CHAPTER 3 – CASPIAN
After thirty minutes of driving, I step into Gaywood, the bar wedged between Baywood and South Ridge. Rainbow lights sweep across glitter, sweat, and bare skin. The pulse of the music feels almost visible in the air, vibrating through the room into me.
I order a club soda and scan the room, the thoughts of Cole and Xaden finally starting to fade.
A blond guy in a pink tee and shredded skinny jeans keeps glancing at me, sparking my interest.
I cross the floor, weaving unhurriedly between bodies pressed together. When I stop in front of him, his breath hitches.
“Are you here with someone?” I ask, letting my eyes linger on his mouth. His lips are full, soft, and trembling slightly.
Pink blotches appear on his throat as he shakes his head.
“What’s your name?”
“Josh.”
“Nice to meet you, Josh. I’m Caspian.”
He opens his mouth, but no sound comes out. He looks at me with a mix of awe and nerves that I recognize all too well.
“You want to come with me?”
He nods eagerly and follows me outside, almost tripping over his own feet.
The night air is blissfully cool after the bar.
Josh shivers, and I notice goosebumps on his pale arms. He rubs his palms on his jeans.
“Here.” I shrug off my jacket and drape it over his shoulders.
“Th—thank you.”
“Motel 66 okay?”
“Yeah.”
I rest my hand at the small of his back, guiding him toward the motel I use more often than I like to think.
The room is dim and familiar, with ugly furniture and cheap sheets.
Josh stands near the bed, my jacket still on, fingers worrying the hem.
I take it from him and fold it on a chair.
“Come here.”
I pull him close and kiss him, enjoying how pliantly his body presses against mine. When I tease his mouth open with my tongue, he sighs, a small, happy sound that shoots straight through me.
As soon as I pull back, his gaze drops. I tilt his chin up, meeting his eyes.
“Are you nervous?”
“A little,” he whispers, his throat working.
“You don’t need to be,” I promise, dropping my voice. “Not with me.”
“Thank you.”
My chest tightens with recognition. I know what lives underneath that breathless stutter—what hides behind his downcast eyes. It’s a dynamic I can give him as long as he knows where we stand.
“This is just tonight. I don’t do more. Are you okay with that?”
“I know.”
His voice cracks mid-word and he takes a breath.
“They call you Jackpot,” he says, the words tumbling out.
“Do they now?”
It isn’t the first time I’ve heard it. I don’t like what it turns me into, but I also don’t correct it. This—motel rooms, strangers, the rules I’ve set a long time ago—is what I allow myself. The name fits well enough.
Josh shifts his weight from foot to foot before he risks a glance.
“You’re—I mean they say you’re, um, good? But it’s always a one-off.”
He covers his face.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—it was a stupid thing to bring up.”
“Look at me.”
He does.
I brush my thumb along his cheek, and his lips part.
“I’ve got you.”
A small whimper escapes his throat.
“You can just enjoy yourself,” I add softly.
His shoulders drop and he exhales, releasing the tension he’s likely been carrying all day.
“You with me? Good. Take off your clothes. Lie back.”
He’s almost too endearing in his clumsy eagerness. I pause, momentarily thrown by a flash of unwelcome tenderness. I’m not here to adopt puppies. No matter how cute and obedient they are.
I undress, then put the lube and a condom on the nightstand. Kissing him, I place his hands above his head.
“Keep them here. Don’t touch yourself.”
I take my time with him. I lick, I suck, I tease his hole until he’s a beautiful, leaking, sobbing mess. He responds to every soft command with a needy little sound, making my cock throb in anticipation.
When I roll on a condom and slowly push inside, he’s trembling from the effort of holding back. My every thrust hits his prostate, drawing delicious whimpers from him.
Finally, I decide I’ve edged him enough. I wrap my hand around his length and give him a few firm strokes.
“Show me how you come for me.”
He cries out. Cum spills on his flat stomach, and his hole keeps clenching a round my cock, pushing me over the edge, too.
After I’ve tossed the condom, I get a towel and carefully clean him up. He yawns, completely spent.
“Let your body slow down. I’ll stay for a little while. Here’s some water.”
He nods, already drifting toward sleep.
“You did great, Josh.”
He falls asleep with a small smile on his lips. I watch him for a moment, feeling the familiar emptiness return now that the distraction is over.
I take a shower, wash the encounter off my skin, and go home.