Page 14 of Grind
Frank liked him both ways, but in moments like this one, when Ezra was unguarded, he had a glimpse of what it would be to have him for real.
But it wasn’t a thought Frank wanted to entertain.
Ezra rolled his cheek against the pillow and peeked at him over the shoulder. “Give me a moment,” he said with a raspy laugh.
“Take all the time you need,” Frank said with a smile and gently pulled on Ezra’s ear with his teeth. He liked this moment after sex as much as their wild times between the sheets. So maybe it was sappy, but cuddling a sweaty, spent Ezra made him feel all mushy inside. This was the most intimate he could allow himself to get without compromising his safety and that of his friends. Relationships were not for him, but when Frank was with Ezra, he allowed himself to pretend that he was in fact just a guy who owned a legitimate business and had nothing to hide.
A purr came from Ezra’s mouth, and he reached back, gliding his hand across Frank’s hip, all the way to his ribs. “Where did that bruise come from? Does it hurt?” he whispered.
It wasn’t as though his friends didn’t care about him, but when Ezra noticed things like that, it made Frank feel seen on a whole different level. So maybe he did want to be coddled a little from time to time and feel like he didn’t need to carry the weight of the world on his own.
“Ah, it’s nothing,” he downplayed the nasty bruise that did in fact hurt. “I was moving a big pipe the other day with my nephew, and it fell on me when he got distracted by a fox.”
Ezra’s long fingers made little circles over the black-and-blue blots. He was so perceptive, always noticing small things no one else Frank knew would be aware of. “You need to be more careful. At this rate, you’re going to have more injuries than tattoos. But I have something that could help them disappear faster, if you’d like. And I’m not just gonna kiss them better, even though I’ll definitely do that too,” he added with a raspy laugh.
“Sure. As long as it involves your hands on me, I’ll be happy.” He smiled and stroked Ezra’s hair. It was always so shiny and smelled like a garden deep in the jungle.
The idea of showing him off as a prize on his arm once more popped into his head. He’d been meaning to ask Ezra last time but ended up too wrapped up in his own thoughts. Frank paid for these meetings. He shouldn’t be afraid of rejection. If Ezra turned him down, he would surely be graceful and charming enough to soften the blow, but Frank’s tongue remained tied into knots when it came to his new request.
He wanted to invite Ezra to a Strongman event he was taking part in next month. It was in another state, his friends weren’t coming, so there would be no need for his two worlds to collide. Selfishly, he also dreamed of Ezra watching him at the competition, cheering him on, maybe even congratulating him on a win. Just seeing Ezra’s eyes go all wide and shiny as he witnessed Frank doing tire flips or lifting Atlas Stones would be a boost to Frank’s ego, and he’d get a blowjob afterwards whether he won or lost.
Ezra gave amazing head and was utterly shameless in the way he always kept staring into Frank’s eyes, an artist of pleasure who always guessed Frank’s wishes.
Ezra stirred, and when his shoulder pushed at Frank’s chest, it was a signal to let him out of the tight cocoon of flesh and sheets. But as Frank lifted himself, the fine, muscular body below flipped over instead of sliding out of the embrace.
He looked so beautiful when the layers that turned him into a statuesque prize were stripped away. There was no perfection in hair sticking to a damp forehead, or to the uneven melange of reds and pinks blooming on his face and torso, but those things made him more real. More tangible. Less of a concept and more of a man. When he was like this, the precious golden necklace he must have received from one of his sugar daddies seemed almost out of place under his throat.
Frank swallowed when Ezra’s tempting lips stretched into a smile, but he still couldn’t bring himself to say the words he wanted. No matter how gentle, Ezra’s rejection would have spoiled the rest of this night, and he wasn’t planning to go anytime soon.
“So, how was your week?” Ezra asked, because they’d barely talked once Frank had stepped into his apartment, too busy tearing each other’s clothes off. His beautiful, pampered hands drew patterns over Frank’s skin as they moved up, past his throat, all the way to his face. It was such a strikingly intimate gesture Frank took it as confirmation that he wasn’t the only one sensing the amazing chemistry sparking between them whenever they met. Tonight though, Ezra’s beautiful amber eyes shone with something new, something Frank couldn’t name.
He was under no illusion about the nature of their relationship. He hoped Ezra enjoyed himself during sex, and they had some fun times watching movies or talking, but Frank was well aware that he wasn’t the kind of guy Ezra would choose in real life. He’d want a guy who drove a Ferrari, not a beat-up truck. A classy guy who could take him to upscale restaurants and give him an unlimited spending allowance so he could get all the Prada he wanted. Definitely not someone who knew how to make a dead body disappear in a hundred different ways.
“Mixed bag really. On one hand, we had a new shipment I needed to look through, and I’m pretty sure there’s good stuff in there, but then I was so busy I didn’t even have the time to use my workshop.” Though he did find enough time to make sure the Rolex he wanted to gift Ezra was functional.
Ezra’s hands were so smooth and soft Frank found himself leaning into them as his lover stroked his face and neck, but while he’d normally make a little comment on Frank’s words, or offer a fun anecdote, tonight he remained quiet for so long Frank sensed a tension in the air.
There was a darkness to Ezra’s gaze tonight, hidden behind the usual layer of charm and smiles, and it took him way too much time to notice. Unease settled in Frank’s chest as he tuned in to Ezra, noticing that his breath seemed heavier than usual, that his touch lingered longer, that his smile was a fraction wider than normal.
Was it an act? Why? Had something bad happened, yet like the professional he was, Ezra kept up a facade for Frank’s benefit?
But he said nothing, unsure if Ezra would appreciate being questioned about his private life when at the core their whole relationship was nothing more than a transaction.
But before he could have made up his mind, Ezra rubbed his mouth with his thumb and grinned. “What are you working on now, big guy?”
Frank ran his hands up Ezra’s side, indulging in the touch. As expensive as these meetings were, they were worth every penny. “I’ve been working on my own rig to train for the frame carry. I’m ready to try a heavier one now.” He’d also made a ring for Ezra out of scrap copper and silver, but then realized how that might be perceived and put it in a drawer for it to never see the light of day.
“You sure you won’t break your back or something? A friend of mine ended up with issues from carrying heavy weights. And you are definitely way up there. Then again, maybe you’re superhuman,” Ezra added, rubbing Frank’s cheekbone with his thumb. This time, he did move from under him.
Frank picked him up without trouble. “What do you think? Am I?” Was it needy? Maybe, but he didn’t feel bad about that when he was paying for Ezra’s time.
After all, this washisfun.
Wide eyes looked back at him as Ezra grinned, holding on to Frank’s neck. “My very own superman,” he said and pressed their lips together, drowning Frank in a wave of tenderness. Hewouldask Ezra to accompany him to the competition.
He’d make his proposition casually at dinner. If it got rejected, then so be it. Ezra was allowed to choose what events he was willing to attend. After all, he had other male friends to entertain, most notably Paul, about whose presence in their life Frank would rather forget.
“Your superman is very sweaty, and we’re both covered in cum. Shower time, and then, we eat so we have the energy for round two.” He kissed that eager mouth, carrying Ezra into the bathroom.