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A Pirate’s Life for Me: Book Two

by

Tricia Owens

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 Tricia Owens

Read other titles by Tricia Owens at

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TriciaOwens

A Pirate’s Life for Me: Book Two

For the next few days, Lucas settled into what began to constitute a routine on the island.

He spent the afternoons with Kip or one of the other crew members and familiarized himself
with the layout and hotspots of the island. At night he relaxed at the cottage while the other men
performed in the show. He'd learned that if he was in the shower or in bed when the men came
home he could avoid having to turn down invitations to join them in the Jacuzzi. He didn't think
he could handle drinking beer off Tyler's stomach again -- or any other outrageous idea Adam
might come up with.

He knew he was probably going a bit overboard by hiding from the other guys. He could

have refused without resorting to avoidance techniques, but Lucas had a feeling Adam wouldn't
approve an outright refusal. This was a man, after all, who condoned orgies among his friends.
Plus Lucas couldn't shake the impression that Tyler was testing Lucas’ responses and trying to
catch him in a moment of disobedience to Adam. It would back up Tyler's expectation that Lucas
wouldn't be able to follow the rule Adam had laid out for the three of them: that Lucas wouldn’t
do anything unless ordered to by Adam.

So Lucas avoided and explored and did his best not to think too deeply about many of the

things that had happened to him lately. He found, to his relief, that getting away from Adam and
Tyler went a long way towards restoring his equilibrium.

Five o'clock on Monday found Lucas on a rented scooter returning to Hidden Idol after a

tour of the southern portion of the island. He'd recently discovered the casinos and had been
having fun playing the machines and fumbling his way through blackjack and roulette, though
he'd quickly learned he possessed more bad luck than good.

Having already eaten at a lavish casino buffet, he had no reason to hurry back to the

cottage to join his three housemates for dinner so he parked the scooter at the boardwalk of the
bay and decided to play tourist, exploring the shops and restaurants.

A lot of Hidden Idol reminded him of a theme park, with gift shops chock full over-

priced trinkets, loads of interesting and fun street food on offer and plenty of hawkers wandering
through the crowd trying to lure people into signing up for day tours, parasailing sessions and
SCUBA lessons.

Lucas ducked into a couple of the pirate-themed stores just for kicks and ended up

purchasing a Jolly Roger flag with the phrase 'Prepare to be boarded' stitched in white beneath
the crossbones. At a candy shop he purchased some tamarind candy since he'd never tried it
before and at another gift shop he picked up some postcards to send back to his friends in
Chicago.

By the time he'd finished cruising the crescent shaped boardwalk it was nearly six, and

Lucas' eyes were drawn almost helplessly to the sunset-painted bay and the pirate ship that rested
in the center of it. The heterosexual show performed every night before Adam's show took to the
stage. It was due to start any minute. Lucas gnawed on his bottom lip for a moment, indecisive,
before returning to one of the pirate shops.

The spy glass was heavy in his palm as he walked to the end of one of the numerous piers

jutting out into the bay. Out on the clipper ship the show was just starting up. The water carried
the faint sounds of music and narration.

Feeling a bit like a voyeur, Lucas came to a stop at the end of the pier and raised the glass

to his eye. It wasn't a particularly powerful instrument, made more for recreational use, but it
allowed him to understand the gist of the show and what actions the performers were required to
do for it.

It was different from Adam's show but not by much, he was surprised to see. Women

made up half of the performers, playing damsels in distress whom the male pirates attempted to
deflower -- at first. The twist he found particularly interesting was that the Loa spirits possessed
the women, not the men, effectively turning the tables and giving the women the power. It was
strikingly sexy. There was even a healthy dose of lesbian action happening. Lucas felt his shorts
grow a little tighter as he watched the 'possessed' women ravage other women and the male
pirates. If there was ever a reason to stick it out on Adam's show while waiting for an opening on
this one, Lucas had just seen it. He sure wouldn't mind being attacked and stripped by beautiful
women every night. Not at all.

He watched the entire show, unable to hear dialogue or see faces and the dirty details. But

he was able to grasp enough of the show to be affected by it. To be jealous of its performers.
When the show was over the sun was down, and Lucas was definitely hot and bothered.

He waited on the pier as the passenger boat ferried the audience back to shore. They

looked flush-faced and pleased, many meaningful glances traded between the couples. A lot of
people were going to get lucky tonight because of this show. It only turned Lucas on more.

A half an hour after the last audience member had been deposited on the pier, the crew of

the show loaded up the boat and rode back to shore. Lucas felt like a stalker as he hung around
on the sidewalk near the pier, trying not to be obvious that he was waiting for them. He had a
feeling they probably did have to deal with stalkers on occasion and he didn't want to give them
any reason to be wary of him.

He could hear the crew as they neared the pier. They were boisterous and energized by

their performance. They were all fully dressed in their skimpy costumes and Lucas had a hard
time deciding if the women were sexier in just a few scraps of clothing or whether they were
more appealing when mostly nude. God, I really am a creepy stalker! Embarrassed, he turned
away and watched the bicycle and motorcycle traffic in the street while he waited for the crew to
disembark.

He allowed the majority of them to pass him by. From the sound of it they were all

planning to hit up a seafood restaurant for dinner. Lucas quickly turned and saw to this relief that
a few of the crewmembers were dawdlers. Four of them -- two men and two women -- were
sauntering his way, still chatting excitedly about the performance. As they neared, one of the
women, a redhead, noticed him and smiled at him. Lucas took it as his cue.

"That was a great show," he said, trying to convey that he was a normal fan and nothing

more worrisome. "I've never seen anything like that."

"Thanks a lot," one of the guys said. He had brown curly hair and bright blue eyes. He

was built about the same as Lucas if a little shorter. He smiled bemusedly. "I don't really
remember seeing you in the audience."

"Oh, well, I wasn't exactly in it," Lucas admitted sheepishly. "I watched from the pier."

He held up his looking glass. "I was too late to buy a ticket."

The other man, a dirty blond whose hair was tied back by a leather band, laughed and

slung his arm around his petite brunette female cast mate. "That's no fair. I don't think we get a
cut of the 'pier seats'," he joked.

Lucas grinned, relaxing. "Yeah, sorry about that. From what I could see it's worth every

penny. I'll buy a ticket next time." He held out his hand. "My name's Lucas. Believe it or not I'm
actually in the other show. The um, men's show." He blushed.

None of them looked surprised or shocked. They took the news in stride.
"Right on," the brunette said, taking Lucas' hand. "I'm Estefan and this is Joe, his

girlfriend Mandy, and the hot redhead is my girlfriend Ashley."

Lucas greeted them all.
"So you're on the other show, huh? How's it going?" Estefan gave him a quick once-over

before saying cautiously, "I hear that show gets pretty wild."

"It's -- yeah, something else."
Estefan quickly shook his head. "It's cool and all. I mean, we all know we're pretty much

on a gay island. No need to be embarrassed or anything."

"The thing is, I haven't performed with them yet," Lucas admitted. He hesitated before

deciding to come clean. "There was a mix-up, you see. I thought I was going to join your cast but
I was hired to fill an opening on the other show. So I'm just sort of biding my time with them
until there's an opening on yours and I can transfer over."

Ashley, a buxom redhead with light green eyes, shook her head comically. "Wait, what

do you mean? You're supposed to be on our show? You're not gay?"

Feeling his cheeks heating again, Lucas nodded. "I'm not. It was a really bad mix-up."
Joe burst into laughter. He was tall and slender with a wide mouth and lots of teeth. "I'll

say. Holy Jesus. I don't know what I would have done if I'd come here and they told me I had to
work on the gay show instead. I've heard stories, Lucas. Their show is tons more sexual than
ours is."

"How do you do it?" Estefan asked, wide-eyed. "How do you do it if you're not gay?"
Lucas laughed, feeling an immense relief to be able to talk openly about this. "Can I buy

you guys a drink and tell you about it? I want to make it up to you for not buying a ticket."

"Buy us a drink?" Joe exchanged a sly looking grin with Estefan. "All of us?"
Lucas shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"
"Uh oh, you've opened up the floodgates," teased Joe's girlfriend Mandy. She was a shy-

looking brunette with soft brown eyes. The corset she wore wasn't completely tied, the free ends
of the ribbons dangling like an invitation to pull them. Lucas tried not to stare at her cleavage.
"Free drinks means you'll never get rid of us. We drink like fish."

"It doesn't matter. I could use the mixed company," Lucas insisted. "Trust me on that."
Estefan smirked. "Yeah, man, I bet you can. Surrounded by all that gay sausage -- wow.

Let's go get that drink, Lucas. I am dying to hear your story."

~~~~~

Estefan suggested "Pieces of Eight", a bar down by the dunes of Seaside Beach. When

they arrived it had been barely ten o'clock and most bars on the island stayed open until 4:00
AM. Thus the place wasn't that crowded and the four of them were able to find a table beside the
small dance floor where a handful of same-sex and mixed couples were dancing to top 40 hits.

Lucas was glad for the booth because the bar rapidly filled up by midnight. He tried not

to think about Adam's show which would be over by now. He wondered briefly if Kip missed
him for having been gone all day... or if anyone else had.

"I can't believe you decided to stick it out," Joe marveled before tossing back the last of

his sixth beer. "If it were me I would have said, 'Fuck you, Mr. Aras, I do the giving, I don't do
the taking'."

The others laughed. They were all pretty much buzzed after a half dozen shots and just as

many beers each. Lucas, seated at the end of the booth, felt better about himself and his situation
than he had in a long time. His four new friends were easily the kinds of friends he would have
made back in Chicago. They were all on the same page and they all sympathized with what he
was going through.

"What I can't believe is that you think you can go through with it," Estefan said loudly as

he waved his hands for emphasis, nearly knocking over an empty bottle. "Dicks, Lucas. We're
talking dicks. They want to put theirs in you. I bet your anal virginity that if you go on that show
you're gonna walk off the ship with a limp. Guaranteed." He toasted Joe, who apparently agreed.

"It's not like they're going to rape him," Ashley said with a roll of her eyes. She turned to

Lucas. "You did say the captain -- Adam -- has given you a role where not much happens to you,
right?"

"If you call being tied to the mainmast and groped 'not much', then sure," Lucas scoffed.

He played with a discarded lime. "But the thing is I'm willing to do nearly anything to stay on the
island. I came here for that and I'm staying for that."

"But I don't think any of our crew's contracts are due up this summer," Mandy said, biting

her bottom lip. Her luminous eyes drew Lucas in. "What if you have to work on the gay show all
year? Could you handle doing that?"

"I don't really have a choice. It's either go along with the show or go home."
"I don't know. You don't sound too upset," Joe snickered. He reached across the table and

slapped the back of Lucas' hand. "I like you, Lucas. It'd be a real shame to lose you to the other
side, but I understand a lot of today's youth is interested in experimenting. Bi-curious is in right
now. I know there's a lot of pressure to be popular."

Estefan laughed. Lucas flipped him off.
"I'm not interested in experimenting," he muttered.
"Then you sure came to the wrong island," Ashley said with a laugh. She leaned against

Lucas, rubbing her breasts against his elbow. "You haven't started already, have you?"

He looked down at her, his eyes falling helplessly to the heaving swell of her breasts.

"Started what already?"

"Experimenting." She batted her lashes at him in drunken flirtation. "Please don't tell me

they've gotten to you."

Lucas took a pull on his beer and said around the mouth of the bottle, "What if they

have?"

He felt her soft hand slide onto his thigh. "Then I'd feel obligated to try to coax you back

to our side."

Lucas shot a quick glance at Estefan, remembering that Ashley was his girlfriend. But

Estefan merely shrugged and mouthed 'Go for it' to him. Apparently they were in a very open
relationship.

Lucas studied the label on his beer. He'd fucked up with Nicole who now thought he was

gay, but Ashley clearly didn't believe it and probably wouldn't care even if she did. She'd
probably take it as a challenge to straighten him out.

Her breath was moist and sweet with the Jaeger she'd downed. "Let's dance, Lucas."

He double-checked with Estefan to make sure it really was okay but the other man just

winked at him. Mentally shrugging, Lucas slid out of the booth and helped Ashley up. She
stumbled and fell against him, forcing him to catch her. He guessed it had just been a ploy to get
close to him however, when she immediately rubbed herself against him.

"Come on," he led her out onto the dance floor.
The song playing was one he recognized from the summer before but Ashley didn't seem

to be paying any attention to the beat. Her focus seemed to be on pressing as much of her body
against Lucas as she could while shuffling her feet and occasionally pulling on his shoulders. It
wasn't the sexiest dirty dancing he'd ever done but with her tits crushed against his chest and her
thigh pushing up into his hard-on it didn't much matter. He smiled down at her and cupped her
ass with his hands, pulling her even closer.

"I want you to be on our crew," she said to him, pouting.
"I want to be on your crew too."
"'Cause you like girls better than boys?" she teased.
He smiled. "That's a safe assumption, yeah. I especially like girls like you."
She smiled and dropped one hand to his groin, massaging him through his shorts. He

groaned and pressed his face to her hair, smelling some fruity shampoo. The smell was familiar
and comforting. He squeezed her ass, enjoying the softness of her flesh.

They swayed together, oblivious of the beat and more intent on grinding against each

other. Ashley was determined, rubbing him into a fierce erection, and Lucas smothered his
moans against the side of her neck.

"You want to fuck me?" she whispered into his ear.
Her breasts felt like two balls of unbaked bread dough against his chest. He couldn't wait

to squeeze them. "What about Estefan?" he asked.

"He won't care. He'll find himself a girl or maybe hookup with Joe and Mandy."
Lucas couldn't help a chuckle which turned into a pained sound as she reached down and

massaged his sensitive balls. "Is everyone on this island in an open relationship?"

"Why not? We're miles away from home. We're in paradise. Why shouldn't we have fun

with other people?" She leaned back, her hand resting on his groin. "So do you? Do you want to
have fun with me? I can give you a memory to hold onto when you go back to your gay friends."

He pushed into her hand, unable to help himself. "That would be a good memory to

have," he agreed, his cock throbbing.

She pulled him down with her other hand. "Kiss me."
She was a sloppy kisser but Lucas didn't mind. The softness of her mouth was all that

mattered to him, the way she yielded and let him take control. He buried one hand in her hair and
kissed her harder, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. She moaned and sucked on it, teasing him
with her oral skills. Lucas felt ready to cum.

Out of nowhere hands settled on his hips from behind and something hard and tubular

pressed against the crease of his ass.

He broke off the kiss with a shocked gasp.
"Fancy meeting you here," Tyler murmured into his ear.
Lucas paled. Ashley's eyes widened as she stared up at him.
"Lucas, are you alright?"
"I'm -- I'm fine," he stuttered. He moved his hands off her ass and tried to guide her

backwards so he could step forward away from Tyler but Tyler held him firmly back.

"Fucking liar," Tyler murmured conversationally, his lips grazing Lucas' ear lobe and

sending a sizzle of something up his spine. "Wait until Adam hears that you've been making out
with women. I'm sure you've been fucking them too. You're gone for good, new guy. Just like I
knew you would be." He thrust against Lucas' ass. "You're fucked."

"Who's he?" Ashley asked, frowning as she looked over Lucas' shoulder. "Is he one of --

oh! Is he from the other show?" She gave Lucas a meaningful look.

"I'm one of the guys who fucks him," Tyler replied belligerently. "Why? What has he

been telling you?" Lucas gasped as Tyler bit down on his earlobe. "Has he been pretending to be
straight again? It's part of our fantasy. He plays straight and I come find him and remind him
who owns his ass."

Lucas's face blazed. "Shut up, that's not--"
Tyler reached forward and grabbed Lucas between the legs, his fingers curling

menacingly around Lucas' cock. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"Lucas?" Ashley stared at him uncertainly. "Is he telling the truth? Are you really --

gay?"

The hand on his cock squeezed warningly. "Tell her," Tyler whispered. "Tell her or I'll

rip your fucking nuts off. You know I hate you enough to do it."

Tyler would do it. Lucas was sure of it.
He turned his eyes to Ashley, his keen humiliation probably making him look miserable.

"I'm sorry, Ashley. Don't take it personally. It's something stupid that Tyler and I like to do for
kicks." He wanted to crawl under a rock.

Her face fell. "Geez. This really sucks. And it's not very nice of you, Lucas. We all

thought you were cool." She narrowed her eyes at Tyler. "Have fun corn-holing each other." She
gave Lucas a dirty look. "I hope you have a good laugh."

She stormed off the dance floor. Lucas could see her tugging on Estefan's arm, trying to

coax him to leave. After a moment of confusion and hurried conversation the four of them left.

"Get your fucking hand off me," Lucas growled, so furious he could spit.
"Don't tell me what to do," Tyler snapped. "You're fucked every which way, new guy."
"Adam's never gonna believe you. He never does."
But Tyler chuckled, the sound making the hair on Lucas' arms stand on end. "Don't be so

sure. This time it's not my word against yours. Take a look at the bar."

Dreading what he would see, Lucas looked. Orinth stood there, his expression uneasy as

if he was afraid of what Tyler might do.

"An unbiased eye witness will back me up when I tell Adam you've been fucking around

on us with women. That's a one-way ticket to the mainland, fuckface."

Fed up, Lucas reached down and grabbed the other man's wrist. "Let go of me and let me

turn around." He squeezed, feeling the bones compress.

With a hiss, Tyler released him and Lucas let go too, spinning around to confront him.

Tyler's eyes were smudged with eyeliner as if he'd done a half-assed job of wiping off his show
makeup. It made his silver eyes look smoky and sensual. His platinum hair was partly damp, the
drying strands floating about his head as if caught by static cling. He was dressed in a plain white
cotton shirt and black shorts, the shark's tooth necklace he always wore lying shiny against his
throat. He looked far better than Lucas wanted him to. Lucas wanted him to look ugly.

"I wasn't fooling around with her," Lucas argued, knowing how close he was to screwing

this up forever. "She works on the other show. I met her just tonight. I wanted to get to know the
other crewmembers, that's all."

Tyler sneered. "Looked like you wanted to get to know her inside and out."
"We were just dancing!"
Tyler's eyes gleamed with triumph. "You're fucked and there's nothing you can do about

it."

Lucas' hands balled into fists. He wanted to punch Tyler for being so hateful. Lucas tried

very hard to avoid allowing such assholes into his life but here he was stuck with Tyler. Stuck if
he wanted to stay, otherwise he could let Tyler have his way and send Lucas packing. At least
back in Chicago he could choose who he worked with and if he ran into someone he didn't get
along with he could move on. But if he wanted that freedom and power, he'd have to let Tyler
have his.

No fucking way.
The night at the Jacuzzi when he'd held the power over Tyler was sharp in Lucas' mind as

he reached out and grabbed Tyler with both hands behind the neck. Gray eyes widened as Lucas
yanked him forward and crushed their mouths together. He didn't kiss Tyler like he had Ashley.
Tyler's lips were softer than he expected but they immediately tensed in resistance. Lucas shoved
his tongue forward anyway, trying to pry them apart and force Tyler to accept it in his mouth.

"Take it!" he growled against Tyler's lips. "Take it, you little bitch!"
"Fu--"
Lucas crammed his tongue into Tyler's mouth, knowing the other man could very well

bite it off. Breathing heavily from fear and testosterone, Lucas thrust his tongue in, filling Tyler's
mouth, rubbing it suggestively across the other man's tongue. Tyler jerked against him, his hands
wrapped around Lucas' wrists. But he didn't bite down.

So Lucas tongue-fucked him, pushing his tongue in again and again, pretending in his

mind that he was fucking Tyler for real. At first Tyler's tongue curled, attempting to push him
out. But Lucas tightened his fingers around the other man's neck and Tyler suddenly melted. So
abruptly it caught Lucas off-guard, Tyler wrapped his tongue around his own and began to pull
on it. Tyler sucked and stroked, moaning around Lucas' tongue as if he were sucking on his dick.
A growl rolled up out of Lucas' throat. He fisted one hand in Tyler's silky hair and held on tight
as he devoured the other man right there in the middle of the dance floor.

Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you, ran through Lucas' mind with each thrust of his tongue.

But he was still startled when Tyler released his wrists and grabbed fistfuls of Lucas' ass to yank
their hips together.

Tyler was hard. Worse, so was Lucas. He moaned into their kiss when Tyler began to

thrust against him, grinding the thick tubes of their cocks together.

And that's when the tide began to turn. He felt Tyler smile against his lips and suddenly it

was Tyler pushing Lucas' tongue back and Tyler's tongue doing the thrusting and Lucas' mouth
opening wider to accept the invasion. The force of the violent kiss pushed his head back and
Tyler followed him back, never letting up, so that a voice in the back of Lucas' head warned him
that he was starting to look like the girl. Especially when he made that awful whimpering noise.

That was enough for him to yank viciously on Tyler's head, forcing the other man to gasp

and break out of the kiss. As soon as their lips parted Lucas shoved the other man away from
him. Tyler staggered back, eyes wide, pupils wider. His lips were puffed and red. The front of his
shorts was tented. With the exception of their hair and eye coloring, Lucas knew that at that
moment they could have been twins.

Feeling sick for his reaction, he started to spin away. A hand around his bicep arrested the

movement. Without thinking, Lucas raised his hand to punch Tyler but instead he found himself

faced with Orinth. Orinth, the loud mouth who was bound to tell everyone on the crew what he'd
just witnessed.

"Come back to the cottages," Orinth urged, barely flinching in the face of Lucas' strung-

out state. "We're having a beach party. I think you need to get out of here and relax." He cast a
pointed look at Tyler who was giving them both a half-hearted sneer. "Both of you. Things are
gonna turn to shit if you don't. Take it from the guy with a ringside seat."

Lucas flinched. He looked away. "I just want to go home."
"The beach first. Check in with Adam. Then if you want to go home, go home. He won't

stop you."

Taking a deep breath, Lucas raised his eyes. "Why? What are you going to tell him?"
Orinth grinned and shrugged, evasive. "Doesn't matter. It's all good." He looked back at

Tyler. "Isn't that right, Ty?"

"Fuck you both," the blond muttered, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth as if

he'd bitten into something bitter.

Orinth sighed dramatically. "If only I could be so lucky." He tugged on Lucas' arm. "Let's

get out of here. I think we all need some fresh air."

Wordless, Lucas led the way out. He didn't know what Orinth and Tyler intended to tell

Adam but at that point he wasn't sure he cared.

CHAPTER TWO

The sand was cool beneath Lucas' feet but it began to warm as he neared the single

bonfire flickering on the crescent curve of beach directly in front of the pirate crew cottages. It
was a small relief that only three of the crew members were gathered around the fire rather than
all of them, but seeing Adam's large figure sitting like a stone god before a fiery sacrifice
dampened any hope Lucas held that he might emerge from this night unscathed. Adam watched
him, Tyler and Orinth approach with the dark watchfulness of a predator. Like a black hole he
dragged Lucas' attention to him and didn't release it.

Since the night of the photo shoot Lucas had done what he could to avoid being alone

with Adam. It was difficult to look in the eye a man who had dirty talked him into cumming in
front of two strangers and a camera. The things Adam had said that night, the possession in his
words and the suggestion that he and Lucas hooking up was a foregone conclusion, haunted
Lucas in his dreams. He was supposed to be the one saying those things. To a woman, at that. He
wasn't supposed to allow Adam to shave his balls and then tell Lucas how he was going to fuck
him. No. No. No.

But those things had happened, and apparently there was proof of it on film somewhere,

though Lucas had yet to see any of the images from the shoot nor did he want to. It was a night
he'd prefer to pretend never happened. However, every time he caught himself looking at Adam
or listening for his movements throughout the cottage, Lucas proved how very bad he was at
pretending.

Fuck it, he thought. Maybe that night could work in his favor right now. Adam had made

it clear he wanted Lucas. Though Lucas had no intention of giving himself over to that desire, he
couldn't help hoping it would keep his ass on the crew a little while longer.

"Did you get my message?" Tyler immediately demanded as the three of them paused in

front of the fire facing Adam, Peter, and Dean. "You heard the shit he pulled? That he was
fucking around with a chick?"

Great. Tyler had already whined by phone. Lucas crossed his arms, his defenses rising.
"I got it." Adam tilted a beer to his lips. His wide throat rolled like he'd swallowed a

boulder. "I want to hear what Lucas has to say about it."

"I wanted to meet some of the crew from the other show."
"That's not all you wanted to do," Tyler sneered.
Lucas ignored him. "I had drinks with four of them. Two couples. We talked, had a few

drinks, then one of the girls wanted to dance. Her boyfriend was watching. He said it was okay
and he had no reason to worry anyway because it was only dancing. I wasn't interested in her that
way."

"But the rules--"
"Shut up, Tyler. I made the rules and I enforce them," Adam cut in, staring hard at Tyler

until the platinum blond mumbled an apology. To Lucas he said, "Are you aware of what you're
not allowed to do?"

For the space of a second he thought about lying. If it weren't for Kip he would have been

completely clueless about the rules. Lucas could convince his roommate to keep quiet if he
wanted.

But Adam's gaze was compelling. It had the worrisome effect of stripping Lucas bare of

clothes, lies -- everything.

"Crewmembers aren't supposed to sleep with women," Lucas said with resignation.
Something flickered in Adam's eyes too quickly for Lucas to read. "What else?"
"No phone calls to women. No hanging around with them. No flirting or acting as if they

even exist -- look, I don't get where this misogyny comes from," he blurted in frustration. "When
does being gay mean hating on women?"

"It doesn't." Adam's eyes were like glowing coals in the light of the fire. "No one said

anything about hating women. My rules exist to maintain respect for the members of this crew."

"You don't fuck around with women when you're supposed to be with guys!" Tyler spat

at Lucas. In the firelight his hair glowed a brilliant orange and his face was a dramatic cast of
shadows, making him appear satyr-like. The anger he expressed seemed out of proportion to
Lucas' crime, making Lucas wonder yet again what had happened between Tyler and the ex- who
had hurt him.

"I wasn't fucking around with anyone," Lucas repeated.
"You were kissing her and you had your hands all over her ass!"
Adam looked to Orinth who'd remained uncharacteristically quiet. "What did you see?"
"I saw everything that Tyler saw. He's not exaggerating." Orinth then snickered

ominously. Lucas' stomach clenched in anticipation of what the man would say next. "I also saw
Lucas try to eat Tyler's face off and Tyler return the favor. Fuckin' hot, man. You would've loved
it, Adam."

Surprise blinked across Adam's face. "You two kissed?"
Tyler's eyes met Lucas'. Lucas was surprised to see the same regret and maybe even

chagrin on the other blond's face that he himself felt.

And Lucas saw his chance.

"I did kiss him," he admitted, causing Tyler's eyes to widen. Lucas ignored him in favor

of Adam. "He got me worked up. It was either punch him or kiss him. I thought you would
prefer that I didn't hurt him so I kissed him instead."

Tyler sputtered. Lucas could tell the other man had expected him to deny any sort of

homosexual contact just as he had since the beginning.

"You're saying you kissed him for my sake?" Adam's lips twitched. His palms spread

against the beer bottle he held.

Lucas nodded. "I didn't want to disobey you. You said no more fighting. So I didn't."
"I did say that," Adam replied slowly. He looked down at the bottle he held, his

expression thoughtful. "Is he telling the truth, Ty?"

Tyler looked like he'd swallowed the worm at the bottom of the tequila bottle. "He's

making it sound like he made some noble deci--"

"All I asked is if he's telling the truth." Adam raised his face, his dark brows drawing

together. "Did he kiss you first?"

Lucas imagined he could hear Tyler's teeth grinding together."Yes. He kissed me first.

And he fucking kisses like a twelve-year-old."

Lucas laughed quietly and said, "Liar." When Tyler shot him a dirty look Lucas gave him

a smirk in return. "You practically moaned into my mouth."

"Fuck you!"
Lucas looked at Adam to see how he was reacting to the show. The amusement in the big

man's large eyes told Lucas that Adam was in fact smarter than Lucas was giving him credit for
being. You're not fooling me, those eyes said, and Lucas understood then what it felt like to face
off bare-handed against a Great White shark.

But Adam didn't call him out for poking at Tyler. He didn't, because as Lucas had hoped,

Adam wanted him to act this way. He wanted to see and feel the tension between Lucas and
Tyler. He got off on it. The only tension Lucas felt with Tyler was a strong desire to beat the shit
out of the other man but if Adam wanted to interpret that tension as being sexual he could go
right ahead. Whatever kept Lucas on the island.

Adam tossed his bottle over his shoulder to join a pile of other empties which they'd

collect later and recycle. He stretched his legs towards the fire, massive thigh muscles rippling,
and then braced his feet in the sand once more.

"You broke the rules," he said to Lucas. "Hanging out with women is fine, flirting with

them or kissing and touching them is not. For that you have to pay the price."

"Ha!" Tyler crowed, shuffling around the fire to Adam's side of it. He was grinning from

ear to ear as he stepped behind Adam and laid his hands on the other man's shoulders. "Let me
know if you need help packing, new guy."

"But you also did something which pleased me," Adam went on, and Tyler visibly

blanched, his smile wilting. "You had the chance to get into it with Tyler and you didn't, even
though I can imagine how much he probably provoked you."

Lucas snorted but said nothing, waiting.
"That tells me you listened to me and you want to obey me." Adam's gaze was heated.

"That's what I want. That's what I've always wanted. And because of that you get to stay."

"Fuck, Adam! He broke the rules!"
Adam reached up and caught one of Tyler's wrists before the blond could spin away. He

tugged, forcing Tyler to bend over Adam's shoulder as Adam said in a quieter voice, "He did

broke the rules. He's going to be punished for it. I think you'll be satisfied with what I've decided,
Ty. Relax."

"Unless he leaves nothing could satisfy me," Tyler complained, slumping over Adam's

shoulder.

The larger man reached up and stroked Tyler's hair. The tenderness in the act

embarrassed Lucas. He averted his eyes as Adam murmured, "I'm not doing this to spite you.
Trust me, Ty. What I'm doing is best for all of us. Tell me you trust me."

Tyler replied with an indistinguishable mumble which appeared to satisfy Adam. He

released Tyler who remained leaning against the other man, his head down and posture defeated.
For a moment Lucas felt sorry for him. If he were in Tyler's place and someone he hated was
continually being let off the hook he'd be pissed too.

Then again he wasn't being let off the hook. Adam still had a punishment in mind for

him.

"I'm sorry for what happened," Lucas spoke up. He did feel genuinely bad for screwing

up. He definitely hadn't intended for it to blow up as it had, nor had he wanted to end up kissing
Tyler. No way. "I know I made a mistake. I misunderstood how important the rules are. I won't
make that mistake again."

"Good." Adam's face was unreadable as he studied Lucas. "But that won't get you out of

your punishment."

Lucas nodded. "What's it going to be?"
He expected additional housekeeping duties or a suspension from extracurricular

activities. He wouldn't put it past Adam to ground him to the cottage. It would be humiliating
and annoying but he could survive it.

"You're going to be spanked."
Lucas stared at him.
Behind Adam, Tyler abruptly straightened. His expression lit up with unholy glee.
"Oh, yes!" he hissed. He actually rubbed his palms together as if beside himself with evil

anticipation. "Adam, I fucking love you right now."

Lucas felt a bead of sweat slide down his spine. "You did not say what I think you just

said."

"Ten spanks from each of us here. It won't hurt, but it'll leave an... impression." Adam's

lips slid up into a smirk.

Tyler practically squealed with laugher. Lucas wanted to give him the punch he'd

refrained from giving him at the club.

"I'm not six-years-old," he argued.
Adam didn't care. "You broke the rules the way a child would. That means you'll be

punished like one."

Lucas allowed his desperation to show. "Adam, come on, man. You can't be serious."
"I am. Start with Dean and work your way down the line. After I finish with you you're

done and the slate is clean."

Start with Dean. Drape himself over the lap of five guys and be spanked on the ass by

each them. Lucas' face was so hot he was sure it would burst into flames.

"Adam--"
"Do it or pack your bags, Lucas."
He stared at Adam who stared right back. The larger man wasn't going to give an inch.

This was an ultimatum.

He swallowed hard and said, "Will anyone else know about this?"
"No." Adam broke the staring match with Lucas to give the other four men a pointed

look. "Nothing that happens tonight makes it back to the crew, understood?"

"Yes, Adam."
"Aye, Cap'n."
The assents did little to ease the anxiety racing through Lucas' mind.
"Start with Dean," Adam repeated.
Looking hopelessly at Dean, Lucas knew he had no choice. He'd already kissed two men.

He'd let another man shave his balls and talk dirty to him. He'd let strangers film him cumming...
With a deep sigh he shuffled over to Dean and gave the man a self-conscious nod.

Dean patted his thighs. "It'll be over in no time, Lucas. Don't sweat it."
Right.
Lucas kept his eyes on the sand as he lowered himself across Dean's lap. He felt Dean's

hand tugging at the waistband of his shorts and nearly leaped off his lap.

"What-what're you doing?"
"Bare ass, Lucas," Adam intoned grimly. "It won't mean anything if it's done through

your shorts."

"You mean it won't leave an impression?" Lucas retorted. Biting his lip, he resumed his

position and tried not to tense up as Dean drew his shorts down until the curve of his ass was
kissed by the night island air. God, he was so humiliated.

spank
Lucas wanted to die. So much blood was rushing to his face he was sure his ass must be

the color of the moon.

"Count it out, Lucas."
spank
"Two," he ground out.
Dean didn't spank him particularly hard but it wasn't the pain Lucas cared about. It was

the feel of another guy's bare hand against his equally bare ass. He must be gay now. Maybe that
was Adam's plan, to beat the gay into him, because Lucas knew no straight man on the planet
would willingly submit to something like this.

"Imagine you're rushing a fraternity," Dean murmured in between spanks. "They do this

kind of stuff all the time when they're hazing freshmen. It's no different."

Lucas latched onto that. This was okay. This was being done across a hundred college

campuses every fall. This wasn't sexual. It was about humiliation. Punishment.

"Ten," he said loudly.
Dean let him up. If Lucas had been feeling better about himself he would have given the

other man a murmur of thanks. But this just wasn't the time. Head down, he laid himself across
Peter's lap.

spank
Lucas blinked in surprise. Peter had hit him hard.
"Count," Adam ordered.
"One."
spank
"Shit," he breathed. His ass cheek stung from that last one. "Two."
"Adam, toss me a beer," Tyler said casually. "I may as well be comfortable while I'm

enjoying the show."

spank
spank
Lucas buried his hands in the sand and grabbed fistfuls of the grains. His ass was burning.

He'd learned quickly that tensing only made it hurt worse but it was nearly impossible to relax
when he knew another painful spank was impending.

spank
A lock of hair clung to his temple, plastered there by sweat. The bonfire seemed to be

growing hotter.

spank
"Six," he bit out, trying not to reveal his discomfort. Peter wasn't moving his strikes

around; he placed each spank directly atop the one before so that Lucas felt like one giant bruise
was forming on his right ass cheek.

spank
Shit. That one was even harder than the others.
spank
Lucas shifted his hips, trying to angle himself so Peter's hand would land on another part

of his ass.

spank
"Nine," he panted. He could hold out for one more.
spank
"Ugh," he grunted, arching his back as Peter walloped him even harder. "T-Ten."
"Orinth is next."
Lucas slid off Peter's lap and was embarrassed by how sore he was as he crawled over to

Orinth. He arranged himself carefully over the other man, careful to keep his dick -- half-hard
from the pain, no doubt -- from touching the other man's leg.

spank
Lucas hissed. He didn't understand why he was suddenly so sensitive. "One," he gritted

out.

spank
"Two."
The pain radiated out from his ass, warming his lower body. He wiggled, unable to help

himself as he braced for the next spank.

spank
spank
spank
"Five," Lucas gasped, hunching his body to try to angle his ass away from Orinth's easy

reach.

"Ha ha, look at him. He's already worked up," Tyler taunted. "That's good, new guy.

Wiggle around like that. I think it's hilarious. Makes me hot to see that red face of yours and
those pretty red cheeks with the handprints on them."

Humiliation stung nearly as much as the spanking did.
spank
"Six."
spank
"S-Seven."

"Oh, yeah, that's getting me hot." Lucas blinked as Tyler suddenly dropped to the sand,

squatting there so he could be at eye level with him.

The other blond leered. "I like watching you get your ass beat," he whispered, licking his

lips. "I enjoy it even more knowing how much this must kill you to have to endure this while I'm
watching. And mmm, I'm watching every second, every twitch you make, you hear me? I'm
going to remember it so I can fantasize about it while Adam and I are fucking later tonight and
you're rubbing Ben Gay on your ass." He leaned close to Lucas' face and breathed, "I can't
fucking wait until you're on my lap, new guy. I'm going to make it so good for both of us. I'll
fuck you up so good."

Lucas opened his mouth to tell him off, then had to shut it to hold back a groan as Orinth

wreaked more havoc on his ass.

spank
spank
spank
"Ten. Fuck," Lucas panted, sliding off Orinth's lap onto the sand. His ass felt like an extra

appendage that didn't belong to him. It throbbed like a giant heart.

A bare foot prodded him in the ribs.
"Get up, new guy. It's my turn now."
Lucas wanted to tell him to shove it. He wanted to with nearly every ounce of his being.

But if he did Tyler would win. Lucas would go home as a loser... and he'd go home with a sore
ass.

He lifted his head. "Yeah, it's your turn. I guess I'll have to distract myself from the pain

with thoughts of Adam sticking his tongue in my ear during the photo shoot."

Tyler's face turned red. "Shut the fuck up and get on my lap."
Smirking despite the pain, Lucas laid his chest and stomach over Tyler's lap.
spank
"Shove up higher," Tyler ordered. "That one doesn't count because you're not in position.

I get to keep hitting you until you're in position."

spank
"You little bitch," Lucas snarled, pulling himself higher over Tyler until his groin pressed

into the other man's thigh. "There. Enjoy the feel of my dick, pervert."

"Oh, I will," Tyler purred with far more excitement than Lucas was comfortable with. He

was suddenly hyper aware of his semi-hard cock, now trapped between his body and Tyler's.

Tyler's hand settled on his ass. Lucas tensed as the other man's fingers traced the red

marks that were probably blossoming on his ass cheeks. Tyler bent over him and whispered from
behind him, "This is going to hurt. We'll see who the pervert is in a minute."

spank
"One," Lucas counted as stonily as he could.
spank
"Two," he said, a hint of relief coming through.
Tyler wasn't hitting him nearly as hard as he'd expected. It was more on par with Dean's

spanks which had been tolerable.

spank
It was after the third spank that Lucas discovered what was in-tolerable about being

draped over Tyler's ass.

Tyler touched him.

He didn't just spank Lucas with the flat of his palm, he let his hand linger after the blow

had been delivered, his palm and fingers cupping his cheek and squeezing just slightly, just
enough to make Lucas begin to arch in pain.

It kept Lucas tensed not just through the spanks but for the follow up groping, and the

more he tried to shift out of Tyler's hand the more he inadvertently ground his cock into Tyler's
leg.

"Yeah, you're getting into it now, aren't you?" Tyler purred in a voice that forced Lucas to

close his eyes. Tyler’s hand, currently cupping Lucas' throbbing ass cheek, squeezed with
deceptive gentleness. "Thank me for spanking you, new guy."

"Fuck you," Lucas gritted out, trying not to hump Tyler's leg as he did so. He didn't know

why he was hard from any of this. His face was red with humiliation and his ass was red from a
beating. How could any of that turn him on?

But he was hard and growing harder as Tyler began to squeeze with increasing force.

Soon Lucas was arching against him, trying to get away from the other man while
simultaneously grinding his cock against him.

The pressure abruptly disappeared from his ass.
spank
"Count for me, new guy. Let me know you feel every one of these."
spank
"Eight," Lucas groaned, no longer trying to deny the way his body was moving or what it

sought by doing so.

spank
"Nine..."
He felt Tyler lean over his back again. His palm rested threateningly on Lucas' swollen

ass.

"Whatever you and Adam did during that photo shoot," Tyler whispered into his ear, "I'm

going to take it out on you a little each day until I'm satisfied." He twisted Lucas' ass cheek,
making him cry out. "I hope for your sake you were exaggerating, new guy."

Lucas began to laugh hoarsely.
spank
It was Tyler's hardest spank yet and he ended it with another vicious twist of Lucas' flesh.

Lucas moaned and thrust erratically against Tyler's leg before he was suddenly shoved off onto
the sand.

He curled onto his side and ducked his face against the sand. His ass was still hanging out

for the other guys to see but Lucas was less concerned with that side than with his front where
his erection felt like it was purple and ready to burst. He didn't want to get up. He didn't want to
show them that their spanking of him had aroused him. That was perverted. That wasn't him. He
tensed as a pair of thick thighs appeared before him, their owner kneeling in the sand beside his
head.

"I'm not in the mood to hit you," Adam rumbled in his deep voice. "But you'll spend your

time over my lap the same as you did everyone else's." In a louder voice he said, "You guys go
on back to the cottages. Remember what I said. This goes no further than the six of us."

More assents followed the sound of feet shuffling through the sand. Lucas warily looked

up. Adam held his hand out to him. "Get up and over my lap. You're nearly finished."

Tyler remained beside Adam but everyone else had gone. Lucas didn't give the other

blond a second glance. Ashamed, he hastily crawled across Adam's wide, hard thighs and hung
his head.

He tensed automatically when a large hand settled on the small of his back and another

curled across the nape of his neck.

"I told you I'm not hitting you."
Lucas shook his head. He didn't understand but he didn't trust his voice to ask for

clarification.

"Hump my leg until you cum," Adam ordered.
Lucas' heart sank. "Please," he whispered. "Don't make me."
The hand on the back of his neck tightened ever so slightly. "Don't fight me, Lucas. Just

do it and let's go home and forget about this."

"Jesus, fuck, Adam," Tyler blurted. "At least spank him once."
"Shut up, Ty. Lucas, we're waiting on you."
Lucas closed his eyes. Could this get any worse? He didn't think so. He braced his palms

and toes on the sand and began to thrust against Adam.

He didn't want to know what he looked like. He didn't want to know what he sounded

like, although he could hear someone moaning. His cock was hard enough that cumming in
moments was inevitable. He strained for that. He ground against Adam's rock-hard thigh with
determination.

But it wasn't until the hand on his lower back slid down and fondled his ass that Lucas

felt his balls draw up tight to his body. And when a meaty finger traced the curve of his cleft
Lucas's toes curled in the sand and he blasted his cum all over Adam's leg.

The ecstasy of the moment banished the pain and he felt light-headed, dizzy, almost

euphoric. As he started to come down the pain trooped back into place and Lucas was suddenly
aware of the swollen balloon that was his ass and the cooling fluid slicking the head of his
softening cock.

"Yeah, that's some punishment," Tyler drawled.
"He's going to be in pain all day tomorrow," Adam told him calmly. "And you can't tell

me you didn't enjoy driving him to this point. You got to humiliate him and hurt him. Tonight's a
good night for you, Tyler."

Hearing Adam’s assessment of the night made Lucas cringe. He quickly slid off the

bigger man’s lap. Keeping his back to the two men he pulled up his shorts, biting back a groan
when the fabric abraded his tender skin. He staggered to his feet. All the blood was in his head
and tried to rush out at once. He swayed, his vision blackening.

"Whoa, watch it."
He blindly twisted out of the hand that grabbed his bicep, distantly noting that it was

slimmer which meant it belonged to Tyler.

"I gotta go," Lucas mumbled and then he was walking and then running towards the

water. Despite the Caribbean temperatures the bay water felt like ice water as it sluiced over his
ankles and climbed up his legs. He dove into the water and for that blissful few seconds beneath
the surface he was able to forget about everything.

When he resurfaced, he dared to look back to the beach. Tyler and Adam were still

standing there, their faces shadowed by the bonfire at their backs. He swam for a while and they
continued to watch him. Maybe they thought he was so traumatized he was going to drown

himself. He felt awful but not that bad. He could hear the quiet murmur of their conversation but
couldn't make out any words.

When he finally felt clean and more himself, he swam back to the beach. By then the

other men had left and he was all alone. He limped back to the cottage he shared with them and
vowed never to speak to another woman on the island no matter how nice she was.

CHAPTER THREE

Wednesday came far too quickly for Lucas' comfort. That afternoon he would be taking

part in his first rehearsal with the crew.

He'd been putting off thinking about it -- denial was something he'd been doing a lot

lately -- but when he woke up that morning he realized in another few hours he'd become a
working part of Adam's crew. Today he'd no longer be a spectator. He'd no longer have the
luxury of insisting he was just biding his time, waiting for a miracle spot to open up in the
straight show. If he didn't take part in the rehearsals Adam would send him packing once and for
all.

"Excited, bro?"
Lucas rolled onto his side. Kip on the other bed was propped up on one elbow. His dreads

stuck up every which way on his head.

"You finally get your shot to prove you belong with us," Kip went on, grinning excitedly.

"I'm stoked, aren't you?"

Kip knew nothing about the spanking on the beach and Lucas had no intention of telling

him about it just as he'd withheld the truth about what went down at the photo shoot with Adam.
Lucas wanted his roommate to respect him, and for some reason he felt that telling Kip about
what he'd been up to lately would affect that.

"I'm nervous," he admitted.
"Ben went over the role with you, right?"
"Yeah, but seeing it on paper and doing it are two different things." Lucas shrugged. "It's

not like I have to do anything difficult but I don't want to disappoint Adam. He's been letting me
hang around because he thinks I'll contribute to the show. I want to show him his faith in me is
well placed."

"Nah, bro, you're golden," Kip said dismissively, yawning before sitting up. "He likes

you. Tyler already complained last night that your photo is on the wall in their room. That's like
the Hall of Fame right there."

"Photo?" Lucas went completely still. "What photo?"
"I dunno. A photo of you, obviously."
"Have you seen it?"
"They haven't invited me in there lately, so no." Kip pouted.
Lucas sat up. "Did Tyler describe what it looked like?"
Kip gave him a searching look. "What are you afraid of? Have you been posing for porn

while I wasn't looking?"

Lucas laughed uneasily. "Of course not. But when you hear some guy has a picture of

you in his bedroom you're naturally curious. Wouldn't you be?"

Kip shrugged and scratched at an armpit. "I'd be thrilled. Means he's into me and I'm

about to get some action." He leered playfully at Lucas. "That's what you should be thinking,
bro."

"Yeah, but--"
"I know, I know." Kip held up a hand, palm out. "But if you ask me you're not nearly as

straight as you were when you first got here, and that's coming from a friend. It's a slippery
slope, bro. My advice is to slap on some skis and enjoy the ride."

"Slippery slope," Lucas repeated. He shook his head ruefully. "You have no idea, Kip."

~~~~~

Tyler was preparing breakfast when Lucas and Kip entered the kitchen. Adam was

already seated at the dining table shirtless, his long black hair still damp and occasionally
dripping onto his massive shoulders. Lucas gave him a nod of greeting before taking his seat at
the table beside Kip. Tyler came to the table a minute later and set down a pan containing a
frittata.

"Dig in," Adam said pleasantly. "Rehearsals today so we'll need our energy."
Lucas waited for Kip to serve himself and was planning to take his turn after Tyler but

the platinum blond shook his head and murmured, "Go ahead."

Wary, Lucas helped himself. When he was done Tyler took up the serving spoon and

scooped up a portion for Adam and served himself last.

He and Lucas had danced around each other since the night of the blowout at the club and

on the beach. Lucas had been braced for a full-on assault of smug from the other blond but Tyler
had given him a wide berth, barely addressing him much less looking at him or remaining in the
same room as him without Adam as a buffer. The behavior seemed strange to Lucas but he knew
better than to look a gift horse in the mouth. For whatever reason Tyler didn't want to get into it
with him and that was fine by him. Tyler was a landmine as far as Lucas was concerned.

"Relieved that you're finally getting your chance?"
Lucas looked up at Adam, who was smiling at him.
"I hope I don't screw up," he admitted with a grin.
Tyler snorted but kept his head down.
"Ben's certainly been looking forward to this. I think it's become a point of professional

pride for him that you do well." Adam's smile turned mischievous. "I'm sure it doesn't hurt that
he wants you to do well so you'll be sticking around for a while."

"He's so gone," Kip snickered before shoveling eggs into his mouth.
Lucas stuffed food into his own mouth to avoid comment.
"I've heard that a man stranded in the desert will drink his own piss," Tyler said.
Kip choked on his food. Lucas ignored Tyler.
"Ben's not desperate," Adam retorted mildly. "No one on my crew has any reason to be

desperate. I only allow the best. It makes for a highly sought after souvenir program. A better
seller than the Chippendales' program, I bet."

Mounting dread made it difficult to swallow.
"Oh, yeah, how'd that photo shoot go?" Kip asked, right on cue. He nudged Lucas' arm.

"You didn't mention how that turned out. Good shots?"

Lucas shrugged, trusting that Adam would elaborate.
But all Adam said was, "They turned out fine."

Surprised, Lucas glanced at the other man. Adam gave him a short nod of

acknowledgement and casually stabbed a bell pepper. Feeling eyes on him, Lucas shifted his
gaze across the table to Tyler. Gray eyes glared at him with so much jealousy Lucas wouldn't
have been all that surprised if Tyler hurled his fork at him.

"I told Lucas that you've got a picture of him on your wall now," Kip said, oblivious to

the undercurrents swirling across the table. "It's killing him not knowing what it is."

"Kip..." Lucas sighed.
"It's not from the shoot," Adam replied. He swallowed and reached for his papaya juice.

"This is good, Ty. Really good."

"Thanks," Tyler mumbled but his eyes were still burning holes through Lucas.
Lucas was able to ignore him because Adam's answer puzzled him. "If it's not from the

shoot where is it from?"

"Bro, Adam's a photographer. You've seen the pictures in the living room."
Lucas saw them every day but he'd forgotten that Adam had taken them. He stared at

Adam harder. "So what, you've been secretly photographing me?"

Adam looked down at his plate, a half-smile on his face. "Don't worry about it, Lucas. I

always manage to catch a person from his good side."

Good side. Right. Lucas could imagine what Adam considered that to be.
"I want to see it."
Adam raised his eyes, still amused. "Do you." It wasn't a question.
Knowing he should tread carefully but too annoyed to bother, Lucas set down his fork

and crossed his arms. "Yeah. I do. I find it kind of creepy that someone secretly took a
photograph of me and has hung it in his bedroom. I want to see it."

"You are so full of yourself," Tyler muttered.
"Like you wouldn't care if it this had happened to you?" Lucas challenged him.
Gray eyes flashed. "It did, fuck face!"
Taken aback, Lucas didn't know what to say. He wasn't even sure he knew what Tyler

meant.

"Enough. I can see where this is going." Adam pushed back his chair. "You want to see?

Come with me."

Entering Adam and Tyler's bedroom, Lucas didn't know what to expect. Dildos strewn

about? Women's underwear? Whips and chains?

The room he followed Adam into was anti-climatic. Though it smelled faintly of sweat

and sex the room was otherwise nondescript. A king bed in the center of the room was covered
with a brown comforter. The drawers in a cheap set of dressers were all neatly closed. Clothes
were tucked into a hamper visible through the doorway of the en suite bathroom. The closet
looked to hold shorts and T-shirts, nothing more incriminating.

The room was painted a refreshing khaki which dramatically set off the framed and

matted black-and-white photographs that were hung in a vertical line like a chair rail across the
walls of the room.

Lucas stepped up to the nearest ones, struck momentarily speechless. The photos on this

wall were of members of the crew. There was Dean, caught in a moment of laughter, his eyes
rounded with surprise as if he'd heard something outrageous. Another showed Orinth looking
disgusted and faintly fearful as he studied something in the palm of his hand. Lucas paused
before a profile shot of Ben who looked contemplative and wistful as he gazed out at something,

the ocean a fuzzy and gray expanse behind him. A touch of loneliness softened his face. It made
Lucas sad for him.

And he located a photograph of Kip which the man apparently knew nothing about.

Lucas stared at it for a long moment, affection rising in him at the sight of his roommate with
one hand on his hip, the other pointed to the sky, his mouth open in mid-speech as if he were
proposing a flight to the moon. The expression on his face was both mischievous and hopeful, as
if he had his fingers crossed that he could recruit a partner for his intended scheme. Lucas made
a mental note to tell his friend that he did in fact enjoy the dubious honor of a place in Adam's
room. Kip would be thrilled.

"These are incredible," he murmured. "They should be in magazines."
"You want to see yours?"
Lucas turned cautiously. Adam, still standing at the door, pointed to the wall behind the

head of the bed. Lucas scanned the framed images. The photos on that wall were of Tyler, candid
snapshots of the blond in moments of laughter, repose, annoyance. Tyler was enviously
photogenic. Each photo no matter what he was doing in them showed a vision of a male angel.
Lucas could see through these photos what Adam had fallen in love with. Gagged by two
dimensions, the Tyler of the photos couldn't spoil his visual appeal with asshole-ish comments.
As a photo he was a beautiful young man whose face was nearly painfully expressive. Lucas
wondered why he hadn't seen this side of Tyler and then changed his mind when he realized that
he had. He'd seen only the angry Tyler. The jealous one. Occasionally he'd seen the insecure
Tyler. Though Lucas hadn't especially liked these sides of Tyler he had to admit that each
emotion had been pure, unadulterated. Tyler didn't hold back and he didn't hide. That's what
Adam had captured with his lens and it was clearly what he loved about the man. Tyler was
honesty.

Disturbed by the intimacy of the photos, Lucas looked to the right side of the bed where

Adam had pointed. There, he found a single shot of himself. It was a candid like the others.
Lucas couldn't remember a time when he'd seen Adam with a camera but clearly he'd had one at
some point and used it to catch Lucas in a damning moment.

No wonder, Lucas thought to himself. No wonder Tyler didn't like it.
Because the photo didn't just contain Lucas. In the background, out of focus but

recognizable, stood Tyler gazing out at the bay. The photo must have been taken during one of
their beach barbeques, maybe snapped with a long lens from the 'yard' of the cottage, giving
Adam the chance to take the photo and then put away the camera before joining his crew on the
beach. In the foreground sat Lucas, hands wrapped around his drawn-up legs, a soft curve to his
lips as if he was politely smiling at something someone else said. What Tyler obviously hated
and what didn't make Lucas feel too great either, was the focus of Lucas' gaze in the photo. It
appeared that he was looking at Tyler in the distance, watching him with curiosity or with what
someone might interpret as longing.

"I like to look at it and guess what was going through your head at that moment."
Lucas started. He'd momentarily forgotten about Adam.
Embarrassed, Lucas shrugged. "I was probably just zoning out."
It was a lie and they both knew it but Adam didn't bother refuting it.
"Tyler has his own ideas," Adam said instead. "But I think he's lying to himself too."
Lucas suddenly didn't like the photograph in Adam's room. He'd mentally prepared

himself to see one of the photos from the photo shoot hanging on the wall. What Adam was
displaying instead might be worse. The results of the photo shoot Lucas could blame on the other

man. This one, though... no one had told him to pose that way. No one had told him to seek out
Tyler with his eyes.

"It's nice," he said, trying to sound dismissive. "They all are. You should become a

professional."

"Then it becomes a job. I didn't come to Joyboy for a job."
Lucas glanced at him, curious. "The show is a job."
Adam shook his head. "The show is a calling. I don't do it for the money, Lucas. None of

the guys do. When you finally take your place in it you'll do it because you love it too. Because
you know you belong with the crew and where they go, you go."

"You guys try to make this sound like a cult." Lucas tried to make light of it although

Adam's intense expression made that difficult. "It's a show. People pay to watch you for an hour
and then they go back to their hotel rooms and forget about you. It's nothing more than that.
You're not really pirates. You're not a pirate captain."

Adam shrugged rather than take offense. "You'll see what I mean eventually. Then you'll

remember what you said here and you'll wish you hadn't."

Lucas took one last look at the photos on the other man's wall, carefully avoiding the

photograph of him. "I was expecting worse," he dared to admit.

Adam's slow smile made Lucas' groin tingle strangely. "This is worse, you're just afraid

to see it for what it is."

~~~~~

Lucas stood poised on the deck of the Dread Destroyer, a fake cutlass in hand as he

waited for Tyler to begin reciting the narration. It was a sunny day just like every day, and the
bay had never looked more like turquoise sea glass. Lucas had to struggle not to grin at how
perfect everything was. He was standing on a pirate ship, dressed as a pirate, on a tropical island.
Life couldn't get better than this.

"On a warm summer night in the year 1753, the famous pirate Captain Marcus Finch

sailed into the bay of Wide Cove Island," Tyler began, managing to sound bored despite the
subject mater. "He and his crew of hardened pirates had learned of a treasure beyond anything
they had found before, something greater than jewels and more priceless than gold..."

As Tyler continued with the narration, Lucas' eyes went to the wheel of the ship where

his pirate captain stood. Strong, confident, and yet somehow avoiding looking arrogant, Adam
commanded Lucas' attention. He imagined that they were truly at sea and Adam was responsible
for guiding them across the tossing waves. Lucas would trust him completely to do that, he
realized. He'd never met another man who inspired such confidence and he'd worked with a fair
number of captains during his stint with the Tall Ships.

He decided it must be the strange belief Adam had admitted to possessing, the belief that

being a pirate captain was his calling. Adam wasn't acting now and he didn't act on shore. He
commanded in every aspect of his life. He didn't exude arrogance or made you feel that by
obeying him you were bowing down to his superiority. He exuded certainty. He gave you the
option to do as he requested, and because of his confidence you accepted that obeying really was
the best option. You accepted that he was your captain. Lucas envied and respected him for that.
He half-wished Adam wrote a book explaining his secret, or at least offered personal
consultations on how to be just like him. Lucas thought he would enjoy that one-on-one time
with the other man.

Slippery slope, Lucas.
Startled by the direction his thoughts were headed, he snapped to just as Dean dived over

the side of the ship. The dripping man emerged, hands cupped to mimic carrying the Hidden Idol
prop. He brought the imaginary prop to Adam who pretended to raise it overhead to the cheers of
the crew.

Slippery slope. It was slippery and then some. As Lucas gazed at Adam, his powerful arm

extended, he asked himself why he shouldn't just enjoy the ride to the bottom. Adam had already
jerked him off. Lucas had humped his leg to orgasm. Would it be so bad to give it up, maybe just
let Adam blow him and deflate the sexual tension between them? The relief might very well be
worth the psychological gymnastics afterwards.

He was jolted from his fantasies by an elbow from Ben. To accommodate Lucas' new

role in the ship Ben's role had been adjusted so that he began the show on deck rather than up in
the rigging of the foremast. Ben shot him a quick grin and whispered, "No more daydreaming.
Time to get molested."

The shadow Loa were supposedly attacking the ship now. Lucas put his back to Ben's

and together they pretended to fend off the shadowy invaders. Orinth became possessed first,
then Peter. As the two men embraced each other and began kissing, that was Ben's cue to
scramble up the rigging to safety with Lucas in tow. Below them Kip was grinding Hewie's face
against his crotch while other men were stripping each other and groping each others' bodies.

"Show time," Ben murmured. He grabbed hold of the mainmast rope and swung out

through the open space between the masts, slashing at invisible Loa as he went. That part of the
show remained the same.

What differed was when he returned to the rigging with Lucas. Ben became possessed

with the Loa as before but this time instead of groping himself he attacked Lucas. Lucas' role
was to play an unaffected crewmember trying to fight off the assault. It wasn't far from the truth.

He choked back a gasp as Ben tackled him backwards into the netting. The other man's

hands pressed on his shoulders, pinning him to the rough rope while Ben attacked his throat with
his lips and teeth. Lucas pushed back half-heartedly, not wanting to affect Ben's balance and
cause him to fall, but struggling enough to put on a good show for the audience. He lashed his
head from side to side and flailed with his arms and legs, a damsel being ravished.

The only problem was that in the scuffle he was boning up, and Ben, who had been hard

from the first contact between them, could undoubtedly feel it. Ben moaned against Lucas' throat
and rolled his hips against him, grinding his cock back and forth across Lucas' hip.

"Lucas..." he groaned, and Lucas knew that wasn't part of the script. Ben's thick leg

pushed between his. He began to rub his thigh up and down, rubbing Lucas' dick.

"Ah, fuck," Lucas gritted out, pushing on Ben's shoulder with genuine distress. "Stop."
A hot breath gusted against his throat before Ben's leg stopped moving, though it still

rested heavily against Lucas' cock. Ben pressed it down once more. Heat flared across Lucas'
cheeks. "Don't!"

"Sorry," Ben whispered. "I think it's time I go."
He partly disentangled himself from Lucas and fiddled with the numerous ropes hanging

overhead. From below it would still appear as if he were attacking Lucas.

Flush-faced, Ben glanced briefly at Lucas. "Push me."
Gulping, Lucas nodded and raised his bare feet. He set them lightly against Ben's chest

and pushed, exaggerating the motion to make it seem more violent than it really was. Ben
tumbled off the netting to the deck below.

Even though he knew it was an act and Ben was experienced, it still made Lucas

nauseous to watch the other man pull up just feet from the deck and dangle at the end of the rope
upside down. The crewmen-turned-Loa set to molesting their dangling bounty. That meant it was
Lucas' turn.

Far below, Kip was at the rigging about to climb up. That was Lucas' next cue. He moved

off the rigging and onto the mast, looking down at the fighting men with feigned desperation. As
Adam went down beneath a wave of attacking Loa, Lucas dove overboard.

The moment of freefall was glorious. He was trained to hit the water so his feet or knees

hit first no matter what contorted position he was in. This was a much simpler dive allowing him
to fist his hands above his head so they would break the surface tension before his skull did. The
bay engulfed him in blue. The water was cool and wonderfully refreshing. He took a few seconds
to enjoy it before he surfaced.

He looked up. Peter hung over the rail, holding a short length of rope which he'd

pretended to throw out into the sea to lasso Lucas. Lucas quickly swam to the rope ladder
hanging down the side of the ship and climbed up. When he reached the end of Peter's rope he
tied it around his waist to give the impression Peter had hooked him and dragged him back to the
ship.

He tumbled over the edge of the rail onto the deck, tethered by Peter who used his rope

leash to drag Lucas to the mainmast. There he shoved Lucas against the smooth wood and then
used the rope to lash him in place.

This was the part of his role that he'd dreaded most. By this time in the show every

member of the crew was possessed by Loa spirits. It was an orgy free-for-all. Looking around at
what the rest of the crew were doing, Lucas could see that Adam's encouragement of orgies
between the crew was merely an extension of what they already did during the show. There was
no room for modesty. Kip was on his knees, giving Dean a blowjob. Lucas winced, unsure he
could ever look at his friend the same again. Orinth, Hewie and another crewmember whose
name Lucas had forgotten were engaged in a sandwich that Lucas was pretty sure involved some
sort of anal penetration somewhere; the bodies were too contorted for him to know who was
getting it or giving it.

And then there was Tyler who still held his whip and had lined up three crewmen over a

canon and were whipping their bare asses and apparently enjoying it a lot if his hard-on was
anything to go by. Lucas bit the inside of his cheek as his own cock throbbed at the scene. He
remembered Tyler's hand on his ass as he'd spanked him, recalled the cruelty in his voice and the
hardness of his cock as it jabbed into the side of Lucas' abdomen. Lucas' cock, slightly softened
by the dive into the water, throbbed anew.

His attention was ripped from Tyler and his powers of S&M as the Loa turned their sights

on Lucas. He tensed, instinctively pressing back against the mainmast as Peter used a real knife
to cut Lucas' shirt off. As soon as the scraps dropped to the deck, hands fitted over his skin,
replacing the fabric.

He struggled not to hyperventilate as men he knew and men whose names he'd forgotten

ran their palms over his chest and pinched his nipples. They squeezed his biceps and dipped into
his armpits. Fingernails scraped down his abdomen causing him to involuntarily suck in his
breath. A mistake, for it created space between his stomach and the waistband of his breeches.
He bucked in panic as someone's hand slid into that space and rubbed across his stubbled groin
hair.

"No," he gritted out, then immediately clamped his lips together. He couldn't refuse this.

If he did, he was off the show and on his way back to Chicago. He bit his tongue and closed his
eyes, not wanting to see who molested him, not wanting them to read the fear in his eyes.

The hand in his pants withdrew but more hands curled over him atop the wet cloth. The

fabric was no barrier to the heat of their palms as they cupped and molded his cock and balls.
Someone grabbed him beneath the left thigh and lifted his leg, opening him to deeper
molestation between his legs. He nearly yelled out when fingers coasted behind his balls,
pressing experimentally at his covered hole.

He panted hard, convinced he was having a panic attack. When something hot blossomed

against his balls, his eyes shot open and he looked down.

Ben was on his knees between Lucas' legs, blue eyes looking up at Lucas while his mouth

sealed around the wet fabric covering his balls. Lucas choked on a cry as Ben's hot mouth
engulfed him through the cloth. He shoved his hips up, unable to help himself. Hands responded
to his desperation by palming his cock and rubbing it fiercely.

Lucas' head fell back against the mast, his eyes tightly shut. He didn't care who was

sucking him off or who was touching him. He needed to get off. His balls felt like they were
going to explode. His fingernails clawed the wood behind him. He kept pushing into Ben's
mouth and into the multiple hands. When fingers pinched his nipples and pulled the red nubs
away from his chest he cried out not in protest but in pleasure.

Then the hands on his chest disappeared. So did the ones jacking him through his

breeches. He moaned his disappointment and opened his eyes.

Adam stood before him, stripped to a loincloth, his powerful body glistening with sweat

and saliva and pearly streaks that Lucas realized with a mixture of horror and lust were streaks of
cum. As Lucas gaped at him, still thrusting mindlessly against Ben's mouth, Adam grabbed
Lucas behind the neck. The pirate captain reached into his loincloth with his other hand and
pulled out the massive tube of flesh that Lucas had seen at the photo shoot. It was swollen,
purple and looked ready to blow.

Lucas groaned. He didn't know why. But the sight of that giant cock made something

inside him go weak.

He couldn't look away from Adam's eyes as the other man jacked himself furiously, his

shoulder muscles flexing and churning. It took only a few seconds before Adam shuddered, his
stomach muscles convulsing. He cupped the end of his dick as he came and Lucas soon found at
why. Still holding Lucas firmly with one hand, Adam reached up with his cupped hand and held
it over Lucas' mouth.

Lucas bucked, freaking out when the ozone smell of cum reached his nose and he felt the

slippery fluid against his lips.

"Don't make me pinch your nose to smother you," Adam warned, partly breathless.

"Open your mouth."

Lucas tried to shake his head and found he couldn't with Adam holding the back of his

neck.

"Open your mouth," Adam repeated softly, "and I'll let Ben suck all that cum out of your

balls."

Lust rushed through Lucas so violently his entire body shuddered. He looked down. Ben

was still between his legs, his plush lips pressed to the fabric of Lucas' breeches. He nodded
slightly at Lucas, encouraging him.

Lucas groaned. He knew he was beaten. If he didn't cum he would die. With his vision

shimmering for some reason, he met Adam's eyes and slowly parted his lips. Adam flatted his
hand and pushed his cum into Lucas' mouth. He said, "Do it, Ben."

Lucas barely felt his breeches being opened as the salty, bitter taste of Adam flowed over

his tongue and gums.

"Swallow me," Adam said softly.
Lucas moaned in dismay.
"You can do it." Adam's voice was deep. Hypnotic. "It would please me very much if you

did."

Lucas tried to shake his head again. Adam was trying to brainwash him. Lucas wouldn't

let it happen.

But it was too late now, wasn't it? He had no choice with the cum already sitting on his

tongue and filling the bottom of his mouth. It coated his teeth and he was pretty sure he would
taste it for days. With tears in his eyes he swallowed the sticky fluid down, a vision flashing
through his head of being on his knees before Adam and sucking the cum directly from the
source.

Adam nodded, his face alight with approval. "Good boy."
Adam's palm was still over his mouth when Ben began sucking his cock. The hand

muffled Lucas' tortured groan as he received the reward for his obedience.

CHAPTER FOUR

Something that was so wrong wasn't supposed to feel so good.
That was what kept running through Lucas' mind as he slumped against the mast while

the last shivers of orgasm worked through his body. Adam's palm was still clamped firmly over
his mouth. Lucas had licked it clean at Adam's orders because there was no more point in
resisting. He'd already swallowed the other man's cum. Licking off a little extra meant nothing in
the scheme of things.

Still holding Lucas behind the neck, Adam leaned against him, his arms flexed. His dark

eyes were all pupil, his lips slightly parted. His strong, square face held an expression of languid
pleasure. Lucas had put it there. He didn't know whether to be proud of that or disgusted by it.

"Good," Adam said quietly. He cautiously lifted his hand away from Lucas' mouth as if

prepared to cover it again if Lucas began yelling his head off.

Lucas didn't have the energy for that. He felt used. Between his legs, Ben was tucking

him back into his breeches and tying the garment closed. The blond -- his friend -- had sucked
him off and Lucas had liked it... but he hadn't wanted it. He felt weird about the situation, guilty
and vaguely ashamed. When Ben rose to his feet and smiled at Lucas almost proudly, Lucas had
to look away.

"Thanks, Ben," he heard Adam say to the other man. "Go help the guys clean up."
"Aye, Cap'n." Lucas sensed Ben hesitate as if hoping for a response from Lucas.
Lucas couldn't give him one that wouldn't hurt the other man's feelings. And he didn't

want to do that, didn’t want to hurt Ben. Despite it all he couldn't be mad at the man. He'd only
been following Adam's orders.

After an awkward moment, the other blond jogged away to help his crewmates.

Adam's regard felt heavy. Lucas couldn't lift his face beneath its weight.
"Was it so bad?" Adam asked him. "You got off with what I'll bet was the best blowjob

of your life."

That was true. Ben had done things with his mouth, tongue and throat that Lisa and other

past lovers had never dreamed of doing to him. It was the kind of awesome blowjob that only a
man with insider knowledge could give.

"I didn't want it," Lucas muttered. "I didn't expect--" He cleared his throat of a thickness

he didn't want to consider. "I didn't think--"

"You didn't think you'd have to act gay for the show?" Adam's breath was warm and

minty against Lucas' turned cheek. "You knew this was coming, Lucas. You told me you'd play
the part, that you'd do whatever it took to be convincing in the show. Now you have. Big deal."

Big deal?
"You were tied up. Helpless. You can use that as your excuse if you want to."
"I don't want an excuse!" Lucas snapped, finally meeting Adam eye to eye. "I was willing

to act, to play along. I could handle the touching maybe, but this was different. You made -- you
made me--"

Adam smirked. "I made you taste me."
Lucas flushed hotly. The flavor of Adam was suddenly sharp in his mouth, metallic and

salty. The smell in Lucas' nose reminiscent of late nights watching porn or hiding in the
bathroom jerking over the toilet bowl -- experiences that had been heterosexual until now.

"That was going too far," he argued. "I didn't need to do that to play my role."
"No, you're right. You did that to make me happy." Adam's other hand, still cradling the

back of Lucas' neck, squeezed lightly though not in a menacing way. It was merely the size of it
and its intimate grasp that made Lucas want to surrender into it. Trust it.

"You did what I wanted, Lucas. You've made me very happy with you. I want you to stay

in my show and on this island. No one's taking you away from me. You're mine now."

Lucas nearly smiled in wry amusement. He was well aware that Adam wanted him

sexually. Earlier Lucas had deliberately taken advantage of that fact to ensure his place on the
show. Now though, now that he'd gotten what he'd been aiming for -- Adam's loyalty -- now he
was afraid he'd bitten off more than he could chew. Was it finally time to pay the piper and hand
over what he'd been dangling before the other man?

Adam's lowered voice was closer. "Was it so bad to do what I asked you to?"
Suddenly shy, Lucas looked away again as the other man brought them cheek to cheek.

Adam's lips touched his ear and Lucas had to close his eyes to keep it together. His heart
pounded in his ears.

"Would it surprise you if I told you I'm jealous of Ben?" Adam murmured.
"Yes. You don't strike me as the kind of guy who likes to drop to his knees."
Adam chuckled. "You don't get it. That's not what I mean. He took your cock into his

mouth without your permission and yet you're not mad at him. That makes me envy him.
Something about him makes you willing to forgive him."

"He's my friend. I know he's not out to hurt me."
"What makes you think that I am?"
Lucas started to shake his head then stopped when it rubbed his cheek against Adam's.

"It's not -- I don't think you want to hurt me. I think you decide you want something and you do
whatever it takes to get it no matter who gets trampled in the process."

Silence fell as Adam processed that. Lucas was hyperaware of how muscular the other

man was. He felt as though Adam was the ideal specimen of a man and he was a secondary,
weaker model in comparison. He'd never felt that way before. In the past when he'd encountered
stronger or more athletic guys he'd experienced a competitive rush to best them. He didn't feel
that with Adam. He didn't want to compete with the man. He wanted to work with him. Under
him. Something is wrong with my brain.

"So you're mad at me?" Adam asked him in a neutral voice. "You hate me?"
Lucas wanted to reply yes to both questions. What Adam pulled today was total bullshit.

He'd ambushed Lucas right here in front of everyone, knowing that if Lucas balked the entire
crew would witness it and that it would mean the end of Lucas' career as a pirate.

"I don't hate you." There. It was the truth no matter how defeated it left him feeling. "Not

completely."

Adam's fingers flexed against Lucas' skin. "Do you hate me for wanting to be inside

you?"

"You're not fucking me," Lucas choked, alarm shooting through his veins. "Just get that

out of your head right now. It's never going to happen."

"But I'm already inside you, Lucas. You just swallowed me. Little by little I'm invading

you." Adam's lips brushed his ear. "I'm starting with the top of you and I'll work my way down.
It's inevitable. I'll wear you down until you give me everything we both want."

Lucas jerked against the rope binding him to the pole. He hated his vulnerable position.

He hated that the others guys were throwing him and Adam curious glances as they went about
cleaning the deck. He hated that he'd just cum and yet his cock was beginning to fill with blood
because of the things Adam was saying to him.

"You're not fucking me!" he repeated.
Adam leaned back, his dark eyes holding Lucas' brown ones. The effect was similar to

calming an animal. Lucas slumped in his bonds, the fight draining out of him.

"I told you in the beginning that I wouldn't," Adam said in a low, calming voice. "Not

until you want me to. That still holds true."

Lucas should have been relieved but it was difficult to trust anything said by a man who

wanted to have sex with him. "Excuse me if I haven't been given any reason to believe you."

Lips tilting up, Adam let loose a soft chuckle. "You got me there, man. I guess I've been a

little heavy-handed with you." His eyes dropped, sweeping with unmistakable possessiveness
over Lucas. No one, least of all another guy, had ever given him such a look. "You can't blame
me though. You push all my buttons. You could say you've got me wrapped around your little
finger."

Lucas laughed at the absurdity of the comment. "Right."
Adam just smiled. "You don't believe me?"
"That I've got any sort of control over you? No. I don't believe that."
A full grin broke over Adam's face. "I want you."
"I know that, but--"
"Think about what kind of power that gives you."
Adam released Lucas completely. Still smiling, he pulled at the loose knots in the rope

binding Lucas to the mast. The sexual tension of just moments before lifted like mist burning off
a cove.

"If you're smart you'll take advantage of your position." Lucas knew Adam wasn't

speaking literally. As the last knot fell slack, Adam winked at him. "Tyler would do it. You're
telling me he's smarter than you?"

"He's definitely sneakier."
"Maybe that's why he often gets his way." Adam palmed his own chest, absently feeling

the bulging muscle there. "You might take a page from his book. You and he might be my
downfall."

With another playful wink, Adam walked away. Lucas, draped in rope, stared after him

and wondered just what the other man was playing at.

"Hey, you planning on standing around all day or are you going to pitch in and help the

rest of us, bro?" Kip appeared in front of Lucas, a shit-eating grin stretching from ear to ear. He
reached out and tugged on a drooping rope. "So I see you decided to pinch-hit for our team."

Lucas scowled and shrugged off the rope. "I didn't have a choice. I was mauled. It wasn't

cool."

Kip slapped both hands to his cheeks and affected a shocked expression. "Mauled? Holy

shit, bro, we gotta report this! They can't get away with that!"

Lucas took a half-hearted swing at his friend which Kip danced away from, laughing.
"Laugh all you want," Lucas grumbled. "What Adam did to me was wrong."
Kip slung a slender arm around Lucas' shoulders. "Be straight with me, bro" he said,

snickering, "'cause I know you want to. You got off on all that. Just a little, didn't you? I mean, I
know you got off but you know what I'm talking about, bro. Adam got to you. Admit it."

Lucas reluctantly thought about what had just happened to him. Being tied to the mast

and then gang molested had been scary. He'd almost panicked. No, he had panicked.

But then Adam had appeared, consuming Lucas' attention, giving him something to focus

on and a way to ground himself. And yeah, it was sick what he did, making Lucas swallow his
cum. And yeah, being helpless while Ben give him a blow job had been frustrating, maybe even
a touch humiliating. But Lucas had cum and he'd cum hard. He hadn't been turned off. His dick
hadn't wilted which would have happened if some ugly women had assaulted him in the same
way.

The truth of the matter was that he didn't like what the scene had showed him about

himself. He wanted to be angry only with Adam, but his conscience demanded he look in the
mirror and ask himself who really was to blame for how he'd reacted.

"I didn't want it this way," he said in frustration. He searched Kip's eyes for

understanding. "I'm stumbling my way through this, Kip, but Adam hit me with it all at once. It
wasn't -- it wasn't fair."

Kip nodded. "I get you, bro. But come on. Let's face facts. You just got blown and you

liked it. Okay, Adam messed with your head a little. He didn't do it to hurt you. He wanted to get
you going and I think he did. You just gotta admit that. You gotta accept that you liked what he
did to you. It's nothing to be ashamed about. I wish he'd done that to me my first time out. It's
pretty fucking hot the way he's dragging this out with you. It's like he's seducing you or
something, bro."

"Seducing me?" Lucas snorted. "That's something guys do to girls, Kip."
"Or gay guys do to other guys," Kip pointed out with a comical wag of his eyebrows.

"You're on a whole different playing field now, bro. You gotta remember that things are different
here."

Kip had a good point. Lucas kept forgetting that in this unfamiliar terrain he could be

considered prey. Though god knew he wanted to be the predator if he had to participate in the
hunt at all. He wasn't letting Adam -- or any guy -- anywhere near his ass. No way.

Except to let Adam shave yours.
Hell. He'd forgotten about that. Just had far had he fallen already?
"Are you two too special to help out?" snapped a voice that had Lucas stiffening, the rope

pulling taut between his hands.

He watched warily as Tyler, redressed in his breeches, sauntered past them. He threw a

dismissive glance back at Lucas.

"Hope you enjoyed the taste of spunk, new guy, because you're swallowing mine next."
Gripping the rope with whitened fingers, wishing he could garrote Tyler with it, Lucas

replied, "Not that I plan to, but I'd better make sure my stomach is empty first so I don't vomit."

Tyler caught his eye and smirked. "So you're already thinking about sucking on me.

That's good to know."

"I hate him," Lucas muttered needlessly as the other blond walked away, barking orders

to the other crewmembers. "I mean I really, really hate him."

"Ignore him, bro. He's just jealous." Kip lightly punched Lucas in the chest. "You didn't

hear it from me but he looked like he wanted to jack himself while he watched what Adam and
Ben were doing to you. Take that however you want, bro."

Lucas didn't intend to take it any way at all. Tyler didn't want him sexually. He just

wanted to humiliate Lucas and drive him off the island. If anything that was probably what Kip
saw: Tyler getting turned-on because Lucas had to endure something he obviously wasn't
comfortable with. Sadistic bastard.

He began winding the rope around his hand and elbow. "Take my mind off all this, Kip.

Tell me what to do next." He motioned to indicate the ship.

"Sure thing, bro. We just gotta clean up everything for the show tonight..."
They joined the others in polishing and drying the desks of the Dread Destroyer back to

their former glory. Lucas helped carry the folding chairs up from below decks and arrange them
in rows on the ship's extended stage area. Massive white AV screens for the projectors to play
upon were raised by pulley into place by the port side.

Lucas worked quickly and efficiently, concentrating on the work so he wouldn't think

about what that funny taste was in his mouth and why Ben kept trying to catch his eye. He was
done with thinking about sex. He just wanted some peace.

After forty-five minutes the ship was prepped for the night's show and it was time to

return to shore. Lucas sat with Kip for the boat ride back to the pier. He'd grabbed his friend and
dragged him onto the seat next to him so that no one -- especially Ben or Tyler -- could get close
to him. Ben proved cleverer though, asking Peter who was seated on the bench in front of Lucas
to trade places with him. Lucas inwardly groaned. As the boat bounced across the turquoise
water, Ben turned around just as Lucas had dreaded.

"Hey." Ben smiled at him uncertainly.
Lucas nodded. "Hey."
"Um, so that was pretty wild for your first rehearsal, huh?"
Kip laughed. Lucas elbowed him. He hoped the heat in his cheeks was sunburn. "Yeah.

Pretty insane."

Ben straddled the bench seat so he could lean closer to Lucas. He braced one hand on the

edge of the boat to keep from falling over.

"What happened back there -- I hope I didn't freak you out." Ben worried his fleshy

bottom lip with his teeth. "I know you're really new to all of this. Being tied up for your first
blowjob from a guy probably wasn't the best way it could have happened." He grinned
nervously. "Unless it helped you discover you've got a thing for bondage."

Lucas wanted to be mad at him. Ben had pretty much assaulted him without his

permission. But he could see that the other man was honestly apologetic. Ben, like the rest of
them, was a victim of Adam's influence.

"It wasn't the way I wanted it to happen," Lucas grudgingly agreed. He forced himself

into a weak smile. "But hey, I'm a guy and what guy would turn down a blowjob, right?"

Ben brightened. "Did you enjoy it?"
After all the tension of the afternoon Lucas couldn't have been more surprised by the

laughter that burst from his lips. Ben fishing for a compliment reminded Lucas of the first time
he'd gone down on a girl and hopefully asked her the same thing.

"Yeah, man." All the dirtiness and embarrassment ran off Lucas' back. The truth was he'd

gotten the best blowjob of his life from Ben and Ben had been happy to give it to him. There
were some major things wrong with that statement but Lucas didn't want to dwell on them. Life
was too short. "I'd give it a solid nine out of ten," he joked.

Kip raised his hand for Ben to high-five. "Good job, bro! That's pretty solid even if this

newbie doesn't know any better."

The two of them laughed at Lucas' expense.
"When he has some experience under his belt I'll give him another go," Ben teased.

"We'll see how I rank then."

"Be careful what you wish for, bro. My man might turn into a man-whore now that

you've introduced him to the delights of the Dark Side," Kip predicted, leering at Lucas.

Lucas shook his head at both of them. "You two act like I'm a virgin who's just been

touched for the first time." He blushed when Ben cocked an eyebrow. "I may not have been with
a guy but I've been with plenty of girls. I'm not going to become some crazed sex maniac
because of today."

Ben's face fell. "Damn."
His exaggerated response cracked Lucas up. "Shut the hell up."
The boat reached the pier and the crew began climbing out. Lucas was dismayed to see

Adam on the pier, greeting each disembarking crewmember with a comment about his
performance or a reminder to get rest before the night's show. Tyler stood beside Adam like a
glowering shadow.

Lucas tried to ignore both men as he climbed over the seats. When he reached the edge of

the boat however, a large hand was extended to him. Adam grinned down at him, carefree and
confident, either unaware or uncaring of the sullen Tyler hovering beside him.

"Good job for your first rehearsal," Adam said to him as he pulled Lucas onto the pier.

He kept hold of Lucas' hand as he added, "The crowd's going to love you. Very sexy."

"You won't be repeating that scene in the show though, right?" Tyler butted in. His gray

eyes looked like storm clouds. "The pirate captain wouldn't focus on a single guy like that. It
doesn't make any sense. New guy here is just a grunt."

"I thought it was hot," Ben chipped in helpfully as he stepped onto the pier behind Lucas.

Lucas wished his friend wouldn't try to be so helpful. "I wouldn't mind repeating that scene for
the show, Adam."

"No, Tyler's right," Lucas said hastily. He forcibly pulled his hand out of Adam's grip.

"I'm just a nobody crewmember. The captain wouldn't waste time on me."

Adam's smile faded and Lucas thought he felt an Arctic cold front moving through the

Caribbean.

"It seems like the captain would be the one to decide that," Adam said stonily. He looked

hard at Lucas long enough to make him shift from foot to foot in unease but then distributed his
cool glare to Ben and Tyler as well. "The last time I checked, a pirate ship isn't a democracy."

"No, but we're all here to put on a good fucking show," Tyler shot back, splitting his

angry glare between Lucas and Adam. "I think altering the show is cool when it's done right but
what we just did isn't cool. Everyone's going to be watching you, Adam. They want to see you
doing something dramatic, not fuck around with a background crewmember. Why can't you keep
doing what you always do and leave the newbie tied up for the others to mess with?"

Adam looked over his shoulder at Tyler. Lucas couldn't see his expression but by the

look of Tyler's, the big man wasn't pleased.

"When is it going to end, Tyler? What's it going to take to open your eyes?"
Adam's low voice sent a shiver through Lucas' body. He remembered back to when he'd

overheard Adam and Tyler having sex and Adam had issued orders to the other man in that same
deep timbered drawl. It was a voice of sex and danger and authority. Lucas wished he himself
sounded that way when he was in bed with women. Hearing it from Adam made him wonder
what it would be like to hear it directed at him.

Tyler licked his lips, the action a strange mix of apprehension and anticipation. Lucas

suddenly felt like a voyeur. He bumped Kip's shoulder. "Come on."

Adam didn't stop the three of them from continuing on. When Lucas glanced back, Adam

had invaded Tyler's space. The blond's cheeks were lightly flushed, his eyes wide with either
surprise or shock from whatever Adam was saying to him. Lucas hoped Adam was reaming him
out. Verbally, that is.

He wouldn't bet money on it though. He realized that in a way Tyler was like him. When

it came to Adam, they always caught a break.

Maybe they did have him wrapped around their fingers.

~~~~~

Lucas tagged along with Kip and Ben to a sub shop that served sandwiches as long as

Lucas' arm. Thankfully Ben didn't rehash what had happened during rehearsals, perhaps sensing
that Lucas still wasn't completely comfortable with it. Instead the three men talked about Adam's
relationship with Tyler.

"It's always been that way," Ben told them as he dipped the end of his beef sandwich into

some jus. "When I came to the island Adam had just been promoted to captain and Tyler hadn't
gotten here yet. He came a month later and you could have gone blind from the sparks that shot
off between them when they met."

"Figured Tyler would latch onto him," Lucas muttered as he dragged his fries through

ketchup. "He recognized Adam as the head honcho and wanted to weasel his way into his good
graces."

Ben shrugged. "I'm sure it seems that way now but believe it or not that wasn't how it was

in the beginning between those two. Tyler was pretty skittish. Adam really had to wear him
down."

"I find that hard to believe," Lucas protested. "Tyler is all over Adam like a barnacle on a

ship."

"I'm telling you that's how it was. I was a lot closer to Tyler back then. I tried to be his

friend because I figured he was nervous about the island. Kind of like you are, Lucas."

Lucas shoved some fries into his mouth to avoid responding.
"He was a mess. He told me he'd just been dumped by his ex-boyfriend. It was apparently

a real ugly thing that screwed him up big time. The Tyler I knew then isn't the same Tyler you
see now. He wasn't looking to be tied down to anyone. He slept through the crew in a week and
then attacked all the clubs. He hated himself. He told me he didn't think he deserved Adam and
wished Adam would leave him alone." Ben shook his head in disbelief. "He'd say that, yet I'd
catch him staring at Adam hungrily like a starving wolf standing at the edges of a campground. It
was kind of pathetic in a way. I'm glad Adam broke him down and built him up again."

Lucas stared at his pile of fries. The way Ben described Tyler almost made Lucas feel

sorry for him. He didn't want to feel one iota of pity for a guy who'd given him nothing but grief
from the moment they met. Yet it was hard for Lucas to be heartless. That just wasn't him.

Every once in awhile he'd see Tyler's eyes glaze over as if deep in thought and Lucas

would try to imagine what could put that thoughtful, almost weary look on his face. According to
Ben and some things Kip had told him earlier, the skeleton in Tyler's closet was a bad
relationship. It must be the one that left Tyler with an intense hatred of bisexual men.

"Did he tell you about his ex?" Lucas asked, trying to sound casual. "I'm trying to picture

the kind of guy Tyler would be with if he wasn't with Adam. A meathead, do you think?"

"Adam's no meathead."
Lucas nodded at Ben's disapproval. "Sorry. I didn't mean that. Tyler just strikes me as the

kind of guy who cares more about appearances than about anything else. He seems shallow."

Ben gave him the benefit of the doubt. "He didn't mention what his ex-boyfriend looks

like and I didn't ask. He didn't want to talk about him much. Every time Tyler thought about him
or had a reason to mention him his face would get all screwed up like he was getting ready to spit
nails."

"His ex- dumped him, bro," Kip said. "That's hardly a good memory."
"I got the impression he cheated on Tyler and then left him for the guy."
Lucas blinked. He was surprised Ben didn't know the truth. The other person hadn't been

a man, it had been a woman. Tyler hated Lucas for coming to the island and insisting he was
straight while allowing himself to be coaxed into homosexual activity. Lucas was Tyler's ex-
boyfriend all over again, saying one thing while doing another. He was the embodiment of
everything Tyler hated.

"Like I said, Tyler's different now," Ben went on. "Now that he has Adam he's not the

mess he was. I don't talk to him much anymore because he and Adam are attached at the hip but I
can tell he's much better."

"If this is better I'd hate to see what he was when he was a mess," Lucas said dryly. "He's

a major asshole to me."

"Ha! He's like that with everyone sometimes, bro. Don't think you're anyone special."
"But that's just it. I don't get it. Do you think the connection between them is purely

sexual?" he asked the two men. "If Tyler was such a basket case and a slut when they first met I
find it weird that Adam would pursue him so hard. Adam has no reason to be desperate or to
chase anyone. What's so special about Tyler that's worth putting up with all of his crap if it's not
sexual?"

Ben took a sip of his Coke. "That's easy. Adam's a big softie." He grinned at Lucas'

dubious expression. "I guess I should be glad you haven't figured that out yet otherwise I'd be
facing some stiff competition."

Lucas looked away, uncomfortable with the reminder of Ben's interest in him.
"Adam likes a challenge but he also likes to heal people," Ben went on, oblivious. "If he

thinks there's something wrong with you he wants to fix it. He's always been that way."

Lucas didn't think so. Adam might have been that way while pursuing Tyler but he

clearly wasn't that way anymore. Adam was interested in Lucas after all, and there wasn't
anything wrong with him.

"Try not to think about it, bro." He looked up to find Kip watching him. His friend spun

his finger against his temple in the international sign language of craziness. "If you dig too deep
you're not gonna like the answer you come up with. Trust me, bro."

"What are you talking about?"
Kip studied him. "You're clueless, aren't you?"
Lucas took a bite out of his sandwich in lieu of answering. Let Kip and Ben think what

they wanted. He'd grown close to Adam and he knew what motivated him. This was a game of
sex, nothing more. As soon as Lucas learned how to play it, everything would work out fine.

CHAPTER FIVE

When Kip and Lucas arrived at Cottage 22, Adam and Tyler's motorcycles were waiting

for them along with a courier on a moped who was just pulling into the shell driveway. The
courier held out a clipboard for Kip to sign and then handed a heavy plastic envelope the size of
a regular manila envelope to Lucas.

Lucas checked the return address on the envelope. It was from the Arcadia Hotel. Their

pirate show was produced by Mr. Aras of the Arcadia. Lucas' stomach clenched. He was half
tempted to take off running with the package and bury it somewhere on the beach.

"What have you got there?" Kip asked as the courier drove away.
"I think it's the new program book." The package suddenly felt as heavy as a phonebook

in his hand. He studied the sealed edge of the envelope. "You think Adam would be upset if I
opened it up for a quick sneak peek?"

Kip grinned. "Why? Your photo shoot was that good?"
Lucas grimaced. "I think it was that bad."
"No way, bro. You're hot. You couldn't take a bad picture if you tried." Kip took the

package from him and regarded the seal. "I say we open it. You can blame it on me if Adam gets
mad."

Lucas waited nervously as Kip ripped open the envelope and tilted out a stack of fifteen

or so magazine-like books. He extracted one and slid the rest back into the envelope.

"I'll let you look first." Lucas shot his friend a grateful look as he accepted the program

book. The glossy cover showed Adam from the waist up, standing at the prow of the Dread
Destroyer and looking out over the bay. Superimposed over the image was a Jolly Roger flag
and the text, "The Pirate Adventure at Hidden Idol Bay".

Though he wanted to tilt the book so that Kip couldn't see it, he wasn't a dick; he shared it

as the other man leaned over his shoulder for a look.

The first part of the book was text description about the history of Hidden Idol and the

pirates that had made use of it. Following that were four pages of action shots of the current
crew. Lucas couldn't help grinning at the photo of Ben swinging between the masts and Kip
hacking at invisible Loa. A particularly dramatic shot made him pause: Adam holding the
Hidden Idol aloft while behind him on the projection screens the first shadowy Loa began to
make an appearance. The Loa appeared to be naked men with perfect bodies that made the most
of the silhouette medium.

"Wow. This is cool."
"Our show is tops, bro. It's one of the most popular attractions on the island."
"I can see why." Lucas didn't even care that he was admitting to admiration for a gay

show. A great performance was a great performance.

He flipped through the action shots and then stopped on a page filled with headshots of

the crew. Beneath each photo was the crewmember's first name. Seeing his own face among the
group, his name there for all to see, was slightly disturbing. What if someone he knew from the
States came here and saw this?

Uneasy, he slowly turned the page. He sucked in his breath.
Adam occupied a two-page spread. On the left side of the book he wore his captain's hat,

cutlass, breeches and boots. He wasn't smiling because he didn't need to. The look in his eyes
was of command and authority. It was difficult to look away.

But to Lucas' dismay he did look away to the second page, and there Adam stood

completely, totally naked.

Not to mention aroused.
This time a smirk played on Adam's lips as he stood there holding himself at the root with

one hand while the other hand played with a nipple. He was an Adonis. Lucas told himself he
could appreciate Adam's massive, muscular frame with the same appreciation he'd level on
bodybuilders. He knew how much work went into building a physique like that.

But try as he might to convince himself his interest in Adam's photo was based purely on

admiration for a good lifting regimen, Lucas' eyes kept flicking downwards to where Adam held
his cock. It was the same pose he'd used when he'd talked to Lucas during the photo shoot. He
stood like a man with a weapon. Or a man who understood that he had what you wanted.

He was arguably a man that any woman, and probably most gay men, would drool over.

The dusky skin, the dark cinnamon nipples, the smooth, rippled stomach leading down to shaved
pubes and of course that massive cock... Adam was the Alpha and he was a stunning one.

"He's fit," Lucas said, hoping his wandering attention hadn't been noticed by Kip.
"Uh huh. Sure, bro. Fit."
Lucas elbowed him before turning the page. He sighed.
This time the two-page spread featured Tyler. On the left page he was clothed in his

pirate's gear, his expression solemn. On the right... Lucas resigned himself to looking.

Physically, Tyler was half the man that Adam was. He was much more slender with

muscles that were sleek rather than bulky, much like Lucas' own. He looked athletic, like a
swimmer who'd emerged from the sea. He too, wore a smirk on his face. He also carried the crop
he'd used on the ship, bending it between his two hands as if eager to use it upon someone.

The pose bothered Lucas. He couldn't say what about it made him feel, well, weird, only

that it did. His eyes kept drifting to the crop, then to Tyler's smirk, then down to his cock. The
visual triangle made him feel hot in the face for some reason. Maybe because it was such a
ridiculous pose. Yeah, that must be it.

Lucas found minimal comfort in seeing that Tyler was the same size as he was. He would

have preferred to be bigger just to knock Tyler down a few pegs. But they were similar in many
ways. Maybe too many ways. Tyler's nipples were the same color as his, even his cock was the
same: peachy along the shaft with a dark red head. Twins, he thought with annoyance. Brothers
from different mothers.

Out of curiosity he flipped back to Adam's spread and then forward again to Tyler's. The

differences between the two men were dramatic. Lucas' mind turned traitor, trying to imagine
what the two of them looked like together in bed. Obviously Tyler would be the one on the
bottom and Adam would loom over him like a rising mountain. Tyler would probably still wear
that stupid little smirk though, and Adam would savor the challenge of wiping it off his face.
He'd probably hold the smaller man down and make him beg. Tyler would whine when he
begged, Lucas decided. It would be annoying but sexy as hell--

"Jesus Christ," Lucas muttered when he realized how much thought he was putting into

the other men's sex life. Angry with himself, he flipped past Tyler.

He turned quickly past the spreads of the other crewmen, feeling like a peeping Tom to

be looking at his friends naked. When Kip's spread came up Kip hooted and proudly flicked the
pages with his finger.

"Take a look at that hunky stud, huh?"
Lucas pretended to look and admire, but in truth he focused his eyes just above the top

edge of the program book so he wouldn't have to see his friend posing like a Playgirl centerfold.

"I'm surprised you don't get propositioned after every show," Lucas said encouragingly.
"Who says I don't?" Kip leered at his surprise. "I've been laying low while you're figuring

things out, remember, bro? Normally I've got 'em lined up around the corner."

Lucas laughed. "You're a slut."
Kip nodded, proud. "Damn right."
Shaking his head, Lucas continued through the program book. Ben was next. Lucas

hadn't intended to but he ended up pausing on the spread of his friend. He was glad to see that
Ben hadn't adopted a sexy come-hither look in his pose. He simply stood there -- erect, of course
-- and stared into the camera with a receptive smile on his face.

"He's a nice guy," Lucas murmured.
Kip choked. "That's not the sort of response he wants to this photo, bro."
"I know but look at him. You can just tell he's not some jerk."
It was also obvious that Ben was very attractive. Lucas allowed himself to look at him as

a gay man would. The blue eyes were slightly downturned at the corners, giving him a puppy
dog look. His lush, puffy lips invited fantasies of blowjobs and Lucas immediately thought of the
one Ben had given him in rehearsals. Those lips had delivered on their promise.

His eyes roamed over Ben's taut chest and abs, his nicely muscular thighs. He'd

deliberately skipped over Ben's cock but he returned to it and studied it with an open mind. It
was nicely formed, maybe an inch longer than his own but no thicker. It curved slightly to left
and had a small mushroom head that Lucas imagined would be easy to swallow.

"Shit," he muttered. He grabbed the page and whipped it over hard enough to nearly tear

it from the book.

The next spread was his.
"Holy shit, bro!"
Lucas looked over the photos quickly, his face going pale when he saw that Adam had

chosen to use a photo from just seconds before Lucas shot his load. It was obvious. It was

glaringly obvious how close he was to cumming. Lucas' head was thrown back, his eyes heavy-
lidded but looking at the camera (in truth, just left of it at Adam) with a look of lust and
desperation as if he were begging the camera for permission to cum. It was far more suggestive
than any of the other crewmembers' photos. It was as if someone had stamped 'CREW SLUT' on
his forehead.

Lucas slammed the book shut. He was sweating despite the perfect weather. He knew his

face must be red.

"I don't know why you're upset," Kip said breezily. He happily took the book back from

Lucas and slid it into the envelope with the other books. "That photo is going to make you
popular, bro."

"I don't want to be popular, Kip."
"Being popular guarantees your job." Kip gave him a pointed look.
Unfortunately Lucas knew he was right. That didn't make him feel any less sleazy as he

followed Kip into the house.

"Dibs on the shower!" Kip yelled before he tossed the package to Lucas and darted into

the guest bathroom.

Grumbling, Lucas entered the living room to set the package on the coffee table for

Adam to find. He'd no sooner placed it on the table when the door to Adam and Tyler's bedroom
opened and Adam leaned out of the doorway.

"Hey, what's up?"
Lucas picked up the package again. "This just came for you."
Adam studied it. "The program books?" Lucas nodded. Adam smiled. "I've been waiting

for them. Bring 'em inside." He ducked back into the room.

Lucas was pretty sure that invitations to join Adam in his bedroom were rarely good

things but he did as he was told and carried the package into the other man's room. He found
Adam sitting at the head of the bed, leaning against the headboard. The bed was fully made and
Adam wore shorts and a tank top which helped alleviate Lucas' wariness. He stood on the other
side of the bed as he handed the package across to the other man. He could hear the shower
running in the attached bathroom but he didn't turn to look.

"You already checked it out?" Adam asked as he tilted out the books. He rested one on

his lap and set the others aside. He glanced up at Lucas. "How's it look?"

"Like a Chippendales book," Lucas replied. When Adam arched a brow he added, "I'm

assuming."

Grinning, Adam flipped through the book. He paused on Lucas' spread and took a long

moment to study it while Lucas stood there fidgeting.

As the silence stretched, he couldn't take it any longer and blurted, "Did you really have

to use that photo?"

"Why not? It's hot as hell." To his discomfort, Adam reached down and touched the

image, stroking his finger along Lucas' chest and abdomen until his fingertip came to rest over
his flushed cock. Adam raised his head. "This alone makes me want to buy a ticket for the show.
That's what this is about, Lucas. It's about luring an audience to the show and then blowing them
away."

"Literally," Lucas said dryly.
Adam chuckled. "No touching the audience but we can do everything else. As you

know."

Lucas said nothing.

"Close the door, Lucas."
He tensed, although Adam made no threatening move. "Why?"
"I'd like some privacy. I'm sure you'd like it too."
"For what?"
Adam's smile didn't waver. "Just do it."
Lucas knew he could walk out instead. He could tell Adam to shove it. There was a

handful of 'screw you' responses he could have issued to the intimate situation Adam was
obviously trying to set up. But Lucas didn't bother with any of them. How long could he run?
How long could he avoid men he shared a house with? It was pointless, and once he accepted
that he felt a lot more relaxed. He shut the bedroom door and walked back to the bed, nervous
and expectant.

Adam patted the bed next to him. "Come here. I won't touch you. I promise."
That was a surprise. Lucas cautiously crawled across the bed and slowly lowered himself

into a seated position beside the other man.

"Closer."
Gritting his teeth, Lucas shifted until his bare right arm pressed against Adam's left.
Adam's breath puffed against his cheek. "You always sit this stiffly?"
"When I'm on another man's bed, yeah."
Adam laughed quietly. "Relax. I told you I wouldn't touch you." He picked up the

program book and held it spread between the fingers of his left hand as he reached into his shorts
with his right. He pulled out the hefty weight of his cock and held it by the base.

Lucas didn't want to look. His eyes still flicked down though. And he didn't want to smell

Adam but there was no avoiding it. His musk drifted up to Lucas' nose and filled his head and
lungs with a buzzing hit of testosterone and pheromones. His own cock began to thicken.

"I thought we'd have a little fun," Adam murmured in his deep voice. He idly stroked his

cock, his thick fingers loosely caressing the shaft. "Take yourself out."

Lucas swallowed. The hairs on the back of his neck had risen and his body had broken

out in a warm flush. "What if I'm not in the mood?"

"I'd worry that you have a tumor." Adam glanced at Lucas' lap where his shorts were

tented.

Lucas frowned. "It's not like I can control it."
"That's right. It's a natural response to what turns you on." Adam flashed him a bright

grin. "So take yourself out and enjoy this, Lucas. Quit fighting it."

Lucas stuffed his hand down his shorts and freed his hardened cock. Baring it to the air

and Adam's gaze gave Lucas a minor thrill that he didn't understand. He wasn't much of an
exhibitionist, although if Lisa had wanted to do something in public he would have gone along
with it.

Maybe it was Adam's parting words to him on the ship after rehearsals. He'd claimed

Lucas had him wrapped around his little finger, that it was Lucas who held the power. He felt
something of that now as his cock lengthened and Adam gave a murmur of appreciation. Lucas
watched as Adam tightened his hand around himself to provide more friction for his cock.

"Nice," Adam said. "Get it harder."
This is so gay, Lucas thought, but he did as Adam asked and began to squeeze and stroke

himself, albeit half-heartedly. It was difficult for him to concentrate when every time he moved
his arm he rubbed it against Adam's, not to mention he could feel the other man's dark eyes
searing his cock.

"I'm going to look at this," Adam said softly, laying the program book across his thighs.

It was still opened to Lucas' spread. "You're going to look at the bathroom."

"Why?" But Lucas answered his own question when he raised his eyes to the open

doorway of the en suite bathroom. Tyler was showering in there just as he suspected, but what
Lucas hadn't predicted was the clear shower curtain that gave him an unencumbered view of the
other man as he washed himself.

His fingers spasmed against his cock as he took in Tyler's lean, athletic body as the water

and soap sluiced down it. Tyler's back was to the doorway so Lucas could look his fill of the
other man's lightly muscled shoulders and the slim taper of his waist. His eyes were drawn as if
magnetically to Tyler's taut, round buttocks. Lucas watched soapy bubbles run over the curve
and trickle down the valley between. He found it impossible to swallow around a suddenly dry
throat.

He'd seen plenty of guys naked before. Every guy who's played sports has. He couldn't

remember a time though, when the sight of another guy's tan lines made him curious to touch
that paler flesh. And he was sure he'd never groaned beneath his breath when a naked guy in the
showers reached back to pull his cheeks apart so he could rub a bar of soap up his crack.

"I get to see that every day and every night."
Guilty, Lucas tore his eyes from the shower. Adam wasn't looking at him though, he was

admiring Tyler.

"I've fucked him right there in the shower after seeing him like this," Adam went on.

"Just shoved the curtain aside and bent him over. Slid right into that tight, perfect ass."

Lust sizzled along Lucas' spine. His anus clenched.
"Someday you'll know how that feels." Adam glanced askance at Lucas and smiled at his

expression. "You don't think so? You don't have much faith. Or maybe you'd rather be the one
bent over."

"No," Lucas choked out. "I don't want to talk about sex with Tyler. Or sex with

anybody."

Adam's eyes dipped into Lucas' lap. "Then why are you jerking yourself so hard?"
Abruptly aware of how furiously he was beating off, Lucas ordered his fingers to open

wide. But they held their curled position around his cock. His wrist also seemed determined to
mutiny; it continued to whip his hand back and forth along the length of his cock.

"It's okay to look at him," Adam went on. "It's just a fantasy until you or he does

something about it."

"Which we never will," Lucas said quickly.
Adam's lips twitched at the corners. "So it won't hurt to look at him, will it? Just enjoy it."
But just as Adam finished speaking, Tyler shut off the water. Lucas finally found the

incentive to stop stroking. He sat frozen, his heart pounding in his ears, as Tyler shook out his
hair like a dog and then shoved the curtain aside with a hiss of the metal rings across the rod.

He must have caught sight of the open door from the corner of his eye because he began

to smile and said, "You're such a voyeur. Why didn't you just join me?"

Then he turned completely to face the door and the brief, naked affection on his face was

obliterated by shock as his eyes fell on Lucas sitting on the bed beside Adam. Lucas was
suddenly mortified to be there. He started to shove his rigid dick back into his shorts but Adam
clamped down on his wrist with a stern, "Wait."

"What the fuck?!" Tyler demanded, hastily grabbing a towel from a rack out of view and

wrapping it around his hips. His hair was slicked back; long tendrils of water slid down his chest

and clung tenuously to his nipples before falling to the floor. Lucas' eyes roamed over him
quickly, helplessly, comparing the dripping body he saw to the one which disturbed him in the
program book. The only difference was that instead of wielding a crop Tyler wielded an angry
scowl. The effect on Lucas was no different however: his muscles tightened and his cock
throbbed, responding to the aggressive challenge presented to him. He realized he wanted to
punch that familiar scowl from Tyler's face. No -- he wanted to tackle Tyler to the floor and
grind his face into the tiles while Lucas used his body to hold him down--

"I've gotta get out of here," Lucas blurted in panic. He yanked his wrist free but Adam

only grabbed him again, upending the program book from his lap as he did so. Tyler's eyes shot
to it when it hit the floor.

"So is that what this is?" Tyler asked, storming into the room and picking up the book.

He jabbed it at Lucas. "You wanted to see if they'd Photoshopped me? Well, fuck you, new guy."
He whipped off his damp towel. "It's all real." He lewdly grabbed his cock. "I don't need a
computer to add inches to this baby."

Lucas averted his eyes. "Fine. You're right. Let me go."
Adam's fingers were as solid as handcuffs. "That's not why we were here, is it, Lucas?"
Tyler snorted and picked up the towel to re-wrap it around his waist. "Look at him. He's

scared because he saw my cock. You can dream but you can't handle reality, huh?"

Lucas snapped his eyes to him. "And what do you dream about, Tyler? Don't try to deny

that you dream about me it. I know you do. That's part of the reason why you hate me."

Tyler sneered. "I dream of you drowning while I’m holding you underwater. I dream that

you fall from the mast and break your neck against the deck." He looked down at the program
book and distractedly flipped through it. "I dream you get eaten by a shark and when--"

This time it was Adam who visibly tensed as Tyler fell silent. He watched his lover

intently. "See something you like, Tyler?"

A flush worked its way across Tyler's cheeks. His gray eyes were hard as stone. "You

took him to this shoot," he said in a hard voice. "You stood behind the camera, didn't you? He's
looking at you in this picture. Don't fucking deny it."

His voice trembled. His lips were white. For a moment Lucas feared Tyler was going to

burst into tears but Tyler merely stood there and vibrated like a rod struck by lightning. His fury
made Lucas cringe as he would if he were standing beside a bomb whose timer had just run out.

"I did the same for you," Adam said in a low voice.
"You didn't make me do this." Tyler shook the book at him. "Did you fuck him

afterwards? Did you make him suck you off? It sure as hell looks like it, Adam."

"I didn't ask him to so he didn't," Adam replied distinctly. "We made that deal,

remember? He won't do anything without my permission, and I haven't given him permission,
Tyler. When I make that decision you'll be a part of it."

Tyler laughed harshly. "When you make it, not if. That makes me feel so much better."

He threw the program book across the room. It hit the wall with a loud thunk. He pointed at
Adam's cock which was still exposed and, to Lucas' amazement, still as hard as before, maybe
harder. "So what's this for? Why's he in our bed?"

"Lucas likes the way you look. I thought I'd let him look his fill as a reward for his

performance in rehearsals."

"I never said anything like that," Lucas said, finding his voice. He pulled ineffectually

against Adam's grip. "I just came in here to drop off the books."

"Sure." Tyler glared, but he'd reined in his anger. It simmered beneath the surface of his

skin like poison. This viper-ish Tyler felt more intimidating than explosive Tyler. Lucas couldn't
predict what he'd do.

"I think Adam's telling the truth for once," Tyler went on, glancing dismissively at Lucas'

cock which unlike Adam's, had softened considerably. "You were getting off on me in the
shower, new guy. The straight boy's curiosity is getting the best of him, isn't it? All that
dreaming and fighting your urges -- it's gotten too much to bear." He cupped himself between the
legs. Lucas was dismayed to see that the lump there was large and growing larger. Tyler was
getting off on the confrontation just as he had when they'd fought in the kitchen. "Tell me, new
guy: when you were at that photo shoot were you thinking about Adam or me plowing that virgin
ass of yours?"

"You wish," Lucas replied.
Tyler smirked. "Maybe I do. Maybe in between dreaming of you being stung by jellyfish

I dream of molding your ass around my cock. You can't tell me you don't dream of it too, new
guy." He glanced at Adam who was listening and watching in silence although he'd begun
stroking himself again. "Or is it Adam you want? He's fucking stacked and he fucks like a
machine. Is that what gets you off, new guy? A dominant stud to fuck you into the mattress?"

A bead of sweat trickled down Lucas' temple. "I already turned him down but thanks for

offering."

Tyler bared his teeth. "I didn't offer you shit." His expression hardened as he looked to

Adam again. A strange resolve seemed to take hold of him. "If you want this, you keep him in
place."

Lucas thrashed but Adam's grip around his wrist was unbreakable, nearly causing Lucas

to pull his arm out of its socket as he tried to twist free. Tyler dropped the towel again and
crawled across Adam's lap. Lucas held out his left hand in warning, but Tyler ignored it and
straddled Lucas' hips. His naked balls settled against Lucas' clothed ones. Their cocks nestled
side by side, both equally erect now.

"You going to punch me?" Tyler taunted, looking at Lucas' raised hand.
"Maybe," Lucas panted. "Get off me."
"Don't you mean get you off?"
Without waiting for an answer Tyler leaned forward, pressing his groin against Lucas'.

His gray eyes drew nearer. The smirk on his face dared Lucas to try to punch him. Lucas wanted
to.

But for some reason he didn't. He was conscious of Adam's grip tightening around his

wrist as Tyler brought his face to Lucas' throat. Lucas waited, tense. When Tyler cupped his face
and licked across his throat in a slow, wet stripe, the lust that blasted through Lucas made him
gasp. He grabbed Tyler's shoulder with his free hand whether to push away or hold on he didn't
know. Rational thought was becoming difficult.

Hot breath ghosted across his skin. His nipples puckered in response. His cock pulsed. He

lifted his chin, telling himself he was straining away, pretending he wasn't giving Tyler more
access to his throat and neck. He shuddered when a hot tongue laved down the side of his neck.
He tried to wrap his head around the fact that this was a man licking him but his thoughts were
dominated by the reality that it was Tyler's tongue on him, which was far hotter and stranger.

Teeth suddenly sank into the junction where his neck met his shoulder. The bite

sharpened and Lucas gasped loudly. He pushed at Tyler but the blond didn't release his flesh

until he'd drawn blood. When Tyler raised his head to smirk at Lucas triumphantly, his lips were
stained with red.

"Fucking marked," Tyler breathed. His pupils were blown. His voice held a sexual

satisfaction that made Lucas writhe helplessly beneath him.

Tyler palmed Lucas' chest, molding his pecs with his hands. He pinched Lucas' nipples,

giving them a sharp twist or two that should have hurt but instead felt sexy in a wrong sort of
way. Lucas grabbed Tyler's nearest wrist, giving it a warning squeeze, but Tyler only smiled at
him and shook his hand free. Holding the smile, he rolled his hips, rubbing his ass and balls
against Lucas' trapped cock. Lucas groaned and dug his heels into the bed so he could push up
against the pressure.

"That's it, new guy," Tyler taunted, though his voice was soft and didn't carry the sting

that it normally did. "Fooling around with another guy isn't so bad, is it? You're thinking about
what comes next, what more I can show you and do to you." He rolled his hips in a way that
massaged Lucas' cock and made him moan softly. "Don't worry, new guy," Tyler whispered with
false sweetness. "I'll fuck you over good."

"Tyler," came the low burr of Adam's voice.
Lucas turned his head, looking at the dark-haired man through glazed vision. Adam was

stroking himself quickly but he was frowning.

"What?" Tyler asked, pouting. "I'm only giving him what he wants." He looked down at

Lucas again and smirked. He played absently with Lucas' nipples, his long fingers flicking the
tips. "Adam wants to fuck you, new guy. But I don't think he'll mind if I get there first."

He leaned back and reached behind him with one hand. Lucas felt Tyler's fingers sliding

up the inside of his thighs, brushing against the fabric of his shorts. They traveled higher and
higher until they fondled his swollen balls. Lucas closed his eyes and turned his burning face
away as Tyler gently squeezed and caressed them. It felt good. He didn't want it to feel good. But
how could he hide from what was happening? He was lying here submitting to another man's
touch.

Fucking enjoy it, he told himself.
But then Tyler shifted his hand, pushing it beneath Lucas' body. His buttocks

instinctively clenched when Tyler dragged his fingertips across his crease.

"Everyone has to lose their cherry sometime," Tyler purred in reaction to Lucas' panic.

He managed to work his forefinger between Lucas' clenched buttocks. The invasion caused
Lucas' cock to jerk and dribble pre-cum. "Let me in, new guy. I'll give you the fuck you
deserve."

Lucas shifted his feet so he could shove Tyler off but the movement inadvertently relaxed

his glutes for a moment and Tyler swiftly took advantage. Lucas bucked when a finger pressed
against his anus. Only the loose cloth barrier of his shorts protected him. But even that didn't
provide him with much comfort. Watching him with predatory glee, Tyler pushed his fingertip
against him firmly enough for Lucas to begin to feel the stretch in his anal ring.

"Stop," Lucas ordered, pulling on Tyler's shoulder.
But Tyler didn't stop and Lucas experienced the shocking and alarming sensation of

another man's finger invading his body. He gasped, half in fear, half in an arousal so intense it
made his toes curl. Tyler shoved his finger deeper. Lucas shuddered despite himself,
overwhelmed by how vulnerable he felt and how much -- oh god, how much he liked it.

"Gotcha," Tyler whispered, grinning evilly.
"Tyler!" Adam spat.

Adam's grip around his wrist fell away. It was like being freed from incarceration. The

moment he was released Lucas realized he didn't have to submit to this. He immediately swung
up with his fist and caught Tyler across the chin. The finger in Lucas' ass was ripped out as Tyler
toppled over on the mattress. Lucas turned onto his side and kicked the other blond off the bed
completely. Tyler hit the floor with a loud, "Fuck!"

A hand touched Lucas' shoulder. He flung it off and rolled off the bed.
"Lucas!" Adam shouted after him.
Lucas slammed their door shut behind him. Kip had finished with the guest bathroom.

Lucas had never been more grateful. He locked himself inside and kicked off his shorts as if they
were on fire. He jerked his cock with hard, forceful strokes. At the last minute he reached behind
himself. When his fingertips grazed his puckered entrance he shot all over the mirror.

Gasping for breath, his entire body buzzing, he stared at himself through the dripping

ropes of cum. He wasn't surprised to see a stranger looking back. He was no longer the same
man he'd been.

CHAPTER SIX

One thing Lucas had never been was a sore loser.
In this pseudo-competition with Tyler over who got to be top dog beneath Adam, Lucas

could concede that the other man had won this round. Tyler had stuck his finger up Lucas’ ass,
albeit with his shorts as a barrier, and that was a pretty solid check mark in Tyler's column. It
definitely didn't help that Lucas had been weirded out by the sensation yet still found it arousing
enough to jerk off to.

Tyler had won. This time. But Lucas wasn't about to roll over and play dead.
He took a long, hot shower and tried to analyze how things had gone so wrong.
"Unless you're a glass is half full kind of guy," he muttered to himself as he rinsed his

hair. "In which case you have to ask yourself how things have become so right."

But that was a frightening line to walk.
He moved the bar of soap slowly across his chest as he thought about the scene in Adam

and Tyler's bedroom. They'd double-teamed him. He wanted to be angry about that but he just
couldn't summon the energy. Instead he preferred to dissect the currents of power that had been
running through the room.

It hadn't been Adam's scene. It seemed strange to recognize that, but it was true. Adam

had intended to rile Tyler by bringing Lucas into their bed but Lucas wondered if the big man
had expected the fallout.

Yet how could he not? Lucas asked himself as he moved the soap over his groin, building

up a nice lather despite his nearly hairless state. Tyler was mercurial. A hot-head. He was also
insanely jealous and insecure. Adam couldn't have set up a scene more certain to push Tyler's
buttons short of fucking Lucas on Tyler's side of the bed.

Adam had expected Tyler to react, but Lucas thought Adam might have been as surprised

as he by how far Tyler took it. Tyler might be Adam's plaything, acting submissive whenever
they were fooling around, but he was a cat with claws and he wanted to sink them deep into
Lucas and maybe Adam too.

Oddly, Lucas found that less annoying than he had before.

He moved the soap around his hips and slid it over his ass. He hesitated, then slipped the

bar between his cheeks and let the corner rub over his hole. A tingle shot through his body. He
pressed the corner of the bar a little more firmly, pushing it against his ring. He looked down and
saw how far apart he'd spread his feet in the bottom of the tub. He'd spread them. And his cock
was thicker than it should be after a simple washing.

"Hell," he grumbled. He set the soap back on its rack and ducked under the spray, feeling

dirty even though he was clean.

~~~~~

He avoided dinner and he avoided the crew. It wasn't difficult to do. He told Kip he was

going to check out some snorkeling. Who wouldn't, on a tropical island?

But he remained out at the beach long after the sun had set and he'd had his fill of

snorkeling. Dressed in shorts and a shirt again, he sat on his beach towel and watched the sky
above the ocean slowly grow orange, red and then purple. The heterosexual pirate show would
be over by now. Adam's show would begin in ten minutes. Lucas shook out his towel, rolled it
up and walked back to the moped he'd rented.

A line had formed on the docks. Lucas hadn't expected that. He self-consciously joined

the queue with scores of men, many of whom looked to be paired up. The rest were rowdy
singles who by their conversation didn't expect to remain single for much more of the night.
Lucas kept his eyes down, studiously avoiding eye contact, but he could feel a few curious gazes
roving over him and causing his skin to heat. He decided to duck quickly out of line and buy a
souvenir baseball cap which he tugged low over his eyes as he rejoined the line.

He noticed that many of the men were already carrying copies of the show program. He

guessed they'd purchased them earlier at the Arcadia Hotel or from the promoters he'd seen
walking the beaches. Seeing the books made Lucas flush with mortification, but fortunately no
one appeared to recognize him from his picture.

He bought a ticket even though Adam had told him he wouldn't have to pay. Lucas had

no problem using his own money. Obtaining a free ticket would require finding Adam and he
wasn't here to catch the other man's attention. He wanted to blend in and be someone else, an
outsider. He wanted to know what others thought of Adam and Tyler and the rest of the crew. He
wanted to know if he was alone in feeling what he did.

Ticket in hand, he climbed into the passenger boat and made the quick ride to the Dread

Destroyer. It looked different at night. A thousand stars glittered behind its black skeletal form.
The men around him voiced their awe of it, how they thought its dark bulk did appear to be that
of a pirate clipper that had decided to drop anchor in Hidden Idol Bay. As the passenger boat
slowed to pull alongside the loading ramp, Lucas' stomach tightened in nervousness.

Peter and Dean were at the ramp assisting the passengers out of the boat. The two men

were dressed in their pirate costumes: Peter with a headband and tattered breeches, showing off
his well-muscled chest; Dean bareheaded and wearing a lace vest that accentuated his narrow
waist and hips. Lucas silently agreed with the other passengers who whispered about how
attractive the two men were.

Peter and Dean said little as they helped each man onto the ramp, responding with grunts

and salacious looks whenever they received a flirtatious remark from one of the guests. Lucas
kept his head down as Peter pulled him aboard, doing his best to ignore the feel of Peter's firm

hand which only a few days ago had spanked him across his bare ass. His cock twitched and he
ruthlessly thought of dead puppies to quell it.

He followed the other men up the gangway onto the deck where the audience viewing

area waited with rows of foldable chairs that Lucas had helped set up earlier in the day. Electric
torches he hadn't seen before were set into holders around the viewing area, casting much of the
ship's deck in flickering golden light meant to mimic firelight. He took his place in a back row,
suddenly not as nervous, suddenly excited.

Out on the decks Adam's crew was at work checking lines, swabbing the decks and

otherwise finding ways of looking like they were hard at work and oblivious of the thirty or so
strangers who had taken seats to watch them. Lucas smiled as he picked out Kip polishing a rail
and Ben leaning against the main mast while rolling up a length of rope. In the firelight and
dressed in their pirate gear and eye makeup they looked both sultry and dangerous. He believed
Kip's claim that the man had gotten a lot of action before deciding to abstain for Lucas' sake. Kip
looked beautifully exotic and Lucas heard more than a few comments praising his roommate's
appearance.

He searched through the crew, pretending he wanted to locate everyone, but eventually

coming clean and admitting to himself that two specific men were his sole reason for being here.
He couldn't find Adam anywhere but Tyler became the entire focus of Lucas' attention as the
blond roamed across the deck while issuing indecipherable orders to the crew and scowling in
disapproval at everything he saw. His white-blond hair glowed striking gold; his lean, athletic
body was nothing less than perfection in a loose white undershirt and black jacket and breeches.
He looked like a slender but deadly sword with a temper to match.

Lucas thought back to Adam's bedroom when Tyler had been above him and had touched

him. He couldn't deny the lust that swept his body in remembrance. There was anger too, and
annoyance that the other man had held brief power over him. But Lucas acknowledged that the
scene couldn't have played out any other way. He wouldn't have allowed Tyler to touch him like
that in a tender or romantic seduction. Tyler had had to force the situation on him, break through
his denial and make him see what it might be like with another man... and that it might not be
entirely bad.

Not that Lucas had any intention of letting Tyler touch him like that again. Lucas

watched the other man as a stalker would, his focus razor sharp. If they clashed again, which he
guiltily hoped they would, it wouldn't be Lucas on his back it would be Tyler. The thought of
carrying out that revenge on the other man made Lucas ache like he hadn't ached before.

It was a foreign feeling to associate sex with dominance. He'd certainly never done it

while he was with Lisa, nor with any other girl that he could remember. Not this kind of
dominance at least, the kind that involved physical force and wanting to hold another person
down and thrust into their body. Lucas began to feel guilty the more he thought about it. He
wasn't a pervert. He wasn't an animal.

Yet a snap of leather made him sit up straight and stare hard at Tyler and the crop he

wielded over the crew. Maybe it was sick to want to dominate a woman but Lucas thought it
might be okay with Tyler. Tyler was his equal. Tyler could fight him off if he really wanted to.
Lucas had a hunch Tyler might not really want to. He submitted to Adam, didn't he? Tyler liked
being on his back.

Absently, Lucas noticed he was growing a hard-on. He wasn't shocked anymore. His

body recognized a potential source of pleasure and reacted to it. While his mind was taking a
little longer to catch up to the new stimulus, it was getting there.

The electric torches suddenly dimmed. Lucas' breath caught in his throat. The sound of

wind and waves came from over the hidden speakers. The voice of a male actor followed:

"On a warm summer night in the year 1753, the famous pirate Captain Marcus Finch

sailed into the bay of Wide Cove Island..."

Goosebumps broke out over Lucas' skin. He marveled at what a difference the lighting

and professional narration made compared to rehearsals. He could practically feel the ship
moving. He almost felt that if he turned to look over his shoulder he would see Anteros Island as
it was hundreds of years ago.

A door in the main cabin burst open and out strode Adam, wearing a black leather hat,

black breeches and boots, and a white shirt that billowed at the wrists. Lucas grinned, thrilled by
the gasps and appreciative murmurs that arose from the audience members seated around him.
He agreed one hundred percent with their assessment of the black-haired pirate captain. Lucas
licked his lips, remembering the feel of Adam's hand over his mouth and the look in his dark
eyes as he'd ordered Lucas to swallow his cum.

I can't believe that happened to me, Lucas thought. These men would be so jealous of me

if they knew.

"Fuck, look at that guy!" he heard a loud whisper from the row behind him. "He's

jacked!"

"He's the hottest thing I've seen on this island," commented another man. "He can board

my ship anytime."

"Hell, he can plunder my ass twenty-four-seven!" someone else exclaimed.
The comments infiltrated Lucas' brain, taking temporary control and forcing him to think

and see differently. He saw Adam and the rest of the crew as the audience members did: from a
purely physical standpoint. These men were studs. They were the physical ideal for any man. For
many gay men in particular, Adam and his crew were fantasies come to life.

And Lucas could have them if he wanted them. He watched Ben climb up the rigging,

powerful muscles flexing and visible through the thin fabric of his breeches. His eyes clung to
Tyler as he fought against the shadow figures of the Loa. Then his gaze settled on Adam as he
slashed and hacked, his massive chest and shoulder muscles bunching with each swing of his
cutlass. Lucas could have them. He already had to a minor extent. But if he wanted more, all he
had to do was say so.

"This is so hot," someone moaned beside him.
He didn't tear his eyes from the performance even though he heard the unmistakable

sounds of men masturbating. From the corners of his eyes he saw the tell-tale sawing motion of
arms and elbows and some men were leaning toward each other to kiss. He took it all in while
not losing sight of his friends. He wanted to saturate his senses with this night. The sounds of
sex, the smell of musk, the sight of beautiful naked bodies... Lucas reached down and rubbed
himself through his shorts.

The music swelled. The male shadow figures of the Loa no longer danced out of the

pirates' reach but undulated to the music, seducing the audience members with their sensuous
dance. The pirates of the Dread Destroyer had all been possessed by the Loa spirits and were
freely engaged in groping, kissing, and having what looked to be full penetrative sex with each
other, or at least Oscar-worthy impressions of it.

Lucas' lips parted so he could draw in deeper, faster breaths. He'd graduated from rubbing

himself to sliding his hand beneath the band of his shorts and stroking himself in his bare palm.
He didn't care if anyone could see him. He doubted anyone would notice because the other

audience members were either staring at the pirates or engaged in some type of sexual behavior
with their neighbors.

Lucas squeezed and stroked himself, gasping with excitement when Tyler began

whipping men with his crop. Then Adam was there, freshly risen from having his clothes torn
from his body by the crew. He was naked except for a loin cloth, his dark skin speckled with
glistening drops of the other men's' cum. Standing beside the wheel, he threw his head back and
let out a deep, raspy roar befitting a lion staking claim over his pride. Lucas' skin rippled. He
suddenly regretted every moment of disagreement with the other man.

Envious, he watched as Adam's roar drew Tyler and the others toward him. Eyes

gleaming in the moonlight and artificial fire light, Adam reached out and dragged Tyler against
him with a grip at the back of the neck. It was the same grip he'd used on Lucas when he was tied
to the mast. Lucas reached up with his free hand and grabbed himself lightly by the nape of the
neck, remembering, reliving...

Adam devoured Tyler's mouth, practically eating it. The kiss was voracious and sexy.

Lucas' lips throbbed in jealousy. Tyler was no match for it; he sagged in the pirate captain's arms
like a swooning maiden. Adam broke off the kiss and spun Tyler around so the dazed blond
faced the gathered circle of pirates. Lucas drank in Tyler's expression of passionate surrender and
Adam's smirk of sexual dominance. With a wicked grin, Adam forcibly bent Tyler forward at the
waist. Lucas held his breath as Adam freed his cock from the loin cloth, took hold of Tyler by
the waist, and thrust forward into Tyler's waiting ass.

Lucas came. He should have been embarrassed or ashamed to do so in public. He was

neither. He closed his eyes and slumped in his chair, his body riding the high of his orgasm.
Seared against his retinas was the image of the two most compelling men he knew finding
pleasure in each other's bodies.

The sounds of sex continued for many long moments afterwards but Lucas kept his eyes

closed. One day, he reminded himself, that would be him out there performing sexual acts for an
audience.

One day, he told himself, there might be a guy like me who gets off on watching me

perform.

The prospect was slightly discomfiting, but he thought with time he might eventually be

okay with it.

~~~~~

He waited by the pier for them after the show. Orinth was the first to disembark from the

passenger boat. He called out loudly to Lucas in happy surprise. Then Ben was hailing him and
soon Lucas was slapping backs and congratulating his friends on a thrilling show.

"Aw, you're just being nice, bro," Kip teased as he slung an arm around Lucas' shoulders.

His eyes were still heavily rimmed with eyeliner and he smelled of musk and sex. Lucas didn't
want to be turned on by his roommate but the smell coming off Kip was disturbingly hot.

"No, I'm serious," Lucas said, grinning at his gathered friends. "It was incredible. The

audience went wild for you."

"They always do, new guy. I'm insulted that you sound surprised."
Tyler pushed through the small crowd of pirates and gave Lucas the once-over. Instead of

feeling threatened or annoyed, Lucas felt alive and excited to be confronted by Tyler.
Like Kip and the others, Tyler still wore his performance makeup. His smoky gray gaze made

Lucas long to reach out and grab Tyler just as Adam had during the show. If a man could be
beautiful, and Lucas was rapidly reforming his opinion on that, Tyler was.

"I'm only surprised that I didn't expect it," Lucas replied, steadily holding Tyler's gaze.

"But I should have. I've seen how athletic you all are during rehearsals. I guess being in the
audience put it over the top for me. You guys were amazing."

"Of course we were," Tyler said with a smirk. But he didn't turn away dismissively as he

used to do. His eyes lingered on Lucas. Did he regret what had happened in the bedroom? Did he
wish he'd done more, or less?

"The audience probably treated us like pieces of meat, right?" Ben laughed. His blue eyes

were bright. He looked thrilled that Lucas had shown up. "Tell us what they said. I want to hear
it."

"It might be a little X-rated for your ears," Lucas said, straight-faced. "I have too much

respect for you, Ben."

"Haha, I know what they said," Orinth blurted. Energy fairly burst off his body. He was

still riding a high from the show. "They wish we'd sail up on them and rape and pillage them. I
can't tell you how many times I've been picked up with some 'plunder my booty' line."

"Yeah, you'll probably hear it again tonight, bro," Kip said. He pointed out to the

sidewalk where a handful of men that Lucas recognized from the audience loitered, casting less
than subtle looks at the pirates. "Five bucks says Orinth gets the guy who wants him to wear an
eye patch."

"Aw, fuck, I hope not," Orinth moaned. "I get a headache wearing one of those things."
"Just close your eyes and nail him," Peter drawled.
"Or don't go home with him at all and hang out with your crewmates."
Lucas tensed beneath Kip's arm as Adam emerged from behind the other pirates. He wore

a black tank much to Lucas' disappointment, hiding the swells of his humongous chest muscles.
At least his shoulders and arms were on display.

"Nice to see you here, man." Adam's grin was as wide and friendly as ever. There was no

sign on his face that he was upset that Lucas had run out on him and Tyler. "You should have let
me know you wanted to watch. I would have had a ticket waiting for you."

"I've got a job now so I could afford it," Lucas joked.
Adam's grin widened. "Yeah, so you do. I hear it's a pretty hot job too. Lots of no-good

pirates to mess with."

"No other job I'd rather have." Lucas was relieved that he and Tyler weren't acting weird

toward him. Everything seemed normal.

"So you going to join us?" Adam asked. He casually slipped an arm around Tyler's waist.

Lucas suspected it was for his benefit, a show of solidarity. "We're heading down to the beach
for another barbeque."

"Someone better remember the s'mores," Kip complained. "Last time we had everything

but the graham crackers."

Lucas looked from Adam to Tyler, trying to decide if they truly wanted him to join or if

they were only saying so for the benefit of the crew.

"Yeah, that sounds good," he replied cautiously. "I could use a night under the stars."
"The way you say it almost sounds romantic," Ben spoke up. He smiled at Lucas. "I feel

bad now that we're only serving hot dogs, beer and s'mores."

His tone was almost wistful, which surprised Lucas but perhaps it shouldn't have. He

could have Ben. It was written on every inch of Ben's face. The question was did he want Ben

for more than fooling around or would Ben be okay with something with no strings attached?
Ben would be a good introduction to a gay sexual experience, Lucas knew that much.

"Nothing wrong with hot dogs," he said, giving Ben a pointed look. Lucas felt his face

immediately flush in response to his first outright flirting experience with a guy, but Ben's
thrilled expression made up for it.

"Maybe you could take turns feeding each other your dogs," Tyler drawled.
Jealousy rang loud and clear in his voice. Lucas couldn't believe he hadn't heard it before.

Or had it not existed until now?

He returned the favor and gave Tyler a look from head to toe. "Maybe. I'll probably still

be hungry though." Then, so Ben wouldn't wonder what was going on, Lucas turned his head and
grinned at Kip. "You're sharing your s'mores with me, you realize that, right? No bogarting
them."

"Anything for my roomie." Kip slapped him playfully across the stomach before leaning

in and whispering, "Bro, I hope you know what you're doing because Ben looks like he wants to
eat your dog and Tyler looks like he wants to dice it."

"I'm ready to play ball," Lucas replied, also whispering. He knew he sounded more

confident than he felt.

"Bro, it's about time!"
The others were looking at Kip oddly, curious about his sudden excitement. Lucas

hurried to distract them.

"So is there anything I can pick up from the store? Besides the s'mores stuff, anyway," he

asked them.

Dean shrugged and scratched at his head. "A couple of us went shopping while you were

out so I think we're set. You can help me cook the dogs, Lucas. I want to hear what you heard in
the audience."

"Dude, you just want to know if anyone noticed your dick size," Hewie said breezily. He

already had a joint between his lips. His eyes were half-closed. "Don't tell him, Lucas. Make him
sweat it out."

"You can pick up some condoms," Tyler said. After briefly making sure he had Lucas'

attention he turned and licked a strip up Adam's cheek. "Get the largest size they have. Some of
us are built like horses."

"And some of us have assholes like elephants," Kip quipped.
The crew burst into laughter, even Adam. Tyler scowled but didn't seem to take too much

offense at the joke.

"Okay, condoms I can do." Lucas shrugged. "I'll see you guys on the beach in a few."
"Don't be long," Ben said, unable to hide his excitement.
Lucas expected to feel a twinge of guilt but to his pleasant surprise Ben's anticipation was

infectious. It occurred to him that using Ben this way might not be as mercenary as he'd first
thought it to be. Ben was cute and he was nice. Lucas' heart began to beat faster as he glanced
over Ben's fit body. Yeah, this might be pretty good.

The group broke up, a few of the guys wandering over to the groupies and letting them

know the bad news. Lucas wouldn't be surprised to see some of the groupies at the barbeque
though. Some of his friends had that horny look in their eyes that demanded some sort of action
and the groupies would be ideal for that.

Kip gave him a pat on the back and Ben issued a happy wave, leaving Lucas on the pier

with Tyler and Adam.

"So you gonna run out on Ben too?" Tyler asked, his lips twisting derisively.
"I don't plan on it unless he gets it into his head I want a finger jammed up my ass,"

Lucas replied calmly although his heart thundered. "I expect him to have a little more finesse."

Tyler's face went white with anger. "You wouldn't know how to fuck a guy if he fell on

your dick."

"Maybe he'd like to prove you wrong, Ty." Adam smiled very slightly, his gaze intent on

Lucas. The liner around his eyes made them as dark as coal, almost villain-like. "Are you
stringing Ben along or do you understand what you're setting up, Lucas?"

Lucas took a deep breath. "I know what I'm doing. Even though you and Tyler could

work on your technique you've shown me a side of myself I want to explore. But I want to do it
with Ben."

"You're afraid of us," Tyler taunted him.
"Actually, you should be glad I'm doing it this way. When I fuck you later I'll know what

I'm doing."

Tyler's eyes bulged, which Lucas struggled not to laugh at. "Fuck you, new guy! You'll

be the pirate captain before I let you anywhere near my ass."

"That's hardly fair," Lucas said, amused. "Everyone keeps pointing out how you and I

could be twins so what you get to do I should get to do. You fucked around with me, now it's my
turn to do the same to you."

"I think I like this idea," Adam said with a laugh. He raised his hand to the back of

Tyler's head and drew his fingers through the platinum locks though he never broke eye contact
with Lucas. "So by your reasoning since I've been fucking Tyler I should now get to fuck you."

"That might be true," Lucas said carefully, aware he was walking a thin line, "except

Tyler doesn't agree to the whole equality thing so I guess you're out of luck, Adam."

Tyler muttered something beneath his breath and looked away in obvious disgust. Still

stroking the blond's hair, Adam murmured something soothing in reply. After a moment, Tyler
hung his head and shrugged.

The reaction struck an unexpected chord in Lucas. He didn't like seeing Tyler browbeaten

like this. Tyler was best when he was passionate, although obviously Lucas preferred if that
passion could be less belligerent. But even angry Tyler was truthful and real, and deep down
Lucas liked that. He couldn't get along with fake people. Tyler was so real it hurt.

So to see him bending to whatever Adam had said to him bothered Lucas. This wasn't

what he wanted when it came to besting Tyler. This was like claiming victory in a game won by
somebody else.

"What happened today in your room probably won't happen again," he said. The words

came from nowhere. He hadn't planned them but they felt right as they left his lips. Adam's
frown and Tyler's suspicious glare convinced Lucas he was saying the right thing. "You may
have taught me that a guy can turn me on but I didn't like what came with it. I'm not out to screw
with peoples' heads. I don't think sex should hurt. So I'm going to try this thing with Ben and see
how it goes."

"But he likes you," Adam warned him.
"And I like him." Lucas managed to shrug with deceiving carelessness. "I want to see

where it can go with him. There's nothing wrong with that."

"You're a fucking idiot," Tyler said quietly but his voice lacked most of its usual venom.

"Just screw him. Don't act like a girl about it."

"Maybe that's how you like to do it but it's not how I like to be with someone."

Before Tyler or Adam could respond to that, Lucas turned on his heel and headed for his

moped with a thrown, "I'll see you on the beach."

"Don't forget the roses and chocolates for Ben!" Tyler sang after him. "And our fucking

condoms!"

Lucas raised his hand in acknowledgement but didn't otherwise respond to the taunt. He

was half convinced Tyler was faking it anyway. Tyler was a terrible liar.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Lucas thought about sex with Ben while he perused the generous selection of extra-large

condoms at the small all-night market. He'd had no idea there were this many brands of condoms
in the world, or that so many of them offered the extra-large size. He supposed it made sense that
he would find them here on Joyboy. Guys liked to have sex and guys liked to flatter themselves
(and their partners) that they needed larger condoms.

Lucas didn't think he or Ben needed to fluff up their egos with extra latex so he picked up

a box of his usual brand. Excitement made his palms sweat as he studied the familiar box. He'd
come to associate these condoms with sex with Lisa. Now he -- or Ben, would be using them for
a different type of sex.

His fingers tightened around the box, compressing the cardboard. Was he really going to

do this? Was he going to have sex with another guy? He thought of all the men he'd had more
than friendly contact with on the island -- Jacob at the nightclub, Adam, Tyler, Ben -- there were
so many of them. Each time something happened with them his sexual boundaries stretched a
little more, his acceptance of what was happening grew. Full sex with Ben was the next step.
And maybe, just maybe, it would be the right step.

Because he knew he could get away with jerking off every night but he couldn't get away

with hooking up with the few women on the island. Eventually they would want more from him
and he wouldn't be able to give it to them without Adam or the rest of the crew finding out. The
girls would harass him and that would be the end of Lucas' stint as a pirate.

If he wanted real action beyond what his hand could supply him he'd have to go native.

He'd have to become a real pirate, where long months at sea meant there was only one option for
sex.

He laughed at himself. "Ask, and you shall receive," he said. "You wanted to be a pirate,

now you're going to be one."

He picked up a box of mid-price extra-large condoms for Tyler and Adam, an extra

twelve-pack of beer and headed for the checkout.

The barbeque was in full swing by the time he arrived back at the cottages. He ducked

into the guest bathroom quickly to brush his teeth and spray on a little more deodorant, before
taking his bounty out to the beach where the guys were.

There were many more bodies undulating on the beach than made up the pirate crew, so

his suspicions that the groupies would be invited seemed to prove true. He could make out
Orinth dirty dancing with a man Lucas had seen in the audience and Hewie was sharing a blunt
with another familiar face from the show. Other strangers were out near the water, tossing a
Frisbee back and forth with Paul and Dean. A few were on blankets out of the fire's reach.

Adam and Tyler were just outside the ring of the firelight too. Adam reclined on one

elbow on a blanket, Tyler leaning back into him, both of them watching Lucas deposit the beer in
the cooler which was already bursting with bottles.

"Hey, Lucas."
Ben held a long pair of tongs in one hand as he stood by the fire where the cooking grate

had been stretched over the ringed stones. He was shirtless and wearing a pair of board shorts on
his narrow hips. The firelight glinted off of the light sprinkling of blond chest hairs surrounding
his nipples. He smiled at Lucas. "Dean abandoned the hotdogs for pair of real life ones," he
explained.

Lucas grinned at the reference to the groupies hoping to hook up with his friend. "Just as

well," he said, straightening from the cooler. "This way he can hear what the audience thought of
him firsthand." He hesitated, conscious of Ben's eyes on him, then turned and tossed the box of
condoms to Tyler. It hit him in the stomach.

"I see you bought the cheap ones," Tyler remarked, picking up the box.
"You didn't tell me which brand. I went with something that was made in the States, just

to be sure."

"Whatever." Tyler dismissed him, turning his head back to kiss Adam. Lucas watched

only for a moment before doing his own dismissing. He joined Ben by the fire and handed the
other man a beer.

"Thanks." Ben kept his eyes on him as he tipped the beer back and took a long swallow.
Nervous, Lucas didn't look away as he took his own hit of beer. He had a feeling he

would need to polish off a few bottles before he could completely relax.

"You like hotdogs, I hope?" Ben murmured as he reached to the grill with the tongs and

turned over some of the dogs.

"Yeah," Lucas said carefully, "I like hotdogs just fine."
"We sound like we're in a bad porn," Ben remarked.
Lucas choked and then laughed, relieved the tension had been broken. "I think you're

right. No more discussing the hotdogs."

Ben grinned. "Sounds good to me."
He went back to tending the grill. Lucas drank from his beer and tried not to be too

obvious about checking out the other man.

"Tyler likes to ride you pretty hard."
Lucas snorted beer up his nose and coughed it out. Eyes watering, he mumbled, "I

thought we were abandoning the porn talk."

Smiling, Ben nodded his head toward the blanket where Tyler and Adam were leisurely

making out. "I meant he seems to have a problem with you. He's always got something to say
and it's rarely positive."

Lucas shrugged. It was obvious to anyone who paid attention how Tyler felt about him.
"He's jealous," Ben said.
"Right."
"I'm serious. You threaten what he has with Adam."
"He has nothing to worry about," Lucas muttered, wishing they could talk about other

things. "If I wanted to be with Adam I'd try for him. But I haven't because I don't want that kind
of grief. Those two are nothing but drama and if I wanted that I'd date a girl."

"You are very wise, young grasshopper," Ben said, pointing his tongs at Lucas.

"Besides," Lucas went on, his mouth suddenly dry. He kept his eyes on the fire as he

said, "I'm only attracted to nice people."

"Some people seem to think I'm nice."
Lucas raised his eyes. Ben was smiling at him as if he were teasing, but Lucas could

easily read the hope on his face.

"Yeah," he said quietly, "you are."
Ben's smile grew wider. "Cool."
"Yo! Are the hotdogs ready, dude?"
Ben broke eye contact to turn and yell in the direction of the bay, "Keep your pants on,

Hewie. They're nearly done. Two minutes."

"Hey, bro!" Kip came running out of the darkness to try to put Lucas into a headlock.

Lucas dropped his beer to the sand and managed to reverse the hold on his roommate.

"Did you pick up any chips?" Kip panted as he squirmed in Lucas' hold.
"What? No. No one asked me to."
"No big deal, bro. Just asking. Hey, lemme out."
Lucas laughed as his friend tried half-heartedly to grab his balls. He shoved Kip away

from him, conscious of Ben watching him. He was used to being admired by girls who were
attracted to him but it was somehow ten times more exciting to have a guy like Ben openly
staring at him. Lucas felt the urge to preen, but resisted, still not a hundred percent comfortable
with the situation.

"It's just, I need something salty to balance out the sweetness of the s'mores, you know?"

Kip was saying.

"Kip, you are a high maintenance bitch," Tyler drawled. "I got something salty for you

right here."

Lucas had momentarily forgotten that Tyler and Adam were also watching him. Self-

conscious, he picked up his spilled beer and tossed the empty into the pile they would later
recycle.

"Want another?" Ben asked him.
Lucas shook his head, suddenly not wanting Ben to do anything for him while the other

two men watched. "I'm good."

"Has Lucas told you what he thought of your performance tonight, Ben? I'm sure he was

watching your every move."

Lucas cursed beneath his breath and shot a glare at Tyler who smirked back, unrepentant.
Ben turned to Lucas with interest. "What'd you think? Were you impressed by your big

bro?"

"You blew me away," Lucas said honestly. "You were one of the audience's favorites. A

lot of guys were impressed by your fake fall. I was one of them."

"Who else were they impressed by?" Kip prodded like a puppy eager for attention.
"Some guys sitting near me thought you looked like a hot islander from Tahiti or

something," Lucas told him. As Kip beamed, Lucas glanced at Adam and Tyler. "They thought
you were hot too, Adam. Lots of them wanted to become your cabin boy."

Adam chuckled. Tyler fumed at not being mentioned, just as Lucas had intended.
"Is the fucking food ready or what, Ben?" Tyler demanded, sitting up. "I'm fucking

starving."

"You could have cooked it yourself, you know, Ty," Ben replied mildly. He tested the

hotdogs with his tongs. "Yeah, they're done now." He raised his voice and yelled out, "Come and

get it, you scurvy dogs!" He pointed to a paper sack. "Lucas, can you get the buns out so they
don't tear through that and drop them on the sand?"

Lucas helped with the buns while Ben served the dogs. The men were boisterous and

many were already drunk but Ben dealt with them patiently even when two of them dropped
their food.

"I want four of them," Adam said, holding out his paper plate. He grinned at Ben.

"Please."

"Aye, Cap'n," Ben agreed, serving him. "Can't keep up those muscles without plenty of

protein."

"By that logic I should be stacked," Tyler said while staring smugly at Lucas.
Lucas rolled his eyes and slapped two buns on Tyler's extended plate. "Enjoy your

protein."

As Tyler moved down the line to Ben who held out a hotdog in his tongs, he said, "I

wonder which one of you is going to end up with the protein overload tonight, huh? I know Ben's
a nice guy and would offer to bottom but I honestly think you should take it up the ass, new guy.
You need to loosen up."

Lucas felt his cheeks burn hotly and had to look away.
"Guess you'll have to toss and turn all night wondering about it," Ben replied calmly. He

sounded amused as he added, "And I know you will, Tyler. It's written all over your face."

The platinum blond sneered. "Whatever. Like I care about what you two do."
"That's what I thought, which is why I don't understand why you're cockblocking."
Lucas looked back in time to see Tyler's eyes bulge. "I'm not cockblocking anyone! I

don't want him."

"Then maybe you should keep quiet," Ben suggested.
"Ben's right," Adam echoed, lightly grasping Tyler behind the neck. "You've said

enough. Come on and eat."

Lucas watched the two men return to their blanket. Tyler deliberately put his back to the

fire and Lucas was glad of it.

"Sorry about that," he muttered, sidling closer to Ben. The last of the crew received their

hotdogs so Lucas set the nearly empty bag of buns on a nearby ice cooler. "Tyler's got it out for
me."

"Maybe." Ben sounded bemused. He shook his head and then smiled. "So where's your

plate? You want some too, don't you?"

The moon was a peaceful smear of opal on the surface of the bay. Lucas gazed at it and

realized how he wanted this to play out. "Maybe later. Do you want to join me for a swim?"

He heard Ben set the tongs down against the rocks. "That sounds like a good plan."
Trying to look nonchalant, Lucas led the way across the beach to the water. The water

was still warm but as he and Ben waded farther out until they had to balance on their toes, the
water around their ankles proved to be pleasantly cool. He didn't worry about the condoms in his
pocket floating away or degrading. He figured they'd last long enough to achieve what he
wanted.

He ducked beneath the surface to wet his hair. When he surfaced he found himself face to

face with an equally wet Ben, who was grinning ear to ear.

"You smile a lot," Lucas observed. He could hear the rest of the crew talking loudly on

the beach, joking around and singing off-key. The water carried their individual voices out to
them but he was able to ignore them. Ben occupied his attention.

"I have a lot to be happy about," Ben replied. "I have great friends and a great job. Maybe

one day I'll have a special someone but for now I'm very content." He licked his lips. He had
such large, puffy lips. Lucas could stare at them all day.

He realized, belatedly, that staring at the other man's lips was like broadcasting his

intentions to kiss Ben but Ben didn't bridge the gap. His arms moved back and forth through the
water between them.

"Do you feel better about the show now that you've seen it for real?" he asked Lucas.
Lucas nodded vigorously. "Much better. It helped a lot to see how the audience reacts to

the show. It's -- don't take offense -- but it's less sleazy than I first thought it was from rehearsals.
It's more, I don't know, erotic, I guess."

"The atmosphere makes a big difference," Ben agreed. "The line between sleazy and

erotic can be as simple as mood lighting and professional narration."

"Yeah. The show's really great. I'm proud to be a part of it. I hope I don't screw it up."
"You won't. I won't let you."
Lucas held his breath as Ben lifted a dripping hand and lightly traced the line of Lucas'

jaw with his fingertips. Beneath the water, Lucas' cock began to swell.

"Why are you nervous?" Ben asked him softly.
Lucas laughed. Nervously. "I'm not nervous."
Ben's laughter eased him somewhat. "I'm the nice guy, remember? I'm not going to do

anything you don't want me to."

Swallowing, Lucas nodded. "I know. I'm not worried about that."
"Then what is it?"
"I'm -- I'm afraid I won't like whatever it is -- we end up doing."
Ben regarded him thoughtfully. Lucas was relieved the other man wasn't annoyed with

his lack of confidence. He should have expected as much of Ben though. Ben wasn't a jerk of a
one-night stand. He was, Lucas decided with sudden wonder, someone who would make the
perfect boyfriend.

"What do you think we might end up doing?" Ben asked him, swimming just a little bit

closer. They could both stand on the bottom but Lucas still felt like he was floating.

"I'm not sure," he said. "I haven't had a chance to look at the gay sex menu yet."
Ben laughed. "I have to say I haven't seen this mythical menu either, but I'm sure I could

put together a nice sampler platter for you."

"Oh, yeah?"
Water droplets sparkled on Ben's lashes as they dropped lower over his eyes. "Yeah."
Lucas licked a drop of saltwater from his lips. He felt pursued, which he'd been before

but never by a man, and never so aggressively. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to let Ben take
the lead or if it was okay for him to show interest in return.

He decided to do what came naturally. "I like kissing you," he stated.
Ben's smile echoed the crescent moon overhead. "I like kissing you too."
"You have the best lips," Lucas said, then colored with embarrassment. Were guys not

supposed to say things like that to other guys? He didn't know.

"I like yours too," Ben murmured, easing Lucas' fears. "I think our lips go very well

together. Let me remind you."

Lucas tried to relax when Ben's lips met his but the moment he felt that soft skin against

his he groaned at the rush of lust that swept his body. He lifted his hands out of the water and slid

them over Ben's muscled shoulders. He pulled the other man closer, his arms curling behind
Ben's neck.

"Something tells me you're hungrier than you were letting on," Ben whispered against his

lips. "Don't worry. We have all night, Lucas."

Embarrassed at his eagerness, Lucas relaxed his lips and was rewarded when Ben's

tongue licked along their seam. A shiver raced up his spine. Eyes closed, Lucas parted his lips
and allowed Ben's tongue to slide slowly into his mouth.

Ben tasted like beer and he smelled like saltwater. But underneath that Lucas tasted what

must be Ben's unique taste and he smelled the musk rising off his body as their kiss deepened.
Their knees knocked together. Ben curled his arms around Lucas' back, bringing them closer.
The first brush of Lucas' hard cock against the equally hard lump of Ben's made Lucas groan into
the other man's mouth.

Ben gently broke off the kiss and began kissing down his jaw and all over his neck. He

slid one hand down to cup Lucas' ass and lightly squeezed it. The firm, large grip sent a thrill
through Lucas. He lifted his hips forward, his legs naturally parting around the other man's hips.

"You're not shy with what you want, are you?" Ben asked him softly in between licks to

Lucas' throat.

"I'm not sure I know what I want but something's happening," Lucas groaned back.
"I can feel it."
Ben squeezed his ass again, encouraging Lucas to rock his hips and rub their erections

together beneath the water.

It was a foreign sensation for him. He was used to humping this way between a girl's

legs, pushing the head of his cock against soft folds of flesh that gave way beneath his prodding.
Now, pushing against Ben, it was all about friction and maybe a little greed, for Lucas felt that
they were each pushing towards their own pleasure.

He tilted his head back and watched the stars turn to a gray haze as desire blurred his

vision. Beneath the water, Ben's fingers skimmed down the crease of Lucas' shorts. Lucas
waited, breathing shallowly, but Ben didn't try to penetrate him. Instead, his hand drifted around
Lucas' hip and slid down between their bodies to cup him.

“Okay?” Ben whispered.
Lucas shuddered. “More than.”
“Good.”
The first squeeze of Ben's fingers around him made Lucas bite his lip and clench his eyes

shut. Ben handled him confidently, molding and squeezing with the kind of intimate knowledge
that only another man could possess. His fingers milked Lucas' shaft and fondled his balls, his
thumb rubbed the fabric of his shorts across the sensitive head.

Lucas' face grew hot. He felt himself thrusting in spasmodic little jerks with every

squeeze of Ben's hand. He tilted his head down and pressed his lips to Ben's temple, tasting
saltwater and skin. He whispered, "Can we -- can we do more?"

Right on cue, two square shapes bobbed in the water to their left. Ben turned his head to

look, then broke into soft chuckles. Lucas couldn't imagine anything being that funny at the
moment, so he too, turned to look. The condoms he'd pocketed had slipped out of his shorts.

"Shit." He laughed, embarrassed. "Ah, yeah, I guess I was thinking positively."
"I love confidence in a guy," Ben assured him, catching Lucas' lips in a hot, very wet

kiss. "It turns me on to know that you were hoping we'd have sex."

"Yeah," Lucas breathed back, his nerves returning. "I guess I was, but now that the

possibility is here--"

"I'm aware that you're a virgin, Lucas, and that you're probably scared shitless." Ben

smiled his endearing smile. "I want to make your first time with a guy memorable for the right
reasons, not the wrong ones."

"I'll be okay--" Lucas began.
"You won't need to be," Ben cut him off. "I want to bottom for you. I want that very, very

much."

Lucas' eyes widened. He hadn't considered this possibility. "You mean--"
Ben leaned forward and whispered into his ear, "I want you to fuck me."
The words caused Lucas to shudder. His cock was like steel. "I've never done anal," he

admitted.

"It's okay. I have." Ben released him and tugged at his shorts, pulling them down Lucas'

hips.

Lucas started to reach for the floating condoms but Ben shook his head.
"We don't need them. In the water it'll be easier without."
Lucas stared. "But what about being safe?"
"Remember that HIV test you took when you applied for this job? We get tested here

every six months too. We have to for the show. And Adam makes us all promise that if we hook
up with anyone outside the crew that we absolutely use protection. Otherwise we're out."

Lucas' excitement climbed at the thought of fucking Ben without a condom between them

but he had to ask, "Then why did Tyler tell me to buy condoms?"

Finally kicking Lucas' shorts off, Ben shrugged. "He wanted to rub it in that he and Adam

were going to hook up tonight? It beats me. And I don't care. I'm not about to have sex with
them, am I?"

"No." Lucas dropped his hands beneath the water to cup the other man's taut buttocks.

"You're here to have sex with me."

"Then we don't need condoms," Ben murmured, kissing him again. "Take off my shorts,

Lucas. If we stay out here too long we're both going to shrivel and I want as much of you as I can
get."

Laughing huskily, Lucas tugged the other man's shorts down until they floated away. His

heart hammered in his chest -- and in his dick -- as Ben pulled their bodies together again. The
first touch of his cock against another man's made Lucas gasp.

Watching him, Ben smiled. "Feels good, doesn't it? Different, but it's hot."
"Yeah," Lucas choked out. He couldn't believe how turned on he was. He could feel

every inch of Ben's cock. He thrust lightly, just to see how it would feel, and the cool water
combined with Ben's heated cock combined for a sensation that Lucas couldn't compare to
anything he'd ever felt. It was fantastic.

Anxious and eager, he placed his hands on Ben's narrow waist. "So how do we do this?"
"Touch my ass," Ben urged in a low voice.
The voice made Lucas' skin break out in gooseflesh, even underwater. He slid his palms

back and down, skating them over Ben's sleek skin until he cupped the other man's tight, round
buttocks.

He panted as Ben began to suck on his neck. "Now touch my hole," Ben whispered

against his skin.

Tentative, Lucas slid his fingers into the other man's crease. He followed the valley down

to the puckered skin and then gently inserted the tip of his index finger. To his surprise, it slid in
easily.

"Holy shit," Lucas gasped, involuntarily thrusting his cock against Ben's. "You're already

stretched and lubed!"

"I was hoping things would turn out well tonight too," Ben said with a warm chuckle. "So

do you want me?"

"God, yes!" Lucas experimentally tried to slip another finger inside Ben and gasped again

when both digits were sucked inside. "Jesus. I can't wait."

"Me neither, cowboy." Ben raised his head and kissed Lucas. He thrust his tongue a few

times into Lucas' mouth, stoking his arousal, before leaning back. "Let's do this."

Lucas quickly withdrew his fingers. As soon as he did, Ben spun around in the water,

putting his back to Lucas.

"Let's walk a little closer to shore so I can bend over," Ben said.
Lucas looked worriedly to the beach. Although he could make out the fire-lit bodies of

his friends he knew the view of him and Ben out in the water would be less clear. "Okay."

When the water lapped just beneath their ribs, Ben guided them to a stop. He bent

forward and rested his hands on his thighs.

"You should know where to go from here," he teased, looking back at Lucas from over

his shoulder. "I've done the hard work for you."

Lucas could hardly hear for the blood roaring in his ears. "Yeah. I think I can take it from

here."

Holding himself by the base, he carefully aligned himself with Ben's body. With a

careful, cautious push, the head of his cock popped inside. Trembling, he slid all the way in until
his balls butted against Ben's. Beneath him, Ben released a long sigh. His spine arched.

"Are you okay?" Lucas asked, rubbing his hand soothingly up and down the other man's

back.

"Not really," Ben groaned. "I think I'm gonna cum any minute now. Hurry up and fuck

me, Lucas."

"Oh, my god," Lucas whispered, so turned on he felt like his entire body was shaking.
He took hold of Ben's hips and began to thrust into him slowly at first as he became used

to the tightness and incredible heat and Ben's shivered reaction with every inward thrust. As
Lucas' confidence grew, his speed and power picked up. Soon he was thrusting into Ben just as
he would the body of any girl he'd ever dated.

But it was different, much different. Ben cursed softly as Lucas fucked him. His body

was lean and hard wherever Lucas could reach. The water churned beneath his hips as he stroked
himself beneath the surface. And he periodically clamped down on Lucas' cock so tightly that
Lucas moaned every time he did it.

"Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me," Ben chanted in a low, panting voice.
His obvious pleasure fueled Lucas'. Instinct overrode shyness and reservation. He bent

forward over Ben's back, embracing the other man's heat. Ben groaned, a whimper escaping his
lips. When Lucas reached beneath the other man's body and knocked his hand away from his
cock, Ben let out a deep groan and his entire body froze, as stiff as a plank of wood.

The sudden vise-like ripples around his cock startled Lucas. When he realized it was

happening because Ben was cumming, Lucas lost it. He gasped against Ben's shoulder and thrust

in as forcefully as he could. He wrapped his arms around Ben's body and held on as his orgasm
tore through him.

"Jesus," he whispered as the convulsions began to ebb. "My god. That was..."
"Yeah," Ben whispered back. He covered Lucas' arms with his own and held them tight

to his chest and belly. "It was that good."

Lucas' head swam with the sensations he'd just experienced. He'd just fucked a guy and it

had been one of the best sexual experiences of his life.

He pressed a heartfelt kiss to Ben's shoulder. "Thank you."
"At the risk of sounding cheesy, the pleasure was all mine."
Lucas smiled and closed his eyes. He was tired. He hoped he wouldn't drown but then

again at least he would die with the memory of incredible sex fresh in his mind.

"We'll do that again, won't we?" he asked hopefully.
"Oh, yeah," Ben said, laughing. "If you think I'm letting you use me and dump me you've

got another thing coming."

Ben was definitely the right choice for losing his gay virginity, Lucas thought happily. It

had only been a matter of time before things started going his way and from the sound of it
things would be great for a long time to come.

CHAPTER EIGHT

When they returned to the beach it was all Lucas could do to keep the grin off his face.

As he neared the fire with Ben in tow, he saw Adam lying on his side, his head propped on his
elbow, watching them. Beside him Tyler had both knees pulled to his chest and was glaring at
them.

"How was the water?" Adam asked with a smirk.
Lucas grinned much wider than he needed to but he couldn't help it. "Absolutely perfect."
"Couldn't have asked for anything better," Ben chimed in. Lucas shot him a grin from

over his shoulder.

"Wow, Ben. You must have taken some lessons since the last time we were together,"

Tyler said with an ugly look.

Lucas charged him but Ben caught him by the arm and pulled him back.
"No," Ben said firmly. "Ignore him, Lucas."
"Let me go," Lucas demanded, trying to yank free. "Let me give him a lesson on how to

keep his fat mouth shut."

Tyler released his legs and scrambled up onto his knees. "Oh, yeah? Come on, new guy.

Come and try it."

But Adam reached up and grabbed a fistful of Tyler's shirt and dragged him down beside

him where he threw a heavy leg across his hips and caught the blond in a loose headlock.

"Apologize to Ben," he growled. Tyler cursed and struggled against his confinement but

Adam merely tightened his hold until Tyler was fully restrained, chest to chest with the bigger
man. "Apologize and assure our good friend Ben that you will never say something that hurtful
again no matter how upset you are."

"I'm not upset!" Tyler snarled.
"Apologize, Tyler, or I will make you," Adam said in a low voice.

Lucas waited, inwardly hoping Tyler told Adam to fuck off. Adam was angry and Lucas

didn't think it would take much more to push him to the point of no return.

But Tyler slumped in Adam's hold. He turned his face to the side so he could see Ben.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "That was a shitty thing to say, Ben. I didn't mean it."

Ben started to wave it off but at a look from Adam paused and then said, "Apology

accepted, Tyler. No hard feelings."

Tyler nodded and turned his face away. "Yeah. Same here."
Adam looked to Lucas. "Is that good enough for you or do you want more?"
It was tempting, but Lucas didn't want to poke this particular wasps' nest any further. "It's

good enough."

Adam gave him a slight smile. "Good." He loosened his hold on Tyler but the platinum

blond didn't move except to bury his face against Adam's thick neck. Lucas watched Adam
gently stroke Tyler's back. It was a motion meant to soothe and Lucas didn't like the weird
feeling he got in his stomach. It almost felt like envy.

Ben was still holding onto his arm. He gave it a tug, drawing Lucas' attention. "Let's eat. I

bet you're starving."

Lucas could toast to that. "There better be at least half a dozen dogs left or I'm going to

throw a fit."

"I'm sure we could find you more meat if you need it," Ben told him with a wink.
Lucas shook his head and groaned. "Terrible. Just terrible."
The two of them helped themselves to the food. Lucas loaded up extra on the potato chips

because he really was starving. As he sank down into the warm sand around the fire with Ben
beside him, he marveled at how much better he felt mentally. He'd been stressing over his
burgeoning interest in men for so long that it felt like an issue he'd dealt with all his life. He
didn't think so, but maybe he'd always noticed the attractiveness of the guys around him. He just
hadn't known what it meant or that it might lead to something more.

Or maybe I've been brainwashed, he thought without much concern as he ate his hot

dogs. He'd pretty much been thrown into a fishbowl with a bunch of gay fish. How else could the
situation have turned out?

He finished his food as the Frisbee players returned to the fire. Lucas noticed that some

of the crew had disappeared; he didn't see them anywhere on the beach. He guessed they'd gone
to the cottages with the groupies. The only ones left were Orinth, Hewie, Kip, Adam, Tyler, Ben
and himself.

"Anyone up for a game of Truth or Dare?" Orinth called out as he slid to a stop in the

sand on the other side of the fire from Lucas and Ben.

"What you are, twelve?" Tyler asked with a snort.
"I may as well be," Orinth said cheerfully. "Being drunk means I regress. So I'm asking

again: who's up for a game?"

"I dunno, bro," Kip said as he also took a seat ringing the fire pit. His dark skin was

dusted with sand, leading Lucas to believe the Frisbee game had probably been more of a game
of tackle and grab ass. Kip shook out his dreads, causing sand to sprinkle over his shoulders.
"Dangerous things can happen in a game of Truth or Dare with horny guys who've been
drinking, bro. Not that I'm completely complaining, but just -- I don't want to look bad in front of
my new roomie."

"Oh, I don't know, Kip. Last time we played I thought you looked cute sprinting down the

road with that corndog up your butt," Ben teased. He nudged Lucas lightly with his elbow and

grinned at him. Lucas liked the feeling of closeness between them. It was like having a fuck
buddy you knew wouldn't turn psycho on you.

"The only way to do it is if you set ground rules first," Adam said. He and Tyler had sat

up. Adam was just behind Tyler with an arm slung casually around the blond's neck. Tyler's right
hand rested high up on Adam's muscular tree trunk of a thigh. "As long as you declare what can
and can't be allowed you can ensure there's plenty of humiliation without anyone getting killed or
arrested. Normally I wouldn't care about those things but we've got a show to put on."

"Okay, so we set rules," Orinth went on doggedly. It was clear he was buzzed and wanted

to play. "Say, no one is allowed to leave the beach. And phone calls can only be made to other
crew members. What else?"

"No fucking in public," Tyler spoke up. He didn't look at either him or Ben but Lucas

knew exactly why he'd brought it up. "That's asking to be arrested on an indecency charge and
we don't need that kind of grief."

Lucas tensed but Ben's hand settled on the back of his neck and massaged the tight

muscles that had clenched there. "Let it go. He's digging, that's all. He's frustrated. I've seen it
before. It doesn't mean anything to us."

"He's such an asshole," Lucas muttered to him.
"No," Ben said, "he's simply not good at hiding things."
The comment dissolved Lucas' annoyance. Ben was right. Tyler was terrible at hiding

how he felt. He had verbal and emotional diarrhea. The problem Lucas had with that was that it
wasn't a problem. He appreciated honesty. He couldn't stand people who were two-faced and
stabbed you in the back. Girls who liked to play games drove him up the wall. Tyler was the
antithesis of everything Lucas disliked, and yet he couldn't stand Tyler because of it.

"He likes you," Ben said in a voice barely more than a whisper.
Lucas looked at Ben sharply. "He hates me."
Lucas wondered why Ben took his time to study his face as if he were looking for

something. "You don't see it, do you? You really don't?"

Sighing, Lucas shook his head. "If you're trying to suggest he likes me -- an idea which,

by the way, Adam just loves -- you're wrong. It isn't that Tyler is attracted to me, it's that I'm
what he could be if he wasn't so fucked up."

Ben raised his brows. "That's your theory?"
"Why not? Everyone keeps going on about how he and I could be brothers. Adam

fantasizes about having both of us. Tyler's bound to start making comparisons. I'm not mentally
or emotionally unstable. I generally have my shit together. And as the new guy I'm getting
attention. Of course he's jealous. He wants to be me even if it's only until the shine wears off."

"Tyler doesn't want to be you," Ben said, chuckling. "It's an interesting theory but I think

it's wrong."

"Honestly I don't care why he dislikes me. It's not as though I'm missing out on his

friendship."

"Oh, I don't know. I told you before: he was interesting when I got to know him one-on-

one. Behind the mean comments he's a normal guy. A little broken, sure, but that's what makes
him interesting."

"Don't bother selling him to me," Lucas said. He caught and held Ben's eye. "I know who

I like and who I don't. I hang out with nice guys. Period."

"And thank god you do more than hang out with them," Ben teased.
"Anytime," Lucas said with a smirk. "You know where I live."

Lust flitted across the other man's face. "Yeah, I do. I hope Kip's a heavy sleeper."
Lucas cringed. "I hope we don't have to find out."
He looked down as Ben stroked the back of his hand. "Shy?"
"Just trying to get used to this." He shrugged and gave Ben a mischievous smile. "It's

becoming obvious you're something of an exhibitionist so I guess I'd better up my game."

"Oh, I'll up your game, don't worry about that."
Laughing, Lucas turned back to the conversation around the fire.
"-- penalty if you don't go through with it?"
"I've got one." Adam gave them all a satyr-like grin. "If you renege on your dare then you

have to clean all three cottages for a week."

"Aw, shit, man," Hewie muttered around the joint pinched between his lips. "Harsh."
"Then choose truth if you think you're going to chicken out, bro." Kip slapped Hewie on

the back. "No big deal then."

Hewie took a puff, held it, and then released it with a raspy, "Yeah, okay. No prob."
"My dare to Hewie will be he has to lay off the weed for an hour," Orinth said with an

amused snort. "Ain't gonna fuckin' happen!"

"So are we doing this?" Tyler demanded. Lucas didn't like how eager he appeared to be.

"Who's going first?"

Lucas turned to Ben and murmured, "Do you really want to do this?"
"Not really, but we should. It's not cool to hang out and not participate. Adam's big on us

doing things as a group."

Of course he would, Lucas thought with dismay. Adam encouraged orgies.
"I'll go first!" Orinth said excitedly. He rubbed his palms together while looking over the

gathered men to choose his victim. "I pick Kip."

Kip squared his shoulders. "Dare, bro."
"Haha, you're so predictable," Orinth laughed. He paused to think. "Okay. I'll start off

easy on you. I dare you to give your new roommate a big, fat, sloppy kiss. Plenty of tongue!" he
shouted as if his description hadn't been explicit enough.

"Who says I haven't already?" Kyo said, puffing out his chest.
"You are a whore," Tyler pointed out, but he was grinning.
"Just because you eat in nowadays doesn't make you a vegetarian, Ty. You love the meat

as much as I do, bro, you just don't go out and hunt for it anymore."

"I'm going to become a vegan if you keep talking about meat," Lucas complained.
"Ooh, he's eager for you to get on with it, Kip!" Orinth clapped like a kid on his birthday.

"Gotta do the dare or else it's Kip the Maid."

"Fuck that noise," Kip declared. He crawled around the fire's edge and paused on his

knees before Lucas. "Sorry, bro," he whispered.

"It's okay, man. I'll survive. Lay one on me."
Making a big production out of it, Kip grabbed Lucas by the head and then fulfilled his

duty by giving Lucas a wet, messy kiss that involved far too much tongue for Lucas' taste and
would have caused him serious trauma had he not just had sex with Ben. As it was, he was
deeply relieved when Orinth hooted his approval and Kip released him with an apologetic look.

"That was sort of hot," Ben said as Kip crawled back to his seat. "Though slightly too wet

for my tastes."

"Tell me about it." Lucas wiped his mouth with the back of his hand but he grinned to

show Kip he was only teasing.

"Nice to see you didn't dive for the surface," Adam commented.
Lucas nodded at him, acknowledging his acceptance of being kissed by a man in front of

the others. "It gets easier with practice."

Adam's teeth flashed. "That's good to hear."
"Kip's turn!" Orinth declared as Lucas quickly looked away from Adam.
Kip peered around at them, eyes narrowed. He grinned when his eyes landed on Ben. "No

use hiding behind my roomie, bro. You're next. Truth or dare?"

"What the hell. Dare." Ben rose on to his knees and dusted off his hands. "What do I have

to do?"

Grinning almost maniacally, Kip said, "I dare you to rim Hewie until that joint falls out

of his mouth."

Lucas blanched while the other guys burst into laughter and encouraging whistles. Beside

him Ben was blushing and avoiding Lucas' eyes.

"Kip, you're killing me," Ben groaned.
"You can always take option number two and be our maid for the next week," Tyler said

gleefully.

Lucas had expected that Tyler would love Ben's humiliation but he was surprised by how

eager Hewie looked by the proposed dare. The pothead's eyes were as wide as they could be
considering his stoned condition. Also a lump was growing in Hewie's shorts.

Ben leaned against Lucas and muttered into his ear, "Respect me in the morning." He

then crawled around the fire to Hewie. "Alright, dude, on hands and knees. You know what's
coming."

"Right on," Hewie breathed, his joint bobbing in his mouth.
Lucas watched with a mixture of horror and curiosity. He'd rimmed Lisa once in the

shower but she'd gotten nothing out of it and he'd only done it because he'd read about it on the
internet. This, however, was different. Doing it to a guy out in public like this felt dirty, primal,
and somehow ten times more sexual. Lucas was amazed that Ben had the balls to do it in front of
everyone.

Neither he nor Hewie hesitated. Hewie yanked his shorts down to pool around his knees,

revealing a startling long cock. He obediently bent over onto all fours, his ever-present joint
hanging from the corner of his mouth. Behind him Ben licked his lips and then lowered his face
to Hewie's spread buttocks.

Lucas clutched the sand when Hewie let out a startled bleat and closed his eyes. He was

facing the fire which Lucas never would have done. Everyone could see the effect that Ben was
having on him.

From his position Lucas watched Hewie's cock grow longer and firmer and become shiny

at the tip as it beaded with precum. The skinny man arched his back and thrust his hips back. Ben
gripped him by the hips, fingers digging into his skin, while his head moved up and down and
back and forth. Lucas could only imagine how those movements translated against Hewie's hole,
how it felt to have Ben's tongue licking such a private place.

"Damn," he breathed.
He could see he wasn't the only one who was turned-on by the show the two men were

putting on. Kip had shoved his hand down the front of his shorts. Orinth chose the over-the-
fabric option and was rubbing himself through his shorts. Though he didn't want to, Lucas
couldn't help slanting his eyes to the side to where Tyler and Adam sat.

Adam was still slightly behind Tyler, his left arm slung over the blond's shoulders, but his

right hand had curled around Tyler's waist and was in his lap. Lucas watched from the corner of
his eye as Adam stroked Tyler through his shorts. The blond gently writhed, one hand guiding
Adam's on him, the other braced on the sand.

Lucas didn't realize he'd turned his head to better see them until Adam chose to return the

interest. Their eyes met. Lucas flushed. But his eyes dropped to Tyler's lap and what Adam's
hand was doing there and Lucas suddenly felt very much alone and jealous.

Upset at himself for the thought he quickly turned back to Hewie and Ben just in time to

see Hewie's joint slip from his mouth to the sand.

"Score!" Kip yelled out. "Good job, bro!"
"Please don't stop," Hewie whimpered, turning his head to look back over his shoulder.
"I won't," Ben gasped. The raw lust in his voice shook Lucas to his core. Ben dove into

Hewie's ass again, making loud slurping sounds that made Lucas wish he were alone somewhere
so he could furiously jerk off.

Apparently sharing the sentiment, or at least the urge, Hewie reached beneath himself and

grabbed his cock. His wrist flew back and forth a few moments, the head of his cock
disappearing and peeking through his closed fist like a pop-up puppet. Then he groaned. His cum
spattered across the sand. Lucas envied him to the point of pain. He was hard and his ears still
rang with the sounds both men had been making.

He watched, rapt, as Ben rose from behind Hewie and wiped the back of his hand across

his mouth just as Lucas had done after Kip kissed him. Ben smiled at him, self-conscious, but his
eyes carried a heat that came from lust, not embarrassment. Lucas groaned softly to himself. He
wanted to know what that look meant in the bedroom when it was just the two of them with no
one watching.

"That was educational," Tyler drawled. "Glad to know I'm not the only one who's had

plenty of practice rimming. Sounded like that mouth has been on a hundred asses."

It was the proverbial bucket of cold water. Lucas glared at Tyler as Ben returned to his

side and sat in the sand. Tyler stared back, daring Lucas to say something. Behind him, Adam
merely watched the interaction. He seemed content to let Tyler stir the pot until things began
bubbling over. Then he would come in and turned down the heat. Lucas wished he would put the
lid on Tyler for good.

"Did you like that?" Ben whispered into Lucas' ear.
Lucas shivered, showing Ben firsthand how it had affected him. "That was nasty."
"I'll do that to you if you want it."
"Fuck," Lucas whispered as he imagined Ben's tongue in his ass. "Maybe. I mean, yeah. I

don't know." He flushed. "We'll see."

Ben just laughed softly and sat back.
"It's my turn, isn't it?" Ben rubbed his chin as if pretending to seriously consider his

choice. "I guess since you've been so vocal tonight I should give you a chance to prove your
mettle, Tyler. Truth or dare?"

Lucas waited for Tyler's confident smirk to make an appearance. It slid into place on

Tyler's face right on cue. "Dare. Don't hold back, Ben. I know it's been killing you to."

Ben laughed low and quietly. "You don't know as much about me as you think you do,

Ty. Let's see... what can I give you?"

"Something painful," Lucas said beneath his breath.

He wasn't sure if Ben heard him or not but the blond issued his dare a moment later:

"Tyler, I dare you to tell Adam how you feel about him right here in front of everyone."

Expecting something involving nudity or eating filthy food, Lucas was at first as shocked

as everyone else by Ben's dare. Then he was impressed by it. Tyler was honest to a fault, but
revealing his intimate feelings in front of the crew would undoubtedly be akin to torture for him.

"That's bullshit," Tyler spat, pointing at Ben. "That's just a truth!"
"Then I dare you to say it while you're naked," Ben replied.
Tyler gaped but Adam said, "No. He doesn't need to be naked for it."
"But I have to do the rest of it?" Tyler demanded, spinning around on the sand to face

Adam. "It's not even a real dare!"

"You can always choose to clean the cottages."
Lucas waited for Tyler to explode and begin cursing out everyone in the game. He could

see it on Tyler's face when the blond turned to give Ben and him a hate-filled glare. But then
Tyler lowered his face and Lucas realized in shock that the other man was going to go through
with it. "Fine," he said. "I'm not backing away from shit."

Silence settled around the fire. Lucas wondered if Tyler was waiting until he had

everyone’s attention or if he was considering chickening out.

"The truth was… fuck, when I came to this island I was my own island," Tyler said,

sounding angry and mutinous.

Lucas held his breath. The occasional pop of the wood in the fire was the only sound in

the air.

"I’d had enough with taking anyone else’s shit," Tyler went on, head bowed, "I wanted to

rule over me. No more liars. No more haters. If it was just me then everyone would love me. No
one would ask me for what I didn't want to give them. What they didn’t fucking deserve from
me.”

Tyler took a deep breath in preparation of baring more. Lucas decided then that Tyler was

his own worst enemy, and yet that made him someone Lucas could admire. Tyler could have
made up any old garbage to satisfy the dare but Lucas could tell he was giving the unvarnished
truth no matter how it made him look to the others.

"That’s what I wanted when I came here,” Tyler went on, “But you dragged me off of my

island, Adam. I kicked and screamed -- you didn't fucking care. You dragged me off. You forced
me onto an island where you ruled... and -- and you taught me to like it. You taught me to love
it." He swallowed hard.

The firelight glided over Tyler's skin, curving over the slim muscles in his shoulders and

arms. It turned his hair the color of lightning. Look up, Lucas thought. Look up so I can see your
eyes. He knew every word out of Tyler's mouth was the truth and he wanted to see that aching
honesty for himself. He wanted to know what it was like to feel the way that Tyler did.

"I know I'm a horrible person," Tyler said, his voice beginning to crack at the edges. "I

know I say ugly things and that I push you to the edge every day. But you can't leave me." He
turned and threw himself at Adam who calmly pulled him against his massive chest. "Please
don't throw me out," Tyler choked against Adam's throat. "I'm sorry I say the things I do. I don't
want to be like this. Please don't leave me. Please don't give up on me. I know I act like a shit but
I can be better. I promise I can."

What had been fascinating to Lucas was suddenly horribly invasive. He wanted to look

away from the two men. He knew it was the right thing to do. But he couldn't tear his eyes away
from a desperate, fearful Tyler.

For Lucas, coming to the island and joining the crew had been about fitting in and being

accepted. It had slowly morphed into putting one over on Tyler. But what was a game to Lucas
was a threat to Tyler's entire existence, and Lucas felt like an asshole for his behavior.

"I'm not giving up on you, Ty."
Lucas lifted his eyes from Tyler to find Adam watching him as the big man comforted his

lover. "I know who you are and what you're capable of," Adam continued softly. He kissed the
top of Tyler's head. Lucas was caught aback by the show of tenderness from the often dominant
man. "I'm willing to wait for you to see yourself the way I do."

"But the way you've been acting--"
"We'll talk about that later," Adam assured him, eyes still on Lucas. It made Lucas feel

included in the conversation, as if Adam was speaking to him too. "No one's leaving and no one's
being kicked off. You're with me, Tyler, for as long as you choose to be."

"Why wouldn't I want to be?" Tyler asked, lifting his head. His voice sounded watery,

which gave Lucas the impetus to finally look away from them.

"I'm only giving you the option," he heard Adam murmured. "You don't owe me

anything."

A touch to the back of his hand came from Ben. "Hopefully that'll get both of them off

your back for a while," he whispered to Lucas with a small smile.

Lucas appreciated the intention behind Ben’s dare but he could have done without the

public humiliation, regardless of how much he'd wanted it earlier. He glanced around the fire and
found the other guys looking just as uncomfortable as he felt.

"I guess I'm done for the night," Orinth said with unusual restraint. He stood and made a

show of stretching his arms far above his head. "I'm out, guys. Thanks for cooking up the grub,
Ben."

"No problem."
"Come on, Hewie." Orinth reached down and pulled an unsteady Hewie to his feet. "Let's

hit it."

Hewie just nodded, too tired to speak. Lucas watched them stagger across the beach

toward the cottages.

"I'll see you back home," Kip spoke up cheerfully. He wagged his brows. "Or maybe

not," he added with a pointed look at Ben.

Lucas waved him off. "Yeah, yeah. I'll see you."
Kip jogged off.
Lucas turned to Ben. "Do you want to--"
"Wait. The game's not over yet." Tyler straightened and wiped at his eyes. "It's my turn."
"Everyone's gone," Lucas protested.
"Then it makes it easy for me to pick," Tyler retorted though his snarky attitude was

strained, tired. "Truth or dare, new guy."

Lucas didn't want to do this. He'd begun to see Tyler differently and now the other man

was going to spoil it. He sighed. There was no getting out of it though. Tyler would taunt him
with this if he ran away now. Knowing there was no way he was going to put himself up for a
dare from Tyler, Lucas said, "I'll do truth."

Tyler nodded as if he'd expected as much. "My question for you is easy." His eyes flicked

briefly to Ben. "How long have you been gay?"

Lucas just stared at him. Some of the anxiety left Tyler's face, replaced with the anger

Lucas was used to seeing from him. Hurting or not, Tyler hadn't buried the hatchet with him. He
still wanted Lucas gone, or barring that to be alienated by the crew, starting with Ben.

So Lucas considered his options. If he told the truth Ben might be upset. He might think

Lucas was only experimenting which was partly true but not in the way Ben would think. He
might think Lucas had used him which was also partly true but again, not in the way Ben would
think. Lucas liked Ben a lot. He could envision spending a lot of private time with him doing
both sexual and non-sexual things with him. He felt comfortable with Ben in a lot of the ways
he'd felt comfortable with Lisa. Lucas couldn't pretend that wasn't true. But although he knew all
this, convincing Ben of it might be trickier.

Yet if he lied he'd be lying in front of Adam, and that was taking a huge risk.
"Come on," Tyler prodded softly. He reminded Lucas of a hyena, watching from the

shadows as the lions tore apart their prey. "Tell the truth, new guy. How long have you loved the
cock?"

"He's newly out," Ben spoke up. "This isn't news to me, Ty."
"Is that what he told you?" Tyler asked with an arch of the brow. There was no longer

anything soft about him. He was all sharp angles again.

"Tyler, it's obvious what you're--"
"No," Lucas said, cutting off Ben. "Tyler has a point with this." He turned to face Ben,

regretting the affection he could see on the other man's face. "I came to this island by mistake,"
Lucas said slowly, not wanting to have to explain himself twice. "I was supposed to join the
straight show."

Ben's brow crinkled. "But why would you--" He stopped speaking. His eyes widened.
Lucas felt terrible as he nodded. "I'm straight, Ben. Or at least that's how I came to the

island. But a lot of things have happened," he added quickly before Ben could say anything, "and
now I'm pretty sure I'm at least bi."

"But you needed me to find out for sure."
Lucas nodded, miserable. "I wasn't using you, Ben. I swear. I wanted to do it with you. I

like you a lot."

"But until me and this island you've always been straight," Ben said clearly.
Lucas heard a snicker and knew it came from Tyler. The other blond must be beside

himself with glee now that Lucas had just deep-sixed his potential relationship and friendship
with Ben.

Lucas' shoulders slumped. "Yeah, Ben. Until I came here I was only interested in girls."
"Do you know," Ben said slowly, "that it's always been a fantasy of mine to fuck around

with a straight guy?"

Lucas gaped. "It has?"
Ben grinned. "Of course! How hot is it to introduce a straight guy to the joys of gay sex?"

His voice dropped though his smile remained. "I've fantasized about meeting a cute guy who's
never held another guy's cock and folding his fingers around mine and showing him how to jerk
me. I've imagined staring into his eyes as he does it and seeing his wonder as he realizes he's
holding a hard dick and he loves it."

"Fuck," Lucas breathed. He was hard. His face felt hot. "That sounds like me. What we

did out in the water is the most I've ever done with a guy."

"I like that," Ben told him. He reached out and traced the edges of Lucas' mouth with his

fingertip, his smile growing when Lucas shuddered. "You should have told me before. A gay
virgin is great but a straight guy virgin is even better."

"Now you know," Lucas said, slipping his tongue out to lick Ben's finger. "What else

happens in your fantasy?"

"I fucking hate this place," Tyler said loudly, jumping to his feet. He pointed accusingly

at Ben and Lucas. "You two suck. You deserve each other."

He ran back to the cottages. Lucas was so surprised he started to laugh but quickly

stopped when Adam stood.

"It is funny," he said to Lucas with a slight grin, "but don't forget the rest."
Lucas sobered. He just nodded as Adam stomped through the sand in search of his

wayward boyfriend.

"I admit I played it up for Tyler's benefit," Ben said with a grin, "but only slightly. I don't

regret what we did."

Lucas smiled. "I'm glad. I don't regret it either. I promise I wasn't using you."
Ben shrugged. "Wouldn't bother me if you did. I can think of worse things."
Lucas licked his lips. "Can you think of better?"
Ben's smile slowly faded from his face. "Yeah." He took hold of Lucas' wrist and rose,

pulling Lucas with him. "Let me show you some of them."

CHAPTER NINE

Ben shut the front door behind him and leaned against it. Lucas laughed nervously at the

intent look on the other man's face.

"If I were a girl I'd be worried about your intentions," he joked.
"If you were a girl I wouldn't be thinking about eating out your ass," Ben replied.
Lucas looked away as heat rushed down his body to his cock. "Wow, that's -- yeah."
Ben chuckled. "Too much for you? Want me to dial it back a notch?"
"Hell, no." Lucas gave him a sheepish smile. "I love it, don't get me wrong. I just had no

idea I could love it this much. With a guy, I mean. Girls have always done it for me. Never
another guy. I don't know. It's crazy."

"I have a theory," Ben said, "and that's if a man is told he can eat everything on the buffet

except the potatoes because the potatoes are poisonous, he won't even see the potatoes after a
while. He knows they're not an option. Once you tell him the potatoes aren't really poisonous but
are just heavy with carbs he starts to wonder how they'll taste."

"So guys are a bunch of potatoes and I've just discovered they won’t kill me?" Lucas

found the analogy amusing.

Ben shrugged. "A lot of us are as dumb as them anyway."
"Point."
They fell silent, watching each other across the distance of the living room. Lucas was

familiar with the tension in the air. He normally felt it in the seconds before he casually
suggested to a girl that he had something in his bedroom she might want to check out. It was a
cheesy line but his partners had never needed convincing to sleep with him; they just wanted the
excuse to.

"Kip is in there," Lucas blurted, pointing at his bedroom. He glanced at the other closed

bedroom door. "And Tyler and Adam are in there."

Ben nodded. "You don't want an audience."
"Like I said, I'm not shy but this is just..."
"Different." Ben pushed off the door and walked to him. "Don't worry about it, Lucas.

We don't have to do anything."

"No, that wasn't what I was getting at," Lucas corrected him with a laugh. He nervously

slid his palms up Ben's chest when the other man entered his personal space. He swallowed hard
when Ben's hands settled on his waist and then slid back to cup his ass. It felt strange having
another man's large hands grabbing him there but the strength of the grip turned him on.

"I only meant we can't do anything in my bedroom," he explained. "Kip would be

watching us and jerking off the entire time."

Ben smiled and tugged Lucas forward until the mounds of their erections pressed

together. "We have to work on your shyness," he teased. "How do you expect to get through a
show with an entire audience of horny men watching your every move? And you know firsthand
since you sat with them that a lot of them watch and jerk off."

"Yeah, but I don't have to share living space with them. I don't have to listen to them

giggle like a little girl when I'm trying to sleep."

Ben raised his eyebrows. "Kip giggles?"
"I'm sure he would," Lucas insisted, "if he got to watch us going at it."
"I don't want to find out if you're right," Ben said after a quick laugh. He lowered his

head and rubbed his cheek alongside Lucas' as he murmured, "Let's hang out here for a while
then. We don't need a bed just yet."

Lucas closed his eyes and curled his arms around Ben's broad shoulders. It was odd to be

in what he'd always considered the woman's position, but he couldn't deny that he liked having
Ben hold him and brush their cheeks together while his breath tickled Lucas' ear. Ben was
warmer than Lisa was though it was probably simply because his body was larger. His body was
also interesting for Lucas to explore because his fingers stroked over firm muscle and bone
rather than softer, feminine curves. And the bulge that pushed against his own -- it made him feel
weak and excited at the same time, like he wanted to wrestle Ben yet it wouldn't be a bad thing to
lose to him.

"Thank you for picking me," he heard Ben murmur.
Lucas opened his eyes. His gaze fell on Adam's photographs on the wall.
"You have your pick of guys -- most of them in this house -- but you chose me to be your

first," Ben went on. "That means a lot to me."

"If you think I would ever choose to sleep with the guys in this house you're certifiable,"

Lucas muttered.

"Personalities aside, I think some of the best-looking guys on the crew live here with you,

Lucas. You can't tell me you don't find Adam and Tyler attractive."

"A lot of what makes a person attractive is personality," Lucas argued. "Sure, Tyler looks

good, but he can act like such an asshole that it makes him ugly to me. I can't sleep with
someone I wouldn't want to hang out with afterwards."

"What if he didn't say a word while you fucked him?" Ben asked. He nibbled on Lucas'

ear lobe. "What if he only looked up at you and moaned? No words. No ugliness. Just sex with
his body."

"I'd rather have sex with a blow-up doll," Lucas retorted.

That pulled a snort out of Ben. He playfully sank his teeth into Lucas' neck in retaliation.

"What about Adam, then? He doesn't pick on you. I know you want to hook up with him. We
talked about it at the clam shack."

"No, I think you talked about it. That whole submissive and dominant thing." Lucas felt

his cheeks heat up and wondered if Ben could feel it. "Remember we discussed how he slapped
you around when you guys hooked up?"

Ben's chest vibrated against Lucas' as he laughed. "Figures you'd remember that part.

Didn't we also determine that you wanted to be sandwiched somewhere in there?"

Lucas reached up and caught Ben's face between his hands. "The only thing I determined

is that I want to fool around with you. Can we please stop talking about them? You're killing the
mood."

"That's certainly the last thing I want," Ben agreed. He abruptly stepped back. "Strip."
Lucas waited for him to say something else. "What? You're serious?" He looked around

the living room. "Here?"

"Why not?" Ben set the example, shucking his clothes in three seconds. He stood there in

all his naked glory. Lucas couldn't help staring at the other man's cock. Though he'd seen it
briefly during the show and in the program book, having it in front of him, erect because of him,
flattered Lucas.

"Kip's asleep or having a hot fantasy with his right hand," Ben told him as he reached

down and idly fondled his heavy balls. "Ty and Adam are busy doing things you like to claim
you don't care about. It's just you and me out here, buddy."

Lucas glanced worriedly at door to the main bedroom. "But if they come out--"
"Are you going to let Tyler dictate when you and I get to fool around?"
That fired up Lucas, no doubt just as Ben had intended. "Hell, no."
Ben spread his arms. "Then let's see it. Show me that beautiful bod of yours."
Lucas choked on his laughter but he obligingly pulled off his clothes. He knew he had a

good body but it still stoked his ego when Ben's eyes glazed over and his lips parted hungrily.

"Ah, Lucas," he sighed. "I thank the Loa that you came over to our side. That body is

wasted on women."

"I knew quite a few who would argue that," Lucas shot back cockily.
Ben smirked. "But I know one man who can take full advantage of it the way no woman

ever has."

"Only one man, huh?" Lucas backed up as Ben steadily advanced on him. "Let me know

when he shows up."

Ben's grin was feral. "He's here and he's most definitely up. Maybe if you're lucky he'll be

up inside you." When panic flashed across Lucas' face, Ben held up his palms to show no harm.
"I know you're probably not ready for that, Lucas. I'm just talking."

"I know, I know. You don't need to keep apologizing and treating me like I'm gonna

break, Ben." To illustrate his point, Lucas reached out and boldly cupped Ben's balls. They were
warm and fuzzy in his fingers just like his own. Ben's lashes fluttered. He spread his legs to
allow Lucas free rein. Lucas' lust grew as he watched Ben react to him. He'd always taken it for
granted that he could arouse women, but to hold that power over another man seemed an even
greater achievement.

He rolled the soft globes between his fingers and said in a husky voice, "Do whatever you

want to me, Ben. I can take it."

"You're going to end up doing exactly that if you don't watch out," Ben groaned. He

reached down and caught Lucas by the wrist. "Lay down on the sofa before I lose control."

Breathless with lust, Lucas fell back on the sofa. Though his nerves were on edge he

draped himself across the cushions and looked up at Ben expectantly. "How do you want me?"

"Spread your legs," Ben said in a low voice. When Lucas nervously obeyed, sliding one

foot to the floor, Ben kneeled on the cushion between his knees. "Relax," he said with a faint
smile. "You look terrified."

"I'm fine," Lucas insisted. He sucked in his breath when Ben leaned over his crotch. "Are

you going to--?"

Ben winked at him. "Try not to wake the neighbors."
When he bent down and nuzzled Lucas' cock it was all Lucas could do to keep silent.

He'd stared at Ben's lush lips often enough to fantasize what a blowjob from him might feel like.
When those thick, fleshy lips nibbled down the side of his shaft Lucas discovered it was better
than he'd hoped.

"Oh, my god," he groaned as quietly as he could. He flung an arm across his eyes and

grabbed the cushion beneath his head with his other hand. "Jesus, Ben."

Ben hummed acknowledgement around the tip of Lucas' cock. Lucas bit his lip and tried

not to picture what Ben was doing. It didn't work. When he realized that resistance was futile he
lifted his arm off his eyes and looked down. The sight that met his eyes was one he planned on
using for masturbatory material in the future.

"Suck it," he whispered as he watched Ben gently mouth around the crown of his cock

and down the vein running along the underside. "Please."

Ben's pink tongue slipped out and swirled across the head of his cock as though it were a

lollipop. Lucas moaned helplessly before he shoved a fist between his lips to muffle himself.

"Shhh," Ben teased. He reached up and scraped his fingernails up the inside of Lucas'

right thigh. Lucas gasped. His leg twitched. "You don't want an audience, do you?"

Lucas shook his head wildly. "I'll be quiet," he panted. "Please don't stop."
"How could I stop when I have this delightful treat to feast on?" Ben dipped down and

licked a stripe up Lucas' cock, ending with a flick of his tongue against the slit to collect the
precum that had beaded there. "Mmm, and it's nice and creamy too."

Afraid to make a sound, Lucas bit his lips to silence himself as he watched Ben press

kisses to each of his balls.

"Shit," he whispered. He couldn't hold back a whimper as Ben laved the orbs with his

tongue.

"Ready for more?" Ben asked. He blew lightly across Lucas' scrotum, cooling the skin

he'd just licked.

"Yes!"
Grinning, Ben bent down and kissed the head of Lucas' cock. Then as Lucas watched, he

parted his thick lips and sucked Lucas' cock between them. Lucas gasped and thrust up into Ben's
mouth, unable to help himself. He expected the other man to gag or immediately back off as
Lucas' ex-girlfriend and countless other female lovers had done in reaction to his eagerness. But
Ben merely extended his throat and took Lucas down to the root.

"Holy--" Lucas' hips lifted up off the cushions as Ben swallowed around him, using his

throat muscles to massage and squeeze his cock. "Oh, my god... Ben..."

He'd seen countless porn stars do such a thing but had never experienced it. The sensation

was mind-blowing. He thrust up again and again and Ben took him easily, hungrily, as if he

knew exactly how incredible it felt, which Lucas realized absently he did. Then Lucas cried out
as Ben cupped his balls and used the tips of his fingers to stroke his perineum. When his longest
finger grazed the wrinkled skin surrounding Lucas' entrance, Lucas feared he would cum on the
spot.

He wanted Ben to touch him there. He wanted to know what it felt like when someone

who didn't hate him -- like Tyler -- touched him so intimately. Lucas tilted his hips, trying to
guide Ben's fingers. Ben's eyes lifted to him and Lucas whimpered.

"Oh, my god, when you look at me..." Lucas trailed off, so turned on he was unable to

speak coherently.

Ben swallowed him down again and circled the tip of his middle finger around Lucas'

hole. Lucas' legs flew wide apart. He thought, I want to get fucked.

He heard a door open and shut somewhere in the cottage. No, not somewhere -- he knew

exactly which bedroom door had opened.

Tyler's upper body appeared over the back of the sofa. His gray eyes were wide as they

moved from Ben bobbing over Lucas' groin to Lucas' reddening face.

"Shit," Lucas choked out but he couldn't bring himself to tell Ben to stop. "Tyler -- fuck

off!"

Ben looked up at Tyler in surprise and Lucas could tell he was about to pull off.
"No!" he pleaded, reaching for Ben's head. "Don't stop!"
"No, don't stop," Tyler murmured with a restraint that shocked Lucas. Absent were the

snark and jealousy. In their place was something equally as dark but with a sensuous edge to it.
Tyler narrowed his eyes as he watched Ben hesitantly continue to fellate Lucas. Tyler reached up
and massaged his bare chest, his fingers absently rubbing over a pink nipple. "Yeah," he
murmured, almost to himself. "Don't stop, Ben. You always were a good cocksucker."

The tone of his voice kept Lucas silent. When Tyler ran his tongue across his lips as if he

imagined himself in Ben's place, Lucas completely lost the ability to speak. He moaned instead
as Ben went down on him with renewed enthusiasm. He didn't know if Ben was turned on by
having an audience or if he was trying to prove something to Tyler who'd insulted his skills on
the beach, but Lucas didn't care. He was receiving the best blowjob of his life and Tyler was
there to watch it happen.

In the back of his mind Lucas thought he should hate to have Tyler watch him at such a

vulnerable moment. But as Tyler's eyes met his, full of heat and hunger, Lucas decided he loved
having Tyler as a witness. Lucas relaxed back into the cushions. He let his head loll back though
he kept his eyes on Tyler. He allowed himself to moan a little louder -- not faking it, but simply
not holding back. When Tyler groaned in response, Lucas felt triumphant.

"You could've been in my place," Lucas panted as he stared up at Tyler, "but Ben

wouldn't touch you if you begged him to."

He felt Ben's eyes flick up to him but Lucas couldn't look away from Tyler's darkening

face.

"If he's smart he'll never touch you again," Lucas went on. "He --- mmmh, god, Ben --

he's seen you for what you, are Tyler."

"He hasn't seen shit," Tyler rasped back in a strange voice. He ran a hand across his chest

again. "You don't know what the fuck you're talking about."

"No, he doesn't."
Lucas craned his head backwards as Adam stepped up to the head of the sofa he was

lying on. He could smell the sex on Adam's body and didn't need to see it in its entirety to know

that the man was naked. Lucas realized that probably meant Tyler was too, and it turned Lucas
on to think about all four of them naked together in the living room.

He shuddered violently when Adam suddenly grabbed hold of his hair and used it to pull

his head back on the cushions. He was able to see all of Adam then and he was definitely naked,
the huge mounds of his muscles eclipsing Lucas' vision. Lucas reached up and caught hold of
Adam's wrist. "Let go."

"You like being the center of attention, Lucas?" Adam smiled without teeth. His eyes

were dark.

"No," Lucas gritted out. "We were trying to avoid Kip."
"Oh, but you don't care if we get to see your little dick being sucked off," Tyler snapped.
Ben's finger curled, his fingernail scraping across Lucas' hole. Lucas hissed and twisted

his hips. Above him, Adam grinned.

"You want us to join in, Lucas? Is that why you're putting on a show for Tyler?"
"I'm not," he bit out.
"But you like having him watch as Ben sucks your dick, hmm?"
"No--"
"Come on, Lucas," Adam cajoled in a soothing voice. "You can imagine it. I know you

can: Tyler coming up behind Ben and sliding inside him, filling him to the balls."

Ben moaned. The resulting vibration around his cock made Lucas' eyes roll up into his

head.

"While Tyler's down there I'll slide right in here."
Lucas tensed as Adam's thumb, smelling strongly of recent sex, pressed against his

bottom lip.

"That's been inside Tyler," Adam murmured, watching him. "You can smell him, can't

you? You want to taste him?"

Instead of shaking his head in the negative Lucas parted his lips and said, "No."
Adam's thumb slid between his lips and pressed down on his tongue, pinning it to the

bottom of his mouth. Lucas curled his tongue, trying to pull it free, but all he succeeded in doing
was wrapping his tongue around Adam's thumb and tasting his skin. Salt and musk exploded
across his taste buds and so did a flavor he remembered from being tied to the mast -- the taste of
a man's cum.

"Yeah," Adam said softly. His eyes glittered. "You like the taste of Tyler, don't you?"
Lucas could only whimper, so aroused he couldn't think straight.
"Fuck this," Tyler moaned from behind the sofa. "Adam, stop it."
"But he likes how you taste," Adam replied in that low burr. He began to gently slide his

thumb back and forth across Lucas' tongue, carefully fucking his mouth. "His tongue is all
around me, Ty. Soon his lips are going to close around me and he's going to suck you like a good
boy, aren't you, Lucas?"

Lucas wanted to say no. He wanted to bite down and end this. But Ben began to suck him

voraciously as if he were turned on by the scene and Lucas' resistance dissolved like a sand
castle swept by a wave. He tightened his lips around Adam's thumb and sucked on it the same
way Ben sucked his dick.

Adam smirked and firmly curled his remaining fingers and palm around Lucas' chin

while his thumb continued to plunge in and out of his mouth.

"You're fucking his mouth, Ty," Adam murmured. "He loves it."

"Oh, fuck," Tyler groaned. He sounded frustrated and angry -- his twin to Lucas in every

way. "I hate you so much, Adam. Unnh, fuck you. Fuck -- fuck his mouth. Choke him with my
dick."

Lucas' toes curled. He let go of Adam's wrist and reached down and grabbed fistfuls of

Ben's hair instead. Ben met his eyes and the skin around them crinkled as he tried to smile. Ben
closed his eyes and relaxed, allowing Lucas to grip his head as he fucked up into his mouth.

Adam hummed his approval. "That's it, Lucas. Show Tyler. Fuck Ben's mouth the way

you want Tyler to fuck yours."

Lucas whimpered at the visual. It didn't take much longer to drive himself past the point

of no return; he had been riding the edge ever since Tyler appeared behind the sofa. Moaning
around Adam's thumb, sucking on it as fiercely as Ben sucked him, Lucas stabbed himself down
Ben's throat and then convulsed, his abs contracting sharply.

Adam's grip on his hair tightened to the point of pain. "Shoot it," he urged. "Fill his belly,

Lucas."

Lucas moaned loudly and released shot after shot down Ben's mouth, shuddering as Ben

skillfully milked him of every drop. When his body could give no more he collapsed back onto
the sofa cushions. His hands fell slack from Ben's hair. Adam withdrew his thumb and used the
pad to paint moisture across Lucas' gasping lips.

"Take care of Ben, Ty," he ordered softly.
Lucas looked down to watch as Tyler mutinously rounded the other end of the sofa and

came around behind Ben who had risen up off of Lucas' cock. Lucas sighed in enjoyment as he
watched Tyler wrap himself around Ben from behind, kiss the side of his neck as if he'd never
said a disparaging remark about the other man, and then reach around to pump Ben's rigid cock.

Ben's eyes fluttered shut. He curled his hand around Tyler's to guide their hands on his

cock. A dozen strokes were all it took before Ben's body tightened, the muscles in his chest and
abdomen standing out in sharp release. He groaned before his cock jerked and hot cum spattered
Lucas' groin and thigh. One fat drop landed on the tip of Lucas' drooping cock, making him gasp
in surprise.

The hand in Lucas' hair fell away. Lucas hesitantly raised his eyes to Adam, fearing the

larger man would demand that he blow him next. But Adam grinned crookedly as if reading his
fear. He shook his head.

"Tyler drained me," he told Lucas. "You're off the hook. This time."
This time. Lucas chewed on that. Adam wasn't boasting or giving him a warning; he was

simply stating a fact which Lucas would have to accept if he remained on the crew. One day he
would hook up with Adam for real. Lucas shoved the knowledge to the back of his head. He'd
deal with it later.

"Next time stay in your room," Tyler muttered with disgust as he backed away from Ben

and stomped to the kitchen. Lucas heard the water running. "You and Ben might like to fuck
where everyone can see you but not all of us want to watch it."

"Good thing that doesn't apply to you then, right?" Ben called back. He winked at Lucas

and Adam.

Adam chuckled and took a more leisurely pace to the kitchen. "You guys want a beer?"
Ben let out a long sigh and collapsed onto the sofa beside Lucas as Lucas self-

consciously sat up. He took one look at Lucas and called, "Definitely. Thanks."

In a lowered voice he said, "You okay with what we just did? I swear I had no idea they'd

join in like that."

Lucas looked down at his body which was streaked with Ben's cooling cum. It was kinda

sick but he liked it.

"I think I'd put up with almost anything to get a blowjob like that," he told Ben. He

knocked his shoulder playfully against the other blond's. "Jesus, that was amazing. Are all gay
guys good at it like that or just you?"

Ben laughed and pretended to buff and examine his fingernails. "I am kind of an expert."
"An expert cocksucker?" Lucas burst into laughter. "Are you sure that's something you

want getting around?"

"You forget where you are, buddy. On an island like this that's a good reputation to

have."

Lucas considered that and realized Ben was probably right. "It's so weird here," he

admitted. "I have to keep reminding myself that gay guys think differently about sex and
hooking up."

"The key point to remember is that most queers don't bring any b.s. into the equation. If it

feels good, do it. Don't worry about hurting anyone's feelings."

"Unless I get involved in a relationship," Lucas said. He felt immediately stupid for

saying it though. "I mean, not that I intend to. I mean, wow, I only recently realized I could enjoy
this. I don't think I could handle anything deeper." He glanced uncertainly at Ben, afraid of his
reaction. "At least I don't think so. I don't know."

Ben shook his head at Lucas. "You don't need to decide anything yet, Lucas. Especially

not about relationships. You're newly out and single. Have fun with it. Don't let anyone pressure
you into something you're not ready for. Not even me."

The relief that flooded Lucas' body was tremendous. He sagged against Ben. "You're a

good guy."

"At least you didn't say nice guy. I'd like to finish first for once."
Lucas smiled at him. Impulsively he leaned forward and touched his lips to Ben's. "You

are a nice guy, but that's a good thing this time. I like nice guys."

"Nice guys make me gag," Tyler said blandly. He smirked as Lucas leaned away from

Ben. "Don't let the foam shoot everywhere," Tyler went on as he tossed them each a can of beer.
"You've done enough of that for one night."

"Do you ever shut up?" Lucas asked without rancor as he popped his beer. "I mean,

seriously, Tyler, do you ever let up?"

"Only when I'm in an asshole-free zone," Tyler replied before tipping his own beer up to

his lips. He was still naked and seemed completely unconcerned with that fact.

Lucas suspected Tyler wanted him to look at his body so he deliberately didn't. "Go put

some clothes on. It's only impressive when you're a shower and not a grower."

Scowling, Tyler stomped off to the bedroom he shared with Adam. The larger man

emerged from the kitchen with his own beer. Adam was both a shower and a grower. He was just
plain huge. Lucas tried not to be too obvious in checking him out. How did Tyler manage to take
all of that?

Half-tempted to ask -- because he was sure Adam would get a kick out of answering --

Lucas opened his mouth only to shut it when something banged on the cottage's front door. He
looked questioningly to Ben and Adam. Adam's expression caused him to grow worried.

"What is it?"
"Don't answer that door," Adam ordered before he stormed to the bedroom. Lucas heard

him speak briefly to Tyler before the big man emerged wearing a pair of board shorts. Tyler

followed, also in shorts. Tyler's worried scowl made Lucas scramble up and into his own clothes
while Ben did the same.

Adam opened the door cautiously as if he expected to be pelted with something. Lucas

peered around him. Spotlights were aimed at the cottage's driveway. He watched as Adam bent
down and picked up the object that had been thrown at the door. It was five copies of the new
show program stuck together with some kind of adhesive to form a brick of heavy glossy paper.

"Aw, those fucktards," Tyler muttered with disgust.
Ben leaned over and whispered into Lucas' ear, "When we get out there don't say a word,

okay? Let Adam deal with this."

Lucas nodded, confused and wary as he followed the other men outside.
In the driveway sat a motorcycle gang. Lucas counted eight bikes and eight men, all of

whom were wearing silvered motorcycle helmets along with tank tops, T-shirts and beach shorts.
The apparent leader of the group was a big, beefy guy not quite as bulky as Adam. He slid the
shield of his helmet up, revealing himself to be around Lucas' age with beautiful hazel eyes
ringed with thick brown lashes.

"What's up, Cap'n?" he asked in a deep, rich voice that was also clearly full of mockery.
"Donahue," Adam said bluntly. Lucas was surprised by the muted hostility in his voice.

"What do you want?"

Donahue motioned at the altered stack of program books Adam had picked up. "Saw the

new porn layout. You've got new crew this season."

Adam took a single step to the left. Lucas blinked, realizing Adam had just blocked him

from the view of the motorcycle gang. "What's my crew got to do with you?"

"The boys are interested in Games this weekend. We want to test out your new crew. You

up for it or do you want to give us the money right now?"

Lucas didn't know what the Games were but he could tell that Donahue was goading

Adam.

"Why don't you just fuck off?" Tyler snarled.
Donahue's eyes crinkled at the corners. "Why don't you come over here and ride my pole,

Tyler? It's what you do best, isn't it?"

Tyler started to surge forward but Adam easily caught him and held him back as the

motorcycle gang members laughed.

"When?" was all Adam said.
"Midnight," Donahue replied. He slid the silver shield down again, hiding his eyes.

"Bring everyone. I want to personally shoot my baby makers up your new pirate's ass. His photo
seems to suggest he'd like it."

Lucas flushed hotly, rage surging through his veins. He took a step toward Donahue but a

hand on his chest stopped him. He looked down and saw that the hand belonged to Tyler who
grimly shook his head at him.

"We'll be there," Adam told Donahue. "Now get out of here."
Donahue saluted him and turned his bike around. Lucas and the other pirates waited until

the last motorcycle had disappeared down the shell driveway that led down into Hidden Idol
Bay.

"Who were they?" Lucas demanded. "Some wannabe bike gang?"
Adam, who was still staring after the intruders, nodded absently. "Rory Donahue owns

the bike shops on the island. You've probably rented a scooter from one of his shops. He and his

mechanics and friends like to drive around the island and terrorize people. As much as a bunch
of queers on bikes can, anyway." He glanced back at Lucas and grinned.

Lucas smiled back, relieved that Adam didn't appear overly upset by Donahue and his

friends. "So what're those games he was talking about?"

"He likes to challenge people to run obstacle courses out in the jungle," Ben explained.

"He thinks he's a Navy SEAL or something. He's completely delusional."

"Yeah, but he and his buddies win a lot of the time," Tyler complained with a sour

expression. "They fuck with you while you're competing," he told Lucas. "Total cheaters."

"And it's done for money?" Lucas asked.
Adam turned back to the cottage. "Among other things. Don't worry about it for now,

Lucas. And you two--" he pointed at Ben and Tyler, "-- keep your mouth shut about it to him."

"What?" Lucas grabbed Adam by the upper arm. "Why can't they tell me anything? Why

won't you?"

Adam calmly peeled Lucas' fingers off his skin. His expression was grim. "Because

you're new to this, Lucas, and if you knew what Donahue and his gang want to do to you out in
the jungle I'm afraid you might jump on the next ship out of here. I don't want you to do that."

While Lucas appreciated the idea of Adam trying to protect him, he didn't need it. "I'm

not a kid, Adam. I can handle a bunch of losers on bikes."

"Not this time you can't." Adam stared hard into Lucas' eyes to drill home his point.

"They're the worst bullies we could have on this island. You stay away from them. I'll take care
of you once we're out at the Games. Until then just forget about Donahue and his boys. They're
trying to scare you. Don't let them."

"They won't," Lucas retorted.
He felt Ben's familiar grip slid around his waist from behind. "Kiss me goodnight? I need

to go back to my place."

Adam exchanged a look with Ben over Lucas' shoulder. Lucas was aggravated that they

were teaming up to distract and pacify him but there was no fighting it. He gave in and let Ben
turn him around to face him as the other two men went inside the cottage.

"Don't coddle me," Lucas muttered but he wrapped his arms behind Ben's neck.
Ben smiled. "I won't. But Adam's right. Just forget about it until we're out there. It's all

stupid anyhow. Donahue's a prick but he's a rich one, so that makes him feel like he has power
over the rest of us."

"How rich?" Lucas asked, feigning interest.
Ben rolled his eyes. "Not enough to give up someone like me."
Lucas lowered his lashes. "Prove it."
"Gladly," Ben whispered before he sealed his lips over Lucas'.
But although the kiss was a good one, enough to leave Lucas panting, it couldn't

completely distract him from thoughts of Rory Donahue and his mysterious jungle obstacle
course.

CHAPTER TEN

A shadow fell across Lucas' face. He cracked open an eye and found someone standing

over him.

"Have lunch with me."
He sat up cautiously as Adam squatted beside him. The dark-haired man wore navy

Hawaiian-print shorts and a white tank top which showed off his massive arms. Dark sunglasses
hid his eyes. Lucas reached back for the T-shirt he'd balled up and used as a pillow and pulled it
on over his head.

It was another beautiful day on Anteros and Lucas felt good about a lot of things. For one

thing, he was excited to be performing soon in a live show now that he'd seen one with his own
eyes. The production values had thrilled him. The crowd's enthusiastic response had called to the
performer in him. He had numerous reasons to be proud of being part of the crew and he wanted
to contribute his efforts to making their show even better.

Then there was his personal life. He felt much more comfortable with his sexuality

thanks to everything that had happened last night. It was like a light had been turned on in a dark
room. He felt considerably more confident that he could explore it further with Ben's help. Even
his often antagonistic relationship with Adam and Tyler had improved somewhat. Lucas no
longer felt the driving urge to punch Tyler in the face and Adam didn't intimidate him quite as
much. Things were looking good.

"Is Tyler coming?" Lucas asked him. While he was getting along better with both men he

wasn't in the mood to hang out with just the two of them. Tensions were always high when they
got together and Lucas could sense those tensions building for new reasons.

Adam was gazing out over the bay. He shook his head. "He's not feeling well today. He's

taking a nap."

"Is he sick?" The last time Lucas had seen the other blond had been the previous night

after the bike gang came by with their challenge. Tyler had looked annoyed but perfectly
healthy.

"He'll be fine," Adam said. "Don't worry about it. He always bounces back."
Lucas supposed there could be other interpretations of Adam's comments but he was

pretty sure he had the right one. Tyler was depressed.

"We'll bring him back something," he suggested, feeling sympathetic. When Adam

turned his head to look at him, Lucas added self-consciously, "Kip too."

Adam smiled and stood. He extended a hand down to Lucas. "Kip's in town with some

friends. He'll fend for himself."

Lucas let Adam pull him up but was caught off-guard when Adam kept the grip and

tugged him forward until Lucas had to raise a palm to the other man's chest to keep from falling
into him. His fingers skittered over a pebbled nipple before he dropped his hand.

"Thanks," Adam murmured. Lucas could barely make out the shape of his eyes through

the dark lenses of his sunglasses. "Tyler would appreciate it."

Uncomfortable, Lucas shrugged. "We'll be getting food anyway. We may as well grab

some for him while we're at it."

The flash of Adam's teeth was like lightning against his dark skin. "Like I said. Thanks,

man."

Adam's grin, though obviously at his expense, held just enough honest humor and

friendliness to pull an answering one from Lucas. Adam threw a heavy arm around the back of
his neck before he could avoid it and pulled him into a playful headlock.

"Let's have a good lunch, okay?"
Surprised by the request, Lucas replied, "Of course." He held onto Adam's waist, his

cheek pressed to a bulging bicep, waiting for Adam to explain himself.

But Adam let him go without anything further and just smiled when Lucas looked

questioningly at him.

"Come on, Lucas."
They took Adam's motorcycle. Hanging on behind him was like clinging to a redwood

tree. Lucas had never felt safer on the back of a swift-moving bike. Adam drove smoothly and
confidently, a captain of his machine.

He took Lucas to the southern end of the island to a pale, crowded beach that overlooked

the turquoise ocean. On the sand-dusted sidewalk stood a vendor pushcart shaded by a faded red
and yellow umbrella. The man standing beneath it had shiny skin the color of coffee and four
heavy-looking dreads. He smiled often as he talked to the line of customers waiting for his
product, and each time he did gold glinted from a plated front tooth.

"You ever had jack bags?" Adam asked as he and Lucas joined the line.
"Not yet. What is it?"
"As long as you like fish you'll like these."
"Sounds good. I'm fairly adventurous when it comes to food. Lisa -- my ex and I tried to

visit a new ethnic restaurant at least once a month back in Chicago."

"You think about her much these days?" Adam looked askance at him.
Lucas kept his expression purposefully neutral. "Not really. I thought I would. But so

much has been happening. Every day it seems like there's something new. I guess I haven't had
the time to dwell on the past."

"I'm glad to hear that. It's important to know what to carry forward in your life and what

to let go."

"What have you learned to let go?" Lucas asked, eager to learn more about his

charismatic yet mysterious captain.

Adam turned his head to look out at the ocean. Lucas wished he could see the other man's

eyes.

"I learned to let go, period. Not to hold onto anything too tightly. To loosen my fist."
Lucas cocked his head. "That sounds almost Buddhist."
Adam turned back to him. "Nice catch. I did study Buddhism for a while to see if it was

for me. I've taken a laid back approach to it. Letting go is the concept that resonated most with
me."

They moved up the line. Lucas could smell the mysterious jack bags now: a combination

of fish and fried, buttery dough. His mouth watered.

"So how does letting go apply to your life?" he asked Adam.
"I apply it to relationships."
The reply surprised Lucas. He'd expected Adam to refer to material things.
"Do you mean past relationships? Letting go of them?"
"Also current ones. Yes, I mean with Tyler." Adam smirked at his expression. "You think

I keep him tethered to me, don't you? You think I tell him what to do, treat him like a possession.
Or a pet. It's okay, man, you can say it."

"I just -- I thought you two had a relationship where your roles were clearly defined."
Adam laughed. "Who told you that? Kip? Ben? Ah, okay."
"Ben didn't really come out and say anything," Lucas said quickly in defense of his

friend.

"Apparently he's said more than enough. Relax, man. I'm not upset. I can handle a little

gossip, you know." His grin showed how amused he was by Lucas' anxiety. "Tyler and I like to

tip the scales when we have sex but that's where we keep it. Everywhere else we're equal and
that's why I let him come and go as he sees fit."

Lucas struggled to understand what Adam was saying. "But what does that mean? You

guys have an open relationship?"

"We have an open relationship because I give it to Tyler. It doesn't threaten me when he's

attracted to other people. I let him hook up with anyone as long as they make him happy. But it
also means I invite partners to join us who don't get along so well with him. Actually, it's usually
the other way around." Adam chuckled. "Tyler's the oil to a lot of peoples' water."

"I never would have guessed," Lucas said dryly.
Adam just smirked. "So he may not like the people I invite in with us but he needs them."
It was their turn at the cart.
"Heya, what can I get ya?" the vendor asked cheerfully.
"Four jacks, please," Adam told him. "And two cans of guava juice."
"No problem. Best jack bags be comin' your way."
He reached into a door in the side of his cart and pulled out four pale pastry casings that

reminded Lucas of small calzones and slid them into a large pot of boiling oil. Lucas watched the
pastries become a delicious golden brown before the vendor fished them out a strainer and
dumped them onto several sheets of newspaper. He then squeezed several lime pieces over the
pastries, added a squirt a thick yellow condiment from a squeeze bottle, and tossed a handful of
fresh slices of lime in with the food before wrapping it all in the grease-stained newspaper.

Adam paid for the meal and told Lucas to grab the guava juice and follow him onto the

beach.

This part of the beach was apparently frequented by guests of the nearest hotel. Blue

umbrellas generously dotted the beach, providing pockets of shade. Adam found a deserted one
and dropped into its shade. Lucas joined him and received his newspaper packet with interest.

"Jack bags are like fish hot pockets," Adam told him as he unwrapped his own meal.

"They're stuffed with freshly caught jack and a few slices of pepper. The yellow sauce is banana
ketchup."

Lucas grinned. "Cool."
His first bite made him groan. The fresh fish and the bite of the lime juice cut through the

greasiness of the fried pastry while the sweet banana ketchup added just enough sweetness to
balance the salty dough. "I love these. I could eat a dozen of them."

Adam nodded, pleased. "Welcome to island living, man."
They ate in silence for several minutes, watching other men cruise each other on the

beach. Some brazenly made out on towels; others clearly were making plans to do that and more
back in the privacy of hotel rooms.

"You mentioned bringing people into your relationship that Tyler needs."
Adam nodded before he took a large gulp from his can of juice.
"Is that what you're trying to do with me?" Lucas asked around a mouthful of pastry.

"You think I'm someone he needs?"

Adam winked at him. "Maybe I just like you. Ever thought of that?"
Lucas snorted. "Not to sound conceited but I already knew you're into me. You couldn't

be more obvious if you clubbed me over the head and dragged me into your cave."

"Would that work on you?"
Lucas grinned, enjoying the flirting. "You'd have to catch me first."

"I don't have a problem with that." Adam reached over and brushed his thumb across

Lucas' lips, dislodging the crumbs that had caught there. "It turns me on to chase you."

Lucas felt stirring in his groin. "You're definitely sounding like a cave man."
"I have a lot of testosterone. Just ask Tyler. Or better yet eventually I'll show you."
Lucas dropped his food to his lap to keep it safe as Adam leaned forward and kissed him.

The press of his lips was soft, deceptively gentle. Adam didn't open his mouth and Lucas found
himself wishing that he would. He wanted Adam's tongue in his mouth, wanted to feel it
thrusting...

"I want you because I want you," Adam said against his lips, "but you're right. I also want

you for Tyler."

"He hates me. I make him miserable."
"No. You make him feel. You prevent him from hiding." Adam pulled back far enough

for Lucas' eyes to focus on him. "I can't do that. He still withdraws from me. But he doesn't do
that with you. The screaming and cursing -- believe it or not those are good things." His lips
hooked to one side. "So long as it doesn't degrade into actual fighting. I draw the line at that."

"He starts it," Lucas argued. He laughed at himself when he heard how childish he

sounded. He shook his head. "Never mind. It doesn't matter. It's cool that you want to help Tyler
out but I think you need to find someone else to do it. No offense, Adam, but I just don't like the
guy."

Adam sat back, studied him for a moment and then brought his pastry to his mouth and

took a large bite. "You like me though," he said around the mouthful.

Lucas took a bite out of his own food instead of answering.
"So what if I brought you in just for my own enjoyment?" Adam pressed him.
"But you already have Tyler. I'm sure he does everything you want him to and the guy's a

stud."

"I'm glad you think so," Adam said with a grin. He finished his last jack bag and brushed

his hands together. "But variety is the spice of life. You're new and I want you."

"Ah." Lucas ate the last bite of his own food and leaned back on his hands, his legs

crossed Indian-style. "That I can believe."

"So we'll give this a simple explanation if that makes you feel better."
But Lucas didn't like that answer. "I don't want you to lie to me. If this isn't just about

sampling the new guy then what is it?"

Adam looked away. Lucas wanted to reach over and yank off the other man's sunglasses

so he could read the truth in his eyes.

"I came out when I was fourteen," Adam said.
Lucas blinked. "That's -- that's young."
"The only reason I did it was because my best friend had just told me he was having

confusing feelings about one of our other friends. He told me he didn't know how to handle it.
He was considering suicide. So I thought if I told him I felt the same way then he wouldn't feel
like something was wrong with him. He wouldn't be alone."

"Then you weren't actually gay?"
"At fourteen I was ready to have sex with anything," Adam said wryly. "It didn't even

have to have a pulse to be a contender. I didn't know if I was gay or straight. I didn't really care
either way. But my friend knew what he was and I wanted to help him."

"I've always been big," Adam went on. "I got lucky with the genetics. So even back then

I was larger than everyone in our class. No one messed with me or Tad even though a lot of kids

wanted to. Fourteen-year-olds don't know how to deal with gay people. But I taught them to
leave us alone at least."

"Sounds like you were a good friend to have."
He expected Adam to smile but the skin of Adam's face grew taut. "Not good enough,

apparently."

Lucas sat up. "What happened?"
"Tad realized he was gay because he had a crush on one of the other boys in our class. A

real cute kid named Michael. I wanted to help Tad. I knew he'd never do anything on his own.
He'd just sit and agonize and grow more and more depressed. So I took matters into my own
hands. I approached Michael when Tad wasn't around. I had this brilliant plan: I'd learn if
Michael was gay too, then I'd find a way to set him and Tad up together. I was trying to be a
good friend, you know? I just wanted to help."

The sorrow in Adam's voice made a lump of dread form in Lucas' stomach. "What

happened?"

"Michael did turn out to be gay. Or at least interested in fooling around with me." Adam

sighed and ran a hand through his silky black hair. "I'd just wanted to help Tad, but the more I
hung out with Michael the more I grew to like him too. I'm sure you can guess what happened,
man."

Lucas nodded. "You wanted Michael."
"The bad part was that he wanted me back. He didn't know Tad even existed. It was only

me he wanted. And I didn't try to change his mind." Adam bent his head and absently drew lines
in the sand with his fingertips. "We kept it a secret for three months. But Tad found out
eventually. It ruined him. He swallowed all the pills in his mom's medicine cabinet and chased it
with his dad's 12 year Macallan. He died three days later."

"Shit," Lucas breathed. "That's horrible."
Adam stabbed his fingers into the sand. "I felt so bad I nearly tried to off myself too.

Michael made me stop. He'd actually grown to love me, as much as a fourteen year-old boy can,
anyway. But I was done with him. When I looked at him I saw Tad. I couldn't forgive myself."
He raised his head and looked at Lucas. His smile was the first fake one Lucas had seen on him.
"So maybe that's when I began to learn my lesson about letting go. Funny. I hadn't made the
connection until now."

"Maybe," Lucas conceded, but he had the feeling that letting go wasn't the lesson Adam

had taken away from the tragedy; it was something else.

He watched Adam pick up his can of guava juice and drain it, strong throat muscles

rippling. The big man crushed the can in one fist, grinning at Lucas as if jokingly trying to
impress him.

"Only you and Tyler know that story," he told Lucas. "Do you feel flattered enough to let

me into your pants now?"

Lucas obligingly laughed, lightening the mood as he knew Adam intended. "You've got a

big bag of tricks. Too bad I'm a guy too. I know every one of them."

Adam's smile was a real one this time but it held traces of his previous regret. "I guess I'll

have to be more creative then."

Lucas gazed out over the ocean where scores of gay and bisexual men flirted and played.

Anteros -- Joyboy -- was nothing but a giant sandbox for these men. It made him ask, "Do you
plan to live here forever?"

"Maybe. I haven't thought that far ahead. I take each day as it comes."

"That's not very Buddhist of you," Lucas remarked. "I thought they believed in preparing

mentally and spiritually for death?"

"Hey, who said anything about dying, man?" Adam laughed. "I eat healthy and I work

out regularly. I plan on living and fucking until I'm a hundred."

Lucas slanted him a look. "With Tyler by your side?"
Adam gave him an enigmatic smile. "Letting go, man. Letting go."
Lucas groaned. "I still don't know what that means but I'm going to assume it involves

orgies or something."

"If a threesome is your definition of an orgy, sure."
Flushing, it was Lucas' turn to draw patterns in the sand to avoid eye contact. "So what's

with biker boy from last night?" He glanced at Adam. "What's his beef with you?"

The teasing vanished from Adam's face, replaced by granite composure. His face looked

like the stone carving of a temple god.

"I told you not to worry about Donahue and his flunkies. I'll take care of you."
"Look, I appreciate that and all, Adam, but I'm a grown man and you're not my father. I

don't need anyone to take care of me. Just tell me what their deal is with you and the crew."

"You want all of my secrets, huh?"
Adam didn't sound resentful so Lucas didn't apologize. "You may be my captain but I

think I have a right to know what's going on. Especially when Donahue says he wants to shoot
his 'babymakers' up my ass."

Adam adopted Lucas' earlier position, leaning back on his hands, except he stretched his

thick legs out in front of him and crossed them at the ankles. It pushed up the noticeable bulge in
his shorts although Lucas did his best not to notice it too much.

"When I first came to the island Rory wasn't the dickhead he is now."
Noting the use of Donahue's first name, Lucas asked, "What changed him?"
"I dumped him."
Lucas gaped at him. "You and he were an item? I can't believe that."
Adam smiled faintly, his eyes hidden behind his glasses. "Why not? Physically he's a

stud."

"Yeah, but--" Lucas felt a little foolish but he finished his sentence, "-- he's like you. A

big guy. A top dog. A d-dominant."

Adam's grin was wide. "Ben's been talking way too much, I think."
"I didn't need Ben to tell me that you and Donahue are two alpha males, Adam. It's pretty

obvious to anyone."

"Doesn't mean one of us can't roll over every once in a while." Adam looked smug. "In

our case it happened to be Rory. I'm pretty sure I popped his cherry."

Lucas choked. "Congratulations."
"Thanks, man. It was intense. Anyway, the sex was good for a while but you're actually

right: he wanted to top me and I just don't go for that. Never have, never will. He got pretty
pissed when he realized I wasn't going to change my mind and he started acting like a little bitch,
basically telling his employees and friends bullshit stories about me to make him seem like the
top in our relationship. Now, I can handle a healthy amount of shit but he pushed it too far so I
dropped him. Besides all that Tyler had just arrived on the island. Compared to Rory, Tyler was
a puppy."

"I never thought I'd hear anyone call Tyler a puppy. Donahue must have been a major

asshole for you to say that."

"Yeah." But Adam's voice didn't hold any venom. "It didn't even matter to Rory that I

tried to set him up with someone who was better for him. He didn't want to hear it. He wasn't...
open the way Tyler can be."

Tyler? Open? Lucas wanted to throw back his head and laugh but it was obvious that

Adam knew the platinum blond far better than Lucas did or probably ever would.

"So now Donahue hates you and the pirate crew? That's a long time to hold a grudge."
"He's like that though. You cross him once and you're done. What a waste too. I had

someone who was perfect for him. He would've made Rory really happy. But Rory -- stupid
bastard. He messed up. Or maybe I did." Adam shrugged. "I don't know."

"How did you mess up? It was his fault for saying those things about you."
"Yeah, but it's not his fault either. Rory's got issues. He sabotages himself all the time. He

can't help it. He's afraid of getting close. That's why I was trying to set him up with that other
guy. I knew he'd be able to help calm down those demons for Rory."

Lucas smiled a little. "Ben says you have a thing about saving people."
Adam smirked. "It's sounding more and more like I need to have a talk with him."
"No, no, he hasn't said anything bad. He likes you a lot."
"I like him too. He's a good guy." Adam eyed him. "He's good for your first. He'll do for

now."

Lucas deliberately looked away from Adam's intense gaze. "Only for now? What, you've

got my future relationships all planned out for me?"

"Maybe not that far ahead but I know what's good for you. Ben's good, but he won't be

good enough for long."

Annoyance spiked through Lucas. Adam's arrogant assumption that he knew what was

best for him rankled. "Maybe I should tell him you said that since I'm sharing everything that
he's said."

Adam didn't appear threatened. "Go ahead. Ben knows what's up. Partnerships change

within the crew all the time."

"Because of your orgies?" Lucas challenged.
"You're mad. What's up, man? I thought you're in your experimenting phase. Don't tell

me you think you're in love with Ben?" He held up his hands, palms out. "If so, just say the
word. I'll back down. I'm not interested in breaking that up."

Lucas hated him sometimes. "I'm not in love with him and you know it." He grabbed a

handful of sand and tried to crush it. "But he's more than just a hook-up. He's a great guy. I like
him a lot."

"As I said before, I like him too. He's doing for you now what I can't do."
Lucas studied him suspiciously. "Which is what?"
"Ease you into this." Adam's smile was sensual and faintly cocky. "I can be too rough

sometimes. Too forceful. Especially with you."

"Why with me?" Lucas asked warily.
"I don't know, man. There's something about you."
Adam sat up and dusted the sand off his hands. He reached out and combed his fingers

gently through Lucas' hair. Though there was no skin contact between them Lucas' arms and
shoulders broke out in goosebumps.

"I think about you all the time," Adam murmured, his voice deepening. "I imagine myself

sleeping with you and waking up with you."

Surprised, Lucas blurted, "That's romantic"

Adam chuckled softly. "I also try to imagine what it'll be like to be inside you. When I'm

in the shower I think of new ways to fuck you. I think you'll like being fucked so I plan to do it
often. Every position I can dream of, as long as you can take it."

Lucas ached to reach down and grab his cock. The urge to stroke himself was nearly

overwhelming.

"I also dream about you sucking my cock," Adam whispered. "Because you like the taste

of my cum, don't you, Lucas? You licked my hand clean like a little cat. No, like a little pussy."

Lucas blushed madly. "Adam--"
"I imagine you on your knees, your cheeks hollowed, your throat bulging as I fuck down

into it. I imagine you drinking down my cum. Just when you think you can't swallow another
drop I force you to drink even more... until it's running down your chin and throat, just dripping
off of you."

Face hot, Lucas turned his shoulder, putting his back to Adam so he could hide the hard-

on that had risen in his shorts.

"I think about you the way you were at the photo shoot," Adam murmured. Lucas heard

the sand shift. He tensed as the heat of Adam's body seared his back. Fingers touched the nape of
his neck, slid down, tracing the vertebrae in his spine one by one. "I could have had you that
night, Lucas. I could have backed you into the wall and taken your mouth. I could have pulled
those sexy thighs around my waist and pressed my dick to your hole."

Lucas shuddered and closed his eyes. When Adam's fingers pressed against his spine

right at the top of his crease, his cock pulsed, squeezing out a drop of precum.

"I could have pushed my hips up and popped that sweet cherry of yours." Adam's lips

brushed the back of his neck. "All that meat sliding into you, Lucas. I know you wanted it that
night. I know you still do."

"I'm not -- ready for sex," Lucas insisted thickly. He bit his lips when Adam slid a single

finger down the back of his shorts. The long, thick digit teased the top of his crease before slowly
sliding down, parting his cheeks. "Adam -- don't."

"I won't," Adam whispered against his skin. "Not here. But this is going to happen,

Lucas. Soon. You're going to beg me for it just like Tyler does. Maybe I'll make you beg him
too."

"Shut up," Lucas muttered, his heavy lashes lifting. "I'm not doing anything with him."
"Then you'll only beg for me."
"I won't beg," Lucas said, hoping it was true.
"No, it's not like that. None of that demeaning shit. That's not what gets me off." Adam

slowly dragged his finger up Lucas' creased until it slipped out from under his shorts. "I want
you to beg because you want it as badly as I do."

He leaned away, releasing Lucas from his spell. It lingered though. It took Lucas several

seconds to climb up from the sensual haze. When he did, he looked back at Adam.

"You're not supposed to tell me how much you want it," he said to the big man. "You're

not playing the game right."

Adam's smile was easy. Confident. "This isn't a game, Lucas. And I don't care if you

know how much I want you. I already told you that the power is yours. I'm waiting for you to use
it."

Lucas slowly nodded, appreciating Adam's honesty. "I don't know when I will. Or if I

ever will. I like being with Ben."

"Then stay with Ben for now." Adam tilted his head back and looked up at the sky. Kites

were spiraling through the blue like long-tailed dragonflies. "But when you're ready for more,
when you're ready to have your mind blown, come find me. I'll give you everything you don't
know you need."

Lucas stared at him, admiring the beauty and strength that blended so perfectly

throughout every inch of him. He wondered why he wasn't scornful of Adam's arrogant claim,
and questioned why the possibility of being with him didn't sound as far-fetched as it should.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

It was late in the afternoon when Adam drove them back to the cottage. A note left on the

coffee table in the living room revealed that Ben had come by looking for Lucas to take him to
lunch.

"How sweet," Adam laughed as Lucas quickly crumpled up the note and tossed it in the

trash.

"The allure of the new guy," Lucas said wryly.
"As if I needed another reason to dislike you," Tyler remarked as he drifted out of his

bedroom, scratching at his bare belly. He was shirtless and wearing only a set of gray boxers.
Strands of his platinum blond hair hung lankly around his temples like dead minnow. "It's like
you're constantly coming up with new ways to be an annoying asshole."

Lucas had a retort ready on his tongue but at the sight of Tyler he decided to take the high

road. Tyler looked like crap, like he was recovering from an illness although Lucas would bet
money nothing was physically wrong with the blond. Having no interest in kicking a man when
he was down, Lucas plucked one of the oranges from the fruit bowl and leaned back against the
counter while he peeled it. He tried not to be too obvious about watching as Adam went over to
Tyler and slid his arms around the smaller man's waist.

"How you doing?" Adam murmured as he rubbed circles against Tyler's back.
After a suspicious glare at Lucas -- which Lucas pretended not to see -- Tyler let his

cheek fall forward onto Adam's shoulder. His hands rested on the big man's stomach.

"Tired," he murmured. "Kinda blah, I guess. I don't know what the hell is wrong with me.

I must have an infection or something."

"Could be," Adam agreed noncommittally. "Are you hungry? Lucas and I brought back a

jack bag for you."

Lucas saw the tensing of Tyler's back. "Leftovers from your romantic picnic? How

thoughtful of you."

"I can throw it in the oven and heat it up for you," Adam said, ignoring the sarcasm. "Or I

can make you something else. How about an omelet?"

"Yeah, I'm not interested in sloppy seconds."
Lucas shook his head but didn't say anything. He popped an orange wedge in his mouth

and turned to look out the window at the yard. Kip was in the Jacuzzi, head bobbing, earphones
in his ears and an iPod resting on the deck beside him. Kip never had anything to worry about.
Lucas envied him.

He turned back at the sound of Adam pulling a pan from out of one of the lower

cupboards. Tyler had a hip braced against the end of the island while he stared at Lucas.

Lucas swallowed his mouthful of fruit. "What?"
"So as soon as I'm not around you move in on my man?"
Lucas rolled his eyes. "You sound like a guest on Jerry Springer."
"Yeah? You know what happens on nearly every episode? Someone gets their ass beat,

that's what."

"You know," Lucas said, "you'd actually be an attractive person if you didn't act like a

complete tool all of the time."

Tyler sneered. "Like I care what you think about me."
Lucas shrugged and popped another orange wedge in his mouth. "Actually, I think you

kinda do."

Tyler's eyes bulged. He shot a look at Adam but the big man ignored the two of them as

he began preparing Tyler's omelet.

"You're full of shit," Tyler said to Lucas. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Your

opinion means jack to me. You're not even going to be here long enough to matter. Why should I
care what you think?"

"If you really believed that you wouldn't go out of your way to fight with me, Tyler. But

you know I'm staying. You know Adam wants me on the show. And you know that the other
guys like me which leaves you in the minority." Lucas watched emotions chase each other across
Tyler's face. "Just quit fighting me, Tyler. I'll leave you alone if you leave me alone. That's all I
ask."

"But you won't leave Adam alone," Tyler muttered. "That's what pisses me off the most."
Finally, Adam spoke up from the range where he was cooking an omelet. "He's no threat

to you, Tyler, whatever you may think."

"You want to fuck him! How does that not make him a threat to me?"
Adam gave Tyler a look of disappointment. "And how many times have you fucked other

guys while I watched? How many times have you flirted and fooled around when I'm not there? I
don't call you on those, Ty, because I don't care that you do those things. I know you still love
me."

"That's different," Tyler mumbled, looking at his bare feet.
"No, it's not. I've hooked up with guys in front of you before. You never made a stink

about it until now. What makes Lucas get under your skin when none of the other guys I've
bagged made you bat an eyelash?"

"I'm not hungry," Tyler muttered and turned away.
Adam abandoned the pan and caught up with Tyler in the living room. "Don't run away

just because this makes you uncomfortable."

Tyler tried to jerk his arm loose. "Get off me! You can't force me to like him, Adam. I

never will. He's full of bullshit and you know it. As soon as he gets off this island he'll go back to
women."

"Then we won't let him leave the island," Adam replied.
Tyler laughed bitterly. "That's not an answer. Face it, Adam. You've convinced him he's

gay. Congratulations. You turned a straight guy to the Dark Side. It's not going to last and I'm not
going to get involved."

Lucas had been listening -- impossible not to since the cottage was so small -- and felt

compelled to comment since they were talking about him.

"Maybe you're right, Tyler."
Both Adam and Tyler looked back at him in the doorway in surprise.

"Maybe Adam did brainwash me or hypnotize me or whatever. Maybe one day I'm going

to wake up and realize this was all a mistake. But so what? What's it to you? Adam's not asking
you to fall in love with me and marry me. He's asking you to accept that I'm here and move on."

"No, he's asking me to give him the okay so he can fuck you," Tyler shot back.
"So what if we do hook up?" Lucas challenged although he wished Adam didn't have to

hear him admitting to the possibility of that happening. "What does it matter? You act like you're
hot shit so why are you worried? If you give him everything he wants then he'll always come
back to you. I'm just something new for him to try. I'm nothing permanent. Not to you two."

Tyler finally managed to shake loose of Adam's grip. He dropped to the sofa and stared

mutinously at his knees. "But that's not what we're dealing with." He raised accusing eyes to
Adam. "Is it?"

Adam shrugged. "Why don't you tell me what's on your mind?"
"Oh, don't play dumb with me, Adam! I know what you're doing. You think this asshole

should mean something to me. You think he'll make me happier or have better orgasms or sleep
better or some shit. You never bring someone in unless you think they can do something for me."

Adam looked back to check that the surface of the coffee table was clear before he

lowered himself to sit on it, facing Tyler. "You're right. I don't need to bring in other people to
improve my sex life with you. I don't need that extra body to spice things up the way you
apparently do."

"You said it's okay," Tyler argued defensively.
"And it is. I'm just telling you that I don't need threesomes or moresomes to have a good

time with you."

Lucas felt sheepish now for all the times he'd looked down on Adam for the orgies within

the crew. If they'd happened it hadn't been because Adam wanted them; he simply hadn't denied
any of them.

"What I do need is for you to be alright."
Tyler snorted. Lucas could tell he was embarrassed and uncomfortable. "You sound like a

chick. I'm fine. I'd be more fine if you got rid of him."

"Lucas stays because he's a cool guy and I think he can make things better for us."
"You mean better for me." Tyler made a face. "I'm not fucked up, Adam. I don't need

someone to come and fix me."

"I never said that." Adam leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. "You and I

are together. Lucas being here isn't going to affect that. As long as you want me you've got me. I
swear on my life, Ty, that it's the truth."

The room seemed to warm by a handful of degrees.
"All I ask is that you stop fighting his presence here. Ignore him if you want but don't

pick fights with him. Don't stir up shit. We made a deal that Lucas wouldn't try anything without
my permission. That still holds true. He's not going to put the moves on me whenever you're not
around."

"But that doesn't stop you from starting something with him." Tyler sounded like a

petulant little kid. Lucas would have smiled if he wasn't sure Tyler would see it and leap at him
like a spitting cat.

"You're right. It doesn't." Adam touched the other man's knee. "But I'm asking you to

trust me. I'm asking you to believe that I'm not going to leave you for him, that I'm not going to
end what you and I have to ride off into the sunset with Lucas. Not unless you ask me to."

"That'll never happen," Tyler insisted passionately.

Adam smiled. "Then you and I are together. Having Lucas here isn't going to change that.

Is it, Ty?"

Tyler mumbled something.
"What was that?"
Huffing, Tyler said in a louder voice, "No, dickwad isn't going to change things. I'm not

letting him."

"And you're not going to pick fights with him," Adam said firmly.
Tyler sent a sneer Lucas' way. "Not unless he picks one first."
"Fair enough," Lucas replied. "I don't want to fight with you. I'd prefer that we be cool

with each other."

"We'll never be cool," Tyler said with an eye roll.
"Ty--" Adam began, frowning.
"I'll ignore him, alright? He'll be leaving soon anyway."
Adam sighed but Lucas had to chuckle at Tyler's wishful thinking. The guy just never let

up.

"My omelet's probably trashed." Tyler waved Lucas away. "Make me another one, new

guy."

Lucas arched an eyebrow. "You trust me with your food?"
Tyler smirked back. "If you poison me I've proven my point to Adam."
"You're nuts," Lucas said, "but I'll make your omelet. I expect you to return the favor one

day."

"Depends on how this one tastes, new guy. So don't fuck it up."

~~~~~

Tyler miraculously felt better by early evening. It was coincidentally also after Adam

asked him whether he wanted to sit out of that night's show to get better.

"It must have been a twenty-four hour bug or something," Tyler said dismissively as he

drove a rally car through Switzerland. He'd been playing the game for two hours. Lucas was
impressed by his skills. "I'm fine for the show, Adam."

Lucas, lounging on another sofa, itched to reach for the second controller and ask Tyler if

he could join in but he refrained. He and Tyler were skating around each other for now. He didn't
want to antagonize Tyler by pushing the friendship angle too hard.

Adam stood beside the coffee table for a moment, watching the onscreen racing. "How

about you, Lucas? You in?"

Afraid he hadn't heard right, Lucas said carefully, "You mean do I want to be in tonight's

show?"

Adam looked at him, amused. "It's why you're here, man. The question is are you ready?"
"No, the question is will he screw it up?" Tyler said absently as he twisted his body to the

side to 'help' his videogame car negotiate a sharp turn.

Lucas sat up straighter. "If we're going by the script we rehearsed then yeah, I'm totally

ready, Adam."

"No, he's not," Tyler muttered, still driving.
Lucas glared at him. "You saw me. You know I can handle a live show."
"Nope."
Infuriated by Tyler's attitude, Lucas started to rise to his feet.

"Lucas, wait. I know how we'll decide if you're ready for the show." Adam took a seat on

the armrest of Tyler's sofa. He pointed at the television screen. "You and Ty are going to
compete in a race. If you can beat Ty's time then you're in the show."

Tyler let his rally car drive into a ditch so he could restart the race. "Oh, this is good,

Adam. I approve. I vote that all future decisions concerning the new guy be made by video
game."

"Sounds good to me," Lucas said, not intimidated by Tyler's confidence. He grabbed the

second controller and plugged it into the console. "I can finally kick your butt."

"Dream on, new guy. Dream on."
"Lucas, sit over here next to Ty."
Ty grumbled but moved over to allow Lucas to sit on the cushion next to him. The sofa

was old, the cushions soft and worn. When Lucas sat, the busted springs in the mattress frame
caused him and Tyler to sink towards each other. Lucas tried to scoot over to avoid pressing his
thigh and shoulder against Tyler but Adam gave him a look, warning him to keep still.

"Don't sabotage me," Tyler growled at having Lucas pressed against him.
"I won't need to. I can beat you without it," Lucas retorted.
"Pick your car already," Tyler snarled.
Lucas took his time going through the available rally car teams just to irritate Tyler. Tyler

sighed loudly until it was finally his turn to race.

"Now watch and weep," he taunted.
Lucas kept silent while Tyler raced, noting the course and how the other blond handled

the turns. Tyler, an empathetic driver, twisted and ducked where he sat, continually rubbing
against Lucas' left arm and thigh, building up heat between them. To his annoyance, Lucas
realized his cock wasn't completely soft.

"Four eleven! Beat that, new guy!" Tyler tossed his controller onto the coffee table like a

knight throwing down a gauntlet.

"Lucas, your fate is in your hands," Adam said soberly.
"Right. Like this is a fair way of gauging my readiness for the show," Lucas mumbled.

But he gunned his car off the starting line, determined to win.

"You're gonna crash," Tyler sang.
Lucas did his best to ignore him, his thumbs carefully moving the controls.
"You're gonna flip right here," Tyler warned gleefully.
But Lucas negotiated the hairpin turn better than Tyler had.
Lucas glanced at the split. He was ahead of Tyler's time by twelve seconds so far.
"You're going down," he said bluntly. "I'm in the show tonight."
Tyler fell silent. Lucas grinned as he slowly built on his lead. He was a little surprised

that Tyler wasn't screaming in his ear in an effort to distract him but maybe Tyler had succumbed
to the inevitable. If so, it would be the first step to them working and living together peacefully.

Then he felt the hand sliding up his thigh. His leg twitched but he didn't dare look down.
"What are you doing?" he gritted out as he steered his drifting car through a turn.
"Nothing," Tyler said, but laughter was evident in his voice. "Why? Are you distracted?"
"You're cheating."
"So stop me," Tyler breathed into his ear.
A sensual shiver rippled across his skin. Lucas bit his lip, trying to distract himself from

the distraction, but Tyler's hand had reached his upper thigh. His fingers grazed the side of
Lucas' cock through the fabric of his shorts.

"Stop it."
"No."
"I thought you didn't like me."
"This isn't about liking you, new guy." Tyler's tongue traced the curve of his ear. "This is

about getting what I want."

Tyler moved his palm up, cupping Lucas between the legs. Lucas snapped his legs shut

but all that achieved was trapping Tyler's fingers in place.

"Distracted?" Tyler taunted.
Lucas nearly missed a turn as Tyler gently squeezed the length of his cock.
Tyler chuckled softly. "I don't want you in the show, new guy."
"No kidding," Lucas bit out. He gasped when Tyler began squeezing and pulling on his

cock. "Stop it. Fuck."

Tyler tickled Lucas' earlobe with his tongue. "Make me."
As Tyler continued to work on his cock, making it firmer and harder, it was all Lucas

could do to focus on the screen. Unbidden, his thighs spread, giving Tyler more room to work.
He didn't realize he'd begun to lean back until his shoulders touched the back cushions of the
sofa.

From the corner of his eye he watched Tyler twist his body and move closer until he was

all but draped over Lucas' left side.

"Come on, new guy. I can blow you right here if you want." Tyler ground the heel of his

hand against Lucas' stiff cock, making Lucas hiss and buck his hips up. "I can suck this," Tyler
whispered, "just the way you like it. You can shove it down my throat. You can choke me with
it. Wouldn't you like to see me gag on your cock? Wouldn't you like to pull back and shoot all
over my face?"

Lucas couldn't hold back a moan as Tyler worked his hand beneath the waistband of his

shorts and took hold of him. Tyler's palm was hot against the naked skin of his cock. His fingers
milked Lucas skillfully, steadily pulling from root to tip until Lucas felt the other man's strokes
begin to be eased by precum.

"You want to fuck me?" Tyler asked, stroking him with firmer strokes that made Lucas

lift off the sofa again. "I'll fight you," Tyler whispered wickedly in his ear, "but in the end I'll let
you do what you want to me." He rubbed his thumb over the head of Lucas' cock, smearing
precum. "I may even like it."

Lucas' car tore through a turn and flipped off the road. He didn't wait to see how far the

car tumbled. He tossed the controller onto the coffee table and pushed Tyler backwards so he
sprawled across the cushions. Lucas threw himself on top of the startled man.

Tyler shoved at his chest. "I win. Get the fuck off me."
"And I win this," Lucas shot back. He noticed belatedly that Adam no longer sat on the

armrest; he didn't appear to even be in the room. Shrugging it off, Lucas wrestled with Tyler
until he managed to pin the man's wrists to the sofa on either side of his head.

Tyler's eyes blazed. "Now what are you going to do?"
"I don't know," Lucas admitted. "But you gave me this--" he pushed his erection into

Tyler's hip, "-- and it seems fitting to make you do something about it."

"I didn't do it because I wanted to hook up with you," Tyler panted. This close to him,

Lucas could make out little striations of gold in Tyler's eyes. "I was trying to distract you."

"Well, you succeeded. I won't be in the show tonight. But I want some revenge."

Tyler gave him the usual sneer. "Go ahead. Force me. You're just proving what I've been

telling Adam all along. We can't trust you farther than we can throw you."

Lucas stilled. His fingers flexed around Tyler's wrists. "I'm not going to force you. I'm

showing you more respect than you showed me," he said, referring to the incident in Adam and
Tyler's bedroom where the blond had forced a finger up his ass.

But Tyler laughed and to Lucas' surprise he spread his legs, allowing Lucas to fall

between them. Their hips aligned, as did their cocks. Tyler was hard too.

"You got off on it," Tyler said in a low voice, his eyes predatory. "And I bet you still

think about it, don't you? Have you fingered yourself since then or are you waiting for me to do
it for you?"

"Someone needs to kick your ass," Lucas growled. "You're way too full of yourself."
Tyler smirked. "You're just mad because I'm right." He thrust his hips up, grinding his

cock against Lucas'. "You want to stay because of Adam but you think I'm a bonus."

"Wrong. I don't want either of you. I'm happy with Ben."
"Ben's just a fling. He hooks up with all the new guys."
A dart of hurt struck Lucas. He quickly schooled his features but he was too late.
Tyler's eyes widened. "Did you think you're special?" He began to laugh. "You do! Oh,

my god, that's classic. Sorry to tell you, new guy, but Ben's our resident cradle robber. He attacks
the newbies before they know any better. It's how he and I first got together."

Digesting the information, Lucas tried not to be hurt by it. What did it matter if Ben

targeted the new cast members? It wasn't as if they were dating. It wasn't as if they had any
feelings for each other besides friendship and lust.

"It doesn't matter," he told Tyler. "Ben can do whatever he wants. We're friends and we

have fun together. That's all I want from him and it's more than I want from you."

"Liar." Tyler's malice made him strangely sexy, like a beautiful viper whose poison could

kill you instantly. "You fuck with me just as much as I fuck with you. You want me. Just admit
it."

"Why? What would be the point of admitting anything? So you can gloat and hold it over

me?"

Tyler's eyes shifted away. "No, so I can understand why the fuck you won't leave."
Staring down at him, Lucas began to wonder if he'd been reading Tyler wrong. He

carefully loosened his hold on the other man's wrists but kept them in place in case Tyler wanted
to throw a punch. He very slowly rolled his hips. Gray eyes flashed up to him.

"So maybe you'll shove this in my face later," Lucas said quietly. "Maybe you're trying to

trick me. I can handle it either way."

Confusion darkened Tyler's face. "What the fuck are you talking about?"
Lucas tried to find the words but decided Tyler would throw them all back in his face.

Instead, he lowered his face and hesitantly touched his lips to Tyler's.

He half-expected Tyler to bite him. For the first few seconds Tyler remained motionless

as if shocked. Lucas brushed his lips gently back and forth across the other man's. He parted his
lips and lightly suckled on Tyler's fleshy lower lip. It was miles away from the violent kiss they'd
shared before.

Tyler's breath gusted across Lucas' lips. "What are you doing?" His eyes were round, the

whites showing.

"Showing you that you're right. I may be here for more than the show."

Lucas didn't know if that was true or not but it sounded like something he thought Tyler

wanted to hear. At this point it was all about avoiding the war, not finding ways of winning it.

Tyler didn't say anything and as Lucas let his lips softly explore the other man's mouth he

waited for Tyler to try to knee him in the crotch. But as he returned to sucking on Tyler's lower
lip he felt Tyler's top lip curl against his. Both of their eyes had been open up to that point but
Lucas watched in amazement as Tyler's slowly closed. Feeling guilty, Lucas closed his too.

He released Tyler's wrists. He trembled with surprise as Tyler's hands slide up his arms,

shoulders, and then up into his hair where they tangled in double handfuls. Tyler's lips parted and
his tongue slipped out, pushing between Lucas' lips. Startled, Lucas opened and allowed Tyler's
tongue to slide inside and stroke over his own. Someone groaned. Someone shivered. Someone
shifted, rubbing their cocks together.

The kiss remained soft, tentative. Lucas kept waiting for Tyler to turn aggressive, maybe

even flip them over so he could take control. But Tyler remained pliant and passive beneath him.
The only movements he made were to card his fingers through Lucas' hair and undulate his hips
in a way that was increasingly driving Lucas to distraction.

He could smell Tyler all around him and it made him groan and cup Tyler's face between

his hands as he deepened the kiss. Tyler made a soft sound deep in his throat that caused Lucas'
cock to twitch. He realized to his own surprise that he wanted to spend all day on this couch
coaxing more of those kinds of noises from Tyler's lips.

The sliding door to the patio whooshed open.
"Hey, bro! What're you -- holy shit!"
It was Lucas who severed the kiss, Lucas who scrambled up and off of Tyler and

stumbled onto his feet. Tyler remained where Lucas had left him, his gray eyes soft, his mouth
even softer, wet and parted as if in invitation. His nipples were hard diamonds on his chest. The
front of his shorts was tented. Looking down at him, Lucas experienced the wild and panic-
inducing urge to drop down and resume what he'd been doing.

But what had he been doing? He didn't want Tyler. He didn't want Adam either, but he'd

said that both men were the reason why he was here. He stabbed a hand through his hair and
hurried past a shell-shocked Kip. In the bedroom he shared with Kip he wanted to lock the door
but he couldn't while his roommate was in the living room.

Fortunately Kip came in after a few seconds and locked the door behind him. He stood

leaning against it as he studied Lucas who'd collapsed onto his bed and pulled his pillow over his
head.

"Bro, what's going on? I just saw you and Tyler playing tonsil hockey. And it looked like

he wasn't guarding the goal!"

Lucas gave a hollow laugh. "I don't know what's going on, Kip. No, strike that. I know

what's going on: I'm screwing things up."

He felt the bed dip. "Bro, it can't be all that bad. I haven't seen Tyler like that in a long

time. Or I guess I've seen him that way with Adam but not with anyone else. You must be doing
something right."

"No. What I'm doing is lying to him."
Kip dragged the pillow off his head. "Bro, talk to me."
Lucas flipped around and stared listlessly at the red kite pinned to the ceiling. "I think I

may have told Tyler that he and Adam are the reasons I'm here. As in, I'm interested in both of
them."

"So what's the big deal? I thought that's partly true."

"What?" Lucas gaped at him. "Kip, I'm here for the job not for them. I didn't even know I

could like guys until a few days ago. And Tyler and I fight like we're locked in the
Thunderdome. I'm definitely not here for him. I can barely stand him."

Kip looked smug. "I don't know, bro. Looked like you were standing him just fine."
"Ki-ip."
Laughing, Kip held his hands. "Just sayin', bro. You've wanted Tyler off your back. It

looks like putting him on his is the way to do it. You've got him right where you want him. He
likes you."

Lucas was afraid to believe that. He didn't want to believe it. Tyler was the bad guy and

that was all there was to it. Lucas had hoped for a truce between them, nothing more. Not this.
Especially not when it was a lie.

"He'll kill me," he said quietly. "When he finds out it was a mistake -- it won't be good."
"So don't tell him. Act like you feel guilty because you're boning Ben. Tyler's not going

to break, bro. He's tough."

Lucas nodded but he felt that he was agreeing with a lie. Tyler wasn't tough. Tyler was

brittle. And by pretending he wanted him Lucas was doing exactly what Tyler's ex had done to
him.

"Whatever you do, Kip, you can't tell Ben or any of the other guys. Hopefully Tyler won't

tell Adam, so you shouldn't either."

"It's no big deal," Kip insisted.
But Kip hadn't been the one kissing Tyler. He hadn't felt Tyler's hands in his hair,

cradling his head with longing. And he hadn't seen Tyler's eyes which had been full of confusion
and worse, hope.

This was a big deal alright, and it was all Lucas' fault.

CHAPTER TWELVE

The sun was going down slowly but surely. With dismay, Lucas watched it sink through

the kitchens window, knowing that with impending night came the pirate show and inevitable
run-ins with Tyler, Adam, and possibly Ben as the men left the cottages to head to the dock.

He'd chosen not to hide out in his room but he had taken the chicken's way out and

coaxed Kip to spend the rest of the afternoon by his side out on the beach. They were back inside
now, sitting in the living room. Tyler had retreated to his room at some point and Lucas hadn't
seen him since their kiss. Yet simply knowing that the other blond was in the cottage was enough
to raise his stress levels.

As if drawn by his thoughts, the door of the master bedroom opened and Tyler stepped

out in his pre-show outfit. Lucas, seated on the same sofa where he'd made out with the other
man, pretended to be engrossed in the sports highlights he was watching with Kip. But guilt
nagged at him when he saw Tyler hesitate behind the second sofa like someone unsure of their
welcome.

He glanced over at Tyler and uttered a casual, "Hey."
He regretted it immediately because in looking at Tyler he was able to see his face, and

Tyler wasn't very good at hiding his emotions.

"Hey," Tyler replied after a beat. The hesitation in his voice made Lucas uncomfortable.

It was like listening to a guy build up the nerve to ask out a girl he'd had a crush on for ages.
"Um, I was looking for you earlier."

Heat streaked across Lucas' cheeks. His stomach flipped. "Oh, yeah? I was just hanging

out with Kip." He could envision the guillotine falling as he asked innocently, "What'd you want
me for?" He even managed to make himself look completely bewildered, like he had no idea
why Tyler would want to speak to him.

Tyler's expression hardened over like a pond in winter. He wasn't stupid. He could tell

exactly how Lucas intended to play this. His eyes narrowed. "Apparently nothing," he snapped.

Tyler's loathing and resentment blared out as though shouted through a megaphone.

Cringing inside, Lucas quickly turned his attention back to the TV.

"And what the fuck's up with you, Kip?" Tyler demanded snidely. "Playing bodyguard

for the new guy?"

Kip smiled uneasily at Lucas before glancing at Tyler. "Don't know what you mean, bro.

We're just watching the highlights. Wanna join us?"

Lucas thought Tyler would decline but to his distress, Tyler walked around behind the

sofa on which he and Kip sat and stood directly behind him.

"I'll watch from here," Tyler said coolly.
Great, Lucas thought. He tried to pay attention to the sports show but he wasn't fooling

himself and he doubted he fooled Tyler. It was impossible to appear relaxed while a man who
would happily break his neck hovered behind him like a vulture.

He nearly leaped off the sofa when the back of Tyler's knuckles brushed against his hair.
"Sorry," Tyler said, sounding anything but. "Just resting my hands."
Lucas relaxed but couldn't bring himself to lean back and place himself within the other

man's reach.

"I have the feeling the show's going to be good tonight," Tyler remarked apropos of

nothing. "I can feel it in the air. All that fucking sexual tension."

Kip gave Lucas another uncertain sideways glance. "Sure, yeah. That always makes the

shows good. 'Course it usually only begins when the audience gets there." Kip laughed uneasily.
"Unless you've been going around stirring up the island for tonight."

"Oh, I've been stirring shit, alright."
Lucas glanced at the clock on the wall, praying for the hands to revolve faster.
"What about you, new guy? You think I've been stirring shit? Or maybe it was the other

way around. What do you think?"

"Look, Tyler--"
The bedroom door opened a second time and Lucas was relieved to see Adam emerge.
"Hey, Adam!"
The big man smirked. "What'd I do to make you this happy to see me?"
Lucas just shrugged, mentally willing Tyler to move from behind him. "I'm just in a good

mood, I guess."

"Even though you lost the chance to perform with us?" Adam asked as he flopped onto

the other sofa. "Ty, come sit with me." He patted the cushion beside him.

Yeah, Ty, Lucas thought. Please move away from me.
Thankfully the other blond moved around to sit next to Adam although the laser beams

that were Tyler's eyes promised some form of retribution in the near future. Lucas was screwed.

But what was his option? String Tyler along? Pretend he'd meant for that kiss to happen

and that he wanted it to happen again? No and no. Lucas was all for taking risks like bungee
jumping and skydiving, but messing with a guy who continually looked for a reason to drown
him or help him meet some other unfortunate 'accident' wasn't on the list.

It didn't even matter that the kiss hadn't been half bad or that he'd kind of gotten off on

Tyler's reaction to it and to him. Lucas knew better than to tangle with this particular shark. Not
if he wanted a long and happy life on Joyboy.

"l'll only be sitting out this show," Lucas said in response to Adam's question. "I'll be

ready for the next one."

"Except you won't beat me," Tyler said, glaring at Lucas. "Ever."
"You're pretty sure of yourself," Lucas replied calmly, his eyes on the screen just because

he knew it would infuriate Tyler to be given half his attention. "Did it ever occur to you that
while you're at the show I'll be here, practicing all the games? You're not beating me a second
time, Ty. No way."

"You won't beat me, new guy. You'll be in that show over my dead body."
Lucas looked over at Tyler in alarm. Adam stroked a hand over Tyler's thigh. "Lighten

up," he murmured. "I thought you two were getting along."

Nothing but hate and betrayal lived in Tyler's eyes. "Never."
Lucas turned back to the TV and suppressed a shiver. He'd made a bigger mistake than

he'd feared.

~~~~~

He couldn't leave it this way. Letting Tyler stew and seethe was like dropping a rattler in

a bag and shaking it until it was furious. So in the few minutes before the guys were set to leave
for the show Lucas tracked Tyler to the front drive where he was waiting beside Adam's bike for
their captain to appear.

Before he approached Tyler, Lucas paused on the porch to really look at him. Tyler was

looking out at the bay which put his back to Lucas. From behind, Tyler looked like any other
athletic young man who'd spent a handful of years on a tropical island. He was tanned and fit, his
platinum hair gleaming snow-like even in the twilight. And from behind he looked friendly, like
someone Lucas would approach with a smile and expect one from in return. He appeared, in
other words, to be a normal guy. Not anyone to be intimidated by or afraid of.

He held that fantasy in his mind as he stepped cautiously onto the shell drive.
"I know it's you."
Lucas paused four feet from Tyler. "I wasn't trying to sneak up on you. I wanted to clear

the air."

"You mean after you made it reek with your shitty flip-flop from gay to straight?"
Suppressing a sigh, Lucas drew closer until he was within touching distance of Tyler's

shoulder. "I know you think I led you on. That wasn't my intention. To be honest I don't know
what happened. I only know it was a mistake and I'm sorry I confused you by doing what I did."

Tyler turned in profile. "Tell me what you did, new guy."
Lucas frowned. "You know what I did."
"No, I want to hear you say it."
"I kissed you."
"You did more than that and you know it. Stop fucking around."

"Tyler, I don't know what it is you want me to--"
"Tell me what you did which caused you to be here right now, groveling like a little bitch

to me!"

Tyler's vehemence never failed to throw Lucas off his game. "Just tell me, Tyler, Jesus."
"You made me like it!" Tyler spat out, still refusing to turn around. "You made it good!"
Lucas gaped. "And that's why--"
"Yes, you jackass! You made it -- you made me -- oh, fuck you, Lucas!" Tyler's face

reddened. "Fuck your stupid fucking face and every fucking inch of you!"

Lucas stared at him and then he couldn't help what he did. He burst out laughing.
"Fuck my stupid fucking face?" he gasped in between laughs. "Are you serious with

that?"

Tyler whirled to face him, his hands curled into fists, biceps bulging. "Yes, I'm serious,

you asshole!"

"It's just--" Lucas wiped the tears from his eyes, "-- you sound like a kid throwing a

temper tantrum."

"And you sound like someone who needs his ass kicked," Tyler hissed, taking a

threatening step forward.

Lucas stepped back, sobering. He held up his hands. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh.

It's not funny."

"I warned Adam about this." Tyler's voice trembled with rage. "I told him you don't take

any of this seriously that you're just fucking around. He didn't care though, because it's not him
that ever gets fucked over. It's always me. Me!" His breath caught. "I'm tired of being pissed on.
I'm tired of being the one who--" He broke off, lips pinched tight between his teeth.

Lucas could see how worked up Tyler was and felt like a total shit for it. "Tyler, I pissed

you off and I didn't meant to. I fucked up. I know it, alright? I shouldn't have done what I did. It
was the stupidest thing I could have done. But it wasn't personal. I swear it wasn't. Kissing you
was just -- I don't know, something crazy that popped into my head that I thought would shut you
up. It wasn't meant as a personal attack. It was just -- it was nothing."

Tyler stared at him, practically vibrating with his anger. Lucas searched his face

hopefully, looking for grudging acceptance of his apology or some sign of satisfaction. But
Tyler's expression was bleak, like he'd clawed his way through a gauntlet of fire to the finish line
only to be told they'd run out of medals. Tyler radiated so much disappointment and despair that
Lucas found himself wishing, if only for that moment, that he'd never replied to that initial ad for
pirate performers.

"Tyler, I'm sorry," he repeated in a softer voice but the words sounded hollow and

pointless. Tyler's face told the truth: the damage had been done. Anything Lucas did was mere
bandaging of the wound.

"I hate you," Tyler said hoarsely.
Lucas nodded. "I know. And now you have a good reason to feel that way." He took a

step backwards, then another. He was prepared for Tyler to launch himself at him but Tyler was
a tornado rooted in place. Lucas backed all the way to the front door. "I'll fix this," Lucas
promised him. "I will."

Bitterness soured Tyler's expression. "Sure you will."
His tone showed how little he believed in Lucas. Lucas didn't blame him one bit.

~~~~~

In the face of his failure to befriend Tyler -- or at least not rub him the wrong way, no

pun intended -- Lucas decided a visit to the nearest liquor store was a suitable response. Escape
sounded like a damned good idea.

Just outside Hidden Idol Bay he found a small store around the corner from the

convenience store where he and the guys usually went to grab munchies. Beneath a glowing
neon palm tree he checked out the refrigerated selection of beers. The hard liquor beckoned from
the far wall but he did his best not to look in that direction. He wanted to drink away stress, not
wreck himself. Tyler's ammunition against him was growing. Lucas didn't want to add more
firepower to his arsenal by making a drunken mistake.

Through the open front door of the small store he heard the rumble of motorcycles. It was

too early for the pirate show to have finished. His excitement dampened, he watched the door.

Rory Donahue and another man stepped into the store.
Lucas cursed and quickly turned his back on the men. He wasn't afraid of the wannabe

biker gang leader but he didn't want to get into it with him either. Laying low and playing it cool
was the way Adam wanted him to behave so Lucas was going to try his hardest to obey.

Tonight at midnight was supposed to be the start time of the jungle games that Donahue

had challenged Adam and the pirates to. Lucas was highly aware of that as he hastily picked out
two six packs of an interesting-looking island brew and tucked one beneath his arm. He checked
the door again. Donahue and his buddy were nowhere in sight. Lucas turned to take the aisle
leading to the register.

He nearly stepped on Donahue's toes.
"Hey, it's the new pirate pussy."
Lucas wasn't flattered that he'd been recognized. It meant Donahue had studied the pirate

program thoroughly and Lucas had a fully nude photo in there. But he plastered a pleasant if
disinterested smile on his face.

"Hey, what's up? Donahue, right?"
Donahue had remarkable eyes and was generally attractive but after what Adam had told

him about his and Donahue's rocky relationship Lucas didn't find him appealing in any way.
Tonight Donahue was dressed in a turquoise Polo shirt with the collar popped, and khaki shorts
and sandals. His friend was dressed as a minion in a nearly identical outfit. Lucas thought they
looked like rejects from a J. Crew catalog.

"That's right. And you're Lucas, Adam's new butt pirate."
The two of them chuckled. Lucas fought not to roll his eyes. He felt like he was in

elementary school being confronted by a pair of cliche-spewing bullies.

"Yeah, butt pirates. Good one. Well, nice seeing you." He started to go around the two

men.

Donahue caught him by his upper arm. "Why the rush, Lucas? We'd like to get to know

you before Adam tries to mold you into another one of his little slaves."

"If you believe that then you don't know the crew at all."
Donahue's fingers tightened, digging into the flesh of his bicep. "Oh, I know the crew

better than you think, Lucas. I can tell you a whole hell of a lot about your new friends. In fact,
why don't we go chill somewhere and share some fun stories? Just the three of us. You've
already got the beer. We're halfway there."

The grin Donahue gave him was eerily similar to Adam's but Lucas quickly shook off the

resemblance. He had yet to see in Adam's eyes what was in Donahue's right now. Adam had
never wanted to have fun at his expense.

"Sorry, but these are for someone else." Lucas gave him a fake smile. "Maybe another

time."

He pulled free of Donahue's grip and continued down the aisle.
"I've got dirt about Adam and his boytoy you may want to hear."
Lucas paused and glanced back. "They're my friends."
"Yeah, but you're also the low man on the totem pole." Donahue's smirk matched his

eyes, which were full of mischief. "Don't you want a little insurance for your job? You don't
have to do anything with the information I give you but only an idiot would skip the chance to
have it."

While it did make sense as far as self-preservation went, Lucas had never been the type

of guy to blackmail someone for anything, not even a dream job. And he couldn't imagine ever
doing it to Adam who, although heavy-handed at times and more sexually aggressive than Lucas
was comfortable with, had been fair with him and given him a chance another man might not
have.

Still, although Lucas didn't want the information for his own use, he wanted to know

what Donahue's so-called dirt was if only to warn Adam about what was floating around the
island. Knowledge was power and lack of that knowledge could be dangerous.

"Let's just go to the beach outside," Lucas said cautiously. The beach across the street

was one of the most crowded on the island even at night. Donahue and his buddy couldn't
ambush Lucas there if that was their true intent.

Donahue's smirk widened into a full grin. "Sure. Let's do that."
Lucas waited as the other two men purchased bags of chips and then the three of them

walked across the sand-dusted street to the beach. The sand retained the warmth of the sun and
wouldn't ever become truly cold as Lucas had learned after being buried beneath it during the
pirate hazing. He sat cross-legged in a triangle formed with the other two men.

"This is Stuart," Donahue said, thumbing his friend who had torn into one of the bags of

chips. "He's new like you. He doesn't know anything about the stuff I'm about to tell you."

"Who else knows?" Lucas asked as he distributed beers and then popped the cap on his

own.

"A few of us," Donahue said evasively. He tossed back half of his beer in one throat-

bobbing swallow and made a smacking sound after he came up for air. "Good stuff. I like your
taste."

Lucas wasn't interested in false flattery. "So tell me what you know or are you stalling

because you're b.s.ing me?"

Donahue held up two fingers. "Scouts honor, Lucas, what I am about to tell you is one

hundred percent legit."

"Uh huh. And you're telling it to me why?"
Donahue glanced at Stuart. The two shared a quick grin. "Because you're my favorite

centerfold, Lucas."

He blinked. "What?"
"The program book. That picture where you're buck naked and about to blow." Donahue

pretended to wick sweat off his brow. "It's hotter’n shit. I've been using it every night since I got
a hold of it."

"Using it--" Lucas shut his mouth, humiliation and embarrassment rolling through him.

He raised his bottle to his mouth to hide behind it.

"You're my favorite," Donahue repeated, grinning, "and I'm hoping if I can prove to you

what Adam's really like then you'll blow him off and come work for me."

"Doing what?"
"My dad owns most of the bike rental shops in town and he's gradually handing over

control to me. My business plan is simple: hire the hottest studs on the island and show people
how sexy it is to ride on two wheels."

"That's hardly ingenious," Lucas said, unimpressed.
"That's what you say. Yet you walk into any store on Joyboy and you have an equal

chance of being served by a hottie as by a nerd who came to the island hoping to finally lose his
virginity because no one would touch him back in the States. You walk into my joints however,
and you're guaranteed to be served by a stud. And when I say 'served' I mean it in every sense of
the word."

Surprise shot through Lucas. "You run prostitutes?"
"I call them full-service employees." Donahue drained the last of his beer and tossed it

into the dark behind him. "The only trick with something like this is having enough of these
superior employees on hand for all shifts in all of my stores. That's not as easy as you might
think. Oh, there are plenty of guys who want to suck and fuck all day, it's making sure they're
genuinely good-looking and can handle basic math that's the tough part." Donahue looked Lucas
over openly. "I've got my fingers crossed on the math."

Lucas opened his mouth, closed it. Opened it again and decided to take a drink instead.

"That's crazy," he said after lowering the bottle. "Isn't it illegal?"

"Money isn't changing hands, Lucas. It's not about that."
"No, but you're using your employees to sell motorcycles."
"I'll never admit to that," Donahue said with a laugh.
Unable to believe what the other man was doing and what he wanted him to do, Lucas

shook his head. "I'm not interested in that. I'd rather return home than do that."

"That's funny because that photo of you in the program book suggests you'd welcome

being fucked by a horse."

"Fuck you."
Donahue smacked his palm to his forehead. "Oh, of course. My mistake. The only horse

dick you want is Adam's."

Lucas pulled his feet beneath him.
"If you leave now I won't tell you about the time Adam raped Tyler."
Lucas froze, his hands clutching his beer. "Bullshit. He'd never. They're in love."
"So say every abused woman who's been beaten down by her husband. What? You think

gay couples don't do that? You don't think one man can mindfuck another until he thinks he's in
love with his abuser?"

"Adam's not like that," Lucas ground out. "He doesn't need to be like that. People respect

him for being who he is. I've never seen him come close to raising a finger against anyone."

"Tyler likes pain," Donahue said, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. "Adam likes to give

it. Years ago he used to go too far with it. He used to take what he wanted and deal with the
consequences later. That's where his charm comes in. He's had plenty of practice using it on the
men he's fucked against their will."

The picture Donahue painted of Adam was so ludicrous Lucas had to tip back his head

and laugh. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. I repeat: Adam has never touched anyone
against his will. He's like a gentle bear. He's one of the coolest guys I know." He paused,
studying Donahue. "You can talk trash about him all you want but you need to know that Adam's
told me about you. It seems pretty obvious that you're trying to get revenge on him by spreading
this bullshit about him. Sorry, but I'm not buying it. Good luck with your hustler recruitment."

He rose to his feet but Donahue and Stuart did too, and formed a wall in front of him.
"Lucas, you're being stupid. Adam isn't who you think he is and Tyler's nothing but his

prisoner."

Annoyance with Donahue's story rapidly morphed into anger. "Tyler isn't his prisoner,"

Lucas retorted. "Do you even know Tyler? He'll kick the ass of anyone he doesn't like."

"He's a bottom boy!" Donahue exclaimed. "He lets any Dom who tells him they're going

to fuck him do it. As soon as Tyler arrived on Anteros Adam was all over him like ants on a Jolly
Rancher. And you know what? Tyler did try to say no. He'd just gotten out of a bad relationship
and he didn't want to become involved. But Adam forced himself on Tyler because what Adam
wants, Adam gets. He told Tyler he'd protect him. That he'd heal him. Instead, he forced Tyler
into a relationship and now Tyler's terrified of them breaking up because Adam is constantly
telling him that once Adam has no more use for him then neither does the show or the island."

Key phrases leaped out at Lucas, like the bit about Tyler being vulnerable after his

breakup and Adam promising to fix him. The reasoning behind Tyler fearing a break-up was
ominous too. These were things he either knew to be true or could very well be. But the rest of it
-- there was no way it was true. Could it?

"You're full of shit," he told Donahue. "If Adam was all about control and forcing guys

then why did you and him hook up? Are you a 'bottom boy' too?"

Donahue's expression darkened and Lucas was abruptly reminded that it was one man

against two even if they were on a public beach.

"No one warned me about Adam," Donahue said in a hard voice. "I had no idea going

into it that his idea of a good time is forcing you to eat your own cum and fucking you where
other people can see you. His thing is humiliation and forcing you to do what you don't want to,
but I didn't know that until we were already hooking up. That's when I left him. That's when I
tried to warn other guys about him. Adam twisted it around though. He made it seem like I was
the psycho, that I was the one who'd wanted to control the sex we had. He lied, Lucas, just like
he's lying to you."

He stepped up into Lucas' face. "He was there when your photo was taken, wasn't he?"
Lucas said nothing but his nerves were strung taut.
"He's targeted you, Lucas. I'll bet money he's been sweet-talking you with wanting to

help you, that he's charmed you into believing he's your captain and he'll always take care of you.
His hook is bringing you into his pirate family. It's nothing more than a gang, Lucas, and every
member has to pay their dues. I can tell you right now that you're going to be paying a big due
because he's got a hard-on for you. He sees something in you that reminds him of Tyler and he
wants that. He wants to break it just like he broke it in Tyler."

Lucas felt lightheaded from all the blood rushing to his pounding heart. He disliked

everything Donahue said but worse than that he feared what Donahue said. It all sounded like a
bunch of lies meant to turn him against Adam... but a lot of it sounded possible. He'd seen on
more than a few occasions signs of a strange, tense relationship between Adam and Tyler. He'd
chalked it up to Tyler's emotional problems and insecurities. But what if it wasn't? What if it was

something darker, something kept behind closed doors? Adam had been pressuring Lucas from
the start and Lucas had slowly succumbed to nearly everything. But what if he'd managed to
resist? What would Adam have done then?

But he also had to consider the source of this information and Donahue was as reliable as

a talking parrot. Given the choice, Lucas had to side with the man he knew best.

"No," he bit out. "I don't believe you. Not any of it. Adam is my friend. He'd never do the

things you're accusing him of doing."

"You're blind, Lucas."
"That's my problem, not yours."
Frustration etched itself onto Donahue's face but he stepped back. "I'm not Adam. I can't

force you to believe anything I say. But you should think about it, Lucas. He wants you next and
he's going to have you whether you want him or not. If you're smart you'll stay away from him
and his pirate buddies as much as you can because they're all involved, you know. Like I said,
they're a gang and they won't let anyone to leave unless it's on their terms."

Lucas stepped around them, half-expecting one of them to tackle him to the sand.

"Thanks for the advice," he said sarcastically. "I'll take it under advisement. Because who knows,
maybe I'll decide that being a motorcycle whore might be a better career."

Donahue smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "I'm keeping a spot open for you, Lucas,

even though you're hating on me right now. That's okay. Adam's got a grip on your cock. I know
how it is. He can be very charismatic. But keep your eyes open and watch your back. Tonight at
the games you'll see something of what I'm talking about. Just watch."

Lucas didn't bother replying. He hurried to his scooter -- probably rented from one of

Donahue's shops, damn it -- and zipped away before the other men could mount their
motorcycles. He kept his eye on the side mirrors but Donahue and Stuart didn't follow him.

His mood was grim as he drove down the dark streets heading to his home in Hidden

Idol. The things Donahue had said to him disturbed and worried him. Combined with the
regretful experience he'd had with Tyler earlier in the day it made Lucas briefly consider driving
off into the jungle and staying there for a week.

He'd come to Joyboy for a fresh start, for fun and relaxation. All he'd encountered so far

was drama and personal angst. Was it worth it? Was this fun?

Then he entered HI and the entire bay spread out before him like an obsidian disk cupped

in a crescent of golden lights beaming from the shops and restaurants. Out in the water the
skeletal pirate ship rose from the bay dimly lit by the sail-like projection screen where the
seductive Loa battled his pirate friends.

His dark mood lifted, carried away by the salt-sharp wind whistling past his ears. He'd get

answers, he told himself and put Donahue's garbage behind him. There was no way he was
taking a bunch of gossip at face value.

As for Tyler, maybe Lucas would ask for some advice on how to deal with him. He was

willing to try anything to make peace with the other man. Tyler, moreso than Adam, held Lucas'
future on Joyboy in the palm of his hand.

Feeling better, Lucas made the turn onto the road that would carry him up to the cottages.

In another hour and a half his crewmates would return home. And soon after that they'd all head
into the jungle. He pretended that he was looking forward to the jungle games coming up at
midnight, that he was excited and wanted to win, but in truth a part of him dreaded not only
running into Rory Donahue and his gang but discovering the apparent evidence Donahue wanted
him to see.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

When the front door opened later that night, Lucas looked up expecting one of his

roommates to walk through. It was Ben who entered though, immediately giving Lucas a happy
grin.

"Hey, buddy! You been waiting up for me?"
The teasing banished the flicker of annoyance that zipped through Lucas when he

remembered Tyler informing him of Ben's tendency to home in on the new guys. So what if he
was just a quick fling for Ben? That's what Lucas had wanted in the first place. Discovering he
had an interest in gay sex didn't mean he wanted to jump into a full-blown relationship. If
anything it was better this way. The pressure was off.

"I even cooked a roast," he teased back. "I hope you didn't work too hard, honey."
Ben laughed and sauntered up to the back of the sofa where Lucas sat. His eyes were still

rimmed with kohl from the show and Lucas thought he looked gorgeous.

"Hi," Ben murmured as he bent over the back of the sofa. With two fingers beneath

Lucas' chin he tilted Lucas' face back so they could kiss. His lush lips pillowed Lucas'. "Wish
you'd been there. The audience is dying to see our hunky new pirate."

"I'm dying to show myself off to them," Lucas replied, not really meaning it. He did want

to perform in the show but only to prove himself to Adam and the crew, not to garner attention
from a bunch of horny strangers.

Ben kissed him again, lips lingering. "On second thought maybe I'd rather keep you to

myself."

He licked at Lucas' lips, coaxing them to part, and then slid his tongue between them

when they did. He slid his tongue back and forth, easing Lucas' mouth wider and wider until they
were breathing each other's breaths and Lucas had to shove a hand in his lap to grip his hardened
cock.

Though he wanted to continue, Lucas broke the kiss. "Are Adam and Tyler coming in

anytime soon?"

Another wide grin took over Ben's face. "You like getting caught in the act or something?

A little exhibitionist streak in you?"

Lucas laughed. "Not especially. I just wanted to ask you something in private."
Ben sighed in mock disappointment and leaned his hip against the sofa. "Sure. We've got

a few minutes. The rest of the guys are out on the beach going over an alteration Adam's thinking
of making. So what's your question?"

His arousal died swiftly as Lucas thought about what Rory Donahue had told him earlier

in the night. "You've seen Tyler and Adam together since Tyler first came to the island, right?
When they got together you said Tyler wasn't so into it."

"No, I said Ty tried to fuck around and make it casual."
"But Adam changed his mind." Lucas watched Ben carefully. "Did Adam force him into

being with him exclusively?"

Ben looked at him strangely. "If by force you mean gave him a kick in the pants, then

yeah. But by that look on your face I'm guessing you mean something else. Lucas, Adam and

Tyler are totally into each other. They love each other. If Ty wanted to break it off he would.
You heard him at the fire that one night. Who says something like that if it wasn't true?"

Belatedly, Lucas remembered that night when Tyler had bared himself and admitted to

his loneliness and desperation and had all but begged Adam not to leave him. Lucas wished he'd
remembered it before he'd asked Ben about this. Because that scene, the tone of Tyler's voice,
had left no doubt in Lucas' mind that Tyler needed Adam like sails needed the wind.

He ran a hand over his face, trying to wipe his guilt away. "Yeah, you're right. Tyler

wouldn't do anything he didn't want to. That's just not him."

"And Adam isn't like that either. I have a hard time picturing him having to force anyone

to be with him. It's Adam."

"You've got a point," Lucas sighed.
Ben frowned at him. "What made you ask that about them?"
Lucas stood. "It's nothing. Something I heard. Just forget it. It was a dumb thing to ask."
"No, seriously, Lucas. Tell me what you heard."
"I'd like to hear about it too," Adam said from the front doorway.
Lucas cursed and watched warily as Adam, kohl-eyed and darkly sexy, entered the living

room. His skin looked slick as if he'd been rubbed down with oil. He looked like a muscled
thoroughbred. Or a man who could cause him serious damage.

"Listening to rumors?" Adam asked, smiling. But his eyes were dark and Lucas knew he

wouldn't let the subject drop without getting an answer.

Knowing better than to lie, Lucas told the truth. "I ran into Rory Donahue tonight. He

talked a lot of trash about you, mainly about you and Tyler. I was stupid and I let him get into
my head. I know it was a mistake."

"Rory's no friend of yours," Adam said, his eyes intent. "He wants you to work his

shops."

Lucas gave an exaggerated shudder at the mention of Donahue's prostitution ring. "Yeah,

he told me. I can't believe that guy. Does that mean all his buddies do that?"

"Pretty much," Ben said with a laugh. "A lot of guys would go for it."
"Not me," Lucas said with feeling.
"Only because you're new. If you were a manwhore like the rest of us..." Ben shrugged

playfully. "You never know."

Lucas grinned like he'd consider it but it faded in the face of Adam's steady stare. What

was Adam looking for? he wondered.

"I'm not looking forward to seeing Donahue again or hearing anything about his shops,"

he said because he thought it was something Adam wanted to hear from him. "The guy's total
scum."

"Not necessarily," Adam said, "but you're right not to want to associate with him. He

doesn't want good things for you. Next time you run into him you shouldn't stick around."

"Aye, Cap'n."
Adam grinned. "I like when you obey me."
A flush worked its way up Lucas' neck. It grew hotter when Ben chuckled and reached

across the sofa to tug him over the cushions so Lucas had to lean against the back of the sofa
where Ben stood.

"You're blushing," Ben teased, catching Lucas behind the neck. His fingers combed

through Lucas' hair. "Maybe we need more captain's orders around here." He glanced back at
Adam. "He looks good when he's nervous, doesn't he?"

Heat flared in Adam's eyes, making Lucas swallow back a groan.
"No, we definitely don't need that," Lucas muttered, pulling free. A threesome with Ben

and Adam was too hot -- and too disturbing -- to seriously consider.

"Chicken," Ben chided fondly.
"Damn right." He cleared his throat. "So we're still doing these jungle games tonight?"
Adam's eyes went to the clock on the wall. "We're leaving in a half an hour."
Lucas took a deep breath. "I'll be ready."
But Adam and Ben shared a look which suggested he wouldn't be.

~~~~~

Kip refused to tell him anything no matter how much Lucas poked and prodded him for

information about the upcoming confrontation with Donahue and his gang.

"I don't get why it has to be a secret," Lucas complained for the third time as he sat

astride Kip's motorcycle as they followed the others into the jungle. It was more humid than the
last time he'd been in the jungle for the pirates' bonding session. He felt sticky beneath his T-shirt
and shorts even with the motion of the wind.

"Because I don't know which game we're playing, bro. Besides, Adam will want to be the

one to tell you. He already warned us to let him do it."

"Oh, so he'd rather let me stew until then."
Kip laughed. "You got it, bro."
Lucas scowled.
When Kip pulled to a stop they were deeper into the jungle than he'd been before. The

presence of a small clearing betrayed the fact that the area had been used as a meeting place
before; otherwise the jungle was dense. Cooling motorcycles waited for them, their metal
catching glimpses of the weak moonlight. Donahue and his gang waited beside the machines in a
loose semi-circle. Lucas kept a wary eye on them as Adam and the pirates parked and completed
the circle.

Donahue had brought a crew of twelve. They were dressed similarly in shorts, shirts and

sport sandals. Donahue wore a backpack. Lucas hoped nudity wasn't again going to be involved
in this jungle adventure but he had a feeling it would be.

Across from him, Donahue tried to catch his eye. Lucas gazed back impassively. He felt

like a fool for having believed Donahue for even a second. It was like he'd betrayed Adam.

"We're here, let's get this over with," Adam said bluntly.
"Glad to know you're eager to play," Donahue drawled but Lucas could tell from his tone

that he was excited.

Donahue slipped the backpack off his shoulders, unzipped the main compartment and

then tossed it into the center of the circle of gathered men. He stepped back, his eyes gleaming
like a jaguar's in the moonlight. He wore the smile of a man who'd just set up a practical joke and
was waiting for it to spring on an unsuspecting victim.

Tyler approached the bag and cautiously toed it with his foot. The bag fell over, its

contents spilling out and rolling across the leaves. Lucas squinted, unsure if shadows were
making him see something he never thought he'd see in the middle of the jungle.

"What the fuck?"
"Oh, come on, Tyler. No need for hysterics." Donahue's tone was smug. "I thought you

liked them."

"Pony games?" Tyler spat. "Why the hell did you bring this stuff? We did pony games

last season."

"I wasn't satisfied with the outcome. I want a rematch."
"That's not how we do things," Adam said, his voice deep with disapproval. "You've

never changed the rules before and I respected that if nothing else about you, Rory."

"Ooh. Ouch. Thanks for the backhanded compliment."
"This season we're supposed to do the Greek games. You know this as well as every man

here, Rory."

Donahue shrugged, unconcerned. "This season's different."
"This is bullshit." Ben stepped forward. "Why are you changing things? How are we

supposed to trust that you won't go changing other things too? Trusting you to keep your word is
the only reason we go along with this. If we don't have that we may as well not be here."

Lucas wondered at that. Why were the pirates here? It was obvious that none of them

wanted to participate and yet they were. What was Rory holding over them?

"You can trust me," Donahue said carelessly. "You know I get my kicks from making

you do these games. It's in my best interests to keep you guys involved."

"Then why the change?" Adam repeated.
Lucas' spine stiffened when Donahue's eyes shifted to him. "I want your new pirate to be

my personal pony."

"Rory, don't be like this," Adam growled. "You want to humiliate me, fine. Give it your

best shot. But don't be a spineless dick and take it out on guys who have nothing to do with
what's between us."

"Who says this has anything to do with you, Cap'n? Maybe I just want to fuck around

with your butt pirates."

Tyler turned away, his body rigid with anger. Lucas didn't believe for a second that Tyler

was angry that Donahue was after him. Lucas would bet money it was Donahue's old relationship
with Adam that steamed the blond.

"I'm sure your pirate slaves appreciate the opportunity to have some fun without your

whip across their backs," Donahue went on. "You're practically running a slave ship, after all."
His eyes, which had been resting on Tyler's back, shifted to Lucas as if he were trying to impart a
message.

Lucas gave him a bland look in return. He wasn't buying any of it.
"Better a pirate than a biker on a moped," Hewie muttered around the glowing butt

dangling from the corner of his lips.

"Says the pothead who--"
"Enough." Adam's voice stopped the insect sounds in the jungle. He pointed at the

backpack on the ground. "We're not getting into name-calling bullshit. If this is all you brought
then that's the game we're playing tonight. No more rule changes, Rory. Otherwise we're out."

"Agreed." Donahue motioned at his men standing silent behind him. "Standard rules

apply. As usual, this afternoon I had Cale from Island Ink plant a yellow flag in the jungle. We
both trust that he didn't tell anyone the location of the flag but the coordinates are programmed
into the GPS." He held up the device before tossing it to Adam. "I'll let you lock it away. I know
you won't peek."

Adam's face didn't reflect reaction to the taunt as he tucked the GPS into his helmet and

then locked it to his bike.

"We'll start with nine ponies on each team," Donahue continued. "Whoever finds the flag

first wins for his team. Before then, any ponies that are captured by the opposing team and
collared must obey their new masters until the flag is found. No sabotaging your master once
you're collared. If you do, your team is disqualified and you lose."

Questions mounted in Lucas' head. What were ponies? What did he mean by being

'collared'? He was afraid to ask for fear of looking stupid but when he looked around at his
crewmates everyone was nodding as if they'd heard it all before, which they obviously had if
they'd played these pony games last season.

"You said nine ponies," he spoke up, risking the attention it would draw to him. "I'm

assuming you mean guys. But there are twelve on each team. What about the remaining three?"

"Bro--" Kip whispered in warning.
But Donahue was clearly glad he'd asked a question or at least glad to have a reason to

speak directly to Lucas.

"The other three are free-range stallions," he said, no doubt grinning because he knew the

answer didn’t clarify anything for Lucas. "They're fair game until they're captured by the
opposing team and converted into working ponies."

"It's not good," Ben muttered beside Lucas.
"What does he mean by 'converting'?"
"Turned into a pony," Ben replied. He sighed. "You're going to have to keep an open

mind tonight, Lucas. I kind of wish you weren't here."

"Why?" Lucas demanded. "I have every right to be here. I'm a member of the crew. I'm

just as good as you guys."

Ben gave him a grim smile. "I wasn't cutting you down or anything, Lucas. I don't want

you here because I want to protect you."

"From what?"
Ben pointed. "From that."
Donahue had squatted beside his bag of tricks and was poking through the pile of items

that had tumbled out of the backpack. He picked one up between his fingers and held it up,
grinning.

It was a dildo. Or maybe a vibrator. Lucas didn't know how to tell the difference. This

one was smooth, not meant to emulate a penis, but it widened at one end, flaring like the base of
a wine glass. It was also different in another way.

A dawning sense of horror came over Lucas as he watched Donahue flick his finger

against the streamer of hair or threads that was attached to the base of the dildo. The hair, at least
two feet long, resembled a horse tail.

He looked anxiously to Adam. The flat look on his captain's face spoke the worst.
Lucas sidled up to him anyway. "Adam, I can't do this. You know I've never -- you

know."

He thought he'd been quiet but apparently in his urgency he hadn't been quiet enough.
"Never what?" Donahue blurted out, rising quickly to his feet and tossing the dildo to the

ground. "Never stuck a toy up your ass or never...?" He let the question hang like a scythe above
Lucas' head.

Knowing better than to reveal a weakness, Lucas tried to glare at Donahue. But he was

failing left and right. Donahue and his men saw right through him.

"He's a fucking virgin!" exclaimed the man to Donahue's right. "Are you shitting me?"

The heat of humiliation seared the skin of Lucas' face. Never in a million years would he

have imagined he'd be embarrassed for still possessing his anal virginity. Then again, never
would he have imagined half of the things he'd done since stepping foot on Anteros Island. He
wasn't the man he used to be by far.

"How could you guys hold out?" another one of Donahue's cronies asked, incredulous.

He leered at Lucas and said, "Honey, I would have popped your cherry the moment I laid eyes
on you if you'd been in our crew. Hell, I'll still do it for you. Come on over here."

"Knock it off," Adam growled.
"We are definitely playing this out now," Donahue crowed. "You'd better hope I capture

you first, Lucas. At least I'll be gentle with you." He smirked. "I can't speak for my guys though.
They can be animals when they scent virgin blood in the water."

The laughter made Lucas feel the urge to do something he rarely did, Tyler

notwithstanding, which was throw some punches. He was embarrassed that even members of his
own crew stared at him in astonishment, maybe even amazement. A fight seemed like a good
way to regain some lost pride but a large hand settled on his shoulder in clear warning to stand
down.

Lucas turned to Adam and ground out, "There's no way I'm doing this. Ben's right. I

shouldn't be here. I'll make you lose. I'll sit out."

Adam squeezed his shoulder. "If you're a member of my crew you have no choice. You

participate like everyone else."

"Bullshit."
"If you leave, Rory will take it out on us."
The blunt statement left Lucas blinking at him. "How? What in the world could he do to

hurt us? He's just a rich, spoiled brat who zooms around all day on his bike. You're you. You can
knock him out with one punch, Adam."

"I thought that would be the easiest solution too. But we found out the hard way that

fighting is exactly how Rory can hurt us."

Lucas looked over Donahue's gang. Sure, some of them were muscleheads but the pirate

crew weren't exactly a bunch of shrimps.

"I don't get it."
"We tried blowing Rory off when he first came to us with his idea about the games. We

stood him up, we ignored him, everything you want to do right now. But days after we'd did that
Rory and his buddies would find us in public places and get into it with us. They'd make sure
they were loud, attention-grabbing confrontations. The kind that cause tourists to call the cops."
Adam's expression darkened. "And when the cops were called about us they in turn called Aras
at the Arcadia since he's responsible for us."

"Couldn't you just tell Aras you didn't start it?"
"He doesn't care who starts it, only that we become involved. It's bad publicity for the

show, Lucas. It makes the Arcadia look cheap, like it employs thugs. After the third time the
cops called him about us he gave me an ultimatum: if he hears another complaint about any of
my men again the entire crew will be fired and replaced."

"What?!"
"Rory knows we can't afford to be confronted by his guys if we back out from these

games. That's why we're here."

Frustration rolled through Lucas at being caught up in a conflict that had originated

before his arrival and had nothing to do with him.

"Adam," he said in an urgent whisper, "there's no way I'm letting him shove that thing up

my ass."

A shiver raced through him as Adam's thumb stroked up the side of his neck. "You have

two options, Lucas. Neither one of them has to do with you leaving the game."

"Damn it."
Lucas wanted to twist out from under Adam's grip and make for the nearest bike. But

what would that get him besides temporary freedom? Donahue would be upset which meant he
would take it out on Adam who would then take it out on Lucas. Adam wouldn't dare risk the
fate of the entire crew on one single man no matter how much he claimed to like Lucas.

"What are my options?" he said from between gritted teeth.
Approval shone in Adam's eyes which incredibly enough made Lucas feel marginally

better about the situation.

"Your first option is to start out as one of the nine ponies," Adam told him. "That means

me or Ben -- or Kip, whoever you want -- will help put a tail in you."

Lucas shuddered, his anal muscles instinctively clenching tightly. "Some choice."
"It's bearable. If you start out as a pony you won't have to worry about being captured and

converted into a working pony. In other words no one else would get to slide that tail into you.
They could put a collar on you and play around with you but that's the worst they can do."

"Define 'play around'."
Adam's thumb stroked his neck again. "Things I've done to you already."
A shiver worked its way up Lucas' spine. "My other option?"
"You start out as a free-range stallion and take your chances that you or one of our guys

will find the flag and end the game before you're caught and converted. You can remain
completely untouched that way."

"But only if I avoid capture and we win," Lucas pointed out.
"Yeah. Only if. It's possible, Lucas. We've won at pony games as often as we've lost."
Lucas laughed bitterly. "Is that supposed to sound encouraging?"
Adam's smile was quick, the flicker of a moth's wings. "Just telling it to you straight,

man."

"Or not, as the case may be," Lucas said dryly.
"What are we waiting for?" Donahue called out, impatient. "I want a chance at that virgin

ass."

Lucas sent the other man a dirty look. "I never should have believed a word he told me,"

he muttered. "Look, Adam -- about what I said earlier--"

"I need you to trust me," Adam said firmly.
"And I do. I never should have doubted you. It was stupid of me. I know you better than

that."

He did know Adam. He'd watched the man enough, heard the words he needed to hear, to

draw a pretty good picture of who Adam really was. While there were things about the bigger
man that made him uncomfortable, Lucas should never have considered Adam someone who
would abuse another person.

"I hope you do know me better than that," Adam said quietly. He stared into Lucas' eyes

for a long moment, ignoring Donahue's calls for them to start the game. "I'm your captain and
you're my responsibility, Lucas. I take that very seriously."

He was asking for trust. Lucas sighed. "What do you think I should do tonight?"

Adam didn't reply. He looked over at Donahue. "My free range stallions are me, Tyler

and Lucas."

"Oh, shit, it's on," one of Rory's crew murmured excitedly. "Extra incentive tonight, boys.

There's gonna be a cherry on top." He winked at Lucas.

Lucas could feel waves of anger rolling off his skin.
"This may be the fastest game you ever lose," Kip retorted, glaring across at the other

team. "While you're tripping over your dicks we'll be grabbing the flag."

Donahue's grin was shit-eating. "Looks like we'll find out. Cap'n, prepare your ponies.

We're starting in ten."

Adam didn't move, his eyes locked on Lucas'.
Lucas realized Adam was waiting for him to react to the decision to keep him free-range.

"I trust you," he told the bigger man.

Adam nodded. "That's what I need to hear."
"We're gonna get our asses handed to us." Tyler stepped up to Adam's other side and

sneered at Lucas. "Are you going to waste time trying to protect him?" he asked of Adam.

Lucas met his antagonistic gaze, understanding Tyler's resentment and jealousy. He'd

helped put them there. "I'm not going to get in your way. I'll play the game like everyone else. I
don't need protecting."

Tyler's laugh was bitter. "So you won't mind getting bent over and your ass plugged by

Donahue and his buddies? Because fuck the flag, their only target is you, new guy."

Lucas raised his chin. "Then I'll have to be faster and smarter than them."
Tyler just rolled his eyes.
"Yes, I'm sticking by Lucas' side as much as I can," Adam replied to Tyler's original

question. "I'm counting on you to find that flag on your own, Ty."

Pride suffused Tyler's face. "I've found it four times before. I can find it again." He

glanced briefly, dismissively at Lucas. "Not that I'm doing it to save you."

"Thank you anyway, Tyler," Lucas said.
Looking annoyed, Tyler walked away to join the rest of the crew who were stripping off.
"I want you to help Ben with his tail," Adam said, drawing Lucas' attention back to him.

"He'll like that."

Stifling his nervousness, Lucas said, "I'm on it."
He found Ben with the others, naked and holding one of the horse tail dildos in his hand.

His strong, athletic body was dark in the faint moonlight but Lucas could see enough of it to
admire its beauty. Ben grinned with open delight when he saw Lucas approaching.

"Are you helping me?"
Lucas nodded. "What do you need me to do?"
Ben held out the dildo. "Mount me, buddy."
Lucas' mouth went dry. "You want me to -- I don't want to hurt you, Ben."
"You won't," Ben assured him easily. "I've taken plenty of these before, real and plastic."
Ben's grin was reassuring and Lucas tried to relax as he accepted the dildo in his hand.

He was embarrassed to be holding it but around him the rest of his friends were helping each
other insert the toys into each other, laughing or moaning as they did so. It was no big deal.

"Do I just--?"
A tube was held out to him. "Slick it up first and give me a few fingers too."
Lucas blushed. "Okay."

He'd touched Ben's body before. He'd been inside it. When Ben bent over, bracing

himself with his hands on his thighs, Lucas remembered him in the bay like this, open and ready
for Lucas' cock.

Heart hammering, he squirted lube onto the dildo, feeling a bit foolish to be fondling the

hard rubber, and then smeared a generous amount onto the fingers of his left hand. Watching the
line of Ben's spine for tension, he tucked his fingers into the crease of Ben's ass and slowly drew
them down. Ben shivered but didn't make a sound. When Lucas reached his friend's hole he
slowly circled his fingers around the ring, smearing lubricant and applying gentle pressure
against the pucker.

Ben's back bowed and a low groan issued from his lips. The sound widened Lucas' eyes.

He felt his own cock rising to attention. Still watching his friend closely, he gently slid his
forefinger inside Ben. The other man was loose and it was easy to slide his finger in up to the
knuckle, feeling Ben's heat and heartbeat from the inside.

"I've missed this," Ben admitted, throwing Lucas a grin from over his shoulder. "We need

to do it again. I love the way you fuck me."

Licking his lips, Lucas pushed a second finger inside his friend and moved the digits

around. The skin of Ben's back rippled in reaction. His confidence growing, Lucas pushed in a
third finger, making Ben hang his head and moan again. The sound was barely louder than
Lucas' heavy breathing.

Lucas began to pump his fingers as his own arousal began to assert itself. It was all he

could do not to remove his fingers and shove into Ben with his own cock because he knew Ben
wouldn't complain, knew Ben would love it.

"Five minutes!" Donahue called out, breaking Lucas out of his fantasy.
Disappointed but still curious, he withdrew his fingers and placed the tapered head of the

dildo against Ben's hole.

"Ready?" he asked softly.
"Do it," Ben panted. "Fuck it into me, Lucas."
Lucas bit his lip, holding back a groan. He exerted pressure with the toy and it popped

past the ring of muscles easily, sliding in as if Ben's body were a sheath made for it.

"Oh, god," Lucas gasped as he pushed the dildo inside Ben. His cock throbbed, aching to

replace the rubber toy. He couldn't help thrusting forward, pushing the mound of his erection
against Ben's left ass cheek.

"Oh, yeah, fuck me," Ben panted. "Fuck me, Lucas."
Lucas had to grit his teeth as he pushed the dildo all the way inside and up to its

narrowest part right before the flare. He watched, amazed, as Ben's body clamped down tight
around the slender part to hold the toy in place. Fingers trembling, he stepped back to admire the
streamer of brown hair that dangled out of Ben's ass and brushed the backs of his thighs.

It was wrong and yet it was undeniably sexy. Ben looked like a pony hybrid, like a

beautiful, young centaur. Turned on, Lucas pressed his fingers against the base of the dildo
where the tail sprouted and pushed slightly, rocking it into Ben. Ben's back arched again, his
head rolling back. Lucas stared, entranced.

A hiss to his right snapped his eyes to the side. Half-hidden by the jungle stood Tyler and

Adam, both men naked but wearing Tevas as Adam had instructed them all to do. Adam's broad
hand was low on Tyler's belly, massaging circles into his taut abdomen. Beneath, Tyler's cock
was a rigid arc. Tyler clutched Adam's arm as if trying to push it lower. Both of them were
staring at Lucas and Ben.

Despite the argument he'd had with Tyler earlier, despite his temporary belief that Adam

was an abuser, Lucas wanted them both in that moment. He knew they'd watched him insert the
dildo into Ben. He knew they'd been aroused by it. A rare sense of power filled his veins. He
held their eyes across the distance -- feeling safe because of that distance -- and pumped the
dildo into Ben again. Ben moaned and Tyler hissed. Adam's fingers curled against Tyler's skin.

It was the wildness of the jungle, the sounds of his friends groaning and cursing as they

were turned into ponies that screwed with Lucas' head. He was sure of it. Because he suddenly
wanted Tyler to be the one bending over for him, the one Lucas fucked with the dildo. He
wanted to slide a bit into Tyler's mouth and pull back on the reins, forcing his head back and
drawing his body taut. So that with every thrust of that dildo Tyler could feel it in his throat.

But Lucas also wanted to be a pony. He wanted to know what it was like to have a master

like Adam, to have his big, strong hands on his hips, holding him still for that thick rubber plug
to fill him up. Lucas wanted to be fucked with it, wanted to rise on his toes to get away but be
unable to because Adam held his reins too, and he was helpless to escape his master.

I've gone crazy, Lucas thought, dazed with lust. But he held onto Ben's hip and continued

to push, push, push that pony tail inside him until Ben lurched forward on a stifled cry, shaking,
trying to fend off orgasm.

Donahue, grinning, announced that it was time to start the game.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

"Here, studs, you'll need these."
Lucas watched with dread as Donahue distributed three horsetail dildos to Adam. These

were different from the one Lucas had fucked into Ben. For one, they looked to be already
slicked with grease. For another, each one was tied to and hung from a thin rope. Lucas watched
Tyler tie one rope around his waist, letting the dildo hang down against the small of his back
with the tail trailing down the crease of his ass.

"Tie it on," Adam instructed Lucas in a low voice as he handed him one of the tails.

"With luck no one will catch you and use it on you."

Gulping, Lucas tied the dildo around his waist, cringing as the heavy rubber shaft rested

against his tailbone. It bumped dully against his cheeks as he shifted. The hair tail flowed over
his ass, the tips just stroking the tops of his thighs.

"What if I happen to lose mine?" he asked hopefully.
"Then we forfeit the game. Don't let it happen, Lucas."
Damn. "Okay."
"Here are the collars, Cap'n."
Donahue tossed what looked like a black octopus to Adam. It turned out to be nine

leather collars bound together by a rubber band. Adam separated them and handed one to each
pirate pony.

"If we catch one of the opposing ponies we slap our collar on them," Kip explained in a

whisper to Lucas. "Donahue's guys have white collars that they're gonna try and put on us."

Lucas nodded, hoping his crewmates managed to avoid capture and the harassment

Donahue and his crew would undoubtedly levy on them.

He rubbed a hand up Ben's damp back. "Sorry for earlier," he muttered as the other blond

took a deep breath to calm his arousal.

Ben laughed ruefully. "It's okay. Not the best place for it but I can't say I didn't enjoy it."

He caught Lucas' eye. "Maybe we'll try it again back in the cottages one of these nights."

Lucas smiled uncertainly, still nervous about the whole pony concept although he

couldn't deny he'd found it sexy to play with Ben the way he had.

"Let's get this started!" Donahue called out. He and his two 'free range stallions' stood at

the edge of the clearing. The rest of his ponies milled expectantly behind him, their tails swishing
against their thighs. In the dark jungle Lucas' eyes wanted to play tricks on him. He felt like he
stood amidst a herd of wild centaur.

Donahue nodded across at Adam. "I'll give you the first start, Cap'n. In honor of your

precious cargo."

Lucas ignored the catcalls from Donahue's men as he stripped off his shorts, leaving him

in Tevas with the horse tail dildo tied around his waist.

"Look at that tight ass, boys!"
"I'm gonna tear that apart!"
"Hope you've lubed yourself up, sweetheart, because once I catch you you're fucked!"
"Shut the fuck up, you assholes!" Kip yelled at them. "You sound like a bunch of

construction workers."

"Ignore them, Kip," Orinth said loudly. "They're so small Lucas wouldn't even feel them

anyway."

"Yeah, thanks, that helps," Lucas muttered, rolling his eyes.
Orinth shrugged. "It's probably true."
"Dude, do you think Lucas wants to find out?" Hewie asked.
Orinth blinked. "Oh, yeah, I guess not."
Shaking his head, Lucas took his place close to Adam's side. A few yards ahead, Tyler

crouched within the dark jungle like an albino jaguar, leaning forward in anticipation of a sprint.
Lucas made a mental prayer for Tyler's fleet feet.

"Good luck, Cap'n." Donahue gave him a mocking salute.
Adam took hold of Lucas' bicep. "See you at the flag, Rory."
Donahue laughed. "Go!"
Adam shoved Lucas forward and they both took off, crashing through the jungle.
Running through the jungle at night was far harder than Lucas expected. It wasn't

comparable to dashing through a forest. The ground cover was thick and crept up the trees,
merging to form hedges and net-like living fences that had to be jumped over. Ferns and plants
he couldn't hope to identify clogged his way, negating any chance of finding a clear path on
which to run. He tripped over fallen, decaying logs. The bottom of his sandals slipped on
winding, gnarled roots concealed by tiny mushrooms and moss. Patches of leaves covered
broken tree limbs and jagged stumps. Mud slicked every surface, making his feet slip and slither
across the ground.

And then there was the darkness which draped everything in another layer of danger.

Lucas wouldn't have known which way to run, where to place his feet or when to jump if it
hadn't been for Adam ahead of him. Adam, who apparently possessed preternatural night vision.

But then Lucas remembered that Adam had run through this jungle before during

previous games. This was relatively familiar territory. Keeping that in mind, Lucas decided to
trust completely in the bigger man's choices. He kept at Adam's heels like a shadow.

Around them and behind them the jungle was filled with the sounds of shredding leaves,

bodies crashing through foliage and the cursing and thuds as men tripped, slipped or fell on the
precarious footing. Lucas caught movement several yards to his left but didn't turn to see if it
was one of the pirates or Donahue's men. He'd lost track of Tyler mere seconds after they'd
begun running.

Sharp leaves sliced into Lucas' bare arms. Adam's feet kicked up mud and debris which

clung to Lucas' legs. The dildo tied around his waist banged against his spine, knocking painfully
against his vertebrae. Sweat slid down Lucas' temples. He dashed it away from his eyes
impatiently, worried about losing sight of Adam even as large as the other man was. The dark
jungle seemed intent on swallowing him, threatening to leave Lucas to fend for himself.

"Cherry-boy!" he heard one of Donahue's men call out. "Where are you, little cherry?

Why don't you -- umph!"

"Got ya!" Peter yelled out. "One less jerk for you to worry about, Lucas!"
Lucas grinned as he slogged through the jungle, too winded to yell out thanks. If Peter

had bagged himself a pony that left eight Lucas needed to watch out for. Not counting Donahue
and his stallions.

"Aw, fuck!" yelled someone whom Lucas didn't recognize.
"Lucas!" Ben yelled. "Watch out for -- get off!"
Lucas turned his head, trying to search the tangled darkness for Ben.
"No!" Adam barked, seizing him by the arm and dragging him forward. "Don't look back.

Just look for the flag. That's all we care about. Ben and the guys can fend for themselves. Come
on."

Upset over what could have happened to his friend, Lucas nevertheless knew Adam was

right. He was the most vulnerable person here. He couldn't afford to worry about the rest of the
guys while he was being targeted by Donahue's gang.

"How far into this place is the flag usually planted?" he gasped as he jumped through the

heavy foliage after Adam.

"It changes every time," Adam panted back. "Cale's good about that. Always mixing it

up. Maybe too good." He raised his arm, breaking through a heavy woody vine that blocked their
path. The severed vein bled a stream of liquid over Lucas' head and down his spine. He hoped it
was water; at least it helped cool him down somewhat.

"What's the fastest you've found the flag?"
"About ten minutes."
Lucas wasn't thrilled with the idea of having to keep out of reach for ten minutes but it

was doable. "And the longest?"

"Over an hour."
"Crap," he breathed.
"Tyler will find it," Adam assured him after he'd leaped an unidentifiable mound on the

ground. It could have been a log, a dead animal, or a pile of leaves concealing a pit filled with
vipers -- Lucas didn't discount anything. He jumped too.

Lucas wanted to share Adam's faith in Tyler but he couldn't help feeling doubtful. Tyler's

only motivations for finding the flag were self-preservation and earning Adam's praise. Lucas
highly doubted Tyler cared about preserving Lucas' virginity, especially in light of the emotions
between them lately. Yet again, Lucas wanted to smack himself for being so clumsy in how he'd
handled Tyler and the kiss they'd shared. He didn't know what he'd been thinking. Maybe the
problem was that he hadn't been thinking at all, only feeling. Panicking.

A crashing sound that resembled a buffalo running through a wooden fence made Lucas

crane his neck around to the right.

"Keep going," Adam ordered as if he had eyes in the back of his head and had seen

Lucas' distraction. "We both know they're coming. Don't waste time looking for them."

"Are there any -- wild animals -- out here?" Lucas panted.
"Don't ask," was the grim answer. Lucas took it to heart.
They charged through the thick overgrowth, beating aside heavy palm fronds and

hanging vines that were thick enough Lucas was convinced he could swing from them Tarzan-
style. He could still hear other men fighting their way through the jungle behind him but a new
sound began to captivate his attention.

It was a dull roar, like the sound of a stadium full of people. That made no sense of

course and Lucas struggled to put a name to the familiar sound. It wasn't until the air grew
noticeably cooler that he realized what lie ahead.

Adam broke out of the greenery first, skidding onto slippery rocks. Lucas, close behind,

nearly crashed into him and managed to avoid it by dodging quickly to the side. It proved to be a
mistake as his sandals squirted across the slick rock and sent him hurtling towards a large pool of
water.

Large hands caught him by the shoulders, jerking him back against Adam's hot, heaving

chest.

They stood beside a large waterfall and a teardrop shaped pool of churning water. Spray

saturated the air and the noise of the waterfall drowned out the sounds coming from the jungle.

"Up there," Adam directed, pointing up the side of the cliff from which the waterfall

tumbled. Fallen rocks that looked like they were the recent participants of an avalanche led the
way to the top of the falls. Lucas licked his lips nervously as he surveyed the wet, algae-slick
rocks.

"Why up there?" he asked.
Adam, his large, muscled body shiny with sweat, shook his head at him impatiently.

"Cale likes high places when he hides the flag. We've found it in trees before. He's never put it
up there but now would be a perfect first time."

Lucas nodded at the logic, although his eyes couldn't help wandering over Adam's body,

taking in his nudity. The horse tail dildo he wore around his waist had fallen to the side and hung
by his hip like a holstered gun. The rubber toy looked ludicrous against his heavily muscled
frame and Lucas was seized with a sudden determination that Adam not be caught by Donahue
or his friends. Adam was too good to have that ridiculous piece of rubber shoved into him.

He turned and reached for handholds on the rocks. "Catch me if I fall," he joked over his

shoulder.

A strong hand cupping his left buttock nearly made him lose his grip. "I won't let you

fall," Adam said against his ear.

Fighting off a shudder of arousal, Lucas began to climb.
The rocks were indeed as slippery as they looked, but Lucas double-checked his

handholds as he climbed so that even when his feet slipped he wasn't at risk of falling. After
about ten minutes of climbing he crested the edge, finding himself at the lip of a wide stream that
bubbled up from a small hill of rocks to his right. He couldn't see where the water originated
from, hidden as it was by the rocks, so he guessed there was an underground river system or
maybe a spring nearby.

After checking on Adam's progress and seeing that he was near the top, Lucas sloshed

through the knee-high stream, checking its banks for the yellow flag. Trees and bushes overhung
the water but none of them hid the flag.

"Damn," he muttered as he paused for a breather. His ankles and shins ached from the

uneven footing within the stream. "Where is the stupid flag?"

He was confident that he and Adam had beaten everyone else to the elevation so it was a

shock when Adam suddenly let out a shout of alarm.

Lucas spun. A man was sprinting towards him from the other side of the stream. He must

have climbed the waterfall on the opposite side. Lucas knew it was too late to run away and
avoid capture so he looked around wildly for something to throw at the man to slow him up.

Adam must have thought the same thing. With a yell he threw himself forward and

tackled the other man by the ankles. The man hit the water face first , but he soon recovered,
twisting onto his back and trying to kick his way free. Lucas started to run back to help but
Adam yelled out, "No!"

Feeling helpless, Lucas watched as Adam and the man -- a pony from Donahue's gang --

grappled in the water. Their naked bodies twisted and writhed in a violent parody of sex, water
splashing up around them. Every once in a while something dark would whip through the air and
slap skin or water. Lucas eventually realized it was the man's pony tail. He wondered how it felt
to wrestle while a dildo was lodged up his ass.

Adam apparently wondered something of the same for Lucas saw him reach behind the

other man and do something which elicited a desperate yelp. The man reflexively struck out,
clipping Adam in the side of the head with his fist. Adam shook off the blow, growling, and
rolled them over in the water, spooning up behind the man so they both lay on their sides. Limbs
flailed as Adam attempted to put the other man in a choke hold.

The scene reminded Lucas of movies of gladiators and other combatants who fought to

the death. He was sure Adam had no intention of hurting the other man but the strength and
violence in their struggle stole Lucas' breath. All of this to win a game? To win him?

The grunt of pain startled him. Startled him because it had come from Adam. The two

men in the water thrashed, Donahue's pony twisting to end up on top. Adam choked on water but
kept a thick arm around the other man's waist. His other arm was clutched to his side. Adam was
hurt.

Lucas had had enough. He wasn't allowing his captain to be injured because of him. He

began to run back. Adam raised his head out of the water and looked up at him.

"Lucas -- run!" Adam ordered through gritted teeth.
Lucas ignored him. There was no way he was going to let Adam fight off this guy while

he was hurt.

But even in the dim lighting he saw Adam's expression, saw the quick flash of

annoyance. Lucas barely had time to guess what his intentions were before Adam sat up, still
holding the other man around the waist, and heaved backwards with all his strength, dragging the
other man with him over the edge of the waterfall.

Lucas sprinted forward. He strained to see down into the pool below. The water was

broken by concentric circles. Two heads bobbed in the water. Lucas gasped in relief. He watched
Adam swim to the edge of the pool using a strong, one-arm stroke. The other man dog paddled to
the opposite side. His curses were barely audible above the roar of the waterfall.

Adam tilted his head back. "Go!" He shouted up at Lucas.

Amazed at what Adam had done for him, determined that the effort not go to waste,

Lucas gave him a quick salute and dashed back up the stream.

At a break in the foliage he jumped onto dry land and began the tiring task of driving

through the dense jungle. He didn't possess Adam's strength and soon found himself gasping for
breath, his lungs burning and forearms stinging with cuts caused by shoving aside heavy palm
leaves. The horse tail dildo still banged against his tailbone, an ominous reminder that he needed
to find that flag and find it soon.

He stumbled through a dense corridor of overgrowth, his sandals sinking into thick mud.

Clutched by the sucking mud, he stopped to work his feet free.

"There you are."
Lucas had time to raise his head before he was tackled forward into the mud. He

managed to keep his face out of the muck but the rest of his body was shoved into the soft, thick
mass which immediately sealed around his limbs like quick-setting concrete. He bucked in an
attempt to throw off the body that covered him from hip to shoulder but an arm curled around his
neck and tightened. Choking, he fell still.

"Ready to get ridden, pony?"
Donahue's erection dug into Lucas' right buttock. The dildo the man wore around his

waist slid down the side of his body, falling with a dull thud against Lucas' so that the two toys
dangled like rabbit's feet against their hips.

"Is this the only way you get any action?" Lucas wheezed as he struggled for air. "Raping

guys in the jungle?"

"You should have come over to my side, Lucas. I was ready to give you a friendly

welcome. Instead you ran back to Adam. Stupid choice."

"I did it because you're a liar."
Donahue chuckled, his breath warm and moist against Lucas' ear. "So I exaggerated. Big

deal. But you were still dumb to go back to them. Instead of prancing around like a pirate fag
you could have been pulling Benjamins in my shop."

"I'm not a whore," Lucas gritted out. His muddy fingers strained against Donahue's arm,

trying to ease the pressure against his neck. "Keep your money."

"Back in the old days they'd charge extra to fuck a virgin," Donahue told him. "Since

you're not willing to sell I guess I'm lucky. I get your cherry for free."

Lucas wasn't a small guy. He fought Donahue for all he was worth. But Donahue was

bigger and stronger, nearly as bulky as Adam. He rode Lucas' struggles, pinning him down and
holding on until Lucas exhausted himself with a bleat of frustration.

"Shhh, you're gonna like it," Donahue taunted in a low voice as Lucas trembled beneath

him.

He forced his legs between Lucas', spreading them wide in the mud, splaying him like a

frog. Naked, Lucas felt sickeningly vulnerable as Donahue pressed up against his ass, the man's
cock lodging into his crease and resting there like a hot poker.

"I could do this the hard way," Donahue told him as he reached down with his free hand

and grabbed one of the dildos, "but I won't. I want to make you like this, Lucas. I want you to
come back to me for more. Once you've had me you won't want anyone else. So I'm not going to
hurt you."

"The fuck you're not," Lucas panted, his heartbeat pounding so loud in his ears that his

head throbbed with it.

He twitched violently when he felt the slick rubber dildo against his crease. "I won't tear

you," Donahue said. As he kept Lucas' legs spread, he rubbed the grease off of the dildo onto
Lucas' hole and against the back of his balls.

Lucas' mouth filled with saliva. He was sure he was going to throw up. He clenched his

eyes shut and strained against the other man. He nearly strangled himself against Donahue's
restraining arm.

"Quit it," Donahue said sharply and pressed his thumb against Lucas' pucker. "This is just

a fuck. It's not going to kill you. Relax."

It's more than that, Lucas thought desperately. His fingernails dug into Donahue's arm to

no effect. Suddenly he wished he'd given in to Adam's overtures. If he had the chance to do it
over again he'd gladly beg Adam to take his virginity. He respected Adam. Hell, he was in lust
with him. He could admit it. He didn't want to give this moment to Donahue. Not to a stranger...

He hissed as Donahue slid his thumb into his ass. He couldn't help clenching around the

invader which only made him feel its presence more. Though it was nearly the same thing that
had been done to him in Tyler and Adam's bedroom, for some reason this violation felt a
thousand times worse.

"Yeah, you're gonna be tight," Donahue breathed, his voice thick with excitement. He

slid his thumb in and out of Lucas for a minute, the motion somewhat eased by the lube. "Ease
up, baby. You'll snap me off if you keep clenching and it won't feel too good for you either."

"Fuck you," Lucas spat, but his voice shook. He was terrified and humiliated down to his

bones.

"In a minute," Donahue said with a raspy laugh. "I need to stretch you out first, baby, or

this is going to be one of the worst experiences of your life."

"It already is, asshole!"
Donahue's arm tightened around his throat. Lucas choked, clawing at the other man's

arm. He barely felt it when Donahue withdrew his thumb but he definitely felt it when the biker
gang leader pressed the head of his cock to Lucas' entrance.

"No," Lucas choked out.
"Shhh, I'll just put the tip in," Donahue said.
Lucas clenched against the pressure even though he knew that if Donahue succeeded in

breaching him he'd end up bruised or torn because of the resistance . It was impossible not to
fight it though. Lucas had never wanted to be at a man's mercy this way -- not until Adam had
stormed into his life and staked claim. If Lucas was going to go all the way he wanted to do it
with Adam, whom he trusted and liked. Even Tyler was better. Tyler would be fucking great,
actually. Or Ben. Anyone other than Donahue, fucking him in the mud out in the jungle.

A grunt of panic burst from Lucas' pursed lips as Donahue rocked his hips, trying to force

himself past the tight clench of his sphincter.

"Open up," Donahue demanded, breathing heavily. "I swear I'll tear you apart if you don't

let me in, Lucas."

The pressure against his body and his spread open position did Lucas no favors. He

gasped in panic as he felt the head of Donahue's dick begin to penetrate him. It started to burn--

"You're fucking sick, Rory."
Donahue startled enough that his cock jerked out of Lucas' stretching hole and skidded up

the crease of his ass. He and Lucas both looked up.

Tyler stood ten feet away in the jungle.

"Oh, Ty," Donahue said with a breathless laugh. "Are you jealous? Don't worry, baby. I'll

give you your turn. I know how much you crave a good dicking and Adam's used so many
steroids his pecker ain't worth shit these days."

"Get off him."
Lucas was proud of Tyler for not responding to the insult to Adam. He could tell the

accusation of steroid abuse pissed Tyler off.

Donahue shifted and humped his cock against Lucas' ass. "Come on and make me. Do

you have a spine somewhere or has Adam finally beaten it out of you?"

"I'm serious, Rory. Get off him. This is fucked up even for you."
"Is it?" Lucas tensed with disgust as Donahue licked a stripe up his cheek. "What if I

offered you seconds, Ty? He won't be a virgin but I'll be careful with him and make sure he's still
tight for you."

Tyler's laugh was hoarse. "No thanks."
"No? Then how about we spit-roast him? He's a virgin. He's never had that done to him."

Donahue paused though he continued to grind his cock against Lucas' ass. "I bet you're jealous
that Adam has the hots for him. In fact I know you are. So do this with me. You take his mouth
while I take his ass. We'll make it rough, really fuck the shit out of him. It'll fuck him over good,
probably make him leave the island. How does that sound to you? "

Lucas looked up at Tyler with pleading eyes, afraid that the other blond, in his hatred of

him, would seriously consider the offer. The darkness concealed Tyler's expression.

"I know you don't like him, Tyler. The entire island knows it. Lucas is the new golden

boy of the pirate crew. He's a fucking virgin. We both know how badly Adam wants to tap this.
And I'm betting money he wants to do it more than once."

"Tyler, don't listen to him! You know he's just--" Lucas choked as Donahue tightened his

arm.

"Shhh," Donahue murmured to him. "Tyler and I are talking. We're planning how we're

going to fuck the shit out of you, Lucas. Kindly don't interrupt." He planted a kiss on Lucas'
temple. "Now, where was I? Oh, yeah. Tyler, in one night we can get rid of Lucas forever. Either
he'll come over to my gang because he's too ashamed to rejoin the pirates or he'll leave the island
for good. It just depends on how you and I use him tonight. Do we break him or do we humiliate
him? I'm good with either as long as I get my dick up inside him. It's your call."

Lucas snarled with rage at the words. He clawed Donahue's arm with his fingernails,

digging bloody furrows. Donahue cursed and punched him in the kidney. Pain exploded in
Lucas' back. He curled up as much as he could, clutching mud.

"Tyler--" he pleaded through the pain. "Don't--"
"If we do this," Tyler said to Donahue in a strange, flat voice, "we both get what we

want."

Donahue surged against Lucas in his excitement. "Yes."
"You always get what you want, don't you, Rory?"
"Sounds like I will tonight." Donahue chuckled.
"But yet you didn't get Adam," Tyler went on, "and I've decided you're not getting Lucas

either. I think you're psychotic as fuck. There's no way I'm helping you with anything."

"You gonna fight me, Tyler?" Donahue demanded in a dark, eager voice. "Come on,

pussy. I'll fuck you both over. Adam'll just love that. Both his boys, broken on my dick."

"In your dreams," Tyler sneered. He raised his arm over his head. Lucas heard a strange

whirring sound.

Donahue lifted his head. "What the hell is--"
Something sliced through the air, wicking through Lucas' hair, nearly scalping him. It

struck Donahue directly between the eyes. The impact, which sounded like a golf ball hitting a
coconut, dropped Donahue like a stone. He collapsed on Lucas' back, dead weight. Something
slithered across the back of Lucas' neck. It was a length of rope.

Lucas pushed Donahue's slack arm away from his throat and drew in a huge lungful of

air. He quickly rolled to the side, dumping Donahue's body face first into the mud. Next to his
head lay what must have been Tyler's horse tail dildo.

Wincing from his bruised kidney and the soreness between his legs, Lucas pushed up

onto hands and knees and looked up into the jungle.

"I found the flag," Tyler told him bluntly. "It's up ahead."
"You could have grabbed it and won," Lucas said, bewildered. "Why didn't you?"
"Why are you complaining, new guy? If I'd gone for it you would've been fucked here in

the mud like a pig."

"I-I'm not complaining. Hell. Of course I'm not. Tyler, you saved me."
"I only did it for Adam," Tyler muttered, turning away. "And because I hate Rory to the

bottom of my soul. Not even you deserve to be fucked by him."

"Tyler, wait."
The blond didn't, of course. That was asking too much. Lucas staggered to his feet and

pushed into the jungle after the other man. Tyler had already put distance between them. Lucas
fought through the leaves and vines to catch up. Tyler made it easy by pausing in front of a
shadowy alcove formed by a pair of bent, twisted trees. The triangular space between them was
brightened by a canvas yellow flag planted into the loamy earth.

Tyler looked back at him. "I won."
Lucas nodded, unsure of the mood between them. "You did. Grab it before any of

Donahue's guys get here."

He watched Tyler approach the alcove and reach into the shadows. He plucked the flag

from the ground. Tied to the tip of it on a string was a whistle. Tyler put it to his lips and blew
for two seconds. The sound tore through the jungle like an arrow. Lucas slumped in relief.

"You owe me, new guy."
He tensed as Tyler paced back to him, the flag clutched in his right hand. Lucas could

finally make out the other blond's expression now that he was closer. Tyler looked strangely
defiant, as if he expected Lucas to argue with him.

Lucas had no intention of doing so. "I do, Tyler. You saved my ass. Literally. I should

have known you’d--"

"I didn't do it for you," Tyler snapped.
Sighing, Lucas nodded. "Okay, okay. I get it. You did it for Adam and yourself. There's

no way I'd believe you'd do anything for my sake, Tyler. Relax."

"I could have done what he said," Tyler sneered.
"What? Who? Donahue?"
Tyler stopped mere inches from Lucas. Still tense, Lucas half expected the other man to

stab him with the flag.

"It would have been smarter for me to join him in fucking you," Tyler said in a low,

spitting snarl. "Give you a taste of your own medicine."

Lucas didn't flinch away. "Maybe you're right. I deserve a good ass-kicking after the way

I acted with you. I'm sorry. I was stupid. I didn't know how to handle it so I decided to blow it
instead."

"Yeah, you really blew it." Tyler's expression was ugly.
But the angrier Tyler became the more Lucas became convinced that Tyler had hoped for

the exact opposite to happen between them.

"You're pissed off because you like me," Lucas said, amazed.
Something bright and vulnerable ran across Tyler's face and hid behind his stone gray

eyes. "If I've ever been nice to you, new guy, it's because Adam wanted me to. Everything I do, I
do for him. Not for you."

"He wasn't there when we kissed," Lucas reminded him.
Tyler's lips whitened. "I was just trying to fuck with your head."
"But you ended up screwing with your own instead," Lucas pointed out. He reached out

and caught Tyler by the arm. The bicep flexed beneath his grip, ready to throw him off. "Don't
fight me, Ty. We've already proved neither of us can beat the other."

Tyler's expression twisted again. Lucas watched, frustrated and fascinated by Tyler's

inability to let go of his anger or conceal it.

"I should have let Rory have you," Tyler repeated in disgust.
Lucas mentally kicked himself for what he was about to say but he needed to see

something other than hate on Tyler's face. "Or you should have taken me for yourself."

Tyler's bark of incredulous laughter didn't do any good for Lucas' ego. "As if I wanted

you."

"What if you could have me right now? Here in the dark with no one to interrupt us?"
When Tyler's lip started to curl into its familiar sneer, Lucas said quickly, "I'd let you hurt

me if that got you off."

He didn't really mean it. He wasn't a masochist as far as he knew, but he needed to say

something that would startle a fresh reaction out of Tyler. The one he received however, wasn't
what he'd wanted.

"Fuck you," Tyler spat at him. "You're trying to trick me. You're setting me up so Adam

will side with you against me." It was him who did the grabbing suddenly, ripping Lucas' hand
off his arm and bending it backwards, making Lucas hiss with pain. "If I ever fucked you," Tyler
whispered harshly, "you'd remember it for the rest of your life and you'd miss me when I left
you." His face darkened. "But that won't ever happen, new guy, because you're staying the hell
away from me, you got that? The kiss was a mistake and it will never happen again. I'm here for
Adam, not for you."

"And what if I'm with Adam?" Lucas goaded him. "Where would you fit in then, Tyler?"
Tyler's mouth worked as if he had so many insults balanced on his tongue they'd become

tangled together and he couldn't spit them out.

"Maybe we can make this work after all," Lucas went on, daring Tyler to look away.

"You, me and Adam. The three of us together."

Tyler jerked his head away, hiding his expression. He let go of Lucas' hand and staggered

backwards. As Lucas wrung out his sore wrist, Tyler quickly put distance between them and
raised the whistle to his lips again.

The shrill ring of the whistle drew an answering shout from the jungle. Tyler looked

relieved that they'd soon be found. Lucas wrapped his arms around himself and told himself not
to be disappointed.

"The three of us."
Lucas looked up, surprised that Tyler had spoken.
The other blond snorted. "You're stupid as hell, new guy. It would never work."
"Who are you trying to convince?" Lucas asked him.
Shadows hid Tyler's face. "I hate you."
Lucas smiled tiredly. "You wish."
The jungle shook around them and soon men began to spill out of it. Lucas shared one

last shadowed look with Tyler before turning to greet their crewmates.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Surprisingly, it was Hewie who was the first to find Tyler and Lucas. Lucas would have

bet money his pot smoking friend wouldn't have had the lungs for such a difficult jungle trek, but
clearly the man possessed mystical hidden reserves. He gave Lucas and Tyler a salute before
dropping to a cross-legged position on the ground and pulling a barrette from his hair which
incidentally also held a roach. Lucas didn't know where Hewie had hidden the lighter which he
also produced with and knew better than to ask.

As they waited in a growing haze of smoke, the others trickled in. The fallout from the

pony games was relatively minor for Adam's crew: two pirates from Cottage 20 were collared;
Orinth stubbed his toe and was collared; Peter and Dean were scraped up but managed to avoid
being collared; Ben snagged one of Donahue's ponies and forced him to dance a jig for the
pirates' amusement before releasing him. Kip had unfortunately been caught by two of
Donahue's ponies although the smug smile he wore suggested to Lucas he'd actually enjoyed the
treatment he'd received from his Masters.

The most serious injury was Adam's, and Lucas was swamped with guilt when the big

man finally joined the pirate group, holding his left arm against his rib cage.

"Please tell me it's not your shoulder," Lucas said, hurrying up to him.
Tyler elbowed Lucas out of the way and placed his hands gingerly on Adam's arm while

the rest of the crew gathered worriedly around their captain. "What happened?"

"The game is what happened, Tyler. And no, Lucas, it's not dislocated. I think I strained

my bicep."

Although Lucas breathed a sigh of relief that the injury wasn't more serious, Tyler was

still obviously pissed.

"This happened because you were trying to protect the new guy. What a bullshit decision

that was. What if this affects your performance in the show? You're more important than he is,
Adam!"

"Hey, now, Adam did the right thing," Kip spoke up as he snapped off the collar from

around his throat. "It's not Lucas' fault he got hurt."

"It sure as hell is his fault," Tyler snapped back, shooting a glare at Kip. "Adam should

have let him fend for himself."

Adam took in the mud covering Lucas from foot to neck. "From the looks of it he needed

all the help he could get. I'd say things worked out as well as they could have."

"But you're hurt!"

"And Lucas didn't get attacked and you found the flag," Adam said calmly, "which is

exactly what I'd hoped would happen."

A hand landed on Lucas' shoulder. It belonged to a concerned-looking, very muddy Ben.

"Is that true? They didn't touch you?"

Lucas felt his face flushing. The soreness in his ass flared painfully even though Donahue

hadn't torn him. The attack hadn't been a big deal a few minutes ago when it was just him and
Tyler talking, but suddenly he felt nauseous and ashamed, as if the other guys could tell just by
looking at him what Donahue had threatened to do to him.

His shoulder twitched violently without his control, dislodging Ben's hand. Ben raised his

eyebrows in surprise. Kip too, frowned at him, his gaze questioning. Lucas looked away, afraid
to meet the eyes he could feel studying him critically.

"Donahue fucked around with him but I knocked him out before anything happened,"

Tyler said, dismissive. "The new guy doesn't need any more attention, for fuck's sake. He already
thinks he's the center of the universe."

It was, strangely enough, one of the kindest things anyone done for him in a long time.

That it was Tyler who'd deflected the attention wasn't lost on Lucas and it made him feel
depressed.

"I'm ready for a shower if we can go now?" he asked of no one in particular. His skin felt

itchy and he wanted to crawl out of it. He needed, suddenly, to get the hell out of the jungle and
far away from Donahue and his gang.

"I think that's a good idea," he heard Adam say. "I'm muddier than a boar." Then the

bigger man was beside him and murmuring, "You'll ride back with me, Lucas."

Lucas winced, bracing himself for Tyler's outburst since it meant the platinum blond

would have to ride with Kip. But oddly enough he heard nothing from Tyler. Not wanting to
press his luck, Lucas responded to Adam's nudge and trudged back through the jungle by his
side.

They met a group of Donahue's men in the jungle but not Rory himself, who was

presumably still knocked out cold in the mud. Lucas felt concern for the man but that concern
was fleeting, chased away by the memory of what Donahue had nearly succeeded in doing to
him. He wanted to go back and smash Donahue's face in the mud as a matter of fact, but he didn't
think Adam would approve the violence.

A handful of insults between the two groups were exchanged but nothing worse. The

pirates dumped their horsetail dildos in a pile for the other men to collect and clean -- a chore
Lucas didn't envy. After a slippery trek down a hill to avoid having to climb down the waterfall,
they eventually made it to the motorcycles. They dressed and Lucas helped Adam put on his
helmet before climbing behind him onto the bike. The relief he felt when he curled his arms
around Adam's trunk-like torso was profound. He'd never before gained a sense of security from
a man. Sitting behind Adam with the jungle looming around them, Lucas did.

Before he closed his eyes he noticed Tyler's eyes him. It annoyed him. Tyler was no

doubt gathering ammunition to be used against him later. When would the antagonism ever end?
Lucas had tried his best to make peace. What more could he do? All at once he was too worn-out
to care. He kept his eyes closed as Adam drove them out of the jungle. He allowed the smooth
motion of the motorcycle as it hugged the curves to lull him into a meditative state in which he
thought of nothing and no one.

It worked so well that he raised his head in surprise when they reached the shell gravel

road leading up to the cottages. He hadn't realized how far they'd driven nor did he know how his

head had come to be been resting against the back of Adam's shoulder. Embarrassed, he leaned
away as Adam pulled the bike into the driveway.

He dismounted and started to walk past Adam to the front door but the other man caught

him by the elbow.

"Use the shower in my room," Adam told him. "Let Kip have yours."
"But what about you and Tyler?"
"I need to talk to him so you may as well use the shower while we're busy."
"But--"
"Just do it, Lucas."
Considering how Adam had defended him tonight Lucas didn't feel he was in any

position to refuse the man anything. He nodded dully and headed inside.

He didn't take the time to look around Adam and Tyler's room while he stripped. He

cared only about washing off the mud and the residual memory of Donahue's touch from his
body. He turned the water to as hot as he could stand and stood beneath the spray with gritted
teeth. Long after the water swirling down the drain ran clear and his skin was bright red did he
finally end the torture. He dried himself off and lacking any clean clothes, wrapped a towel
around his waist and left the bathroom.

Adam was by the dresser digging through one of the drawers. He was naked. The

bedroom door was closed with no sign of Tyler. Adam glanced up and whistled at the hue of
Lucas' skin.

"That bad, huh?"
Before Lucas could find a reply, he said, "Here." He tossed a set of gym shorts that by

their size appeared to belong to Tyler. "Put these on and hang out while I rinse off."

"Adam, I'm just gonna go back to my room."
"You can do that after we talk." Adam patted him on the shoulder as he passed. "Chill

out, Lucas. A few minutes won't kill you."

Adam didn't seem to understand that Lucas was trying to avoid having to deal with a

pissed-off Tyler when he came in and found Lucas lounging around in their bed while wearing
his clothes. Was Adam willfully blind or something? As the bigger man climbed into the shower,
Lucas gave up and decided to just go with the flow. Let Tyler bitch and moan. He was beyond
caring. He pulled on the shorts -- definitely Tyler's; they fit him perfectly -- and took a seat on
the end of the king-sized bed.

The sound of the water splashing off Adam's body was soothing. Soon Lucas felt his

body relaxing. He was tired. Bone deep tired. Too tired actually, to care about repercussions as
he lay back on the bed and pulled the top sheet around his shoulders.

He must have drifted off because he awoke to the feeling of the mattress dipping behind

him.

"Are you asleep?" Adam asked softly.
Lucas opened his eyes and stared at the wall where Adam's photographs of the crew

hung. All of the smiling faces left him feeling depressed and ostracized.

"What happened back in the jungle, Lucas?" Adam's voice was a warm burr against his

skin. Lucas was reminded of thick sweaters and the warm spots left in the sheets when his ex-
girlfriend rolled out of bed in the mornings.

"Tell me," Adam repeated when Lucas didn't answer him.

Lucas wondered what would happen if he never answered, if he remained burrowed

beneath the sheets. At some point Adam would have to forcibly eject him from the room. Would
he also throw Lucas out of the house?

The question was moot when Adam's hand curved around the back of his skull. Maybe it

was the size of Adam's hand, so large it covered much of Lucas' skull. Or maybe it was the
unexpectedly tender weight of his touch, as if he cradled an ostrich egg. Either way, the contact
broke the film of tension that had been wrapped around Lucas since leaving the jungle.

"Donahue," was all he said, his voice rougher than he wanted it to be. It was so rough in

fact, that he was pretty sure he didn't need to say anything more for Adam to understand.

"How far did he go?" Adam asked softly.
Lucas shrugged but the motion was tight and his shoulders remained hunched up around

his neck.

Adam's fingers flexed against his skull in a gentle massage. "Did he penetrate you?"
"I'm not a fucking girl!" The sheets strained beneath his fingers. He wished he were

strong enough to tear the fabric.

"I didn't say you are," Adam replied calmly. "I asked if he'd penetrated you. It's a

reasonable question. It was his goal for the night and Tyler said Rory managed to catch you at
some point." He paused, waiting for Lucas to argue. When Lucas remained mute he continued.
"I'm asking what happened after he caught you. By the way you're reacting I'm going to assume
Rory did something."

"I should have been the one to knock him out," Lucas gritted out. "If I'd had the chance I

would have. I would have kicked his ass."

"But you didn't have the chance, did you? That's why you're so angry right now. I get it,

Lucas."

"I don't want your pity or your sympathy, Adam!" Lucas rolled away from him -- or at

least he tried to. Adam grabbed him and pulled him back despite his struggles, bringing them
chest to back with Adam's thick arm curled across Lucas' chest.

"Then what do you want?" Adam asked against the back of his head.
"I don't want anything from you. Fucking let me out of this bed!"
He drove his elbow back into Adam's ribs and pulled free. As he scrambled across the

bed Adam caught him by the ankle. Lucas kicked back reflexively, his heel hitting muscle.

"Fuck!" Adam grunted.
Lucas looked back over his shoulder. Adam was sitting up, his left arm tucked against his

side while he massaged his left bicep.

"Oh, shit." Lucas crawled back to him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kick you there, Adam,

I swear."

Adam shook his head. "I know that, man, relax."
"I'm really sorry."
"Forget it."
As he continued to massage his arm he studied Lucas. "You're supposed to trust me,

remember?"

Lucas scrubbed his face. "Yeah. I remember saying that I did. And I do." He collapsed to

the bed again, half hiding his face in the bedding. He expected Adam to lie down with him again
but the other man remained sitting upright, slowly massaging his arm.

Silence fell between them. Lucas knew what Adam was waiting for but Lucas needed to

take his time. He lay there and breathed deeply of the sheets which smelled like Adam and like

Tyler too. It was a comforting scent, maybe because he'd been here before or because he could
finally admit to his attraction to both men. He could admit too, that he thought about what it
would be like to be in this bed with them, the three of them doing... whatever.

"Rory didn't rape me," he said quietly into the sheets. "He just -- he stuck his thumb into

me like I was a fucking pie and talked a lot of trash."

Heat rushed to his face again. He fought the urge to pull the sheets up over his head. "He

didn't do that much. I mean, you and Tyler have done as much and I was fine with it. Well, I was
pissed but not like this. When Rory did it -- I don't know. I don't hate a lot of people but I hated
him tonight, Adam. I wanted to hurt him. Badly."

"He made you feel helpless."
He rolled it around in his head. "Maybe. I guess so. Being a guy, it's not something I'm

used to. He made me feel like a girl and I--" Lucas had to take a deep breath to calm himself
down. "I didn't like it." He raised his eyes. "I'm not a girl, Adam. I don't want to be treated like
one."

"Then I'll make sure no one does."
It was stated baldly, like there was nothing more complicated about it. And maybe there

wasn't. Maybe wanting to fool around with Adam, to possibly at some point have full-on
penetrative sex with him, didn't mean Lucas would have to be treated like a girl even if Adam
was the alpha of all alphas.

He drew circles on the sheets with his forefinger, unable to meet Adam's eyes as he said,

"Can I ask you a personal question?"

"You can ask me anything, Lucas. I'll be as honest as I can be."
"Have you ever been the guy on the bottom?"
"A couple of times," Adam admitted, "when I was much younger and figuring out what I

liked."

"So I take it you didn't like being the one who had to...?"
"Not really. It didn't do much for me. It wasn't painful or anything but a lot of sex is

mental, and I learned that I'm mentally aroused when I'm in control. I like to use my strength. I
like holding a guy down and watching him lose it because of what I'm doing to him. Having a
guy surrender to me in bed is nearly as good as the orgasm itself."

Trying not to show that Adam's words were getting to him, Lucas nodded. "So you

always do it that way. You don't switch."

"It's a preference, that's all. Just like it's Tyler's preference to let me direct things. He's

brought other guys back here and I've watched him dominate them. It's fun and it's good to have
that variety every once in a while. It's not really what makes him the most happy though. He
sometimes forgets the point."

Lucas looked at Adam, curious. "What does that mean?"
Adam was no longer massaging his bicep but his fingers smoothed over the swell of

muscle absently while his gaze lost focus. "Tyler has issues with power. He felt like he lost a lot
of it when his ex left him for a woman. It humiliated him on a lot of levels. It was pretty fucked
up and I hope one day I'll run into the douche and let him know how I feel about what he did to
Ty."

Smiling at himself, Adam shook his head. "Anyway, sometimes when Tyler tops a guy he

gets too aggressive. He and his ex used to switch, and I think that sometimes he fantasizes about
being with his ex again and taking out his anger on him in bed. It can be fun to watch and Tyler

never hurts whoever he's topping, but I know Ty's in another place mentally when it happens.
He's back with his ex, and that's not good for him."

"I can see how that'd be bad. But why would submitting to you be better? Isn't giving up

power to you what he's trying to avoid?"

Muscles rippled in Adam's abdomen as he shifted his position slightly on the bed. Lucas

was helpless to resist admiring the dark body on display before him. Adam was a veritable
granite carving, smooth and sleek but solid. He was the epitome of masculinity. It was slightly
awe-inspiring.

"There are different types of power though," Adam explained. "There's the kind that's

used to humiliate people -- like what Rory did to you tonight."

"Yeah," Lucas breathed, his body tensing. "That was definitely the wrong kind of power."
"You and Ty could probably share war stories," Adam said.
Lucas snorted. "I'll take you word for it that he has experience."
"Another kind of power is used to make someone else feel weak because the user isn't

totally confident in his own power. I'm sure you've run into plenty of guys like that. A lot of
bullies and homophobes are like that."

Lucas nodded.
"And then there's the kind of power that's used to make other people feel relaxed. The

kind that allows them to let go and surrender themselves. That's the kind that turns me on, Lucas.
That's what makes Tyler feel good and not stomped on. It's what I want to use on you. I think
you're curious about exploring it too."

Lucas opened his mouth to speak but Adam cut him off. "It has nothing to do with

turning you into the girl. I can't use this kind of power on women. I'd worry about hurting them. I
want someone who can take what I give them. Who's strong enough. They won't bruise too
easily and won't become afraid when I let out my primal side. I've never compared the guy I'm
fucking with a girl. Nothing I do in bed I'd ever do to a girl. Well, unless it's dirty talk." Adam's
grin was wide and lecherous.

Wondering if he should have tried that kind of dirty talk with Ben, Lucas smiled to

himself.

"What's so funny?"
"Just thinking about Ben. I had sex with him. He was my first guy."
Adam's grin widened. "You liked it."
"Of course. But it was easier. I was the guy doing it."
"It can be easy being the bottom too." Adam leaned forward, bracing his arms next to

Lucas. "You just have to be with the right top."

With Adam looming over him, blocking out the overhead light, Lucas thought he should

be nervous. And he was slightly nervous but with anticipation of the unknown, not with fear.

"You're thinking about it," Adam murmured as he crawled forward.
Lucas, lying on his side, was afraid to move even though he had a feeling Adam would

prefer him on his back or stomach. He watched from the corner of his eye as Adam straddled
him on hands and knees. The heat wafting off the bigger man's body made Lucas begin to sweat.
Or maybe it was from nerves. Or lust. Lucas couldn't differentiate at the moment.

He remained stiff as Adam lowered his upper body until his nose pushed through the hair

just above Lucas' ear.

"Rory hurt you when he shoved his thumb into you," Adam said softly. "I want to show

you that it can feel good when something goes inside your body."

A shudder rippled through Lucas' body. "I'm not so sure I'm ready to learn that."
"I've fucked a lot of guys," Adam whispered, his lips grazing the top of Lucas' ear. "I

know what I'm doing. I know how to make it feel so good you'll beg me for more. I can make
you regret all those years you spent on women."

Lucas laughed hoarsely, sharply aware that the front of his shorts was tenting. "I don't

know, Adam. I really liked having sex with girls. A lot."

"You'll like my cock up your ass even better," Adam promised in a hot rush of air.
Lucas gripped the sheets and shuddered.
"Yeah," Adam sighed against his ear. He lowered his hips so the bulk hanging beneath

the loose fabric of his gym shorts rested like a steel pipe against Lucas' top hip.

"Feel me," Adam whispered. "Feel how hard I am for you."
Lucas closed his eyes, battered beneath the waves of heat and lust building up between

them. His skin pebbled as Adam's fingers grazed his ribcage and slid down to slip beneath the
waistband of the shorts he wore.

"Let me take these off you, Lucas."
He wanted it. Maybe. It was hard to think with Adam breathing on him and his long

black hair which smelled of herbal shampoo trailing teasingly over Lucas' shoulder.

"I'm not ready," Lucas choked out. "I'm not sure I -- I don't know."
Adam's fingers brushed back and forth against the skin covering his hip. "I think you're

more than ready." His voice was liquid sin and Lucas wanted to drink. Hell, he wanted to drown.

But he was afraid.
"I'm not ready to -- go all the way." He swallowed. "Not after Rory. Not tonight."
Adam crawled slowly down his body, pausing to press a kiss to the skin above the shorts.

"I'll make it better, Lucas. I promise. Relax and trust me."

He could have resisted. He could have said no very firmly, confident Adam would

respect the refusal.

Or would Adam listen? It was that sliver of doubt that Adam would do whatever he

wanted despite Lucas' protests that worried him and yet paradoxically turned him into a bolt of
excited nerves. Was this what it felt like for Tyler, to wonder if big, strong Adam would one
night go too far? Was this what kept Tyler bound to him -- not the worry of too much but the
promise of it?

"Lift up," Adam urged softly, patting Lucas' ass.
After a moment's hesitation Lucas lifted his hips and allowed Adam to strip Tyler's shorts

off his body. His cock, full and stiff, slapped against his lower belly.

"Nice," Adam said in approval as he returned to his crouched position over Lucas' legs.
Lucas dared a quick look at him. Adam's eyes were fixed on his cock and the hunger

there -- Lucas had to look away again, unnerved that another guy could want him that badly.

"Trust me," Adam said again. "I want you to roll onto your stomach and spread your legs

for me."

Lucas' heart jumped into the base of his throat. "You've gotta be kidding."
"I'm not going to fuck you. Not the way you think."
"What does that mean?" Lucas asked around a strained laugh.
"Lucas."
Abashed, he looked down his body at Adam. The other man didn't need to say a word.

Why was Lucas here if he wasn't willing to trust?

Calling himself an idiot, he slowly rolled onto his stomach.

It was surreal to find himself on his belly, naked, with a gay man crouched between his

legs. And yet Lucas was as hard as a rock, the sheets damp beneath his cock, the skin of his face
hot with arousal. He shivered as Adam took hold of his ankles and slowly pulled them further
apart, each inch ratcheting up Lucas' anxiety. He hadn't felt this vulnerable even with Donahue.
With all the lights on and no mud to conceal him Lucas bared more to Adam than he had to any
man or woman, ever.

He pulled the nearest pillow to him and stuffed it beneath his chest, giving him something

to squeeze as Adam slid his palms up his calves.

"Relax," Adam murmured again.
Right. Except it was impossible with Adam's large hands sliding progressively higher.

They ghosted across the insides of his knees, stroking gently and causing him to squirm. They
slid up to the backs of his thighs where they paused and kneaded his hamstrings. Lucas imagined
Adam's eyes on his body, on his spread buttocks and what lay between... he felt a twinge of
remembered soreness.

"Relax."
The faint ring of authority in the order allowed him to do exactly as Adam said. He

closed his eyes and let his head drop forward. Adam's hands climbed higher. Lucas tried not to
tense as they skirted over the sensitive skin just beneath his buttocks. Then they were there on his
ass, pushing the globes up and apart.

"Oh, god," he whispered, clutching the pillow for dear life.
There wasn't an actual breeze in the room but Lucas still flinched as if a tornado had

blown across his hole. It felt like he was gaping wide open and Adam was right there, staring at
him.

He started to turn his head, unable to take it any longer, when something wet slid across

the puckered skin.

"Fuck!"
He jerked forward but Adam pulled him back down the bed. The wetness slithered across

him again and Lucas couldn't mistake what he'd felt for anything else.

"Adam," he moaned as the other man licked him again, lingering to swirl his tongue

delicately around the rim of his hole. "That's so -- fuck."

"Yes, it is," Adam said and dragged the tip of his tongue across Lucas' hole and down the

delicate skin of his perineum.

Lucas tried to keep his cool but it was all but impossible. He rutted against the bed

without thought, arching his back so he could thrust his ass back into Adam's face. Adam didn't
seem to mind, burying his face deep between Lucas' ass cheeks and licking and sucking with
loud, lewd sounds that made Lucas go just a little bit crazy.

When the finger slid into him his jaw fell slack, a moan rolling freely off his tongue. It

was nothing like Donahue's assault in the mud and it wasn't even like when Tyler had done it to
him in this very bed. Slicked and loosened, Lucas' body greedily sucked in Adam's finger and the
fluttering tongue that sought to open him even further. It was like he was born to take it up the
ass.

"Adam," he groaned. He couldn't control the quiver in his voice.
The other man hummed against him while he thrust his tongue inside, fucking just a little

bit deeper. It was a dizzying sensation that left Lucas voracious. He needed more. He spread his
thighs and drew his knees up, too turned on to be embarrassed.

That is, until he heard a gasp in the room before Adam lifted his head and said, "Are you

going to just watch or are you going to join us?"

Lucas nearly gave himself whip lash when he flung his head around to look behind him.

To his horror he found Tyler leaning against the wall beside the door where he had an
unobstructed view of what Adam was doing to him.

Lucas' first instinct was to try to close his legs and roll away. But incredibly he managed

to override it and simply wait, his body trembling, to see what Tyler would do.

It was reassuring at least, to see that Tyler's cheeks were flushed and his gray eyes were

bright, if somewhat glazed. And there was no mistaking the lump in his shorts and what it meant.

"Come join us," Adam said casually as he bent down and bit lightly at Lucas' right butt

cheek. "He's soft and relaxed. Aren't you, Lucas?" He slapped Lucas' other cheek and Lucas
embarrassed himself by startling and then moaning. "See? He's in the mood to play, Ty."

Lucas didn't say a word. He'd said all he would back in the jungle. If Tyler was

determined to hate him Lucas wouldn't waste more energy trying to change his mind.

Even as he thought that though, he questioned how a man who claimed to hate him could

be so obviously turned on by the scene. Was it just because Adam was involved? Tyler and he
had a history of including other lovers. Did Tyler see Lucas as just another third wheel?

"I never wanted this," Tyler said in a low voice. His hands were behind him, spread

against the wall as if he were braced for a blow. "You know I didn't, Adam."

"But look at how ripe he is, Ty. Lucas wants his first time to be with us."
Lucas didn't bother arguing. The three of them knew it was pretty much true even if it

wouldn't happen this night.

"Don't you want to taste him, Ty?" Adam's voice was that of a siren's. He took his time

swirling his tongue in a tightening spiral around Lucas' hole. Lucas collapsed to the pillow again,
fighting and failing to hold back a whimper. "Don't you want to hear him make more of those
sounds?" Adam whispered. He slapped Lucas' ass again. The action was dirty and wrong but still
managed to make Lucas' breath hitch loudly enough for all three of them to hear it. "I think he
likes to be spanked."

Tyler shook his head, mute with anger or frustration -- Lucas wasn't sure which or

whether it mattered. His ability to care was diminishing with each flick and wiggle of Adam's
tongue. He closed his eyes and pushed back, wordlessly begging, unashamedly humping the bed.

"Look at him," Adam whispered, his breath moist on Lucas' hole. "Look how much he

wants it."

Tyler let slip a tiny sound of defeat.
Adam had talked about power and how he wanted to exert it over Lucas, but Lucas was

pretty sure much of the power in the room currently belonged to him. He undulated his body
against Adam's mouth, showing how much he enjoyed the careful penetration of his ass and
giving both men a glimpse of how his body would move if somebody dared to fuck him for real.

Above the pounding of his own blood he could hear Tyler panting and occasionally

releasing soft, muffled sounds. When Adam slid a second finger inside him, Lucas threw back
his head and gasped, "God, yes. Fuck me."

He didn't think he meant it. It was his body talking. But his body was in control and it

danced atop the sheets, making no secret of what it wanted.

"Say that again," Adam growled, his fingers digging into Lucas’ hips.
Lucas shuddered. All he could do was obey. "Fuck me…"

The bed dipped. He opened his eyes with effort. He expected to see Tyler crawling back

to join Adam but instead the blond stretched out head to head with Lucas.

Lucas didn't know what to make of it and he could barely think with Adam playing with

his ass. He could only stare back into Tyler's eyes as the other blond reached out and pushed his
thumb against Lucas' bottom lip.

"You think you're going to take him from me?" Tyler whispered. His eyes weren't bright,

they were fierce with jealousy and a hate Lucas wasn't convinced was entirely directed at him.

In answer, Lucas slipped his tongue out and curled it around the tip of Tyler's thumb.

Tyler gave him a narrow-eyed look in return and smeared his thumb across Lucas' mouth, nearly
cutting Lucas' lip on his teeth. "You asked for it, new guy."

He shifted and reached for both of Lucas' wrists, yanking them away from the pillow he

clutched and forcing them flat on the mattress. Adam chose that moment to suck hard at the ring
of Lucas' hole. Lucas parted his lips to moan. Tyler crushed his mouth over Lucas', eating the
sound.

The kiss was like being devoured too. Lucas tried to keep up with the aggressive kiss but

he could barely function when caught between the two men's attentions. Tyler forced his mouth
wider and Lucas could only surrender to it, letting Tyler push his head back as he fucked Lucas'
mouth with nothing close to love but with copious amounts of lust and confusion and probably
hate.

Lucas tried to pull away but Tyler was having none of it, keeping their mouths locked

and Lucas' hands pinned to the mattress. Behind, Adam hooked an arm beneath Lucas' waist and
pulled him to his knees. He crooked his fingers, stroking a place inside Lucas that had him
bucking between the two men and whimpering like the girl he desperately didn't want to be.

No, he thought. Not like this. But neither Tyler nor Adam could read his mind and

anyway his body was painting him a liar. Lucas was a writhing, twisting mass of sweat and heat
whose bones vibrated like pieces of crystal caught under too high a frequency. He could feel the
tension inside him climbing higher, carrying him to a point where the fall would surely shatter
him once one of them let go. Adam’s tongue was too deep, too wet. Tyler’s was too demanding,
too hungry. Together they were reducing him to a puddle of anxious need and desire.

"Christ," Adam gasped against Lucas' slick, loose hole. He plunged his fingers inside

Lucas, twisting them and finger-fucking him deeply. "One day this will be real. One day we'll do
this the real way."

Lucas wanted to ask what about this wasn't real since it was about to make him explode

but he couldn't speak with Tyler attacking his mouth and in the end there was no point. When
Adam reached between Lucas' legs and cupped his balls, Lucas was done for.

He moaned -- helplessly, nakedly, into Tyler's mouth, returning to him all the power he'd

thought he'd held over Tyler, revealing that he was the weak one. Tyler groaned in response, his
fingernails digging into the skin of Lucas' wrists. Lucas barely felt it because he was being
turned inside out by Adam's relentlessly plunging fingers which milked him, forcing out
shuddering spurts that striped the sheets with wetness.

A whine caught in Lucas' throat. He thrashed, trying to get away from the too intense

pleasure in his ass. Adam released him abruptly, allowing Lucas to collapse to the bed with his
trembling legs folded beneath him. When Tyler was suddenly torn away from his mouth Lucas
blinked up blearily and watched through a punch-drunk haze as Adam guided Tyler's swollen
mouth to the large erection jutting from between Adam's legs.

Lucas watched them. With his eyes falling closed it seemed like a dream, or like

watching scrambled porn on TV, glimpses of writhing bodies between the darkness of his lashes.

Adam threw back his head, the muscles in his chest and shoulders standing out sharply

beneath his skin. Tyler moaned around him in either pleasure or suffering. Mine, Lucas thought,
struck by a sudden wave of possessiveness. Then he was drifting away, falling asleep
accompanied by the sounds of their pleasure. Mine, he thought again, and carried that with him
into unconsciousness.

To be continued…

###

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