Stephani Hecht (EMS Heat #15) Circling the Drain

Sometimes it just takes one fresh spark to rekindle
old desires

After being a paramedic for over ten years, Grif is
burned out. He has seen all the worst society has
to offer and then some. He’s tired and ready to
hang up his uniform for good. The thrill of the job
has long left him, and his life is going nowhere
fast.

Then along comes his new partner, a green-

behind-the-ears kid name Kevin. Not only does
Kevin have zero in the way of experience, but he’s
a brat to boot. A brat who actually is excited about
his job. So why is it that Grif finds the kid so damn
attractive?

Will Kevin be able to bring back the spark of

excitement in Grif’s life? Or is Grif too far gone to
be saved?

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entirely coincidental.

Circling the Drain

ISBN: 978-1-77111-502-5

Cover art by Angela Waters

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Circling the Drain

EMS Heat Book Fifteen

Stephani Hecht

Dedicated to: Mom, thanks for being there for me.

Chapter One

OMER—also known as Get Out Of My
Emergency Room or, as in Grif’s case, get out of

my emergency rig. It was the lingo used whenever
somebody abused the system. Like when they
called an ambulance to pick them up when all
they had was a common cold. Which is precisely
the case Grif had at the moment.

“How long has the cough been going on?” Grif

asked the thirty-year-old woman sitting on the
couch in front of him.

“About a week.” She twirled her brown

ponytail and let out an obviously fake hacking
sound.

Grif looked around at all the ashtrays that were

overflowing with cigarette butts, but decided to let
that go uncommented on. It’s not like she would
listen to him anyway. They never did. In the ten
years he’d been a paramedic, he had yet to have
one patient quit on his say-so.

“So what changed about the cough to make you

call us tonight?” he asked.

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As he was asking the questions, his partner for

the night, Colby, was taking vitals. For some
reason, they were having a problem finding
anybody who wanted to be his permanent
partner. Go figure.

The patient shrugged her thin shoulders. “I just

got sick of it and thought that I should have it
checked out.”

Grif thought of the two perfectly good cars

they’d passed by on their way in. He then looked
over at the woman’s husband who was sitting
there, watching TV, not even glancing their way.

“And you called an ambulance because…” Grif

trailed off.

A flash of anger came over the woman’s face.

“Because it’s what you’re there for. Besides,
everyone knows that if you come in by
ambulance, you don’t have to sit in the waiting
room. They take you right back.”

Grif took in a deep breath and slowly counted

up to ten and then back down again. He really
should be used to this by now. But the thought
that his rig had been taken out of service just to
take some bratty woman in for the sniffles
infuriated him.

Colby rattled off her vitals, and Grif nodded,

not surprised when they were within the perfectly
normal limits. “Okay, let’s go.”

When he gestured to the door, she shook her

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head. “I don’t think I can walk. You need to carry
me out.”

Grif sighed. Of course she couldn’t. “Colby, will

you go out and get the cot.”

Colby nodded and left. Luckily, they had

parked close, so it only took him a few minutes.
The entire time they waited, the patient nervously
twisted her ponytail while her waste of a husband
watched some reality show. It looked like one of
the ones where they towed people’s cars or
something like that. He never once looked over at
his wife or showed any concern for her, nor did he
volunteer to get into one of their cars and drive
her to the ER himself. Grif sometimes just didn’t
get people.

Colby came in with the cot and they loaded

their sick patient onto it, her moaning the entire
time. It was hard to get out of the house since they
had to navigate their way through so much junk.
Guess she had been too ill to do much housework.

Once they got her loaded up, Grif headed for

the driver’s seat. Never before had he been so
happy that it was his turn to drive. Let Colby deal
with the GOMER. Grif had already dealt with
enough of them in his career.

What most people didn’t know about the EMS

world was that a majority of their calls weren’t
true emergencies at all. A good portion of them
were people who could very well drive

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themselves to the hospital or didn’t really have
life-threatening injuries. However, they never
showed that on TV or in the movies. They only
showed the glamor and the excitement of the job.

Grif called St. Michael’s to let them know that

they had a priority three coming their way. A
priority three was the lowest level of emergency.
Just as he was pulling out, he could hear the
patient ask, “Shouldn’t you be using the lights and
sirens?”

“No, ma’am,” Colby said respectfully, “We

only do that if somebody is dying.”

“Well, I feel like I’m dying,” she huffed.
Grif rolled his eyes and gripped the steering

wheel so hard his knuckles popped. He was really
getting too old for this job. Had he any other skills,
he would have quit a long time ago. With his
current mindframe, he knew he wasn’t doing any
good for himself or the patients.

After a while, he just tuned out the

conversation going on behind him. If there were
any problems, he was sure Colby would scream
for him. Soon enough, the hospital came into view.

When Grif saw that there were already several

other ambulances in the bay, he let out a groan.
Looked like it was a busy night. Not only that, he
would be running into his co-workers, some of
whom didn’t seem to like him for some odd
reason. It’s not like he ever did anything to them.

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Okay, maybe he was grumpy from time to time,
but he was never out right mean or anything.

He parked, then grabbed a wheelchair from

inside the double doors and took it to the back
door of the rig. Opening them up, he told the
patient. “Here, you can go in on this.”

She gave him a look of horror. “I’m too sick.”
“No, you’re not, and we all know it. Now hop

on.”

She gave him a filthy look, but did as he asked.

“You are the worst paramedic I’ve ever had.”

If Grif had a nickel for every time he’d heard

that, he’d have been able to retire a long time ago.
He just kept his trap shut and helped her into the
chair, then wheeled her to the triage area.

“Don’t I get a room?” she asked.
“I’ll let them decide where you go next. They

may not have a bed for you yet,” Grif explained.

“But I could be dying,” she shrieked.
Lucas, the nurse who happened to be running

triage that day, gave Grif a gee-thanks look. “I
think you’re going to be okay. Why don’t you tell
me why you’re here?”

As the patient began to rattle off her long list of

complaints, Grif left and made his way to the EMS
room. He found Colby already there, hard at work
on the paperwork for the run. There were several
other of their co-workers there, so they said hello.
Grif returned the greetings as he got himself a cup

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of coffee and sat down.

Matt, the company’s biggest mouth, smirked at

him. “Colby told us you had another GOMER. Bet
you just loved that.”

The entire EMS company knew how much Grif

hated those kinds of calls. In fact, one could say
that Grif had a notorious reputation for that. Grif
just grunted and shot Matt a dirty look.

“Did you really dump her in triage?” Matt

asked.

When Grif nodded, Matt howled with laughter.

“I love it. Only you would have the balls to do
something like that. So, have they managed to find
you a permanent partner yet?”

Grif shook his head. “Nobody can stand my

charming personality.”

Colby snorted. “Charming, my ass. You’ve

threatened to kick my ass twice today.”

“I wouldn’t have actually gone through with

it,” Grif defended.

“What did Colby do?” Matt asked.
“It took him three tries before he got an IV on a

patient with perfectly good veins and then he
nearly gave a patient too much morphine. So I’m
just looking out for the patients’ well-being. If I
don’t teach the kid, how is he ever going to
learn?”

Colby threw his hands in the air. “There are

better ways than threatening me with physical

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harm. I hate to break it to you, Grif, but you scare
the hell out of most of us.”

“Why would you guys be scared of me?” Grif

asked defensively.

“You threatened to throw Tommy out of the rig

while it was going down I-75,” Colby said.

“He wouldn’t stop singing Adele.”
“Then you told Eric that you were going to

strand him in the North end of Flint.”

“He almost dropped a patient when we were

carrying them down the stairs.”

“How about the time you threatened to drag

David behind the rig?”

“He almost set off the defibrillator while we

were standing in a puddle of water.”

Matt gave a shrug. “It sounds like Grif had a

reason to be ticked in all those cases. Well, not the
Adele one. I love her. He just didn’t need to get so
extreme in his threats.”

“I would never have actually gone through

with them. It would have been too much work,”
Grif defended.

Matt wagged a finger at him. “You really need

to work on your people skills. Has anybody ever
told you that?”

“Every damn day of my life. In fact, I’m

thinking about getting it tattooed on my ass.”

Matt’s eyes got wide with excitement. “Oh, let’s

go get it done together. I’ve been thinking about

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getting a tattoo of my own. We can make a day of
it and have lunch together.”

Grif pinched the bridge of his nose as he

reminded himself that Matt was one of the few
people that he actually did like. God help him
though, he had no clue why. The guy could be
annoying as hell at times.

“What is your tattoo going to say, I’m an idiot?”

Grif asked.

“I was thinking more along the lines of I’m a

God, but we can go your way.” Matt shrugged.

Grif took a drink of coffee, savoring the caffeine

buzz. Since it was at the end of his shift, he was
beat, and he needed the added stimulus to keep
him going. Especially since he would be pulling a
double shift the next day. Damn it, he really didn’t
feel like it, but he needed the extra cash. Being in
the EMS field didn’t pay that much, and he
needed as much work as he could get to pay the
bills.

Lucas came barging in and slammed a

clipboard down on the table. “Grif, I should shoot
you.”

“See, I’m not the only one who makes violent

threats,” Grif said.

“Why did you bring that patient to triage?”
“Because we both know that she was just

abusing the system, and I wanted to teach her a
lesson. That was the third time she called an

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ambulance for a cold. Meanwhile, somebody
could be having a heart attack and dying because
there isn’t a rig available.”

Lucas sighed. “I guess you have a point. I am

just pissed off at her and taking it out on you. She
threw a fit when I made her go to the waiting
room.”

Grif smiled. He would have loved to have seen

that one. He turned to Colby. “You ready to go?
Our shift is over, so we can go back to base.”

“Thank God for small favors,” Colby muttered.
“I heard that.”
They got back to the rig and drove back to base.

Once they got there, they began to clean out the
rig and stock it up for the next crew. Once that
was done, they went to clock-out. On their way
there, the chief came out and stopped them. “Grif,
I need to talk to you.”

Grif let out a sigh. “I swear I didn’t threaten

Colby in any way.”

“He didn’t, believe it or not,” Colby backed him

up. “Well, he did twice, but he really didn’t mean
them…honest.”

“It’s not about that.”
Colby shrugged, then took off, leaving Grif and

the chief alone. The chief was around fifteen years
older than Grif’s thirty years and had about fifty
pounds on him. He was bald and had a red nose
that spoke of an alcohol problem that was the

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worst kept secret in the EMS community.

“What do you need, Chief?” Grif asked.
“It’s about you and the partner situation.”
Grif immediately tensed. This couldn’t be good.

“What about it?”

“Word came from above. You need to get

somebody steady or else.”

“Or else what?”
“You’re going to be let go.”
Grif let out a muttered curse. While he didn’t

love the job like he used to, he needed it to keep
living. To lose it would be disastrous. “So, what
are you going to do?”

“Well, I asked around, and there is only one

person who will agree to be your partner.”

Grif already knew he wasn’t going to like this.

“Who’s that?”

The chief pointed over to one of the newbies

who was in the corner talking to Colby. While Grif
didn’t know his name, he’d seen the guy around
before. With his cute-as-apple-pie looks, how
could he have missed him? From his light-blond
hair, to his trim swimmer’s build, and his baby
blue eyes, he just screamed boy-next-door.

Unfortunately, the kid had a reputation of

being an eager beaver who just loved his job and
had a hero complex. More than once, he almost
got a partner killed by his overzealousness on the
job. Which is why they’d dubbed him with the

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nickname Super-Medic.

“No way in hell,” Grif said.
The chief shook his head. “I’m sorry, but you

don’t have a choice in this one. My hands are
tied.”

“We’ll end up killing each other before our first

shift is over.”

“Maybe, but at least you’ll still have your jobs.”
“Is that supposed to be a joke?”
“Kind of.”
“Well, I’m not laughing.”
The chief just ignored him and yelled, “Hey,

Kevin!”

The blond looked up and then came running in

their direction. Even though he didn’t want to,
Grif couldn’t help but admire the other man’s
body as he came over. He then chastised himself.
Kevin didn’t look a day over twenty. Grif was way
too old to be ogling him.

“Kevin, meet your new partner.”
Grif cursed under his breath. He just knew this

was going to end up being a bitch of a partnership.

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Chapter Two

s Kevin entered the bay for his next day of
work, he didn’t know whether to laugh, cry,

or pee his pants out of fear. He still didn’t know
why he’d agreed to be Grif’s permanent partner.
Now he was facing his first workday with the
man, and it was going to be a double shift at that.
Kevin must have been out of his ever-living mind.

But nooooooo, he had been thinking with his

wrong mind when the chief had come up and
asked. Kevin’s cock had been in control and had
screamed a resounding yes before his brain could
even interrupt and say Ah, I don’t think this would

be such a good idea.

Kevin couldn’t help it, though, because for all

his grumpiness, Grif was so damn hot. With his
dark hair that had just a hint of gray at the temples
and his brown eyes that seemed so deep, Kevin
was a goner. That was even before one added in
his tight body and an ass that looked like it was
molded from the gods above. Dear Lord, that guy

Circling the Drain

was a mountain of muscles, and damned if Kevin
didn’t want to climb it.

He let out a sigh as he walked into the bay. He

could dream all he wanted, but there was no way
that he would ever have a chance. Grif was one
tough cookie, and Kevin had little chance to ever
crack that thing open. So, he might as well chalk it
up as a crush that was just going to stay that
way—a crush and nothing more.

He walked up the rig and found Grif already

there, checking to make sure that all the
equipment was stocked and they were ready for
the long day ahead. After stashing his bags in the
front passenger seat, Kevin went in the back to
join him.

“Let’s get some things straight right from the

beginning,” Grif said by way of greeting.

“O…okay,” Kevin stammered, already not

liking where the conversation was heading.

“I’m in charge, and you listen to what I say. Got

it?”

“Sure. You’re senior partner. I understand.”
“And I don’t want you to try to play any of

your superhero stunts on me.” Grif gave him a
firm look.

Kevin nodded. Even though the look should

have scared him, and it did, it also turned him on
a bit. “I’ll be good.”

The expression on Grif’s face said he doubted

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that. “Also, I expect you to know your crap. If you
make a mistake and hurt or kill a patient, you’ll
have me to answer to.”

“I graduated first in my class,” Kevin defended.
“Yeah, well, the classroom is a whole lot

different from the field. You should know that by
now.”

Yeah, Kevin did, but he decided not to point

that out. If there was one thing he knew about
Grif, it was that he didn’t like to be argued with.
As it was, they had already gotten off to a stellar
start.

“Yeah, got it,” Kevin said.
He then shut his trap and began to help with

the inventory. At least that was something he
couldn’t fuck up. Or at least he hoped he couldn’t.
One could never be too sure with Grif.

Soon they were done and ready to go into

service. Kevin immediately went to the passenger
seat, because he sensed that Grif was the type that
liked to be behind the wheel.

Grif picked up the mic. “Alpha-482—ready for

call.”

Dispatch came back. “We have a transport for

you.”

Grif let out a growl. Transports were usually

reserved for basic rigs, not for advanced rigs.
“What is it?”

Once they got the address, Grif let out a sigh,

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then turned to Kevin. “It’s Ms. McCall. She’s one
of our regular patients that we transport to
dialysis. The basic rigs must all be busy, so we’re
stuck.”

Kevin shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t see the

big deal. A call was a call. It beat just sitting
somewhere, doing nothing at all. “Okay.”

“I’ll warn you now, she’s going to try to talk

your ears off.”

“That’s okay. I’m a good listener."”
Grif smirked. “We’ll see.”
They drove to one of the worst areas of Flint

and stopped in front of what looked to have once
been a nice home. But the building had been
allowed to deteriorate. The paint was peeling in
places, and the roof was in dire need of repair.

They got out, grabbed the cot, then went inside

to find an elderly lady waiting for them. She was
so small and frail that she looked like she would
fall if Kevin so much as bumped into her. Her gray
hair was pulled back into a bun, and she wore
bright pink lipstick. When she smiled at them,
there was still a bit of youth in her blue eyes,
though.

“Ah, my limo is here,” she said.
“Only the best for you, ma’am,” Kevin said as

he patted the cot. “Take a seat, and we will carry
you out.”

She gave Grif a disapproving look. “Well, he’s

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much more polite than you. You could learn some
manners from this one.”

Kevin bit the inside of his cheek to keep from

laughing. “I take it you two have met before.”

“Unfortunately, we have. This man needs to

learn how to smile more.”

She gave Grif another dirty look before she got

on the cot. Kevin took the blanket and made sure
she was tucked in and comfortable before
strapping her in place. They then took her out and
loaded her in the back.

Grif slammed the back doors and left Kevin and

the patient alone in the back. Kevin turned to her
and gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry about
that.”

“It’s okay. He just doesn’t have a reason to

smile. I’ve seen his type before.” She patted
Kevin’s hand.

“You have.”
“Yes, he’s lonely and has nothing to be happy

about. I feel like that sometimes. That’s when I
think about my Harry and the times we had
before he died.”

“How long ago did he pass?” Kevin asked as he

began to take her vitals.

“Ten years ago, but it still seems like it was just

yesterday.”

“Was he your husband?”
“Yes, we had sixty beautiful years together.”

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She smiled, then let out a happy sigh. “I still
remember when we were younger and used to go
dancing. He was the Fred Astaire to my Ginger
Rogers.”

“I’ll bet you guys looked terrific together.”
“We were better than terrific. You should have

seen us cut up that dance floor. Every eye was on
us. It was like a dream.”

“I’m sure it was.”
Kevin finished taking her vitals then sat down

in the jump seat and just listened to her as she
talked about her life with her husband. To his
surprise, he found that he was genuinely
interested in her stories. The vivid way she
described things almost took him back to those
times. When they pulled up to the dialysis center,
Kevin was actually disappointed.

Grif backed the rig up, then got out and opened

the back doors. Kevin hopped out to help unload
the cot and they wheeled the patient inside. They
were greeted by the staff who directed them to
one of the many dialysis chairs.

After they moved the elderly lady to the chair,

Kevin kissed the back of her hand and said,
“Thank you. It was an honor talking to you
today.”

“No, thank you for taking the time to listen to

an old lady talk about old times,” she returned.

Kevin could see Grif roll his eyes, but he chose

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to ignore him. Let him keep his negativity for
once. Kevin really had enjoyed listening to the
stories, and he wasn’t going to be sorry for it. If
Grif didn’t like it, too bad for him.

They went back out, got into the rig, and

cleaned up before going back to the front seats. As
soon as the doors were closed, Grif started in.
“You know, you’re just encouraging her.”

Kevin shrugged. “So? She’s just lonely and

wanted somebody to talk to. What’s the big deal?
Besides, she has some really interesting things to
say. You should try listening to her sometime.”

Grif snorted. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Kevin shook his head. “Why are you so

negative all the time?”

“Give it ten years, and you’ll be the same way,

kid.”

“First of all, I’m not a kid, and, second, I’ll

never be as negative as you.”

“You say that now, but we’ll see after you’ve

been doing this job for a decade.”

Kevin could feel himself getting more irritated

with each passing moment. “If you hate it so
much, then why don’t you just quit and put us all
out of our misery?”

“Because, believe it or not, I need this job to pay

the bills. I don’t have a mommy or daddy to back
me up, like you probably do.”

Kevin clamped his lips together. There was no

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way in hell he was going to tell Grif that he did
still live with his parents. But it wasn’t his fault. It
was only because he’d just gone through a bad
breakup with his last boyfriend who’d basically
left him with nothing but a negative bank account
and bad credit. What a way to start his life, when
he was only twenty.

The mic crackled, “Alpha—482, we have a

Priority One call for you.”

Grif replied, “Alpha—482, ready.”
“There is a multi-car accident at the

Southbound 75 Miller Road exit, several casualties
are reported. PD and Fire are on scene, and you
have backup coming as well.”

Kevin could feel a jolt of adrenaline as fear

went through him. While he was trained for this,
he always worried that he wouldn’t live up to
expectations when it came to the real thing.

His worries must have shown on his face,

because Grif gave him a knowing look, “It’s okay
to be afraid, I’d be worried about you if you
weren’t. Just stick close by me, do what I say, and
you’ll be fine.”

Kevin nodded as Grif turned on the lights and

sirens, then raced down the streets. One thing that
amazed Kevin as a medic was how many cars
refused to pull over whenever an ambulance came
up behind them. It wasn’t just this call, either, as
he’d seen it on several other calls. Be it that they

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had their radios on too loud, or they just didn’t
care. People would continue to block the rig’s
way. Kevin wondered how they’d feel if it were
their loved one the paramedics were rushing to
save.

Even with the small delays, they were still able

to make it there quickly, and what Kevin saw
horrified him. There had to be at least ten cars
involved. Some of them were only slightly dented,
but others were flipped over or on their sides. The
firemen were working on a couple of them with
the jaws-of-life. Some people had already gotten
out of their cars and were wandering around,
blood covering their faces or arms.

There was only one other ambulance crew

there, and they were doing their best to triage the
patients, but Kevin could tell that they needed
help. All of a sudden the fear left his body as he
became focused on the task on hand. Snapping on
a pair of gloves, he grabbed his first aid bag and
jumped out, meeting Grif at the front of the rig.

“Should we help them triage victims?” Kevin

asked. “Or do we start treating?”

Two more ambulances pulled up, and Grif

looked at them and said, “Let them do the
treating. Let’s help with triaging. It’s obvious this
first crew is up to their asses in alligators.”

Kevin nodded and got the triage tags out of the

bag. He and Grif then went around and began to

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triage the car accident victims. The ones who had
life-threatening injuries got marked priority one,
the lesser hurt ones were marked as second, the
walking wounded got marked as third, whereas
the dead got marked as fourth.

It was a hard, tiresome, sometimes gut-

wrenching task. Once it was done, Kevin and Grif
moved on, helping to treat and dispatch patients
to the waiting ambulances. Finally, after what
seemed like forever, there were only a few priority
threes left. Kevin and Grif took one of them, a
teenage girl, and led her to the back of their
ambulance.

Even though she’d been running around and

screaming the entire time, they still used a
backboard as a precaution. The entire time they
were strapping her into it, she bitched.

“I look like a dork in this thing,” she whined.
“It’s just a precaution, in case you injured your

spine,” Kevin assured her.

“I still can’t find my cell phone,” she whined.
“That’s the least of your worries right now,”

Grif told her.

“But I was in the middle of a text when the

accident happened.”

Kevin’s gut dropped as he exchanged looks of

horror with Grif. “Is that what caused the
accident?”

She let of a huff, her blonde bangs blowing out

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of her face. “How am I supposed to know? I was
too busy texting. Remember? God! Don’t you guys
know how to listen?”

Grif tightened up one of the belts holding her to

the backboard. “I guess my hearing went out
when we were loading up that screaming baby a
few minutes ago.”

The girl just rolled her eyes, but otherwise acted

like she couldn’t care less. They quickly loaded her
up and Kevin hopped into the back of the rig with
her. He took her vitals and got her medical
history, but otherwise didn’t bother talking to her.

All he could think was that if most patients

were like this, it was no wonder that Grif was so
burned out. This girl could have very well caused
an accident that killed at least two people, yet she
acted like she couldn’t care less. What kind of
person does that?

They pulled up to St. Michael’s and wheeled

her into the back. On their way out, they made
sure to stop by the detectives working the accident
and tell them the whole cell phone story. At least
they seemed interested in it. In fact, as soon as Grif
and Kevin were done telling them about it, the
detectives made a beeline to the girl’s room.

As they got back to the rig, Grif turned to Kevin

and said, “You did a great job back there.”

Kevin smiled. “Is that an actual compliment?”
“Yeah, but don’t get a big head or anything. I’m

Circling the Drain

sure you’ll mess up sooner or later.”

That still didn’t stop Kevin from getting a warm

feeling in his chest.

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Three

ven though he was dead tired after working
the double shift, Grif still decided to go out

after work. It wasn’t just any place either, but the
local bar where all the gay EMS workers liked to
hang out.

Since it was a Friday, he knew there was a good

chance that he would run into Matt there. Since
Matt was the biggest mouth in the EMS
community, he would be able to tell Grif
everything there was to know about Kevin.

Grif tried to tell himself that he wasn’t hoping

to run into Kevin there, too. After all, he wasn’t
even sure if the kid was gay or not. Plus, there was
still the huge age difference between them. But a
small part of Grif really did want to see Kevin
again.

Like it or not, Kevin was beginning to worm his

way under Grif’s skin. Something that no one had
been able to do in years. And in the span of two

Circling the Drain

shifts, too. Grif didn’t know how in the hell Kevin
had managed to do it. There was just something
about the brat that appealed to Grif and made him
want to know Kevin better.

Grif walked into the bar and found Matt at his

usual spot. He was sitting with Lucas and some of
their other friends. Grif let out a sigh and walked
over, not sure how his appearance would be
received. He knew that he wasn’t too well liked at
work. They could very well tell him to take a hike.

Matt looked up in surprise. “What are you

doing here?”

Grif gave a half shrug. “Just thought I’d come

and hang out for a while. Do you guys mind if I
join you?”

“Of course not.”
They all scooted over in the booth to make

room for him. A waitress immediately came over
and Grif ordered a beer.

“So I hear you have a new partner,” Matt said.
Grif let out a sigh of relief. At least Matt was

helping him out by getting straight to the subject.
So Grif didn’t have to struggle and make small
talk, something he’d never been good at.

“Yeah, his name is Kevin. Do you know

anything about him?”

“Well, he’s gay, so he’ll have no problem

working with you if that’s what you’re worried
about,” Matt said.

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That bit of news made Grif way happier than it

should have. He once again reminded himself of
their vast age difference. Even though they were
both gay, it didn’t mean that Kevin would fall for
a man who was ten years older than him.

“Is there anything else you know about him?”
The waitress brought back his beer, and Grif

took a drink.

Matt paused, as if thinking. “He just got out a

really bad relationship.”

Grif frowned. “How bad can it be? The kid is

only twenty?”

“The guy was five years older and really took

advantage of him. He used Kevin’s name and
social security number to open a ton of bogus
bank accounts and credit lines. He ruined Kevin’s
credit and then took off. Kevin is trying to get it
fixed, but it’s taking forever, and everything is still
a mess. He can’t even rent his own apartment
right now. He has to live with his parents until
things are cleared up.”

“Did they ever catch the guy who did it?” Grif

asked.

“No, and the real bitch of it is I think that’s not

all he did to Kevin. While Kevin never went so far
as to admit it, I think his ex abused him both
physically and mentally. Whatever the case, the
relationship left Kevin a mess for a while.”

“How can you know that? He’s only been

Circling the Drain

working with the company for a little while.” Grif
asked.

“I helped out some with his class while he was

training to become a medic. Trust me when I say
Kevin has come a long way.” Matt leaned back in
the booth and gave Grif a shrewd look. “Why are
you so interested in him anyway?”

Grif took another drink of his beer and gave a

shrug. “He’s my new partner. I thought I should
know as much as I could about him.”

“So you drove all the way here after working a

double for that? You could have just as easily
asked me all this at work.”

Damn it, but Grif had forgotten how smart Matt

could be. Despite his blond hair and airhead
attitude, he had one sharp brain, and he never
missed a darn thing.

Grif gave him a droll look. “It’s not what you

think.”

“Are you sure, because from where I sit, it sure

looks like it to me.”

“He’s ten years younger than me and annoying

as hell.”

“He’s also as cute as hell and one damn good

medic, both of which would appeal to you.”

“You hardly know me, so how in the heck

would you know my type?”

Matt snorted. “I know you a lot better than you

think I do, Grif. You may think that you are tough

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and grumpy as shit, but you’ve let your guard
down enough times for me to read you.”

Now, Grif was really surprised. “Oh, really?

And just what have you picked up on me?”

“You think you hate the job, but it’s really the

way your life is going that you hate. You’re lonely
and need some excitement to spice it up. I happen
to think that Kevin is the spark that you need. You
may not want to hear this, but he’s probably the
best thing that happened to you in a long time.”

Grif rolled his eyes. “We’ve worked one shift

together and already you have us picking china
patterns out. I think you need to slow down there.
For all we know, Kevin can’t stand the sight of
me.”

Matt pointed at him. “First of all, it was a

double shift, and, second, I happen to know for a
fact he likes you a lot. He can hardly take his eyes
off you whenever you’re around. I almost had to
mop the floor one time, he was drooling so badly
over you.”

“Come on, Matt. Now isn’t time for your

bullshit games,” Grif said, feeling more than
slightly annoyed at the other medic.

Matt leaned forward, and for once there wasn’t

a hint of mirth in his expression. “I’m as serious as
a heart attack. That kid has it bad for you.
Although, with your attitude, I have no idea why.
You could scare away Attila the Hun with that

Circling the Drain

angry mug of yours. Do you know the newbies are
calling you Hannibal the Lecture?”

Grif snorted. “That’s not really that original.”
“Well, I do have to admit, Kevin is the only

salvageable one in the bunch. The rest of them are
throwbacks. If they last a month, it will be a
miracle.”

“Yet everybody says I’m mean when I yell at

them.”

Matt gave him an are-you-kidding look. “You

threaten them with bodily harm, there’s a slight
difference.”

“Come on, we all know they deserved it. They

could have really ended up hurting a patient with
their incompetence. If they can’t do their job right,
it’s not like a normal career where a shipment gets
lost or something. Here, somebody dies. There’s a
big difference and we all know it. If they can’t take
the heat then they need to leave for the good of
everybody.”

Matt sighed and ran a hand through his

perfectly styled hair. “I know, but isn’t there a way
you can tell them that without threatening them.”

Grif grunted. “Probably. I’ll try and work on

that.”

“Well, hopefully it won’t come to that anymore

since you have Kevin as a partner. I’ve worked a
couple of shifts with him, and he’s really good at
what he does.”

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“Yeah, I saw that today. At the accident today,

he didn’t even flinch once, and it was pretty bad.
He even managed to start an IV on a patient who
had veins that were blown to crap from years of
drug use. He did it on the first try, too. I don’t
think even I would have managed to do that, and
I’ve been doing them for years.”

Matt clapped him on the shoulder. “Look at

you. Being nice already. See, it’s not that hard, is
it? There may be hope for you yet.”

“I wouldn’t get too excited yet. Kevin and I

have only worked one day together. He’ll
probably end up hating me just like all the rest of
my partners have.”

Matt shook his head. “I don’t see that

happening.”

* * * *

Kevin dragged himself up to his bedroom and fell
face first onto his mattress. He couldn’t remember
a time when he’d been so tired in all his life. After
pulling a double shift and spending all that time
trying to impress Grif, he was beat.

He knew he should take off his uniform and

grab a shower, but he just didn’t have the energy.
He was lucky enough to have been able to take off
his boots at the door and that was only because

Circling the Drain

he’d face his mother’s wrath had he not done so.

When his door flew open and he felt a bounce

on his mattress, he didn’t even look up. “What do
you want, Josie?”

Only his sister would come in and bug him at a

time like this. While she might be eighteen,
sometimes she still acted like she was still eight.
She leaned down until her face was directly in
front of his, her long, blonde hair cascading in
front of his face.

“More hate mail came for you today,” she

announced.

Kevin groaned. That was her way of saying

letters from angry creditors who still didn’t get it
that his identity had been stolen, and he wasn’t
responsible for the debt that Antonio had racked
up on his behalf. When was it ever going to end? It
was like an ongoing nightmare that Kevin could
never wake up from.

“Just stick them with the rest of them, so I can

give them to my lawyer,” Kevin said with a yawn.

“Already done. How was your first shift with

tall, dark, and studly?” she asked. “Was he as
grumpy as always?”

“Actually, it wasn’t too bad. He made it clear

that I was to follow his rules, but other than that,
he wasn’t too mean at all. He was actually kind of
nice a few times.”

She arched a brow. “He didn’t yell at you

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once?”

“No, he even told me that I did a good job a

couple of times.”

She rolled off of him. “Well, I guess that may

have to do with the fact that he’s working with the
best medic in the company.”

Kevin chuckled. “I wouldn’t go that far. I’m still

new. I’m sure I’ll make plenty of mistakes for him
to yell at me for. It’s just a matter of time.”

She gave him a playful swat on the shoulder.

“Have more faith in yourself for once. Will you?”

Kevin arched a brow at her. “You have to admit

I haven’t made the best choices in my life so far.”

“You made a couple of bad mistakes, so what.

You’re still young yet. You’re allowed to do that.”

“Somebody needs to tell Dad that. Maybe then

he’ll stop riding my ass and telling me I’ll told you
so.”

“I love Dad, but he can be a real ass at times,”

she huffed.

“At least he let me move back in. Otherwise, I’d

be living in my car. How pathetic would that be?”

“Yeah, but he never misses a chance to tell you

what a loser you are.”

Kevin sat up and put his hands on his head. “I

am a loser. Otherwise, I would have realized what
Antonio was up to sooner. Instead, I was blind
and just let him use and abuse me for a whole
year. Now my whole life is in the toilet thanks to

Circling the Drain

him.”

Josie sat up and rubbed his back. “You’re not a

loser. You were just too trusting, that’s all. Pretty
soon, they’ll have this whole mess fixed up for
you, and you’ll have your life back.”

“Yeah, but in the meantime it’ll cost me

thousands of dollars in lawyers’ fees and all other
kinds of crap while Antonio will probably get
away with it. His kind always does.”

Josie got a fierce look on her face. “Not if I ever

see him. I’ll cut off his balls and shove them down
his throat.”

“Well, that’s a visual I never wanted to have in

my mind.”

“Kevin!” their father called from downstairs. “I

need you to come down for a moment.”

Josie gave him a sympathetic look. “You better

hurry. You know that tone of voice. He’s in one of
his moods.”

Kevin let out a sigh, got up, and went

downstairs, dreading the upcoming confrontation.
He found his father waiting for him in the kitchen.
As always, his father was dressed in khaki pants
and a polo shirt. His slightly balding, brown hair
was combed over to the side and his paunch was
protruding over his waistband.

“You wanted to talk to me,” Kevin said.
“Yes, the rent is due. You’re not going to be late

again, are you?”

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“No, I have it right here.”
Kevin took out his wallet and began to pull out

the money.

“I don’t want cash. I need a check."”
Kevin sighed. “I told you last time. I can’t get a

bank account because my credit is too bad right
now.”

“You mean because you let that loser take

advantage of you.”

The comment stung, but Kevin hid it, trying to

keep his expression neutral. He just nodded and
handed over the bills. “It’s either this, or wait until
tomorrow when I can get a money order.”

His father snatched away the money. “No, I

better take it now while you still have it. Do you
know the creditors have started calling here? Can
you imagine how embarrassing that is for your
mother?”

Yeah, Kevin just bet that his mother with her

heart that was as cold as ice was mortified by that.
She probably took great delight in telling the
creditors to fuck off. It must have been the
highlight of her day.

“How much longer are you going to be staying

here?” his father demanded.

“I don’t know. As soon as everything gets

straightened out, I’ll leave.”

Kevin wanted to add that it couldn’t happen

fast enough for him, but he didn’t want to

Circling the Drain

aggravate his father any further.

“Are you finished with me?” Kevin asked.
“Yes, you can get out of my sight now.”
Kevin ran up to his room and shut the door. As

he sat back down on the bed, he wondered how
he’d let his life get to be such a mess and if he’d
ever see the end of it.

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Four

s Grif pulled up to base the next day for his
shift, he found that for the first time in what

seemed like forever he wasn’t dreading a shift. He
wasn’t exactly giddy with excitement, but he
didn’t feel like he was going to his own special
prison, either.

When he went to the rig, he was pleasantly

surprised to see that Kevin was already there and
hard at work, checking the inventory. Kevin
glanced up and gave Grif a smile that was so
sweet it sent a jolt of desire through Grif.

“Hey, I brought an extra coffee if you’re

interested,” Kevin said. “I got it from the coffee
shop, too, so it’s not the crap they make here.”

“Are you trying to butter me up?” Grif teased.
“No, I’m just trying to save you from stomach

rot. If you keel over, who knows who they’ll stick
me with.”

“And here I thought I was the lowest one could

Circling the Drain

go on the partner totem pole.”

“Believe it or not, I requested you.”
Grif paused mid-step. “You what?”
A slight blush crept up Kevin’s cheeks as he

shrugged. “I heard you were one of the best, and I
wanted to learn from you.”

Even though Kevin used that excuse, a small

part of Grif wondered if what Matt had said last
night was true. Did Kevin have a thing for Grif?
Grif shook his head. He was just letting his ego get
away with him. There is no way a young, good-
looking guy would ever be interested in a wasted,
washed-out nobody like him. Matt had to have
just been fucking with him.

Grif went in the back and helped with the rest

of the inventory. It was hard though, since the
entire time he was vividly aware of Kevin’s
presence. How the medic smelled so good. The
way his body looked so good as he stretched up to
reach the top shelves. The way his brow crinkled
when he was counting something.

Much to Grif’s horror, his body began to react

to all of the added eye candy, and his cock got
hard. He shifted his body, hoping that his erection
wasn’t visible through his pants. That’s all he
needed now. Kevin would probably think he was
some creepy old man.

Kevin clapped his hands together and flashed

another one of those smiles of his. “Okay, I think

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we’re all set. You ready?”

“Sure.” The sooner we get out of here the better.

Maybe we’ll get a call right away, and then I can stop
thinking about throwing you on that cot and fucking

you into submission.

Grif got behind the driver’s seat and picked up

the mic. “Alpha—482, ready for service.”

Dispatch came back. “Go to station 53.”
Grif let out a groan. Station 53 wasn’t actually a

station at all, but the parking lot of one of the local
7-11s. They had rigs scattered throughout the city
so that no home or business was farther than
seven minutes from an ambulance. While it was
great in theory, it could mean hours of boredom
for a crew who had to sit in a rig with nothing to
do.

They pulled out and within minutes were

sitting in the lot of the run-down store. At least
they got free drinks while they were there. The
owners loved having the rigs there because they
were less likely to get robbed while an ambulance
was in their parking lot. So, it was a win for them.

Kevin undid his seatbelt and stretched out

while Grif did his best to ignore how good his
muscles looked as they moved under his uniform.
Damn, but this was going to be a long shift if they
didn’t get a call soon.

“So, what made you decide to become a

medic?” Grif asked to take his mind off his aching

Circling the Drain

cock and how he’d like to bury it in Kevin’s tight
ass.

Kevin gave a half shrug. “It’s always been

something I’ve wanted to do. I guess I must have
something for a guy in a uniform and the idea of
working around a bunch of them appealed to me.”

Grif gave him an are-you-kidding-me look, but

when Kevin answered him with a big grin, Grif
realized he’d been kidding.

Kevin shook his head. “I took a first aid class in

high school and realized that I really liked doing
this kind of thing. It appealed to me. I tried the
college route for a couple of months, but I kept
coming back to this. So here I am. Why did you
get into it?”

Grif gave a bitter smile. “I was young and

stupid. I thought it would be all glamor and
excitement. That I could actually make a
difference.”

Kevin searched his face carefully. “I’m sure you

have.”

“Some days it doesn’t feel like it. I just feel like

I’m treading water and getting nowhere fast.”

Grif didn’t know why he was confessing all this

to a kid that he hardly knew. But somehow it felt
good to get it all off his chest. He’d been holding it
in for so long, that it was a huge relief to finally
unload on somebody. Even if it was some green
kid who probably didn’t give a damn what some

Stephani Hecht

guy whose career was basically circling the drain
had to say.

“Maybe you just need to find something new to

live for,” Kevin said.

It was so close to what Matt said the night

before that for a second it took Grif aback. “What
do you mean?”

“When was the last time you went on a date?”
“A what?"”
A blush crept up Kevin’s cheeks. “A date. As in

with another guy.”

“I can’t remember the last time I actually went

out on a real date.”

“Well, it’s about time that you did. Like say

maybe with me?”

Grif was so tempted but he knew he couldn’t. “I

would love to, but you’re way too young for me.”

Kevin rolled his eyes. “Age is just a number.

Besides, I happen to like older guys.”

“I still don’t think it’s a good idea. Especially

since you’re still getting over Antonio.”

Kevin’s gaze narrowed. “Who told you about

him?”

“Matt.”
“I should have known. Besides, Antonio has

nothing to do with this. I’m way over him. I have
been for a long time.”

“Are you sure about that? He really pulled a

number on you. What he did to you was really

Circling the Drain

shitty, and it’s only been a few months.”

“Antonio and I are history.”
Before Grif realized what he was doing he

reached across the rig and cupped Kevin’s cheek.
“What else did he do to you?”

“Can we not talk about it? Like I said, it is

history.”

“If you want me to go out with you, then yes,

we do have to talk about it. I have the right to
know what I’m getting myself into.”

Kevin angrily jerked his face away. “Forget I

even said anything about it then.”

The mic crackled to life. “Alpha—482, we have

a priority one for you.”

Damn it, talk about bad timing. Grif keyed the

mic. “Alpha—482, copy.”

“There is a diabetic woman who is

unresponsive.” Dispatch then rattled off an
address about five minutes away.

Grif was already pulling away, lights and sirens

on as Kevin keyed the address into the GPS. Luck
was with them, traffic was light, and they made it
in under four minutes.

The daughter of the patient was waiting for

them at the doorway. She was waving her hands
frantically at them. “Hurry, she is bad this time."”

Kevin and Grif grabbed the cot and their

equipment and rushed into the small, yet tidy
home. They found the patient passed out in the

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middle of the living room. Kevin got out the stuff
to start an IV while Grif got out the equipment to
test her blood sugar. When he tested it and the
reading came back as blood sugar too low to read, he
knew they were in trouble. He showed it to Kevin
who just nodded.

They scooped up the patient and then he heard

Kevin sigh. When Grif looked over, he had to bite
the inside of his cheek to stop from laughing. The
patient had peed all over Kevin’s uniform, leaving
a huge wet spot down the front of it.

Kevin quickly shook it off. They strapped the

patient to the cot and took her to the rig. It was
then that Grif noticed that despite the patient’s
poor veins, Kevin had already managed to start a
large bore IV.

They got into the back before Kevin connected

her to the monitor and then began to slowly push
some glucose. All without Grif’s prompting. Grif
nodded then went around to the driver’s seat,
satisfied that Kevin had everything under control,
even if he might be pee-covered.

By the time that they got to the hospital, the

glucose was already beginning to do the trick
because the patient was stirring a bit. That still
didn’t mean that she was out of trouble yet, as she
had a long way to go before she would be on her
way home.

“Since it’s a bit chilly outside, why don’t I clean

Circling the Drain

up the rig while you do the paperwork?” Grif
offered with a smirk.

“Sure, you just want me to run into some of the

other medics from the company, so they can see
me covered in pee,” Kevin said.

Grif didn’t even bother to hide his smile. “Have

fun.”

Grif went outside and began to clean up the rig,

barely cringing at the urine-covered sheets. He’d
grown used to that kind of stuff a long time ago.
The entire time, he kept chuckling at the look on
Kevin’s face when the patient had peed on him. It
had been so priceless and cute at the same time.

Grif paused, wondering how long it had been

since a call like that had amused him so much. Not
that he took satisfaction from the patient suffering.
But rather the reaction Kevin had from getting the
wrong end of a potty accident.

Grif racked his brain and couldn’t think of an

incident where he’d been able to laugh on a call.
For so many years, it’d always just been the same-
old-same-old, he’d forgotten to find the gallows
humor in the hard life of a medic. That was, until
Kevin came around and reminded him of it.

Kevin came out, a scowl on his face, and Grif

couldn’t help but laugh. “Was it really that bad in
there?”

“Not only did all the hospital staff laugh at me,

but Dakota and Houston were there, and they had

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a go at me too.”

Grif let out a low whistle. “Dakota and Houston

are actually working as a crew together?”

“Yeah, both of their partners called in sick.”
Fear clawed at the inside of Grif’s chest as he

jumped in behind the wheel. “Let’s get out of here
before they come out. One of them alone is bad
enough, but you put both together, and you have
the makings of a disaster movie.”

“I agree with you on that one.”
They got in and Grif called dispatch to let them

know they would be out of service until Kevin
could go back to base to get a clean uniform.
When they could hear the laughter in the
background, Kevin groaned. “I guess it didn’t take
long for the story to get out. Somebody must have
told Matt.”

Grif felt bad for Kevin…almost. All medics had

to have at least one humiliating experience. It was
like a rite of passage.

Once they were back on the road, Kevin turned

to look at Grif. “You never really did answer my
question.”

Even though he had a pretty good inkling what

Kevin meant, Grif still asked, “What question is
that?”

“Will you go on a date with me?”
“I’m way too old for you.”
“And I already told you age is only a number. I

Circling the Drain

don’t care about that. I like you and want to know
you better.”

Grif shook his head in disbelief. “Why? Nobody

likes me.”

“That’s because you never give the chance for

anybody to know the real you.”

“How are you so certain this isn’t the real me?”

Grif asked.

At this point, even he wasn’t sure who the real

him was anymore. Was he the gruff, old medic, or
was he the man who had built the shields around
him like Matt had suggested?

Kevin gave him a smile. “I’m pretty good at

reading people.”

“You weren’t good with Antonio.”
The smile faded from Kevin’s face. “That was a

low blow, but I’m still not going to let you bully
me away. I want you, Grif, and nothing is going to
stop me from getting you.”

For some reason, that statement excited and

scared the hell out of Grif at the same time.

“We don’t always get what we want. You

should know that by now,” Grif said.

“But we can always try our hardest,” Kevin

countered easily.

“You’re not going to give up on this, are you?”
Kevin grinned and shook his head. “I can be

stubborn when I want to. Why do you think I
requested you as my partner? I’ve been watching

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you for a while”

So Matt had been right about that one. Kevin

had been checking out Grif. That tidbit shocked
Grif down to the tip of his boots.

“I’ll tell you what. I’m going to the bar tonight

to hang out. If you want to show up, the more the
merrier,” Grif conceded.

“See? I knew I could get you to see things my

way,” Kevin beamed.

“It’s not a date,” Grif clarified “We’re just

hanging with the guys.”

“Can I at least sit next to you?”
“I don’t give a shit where you sit.”
“How about on your lap?”
“Now you’re pushing things.”
Kevin blinked innocently. “Even if I grind my

ass on your cock while I’m there?”

Grif groaned. This kid was going to be the

death of him. “If you want to get us kicked out of
there, go right ahead.”

Kevin got a thoughtful look on his face. “Okay,

I’ll settle for just sitting next to you, but it’ll be
really, really close to you. How about that?”

“Just so long as you remember it’s not a date.”
“No, because you’re too old for me.”
“Exactly.”
“Hey, Grif?”
“What?”
“Have I ever told you what good head I give?”

Circling the Drain

Grif let out another groan. It was going to be a

damn long shift. He just knew it.

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Five

evin wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans as
he approached the door of the bar. He just

hoped that Grif would really be there like he said
and that he wouldn’t stand Kevin up. If he did,
talk about an awkward day at work tomorrow.

As soon as he got to the door, he was greeted

by the bouncer. “ID.”

When Kevin showed the card that tagged him

as only twenty, he immediately got a kiddie stamp
that meant no drinking for him. Or at least
nothing stronger than a soda.

He grimaced as he looked down at the bright

purple marking, knowing that it would only serve
as another reminder of the age gap between him
and Grif. He hoped it didn’t put Grif off more than
he already was. That was the last thing Kevin
needed.

He walked inside and immediately fell in love

with the place. It wasn’t the nicest bar he’d ever

Circling the Drain

seen. Some would even say it was run-down a bit.
The floors and walls were hardwood and painted
green. There were some dartboards off to the side
and a couple of pool tables. Several booths lined
the walls and there were high tables with stools in
the center of the big room. A long bar took up the
front.

He spotted several of his co-workers in the

biggest booth. Kevin grinned when he saw Grif
was with them. So he hadn’t been stood up after
all. Kevin ran a nervous hand over his t-shirt,
hoping it didn’t look too wrinkled, then made his
way over.

He recognized Matt, Dakota, Houston, Lucas,

and Forrest among the group. Grif was sitting on
the edge, so Kevin got the privilege of sitting next
to him. Since it was a tight squeeze, he got to sit
pretty close to him, too.

Matt gave him a knowing look. “So what brings

you out here tonight, newbie?”

“I just wanted to hang out,” Kevin answered

easily.

“I see,” Matt answered, his gaze flickering to

Grif.

The waitress came over and asked what he

wanted to drink. Kevin blushed and said, “Just a
cola, please.”

Matt hooted with laughter. “I forgot, you’re just

a baby. No beer for you.”

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“It’s just for another couple of months,” Kevin

defended.

“Leave him alone, he can’t help it,” Forrest

chastised.

“Yeah, just like Frick and Frack over here

couldn’t help it when they hit that patrol car
today.” Matt hooked a thumb at Dakota and
Houston.

Kevin breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the

attention was off him.

“Hey, it’s not our fault, that dumb cop car came

out of nowhere,” Houston said.

Lucas arched a brow. “It was parked. How is

that possible?”

“I don’t know. It just did,” Dakota argued.
“Besides, it’s not like we did that much

damage.”

“What are you talking about? You guys totaled

the police car,” Matt said.

Houston rolled his eyes. “We were talking

about the rig.”

Grif let out a sigh. “And with that, I’m going to

the bathroom.”

Kevin scooted out so Grif could get up then

counted to thirty before he said, “You know, I
think I need to go, too.”

He then went back to the bathroom, taking his

time so Grif could take care of his business before
Kevin got there. Kevin’s timing was perfect

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because when he walked in, Grif was washing his
hands. They were the only ones in there.
Peeeerrrrrrrrrrrrfect.

Grif let out a sigh. “What do you want?”
“Maybe I just need to go to the bathroom.”
“I can tell by the look on your face that it’s not

that.”

“Okay, so maybe I just wanted to talk.”
“You could have easily done that back at the

table.”

Kevin took several steps closer until he was

standing directly in front of Grif. “Why do you
keep trying to push me away?”

“I told you, you’re too young for me.”
Kevin stood on tiptoe and brushed their lips

together. “Hmmm…that felt just right to me.”

Letting out a muttered curse, Grif grabbed

Kevin by the wrist and dragged him from the
bathroom. Kevin expected him to take him back to
the table, so when he pulled him outside, he was a
bit perplexed.

That still didn’t stop him from cracking,

“Lookie, we’re holding hands.”

“Do me a favor and shut up for once,” Grif

growled.

So Kevin clamped his trap shut and just

followed along. Grif led him to an SUV and all but
threw him into the backseat. Kevin liked how
things were going until Grif followed him in,

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slammed the door then got right into his face.

Pointing a finger right at Kevin’s chest, Grif

said, “I don’t know how many times I have to
spell this out to you, but nothing is going to
happen between me and you. So you can just give
it up now.”

Since Kevin didn’t know how to reply to that,

he threw all caution to the wind, clamped both
hands on either side of Grif’s face, and gave him a
hard kiss. At first, Grif tensed. Then he let out a
curse and took control.

“Damn us both to hell,” Grif said as he lowered

Kevin back on the seat.

He slanted his lips over Kevin’s and deepened

the kiss, his tongue plundering Kevin’s mouth.
Kevin let out a whimper of delight as desire shot
through his body, going straight to his cock.

Kevin shifted his hands so they were on Grif’s

shoulders, his fingers digging into Grif’s dark t-
shirt. Grif settled so the weight of his hard body
pressed against Kevin, trapping Kevin, and
damned if Kevin didn’t love it.

Grif grabbed Kevin by the hair so he tilted his

head in the direction Grif preferred, and Kevin
obeyed the silent command, more than happy to
let him take the lead. Grif could have asked him to
do summersaults and he would have, just so long
as he kept kissing him.

Kevin’s aching cock demanded some attention,

Circling the Drain

so he began to grind it against Grif. At first just a
little bit, but more as the kissing became more
frenzied. Then just as things were starting to get
good and Kevin was about to cream his pants, Grif
abruptly pulled away.

“We can’t do this. Not here. Not now. Not

ever,” he said.

Kevin could feel his heart breaking a little bit

more with each word that was spoken. Then he
got angry as he realized just how much of an idiot
he’d been to believe that he could have any chance
with a decent guy like Grif.

Kevin must be broken somehow. There was just

no other way to explain it. How else could it be
that he only attracted losers like Antonio and
repelled nice guys like Grif? His father had been
right all along, and Kevin really was a loser.

“Let me up,” Kevin said in a tight voice.
If he didn’t get out of there soon, he was going

to do something stupid like cry or tell Grif to go
fuck himself. Either one of which would make
Kevin come off looking like a first-class jackass.

Grif’s face softened, as if he knew how much

he’d upset Kevin. Looked like the asshole did
have a heart after all. “Look, let’s talk about this.”

“I’m really not feeling chatty right now, if it’s

all the same to you.”

“Stop being a brat.”
“Stop being such an asshole, and let me out of

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here.”

Letting out a sigh, Grif got out. Kevin moved

fast, getting up, he was out of the SUV before one
could say Angry gay man. He still did make a big
show of slamming the door. While he would have
liked to have gone straight home, he knew that he
had to go back inside to the guys. He didn’t want
to cause a bigger scene than he already had.

As soon as he walked into the bar and sat back

down in the booth, he could tell by the what-the-
hell looks on the guys’ faces that he hadn’t fooled
them at all. Matt even reached over and smoothed
down Kevin’s hair. “There, your style was messed
up a bit.”

Kevin could feel his face grow crimson. Then

Grif came in, and the tension got so heavy that
Kevin almost vomited from it. Grif didn’t even
bother sitting down, he just threw a few bills on
the table and said, “If you guys don’t mind, I’ll be
calling it a night. I have an early shift in the
morning.”

He then turned and left. He never once so much

as looked in Kevin’s direction. While Kevin tried
not to let it hurt, it did bad. To mask his feelings,
he picked up his watery soda and took a big drink,
all the while avoiding the glances from the other
men at the table.

“What was that all about?” Matt asked.
“Nothing,” Kevin replied, staring down into his

Circling the Drain

glass.

“It didn’t look like nothing to me,” Matt said.
Kevin sighed. He might as well confess, Matt

was never going to let up until he did. “We went
out to his car to talk. Instead, we started kissing,
just when things were starting to get good, Grif
pulled back and said I was too young for him. End
of story.”

“Ouch!” Lucas said. “Sorry, that had to hurt.”
Kevin ran his hands through his hair. “I’m used

to it by now. First Antonio, now Grif. Guys just
like to dump on me. Even my own father thinks
I’m a loser.”

Forest reached across the table and grabbed

Kevin’s hand. “You are not a loser. You’ve just
had a string of bad luck is all. So stop talking
about yourself that way.”

Kevin gave him a watery grin. “Thanks, but it’s

true. I can’t even open a damn bank account or get
a Sears card for cripe’s sake. How sad is that? Plus,
you saw Grif just now. He couldn’t get away from
me fast enough. It was like he had a horde of
Pomeranians on his ass.”

Kevin got up. “Look I appreciate you guys

trying to cheer me up, but I’m just going to go
home. Like Grif said, we have an early shift
tomorrow.”

“Like that’s not going to be awkward,” Matt

snarked.

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Kevin let out a half laugh. “It’s always

awkward between us, no matter what. So that
won’t be anything new.”

He left the money for his tab and took off. As he

pulled up to his house, he let out a groan when he
saw the living room lights were on, indicating his
father was still up. Great! Just what he didn’t
need, another confrontation that night. As if his
evening hadn’t been crappy enough as it was.

Kevin briefly considered staying in his car all

night, but even he knew he couldn’t do that, so he
got out and went in to face the music.

As soon as he opened the door, his father

yelled, “Kevin! Get in here, now!”

When Kevin walked into the living room, he

was met by his father’s livid expression. “Where
have you been?”

“I was just out with some friends from work.”
His father pointed to the stamp on Kevin’s

hand. “You mean you were out clubbing.”

Kevin looked down at that and gave a small

laugh. “No, it was some dive bar. All I bought was
a cola. I swear. It was nothing fancy.”

His father came up and backhanded Kevin.

Kevin’s head whipped to the side, and blood
trickled from the corner of his lip. Stunned, Kevin
brought his hand up to his mouth.

His father had never hit him before. Not even to

spank him when he’d been a child. Kevin felt

Circling the Drain

stunned, betrayed and angry. A part of him
wanted to lash out and hit his father back but he
knew he didn’t have it in him.

“Don’t lie to me. You were probably at one of

those gay bars of yours, looking for him,” his
father spat angrily.

Kevin made a big show of licking away the

blood. “If you’re talking about Antonio, the next
time I want to see him again is in the courtroom. I
never want anything to do with him again. In fact,
I already have a new boyfriend now. His name is
Grif. I work with him.”

Okay, maybe it wasn’t the smartest thing in the

world to lie about Grif, but he wanted something
to show his father that he’d gotten over Antonio.
Something to shove back in his face. Maybe then
he could finally get a one up in one of their fights.

His father sneered at him. “Another paramedic?

Leave it to you to find another loser like you.”

“What’s wrong with being a paramedic?”

Kevin asked, more than a little hurt.

“Besides the crappy pay and hours? How about

the fact that you’re nothing more than lackeys for
doctors and nurses.”

“I’m out there saving lives. I thought you

would be proud of that.”

Kevin knew he should get up and walk away

before he got hurt any further, but the small part
of himself that still wanted to prove himself to his

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father refused to leave. Why he continued to be
that way, he didn’t know. He should have realized
years ago that he’d never live up to his
expectations. Yet Kevin kept on trying.

“Proud of you? I’ll never be proud of you. You

should have realized that months ago when you
fucked up. Shit, I should have realized it years
ago. You always were a disappointment, and that
hasn’t ever changed.”

Kevin’s body began to tremble despite his

resolve to stay strong. “I’m sorry.”

His dad gestured to the door. “Just get out of

my sight. I can’t even stand looking at you.”

Kevin nodded then turned and walked out of

the room. As he walked up the stairs, he
wondered how a night that started with such high
hopes could end up going so tragically wrong.

On the way to his room, Josie said something to

him, but he just ignored her. He went into his
room, shut the door and sat down on the edge of
the mattress. Putting his head in his hands, he
replayed the night’s events in his mind.

Could it have possibly gone any worse? The

only thing missing was the anvil to his head or the
exploding bomb in his face. Not only was his
father more pissed at him that ever, but Kevin had
probably blown any chance he ever had with Grif.

Kevin stretched back on the bed. He dreaded

having to go into work the next day. Not only was

Circling the Drain

he going to have to face all the guys, but he was
going to have to work a whole shift with Grif.
Things were going to be tense at best.

Kevin groaned. He didn’t know how things

could possibly get any worse.

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Six

rif walked into work the next day dreading
what he was he was going to have to face. He

knew he had handled the whole situation with
Kevin horribly the night before, and he worried
that he’d blown things between them. Now they
might not even have a friendship, let alone a
chance at anything more.

Somewhere along his tossing and turning last

night, Grif realized that he’d been a fool to deny
the attraction that had been growing between him
and Kevin. Age difference or not, there was a pull
and Grif couldn’t continue to fight it. In fact, he
should count himself lucky that somebody like
Kevin wanted him.

When he walked into the bay and was greeted

by dirty looks from Matt and some of the other
crewmembers, Grif knew he was in big trouble.
Yeah, he’d upset Kevin big time last night, and
everybody knew it. Grif was going to have to do

Circling the Drain

some big time groveling to get out of this one.

“How mad is he?” Grif asked Matt.
“He’s not mad, he’s devastated. I hope you’re

happy.”

The usually happy-go-lucky medic had a look

of pure fury on his face.

“Look. I know I fucked up big time. I’m going

to make it up to him.”

“You better. He looked like you kicked his

puppy last night.”

Grif sighed then ran his hand through his hair.

“You know I’m not good at this kind of thing.”

“Well, you better get good at it. He has it bad

for you, and you could really break his heart if
you’re not careful.”

“I realize that now,” Grif sighed.
“Do you even have any real feelings for him or

were you just dicking around with him last
night?”

“I think I do,” Grif admitted.
“Well, you better figure it out quick, because

I’m not going to stand by and let you twist that
kid in all different directions.”

“Just exactly what will you do?”
“I’ll tell the captain to switch your partner. I

don’t care if you get stuck with Houston or
Dakota.”

“The captain said that Kevin was my last

chance at a partner.”

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Matt cocked a brow. “Well then, you better

figure out a way to make things work out between
you two.”

Grif frowned at him. “Is that a threat?”
“Damn skippy it is.”
Grif turned away from him and went to his rig.

He found Kevin already in the back, doing
inventory. He didn’t even look up to greet Grif.
Not exactly a great start to the day. Grif stashed
his stuff in the front and went in the back to help.

Kevin barely glanced his way when he climbed

in, much less muttered a hello. Grif let out a sigh,
“You have to talk to me sometime.”

“I know I do,” Kevin replied in a soft voice.
“We can’t go through the entire shift acting this

way.”

“I’m pretty sure that we can. I’m willing to try

if you are.”

Grif sat down in the jump seat. “That’s just it,

Kevin. I don’t want things to be like this between
us.”

“You could have fooled me. Don’t worry. I got

the message loud and clear last night. I will keep
things professional from now on.”

“And what if I don’t want to keep things only

professional?” Grif asked.

Kevin paused, pen in midair. “Now you’re just

being mean, Grif. What are you trying to do, play
jokes on the loser to see how far you can take

Circling the Drain

things before you break his heart?”

“No, I really mean it.”
Kevin turned to face him and that was when

Grif finally saw the cut on the corner of his lip.
Grif immediately stood to get a better look at it.
“What in the hell happened to you?”

Kevin took a step back, a blush coming over his

face. “Oh, it’s nothing.”

Grif could feel his blood beginning to boil. “To

hell with it being nothing. It looks like somebody
hit you. Antonio isn’t back around, is he?”

“No.” Kevin shook his head. “I was playing

with my dog, and he just got a little rough. That’s
all it was. I swear.”

Grif didn’t buy it for a second. Maybe it wasn’t

Antonio, but somebody had hit Kevin. The only
question that remained is who and why Kevin
was protecting them. Grif decided to let the topic
slide…for now. But he was determined to revisit it
soon.

“I wanted to say I was sorry for last night,” Grif

started. “I was wrong.”

Kevin shook his head. “No, I was the one who

was wrong. I should have known better.”

“Known better?” Grif echoed confused.
Kevin gave a sad smile. “That somebody as

great as you wouldn’t want to be seen with a loser
like me.”

“Hey!” Grif pulled on Kevin’s wrist until he

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was sitting on the jump seat too. Cupping Kevin’s
chin so their gazes were locked, Grif said, “You
are not a loser, so I don’t want to hear you talk
about yourself that way. Hear me?”

After a few moments, Kevin gave a hesitant

nod. Grif fanned his thumb over Kevin’s jaw. “If
you only knew how wonderful you really are.”

“But I’m not. I’m some guy who is so broke that

he has to live with his parents, even though they
can’t stand the sight of him,” Kevin said in a raspy
voice.

“Is it one of them that did this to you?” Grif

brushed his thumb over Kevin’s battered lip.

Kevin looked away. “He didn’t mean it. Plus,

it’s not like I’m a kid anymore, so it’s not abuse.
And it’s the first time he’s ever hit me. He just lost
control and…well, you know. We’re under a lot of
stress right now with the whole credit issues and
everything, so he just snapped for a minute. I
could tell he felt really bad.”

“That doesn’t give him the right to hit you.”
Kevin pulled back. “Well, it’s not like I can

complain much. I have nowhere else to go, and
he’s the one who’s been helping me out of this
whole Antonio mess. So I owe him too much.”

Grif couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “It

doesn’t give him the right to make you his
personal punching bag.”

Kevin started to smile, but winced and brought

Circling the Drain

his fingers to his lips. “I think that’s going a bit
overboard. He only hit me once, and it was just a
little smack. It’s hardly worth talking about. Now
how about we get back to preparing the
inventory.”

Grif leaned in and kissed the injured area.

Kevin stood stock still, but he didn’t pull back
either, so it was a start. As far as Grif was
concerned, it was a step in the right direction.

They got out and called dispatch, who told

them to go on standby at one of the stations. At
first Grif worried that it would be a long awkward
silence, but as soon as they stopped, Kevin
surprised him by asking, “What’s your father
like?”

“I wouldn’t know. He left when I was three,

and I haven’t seen him since.”

Kevin frowned. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. From what my mom has told me, he

was a real asshole. He used to cheat on her all the
time and he was a drunk.”

“So she raised you on her own?”
Grif smiled fondly. “Yeah, she did a damn good

job too. She would sometimes work three jobs just
to keep enough food on the table and to pay for
the rent. Plus, she was a real ball-buster. Me and
my brother knew better than to ever fuck up or
we’d have hell to pay.”

“You have a brother?”

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“Yeah, his name is Kennedy, and he’s a medic

in Pontiac. He’s five years younger than me.”

“Is your mother still around?”
“Yeah, she lives down in Pontiac. She has a

small house down there that she’s lived in for
years.”

“What made you move up here?” Kevin asked.
Grif shrugged. “At the time, the company had

more openings in Flint, so it just made more sense.
It’s not that far of a drive from Pontiac, so I get to
see them whenever I want.”

“You guys sound really close,” Kevin observed.
“Yeah, we are.”
“It must be nice,” he replied in such a wistful

voice that it made Grif sad.

“Your family isn’t?”
Kevin shook his head. “No, my dad is the head

of the household, and we basically do what he
says. It’s more of a dictatorship. You know what I
mean?”

“Yeah, I think I do.”
It made Grif sad to think of Kevin having to

grow up in such a sad, cold environment. Grif
wondered how Kevin had managed to come
through it all being so loving and good-natured.

“You know what I think?” Grif asked.
“I’m almost afraid to ask.”
“I think you need to have a break away from

that place for a night. Come over to my house

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tonight. I’ve been told that I make a mean
linguini.”

Grif held his breath while he waited for Kevin’s

answer. Would Kevin get angry and throw the
invite back in his face? Would he laugh and tell
him to fuck off?

Kevin’s lips curled up into a half smile. “But

would that count as a date? I thought you said no
to that?”

“Let’s just say that I realized I was being a bit

too closed-minded about that. Besides, you’re hot,
no matter what age you are,” Grif admitted.

“Did you just say I’m hot?”
“Come on, you have to already know that after

the way I mauled you in the backseat last night.”

“I was so mad, you had me so close to coming

and then bam you pulled back. Talk about a
disappointment.”

They both laughed.
“I guess I owe you double for that one then,”

Grif said.

When Kevin gave him a look of pure lust, Grif’s

cock grew hard. “Yes, you do, and I plan on
collecting.”

The mic sounded. “Alpha—482.”
Grif let out a groan as he picked up the mic.

“This is Alpha—482.”

“We have a priority one call for you, man down

on the corner of Linden and Miller Road.”

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Kevin turned on the lights and sirens while Grif

pulled out into traffic. Grif let out a sigh. “Ten to
one, it’s Max.”

“Who’s Max?”
“He’s one of the local drunks. He has the

tendency to pass out on the sidewalk, and the
people who drive by call it in as a man down
because they think he’s either dead or hurt.”

“Sounds like you know him well.”
Grif snorted. “One of us gets him at least once a

week. You’ll get to know him pretty intimately
too.”

They pulled up on site and saw a poorly

dressed man lying face down on the ground. His
long, gray scraggly hair was blowing in the wind
and he was missing one shoe.

“Is it Max?” Kevin asked.
“It’s Max,” Grif confirmed.
They got out, Kevin grabbing the first aid kit.

As they walked closer, the smell of stale urine
grew stronger. When Kevin wrinkled his nose but
didn’t say anything, Grif had to give the kid
kudos. Not very many newbies could be so
professional.

Grif went over and gave Max a gentle nudge

with his boot. “Hey, Max, wake up.”

Max stirred. “Leave me alone. You’re ruining

my buzz.”

“You have a home. You need to go there and

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sleep it off there. People are calling in again
thinking that you’re dead.”

“I don’t wanna. I comfortable here.”
“You’re on the sidewalk. How comfortable can

that be?” Grif asked.

“It’s not so bad. You should try it sometime.”
“Thanks, but no thanks.”
Grif leaned down and pulled Max to his feet.

“Come on. We’ll give you a ride. How about
that?”

“To my home?” Max said hopefully.
“No, to the hospital. You know the routine,

public drunkenness gets you a trip to the
hospital.”

“Awww…come on, man. Can’t you just take

me home and dump me in my bed, so I can just
sleep it off?”

“I would love to, but then what if you puke

then drown in your own vomit and die? You don’t
want me to have that on my conscience, do you?”

Max looked up at him blearily. “I don’t care.”
Usually, a comment like that would have pissed

Grif off, but for some reason it didn’t. Maybe some
of Kevin’s patience was wearing off or something.
“But I care. So let’s get moving. Lucas is going to
love seeing you again.”

They helped him into the back of the rig and

Kevin got him settled into the cot and began to
take a set of vitals.

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“How much have you had to drink?” he asked.
“Just one little beer?” Max said.
“And how much vodka did you have along

with that beer?” Kevin asked in a flat voice.

Grif had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep

from laughing. His partner was learning fast.

“One or two?”
“Pints?”
“Yeah.”
Kevin made some notes then turned to Grif.

“We can go. I’ll start the IV en route.”

Grif tapped the side of the rig. “Good luck. His

veins suck.”

Kevin gave a grin. “Ten bucks says I get it on

my first try.”

“You’re on.”
Already knowing that he’d lost the ten dollars,

Grif went up front and started the short drive to
St. Michael’s. While driving, he called them to let
them know that they had a patient coming their
way. All the while he had to listen to Max
yammering about why they should just take him
home.

When they got to the hospital and wheeled him

in, the staff all seemed to give a collective groan.
Max was a frequent flyer. There didn’t seem to be
a week that went by that he didn’t grace the ER
with his presence.

Already, there was a betting pool going at the

Circling the Drain

main nurses’ desk as to what his blood alcohol
level was going to come back as. Grif just shook
his head. Going by the smell coming from Max,
the numbers they were throwing around were
way too low.

They took Max to one of the sequestered rooms

and were met by a resigned Lucas. While Grif
knew Lucas might not be happy to see Max, the
patient would still get the best and most
compassionate care possible. Lucas was one of the
best nurses out there, and he had a soft heart.

After they left the hospital, Kevin said, “I have

a feeling it’s going to be a long shift. I’m glad we
have something to look forward to afterward.”

Grif smiled to himself. While he knew he still

had a long way to go in winning Kevin back
completely, that comment said he was going in the
right direction.

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Seven

evin nervously went up to the numbered
apartment that Grif had texted him the

address for and knocked on the door. He ran his
hand through his hair as he waited. When there
was a long pause before it was answered, Kevin
had a moment of panic that maybe Grif had stood
him up.

But the door opened up and Grif stood there

looking fabulous as ever, in tight fitting jeans and
a worn EMS t-shirt. It molded his muscular body
perfectly, leaving nothing to the imagination.
Kevin licked his lips in anticipation at the thought
of getting at that hard body.

“Hey,” Kevin said for lack of anything wittier

to start with.

“Hey, yourself. You look amazing. That

uniform hides one great body.”

Grif gestured Kevin inside. Kevin felt a heat

come over his face as he shoved his hands into his

Circling the Drain

front pockets. “Nah…I’m too skinny.”

“Is that you talking, or it is Antonio?”
Kevin paused, shocked by how quickly Grif

had picked up on that one. “It’s Antonio. He was
always telling me I needed to go to the gym and
bulk up more. But, I didn’t have the time because I
was studying to become a medic then and that
took up all my hours. He didn’t understand,
though. He thought I was stupid for even wanting
to go into this field because the pay was so crappy,
and I would be around so many sick people. He
used to say that I would drag home all kinds of
disgusting diseases to him.”

“He sounds like a real winner.”
Kevin ducked his head, embarrassed that he’d

stayed with such an obvious abuser for so long.
“Yeah, he was a dick. I know now I should have
left him a long time ago. The real bitch of it is my
dad treats me the same way, and I put up with it.
But with him, it’s because I have no choice. I have
no other place to go.” Kevin let out a laugh then
ran his hand through his hair. “Look at me being a
downer. I don’t want to start our first date that
way.”

Grif reached out, snagged him by the waist and

pulled him for a kiss. “Then how about we start it
like this instead.” Dipping his head down, he
brought their lips together for a deep kiss.

Kevin parted his lips, immediately getting into

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it. From what he remembered from last time, Grif
had tasted good, and he was eager for another
taste. Yummm…his memory hadn’t let him down.
Grif tasted all warm, spicy, and manly.

“How long until dinner is ready?” Kevin asked.
“Not for at least another half hour. Why?”
Hoping that he wasn’t pushing things too fast,

he dropped to his knees in front of Grif and
reached for the medic’s fly. “Then it gives us
plenty of time to have some fun before we eat.”

When Grif didn’t utter a word of protest, Kevin

took that as permission to continue, so he did.
With trembling fingers, he undid the button of
Grif’s pants, then slowly unzipped his fly,
revealing the dark briefs he wore underneath.
There was already a wet spot from pre-cum on
them. Kevin leaned forward and sucked at it
through the fabric, eliciting a hiss of pleasure from
Grif.

Lowering Grif’s pants and underwear enough

to free his cock, Kevin sat back on his heels a
moment to admire it. Grif’s dick was thick and
long, the head wet with droplets of cum. Kevin’s
mouth watered for a taste, so he leaned forward
and licked away a sample. Humming as Grif’s
flavor exploded in his mouth.

It made Kevin hungry for more, so he went in

for another taste, this time going slower, swirling
his tongue over the head in a long, lazy path. Grif

Circling the Drain

let out a groan as he threaded his fingers through
Kevin’s hair.

“That’s it, baby, take your time,” Grif

encouraged.

Kevin glanced up from under his lashes as he

gave Grif another slow pass off his tongue. He
knew that despite Grif telling him to take his time
that he was playing with fire. That it was only a
matter of time before Grif’s control shattered.
Kevin thought about pushing him to that edge,
but decided to have mercy on him since this was
their first time together.

Kevin parted his lips and took the entire length

of Grif in. Near the end, Kevin’s gag reflex started
to click in, but he relaxed his throat muscles and
breathed through his nose. Once he had all of Grif
in, Kevin let him slide out, at the same time
sucking in hard.

“God, your mouth is so fucking perfect,” Grif

praised.

He then tightened his grip on Kevin’s head and

began to fuck his mouth. All Kevin could do was
leave his mouth open wide and hope to keep up.
While he should have felt offended for being used
like that, he loved every damn second of it.

After a few moments, Grif pulled back. He

grabbed Kevin by the shoulder and threw him
face down on the back of the couch. Kevin smiled
when his pants were roughly pulled down,

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revealing his ass. Soon he could hear the sounds of
a drawer being opened and the telltale sound of a
bottle of lube being opened.

Grif put a comforting hand on Kevin’s back. “I

promise not to hurt you. If you feel uncomfortable
at any time, just tell me and I’ll stop.”

Kevin nodded. The only thing that felt

uncomfortable at the moment was his dick, which
was as hard as hell and trapped between the
couch and his body. But other than that, he was in
frigging heaven.

When he felt the first cool touch of Grif’s finger

circling his hole, Kevin jumped, but at the same
time let out a groan of happiness. Then when Grif
slid it inside him, Kevin let out a sigh of bliss. This
is what he’d been waiting for so long that he could
scarcely believe it was actually happening.

Grif worked the finger in and out for several

moments before he added a second, the added
girth stretching Kevin out even more. It was so
delicious that Kevin didn’t think it could get any
better, but it did when Grif added a third. Then he
twisted his wrist and brushed against Kevin’s
prostate and Kevin nearly came off the couch.

“Ah, fuck! That’s so good! Somebody was

paying attention in anatomy class!” Kevin yelled.

“You ready for me to fuck you?”
“Yes. God. Do it already. Please,” Kevin panted.
He nearly cheered when he heard the condom

Circling the Drain

wrapper being torn open. Grif moved his fingers
and a few moments later, Kevin felt the blunt head
of Grif’s cock pressing against his hole. Kevin took
in a deep breath and exhaled as Grif thrust in.

Damn, Grif was huge. It burned for a second,

but Grif paused to give Kevin time to adjust, and
soon the pain gave way to bliss. Kevin nodded his
head and Grif began to move, slow at first, then
faster as their passion built.

Soon, sweat dripped from their faces as the

sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the room. Little
whimpering sounds could be heard, too. When
Kevin realized they were coming from him, he
was too caught up in the heat of the moment to
give a damn. The sensation of the couch rubbing
against his cock while Grif’s prick was hammering
his prostate was too much.

Kevin finally couldn’t take it anymore, calling

out Grif’s name he came, making a nice, old mess
all over the couch. A few thrusts later, Grif joined
him, letting out a groan as he filled the condom.

“Sorry about your couch,” Kevin panted, still

out of breath.

“That’s okay. I had it stain protected.”
“Good to know.”
Grif pulled out and went to the bathroom. A

second later he came back with a wet washcloth.
Kevin used it to clean himself up, then pulled up
his pants and set about cleaning his mess off the

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couch. Grif was right, it came right off.

Kevin looked around until he found a dirty

clothes hamper in the bathroom, then washed his
hands before rejoining Grif in the kitchen.

“It smells great in here,” Kevin commented.
“I love to cook. It’s my way to unwind.”
“I can’t cook worth a damn. If I were left on my

own, I would live off Pizza Rolls and cans of soup.”

“No wonder you’re so skinny.”
“Ha. Ha,” Kevin deadpanned. “Maybe you

need to cook more. Then you wouldn’t be grumpy
so much.”

“I’ll have you know there haven’t been any

complaints about my behavior in a week.”

Grif moved around the kitchen mixing

ingredients and stuff. Since Kevin had no clue
what he was doing, he sat at the table and just
watched. He figured it was a fair tradeoff for the
blowjob he’d just delivered.

“You mean you haven’t had a complaint since

you started working with me,” Kevin clarified.

Grif pointed a spoon at him. “Don’t get too big

of an ego. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence.”

“I’m sure it’s not,” Kevin singsonged. “Admit

it. I’m a good influence on you.”

Grif was silent a moment. “Okay, you made me

realize the job doesn’t suck as much as I thought it
did. I’ll give you that. You reminded me of some
of the reasons why I got into this field in the first

Circling the Drain

place.”

Kevin smiled. “I don’t think you ever hated it in

the first place. You just needed some fresh blood.”

“They gave me plenty of newbies. None of

them helped like you did.”

Kevin rolled his eyes. “That’s because those

guys didn’t know their assholes from their
armpits. I still don’t know how they managed to
graduate class. You only had to put up with them
with one shift. I had to deal with them for months.
Can you imagine?”

Grif winced. “No, it must have been hard.”
“It was a nightmare.” Kevin gave a shudder as

he thought back to those dark days. “I thought
they were going to drive me crazy.”

“But I bet you never threatened them with

bodily harm like I did.”

“No,” Kevin conceded. “But that doesn’t mean I

didn’t want to.”

Kevin didn’t want Grif to go back to feeling bad

about himself. They’d already made such great
strides in his attitude.

Kevin got up and grabbed Grif’s hand. “You’re

so much better than you think you are. Deep
down, we both know you still love this job. You
just need to find your spark again.”

Grif used his free hand to brush his knuckles

over Kevin’s cheeks. “As sappy as it may sound, I
think I’m looking at it now.”

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Kevin shook his head. “Naw…I’m just some

loser fuckup.”

“No, you have had kind heart, and that comes

through with each call you go on. It reminds me of
why I got into this field in the first place. It
reminds me of what a good medic should be like.
It tells me what I should be like.”

“If you’re trying to flatter me to get into my

pants then you’re too late. You’ve already been in
them and had that pony ride,” Kevin reminded
him, as heat came over his cheeks.

“Why is it that you can’t take a compliment?”

Because my asshole of a father and my ex always

made sure to tell me what a loser I was. I don’t even

know what a compliment is.

“I guess I just haven’t had too many of them,”

Kevin admitted.

“Well, then it’s time that you learned. You’re a

great guy, and you need to know it.”

When Kevin opened his mouth to argue, Grif

put a finger over Kevin’s lips. “I meant it, no more
arguing with me. Don’t make me pull rank on
you.”

Once Grif pulled away his finger, Kevin said,

“We’re not on the rig anymore. You don’t have
seniority on me here.”

“I’m a decade older than you. I’ll always have

seniority on you.”

Kevin frowned, troubled by that comment.

Circling the Drain

“That still isn’t bugging you, is it?"”

“I would be lying if I didn’t say it bothers me a

little, but it doesn’t worry me as much as it used
to. It’s something I can get over now.”

Relief washed over Kevin and he grinned. “So

does this mean that we can go on another date?”

“Not only that, but I plan on fucking you again

later tonight, just to prove that us old fogies have
just as much stamina as you brats.”

Excited, Kevin replied, “You know, we both

have tomorrow off.”

Grif lifted a brow. “Do we now?”
“Yeah, so if I were to say…stay the night, it

would be no big deal.”

Grif planted a kiss on Kevin’s lips. “Are you

asking if we can have a sleep-over?”

Kevin rolled his eyes. “Something like that. But

if it’s too soon for you, I’ll understand.”

Grif reached down and used both hands to cup

Kevin’s ass. “I kind of like the idea of having this
in my bed all night long. I think that would be a
great idea.”

Kevin tilted his head back. “Would you make

me breakfast in the morning? I swear if I have to
eat another bowl of cereal, I’ll die from boredom.”

Grif kissed the side of Kevin’s neck. “After that

blowjob you gave me, I’ll make you a gourmet
breakfast.”

“Mmm…I could get used to that kind of special

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treatment.”

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing when I

had my cock in your mouth,” Grif countered.

“I told you that I give great blow jobs,

remember?”

Kevin tilted his head to the side to give Grif

better access.

“How could I forget? You almost made me

come in my pants when you said it. I didn’t know
whether to strangle you or throw you in the back
of the rig and make you prove it.”

Kevin laughed. “I would have done it, you

know.”

“Yeah, I do. You impulsive little snot.”
“You keep sucking like that, and you’re going

to leave behind a hickey. Matt will never let us live
it down,” Kevin warned.

Not that he minded, it felt good.
“Fuck it. Matt can yap all he wants,” Grif said

between sucks.

Kevin closed his eyes. To hell with the others,

all that mattered at the moment was he and Grif.
Nothing in the real world mattered or could touch
them.

Circling the Drain

Chapter Eight

rif and Kevin were just finishing up their shift
paperwork for the night when Grif turned to

Kevin. “You know what I think?”

Even though Kevin already had a pretty good

idea, he still asked, “What is that?”

“Since we both have the weekend off, why

don’t you run home, grab some stuff, then come
back to my place and spend it with me? We could
use the time to get to know each other better.”

Kevin leaned one elbow against the table and

asked in his best coy voice, “Will there be any
fucking involved?”

Grif gave a smile that was so sexy it almost

made Kevin melt on the spot. “Oh, yeah. There
will be plenty of that, too.”

Kevin could feel himself getting hard just

thinking about it. “That sounds like a great idea.
Just give me a half hour, and I’ll be at your place.
We can order pizza in. That way, you don’t have

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to cook for once. Not that I mind your cooking,
but I don’t want you to feel like you have to do it
all the time. Let me treat you for once.”

Grif gave a half laugh. “Okay.”
They quickly finished up their final work and

got ready to leave. Grif sneaking in a long, hot kiss
goodbye on the way out. Kevin got into his car
and made the quick drive home. When he saw
that his father was home, he let out a groan. Damn
it. He’d hoped to make it out of there without
having a confrontation.

Kevin went in and tried to make a beeline for

his room, but his father’s voice stopped him,
“Kevin! Come here!”

Left with little other option, Kevin went to the

living room. His father was standing there and, as
usual the days, he didn’t look happy. Kevin
thought back to the days when his father wasn’t
this way. While he had never been a candidate for
father of the year, at least he hadn’t been so
abusive. Not for the first time, Kevin wondered
what had changed to make him so different.

“Yes?” Kevin replied, tensely.
“I hope you’re not planning on going out

clubbing again."”

“Actually, I was planning on spending the

weekend with a friend of mine,” Kevin replied
evenly.

His father’s face grew into a sneer. “What is it?

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Another queer like the last one that took
advantage of you?”

Kevin was so stunned by the slur that he took

an actual step back. Since he’d come out, his father
had never once acted like he’d had a problem with
Kevin being gay up until that moment.

“No, Grif is nothing like Antonio. Plus, we’re

just hanging out for the weekend, it’s not like
we’re moving in together or anything.”

“You say that now, but it’s only a matter of time

before you’re living with him, going out in public,
and making a spectacle of yourself, just like
before. Do you know how embarrassing that was
to your mother and me?”

Kevin shook his head, never before had he been

more confused or hurt in his life. “But I thought
that you and mom were okay with me being gay.”

His dad sneered at him. “We thought it was a

phase you were going through and you would
outgrow it. So we ignored it and let you go about
your way, and look at all the trouble it got you
into. Well, not anymore. We refuse to allow you to
continue to act this way.”

“Allow me?” Kevin echoed incredulously. “I’m

twenty years old. You don’t allow me to do
anything. I’m a full-grown adult. I can do
whatever the hell I want. And as for it being a
phase, I’ll never outgrow it. I was born gay, Dad,
and that’s never going to change. I’m sorry if that

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disappoints you, but that’s the way I’m always
going to be. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go
pack for this weekend.”

Before his dad could say anything else, Kevin

went upstairs and threw some clothes into his
backpack. He was so upset and angry he barely
paid attention to what he was throwing in there.
He’d wondered why his father had been acting so
weird, and now he had his answer. Never in a
million years had he thought it was this. They had
both seemed so supportive when he’d come out to
them. They’d even gone to PFLAG and
everything. Now, he felt like it’d all been a sham,
one huge lie.

He went downstairs and was once again

confronted by his father who had the audacity to
look angry at Kevin. “You leave here and you
better never come back again.”

Even though Kevin had no place else to go, he

didn’t give a damn. “Fine by me. I’ll come back
later, when you’re gone, and get the rest of my
shit. I never want to see you again.”

His father grabbed Kevin by the front of the

shirt and slammed him into the wall. A mirror
that was hanging on the wall shattered, some of
the glass shards cutting Kevin’s arms. He hissed in
pain, but otherwise refused to react.

His father got right into his face. “How dare

you talk to me that way after all I’ve done for you?

Circling the Drain

You came to me with nothing after that fag ruined
your life and you just throw all of it back in my
face? You’re no better than him.”

Kevin could have easily shoved his father

away, but the part of him that had been taught to
respect his parents refused to allow him to do it.
So he just stood there and took it. He did say, “No,
Dad, the real loser here is you. Because of your
hatred, you’re losing your son today, since I’m
never going to talk to you again.”

His father shoved him away. “As if I would

want you. Go on! Get out of my sight! You disgust
me.”

Kevin stumbled back several steps and then

made his way to the door. He could feel blood
trickling down from several places where the glass
had cut him, but it wasn’t gushing. So at least he
knew the wounds weren’t that serious. All he
wanted to do was get out of there.

When he got to his car, he headed for the one

place where he knew he would be safe and cared
for—Grif’s. The entire drive over, Kevin kept
replaying the confrontation in his mind. All he
kept coming back to was the betrayal and hurt
over how his parents had been lying to him all this
time.

By the time he pulled up to Grif’s apartment,

Kevin was so worked up he could barely park. It
was only then that he realized that he should have

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never been on the road to begin with, that he was
in no mental condition to drive.

He ran up to the door and knocked on it. Grif

answered and as soon as he saw Kevin, his eyes
grew wide with alarm. “What in the hell
happened? Why are you covered in blood? Were
you in an accident?”

Kevin didn’t say anything, he just threw

himself in Grif’s arms and took comfort in his
lover’s embrace.

After a second, Grif return it, whispering

soothing words into Kevin’s ear. “It’s okay, babe. I
don’t know what happened, but I’m here now and
everything is fine. You’re safe now.”

“My dad,” Kevin finally croaked out.
“He did this to you?”
“He didn’t mean to. He slammed me against

the wall and a mirror broke, and the glass got me.
It’s what he said that hurt me. It turns out that he
and Mom were just pretending to accept that I was
gay. All along they were thinking it was a phase I
was going through and that I would turn back to
normal. Grif, he said so many hateful things to
me.”

“Shhh…don’t think about that now. Let’s go get

these wounds cleaned up and see if we need to
take you in to get them stitched up.”

Kevin shook his head. “We can’t go in to the

hospital. I don’t want the others to know. Please.”

Circling the Drain

Grif paused a moment, his gaze studying

Kevin. Kevin could tell that he was battling
between the paramedic side of himself and the
concerned boyfriend half. “Let me take a look.
Unless they’re really bad, we’ll let the wounds
heal on their own.”

Kevin let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Grif.”
Grif led Kevin into the kitchen and slowly

peeled off Kevin’s t-shirt, letting out a hiss of
displeasure. “They aren’t too deep, but there are a
lot of them. It’s going to hurt like hell while I clean
them out.”

Grif hadn’t been lying, as it hurt like hell as he

washed the cuts clean. There were some spots
where the glass was still embedded in the skin,
and he had to dig it out. The entire time, Kevin
gritted his teeth and refused to yell out in pain.
After the meltdown he’d had at the door, he didn’t
want to show any more drama in front of Grif.

Finally, halfway through it, Grif set down his

tweezers and said, “Will you knock it off?”

“What?” Kevin ask, perplexed.
“I know this hurts like fuck. It’s okay to show it,

so you don’t have to hold back on my account. I
won’t think you’re a wimp or anything.”

Kevin gave him a weak smile. “I figured that

after the breakdown I had at the door, you
wouldn’t want any more complaining from me.”

Grif stood up, grabbed the back of Kevin’s head

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and pulled him in for a brief kiss. “That is one
thing you never have to worry about with me. At
least not anymore. Those days are over for me. I
care too much about you not to want to know if
you’re suffering.”

Kevin felt a warm sensation in his chest. Grif

had just admitted that he cared about him. Wow,
who would have thought it? The guy did have a
heart after all, just like Kevin had always known.
It had just been buried under layers of gruffness.

“I care about you, too,” Kevin replied.
They shared another kiss, this one much

deeper, before Grif broke it off. “Now, let’s get
back to these wounds. We’re only halfway done.”

“Only halfway!” Kevin exclaimed.
“And so the whining begins.”
“Hey, you said I could whine.”
“So I did.”
“Hey, I’ll have you know, this really hurts.”
“I know, babe.”
Kevin smiled despite the pain. “I love it when

you call me that.”

“What? Babe?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, then, babe, we need to talk about

something else. Where are you going to live?
Because, there is no way in hell you can go back to
where you have been living. Not with as abusive
as your father is getting.”

Circling the Drain

Kevin’s stomach sank as he thought about that.

“I don’t know. It wouldn’t matter anyway since he
kicked me out.”

“How about here?”
“I don’t know. We just started dating, and I

don’t want to intrude on you,” Kevin hesitated.

“We’ll just make it a roommate situation. I have

a spare room. If we keep dating and things go
good, you can always move to my room later.”

“Are you sure?” Kevin still hedged.
While the idea seemed like a dream come true,

he wanted to make sure that Grif wasn’t doing it
out of pity. He didn’t want them to jump into
something that they would later regret. Worse, he
didn’t want Grif to later come to hate Kevin for
feeling pressured into a relationship.

Grif looked up at him. “Kevin, do I seem like

the type who makes decisions like this on the fly?”

Kevin shook his head. “No, of course not.”
“You need someplace safe. I have an extra

room. You are one of the few people I can actually
stand being around more than five minutes. It
seems like an easy decision to me.”

Kevin gave a half-laugh. “Okay, then. We can

go get my stuff tomorrow when my Dad is at
work.”

It was then that Kevin began to tremble all over.

Be it because he knew that he was finally truly
safe, the burn-off of the adrenaline rush, or the

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wash of all the emotions. Whatever the reason,
once it started, he couldn’t stop it.

Grif took Kevin in his arms and whispered,

“You’re okay. I’ve got you. You’re safe now. He
can’t hurt you anymore.”

“I’m so sorry I dumped this all on your lap,”

Kevin replied as he returned the embrace.

He rested his head on Grif’s shoulder and just

took comfort in being with Grif. Taking in his
scent, feeling his warmth, savoring his touch. If
Kevin lived to be a hundred, he’d remember this
moment.

“I’m glad that you felt you could come to me.”
“You were the first one I thought of.”
Grif kissed Kevin’s cheek. “I’ll always be there

for you.”

“I’ve never had that before,” Kevin admitted.

“It’s nice.”

“Yes, it is,” Grif agreed.
He then pulled back and set about cleaning out

the rest of Kevin’s wounds. When Grif declared
that none of them were deep enough to warrant
stitches, Kevin let out a sigh of relief. Now, he
wouldn’t have to worry about a hospital visit and
all the questions that would follow.

After, Kevin changed. Then they called in a

pizza order and settled down in front of the TV.
While Kevin would have loved to get a lot friskier,
he knew his body wasn’t up for it. So they just

Circling the Drain

cuddled and watched bad movies on the SyFy
channel instead.

“Grif?” Kevin asked somewhere around

midnight.

“Hmmm…”Grif replied sleepily.
“How is it that one of my worst days ended up

being one of my best nights ever?”

Grif cocked a brow. “This was one of your best

nights ever? If so, you need to get out more.”

Kevin gave him a mock punch in the arm. “You

know what I mean. I never had somebody take
care of me the way you did. Then it was nice just
being able to stay in and just veg. I never pegged
you as a cuddler before, but you’re good at it.”

“Thank you.” Grif kissed the tip of Kevin’s

nose. “You’re not half bad at it either.”

“Would you think I sound young and dorky if I

said that if I wasn’t careful I could fall in love with
you?” Kevin asked, his heart hammering with fear
of rejection.

Grif shook his head. “Not at all, because I feel

the exact same way about you. Even if you are one
of the biggest brats I’ve met in a long time.”

Stephani Hecht

Chapter Nine

our Months Later

Grif heard the front door open to the apartment,
and he went out to greet Kevin.

“So you made it a whole shift with Dakota, and

you’re still alive?” he asked as he gave his lover a
kiss hello.

“Yes,” Kevin replied. “And this extra shift

should be enough to pay off the lawyer, once and
for all.”

“I have more good news for you. Josie called

while you were gone. They finally caught
Antonio. As we speak now, he’s in police custody.
Turns out, you weren’t the only one whose
identity he stole. He’s a suspect on several cases. If
they convict his ass, he won’t be out of prison for a
very long time.”

Kevin let out a whoop of delight as he threw

himself into Grif’s arms. Grif spun him around a
few times before letting him slide down on the

Circling the Drain

ground.

“This calls for a celebration,” Grif declared.

“Why don’t you get dressed, and we’ll meet the
guys at the bar?”

“That sounds great to me,” Kevin said. “I can

actually get a drink this time, too, since I’m
twenty-one now.”

Kevin went to the bedroom, the one that he and

Grif now shared, because the spare bedroom had
become just that—a spare room—a month ago.
Kevin quickly showered and got dressed in some
jeans and a t-shirt. He then met Grif in the living
room and they went down to Grif’s SUV.

By the time they got to the bar, Kevin was so

excited that Grif thought he was going to have to
duct tape his lover to the seat. Although, Grif had
to admit he looked damn cute when he was so
happy. His blue eyes sparkled with delight, a red
hue highlighted his cheekbones, and a huge smile
played on his full lips. He even kept doing this
happy, puppy, bouncing thing.

Grif parked, and Kevin practically exploded

from the vehicle in his excitement to share his
news with the others. Grif just shook his head as
he locked the doors and followed behind. He had
long ago grown accustomed to Kevin and his
ways. Grif wouldn’t change them for the world.

Kevin brandished his new ID at the bouncer

then went inside to find the others who were

Stephani Hecht

already at the table. By the time Grif caught up,
Kevin was saying, “Guess what? Guess what?”

“Well, since you worked with Dakota today, it

could be anything,” Matt drawled as he put an
arm around Lucas.

Kevin made a shooing notion with his arm. “It

had nothing to do with that.”

“Then you have me stumped, kiddo. What’s

your big news?”

“They caught Antonio!”
Matt let out a whoop. “That is awesome news.”

He motioned the waitress over. “Next pitcher is on
me.”

Kevin sat down then scooted over to make

room for Grif. As soon as Grif sat down, Kevin
snuggled into his side. It gave Grif a sense of pride
to know that Kevin didn’t mind the whole bar
knowing that they were a couple. That they
belonged together.

Kevin looked up at him and whispered, “You

know I love you, right?”

“You never said it before.”
“Well, I do.”
“Thank you.”
Kevin elbowed him in the ribs. “This is the part

where you tell me you love me, too.”

“You know I do.”
“But I want to hear it.”
Grif leaned down and gave Kevin a deep kiss.

Circling the Drain

“Brat, I love you.”

How could Grif not? Kevin saved him in so

many ways. Before Kevin, Grif’s life had been
circling the drain, now it was full of life.

About the Author

Stephani Hecht is a happily married mother of
two. Born and raised in Michigan, she loves all
things about the state, from the frigid winters to
the Detroit Red Wings hockey team. Go Wings!
You can usually find her snuggled up to her
laptop, creating her next book or gorging on
caffeine at her favorite coffee shop.

Stephani loves to talk to her readers and can be

found at www.stephanihecht.com.

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