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Jeremy moaned, writhing beneath him. “I’m so turned on I can’t even breathe. I want you inside me right now.”

Craig lifted his gaze so he peered over Jeremy’s balls and looked down on Jeremy’s face. “Are you sure? I haven’t loosened you up yet.”

Jeremy nodded. “I don’t want you to loosen me up. I want to feel every inch of you as you enter me for the first time.” Craig wasn’t sure. He didn’t want to hurt Jeremy, but the pleading expression was impossible to resist. He raised himself to his knees and lowered Jeremy so his hole aligned with his cock. Wetting it with saliva, he allowed it to glide along Jeremy’s crease until the head nudged against his slick opening. Applying a hint of pressure, his cock began to slide into Jeremy, but didn’t fully penetrate. Craig wanted to torture him a bit before giving in to Jeremy’s desires. His teasing evoked more begging. “Please, fuck me.”

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Craig pushed forward, the tip piercing the ring of muscle, and forcing a hiss out of Jeremy. He hesitated, remaining still, but before he could register what Jeremy was doing, Jeremy’s hands gripped his ass and pulled his cock into his tight hole. Jeremy cried out and Craig worried he had gone too fast, but no pain registered on Jeremy’s face. His mouth gaped and his eyes rolled around with an expression of pure rapture.

Satisfied Jeremy was enjoying this, Craig began pumping in and out of him. “Oh God, Jeremy. So hot. So tight.” Jeremy continued to squirm beneath him, shaking his head from side to side, murmuring unintelligibly.

Craig knew he wouldn’t last long. Not only had he loved Jeremy his whole life, the physical connection was magnified by their deep connection. Jeremy wasn’t a body to please and to be used for pleasure; he was a friend, his best friend, the one he loved more than any other. His entire body felt like it was being tickled with a feather, shaking as sweat dripped down his temples and neck, coating his shoulders, “I’m gonna come.”

Jeremy locked his eyes with Craig. “Come inside me.”

Jeremy’s fevered command was too much and sent him right over the edge. Craig’s balls tightened and pulled close and his entire body convulsed as jet after jet of hot sperm filled Jeremy’s ass.

Once the shudders of his aftershock subsided, Jeremy sat up, pushing Craig onto his back. “My turn.” Jeremy positioned himself over Craig and guided his cock to Craig’s hole. When he pushed in, all Craig could feel was pleasure and love, no tightness, no sting, no burn. His whole body craved to be filled by Jeremy. Within moments, Jeremy’s breathing became labored and his face tightened signaling his orgasm was building up inside him. “Gonna come. Now!” As Jeremy shouted and arched his head backwards, he slammed his cock all the way into Craig’s ass. Jeremy’s cock bucked inside of him, hot semen coating his insides.

Jeremy releasing inside him, knowing Jeremy was finally his, filled Craig with a fulfillment and completion greater than any he had ever experienced. His eyes filled with tears. He could feel them stream down his cheeks and hear as they dripped to the floor.

Jeremy collapsed on top of him, panting and they lay together for several minutes.

Once Jeremy got his breathing under control, he lifted his weight so he rested on his elbows and forearms, peering down at Craig. “I love you so much. Never knew sex could be so good.”

Tears continued to slip out of the corner of Craig’s eyes. “We’ve always been meant for each other. I know that now more than ever. I may have my faults and so do you, but together we’re perfect.”

Jeremy leaned down, taking Craig’s mouth with his and they shared a languid kiss.

After lingering moments of tenderness, Jeremy pulled back and got to his knees. “Come on. Let’s go take a shower.” Craig allowed himself to be led to the bathroom and they 175

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spent the next half hour under soothing hot water, kissing, massaging, talking, and loving each other.

* * * * *

Craig woke up early the next day; Jeremy snuggled close to him in his arms. It warmed him through and he didn’t want to get up. Grudgingly sliding out of the bed, he went to the kitchen to make coffee. He still couldn’t believe how much his life had changed in such a short time. At the same time, it hadn’t changed enough. Jeremy still had to leave, Craig still lived with Janet. It felt as if there were too many loose ends that needed to be taken care of before his life felt like it was back in order.

Those were issues he could address later. Right now Jeremy was in his bed, right where he wanted him to be. Before he left, he went to the bedroom to give Jeremy a kiss.

Jeremy rolled over as Craig kissed him, rubbing his eyes and smiling. “Morning.”

“Shit. I didn’t want to wake you. I put some clothes on the dresser. We’re pretty much the same size so you don’t need to go to work wearing the same thing you did yesterday.”

Jeremy smiled. “Thanks.” He propped himself up on an elbow. “Can I see you again tonight?”

Craig lay next to him, folding him into his arms and giving him a sweet kiss on the lips. “Tonight, tomorrow night, every night.”

“I want to rest for ten more minutes before I get up,” Jeremy purred before rolling back onto his pillow, “I want to rest for ten more minutes before I get up.”

Craig kissed him once more and tucked him in and headed for work. Craig was hit by a wall of heat when he stepped out of the apartment building, the morning already oppressive. Thank God for air conditioning. Janet had told him he had an early appointment—eight o’clock. That gave him plenty of time to stop off at Starbucks to get a coffee and a bagel.

Spectacular Designs was empty when he arrived, so he put on a fresh pot of coffee and organized the main room for the day. His co-workers slowly trudged in and by seven-thirty they were all busy working on their designs and shooting the shit.

At eight o’clock, Frank DiMasso arrived for his appointment. Craig led him into his office. “I know you had an appointment with Janet, but I’m covering for her today.

Could you tell me a little about your project?”

Frank was short with dark features and a pointed goatee which caused him to look a bit like a goblin and lent a comical air to his businesslike manner. He reached into his briefcase and took out a brochure which seemed more like a catalogue. Emblazoned across the front was DiMasso Properties with a crude picture of a building beneath the name. “I own several apartment buildings all over Manhattan and a few business spaces in the other boroughs. I want to create a campaign to advertise my properties 176

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and increase tenancy in my vacant spaces. So far, I’ve relied on print for my advertising, but I still have too many vacancies which are costing me a bundle. I’m thinking a visual ad campaign, one that’s bold and catchy, might drum up more business.”

“Okay. We can certainly accommodate a visual ad campaign. How large is the scope of this project?”

Frank tugged at his goatee. “I’m not sure. I want to take out quarter page spreads in the newspaper and in the phone book. I think I’d like to do a web campaign as well.”

Craig nodded. “That can be quite pricy. I would recommend choosing one medium and making that work for you. When a campaign is spread too thin, the client is generally unsatisfied with the results. If you spend your money to get the message out in more places, but don’t secure prime spots for those spaces, we find the results are less profitable than putting your money to good use in one medium and making sure your ad will be seen.”

“I like the way you think. Clear, direct, easy to follow.” Frank nodded. “Which medium would you suggest?”

Craig was pleased. Frank seemed like someone who was open and who would bring in good future business for the company. “I would begin with the electronic medium. You said you tried print with less-than-satisfactory results. May I take a look at your brochure? If I get an idea of the locations of your residences and businesses, I may be able to recommend a web site suitable for your needs.”

Frank handed it over and Craig began leafing through it. The residence section was subdivided by neighborhood. He looked in the East Village section and noticed Janet’s building was listed. “Huh. My friend lives in this property. Are there any vacancies in that building?”

Frank’s eyes perked up. “Craig. I’m going to propose something to you. As I said, I like people who are direct.” He leaned back in his chair, scrutinizing Craig as if he were deciding whether he should proceed. “Are you opposed to bartering?”

Craig shook his head. “No, not at all, but what do I have that you want?”

Frank smiled, a wide grin crossing his face. “Your talent. You say you like the building?”

“Yeah. I love the building and the area.” Craig didn’t know where this was going.

“Well, I have an apartment on the second floor which is vacant; a big two bedroom.” Craig could see Frank’s mind spinning as he concocting his business proposition. “Since I own the building, I get to set the rent for the units. How about we strike a deal?”

Craig wasn’t sure what kind of a deal Frank had in mind. “I guess that depends on the deal.”

“Well, you told me this was going to be an expensive job, right?”

“I think so, yes.”

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“Well, I would be willing to give you the apartment for very low rent if you would be willing to be my on-call graphic designer. I’m going to want to start with the web campaign, like you suggested, but will then move to billboard, the Yellow Pages, and newspaper. If you do the designs for free, I’ll write up a contract for you to rent the apartment for say, six hundred dollars a month.”

Craig swallowed hard. Six hundred dollars was unheard of anywhere in Manhattan. A two bedroom in the East Village usually went for somewhere between twenty-five hundred and three thousand a month. “Frank, I think we could work something out, but I would need to do the work on my own time to keep it off the books. I do plenty of private consulting, but once work is on the books it becomes official.”

Frank beamed. “Excellent. So you’re agreeing?”

A twinge of guilt tugged at the back of Craig’s mind. He was taking business from his own company for his own personal gain. Although he was bringing in twice the business of all the other designers combined because of Boris, he still felt like he was doing something wrong. Janet would ask him why the deal fell through. “Can I add an extra piece to our agreement?”

“That depends.” Frank’s face became serious. “What do you have in mind?”

“Well, my friend, Janet, lives in that building. She is normally the one who interviews clients and she’s going to want to know why we didn’t land you as an account. I might be able to soften her up if her rent was also reduced.”

Frank laughed. “My boy, you are in the wrong field. You should be in sales. What’s the unit number?”

Craig told him the unit number and Frank pulled out his palm, looking up the current monthly rent. “Right now she’s paying twenty-four hundred a month. If you are willing to do work for me, I can cut her rent in half.”

Craig’s heart skipped a beat. “Really?” Before he agreed, Craig remembered a similar interaction with Boris. “To be clear, how much work are you expecting me to do for you as a result of this barter?”

Frank laughed even harder. “I was wrong. You shouldn’t be in sales. You should be managing sales reps. Setting limits up front so you aren’t locked into a deal without boundaries. I like you, boy.”

Craig smiled, not liking the fact Frank had called him boy twice in as many minutes.

“So, what is the scope of your expectations?”

Frank pondered his question. “How about you help me with the web, The Yellow Pages, bulletin, and news campaigns in exchange for your apartment and the reduction of your friend’s rent. That would include running as middle man with the agents and sales people to lock in prime spots and to determine how long the run will be published.”

That was reasonable. “I can do that. I’ll do the design work and Janet, who manages the contacts with the web and print companies, can work out the best deals for you.”

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Frank sat back in his chair, nodding approvingly. “After we complete the agreed upon work, we can determine if a new arrangement is needed. Either more bartering or I can pay outright. If this campaign goes well, I’ll be more liquid and will be able to afford a larger campaign.”

Craig thought the deal sounded good…too good. “What happens when I finish the work? Does the rent change once we’re done?”

Frank smiled so broadly all of his teeth gleamed in the light from the ceiling. “I like your style kid. I’ll increase your rent at a set amount, say four-point-five percent every two years for as long as you like or until I sell the building, whichever comes first. And before you ask, I don’t intend to sell any of my properties so we aren’t talking about anything likely to happen soon, if at all.”

Craig relaxed. “Does the deal extend to Janet as well?” Frank nodded. “Okay, I think we have a deal.” Craig took out a blank sheet of paper and wrote down his cell number. “I can begin on this as soon as you like.”

Frank reached into his briefcase and pulled out a business card. “Fantastic. Call my office and ask to speak to Gene. She’s a doll. She’ll draw up the contract for the apartment. All you need to do is go into the office and sign. Your friend Janet should call her too. I’ll tell Gene to draw up the new contract for her as well.” Frank stood up.

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