Infuriating, p.10
Infuriating, page 10
Jackson leaned over and kissed Day’s temple. He didn’t say anything, but it felt like an apology.
Once they reached the restaurant, Jackson held the door open for Day, and they were met by a bubbly blonde girl. “Welcome to La Mar. Do you have a reservation?”
“Avery, party of four,” Jackson said, flashing the girl a bright smile.
She blushed all the way to the tips of her ears. “Yes, sir. The rest of your party is already here. Follow me.”
Day made a googly-eyed face behind the girl’s back, mocking her reaction to Jackson. He gave Day a single upturned brow. “Behave yourself.”
The soft warning left goosebumps up and down Day’s whole body. Before he could respond, they were led to a table looking out over darkening waters where a middle-aged man in a linen shirt and hat smoked a cigar and a woman ten years Day’s senior sat wearing a skintight strapless, floral dress with diamond studs in her ears and a diamond ring on her left hand so big it spanned from knuckle to knuckle.
They both stood as Jackson and Day approached. Jackson clasped Angel, slapping his back like they were old friends, before kissing the woman on both cheeks. “Angel, good to see you, my friend. This is Dayton. Dayton, this is Angel and his wife, Sylvia. I hope you don’t mind if he joins us tonight?”
“Of course not, mijo. He’s your novio, si?” Sylvia asked.
Day looked to Jackson, eyes wide, but Jackson simply smiled. “Si.”
“¡Es maravilloso!” Angel said with a laugh.
Was it? Day thought.
The server arrived with two more glasses of water. “I’ll give you a few minutes to look over the menus. In the meantime, our wine list is right here in the center. Can I get you started with something from the bar?”
Day’s heart stopped. The menu. How the fuck was Day going to order off the menu? He could say he’d forgotten his glasses or excuse himself to the restroom and hope Jackson ordered for him. Day swallowed hard. Maybe, by some miracle, there would be some words he recognized simply by sight? He cracked open the menu, biting down on the inside of his cheek until it bled.
“Day?”
Day jerked his head up. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Do you want a drink?”
Day blushed, glancing at the server. “Sorry. Martini, extra dirty, please.”
The server smiled, and Day went back to studying the menu until Angel said, “Your man studies the menu like there will be a quiz afterwards.”
Jackson glanced over to Day, who slowly closed the menu and set it down. “I’ve never had Peruvian food before. It all looks so good, I don’t know what to order.”
Sylvia laughed. “It’s all so delicious. You can’t make a bad choice.”
“Hah, clearly, you don’t know me,” Day joked, earning a chuckle from the older couple. “Sometimes, I think I don’t make any other kinds of choices.”
“I don’t know, miho. It seems your luck might be changing. Look at this man on your arm,” Sylvia said, pointing one perfectly manicured hand at Jackson. “He es guapo.”
“Si,” Day said with a sigh.
The server returned with the drinks, and the conversation flowed around Day like a warm breeze. Neither Angel nor Sylvia questioned Day when he said he worked in the entertainment world, and they seemed to have no problem with the way Jackson leaned into him, a protective arm slung over his shoulders.
When the server returned, Day leaned into Jackson, brushing his lips against his ear. “Order for me, I can’t decide what I want.”
“You sure?” Jackson asked.
Day nodded. Jackson ordered something Day had never heard of, but he didn’t care. If it tasted like an old shoe, Day would eat it and smile. He was just relieved he’d found a way around that particular crisis.
When dinner came, the food was amazing, and Jackson beamed as Day excitedly told him how delicious each bite was. But, as soon as the meal ended and the coffee arrived and the bill was paid, the festivities took a decided turn.
Angel cleared his throat as he poured a generous amount of cream into his coffee. “Okay, so let’s talk. What are we going to do about what happened in Bogotá? I lost one of my best guys because your guys were sloppy.”
Day’s temper flared at the accusation. He didn’t even know what Angel referred to, but there was no way Jackson hired sloppy guys. That wasn’t who Jackson was. As if he could feel Day’s fury, Jackson found Day’s hand under the table, giving it a squeeze. It felt like a warning.
Jackson leaned back in his seat. “Angel. Be reasonable. Colombia is a dangerous country. We all knew the risks going in. You have my best guys. If they hadn’t been there, it could have been a bullet to the head, not the knee. I’m sorry your man was hurt, and I’ll, of course, be happy to compensate you for his medical bills, but how long have we been doing business together? Has this ever happened before?”
“It’s not unreasonable to expect military trained guards to keep my men alive during these transactions. My men aren’t militia. They are businessmen. They wear suits. Perhaps you are spreading yourself too thin, my friend.” He looked at Day and smirked. “Perhaps, you’re getting a bit…distracted?”
“Does your beautiful wife distract you from your work?” Jackson countered, smiling at Sylvia, who was now playing on her phone, doing her best to be invisible.
Day simply twisted his napkin in his hand until the fabric bit into his skin.
“At my age, I admit, I’m not as distracted as I might have been in my youth. When I was your age,” Angel said.
Jackson scoffed. “You're not that much older than me, Angel. Lay it on me. What is it you want here?”
Angel smiled, taking a sip of his coffee. “Reduce my yearly contract by fifteen percent.”
Jackson’s laugh was loud enough to catch the attention of other tables. “Fifteen percent? For a kneecap? Those are bullet to the head prices, my friend.”
Angel shrugged. “He was my best man. He’ll be very hard to replace.”
Jackson shook his head. “I’m sorry, Angel, but your best man’s knee isn’t worth 1.5 million dollars a year.”
“Is it worth losing a ten million dollar contract?” Angel countered.
Jackson picked up his phone. “Let me crunch some numbers.”
Jackson wasn’t crunching anything. He opened a gaming app and began to fire projectiles at balloons. Day frowned but didn’t ask questions, just sipped his ice water.
Angel grinned, clearly believing he’d won. Day hoped not. Angel and Sylvia seemed nice, but they didn’t deserve Jackson’s money. Sylvia sighed and told Angel in Spanish that she was bored and to stop playing games because she wanted to go home and watch Jimmy Fallon. Angel responded that he was going to get something for that idiot’s kneecap, and if Jackson wasn’t smart enough to negotiate, that was his problem.
“You think Jackson’s stupid?” Dayton asked in perfect Spanish.
Angel and Sylvia both stopped smiling. Jackson closed out the game on his phone, giving Day his full attention.
“Jackson works really hard and is one of the most honest people I’ve ever met in my life. He has made an offer in good faith so that he can keep your friendship and your contract, and you think you can just come in here and try to cheat him out of money for a worker you just called an idiot?”
The three of them stared at him in stunned silence before Jackson said, “You speak Spanish?”
“And Italian, Portuguese, French, and a little Creole,” Day said, still staring down Angel.
It wasn’t a lie. Day couldn’t read or write in any language, but he had a knack for mimicry. He picked up other languages easily, something that had always made Sarah jealous.
“Your novio is very protective,” Sylvia said to Jackson with a smile. “Angel, apologize to your friend, and let’s go home.”
Angel gave a sigh and an apologetic smile. “I accept your offer to pay for the idiot’s medical bills. I’m sorry if I came across as ungrateful. You are a good friend.”
“You’re a good friend, too. I am sorry for the incident in Bogotá. I’d be happy to compensate his family for a few months’ work as well.”
“That’s more than enough,” Sylvia said, already standing and grabbing her clutch. “Say thank you and let’s go before you do something else to embarrass me,” she said in rapid-fire Spanish. They all stood and shook hands. Sylvia kissed Jackson’s cheek and then Day’s. She cupped his face. “You’re good for him, I think,” she told him softly.
They all parted ways at the exit, Jackson and Day walking back to the apartment in silence. Day’s mood soured the farther they got from the restaurant. Jackson was clearly pissed that Day had intervened. He hadn’t meant to. It just popped out. He wanted to tell him so, but the longer the silence went on, the harder it was for Day to break it.
When they entered the building, the doorman opened the door for them. “Welcome back, Mr. Avery. How’s Kevin?”
“Fat and happy,” Jackson responded, like it was a longtime joke between the two of them.
Once they stepped onto the empty elevator, Day was fully prepared to plead his case, but when the doors closed, Day found himself shoved up against the glass wall, Jackson kissing him in a way that had every nerve ending lighting up and his cock throbbing against his zipper.
“You’re just full of surprises,” Jackson murmured, sweeping his thumb along Day’s cheek. “You just saved me a lot of money, you know that? I’m starting to think you’re my good luck charm.”
Day preened, even as some part of him died. He was nobody’s anything, but just for tonight, he wanted to pretend he was Jackson’s…in every way.
Jackson had a hard time keeping his hands to himself on the walk from the elevator to the apartment. Day was brilliant, funny, feisty, gorgeous. He was perfect. Absolutely perfect. Once the door closed, he gently pushed him up against the door, kissing him long and deep, trying to push everything he felt into that kiss. Day’s cry of surprise turned into a whimper that went straight to Jackson’s dick. He pulled his mouth away so he could place biting kisses along Day’s jaw, the shell of his ear, his throat. His fingers were on the third button of Day’s shirt when he grabbed Jackson’s hands. “Jackson, wait.”
“What’s wrong?”
Day’s face flushed pink, and he stared at a spot over Jackson’s shoulder, like he just couldn’t bring himself to look at him. “I know you don’t ‘do’ virgins…” Jackson watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed audibly. “But would you…do me?”
Jesus. Jackson’s cock was already leaking at the thought of sliding into Day. But he needed to be sure. “What about your auction?”
“The only person who was even a little close to meeting my asking price might be a murderer. The auction’s over. If you don’t want to…if it violates some moral code or whatever, I get it—”
“Dayton,” Jackson said sharply, cutting Day off mid-sentence.
“Yeah?” he muttered, still refusing to look at Jackson.
“Let’s go to bed.”
Day’s gaze finally slid back to his. “Okay.”
This was a different side of Day. Shy. Nervous. Timid. But equally compelling. Jackson kissed him gently, picking him up to carry him. Once more, Day’s legs came around him, clinging to him, his mouth exploring Jackson’s throat before resting his head on his shoulder.
“You should just carry me everywhere.”
“Oh, yeah? That’s how it is, huh?” Jackson asked, kicking the door closed behind them so Kevin didn’t disturb them.
“Mm,” was Day’s only reply.
“From bossy bottom to pillow princess in three days. That has to be some kind of new record,” Jackson said, setting Day on his feet, his fingers reaching for the buttons on Day’s shirt.
Day’s brows went up, and he pushed Jackson’s hands away. “Oh, you want me to be more take-charge, Daddy?” Day asked, leaning in to run his tongue along the hollow of Jackson’s throat. “I can do that.”
Day’s nimble fingers worked the buttons on Jackson’s shirt open, lips dragging across his skin as it was revealed. Jackson reached for Day, but he batted his hands away before letting them trace over the muscles of Jackson’s abdomen. Day’s tongue flicked out, teasing at Jackson’s flat nipple, before scraping his teeth over it until Jackson hissed in a pleasure/pain response that had his cock straining against his zipper.
“Day.” He said it like a warning, hoping to convey that he wasn’t sure he could take much more of Day’s teasing.
Day pushed his shirt off his shoulders, letting it fall to the ground, before dropping to his knees in front of him. “Can I, Daddy?” he asked, rubbing his cheek against Jackson’s obvious erection.
“You better,” Jackson murmured, watching Day’s pupils blow wide at his words.
Day opened Jackson’s pants, pushing them down to his thighs so he could mouth over Jackson’s cock through his boxer briefs. “I love your dick, Daddy. It’s so big.”
“Yeah?”
“Fuck, yeah.”
“Show me how much you love it,” Jackson crooned, petting his hands through Day’s hair.
Day peeled Jackson’s underwear down, running his lips up and down the length before sucking the crown into his mouth. Jackson’s eyes rolled back at the perfect heat and suction, but then it disappeared. He looked down to find Day sitting back on his heels, gazing up at Jackson obediently.
He smiled. So, Day wanted to play. Jackson could do that. “Open up, baby. Stick out that pretty tongue for Daddy.”
Jackson watched goosebumps erupt along Day’s skin at the command. He did as Jackson asked, pink tongue just waiting for him. Jackson gripped his cock, slapping it against Day’s tongue, holding his head in place as he worked it in and out of Day’s mouth.
“You look so pretty sucking my cock. You know that?” Day whimpered, the sound going straight to Jackson’s balls. “You like the way I taste?” Day hummed, closing his lips over Jackson and taking him to the root, sucking deep on his way back up. “Good boy.”
Jackson stepped out of his pants and underwear and walked to the bed, sitting in the center against his padded headboard, leaving Day on his knees.
“Undress for me…slowly.”
Day rose in that way of his, where he sort of just unfolded in one easy move. He turned around and began to unbutton his shirt, his gaze locked on Jackson, who stroked his cock as he watched Day strip.
“You're so pretty,” Jackson said again.
He meant it. Day was gorgeous, could easily have graced the cover of any magazine, but Day flushed to the tips of his ears, even as his nipples hardened to tight peaks. Jackson had wanted to play with Day, but the longer it took him to undress, the more Jackson wanted to just throw him onto the bed and work him open with his tongue, his fingers, his cock. He just needed to be inside Day’s tight little body.
Once Day was naked, Jackson crooked a finger at him. Day crawled up the bed and right into Jackson’s lap, melting into him. Jackson kissed him slow, his tongue dipping between Day’s lips. He still tasted of coffee. Jackson gripped Day’s ass, spreading him open, letting his cock slide against his hole, but making no effort to enter him. He wasn’t ready. But Jackson wasn’t ready to stop kissing him, either. He slicked his fingers with the lube on the bedside table without even breaking their kiss.
“Lift up a little for me, baby,” Jackson said against Day’s lips.
Day did as Jackson asked, stuttering out a sigh. He rubbed his fingers against Day’s entrance. He buried his face against Jackson’s throat and sank down on his two fingers, moaning as he went. Jackson had thought he’d play with him a bit first, but Day was clearly as impatient as Jackson.
“Oh, fuck,” Day whispered against Jackson’s throat as he crooked his fingers inside him, grazing the bundle of nerves. “Oh, fuck, Daddy. Oh, God. That feels so good.”
Jackson let Day ride his fingers, his boy’s cock already leaking as he put Jackson’s fingers just where he wanted them, chasing his pleasure without apology. Jackson used his other hand to play with Day’s nipples, and give the occasional stroke to his cock, gathering the precum and feeding it to Day on his thumb. His dick throbbed as Day sucked Jackson’s thumb clean.
Day was so tight, but when Jackson went to add another finger, Day shook his head. “No. Just you. I’m ready.”
“Are you sure?” Jackson asked.
Day gave him one of those looks, the one that said he didn’t want to be argued with. “I know my body. I’ve used toys before. I’ll be fine.”
Jackson was reaching for the lube when he stopped short. “Condom?”
“We’re both negative,” Day said, then bit his lip.
“They say it’s easier with a condom your first time,” Jackson said.
Day cupped his face. “I don’t want it to be easy. I just want you. I want to feel you come inside me. Please?”
Jackson nodded, his chest tight. Had they really only known each other four days? If so, why did this feel like so much more? Why did this one thing hold so much weight? Day was the one who reached for the lube, his hand slicking up Jackson’s cock and placing it against his entrance, looking him in the eye as he sank down, sucking in a pained breath as the head of his erection slipped inside.
Jackson’s hands found Day’s hips, squeezing tight.
Day shook his head. “I’m okay. You’re just…bigger than I expected. You feel so much bigger.”
“We don’t have to do this,” Jackson said, hating the tight pinched look on Day’s face and the way he’d squeezed his eyes shut.
“Just kiss me,” Day said. “I’ll be fine if you just kiss me.”
Jackson slanted his lips over Day’s, and his hand wrapped around Day’s softening cock, stroking it as he explored Day’s mouth, hoping to distract him from the pain. It must have worked because Day rocked himself in tiny aborted movements, taking Jackson farther inside an inch at a time until he was panting and making soft little cries against Jackson’s lips.
“Fuck, I feel so full,” Day said, sounding almost awed by it. “You’re definitely better than any silicone toy.”
