Chapter Eight
William’s alarm went off far earlier than he was ready for. He yawned, stretched, then got out of bed to stumble to the shower. He stayed under the steamy water until he felt awake and ready to start the day. He got out, whistling as he completed his morning routine. In no time at all, he was ready and out the door. He paused just outside of Justin’s door for a few seconds. Was he supposed to invite the man to breakfast with him? Should he just leave him alone, and they could hook up before the convention officially started. As he indecisively stood there, his cell phone chimed.
Hey snoozy (lol). Are you coming down to breakfast, or what?
Be right there, he typed back, heading for the elevator. William made his way to the buffet which, thankfully, wasn’t too packed yet. He grabbed some eggs, bacon, and a few pieces of French toast before looking around the room for his colleague.
Justin was near the back of the right side of the room. William made his way over to him and sat down. “Good morning, man,” he said.
“How was your night?” Justin asked.
“I slept like a rock. That bed was amazing.”
“I totally know what you mean.” Justin laughed. “I had a hard time leaving it this morning.”
William laughed as well then picked up a strip of bacon. “What’s the plan for today?” he asked, taking a bite.
Justin grabbed the warm syrup off the table, all but drowning his waffles, then ate a big forkful. From his slim leather briefcase next to him on the table, he pulled out an itinerary and handed it to the other man. William saw that he had his day planned until around one. He had even penciled in some time to stop by the sandwich booth for a quick lunch. “I figured we could just wander around some of the booths this afternoon.”
“Sounds like a plan.” William ate a few scrambled eggs. When they had both finished, they went out into the conference room.
William found that the convention was a big, noisy event. Everywhere he looked, there were vendors, equipment, and demonstrations. There had to be almost a hundred people there. This kind of thing was right up his alley. Justin, however, looked uncomfortable. “Are you okay?” he whispered to the other man.
“Of course.” Justin shook off whatever was bothering him. “Let’s go.”
For the first few hours, he followed Justin around, hanging back quietly while Justin did all the talking. The way he was handling things impressed William. It was obvious that he knew a lot about the company’s needs, and he could learn a lot from him. It was more than that though; for some reason, he found that to be incredibly sexy. He loved a take-charge kind of man, and Justin was just that. He wondered what it would be like to be in his strong arms. He brushed the thought away. Justin was the last man he should be thinking like that about.
“I think I’m going to walk around for a bit,” William told Justin. He needed to get away from him for a while.
He checked out all the things they hadn’t seen yet but got bored rather quickly. He had to admit that this had been much more fascinating when he’d been with Justin. He looked around, not sure what to do next.
“Hello.” William turned to see a man smiling at him. He hadn’t realized that he’d stopped in front of the many vendors.
“Hi,” William greeted.
“You look kind of lost,” the man observed.
“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be doing.” William sighed.
“How about you and I talk, then? I’m Jonathan Wilson, the founder of Kinetics.”
“William Harper.” They shook hands. “So, what is Kinetics all about?” William asked.
“It’s a system that allows you to do everything all in one place. I’m talking invoices, quotes, payroll, you name it and we can do it. It’s customizable to fit your specific needs, and it’s easy to use. How about you, William? What do you do?”
“I’m kind of the office manager at S&H Contracting.”
“Then you’re the perfect one to talk to. What system are you using now?” As they discussed Jonathan’s program, the man came around the table, turning his computer so that William could see it, getting very close to him in the process. “So, what do you think?”
“I think switching might be a really good idea,” William told him.
“That’s what I like to hear.” Jonathan smiled, then his voice became a little flirty, and he put his hand on William’s bicep. “I would definitely be up for giving you a private consultation.”
William had absolutely no interest in going out with the man. “I’ll have to get with my partner. I’m sure he’ll be as excited about this as I am.”
“What do you say we blow off this convention for a little while? I could show you this amazing club I go to.” Jonathan winked, hand still on William’s arm.
“That sounds like a lot of fun, but I really need to find my associate and focus on this convention.” He moved away from the man.
“Too bad. It would have been a great time.”
“Thanks for the invitation, but I really do need to get going. I’ll make sure to tell Justin all about you.” William walked quickly away from the uncomfortable situation and back to Justin’s side. The day was coming to an end, and everyone was heading to their rooms. He found Justin waiting by the elevator.
“How did your exploring go?” Justin asked when he joined him, but his voice sounded sour.
“I was talking to this guy about a new computer system, and I think it may be a good move for us.” They got on the elevator and William pushed the button for their floor.
“I’m sure you do.”
He wondered why Justin was speaking to him so harshly. Hadn’t they called a truce? “Anyway, I think you should talk to him.”
“I don’t.” Justin shrugged. “We’re fine with what we’re using now.” He got off the elevator, going to his room.
William stopped him right outside the door. “I thought the purpose of all of this was to improve the way we do things.”
“I’ll tell you what, why don’t you go ahead and take him up on his offer ?” Justin sneered.
“What offer?” Justin made a scoffing noise. Then it dawned on William, Justin must have heard Jonathan ask him out. “Look, I’m here to do the same thing you are, not to screw around.”
“This conversation is over.” Justin went into his room, slamming the door in William’s face. William’s jaw tightened, and he pushed it open before Justin had a chance to lock it. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Justin sounded pissed.
William had this whole plan to tell him off, but that went out the window after one look at Justin. His eyes were blazing, his face was flushed, and William had never found him more alluring. At that moment, he gave up trying to deny that he thought Justin was an attractive man. Hell, who was he kidding? The man was absolutely gorgeous. From his thick jet-black hair, to his deep sea-green eyes, and the chiseled physique rivaling that of the legendary heroes of Greek mythology everything about him just did it for William. He took the three steps that put him right in front of Justin. Justin stood his ground, staring unflinchingly into his eyes.
“What do you want, William?” Justin asked in an exasperated tone.
William’s body moved without permission from his brain. Before he could stop himself, his lips were on Justin’s. And fuck, Justin’s lips were soft and plump. When Justin didn’t pull away, William pressed himself against the man, licking at his bottom lip. Suddenly Justin’s arms encircled him. One hand found the back of William’s head, holding him in place while he took over the kiss. William opened his mouth to Justin’s questing tongue and slid his own along it. He wrapped his arms around Justin’s waist, pulling them even closer.
“What the hell, William?” Justin pulled his mouth away to ask in a husky tone. But he didn’t sound mad, and he didn’t let go of him.
“I don’t know.” Truthfully, William had no idea what he was doing. All he knew was that he wanted Justin. He shut down his brain and let his body take over.
William pressed his lips back to Justin’s, resuming the kiss. And fuck, could Justin kiss. It was all heat and need, with a touch of anger. But that only added fuel to the already blazing fire. He could feel Justin’s cock rapidly swelling against his own, and he brought his hand around to cup the hardness he felt. Justin growled deep in his throat, and it sent a shiver of desire coursing through William. He quickly undid Justin’s jeans, sinking to his knees as he pulled them down. His mouth watered as he ran his fingers along Justin’s thick member. When Justin didn’t stop him, he licked up the underside of the man’s cock. He looked up at Justin, and the man’s eyes were filled with the same lust he was sure his were. Justin stripped out of his shirt, and damn, he was the sexiest thing William had ever seen. For once, the look Justin was giving him had nothing to do with hate. He closed his eyes and took Justin down his throat as far as he could.
“Fuck, Will,” Justin breathed out as William slid his lips up and down his shaft. “So good,” he moaned, running his fingers gently through William’s hair.
Part of William could scarcely believe what he was doing. This was Justin fucking Ashton after all. But his body didn’t care in the least. He moaned around Justin’s cock when the man traced his jawline. William’s own cock was straining painfully against his zipper. With trembling hands, he reached down to free himself. He glanced up at Justin. His eyes were closed, his head was tilted back, and his breath was coming out in huffs.
“Fuck, Will,” Justin said again. William’s cock throbbed at the sound of need in Justin’s voice, and he sucked harder. “Yes. That. Fuck. So good,” Justin babbled and moaned. Every noise that Justin made went straight to William’s aching cock. He wrapped his free hand around himself, stroking while he took Justin deeper. “You are so hot like that.” William looked up to find Justin staring at him. “Don’t stop. I want you to make us both come.” And damn, William wanted that too. He wanted to see Justin’s face soft and satisfied and know that he was the cause of it. “I’m right there,” Justin warned. And so was William. His entire body was tingling, and he knew his orgasm was close. “Will,” Justin gasped. Seconds later, William felt a salty warmth on his tongue and a wet heat on his fist as they came together.
William pulled back, closing his eyes as Justin carded his fingers through his short hair. Their heavy breathing was the only sound in the room. He wiped his hand on his jeans and glanced up at Justin, who did indeed look very satisfied. He offered William his hand, helping him to his feet. Slowly his lust-clouded brain cleared. He adjusted himself and zipped his jeans as the full force of what he’d done hit him. His cheeks heated with embarrassment. He’d basically thrown himself at Justin. He had no clue what he was supposed to do. He knew they probably needed to talk, but that was the last thing he wanted to do. How was he supposed to act around Justin? What if Justin used this against him? What if he made fun of him for giving in to his base desires? Fuck, he wasn’t sure he could handle that.
“William.” But William couldn’t meet Justin’s eyes. Without a word, he turned and rushed out of the room. He heard Justin call out to him again, but he ignored it. Taking out his key card with shaky hands, he quickly entered his own room. He locked the door behind him and leaned against it.
“What the hell did I just do?”
Justin went after him but stopped at his door. What the hell was he supposed to say to William? He couldn’t even make sense of what had just happened. One minute, they were fighting, and the next, William was on his knees for him. And damn, it had been good. Shaking his head, he shed his remaining clothes then went into the bathroom. He set the shower to warm and got in. He needed time to think this through logically. Okay, so he had engaged in sexual activity with William. What did that mean? When he’d told the man that they could start over, he never imagined that something like this would be a part of their story. Why had he allowed it? It had caught him completely off guard when William kissed him. He could have stopped it. He could have pushed William away and asked him to leave. Instead, the need to know what it would be like overwhelmed him. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it wasn’t the incredible intensity he felt at that moment. What kind of cruel joke was the universe playing on him that kissing William far exceeded any other first kiss he’d ever had? Then when William touched him, he was lost. He would have done anything the man asked of him. He wondered why William had done it. Was this some kind of atonement for the past? Was this William’s way of easing the tension between them? Was this a ploy to get Justin to do whatever he wanted him to do? Maybe it was just burning curiosity, or raw lust. Justin washed on autopilot, lost in his thoughts, then got out and dried off. He slid between the sheets, mind still on William. He needed to decide how he was going to handle this, but it really all depended on the reason William had done it. They had to talk, but it wasn’t the time. First thing in the morning would be soon enough. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
***
When the alarm went off the next morning, Justin stretched and got out of bed. He took a quick shower then put on a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt. He left his room to grab some breakfast. Maybe he and William could get this talk over with, but the other man was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he found a table with a few other contractors and spent the morning comparing tricks of their trade. Once finished, he returned to the convention. He walked around for a while, but there was no sign of William. He walked past the door of the computer system lecture William had wanted him to go to. What would it hurt to hear them out? He slipped inside and scored a seat near the front. He again looked around for William. Two minutes before the thing started, he heard the door open and looked to see William standing there. Their eyes locked for a moment then William looked away and took a seat in the back. Justin did his best to concentrate and not focus on the other man.
Justin had to admit that maybe William had been right. The more the system creator talked, the more interested he became. This would be a great improvement over their current system. When the presentation had wrapped up, he looked back to find that Willam had already gone. For some reason, that really irritated him. Instead of stalking out to find him, like he wanted to do, he forced himself to concentrate on the job at hand.
A younger well-dressed man came over to him. The same man who William had been talking to. “Jonathan Wilson, founder of Kinetics.”
“Justin Ashton with S&H Contracting.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I believe I spoke with one of your associates yesterday.”
“Yeah, he told me this was something I should check out.”
“Did you have any questions about the system?”
“No, you explained things rather well. I think this could be a good change for us.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“What would the next steps be?” Justin wondered.
Jonathan handed him a thick folder. “First, we need to understand your company’s needs. I’ve put together a comparison of most of the operating systems out there. I think you’ll be surprised by how much easier the Kinetics system is going to be. I’m going to give you my business card. It has my personal number, email, and fax. If you do have any questions, I’d be happy to assist you.”
“That sounds good, man. I’ll get with the owners, and we’ll be giving you a call.”
“Let them know that I’m always ready and willing to come to S&H for an in-house demonstration.”
“Thank you, we’ll be in touch.” Justin shook the man’s hand then went to search for William.
He found him outside another conference room. The second William saw him, he flushed and ducked inside. Justin felt irritation course through him again, but he guessed this really wasn’t the time to discuss what happened between them. He shook his head and walked away. Besides, he had a concrete seminar to get to.
Justin didn’t see William again until dinner. While they were at the same table, William sat a few seats away and refused to look at him. The man was quiet throughout the meal, speaking only when asked a direct question. Justin tried several times to draw him into conversation, but it just wasn’t happening. As soon as dinner was over, William was out of his chair and out the door. Justin went after him, but he heard his name being called. He turned to see Jonathan walking his way.
Great. I do not need this right now. He needed to find out what was going on with him and William. Instead, he threw on a bright smile. “Hey, Jonathan, how’s it going?”
“Great actually. This convention has been quite successful for me.”
“Glad to hear it,” Justin told him.
“How about you?”
“I’ve made some important contacts, and learned a lot that could help grow S&H.”
“Maybe we can have a drink and discuss how I might be able to help you with that.”
“Why not?” A drink wasn’t a bad idea. Maybe it would make him a little calmer when he confronted William. They made their way to the hotel bar and got a table next to the counter. Jonathan got them both a beer.
“So, Justin, what makes you think about switching to the Kinetics system?”
“Our goal is to make every customer a lifelong one by making the process as easy as possible for them. I think that your system would be a great tool in making that happen.”
“That’s what my mission is.” Jonathan smiled. “I don’t remember seeing you before.”
“Yeah, this is my first trip out. Usually the owners come, but they were both tied up.”
“And what do you do for S&H?” Jonathan wondered.
“What needs to be done, whatever that may be,” Justin replied with a shrug. “Sometimes I’m out on job sites, sometimes I’m dealing with customers, and sometimes I’m in the office doing paperwork.”
“You can do it all, huh? You sound like a great employee to have.” Jonathan chuckled. “What about the guy that’s here with you? I spoke to him yesterday, and he seemed excited to partner with us. I was surprised not to see him.”
“William had a few other things to take care of,” Justin lied. This had all been William’s idea, and he was nowhere to be found. Justin knew it was all because of last night. They needed to talk this out or the awkwardness would hang over them forever.
“That’s too bad,” Jonathan said, but he didn’t sound like he cared that much. “How about you, Justin? Are you busy? I’m a local, so I know all the places to go. I’d love to take you on a tour of the city. Maybe we could stop by one of my favorite clubs, you know, dance and unwind for a while. What do you say? I’m an incredible dancer.” Jonathan winked at him.
Justin stared at him for a moment. It had only been yesterday that the man had been hitting on William. Justin couldn’t tell if Jonathan was asking him out, or if he was just being nice. Either way, he wasn’t the man that Justin wanted to spend time with. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m completely wiped out,” Justin lied again. “I can barely think straight right now.” That part was true. He couldn’t think about anything except talking to William.
“Another time, then. Maybe you could show me around when I come meet with your owners.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” Justin stood. “We’ll see you soon.” He quickly walked out of the bar and straight to the elevator. He went up to their floor and was at William’s door in seconds.
Justin knocked loudly. When no answer came, he knocked again. The man, who had already undressed for bed, opened on the third knock. William stared at him like he wanted to say something, but instead shook his head and looked down at the carpet. Justin let his eyes roam William’s half-naked body. His smooth chest was well defined, and Justin couldn’t wait to touch him.
“What did you need?” William asked softly, still not looking at him.
Justin stepped closer and raised William’s chin, forcing him to meet his eyes. “You don’t get to avoid me all day and act like nothing happened.” Justin backed William into the room, closing the door behind them. William’s eyes were wide, his lip quivered, and his hands trembled. He looked like he was freaking out. Justin put his hand on William’s hip, holding him in place when he tried to move away.
“I don’t know what to say.” William’s voice was just above a whisper.
“Did you blow me to get me to do what you wanted?” Justin kept his tone calm and even. He wasn’t here to start a fight.
“Does it matter what I say?” William sighed heavily. “You’re going to think the worst of me anyway.”
Justin cupped William’s face with his free hand, again forcing him to look at him. “Did you?” he asked gently.
“No.” William’s gaze didn’t waver from his. “I don’t know why I did it, but it wasn’t that.”
Justin trailed his fingers down William’s neck to the center of his chest. “Your heart is pounding.”
William placed a shaky hand on Justin’s chest. “So is yours.”
Justin used the hand on William’s hip to pull him closer so that he could press their lips together. William parted his, and Justin took control. He didn’t want a rushed or frantic encounter. He kissed William slowly, gently exploring his mouth until he was moaning softly. Justin pulled slightly away to rip off his shirt so that their bare chests could meet before kissing him again.
“Justin,” William sighed softly when Justin moved to his neck. His breathing was heavy, and his arms wrapped around Justin.
Justin slowly backed him farther into the room, not stopping until the back of William’s knees hit the bed. “You want this, right?”
“So much,” William whispered back.
Justin undid his jeans and pushed them off. He did the same to William’s pajama pants. Naked, they climbed into bed, kissing again. Justin tucked William under him, running his hands over the man’s body. He wanted to discover all the places that made him moan and squirm. He moved his mouth to William’s neck, kissing him right below his ear. William shivered and grabbed Justin’s arms, squeezing tightly. Justin continued his slow exploration of William’s body until he had the man completely desperate. William was moaning and rocking his hips against him.
“Justin.” William’s voice was so full of need that it caused Justin’s cock to ache.
“I’ve got you.” Justin pulled back a little. He trailed his fingers down William’s body, and William bit his lip. Fuck, that’s sexy. William whimpered when Justin’s hand closed around them both and he stroked with a slow, teasing rhythm.
“Fuck.” William’s eyes shut, his head tipped back, and his breathing became erratic. Justin stroked faster, and William’s moans echoed through the room.
Justin leaned down to take his mouth again. William clung tightly to him, thrusting into his hand in an effort to make him go faster. And it was all too much for Justin. The feeling of William’s damp cock sliding against his own and the sounds of pleasure he was making caused a tightness in his own muscles. Fuck, he needed to come so badly. “Are you close?” he whispered to the other man.
“Extremely,” William panted.
Justin kissed him again, speeding up to the pace that usually got him off. Apparently, it worked for William as well because suddenly he was crying out Justin’s name and a warmth splashed his hand. Justin sped up his stroke and came seconds later. He held himself up on one elbow, breathing heavily as he stared down at the other man. “I’m going to grab us a towel, and then we are going to talk, understand?” William nodded. Justin got a towel and cleaned off. He took one to William, who looked like he was ready to run at any second.
“Can we get dressed first?” William had cleaned up, but he again refused to look at him.
“Yeah, we really don’t need to be naked for this conversation,” Justin agreed. As quickly as they’d shed their clothes, they had them back on. Justin sat on the edge of the bed and motioned for William to sit next to him. “Why won’t you look at me?”
“Because I can’t believe what I’ve done. I just gave you ammunition for the rest of our lives.”
“You think I’m going to use this against you?” The thought had never crossed Justin’s mind. William shrugged one shoulder. “I was just as into this as you were. So, we fooled around. It’s not a big deal unless we choose to make it one.”
“How are we supposed to act now?” William finally turned in his direction.
“We start by not being horrible to each other, like we discussed in the car. We could let the past go and try to be friends.”
“You would really be willing to start over?” William looked at him skeptically.
“Maybe the new William is worth getting to know.” Justin shrugged. “Now I think we should both get some sleep. We’re leaving very early in the morning.”
“Good night, Justin,” William whispered.
“Good night.” Justin rose and walked out to his own room.