Total pages in book: 57
Estimated words: 51803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 259(@200wpm)___ 207(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
“Knew ...” O’Brian coughed harshly, his mouth obviously dried out by the gag. “Knew you’d come,” he whispered hoarsely, turning blindly toward the sound of Valenti’s voice.
“You may wish I hadn’t in a while,” Valenti said grimly, loosening the last knot so that O’Brian’s arms and legs were free. His partner stretched gingerly and tried to sit up, but failed. “Hey, lie still while I get some circulation going again,” Valenti ordered. He bent over his partner, massaging O’Brian’s arms and legs until they began to regain color and feeling. “Son of a bitch, tying you up like that ...”
“He’s gonna do worse than tie me up if we don’t figure a way out of this, Nicky,” O’Brian said. “Here, I wanna ...” He raised one hand to tug at the blindfold and hissed at the sudden invasion of light as the black silk came free. “Damn, that’s bright!”
“Did ... id you hear what he said?” Valenti asked, trying to keep his voice level. “About what --”
“Yeah, I heard,” O’Brian interrupted him. He was up from the bed now, exploring the confines of their glass prison. From inside it, Valenti could see that it must be made of the same type of glass as a two-way mirror. Standing on the stage and looking at it, he had been able to see into the box. Now, from the inside, he could only see reflections of himself and his partner and the bedroom furniture. Nothing of the stage or the theater outside was visible. Even the ceiling was a mirror, reflecting his own worried expression back at him when he looked up.
“Bastard had me blindfolded and gagged, but he didn’t do nothin’ to my ears,” O’Brian continued grimly. “S’pose he wanted me to hear what you were gonna have to do to me in detail.”
“Sean, don’t talk about it,” Valenti begged, trying not to look at the many reflections of his partner’s strong, naked form as O’Brian continued to prowl around the room, looking for a means of escape. He didn’t dare admit to himself how much the hateful idea turned him on -- how much he wanted to feel that golden, compact body against his own, writhing beneath him ...
“Nick, we may have to talk about it. I don’t see an easy way outta here.” O’Brian sat at last and gave him an unreadable look.
“No, I don’t accept that!” Valenti turned from those fathomless green eyes and grabbed one of the heavy brass lamps from the nightstand nearest him. With all his strength he hurled the heavy lamp at the side of their mirrored prison. It bounced harmlessly off with an impotent clatter and came to rest at the foot of the bed, its bulb not even broken.
“Goddammit!” Valenti swore. The anger left him suddenly, making him feel tired and helpless. He sat on the edge of the bed, put his head in his hands, and closed his eyes.
“Hey ...” He felt the bed dip as O’Brian came to him, and strong hands kneaded his shoulders, massaging the tension away. “Look, Nick, I don’t know what we’re gonna do, but we’ve only got an hour to decide. We better talk.”
“What’s to talk about -- who gets to be on top?” Valenti asked bitterly. “No, wait, that’s already been established. I get the honor.”
“I’d rather you do me than one of those goons,” O’Brian said. “Babe, you’re gonna have to face it -- we’re between a rock and a hard place here.”
“Poor choice of words, partner, wouldn’t you say?” But Valenti sat up straighter and at least looked at his partner. O’Brian looked a lot more relaxed than Valenti could have believed possible. He sat quietly beside Valenti, still nude, but not uncomfortable in his nudity. O’Brian had always had an animal comfort in his own skin that Valenti admired immensely.
“What do you want me to say?” Valenti asked at last. “How am I supposed to feel about this? About being forced to ... to force myself on you?”
“Hey, nobody’s forcin’ anybody,” O’Brian protested, sliding closer so that Valenti could feel the body heat from his partner’s naked skin like a line of fire along his side. “Conrad may be able to make us do this, but he can’t make us hate each other over it. Can’t really make us hurt each other.”
“Oh, you don’t think it’s going to hurt? Having my cock rammed up your ass?” Valenti asked roughly, turning on the man beside him. Valenti shook his head and closed his eyes tightly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that,” he said quickly. “It’s just that ... hell, Sean, I’ve never done anything like this before -- not even with a woman. I don’t know the first thing about it. How am I gonna do it without hurting you and making you hate me?”