"Luca was quite taken by him."
"He"s a great guy."
"Is this relationship serious?"
"Does it matter?"
Jillian shrugged. "Not really."
"He"s picking me up at ten so you can meet him."
"I don"t care, Grier." Jillian turned and tossed her hair, a cla.s.sic Jillian move guaranteed to get under his skin.
"Why are you so p.i.s.sed?" He reached for her arm and pulled her back.
"Since when have you introduced Luca to your dates?" Jillian asked, glaring at him angrily. "I don"t like it."
"Why?" Grier was instantly on guard. She"d never questioned him on who he dated or Luca"s care before, leaving him to babysit for hours on end without hesitation. Now, suddenly, he was suspect?
"I think Ali is right," Jillian said. "Luca is older now and more aware of people. I don"t want you to subject him to your s.e.xual preferences."
"You know d.a.m.n well being gay is not a preference."
"Tomatoes, tomahtoes tomahtoes... it"s semantics, Grier. Bottom line is you suck c.o.c.k, and I"d rather he not be exposed to your friends, or whatever you call them."
Grier felt the blood rush to his head. He couldn"t believe she"d just said that. Although she"d never bought into the idea of his being gay, she"d never been disrespectful about it, and right now she sounded h.o.m.ophobic.
"We need to talk about this seriously."
"Talk about what?" she asked innocently.
"About my rights."
She laughed. "You have no rights, Grier."
He dragged her over to the far end of the booth, where no one could hear them. "As his father, I have every right."
"He. Has. No. Father."
"Bulls.h.i.t!"
"On paper it"s a big unknown, and that"s what counts in court," Jillian challenged.
"Where is this coming from, Jillian?"
"I"m just protecting him, Grier," Jillian"s eyes sparkled. "You don"t seem to care anything about his future."
"What are you talking about?"
"Who is this guy you"re going out with? You"ve never had a relationship before, at least none you"ve brought around. Are you going to leave and make me fend for myself?"
"Is that all you"re worried about? Losing a babysitter?"
"No," she protested.
"And since when have you and Ali become an item?"
"Don"t tell me you"re jealous."
"f.u.c.k!"
"I didn"t think so," Jillian spat. "So what does it matter?"
"Anything that involves Luca is a matter of importance. Ali now thinks he"s an expert on childcare because he"s dating you? Has he ever offered to watch my son before this?"
"Stop calling him your son!" Jillian hissed, stepping so close he could smell her breath. She"d had hotdogs recently, and it made him nauseous. Still, he wasn"t going to back off.
"He is is my kid, Jillian, and don"t f.u.c.king forget it!" my kid, Jillian, and don"t f.u.c.king forget it!"
Chapter 10.
LIL coughed, breaking up what appeared to be a heated discussion between Grier and the young woman he a.s.sumed was the infamous Jillian. Grier looked relieved to see him and flashed a bright smile, whereas Jillian stared rudely. coughed, breaking up what appeared to be a heated discussion between Grier and the young woman he a.s.sumed was the infamous Jillian. Grier looked relieved to see him and flashed a bright smile, whereas Jillian stared rudely.
"Jillian, this is my friend Lil Lampert."
"Hi."
She was as cool as the ice cream they peddled and studied Lil blatantly. Lil stood up to her scrutiny, accustomed to being judged or stared at by strangers who needed something or someone to feed their anger. He"d learned how to fend off the bad vibes years ago when he was at his most outrageous stage. Nowadays, he was more conservative, almost boring, to his way of thinking. He smiled sweetly. "How"s it going?"
"Fine."
"I"m leaving," Grier announced, getting ready to walk off.
"We"re not done yet," Jillian protested.
"I am," Grier said angrily. "I"ll see you tomorrow."
He exited the booth and reached for Lil, who had his hand outstretched. They meshed fingers, and Lil stepped closer and kissed him lightly on his lips. "You okay?"
"I am now."
Lil put his arm around Grier and they headed out to Michigan Ave. "You look tired," Lil commented. You look p.i.s.sed You look p.i.s.sed is what he really wanted to say, but he decided to give Grier his s.p.a.ce. is what he really wanted to say, but he decided to give Grier his s.p.a.ce.
"I"m beat. I haven"t stopped moving since I left you this morning."
"Why don"t we do something relaxing instead of going out as we planned? I have no problem sitting in a hot tub with a tall beer. Do you?"
"That sounds like heaven right now. Won"t Clark and Jody object?"
"Grier, I"ve said this before. I"m their guest, and I can bring anyone over, besides, Jody knows how I feel."
"About what?" Grier asked, turning his dark eyes on Lil.
f.u.c.k me, did I just say that? "He knows I"m not much of a night owl anymore." "He knows I"m not much of a night owl anymore."
"Okay."
Christ. Next I"ll be getting on my knees and proposing marriage. "Were you and Jillian having words just now?"
"You could say that," Grier snorted. "If you hadn"t shown up, we"d have gone all Jerry Springer on each other."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Later."
"No problem," Lil answered amicably.
"Hold on a second."
"What"s the matter?"
"I have my bike with me."
"I"m not riding it."
"I know, Lil. I"ll follow your cab. Wait up, okay?"
Lil only had to wait about ten minutes before he heard the roar of the Harley and saw Grier braking in front of him, putting a foot down on the street for balance. "You sure you won"t change your mind? I"ll let you use my helmet."
"h.e.l.l no."
"Suit yourself," Grier said, smirking and looking every bit the bada.s.s in his leather jacket and black helmet.
Lil signaled a cab. Grier followed it to Bucktown, waiting for Lil to unlock the front door and disable the alarm. The garage door rolled up quietly, and he guided his bike inside and parked it beside the silver Land Cruiser. They navigated the stairs together and reset the alarm as soon as they locked the door. It was eleven in the evening, and the lights were off in the master bedroom.
Lil reached for Grier and drew him close, pressing him up against the length of his body. He kissed him on the lips, loving the way the younger man opened for him immediately. "I missed you today," he sighed when they finally pulled apart.
"Me too," Grier acknowledged.
The dark mood still lingered despite Grier"s favorable reaction to the kiss. He seemed lost in thought. When Lil lifted Grier"s chin to stare into the dark pools, they were guarded, so he suspended his amorous feelings for now with the hope that a few beers might relax Grier enough to share whatever was troubling him.
Lil grabbed the six-pack out of the refrigerator, and they climbed the stairs to the rooftop terrace, where the hot tub was located. It was hidden within the latticed confines of a gazebo designed for privacy. Grier had already dropped his jacket on the wooden deck and was tugging at the back of his T-shirt, pulling it off swiftly. Lil was mesmerized once more by the sight of the tattoos and perfect abs that rippled with Grier"s every move. His good intentions went up in flames as the blue lights from the hot tub cast alluring shadows on the glorious torso on display. "You are so f.u.c.king hot," Lil sighed, unable to stay away for another second. He yanked Grier against his chest and buried his face in the soft skin around his neck. "I want you so bad I"m shaking."
"I know," Grier responded breathlessly, visibly aroused.
They began to strip without taking their eyes off each other. Lil loved the way Grier devoured him with his hungry gaze, making him feel like the most desirable man in the world. He knew he was attractive, and he worked d.a.m.n hard to keep his body in good shape, but he worried about aging and losing his appeal, a natural concern for most people, but especially for a gay man who was surrounded by a section of society obsessed with youth. Grier"s obvious arousal was heady, and to feel it radiating from a man who was physically perfect in every way, and could have anyone he wanted, was, for Lil, the ultimate aphrodisiac. They came together, c.o.c.k to rigid c.o.c.k, and the kissing began in earnest. "Condoms...," Grier moaned, pulling away. "I need need to f.u.c.k you." to f.u.c.k you."
Lil"s heart thundered against his chest. He got down on his knees and patted around in search of the khakis he"d thrown off to the side and almost shouted with joy when he felt the soft fabric. He pulled out the foil packet and travel-sized lube. He crawled over to where Grier was still standing and rolled the condom on his lover"s swollen shaft, followed by several squirts of lube to get him ready.
He handed over the lube, turned, put his head down on his hands, and lifted his a.s.s in antic.i.p.ation. "Ready, Grier."
Lil felt Grier rubbing his lubricated thumb against his a.s.shole, and he squeezed down as it slipped inside, moaning loudly as he felt Grier loosening him up. Grier bent down and kissed Lil"s shoulder without removing his finger from its tight prison. When he felt Lil relax, he inserted one more finger. "So tight, babe."
Lil exhaled, willing himself to relax so he could open up for Grier. "Now," Lil urged. He was so wound up he knew he"d come within minutes but not before he felt the delicious sting that would turn into mind-blowing pleasure. The breath whooshed out of him as Grier stabbed him forcefully, pegging his gland with each downward thrust until Lil convulsed around Grier"s c.o.c.k, shooting out jets of s.e.m.e.n all over the deck while Grier filled the latex reservoir with his own spend.
"Oh G.o.d... Lil," Grier sighed, collapsing onto the st.u.r.dy back that held him in place. "I needed that so badly."
Lil reached around and tapped Grier"s b.u.t.t cheek. "Any time, sweet boy."
Grier pulled off the condom, tied it, and dropped it in the trash, conveniently located off to the side. The last thing he wanted was to insult his hosts with day-old condoms.
Lil placed his hand on Grier"s lower back, guiding him toward the hot tub, hoping that this would help to relax him and erase that angry scowl that had marred his gorgeous face. They moaned with pleasure as the jets of water pulsed around them. He handed Grier a beer and watched him attack his bottle, swallowing the contents in a few gulps. The fiery red aura that had surrounded Grier earlier had evaporated in the wake of the s.e.xual release. He was mellower, playfully splashing Lil from his side of the pool. "You want to talk about your day?" Lil asked gently.
"Not right now."
Lil grabbed another beer and handed it to Grier. "I"m here, whenever you want to vent."
"Thanks, Lil. Did you do anything fun today?"
"I toured the Chicago Board of Trade Building."
"What did you think?"
"I couldn"t get into it, if you want to know the truth. I left and ended up on Michigan Avenue instead."
"So you melted some plastic," Grier teased. "Refurbish your wardrobe?"
Lil put his beer on the deck behind him and scooted over to Grier"s side. "I refurbished your your wardrobe," he whispered, "at Victoria"s Secret." wardrobe," he whispered, "at Victoria"s Secret."
"Lil." Grier"s husky voice was like a lightning bolt to his groin.
Lil straddled the brunet and began kissing him, shocked that his c.o.c.k was perking up with interest after such a short interval. "Who needs v.i.a.g.r.a with you around?"
"You won"t need that s.h.i.t for a long, long time," Grier said.
Lil cut his words off with another kiss, and soon they were grinding against each other, intent on chasing another o.r.g.a.s.m. Lil felt Grier"s c.o.c.k growing hard against his own erection, and he reached in the water to grasp both organs, stroking in a leisurely push and pull as he continued to ply Grier with deep kisses. It wasn"t long before they were both gasping and coming in a united release.
Lil slumped against Grier"s chest and buried his face in the hollow between his neck and shoulder. Grier wrapped his arms around Lil automatically, and they listened to each other"s thumping heart. "Can you spend the night?"
"I"d better not. I get Luca tomorrow, and I want to be home when Jillian brings him over. I don"t want her to be able to use anything against me."
"Grier, what happened today?"