That quiet nagging voice in the back of his mind tried to tell Frank not to read too much into this. Any of it. Not the way they kissed, not the fact that Stefan had transformed into Brandon right there in Frank’s bed, not the fact that sex with Brandon was so distinctly different from Stefan’s savage conquests on the field. Frank was older. And positive. And Brandon—Stefan—was a prostitute. This wasn’t a good match for anything other than a roll between the sheets.
He knew that, but ignored it, and let himself get caught up in another kiss that lingered until Brandon suggested they go back into the bedroom. Then the two of them got out of the shower, towelled off, and climbed into Frank’s bed.
And it was awfully difficult to pretend they weren’t lovers when Brandon put his head on Frank’s chest and draped his arm across his stomach, or when Frank put his hand on Brandon’s arm and tenderly ran his fingers back and forth along the thin, soft hair.
“So.” Brandon pulled back and looked up at him. “That’s a hundred for the blowjob, two hundred for—”
Frank laughed. Brandon chuckled, resting his head on Frank’s shoulder again.
“Okay, fine. Free of charge. Just this one time.”
“Except if I do pay you, I’ll have to take my cut. So it’s kind of like getting a discount.”
“Damn it.”
Laughing softly, Frank kissed the top of Brandon’s head.
“All joking aside. Now what?”
Frank stared up at the ceiling and released a breath. “Well, you’ve been calling the shots.”
“Yeah. But to be honest, I wasn’t completely sure I’d get this far.”
“Didn’t you?” Frank grinned. “You seemed pretty sure of yourself.”
“Maybe.” Brandon turned onto his stomach and pushed himself up onto his forearms. “But what’s the point if you don’t want me too?”
“Oh, I did.” Frank stroked Brandon’s hair. “From day one.”
Brandon’s smile was, for the first time, shy. “Then you’re damned good at playing hard to get, because I wasn’t sure.” He moistened his lips. “That was part of what spooked me in your office the other night.”
Frank cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
Brandon lowered his gaze and played with the edge of the pillowcase. “I mean, everything you told me, it hit hard. Knowing what you’d been through. And it hit close to home, too.” He looked at Frank through his lashes. “But before you told me that part, you said you were attracted to me. And I guess it kind of threw me because I had sort of given up on that.”
“You were driving me mad. Felt like I couldn’t . . . like there was no place to run to anymore. I’m not a coward, I’m careful. For everybody’s sake.”
“No, you’re not a coward. Just couldn’t work out what was really going on. You were eye-fucking me all the time, and that was a . . . Jesus Christ, that was a rush. Fucking that guy, knowing I was really fucking you somewhere in your head? Big rush.”
“Well, the proxy got off, too.” Frank grinned wryly. “Yeah, mindfuck. I’m . . . I went into hiding when Andrew died. Took a while to even peer out again, and then you . . . hitting all my buttons, and hard, rattling my cage with everything you did, and then I couldn’t throw you off the scent, and that too screwed my mind. I’m doing all right for my age and the overall situation, but you . . . I didn’t believe . . . didn’t trust . . .” My instincts. Still not sure I can.
“The hunt feels a lot less sure from the hunter’s viewpoint.” Brandon rubbed his face against Frank’s chest. “Certainly didn’t think it was trust issues.”
“What else?”
“Monogamous partner hidden in the attic somewhere? Bulletproof business sense? I don’t know. Thought it had to be serious. Or maybe you didn’t like me the way you do Mike and Geoff.”
“They’re old friends. That’s totally different. We— No. They have an open relationship, but I’m not really a part of that. They’ve stood by me over the years.”
“But you guys do . . .” Brandon lifted his eyebrow.
Frank ran his fingers through Brandon’s short, still-damp hair. “How do you figure?”
Brandon shrugged. “Hooker’s sixth sense?”
Frank laughed. “Is that what you all call it these days?”
“Something like that.” Brandon chuckled. “I don’t know, I just got that vibe from you guys. You’re all part of that pervy paintball group, and you seem pretty chummy with them.”
“Very intuitive. Yes, we’ve been . . . intimate at times.”
“Intimate at times?” That trademark smirk, the Stefan look, came to life on his lips. “Is that a polite way of saying you guys get together for threesomes?”
“How do you know I don’t fuck one of them at a time?”
“If you did, I’d say all three of you are idiots.”
“Would you, now?”
“Fuck yeah.” Brandon wriggled a little, then turned onto his side and propped his head up with one arm. “They’re both hot. You’re hot. And I know at least two of the three of you are damn good fucks. I would hope you guys could, well, put two and two together and figure out a threesome would be even better.”
“You a fan of three-ways, then?”
“With the right pair of guys, sure.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “But I do tend to prefer to focus on one victim at a time.”
“A victim?” Frank laughed. “Christ. No wonder you’re so popular at the Garden. You and that attitude.”