher first kissed the tip of Max's shaft, feeling its heat, remembering the first time Max had taken him in the playroom at Club Rise. Asher thought Max had been a rich customer who simply always got what he wanted. Turned out he was the owner who simply always got what he wanted. Asher was now glad he did. He flicked with his tongue, wetting the tip of Max's cock with his saliva, slowly rolling his tongue around and around the slit. He wanted to swallow this hot cock. He wanted to take it fully in his mouth and suck until the man had no choice but to come in his mouth, but he held himself back. More, he needed to make love to it. He, too, desired to let Max know this was not about sex or fantastic orgasms, but about feeling satisfied and complete.

And owned. Because as much as he knew now he had always belonged to Max, it was time to let Max know who he belonged to as well.

Asher took the tip into his mouth and couldn't resist the urge to suck on it, hard. He felt a slight movement from Max, an inaudible gasp. He took in more of Max's member, letting his tongue swirl and twist around the head. With the saliva dripping down the shaft, he took the base in his hand, pumping Max. He knew the whole of this wonderful thing would never fit but he wanted to give the illusion it could, so he positioned himself over the hot staff, moving his mouth up and down in rhythm with his hand, which was slick with moisture. He was rewarded with moans and a slight lifting up of Max's hips, as if he was breathlessly asking, begging, for more. Asher was encouraged, not that he needed it. He continued to stroke and suck, hearing the wet noises. He also heard the sighs and small cries his lover was making—or was that his own voice?

He continued his movements as he felt the shaft becoming harder and hotter, the saltiness of pre-cum filling his senses. Max's hips were moving slightly in rhythm with his sucking and rubbing of the large shaft. Asher heard low guttural moans as Max careened closer and closer; he thrilled at the thought Max was allowing him to go all the way with this blow job. But suddenly Asher decided he didn't want Max to finish just yet. He thought he'd like to ride the man the rest of the way. So just as suddenly as he started his large undertaking, he allowed Max to fall from between his lips. He looked up into those sexy, lust-filled, blue eyes that stared back at him with confusion as Asher wiped his lips. He knew Max had been close and to stop at that moment, that perfect moment, he knew was cruel, but he also knew the older man was totally aware that, to cool the passion now, would only heighten his orgasm when he finally was allowed to come.

Asher climbed up and straddled Max's hips.

Asher smiled.

Max grunted.

Fuck, but that look is hot.

The bottle of lube was still lying on the bed, alongside a few more packets of condoms. Seemed like Max planned on being busy tonight. Asher grabbed the lube and slathered it all over his fingers. Lifting his hips, snaking his arm behind himself, he plunged his fingers deep into his own pulsating, already well-lubed opening. He closed his eyes and moaned at how good it felt.

Suddenly there was another hand pushing on his fingers, forcing them to go deeper. Opening his eyes, he realized Max had sat up slightly, enough to take Asher's hand in his as he rhythmically fucked Asher with his own fingers. Soon one or more, Asher couldn't quite tell, of Max's fingers had joined in the thrusting.
Oh!
He could come just like this.

But he wasn't going to.

He stopped both hands and pushed Max's hand away, even as he pushed Max back down on the bed. He reached for a condom and slowly rolled it down the large cock, caressing and squeezing as he went. Rubbing a generous amount of lube over it, watching Max force himself to remain in control, he finally climbed back up Max's body positioning himself above Max's amazing staff. Asher then guided Max's hard member home. He pushed hard and slow, until he felt his own butt cheeks touch Max's strong hips. He stayed motionless a few seconds, just feeling the fullness, knowing it was Max who filled him. Then he started to move. He didn't even mind when Max's hands found their way to Asher's hips and helped him to move farther up and slam down harder. It was all so very good.

He knew Max was holding back. He knew Max was nearly desperate to take over but he also knew Max would let Asher finish if it was what he wanted to do.

It no longer was. Suddenly Asher's only desire was to satiate the lust he saw in those blue eyes.

He stopped, stilling those gripping hands as well.

* * * *

"Asher?" Max's voice was barely definable it came out so hoarse. After days and days of being alone, after the knowledge fear was now an emotion he could feel and understand, Max realized he was well past his limit. He was trying so hard to allow Asher to lead in this lovemaking but as usual, it was all he could do to maintain control and not just throw the young man over and down and pound into him for all he was worth. And by Forbes' standard, that figure was probably off the charts. But now the young man was teasing him beyond comprehension and beyond what he could endure. "Please…" Wait.
What?
Did that word actually come from his mouth? That word could not have come from his mouth. Of all that was right and true in
his
world, in Max Tyler's world,
please
was absolutely not a word found in his vocabulary.

But there it was. Not only the word but the need, the desire, for Asher to grant him release, for Asher to grant him satisfaction. It was no longer something he was in charge of. Asher had not only given himself over completely to Max but Max had done the same.

And then something changed in those sweet green eyes that looked down on him.

"Love me," Asher whispered. "Take me."

For a moment they both held perfectly still. But then as quick as Max could think, Asher was beneath him. Max shoved forward with such intensity it made Asher cry out and as he pulled back to push forward again, Asher cried out again, this time shouting his name. Max grunted and pulled Asher's legs up and over his shoulders for better and deeper penetration. He kept moving Asher's hips as he pounded into him, looking for that spot, even as he worked Asher's member. When he finally hit it, Asher cried out his name again. Max, in his own lust-filled haze, knew Asher was nearly witless from the pleasure. He quickened the pace, hitting that spot again and again, feeling the building heat of the friction inside Asher's tight ass as he moved in and out, hanging at the edge, and he knew it was nearly over for him. Max's sweat dripped down onto Asher's face as Max gazed into Asher's eyes, those beautiful eyes glazed over in desire. They rode the physical pleasure, neither one wanting it to end until, finally, Asher could hold back no longer and hit his high with a scream. Max felt Asher's cum spill out over his hand as his spasms gripped Max's member again and again and again. It was all he needed to finally let go, his own orgasm pulsating in tune with Asher's, sending them both even farther up than they had been in a long while.

Exhausted and spent, Max dropped beside his Asher once again, satiated, content, and satisfied. It could have been his age. It could have been ancient need. He preferred to think of it as a choice. But deep inside, where no one was allowed to go before Asher came into his life, even Max had to admit it was more than any of that. The word love did not even come close to describing these feelings, this commitment, the all of what it was Max wanted to say with his body to Asher's. It was more like finding out after all this time there had always been something missing, a vital part of your existence, an essential element of who you were. And then, quite unexpectedly, you went around a corner and there it was; what you had been searching for your entire life—not even realizing you had been searching at all.

For Max, it was Asher. And he knew that for Asher, it was him.

It is rare to find the missing piece. Even rarer still to find it, never having realized it was missing. Max would never admit to it—would never ever say it out loud—but he whispered it with his caresses. He heard Asher's confession with his sighs. They were made for one another, never having been meant to be apart, finally together forever.

EPILOGUE

All was finally quiet in the dark world Max lived in. It wouldn't stay that way, of course—not for long—but for the moment, it felt good. Maybe it was in reverence to him, in honor and respect for the last number of weeks. Maybe it was some sort of payment for taking out some cancers. As Max sat in the back of his limo on his way to his last appointment of the day, he let his mind wander back again and linger on the memories of that night in the hotel, that one perfect night with his Asher. It would never be repeated, which, of course, was just fine. But both of them had fallen into a deeper commitment to each other, unspoken but powerful and unbreakable

He missed him.

Asher had been gone now for a week. Sure, he was on assignment and he certainly was closer to this job staying with his brother. He had accepted the bodyguard finally. It wasn't Cadum. Asher absolutely refused to allow for him to leave Max's side. He'd keep Kira and Max knew Kira wasn't ever going to let him down again. Asher even knew about the others who were always standing and watching on the edges, always around the periphery. Asher realized that for Max to allow for his freedom at all, he just had to tolerate it. Asher had to stay safe—and he was now.

Max never did tell Asher what happened to Lucca. Max himself had only heard about it from his Japanese contacts as they relayed the chain of events. Atushi-Kyo had contacted an anxious Lucca that night and told him everything was fine on the US side of things. Max had smirked when Atushi told him "
Kōun o motte iru
", which means "good luck".

The window in the back of the switched truck was indeed a video monitor, just like Lucca had feared, showing a loop of when the children were sleeping all wrapped up in their colorful blankets. Max knew babysitting was not a strong trait in Lucca, so there was no doubt it wouldn't have been discovered until too late because he also knew Lucca would never even bother to check during the flight. But if he did, the illusion Hunter created was eerily real enough to fool him, especially in the low light of the cargo section of that old military transport plane. Hunter was just that good.

After landing in a very remote, almost homemade, airfield, Lucca had to be more than tickled to see the boss man himself, the head yakuza, was there to meet him, just like he had hoped—just like Max had set up. They had both opened the back of the truck together, both expecting sixteen beautiful American children. Both of them were most likely shocked. The only children in the back of the truck were crash test dummies. But, to Max's credit, there were sixteen of them. Lucca was probably the first to run into the truck, not believing his own eyes for the first time in his life. Of course the boss had to have been pissed enough at that point, enough to, very likely, taken out his gun ready to kill Lucca. After which, he'd work on finding whoever else was trying to make a fool of him, so he could kill them too, starting with Max. But he made the mistake of also entering the truck.

Each one of the dummies held a secret prize. Every one of them had a bomb inside, compliments of the talented Hunter. They were on a timer, a short one, and it was tripped the second Lucca had entered the back. At that point it was too late for either one of them. Even if they had known, there was no escape.

And because Max really could be a son of bitch, he decided the last thing he wanted Lucca to hear in this life was his voice.

"Sayonara and good night." They were the only words Max said on the recording, also tripped by entering the truck. The farewell of course was for the benefit of both the yakuza and Lucca. He made sure it was also on a loop so it repeated and repeated and repeated. Max imagined Lucca's head had snapped up when the tape started, as if he'd thought Max himself was actually standing there. But of course he wasn't. Right before the bombs detonated, the yakuza, at least, had understood what was happening. He had evidently tried to run out of the back of the truck. It was why they were able to find any of his body parts at all and even then it took time to finally identify him. But there was nothing left of Lucca. He simply ceased to exist.

It might not feel good to kill people, but it did feel good to close a few doors.

As Max predicted and desired, the corridor collapsed and the route disappeared along with any contact from Japan about it. It had taken a year, but it was finally over. There was little fallout to deal with as far as Hunter and his adorable little sister were concerned. Hunter was glad to finally know the truth in what a friend he had in Max, even if Max would never use that term and physically cringed when Hunter did. But Hunter would go to his grave claiming he saw Max smile just a little when he said the words.

On this side of the world, Max cleaned up a few loose ends as well. Red Dragon gang disbanded, its members "missing". The same fate befell any of Lucca's stragglers; anyone who had been involved at all with Jackson denied it to the point of actually being pathetic. There'd be no more trouble from any of them. They all knew now who he was and had some idea of what he was capable. They steered clear, at least for the present, of ever pissing Max off.

And Jackson himself? Martyrdom just was not in the plan. Oddly enough, a few very fuzzy pictures surfaced of him gallivanting with a number of naked women and men on some foreign beach. It seemed he had used government money to fund his little adventure. Not only that, but the amount missing could keep the man and his companions fat and happy for a long time. Several government agents were dispatched to track him down and bring him home to justice. Max had to chuckle. Of course, they'd never find him.