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Chance leaned back hard against the
wall
and gulped for air while his entire body shook with rage and
pain
. His eyes stung, and he
struggled
to hold back the insistent tears welling behind his eyelids. How could anyone take so much all at once? His lover cheated on him, seduced by his own
father!

Chance had always thought of his father as distant and unemotional, but now he saw him as a madman, perhaps even a monster without a hint of humanity. And worse, he expected Chance to agree with him, to live his own life that way. A life without love or affection, filled instead with wealth and power. A life of taking but never giving, of lying, cheating, stealing, hurting but never caring… Fucking, but never being fucked.

Well,
fuck that!

Chance pushed off from the wall and stumbled across the room and into the bathroom, determined to clean up as best he could for a night on the town. "Go out son, have a few drinks," Chance muttered, glaring at his reflection in the mirror. "Oh, I'm sure I'll feel much better."

He tried not to laugh at himself as he grabbed one of Alex's bottles of hair gel. A plan was brewing in his mind, and he needed to look his best to pull it off. He was going out, as his father suggested, and he was going to get laid. He was tired of waiting, of holding himself back. Tonight he would ask the first decent looking man he met to fuck him. It would be a sort of 'fuck you,' both to Alex and his father.

That decided, Chance quickly undressed and climbed into the shower, readying himself for a big night.

Chapter Six

Sitting alone at the bar, Chance took a small sip of his whiskey and grimaced at the burn as it slid down his throat, then set the glass down, leaned forward with his elbows on the bar, and closed his eyes. He fought the urge to bury his hands in his hair and pull, remembering just in time that he'd styled it before he came and he wouldn't be able to put it back in place. His hair now lay in stiff yet docile waves that stayed in place behind his ears instead of tangling in unruly curls around his face.

It looked good, he knew it did, but it also left him feeling vulnerable and exposed in a way he hadn't anticipated. Tilting his head forward didn't hide his face now, nor did it obscure the world around him. Looking around the crowded room, Chance noticed a lot of the men were staring at him. Surrounded by men covered in tattoos, piercings and leather, he attracted a lot of attention in his loose fitting dress-slacks and white button-down shirt.

At least he hadn't worn a tie.

Perhaps he should have been more specific when he asked the taxi driver to take him to a gay bar. The jerk had been laughing when Chance climbed out of the car, and he probably didn't stop laughing until he picked up his next fare.

Turning back to the bar and his drink, Chance contemplated the merits of going out and trying again, or giving up and going home with his tail between his legs. Trolling for a hook-up had seemed like such a good idea an hour ago, but now he just felt foolish and inadequate.
He
'
d left the hotel filled with hurt and rage, determined to get fucked tonight. He
'
d
wanted to lose his virginity and submit to another man,
any man,
desperately.

Now, sitting alone in a crowded bar surrounded by men, he felt more lost and alone than ever before. Right now he really wanted to be touched, to be held, to feel the weight of another man on top of him, crushing him. Moving above him, around him and inside of him, taking him… He wanted to feel alive—and maybe, if he closed his eyes while it happened, he could even pretend he felt loved.

Chance tightened his grip around the glass, steeling his resolve and preparing to down the rest of his liquid courage, but the whiskey never made it to his mouth. A heavy weight landed across his shoulders, slamming him into the bar. He gasped in pain as the drink splashed across the bar in front of him and the glass rolled off onto the floor.

The weight across his back receded, replaced by the overwhelming smells of beer and exhaust, while a rough voice rasped in his ear. "Well now, don't you look pretty?"

Startled, Chance jerked back to get away from the big man pressed against his side, only to fall off his stool and into the powerful grip of another large man. Both men had shaved heads and tattoos covering their exposed skin, the smaller of the two sporting a scraggly goatee and a studded collar around his neck.

"Hey, Ed, the boy's already falling for us." The second man laughed, pulling Chance back against his body.

Large, hairy arms wrapped around Chance's chest as he stared helplessly up into the eyes of the first drunk. The man in front of him stood only a few inches taller than Chance, but the one behind him had to lean down to whisper in his ear. "So, sweet thing, do you want to come take a ride with the big boys?"

Chance tried to pull away, but the man laughed and pulled him closer, pressing his erection into the small of Chance's back.

The man with the collar grinned and came closer, reaching out to rub Chance's cheek. "Aw, now don't be like that, sweet thing," he crooned, "we could have a lot of fun together, yeah? Could hang you over the seat of the bike and let the engine run so your whole body vibrates. Dave could ride you from behind…" He leaned closer, blowing his beer breath in Chance's face as he ran two fingers down his cheek to circle his lips. "… while you wrap these sweet lips around my dick and suck me dry." He punctuated the sentence by pressing his fingers against Chance's lips and into his mouth.

Gagging on the grimy digits, Chance managed to struggle free and stumbled back against his vacated bar stool. The bigger man, Dave, reacted first, his fists clenching. Chance squeezed his eyes shut and prayed that it would all be over soon.

But the blow he expected never fell; the tension was broken by a low, commanding voice. "Why don't you gentlemen go and find someone else to play with? If you keep groping my boy like that I'm going to lose my temper and take it out on your hides."

Chance's eyes flew open, his heart jumping into his throat at the sight of the third man before him. The new arrival towered over the bikers, dwarfing them, with impressive muscles bulging in his arms and shoulders—shoulders about even with the top of Chance's head.

The bikers quickly stepped back to give the new arrival room, but they didn't back away. The giant pushed his way between the two bikers and walked right up to Chance, who tried not to panic as the stranger's hands gripped his waist and hoisted him up onto the stool behind him. One large hand cupped the back of his head, the other slipping between his thighs to push his legs apart. Chance felt himself getting dizzy. Scrambling to keep his balance, Chance grabbed the man's shoulders, wrapping his fingers around the edges of the leather vest covering that impressive chest.

The brush of soft lips against his ear startled a gasp out of Chance, reminding him to breathe as his rescuer whispered, "Relax. I won't hurt you. Just play along, okay?"

The soft words were quickly followed by a hot, demanding mouth crashing down against Chance's parted lips, stealing his already ragged breath. The kiss ended quickly with Chance pulling back and gasping for air. He felt the gentle squeeze of a hand on his neck and looked up. A small smile turned up the corners of the stranger's mouth and soft laugh lines appeared around the edges of his kind eyes. A few random gray hairs were peppered into the close-cut black hair, and the contrast made him even more attractive. Chance no longer knew if his erratic breathing should be blamed on fear or arousal.

Wanting more, Chance leaned in again, angling for another kiss when the hairy biker's voice cut through the haze of unexpected lust.

"Listen, man, what do you say we both take our pets out back, huh? The four of us could have a great time together. We could make the boys scream."

Chance's entire body tensed at the suggestion, only relaxing when he noticed the muscle tick along the strong jaw of the man who held him. Those bikers weren't going to touch him again.

The big man didn't even turn around. He kept his eyes fixed on Chance's face as he answered them. "Sorry fellas, but I don't share. Now beat it."

Looking over his protector's shoulder, Chance saw the smaller man reach for the taller man's arm. "Come on, Dave, he ain't even worth it. You'd probably just snap him in two anyway, scrawny as his ass is."

"It's your loss, you stupid fuckers," Dave added over his shoulder as they retreated.

Chance slumped against his rescuer's chest. He felt safe wrapped in those strong arms, and the taste of the man's firm lips excited him in a way nothing ever had before. Perhaps he could still salvage his night and his pride. He snuggled into the stranger's embrace, trying to find the right words to offer himself to his hero. After all, the big, gorgeous man deserved a special thank you from his damsel in distress, didn't he?

****

The drunken bikers moved off, leaving Mark alone with the victim of their cruel taunting. He felt the young man in his arms relax, settling against his chest like a lover. Mark struggled to hold back the hysterical laughter trying to work its way out of his system. Chasing away those two arrogant bullies had been a rush, the most fun he'd had in a long time, but the leftover adrenaline was still coursing through his body.

He'd been at the bar for well over an hour, working the room and talking to anyone who seemed interested, but he didn't linger long with anyone. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for, but he hadn't found it yet, and he was about to give up and head out when he'd noticed the young stranger enter the bar.

He'd made one last circuit around the bar, but this time his only conversation involved apologizing to the people he bumped into. His attention was drawn completely to the small, huddled form that settled at the end of the bar. Mark wanted him, badly, but he was hesitant to approach him or to make a move. The kid looked so sad, so lost and defeated, and so damned young.

When the bikers moved in on him, it felt natural to intervene. And now that he had the young man in his arms, he didn't want to let him go. He wanted to keep hold of this slender body, feel it pressed against him, skin to skin. He longed to kiss that mouth again, to devour him whole and possess him, body and soul.

The moment stretched between them and eventually became awkward. Reluctantly, Mark let go and stepped back, but he didn't get far. The young man stopped him, sliding his arms down from around Mark's neck to settle his hands on Mark's hips, wrapping his fingers around the belt and holding on.

Mark couldn't resist reaching out again to touch the smooth cheek in front of him, letting his hand run down the side of a long neck to the collar of a white dress shirt. Fingering the material he smiled, tugging gently at the fabric.

"I take it you aren't from around here, are you?" he asked, hoping to break the ice.

The kid laughed, a real laugh, with no force behind it and shook his head. "You would think that, wouldn't you? Actually, I grew up here. This is my home town." He shrugged and smiled in a self-deprecating way before absently running his hands around and up Mark's chest. "First time I've ever wandered in here, though." he added, resting his hands on Mark's shoulders. "Oh, and, uh… I… M-my name's Chance, by the way."

Mark grinned down at Chance, staring into his sky blue eyes and watching the most adorable blush spread over his face.
Damn, he was perfect
.
"
Chance, is it? Well
,
I
'
m Mark.
"

Chance smiled and tugged on Mark's hips, pulling him back against his body. "Well, Mark. You saved me tonight. So why don't you take me somewhere so I can thank you properly, hmm?" Chance punctuated the question by rocking forward on the stool, pressing his insistent erection against Mark's own painful hard-on.

Mark groaned and dropped his head onto Chance's shoulder. The words were suggestive enough, even without the added physical contact. Mark longed to lift the slight young man onto the bar and take him then and there.

Chance's teeth nipped sharply against his ear lobe and snapped Mark out of his dense haze. The offer was clear enough, and Mark wanted nothing more, but something about it didn't feel quite right. Underneath the brazen words and actions, Chance held his body tense, and Mark could feel his wiry body trembling.

The offer probably only stemmed from gratitude, the younger man's erection the result of adrenaline rather than desire. Mark didn't want to take advantage of anyone, and to do it to this poor kid, after having prevented someone else from doing just that, well, wouldn't that make him even worse?

"You don't owe me anything, Chance. You don't have to play along anymore." Mark raised his head and stepped back out of the tantalizing circle of male heat given off by Chance's body. He tried to smile reassuringly, but his smile froze when he met with the determined look in Chance's eyes.

"
Damn it Mark! I swear to God I
'
m not playing here. This is probably the clumsiest come-on you
'
ve ever heard, but I
'
m serious. I
want you
,
Mark. And you want me too, right? Please, just take me somewhere and fuck me.
"

Mark was stunned by the sweetness of it, coming from a total stranger in a bar, begging for nothing more than the brief intimacy of a one-night stand. How could he possibly walk away from that? And why should he?

He relaxed, deciding to take Chance at his word. They were both adults, and they both clearly wanted this. He offered what he hoped was a confident smile and took Chance's small hand, threading their fingers together. "I guess this is where I ask 'your place or mine,' right?"