A Pirate’s Life for Me: Book Two
by
Tricia Owens
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2012 Tricia Owens
Read other titles by Tricia Owens at
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/TriciaOwens
A Pirate’s Life for Me: Book Two
For the next few days, Lucas settled into what began to constitute a routine on the island. He spent the afternoons with Kip or one of the other crew members and familiarized himself with the layout and hotspots of the island. At night he relaxed at the cottage while the other men performed in the show. He'd learned that if he was in the shower or in bed when the men came home he could avoid having to turn down invitations to join them in the Jacuzzi. He didn't think he could handle drinking beer off Tyler's stomach again -- or any other outrageous idea Adam might come up with.
He knew he was probably going a bit overboard by hiding from the other guys. He could have refused without resorting to avoidance techniques, but Lucas had a feeling Adam wouldn't approve an outright refusal. This was a man, after all, who condoned orgies among his friends. Plus Lucas couldn't shake the impression that Tyler was testing Lucas’ responses and trying to catch him in a moment of disobedience to Adam. It would back up Tyler's expectation that Lucas wouldn't be able to follow the rule Adam had laid out for the three of them: that Lucas wouldn’t do anything unless ordered to by Adam.
So Lucas avoided and explored and did his best not to think too deeply about many of the things that had happened to him lately. He found, to his relief, that getting away from Adam and Tyler went a long way towards restoring his equilibrium.
Five o'clock on Monday found Lucas on a rented scooter returning to Hidden Idol after a tour of the southern portion of the island. He'd recently discovered the casinos and had been having fun playing the machines and fumbling his way through blackjack and roulette, though he'd quickly learned he possessed more bad luck than good.
Having already eaten at a lavish casino buffet, he had no reason to hurry back to the cottage to join his three housemates for dinner so he parked the scooter at the boardwalk of the bay and decided to play tourist, exploring the shops and restaurants.
A lot of Hidden Idol reminded him of a theme park, with gift shops chock full over-priced trinkets, loads of interesting and fun street food on offer and plenty of hawkers wandering through the crowd trying to lure people into signing up for day tours, parasailing sessions and SCUBA lessons.
Lucas ducked into a couple of the pirate-themed stores just for kicks and ended up purchasing a Jolly Roger flag with the phrase 'Prepare to be boarded' stitched in white beneath the crossbones. At a candy shop he purchased some tamarind candy since he'd never tried it before and at another gift shop he picked up some postcards to send back to his friends in Chicago.
By the time he'd finished cruising the crescent shaped boardwalk it was nearly six, and Lucas' eyes were drawn almost helplessly to the sunset-painted bay and the pirate ship that rested in the center of it. The heterosexual show performed every night before Adam's show took to the stage. It was due to start any minute. Lucas gnawed on his bottom lip for a moment, indecisive, before returning to one of the pirate shops.
The spy glass was heavy in his palm as he walked to the end of one of the numerous piers jutting out into the bay. Out on the clipper ship the show was just starting up. The water carried the faint sounds of music and narration.
Feeling a bit like a voyeur, Lucas came to a stop at the end of the pier and raised the glass to his eye. It wasn't a particularly powerful instrument, made more for recreational use, but it allowed him to understand the gist of the show and what actions the performers were required to do for it.
It was different from Adam's show but not by much, he was surprised to see. Women made up half of the performers, playing damsels in distress whom the male pirates attempted to deflower -- at first. The twist he found particularly interesting was that the Loa spirits possessed the women, not the men, effectively turning the tables and giving the women the power. It was strikingly sexy. There was even a healthy dose of lesbian action happening. Lucas felt his shorts grow a little tighter as he watched the 'possessed' women ravage other women and the male pirates. If there was ever a reason to stick it out on Adam's show while waiting for an opening on this one, Lucas had just seen it. He sure wouldn't mind being attacked and stripped by beautiful women every night. Not at all.
He watched the entire show, unable to hear dialogue or see faces and the dirty details. But he was able to grasp enough of the show to be affected by it. To be jealous of its performers. When the show was over the sun was down, and Lucas was definitely hot and bothered.
He waited on the pier as the passenger boat ferried the audience back to shore. They looked flush-faced and pleased, many meaningful glances traded between the couples. A lot of people were going to get lucky tonight because of this show. It only turned Lucas on more.
A half an hour after the last audience member had been deposited on the pier, the crew of the show loaded up the boat and rode back to shore. Lucas felt like a stalker as he hung around on the sidewalk near the pier, trying not to be obvious that he was waiting for them. He had a feeling they probably did have to deal with stalkers on occasion and he didn't want to give them any reason to be wary of him.
He could hear the crew as they neared the pier. They were boisterous and energized by their performance. They were all fully dressed in their skimpy costumes and Lucas had a hard time deciding if the women were sexier in just a few scraps of clothing or whether they were more appealing when mostly nude. God, I really am a creepy stalker! Embarrassed, he turned away and watched the bicycle and motorcycle traffic in the street while he waited for the crew to disembark.
He allowed the majority of them to pass him by. From the sound of it they were all planning to hit up a seafood restaurant for dinner. Lucas quickly turned and saw to this relief that a few of the crewmembers were dawdlers. Four of them -- two men and two women -- were sauntering his way, still chatting excitedly about the performance. As they neared, one of the women, a redhead, noticed him and smiled at him. Lucas took it as his cue.
"That was a great show," he said, trying to convey that he was a normal fan and nothing more worrisome. "I've never seen anything like that."
"Thanks a lot," one of the guys said. He had brown curly hair and bright blue eyes. He was built about the same as Lucas if a little shorter. He smiled bemusedly. "I don't really remember seeing you in the audience."
"Oh, well, I wasn't exactly in it," Lucas admitted sheepishly. "I watched from the pier." He held up his looking glass. "I was too late to buy a ticket."
The other man, a dirty blond whose hair was tied back by a leather band, laughed and slung his arm around his petite brunette female cast mate. "That's no fair. I don't think we get a cut of the 'pier seats'," he joked.
Lucas grinned, relaxing. "Yeah, sorry about that. From what I could see it's worth every penny. I'll buy a ticket next time." He held out his hand. "My name's Lucas. Believe it or not I'm actually in the other show. The um, men's show." He blushed.
None of them looked surprised or shocked. They took the news in stride.
"Right on," the brunette said, taking Lucas' hand. "I'm Estefan and this is Joe, his girlfriend Mandy, and the hot redhead is my girlfriend Ashley."
Lucas greeted them all.
"So you're on the other show, huh? How's it going?" Estefan gave him a quick once-over before saying cautiously, "I hear that show gets pretty wild."
"It's -- yeah, something else."
Estefan quickly shook his head. "It's cool and all. I mean, we all know we're pretty much on a gay island. No need to be embarrassed or anything."
"The thing is, I haven't performed with them yet," Lucas admitted. He hesitated before deciding to come clean. "There was a mix-up, you see. I thought I was going to join your cast but I was hired to fill an opening on the other show. So I'm just sort of biding my time with them until there's an opening on yours and I can transfer over."
Ashley, a buxom redhead with light green eyes, shook her head comically. "Wait, what do you mean? You're supposed to be on our show? You're not gay?"
Feeling his cheeks heating again, Lucas nodded. "I'm not. It was a really bad mix-up."
Joe burst into laughter. He was tall and slender with a wide mouth and lots of teeth. "I'll say. Holy Jesus. I don't know what I would have done if I'd come here and they told me I had to work on the gay show instead. I've heard stories, Lucas. Their show is tons more sexual than ours is."
"How do you do it?" Estefan asked, wide-eyed. "How do you do it if you're not gay?"
Lucas laughed, feeling an immense relief to be able to talk openly about this. "Can I buy you guys a drink and tell you about it? I want to make it up to you for not buying a ticket."
"Buy us a drink?" Joe exchanged a sly looking grin with Estefan. "All of us?"
Lucas shrugged. "Sure. Why not?"
"Uh oh, you've opened up the floodgates," teased Joe's girlfriend Mandy. She was a shy-looking brunette with soft brown eyes. The corset she wore wasn't completely tied, the free ends of the ribbons dangling like an invitation to pull them. Lucas tried not to stare at her cleavage. "Free drinks means you'll never get rid of us. We drink like fish."
"It doesn't matter. I could use the mixed company," Lucas insisted. "Trust me on that."
Estefan smirked. "Yeah, man, I bet you can. Surrounded by all that gay sausage -- wow. Let's go get that drink, Lucas. I am dying to hear your story."
~~~~~
Estefan suggested "Pieces of Eight", a bar down by the dunes of Seaside Beach. When they arrived it had been barely ten o'clock and most bars on the island stayed open until 4:00 AM. Thus the place wasn't that crowded and the four of them were able to find a table beside the small dance floor where a handful of same-sex and mixed couples were dancing to top 40 hits.
Lucas was glad for the booth because the bar rapidly filled up by midnight. He tried not to think about Adam's show which would be over by now. He wondered briefly if Kip missed him for having been gone all day... or if anyone else had.
"I can't believe you decided to stick it out," Joe marveled before tossing back the last of his sixth beer. "If it were me I would have said, 'Fuck you, Mr. Aras, I do the giving, I don't do the taking'."
The others laughed. They were all pretty much buzzed after a half dozen shots and just as many beers each. Lucas, seated at the end of the booth, felt better about himself and his situation than he had in a long time. His four new friends were easily the kinds of friends he would have made back in Chicago. They were all on the same page and they all sympathized with what he was going through.
"What I can't believe is that you think you can go through with it," Estefan said loudly as he waved his hands for emphasis, nearly knocking over an empty bottle. "Dicks, Lucas. We're talking dicks. They want to put theirs in you. I bet your anal virginity that if you go on that show you're gonna walk off the ship with a limp. Guaranteed." He toasted Joe, who apparently agreed.
"It's not like they're going to rape him," Ashley said with a roll of her eyes. She turned to Lucas. "You did say the captain -- Adam -- has given you a role where not much happens to you, right?"
"If you call being tied to the mainmast and groped 'not much', then sure," Lucas scoffed. He played with a discarded lime. "But the thing is I'm willing to do nearly anything to stay on the island. I came here for that and I'm staying for that."
"But I don't think any of our crew's contracts are due up this summer," Mandy said, biting her bottom lip. Her luminous eyes drew Lucas in. "What if you have to work on the gay show all year? Could you handle doing that?"
"I don't really have a choice. It's either go along with the show or go home."
"I don't know. You don't sound too upset," Joe snickered. He reached across the table and slapped the back of Lucas' hand. "I like you, Lucas. It'd be a real shame to lose you to the other side, but I understand a lot of today's youth is interested in experimenting. Bi-curious is in right now. I know there's a lot of pressure to be popular."
Estefan laughed. Lucas flipped him off.
"I'm not interested in experimenting," he muttered.
"Then you sure came to the wrong island," Ashley said with a laugh. She leaned against Lucas, rubbing her breasts against his elbow. "You haven't started already, have you?"
He looked down at her, his eyes falling helplessly to the heaving swell of her breasts. "Started what already?"
"Experimenting." She batted her lashes at him in drunken flirtation. "Please don't tell me they've gotten to you."
Lucas took a pull on his beer and said around the mouth of the bottle, "What if they have?"
He felt her soft hand slide onto his thigh. "Then I'd feel obligated to try to coax you back to our side."
Lucas shot a quick glance at Estefan, remembering that Ashley was his girlfriend. But Estefan merely shrugged and mouthed 'Go for it' to him. Apparently they were in a very open relationship.
Lucas studied the label on his beer. He'd fucked up with Nicole who now thought he was gay, but Ashley clearly didn't believe it and probably wouldn't care even if she did. She'd probably take it as a challenge to straighten him out.
Her breath was moist and sweet with the Jaeger she'd downed. "Let's dance, Lucas."
He double-checked with Estefan to make sure it really was okay but the other man just winked at him. Mentally shrugging, Lucas slid out of the booth and helped Ashley up. She stumbled and fell against him, forcing him to catch her. He guessed it had just been a ploy to get close to him however, when she immediately rubbed herself against him.
"Come on," he led her out onto the dance floor.
The song playing was one he recognized from the summer before but Ashley didn't seem to be paying any attention to the beat. Her focus seemed to be on pressing as much of her body against Lucas as she could while shuffling her feet and occasionally pulling on his shoulders. It wasn't the sexiest dirty dancing he'd ever done but with her tits crushed against his chest and her thigh pushing up into his hard-on it didn't much matter. He smiled down at her and cupped her ass with his hands, pulling her even closer.
"I want you to be on our crew," she said to him, pouting.
"I want to be on your crew too."
"'Cause you like girls better than boys?" she teased.
He smiled. "That's a safe assumption, yeah. I especially like girls like you."
She smiled and dropped one hand to his groin, massaging him through his shorts. He groaned and pressed his face to her hair, smelling some fruity shampoo. The smell was familiar and comforting. He squeezed her ass, enjoying the softness of her flesh.
They swayed together, oblivious of the beat and more intent on grinding against each other. Ashley was determined, rubbing him into a fierce erection, and Lucas smothered his moans against the side of her neck.
"You want to fuck me?" she whispered into his ear.
Her breasts felt like two balls of unbaked bread dough against his chest. He couldn't wait to squeeze them. "What about Estefan?" he asked.
"He won't care. He'll find himself a girl or maybe hookup with Joe and Mandy."
Lucas couldn't help a chuckle which turned into a pained sound as she reached down and massaged his sensitive balls. "Is everyone on this island in an open relationship?"
"Why not? We're miles away from home. We're in paradise. Why shouldn't we have fun with other people?" She leaned back, her hand resting on his groin. "So do you? Do you want to have fun with me? I can give you a memory to hold onto when you go back to your gay friends."
He pushed into her hand, unable to help himself. "That would be a good memory to have," he agreed, his cock throbbing.
She pulled him down with her other hand. "Kiss me."
She was a sloppy kisser but Lucas didn't mind. The softness of her mouth was all that mattered to him, the way she yielded and let him take control. He buried one hand in her hair and kissed her harder, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. She moaned and sucked on it, teasing him with her oral skills. Lucas felt ready to cum.
Out of nowhere hands settled on his hips from behind and something hard and tubular pressed against the crease of his ass.
He broke off the kiss with a shocked gasp.
"Fancy meeting you here," Tyler murmured into his ear.
Lucas paled. Ashley's eyes widened as she stared up at him.
"Lucas, are you alright?"
"I'm -- I'm fine," he stuttered. He moved his hands off her ass and tried to guide her backwards so he could step forward away from Tyler but Tyler held him firmly back.
"Fucking liar," Tyler murmured conversationally, his lips grazing Lucas' ear lobe and sending a sizzle of something up his spine. "Wait until Adam hears that you've been making out with women. I'm sure you've been fucking them too. You're gone for good, new guy. Just like I knew you would be." He thrust against Lucas' ass. "You're fucked."
"Who's he?" Ashley asked, frowning as she looked over Lucas' shoulder. "Is he one of -- oh! Is he from the other show?" She gave Lucas a meaningful look.
"I'm one of the guys who fucks him," Tyler replied belligerently. "Why? What has he been telling you?" Lucas gasped as Tyler bit down on his earlobe. "Has he been pretending to be straight again? It's part of our fantasy. He plays straight and I come find him and remind him who owns his ass."
Lucas's face blazed. "Shut up, that's not--"
Tyler reached forward and grabbed Lucas between the legs, his fingers curling menacingly around Lucas' cock. "Are you calling me a liar?"
"Lucas?" Ashley stared at him uncertainly. "Is he telling the truth? Are you really -- gay?"
The hand on his cock squeezed warningly. "Tell her," Tyler whispered. "Tell her or I'll rip your fucking nuts off. You know I hate you enough to do it."
Tyler would do it. Lucas was sure of it.
He turned his eyes to Ashley, his keen humiliation probably making him look miserable. "I'm sorry, Ashley. Don't take it personally. It's something stupid that Tyler and I like to do for kicks." He wanted to crawl under a rock.
Her face fell. "Geez. This really sucks. And it's not very nice of you, Lucas. We all thought you were cool." She narrowed her eyes at Tyler. "Have fun corn-holing each other." She gave Lucas a dirty look. "I hope you have a good laugh."
She stormed off the dance floor. Lucas could see her tugging on Estefan's arm, trying to coax him to leave. After a moment of confusion and hurried conversation the four of them left.
"Get your fucking hand off me," Lucas growled, so furious he could spit.
"Don't tell me what to do," Tyler snapped. "You're fucked every which way, new guy."
"Adam's never gonna believe you. He never does."
But Tyler chuckled, the sound making the hair on Lucas' arms stand on end. "Don't be so sure. This time it's not my word against yours. Take a look at the bar."
Dreading what he would see, Lucas looked. Orinth stood there, his expression uneasy as if he was afraid of what Tyler might do.
"An unbiased eye witness will back me up when I tell Adam you've been fucking around on us with women. That's a one-way ticket to the mainland, fuckface."
Fed up, Lucas reached down and grabbed the other man's wrist. "Let go of me and let me turn around." He squeezed, feeling the bones compress.
With a hiss, Tyler released him and Lucas let go too, spinning around to confront him. Tyler's eyes were smudged with eyeliner as if he'd done a half-assed job of wiping off his show makeup. It made his silver eyes look smoky and sensual. His platinum hair was partly damp, the drying strands floating about his head as if caught by static cling. He was dressed in a plain white cotton shirt and black shorts, the shark's tooth necklace he always wore lying shiny against his throat. He looked far better than Lucas wanted him to. Lucas wanted him to look ugly.
"I wasn't fooling around with her," Lucas argued, knowing how close he was to screwing this up forever. "She works on the other show. I met her just tonight. I wanted to get to know the other crewmembers, that's all."
Tyler sneered. "Looked like you wanted to get to know her inside and out."
"We were just dancing!"
Tyler's eyes gleamed with triumph. "You're fucked and there's nothing you can do about it."
Lucas' hands balled into fists. He wanted to punch Tyler for being so hateful. Lucas tried very hard to avoid allowing such assholes into his life but here he was stuck with Tyler. Stuck if he wanted to stay, otherwise he could let Tyler have his way and send Lucas packing. At least back in Chicago he could choose who he worked with and if he ran into someone he didn't get along with he could move on. But if he wanted that freedom and power, he'd have to let Tyler have his.
No fucking way.
The night at the Jacuzzi when he'd held the power over Tyler was sharp in Lucas' mind as he reached out and grabbed Tyler with both hands behind the neck. Gray eyes widened as Lucas yanked him forward and crushed their mouths together. He didn't kiss Tyler like he had Ashley. Tyler's lips were softer than he expected but they immediately tensed in resistance. Lucas shoved his tongue forward anyway, trying to pry them apart and force Tyler to accept it in his mouth.
"Take it!" he growled against Tyler's lips. "Take it, you little bitch!"
"Fu--"
Lucas crammed his tongue into Tyler's mouth, knowing the other man could very well bite it off. Breathing heavily from fear and testosterone, Lucas thrust his tongue in, filling Tyler's mouth, rubbing it suggestively across the other man's tongue. Tyler jerked against him, his hands wrapped around Lucas' wrists. But he didn't bite down.
So Lucas tongue-fucked him, pushing his tongue in again and again, pretending in his mind that he was fucking Tyler for real. At first Tyler's tongue curled, attempting to push him out. But Lucas tightened his fingers around the other man's neck and Tyler suddenly melted. So abruptly it caught Lucas off-guard, Tyler wrapped his tongue around his own and began to pull on it. Tyler sucked and stroked, moaning around Lucas' tongue as if he were sucking on his dick. A growl rolled up out of Lucas' throat. He fisted one hand in Tyler's silky hair and held on tight as he devoured the other man right there in the middle of the dance floor.
Fuck you. Fuck you. Fuck you, ran through Lucas' mind with each thrust of his tongue. But he was still startled when Tyler released his wrists and grabbed fistfuls of Lucas' ass to yank their hips together.
Tyler was hard. Worse, so was Lucas. He moaned into their kiss when Tyler began to thrust against him, grinding the thick tubes of their cocks together.
And that's when the tide began to turn. He felt Tyler smile against his lips and suddenly it was Tyler pushing Lucas' tongue back and Tyler's tongue doing the thrusting and Lucas' mouth opening wider to accept the invasion. The force of the violent kiss pushed his head back and Tyler followed him back, never letting up, so that a voice in the back of Lucas' head warned him that he was starting to look like the girl. Especially when he made that awful whimpering noise.
That was enough for him to yank viciously on Tyler's head, forcing the other man to gasp and break out of the kiss. As soon as their lips parted Lucas shoved the other man away from him. Tyler staggered back, eyes wide, pupils wider. His lips were puffed and red. The front of his shorts was tented. With the exception of their hair and eye coloring, Lucas knew that at that moment they could have been twins.
Feeling sick for his reaction, he started to spin away. A hand around his bicep arrested the movement. Without thinking, Lucas raised his hand to punch Tyler but instead he found himself faced with Orinth. Orinth, the loud mouth who was bound to tell everyone on the crew what he'd just witnessed.
"Come back to the cottages," Orinth urged, barely flinching in the face of Lucas' strung-out state. "We're having a beach party. I think you need to get out of here and relax." He cast a pointed look at Tyler who was giving them both a half-hearted sneer. "Both of you. Things are gonna turn to shit if you don't. Take it from the guy with a ringside seat."
Lucas flinched. He looked away. "I just want to go home."
"The beach first. Check in with Adam. Then if you want to go home, go home. He won't stop you."
Taking a deep breath, Lucas raised his eyes. "Why? What are you going to tell him?"
Orinth grinned and shrugged, evasive. "Doesn't matter. It's all good." He looked back at Tyler. "Isn't that right, Ty?"
"Fuck you both," the blond muttered, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth as if he'd bitten into something bitter.
Orinth sighed dramatically. "If only I could be so lucky." He tugged on Lucas' arm. "Let's get out of here. I think we all need some fresh air."
Wordless, Lucas led the way out. He didn't know what Orinth and Tyler intended to tell Adam but at that point he wasn't sure he cared.
CHAPTER TWO
The sand was cool beneath Lucas' feet but it began to warm as he neared the single bonfire flickering on the crescent curve of beach directly in front of the pirate crew cottages. It was a small relief that only three of the crew members were gathered around the fire rather than all of them, but seeing Adam's large figure sitting like a stone god before a fiery sacrifice dampened any hope Lucas held that he might emerge from this night unscathed. Adam watched him, Tyler and Orinth approach with the dark watchfulness of a predator. Like a black hole he dragged Lucas' attention to him and didn't release it.
Since the night of the photo shoot Lucas had done what he could to avoid being alone with Adam. It was difficult to look in the eye a man who had dirty talked him into cumming in front of two strangers and a camera. The things Adam had said that night, the possession in his words and the suggestion that he and Lucas hooking up was a foregone conclusion, haunted Lucas in his dreams. He was supposed to be the one saying those things. To a woman, at that. He wasn't supposed to allow Adam to shave his balls and then tell Lucas how he was going to fuck him. No. No. No.
But those things had happened, and apparently there was proof of it on film somewhere, though Lucas had yet to see any of the images from the shoot nor did he want to. It was a night he'd prefer to pretend never happened. However, every time he caught himself looking at Adam or listening for his movements throughout the cottage, Lucas proved how very bad he was at pretending.
Fuck it, he thought. Maybe that night could work in his favor right now. Adam had made it clear he wanted Lucas. Though Lucas had no intention of giving himself over to that desire, he couldn't help hoping it would keep his ass on the crew a little while longer.
"Did you get my message?" Tyler immediately demanded as the three of them paused in front of the fire facing Adam, Peter, and Dean. "You heard the shit he pulled? That he was fucking around with a chick?"
Great. Tyler had already whined by phone. Lucas crossed his arms, his defenses rising.
"I got it." Adam tilted a beer to his lips. His wide throat rolled like he'd swallowed a boulder. "I want to hear what Lucas has to say about it."
"I wanted to meet some of the crew from the other show."
"That's not all you wanted to do," Tyler sneered.
Lucas ignored him. "I had drinks with four of them. Two couples. We talked, had a few drinks, then one of the girls wanted to dance. Her boyfriend was watching. He said it was okay and he had no reason to worry anyway because it was only dancing. I wasn't interested in her that way."
"But the rules--"
"Shut up, Tyler. I made the rules and I enforce them," Adam cut in, staring hard at Tyler until the platinum blond mumbled an apology. To Lucas he said, "Are you aware of what you're not allowed to do?"
For the space of a second he thought about lying. If it weren't for Kip he would have been completely clueless about the rules. Lucas could convince his roommate to keep quiet if he wanted.
But Adam's gaze was compelling. It had the worrisome effect of stripping Lucas bare of clothes, lies -- everything.
"Crewmembers aren't supposed to sleep with women," Lucas said with resignation.
Something flickered in Adam's eyes too quickly for Lucas to read. "What else?"
"No phone calls to women. No hanging around with them. No flirting or acting as if they even exist -- look, I don't get where this misogyny comes from," he blurted in frustration. "When does being gay mean hating on women?"
"It doesn't." Adam's eyes were like glowing coals in the light of the fire. "No one said anything about hating women. My rules exist to maintain respect for the members of this crew."
"You don't fuck around with women when you're supposed to be with guys!" Tyler spat at Lucas. In the firelight his hair glowed a brilliant orange and his face was a dramatic cast of shadows, making him appear satyr-like. The anger he expressed seemed out of proportion to Lucas' crime, making Lucas wonder yet again what had happened between Tyler and the ex- who had hurt him.
"I wasn't fucking around with anyone," Lucas repeated.
"You were kissing her and you had your hands all over her ass!"
Adam looked to Orinth who'd remained uncharacteristically quiet. "What did you see?"
"I saw everything that Tyler saw. He's not exaggerating." Orinth then snickered ominously. Lucas' stomach clenched in anticipation of what the man would say next. "I also saw Lucas try to eat Tyler's face off and Tyler return the favor. Fuckin' hot, man. You would've loved it, Adam."
Surprise blinked across Adam's face. "You two kissed?"
Tyler's eyes met Lucas'. Lucas was surprised to see the same regret and maybe even chagrin on the other blond's face that he himself felt.
And Lucas saw his chance.
"I did kiss him," he admitted, causing Tyler's eyes to widen. Lucas ignored him in favor of Adam. "He got me worked up. It was either punch him or kiss him. I thought you would prefer that I didn't hurt him so I kissed him instead."
Tyler sputtered. Lucas could tell the other man had expected him to deny any sort of homosexual contact just as he had since the beginning.
"You're saying you kissed him for my sake?" Adam's lips twitched. His palms spread against the beer bottle he held.
Lucas nodded. "I didn't want to disobey you. You said no more fighting. So I didn't."
"I did say that," Adam replied slowly. He looked down at the bottle he held, his expression thoughtful. "Is he telling the truth, Ty?"
Tyler looked like he'd swallowed the worm at the bottom of the tequila bottle. "He's making it sound like he made some noble deci--"
"All I asked is if he's telling the truth." Adam raised his face, his dark brows drawing together. "Did he kiss you first?"
Lucas imagined he could hear Tyler's teeth grinding together."Yes. He kissed me first. And he fucking kisses like a twelve-year-old."
Lucas laughed quietly and said, "Liar." When Tyler shot him a dirty look Lucas gave him a smirk in return. "You practically moaned into my mouth."
"Fuck you!"
Lucas looked at Adam to see how he was reacting to the show. The amusement in the big man's large eyes told Lucas that Adam was in fact smarter than Lucas was giving him credit for being. You're not fooling me, those eyes said, and Lucas understood then what it felt like to face off bare-handed against a Great White shark.
But Adam didn't call him out for poking at Tyler. He didn't, because as Lucas had hoped, Adam wanted him to act this way. He wanted to see and feel the tension between Lucas and Tyler. He got off on it. The only tension Lucas felt with Tyler was a strong desire to beat the shit out of the other man but if Adam wanted to interpret that tension as being sexual he could go right ahead. Whatever kept Lucas on the island.
Adam tossed his bottle over his shoulder to join a pile of other empties which they'd collect later and recycle. He stretched his legs towards the fire, massive thigh muscles rippling, and then braced his feet in the sand once more.
"You broke the rules," he said to Lucas. "Hanging out with women is fine, flirting with them or kissing and touching them is not. For that you have to pay the price."
"Ha!" Tyler crowed, shuffling around the fire to Adam's side of it. He was grinning from ear to ear as he stepped behind Adam and laid his hands on the other man's shoulders. "Let me know if you need help packing, new guy."
"But you also did something which pleased me," Adam went on, and Tyler visibly blanched, his smile wilting. "You had the chance to get into it with Tyler and you didn't, even though I can imagine how much he probably provoked you."
Lucas snorted but said nothing, waiting.
"That tells me you listened to me and you want to obey me." Adam's gaze was heated. "That's what I want. That's what I've always wanted. And because of that you get to stay."
"Fuck, Adam! He broke the rules!"
Adam reached up and caught one of Tyler's wrists before the blond could spin away. He tugged, forcing Tyler to bend over Adam's shoulder as Adam said in a quieter voice, "He did broke the rules. He's going to be punished for it. I think you'll be satisfied with what I've decided, Ty. Relax."
"Unless he leaves nothing could satisfy me," Tyler complained, slumping over Adam's shoulder.
The larger man reached up and stroked Tyler's hair. The tenderness in the act embarrassed Lucas. He averted his eyes as Adam murmured, "I'm not doing this to spite you. Trust me, Ty. What I'm doing is best for all of us. Tell me you trust me."
Tyler replied with an indistinguishable mumble which appeared to satisfy Adam. He released Tyler who remained leaning against the other man, his head down and posture defeated. For a moment Lucas felt sorry for him. If he were in Tyler's place and someone he hated was continually being let off the hook he'd be pissed too.
Then again he wasn't being let off the hook. Adam still had a punishment in mind for him.
"I'm sorry for what happened," Lucas spoke up. He did feel genuinely bad for screwing up. He definitely hadn't intended for it to blow up as it had, nor had he wanted to end up kissing Tyler. No way. "I know I made a mistake. I misunderstood how important the rules are. I won't make that mistake again."
"Good." Adam's face was unreadable as he studied Lucas. "But that won't get you out of your punishment."
Lucas nodded. "What's it going to be?"
He expected additional housekeeping duties or a suspension from extracurricular activities. He wouldn't put it past Adam to ground him to the cottage. It would be humiliating and annoying but he could survive it.
"You're going to be spanked."
Lucas stared at him.
Behind Adam, Tyler abruptly straightened. His expression lit up with unholy glee.
"Oh, yes!" he hissed. He actually rubbed his palms together as if beside himself with evil anticipation. "Adam, I fucking love you right now."
Lucas felt a bead of sweat slide down his spine. "You did not say what I think you just said."
"Ten spanks from each of us here. It won't hurt, but it'll leave an... impression." Adam's lips slid up into a smirk.
Tyler practically squealed with laugher. Lucas wanted to give him the punch he'd refrained from giving him at the club.
"I'm not six-years-old," he argued.
Adam didn't care. "You broke the rules the way a child would. That means you'll be punished like one."
Lucas allowed his desperation to show. "Adam, come on, man. You can't be serious."
"I am. Start with Dean and work your way down the line. After I finish with you you're done and the slate is clean."
Start with Dean. Drape himself over the lap of five guys and be spanked on the ass by each them. Lucas' face was so hot he was sure it would burst into flames.
"Adam--"
"Do it or pack your bags, Lucas."
He stared at Adam who stared right back. The larger man wasn't going to give an inch. This was an ultimatum.
He swallowed hard and said, "Will anyone else know about this?"
"No." Adam broke the staring match with Lucas to give the other four men a pointed look. "Nothing that happens tonight makes it back to the crew, understood?"
"Yes, Adam."
"Aye, Cap'n."
The assents did little to ease the anxiety racing through Lucas' mind.
"Start with Dean," Adam repeated.
Looking hopelessly at Dean, Lucas knew he had no choice. He'd already kissed two men. He'd let another man shave his balls and talk dirty to him. He'd let strangers film him cumming... With a deep sigh he shuffled over to Dean and gave the man a self-conscious nod.
Dean patted his thighs. "It'll be over in no time, Lucas. Don't sweat it."
Right.
Lucas kept his eyes on the sand as he lowered himself across Dean's lap. He felt Dean's hand tugging at the waistband of his shorts and nearly leaped off his lap.
"What-what're you doing?"
"Bare ass, Lucas," Adam intoned grimly. "It won't mean anything if it's done through your shorts."
"You mean it won't leave an impression?" Lucas retorted. Biting his lip, he resumed his position and tried not to tense up as Dean drew his shorts down until the curve of his ass was kissed by the night island air. God, he was so humiliated.
spank
Lucas wanted to die. So much blood was rushing to his face he was sure his ass must be the color of the moon.
"Count it out, Lucas."
spank
"Two," he ground out.
Dean didn't spank him particularly hard but it wasn't the pain Lucas cared about. It was the feel of another guy's bare hand against his equally bare ass. He must be gay now. Maybe that was Adam's plan, to beat the gay into him, because Lucas knew no straight man on the planet would willingly submit to something like this.
"Imagine you're rushing a fraternity," Dean murmured in between spanks. "They do this kind of stuff all the time when they're hazing freshmen. It's no different."
Lucas latched onto that. This was okay. This was being done across a hundred college campuses every fall. This wasn't sexual. It was about humiliation. Punishment.
"Ten," he said loudly.
Dean let him up. If Lucas had been feeling better about himself he would have given the other man a murmur of thanks. But this just wasn't the time. Head down, he laid himself across Peter's lap.
spank
Lucas blinked in surprise. Peter had hit him hard.
"Count," Adam ordered.
"One."
spank
"Shit," he breathed. His ass cheek stung from that last one. "Two."
"Adam, toss me a beer," Tyler said casually. "I may as well be comfortable while I'm enjoying the show."
spank
spank
Lucas buried his hands in the sand and grabbed fistfuls of the grains. His ass was burning. He'd learned quickly that tensing only made it hurt worse but it was nearly impossible to relax when he knew another painful spank was impending.
spank
A lock of hair clung to his temple, plastered there by sweat. The bonfire seemed to be growing hotter.
spank
"Six," he bit out, trying not to reveal his discomfort. Peter wasn't moving his strikes around; he placed each spank directly atop the one before so that Lucas felt like one giant bruise was forming on his right ass cheek.
spank
Shit. That one was even harder than the others.
spank
Lucas shifted his hips, trying to angle himself so Peter's hand would land on another part of his ass.
spank
"Nine," he panted. He could hold out for one more.
spank
"Ugh," he grunted, arching his back as Peter walloped him even harder. "T-Ten."
"Orinth is next."
Lucas slid off Peter's lap and was embarrassed by how sore he was as he crawled over to Orinth. He arranged himself carefully over the other man, careful to keep his dick -- half-hard from the pain, no doubt -- from touching the other man's leg.
spank
Lucas hissed. He didn't understand why he was suddenly so sensitive. "One," he gritted out.
spank
"Two."
The pain radiated out from his ass, warming his lower body. He wiggled, unable to help himself as he braced for the next spank.
spank
spank
spank
"Five," Lucas gasped, hunching his body to try to angle his ass away from Orinth's easy reach.
"Ha ha, look at him. He's already worked up," Tyler taunted. "That's good, new guy. Wiggle around like that. I think it's hilarious. Makes me hot to see that red face of yours and those pretty red cheeks with the handprints on them."
Humiliation stung nearly as much as the spanking did.
spank
"Six."
spank
"S-Seven."
"Oh, yeah, that's getting me hot." Lucas blinked as Tyler suddenly dropped to the sand, squatting there so he could be at eye level with him.
The other blond leered. "I like watching you get your ass beat," he whispered, licking his lips. "I enjoy it even more knowing how much this must kill you to have to endure this while I'm watching. And mmm, I'm watching every second, every twitch you make, you hear me? I'm going to remember it so I can fantasize about it while Adam and I are fucking later tonight and you're rubbing Ben Gay on your ass." He leaned close to Lucas' face and breathed, "I can't fucking wait until you're on my lap, new guy. I'm going to make it so good for both of us. I'll fuck you up so good."
Lucas opened his mouth to tell him off, then had to shut it to hold back a groan as Orinth wreaked more havoc on his ass.
spank
spank
spank
"Ten. Fuck," Lucas panted, sliding off Orinth's lap onto the sand. His ass felt like an extra appendage that didn't belong to him. It throbbed like a giant heart.
A bare foot prodded him in the ribs.
"Get up, new guy. It's my turn now."
Lucas wanted to tell him to shove it. He wanted to with nearly every ounce of his being. But if he did Tyler would win. Lucas would go home as a loser... and he'd go home with a sore ass.
He lifted his head. "Yeah, it's your turn. I guess I'll have to distract myself from the pain with thoughts of Adam sticking his tongue in my ear during the photo shoot."
Tyler's face turned red. "Shut the fuck up and get on my lap."
Smirking despite the pain, Lucas laid his chest and stomach over Tyler's lap.
spank
"Shove up higher," Tyler ordered. "That one doesn't count because you're not in position. I get to keep hitting you until you're in position."
spank
"You little bitch," Lucas snarled, pulling himself higher over Tyler until his groin pressed into the other man's thigh. "There. Enjoy the feel of my dick, pervert."
"Oh, I will," Tyler purred with far more excitement than Lucas was comfortable with. He was suddenly hyper aware of his semi-hard cock, now trapped between his body and Tyler's.
Tyler's hand settled on his ass. Lucas tensed as the other man's fingers traced the red marks that were probably blossoming on his ass cheeks. Tyler bent over him and whispered from behind him, "This is going to hurt. We'll see who the pervert is in a minute."
spank
"One," Lucas counted as stonily as he could.
spank
"Two," he said, a hint of relief coming through.
Tyler wasn't hitting him nearly as hard as he'd expected. It was more on par with Dean's spanks which had been tolerable.
spank
It was after the third spank that Lucas discovered what was in-tolerable about being draped over Tyler's ass.
Tyler touched him.
He didn't just spank Lucas with the flat of his palm, he let his hand linger after the blow had been delivered, his palm and fingers cupping his cheek and squeezing just slightly, just enough to make Lucas begin to arch in pain.
It kept Lucas tensed not just through the spanks but for the follow up groping, and the more he tried to shift out of Tyler's hand the more he inadvertently ground his cock into Tyler's leg.
"Yeah, you're getting into it now, aren't you?" Tyler purred in a voice that forced Lucas to close his eyes. Tyler’s hand, currently cupping Lucas' throbbing ass cheek, squeezed with deceptive gentleness. "Thank me for spanking you, new guy."
"Fuck you," Lucas gritted out, trying not to hump Tyler's leg as he did so. He didn't know why he was hard from any of this. His face was red with humiliation and his ass was red from a beating. How could any of that turn him on?
But he was hard and growing harder as Tyler began to squeeze with increasing force. Soon Lucas was arching against him, trying to get away from the other man while simultaneously grinding his cock against him.
The pressure abruptly disappeared from his ass.
spank
"Count for me, new guy. Let me know you feel every one of these."
spank
"Eight," Lucas groaned, no longer trying to deny the way his body was moving or what it sought by doing so.
spank
"Nine..."
He felt Tyler lean over his back again. His palm rested threateningly on Lucas' swollen ass.
"Whatever you and Adam did during that photo shoot," Tyler whispered into his ear, "I'm going to take it out on you a little each day until I'm satisfied." He twisted Lucas' ass cheek, making him cry out. "I hope for your sake you were exaggerating, new guy."
Lucas began to laugh hoarsely.
spank
It was Tyler's hardest spank yet and he ended it with another vicious twist of Lucas' flesh. Lucas moaned and thrust erratically against Tyler's leg before he was suddenly shoved off onto the sand.
He curled onto his side and ducked his face against the sand. His ass was still hanging out for the other guys to see but Lucas was less concerned with that side than with his front where his erection felt like it was purple and ready to burst. He didn't want to get up. He didn't want to show them that their spanking of him had aroused him. That was perverted. That wasn't him. He tensed as a pair of thick thighs appeared before him, their owner kneeling in the sand beside his head.
"I'm not in the mood to hit you," Adam rumbled in his deep voice. "But you'll spend your time over my lap the same as you did everyone else's." In a louder voice he said, "You guys go on back to the cottages. Remember what I said. This goes no further than the six of us."
More assents followed the sound of feet shuffling through the sand. Lucas warily looked up. Adam held his hand out to him. "Get up and over my lap. You're nearly finished."
Tyler remained beside Adam but everyone else had gone. Lucas didn't give the other blond a second glance. Ashamed, he hastily crawled across Adam's wide, hard thighs and hung his head.
He tensed automatically when a large hand settled on the small of his back and another curled across the nape of his neck.
"I told you I'm not hitting you."
Lucas shook his head. He didn't understand but he didn't trust his voice to ask for clarification.
"Hump my leg until you cum," Adam ordered.
Lucas' heart sank. "Please," he whispered. "Don't make me."
The hand on the back of his neck tightened ever so slightly. "Don't fight me, Lucas. Just do it and let's go home and forget about this."
"Jesus, fuck, Adam," Tyler blurted. "At least spank him once."
"Shut up, Ty. Lucas, we're waiting on you."
Lucas closed his eyes. Could this get any worse? He didn't think so. He braced his palms and toes on the sand and began to thrust against Adam.
He didn't want to know what he looked like. He didn't want to know what he sounded like, although he could hear someone moaning. His cock was hard enough that cumming in moments was inevitable. He strained for that. He ground against Adam's rock-hard thigh with determination.
But it wasn't until the hand on his lower back slid down and fondled his ass that Lucas felt his balls draw up tight to his body. And when a meaty finger traced the curve of his cleft Lucas's toes curled in the sand and he blasted his cum all over Adam's leg.
The ecstasy of the moment banished the pain and he felt light-headed, dizzy, almost euphoric. As he started to come down the pain trooped back into place and Lucas was suddenly aware of the swollen balloon that was his ass and the cooling fluid slicking the head of his softening cock.
"Yeah, that's some punishment," Tyler drawled.
"He's going to be in pain all day tomorrow," Adam told him calmly. "And you can't tell me you didn't enjoy driving him to this point. You got to humiliate him and hurt him. Tonight's a good night for you, Tyler."
Hearing Adam’s assessment of the night made Lucas cringe. He quickly slid off the bigger man’s lap. Keeping his back to the two men he pulled up his shorts, biting back a groan when the fabric abraded his tender skin. He staggered to his feet. All the blood was in his head and tried to rush out at once. He swayed, his vision blackening.
"Whoa, watch it."
He blindly twisted out of the hand that grabbed his bicep, distantly noting that it was slimmer which meant it belonged to Tyler.
"I gotta go," Lucas mumbled and then he was walking and then running towards the water. Despite the Caribbean temperatures the bay water felt like ice water as it sluiced over his ankles and climbed up his legs. He dove into the water and for that blissful few seconds beneath the surface he was able to forget about everything.
When he resurfaced, he dared to look back to the beach. Tyler and Adam were still standing there, their faces shadowed by the bonfire at their backs. He swam for a while and they continued to watch him. Maybe they thought he was so traumatized he was going to drown himself. He felt awful but not that bad. He could hear the quiet murmur of their conversation but couldn't make out any words.
When he finally felt clean and more himself, he swam back to the beach. By then the other men had left and he was all alone. He limped back to the cottage he shared with them and vowed never to speak to another woman on the island no matter how nice she was.
CHAPTER THREE
Wednesday came far too quickly for Lucas' comfort. That afternoon he would be taking part in his first rehearsal with the crew.
He'd been putting off thinking about it -- denial was something he'd been doing a lot lately -- but when he woke up that morning he realized in another few hours he'd become a working part of Adam's crew. Today he'd no longer be a spectator. He'd no longer have the luxury of insisting he was just biding his time, waiting for a miracle spot to open up in the straight show. If he didn't take part in the rehearsals Adam would send him packing once and for all.
"Excited, bro?"
Lucas rolled onto his side. Kip on the other bed was propped up on one elbow. His dreads stuck up every which way on his head.
"You finally get your shot to prove you belong with us," Kip went on, grinning excitedly. "I'm stoked, aren't you?"
Kip knew nothing about the spanking on the beach and Lucas had no intention of telling him about it just as he'd withheld the truth about what went down at the photo shoot with Adam. Lucas wanted his roommate to respect him, and for some reason he felt that telling Kip about what he'd been up to lately would affect that.
"I'm nervous," he admitted.
"Ben went over the role with you, right?"
"Yeah, but seeing it on paper and doing it are two different things." Lucas shrugged. "It's not like I have to do anything difficult but I don't want to disappoint Adam. He's been letting me hang around because he thinks I'll contribute to the show. I want to show him his faith in me is well placed."
"Nah, bro, you're golden," Kip said dismissively, yawning before sitting up. "He likes you. Tyler already complained last night that your photo is on the wall in their room. That's like the Hall of Fame right there."
"Photo?" Lucas went completely still. "What photo?"
"I dunno. A photo of you, obviously."
"Have you seen it?"
"They haven't invited me in there lately, so no." Kip pouted.
Lucas sat up. "Did Tyler describe what it looked like?"
Kip gave him a searching look. "What are you afraid of? Have you been posing for porn while I wasn't looking?"
Lucas laughed uneasily. "Of course not. But when you hear some guy has a picture of you in his bedroom you're naturally curious. Wouldn't you be?"
Kip shrugged and scratched at an armpit. "I'd be thrilled. Means he's into me and I'm about to get some action." He leered playfully at Lucas. "That's what you should be thinking, bro."
"Yeah, but--"
"I know, I know." Kip held up a hand, palm out. "But if you ask me you're not nearly as straight as you were when you first got here, and that's coming from a friend. It's a slippery slope, bro. My advice is to slap on some skis and enjoy the ride."
"Slippery slope," Lucas repeated. He shook his head ruefully. "You have no idea, Kip."
~~~~~
Tyler was preparing breakfast when Lucas and Kip entered the kitchen. Adam was already seated at the dining table shirtless, his long black hair still damp and occasionally dripping onto his massive shoulders. Lucas gave him a nod of greeting before taking his seat at the table beside Kip. Tyler came to the table a minute later and set down a pan containing a frittata.
"Dig in," Adam said pleasantly. "Rehearsals today so we'll need our energy."
Lucas waited for Kip to serve himself and was planning to take his turn after Tyler but the platinum blond shook his head and murmured, "Go ahead."
Wary, Lucas helped himself. When he was done Tyler took up the serving spoon and scooped up a portion for Adam and served himself last.