Page 16

Chapter 16

Elijah Grant

Benji and I stood in line, waiting to be let into the theater. I had won these tickets through a lottery earlier today. My first instinct was to ask Zack if he wanted to come with, but when he told me he couldn’t make it because of school, I figured I should probably cancel. I didn’t love the idea of going by myself. I enjoyed having company with me, especially now that I was dealing with a stalker. The thought of venturing out on my lonesome wasn’t exactly empowering or exciting; it was the complete opposite.

But then there was Mr. Handsome and Masked Detective, who had given me one of the best nights of my goddamn life. I wondered if maybe inviting him to a Broadway show was a little too forward, too romantic. We’d spent the night fucking at a masked orgy, after all. Would he think it was weird of me to invite him?

I decided to find out.

I said “fuck it” and sent him a text. I tried to manage my expectations. Didn’t want to get too excited, even though my dick didn’t appear to get the same memo. Maybe it was a mistake inviting him just for the simple fact that I’d have a permanent erection around him. And the last thing I needed was for my dick to fall off because it was hard longer than four hours.

So to help with that, I jerked off before meeting Benji, hoping that would help satiate some of the lust he stirred up in me.

Spoiler alert: it didn’t. I was currently standing in line with a half chub in my jeans, my briefs feeling extra tight.

Who could blame me? Benji looked so fucking hot. He was dressed casually in a white T-shirt with the sleeves rolled, a pair of dark jeans, and clean white sneakers, and a golden bracelet topped off the look. What made him even hotter, though, was what he had underneath his clothes: a thick cock, a juicy ass, full balls, a furry chest, and a sexy stomach.

Annnnd fuck. I was fully hard now. I stuffed a hand in my pocket and made sure to hold it down before I was stopped by security for trying to smuggle in a loaded weapon.

“Thanks again for the invite. I’ve been meaning to come see this show since it opened.”

“I’m glad you could come. I thought you might have been tired of me after spending the entire night together.”

“Are you kidding? I doubt I could ever get enough of you.”

I chuckled at that, trying to play it cool, even though my insides turned into mush. “So I take it that means you had fun?”

“I did, if you couldn’t tell after the third time I turned you into a sticky mess.”

“Good. Definitely a night to remember.”

“We should have some more of those,” Benji suggested, almost nonchalantly. I swallowed and nodded. Something caught in my chest, a flicker of flame sticking to my ribs as if they were made of dry tinder. I was only just getting to know Benji, but there was no denying the giddy sensations and intense attraction that arose when he was around.

Benji was a grounding force. A sexy one. I liked that. I wanted to explore that and him.

We reached the front of the line and were checked by security before being allowed into the luxurious lobby. Classic chandeliers hung from golden coffered ceilings. Thick red velvet draped the walls behind the concession stand. We went there first and ordered two glasses of wine.

“Well, there goes my down payment on a house,” I joked, lifting my extremely expensive glass of wine and clinking it against Benji’s.

“At least they fill the glass.”

“Ah, so you’re a glass-half-full kind of guy.”

“I am, I am.” Benji smiled as we walked through the buzzing crowd and into the theater. An usher pointed us to our seats—front and center orchestra, giving us a great and up-close view of the entire stage.

“Do you come to see shows often?” Benji asked as we took our seats.

“I went through a phase when that’s all I ever did. I’d show up for rush tickets and try to buy them cheap that same day. Didn’t matter if it was a show I’d seen a hundred times already. Then I got pretty beat up trying to pursue Broadway myself that I started almost resenting it. This is the first time I’ve been back in months.”

“Really? Wow. Well, rejection is just redirection. Maybe you had to be turned away from all the other roles because the role that’s about to make you is coming up.” He reached over and casually placed his hand on my leg, gently squeezing.

“That’s… really nice. Thank you. I don’t think I’ve been able to see it that way.”

He put it so simply. It cut through all the negative emotions, the self-sabotaging, the boohooing.

Rejection is redirection.

The royal blue curtains rose, and the lights dimmed in the theater as the show officially began. It started with a campy singing number that had the main actor swinging from a giant disco ball. It was an entertaining way to start the show. I would have appreciated it more if Benji’s hand wasn’t resting on my leg, his fingers awfully close to my crotch. I stretched my legs and readjusted myself in the seat, and his hand magically landed directly between my legs.

He started to rub. My cock throbbed at the attention. I glanced to my left, but the man sitting next to me was completely engrossed in the show.

Benji squeezed. Pleasure made my toes curl inside my sneakers. The stage and the actors and the entire theater started to disappear. All that was left was Benji’s hand on my stiff dick, slowly rubbing it through my jeans.

He leaned toward me and whispered, “This okay?”

“Mhmm,” I responded, making my cock push up against his palm.

I swallowed, keeping my eyes on the performance but my attention focused on my cock. I placed my hands on top of his, holding the playbill, giving Benji a little more cover. I didn’t want someone getting up to use the bathroom and spotting the way Benji’s hand was massaging my cock through my jeans. I bit my lip, trying to keep my breathing even, but fuck, he knew what he was doing. His fingers traced slow, teasing circles over my length, pressing just hard enough to make me ache for more.

On stage, the cast launched into a big ensemble number, but my focus was completely shot. Every nerve in my body was trained on the way Benji’s palm cupped me, squeezed me, the slow stroke of his fingers edging me to full-blown desperation.

I glanced at him. He wasn’t even pretending to watch the show anymore—his gaze was locked on me, lips slightly parted, expression smug as hell.

Fucking tease.

I shifted in my seat, gripping his wrist to still him before I lost all control and started grinding up into his hand like some desperate cock-hungry whore. “Intermission,” I whispered, my voice tight with need. “We’re finding a bathroom.”

I had enough theater decorum for that, at least.

Benji smirked. “I like the way you think.”

The second the house lights came up for intermission, I grabbed his hand and tugged him into the aisle. People were already stretching, standing, chatting. No one paid us any attention as we slipped toward the back of the theater and out into the lobby.

I led him toward the restrooms, my pulse hammering, cock already straining against my jeans. The men’s room was busy, but I spotted a single-occupancy stall toward the end. I yanked Benji inside and locked the door. The walls of the stall went all the way to the floor, so we didn’t have to worry about getting called out.

He barely had time to lean back against the wall before I was on my knees, fumbling with his belt, popping the button of his jeans, yanking the zipper down. “Fuck,” Benji breathed, his hands pressing into my hair as I shoved his jeans down just enough to free his cock.

Thick. Hard. Heavy.

My mouth watered at the sight of it, the flushed tip already glistening with precum.

I licked my lips, then ran my tongue along the underside of his shaft, slow and deliberate, savoring the way his cock twitched under my touch. Benji let out a low groan, his fingers tightening in my hair. His scent flooded through me. Manly, musky. Made me even more hungry for his taste.

“Eli,” he rasped. “You’re fucking perfect.”

I hummed against him before parting my lips and sinking down, taking him deep, letting the thick heat of him stretch my mouth. His taste flooded my tongue—salty, intoxicating.

I started slow, hollowing my cheeks as I bobbed my head, savoring the weight of him on my tongue, the warmth of his cock in my mouth. He cursed under his breath, his hips jerking slightly as I took him deeper, inch by inch, until the tip nudged the back of my throat.

The door rattled slightly as he braced himself against it, breathing heavily. “Jesus, Eli.”

I moaned around his cock, the vibration making his hips buck. He barely caught himself from outright fucking my mouth, his fingers flexing against my scalp, torn between letting me work him at my own pace and giving in to the obvious need clawing through him.

I flicked my tongue along the slit, tasting his precum, and then took him deeper, sucking hard as I relaxed my throat. His thighs tensed. His breath hitched.

“God, you’re gonna make me?—”

I sucked harder.

Benji choked on a groan, his body going taut as his cock throbbed against my tongue. He came with a sharp exhale, spilling hot and thick down my throat. I swallowed greedily, sucking him through it until he finally tugged me off with a shaky breath.

“Fuck, Eli.” He laughed, still breathless. I got back up to my feet and kissed him, knowing he could taste himself. He broke from the kiss with a chesty moan, his hands cupping the sides of my face. “That was?—”

The sound of a sudden commotion outside cut him off.

The loud chatter of the crowd had shifted—people were murmuring now, voices laced with confusion. Then, without warning, a bright white light started flashing through the bathroom.

I looked to Benji. “What the fuck?” My stomach dropped. That wasn’t normal.

I wiped my lips as Benji adjusted his jeans. We barely had time to compose ourselves before a voice came over the loudspeaker:

“Ladies and gentlemen, we need to ask everyone to remain calm. Authorities are investigating a situation. Please stay in your seats.”

Shit.

Talk about a mood killer.

Benji’s whole demeanor changed in an instant, his usual easy confidence sharpened into something deadly serious. His eyes flickered to mine, questioning. The spicy moment we’d just shared quickly became overshadowed by a sinking feeling of dread in my gut.

“We need to go back out there,” he murmured, already pushing the door open.

The moment we stepped into the main lobby, the tension was thick. People were huddled in groups, glancing around, whispering. Then I saw them—police officers moving in from the main entrance.

Benji went still.

“What the fuck is going on?” I whispered. I scanned the crowd when I locked eyes with someone I recognized. My entire body went numb. I immediately turned around and leaned into Benji’s side. “Turn to your left. Guy with the red hat,” I said, squeezing his hand. “I think that’s Damon.”

I could feel Benji go even more tense.

And then I heard someone say it—low, urgent, barely above a whisper.

Bomb threat.

A sharp chill raced through my spine. The entire theater suddenly felt too small, the walls too close. My breath hitched.

Could this be… was it because of me?

Benji’s grip found my wrist, firm, grounding. “Stay with me,” he murmured. His eyes locked onto the nearest exit. Calculating.

People were starting to stir. Nervous energy crackled through the crowd. A few had already pulled out their phones; some appeared to be recording the situation.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” an officer stepped forward and shouted over the growing chaos. “We need to begin an orderly evacuation. Please move toward the nearest exit. Do not run. Do not push.”

But the second the word “evacuation” left his mouth, panic erupted.

Someone bolted for the door. Others started shoving forward, voices rising in frantic urgency.

I grabbed onto Benji’s arm, my pulse hammering. “What do we do?”

He was already moving, his grip tightening on my wrist as he led me toward the side exit, fast but controlled. His entire body thrummed with focus.

“We get the fuck out,” he said, his voice clipped. “Now.”

The crowd was growing more chaotic, tension hitting a breaking point. The officers tried to keep order, but the panic had already taken root.

My heart pounded.

Benji’s fingers squeezed mine.

And then?—

A loud, piercing alarm blared through the theater.

The evacuation turned into a stampede.