“Duke…” Maverick was exasperated. He was still half-erect, having never achieved a release, and now his roommate’s big hard body pressed against his side ensured that he wasn’t going to be able to get back to business until Duke fell asleep. At least he’d had the presence of mind to pull his boxers back up when Duke had come in the room.
“Sorry, man, were you jerkin’ off?” Duke’s breath was warm against his neck.
Mav stiffened. “None of your business, roomie.”
“Hey, it’s no big deal, Mav. Everybody does it.”
“Duke…” Mav put an extra note of warning in his voice.
“Fine.” Duke sighed and let it drop. “We’re almost outta here, ya know?” His deep voice was soft and thoughtful in the darkness. “Not long before we walk.”
“Yeah.” Mav sighed too, his exasperation forgotten in the realization that soon he wouldn’t have his best friend to be exasperated about any more. The thought made him sad—much sadder than he would have expected. Like he was cutting out a part of his heart and leaving it behind.
“Ya know, I was thinkin’,” Duke continued. “I mean, I know you got accepted to pharm school up in Tallahassee and I’m s’posed to be goin’ to business school to get my MBA but wouldn’t it be great if I got accepted to Tallahassee too? I mean, we could keep rooming together, ya know?”
“It would be nice,” Mav acknowledged. “But Tallahassee isn’t Cornell. Isn’t that where you’re going?”
Duke shrugged. “Cornell is mostly my old man’s idea anyway. My mom doesn’t care—told me to go where I want and do whatever makes me happy.”
“Man, your mom is seriously cool,” Mav said in admiration. He wished his own parents were half as open-minded as his best friend’s mom.
“Yeah, I know. So whattaya think about what Ev said? About that website?” Duke changed the subject again, his warm breath puffing in Mav’s ear as he shifted his position in bed. “I mean, it sounds like an easy way to earn cash, right?”
“Well, yeah,” Mav said cautiously. “But it also seems like the kind of thing that could come back and bite you in the ass. Like what if in the future you have a job interview and the guy who’s hiring you has seen your pictures on a gay website?”
“Then he’s gotta be gay himself or else what is he doing lookin’ at that kinda shit in the first place?” Duke answered promptly. “Hell, he’d probably be more likely to hire you instead of less.”
“Well…” Mav could scarcely deny his friend’s logic on that point. “But what if your parents saw it?”
“It would give my old man a heart attack—no question. But that’s a good thing,” Duke said comfortably. “My mom would think it was hilarious and she’s the only one I care about. What about you?”
“Well, my dad would be upset and my mom would cry,” Mav said, thinking about it. “But I’m sure if I explained they’d get over it.”
“Explained…?”
“That I’m not really, uh, gay. You know.” Mav felt his cheeks heating up again as he remembered what had happened between him and Duke earlier. Man, it should be totally strange to be so close to the guy right now. Duke’s head was on his shoulder and one large, warm hand was splayed out on Mav’s chest, right between his nipples. In fact, he did feel a little weird—his cock was hard again and before Duke had gotten under the covers with him, it had been barely half-mast. What was going on?
Duke blew out a breath. “Well…I wish you’d think about it, man. I just, I know it’s my fault we’re behind on the rent and it’s not fair for me to ask you to help but I sure as hell can’t ask anybody else to do this. I mean, c’n you imagine what Enslow would say if I asked him?”
Mav snorted laughter. “Yeah. You better not do that.” Richard Enslow was one of the other guys on the USF soccer team—and he just happened to be extremely homophobic. Once when the gay Es had come to congratulate them after a winning match, Duke had actually had to throw a punch in order to keep him from going after them and bashing them. It hadn’t been a pretty sight and Mav was sure Enslow would be the first guy to yell “fag” if the team somehow found out about their unusual sleeping arrangements. Not that they ever would. Enslow was one of the few people who wasn’t welcome at their apartment.
“So whattaya say? Will you do it?” Duke’s deep voice was hopeful. “I mean, it looks really easy. Just a lot of holdin’ hands and staring deep into each other’s eyes. We could do that much for a few bucks, right?”
Hell, we were practically doing that much earlier, Mav thought uncomfortably. A helluva lot more than that, in fact. “Well, all right,” he said at last. “But no funny stuff.”
“Funny like when you kissed me earlier?” Duke’s voice was full of teasing and Mav knew his roommate was just kidding.
“Hey, I was just doing my best to beat you at gay chicken,” he said, refusing to rise to the bait, even though his heart rate had doubled when his best friend mentioned the weird kiss they’d shared. “And I think it’s clear I’m the new champion, too,” he added. As soon as the words were out of his mouth he knew he’d made a mistake. Why did I say that? There’s no way Duke can pass up a challenge. But it was too late.
Sure enough, Duke rolled up on his side and looked down at Mav again, his brown eyes gleaming in the darkness. “You challenging me to a rematch, roomie?” he asked softly.
“Depends,” Mav heard himself say. “Are you talking about a rematch from today…or from the other night?” He held his breath, wondering what Duke would say about that. Would he be confused and ask what Mav was talking about, or would he actually admit he’d been lucid that night, not drunk?
“Maybe…maybe both,” Duke said at last, after a long silence had passed. “You wanna play?”
“Maybe,” Mav echoed him. “What are the rules?” His cock was throbbing for release now, aching as it had been the other night when Duke had touched him. In fact, he was suddenly so hot he felt like he was going to burn a hole through the sheets. He didn’t dare ask himself why.
“I think we should up the risk factor,” Duke murmured in his ear. “Make it like…double dare extreme gay chicken or something like that. You know?”
“How do we do that?” Mav’s lips felt numb with excitement.
“Gotta get naked,” Duke decided after a moment of thought. “You wanna do it?”
“Sure, I guess.” Mav’s casual words belied the turmoil he felt inside. God, shouldn’t be doing this! But he was already skinning out of his boxers and Duke was doing the same beside him.
“Now what?” he asked, as soon as he was completely naked under the covers.
“Now…since you’re the champion and I’m the challenger I’ll start,” Duke decided. “I’m gonna touch you. If you give, I win, just like usual. ’K?”
“Uh-huh.” Mav’s heart was thundering in his ears and his cock was aching. He could feel the warm wetness of precome beading at the slit of his broad head and he could barely breathe he was so turned on. When was the last time he’d been so hot? He couldn’t remember ever feeling this way, feeling like he was going to explode if his friend didn’t touch him soon.
“Okay.” Duke shifted beside him and suddenly a warm hand was gripping his shaft under the covers. “Too gay for you, buddy?” Duke breathed.
“Huh-uh. Not really,” Mav managed to whisper. He was trying to hold still, trying not to thrust into his friend’s hand, but it was damn hard not to when every instinct in his body was shouting that he had to thrust, that he needed to come.
“How about if I do this…” Duke started a slow, sensual stroke along the hard ridge of his cock. “While I do this…” He leaned down and kissed Mav lightly on the mouth.
Mav parted his lips at once and Duke’s tongue was there, probing delicately, licking hungrily. He groaned, unable to help himself, as the warm pleasure of his friend’s hand on his cock became unbearable. Duke swallowed the soft sound eagerly and stroked harder, more urgently.
God, can’t believe he?
??s kissing me while he jerks me off. If he doesn’t stop soon I’m gonna come! Mav didn’t know if he wanted his friend to stop or not. But when Duke did stop, breaking the kiss and pulling back slightly as his hand ceased its delicious stroking, he felt a wash of disappointment.
“Too gay?” Duke panted the words. “Do you give, Mav?”
“No way—I don’t give,” Mav said emphatically. “There’s no way you can win, man. I’m not backing down.” He deliberately made his words challenging, wondering what Duke would think of next. He didn’t have to wonder for long.
“Neither am I,” Duke murmured in his ear. He shifted position again and this time he was above Mav, straddling him in the dark. “Spread your legs,” he commanded in a hoarse voice.
“What for, man?” For the first time Mav felt uneasy. After all, there were limits. He wasn’t going to let his roommate fuck him, no matter how hot and bothered he was.
“Not what you’re thinking,” Duke assured him. “C’mon, Mav, trust me. Just spread.”
Reluctantly, Mav did as his best friend asked, opening his legs even though it made him feel strangely vulnerable.
With a soft sigh, Duke arranged himself so that his thighs were inside Mav’s and then lowered himself slowly.
Mav took in a deep, hissing breath when he felt the heated shaft of his best friend’s cock settle flush against his own. “God…Duke!” he gasped.
Duke froze in position but his voice was low and taunting in Maverick’s ear. “That’s my cock rubbing against yours, roomie,” he murmured in Mav’s ear. “Too gay for you now? Do you give?”
“Never,” Mav groaned. He shifted position so that the shaft of his cock slid against Duke’s and they both moaned.
“God that feels good.” Duke’s voice in the darkness was ragged, as though he was fighting for control. Leaning down, he kissed Mav on the mouth, not a soft, exploring kiss like before, but a hard, demanding mouth fuck that made sweat bloom along Mav’s spine and his back arch with desire.
Growling low in his throat, he returned the kiss with interest, nipping hard at his best friend’s full lower lip and thrusting hard to rub their cocks together in a fierce, delicious rhythm. Duke joined him and soon they were bucking against each other, almost fighting their way toward orgasm.
“What if I make you come?” Duke panted the words in between savage kisses. “Would you give then?”
His words set off Mav’s own competitive streak. With a low growl, Mav wrapped his arms and legs around Duke’s hard, muscular body and flipped them so that he was the one on top.
“What if I make you come?” he demanded. “What about that, Duke?”
Duke’s only answer was a low moan as he writhed under Mav, bucking up to meet each fierce thrust as their cocks rode the rising tide of pleasure in unison.
Mav found himself enjoying the sensation of having his friend beneath him. Duke felt nothing like the soft, curvy cheerleaders he usually brought back to their apartment. Mav was so big and they were usually so small, he always felt like he had to worry about breaking them somehow. Had to restrain himself even in the heat of passion to be sure he didn’t hurt them.
He didn’t worry about hurting Duke. His friend was as big and muscular as he was. His body was hard as a rock and just as unyielding. Mav pounded himself against it and Duke was giving back just as good as he was getting. The kisses they were trading were rough and luscious, filled with biting and teeth clashing as they came together urgently. Duke could take this kind of treatment, Mav thought. He could take being spread and opened and fucked within an inch of his life. Mav would be able to ram into him as hard as he could without fear, could really let go and pound him and all his best friend would do was beg for more…
God, what am I thinking? Not gonna fuck him—that would be too much, too far.
But even as the thought crossed his brain, Maverick found himself losing control. Just that one quick mental image of shoving his cock into his best friend’s body had done him in. With a low groan, he thrust hard against Duke’s flat belly and felt his shaft pulse with heat as he came.
Duke was right behind him, flooding him with the molten heat of his own come as he gasped Mav’s name. He said some other things too that Mav didn’t quite catch, but that wasn’t surprising considering Mav was busy having the most intense orgasm of his life.
“Damn,” he gasped at last, when his pleasure had ebbed. He collapsed against Duke’s broad, heaving chest. Can’t believe we just did that. Can’t believe we just rubbed off against each other. He knew he should feel awkward and weird around his roommate now, but to be honest, he was too tired. His lips were swollen from the fierce kisses they’d traded and the tension that had been building inside him all night was finally released. Not to mention the fact that his cock was completely spent.
“Damn is right,” Duke groaned. “Guess we’ll have to call that one a tie, huh?”
“Huh?” Mav asked sleepily. As always, an orgasm worked on him like a sleeping pill and despite the fact that the fresh come was gluing their lower bellies together, he was already half-asleep.
“Gay chicken. It’s a tie,” Duke murmured in his ear. “Hey, Mav?” His voice was slightly nervous now. “You think it’s weird? What we just did?”
“Uh, maybe. Dunno. Can’t we talk about it later?” It certainly was weird or at least, outside the realm of their experience as friends, but Mav was too tired to deal with it. Better to leave any discussion of what they had just done until later. Or better yet, not discuss it at all. After all, it wasn’t like it was ever going to happen again. Was it?
“Okay. Later.” Duke sounded relieved. “Uh, could you roll over, dude? You’re kinda heavy.”
“Hmm? Sure.” Mav tried but his muscles didn’t want to cooperate. His last conscious memory was of Duke rolling him over on his side and spooning behind him. And then a soft whisper in his ear.
“Night, Mav.”
“Night,” Mav tried to say but his mouth wouldn’t move. Secure in his best friend’s embrace, he drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Three
The photo shoot wasn’t nearly as bad as Mav had feared. He’d been imagining some shady porn set-up with an aging queen as a director—someone who would try to coerce him and Duke into doing a lot more than they wanted to. “Now just put his cock in your mouth for a minute—pretend you’re licking him like an ice cream cone,” Mav had imagined the guy saying. “Come on—I thought you needed cash. We pay extra for the more explicit shots, you know.”
The crazy things he’d been imagining had made him hot and cold all over because he wasn’t sure what to do or say in such a situation. Obviously he couldn’t actually suck his friend’s cock—it would be going much too far. But would it really be so bad if he had to? Duke was his best friend and he loved him—just as a friend, of course—but still, if somebody put a gun to his head and forced him to suck the guy off, it wouldn’t be the end of the world. Would it?
That thought had caused another whole round of elaborate fantasies where the website photographer held a gun on himself and Duke and forced them to do all kinds of things…things Mav would have considered disgusting and unnatural with anyone else. But with Duke, well, they suddenly didn’t seem so bad.
He’d gotten so worked up about the whole thing that he was almost disappointed to find the address Evan had given Duke when he called was in a neat, normal-looking strip mall not far off of campus. When they walked in, the photographer turned out to be a very normal-looking guy about their own age. Mav wasn’t even sure he was gay.
“Let’s see…Duke and Maverick, right?” he asked, consulting a clipboard with a long list of names. “Here to do a shoot for Str8te Boys?”
“Yeah.” Duke nodded and then frowned. “But no funny business—all right?”
“That’s not what this website is about,” the photographer replied at once. “We do have a more gay-oriented site but I take it you two aren’t here to pose for that?”
“N
o,” Mav said at the same time Duke said, “No way.”
“We’re, uh, not gay,” Mav explained, wishing he could control the hot blush he felt spreading across his cheeks. “But we do need some money and we heard this was a pretty easy gig.”
The photographer frowned at them. “Well that depends. You two are certainly the type we’re looking for—all American, jocks, hot and straight-looking—but you have to be willing to touch at least a little or there’s no point in going any further.”
“Oh, we’re not like homophobic or anything,” Duke explained hastily. “I mean, we can touch and you know, kiss and everything. Just no really gay gay stuff. Like no sucking and fucking.”
The photographer raised one eyebrow. “Okay so you’ll touch each other above the belt?”
Mav and Duke nodded in unison.
“And kiss?”
They exchanged a quick glance and Mav saw that his roommate’s face was as red and hot as his own felt. “Sure,” he said at last, answering for both of them. After all, they’d already done it once—well, twice to be accurate—was it such a big deal to do it one more time to earn a little quick cash?
“Good, let’s begin,” the photographer said. “Take off your shirts and come with me.”
From there on out it was pretty much the same kind of thing they’d seen on the website Evan had showed them. The photographer took pictures of him and Duke holding hands and staring into each other’s eyes. There were some with them hugging and wrestling and a few of them kissing but nothing too passionate. It felt both strange and familiar to be holding his best friend and kissing him. Mav was surprised it didn’t make him more uncomfortable than it did.
Duke didn’t seem to be too bothered either. Usually when he was nervous he got loud—laughing, cracking jokes and just generally cutting up. But during the photo shoot he was mostly quiet and thoughtful, and during the pictures where they looked into each other’s eyes Mav thought he saw something he’d hardly ever seen in his best friend before. Some shy, secret stranger who was hiding behind Duke’s party-guy, college-jock façade, longing to come out and make Mav’s acquaintance.