Dirty Dining (23 page)

The taxi stopped in front of them, and he opened the door for Jeremy, then slid in after him and gave the address to the driver. It was excruciating torture not to pull Jeremy into his lap. He just wanted to kiss him so much, hold him close enough to feel his heart beating. It wasn’t about sex, just about needing to be close, to make sure Jeremy really was here with him.

Upstairs he poured two glasses of cognac, and they settled onto the couch.

Jeremy took off Brice’s jacket and held it out. “Where should I put this?”

“Put it anywhere for now.” Brice thought it looked good on Jeremy. He wanted to let Jeremy keep it. He just wasn’t sure how Jeremy would take the offer. Best not to say anything just yet. They were barely back on solid ground, and despite the time they’d spent together, he really didn’t know much about Jeremy.

He heard a beep. Jeremy’s phone.

“I kind of need to get this, I’m really sorry. Just a couple of minutes.” Jeremy answered and went into the kitchen for a short conversation.

“Was that your boyfriend?” Brice asked when he returned a few minutes later beaming. “Your other boyfriend?” Brice chuckled when he realized Jeremy hadn’t known he was joking.

“Uh, no. One of my lab assistants. She had some really good results on the latest set of experiments and wanted to tell me right away.”

“You have assistants?”

“Most people in my program do. I couldn’t do all the lab work myself, or I’d be there twenty-four hours a day.”

“Or late on Saturday nights.”

“I’ve done my share of those, believe me.”

“So you mentioned you’re getting a PhD in biochemistry?” Brice had been surprised when he’d found this out a month into their Dinner Club relationship. He had no idea Jeremy was that smart or that committed. Now, he saw a light in Jeremy’s eyes at the question. Clearly his work was important to him. “What are you working on?”

Jeremy sipped cognac, then glanced up at Brice. “Microbiology, actually. But you don’t really want to hear all the boring details, do you?”

“Yes, I do.” He wanted to know more about anything Jeremy was passionate about. Until now they’d avoided details about their work. It put them on more equal footing, not comparing who they were in their everyday lives.

“Right now?” Jeremy slid up close to Brice and put a hand on his thigh.

It was just enough contact to derail thoughts of anything but Jeremy right here and so close.

“You’re right. Tell me at breakfast.” He put his glass down, then reached over and took Jeremy’s before pulling Jeremy into his arms and finally giving him that kiss he’d wanted so badly in the taxi.

They kissed for a long time, the desire building and surging through his body. He leaned back for a break and saw the arousal in Jeremy’s eyes. When Brice brushed hair back from Jeremy’s temple, sand rained down.

“Ah! Sand in my hair. Sorry.” Jeremy brushed at his scalp. “Lots of it. I’ll clean it up.”

“Mine too. Don’t worry about it. But I think we both need a good scrub.” He paused. “Bath or shower?”

“Shower. Too long to run a bath.”

“I like how you think.”

Jeremy stood up.

“You want to go first?” Brice asked.

Jeremy shook his head and reached for Brice’s hand. “Waste of water.”

“I
love
how you think.”

They undressed each other, more sand falling out of their hair and clothes, while the water warmed up. Jeremy cast a hungry look at Brice, eyeing him up and down. Brice realized that while he’d seen Jeremy naked so many times, Jeremy hadn’t seen him in such bright light until now.

At least he seemed to like what he saw. Brice was in good shape for thirty-five, though he was no cover model. He let Jeremy look; it was only fair.

Then Jeremy opened the shower door and beckoned Brice inside.

They fell into each other’s arms. Jeremy slid a hand down Brice’s body, but Brice stopped him. He didn’t want to get off in the shower, and Jeremy could get him there all too quickly.

“Let’s play a game. No sex in here. No orgasms. Just hands. Okay?”

Jeremy nodded and grabbed the shampoo. He squeezed some out and reached up to massage it into Brice’s hair and scalp, pressing himself against Brice in the process. Full-body-contact shampoo. Any salon offering this service would be booked a year out. He sighed and gave himself up to Jeremy’s firm touch.

Afterward, Jeremy washed Brice’s body before making sure the really important equipment was clean. With one soapy hand, Jeremy sudsed up Brice’s balls and ass while sliding the other soapy hand along the length of his dick. Brice leaned back against the wall, needing the cool tile to balance the heat building in his core.

“I know I said just hands, but I also said no one comes yet.”

Jeremy gave an impish grin. “I can’t help myself. Your cock is just very, very dirty.” He practically purred the last word. He would kill Brice if he kept this up. At least Jeremy stopped stroking him, but he kept up the ball massage and slid a finger along Brice’s perineum in a way that made his insides melt.

When he didn’t think he could stand any more of Jeremy’s touch, Brice reciprocated until he had Jeremy in a similar state of arousal, begging Brice to stop or finish him off. After, they barely took time to dry off before falling into bed and giving in to their desire.

T
HE
NEXT
morning after an enjoyable hour of fooling around that left them exhausted, Brice rolled over on his side to look at Jeremy.

Jeremy still hadn’t quite recovered from the last orgasm, and the hungry look in Brice’s eyes frightened him a little. “Not again?”

“No. I couldn’t if I wanted to.”

“Don’t you want to?” Jeremy tried to sound insulted.

“I think you’re hazardous to my health. I need to get to the gym more often. Build my endurance.”

“You’re in great shape. Do you cycle? You should come over to the East Bay for a bike ride?”

“I’ve got a road bike, though I haven’t ridden it in ages. But I’d like to. Although cycling’s not what I was thinking about just now.”

“Do I want to know what you were thinking?”

Brice took Jeremy’s hand and pulled him close for a tender embrace. It felt amazing being wrapped in Brice’s arms. Safe, warm, and unreal. When would reality set in?

“I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. And I’m too worn out to even open a box of cereal.”

“I take full responsibility.” Jeremy chuckled.

“Or full credit.”

“I can cook for you, Brice.”

“No. I’ll order breakfast. Anything you particularly like or don’t like for breakfast?”

“I’m easy. Anything is fine with me.”

“Eggs, pancakes, bacon, smoked salmon, bagels? Don’t make me choose, or you’ll end up with everything I like.”

Jeremy shrugged. He wanted to know what Brice liked, to discover more of his charming quirks. How he hated cappuccino but loved café au lait. How he always liked to sleep on the left side of the bed and how he had the coldest toes in the world.

“Definitely bacon. Otherwise, I’m easy.”

“Fair enough.”

Brice ordered omelets and eggs Benedict, fresh fruit salad, and two orders of applewood-smoked bacon from a fantastic diner around the corner. When the doorbell sounded, he got up, still gloriously naked, and went to the door. Jeremy was still thinking about what a fantastic ass Brice had when he came back with the food, still naked.

“Did you answer the door like that?”

“Like what?”

Jeremy landed a soft punch on his shoulder. “Idiot.”

“No. I held up a pillow from the couch. You have nothing to be jealous about. Though the guy did seem to be staring at my nipples. Maybe the teeth marks caught his attention.”

“I didn’t bite that hard, did I?” Jeremy leaned in close to examine one, then flicked it gently. “I don’t see anything.” He frowned at Brice, but gave the nipple a kiss anyway.

Brice handed Jeremy a paper food container with a huge omelet and thick, dark bacon giving off a mouthwatering aroma. Jeremy’s stomach rumbled, and he grabbed a piece and took a bite.

“Mmm. God, this is the best bacon ever in the history of the universe.”

Brice took Jeremy’s hand and bit from his piece of bacon. “You’re right. Nothing beats post-coital bacon.”

They had barely finished eating when Brice’s cell phone rang. He looked at the caller. “I have to take this. Sorry.”

Jeremy liked the way he apologized. Most people just answered and ignored the person sitting right next to them.

“Oh Jesus, is that today? But it’s Sunday. We have to put into the contracts that they can’t have meetings on Sundays. … Yeah … Yeah. … Bye.” He turned to Jeremy. “I’m sorry, but I have to go to a meeting. The guys are going out of town tomorrow, and we need to take care of some quarter-end details before they leave. I didn’t realize it was past noon already.”

“That’s fine. Do what you need to.”

“You’re welcome to stay here. I’ll be gone three hours, maybe. Catch up on your sleep?”

That sounded like a wonderful plan. Too wonderful. It would be easy to stay here and wait, but not a good idea. “I should get into the lab and check the results my assistant got. They were a little too good to be true.”

Brice nodded. He looked disappointed. “I need a shower.”

“You don’t think your colleagues like the smell of watermelon lube and latex?”

Brice gave a little snort. “Probably not on me. No.” He got up, and Jeremy couldn’t help staring. “Join me?”

“That could be dangerous. Make you even later.”

“Probably not a good idea.” Brice headed for the bathroom and took a quick shower before coming back into the bedroom, hair damp, still naked.

Jeremy sighed and started to get up. “I’ll be really quick.”

“Take your time. You can let yourself out. The door locks automatically.” He pulled on a button-down shirt, still nude from the waist down. He liked the look. It would be even sexier if Brice were wearing a tie. Just the shirt and tie, still naked from the waist down. Jeremy had never met anyone who didn’t put their underwear on first. He’d never noticed that about Brice before. One more adorable quirk.

When the shirt was buttoned, Brice slid into silky gray boxers and pulled on a pair of chinos. Jeremy slipped out of bed and pressed himself to Brice, naked flesh against cotton. Brice slid his arms around Jeremy and held him close before laying a perfect good-bye kiss on him, one Jeremy knew would keep him thinking about Brice until the next time they’d meet.

“Help yourself to the leftovers or whatever you want.” Brice waved and left.

Jeremy wandered around the apartment for a few minutes after Brice’s departure. There was an office, the guest room, and another room at the end of the hall with the door closed. He put his hand on the doorknob, then let go. It wouldn’t do to snoop. Brice had shown enormous trust by leaving him alone here. He wouldn’t repay the trust by invading Brice’s privacy.

He did pad into the office to examine the books on the shelves: mostly law books and some classic novels. One shelf had classic gay fiction, another held detective stories. Something else he’d learned about Brice. He moved behind the imposing carved wooden desk and settled into Brice’s chair, one of those pompous-looking leather affairs reminiscent of port and cigars. Not exactly Brice’s style. He felt the leather, cool at first against Jeremy’s naked flesh, but it soon warmed to his body temperature.

He imagined Brice sitting here, dressed in a fancy suit and tie when Jeremy came in naked and sat on his lap before he knelt between Brice’s knees and drove him crazy. The desk was an old-fashioned type with a closed front that hid the person’s legs. Jeremy could kneel down there sucking Brice’s cock while he had a meeting, and the other person wouldn’t even see him. The thought got him hard. Would Brice enjoy playing games?

The possibilities were endless.

Jeremy’s hard-on hadn’t subsided, so he took care of it in the shower, remembering last night with Brice. Afterward, as he was leaving, he found an envelope taped to the door with money for a taxi back to Berkeley. It was a nice gesture, so he allowed himself the luxury.

W
HEN
J
EREMY
got back home, he changed and headed for the lab. Rhoda had called the previous night because the results of the weekend’s experiments were particularly good. Earlier in the semester, he’d hit a wall on the transfer mechanism for one of the antigens. For some reason, once it entered the cell, it completely degraded, and he had proposed several explanations and devised experiments to test each theory. So far, none of the experiments had been informative. Until now. He thought he might have the answer. If so, he would be able to propose a solution to the issue.

“This is excellent work, Jeremy,” Dr. Morrell said when they met first thing on Monday. “Let me take a look at the protocols and results. I think once we can overcome this problem, PharmaTek will be able to get back on schedule for the vaccine.”

“Should I keep working on the other experiments?”

“Absolutely. Focus on this set, but continue the others; even negative results offer useful information. You’ll need to repeat this experiment to ensure we can replicate these results. I’ll have one of my other students perform the work. Then we can submit a status report to PharmaTek.”

“I’ll get started on the analysis as soon as I have the next set of samples prepared.”

“Jeremy, you need to let your undergrads do more of the basic lab work. It’s how they learn. Remember when you were my assistant? You were always asking to do more. Rhoda and Varan can do the work, can’t they?”

“Yes, but—”

“So let them. Your time is best spent on designing protocols and analyzing the results. You have plenty of data analysis to occupy you for the rest of the week.” Dr. Morrell nodded and stroked his chin, like a villain from an old matinee film.

“Yes, sir.” The “sir” sort of slipped out. Morrell cocked his head slightly but didn’t remark. Jeremy grabbed his notebook, stuffing it into his bag as he rushed out the door.