Shake, Rattle, and Roll

Shake, Rattle, and Roll Mickey, a male prostitute, needed some way to survive on the streets. But after a few years in the business, he grows tired of sleeping with nameless strangers. After getting smacked around by someone he thought cared about him, Mickey decides to quit the business, take his nest egg, and leave town. He just doesn't expect the huge earthquake that hits the city. When his neighbor and adopted grandmother, Ms. Dixie, is stuck in the rubble of what used to be their apartment building, Mickey knows he needs help to rescue her. He flags down a group of bikers trying to get out of the city before the aftermath chaos hits. Mickey tries to make a deal with the lead biker to save Ms. Dixie. He's disappointed when Vinnie agrees to take the deal out in trade rather than cold hard cash, but he agrees. Mickey will do anything to save Ms. Dixie, even let the sexiest biker he has ever seen have him. Hell, he might even enjoy it. Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary Length: 37,646 words

SHAKE, RATTLE, AND ROLL

Stormy Glenn

EROTIC ROMANCE MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer. WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]

A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

SHAKE, RATTLE, AND ROLL Copyright © 2011 by Stormy Glenn E-book ISBN: 1-61034-711-0 First E-book Publication: July 2011 Cover design by Jinger Heaston All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers Dear Readers, If you have purchased this copy of Shake, Rattle, and Roll by Stormy Glenn from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book. The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment. This is Stormy Glenn’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Glenn’s right to earn a living from her work. Amanda Hilton, Publisher www.SirenPublishing.com www.BookStrand.com

DEDICATION To Tina, thanks for loaning Kirby to me!

SHAKE, RATTLE, AND ROLL STORMY GLENN Copyright © 2011

Chapter 1 Mickey McKenzie stared at himself in the mirror. His normally flawless skin was marred by several scratches and one very large black and blue bruise around his eye. Even one corner of his rosy red lips was swollen and cut. He looked like shit. This crap just wasn’t worth it anymore. He always said he’d quit the business when he reached the ripe old age of twenty-five, but maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to retire a couple of years early. His body sure would appreciate it. Mickey was tired of being beat up, accosted, arrested, and just generally being used and abused. Granted, being a male prostitute didn’t exactly come with job security, but the marks on his face and body hadn’t come from a customer. Each bruise had come from his boyfriend. Scratch that, ex-boyfriend. Mickey shook his head. No, he was done. He had enough money stashed away that he could start over somewhere new. He could live off of his savings for about six months before he had to look for work. He didn’t have a clue what he would do. Being able to suck cock and take it up the ass wasn’t something normally listed as a job requirement. Mickey just knew he was tired of doing what he’d been doing since he started living on the streets eight years ago.

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Mickey went to his closet and pulled out his backpack. He grabbed several items of clothing out of his dresser and a few personal items as well as a box of condoms and some lube. He never knew when he might need to make some extra money. Once he had all he needed from his dresser, Mickey went to the bathroom where his stash was hidden. Kneeling on the floor beside the toilet, Mickey carefully pulled back the wooden slat in the floorboard and set it aside. He reached in and grabbed the quart-sized plastic bag that held his rainy day fund. Mickey turned it over in his hand. It seemed to all be there. He quickly shoved it into his backpack along with the other items in the small hiding space in the floor—a necklace that belonged to his mother, a couple of watches given to him by long-term clients, and a set of cuff links that were supposed to belong to his father, whoever that was. Mickey placed the wooden slat back into place then stood, stomping on the slat a couple of times. He didn’t want anyone knowing he had a stash hidden away. He’d get mugged before he reached the next block. He walked back into the main room of his studio apartment and looked around, trying to ensure he hadn’t forgotten anything important. He wouldn’t be coming back. While his little room was better than most, he wouldn’t miss it. Well, not much anyway. It was the first place that was all his, and he’d been here five years. Before that, Mickey had lived with friends, in alleys, and with whoever would take him in. He’d even done a stint in a pimp house. Having his own place was much better. Not seeing anything else he wanted, Mickey pulled on his jacket, shoved his cell phone in his pocket, and then grabbed his backpack. He didn’t even look back as he walked out the door and shut it behind him. The landlord could have whatever was left. Mickey bounced down the stairs and headed for the front steps of the brick building. As soon as he walked out the front door he turned

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to the left. Sure enough, Ms. Dixie, the woman that lived across the hall from him, was right where she always was, sitting on the front porch with her small dog in her lap. “Hey, Ms. Dixie,” Mickey said as he walked over and sat down in the chair next to her. “Mickey, honey, what happened to your face?” “Donny happened.” Ms. Dixie frowned, the pale skin in her face wrinkling. “That boy never was any good, Mickey. You need to get rid of him and find yourself a sweet young man that will take better care of you.” “I’m working on it, Ms. Dixie.” Mickey chuckled. “Is that why you have your bag, son?” Mickey glanced down at the backpack he held in his hands. “Yeah, I, uh, I’ve decided to leave town. I’m headed down now to see how far a bus ticket will get me.” “Have any place in mind?” Mickey shrugged. “Not really, just anyplace that isn’t here.” “Have you ever been to Idaho?” “Idaho?” “Well.” Ms. Dixie chuckled. “The eastern edge of Idaho, really, where it borders Montana and the Rocky Mountains. It’s beautiful country up there, lots of room to roam.” “You’ve been there?” “I’m from there, dear boy, a small town way up in the hills called Castle Creek.” Ms. Dixie chuckled again and reached over to pat Mickey’s leg. “What? Did you think I lived my entire life in San Francisco?” “I guess I never really thought about it. I try not to delve too deeply into other people’s pasts. Mine isn’t exactly stellar.” “You have nothing to be ashamed of, Mickey. We all do what we need to do to get by.” “Even you?”

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“Mickey, do you really think I’ve reached the age of eighty-four without doing a few shady things here and there?” The little satisfied smirk on Ms. Dixie’s withered face made Mickey wonder if she was proud of the things she’d done, whatever they were. “Never be ashamed of things you do to take care of yourself, Mickey. Be proud of the fact that you’ve taken care of yourself.” Mickey tilted his head a little, confused. “Ms. Dixie, you do realize I sell my body for money, don’t you?” “Oh please.” Ms. Dixie waved her hand at Mickey. “Men and women do it every day. They just put a pretty little label on it. It’s a commodity as old as time. Just look in the Bible or any of those ancient civilizations books.” Mickey blinked in shock. “Honey, listen to me,” she said as she patted Mickey’s leg again. “You’re not strung out on drugs, you’re not stealing from anyone, and you don’t hurt those around you. You use what was given to you to make a place for yourself in this world. There is nothing wrong with that, and if anyone tries to tell you differently, you have them come talk to me.” “Uh, thank you?” Mickey knew his words sounded more like a question than a statement, but he didn’t exactly know what to say to Ms. Dixie. She was the most unusual woman he had ever met. “You have a good heart, Mickey, which is why I’m going to tell you that if you find your way up in Idaho, go to the general store in Castle Creek north of Elk City and ask for directions to Dixie Walton’s house. You tell them that Ms. Dixie sent you, and they will give you the key.” “They would just hand over a key to anyone?” Mickey asked. “Ms. Dixie, that’s not safe.” “Honey, never you mind.” She wagged a finger at Mickey. “Do you remember last year when we spent Christmas together?” Mickey nodded. He had loved spending Christmas with Ms. Dixie. Between the small tree they decorated together and the huge

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meal they had cooked, it had felt like the first real Christmas he ever experienced. “Well, I sent one of those pictures of us back home to my friend, Lula. I told her you were my grandson. She runs the general store and keeps the house clean for me. She’ll know you from our picture and give you the key.” “You told her I was your grandson?” Mickey whispered. “Well, of course, honey. As far as I’m concerned, you are my grandson. I never had any children of my own, but if I did, I’d expect them to give me grandchildren just like you.” Mickey pressed his lips together and glanced away to hide the tears he could feel building up in his eyes and threatening to spill down his cheeks. He never knew his father, and his mother was a strung-out drug addict from Mickey’s earliest memory. He never had anyone that wanted him like this. He didn’t know how to respond. Was he supposed to respond? “You dry those tears now, Mickey, and get on down to the bus station. I expect a call when you get settled.” Mickey sniffled and laughed as he turned back to face Ms. Dixie. He dropped his bag on the porch and moved over to kneel in front of the old woman. He grabbed her hand with one of his and used the other to pet the miniature Yorkie in her lap. “I would be honored to be your grandson, Ms. Dixie.” “Then I suppose you’d better call me Grandma instead of Ms. Dixie, huh?” There was a wide grin on her wrinkled old face. Despite the woman’s age, there was a sparkle in her fading grey eyes that told of her spirit, which Mickey thought might live on forever. “Now, go on, honey. You have a long road ahead of you.” Mickey almost hated to leave now that he had a connection to someone. “Come with me.” “Oh honey.” Ms. Dixie cackled. “These tired old bones would never make it all the way to Idaho on a bus.”

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Mickey grabbed his backpack off the floor and held it up to her. “I have money. I could rent us a car.” “You’re a sweet boy, Mickey, but this is a journey you need to take on your own.” Mickey leaned into the thin, frail hand Ms. Dixie held against his face. “I’ll be here when you’ve found yourself. Now, go on. The world won’t wait forever.” Mickey regretfully stood to his feet. He gave the dog one last pet and Ms. Dixie’s hand one last squeeze. “I’ll call you when I find a place to put down some roots.” “I’ll be waiting.” Ms. Dixie patted Mickey’s cheek. “Just remember that you have a good heart, Mickey, and don’t ever let anyone take that away from you. Be true to yourself and whatever you choose to do.” Mickey nodded as he pulled his backpack on over his back. He wasn’t sure he’d ever met a woman like Ms. Dixie. He knew he never would again. They broke the mold when they created the sweet, wonderful woman. “Well, I suppose I should get going,” Mickey said. He was procrastinating, and he knew it. He really liked Ms. Dixie and hated the idea of leaving her. When he’d made his plans to leave, he’d only been thinking of getting away from the life he was in, not those in his life. “You’ll be fine, Mickey.” Mickey tried to smile but knew it fell flat. He didn’t feel happy or joyous. He certainly didn’t have the same bouncy feeling about leaving that he had when he walked out of his apartment. Maybe leaving was the wrong choice? “Ms. Dixie, maybe—” “Go, Mickey, you’re not going to find what you need living here.” Mickey nodded then leaned over to kiss Ms. Dixie on the cheek. “You take care of yourself, Grandma. I’ll call you as soon as I find a place to settle.” “You do that, honey.”

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“Bye, Kirby,” Mickey said as he ruffled the fur on the top of the dog’s head. “Bye, Grandma.” “Bye, honey, stay safe.” Mickey nodded and moved to walk down the steps. He started down the street, waving to Ms. Dixie and her dog. He walked just beyond the sight of the red brick apartment building when he heard a deep rumble. Mickey paused, looking around the street he was on, thinking it might be a motorcycle or large truck, but he couldn’t see any cars right where he was. The rumble grew louder. Dogs started barking, and the shrill of car alarms filled the air. The noise was overwhelming. Nausea suddenly rolled through Mickey, making him feel like he was on a roller coaster ride. Having lived in San Francisco all of his life, Mickey knew what was coming. He desperately scanned the surrounding area for a safe place to hide, but he was surrounded by big brick buildings. No place looked safe enough. Mickey suddenly remembered that Ms. Dixie was sitting on the front porch of their apartment building. He spun around and started to race back up the street when the ground beneath his feet began to shake. Mickey winced when he lost his balance and fell to his knees, scraping them on the hard cement. He tried to get back to his feet, but the ground shook so much that he could barely stay on all fours let alone stand up. When things started falling around him, bricks, and glass, and rubble, Mickey hunched over and covered his head with his arms. The noise seemed to go on forever, the crashing and the screaming, the sounds of destruction raining down around him. Then suddenly everything stopped. The ground no longer rolled and rumbled. Nothing fell from the sky. Mickey could still hear car alarms blaring and the occasional scream or dog bark, but other than that, everything was silent.

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He slowly lowered his arms and lifted his head, then jumped when he came face-to-face with two beady brown eyes staring up at him from a small, furry face. A pink tongue came out and licked Mickey across his nose. “Fuck, Kirby, where in the hell did you come from?” Mickey choked out as he reached for the small dog. Kirby couldn’t have weighed more than three or four pounds at the most. The little red bows in his hair didn’t make the effect of the small dog seem any bigger. “Let’s go check on your Mama.” Mickey climbed to his feet and cradled the dog to his chest as he started back up the street to his apartment building. He had taken just a few steps when he stumbled, shocked by what he found. “Where’s Ms. Dixie?” Mickey whispered as he looked at the huge pile of rubble where his apartment building used to be. “Where’s my apartment?” Mickey glanced around, turning in full circle as he all of a sudden saw the wreckage around him. He didn’t know how big the earthquake had measured, but he’d been through enough of them to know this one was mighty big. The destruction was devastating, maybe even bigger than the 1989 earthquake, and that had been fairly scary. Over sixty people had been killed in that earthquake, but somehow, seeing the destruction around him, Mickey was very afraid that a lot more people were either dead or dying in this earthquake. Mickey turned back around to look at what used to be his apartment building. He needed to find Ms. Dixie and make sure she wasn’t one of the people lost to the earthquake. Mickey would be heartbroken. He started to set Kirby down on the ground when the dog whimpered and tried to claw his way back into his arms. Mickey held the small dog up in the air and looked into his face. “Okay, you can stay with me until we find Ms. Dixie, but you have to be quiet so I can listen for her.”

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Mickey had no idea if the dog even understood what he was saying, but he didn’t let out another sound. Mickey unzipped his jacket about halfway and stuck the dog inside. It was the only place he could think of to put him. After he zipped his jacket back up partway, he started looking around. Logically, Ms. Dixie should be toward the front of the large pile of rubble. She’d been sitting on the front porch the last time he saw her. Fear and shock rolled through Mickey as he started wading through the wreckage. “Ms. Dixie?” he called out as he searched. He lifted bricks and glass, tossed pieces of drywall over his shoulder. “Ms. Dixie?” Mickey had almost given up hope when he heard a small cry. He lifted his head, tilting it slightly so he could hear better. “Ms. Dixie, is that you?” When the small cry came again, Mickey scrambled across the rubble to where he thought it might be coming from. His breathing grew ragged as he lifted debris and tossed it away until he uncovered the ashen face of his new grandmother. “Ms. Dixie.” “Mickey.” She frowned, a trail of blood trickling down her cheek from a cut on her forehead. “I can’t find Kirby.” Mickey unzipped his jacket and pulled the small dog out. “He found me.” “Oh, my baby,” Ms. Dixie said as she took the dog and cradled the animal to her chest. “I thought something had happened to you.” “Ms. Dixie, do you hurt anywhere?” The woman frowned. “No, I don’t think so, but I think I fell down.” “No, Ms. Dixie, the building collapsed. There was an earthquake.” “Oh.” She looked confused, dazed. Mickey imagined she was going into shock. He knew he certainly was. He reached down and started to pull

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the rest of the rubble off the woman, praying as hard as he could that she wasn’t seriously injured. “Can you move your legs?” Mickey asked as he looked down at the woman’s legs. They looked bruised and battered, but Mickey couldn’t find anything broken when he ran his hands down them. He heaved a sigh of relief when Ms. Dixie lifted one leg then the other. “Well, the equipment still seems to be working.” Ms. Dixie laughed. “And that says a lot for a woman my age.” “Do you want to try and sit up?” Mickey held his hand out to Ms. Dixie when she nodded and slowly pulled her into a sitting position before squatting down next to her. He brushed her tangled grey hair back from her face. “How are you feeling, Ms. Dixie?” “I thought we decided on Grandma.” Mickey grinned when heard the spirit in the old woman. “We did, so, how are you feeling, Grandma?” “Well, it’s not my first collapsed building, and I don’t imagine it will be my last. I’m just not sure how many more I can experience before I decide to move somewhere that they don’t have earthquakes. I hear Arizona is nice.” “You’ve been in a collapsed building before?” “Honey, I’ve lived in the Bay Area for more than fifty years. This isn’t my first earthquake.” Ms. Dixie glanced at the pile of rubble that used to be their apartment building and shook her head. “Although, I am getting awfully tired of losing all my stuff every time it happens.” “Then come to Idaho with me.”

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Chapter 2 Vincent Salavonni’s legs shook with shock as he slowly pushed himself off the floor and looked around. Other than a lot of stuff on the floor, there didn’t seem to be too much damage to the large room. There were a couple of broken windows, a lot of tools and motorcycle parts scattered all over the floor, and some overturned furniture. Other than that, the place seemed to be intact. “Everyone okay? Tank? Boomer? Dodge?” He saw his friends and coworkers slowly stand up, brushing themselves off. “Is anyone hurt?” “I think I hit my head,” Dodge said as he held his hand against the side of his head. There was a small trickle of blood trailing down his temple from his forehead. “Well, that’s par for the course.” Tank chuckled. “Bite me!” Dodge snapped. “You’d like it too much.” Tank blew Dodge a kiss. Vinnie rolled his eyes. Apparently, everyone was fine. “Someone put out that fire.” Vinnie pointed to a small fire burning on the stove where someone had been cooking. Tank ran over and quickly doused the fire. “We need to check everything out, make sure the building is still in stable condition. Depending on how bad this thing was, the streets are going to get nasty pretty soon.” “It had to be at least a ten on the Richter Scale, boss,” Boomer said. “The one in 1989 was a 6.9 but this one felt stronger.” Vinnie nodded. He agreed, and that meant mass chaos and destruction. People would be injured or dead, the streets would be filled with people looting and others trying to get help. It was only a

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little after ten in the morning, but by nightfall, the city would be a warzone. “Boomer, check our emergency medical supplies and bandage that cut on your head. If anyone else is injured, we’re going to need that medical kit,” Vinnie directed as he picked a chair up and set it back on its feet. “There’s no telling how long it will be before we get power back, and we’re going to need every little bit of supplies we can get our hands on, that includes emergency medical supplies, food, and especially water.” Vinnie walked over and looked out the garage door opening. The motorcycle repair shop Vinnie owned was on a hill, and it gave Vinnie a pretty good view of the city. Despite the smoke rising over the city from the numerous fires, Vinnie could still see the destruction, and it didn’t look good. Vinnie could see several collapsed buildings. The air was filled with a silence that spoke volumes. San Francisco was a mess. The city had pretty much come to an instant standstill. Nothing was moving. Vinnie couldn’t even see any planes in the sky. It was eerie. “How bad is it?” “It’s pretty bad, Tank. I can’t see any part of the city that isn’t devastated.” “You know once nightfall gets here that the creepy crawlies are going to come out of the woodwork, right?” Vinnie nodded. He did know. He was just eleven years old when the last large earthquake hit the Bay Area. He remembered the chaos and destruction, the loss of life and how long it took for the city to recover. He remembered wishing he was anywhere else than San Francisco. Vinnie turned back toward the inside of the shop and began walking to the back office. He had a plan in mind. The destruction that surrounded the city during the last earthquake was so widespread that no one remained unaffected. Vinnie didn’t want to be around for

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it, and he knew he had just a few hours to get the hell out of town before it would become impossible to leave. “Vinnie, where ya headed, man?” Tank asked. “Anywhere but here.” “But what about the shop?” Vinnie stopped and turned to face the three men he considered his best friends. “Look, this city just went tits up. It’ll probably be days before they get the power back on, if not weeks. Food will become scarce as will clean water and medical treatment. The cops will have their hands full trying to control the looters. I’m not sticking around for that.” “So, you’re just going to leave?” Boomer sounded astonished. “It’s better than staying here.” Vinnie pushed his hand through his short curls. “The shop will either be here when I get back or not but I’m not going to stick around while this place falls apart. Once the National Guard gets here, they will implement marshal law or some such shit. That means no moving along the streets and people with guns. I don’t do authority figures.” “Is leaving the city really the answer?” Boomer asked. “Wouldn’t staying here at the shop be better? We can hole up here until things die down.” Vinnie shook his head. “No, once people get over the shock of the quake, the chaos will only get worse. Even this place won’t be safe.” “But, Vinnie—” “You all weren’t here when the last earthquake hit. I was. I remember the destruction, the chaos. I remember standing in lines for hours with my mom and dad while we waited for a hot meal. I remember how long it took for this city to get back on its feet, hell, to even function on a basic level.” Vinnie shook his head. “You all can stick around here if you want, but I’m getting the hell out of town while I still can.” Vinnie turned back toward his office. He had a few things there he needed to gather up in case the shop wasn’t standing when he got

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back, assuming he came back. He hated living in a city that had earthquakes on a regular basis, even if they were small ones. Vinnie opened his filing cabinet and pulled out several pieces of paper. He might be leaving the shop, but he still wanted the title to the shop in case he needed to establish the fact that he owned the place. He had worked hard to raise the money to buy the shop, and he wasn’t going to let his hard work go down the tubes without a fight. He at least wanted to be able to prove that he owned the place in case he needed to sell it. Vinnie also grabbed the bottle of whiskey he kept hidden in the back of the filing cabinet. He never knew when he might need a good stiff drink. Today was looking pretty good just for that. Vinnie cleaned out his safe and cash box, putting all of the money into his leather saddlebags. He tossed the saddlebags over his shoulder and headed out of the office, stopping to lock the door behind him. While he might be leaving, he didn’t want to make it easy for anyone that might try to break in. When Vinnie reached the main floor of the repair shop, he stopped, watching with a little bit of amusement as his friends readied their own bags and motorcycles. He crossed his arms over the saddlebag on his chest. “I thought you all were planning on sticking around the shop.” “Ah hell, boss,” Boomer replied, “if you say we need to get the hell out of dodge, that’s what we’re going to do.” Vinnie regarded his friends for a few moments then shook his head, walking over to his custom motorcycle. “You do realize that it’s going to take hours to navigate through the streets, right? The rubble alone will make it seem like we’re on an obstacle course.” “We figure motorcycles will help us get through most of it.” Boomer gestured over his shoulder to Tank. “Tank there is going to carry some extra fuel in his sidecar just in case we need some.” Vinnie was surprised. He hadn’t thought of that, and he should have. “Good idea. We should all fuel up before we leave, too. The

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longer it takes to get across the bay, the harder it’s going to be to get gas. Tank, how much room do you have in that sidecar of yours after you put the fuel in there?” “Enough for a couple of people as long as they’re small.” “I have some canned goods and nonperishable food upstairs in my loft. We should probably grab that as well as some sleeping bags. I also have some extra clothes in case any of you need something to change into later. I don’t know if we’re going to make it back to your apartments or not.” “I could use an extra couple of shirts if you have them,” Boomer said. Vinnie nodded and turned to look at Dodge. “What about you?” “I have a spare bag with some clothes but, dude, I drove my truck over here today. I didn’t bring my bike or my helmet. Hell, I don’t have any of my gear with me.” “I can loan you a jacket and a helmet if you want to ride with Boomer. I don’t think you’re going to get far in your truck.” Vinnie gestured to the open bay of the garage. “You’re welcome to park your truck inside though.” “Yeah, that’d be good.” “Okay.” Vinnie turned to look at Tank. “What about you? Do you need any clothes or anything?” “I’m good,” Tank said. “I always carry spare clothes in my bags. You never know when you might be spending the night somewhere.” Vinnie chuckled and shook his head. It was widely known among his friends that Tank was a horn ball. He’d pretty much go home with whoever said yes. He gestured for Tank to follow him and bounded up the stairs to his small one-bedroom loft apartment over the garage. He pointed to the kitchen then raced into his bedroom to grab extra clothes and some personal items he didn’t want to leave without, like the only picture he had of his parents before they died, his passport, and a small silver bracelet that belonged to his baby sister.

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Vinnie quickly changed his clothes, putting on a pair of jeans, a clean cotton shirt, and his heavy-duty riding boots. He grabbed his sunglasses, two leather jackets, and a spare helmet for Dodge then headed back into the living room. “You mentioned something about sleeping bags?” Tank said as he walked out of the kitchen with a large box of food. “Yeah, I’ll grab them and meet you downstairs.” “You might want to grab a couple of extra sleeping bags if you have them or a couple of blankets. You never know when we might need them. I’d also suggest you get whatever medical supplies you have in the bathroom.” “No, I have a better med kit downstairs in the garage. The only thing I keep up here is Band-Aids.” “Okay, I’ll meet you downstairs. I’m gonna load this stuff up in my sidecar.” “Oh hey, I have an empty duffle bag we can put that stuff into.” Vinnie shrugged. “It might make it easier to carry.” “Cool.” Vinnie went to the closet and grabbed his empty army duffle bag, tossing it to Tank. While Tank transferred all of the food into the green duffle bag, he went to his back closet and pulled out all of the sleeping bags he could find. He had several from a camping trip he took several years back with some friends. Vinnie picked everything up in his arms and carried them downstairs. He tossed a sleeping bag to each of his friends then tied two down to his own bike. He handed the rest to Tank to put in the sidecar then went to get the med kit he kept for emergencies. He gave that to Tank as well. “Are you wanting to take the Golden Gate Bridge?” Vinnie nodded at Boomer. “As long as it’s still standing, yes. It’s the quickest way across the bay from here.” “So, we’re headed north then?” Boomer asked.

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“North is less populated, and we have no idea how much area this earthquake affected. South of us is just more city pretty much to the border.” “Why not east?” “Because everyone is going to be heading east away from the ocean. Depending on where the epicenter of this thing was located, it could have created a tidal wave. Anyone who lives on the coastline will be heading inland to get away from that.” “So, we’re going to stick to the coastline then?” Tank snickered. “Got a spare snorkel?” Vinnie chose to ignore the resident class clown. “We travel fast, and we travel light. I figure once we get out of the city we can make at least a hundred miles north by nightfall. That should get us well out of the range of the earthquake damage. If we need to head inland after that, so be it.” After his bike was all ready to go, Vinnie checked to make sure everything was either turned off or unplugged. He had heard stories of people forgetting to unplug stuff and fires starting when the power came back on. He hoped to avoid that. “Everyone ready?” he asked as he pulled his glasses on. Tank, Boomer, and Dodge nodded. “Okay, remember, we move fast but carefully and we stay together. If one of us stops, we all stop. We’re going to be safer if we stay together.” “The riffraff are going to be coming out of the woodwork the moment they figure out this thing is over,” Tank said. Vinnie blinked. “Riffraff? Really?” Tank just shrugged. Vinnie chuckled as he pulled pushed his bike out of the garage. He waited until everyone else was out and Dodge had driven his truck inside then locked down the garage. He climbed onto his bike and pulled his helmet on. He started his bike then began slowly making his way down the hill his shop was located on. The bridge he wanted to cross was about

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three miles away. Normally, even in rush-hour traffic, it wouldn’t take more than a half hour. Today, it could take several hours. The city was covered in rubble. Cars were smashed, buildings had collapsed, and debris littered the streets. The farther into the heart of the city he drove, the more rubble he encountered. San Francisco was all but destroyed by the earthquake. Vinnie could see people walking around. Some were injured, covered in blood and torn clothing. A few people just kind of stood around in shock. Other people ran around in panic, while still more people broke the windows of businesses. He knew the chaos had started. Vinnie was just coming down one street when a man suddenly jumped out in front of his bike. He yanked on the brake, barely keeping his bike upright when he skidded to a stop. He turned to glare at the man. “Stop, please, you have to help me!” “Get the fuck out of my way!” Vinnie snapped. “Please, I need help.” “Then I suggest you call the police. Now, get out of my way.” “Please, I’m begging you. My grandmother is hurt.” The blondhaired man gestured to the rubble behind him. “Our apartment building collapsed on her.” Vinnie looked at the huge pile of rubble that was probably once a very nice apartment building. He seriously doubted anyone could live through the building collapsing on them. He looked back at the young man, grimacing. “Look, kid, I’m sorry something happened to your grandmother but—” “I have money.” The kid held up a small backpack. “I can pay you.” “I don’t want your money, kid, I just want—”

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“Please, she’s hurt, but she’s alive. I dug her out of the debris, and she’s talking and everything. I just need to get her to a hospital, and you know that an ambulance can’t get here right now. No one can.” “Look—” The kid suddenly stepped forward and pressed his hands over Vinnie’s, looking intently into his eyes. There was a silent message in his hazel eyes that Vinnie couldn’t decipher. “Please, I’ll do anything.” Vinnie could read so many things in that statement and none of them good, no matter how cute the kid might be. He had sympathy for the kid’s plight, really he did, but if Vinnie had learned anything over the years, it was that you took care of yourself and became responsible for no one. That just caused problems. He opened his mouth to tell the kid he couldn’t help when he saw Tank out of the corner of his eye. Vinnie groaned when he turned to see Tank working his way through the rubble toward the old woman that sat on the edge of where the building used to be. “All right, kid, let’s get a look at your grandmother.” Vinnie frowned as he pushed his bike as close to the side of the road as he could get due to the debris. While the kid seemed happy to have his help, his face seemed to fall when Vinnie agreed to help. It was a very strange reaction. Vinnie would never understand other people. “Dodge, Boomer, stay with the bikes,” Vinnie called out as he climbed off his bike. He pulled his helmet off and set it on his seat then walked toward the rubble. Tank was kneeling on the ground next to the old woman. Vinnie frowned as he watched her talk to Tank. “You said the building fell on her?” “Yeah,” the kid answered. “And she’s alive?” Vinnie didn’t see how she could possibly be alive. The woman was ancient. The kid laughed, which Vinnie found strange considering the situation. He turned to look at him. “Something funny about what I said?”

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“No, no.” The kid waved his hands back and forth. “You just don’t know Ms. Dixie. Nothing fazes her. San Francisco could fall into the ocean and she’d serve cold drinks and rubber floaties to everyone.” Vinnie cocked an eyebrow. “She sounds… interesting.” The smile fell off the kid’s face as fast as it had appeared. He scowled and planted his hands on his curvy hips. “She’s the most wonderful person I know, and you’d better be nice to her or else.” “Or else what?” Vinnie was intrigued by the kid’s show of bravado. Not many people stood up to him. It wasn’t that he was that tall, although he did stand at six foot three inches. It was more the way he carried himself. Most people were intimidated. The kid didn’t seem to be intimidated in the least. The kid’s dark blond eyebrows drew together, and he bit his bottom lip. “Look, I apologize, okay? Can you please just help my grandmother?” Vinnie heaved a sigh and turned back to the pile of rubble. Tank was just lifting the woman, and a small dog, into his arms. Vinnie watched as Tank carried them out of the rubble then gently sat the woman down on a clear spot on the cement. The kid immediately ran over and started fussing over her. Vinnie could see the love the young man had for the older woman in the gentle way he touched her and spoke to her. He just wondered where the family connection came in. He’d bet his motorcycle they were not related. “We can’t leave her here, Vinnie.” Vinnie frowned over at Tank. “There’s a hospital between here and the bridge. We can drop them off there.” “No.” Tank crossed his arms over his chest. “She won’t get help in a hospital, not the help she needs. They will be too busy with casualties to look after one old woman. We’re taking her with us.”

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Vinnie’s mouth dropped open as shock rocketed through him. Tank was a huge man, even bigger than Vinnie, but he had always been somewhat of a follower, not wanting to make the big decisions. He’d never stood up to Vinnie before. Vinnie didn’t know what to make of it. “And where do you expect her to ride?” Vinnie waved his hand toward their bikes. “It’s not like we have a lot of room here, Tank.” “We double up on supplies on each of our bikes. She can ride in the sidecar.” “And the kid?” “I can stay here.” The kid jumped to his feet and walked over to Vinnie. He waved his hand back toward his grandmother. “Just take her with you. I can stay here.” “Mickey, don’t be ridiculous,” the old woman said. “I’m fine. Just get me to my friend Jenna’s house, and I can stay with her. You go on without me.” Mickey instantly ran back toward his grandmother and knelt down beside her. “You need to see a doctor, make sure nothing is broken. I’ll be perfectly fine here. I can still make my way down to the bus depot.” “Mickey, sweety.” The old woman cupped the side of the kid’s face. “The bus depot is gone. You know it, and I know it. The safest thing you can do is head to the house.” “I can’t leave you here.” The old woman chuckled. “You were leaving me here before, remember?” “But that was before the earthquake hit. Everything is destroyed, gone. What happens if I leave you here and you can’t get to medical care or food and water? What if someone breaks into Ms. Jenna’s place? How will you take care of yourself if I leave?” “Mickey, love, I’ve been taking care of myself for more years than you’ve been alive. Hell, I’m older than shit. I’ve learned to take

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care of myself just fine. I’ve lived through more than you can ever imagine and came out smelling like a rose. I’ll be fine.” “But…” Vinnie rolled his eyes. He could hear the wobble in the kid’s voice and knew he was close to tears. He didn’t have time for this shit. The city was going to crap by the second. Vinnie walked over to Tank’s bike and started pulling stuff out, handing it to Dodge and Boomer. The rest of the stuff he tied to the back half of the sidecar on Tank’s bike. When he turned back around, everyone was staring at him. Walking back over to the woman, Vinnie squatted down in front of her. He held out his hand. “Hey, Ms. Dixie, I’m Vincent Salavonni, but everyone calls me Vinnie.” “Hello, Vinnie, I’m Ms. Dixie, Dixie Walton.” “Have you ever ridden in a sidecar of a motorcycle before, Ms. Dixie?” “Oh, honey, you’d be surprised what I’ve ridden in. I used to own a 1934 Indian Sport Scout.” The old woman cackled. “I was there in 1948 when Floyd Emde won the Daytona 200 on an Indian motorcycle. I fell in love with them on the spot, went out the very next day and bought myself one.” Vinnie blinked in surprise then slowly grinned. The old woman was full of surprises. “Well, then, would you do us the honor of riding in Tank’s sidecar? It’s not a 1934 Indian Sport Scout, but it will do in a pinch.” Ms. Dixie smiled and held out her hand. “Yes, young man, I think I would very much enjoy a ride in your sidecar.” Vinnie grinned and scooped the old woman up in his arms. He stood up then carried her over to Tank’s sidecar and gently set her inside of it. When he turned, Mickey was standing right beside him, a small dog in his arms. Vinnie watched with amusement as Mickey placed the puppy in the old woman’s arms and tucked one of the sleeping bags around her. He was fussing.

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The kid took off his backpack and pushed the bag into the sidecar next to Ms. Dixie. “Here, you take this with you. When I get where I’m going, I’ll call Lula and let her know where I am and that I’m okay.” “Mickey, you need this.” Ms. Dixie tried to dig the backpack out and hand it to Mickey, but he was having none of it. “You need it more.” Vinnie was beginning to wonder what was in the bag. “Honey, if I take it, how will you ever get to Lula’s?” Mickey’s face paled as he shrugged. “You know me. I have my ways.” “Mickey, no.” Ms. Dixie frowned. She reached desperately for Mickey’s hands but the man started backing away before she could grab him. “This isn’t the way, son.” Vinnie knew there was a lot more going on here than he knew about. There was a story here, one that intrigued him for some reason. He just didn’t have time to figure it out right now. They needed to hit the road before it became too chaotic to traverse. Mickey smiled weakly. “It’s the only way, Grandma.” Tears started to sparkle in Ms. Dixie’s tired eyes. They were mirrored in Mickey’s. Vinnie had just about had enough of this. He wasn’t an emotional guy, but even these two were getting to him. Vinnie sighed deeply and grabbed Mickey as the man walked past him. He heard Mickey yelp as he picked him up but ignored the shocked sound. Vinnie carried Mickey over to his motorcycle and placed him on the seat. He grabbed his helmet and placed it on Mickey’s head, snapping the chin strap into place. Vinnie swung his leg over the bike and sat down on the seat in front of Mickey then turned the engine on. He glanced back over his shoulder at Tank. “Are you ready to go? We’re losing daylight here.” Tank grinned and climbed onto his own bike. A moment later, it started up. Dodge and Boomer started their bikes. Once everyone was ready to go, Vinnie tilted his head back toward Mickey.

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“Wrap your arms around my waist and hang on, kid,” he said as he steered the bike toward the clear part of the road. “It’s going to be a rough ride.”

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Chapter 3 Mickey was still smarting from the kid comment several hours later. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had called him a kid. He certainly didn’t feel like one, especially with his arms wrapped around Vinnie’s strong, muscular body. He felt like anything but a kid. Mickey’s hands had been wrapped around Vinnie’s waist for so long, Mickey felt like they were glued in place. He wasn’t even sure he could move them if he wanted to. His butt was numb and his throat felt dry. He just couldn’t imagine another place he wanted to be. Ms. Dixie was safe and sound in Tank’s sidecar. Donny was a thing of the past, and Mickey had his arms wrapped around a gorgeous guy, a gorgeous guy with a very impressive set of abdominal muscles. Vinnie’s stomach felt like it was made of steel. Mickey was jealous. He had muscles of a sort. He was more skinny than anything. Some of it had been lack of food but most of it came from his johns wanting a skinny-ass guy to fuck. He had to keep trim to keep the johns coming his way. The hooker business wasn’t as easy as everyone seemed to think. The competition was fierce. The younger and more delicate he looked, the more money he made. There were some real freaks out there. Vinnie agreed to get Ms. Dixie to safety in exchange for the use of Mickey’s body. Mickey had to wonder if he had to let Vinnie and his friends fuck him, or just Vinnie. A deal was a deal, and Mickey had never gone back on one yet, not matter how uncomfortable it might

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make him feel. If he had to take them all on, he would. It wasn’t like he hadn’t done something like that before. Mickey once made a shitload of money by spending an entire weekend in a hotel room with three horny guys. He’d been fucked so many times, he lost count, but the money had allowed him to take an entire week off. He’d spent most of it recovering, soaking in a hot bath numerous times. Mickey became aware of his surroundings when the motorcycle he rode on suddenly slowed then came to a stop. He glanced anxiously around. They were parked under a bridge overpass. It seemed to be a deserted spot, but with all the rubble around them, Mickey could guess why. It didn’t seem like a safe spot to stop. “Why have we stopped?” he asked once Vinnie turned off the engine. “Your grandmother needs a break as do the rest of us,” Vinnie replied “This is as safe a place as any to stop for a little while and get something to eat. The bridge isn’t too far from here, and I suspect it will be a hard ride going across it.” “Oh.” Okay, that made sense. Mickey climbed off the back of the bike and unsnapped the helmet then held it out to Vinnie. “Thank you.” “Sure, no problem.” Mickey watched Vinnie for as moment. The man was attractive in a rugged don’t fuck with me sort of way. He wouldn’t have a hard time making himself available to the man. He just had to admit to himself he wished being available didn’t come with a price. Mickey sighed deeply for dreams that would never be and walked away. He needed to put foolish dreams away and check on Ms. Dixie. He could fantasize all he wanted later, like when he reached wherever he was headed. He reached Ms. Dixie’s side just as Tank set her on her feet. He caught her arm when she swayed a bit and helped steady her. “How are you feeling, Ms. Dixie?”

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“Oh, I’m fine, honey.” She laughed. “I haven’t felt so free since my younger days. There’s nothing like feeling the wind in your hair and the bugs in your teeth.” Mickey laughed as his eyebrows shot up. Ms. Dixie never failed to surprise him. The woman took whatever life threw at her and just kept right on trudging ahead. He could only hope he had her spirit when he reached her age. “Why don’t you come sit down over here, Ms. Dixie?” “Honey, I’ve been sitting. I need to stretch these old legs. But you could take Kirby potty for me.” “I’d love to.” Mickey reached out and took the small dog from the older woman. Kirby instantly started licking his face. Mickey laughed at the dog’s exuberance as he looked around for a spot to take him potty. He spotted a small patch of grass and weeds off to one side of the underpass and headed in that direction. “Don’t run off, Mickey,” Vinnie called out. “We need to get back on the road pretty soon.” “I won’t,” Mickey called out over his shoulder. “I’m just taking Kirby potty.” Vinnie nodded and squatted down to look at something on his bike. Mickey turned away and walked off to the spot where he had seen the grass and weeds. He set Kirby down on the ground and watched the little dog start sniffing everything in sight. He followed along behind Kirby as the dog sniffed the grass, the weeds, a couple of empty soda cans, a single old shoe. Kirby was a sniffing machine. Mickey trailed along behind him until Kirby finally decided he had found the right spot to pee. He tapped his foot impatiently, wanting to get back. It was dark out and the streetlights didn’t give off a sufficient amount of light. Mickey could see shadows moving. He knew he’d start freaking out any minute. “Hurry up, Kirby,” he whispered as he wrapped his arms around his waist. “Do you actually have to pee on everything?”

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“Talking to yourself, Mickey?” Mickey yelped and jumped, jerking around to find Vinnie standing behind him. He pressed his hand against his rapidly beating heart. “Don’t scare me like that.” “Sorry.” Vinnie grinned. “I was just coming to check on you.” Mickey waved his hand back to the dog. “Kirby, apparently, feels the need to pick just the right spot.” “He’s a dog. They do that.” Mickey’s eyes widened for a moment then he quickly looked away. Vinnie was an odd man. Mickey had to wonder what cosmic beings were laughing their asses off so much at his expense. “Do you know where you’re headed?” Mickey asked as he went back to watching Kirby sniff and pee on everything. Who knew such a small animal had so much liquid inside of him? “North.” Mickey glanced over at Vinnie, waiting for more. More never came. “Why north?” “Because every other moron will be heading east to get away from the ocean or south to get to Los Angeles. No one heads north.” “You are.” “I’m glutton for punishment.” Vinnie chuckled. “Do you really think we can get across the bridge?” Vinnie’s eyebrow shot up. “We?” “But I thought…” Mickey pressed his lips together and turned away as pain stabbed at him somewhere in his chest. Once again, he had forgotten his place in the real world. He quickly walked over and scooped Kirby up in his arms. He started back for the others, refusing to look at Vinnie as he passed him. “You thought what, Mickey?” Vinnie asked, grabbing his arm to stop him. Mickey kept his eyes downcast as he answered Vinnie. “It doesn’t matter.” “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know.”

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Mickey shook his head. He realized he had begged before when Ms. Dixie had been caught in the rubble. He didn’t want to do it again. His tab with Vinnie was growing by the minute. The longer he stuck around, the more of himself he’d have to hand over in payment. “Let me go give Kirby to Ms. Dixie,” Mickey said quietly. “I’ll be right back.” Mickey could feel Vinnie’s eyes boring into his back as he wrenched his arm away and walked back to the small group. Ms. Dixie had finally sat down. Tank was sharing a granola bar with her. He handed Kirby over to the woman. “I need to talk to Vinnie for a moment.” Mickey could see the censure in Ms. Dixie’s eyes as he turned away. The old woman knew exactly what he was doing. It wasn’t often Mickey felt ashamed of what he did, but he couldn’t seem to shake the feeling of being dirty as he walked back to where Vinnie stood. He glanced over his shoulder to make sure they were out of sight of the others then dropped to his knees in front of Vinnie and reached for the zipper on his jeans. He had them unzipped and pulled open before Vinnie grabbed his hands and stopped him. Mickey glanced up in confusion. “What in the hell are you doing?” Mickey blinked. He thought it was pretty obvious what he was doing. Maybe he was wrong. Hell, maybe Vinnie didn’t like men, although he had yet to meet a man, gay or straight, that would turn down a blow job. “I’m giving you a blow job.” “What in the hell for?” Mickey blinked again, this time his eyes rounded in shock. “Uh, I thought that was fairly obvious.” “Not to me, it’s not.”

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Mickey almost fell over in shock when Vinnie pulled away from him and quickly began zipping himself back up. He didn’t understand why Vinnie was refusing him, unless… Mickey stood up. “If you want to fuck me, I have to insist on condoms. I have some in my bag. I can go get them if you wish.” “Fuck you?” Vinnie shouted as his entire body stilled. “What in the hell makes you think I want to fuck you?” Mickey realized two things in the single blink of an eye. One, Vinnie didn’t want to touch him with a ten-foot pole. And two, the man wasn’t gay. He shouldn’t have been surprised. Not many men that looked like Vinnie were gay. He screamed alpha male. He also realized he had probably just set himself up to have his ass handed to him, and not in a fun way. Vinnie looked steamed. Mickey swallowed hard and took a small step back from the angry man. He could run with the best of them. He doubted that even Vinnie could catch up with him if he ran hard enough. It was seriously tempting except that would mean leaving Ms. Dixie and he couldn’t do that. “I’m sorry, my mistake.” Mickey turned away and walked back to the small group as fast as he could without letting on that something was seriously wrong. He knew his face was pale from the way that Ms. Dixie looked at him. He just shook his head and hoped she would drop it. Mickey walked over to the sidecar and dug around inside until he found his bag. He grabbed it then walked back over to squat down in front of Ms. Dixie. He could see the exhaustion in her eyes and wished he didn’t have to do what he knew he needed to do. He just had no other choice. Vinnie had made that very clear. “It’s time to go, Ms. Dixie.” “Why, go where, son?” “I thought we’d try to make it to Ms. Jenna’s before it gets too dark out.” “I thought we were going with these young men?”

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“No, we’ve inconvenienced them enough. We need to let them be on their way.” Mickey swallowed and tried not to look when he heard Vinnie walk up behind him. He stood and held out his hand. “Let me help you up.” Ms. Dixie looked confused but held out her hand, allowing Mickey to pull her to her feet. Mickey took his jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders. He then slung his backpack over his shoulder and took Kirby. “Thank you for taking us this far. I hope you reach wherever you’re going.” He looked at each man squarely in the face until he reached Vinnie, and then he dropped his eyes. He just couldn’t look at Vinnie. “And just where do you think you’re going with Ms. Dixie?” Mickey closed his eyes for a moment and wished for patience as Vinnie stepped into his path, arms crossed over his chest. The man didn’t look like he had any intention of budging from his spot. “I’m taking Ms. Dixie to her friend’s house like she wanted,” Mickey said as he opened his eyes and looked up into Vinnie’s grim face. Vinnie’s head nodded toward Ms. Dixie. “She’s in no condition to go anywhere without assistance. Even you can’t be stupid enough to try and make her walk somewhere.” Mickey’s nostrils flared as he raised his chin. He was not going to let Vinnie’s words hurt him. He wasn’t. He had just met the man. Vinnie didn’t mean that much to him, and neither did the man’s opinion of him. Really. “I’d think you’d be happy to have us out of your hair.” “I refuse to have an old woman’s death on my hands.” “Oh, Mickey, maybe he’s right,” Ms. Dixie said. “It is an awful long ways to Jenna’s house. Maybe I could just rest a little longer.” “We’d be happy to drop you off at your friend’s house, Ms. Dixie,” Vinnie said. “Why don’t you go with Tank while I have a

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little talk with Mickey? Get some rest and we’ll head to your friend’s house as soon as it’s light.” Mickey felt like he was paralyzed to resist as Vinnie grabbed Kirby and placed him in Ms. Dixie’s arms. Tank came over and drew Ms. Dixie away. Vinnie grabbed Mickey’s arm and dragged him back into the dark section of the underpass. Mickey grunted as he was shoved back into a cement support wall. Vinnie’s hand pressed against his chest, keeping him where he was. He looked up at Vinnie, expecting the worst when he saw the anger tightening the man’s face. He had taken an ass beating before and survived. He could do it again. “I want to know what in the hell is going on and I want to know now.” Mickey blinked in confusion when Vinnie didn’t hit him. “What?” “What in the hell is going on, Mickey?” “I’m not… I’m not sure I understand what you’re asking.” “Why in the hell did you try and give me a blow job?” Mickey’s head snapped back in such surprise that the back of his head hit the cement wall. “You’re not serious,” he whispered. “Oh, I’m very serious, Mickey.” “But you… on the road, you…” Mickey licked his lips. They felt dry but not as dry as his throat. He couldn’t even swallow. “I tried to give you money, but you wouldn’t take it. When I offered something more, you agreed.” Vinnie’s face darkened even more, and Mickey hadn’t thought that was possible. “Something more?” Vinnie snapped. “You offered me sex?” “You wouldn’t take my money. I had nothing else to offer you.” “So you offered to let me fuck you like some common street whore?” Mickey stiffened. He’d been called a whore before. He’d been called worse. But somehow, hearing the words from Vinnie’s lips

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made it seem like the worst thing in the world. It made Mickey feel small and cheap. He pushed Vinnie’s hand off his chest and stepped past the man. He turned and glared at the man, pointing his finger at him. “I may be a whore, Vinnie, but I can assure you, there is nothing common about me.” Mickey at least had the satisfaction of seeing Vinnie’s mouth drop open. He took his backpack off and tossed it at Vinnie’s feet. “There’s enough money in there to get Ms. Dixie to wherever she wants to go. Please see that it’s done.” Mickey turned and started walking away. “Wait, where are you going?” Mickey plastered a smile on his face as he turned around to face Vinnie. It was the same one he gave his johns when he was trying to make money. “Haven’t you heard? I’m a whore. I’m going to go drum up some business. I’m sure there’s someone out there looking for a piece of ass, and I just happen to have one.” “Mickey, don’t do this.” “Honey, this is what I do.”

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Chapter 4 Vinnie watched in disbelief as Mickey disappeared into the darkness. He couldn’t think of a single thing to make the man stay. He wasn’t sure if Mickey was reacting to his words or if the man really was a whore. Vinnie pushed his hand through his hair. He knew picking the man up was a bad idea when he did it. He was probably better off without him. Mickey was trouble. Vinnie needed to go with his original plan and just get the hell out of town. He reached down and grabbed the backpack Mickey had tossed at his feet and started back toward the others. Curiosity made him pause and glance around. Once he was sure no one could see him, Vinnie unzipped the bag and looked through it. Vinnie was shocked by the large roll of money he found inside of a quart-sized plastic bag. He didn’t count it, but even he could see that it was a significant amount of money. It was a thick roll. There had to be several thousand dollars there. He also found a necklace, a couple of watches, and a set of cuff links plus a brand-new box of condoms and a bottle of lube. There were a few personal hygiene items and some clothes, and that was about it. It wasn’t much for a person to own. Vinnie grimaced as he zipped the bag closed. He knew there was something seriously wrong with letting Mickey walk away. He just couldn’t figure out why it bothered him so much. He didn’t know the man. He didn’t owe him anything. And none of that explained why he felt like such a jackass or why the whole situation was bothering him so much.

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Vinnie walked back into the small circle of light where Ms. Dixie and his friends sat and dropped the backpack on the ground next to the old woman. She stared at the bag for a moment then slowly reached out for it. “He’s gone then?” she asked softly, almost like she expected it. “Yes.” “I suppose it’s just as well.” Vinnie frowned when Ms. Dixie held the bag as if it were a precious item instead of an old faded backpack. She seemed to caress the bag almost lovingly. He squatted down in front of her, confused by her easy acceptance of Mickey’s sudden departure. “Why do you say that, Ms. Dixie?” “Mickey was always one to make his own way in the world. Don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t think Mickey is someone any of you all would rightly understand.” Ms. Dixie paused for a moment and stroked the bag again. “He’s a special one, my Mickey.” “Ms. Dixie, Mickey said he was…” Vinnie rubbed his chin for a moment and tried to figure out how to ask his question without offending the woman. He was clueless. “Does he really go out and…” Nope, the more Ms. Dixie stared up at him questioningly, the more Vinnie didn’t want to ask. It was way too uncomfortable asking an old woman if her grandson was a prostitute. He wasn’t going to do it. “Is Mickey a male prostitute?” Ms. Dixie asked. “Is that what you were going to ask?” Vinnie felt his face flush for the first time in years as he nodded his head. “Yes, he is.” Vinnie’s eyebrows shot up. “He is?” “Yes, he had to take care of himself somehow. He never knew his father, and his mother overdosed when he was fourteen years old. Mickey doesn’t have any other family, so he was placed in a foster

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home. He ran away from there by the time he was fifteen, and he’s been on his own ever since.” “Wait a minute.” Vinnie frowned in confusion. “I thought you were his grandmother. Why didn’t he come live with you?” “Oh no, sweety, I’m Mickey’s next-door neighbor. He just calls me his grandmother. We look out for each other.” The feeling of being a world-class heel was growing stronger by the second for Vinnie. He didn’t know how it happened, or even why, but somehow, he had chased Mickey away. He just didn’t understand why he felt so guilty about it. The man was a hooker. He got paid to have sex. Something about that alone made Vinnie clench his fists. He didn’t like the idea that Mickey sold his body for money. Vinnie really didn’t like the idea that something he did might have forced the man right back out onto the streets. “Maybe I should go after him?” Vinnie didn’t realize that he had spoken the words out loud until Ms. Dixie chuckled. “What?” “You like him.” “He’s an interesting kid.” Ms. Dixie chuckled again. “Mickey hasn’t been a kid in a very long time, Vinnie. He lost his rose-colored glasses long before he took to the streets.” “How can you talk about this so easily?” Vinnie needed to know because every time he thought about Mickey selling his body on the street, anger welled up inside of him. “He sells his body to strangers.” “He does what he needs to do to take care of himself because it’s damn sure no one else is going to.” Vinnie growled and stood up. “What happened to washing dishes or sweeping floors? There are a lot of other jobs he could get.” “How? He never even finished school.” Ms. Dixie frowned up at him. “What part of being on his own since he was fifteen don’t you understand? There was no one to take care of him except him. It was either sell his body or starve.”

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“What about a foster home or something?” Ms. Dixie snorted. “And have someone abuse his body and get nothing for it? I don’t think so. Mickey has done just fine on his own. He’s never done drugs. He pays his own way. And he doesn’t hurt other people or break the law. He’s a good boy.” Vinnie deflated at Ms. Dixie’s words. “He was abused in foster care?” Ms. Dixie nodded. “That’s why he ran away. His foster father abused him and peddled him out to his friends. Mickey decided if he was going to be selling his body then he wanted the money to go to him, not someone else.” “Damn.” Vinnie turned away, placing one hand on his hip. He pushed the other hand through his hair. Every preconceived idea he had about what made someone become a prostitute was being chipped away by Ms. Dixie and Mickey. He understood the need to take care of oneself. He’d been doing it for more years than he could remember. He didn’t like relying on other people for anything. He always assumed it came from his need to be in control, but now he was beginning to wonder if it was something more. Mickey certainly seemed to want to be in control of his life. Vinnie just couldn’t imagine allowing someone to have sex with him for money. It went against everything Vinnie believed in—didn’t it? He had participated in backroom hookups with strangers, onenight stands, and even a few alleyway blow jobs. He wasn’t a saint. He just never took any money for it. Was what Mickey did any worse because he did take money? Vinnie couldn’t figure out if he was pissed because he didn’t like the idea of Mickey taking money for sex or because he didn’t like the idea of Mickey having sex with so many nameless strangers. Both ideas made him so mad he could scream.

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Either way, Vinnie knew he was screwed. The world was falling down around his ears, and he was caught up in some guy he had only known for a few hours, and a hooker at that—a man that had disappeared into the night. Vinnie sighed deeply when he came to the realization that he would have to go after Mickey. He just couldn’t let the man go out by himself. Who knew what sort of trouble Mickey could get into? Besides, it made Vinnie’s skin crawl to think of Mickey out there selling his body to survive when he could be here… with him. And if that didn’t confuse the shit of Vinnie, he didn’t know what did. He had no business feeling possessive over a man he had just met, a man he barely knew. He just knew he did. The mere thought of anyone touching Mickey made him so mad he could have chewed steel rebar. “Tank, keep an eye on Ms. Dixie,” Vinnie directed as he walked to his bike. “I’m going to go find Mickey. We’ll meet you at the entrance to the bridge. If we’re not there by dawn, get across the bay. We’ll catch up.” Tank nodded at Vinnie then turned and smiled at Ms. Dixie. “Do you feel up to more sidecar riding, ma’am?” “I can hardly wait.” Ms. Dixie giggled then turned toward Vinnie. She shook her finger at him. “You take good care of my boy, you hear me? Despite his bravado, Mickey is a gentle soul and needs careful handling.” Vinnie grinned. “Yes, ma’am.” He was still grinning as he started up his motorcycle and drove off in the direction Mickey had run in, but his merriment quickly faded as the darkness took over. The farther into the neighborhood he drove, the darker it became. Most of the street lights and houses were dark. Vinnie suspected the power was out in this section of the city. He slowed his bike and began looking down every alleyway, every driveway. It hadn’t been more than a few minutes. He didn’t

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think that Mickey could have gotten that far, but apparently he had because Vinnie couldn’t find him. He drove up and down the streets that he could get through until the rubble became too much then pulled over to a narrow alleyway. Vinnie parked his motorcycle between two large industrial dumpsters and stacked some boxes in front of it so that it couldn’t be seen from the street. Once the bike was sufficiently hidden, Vinnie started walking. The city seemed eerily quiet. The normal sounds associated with the city were gone, replaced by a deep silence which was only broken by the occasional siren or explosion. Smoke was thick in the air as well as dust and debris. Vinnie knew there were fires all over the city, far more than the fire department could deal with. The night sky was lit up with a deep array of orange and red. Vinnie didn’t know much about the neighborhood he was in, but it wasn’t one of the upper-class ones, that was for sure. The buildings that hadn’t been knocked down by the earthquake looked like they should have been. They were old and run-down. Rubble, debris, and trash littered the streets, making them nearly impossible to pass through. Vinnie was just grateful he had on heavyduty boots. He tried to remember what Mickey had been wearing but couldn’t. It could be dangerous walking in this crap. Vinnie came around a corner and spotted three men standing across the street near an all-night mini-market. They were just huddled outside the door. Their clothing was dark and the night sky didn’t light the area up enough to tell Vinnie what they might be up to. He paused then quickly stepped back into the shadows, watching to see what they were up to. The less interaction he had with others, the better. He didn’t want to get into any fights if he could help it. He just wanted to find Mickey and get the hell out of town.

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Vinnie groaned when he saw one of the men pull a gun out of his jacket. When all three men turned toward the small market, he knew there was going to be trouble. Who needed a gun to go shopping? The three men barged into the mini-market, the door slamming behind them. Even from where he stood across the street, Vinnie could hear yelling and screaming. Obviously, the market wasn’t empty. Vinnie hated this shit. No matter how bad things had gotten in his life, he never resorted to a life of crime. Vinnie frowned as he remembered Ms. Dixie’s words. Mickey might have sold himself on the streets, but according to the old woman, he had never resorted to violence or stealing either. When he suddenly heard a child cry out, Vinnie knew he’d have to do something. Despite his aversion to getting involved in anything, he couldn’t let a child be hurt. Vinnie heaved a sigh then quickly made his way across the street to the edge of the building. He flattened himself against the brick wall and peered into the window. A man dressed in a black jacket held a gun pointed at the clerk behind the counter. A woman sat huddled on the floor, a small child cradled in her arms. The other two hoodlums were ransacking the store, tearing things off shelves and throwing them on the floor, basically ripping the place apart. They didn’t even seem to be stealing anything. It was more like they were trying to destroy the place. With the gunmen at the front counter, Vinnie didn’t immediately see a way to save everyone without being shot himself. But he couldn’t just stand there and let innocent people be hurt. He had to do something. Vinnie grabbed the trash can next to the front door and smashed it through the window as hard as he could. The moment the heavy metal can left his hands, he pushed his way inside the store and made a dive for the man with the gun. His ears rang as the gun went off. He didn’t

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feel any pain, so he knew he hadn’t been hit. He just hoped no one else had. Vinnie rolled the gunman under him and reached for the hand holding the gun. He banged it against the floor several times until the gun flew out of the guy’s hand and skidded across the floor. Vinnie punched the guy in the face as hard as he could then jumped to his feet. He quickly scanned the floor for the gun only to find the clerk holding it in his hand, aiming it right at him. Vinnie raised his hands slowly into the air. “Hey, dude, I’m not with them.” “Then why did you break my window?” “Because he was holding a gun on you and I needed to distract him?” The clerk frowned then jerked the gun at him. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?” “Do I look like I’m with them?” The clerk looked Vinnie up and down then glanced down at the man on the floor. Vinnie watched the man’s eyes move past him to where he assumed the other two hoodlums were then look back at him. After a moment, the man shrugged and waved the gun. “All right, I see your point. I just had to be sure.” “I understand,” Vinnie replied. “Do you mind if I put my hands down?” “No, go ahead. There’s some rope on the back aisle. Could you tie these guys up until the cops get here?” “You know it might be awhile, right?” Vinnie asked as he headed toward the back of the store. “The cops are pretty busy right now.” “I’ll wait all night long if I have to. These bastards have robbed me three times this month, and they’ve always gotten away. I’m damn tired of it.” The clerk pointed toward the side of the front counter. “Just tie them up and put them there where I can keep an eye on them.”

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Vinnie shrugged and did as the clerk wanted. He tied the three thugs up with their hands behind their backs and their feet tied together. Then he hogtied their hands and feet together so it would be harder for them to escape. The last thing he did was gag each of the three men. He imagined they would have a lot to say once he was gone, and none of it would be good. “Anything else I can help you out with before I take off?” Vinnie asked as he faced the clerk. “I’m looking for a friend, and the faster I find him, the better off for both of us. I’m hoping to find him before anything bad happens to him.” “No, there’s nothing.” The clerk held out a small plastic bag to Vinnie. “Maybe this will help.” Curious, Vinnie peeked into the bag. There were several bottles of water, a few candy bars, a bottle of aspirin, a container of hand sanitizer, and a box of baby wipes. “Thanks,” Vinnie said as he looked back at the clerk. “It’s not much but…” The clerk shrugged. “Today, of all days, it’s a lot and you know it.” The clerk nodded, looking a bit grim. “My wife has been bugging me for years to move back east where her sister lives. I’ve been putting it off. Guess I’ll need to start thinking about it.” Vinnie chuckled. “I can’t think of a better time to relocate than now. I’m headed out of town myself.” “I thought you were looking for a friend?” “I am,” Vinnie replied, “but I have to find Mickey before I can leave town. His grandmother, Ms. Dixie, would have my balls in a sling if I don’t find him.” The clerk suddenly frowned. “You’re talking about Mickey, lives up on 5th street in that old brick building?” “Uh, well, there’s nothing left of the building so…” “Little Mickey, stands about five foot ten inches, spiky blond hair, hazel eyes? He works the streets?” Vinnie grimaced and nodded. “That’s him.”

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“He was in here not more than fifteen minutes ago.” “Mickey was in here?” Vinnie glanced around the store as if he could magically see Mickey appear then back to the clerk. “Did you see which way he went when he left?” “Well, he left with Donny, so I assume they headed back to his place?” Vinnie’s eyes narrowed. “Donny?” “Donny Kroger, Mickey’s boyfriend.” The clerk shook his head. “Why a nice boy like Mickey would ever hang out with a lowlife like Donny, I’ll never know. That man is bad news, always has been, always will be. I may not agree with what Mickey does with his life, but he’s never been anything but polite in here. He doesn’t deserve the shit Donny gives him.” “Donny is his boyfriend?” Vinnie growled. “Well, that’s what Donny says anyway, and Mickey has never disagreed with him.” “No, that’s wrong.” Vinnie turned to see the woman that had been huddled on the floor standing next to him. The small child was glued to her side. “What’s wrong?” Vinnie asked. “I was talking to Mickey when Donny showed up. He was not happy to see Donny, said they had broken up because Donny hit him.” The woman turned to look at the clerk. “You saw it, George. Mickey’s eye was all purple.” Vinnie growled low in his chest as he remembered the slight discoloring around Mickey’s eye. His boyfriend was beating him up, and now he was right back in the asshole’s control. Vinnie clenched his fists. He was going to kill someone. “Where does Donny live?” The clerk looked at Vinnie and paled. He pointed out the window. “Three blocks down on Stanton Street, the Montgomery Building, third floor, apartment 342.”

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“Thank you.” Vinnie clutched the bag in his hand and stormed out of the store. He headed in the direction of Donny’s apartment. If he got his hands on the man, the authorities might have one more casualty to deal with.

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Chapter 5 Mickey yanked on the hand wrapped around his wrist, but to no avail. Donny had a good grip on him. He so did not want to go with the asshole. He just couldn’t figure out how to get away from Donny without having something broken. It was just his luck that he decided to get involved with a complete Neanderthal. He really needed to start picking better friends, and lovers. Mickey’s mind instantly went to Vinnie when he thought of a new lover. He couldn’t think of anyone he’d like better in his bed, even if he didn’t think it would ever happen. Vinnie didn’t seem like the type that would get involved with a streetwalker, retired or not. He didn’t even seem like the type to get involved with a guy, and that totally sucked. Mickey would have enjoyed trying out that hot body at least once, if not more. Getting away from Donny seemed a little more important at the moment than Mickey’s fantasies of having Vinnie in his bed. Mickey still hadn’t figured out how Donny found him. Maybe he should have stayed away from his old neighborhood? Mickey yanked on his arm again. He jerked back and ducked when Donny swung around and tried to smack him upside of his head. How he was ever interested in the guy, he’d never know. Donny was turning into more of a jerk by the minute. “Knock it off, Mickey.” Mickey frowned. “Then let go of me.” “No.” “I don’t want to go with you.”

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The air rushed from Mickey’s lungs when Donny suddenly turned around and shoved him into the wall of one of the brick buildings. His eyes widened as he looked up at the man. Donny really was an asshole. “You will go where I tell you to,” Donny snapped as he leaned in until he was a mere inch from Mickey’s face. “You belong to me.” “Uh, no I don’t.” Mickey winced when Donny smacked him across the face. He tasted blood when he licked his lips. Mickey glared up at Donny. “I do not belong to you. I don’t even want to date you. I thought I made that perfectly clear to you when you hit me the last time.” “Date you?” Donny laughed harshly. “What in the hell made you think I wanted to date you?” Mickey frowned as a sick feeling began to churn in his stomach. “Um, I don’t know, because you asked me out?” “Oh please, even you can’t be that stupid, Mickey.” Donny turned and started dragging Mickey down the sidewalk again. “I’ve watched you. Your sexy little ass brings in a lot of money. With my direction, it can bring in a lot more… for both of us.” Mickey rolled his eyes. He’d heard this pitch before. When he started in the business, he had hooked up with a pimp. He remembered panning his ass out on the streets for the guy, day in and day out, night after night. He didn’t receive shit for it except the occasional beating. He wasn’t going to go back into that sort of situation. “I don’t fucking think so!” Mickey started struggling, yanking and pulling on the arm Donny had a hold of. He didn’t care if it did gain him another smack in the face. He was not going to sell his ass to make money for Donny. “Is there a problem here, Mickey?” someone asked from behind him. Mickey stopped struggling and turned to see Vinnie standing behind him. His eyes widened at the fierce stance the man stood in.

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His thick, muscular arms were crossed over his massive chest. His legs were spread slightly apart. But it was the enraged snarl on Vinnie’s face that most caught Mickey’s attention. The man looked pissed. “Vinnie,” Mickey whispered. “If you’re done playing around with your friend, Mickey, it’s time to go,” Vinnie said. “Ms. Dixie and the guys are waiting at the bridge for us.” Mickey could think of nothing he’d like more except that Donny refused to release him. Mickey yanked on his arm again, but Donny only tightened his grip. “Let me go!” Mickey shouted. “I’d do what he said,” Vinnie growled. “Who the hell are you?” Donny snapped. Mickey quickly covered his mouth with his free hand when Donny puffed up so he wouldn’t start laughing hysterically. Donny wouldn’t be as big as Vinnie if he gained fifty pounds and had muscles sewn on. Vinnie was huge. Donny was bigger than Mickey, but he wasn’t nearly as big as Vinnie. “I’m with him.” Mickey blinked in surprise when Vinnie pointed to him. He was? Since when? If he remembered correctly, Vinnie didn’t want to have anything to do with him. What had changed in the last hour? Mickey knew he hadn’t. He was still a rent boy. Mickey winced when Donny’s hand tightened around his wrist. Donny’s face was starting to turn red, a sure sign that the man was getting angry. Mickey’s heart started pounding a little faster. He really didn’t like Donny when he got angry. “Look, maybe—” Mickey ducked and closed his eyes when Donny raised his hand into the air and started to take a swipe at him. When the hit didn’t land, Mickey opened his eyes slowly, just a slit. They widened when he saw one of Vinnie’s hands wrapped around Donny’s arm. The other hand was wrapped around Donny’s throat. Donny’s face was turning a motley shade of purple.

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“You do not get to hit Mickey,” Vinnie growled. “No one gets to hit Mickey.” Mickey felt like he was in an alien universe. No one had ever stood up for him before. Well, maybe Ms. Dixie, but other than her, no one. Mickey had been alone all of his life even when his mother was alive. She was too busy looking for her next fix to be worried about him. Having someone stand up for him broke something in Mickey, but not in a bad way. His chest hurt as he started breathing faster and faster. Long-suppressed emotions were trying to claw their way out of his chest. He felt like he couldn’t breathe as he gazed up at Vinnie’s fierce face. “Now, be a good boy and let Mickey go,” Vinnie said, giving Donny a little shake. Mickey felt the hand around his wrist loosen just enough that he could yank free. He immediately took several steps back, wanting to be out of grabbing range. Mickey rubbed his wrist as he watched Vinnie lean in close to Donny. The look on Vinnie’s face was so enraged, Mickey was glad he wasn’t the target. “Mickey is under my protection. If you ever lay another finger on him, I will rip out your entrails and use them as jump ropes.” Vinnie gave Donny a good shake. “Do I make myself perfectly clear?” “Ye–yes,” Donny choked out. Vinnie tossed Donny away with such force that he flew back and hit the brick wall behind him. Mickey saw a trace of blood on the brick when Donny pushed away from the wall and stood glaring. The look of hatred and retribution in Donny’s eyes scared the crap out of Mickey. He quickly took a few steps closer to Vinnie for protection. The larger man’s mere presence made him feel safer— another thing he wasn’t used to. “He won’t be around to protect you all the time, Mickey,” Donny snapped. “You have to come back here some time, and I’ll be waiting.”

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Mickey’s mouth dropped open, not from fear but that Donny would be so bold as to threaten him with Vinnie standing right there. He knew Donny was right. Vinnie wouldn’t always be around to protect him. But still… the man had to be nuts. Vinnie reached over and grabbed Donny by the scruff of his shirt then lifted him several inches off the ground. “I’ll be around as long as Mickey needs me,” Vinnie growled. “And don’t think I won’t be watching out for you because I will. If any harm comes to Mickey, I’ll hold you personally responsible.” Mickey wished what Vinnie was saying was true. He knew it wasn’t. Vinnie was just trying to scare Donny off by any means necessary. Mickey wasn’t stupid enough to read anything into Vinnie’s words, no matter how much he wished it were different. Mickey knew the score. He’d lived it a very long time. He got paid to have sex with people. Someone like Vinnie would never be interested in more than a simple fuck with someone like him, and he knew it. That was assuming Vinnie wanted to fuck him at all. Vinnie had been pretty adamant that he didn’t. Mickey reached over and grabbed Vinnie’s arm and gave it a little tug. “Can we go now, please?” Mickey wasn’t too particular where they went, as long as they went. Mickey swallowed hard when Vinnie’s eyes softened as they looked down at him. The difference in the way Vinnie looked at Donny and then looked at him was like night and day. Mickey didn’t know what to think of it. “I’ll be just a minute, babe,” Vinnie said. He nodded his head toward the edge of the building. “Why don’t you go wait for me over there while I impress upon Donny the merits of my words?” Mickey blinked, less in surprise of what Vinnie might do to Donny and more because he had used the word babe. Since when had he become babe to Vinnie? Mickey backed away until he felt a hard brick wall behind him. He stood there and watched as Vinnie dealt with Donny, wondering what crazy ass world he had stumbled into.

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Mickey missed what Vinnie said to Donny. He was still reeling from the shock of Vinnie’s words. Wasn’t Vinnie straight? Wasn’t he disgusted by what Mickey did for a living? Didn’t he hate Mickey? Mickey was still dazed when Vinnie tossed Donny away and the man took off running down the street. Vinnie watched for a moment then turned back to Mickey. He no longer seemed angry but his eyes didn’t soften this time like they had before. Instead, something else glowed in them when Vinnie looked at Mickey. “Let’s go,” Vinnie said as he stepped closer and reached for Mickey’s arm. Vinnie paused and stared down at the red marks marring Mickey’s wrist. Mickey shivered at the soft caress of Vinnie’s fingers over his skin. “Does this hurt?” Mickey shook his head, afraid to speak, afraid to break whatever spell Vinnie seemed to be under. He wasn’t stupid. If Vinnie wanted to treat him like he mattered, Mickey wouldn’t argue. “Well, come on then,” Vinnie said as he moved his hand down to clasp it with Mickey’s. “Everyone is expecting us at the bridge by dawn. If we want to get there in time, we need to hurry.” Mickey followed Vinnie in a daze. Vinnie’s hand engulfed Mickey’s, but Mickey held on for dear life. He couldn’t figure out why Vinnie had come back for him unless Ms. Dixie sent him. He certainly didn’t see Vinnie coming on his own. There was no reason. Vinnie didn’t want anything from him and even if he did, what Mickey had to give Vinnie didn’t want. “I have a friend that lives close by,” Mickey said after a couple of blocks. “You could just drop me off there.” “No.” Okay. Mickey sucked in his bottom lip and chewed on it as he cast a small glance up at Vinnie through his eyelashes. Vinnie’s jaw was set in a firm line like he was clenching his teeth. Mickey could only assume Vinnie was still angry. He shuddered again and racked his brain for somewhere else to go. He hadn’t escaped from one hellhole only to end up in another

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one. If Vinnie was really angry, Mickey didn’t want to be anywhere near him when the fallout happened. He didn’t relish receiving any more bruises. Mickey dug his feet in and stopped. Vinnie’s eyebrows were drawn down in a deep scowl when he turned around to look at him. Mickey swallowed hard. “I think it would be best if I just stayed here.” One of Vinnie’s dark eyebrows arched. “I believe it has been safely established that you don’t do well when you think, Mickey. Maybe you should just leave that to me.” Mickey’s head snapped back. Had he just been insulted? Mickey narrowed his eyes as he glared at Vinnie. There were a lot of things he had to put up with in his life but he refused to allow Vinnie to belittle him. Mickey tore his hand away from Vinnie’s and pointed it at him. “You do not get to tell me what to do.” “Wanna bet?” Mickey almost sputtered as rage filled him. Who in the hell did Vinnie think he was? “I don’t belong to you!” Mickey squeaked when he was suddenly lifted and pushed against the side of a building. His eyes widened as Vinnie leaned in until their noses almost touched. Something fierce was building in Vinnie’s deep blue eyes, something that made Mickey tremble. “You belong to me until I say otherwise, Mickey,” Vinnie growled with a low, rumbling voice. “And if I catch you selling your services to anyone, I will tan your ass so hard you won’t be able to sit down for a week.” Mickey opened his mouth to protest only to find it filled with Vinnie’s tongue. He whimpered and leaned into the kiss as a sudden fierce heat filled his senses and turned them to mush. He’d never felt anything so sublime as kissing Vinnie. His skin tingled from the top of his head to the tips of his toes. What was going on in between was even better. Mickey’s stomach

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clenched with need as Vinnie’s body pressed him into the hard brick wall behind him. How had anyone ever learned to kiss so well? Vinnie took kissing from a simple press of the lips and turned it into a sexual act all on its own. Mickey knew several minutes of this and he’d come in his pants like an untried teenager. Mickey was barely breathing when Vinnie finally lifted his head. All of the air had been sucked right out of his lungs. All Mickey could do was hang there in Vinnie’s arms and stare up at him in dazed confusion. “You’re gay?” “I am.” Vinnie chuckled. Mickey thought amusement was a good look on the man’s face, even if it was aimed at him. It seemed to take the worry lines from his face. Mickey, on the other hand, felt like he was gaining worry lines with each word Vinnie spoke. “Then why…” “I’ve never paid for sex in my life, and I’m not going to start with you, not matter how much I want you. If it’s not freely given, then I don’t want it.” Mickey’s eyes dropped. He couldn’t continue to look at the conviction in Vinnie’s eyes. He nervously smoothed the edges of Vinnie’s shirt down with his fingers. “I wouldn’t charge you anything.” “Not charging for sex does not necessarily mean that it’s given freely, Mickey.” Vinnie grimaced and lowered Mickey to his feet. “I’ll take you wherever it is you need to go, Ms. Dixie, too, but I don’t expect anything in return except a simple thank you.” “But—” Mickey fell silent when Vinnie’s finger pressed over his lips. Now that he knew Vinnie was gay, he couldn’t stop thinking about having sex with the man. He meant it when he said he wouldn’t charge Vinnie for sex. Hell, he’d pay Vinnie if that’s what it took. “No, Mickey.”

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Mickey frowned. He didn’t like that answer, not one bit. He pulled his head back so Vinnie’s fingers were no longer pressed against his lips. He needed clarification. “Is it because I’m a whore?” Mickey’s eyes widened almost to the point of pain when Vinnie grabbed him and slammed him into the wall again. Vinnie’s nostrils flared. His teeth were grit tight. He was pissed and this time, Mickey knew all that anger was aimed right at him. “I never want to hear that word come out of your mouth again, Mickey,” Vinnie growled. “Is that perfectly understood?” Mickey nodded even though he didn’t understand a thing. “From this moment on, you’re retired.” “I’ve already retired once today. It didn’t do me a whole hell of a lot of good.” Vinnie’s eyebrows shot up. He slowly lowered Mickey back down to the ground. “You retired?” “Yes, where do you think I was going when the earthquake hit?” “Vacation? You mentioned something about the bus station.” “No, I was leaving town. After what happened with Donny, I decided it was time for me to move on. I have a bit saved up and I figured I could start over somewhere else, somewhere that I don’t have to be a wh—hooker.” “You really quit?” “Yeah.” For the life of him, Mickey couldn’t figure out why that was so important to Vinnie. So he quit. Big deal. That didn’t make him any less of a hooker. Nothing would. It’s a label he would be stuck with for the rest of his life. “Good.” Mickey yelped when Vinnie grabbed his arm and started propelling him down the street again. He almost had to run to keep up. “Where are we going in such a hurry?” “I told you,” Vinnie said. “We’re supposed to meet everyone at the bridge at dawn. We don’t have much time left.”

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“Will you slow down?” Mickey asked as he jerked on his arm. “My legs aren’t as long as yours. I don’t go that fast.” Vinnie slowed down, but he refused to let go of Mickey. Mickey walked alongside of Vinnie, not knowing what else to do. Besides the fact that Vinnie was bigger and able to help him over the fallen rubble, Vinnie didn’t seem inclined to let him go. Mickey didn’t exactly feel like a prisoner, but he didn’t feel like he had a word in what was happening either. Vinnie had kind of taken over. Mickey didn’t know how he felt about that and was too confused to argue—at the moment. Given time, he was sure he’d come up with something to say. “Do you enjoy what you do?” “Excuse me?” Mickey asked. Vinnie glanced down at Mickey. “Do you enjoy selling your body for money?” “Not particularly but it does have its moments.” Mickey wondered from the shocked expression on Vinnie’s face what he was supposed to say. Yes, sometimes the sex was good but mostly, it felt impersonal. It was sex with complete strangers. Sure, Mickey had a few regular customers, but most of his clientele were people he’d never see again. Most, he didn’t want to see again. “Then why do you do it?” “The money, why else?” “I understand about needing something to do to keep a roof over your head, but couldn’t you have found something else?” “Like what?” “I don’t know, sweeping floors or waiting tables or something?” Mickey rolled his eyes. He had heard this argument a thousand times, sometimes even from his clients. Everyone wanted to save him from a life of debauchery. It seemed like Vinnie had just jumped on the bandwagon as well. “What do you do to keep a roof over your head?” “I… err… I fix motorcycles.” Vinnie looked perplexed.

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“Are you good at it?” Mickey asked. “Business is good, so I suppose I’m good at it.” “Well, I am very good at what I do as well. I make more money in one week than a busboy could make in a whole month.” Mickey chuckled harshly. “Why would I want to do anything else?” “How can you have a life like that?” “I did okay.” “Yeah.” Vinnie snorted. “The black eye says it all.” Mickey chuckled. He couldn’t help it. Vinnie was right when it came to the black eye, but only the black eye. And that had come from his ex-boyfriend not a client, although Mickey had received his fair share from clients as well. “Look, this isn’t something you’re ever going to understand, Vinnie, not unless you’ve lived the life. Do I like sleeping with strangers? No. Do I wish I had had the type of life that allowed me to finish school and attend college, get a real life? Yes. But it didn’t happen, and I have to make the best of what I have.” “Ms. Dixie certainly seems to think you did well.” Vinnie laughed for a moment then quickly quieted down. “That woman is fierce. I thought for a moment there she was going to take my head off.” Mickey nodded. “She could have.” “I believe you. I wouldn’t want to cross her.” Mickey started to smile just as the ground began shaking. He grabbed on to Vinnie’s arm to keep from falling to the rubble. Mickey squeaked when Vinnie grabbed his hand and ran toward the nearest building. Mickey wasn’t sure going inside a building was the smartest move they could make, but the noise was so loud, he doubted if Vinnie would hear him if he protested. Vinnie pulled Mickey into the building and pushed him up against the nearest wall. Mickey grunted when Vinnie pressed into him, covering him from head to toe with his own body.

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Mickey forgot all about the danger of the earthquake when he realized that he was cocooned between Vinnie’s rather large body and the wall. It was probably the safest place on the whole block. It was also the hottest place to be. Mickey seriously doubted there was a single ounce of fat on Vinnie’s body. It was all hard plains and rigid muscles, and it was all pressed intimately against him. Mickey swallowed hard then tilted his head back to look up at Vinnie. He licked his lips nervously when he found Vinnie staring intently back down at him. “Aftershock.”

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Chapter 6 “There will probably be a lot of those.” Vinnie prayed that his voice sounded normal when he replied because he was feeling anything but normal at the moment. His intention was to get Mickey out of harm’s way from falling debris. He didn’t realize it would bring them so close together, and now he couldn’t stop thinking about anything but how good Mickey’s body felt. “Yeah.” Mickey looked flushed even in the dim light. He looked hot. He looked kissable. Vinnie watched Mickey’s eyes widen as he lowered his head, but not a sound of protest fell from Mickey’s lips as he covered them with his own. Vinnie groaned when he got his first good taste of Mickey. The man tasted like the sweetest wine he had ever sipped, and he wasn’t much of a wine drinker. He might have to change his mind. A hot ache grew in the back of Vinnie’s throat when Mickey moaned and leaned into him. He traced the fullness of Mickey’s lips with his tongue then covered Mickey’s mouth hungrily with his own, pushing his tongue inside to explore. He was shocked at his own eager response to kissing Mickey. He had never desired kissing someone so much as he did Mickey right then. He didn’t even care that they were in some strange building with the earth shaking around him. He just wanted to go on kissing Mickey. He continued to explore Mickey’s lips as he stroked his hands down Mickey’s sides. Mickey had all the right curves and muscles in all the right places. His hips gave Vinnie something to grab onto as he

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held Mickey against the wall. The soft slope of Mickey’s lower back gave Vinnie something to explore with his fingers. And Mickey’s tight, rounded ass gave Vinnie something to squeeze. When the need for air became paramount, Vinnie regretfully pulled his lips away from Mickey’s and stared down at him. Vinnie couldn’t tell from the expression on Mickey’s face whether he enjoyed the kiss or not. Mickey was panting heavily, his eyes hooded by long, thick lashes. “The earthquake stopped,” Mickey whispered. “Did it?” Vinnie was pretty sure he could still feel the ground beneath his feet shaking—but maybe it was him. He felt like his whole world was going wonky. The city was falling down around his ears and all he could think of was fucking a retired hooker up against a wall in some strange building. Mickey’s eyelashes suddenly lifted. Vinnie knew in that moment they were sharing an intense physical awareness of each other. Vinnie just couldn’t help but wonder if it went deeper than that or if it was only superficial. He took Mickey’s chin in his hand and held it gently as he lowered his lips for another kiss. If this was all he was ever going to have, then he planned on making it the best kiss of his life. Vinnie captured Mickey’s mouth again, his lips hard and searching. Mickey seemed to lean into the kiss for a moment then he started moving. Vinnie didn’t pay any attention to Mickey’s movements until he felt something being pressed into his hand. He leaned back and looked at his hand, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise when he found a condom and a small tube of lube in the palm of his hand. He looked down at Mickey. Mickey just stared up at him intently, not saying a word. Vinnie knew the decision was up to him. He could accept Mickey at face value and fuck him into the wall, or he could balk and complain that Mickey had supplies so readily at hand. Vinnie went with fucking Mickey into the wall. He glanced around the small room that they were in, looking for a good place. It

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was only then that he realized they were in some sort of clothing store. Vinnie closed his hand around the condom and lube then grabbed Mickey’s arm with the other one. He pulled him into the back of the store and into a large changing room. The moment Mickey was inside with him, he closed and locked the door behind him. Vinnie turned to Mickey and held out his hand, opening it up to reveal the condom and lube. “Are you sure about this, Mickey?” Mickey bit his bottom lip, not answering right away. Vinnie could feel the weight of his stare like a thousand-pound sledgehammer. He wished that he could just take what he wanted, but that wouldn’t be fair to him or Mickey. This had to be Mickey’s choice. “I’m sure,” Mickey finally whispered. That was all Vinnie needed to hear. He closed his hand back up around the condom and lube then shrugged his jacket off. He hung it on the hook on the back of the door then turned back to Mickey. “Come here, baby.” Vinnie held his arms out and gestured with his hand for Mickey to come closer. Mickey licked his lips then stepped into Vinnie’s arms. He looked nervous, which was strange for someone that had sex for money. “Have you ever had sex just because you wanted to?” “A few times.” “Just a few?” For some reason, that made Vinnie very sad. It also made him want to give Mickey the best time of his life. He just couldn’t think of anything he could do that Mickey probably hadn’t already done. “Well, we need to start with another kiss.” Mickey grinned. Parting his lips, he raised up to meet Vinnie’s. It was just as hot and intense as the first one. Vinnie couldn’t help but wonder if they would get worse or better. He was hoping for better. As he kissed Mickey, he worked his shirt down off his shoulders, tossing it to the side of the room. He could feel Mickey’s hands working his own shirt up his chest. He leaned back just long enough

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to whip the shirt off over his head then went right back to kissing Mickey. He really liked kissing Mickey. The soft groan that fell from Mickey’s lips when their bare chests met was heaven to Vinnie’s ears. He ran his hands down Mickey’s back, following the soft concave at the base until he reached the edge of Mickey’s pants. Vinnie tried to push his hands under the waistband, but Mickey’s pants were too tight. “These have got to go, baby,” he said as he dropped to his knees and started undoing them. Vinnie almost swallowed his tongue when he parted the denim material and realized Mickey didn’t wear underwear. He wanted to sing a hallelujah chorus when he pulled the pants down even further and a nice, thick—hard—cock bounced up and slapped Mickey in the abdomen. He could see Mickey’s entire body shudder as he ran his finger over the top, wiping away drops of precum, then down the sides of the thickly veined erection. “This is nice,” Vinnie murmured as he stroked his fingers over the smooth skin surrounding Mickey’s cock. “This is very nice.” “Tha–thank you,” Mickey squeaked. Vinnie pushed the pants the rest of the way down Mickey’s body. He quickly pulled Mickey’s shoes off then his pants, tossing all of the items into the far corner. He couldn’t have cared less where they landed. He was far more interested in the gorgeous naked man standing before him. Vinnie leaned up on his knees and laid his hands on Mickey’s shoulders. He slowly stroked his hands down Mickey’s body—over his chest and the beautiful brown-hued circles on either side. He paid special attention to the hard nipples, tugging and caressing them before moving further down. Mickey was skinny, but he was sleek. Vinnie could feel the man’s muscles contract beneath his fingers. But there was also a very definite definition of rib bones. Mickey was too skinny to be healthy.

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“We need to get some meat on these bones,” Vinnie said. “I want my baby with a little padding.” “Okay.” Vinnie grinned at the strangled sound that came out of Mickey’s mouth. Mickey’s skin was so flushed, Vinnie wondered if there was a bit of him that didn’t glow with desire. It was a very good look on the man. Vinnie sat back down on his knees and leaned in. Mickey was watching his every movement with an intensity that would have concerned Vinnie on any normal occasion. Right now, it was an incredible turn-on. Vinnie kept his eyes glued to Mickey’s as he opened his mouth and wrapped his lips around the head of Mickey’s engorged cock. Mickey’s eyes fluttered as a small groan fell from his lips. His hands clutched at Vinnie’s shoulders as his body swayed. Vinnie grinned then sucked the rest of the man’s very impressive cock into his mouth. He swallowed several times when the head of Mickey’s cock hit the back of his throat. Mickey’s groans became louder. His shuddering increased. Vinnie didn’t want the show to be over before it began, so he quickly backed off, just sucking on the head for a moment before reaching for the lube and condom. Vinnie dropped the condom into the space between his knees then opened the lube and poured some out on his fingers. The soft sounds of protest that came from Mickey when he dropped the man’s cock from his mouth made Vinnie’s own cock throb. “Spread your legs and hold onto my shoulders.” As soon as Mickey was in position, Vinnie put his mouth around his cock again. At the same time, he reached between Mickey’s legs and trailed his fingers down between Mickey’s tight, rounded ass cheeks. Vinnie wished he could see what he was doing as his fingers grazed over Mickey’s quivering hole. For one, he liked to watch. For

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two, Mickey seemed to go wild every time Vinnie’s fingers touched his tight opening. Mickey started moaning and moving, trying to push back on Vinnie’s fingers, and he hadn’t even breached him yet. Vinnie quickly wanted to change that. He didn’t know how much longer he could wait to sink his aching cock into that glorious hole. He just wouldn’t do it until Mickey was sufficiently stretched for him. Vinnie wasn’t huge, but he wasn’t small either. If Mickey wasn’t properly prepared, it would hurt, and then Vinnie would have to shoot himself for hurting the little man. Considering what Mickey did for a living, Vinnie was surprised by how tight Mickey was as he pushed his slick finger into the man’s ass. He could barely get a single finger in. He had to wiggle it around for a moment before sinking it in further. Once inside, though, Mickey’s body seemed to suck him right in. The second finger was just as hard. By the time Vinnie was able to push in a third finger, Mickey’s groans were filling the small dressing room. The man was a moaner, that was for sure. Vinnie just couldn’t bring himself to shut Mickey up, even if it increased their chances of being caught. Each small groan was too wonderful to hear. Once Vinnie had three fingers deep into Mickey’s ass, he started working them. He pushed them in and pulled them out, increasing his speed with each thrust. At the same time, he worked Mickey’s cock— sucking and licking and swallowing down until his nose was buried against the smooth skin of Mickey’s groin. On the next push in, Vinnie curled his fingers and rubbed them over the small, walnut-sized gland inside Mickey’s ass. Mickey screamed. His hands tightened on Vinnie’s shoulders. Hot liquid shot down Vinnie’s throat as Mickey’s entire body shook. Vinnie swallowed as much as he could then leaned back to look at Mickey. His eyes widened as Mickey started to collapse. Vinnie quickly reached out and caught Mickey then gently laid him down on the carpeted floor.

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He swallowed again, hard this time, as he looked down at his debauched baby. Mickey was panting heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly. His eyes fluttered as if he wanted to open them but didn’t have the energy. He looked like a fallen angel. Vinnie quickly unbuttoned his jeans and pushed them down to his thighs. He grabbed the condom and tore it open then rolled it down his throbbing cock. Grabbing the tube of lube, Vinnie squirted some out on his cock, spreading it around. He dribbled the remaining lube onto the pink puckered hole waiting for him. Vinnie pushed Mickey’s legs back to his chest and stared down at the man’s ass. He lined his cock up with Mickey’s slick entrance and started to slowly push inside. Even feeling the tip of his cock against Mickey’s tight ring of muscles was enough to make him groan. He was pretty sure this would be the shortest show in the world. “Wait!” Vinnie glanced up in concern. Had Mickey changed his mind? “What?” “Don’t you want me to turn over?” Vinnie frowned. “Why would I want that?” Mickey’s bottom lip trembled. “Well, because—” “No, baby, I want to be able to look at you and I want you to be able to look me. I want you to know who’s fucking you.” Mickey’s sudden smile took Vinnie’s breath away. It changed the man’s face, making him seem more beautiful than any man Vinnie had ever slept with. Vinnie vowed to himself to see that look on Mickey’s face again. “I know.” Vinnie grinned and pushed forward, slowly sinking into Mickey’s tight ass. “Fuck, Mickey,” Vinnie groaned and closed his eyes. Once he was in all of the way, he paused for a moment to savor the feeling of Mickey’s body wrapped around him. “You feel so fucking good.” “I’d feel a whole lot better if you’d fucking move!”

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Vinnie’s eyes snapped open in surprise. He blinked several times as he gazed down at Mickey. The man’s voice had risen from a quiet whisper to a shout with each word he spoke. He seemed to really mean it. “Yes, sir.” Vinnie chuckled. Mickey’s eyes rolled back in his head with the first thrust of Vinnie’s hips. His hands wrapped around Vinnie’s arms with the second. By the third thrust, Mickey’s legs were locked around Vinnie’s torso. “Yes! Yes!” Mickey shouted as he moved. “Fuck my ass!” Vinnie was all too happy to oblige. He grabbed Mickey’s legs and put them over his shoulder. Grabbing his hips, Vinnie started pounding into Mickey like he really wanted to. His cock was being continuously wrapped in tight, hot silk. It was the most glorious feeling he had ever felt. Mickey’s ass was perfect. Vinnie leaned down close over Mickey. He realized that the man was practically bent in half, but Mickey didn’t seem to mind if his cries were anything to go by. Mickey’s cock was another clue. It was once again hard and dripping with pre-cum. Vinnie reached down between them and wrapped his hand around the engorged flesh. He started pumping his hand to the rhythm of his thrusts. “Mickey, open your eyes, baby,” Vinnie growled. He wanted Mickey to see him, to know it was him. He would be the first one to admit that he was jealous of all the other men Mickey had been with. He wanted Mickey to know he was being claimed. “The first chance I have I’m going to tattoo my name across your ass, Mickey,” Vinnie said when Mickey finally opened his eyes. “I want there to be no mistakes that this ass—” Vinnie thrust in hard. “This body—” He thrust again. “You, belong to me.” Mickey’s eyes widened. His mouth dropped open. Vinnie thrust harder. Mickey writhed beneath him. Vinnie could feel his orgasm fast approaching as waves of ecstasy throbbed through his body. “Come for me, baby,” Vinnie growled. “Show me you want this.”

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Vinnie’s world careened and spun on its axis as Mickey tossed his head back and cried out almost before he was done speaking. Shots of hot seed shot out of Mickey’s cock and all over the both of them. “Fuck yes! Mickey!” Vinnie shouted as Mickey’s body tightened down around his cock, forcing his orgasm from him. The pleasure was sure and explosive, driving Vinnie into mindless thrusting as he tried to drag every last ounce of bliss from Mickey’s body. Finally, totally spent, Vinnie collapsed down on top of Mickey’s sublime body. He breathed in deep, soul-drenching drafts of air. He slowly lowered Mickey’s legs to the floor and pulled away from the man long enough to get rid of the used condom. Then he grabbed Mickey and dragged him back into his arms. Mickey snuggled against him as their legs entwined. His hand absently caressed the skin of Vinnie’s side. His head was tucked under Vinnie’s chin. “Did you mean it?” Mickey whispered. Vinnie instantly knew what Mickey was talking about. He could tell from the man’s hesitant words and the rigid way he held his body that his answer was important to Mickey. Vinnie smiled as he laid his cheek on Mickey’s head. “Yes, I meant it.” Vinnie ran his hand down Mickey’s back to the small curve just above his ass. “I’m going to tattoo my name right here.” Vinnie felt something wet drip on his skin as Mickey pressed his face against his chest. Vinnie smiled and held Mickey tighter. He had no idea what made him decide he was keeping Mickey, but he was at peace with the decision. He actually felt calmer and more sure of things than he had in quite a long time. “Isn’t that called a tramp stamp?” Vinnie chuckled. “Usually but this time, it’s my stamp. I want everyone, including you, to know that you’re private property.” Mickey had a frown on his face when he lifted his head to stare up at Vinnie. “Property?”

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“Property may have been the wrong word, Mickey. I don’t see you as an object. I just want everyone to know that you’ve been claimed and no one gets to touch you except me.” Vinnie glanced down real quick. “If you want me to, that is.” Mickey’s face flushed and he dipped his head again. “I do.” Vinnie laid his head back on the floor and stared up at the ceiling. “Good, then it’s settled.” “When?” Mickey whispered after a moment. Vinnie grinned. “The sooner the better, huh?” Mickey nodded. “I need to find us a tattoo shop. Maybe there will be one somewhere on the other side of the bridge.” Vinnie patted Mickey’s hip. “The first one we come to, promise. We’ll stop and get you a tramp stamp.” Vinnie laughed when Mickey punched him in the arm. He quickly rolled Mickey beneath him. Vinnie’s breath caught in his throat at the look of desperate want on Mickey’s face. Vinnie reached down and gently stroked the side of Mickey’s handsome face with his fingers. “I have no idea where this is going, Mickey, but I’d sure like to find out.” Mickey bit his lower lip and glanced down for a moment. When he finally looked back up, tears sparkled in his eyes. “I can’t change my past, Vinnie, but I promise if you give me a chance I—” Vinnie quickly covered Mickey’s mouth with his fingers. “Stop thinking like that. This isn’t about me giving you a chance or you giving me a chance. This is about you and me wanting to see if this incredible attraction between the two of us can lead somewhere.” “But—” “No buts, Mickey. Just promise me I will be the only man in your life and that you will be understanding when I’m not. It’s going to take me a little while to get used to the fact that you’ve been with so many men. I can’t say I’m not jealous because I am. The thought of

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all those nameless men touching you makes me want to kill each and every one of them.” “I’m retired, remember?” “I do, but that doesn’t mean I don’t still think about it.” Vinnie heaved a sigh, wondering how much truth he should reveal to Mickey. He was incredibly attracted to Mickey and wanted to see if there was something more between them. Mickey was special and Vinnie wanted to explore that. He just didn’t want to seem like a jerk. “I’ve never had a blow job before.” Vinnie blinked and stilled. “What?” “I’ve never had a blow job before,” Mickey said. “I’ve given plenty of them, but no one has ever taken the time to give me one.” “Not even Donny?” Mickey snorted. “I didn’t have sex with Donny. He wanted to, but something was holding me back. Now I know what it was. The man is a complete asshole.” For some reason, that statement made Vinnie feel a whole lot better. Knowing Mickey had slept with a lot of faceless men was a whole lot different than coming face-to-face with one of them. Donny bothered Vinnie more then all of Mickey’s previous lovers, or clients, put together. “Did you like it?” Mickey’s head popped up, a shocked look on his face. “Are you serious? I thought my brains were going to melt out of my ears.” Vinnie chuckled. “Well, if you could think then I wasn’t doing it right.” Mickey blinked. “We’ll just have to keep trying until you can’t think at all.” Mickey swallowed so hard that Vinnie heard it. “Okay.”

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Chapter 7 Mickey tightened his hold around Vinnie’s waist and laid his head against the man’s back. Dawn was just starting to break, and he could see that the city of San Francisco was in ruins. Fires burned everywhere, giving the morning sky an orange hue. Buildings were toppled, rubble littered the streets, and the walking wounded wandered the streets. People would become desperate with each hour that passed. Mickey knew that by nightfall, the rioting and looting would begin. He hoped they would be able to get out of the city and across the bridge before that happened. Vinnie leaned his head back and tilted it slightly to the side. “Not much further, Mickey. Keep an eye out for the guys and Ms. Dixie.” “Okay.” Luckily, they were going slow enough that Mickey didn’t have to yell. The roads were in pretty bad shape. Most of them were covered in debris. Some of them even had large holes and cracks in them. Vinnie had to drive slower or else they would have crashed. Mickey couldn’t believe he was sitting on the back of a motorcycle with a man that promised to tattoo his ass with a tramp stamp—and he couldn’t be more thrilled. He hoped they found a tattoo shop the second they crossed the bridge. He wanted Vinnie in the worst way. Mickey couldn’t remember the last time he had wanted something so much. The idea of belonging to the larger man thrilled Mickey right down to his toes. He was scared out of his mind that Vinnie would change his mind. Mickey knew he had a lot of baggage. Besides the fact that he

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couldn’t count the number of men he had let fuck him, he had major issues with being abandoned, and he was fully aware of them. Mickey knew he’d have to do everything he could not to be clingy. He didn’t think someone like Vinnie would appreciate being followed around by someone acting like an eager puppy. He’d have to curb his natural inclination to want to cling and give Vinnie his space. Mickey wasn’t even sure if Vinnie wanted him to acknowledge their relationship in front of his friends. He’d have to play it by ear and watch for Vinnie’s signals. If the man wanted him to keep their association a secret, Mickey wouldn’t like it, but he’d do it. Mickey couldn’t think of much he wouldn’t do to keep Vinnie interested. Mickey tried to ease off on his tight grip around Vinnie and look less like one lover holding another and more like the passenger on the back of a bike. He didn’t know how soon they would hook up with Vinnie’s friends, but he wanted to be prepared. “Hey, where are you going, gorgeous?” Vinnie asked as he grabbed Mickey’s arm and pulled it back around his waist. “Keep a tight hold, Mickey. I wouldn’t want you to fall off.” Mickey sighed and tightened his arms around Vinnie again. Those weren’t the words he wanted to hear. “Besides, I like having your arms around me.” Mickey grinned and tightened his arms even more. “Not too tight, baby, I need to be able to breathe.” Mickey laughed, suddenly feeling happier than he could ever remember feeling. It almost didn’t feel fair to everyone in the city. He was happy, floating in a bubble while destruction reigned all around him. But he couldn’t feel sorry about it. Mickey had waited a long time to find someone that wanted him just the way he was. He was willing to give up everything for Vinnie, and as much as the connection he felt to the other man scared him, Mickey wouldn’t have traded it for anything on earth. “Looks like we might have to take another route,” Vinnie said as slowed the motorcycle and brought it to a stop.

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Mickey peeked around Vinnie to see what looked like hundreds of abandoned cars blocking the entrance to the bridge. They were still blocks away, but Mickey couldn’t see anything but car after car between them and freedom. “What do we do now?” “I don’t know, baby.” Mickey glanced around. “Do you think the others got through here?” “I don’t know that either.” Vinnie turned off the motorcycle and climbed off. He pulled his leather jacket off and draped it around Mickey’s shoulders. “Here, why don’t you hold this for me while I got scout out ahead. I’ll be back in just a few minutes.” Mickey nodded and kept his lips pressed tightly together to keep from asking if he could go, too. He didn’t want to stay here alone. Even though he could see now that the sun was rising, all of the abandoned cars made the place seem eerie. When Vinnie leaned down toward him, Mickey eagerly raised his lips for the kiss he knew was coming. God, he really loved kissing Vinnie except the instant Vinnie’s lips touched his, he was horny as hell. “I’ll be right back, baby,” Vinnie said as he stroked his hand down the side of Mickey’s face. “Don’t go anywhere.” Mickey shook his head. The smile on his lips slipped away the moment Vinnie started walking toward the bridge. He watched as long as he could, keeping his eyes on Vinnie until the man faded from sight. Sighing deeply, Mickey looked around. The entrance to the bridge wasn’t exactly the highest place in the city but it did give a good view of the bay below. Mickey could see a multitude of boats floating in the water. Some seemed to be manned while others were just floating along. There was even one that looked like it had part of a dock tied to it.

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There were still buildings standing, but Mickey couldn’t see a single one that didn’t have some sort of damage. He wondered how strong the earthquake was and if the city would be able to rebuild itself once it was all over. The damage looked pretty severe. It would take months, if not years for San Francisco to return to its former glory. Maybe leaving wasn’t the best answer. Maybe staying to help rebuild was better? Mickey just didn’t know. He’d have to ask Vinnie what he wanted to do. Mickey would go wherever Vinnie wanted to go until they figured out this thing between them. “Well, well, well, so the little whore lost his protector.” Mickey inhaled sharply and swung around to find Donny and a couple of other men standing several feet from him. Fear created a lump in his throat that was almost impossible to swallow past. The dark set of Donny’s features was the same one Mickey had seen right before the man hit him. Mickey had a huge feeling that he was headed in the same direction. “What do you want, Donny?” “I’ve been looking for you, Mickey.” “Why?” Mickey asked as he slowly climbed off the bike. He wanted to be ready in case he needed to run, which he was pretty sure he would. “You heard what Vinnie said. If you hurt a hair on my head, he’s going to take you apart piece by piece.” “I don’t see him around.” Donny took a step toward him. Mickey turned and ran in the direction Vinnie had taken as fast as his legs would carry him. He could hear Donny and his two goons giving chase, their boots slapping loudly against the pavement. Mickey weaved in and out of cars, jumping up and sliding across cars that got in his way. Even he was a bit impressed with how well he was going. Of course, being scared out of his mind gave him a good incentive to not slow down.

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He knew if Donny caught him, he’d be in a shitload of trouble. He could hear Donny yelling behind him. The man was pretty graphic about what he and his friends would do if they caught Mickey. It wasn’t pretty and not something Mickey thought he’d survive. Mickey glanced over his shoulder as he ran around the side of a brown van. He cried out when arms suddenly wrapped around him and pulled him into the van. A hand covered his mouth as the van door slid closed. Mickey panted heavily, his level of fear spiking until he heard Vinnie whisper in his ear. “Shh, Mickey, stay quiet until they pass us.” Mickey nodded that he understood. He had no problem keeping his mouth shut. He was just worrying that his heart was pounding so loud they would hear in him Oakland. Strangely, the moment he knew it was Vinnie holding him, the fear faded away. Mickey heard Donny’s voice getting louder. He turned his head and buried it in Vinnie’s neck. Vinnie’s arms tightened around him for a moment then slowly loosened as Donny’s voice passed them and faded. Once they could no longer hear Donny shouting, Vinnie sat up and peeked through the front window. “Do you see him?” Vinnie shook his head then turned and pointed to the back of the van. “Go out that way.” Mickey nodded and crawled to the back of the van. He pulled the lever on the door and prayed it didn’t squeak as he slowly opened it. Mickey cried out in pain as someone’s fist landed in the middle of his face. He fell back onto the van floor, holding his hands to his face. Vinnie roared and jumped over the top of him. Mickey glanced up just in time to see Vinnie dive out the back of the van, taking someone down to the ground. His face ached and blood dripped from his nose. Mickey ripped the edge of his shirt off and held it to his face then searched the back of the van for a weapon. He spotted a tire iron sticking out from under the driver’s seat. Mickey grabbed it and crawled to the back of the van as fast as he could.

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He hesitated at the van doors. His heart thundered in his chest. Two men pinned Vinnie to the ground. Donny sat on Vinnie’s chest, swinging his fists into Vinnie’s face. Mickey shouted as he jumped from the back of the van and started swinging the tire iron as hard as he could. He felt it connect but didn’t stop to see who it hit before swinging again and again. By the time Mickey stopped swinging to take a deep breath, he stood over the top of Vinnie. One man lay unconscious on the ground several feet away. The other man was helping Donny limp away. Mickey watched them until they disappeared from sight then tossed the tire iron to the ground and crouched down next to Vinnie. The man looked like Mickey felt. His face was bruised and a trickle of blood trailed from the corner of his mouth down his chin. “Vinnie, are you okay?” “Damn, baby.” Vinnie chuckled. “You’re a beast.” Mickey felt his face flush. “I couldn’t let them beat you up.” “Yeah, well, I’d tell you I could handle myself, but I was just about to have my ass handed to me. Thank you for your timely intervention.” Mickey scooted back when Vinnie sat up. He quickly tore off another piece of his shirt and wiped the blood on Vinnie’s face away. Vinnie winced then licked the corner of his mouth with his tongue. “Fuck, that hurts.” “Sorry.” “How are you, baby?” Vinnie said as he tentatively touched Mickey’s face. “It looks like they got you a good one. You’re going to have raccoon eyes by morning.” “You should see the other guy.” Mickey laughed nervously. Would Vinnie still want him if he wasn’t pretty? If he wasn’t, would Vinnie send him on his way? “Come on, let’s get out of here before they find reinforcements and come back. I don’t feel like having my ass handed to me for a

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second time today.” Vinnie climbed to his feet and started back toward his motorcycle. “But… wait!” Mickey looked back toward the entrance of the bridge. He glanced back at Vinnie. “What about your friends and Ms. Dixie?” Vinnie grinned and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small piece of paper and a red bow that looked suspiciously like the one Kirby had in his fur. “Does this look familiar?” “I think it’s Kirby’s.” “That’s what I thought, too. That’s why it caught my eye.” Vinnie held up the piece of paper. “It was at the entrance with this note attached to it.” “What does it say?” “They went ahead over the bridge. They’ll meet us at the exit off of Highway 101 on the vista road just on the other side of the bridge.” Vinnie laughed as he read a little further. “Ms. Dixie says not to forget the red bow. Kirby looks lopsided without it.” Mickey caught up with Vinnie and walked with him back toward the motorcycle. He still needed to weave in and out of the abandoned vehicles. “How are we going to get your bike up here?” “Tank told me there’s a small path on the far side of the road that we can get through. We’ll have to walk the bike up to the entrance, but it should be pretty easy riding after that. It was early enough in the day that rush hour hadn’t started. We just have to look out for cracks in the bridge.” Mickey stumbled. He hadn’t even thought about the bridge being unsafe. The Golden Gate Bridge had stood strong for so many years. It had even survived previous earthquakes. It was designed to stay up. Wasn’t it? “What if another aftershock hits while we’re crossing the bridge?” Mickey asked. “Mickey, we’ll deal with that if it happens, but don’t buy trouble if you can help it. Unless we want to go all the way through the city to

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Sunnyvale, we’re going to have to cross a bridge. I’d rather cross this one than the Bay Bridge.” Mickey frowned. “But didn’t they reinforce the Bay Bridge after the last big earthquake?” “Yep, and everybody and their dog is going to be crossing that one, not this one. They’ll be stuck on the bridge for hours. It will be one big clusterfuck.” Mickey blinked. That made a weird sort of sense. Mickey bounced from foot to foot and glanced nervously around him as Vinnie got the bike and started pushing it between the vehicles. He followed behind as close as he could get without sitting on the back wheel. All too soon they reached the entrance to the bridge, Vinnie stopped and climbed on. He quickly started the motorcycle then handed Mickey his helmet. Mickey put the helmet on then climbed onto the bike behind Vinnie. “Are you going to take that with you?” It was only as Vinnie asked that Mickey realized he still carried the tire iron in his hand. He stared at it for a minute then nodded. “Yep.” Vinnie chuckled. “Well, if you insist on taking it with you, secure it behind you so you don’t drop it. I wouldn’t want you to get hurt if we go down.” Mickey nodded and climbed off the bike. He quickly secured the tire iron to the back of the bike then climbed back on. Mickey breathed a sigh of relief as he wrapped his arms around Vinnie’s waist once again. “Okay, I’m ready.” The ride across the bridge was slow and perilous. Several times, they had to stop and walk the bike. Mickey shuddered every time they came across a crashed vehicle, afraid that they might find someone dead inside, but the bridge was empty.

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It was almost eerie how empty it was. Mickey would have at least thought they would run into someone walking or injured, but they didn’t. They didn’t run into anything but abandoned cars. “Where do you think everyone went?” Mickey had to know. “If they were smart, they headed north,” Vinnie replied. “But I’d bet a lot of them went back into the city. The earthquake was several hours ago, long enough for anyone on the bridge to make it off.” Mickey shivered as he walked next to the bike. He rubbed his hands up and down his arms to ward off the sudden chill that came over him. His stomach started to clench, and he felt like he was going to throw up. “Vinnie, I don’t feel so good.” Vinnie stopped so fast that Mickey ran into the back of the bike. “Hey, wha—” “Get your helmet on and get on the back of the bike, Mickey,” Vinnie said sternly as he swung his leg over the bike and started it up. The sudden roaring of the engine in such silence made Mickey jump. He didn’t know what was wrong, but he could hear the urgency in Vinnie’s voice. He pulled the helmet on his head and jumped onto the back of the bike. The second Mickey was on the back of the bike and reached around to grab Vinnie, the bike shot forward. Mickey cried out and closed his eyes as Vinnie weaved in and out of the cars at a breakneck speed. He just knew they were going to crash. A lot of people had died from falling or jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. He didn’t want to be one of them. “Hold on, Mickey.” Mickey didn’t even open his eyes. He just held on tighter to Vinnie’s large body. He couldn’t prevent the cry that fell from his lips when they hit rough road and the bike flew into the air, coming down hard on the pavement moments later. The bike wobbled for a moment before Vinnie got it back on the road.

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Mickey slowly opened his eyes when the bike slowed down. He frowned in confusion when Vinnie drove the bike to the side of the road and stopped. “Get off!” Mickey jumped off, pulling the helmet from his head. He stood there, unsure of what was going on. Was Vinnie kicking him to the curb? Vinnie grew even more concerned when Vinnie turned the motorcycle off and gently laid it on the ground. Vinnie climbed over it, wrapped his arms around Mickey, and pulled him down to the ground. “Vinnie, wha—” That’s when Mickey heard it—a noise so loud that it shook the very ground beneath him. Mickey squeaked when Vinnie pushed him closer to the ground and covered him. An unnatural silence filled the air when the ground stopped shaking. Mickey sat up when Vinnie did and looked around. His breath caught in his throat when he looked toward where the Golden Gate Bridge used to be. All that remained were the red concrete towers on either side of the bay. The entire bridge had fallen into the water below. “Good god,” Mickey whispered. The helmet dropped from Mickey’s hand and rolled on the ground, coming to a stop next to him.”If we had been a minute longer, we would have died.” “But we didn’t,” Vinnie replied. Mickey leaned against Vinnie’s chest as the man’s arms wrapped around him. “We made it just in time, didn’t we, sweet baby?” Mickey nodded, but he was too choked up to speak. He realized how close they had come to dying, and it scared the crap out of him. He never wanted to be that close to death again. Life was just getting interesting for him. “I’m sorry I made you go across the bridge, Mickey,” Vinnie whispered against the top of his head. “If I had had any idea that the bridge would collapse, I would have taken you through Sunnyvale. I never would have put your life in danger like that.”

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Mickey leaned his head back and grabbed Vinnie’s face between his hands. “We made it out alive, and we’re on the correct side of the bay. That’s all that matters.” “Damn, you’re something else, you know that?” “Here’s something else for you to think about.” Mickey grinned. “Donny’s stuck on the other side.” A burst of laughter fell from Vinnie’s lips. “That’s the best news I’ve heard yet.” “So, let’s celebrate. Kiss me.” Vinnie’s lips were pressed against Mickey’s the second the words left his mouth. All of the air was sucked out of Mickey’s lungs like he was in a whirlwind. He wished they were anywhere else besides sitting on the pavement next to a collapsed bridge. Even a bush would do. “What do you have there, Vinnie?” asked a voice from behind them. Mickey groaned. And that would be why he needed a bush. Mickey felt Vinnie’s chest rumble with laughter as he leaned back and looked beyond Vinnie’s shoulder. He was grateful to see everyone, but their timing sucked. “There’s always tonight, baby.” Mickey groaned. “Easy for you to say. The sun is just now coming up. It’s going to be hours yet before nightfall gets here, and I’m horny as hell.” “Well.” Vinnie grinned as he pushed the hair back from Mickey’s face. “Maybe we’ll stop in a couple of hours for a rest break.” “Hallelujah.”

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Chapter 8 Vinnie grinned as he climbed to his feet and held out his hand to Mickey. He knew exactly how the man felt. If they didn’t have an audience, he would be all over Mickey. It seemed that all it took to make him hot and horny was the mere touch of Mickey’s lips against his. That was something he’d have to think about. He had never been one to let his libido rule him, but with Mickey around, it looked like that was exactly what was going to happen. Every time he looked at him, all Vinnie could think of was how quickly he could get Mickey naked. It was sure to make his life interesting. Vinnie helped Mickey to his feet and plastered a smile on his face that he didn’t really feel. He was happy to see his friends, but he really just wanted to spend some time alone with Mickey. As he turned to face his friends, Vinnie got his first good look at the city across the bay and his mouth dropped open. San Francisco was virtually destroyed. “Oh my god, how could anyone survive that?” “We did, and we saw a lot of people moving about on our way to the bridge,” Tank said as he walked over to stand next to him. “Military helicopters have been flying in for the last few hours, so you have to assume there are survivors.” “How bad do you think the earthquake was?” “It had to be at least a nine on the Richter scale,” Tank said. “This one felt much stronger than the last one. Even the aftershocks are strong. I’m just surprised we don’t have a tidal wave or anything

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coming into the bay. I’d expect it with how strong this earthquake was.” “And there still might be one, so I’d suggest we get on the road as fast as we can. The further northeast we get, the safer we’ll be.” Vinnie reached back and grabbed Mickey’s hand and pulled the smaller man to his side. He started walking back toward his bike when he heard Tank behind him. “Dude, what happened to your face?” “We had a little altercation with Mickey’s ex-boyfriend.” Vinnie lifted up his bike then turned to Tank with a grin. “Mickey settled it with a tire iron.” Tank’s eyebrows shot up as he turned to look a Mickey. “A tire iron? Him?” Vinnie chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Mickey’s waist when the man stormed past him. “Don’t underestimate my baby just because he’s small. When the chips are down, my friend, he can be as fierce as anyone else.” “Your baby?” Tank arched an eyebrow as he crossed his arms over his chest. “So, that’s the way it is, huh?” “Yeah.” Vinnie frowned. “Do you have a problem with that?” Tank quickly waved his hands back and forth. “No, no, just checking.” “Good, then maybe you can pass the word on to the others. Mickey is mine. No one else is to touch him.” “Man, one of these days you have got to tell me what happened after you took off. It’s only been a few hours.” Vinnie chuckled. “Let’s just say it’s been interesting.” “That’s the understatement of the year.” Mickey snorted from his arms. Vinnie grinned then kissed Mickey on the side of his neck. “As bad as this has been for everyone, I’m thinking this disaster is one of the best things that ever happened to me. I doubt I ever would have met you otherwise.”

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Mickey glanced back over his shoulder. “You think this earthquake is a good thing?” “No, I think meeting you is a good thing.” Mickey frowned, looking incredibly desirable with his dark blond eyebrows drawn together and a slight flush on his face. “I’m not sure what exactly to say to that.” Tank started laughing. “Yeah, don’t even try. Vinnie could sell matches to a man on fire. We’re used to him running circles around us.” “I’m not that bad,” Vinnie protested. “Yes, you are.” Vinnie rolled his eyes. “I need to get my bike and we need to get on the road. Despite the bridge collapsing, people are going to start hitting the freeway soon to get away, and it will be bumper-to-bumper traffic.” Vinnie walked over toward his bike. He leaned down and grabbed the helmet off the ground and handed it to Mickey. “You don’t want to forget this, babe.” “Thanks.” Vinnie picked his bike up then checked it over for damage. Luckily, it seemed unscathed. He climbed on then patted the seat behind him. Mickey quickly pulled his helmet on then climbed on to the bike behind him. Vinnie started the engine then nodded toward Tank. “We’ll meet you down in the parking lot.” Tank nodded and ran off in the direction he had come from. Vinnie turned his head and planted a small kiss on Mickey’s forehead. “Here we go, babe.” Mickey’s arms tightened around his waist as the bike took off down the road. Vinnie drove down to the exit to the view point overlooking the bay and pulled into the parking lot where everyone else was waiting. He barely had time to bring the bike to a stop before Mickey was off and running toward Ms. Dixie. He tore his helmet off as he ran,

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once again dropping it on the ground when he reached the older woman. Mickey was laughing and hugging Ms. Dixie. Ms. Dixie was laughing and hugging Mickey. Kirby was barking, trying to get between the two of them. Tank, Dodge, and Boomer were covering their ears with their hands. Vinnie just shook his head, turned off his bike, and climbed off. He walked slowly towards Mickey and Ms. Dixie, wanting to give them a moment to greet each other before he butted in. “Get your sexy ass over here, young man,” Ms. Dixie ordered when she spotted Vinnie. Vinnie blinked in surprise at the older woman’s words. Considering what he knew of Ms. Dixie in just a few hours, he shouldn’t have been shocked at the woman’s words, but he was. He didn’t expect it out of her. She looked like someone’s grandmother. She was someone’s grandmother—Mickey’s. “Hey, Ms. Dixie, how are you feeling?” Vinnie asked when he reached the woman. “I’m fine now that you’ve brought my Mickey back to me.” Vinnie cast a quick look at Mickey then squatted down in front of Ms. Dixie and smiled at her. He reached over and grabbed Mickey’s hand, pulling the man closer to his side. “I’m afraid I have to disappoint you, ma’am. Mickey’s mine now.” “Oh?” Ms. Dixie glanced up at Mickey. “And how do you feel about this, Mickey?” Mickey flushed a lovely shade of red. It matched the beautiful smile on his face as he looked at Vinnie. “I’m good with it.” “Yes, I thought something might develop between the two of you. The heat coming off the both of you when you met was enough to melt steel.” “Is that why you sent me after Mickey?” Vinnie asked. “Son, admit it,” Ms. Dixie said, “you had already decided to go after Mickey before you ever came to question me.”

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This time, Vinnie felt his face flushing. “I might have.” “These old eyes see a lot more than people think.” Vinnie took Ms. Dixie’s hand in his and gently kissed the top of it. “I do thank you, Ms. Dixie. He’s a true treasure just like you said he was.” “Just don’t be going and forgetting that when things get hard, Vincent. My Mickey is a special one, and he needs someone special to care for him. Promise me that you’ll take good care of him and we’ll call it even.” “Promise.” An unspoken message passed between Vinnie and Ms. Dixie. He knew what she was trying to tell him, and he silently gave her his promise to care for Mickey in the manner he deserved. “So, ready to hit the road again, Ms. Dixie?” “Oh yes.” Ms. Dixie laughed as she climbed to her feet as fast as woman half her age. She gestured toward Boomer, Tank, and Dodge. “These boys, bless their souls, keep making me sit down, and my derriere is going flat.” “Well, we can’t have that.” Vinnie laughed. “It would be mighty hard to find a nice man with a flat butt.” “Who wants nice? I’m eighty-five years old, son. I don’t have time for nice. I want wicked and raunchy before I die.” “Ms. Dixie!” Mickey admonished. Ms. Dixie waved her hand at Mickey. “Honey, I’m old, not dead.” Mickey looked totally bewildered. Vinnie still wasn’t sure how well the two of them knew each other, but he did know that Mickey considered Ms. Dixie to be a grandmother to him. He adored her. Still, that didn’t mean the woman didn’t know how to have a good time. Vinnie held his arm out to Ms. Dixie then escorted her to the sidecar on Tank’s bike. “I’ll keep an eye out for any wicked and raunchy men, Ms. Dixie. If I see one that’s available, I’ll toss him your way.”

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Ms. Dixie giggled. “You do that, honey, and I’ll show you how to bring a good man to his knees.” “It’s a deal.” Vinnie couldn’t keep from grinning as he helped Ms. Dixie into the sidecar. Mickey still looked perplexed as he placed Kirby in her lap then leaned down to kiss Ms. Dixie on the cheek. “Don’t worry about me, Mickey,” Ms. Dixie said. “I’m fine, I promise. These boys have been taking very good care of me.” Mickey bit his lip and nodded. Vinnie knew Mickey was worried about her. He wished that he had some way to reassure Ms. Dixie, but he didn’t. They were in a dangerous situation and wouldn’t be out of it for many hours to come. “Come on, baby.” Vinnie grabbed Mickey’s arm and led him over to his bike. He took the helmet Dodge held out to him and placed it on Mickey’s head, securing the strap under Mickey’s chin. “She’s going to be fine, Mickey. I’m pretty sure these big lugs have officially adopted Ms. Dixie, and they would never let anything bad happen to her.” “I know.” Mickey glanced over to where Tank was tucking a blanket around Ms. Dixie. “I just worry about her.” “And that’s not a bad thing. We all need someone to worry about us. Just don’t let your worry override her love of life. I don’t think stifling Ms. Dixie’s fun is the way to go with her. She’d just fight it.” Vinnie laughed. “And somehow, I think she’d win.” A burst of laughter came from Mickey. “Somehow, I think you’re right.” Vinnie climbed onto his bike once again then nodded behind him. “Climb on, baby.” Vinnie started the motorcycle while Mickey climbed on behind him. He looked over to see everyone else ready to go. Vinnie patted the hands wrapped around his waist then started driving down the road.

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He wanted to put as much road between them and San Francisco as he could before nightfall. The further they drove, the better chance they had of getting away from the chaos that came after a disaster. **** The road directly out of San Francisco was crowded with more cars. Whenever they reached a populated area, they could see rubble and debris littering the streets and spilling over onto the highway. It was slow going most of the way. It seemed to Vinnie as if the earthquake had affected more than just the San Francisco area. By the time they pulled into a rest area several hours later, they were all tired, dirty, and hungry. Vinnie figured he had to have at least a three-inch-thick layer of dust on his skin. He hoped there was somewhere to clean up because he knew he needed it and he suspected everyone else did as well. Surprisingly, except for a couple of semi trucks, the rest area was vacant. Vinnie pulled his bike up onto the grass and drove to a secluded picnic table near the back of the rest area. Despite the place being empty, he didn’t want to be too close to the entrance in case anyone showed up. Vinnie stopped his bike a few feet from the picnic table and turned the engine off. He reached around behind him and grabbed Mickey, pulling him around the front. Mickey just stared up at him as Vinnie took of the helmet and hung it on the bike handles. “Hi, gorgeous.” Vinnie cupped Mickey’s face in his hands and pulled him closer, capturing Mickey’s lips with his own. After a miles of driving, kissing Mickey renewed Vinnie as nothing else could have. When he finally lifted his head a few minutes later, Mickey was breathing hard and wrapped around him. “How are you?” “Tired.” Mickey grinned. “But good. My butt feels a little numb though.”

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Vinnie reached down and grabbed Mickey’s ass with his hands. “It feels just fine to me.” Mickey rolled with laughter, and something settled deep inside of Vinnie. He had made Mickey laugh in the middle of all the chaos going on around them. For some reason, that made him feel like the strongest man on the planet. “Hungry, baby?” “Starving.” “Bath first or food first?” “I have to choose?” Vinnie chuckled. “Unfortunately, you do, but I promise the minute we get wherever we’re going, I’ll feed you whatever you want while you soak in the biggest bathtub I can find.” Mickey suddenly stopped laughing and a very serious look came over his face. “Why do you care?” “Why?” Vinnie asked in surprise. “I’m not trying to be rude or make you angry,” Mickey said quickly. “I’m just curious.” “Well…” Vinnie wasn’t sure how to answer that question. “I care about what happens to you. Part of that caring is wanting you to have whatever your heart desires.” Vinnie frowned when Mickey ducked his head. He reached down and lifted it back up. “What, Mickey?” “What if you are what my heart desires?” Mickey whispered. Vinnie grinned. “Then you can have me.” “Does that mean you’ll join me in that big bathtub?” “You can count on it.” Vinnie could hear the other motorcycles riding up behind him and knew, for now, his time with Mickey was over. He’d have to share the little man until later in the evening. And then he planned to drag him off somewhere and ravish him until his eyes rolled back into his head—again. He patted Mickey’s ass. “Come on, baby, climb off. As much as I’d like to spend the rest of the evening with you cuddled on my lap,

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we both need to get cleaned up and then get some food before we fall asleep on our asses. Tomorrow is going to be another long day.” Mickey groaned as he climbed off the bike. “Do we have to?” “We do.” Vinnie laughed when he looked over at Mickey and saw the man’s lower lip sticking out in a deep pout. “Keep that up and I’ll have to show you what to do to with those lips.” Mickey grinned and wiggled his body from side to side. “I’m pretty sure I have a good idea.” A spike of jealousy shot through Vinnie until he saw the cautious look on Mickey’s face. He knew he could either be upset with Mickey’s past or let it go as he said he would do. Mickey had promised he was retired and no longer in the business, and Vinnie certainly couldn’t throw any stones considering his own past. “Then I expect a demonstration later tonight.” Mickey’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?” “Baby, I never joke about blow jobs.” Mickey’s face lit up with his laughter. Vinnie felt like pumping his fist into the air. Score one for him. He’d gotten Mickey’s face to light up twice in a single day. Maybe tomorrow, he could go for three times. Vinnie lifted Mickey up and set him on his feet then climbed off the motorcycle himself. He wrapped an arm around Mickey’s waist and walked him over to where everyone else was dismounting. “Everyone doing okay?” he asked as he looked from person to person. They looked tired and dirty but otherwise unhurt. “Kirby needs to potty something fierce,” Ms. Dixie said. “I’ll take her,” Mickey said as he started forward. Vinnie held him back. “Let Tank take Kirby potty. We need to help Ms. Dixie to the bathroom where she can clean up, and then we’ll all get something to eat.” Vinnie glanced around at the small picnic area. “This is a pretty sweet place to spend the evening. There’s even a BBQ.”

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“Uh, Vinnie,” Dodge said. “Everything we have is in cans, and we didn’t bring any pots.” Ms. Dixie started cackling. “Oh, honey, it looks like I need to teach you how to rough it.” Dodge looked so confused that Vinnie couldn’t help but laugh. “Let’s go clean the road dust off first, and then you can school Dodge.” Vinnie gestured to Ms. Dixie. “Mickey, why don’t you two start toward the bathroom? I’ll be right there.” Vinnie watched Mickey hurry over and take Ms. Dixie’s arm then start leading her to the bathroom. He kept an eye on the two of them as he talked to his friends. “I don’t want either of them to go anywhere unattended. Mickey’s already been attacked. Who knows what we’re going to run into out here.” Tank, Dodge, and Boomer all nodded. “Tank, I’d like you to go with me and stand guard outside the ladies’ room while Mickey and I get cleaned up, and then we’ll trade places so you all can get cleaned up. Dodge and Boomer, I’d like you to unpack the sleeping bags and food. If Ms. Dixie is right, then we’ll eat good tonight and we’ll be able to get some rest before we hit the road in the morning.” Vinnie didn’t wait for a reply. He just started toward the bathroom. Tank quickly caught up with him. Tank seemed rather quiet, so Vinnie knew the man had something to say. He was just trying to figure out how to say it. “Yes, Tank?” “You know Mickey’s a hooker, right?” “Was a hooker, and yes I know.” “And that doesn’t bother you?” “I’d be lying if I said it didn’t, but being with Mickey is more important than my discomfort over what he used to do. Besides, my past isn’t exactly crystal white either. I don’t have the right to judge Mickey for doing what he needed to do to survive.” “Dude, you just met the guy this morning.”

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“And we’ve lived a lifetime since then.” Vinnie smiled at Tank’s confusion. “Mickey is special. If you didn’t like playing the field so much, you’d find someone special, too.” Vinnie was in no way surprised when Tank glanced over his shoulder at Dodge. He knew there was something between the two of them. Dodge just refused to do anything about it because Tank wouldn’t stop playing the field. Vinnie couldn’t wait until Tank finally realized what was right beneath his nose. The fireworks alone would light up the night sky. Vinnie and Tank made their way around to the entrance of the ladies’ room. He could hear Mickey and Ms. Dixie talking before he reached the door. He paused at the entrance. “I hope everyone’s decent in there because I’m coming in.” “Oh, honey, I haven’t been decent since the troops came back in 1945.” Ms. Dixie laughed. “Those boys really knew how to party.” Vinnie grinned and walked around the corner. Mickey was leaning up against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Ms. Dixie stood at the sink, washing her face and neck. He walked right over to Mickey and leaned down to give him a small kiss on the lips then leaned back against the wall himself. Tank took a spot next to the door. “This is quite the little army you have going on here, Vincent.” “You think so, Ms. Dixie?” “I do.” Ms. Dixie waved her hand back to where Tank leaned against the wall. “I spent the better part of the day with these young men. They’re good men. They’d do almost anything for you. Such loyalty is a rare quality in this day and age.” The corner of Vinnie’s mouth curved up as he glanced at Tank to see his reaction to Ms. Dixie’s words. Tank’s face was slightly flushed as he avoided eye contact. Vinnie’s grin grew bigger. “I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather be in a crisis with. Tank, Boomer, and Dodge have always had my back.”

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“After what I’ve learned of you from your friends and what I’ve seen of your actions today…” Ms. Dixie said as she dried her hands and turned around, “I think I can safely put my Mickey in your hands.” Vinnie’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. He thought they had already covered this. Mickey was his, and he’d even fight Ms. Dixie for him if he needed to. “Uh, thank you?” The glint that came into Ms. Dixie’s eyes made Vinnie very nervous, and he was elated when she turned her gaze toward Tank. He wasn’t the one to come under the old woman’s fire. “Now, Tank would be as happy as you if he’d get his head out of his ass and realize how much Dodge means to him.” Ms. Dixie pointed her finger at the sputtering Tank. “And he needs to do it before Dodge gives up and finds someone else to love him. Procrastination is going to lose Tank the best thing that ever happened to him.” “Personally”—Mickey snickered—“I think Dodge should just hit Tank over the head until he sees reason. Either that or kiss him until he passes out.” Vinnie chuckled. He reached over and grabbed Mickey and pulled the man to stand in front of him. Vinnie wrapped his arms around Mickey. He gave him a small squeeze when Mickey easily leaned back into him. The more time they spent together, the more comfortable Mickey was growing with him. Just this morning, Mickey had been nervous as hell to even touch him. Now, he rested comfortably in his arms. That was progress. “I vote for kissing,” Vinnie said. “Oh, so do I,” Ms. Dixie added in. “I knew this young man back in 1949. Clark was his name. His kisses could peel the paint off of an airplane at two thousand feet.” Ms. Dixie frowned and shook her head. “He died in the Korean War.” “I’m sorry, Ms. Dixie,” Vinnie quickly said.

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“Don’t be.” Ms. Dixie’s smile was sad as she looked at Vinnie. “By the time you reach my age, most of your friends and family are gone. It’s sad, but I wouldn’t want to trade a moment of my life if it meant not knowing the people I knew.” “Well.” Mickey stepped over and wrapped his arms around Ms. Dixie. “You have us for family now. Five gorgeous grandsons. How much luckier could a woman get?” Ms. Dixie cackled as she patted Mickey’s cheek. “You’re so right, my dear.” “Ms. Dixie, Tank will take you back to the picnic area. Mickey and I still need to clean up, and then we can all have dinner.” Ms. Dixie nodded and walked over to take Tank’s arm. “I was a child during the Great Depression. My mother taught me a thing or two about feeding an army. I’ll show you how make a gourmet meal out of nothing but a pot and a pile of rocks.” Tank chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.” Ms. Dixie whacked him on the arm. “Call me Grandma. Ma’am makes me feel old.” “Yes, ma—I mean, yes, Grandma.” “That’s better.” Vinnie laughed and shook his head as Tank escorted Ms. Dixie out of the bathroom. He turned to look at Mickey and almost swallowed his tongue. Mickey was peeling his shirt off. His pants were already unbuttoned and unzipped, just barely hanging on to his hips. “I don’t suppose you have a condom and tube of lube hidden in your pocket?” Vinnie could hope. “No, but nothing says we can’t have a quick rub off before cleaning up.” Vinnie grinned. He was all for that. He started pulling his shirt off. “From now on, keep a new condom and a fresh bottle of lube in your pocket. I don’t want to have to wait to fuck you. I’m an instant gratification type of guy.”

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Mickey laughed. “I’ll remember that.” Vinnie draped his shirt over the side of a bathroom stall then held out his hand to Mickey. “Coming?” “God, I hope so.” Mickey hurried over and took Vinnie’s hand. Vinnie pulled Mickey into the narrow stall and shut the door behind him. He reached down to unzip his jeans. His cock was already hard and aching. It had been that way since about two seconds after Mickey suggested the rub off. “Together or do you want to watch?” Vinnie asked. Mickey looked at the cock Vinnie pulled out of his pants then glanced down at his own erection. He glanced over his shoulder at the toilet. When he looked back, he had a frown on his face. “I think we’re just going to have to watch. I’m not tall enough for us to rub off together, and if I stand on the toilet, then I’ll be too tall.” “I’m good with watching.” Vinnie palmed his cock as he leaned back against the stall door. He watched Mickey as he slowly started moving his hand up and down his hard shaft. Mickey gulped then started moving his own hand. Vinnie never thought he would get excited jerking off with another man, but watching the passion come to life in Mickey’s eyes was exhilarating. Mickey was gorgeous. Mickey working his cock was a thing of beauty. Vinnie wished he knew how to paint or take pictures. He’d make Mickey the centerpiece. Mickey wasn’t unaffected by what they were doing either. Vinnie could see his hazel eyes darken to a chocolate brown. His skin was flushed with desire. There was a little hitch in his breathing, and his hand was starting to move in quick jerking movements. “Do you like watching me jerk off, baby?” Mickey nodded as his eyes dropped to Vinnie’s cock. Vinnie groaned when he licked his lips. He couldn’t wait until he could feel those lips wrapped around his cock. “Harder, baby. I want to see you come.”

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Mickey was getting close. Vinnie could see it in Mickey’s eyes. He kept one hand wrapped around his cock and grabbed the back of Mickey’s head with the other one. He dragged the smaller man closer and claimed his mouth. Mickey cried out against his lips. Vinnie felt Mickey shudder then hot splashes of liquid landed on his abdomen. Vinnie pulled away and leaned back to look down at the spent man. Mickey’s hand and stomach were covered in white cream. His chest rose and fell rapidly. It was the sexiest damn thing Vinnie had ever seen. Vinnie let go of Mickey’s head and stood back. He pumped his hand furiously. He needed to come more than he needed to breathe. His cock was so engorged, Vinnie was surprised there was any blood left in his body to make his heart beat. “Lean back, baby.” Mickey sat down on the toilet seat and leaned back. Vinnie stepped closer until he was practically on top of the man. He grabbed the top of the stall with his free hand, holding himself up when his knees started shaking. The desire coursing through his body was making him feel out of control. He just stroked his cock faster. When Mickey reached out and cupped his balls, Vinnie was catapulted ever the edge of the abyss. He cried out as the lust building in his body shot out of his cock, landing all over Mickey. The sight of Mickey covered in his cum was enough to make another, smaller orgasm rack Vinnie’s body. He panted heavily, looking down at the fallen angel below him. “You are so fucking gorgeous.” Mickey grinned and trailed his finger through the cum on his chest. Vinnie groaned when Mickey scooped some up then licked his fingers clean. He leaned in and kissed Mickey again, the taste of himself blasting across his tongue. He couldn’t have cared less. He had to kiss Mickey. “That was nice, baby,” Vinnie whispered as he stroked the side of Mickey’s face.

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Mickey grinned. “Let’s get cleaned up and back to camp before they send in reinforcements.” Vinnie grabbed some toilet paper and cleaned himself off. He grabbed his shirt and pulled it back on while Mickey cleaned himself up. Once everything was tucked back in where it belonged, Vinnie opened the door and walked to the sink. He grabbed a couple of paper towels and got them wet then started wiping down his face and neck. Once he was all cleaned up, Vinnie tossed the paper towels into the garbage then turned to Mickey. “Ready to go?” “Yep.” Mickey grinned. “I’m good.” Vinnie looked Mickey’s sexy body up and down. “Yes, you are.”

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Chapter 9 Mickey rolled his eyes and started for the door. He felt Vinnie’s arm drop around his shoulders a moment later. Mickey was still having a hard time coming to terms with Vinnie’s about-face. Under the bridge, Vinnie had been astonished at what Mickey did for a living. Now, he seemed to be okay with it. Vinnie had given him an explanation, but Mickey couldn’t help but wonder if that was the real truth. Maybe he was cynical. He’d seen the worst that life had to offer when he was in foster care and then again while trying to survive on the streets. He didn’t trust easily, which begged to reason why he trusted Vinnie so much. He barely knew the guy. “I’ve had sex with three hundred and forty-two men, including you.” Vinnie’s steps faltered for a moment then evened out. “I don’t know exactly how many men I’ve had sex with, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t that many.” “I’ve only cared about two of them.” “I hope that I’m one of those two.” “You are.” “Who was the other one?” Mickey stared down at the ground, unsure of how much to tell Vinnie. He wasn’t trying to scare the man off, really he wasn’t. He just wanted to make sure that Vinnie understood exactly who he was getting involved with. Mickey would be devastated if stuff came out later and Vinnie left him because of it.

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“His name was Tommy. We roomed together for awhile. He worked the streets like I did.” “What happened to him?” Mickey grimaced. “He got beat up by a client, so he decided he wanted to have a pimp to keep him safe. I tried to talk him out of it, but he did it anyway. A month later his pimp beat him to death because he had a client off the books and kept the money.” “Oh my god, Mickey.” Vinnie pulled him to a stop and turned him. “Is that why you wouldn’t use a pimp?” Mickey nodded. “Geez, Mickey.” Mickey went willingly into Vinnie’s arms when the man held them out. This was his favorite place to be. He liked riding on the back of the bike with Vinnie. He even liked walking with him with the man’s arm wrapped around him. But cuddled close to Vinnie’s chest was his favorite place. “I’m so sorry, Mickey.” Mickey shrugged, but he could feel tears prickle the corners of his eyes. “I didn’t love him, but I cared about him. Tommy was one of the few people in my life that didn’t try to take something from me.” “How many times were you beaten up?” Mickey snorted. “The nurses know me by name.” “Then why did you keep doing it?” “Because I had no way out.” Mickey tilted his head back to look up at Vinnie. “Until now, I didn’t have another way to support myself. I’ve been saving the nest egg for years, scrimping and going without so I could eventually stop hooking.” Vinnie’s lips pressed tightly together for a moment then he sighed. “Now that you have a way to support yourself, what are you going to do with your life, and do I play a part in your future plans?” “I hope you do,” Mickey said. “I want you to.” “Any interest in helping a big ol’ biker run a motorcycle repair shop?”

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Mickey’s heart hammered in his chest. Was Vinnie asking him to stay permanently? “I don’t know anything about motorcycles, Vinnie.” “Then it’s a good thing that I do. I’ll take care of the motorcycles. You can take care of the office.” Mickey’s heart sank. “I don’t know anything about taking care of an office either. I don’t know how to anything but—” Mickey shrugged. “Well, you know.” “And that can be a very good quality in an office manager.” Vinnie grinned. “Just what are these qualifications you’re talking of?” Mickey’s eyes widened in surprise. Was Vinnie serious? Did he really want to know what Mickey knew how to do? “Well, I know most of the techniques for giving an expert blow job, including a nonexistent gag reflex.” Vinnie’s eyes blazed. “You have no gag reflex?” “Nope.” “Sweet hell,” Vinnie whispered, his eyes falling closed for a moment. “What else?” he asked as he opened them back up. “I’m comfortable wearing a butt plug.” Vinnie swallowed so hard that Mickey heard it. Mickey was starting to enjoy himself. “I can put my feet over my head and keep them there.” “You’re killing me here, Mickey.” “I like being spanked.” Mickey grunted when he was suddenly pulled forward. Vinnie’s lips were hard and punishing as they claimed Mickey’s, but it was hot as hell. Mickey eagerly opened his mouth and allowed Vinnie to dominate him. Mickey had read about kisses that curled your toes in romance novels. He never thought he’d experience one—until now. He felt Vinnie’s tongue gently caress his and pushed back. It was hot and passionate, and Mickey’s heart pounded with the intensity of it. He moaned in protest when Vinnie pulled away only to feel the man’s thumb gently trace his lips. “You’re hired,” Vinnie whispered.

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Mickey chuckled. “Maybe later you can give me a more in-depth interview?” “You can count on it.” Mickey felt almost giddy as they started back toward the camp. He had talked to Vinnie and the man hadn’t run screaming for the hills. Maybe things wouldn’t be so bad after all. “Vinnie, you know you can ask me anything you want, right?” “I know, Mickey,” Vinnie replied. “I’m just not sure what to ask without seeming like the jealous boyfriend.” “I don’t want to hide things from you. If there’s something you want to know, just ask me. I promise not to get upset without reason.” “I just—” Vinnie shrugged. Mickey stopped and turned to stand in front of Vinnie. “You just what?” “You’ve been with a lot of men, Mickey. Am I going to be enough for you?” Mickey instantly started to get angry, pressing his lips together until he saw the uncertainty in Vinnie’s eyes. And then he remembered saying he would answer any question Vinnie had. “I have been with a lot of men, but not one of them cared about me other than what I could do for them. Why do you think I tried to roll over when we had sex in the changing room of that store?” “You like it doggy style?” “I do, but that’s beside the point. Most of my clients—” Vinnie growled. “Most of my previous clients preferred not to look at me when they fucked me. They didn’t care about me. I was an object to them, like a sex toy. I was no different than a dildo or butt plug. I served a means, to get them off. When they left, they forgot about me. I didn’t matter to them.” “You matter to me.” “And that’s why you will be more than enough for me. No one has ever cared about me before, and that makes all of the difference in

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the world.” Mickey waved his hand off into the air. “Why would I want to go back to the cold existence with nameless strangers when I can stay here with you, someone that cares about me and wants to look at me when they fuck me?” Mickey cupped Vinnie’s face between his hands. “You see me when we have sex.” “I’ll always see you, Mickey.” “And I’ll stay as long as you do.” Vinnie suddenly grinned. “Then we’re going to be together for a very long time.” Mickey was all for that. Vinnie seemed willing to forget about Mickey’s past, or at least acknowledge it and not use it against him. That was enough for Mickey. He walked back to the campsite with Vinnie’s arm back around his shoulders. There was a fire roaring in the fire pit. Ms. Dixie was sitting on a log in front of the fire. Mickey could tell from the rapt fascination in the faces staring at her that she was telling one of her famous stories. Ms. Dixie had lived a long time and had a lot of stories. “If anyone else wants to get cleaned up,” Vinnie said as they reached the small crowd, “the bathrooms are free.” Tank, Boomer, and Dodge all groaned. “We were just getting to the good part,” Tank said as he climbed to his feet. “I’ll still be here when you get back,” Ms. Dixie said. She waved her hand toward the bathrooms. “Go get cleaned up. I ride next to you. I know how much you stink.” Tank stuck his tongue out at Ms. Dixie but followed Dodge and Boomer to the bathroom. Mickey settled down onto the log next to Ms. Dixie. He patted her arm. “How are you holding up, Grandma?” “Oh, I’m doing good, honey. A little tired, but a good night’s sleep will cure that. How about you?” “I’m great.”

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Ms. Dixie looked over to where Vinnie was going through their supplies and chuckled. “I’ll just bet you are, son.” “He’s a good guy.” “How does he feel about what you do?” “What I did, and he’s okay with it.” Mickey shrugged when Ms. Dixie arched an eyebrow at him. “Okay, he’s pretty okay with it. I told him I was retired, and we talked a little about what I did. I even told him about Tommy. I think he has questions, but he’s not ready to ask them yet.” “Just be honest with him, even when it hurts. If you tell him the truth when he asks, he’ll believe you if issues come up in the future.” “I know.” Ms. Dixie patted Mickey’s leg. “He cares about you, Mickey. That’s a good thing. It’s nice to have someone care about you. You deserve it. You’ve been through a lot of bad things in your young life. It’s about time something good happened to you.” “He worries that he won’t be enough for me.” “Did he tell you that?” Mickey nodded. “I hope you told him that wasn’t true. Sex is great, but sex with someone that cares about you is even better.” “Right?” Mickey chuckled. “I thought my head was going to explode when he gave me a blow job.” Mickey and Ms. Dixie started laughing hysterically when Vinnie stepped over and asked what they were talking about. If only Vinnie knew. “Nothing, Vinnie, just girl talk.” Vinnie’s eyebrows shot up. “Girl talk?” Mickey shrugged. He wasn’t about to tell Vinnie what he had been discussing with Ms. Dixie. There weren’t a lot of people out there that understood the relationship he had with Ms. Dixie. It wasn’t the normal grandmother-grandson relationship. It wasn’t even the

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normal neighbor relationship. And maybe that’s what made it so special. Mickey could talk to Ms. Dixie about anything, and had. She knew about his clients, had patched him up when he’d been beaten, and consoled him when Tommy died. She’d even taken care of him when he was sick. She was one of the most important people in his life. But now he had someone that was just as important. “Vinnie asked me to come work with him at his garage,” Mickey said after Vinnie walked back to the table. “He said he would work on the bikes and I could manage the office.” “Oh?” “When he returns to San Francisco, I’ll be going with him.” Ms. Dixie stared at Mickey for a moment then a huge smile broke out over her lips. “Good, good, I’m glad you’ve found a place to settle, Mickey. It’s about damn time.” “You don’t think it’s too soon?” That was one of Mickey’s biggest worries. He had known Vinnie all of a couple of days. That wasn’t a long time to base a relationship on. What if he was making a huge mistake? “It’s never too soon for love, Mickey, and don’t you let anyone tell you otherwise.” “Love?” Mickey shook his head quickly as his heart thundered in his chest. “Oh, I don’t know if I lo—” “You do.” “I… I… but—” “Mickey, when it’s right, it’s right, and this is right.” Mickey sat there and stared into the fire as he mulled over Ms. Dixie’s words. Did he really love Vinnie? Could it happen in such a short amount of time? Sure, he’d read stories about love at first sight and stuff like that, but they were just stories, right? Things like that didn’t happen in real life. They certainly didn’t happen to him.

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Mickey was terrified of voicing his growing feelings for Vinnie. What if Vinnie didn’t feel the same? How could Vinnie feel the same? It had only been a few days. Men like Vinnie didn’t fall in love in just a few days, maybe not even months. Hell, Mickey didn’t know if men like Vinnie even fell in love. “Chow’s ready,” Vinnie said. “I’m going to go let the guys know. I’ll be right back.” Mickey jumped to his feet and hurried toward the bathroom. “I’ll do it. You stay here with Ms. Dixie and eat.” “Mickey, wait,” Vinnie called out. “Mickey!” Mickey kept on running. He needed some time alone to think about how he felt and whether to tell Vinnie or keep it to himself. He was leaning toward keeping it to himself. If he professed his feelings and Vinnie rejected him, Mickey would be destroyed. “Hey, dinner’s ready,” Mickey said when he rounded the corner to find Boomer leaning up against the outside of the building. What was the man doing? “Yeah, it’ll be just a minute.” Boomer gestured toward the bathroom with his thumb. “Tank and Dodge are… uh… talking.” Mickey blinked. If Tank and Dodge were talking, it was in onesyllable grunts and moans. He grinned over at Boomer. “Talking, right.” Boomer chuckled. “Well, when they’re done talking, let them know dinner is ready.” Mickey shook his head as he started back toward the camp. So, Tank and Dodge had finally given in to the desire building between them. He had wondered how long it would take. The two men practically gobbled each other up every time they looked at each other. Mickey was just surprised it took them this long. Mickey cried out when he was suddenly yanked back by someone behind him. Fear filled him when he felt a knife blade press against his throat then a large body pushed up against him from behind. He could feel hot breath blowing across the back of his neck.

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“Move a muscle or make a sound and I’ll slit your throat.” Mickey tried not to swallow as he gave a short nod. The knife held against his throat was sharp and could cut right into his skin if he moved too much. “It took me all night to find you, Mickey, and I’m not happy about having to follow you up here into the middle of nowhere. I had to cross the damn bay in a boat. I hate boats. There will a price to pay for dragging me up here.” Mickey closed his eyes and wished himself anywhere but where he was. He knew that voice. He’d heard it often enough. The mere thought that Donny held him hostage again sent a deep chill of foreboding down his spine. Donny was a monster. Mickey prayed that Vinnie would realize he hadn’t come right back and come looking for him. Hell, he’d even be happy if Kirby came along. Kirby hated Donny. He barked at him every time the man showed up. “Let’s go, Mickey.” The knife at Mickey’s throat moved away from his throat. Mickey immediately felt it press into his back. He racked his brain as he tried to figure out how to get away from Donny but nothing was coming up. Mickey’s mind was too filled with fear. “Move, damn it.” Mickey grunted and stumbled forward when Donny gave him a painful shove in his back. He quickly righted himself and started walking, glancing over his shoulder every few steps that took him away from the campsite and further into the woods. “You don’t want to do this, Donny. Vinnie will tear you a new one.” “Is that your new pimp?” “Vinnie is not my pimp. He’s my lover.” “He won’t want you when I’m done with you.” “Yes, he will.”

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“No he won’t. No man wants used goods.” Donny laughed harshly. “Does he know how many men you’ve let fuck your sweet little ass?” “He knows.” “And he still wants you?” “That doesn’t matter to him.” “If you believe that, then he’s feeding you a bigger line than I did. At least I never tried to fuck you, but I’ll bet he has, hasn’t he?” Donny snickered. “Did you enjoy it, Mickey? Did you enjoy having his cock up your ass? I’ll bet you did. Good little whores like you always do. That’s why you’re so good at peddling your ass. You truly enjoy being fucked.” Mickey felt tears fall from his eyes at Donny’s hateful words. “I’m not a whore!” “And where did you hear that shit?” Donny snapped. “Just because I made a living on the streets and I enjoy sex does not mean I’m a whore.” “And normally, I’d say you were right, but you’re different, Mickey. I’ve seen you on the streets and talked to your clients. I know how much you enjoy being fucked. No normal person likes to be fucked that much.” Mickey had just about had enough. He was tired of people like Donny threatening him and making his life miserable. Even if it got him killed, he was going to bring this to an end. He wasn’t going to allow Donny to destroy the best thing that ever happened to him. Mickey swung around and narrowed his eyes at Donny. “Considering your idea of what normal is, I’m glad you think I’m a whore. I wouldn’t want to be normal. Normal is boring.” Donny stopped, looking slightly confused at Mickey’s sudden show of bravery. “You don’t know what in the hell you’re talking about.” “Don’t I?” Mickey pointed his finger at Donny. “You think you’re normal, that you’re not a monster, but you are. You prey on people

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weaker than you and force them to do what you want. If that’s your idea of normal, I want no part of it. I’d rather peddle my ass on the streets for the rest of my life.” Mickey took a step back when Donny raised his knife into the air. He wasn’t stupid. He knew Donny would slice his throat at the first opportunity. Donny would feel no guilt about killing him. Mickey just had to distract Donny long enough for Vinnie to come to his rescue. He just wished Vinnie would hurry the hell up. “Oh don’t worry, Mickey, you are going to be peddling your ass until you’re no longer bringing in the dough.” “I’m retired.” “No, you’re not.” “Yes, I am. I promised Vinnie I wouldn’t do it anymore, and I’m not.” The sudden cold laughter from Donny made the hairs on Mickey’s arm stand up. He quickly took another step back from the man. Maybe Donny was insane? That would explain a lot. “You’re going to do exactly what I tell you to do, and Vinnie better keep his nose out of it. I waited too long and set up too many deals to have you ruin it now. People are depending on me to turn your ass over to them. You're going to make us all a lot of money.” Mickey took off running the second Donny took a step toward him. He didn’t think he could get far, but maybe he could reach the campsite before Donny caught him. Relief flooded Mickey when the tanned cement wall of the bathroom came into view. Remembering the three large men inside, he ran in that direction as fast as he could. Mickey ran around the corner of the side of the building. The air whooshed from his lungs as someone tackled him to the ground from behind. Mickey clawed at the ground and struggled to get away. He started to sob when his arms were pinned to the ground and someone sat on his back. “Hey, Mickey, you remember Ricky and Carl from the marina, don’t you?” Donny laughed. “They sure remember you.”

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Mickey saw a pair of black dress shoes walk into his line of vision. He tilted his head and looked up, grimacing when he found Donny standing over the top of him. That had to mean that Ricky and Carl were the ones holding him down. Donny squatted down and grabbed a handful of Mickey’s hair. Mickey grunted when his head was yanked back. “They’ve been wanting to spend some time with you for quite awhile,” Donny said. Mickey jerked back when Donny tried to smooth the hair back from his head. He didn’t want Donny touching him. “I promised Ricky and Carl that they could have all the free shots at your ass they wanted if they helped me get across the bay and find you.” Mickey groaned and closed his eyes. He might have had a chance at getting away from Donny if he could have run fast enough. He didn’t have a chance in hell of getting away from Donny and his two goons. “See, boys, I told you he wanted you to fuck him.” Donny yanked on Mickey’s hair again before dropping his head to the ground. “Mickey likes to be fucked. That’s why he makes such a good little whore. He can’t say no to cock.” Mickey struggled with everything in him when he felt someone trying to tug his pants down. He was not going to let Ricky and Carl rape him. He’d rather Donny slit his throat. When he couldn’t get away, Mickey started screaming at the top of his lungs. That worked until something was placed in his mouth. A moment later, he felt the gag being tied behind his head. Mickey hoped he had screamed long enough to alert Vinnie to his situation. A cold wind blew across Mickey’s naked ass as his pants were yanked down. Tears streamed down Mickey’s face. He shuddered in disgust when he felt hands touching him, squeezing his ass cheeks then pulling them apart. Mickey started gagging.

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“Fuck,” someone shouted. “He’s going to throw up. Get the damn gag out of his mouth before he chokes to death.” The gag was ripped from Mickey’s head. Mickey winced and would have shouted at whoever ripped the gag off, taking a few strands of hair along with it, but he was too busy scrambling to his knees to puke. “He doesn’t look like he’s enjoying this, Donny.” “Mickey is just playing the part. He likes it rough,” Donny replied. “What do you think the gag was for?” “I’m beginning to think it’s so he couldn’t say no,” the other man replied. Mickey finished throwing up. He sat up and turned to glare up at the three men surrounding him, wiping his sleeve across his mouth. “I hate you,” he spit out. “I hope Vinnie finds you and rips your throat out.” “Donny, what’s he talking about?” one of the men asked. “It’s nothing, Ricky, an old client of his.” Donny’s eyes started darting around wildly. “Vinnie is my lover, and Donny knows it.” Mickey quickly scooted back when Ricky squatted down in front of him. “Stay away from me.” “You didn’t want this, did you?” “No!” Mickey shouted. “And this isn’t some sexual game to you? You didn’t ask Donny to bring us?” “No!” Ricky stood up and turned to Donny. Both Ricky and Carl crossed their arms over their chests and glared at Donny, who took a couple of steps back. He held his hands up. “Now, guys, it’s not what you think. Mickey is just a little upset. He doesn’t mean what he’s saying.” Donny pointed at Mickey. “He’s a whore. He sells himself on the streets. He likes to be fucked, I’m telling you.”

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“You lied to us, Donny,” Ricky said. “You told us that Mickey came to you and asked you to set this all up for him. You said that he fantasized about being hunted down and taken by two men at the same time.” Ricky’s words made Mickey’s stomach roll. He bent over and threw up on the grass again. By the time he lifted his head a few moments later, Ricky and Carl were moving in on Donny. They looked pissed. Mickey saw a shadow move behind Donny. Before he could figure out what it was, Donny screamed and took off running into the darkness. Ricky and Carl raced after him. Mickey breathed a sigh of relief then looked toward the shadow. “Vinnie.”

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Chapter 10 Vinnie’s heart pounded in his chest as he ran over and gathered Mickey in his arms. He was pretty sure it had stopped beating when he heard Mickey’s scream fill the night air. He had never heard anything so terrifying in his life. He didn’t think his heart had started beating again until he spotted Mickey sitting on the ground. He hadn’t even cared about the two large men that ran past him, chasing after Donny. He still didn’t understand how Donny had been able to follow them. The man should have been stuck on the other side of the bay. And the two men that had run after Donny, Vinnie didn’t have a clue who in the hell they were. “Are you okay, baby?” Vinnie whispered against the side of Mickey’s head. He leaned back to get a good look at his baby, brushing the hair back from his face. “Did Donny hurt you?” “He tried to give me to Ricky and Carl.” Mickey started crying, burying his face in Vinnie’s shirt. “He told them that I wanted it, that I asked for it.” Vinnie wanted to growl but knew he couldn’t. Helping Mickey was much more important than letting loose his anger. Vinnie held Mickey closer and kissed the top of his head. “Sshhh, it’s okay, Mickey. I won’t let Donny ever hurt you again.” “But he found us.” Mickey’s head came up. Vinnie inhaled sharply at the tears streaming down Mickey’s pale face. “How did he find us?” “I don’t know, baby.” Mickey buried his face back into Vinnie’s shirt. His sobbing grew louder. Vinnie knew he was reliving whatever had happened to him.

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He grit his teeth and tried not to howl at the injustice of such a sweet man being assaulted. Vinnie gathered Mickey to his chest and stood to his feet. It was only as he rearranged Mickey in his arms that he realized Mickey’s pants were down around his thighs. He closed his eyes and just breathed for a moment. “Mickey, did they touch you?” “They… they pulled my pa–pants down and… and…” “Did they touch you?” he asked as he opened his eyes and looked down at Mickey. Mickey nodded. Vinnie could barely ask his next question. “Did they rape you?” “No. They stopped when I threw up, and then they got mad at Donny because they thought I wanted this but I didn’t.” Mickey tilted his head back to look up at Vinnie. “I swear I didn’t. Please say you believe me. I didn’t want them to touch me.” “Sshhh, baby, I believe you.” Vinnie let Mickey stand then grabbed his pants and pulled them up. His hands were trembling as he buttoned and zipped Mickey’s pants. Once Mickey’s clothes were back in place, Vinnie lifted the man back up into his arms and started carrying him back toward the campsite. Mickey’s face was buried in his neck, the man’s hands clenching at Vinnie’s shoulders. His entire body was shaking. Vinnie carried him back to the campsite as fast as his legs would take him. Tank was there before him, spreading a blanket out near the roaring fire. Vinnie tried to lay Mickey down on the blanket, but the man wouldn’t let go of him, whining when Vinnie tried. Vinnie sighed and sat down next to the blanket, cradling Mickey in his lap. He grabbed the edges of it and pulled it over to cover Mickey up. “Tank, there’s a bottle of whiskey in my saddlebags,” Vinnie said quietly. “Would you get it for me?”

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Tank nodded and went to grab it. Vinnie tucked the blanket more securely around Mickey’s shoulders and just held the man. When Tank came back, he took the cap off and handed the open bottle to Vinnie. “Mickey, I want you to sip this.” Mickey lifted his head, frowning when he saw the bottle of hard liquor. “You want me to get drunk?” “No, baby, I just want you to take a sip. You’ve had a big shock and this can help you relax.” “No, one sip can get me drunk.” Mickey took that one sip, then another and another. He was giggling by the time he leaned away from the bottle. “Fair warning, I’m a fucking lightweight.” Vinnie chuckled. “That’s okay, baby, I think you deserve it.” “Then give me another drink,” Mickey said as he reached for the bottle. Vinnie let him have a few more sips then took one himself before handing the bottle back to Tank. Tank took a sip then started to screw the lid back on when Ms. Dixie held out her hand for the bottle. “Well, don’t put it away now, sonny.” Tank smiled and handed the bottle over. Ms. Dixie took off the cap and swallowed down a good portion of the hard liquor. She coughed a little as she handed the bottle back and looked over at Vinnie. “That’s not bad, but I’ll show you the real good stuff when we get to Idaho.” Ms. Dixie’s grin made Vinnie arch an eyebrow. He just never knew what to expect from that woman. “I have me a wine cellar, but wine is for pussies. I’ve been stocking it for years with whiskey.” Vinnie chuckled and turned back to Mickey. He smiled and tucked the blanket around him again when he found the man passed out. Mickey’s hand was wrapped in his shirt, his grip so tight that his fingers were white.

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Vinnie scooted over so he could lean back against the log in front of the fire pit and settle Mickey more comfortably in his lap. He didn’t get the impression that he was going anywhere anytime soon. He wouldn’t want to anyway. Vinnie was still reliving Mickey’s horror-filled scream. He never wanted to hear a sound like that again in his life. Vinnie stiffened when Dodge and Boomer walked back into the firelight, two strange men following them. He narrowed his eyes as anger filled him. He knew these were the two men that had assaulted Mickey. “What are you doing here?” he growled. “Donny got hit by a bus on the freeway,” Boomer said. Vinnie's mouth dropped open. “He what?” “Donny tried to run across the freeway to get away from Rick and Carl here.” Boomer gestured to the two strangers. “A bus creamed him in the southbound lane. He won’t be getting up from it. We waited until we heard the sirens then hightailed it out of there. I didn’t think we needed to stick around.” “Couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.” Dodge snickered. The taller of the two men stepped forward into the light. “Hey look, Donny told us that Mickey wanted this. We never would have done anything if we didn’t think he was in on it. We’re real sorry.” “Mickey’s not in any condition to forgive you, and I’m not sure he would even if he could.” Vinnie clenched his jaw for a moment. “How could you even think he wanted that?” “Because we know Donny and he’s into some kinky-ass shit. He told us his boy toy was into this sort of thing and he was just trying to fulfill a fantasy for him. He said Mickey had always fantasized about being chased down and taken by two guys.” “So you thought you would chase him down and terrorize him?” Vinnie snapped. “How could you even think Mickey would be okay with something like that?”

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“Because we know what type of people Donny hangs out with and they're into this shit,” the man shouted. “Donny is fucking nuts. He gets obsessive about stuff, people. He's had more than one restraining order put out against him. He doesn't hang with people that aren't just like him.” “You hung with him,” Vinnie pointed out. “No, we've done business with him in the past. We've never hung with Donny. The man is psychotic but he knows where to get cheap boat parts. That’s it, the only business we've ever had with the man.” “Look, we didn't know, okay?” the shorter of the two men said. “The earthquake hit. We decided to stay on our boat where it was safe. Donny showed up and asked for a ride across the bay. He said he and Mickey had set something up before the earthquake and now Mickey was stuck on this side of the bay. He needed a ride.” “So we drove Donny across the bay on our boat and grabbed our truck from Sausalito,” the other man said. “Donny said that his boy toy was a hooker and he liked this type of shit. He'd be more than happy to pay us if we helped Donny rescue him.” “He said the two guys he originally set this little sexapade up with couldn't make it.” Vinnie growled when he thought of the two men Mickey hit with the tire iron. Rick had to be talking about them. “Do you know what happened to them?” Rick shrugged. “Donny said they had to beat feet because of the earthquake.” “He lied,” Vinnie growled. “What else is new?” Ricky pushed his hand through his hair. He looked pale white as he gazed down at Mickey’s sleeping form. “We really thought he wanted it. The second we knew differently, we stopped.” “But not before you scared the hell out of him.” “Vincent,” Ms. Dixie said quietly, “listen to their words with your mind and not your heart. Your heart is too closely attached to Mickey.

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You need to listen to what these two men are saying. They didn’t set out to hurt Mickey. They truly thought he wanted this, and they stopped as soon as they figured out that he didn’t.” Vinnie growled and pulled Mickey closer to him. He didn’t want to admit that Ms. Dixie might be right. He wanted to tear these two men apart. They had violated his baby, attacked him and scared him. They weren’t any better than Donny. “Fine,” Vinnie growled. “I heard what you said and I’ll pass it on to Mickey when the time is right. Now, go before Mickey wakes up.” “We’re truly sorry.” Vinnie nodded. He was beyond speech at the moment, beyond talking. Maybe someday he would find it in his heart to forgive the two men, but that day wasn’t today. Today, he had someone that needed all of his attention. Vinnie heard Boomer and Dodge walk off with the two men. He knew that they would talk and exchange whatever information was needed. There might come a time when Mickey wanted to talk to them, but Vinnie doubted it. He couldn’t imagine ever wanting to see them again. “Do you think he’s going to be okay?” Ms. Dixie asked. Vinnie nodded over at Ms. Dixie. “He’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.” “He loves you, you know.” “Does he?” Vinnie glanced down at the sleeping man in his lap. He softly ran his fingers down the side of Mickey’s face. “I think that’s a good thing. I’d hate to be in this all by myself.” Vinnie hadn’t realized until he heard Mickey scream how much the little man really meant to him. He’d die for Mickey, fight to the death for him. He’d pull the moon out of the sky and hand it over in a gift-wrapped box if that’s what Mickey wanted. He’d do anything for his sweet baby. Idaho was looking better and better with every passing minute. Vinnie never envisioned living in Idaho before. He thought he’d

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spend the rest of his life in San Francisco. But San Francisco wasn’t safe anymore, not as long as Donny was on the loose. Maybe he should consider relocating to Idaho. “Ms. Dixie, is there a lot of call for a motorcycle repair shop in that little town of yours?” “Don’t have one the last time I looked.” “Do you think I’d be able to support Mickey if I opened up a shop there?” Ms. Dixie’s chuckle was soft and low. “You just might at that.” “Would Mickey like Idaho?” “That’s where he was headed when the earthquake struck. It might take a little getting used to. Castle Creek certainly isn’t San Francisco, but it grows on you after awhile.” “I just want him somewhere safe.” “I think he’s in the safest place in the world right now.” Vinnie smiled but didn’t look away from Mickey’s beautiful face. He still had bruises around his eyes from Donny’s previous attack, but they were starting to fade. Somehow, Vinnie was sure that tonight’s attack would stay with Mickey a lot longer than the bruises. “How am I supposed to get him through this?” “Just love him,” Ms. Dixie replied. “That’s all he needs to heal.”

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Chapter 11 Mickey heard the horn honk and ran over to the window to see Vinnie pulling up in front of their newly rented house in a large cargo truck. He felt giddy as he ran for the front door. “Ms. Dixie, Vinnie and the guys are back,” he shouted with excitement. Vinnie had been gone for two long weeks, two long, lonely weeks. He needed to return to San Francisco to sign the papers selling his shop and gather up all of his belonging to bring them back up to Castle Creek. After arriving in Castle Creek, they had stayed with Ms. Dixie until they found their own place. Vinnie was even going to open a motorcycle repair shop in the middle of town. Vinnie had insisted that Mickey be part owner on the new place. Mickey insisted in handing over his nest egg to help the business. If he was going to be part owner, he wanted to earn his way, not have it handed to him. Mickey had been shocked at how receptive everyone in town had been and how excited they were about the new shop. Opening day was a month away. Vinnie wanted them to have time to settle in to their new home before opening the shop. “Vinnie!” Mickey shouted as he ran down the steps and around the front of the truck. He was bouncing from foot to foot waiting impatiently while Vinnie opened the door of the large truck and climbed down. The minute Vinnie’s boots touched the ground, Mickey jumped into his arms. Hard, searching lips plastered against his. Mickey melted into the passionate kiss, his heart feeling lighter with every second he was in Vinnie’s arms.

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“Oh, I missed you so much,” Mickey whispered as he pulled away from the kiss and leaned into Vinnie’s chest. “You’re never going away that long again.” “I have no need to, baby,” Vinnie replied as he hugged Mickey tighter. “I have everything I need right here.” “How was your trip? How was the city?” “It’s in pretty bad condition, but San Francisco will survive and rebuild. There’s already some rebuilding going on now. It’s been two months, but even I’m surprised at how fast things are being rebuilt. It will be amazing to see what happens in another two months.” “Yeah, I’ll watch it on television, thank you very much. I have absolutely no desire to ever set foot in that city again.” “I ran into someone while I was down there.” “Who?” Mickey knew it couldn’t be Donny. He was dead. “Ricky and Carl.” Mickey waited for the fear to hit him, the feeling of his skin crawling, like he usually felt when he thought of the two men that had attacked him. He blinked up at Vinnie when the fear didn’t come this time. “Okay.” “They’d like to come up and see you, apologize in person for what happened.” Mickey could feel Vinnie watching him intently. He knew the man was waiting for him to wig out. Maybe enough time had gone by or maybe he had come to terms with what happened and had time to understand that Ricky and Carl never really meant him any harm. “I think I would be okay with that.” “Are you sure, baby?” Vinnie tucked a strand of hair behind Mickey’s ear. “You don’t ever have to see them if you don’t want to.” “No, I think maybe it’s time to put that part of my life behind me as well. Tell them it’s okay to come on up. Just call first.” Vinnie nodded. “I’ll do that. Now, come look in back and see what I brought you.”

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Mickey bounced alongside of Vinnie. “You brought me something?” “I did.” Vinnie grinned. “It’s something really special.” Tank and Dodge nodded to Mickey when he came around the back of the truck. Mickey laughed and jumped over to give both men a hug. They had decided to move up to Castle Creek along with Mickey and Vinnie. Boomer would be moving up in the summer. He still had a few things to handle back in the city. “I missed you guys,” Mickey said. “I’m so glad you’re back.” “Where’s Grandma?” Tank asked. Ms. Dixie had been officially adopted by everyone. “She’s in the house.” Tank grinned. “We stopped by her old place and searched through the rubble until we found a few things of hers. We wanted to surprise her.” “Well, go on.” Mickey waved his hand toward the house. “She’s putting curtains up in the dining room.” Tank and Dodge took off toward the house. Mickey turned to look at Vinnie. Vinnie grinned and pulled the large door up. Mickey looked in but all he could see were boxes and motorcycles. “Come on, love.” Vinnie climbed up in the back then held his hand out to Mickey. Mickey frowned but took Vinnie’s hand, climbing into the back of the truck to stand next to Vinnie. He still couldn’t see anything. “What is it?” “It’s back here.” Vinnie started weaving his way through the boxes and motorcycles. Mickey followed until they reached the back of the truck and a rather large item covered by a gray tarp. Vinnie grabbed the tarp and flipped it back. Mickey’s breath caught in his throat. “You bought me a bathtub?” “Not just any bathtub, baby. This is a sixty-seven-inch cast iron bathtub with paw feet. We’ll both fit inside of it.”

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Mickey grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. “Want to try it out?” “Now?” Mickey reached into his pocket and pulled out the condom and tube of lube he carried with him all of the time now. He held them out to Vinnie. “I can’t think of a better time than now. Can you?” Vinnie grinned and started pulling his clothes off. Mickey giggled and did the same. It was almost a race to see who could get undressed the fastest. Mickey could have cared less that the door on the back of the truck was still open. He hadn’t been with Vinnie in two weeks. He needed to get laid. Their nightly phone calls and jerk-off sessions just weren’t the same. As soon as he was naked, Mickey climbed into the tub. He knelt on his knees and grabbed his cock, slowly stroking it as he waited for his lover. Vinnie seemed to be having a little trouble with his boots. Eventually he got them off and climbed into the tub at the opposite end from Mickey. “Get your ass up here,” Vinnie growled. Mickey shook his head and held out their supplies. When Vinnie took them, Mickey leaned over the larger man and narrowed right in on the man’s hard cock. In one fell swoop, Mickey swallowed Vinnie all of the way down until the man’s cock hit the back of his throat. “God, I fucking love that mouth of yours,” Vinnie groaned. Mickey grinned around the cock in his mouth then started sucking on it. It had been much longer than it should have been since he had felt Vinnie’s cock in his mouth. He needed and he needed bad. “Swing that gorgeous ass up here, Mickey.” Mickey quickly turned around. He didn’t feel odd at all that his ass was in Vinnie’s face. He’d been in this position with Vinnie on numerous occasions. If they weren’t just going for a blow job, Vinnie liked getting him ready while Mickey sucked on him. He usually only lasted a few minutes in Mickey’s mouth before he had to be in his ass. It helped being prepared for when Vinnie went wild. Besides, it felt damn good having Vinnie’s fingers in his ass.

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One finger was nice. Two were better. Three fingers were fucking fantastic. “I think my baby missed me,” Vinnie drawled. “Look how your ass sucks my fingers right in.” Mickey grunted. He couldn’t very well nod with Vinnie’s cock filling his mouth. But Vinnie’s fingers gliding in and out of him was making Mickey insane. He wanted the real thing. With that thought in mind, Mickey swallowed hard. He could feel his throat muscles massage the head of Vinnie’s cock. At the same time, Mickey reached down and grabbed Vinnie’s balls. That usually did the trick. Vinnie growled. Mickey laughed when he was suddenly lifted and shoved forward onto his hands and knees. He braced his arms on the edge of the bathtub in front of him, knowing what was coming. “Vinnie!” Mickey groaned loudly when Vinnie thrust into him until he bottomed out. Mickey could feel Vinnie’s balls resting against his ass. Vinnie’s hands were digging into his hips. Mickey could already hear Vinnie panting heavily. Mickey bowed his back, sticking his ass up into the air, when Vinnie started fucking him. Vinnie seemed to know just how hard to thrust to make Mickey’s eyes roll back into his head. There was nothing else like it on earth. Mickey didn’t even mind being fucked from behind anymore. He knew who he was with. “Love this ass,” Vinnie groaned. Mickey could feel Vinnie’s hands roaming over his ass. He loved it when Vinnie touched him, which seemed to be whenever he was within reaching distance. Vinnie was always touching him. “Your ass,” Mickey replied. He groaned when he felt Vinnie’s hand come down on his ass. He had told Vinnie he liked to be spanked. He never thought the guy would take him at his word. He was wrong. Vinnie started smacking his ass almost every time they were in this position. “Harder, Vinnie!”

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Mickey was getting close. He could feel his balls drawing up close to his body. He had been aroused the moment he saw Vinnie. The spanking just turned his desire up. When Vinnie’s hand reached under him and wrapped around his cock, Mickey knew it was over for him. “Vinnie!” Mickey screamed as ecstasy flooded his body in great big tidal waves. They just continued on and on as Vinnie continued to fuck him. Mickey’s mind melted into a puddle of goo when Vinnie roared behind him and hot liquid filled his ass. Mickey started to collapse onto the bottom of the bathtub but strong hands grabbed him and pulled him back. Mickey grunted softly when Vinnie pulled out of him but that quickly turned to a moan of satisfaction when he was cuddled against Vinnie’s chest. Mickey patted Vinnie’s chest. “Missed you, lover.” “Not as much as I missed you. It was lonely without you by my side.” “If you have to go again, I get to go with. I don’t like staying here alone.” “Promise, baby.” Mickey grimaced when he felt a trickle of cum trip down his leg. “We didn’t use a condom.” “Shit!” Vinnie suddenly sat up. His face was pale white when he looked down at Mickey. “I’m so sorry, baby. I was just too caught up in what we were doing. I forgot. I am so sorry. I won’t forget again.” “Well…” Mickey ducked his head under Vinnie’s chin and started drawing circles on the man’s chest with his finger. “I went and had myself tested while you were gone. I also got tested once a week when I lived back in the city, just to be on the safe side. I’ve never gone without a condom before in my life, but if you want, we could forget about them.” Vinnie tiled his head back with a hand under Mickey’s chin. “Do you mean that? No more condoms?”

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“I’ve never wanted to go without condoms before, but I’ve never loved anyone before like I love you.” Mickey dropped his eyes, afraid of what he would see in Vinnie’s eyes. He knew he loved Vinnie. He’d just never voiced it before. “I mean, if that’s what you want.” “Hey, look at me.” Mickey tilted his head back to look up at Vinnie. “I love you, too, but I don’t want that to be a factor in whether or not we use condoms. That’s a very big step and we shouldn’t do it if you’re not ready.” “You love me?” “Yep.” Vinnie grinned. “I’ve loved you since you flew into my world and shook it all up.” Mickey chuckled. “That was the earthquake, not me.” “No, Mickey, that was definitely you.” Vinnie’s arms pulled Mickey back down to his chest. Mickey snuggled in, tucking his head into its usual position under Vinnie’s chin. “You shook up my world and turned it into a dream.”

THE END WWW.STORMYGLENN.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Stormy believes the only thing sexier than a man in cowboy boots is two or three men in cowboy boots. She also believes in love at first sight, soul Mates, true love, and happy endings. Stormy lives in the great Northwest region of the USA, with her gorgeous husband and soul Mate, six very active teenagers, two boxer/collie puppies, one old biddy cat, and one fish. You can usually find her cuddled in bed with a book in her hand and a puppy in her lap, or on her laptop, creating the next sexy man for one of her stories. Stormy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website at www.stormyglenn.com

Also by Stormy Glenn Siren Classic ManLove: Blaecleah Brothers 1: Cowboy Easy Siren Classic ManLove: Blaecleah Brothers 2: Cowboy Keeper Siren Classic ManLove: Blaecleah Brothers 3: Cowboy Way Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 1: Full Moon Mating Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 2: Just a Taste of Me Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 3: Tasty Treats, Volume 3: Man to Man Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 4: Blood Prince Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 5: Love, Always, Promise Ménage Amour ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 6: Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Siren Classic ManLove: Wolf Creek Pack 7: Pretty Baby Ménage Amour ManLove: Tri-Omega Mates 1: Secret Desires Ménage Amour ManLove: Tri-Omega Mates 2: Forbidden Desires Ménage Amour ManLove: Tri-Omega Mates 3: Hidden Desires Ménage Amour ManLove: Tri-Omega Mates 4: Stolen Desires Ménage Amour ManLove: Tri-Omega Mates 5: Unspoken Desires Ménage Amour ManLove: Tri-Omega Mates 6: A Hunter’s Desires

Ménage Amour: Lovers of Alpha Squad 1: Mari’s Men Siren Classic ManLove: Lovers of Alpha Squad 2: The Doctor’s Patience Siren Classic: Lovers of Alpha Squad 3: Julia’s Knight Ménage Amour ManLove: Lovers of Alpha Squad 4: Three of a Kind Siren Classic ManLove: Sweet Perfection 1: Sweet Treats Siren Classic ManLove: Sweet Perfection 2: Mr. Wonderful Siren Classic ManLove: True Blood Mate 1: Heart Song Ménage Amour ManLove: True Blood Mate 2: Alpha Born Siren Classic ManLove: True Blood Mate 3: Love Sexy Siren Classic ManLove: True Blood Mate 4: Redemption Siren Classic ManLove: Katzman 1: The Katzman’s Mate Siren Classic ManLove: Katzman 2: Dream Mate Siren Classic ManLove: Katzman 3: Pride Mate Ménage Amour: Love’s Legacy 1: Cowboy Legacy Siren Classic ManLove: Viking Lore 1: Honor Bound Siren Classic ManLove: Midnight Matings: Scales and a Tail Siren Classic ManLove: Midnight Matings: Fang and Fur Ménage Amour ManLove: Tasty Treats 5: Cowboy Dreams Siren Classic ManLove: My Lupine Lover Siren Classic ManLove: The Master’s Pet Siren Classic ManLove: Fire Demon Siren Classic: Wolf Queen Siren Classic ManLove: His Gentle Touch Ménage Amour: Mating Heat

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