Page 5 of Joey’s Trick
5
D inner was the usual boisterous affair of laughter, wine, and good food. Joey spent much of the time forcing himself to join in, his mind still a muddled mess after everything he’d learned, and sneaking peeks at Trick when the guy wasn’t looking. At one point, he caught Veronica watching him, a knowing gleam in her eyes. Joey shook his head at her, giving her a pointed look. She grinned but kept quiet.
Joey presented a matching set of engraved silver watches to his parents. Both of them attempted to refuse the gift, saying it was too extravagant, but Joey waved away their protests. “I wanted to get you something that would last and it was either those or an engraved silver-plated serving platter.”
They thanked him and promptly put the watches on, all protests gone. Joey felt good providing something a little more extravagant to his parents. They’d done their best to give him and his brother everything they could while growing up, without spoiling them, but there were times they’d hit a few rough bumps in the road. His father had lost his job once because of cutbacks, which caused them to fall behind on their mortgage. They’d had a couple of years struggling to bring the payments current and almost lost the house.
His mother started asking him questions about his job, his life back in Orlando, and even if he was seeing anyone. Joey shook his head. “No. I am not in a relationship at the moment.”
“No potentials?” she asked.
“Nope. Just enjoying my job and the traveling I get to do.”
“No one at all?” Veronica asked, an obvious teasing glint in her eye.
Joey took a sip of his beer and shook his head. “Not right now, no. My biggest client keeps me busy enough.”
“Oh? Who is your biggest client?” Veronica asked.
“Wesley Prince. Remember I told you about him last night.”
She smirked. “You and him have more than a professional relationship?”
Almost choking on the small bite of food he’d taken, Joey stared at her. What the hell was she doing? She flicked her gaze toward Trick before looking back at him. “I don’t kiss and tell,” Joey finally replied.
Veronica laughed. “That is always such a cop out. It’s obvious something has happened between the two of you.”
“Really, Veronica, this isn’t the type of conversation to have at dinner,” Joey’s mom reprimanded her.
She’d gotten whatever response she’d been trying to get because she agreed too easily. Joey glanced at Trick and had to do a double take, but Trick looked away before Joey could be certain at what he’d seen. Was Trick jealous? Trick had kissed him at his apartment earlier, so it was entirely possible, he supposed. But why? Joey frowned. They hadn’t seen each other for years and until this morning, he’d thought Trick hated his existence. Deciding to shelve the entire thing until he was alone again, Joey consciously pushed the thoughts from his mind, joining in on the conversation once more.
Afterward, they returned to the house where they all sat around and played Bullshit, a card game Joey had hated as a kid because his mother wouldn’t let him swear. It wasn’t until after midnight that his parents called it quits and headed upstairs. Trick made his excuses. “I’ll see you in the morning, Ant,” Trick said, standing.
“You’re leaving, too?” Anthony asked. “But it’s so early.”
“And we have to be up early to finish Mrs. Levy’s front lawn.”
Anthony groaned and slumped in his chair. “Damn, I forgot.”
Trick grinned. “Comes with the territory of owning your own business.”
“Let me use the restroom and we’ll head out, too, babe,” Veronica said. She headed out of the kitchen toward the bathroom.
Trick looked at Joey. “Walk me out?”
Anthony gave them both a strange look that Joey didn’t miss. Joey swallowed and shrugged. “Sure.”
Without a word, Trick led the way out of the kitchen and through the living room. Joey trailed behind him down the driveway, his eyes locked on the flexing muscles behind the slacks Trick wore. He didn’t notice Trick stop until Trick spun, grabbed him by the wrist, and drew him into the shadows next to the house. Joey startled as he found his body yanked up against Trick’s and Trick’s hands cupping the sides of Joey’s face. “Wha-”
Trick stopped the exclamation, bringing his mouth down onto Joey’s. A gasp gave Trick’s tongue free entry and the thick, slick muscle flooded Joey’s mouth. Joey reached up and grasped Trick’s shoulders, his fingers digging into the hard muscles there. He groaned into the kiss, sucking heatedly on Trick’s tongue. A growl vibrated against Joey’s mouth before Trick broke away, panting heavily and leaning his forehead against Joey’s. Trick trailed his hands down the sides of Joey’s neck, along his shoulders and around to his waist. “All night you’ve driven me crazy. Your fucking smile, the sound of your laugh, the smell of your skin.”
“What is this?” Joey asked, his voice strained with desire.
“I want you, Joey. I have for years. Whenever Anthony would show me pictures of you from college or the ones of you with your clients, all I could think about was seeing you again. I know you won’t believe me, but even before I admitted to myself, before I told my parents I was gay, I wanted you.”
Joey thunked his head back on the side of the house, his body shuddering at Trick’s words. They were all he’d ever wanted to hear in high school. Now, he couldn’t stop himself from hoping they were true, but doubting Trick’s sincerity. But he remembered Dr. Garrett’s suggestion. Give Trick a chance. Let him show whether or not he deserved Joey’s trust.
“Have dinner with me tomorrow night?” Trick asked.
Before Joey could answer, he heard the front door open and Trick drew him further into the shadows. “Trick’s truck is still here?” Anthony said. “Where the hell are they?”
“Maybe they went for a walk or something. Let’s just go home.”
“Something is going on with the two of them. I just don’t know what it is.” Joey could hear the frustration and hurt in his brother’s voice.
“Does it matter? They’re both adults and it’s none of our business,” Veronica said. The sound of Anthony’s truck doors opening reached the two of them where they hid in the shadows. Joey couldn’t hear anything else as their conversation became covered by the sounds of the doors closing.
Trick leaned in closer, feathering his lips over the side of Joey’s neck and sending shivers down Joey’s spine. “Say you’ll have dinner with me. It’s just dinner. Nothing else.”
“O-okay,” Joey breathed out.
“Thank you,” Trick murmured, nuzzling at Joey’s shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, then. Seven o’clock.”
Suddenly, Joey felt bereft of Trick’s body heat as Trick walked toward his truck and climbed inside. Joey watched until the taillights of the vehicle disappeared around the corner. He sighed, wondering what the hell he’d gotten himself into. It wasn’t as if there could be anything between them. He’d be returning home to Orlando in a few days.
Did he really want something to happen between them? He knew Trick had explained what had happened years ago. It didn’t make the words hurt any less or take away what Joey had experienced these last eight years. Could he simply move past it and let Trick into his life? Could he give Trick the chance of destroying him again?
Sighing, Joey headed into the house to get ready for bed. He had a lot of shit to think about before dinner tomorrow night.
T he next morning, Joey helped his mom make breakfast, then cleaned the garage with his dad. Homesickness hit him straight in the chest. He’d missed being around his family, missed his father’s sense of humor and the way his mother fussed over him. Hell, he’d even missed the way his brother would hassle him about anything and everything. Maybe now… maybe now he could come back home more often to visit.
“Want to tell me what’s going on with you and Trick?” his mother asked while they were doing the dishes after lunch, causing him to almost drop the glass he’d been drying.
“What are you talking about?” Joey asked, setting the glass on the counter to put away after all the dishes were washed.
She gave him a raised brow. “I may be old, Joey, but I’m not blind. When you first got home, you wouldn’t have anything to do with Trick. I may not know what was said outside during the barbecue, but I could see you were upset and angry. Did he do or say something to upset you?”
Joey couldn’t believe just how on point his mother was. He hadn’t given her enough credit. Could he tell her the truth, though? Maybe bare details? Sighing, he set aside the plate he’d just dried. “Let’s finish these and then we can talk.”
They didn’t speak again until everything was put away and his mother had put together some iced tea with a few cookies on a plate. Settling at the kitchen table, Joey gave a summarized version of his feelings and what he’d heard eight years ago, leaving out his off the rails details from college. “Oh, Joey,” she said, touching his cheek gently. “I am so sorry he hurt you like that. I knew you had a crush on him in high school, but I never dreamed when you suddenly stopped trailing after them the way you used to, that this was the reason.”
He shrugged. “I didn’t want to be around him again after that. As each year went by, it got harder to let it go and for me to come back. I didn’t know about him coming out and his parents kicking him out of the house.” He gave a derisive smile. “It was definitely mind blowing when I found out he himself is gay. I’m still processing it.”
His mother grabbed hold of one of his hands and squeezed it. “Trick was… a very confused, frightened young man back then, honey. I’m not defending what he said. Not at all. But to know his own parents hated what he was and if he ever acted on any of those feelings, he’d lose his family, must have made him feel so afraid and hopeless. Sometimes we do things we aren’t proud of because we’re scared. He’s a good man, Joey. Give him the chance to prove it.”
Her words sort of echoed Dr. Garrett’s. “For years I thought he despised my very being, Mom. A little hard to let that go so easily.”
“I didn’t say it was going to be easy, but it could be worth it. You could do worse than Trick,” she said, smiling.
Joey stared at his mother; brows raised. “I live in Orlando. It’s not like we’d have a future together.”
Why the hell was he talking about a future with Trick when he didn’t even know if he wanted to have dinner with him that night? Then he had to admit he was lying to himself. The idea of spending time with Trick still caused the gut-twisting excitement he’d always felt whenever it came to the sexy bastard.
“Promise me something, baby.”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t let him keep you away from home any longer. No matter what you decide to do. I’ve missed my baby boy so much.”
Guilt stabbed Joey straight in the chest. “I’m sorry, Mom,” he murmured.
She touched his cheek. “It’s okay, sweetie. At least, I understand now what kept you away.” Her next words almost sent him falling out of his chair. “Now, want to tell me why you were in the hospital your first year of college?”
“You know about that?” Joey asked, shocked as hell.
“You were still on our insurance, of course we know about it. The explanation of benefits letter came a few weeks after the visit.” She pursed her lips and gave him the stink eye. “You wouldn’t exactly stay on the phone long enough to let me ask you about it.”
“I… ah… I just fell one day while horsing around,” Joey lied. “My roommate and I were being stupid. I fell and cut myself. That’s all.”
She eyed him a little longer, skepticism showing on her face. “I figured if it was serious, you’d at least have let us know what was going on.”
He hated lying to her, but there was no way in hell he would tell her about that. “Of course I would have, Mom.”
After that, she seemed to accept what he said and moved on. The day went by faster than Joey thought it would. He took a shower and dressed, spritzing himself with some cologne. He hadn’t felt nervous about a date in years. Not since the first couple he went on in college. His hands shook as he snapped his usual leather band back into place. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and shook himself. It was just Trick.
“Yeah, right,” he muttered. “Just Trick.”
His phone vibrated, and Joey picked it up from his dresser. He frowned when he saw another text from Vince. Why didn’t the guy understand Joey wanted nothing to do with him? This time, Joey responded and told him to stop texting him, then blocked Vince’s number. He glanced at the time and saw it was already almost seven. Taking another deep breath, Joey stuffed his wallet in his pocket and double checked his hair before heading out of his room and downstairs. “I’ll be back later, Mom!” Joey shouted.
“Have fun, baby!” she called back.
Trick pulled into the driveway just as Joey exited the house. Joey walked to the passenger side, where Trick leaned over to open the door. “I was going to pick you up at the door,” Trick said.
Joey shrugged. “It’s fine. So where are we going to eat?”
“I thought we could head back to my place. I’d like to cook you dinner and it’ll give us a chance to talk without interruptions. If you’re okay with that.”
“Sure,” he said, even though he was a little nervous about being alone with Trick. If they were alone, there’d be no buffer.
“Great. So how was your day?” Trick asked.
Joey relayed what he’d done with his mom and dad, leaving out the conversation he’d had with his mom about Trick. “Did you and Anthony get that project done?”
“Almost. We’re about two thirds of the way through.” Joey could hear the pride in Trick’s voice.
“You really enjoy landscaping, huh?”
Trick nodded. “It gives me a chance to make something beautiful out of nothing. Kind of like an artist. After my parents kicked me out and I couldn’t finish college, I had to find something to support myself with and standing behind a register all day or sitting in an office really wasn’t somewhere I could see myself. And witnessing the pleasure on people’s faces when I show them the finished work really makes me happy. Happier than football ever did.”
Joey winced at the reminder of Trick’s parents’ actions. “I’m so sorry about your parents, Trick.”
“Thanks. I knew they wouldn’t accept my being gay. But I just couldn’t live the lies any longer.” Trick slowed the truck to a stop at a red light. “Besides, I had Anthony and your parents. They did a lot for me and I will always be grateful for them.”
Joey studied Trick, watching the late evening sunlight play across his face while driving. “I-I’m glad they were there for you, too.”
Trick gave him a sardonic glance. “Even after everything?”
Tearing his gaze from Trick, Joey shrugged. “I may not have liked you, but you didn’t deserve to be thrown out of your home just because you like men. You deserve a family, too.”
The feel of Trick’s hand on his startled him and he turned his head to look at him. A soft smile graced Trick’s full lips. “Thanks, Joey.”
“Uh, yeah, of course.” Joey swallowed hard and shifted his hand out from under Trick’s.
A few minutes later, they were pulling into Trick’s apartment complex parking lot. Nervousness settled in again. Joey’s stomach clenched even harder when he climbed out of the truck and followed Trick into the building. When they entered Trick’s apartment, Trick waved a hand at the sofa. “Have a seat while I get everything ready. Steaks sound good?”
“Sure,” Joey murmured, wandering toward the couch.
“You want a beer?” Trick asked, opening the fridge and taking out a couple of bottles.
Joey nodded and started to get up, but Trick stopped him and walked over to him. He popped the top off and handed him one. “So, tell me how you got into the sports agent business?”
He took a sip of his beer, then set it on the coffee table on a coaster. “I kind of just fell into it. During my last year of college, a friend of mine talked me into interning there with him for the summer before my senior year. I fell in love with the whole aspect of it. Watched a lot of the agents work, listening to what they did.”
Trick placed his own beer on the counter between the kitchen and the living room, then took out a pan to start the steaks. “Sounds like you really love your job.”
Joey smiled. “I do. I get to meet new people all the time, get to travel often, and there are a lot of perks.”
“Oh? Like what?”
He almost winced. Normally he hinted at the sex, but that just didn’t feel right with Trick. “Good money. Nice expense budget. Helps me afford my place and the car I just bought.”
Trick gave him a raised brow. “And I suppose meeting hot men has nothing to do with it?”
Joey’s face went totally five alarm blaze. “Ah…”
Grinning, Trick let him off the hook. “I’m just teasing you.”
Gods, what the fuck was wrong with him? To hide his inability to respond, Joey grabbed his beer and took a swig. He was acting like a fucking teenager all over again. Trick made him feel so off balance and as if the last eight years hadn’t happened.
By the time they sat down to dinner, Trick had set him at ease again, changing the subject. Trick didn’t have a dining table since the apartment wasn’t big enough for it, so they ate at the counter, still chatting about various subjects. When they finished, Joey helped clean up after and grabbed a third beer from the fridge. He offered one to Trick, who nodded and motioned for him to set it on the counter.
Popping open the top, he tossed the cap in the garbage can under the sink and wandered back over to the couch where he sat in the far corner, slouching slightly. Trick joined him, sitting closer than Joey expected. He shifted uncomfortably, ignoring the heat he could feel radiating off of Trick’s thigh, which was only a few inches from his own. “So, ah… What were you going to college for originally?”
“Honestly, I had no idea,” Trick said. “I really didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life then. Football had always been a big part of my life throughout middle and high school. I guess I thought I’d always play professionally.”
Joey gave him a sympathetic look.
“But it’s okay. I like what I do. I’m outside all day in the fresh air. Set my own hours. And I get to work with my best friend. What more could I ask for, right?”
“Sounds great,” Joey murmured, twisting the beer bottle in his hands and picking at the label. Okay, where the hell did his confidence go? He was getting mad at himself and at Trick for affecting him the way he did. “I think it’s time for me to go home.”
“What? But it’s still early,” Trick said, frowning.
“You said dinner. We ate. So unless you want to watch a movie or something, it’s probably best I go. I can call an Uber or something.”
Trick turned on the couch to face him, his right leg coming up to rest alongside Joey’s thigh. “Do I make you that uncomfortable? You still haven’t accepted my apology?”
If only it were that simple, Joey thought. “What do you want from me, Trick?”
“What do you mean?”
Joey turned his head to look at Trick. “I mean, what is this? Why did you want me to have dinner with you?”
Trick cupped Joey’s cheek. “I don’t want anything from you, Joey. I just wanted to spend time with you. Get to know you again.”
“Why?” Joey murmured.
A smile curled the edges of Trick’s lips. “Because despite how things were in high school, I liked… I like you, Joey. You’re smart, funny, you hide an enormous heart behind a tough facade, and so fucking sexy you break my heart.”
Joey only had a split second to suck in a breath before Trick kissed him. He gasped into Trick’s mouth before opening his own under the probing touch of Trick’s tongue. A sharp pang of lust struck through Joey so hard, his cock pulsed and his stomach ached. Reaching up, Joey placed his hand on the side of Trick’s neck, leaning farther into the kiss.
He ran his tongue over Trick’s full bottom lip, suckling on the soft flesh. Trick groaned and pulled Joey onto his lap until Joey straddled him, their jean-clad lengths pressing together. Joey couldn’t stifle the moan he let free when Trick gripped his ass, squeezing the rounded mounds in his large hands. He rocked his hips, grinding himself against Trick. “God, Joey,” Trick growled. “You taste so fucking amazing.”
Nibbling his way along Trick’s neck to his throat, Joey heatedly sucked up tiny bruises, leaving behind his mark on Trick’s skin. Their harsh breathing echoed in the silence, only to be broken by the sound of someone slamming their apartment door or voices chatting as they went by Trick’s apartment. “I want you, Joey,” Trick said. “Tell me I can have you.”
The sheer hunger in Trick’s deep voice sent shudders down Joey’s spine. He pulled away to look into Trick’s eyes, searching for deceit, lies, anything that would have him believe this to be a mistake. But the only thing he saw in Trick’s gaze was desire. The deep sapphire blue had darkened further, lust shining out at him. Joey bit his lower lip, caught between fear and having the one thing he’d always dreamed of. Trick used his thumb to pull Joey’s lip from between his teeth. “Nothing has to happen. If you still don’t trust me, I’ll take you home.”
Joey hated how vulnerable he must look to Trick right then for him to offer to take him home. He tried to clear his insecurities from his face, but Trick shook his head. “No, Joey. You don’t have to hide from me. I promise I will never hurt you again.”
“You can’t promise that,” Joey said hoarsely.
“I can,” Trick said, his face serious. “I will never hurt you ever again.”
The absolute sincerity in Trick’s eyes stole Joey’s breath. Trick truly believed his own words. His throat tightened and Joey gave a minute nod. A blinding smile broke out over Trick’s gorgeous features right before Trick captured his lips again, his arms wrapping around Joey’s back and tugging him tightly to him. Joey snaked his hands under Trick’s shirt, running his palms over the firm muscles of his stomach and higher still to his chest. Trick released Joey long enough to strip his shirt off, baring his tanned chest to Joey’s ravenous gaze.
Sculpted, tanned muscles from hours of hard work in the sun rippled in the dim lighting of the apartment. Joey traced his fingers along the edges of Trick’s pecs, circled his nipples, and trailed down to where the faint line of dark hairs disappeared into the top of Trick’s jeans. The man was a god. There were no words to describe how gorgeous Trick’s body was.
Joey tugged his own shirt off, tossing it aside haphazardly as he leaned in to lick one of Trick’s nipples, then nipped it lightly. Trick hissed, his fingers digging into Joey’s hips. “Fuck, baby, that feels so good.”
He did it again, rolling the nipple gently between his teeth, only to soothe it with his tongue. Trick ran his calloused palms along Joey’s back and over Joey’s shoulders to his chest. His thumbs found Joey’s pebbled nipples and brushed over them, wrenching a moan from Joey. Joey suddenly found himself on his back, Trick rising over him to kiss him again, one hard thigh slipping between his legs to rock against Joey’s trapped shaft. “Wanna taste you, Joey,” Trick rasped, trailing his mouth along Joey’s throat and further still.
Deft fingers popped the button on Joey’s jeans and tugged the zipper down, the teeth separating sounding harsh to Joey. But the feel of Trick’s hand wrapping around his stiff cock wrenched a loud groan from Joey. “Trick!”
“Fuck yeah, say my name just like that, baby,” Trick said right before he engulfed Joey’s cock in his hot, wet mouth. Joey cried out, his hands instinctively slapping onto Trick’s head, fingers digging into the dark chocolate locks. He couldn’t believe Trick could take the entire length. On more than one occasion, whoever he’d been hooking up with said he was too thick and long, but Trick went straight to the root.
Trick worked Joey’s cock like a pro, taking him deep, then sliding back to the tip, swirling his tongue over the crown. Holy fuck, Trick was out to ruin him. The obscene sounds of slurping ratcheted Joey’s lust even higher. Joey couldn’t stop the upward thrusts of his hips or tear his gaze away from Trick’s lips wrapped around his shaft. When Trick swallowed around him, Joey almost lost his shit. A loud groan rumbled from him. “Jesus, Trick,” he panted.
Humming, Trick lashed along the bottom of Joey’s cock on his way to the top. He released Joey, only to drop further down and nuzzle at Joey’s balls. The wet heat of Trick’s tongue on them caused Joey to toss his head back and forth on the couch pillow beneath him. Trick drew one into his mouth, then the other.
“Fuck, I’m not going to last,” Joey said, his toes curling in his shoes. He’d had some pretty good blow jobs in his life, but hell, if this wasn’t the best he’d ever received. Trick certainly knew what he was doing. Jealousy bit at the unbidden thought. He’d learned somehow… But Joey shoved the thought away. He didn’t exactly have a leg to stand on, considering his own years of constant bed partners.
“Cum for me, Joey,” Trick murmured before engulfing Joey’s cock once more. Joey almost screamed as he let go, his spunk filling Trick’s mouth, who promptly swallowed every drop. Sweat trickled along Joey’s temple and into his hair as he lay there panting, tiny aftershocks flicking along his nerve endings.