West, Shannon - Trading Places (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)

Trading Places

Shy Redmond Powell’s always been a pushover for doing whatever
his flamboyant identical twin brother Russell asks him to do, so
when Russell begs him to trade places with him to attend the
wedding of his former lover and pretend to be him, Redmond
reluctantly agrees.

It doesn’t take long for gorgeous security expert Sloane to find
Redmond in a very compromising position, and finds this the
perfect opportunity to coerce “Russell” to go with him out of town
before he disrupts his friend’s wedding.

Making Redmond travel with him to an isolated cabin in the
woods, Sloane thinks this would be a perfect opportunity to get to
know the beautiful man a little better and maybe teach him a
lesson he won’t soon forget, but when someone tries to kill his
good-looking charge, Sloane has to take their relationship to a
whole new level.

Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary
Length: 35,520 words

TRADING PLACES

Shannon West

EROTIC ROMANCE

MANLOVE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance ManLove

TRADING PLACES
Copyright © 2012 by Shannon West
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62241-165-8

First E-book Publication: September 2012

Cover design by Harris Channing
All cover art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED:  This  literary  work  may  not  be
reproduced  or  transmitted  in  any  form  or  by  any  means,  including
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All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance
to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If  you have purchased this copy of Trading Places by Shannon West
from  BookStrand.com  or  its  official  distributors,  thank  you.  Also,
thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or
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The  author  and  the  publisher  work  very  hard  to  bring  our  paying
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This is Shannon West’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect
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www.SirenPublishing.com
www.BookStrand.com

TRADING PLACES

SHANNON WEST

Chapter One

“Russell, this is never going to work. David knows me. He’ll

never believe it.”

“You can pull this off, Redmond! And of course you’d never fool

David—you only have to fool the guards at the gate. You have to
admit, we look just alike, except for that haircut. You’ll be able to get
inside anyway, and find David.”

“Once I’m inside—then what?”
“Find David and explain. He always liked you. I think he liked

you better than me most of the time.” His twin’s tone was a little
bitter, and Redmond gave him a sharp look, but his face was still
earnest and pleading.

“And if he refuses?”
Russell leaned in and touched his arm. “Red, you have to do

whatever it takes to get that watch back for me.”

“Wait a minute. Don’t tell me you think I’m going to steal the

watch from him. You’re crazy! I’d never do something like that!”

“Then just ask him for it.” Russell ran a hand through his hair and

paced up and down the room. “Do whatever, but I have to have that
watch back!”

“How in the world did you ever get invited to this wedding

anyway? I thought David had better sense than that.”

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Russell smiled. “Maybe he thought I’d come and try to stop him. I

don’t know. He told me how rich his boyfriend is and all, how he has
the big  estate in  Canada with  guards  at  the  gate. Trying to  make me
jealous, I think. Anyway, he sent me an e-mail a few days later asking
me  not  to  come  after  all.  Must  have  come  to  his  senses.  Imagine
giving up all that money!”

Russell shook his head. “If he sees you, he’ll probably avoid you

like the plague. Said his boyfriend would be too jealous, and there’s
been too much drama between us.”

“God knows that’s true.” Redmond frowned. “Why don’t you just

leave the poor guy alone? Maybe he’ll finally find some happiness.”

“I’m going to leave him alone—I don’t care what he does. But

first I want that watch!”

Redmond got angry again just thinking about it. “Tell me again

why in the hell you felt you had the right to give David our father’s
watch. It doesn’t belong to you, Russell, and you know it! Damn, to
steal from your own mother.”

Their father had died three years before, and Redmond had taken

the  loss  particularly  hard.  Somehow  Russell  had  taken  his  father’s
Rolex watch from  their mother’s home and  given it to  his  on-again,
off-again boyfriend, David. The watch had been special to his father.
To  him  it  had  been  a  symbol  that  he’d  finally  “arrived,”  that  he’d
finally  become  successful  in  his  business.  He  was  a  salesman  for  a
large pharmaceutical company, and he saw doctors every day casually
wearing their  pricey Rolexes.  It  became a symbol  of success  to  him,
almost an obsession.

He had saved for years to buy it, never skimping on anything for

his family, just stashing a few dollars here and there over thirty-five
long years. When he’d finally bought it, the least expensive watch in
the Rolex catalog, but still, a Rolex, he’d been so proud. He wore it
every single day of his life for the year and a half that was left to him.
When he passed away, their mother put the watch away, unable to
bear looking at it.

Shannon West

“I know, I know.” Russell said. “It was wrong, okay? But I just

borrowed it, I didn’t steal it, exactly. I was going to get it back from
David eventually. I was just trying to impress him, I guess. After the
way I left him the last time, I felt like I had to do some kind of
extravagant gesture to win him over.”

“With our mother’s most precious keepsake? And win him over

for what? So you could dump him again a month later? What is it
with you and David anyway? The minute he tells you off and kicks
you to the curb, you take it as a personal challenge. It’s sick, Russell.
Not to mention cruel.”

“Okay, okay. I get it—you think I’m an asshole. Maybe you’re

right. But I had no idea he’d meet some rich guy and get swept off his
feet. With my watch on his arm! I’ve got to get that watch back to
Mom before she realizes it’s missing. Please, Redmond, you have to
help me.”

Redmond made a sound of disgust and turned away. He loved his

twin  brother,  but  he’d  lost  respect  for  him  long  ago.  His  parents,
particularly his mother, had defended him and made excuses for him
for  years.  And who was  he kidding?  Redmond  himself  had  done the
same thing.

Maybe it was something like survivor’s guilt. The identical twins

had been born  a few weeks early.  Redmond  had been perfectly fine,
but  Russell  had  been  born  with  a  serious  heart  defect.  In  order  to
repair  the  defect,  Russell  had  to  undergo  a  few  surgeries  as  he  grew
up,  and  every  time  he  had  a  surgery,  the  entire  family,  including
Redmond, had babied and pampered him for months afterward. All he
had  to  do  was  bat  those  big  blue  eyes  and  the  whole  family  would
come running.

The fact was that Russell was a handsome but very spoiled brat

who’d never really grown up. He had continually been in trouble
since high school. In school it was a matter of not doing his work or
back-talking the teachers. He’d graduated to greater things. At first, it
was minor drug problems and DUIs. More recently, he’d begun to

Trading Places

gamble  heavily  and  make  loans  he  couldn’t  repay  with  actual
underworld  characters.  Redmond  couldn’t  even  imagine  how  he’d
met such people.

His reputation with his many lovers wasn’t any better. Russell had

come  out  when  he  was  sixteen.  He’d  made  his  announcement  at  the
dinner  table,  so  sure  he  would  be  accepted  he  didn’t  even  seem
nervous.  His  parents  hadn’t  disappointed  him  either.  After  taking  a
deep breath and giving each other a significant look, they hugged him
and  soon  became  his  biggest  supporters.  His  mom,  always  Russell’s
cheerleader, had even eventually joined PFLAG and participated in a
couple of marches.

He’d known about Russell, of course, because Russell had

practiced  his  coming-out  speech  on  him  for  the  whole  week  prior  to
the big day. Besides that, he’d seen the magazines Russell kept under
his bed. But as far as his own sexuality went, he considered himself to
be  bi.  Not  that  he’d  had  many  girlfriends,  but  he’d  had  a  couple  of
lasting  relationships  and  enjoyed  them  very  much.  He’d  also  had  a
few  hookups  with  guys  and  one  actual  relationship  that  lasted  a  few
months.

Over the years, he watched Russell in his many troubles with

guys. Other than the tumultuous relationship he’d maintained with
David over the past two years, he’d had a series of unsuitable lovers,
even delving for a while into the world of BDSM. Not responsibly, of
course, but with men he met on the Internet or at sketchy clubs. After
a scene with one of them landed him in the hospital, he’d decided to
get back together with David. Maybe he saw David as some kind of
father figure, even though David was only twenty-eight. Still, that was
seven years older than Russell.

“Okay, even assuming I’m willing to help you out with this, and

that’s a big if, why in the hell do you think David would be willing to
give you back something you gave to him as a gift? He certainly has
no reason to think kindly of you, after all you’ve put him through.”

Shannon West

“C’mon, Redmond, you have such a way with words. He always

liked you, too, and told me I should be more like you. Just like Mom
and Dad always did.”

The slightest tone of bitterness in his voice made Redmond look

up sharply, but Russell’s face held no hint of the resentment Redmond
could  have  sworn  he’d  heard  a  moment  before.  “Oh,  c’mon,
Redmond, you know you’ve always been the good twin, the one the
teachers  all  liked  in  school.  Even  in  college,  you  were  the  one  who
made the decent grades while I flunked out. You’ve been the shining
beacon people have expected me to live up to my whole life.”

Russell touched his arm and gave him the wide-eyed gaze

Redmond called the puppy-dog eyes. “Please help me, Redmond.
Mom will die if she finds out.”

“I know, Russell. That’s the only reason I’m even considering

helping you. I just can’t figure out why you didn’t think of this when
you first took the watch. Explain to me again why you can’t just call
him. Or go yourself.”

Russell blew out his breath in a long sigh. “He won’t take my

calls,  Redmond.  He  deleted  his  e-mail  account,  too,  right  after  that
last e-mail he sent me. And you know I just started this new job you
got me, I haven’t been working there long enough for them to give me
any  time  off.  You  know  how  tight-assed  they  are.  David’s  getting
married  on  Friday  morning.  I’d  have  to  take  off  the  day  before,  too,
because the estate is supposed to be isolated. That means I’d have to
rent a car.”

“So instead, you want me to take my savings and buy an airplane

ticket to go up there. Spend my money to help you out. Not to
mention burning my vacation days.”

“C’mon, Red, say you’ll do it for me? After they get married,

they’re moving to Jonathan’s other home in South Africa. It’s now or
never.”

The wheedling tone and use of the nickname he never allowed

anyone but Russell to call him finally got to him, and he reluctantly

Trading Places

nodded  his  head.  He  supposed  he  could  use  his  savings  for  the  trip,
though  he’d  been  saving  for  months  for  a  down  payment  on  a  new
car.  Despite  himself,  he  loved  his  twin,  and  was  proud  of  him  for
finally going to work. Even if it was a low-paying, entry-level job in
the mailroom of the ad agency they both worked for, it could signal a
new start for him.

“Okay, write down the address and the time. Leave the invitation,

too, in case I have to show something to get in.”

Russell laughed and jumped on him, planting a big, sloppy, wet

kiss on his cheek. “Thanks, bro, I owe you one!”

“Yeah, more like one hundred,” Redmond said, but he smiled as

he wiped his  face.  He didn’t know if this would work or not,  but  he
had to give it a try for his mother’s sake, if nothing else. Russell left
the apartment practically dancing with glee now that he’d gotten his
way.  Redmond  went  into  the  bedroom  to  pack  a  few  things  for  the
trip.  He  had  a  bad  feeling  about  this.  It  just  wasn’t  going  to  end
well—he could feel it.

* * * *

“Please, Sloane. I need your help. There’s no one else I can go to

for this.”

“No, David, it’s impossible. Be reasonable and think about what

you’re  asking.  We’ve  been  close  friends  for  a  long  time,  but  this  is
above and beyond. You want me to watch out for this Russell guy and
if he shows up, grab him and take him out of the wedding. Then keep
him away not just until it’s all over, but for the rest of the week. Until
you  and  Jonathan  leave  for  South  Africa.  It  amounts  to  kidnapping
and  false  imprisonment!  Oh,  yeah,  and  did  I  mention,  that’s  against
the fucking law in Canada, just like in the States?”

“All right, all right…then get him to go with you willingly. Just

long enough to get through my wedding and until we can get out of
Canada, and then I’ll explain everything to Jonathan. C’mon, Sloane,

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you have two weeks off, you already told me. Think of this as part of
your vacation. He’s very handsome—”

“Explain it again to me, too, David, ’cause I’m having trouble

believing it. How could you have been so stupid as to invite your ex?
Your crazy ex, who broke your heart like a hundred times, I might
add.”

“You’d have to understand my whole sick history with this guy.

He’s  younger  than  I  am,  but  he’s  always  been  able  to  talk  me  into
anything  he  wanted.  He’s  so…so…I  don’t  know  what  there  is  about
him that I can’t seem to resist.” David ran his hands through his short
blond  hair.  “I  know  he’s  been  jerking  me  around  for  a  long  time.
Whenever I get into a serious relationship, it’s like he has radar and
shows up to ruin everything for me. I had some idea of settling things
between us once and for all—to let him see I’m with someone who’s
good for me for a change.”

“I think there’s more to it than that, Dave. C’mon, we’ve been

friends a long time.”

“Okay. To be honest, I guess I had a case of cold feet, too, when I

got  his  e-mail  asking  to  see  me.  Maybe  I  had  some  crazy  romantic
idea that if he came to  the wedding he’d interrupt  it like in  that  old
movie,  you  know,  about  Mrs.  Robinson,  and  we’d  ride  off  in  the
sunset together.”

“Jesus, Dave, don’t you love Jonathan? If you don’t, if you’re not

sure, don’t go through with this wedding. You’ll hurt him terribly.”

“I do love Jonathan! I realized it almost as soon as I sent the

invitation to Russell. I thought about losing him and knew I was being
ridiculous. Jonathan would be furious if he shows up. He’s always
been so jealous and doesn’t think I’m totally over Russell. He’d call
off the wedding, Sloane. He’d be so hurt!”

David continued to pace up and down his living room. “He knows

our history, Sloane. I had to do a lot of talking to reassure him I was
over Russell to begin with.”

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“Are you?” Sloane asked quietly. “Tell me the truth, David.

We’ve been through a lot together. You can be honest with me.”

“I am telling the truth, Sloane. Like I said, maybe it was a case of

cold feet. Anyway, it was a temporary aberration, and I was over it as
soon as I mailed the invitation. I sent him an e-mail right away asking
him not to come.”

“Maybe he won’t show then.”
“You don’t know Russell. I’ve known him since he was just a kid,

eighteen or nineteen years old. He was really too young for me then,
and I told him so. He just refused to take no for an answer. He chased
me for six months until I agreed to go out with him. When he wants
something, he’s just relentless.”

David threw himself onto the sofa across from Sloane. “He

seemed desperate to see me before the wedding for some reason. I’m
afraid  he’ll  show  up  anyway  and  ruin  things  for  me  and  Jonathan.
Look,  you’re  a  police  officer  back  in  the  States.  You  know  how  to
deal  with  difficult  people  and  make  them  do  what  you  want.  Can’t
you just be there early, and if you see him, head him off somehow? I
could tell the guards at the gate to refuse him entry, but he’d cause a
terrible scene. I know him.”

He leaned forward, smiling a little. “Maybe flirt with him, ask him

to  go  somewhere  with  you.  He’s  such  a  man-whore,  he’d  probably
jump  at  the  chance  with  someone  like  you.  Just  find  a  way  to  keep
him  away  from  me  until  we  leave  on  our  honeymoon.  Please,
Sloane?”

Sloane shook his head. He and David had been friends for years.

In the same unit in the Army, they’d been deployed to Iraq together
and gone through some rough times. After discovering they were both
gay, it seemed to make their bond even closer, though they were only
friends, and there was never any romantic spark between them.

They became best friends though, and shared everything, even

being wounded together in a roadside bombing of their convoy while
they were helping to secure oil tankers on the Mohammad Kassin

Shannon West

Highway in central Baghdad. David may have saved his life that day
by keeping compression on Sloane’s leg wound until the medics
arrived, despite being wounded slightly himself.

Sloane sighed and nodded to his friend. “All right, all right. I can

do that, I guess. I’ll give it a shot. No kidnapping though. If he
doesn’t go with me willingly, you’ll just have to deal with it. And you
owe me one for this, David. I have no desire to spend any time in this
boy’s company. He sounds like a real jerk.”

“Oh, he is, but a beautiful one. One of the best-looking men I’ve

ever seen. Too bad his character isn’t a match for his face.”

* * * *

Redmond arrived at the large, beautiful mansion where the

wedding was to take place a little before ten in the morning. He’d
been traveling since six that morning, and he was already tired and
wondering how he’d allowed himself to be roped into this. The estate
was pretty much out in the middle of nowhere. He’d taken two planes
to get as close as possible and had been driving the rental car for over
an hour. Talk about isolated.

The way Russell had explained it, David was marrying a very

wealthy businessman from South Africa, who also had business
concerns and a home just over the border in Canada. David, who was
from a quiet little town in Georgia, had met him only three months
ago at a friend’s party in upstate Maine. Jonathan’s business concerns
were now taking him back to South Africa, and they would be moving
there indefinitely right after the wedding.

The wedding was to take place at Jonathan’s home, same-sex

marriage having been legal in Canada since 2005. Redmond hoped he
might be able to have a quiet word with David and then leave before
the wedding even began. Redmond hated the idea of intruding on
David’s special day like this. Damn, how does Russell always manage
to talk me into doing his dirty work?

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He got there a little early, arriving at the gate and showing his

invitation to the guard before being allowed in. The guard had looked
at him closely and then checked a clipboard before nodding him
through. When Redmond looked back in his rearview mirror, he saw
the guard get out his phone and speak urgently into it.

Deciding he was only being paranoid, he drove into the circular

driveway  in  his  rental  car  and  gave  the  keys  to  the  valet  parking
attendant.  He  had  to  admit  he  was  pretty  impressed  and  at  the  same
time,  happy  for  David.  He  was  a  nice  guy  and  deserved  somebody
special, especially after all those years of putting up with Russell.

The door opened as he walked up the steps, and standing in the

doorway was a man who gave him a look that raked him from top to
bottom. Almost immediately the man made Russell feel very uneasy.
He was of medium height, graceful and lean, a couple of inches
shorter than Redmond, but he had a nice body, kind of athletic, like he
did a lot of running. He had dark eyes and sinfully long lashes, not to
mention full, sensuous lips. Shit, why am I looking at his lips? I don’t
need to forget why I’m here. Could this be David’s fiancé? If so, he’d
really hit the jackpot. Rich and gorgeous!

The man’s gaze took in every detail of Redmond’s appearance,

too, and it seemed he didn’t much like what he saw. His full lips
turned up a bit in a sneer. He planted himself squarely in the door, so
Redmond couldn’t move past him, and his voice came out a little
harsh.

“Can I help you?”
Redmond smiled at him. “Yes, I hope so. My name is, uh, Russell

Powell, and I’m here for the wedding. David is an old friend of
mine.”

The man crossed his arms and again gave him the once-over. His

dark-brown eyes glittered. “Kind of early, aren’t you? The wedding’s
not for another two hours yet.”

“Well, I came a long way, and it was hard to judge the time

exactly.” He gave him his most winning look and smile—the one he’d

Shannon West

seen Russell use so effectively time after time. He looked directly into
his eyes and really tried to turn on the charm. “Are you David’s
fiancé?”

“No. My name is Sloane Devereaux. David’s a good friend.”
“Oh, me, too. I mean, he’s a friend of mine, too. A good friend.”

Why the hell am I stammering like an idiot? Something about this
good-looking man made him feel like a stupid kid. He smiled at him,
trying to be charming, but all he got in return was a scathingly
irritated glare.

Redmond took a deep breath and tried again. “I was actually

hoping  for  a  word  with  David  before  he  gets  too  busy.  It  wouldn’t
take long, really. Do you know where I might find him?” He laid his
hand on the man’s arm familiarly, like he’d seen Russell do a million
times,  and  leaned  in  with  his  most  winning  smile.  It  was  the  same
smile  he’d  watched  Russell  use  to  get  his  way  over  the  years.  God,
did  I  just  flutter  my  eyelashes  at  this  guy?  Redmond  felt  his  face
growing warm.

No, not a blush, please, God. Redmond had the fair skin that

sometimes accompanies dark-red hair. No freckles, just a creamy
white color that was totally resistant to tanning. He was particularly
prone to the stupid blushes whenever he was embarrassed or upset in
the least. His mother hadn’t helped anything by the dumb names she
gave both of her red-haired twins the minute she saw them—Russell
and Redmond, for God’s sake, both meaning “red hair” or “red one.”

The man didn’t seem to be put off by the blushes, thankfully, but

he wasn’t entirely immune to Russell’s tricks either, it seemed. His
own dark eyes widened a bit, and he actually took an involuntary step
backward. “Uh, why don’t you come in, Russell, and have a seat. I’ll
see if I can locate him for you.”

Still mimicking what he seen Russell do so many times, Redmond

gave him the smile again. “Thank you so much. That would be
perfect, Mr. Devereaux.”

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Sloane looked down pointedly at Redmond’s hand and then back

into  his  eyes.  Redmond  pulled  his  hand  away  like  he’d  touched  a
furnace.  Redmond could have sworn he felt  a little jolt  of  electricity
pass  between  them.  What  was  the  matter  with  him?  He  had  to  keep
his wits about him and not be distracted by the first handsome man he
ran into. Okay, fucking gorgeous man, but that was beside the point.
Why the fuck do I  suddenly care what  this  guy looks like?  Shit.  This
was  about  talking  David  out  of  Dad’s  watch,  nothing  else.  I  have  to
keep that in mind.

“Follow me, Russell.” Sloane turned and walked back into the

mansion, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Redmond followed.
Redmond followed all right, unable to take his eyes of the fine glutes
swaying in front of his face. I’m looking at his ass now? Great, just
great. His face burned at the thought. He had to keep it together. Just
because Russell was gay didn’t mean he was. At least not totally. He
had to put on a good show, yes, but this was becoming embarrassing.
Sloane led him into a small room excellently appointed with antiques
and motioned Redmond to a chair.

“Wait here, if you don’t mind, and I’ll see if I can find David.” He

actually  smiled  a  little  at  Redmond  as  he  left,  and  Redmond  felt  a
strong  jolt  of  something  race  through  him  again.  Dropping  his  gaze,
he  tried  to  get  control  of  himself.  Good  grief,  what  was  the  matter
with  him?  Admittedly,  it  had  been  a  while  since  he’d  had  sex  with
anyone,  but  this  was  ridiculous.  A  tiny  little  corner  of  his  brain
wondered why he was protesting so much before he told it to shut the
hell up.

He looked around the tiny room. Must be some kind of small

office or something. Shrugging, he took out his iPhone to check his
mail as he sat down on the delicate-looking sofa. A message from
Russell already, wanting to know if he’d arrived. He texted back that
he was inside at least and trying to get in to see David.

After about five minutes, the door reopened and Sloane

Devereaux reappeared. He held two glasses of what looked like

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champagne and orange juice in his hands and came over to offer one
to  Redmond,  taking  a  seat  beside  him.  Sloane  was  devastatingly
handsome,  lean  and  dark  with  those  chocolate-colored  eyes.  Those
eyes  raked  him  over  now  as  he  spoke  softly.  “David’s  too  busy  to
speak  to  you  now,  but  he  asked  me  to  keep  you  company.  Perhaps
you can talk to him after the wedding.”

Redmond bit his lower lip and tried to think. After the wedding

would be too hectic and he’d barely get a chance to speak to him. He
took  a  sip  of  his  mimosa  and  tried  again,  putting  on  his  most
seductive  smile.  “I  know  he  must  be  terribly  busy  with  all  kinds  of
last-minute things, but if you would just explain to him that I’ve come
such a long way, and I’ll only keep him a moment. It’s really of vital
importance that I speak with him. Maybe if you could just take me to
him  for  a  second  or  two…?”  Deciding  to  keep  on  with  Russell’s
slightly effeminate tactics, he leaned toward him, lightly touching his
leg, and made the big puppy-dog eyes Russell was famous for.

Sloane leaned closer to him, too, so close Redmond could smell

his very sexy cologne. God, what is that stuff? I need to find out and
buy  a  gallon.  Sloane  even  draped  an  arm  around  on  the  sofa  behind
him.  Not  touching  him,  but  very  close,  his  handsome  face  was  only
inches  away.  Redmond  backed  up  nervously.  Apparently,  this  guy  is
gay or at least bi. At least he won’t try to kick my ass for flirting with
him.

“Sorry, Russell,” he said smoothly. “But it’s just not possible.

Why don’t we get to know each other a little better while you wait?
Maybe you’d like to go with me somewhere for coffee? We have
plenty of time. As an old friend of David’s, of course, I’ve heard a lot
about you over the years. I’d love to get to know you.”

Redmond’s cock actually stirred, more than a little interested.

Heat rushed through his body and up into his cheeks. He had to admit
he hadn’t completely thought through what he would do if the flirting
was returned. Now as he looked into Sloane’s deep brown eyes,
fringed with those absolutely sinful lashes, he felt a little confused. He

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shook his head firmly though. “No, I don’t think so, Sloane. Maybe
some other time. I need to stay here and see if there’s any chance to
talk to David.”

Sloane leaned even closer. He brought his lips close to

Redmond’s. “Are you sure, Russell? I’d like to ‘talk’ to you myself.”
His  lips  came  forward  and  brushed  against  Redmond’s,  and  a  spark
seemed  to  jump  between  them  again  and  this  time  it  settled  right  in
Redmond’s  cock.  Redmond  jerked  his  head  away,  unable  to  speak
coherently with so many strong feelings rushing through him. To buy
time Redmond took a sip of his drink.

Sloane plucked the glass neatly from his hand and put it on the

table in front of them. Okay, a dominant type. Smiling into
Redmond’s eyes, he put his hand behind his head, holding him there
as he brought his lips down to touch Redmond’s. Even though
Redmond was the larger man, he felt frozen, as if he were a helpless
little canary confronted by a big bad tomcat. How the hell did he just
make me feel like a bottom?

Sloane’s tongue nudged Redmond’s lips apart as he licked and

nibbled at his mouth until Redmond thought he might faint. Redmond
felt the kiss jolting steadily through his body and settling firmly in his
lower regions. He knew he’d probably asked for this with his flirting,
but he was still uneasy. He was used to being in control, but no
longer. This gorgeous man had just taken it deftly away from him and
made him like it. Shit.

Almost without realizing it he found his hips were moving

restlessly  on  the  sofa.  He  knew  that  Sloane  was  pushing  him
inexorably  down  to  his  back,  and  Redmond  was  letting  it  happen.
Hell, he was powerless to stop it. It was as if his body had taken over
and shoved his mind to one side. Sloane actually repositioned himself
over  Redmond’s  body,  never  breaking  the  long,  slow,  lazy  kiss,
grinding  his  huge  erection  into  Redmond’s  groin.  To  his  horror,  he
felt his own erection straining against his pants.

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The kiss continued, becoming rough and urgent, neither of them

apparently  wanting  to  stop.  Redmond’s  cock  was  throbbing,  and  he
couldn’t  seem  to  break  this  kiss.  He  actually  whimpered  against
Sloane’s lips, the small noise seemingly wrung from him against his
will.  He  felt  Sloane’s  hands  busy  at  his  waistband,  unbuttoning  his
trousers, pulling his shirt out, and slipping his hand inside. At the first
warm  graze  of  his  hand  over  his  throbbing  cock,  Redmond  almost
came  in  his  pants.  Jesus,  what  was  happening  to  him?  He  didn’t
usually react so strongly to such an obviously toppy guy, but this one
was hitting all his buttons.

Dragging his mind back to the forefront, Redmond gasped and

pushed against Sloane’s chest. “I’m sorry. I–I think I need to go to the
bathroom.” Pushing Sloane away, he scrambled to his feet and made
it  to  the  door,  straightening  his  clothes.  “I–I’m  sorry,  Sloane.
I…uh…I  just  have  to  talk  to  David  right  now.  Maybe  I’ll  see  you
after the wedding.”

Seeing Sloane spring to his feet, he quickly eased out the door,

managing to slip the lock as he left the room. He immediately ducked
behind  a  group  of  large,  leafy  potted  plants  next  to  the  door.  He
listened nervously to Sloane fumbling with the lock and then coming
out  in  a  hurry.  Russell  ducked  down  as  low  as  he  could,  losing
himself in  the dense foliage  and sliding  around the corner.  He heard
Sloane  curse  and  then  walk  quickly  across  the  room  and  disappear
into a hallway.

He wasn’t sure what was going on, and he didn’t even want to

think about his body’s reaction to the good-looking guard. What the
hell was that about? When he had time, he needed to take a long hard
look  at  what  had  happened  just  then.  But  right  now,  it  was  pretty
damn obvious he was deliberately being kept away from David at the
very least.  Had David  been  afraid  Russell  would show up and  given
orders  to  security  to  keep  him  away?  Damn  Russell!  He  probably
figured  this  would  happen,  and  as  usual  had  left  the  dirty  work  to
Redmond.

Trading Places

Making a sudden decision, Redmond darted to the stairway and up

the stairs to the second floor. He had to find David and let him know
it  was  him  and  not  Russell.  He  saw  a  bathroom  and  ducked  inside,
locking  the  door  behind  him.  He  really  did  need  to  use  the  facilities
after that run-in  with  the good-looking guard, and he did  so  quickly,
washing his hands afterward and staring into the mirror. With his dark
red  hair  combed  over  to  the  side  like  this,  he  did  look  exactly  like
Russell. He must be getting as stupid as Russell could be at times, too,
for ever agreeing to come here like this in the first place.

He opened the bathroom door carefully, checking the hallway for

Sloane  or  any  other  sign  of  security  guards.  As  he  gazed  down  the
hallway, he noticed a big double door at the end of the hall. That must
be the master suite, and Redmond had the sudden idea that David was
inside, getting ready for  his  big day. He made his  way quietly down
the hall and knocked softly at the door. No answer. He pressed his ear
against the door and listened for a moment. Nothing. He was about to
turn  away  when  he  heard  footsteps  on  the  stairs.  Afraid  it  might  be
Sloane still after him, he tried the door, and when it opened easily, he
slipped inside.

Listening at the door, he heard the footsteps go down to the other

end  of  the  hall.  Breathing  a  sigh  of  relief,  he  decided  to  wait  a  few
seconds before leaving. He looked casually around the opulent room.
Luxury  was  evident everywhere,  from  the  dark cherry  furnishings to
the  extravagant  draperies  on  the  tall  windows.  As  his  gaze  traveled
appreciatively over the room he saw an object glinting in the sunlight
shining through the tall windows. Lying out on top of the dresser was
his father’s watch! He crossed over to the dresser to make certain, and
sure enough, his father’s initials were engraved on the bezel.

He heard a slight noise behind him as the door opened, and he was

startled, whirling around and shoving the watch behind his back.

Sloane Devereaux stood in the doorway, a strangely triumphant

look on his face. “What are you doing up here, Russell?” His voice
was deceptively soft as he walked slowly toward him.

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Redmond was unnerved, and felt his feet backing up. He knew his

face must be flushing in embarrassment at being caught someplace he
wasn’t supposed to be. He heard himself stammering. What the hell? I
never stammer. Why does this guy make me so nervous? “I–I was j–
just looking for David. I must have t–taken a wrong turn when I came
out of the bathroom.”

“Mm-hm. What’s that behind your back, Russell?” Sloane was

still walking toward him, closing in on him. He didn’t look angry, just
arrogant and somehow dangerous. He wasn’t smiling, though his eyes
twinkled with what looked like amusement. Redmond wanted to wipe
that arrogant look off his face. He wanted to knock him on his ass and
have his way with him. A little shiver of embarrassment went through
Redmond as he kept backing up. This wasn’t going to end well. Not at
all. He came up against a piece of furniture and could move no
further. Defiantly he looked into Sloane’s dark eyes, almost on a level
with his own, and slid the watch into his back pocket.

He held his hands out in front of him, feeling like a child as he did

it, and his felt his face flush even more. “Nothing, see? I don’t have
anything.”

Sloane moved even closer. Standing so near him, Redmond was

aware of how much leaner  the man was than he.  Redmond  probably
outweighed him by thirty pounds of mostly muscle, but he still felt a
bit  like  a  lumbering  ox  standing  next  to  a  gazelle.  When  Sloane
reached  him,  he  pulled  him  into  his  arms  and  put  both  hands  on  his
ass. Redmond’s face turned an instant red, and he squirmed restlessly,
wanting  to  move  away.  He  could  have  broken  the  hold  easily,  but
something about this man made him hold still.

Sloane held him in his arms. “Settle down. I’m not going to fight

you, but I want whatever it is you’re hiding behind your back. And
you’re going to give it to me—make no mistake about that,
sweetheart.”

His arrogance finally made Redmond resentful. He remembered

that he was supposed to be Russell, and Russell had a history of

Trading Places

getting off on being dominated. Redmond was a very different man,
and he was about to let Sloane realize that.

Sloane pressed himself against him, and Redmond had nowhere to

go. He could feel Sloane’s rigid cock against his groin, and his knees
actually went a little weak, not from fear but from desire. He held still
to see what would happen next. Sloane actually smiled into his eyes,
but  rubbed  his  hands  over  Redmond’s  hips,  feeling  for  the  object.  It
took  him  only  seconds  to  find  it,  of  course,  and  fish  it  out  of
Redmond’s back pocket. Held so tightly in his arms, Redmond could
feel  Sloane’s  erection  still  burning  into  his  groin.  It  almost  took  his
breath away.

“Were you stealing this, Russell?” Sloane’s gaze grew cold and

hard as he stared down at him. “You really are a bad boy, aren’t you?
Are you really so hard up that you’d steal David’s watch? Or is it
some kind of revenge thing?”

Redmond stood absolutely still, embarrassed not only at his

finding the watch hidden in his back pocket, but also at his
condescending tone. He pushed Sloane away, breaking his hold
easily, and was gratified to see surprise register in Sloane’s beautiful
eyes.

“Are you interested in an explanation, or do you want to continue

being an asshole?”

Sloane stepped back, letting him go for a moment and crossing his

arms. He was still standing very close to him—trying apparently to
intimidate him with his nearness. “This should be entertaining. Go
ahead. Explain.”

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Chapter Two

“The watch belonged to my father.” Redmond tried to explain.

“It’s a family heirloom. See, it has my father’s initials engraved on
it—MJP. He passed away three years ago, and it really belongs to my
mother. She’ll be devastated to find it’s missing. I have to get it back
to her.”

“How come, if the watch is so important as a family heirloom,

David has it in the first place? Didn’t you give it to him?”

“Yes, I–uh–I gave it to him. But I meant to get it back. I need to

get it back to my mother before she finds out it’s missing.”

“So let me get this straight—you stole your father’s watch, a

family keepsake, from your own mother. Then you gave it to David.
And now you’re desperate to get it back before your mother finds out,
so you sneaked in here to steal it back.”

Redmond bit his lip and looked down, feeling mortified. “Yes—I

mean no,” he whispered softly. “I know it sounds bad. I just saw it
and picked it up, but I was going to ask David about it. Really. Let me
ask David if I can take it back to my mother.” God, was he begging
the guy now? Something was happening to him, and he didn’t like it.
It was like the guy had taken his balls away and put them in his
pocket.

“No, I don’t think so.” Sloane took his arm firmly in his. “You’re

coming with me.”

Holding onto his arm with a surprisingly firm grip, he led him

from  the  room  and  over  to  a  back  staircase  at  the  other  end  of  the
hallway.  Deciding  not  to  struggle  and  make  an  even  bigger  fool  of
himself,  he followed him meekly.  He took  Redmond  down the steps

Trading Places

into  a  deserted  entry  hall  that  must  have  been  on  the  back  of  the
house. Pulling him relentlessly behind him, they traveled outside to a
big  truck  with  enormous  wheels  parked  by  the  back  driveway.  He
opened the door  and  half  shoved, half picked him  up and threw  him
into  the  passenger  side.  Redmond  was  amazed.  As  big  as  he  was,
Sloane handled him like he was a little boy. Damn it!

Redmond waited till Sloane got around to the back of the truck

before opening the door and jumping out. He took only a few steps
toward the house, having some half-baked idea of making it to David
somehow, thinking David would explain to Sloane who he really was,
when Sloane grabbed his arm, turning him around angrily. He pushed
his face menacingly into his. “One more time and I’ll call the cops. Is
that what you want?”

A sudden image of himself in a Canadian jail surrounded by

frowning Canadian Mounties in red coats made him uneasy. He shook
his head. Slowly he turned and walked back to the truck.

“That’s what I thought,” Sloane said with another frowning look.
Sloane walked around and got into the front seat, started the

engine,  and  drove  quickly  down  the  driveway.  The  big  truck  picked
up  speed  as  they  went  through  the  gate  and  down  the  road  about  a
mile until  he came to  a little dirt  side  road. He turned onto  this road
and drove for another quarter of a mile or so before pulling the truck
over  onto  a  shady  patch  on  the  side  of  the  road.  He  turned  off  the
motor and regarded Redmond closely. He waited a full minute before
he said a word. If he was trying for intimidation, Redmond thought, it
was working. Asshole.

“Here’s the deal, Russell. I’m an old friend of David’s, like I said,

and  I’ve been hearing stories about  you for a while now.  I’ve never
understood  what  he  saw  in  a  guy  like  you,  but  I  know  how  many
times David put his trust in you only for you to let him down. David
was afraid you’d come today, and he asked me as a friend to look out
for you and keep you away from him and his fiancé. I think you were
planning on stealing that watch from  David,  and that’s exactly what

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I’ll tell the police. That watch is worth a lot of money, and they’ll
charge you with theft. It’ll probably mean some jail time.”

“Look, I…”
“Shut up. I’m not interested in your lies. I found the watch in your

pocket. Now I’m going to offer you a one-time good deal. Take it or
leave it, it doesn’t much matter to me.”

Redmond was angry, but he was also a bit afraid. It must have

looked really bad to Sloane when he walked into that bedroom. There
I was, in a private bedroom, holding an expensive piece of jewelry.
That I promptly hid behind my back and slipped into my pocket. Oh,
fuck.

He tried not to show his anxiety as he faced Sloane. “A deal?

What kind of deal?”

“You agree to go away with me for one week. You won’t have

any contact with the outside world during that time, certainly not with
David, and you won’t try to get away. One week, and I’ll let you go
back home. No cops have to be involved. Is it a deal?”

“A week? But I have a job! What the hell is the point of that? And

the watch! Sloane, let me ask him about the watch at least.”

“I don’t think you fully understand the situation you find yourself

in. If I turn you over to the police, I think it’s fair to say you won’t get
back home in time to work on Monday morning. Maybe not for a very
long time.” The truth of Sloane’s words hit Redmond suddenly, and
he got very quiet.

Sloane regarded him closely and without any trace of pity. “If

what you say happens to pan out, and to tell you the truth, I doubt it,
David will probably let you have the watch. He’s a nice guy, and not
interested in your ‘gifts.’ But I’ll talk to him, not you. You stay far
away from David until he leaves for South Africa. You have this way
of getting into David’s head and making him feel sorry for you.
You’ll be released when he leaves the country. In a week.”

Trading Places

Redmond felt trapped. He was humiliated and exhausted from the

adrenaline rush. He slumped down into the seat. “I can’t just…my
family will be…my boss will never… Oh, shit.”

Sloane shrugged and said again in a harsh, unforgiving voice,

“Make up your mind, Russell. I’m not David, and I don’t have any
sympathy for your pitiful little ploys. If you don’t want to do this, I
take you back to the guardhouse, and they call the cops. Totally up to
you.”

Redmond cast him an angry glance. He was certainly right about

one thing. There was not a bit of sympathy in his steady gaze.
Redmond’s shoulders slumped even farther, and he nodded curtly.
“Okay, damn it. I’ll do it. I’ll go with you. But what are you going to
do? Am I supposed to be your fucking prisoner?”

“I’m taking you a long way from here so you can’t contact David.

Actually,  I’ll  insist  you  sign  a  paper  saying  you’ve  agreed  to
everything and came with me willingly and of  your own accord. We
don’t  want  you  changing  your  mind  and  pressing  charges  later  on.
And  if  you’re  a  very  good  boy,  I’ll  bring  you  back  in  a  week.  For
now,  sit  back  and  relax.  Oh,  and  hand  over  your  cell  phone  and
passport. You won’t be needing either of them for a while.”

Sullenly, Redmond handed the items over, watching as Sloane

switched off his phone and slipped it into his pocket. “W–Why do you
need  my  passport?”  Actually,  his  passport  and  driver’s  license
belonged  to  Russell.  Redmond  didn’t  have  a  passport,  so  because  of
the  time  crunch,  he  used  Russell’s.  Russell  had  gotten  his  when  he
took  a  cruise  his  senior  year  in  high  school.  Redmond  hadn’t  gone
because his parents couldn’t afford for both of them to take the cruise.
As usual, Redmond had deferred to Russell.

They’d been using each other’s identities like that for years, but

never before on an international scale. He began to think it might not
have been the brightest idea. Redmond was in the country illegally.
Another good reason to avoid the cops being involved if at all

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possible. He decided that maybe Russell wasn’t the only reckless one
in the family.

“Where are you taking me?”
“Don’t worry. Somewhere safe, and you’ll be fine. I’m in control

now—just the way you like it, right? I’ve heard about your little
experimenting with BDSM. For this week, you obey my orders. Just
do as you’re told, and I’ll keep you away from David until he leaves
on his honeymoon.”

“My car? And my things?”
“Hold on.” He reached for his cell phone and punched in a

number.  “Ben?  This  is  Sloane.  I’ll  be  back  there  in  a  minute,  so  get
the paperwork ready for me. About his car. Yeah, it’s a rental. Take it
back  to  the  rental  agency  for  me.  Take  out  his  suitcase  and  other
things  and  put  them  in  the  house—guest  bedroom.  I’ll  let  David
know. Thanks.” He ended the call and dialed another number.

“David? Can you talk? Okay, I have him. Yeah, he’s fine. No, I

didn’t hurt him.” Redmond bristled at the idea that Sloane could hurt
him. What the hell?

Sloane glanced over at Redmond. “He’s agreed to go away with

me for a week until you guys get out of the country.” Redmond felt
humiliated sitting there listening to himself being discussed like he
was some kind of punk. In a way, he guessed he was. At least he was
to Sloane. He could hear David’s excited tones over the phone.

“Well, I caught him jacking your watch. Yeah, your Rolex.

Claims he gave it to you even though it belonged to his late father,
and his mother will be upset if she finds out it’s missing. He agreed to
go with me if I didn’t call the cops. Okay. Okay, I’ll tell him. Have a
nice wedding, man.”

He hung up and stared at Redmond so long he began to feel

intimidated again. He figured that was the point anyway. Finally, he
spoke up. “David agreed to give the watch back to your mother. He’s
going to have it delivered to her himself, later in the week. He said he
has your address.”

Trading Places

“Oh, good,” Redmond said with a sigh of relief. Russell wouldn’t

be happy about it, but at this point, he wasn’t too concerned about
Russell. He’d gotten him into a mess of major proportions. As usual.

Sloane turned around in the seat, started up the truck, and turned

around  in  the  road.  Heading  back  the  way  he  came,  he  began
whistling a little tune under his breath. Redmond let his head fall back
against the seat.  How was he going to explain his weeklong absence
to his boss when Sloane wouldn’t even allow him to use the phone?
God, he was probably sooo fired. Listlessly, he stared out the window
at  the scenery they passed by.  One thing was  for sure—when he  got
his hands on Russell again, he was going to strangle him!

* * * *

Sloane was enjoying himself more than he’d ever dreamed

possible. He’d driven back to the guardhouse and retrieved an already
prepared statement he had drafted when he first agreed to try this.
He’d written in the last bit, stating that Russell agreed to come with
Sloane for a week to avoid being arrested for trying to steal a watch.
Legally, it may not have been worth the paper it was written on, but it
made Sloane feel a little better anyway.

Russell had read it silently and bit his bottom lip in confusion. “Is

this some kind of confession? Because I didn’t intend to steal the
watch, and I refuse to say I did.”

“Sign the damn thing, Russell, and stop wasting my time. I caught

you red-handed, and you know it. If you don’t agree, then tell your
story to the Canadian authorities.”

“Hold your horses. I’ll sign it.” He wrote his name on the bottom,

and the guard witnessed it. Russell shot him a dirty look that made
him smile. He escorted Russell to the truck then, and they were on
their way.

Now Russell was asleep on the seat next to him, his long, dark

lashes lying against his creamy skin as his head tilted toward Sloane.

Shannon West

His  dark  red  hair  fell  across  his  forehead,  and  his  lips  were  slightly
parted.  He  breathed  heavily,  like  an  exhausted  child.  Those  soft,
luscious lips were too tempting. Sloane shook himself mentally. This
good-looking  young  man  was  dangerous—he  had  to  keep  reminding
himself  of  that  fact.  No  matter  that  he  looked  like  an  angel.  Sloane
knew all too well what he was capable of.

Still, he’d been surprised when he opened the front door of the

mansion and laid eyes on him for the first time. He’d seen plenty of
pictures over the past two years, but pictures hadn’t done him justice.
He really was beautiful, like David always said. He was much larger
than he’d pictured him—at least six feet one or two and muscular. He
looked even younger than twenty-one. His hair was a lovely shade of
dark red, and his eyes were a startling shade of blue. Though he was
large, he was perfectly formed, with broad shoulders and a trim waist.

Wearing a black suit and a tie to rival the color of his eyes, he

smiled  at  Sloane,  and  Sloane  felt  his  world  tilt  slightly  off  its  axis.
And that kiss later when he’d brought him the mimosa. God, his lips
were soft and sweet. Before he knew it, he’d had him pushed back on
the sofa, and in another minute, if Russell himself hadn’t called a halt
to  things,  he might  have had his  pants  off right  there.  He hadn’t had
that  immediate  and  strong  a  reaction  to  anyone  in  years.  The
knowledge that Russell, this big beautiful guy, was also a submissive
made his  cock  really stand up and take notice. Sloane  usually didn’t
like  guys  who  were  bigger  than  he  was,  but  with  this  one  he  could
certainly  make  an  exception.  That  brief  feel  of  Russell’s  dick  when
Sloane  put  his  hand  down  into  his  pants  only  made  him  want  to  see
and feel more. Much more.

When he’d slipped away, Sloane had been desperate to find him,

and not just for David’s sake. Finding him with the watch had been
like an answer to a prayer. That was the perfect way to keep him away
from David and all to himself for over a week. He didn’t even want to
examine that thought too closely.

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His plan was to take Russell to an out-of-the-way little Canadian

village  in  New  Brunswick  called  Hedgewick.  Located  in  the
Appalachian  Mountains  in  the  central  part  of  the  province,
Hedgewick  was  approximately  forty-five  miles  southwest  of
Campbellton  and  nine  miles  east  of  the  Restigouche  River  along  a
road  that  ran  from  the  United  States  border  into  New  Brunswick’s
northern regions.

Hedgewick’s population was about a thousand people, and it was

a  quiet,  scenic  little  village.  The  old  farmhouse  there  belonged  to
David’s fiancé Jonathan, who used it from time to time when he went
hunting  and  fishing  in  the  area.  It  was  nothing  fancy,  just  an  old
farmhouse on an old dirt road. David had given Sloane the keys when
he’d agreed to  try this thing.  It  was as far away from  civilization as
Russell had no doubt ever been, and would be way out of his comfort
zone, which was exactly what Sloane had in mind.

Russell was used to using his incredible good looks to get his way

in things. So far Russell had been skating along the razor’s edge of
trouble, and if he wasn’t careful, he’d slip off into real difficulties
with the law soon. All this activity with gambling and loan sharks was
worrisome.

Over the years, he’d learned from David that Russell was a

spoiled, selfish brat. He was an occasional drug user, and a gambler.
He made stupid loans from loan sharks to pay his gambling debts, and
he  was  something  of  a  slut.  According  to  the  profile  he’d  studied
before  agreeing  to  do  this,  Russell  actually  got  off  on  being
dominated,  when  it  suited  him.  He’d  even  been  injured  once  in  a
domination scene that got a little too violent. Sloane wasn’t exactly a
Dom, though he enjoyed a little kink and had a few sex toys. He could
play  it  a  bit  rough,  if  Russell  responded  to  that.  The  thought  of  that
beautiful  body  tied  up  and  helpless  actually  made  him  rock  hard
again.

He wanted him to be uncomfortable and off guard. He wanted him

submissive and compliant. Hell, he wanted him any way he could get

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him. Breaking him down a bit could be a way to reach the real person
beneath the perfect exterior. So far, everything about this young man
beside  him  was  deliciously  enticing,  but  also  false.  There  was
something  about  him that  didn’t  ring true. Sloane had been a police
officer  long  enough  to  have  a  finely  honed  instinct  for  people,  and
something  about  this  kid  was  definitely  off.  Like  a  beautiful  flower,
marred only by the little snake hiding under it.

Russell came from a nice family, according to David, but

somehow he’d gotten off track. None of that  prevented Sloane from
being interested. The young beauty beside him obviously needed to be
reformed,  and  Sloane  loved  a  project.  If  he  couldn’t  do  it,  so  be  it.
Nothing  ventured,  nothing  gained.  But  if  he  could  reform  him,  train
him even a little, the gains could be enormous. David got hurt by him
because his heart was involved. Sloane wouldn’t allow that to happen
to him. He was terribly attracted to his beautiful body, but that was as
far  as  it  went.  Teaching  this  big  boy  a  lesson  he’d  never  forget  was
right up his alley.

He actually was a sworn officer working at a Youth Detention

Camp,  a  boot  camp  for  turning  young  men  around  so  they  could
straighten  themselves  out  and  live  productive  lives.  If  he  could
straighten  them  out  at  boot  camp,  chances  were  good  they  wouldn’t
get into a lifetime cycle of crime and punishment. He enjoyed his job,
and he was damn good at it. Russell was only a few years older than
some of his boys. Yet he was totally legal and tempting as hell.

They’d been driving for about three hours when Russell stirred

and woke up. He looked at Sloane uncomprehendingly for a moment
until memory returned, and he rubbed his hands over his face.

“Hi.” Sloane said cheerfully. “Decide to finally wake up?”
“God, how long have I been asleep?”
“Almost three hours.”
“Damn. I must have been more exhausted than I thought. I’m

starving, too.” He looked around at the landscape they were passing.

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Nothing but trees and forest as far as the eye could see. “I don’t guess
we’ll run across a McDonald’s anytime soon.”

“Actually, we’re not too far from Campbellton, New Brunswick.

According to my iPhone there are several restaurants there, including
a McDonald’s. I think we can do better than that, though. We’re going
to stop there for the night. We’re not more than an hour or so away
from our destination, but it’s pretty remote. I don’t want to try to find
it in the dark.”

“Dark? It’s only about two o’clock.”
“It gets dark pretty early this far north, Russell. Especially this

time of year, with winter coming on. Probably in another hour or so.”

“You know I have no clothes at all to change into.”
“We’ll be in Campbellton in a few minutes. We’ll find a store,

and I’ll buy you some things.”

“I could’ve brought my own, if you’d let me get my things from

the car before we left.” Russell’s tone was sulky, but Sloane decided
to ignore it and stay upbeat.

They were starting to come into a small town, and Russell looked

around. “This is a town? What a shithole. They even have a hotel
here?”

“Absolutely. We have our choice of a Super 8 or a Howard

Johnson’s. What will it be?”

Russell made a snorting sound through his nose and shrugged,

looking pointedly away. Oh, it was like that, was it? He was going to
be sullen. Sloane smiled. This was going to be more fun than he’d
imagined.

As they pulled into town, Sloane saw the Howard Johnson’s, a

smallish, brick, two-story hotel on a quiet street. He pulled in and got
out of the truck, coming around to Russell’s side and opening the
door. “C’mon, Red. You’re going in with me.”

“Don’t call me that. I hate it. This whole thing is so stupid. I don’t

know why I ever agreed to it in the first place.” He stepped out of the
truck to follow Sloane into the hotel, but as he came around to the

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front of the truck, Sloane turned to face him, crowding him so his ass
hit the truck and he fell off balance onto the hood. Startled, he stared
up into Sloane’s dark eyes.

“I’m getting sick of your bitching. Lighten up, boy, or I’ll put a

gag in that smart mouth. You’d look pretty good with a gag, so don’t
tempt me. Are we clear?”

Russell nodded his head and dropped his gaze.
Satisfied with his intimidation, Sloane went into the hotel and up

to the clerk to arrange for a room. They had two rooms left—one with
two queen beds or one with a king. Sloane looked over his shoulder at
Russell,  who  was  standing  sullenly  on  the  other  side  of  the  room,
staring  off  into  space.  “The  king,  please,”  Sloane  said  with  a  smile.
“Just  one  key  will  be  fine.”  He  took  the  key  and  walked  over  to
collect  Russell,  taking  him  by  the  wrist  and  leading  him  out  to  the
truck. “Let’s go find you some clothes, Red.”

Russell gave him a withering glance, ineffectually trying to pull

away. When Sloane only tightened his grip, he subsided, but gave
Sloane an angry, embarrassed glance. Sloane’s smile grew broader.

Driving down the street, looking for some kind of clothing store,

Sloane passed right by a Walmart. He was surprised at first to find
one so easily, until he remembered there were only about three main
streets in the small town.

Russell followed him inside and turned to him at the door. “I need

to go to the bathroom.”

“Sure, let’s find it.” He saw the men’s room over on the right and

pointed to it. Russell started toward it, with Sloane right behind him.

“Seriously? You’re going to follow me in the bathroom?”
“Damn straight, honey.”
Russell pressed his lips together and stalked into a stall. Sloane

used  the  one  next  to  him,  hurrying  to  get  out  before  he  did.  He  still
didn’t trust him not to run. He was washing his hands when Russell
finally  reappeared.  Not  so  much  as  glancing  in  Sloane’s  direction,
Russell  washed  up  and  then  turned  to  go  shopping.  Sloane  allowed

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him to get a shopping cart and followed him as he went to the men’s
section,  picking  up  a  couple  of  changes  of  underwear  and  socks.  He
also  chose  two  pairs  of  jeans,  two  long-sleeved  flannel  shirts,  two
pairs of sweatpants, and a black hoodie.

“Better add a jacket and a cap. It’s already getting cold up here.

And don’t forget to get yourself a razor and toothbrush,” Sloane said
helpfully.

Russell went over to a rack of jackets and pulled out a brown one

with a hood. Barely glancing at Sloane or acknowledging him in any
way, he went to the toiletries section and selected a few supplies,
including deodorant and shampoo, and pushed his cart to the register.
He stepped back to let Sloane pay for his things. Sloane knew he was
a little embarrassed, so deliberately he turned to him at the register
and smiled. “Anything else you need, sweetheart?”

Sloane enjoyed seeing his face flame bright red, and Russell tried

to walk away. Sloane grabbed his arm. “Uh-uh, honey. Wait for
Daddy to pay for your things.”

Russell jerked away, his face getting even redder if that was

possible. The young girl checking them out just smiled vacantly and
handed Sloane his change.

“Stop trying to embarrass me,” Russell growled as Sloane

escorted him out of the store.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sloane said, but he

burst out laughing so hard he had to lean up against the truck. “Your
face was priceless!”

“Very funny. Ha-ha.” Russell frowned at him and got back in the

truck, holding his bags. He sat stiffly on the seat, refusing to unbend
in the least, his back straight and tense.

Sloane started the truck and found a restaurant that claimed to

have “Family Meals.” A waitress came over to take their order, and
Sloane couldn’t resist. “What would you like, sweetheart?”

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Russell’s face flamed again, and he directed his attention to the

fascinated waitress. “I’ll just have a salad, please, and a glass of
water.”

“Now, honey, I don’t want you getting hungry in the middle of the

night. You’re a growing boy, you know. Bring us both the baked
chicken and mashed potatoes and gravy. Some green beans, too. And
a nice glass of milk for my boy here.”

“I don’t like milk, thank you very much.”
Sloane smiled at the waitress. “Kids today. Can’t do a thing with

them. Bring him the milk, please.”

The waitress closed her mouth and turned away shaking her head,

writing furiously on her little notepad. Russell leaned forward in a
fury. “Was that absolutely necessary?”

“No, not at all, but it was kind of fun. Don’t be such a little bitch.

Try to enjoy yourself.”

“Enjoy myself? Hmmph!” Russell turned his face away and

refused to look over at Sloane until the waitress returned. It was okay
with Sloane, who was enjoying the view of his sulky, pretty profile.

The food when it came actually wasn’t too bad, and both he and

Russell ate without talking for a good while. Finally, Sloane sat back
and regarded him over the remains of his chicken dinner. “This can be
a pleasant little trip, or it can be miserable. Your choice.”

“I’m trying to make the best of it. What more do you want from

me?”

“C’mon, Russell, you and I both know you’re acting like a spoiled

brat.”

Russell started with surprise. He flushed and sat back in his chair.

“I’m sorry. I’ve never responded to teasing very well. And I guess
I’m mad at myself for getting into this. I’m afraid I’ll lose my job if I
stay away so long. Especially if I don’t even call in.”

“I’ll call for you, if that’s the problem. I’ll even lie and say you

have the flu or something. Would that suit you?”

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“Could you do that? But just let me talk to him—I won’t say

anything, really. I’ll just say I’m sick. Please?”

Sloane reached over and took his hand. Russell allowed it, leaning

forward toward him.

“Now you know I can’t do that, sweetheart. I’ll call for you.”
Russell snatched his hand away. “Why? What do you think I’m

going to say?”

“I have no idea, but I’m not taking any chances.”
Russell got to his feet and without another word, walked out

toward  the  truck,  leaving  Sloane  scrambling  to  pay  the  bill  and  go
after  him.  He  rushed  out  to  the  parking  lot  to  find  Russell  leaning
against  the  door.  He  strode  up  to  him  angrily,  put  a  hand  on  either
side of his head, and leaned in. “Don’t ever do that again.”

Russell looked up into his eyes. “Or what?”
“This.” He angled his head up a bit and took his mouth hungrily,

thrusting his tongue up against his lips until he parted them and then
sticking  his  tongue  down  his  throat.  This  kiss  was  more  about
punishment than enjoyment, and he wanted to see Russell’s reaction
to  it.  Somewhere  in  the  middle  of  it,  though,  it  became  much  more.
Russell’s tongue stopped fighting his  and began  to  twine around his
sweetly. He tasted so good Sloane almost threw him down in the seat
and had his way with him right then and there.

Grinding his crotch up against Russell’s, he kissed him until they

were both almost breathless, then pulled away and glared at him,
trying to regain control. “Mind what I say, Russell. This bad boy act
is going to get you more than you bargained for.”

Russell looked dazed and chastened as he climbed into the truck

and  scooted  over  to  his  side.  Neither  of  them  said  a  word  as  Sloane
negotiated the dark streets. Sloane was angry with himself for losing
control with him like that. He didn’t want to take advantage of him or
hurt  him.  He  was  still  too  young  for  him,  even  if  he  was  past  his
twenty-first  birthday.  Then  he  reminded  himself  that  he  was  the  one
who  probably  had  to  be  careful—this  was  no  ordinary  twenty-one-

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year-old. From all he knew about him, he was savvy, selfish, and
totally ruthless when it came to getting his own way.

It was still fairly early, only about six in the evening, but it was

dark as midnight. Sloane pulled into the hotel parking lot and grabbed
his bag from behind the seat. Russell gripped his Walmart bags tightly
and followed him inside, seeming almost subdued. That’s right, baby.
That’s the way I want you.

When they got into the room, Russell took one look at the king-

sized bed and glanced at Sloane. Sloane shrugged. “This is all they
had.”

“You don’t expect me to share a bed with you, do you?” His

creamy skin was flushed again.

“Relax, Russell. It’s just a bed. I won’t touch you. Unless you ask

me to.” He smiled and raised one eyebrow at Russell, enjoying his
discomfort.

Sloane turned on the TV and flopped down on the bed, flipping

channels, trying not to look at Russell, though he was aware of every
move he made. Russell stood still for a long while, then wandered
into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later, wearing only the
sweatpants and a thin T-shirt that left little to the imagination.

From what Sloane could see of his abs, they were amazing, cut

and defined. It looked natural, not like he constantly worked out or
anything. The sweatpants showed off his package quite nicely, too.
Sloane felt his mouth grow dry, but he kept his eyes resolutely on the
TV.

Russell got into bed next to him, but so far over on his own side of

the  bed  Sloane  was  afraid  he’d  tumble  to  the  floor  during  the  night.
He sat propped up by  his  pillows,  watching Sloane flip  the channels
from  one  station  to  the  next.  Finally,  Sloane  muted  the  TV  with  an
irritated  sigh  and  turned  to  Russell.  “Why  so  quiet,  Russell?
Something’s been eating you all day, besides your being so pissed off
at getting caught. What’s on your mind?”

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He bit his lip and looked away, but not before Sloane saw his eyes

glitter with unshed tears. He reached over and grabbed his chin,
making him turn toward him. “What is it?” he asked softly. “Tell me.”

“No, it’s stupid.”
Sloane’s voice dropped even softer. “Tell me, Red.”
He sighed a little. “I hate being treated like I’m a–a criminal. It

makes me feel cheap and dirty. I’m not like that, but I know you don’t
believe me. I did a stupid thing, I admit, but now I’ll probably lose my
job and worry my family. I guess I have no one to blame but myself.”
Biting his lower lip, he raised his blue gaze to Sloane’s, and Sloane
again felt the little jolt that passed between them. Shit, Russell had
tears standing in his beautiful blue eyes.

He wanted nothing more than to take this sweet boy in his arms

and dry his tears. His hands fairly itched to touch him. Trouble was,
he didn’t trust him. Not as far as he could throw him. He had a feeling
this was all an act, designed to make him feel sympathy. Steeling
himself to the tears, he turned away and kept flipping channels.
“Should have thought of that before you decided to steal, buddy. Now
it’s time to pay the piper.”

Russell closed his eyes and turned on his side away from Sloane.

Sloane settled on a Discovery Channel  program  and settled to  watch
it.  Or  tried  to.  He  was  too  aware  of  Russell  beside  him,  sniffing
quietly. God, was he actually crying? After lying beside him listening
to  it  for  fifteen  minutes  or  so,  he  finally  heard  Russell’s  breathing
evening out. He’d fallen asleep. Cried himself to sleep, damn it, like a
kid.  It  irritated  him  and  touched  him  all  at  the  same  time.  What  the
hell was he going to do with him for a week?

Shannon West

Chapter Three

Redmond awoke at the sound of the shower. He rolled over on his

side  and  groaned.  What  the  hell  had  he  allowed  to  happen  the  night
before? He had actually cried in front of this guy. He didn’t remember
crying  in  years.  He  should  never  have  shown  so  much  vulnerability,
only  he’d  been  feeling  so  alone  and  isolated.  Not  that  I  got  any
sympathy.  It  was  okay  though.  He  hadn’t  been  looking  for  any.  Not
exactly.  He  just  had  a  momentary  weakness  and  gave  into  it  for  a
while, and he didn’t need to get too friendly with this guy.

No matter that he was sexy as hell and as handsome as a movie

star. He was the enemy right now—his fucking jailer for all intents
and purposes. If only he wasn’t so damned cocksure of himself.
Arrogant asshole. Sexy bastard.

He’d thought dozens of times about telling him he wasn’t really

Russell, but he knew he wouldn’t believe him. He had all of Russell’s
identification with him, and nothing much of his own except a credit
card.  The  only  one who  could  ID him for sure would  be David,  and
Sloane  refused  to  let  him  anywhere  near  David.  Besides,  it  didn’t
much  matter  which  twin  he  was,  he  was  the  one  who  was  caught  in
David’s bedroom with his watch in his pocket. He sighed again and
rolled  to  his  back.  He  had  to  just  tough  out  this  week,  and  then  he
could  go  back  home  and  never  think  of  Canada  or  David  or  even
Sloane ever again. Well, maybe I’ll think of Sloane a little.

Damn, he couldn’t be attracted to this guy. He was the enemy. At

least that’s what he kept telling himself. This Sloane was so
damn…attractive. Attractive and sexy and fucking gorgeous. He put
an arm over his eyes. Damn it!

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He had to keep reminding himself Sloane wasn’t his boyfriend.

And he had the annoying habit of treating Redmond like he was a not-
very-bright child who had to be taken care of, instead of a grown man.
He hated the way he tried to embarrass him and tease him. Asshole.
Cute, but an asshole, and he wasn’t attracted to him at all. Not a bit.

Sloane walked out of the bathroom, and Redmond raised his

eyebrows  almost  to  his  hairline.  He  was  wearing  a  towel  slung  low
across  his  hips,  and  it  looked  to  be  in  imminent  danger  of  falling  at
any  moment.  Redmond  wondered  what  his  cock  looked  like  under
that towel.  He saw Redmond  looking at  him and smiled  a sexy little
smile before he pulled the towel  away. His cock, thick and long  and
absolutely rigid bobbed against his stomach as he walked toward him.

“Like what you see, Red? You can have all you want.”
Redmond felt himself blushing, knowing he was only saying it to

make him feel  embarrassed. He dropped his  gaze and turned  over in
bed.  Still,  he had to  admit,  Sloane’s body was  amazing.  Damn!  Why
do I feel so excited by it?

He got out of bed to take his own shower. “Very funny. I’m not

the whore you seem to think I am.”

Sloane caught hold of him as he passed, pulled his body up to his,

and slid his hands onto Redmond’s hips, his thumbs rubbing up and
down gently on his sides. Redmond felt his knees go weak. Oh, God,
is that his cock rubbing against my leg?

“I never said you were a whore, darlin’, but you are kind of

delicious. Makes me want to lick you all over like a lollipop.”

“Stop!” Redmond pulled away, though his damn traitorous cock

stood up enthusiastically in response to the sexy, naked man, tenting
out his sweatpants.

Letting him go, Sloane patted his erection affectionately. “See, he

likes the idea, too.” He laughed before sauntering over to his suitcase
to find some clothes. And thank God he did, because he didn’t see
Redmond sag almost to his knees as he let him go.

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“They have some kind of breakfast downstairs,” Sloane said.

“When you get through, we’ll go down and check it out.”

Redmond raced from the room and closed the bathroom door

firmly behind him, leaning up against it. He was sweating like a pig.
He  would  have  locked  it,  but  he  knew  Sloane  would  just tell  him  to
unlock  it  again.  If  he  told  him  to  go  fuck  himself,  he’d  probably
knock the damn door down. He took a quick shower and shave, then
went  out  to  the  bedroom  where  Sloane  was  waiting,  idly  flipping
channels on TV. Redmond was wearing the towel now, and his whole
body  burned  as  he  walked  over  to  his  bags.  Sloane  said  nothing
though,  just  gave  Redmond  a  long  look  as  he  waited  for  him  to  get
dressed.

Redmond bent over to put on his boxers, and while he was off-

balance, Sloane came over to his suitcase, “accidentally” bumping
into him and knocking him down on the bed. Sloane stood over him,
looking down at him appreciatively. “Well, sweetheart, you are a big
boy, aren’t you?”

Redmond felt like telling him to go fuck himself, but he held still

instead, very turned on by Sloane’s gaze. He could feel his cock
stiffening and curving back toward his stomach.

Sloane bent over him slowly and brushed his lips across the head

of his dick. Redmond held very still, locking eyes with him. Sloane
smiled and stood back up. “Get dressed, baby.”

Redmond was relieved when he turned away. Wasn’t he? He sat

up, his underwear still clutched in his trembling hand. He took a deep
breath and stood up again. After pulling on a pair of the new jeans, an
undershirt, and the hoodie, he glanced over at Sloane. “Um…mind if I
put this stuff in your suitcase till we get there?”

“Sure, go ahead.” Sloane was seemingly absorbed in the TV and

barely glanced at him. It was as if the last few minutes had never
happened. Redmond took out his new things and put his dirty clothes
in the empty Walmart bag, packing all of it inside Sloane’s suitcase.
As he started to turn away, he saw a hint of a blue color sticking up on

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the side of Sloane’s bag. His phone’s OtterBox was blue. Glancing
over his shoulder, he pulled it out and slipped it into his pocket,
closed the lid of the bag, and zipped it up.

“All set!”
Sloane got up and stretched and waited for Redmond to precede

him from the room before closing the door. They went downstairs and
found a small room off the lobby that was set up with some bagels,
toast, and cereal, along with coffee and juice. After getting coffee,
juice, and a bagel, Redmond followed Sloane to a table, put down his
things, and nodded toward the men’s room. “Actually I forgot to go to
the bathroom. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Sloane glanced up and nodded, but Redmond could feel his gaze

on his back all the way to the door of the bathroom. He ducked into a
stall  and  quickly  pulled  out  the  phone  and  turned  it  on.  The  battery
was  almost  dead,  but  he  managed  to  send  a  quick  text  message  to
Russell.

Caught with watch. They want to keep me away from David till he

leaves in a week. I’ll be in place called Hedgewick.

Redmond heard the door open and Sloane call his name. “I’ll be

out in just a minute.”

He jammed the phone back in his hoodie pocket and flushed the

toilet. Stepping out, he met Sloane’s suspicious gaze. He washed his
hands and stepped past Sloane to go back to the table. Sloane stopped
him with a hand on his arm. “What were you doing in here, Red?”

Redmond flushed and pulled away. “Going to piss, what did you

think?”

“I don’t know. We just left the room, and you seem a little

nervous.”

“No—I just don’t like to be interrogated about every little thing.”
His phone took that opportunity to make a little dinging sound,

indicating a message coming in. Sloane looked down at him,
narrowing his eyes and holding out his hand. “Hand it over, Red.”

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Redmond sighed heavily and pulled out the phone, slapping it in

his hand. He tried to turn away, but Sloane pulled him back around.
“Who did you text message?”

“Just a friend. Nobody.”
“A friend, huh? You’re lying.”
Redmond tried to pull away, but he couldn’t free himself. Angrily,

he looked down into the shorter man’s eyes. “What do you want from
me? I texted a friend to let him know I was okay. No big deal.”

Sloane’s lips tightened. “A boyfriend? From what David’s told

me, you’re never without one for long. What’s his name?”

Sloane was pressing his arm tightly, actually hurting him, but he

wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of flinching. Staring at Sloane
defiantly, he spat out, “None of your damn business.”

Sloane pushed him back against the wall so quickly and

unexpectedly, his head cracked a little against the tile. Using his feet,
he pushed Redmond’s feet from under him so he slid down the tiled
wall, barely catching himself on the sink beside him. Now looming
over him, Sloane put a hand on either side of his head and leaned over
into his face. “Get this straight, Red. For the next week, you are my
business. Now who the fuck were you texting?”

He knew Sloane was trying to intimidate him. Trouble was, it was

working just fine. “M–my brother. I didn’t want my family to be
worried, that’s all.”

Keeping one hand by his head, he fished the phone out of his

pocket and pulled up the message. He read it and gave Redmond a
disapproving look. “Caught with the watch, huh? So this brother of
yours knew you were going to try to steal it back, too?”

Redmond cast his eyes down. He hated himself for it, but his

breathing was getting rapid. “Y–yes. I mean, no, I told you I wasn’t
going to steal it—I told you I wanted to speak to David as soon as I
arrived. I meant to ask him for the watch.”

“Sure you were. That’s why I found you in his bedroom with the

watch in your pocket,” Sloane said, shaking his head. He put the

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phone back in his pocket and put out a hand to help Redmond up. “Go
back to the table and eat something. We need to get on the road.”

“I’m not hungry,” he mumbled.
“I said, eat something. Go.”
Feeling his face flush hotly, he went back into the small dining

area  and  sat  down.  His  coffee  was  cold  by  now,  but  he  drank  it
anyway, and choked down the bagel.  He was  furious  and humiliated
by Sloane’s treatment, and still angry at Russell for getting him into
this.  Sloane  sat  next  to  him  and  drank  his  coffee,  silently  watching
him.  When  Redmond  finished  eating,  he  stood  up  and  pulled
Redmond to his feet.

Redmond jerked his arm away. “I’m not a damn child.”
“I’m beginning to wonder,” Sloane said softly, grabbing his wrist

in a punishing grip and pulling him along behind.

Embarrassed, Redmond practically had to run to keep up as

Sloane hauled him up the stairs. When they got to the room, Sloane
deposited him on the end of the bed and stood over him. “We need to
get a few things straight between us, and now is as good a time as
any.”

“Like what?”
“I know who you are, Russell. I’ve watched you jerk David

around for the past two years, while I told him to get rid of you. I’m
not David, and I won’t let you play your games with me, have you got
that?  I  won’t  put  up  with  it—I’ll  turn  you  over  to  the  police  so  fast
it’ll make  you dizzy. You made a deal  with  me, and  you’ve already
broken  your word. There won’t be any more chances after this, Red.
Be very clear about that.”

“I’m clear.” Redmond clenched his fists, but made no move to

rise. Sloane had succeeded in making him feel guilty and humiliated.
After  another  thirty  seconds  or  so  of  intimidation,  Sloane  stepped
back  and  looked  at  him  speculatively.  “So  what  should  your
punishment  be,  Russell?  Something  quick  to  get  it  over  with,  or  a
longer punishment?”

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“W–what are you talking about?”
“You need to learn that every time you lie or try to screw with me,

it carries consequences. Punishment being one of them. Now what
will it be?”

“The hell with you…”
“Okay, you’re leaving it up to me. Good—quick it is. Stand up.”
“No. What the fuck are you going to do?” He hated the way his

voice trembled, but he couldn’t help it. Sloane made him feel uneasy
when he got like this.

Sloane pitched his voice low and firm. “I said, get up.”
He thought about telling him to go to hell, then thought better of it

as he looked into Sloane’s eyes. Warily, wondering what he had in
mind, Redmond stood up. Punishment? What was he talking about?
Sloane took him by the shoulders and turned him around, and pushed
him down onto the bed. He caught himself with his hands, and looked
back over his shoulder wonderingly at Sloane. “What the fuck?”

“Something your parents should have done a long time ago. We’ll

start by taking down your pants.” He grabbed his waistband and
jerked his pants down past his ass so quickly he could hardly believe
what was happening.

Redmond’s stupid cock sat up right away and took notice,

bobbing around in front of him. “What? What are you doing?” He
tried to get up and reach for his pants, but Sloane put a hand in the
middle of his back and pushed him facedown into the mattress.

“Time for a spanking, sweetheart. Long overdue, I might add.”
“Spanking? No!” Humiliation raced through him, and he felt like

his skin was on fire.

A stinging blow came down hard on his backside, so that he

jumped and tried his best to push up off the bed. He was being half
smothered in the mattress, and Sloane’s hand was like iron on his
back. He managed to raise himself almost up off the bed when Sloane
put a knee in the middle of his back and pushed him down again.

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“Oh, no, you don’t!” Another stinging slap hit his ass, and he

cried out  in embarrassment  and  anger.  He tried  his  best  to  buck him
off,  but  he  couldn’t  get  any  purchase  with  his  feet.  He  felt  Sloane
remove his knee then and bend down to touch his tongue to the place
he’d  just  slapped.  A  white-hot  heat  raced  through  Redmond,  and  he
drew  in  a  sharp  breath  and  lay  perfectly  still.  Another  slap  and  then
came  Sloane’s  tongue  again,  bathing  away  the  sting.  Redmond
moaned,  feeling  his  cock  growing  beneath  him.  Little  thrills  of
pleasure were making him so hard he shivered and trembled.

“Oh, God, please.”
“Please what, baby? More?” Sloane slapped his cheeks again, this

time  near  his  balls,  and  Redmond  stiffened,  arching  his  back.
Immediately  he  felt  the  sweet,  hot  tongue  sweeping  over  him,  silky
smooth and wet, lavishing comfort on his balls.

Breathing hard, he tried again to get up, but Sloane pushed him

back down again, and he stayed where he was. He was so afraid he
was about to embarrass himself by coming. His cock was so hard it
hurt, and he rubbed it against the bedspread beneath him, trying to get
some relief.

Redmond felt Sloane’s fingers stroking his ass. Slowly he moved

his wicked fingers closer to Redmond’s tight hole. He circled it with
his finger, dropping another kiss on his spanked butt.

Sloane was breathing hard as he leaned down and spoke into

Redmond’s ear. “Are you going to be a good boy for me the rest of
the week?”

“Please, Sloane!”
Sloane licked him from the bottom of his crease to the top,

causing Redmond to almost lift off the bed.

“Say it.”
Redmond bit his lower lip, knowing he wanted to humiliate him

and that was his real punishment. “I–I’ll be a good boy.” And you
better sleep with one eye open, damn it…

Shannon West

Sloane ran his hand down his back and into the crevice between

Redmond’s ass cheeks. Redmond made a squeaky little noise and felt
his whole body turn even redder.

“Will you be a very good boy?” Sloane moved his fingers up and

onto his rim, circling around and around it slowly. Redmond
squirmed uncontrollably.

“Y–yes,” he said, moaning low in his chest.
Sloane bent down and kissed each red ass cheek tenderly. He

rolled him onto his back and looked down at Redmond’s rigid cock.

“Did you enjoy your spanking, darling?”
Redmond blushed from his head to his toes. Turning his head

away, he whispered, “Yes.”

“Good. Get up, baby.” Redmond’s ass burned not from the

spanking but from the kisses.

Still blushing all over, Redmond scrambled to his feet, pulling up

his  pants.  He  was  so  angry  and  embarrassed  and  confused  he  didn’t
trust  himself  to  speak,  just  stood  there  looking  down  at  his  feet.  He
wished  the  floor  would  open  up  and  swallow  him.  He  stood  facing
Sloane and pulled his fist back, ready to knock him down.

Sloane smiled at him mockingly. “You got something you want to

do? Huh?”

When Redmond hesitated, he stepped up and kissed him on the

lips, nudging his mouth open with his tongue. Redmond dropped his
fist and tried to pull his head back, but Sloane grabbed the back of his
head and held him in place, kissing him thoroughly.

He pulled his head back and gazed deeply into his eyes. “Get your

coat on, honey, and let’s get on our way.”

Redmond walked stiffly to the closet to retrieve his new coat. His

damn cock was throbbing, terribly excited by the last few minutes.
His damn balls ached abominably. What the hell is wrong with me?
How can I be excited? He hated Sloane. Someday he’d have a chance
to get back at him. Someday he’d show him no mercy and embarrass
him, too. He kept that thought in his mind as he put the jacket on and

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turned to face the door. Sloane stood right behind him, and though he
hated himself for doing it, he flinched in fear.

Sloane stood silently, surveying him from head to foot. He

reached out and snapped his jacket closed. “It’s cold outside,
sweetheart. Don’t want you to get sick.”

He reached up and gently brushed his lips against Redmond’s.

Redmond closed his eyes and felt himself trembling all over. Why
was it so hard to catch his breath?

He took him by the wrist again and dragged him from the room.

Sloane stopped on the top of the stairs. “Do you have everything?”

“Yes, sir.”
“Don’t be a smartass. When you act like an adult, I’ll treat you

like one.” Sloane stared down into his eyes until Redmond dropped
his gaze, hating himself for his submission.

Not releasing his wrist, he pulled Redmond downstairs and out to

the  truck.  He  opened  the  door  and  stowed  his  bag  inside  before
standing  back  for  Redmond  to  climb  in  and  scoot  over  to  the
passenger  seat.  Surreptitiously,  Redmond  rubbed  his  wrist.  He’d
gripped  him  so  hard  he’d  probably  have  a  bruise  there  tomorrow.
Asshole.

Redmond sat on his side of the truck, not looking at Sloane, not

saying  a  word.  Sloane  seemed  oblivious  of  his  anger,  or  maybe  just
indifferent  to  it.  He  switched  on  the  radio  and  began  scanning
channels.  What  was  the  matter  with  this  man?  Redmond  thought
bitterly. Couldn’t he ever be satisfied? He’d done the same thing with
the TV the night before. He finally turned it off when no station came
in clearly.

Where the hell were they? Bumfuck, Egypt? No radio, no houses,

no cars to speak of on the highway. Talk about being in the middle of
nowhere. Redmond began to feel uneasy. He was out in the wilds of
Canada, a country he knew next to nothing about, with a man who
embarrassed him every chance he got. He was beginning to wonder if
he’d ever get back home in one piece.

Shannon West

As if sensing he was feeling uneasy, Sloane glanced over at him

and smiled. Damn him, he has a beautiful smile. Sexy dimples, too.
Shit.

“Stop being pouty, and talk to me.”
“Talk about what? You already know all there is to know about

me, don’t you?”

“Do I? I just know a little of the history. What about this brother

of yours? What’s he like?”

Redmond shrugged. This was getting into dangerous territory.

How much had David told him? Was he trying to set him up again for
another lie? A damn spanking? Sadist. Toppy bastard.

“Not much to tell, really. His name is Redmond.”
“Older or younger?”
“Uh…younger.” And he was, by six minutes.
“Does he look like you?”
“Yes.”
“So did you grow up in Georgia, like David?”
“Yes. David met me in Athens, Georgia. He was a graduate

student, and I was a freshman.”

“Didn’t the age difference bother you?”
“No, David’s handsome and very cool.”
“If he’s so cool, why did you keep jerking him around? Winning

him back just to break up with him again a couple months later?”

“Um, it’s complicated.”
“I think I can keep up.”
“I don’t know, really. We’re just very different people in a way.

He’s  handsome  and  all,  but  he’s  too…”  Redmond  looked  up,
searching  for  a  word.  He’d  never  really  understood  the  dynamic
between Russell and David, so he couldn’t very well explain it.

“Too responsible? Too adult?”
Redmond shrugged, at a loss for something to say. He knew this

conversation was making Russell, and thereby him, look bad, but he
wanted to try to tell him the truth as much as he knew. He wasn’t

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about to give him another excuse for spanking his ass. “I guess so. I
don’t know. Can’t we change the subject? David’s married now.”

“Yes, he is, and I want him to stay that way. You’ve always had

some kind of hold over David. I get that you’re beautiful and all, but
there has to be something more.”

Redmond snorted. “Beautiful? That’s what people call girls.”
Sloane smiled again and kept driving.
“I’m not a damn girl.” Redmond glared at Sloane angrily. For

some reason it was important to emphasize just how manly he was.

Sloane glanced over at him and continued to smile.
“Are you saying I’m effeminate? Because I’m not.”
“I didn’t say anything, honey. You’re the one getting all hot and

bothered. Believe me, if you were a girl, I wouldn’t be nearly so
interested.”

Redmond cleared his throat. “You–you’re interested? In me?”
“I’m interested,” he said after a long pause. “Like I said, very

beautiful.” He reached for the radio again and began to fiddle with it.
Apparently the little attempt at conversation was over with.

Redmond relaxed a little in his seat and began feeling sleepy

again. Ever since he was a kid, riding on long trips made him want to
go to sleep. Especially if the scenery was monotonous or boring like
this was. He felt himself nodding off. He began to dream about going
to the park with Russell when he was a small child, maybe four years
old.

Russell was sliding on the big slide, and Redmond wanted to do it

too.  He  remembered  how  he  climbed  all  the  way  to  the  top  of  the
ladder.  Russell  was  poised  to  slide  down.  He  saw  Russell  looking
back  over  his  shoulder  at  him,  and  just  as  he  got  to  the  top  of  the
slide, Russell put a hand on his chest and shoved him—hard.

Falling back off the ladder, he was knocked unconscious for a few

minutes. When he woke up his mother alternated between kissing him
with relief and chiding him for being so careless. He never told on
Russell, because as he woke up in the hospital, Russell put a soft little

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hand inside his and whispered in his ear. “If you tell, I’ll get you
tonight when you go to sleep.” Redmond remembered he had no
doubt that he would, too.

Redmond came awake with a start and looked over at Sloane.

Sloane smiled at him. “Taking a little nap, again? If I ever have
trouble getting you to go to sleep, I know what to do.”

Redmond frowned and straightened up. Getting him to go to

sleep, indeed. He treated him like he was a small child sometimes. He
shook his head, trying to clear away the remaining vestiges of the
dream. Why would he think about something like that now? It had
happened so long ago.

“Bad dream?”
“Huh? Oh, kind of. I don’t know why, but I dreamed about the

time a kid pushed me off the slide when we were little.”

“The top of the slide?” Sloane’s voice sounded incredulous.
“Yeah—we were just little kids. He was only playing.”
“If you say so.” Sloane shook his head. “Sounds to me like he was

trying to kill you.”

“We were four years old!”
“Mm-hm. Wonder what kinds of things Hitler did on the

playground when he was four years old?”

Redmond looked straight ahead, thinning his lips, deciding to

ignore Sloane and his smart mouth. He’d like to slap that mouth. He’d
like to lick it and kiss it until he begged for mercy. Shit!

“Sorry, honey, I was only teasing.” Sloane laughed a little. “Was

this a good friend of yours?”

“No, not really,” Redmond replied sadly, realizing he was telling

the truth. He and Russell had never been close as children. Not like all
the  stories  about  identical  twins  being  able  to  read  each  other’s
thoughts  and  feelings.  He  and  Russell  had  never  been  like  that.
Russell had always been vying for his parents’ attention, and usually
Redmond  just  let  him  have  it.  He  wanted  to  be  close  to  his  brother,
but it never really happened.

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“Probably just as well. Otherwise, you might not have survived.”
Redmond felt stung by Sloane’s criticism of Russell, even if he

didn’t know who it was he was talking about. Redmond had a long
history of taking care of Russell. One of the reasons he’d got himself
into this current mess.

“Well, wake up. We’re almost there.”
Redmond looked with interest out the windows, expecting to see

some signs of civilization. Instead he saw a scattering of houses and
what looked like a glorified dollar store. Sloane pulled into the dusty
parking lot and motioned for Redmond to get out. “Let’s go get a few
groceries for the week.”

“Here?”
Sloane threw a smile over his shoulder as he climbed out of the

truck and went inside. Redmond trailed along after him. It was a little
better inside than he had anticipated from the outward appearance, but
still there wasn’t much to be seen. Sloane got a small basket and then
handed Redmond one, too. Sloane walked up and down the aisles
putting milk, butter, and bread inside. “Get some eggs and bacon,” he
told Redmond, who was standing around in confusion. “Any snacks
you want, too.”

Redmond found a cooler and picked up eggs and bacon. He found

some chocolate chip cookies and potato chips. Sloane walked up, and
Redmond saw hot dogs and hamburger meat inside the basket now,
too. “Not a large selection,” Sloane whispered. “C’mon, let’s check
out.”

Sloane paid the gray-haired lady behind the counter for their

purchases and charmed her with his sexy smile, so that she chatted
happily with him as she rang up his food. “You boys staying round
here?”

“Yes, ma’am. Up at Jonathan Quincy’s farmhouse. Are you

familiar with it?”

“Oh, yes, the old Abernathy place. Mary and Jim Abernathy lived

up there for years. Sold out and went to Quebec to live with their son,

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four or five years ago. So, did you come to hunt or fish? Just to
relax?”

“Mostly to relax. Maybe some hiking on the trails, too.”
“Supposed to be some bad weather coming in later this week.

Might get some snow.”

“Oh, great,” Redmond mumbled.
Sloan glanced at him and back at the lady behind the counter. “Is

that right? Something to look forward to, then. I love the snow.”

“Well, if you boys need any gear, come back. We have boots and

all that.”

“Yes, ma’am. We surely will. Thanks for everything.”
He loaded Redmond down with bags and pushed him toward the

door. A quick glance over his shoulder told him Sloane wasn’t
carrying a thing.

After putting the bags in the car, Sloane herded Redmond into the

front seat and headed out of “town.” They found the house with no
problem. It actually didn’t look as bad as Redmond anticipated. It was
probably fifty years old, but someone had given it a recent coat of
paint and the yard was neat and clean. Once inside, Redmond saw that
the décor was late sixties, at best, but again, very neat and clean, if a
little shabby.

It was exactly as advertised, an old farmhouse. Nothing fancy, but

the  rooms  were  large  and  the  whole  place  was  sort  of—homey.
Redmond  felt  comfortable  there  right  away.  His  mother  was  a  good
mother,  and  loved  him  and  his  brother  very  much.  But  she  hadn’t
exactly  been  Suzie  Homemaker,  preferring  her  job  as  an  office
manager  at  a  high-powered  doctor’s  office  to  any  kind  of  domestic
concerns.  He didn’t  blame her at  all, but  it would have been nice on
occasion to have her go to one of his baseball games or even mix up a
batch of cookies.

He carried the bags into the large kitchen, complete with an old-

fashioned stove and a tiny, efficiency-sized refrigerator. Without
waiting for Sloane to boss him around, he unpacked the bags and put

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the groceries away. He noticed Sloane leaning against the door,
watching him. When he finished, he turned and tried to walk past
Sloane to go to the living room, but Sloane was blocking the door and
wouldn’t budge.

“Excuse me,” Redmond said, not making eye contact. He was still

angry, and his ass was sore.

Lazily, Sloane reached for him, put his hands on his waist, and

pulled  him  close.  He  didn’t  resist,  because  as  before,  Sloane’s  touch
caused  a  white-hot  heat  to  rush  through  his  body.  Redmond’s
breathing  quickened,  making  a  funny  little  catch  in  his  throat.  He
glanced down and caught Sloane’s gaze. He wasn’t smiling. He had a
serious,  intense  expression  on  his  face  as  he  brought  his  lips  up  to
graze  Redmond’s  ear.  He  whispered,  “Thanks  for  putting  the
groceries away, sweetheart.”

Redmond shivered and shrugged. “Sure.” He tried to act

nonchalant  and  pull  away  at  the  same  time.  He  wouldn’t  even  think
about the fact that he had a little warm spot in the middle of his chest
at  the  kind  words.  Not  to  mention  the  warm,  wet  drops  of  pre-cum
dripping from his cock.

Why did it matter so much to him if this man approved of him?

He  didn’t  know,  but  it  seemed  as  if  it  did.  He  shifted  his  feet
nervously, but Sloane settled Redmond against his chest more closely.
He  knew  Sloane  noticed  his  erection.  He  had  to  since  it  was  poking
him in the stomach.

“Have you decided where you’re going to sleep? My room has a

king-sized bed. I’ll be happy to share.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet you would. No, thanks, Sloane, I’ll sleep

somewhere else. Isn’t there another bedroom?”

“Sure. Of course, it is the haunted bedroom…”
“What?” Even Redmond could hear the slight catch in his voice.
“Yeah. The legend goes that the farmer who lived here had a

beautiful daughter. Her fiancé died in the war, and she hung herself in
that bedroom.”

Shannon West

Redmond’s eyebrows rose slightly. “Really?”
Sloane burst out laughing. “Sorry, Red, I couldn’t resist. No, not

really. But if you do get scared during the night, I’m here for you.”

Redmond pulled away and scowled at him. “Another joke at my

expense?”

“Just teasing, honey, lighten up. You must admit you are a little

gullible—makes me want to tease, but I promise I’ll stop if it makes
you mad. You know, I haven’t seen you smile since that first day at
the mansion when you were flirting with me.”

“I wasn’t flirting,” he murmured, looking up down at his shoes.

“And I haven’t exactly had a lot to smile about!”

“Good point. Okay, Red, go find your room.” Sloane stood aside

to let him pass. “If you need anything, let me know, and when you get
settled in, come back out to the living room. I’ll have your chores list
ready.”

“My what?” Surely he was still teasing.
“Your chores list. You didn’t think this was a vacation, did you?

Prisoners have to work. Haven’t you ever heard of hard labor? I’m
putting you to work, my man.”

“Great,” Redmond said under his breath. “Just fucking great. And

I suppose you’ll be watching TV and lounging around while I do all
the work?”

“What’s that, Red?”
“Nothing,” he said sullenly. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He went

out to the hallway and found his room next to the bathroom. It wasn’t
large,  but  it  held  a  full-sized  bed,  draped  with  quilts,  and  a  small
dresser. He unpacked his few belongings and sat down on the bed for
a  moment  to  think.  The  wedding  had  been  on  Saturday,  and  now  it
was Sunday afternoon, and it seemed like he had been on this journey
with Sloane for days and days instead of such a short time. If things
hadn’t  gone  so  wrong,  he’d  have  been  back  home  by  now,  getting
ready for work in the morning.

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He was pretty sure he’d lose his job. His boss was not exactly a

forgiving guy, and without a doctor’s excuse, there was no way in hell
he’d let him stay out for a week. Redmond fell back on the bed for a
moment, staring up at the ceiling. Who was he kidding? It was a crap
job  anyway.  The  pay  was  lousy  and  the  benefits  worse.  He’d  only
taken  it  because  the  economy  was  so  bad  when  he’d  graduated
college,  and  there  were  very  few  jobs  even  available,  especially  for
someone without any job experience. He sighed and closed his  eyes.
Maybe it was time for a change.

He heard Sloane clear his throat and jumped with guilt. Sloane

was standing in the doorway, watching him with that same serious
expression again. “Taking another little nap, honey?”

“Oh,” he said, jumping to his feet. “Sorry. I was just coming out. I

only sat down for a minute.”

“Okay, no problem. You must be pretty exhausted—after all,

you’ve only napped like twice today. Maybe you can get another one
in before bedtime.”

Sloane was teasing, but Redmond still felt his face getting warm.

Did Sloane just like to make him blush? He had a feeling he did.

“Let’s go over your chores. Join me in the living room?”
Resigned, Redmond followed him into the other room and sat

down  on  the  sofa  across  from  him.  Sloane  pushed  a  piece  of  paper
toward  him.  “As  you  see,  your  day  starts  at  eight  o’clock.  Fix
breakfast—you can cook, right? Then clean the house. That shouldn’t
take too long with just the two of us here. Then fix lunch for both of
us, and maybe there’ll be some afternoon chores. Like chopping wood
for the fireplace, things like that.  Nothing too strenuous. Then  you’ll
have some free time until  you cook supper. I’ll take you into town if
you need any more supplies, but you should have enough for a couple
of days.”

Redmond frowned and looked up at him. “You seriously want me

to do all this? I’m not a damn slave, you know! Or a fucking cook!
How come I have to do all the cooking?”

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“I thought you were clear on this, Red. You do whatever I tell you

to do. You’re mine for a whole week, and I like to get good value.”

Redmond clenched his fists. “And if I refuse?”
Sloane leaned back on the chair and smiled his slow, sexy smile.

“I think you already know the answer to that, unless you’d like
another little demonstration?” He reached for him, and Redmond
jumped to his feet, pulling his hand away.

“Okay, I get it. Is that all for now, sir? Or do you have some

chores you want me to do?”

Sloane’s grin got even wider, if that were possible. “As a matter

of  fact,  fix  me  something  to  eat.  I’m  getting  a  little  hungry,  and  we
missed  lunch.  I’ll  have  two  of  those  hot  dogs,  mustard  only.  With,  I
think, a Coke to drink. With ice, if there is any. If not, be sure to fill
those  ice  trays.  I  like  ice  in  my  sodas.”  He  put  his  feet  up  on  the
coffee  table  and  gazed  serenely  at  Redmond  as  he  clenched  his  fists
tightly  by  his  sides.  Redmond  turned  and  stalked  into  the  kitchen,
wishing  he  had  the  nerve  to  put  something  in  his  food  to  poison
him—okay,  maybe  not  poison,  but  something  to  make  him  a  little
sick, anyway.

As if he thought Redmond might be tempted to do that very thing,

Sloane  followed  him  into  the  kitchen  and  sat  on  a  chair  at  the  big
farmhouse  table,  watching  his  every  move.  Redmond  found  a  pot  to
boil  the  hot  dogs  in  and  got  them  started  while  he  went  over  to  the
little  refrigerator  and  found  some  ice  in  the  trays,  filled  a  glass,  and
then refilled the trays. He got out the buns and found the mustard, and
then leaned against the counter waiting  for the hot  dogs  to  be ready.
He was hyperaware that Sloane was staring at him, but he never even
glanced in his direction.

When the hot dogs were ready, he put them in the buns and

slathered them with mustard. He carried the hot dogs and the drink
over to Sloane and put them down, a bit too forcefully, on the table in
front of him.

“Thanks, Red. Looks good. Aren’t you having anything?”

Trading Places

“No, not hungry.” He was so choked with anger he could barely

get the words to come out of his mouth, let alone force food down his
throat.

“Okay. I guess you can go to your room now for that little nap and

clean all this up later. Wouldn’t want you to fall asleep standing up at
the sink. Should I just set my plate in the sink for you?”

Redmond knew he was baiting him, but he wouldn’t give him the

satisfaction. “Sure, why not?”

“Good. Okay, thanks.”
He started to walk away, but Sloane pulled him back to stand in

front of him between his thighs. He held both his hands so he couldn’t
move. “Give me a kiss good-bye, darlin’.”

Redmond wanted to pull away, but he held him steady until it

became embarrassing. He could get away easily enough if he wanted
to,  but  he  knew  Sloane  wouldn’t  let  it  go.  Sighing,  Redmond  bent
down and pecked him on his cheek. His skin felt scratchy and rough
and  goddamned  perfect  against  his  lips.  Sloane  laughed  and  patted
him on the ass.

“Go take your nap, baby.”
Redmond stalked into his bedroom, at a loss for anything to do. It

was  only  afternoon,  though  already  getting  darker,  and  so  far  he
hadn’t  seen  anything  to  read.  No  TV  either.  Damn,  how  did  people
ever  live  like  this?  He  wandered  into  the  living  room  and  plopped
down on the sofa, waiting for Sloane to finish eating. He supposed if
he were not to die of boredom this week, he’d have to talk to Sloane,
even though he was  furious with him at the moment. He just wished
his  cock  wasn’t  so  hard  after  that  last  confrontation.  Damn  him.  He
tried to adjust himself before Sloane came out of the kitchen.

Sloane walked in just then and seemed surprised to see him sitting

on the sofa. “Oh, I thought you’d gone to the bedroom to lie down. I
know how you like your little snoozes. I was wondering, Red, should
I have scheduled you some nap time in the middle of your chores?”

“Very funny. I’m so glad I can offer you so much amusement.”

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Sloane fell onto the chair across from him and regarded him with

a smile. “What’s up, buttercup? I’m beginning to know that little
pouty look pretty well.”

“There’s no computer here, or TV, or even a radio. Nothing to

read, either. How do people stand it?”

“There’s a TV in my room—no cable, but there’s a pretty good

selection of DVDs. We can watch a couple of movies if you want to.”

“We can do that? Really? Sure, that would be great,” Redmond

said eagerly. “If you don’t mind, that is.”

“C’mon, Red, go pick one out and we’ll watch.” Redmond

jumped to his feet and went to Sloane’s bedroom. Sloane showed him
where the DVDs were located, and he went through them, finding a
few adventure movies and some comedies. “Do…uh…Do you have
any preference?”

“Nah, whatever. Just pick one you like.” Sloane lay down on the

bed and pulled a couple of pillows behind his head. Redmond found a
comedy he liked and put that in. He sat on the end of the bed to
watch, but Sloane shook his head. “Grab a pillow and lie down up
here. You know you want to. Get comfortable.”

Redmond moved warily to the head of the bed and leaned against

the pillows stacked there, trying to get comfortable. Being so close to
Sloane made him nervous and uneasy. He noticed that Sloane glanced
over at him and frowned a little. Screw it, he wanted to watch this
movie. It had been a long time, it seemed, since he’d had the time to
sit and relax in front of a film. Soon he was lost in the story, and
barely even noticed when his eyelids began to droop.

Trading Places

Chapter Four

Sloane reached over to straighten Russell on the bed. He’d fallen

asleep sitting up, and now his head had fallen over to the side. He was
so  sound  asleep  he  didn’t  move  as  he  straightened  his  body  out.
Sloane had to steel himself not to reach out and touch him all over. He
knew Russell was angry with him though about the chores list, not to
mention the spanking, so he decided not to push him anymore tonight.
He  saw  his  eyelids  close  partway  through  the  movie,  but  he  figured
he’d wake up as he put another movie on. Instead, he stayed out like a
light,  breathing  hard  and  making  an  occasional  little  moaning  sound
in his sleep. Another bad dream?

Sloane put a hand on his leg, and he hushed. He slept through the

second movie, and Sloane checked his watch with a yawn. Time for
bed. He shook Russell gently and he stirred and opened one eye.

“Bedtime, Sleeping Beauty. Do you want to sleep in here or in

your room?”

He mumbled something unintelligible and closed his eyes again.

“Right,” Sloane said softly. “Let’s get your shoes and jeans off then.”
He  slipped  off  his  shoes  and  socks  and  unsnapped  his  jeans  to  pull
them  off.  Right  away,  he  realized  Russell  was  commando  under  the
jeans. Raising his  eyes  heavenward, he pulled them off anyway, and
tucked  him  under  the  covers.  The  boy  turned  over  immediately  and
pulled the blanket up to cuddle into it.

Sloane got in next to him and lay on his back, very aware that

Russell was so close to him and mostly naked on top of it. He’d been
attracted to this beautiful man from the first moment he saw him, and
the attraction had only grown stronger. As the hours passed in his

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company, he began to realize what it was David found so irresistible
about  him.  He  almost  regretted  having  to  be  so  harsh  with  him.
Reminding  himself  it  could  all  be  an  act—the  sweetness,  the
vulnerability, all could be calculated to  gain his sympathy, he lay on
his  back  and  tried  to  get  his  mind  on  something  else.  The  plain  fact
was he just couldn’t trust him.

Yet lying so close to him was a true measure of his willpower, and

Sloane itched to touch him. Resolutely, he closed his eyes and willed
himself to go to sleep. After tossing and turning for a bit, he finally
managed to drift off.

It was much later during the night when he woke to find Russell

cuddled  up  next  to  him,  his  leg  thrown  across  his,  and  an  arm
wrapped around his  waist.  He  could  feel  Russell’s naked, semi-erect
cock  burning  against  his  leg.  “Russell?”  he  shoved  him  gently.
“Russell, are you awake?”

“Mm-hm, ‘s cold.”
“Damn, baby, I’m only human. You’re killing me.”
“Hmmm? Sleepy.”
Sloane sighed. “Okay, stay here. Go back to sleep, honey.”
Russell cuddled even closer, and Sloane wondered if this was his

idea of some kind of wicked payback. Sloane’s swollen cock throbbed
against  the  material  of  his  underpants,  and  he  shifted  in  the  bed,
turning  his  back  on  Russell,  trying  to  get  some  ease.  Almost
immediately,  Russell  scooted  closer  so  he  was  cuddled  up  against
Sloane’s ass, his cock searing him. Not a great improvement.

Sloane gave up and tried to get some sleep. Lying so close to him

was exquisite torture, but he was surprised at how protective and
possessive he felt toward him. He was even jealous of the time David
had spent with him. He had to get his feelings for Russell under
control. If only he weren’t so very attracted to him.

He closed his eyes and resolutely convinced himself to go back to

sleep. A few hours later, he was awakened by movement near him. He
opened his eyes and saw Russell slipping from the bed.

Trading Places

“Going back to your room?” He said the words quietly, but he saw

Russell almost jump out of his skin. He whirled around to face him.

“Oh, you’re awake. Yeah, uh, I’m just going back to my room

now. I didn’t mean to fall asleep on your bed.”

“No problem,” Sloane said quietly.
“Um, one question.”
“Yeah?”
“Why am I naked? Did we? Uh? I mean, we didn’t, did we?”
“No, darlin’, I managed to fight you off. I just helped you out of

your clothes when you insisted on sleeping in my bed. Who knew you
preferred commando? Very naughty, sweetheart.”

The dark red stain suffused his face again, and Sloane saw it even

in the dimness of the room. He loved to make him blush, and it was so
easy.

“Well, I’ll just go to my room, now.” He turned around and

moved toward the door.

“Yeah, it should be fine. If you see anything in there, or hear

anything, just pull the covers up over your head and give a shout.”

Russell turned around and glared at him. “Very funny. If I see

anything, I’ll just send them in here to you.”

“Yeah, run ’em on in here—especially if it’s a cute one. You

know, red hair, nice little bubble butt.”

Russell turned and stalked out of the room. Sloane could hear him

banging around in his room for a few minutes before things got quiet
again, and he chuckled softly to himself. He was going to have to do
something about that very soon. He reached down and pulled his
aching cock and sighed. Definitely very soon.

Sloane awoke to the smell of burning bacon. “What the hell?” he

muttered, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. As he neared the
kitchen, the burning smell got worse and worse.

Walking into the kitchen, he saw low flames and smoke billowing

out of the frying pan on the stove. As he rounded the corner, he saw
Russell with a glass of water in his hand, getting ready to throw it

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onto the pan. He made it over to him in about two steps and pushed
him hard on his chest back against the counter.

“No, damn it! Are you crazy? You never throw water on a grease

fire!”

He grabbed a cookie tin lying beside the stove and slid it over the

top of the pan to smother the flames, then pushed the pan to the back
eye before he turned to face Russell. He was standing near the sink,
holding a hand to his chest, his face pale. Sloane stepped closer to him
and pulled his hand down to look at it. He had a vivid burn mark on
his wrist.

“Damn, Russell!” He turned him around to the sink and turned on

the  cold  water,  then  shoved  Russell’s  hand  under  the  spigot.
Flinching, Russell tried to pull his hand away, but Sloane gripped his
elbow  and  made  him  keep  it  under  the  water.  As  he  leaned  against
him,  he  could  feel  his  body  trembling.  “Stand  still.”  Sloane  ran  his
free  hand  through  his  hair,  visualizing  what  might  have  happened  if
he hadn’t come in the kitchen when he did. He remembered a training
film he’d seen a few years ago. Just one cup of water on a grease fire
made  the  room  practically  explode  in  scalding  steam  and  flames.
Sloane found he was shaking with fear at the image in his mind.

“Don’t you know you could have been hurt or even killed? People

die from doing that, Russell! Jesus Christ, you need a keeper!”

He pulled him away from the sink and over to the kitchen table.

Pushing him down in a chair, he pulled his wrist over to take a better
look. Though it was an angry red, and probably painful, it wasn’t as
bad as he’d first thought.

“Stay here. Don’t move.” Sloane went to the bathroom and came

back with a wet washcloth and some aloe vera. He laid the cloth over
the burn and looked up into Russell’s eyes. “Leave the cloth on it for
a little while, and then we’ll put the aloe on it. Does it hurt?”

Russell bit his lip and nodded. “A little. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what, honey? The water? I know you didn’t know what

it would do if it hit that hot grease.”

Trading Places

“No, I’m sorry about the bacon. I didn’t do it on purpose, Sloane,

I really didn’t. I put it on high, and then I went to make the toast.” He
hung his head. “I forgot about the bacon. I know you probably think I
messed up on purpose so I could get out of doing it, but I…”

“Fuck the bacon, baby. Don’t worry about it. I didn’t think you

did it on purpose.”

A look of relief came over his face. “Oh, good. I didn’t want you

to think… I am trying, really.”

“It’s okay. And I’m sorry I pushed you so hard, but I had to stop

you.” He looked into Russell’s pretty blue eyes. “Did I hurt you,
sweetheart?”

“No, not really.” Sloane pulled up his T-shirt and saw a red mark

in the middle of his chest. Sloane leaned over and brushed his lips
against the mark. Russell shivered and moaned. Sloane looked up at
him and smiled sweetly.

He kissed the spot again then trailed his tongue over to Russell’s

nipple. He teased it with his tongue and his teeth for a long moment,
looking up at his face from under his lashes, and then moved over to
the other nipple. Russell’s breath was coming in short gasps. He
grabbed Sloane’s arm, his fingers biting into his flesh. “Oh, oh God,
Sloane.”

“Feel good, babe?” Sloane whispered against his chest.
Russell stumbled to his feet. “I–I should go and clean this all up.”

He waved his hand at the kitchen.

“Okay,” Sloane said quietly, leaning back in his chair.
Russell stood still, biting his lip and looking down at his feet, but

not moving. He began to sway a bit. Sloane stood up and took him in
his arms. Russell came into them willingly, putting his hands around
Sloane’s waist and his head on his shoulder. Sloane could feel his
heart beating wildly in his chest.

Sloane pulled his face up so that he was looking directly at him.

He kissed his sweet lips, holding the back of his head, so he couldn’t
move away.

Shannon West

When Russell sighed against his lips, he began to walk him slowly

backward into his bedroom. “I want to make love to you, sweetheart.”

Russell nodded as if he were in a daze, still holding the kiss and

making that little whimpering sound that drove Sloane crazy. “Is that
okay with you?”

Russell nodded and whimpered again as Sloane nibbled on his

lips. He was breathing so rapidly Sloane looked down at him. “Are
you okay, hon?”

Russell swallowed and gripped Sloane harder, looking terrified.
“What is it, baby? Don’t you want this?”
Russell threw his arms around his neck again, nodding into his

shoulder. “Yes, I–I want it.”

“Then are you in pain? Is it your burn?”
“N–No.” Russell put his hands over his face.
“God, honey, tell me what’s wrong.” Sloane pulled away to look

at him, but Russell pulled him back.

“Don’t stop!”
“I’m not stopping, baby, but you have to tell me what’s wrong. I

just  want  this  to  be  good  for  you.”  Sloane  began  to  kiss  him  again,
and  moved  his  hands  across  the  smooth,  hairless  skin  on  his  chest.
Russell  lowered  his  hands  and  regarded  Sloane  as  he  moved  his
fingers  along  his  chest,  barely  skimming  and  causing  little  goose
bumps  to  rise.  Sloane  watched  Russell’s  beautiful  face,  listening  to
the little catch in his throat whenever he moved lower and touched his
cock or his balls through his pants.

Sloane began to undress him, pulling his T-shirt over his head,

pushing  his  pants  down  over  his  hips.  When  he  had  him  naked,  he
pushed  him  gently  down  on  the  bed  and  smiled  at  him  while  he
slowly took off his own boxers. Russell watched him like he’d never
seen  a  man  get  naked  before.  His  chest  rose  and  fell  rapidly  as  he
watched  his  every  move.  It  was  strangely  erotic,  and  made  Sloane
even harder than he thought possible.

Trading Places

He sat down beside Russell on the bed, and gently continued

stroking his chest. Moving slowly, he began to kiss and lick his skin
as he traveled downward. Russell was moving around so much he had
to put both hands on his hips to hold him still. He nipped at his navel,
and when he cried out, he smiled and lowered his head to his stomach.
His beautiful cock had made a little wet spot there, and Russell cried
out as Sloane licked it off.

“Oh, God, Sloane!”
Sloane laughed, cocking his head and looking at him strangely.

He wasn’t acting as experienced and worldly as he thought he would.
Sloane  continued  his  downward  journey,  landing  squarely  on
Russell’s cock, licking the head and sucking it into his mouth like it
was  a  delicious  ice-cream  cone.  Russell  made  an  incoherent  sound
and tried to  buck his  hips toward him.  Sloane tightened his  grip  and
teased him gently. “Easy, baby. Not yet. Just lay back and relax.”

Russell moaned and arched up, hands digging into Sloane’s back.

Sloane continued his movements up and down his dick, paying most
of his attention to the sensitive head, while Russell fell apart beneath
him.

Sloane moved to stretch his naked body over Russell’s. He lined

his dick up with Russell’s and slid them together, using his hips to set
up a rhythm. A noise came from Russell that he’d never heard before
and  made  him  even  more  excited.  Sloane  kissed  him,  nudging  his
mouth  open  wide  and  shoving  his  tongue  inside  to  stroke  Russell’s.
He  took  one  of  Russell’s  legs  and  moved  it  up  toward  his  stomach,
and  Russell  drew  in  his  breath  sharply.  Sloane  didn’t  pay  much
attention as he was trying to get to the lube in the drawer by his bed.
He put some on his finger and rubbed it gently across Russell’s rim.
Russell made a little gulping noise and tried to sit up.

“What is it? Did I hurt you? Want me to stop?”
Russell grabbed him and pulled him closer. “No! God, don’t stop,

Sloane. It just startled me. I–I’m okay.”

“Yeah? You’re sure?”

Shannon West

Russell pulled him close to him and kissed him frantically. He

thrust his tongue into Sloane’s mouth and sucked on Sloane’s tongue.
He began to moan against his lips. “Don’t stop. Please.” He lay back
down and pulled up his leg obediently. He clenched his fists as if he
were about to be tortured. “I–I’m ready.”

Sloane was pretty sure he couldn’t have stopped if he’d wanted to.

This man was so damned delicious. He put the lube on his finger and
gently moved it into Russell’s tight little hole. Looking down at it, he
thought  that  it  was  almost  perfect—tight  and  puckered  and  pink.  He
wanted  to  be  gentle  with  it,  so  he  eased  his  finger  inside.  Russell
flinched  a  little,  but  relaxed  as  Sloane  began  to  move  the  finger
slowly in and out. He eased another finger in, twisting both his fingers
a  little,  trying  to  make  it  good  for  him,  and  Russell  cried  out,
clenching  tightly  around  his  fingers.  “Easy,  honey,  what’s  the
matter?”

“Nothing, nothing. Please keep going.”
Sloane pulled on a condom as Russell watched him with his eyes

open wide. He slicked it with lube and lined it up with Russell’s hole.
He  eased  his  way  inside,  and  immediately  Russell  clenched  again.
Sloane  kept  pushing  gently,  until  finally  there  was  a  noticeable
relaxing  of  his  inner  muscles.  Russell  was  breathing  oddly  quick,
short breaths.

Sloane pulled out a little and looked down at him. “Russell, baby,

tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing. It just hurts a little.”
“Hurts? But…”
Russell leaned forward and threw his arms around his neck again.

He whispered urgently in his ear. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s—it’s
my first time to bottom.”

“What do you mean?” He pushed Russell back down on the bed

and leaned over into his face. He couldn’t have heard him correctly.
“What are you talking about?”

Trading Places

Russell turned his face to the wall and bit down on his lip. “I

thought I could do it, and you wouldn’t know. I want you so much.”
His beautiful blue eyes were filled with tears.

Sloane held his cock at the entrance of Russell’s hole. He rubbed

the lubed condom slowly up and down against it, trying to calm him.
Trying to calm himself. He pulled his chin around to make him face
him. “Talk to me, baby. I don’t understand.”

“I’ve never done anal before, Sloane. I’m so sorry.”
Sloane sat back on his heels, unable to wrap his mind around

whatever it was Russell was trying to tell him. “What are you talking
about, Russell? I know you’re no virgin. Never done anal? Never
bottomed? I know that can’t be true. What kind of game is this?”

Russell put his elbows on the bed and looked directly at Sloane

again. “I–I’m not Russell. I’m Redmond, his twin brother.”

Sloane narrowed his eyes, shaking his head. He was so angry he

wanted to throttle him. What kind of stupid game was Russell playing
with him? Get him excited and then fuck with him?

“Oh, really? Well, that’s too bad, Redmond, ’cause I’m not

stopping now.”

He lay back on top of him and thrust into him, causing Russell to

cry out.  He  pounded  at  him once, twice, but  Russell’s groans  finally
got  to  him.  Could  he  really  be  hurting  him?  He  slowed  his  motions
down and began moving slowly, sensuously. He bent his head to kiss
Russell’s lips and tasted tears. He stopped his motions and held still,
breathing hard.

“Should I stop? I don’t know what you want. I–I don’t know if I

can, but I’ll try.”

“No, please. It feels wonderful now. I–I want you, Sloane, so

much.”

“Russell, you’re killing me.”
“No, no, darling. I want you to make love to me.” Russell reached

up and pulled him back down on top of him.

Shannon West

With a groan, Sloane shrugged off his arms, pulled out, and

ground  his  aching  member  against  Russell’s.  Reaching  for  him,  he
fisted his cock and rubbed it slowly, sensuously up and down. Russell
moaned  and  rolled  his  eyes  back  in  his  head.  He  leaned  forward  to
touch his lips to Sloane’s, and it was as if he’d ignited a powder keg.
Sloane looked down at Russell’s cock and the glistening wetness on
the tip.

He looked up to see Russell’s fascinated gaze on his rock-hard

cock as well. Russell’s hand crept toward it with a pleading look.
Sloane nodded, breathless, as Russell’s soft, warm hand encircled him
and applied firm pressure, forcing a harsh groan from Sloane’s throat.

Sloane took his lips, pushing his way into his mouth until his

tongue tangled with his. Every hot lick and nibble made him grind his
cock harder against Russell’s belly. He felt a whimper rising in his
throat. He’d never wanted anyone so badly. “Lie on your side, baby.”

Russell rolled obediently to his side and gave him a shaky little

smile  over  his  shoulder.  Sloane  almost  lost  it  right  then.  Russell
obeyed every order without question. Maybe later, he’d tie him to this
bed  and  make  him  beg  for  mercy.  Make  him  tell  him  what  kind  of
silly  game  he  was  playing.  Make  him  scream  his  name,  and  forget
every other man he’d ever been with.

Possession riding him strongly, Sloane pushed him into place and

made sure his knees were up high. He reached for his beautiful cock
then and played with him until he had him gasping for breath. Just as
he sensed he was getting close to coming, he stopped his
manipulations and bent to whisper in his ear. “Not yet, sugar.
Patience.”

Unable to stop himself, Russell bucked his hips and tried to push

himself back in Sloane’s hand. Sloane laughed gently and kissed his
back, before drawing back and positioning himself against his rim.
“Ready, baby?”

Russell moaned. “Yes, please!”

Trading Places

He eased himself past the first tight ring of muscle, and he was in.

He pushed in slowly until he was  buried to the groin, so that he was
flush  with  Russell’s  lovely  little  ass.  Russell  thrashed  his  head  and
whimpered  pitifully,  and  Sloane,  unable  to  wait,  moved  slowly
against him, in and out. He knew he was reaching his prostate by his
ecstatic moans and cries. “Good boy,” he encouraged. “Does that feel
good?”

He looked down at himself and Russell joined together and

groaned in excitement. He pulled out almost to the tip of his cock and
then rammed it home again, slapping his balls against him, loving
Russell’s moans and cries. Smiling, he leaned down and said, “Say
my name, baby.”

Stubbornly, Russell acted as if he hadn’t heard, turning his head

and biting his bottom lip. Sloane pounded into him again and grabbed
his cock in his hand to rub the tip with his fingers. “Whose is this,
darling? Say my name.”

Finally, as if it were wrung from him, a single cry escaped his soft

lips. “Sloane.”

“That’s right, baby. All mine.” He pulled out again so just his tip

was teasing Russell’s rim. Russell desperately tried to slide down onto
him, but  he held  him back. He waggled the head of his  cock against
his  hole, driving him crazy. When he had Russell  thrashing his  head
on the pillow, whimpering, he finally relented, thrusting into him over
and over, giving it to him as fast as he wanted it.

“Come now, baby.”
Within seconds, Russell began spurting his cum onto the sheets,

and Sloane followed him, joining so tightly with him as they strained
together, he felt as if they almost fused their bodies.

Sloane lay for a few minutes slumped still deep inside Russell, his

cum gluing them together. He kissed his back and then pulled himself
out and pulled Russell over on his back to kiss his sweet lips, their
spent cocks rubbing softly together. Sloane rolled off to the side, and

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lay panting quietly for a moment before turning to press his lips
against Russell’s shoulder.

“When I can breathe again, baby, we’re going to sit down and

have a talk.”

Russell nodded, still catching his breath, too. “Okay.”
Sloane got up and went to the bathroom for a warm washcloth.

After he cleaned himself up, he went back to Russell and tenderly
cleaned him. Russell lay on his back with his eyes tightly closed.
Sloane put on his boxers, pulled on a pair of jeans and held out a hand
to Russell. “C’mon, babe.”

Russell stood up and reached for his clothes, but Sloane smiled

and shook his head. “Oh, no. Not till I get my answers. Come with
me, sweetheart.”

Russell blushed all over again. Sloane loved the color that

suffused his gorgeous big body from time to time. His cock even
turned a deeper reddish purple. Adorable. Sexy as hell. God, he
couldn’t get enough of this man.

Looking trustingly into Sloane’s eyes, though, Russell gave him

his hand and followed him into the living  room. Sloane felt his cock
stirring  again.  Damn.  Sloane  sat  him  on  the  sofa  and  took  the  big
chair opposite. Russell sat awkwardly, his hands in his lap.

Sloane leaned forward and covered Russell’s hands with his own.

“Relax, darlin’. I’m not trying to embarrass you or punish you for
anything. He dropped a quick kiss on his lips and leaned back.
“You’re beautiful, by the way, and have no need to hide anything.”

Russell smiled a bit hesitantly. “Then why…?” He motioned

down to himself. “Like this.”

“Well, besides the fact that I like to look at you, I’ve noticed

something about you over the last few days.”

“Something about me?”
“Whenever you get upset, or embarrassed, or…tell me something

that’s not true…you turn that lovely shade of red. Kind of like a built-
in lie detector.”

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“Oh, God,” Russell moaned, turning that exact shade.
“So it’s truth time, baby. Whatever it is, I need to hear it. You’ve

made some strange comments lately, and I don’t understand them.
The way you acted just now…I need to know what’s going on with
you, sweetheart.”

Russell actually began to twist his fingers together in his lap.

Wasn’t that called wringing your hands? Shit, what was going on with
his boy?

“Honey, don’t be so nervous. I know quite a bit about your past,

and you’re not going to shock me. Just tell me, and I’ll try to help
you.”

Russell took a deep breath, and looked up bravely. “Okay. But

you won’t like it.”

Sloane shrugged and smiled encouragingly. “Go ahead.”
He ducked his head. “Sloane, my name isn’t Russell. It’s

Redmond. I’m his twin brother, like I tried to tell you. Russell asked
me to come and pretend to be him to get in the gate.” He looked up
quickly to see how Sloane was reacting. Sloane felt like someone
punched him in the gut, but he tried to make his face blank.

“Russell said David always liked me pretty well, and he would

probably let me have the watch. I wasn’t there to steal it—honest! But
then you walked in and caught me in his room with the watch and I
panicked. I was going to tell you then, but I figured it wouldn’t make
that much difference. After all, I was the one with the watch in my
back pocket.”

He glanced up to see how Sloane was reacting and dropped his

head again quickly. “I got scared, too, when you said that stuff about
the Canadian police. I was using Russell’s passport.” He looked up
and met Sloane’s eyes and took a deep breath. “Do you hate me now?
Have I fucked things up between us forever? I know you hate it when
I lie to you. I’m so sorry.”

Sloane felt like he’d been hit by a truck. He couldn’t wrap his

mind around this shit. This was Redmond, not Russell. Not Russell.

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He  wondered  how  he  could  have  been  so  stupid.  He’d  heard  David
say that Russell had heart surgery as a baby,  yet there were no scars
on  this  beautiful  chest  in  front  of  him.  The  same  chest  he’d  seen
several times now, and it had never even registered. Probably because
he’d been so hot for this man he couldn’t think with his big head and
his little one at the same time. Damn it!

“Redmond,” he said, just to feel the word in his mouth.
“Yes?”
“You’re Redmond.”
“Yes. Please don’t be mad.”
“Redmond, are you…? I don’t understand. David always said

Redmond was straight.” He looked at the other man like he was
hearing things. “I thought David said you were straight. Oh, God, am
I your first?” His eyebrows rose, and he jumped to his feet to cross
over to the sofa and pull him to his feet. He shook him a little. “Am
I?”

Instantly, Sloane felt stricken by the look on his face and pulled

him into his arms. “Oh, honey, don’t you understand? I could have
hurt you. You should have told me!”

“I’m not straight. I’m bi, but I never did much more than have oral

sex or let somebody jack me off. I–I tried to tell you, but you got
angry.”

“Oh, shit!” Sloane kissed him tenderly on his lips and rubbed his

back. “I’m such an asshole. Sweetheart, did I hurt you? You can tell
me the truth.”

“A little, but it was good, Sloane. So good. I never knew it could

be that way.”

“Are you just saying that because you don’t want to hurt my

feelings? You don’t feel that you were…that I took advantage of you,
do you?”

“No! No, I wanted it so much. I do want it so much with you. I’ve

been curious for a long time, but I never found anyone I wanted that
way. Then when you kissed me and held me in your arms. I knew I

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wanted to be with you. It sounds stupid when I say it out loud like
that. From the first minute I saw you, Sloane. I wanted you.” His face
and his whole body took on that lovely rosy shade. “I want you.”

Sloane held him close and ran his hands down his body. “Oh,

Jesus, baby. I’m your first, your only. You don’t know what that does
to me.” He sat down next to him on the sofa and spent an enjoyable
half  hour  with  those  incredible,  soul-sucking  kisses  that  he  could
fucking  live  on  if  he  had  to,  while  he  explored  every  inch  of
Redmond’s sexy body. He palmed his dick and played with his balls
until  Redmond’s  head  fell  back  and  he  made  those  little  sounds
Sloane  loved  so  much.  Redmond  made  little  animal-like  noises  as
Sloane bent to tongue his nipples and bite on them gently.

After a while, he heard Redmond’s stomach make a little growly

noise and he lifted his head and smiled. “I’ve got to get you fed,
sweetheart. C’mon, go in the bedroom and get dressed so I can think
straight, and I’ll fix us something to eat. I’ve got to wrap my mind
around this whole thing.”

Redmond got up to go to his room, moving slowly. Sloane smiled.

It was hard to walk with a cock that stiff. He’d take care of that for
him soon. Now he had to feed his boy. He took down some bowls and
a box of cereal and got out the milk. When Redmond came back in
the room a few minutes later, Sloane was eating his cereal.

“Sit down and have some cornflakes, sweetheart. Coffee will be

ready in a minute.”

Redmond sat down slowly next to him, watching his face

carefully,  trying  to  figure  out  his  mood.  Sloane  smiled  and  kept
eating.  Finally,  Redmond  poured  himself  a  bowl  and  ate,  too.  When
the  coffeemaker  signaled  it  was  finished,  however,  he  jumped  to  his
feet  and  poured  them  both  a  cup  of  coffee,  even  putting  creamer  in
Sloane’s the way Sloane liked it. Observant boy, Sloane thought. So
sweet.  So  fucking  sexy.  Sloane  was  definitely  having  an  excellent
morning.

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When he finished, Redmond got up and carried the dishes to the

sink and began running the water to wash dishes. Sloane stood up and
stretched. “I need to get a shower, honey.”

“Okay. Hey, Sloane?”
“Yes, babe?”
“You know, I was thinking.” His face had turned a very adorable

shade of pink.

“Uh-huh?”
“I feel sort of guilty for lying to you about my name and

everything. Really guilty.”

Sloane cocked his head and regarded him with interest. What

exactly was he getting at?

“Okay. I told you I understood.”
“Yeah, but I think I might feel better, you know, get over it

quicker if I was able to be…punished for it.”

Sloane’s cock paid immediate attention. God, this man would kill

him yet. “Oh, really? Punished, huh? Like another spanking?”

Redmond turned even pinker. “Whatever you think—I could leave

it up to you—if you want?”

“Well, if you think it might make you feel better?”
“Yes,” he said quickly. I really think it would.”
“Okay, then give me until tomorrow to think about your

punishment, okay? I’ll come up with something for you.”

“Okay.” Redmond smiled at him and turned back to the sink,

continuing to clean up. Sloane turned to walk out, and it was his turn
to walk stiffly. His cock had never been so hard.

He chuckled to himself as he got into the shower. So Redmond

shared one other thing with his brother besides incredible good looks.
He liked a little kink. Sloane couldn’t deny his overwhelming
attraction to him. Not just attraction either. He was feeling very
possessive of him, and loved the idea that he hadn’t been with anyone
else. He just hoped that he didn’t have any of the same tendencies as
his brother to play around.

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Keep him naked, submissive, and on his knees—maybe with a

chastity device firmly in place—that would be the ticket. He laughed
at  his  thoughts,  but  the  image  that  brought  to  his  mind  gave  him  an
aching erection he had to take care of with a blast of cold water from
the  shower  nozzle.  The  boy  was  getting  under  his  skin  for  sure.
Thinking  up  a  proper  “punishment”  for  him  would  be  exquisite.  He
thought he might just have brought the very thing he needed with him.

After his shower, he was in his room dressing in jeans and a

sweatshirt  when  he  heard  the  ancient  vacuum  cleaner  starting  up.
Smiling, he went  to  the door and leaned against the frame, watching
Redmond as he worked. The young man really did have a beautifully
sculpted body.  He was  wearing a T-shirt  that was  a bit too  tight  and
his usual tight jeans. He had one of those high, tight bubble butts that
Sloane  found  so  attractive,  and  as  he  pushed  the  old-style  vacuum
hose over the rug, his muscles bunched and tightened. Definitely sexy
as hell. He walked over and squeezed his ass with both hands.

Redmond jumped and straightened up with an embarrassed flush

on his handsome face. “I was just cleaning up a little.”

“You don’t have to do that. I was mostly teasing about the chores

thing.”

Redmond turned off the vacuum cleaner and turned to face him

with his arms crossed. “Do you want me to do these ‘chores’ of yours
or not?” He smiled to show he was teasing, and leaned heavily against
him. Sloane thought he looked adorable when he was being playful.
He regarded him gravely and nodded.

“Sorry, baby. You’re absolutely right. I’m going outside to check

out  the  firewood  situation.  You  get  back  to  your  housework.”  He
pulled him into his arms and kissed him, a long, slow kiss that made
Redmond whimper a little deep in his throat. Sloane moved his hands
down  his  sides  and  onto  his  sweet  butt  again,  kneading  and
massaging, pulling him up close so he could grind him a little.

Moving his lips down to his chin and onto his throat, he trailed

kisses downward until he reached the hollow between his neck and

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his shoulder. Redmond shivered and bent his head toward him with a
little sigh. Sloane smiled again and pulled gently away, leaving him
standing in the middle of the floor looking dazed. Sloane felt a little
dazed himself. He walked to the doorway and turned back to see him
still standing beside his vacuum, the hose tightly clutched in his hand.

* * * *

Redmond made up the bed in Sloane’s room and straightened up

the bathroom, picking up the towels off the floor and wiping down the
shower stall. About halfway through the morning, he remembered that
he  hadn’t  asked  Sloane  to  call  his  boss,  and  for  a  moment,  fear
clutched  at  his  stomach.  To  just  not  call  in  at  all  was  really
inexcusable.  No  way  would  his  boss  forgive  that.  He  might  still  be
able to call Sloane in and give him the number, but all of a sudden the
idea  of  going  back  to  that  dead-end  job  made  his  stomach  hurt  even
worse.

Or was it the idea of leaving Sloane? Sloane said he had two

weeks off before he went back to work. He could stay, and they could
explore each other for two whole weeks. The idea made him get hard
all over again.

He heard Sloane come in the back door and went to meet him. He

glanced up and smiled when he saw Redmond, and Redmond’s heart
skipped a little beat. He was so good looking. And sexy. “Could I ask
you to do something for me, Sloane?’

“Sure, baby. Give me a minute to catch my breath, and I’m your

man.” Sloane gave him a cheeky little grin.

“No. Well, uh, that, too, but um, would you send my boss an e-

mail for me?”

“Oh, damn, honey! Of course I will. You should have reminded

me sooner. I’ll call him now.”

“No, that’s just it. I’ve kind of made a decision. I’m going to quit

that job. It’s a dead end, anyway, and I don’t want to still be there ten

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years from now, just because I got into a rut. I can do better than
that.”

Sloane leaned against the kitchen counter and looked concerned.

“Hey, slow down. You’re making some big decisions this morning.
Are you sure about this, honey? I hate to think you lost your job
because of me.”

“No, I’ve made up my mind. Would you just take my phone and

send a text for me?”

“Your phone’s probably dead by now. I can send it from mine.”
“Okay. If you’ll give it to me, I can send my boss a text.”
“Good try, but no dice. I’ll send it. Until I can figure this whole

thing out, I still have to be cautious, Redmond. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I get it. Guess it’s hard to trust me now since I’ve told you

so many different things. Um, okay. I’ll put in the number for you,
okay? Say, ‘Brian, I’m really sorry but I have to resign my
employment. Unfortunately, I’m out of the country and unable to give
notice. I’m sorry, and thank you for everything.’ Got all that?”

“Just a minute…” Sloane typed in the message, then looked up at

him. “Okay, got it. Sign it just Redmond?” Before he hit the send
button, he looked at him gravely. “You really want me to send this?
I’ll be glad to call him and give him a good excuse.”

“No, go ahead and send it. I’m sure. The more I think about it, the

more I’m sure I need to get a fresh start somewhere else.”

“Okay…here it goes. I hope you didn’t quit your job because of

all this, Red. I think we could have come up with something for your
boss.”

“No, that’s not the reason. It’s other things, too.” He thought

about his brother again and how he’d allowed him to rule his life for
such a very long time. It was totally his own fault really, not
Russell’s. He’d been giving in to him for so long, it was second nature
now. A clean start—maybe even in a new town—was probably what
he needed. This episode with David was just the latest in a very long

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line stretching back to their childhood. It was time to end Russell’s
dependence on him.

“Thanks, Sloane. I’ve finished my inside chores. Did you want me

to do something outside?”

“Tell you what. We need some wood, but let’s do it together. I

found a carrier outside. Let’s go carry some in.”

Redmond smiled gratefully and followed Sloane outside. Outside

the  weather  really  had  turned  decidedly  more  chilly.  The  wind  had
picked  up,  too,  and  there  were  strange  looking  clouds  in  the
northwest.  Sloane  looked  up  at  the  clouds.  “Snow  clouds.  We  could
get  snowed  in  here  for  a  few  days  if  we’re  not  careful.  Maybe  we
should  go  to  town  later  and  get  a  few  more  supplies.  Put  on  some
snow tires, too.”

Redmond nodded, kind of excited about the notion of being

snowed in with his handsome stud for a few days. Especially now that
he didn’t have to worry about getting back home for anything in
particular. “How much time do you have off from work?” he tried to
ask casually.

“At least two weeks. I have more time if I need to take it. I

haven’t taken much time off in the past few years. David’s been after
me for a while to come up to Canada with him and Jonathan and just
veg out for a while.”

They stacked firewood on the carrier, till they had all they could

carry. Then each of them picked up a side to carry the wood inside.
Redmond heard the rumble of a car coming slowly down their road,
kicking up a little dust behind it. It was the first car he’d heard since
they’d been there, so he looked up curiously.

Coming past the old farmhouse was a dark, late-model sedan with

darkened  windows.  Something  about  it  seemed  out  of  place  here  in
the  backwoods  of  Canada,  and  Redmond  stopped  for  a  moment  and
stared  at  it.  The  windshield  was  tinted  dark,  as  were  all  the  other
windows in  the vehicle,  so Redmond  couldn’t tell  who was driving.

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He noticed Sloane looking at it oddly, too. Then he smiled and said,
“Hurry up, babe, this shit is heavy.”

Redmond laughed, loving the way his sexy dimples changed his

whole face from stern to adorable, and forgot all about the strange car.
After stacking the wood by the fireplace, Sloane got his keys and they
drove  into  town,  stopping  first  by  a  small  garage  so  the  attendants
could put Sloane’s snow tires on. He had them stacked in the bed of
the  truck  with  the  black  rain  screen  pulled  over  them.  It  only  took  a
short time, and then they were on their way to the tiny general store to
load up on a few supplies. They both grabbed a basket as before and
walked  down  the  aisles  together  this  time,  putting  in  the  things  they
were running low on already, and a few new items they thought they
might  need.  When  they  were  loaded  down,  they  brought  their
purchases back up to the same older lady at the cash register.

“You boys enjoying your stay?” she asked with some interest,

eyeing them while her hands nimbly rung up and bagged their
groceries.

“Sure are,” Sloane replied enthusiastically. “Love the peace and

quiet around here.”

“Mmm. Well, I guess you ain’t enjoying your company, then?”
“Company?” Sloane looked blank. “What do you mean?”
“Two young city fellows came in this morning looking for you

two. At least they described this one.” Here she nodded toward
Redmond. “Right to a T. Said they were going to surprise you with a
visit.”

Sloane narrowed his eyes and shot Redmond a dark look full of

fury. “No, ma’am. Haven’t seen anyone. Did they say who they
were?”

“Nope. Didn’t ask ‘em.”
“Thanks,” Sloane ground out tersely and grabbed Redmond’s arm

to haul him from the store. As before, Redmond was loaded down
with all the bags, so he found it hard to keep up with Sloane’s long
legs. When they got outside, Sloane took him by the arm and pushed

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him against the side of the truck. Somehow he managed to keep hold
of the bags he was carrying, but just barely.

“What the hell?” Redmond managed to say before Sloane put his

hands on either side of his face and held him firmly in place.

“Who did you tell, damn it? Tell me!”
Redmond looked puzzled, his eyes wide. “What are you talking

about? How could I have told anybody anything? Carrier pigeon?”

“Very fucking funny. You had me text someone this morning.

Who was it really, damn it? Your fucking boyfriend? Has it all been
lies, Redmond? Or should I say Russell? What, is he staging some
kind of half-assed rescue? Over my goddamned dead body!”

“Please, Sloane, people are looking at us!”
“Let ’em fucking look! Tell me, damn it, or so help me God!”
“Sloane, be reasonable,” Redmond pleaded. “I wouldn’t do that! I

swear!”

Sloane grabbed Redmond’s arm, put him firmly into the truck,

and scooted in behind him. He pulled quickly out of the parking lot
and drove down the road until they were out of town before he pulled
over on the side. Turning to face Redmond, he took a deep breath.

“Tell me how you did it. Did you have some code worked out

with your brother so that when you texted him in Campbellton, he
sent the rescue squad? Then that text this morning was coded
somehow. That has to be it, Russell.”

“No! I’m Redmond! I swear it! If Russell did send them, I don’t

know anything about it!”

“Yeah, well, fuck it, I don’t believe you. Hell, I don’t even know

what to believe anymore. The lady at the grocery store said they gave
a description of you, not me. So that means they’re looking for you,
cupcake. Now tell me who they are so I can figure out what to do
about it.”

Redmond doggedly shook his head. “I swear to God I don’t

know.”

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* * * *

In disgust, Sloane slammed the truck in drive and took off down

the  highway.  He  knew  Redmond  was  lying  to  him,  and  it  made  him
furious.  He’d  actually  been  feeling  good  about  the  two  of  them  that
morning,  thinking  they’d  finally  connected.  Hopeful  that  since  this
was  Redmond  and  not  Russell,  they  might  actually  have  a  chance.
Now in  the  span of a  couple of hours,  everything had changed.  This
boy was just as fucked up as his brother.

In minutes they were pulling into the yard of the old farmhouse.

Redmond kept sneaking little worried glances at him, and Sloane
wondered what he was thinking. He sat still while Redmond climbed
down wearily from the truck and grabbed all the bags to carry them
inside. Sloane followed him in and leaned against the counter, moody
and tense. Angry as hell. Redmond put the groceries away and came
to stand in front of him.

“What can I do? I know you don’t believe me, but I’m telling the

truth.”

When Sloane looked down instead of making eye contact,

Redmond sighed and walked toward the kitchen door.

Oh, hell, no, you’re not getting out of this as easy as that.
Sloane caught up with him in two steps, grabbed him, and turned

him roughly around, then slammed him up against the wall. Redmond
grunted at the force of the hit, but grabbed him around the neck and
lifted his lips up to him. Plastering his lips against Redmond’s, he put
his arms around his waist, walked with him, still kissing him into the
bedroom. Still holding him in his arms, Sloane crashed them down on
the bed, his elbows and knees taking most of the weight.

Sloane went for Redmond’s jeans, yanking both his pants and his

briefs down his thighs. Redmond’s hard cock sprang out of his pants,
and it was immediately engulfed by Sloane’s hot mouth. Redmond
yelled out in pleasure and surprise, and Sloane deep throated him,

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coming back up to the head of his cock with a little bite that made
Redmond scream.

Sloane smiled and flipped him face down on the bed, sitting up to

pull his  jeans  the rest  of the way off.  He pulled  his  own clothes off,
too,  and  then  spread  Redmond’s  legs  and  reached  for  the  lube.  He
pulled on a condom, smeared it with lube, and then spread some onto
Redmond’s rim.

He didn’t know yet if this was Russell or Redmond. There was the

scar on the chest thing, but plastic surgery could have taken care of
that. Whether he was a player or an almost virgin, he was going to
claim him. He’d try to be gentle with him, just in case he was telling
the truth, but one thing was for sure. He was going to teach him who
he belonged to. Without any more warning, he jerked Redmond up to
his knees, and settled him on his cock.

He saw Redmond grab a pillow and bite down on it with his teeth

as his prostate got a sizzling internal rubdown. This is mine, Sloane
thought as he eased in and out against Redmond. Mine! Sloane was
determined to give Redmond a fucking he wouldn’t forget, a fucking
he would think about again and again, and one that he would compare
against every other man’s. Only there wouldn’t be any more men for
him. Not if he could help it!

Keeping Redmond impaled on his cock, he grabbed hold of

Redmond’s  thickened  dick  and  began  jerking  him  off  to  the  same
rhythm. He was balls-deep inside Redmond, and Redmond seemed to
have  almost  passed  out  with  the  pleasure.  An  occasional  moan  was
the  only  sign  of  his  consciousness.  Sloane  smiled  and  whispered  in
his ear. “You okay, baby? Want me to stop?”

He threw his head back on Sloane’s shoulder and started to

whimper, unable to completely catch his breath. Finally he gasped
out, “No! Don’t stop! It’s fucking incredible!”

“Time to scream my name, sweetheart. Give it up for me.”
“Sloane!” he screamed.
“Damn right it is! Now come for me. C’mon, give it up!”

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“I–I’m coming! Oh, fuck!”
With two more deep strokes, he came so hard, he shivered down

to his toes. Sloane followed him seconds later, filling him with cum
and grinding into him. Falling over on the bed, he rolled over on his
side, pulling his man with him, keeping himself inside Redmond
while he slowly softened. Redmond had spewed his cum all over his
stomach, but Sloane held onto him tightly, not letting him up to clean
himself.

He leaned forward to whisper in his ear. “Are you ready to tell me

who’s in the dark sedan?”

Redmond shook his head miserably. “I don’t know, Sloane. I’d

tell you if I knew.”

Sloane pulled out and got up to stride to the bathroom to get a

warm cloth and clean himself. He could feel Redmond walk in behind
him, nervous and hesitant. He threw his washcloth in the sink and
turned to walk away, ignoring Redmond.

“It doesn’t matter who it is. You’re not leaving here. You

understand?” He threw the words back over his shoulder.

“I don’t want to leave you, Sloane. I don’t.” Redmond stood in the

doorway, looking sad and a little forlorn.

Sloane stopped in the middle of the bedroom and turned to look at

him. He was so beautiful standing in the doorway, his big, muscular
body naked. His eyes pleading with him. And he belonged to Sloane.

He took a deep breath to calm himself and held out his arms.

“Come here, sweetheart.”

Redmond went unhesitatingly into his arms, rubbing his cock

against Sloane’s as he put his arms around his waist. “I never want to
leave you, Sloane. I want to stay with you as long as you want me.”

He held Redmond at arm’s length and regarded him closely.

“Sweetheart, please. Tell me the truth. Do you have any idea who
they could be?”

“No, no, Sloane. I swear it on my father’s grave!”
Sloane ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, I believe you.”

Shannon West

* * * *

By the time Redmond came out of the bedroom, Sloane was

sitting on the couch, thumbing through his phone messages. Without
looking up, he spoke to Redmond.

“Better go get some more wood. This forecast is saying the snow

will start in a couple of hours. Supposed to be pretty bad.”

He heard Redmond go outside without another word and jammed

his phone back in his pocket. Damn it, why was he acting like such a
jerk? All he knew was that he couldn’t stand the idea of anyone else
getting their hands on Redmond. The idea that Redmond might have
actually sent for them—might actually want to get away from him—
still made him livid with anger. Though he told Redmond he believed
him, he couldn’t quite shake the doubt.

He heard a car coming fast down the road and jumped to his feet.

Racing  to  the  back  door,  he  jerked  it  open  and  saw  the  same  black
sedan,  a  Lexus  maybe,  flying  by  the  house  on  the  old  dirt  road.  As
they came by, things seemed to slow down, like in a bad action flick,
and he could see everything with startling clarity. The window on the
passenger side rolled slowly down, and a gun barrel emerged, its dark
gray  length  catching  a  glint  of  the  sun  as  it  pointed  straight  at
Redmond.

Redmond stood next to the wood pile by the door, offloading

firewood. He was looking over his shoulder at the car and beginning
to straighten up. Sloane dove for him instinctively, knocking him flat
to the ground as bullets slammed into the house over their heads.

Pulling him over on his back, Sloane leaned down. For a moment

his heart stopped as he gazed down on Redmond’s tightly closed eyes.
“Redmond? Baby, can you hear me? Were you hit?”

Redmond opened his eyes, shook his head frantically, and gasped

for breath. Sloane must have knocked the wind completely from him
with his tackle. Before he could catch his breath, Sloane picked him

Trading Places

up  and  somehow  threw  his  big  body  across  his  shoulder,  staggering
into  the  house  with  him,  the  jouncing  on  his  stomach  probably
aggravating  Redmond’s  ability  to  breathe,  but  he  had  to  get  him
inside.  Once  there,  Sloane  lowered  him  to  the  sofa.  “Breathe,
sweetheart,” he said, leaning over him. “Take your time. You’re okay
now. I’ve got you.”

Gradually, Redmond’s body remembered how to breathe, and he

struggled to sit up. Sloane gathered him up in his arms, kissing the
side of his neck gently. “Damn, honey, that scared me to death. He
almost got you.”

“W–what happened? Did they shoot at me? Why, Sloane? What’s

happening?”

Fear filled his eyes, but Sloane just pulled him closer and cuddled

him until he calmed down. “Yes, darlin’, they shot at you. I saw them
about the same time you did, and when the window started to come
down, I don’t know, I guess instinct took over. Thank God!”

He held him out to look at him. “What about loan sharks? David

says your brother made some loans through them before to pay off
gambling debts. Have you done the same thing? Could that be it?
Those guys are usually connected—they play very rough sometimes.”

“No, I…” Redmond broke off as he seemed to consider the idea.

He saw his face pale.

As the conflicting emotions ran across his face, Sloane shook him

gently. “Tell me! Tell me what you know, Red.”

A sudden noise by the door drew both their attention. Sloane

jumped to his feet, and he ran over to a table by the door. He pulled
open a drawer and removed his revolver. He signaled to Redmond to
get down.

Redmond whispered from across the room. “Please…what are you

going to do?”

“Get us out of this if I can. Now get down behind the sofa.” He

moved to the doorway, wanting to be ready for whatever came
through it.

Shannon West

* * * *

Redmond rolled off and crawled behind the sofa, trying to remind

himself  that  Sloane  was  a  cop  and  knew  what  he  was  doing.  The
thought that there were at least two people in the sedan and only one
of  Sloane  came  unbidden  into  his  mind,  and  he  pushed  it  away.
Feeling  like  he  should  do  something  to  help,  he  peered  up  from
behind the sofa and saw Sloane crouching by the front door, revolver
in hand.

Redmond waited, nerves screaming at him—and nothing

happened. Nothing at all. After so much tension, the moment was so
anticlimactic  he  felt  like  laughing.  He  knew  that  was  probably  the
tension and shock of the past hour, so he pressed his hand against his
mouth  to  keep  from  making  any  noise.  In  a  couple  of  minutes,  he
heard the sound of a car pulling off fast and tearing down the road. He
glanced  at  Sloane,  who  was  still  crouching  by  the  window  but  was
now peering through the blinds. Cautiously, he got up, motioning for
Redmond  to  stay  where  he  was.  He  went  to  the  door  and  opened  it
slowly.  Stuck  in  the  big  door  knocker  on  the  front  door  was  an
envelope.

Sloane took it down, tore it open, and read it quickly. He glanced

back at Redmond and then motioned for him to come to him.
Redmond practically ran to him, and Sloane handed the note over
without a word.

Russell—consider this a past-due notice. You either pay us the 20k

you owe us by Friday, or we come back. Your choice. Next time we
won’t miss.

Redmond looked up at Sloane in horror. “They think I’m Russell!

It is about the loans! Oh, God, Sloane, we have to warn him. We need
to call the police right away!”

Trading Places

“Hold on. Sit down a minute, and let’s talk.” Sloane took him by

the arm and led him to the sofa. He put up a knee and turned to face
Redmond. He looked so serious Redmond was even more uneasy.

“Tell me what you know about the loan sharks.”
“I don’t know much. Russell has been gambling for a while now.

Both online and at the casinos within driving distance. My mother has
given him a lot of money—I don’t even know how much, because she
won’t tell me. But I think it’s a lot. I don’t know how he met these
loan guys. All he told me was he had to get the watch back from
David, and now I’m wondering if he didn’t want to get it back so he
could sell it or give it to them.” He glanced over at Sloane. “Do you
think that’s a possibility?”

Sloane glanced over at him grimly, not answering. “Has it

occurred to you how these guys knew to find you in Hedgewick?”

“No, I have no idea. Really, Sloane, I don’t.”
“Who knew you were there with me?”
“Just Russell, I guess.” He shrugged. “Wait a minute—are you

saying…no, Sloane, he wouldn’t tell people like that I was in
Hedgewick. What would be the point? He knew I didn’t have the
watch. And why would they be trying to shoot at me?”

“Don’t you have any idea how these guys work? Reputation is

important to them. They need to be seen as people you don’t want to
mess with or jerk around. When people owe them a lot of money, and
they aren’t able to come up with payment, then they pay the price in
other ways. If they’d been pressuring your brother a lot, and he made
promises he couldn’t deliver on, then the next step would be violence.
Maybe even murder.”

“What? Oh, my God! You mean they might send someone to k–

kill him? He’s in danger then! We need to warn him! Why are we
waiting?”

“Honey, you can’t be that naïve. Russell already knows. He must

have told them where he—you—would be.”

Shannon West

His sudden intake of breath made Sloane reach a hand toward

Redmond,  who  sat  stricken  on  the  sofa  beside  him.  Redmond  could
feel all the blood draining from his already pale complexion. His body
began  to  shake  so  hard  he  was  sure  Sloane  could  feel  the  vibrations
from where he sat. Russell had sent loan sharks to kill him just to get
the heat off himself?

“No, no, that can’t be right. Russell would never…Russell is my

brother.”

Sloane quickly reached for Redmond, and Redmond went into his

arms, his whole body shaking with pain and disbelief. “He couldn’t
have done that, Sloane. He’s my brother.”

Sloane held him tightly to his chest. “I know, sweetheart. Maybe

there’s some other explanation. We’ll get to the bottom of it, okay?
Just calm down for me. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Redmond was shaking at the idea of Russell sending the killers to

him.  The  thing  was  that  intellectually  he  didn’t  have  that  much
problem believing it. It was only emotionally that it was ripping him
apart.  For  years,  Redmond  had  known  that  Russell  resented  him.
People  were  always  drawing  comparisons  between  the  two  of  them,
with  Russell  coming  out  on  the  short  end  of  the  stick.  Russell  was
also a master at taking care of himself. He’d been using Redmond to
get  himself  out  of  tight  spots  for  years.  Could  he  really  hate  him  so
much and be so cold as to send killers after Redmond to save himself?
Redmond was very afraid he knew the answer.

“No, it’s okay. I just don’t want to believe it, but I know it might

be true. Russell always takes care of number one.” A sob clogged his
throat on his last few words, and Sloane reached over to squeeze his
hand.

“Let’s just take one step at a time, okay? I think the first thing we

need to do is get out of here. Get back to the States. Go in and pack
things up for us. I’ll load the truck with some food and get ready to
go. Hurry. I want you out of here in case they decide to come back.”

Trading Places

Redmond rushed to the bedrooms, throwing first Sloane’s clothes

and then his into Sloane’s bag. He went to the bathroom and found a
few more things and then looked around one last time to make sure he
had everything.

He found Sloane in the kitchen. He glanced over at him. “Got

everything?”

“Yes, but what are we doing? We have to call someone. Tell them

what’s happened.”

“We will, but not from here. Not until I get with my own people.

I’m sure the constable in a small place like this is clean, but I can’t
take any chances. Besides, we’ll get tangled up in too much red tape.
We’d be here for days, and I need to get you out of here now.”

“Me? But…you think there’ll be more coming?”
“When the money’s not paid, yeah, you can count on it. I want to

get you a long way from here by then. C’mon—let’s get out of here.”

Trembling, Redmond followed Sloane out to the truck. They

stowed everything in the back, and afterward Sloane closed all the
curtains and secured the doors.

As they pulled away, Redmond gave one last glance over his

shoulder at the calm little farmhouse. Sloane reached for his hand and
squeezed it tightly. “It’ll be okay. Try to take one of your little naps.
Lie down here and put your head on my lap.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever sleep again after being shot at like that.

And when we were waiting for someone to burst in the front
door…oh, God, Sloane, I was so scared for you.”

He laid his head on his lap, but only to be close to him. Redmond

clutched his  strong thigh, wrapping both  hands  around it, and closed
his  eyes.  He  could  still  see  the  gun  pointing  out  the  window  just
before Sloane knocked him out of the way. The adrenaline rush he’d
felt  had  exhausted  him  completely.  He  never  even  realized  when  he
sank into sleep.

Shannon West

Chapter Five

Sloane knew exactly when Redmond fell asleep, his rapid

breathing slowly evening out and getting deeper. He always made
those little whimpering sounds in his sleep, too. The ones that settled
right in Sloane’s cock. God, he’d never meant to fall for this sweet
man, but he’d fallen hard.

He’d been so furious with him all the way back from the store,

and  ready  to  beat  his  ass  when  he  got  him  home.  He’s  been  so  sure
Redmond  had  sent  some  kind  of  coded  message  to  a  rescuer  or
boyfriend when he’d asked him to send the message to his boss.  He
was furious that he’d fallen for the trick, but even more furious that he
wanted  to  leave.  He’d  been  livid  at  the  idea  of  anyone  taking
Redmond away from him. White-hot jealousy had gripped him at the
idea  that  Redmond  wanted  to  get  away  from  him—wanted  someone
else. Where the hell was this coming from?

He’d promised himself he wouldn’t be taken in by Russell’s

tricks, but this was Redmond. He’d never imagined how sweet and
vulnerable he could be. The sex between them had been amazingly
hot, but it was more than just sex. Much more. At least it had been for
him.

When he’d seen the gun pointed at Redmond through the window

of the sedan, he’d acted instinctively, even putting his own body over
Redmond’s to protect him. The thought of losing him was horrifying,
and  he  had  to  get  him  to  safety.  There  was  no  other  choice  but  to
make  a  run  for  home.  He’d  feel  better  when  he  got  him  back  to  the
States. Back to his own home, in fact.

Trading Places

Sloane lived in a small town in northern Maine called Presque

Isle, where he was a senior sheriff’s deputy. Sloane had been openly
gay for years, but even so, the sudden appearance of his gorgeous new
house  guest  might  raise  a  few  eyebrows.  That,  however,  wasn’t  his
biggest worry. His greatest concern was that someone might be trying
to  kill  Redmond.  Instinctively,  he  trusted  Redmond,  but  he  was
cautious by nature, and Redmond had been less than honest with him
in  the  past.  He  still  wasn’t  absolutely  sure  Russell  hadn’t  gotten
Redmond mixed up in something illegal. As soon as he woke up, they
were  going  to  have  another  nice  long  talk.  These  little  talks  were
becoming a habit.

It was time for Sloane to lay down the law. He was going to get

him out of this shit and never let him get mixed up in anything again,
by God. Redmond cuddled his head closer into Sloane’s thigh, and a
rush of tenderness for him almost took his breath away. He put a hand
gently on his cheek and caressed him. He sped down the highway,
headed back the same way they’d come two days earlier.

* * * *

Redmond sat up sheepishly and rubbed his eyes. He hadn’t meant

to fall asleep again—Sloane already teased him unmercifully about it.
But Sloane only smiled at him in the dim light of the dash. “Feel
better, love? You slept almost two hours.”

“Oh, God, Sloane, I’m so sorry. I should have kept you company

after what happened instead of flaking out on you like that!”

“No problem, sweetheart.” He grazed the back of his hand over

Redmond’s cheek. “I told you to get some rest, and you needed it. I
think you were in shock.”

Redmond rubbed his hand over his face. “I still can’t believe what

happened.” Redmond turned to look  at Sloane’s strong profile in the
greenish  light  coming  off  the  dash.  He  loved  him  so  much.  He’d
saved  his  life  today,  and  Redmond  couldn’t  deny  the  strong  love  he

Shannon West

had for him. He turned toward him on the seat, wanting to just look at
him, to reassure himself that this was real.

“Where are we? Are we close to the estate?”
“No, darlin’. We’re not going there. Now don’t get nervous, but

we’re  headed  back  to  my  home  in  Maine.  I  want  to  keep  you  there
until we get this shit straightened out. We should be pretty close to the
border  by  now,  but  I’m  going  to  stop  at  the  next  motel  we  see.  It’s
snowing pretty hard now, and I don’t want to drive in this any longer
than we have to. The snow plows will probably have it cleared in the
morning.”

For the first time, Redmond actually looked at the roadway. The

snow was coming down hard, and the wind was blowing the snow
even further, so that it was almost white-out conditions.

Sloane gave Redmond a reassuring glance. He was chewing his

bottom  lip.  “Hey,  stop  it—that’s  my  job.”  Redmond  didn’t  crack  a
smile,  just  grasped  his  leg  tightly.  “Baby,  we’ll  be  okay.  I’m  from
Maine—we’re  always  prepared  for  bad  weather.  I  have  an  arctic
sleeping bag in the back if we happen to need it, and I suppose I could
share it with you if I just have to.” He gave Redmond a little grin. “I
know  it  wouldn’t  be  pleasant  to  be  stranded,  but  we  can  definitely
survive  till  morning.  We’ll  be  safe  enough—nothing  is  moving  on
these  roads  tonight.  Then  in  the  morning  when  the  snow  plows  get
this cleared, we can be on our way.”

He finally got a little smile in return. “We have a full tank of gas.

And we have food. We’re in good shape.”

“You think we’ll really be stuck out here?” Redmond shifted to sit

closer to Sloane. “Oh, shit, Sloane.”

“Baby, I won’t let anything bad happen to you. Trust me?” He

glanced down at Redmond, and he smiled back up at him.

“Always.”

* * * *

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In only a few minutes, Redmond saw an exit sign ahead, half

obscured by the blowing snow. There was a sign for a motel at that
exit. Carefully, Sloane negotiated the ramp and they drove toward the
lights in the distance. When they arrived, Sloane went inside to see if
there were vacancies. In a few minutes, he returned with a key.

“Last room,” he said, smiling. “Nothing will be moving out here

tonight. The clerk said the news report was saying there might be as
much as two more feet of snow.”

“Oh, my God! We’ll be trapped here!”
“Nah, or at least, not for long. Once it stops snowing, the snow

plows will clear the roads pretty quick. We’re safe, anyway, so don’t
worry about it. You’re a long way from Georgia, my man.”

“Tell me about it. This is like an alien landscape to me.”
Sloane smiled as he pulled into a parking place and shut off the

engine. “We’ll bring in the sleeping bag, just in case. I might even let
you share it with me.”

“Well, it will be a real hardship for me, but if you insist…”
“Oh, yeah? Hardship, huh?” He tickled Redmond’s sides as he

tried  to  twist  away.  Sloane  held  on  and  followed  him  down  until  he
was  lying  on  his  back  in  the  front  seat.  Redmond  struggled  and
begged  him  to  stop,  so  Sloane  hesitated,  lying  on  top  of  him  and
moved  sensuously  over  his  cock.  “Stop,  huh?  What  will  you  do  for
me if I do?”

“Anything—anything you want—please!” Redmond said,

squirming beneath him.

“Mmm, the possibilities…Tell you what. You have to be my sex

slave for the rest of the night. Is it a deal?”

“Sex slave?” Redmond’s voice sounded outraged, but Sloane

started tickling again and he changed his mind. “No! Okay, okay, I’ll
be your sex slave. What do you want me to do first…master?”

The word and the cheeky grin he couldn’t resist made Sloane

smile down at him. “Tell you when we get upstairs. Let’s go.”

Shannon West

They climbed out of the truck, and Sloane turned to Redmond.

“Go on inside, babe, and I’ll carry in the luggage and bags.”

“I’m not a girl, Sloane. I’ll help!”
“Okay, okay, grab something.” They both filled their arms with

bags  and  stumbled  through  the  deepening  snow  to  the  door.  Sloane
used the key card to get in, and they found their room on the second
floor.  By  this  time,  Redmond  was  shivering.  He  wasn’t  wearing
boots, so the snow had gone into his shoes and soaked his feet. They
went  in,  and  Sloane  took  one  look  at  Redmond  and  pointed  to  the
bathroom. “Go in there and take a hot shower. Now.”

“You’re so bossy,” Redmond grumbled, but did as he was told.

After starting the shower, he took off his coat and hung it on the hook
behind the door. He peeled off his wet shoes and socks, shed his pants
and shirt, and stepped into the steamy shower. It felt wonderful. He
stood under the spray for a long time, and then stepped out, wrapping
his towel around him. He could hear the wind whistling and moaning
outside, and the steamy bathroom made him feel warm and safe.

Redmond came out in the other room just as the lights went out,

and he jumped into Sloane’s arms and threw his arms around his
neck.

“Not a girl, huh? Then that must make you my boy.” Sloane

kissed him, trailing his lips down Redmond’s throat. Taking him by
the hand, he walked over to a bag and pulled out a flashlight. “I told
you—Maine men are always prepared.”

The flashlight cast giant shadows on the walls, reminding

Redmond  of  the  reason  they  were  there  in  the  first  place  instead  of
their  cozy  old  farmhouse.  Redmond  shivered  and  hid  his  face  on
Sloane’s  shoulder,  not  caring  what  he  called  him.  Sloane  made  him
feel safe.

Sloane held him at arm’s length and pointed to the towel. “Take

that off. You’re my sex slave tonight. Time to get to it.”

“Yes, sir,” he replied, trying to regain their playful mood. Taking

off the towel, he threw it on the foot of the bed and lay down

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invitingly on his back. The room was warm, but dim. His thoughts
briefly touched on Russell, wondering where he was and what he had
done, but quickly skittered away as he tried to concentrate just on
Sloane, holding the hurt at bay.

Sloane was standing over him at the bedside, looking down with

an appreciative look on his face. “Now, play with yourself while I
watch, but don’t come until I tell you.”

Redmond was glad for the dim lights as the familiar blush started

up his body. He could hardly believe he was doing this, but somehow
it seemed playful and sexy with Sloane. Ignoring his embarrassment,
he began to stroke himself with long, slow movements. He worked his
cock as hard as he could, wanting to get this over with, so maybe
Sloane would fuck him again. Soon though, he began to get caught up
in what he was doing, as he became aware that Sloane was watching
his every move and every expression that flitted across his face.

Redmond’s hand moved up and down his shaft again and again,

teasing  himself  to  the  edge.  He  remembered  that  Sloane  said  he
couldn’t  come  until  he  was  given  permission,  and  for  some  reason
this  made  him  groan  with  excitement.  Permission  to  come.  He
couldn’t  climax  until  he  received  an  order  to  do  so.  Why  was  that
making him so hard? It was because it was Sloane telling him.

At the same time, Sloane wouldn’t allow him to stop jacking

himself off, either. He had no choice but to slow down, make himself
stop just short of coming whenever he got close. The minutes passed,
and he chanced a look at Sloane. He looked steadily back at him, and
one of his hands stretched over to tap his arm and remind him he had
to keep going. Redmond groaned, and his cock screamed in protest.
His arm and hand were cramping, too. He whimpered and looked up
pleadingly at Sloane, but he shook his head.

There was no way he could keep teasing himself like this and not

come. He started to breathe harder, and his cock was throbbing with
the urge to climax. He looked up again at Sloane and said, “Please.”
This time it seemed to work. Sloane dropped down to sit beside him

100

Shannon West

on the bed and stopped his jerking motions. He enveloped his aching
cock with his sweet, hot mouth and sucked hard on the tip. Instantly,
Redmond began to buck his hips. “Oh, fuck, I need to come—can I
come?” he asked hoarsely.

Sloane looked up with glowing eyes. “Come for me, baby.” He

took  his  shaft  inside  his  mouth  again  and  swirled  his  tongue  around
the  head.  Redmond  arched  his  back  and  began  to  shoot  streams  of
cum down Sloane’s throat. His heart pounded, and he couldn’t catch
his breath. The idea of Sloane’s lips around his cock made him crazy.
Rather  than  pull  away,  as  Redmond  expected,  Sloane  swallowed
every  bit  of  his  cum,  even  milking  his  cock  to  the  last  drop,  as  he
shuddered  with  the  little  aftershocks  of  one  of  the  most  intense
orgasms  he’d  ever  had.  Redmond  thrashed  his  head  on  the  mattress
and almost cried his pleasure and relief. Sloane pulled his body up to
kiss him, and he could taste himself on Sloane’s lips.

Sloane didn’t even allow him time to recover. He pushed his legs

open,  tore  open  the  foil  package  of  a  condom,  and  rolled  it  over  his
dick impatiently. Grabbing the lube, he squirted some in his hand and
was  about  to  get  himself  ready  when  Redmond  plucked  it  from  his
hand,  squirted  some  on  his  fingers  and  stuck  two  fingers  up  inside
himself.

Sloane hissed with pleasure, watching him touch himself. He

lifted  Redmond’s  legs  and  put  them  on  his  shoulders,  moving
Redmond’s fingers aside, no longer able to  wait. He fit himself into
Redmond slowly, gently. Then he stretched himself out to lay on top
of Redmond, holding himself up with one arm, making Redmond tilt
his hips to meet him. He shoved a pillow under his hips to help him. It
was so intimate, looking down at his beautiful face. He began to move
more quickly, pounding his balls against his ass, unable to hold back,
massaging his sweet spot over and over again until Redmond couldn’t
keep the screams from coming from his throat.

Redmond’s body rocked with the force of the thrusts, and his shaft

hardened again, tormenting him with need. Sloane looked down at his

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101

cock  and enveloped him with  his  hand.  Redmond leaned up into the
thrusts,  moaning  and  screaming  hoarsely  as  he  came  again,  his  hot
seed  spraying  up  onto  Sloane’s  chest.  Sloane’s  thrusts  continued,
steady,  deep,  relentless,  until  after  a  few  minutes  he  too  began  to
moan  uncontrollably.  Suddenly  he  stiffened  and  pushed  his  hot  seed
into Redmond’s body, claiming him, marking him as his. After a few
moments he collapsed on top of Redmond, holding onto him tightly.
“You’re mine,” he whispered. “Mine. Say it!”

“Yours,” Redmond said faintly. He had fallen back on the pillows,

half asleep already from exhaustion and the wild lovemaking.

Sloane leaned over to whisper in his ear. “You bet your sweet ass

you are. I believe I’ll put the key in this little ass and lock it up.” He
snuggled closer to Redmond, wrapping his arms and legs around him,
and fell headlong into a deep sleep.

Redmond tried to follow him, but it was no use. The wind moaned

outside, slipping around the windows, trying to get in. The clouds
covered the moon and stars outside, making the room so dark. His
thoughts drifted again to his brother. It was no use trying to hate him.
He didn’t know how. He closed his eyes, hoping he could find some
way out of the darkness of Russell’s betrayal.

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Shannon West

Chapter Six

They passed through the border with the guards taking only

cursory glances at their passports, and Redmond breathed a heartfelt
sigh of relief. “Damn, I’ll never do that again. I was so worried they’d
question me.”

“Never do what? Try to get through the border on someone else’s

passport? Damn right, you won’t. That was a stupid thing to do, my
man, and it would have served you right if they’d have thrown you in
jail.”

Redmond dropped his gaze and shrugged, knowing Sloane was

right, but hating it when he was upset with him. His next words
brought back his smile. “Of course, I’d have had to get arrested right
along with you, damn it, so I could have shared your cell. Can’t have
anybody else getting a piece of my sweet man, and God knows I can’t
be away from you for more than ten minutes at a time.”

“Oh, yeah? I’m ‘your sweet man’ now? Does that mean you love

me?” Redmond’s tone was teasing, but he slid his gaze toward
Sloane, wanting to hear him say it again.

“I thought we had that settled last night, babe.” He sighed with

exaggeration. “Slow learner, huh? I guess I’m going to have to show
you again tonight.”

Redmond grinned. “Yes, please.”
Sloane put a possessive hand on his leg. “Now are we agreed

about tomorrow?”

Redmond made a sound of impatience. Sloane was trying to

convince him to stay behind at his home in Presque Isle while he
traveled to Atlanta to talk with his brother. They’d actually had quite

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103

an argument about it. Finally to shut him up, Sloane had kissed him
until he was breathless and then fucked him into the mattress. “Not
really. I’m going with you, Sloane.”

“Honey, it’s dangerous. I want you someplace safe—someplace

no  one  would  ever  think  to  find  you.  I’ll  leave  you  the  keys  to  my
truck,  and  you  can  chill  at  my  house  until  I  get  home.  It’s  one  day,
baby,  one  day  and  I’ll  be  back  with  you  for  the  rest  of  our  lives.
Please do this for me.”

“I thought you couldn’t stand to be away from me? What if they

tracked us somehow and came for me while you were gone? No, I’m
going with you, Sloane. I need to face Russell, one last time.”

Sloane puffed out his breath, but finally accepted it. “Okay, okay,

but what are you going to say to Russell? What are you going to do?
I’d hate for you to get all upset by this again.”

“I just need to get to the bottom of this and find out exactly what

he told these guys. I want to hear it from his own mouth, Sloane.”

“Well, I’d like to make it clear to him that you’re out of this

equation—he got himself in this mess, and he can get himself out.”

Redmond looked out the side window. “I’m angry at him and hurt.

But at the same time, I don’t want anything bad to happen to him. Not
really.” He cast his gaze back at Sloane. “I guess you think I’m stupid
to feel that way. He was ready to risk my life.”

“No, I understand. I don’t like it, but I understand. He’s your

family,  no  matter  what  he’s  done.  If  it  makes  you  feel  any  better,  I
think  he  probably  knew  they  wouldn’t  kill  you—yet.  Maybe  he
thought  he could come  up with  the money before that happened. He
was playing a risky game, though, with your life. I won’t forgive him
for that.”

“I don’t want to tell my mom yet, though. I’ll talk to her about it

all later, but not now. She’ll have enough to get used to when she
learns I’m moving to Maine.” He sneaked another look at Sloane.
“You’re sure about this, aren’t you? You really want me to move in
with you?”

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“Yes, sweetheart, I’m absolutely sure. I know it’s been quick, but

I want you with me for the rest of our lives. I can’t imagine my life
without you. Now that I have you, I’m never letting you go.”

Redmond smiled at him, never tiring of hearing Sloane tell him

how much he loved him.

“I’ll arrange for your furniture to be picked up and brought up to

you while we’re in Atlanta,” he continued. “When it gets to Maine,
we can decide what to keep or put in storage.”

Redmond reached over and took his hand. It was all happening so

fast. He’d only known Sloane such a short time, yet it seemed like a
lifetime. Sloane had swept into his life and changed everything, and
Redmond knew he was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
He was anxious to get to Atlanta, face Russell, and then put this all
behind him, so he could get on with the rest of his life.

* * * *

“Okay, let me do most of the talking, honey. You’re already

trembling and we’re not even inside yet.”

“I will. I just don’t understand what he’s doing here at this house.

It’s awfully big, isn’t it? Mom said he moved here a few days ago.”

“Well, she said he had a new boyfriend, right?”
“He didn’t have one when I left a week ago!”
Sloane pulled his chin over and dropped a kiss on his lips.

“Neither did you.”

Blushing, Redmond leaned into him for a moment, and Sloane

squeezed his waist.

“Did she get the watch back yet?”
“Yeah. She said David sent it by FedEx. She wasn’t even that

upset about Russell taking it. She said he didn’t realize what he’d
done, and she was sure he meant to bring it back.”

Sloane shook his head. “I hope she didn’t spoil you like that.”

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Redmond smiled. “Well, maybe a little. Guess that’s your job

now.”

“Well, it’s a bad job, but somebody’s got to do it,” Sloane said,

and dropped a kiss on his lips.

“C’mon, let’s go see this new boyfriend and have our talk so we

can get back home.”

They walked to the huge front door and Redmond rang the bell.

He half expected a butler to answer, so he was more than surprised
when Russell himself swung the door open. Both their mouths
dropped open in surprise.

Redmond was the first to recover. Russell stood at the door

barefoot, wearing nothing but the tightest pair of short cutoffs
Redmond had ever seen. Around his neck was a strip of black leather,
and he had a large gold ring dangling from one pierced nipple. Red lip
gloss and kohl-lined eyes made him look like he’d just stepped out of
a club.

“My God, Russell, what are you doing?”
Russell shifted his bare feet uncomfortably and pouted his lips.

“I’m answering the door, what does it look like?” He glanced behind
Redmond at Sloane and frowned a little, lowering his voice to a
whisper. “You can’t come in now, Red, go away.”

Behind him, a deep loud voice called out. “Russell, who’s at the

door? Who are you talking to?”

A big hand appeared on the door and pulled it open all the way. A

huge man wearing an expensive suit and tie looked them up and
down, stopping when he saw Redmond’s face. “You must be
Russell’s brother. The resemblance is amazing.” He stepped back and
motioned them forward. “Come in, please.”

When they stepped inside, he pulled Russell to stand behind him,

rather protectively, Redmond thought. Then he realized he was
peering around Sloane’s shoulder himself as Sloane stepped forward
to shake the man’s hand. “I’m Sloane Devereaux, Redmond’s

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boyfriend. Nice to meet you. We’ve come to speak to Russell about a
recent incident involving loan sharks and a late payment.”

“Dan Gibson. I’ll be glad to help you if I can, but Russell knows

nothing about any loan sharks, do you, Russell?”

He turned to gaze down at Russell, who looked like he wanted to

sink into the floor. He cast frightened eyes up at Gibson and shook his
head back and forth. “No, Sir. I don’t know what they’re talking
about.” He dropped his eyes back to the floor, unable to hold
Gibson’s gaze, but a meaty finger under his chin brought it back up.

“Russell? The man’s tone was actually quite calm, but Russell

began trembling all over. The man leaned down and whispered
something in Russell’s ear and Russell burst into tears, covering his
face with his hands.

Gibson put his arm around the younger man and took him out of

the room, calling his apologies over his shoulder and telling them
he’d be right back.

As soon as he left, Redmond turned to Sloane and whispered

furiously. “Oh, my God, did you see that? What’s going on? Should I
go check on him?”

Sloane chuckled and squeezed his hand. “He’s fine, honey. The

guy wouldn’t very well assault him with us standing in the next room.
I think he’s just taken Russell out for a private little talk. It’ll be
okay.”

In another five minutes, the large man returned, without Russell

this time. He smiled and shrugged. “Sorry about that. Russell needs a
little time alone to remember why he should never lie to me.” He
smiled down at Redmond, who still looked worried. “He’s fine, I
assure you. He confessed everything, and told me he owes these loan
sharks some twenty thousand dollars. What I don’t quite understand is
how you two are involved.”

“Then he may not have confessed everything, Mr. Gibson. Russell

talked his twin brother into trying to steal a watch for him that used to
belong to their father. When that failed, he made sure the loan sharks

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107

thought Redmond was their target. Redmond was almost killed a
couple of days ago, by these very criminals, and they’re both still in
danger. If the loan sharks are not paid right away, they’ll try again,
and you can count on it. This time they may be more successful.”

Gibson blinked a few times and looked even more stern than

before.  “I  see,”  he  said  thoughtfully.  “Well,  I  think  it’s  about  time
Russell  learned  that  complete  honesty  is  the  best  policy.  If  you  two
will excuse me for a little while, I’ll get the names of these criminals
and how to contact them. I’ll pay the bills myself, Mr. Devereaux, and
I  assure  you  this  little  problem  will  never  arise  again.”  He  nodded
toward  the  living  room.  “If  you’ll  make  yourself  comfortable,  I’ll
return shortly.”

Sloane pulled Redmond into the living room and sat down beside

him. Redmond glanced at the door nervously. “What do you think
he’ll do to him? Will he hurt him?”

“Honey, you worry too much. He seems very concerned, and he

just doesn’t like Russell lying to him. I got a feeling that your brother
may straighten up soon and become a very well-behaved young man.”

Redmond whispered again. “Is that guy one of those Doms?”
Sloane laughed. “Yes, I’d say he definitely is.” From a few rooms

away, they could hear someone yelling and a sound like leather
slapping against skin.

Redmond started to stand up, but Sloane pulled him back down.

“Just wait. If it doesn’t stop soon, I’ll go in there.”

After a few more minutes, the house became silent again, and

soon Mr. Gibson walked back into the room, straightening his tie. “I
have the information I need, and I’ll take care of this today, Mr.
Devereaux. Russell will be out in a moment. He has something he
wishes to say to his brother.”

The door opened and Russell came in, looking red faced and

walking  stiffly.  He  came  over  and  stood  next  to  his  Dom,  leaning
gently  against  him.  The  big  man  put  his  arm  around  him  and  patted
his ass, making him wince a little.

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Shannon West

Glancing up at Redmond, he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry,

Redmond.  I  never  meant  for  you  to  get  hurt.  I  was  just  scared  and
didn’t know what to do. You’ve always been smarter than me, and I
thought  you  could  talk  your  way  out  of  it.”  He  stopped  talking  and
Gibson prodded him again with another little slap to his ass.

“I know now it was dangerous for you and how wrong I was to do

it. Please forgive me.”

Redmond opened his mouth a couple of times and then nodded.

“All right, Russell. It was my fault too, in a way, for always letting
you talk me into things. I should have stood up to you a long time
ago.”

Russell looked up at him again. “Don’t tell Mom, okay? Please?”
“You should tell Mom yourself, Russell. If you’re really sorry and

want to change things.”

Russell reached for his hand. “Do you forgive me, Red? I’m sorry,

really.”

“I’ll try to, Russell. But you really hurt me. It might take a while.”

He pulled his hand away and turned toward the door. He heard Sloane
talking to Mr. Gibson, and then they were outside in the hot Georgia
sun. Sloane put an arm around his shoulders as he dashed a tear from
his eyes.

“I’m okay, this sun is just too bright.”
Sloane nodded. “C’mon, sweetheart. Let’s go to our hotel and rest

a little. I’m thinking one of your little naps might be in order right
about now.”

* * * *

Sloane pulled Redmond closer to him on the sofa in the hotel

room and put his arm around him. “Damn, stop touching me there, or
I’ll have to take you to bed right now.”

“Promises, promises.”

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109

“Okay, big boy, don’t tease me too much or I’ll give your butt

some of the same treatment Russell’s got today.”

Redmond smiled. “Is it mean of me to say he deserves this?”
“No, darlin’, not at all. He used you for a long time.” He

shrugged. “The hell of it is he’ll probably enjoy every minute of it.”
He stroked his hand along Redmond’s cheek. “By the way, you are
not all that identical. I’d know you two apart anywhere, anytime.
You’re much better looking.”

Redmond kissed the side of his neck, and Sloane batted him away.

“Stop it, or I’ll take you to bed right now and you won’t get any
dinner.”

“Is it really all over as easy as that?”
“Well, easy for you and me. I have a feeling Russell will be

paying for this for a long, long time in one way or another. And then,
too, I got to thinking on the way back to the hotel that I owe you some
punishment.”

Redmond looked puzzled. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you remember the morning you almost burned down the

kitchen? You told me you were feeling guilty for all the lies?”

Redmond smiled. “Oh, yeah…”
“Oh, yeah is right. You asked me if I would give you a little

punishment for all that, and I promised I would. Since I’m a man of
my word, I thought we might just do that tonight and get it over with.
So we can start with a clean slate.”

Redmond nodded. “I think you’re right. I’ve been very bad.”
“Yes, you have, young man. As a matter of fact, to hell with

dinner. I suggest you take off those clothes and wait for me on the
bed.”

Redmond jumped up and ran over to the bed. Sloane followed

him,  taking  off  his  clothes  as  he  went,  but  first  stopping  by  the
suitcase to  get  out  something that he hid  behind  his  back. Soon they
were  both  naked  and  Sloane  tilted  his  head  and  said,  “Lie  on  your
stomach, boy.”

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Shannon West

Redmond turned over quickly, looking at Sloane over his

shoulder.  “I’m  going  to  teach  you  never  to  lie  to  me  again,  young
man.” He bent down and kissed Redmond’s lower back, making him
clench  his  muscles.  He  put  his  thumbs  on  either  side  of  Redmond’s
hole,  pulled  his  cheeks  open  roughly,  and  brushed  a  finger  over  it.
Redmond tried to push his hips up, but got a sharp slap for his trouble.
“Lie still. Don’t you dare move until I tell you that you can.” Paying
attention to his hole again, Sloane ringed it with small licks and quick
flicks of his tongue, more tease than touch. Redmond thought he’d go
out of his mind for sure. There was no way he could lie still.

Then Sloane put his whole tongue inside and twisted it around,

stroking him tantalizingly. Redmond went crazy, bucking his hips,
clutching the sheets and biting into the pillow. Sloane popped his ass
again. “Don’t move…”

Redmond moaned and cried out, begging him, but Sloane held

him  down  with  one  hand  in  the  flat  of  his  back.  Finally,  he  pulled
back,  and  Redmond  felt  the  cold,  wet  lube  smeared  across  his
entrance,  followed  by  something  hard  and  cold.  He  tensed  and
clenched  his  cheeks,  unused  to  the  alien  feeling.  He  craned  his  neck
around to  see what  Sloane was putting inside him and got  two more
hard slaps on his already stinging behind. “Lie still!”

Trembling, Redmond lay as still as he could, and then without any

warning, a cold, hard object was being eased up inside his narrow
passage. He cried out and tried to get up, but instantly, Sloane’s
mouth was by his ear, crooning to him. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Calm
down. I’m taking care of you.”

“What–what is that?”
“It’s called a butt plug, sweetheart, and you’re going to wear it for

me.”

“No! It hurts!”
“Just relax and get used to it. It wouldn’t be punishment if it felt

good, now, would it, baby? Just relax for me, and I’ll show you how I
can make it good for you.”

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111

Whatever it was, it was a little too big, and Redmond felt stuffed

and full. He squirmed around, and suddenly the large plug touched his
prostate  and  rubbed  against  it.  He  almost  lost  his  mind.  Thrashing
around,  he  tried  to  turn  over,  afraid  he  was  going  to  come
uncontrollably,  but  as  he  turned,  Sloane  was  ready  for  him.  He
slipped  a  cock  ring  over  his  dick  and  his  balls,  holding  his  cock  out
and making it damn near impossible for him to come. He panicked for
a  moment  at  the  unfamiliarity  of  the  toys  and  tried  to  get  away.
Calmly, Sloane held him still, stroking and soothing him, crooning to
him and calling him sweet names until he finally calmed down.

“Take it off, Sloane, please. I don’t like it.”
“Yes, you do, baby, and you’re being punished, remember? Give

it just a few minutes, and if you still don’t like them, I won’t make
you wear them long.”

“O–okay,” Redmond said with a shaky breath.
“Good boy. I thought about you wearing these for me all the way

home.” He smiled wickedly at him. “Let me check and see if the butt
plug is in good and tight.” He touched it gently, pushing it slowly in
to rub against his prostate, and smiled when Redmond thrashed his
head and moaned. “Yeah, that seems to be in there pretty good.” He
bent down and licked the head of Redmond’s cock, and Redmond
whimpered.

“Oh, God, Sloane, please…”
“The question is, have you learned your lesson? Are you ever

going to trade places with Russell ever again?”

“No! No, I promise!”
“Or lie to me?”
“No…”
He tapped the butt plug a few times, and seemed to enjoy seeing

Redmond writhe around in pleasure and pain. “What do you want me
to do for you, honey?”

“Take it off, Sloane!”
“Tell me you love me.”

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Shannon West

Redmond opened his eyes and took a deep breath. “W–what?”
“I said, tell me you love me.”
“I–I do love you! So much.”
“I love you, too, baby. So much, too.” He bent down and kissed

his lips tenderly before easing the cock ring off his beautiful cock and
bathing it all over with his tongue. Sloane licked him and kissed him
and took him deep in his throat. Redmond’s hips jerked, shoving the
plug in deeper and deeper. After that, it was wet heat, sucking and
swallowing until Redmond lost it completely, coming so hard he
could hear himself shout just before everything went a little black for
a second. He’d never come so hard, and when it was over, he lay still
in Sloane’s arms while Sloane petted him and kissed his face all over.

Sloane held him till his shudders subsided, then went for a warm

cloth to clean him up.

Sloane smiled down at him. “Still don’t like my toys?”
Redmond sighed. “You know I do.” Redmond raised himself up a

little on his elbows to speak. His words were still a little slurred. “But
you didn’t come, Sloane.’

“Oh, I will. The day is still young, baby.” He got up and began

pulling on his clothes. “Now you take one of your little naps for me.
Tonight might just be a long night.”

“Wait! You forgot the–the plug.”
“No, darlin’.” Sloane said wickedly. “I didn’t forget. Like I said,

tonight might just be a very long night. Especially for beautiful, bad,
redheaded boys.”

THE END

HTTP://REMYSHANNON.WEEBLY.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shannon lives with her husband and two crazy dogs in the North

Carolina  mountains.  She  enjoys  travel,  reading,  and  oil  painting  but
rarely has time for any of these because of her obsession with writing.
She  works  a  day  job  to  help  support  this  writing  habit,  but  resents
time  spent  away  from  her  computer  and  the  voices  in  her  head.
Shannon  is  always  working  on  some  new  project,  and  has  several
going  at  any  given  time.  She  enjoys  writing  both  contemporary
romance and paranormal.