T A Chase Embrace My Reflection

MBRACE

EFLECTION

…The door clicked shut and Lucius turned, his breath catching at

the sight of Ronnie leaning against the door. Ronnie’s hands were
hidden behind him, causing his hips to angle forward in a way that
drew Lucius’ attention to the pronounced bulge at Ronnie’s groin
hidden under black velvet and whatever underwear he wore.

Lucius rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans and cleared his throat

again. Shit, he sounded like he had TB or something.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve put on some different clothes, but I only

have an hour between sets, and sometimes it’s difficult to get dressed
on my own. So I usually change right after my first set.” Ronnie
straightened and tugged his robe tight around him.

Lucius touched Ronnie’s hair as the slender man walked past him.

Ronnie froze as Lucius stroked his fingers over the waves of golden
brown.

“It’s as soft as I remembered it to be,” he said, savoring the

silkiness of the strands.

Ronnie made a noise, and Lucius realized what he was doing. He

jerked away his hand, trying not to notice the few strands caught in his
rough skin.

“I’m sorry, Ronnie. I didn’t mean to touch without asking. You

always had such beautiful hair.”

God, he was babbling. Why was he so nervous? It wasn’t like he

hadn’t faced uncomfortable situations before. He’d served as an MP in
the army for eight years before joining the New Orleans Police
Department. Yet something about Ronnie threw him off, and it wasn’t
just the clothing. It was Ronnie himself, bringing feelings Lucius
thought buried to the surface…

LSO

T. A. C

HASE

Air And Dreams

Allergies

Bastet

Be The Air For You

Bitter Creek’s Redemption

Duncan’s World

Freaks In Love

Lift Your Voice

Nick Of Time

Nowhere Diner: Finding Love

Revealing The Past

Shades Of Dreams

Soothe The Burn

Voice For The Silent

Wolf’s Survival

EMBRACE

MY REFLECTION

T. A. CHASE

MBER

UILL

RESS

, LLC

http://www.AmberQuill.com

MBRACE

EFLECTION

MBER

UILL

RESS

OOK

This book is a work of fiction.

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

author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously.

Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales,

or events is entirely coincidental.

Amber Quill Press, LLC

http://www.AmberQuill.com

No portion of this book may be transmitted or

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

writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief

excerpts used for the purposes of review.

ISBN 978-1-61124-063-4

PUBLISHED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Thank you to all my readers—

everything I write is ultimately for you.

And thank you, C,

for always understanding why I

need to write all the time.

EMBRACE MY REFLECTION

CHAPTER 1

The bright neon sign blinked on and off, bathing Lucius in red

for a second before casting him in shadows. He fidgeted, tugging
on his cuffs and glancing down the street.

“Honey, are you coming in? The show’s about to start.”
Blinking, he met the amused gaze of the bouncer at the door of

Cindi’s Cabaret. At six-four, no one ever called Lucius honey, but
the man had about three inches on Lucius and outweighed him by
about thirty pounds. Lucius figured that extra weight was all
muscle as well.

It didn’t matter how uncomfortable he felt about watching men

dressed as women. There were extenuating circumstances forcing
him to enter the building. He paid the cover charge and slipped
into the crowd. Lucius fought the urge to slap his forehead. God,

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he sounded like an obnoxious asshole.

He didn’t have any problem accepting the fact he was gay, but

going to see a show where men dressed as women freaked him out
a little bit. It was his problem to deal with, not anyone else’s, and
he wasn’t going to judge the men who did it. Not even if they liked
dressing in women’s clothes outside of work.

After finding a seat, he looked at the program sitting on his

table. He found the name he was looking for. Ms. Veronica Lake
would be performing in the first set. His heart skipped a beat.
Christ, one would think he was a kid with his first crush. Yet
Ronnie had been his first crush, first everything really, but ten
years without any contact should have dulled his reaction to even
just the thought of seeing Ronnie again.

“Can I get you something to drink?”
Lucius shot a look up at the waiter standing next to him. “Yeah,

I’ll have a whiskey straight up.”

“Okay. Be right back.”
He nodded, and scanned the crowd. It seemed busy for a

weeknight. It was a mixture of tourists, laughing uncomfortably at
each other, and regulars who came every week to watch their
favorite entertainers. The research Lucius had done before he
arrived at Cindi’s told him the cabaret was one of the most popular
nightspots in the French Quarter, which was saying a lot. On
weekends, it was standing room only, plus a waiting line outside
and down around the block.

The crowd parted for a moment and Lucius caught sight of a

man sitting at one of the VIP tables. Dressed all in black, big burly
bodyguards surrounded the man. Lucius shifted a little more into
the shadows enveloping his table. He didn’t want Cameron to see
him. Not yet anyway.

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“Here you go, sir. Would you like to pay as you go or start a

tab?”

“I’ll pay now. And I was wondering if you could do me a

favor.” Lucius pulled out cash to pay for the drink. He also set a
fifty-dollar bill on the waiter’s tray, along with a yellow paper rose
and a note. “Could you deliver this to Ms. Lake for me?”

The waiter looked unsure, and Lucius rushed to reassure him.

“I’m not a stalker.”

The young man’s eyebrows went up, drawing a strangled laugh

from Lucius.

“I’m sure you probably hear that a lot. I’m an old friend of Ms.

Lake’s. We went to high school together. I really need to talk to
her…or him. I’m not sure what Ronnie wants to be called
nowadays.” Lucius muttered the last part, not caring if the waiter
heard him.

Wary brown eyes studied him, and he couldn’t help but be glad

the workers at the cabaret took the performers’ safety and privacy
seriously. He pushed his coat out of the way and showed the waiter
his badge.

“I’m not looking to get Ronnie in trouble. I just would like to

talk to him/her, privately if I could.”

The guy nodded. “I’ll give it to Ms. Lake, but I can’t promise

she’ll want to talk to you. She’s busy.”

“I know and I’ll wait until she’s free. I’ll be enjoying the

show.”

He watched the waiter move away and sighed at how young the

kid looked. Maybe it wasn’t that the kid was young. Maybe it was
simply that Lucius felt old. Some days were worse than others, and
this was one of those days. Going into work this morning, he never
in a million years believed he’d end the night watching a drag

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show.

The lights dimmed even more and Lucius sipped his whiskey

as the first act came on. By the time Ronnie came on, Lucius had
had two drinks and was enjoying himself. The performers were
wonderfully talented, and he understood why Cindi’s had the
reputation it did.

When the waiter returned with his second drink, he told Lucius,

“Ms. Lake will see you after her set’s finished. Someone will come
and get you.”

“Thank you.” He tipped the man another ten.
The waiter shook his head. “I don’t know who you are, man,

but I’ve never seen Ronnie’s eyes light up like that. You must’ve
been a good friend of hers.”

“She was a better friend to me than I ever was to her.”
The club went dark and the crowd tensed, anticipation

weighing down the air.

“Now, gentlemen and ladies, the singer you’ve all been waiting

for…Ms. Veronica Lake.”

Lucius straightened, his breath catching in his chest. For the

past two years, since he’d returned to New Orleans, he’d wanted to
find Ronnie and talk to him, explain why he’d done what he’d
done, but he couldn’t find the courage. It seemed wrong that it took
Lucius’ job to get him to contact his old friend.

The haunting refrains from “Defying Gravity” echoed through

the quiet room as the curtain drew back and Ronnie stepped out
onto the stage. Lucius’ cock immediately stood up at attention.
Holy shit, the years had been kind to Ronnie, and even though his
hair and eye color were different, Lucius recognized his friend.

Long blond hair waved over pale white shoulders, and the right

side draped over Ronnie’s face in Veronica Lake’s famous peek-a-

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boo style. Big blue eyes, framed with long, dark lashes, sparkled
under the lights. Lush red lips curled into a sultry smile as Ronnie
strolled up to the microphone.

The strapless scarlet full-length gown fit Ronnie like a glove,

and Lucius reached down to adjust himself, suddenly longing for
more room in his pants. A slit graced the left side of the dress,
slicing up to the middle of Ronnie’s thigh, and when he moved, it
revealed stiletto heels and the lace of thigh-high stockings.

“Something has changed within me.”
Ronnie’s husky voice rang over the speakers, yet it was so

quiet in the club that Ronnie didn’t need the mic. Even though
Lucius knew it wasn’t possible, it felt like Ronnie sang right to
him. His friend wouldn’t be able to see him this far back in the
theater in the dark. But for two years in high school, Lucius was
the only one Ronnie would sing for, and listening to Ronnie’s pure
voice drew Lucius back all those years to when he’d first met
Ronnie.

* * *

Another new school and another day of being sized up as the

new kid. Lucius hated it with every atom in him, but his father
wouldn’t listen when he’d begged to stay with his grandmother in
Texas. He hadn’t wanted to move his junior year in high school.
Unfortunately, his father went where the money was, and that
meant going to Louisiana and working on the oil rigs in the Gulf.
That meant his third school since entering the eighth grade. Lucky
for Lucius, he liked school and managed to do well enough to keep
his grades up in each school. Keeping friends was the hardest part.

Lucius glanced up from the paper in his hand with his locker

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number to find his gaze land on the cutest ass he’d seen in forever.
The person it belonged to was slender and wore his light brown
hair in waves to his shoulders. Lucius stared at the boy in front of
him. He knew the person was male because Lucius had never been
attracted to girls, not even when he first realized there were two
different sexes. He admitted to himself when he was fifteen that he
was gay, just never mentioned it to anyone else. He wasn’t about to
give his dad another reason to hit him, and his mother would’ve
dragged him to church for an exorcism or something.

As he watched, two big kids strutted down the hallway, and one

deliberately ran into the brunette. Books and papers went flying,
and the other students moved out of the way, not wanting to get
involved. Lucius had seen bullies in all the schools he’d gone to,
and while he’d always chosen to stay out of it, something wouldn’t
let him do that this time.

Rushing forward, Lucius elbowed one of the big guys, driving it

deep into the kid’s gut. He knelt to help the brunette pick up his
things.

“Hey, man, watch where you’re going.”
The one he’d hit was doubled over, groaning slightly. The other

guy glared at Lucius.

“Oh, sorry. Didn’t see you there.” He grinned as he lied.
“Pay attention next time, and why are you helping the fag

here? He’s the one who likes to be on his knees.”

The boy crouched next to Lucius winced, but didn’t say

anything. Lucius growled low under his breath and started to
surge to his feet. A hand resting on his arm stopped him. He met
golden hazel eyes peeking at him through bangs.

“Don’t. It’s not important.”
Lucius wasn’t sure about that, but he honored the kid’s request.

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After getting all the books and papers into a pile, he straightened,
making sure to step on one of the bullies’ feet. He got shoved back
into the boy, but he was ready for it, so he gripped the kid and they
both found their balance without dropping anything else.

“Maybe you’re a fag as well. Maybe that’s why you’re not

upset about being on your knees.”

He sighed and rolled his eyes. “Call me what you want, but I’ll

be calling you an ignorant redneck jackass each time you do.”

The students surrounding them snickered, and Lucius saw the

flush on the bullies’ faces.

“I’m not ignorant,” one of them mumbled.
“But you are a redneck jackass? Oh, good, I want to make sure

I get my name calling right. Hate to call someone something they
might not be.” Lucius eyed the other kids. “I have to get to my
home room. Morning entertainment is over.”

“For now, but I’ve got my eye on you, new kid.”
“Now who’s the fag? You gonna check out my ass while you’re

keeping an eye on me?” Lucius rolled his eyes and turned away to
face the boy. “Hi, I’m Lucius Montagne.”

“Ronnie Lake.” The soft voice was musical and beautiful, just

like the kid.

“Would you know where I could find room three-forty-two? I

think I’ve wandered around this entire fucking school looking for
it.” He held out the paper with his homeroom number on it.

Ignoring the bullies seemed to work for the moment. Everyone

wandered off toward their rooms, leaving Lucius and Ronnie in the
hall together. Ronnie nodded and gestured in the direction they’d
been going.

“I’m in the same home room. We could walk together.”
Ronnie ducked his head like he expected Lucius to refuse the

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offer. Hell, no, Lucius might not be out to the world, but he was
more than willing to admit he was extremely attracted to Ronnie.
Thank God he wore baggy jeans to school because his cock had
taken a severe interest in the slender boy.

“Great.”
He fought the urge to offer his arm for Ronnie to take or to

grab the kid’s books away from him to carry. Just because Ronnie
seemed effeminate didn’t mean he wanted Lucius to treat him like
a girl.

They’d spent the day together after finding out that their

schedule coincided and Lucius’ outlook on the Podunk little town
his father had dragged him to changed at the instant friendship he
created with Ronnie.

After school, Lucius started to walk back to the house his father

rented. It was about five miles away, and the threatening rainstorm
broke as he left school. Ronnie had raced off after the last bell
rang, and Lucius didn’t get to ask him if he’d have lunch with him
the next day. Hunching in his light jacket, Lucius trudged down the
side of the road, trying to decide what to do about his attraction to
Ronnie.

A horn startled him, and he paused as a blue truck pulled up

beside him. The window rolled down and he saw Ronnie peer out
at him.

“You want a ride home?”
Never one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Lucius nodded.

Ronnie opened the door and slid over, letting Lucius climb in. A
reed-thin woman sat behind the steering wheel, a cigarette
dangling between her fingers.

“Mom, this is Lucius. He’s new in school.”
“Ma’am.” Lucius was raised to be polite.

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Ronnie’s mom grunted at him, but didn’t say anything. She took

a drag on her cigarette and blew the smoke out her window.
“Where do you live?”

Lucius gave directions, and Ronnie nodded.
“That’s two houses down from us. Maybe we could give you a

ride to and from school. If you want?” Ronnie offered, without
even glancing at his mother.

“I’d like that. I could probably get some gas money from my

dad, so you wouldn’t have to pay for it all.”

“We can work something out.” Ronnie didn’t dismiss Lucius’

offer outright.

That day was the beginning of the closest friendship Lucius had

ever had with anyone; even his army buddies didn’t know him as
well as Ronnie did. It was a friendship he still regretted letting go.

* * *

Applause broke into his memories and he blinked, coming back

to Cindi’s Cabaret. The lights came up and Ronnie blew kisses and
strolled off the stage, his hips swaying enticingly. Right before he
slipped behind the curtain, Ronnie looked back over one shoulder
and his gaze met Lucius’. In their beautiful blue depths, Lucius
saw happiness and hesitation. At least, he hoped Ronnie was happy
to see him. He could understand the hesitation. After running out
on Ronnie ten years ago, why would he want to see or talk to
Ronnie now?

“Sir, Ms. Lake will see you now.”
This time it wasn’t the waiter standing by his table; it was the

bouncer who’d talked to him outside the club. Lucius climbed to
his feet and followed the man through the crowd. He glanced over

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at Cameron and noticed the man was still staring at the stage.
Good. He needed to talk to Ronnie before Cameron ever realized
Lucius had been at the club.

Backstage was organized chaos. Men in dresses ran back and

forth between rooms and the stage. Lucius gave them a lot of credit
because he knew he couldn’t walk two feet in those heels. Seeing
all that satin and lace spiked his interest and he bit his lip to keep
from moaning.

The bouncer stopped in front of a closed door. Lucius read the

name on the star, Veronica Lake. He smiled as he remembered
watching old black-and-white movies starring Veronica Lake and
Alan Ladd with Ronnie. It didn’t surprise him that of all the
starlets Ronnie could have impersonated, Veronica was the one
he’d picked.

“Sir, I want to tell you that I don’t care if you’re a cop or not.

You bother Ronnie or hurt her, I’ll take care of you myself. Just
because she works here doesn’t mean she’s a whore or crazy.”

Nodding, Lucius met the bouncer’s serious expression. “I

know. Believe me, I’m not here to bother Ms. Lake or hurt her. I
simply want to say hi and talk with her for a little while. Catch up
on old times.”

“Well, she doesn’t usually allow people back here, not even

after the show, so I guess you’re special to her. But I’m keeping an
eye on you and if I think something’s wrong, I’ll throw you out of
here.” The bouncer flexed his muscles, and Lucius nodded again.

“I’m wondering if you’d do something for me. There’s a

customer here by the name of Cameron. He’s kind of a big name in
the city.”

The grimace of disgust on the man’s face told Lucius all he

needed to know about the bouncer’s thoughts about Cameron.

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“If you could just make a note of what time he leaves tonight,

I’d appreciate it.”

“He won’t leave until Ronnie does her last set. He only comes

for her.”

Fuck, that was what Lucius was afraid of. “Okay. Well, if you

mark down what time he leaves anyway, I probably won’t be here
then. Too late at night for me to stay out.”

The bouncer snorted and knocked on the door.
“Yes?” That musical voice Lucius had never forgot floated

through the door.

“Your guest is here, Ms. Lake.”
The door swung open, and Lucius’ mouth went dry. He could

only stare in stunned silence at the sight greeting him. Ronnie had
changed out of the scarlet gown and into a black velvet robe tied
loosely around his waist. The neck gapped open, showing the edge
of something white and lacy. His legs, encased in silky black
stockings and black knee-high boots, peeked through the bottom
half of the robe. Instead of blond hair, Ronnie had shoulder-length
light brown hair, so he had obviously worn a wig while he
performed.

Ronnie ducked his head and let his hair cover his eyes as he

met Lucius’ gaze with a hesitant smile. “Hello, Lucius.”

He had to clear his throat a couple times before he could get

any words out. The bouncer beside him chuckled at his inept
fumbling.

“Hey, Ronnie, you were marvelous tonight.” Not the greatest

opening, but it was the best Lucius could do at the moment.

“Thank you.” Ronnie flashed a bright grin at the bouncer.

“Don’t worry, Tomas. Lucius isn’t a stalker and won’t be dragging
me off to his house for nefarious reasons.”

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“I wish,” Lucius muttered, and flushed when Ronnie’s eyes

widened slightly. Shit, he’d said that loud enough for Ronnie to
hear. He cleared his throat again and tried to look innocent.

“All right, but you call if you need me.” Tomas glowered at

Lucius once more before turning and heading out to the dance
floor.

“Jesus, you’d think you were some stranger. I told them I knew

you and it wasn’t any big deal to have you come back here and talk
to me.” Ronnie stepped aside and gestured for Lucius to come in
the room.

Lucius entered and found himself surrounded by sparkles,

feathers, leather, and lace. It was like a fabric store had exploded,
covering every square inch with rainbows. He breathed deep and
sighed. The air smelled like cinnamon and vanilla, another
combination that made him think of Ronnie.

The door clicked shut and he turned, his breath catching at the

sight of Ronnie leaning against the door. Ronnie’s hands were
hidden behind him, causing his hips to angle forward in a way that
drew Lucius’ attention to the pronounced bulge at Ronnie’s groin
hidden under black velvet and whatever underwear he wore.

Lucius rubbed his sweaty palms on his jeans and cleared his

throat again. Shit, he sounded like he had TB or something.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve put on some different clothes, but I only

have an hour between sets, and sometimes it’s difficult to get
dressed on my own. So I usually change right after my first set.”
Ronnie straightened and tugged his robe tight around him.

Lucius touched Ronnie’s hair as the slender man walked past

him. Ronnie froze as Lucius stroked his fingers over the waves of
golden brown.

“It’s as soft as I remembered it to be,” he said, savoring the

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silkiness of the strands.

Ronnie made a noise, and Lucius realized what he was doing.

He jerked away his hand, trying not to notice the few strands
caught in his rough skin.

“I’m sorry, Ronnie. I didn’t mean to touch without asking. You

always had such beautiful hair.”

God, he was babbling. Why was he so nervous? It wasn’t like

he hadn’t faced uncomfortable situations before. He’d served as an
MP in the army for eight years before joining the New Orleans
Police Department. Yet something about Ronnie threw him off,
and it wasn’t just the clothing. It was Ronnie himself, bringing
feelings Lucius thought buried to the surface.

“That’s all right. It’s been a while since anyone’s touched me

like that.” Ronnie’s pale skin flushed and he ducked his head
again, a sure sign he was as uncomfortable as Lucius. “I wear the
wig and blue contacts to help look more like Veronica Lake.”

“Please don’t feel like you need to change because of me. I’ll

admit to being uncomfortable.” Lucius held up his hand to stop
Ronnie from speaking. “It’s because of you and your clothing, but
not because I think it’s wrong or anything like that.”

Lucius took a deep breath. Just get it over with. Ronnie

wouldn’t laugh at him for admitting it.

“I’m uncomfortable because I find you incredibly sexy dressed

like that, Ronnie. I’ve been hard since you came on stage and I’m
not used to feeling that way. I need to become accustomed to it.
You don’t have to change at all.” He ran out of steam and stopped,
clenching his hands to keep from grabbing Ronnie.

“Really?” Ronnie stared up at him with hopeful eyes. “You

really think I’m sexy dressed like this?”

Lucius followed the journey of Ronnie’s hand down the front

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of his robe and he couldn’t stop himself. He took Ronnie’s hand in
his and pressed it to his pants, right over his own erection. Ronnie
gasped, but didn’t pull away.

“Yes. I do think you’re gorgeous, and I think it wouldn’t matter

what you wore. Feminine clothes or male clothes. It’s all you, not
the outfit you wear that does it for me. Always has been that way.”

“Oh.”
Ronnie lifted his red painted lips toward Lucius, and being only

a man, Lucius couldn’t say no to the offer. He lowered his head,
pressing their mouths together in a gentle kiss. As much as he
wanted to ravage Ronnie, he was mindful of where they were and
that Ronnie had another performance to do soon. He didn’t want to
ruffle anything that might take longer than a few minutes to
straighten.

His cock strained against his briefs, wanting a chance to get

closer to Ronnie’s smooth, scented skin. It had been a while since
he’d held anyone in his arms and longer still since he wanted that
person beyond reason.

A soft whimper and Ronnie’s hand pushing at his chest brought

Lucius to a stop. At some point during the kiss, he’d let go of
Ronnie’s hand and grasped Ronnie’s upper arms. He eased away a
step or two, but kept his hold on Ronnie.

Licking his lips, Ronnie met Lucius’ stare with a glazed look in

his eyes. “Wow. Just like I remember.”

Remorse shot through Lucius. “Ronnie, I wanted to tell you I

am sorry for how I treated you.”

Long, elegant fingers with red polish matching Ronnie’s

lipstick pressed against Lucius’ lips. “You can apologize later if
you wish. I have a feeling you wanted to talk to me about
something else tonight.”

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Lucius shook his head, letting Ronnie wipe off the lipstick

before he spoke. “While I don’t regret kissing you and watching
you perform, you’re right. I need to talk to you about Cameron.”

The little moue of disgust and anger alerted Lucius to the fact

that no one at Cindi’s seemed to like the United States senator
from Louisiana.

“Why am I not surprised you want to talk about that snake?”
Ronnie whirled around and stalked toward a chair in front of a

make-up table. Lucius followed, trying not to stare at the way
Ronnie’s hips swayed while walking in those high-heeled boots.
His friend dropped into the chair and crossed his legs, the robe
falling open enough to show off most of Ronnie’s long limbs. The
man wasn’t very tall, but most of his height came from his legs.

Lucius closed his eyes and took a sharp breath. Get your head

out of the gutter, you bastard. You’re here to retrieve information,
not imagine Ronnie’s legs wrapped around your waist while you
ream his ass.

“What do you want to know about our lovely senator?”

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CHAPTER 2

Ronnie saw lust flare in Lucius’ dark eyes as the man

practically stripped him naked. Ronnie had become familiar with
the expression in the last nine years since he’d started performing.
Men and women both wanted him when he dressed like Veronica
Lake and sang. But in the harsh light of day, none of them wanted
him when he dressed like Ronnie Lake, a cute man who liked
women’s clothes. They all wanted him to change and become
something else to make them feel comfortable.

For a while, when he first figured out what he liked, he tried to

be what others wanted him to be, but he wasn’t happy. After one
particularly spectacular break-up, Ronnie realized something. Of
course, it was after he’d eaten a gallon of mint chocolate chip ice
cream and cried buckets of tears on Cindi’s shoulder that he

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concluded there were people out there who would accept him for
who he was.

He’d had the privilege of knowing such a person for two years

in high school during what could have been the worse time of his
life. Lucius Montagne had burst into Ronnie’s life their junior year
and had kept Ronnie from ending everything. Oh, Ronnie never
told Lucius all he meant to him. He’d never wanted to weigh
Lucius down with that kind of responsibility.

Yet it was the memory of how Lucius had looked the night

Ronnie stepped from the bathroom wearing a dark pink negligee
and pink heels that Ronnie remembered and made him believe
there were men out there who would accept him as he was. Shock
had warred with desire in the eighteen-year-old’s eyes until desire
won out. Lucius had been Ronnie’s first lover, and the only one
who really saw Ronnie inside and out, and wanted him anyway.

Those memories were the ones to keep Ronnie honest and

unwilling to compromise. If Lucius, one of the most masculine
men Ronnie knew, thought he was sexy dressed in silk and lace,
then Ronnie believed there were other men out there who would
feel the same.

It didn’t matter now because Lucius stood before him, erection

noticeable against his pants and a smear of lipstick still on his lips.
Ronnie waved him over.

“Come here, cher. Let me take care of that for you.”
Lucius rested his ass against Ronnie’s dressing table and leaned

forward enough for Ronnie to rub the remaining red off his skin.
Ronnie filled his lungs with the musky male scent drifting from
Lucius. He wanted to bury his nose in the base of Lucius’ throat
and breathe.

Ronnie settled back in his chair, tugging his robe to cover his

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legs. Talking about Senator Cameron always made him want to
take the hottest shower he could and scrub all the dirt off his body.

“What did you want to talk to me about, Lucius?”
Lucius blinked, and Ronnie could see reality returning to the

man’s brain. There were other reasons why Lucius had come to
Cindi’s. Did Lucius see kissing Ronnie as a delightful bonus or had
it been his way of loosening Ronnie up before asking the tough
questions?

They might have been apart for ten years, but Ronnie couldn’t

see Lucius changing that much. Honest and straightforward,
Lucius would never use their attraction as a way to get Ronnie to
help him.

“I read the complaint you registered with the police last month

about Cameron stalking you.” Lucius straightened and crossed his
arms over his wide chest. “I’d like to hear about it in your own
words.”

“The police took one look at me dressed in heels and thought I

was crazy. There wasn’t any way the honorable senator would
stalk someone like me.” Ronnie rubbed his hands together and shot
to his feet. “I’m not crazy, Lucius. He sent me flowers and notes.
When I didn’t respond to those, he tried sending me more
expensive gifts, which I returned unopened. He comes to my show
when he’s in town, every night sometimes. He’s out there right
now.”

“I know you’re not crazy, Ronnie. I had a friend of mine at the

FBI do a little research for me. Cameron has a history of stalking
women who look like you. Beautiful, blonde, and blue-eyed.
Nothing’s ever come of the allegations, but I do believe he’s
stalking you.”

“But he knows I’m a guy. Why would he keep doing that if

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he’s not gay? At least, I haven’t ever heard a whisper of him being
gay or bi. And when I’m not performing, I have brown hair and
eyes. I don’t understand why he’d do this.” Ronnie bit his lip, not
caring about ruining his make-up. “There’ve been times he’s
followed me home to my apartment and tried to get inside. He only
went away when Cindi and Percy showed up.”

Ronnie shivered in fear as memories of those nights raced

through him. He’d ended up moving out of his apartment and
moving in with Cindi and Percy. Christ, he hated being afraid,
especially in a place where he should feel the safest.

“Oh, honey.”
Lucius stood and embraced Ronnie, drawing him into his arms.

Ronnie wrapped his arms around Lucius’ waist, resting his head on
Lucius’ broad chest. He smiled slightly at the quick kiss brushed
over his hair.

“Do you have a place to stay?”
Nodding, he shrugged. “I’m staying with Cindi and his partner,

but it’s kind of cramped for the three of us. Poor Percy, living with
two cross-dressers. The man’s swimming in clothes and shoes.”

Lucius chuckled. “I bet. Now I’m making this offer as a friend,

Ronnie.”

Ronnie stepped back, not breaking Lucius’ embrace. “What?”
“You’re more than welcome to move in with me. I have an

extra bedroom with a walk-in closet.” Lucius winked. “That way,
you have your own room and don’t have to worry about sharing
your clothes with Cindi.”

Ronnie burst out laughing. “Sweetheart, if you’d seen Cindi,

you’d never say something like that. Cindi wouldn’t fit into any of
my clothes, much to his despair.”

“I’ve never been here before, so I’ve never had the pleasure of

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meeting Cindi, but he and his partner must be wonderful people to
open their home to you.” Lucius chuckled. “I’ve gotten off track
again. I need to talk to you some more about Cameron.”

“Right.” Ronnie moved away toward the screened off corner

where his costume for his next set hung. “I have to get dressed. Is
it all right if we talk while I finish changing?”

“Sure. I don’t want you to get in trouble for not being ready.”
Lucius prowled around the room, not coming close to the

section where Ronnie dressed. It was the gentlemanly thing to do,
and Ronnie appreciated the fact Lucius didn’t assume Ronnie
would be willing to get naked or half-naked in front of him. Not
that Ronnie wouldn’t, but he wanted to spend a little time getting
to know Lucius again before he gave his body to him.

Ronnie snorted silently. Conceited much? Just because the man

kissed him and was seriously attracted to him didn’t mean Lucius
wanted him in his bed. He didn’t even know for sure Lucius was
gay. Their first and only time together could have simply been the
hormones of an eighteen-year-old boy overwhelming him to the
point he didn’t care if he fucked a boy or a girl. Also, with the way
Ronnie had dressed that night, Lucius could’ve easily deluded
himself into thinking he was sleeping with a girl.

Yanking his black sequined cocktail-length gown down, he

asked, “Are you gay?”

“What?” Surprise colored Lucius’ voice. “Why are you asking

that?”

“I don’t know. I just got thinking about it, and I wondered if

you’re gay or if I was just an experiment back when you were in
high school.”

He squeaked as his screen got yanked out of the way. He

turned, holding his dress to his chest with his hands, and stared up

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into Lucius’ angry eyes.

“Don’t you remember me telling you that I knew I was gay

when I was fifteen? None of that changed in the years since I slept
with you. You weren’t an experiment, Ronnie, or something I
outgrew as I got older. I’m still gay and I still think you’re the
most beautiful man I’ve ever seen.”

“If you don’t kiss the man, Ronnie honey, I just might be

forced to, and Percy wouldn’t like that at all.”

Cindi’s voice coming from behind Lucius surprised them both,

but Ronnie took what Cindi said to heart. He reached out with one
hand and cradled Lucius’ cheek with it. Pushing up on his tiptoes,
he licked along the seam of Lucius’ mouth, begging the man to
open to him.

Lucius moaned and surrounded him with hard male flesh.

Ronnie shuddered as Lucius’ rough hands stroked along a strip of
his skin, bared by the corset he wore on stage. Forgetting about his
dress, Ronnie raised both hands and buried them in Lucius’ hair,
tilting his head for a deeper kiss. Their tongues dueled and stroked,
teasing each other by nibbling or sucking on bottom lips.

“Jesus Christ, children, I don’t want you doing it here in the

dressing room. Not good form at all.”

They broke apart, panting and staring at each other. Ronnie

blushed when Lucius knelt and picked up his dress from the floor.
He held still as Lucius settled it in all the right places before
turning Ronnie around to zip him up.

“Go fix your make-up and hair. I have an early morning

meeting with my captain tomorrow, so I have to leave.” Lucius led
Ronnie to his mirror before digging out a business card and
sticking it in the corner of the frame. “Here’s my card. When you
get up tomorrow, give me a call and we’ll continue our talk? If it’s

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okay with you.”

Ronnie nodded, but couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
“Don’t worry about the time when you call. I figure you

probably end up sleeping in since you work so late.” Lucius bent
over and kissed Ronnie quickly.

As Lucius turned, Ronnie saw his eyes widen as he spied Cindi

standing just inside the dressing room. When Ronnie said Cindi
wouldn’t fit into his clothes, he meant it. Cindi was as tall as
Lucius without heels, and his shoulders were almost as wide as the
doorway. Cindi started life as Charles, and after moving to New
Orleans, became Cindi, owner and the original performer at
Cindi’s Cabaret.

“I know you’ve been keeping an eye out for Ronnie and I really

appreciate it.” Lucius held out his hand.

Cindi took a hold of his, but instead of shaking it, Lucius

bowed over it and brushed a kiss on his knuckles. Cindi’s
eyebrows shot up as he looked at Ronnie over Lucius’ head.

Lucius straightened and started to walk out the door. Pausing,

he turned back and said to Ronnie, “My offer is open for as long as
you might need a place.”

Ronnie blushed and nodded. “I’ll think about it.”
“Great. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
After Lucius disappeared, Ronnie reapplied his lipstick and

brushed his hair back before slipping his wig on again. He
smoothed the wrinkles out of his dress and checked his ass in the
mirror.

“Christ, child, you look as stunning as you always do. Actually,

you look better. There’s a light in your eyes I haven’t seen in a
long time.” Cindi waved a hand in the general direction Lucius
took. “Is he a new friend? And if he is, I didn’t think you worked

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that fast, honey.”

“That was Lucius, Cindi.” Ronnie shut his dressing room door

behind him, making sure it was locked. He tucked his key in his
corset. Cindi placed his hand in the crook of Ronnie’s elbow.

“Lucius, huh? You always had the best taste. I bet he’s better

looking now than he was back in high school. Probably broke a lot
of hearts. Did he break yours?” Cindi nodded regally at one of the
other performers as he came off stage.

Ronnie shook his head. “No, but I think he thinks he did, or

that he did something to hurt me.”

“He left you?” Cindi pulled him to a halt. Cindi’s gaze bore

into Ronnie’s, asking for honesty.

“Yes, but I knew he would. We came into New Orleans for the

night. He was leaving the next day for boot camp. His dad
wouldn’t come say good-bye to him, so I came. For two years, we
were each other’s family.” Ronnie rubbed his hand over his chest
and smiled up at Cindi. “We gave each other our virginity, and I’ve
never regretted letting him be my first.”

“I can’t wait to get to know him better.” Cindi gave him an air

kiss and a pat on his ass. “Now get up there and wow them like
you usually do.”

Ronnie took a deep breath and calmed his nerves. As much as

he loved performing in front of a standing room only crowd, he
still got nervous until he sang the first note.

Confidence filled his heart as he stepped out from behind the

curtain and the audience clapped and whistled. Ronnie set his
shoulders and swayed to the rhythm of the music. It happened to
be one of his favorite songs, and one he sang often because it
reminded him of Lucius.

“When one is lonely, the days are long…”

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As the last notes of “Someday I’ll Find You” drifted over the

heads of the people in the crowd, Ronnie realized he didn’t have to
sing that song anymore. He’d found Lucius again, and this time he
didn’t intend to let him go.

* * *

When Ronnie finished his third and final set at around two in

the morning, he kept his gaze on the people in front of him and
didn’t even turn in the direction of Senator Cameron, who still sat
in his booth, leering at Ronnie. The man’s gaze bore into Ronnie’s
back as he exited the stage.

Cindi and Percy waited for him backstage. He hated needing an

escort everywhere, but he couldn’t trust that the senator would stay
away from him. Also, the man had never learned the meaning of
the word “no.” Ronnie rushed to his dressing room, unlocked the
door, and slipped inside. He locked himself in. Again, another
precaution he hated taking. Yet he’d discovered the hard way that a
closed door wasn’t a deterrent to Cameron. The man had burst on
him more than once while he was changing.

After sitting, Ronnie unzipped his boots and sighed as he

slipped them off. He loved them and they made his legs look
amazing, but at times, they were a bitch to wear. Taking off his
wig, he stuck it on the Styrofoam head and pinned it there. He took
out the blue contacts and popped them into their containers. He left
those things at the club. It saved on wear and tear if he didn’t have
to transport them back and forth. Ronnie packed his boots away
and changed out of his dress, hanging it up to keep it from
wrinkling. His stockings came off and were rolled up, tucked in his
bag along with his corset and underwear.

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He always brought a change of undergarments with him since

he tended to sweat under the floodlights on stage, plus the
underwear he wore under his gowns practically strangled his cock,
keeping the illusion of femininity. He slid on a pair of black silk
and lace panties before tugging on his jeans. As much as he liked
wearing skirts and cute outfits, after a long night of performing, he
wanted comfort clothes that were jeans, a fitted T-shirt, and a
pretty cardigan for a jacket.

He washed off his stage make-up and pulled his hair back in a

ponytail. Checking his reflection in the mirror, he caught sight of
Lucius’ card in the corner. Ronnie plucked it up and read the
words on it. Lucius Montagne, Detective, New Orleans Police
Department. It had a work number on it, along with a cell number.

A knock on the door and he heard Cindi call out, “Ronnie

honey, you ready to go? Tomas will take you home.”

“Okay.” He brushed on some lip-gloss and mascara before

checking his hair once more. He hated the stage make-up he had to
slather on, but enhancing what God gave him wasn’t bad.

Ronnie slipped into his favorite black heels and slung his bag

over his shoulder before opening the door. Tomas stood there,
arms crossed and back braced against the wall.

Smiling up at the bouncer, Ronnie apologized, “I’m sorry you

have to do this, Tomas. I could just grab a taxi.”

Ronnie grinned in thanks as Tomas took his bag from him and

laid his hand at the small of Ronnie’s back. He’d rather it was
Lucius escorting him home, but he understood about Lucius doing
his job and he didn’t want to be a bother.

Tomas shook his head. “No way, Ms. Lake. Your boyfriend

told me I needed to make sure you got back to Ms. Cindi’s without
any problem. I might be bigger than him, but he’s definitely

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meaner than me when it comes to you. Plus Ms. Cindi’d have my
balls if I let you go on your own and something happened to you.”

It always amazed him that people cared that much about him.

His mother never really cared one way or the other. In fact, when
he ended up staying in New Orleans instead of going home after
Lucius left, she didn’t freak out. In fact, she didn’t realize he was
gone until he went back.

For several months, it was Cindi and the other performers at the

cabaret who had kept him going. He’d missed Lucius more than he
ever though possible, but he accepted that Lucius had a different
path to follow than he did. Little did Ronnie know their paths
would re-connect years later, yet there they were, lives somehow
intertwining again.

“Lucius wouldn’t hurt you, Tomas. He’s just protective of me.”
“I didn’t realize you were dating anyone, but I’m glad you

picked that guy. He seemed a little uncomfortable about coming
into the cabaret, though. Didn’t he know what you did for a
living?” Tomas grinned. “Though it didn’t seem to bother him
once he got inside.”

“Oh, Lucius knows what I do, but he’d never seen me perform

before.”

Which was as true as it went. Ronnie didn’t feel like

elaborating. If Tomas believed Lucius was his boyfriend, then the
bouncer would tell other people who might ask. The knowledge
there was someone else in Ronnie’s life might make the senator
back off, especially if that man was a police officer.

“Ah, well, you were great as usual, so I’m sure he’s proud as

hell of you.” Tomas offered Ronnie his arm as they strolled down
Bourbon Street through the crowd.

“He’s been proud of me since we first met.”

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Especially the first day Ronnie stood up for himself against the

Brosier twins.

* * *

Lucius threw a casual arm around Ronnie’s shoulder and gave

him a quick hug. “I have to get to algebra class. Old man
Renford’ll be pissed if I’m late again.”

“Okay. I’ll see you at lunch, right?” Ronnie clutched his books

tightly to his chest, trying hard not to throw himself against Lucius.

“Of course, honey. I wouldn’t miss eating with my favorite

guy.”

The endearment Lucius used was said softly because Lucius

didn’t want anyone to take offense at it and go after Ronnie.
Ronnie figured he should be more upset about Lucius calling him
honey, but it thrilled him that Lucius cared so much for him.

Lucius walked off, turning once to wave before being

swallowed up by the milling crowd of teenagers. Ronnie whirled
around, needing to get to his French class or risking being late
himself.

“Oh, look, if it isn’t little Miss Faggot, and surprise, she’s all

alone without her butch boyfriend.”

Ronnie gasped as hard hands grabbed his shoulders and

shoved him into the nearest locker. His books flew everywhere, and
he caught himself before his face hit the metal. Swinging around,
he glared at Max and Zane Brosier.

“You can’t talk to me like that,” he spoke up, hands clenched

at his sides.

“We can’t? Who’s going to stop us? You?” Max laughed

harshly and elbowed his brother. “The little girl is trying to tell us

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what we can and can’t do. Like she can stop us from doing
anything.”

Zane stayed silent, and for the first time, Ronnie looked into

one of his tormenter’s eyes and saw compassion mingled with
shame.

“Come on, Max. We’re going to be late for class. It’s not worth

it.” Zane took a step back, unwilling to continue antagonizing
Ronnie.

“When did you turn into such a girl?” Max swung a punch at

Ronnie.

He remembered what Lucius had shown him the night before

about dodging blows. Ducking, he let Max’s fist slide off his
shoulder. There was a lot of power behind Max’s fist, but Ronnie
only caught some of it.

Ronnie kicked out and nailed Max in the balls. The bigger

guy’s eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the floor, gasping
like a goldfish out of water. Ronnie stood over him, watching Max
writhe on the ground, holding his balls. Glancing up, he saw Zane
standing there, hands shoved in his pockets.

“Are you going to do something about it?” He swallowed his

fear. He’d always be bullied and picked on, if he didn’t start
standing up for himself. Luckily, he had someone to back him now
instead of always feeling alone.

“No.” Zane shook his head and apologized. “I’m sorry,

Ronnie, about picking on you. It ain’t right, and I won’t do it
again. I’ll try to keep Max away from you.”

Lucius stepped into the clearing created by the students and

glared at Zane. “Well, we know Ronnie can take care of himself
now. Just make sure your brother remembers what happened this
time.”

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He ignored the still-groaning Max as he crouched to pick up

Ronnie’s books. After cradling the pile in his arms, he straightened
and offered Ronnie his arm.

“Let’s get out of here. You’ll be late for French, and I don’t

want the teacher to keep you late for lunch.”

Ronnie stepped over Max and slid his hand into the crook of

Lucius’ arm. Someone in the crowd snickered, but Ronnie didn’t
care anymore. He could defend himself, if he chose to, and Lucius
would be there to protect him if he couldn’t. Senior year was
looking up.

* * *

“Do you know if Ms. Cindi or Mr. Percy was expecting anyone

tonight, Ms. Lake?”

Tomas’s question broke through the memories playing in

Ronnie’s mind. He glanced ahead and saw a figure standing on the
sidewalk in front of the courtyard leading to Cindi’s. He squinted
to get a clearer view of the man.

“Shit. He just can’t take no for an answer. His parents totally

spoiled him as a child.”

“Is that the senator?”
“Yes.” Ronnie stopped Tomas from continuing. “Come on;

let’s head to Sly’s. You can let Cindi know the senator’s at her
place, so she doesn’t get surprised. I’ll call Lucius.”

Sly’s was a bar just around the corner from Cindi’s place.

Thank God, the bar was still open. Sometimes, when they couldn’t
sleep, Cindi, Percy, and Ronnie would go there to unwind. Sly
didn’t care.

They managed to duck around the corner and into Sly’s

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through the side door before Cameron spotted them. Ronnie dug
out his phone and Lucius’ card. Tomas knocked on Sly’s office
door.

“What’s the racket out here?” Sly stuck his head out the door

and grinned when he saw it was Tomas and Ronnie standing there.
“Come for a night cap?”

“Sort of. We need a place to hide out for a few.” Tomas waved

as they walked past.

“Sure. You hiding out from that bum who’s been stalking

you?” Sly followed them into the main room of the bar.

“Yes. I need to use your phone to call Ms. Cindi.” Tomas

headed for Sly’s phone.

Ronnie dialed Lucius’ number, pulse racing.
“Montagne.”
Lucius’ voice was low and rough, like Ronnie had woken him

from a sound sleep.

“Oh, Lucius, I’m sorry about calling so late.” Ronnie frowned.
“Don’t worry, honey. What’s wrong?”
“Cameron was waiting outside of Cindi’s when I returned

home.” Pacing, he brought the end of his ponytail to his mouth and
started chewing on it.

“Stop chewing on your hair, Ronnie. Tell me where you are,

and I’ll come and get you. You can crash at my place tonight and
you can stay with me for as long as you want.”

Rustling sounded over the phone, and Ronnie closed his eyes,

imagining Lucius climbing out of his bed and getting dressed.
Ronnie’s cock stiffened at the thought of Lucius being naked.
Would he have a chance to share Lucius’ bed again?

“I’m at Sly’s Bar.”
“I know where that is. I’ve been there a time or two since I got

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back. Some of the guys at the precinct like to go there for a drink
after work.” Lucius yawned before chuckling. “I should’ve just
stayed around to watch the rest of your show.”

“I’m sorry. I know you have to get up early.” Ronnie nibbled

on his hair again.

Lucius grunted. “Ronnie, I told you stop chewing on your hair.

It’s okay. When we were in high school, I said I’d always come if
you needed me and I meant it. Things haven’t changed in the ten
years since we’ve seen each other.”

“Okay. I’ll try not to feel guilty.” He laughed softly.
“Good. Try to relax and not to worry. I’m sure Sly’s bouncers

will keep an eye out for the senator if you ask them. Who else is
with you?”

Ronnie looked over at Tomas, leaning against the bar and

sipping from a beer bottle. “Tomas walked me home and he’s still
here.”

A door shutting sounded under Lucius’ voice. “Good. Ask him

to stay until I get there. It should take me about ten minutes. Just
don’t go outside until I call you to let you know I’m outside.”

“Thanks, Lucius.”
“Hang up, Ronnie, and have a drink. I’ll be there soon and I’ll

take care of it all.”

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CHAPTER 3

Lucius gritted his teeth as he drove through the nearly empty

New Orleans streets, heading from his place in the Garden District
into the Quarter. Who the hell did Cameron think he was? What
right did he have to terrorize people, especially a person as
wonderful and sensitive as Ronnie? His grip on the steering wheel
turned his knuckles white.

He had to admit Cameron had good taste wanting Ronnie, but

Lucius didn’t plan on letting the man harass his friend any more. It
didn’t matter how rich or powerful the man was or who his friends
were. Forcing someone to spend time with him or her when that
person doesn’t want to was wrong and cruel. Not to mention,
illegal.

Pulling to a stop in front of Sly’s bar, he dug out his phone and

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dialed Ronnie’s number.

“Hello?”
“I’m outside, honey. Have Tomas walk you to the car.”
Ronnie’s laugh eased some of Lucius’ worries.
“I’m not some celebrity being stalked by the paparazzi. I can

hardly believe that man has fixated on me.”

Lucius watched the front door. “Well, I hate to admit this. For

the first and only time, I agree with Cameron on something. I find
you unforgettable as well.”

“Flattery will get you something, Mr. Montagne.”
He climbed out of the car and walked around it to open the

passenger door when Ronnie stepped from the bar. Tomas stayed
with him step for step. Lucius enjoyed the view of Ronnie in tight
jeans and high heels, making the man’s legs look a mile long. He
noticed how Ronnie glanced up and down the street.

“Unless he’s in a doorway, he’s not around. Please, get in and

I’ll take you to my place. Ms. Cindi knows you’ll be with me?”

Ronnie dashed across the sidewalk and into the car. Lucius

made sure he was safely in before shutting the door.

“Thanks, man. I appreciate you taking care of Ronnie.” He

shook Tomas’s hand after taking the bag the bouncer carried.

“You told me to, plus Ms. Lake’s a nice person. Been good to

me. It’s not right what that asshole is doing to her.” Tomas
grimaced. “Ms. Cindi and Mr. Percy know she’s staying with you.
You must’ve made a good impression because Ms. Cindi didn’t
protest at all.”

“Good.” Lucius returned to his side of the car. After opening

the door, he tossed the bag in the backseat. “Ronnie’ll call Cindi in
the morning.”

Tomas waved good-bye and strolled back in the direction of the

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cabaret. Lucius slid behind the wheel and started the car. He pulled
into traffic and headed home, reaching for Ronnie’s hand as he
drove.

“Cindi said I should’ve gone home with you earlier,” Ronnie

murmured, his grasp on Lucius’ hand firm.

“I would’ve liked that, but I figured it was too soon to ask.

Hell, this is only the second time we’ve seen each other in a
decade. As much as I always believed we’d be attracted to each
other after all these years, I don’t want to rush anything.” He
winked at Ronnie. “Besides, I didn’t want to come off all
stalkerish.”

“Oh, good. One stalker is quite enough for me.” Ronnie

seemed to relax the farther Lucius drove away from the Quarter.

“I noticed the waiter at the club and Tomas both call you Ms.

Lake. This might be a question I shouldn’t ask, but do you identify
as male or female?”

Again, Lucius was uncomfortable asking, but he wanted to

treat Ronnie with respect and part of doing that was calling him by
the right pronoun, as silly as it might seem to others.

“They usually only do it at the club. It’s my stage persona. Just

because I dress like a girl doesn’t mean I want to be one.” Ronnie
chuckled. “I like having a dick.”

“I’m very glad you have one as well.” Lucius laughed.
He saw Ronnie studying him out of the corner of his eye.

“What is it?”

“Would it have made you nervous if you had to call me ‘ms.’

or ‘she’?”

Ronnie had the right to an honest answer, and Lucius never

wanted to lie to him either. “At first, it probably would have.”

He could almost hear the apology sitting on Ronnie’s tongue.

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He shook his head.

“Don’t say you’re sorry. It would’ve been my problem to deal

with, along with getting used to you dressing in women’s clothes.
It’s a part of you, Ronnie. It makes you the beautiful, sexy man I
cared about all those years ago.”

They stopped at a red light, and Lucius met Ronnie’s teary

gaze. He rubbed his thumb over Ronnie’s bottom lip, enjoying the
slickness of the lip-gloss covering Ronnie’s plump mouth.

“You’ve changed. I think the years have given you a maturity

and confidence you didn’t have before, and I have to admit, the
older you turns me on a hundred times faster than when we were
eighteen.”

The blush staining Ronnie’s cheeks was prettier than any

make-up Ronnie could put on in Lucius’ opinion.

“Seriously?”
A car honked behind him, and he stepped on the gas. They

continued, and Lucius nodded.

“Yes, I’m serious. I’m not ashamed to tell you I want you in

my bed, but not tonight. Maybe not even tomorrow night. I’d like
to take you out on a date and show you how special you are to me.
Do it right, instead of jumping you like I did when I was eighteen.”

Ronnie squeezed his hand. “See, I told Cindi you think you did

something wrong, but I don’t see it that way.”

“How do you see it?”
Lucius had worried Ronnie would hate him for leaving him, or

at least resent him for taking his virginity. Ronnie peered over at
him for a moment and shook his head.

“I’m not going to tell you just yet. After we’ve spent a few

days together, I’ll tell you.”

Okay. Lucius could wait until Ronnie felt like telling him. It

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wasn’t like he would abandon Ronnie again. He’d spent ten years
holding Ronnie’s memory tight to his heart, never letting anyone
know how he cared for the young man he’d left behind. Yet it
looked like Ronnie had done well for himself.

“How’s your mother?” He figured that was a safe topic.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her in ten years. I stayed in New

Orleans after you left and I’ve only gone home once since then. It
was a couple of months after I got my job at the cabaret. She
hadn’t even noticed I was missing. Decided if she didn’t notice my
absence, I wasn’t going to waste my time worrying about her.”

Lucius snorted softly. “I send my dad a card on his birthday

and Christmas, but we don’t talk or see each other. He disowned
me when I told him I was gay. Their loss, right? Your mother
doesn’t know how great a son she has.”

“Thank you, but I sometimes think you were the only one who

thought that when I was younger.” Ronnie stared out the window,
a pensive expression on his face.

“Well, people are idiots. What can I say? But look at all the

people who know how marvelous you are now. Not just your
friends at the club, but all the people who come to watch your
show. I’m sure Cindi and Percy feel like you’re part of their family
or they wouldn’t have opened their home to you.”

Lucius parked on the street just a few feet from the Victorian

house he owned. “I hope you’ve always known no matter what,
you’re a part of my life, even if I don’t happen to be around. If
you’d called me, I’d have come to help you.”

Ronnie didn’t say anything until they were inside Lucius’

apartment. It took up the entire top floor of the building. Ronnie
stared around in awed wonder.

“How can you afford this?”

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A high vaulted ceiling graced the living room, dining room,

and kitchen area. Large windows looked out onto the street and
one set of French doors led to a small balcony. Ronnie glanced out
the French doors and spied another small courtyard in the back of
the building and how the bottom apartment opened onto it. The
other apartment had a balcony in the front and one looking out into
the back yard. In Lucius’ place, walls had been built to separate out
two bedrooms and the bathroom.

Lucius had grabbed Ronnie’s bag from the car and he gestured

down the hallway. “I’ll show you to your bedroom. The sheets are
clean since I haven’t had any guests for a month or so. Oh, one of
my buddies in the army owned this entire house. We became pretty
good friends when he learned I was from Louisiana as well.
Unfortunately, he was killed by a sniper two weeks before he was
to ship home.”

“Oh, Lucius, I’m so sorry.”
Ronnie rested his hand on Lucius’ shoulder, and Lucius

covered it with his free hand.

“Thanks. I mourned him when I got back here. Come to find

out, he didn’t have any family, so he’d left it to me. Said he wanted
to give it to someone who would appreciate it. I do the
maintenance on the other apartments for the people who live there.
It’s worked out good for me. I certainly wouldn’t be able to afford
this place on my salary.” He pushed open the door to the right.
“Here’s your room.”

He set the bag on the bed and turned to see Ronnie standing in

the doorway. There were black smudges under Ronnie’s eyes,
telling Lucius his friend was running out of energy quickly.

“Is there something wrong with the room?” He glanced around.
Interior decorating wasn’t a trait he had, so he’d left the guest

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room the way he’d found it. Rather bland in tan and white. It didn’t
really suit Ronnie’s personality, or at least that’s how Lucius felt
about it. Maybe Ronnie felt the same way.

“No, there’s nothing wrong.” Ronnie bit his bottom lip, and

Lucius groaned softly, wanting to be the one who did that.

“Then why don’t you look happy?”
Ronnie tugged on the end of his ponytail while he stared down

at the hardwood floor. “I guess I was hoping I’d be sharing your
bed tonight.”

In two steps, Lucius stood directly in front of Ronnie. Using his

knuckle, he lifted Ronnie’s face so those brilliant hazel eyes met
his. Everything about Ronnie spoke to Lucius, digging deep into
his soul where he’d cherished all his memories of their time
together.

“You can share my bed any time you want to, honey. I didn’t

want to rush things or presume anything since you’re here because
some jackass is trying to force himself into your life. You should
be asked, Ronnie, never told what to do.” Lucius dropped a gentle
kiss to Ronnie’s cheek. “Come on. I’ll show you my bedroom and
the bathroom. You can take a shower and get ready for bed.
There’s an unopened toothbrush in the drawer under the sink.”

Ronnie pouted slightly, and Lucius laughed.
“You need to sleep and so do I. You’ve been up late and had a

little bit of a scare. I have to get up in four hours to meet with my
boss. We’ll revisit what you were thinking later, when we’re both
more awake.”

“Promise?” Ronnie looked happier.
“Have I ever broken my word to you?”
Ronnie shook his head. “You’re the only one who hasn’t.”
“Then you can trust me when I say that we’ll be having fun in

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bed soon enough.”

He slapped Ronnie’s ass as they stopped outside Lucius’

bedroom. “Here’s my room and the bathroom’s across the hall.
There are clean towels and everything in there. If you want
something to sleep in, there are T-shirts and sweats in the top
drawer. When you get up, why don’t you run over to Cindi’s place
and pack? Bring some clothes over you can wear for the rest of the
week, and on the weekend, we’ll move the rest of your wardrobe
over.”

“Are you sure you want to do that? I have a lot of clothes.”

Ronnie grinned.

“I’m not surprised. Good thing there’s a walk-in closet in the

guest bedroom. You can fill it to your heart’s content.”

Lucius watched Ronnie slip into his bedroom before turning to

head back to the living room. He wanted to write up what had
happened tonight. He planned to add it to the file he was gathering
on Cameron. The senator stalked blonde women regularly in D.C.
and New Orleans, but every time someone complained, they were
dismissed because Cameron was as charming as the anti-Christ,
plus no one could ever find any evidence tying the senator to the
stalkings. He wasn’t sure why the senator chose to continue to
harass Ronnie since the man wasn’t blond like the others, but
Cameron was crazy, so there really wasn’t any rational explanation
for what he did.

All the other cops bought his lies hook, line and sinker, but not

Lucius. Not after having read Ronnie’s first complaint. The officer
who had taken Ronnie’s statement had written down a snide
comment about not believing that the senator would chase a
tranny. Lucius planned to point that out to his boss in their
meeting.

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A gut instinct warned Lucius that Cameron was a serial stalker

and it could escalate into more, if something wasn’t done soon.
Actually, he feared it already had. One of the ladies who
complained and asked for a restraining order against the senator
had disappeared. When Lucius asked the officer who had taken her
first statement about it, the man dismissed it as just a disgruntled
ex-girlfriend trying to get revenge on the senator. Maybe so, but it
didn’t explain why the woman had gone missing.

Lucius swore nothing would happen to Ronnie. Cameron

would never get his dirty hands on him. Mostly because no man,
no matter how powerful, had the right to terrorize other people into
doing what he wanted. The other part was because Ronnie was
Lucius’ and no one else got to have him. Well, unless Ronnie
wanted the other person and didn’t want Lucius.

The water kicked on, and Lucius fired up his laptop, quickly

typing up everything that had happened tonight. He’d get Ronnie
to go over it and make sure he got all the details right. He shot an
email off to his friend at the Bureau. When he’d asked him for the
information on Cameron, Lucius had promised the agent he’d keep
him updated on what went on down in New Orleans.

“Lucius.”
He looked up and almost swallowed his tongue. Ronnie stood

in the doorway, one foot resting on top of the other, wearing one of
Lucius’ T-shirts. His hands were clasped behind him in a shy
demeanor that suited Ronnie.

Lucius shut his computer down and set it on the coffee table.

He pushed to his feet and approached the slender man. After
encircling Ronnie’s waist, he pulled Ronnie closer to him. Ronnie
raised his arms and wrapped them around Lucius’ neck.

Their lips came together in a gentle kiss, welcoming and

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caring. Lucius nibbled along Ronnie’s bottom lip, sucking on it
softly to soothe the sting of his bite. Ronnie whimpered and tried
to climb Lucius, but Lucius eased back a few inches and shook his
head.

“Let’s go to bed, Ronnie. You’re exhausted and so am I. When

I make love to you, I want us both to be awake for it.” He kissed
Ronnie again quickly. “You’re too special to fuck fast and leave
behind.”

“No one’s ever believed that about me before,” Ronnie

murmured. “I guess they see the clothes and assume I’m crazy or
kinky. I’ve had guys want to tie me down and whip me. Or they
want to do other things to me. I’m not saying those things are
terrible or anything like that because it’s not like I can talk, right?
But I’m not into those things. I just like pretty things, yet some
people think that gives them a green light to use me.”

Lucius swept Ronnie into his arms and carried him back toward

his bedroom. “If I ever do anything you don’t like, you tell me. I’d
prefer to do nothing to disrespect you or make you feel bad.”

Ronnie rested his head on Lucius’ shoulder. “You’re doing

pretty good so far, but believe me, I’ll tell you what I think.
You’ve been the one person I’ve trusted to accept me, warts and
all.”

“Wait. You have warts?” He set Ronnie down on the bed.

“That might be a deal-breaker.”

The giggles coming from Ronnie made Lucius laugh and dodge

Ronnie’s fist as the man tried to punch him. They wrestled on the
bed until Ronnie ended up on top and Lucius was pinned to the
mattress, or at least he pretended to be.

“You’re a dip shit, cher.” Ronnie kissed him, smiling the entire

time.

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“That might be the truth.” He rested his hands on Ronnie’s

hips.

Lucius’ fingers slipped under the hem of the T-shirt and rubbed

along the edge of Ronnie’s black lace panties. “Oh, these are nice.”

Ronnie wiggled slightly, his tight ass moving against Lucius’

cock. A groan tore out of Lucius’ chest and he tightened his grip
on Ronnie’s hips.

“Lie down next to me, honey. Let’s get some sleep.”
They snuggled together under the covers. Lucius spooned with

Ronnie; his hand rested on Ronnie’s flat stomach and he nuzzled
Ronnie’s neck. Ronnie had braided his hair to keep it out of his
face.

“I used to dream about your hair, that and your singing. I

relived all those times you sang me to sleep when I’d stay over at
your house,” Lucius admitted in the dark as they settled down.

“Do you want me to sing to you?”
He shook his head. “Not tonight. You’ve used your voice

enough. I just wanted you to know I did think about you while I
was gone. You were a part of everything I did because you meant
home to me. Not my parents or even my grandmother. After I met
you, you became my family. I’m sorry for leaving you that day.”

Ronnie rolled over to face Lucius. “I know you think you

abandoned me, but you didn’t. I knew you were leaving the next
day. I didn’t expect you to change your mind or anything. I chose
to give my virginity to you. You were my first love. Whom else
would I have given it to?”

“Your first love? Really?” Lucius met Ronnie’s eyes and saw

the honesty in them. “Wow, I don’t think I’ve been anyone’s first.”

“Well, you were mine, and I clung to that night with my whole

heart because while it wasn’t the best sex I’d ever had, it was the

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only time I made love to someone who loved me.” Ronnie dropped
his gaze. “Or someone I thought loved me.”

Lucius cupped Ronnie’s cheeks in his hands and waited until

Ronnie looked at him. “I loved you, Ronnie Lake. Is it too soon for
me to admit I still love you?”

“Why would you consider it too soon?” Ronnie covered

Lucius’ hands with his.

“We just found each other again after ten years. How do we

know if we’re compatible any more? Maybe you don’t want a
barely making it police detective. I’ve got crappy long hours. I
can’t guarantee I’ll be home at five every night.”

Ronnie snorted. “Cher, I’m a guy who dresses in drag, not just

for my job, but all the time. You’ve got lousy hours, and so do I. I
work from nine at night to three in the morning. Usually I sleep
until five, then I do very mundane things. I’ve got crazy friends
you haven’t met yet, but once you do, you’ll agree with me. I make
a living impersonating a woman.”

“I like your job. It suits you.”
“And your job suits you. Protecting people from the bad guys.”

Ronnie rubbed his face into Lucius’ palms. “There are worse guys
I could hook up with than a barely making it detective. I’m willing
to take my chances and see where this could lead us. We had to
split up for us to grow, so when we finally get back together, we’re
ready for a serious relationship.”

“I do believe you’re a romantic at heart, Ms. Lake.”
Ronnie chuckled, but didn’t deny it. Lucius made a note to

send Ronnie flowers the next day at the club. He wanted to let
everyone know Ronnie had a man who appreciated him. He would
have to make a point to get to know Ronnie’s friends.

“Lucius, you didn’t mention your mother. Is she still alive?”

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Lucius let go of Ronnie and rolled over on his back to stare up

at the ceiling. “No. She died about five years ago from cirrhosis of
the liver. Seems she was an alcoholic.”

Ronnie propped his head up on his hand and trailed a finger

over Lucius’ chest. “Why don’t you get out of those clothes and
tell me about it?”

After climbing out of the bed, he stripped off his clothes,

letting them fall to the floor without worrying about wrinkles. He
went to the bathroom where he brushed his teeth and took a piss.
Lucius didn’t really want to talk about his mother, not even to
Ronnie, though, of anyone, Ronnie was the most likely to
understand and least likely to judge.

He got back to the bed and slipped under the blankets. When he

settled, Ronnie crawled back into his embrace, laying his head on
Lucius’ chest. Lucius inhaled deeply, filling his nose with the
soothing scent of Ronnie.

“She was an alcoholic?”
Ronnie’s soft question brought back his shame and guilt at

never knowing how much his mother suffered.

“Yeah. I didn’t know it until she died. I spent as much time

away from home as I could when I was in school. You know that
because I’d stay with you as much as your mother would let me.”

“Which was a lot, but I don’t think she noticed how much time

you spent with me. She was so wrapped up in herself, no one else
mattered,” Ronnie muttered.

They both had their own demons to deal with. Maybe that was

one reason why they had gravitated to each other in school.

“I’m not sure when she started, whether she drank while I was

in school or if it started after I left for the army. All I know is when
I was in Afghanistan, she was diagnosed with cancer and the

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doctor I talked to said it had to do with all the alcohol she’d
consumed. I guess after my dad got injured on one of the oilrigs,
he was home all the time and Mom couldn’t handle it. God didn’t
help her get over the pain.”

“Did your dad hurt her?”
Lucius shrugged. “I don’t know. Dad’s never talked to me

about her. My mom’s parents were dead before I was ten, so I
couldn’t ask them. My dad’s mom never really got along with my
mom. She couldn’t tell me anything. I miss her still.”

Ronnie nodded. “I know what you mean. At times, I miss my

mom, and we weren’t as close as you were with yours. Did she
know you were gay?”

“No. That probably would’ve driven her to drink even more.

Mom was a strict Catholic and being gay was a huge sin in her
world.” He hugged Ronnie closer. “She’d have dragged me to
church for her priest to pray over, I’m sure. Dad doesn’t like the
fact I’m gay, but I don’t think his problem has to do with God.”

“I’m sorry she’s dead, Lucius. I’m sure it hurt a lot when she

died.”

“It did, but you know what I did the night of her funeral?” He

blushed slightly as he remembered.

“What?” Ronnie stroked his hand over Lucius’ chest like he

was trying to soothe him.

“I went out to the river with my iPod and played “Amazing

Grace.” I knew it was her favorite hymn and I thought it’d be the
best way to send her off to heaven.”

“I wish I’d been there to sing it for you.” Ronnie sat up.
Before Lucius could say anything more, Ronnie had him

wrapped in his arms with Lucius’ head resting on his shoulder,
comforting him, instead of Lucius taking care of Ronnie. He closed

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his eyes, absorbing Ronnie’s warmth.

“Let me sing you to sleep, Lucius.”
He couldn’t deny Ronnie anything, and if it helped ease his

own soul, why not?

“Amazing Grace/how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like

me…”

Ronnie’s sweet voice lulled Lucius to sleep and the last thought

Lucius had before he drifted off was how wonderful it was to have
Ronnie sharing his bed. He didn’t want to lose that again.

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CHAPTER 4

The mattress behind Ronnie dipped as Lucius climbed from

their bed. Ronnie rolled over and sat up, rubbing his eyes.

“Is it time for you to go in?”
“Yes. Go back to sleep, honey. I’ll call you later on this

afternoon and we can meet for dinner before you head to work.”

Ronnie waited until he heard the shower running before he

slipped out of bed and headed for the kitchen. By the time Lucius
finished getting ready, he had a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast
ready for Lucius, along with coffee.

“I told you to stay in bed, Ronnie. You didn’t have to do this

for me.”

He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at Lucius. “I can

always go back to bed after you leave. Remember how you made

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me eat breakfast? You said it was the most important meal of the
day.”

“And now if I get a beignet and a coffee in the morning, I’m

lucky.” Lucius came over and enveloped Ronnie in a hug.

Ronnie leaned back against the bigger man, silently savoring

Lucius’ freshly showered scent. He sighed when Lucius kissed the
side of his neck before going to the table.

Ronnie finished washing the few pots he’d used and, after

grabbing his glass of juice, he joined Lucius. He sat down and
curled his legs under him. Lucius’ happy moan made Ronnie feel
better than anything else had in a while. He jumped when Lucius
reached across the table and grasped his hand.

“Thank you for the song last night. It means a lot to me.”
A grin graced Ronnie’s face and he knew he probably looked

silly, but everything about Lucius made him happy.

“Singing for you is my favorite thing to do.”
Lucius checked his watch. “Shit. I have to go or I’ll be late.”
Ronnie stood and followed Lucius to the door. He watched as

Lucius took a small box out of the hall closet and unlocked it.
Lucius pulled out a gun in a holster and hooked it to his belt where
his badge and phone were already clipped.

“My off-duty piece is in the night stand next to the bed if you

ever need it.”

“I doubt I’d ever be able to shoot someone,” he protested.
Lucius eyed him. “You never thought you’d be able to fight

back when the Brosier twins bullied you and look how you
handled them.”

Chuckling, Ronnie held up his hands. “Okay, you have a point

there.”

“One more thing. Here are the keys to my apartment and the

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street entrance door. Also, here’s the alarm code. If you leave
before I get home, just set the alarm and lock up.”

Stunned, he accepted everything and a kiss from Lucius. He’d

never been important enough to anyone to be given a key. Cindi
and Percy didn’t count. They were friends, not boyfriends. None of
the guys he dated were very accepting of his clothing choices. Oh,
they’d say they were fine with it, but they would never introduce
him to their friends or family. They certainly never gave him a key
to their apartment.

He locked the door behind Lucius, then searched through the

apartment, finding the washer and dryer. Tossing his clothes in, he
started the washer before climbing back into bed. He was used to
functioning on a small amount of sleep, but, given the opportunity,
he would rather curl up under blankets and nap until late afternoon.

A buzzing woke him and he looked at the clock next to the bed.

It was noon, and the buzzing was his phone. Grabbing it off the
nightstand, he sat up and answered it.

“Hello?”
“So, sweetheart, did you shag all night long?”
He laughed. “Cindi, it’s none of your damned business if we

fucked or not.”

Cindi’s pout could be heard over the phone. “But I want to live

vicariously through young lovers.”

“Cindi, don’t pretend you and Percy don’t have sex every day,

several times in fact. You’re just nosy and a pervert.”

“You do know me.” Cindi laughed along with Ronnie. When

they sobered up, his friend asked, “How are you holding up,
sugar?”

“Pretty good actually. He gave me the key to his apartment,” he

blurted out, hugging Lucius’ pillow to his chest.

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“No? Really?” Cindi sounded surprised, for which Ronnie

couldn’t blame him. Cindi’d gone through the same experiences
Ronnie had until he found Percy. “How does that make you feel?”

“It’s too soon to be in love with Lucius, isn’t it?” He bit his lip,

waiting to hear all the reasons why he shouldn’t be falling in love
with Lucius.

Cindi chuckled. “You’ve been in love with that man for as long

as I’ve known you. I don’t think there’s anything soon about it. Do
you know how he feels about you?”

“He told me he still loved me, but he’s afraid it’s too soon for

us to jump right into a serious relationship.” Ronnie sighed and
stared out the French doors opposite the bed. “Yet he’s always
been in my heart, ever since the first day we met. I never wanted to
forget him because he made me feel safe and lovable.”

“You are lovable, sugar. Don’t let anyone tell you different.

I’m reserving judgment on your detective. I don’t know him well,
so I don’t want to have an opinion on him. But if he’s the reason
you looked so happy last night, I’m willing to give him the benefit
of the doubt.”

A voice mumbled in the background, and Cindi snorted.
“Percy said you tell Lucius that if he hurts you, he’ll have to

deal with Percy.”

Ronnie giggled because the image of Percy facing Lucius down

was like a Chihuahua going after a Great Dane. Yet he knew Percy
would stand up for him. Cindi’s partner had done it before when
Cameron kept coming around.

“I’ll let Lucius know. We should all meet for dinner soon.

Actually, I’m going to come over and pack a bag of stuff for the
next couple of days. Then on the weekend, Lucius said we could
move the rest of my things into his apartment.” He panicked. “Is it

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too soon to be moving in together?”

Cindi snorted. “I moved in with Percy the night we met. I think

waiting ten years and however many days is long enough. Did you
sleep together last night? And I don’t mean doing the horizontal
mambo either, though if you want to tell me about that, I’d suffer
through it.”

“I bet you would.” He smiled and thought about how well he’d

slept last night in Lucius’ arms. “Yes, we shared a bed.”

“And he didn’t force you?”
“No, he wouldn’t do that,” Ronnie snapped.
“Then I don’t think you need to worry about it being too soon.

It sounds like if you decide you want to sleep in your own bed, he
wouldn’t fight you on it. He might not like it, but he won’t make
you do anything you didn’t like.” Cindi sighed. “Sugar, go with
your gut on this one. Has it ever led you wrong concerning this
man?”

Ronnie thought about all the choices he made in his life that

Lucius was a part of. “No, it really hasn’t. Some things have
happened I wasn’t expecting, but they turned out to be good for
me.”

“And it feels right to be with him, to care for him, and let him

take care of you?”

“Yes.”
Cindi’s voice was soft and understanding. “Then that’s all you

need to know. Give up control of your heart, Ronnie, and fall.
Lucius will be there to catch you. He’s already given you his heart.
Don’t you think you should return the favor?”

He loved talking to Cindi. It was how his conversations with

his mother would go, if they ever talked to each other.

“You’re right. I’ll come over before work tonight and pack a

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bag. Then Lucius and I will be over on Saturday to get the rest of
my stuff.” He paused. “I hate doing this, but can you make sure no
one knows where I’m staying? I don’t want Cameron showing up
here.”

Cindi grunted. “I think the senator is in for a rude awakening if

he tries anything with you. Unlike most of the people here in New
Orleans, Lucius doesn’t seem impressed by Cameron. If something
does happen, Lucius isn’t going to discount you as some weird-o.”

Being overlooked or dismissed as weirdoes or crazies was a

common occurrence for the ladies at the cabaret. They dealt with it
the best they could, mostly by ignoring the snide comments and
rude gestures. If someone got threatened, they banded together
instead of going to the cops. Yet Ronnie did believe having Lucius
around would help the rest of them.

“I have to go, sugar. Have to go into the club and do some

paperwork. I look forward to spending some more time with your
man. See you tonight.” Cindi blew a kiss in the phone before
hanging up.

Ronnie set his phone down and got up. He switched his clothes

from the washer to the dryer before starting a new pot of coffee
brewing. A hot shower and another T-shirt of Lucius’ made him
feel better, though when he looked at himself in the mirror, he
burst out laughing. He looked like a little kid wearing his dad’s T-
shirt. Tugging on some sweat pants, he wished he had his running
shoes.

Instead of running, he meditated and did yoga to stretch his

muscles and calm his mind. By the time he finished, the coffee was
done. He poured himself a cup and stepped out on the front
balcony to sit outside. Settling into one of the wicker chairs, he set
his heel on the edge of the seat and rested his chin on his knee.

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Ronnie loved his city. The passion and pride thrived on the

streets and in the people who lived there. History was built into the
very bricks of the houses and buildings. Not even a hurricane could
break the spirit of the people. He and his friends had gone to New
York City until the government said it was okay to come back.

None of them had ever considered moving somewhere else.

New Orleans was in their blood. It had been home in a way no
other city could ever be for Ronnie, yet he knew if Lucius wanted
to leave, Ronnie would pack up all of his belongings and follow. In
the most fundamental way, Lucius was now Ronnie’s home and he
would happily go to the moon with the man.

He sipped his coffee and watched the city bustle below him.

After draining the last drop, he stood and stretched, making his
way toward the bedroom. He grabbed his clean clothes out of the
dryer and went in to take a shower.

Forty-five minutes later, he slipped into his heels and ran some

lip-gloss over his lips. Thank goodness, he kept a make-up bag in
his duffle with the rest of his working things. One more fluff of his
hair and he headed out, making sure to set the alarm and lock the
door behind him.

As he headed down the stairs, he heard one of the other

apartment doors open.

“Young lady,” a shaking voice called out to him.
Ronnie was used to being mistaken for a woman. He paused

and turned with a smile. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Could you help me please? I saw you come from upstairs. I

thought Lucius liked men.” The little elderly lady waved him over
to her apartment.

“He still does.” Ronnie stepped into her entryway and glanced

around, his eyes lighting up at the pictures on the walls. “Are those

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you?”

She looked at them with a nostalgic smile. “Yes. I used to be

quite the looker in my time. Used to have dinner with Alan Ladd
and Cary Grant. All the big-name stars called me when they
needed a date.”

Ronnie met her gaze, and she winked. He laughed and set his

duffle bag on the floor. “What can I help you with?”

“My name is MaeAnne Brothers.” She held out her hand.
Feeling the paper-thin skin beneath his fingers, Ronnie gently

shook her hand. “I’m Ronnie Lake.”

“You, Mr. Lake, are no girl, so I’m glad to know Lucius hasn’t

been corrupted by those straight men at work.” She shivered.
“Lucius is so nice, and I’m always afraid he’ll turn into a
chauvinistic jerk like my brother-in-law was.”

“Don’t worry about that, Ms. Brothers. Lucius couldn’t be an

ass if he tried. At least to people he cares about.”

MaeAnne giggled like a young girl. “That’s true. Now, I

wondered if you could help me get a box out of my closet. It’s on
the top shelf.”

“Sure. Lead me to it.”
Ronnie slipped off his shoes and padded after the tiny lady

down her hallway. He gawked at all the pictures gracing the walls.
MaeAnne had been beautiful and while the beauty had faded
slightly, she would still stand out in a crowd. Ronnie gasped and
froze as he spotted one photo.

“You met Veronica Lake?”
MaeAnne came back toward him. “Yes. I was an extra on So

Proudly We Hail with her and Claudette Colbert. Claudette was a
professional and quite generous when she wished to be.
Admittedly, she didn’t hang out with the extras much, but who

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would expect that? She had a little quirk of always wanting to be
filmed from the left side. Guess she liked that half of her face.”

“What about Veronica?”
“Ah, well, she was a different story. You look like her, so I

assume you work at one of the clubs that feature female
impersonators.”

He nodded, not ashamed of his job.
“Oh, I’d like to go and see one of those shows. I don’t drive

anymore and some days are better than others for me to get out of
the house.” She pointed at the photo of her and Veronica.
“Veronica could be a bit of a pain to work with, even that early in
her career. Very demanding and, at times, mean. You know, they
say she drank a lot and had mental issues.”

Ronnie stuck his hands in his pockets. “Yeah, I heard that. You

know, Ms. Brothers, I could arrange for you to get tickets to one of
the shows. I’m sure if we ask nicely, Lucius would bring you.”

“I’d like that, Ronnie. Let’s get that box. I’m sure you have

more important things to do than hang around talking to an old
woman like me.”

He didn’t think anything would be more interesting than sitting

down and chatting with MaeAnne about her time in Hollywood
during the golden age of movies. Yet he didn’t want to overstay his
welcome either. He went into the bedroom and headed over to the
closet.

“It’s the dark blue box.” MaeAnne gestured toward one of the

boxes to the right on the shelf.

“Got it.”
Ronnie rose up on his tiptoes and yanked the box off. He

caught the box in his arms and staggered slightly under the weight.
“Where do you want it?”

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“Would it be too much to ask you to bring it out to the living

room for me?”

“No problem.”
They returned to the living room and he set it on the coffee

table. MaeAnne sat on the couch and ran her hand over the box’s
top. He noticed how her hand shook.

“Can I get you anything else, Ms. Brothers?”
She smiled and shook her head. “No, and please, call me

MaeAnne. I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of you around here since
you were leaving Lucius’ apartment. He doesn’t let his dates spend
the night. So you must be special to him.”

His cheeks heating, Ronnie ducked his head. “We were friends

back in high school, and we just reconnected last night. I’m having
some personal problems, so Lucius is letting me crash at his
place.”

“A knight in shining armor,” MaeAnne murmured.
Ronnie didn’t like how pale she looked, so he looked around to

find her sweater. After picking it up, he held it out to her.

“MaeAnne, would you like to go have lunch with me? I haven’t

eaten yet, and I’d love to talk to you some more about your days in
Hollywood. I bet you know all the good gossip from back then.”

At first he thought she was going to refuse him, but something

flashed over her face, and he realized MaeAnne was lonely. It
seemed obvious she didn’t get many visitors and probably didn’t
have any family in the city to come make sure she was okay.

“I’d love to have lunch with such a handsome young man like

yourself, but Lucius isn’t expecting you or anything, is he?” She
stood and tugged on her sweater.

“No, ma’am. He’s at work and said he’d call me later, so I’m

free to spend time with such an intriguing woman.” He winked,

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and MaeAnne laughed, slapping his arm as he offered it to her.
“I’ll just leave my bag here while we’re out and I’ll pick it up
later.”

He waited at the door while she gathered her purse and keys.

After checking to make sure he had everything he needed and that
she locked her door, Ronnie escorted MaeAnne downstairs and
outside. They strolled slowly down to St. Charles Avenue, making
idle talk and enjoying the cool weather.

“How long have you lived in New Orleans?”
“Oh, I came to the city in the sixties. Quite an interesting place

back then. Met so many wonderful people, though most of them
are gone now. It’s the pits getting old.” She sighed.

“Well, I think you look good for whatever age you are. And all

the stories you must have about people and events you’ve seen.
I’m afraid that now I know you worked in Hollywood, I’ll be
knocking on your door to get more insider information.” Ronnie
motioned to the cafe they approached. “Will this be okay?”

“Oh, yes. It’s been so long since I’ve gone anywhere for

lunch.”

Ronnie held the chair for the elderly lady and swore to himself

he’d take her out once a week. Maybe he and Lucius could have
her up for Sunday brunch or something.

“Have you always lived in that apartment?” He settled across

from her.

She waited until after they gave the waitress their drink orders.

“Yes. Bronson was a very close friend of mine and he convinced
me to come to New Orleans. He was Tory’s uncle. Tory was
Lucius’ friend in the army. I was happy when Lucius inherited the
building. I was afraid the city would take and sell it, and we’d end
up with a landowner who wouldn’t understand the arrangement we

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made with Bronson before he died.”

“How many apartments are there?”
“Just three. One on the ground floor. Mine on the second, and

Lucius’ on the third. The tenants on the first floor are a wonderful
older gay couple. They’ve been together for at least thirty years.
Bronson befriended them when they were thrown out of the place
they lived before. Bronson used to own one of the big jazz clubs in
the city. He knew everyone around here. He was willing to give us
a break on the rent since he owned the building outright.”
MaeAnne’s wistful smile touched Ronnie’s heart.

“You miss him,” he commented.
She nodded. “I do miss Bronson. He was a friend when I

needed one all those years ago. I was forty and pregnant with no
husband in sight. He could’ve turned his back on me like everyone
else had, but he opened his home to me. Bronson gave me a job
and took care of me when I lost the baby.”

“Oh, MaeAnne, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to drag up bad

memories.” He leaned over and patted her hand.

She waved away his concern. “Thank you, Ronnie, but I’ve

come to terms with my grief. There will always be a little ache in
my heart, yet I’ve come to love other children. Tory, Bronson’s
nephew, became like a son to me, and so has Lucius. He goes out
of his way to spend time with Randall, Preston and me, every
weekend when he can. If he can’t on the weekend, then we get
together sometime during the week. He’s adopted us old people.”

“I can understand why.”
The waitress returned, and they continued talking after giving

her their food order. Ronnie lost track of time while he chatted
with MaeAnne. Finally, when their plates were empty, and he
checked his watch, he saw two hours had gone by and he still had

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to go and get his clothes from Cindi’s place.

“That was wonderful, Ronnie, but I really should be getting

back home.”

He paid for their meal and walked MaeAnne back to her

apartment, where he picked up his bag before heading out to catch
a cab to Cindi’s place. His phone rang while he was in the taxi.
After tugging it out, he checked the number and answered.

“I adore MaeAnne,” he said.
Lucius chuckled. “I thought you’d like her. I planned on

introducing you to the others this weekend. I wanted to have them
over for Sunday brunch. You just jumped ahead of me.”

“Oh, I was hoping you’d be willing to have all of them over

more often. I had lunch with MaeAnne, and she’s the best. I’m on
my way to Cindi’s right now to pick up some clothes and then I’ll
be back at the apartment. I don’t have to be at the club until eight.
It takes me a while to get ready for my set.”

“Sounds good to me, honey. I should be home by six and then

we can decide what to have for dinner. I’ll take you to the club.”

“I can take a cab. I don’t want you to take too much of your

time up by escorting me back and forth,” he protested.

Lucius tsked. “Ronnie, you don’t realize I don’t see it as

wasting my time. I want to be with you, and the more time I get to
spend with you, the better. So don’t try to talk me out of it. I’m not
listening.”

He laughed along with Lucius. The cab pulled to a stop in front

of Cindi’s apartment building.

“Just a sec. I have to pay the cabbie.” He tucked his phone

between his ear and shoulder while handing the cabbie the money
for the ride. After he let himself into Cindi’s, he set his bag down
and flopped onto the couch. “I’m going to have to get a Jazzy pass.

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It’d get expensive using a cab every time I go from your place to
the club.”

“No problem. Of course, you’ll take a cab home when you’re

done working for the night or I can grab a nap and pick you up.
We’ll work that out.” Lucius paused for a second before he
continued, “I can’t tell you how much I like being able to call you
and talk about what you’re doing. I’ve never been able to do that
before.”

Ronnie closed his eyes and sighed at the happiness swelling in

Lucius’ voice. “I haven’t had that either. Cindi and my friends
don’t count because I’m not the most important person in their
lives. God, that sounds really self-centered, doesn’t it?”

“Not really. I know what you’re saying. You want to be the

lover and partner to someone.”

“Yeah.” He was silly to feel embarrassed by his longings. He

had every right to demand to be special to someone, and Lucius
wasn’t laughing at him. “Are you out at work?”

“Yep. When I transferred to the Quarter, I made sure to let my

captain know when he hired me, which is one reason why he
wanted me working for his unit. I spent eight years hiding myself
and this time, no matter what other people think, I was going to be
who I was.”

“How’d that go?” Ronnie worried the bigoted people

populating the police department might harass Lucius.

“Captain didn’t seemed thrilled by it, but he couldn’t very well

fire me. He deals with me and doesn’t make any comments. Can’t
say the same about others. There’ll always be people who hate me
because I’m different. But I also have some great guys who don’t
care what I do in my private life.” Lucius’ voice softened. “Don’t
worry, Ronnie. I won’t ever deny you to anyone.”

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CHAPTER 5

As Lucius entered his building, the door of the first-floor

apartment popped open. He smiled at Preston, who gestured to him
from the doorway.

“How are you doing today, Preston?” He signed as he walked

up to Preston.

The older gentleman signed to him, “Good. I saw your new

man today. And I must say he is a pretty young thing.”

Lucius glanced over Preston’s shoulder to see Randall standing

there with a bright grin. “Ronnie is gorgeous, isn’t he?”

Both men snorted. Preston turned to his hearing partner and

signed something. Lucius was still learning sign language to be
able to communicate with Preston, so he didn’t always catch what
he was saying.

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“Preston wanted to know if he was going to join us for Sunday

brunch.” Randall reached out and stroked his hand down Preston’s
arm without seeming to think about it.

Lucius loved the relationship between the men. It encouraged

him to believe love could last for years instead of the few months
he’d seen with many couples. Of course, he had no room to talk
about that since he hadn’t been able to keep a guy around for more
than a few months himself.

“Yes, Ronnie’ll be there. He’s having some trouble with a

stalker, so I told him he could move in with me.” He leaned closer
to both men and winked. “But I’m going to convince him to stay
with me after we take care of his stalker.”

“Oh, good,” Preston signed. “He took MaeAnne out to lunch

earlier today. She really likes him as well.”

“Ronnie’s always been beautiful, inside and out.”
“You’ve known him long then?” Randall slipped his arm

around Preston and they leaned toward each other like magnets
attracting.

Lucius nodded. “Since high school. We lost touch when I

joined the army, but we reconnected the other day.”

Preston clapped and laughed silently. “Marvelous.” Preston’s

fingers and hands sped through the words. “I love to hear about
lovers reuniting after years apart. Did you always think about him
and compare all your lovers to him?”

“Now…now…Preston, it isn’t any of our business.” Randall

admonished his partner.

Preston pouted, and Lucius took pity on him.
“In a way, yes. I didn’t have a ton of lovers. I was in the army

and didn’t want to chance getting caught and tossed out. Yet now
that I look back, I even compared my friendships to what I had

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with Ronnie.” He glanced up at the ceiling. “I better get upstairs.
I’m hoping he’ll be there waiting for me and we can have dinner
before he leaves for work.”

“Have a good night, and we’ll see both of you on Sunday.”

Randall shook his hand, and Preston hugged him before he left.

He made his way up to his apartment, excitement teeming in

him, and he couldn’t figure out why. Maybe it had to do with the
fact there was someone waiting for him to get home from work,
just like any other couple. Maybe it was because that someone
waiting was Ronnie. Lucius didn’t really know or care why he was
so excited.

Opening the door, he sniffed and his mouth started watering.

His stomach growled at the aromas filling his apartment. He shut
and locked the door before he put his gun away.

“Ronnie, where are you?”
Ronnie strolled out of the kitchen, and Lucius almost dropped

to his knees as the lust hit him so fast and hard, all the blood fled
his head to pool in his groin. Ronnie wore a black mini skirt that
hit him mid-thigh paired with a silky red tank top and a fuzzy
white cardigan sweater. Lucius dropped his gaze to check Ronnie’s
feet and a small bit of disappointment hit him when he noticed
Ronnie wore a pair of red flats.

He wanted to see red high heels showcasing Ronnie’s fabulous

legs, but the flats weren’t bad either, though that might have more
to do with the black stockings Ronnie wore. Ronnie’s shoulder-
length hair fell in a waterfall of golden brown strands.

“Welcome home, cher. How was work?”
Ronnie walked up to him, and Lucius reached out, snagged him

around the waist and pulled Ronnie tight to him. He lowered his
head and kissed those red lips smiling up at him.

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A soft whimper eased from between Ronnie’s lips as he melted

into Lucius’ arms. Lucius slid his hands down Ronnie’s back to
cup the man’s tight ass. They shuddered as their groins met
through layers of fabric. Ronnie wrapped one of his legs around
Lucius’ thigh, and they rocked together.

Lucius teased Ronnie’s tongue into his mouth and he sucked on

it, drawing a moan from Ronnie. Just as Lucius seriously
considered picking Ronnie up and carrying him into the bedroom,
the buzzer in the kitchen went off.

They eased apart, panting and hard. Lucius adjusted himself in

his slacks, enjoying Ronnie’s slightly ravaged look. Lipstick
smeared and clothes skewed, Ronnie looked sexy, and Lucius
almost reached for him again.

“Dinner’s ready. Afterward, maybe we can have a little dessert

before I go to work.” The gleam in Ronnie’s eyes told Lucius just
what dessert would be.

“Sounds good to me.” With his desire under control, he held

out his hand. “That’s the best welcome home I’ve had in years.
You didn’t have to cook dinner, you know.”

“I know, but I like to cook. I haven’t had a chance to do it very

often. No fun cooking for one, and Percy likes to cook as well, so I
let him do it at his place.” Ronnie took Lucius’ hand and dragged
him into the kitchen. “I made lasagna, garlic bread, and a salad
with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.”

“Sounds great.” He washed his hands in the sink and dried

them. When he turned around, Ronnie was there with a napkin, and
Lucius stood still while Ronnie cleaned the lipstick off his face.

“Bet you never thought you’d have to be careful about lipstick

stains,” Ronnie joked.

“True, but I’m not worried. You know how to get them out of

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clothes, right?”

Ronnie nodded. “Of course. I’ll give you lessons.”
“Good. Let’s eat.” Lucius spotted the bottle of wine on the

counter. “I’ll pour the wine, while you dish out the food.”

They got dinner on the plates. Taking his seat at the table,

Lucius glanced over at Ronnie and happiness threatened to
overwhelm him again. This very occurrence had been a repeating
dream of his for years. It had never been a faceless man sitting
across from him. It had always been Ronnie there, smiling and
dressed amazingly similar to the way he was right then.

“Did you have a good day at work?” Ronnie asked before

taking a bite of the lasagna.

“It was okay. Got some leads for a case I’m working on, so that

was good, but the lab tests aren’t back for one murder yet, and I
can feel the time ticking. I’m afraid the suspect we have in mind
will get away before we can prove he did it.”

“Isn’t there a way you can hurry up the lab?”
Lucius shook his head. “Unfortunately, it’s not like on TV. The

lab’s backed up with cases and it takes longer than people think to
get fingerprint hits and stuff like that.”

He took a bit of the pasta and moaned. Ronnie beamed at his

obvious enjoyment of the food.

“What did you do when you got up? I assume you went back to

sleep after I left.”

Ronnie pushed his empty plate away and grinned. “MaeAnne’s

marvelous.”

“She’s a wonderful woman. God, the stories she’s told us about

some of the actors.” He chuckled.

“I know, and I can’t wait to spend more time with her. Plus I’m

not sure she’s taking care of herself.”

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Ronnie’s concern for an elderly woman he’d just met touched

Lucius deeply. He reached across and covered Ronnie’s hand with
his.

“I know. We all try to make sure she eats and gets out, but

sometimes I think we’re not doing enough. I wonder if a nursing
home might not be the best thing for her, but I don’t like the
thought of her being left alone with people who don’t know her or
care about her.”

Ronnie frowned. “You’re right. Well, if it comes to a nursing

home, we’ll do some research and see what we can find. Right
now, we’ll all take care of her. I didn’t meet Randall and Preston
yet.”

“Oh, they’re quite intrigued by you. They stopped me as I was

coming in to ask about you.” He laughed. “It’s kind of like Mutt
and Jeff. Preston is really tall and skinny, but if you see him, make
sure he’s looking at you because he’s deaf. Has been for years as
far as I know. Randall is short, round, and African-American.”

“Do you know sign language?”
They stood and cleaned off the table, rinsing the dishes and

sticking them in the dishwasher.

“Yeah. Once I found out Preston was deaf, I decided I should

know how to talk to him, in case Randall isn’t around to translate
for us.”

“Will you teach me?”
“Sure.” He held out his hand to Ronnie.
Holding hands, they wandered out to the living room, where

they curled up on the couch together. Lucius tugged until Ronnie
straddled his thighs. He cradled the back of Ronnie’s head,
bringing their mouths together.

He tasted the spice of the lasagna and tang of the garlic on

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Ronnie’s tongue as he stroked his in. Ronnie sucked on his as he
tried to get closer to Lucius. Their erections rubbed against each
other, and Lucius wanted to learn what Ronnie tasted like. He
moved the slender man to the side and dropped to his knees in
front of him.

Ronnie ran his fingers through Lucius’ hair. “What are you

doing?”

“I want to taste you.”
Lucius pushed up the hem of Ronnie’s skirt and groaned as he

spotted the deep blue panties. A wet spot stained the front of the
fabric.

“Oh, honey, you steal my breath away.” Looking up, he saw a

puzzled look on Ronnie’s face. “What are you thinking?”

“I’m just used to being the one in that position.” Ronnie

shrugged, his expression puzzled and a little sheepish.

Lucius rested his hands on Ronnie’s knees. “Do you mean no

one’s ever given you a blowjob before?”

Ronnie’s cheeks flamed bright red and he shook his head. “No.

I guess when most guys look at me, they think I’d be totally a
bottom and willing to do all the work.”

“Damn, you’ve known some crappy guys. Lucky for you, I like

it both ways. So you can do me any time you want.”

“Really?”
Ronnie’s eyes lit up, and Lucius laughed.
“Yes, really, but right now, I want my dessert.”
“I’m not going to stop you,” Ronnie murmured.
Lucius tugged down Ronnie’s panties to reveal his cock. He

licked his lips at the sight of that hard flesh. Ronnie’s prick was
shorter than Lucius’, but it was thicker than his. The flared head
dripped clear liquid from its slit. He bent forward to lick up a drop.

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“Oh, wow,” Ronnie whispered.
Lucius met Ronnie’s surprised look. Laughing, he stroked his

hands up and down Ronnie’s smooth legs. “You wax everywhere,
huh?”

Ronnie nodded. “Doesn’t look good to be hairy and I like the

feeling.”

“Hmmm…so do I.” He hummed and placed his hand around

the base of Ronnie’s prick. “If you liked me licking you, just wait.”

With a wink, he rose up on his knees and leaned forward,

wrapping his lips around Ronnie’s shaft. He took Ronnie down as
far as he could, which was pretty much all the way. Lucius was
proud of his ability to suck cock. The guys he’d slept with had
praised him for his oral talents. He wanted to make sure Ronnie’s
first blowjob melted him.

“Shit!”
Ronnie’s hips arched off the couch and his hands buried

themselves in Lucius’ hair. Lucius didn’t stop him from moving.
He just relaxed his throat muscles, letting Ronnie fuck his mouth.
He sucked harder and played with Ronnie’s slit with each outward
stroke. Pumping with his hand, he used every trick up his sleeve to
build Ronnie’s pleasure.

He slid his free hand up between Ronnie’s legs and fondled

Ronnie’s balls, squeezing gently. Ronnie spread his thighs wider,
encouraging more touching and stroking. Lucius took him up on
his silent demand. Ronnie moved faster, and Lucius created
stronger suction, driving Ronnie higher.

“Lucius, please. I need…”
Lucius knew exactly what Ronnie needed. He pressed his

fingers to the soft piece of skin right behind Ronnie’s balls.

“Lucius,” Ronnie shouted as he came, flooding Lucius’ mouth

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and throat with hot, salty liquid.

He drank Ronnie’s cum down like it was the most expensive

wine. He sucked and pumped until he was sure he had every drop
from Ronnie before he licked the softening flesh clean. Easing
back, he settled on his heels and looked up at Ronnie.

What a gorgeous picture. One he’d keep in his mental photo

album. Ronnie sprawled on the couch, thighs wide, his black skirt
hiked up to his hips, his cock lying limp in a nest of dark blue silk.
The lace from Ronnie’s black stockings brought attention to
Ronnie’s pale skin. Not fighting the urge, Lucius leaned forward
again and sucked up a mark on that smooth expanse, wanting to
leave his sign of possession somewhere on Ronnie. He knew better
than to put it somewhere Ronnie would need to hide it.

Ronnie ran his fingers through Lucius’ hair and sighed. “Wow.

That was incredible. Why don’t you let me take care of you?”

Lucius wrinkled his nose as he stood and pointed to his groin.

“Don’t worry. I took care of myself while I sucked you.”

“You came when I did?” Ronnie sounded surprised and he took

the hand Lucius held out to him.

“Yeah. I’ll admit I never had that happen before, but you were

so hot, I guess I couldn’t control myself.” He nuzzled Ronnie’s jaw
before leading him down the hall to the bathroom.

“Oh.”
“Let’s take a shower. It’ll be time for you to head to the club

when we’re done. I’ll drop you off, come home, and nap until you
call me.”

Ronnie started to protest, but Lucius stopped him.
“No arguing with me, Ronnie. It’s too far away for you to walk

home, and it’s not safe for you to do it. Plus taking a cab every
night is expensive. It won’t screw up my sleeping pattern. I’ll sleep

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until you call, then I’ll come and pick you up.” He stripped off his
shirt. “You’re far more important to me than my sleep, honey.”

Ronnie didn’t say anything else while they undressed and

stepped into the shower. As much as Ronnie’s slender body called
for Lucius to inspect every lush inch of the man, Lucius kept his
hands to himself for the most part. He didn’t want Ronnie to be
late for work.

He might have made a good impression on Cindi to begin with,

but he didn’t want that good will to wear off by making her best
performer have to scramble to get dressed or anything like that.

“How did Cindi take the fact that you’re moving in with me?

Did she think it was too soon?” Reaching out, he shut off the water
and grabbed a towel to dry Ronnie off.

“No. She thought it was about time.”
Lucius paused and looked at Ronnie. “About time? What does

that mean?”

Ronnie shrugged. “We’ve known each other for twelve years,

and I admit you’ve never been far from my thoughts when we were
apart. So she thinks we’ve had a long enough courtship.”

Laughing, Lucius toweled off quickly and gave Ronnie a gentle

push toward the bedroom. “I think she’s right. I have to admit I
hadn’t planned on asking you to move in with me when I went to
see you last night, but taking you on a date was in my plans. I
wanted to get to know this you, not the one I loved as a teenager.
Unfortunately, the senator rushed things for us.”

“Are you worried about moving too fast?” Ronnie bent over to

slip on another pair of panties.

Lucius clenched his hands to keep from groping the tight ass

presented so perfectly to him. They didn’t have time to play. He’d
have to wait until Ronnie got home after work. Once Ronnie’s butt

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was covered, Lucius blinked and re-focused on Ronnie’s question.

“No, I don’t think we’re moving too fast. You have the choice

to sleep in the guest room. Neither one of us is forcing the other to
do what he wants. And if, later on, one of us decides to slow things
down, we will. I don’t want to lose you again, Ronnie, but I don’t
want you to think you have to do things to make me happy. Just be
yourself, and I’ll be the happiest man in the world.”

He slipped on jeans and a long sleeved T-shirt. After sitting on

the bed, he pulled on socks and running shoes. Then he just sat and
watched Ronnie get ready. Another pair of black stockings slipped
up long legs and a denim skirt hitting Ronnie just above the knees
hid white lace panties.

Ronnie took two shirts out of their closet, and didn’t Lucius get

a thrill out of knowing he shared a closet with someone. Ronnie
held them up for Lucius to look at.

“Which one?”
The white blouse was sheer and would show off Ronnie’s

toned chest, but the golden brown one matched Ronnie’s eyes.
Lucius pointed to it.

Ronnie put the white one away. A flimsy tank top came out of

the dresser.

“What’s that?”
“It’s a camisole.” Ronnie slid it over his head and wiggled to

ensure the fabric settled in all the right ways. “I wear it because I
like the feel of the satin against my skin. I like knowing I’m
wearing pretty things, even when others can’t see them.”

“You do realize I’m going to be hard all the time I’m around

you. I’m never going to get the thought of all the silk and satin
under your clothes out of my head.”

Ronnie winked at him over a slender shoulder as he put the

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blouse on. “That’s the point.”

He laughed and stood, patting Ronnie’s ass as he walked past

his lover. “Finish getting ready. I’m going to call MaeAnne and the
guys to see if they need anything while I’m out.”

Ronnie hummed his agreement and Lucius went out to call his

tenants.

* * *

Tomas greeted them as they walked into the club. “Hey there.”
Ronnie kissed Lucius before taking the bag Lucius carried. He

dashed toward the door leading backstage, while Lucius went to
join Tomas at the bar. The cabaret wasn’t open yet, so the people
milling around were all employees.

“You want a beer?”
“Sure.”
Tomas waved a hand toward one of the bartenders. “This is

Jackson. He works most nights. Jackson, this is Ms. Lake’s
boyfriend, Lucius.”

“Nice to meet you.” The enormous African-American man held

out his hand to Lucius. “Ms. Lake’s a great lady.”

“Yes, he is.” Lucius shook hands. “Have you worked here

long?”

Jackson washed some glasses after handing Lucius his beer.

“Yeah. Been serving drinks for twelve years. Starting working here
when I turned twenty-one. Ms. Cindi was an old marine buddy of
my dad’s and when I got into trouble up North, Dad sent me down
here for Ms. Cindi to straighten out.”

“Your dad know what kind of club Cindi runs?”
The big man laughed. “My dad didn’t care. All he wanted was

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for me get back on the right side of the law instead of dealing
drugs. When I told him, he about bust a gut laughing. He wasn’t
overly surprised Ms. Cindi would like to dress like a woman.”

Lucius frowned. “I just can’t picture Cindi as a marine. Not

that he wouldn’t be a good soldier. It’s just…”

“He makes a better woman.” A voice peppered with a slight

British accent spoke from behind Lucius.

Turning, he grinned at the average looking man standing there.

“Yep, Cindi makes a far better woman than a man, not that she
couldn’t take care of herself if she needed to.”

“You must be Lucius.” The man stuck out his hand, a thin gold

band sparkling on his ring finger.

“And I’m going to guess you’re Percy, Cindi’s partner, or

spouse? What do you consider yourself?”

“We’re married, Lucius. In every way that’s possible except

legally.”

They shook, and Percy took the stool next to Lucius. The

Englishman smiled his thanks as Jackson set a martini in front of
him.

“Well, I want to thank you and your wife for keeping Ronnie

safe. It makes me happy that he had friends here to watch over him
when I wasn’t around.”

“We take care of our own around here.” Percy sipped his

martini. “We did our best to keep Cameron away from him, but
like most politicians, he tends to be a little slippery.”

Jackson grunted, his expression conveying his disgust at the

senator. Lucius fiddled with his bottle.

“I’m doing my best to get a restraining order against him. It’s

hard because no one wants to think the beloved senator would do
something like that. Yet three women have reported him doing it

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up in D.C.” Lucius met Percy’s shrewd blue eyes. “Be careful and
keep an eye on all of the performers here. There were two women
along with Ronnie who Cameron stalked here in New Orleans, and
one of those women disappeared.”

“Shit,” Jackson muttered.
Nodding, Lucius agreed with the bartender. “My sentiments

exactly. My superiors think she left town because she didn’t get
what she wanted, which, according to them, was to smear the
senator. I think something else happened, and it makes me nervous
he won’t leave Ronnie alone, even though he has to know Ronnie’s
male.”

Percy hummed softly while playing with his glass. “We have

enough bouncers to keep an eye out here. Also, our bartenders are
charged with making sure things don’t get out of hand while
people are here. Most of the performers feel they can take care of
themselves.”

Lucius took a swallow of his beer and watched some of the

other performers wander in. They waved to Percy before scurrying
backstage. They were of all sizes and ethnicities. Some wore guy
clothes, and Lucius could tell they were the ones who dressed in
drag for their job. Others strolled in dressed much like Ronnie, and
Lucius eyed them objectively. None of them were as beautiful as
his lover, but he was willing to admit to himself he was probably
biased.

“We all like to think we’re able to deal with all our problems

by ourselves. It takes a man to admit he needs help from
someone.” Percy finished his drink and stood. “Are you staying for
Ronnie’s set?”

“I’ll stay for his first one, then I need to head home and grab

some sleep. Just so you know, I told him to call me when he was

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done for the night. I don’t want him walking to my place or taking
a cab home that late at night.”

Percy slapped Lucius on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, my dear

man. Cindi or I will make sure he calls you. We’ve been looking
out for him this long, so we’re not going to give up our
responsibilities.”

“Thank you.”
He appreciated the way Cindi and Percy had welcomed Ronnie

into their family. He assumed they did the same thing with all the
men who worked at the club. He finished his beer and waved
Jackson over.

“How much for the beer?”
“It’s on the house. All the performers and their guests drink

free.” The corner of Jackson’s mouth lifted. “Ronnie doesn’t drink
much and she’s never had any guests in to watch her since she
started working here.”

“What was Ronnie like when he first started?”
Jackson rested his hands on the edge of the bar and chuckled.

“It was like she was born to play Veronica Lake. Her voice is
angelic and she’s great on stage. Ms. Lake can work a crowd like
no one’s business, but I always got the feeling she was waiting for
someone to walk through the door. Maybe she was just looking for
you.”

The bartender walked away, and Lucius stood to wander

toward the stage. He claimed a table and sat with his back to the
wall. He watched as the crowd began to enter, and his pulse raced
as Senator Cameron strolled in like he owned the place. The
senator claimed one of the biggest booths and settled into it with a
blonde on either side of him.

Part of the problem they were facing in convincing anyone

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Cameron was stalking Ronnie was the man was known as a
staunch supporter of gay rights, but the man never identified as
gay. He dated women and was even married until his wife died
tragically. All those things conspired to make Cameron a
sympathetic character instead of the slightly unstable man he
seemed to be.

With the senator’s presence, Lucius decided he would stay for

the entire night. He’d call his boss in the morning and go in late.
All the employees of the club would do their best to keep Ronnie
safe, but Lucius wanted to keep an eye on things himself.

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CHAPTER 6

Ronnie scrubbed off his make-up while trying to kick off his

shoes. Lucius had stayed for the whole night. He couldn’t wait to
talk to his boyfriend and find out what he thought of all of
Ronnie’s songs. The wipe he’d used to remove his eye make-up
went in the trash and his blonde wig went on the foam head.

He hung the blue dress in the dressing room closet and settled

the shoes on the floor. Ronnie tried to keep the place neat for the
most part. He slipped on his denim skirt and shirt. After shoving
his feet into his favorite red heels, he rushed around, stuffing
clothes and shoes into his bag.

He slung the bag over his shoulder before he headed out to the

front of the club where Lucius waited for him. As he walked
through the door, he spotted Lucius surrounded by some of the

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other performers. Andrew’s light giggle drifted over the various
chatter, and Ronnie stopped when he saw Andrew trail his fingers
over Lucius’ shoulder.

“The nerve,” he muttered, dropping his bag by the bar and

getting ready to storm over to rip Andrew away from his man.

“Take a deep breath, sugar. Your man isn’t interested in

Andrew or any of the other guys.” Cindi slipped his hand into the
crook of Ronnie’s elbow. “He only has eyes for you.”

Ronnie paused and took Cindi’s advice. Breathing, he noticed

how Lucius laughed at something Andrew said, but moved away
when the skinny blond reached out to touch him again. The other
performers were honoring Lucius’ personal space, so he wouldn’t
have to bitch them out.

“Besides, I don’t think Andy’s doing that to tick you off or

even see if Lucius is interested. He’s doing it to make Tomas
jealous.” Cindi nodded in the direction of the bouncer.

“Really?” Ronnie shook his head. “I didn’t even know Tomas

was interested in guys, especially guys like Andrew and me.”

“What? Like girly guys?” Cindi wrinkled his nose for a

moment.

Ronnie rolled his eyes and nodded. “Yeah. We aren’t the most

masculine of men, Cindi. Hell, when we’re dressed up, you can
barely tell us apart from women. While I’m sure Tomas
appreciates how we look when we perform, he never struck me as
the type of guy who’d be comfortable taking a cross-dresser out on
a date.”

“Then you haven’t watched the way he looks at Andy. His gaze

never leaves our little blond whenever Andy’s near him. Like
now.”

Tomas’s gaze narrowed, and Ronnie could see him clench his

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hands as Andrew giggled again before draping himself over
Lucius’ shoulder. It looked like it took all of Tomas’s control not
to stalk across the dance floor and jerk Andrew away from Lucius.

Cindi laughed at Lucius’ rather amused look as he peeled

Andrew off him. “I do believe your boyfriend has figured out what
Andy is trying to do.”

“Well, I always said Lucius was smart.” Ronnie met Lucius’

gaze over Andrew’s head and winked. Smiling back, Lucius
started to stand up, but Ronnie shook his head. “Two can play at
that game.”

“Be careful, sugar. I don’t want a cat fight in my club.” Cindi

shook his head before stepping over to where Percy stood at the
end of the bar, counting the till.

“Don’t worry, Cindi. As long as Lucius and Tomas don’t get

into it, you shouldn’t have any damage to your club. Andrew and I
aren’t really heavyweights here.”

Ronnie strolled over to Tomas and slipped his hand into the

crook of Tomas’s elbow. He rested his chin on Tomas’s shoulder
and leaned in, making it look like he kissed the bouncer’s cheek.

“I think he’s trying to make you jealous,” he whispered against

Tomas’s skin.

Tomas relaxed and turned slightly toward Ronnie. He tilted his

head before winking at Ronnie. “That’s a good sign, huh?”

“Sure it is. Of course, I’d prefer he didn’t use my boyfriend to

try to piss you off. Lucius doesn’t go anywhere unarmed, and you
look like you could do some damage in a fistfight.”

The big guy threw his head back, laughing. Ronnie peeked over

to where Andrew and Lucius sat. Lucius gave him a small shake of
his head, but didn’t look upset about what he was doing. Andrew
looked pissed.

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“I love Andrew like he was my brother, but I don’t take kindly

to him flirting with Lucius because he doesn’t have the balls to tell
you he’s interested in you.” Ronnie placed his hand on Tomas’s
chest and fluttered his eyelashes at him.

“Well, I haven’t exactly made my interest known either.”

Tomas cupped Ronnie’s face with a gentle hand.

“Maybe you should man up and tell him you’re crushing on

him, cher. He’s a good kid, just needs a firm hand to keep him
from getting into trouble. Andrew’s had a hard life, but deep inside
he’s just looking for someone to see the real him and love him for
it.” Ronnie didn’t have time to move on to the next flirtation.

Andrew jerked him away from Tomas and glared at him. “Your

boyfriend’s over there. I didn’t think you were a slut, Ronnie.”

He didn’t take offense at Andrew’s insult. He’d succeeded in

his goal. Andrew was jealous, and maybe now the pair could talk
about their feelings instead of dancing around each other. Reaching
out, he patted Andrew on the shoulder and smiled.

“I think Tomas is more interested in your inner slut than mine,

Andrew. But maybe you should think about not flirting with
Lucius. I trust my boyfriend not to do anything, but still, he’s mine
and I’m pretty possessive about his body.”

Andrew ducked his head and nodded. “Sorry, Ronnie. I didn’t

really mean anything by it.”

“I know, honey, but you need to pluck up your courage and say

out loud how you feel about Tomas. He’s a guy, and we’re not the
best guessers in the world.” Ronnie kissed Andrew on the cheek
before pinching his ass as he walked past.

Squeaking, his friend glared over his shoulder at him. Ronnie

winked and headed to where Lucius stood, waiting for him. Lucius
wrapped his arms around Ronnie, pulling him close and kissing

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him. It was dramatic and over the top, but Ronnie thought it was
perfect in every way.

When they finally broke apart, everyone in the club was

hooting and clapping. Ronnie blushed, but bowed along with
Lucius.

“Glad we could entertain you perverts,” he yelled as Lucius

dragged him toward the front door.

“Guess someone’s getting lucky tonight,” Cindi shouted right

before the door shut behind Ronnie.

“I think we’re both getting lucky tonight,” Lucius murmured as

he tucked Ronnie tight against him with his arm around Ronnie’s
shoulders.

“How fast can you get us home?” Ronnie slipped his hand in

Lucius’ back pocket and bumped their hips together.

“Fast enough. I don’t want to break any speed limits, love, or

get into an accident. That wouldn’t be a good way to end the
evening, would it?”

Ronnie shook his head. “No. So did you like the show

tonight?”

“I always love your show.” Lucius grinned at him.
“How can you say that? This is only the second one you’ve

seen.”

Lucius shrugged. “True, but since you’re the one singing, I

know I’ll love it no matter what.”

“No, you’re not biased at all.” Ronnie rolled his eyes as they

arrived at the car.

Lucius held the door for him and waited until he was all the

way in before shutting the door. He tugged on the hem of his skirt,
nervous now he had a moment to think. Having Lucius suck him
off had blown his mind. The men he usually ended up with

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expected him to do the blowing and to be the bottom.

Ronnie happily admitted he liked getting fucked, but once in a

while, he liked being asked whether he wanted to get fucked or to
top. He glanced at Lucius as the man slid behind the steering
wheel. He’d address that issue later on, after they made love. For
their reunion lovemaking, he wanted to feel Lucius inside him.

They fell silent as Lucius drove them to their home. Ronnie

angled his body so he could rest his head against the seat and
watch Lucius. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of looking at the
man he loved.

After getting up to their apartment without making too much

noise, Lucius shut and locked the door behind them. He turned and
cradled Ronnie’s face. Lifting it to the moonlight beaming through
the windows, he stared at Ronnie.

What did Lucius see when he looked at Ronnie? Did he see the

scared young boy who disappeared in the hallways at school? The
same young boy who hid at home because his mother never
acknowledged his existence half the time? Did Lucius see the same
ugly, frightened boy Ronnie saw every time he looked in a mirror?

“What are you looking at?” he whispered, trying his best to

hold still and not turn away.

“I’m looking at the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. You

outshine all the models and actresses in the world. I want to ask
you a question, and I don’t mean anything negative by it.”

Ronnie fought the need to tense or run away. It was Lucius

asking, the man who would cut off his right arm for Ronnie if he
needed it.

He swallowed and murmured, “What do you want to know?”
“Why do you dress in women’s clothes? I know you like being

a guy, but what about women’s clothing makes you happy?”

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Taking a deep breath, he told himself he could do it. He could

tell Lucius the darkest secret in his life. Ronnie opened his mouth
to spill it, when Lucius pressed a finger to his lips.

“Tell you what? Why don’t you go take a shower and get ready

for bed? I’ll do the same in the guest bathroom. We’ll meet in the
bedroom and you can tell me. But I want you to know you don’t
have to explain to me why you dress this way. Knowing or not
knowing won’t make a difference to how much I care about you.”

Ronnie had heard those words before from various friends and

lovers. Yet none of them stuck around after finding out the truth.
He met Lucius’ dark gaze and in those dark brown eyes, he saw the
truth in Lucius’ words.

Inside Lucius lurked the same teenage boy who held Ronnie

after bad memories woke him up at night. That same boy who
showed Ronnie what making love really felt like, even though
Ronnie woke up alone the next morning. He never once thought
Lucius would stay, not because Ronnie believed everyone would
leave him eventually. No, he knew Lucius wouldn’t stay because
there wasn’t any life for them in their small Louisiana town unless
they wanted to work on the oilrigs, and Lucius swore never to do
that.

After all those years apart, Ronnie could look at Lucius and see

the boy he used to be under the layers of maturity traveling the
world in the army had given him. There was hope and a belief in
the future in Lucius’ smile that wouldn’t have been there if he’d
stayed. Ronnie thanked God for those ten years.

“All right. I’ll meet you in the bedroom in fifteen minutes.”
That would give him time to get ready.
He went into the bedroom and grabbed his pajamas. After

turning on the water in the bathroom, he stripped and faced his

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reflection in the full-length mirror on the back of the door. Naked,
he couldn’t deny the fact he was ugly.

Not even hundreds of therapy hours could get him over the fact

that, more often than not, he thought he was ugly. Maybe hearing it
since the time he could understand words had damaged something
inside him.

He still saw only the ugliness, even though everyone told him

he was beautiful in whatever he wore. Dressing as a guy or a girl
didn’t make any difference to how others saw him, though,
because they saw the outside as gorgeous. Yet inside him, he never
got beyond being the pitiful child his father had tormented for
years.

During the last two years of high school, he’d finally started to

believe he wasn’t a hideous monster. Each time he saw the way
Lucius looked at him, he felt sexy and stunning. Remembering
those looks and the way Lucius held him that night ten years ago
was what gave him the courage to recognize the need inside
himself.

He climbed into the shower and washed quickly. After taking

one of the shortest showers of his life, he got out and dried off. He
blew dry his hair, added a little eyeliner and mascara to his hazel
eyes before reaching for the clothes he’d brought into the bathroom
with him.

Ronnie shook out the pink negligee and stared at it. Would

Lucius remember? He bit his lip as he slipped it on and checked it
out in the mirror. The sheer pink material clung to his slender hips
before stopping mid-thigh. The lace trim decorated the neckline
and hem. He tugged the lace panties up and adjusted his cock in
them. Even dressed this way, there was no mistaking Ronnie for
anything other than a guy. Taking a deep breath, he slid his feet

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into a pair of pink kitten heeled shoes and slid on the matching
robe. A final touch of lip gloss and a quick fluff of his hair, and he
was ready to face his lover.

He turned off the light and opened the bathroom door. The

bedroom lights were off; only one single lamp glowed next to the
bed and he spotted Lucius sitting on the mattress, back propped on
the headboard.

The sudden indrawn breath alerted him when Lucius first

spotted him. He held up his hand when he saw Lucius start to
climb out of bed. His lover stopped and settled back, covered up to
his waist with the blankets. Ronnie walked to the bed and shrugged
the silky robe off, letting it pool on the floor at his feet. He kicked
off the shoes and knelt on the bed, crawling across what felt like an
endless expanse of mattress before stopping right next to Lucius’
body.

“I can’t believe you still have this.” With a shaking hand,

Lucius reached out to run his finger over the strap gracing
Ronnie’s shoulder.

“It’s not the same one. You ripped the other one, but I found a

replacement. I didn’t know if you would still remember it,” he
admitted in a trembling voice.

“Remember it? Honey, it’s been etched in my mind for ten

years. I started to fall in love with you when I first saw you in high
school. I fell all the way in love when you stepped from the
bathroom in that hotel room dressed like this. I knew you were
finally willing to trust me with your virginity and your secrets.”

Ronnie shivered at Lucius’ touch, feeling like a virgin all over

again.

“But I didn’t tell you why I liked to dress like this.”
“No, you didn’t, but I also didn’t ask. I was so overwhelmed

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with desire for you all I could think of was getting inside you. How
tight you would be and how hot. I hurt you, and I’ve never
forgiven myself.” Lucius trailed his hand up Ronnie’s neck to cup
the back of his head. “The fact you don’t hate me is a miracle in
my eyes.”

“Oh, cher, it wasn’t as bad as you think it was. For my first

time, it was the most amazing thing I’d ever felt. It was like we
were one person. I could feel your heart beat in rhythm with mine.
No other man I’ve slept with since then has affected me the same
way.” He paused and smiled slightly. “There haven’t been a lot of
them since then.”

“There haven’t been that many for me either,” Lucius

confessed. “I still feel guilty because not only was I rough with
you, but I left you the next morning. What kind of man does that to
the person he loves?”

Ronnie yanked the blankets out of the way, happy to see Lucius

naked underneath. He straddled Lucius’ hips and settled down,
rubbing his ass against Lucius’ erection.

“I knew you were leaving, Lucius, but I chose to give myself to

you anyway. There’s always been a part of my heart bound and
determined to believe you would come back. No matter how long
it took, you’d be back for me.” Ronnie grinned, proud of himself.
“And I was right. Here you are.”

“I hurt you when we had sex.”
“Yes, you did, but you know what? I didn’t care because I

knew you loved me. The roughness came from our inexperience,
nothing more. You wanted me so badly, and I loved it. No one has
ever wanted me like that before or after. And you wanted me, even
dressed like this.”

Lucius looked surprised. “Why wouldn’t I want you dressed

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like this? Christ, it’s taking all the strength I have not to roll you
over and shove my cock up your ass right now.”

His lover’s crude words stiffened Ronnie’s cock and he could

feel dampness on the front of his panties from his pre-cum. He
needed to tell Lucius why he chose the clothes he did soon because
he wanted Lucius to take him.

“Some people believe a man dressing like a woman is deviant

or insane.”

Lucius rolled his eyes. “Those same people think gays are

crazy or deviants. I don’t pay any attention to them.”

“I started to dress like a girl because I thought it would make

my father happy.”

Lucius tensed, and Ronnie shook his head, rubbing his hands

over Lucius’ lightly furred chest.

“He never touched me in any inappropriate way. It’s just he

always told me I was ugly. He said I was a hideous monster and
should’ve been killed at birth.” He bit his lip as the hurt welled
inside him at the memory of his father’s words.

“What kind of asshole would tell any child that?”
The anger in Lucius’ voice eased some of Ronnie’s turmoil.
“A mean, sadistic one. He mentally and emotionally abused all

of us for years until he died of exposure one night. He’d gotten too
drunk to drive home, so he slept out in his truck. Well, it got below
freezing and he froze to death. After his funeral, Mom packed us
up and moved us down here. I was twelve and my sister was
sixteen.”

“Your sister? I didn’t know you had one.”
“She ran away shortly after we moved here. I have no idea

where she is or if she’s still alive. But she was the one I compared
myself to every minute of my life before she left. My dad would

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say how pretty she was and everything. So I started out thinking if
I dressed like her, he might like me more.” Ronnie glanced down
at the pink sheer negligee he wore. “It wasn’t too long before I
discovered I actually liked wearing pretty clothes. I like high heels
because they make my legs look a mile long.”

Lucius ran one hand over Ronnie’s calf, up over his knee to

rest it high on his thigh under the hem of Ronnie’s nightgown. “I
have to agree with you there.”

Ronnie rolled onto his back and stripped off his panties. He

reached for Lucius’ hand and yanked him over on top of him. He
sighed as Lucius’ warm hard body pressed him into the mattress.
He spread his legs and welcomed Lucius between them like he was
welcoming him home.

They rocked together for a little while, relearning how each of

them felt against the other.

“It still took me a few years and a couple hundred therapy

sessions to realize I had every right to want to feel beautiful and
desirable. If wearing lace and silk does it for me, then why should I
suffer in clothes that make me feel hideous? I’m an adult and I
have the right to chose to do what I want, as long as it doesn’t hurt
anyone else.” Ronnie stroked his hands up Lucius’ chest and
gripped his shoulders. “I still have a hard time believing I’m
beautiful, Lucius. When I look in a mirror, I don’t see what you
see. I see an ugly little bug. Yet at my worst, the way you look at
me tells me, to you, I’m gorgeous and perfect. That’s all I need.”

He pulled Lucius down to him, and their lips crashed together

hard enough Ronnie tasted blood. He didn’t care. They devoured
each other like the sweetest candy. He arched his hips and spread
his thighs wider, encouraging Lucius to take him. Lucius broke
away and braced himself by his hands on either side of Ronnie’s

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head.

“Wait. Are you sure you want me to take you? Would you

rather take me? I don’t want to assume anything about you,
Ronnie.”

God, what more could Lucius do to make Ronnie fall even

deeper in love with him? He slid his hands down to Lucius’ ass
and flexed his fingers into those tight cheeks.

“Thank you for asking, and not just assuming I’m a bottom.

Maybe next time, I’ll take you, but tonight, I want you inside me. I
want to relive the best night of my life up until now.” He arched
his back, bringing their groins together. “I got myself ready while I
took a shower. Please take me, Lucius. Let me feel you.”

Lucius groaned. “I need a condom.”
Ronnie kept contact as Lucius scrambled across the bed to the

nightstand and dug around in the drawer. He laughed softly as
Lucius swore.

“Are you telling me you don’t have any rubbers by your bed?

Do you not bring men home with you?”

“Not usually. If I pick them up, it’s for a quick fuck at their

place and I leave.” Lucius looked over his shoulder at Ronnie.
“You’re the only one I ever wanted to bring home. And I can’t
believe this. Now I have you here, I don’t have any condoms.”

Waving a hand in the general direction of his bag that Lucius

must have carried in while Ronnie showered, Ronnie said, “I
should have a condom in there.”

He never saw a man move so fast. Lucius was off the bed and

crouched next to Ronnie’s bag in a blink of an eye. Digging
through the clothes and shoes, Lucius crowed in triumph as he held
the foil packet overhead.

“Then suit up, big boy, and come back here.”

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Lucius gave him an incredulous stare, and Ronnie burst out

laughing.

“Sorry. I can’t believe I just said that. While the words were

rather cheesy, the sentiment is still the same. Get the hell back here
and fuck me. I’ve been waiting for ten years to feel you inside me
again.”

His lover practically launched onto the bed. They bounced and

chuckled. Lucius tore open the packet and rolled the rubber on.
Ronnie lay back and pulled his knees up to his chest, offering
himself to Lucius.

After settling between his legs again, Lucius positioned the

head of his cock at Ronnie’s hole and pressed in. Ronnie closed his
eyes, braced his hands against the headboard, and pushed back.
They froze when Lucius was buried deep inside Ronnie.

Lucius looked down at Ronnie. “I’ll try to make this better than

the last time, Ronnie.”

“It already is,” he whispered as Lucius started moving.
Each thrust nailed his gland and he groaned, undulating as they

moved together. The way Lucius leaned over him, his stomach
rubbed over Ronnie’s cock. The hard ridges of Lucius’ abs stroked
his shaft, drawing moans and shudders from Ronnie.

“Harder, Lucius. Please, do me faster.”
Lucius complied, thrusting until the sound of their bodies

slamming together filled the bedroom. Pleasure pooled at the base
of Ronnie’s spine and tingled along his nerves. He tightened his
inner muscles, and Lucius grunted.

Before Ronnie could do any more, Lucius rolled and Ronnie

ended up on top with his hands gripping the sheets on either side of
Lucius’ head. He blinked, hoping his head would stop spinning.

“What was that?”

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“I didn’t want it to be over too soon. We’ve both waited a long

time for this.” Lucius ran his hands up Ronnie’s thighs to his hips.
“Besides maybe you’d like to drive for a little while.”

Ronnie looked at his lover, so used to being the submissive one

that Lucius allowing him to control their lovemaking shocked him.
As he pushed up on his knees, Lucius’ cock slid out until just the
head stayed inside. Ronnie eased back down, a sigh pushing out as
Lucius buried deep.

God, he loved the feeling of being filled and being able to look

down to see it was Lucius who claimed him made it even more
special. Ronnie tightened his inner muscles and massaged the
length of Lucius’ prick.

He steadied himself on Lucius’ chest, impaling himself faster

and harder with each down stroke. Lucius grabbed Ronnie’s hips
and thrust up, meeting each downward shove by Ronnie. Ronnie
tilted his hips and the new angle insured Lucius’ cock would nail
his gland with each inward push.

“I’m coming,” Lucius warned Ronnie.
Ronnie couldn’t answer as his own climax exploded through

him and his cum landed on his negligee, soaking through. He
yelled and trembled as Lucius sank into him one more time and
stilled, flooding the condom.

He held Lucius close to him as the aftershocks rippled through

them. Humming softly, he ran his fingers through Lucius’ sweaty
curls. His lover rolled to one side and Ronnie hissed slightly as the
soft cock slipped from him.

“I think we need another shower,” Lucius murmured.
Nodding, Ronnie accepted Lucius’ help up and out of bed. He

stripped off the sheer fabric, drawing a laugh from Lucius.

“We managed to ruin another one of your pretty nightgowns,”

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Lucius commented as Ronnie walked by.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got more.” He winked over his shoulder and

sashayed into the bathroom.

“You’re going to kill me,” Lucius grumbled.
The water steamed as the shower ran. Lucius took care of the

condom while Ronnie waited. They stepped into the stall, and
Lucius adjusted the showerhead so the water hit around the middle
of Ronnie’s back.

Taking their time, they washed each other, learning the ticklish

spots and the places that made them moan. It was gentle and
passionate, but exhaustion danced along their muscles, reminding
them of the lateness of the night.

They dried off and headed back to bed. After climbing in,

Ronnie rolled to his side, and Lucius cuddled behind him,
spooning close. Sighing, Ronnie closed his eyes, savoring Lucius’
warmth. This was how their first night together ended as well, but
Ronnie had the feeling that the next morning would be different.
Lucius would be there when he woke up.

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CHAPTER 7

Lucius stretched as he opened his eyes. Frowning, he patted the

mattress beside him. It was empty and felt cold, like Ronnie hadn’t
been lying there for a while. He sniffed as the smell of chicory
coffee drifted into the room. Since he hadn’t set the coffee maker
last night, he assumed Ronnie had made it.

“Wake up. You’re going to be late for work.”
As Lucius glanced at the doorway, Ronnie strolled in, wearing

jeans and a dark blue blouse. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail
and black eyeliner made his hazel eyes stand out. He smiled at his
lover before focusing on the tray Ronnie carried.

“You brought me breakfast in bed?” He sat up and stuffed

some pillows behind his back.

“Of course. I’m not sure you really eat enough.”

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Ronnie set the tray over his lap and sat cross-legged on the bed

next to him. Lucius eyed Ronnie’s slender body.

“I’m the one who doesn’t eat enough?”
With a roll of his eyes, Ronnie snatched a beignet from Lucius’

tray and took a big bite. “There, are you happy?” Powered sugar
flew everywhere as Ronnie spoke.

Lucius nodded. “Now I am.”
After taking a bite of his beignet and a sip of his coffee, he

leaned back. “This is a better way to wake up than after our first
time, huh?”

“Much better, but I’m not going to dwell on the past anymore.

Let’s just look forward from now on.” Ronnie bent forward and
brushed a powdery kiss over Lucius’ cheek.

“I can do that.”
They ate the rest of their breakfast in companionable silence.

After they finished, Ronnie took the tray, while Lucius cleaned up
and got dressed.

Curled up on the couch, Ronnie waited, ready to leave.
“Where are you going?” Lucius asked as he clipped his gun

and badge to his belt. He grabbed his keys and held open the door
for Ronnie as the slender man walked by him.

“I have some shopping to do, after which I thought I’d grab

Cindi for a late lunch. We’ll probably head over to the club after
that. Will you be picking me up from there tonight?”

Lucius locked the door behind him and caught up to Ronnie,

taking his bag from him and offering him his arm. “Yes. If I can’t,
I’ll call and have Tomas escort you home.”

“I’m a big boy, Lucius. The senator hasn’t bothered me in a

couple days. Maybe he hasn’t found out where I’m staying.”

“Maybe, but I’d feel better if you have someone with you on

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your way home at night. It’s not just the senator I’m worried about,
Ronnie. A lot of predators out there will to try their luck with a
single person walking the streets at night.” Lucius pushed open the
front door and stepped out.

“How did I ever survive without you here to protect me?”

Ronnie teased.

Lucius laughed along with his lover as they strolled down the

walk to the gate. He noticed Ronnie’s giggle had died away and he
looked up to see Ronnie glaring at a man blocking his way on the
sidewalk.

“Did you spend the night with this man, Veronica?”
“What the fuck?” Anger surged through Lucius when he

realized it was Senator Cameron standing there, not just any
random crazy man. He took a hold of Ronnie’s arm to push him
behind him, but Ronnie stood his ground.

“I told you my name is Ronnie and I’m a guy. Why won’t you

leave me the hell alone?” Ronnie gestured toward Lucius. “I have a
boyfriend and he’s a cop. I’m sure if I asked him, he’d shoot you.”

Cameron didn’t even glance in Lucius’ direction. “You keep

running away. I love you, and I have so many plans for us, if you’d
just come with me.”

Lucius knocked the senator’s hand away as the man reached for

Ronnie. “Oh, hell, no. Ronnie isn’t going anywhere with you, now
or ever. You need to stay away from him, Senator, or you’ll find
yourself slapped with a restraining order.”

“That’ll never stick.” The smug arrogance in Cameron’s voice

annoyed Lucius.

“It will now, when I report it to my fellow officers.” Lucius

pushed back the corner of his jacket, revealing his badge and gun.
“I think you should get the fuck out of here, Cameron, before I

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forget I’m an officer of the law and you’re an elected official.”

The crazed look in Cameron’s gaze gave Lucius a bad feeling,

but the senator backed off.

“I’ll convince you at some point, Veronica. You can’t hold out

against me forever.” Cameron stalked off.

Lucius hustled Ronnie to their car, not taking a chance the

senator might come back. After they settled, Lucius pulled away
from the curb.

“I’m going to take you to my precinct and have you fill out a

stalking report. We’ll get a restraining order slapped on his ass.”

Ronnie rested his hand on Lucius’ arm. “Thank you. If you

hadn’t been there, he probably would’ve pushed it further.”

Lucius covered Ronnie’s hand and promised, “I’ll always be

there for you, Ronnie. Protecting you is vital to me now since you
have my heart.”

Leaning over the center console, Ronnie kissed his check. “My

hero.”

They laughed and Lucius relaxed slightly. A restraining order

was just a piece of paper, but it was another step in building a
safety net around Ronnie.

* * *

Ronnie glanced up as the door to his dressing room burst open.

Damn! He’d forgotten to lock it. He was about to yell about being
rude because he figured it was one of the guys needing something
from him. He didn’t have time to deal with it since he had to
change and get ready for his third set.

“I told you I had something for you, Veronica.” Cameron stood

there inside the doorway, hair standing up and suit wrinkled like

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the man had slept in it. The door slammed shut behind him.

“Get the fuck out of here.” Ronnie backed up to his make-up

table, reaching behind him to grab whatever his hand found.

When Lucius taught him to fight all those years ago, he’d

informed Ronnie to use whatever he could find to get away.
Luckily, there was a lot of crap in his dressing room that he could
use.

“Veronica, you have to know I love you,” Cameron said as he

stepped closer to Ronnie.

“I’m not Veronica. I’m a guy, and you have some serious

issues, man.” Ronnie threw his pot of powder at Cameron, aiming
for his eyes.

It hit the senator in the face, but didn’t stop the man from

grabbing Ronnie’s arm and dragging him toward the door.
Ronnie’s heels didn’t make it easy to get purchase on the floor, so
Ronnie caught a hold of one of the director’s chairs set up in front
of the table. He yanked the senator to a stop and managed to swing
the chair. A satisfying crash sounded as it broke over Cameron’s
back.

“Son of a bitch. What the hell are you doing? Why are you

fighting me? You want to come with me. You know it.” Blood
trickled from Cameron’s forehead where the chair struck him.

“I don’t want to go anywhere with you, asshole. Why can’t you

get that through your crazy head?”

Ronnie shoved the senator away from him and dashed toward

the door, but right before he got there, Cameron swept him up and
threw him back onto the couch. Ronnie gasped as he rebounded off
the cushions and onto the coffee table in the middle of the room.
Something in his side gave, warning Ronnie he’d probably broken
a rib or two. He gritted his teeth and shoved to his feet.

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Turning, he braced himself to fight until someone came. The

noise they were making should alert someone soon. Cameron
wasn’t facing him. The door swung open, and Ronnie closed his
eyes in fear as Andrew strolled in. Before he could warn the
younger man, Cameron slammed a fist into Andrew’s face,
dropping the man where he stood. Ronnie only had time to wince
as Andrew’s head bounced off the floor.

“You bastard, what the hell did he ever do to you?”
Ronnie sprang at Cameron and punched his fist at the back of

Cameron’s head. The senator whirled around, slapping Ronnie
hard enough to draw blood and fling him to his knees.

Cameron bent down and picked Ronnie up in his arms. Ronnie

couldn’t get his mouth to work. No sound came out and he tried to
scream for help, but nothing happened. As they slipped onto the
street behind Cindi’s, Ronnie saw a couple spot them.

“Help me,” Ronnie asked.
The man started forward, but Cameron shook his head.
“It’s okay. Just a lover’s spat. We tend to be a little rough when

we fight.”

There wasn’t any time to contradict what Cameron said. The

couple disappeared back into the building as Cameron tossed
Ronnie into the trunk of a car and slammed it shut. Ronnie
pounded on the metal, yelling. The car started and he felt it pull
away from the curb.

Where the hell were they going? He thought about Andrew.

God, Ronnie hoped he was okay because Ronnie was going to be
pissed if Cameron had hurt the younger man. As much as he
wanted to continue to beat his hands against the trunk, he knew
better. There wasn’t any way out until Cameron stopped and
opened it.

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Ronnie closed his eyes and thought about Lucius. Christ, his

boyfriend was going to have a conniption when he found out about
Cameron taking Ronnie. He just had to hold out until Lucius
showed up. Ronnie trusted Lucius would find him. He didn’t plan
to let Cameron do anything to him before they were found.

He closed his eyes and thought about last night when Lucius

held him close. Ronnie savored the feel of Lucius’ warmth breath
bathing the back of his nape and his arms wrapped tight around
Ronnie’s waist.

The car drove on for a while until it turned and hit some bumpy

road or something. He braced his hands against the sides so he
didn’t hit his head again. Please stop, he pleaded silently as his
stomach started to roil as he bounced. His side burned, and his
head throbbed.

By the time the vehicle stopped, Ronnie was pissed. He’d had

enough. Footsteps crunched along toward the back of the car and
the trunk popped open. Ronnie shot out of the trunk, ignoring the
ripping sounds of his dress as he tackled Cameron. He got in three
good punches before Cameron snagged his wrists and rolled him
over, pinning him to the ground.

“I don’t understand why you’re fighting me,” Cameron panted

out. “I’m just trying to show you how much I love you.”

“You don’t love me, you fucking ass. I’m not sure what you

see when you look at me, but I’m not some blonde woman you’ve
fallen in love with.”

Ronnie struggled, wiggling one way and another to get away

from Cameron, but the senator outweighed him. Cameron stood,
jerking Ronnie to his feet, and dragged him toward the house a few
feet away from them.

Up the front steps and inside the house, Ronnie stumbled

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100

behind Cameron, jerking and tugging to free his hands. Nothing
worked, but Ronnie wasn’t giving up. Cameron slung him into a
back room and left, locking the door behind him.

The room was empty except for a single bed. He eyed it in

disgust. No way was he going to let Cameron get him near that
mattress. He paced and tried to think of some way he could get
away.

He didn’t know how long he’d been locked in the room before

Cameron returned. The door opened, and Ronnie kicked, nailing
Cameron in the nuts. The one thing Lucius told him would always
work against another guy was to hit the man in the groin. Ronnie
winced internally as Cameron yelled and cupped his wounded
privates, sinking to the floor, writhing.

Ronnie kicked him again as Cameron managed to make his

way to his knees. The senator crashed to the floor and Ronnie
whirled, racing out the door. Lucius stood in the hallway, gun
drawn, and two other men stood with him.

Ronnie threw himself into Lucius’ arms.

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CHAPTER 8

“Lucius…” Cindi’s voice had caught Lucius’ attention earlier

that night.

Ronnie’s third and last set of the night was supposed to start

soon, and Lucius couldn’t wait to see it. He’d enjoyed the first two
and could see why Ronnie was considered the top performer at
Cindi’s.

Turning to look at Cindi, Lucius noticed the fear and panic in

the club owner’s eyes. “What’s wrong? Has something happened
to Ronnie?”

“We don’t know. He’s gone.”
Lucius shot to his feet and shoved through the crowd to the

door leading backstage. As he arrived at Ronnie’s dressing room,
so did Tomas and Andrew. The latter sported a split lip and a huge

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102

bruise on his cheek, along with a ripped dress.

“The senator took Ronnie,” Tomas yelled.
“Fuck.” Lucius wanted to punch something, but he managed to

keep his anger under control. “I should’ve known something like
that would happen. He accosted Ronnie outside our apartment this
morning. He wasn’t happy Ronnie’d moved in with me.”

“What do we do?” Cindi rested his hands on his hips, rage

barely contained.

“First, Tomas, check Andrew over. Make sure he doesn’t need

to go to the hospital. Secondly, Ms. Cindi, I need you, Percy, and
your wait staff to circulate through the crowd. Ask the audience if
they saw anything. Also, check with the other performers. I have to
call my boss. This time, Cameron’s gone too far.”

Everyone raced to do as Lucius ordered. Lucius stepped into

Ronnie’s dressing room. He stared at the disaster. Clothes and
shoes were scattered all over the space. The chairs were broken
and make-up covered the surface of everything, like Ronnie had
thrown it at his abductor. The senator might have gotten him in the
end, but Ronnie put a fight.

He pulled out his phone and dialed his boss.
“Johnson.”
“Captain, it’s Lucius Montagne. I want to inform you Senator

Cameron kidnapped Ronald Lake, a performer at Cindi’s Cabaret.”

“Damn. Are you sure?”
“Yes, sir. I have one eyewitness and he was roughed up as

well. There might be more who saw the abduction.”

Johnson swore loudly and violently. Lucius waited until the

outburst ended, understanding how his boss felt.

“Okay. I’m calling the local FBI. You make sure no one leaves

that club. We need to talk to everyone.”

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103

Lucius knew he should do his job, but he couldn’t stay quiet

when it was Ronnie’s safety at hand.

“I know where he took Ronnie,” he blurted out.
“How do you know?” Johnson sounded skeptical, and Lucius

didn’t blame the man.

“A week ago, I had a friend of mine do a little research on

property owned by the senator. Seems a big oil corporation who
has contributed an insane amount of money to Cameron’s
campaign purchased a house about an hour from here.”

Johnson grunted. “What makes you so sure Cameron would

take Lake there?”

Lucius paced in a small circle, not wanting to disturb the scene,

but not able to stand still. “He knows someone saw him kidnap
Ronnie, so going to his own place is out of the question. He
doesn’t realize anyone else knows about the new property since it
isn’t in his name yet. The papers haven’t been finalized. There’s a
small house on the land.”

He willed his captain to believe him.
“God damn it. Why did the bastard have to do this in my

parish?” The captain took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll be enroute in
five minutes. I’ll have the feds meet up with us at the club.”

“But, sir—” Lucius started to protest.
“I know Mr. Lake is in danger, but I don’t think the senator is

looking to kill him. If that was all he wanted, he’d have done it at
the club.”

Lucius bit his tongue. Arguing with his boss wasn’t going to

help his cause. “All right, sir.”

Captain Johnson exhaled loudly. “I know Mr. Lake means

something to you, Montagne, and I also know my men dismissed
his concerns when he first complained about the senator. An

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104

internal investigation will see if there should be any disciplinary
action against them.”

“Ronnie’s my boyfriend, Captain Johnson. You might not want

to hear that, but I’m not ashamed to say it out loud. It’s a little too
late to yell at the men who ignored Ronnie the first time, but
maybe there should be some training classes on how to deal with
the public. We do live in New Orleans, sir.”

“Point taken. Now I have to call the Feds, and you have to find

me more witnesses.”

Johnson hung up, and Lucius gripped his phone so tightly, he

heard the plastic casing creak.

“What’d your boss say?”
He looked up to see Tomas and Andrew standing close by.

Andrew had changed into jeans and a T-shirt. His make-up had
been washed off, along with the blood from his lip. The bruise still
looked vicious.

“Did Cameron do that to you?”
Andrew nodded. “It was during Liza’s big number. All the

other guys were out watching her, and I’d come back to change
since I’m the first one on in the third set.”

Andrew paused, and Tomas reached out, patting the man’s

back.

“I noticed Ronnie hadn’t come out to talk to you, so I went to

his room. I was just going to joke about someone trying to steal
you away.”

Tomas wrapped his arm around Andrew’s waist, drawing the

smaller man closer. The tears in Andrew’s eyes spoke of his fear.

“It’s all right, Andrew. The senator won’t hurt you again,”

Lucius reassured him.

“I’m worried about Ronnie. What if Cameron does something

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105

awful to him?”

Lucius closed his eyes and calmed his breathing because

Andrew hit on Lucius’ own fear. Ronnie didn’t go willingly. He
obviously did all he could to get away from the senator.

What if he angered Cameron to the point the man did

something terrible and hurt Ronnie even worse?

“Ms. Lake’s tough, Andy. She’ll do what she must to survive.

She has to know Lucius will come find her.” Tomas comforted
Andrew, his dark eyes meeting Lucius’ over Andrew’s head.

“Tomas is right, Andrew. I taught Ronnie how to take care of

himself in high school. I’m sure he’ll use those moves to keep
himself safe.”

He could lie when he needed to.
Andrew shuddered and continued, “When I got to his room, I

heard a crash and I rushed in because I worried Ronnie had fallen
or something. I opened the door and Cameron hit me. He was
dragging Ronnie behind him. I tried to stop him, Lucius, I really
did, but high heels aren’t the easiest to fight in.”

“Don’t beat yourself up about it, Andrew,” Lucius said. “You

told us who has Ronnie, and that’s just as important as stopping
Cameron. Plus we’d all prefer you alive and slightly bruised than
severely injured or even dead.”

Cindi and Percy returned, dragging two people behind them.

One was a tall, muscle-bound man in jeans and a white tank top.
The other was a petite red-headed woman. They looked rumpled
and slightly embarrassed.

“Gina and Marcus were outside the back door when they saw

Cameron carry Ronnie from the club,” Cindi announced.

“Yeah, we wouldn’t have thought anything about it if the little

guy hadn’t been struggling.” Marcus grimaced.

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106

“The guy in the suit told us it was a lover’s quarrel, but I didn’t

really believe that.” Gina snapped her gum and shook her head.

“And you’re sure it was Cameron and Ronnie they saw?”

Lucius checked with Cindi.

The club owner nodded, and Percy held up his phone. “I found

a picture of Cameron and they identified him.”

A thrill washed over Lucius. He had three eyewitnesses who all

picked Cameron out as the guy who’d kidnapped Ronnie.
Hopefully, when Johnson arrived, his captain would give him the
okay to go after Ronnie.

“Tell what you’ve got, Montagne.”
Captain Johnson strolled in, wrinkled suit attesting to the speed

with which he’d dressed. Two men in impeccable three-piece suits
walked with him. Lucius assumed they were from the Bureau.

* * *

Twenty minutes after arriving, Captain Johnson turned to

Lucius and met his gaze. “We’ve got enough. Take however many
men you want and go arrest the asshole. I’ll ask the witnesses to
come down to the station and give their statements.”

Johnson shook his head. “Why do some people obsess like

that? And why do powerful men believe they’re above the law?”

Lucius shrugged. He couldn’t answer either question. He

gestured to the two agents, one of whom was his friend, Special
Agent Dante Deshone. “I’d like some agents with us as well.”

“Fine by me. Now get your ass out of here.” Johnson gestured

toward the front of the club.

“Yes, sir.”
Lucius headed out to the dance floor of the club with four

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107

agents and four NOPD officers following him. He spoke to Cindi
before he left. “We’re going to get Ronnie, Ms. Cindi. I promise
I’ll bring him back.”

Cindi swept him into a bone-crushing hug. “I know you will,

sugar. Ronnie’s going to be pissed it took you so long.”

“Yeah, but I can’t be a lone wolf on this. Too much is at stake.

I want Cameron to be punished for his crimes, and if I go rushing
in without solid evidence, it could ruin the case.”

“True, lad. Now go and rescue your love.” Percy clapped

Lucius on the shoulder.

“I’ll have Ronnie call you as soon as he can,” Lucius promised

before racing from the building.

Dante jumped into Lucius’ car with two of the NOPD officers

and the other men got in their car.

“This Ronnie the one you talked about in the army all the time?

The one you let get away?” Dante didn’t look over at Lucius.

Lucius checked the mirror to make sure the others followed

him and nodded. “Yes. Ronnie and I were best friends in high
school, and I left him behind when I joined the military.”

“Seems he did pretty good for himself, aside from being

stalked by the crazy senator. I’ve already put a call in to my
superiors in Washington, giving them a heads-up about what’s
happening down here.” Dante paused for a second before
continuing, “Why didn’t you ever tell me that Ronnie was a guy?”

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, man. As long as you didn’t know, you

weren’t in danger of getting in trouble for not ratting me out.”

“I wouldn’t have done that.” Dante sounded affronted.
“I know.” Lucius shot a quick grin in Dante’s direction. “My

silence was safer for both of us.”

Dante didn’t look convinced, but Lucius would do the same

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108

thing if he went back to that time. He wouldn’t risk any man’s
career to save his own ass.

“Is that why you didn’t re-enlist?”
“Yeah, plus I was ready to come home. I planned on finding

Ronnie and seeing if he’d forgive me. Of course, it took me two
years after returning to New Orleans before I worked up the
courage to look for him.” Lucius shook his head. “Maybe if I’d
found him sooner, he wouldn’t have this problem with Cameron.”

Dante punched Lucius’ bicep lightly. “Don’t beat yourself up

over this, Luc. It’s not your fault the senator has a screw loose
somewhere. I still haven’t quite figured out why he’s focused on
your boyfriend. He’s never given any indication he likes guys.”

“That’s what we’ve been trying to figure out as well. When

Ronnie’s dressed to perform, he fits the type Cameron stalks.
Aside from that, Ronnie’s a brunette and, even when he’s dressed
like a woman, he doesn’t fit any type Cameron’s established.”

“Don’t get people most of the time.” Dante shook his head.

“You know where you’re going, right?”

“Yeah. I got the directions to the property in my GPS. It’ll get

us there without a problem.”

They fell silent as Lucius concentrated on traffic and getting

them out to Ronnie without causing any accidents. Within an hour,
they hit the North Shore where the wooded areas around the roads
hid houses. He turned onto an overgrown two-track road. He
stopped the car about a half-mile away from the house. He didn’t
want to alert Cameron that they were coming.

Everyone climbed out and, after putting on their vests and

windbreakers identifying them, they gathered around Lucius. He
had the plans for the house and property spread out over the hood
of his car.

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109

“Okay. The house is in the middle of this clearing. The trees

practically surround it. As far as I can tell, there isn’t a clear line of
sight from anywhere in the house. Thank God it doesn’t have a
second floor.” Lucius pointed to Dante and one of the NOPD
officers. “Dante and Will are coming with me. We’ll go in the
front door. I want the rest of you spread out around the house. I
want to make sure Cameron doesn’t run when he realizes he’s
caught.”

“Yes, sir.”
He folded up the plans and tossed them back in the car.

Everyone checked his or her weapon.

“I know you know this, but no firing unless you’re fired on. I

don’t want anything going wrong and the victim getting shot or
one of us getting injured. I’ll take care of Mr. Lake as soon as we
know where he is. Agent Deshone will take care of Cameron.”

Every officer nodded and they headed down the rough trail,

trying their best not to make any more noise than necessary. Lucius
didn’t want Cameron to know they were coming for him. He didn’t
plan to let the senator get away with kidnapping Ronnie, plus he
believed the one accuser of Cameron’s who disappeared didn’t do
so voluntarily. After rescuing Ronnie, he was going to get a
warrant to search the property. He wouldn’t be surprised to find the
woman buried somewhere around there.

Dante, Will, and Lucius stopped just inside the tree line. A car

was parked outside the house, and Lucius had one of the men call
in the license plate to make sure it was the senator’s. At the
confirmation, Lucius waved the others to go around either side of
the house. He waited five minutes, hoping it was long enough to
get everyone in position.

Meeting Dante’s gaze, he nodded. They crouched and moved

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as fast as they could over the ground, up the porch steps to the
front door. Luck was with them when they discovered the front
door open a few inches.

“Beats having to break it down,” Dante whispered in Lucius’

ear.

Lucius nodded and motioned for Will to go to the left. Dante

would go to the right as they entered. Lucius would focus his
attention straight ahead. They would take their time and clear each
room before moving on. Lucius didn’t want to miss a person who
might come up and get them in the back.

They slipped into the house without incident and slowly made

their way down the hall. They checked each room they passed. It
seemed like the senator was alone with Ronnie, which was good
for the law enforcement guys. At least they didn’t have to worry
about any other people getting hurt. Now they just had to make
sure Ronnie didn’t get hurt.

Lucius gripped his gun and refused to think about all the things

that could have happened to Ronnie while Lucius was getting
permission to come after him. He had to believe Ronnie fought
back and if there were bruises, it was because Ronnie didn’t roll
over and give in to Cameron.

A crash came from the back of the house. Lucius tensed and

glanced over at Dante and Will. Both men nodded and they snuck
toward the noise. They stopped right outside a partially opened
door and another crash sounded. A shout echoed as well, but it
didn’t sound like Ronnie to Lucius.

Lucius reached out to grab the door knob. Before he could

touch the handle, it shot open. He looked up to see Ronnie standing
there, hazel eyes wild with anger and fear. Lucius tucked his gun
away just in time as Ronnie launched himself into Lucius’ arms.

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“Are you okay, baby?” He embraced his lover tight, waving

Dante and Will into the room.

“Yeah, I’m fine, though he ruined this dress and I paid a lot of

money for it.” Ronnie’s voice shook as he complained. “What the
hell took you so long? I thought you’d be out here looking for me
minutes after we arrived.”

Lucius eased Ronnie back and cradled Ronnie’s face. “I’ll buy

you a hundred dresses just like that one as long as you’re okay. I
had to wait until my captain had enough evidence Cameron took
you. I wanted to come after you as soon as Cindi told me you were
gone.”

“How’s Andrew? The rat bastard hit him really hard.” Ronnie

bit his lip and winced as his teeth hit the cut marring his mouth.

Lucius stepped even farther away from Ronnie and trailed his

gaze over Ronnie’s form. Ronnie’s dress was torn into shreds, his
black satin underwear and corset peeking out from what strips
were there. Lucius took off his windbreaker and vest, setting them
on the floor before removing his own shirt.

“Here, honey. You probably want to cover up.”
Ronnie frowned and looked down at his clothes. A blush crept

up Ronnie’s cheeks. “I’m a little cold.”

He helped Ronnie slip the shirt on. Lucius smiled slightly as

the sight of Ronnie swimming in his clothes.

“You don’t want your work colleagues to see me in a dress and

women’s underthings?”

Tension colored Ronnie’s words, but Lucius didn’t take offense

at Ronnie’s questions. His lover had had a rough night and was
entitled to be bitchy about things.

“No, Ronnie. It has nothing to do with you dressing in

women’s clothes. To be honest, most of the men with me have

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seen you perform at Cindi’s. It has more to with me not wanting
any of them to see you almost naked. You’re mine, and I don’t
want to share you, even just letting guys look at you.” Lucius
stroked his fingers over Ronnie’s bruised cheek. “You’ll be cold,
and you didn’t strike me as the type of guy who likes to parade
around in his underwear, no matter what kind they are.”

“Only in front of you,” Ronnie muttered. He closed his eyes

and breathed deeply, like he was calming himself down.

“And I appreciate that.” Lucius looked up as Dante and Will

dragged Cameron out of the room.

The senator looked like he’d gone four rounds with a

heavyweight boxer. His nose looked broken and one eye was
swollen almost shut. His usually carefully coiffed hair stood up in
spikes and his suit was streaked with blood, dirt, and spit. The man
sort of looked like he’d been tarred and feathered with tracks of
powder and bright red feathers stuck to him.

“What the fuck happened to him?” Lucius gave Ronnie an

incredulous glance. “Did you beat the shit out of him?”

Ronnie wrapped his arms around his waist and glared at

Cameron. “I’d have done worse if I could have. That bastard
kidnapped me and dragged me out here against my will. He
seemed to believe there was something between the two of us
when, in reality, I can’t stand the sight of him. There was no way I
was going to let him touch me any more than he already had.”

When Ronnie shuddered and curled his lip in disgust, Lucius

almost went after the senator himself. No one touched Ronnie, not
even Lucius, without the man’s permission. He was thrilled Ronnie
got some punches in on the senator.

“But you said you loved me,” Cameron whined.
“At what point? I have never talked to you, except to tell you to

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leave me the hell alone. I don’t even know why you’re stalking me.
I’m not a girl, dude. I’m a man. I have a penis, not a vagina. You
aren’t gay.”

“I love you. That must mean I’m gay for you.” The senator

struggled against Dante’s hold.

“No, that just means you’re crazy.” Ronnie shook his head,

pushing his hair out of his face.

“Get him out of here, Dante. Call Captain Johnson and let him

know we got Cameron.”

“Right.” Dante nodded toward Ronnie. “It’s nice to finally

meet you, Mr. Lake.”

Lucius chuckled at Ronnie’s puzzled frown. “Don’t worry. I’ll

explain later. We need to get you to the hospital and a crime scene
group out here.”

“What about Andrew? You didn’t answer my question. God,

nothing bad happened to him, did it?” Ronnie laid his hand on
Lucius’ arm.

Lucius patted Ronnie’s hand. “Nothing happened to him. He’s

a little bruised, but nothing that needed medical attention. Tomas
will take care of him and maybe it’ll help their relationship move
beyond the flirting stage.”

“Thank you, Lucius.”
Ronnie flung himself into Lucius’ arms and their lips met in a

fierce kiss. Lucius put all of his love for Ronnie in it, happiness
that his lover was okay swelling in his heart. He tasted salt on
Ronnie’s skin and pulled back to see Ronnie crying.

“What’s wrong, love? You’re okay. I’m sorry I let him get a

hold of you and hurt you. I’ll try to do better from now on.”

“No, it’s not your fault, cher. All the blame goes to Cameron.

He’s going to jail for this. I’m just so happy you’re here and you

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came to rescue me, even if it was a little later than I thought.”

Ronnie turned, wiped the tears off his cheeks, and straightened

his shoulders. “The sooner we get to the hospital, the sooner we
can go home.”

“You’ll probably end up spending the night in the hospital.

They’ll want to keep an eye on you. Unfortunately, once I make
sure you’re okay, I’m going to have to work this case. Get
statements and things like that.”

“I’m going to have to testify, aren’t I?” Ronnie didn’t look

excited about that.

Lucius offered Ronnie his arm and escorted him down the

hallway. He kept his pace slow, not wanting Ronnie to hurt his
bare feet on anything.

“Yes, unless the senator pleads guilty, which I don’t think he

will. He’s crazy enough not to think he did anything wrong. I have
a feeling, though, there’s a woman buried here and he’s
responsible for her death.”

They stopped at the bottom of the porch steps and stood there,

staring out over the rough ground. Lucius faced Ronnie.

“Do you want to walk or would you be willing to let me carry

you? I don’t want you to injure your feet on rocks or sticks, but I
also know you might feel the need to get to the vehicles on your
own.”

Ronnie touched his cheek for a second before sighing. “You

can carry me. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone, and I’m
tired of being strong.”

Without saying a word, Lucius swept Ronnie into his arms and

headed back down the trail to where he’d parked his car. The rest
of the officers and agents were standing around, waiting for them.

The senator sat in the backseat of one car. Dante approached

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Lucius and Ronnie.

“I’ll ride with one of the other guys.”
Lucius shook his head. “Would you drive us to the hospital?”
Dante met his gaze and nodded, understanding shining in his

eyes. “Yes.”

His friend opened the back door of Lucius’ car and held it

while Lucius set Ronnie inside.

“I have to talk to them, then we’ll head out.”
Ronnie didn’t answer, just curled up on the seat and rested his

head against the back. Lucius shut the door and turned to look at
all the guys.

“Thank you for helping out. Now, you can head to the precinct.

You’ll have to write up your reports. If you could deliver the
senator to my boss, Captain Johnson, I’d appreciate it. I need a few
of you to stay here and start processing the scene, plus call the
parish sheriff to let them know we’re out here.”

“Sure. I hope your boyfriend’s okay, Lucius,” Will said before

he headed toward one of the cars.

The other officers murmured their own well wishes as they

walked off. Lucius climbed into the back seat with Ronnie, while
Dante slid behind the steering wheel. Ronnie snuggled close to
him, and Lucius brushed a kiss over the top of Ronnie’s head.

“How are you doing, Mr. Lake?”
Lucius had always known Dante was a good guy, but by

talking to Ronnie instead of around him, Dante proved just how
nice a guy he was.

“I’ve had better days that’s for sure.” Ronnie tilted his head.

“Have you and Lucius been friends long?”

“We met in the army while serving at Fort Bragg. Both of us

were military police. Did a tour in Iraq. When it came time to re-

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enlist, Lucius decided not to, and I thought he might have a good
idea about that. I went into the FBI. He came back home.”

Ronnie laid his head on Lucius’ shoulder, tracing random

designs on his lover’s chest. “Lucius talked about me?”

“At times you were all he talked about. Of course, I didn’t

realize until tonight that the Ronnie he told me about was a guy.”
Dante held up his hand. “Don’t get upset. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
precludes any man talking about his boyfriend. Not very fair, but
that’s how it goes. I’m glad I finally get to put a face to the name.”

“It’s nice to meet you, though Lucius hasn’t really mentioned

you a lot.” Ronnie laughed. “It could be that we haven’t had a lot
of time to catch up on what’s gone on while we were apart. It’s
been kind of crazy.”

Dante turned onto the asphalt highway, heading toward New

Orleans and the hospital. They fell silent, and Lucius rubbed
Ronnie’s back, soothing them both with his touch.

“You should probably call Ms. Cindi, Ronnie. He’s going to be

worried about you.” Lucius wiggled around and managed to pull
his phone out of his pocket without letting go of Ronnie.

“All right.”
Ronnie dialed Cindi’s number. Lucius tipped his head back and

closed his eyes, adrenaline seeping from him, leaving him shaking
and tired.

He must have dozed because he didn’t hear any of the

conversation Ronnie had with Cindi. He started as Ronnie
snuggled closer to him and stuck his phone back in his pocket.

“Cindi and Percy are going to come to the hospital and bring

me some clothes.”

Lucius smoothed his hand over Ronnie’s hair. “You told them

to bring you a pair of pajamas, right? I don’t think you’ll be going

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home tonight.”

Ronnie nodded. “Cindi said she’d bring everything and not to

worry about it. I hope there aren’t any ignorant assholes working
as nurses or doctors tonight. I don’t think I can put up with any
insults or bigoted narrow-mindedness.”

“Don’t worry, honey. I’ll be there to ensure you don’t bitch out

some nurse. Or I might just encourage you to do so.” Lucius shook
his head. “No one has the right to judge you because of the way
you look or how you dress.”

“I love the fact you feel that way,” Ronnie murmured.
Lucius eased back slightly to look down into Ronnie’s hazel

eyes. “I love you, Ronnie Lake, and I’ll never turn my back on
you. It doesn’t matter to me if you like to wear women’s clothes or
even if you decide you want to be a woman. None of it matters
because I love you, not just for the gorgeous, sexy outside, but the
beautiful soul housed in your hot body.”

Tears shone in Ronnie’s eyes, and Lucius bent his head,

pressing their lips together. Unfortunately, it was a short kiss
because the car stopped and Dante cleared his throat.

“We’re here.”
Rubbing his thumb over Ronnie’s glistening lips, Lucius

smiled. “We’ll get back to that after you’re less bruised. I don’t
want to hurt you, even accidentally.”

“Fine.” Ronnie pouted for a moment before sighing and

climbing out of the car as Dante opened the door for him.

There was a group of nurses waiting with a wheelchair and

they whisked Ronnie off. Lucius promised to join them as soon as
he finished talking to Dante.

“Thanks, man. I owe you for helping out.” They hugged.
Dante shook his head as he stepped back. “Nah, bro. You’d do

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the same for me, if I needed it. I have to admit your boyfriend is
damn sexy.”

“I thought you were straight,” Lucius joked.
“I am, but I’m secure enough to be able to say I think another

guy’s hot. You got a good one there.” Dante flagged down a cab
and tossed Lucius’ keys at him. “I have to get back to the precinct
to write up my report. I’ll call you tomorrow to check up on
Ronnie.”

Lucius waved to his friend and headed into the hospital. He

would have to take Ronnie’s statement, but that could wait until
after the doctor had a chance to see his lover. The case against the
senator wasn’t going to come to trial any time soon, so they had
time.

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CHAPTER 9

“The senator burst into my dressing room, grabbed my arm and

started to drag me with him. I fought him, using every trick of self-
defense my boyfriend taught me. I wasn’t going to let him take
me.” Ronnie stopped and drew a breath. His heart raced as he
glanced over to where Cameron sat, perfectly dressed and coifed
like he wasn’t some psychotic stalker.

“What happened then?” The prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Jegens,

asked.

Ronnie shrugged. “I threw everything in the room at him.

Shoes, make-up, clothes. Anything that might hurt or possibly stop
him. He punched me, and I fell against the sofa, then the coffee
table, breaking my ribs in the process. He caught hold of my arm
again and forced me to my feet.”

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He went through what happened to Andrew, who had testified

a day earlier, trying not to get bogged down in the details, but not
missing anything that might be important. Jegens had role-played
Ronnie’s testimony, trying to get him comfortable with talking in
front of a jury. Hell, it wasn’t that hard. He performed in front of
hundreds every night.

“After he knocked Andrew down, he yanked me along the hall

of the club to the back alley where there was a car waiting. He’d
hit me a couple times around the head, so I was a little dizzy and
couldn’t really fight back at that time.”

Ronnie paused and reached for the glass of water the bailiff had

poured for him earlier. It had taken six months to get the senator to
trial. Ronnie resented the amount of time it took, which was
foolish he knew. He wasn’t the only victim whose chance to be
heard took so long to come to court.

After taking a sip and putting the glass back, Ronnie smoothed

his sweaty palms over his skirt. The attorney trying the case had
told Ronnie he should wear a suit to the courtroom. Ronnie did, but
not the type Jegens meant. Ronnie understood most of the case
hung on how the jury perceived him. Yet he wasn’t willing to
compromise who he was to make others comfortable. As long as
Lucius didn’t care what Ronnie wore, then Ronnie would continue
to dress like he did, even in court.

His charcoal suit, consisting of a fitted jacket and matching

skirt, fit him like it’d been tailored for his slender body. His sedate
dark blue silk blouse spoke of understated taste and elegance. His
subtle make-up highlighted his eyes and lips. Ronnie wore a pair of
dark blue heels to complete the outfit.

It’d taken Lucius, Cindi, Percy, and him two days to find just

the right outfit and when he put it on for the first time, he’d felt

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powerful and confident. Those feelings told him it was the right
combination to wear to court.

He’d seen some of the looks he’d gotten from the jury

members and people sitting in the courtroom. Some were of
appreciation, until the person looking realized Ronnie was a man,
then they became looks of disgust or derision. The women liked
his clothes, but not necessarily that a man looked better in them
than they did. He was being petty and unkind, he knew, because
there were quite a few people who didn’t seem to mind at all.

“And after he put you in the car?” Jegens prompted.
“He threw me in the trunk and drove somewhere. I was dazed

from the fight and my side was killing me.” He brushed his hair
back over his shoulder.

“What did you think the senator was going to do when you got

wherever you were going?”

“I wasn’t sure, but it couldn’t have been good, right? No one

attacks a person and kidnaps them from their place of business for
fun or to be nice to them. At least no one I know does that.”

He glanced over at the senator, who wouldn’t meet his eyes. It

annoyed him that the man just sat there with a smug, irritated
expression on his face like this whole procedure interrupted
something far more important he could be doing. All of the sound
bites his team of high-powered lawyers gave to the press were
about Ronnie. They were determined to make Ronnie out to be
some obsessed stalker himself, who didn’t like the idea the senator
didn’t want him. He stopped watching TV and reading the
newspapers because he’d get so angry about it.

Lucius’ way of getting him to forget about what they said was

to love him. He didn’t know how many times they’d made love
during the ensuing months while waiting for the trial to start. Not

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that Ronnie was complaining or anything. He loved making love to
Lucius.

“What happened next?” Jegens paced in front of the jury,

intently listening to Ronnie like he hadn’t heard the story a million
times before.

“He took me to a room in the back of this house. I still didn’t

know where we were or anything. I continued to fight back. It was
the only way I knew how to stall him. I needed to keep him from
doing whatever he planned. Also, I knew if I held out long enough,
Lucius would find me.”

“Who is Lucius?”
Everyone in the room knew who Lucius was. He’d testified

earlier in the week about his part in the whole case. Ronnie met
Lucius’ gaze where the man sat out in the gallery. Lucius smiled,
not ashamed in the least by what Ronnie was about to say.

“New Orleans police detective Lucius Montagne is my

boyfriend. We dated in high school, if you call caring for each
other, but not being able to show it for fear of being beaten up by
bullies dating.”

He mentally shoved away the bad memories. There weren’t

many after Lucius came to Ronnie’s high school.

“We hadn’t seen each other since we graduated. One night,

seven months ago, Lucius showed up at Cindi’s Cabaret where I
work. He wanted to talk about the compliant I filed against the
senator a few months earlier.”

Ronnie took another drink. Only coughs and the click of the

court reporter’s keys broke the silence. United States Senator
Cameron’s trial was headline news, not only in the tabloids, but in
mainstream media as well. Ronnie had become very popular, but
he declined interviews. He wanted his life to go back to how it was

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before Cameron became a terrible part of it, with one huge
exception; he wanted Lucius to be there still.

“So let me get this straight. You filed a harassment compliant

against the senator, but the officers you went to did nothing.”

Ronnie nodded. “Yes, they dismissed my concerns.”
“Why would they do that? Did they give you a reason why

they’d chose to ignore your concerns about the senator?”

Jegens had told Ronnie he knew he had an airtight case against

Cameron. He’d praised Lucius, Dante, and the others for getting
him the evidence he needed to put Cameron in jail for a long time.
The only thing that worried him, and he’d expressed his doubts to
Ronnie, was how the jury would deal with Ronnie being a gay
cross-dresser. As willing as the people of New Orleans seemed to
be to accept alternative lifestyles and the more eccentric people
who called New Orleans home, there were still many whose
upbringing taught them that the way Ronnie lived was wrong.

He refocused on the questions.
“They looked at me and saw the same thing most of you see

when you look at me. A fag trying to be a woman. It was bad
enough I was queer, but I was even more deviant than that because
I liked to wear women’s clothing.”

A few people shifted in their seats. Ronnie lifted the corner of

his mouth in a small smile.

“I guess I kind of understand why you’d think that. We’re

taught at such a young age about gender roles and stereotypes that
when someone steps outside what we perceive as the norm, we’re
uncomfortable and at times, unwilling to see past the outside to the
person inside.” Ronnie took a deep breath. “The cops thought all
those things about me. They talked to the senator, and he told them
I was some crazy fag who’d been stalking him for months. That he

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should file a stalking charge against me. He wasn’t gay, but for
some reason, I’d become fixated on him.”

Ronnie rolled his eyes. Like that situation would ever have

happened. Jegens gave him an encouraging smile when his back
was to the jury box. Testifying was as difficult as Ronnie thought it
would be, but he’d get through it.

“Had you fixated on Senator Cameron? I mean, he is a

handsome man.” Jegens nodded in the man’s direction.

“He might be, but he’s not my type.”
“What type is he?”
“Aside from crazy?” Ronnie swallowed his own laughter as

some people in the gallery chuckled. “As far as I knew, Senator
Cameron was straight. I don’t go for straight guys. Nothing but
heartache there. And not worth my time when I could’ve found
someone else who was gay and not crazy.”

One of Cameron’s lawyers objected to Ronnie’s use of the

word crazy. The judge upheld the objection and Ronnie was told to
refrain from calling the senator that. He agreed, even though
everyone knew he was right.

“I’m simply saying Senator Cameron doesn’t appeal to me in

any way. There was no way he couldn’t have known I was a guy. I
work at one of the premiere female impersonator clubs. Usually it
means all of the performers are male. So any argument he might
have that he didn’t know I was a guy won’t fly. He continued to
follow and harass me outside of work, even after he knew
Veronica Lake was really Ronald Lake.”

Ronnie gestured toward Lucius. “The senator accosted me

outside Detective Montagne’s house when I left it the afternoon of
the day he kidnapped me. I’m not sure why he chose me to obsess
over, though from what I understand, this is a pattern with him.

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One I believe the prosecution has already brought up.”

A few members of the jury nodded.
“I fought as best I could. I had just kicked the senator in the

groin and was trying to make my way out of the room when
Detective Montagne arrived to get the situation under control.”

“What kind of injuries did you receive during the kidnapping?”

Jegens waved for one of his assistants to bring in some visual
aids—enlarged photographs of Ronnie’s injuries.

Ronnie touched his left cheek where a small scar marred his

skin. “The senator cracked my cheekbone and broke my nose. He
split open my lip and broke two of my ribs. I sprained my knee as
well. Being yanked along by the elbow while in heels is murder on
your legs.”

Light laughter filtered through the court as the females in the

room sympathized with him. Ronnie relaxed even more. He knew
the senator’s lawyers were going to try to make him look like some
crazy fag, but he could handle them. Hell, he’d been dealing with
men like them all his life. They didn’t mean anything anymore.

Looking straight at Lucius, Ronnie smiled. Yeah, no one

mattered anymore except the man he loved. And it didn’t matter
what anyone else thought of him. Lucius loved him because of
who he was on the inside. Ronnie’s outside wrapping only
enhanced how Lucius felt about him.

“That’s all the questions I have for this witness, Your Honor.”

Jegens sat.

Ronnie straightened his shoulders and got ready. Now it was

time for the fight. He was going to prove to everyone, like he did
to the senator that night, that just because he wore dresses didn’t
mean he was weak or would break under pressure.

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* * *

When the jury foreman read the guilty verdict, tears welled in

Ronnie’s eyes. He bit his lip to keep from crying. He couldn’t
show weakness now. Not after holding strong under the enormous
pressure the defense lawyers put on him. Lucius took Ronnie’s
hand in his and squeezed.

After court was adjourned, Jegens turned to look at Ronnie. “I

should’ve known you’d be convincing enough without worrying
about how you dressed.”

Ronnie blushed slightly and dipped his head in

acknowledgement. “I had the truth on my side, and no matter what
they personally might think of me, the jury realized Cameron is a
dangerous man to have on the streets.”

Jegens had to talk to the defense lawyers, so Ronnie and Lucius

made their way out of the room, waiting for Jegens to join them.
When he joined them in the corridor, Lucius looked at Jegens.

“We’re having a party at Cindi’s Cabaret tonight. Not

necessarily a celebration party, but more of a ‘thank God, it’s over’
party. Ronnie and I’d like you to join us.”

Jegens glanced at Ronnie. “Will you be performing?”
Ronnie winked. “Of course, I will.”
“Then I’ll be more than happy to join you. I can’t stay too late

because I drive back to Baton Rouge in the morning, but I’d like to
buy you a drink.”

“I’d be thrilled to accept. Everyone else is going to start

arriving at nine, but Lucius and I will be there earlier. It takes me a
while to get ready, and Lucius doesn’t like me going to the club
alone.” Ronnie hugged Lucius’ arm tight.

“That was because of Cameron, though I will admit I’m still

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leery about you going there on your own. You’ve proven you can
handle yourself, so maybe I’ll let you go alone once in a while.”
Lucius brushed a kiss over Ronnie’s cheek.

“Let’s go, everyone. We’re escorting you out back because the

media sharks have the front of the courthouse covered.” Dante
strolled up to them, gesturing behind him toward the back of the
building.

“You go out the back, and I’ll take care of the sharks circling

out front. Now you’ll have to continue to deal with reporters
because it is big news and you’re a beautiful man. They like that
sort of combination.” Jegens shook Lucius’ hand and kissed
Ronnie on the cheek before he walked off, briefcase in hand and
assistants scurrying along beside him.

Ronnie glanced over at Lucius, but his lover didn’t look jealous

because of the kiss. He slipped his hand down to entwine their
fingers together and inhaled.

“Let’s go. I still have to grab my stuff from our place and get to

the club. How many people are coming?”

As they moved to the exit, Lucius said, “I invited all the guys

who worked with me on the case. A lot of them are bringing their
wives because they say their wives love the show at Cindi’s. I
think some of them secretly like it as well.”

They laughed, and Dante pushed open the door for them.

Lucius’ car was parked at the curb. Dante gave them both hugs.

“I’ll see you tonight as well. Most of the agents will be there.

They’re looking forward to it.” Dante chuckled as he stepped back
from the car. “I never thought you’d be dating a cross-dresser,
Lucius, but Ronnie and you fit together perfectly.”

“I know.” Lucius squeezed Ronnie’s hand before letting him go

to get in the car. “We’ll see you later.”

EMBRACE MY REFLECTION

128

Ronnie climbed in, while Lucius got in on his side. A relieved

silence filled the air. Ronnie reached over to rest his hand on
Lucius’ knee.

“I’m glad it’s over,” he murmured.
Lucius nodded. “So am I, honey. Now let’s get back home and

tell MaeAnne, Randall, and Preston about it. Oh, and they’re going
to come tonight as well. Randall said he’d drive them all over
around nine. Of course, they won’t be staying long, but still I
thought it would be nice to ask them to join in.”

Ronnie leaned over and gave Lucius’ cheek a quick peck.

“Where else would they be when we’re celebrating? They’re our
family as much as any of the guys at the cabaret.”

“I told them the same thing. They didn’t think we’d want a

bunch of old people hanging out with us.” Lucius snorted. “Old?
Hell, Randall and Preston have more energy than I do most days.
And MaeAnne is sharp as a whip.”

“I want to be like Randall and Preston when we get older,”

Ronnie admitted, squeezing Lucius’ thigh.

Lucius smiled at him. “I think it can be arranged.”
They parked down from their building and climbed out of the

car. Ronnie waited on the sidewalk for Lucius to join him, then he
slipped his hand in the crook of Lucius’ elbow and they strolled to
the gate leading into the small front courtyard. Ronnie was
determined to convince Lucius to put a fountain there and do some
more landscaping. It wasn’t a huge space, but still more could be
done with it than Lucius had done.

As soon as they stepped inside the building, Randall’s door was

yanked open and Preston rushed out. He swooped in and wrapped
his thin arms around Ronnie’s shoulders, hugging him tight.

“Be careful, darling. Don’t break the poor boy.” Randall

EMBRACE MY REFLECTION

129

stepped out and grinned at them. “Cindi called and let us know
how the verdict went.”

Preston stepped back and signed, “We’re thrilled the senator

was found guilty. He deserves to rot in prison for what he did to
you.”

Ronnie had been studying sign language so he could better

communicate with Preston, but the man’s fingers were flying
through the words so fast Ronnie couldn’t keep up with him.
Thank God, Randall interpreted for him.

“Yeah, but he has one more trial to go through—the senator,

not Ronnie. The U.S. Attorney’s office is bringing him up on
murder charges. They found the body of the woman who
disappeared last year on the property where he took Ronnie.”
Lucius looked grim. “I’ll have to go back and testify again, but this
part of the ordeal is over for Ronnie.”

Ronnie closed his eyes and said a prayer for the dead woman.

He knew how close he’d come to the same fate, if not for Lucius
coming to find him and his own fighting back. Lucius cupped the
back of Ronnie’s neck under his hair, giving him the silent support
he needed.

The last six months had been hard, but with help from a

therapist, his friends, and Lucius, Ronnie had gotten over most of
the trauma of that night. There were times when he’d have a
nightmare or freak a little, but for the most part, he’d moved on.
Performing at Cindi’s kept him focused as well.

“We made dinner, if you’d like to join us,” Randall offered. “I

know you don’t have much time before you have to go to the
club.”

Ronnie met Lucius’ gaze with a question in his. Lucius nodded,

and Ronnie turned to Randall. “We’d love to join you. We’re

EMBRACE MY REFLECTION

130

going to run upstairs and change. Also, I need to grab my bag to
take to the club.”

“Great. I’ll open the wine while Randall serves the dinner.”

Preston’s fingers flashed as he retreated to their apartment.

Starting up the stairs, he stopped when Randall called out to

him.

“Would you check and see if MaeAnne would like to join us as

well? We made more than enough for all of us.”

“I’ll do that,” Lucius offered, waving Ronnie on. “Why don’t

you go and put something more comfortable on? I’ll talk to
MaeAnne.”

After making his way to the top floor, Ronnie opened the

apartment door and walked in. He stopped dead in his tracks.
Flowers covered every surface in the living room, dining area, and
the kitchen. Tears tracked down his face as he spotted the white
envelope propped up against the largest bouquet of roses. He’d
never seen such a combination of flowers. Red, white, yellow,
pink, and burgundy ones graced the glass vase. Pulling a red one
out, he smelled it and noticed it was thorn-less.

He put the flower back and picked up the envelope. After

opening it, he tugged the sheet of paper out. Ronnie unfolded it to
see Lucius’ handwriting scrawled across it.

Every flower in the room means love in some way. The thorn-

less roses mean love at first sight, which is what happened to me
the first time I looked at you. I took one look at you and fell, not
caring where I landed or how. All I knew was you were the air I
breathed and the sunshine I needed to live. I love you, Ronnie
Lake, and I will love you until the universe dies away. Possibly
longer than that.

Sobbing, he clutched the note to his chest. Each day, Lucius

EMBRACE MY REFLECTION

131

showed him how much he loved him. Each day, Ronnie fell deeper
and deeper in love with the man who stole his heart all those years
ago. He dropped to his knees, crying and not caring about his
make-up running.

“Honey. Oh, sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Lucius knelt beside

him and encircled him with his strong arms. “If I’d known you
didn’t like flowers this much, I wouldn’t have bought them.”

He shook his head, trying to catch his breath long enough to

speak the words welling in his heart.

“Hush, love. It’s okay. Let’s get you undressed and in the

shower. I’ll call the guys and let them know we’ll be a little late.”

“No,” he gasped, grabbing Lucius’ arm as his lover tried to

move away from him. “I’m fine and I adore the flowers. No one’s
ever done something like this for me.”

“I wanted you to know I admire and love you so much, Ronnie.

Everything you’ve achieved in your life proves how strong you
are. I want to stay in your life. I want to grow old with you and
watch you perform every night at Cindi’s.”

Ronnie rose up on his knees, cradled Lucius’ face in his hands,

and kissed him. He poured all of his love, trust, and every promise
he could imagine making into that kiss. Their lips and bodies fit
together like God had made them each for the other. They finally
broke apart when Ronnie’s lungs burned for air, but he kept his
hands on Lucius’ face, studying his lover’s dark eyes.

“I love you. At times, I’m afraid how much you mean to me. I

think I’d be utterly destroyed if you ever left me.”

“That’s not going to happen. Never again.”
Ronnie could see how leaving him the first time still affected

Lucius. He brushed his thumb over Lucius’ lower lip.

“I’ve told you a hundred times, and I’ll keep saying it, your

EMBRACE MY REFLECTION

132

leaving was the best thing for both of us. As much as we knew we
loved each other, we were too young for it to work. Each of us
would’ve had to give up something and we’d have resented doing
it. I’m glad I had to learn how to survive without you. Somehow,
deep inside, I knew you’d be back. I knew our separation wasn’t
forever.”

He surged to his feet, bringing Lucius up with him. Waving his

hand in a wild gesture around them, he grinned. “Now we have the
chance to make our world more beautiful than it was before.
Together, we can do anything and be anything we want. We’ll
keep our friends and family close, loving all of them with almost
as much emotion as we love each other.”

“Sounds marvelous to me,” Lucius agreed and kissed him

again.

Ronnie inched back, and Lucius followed him. Step by step,

stilling kissing and slowly removing their clothes, they made their
way down the hall to their bedroom. He didn’t stop until the back
of his knees hit the edge of the mattress.

Sitting, he reached for the waistband of Lucius’ boxer briefs.

He glanced up at his lover and grinned as he slid the underwear
down to reveal Lucius’ cock. The hard flesh sprang from its
confinement, almost hitting Ronnie in the face. Not that he would
have minded. He licked his lips and bent, taking the spongy head
into his mouth.

Lucius entwined his fingers in Ronnie’s hair, but didn’t pull,

just held on. Ronnie flicked the slit with the tip of his tongue, and
Lucius jumped slightly. Ronnie chuckled as Lucius moaned. A soft
tug at his hair drew his gaze up to Lucius.

“Have a little fun, Ronnie, but don’t make me come. I want to

be inside you when I do.”

EMBRACE MY REFLECTION

133

Ronnie nodded and sucked Lucius’ shaft down until his nose

was buried in the dark curls at the base. He got lost in the taste and
texture of the flesh he played with; salt and bitterness danced on
his tongue, while he savored the velvet-covered steel filling his
mouth.

He didn’t know how long he enjoyed Lucius’ cock. Suddenly,

Lucius tapped his cheek and started to pull out. He whimpered, and
Lucius laughed.

“I’d love to let you blow me until I come, Ronnie, but I want in

that tight ass of yours.”

His entire body shuddered and his ass clenched at the thought

of Lucius pounding into him. They took turns with who bottomed,
but Ronnie admitted he liked getting fucked the best of all. Yet he
liked the fact Lucius didn’t just assume he would bottom all the
time. Usually, his lover would ask first, but something in the gleam
of Lucius’ gaze told Ronnie he would feel their love-making for a
couple days this time.

After kicking off his heels, he scrabbled up on the bed and

reached for his stockings. He’d gotten the rest of his clothes off
before he started sucking Lucius, but taking off his stockings
meant being farther away from Lucius than he’d wanted to be
earlier.

Lucius reached out and stopped him. “Leave those on. I love

the feel of them against my skin as I fuck you. It’s almost as good
as having your skin against me.”

Ronnie’s cock stiffened even more and pre-cum leaked from it.

Lucius swiped the fluid with his thumb, bringing it to his lips and
licking it off. Ronnie pouted when Lucius moved away from the
bed.

“Don’t worry. I just need to get the lube. We took it into the

EMBRACE MY REFLECTION

134

shower with us this morning, remember? We’ll have to pick up
more next time we go shopping.”

Closing his eyes, Ronnie fisted his cock and stroked. He

jumped when hard plastic landed on his stomach. Looking down,
he saw the bottle of lube lying there. Lucius knelt on the bed
between Ronnie’s legs, staring at him.

“Get yourself ready.”
They’d discovered Lucius liked to watch Ronnie stretch and

get himself ready for Lucius’ cock. Ronnie was the opposite. When
he was topping, he wanted to be the one turning Lucius on by
touching and fingering him. Yet knowing Lucius devoured him
with his eyes while he did it made Ronnie hard enough to ache.

He coated his fingers with the lube and brought his leg up to

his chest. He sank the digits in without any foreplay or teasing. He
wanted Lucius inside him as soon as possible. Within a minute or
two, he relaxed enough to gesture to Lucius.

“Please, I want you now.”
Lucius moved forward and slung Ronnie’s legs over his

shoulders. Positioning the head of his cock at Ronnie’s opening, he
glanced down at him. Their eyes met and Ronnie tried to pour all
of his love into that look. Neither of them broke the contact as
Lucius sank deep into Ronnie’s ass.

God, he loved the feel of Lucius’ prick filling him. They had

been tested two months ago in order to stop using condoms and
being able to feel Lucius without latex increased the sensations a
hundredfold. He moaned as Lucius paused, buried as far as he
could go inside Ronnie.

“I love you, Ronnie.”
Ronnie blinked away the tears at Lucius’ earnest declaration. “I

love you, too, Lucius. It’s always been you.”

EMBRACE MY REFLECTION

135

Lucius leaned down, bending Ronnie almost in half to kiss him.

After that, they began moving together in a rhythm so familiar and
yet so new each time they made love. He clenched his muscles,
encasing Lucius’ cock in a tight vise-like grip.

Soon the sounds and scents of sex filled the bedroom. Ronnie

yelled as Lucius nailed his gland with each stroke in. His balls
drew tight and he knew it wouldn’t be long. He reached down and
pumped his cock to Lucius’ thrusts.

“That’s it, love. Get yourself off. I want to feel you come on

my cock.” Lucius moved faster and, as impossible as it was,
seemed to push deeper.

Ronnie’s climax crashed over him and he threw back his head,

yelling as cum shot from his cock to coat his stomach. Lucius
grunted once and slammed into Ronnie, flooding his inner passage
with hot liquid. As the last drop shot from both of them, Lucius
collapsed on top of Ronnie, their breath mingling as they panted.

The phone beside the bed rang, and Ronnie debated just letting

it ring. He managed to muster the energy to answer it. “Hello?”

“Ronnie, it’s Randall. We were just wondering when you and

Lucius would be coming back down?” The smug tone of Randall’s
voice told Ronnie the man knew exactly what they’d been doing.

“Ummm…give us ten minutes and we’ll be down.” He could

feel his skin heat. Ronnie had no idea why he felt embarrassed.

“All right. We’ll keep dinner warm. MaeAnne is already here

with us, so you don’t have to worry about picking her up on the
way.”

He hung up, and Ronnie set the phone back in the cradle.

Lucius’ body shook with laughter. Ronnie smacked his ass.

“Why do I feel like I just got caught by my parents?”
Lucius rolled off the bed and landed on his feet. He held out his

EMBRACE MY REFLECTION

136

hand for Ronnie to take. “Technically, I think Randall’s old
enough to be our grandfather.”

“You’re not helping,” Ronnie grumbled as they raced to the

bathroom.

They took the fastest shower they’d ever taken together, then

dressed. Ronnie checked the pink sundress he wore, making sure it
wasn’t bunched anywhere. Lucius came up behind him and slid his
favorite white cardigan over his shoulders. He smiled at their
reflection as Lucius slipped his arms around Ronnie’s waist and
met his gaze in the mirror. His heels brought him close to Lucius’
height.

Ronnie leaned back into Lucius’ solid body and sighed.
“At this moment, life is perfect,” he murmured. “And I am

beautiful.”

T. A. C

HASE

T. A. Chase lives a life without boundaries. Being fascinated by
life and how different we all are, she writes about the things that
make us unique. She finds beauty in all kinds of love and enjoys
sharing those insights. She lives in the Midwest with his partner of
fourteen years. When she isn’t writing, she’s watching movies,
reading and living life to the fullest.

* * *

Don’t miss Shades Of Dreams

by T. A. Chase,

available at AmberAllure.com!

Stephan Colby is on top of the world. He’s the lead singer of one of
the hottest new rock bands, and his best friend is in the band to
share the success as well. In addition, Stephan’s madly in love. Yet
Fate has a cruel way of kicking a man in the teeth, and when
Stephan’s world crashes down around him, he turns to his Rock,
his bandmate, the one man who has always been there for him.

Rocky Sanicily has always had Stephan’s back, and they’ve been
through a lot together. Rocky has also been in love with Stephan
for many years, but has never found the courage to admit it. When
Stephan suddenly loses the most important thing in his life,

however, Rocky must do everything in his power to keep Stephan
from giving up. If he succeeds, will he be able to finally tell
Stephan how he feels? And if so, will it bring the friends closer
together, or tear apart their relationship forever?

MBER

UILL

RESS

, LLC

OLD

TANDARD IN

UBLISHING

UALITY

OOKS

OTH

RINT AND

LECTRONIC

ORMATS

CTION

DVENTURE

USPENSE

HRILLER

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ICTION

ARK

ANTASY

AINSTREAM

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www.AmberQuill.com

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www.AmberAllure.com

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