2. Eli
2
ELI
I didn’t get his last name. I tried asking around, but asking about the guy in The Phantom of the Opera mask was less than useless. Such an overdone trope. It doesn’t take that much investment to be original, especially at a masquerade, but whatever. My costume was fucking splendid. Still, I can’t stop thinking about him. I’ve had a few sexual encounters with men before, but nothing like that. That was the first time I’ve ever given a blowjob, and I didn’t expect it to be so damn…hot. My dick twitches every time I think about it—about his hands buried in my hair, the taste of his come in my throat. I need to think about something else; I can feel my cock straining against my pants.
I stand up from my seat, not even trying to hide the bulge in my jeans. I grab my bag and head toward the exit. This class doesn’t end for another thirty minutes, but I’m not going to be able to sit here for that long. It’s all a bunch of boring nonsense anyway. The only reason I’m here is because my family thinks it will be good for me, though I can’t imagine why. Intro to Business Administration and Practices is so beneath me. I’ve been in charge of at least a third of the family affairs since I was sixteen, and most of what they teach in this class is pansy-ass nonsense. If you want something done, you get it done, none of this “be nice to everyone and respect your workforce” nonsense. If someone doesn’t like the job, then find someone else to do it, it’s that simple.
The corridors of Valmont’s Cheshire Hall are quiet as I head for the exit. I cross the open atrium and push through the doors, squinting into the sunlight. Like I’ve been trained, I take stock of everyone around me. A few people are scattered across the lawn, sitting or lying in the grass with their books or headphones. A group of students sits at a stone picnic table, but none of them are paying me any attention. I don’t have a destination in mind, so I just start walking. A few of the other students give me a cursory glance as I pass them, but they quickly look away. I’m practically a celebrity around here. I was a legacy into the Phi Alphas, so I didn’t have to deal with most of the hazing and nonsense that goes along with pledging—not that they would have tried; they know who my family is. Since I’ve been involved with the frat, we’ve managed to make a name for ourselves around campus, thanks mostly to our lavish parties, but also for some of the other work we do.
I pause to take my headphones out of my backpack. I really don’t feel like talking to anyone at the moment, and the headphones are like a signal for everyone to leave me the fuck alone. It’s not that I’m in a bad mood so much as I’m annoyed. I haven’t been able to track down this Noah character, though not for lack of trying. I’ve looked through the class databases, social pages, even asked around—not too much though, since I don’t want to get people talking. The man’s a fucking ghost. Maybe I was more drunk than I thought when everything happened. That would explain why I was so quick to suck a man’s dick. My cock twitches again when I picture him looking down at me, that fucking mask obscuring half his face.
I quicken my pace. I may as well head back to the house and find something to eat. I lose myself in my music as I walk across campus with my hands stuffed in my pockets. It’s cool today, more so than usual for this time of year. I look up, and there he is. I stop midstride when his dark eyes lift to meet mine. He pauses for an instant, but he quickly recovers and looks away from me. Dammit, why did I freeze like that? I can’t let him know he has this much of an effect on me. I pick up my pace to meet him at the bottom of the stairs and stop in front of him, blocking his way.
“Noah, right?” I ask as I slip my headphones down around my neck. His eyebrows tighten as he takes me in and his jaw flexes, which makes my pulse quicken. I smile broadly and look up at the building. “We met at the masquerade.”
“We did,” he confirms. My eye twitches before I gain control of my expression. The building he’s exiting is Wilcox Hall, the criminology department. “You’re Eli Carbone.”
“In the flesh,” I answer with a dramatic bow. I stand a little taller than him, and his dark eyes flash with something I can’t place. My tongue runs across my bottom lip as he curls his hand around his backpack, and I fight the urge to trace my fingers down the cords of muscle in his biceps. I don’t remember giving him my last name, but I’m well-known on this campus, so it’s not surprising. “Did you decide if you wanted to pledge Phi Alpha? I’d be interested in sponsoring you.” I lift an eyebrow at him.
He purses his lips, and I flash back to him pressing me against that damn tree, the rough bark digging into my back as his hands roamed my body and his lips pressed against mine. “I don’t know,” he says, pulling me back to the present. “I don’t think I’m fraternity material.” I step closer to him to see if he pulls back. He doesn’t. “I rather like my autonomy.”
“And I rather enjoyed your anatomy,” I say with a grin. His lips quirk in response, and his eyes rove over my chest before he catches himself and meets my gaze again. “Walk with me.” I shift to stand beside him before he can object. His eyebrows lift for a moment before he shrugs and falls into step beside me.
“Where are we going?” he asks with a playful lift of his chin.
“I’m a bit peckish, so I thought I’d head back to the house for a snack.”
“I don’t want to join the fraternity,” he says with a little more conviction.
“That’s not why we’re going to the house, Noah,” I answer without looking at him. “I’m not going to try to convince you. You don’t seem the type to submit to a bunch of hazing, anyway.” The corner of my lips lifts into a half-smile. “No offense.”
“None taken. That’s a compliment,” he answers with a snort. Even his snort is fucking sexy. “Despite past circumstance…” He looks at me with a grin. “You don’t seem that type either. How did you manage it?”
“I’m a legacy.” I lift my chin. “I didn’t have to do all that bullshit.”
“Of course you didn’t,” he mutters. I look down at him and tighten my gaze.
“I suppose my reputation precedes me,” I say, my voice a little tighter than I wanted. I see him tense, as though he’s considering his response. Finally, his shoulders sag.
“Yes, it does. You’re known around campus,” Noah huffs, and I have to fight the urge to wrap my arm around him. He presses his lips together and looks up at me, a pained expression on his face. “I didn’t…I didn’t know who you were…then.”
“Surely my name doesn’t intimidate you,” I chide. I realize I’m trying to make him more comfortable around me, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why.
“Intimidate? No,” he chuckles, and the muscles in his arm flex as he adjusts his backpack. “We just come from different worlds, my friend.”
Friend . That word hits me like a slap, but I school my expression into nonchalance. He’s trying to put distance between us, but that’s not going to work for me. I want him closer, not walled off. I scoff at my own reaction and shove it deep in the back of my mind. I’m going to have to analyze that later.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend—” he starts, but I cut him off.
“No offense taken, friend .” I emphasize that word a little too much. I really need to get it together before I scare this man off. His eyes narrow, but he doesn’t back away. “I don’t know anything about you yet. Maybe we can bring our worlds a little closer together.”
He presses his lips together again and I fight the urge to touch him. What is wrong with me? Even being seen just flirting with a man on campus would cause a lot of problems with the family. What am I doing?
“Sorry,” I say, shaking my head. “I’m a little distracted today. I didn’t expect to run into you.”
“No worries,” he answers with a smile that melts me. “I was a bit surprised, too.”
We approach the huge doors to the Phi Alpha House and I unlock them with my card. He pulls in a deep breath as we walk through and he looks around the entryway. The house is gorgeous. My older brother had it renovated two years ago when he was here.
“Wow.” He sounds breathless. “This place is something else.” His eyes trail up the dual staircases leading to the second floor. He hesitates, then lets me take the lead.
“Come on.” I take him by the arm, leading him toward the kitchen. His skin is hot on my hand and my pulse speeds up at the contact. He cuts his eyes toward me and a slight smile plays at his lips, but he doesn’t pull away.
A lunch spread is laid out on the kitchen counters—several types of sandwiches and cold cuts alongside cheeses, fruits, yogurt, and condiments. My personal chef sets these out every day and the brothers come and go eating at their convenience. I select a sandwich and gesture for Noah to take his pick. He chooses a yogurt parfait, and I can’t help but smile. We grab a couple cans of soda and take everything to a small breakfast table in the corner. He gazes out the bay window as I take a bite of my sandwich and study his face. The angles of his cheeks and jaw cast deep shadows that I find alluring. The muscle in his jaw ticks as his eyes search the view outside the window. We can see the oak tree from here, and I can’t help but notice when his eyes settle on it and darken.
“What are you thinking about?” I tease as I watch him dip his spoon into his parfait. His eyes slowly trail to mine as he brings the spoon to his lips. He takes the creamy substance into his mouth, keeping his eyes locked with mine.
“Same thing you are,” he says as he licks the yogurt from his lips. My dick instantly gets hard. Suddenly my sandwich tastes like ash, and I set it on the table. I watch him take another bite of his parfait, leaving behind a little smudge of it on the corner of his lip. I reach out and swipe it with my thumb, but he catches my hand. He pops my thumb into his mouth, and my cock strains against my jeans. He sucks the offending sweetness away and swirls his tongue around my thumb before pulling back.
Before I even realize what’s happened I’ve closed the distance between us and I’m straddling him in his chair, my dick pressed into his stomach. I take his face in my hands and kiss him, hard . He wraps his arms around me, parting his lips to allow me access. His hands slide up the back of my shirt, hot against my skin as he lifts the shirt over my head, knocking his parfait over in the process. It splatters across my chest, the cold yogurt a shock to my fevered skin. Noah looks across my chest with hunger and wipes at it, making a sticky mess. He licks his fingers, then turns to my chest, licking and sucking the mess away. I grind my hips into him, feeling like I’m going to explode into my pants.
His hands move to the button on my jeans, but then we hear the main doors open. I jump back and quickly throw my shirt back on. A look of disappointment crosses Noah’s face, and I’m sure my own matches. His eyes drift down to the bulge in my pants and his breath catches, but he pulls back and starts cleaning up the spilled parfait.
“Listen,” I say, fighting to keep my voice even. “I have a thing tonight. Why don’t you come with me?”
“What kind of thing?” Noah asks without looking at me. My eyes trail down his chest, and I see that he’s just as hard as I am, which sets my blood pumping all over again.
“A family thing at the Dark Angel Lounge,” I say. “It’s a sort of party for my cousin.”
He pauses and looks at me. His eyes tighten as though he’s trying to decipher a code. “Isn’t that kind of exclusive?”
“You’ll come as my guest,” I assure him. “It’s probably going to be incredibly boring, but there’ll be an open bar. If you’re interested.” I add that last part just a bit too quickly.
He tilts his head at me and blinks a couple of times before responding. “Sure,” he finally says, and my heart skips a beat. Don’t get me wrong, few people refuse an invitation from me, especially for events like this, but for some reason his acceptance makes me giddy. “What time?” He turns and takes the soiled paper towels to the trash can.
“Meet me back here at eight,” I say, fighting to keep my expression in check. “I’ll drive. Wear a suit.”
“Okay.” Noah’s lips curl into a smile as he turns back to me. He hesitates like he wants to say something else. “See you then.”
I run my tongue across my bottom lip, and notice his eyes drop to follow the movement. “See you then.”
He nods and leaves the kitchen with me staring after him. One of the brothers, Aaron, walks into the kitchen with a girl I recognize. I think her name is Andrea or Audrey, something like that. She immediately rakes her eyes over me as I nod in greeting. Her eyes linger on the bulge in my pants, but I ignore her. I nod to Aaron before I leave the room.
* * *
Eight o’clock rolls around while I wait in the atrium. I’m wearing a navy pinstripe suit and Italian loafers, all tailored perfectly for me, of course. My curly hair hangs loose around my head and I fight to keep a grin off my face. The doors open and I try to appear nonchalant, but my eyes dart toward them as Noah walks through in a black suit that makes me think of James Bond. He looks a little stiff as he walks across the room, and I rise from my chair. I delight in the fact that he seems nervous. He looks sexy as hell, though. A blood red shirt coupled with a black tie accentuates his skin and eyes, and the suit fits him perfectly. Maybe our worlds aren’t so different after all.
“You ready to go?” I ask with a wave of my hand.
He nods, keeping his eyes on mine. I’m already turned on by this man. His broad shoulders exude strength and masculinity. My lips curl into a smile as I lead him back out the door to the garage.
“A Bentley?” His eyebrows lift as I unlock the doors. I grin without remorse.
“Yes, and it’s worth every penny. You’ll see,” I say as he climbs into the passenger seat. His eyes move all over the cabin as we get ready to leave. He almost seems like he’s afraid to touch anything. “Go ahead—adjust the seat, press the buttons. You can’t hurt anything in here,” I chide.
His lips purse in challenge as he starts messing with the levers and buttons to adjust his seat. Before we’re even on the highway he looks like he’s more comfortable than he’s ever been. “This is something else, a whole new level.”
“You’ve never ridden in a Bentley before?” I ask. His eyes tighten for a split second, but then he just shrugs.
“Nope,” he answers, and my eyes cut to him. He looks loose and comfortable. “My family never could have afforded something like this.”
“Well, it’s not like I haven’t worked for it,” I say, suddenly defensive of my privilege.
“I don’t doubt it,” he says with a dismissive wave. “I understand money, I just don’t have any…yet.”
“Yet?” I lift my eyebrows.
“I have plans. I don’t expect to ever get…you know…rich.” He gestures to the car. “But I’ll get to a point where I’m comfortable.”
“It’s good to have goals…I guess?” I shake my head at how ridiculous I sound. Noah slips into a thoughtful silence.
“It wasn’t easy, growing up the way I did,” Noah finally says. “It felt like I had to fight for every little thing, and I could never let my guard down.”
“You may be surprised to know we have that in common,” I answer with a glance over at him. He tilts his head in response. “Money brings a lot of comforts, but it also comes with its own set of problems…mainly that when you have a lot of it, people try to take it from you.” I take a breath. “It’s hard to tell if the people around you are real.” Noah’s jaw clenches, and I wonder if I’m telling him anything he doesn’t already know.
We arrive at the Dark Angel Lounge and the valet opens the door for Noah. We both chuckle slightly at the awkwardness of it. I toss my keys to the young man in a red vest and head into the main lounge. We’re among the last to arrive, which is by design. I try not to associate with my family on a personal level. I know they’re flesh and blood, but they’re faker than most when it comes to personal ties. They’ll fight for each other in a heartbeat in public, but behind closed doors they’ll gut you in a second.
We make the rounds of the room. I speak my general acknowledgements and Noah mostly just nods. I start to question the wisdom of bringing him here. The last thing I want to do is paint a target on his back. I try to maintain an arm’s length between us, and he seems unbothered. He must know what it’s like to be attracted to men in a world where that’s not easily understood.
I order us a couple drinks at the bar and we find a table situated away from almost everyone else. I’m relieved to finally be able to talk to him. But before I can even get a single word out, my father strides across the room. I wasn’t expecting to see him tonight.
“Eli, it’s good to see you,” he says as he approaches the table. I stand to greet him, and thankfully Noah does the same.
“Good to see you, too, Father,” I respond. He takes my hand in a firm shake and claps my shoulder, jostling me out of my comfort zone. “I thought you were still in Italy.”
“Business concluded early, so we caught an early flight,” he says. A woman strolls up behind him, and I’m pretty sure she’s younger than me. She loops her arm through his and gives me a plastic smile. “This is Esmerelda,” he says by way of introduction. She lowers her head demurely. I highly doubt that’s her real name, but it doesn’t matter. She’ll be gone in a week or two. He glances over at Noah. “Who’s your friend?”
I look over at Noah, and for a brief second I panic. I still don’t even know his last name. If Father finds out I brought a stranger to a family function, he’ll have my head. Of course that doesn’t apply to him and his flavor of the week, and the irony of that is not lost on me.
“Noah Andriotta,” he answers for me, putting out his hand. I breathe a sigh of relief. “We’re classmates at Valmont.”
My father shakes his hand. “You’re in Business Administration as well?”
Noah gives a curt nod, and my eyes tighten. I’m pretty sure that’s not true, but the sooner my father leaves us alone the better.
“Good to meet you, son,” my father says. His accent is a bit thicker than usual thanks to spending the last few months overseas.
“Likewise,” Noah responds, and for a split second I fear that he’ll try to start a conversation. Then I feel stupid.
“Sorry, Noah, this is my father, Mario Carbone,” I say quickly. Noah’s jaw ticks. I’m sure he recognizes the name; everyone does.
“Mr. Carbone,” Noah repeats with a nod.
“Well, it’s good to see you, son,” my father says, turning back to me. “We’ll have to catch up soon.”
“Of course,” I answer, and he finally walks away. I breathe another sigh of relief, then turn to narrow my eyes at Noah. “You’re not a business major,” I say with a lift of my eyebrows. I’m starting to realize just how little I know about this man.
“No,” he says with a nervous chuckle, “but I always get a lecture when I say ‘general studies.’”
I press my lips together and smile at him. Yeah, my father would not have been impressed with that answer. He would’ve told him that he needed to focus or he’d become a useless man with a useless degree.
As the night wears on, I get us several more rounds of drinks. We chat with several of my cousins and distant relatives. We give the obligatory birthday wishes and I give my cousin Reece a gold chain as his gift. By the time the party comes to an end I’m happily buzzed and leaning on Noah for support, though he’s leaning on me just as much. For a family event, this was more fun than I expected. Noah is quick-witted and charming without giving too much of himself away. It’s like he was bred for this environment. I finally admit I’m too inebriated to drive us back to Valmont tonight, so we stumble to the hotel next door.
Once we’re checked in we head upstairs, each with our own complimentary bottle of water, and key our way into the room. There are two beds of course, but my heart beats faster as I watch Noah shrug out of his blazer and unbutton his shirt. His arms are thick and muscled, and his pecs strain against the fabric of his undershirt. He catches me watching and lifts an eyebrow, those dark eyes like a siren song. My dick pulses as he bites his bottom lip.
I shrug out of my jacket and unbutton my shirt enough to pull it over my head as I cross the room. I crash into him, knocking him onto the bed and burying my tongue in his mouth. He tastes like whiskey. I run my hands over his broad chest and dip my fingers beneath the hem of his undershirt before pulling it over his head. I kiss and lick at his nipples as I fight the button on his trousers. Finally I step back and pull them off him, marveling at his hard cock as it springs free of his boxers. I devour him with my eyes before climbing on top of him and pressing his dick into my stomach, rock hard against my abs.
In my drunken state, I don’t even realize what’s happening until I’m on my back and Noah’s lips are against my neck. I release a groan as he gently bites the soft flesh on my shoulder. He trails his lips down my chest and tweaks my nipples, and I’m sure I’m going to come in my pants. I try to hold myself back as Noah rises to his knees and props them between my legs. I reach out and grab his cock. He’s huge, veined, and smooth as velvet. His attempts to unbutton my pants are thwarted as he rolls his head back with a moan while I stroke him, fighting to hold off my own climax. Noah tenses beneath me, then roughly swats my hand away and tears at my trousers. He yanks them off me, his eyes growing dark as my cock erupts from my boxers. He stifles a gasp at the sight of me before falling on top of me again and kissing me deeply. Our shafts rub together as we grind into each other. He sits up again and takes his own cock in his hand and starts rubbing it, jerking himself off as he gazes down at me. He takes my dick in his other hand and closes his eyes, pumping both in simultaneous rhythm. I throw my head back with a moan when his knuckles graze the head of my dick as he pumps us both.
Noah shudders against me, and then I feel the hot spurt of his cum across my stomach. He moans loudly, still stroking me, but moves his other hand to wipe at the mess across my stomach. He releases me and leans down, licking his own juices from my abs, and moves lower. I dig my fingers into his short dark hair as I struggle to hold back. He wraps his lips around my shaft and I pull him downward until my head hits the back of his throat and I release. I cry out in pleasure as I spurt into his throat over and over again. He grunts against me, keeping me fully in his mouth. When I finally slow down, he sits up again.
My eyes immediately grow heavy as he climbs to the top of the bed to lie beside me. We’re both hot and sweaty and sticky, but he wraps his arms around me. I turn and kiss him gently, savoring my taste in his mouth. My arms wrap around him, and before I even notice, we’re both asleep.