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Thomas stood in the alley and waited. He knew that Forrest was in his office. There were enough people moving in and out of it that it had to mean that he was either going to be moving out or he was taking on a partner. He wondered who the fuck he thought he was going to play with now. When he finally saw him coming out with another man, he stepped in front of him. Thomas was a little pissed that Forrest didn’t even look upset that he was there.

“Thomas. It’s been a while. Not long enough, but a while. How the hell have you been? Oh, this is my lover, Jake. Jake, this is Thomas, the man I was telling you about.” The other man didn’t mean shit to him. “I thought you were warned to stay away from me.”

“Nobody tells me what I can and can’t do, Forrest. I want to know where my money is.” He asked him what money that would be. “The money that you’re going to pay me for keeping my mouth shut on what a prick you are.”

“Oh? And how did you come to that conclusion? Not to mention, why do you think I’d pay you anything?” Thomas stretched his neck and was glad that it popped twice. Forrest had hated when he’d done that. But he wasn’t playing right now. “I’ve moved on to much better things. You should as well. I’m not interested in any of your games any longer.”

“What games? You prick, all you had to do was take it like a man and then I’d have the money I need. I have expenses, and you have made it extremely difficult for me to even get a date. What did you fucking do, call everyone you knew to be on the outlook for me? And what did you do to Vinny? The man is shitting bricks and won’t even speak to me.” Forrest looked at the man next to him. Thomas did as well. “You did this? You think that he’s going to keep you around because you can pull a few strings and get me banned from the hangouts I go to?”

“I had nothing to do with you and your problems with your hangouts. And you’ve never yet said what he owes you for. Are you talking blackmail?” Thomas doubled up his fist and the man took a step back from him. “You take a swing at me and you and I are going to have some major issues. I’m not fucking around anymore.”

“I have pictures.” The other man said he didn’t. “I do too. And you should have paid me off, not sent a vampire to talk to me. Now there are going to be troubles you never even thought of.”

“Really? Because from where I’m standing, you don’t have a pot to call your own. You living off the streets again, Thomas? Or have you moved into that vacant building on Tenth? I heard that it’s full of rats and cockroaches. I’m thinking you’ll fit right in with them.” Forrest was well informed and that pissed him off more. “As for blackmailing me, you do know that’s a crime, don’t you? I mean, it really is something that I can take you to court over.”

“Like I think you’re going to do that. I know you’re not telling people what a faggot you are. The great Forrest Stout is a mediocre lawyer and a fag. What do you think the local rags are going to do with that information?” No one said anything and that pissed him off more. “Stout takes it in the ass.”

“So did you. And you screamed every time I did it too.” Thomas wasn’t prepared for him to be so calm. He wanted anger, for him to beg him to shut up. “It was fun while it lasted, but it’s over. I think you should move on before you get hurt.”

“You think you’re going to hurt me? You mother fucker, you won’t touch me. Do you want to know why?” He surprised him again by telling him that he did. “You won’t touch me because I said so.”

They looked at each other, Forrest and his lover. Then they burst out laughing. Thomas felt his head explode in anger, and his mind just leapt to killing the two of them. But before he could act on it, even if he had any idea how to, he was on the ground with his arm pinned up behind his back. And then Forrest knelt down and looked at him.

“My life partner has had a really shitty day so far. Well, a shitty week I guess. You might want to think about that when you hurl any more insults and try to hurt me.” He called him a mother fucker again and screamed when he felt his shoulder pop. “I did warn you, Thomas. He’ll hurt you more if you don’t shut up and listen to me.”

“You’re going to pay. You fucking hear me? You’ll pay for this shit.” The pain in his shoulder was making him sick. He was gagging now, his belly not caring for what was being done to his body. “Tell him to let me go. Christ, he’s killing me.”

“I don’t think anyone has ever died from a dislocated shoulder. Do you, Jake?” The man behind him laughed and said not that he’d heard of. “Yes, I didn’t think so either. But there is always a first time.”

“I’m begging you, Forrest. Tell him to let me go. Please?” He felt the pain in his arm lessen, then it seemed to take on a new form of pain. Thomas turned his head and threw up. Bits of it stuck to his mouth and he wasn’t able to wipe it away. “You fuckers, I’m not going to forget this.”

His head was jerked back. But instead of seeing Forrest there, it was the other man, Jake his name was. And he looked entirely too calm, looking at him like he was searching for a place to ram a knife. Then he spoke.

“As Forrest was telling you, I’m at my wits’ end in dealing with people like you. First my soon to be ex-wife, my father and father-in-law, and now you. I’m holding on as tightly as I can, but you’re really close to pushing the wrong button.” Thomas was terrified. “If you keep this up, and a small part of me hopes that you do, I’m going to take every bit of my anger and frustration out on you. And I should warn you that I will not hold anything back in dealing with you.”

He thought it was the calmness of the man, the way his voice never rose or lowered as he spoke, that scared him. Thomas had an idea that underlying that calmness was a person that could kill a man and not feel a single thing. He’d threatened a person, Thomas realized too late, that should never be fucked with.

“I’ll leave the two of you alone. I swear it.” Jake shook his head, like it was too little too late. “I swear it. You won’t have to worry about me again.”

“You see, I’d like to believe you. I really would, but sadly I do not. Neither does Quincey.” Thomas asked who that might be. “Oh, you know him. Quite well as a matter of fact. He’s the man who warned you to stay the fuck away from us.”

A chill raced down his spine. He knew that the vamp was going to be involved in this. He just knew it. Telling them that he wasn’t going to bother them again and again did nothing to change the looks on their faces. He was so fucked.

Then he was standing in front of him. The vampire.

“Hello, Thomas. I do hope that you’ve made all your personal arrangements.” Thomas asked him what that was supposed to mean. “You’ve made out your will? Not that you have anything to leave anyone, but I find that I do want to know. Even if you did have someone that would care enough for you to call them a friend. But I’m finished with you and your ways. Bill Stalker was my friend too.”

It took him several seconds to place the name. Bill Stalker had been his latest victim, a man that had fought back and lost. As Thomas was being lifted from the ground without either of the three men touching him, he started begging for his life.

“Don’t kill me, please. I’m begging you. Please, don’t kill me. He wanted me. What was I to do?” No one spoke, but the tightening around his throat was beginning to make him slightly lightheaded. “You’re killing me.”

“Well, of course I am. What did you expect?” He was down then, his knees hurting from biting into the concrete. Thomas stood; his plan was to run, but he felt sick, lightheaded again.

Then he felt it, the warmth of something being poured over him. Looking down at his chest, he saw the red stain begin to cover him. Reaching for his throat, he realized he’d been cut. And that he wasn’t going to get any help from the men in front of him.

Staggering away, he fell on a woman. She hit him several times as he fell to the ground once again. Then she kicked him in the stomach as she screamed obscenities at him. Thomas held his neck, hoping to stop his life from being drained from him. But he had a feeling it was too late, much too late for him. Then Forrest was standing there.

“This is for the forty-three men you ruined because of what you did. For the lives ended when you went public with their secrets. There was no mercy from you, none when they begged you to leave them to their own misery.” Then Jake was there, his face hard and set.

Thomas couldn’t speak; he knew that he was dying. It wasn’t right, wasn’t fair that these men of all men were the last faces he’d see. As he faded out, because that was what it felt like to him, he thought of the man, Bill.

Thomas closed his eyes, thinking of the fun he’d had with the man a few days ago. How much money he had been going to get from him. Then he felt the first touch against his mind, a voice that told him it was Quincey.

He killed himself last night. Hung himself in his garage so that his wife would find him before his children did. The note he left her said that you had drugged him, raped him, and took pictures. Yes, he had done that, but he’d done that a hundred times before. What had made this one so different? He wasn’t gay. He had a good life, a wonderful family, and was loved by a great many people. And he was my friend. And you are going to pay with your life for taking something from him. His life.

Thomas let his body go. There was no help for it. Not from anyone. He didn’t feel regret, only in that he was dying so young. Smiling, or thinking that he’d like to, he let the weakness take him. Surely someone would come soon and help him. It was his last thought before he fell into what he hoped was a deep sleep.

~~~

Forrest wasn’t sure how he felt about what he’d been a part of. Sadly, he felt very little. But he had stood there as a man’s life was drained away. He wondered if Thomas had ever felt anything for him, ever. Or the countless other people that they’d not been able to find in their search.

“He deserved it.” Forrest looked at Jake, who sat on the couch across from him. “Thomas was the worst kind of monster. He preyed on the kind of people that had no one to get help from. Or they thought they didn’t have anyone.”

“The police; did you know that Quincey messed with their minds, and they saw him as a self-inflicted gunshot wound?” Jake nodded. “And are you okay with that? That not only did we take part in his death, but lied about it as well?”

“How many people do you think are going to benefit by his death?” Forrest said that he had no money and nothing of value. “No, I mean the victims that he didn’t touch, won’t be able to. You know as well as I that there wasn’t going to be an end to his treatment of others. That even though he said he’d leave people alone that he’d keep going back and back until this ended just the way it did. Not with his throat cut, but him being dead.”

“I think so, yes. But that doesn’t make it any easier to take. We watched a man die.” Jake asked him if he’d seen a man die before. “No. I mean, I was there once when a client was put to death, but I didn’t watch. It was bad enough that I had to be there.”

“I did once. When I was about seventeen, two of my buddies and I were going on a trip. I don’t remember where now, but we’d loaded up this old piece of shit van that belonged to one of them and set out. We weren’t ten miles down the road when it broke down.” Jake got up and moved toward him, kneeling on his knees at his feet. “None of us had any idea what might be under the hood of the thing, but we opened it. Just, I guess, to look manly. Anyway, there was a hissing sound and Fred decided it would be a good idea to open the radiator cap.”

“Christ.” Jake nodded. “I’m assuming from the start of your story, he was burned badly.”

“Yes, but it didn’t kill him. Sheppard, the other friend, he jumped back and was hit by a car. I mean, it should have been Fred; he was burned over sixty percent of his body. But Sheppard wasn’t touched by the hot liquid. Instead, he was tossed up in the road and killed as I stood there and watched.”

Forrest opened his legs when Jake moved between them. “I have no idea what your plan is, but our family is due here in about two hours. Not nearly enough time for whatever you have planned right now.”

“I think I can make it work. Just don’t touch me. You rush when you’re needy.” He did too, but put his arms on the back of the couch and held onto the cushions. “Forrest, you’re going to let me explore and you’ll behave.”

“I’ll try.” Jake nodded. “But I’m not making any promises. You are just too much for a poor old man like me.”

Jake was laughing when he unbuttoned Forrest’s shirt. Forrest watched as he worked each little button out of the corresponding hole. The process seemed slow, methodical almost. Like he was working to make him crazy before he touched him.

When he had his shirt opened, Jake ran his tongue over his navel, his ribs. Forrest couldn’t breathe, his body burned. Jake never touched him with anything but his mouth and his tongue. Forrest wondered briefly if when he did, he’d come.

His nipples were chewed on, nibbled enough that Forrest wanted to cup the back of Jake’s head and hold him there. But he didn’t touch him, didn’t tell him to hurry, but enjoyed watching Jake explore him. He hissed out his approval when warm hands touched his ribs.

“Your muscles are so tight here.” He nodded, not sure that he could stop himself from begging for more. “I can smell you. I never thought of a man smelling like sex, but you do. I love it.”

“I can smell you too. When you come out of the shower, it’s all I can do not to let my cat take me so that he can lick you dry. He wants to lick you someday.” Jake said he’d love that and his cat purred along his skin. “Can you feel him?”

“I can. And someday I’ll let him lick me until I come. But for now, this is my time.” Forrest nodded, then cried out when Jake swirled his tongue into his navel. He wasn’t going to make it. Whatever Jake had planned was going to be cut short because he was so close to the edge. Rocking upward, trying to hurry him along without touching him, Jake moaned. “You’re supposed to behave.”

“I am, trust me. Because what I really want to do is throw you on the floor and fuck you.” Jake’s eyes darkened. His body pressed against his. Forrest rocked upward again and gripped the cushions harder. “I’m going to come all over you.”

“Promise?” Forrest nodded and threw back his head and closed his own eyes when Jake touched his belt buckle. It was torture. Pure, complete torture.

Forrest heard the snap being released from its catch, the sound of the zipper moving over the teeth that held it closed. All this—Jake’s heavy breathing, his heart pounding in his chest—made Forrest hungry for the man, starved to have him touch him, soothe while tearing him apart. And when a breeze, hot from Jake’s mouth, blew over his hot hard cock, he looked down his body at him.

Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw on Jake’s face. Love, yes, but there was so much more. Understanding. Compassion, as well as a plethora of every other emotion that one would have when on the threshold of so much.

Forrest wanted to touch him, hold him in his arms. He wanted to tell him that he couldn’t live up to the love that he saw there. That it was impossible for him to be so happy. Forrest thought that should he die at this moment, his life would be complete. Then he realized that he had plenty of time to show Jake. Hours of conversations that they could share. Millions of minutes to be with him. For the rest of his life, Jake would be his.

Jake’s mouth lowered to his cock. Forrest held his breath. And when he touched his tongue to him, circled his dark crown with it, Forrest cried out. It was too much and not nearly enough at the same time.

Jake fisted his cock, suckled his balls into his mouth. His hands were everywhere, fondling, touching him. When he felt his balls in his warm hands, Forrest closed his eyes again; there was only so much that he could see, hear, and feel.

Forrest hurt, his body so close to coming, because as surely as he lay there, being loved by his lover, he knew that it was going to be his body that came, not only his cock. And when he did, he’d be lucky not to faint dead away, it was going to be that epic.

Breathing became difficult. His heart was beating so hard, so fast, that he was sure it was going to leap from his chest. And when Jake told him to come, screamed for him to do so in his head, Forrest had no choice but to let himself go.

Coming had never felt this way. His toes curled, his hair tingled. Holding Jake now, his mouth wrapped around his cock, Forrest fucked him hard, coming not twice but three times as his body seemed to erupt with each release. Even as he felt the darkness take him under, Forrest knew for as long as he lived, he’d never forget this night.

When he woke he was alone in the big room. He could hear Jake in the other room, talking to someone. There were no other voices that he could hear, so he assumed he was on the phone. Standing up, he was slightly dizzy, weak really, and had to smile. He felt fucking fantastic. Pulling his clothing together, he sat back down to pull on his shoes and looked around the room.

Their furniture had blended well. Not only was the couch that Jake purchased post Carol the same one Forrest had in his own home, but the lamps were a perfect match to the floor lamp that Jake had. The pictures over the mantle had been the right size to fill the massive area. Since Jake hadn’t purchased much else but a bedroom set and his living room things, Forrest’s things filled out most of the rest of the house, including the dining room and the office that they’d share.

When he thought he could stand without making a fool of himself, he went to find Jake. He was in the main hall with his cell to his ear and his head leaning against the wall. He might have thought him upset but for the bursts of laughter that came from him. Forrest touched him on the shoulder, and Jake looked at him with tears in his eyes and humor, a great deal of it, on his face.

“I have to go, Grandma. I want to tell Forrest this before anyone gets here. You’re coming early, right?” She must have said she was because Jake thanked her. “I’ll see you soon. And thank you for this. You’ve made my entire day.”

“I take it your grandma is enjoying herself with something.” Jake nodded and told him she’d been talking to her son. “I bet that went over well.”

“You have no idea. She said she called him to ask him about tonight’s dinner and he said he wasn’t coming. Last I heard he was. Anyway, she told him to get the stick out of his ass, her words, and to get over here. Because if he didn’t, she was going to cut him off, and she didn’t mean the money either.” Forrest could see her doing it too. “I think she implied that she was going to hire a hit man to come after him.”

“She knows a great many people, her relationship with Quincey notwithstanding. How did she meet him, do you know?” Jake told him. “You’re kidding? She actually put an ad in the paper for a blood sucker to come and see her? Your grandma has some big balls. I think I’ll be a little nicer to her from now on.”

“You should call her Grandma like I do. But back to my dad. He said that he had no use for her money, and who else would she leave it to but to him? I guess he had it in his head that since he was her only son that he’d just inherit it all.” Forrest knew that Jacob wasn’t getting a dime of her money, that Jake was getting it all. “So when she informed him that she was going to live a lot longer than he was, he laughed. Grandma then told him about Quincey.”

“You think that story she told before is true? That she is going to outlive us all?” Jake said he didn’t know and apparently neither did his dad. “I love that old bat. She is the best woman I’ve ever known.”

“My parents are coming but they’re not happy about it. Your dad is going to be here, and is more pissed about it than my parents are. Grandma is taking bets on who leaves first and how they do it. Also, Carol is in jail, asking me to come in and bail her out. Then to represent her in her trial for killing her mother. This could not be more fucked up if you ask me.” Forrest asked him if he was going to have fun. “You know, believe it or not, I’m actually looking forward to this. I think this is just what I need. What we both need.”

“I agree. Once today is finished and we get this mess with Carol out of the way, then you and I need to figure out a nice place to go and take a long vacation. We can dust off our passports and have a nice long trip seeing other countries.” Jake said that sounded fine to him. “Great. I’ll work on that tonight, after they’re gone.”

“No, tonight you return the favor. You left me hanging.”

As Jake walked away, Forrest started laughing. While he was in the bedroom getting cleaned up for dinner, he thought of all the things he was going to do to Jake. And he was sure it wasn’t even going to come close to what he’d done to him on the couch. But he was going to try his best, even if it took him all night. Yes, sir, Forrest thought, life was going to be fucking perfect.