Fan-Tastic (6 page)

She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “How many days do we have until he leaves?”

“Two.”

She smiled that wicked grin of hers that always let Deke know she had some plan cooking. “That’s plenty of time for me to work my magic. Leave everything up to your fairy godmother. I will make sure your pumpkin turns into a coach.”

“You have been watching way too many fairy tale movies lately,” Deke teased.

“Of course I have. That way I can imagine I’m the princess in them,” she replied with a flick of her hair.

Despite himself, Deke felt a smidgen of hope and thanks to Linda of all people. It just showed that a person really couldn’t judge another by a first impression. A mistake that Deke had made twice, but was determined to never make again.

Chapter Six

It was the last day and Deke felt a painful sensation in his chest grow with each passing second. For what had to be the hundredth time that day, he glanced at the clock, his stomach dropping when he realised he had only half an hour before the convention finally ended. There would be a going-away party, but Blake wouldn’t be attending because he’d booked an earlier flight.

Linda had been absent most of the day, and Deke found himself jumping to her defence more than once when another cast member grumbled over her receiving preferential treatment.

Looking over at where Blake's table had been, Deke found only an empty space, much like his hopes were becoming. Blake had left a while before to pack and get ready to leave. To return to his emotionally abusive mother, a gaggle of cats, and that god-forsaken futon.

Then a horrible thought seized him as Deke realised why Blake had left a few minutes early.

Damn it all, but he’s trying to avoid saying goodbye. By leaving without seeing him again, Blake was trying to avoid the whole I love you but we can’t ever be together spiel.

“Fuck that,” Deke said as he shot to his feet.

When he bounded from the stage, he heard some cast members calling his name, but he didn’t look back. They could sic every assistant, zombie and paparazzi on his ass, but there was no way he was going back.

He rushed to the entrance just in time to see that his suspicions had been correct. Blake stood at the front door, his tattered duffle bag slung over his shoulder.

“Where are you going?” Deke shouted, attracting the attention of just about everybody in the vicinity.

Blake jerked his head up, his eyes were bloodshot and he looked like Deke felt, so torn and lost. He still managed to give Deke a ghost of a smile. “I figured I’d get to the airport early, so I don’t miss my flight.”

Desperate for more time, Deke took a step forward. “Don’t go. Please.”

The smile slipped from Blake’s lips as his face crumpled a brief moment. Ever the trooper, he quickly composed himself and ran a hand through his hair, messing up the red and black spikes.

“I wish I could, but I…” Blake trailed off, looking at his feet.

Deke wanted to scream and use every bit of manipulation in his power to make Blake change his mind and let go of his pride. In the end, Deke knew he couldn’t do that, though, because if he did then he’d be no better than Blake’s jerky parents.

“Comic book boy! Wait up!” Linda called as she came running across the lobby.

She wore a tight top that ensured that every man, aside from Deke and Blake, ogled her breasts and a skirt that was so short it could have passed as a scarf. At that moment though, she was the most beautiful thing Deke had seen because, going by the look on her overly made-up face, she’d come up with something.

“His name is Blake,” Deke mentioned as she came to a breathless stop beside them.

She held up a finger as she panted. Finally, she ran her hands through her hair and smiled. “Wow! That was a much tougher run than the ones my personal trainer puts me through.”

Deke cocked a brow, but didn’t call her out on that fib. The only thing that she ever did that could pass for exercise was moving on the dance floor. But since she was going out of her way to literally save his love, Deke decided not to mention that little bit of info.

She held out a piece of paper to Blake. “This is for you.”

“What is it?” he asked, his brows drawn together in confusion.

“It's from some club owner. He just bought a new place and wants to redesign it, go all weird and cool with a whole graffiti/comic book thing on all the walls. It’s going to take a while, since he wants only you to be in charge of the work, but he’s offering a pretty good commission.”

Blake opened the paper, his eyes widening as he studied it. The money must be pretty good indeed. “But…but why would he want me?”

She gave him a triumphant smile. “He saw your comic book and fell in love with your style. The only question is—can you make the pictures bigger than the little boxes on the pages?”

Blake, bless his heart, didn't shoot her a ‘duh’ look. Instead, he just gave her a huge grin. “Thanks.”

“So, does that mean you’ll say yes? He wants you to fly out to LA right away to start.”

Blake opened and closed his mouth a few times, clearly thrown off kilter by the news. “I don’t know…I really can’t pass up the opportunity…but my mom…”

“Has her damn cats. It’s about time she shared you with rest of the world,” Deke cut in.

Blake started, looked over at him with a shocked expression. “But where will I stay?”

“With me, by my side, where you belong.” When Blake looked like he was going to argue, Deke rushed forward and put his hands on his shoulders. Looking deep into his gaze, Deke finally let it all out because at this point he had everything to lose. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Blake said, before breaking the spell by continuing. “But what if I go out there and it doesn’t work out? I don’t want to always be the needy one in our relationship. My mother was like that with my dad and look how they turned out.”

Deke tightened his grip. “Don’t you realise? I need you more than you could ever need me.”

Blake let out a snort. “Yeah, like some kind of famous actor needs some untalented artist wannabe hanging onto his arm.”

“Damn it, it’s more than just money and talent, the latter of which you have more of than you’ll ever know. When I’m with you, I can be me…Eric, the name I was born with and grew up with and for the first time, I feel like I’m being true to myself. Even back in high school I held everything back. You may have been the quiet one, but for all my popularity and boisterous talking, I was hiding away from the world way more than you. But, not anymore. You are the other part of me, Blake. You always have been. I was just too stupid to realise it until this week.”

“But, what if you find out that you hate living with me?” Blake asked, a flicker of hope coming to his eyes.

“Since we’ve spent the better part of the week together, I pretty much already know all your bad habits, and I find most of them kinda endearing. Even the way you mumble your story plots out in your sleep. As for me, I may be a bit of a slob, but I know I have to be better than a basement full of cats.”

“Don’t forget the futon filled with afterbirth!” Linda added.

Blake blushed slightly, but still smiled. “You had to tell her about that.”

“Did you seriously expect me to keep something that tragic a secret?” Deke countered playfully, before taking a deep breath. “So, how about it? Are we going to do this?”

Blake nibbled on his bottom lip. “Well, I do have to admit, you’re less of a bed hog than the cats. You don’t make me sneeze, either. On the other hand, you do leave behind just as many scratches on my back.”

“Just shut up and say yes already,” Deke pleaded, shifting his arms so they were wrapped around Blake’s waist.

Blake only had to tilt his head up the slightest bit so they could lock gazes again and the love that Deke saw in Blake’s eyes made him nearly shake with joy.

 “Yes, Eric. I’ll move in with you. Just don’t expect me to do any of the cooking, because I suck at it so bad that not even the cats will eat it.”

Giving him a quick, hard kiss, Deke found himself grinning like some kind of idiot, but he couldn’t have cared less. It’s really happening! I can’t believe it. “Lucky for both of us, I’m a great cook.”

“How soon can we leave?” Blake asked, a wicked gleam coming over his face.

Reading his intent, Deke ran a hand over Blake’s ass. “For LA or the room?”

“Let’s go to the room first, then we can go to LA to stay.”

That sounded so good to Deke that he didn’t think any screenwriter, romance author or poet could have written a better happily-ever-after.

Chapter Seven

One year later

Deke grabbed two mugs of coffee and carried them up the stairs to the loft that had been converted into a studio for Blake. As he entered the doorway, he paused for a moment, drinking in the image of his lover.

 The previous twelve months had been pure magic. Not only was Deke’s career taking off more than ever, but so was Blake's. He was in such high demand that he actually had to turn down some offers. Plus, some of the gossip rags had even started putting Blake’s name first in the articles about them. Something that might have crushed Deke’s ego, had he not loved Blake more than any member of the public ever could.

Blake turned around. He wore only a pair of black sweats that hung low on his hips. His chest and feet were bare and they were splattered with various vibrant colours of paint. In front of him was his completed project, a six-foot high canvas picture of one of the cast members who’d had the misfortune of turning zombie. It was a piece that a talk-show had commissioned for their weekly recap of the show and they’d paid top dollar to make sure that it had been Blake and no one else who did it.

“It’s perfect.” Deke admired it as he set the cups down on a nearby table.

Blake just blushed like he always did when somebody complimented his work. “It’s okay. Maybe it will garner me enough money to send my mom a little extra this month for cat food.”

It was a common joke between them, one that had taken on an even funnier edge since Blake was making enough to keep almost every cat in his hometown permanently fat and pampered.

“So, what project is next on your list?” Deke asked.

“I’m going to paint you.”

After making that declaration, Blake tossed off his pants and underwear, showing off every inch of his body to Deke. Arousal spiked through Deke, making him nearly breathless, so it took him a few moments to reply, “It may have been a while since I watched Titanic, but aren’t I supposed to be the one getting naked.”

Blake’s lashes fanned his cheeks as he glanced down while stroking his own cock. “Not in this painting.”

Never taking his gaze off Blake, Deke quickly divested himself of his clothes, tossing them to the side, with little care to where they landed. Once he was nude, he expected Blake to approach him, instead Blake turned and picked up two paint brushes, one coated in red paint, the other in black.

Some of it splattered the floor, but Blake had taken the care to lay down a tarp so the wood would be protected. He approached Deke and with the upmost care, began to paint, slow sensual strokes all over Deke’s body.

Deke moaned, fisting his hands to the side as he fought to stand still and let Blake take control. It was hard though, almost as hard as his cock. It kept getting harder, too with each caress and flick of the paint brush.

Blake took his time, working his way all the way up and down, first the front of Deke’s body, then the back. By the time Deke finally felt Blake’s lube coated fingers probing at his hole, Deke was whimpering to be fucked.

Murmuring words of love, Blake nudged Deke onto all fours and then thrust inside him, filling him up in the most perfect way.

Soft whispers were exchanged as they moved together, neither of them in a rush to end the moment. It was, in its own way, a work of art, then Blake leant down and whispered, “I love you, Eric.”

That’s all it took. Deke came, untouched, his semen splattering onto the tarp, mixing with the paint that was already there.

Blake let out a groan as he joined Deke in his pleasure. By that time, Deke’s legs were shaking so badly that he could no longer hold them up and they both collapsed into a heap on the hard floor.

Deke let out a grunt before Blake rolled off him. They were both covered in paint and cum and Deke couldn’t think of a time when either of them had looked better.

Blake let out a happy moan as he reached out and playfully tugged on Deke’s hair, no doubt leaving behind more paint streaks. “You saved me. You know that, don’t you?”

“No, babe, you saved me. Without you my life was just a blank canvas. Now it’s full of colour.”

Blake rolled his eyes. “Now that was pretty sappy, even coming from an actor.”

Deke turned over until he had Blake pinned under him. “Just shut up and say that you’ll stay with me always.”

It was something that Deke had said every night, and every time Blake gave the same answer, “I will always stay with you, Eric. Until forever.”

Also available from Total-E-Bound Publishing:

Heart Attack: Going With My Heart

Stephani Hecht

Excerpt

Chapter One

Dale stared at the slightly weathered, red screen door and took a deep breath.

Just knock. Come on, it’s not that hard. All you have to do is lift your damn fist and hit it against the wood a few times. You’ve faced enemy gunfire, missile attacks and bunking with guys who didn’t take a shower for two weeks, so this should be a piece of cake.

Try telling that to his hammering heart, trembling hands and sweaty brow, though. Because at that moment he couldn’t think of anything more terrifying than facing what may be waiting for him on the other side of that door.