SequelTo: Slut #5: Family

Disclaimer: Due South characters belong to Alliance Television, no copyright infringement is intended. Original characters are the sole property of the author YS McCool.

Pairing : Vecchio/Fraser, Turnbull/Frannie Warnings: Violence, NC, BDSM Rating : Mature audience Only Summary : Frankie Zuko meets Master Ray.

Slut #6 Emergence By YS McCool

Frank Zuko had been free for almost two days when he felt the pinch at the base of his skull. His body went rigid and he fell. His arms and legs would not obey him and his hands and feet twitched.

A pair of black leather boots walked past his nose. "Frank Zuko, you really should have stayed in prison," a woman announced. Her tone was crisp, unhurried, and almost emotionless. No one ever spoke to Frankie without emotion. It unnerved him.

"My boys?" he inquired. Frank had called in his last favors to arrange an escape when he was being taken for psychiatric evaluation before beginning his life sentence for the death of Jerome Davis. Who would have ever thought with all the shit Frank had pulled during his life that it would be that little nobody of a shop owner who would bring him down?

"Your boys are no longer a factor," the woman announced, "for anyone."

They were dead. This woman and whomever she was with had killed his guards and now Frank lay on the ground paralyzed. "What... you... want?"

"You made certain threats against Ray Vecchio and his family, Zuko. That was stupid. Killing the children's dog as a warning shot was distasteful." She kicked Frankie in the balls and probably dislodged them. Whatever was keeping his arms from moving didn't stop the pain from making him wet himself.

Maybe hanging the puppy over the front door had been a mistake. "Can we work... something... out?"

"No," she replied.

Frankie was grabbed by the ankles and dragged out of his hideaway. He passed the dead guards. Both of them looked like their necks had been broken.

His head bumped down the steps, dragged through the gravel, and impacted on the tailgate of what he guessed was an SUV, ringing his bell. As they took off he realized the woman was alone. This broad had killed his two guards and captured him all by herself. Damn, what a woman.

. . . .

"Frankie," someone was saying as they slapped his face.

Frankie pulled his crusty eyes open. "What?" he demanded before he focused in on the green eyes in front of him. His bowels almost loosened. It was Vecchio, and Frank's boys had killed the man's family's puppy.

Something had happened to Ray between the time Frank had been arrested and when he was sentenced. It had been good for the other man but it had also made Ray Vecchio a whole lot scarier.

"Frankie, you shouldn't have come after my family like that," Ray said calmly. "You made the kids cry. Little Rose... do you remember Rose? She and your Sylvia used to be best friends. Not anymore. Not since Pepper was murdered. She says her little friend was 'hit by the mob' and that's you, Frankie. Unfortunately for Sylvia, it's also her in Rose's eyes. Rose won't speak to Sylvia, won't sit on the same side of the church with her, and she spit on the ground in front of your child. You've taught my little niece Rose to hate, Frankie, and that's a bad thing. A Vecchio turned to hate is never good for anyone."

Frank tried moving his hands again. They were no longer dead; they were tied to something. "You're all talk when you got me tied down, Vecchio. When I get loose, I'm going to pull your balls off."

"Don't give me ideas when you're like this, Frankie," Ray warned. "It's not smart, but you've never been particularly smart."

Frankie tried to work up some spit, but Vecchio anticipated that move and forced Zuko's head to the side. The spit drooled down his chin.

"You're not The Man anymore, Frankie. Not at all," Ray informed him. "You're not going to be much of anything by the end of this day."

"Fucker," Frankie spit.

"That too," Ray said cryptically before walking away.

The lights went out. It was total and complete darkness and Zuko had never liked that. "Hey!" he called. "Come back here, Vecchio, you freak! You long-necked freak!"

No one responded. The silence and darkness closed in around him and began to squeeze his brain in. For the first time in his life, Frank Zuko was alone with himself. He was cold, afraid, confused, and so, so angry he could barely think. He hung from his bonds, his arms aching. His pain was the only thing left to convince him he was still alive. He couldn't stand up further to relieve his arms. He didn't have the slack to slump and spare his back. He couldn't rest.

Being alone and in the dark was a nightmare for a man who could not sleep.

Something cold touched Frank's leg and it startled him. "Shit!" He tried to shake it off. A dull red light came on all around him and he could see that a large snake, probably some kind of constrictor, was circling up his body and squeezing him. These snakes ate their victims whole. He screamed and with each breath out he lost space in his lungs for the next breath in. He was losing ground and he was losing consciousness.

. . . .

Frank awoke, groggy and in pain, still in the dark. There was no snake. Had there been a snake in the first place? Zuko always hated snakes. Hated the way they looked. Hated their tongues.

A spotlight hit him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you are in for a very special treat tonight," a man announced. "Before you is a murderer, loan shark, rapist, and arsonist. He is a criminal so without remorse or conscience that he ordered the murder of a helpless little puppy." A crowd Frank could not see began to catcall him and shout out threats.

"Fuck off!" Zuko shouted. "Bring my lawyer."

"Your lawyer is currently in nine pieces and sealed in cement at the bottom of Lake Michigan for his part in your escape. It seems your men thought he might talk," the voice informed him. "As Shakespeare said, 'Let's kill all of the lawyers'."

The crowd shouted and cheered. Zuko wondered how many of them were lawyers themselves.

"First up, Sir O will demonstrate his knife work," the voice announced. A strange hush fell over the crowd. Frank couldn't guess by the difference between clamor and quiet how many there were.

Frank heard a thump and his shirt split along his left ribs. A second, third, and fourth thump sounded and his shirt hung in tatters. A fifth thump and his pants split at the crotch. Zuko couldn't even see who was throwing the knives nor move to avoid them. But moving might get him killed.

It took six more knives to rid him of his pants and boxers. The hooded naked man stepped into the light and removed the knives from the wall. Zuko tried to spit on him but the blade caressing his balls made him rethink that.

Now that he was in close, this Sir O character finished stripping off Zuko's clothes to the sheer madness of the crowd. The final swipe brought the blade almost in contact with his balls. Sir O backed up and held up a thick tuft of Zuko's bush like a trophy.

"Wonderful, Sir O," the voice declared. "Another excellent demonstration of your skills."

"Sick bastards," Frankie screamed now that the blades were at a safe distance. He wasn't even bleeding and he'd lost count of how many knives the weirdo had used.

"For your entertainment, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the debut of Master V," the man declared.

A slender, muscled man stepped into the edge of the light. He was hooded, wearing leather pants, leather boots, and a crisscross harness that emphasized the tightness of his body. He was supposed to be anonymous but Frankie knew those eyes and that mouth. That damn mouth that would never ever kiss Frankie though Zuko had heard Ray had some rich man on the string.

"Release him," Master Vecchio ordered. The crowd gasped.

"Do as the Master commands," the man ordered.

Zuko's hands and feet were released. He shook the feeling back into them. He waited for three breaths before he charged Vecchio. He had close to thirty pounds on Ray and Zuko had not wasted his time in prison, he had worked on turning his belly into muscle.

Master Vecchio grabbed Frankie's wrist and twisted it behind his back and drove him into the floor. Ray landed on Zuko's back and bitch-slapped Frank's head. When Frank tried to push back, Ray slammed his face into the cold concrete of the floor.

Frankie howled as he was dragged off the floor by his hair. He got four blows to the stomach, one to the chin, and a final blow to his nuts before landing on his back. His arms and legs were kicked wide, leaving him lying there like a sacrifice.

Master Vecchio brought down the whip, the tail breaking the sound barrier before hitting Frankie's chest, abs, thighs, and knees. Frankie was sobbing as he was yanked up by his hair and thrown against the wall face-first.

"Secure him," Master V demanded.

"Please stop. Please," Frankie begged the two men tying him to the wall. "I have money."

"You had money," Master V corrected. A different whip, thicker and more brutal than the first, tore his back and ass up while the crowd screamed their approval.

Frankie came off the wall and was placed over a pommel horse. He recognized it because he'd popped the cherry of a male gymnast who had stupidly come to Frankie for training money. Zuko gave him five thousand for his cherry, but nothing else. The sweet boy had cried the entire time.

Something hot was poured into his ass, overflowed, and steamed down his thighs. Master Vecchio showed him a dildo that would have made any porn star proud before going behind him.

"No," Frankie begged. "Not that."

"I know you'd rather have my cock, wouldn't you, Frankie?" Master Vecchio asked.

"Yes," Frankie admitted. There had been a time when Ray would have done anything for Frankie, but Zuko had lost that on a neighborhood basketball court. "Don't use that on me. Use your own cock. I've always wanted you to fuck me."

"Too damn bad," Master Vecchio announced.

Frank screamed as he was raped by the dildo. Ray left it wedged in there and then paddled it further in while Zuko pissed himself.

Zuko was Ray's broken bitch as man after man lined up to rape Frank's mouth and ass. The line never seemed to end. Every time Frank passed out, they would slap him awake so he could feel what was being done to him.

They removed his restraints and left him on his knees, covered in his own blood and urine, with the cum of many men decorating his face and ass. Frank cursed them all.

He heard a growl that chilled his soul and saw a wolf emerge from the shadows.

"He'd like to have a word with you about the death of his cub," the voice explained.

The wolf was white, snowy white like the picture of the dead puppy but without the black tips that had probably earned the pup its name, and its fangs were large. The beast snarled.

"The bite of a wolf is the strongest of all the canines of North America. They are pack animals and fiercely loyal. They will hunt their prey for weeks, crossing hundreds of miles. They are relentless," the voice promised.

"Jesus, you can't do this!" Frank shouted, getting to his feet. He backed up, each step sending pain throughout his body.

"Why not, Zuko?" the man asked. "You did."

Frank only got out half a scream before the wolf struck.

----(V)----(V)----(V)----

Zuko lay on his back with his head turned while the other prisoner finished his business. Frank could barely feel the other man fucking him. It was all Zuko was good for.

The whipping had left ugly scars on his back, chest, and legs. His multiple rapes had left him loose enough for any man to fit. The wolf...

The wolf had torn his face up, ruining his looks, and ripped off his cock. Leaving him less than an inch of dick. The other men called it Frankie's "big clit". The rest was never reattached, the wolf might have eaten it, and Frank was a permanent bitch now.

There was film of him being whipped, fucked, and unmanned. People bought it on DVD and had parties while they watched it again and again. "Mafia Don Gets Punished" sold so well that it was on the New York Times Best Seller list ahead of some pretty expensive movies. It was to Frank's shame that it was now the best selling porn movie of all time.

"Damn, you're so good," the other prisoner, Frank didn't know his name or care, said as he pulled out. He tossed down his money and a pack of cigarettes.

"Move on, you're holding up the line," Zuko said as he gathered his pay. The other man looked startled but left.

The next man stepped up. "Frankie Z," the man said mockingly. He flipped out his uncut meat and crammed it in, hoping to hurt Frankie. No man had enough meat to hurt Frankie. Not anymore.

"Just get it over with," Frankie said tiredly, "or the ones waiting will cut your throat."

The man looked back at the long line, seeing both guards and trustees waiting for their turn with the former Mafia kingpin, and got to business. "Yeah, bitch, yeah," he huffed.

Frankie thought about green eyes, a slender body, and a sensuous mouth. He thought about the soft sound of Ray's voice and the one time he'd gotten to see and hear Ray jacking off. So, so sweet.

Some rich man was hearing that now. He was probably on his knees for Ray. Frankie would have been. Every day, no matter what. Zuko would never tell Ray he was tired or on the rag. He would have sucked Ray's cock during a fucking Bulls game if Vecchio demanded it. Frank would have happily been Ray's bitch.

He was supposed to be thinking about all the wrongs he'd done to end up like this but Frank could only remember the wrong that had started him on this slide into hell. He could still see those beautiful green eyes as the love and affection in them turned to loathing and disgust. That was when Frankie had become lost though he wouldn't recognize that fact until Ray stood over him, hooded, and whipped him bloody.

"Ray," he whispered. "You would have saved me."

----(V)----(V)----(V)----

Turnbull eased his considerable length into his kitten's ass. It was a shame he could not fuck her tight little cunny, but the doctor had been firm. No more until after the birth. He jiggled her swollen tits and laughed.

"Master, please, may I cum this time?" his kitten begged.

"Perhaps," he said leniently. Ren had to be gentle with his kitten until she'd safely delivered his child. He never put his weight on her, he never struck her, and he allowed her to sleep in his bed instead of her cat bed that was located at the foot of her master's bed. Turnbull was a most indulgent man.

Ren used his thumb to work his kitten's clit until he could feel the ripple of her orgasm. He stayed inside her, gently rocking until he came. "Ah, lovely, my little kitten."

"I'm looking forward to you being able to fuck me again, Master," his kitten said sweetly.

"So am I, my kitten," Turnbull agreed. "But at least I have my lovely boys to entertain me until then." He knew she schemed to rid the house of Ren's pretty boys, but Turnbull had no intention of seeing them off. When he wanted his sex rough, he had his boys to blunt him.

"Clean and dress yourself as befitting a kitten carrying her lord's child," Turnbull ordered. "We will shop for the anniversary gift for Masters Fraser and Vecchio and then have lunch."

His kitten's face lit up with joy. "Yes, Master," she said before climbing out of the bed.

Turnbull dressed his kitten well, allowed her to wear lavish jewels, and then kept her public appearances to a minimum. A single episode of misbehavior could mean a month strictly confined to the house with Ren's pretty boys watching her every move and desperate to squeal on her infractions.

That was the true secret to his kitten. She wanted to be seen, admired, and coveted. Take away all that and she had nothing. Nothing and no one but her Master whom she had to please.

He showered, dressed, and was waiting impatiently for her to finish. As usual, he had to inspect her attire. Too much cleavage and the dress didn't say "pregnant" enough. He chose something else and let her see him put back five hundred dollars of the money he'd allotted for their shopping trip. She cried.

Ren was never moved by her tears, especially as her hormones played havoc with her mind.

They took the limo because the car was too low for her to get in and out of comfortably. For a special treat, he'd decided to shop in Chicago. His kitten babbled happily as she saw sights she had not seen in many months. Ren stroked her head and back and smiled indulgently.

They were on their third store when he spotted his kitten's older sister. Maria was a lovely woman and she looked quite elegant in her suit and sensible heels. Only pregnancy had soured his kitten's taste for very high heels.

"Maria," his kitten gasped.

"Four strikes to your palm for speaking without permission," Ren reminded her softly. "Maria, how lovely to see you again. We're about to go for lunch, may we treat you?" he asked.

Maria stared at his kitten's swollen figure. "You're really pregnant," she said, then covered her mouth as if she'd cursed.

"Yes, she is," Ren agreed. "Just a month to go." He offered Maria his arm. "Please have lunch with us, Maria."

If his kitten had been alone, Maria would have walked away. Ren could read that in her. Only because of him did she agree. Turnbull took the ladies to The Tea Room for the ultimate in civilized luncheon.

"When did you decide to have a baby?" Maria asked, obviously still shocked by her sister's condition.

"It wasn't planned," his kitten admitted.

Turnbull snorted. "She lies and will be punished later, Maria. My kitten palmed her birth control pills for almost four months before she came to me with her positive test results." Ren could still see her expression of triumph melting away as she read the clause, which she had initialed, about progeny.

"Unfortunately my kitten did not read her contract closely enough. I have full custody of all of our children and she gets a cash settlement and limited visitation rights at the end of the term," Turnbull explained. "These contracts have held up in Canadian courts for centuries and we live in Canada."

Maria turned harsh eyes on her sister. "So when your contract ends in three months you're just going to walk away from your child?"

"No," his kitten replied, looking shamefaced. "I signed an extension of eighteen years with my Master." And without getting better terms. Turnbull was a tough negotiator.

"If it's a boy, he will be named Raymond Alistair Vecchio Turnbull and a daughter will be named Raye Alice Vecchio Turnbull," Ren announced. "That's R-A-Y-E. Both names are in honor of your brother who brought us together."

Maria actually smiled. "He must be thrilled."

"I hope so," Ren said seriously. "He will be both uncle and godfather, along with Fraser."

"We had dinner at their place last night," Maria informed them. "It was a wonderful meal. Ray is teaching Ben to cook real Italian cuisine. He's really improving."

"I'm not allowed in their apartment," his kitten announced, looking sad. "I can't talk to them unless it's an emergency. I'm banned from Fraser's estate."

"Well, whose fault is that?" Maria asked.

"Mine," his kitten admitted. She picked at her salad, then ate it when Turnbull gave her a disapproving look. "Everything is my fault. I've never really apologized to you, Maria. I've sent you money every month, but I could never bring myself to put a simple 'I'm sorry' note inside the envelope. No one deserves a sister like me."

"True," Maria agreed, surprising his kitten. "You lied and you stole. You nearly let my children go hungry and Ray lose the house, all so you could decorate yourself for some phantom man." She looked at Turnbull. "Well, you finally got Mister Perfect, but not the way you were expecting. God knows you're still trying to work the angles." She laughed softly and shook her head. "Did you think your baby would leave you set for life?"

"Yes," his kitten replied. "Ren is such a gentleman, I knew he'd marry me and make me his queen. Instead I'm further reduced in rank in the house because the one thing I could do well, getting fucked, I can't do until after the baby is born. I wasn't even really good at the fucking part until he trained me."

Luckily the tables were well-spaced or a lot of people would have been shocked. Turnbull was amused. "You were getting better at it," he consoled.

"Dear lord," Maria whispered.

"This is only the second time I've been out of the house this month and the other time was to go to the doctor," his kitten reported. "I'm not getting away with anything, Maria. You might not believe it, but I'm getting just what I deserve."

Maria snorted. "What you deserved was to go hungry on the streets, but it's too late for that." Maria turned her attention back to her meal.

"You're right, Maria." His kitten's shoulders slumped.

"Eat your meal, kitten," Turnbull ordered. He then proceeded to entertain Maria with his kitten-training regimen. His kitten sat red-faced as she had to tell her sister again and again that what Ren was telling her was true.

His kitten had to stand naked in the garden tied to a whipping post for overspending. She had to serve their guests naked, give foot massages and blowjobs, and sleep in her oversized cat bed until her pregnancy was confirmed.

"Ray paddled and whipped me on my very first night in my new house." His kitten sighed. "It was the last time he touched me or acknowledged my existence."

"He will when you present him with his namesake," Turnbull soothed. Perhaps Ren would get his ass thoroughly fucked by the new uncle. It was a dream. Turnbull was now a fully acknowledged master with servants and clientele of his own at the mansion, but he always ached to bottom for Ray again. Fraser was all too stingy with that man's cock, but who could blame him?

"Were you going to tell Ma about the baby?" Maria suddenly asked.

"Yes, I was going to send her a letter with photos and ask her to call collect if she wants to talk to me," his kitten replied.

"We'd love for her to come for a visit after the baby arrives," Turnbull added. "My parents were beside themselves with joy when they found out." Especially his father, as not four years earlier Ren had received the "you're still my son even if you are gay" speech. The Alistair or Alice part of the baby's name was for him.

His mother was thrilled about the injection of "exotic Italian blood" into the family line and was already working on her campaign to get his kitten to bear a second and possibly third child. Lillian Turnbull could be one focused woman.

"So the two of you can never marry while Frannie's under contract, right?" Maria asked.

"We could," Turnbull corrected, "but since she lied--"

"He has no reason to marry me, Maria," his kitten finished, interrupting him. "I can't be trusted."

Maria nodded and she looked very sad. "Can I tell Ma you're pregnant?"

"If you think she'll want to hear it," his kitten answered softly. She drank the rest of her water and their waiter immediately refilled it. "I miss everyone. Do the kids ask about me?"

Maria looked ready to lie but obviously thought better of it. "Not anymore, but you know kids, out of sight out of mind."

Tears, perhaps the most genuine he'd ever seen his kitten shed, streamed down her face. "Maybe that's best."

Turnbull decided to change the subject before the sobbing began. "Maria, would you like tickets to the Art Glass Emporium? It's really beautiful and Tony would get a kick out of the 'Superheroes in Glass' display. I personally enjoyed the motorized section."

Maria's eyes lit up. "That sounds wonderful. I'm sure Ma wouldn't mind watching the kids for a night. I'd appreciate the tickets, Ren. Thank you very much."

Ren removed the tickets from his inner pocket and passed them to Maria. His kitten eyed them covetously. She didn't know he had more.

Lunch was finished. Ren had the limo drop Maria off at her car. He gave Maria a hug before holding her car door open. "I'm taking good care of her and not just for the baby's sake."

"I can tell," Maria replied. "Good luck keeping her in line."

Ren smiled. "She's a double-handful, but I have large hands and I'm not afraid of applying them when necessary." He held them up.

Maria laughed and got into her car. She drove away after only a short glance at the limo.

Ren returned to the limo. "Well that bridge isn't totally burned, but it isn't safe to walk on either."

"No, no it's not," his kitten agreed.

----(V)----(V)----(V)----

"Mister Vecchio, Mister Fraser would like to see you for a moment," Welsh announced.

Ray closed the file he was reviewing and hit the speaker button. "Send him in, Harding," Vecchio responded.

Ben strolled in with Diefenbaker trailing behind him. The wolf immediately jumped up into "his" chair and would not be dislodged unless a lady requested it or Fraser was ready to leave. "Hello, My Own," the larger man said as he sat in Ray's lap.

Vecchio didn't immediately ask his lover what he wanted. If Ben was willing to put his luscious bottom in Ray's lap, who was he to move it? "Hello, love. How has your day been going?"

"You let me oversleep and I didn't get my morning eye opener," Fraser complained.

"You got in very, very late, Benny. What was I supposed to do--slap you awake, fuck your mouth, and then power-drive your ass until you begged?" Ray asked, knowing the effect the words would have.

Benny shivered oh so slightly, his control only showing the tiniest break. "Ah--"

"Stand up, Benny, drop your pants, and step out of them," Ray ordered softly.

Ben did as directed, revealing a pair of bright red silk briefs. Ray always liked to pull those down himself to reveal the firm flesh of Fraser's beautiful ass.

With only the slightest pressure from his hands, Ray bent his lover over the desk and pushed his legs apart. Vecchio licked around Benny's hole and sucked at the tender flesh there. Fraser's passage was already lubed and ready for him. It was Benny's signal he wanted a hard, quick fuck from Ray.

Ray sucked Benny's balls into his mouth and rolled them. Benny whimpered his encouragement. Vecchio stroked the other man's cock slowly and sweetly. The more Benny tried to hump his hand, the slower Ray would move it until Fraser got the message -- Ray was in charge.

Vecchio stood up and pulled his cock out through the fly of his pants. The feel of Ray's clothed hips hitting his naked ass would just about drive poor Benny wild. Ray rocked his way inside and plastered himself against the larger man's back. Ray could work his hips slowly in and out of Ben for hours now. He could never hope to break Fraser with pain, he wouldn't want to, but Ray could break the man with slow, sweet pleasure.

He could make Benny break down and cry with slow, sweet lovemaking and his name whispered in prayer. "Benny, Benny, Benny, My Jewel," Ray moaned. "My precious jewel." Ray reached under Ben's shirt and caressed his nipples. "My love, my love," he moaned.

There was a slight hitch in Benny's moans now; that tiny crack in his reserve that would signal a later flood. "Ray?" he inquired. Benny had come for a romp, not this intense expression of Ray's love for him.

"Always and only," Ray answered. "My Jewel, gift me with your cum. Show me I'm worthy to be inside you."

Benny's shaking increased. "Ray," he moaned.

Ray pulled out, turned his lover around, and looked down into his eyes. "My Jewel," he repeated as the fathomless depths of Ben's sea-blue eyes began to tear up. Vecchio walked Ben to the couch, stretched him out, and mounted him smoothly.

Fraser gasped as Ray sank home. "Ray?"

"Yes, My Jewel," Ray assured the almost skittish man. "Your Ray, your own." He rocked his hips, going faster and faster until they were slamming together like waves upon the breakers. "Yes, My Jewel, don't deny me your love."

Benny tipped over, his body arched, twisted, rose, fell, and shook. Ray eased out of him. "Ray?"

"I wasn't worthy this time, My Jewel," Vecchio explained. "Perhaps I'll do better the next time you share your body with me." The key to Benny was the tenderness. Ray denied himself an orgasm for some perceived failure to please his precious Benny and it held the other man's attention and gave Ray another inch of ground into Fraser's soul. "May I have a kiss?"

Benny attacked him, kissing Ray with an absolute fervor. He climbed aboard Ray's still hard cock and rode him until Ray spurted deep inside him. "Damn you, Ray. Damn you," he sobbed as Vecchio petted the larger man's shaking body.

"I know, My Jewel," Ray assured him. "I know." Vecchio kept his cock in Benny until he had to kick the man out of his office and work with a client, but he knew he'd set the groundwork for payback from his lover and he was really looking forward to it.

----(V)----(V)----(V)----

Benton Fraser sat in his favorite chair and waited for his lover to get home. Dinner was ready, not that Ray would be eating anytime soon, and Diefenbaker was at the Vecchio home consoling the children who, almost seven weeks later, were still grieving the loss of Pepper. Perhaps when they were much older Ben would give them a copy of the DVD to see that justice, at its most brutal, had been served.

He heard the elevator and resisted the urge to hop to his feet and throw himself into Ray's arms. His ass was still warm and happy from their morning romp, but Ben was in a mood now, a dangerous mood, and he wanted to play with some Italian fire.

Ray strolled in, hung up his coat, and locked his briefcase in the wall safe. "Honey, I'm home," he called. His face was bright and happy and Benny just wanted to lick him from head to toe. Ray frowned. "Why are you sitting in the dark, Benny?"

"It's Master Fraser," Ben corrected. "I was sent to break you."

Ray blinked. Ray did not play with Master Fraser. It was taboo territory. Ben was playing a dangerous game with the man he loved.

"You must be mistaken, my lover would never send Master Fraser to me," Ray said firmly, his lips pursed. "He would know that I--"

"Do not find Master Fraser attractive," Ben finished. "I know that."

"You're a very handsome man, Master Fraser, but--"

"I'm cold. Calculating. Mercenary." Ben paused. "Did I leave anything out?"

"I could never relax around you," Ray tried to explain. Vecchio's fingers were clenching and unclenching, showing agitation. His hands curled into fists.

Ben gripped Ray by the tie and led him to the couch. "What was the first thing you thought about me when you walked into my office?"

"Don't do this, Benny," Ray pleaded softly. "I need to keep the two of you separate."

"Master Fraser still exists and will exist for some time, Ray," Ben said firmly. "What did you think of him?"

"Stomach crunches," Vecchio reported. "I thought you must have done a lot of stomach crunches. I was envious of your hair. It's so thick; almost like a pelt."

"Did you want to kiss me?" Master Fraser asked.

"No," Ray answered truthfully, "but don't be insulted. A kiss from Master Fraser would have cost me too much." Vecchio paused, seeming to wait for another question from Master Fraser, but he really hadn't finished saying what was on his mind. Ben knew the signs.

"Go on," Master Fraser prompted.

"Do you remember what I was like then?" Ray asked. "Don't bother, I'll give you a refresher. I had no life outside of my work. I was the job. I was working. I needed answers and you had them. I didn't think about kissing you, Fraser. I was thinking about Mrs. Davis and her three kids. Not one of them a teenager yet. She had less than a year to live and her dead husband was so busted up that he had to be identified by dental records. You weren't sex, you were a resource."

Ray leaned back and let his head rest on the back of the couch. He closed his eyes. "I thought about you in the car on that long drive back to Chicago. I thought it was cruel for you to charge for your body because you broke men. I thought you were taking Davis away from his family when they needed him the most."

He kept going, his words raw and more honest than Ben had hoped. "Extreme beauty and cruelty often go hand in hand, Benny. You learn that when you look like me. When you called me handsome, it was like a knife in my gut. Men like you don't think men like me are handsome unless we have something you want -- money, power, fame... something. Men like me are hardly ever loved for who and what we are. We're the friend, the confidant, the backup plan, the safe bet, the one mother will like, the extra man at the party but never the guest of honor. I took your words as the cruel jest they had to be."

Ray opened his eyes. "No, Fraser, you didn't need your whips to break a man like me. You just needed the hint, the barest hint, that a man like you could look at me with anything other than pity or amusement."

Vecchio sighed. It was a long held breath slowly released. "Thank God Master Fraser didn't come to my house that night. I met Benton Fraser instead and I was smitten. Then Ben rescued me a few nights later. Master Fraser would have never done that."

Ray looked at Ben, his green eyes almost glowing in the muted light. "I would have given myself to you that second time if you had agreed. You could have torn me to pieces and I would have been grateful for every stomp of your boot because you were touching me and you weren't laughing at this sad sack of a man."

"Oh, Ray," Ben sighed.

Vecchio pressed two fingers against Ben's lips, silencing him. "Do you need to beat me, to control me, to break me down in order for me to be allowed to stay with you? I have to know. I gave up everything I was for my family and they spit in my face, Benny. They spit in my face. I'll never do that again. Not even for you." Ray twisted the simple gold band Ben had given him on their first anniversary. Ray had never taken it off, but he would now if Benton left him no choice. "It'll hurt like hell, Benny, but I will survive. I've got no choice."

In one horrible rush, Fraser saw this scene not from his desire for Master Fraser to toy with Ray but Ray having to decide what he was going to have to surrender in order to stay. "I just wanted to play, My Own. I had no idea that you associated so much emotional trauma with Master Fraser."

"It's not him but what he stands for." Ray stood up. "I gave myself wholly to Benton Fraser and that is irrevocable. Master Fraser cannot and will not touch me." Vecchio had drawn a line.

"Then he'll never come through our door again," Ben swore. He held out his arms and Ray moved into them. Fraser let out his breath. He could see Vecchio packing up and leaving. Ben would only be able to see his former lover at the office and he'd have to have an appointment. Diefenbaker would carry notes between them. The 'Benny' that Ray had let him become would shrivel up and die.

"We can still play Ben and 'Naughty Ray'. I like those games," Ray insisted. "But Master Fraser is at the professional level and not what I want from you. I can't let someone I love really hurt me again. Do you understand?"

Ben nodded. He understood. Everyone who should have loved Ray Vecchio for who he was and what he was had failed him. They had demanded a price for their affection. Ben could never even pretend to do that with Ray. "I understand, My Own. You can't be with Master Fraser any more than I could stay with you if you only wanted to be with Master Fraser."

"Only you, My Jewel," Ray promised. They kissed.

When they parted, Ben had an idea. "Let's play a little game after dinner," he suggested.

. . . .

Benton Fraser stepped into Hush, a new bar in the heart of the Million Dollar Mile and within walking distance of his apartment, and owned it within two breaths. People's voices dropped to whispers, the crowd parted like water going around stone, and a barstool instantly became vacant.

Hush had two faces. During the day high-powered meetings were held there and millions changed hands over calamari and caviar. At night the 'gay elite' stepped inside knowing that what happened there stayed there.

"Vodka martini with an olive, bartender," Ben ordered. He turned around on the barstool and surveyed the crowd. Tonight he was taking someone home. Someone special. Someone hot. Someone new.

He had an itch that needed to be scratched until the nails drew blood.

"$6.50," the bartender announced.

Fraser dropped a ten before four other men could offer. "Keep the change," he said as he accepted his drink.

Several men were making up their minds to approach him when another wave of dropping voices caught his attention. Fraser turned toward the door. The man was tall, slender, with an easy smile, broad shoulders, and a fine suit that looked just as Italian as he was. Nice.

The man in question warmly greeted two outrageously handsome younger men who drew him to their table. The black one whispered something in the Italian man's ear and he laughed. The blond one, who was wearing an excellent suit, an Isaak M, had a large diamond solitaire in his left ear and a gorgeous full-lipped mouth.

Ben did not like this competition one little bit. There were more of them these days, younger, more handsome men, to compete against.

A third man joined the little group. This one Ben recognized. He was a pro basketball player from the Dominican Republic, openly gay and with an admitted thing for older men. He was "looking for the kind of stable man he could take home to meet his folks".

Ben watched the sexy bastard put the smooth moves on his target, going so far as to cause his target to blush. Fraser moved closer, brushing off his own potential dates now that he'd set his heart on the Italian.

"Rick, I'm telling you, you guys are going to make them forget about Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman," the Italian promised.

"I like hearing that from the old fans," Richard, known as Rico to the press, said, his handsome face bursting out in a big smile.

The Italian leaned forward. "This isn't about my age, is it?"

The three young men, whose combined age barely allowed them into the place, laughed.

"Ray, I'm having a party on my yacht on Friday," Rico announced. "Why don't you come as my date?"

The Italian looked surprised. "I'd feel really out of place in your young crowd."

The basketball player leaned close enough for his chin stubble to give the Italian a rash. "There will only be one person there younger than you and that would be me."

"And how many older?" Ray asked, his green eyes alight with mischief.

"None," Rico promised. "Just you, me, moonlight, and a bottle of champagne."

"Hello," Fraser said, interrupting. The barely pubescent jock was about to manhandle Ben's Italian and needed to be stopped. "Ben Fraser," he announced as he held his hand out to Ray. "And you?"

"Ray Vecchio," the Italian answered as he shook Ben's hand.

"Look at the stones on that bastard," the pretty blond hissed. Ben pegged him as a trust fund baby who had never worked a day in his life. Fraser could have him stripped, collared, and taking his cock within an hour.

The black man was more of a challenge. He'd earned his money and was careful with it. He chose quality over quantity and he watched both himself and the people around them as if he expected trouble at any minute. Fraser could only bring him to heel by tempting him with kinks he didn't know he had. "Lucas Hall," the black man announced before pointing to the blond. "Evan Bacall and Rico Marlos. Have a seat, Ben. Let us see your game face."

"Game face?" Ben inquired as he sat down.

Lucas nodded. "You crossed the room, brushed off all invitations, and zeroed in on our Ray. You must have a game face. You didn't really expect to break up Rico's play without one, did you?"

Ben smiled. "Of course not." He understood what the younger man was saying even if the phrasing was unusual. "What's in the pot so far?" he asked, spreading his legs just a little.

"Rico is offering a moonlight boat ride and booze," Lucas reported. "What have you got?"

"Dinner on the terrace of my penthouse with a foot massage before the meal and a body massage after," Ben countered. He smiled. "Do you all know each other?" he asked, indicating the entire group with his untouched drink.

"Evan and I were at Harvard together," Lucas said in a perfect imitation of an East Coast snob. "Evan and Rico have never met before. Rico is my neighbor. Ray is the exquisite outsider we're about to fight to the death over."

"What's your story?" Rico inquired, giving Ben the evil eye.

"I'm a Canadian businessman living in the city and looking for some homegrown fun," Ben explained.

"Are you on the down-low, Ray?" Rico suddenly asked. He tapped Ray's wedding ring.

"A man gave this to me," Ray explained. "I was divorced when we met, I'd never been with another man, and he... initiated me."

"And now?" Lucas prompted, his face set hard. Ben didn't like that protective look on the younger man's face. It made him extremely jealous.

"Now I'm here... alone," Ray finished. He took a deep breath. "Don't they have waiters in this place?"

"Ray, you don't need any booze," Evan said without a touch of haughtiness. "And not all of us are like him."

"He'll be back," Rico said firmly. "Don't take him back, Ray. Upgrade."

"With you?" Ray asked. "I'm only a little younger than your mother."

"You have to give us all a chance, Ray," Lucas insisted. "Anything else would be cruel." His full lips promised long, slow blowjobs and his large thighs promised major thrusting ability and an equally tempting backstop for fucking. Ray was smiling at the man. Ben did not need this.

"You guys do a man's ego a lot of good," Ray said softly. A waiter arrived and placed a drink in front of him. "I didn't order this." It was a cognac. Probably very expensive.

"It's from the gentleman in the deep blue Bijan," the waiter explained.

A silver-haired, deeply tanned man, with a salt and pepper beard raised his own cognac to Ray. The man had an arresting face, not classically handsome but more alluring than a merely pretty man would have been. He was in his late forties or early fifties, fit, groomed, and smiling.

"Is this for me?" Ray asked, sounding shocked. He looked around the table. "Me over the rest of you?" He accepted the drink and the silver-haired man rushed over and took up the last empty seat.

"Hello, Detective Vecchio, I was stunned to see you here," the silver-haired man announced.

"I'm sorry, but I don't remember you and I haven't been a cop for a long time," Ray said as he shook the other man's hand. "I do private security now."

"Edouard DeSpain, you solved the murder of my sister's husband, Jerome Davis," the silver-haired man explained. "I saw you at the trial."

"Call me Ray." Vecchio took the man's hand more firmly and held it. "I was sorry to hear she had passed away. How are the children doing?"

"Better than me most days," Edouard admitted. "My sister and I decided to move here instead of moving them to New York and having them lose both their friends and their cousins."

"You're a good man," Ray said firmly. "I remember Catherine mentioning you and how busy you and her other sister's lives were. She said she was afraid to ask for your help."

DeSpain nodded. "Cathy thought I wouldn't come, that neither Celine or I would come. She was wrong. We couldn't get here fast enough." He leaned back in his chair. "We've adapted." He smiled. "I have to admit, Ray, I'd asked about you and your friends assured me that you were well off the market."

Ray looked at Ben. "They say everyone and everything has a season, Edouard." He let it go at that.

"Can I take you out to lunch or maybe dinner, Ray?" DeSpain asked.

"Do we have a new player, gentlemen?" Lucas asked. "You must excuse us, Edouard, but we're all trying to get Ray's attention tonight."

"It's the first time you've gone out without him, isn't it?" Rico asked.

"Yes, it is," Ray agreed. "I was never much for the prowl and I don't think I have any skills. I used to date friends not go for pickups and I've never picked up a man."

"Ray, they will chase you," Evan insisted. "Would you like to go to the Starlight? Lucas was telling me they have a jazz night every Friday. I bet you're smooth as ice on the dance floor." He wiggled his eyebrows. "And the bed."

"I'll only admit to being a good dancer," Ray said before taking a tiny sip of his cognac.

"I didn't know they still made humble men," Rico said, sounding amused. "We could dance on my yacht."

The plan had been for his target to be standing alone, perhaps visibly uncomfortable, in this place of wealthy gay men and women, but that was not how it played out. Ray was collecting a harem. If he were truly alone, Vecchio could have lined these men up and kept them on the string.

"I was thinking about having my eyes done," Ray was saying to Rico. He used his fingers to push away the tiny bit of folded skin there. "What do you think?"

The clamor and consensus was that Ray shouldn't touch himself.

"Your ex, he was one of those pretty bastards, wasn't he?" Lucas asked. "You wouldn't be thinking about plastic surgery otherwise."

Ray nodded. "He made other pretty men want to cover their faces in shame. If an artist of Michelangelo's caliber ever saw him, they would go to their knees and pray to him before taking up their tools. He was just as stunning walking in the woods with a dog at his side, his boot heels starting to run down, tight jeans, and a plaid shirt that would make any lumberjack proud as he was in a tuxedo. My secret preference was for him to be on his back, legs spread, and the undisputed evidence of our lovemaking all over his passion-pinched body."

All the other men took a drink.

"Was he shallow?" Evan asked. "I've been accused of being pretty and shallow."

"No," Ray said quickly. "He's smart, really smart, and a survivor. I don't mean someone who thinks because they made it through a flat tire without dying they have survived. He came back from abandonment and starvation. The scars are still there."

"You must have scared him, Ray," Rico suggested. "That's my background, too. I was one of ten kids and my family existed on eight dollars a month. Four of my brothers and sisters didn't make it to eight years old.

"When you come from that place you tend to distrust the good things that come your way." He massaged Ray's shoulder. "Those demons are hard to fight."

"You made it," Ray guessed.

"Not before I hurt a few people on the way," Rico admitted. "Your ex has to win that battle on his own."

Ben had won that battle long ago in an aging Victorian in a straight man's bedroom. He needed to get his Ray back home and prove it.

"Lucas, what do you have in the pot?" Edouard inquired after a bit of silence.

"I have a private box for both the Bears and the Cubs, floor seats for the Bulls, and season tickets to the Blackhawks," Lucas announced. "I'm also putting on twelve concerts this year and Journey, Chicago, and Elton John are among them. Ray, you could see the shows, meet the artists, and party with them."

"Cool," Ray said appreciatively. "Sports are one of my weaknesses."

"Are you promising him sex with the musicians too?" Evan asked, teasing.

"I'd be too jealous for that, besides, Ray is a nester and wouldn't go for a one-night stand," Lucas answered.

"We could fly to my nest on Martha's Vineyard," Evan suggested. He eyed Ray hopefully.

"I've always wanted to see that place," Ray admitted, giving his full attention to the young man.

Ben rose to his feet. "Ray, can we go home now?" he asked.

Ray looked up. "What?" He checked his watch. "You said two hours, Benny. You said I was single for the next two hours and I still have over an hour left."

"Ray, please. Can we go home?" Ben asked again.

Lucas turned icy eyes on Ben. He reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and extracted a platinum card case. "Ray, take my card. If you need me for anything, you call."

The rest of the men glared at Ben. One-by-one, they passed Ray their cards or wrote their numbers on the back of someone else's card. Ben began to wonder if they thought he was abusive to Ray.

Ray stood up and the rest of the men rose with him. For a moment there was a virtual wall of manflesh between Ben and Ray. "I want to thank you gentlemen for your kindness tonight. It has done my ego a lot of good."

Lucas was close to fifty pounds heavier than Ben, about fifteen years younger, and used to fighting. A smart, gay, black man growing up in Chicago had to be tough or he would have been broken. He was not broken. "Ray, don't let him play with your head. Keep my card and do not let him take it from you."

Ray read the cards and placed them all in his wallet. Even if Ben took and set fire to them all, it would do him no good as Vecchio had them memorized. Not that Ben would ever take anything out of Ray's wallet without his permission.

"So, did you want him to see how poorly he'd fare without you?" Rico asked, obviously seething. "Trying to keep him under your thumb, Ben?"

"No," Ben replied, shocked. "I was supposed to pick him up and we were going to play one-night stand."

"I might even do him in the backseat of my car," Ray added. "In the old days, I knew the alleys where you could take a 'date' for a little standing up sex. I never busted people for it; I did pick up a few wanted men there, but only after they'd finished."

"Do you still have your handcuffs, Ray?" Evan asked. Ben knew the look and the need. Ray could have the man right here, right now with the right words whispered hotly against the young man's skin.

"Yes, plus several padded pairs," Ray answered. "You're an 'over the head' man, right?" He demonstrated by crossing his wrists over his head.

Evan nodded, blushing and hard. Very hard.

"I'd lick your armpits first, suck your tits, and kiss you while I'm working your cock." Ray touched Evan's blond hair. "I'd have you sit on my cock while your wrists were restrained from the ceiling. Only after you were hanging limp from them would I release you."

"Dear lord," Evan whispered.

"What am I?" Edouard asked.

"A fine meal and wine with candlelight and conversation, bath, dildos that build up in size while your face is fucked, and then your cheeks spread and fucked until you shame yourself by cursing as you cum and cum," Ray answered. Ben would have skipped the food, but Ray was Italian and the thought of fucking a hungry man stupid went against everything he was.

"Oh god," Edouard moaned. He sat down and Evan joined him.

"Me next," Rico prompted.

"You, I would spank first. I know you haven't been spanked since you were a child, but you want it even if you can't admit it to yourself. I wouldn't restrain you. Voice commands only so you can't excuse what is happening." Ray licked his lips. "With your ass nicely warmed after a hand spanking, I'd fuck your ass until one or both of us passed out. You like to be worked hard. You'd try every position and do the ones you really liked again and again."

Rico dropped to his seat, shaken. "Damn," he moaned. Evan moved to sit beside him and patted the larger man's hand.

"What about me, Ray?" Lucas asked. "How would you break me?"

"I'd wash your hair," Ray answered. "Shave you, bathe you, and give you a long slow massage until you're completely relaxed. Then I would tie you to the bed with cloth so you would know you could break it at any time."

"Then you'd fuck me?" Lucas guessed.

"No, I would sit down on you. I'd lean over you so you had to see who I was and what I was doing." Ray touched Lucas's full lips. "I bet you only let them fuck you from behind with no looking at their faces while you take their cocks. I wouldn't let you get away with that."

"How do you know that?" Lucas asked, his voice shaky and his face stricken. Ben wanted to hear the answer too.

"I'm a trained observer, Lucas," Ray answered. "I've learned a lot over the years." He guided Lucas to his chair and sat down in the larger man's lap. "You're a very special man, Lucas. If I were truly alone, I'd take you home with me or go home with you. We'd do it with mirrors around us and you would have to watch us and feel us at the same time."

Lucas's chin dropped. "Damn, you're a kinky bastard."

"Like I said, I've learned from the best." He gave Lucas a deep kiss. "Stay safe." The rest of the other men also received kisses.

"Ben, boys are plentiful, real men are rare," Lucas warned.

Ben nodded taking the advice to heart. The numbers favored gay men their age, between 19 and 30, being out. Men in their forties tended to stay closeted. As a commodity, Ray was even more valuable than the young men around him because of simple supply and demand. Not that Fraser was going to let his Own back out onto the market.

Fraser slipped his arm around Ray's waist and kissed his lover tenderly. "I love you, Ray," he said slightly louder than he normally spoke. "Will you take me home and make love to me?"

Ray smiled. "That sounds like a plan to me, Benny." He cupped Ben's ass. He licked Ben's ear. "When we get home, we'll make love, but I want to be out with you now." He gazed deeply into Ben's eyes. "I want every man here to know you belong to me. Is that okay?"

Ben didn't actually decide to do what he did. He jumped up on Ray, wrapped his legs around the other man's waist, and kissed him desperately. "Ray, oh gawd, Ray. Don't tease me like this! I want you, I want you."

Fraser felt them moving and hands not their own assisting them until his back came into contact with a wall. He and Ray were still in the main room but separated from direct view by this small alcove they occupied. He kept kissing his lover as his feet came down and touched the floor and his pants were yanked to his knees.

"I need you," Ben explained. He was turned around, almost roughly, and pushed against the wall. Ray slid a quick-load lube ampoule into Ben's ass and injected it. Benny listened for the sound of the condom being torn open and it made him even more desperate. Ray's cock followed mere seconds after that sound. "Oh Gawd!!!" Fraser knew he sounded like a ravaged virgin and he did not care. "Yeah, I can take all of that big cock. Give it all to me!"

Vecchio bit Fraser's neck and held on like an alpha male wolf subduing the alpha female for mating. The pain was the perfect counterpoint to the primal copulation that was currently defining Ben's world.

It had gone deathly quiet around them. Every sound they made must have echoed throughout the elegant lounge. Even the piped in music was lowered.

Ben brought his hands down from the wall and placed them over his tits. Ray's hands followed. Taking the hint, Ray pushed Ben's hands away and gripped his nipples. "Harder, damn you, harder. Really twist them."

Ray released his bite. "They're listening, Benny. Do you want them to hear us fucking like animals here?"

"Yes, yes, yes, yes!!!" Ben replied.

"That's it, baby, ride it. Ride my cock!" Ray shouted.

Ben wrapped his handkerchief around the head of his cock and pumped it at will. His orgasm gave him new energy as he accepted the full body thrusts of his lover. "Ray," he moaned.

Ray suddenly squeezed Ben tightly and held still as he came. He shouted something part exaltation and part curse. They stood like that, almost frozen to each other, before he slowly released Ben. "You've ruined me, Benny. You've got me fucking you in public with half of the gay elite listening."

Fraser smiled. "I'm a bad man, Ray," he explained.

"My bad man," Ray whispered as he removed himself from Ben's body. "Never ever a dull moment with you, Benny."

They didn't get to slip out of Hush as they'd planned. They were captured by Lucas and cajoled back to a new table, this one with a loveseat to replace two of the chairs, and kept there for drinks and conversation. Ben curled up against Ray and snuggled.

. . . .

Ray stepped out of the shower, still slightly buzzed from the drinks, sex, and the... excitement of being out with those good looking men paying so much attention to him. Normally with Ben around, Ray felt like he'd faded away.

Ben was already in the bed with the covers thrown back for Ray. "You're taking too long to get here, Ray," he complained.

"Sorry. It takes longer and longer to get my makeup off, Benny," Ray teased. He climbed into the bed and was immediately and warmly covered by the larger man. He felt a slight tremor in Ben's arms. "Are you alright?" he asked. Ben kissed him deeply, stroked his neck, and reached between them to play with Ray's cock. Ray knew instinctively what was going to happen. There would be no teasing, no drawn out foreplay, and no subtle negotiation over the yin and yang of whose cock and whose ass was going into play. Ray was about to be fucked and all he would be allowed to do would be to hang on.

Ray had allowed other wolves to sniff his ass and offer theirs. He had told other men how he would fuck them. He had exchanged scents with them. Vecchio had shown Ben that other men wanted him and Ben needed to restake his territory now. Right now. For Ray to say no was to tell Benny that it was over between them. It was not over. It would never be over between them.

Benny licked Ray in all his secret places. Places no new lover would know. Ray didn't want a new lover. He didn't want to start over. He didn't want a younger man. He wanted his Benny. Vecchio spread his thighs in submission.

Ray felt his legs going over Benny's shoulders and opened his eyes. Blue met green. Cock met ass. Fingers clutched. Mouths engaged. Breaths were exchanged. Skin slid across skin, aided by condom and lubricant. Vecchio cried out in his total surrender. Benny howled out his triumph. Their bodies came together and time was forgotten.

Ray floated, soared, swooped, and spiraled down. Benny was there with him for every motion.

God, why had he ever been so afraid of giving himself like this? Vecchio couldn't answer that. Not with Ben's cock so deep in him and the other man staring down at him hungrily and their sweat so intermingled it could only be separated atom-by-atom.

"Yes," Ray managed to say. Yes would have to do now. It would have to mean so much. Yes, Ben, I will stay with you. Yes, love, I know I have other choices but I've chosen you. Yes, Benny, you will always be my love and I will be your own. Yes.

"My Own," Benny moaned, his seed rushing from his body. "My... own."

Ray held on, his cum slicking their stomachs, and forced their bodies into a tighter embrace. Time crept by unmarked by either of them. They parted reluctantly and flopped onto their backs. "Wow," he managed to say.

"Wow," Ben agreed. "I was jealous."

Ray smiled. "I was intrigued."

"I was murderous," Fraser confessed.

"I was..." Ray didn't know if this was the right word, "surprised."

"You shouldn't be," Ben assured him. "They're getting younger on me, Ray. I'm getting older and my looks are not a permanent thing. I'm vain."

Ray went up on one elbow and gazed at his mate. Benny was beautiful, handsome, and all those other words that fail to cover how lovely he was to Ray. "Love, you will always be beautiful to me. It's the secret to true love -- your partner never ages in your mind."

"Thank you, Ray," Ben replied. They kissed.

The End