plik

INS

ROFESSION

…Mike had known life wasn‟t black and white long before joining

the force, but Zone Six was turning out to be a hell of a lot grayer than
even he‟d expected. Not in a bad way, but still.

To change the subject, he asked, “So, uh, who did you get cast as?”
Lucas smirked. “Are you sure that‟s the route you want this

conversation to go?”

Mike sighed. “Well, I‟m going to find out eventually. Better I‟m

prepared ahead of time.”

Lucas ripped open the envelope and pulled out the contract and a

thin script. “Looks like his name is Malcolm Shaw.” He flipped
through a few pages, eyes scanning. “He‟s an up and coming, if you‟ll
pardon the expression, ad exec. It seems he‟s willing to do anything to
land a client.”

Anything meaning anything.
“No fisting, so don‟t worry,” Lucas assured him.
“Who said I was worried?”
“Your face. Are you that uptight or is it just innocence?”
“I‟ve never thought of myself as either, but…” Mike forced

himself to continue. “I‟m not inexperienced. But what I‟ve done is
incredibly boring and not very adventurous.”

“Sex should never be boring. Vanilla, however, vanilla‟s fine.”
“I figured vanilla was boring by definition.”
“It‟s only boring if it doesn‟t feel good. Even the most vanilla sex

is amazing if it feels good.”

“I would have thought you‟d be beyond that.”
“You have a lot of preconceptions about me considering we met

yesterday…”

LSO

NDIA

ARPER

Blood On The Mountain

Bloody Queens

Kings Of The West

One-Eyed Jacks

Sins Of Affection

Sins Of Arrogance

Sins Of Influence

Sins Of Omission

Under A Rock

Watch My Back

SINS OF PROFESSION

INDIA HARPER

MBER

UILL

RESS

LLC

http://www.AmberQuill.com

INS

ROFESSION

MBER

UILL

RESS

OOK

This book is a work of fiction.

All names, characters, locations, and incidents are products of the

author‟s imagination, or have been used fictitiously.

Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales,

or events is entirely coincidental.

Amber Quill Press, LLC

http://www.AmberQuill.com

No portion of this book may be transmitted or

reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in

writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief

excerpts used for the purposes of review.

ISBN 978-1-61124-267-6

PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

SINS OF PROFESSION

CHAPTER 1

Detective Mike Finesterre peered through the shattered bay

window. “I don‟t know, Lieutenant. Are you sure it was a B and
E?”

His partner for the moment, Lieutenant Brigid Scott, just

looked at him. Then she smirked. “I always manage to get saddled
with the smart asses. And how many times do I have to tell you,
it‟s Scotty.”

“You can‟t be bored with the title already, Lieutenant. Hell, if I

got a promotion, I‟d want everyone calling me sir.”

“Yeah, well, I blame it on the testosterone.” Her smirk grew

into a full-blown grin that took the sting out of her comment.
“Now, are you going to start cataloguing or do I have to order you,
since I can?”

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He gave a mock salute. “Yes, sir, Scotty, sir.”
“Watch it,” she said and left him to it.
Mike had been with Zone Six for nearly a month now, and all

in  all,  the  re-assignment  was  going  better  than  he‟d  hoped.  Zone
Six  was  the  back  of  beyond  where  the  problem  children  of
Pittsburgh‟s  police  force  tended  to  get  sent.  There  were  the  odd
few  that  chose  to  be  assigned  there.  Mike  fell  somewhere  in  the
middle.

He‟d spent six years as a beat cop when the opportunity for

promotion had come up. It hadn‟t mattered to him where it was as
long as he got off the beat and into the investigation unit. Zone Six
had a rough reputation, but he‟d heard good things about the
commander there, and there had to be other things going for it; the
transitioning head of Major Crimes had served as second-in-
command there as well. There was room for promotion and a place
to develop his investigative skills. Just because no one else wanted
the job didn‟t mean Mike was going to turn up his nose at it.

Once Mike finished cataloging the damage to the window and

surrounding area, he joined Scotty and the homeowner, an older
gentleman of about seventy.

“And you say nothing was stolen, Mr. Graver?”
“Nothing as far as I‟ve been able to tell. Probably just some

kids having too much of the wrong kind of fun.”

“All right then, sir. If you think of anything else, please call me

right away.” She handed him a business card and patted him on the
shoulder. “Come on, Mike. We‟ll leave Mr. Graver to the cleaning
up.”

Mike waited until they were on the front walk before leaning

down to say in a murmur, “You did notice that the glass was
smashed out from the inside, right?”

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She glanced at him in approval. “I wasn‟t certain you had. You

might have the makings of a detective yet, Finesterre.”

“It was pretty obvious.”
“Don‟t sell yourself short. You‟d be amazed at how often the

obvious gets overlooked.”

He eyed her with suspicion. “There are going to be a lot of

these little tests, aren‟t there?”

“You have no idea, rookie.”
“Rookie, Christ,” he muttered. “I thought I put that behind me

six years ago.”

“Sorry, kid. You‟ve joined a whole different ballgame.”
“How many more sports metaphors can I expect before this day

is out?”

She grinned up at him, blue eyes dancing. “Now why would I

want to spoil the surprise?”

“Do I at least get to drive?”
“Yeah, you wish.”
When they got back to the station, Lieutenant David Logan was

bent  over  his  desk,  head  together  with  Lieutenant  Miranda
Doughty. Mike was coming in at an unstable point in the life of the
department.  The  outgoing  lieutenant,  Logan,  was  training  the
incoming  one,  Doughty,  in  advance  of  making  his  own  transition
to the Major Crimes division. Meanwhile, Mike‟s own partner was
only  a  temporary  assignment.  Scotty  had  been  Doughty‟s  partner
for  a  couple  years  and  had  been  with  the  precinct  for  over  seven.
Everyone  had  been  certain  she  was  a  shoe-in  for  the  second-in-
command job, but instead she was going into detached service with
Major Crimes. While the department waded through the transition,
she‟d agreed to take on the rookie.

Mike knew he should be grateful, and he was. But a partner

SINS OF PROFESSION

was someone you counted on to be there, and knowing that Scotty
would be leaving in a few months made it harder for him to feel
settled. Right around the time he did start to feel comfortable, he‟d
have to break in a new partner.

“You‟re looking worried,” Scotty said. “You haven‟t been here

long enough to look worried.”

Mike shrugged and forced a smile. “Maybe that‟s why I‟m

worried.”

“Relax, Detective.” She slapped him on the shoulder. “I‟ve

broken tougher men than you.”

“Yeah, that‟s what I‟m worried about.”
Her grin could frighten wild animals. “Man, I forgot how much

fun new partners can be. You‟re just so innocent.”

“You‟re not helping, Scotty.”
She waggled her eyebrows. “I know.”
Doughty spotted them and waved them over. “How did the B

and E go?”

“Shall you tell her, Mikey, or shall I?”
Logan caught Mike‟s eye as he shook his head, his lips

twitching.

Time to get some of his own back. “Well, Brigid, you are the

boss, so it‟s your call.”

She barked a rough laugh, but looked satisfied. “There you go.

I‟m your partner, not your boss, and I hate having a partner I can‟t
fight with. Go on; give the report.”

So he did, giving a brief rundown of the call. “With the victim

reporting nothing stolen and the pattern of glass breakage, I think
it‟s pretty safe to say Mr. Graver was looking for some attention.”

“And wasting valuable time and resources,” Doughty said.
Logan folded his arms over his chest, thinking. “Scotty, call

SINS OF PROFESSION

Aging Services. See if they can put Mr. Graver on their evaluation
list. If he had occasional home visits, perhaps someone to help him
get involved, it should prevent a repeat of this incident.”

“Good idea. But why can‟t my minion do it?”
“I don‟t suppose it‟s possible to get reassigned, is it?” Mike

asked.

Logan gave him a faint smile. It looked good on him.

“Consider it a rite of passage, Detective. All of my best officers
have had Scotty as a partner.”

“And we all managed to overcome that handicap.” Doughty‟s

amusement mirrored Logan‟s.

Scotty sulking was adorable. “If you‟re all going to turn on me,

I‟ll just go do the paperwork.”

Mike winked at the others. “Leave the grunt work to your

minion, ma‟am. Wouldn‟t want you to hurt yourself.”

“Hurt myself? Those sound like fighting words. I‟d hate to

have to kick your ass after knowing you such a short while.”

He was certain she could hold her own, but kick his ass? He

had a good foot on her and several dozen pounds.

“Word of advice,” Logan said before Mike could respond,

“don‟t go there. Your ego will thank you. Trust me.”

That surprised him. Scotty folded her arms over her chest,

tapping her foot, and the normally unreadable Lieutenant Logan
looked sheepish. It further reminded Mike that he was the new guy
and not privy to all the department tales. “Paperwork it is.”

Mike left them to whatever conversation they wanted to have

behind his back—not that he was paranoid, but it was pretty hard
to miss the “get lost newbie” signs, friendly as they were.

That was all right. In time, he‟d find his place and settle into

the rhythm of things. New jobs always took time.

SINS OF PROFESSION

CHAPTER 2

Lucas McAndrews loved his job.
“Christ, harder!” he swore, legs twisted around his partner‟s

ass, lifting his own to receive each slapping thrust, arms clutching
and clawing at the man‟s back. All he knew about his current client
was that his name was Jason and he liked an enthusiastic partner.
Lucas could do enthusiastic.

Lucas could do a lot of things…if the money was right.
Jason obliged, driving Lucas up the bed with the force of his

thrust. The man was close, maybe another half dozen… Three,
two—

“Fuck me.” Jason groaned as he came.
Lucas, however, didn‟t. Which was fine. He wasn‟t getting

paid for his own pleasure here.

SINS OF PROFESSION

He‟d gotten spoiled with Carver and David.
“Jesus.” Jason pulled out and flopped face first next to Lucas,

one armed draped across Lucas‟ chest to pull him into an almost
affectionate half embrace. “That was better than advertised.”

Lucas moved closer to suck a bead of sweat off Jason‟s

shoulder. “I wouldn‟t make much of a living if it wasn‟t.”

Jason chuckled. “You earned every penny.”
Lucas had done a lot more for less. “My ego and my bank

account thank you.”

That earned him another laugh. “And you‟re honest. I like that

a lot.”

“Mmm.” Lucas gave Jason a gentle shove to roll him over and

dispensed with the used condom before it was too late, then curled
back into his embrace, chest to chest, lips teasing. “A happy
customer is a repeat customer.”

“Oh, I‟ll be repeating. You can count on that.” He gripped the

back of Lucas‟ head and ended the teasing. When he broke off the
kiss, he was already breathing heavily again. “By my watch, I‟ve
got another fifteen minutes. What does yours say?”

Lucas nipped at Jason‟s lip. “Mine says whatever you want it

to.”

God, he loved his job.

* * *

It was still early enough in the afternoon when he finished with

Jason that Lucas decided to stop by the nursing home. He tried to
visit  Danny  Marks  every  couple  days.  Every  day  was  too  much,
and  too  long  left  him  feeling  guilty.  And  he  had  every  reason  to
feel  guilty.  Danny  wouldn‟t  be  in  this  condition  if  it  wasn‟t  for

SINS OF PROFESSION

him.

Danny never blamed Lucas, just grinned every time he came

by. “Hey, there, lover boy, how‟s tricks?”

Lucas sank into the seat next to Danny‟s wheelchair with a sigh

of fake exasperation. “Could you be a little more subtle?”

“Nah. I‟ve got a reputation to maintain.” He was unrepentant,

his grin never wavering.

The nurses adored him, and it wasn‟t difficult to see why—a

good forty years younger than the rest of the residents at the home
and  with an upbeat attitude,  despite a beating that  had almost left
him a vegetable in the prime of his life. As it  was, he still had no
feeling  below  the  waist  and  extremely  limited  movement  of  his
upper body.

“Hey, check this out,” Danny said and did a very slow wiggle

of the first three fingers of his left hand. “Couldn‟t do that the last
time you saw me.”

Lucas was amazed at Danny‟s resilience. Given similar

circumstances, Lucas doubted he would be as positive and as
dedicated to his own recovery as his friend was. Danny had
worked months to earn that limited movement, and yet it was like
he had climbed Mount Everest. “Two more and you‟ll be back to
giving hand jobs.”

Danny winked. “As long as you‟re my first.”
“I‟d be disappointed if I wasn‟t.”
“So, how‟s business?”
“Danny.”
“Come on. I‟ve gotta live vicariously through someone. Old

guy, young guy? Woman?” He waggled his eyebrows. “Kinky?”

“Middle-aged bank manager. Nice guy, likes it loud.”
“Present tense?”

SINS OF PROFESSION

“We have another session scheduled in two weeks.”
“Nice. A steady income without too much effort.”
“I wouldn‟t mind a little effort once in a while.”
Danny raised an eyebrow. He‟d always been a big hand-

gesturer when he talked, so now that that was limited, he made up
for it with his eyebrows. “That sounded introspective. You feeling
all right?”

Lucas slumped back in the chair. “I don‟t know. I had dinner

with David and Carver last week—”

“Dinner?”
Lucas glared at him. “Okay, fine, I spent the night with them.

They‟re just so damn comfortable together and so disgustingly in
love, for all their insecurities and baggage.”

“You feel left out.”
“I feel left out. Not of that, because, God, getting involved in

that would be… Well, it would take a better man than me. But
still.”

“You want a boyfriend.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Lucas sighed. “I never used to. Too much

trouble.”

“And not conducive to business,” Danny chimed in.
Lucas shrugged. “All depends. There might be someone out

there who would be understanding.”

Danny studied him. “Maybe it‟s time to get out. I know you‟ve

been thinking about it.”

“And do what? There‟s nothing out there for me.”
“So, what…you‟re going to keep turning tricks until you‟re old

enough to be in here? That‟s bullshit. And if that‟s the way you‟re
thinking, you need to get out.”

Lucas grimaced. Danny was right. “I‟m supposed to be the one

SINS OF PROFESSION

CHAPTER 3

Mike poked away at his current case report while Scotty sat

across  from  him,  chewing  on  her  pen  and  attempting  the  day‟s
crossword.  He‟d  tried  to  help…once,  and  almost  gotten  his  head
taken  off  for  it.  No  one  got  between  Scotty  and  her  crossword.
Except  maybe  Logan.  Just  another  one  of  those  relationships  the
new guy wouldn‟t understand.

He was about to get up and refresh his coffee, when

Commander  Christopher  Montgomery  stopped  by  their  desks.  As
far  as  department  heads  went,  he  was  approachable.  The  gray
peppering  his  dark  hair  lent  him  a  touch  of  respectability  that
counteracted  his  youthful  look  and  the  mischievous  air  that  hung
about  him.  Montgomery  was  one  of  those  rare  leaders  who  could
be one of the boys, yet still have his word obeyed as law.

SINS OF PROFESSION

Still, the big boss, this early in the morning? No matter how

easygoing the messenger might be, the news wasn‟t going to be.

He spoke in a quiet tone so as not to be overheard in the busy

squad room. “Will you two join me in my office, please?” He
didn‟t wait for an answer, just turned, sipping at his coffee, and
headed back to his desk.

Mike caught Scotty‟s eye. She shrugged and stood. He

followed.

Doughty and Logan were already in the small office, Logan

leaning against the glass partition, Doughty sitting at attention in
one of the chairs. Only the rapid tapping of the pen between her
fingers gave away her agitation. Montgomery settled into his chair.
“Have a seat.”

Mike attempted to be a gentleman, leaving the remaining chair

to Scotty. She glared at him, crossed her arms over her chest and
reclined against the opposite side of the doorframe, mirroring
Logan‟s posture. With no other choice, Mike sat.

It felt a little like being called into the principal‟s office.
Some of his unease must have shown because Montgomery

gave him a small but genuine smile. “Relax, Detective. You‟re not
in trouble here.”

“There tends to be a lot more shouting and angry faces then,”

Scotty piped up.

Doughty cocked an eyebrow at her. “Yours.”
“Yeah, yeah, funny lady, pick on the redhead. What‟s going

on?”

Montgomery opened a folder on his desk. “Yesterday, the body

of a white male in his twenties was found in the trash behind the
Rise and Shine Bakery.”

“Someone important?” Mike asked.

SINS OF PROFESSION

Montgomery looked at him with steely eyes. “We don‟t base

our investigations on whether or not someone is important,
Detective.”

Mike resisted the instinct to shrink back. “Not what I meant,

sir. I… All the cloak and dagger and the serious faces…”

“Yes, well, this is a bit more delicate than that.”
Logan took up the thread of the narrative. “There was no ID on

the body, so we didn‟t know who he was until his prints came
back. Andy Canteras, twenty-seven, two convictions for petty theft
and solicitation.”

“Someone murdered a prostitute?”
It was Doughty‟s turn now. “Andy‟s been working the last two

years with Magnum Films.”

Oh, that Andy Canteras. Mike had a few of his films and— Not

the point here. “Isn‟t this something that should be handled by
Major Crimes?”

“It‟s one of those gray areas,” Logan said. “It‟s in Zone Six‟s

jurisdiction and the higher branches aren‟t too eager about getting
involved with investigating the local porn scene.”

“Since we have two Major Crimes members on our team, at

least nominally”—Montgomery gestured to Logan and Scotty with
a tip of the head—“we‟re going to be handling it.”

“What‟s any of this have to do with me?”
“Have you ever done any undercover work?”
“As a porn actor or in general?” Mike realized how stupid that

sounded after the words left his mouth. “Sorry.”

“Don‟t be.” Montgomery was smiling again. “It‟s a valid

question. However, I was aiming for in general.”

“I‟ve done a couple of cases. Mostly Thug Number One kind of

stuff.”

SINS OF PROFESSION

“Do you have any technical savvy?”
“I can hook up my Blu-Ray myself.”
“Good enough. Most of the electronics used in the industry

these days are pretty point and shoot, at least at the level Magnum
operates. We‟re going to arrange to get you and Scotty in the
production team so you can look into things.”

Mike‟s head was spinning from the speed of it all. “I‟m sorry,

sir, you‟re sending us undercover at a porn studio, why? I mean,
anyone could have done this. A pissed off client, a competitor,
someone who didn‟t like his face—”

Doughty cut him off. “There were ligature marks around his

wrists, ankles, and throat, too fine to be from regular rope or cord
that would be easily available. And he wasn‟t killed behind the
bakery. There was almost no blood in the Dumpster. Colin Willis,
another Magnum performer, was found dead in his apartment two
weeks ago with the exact same markings, and a month before that,
Ryan Clark was found in the restroom of a night club in the Strip
District, again with the same markings.”

“Let me guess…he worked for Magnum, too?”
“All working for the same film company; all killed with the

same MO.”

He knew he was going to regret asking, but, “Then why aren‟t

we having someone go undercover as an actor?”

“We are,” Montgomery replied. “A consultant familiar with the

world and less likely to stand out.”

“I haven‟t asked him yet, sir.” Logan didn‟t sound happy.

“There‟s no guarantee he‟ll agree.”

The look Montgomery gave him was bland, but it made Logan

shift his feet in apparent discomfort nonetheless. “I‟m certain
you‟ll do your best to convince him.”

SINS OF PROFESSION

“I‟m not comfortable putting a civilian in that situation. Sir.”
Montgomery turned his attention to Mike. “They only ever „sir‟

me when they get pissed off. It tells me I‟m doing my job.”

Mike kept his mouth shut.
“What Lieutenant Logan forgets,” Montgomery continued, “is

that I‟ve run a delicate operation like this before, several times,
with officers and outside help. I know which tends to work better
in certain situations.”

“If I might point out, Commander”—Logan didn‟t seem

assuaged by Montgomery‟s almost affectionate tone—“you‟re the
one who put me up for the Major Crimes position. If you didn‟t
think I could do the job—”

“David.” It was the first time Mike had ever heard anyone call

the  lieutenant  by  his  given  name.  “I  know  he‟s  a  friend  of  yours
and  you  want  to  look  out  for  him.  But  he  has  the  looks  and
experience to get in and make contact with the talent. He won‟t be
alone. Mike and Scotty  will both be there to  keep an eye on  him.
He‟ll be safe.”

“This is all assuming he agrees to go along with our

investigation. It‟s a professional risk as well as a personal one.”

Scotty kept a straight face. “Carver says Lucas will do anything

if the price was right.”

The glare Logan shot her was the first time Mike had ever seen

the lieutenant lose his composure. “Not. This.”

“All you can do is ask.” Doughty injected a controlled calm.

“Or I can. We developed a bit of a rapport when he was in
protective custody.”

Montgomery nodded. “That might be better.”
“No,” Logan spoke up. “I‟ll ask. If he wants to do it, he will.”
“All right, then, that‟s settled. You two review the case files

SINS OF PROFESSION

and brush up on your film industry jargon.” Montgomery handed
over the thin files on his desk.

Mike waited until they were out of the office to lean toward

Scotty, the foot difference in their height making it hard to be
discreet. “Who is this guy?”

“Lucas?” She smirked. “Oh, my young apprentice, you have no

idea.”

“That isn‟t reassuring.”
“It wasn‟t meant to be.” They reached their desks, and she

dropped into her seat. “If nothing else, meeting him will be
memorable.”

Mike pulled out his chair, sitting so they were eye level. “For

you or for me?”

“Both.”
“You people are a little insane, you know that, right?”
“You‟re part of the family now, sunshine. Get used to it.” She

picked up the phone and started dialing. “But you should be
honored. They wouldn‟t put just anyone on this undercover job.
You‟re doing good work, and they think you‟re up for it.”

“Didn‟t figure I‟d be doing porn.”
“You‟ve got the looks for it.” Before he could retort, she held

up one finger and lifted the receiver to her mouth. “Hey, Carver,
it‟s me. Beer tonight. No, he‟s in a mood, so I‟m doing an end
around. You can both thank me later. And the new guy‟s going to
be there. You‟ll like him. He‟s cute.” She winked at Mike.

Mike tried to focus on the file in front of him.
“Well, he‟s got red hair like me, but a hell of a lot taller. Like a

goddamned tree.”

And now he was blushing, not aided at all by said red hair.
Scotty grinned. “Yeah, we should be there about six-ish. And

SINS OF PROFESSION

I‟m seriously considering tequila.” Mike could hear an outraged
squawk through the receiver as she hung up.

There wasn‟t any point in not asking, “Carver was your ex-

partner?”

“Before Miranda, and you, of course. Went into private

practice.”

“Up or out, huh?”
“I only partner with the best. You going to be the exception

that proves the rule?” There was a twinkle in her eye that showed
she was teasing.

“I don‟t think I‟d dare. Tequila?”
She snorted. “Carver‟s a wuss when it comes to real alcohol.”
“I love tequila.”
“Oh, Mike, you have made my day.”
Something told him that he might not love tequila as much in

the morning.

“If you study real well this afternoon, I might even buy your

first round.”

He grimaced. “You have to work on this reassuring your

partner thing.”

She remained unrepentant. “Didn‟t they tell you? I‟m your

hazing.”

Mike resisted the urge to bang his head on the desk. “I have an

older brother, so shouldn‟t that exempt me?”

“Detective Finesterre, I have four.”
He had to smile. “In other words, suck it up?”
“Exactly.”

SINS OF PROFESSION

CHAPTER 4

Despite his short time in the department, Mike had already

heard from some of the others about bar nights. There were usually
wagers  on  whether  Ramrod  Logan  would  turn  up,  although  the
odds  on  that  had  dropped  in  the  last  few  years  as  the  rigid
lieutenant  had  lightened  up.  Baker  said  it  was  because  he  was
getting  laid,  although  the  thought  of  the  man  finding  anyone
worthy  of  his  sexual  favors  was  not  only  difficult  to  picture,  but
also a little disturbing—like picturing your parents having sex.

He settled into a chair on the fringe of the group, more out of

the desire to observe than feeling like a complete outsider—his
fellow detectives were too welcoming to allow for that. Add in
enough alcohol, and no one was an outsider for long.

It wasn‟t a private party by any means. Doughty and Scotty

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were  there,  but  so  were  Baker  and  Moody,  Olenik,  Komerski  the
day  shift  desk  sergeant,  and  half  a  dozen  beat  cops.  Commander
Montgomery  hadn‟t shown, and Mike  wasn‟t  sure  if he  would or
not.  Also  a  no-show,  at  least  so  far,  was  the  mysterious  Carver
from Scotty‟s phone call earlier.

Lieutenant Logan arrived next, followed by two men. One

swaggered in as though he owned the place, the shorter of the two,
with longish sandy hair and a look that said “fuck with me if you
dare.” The second man followed with more grace, dark hair
artfully disarrayed, and looking more suited to the runway than
hanging out in a cop bar.

“About time,” Scotty said as she waved them over. “Now the

fun can begin.”

The sandy-haired man had a finger up before Scotty could even

open her mouth. “You threaten me with tequila and I‟m turning
right around.”

She grinned and pulled him down into the chair next to her.

“Easy. I‟ve found a new drinking partner who can keep up with me
for a change. Well, maybe. We still have to test that. Mike
Finesterre, Carver Eliot.”

The smile softened the man‟s features, making him somewhat

more approachable. “Ah, the famous Mickey Fine.” Carver held
out his hand. “You have my sympathies.”

Mike was shaking Carver‟s hand before the words registered.

He turned to find Scotty blushing beside him.

“Thanks a lot, Carver.”
Mike came to his defense. “Consider it a fair return for you

embarrassing me on the phone.” He let go of Carver‟s hand. “It‟s a
pleasure to meet another Scotty survivor.”

Carver snickered. “She might say she survived me and not the

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other way around.”

Though her cheeks were still pink, Scotty seemed to have

recovered. “Carver talks a tough game, but he‟s a big ol‟ softy
underneath it all.”

“Lies.” Carver pulled up a chair. “So, tell me, Mickey Fine,

where do you stand on sports?”

“Hockey and basketball. Baseball is too slow and football‟s too

Cro-magnon.”

“Two out of three‟s not too bad.”
Mike noticed Logan and the other man at a table off to the side,

their  heads  together,  talking  intently.  He  couldn‟t  help  admiring
the  stranger‟s  profile,  aquiline  nose  and  thin,  yet  full  lips  giving
him  an  almost  Grecian  look.  His  slender  fingers  danced  while  he
spoke,  like  they  wanted  to  be  doing  something  else  to  emphasize
his words.

Carver followed his gaze. “They‟ve been doing the serious

conversation thing since David got home.”

“That doesn‟t surprise me,” Scotty said. “I‟m surprised you

aren‟t kicking up more of fuss.”

Carver shrugged. “Lucas is a big boy, and I‟m not his

boyfriend. If he was willing to face down the Lions of God, I
won‟t stand in his way here.”

“Ramrod, however…”
“Likes to protect everybody. He‟s lucky I‟m not the jealous

type.”

Scotty choked on her beer. “The hell you aren‟t.”
It took a minute for Mike‟s brain to put that together. When it

clicked, his head snapped around to stare at Carver. “You and
Logan?”

Carver‟s eyes danced over the rim of his glass. “Now you know

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what the stick up his ass is.”

“Carver and the commander are the original odd couple.”
Carver scrunched up his nose. “Don‟t call him that, Scotty.

David‟s still a lieutenant. Besides, Montgomery‟s „the
commander,‟ and while he‟s not hard on the eyes, I‟m really not
comfortable going there.”

“Why do you think I call him „the commander‟ around you?”
“David deserves that promotion. I‟m just not used to it yet.”
Mike was still having a hard time adjusting his perception of

the straitlaced lieutenant. At least now he knew Baker had been
right.

Logan and Lucas joined them. “Obviously, you know Carver,”

he said. “And Lieutenant Scott.”

Lucas‟ smile managed that fine line between killer charm and

genuine. “Lieutenant? Congratulations on the promotion.”

“Having had Carver for a partner and Logan as my superior for

so long, it was the least I deserved.”

“Your support is overwhelming as always, Scotty,” Logan

replied with the barest hint of humor in his voice. He focused his
attention on Mike. “This is Detective Mike Finesterre, our newest
addition to Zone Six, who had no idea what he was in for when he
joined us.”

Clear aquamarine eyes focused on him with laser-like

precision, catching Mike‟s breath as he offered his hand. “It‟s a
pleasure to meet you, Detective.”

“Mike‟s fine,” he said as he shook Lucas‟ hand, attempting to

be casual and failing.

“He is indeed,” Scotty chimed in.
“I‟m certainly not going to argue with that.”
There was that smile again. Mike felt like he was being

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seduced. Or maybe that was wishful thinking.

“I‟m looking forward to working with you.”
Logan‟s hand clenched on his beer. “We still haven‟t settled

that you will be.”

“Hate to disappoint you, David, but I‟m the one person at this

table you aren‟t the boss of.”

Carver leaned closer to Mike. “But it‟s never stopped him from

trying.”

Lucas slid into the seat next to Mike, trapping him between the

two men and keeping him the focus of Lieutenant Logan‟s
attention.

Logan didn‟t waver. “I‟m in charge of this investigation. If I

don‟t want you going in, you won‟t.”

“Which would just be cutting off your own nose and you know

it. I appreciate the concern, but I‟ll be all right. Hell, I‟m the only
one at this table who could be believable.”

Carver snorted.
“Oh, yeah?” Lucas seemed to feel challenged. “You think you

could manage to get it up to fuck a guy you‟ve just met with a
room full of complete strangers watching you and a camera
recording your every move?”

Carver didn‟t flinch. “David could.”
“Carver.” Logan‟s face looked pinched.
“Ooookay.” Scotty shoved her chair back from the table and

pulled on the back of Mike‟s. “Come on, Mike. Let‟s let the
grownups talk amongst themselves. You‟ve got some initiation to
see to.”

Forced to leave the moment things were getting interesting,

Scotty‟s phrasing couldn‟t be more apt.

“As long as it doesn‟t involve darts against Lieutenant

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Doughty.” He rose with reluctance to follow her. “I‟ve been
forewarned.”

“Wuss.”
He glanced back at the table and was startled to see Lucas

watching him go. Lucas noticed and winked at him, and just that
quick, Mike was blushing like he was twelve.

“If not darts, then tequila.” Scotty didn‟t seem to notice the

exchange, leaning her curvy frame against the bar. “Ted, give us
the rookie special.”

Ted the bartender looked at Mike before he started to pour.

“You have my sympathies.”

“People keep telling me that, but I‟m having trouble believing

them.”

Scotty picked up her glass. “Welcome to the team, Detective

Finesterre.”

“What happened to Mickey Fine?” Mike clinked his shot

against hers, then tossed it back. Regret came fast and hard as the
innocuous seeming clear liquid scorched its way down his throat.

Grinning, Scotty took a demure sip. “Should‟ve warned you

about that.”

He wheezed. “Thanks for nothing.”
Once the burning in his throat eased, helped by a glass of ice

water  from  Ted,  the  evening  settled  into  a  comfortable
comradeship.  The  others  stopped  by  in  ones  and  twos  or  small
groups,  ribbing  him  about  drinking  with  Scotty,  who  appeared  to
have a formidable reputation when it came to alcohol, and sharing
stories  about  their  own  rookie  days.  It  felt  good.  He  was
welcomed,  and  he  hadn‟t  expected  that,  considering  Zone  Six‟s
reputation.  The  defensive,  arrogant  division  he‟d  braced  himself
for was not the tight-knit family he seemed to have stumbled into.

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He glanced over at the table from time to time. The three of

them  still  sat  there,  Carver,  Logan,  and  Lucas.  Carver  reclined  in
his  chair,  beer  bottle  balanced  between  his  fingers,  Logan  leaned
forward  to  try  to  win  his  point  and  Lucas  shifted  back,  obviously
giving no ground. Once, Lucas noticed Mike watching. He caught
his  eye,  staring  at  him  with  an  intensity  that  forced  Mike  to
swallow  hard  just  to  continue  breathing.  He  was  the  one  to  break
the gaze, turning back to the bar.

“Careful there, padawan,” Scotty said. “That one will eat you

alive, and you won‟t even mind until it‟s over.”

“You speaking from experience?”
She snorted. “God, I wish. Well, no. That wouldn‟t go over too

well with Rick.”

He‟d met Rick—big guy with an even bigger heart. And head-

over-heels for Scotty.

Mike had had enough alcohol by this point to get brave with his

questions. “If Logan and Carver are together, why are they so
friendly with Lucas?”

“Jealous?”
Oh, yeah. “Curious.”
She took a slow sip of her tequila, considering her answer.

“Lucas was a victim in an investigation about a year ago. He ended
up staying with them for a few weeks under protective custody.
Once the lieutenant gets protective, he doesn‟t give it up easily.”

“And this Lucas…he‟s a prostitute?”
“Sex worker, yes. Prostitute, no. Don‟t get it into your head

that he‟s just some whore. He‟s a good man, and apparently a very
good companion, considering some of the names we know from
his little black book. Which aren‟t many.”

“So he can afford to be choosey.”

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“More so than the rest of us.” She eyed Mike. “Most of the rest

of us.”

“What‟s that supposed to mean?”
She sipped at her drink with perfect innocence. “Nothing.”
Before he could pursue it further, Carver shoved in between

them. “Stop torturing the new guy, Scotty. Let the poor man have a
beer like a normal cop.” Grinning, he gestured to the bartender for
three more.

“Just because you can‟t handle your liquor doesn‟t mean no

one else can, Eliot. It‟s only tequila. Mike likes it just fine, don‟t
you, Mike?”

Mike did, but he knew he might be better off if he didn‟t try to

keep pace with Scotty.

Carver seemed to read his thoughts. “Word to the wise, my

friend. Scotty looks like a little girl, but she will make you hate
yourself in the morning if you go drink for drink with her. And
never step into the boxing ring with her, either.”

Which brought up something Moody had told him. “Is it true

you took Logan down in the ring?”

She beamed. “Oh, yeah, and no one is ever going to let him

forget it. Least of all me.”

“It‟s the red hair. She holds a grudge like nobody‟s business.”

Carver glanced at Mike‟s hair, more strawberry to Scotty‟s russet.
“You two should get on great.” Advice dispensed, he left them
with his beers in hand.

“It‟s almost like finding the sister I never had.” Mike saluted

Scotty with his tequila.

“You do remind me of my brother Tommy. Way cuter,

though.”

“I think I‟m going to steer well clear of that.”

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Her eyes danced, then she turned to Ted. “Another round of

tequila, and two pints of lager. I‟ve decided to go easy on the kid
tonight.”

“You call this going easy?” Mike slid off the stool. “At least let

me go make room for it. Be right back.”

The back table was empty as Mike made his way to the men‟s

room. Carver was still here and presumably so was Lieutenant
Logan. Since he wasn‟t with Carver, he must have found some
other place to try to convince Lucas to change his mind.

Mike was more right than he knew.
He found the men‟s room occupied. The smart thing to do

would be to turn around and rejoin Scotty instead of lingering in
the hall. He didn‟t have to go that badly. And yet…

“I‟m telling you— Oh, fuck, do that again… You don‟t have to

do this.”

“Do it, or don‟t do it? I‟m a little confused here, David.” The

amusement in Lucas‟ voice was clear.

“Two different conversations. Keep up.”
This time it was Lucas‟ turn to groan, a low, rich sound that

made all the hairs on Mike‟s arms stand up and the blood rush to
his cock.

“You can‟t seduce me into not doing this, David.” There was a

soft, wet sound that could only be their mouths slanting over one
another before Lucas continued, a little breathless, “Although, I
don‟t mind if you want to try.”

“Not here.”
Mike had barely a moment to duck into the shadows at the far

end of the hallway before the two of them came crashing out of the
bathroom. Lucas pinned David against the far wall, one leg slotted
between David‟s and grinding his hips forward, their noses

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brushing  and  lips  teasing  as  Lucas  traced  the  defined  line  of
David‟s  haircut.  David  looked  more  relaxed  than  Mike  had  ever
seen  him,  human,  approachable,  almost  vulnerable,  before  he
tugged  Lucas down  into a tender kiss, tongue  visible as it  coaxed
along Lucas‟ bottom lip.

“You‟re coming home with us tonight.”
Lucas chuckled. “I‟ve said no enough for one night.”
“Thank God.”
They pulled apart and headed back to the bar. Lucas turned and

grinned into the shadows where Mike hid.

Maybe more tequila wouldn‟t be so bad.
He took the time to stop off in the restroom as cover, although

it took way too long for him to relax enough to do his business. He
could still smell the faint hint of patchouli he was familiar with
from the lieutenant‟s aftershave, now tinted with a darker, more
exotic smell he ached to become more familiar with.

Returning to the main room of the bar, he was equal parts

disappointed and relieved to find Lucas had already left with
Logan and Carver.

“I was about to send in the cavalry,” Scotty said as he rejoined

her. “Everything all right?”

He could imagine how he looked, face flushed and damp. But

that was easy enough to pass off. “I‟m fine. I think I may have
overdone it on the tequila, though. Do you mind if I head out?”

“No, go ahead. I owe Miranda a round of darts, anyway. You

going to be okay getting home? I can call you a cab.”

“It‟s not that far. I‟ll walk to the Incline and catch a bus from

there. The fresh air will be good for me.”

She didn‟t seem convinced, but she nodded. “Be careful and

drink plenty of water. I‟ll never hear the end of it if I broke you so

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soon in our partnership.”

Mike waved goodbye to the others and left, grateful for the

slight chill the night air carried with it.

The cool air was a slap after the stuffy bar. Mike pulled in a

deep lungful before shoving his hands in his pockets and trudging
down the sodium-lit street toward the upper Duquesne Incline
station. It was almost a mile from the bar to the station, and he had
to cut across Grandview Park to get there, but he was grateful for
the time to sort out his head.

His boss was gay. Okay, marginally his boss. But he was gay

and out, judging by the way he and Carver had behaved together in
front of the other department guys  at the bar. He was gay and out
and…having  an  affair  with  a  prostitute?  That  didn‟t  seem  right.
Not  Logan‟s  style.  Of  course,  Mike  hadn‟t  known  what  Logan‟s
style  was  before  tonight,  so  he  had  no  clue  what  else  the  man
might  be  capable  of.  But  if  it  was  an  affair,  would  he  have  been
flaunting  it  in  front  of  his  partner  so  blatantly?  Did  Carver  even
know?  And  what about  Lucas? He  was a  sex  worker. Surely they
weren‟t paying him.

The sound of Lucas‟ low, needy groan echoed in Mike‟s

memory, making his skin hot despite the breeze.

He was an expert at his job, judging by how fast he‟d managed

to reduce Logan to incoherent need. And whether he was getting
paid or not, he seemed to enjoy it, if his expression in the face of
Logan‟s demands was anything to go by. Not submissive. Willing.
Eager.

It was too easy to imagine himself in Logan‟s place, Lucas‟

long, lean body pressed against Mike‟s, pinning him to the wall as
their cocks ground together through layers of jeans and trousers,
their mouths exploratory, but not yet demanding. Wet, hot…

SINS OF PROFESSION

CHAPTER 5

Lucas clutched at the arm around his chest, savoring the way

Carver wrapped a leg over his hip for leverage as he languorously
fucked him in the pre-dawn light. They both watched David move
around the room getting dressed for work, appearing unmoved by
their activities in bed.

“Ask him,” Carver breathed against his ear.
Lucas didn‟t hesitate. “David, come back to bed.” He kept it

low and sultry, breathless and uneven under the pressure of
Carver‟s thrusts.

It was already too late, though. The one thing missing from

David‟s perfect presentation was the suit coat hanging on the back
of the closet door. David smiled with regret and bent down to kiss
Lucas‟ damp forehead. “I can‟t. I‟ll be late for work.” He trailed

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his fingers down Lucas‟ chest, caressed Carver‟s thigh and
continued down to where Lucas‟ cock jutted out, hard and eager.

Lucas rocked into the touch as much as Carver‟s grip around

him would allow. “You won‟t be late. You just don‟t have to be
early.”

Carver laughed against his neck. “I‟ve been trying that

argument for years now. It hasn‟t worked once.”

Lucas caught David around the neck and pulled him closer,

their  foreheads  resting  together,  David‟s  slower,  more  relaxed
breath cool on Lucas‟ face. He always felt selfish, being between
them  like  this,  savoring  for  a  few  hours  what  being  in  a
relationship  with  them  could  be.  He  was  a  welcome  visitor,  but
he‟d never belong here. Which wasn‟t to say he minded his visits.

David‟s lips brushed against Lucas‟, a brief yet lingering

caress, before he withdrew, still fondling Lucas‟ cock. “Don‟t
forget there‟s a briefing at the station today at three regarding the
Magnum case.”

“Yes, sir.” The smartness of Lucas‟ response was lost in a

groan as Carver thrust into him.

David grinned. “And I won‟t tolerate tardiness.” He tightened

his grip with a twist that made Lucas curse.

“Is this supposed to be an incentive or a threat?”
David moved to Lucas‟ ear, his breath now a counterpoint to

Carver‟s. “I‟m very good at behavior modification, Lucas. Just ask
Carver. If you can.”

He couldn‟t, not when they were kissing each other over his

body, next to his ear where he could hear them. Not when between
the two of them they‟d brought him right to the brink and
threatened to toss him over.

Then David stepped away, leaving Lucas bereft for a moment

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before Carver took up where David left off, jerking and fucking
him at the same time.

Lucas gave himself over, gaze locked with David‟s as he

slipped into his suit coat.

“Let‟s give him something to remember us by,” Carver said,

growling against his ear.

Which wasn‟t difficult to do. His groans and responses to

Carver‟s handling weren‟t exaggerated as they so frequently were
with clients. David didn‟t like anything from Lucas that wasn‟t
genuine. Oh, there were games. But Lucas was never on the clock
here, which added to the attraction and danger of being with the
two men. Showing him what was possible, if—

He came with a hoarse cry, eyes closing against his will as the

sensation overwhelmed him.

Carver‟s thrusts had an edge to them now, his face buried in

Lucas‟ shoulder, the sounds he made almost more whimper than
moan.

If he hadn‟t already spent himself, Carver‟s climax would have

flung Lucas over the precipice. As it was, pleasant aftershocks
reverberated through him as Carver held him close.

David was smiling when Lucas was able to open his eyes

again. “Much better than coffee,” he said and headed for the
bedroom door. “Three o‟clock. Don‟t be late.”

When the door shut downstairs, Lucas turned in Carver‟s arms

to settle on his chest, bringing them down with slow, lingering
kisses. “Is he always like that?”

“Every damn morning.” Carver‟s fingers wove through Lucas‟

tousled hair, guiding him with gentle movements. “I can count on
one hand the number of times I‟ve gotten him to come back to
bed.”

SINS OF PROFESSION

“I‟m still trying to figure out which one of you is more

stubborn.”

“David.”
“You would say that.”
Carver chuckled. “This surprises you?”
Shaking his head, Lucas rolled off of Carver and stretched

beside him. There was nothing like morning sex to start the day
right.

“Lucas…”
Carver‟s voice had that tone to it, the serious, “we have

something to discuss” one.

“If you‟re going to ask whether or not I‟m sure about going

undercover at Magnum, so help me, Carver—”

“Okay, okay. Sue me. David‟s rubbed off on me.”
“I thought he rubbed you off.”
Carver snorted. “That, too. But think about it from his point of

view. All the victims were talent, and you have to admit, you‟re
very talented.”

“I thank you and my cock thanks you.”
Carver grew serious. “You don‟t have to do this, Lucas. Danny

wasn‟t your fault.”

Lucas gave Carver a sidelong glance. “What have I told you

about that?”

“That we‟ll have to agree to disagree. Which makes you a

complete idiot.” Carver sat up. “How‟s Danny doing, by the way?”

“Fine, for someone who was a vegetable a few months ago.

Charming the staff, unsurprisingly.”

“He had a good teacher.” He swung his legs over the side of the

bed. “It‟s good to see you aren‟t pining over him anymore, at
least.”

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Lucas propped himself up on his elbows. “What‟s that

supposed to mean?”

Carver stood and stretched again, looking smug. “I saw you

checking out the new guy last night. To be honest, I was surprised
you agreed to come home with us. I thought you might make a
play for him.”

The thought had crossed Lucas‟ mind. “He‟s still too green.

There‟s potential, though.”

“Well, it sounds like you‟ll have plenty of time to explore that

potential.”

“What do you know about Mike?”
Carver paused in mid-stretch and gave him a curious look.

“You‟re serious about him, aren‟t you?”

Lucas didn‟t usually get embarrassed. “Don‟t be ridiculous. I

don‟t even know the guy.”

“You couldn‟t take your eyes off him last night.”
“Can you blame me? Come on…look at him!”
Carver shrugged. “He‟s not hard on the eyes, I‟ll give you that.

But he‟s not my type.”

“Hot isn‟t your type?”
“No, redheads.”
“You don‟t like redheads.”
“I don‟t dislike them as a group of people.” Carver leaned

against the bedpost, folding his arms. “They just don‟t do anything
for me physically.”

“I never pegged you for narrow minded.”
“I‟m not narrow minded. I‟m just…selective.”
“So if David were a redhead, you wouldn‟t have looked

twice?” Lucas prompted.

Carver grimaced. “That‟s different.”

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“Is it?”
“Shut up.”
Lucas laughed. “God, you‟re easy.”
Carver matched his humor with a sheepish smile. “Apparently

not. Redheads, remember?”

Lucas rolled on his side and propped his head up. “Aren‟t you

curious if that red goes all the way down?”

“It would seem you are.”
“Maybe I am.”
Carver sat, looking serious again. “You know, we don‟t even

know if he‟s gay or not.”

“I know that.” But Lucas had seen his reaction after catching

Lucas with David in the men‟s room. He‟d been embarrassed, yes,
but he‟d also been very turned on. So there was potential there.
And he wasn‟t usually wrong reading guys.

Carver kept talking. “And you have to work with him. He‟s

going to have your back while you‟re at Magnum.”

“I know, Carver.” Lucas frowned. He could understand

Carver‟s reasoning, but something about Mike… “First, you
sounded like you were trying to talk me into pursuing him. Now,
you‟re trying to talk me out of it. What gives?”

“I‟m a mass of contradictions. And I don‟t want to see you get

hurt.”

“You think he‟s going to hurt me? You said you don‟t even

know him.”

“And neither do you. If you come on to him and he‟s not

receptive, it might make things uncomfortable and he might
hesitate when you need him the most. It‟s not worth the risk just to
get laid. Especially when we‟re here for you.”

Carver had a point, but Lucas wasn‟t eager to admit it.

SINS OF PROFESSION

CHAPTER 6

Lucas walked into David‟s office at five to three, earning a

small smile from David for the effort.

“Trying to get in my good graces?”
David at work was a different creature than the one Lucas had

taken  to  bed  the  night  before.  Rigid,  controlled,  stern,  he  seemed
ten  years  older  than  he  was.  It  was  disquieting.  This  David
wouldn‟t  flirt  with  him  and  wouldn‟t  appreciate  it  if  Lucas  tried.
“No, I hate being late. Are we meeting anywhere special?”

“I like to think my office is special,” David said dryly.
Lucas dropped into the nearest chair. “It‟s a very nice office.

Very…austere.”

“You expected something else?”
Lucas caught a glimpse of the collar—well, more of a

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necklace—that David wore, marking him as Carver‟s. “I never
know what to expect with you. I‟ve learned not to make
assumptions.”

“In your line of work, I‟d think that would be standard

procedure.”

“You tend to think differently about friends than about clients.”
Amusement crinkled the corner of David‟s eyes. “Makes

sense.”

“You boys aren‟t starting without us, are you?”
Lucas turned to find Lieutenants Scott and Doughty in the

doorway. Mike was standing well behind them, as if afraid to
intrude.

Once again, Mike Finesterre captured Lucas‟ attention. He was

tall,  had  an  easy  two  or  three  inches  on  Lucas,  and  looked  even
taller  thanks  to  long,  gangly  limbs  and  an  equally  long  neck.  His
ruddy  hair  fought  against  whatever  product  he  put  in  it  to  control
what  must  be  a  riot  of  curls,  but  he  didn‟t  cut  it  short  enough  to
make them disappear. Almond-shaped eyes looked almost alien in
his pale face, a gray green shade Lucas had never seen before.

It surprised Lucas how quickly he‟d become fascinated with

the man. There was a determination about Mike hidden by
awkward uncertainty that captivated him. Lucas doubted Mike had
much experience, which was another temptation entirely. Good
thing Lucas had a lot of practice at being a professional and could
mask his reaction to the man.

“Now where‟s the fun in that?” he said instead. “The more the

merrier, I always say.”

“Save the charm for the single folks,” Scotty said, as she took

the seat beside him.

Miranda grinned at him. “He knows better than to try on me.”

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“I know better, but I still try.”
David looked past them all. “You don‟t have to stand on

ceremony, Detective. No one else around here does.”

Mike came in and shut the door. “Thank you, sir.”
God, were they all so earnest when they started out?
Rather than sitting, Mike stood at a sort of parade rest, his arms

folded defensively across his chest. Lucas spared a moment to
imagine what it would take to make him let down his guard when
David—Lieutenant—started speaking.

“We‟re keeping this simple and small, if we can,” he said as he

handed out folders to each of them.  “Scott and Finesterre  will be
working  this  from  behind  the  scenes;  McAndrews  up  front.
Doughty  will  be  on  the  outside,  working  as  McAndrews‟  agent,
and standby in case we need another body in there to keep an eye
on things.”

Scotty groaned. “You put me in accounting? Accounting? I

thought it was pretty clear on my record that math is very much not
my strong suit.”

David gave her a level look. “Someone needs to be in the

admin area.”

“Why not Mike?”
“Because Detective Finesterre has actual camera and technical

experience.”

Mike‟s ears were turning an interesting shade of pink. “Just the

odd wedding or anniversary party to help my brother out.”

“McAndrews is going to be the one in most jeopardy,” David

went on, ignoring  Mike‟s defensiveness.  “Not only is  he  going  to
be at risk in front of the cameras, but he will also be alone and out
of  line  of  sight  more  often  than  I‟m  comfortable  with,  in  his
dressing  room,  rehearsals  and  the  like.  I  expect  you”—he  gave

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Lucas  a  pointed  look  that  made  him  feel  like  an  undisciplined
child—“to  keep  those  situations  to  a  minimum.  When  they  do
happen,  I  expect  the  rest  of  you  to  do  what  you  can  to  maintain
contact without blowing his cover. Arrange a phone call, walk past
the door, whatever you need to do.”

“In other words, be aware of our surroundings and watch each

other‟s backs,” Lucas said. “Common sense.”

“Except we‟ll be seeing a little bit more of your backside than

normal,” Scotty added. “Not that I‟m complaining.”

Okay, Mike‟s not-blush was starting to appeal to Lucas.
Scotty closed her folder. “When do we start?”
“Magnum Films is holding a screen test for Mr. Lucas Howell

tomorrow at noon,” Miranda stated, her tone pitched more
formally than Lucas had ever heard from her. “I will, of course, be
accompanying my client to ensure he receives treatment befitting a
rising young star.”

Scotty stared at her, gobsmacked. “Do you know how hot it is

when you do that?”

Miranda straightened her skirt with a prim tug. “I have some

idea. Oh.” She reached in her blazer pocket and pulled out a watch,
which she offered to Lucas. “I‟m sure you remember this. We
probably don‟t need the radio feature, but the built in GPS might
be useful in an emergency.”

It wasn‟t horrible as far as surveillance tech went, but it wasn‟t

Lucas‟ style either. “Since I seem to be making a habit of this, I
don‟t suppose I could put in a request for a redesign, could I?”

“Depends on how well you behave. I might know a guy who

knows a girl who can do just about anything if the price is right.”

He put the watch on. He‟d learned his lesson about putting

looks over security. “I suppose I‟d have to pay for it, though.”

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Her expression remained placid. “I think you‟re good for it.”
Mike shifted his feet.
“I don‟t suppose Mike and I get a nice late start,” Scotty said.
David‟s lips twitched. “Sorry, normal working hours for you.

Finesterre‟s might be more flexible when filming is going on.”

“Accounting and nine-to-five. What did I ever do to piss you

off, Lieutenant?”

“Quite the opposite, Lieutenant. I rely on you completely.

Which is why you get extra duty.”

“How about extra pay?”
He gave her a look that said, Don’t push it.
She held up her hands. “Fine, fine. I can still wear pants at

least, right? I don‟t have the legs Miranda does to pull off skirts.”

Lucas couldn‟t flirt with David and didn‟t dare flirt with Mike,

so he turned his charm on Scotty instead. “Short legs need a short
skirt. I think you could pull it off, Scotty. A short leather mini and
blood red pumps would be just the thing.”

“McAndrews has a point. And they aren‟t what I would call

conservatively dressed over there,” Miranda said, her tone
unreadable. “Part of the joy of going undercover is getting to step
outside yourself for a while.”

Now that was an interesting development. He wondered how

much Miranda and Scotty were aware of the attraction between
them he could see so clearly.

David seemed aware of it, too, but he looked more saddened by

the knowledge. “Now that the fashion choices have been
established, are there any other questions?”

No one said a word.
“Fine. You‟ve got the rest of the day to tie up any loose ends

with your current caseload. From tomorrow on, your focus is the

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Magnum case.”

Lucas caught Mike outside David‟s office. “So you‟re going to

be my bodyguard.”

There was that attractive not-blush again. Lucas was getting too

attached to that.

“I suppose so.”
“We didn‟t get to talk much last night. How about going for a

coffee when you get off work? This whole thing‟s going to be
uncomfortable enough. Might be easier for both of us if we got to
know each other a little.”

“I‟m not sure that‟s a good idea.”
It was tempting to move into the man‟s personal space. Lucas

resisted the urge, but allowed himself to lean slightly forward.
“Scared of me, Detective?”

Even with such little provocation, Mike took a step back. “It

wouldn‟t be appropriate.”

“Do you spend a lot of time worrying about what‟s

appropriate?”

“You make it sound like I‟m uptight.”
“I‟m trying to get the chance to find out if you are.”
Mike‟s eyes shifted back and forth across the squad room

before his expression relented the smallest fraction. “I‟m really
sorry. I just can‟t.”

Discretion was the better part of valor. Lucas took a step back

himself and could almost see Mike‟s drawn breath of relief. “I‟m
sorry, too. Maybe when this is over.”

“Maybe.” He looked doubtful.
“Until tomorrow, then.” Plenty of time. Lucas hadn‟t had to do

a full-on seduction in a long time. He was looking forward to it.

“Tomorrow. Good—” Mike hesitated. “Good luck tomorrow.”

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CHAPTER 7

Lucas‟ alarm went off at ten, tempting him to smash it into a

dozen little transistorized pieces. At least he wasn‟t keeping cops‟
hours, but still… Anything before one was uncivilized.

He dragged himself out of bed and into the shower.
Taking his time, Lucas mentally prepared himself for the job

ahead. He wasn‟t nervous, but he was venturing into new territory.
Well, not super new—being ready for sex on command,
performing for an audience, getting it off with a stranger in front of
an audience was all stuff he‟d done many times before. But the
officialness to the whole affair added a whole different element.

And then there was Mike.
He wasn‟t sure what appealed to him about the man more, his

wiry build, those unusual, feline eyes or the air of innocence and

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naiveté he wore like an uncomfortable suit. It was far too tempting
to strip him out of that suit and explore the man beneath both. It
was too soon and Mike was too skittish, but Lucas was determined
to do what he could to capture his attention. Well, his attention he
had. Lucas just needed to make it a bit more…interactive.

Considering where they were headed, at least he‟d be able to

demonstrate all his finer qualities, if not directly.

Dressing was more of a challenge than usual. He wanted to

look  a  bit  flashy,  but  not  too  diva.  He  settled  on  the  worn  brown
leather  pants,  a  plain  blue  T-shirt  to  play  up  his  eyes  and  a  soft
cashmere cardigan in a chocolaty shade that contrasted with the au
lait  color  of  his  pants.  The  leather  and  cashmere  for  texture,  the
colors for highlight and the zipper of the cardigan as an invitation.
Perfect.

He was walking into this audition like it was a real audition.

Which it was, for the most part. The owner and executive producer
of Magnum Films was cooperating with the officers of Zone Six—
it  was  how  Scotty  and  Mike  were  able  to  get  in  place—but  the
woman  could  guarantee  just  so  much  without  blowing  the  entire
operation.  The  better  Lucas‟  audition,  the  better  all  their  covers
would be.

And Lucas was never one to do anything half-assed. Always

dress for the job you want.

The studio, such as it was, was in a nineteenth-century

warehouse in the Crafton  neighborhood. The brick facade and the
white panel truck out  front gave the place  an air of respectability,
even  though  the  building  itself  wasn‟t  marked  beyond  a  large
industrial-looking  sign  reading  Magnum.  Anyone  not  knowing
what  they  were  looking  at  would  presume  it  was  some  sort  of
manufacturing  facility.  There  was  a  busy  park-and-ride  not  far

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away, providing cover for the excessive number of cars a place like
Magnum would have for staff. A lot of expensive, unfamiliar cars
in the building‟s lot would attract attention, but in a public lot, they
were one more in a crowd.

He texted Miranda when he parked, then saw her climb out of a

sleek black Mercedes.

“Upgraded from the Chevy, I see,” he greeted her.
“Temporarily. As they say, dress the part. And a reliable

Malibu doesn‟t scream talent agent.”

“You love it, don‟t you?”
She smirked. “It‟s a sexy little machine and handles curves like

you wouldn‟t believe. But it‟s not affordable on my present
salary.”

“If you ever wanted to change careers, I‟m sure I could hook

you up.”

“You‟re sweet.” Uncharacteristically, she leaned forward to

kiss his jaw, then wiped off the scarlet lipstick she‟d left behind.
“Don‟t make me arrest you for procuring.”

“Can‟t blame a guy for trying.”
Miranda nodded toward the building. “Come on, Romeo. The

cameras await.”

The entrance was an unmarked steel door on the side of the

building with an intercom. Miranda pressed the button and waited.

“Name?” came back a moment later, tinny and broken with

static.

“Mary Jacobson and Lucas Howell.”
A brief buzz preceded the door opening.
“We‟re off to see the wizard,” Lucas murmured.
“Behave,” Miranda told him as they entered the warehouse.
Which turned out to be a lot more inviting on the inside. The

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owners of Magnum had bypassed industrial chic for a cozy and
inviting office, decorated with an emphasis on warm wood
elements. It seemed Magnum did well and wasn‟t afraid to show it.

The receptionist didn‟t have a chance to get up before an older

woman swept out of one of the surrounding office, hand extended.
“Ms. Jacobson, so glad you could come! I‟m Aileen Garmon, the
owner here. And this must be our new star.” She offered her hand
to Lucas as well, round face amiable, but also critical. “He does
look the part.”

Lucas didn‟t appreciate being talked about in the third person,

but he was used to it. Rather than protest, he brought Aileen‟s hand
to his mouth for a caress. “I promise you, I do more than look.”

“You won‟t be here long if you don‟t.” Though her tone was

brusque, her pale eyes sparkled with a hint of amusement. She
turned back to Miranda. “Paolo‟s finishing with the camera setup.
His new assistant has been nothing but thumbs this morning.”

Lucas had a strong suspicion that was Mike. Poor guy.
“I‟ll take you to meet your partner for the day in the green

room. I‟m not sure if you‟re familiar with John Fenton. He‟s—”

“Hold on…„Long John‟ Fenton?” he asked with surprise. “I

thought he retired fifteen years ago.”

“Someone knows their history.” Aileen smiled. “If you had let

me finish, dear boy, I was going to say he‟s recently come out of
retirement for a few encore performances.”

“Then I‟ve picked the right time to get into the business.”
“When he sees you, he may think the same thing.”
While John Fenton wasn‟t an idol for Lucas, the man had

played  an  important  role  in  Lucas‟  exploration  of  his  own
sexuality.  Fenton  had  made  a  name  for  himself  not  only  with  his
impressive  cock,  but  also  with  genuine  ability  to  act.  His  movies

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were more bearable to watch than a lot of films out there. And
Fenton had made an effort to bring everyone around him up to par,
without being an overbearing diva about it. Someone in the
industry to respect and admire.

Aileen brought them into the green room, and Lucas realized

he was about to find out how closely reality resembled legend.

Fifteen years had given Fenton an air of sophistication that had

been  missing  prior  to  his  retirement.  He‟d  gone  gray  without
shame,  hair  still  thick  and  healthy—although  Lucas  wouldn‟t  be
surprised if Fenton had some help in that area. He was also fit and
tan  without  going  overboard,  with  just  enough  to  counter  any  ill
effects for a man of late middle age.

Fenton was already rising as they came in. “You must be the

new talent.” He took Lucas‟ hand in his own broad one. “Welcome
to Magnum.”

“Thank you, Mr. Fenton.” He had enough of the rich and

powerful as clients to be able to disguise his starry-eyed
expression, but it was a near thing.

“Please, call me John. Considering what we‟re going to be

doing today, I think it‟s only appropriate to be on a first name
basis.”

“Lucas, then. And thank you, John.”
“Have a seat.” Aileen may have been the owner, but John

seemed to be the one running the interview, still smiling warmly as
they all settled into leather chairs around the conference table.
“Have you done film before?”

“No, well, not in a professional situation, anyway.”
“Lucas‟ credentials are in other, related areas,” Miranda

inserted when John frowned.

“Related?” Doubt was plain in his voice. Doubt and a hint of

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recrimination.

Lucas figured the direct approach was best. “I‟m an escort,

John. Six figures annually. I‟m not uncomfortable with the sex, if
that‟s your concern.”

John was still frowning, and it did make him look very much

his age. “Sex for pay is one thing. Sex for performance is
something else entirely.” He turned to Aileen, doubt transforming
rage. “How many times do I have to tell you, Aileen? I don‟t work
with amateurs.”

Miranda spoke up. “I can assure you, Mr. Fenton, despite my

client‟s lack of professional experience in the film industry, he is
far from an amateur.”

His face was livid as he leered at her. “Know firsthand, do you,

sweetheart?”

Miranda was the picture of cool calm. “My knowledge has no

bearing here. The screen test will speak for itself.”

“Well, when you get one, let me know.” He shoved himself up

out of the chair. “I won‟t be doing it with him.” The door slammed
behind him.

The smile on Aileen‟s face faltered. “I apologize for John‟s

behavior. We‟re all a bit on edge these days, and someone new
coming in is always dangerous in this business anyway. I‟m sure if
I let him know you‟re with the police—”

“No,” Lucas cut her off before Miranda could. “That‟s fine.

I‟m  sure  De—Ms.  Jacobson  would  agree  with  me  that  the  fewer
people  who  know  we‟re  here,  the  better  it  will  be  for  the
investigation. Even if our killer sniffs out the other people we have
in  place,  he  wouldn‟t  expect  us  to  have  put  someone  in  as  the
talent.”

“It helps that Lucas isn‟t an actual cop,” Miranda said. “He

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cooperates, yes, but ultimately he‟s a professional with quite a
respected reputation in the sex industry.”

Lucas grinned. “Careful…that was almost a compliment.”
“Oh, I‟d bust you in a heartbeat if I caught you at it.”
“You keep promising me handcuffs and yet I never see them.”
Aileen was grinning. “I should put both of you on the writing

staff. That kind of banter is gold. Especially in the sex scenes.”

“See, we do have chemistry,” Lucas told Miranda.
“I‟ve never denied that. But you‟re still not my type.”
“I‟m everyone‟s type.”
“Focus, Romeo.”
“Yes, sir.”
“A missed opportunity if ever there was one.” Aileen sighed.

“When all this shakes out, you two really should consider writing.”

“That wouldn‟t fly with my bosses,” Miranda said.
“Pen names exist for a reason.”
Miranda fixed Lucas with a look.
“Right, sorry.” He wiped the smile off his face. Poorly.
“So, I guess we need to set you up for a screen test, since

John‟s being recalcitrant.” Aileen used her hands on the table to
push herself up. “Any preferences?”

“I‟m partial to redheads at the moment.” At Miranda‟s look, he

explained, “Better contrast with my darker hair.” She wasn‟t
buying it, but it was a valid assertion on his part.

“Unfortunately, our last redhead was Colin. But I think there

are a couple of blonds you might like. Come on back to the
dressing rooms.”

The boys were all attractive, but none of them did anything in

particular for Lucas. He settled on a sandy-haired, shorter man in
his late twenties. “He‟ll work.”

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Aileen waved the man over. “Rory, this is Lucas. You‟ll be

helping him with his screen test today.”

“John‟s being a diva again?”
“Always.”
Rory held out his hand for Lucas to shake, a firm and solid

grip. “Whatever John flounced off about, don‟t let it get to you.
There are days when even John Fenton isn‟t good enough for John
Fenton.”

“Have you been doing this long?”
Rory shrugged. “A few years. Long enough to earn my ‟Vette

and waste the rest.”

“Then I‟m in good hands.”
“Very.”
“All right, gentlemen”—Aileen broke off from where she and

Miranda  had  had  their  heads  together  over  some  pages—“Ms.
Jacobson  and  I  have  selected  a  short  scene  we  think  will  give
Lucas  here  a  chance  to  show  his  stuff.”  She  handed  two  pages  to
each  of  them.  “Not  a  lot  of  dialogue,  but  not  a  straight  fuck,
either.”

Lucas scanned down the pages. “I‟m receiving?”
“Ms. Jacobson thought that would give you a better chance to

show off your facial range.”

From the glint in Miranda‟s eyes, it was very apparent she was

getting a bit of her own back.

“I trust Ms. Jacobson‟s judgment implicitly. She hasn‟t led me

astray yet.”

“You do enough of that on your own,” Miranda said.
Aileen ushered them to the door. “With any luck, Paolo should

have the cameras set up.”

The set was a ten-by-ten box done up as a dressing room of all

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things,  complete  with  three-way  mirror.  Lucas  wasn‟t  surprised
they‟d  had  problems  with  the  cameras.  Keeping  them  from
showing  in  the  mirrors  had  to  be  a  bitch.  “Well,  it  will  show  my
good side.”

“It‟ll show all your sides.” He could tell Miranda knew she was

feeding him a line.

He ate it up. “Exactly.”
Stepping up onto the set, he paced around, getting the feel for

it,  already  slipping  into  character.  Lawyer,  clothes  shopping  was
the  basic  premise.  He  was  the  lawyer;  Rory  was  the  shop  clerk
who  was  about  to  get  a  mouthful.  Lucas  untucked  his  shirt  and
opened the neck, loosening the cuffs as he slipped into the distant,
distracted  persona  of  too  many  of  the  guys  who  hired  him.  The
hard-on  would  come  once  he  started  interacting  with  Rory.  He
licked his lips, studying himself in the mirror. Perfect. “Ready.”

“Paolo? Everything good to go?” Aileen asked.
A spiky-haired man, closer to forty than the late twenties he

was trying to be, peeked out from behind a camera. “Should be
ready to roll. So long as Junior does what I‟ve told him.”

Of course Mike would be here. Part of Lucas had realized it,

but it hadn‟t consciously registered. He fought the urge to search
him out. There was no reason an aspiring porn star would give a
crap about a junior cameraman.

At least he didn‟t have to worry about that hard-on anymore.
The scene wasn‟t anything outstanding, setup wise. Lucas was

led  into  the  small  room  by  Rory,  who  made  it  very  clear  that  his
shop  assistant  would  do  anything  and  everything  to  make  Lucas‟
lawyer‟s  experience  as  enjoyable  as  possible.  Exit  Rory  to  give
Lucas  time  to  preen  before  the  cameras,  a  smirk,  and  then,  “Uh,
excuse me? Bobby, was it?”

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“Yes, Mr. Bower?”
“I seem to be having trouble with my pants. I don‟t suppose

you could lend me a hand.”

He turned to face the camera and didn‟t look down when Rory

dropped to his knees to unfasten his belt, instead looking over his
shoulder to study himself in the mirror, still toying with his cuffs.

Rory took his time working over the button on Lucas‟ pants. “I

can see why you had trouble, Mr. Bower. The fit is quite snug.”

Lucas had wisely chosen to go commando when he‟d dressed,

so as Rory drew the zipper down, it revealed the full length of his
rigid cock inch by inch. His eyes twitched toward the far camera
before he could control it.

Mike stood there, blushing a brilliant red, but focused on his

task. This was going to be fun.

Lucas raked his fingers through Rory‟s hair, gripping it to tip

his head back. “Is this all part of the service?”

“Your trousers won‟t fit right if we don‟t deal with this.” Rory

wrapped his hand around Lucas‟ cock. His fingers were blunt and
short, but he had a strong grip that Lucas couldn‟t help but enjoy.

“That would be…unfortunate.” He gasped purposefully when

Rory ran his tongue across the head.

“I want you to leave here a satisfied customer.” Rory caressed

his tongue up the length.

Lucas rocked his hips forward in open invitation. “Do a good

job…and you will be well…compensated.”

Rory gave up any pretension of seduction and swallowed him

whole.

There was no artifice in Lucas‟ response, eyes fluttering closed

and fingers tightening in Rory‟s short hair, all a natural reaction to
someone who knew what to do. The best performances were those

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that weren‟t entirely performance.

But there was more to this than just response. Licking his lips,

he  caressed  his  chest,  catching  at  the  buttons  to  undo  them,
revealing  his  chest  to  the  camera,  pushing  the  tails  back  so  they
didn‟t obscure the view of his cock disappearing into Rory‟s mouth
again  and  again.  Rory  was  good  at  this,  experienced  and
comfortable  playing  for  the  camera,  making  the  blow  less
pleasurable  than  if  it  was  natural,  but  still  feeling  damn  good.
Lucas tightened his grip and rocked his hips forward.

“That‟s it, just like that,” he encouraged, pitching his voice

lower.

In the mirror, he could see Rory open his own pants and pull

out his cock, short and thick like his fingers. With a groan that
made Lucas‟ cock tremble, Rory started jerking himself.

A few “Oh, yeahs” and “Gods…” and “Fuck, right theres”

more and Lucas was coming, Rory pulling back enough to
accommodate Lucas‟ load. The actual come shot fell to Rory who
cheated toward the camera, making a good show of it.

“And we‟re done,” Paolo called out a moment later.
Lucas offered a hand to help Rory to his feet. “I see why you

do this professionally.”

“I see why you want to. Christ, I thought I was going to choke

on you.”

“I couldn‟t tell. You‟re very good.”
“You, too. Good luck getting the gig. I really want to work

with you again.”

Doing up his pants, Lucas turned to face Aileen and Miranda,

not surprised to find John looming behind them. “Well?”

“Passable,” John said.
Talk about a hard sell. Lucas stared the man down. “Then come

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over here so I can show you what I can do.”

“You‟re the one auditioning, son.”
“How better to gauge my performance than firsthand?”
John Fenton was an alpha dog, and no one liked to run the

show more than an alpha dog. But sometimes you had to challenge
that authority to earn your place in the pack.

Christ, he needed to lay off the late night nature programs.
“I don‟t need this job, John. But I sure as hell want it.”
“Relax, kid.” Aileen intervened before things could escalate.

“We have to check the video, but judging from what I saw from
the floor, you‟ve got the job. I still do the hiring around here,
despite what some people might think.” She was smiling again, but
there was a trace of acid in her words.

Lucas stepped down off the set and stopped in front of

Miranda, shirt still open and still damp with sweat from exertion
and the heat of the lights. “Tempted yet?”

With a soft laugh, she rested a hand on his chest. “I like that

you keep trying.”

“I live in hope.”
“So does every man I meet.”
“Ah, but are they even half this charming?”
She pushed him back with her index finger. “Some are more.”
“Oh, Mary, you wound me.”
He glanced over her shoulder to see Mike winding up camera

cables, pointedly not looking at him.

The tips of his ears were crimson.
“Unless something changed drastically from what I just

watched and what the film shows,” Aileen spoke, drawing his
attention back, “I‟ll have a script and your paperwork delivered to
you this evening.”

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CHAPTER 8

It had been the longest and most awkward day of Mike‟s life,

which didn‟t include watching Lucas get brought off on camera.
That was a whole separate area of uncomfortable and really kind of
hot.

“Christ, you look like someone shot your dog,” Scotty said as

she set a beer down in front of him. “Was today that bad?”

“Yes.” He drank half the beer down in three long gulps before

clutching the glass. “My passing knowledge of cameras passed
right on through and kept going. I had to relearn everything, with a
pretentious fake Italian cursing at me the whole time, all while I
tried not to get mortified by the four man fisting scene that was the
bulk of today‟s shooting.” He swallowed the rest of the beer just as
quickly. “Another.”

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“Four man fisting…” Scotty‟s eyes were glazed. “Were they all

fisting each other at the same time or—”

“Scotty, beer. Please.”
“All right! I guess I‟ll just wait for the video release.”
“Trust me. It‟s like sausage. You don‟t want to see it made.”
She gestured to the bartender for another. “How did our boy

do?”

How to answer that? Lucas had been gorgeous, debauched, the

most sensual, sexual thing Mike had ever seen. Mike could never
do that to him. There was no point in even trying. It had been
devastating in more ways than one. Not that he wanted to. Not that
he‟d spent too many hours last night thinking about it. They were
from two different worlds. There was no way—

“Fine. He kept it together and made a good impression. He

starts tomorrow.”

“Well, that‟s…rather succinct.”
“I‟m not going to give you a blow by blow.” It took a minute

before he realized what he‟d said and groaned. “I should‟ve stuck
to the beat.”

She grinned. “Nah, this is much more fun.” She took a quick

mouthful of her own beer and turned on her stool. “Here‟s the star
of the show now.” She applauded as Lucas and Miranda made their
way through the tables to the bar.

Lucas grinned, and Miranda rolled her eyes as they sat.
“His ego‟s big enough as it is; you don‟t need to help it any.”
“Come on,” Lucas said. “You have to admit, I played my part

very well.”

“Ms. Mary Jacobson felt you did a wonderful job and are a

credit to her as a client. As for Miranda Doughty”—Miranda
shrugged out of her suit coat—“she would much prefer to enjoy a

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good beer and forget how much cock she‟s seen in one day.”

“Not as much as Mike has seen, I‟ll bet.” Scotty slapped Mike

on the back. “He was just telling me about this four man fis—
mmph.”

She glared at him over the hand he‟d clamped over her mouth.

“I promise to buy several rounds of tequila if you‟ll shut up about
the fisting.”

Lucas grinned as he swung up onto the stool. “Liked that, did

you?”

“It was horrifying. It might look good on film, if you‟re into

that sort of thing, but watching it being filmed, it was too clinical,
detached. I swear to God, we had to stop for a lighting  adjustment
at  one  point,  and  the  actors  dug  out  their  phones  and  started
checking  their  email  even  though  the  one  still  had  his  hand
in…there. It was disturbing.”

“It‟s not that bad.”
“Oh, yeah? Have you— Wait, no, of course you have. You‟ve

done everything.”

“That doesn‟t mean I like everything.”
Before Mike could give in to the temptation to pursue that

thought, Miranda nodded toward the door. “Oh look, there‟s
Logan.” She waved David over. “Now maybe we can stop
tormenting the new guy and get some work done.”

Mike was more grateful than he cared to admit.
“Speaking of work.” Scotty rifled around in her briefcase, then

handed a thick envelope over to Lucas. “Script and contract as
promised.”

“Accountant and gopher, too?” Lucas asked with a wicked

smile.

“Low man on the totem pole is everyone‟s bitch.”

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“It‟s been a long time since you‟ve been low man,” Miranda

said.

“I‟d better get used to it now. Once I hit Major Crimes, I‟m

going to be the rookie for a change.”

“Particularly under the new guy they‟ve got coming in,” Logan

said as he joined them. “Rumor has it he‟s a real hard-ass.”

“They don‟t call him Ramrod for nothing.”
Logan ordered his own beer, corners of his mouth still tugging

against a smile, then turned to them. “Let‟s take this to the office. I
don‟t think we want the rest of the bar to hear this.”

“The office” was a booth in the back corner of the bar, far away

from the main activity closer to the bartender. They arranged
themselves boy-girl in the benches, with Logan pulling up a chair
at the end. “Report.”

Scotty had the least to tell as she was well behind the scenes

and away from the bulk of the studio action. Which she pointed
out, repeatedly.

Lucas and Miranda went next.
Then it was Mike‟s turn.
He kept it brief and detached. “Besides Paolo, the chief of

photography, there are three lighting guys, two sound techs, and
the gaffer. All of them pretty much work on everything, although
the light techs may split up the work and be setting up the next set
while the first is being shot. None of them seem all that interested
in the talent.”

“We‟re running background checks on all the employees from

the list we got from Mrs. Garmon.” Logan‟s hands were folded in
front of him, his beer untouched. “If anything odd turns up, we‟ll
put you onto them.”

Mike nodded. “All right.”

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Logan gave him a hard, discerning look. “If you‟re honestly

uncomfortable working this case, Detective, we can work out
something else.”

“No.” Mike hated having such an easy-to-read face. “It‟s fine,

sir. I can handle this.”

“I know you can or I wouldn‟t have put you on it.” For the first

time, Logan sipped at his drink. “I just want to make sure you
know.”

“I appreciate that, sir. But I‟ll be fine.”
“Make sure you speak up if you get to a point where you aren‟t.

There‟s no shame in looking out for the best interests of your
team.”

“Yes, sir.”
Logan turned his attention back to the rest of the team. “Unless

something major happens, we‟ll touch base again after Lucas‟ first
day filming tomorrow.”

“If Mike doesn‟t break his camera.” Scotty looked innocent

behind her beer.

“Scotty‟s just jealous she‟s missing out on all the action,”

Lucas jumped in.

“Well, come on. Why am I the one stuck in the office with

nothing nice to look at but the company wall calendar?”

Logan didn‟t miss a beat. “Because you‟re the one with the

very large boyfriend with the very large gun collection.”

“Hey, Rick has no problem with my looking, so long as I don‟t

do any touching.”

“Which is a relief to single men everywhere.” Miranda was

cool and composed despite her humor, so different from the
outgoing persona she had worn at the studio.

Mike wished he had that knack to adapt to various situations so

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easily.

Once everyone reached the bottom of their drinks and shoptalk

petered out, they began to get ready to leave.

“I don‟t suppose anyone wants to help me learn my lines,”

Lucas said with a suggestive look in Mike‟s direction.

Miranda intercepted Scotty before she could volunteer. “Rick.

Shotgun.”

“Spoilsport.”
“Come on, gopher. I‟ll take you home.”
Mike started to get up, to leave Lucas alone with his lover, but

Logan beat him to it. “Don‟t study too long, gentlemen. We don‟t
want Mike to ruin his cover on the second day.”

Logan was already to the door before Mike could think of a

reasonable protest. Too late again.

“You don‟t have to stay, you know.”
“Yes, I know,” Mike snapped at Lucas. “Sorry. I‟m a bit fed up

with people pointing out I don‟t have to do things.”

“They‟re your friends. They‟re just looking out for you.”
“They aren‟t my friends. They‟re my colleagues.” He took a

drink. “And I don‟t need looking after. I‟m not a kid.”

“You‟re right; you‟re not. But you‟ve landed yourself some

colleagues with big hearts who like to look out for the people they
care about.”

“Like you.”
“Definitely like me.”
“No offense, but isn‟t that a conflict of interest for them?”
“Depends on how you look at it.”
Mike had known life wasn‟t black and white long before

joining the force, but Zone Six was turning out to be a hell of a lot
grayer than even he‟d expected. Not in a bad way, but still.

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To change the subject, he asked, “So, uh, who did you get cast

as?”

Lucas smirked. “Are you sure that‟s the route you want this

conversation to go?”

Mike sighed. “Well, I‟m going to find out eventually. Better

I‟m prepared ahead of time.”

Lucas ripped open the envelope and pulled out the contract and

a thin script. “Looks like his name is Malcolm Shaw.” He flipped
through a few pages, eyes scanning. “He‟s an up and coming, if
you‟ll pardon the expression, ad exec. It seems he‟s willing to do
anything to land a client.”

himself to continue. “I‟m not inexperienced. But what I‟ve done is
incredibly boring and not very adventurous.”

“Sex should never be boring. Vanilla, however, vanilla‟s fine.”
“I figured vanilla was boring by definition.”
“It‟s only boring if it doesn‟t feel good. Even the most vanilla

sex is amazing if it feels good.”

“I would have thought you‟d be beyond that.”
“You have a lot of preconceptions about me considering we

met yesterday.”

He snapped without thinking. “And since then I‟ve watched

you come all over a stranger‟s face, and I know you were banging
my boss last night.”

“No,” Lucas drawled, “your boss was banging me…while I

was banging his boyfriend.”

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Oh. God. “See?” Mike said weakly. “That‟s what I mean. A

guy like me can‟t compete with threesomes and professional
blowjobs and who the hell knows what else.”

“It‟s not a competition.”
“Seems like it from here.”
“If you were anyone else, I‟d say we should just fuck and get

the drama out of the way.”

“That doesn‟t make me feel better.”
Lucas let out a frustrated breath. “Okay, I could have phrased it

better.”

“What, that everyone‟s your type except for an awkward,

gangly redhead?”

“No, everyone else I just want to fuck. You I want to fuck

and— Ugh, never mind.”

“Yeah, great, thanks.”
Lucas had a wild look in his eyes when he leaned forward.

“What if I told you the only thing keeping me from showing you
just how good vanilla sex can be is the thought that if I teach you
too much, you‟re going to lose that blush?”

“It would make my life a lot easier if you did.”
“I love that blush.”
Mike could feel it creeping over his skin even now. “Well, I‟m

glad someone does,” he said into his beer.

Lucas‟ fingers caught and lifted Mike‟s chin. Mike looked up

in surprise, and Lucas captured his mouth in a tender, seductive
kiss.

Brief as it was, Mike was still breathless by the time Lucas

pulled back.

“Come home with me,” Lucas murmured against his lips.

“Please.”

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It had been the kind of kiss you just couldn‟t say no to. Good

enough to override common sense. But that was Lucas‟ job, wasn‟t
it? A professional seducer.

And that reality check helped Mike resist temptation. “I can‟t.”
“You can. It‟s easy. You get in my car; I drive us home. We

can be naked in fifteen minutes.”

“No.”
Lucas looked ready to stomp his feet. “Why are you being so

stubborn about this?”

“Why are you? You can have any guy you want.”
“Apparently, I can‟t.” Grabbing up his paperwork, he made a

beeline for the exit.

It was tempting to follow Lucas. Instead, Mike slumped back

into the booth and reached for his beer.

It was warm and flat and did nothing to wash away the taste of

Lucas‟ mouth.

SINS OF PROFESSION

CHAPTER 9

“Snap to, Junior. No sleeping on the job.” Paolo‟s sudden

appearance made Mike jump. “We need this third camera up and
running for that gang-bang scene in twenty.”

Mike attached the last cable and turned the camera on. Feeling

smug, he said, “Now what do I do with the next nineteen minutes
and thirty seconds?”

Paolo wasn‟t impressed. “Now you can make sure you‟ve got it

lined up right. If „Long John‟ thinks we aren‟t getting his best
angle, it‟s going to be a very long day for all of us.”

“Yes, sir,” Mike muttered under his breath.
Paolo stopped in mid-stride. “When the hell did you grow a

pair?”

Mike fought the urge to apologize. “First-day jitters are out of

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the way.”

Paolo thought a moment and then nodded. “Good. I‟ve got no

time for a guy who won‟t stand up for himself. Now get those
cameras set.”

Okay, then.
The day went much smoother from then on, although the gang-

bang scene nearly made him self-combust.

“He does pretty good for an old guy.” One of the actors, Barry,

Mike thought his name was, stopped at the edge of the set near
Mike‟s camera, watching as they blocked out the next part of the
scene.

“He” was John Fenton, the center of the scene, surrounded by a

harem of young studs whose only jobs were to make it look like
they couldn‟t get enough of his cock.

Fenton seemed to thrive on the attention, so long as things went

how he wanted. The man didn‟t take to changes well.

“What do you mean Rory called in sick?” he was shouting at

Aileen.

She stared him down. “I‟m not sure about you, but I wouldn‟t

want someone who might have the flu sucking my cock.”

“Well, how are we supposed to do the scene this afternoon

then?”

“We aren‟t. We‟re juggling the shooting schedule so that scene

goes tomorrow. If Rory isn‟t better, we‟ll deal with it then.”

“I‟ve never seen such a lack of professionalism—”
“People get sick, John. It happens.”
“If you hadn‟t used him for that damn screen test yesterday,

this wouldn‟t have happened.”

Aileen barked a laugh. “You think he got sick off the new

guy‟s cock? You have been out of the business too long.” She put a

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comforting hand on his shoulder. “Look, I know Rory is
your…protégé and you feel protective of his time, but it was one
short scene, and he needs to broaden his repertoire. He‟ll be in
tomorrow. Now relax and worry about this scene instead.”

Fenton glowered. “I am worried. I don‟t want to do this with

the new guy. He‟s got no fire to him at all.”

“No fire?” Aileen echoed Mike‟s thoughts. “Christ, John, I

never thought you were a prima donna. For a cold read, the kid
was pretty spectacular. If I didn‟t know better, I‟d think you felt
threatened.”

“At my age, everyone‟s a threat,” Fenton stated flatly.
Barry shook his head as Fenton stalked back onto the set. “I

think he‟s crazy to miss a pass at the new guy, but that‟s Long
John for you.”

Mike ignored the jealousy that flared behind his eyes. “What

was that about a protégé?”

Barry didn‟t take his eyes off the set. “Fenton likes to keep a

couple of young guys around to stroke his ego, among other things.
He calls it mentoring, but we all know what it really is. Used to be
his „protégés‟ were a lot younger—eighteen, nineteen—but I guess
now that he‟s older, he likes them a little older, too.”

“Everyone‟s tastes change.”
“Or he doesn‟t want the competition.” Barry sighed. “It‟s kind

of sad. Long John still has it, but you get to an age and you should
get the hell out of the business.”

Mike focused on making unnecessary adjustments to his

camera. “But he was already out.”

“So why come back? Especially when you went out on a high

note.”

“I bet some of the guys weren‟t real happy about him coming

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back.”

“For a lot of them, it was like getting to meet their hero after all

these years. A living legend.” Barry snorted. “Then we all found
out what a dick he was and have been miserable ever since. Well,
okay, not always miserable. But he sure doesn‟t make it easy.”

“So I‟ve seen.”
Chuckling, Barry leaned close. “Oh, you haven‟t seen anything

yet.”

Mike wasn‟t sure he wanted to. “But he still managed to find

these protégés.”

“He may not be the most pleasant person, but he does have

connections. And connections in this world are everything.”

The director glared at them. “Are you planning to work, Barry,

or were you going to stand around gossiping with the crew all
day?”

“Seeing as gossiping doesn‟t pay my bills…” Without another

word to Mike, Barry headed back to the set.

Mike went back to his camera, head spinning.

SINS OF PROFESSION

CHAPTER 10

Lucas arrived at the studio that morning to find the place a

flurry of activity.

“Oh, thank God,” Aileen said when she saw him. “At least I

can count on the new guy.”

“Do I even want to know?”
“A key player in one of our scenes today is out sick, so we‟ve

had to rearrange the shooting schedule to accommodate our
resident diva.” Aileen eyed him wistfully. “Can you divide
yourself in two?”

Lucas chuckled. “You‟d be surprised how often I get that

request.”

Her lips quirked. “I don‟t doubt that.”
“Until cloning becomes a viable option, what can I do to help?

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Besides show up and look pretty.” He genuinely liked Aileen
despite knowing her only a short while. And he hated seeing
people he liked under duress.

“Just be flexible. We‟re going to do whatever scenes we can

cover for today until Rory is back, so I can‟t promise you where in
the script we‟ll be.”

“It‟s not much of a script. Fuck John in the boardroom. Blow

Charlie in John‟s office. Gang bang in the apartment. Improvise
plot and dialogue. I think I‟ll manage.”

“Are you telling me I pay my writers too much?”
“You have writers?”
“Watch it.” But she grinned. She gave him a once over. “We‟ve

got a decent wardrobe, but I like what you‟re wearing. Do you
mind fucking in your own clothes?”

“Hasn‟t been a problem before now.” He‟d dressed in one of

his mid-range suits for just that reason. “But I‟m flexible.”

“Flexible, I like that.” She fingered the material of his coat.

“Much better than what we‟ve got, although, we‟ll have to switch
out the tie. Too subdued. A brighter red will show up better on
camera.”

“You mean when I wrap it around someone‟s wrists?”
She sighed. “I do need to get you on the writing staff.”
“I suppose I could manage that between takes,” he teased.
“Come on, charmer; let‟s get you to work.”
After stopping by wardrobe to find a more suitable tie, they

arrived at the set to find a small commotion.

“It doesn‟t matter who the damn rival is,” a stout man, who

Lucas assumed was the director, was arguing. “He never shows up
again. The only point to him being there is for John‟s character to
watch Malcolm blow him. It could be anyone.”

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John looked as stubborn as the director. “It couldn‟t be anyone,

Douglas.”

Douglas rolled his eyes. “John, you are just watching. It

doesn‟t matter.”

“It does matter. Andrew doesn‟t get off on blonds.”
Douglas threw up his hands. “Fucking method actors! I could

strangle the goddamn lot of you. John, it‟s pornography, not
goddamn Macbeth!”

“Well, my method‟s made me millions. How about you?”
Before Douglas could retort, Aileen cut in. “Boys, boys, what‟s

the trouble now?”

“Your precious director”—John sneered at Douglas—“is trying

to sabotage me.”

“I‟m not the one holding up filming!”
“He‟s trying to put Marcus in as the business associate I walk

in on the rookie blowing,” John continued, as though he hadn‟t
been interrupted. “He‟s not right for the part.”

“Some people like blonds, John.”
“I like blonds, Aileen. I don‟t want one in this scene.” He

grasped for another argument. “Besides, he‟s too short. He won‟t
fit in the suit.”

“We have other suits.”
“I won’t work with him.”
“Damn it, John—” Aileen bit back whatever she was going to

say. “Fine, then. Who?”

He scanned the small group of young men gathered off to the

side and continued around the room until his gaze settled on one of
the cameras, or more accurately on the person behind the camera.
“You, new guy, out here now.”

After a moment‟s hesitation, Mike stepped forward, his ears

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already creeping from pink to red. “Um, yes?”

“Come here and turn around.”
Mike‟s eyes briefly caught Lucas‟, then he looked to Aileen.
“Do what he says, kid,” she said. “We‟ll all be happier in the

end.”

Mike shifted his feet, but suffered John‟s examination.
John studied him critically. “Well, he‟s tall enough, nice build,

and the hair color adds some variety. Yeah, he‟ll do.”

Mike seemed a step behind. “Do for what?”
John‟s grin wasn‟t even close to friendly. “Getting blown by

the rookie. Enjoy.”

“Wait, no, I can‟t!” Mike searched the room, desperate. “I‟m

a—” Lucas knew he was about to say cop, but caught himself.
“I‟m just— I‟m a cameraman.”

Lucas took pity on him and interceded. “I don‟t know if this is

such a good idea. If he gets this flustered off camera, I doubt he‟ll
give that good a performance.”

John glared at him. “How hard is it to sit in a chair and get

blown?” He turned on Mike. “Are you a virgin?”

“No, but—”
“Are you queer?”
“I—”
“You‟ll do fine. Someone get him a waiver and get him in

wardrobe.”

A subtle change came over Mike. He didn‟t look any less like a

deer caught in the headlights, but he did seem to stand a little
straighter, that determination Lucas had sensed tightening his jaw
and steeling his expression. “Right, yeah. How hard can it be?”

And before Lucas could formulate a protest, Mike was being

led out.

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David was going to have his balls for this.
Lucas bit at his lip, unusually indecisive. There were too many

options, the least of which and the most selfish was to cheer. But
he had promised to watch Mike‟s back, and that was what he was
going to do.

He left the studio in search of Scotty.
Luck was on his side because he caught her just as she was

heading to the restrooms.

“Lucas, what are you—”
He hauled her into the room and shut the door.
“We‟ve got trouble.”
“Yeah, you shouldn‟t be back here and my bladder‟s about to

burst.”

“Mike‟s in wardrobe. Unless we think fast I‟m going to be

blowing him less than a half hour from now.”

Scotty‟s eyes went glassy.
“Damn it, Scotty, now isn‟t the time! Do we blow cover or call

David or what?”

She held up her hands. “Jesus, give a girl a second to process.

Now how did he come to be in front of the camera?”

“Fenton didn‟t want a blond in the scene or any of the guys

standing around, then he saw Mike.”

“And Mike did what?”
“Turned five shades of red, nearly outed himself as a cop, then

agreed to go through with it.”

“What‟s the problem then?”
“Scotty, this is serious.”
“Well, gee, thanks for telling me, Lucas. I was starting to

wonder.” She sobered. “Much as we all want to protect the kid,
Mike‟s an adult and a trained officer. We should trust his

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judgment.”

“His judg— Scotty, I can‟t even get him to have dinner with

me! You can‟t seriously expect me to let our first intimate
encounter to be me blowing him in front of a dozen complete
strangers on camera!”

She looked smug. “I knew there was more to it than you were

telling me.”

“There isn’t more…that‟s the problem.” He sucked in a breath

and forced himself to calm down. “If it was you in Mike‟s
situation, or Miranda, what would David do? Would he let you go
through with it?”

“Yes, he would.”
“Scotty.”
“Oh, he wouldn‟t like it, but he would trust our judgment. He

knows better than the rest of us the fine line you have to walk
sometimes to get the job done.”

“Scotty,” he tried again.
“No, Lucas. Suck it up.” She smirked. “Pun intended. And if

we‟re done with your crisis of conscience, I would very much like
to piss in private, all right?”

Opening the door, she shoved him out, then closed it in his

face.

He should call David. He should call David. But Scotty was

right, and David would tell him to do his job. It left him only one
option.

He couldn‟t believe he was going to do this.
By the time he got to the dressing rooms, Mike was already

bundled into a very nice black Hugo Boss suit and a pink pinstripe
shirt that brightened his complexion, although his normally flush
tone was waxy and pale at the moment. The collar was open and

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lined with tissue to protect it from the foundation the stylist was
patting onto his skin. Lucas could tell from the rigidity of his eyes
that Mike knew he was there, but still he refused to look at him.

“You don‟t have to do this,” Lucas said quietly, ignoring the

stylist.

Mike‟s jaw clenched.
This earned Lucas a glare from the petite blonde doing

makeup. Candie was her name, if he remembered right. “Have
your lovers‟ quarrel after I‟m done getting him ready.” She eyed
him a moment. “Although, then I‟ll be working on you. So save it
for after hours.”

Lucas ignored her. “I‟m not casting aspersions, but you didn‟t

sign on for this”—that should be enough to protect their cover—
“and you shouldn‟t feel pressured into doing it for any reason.”

Mike did look at him then. “Contrary to what everyone seems

to think, I am capable of looking out for myself. And while I‟m not
as experienced as some people might be, this won‟t be the first
time another man‟s sucked my cock.”

“You tell him, honey,” Candie said as she grabbed hold of his

chin and forced him to hold still.

Lucas didn‟t want to have this conversation in front of a

potential suspect, but he wasn‟t being given any choice. “No, but it
will be the first time I do. I hadn‟t been planning on an audience.”

“Things don‟t always work out like we plan.”
“Okay, we‟re done,” Candie announced.
“Good.” Pulling the tissue from his shirt, Mike handed the wad

to her and jumped out of his chair. He left without another word.

Candie caught hold of Lucas‟ sleeve before he could follow.

“Like I said, you‟re up next. Save the drama.”

He gritted his teeth and let her draw him back into the chair.

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“It‟s just all going to rub off in a few minutes anyway.”

“Not the way I do it, honey. Now relax or you‟re going to get

wrinkles too young.”

By the time he got back to the soundstage, he was surprised to

find Mike and John practically nose to nose, both focused on the
script. He was also surprised to find Miranda there.

“Scotty called me,” she said sotto voce as he joined her.
“Didn‟t want to miss the show?”
She didn‟t rise to the accusation. “I didn‟t want both of you

vulnerable and unprotected. As your „agent,‟ I can justify being
here as looking out for your interests while they‟re jerking with the
script.”

“I‟m glad you‟re here,” he admitted.
Her blue eyes didn‟t miss a thing as she looked him over.

“You‟re genuinely worried about him.”

“Aren‟t you?”
“Our business isn‟t a pretty one. It‟s situations like this that

make or break you.”

“Mir—Mary, be real. This isn‟t like getting caught in a

shootout. How many undercover cops have to perform on camera
in the porn industry?”

“Christ, it‟s like you‟ve never heard of Vice.”
“That‟s different.”
One of her shapely brows arched up. “Really. Ask your on-

again-off-again boyfriends about the Crenshaw case sometime.”

His confusion must have shown. She moved closer, taking hold

of his arm. “Missing person. Not too long after I transferred to Six.
Carver and the department were working different angles, only
Carver got the better in.”

“In? Into what?”

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“Into an S&M club. He and David went in undercover to find

the girl.”

He vaguely recalled Carver mentioning something. “Wait,

Mars Underground?”

“Ah, so you do know.”
“I think Carver told me details about the case while I was in the

ER after my beating from the Lions thugs. But between the pain
and the meds they had me on, not all that much registered.”

“You were still able to flirt pretty well when I met you that

night.”

“Honey, I flirt in my sleep.”
“Yeah, I bet you do.” She put a finger to his chest. “And don‟t

take that as an invitation.”

“Damn.” He sobered. “So what you‟re getting at is I need to

stop worrying about anything but doing the job I‟m here to do?”

“We could find him an out if he wanted it. He obviously

doesn‟t want it. Let the man do his job.”

Speaking of job, Fenton spied him from the stage. “You

thinking of joining us sometime today, rookie, or are you going to
stand there chatting with your sugar momma until it‟s time to go
home?”

“I could ask you the same thing. You two seemed so engrossed,

I didn‟t want to interrupt.”

“Gotta watch your back, son. You never know who‟s going to

step in and take your place.”

He felt a nudge at the small of his back.
“Go get him, tiger,” Miranda said.
Lucas felt nauseous. This was what he‟d wanted almost from

the moment he met Mike— the chance to touch him, tease him,
arouse him, use every trick he knew to blow his mind. But he

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didn‟t want this. He‟d never wanted this, this public exposure, this
clinical vulnerability. He‟d wanted to make Mike weep in ecstasy
and comfort him afterward. Now he‟d have to settle for a camera-
driven blow and walking away.

Be careful what you wish for.
Douglas didn‟t give him much time to dwell on it. “Rookie,

you and Fenton are off stage. Give Red about five seconds of
nervous pacing before heading in.”

Lucas glanced at Mike, but Mike was too busy with his script

and didn‟t look at him. Reluctantly, Lucas followed John through
the stage right door.

John leaned against the flat support and crossed his arms over

his chest, smirking. “You look worried, rookie.”

Lucas steeled himself. “Why would I be worried?”
“Because you‟re just some overpriced whore who thinks he can

act. Getting your rocks off with some john is completely different
from giving a convincing performance onscreen. That kid has a
better chance of making it in this business than you do.”

Overpriced whore. It wasn‟t the first time Lucas had been

called that, nor would it be the last. And at this point in his career it
shouldn‟t get a rise out of him, but something about John goddamn
Fenton… With great effort Lucas swallowed down his retort and
maintained his cool. John wanted to throw him off. “You do
remember my screen test, don‟t you?”

John smirked. “That was yesterday. Today‟s a whole new day.”
“Yes, because I might have forgotten how to give a blowjob

overnight.”

“The camera does strange things.”
“And action!” Douglas‟ voice boomed through the soundstage.
One-one-thousand. Two-one-thousand. Three-one-thousand.

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Four-one-thousand…

Lucas opened the door and walked into the mocked up

boardroom, leaving John and everything else backstage.

Mike tried to look casual, standing in his great suit, pacing

slightly between the carved cherry desk (strong enough to support
the  weight  of  at  least  two  grown  men)  and  the  armchair  (wide
enough for a straddle fuck), fidgeting with his tie and checking his
watch.  Lucas  focused. If nothing else,  he  was  going to  make sure
they  did  this  in  one  take.  Mike  shouldn‟t  have  to  go  through  it
more than once. “Mr. Walters?”

Mike turned, catching himself just before he put his back to the

camera. “Yes?”

“I‟m Malcolm Shaw, Andrew‟s assistant. He got held up with

another client, but asked me to come by and…see to your needs
until he can get here.” He put as much innuendo into the pause as
he could.

“Oh. Will he be long?”
“Very.” No wonder Aileen was looking for new writers. “He

sends his most sincerest apologies.”

Mike glanced at his watch again. “Well, I suppose I should—”
Lucas stepped close enough to put his hand on Mike‟s lapel.

“Don‟t.”

Mike‟s eyes widened, not a fabricated response.
Lucas caressed the fine wool beneath his palm. “Andrew

insisted I make sure you wait for him. Whatever it takes.”

“That‟s not—”
“It really is. Please, have a seat.” He gave Mike a gentle nudge,

and he dropped onto the nearby chair.

Lucas leaned down to kiss along Mike‟s jaw, making a show

for the camera of running his tongue up along his neck, tasting the

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foundation instead of what he imagined was Mike‟s normal salty
taste. Mike‟s head drifted back.

Lucas shrugged off his blazer and dropped it on the floor

before loosening Mike‟s jacket and tugging his shirt out of his
waistband.

“You—you don‟t—”
“Shh.” He started working Mike‟s belt open. “Trust me.”
“I don‟t even know you!”
It was tempting to loosen Mike‟s tie, but the director had

specified this was a naked/dressed scene. He jerked his own tie out
instead. “You want to do business with us, don‟t you, Mr.
Walters?”

“Ye-es.” Mike‟s voice hitched as Lucas opened Mike‟s fly.
“We want your business, too, and we‟re willing to go the extra

mile to prove it.”

And from there it was a blowjob like hundreds Lucas had given

before.  At  least  in  theory.  Between  playing  it  up  for  the  camera,
half  stripping  himself  and  finding  that  balance  between  looking
good  and  feeling  too  good  for  Mike,  Lucas  had  never  found  less
joy in any sex act. Thank God he was a professional, otherwise this
would  have  made  his  first  blowjob  at  thirteen  look  like  a  master
class.

He couldn‟t bring any finesse to it, as finesse would be lost to

the  camera.  Instead,  it  was  wet  and  slobbery,  Lucas  popping  off
again  and  again  to  show  Mike‟s  cock  to  the  camera,  taking  him
back  in,  only  to  angle  it  against  his  cheek  instead  of  down  his
throat.  Mike  didn‟t  seem  to  mind,  his  head  rolling  back,  dirty,
encouraging words flowing freely, his hand on Lucas‟ head.

It was a relief when John came in and they could wrap this up.
“Ah, Malcolm, I knew I could count on you to deliver my

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apologies.”

Not looking up, he caught John by the waistband and drew him

close enough to free his cock as well and began jerking him in
slow, steady pulls to full hardness, never letting up on his attention
to Mike.

For the first time in a very long time, Lucas felt like a whore.
Shoving aside his self-disgust, he focused on bringing Mike

and John off with as much flair as possible.

It was easy to tell the difference between Mike‟s unschooled

response and John‟s more practiced one. Mike‟s face was scarlet,
his voice low and hoarse as he cursed and begged.

“Yeah, that‟s it,” John said, rocking into Lucas‟ hand. “Now

bring us off, Malcolm.”

And Lucas did, managing to deliver a double come shot to the

camera.

Lucas was still on his knees, nauseous and a little angry when

the director called, “Cut!”

“That was amazing.” John‟s praise wasn‟t for him, though, his

attention fully focused on Mike instead. “I‟ve never seen a
complete novice keep control like that. And you looked so good
doing it. You are a natural for this business.”

Mike blushed an even deeper shade of red. “Uh, thanks? I

didn‟t have to do much.”

“There‟s an art to that.”
“Everything looks good,” Douglas called out.
Mike jumped, as though he‟d forgotten it wasn‟t just the three

of them. Stuffing himself back in his pants and risking serious
bodily injury yanking the zipper up, he mumbled excuses and
stumbled off the set, leaving Lucas sitting on his heels, covered in
jizz and watching him go.

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John just sneered down at him and walked off.
“Rookie, go pay Candie a visit in makeup. I need you camera-

ready in fifteen.”

Lucas bit back a smart retort and just nodded as he got to his

feet.

He didn‟t feel like a whore; he felt like a cheap whore. This

was going to be a long fucking day.

Miranda came over to him with a towel and a robe. “Looks like

John‟s found a new protégé.”

Lucas glared at her as he wiped off his chest. “Twist the knife a

little harder there, Lieutenant.”

Her only response to his slip was a quick shifting of her eyes.

“Do you want that to have all been for nothing?”

“Sorry.” He shrugged on the robe, subdued.
She was still frowning at him.
“What?”
“That bothered you out there, didn‟t it?”
“That Mike‟s managed to curry favor where I couldn‟t? I‟ve

got pride, so it stings, but I don‟t indulge in petty jealousy.”

“Well, duh, you‟re human. But that‟s not what I meant.”
He gave a frustrated growl. “Would you spit it out then? I don‟t

have time for twenty questions.”

“It‟s not all fun and games like you thought, is it?”
“I didn‟t—”
Her look silenced him. “Yes, you did. You thought you‟d get to

bang  around  with  a  bunch  of  good-looking  guys  on  camera  and
show  off  for  someone  you‟re  interested  in,  no  strings  attached.
Only  it  didn‟t  work  out  that  way,  and  you  got  stuck  eating  the
consequences. Literally.”

She was right, and they both knew it.

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“Thanks for the lecture, Mom. Mind if I go get ready for my

next scene?”

To his surprise, she smiled. “At least you understand what an

agent‟s supposed to do.”

“Looks like you‟d better sign Mike as well. If John has his

way, he‟ll be getting a lot more work.”

“Gives me a valid excuse to be here all the time.” She

grimaced. “Although, would it kill them to be a bit more diverse
with their product?”

Lucas chuckled. He didn‟t feel better, but somehow Miranda

had pulled him out of his pity party. “Too much dick?”

“And plenty more to come, if the call sheet is anything to go

by.”

“We all have crosses we must bear.”
She grew serious. “Are you going to be okay?”
He shrugged, heading toward the dressing room. She followed.
“Depends on Mike.”
“Whether he freaks out or becomes Magnum‟s next big thing?”
“No, whether he‟ll ever talk to me outside a professional

setting again after today.”

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CHAPTER 11

Mike had never wanted a drink so badly in his life. He was the

first to arrive at the bar that evening.

“Ted,” he told the bartender, “I need two shots of your

strongest tequila and a pint of Yeungling.”

“Rough day?”
“You have no idea.”
He‟d just tossed back the second shot when Scotty hopped onto

the stool beside him. “Starting without me?”

“Yes.”
That earned him a raised eyebrow, but she placed her order

with Ted before starting her interrogation. “So…big day today.”

“I don‟t want to hear it.” He gestured for two more shots.
“I was just—”

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“No. No cute innuendo, no sly comments, no smug

congratulations, nothing. And I don‟t want Lieutenant Logan to
hear word one about it. Clear?”

“Hear about what?” a familiar voice asked from behind him.
Was the man part ninja?
He couldn‟t lie to his commanding officer. But, Jesus…
Mike focused on his beer, praying for Ted to hurry up with his

shots. “I may have an in with Long John Fenton, which could help
with our investigation. But I‟d rather not discuss it until I‟ve had a
chance to explore it.”

Mike could feel Scotty not laughing next to him.
“Good work. But I thought Lucas was going to pursue that

angle.”

Scotty‟s voice barely quavered. “Yeah, I bet he thought so,

too.”

Mike reached for the shot.
Logan‟s hand covered the top of the glass. “What number are

you on?”

“That will be my third, sir.”
“No, I don‟t think so.” Logan took it and tossed it back, giving

the other shot to Scotty before handing Mike his beer. “Come on.
Staff meeting.”

If they were going to keep treating him like a kid, Mike

decided he was entitled to feel petulant. But he held his tongue as
he followed Scotty and Logan to the large corner booth.

They had just gotten seated when Scotty waved at someone

who‟d walked in. “Miranda, we‟re back here.”

She waved back and placed her order with Ted.
When she joined them, she had a pint glass of dark beer and

shot glass. The shot she set in front of Mike. “I think you‟ve

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earned it.”

He drank it down before Logan could cut him off again. “You,

Lieutenant, are very much my hero right now. Thank you.”

Logan studied him. “Was it really that bad?”
Was it that bad getting off on the most exploitive sex act he‟d

ever  participated  in?  Was  it  bad  having  that  caught  on  film  for
anyone to see? Was it bad that, God help him, he  wanted  to do it
again  to  find  out  what  Lucas  could  do  without  the  constrictive
rules  of  pornography  tying  his  hands?  He  reached  for  his  beer,
ignoring the looks Scotty and Doughty  were  giving him and each
other. “Yeah, it was that bad.”

“Bad enough to want off the case?”
“No,” he replied without hesitation.
Logan nodded once. “All right, then. So what have we found

out so far?”

Doughty took up the reins. “Fenton likes to surround himself

with an entourage. Promising young things that he takes under his
wing.”

“Are any of the victims among his protégés?” Logan asked.
“That‟s what I‟m going to look into,” Mike said. “Since I have

Fenton‟s attention, who better to get a list from?”

Logan leaned back, thoughtful. “It‟s a solid angle. Someone

like Fenton will have as many enemies as admirers, and the young
men closest to him would make ideal targets.”

“Wait, are we using Mike as bait?” Scotty‟s good humor from

earlier had evaporated. “No.”

Logan gave her a hard look. “What do you mean, no?”
“No.”
“You had no problem with Lucas being bait.”
“That‟s different!”

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“You‟re right, it is.” Mike put down his beer. “I‟m a trained

police officer, able to look out for myself. I‟m not some…”

“Gigolo?” Logan‟s voice was cold.
“Consultant.”
“One of you may have a badge and the other might not,”

Doughty cut in, her voice cool, “but you‟re both too stubborn for
your own good.”

Logan seemed to read more into the conversation than any of

them meant to give away. “What the hell happened today?”

Neither of the others spoke, leaving it to him. He supposed he

ought  to  be  grateful  they  were  respecting  his  wishes,  but  that  left
him  to  do  the  dirty  work.  He  took  another  drink,  never  looking
away  from the  bottom of his glass  when he said,  “I ended up on
camera today. Rather prominently.”

“How prominently?”
“Fenton didn‟t like the blond cast for the client role, I caught

his eye, and then I got blown by Lucas while he jerked off
Fenton.”

Logan blinked once, twice. “Okay, the tequila makes more

sense now.”

“You think?” He was too close to the bottom of his beer.
“And that explains your „in‟ with Fenton. You‟re his new

protégé.”

“He certainly prefers Mike over Lucas.” Doughty seemed to

read Mike‟s need for camouflage and signaled to the waitress for
another round of beers.

“Why wouldn‟t he?” Scotty said, earning an immediate glare

from Logan. “Would you listen to what I‟ve got to say first before
you get pissed at me, Logan?”

A server arrived with their next round of drinks.

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Once the girl left, Scotty continued, “I‟m not disparaging

Lucas. I really like the guy.”

“Not as much as you like to look at the guy,” Doughty

interjected.

“You, hush.”
Doughty grinned over her glass.
“What I‟m getting at”—Scotty‟s tone was even—“is Lucas is

too confident for someone like Fenton to trust. Mike, however,
gives off an air of vulnerability and malleability that would appeal
to Fenton‟s ego.”

Doughty nodded. “And he hates that Lucas thinks just because

he‟s a sex professional he can do porn. As though it were easy.”

“He didn‟t seem to have any trouble,” Mike said.
“With Lucas, what you see and what is are sometimes two very

different things.” Doughty then added, “Besides, it‟s not about
what Lucas thinks, it‟s about what Fenton thinks he thinks.”

“Which isn‟t the point at the moment.” Logan‟s steely gaze

settled on Mike. “Are you comfortable pursuing this angle in the
case? We don‟t need to go this route. If you want out, say the
word. It will not reflect on you professionally.”

Mike forced himself not to look away. “If you were in my

position, Lieutenant, would you walk away?”

“He‟s been in your position,” Scotty stated.
“Lieutenant Scott.”
“Sorry, sir.”
Logan turned back to Mike. “I‟ve been in a similar position

before, yes. And no, I didn‟t walk away.”

If he had been considering bowing out, that would have

decided him. “Then neither am I.”

“Detective Finesterre…Mike, I meant what I said—it‟s

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acceptable to get out of this now.”

“Being a cop isn‟t meant to be an easy job.”
“It‟s a different kind of vulnerability having a gun to your head

than having sex against your preference.”

Mike snorted. “Now you sound like Lucas.”
Logan was quiet for a moment before Mike noticed the subtle

gesture of his head. Without another word, Scotty and Miranda slid
out of the booth and headed to the bar.

“Are you all right?” Logan asked, genuine concern evident in

every line.

“I‟m fine, sir. Honestly.”
“Mike.” Logan didn‟t touch him, but the strength of his words

was almost physical. “You went further today than I‟d ever
intended. I‟m sorry. I was so busy worrying about Lucas that I
never considered you might be at risk.”

“It was just sex.”
“It was more than that. It was public and vulnerable. Exposed.

I‟m glad it was with Lucas at least, but nevertheless—”

“Glad?” He was surprised at how loud he was. “Glad I got

blown on camera by a professional gigolo?”

Logan‟s face tightened. “Yes, glad. Lucas took care of you, in

more ways than one. If it had been anyone else, I‟d be pulling you
out of there right now. As it is, if you want out, you‟re out. You‟ve
given more than was ever expected of you.”

“I can‟t, sir. Scotty‟s right. Fenton has…taken to me. If we can

use that to get to the killer—”

“I‟ve already been forced to prostitute one man to this case,

Detective. I‟m not about to do it to another one.”

“It‟s not— I‟m fine, sir. Thank you.”
Logan took a sip of his beer. He set it down, twisting in place

SINS OF PROFESSION

before  finally  speaking  again.  “The  case  I  went  forward  on
involved  infiltrating  a  sex  club  with  my  boyfriend.  It  was  also  a
world  I  wasn‟t  unfamiliar  with.  I  knew  what  I  was  getting  into,
what to expect.”

“Did you get the job done?”
“Yes. And I almost ruined my relationship. Neither one is

something I‟m very proud of.”

“Well, it‟s fortunate I don‟t have a relationship to ruin, isn‟t

it?”

“Mike—”
“Lieutenant Logan, I‟ve had a very long day, and I doubt

tomorrow  is  going  to  be  any  shorter.  I‟m  capable  of  seeing  this
through.  But  if  you  don‟t  think  so,  it‟s  within  your  power  to
remove me from the case.” He finished off his beer and stood. “If
you‟ll  excuse  me,  I‟m  going  to  head  home  and  hopefully  fall
asleep before the alcohol wears off.”

Logan let him go.
He ignored his phone when it rang. The next time, he switched

it off. He was almost to the Incline when a dark blue Lexus pulled
up. “Can I give you a lift?” Lucas called through the open window.

“Jesus Christ, did they send you to try to talk me out of the

case, too?”

Lucas‟ brow furrowed.
Mike sighed. “Never mind. Whatever you want, it can wait.

I‟m going home.” He continued walking, not surprised at the slow
roll of tires that followed him.

“Can I at least offer you a ride?”
“No.”
“Michael, stop being so stubborn and get your ass in the car.”
“Why, so you can humiliate me, too?”

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“No, so I can try to convince you to give me a second chance.”
He stopped. “What?”
Lucas shrugged, and Mike could have sworn he looked

embarrassed. “Today wasn‟t my best work. I was…distracted.
Give me another chance. I promise I‟ll make it worth it.”

“For God‟s sake, are you hitting on me?”
Lucas grimaced. “That didn‟t come out right. I‟ve made a bad

impression all around and I‟d like a second chance.”

“I‟ve had enough talking for one night.”
“I‟m fine with not talking, too. But I‟d prefer at least some.

Please?”

He knew what Lucas wanted. He wanted to wash away the

failure and humiliation of the day in sweat and semen and saliva.
And Christ, Mike wanted that, too. Just to forget the whole damn
thing and replace it with something real and meaningful. “No.”

“Michael—”
“I said no! You don‟t get to make yourself feel better by

seducing me. Go…call Logan or something.”

“David‟s not who I want.”
“You only want me because you can‟t have me. You get that

and I‟m just another notch on your bedpost.”

“Nice to know you think so little of me.”
Mike didn‟t answer.
“I‟m not having this argument with you on a public street. Get

in the car.”

Clearly, Lucas wasn‟t going to give up and would follow him

home anyway, so Mike climbed in and slammed the door.

“If you‟re pissed at me, be pissed at me, not the Lexus.”
“Trust me, I am.”
Lucas pulled away from the curb to head toward the West End

SINS OF PROFESSION

Bridge. “You know”—the passing street lights flickered over his
disconcertingly calm face—“you think an awful lot of yourself.”

“What?”
“Like you said, I can get sex pretty much anywhere I want.

You think getting blown off by you is enough to turn me into a
stalker?”

The phrase “blown off” revived discomforting memories of

that afternoon. “You‟re here, aren‟t you?”

“Yeah, I am. But it‟s not because you said no.”
Mike didn‟t buy it. “So why are you here?”
Lucas huffed in impatience, his fingers tightening on the wheel.

“Because you‟ve gotten under my goddamn skin and the more I
get to know you, which isn‟t much at this point, the more I want to
know.”

“Oh.”
“Oh, he says.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“How about „I wouldn‟t mind getting to know you better,

too‟?”

“I had my cock in your mouth half the morning. I think we

might be a bit beyond getting to know each other.”

“Then what are you afraid of?”
Mike stared at him. “How do you get afraid out of that?”
Lucas glanced sidelong at him. “I know you‟re attracted to me.

And despite the awkwardness of today, we do have some definite
physical chemistry. So something else is holding you back.”
Lucas‟ hand tightened on the wheel, then relaxed, the only sign he
wasn‟t as cool and composed as he appeared. “It‟s because I‟m a
whore, isn‟t it?”

“You aren‟t a—”

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“Yes, I am. You can put whatever pretty word on it you want,

but I trade sex for money. That makes me a whore. And that
bothers you.”

Mike hadn‟t realized it until that moment, but once he did, it

was obvious. “It‟s not what you do so much as who you do that‟s
the issue.”

“Who I do?”
“You‟re banging my boss and his partner, but you still put the

moves on me. That‟s not right.”

“Your boss is fucking gorgeous, in case you hadn‟t noticed.”
That was the problem. Mike hadn’t noticed. He covered by

saying, “Then why bother with me?”

“Maybe I‟m not as shallow as you think I am.” Lucas glanced

at Mike. “Besides, have you looked at yourself?”

“The wonders of makeup.”
“Which went away in the shower you took before you went to

the bar.”

“Maybe I just washed it off.”
“Your hair‟s curlier than it was earlier today, so unless it‟s

more humid than I realized, you showered.”

Mike‟s hand went automatically to his head. “Why do you

care?”

“Why am I thinking about you in the shower?” Lucas grew

more serious. “I find you attractive, and what happened today was
not how I wanted my first time touching you to go.”

Mike was surprised. “You sound angry.”
“I am. You deserved better than that. We deserved better than

that.”

“You‟re really bothered by what happened today.”
“You aren‟t?”

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“Well, it‟s possible I‟m still in shock,” he admitted. “But aren‟t

you used to that sort of thing?”

“Getting off overbearing pricks? Yeah, I‟ve done that more

times than I care to count. Having to blow a guy I‟m genuinely
interested in and walking away disgusted with myself? No, not so
much.”

“Disgusted? I couldn‟t tell.”
“Yeah, well, hiding my real feelings is one of the tricks of the

trade.”

Mike felt bad for Lucas. “It was good,” he said hesitantly.
Lucas snorted. “Then you‟re one of the least demanding sex

partners I‟ve ever had. We might be better off never hooking up. If
you thought that was good, one of my real blows might well kill
you.”

Mike found himself smiling. “No one‟s that good.”
“I guess we‟ll never know, will we?”
Mike deflated. “No, I guess not.”
“Or…”
“Or?”
“Or we go back to my place and see what happens.”
He could keep fighting it. He should. But at this point, it

seemed both ridiculous and childish. “Is there seriously any
question of what will happen?”

“I‟m learning not to assume anything where you‟re concerned.”
“That seems to be all anyone ever does with me.”
“Then let me find out the truth.”
Mike nodded. “All right. But we‟re doing this at my place.”
“Home turf advantage?”
“I‟ll take whatever I can get.”
Lucas grinned as he turned off onto Western Avenue. “You‟ve

SINS OF PROFESSION

CHAPTER 12

Lucas parked in an empty street space four cars down from the

two-story brick home Mike had indicated was his apartment
complex.

“Homey,” Lucas observed as they climbed out of his car.
“Well, we can‟t all live the high life.”
Lucas stared at Mike. “Do you have to be so defensive? I

happen to like homey, so it wasn‟t an insult.”

“Oh.”
“Hell, I‟d prefer living in one of these conversions, but the

space to price ratio never worked for me.”

Even in the streetlight, Mike‟s blush was unmistakable. “Sorry,

I just…well…sorry.” He led the way to the front door without
further comment and let them inside, waving Lucas in first.

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It was an older house, the long hallway marred by a door on

either side and one at the end, a steep staircase, worn wood rail
patinaed from years of hands, leading up to the second floor. Mike
headed up the stairs, keys in hand. Lucas followed.

While Lucas liked the clean lines of his modern condo, these

older structures had always appealed to him. There was a character
and a history to the living space you couldn‟t get elsewhere.

Mike‟s apartment was located at the end of the hall.
“I‟m sorry ahead of time for the mess,” Mike said, as he

slipped his keys in to the door, “but I haven‟t had a chance—”

“I don‟t care about the mess.” As soon as the door opened,

Lucas  shoved  Mike  through  and  pinned  him  up  against  the  other
side,  slamming  the  door  shut  again.  Mike‟s  body  felt  so  good,  it
was  hard  not  to  rut  against  him.  Instead,  he  ghosted  his  lips  over
Mike‟s. “I‟m interested in one thing now. And it isn‟t the state of
your apartment.”

Mike swallowed. “You know, I have a feeling it‟s going to be

another long day tomorrow, so maybe I—”

Lucas cut off his protest, lips firm and insistent against Mike‟s.

He felt a thrill of triumph when Mike‟s fingers tangled in his hair,
pulling him closer.

“No more excuses,” he said when they broke for air, leaving

him to nuzzle under the line of Mike‟s jaw. “I‟d rather regret
something we did than something we didn‟t.”

“No more excuses,” Mike agreed before reclaiming Lucas‟

mouth.

Apparently, when Mike made up his mind, he made up his

mind. Mike initiated the kiss and controlled it, and Lucas couldn‟t
have been happier.

Mike fumbled for Lucas‟ buttons. His firm touch felt good, but

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if Lucas let him undress him that fast, this would all be over too
soon. He gave Mike a gentle shove. “I‟ve been stripping for you all
day. Your turn.”

“You…want me to strip? For you?” Mike worried his lower

lip. “I wouldn‟t know where to begin.”

Lucas grinned. “Easy. Start at the top and work your way

down.”

“Um, I…I guess I can do that.” Scrubbing a hand through his

hair, Mike blew out a slow breath. “Right, yeah.” His eyes darted
across the scene behind Lucas. “Couch. Definitely. Not the
bedroom. Yet.”

Lucas repressed a smirk. “Thinking out loud?”
There was that blush, followed by a small smile as Mike

focused back on him. “Bad habit. But you, couch. The bedroom‟s
too…bedroomy right now.”

“Bedroomy, huh?”
The smile deepened, and Mike gave Lucas a shove in return.

“Go have a seat. I‟ll be right there.”

Lucas took a step back, then another. “You‟re not going to run

out on me, are you?”

“That‟s the disadvantage of home turf. Where would I go?”
Lucas dropped onto the leather sofa and draped his arms over

the back. “You chose it, not me.”

Mike followed him, watching him, reading him as he started

undoing his own buttons. “I didn‟t say it was a bad thing. Probably
the opposite. I‟ve been avoiding this long enough.”

It was nice to hear him admit it. “Why?”
“Why not?” Mike reached the last button on his shirt, tugged it

off, standing in front of Lucas in a simple white tee and well-worn
jeans. “You‟re gorgeous and I should jump at the chance to be with

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100

someone like you. But what am I once you have me? Whatever
challenge you saw is gone, so why stick around?”

“You think I‟m in this for the challenge?”
“Aren‟t you?”
“No, I‟m in it for you.” Lucas made a twirling motion with his

hand. “More stripping, less self-doubt.”

“It‟s not self-doubt.” The last part of Mike‟s response was

muffled as he pulled his T-shirt off. He dropped it to the floor and
put his hands on his hips. Bare-chested in low-slung jeans, no trace
of a blush, Mike was like a different person all of a sudden. “I‟m
just being realistic about things.”

Lucas let his gaze trail across the light definition of Mike‟s

chest, a faint trail of red hair bisecting his stomach and
disappearing below his waistband. “You have no idea how fucking
gorgeous you are.”

“I bet you say that to all your…partners.” Lucas could tell the

word he‟d meant to use was “client.”

“No, I generally don‟t.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
Lucas tamped down the flare of irritation. This wasn‟t an

unexpected discussion. “Unless money‟s involved, I mean what I
say. And even when it‟s involved, I try to hold true to that.”

“You don‟t have to lie to me.” Still in his jeans, he straddled

Lucas‟ lap and went back to work on Lucas‟ shirt. “You aren‟t
going to hurt my feelings. I know I‟m nothing special.”

Lucas caught Mike‟s wrists and stilled his movements. “No,

nothing special is a whore who‟s been turning tricks since he was
nineteen. Nothing special is sucking cock in front of cameras and a
room full of people.” He tightened his grip. “However, this?
Getting to know you is.” Leaning in, he brushed his lips across

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101

Mike‟s. “And this isn‟t you stripping.”

Mike shifted subtly, and now he was the one teasing Lucas‟

mouth. “I‟m stripping you. That‟s good enough.”

Lucas had to admit that Mike taking charge was a very pleasant

surprise. “Good enough for you, maybe.”

“Good enough for both of us. Eventually.” Mike nipped at

Lucas‟ lower lip, then continued undressing him.

“When you decide on something, you don‟t fool around, do

you?”

Mike chuckled against the skin of Lucas‟ neck. “I thought

that‟s what we were doing.”

Lucas coursed his right hand down the smooth, muscular plane

of Mike‟s back, frustrated when he hit the waistband of Mike‟s
jeans. “These need to go.”

“All in good time. Unless you want to take care of them for

me.”

He continued down over Mike‟s ass and along his flanks.

“Hard to do when you‟re straddling me.”

“You want me to stop?” He posted just enough for the hard

lines of their cloth-covered erections to grind into each other.

“Fuck, no.”
“Well then, stop complaining.”
“I wasn‟t complaining. I was demanding. There‟s a difference.”
“Lucas?”
“Mm?”
“Shut up.” Mike kissed him as he unfastened Lucas‟ belt.
Mike‟s chest was warm against Lucas‟, a sensual combination

of velvet and wire as the fine scattering of hair scraped against
Lucas‟ nipples.

When Mike‟s fingers, at long last, wrapped around his cock,

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Lucas‟ groaned.

“And I haven‟t even started,” Mike murmured.
There was no trace of the shy, blushing detective. This Mike

knew what he was doing.

“For God‟s sake, don‟t stop. And take those damn pants off.”
Mike chuckled but made room for Lucas to work his fly. “You

sound like you‟ve never had sex before.”

“I‟ve never had sex with you before. God, I want you.”
“That much is very obvious.”
He gave a long, slow pull on Lucas‟ cock, thumb worrying at

the head until Lucas clutched Mike‟s forearm, desperate to fuck up
into his hand.

“Don‟t hold back, Lucas. We can worry about me later.”
“Jesus…”
Mike pressed into him again, lips moving erotically against his

ear. “I can fuck the hell out of you whether you‟re hard or not.”

Lucas very nearly came at that. “God, yes.” He rocked up into

Mike‟s fist.

He hadn‟t expected to be able to give himself up like this.

When he‟d imagined what this encounter would be like, he had
pictured coaching Mike through each step, a pleasure in its own
way, but not half as satisfying as his own complete surrender.

And then Mike was moving off of him. Before Lucas could

protest, Mike had knelt between his legs.

“Hold on, you don‟t—”
“Oh, but I do.” Mike smirked and started tugging Lucas‟ pants

the rest of the way off.

Lucas arched up into Mike‟s grip, the added benefit of which

was to lift his hips off the couch and allow Mike to jerk his pants
down to his knees.

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Mike worked them the rest of the way off before settling more

comfortably between Lucas‟ legs. “I‟ve never been so jealous of
anyone as I was of Rory the other day.”

He sure hid it well. “All you had to do was ask.”
“I couldn‟t.” He wrapped long fingers, now gone cool again,

around Lucas‟ needy cock, resting his cheek against Lucas‟ thigh.
“And then today, when they asked… Well, it seemed like the
perfect way to get what I thought I couldn‟t have.”

Lucas carded his fingers through Mike‟s soft curls. “Like I

said, all you had to do was ask. Although, you could‟ve skipped
the asking and just jumped me and I wouldn‟t have minded.”

“I couldn‟t,” Mike repeated, kissing where his cheek had rested

before moving up to the sensitive crease of thigh and groin.

“Because—” Lucas sucked in a breath at the contact with

responsive flesh. “Because of what I am?”

“Shh.” Mike darted his tongue out and licked up the length of

Lucas‟ shaft, and Lucas decided that the discussion could wait
until later.

“I thought I was supposed to be doing this to you.”
“You already had your turn.” He took another taste, lingering at

the tip. “If you really do kill me later on, I don‟t want to miss out
on this.”

Lucas watched entranced as his cock disappeared by gradual

degrees inside Mike‟s warm, slick mouth, fine lips wrapping
around his shaft and welcoming him in.

He wasn‟t professional about it by any means. The angle was a

bit off, and  he  had a hard time balancing  teeth and tongue. Lucas
didn‟t  care.  It  was  the  most  real,  honest  thing  he  had  ever  felt.
Mike  took  his  time,  slow  sucks  as  he  struggled  not  to  scrape  or
bite, the deliberateness of it enough to make Lucas groan out loud.

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As he grew more accustomed, however, Mike became more

confident with his use of pacing and technique.

When he went lower, Lucas jerked back in surprise.
Mike looked up in surprise, his face flushed, his mouth

glistening with saliva. “You don‟t like it?”

“Jesus, are you for real?”
Seeming to realize that Lucas‟ reaction wasn‟t a negative, Mike

grinned. “I might be shy and I‟m not a professional, but I know
what I‟m doing and without a doubt know what I like. What about
you?”

“Uh…”
“I‟ll take that as a yes, then.”
Holy fuck.
Mike didn‟t break eye contact as he wrapped long fingers

around each of Lucas‟ ankles and lifted them onto the couch, then
caught his hips and tugged him closer to the edge, opening Lucas
up and making him feel deliciously exposed. “I love how much
you keep surprising me.”

Mike‟s grin deepened. “So do I.”
Lucas couldn‟t have responded if he‟d wanted to because Mike

began mouthing his way down the inside of Lucas‟ thigh and
nothing mattered beyond that contact and Mike‟s ultimate
destination.

Lucas‟ current position restrained him as efficiently as any

cuffs could have. If he moved, squirmed too much, his heels would
slip off, depriving him of the pleasure of Mike‟s mouth on his ass.
And right now he wanted that more than he could say.

Mike‟s nose nudged against Lucas‟ balls as he moved in, his

breath hot and damp against Lucas‟ exposed hole. He traced the
sensitive skin of his perineum with the tip of his tongue, making

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Lucas gasp. Satisfied with the reaction, he continued back.

Lucas almost came undone at the first probing press of Mike‟s

tongue at his anus.

He felt more than heard Mike chuckle. “If I‟d had any idea…”
Mike‟s tongue was back, more insistent.
Hadn‟t Mike been complaining about how vanilla he was? If

this fell under vanilla, Lucas definitely wanted to know what
wasn‟t vanilla in Mike‟s opinion. “Christ, if I’d had any idea…”

Mike looked up in surprise but didn‟t take his mouth away.

“No one‟s ever done this to you?”

“It‟s not the kind of thing men pay to do so much as have done.

Although I‟m starting to see—oh, God—why.”

“You‟ve been missing out.”
Lucas grabbed hold of his own ankles to guarantee he held his

position. “See, you can teach an old whore new tricks.”

Now Mike did stop. “Don‟t call yourself that.”
“Why not? It‟s true.”
“If it‟s true about you, then it‟s true about me now.”
Lucas peered down at Mike, earnest as ever, even spit slick and

kneeling in front of him.

Mike licked his lips. “Can‟t we just be two guys who like each

other and leave it at that tonight?”

It was what Lucas had been after all along. “Yeah, I think we

can.”

“Good.”
This time Mike‟s tongue went from the iris of muscle and up,

flicking off between Lucas‟ balls with a tantalizing, elastic snap.

He almost rocketed off the couch.
Mike ran a soothing hand along Lucas‟ thigh. “Didn‟t they ever

tell you to watch out for the quiet ones?”

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“Jesus, will you just suck it already?”
“No.”
“What?”
“I said no.” Mike got to his feet, smirking the entire way. He

then held out his hand. “Let‟s take this to the bedroom.”

Lucas gaped at him.
Mike shrugged and used that hand to unfasten his jeans and

then wiggled out of them. He wasn‟t wearing underwear. “Feel
free to join me when you‟re able.” Stepping out of his pants, he
headed off down the hall.

God, that ass. He scrambled off the couch and followed.
Mike was busy riffling in the top drawer of his dresser when

Lucas reached his room.

Lucas draped himself over Mike‟s back. “Trust me, handsome.

You don‟t need the dildo with me around.”

“That‟s what you think.”
An intricate metal object caught Lucas‟ eye and he reached

around Mike to retrieve it from the drawer. “A cock ring? Michael,
will the surprises never cease?”

And there was the blush again.
He kissed the scarlet arch of his ear. “Will you put it on me?”

he whispered breathlessly.

Mike shivered and let out a shaky breath. “God, yes, please.”
“We should have done it sooner.”
Mike backed him toward the bed, kissing Lucas‟ neck and face

soothingly, hands caressing his arms and back to relax him. Lucas
could feel the heavy steel and brass circlet around Mike‟s fingers
as it brushed over his skin, warming from the touch. “It‟s not
meant to go on when you‟re already hard.”

“Then you would have had to put it on me days ago. I‟ve been

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hard since I met you.”

Mike pushed him onto the mattress, kneeling between Lucas‟

splayed legs. One by one, he fed the testicles through the ring, then
paused. “This might get uncomfortable. I‟m going to have to bend
you.”

Lucas spread his legs wider. “Do it.”
It took Mike a couple tries, mainly because he was being too

gentle, but Lucas left him to it. He‟d been through a lot more
discomfort for a lot less payoff.

At last, Mike got the ring in place. The fit was snug, but not in

a bad way. A solid, reassuring presence.

“See, that wasn‟t so bad,” Lucas reassured Mike.
Mike rose to cover Lucas‟ body with his own, the feel of skin

on skin a gentle ecstasy as he brushed Lucas‟ hair out of his face.
“Shouldn‟t I be reassuring you?”

“It works both ways.”
Now that they were in bed and Lucas was wearing a lovely

token of Mike‟s interest, Mike seemed more relaxed, more casual.
He peppered Lucas with wet, lingering kisses, their naked bodies
entwined, almost like they were lost in the afterglow of a moment
that hadn‟t happened yet.

This was a rare treat, getting to enjoy his partner, know him.

Sex was secondary. Getting off didn‟t matter so much. In that
moment, Lucas knew Mike Finesterre was the best and worst thing
that could have happened to him. There was no going back to the
way things had been before.

It was as terrifying as it wasn‟t, but now wasn‟t the time.
Lucas caught a hold of Mike‟s soft curls and drew him into a

deep kiss. “You need to fuck me now, Michael.”

“Shh.” He pulled back, licking along Lucas‟ bottom lip. “I‟ll

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get there. The ring is supposed to slow things down.”

“I don‟t want it slow. I want you now.”
“No reason we can‟t have both.” Mike stood up, depriving

Lucas of his comforting warmth to fish lube and condoms out of
the bedside drawer. “I‟ll fuck you nice and slow”—he stood there,
unashamed, letting Lucas watch him roll the rubber down his cock
and coat it with the slick—“and then, when I‟ve come inside you,
I‟ll let you fuck me and see how long it takes you to overcome the
ring.”

Lucas whimpered.
“I take it you approve.”
Releasing a breath, he said, “Very much.” The moment Mike

rejoined him on the bed, Lucas tugged him down and rolled him
onto his back.

“Tired of me being in charge?” Mike didn‟t seem too put out

by it.

“No.” He caught Mike‟s wrist and guided his still-slick fingers

between his legs. “But I‟ve been waiting for you a long time.” A
lot longer than he‟d realized.

Mike took the hint, fingering Lucas‟ hole with careful precision

before slipping one slippery digit inside. “Might not have been
worth waiting for.”

Lucas rode Mike‟s finger, desperate for friction, the constant

weight of the cock ring tugging with each movement. “Good so
far.”

“How‟s this?” Mike inserted another.
“Better.”
If not for the ring, the third finger would have undone him.
Satisfied, Mike withdrew his fingers and guided his cock into

place. Lucas sank down, grateful for each and every inch that

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slipped inside him. Mike wasn‟t big by anyone‟s standards, but
goddamn did he feel good.

“Christ, you look incredible up there.”
“I feel incredible. God, Michael, you feel so damn good.”
“I do now that I‟m inside you.”
“And it‟s only going to get better.” Lucas rose up as far as he

could without losing Mike before easing back down. He set a
gradual pace that seemed to be every bit at torturous on Mike as it
was for Lucas‟ to maintain. But nothing would make him rush this.
Especially not the demands of his own body. Hard and fast would
come later.

Mike arched his long neck, fingers clutching at Lucas‟ thighs

as he moved with Lucas. “Oh, yeah, just like that. No hurry…just
make it feel good.”

Even better when they were on the same page.
“It does feel good.” He ran his hands over Mike‟s chest, his

struggle for balance making him even tighter around Mike‟s cock.
“Even better than it felt in my mouth, and I didn‟t think that was
possible.”

The needs of his body began to override his control, and Lucas

began to pick up speed.

“Amazing.”
When Mike started to counter Lucas‟ movements, meeting him

halfway, there was no room for talking or good intentions. Only
need. Need for more. Now.

The next moment, Lucas was on his back beneath Mike, heels

around Mike‟s hips and fingers clutching Mike‟s shoulders as his
lover took over. “God, yes, Michael, take it. Take me. Anything.
God, fuck me!”

And Mike did, driving into him harder and faster with each

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thrust.

Lucas didn‟t hold back, answering each thrust with grunt and

moan and curse, leaving Mike in no doubt of how much he was
enjoying this. He could overcome the cock ring if he wanted to,
focus all his attention on his cock and just let go, but he wasn‟t in a
hurry to get off. Having Mike like this was its own satisfaction.

“So close.” Mike‟s words came out as ragged as his breathing.
“Don‟t hold back. Don‟t you dare,” Lucas encouraged. “Fuck

me, Michael; come on.”

Mike shook his head, damp curls springing wildly around his

forehead.  His  movements  were  erratic  now,  fingers  clutching  the
bedclothes,  that  perfect  bow  of  a  mouth  open  as  he  fought  for
every  breath.  Lucas  didn‟t  want  it  to  end,  but  he  could  tell  Mike
needed it.

He pulled Mike‟s head down and bit his earlobe. Hard.
Mike exploded.
Lucas held him close as the climax shuddered through his

body. Finally spent, he collapsed, a dead weight on Lucas‟ chest.

He mumbled something unintelligible.
Lucas couldn‟t suppress a smile, stroking a soothing hand

along Mike‟s back. “Sorry, I didn‟t catch that.”

A few moments passed before Mike looked at him. “I think you

managed to kill me after all.”

Lucas chuckled and pushed damp curls out of Mike‟s face. “I

didn‟t do anything. You saw to that.”

Mike‟s hand drifted down past Lucas‟ stomach, finger tracing

the heavy ring restricting his aching cock. “Ready to do something
about this?”

“Are you?”
Instead of answering, Mike heaved himself over to grab the

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condoms and lube he had left on the table. Rolling back, he tore
open one of the packets and stretched the latex sheath over the
head of Lucas‟ cock.

Lucas‟ mouth started watering.
He felt like a teenager, so desperate that the only thing keeping

him from coming in Mike‟s hand was the steel ring around his
genitals. When Lucas was sheathed and slick, Mike rolled over and
rose up on his knees, ass in the air and head on the mattress. When
he reached around to slide his own long, slippery fingers in his
hole to prepare himself, again Lucas almost lost it.

Mike chuckled, and Lucas saw those pale eyes watching him.

“If you could just see yourself now. Gorgeous.”

Lucas was transfixed by Mike‟s long, elegant fingers. “No, I

much prefer watching you.”

“Just watching?”
Lucas took that as an invitation and crawled up behind him.

“What happened to the blushing, innocent, vanilla police detective
I thought I was taking to bed?”

“Just because I blush doesn‟t mean I‟m innocent.”
He had proved that in spades. “It certainly works to your

advantage.”

Mike turned his face back to the mattress, but not before Lucas

caught sight of said blush rising on his cheeks. “Speaking of
advantage, it‟s your turn, Lucas.”

He slid his throbbing cock along the inviting crease offered to

him. “I‟m savoring it. You aren‟t in a hurry, are you?”

“No, but I thought you might be.”
“I wouldn‟t be wearing the ring if I was.”
Mike rocked back invitingly. “Even you can‟t hold out

forever.”

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“No. Especially not when you do that.”
“Do what?” He rocked back again.
Lucas caught hold of his hips. “Always the quiet ones.” Lining

up his cock, he pressed inside, Mike‟s tight ass making him earn
every inch. “Holy fuck.”

Mike groaned into the mattress, resonant enough for Lucas to

feel in his knees.

He wasn‟t going to last long at all.
Slow was out of the question, so he tried for steady and

controlled, attempting to make this last as long as possible.

Not easy to do when Mike used his grip on the bedding to lever

himself faster and harder onto Lucas‟ prick.

“Impatient,” he commented with a smile. It was something to

keep in mind for the future. Because there would be a future. Lucas
would see to that. One night with Mike would not be enough.

“Very,” Mike replied, muscles contracting tight enough around

Lucas‟ cock to make him see stars.

“Jesus…”
Mike arched his back for another ferocious thrust. “Come on,

Lucas, and give it to me.” That rich voice had gone guttural,
almost animal. “I know you can do harder. I didn‟t put that thing
on you for nothing. Fuck me.”

Never in a million years would Lucas have pegged Mike for

the take-charge type. With encouragement, maybe in time… But
damn, it did open up many possibilities.

Lucas didn‟t respond, verbally, but he stopped holding back,

stopped trying to draw this out. Mike wanted harder; he could do
harder. And fuck, it kept getting better.

Lucas tightened his hold on Mike‟s hips and slammed into him

to the hilt.

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Mike buried his face in the mattress and roared.
“Like that, do you?” Lucas did it again, and Christ, it felt

incredible. “This what you wanted, Michael? Is this good
enough?”

A rough growl of “More!” told Lucas everything he needed to

know.

He pounded into Mike without mercy, and soon Mike was

meeting each thrust again. Christ, Lucas was right there.

He wasn‟t sure if he hated or loved Mike‟s cock ring right then.

It was keeping him from the orgasm he wanted so desperately he
could almost taste his own come backing up, but it was letting him
do this to Mike, as spent as he was from his own release, now gone
even further into the pleasure of two bodies. All from such a small
piece of control.

“You‟re holding out on me, Lucas.”
“Have you tried coming with this thing on?”
“It‟s my ring, isn‟t it?”
Oh, God… “When? Tell me about the last time.”
“I use it to jerk off with.” Mike rolled his hips, changing the

angle of Lucas‟s penetration to both their satisfaction. “I haven‟t
needed it since I met you.”

Almost. “You bought it for yourself?”
“My brother took me to Vegas for my twenty-first birthday.

There was this artistic sex shop off the Strip. He wouldn‟t let me
leave until I bought something.”

“Older brother?”
“Yes. He‟d love you.”
That should not have been so hot.
“So would his wife for that matter.”
“God damn—” His thrusts stuttered before he recovered. “How

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many others?”

“What?”
“How many others have you used it on? Tell me!”
“No one! Oh God, fuck, no one else! Only you!”
That was enough.
It was the hardest he‟d come in a very, very long time.
He collapsed across Mike‟s back trying to catch his breath,

trying to regain some sense of coherence.

“I didn‟t kill you, did I?”
Lucas snorted. “Very close.”
He withdrew carefully, disappointed when the ring fell to the

mattress on its own, the weight of it enough to pull it off his
softened testicles at this angle. He knotted the condom, tossed it in
the trash, and collapsed on the bed next to Mike.

Mike lay on his side, the steel and brass ring between his

fingers as he studied it. “I wasn‟t kidding.” His voice was quiet.
“I‟ve only used it on myself before.”

“I never said you were.” Lucas joined him on the bed. “And

thank you.”

“I let you blow me on camera. I figured if I couldn‟t trust you

after that, I‟d never be able to trust anyone.”

“You didn‟t exactly let me.”
Mike gave him a steady look. “I agreed to do the scene, so I let

you.”

“Michael—”
“No, Lucas, stop. Everyone‟s acting like I did this against my

will. As I said earlier, just because I blush easily doesn‟t mean I‟m
innocent.”

Lucas blew out a frustrated breath. “Will you let me finish

before you start picking a fight?”

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CHAPTER 13

Mike woke with Lucas‟ mouth around his cock.
“Um, good morning?”
Lucas pulled back, releasing Mike with a wet pop, and grinned.

“‟Morning.”

“Not that I don‟t appreciate the attention—” He hissed when

Lucas ran his tongue up the length of the shaft, spiraling over the
head. “But don‟t you think you should‟ve waited until I was
awake?”

Lucas shrugged and went back to licking at the crease around

Mike‟s balls. “You were hard. I hate to see a good erection go to
waste.”

“I‟m hard every morning,” Mike protested.
“All the better.”

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He had to laugh. “Far be it from me to complain then.”
This time, Lucas dragged his tongue lazily up the vein running

along  the  underside  of  Mike‟s  cock  until  his  lip  closed  over  the
head, tongue still teasing at the peak of the frenulum, making Mike
twitch  beneath  him.  He  knew  what  Lucas  was  doing.  He  was
proving  that  he  could  give  head  better  than  what  they‟d  done  on
the soundstage the day before. The sad thing was, that had been the
best blow Mike had ever had.

At the rate Lucas was going, this one really was going to kill

him.

“You‟re going to ruin me for other guys,” he told the ceiling.
“The problem with that is?”
He didn‟t answer. He didn‟t want a fight. “Just don‟t stop.”
“I never intended to.” After placing a kiss on the inside of one

of Mike‟s thighs, Lucas turned his full attention back to Mike‟s
cock.

It felt incredible. The warmth and softness of Lucas‟ mouth

suffused  every  nerve  ending  in  Mike‟s  cock,  driving  out  any
possibility of other thought. Lucas was taking his time, unlike too
many of the suction pump blows Mike had gotten before where the
guy was determined to get him off as fast as he could before they
got  caught  or  so  he  could  get  on  to  fucking  Mike‟s  ass  instead.
Mike  had  the  feeling  Lucas  would  be  happy  to  do  this  all  day,
taking his time to bring Mike to the edge and then easing him back
again and again, until he literally killed him with pleasure.

It was kind of a scary thought. What was even more frightening

was that Mike was kind of okay with that.

When Lucas finally did bring him off, it was an exquisite relief.
“Now that is a good morning,” Mike said once he recovered

enough to speak again.

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Lucas curled up along his side, elbow resting just above Mike‟s

shoulder to prop up his head as he grinned down at him. “Very
good. And look, I managed not to kill you in the process.”

Still weak from his orgasm, Mike lifted his hand to caress the

nearest part of Lucas he could reach. Fortunately, it was only his
leg. “It was a near thing.”

Shaking his head, Lucas brushed his lips over Mike‟s. “You

don‟t give yourself enough credit.”

“I give myself plenty of credit. I‟m just not used to having it

this good.” Mike grimaced. “And that‟s admitting way too much.”

Lucas stole a soft kiss, trailing his fingers over Mike‟s chest.

“It‟s good to know where I stand.”

Probably better than where Mike stood in comparison to Lucas‟

multitude of lovers.

To keep from voicing that insecurity, Mike sat up. “We should

shower. Long day ahead.”

Lucas rubbed against him, a wicked grin pulling at his full

mouth. “I hope John tries to get you on camera again.”

“Hope?”
“Well, for one thing, you were sexy as hell. And for another”—

he kissed a spot under Mike‟s jaw—“I want to see his reaction to
seeing my marks all over your gorgeous body.”

Mike saw he‟d left several noticeable marks on Lucas as well.

“I doubt those will go over well.” He traced a line of fingertip
bruises on Lucas‟ hip.

“That‟s what makeup is for.”
“Mmm.” He was distracted by the dark half moons lining

Lucas‟ hipbone. They seemed so… Possessive.

“If you take a picture, it‟ll last longer.”
Mike found himself smiling. “Nah, I much prefer the real

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thing.”

“Yeah, me, too.” Lucas slipped his knee in between Mike‟s

legs and shifted to cover him, riding his thigh enticingly. “Want to
make some more?”

Mike wrapped his fingers around Lucas‟ waist before following

the curve around and down over his ass. “Yes.”

Lucas obviously heard the regret in his voice, because he

stopped humping him. “But we have to go to work.”

“Yeah.”
With a sigh, Lucas crawled off him and stood. “No rest for the

wicked.” He held out his hand. “My place tonight?”

“Sure you don‟t have anything better to do?”
The moment Mike took his hand, Lucas pulled him into his

arms. “Nothing and no one. Besides, I‟m dying to see what you‟d
do with my toy collection.”

What he would do with Lucas‟ collection…Jesus. Mike found

the promise of that far too appealing.

On impulse, he kissed Lucas. “We‟ll see how the day goes.

Now, let‟s shower, otherwise neither of us will get to enjoy it as
much as we want to.”

Lucas laughed and, not letting go of his hand, pulled him

toward the bathroom.

* * *

It should have been harder to do his job than it was. But Mike

found he was more focused, more relaxed than he had been in the
whole time he‟d been stationed at Zone Six.

They were midway through the morning shoot, Mike working

behind the scenes where he was supposed to be, when Paolo

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stopped over.

“Man, if I‟d known getting you in front of the camera would

make you more competent behind, I would have suggested it
myself.”

Mike couldn‟t help but smile. “Yeah, well, whatever it takes to

keep from getting there again.”

“Are you kidding? John‟s been in Aileen‟s office all morning

trying to pitch a vehicle for you. I just got you competent and now
I‟m going to have to start all over again with another rookie.”

The good mood he‟d had evaporated. “He‟s doing what?”
“You made an impression on the big guy. In this business,

that‟s like winning the lottery.”

Mike didn‟t want to win the lottery. “But I prefer it back here.”
Paolo clapped him on the shoulder. “So do I. But it‟s a rare day

Long John doesn‟t get his way.”

Shit.
As soon as Paolo left, he texted Scotty. Lunch. I might be in

over my head.

A few moments later he received a reply. I thought you said

you were a big boy.

Mike glared at the phone. Fenton’s angling for me to do more

than a walk-on.

Remind me to send him a thank you gift. A big one.
He didn‟t bother to text back, but called her instead. “Damn it,

Scotty, this isn‟t funny!” He hissed the words into the receiver,
covering his mouth to keep from being overheard.

“You aren‟t standing in my shoes.”
In a few years, he‟d probably agree with her. If he survived.

“Scotty, please?”

“All right, fine, lunch it is.”

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“Thank you.” He hung up.
He hoped Aileen held out until after lunch.
Scotty was smirking when he slid into the booth across from

her an hour later.

“Your compassion is overwhelming.”
Still grinning, she gestured to her collar, looking at his neck.

“You‟ve got a little something…well, a pretty big something
right…”

Mike clapped his hand to his throat, the pressure making the

mark Lucas had left even more sensitive. “Yes, okay, very funny.”

“Looks like something good happened between leaving the bar

last night and showing up at work today.”

There was no point in denying it. “Yes, it was very good. No,

I‟m not giving you any details. Now, can we deal with my current
problem?”

“But this is much more fun.”
“Scotty.”
She surrendered with good grace. “All right, tell me what‟s

going on.”

He related everything Paolo had told him.
Scotty sipped her soda thoughtfully before responding. “You

might be worrying over nothing.”

“Have you been in the same room with Fenton yet?”
“No, but I‟ve heard the stories.”
“Well, what you‟ve heard is true.” He slumped in the booth and

ran a hand through his hair. “I thought he might try something
eventually, after taking me aside and talking with me about it first.
But he seems to think my consent is a foregone conclusion.”

“Considering what your buddy Paolo says, that‟s how things

work.”

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“No one says no to Fenton.”
Scotty nodded, looking more sober than she had since walking

in. “It‟s not too late to get out of this. Don‟t let pride make you go
farther than you‟re comfortable.”

Mike focused on a smudge on the table. “I‟m not sure I‟m that

uncomfortable with it,” he admitted.

“Then what are you freaking out about?”
“I‟m freaking out because I‟m not freaking out and I don‟t like

what that says about me.”

“So you have an exhibition kink. There‟s nothing wrong with

that.”

“I don‟t have kinks.”
Scotty grinned. “Mike, we all have kinks. And a lot of the time

they come out of left field and surprise the hell out of us.”

“Yeah? So what‟s yours?”
She hesitated, covering it with focus on her drink. “A lady

doesn‟t fantasize and tell.” She put the paper cup down and leaned
back. “Besides, that‟s the least of our problems now. What are we
going to do about Fenton?”

“I don‟t know. That‟s why I came to you.”
She picked lettuce out of her sandwich, thinking. “Well, what if

you go along with it?”

“Yeah, that‟d be great for my career.”
“Look at it this way—you‟d have a new one all lined up.” She

waved  off  his  glare.  “But  seriously,  think  about  this.  Even  if
Fenton got Aileen to agree, they still have to get the script written,
do  costumes  and  sets,  all  that.  Even  in  the  high-speed  world  of
adult film, it would have to take a couple of weeks to pull all that
together. In the meantime, you‟re getting mentored by Fenton and
seeing  everyone  he  has  contact  with.  What  better  way  to  narrow

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down the crowd of suspects we have now?”

“And if we‟re lucky, we‟ll have the case wrapped up well

before it gets that far, right?”

“Right. Although—”
“Scotty.”
As if that would stop her. “The pay is way better than being a

cop.”

“You know, I‟m starting to understand why Eliot quit the

force.”

She snorted. “Yeah, like that had anything to do with me. That

was all Ramrod.”

“I‟m still trying to wrap my brain around that relationship.”
“Mikey, we all are.”
He threw a pickle at her. “Don‟t call me Mikey.”
She ate it. “Why do you care who Logan sleeps with anyway?”
Mike didn‟t answer.
“Oh.” The woman was entirely too perceptive. No wonder she

was being promoted. “You know about their playmate, then.”

“Hard not to know when you all but witness it firsthand,” he

admitted.

“You saw all three of them?” She leaned forward.
“No, just—” He snapped his mouth shut. “No. I am not adding

fuel to whatever crazy fantasies you have in your head.”

“That good, huh?”
“Oh yeah, great. Great to watch the guy I‟m attracted to

making out with my boss and his boyfriend. Perfect.”

“It doesn‟t mean anything.”
“Sure looked like it meant something from where I was

standing.”

“Christ, I never pegged you for the insecure type.”

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He looked at her. “That‟s all anyone pegs me for. Why not

embrace it?”

Scotty huffed out a breath. “If it weren‟t for Rick, I‟d give up

on men altogether. You are a hopeless lot.”

“Yeah, well, when you have the only perfect specimen—”
She snorted. “Sweetheart, I could tell you stories. But this isn‟t

about me.”

“It‟s not about me, either.”
“The hell it isn‟t. Look, are you paying him?”
“No, of course not!”
“Do you think he sleeps with just anyone?”
He was slower answering this time. “No.”
“No. No, he doesn‟t. Believe me, I‟ve tried. So…why is he

sleeping with you then?”

“Because I was a challenge.”
“Somehow I doubt that.”
“Scotty…”
“Don‟t Scotty me before you hear me out,” she said. “If a

challenge was what he was after, I‟m sure he‟d be content
scratching that itch with Carver and Logan. So clearly you‟ve got
something else in your favor.”

“I can‟t imagine what.”
“Have you asked him?”
“I…”
“I‟ll take that as a no. Then do both yourselves a favor, talk.

Get the insecurities and bullshit out of the way first, so you can
have more hot sex and a lot less angst.”

“And if he‟s just bored?”
“Then prove to him you‟re more than a fine ass and a passing

distraction.”

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CHAPTER 14

Lucas paged through his script with half an eye, most of his

attention focused on the duo huddled in close conversation in the
far corner.

He had done two scenes with John Fenton that morning, and

the  more  he  worked  with  him,  the  more  disillusioned  Lucas
became  with  his  former  hero.  Fenton  was  fine  when  the  cameras
were rolling, engaging, compelling, seductive even in the blandest
of  dialogues,  but  as  soon  as  Douglas  called,  “Cut!”  he  dismissed
Lucas, treating him no better than a piece of furniture. The more he
got  to  know  him,  the  more  Lucas  wondered  why  it  was  that  their
murder  was  targeting  John‟s  protégés  rather  than  the  old  bastard
himself.  Although being on the receiving end of his disdain  made
Lucas aware of how much worse it would feel to want the man‟s

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attention for himself and not get it.

Especially when he was focusing that attention on someone

else.

“Glare any harder and your face is going to stick like that,”

Rory said as he dropped down beside Lucas. The young actor
clearly felt well enough to work today, although he still looked a
little wan. “Which would be a shame for all of us.”

“I don‟t know what you‟re talking about.”
“Don‟t worry about Fenton. He plays these games with

everyone. A lot of the cast comes out of the sex trade. He just likes
to pretend he‟s better than us.”

“What, you mean he‟s not?” Lucas said dryly.
“Oh, the stories I could tell you.”
“Yeah, well, he seems to have found someone who does meet

his high standards.” He looked back at his script instead of over to
Mike again.

Rory did look across the room. “Poor guy. I doubt he knows

what he‟s in for.”

“Being the prized pet of one of the biggest names in the

industry. Yeah, I feel for him.”

“You should. Being one of Long John‟s boys is as much a

curse as it is a blessing.”

Despite his jealous preoccupation, Lucas did remember why he

was here in the first place. Play it cool, but gather any information
he could. “What, Fenton‟s ego?”

“We‟re all victims of that. But there‟s a lot of baggage that

comes  with  John‟s  attention.  You  have  to  live  up  to  his
expectations.  God  help  you  if  you  disappoint  him.  And  no  one
really  talks  about  how  much  you  have  to  put  out  in  return  for  his
„mentorship.‟  Plus  you‟ve  got  everyone  else  looking  at  you,

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waiting for you to fall so they can get a shot at your place. I‟m just
as happy to be a bit player, thank you very much.”

“How long have you been with Magnum?”
“About three years now.” He thought for a moment. “Yeah,

three years. So I was here long enough to remember the good old
days before his highness arrived. Not that it‟s horrible, mind you.
I‟d rather be here with Fenton than at the first place I worked for.
Aileen runs a first class studio, and that outweighs pretty much
everything else in my book.”

“You can‟t want to do this the rest of your life, though. Not like

him.”

“I won‟t be able to. Time catches up. I know what my dad and

my uncles look like. Even if I take care of myself, I‟ve got maybe
five years left in the industry, unless I want to go to the het side.
They‟re a little more forgiving there. It‟s all about the tits for them,
isn‟t it?”

Lucas just nodded.
“And unlike a lot of guys, I may not be great at saving, but I do

have my CPA to fall back on once I do get out. I even pitch in with
the crew back in accounting during tax season to keep my skills
fresh.”

Lucas couldn‟t help grinning. After all Scotty‟s whining…
“What‟s so funny?”
“Nothing. I just have a…friend who complains that the eye

candy is never in accounting.”

“Seeing as it‟s all women right now, there really isn‟t. Unless

you swing that way.”

“I‟m flexible. And don‟t ever tell Scotty she‟s not eye candy.”
“Scotty? Oh, the new girl. She‟s not bad for a woman.”
“She‟ll be flattered.”

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Rory chose that moment to lean closer to Mike, brushing an

invisible crumb off his shoulder with a teasing smile.

“Don‟t rip your script.”
Lucas glanced down and saw he was close to doing just that.

He set the twisted paper aside and stood. “I‟m going to go stretch
my legs. If I‟m needed, tell whoever I‟ll be back in ten.”

The fact he was wearing a robe and nothing else kept him from

going outside for some fresh air. Really, though, he just had to get
away from the soundstage and watching his lover being pawed by
a dirty old man.

He found a spot in one of the back hallways, quiet enough to

give him space to collect his thoughts. Leaning against the wall, he
closed his eyes. God, this was such a clusterfuck.

“Lucas? Is everything okay?”
Mike was the last person he needed around him right now.
Not bothering to open his eyes, he lied, “Yeah, just needed a

few minutes away from everything.”

Mike ran his hand through his rough curls in a wonderfully

innocent, sheepish expression. “Yeah, it gets to be a little much,
and I‟m not even performing. Yet.”

Lucas snapped his eyes open to stare at him. “Yet?”
Mike sighed. “John‟s trying to get me some special ingénue

project or something. I don‟t want to do it, but Scotty and I figured
it would be better to go along with it to keep someone close to
John.”

“Sorry I disappointed everyone so much.”
“It‟s not like that.”
“Well, it‟s not as if you need me here anymore.”
“I‟m sorry I‟m the one Fenton‟s taken an interest in. Believe

me, I‟d rather it wasn‟t the case.”

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Lucas rubbed his face, not caring about his makeup. “I know

you do. I just—” Could he really admit he was jealous? Apparently
not. “I just feel useless right now.”

“Well, you‟re not.” Mike took a step toward him, then stopped.

“I’m glad you‟re here. And the more eyes we have on this, the
better, right?”

“You‟d be better off with another cop.”
“I wouldn‟t.”
“Yes, you would. They could watch your back without—

Never mind.”

“Without what?”
“Nothing. Never mind. I have to get back.”
“Lucas.” Mike caught his wrist to keep him from walking

away. “I‟m not interested in John Fenton.”

“It doesn‟t matter. You‟re free to sleep with whoever you like.”

He twisted out of Mike‟s grip. “We both are.”

He expected Mike to disagree with him. Hell, he hoped Mike

would.

“You know what? You‟re right,” Mike replied, voice underlain

by a hint of steel.

“Mike—” He shouldn‟t have been surprised that Mike didn‟t

stop walking, but he was.

“Tell me you‟re jealous,” Mike said without turning around.
“I am jealous.”
Nodding his head once, he turned and faced Lucas. “Then stop

bullshitting around.”

It was Lucas‟ turn to shove his hand in his hair. “I don‟t get

jealous. I can‟t afford to. It‟s—”

“I‟m not one of your damn clients, Lucas. We both need to

remember that.”

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“Yes, we do.” Lucas felt a smile tug at his lips. “People are

stupid if they underestimate you.”

“We okay then?”
“Depends. Can I kiss you?”
“Not really. They‟re about to come looking for you so you can

take another guy who‟s not me up the ass on camera.” The
bitterness in his voice was obvious.

Now who was jealous?
Lucas cocked his head. “Can I take you up the ass on camera?”
That blush Lucas loved tinged Mike‟s cheeks. “Now?”
Lucas groaned before striding over to wrap both hands around

Mike‟s neck. “You‟re going to be the death of me.” Regardless of
the risk, he kissed him.

Mike leaned into him as he kissed Lucas back.
This was going to be a problem. But it was a problem Lucas

readily welcomed.

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CHAPTER 15

Lucas‟ last scene for the day wrapped around three, but Mike

still had filming duties until at least eight. Though he was tempted
to hang around, without a justifiable reason, he decided it was best
to leave. Besides, his day job was calling and he had a nice little
appointment scheduled to kill the next few hours.

“We‟re still on for later?” he asked Mike before taking off.
“Yes.” Mike grinned. “We definitely are.”
Definitely. Lucas liked that a lot.
On his way to his car, Lucas checked his voicemail and found a

message from David.

David picked up on the first ring. “Logan.”
“Soon-to-be Commander Logan?”
Lucas could imagine David‟s answering look of warning.

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“You‟d better not be calling me from the studio.”

“I‟m not stupid. And I‟m done for the day.” He waited for

David to say something, but when he didn‟t, he said, “You‟re the
one who left the message for me to call, so what‟s going on?”

“I‟m doing my duty as commanding officer and checking in.”

The sound of shuffling papers came across the line. “And things
are slow at the moment. I don‟t suppose you‟d be able to meet up
for coffee?”

“Now?” It would definitely put a squeeze on Lucas‟ schedule,

but David was generally pretty concise.

“We could always meet up bright and early tomorrow

morning,” David said when Lucas didn‟t immediately reply.

“Some of us need our beauty sleep.”
“I‟ll see you at the diner in fifteen.”
Lucas had to make a smart remark. “But if there‟s traffic—”
“Fifteen, Lucas.” David hung up.
“The man says jump, and we all say how high.” Shaking his

head, Lucas pocketed his phone.

The drive to the diner took him less than ten minutes. But

David managed to beat him there anyway, already seated in a
booth off to the side, coffee in hand, when Lucas arrived.

“Long time no see,” Lucas said as he slid into the opposite

bench. “So what do I need to know?”

David quirked a brow. “In a hurry to get somewhere?”
“Hot date tonight.”
“Funny, I didn‟t think you two were doing much dating.”
“Days of flirtation and a very long night. That counts, right?”

Lucas leaned forward. “If I didn‟t know better, I‟d think you were
jealous.”

“You do know better. And that‟s beneath you. Order your

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coffee.”

“Huh. This doesn‟t look like your bedroom.”
“Lucas, order something from the nice waitress coming this

way.”

He relented. Despite his strong dominant streak, David never

tried  to  top  Lucas  in  public,  certainly  not  the  way  he  did  with
Carver.  Lucas  wouldn‟t  have  responded  if  he  tried.  They
understood  their  relationship,  a  friendship  of  equals,  a  “there  but
for the grace of God” sort of balance.

Lucas ordered coffee and a slice of apple pie and waited for the

server to leave. “So what‟s the real reason you asked me here?” It
was pretty obvious they weren‟t here to discuss the investigation.

“I asked you here as a friend.”
“A friend,” he drawled. “Does this mean you‟re going to ask

my intentions regarding a certain detective of our acquaintance?”

David‟s lips twitched. “Do I need to ask your intentions?”
“Now I think I know how Carver feels.” Lucas sighed. “Let me

guess. You want me to lay off whatever I‟ve got going with Mike
so I don‟t compromise the investigation, right?”

“If it‟s not interfering with the investigation, then it‟s none of

my business what either of you get up to in your personal time, is
it?”

“How do you even know— Stupid question. Scotty, of course.”
“Lucas.” David folded his hands and rested them on the table in

front of him. “Mike isn‟t like us. He‟s not…worldly. He‟s a good
guy, but he‟s got the black-and-white world view that makes him a
good cop. Whatever you two are doing, be careful. He‟s going to
have expectations, and you‟re both going to end up hurt.”

“Maybe I have expectations, too.”
David seemed taken aback.

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“I know. Surprised me, too.”
“Lucas, be sensible. You‟ve known him for three days.”
“And you knew Robin, what, all of one night before you

moved in with him?”

“I was nineteen and desperate. And you aren‟t Robin.”
“No, I‟m not,” Lucas said. “Mike might not be worldly, but

he‟s also not a kid fresh from home, nor is he desperate.” Under
that gorgeous blush was a man who knew his own mind, and once
that mind was made up, he was formidable. “And I‟m not looking
for a sub to train up right. Mike‟s a guy I find immensely attractive
and would like to get to know a lot better.”

“Which is why you took him to bed the first chance you got.”
Lucas wasn‟t one to lose his temper. He couldn‟t afford to in

his line of work. However, David was coming damn close to
making that happen. “No, David, the first chance I got, I kissed
him, and he shot me down. Blowing him on camera was the most
clinical and least enjoyable thing I‟ve done in a very long time, so
I‟d very much not like to count that. Even if it does make the third
time the charm. If you all weren‟t playing big brother and sister to
him, I might never have gotten a shot.”

“So, you‟re saying this is our fault?”
“Christ, David, it‟s no one‟s fault. No one‟s done anything

wrong.”

“I know that.” It must have come out sharper than David

intended. He paused a moment before continuing. “Lucas, you
don‟t always think things through. You barrel in with your heart or
your hormones or both and you don‟t think about the
consequences.”

“I think you might be confusing me with your partner.”
“Carver‟s not the one who fucked a potentially violent suspect

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out of an overly developed sense of chivalry.”

They both knew David had hit a nerve with that. Lucas tamped

down the flare of anger it provoked and said, “But you didn‟t offer
up any useful alternatives, did you?”

“I could have. I could have put you in formal protective

custody and gone in undercover myself.”

“Do you really think you could pass yourself off as me?”
“I wouldn‟t have needed to. Do you think Martin Wells would

have cared what young piece of ass walked in that door, as long as
it was someone good looking and willing to take his shit?”

Lucas wanted to argue that years of taking Marty‟s shit had

earned  him  the  man‟s  confidences.  But  Marty  had  always  talked,
even  in  the  beginning,  saying  more  than  he  should.  Lucas  was  a
whore,  though,  and  a  good  whore  kept  what  he  heard  to  himself.
Whore,  damn.  He  hadn‟t  thought  of  himself  like  that  in  a  long
time. But dress it up however you like, taking money for sex made
you a whore.

“I‟m not trying to hurt you, Lucas,” David said. “I just want to

make sure you‟re thinking this through.”

“You want me to back off.”
David hesitated, then blew out a breath. “I‟m not sure I do.” He

leaned back as the server brought Lucas‟ order to the table. When
she was gone again, he went on. “He could be very good for you.
And I think you could be good for him. But you need to be sure
you‟re thinking about the compromises you might have to make if
this is going to be more than a fling.”

“I don‟t have flings.”
“Meaning you need to think about what this will entail for both

of you to continue.”

“You aren‟t my father.”

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“I‟m your friend, Lucas. If you‟d stop being childish for a

minute, you‟d know I‟m right.”

That was the problem. David was right. “Your concerns have

been noted. Now, can we please move on?”

David gave him a fleeting smile. “Yes. Anything of note to

report on your end?”

“Fenton is prejudiced against sex workers and has a vicious

enough personality to have a lot of enemies. I wouldn‟t put it past
some twisted fuck to be killing his boy-toys just to piss him off.”

David frowned. “That means Mike‟s now a target if Fenton

continues to take interest in him.”

Something Lucas knew he should have realized sooner. Now

that he did, it made his earlier flare of jealousy seem even pettier.
“I don‟t think there‟s a doubt about that.”

“What do you mean?”
“Fenton‟s angling to get a starring vehicle for Mike, so I don‟t

think he‟s losing interest anytime soon.”

“Christ.” David rubbed his eyes. “I had a bad feeling about this

case from the start.”

“I don‟t see how you could have a good feeling about it. But

we‟re all too invested in this to pull out now.”

“Sounds like I need to pull everyone in and touch base. How‟s

Finesterre handling it?”

“Fine. He‟s fine with it.”
David was reading him again. “And that bothers you.”
“Of course it bothers me. It should bother anyone with an

ounce of sense.”

David stared him down.
“What?”
“You fell hard and fast.”

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Lucas slumped back in his seat. “Christ, I know.”
“I‟m sorry. If I had realized, I‟d have spared you the lecture

before.”

“No, you wouldn‟t have. And you weren‟t wrong. I just… He‟s

not that special, David. Not rich or powerful or experienced. Yet
when I‟m with him, I feel completely out of my depth.”

David grinned. “Welcome to my world.”
“Oh, you‟re hilarious.”
“Have you told him any of this?”
“You‟re the one who just pointed out we‟ve known each other

for three days. And he‟s a cop. How much future do you honestly
see for us?”

“How much of a future would you see for someone like me

with someone like Carver? You and Finesterre have a hell of a lot
more in common than Carver and I did.”

“Yeah, but you were both on the same side of the law at least.”
“Barely. And if you‟ll recall, some cops don‟t have a problem

with sex workers.”

“You and Carver are different. You said it yourself. Mike is

very black-and-white. I don‟t know how he‟s justified this to
himself short term, but it will never sustain anything beyond this
case.”

“Why not ask him?”
“What, and cut out all the drama and angst?” Lucas replied, the

words dripping with sarcasm. “Then it would end all the sooner.”

“Or not. Hell, he‟s surprised us all by what he‟s willing and

able to do. Maybe he‟s not as black-and-white as we assume.”

It was a temptation Lucas couldn‟t risk. “A bird in the hand and

all that. Especially if the bird is a cock. Are we done here?”

David took a slow sip of his coffee before responding. “I

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suppose we are.”

“Good.” Lucas fished out his wallet to cover the bill.
David didn‟t argue, but asked, “Mind if I have your pie?”
Like so many things in his life, ordering the slice had seemed

like a good idea at the time. “Help yourself.”

David reached for the plate, but caught Lucas‟ wrist instead. “It

doesn‟t have to be a problem. One of you could change.”

“He‟s not going to quit being a cop, David, and what else am I

supposed to do? I‟m an escort, and a damn good one. I‟m proud of
my work and I like my job. Do you really see either one of us
changing?”

Expression sad, David took the pie. “Don‟t do anything tonight

that I wouldn‟t do.”

That left him a lot of leeway.

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CHAPTER 16

Mike finished packing up the camera gear for the day. The last

scene had seemed to take forever to shoot, but it was done and he
was done. And that meant he could go home, shower, and meet up
with Lucas. He turned to leave and almost tripped over John
Fenton.

“Mr. Fenton. Sorry, I wasn‟t even looking where I was going.”
The man gave him a reassuring smile. “No need to apologize.

It‟s my fault for sneaking up on you.”

Mike wasn‟t sure what else to say. He settled on, “Good work

today.”

John gave him a small, smug smile. “I‟m glad you appreciated

it. We could talk about it more over dinner. Tonight.” His tone
implied he didn‟t expect no for an answer.

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Except Lucas was waiting for Mike.
“Just dinner,” John said, though Mike was sure there was no

such thing with the man.

“I, um, sort of already had plans. Tonight.”
“For dinner?”
“No, but—”
“Then there‟s no problem, is there?” John clapped him on the

shoulder. “See you out front in five.”

Well, fuck.
But Mike was here to do a job. And if something John could

tell him could help them break open this case, then he‟d be a pretty
shit cop after all, wouldn‟t he?

He wasn‟t sure whether to take it as a good sign or not that he

didn‟t have to talk to Lucas directly when he tried to call him.

“Hey, Lucas, it‟s Mike,” he said once Lucas‟ message finished.

“I might be later than I thought. There‟s a lead I need to follow up
on. I‟ll call again if anything changes.”

He didn‟t have anything better to change into than the jeans

and the layered shirts he‟d worn to work that day, so when he came
out to find John dressed in dark trousers and a pressed, fresh dark
blue dress shirt, he felt out of place. “Maybe we should do this
another night.”

“Nonsense. You look fine. The man makes the clothes, not the

other way around.”

“Okay, I guess.”
“My car‟s this way.” John led him over to a silver Mercedes

SLS AMG. The man liked a fast, stylish ride.

He popped the gullwing doors and waited beside it while Mike

got in. The whole thing had the uncomfortable feeling of a date.

John didn‟t speak again until he was pulling out of the parking

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lot. “So, Michael—”

“I prefer Mike. If you don‟t mind.”
“Michael is a good, strong name. You should use it.”
“I do. In appropriate situations.”
“Your mother, charming as she may be, isn‟t the only person to

whom it would be appropriate.”

No, and the fact that his favorite time to hear it was when he

was making Lucas come apart was none of John‟s business. “Just
Mike is fine.”

“Shame.” John gave a dismissive shrug. “So, Just Mike, how

long before we get you in front of the camera again?”

Never would be great. “Uh, as soon as there‟s another part for

me.”

John grinned. “That‟s what I like to hear.”
He drove with one hand on the wheel, one on the gear shift, but

Mike could almost feel the anticipation of John shifting that hand
to rest on his knee instead.

“I‟m not an actor,” he said, trying to keep John‟s attention on

other things.

“Maybe not by trade, but you do have a certain natural talent

that could take you far.”

“Could?”
“Well, it won‟t take you anywhere if you keep playing gofer

for Paolo.”

“I‟ve learned a lot from Paolo.” Which was nothing more than

the truth. “He‟s been good to me.”

“Other people will be good to you, too, Mich—Mike. And

honestly, how much are you making behind the camera? Twenty,
twenty-five an hour? In front of the camera, you earn five times
that, not including your signing fee. Easy money for a young man

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with your talents.”

“There‟s no such thing as easy money,” Mike replied before he

could stop himself.

“Oh, but there is.”
“No, you always have to give something to get something. And

the more money you get, the more you have to give up.”

“You kids are so cynical these days. As long as you have a

brain in your head, there are plenty of ways to tip the scales in your
favor.”

“Why do you even care? You don‟t know me.”
“But I know what you could be, what you could become, if you

just let me shape you. Trust me, Michael, and I could make sure
you have everything you want.”

“In other words, I wouldn‟t be me anymore.”
“A better version of you.”
“I‟m rather happy with the version I am.”
“Bashful and blushing on the sidelines, always following, never

leading. Yes, I can see how that would make anyone happy.”

“I think maybe you‟d better drop me off.”
Now the hand did come over. “I‟m sorry, Mike. I‟m being too

aggressive. I just hate to see talent wasted. You‟re young, you‟re
still learning who you are, who you could be. I want to help you.”

“I‟m not as young as you think.”
“Young enough to an old man like me.”
“You‟re far from old, John.”
“There are days it doesn‟t feel that way.”
He didn‟t pull away from John‟s hand, as much as he wanted

to. “You wouldn‟t have a job at Magnum if you were old.”

“I wouldn‟t have a job at Magnum if I wasn‟t who I was.”
“You‟re more than just history, John. People are still interested

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in watching you.”

“As a cautionary tale. The Porn Star Who Stayed Too Long.”
Mike‟s lips twitched. “Sounds like a good title for a mystery.”
“Not in our business. It would just be a bad pun about cock

size.”

“Porn does thrive on bad puns.”
“It sure doesn‟t waste its time on interesting plots or

meaningful dialogue.”

“Why did you come back? It doesn‟t seem to be for the love of

the medium.”

Much to his relief, John removed his hand from Mike‟s knee to

rest on the steering wheel. “Too much leisure time, and I missed
the atmosphere. My ego really missed it.”

“Boredom?” Mike asked and made it clear he wasn‟t buying it.
John glanced over at Mike and shook his head. “You‟re wasted

behind  the  scenes.”  His  lips  tightened  into  a  thin  line  partway
between a grimace and a smirk. “I came back for the money. When
the  economy  tanked,  most  of  my  investments  went  down  with  it.
And  since  I‟m  accustomed  to  living  in  a  certain  manner  and  not
keen to give it up, here I am.”

“That can‟t have been easy.”
“Aileen couldn‟t believe her luck the day I walked in. Easiest

job I ever got.”

“No, I mean having to swallow your pride and go back to it.”
“I suppose that‟s your trade-off. What I‟ve had to swallow as

far as pride goes has more than been made up to my ego.”

John downshifted as the road sloped. “So what is it you do

want, Mike? If not a career in adult film.”

That was the big question these days, wasn‟t it? “I used to think

I knew. Now…” He shrugged. “Things got complicated.” Real

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fast.

“Welcome to life,” John said wryly. “There‟s two things you

can do about that.”

“Oh?”
“Let it be complicated or uncomplicate it.”
“It‟s not that simple.”
“It‟s always that simple.”
It would be the easiest thing in the world to prove John wrong,

but that would mean blowing his cover. How could you possibly
uncomplicate a cop in love with a sex worker? “You wouldn‟t
understand.”

“Ah, the eternal complaint of youth. Grownups never

understand. Because, of course, we weren‟t young once ourselves.”

“It was different then.”
“You‟re right; it was. You get to be out, Michael. It may not be

perfect,  but it‟s better than  when I  was  your age. You  get  to live
your  life,  not  be  ashamed  or  afraid.  You  get  „domestic
partnerships,‟” he said with a sneer, “and civil marriages, visitation
rights  and  adoption.  You  get  to  have  a  real  life,  Michael.  Stop
acting like you‟re so deprived.”

Mike was so startled by the outburst that he didn‟t protest the

use of his full name. With the surprise, though, came a flash of
understanding. “Who did you lose?”

John‟s expression hardened, closing him off. “It doesn‟t

matter.”

“Yes, it does,” Mike pressed.
“The past is past.”
Backing off was the smart thing to do, but Mike was tired of

doing the smart thing. And it wasn‟t like John would give him the
same courtesy. “Is that why you came back?”

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“I came back for the money, nothing more. I‟m hardly going to

recapture my lost youth parading around as an aging queen on
film, am I?”

“I‟m sorry.”
“Well, you should be. You children, you all think your lives are

so hard. You don‟t know, you can‟t ever know, what hard is.”

Before Mike could respond, his phone rang.
“You should get that,” John snapped.
Mike could tell he wasn‟t going to get any further with this, so

he pulled out his phone.

It was Lucas. “Missed you at the studio, lover.”
“Sorry. I went out with John.”
John‟s hands tightened on the wheel at the sound of his name.
“Interesting. Should I be jealous?”
“I don‟t know. Should you?”
“Whether I should or not, I am a bit. Are we still on for later?”
Mike shifted, his back to John. “I hope so. I‟m looking forward

to it.”

“Don‟t let John wear you out.”
“I‟ll see you tonight,” was all Mike said before hanging up.
“So the newbie is your boyfriend.”
How did he— Right, caller ID. “I wouldn‟t say boyfriend. Like

I told you, it‟s complicated.”

“Hooking up with a gigolo will do that.”
“He‟s not—” But he was. “It‟s not like that.”
John shrugged. “Not my concern. You deserve better than a

used-up hooker, though.”

Mike spotted a bus stop up ahead. It wasn‟t on his route, but it

was good enough. “Let me out at the corner.”

“What happened to dinner?”

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“I don‟t think dinner is a good idea for either of us right now.”
“I didn‟t mean—”
“Yes, you did. I know you don‟t think much of Lucas, but that

doesn‟t give you the right to insult him the way you do. Now pull
over.”

John did, with more force than was necessary. But, Mike was

more and more certain, that was the type of man he was.

Reaching across Mike to punch the door release, he spat,

“You‟re throwing away a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”

“A chance to end up bitter and selfish like you? No, thanks.”

He slammed the door shut and walked away.

Once John pulled away, Mike dug out his phone.
“Well, that was fast,” Lucas said when he picked up.
“Save the shit for later. Do you think you could come pick me

up?”

Lucas hesitated. “I can‟t. I‟m tied up for a couple of hours and

can‟t get away.”

“But you can answer the phone?” Maybe Mike was still keyed

up from the encounter with Fenton, but no one hesitated without a
reason. “Are you working right now?” The words left his mouth
before he could stop them.

There was a very long pause from Lucas‟ end.
Mike‟s stomach heaved. “Never mind…it‟s none of my

business.”

“Mike, wait—”
“I‟ll see you at the studio tomorrow.”
He hung up before Lucas could say anything else.
It was for the best anyway. Mike was a cop, and Lucas was

what he was. Last night had been good, but… Okay, it had been
fucking amazing. Still, good as it was, better for things to end now

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CHAPTER 17

Lucas stared at his phone for a long minute, wondering what in

the hell had just happened. Something had happened between Mike
and Fenton, enough to upset Mike. And then…well, apparently
Lucas‟ acting skills weren‟t as good as he‟d thought. One little
hesitation and Mike knew everything. Seemed he was a better cop
than any of them thought. Shit.

Not that Lucas was hiding anything or had lied, exactly, but…

Why the hell did he feel so guilty for doing his job?

A soft whimper from the bed recaptured his attention.
Speaking of his job…
Dennis crouched there, hog tied and on his knees, cock bound

in a tight harness attached to the collar around his neck, a fat dildo
vibrating madly in his ass. Lucas rose with domineering grace and

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strode over to the bed, grabbed a fistful of Dennis‟ hair and yanked
it back. “Do you think you‟ve earned my cock yet, you dirty little
fuck?”

Dennis‟ face was wet as he shook his head.
“Unless it‟s the safe word, I don‟t want to hear another sound

from you before I give you permission. Is that clear?”

Dennis gave a full body shudder before nodding emphatically.
Lucas caressed the back of Dennis‟ skull before stepping away.

“Good boy.”

It was then he realized that he really didn‟t want to be here,

doing this… Danny had been right; perhaps it was time to get out
of the business. Dennis was good enough company, and Lucas
generally enjoyed these sessions, but right now he‟d much rather
be with Michael, laughing over dinner, flirting, teasing, just being
with him. There was no real joy for Lucas in…this.

But he still had a job to do and the existential crisis could wait.
Making sure he was in Dennis‟ line of sight, he opened his

trousers, pulling out his shirt without bothering to unbutton it. This
was  what  Dennis  was  paying  for—humiliation  and  domination.
The  clothes completed the  imagery.  Lucas‟  half-soft erection just
added to the image, so he didn‟t worry about it too much. Dennis
would love it, the thought that he wasn‟t worth Lucas‟ full interest.
A  bit  of  doggie-style  frottage  and  thoughts  of  Michael‟s  mouth
would be enough to bring him to full hardness to finish the job he
was being paid for.

But all the usual satisfaction in it was gone.

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CHAPTER 18

Lucas arrived at the studio an hour before he was due in to

guarantee he had time to talk with Mike.

He ran into Scotty at the main entrance.
“Good morning, sunshine. You‟re here early today.”
“And you seem to be running late.”
She snorted and held up her coffee. “Been here since seven. I

needed a decent pick-me-up to get through the rest of the morning.
Fucking accounting is going to be the death of me.”

“Figuratively rather than literally, I hope, considering what

we‟re investigating.”

“Hell, right now I‟d welcome an attempt on my life if it got this

damn case moving forward. Don‟t suppose you can do anything to
get our bad guy‟s attention, can you?”

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“Since John‟s not interested in me, I‟d have to go with no on

that.”

“That‟s got to sting.”
“More than I thought it would.”
She grinned. “So how are things with Mickey Fine?”
Not great, going by the number of unreturned texts. He‟d been

too much of a coward to call. “Your guess is as good as mine,”
Lucas said with a grumble.

Scotty‟s good humor faltered. “Oh, hell, what‟s going on?”
“Nothing. I don‟t know. Why, do you know something?” That

wasn‟t overeager or anything.

“That went from nothing to something pretty fast.”
“Things were fine, I thought. Then he went out for dinner with

John and—”

Her eyes went wide. “Long John John?”
“One and the same.”
She let out a low whistle. “Didn‟t think the kid had it in him.”
“He didn‟t.” Lucas clenched his jaw.
“Sure of that, are you?”
“I doubt he would have called me for a ride not five minutes

after telling me on the phone he‟d see me later.”

“And you didn‟t pick him up, why?”
“I was with a client. I couldn‟t very well leave the guy bound

and gagged to go pick up my boyfriend, could I?” Yet it didn‟t stop
him from wishing he had.

“So Mike is your boyfriend.”
Lucas let out a frustrated growl. “Fuck if I know what‟s going

on anymore.”

“And you were with a client? Does he know?”
“The kid‟s a good cop.”

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“What‟s that supposed to mean?”
“I hesitated for two seconds to figure out what to say, and

Michael read me like a book. And hung up before I could even
attempt to explain.”

“Let me get this straight,” Scotty said, frowning. “You had

a…client meeting and a date with your boyfriend scheduled for the
same evening?”

“I was working. It‟s no big deal.”
Scotty just stared him down.
“He knows what I do!”
“But not that you‟re doing it concurrent with the investigation.”
“It‟s my job, Scotty.”
She glared at him. “You should have told him.”
“There was never any chance to.” Everything had happened

between them so fast.

“Tell me what?”
The look of horror on Scotty‟s face matched the sudden sick

feeling in Lucas‟ gut.

“Hey, Mike!” Scotty said, overly cheerful. She caught hold of

Lucas‟ left wrist and made a show of checking out his watch.
“Boy, look at the time. I‟d better get back inside. Those numbers
won‟t crunch themselves.”

And before Lucas or Mike could respond, she darted inside.
“You two seemed serious,” Mike said at last.
“Just Scotty being her usual nosey self.”
“About what?”
“You, mostly.”
“Oh, Christ, you told her about John, didn‟t you?”
“I didn‟t think it was a big secret or anything. Was it supposed

to be?”

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“No, of course not. But it‟s not like Scotty needs more

ammunition for teasing me.”

“She won‟t. I think she feels as bad as everyone else about you

getting sucked into this the way you have. She knows you didn‟t
do anything to lead John on.”

“Lead him on?”
“The man has taken quite the interest in you, Mike. It‟s easy for

people to read more into that than there is.”

“You don‟t really think he‟s… He hasn‟t tried anything.”
“Knowing what I know about him, he probably wants you in

his debt first. It‟s that goody-two-shoes vibe of yours. He doesn‟t
want to scare you off until you feel too obligated to run.”

Mike‟s face darkened. “Goody-two-shoes. Christ, I‟m not sure

if that‟s better or worse than being patronized by Fenton or not.”

Lucas sighed. Going on the offensive because he was defensive

wasn‟t the way to do this. Mike hadn‟t done anything wrong. And
while Lucas hadn‟t either, he sure as hell felt like it. “Mike, about
last night. I‟m sorry about—”

Shaking his head, Mike said, “Don‟t. There‟s nothing to be

sorry about. You were doing…your thing.”

Lucas reached for him. “Michael, please, I—”
Mike took a definitive step back. “I said don‟t, Lucas. It is what

it is and probably for the best. I need to get inside. Paolo‟s going to
wonder where I‟ve gotten off to.”

“It shouldn‟t end like this.”
Despite his blush, Mike‟s features were hard. “There‟s nothing

to end, Lucas. Now I‟m going inside to do my job, and I suggest
you do the same.”

Stunned, Lucas just let him go. He stared at the door long after

it closed behind Mike, daring it to tell him how he could have done

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CHAPTER 19

Mike almost turned around once he entered the studio. He was

taking out his frustrations on Lucas and that wasn‟t fair. Yet Lucas
was guilty of the same assumptions everyone else made about
Mike—innocent, easy to manipulate, goody-two-shoes. That last
one really stung.

Seeing Lucas and Scotty clearly discussing him had pissed

Mike off more than anything else. He‟d more or less made his
peace with Lucas fucking a client or whatever he did. Hell, he had
even made up his mind this morning to talk to Lucas, in person,
like an adult to maybe sort things out between them. But true to his
red hair, Mike had a matching temper and the “protecting Mikey”
powwow going on had thrown everything else out the window.

What was done was done.

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He went through the rest of the day torn between remorse and

anger. At least he wasn‟t working on Lucas‟ shoot and didn‟t have
to watch him with other men all day while his own guts were
churning.

After the last shoot, Barry came down off the set, wrapping

himself in a terry robe as he walked over to where Mike was
coiling cable. “You look like a man with a lot on his mind.”

Mike kept working. “That obvious, huh?”
“Considering the scene we just shot and how you weren‟t even

close to blushing, yeah, I‟d say your mind was elsewhere.”

“You see one fisting scene, you‟ve seen them all.” Mike tried

for light and knew he missed by a mile.

“That‟s an awful lot of cynicism there. Sounds like you need a

drink.”

“A drink?”
Barry chuckled. “Maybe more than one. But I like to start slow

on a work night.” Clapping Mike on the shoulder, Barry started to
walk away. “Let me go shower and we‟ll go find a nice dive bar to
forget the day in.”

Mike didn‟t hesitate. “Yeah. That sounds good.”
“Great!” Barry grinned. “I‟ll be back in fifteen tops.”
Stowing his gear didn‟t kill half as much time as Mike hoped,

so he was left with nothing to do until Barry returned except mull
over how crazy things had gotten in such a short time. Lucas and
Fenton and doing porn, behind and in front of the camera, and…
God, what a mess.

He spied Lucas just off stage, dressed in the ubiquitous terry

robe that Barry had worn. Mike tried not to notice how much better
it hung on Lucas. Well, it had been good while it lasted. Part of
Mike wanted to go over and apologize for flying off the handle, for

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getting upset at Lucas continuing to do his job, for…

Fortunately, Barry returned before Mike could go any farther

down that depressing path.

“Ready?” Barry asked.
“Very,” Mike replied and followed Barry out.

* * *

Barry‟s dive bar wasn‟t the diviest bar Mike had ever been to,

but the atmosphere was casual and the drinks were cheap. That was
all that mattered.

“So,” Barry said once they were seated at a table well removed

from the main traffic of the bar, “what‟s wrong?”

Mike eyed him over the rim of his glass and finished taking a

hearty swallow. “I‟ve had one shot and two sips of beer. I‟m not
even close to the spill my guts stage.”

Barry shrugged. “Yeah, I always do that backwards. I prefer to

get things off my chest first, then drink until I forget both the
telling and the problems. Makes the rest of the evening more
enjoyable.”

“Get the drama out of the way upfront,” Mike considered.

“That‟s not a horrible idea.”

“So?”
Mike took another drink.
“I presume it‟s boyfriend trouble.”
“That easy to tell?”
“Only relationships drive us to drink. He have a problem with

you and Lucas?”

Mike snapped up to stare at him.
Barry shrugged. “That day on the set…well, I can‟t imagine

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any boyfriend would be too forgiving of that.”

“Not when they‟re the same person,” Mike replied without

thinking.

“Yes! I knew I was right. And Rory owes me fifty bucks.”
“Wait, what?”
“Little wager we had going. The way you look at him and he

looks at you when you don‟t think either of you are paying
attention…it was easy money.”

“Glad I‟m so fucking predictable.”
“Mike, we‟re guys. We‟re all fucking predictable.”
“Apparently I‟m more predictable than the rest.” He downed

the rest of his beer and signaled for another.

“I‟m getting the sense I‟ve struck a nerve.”
“Just a bit.”
“Okay then. We won‟t talk about him anymore.” When the

waitress brought Mike‟s beer, Barry ordered wings and fries and,
true to his word, didn‟t talk about Lucas any more.

Barry was easy to be with. Mike couldn‟t talk about his life as a

cop, but that was okay. They talked about school a little, sports a
lot, and Barry shared stories from the set until Mike was laughing
hysterically.

When he caught his breath again, Mike said, “Thank you for

this. I didn‟t realize how much I needed to just relax, I guess.”

“Well, I‟d be lying if I said my motives were entirely selfless.”
“I‟d be surprised if they were.”
Barry caught his chin, and the last traces of Mike‟s laughter

died away as Barry‟s fingers caressed along his jaw. “Let me know
if I should stop.” He took his time getting closer, until his lips
brushed against Mike‟s.

After a moment‟s hesitation, Mike leaned into the contact,

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CHAPTER 20

Lucas hadn‟t thought it possible, but he was starting to get tired

of  sex.  Of  course,  working  with  Long  John  the  Diva  and
Perfectionist  would  kill  anyone‟s  sex  drive.  They  hadn‟t  finished
filming  until  ten  the  night  before.  All  Lucas  had  the  energy  for
when he got home was making it to his bed before passing out in
it.

And less than twelve hours later, he was back at the studio

ready to do it all over again.

Ready being a subjective term.
More than anything, he wanted to see Mike. They needed to

talk. Lucas wasn‟t going to be good for much until they settled
things between them one way or another.

Of course, once he did find Mike, he almost wished he hadn‟t.

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A lanky blond reclined off to the side while Mike set up his

camera for an upcoming shot. There was an ease between them as
they talked that left Lucas feeling jealous. Which was ridiculous.

Then blondie leaned close and murmured something in Mike‟s

ear, making Mike laugh.

The casualness was too familiar to Lucas. Clients had been that

way with him all too many times.

He could be a drama queen about the whole thing. It was

tempting. But what was the fucking point? It wasn‟t as though they
had made any sort of promises to each other.

Damn it.
Maybe if they had—
What was done was done.
Before he could do anything he‟d regret, Lucas turned on his

heel and went to wardrobe. There was work to do, after all.

And since his luck was going so well today…
Fenton was in there.
“Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed today.”
“Fuck you, too, Fenton,” Lucas said with a growl.
Fenton chuckled. “Seems little Michael has more balls than

either of us thought.”

“Yeah, well, good for him. I hope he‟s very happy.”
“Poor little rent-boy. Couldn‟t keep his attention, could you?”
“Don‟t think this makes your position any better, Fenton. I

wasn‟t the one keeping Mike from falling into your lap.”

Fenton wasn‟t fazed. “Bad timing on my part. I got eager and

acted too soon. But you know how appealing the boy‟s innocence
is. Well, supposed innocence. He‟s got quite a pair on him if you
push him hard enough.”

Lucas ignored him.

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“A shame you didn‟t get there sooner. Maybe you‟d be the one

spooning up to him now, instead of hiding in the dressing rooms
wondering what might have been.”

“Hate to tell you, John, but that ship‟s already sailed. Mike and

I had several glorious, ferocious fucks, which make the playacting
you do on camera look like a teenage circle jerk. And how about
you? For all you offered him, just how far did you get with him?”

If looks could kill.
“I‟m sorry, John. I didn‟t quite catch that.”
“You jumped-up little whore!” The last word came out as a

roar as John lunged for him.

Lucas had just enough time to dodge aside. Fenton crashed

through a nearby rack of clothing instead of into Lucas. There was
something to be said for rage because Fenton recovered quickly.
“I‟ll have your ass canned for this, son.”

“Good luck with that. You‟re the one who attacked me,

jackass.”

“Your word against mine.” Fenton grinned coldly and stalked

out.

Fan-fucking-tastic. Lucas knew he couldn‟t have made more of

a mess of this if he‟d tried.

Ten minutes later, he was called to Aileen‟s office.
“What the hell happened?”
“It was just a pissing contest. I hit a nerve with John, and he

came at me.”

“He says you attacked him.”
“Only his male pride.”
“You didn‟t shove him into a clothing rack?”
“No, he did that all on his own. All I did was get out of the way

when he lunged at me.”

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Aileen sighed and leaned back in her chair. “I figured as much.

John‟s temper is as notorious as, well, everything else about him.”

“I‟m pretty sure he was trying to bait me into throwing the first

punch.”

She rubbed her forehead. “Taking that man on has been more

of a curse than a blessing. You aren‟t the first one to get into a
fight with him.” She sighed. “But I can‟t let it pass.”

“The investigation—”
“I didn‟t mean you, sunshine. No amount of profit is worth the

aggravation he‟s caused. I should have let him go after he got into
that fight with Colin Wills.”

“Aileen, no. You know I‟m just temporary. I don‟t want to cost

you two actors.”

“I‟ve lost more than that since he came on. No, I need to clean

house.” Pushing her chair back, she stood up. “Go home, Lucas. I
think we‟re going to be shutting down for the day anyway, once
I‟ve done what needs to be done.”

“Aileen, I‟m sorry. I‟ll stay on to finish this project.”
“That‟s very generous of you, Lucas.”
“I like you. I don‟t want to see you get screwed.”
“Isn‟t that what I got into this business for?”
“I figured you got into it to watch other people get screwed.”
Her smile was fleeting. “Yeah, I‟ve always been a voyeur. How

better to scratch that itch than start up your own porn studio?”

“Anything I can do to help, Aileen, let me know.”
“Oh, I‟ll be taking you up on that, don‟t you worry.” She gave

him a gentle shove. “Now go home.”

“Yes, ma‟am.”
When he kissed her temple, she swatted him away, blushing.
He went to find Scotty.

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And found her cursing at her computer in the accounting office.
“God damned son of a bitching piece of— Lucas!”
“Thanks. As if my ego hasn‟t suffered enough today.”
She frowned. “What‟s going on?”
“We need to talk.” He nodded to the door.
“Right, gotcha.”
There were already mutters and whispers in the hall as they

made their way to the back door. Scotty picked up on it. “What‟s
going on?”

“Not here.”
He didn‟t see Mike on the way.
Lucas shut the door behind them and leaned against it. “John

Fenton is about to get fired.”

“What? Why?”
“For being a jackass.”
“That‟s not new. Why now?”
“He took a swing at me. Aileen‟s had enough.”
“Well, shit.”
“Are we screwed?”
“Let me think. Damn it, we were so sure the killer was

targeting Fenton. If we lose him, it‟s going to be harder to keep an
eye on him.”

“But he‟s not the one being murdered. The guys he takes on

are. And they‟re not getting fired.”

“Unless they walk out in a show of support.”
“Have you met Fenton?”
“Okay, you‟re right.” She chewed on the edge of a fingernail.

“Mike‟s on his list now. Whoever‟s doing this may still have their
sights on him, whether Fenton‟s here or not.”

“Or maybe the killer‟s targeting guys who cross Fenton.”

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Scotty clenched her fist. “There‟s not much we can do about it

now. What‟s happening in there?”

“Aileen‟s firing John and closing up shop for the day.”
“Okay then, go home. I‟ll take this to Lieutenant Logan and

figure out our next steps. And—” She caught his arm as he started
to open the door. “Watch yourself. If it‟s someone taking out
Fenton‟s rivals, you‟ve definitely put yourself on that list, too.”

“It wouldn‟t be the first time I was a target,” he said. “Keep me

posted if anything comes up.”

Mike was in the hall with the others when they came back in.

“Aileen‟s fired John.”

“We know.”
Mike looked directly at Lucas for the first time in days. “Did

you do this?”

“Not on purpose.”
“What do you mean?”
“Fenton tried picking a fight with me. When that didn‟t work,

he lunged for me and got a face full of wardrobe for his troubles.
All I did was not rise to his bait and then step out of the way.”

“Christ, you know what this does. The inv—”
Lucas clamped a hand over Mike‟s mouth. “Yeah, I know.

Already talked with Scotty. She‟s working on it.”

Mike‟s eyes went wide, and Lucas cursed himself for noticing

the flush that pinked the tops of his ears. God damn you, Michael
Finesterre.

For the second time that day, Lucas forced himself to walk

away. “I‟ll see you around, Mike.”

“Lucas, wait.”
Lucas kept walking.

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CHAPTER 21

The thought of a long afternoon idle didn‟t appeal to Mike. It

left him too much time to think. He would have liked to go into the
office, but they were still undercover and he had to protect his
story. Hell, sometimes it was hard to remember he was even a cop
and he hadn‟t even been undercover a week.

He could call Barry, he supposed. They‟d had a good time the

night before, but it wasn‟t the kind of relationship where you could
just call up and hang out together.

His relationship with Lucas had been heading in that direction

until he got cold feet.

Although, now was as good a time as any to discuss things with

Lucas. They needed to talk, to either fix things or make a clean
break of it. He pulled up Lucas‟ number and put the call through

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before he could think twice.

Mike wasn‟t sure whether to be relieved or not when Lucas

didn‟t pick up. It was tempting just to hang up, but caller ID would
tell Lucas he‟d called, so…

“Hey, it‟s Mike. I just wanted to… Hell, I don‟t know. I‟m not

sure what‟s going on between us, but they aren‟t good right now
and I don‟t want them not to be even if… And I‟m not making any
sense. Just call me, all right?”

Lucas didn‟t call him back.
The longer Mike‟s phone didn‟t ring, the more determined he

became. He tried again at three, and by four he decided to go over
to Lucas‟ apartment. The sooner they got this resolved, the sooner
they could both get on with their lives, one way or another.

Lucas‟ car was parked out front when the cab dropped Mike off

at the complex. Not that car equaled at home. But it was a better
sign than anything else Mike had gotten all day.

It wasn‟t until he found himself staring at Lucas‟ door that

Mike hesitated. Lucas might not be home or busy or sleeping or
not want to see him, and Mike should just give up and go home.
He‟d taken three steps down the hall, walking back to the elevator
when he turned around. No, he had to try.

Taking a deep breath, he knocked twice and waited.
And waited.
Silence.
He knocked again. “Lucas, it‟s Mike. If you‟re there and don‟t

want to talk to me, fine. But at least tell me to go. I‟ll go.”

Again, he waited.
Silence.
Lucas probably wasn‟t home and Mike was making a fool of

himself for nothing.

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Sighing, he walked away. Well, he‟d tried. That was

something, right?

He didn‟t make it to the elevator.
If Lucas was out with someone else or, God forbid, another

client,  Mike  didn‟t  want  to  know.  But  if  he  was  avoiding  Mike,
this  could  go  on  for  days.  Mike  hated  the  feel  of  it  hanging  over
him,  like  a  weight  ready  to  fall  and  crush  him.  Either  way,  there
was only one reasonable option. He was here already, so…

It was easy enough to sound stern, flash his badge and get the

building manager to let him into Lucas‟ apartment.

Once inside, it became very clear why Lucas hadn‟t answered.
The place was trashed, and Lucas was nowhere to be found.
Shit.
Logan picked up on the first ring.
“Sir, Lucas is in trouble. I think our killer has him.”

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CHAPTER 22

Lucas‟ head throbbed.
It had been a long time since he‟d felt this bad after… After…

What had he been doing?

He cracked open one eye and found himself in a dimly lit

room. There was a faded quality to everything, worn around the
edges, like a cheap motel room. Blinking, he opened his other eye
to get a better look. Yeah, definitely a cheap motel room. He‟d
been in too many to mistake his surroundings for anything else.

“Good, you‟re awake.”
“Awake is a relative term.” He tried to sit up, but was stopped

by cords tying his wrists to the legs of the bed he was sprawled on.
Panic roused him to his senses fully, and he realized that not only
were his hands bound, but so were his feet. His shoes and socks

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were gone, although the rest of his clothing was still intact. “What
in the…” Then the voice that had just spoken registered. “John?”

The bed dipped to the right as John took a seat on the edge.

“You put up a hell of a fight. You should be proud of yourself. The
others didn‟t even try.”

Lucas frowned. “Others?”
“Of course they trusted me. You never did, did you?” John‟s

smile was cold. “Guess there‟s more to you than just your looks.
Not much more. But…”

Lucas tried to recall what had happened. He‟d gone straight

home from the studio, showered, crashed for a few hours, found a
couple missed calls from Mike…there‟d been a knock at his door
and—

“Come on, newbie, don‟t make me spell it out for you.”
Lucas started fighting against the cords holding him.
“Don‟t be ridiculous, son. I was doing bondage before your

daddy hit puberty. You aren‟t getting out, although that‟s going to
leave some very pretty marks on that perfect skin of yours.”

The bonds seemed to grow tighter the more he struggled, so

Lucas stopped. Of course Fenton knew what he was doing.

“So why aren‟t I dead yet? Are you planning on talking me to

death?”

“In a hurry to get this over?”
“Well, you aren‟t paying me, so I don‟t have to take your

bullshit.”

“Son, I have you tied up and hold your life in my hands. You

have to take my bullshit.”

“If I‟m going to end up dead either way, I‟d prefer to do it not

stroking your ego.”

“Mighty brave words, coming from a two-bit whore. But then

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maybe you‟re used to being treated like this, tied up, threatened.
Part and parcel of a hooker‟s life, isn‟t it?”

Lucas laughed, surprising them both. “John, I know you

envision  yourself as this great Shakespearean porn actor, but  give
the  over-the-top  villainy  a  rest.  Yeah,  I‟m  whore.  And  a  damned
good  one,  judging  by  my  bank  account  and  clientele.  So  insult
away, you second-rate hack.”

John backhanded him hard enough to make his head ring. “You

fucking infants have no respect for anything. This business is so
damn easy for you because of guys like me, you little prick. But
none of you can be bothered to think about that, can you? Too busy
laughing at the old man behind his back.”

Lucas worked his jaw. Well, the man had a hell of an arm on

him. “Maybe if you weren‟t such an asshole they wouldn‟t be
laughing in the first place.”

John opened his mouth, but a phone rang, interrupting

whatever he was going to say.

He didn‟t take his eyes off Lucas as he snapped the phone to

his face. “What?” The voice on the other end of the line instantly
placated  him.  “No,  I  apologize,  Lieutenant.  It‟s  just  been  a  bad
day. What  can I do for you?”  Before  Lucas could draw breath to
shout,  John  had  his  hand  over  his  mouth,  forcing  him  down  into
the  mattress  despite  all  Lucas‟  struggles.  “Another  one?  That‟s
terrible.  No,  I  haven‟t  had  any  problems.”  Lucas  bit  down,  but
John just shifted his hand to cover Lucas‟ nostrils as well. “I hope
you  find  the  young  man.  He  was  a  talented  actor.  It  would  be  a
shame  if  anything  happened  to  him.  Yes,  of  course,  Lieutenant.
Thank you for calling. Good bye.”

John didn‟t remove his hand when he hung up, and Lucas‟

vision tunneled down.

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“Seems you‟ve gone missing, son. And called by a police

lieutenant, no less. Impressive, but maybe you should have aimed
higher.”

John‟s words were nearly drowned out as Lucas‟ heartbeat

thundered in his ears. This was it? This was how he was going to
die?

And then the hand was gone, and he could breathe, great

gasping lungfuls of air.

“Had you worried there, didn‟t I?” Fenton grinned. “Don‟t

worry, Lucas. I‟m not done with you just yet.”

Still trying to get his breath back, Lucas croaked out, “You

want any more, my rates start at five hundred and go up.”

John chuckled, but didn‟t turn around as he disappeared into

the bathroom. “Money is the least of your worries right now, my
boy.”

When the door clicked shut, Lucas forced himself to relax. So

there was still time to get out of this. All he needed was to get one
of his limbs free. John might know his knots, but so did Lucas.
There was always a way out. Always.

Hopefully, Fenton gave him enough time to find it.

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CHAPTER 23

They all stared at Logan, who still had his hand on the

disconnect button to his speakerphone.

“How did we miss that?” Scotty sounded small and horrified.
Unlike her partner, Miranda sounded implacable. “We were too

busy looking at the forest to see the trees.”

“He‟s got Lucas.” Mike was certain of it.
Lieutenant Logan didn‟t give them time to wallow or panic.

“Talk me through it, people. What did I miss?”

“Fenton hates Lucas.” Mike hadn‟t even talked to him the last

time he‟d seen him. “There‟s no way he would have complimented
him, not even out of politeness.”

“Mike would know better than either of us,” Scotty said.
“Fenton certainly did nothing to hide his dislike during the

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screen test,” Miranda added. “It‟s pretty obvious now he saw
Lucas as a threat.”

“And that he got fired for attacking Lucas, for Aileen taking

Lucas‟ word over his.” Scotty shook her head. “That would have
been more than enough to shove him over.”

Mike clenched his jaw. “Where is he?”
David was already punching in a number. “We‟ll get the GPS

in Lucas‟ watch tracked. In the meantime, Miranda, go check
Fenton‟s apartment.”

“He won‟t be there.”
“No, but he might have left something that would give us a

clue where he‟s gone.”

Mike rose when they did, ignoring David‟s clipped orders into

the phone behind them. “I‟m going with you.”

The two women exchanged a look, the kind of silent

communication partners shared. Scotty was the one to give him the
bad news. “Not this time, Mike.”

“I can‟t just stay here!”
“You can and you will, Detective,” Logan said.
Scotty and Miranda gave him sympathetic looks and closed the

door behind them.

“Sit down, Detective.”
Given no other choice, he sat.
Ultimately, it was for the best that he did stay behind. As

personally involved as he‟d become, his judgment would be called
into question. Reasonable as it was, he still couldn‟t help feeling
like the kid brother being left behind because no one wanted him to
get hurt. Everyone always felt the need to look after him. He was
more than capable of—

“Detective Finesterre, getting angry at us isn‟t going to help

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anyone.”

Mike glanced down and found himself gripping the chair arm

tight enough to turn his knuckles white. He forced his hand to
relax. “Sir, I‟m getting tired of everyone thinking I can‟t handle
things.”

“It‟s not about what you can handle. If it were anyone else

missing, I would have sent you out with Scotty without hesitation.
You‟re too close to this, Mike. We both are.”

Oh…right. He‟d forgotten about the lieutenant‟s involvement

with Lucas. “I‟m sorry, sir,” he said.

Logan waved him off. “You aren‟t the first officer to let your

personal life get mixed up with your professional one, and you
won‟t be the last.”

“I‟m surprised it‟s a problem for you.”
Logan huffed a laugh. “Trust me. Where people I care about

are concerned, I‟ve learned my limitations.”

His desk phone rang. “Logan.” He frowned and nodded. “Units

have been dispatched? Good. Yes, I‟m on my way now.”

Mike looked at him expectantly.
“We‟ve got an approximate location for Lucas and Fenton.”
That was all Mike needed to hear. He followed Logan out.
To his surprise, Logan didn‟t assign him to someone else,

instead  pointing  him  to  the  passenger  door  of  his  own  BMW.  As
soon  as  they  shut  the  doors,  Logan  started  the  engine  and  pulled
away  from the curb.  “Call  Scotty,”  he  ordered, not looking away
from the road. “Give her the address.”

Mike relayed the information to Scotty as soon as she picked

up.

“That‟s not far from where we‟re at,” she said. “Miranda, hang

a left at the next light. We‟ll probably beat the black and whites

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there.”

Hanging up, he shoved the phone back in his pocket. “They‟re

on their way.”

They ran silent, although Logan had his blues flashing as they

flew down the street and through intersections. “Mike, when we
get there—”

“I won‟t wait in the car. I‟m not some stupid kid.”
“I wasn‟t going to ask you to. I just want to make sure you‟re

braced for the worst.”

Could you ever prepare for something like that? But he nodded.

“I‟ll be fine, sir.”

Logan looked doubtful but kept driving.
Mike tried to stay focused on his academy training. They‟d

spent hours on dealing with high-risk hostage situations. He knew
what to do, how to react.

Except this wasn‟t a hostage situation. It was premeditated

murder, and they had no way of knowing if there was anything left
of Lucas to make a hostage.

The parking lot outside the rundown motel was already

bustling with activity by the time they arrived at the scene—two
cop cars, an ambulance, and Miranda‟s sedan, among an
assortment of vehicles that he seen better days. Mike half expected
to see John‟s Mercedes, but that would have stuck out like a sore
thumb. Clearly, if the man had gotten away with three murders up
to this point, he knew how not to stand out.

Miranda joined them at the car, service pistol in hand. “One-

twenty-seven,” she gave them the room number before either of
them could ask.

Logan glared around at the cars in the lot. “If he hasn‟t heard

the commotion and taken off already.”

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“It‟s on the back side of the building, and everyone came in

quiet. You ready?”

Mike had his gun out already as Logan nodded. “Ready.”
Time stretched out into a fine line as they cautiously made their

way around to room one-twenty-seven. A few yards from the door,
Logan nodded to Miranda and she broke off from the group.

Knocking twice on the door, she called out, “Housekeeping.”
After a moment there came a response. “Come back later.”
“You‟re my last room for the day, sir. It won‟t take me long at

all.”

“I said come back later!”
David gave a curt tip of his head and the two SWAT officers

behind them stepped up with the battering ram and slammed it into
the door. Lock and frame splintered, leaving the door suspended by
the chain latch. A second thrust and that let go as well.

Fenton stared at the doorway in shock, frozen where he sat

astride Lucas, large hands clamped over Lucas‟ nose and mouth.

Lucas was tied to the bed with half-inch silk rope, looped three

times  around  each  wrist  and  ankle  and  then  pulled  tight  to  tie
around  the  legs  of  the  bed  in  defiance  of  the  headboard  that  was
useless  for  bondage.  Another  length  of  cord  was  looped  around
Lucas‟ neck twice, the loose ends lapping over his Adam‟s apple,
waiting  for  Fenton  to  twist  them  around  his  fists  and  strangle  the
life out of Lucas.

If no one else was around, Mike wouldn‟t have hesitated to

shoot Fenton. And he knew he wouldn‟t regret it.

Which was why Logan had made him stay behind. Smart man.
Miranda soon had John off the bed, cuffed and was reading him

his rights, while one of the paramedics slipped in to tend to Lucas.

“I‟m fine,” he was protesting. “Or will be once you untie me.”

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“I‟m sure you are,” the medic said, “but the sooner you let me

do my job, the sooner we‟ll be done, all right?”

Lucas searched the crowded room, looking for a way out.

When he found Mike, he stopped, and for an instant Mike felt as
though all the air had gone out of the room. Lucas looked so damn
vulnerable in that moment.

Mike holstered his gun and went to him.
“Sorry I never got around to returning your calls,” Lucas said

when Mike crouched down beside him.

“It looks like you might have a pretty good excuse.”
“What? This?” Lucas shrugged as much as his current position

allowed. “Pretty weak if you ask me.”

Mike shrugged. “Better than my reasons for avoiding you.”
“You‟re here now.” He sounded less certain than that statement

deserved.

“Yeah, I am.”
“You‟re a better actor than I thought, Michael. If that‟s your

name,” Fenton spoke up. “But fucking a hooker won‟t help your
career.”

Miranda shoved him none too gently toward the door.

“Remember that bit about the whole „right to remain silent‟? You
should give that serious consideration.”

“He‟s not wrong,” Lucas said.
“Yes, he is. But this isn‟t the best place to talk about it.”
“What, you mean surrounded by a dozen of your coworkers

and with Juliet”—he glanced at last at the EMT treating his
injuries—“doing some lovely things to my erogenous zones?”

Juliet rolled her eyes. “Down, Romeo.”
“He can‟t help it. It‟s instinct.”
Logan came over and joined them. “Casanova‟s more

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accurate.”

“I‟ve always been a fan of Don Juan myself,” Scotty chimed in.
Mike was surprised to see that Lucas was blushing. “Can we

save the mockery for when I‟m not in a dingy motel room?”

The paramedic had finished with Lucas‟ wrists and ankles and

was now examining his throat. “You should go to the hospital for
observation. There‟s still a risk of throat damage and choking from
the strangulation.”

“Christ, no hospitals.”
“You can come home with—” Logan started to say before

Mike cut him off.

“Me. He‟s coming home with me.”
Scotty snorted. “Oh boy, this is gonna be fun.”
Logan gave her a hard look, but it did nothing to diminish her

smirk.

Mike would deal with the fallout once he and Lucas figured

things out. Everything else was secondary.

“You‟re going to need to come back to the station and give a

statement.” Logan‟s tone brooked no argument from either of
them.

“That‟s fine. Despite my impending closed throat, I feel pretty

good.”

“Ice water.” Juliet apparently wasn‟t done with him. “No solid

food until tomorrow.”

“Yes, nurse.”
She shook her head, snapping her kit shut. “He‟s as good as I

can make him. All yours, Lieutenant.”

Lucas got to his feet, then staggered. Mike put a steadying arm

around his waist.

“I‟m fine,” Lucas assured him.

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“I don‟t care,” Mike said and didn‟t let go.
Lucas grinned. “Far be it from me to complain.”
“My car, Detective,” Logan ordered.
As if Mike would put Lucas in the back of a squad car.
Lucas waved him off when he tried to help him into the

passenger seat of Logan‟s BMW. “I can manage to sit on my own.
It was my throat he hurt, not my ass.”

Mike wasn‟t sure how to respond.
Lucas caught him by the front of the shirt and hauled him

down. “And yes, that was most definitely an offer.”

Christ, it was so tempting to just kiss him now and damn

whoever was watching. “Talk first.”

Lucas sighed and released him. “Nothing good ever came from

talking.”

“Not talking hasn‟t worked so well, either.”
“Fair enough.”
“Are you sure you‟re okay? When I went to your place and saw

what had happened—”

“I‟m fine. Bang on the head is all. Aside from the attractive

marks he left.” He held up his wrists to show Mike the bandages,
then studied them. “I wonder if they‟ll scar.”

Mike took his hands and lowered his arms. “It won‟t matter if

they do. You‟ll still be gorgeous.”

“Flattery will get you everywhere.”
“It‟s not flattery when it‟s the truth.” Reluctantly, Mike stepped

back and closed the door, then climbed into the back seat.

Lucas craned his neck around to grin at Mike. “It‟s not too late

for me to join you back there.”

Logan got into the car, looked at them both and shook his head.

“Lucas, stop corrupting my good officers.”

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“Stop hiring such good looking officers then.”
“You‟re incorrigible.”
“And you wouldn‟t have me any other way.”
“For the record, I don‟t hire my staff based on their

appearance.” His eyes flicked up to the rear view mirror, meeting
Mike‟s there. “That‟s just an added perk.”

“Eyes off, Lieutenant. He‟s mine.”
Mike didn‟t need to see himself in the rearview mirror to know

he‟d gone beet red. “Can we put a moratorium on flirting until I‟m
off the clock, please?”

Lucas laughed, Logan smiled, and they rode the rest of the way

back to the station in silence.

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CHAPTER 24

“Your place is pretty much trashed.”
Lucas leaned back against the headrest in Mike‟s passenger

seat and closed his eyes. “Not a problem. I‟m getting used to it.”

He could tell Mike had glanced at him. “Scotty told me about

the last time. You might want to rethink the consultant work.”

Lucas smirked. “I always thought cooperating with the cops

was supposed to make my life easier. Of course, moving
somewhere with better security would help.”

“Yeah.” Mike fell quiet, a thoughtful kind of silence.
“I think it‟s too soon for us to move in together.” Lucas was

mostly joking.

Mike‟s grip tightened on the wheel. “I wouldn‟t want to cramp

your style.”

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He sounded more regretful than offended.
“There might not be much of a style to cramp. I‟ve been

thinking of getting out of the business for a while now.”

Mike didn‟t do anything so dramatic as swerve the car or slam

on the brakes, but the look on his face conveyed his surprise.

“Even before all of this, before you,” Lucas added.
“Well, um, good. I hope… What are you going to do instead?”
Lucas closed his eyes again. “Don‟t know yet. Go back to

school, maybe.”

“Good. That‟s good.”
“Porn is out because, as much as I like sex, I was getting tired

of it. So yeah, probably school. Although now I‟ll be the weird
older student who doesn‟t quite fit in. Not sure I‟m ready for that.”

“You‟ll be fine. Hell, you‟ll charm your way through every

class and get all the pretty boys to do your homework for you.”

“I used to do the opposite. Charm everyone so they‟d pay me to

do their homework. Made better money than working in the
cafeteria.”

“I worked as night receptionist. Better pay and quieter than

working the dayshift at the dorm.”

“I was in good with all the night receptionists,” Lucas said

fondly. “Of course, I could just not do anything at all.”

“Live a life of luxury.”
“Not luxurious, but decent.” He grimaced. “I‟d get bored,

though. I like working, even when it doesn‟t involve sex.”

“You could always write your memoir.”
“I want people to stop trying to kill me, not encourage them.”

Still, Belle du Jour had done pretty well going that route…

“Sounds like you‟ve got a lot of decisions to make.”
“I wouldn‟t say a lot. But there‟s plenty of time to worry about

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it.”

They turned down the quiet street Mike lived on and he pulled

into a spot two spaces down from his building.

Mike shut off the engine and pulled out the key before turning

to face Lucas. “You don‟t have to stay here, you know. I can still
take you to a hotel. A nice hotel. You might—”

“Michael.” Lucas smiled as the use of Mike‟s full name still

brought pink to his ears. “Just take me inside.”

Mike nodded and got out of the car.
Before Lucas even had a chance to contemplate getting out,

Mike was there to open the door. “Either you‟re treating me like an
invalid or a date. I bet you can guess which I‟d prefer.”

“Or maybe I‟m just being nice.”
“Leave me my delusions, Michael. I like you doting on me.”
Mike‟s cheeks now matched his ears. “I kind of like it, too.”
Lucas took a chance and caressed that warm flush. “Maybe

you‟re right. We should talk first.”

“Yeah. Come on. Then if you change your mind, I‟ll take you

to the hotel.”

No chance in hell of that happening.
Once inside, Mike nudged Lucas to the couch and headed into

the kitchen. “I know the paramedic said no solid food, but I could
make a smoothie if you‟re hungry. Or I‟ve got ice cream. With
nuts. So, smoothie or water?”

Lucas smiled. “Water‟s fine.” Beer or something stronger

would be nice, but water was all right for now.

Mike returned to the living room with two glasses of water. He

handed one to Lucas and went to sit in the nearby armchair.

“Afraid I‟m going to bite?”
To his surprise, Mike grinned. “I figure we‟re more likely to

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186

actually talk if I‟m over here instead of over there.”

“You seem to have gotten over your crisis.” Lucas sipped at the

water. “How was Barry?”

Mike was quiet for a moment. “Barry was…a fun distraction.

He was in the right place at the right time.”

“No regrets?”
“Only over what put me in that position in the first place.”
“He‟s uncomplicated. I get that.” Lucas took another sip,

savoring the coolness on his tender throat. “He‟s not bad looking.
You should invite him over sometime.”

For a moment Mike‟s eyes went wide, then he gave Lucas a

small smile. “I know you‟re not joking and I‟m not sure how I feel
about the fact that that doesn‟t bother me.”

“Why should it?”
“Most guys don‟t encourage their boyfriends to fuck around

with another guy.”

“You aren‟t my boyfriend.” He paused, enjoying the flash of

pain in Mike‟s eyes. “Yet.”

Mike didn‟t say anything.
“Michael.” He put the glass down on the side table and moved

to sit on the coffee table in front of Mike. “We‟ve had a great week
together. I‟m not about to say otherwise. But neither of us
promised anything. If this is all too much, I understand and no hard
feelings. Even if I do get out of this business, it‟s still going to
follow me. People owe me favors, and I know secrets. I‟ll never be
just some guy. My history is always going to be there. That‟s a lot
to expect anyone else to live with.”

“Everyone‟s got a history.” Before Lucas could interrupt, Mike

added, “And yeah, yours might be a bit more…exciting than most,
but it is what it is.”

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187

“True. Still, dating even an ex-prostitute isn‟t going to help

your career.”

“You‟re assuming I have aspirations for being more than

detective who hopefully does a good job.”

“Just keeping your job could be a challenge. Some of your

bosses…have secrets as well. They might not be happy with their
chickens roosting so close to home.”

“If it‟s an issue, I can always get a transfer to another zone.”
“That‟s a lot for you to be willing to give up.”
Mike studied his long fingers, knotting and unknotting them as

his thoughts ran across his face. “I‟m not comfortable with what
you do,” he admitted. “It‟s… Hell, I have to arrest people who do
what you do. But I‟m starting to see that what you do and what you
feel are separate. I don‟t know that I could ever be like that, but…”
He finally looked up at Lucas. “Sex with Barry was good. Great. It
felt good. But afterward, he wasn‟t who I wanted to curl up and go
to sleep with, or wake up with the next morning. So I left.”

“And I am?”
Mike nodded. “I‟d like to have the chance to see where things

go between us.”

Lucas took the chance of taking Mike‟s hand, running his

thumb along the fine bones of it. “You charged in to save me from
a murderer. I think that puts you ahead of the game.”

“Logan was there, too.”
“But I‟m not in love with David. I never have been.”
“Are you saying you‟re in love with me?”
Rather than answer, Lucas leaned forward to kiss Mike.
Mike responded with a pleased sound, mouth opening to grant

Lucas greater access. It was gentle as far as kisses went, easy but
with a simmering heat underlying it.

SINS OF PROFESSION

188

When they finally broke apart, Lucas sucked in a breath. “I‟m

getting out.”

Mike looked confused. “What? But we—”
“No, not out of this. Out of the business. I always said I‟d get

out when I stopped enjoying it, and the other night— Well, the
other night was just work. It wasn‟t fun anymore. It‟s time.”

“What are you going to do?”
“I don‟t know.” He shook his head. “I don‟t have to do

anything, at least not for a while. I thought—”

Mike‟s hands continued stroking his back, toying with his hair.

“Yeah?”

Lucas braced himself. “I was talking to some of the guys at the

studio, giving them tips and whatnot, and I thought I might start a
consulting business for guys in the industry. You know, how to
keep safe, how to invest, how to look out for themselves until they
get out. So they can get out if they want.”

“Like you did.”
“Like I did.”
Mike studied him, those pale, alien eyes seeing right through

him like they always did. “I think that‟s a great idea.”

“And then we could be together.”
Mike wrapped his hands around the back of Lucas‟s neck,

resting their foreheads together. “We were going to be together
anyway.”

NDIA

ARPER

India Harper is the combined persona of Philippa Grey-Gerou and
Emery Sanborne. Emery and Grey have been writing solo for five
years  and  together  for  even  longer,  resulting  in  a  dozen  works  in
the hetero and ménage genres. As they already share a brain, they
figured  it  was  high  time  to  share  a  name  as  well.  Their  stories
under  the  name  India  Harper  have  a  slightly  harder  edge  as  they
explore  predominately  male/male  relationships  in  the  rich
environments  of  Philadelphia  and  Pittsburgh.  Emery  lives  in
Philadelphia  with  her  cat,  while  Grey  lives  in  the  Philadelphia
suburbs with a less well-behaved zoo.

* * *

Don’t miss Sins Of Affection

by India Harper,

available at AmberAllure.com!

Lucas McAndrews is handsome, charming and smart, all of which
make his job as a sought-after gigolo that much easier. But when
he and a friend are assaulted out of nowhere, Lucas calls the one
man from whom he has no reason to expect help…Carver Eliot.

Two years ago, Lucas almost destroyed Carver’s career, but
Carver has a hard time holding a grudge. Lucas had been a great
lay, and in the end had brought Carver to David Logan, his

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