They had both chosen the club’s name—Crimson VIII—in a gangsta style font as was tradition, in an arch from shoulder blade to shoulder blade. Beneath it, the club’s logo—a skull with the handle of a blade sticking out of the top, blood dripping from the eye sockets, was surrounded by eight dice with the words “all eight” written in the same gangsta font below the gaping mouth of the skull. To complete the tattoo, each member was required to close the circle by adding something meaningful in a reversed arch. Jamie had chosen “Truth & Knowledge” for personal reasons he’d never reveal to anyone. Gunner had gone with “Cradle to Grave,” a fitting sentiment as Gunner was born into the club and would die a leader.
However, at the moment, Jamie didn’t care about tradition, clubs, or any such shit. He was in fucking pain, but there was no way in hell he would show any outward signs of it. He knew as soon as he did, Gunner would open his eyes and catch him. He’d been checking on Jamie every few moments since the torture had begun.
Jamie clenched his teeth and held his breath when the needle sawed across his lower back. The areas over the boney prominents of his spine were the hardest to take, and tension built in his muscles until he thought he would burst. His jaw ached, head pounded; an internal battle raged, his need to save face only slightly stronger than his need to cry out in pain, but he was wavering. Jesus, it fucking hurt! When he thought he couldn’t take it another second, opened his mouth to utter the words that would stop the madness, he was saved by two sweet words he’d wanted to hear for the last five hours: “All done.”
With a heavy sigh of relief, Jamie closed his eyes and slumped against the table, spent. His muscles twitched as a cool cloth was passed over his back. Compared to the fire of the tattoo gun against abused flesh, the cloth was soothing.
“You doing okay, Jamie?” Gunner asked.
Jamie couldn’t even muster the strength to open his eyes, he just needed to breathe for a moment, but he forced himself to give a slight nod.
“That was a fucking rush!” Gunner declared.
Yeah, a rush…. Whatever.
Jamie sleepily opened his eyes to see Gunner straddling the table, his freshly inked back to Jamie, but his friend was looking over his shoulder with a big goofy smile on his face. He met Jamie’s gaze and winked.
Jamie’s attention was caught by the movement of the white cloth over Gunner’s back as the artist cleaned up Gunner’s tat. The thick muscles were flexing and bulging, and heat rushed to Jamie’s groin. He’d always found Gunner’s body enticing, but with his skin now flushed with a black tattoo standing out in sharp contrast, there was only one word that fit the sight before him—intoxicating.
God, how he wanted to run his hands over Gunner’s back, feel the heat against his palms, knead those bulging muscles. Trace each line of ink with his tongue, taste Gunner’s skin. Jamie’s dick grew increasingly harder, throbbing painfully against the weight of his body pressing it against the table. A small sensual sound escaped him before he could clamp down on it.
“I knew you were a pain slut,” Gunner laughed. “Happy Birthday, dude!”
Shit!
Jamie hid his lust-filled eyes by pushing up to a seated position, his back to Gunner. He flipped his friend off without turning around. Seemed that was his response to Gunner a lot lately. He had a hard time facing him, Gunner knowing him well enough to read his expressions, and he didn’t trust that his voice wouldn’t betray him by coming out husky.
“Wow! That is seriously wicked,” Christian commented.
Jamie glanced behind him to see Christian inspecting Gunner’s tattoo. Jamie took the opportunity to take a few calming breaths. He rolled his neck and shoulders and shook his arms out, trying to relieve a little of the tension that was so tightly coiled. He also adjusted his raging hard-on in his jeans and willed it to please go the fuck down.
“Looks good on you, Gunner,” Christian praised.
“It’s Tek,” Gunner corrected him.
“What? Is that some new code name for kickass?” Johnny, the other artist, asked.
“Damn right it is,” Gunner laughed. “My new nickname. Jamie gave it to me. And yeah, I am totally kickass.”
“And modest too,” Jamie interjected.
After one last deep breath, Jamie pushed up from the table, grabbed his shirt, and hung it from his belt, hiding the evidence of his arousal. If Tek saw it, he’d never let Jamie live it down, assuming he’d gotten a boner from ink. Actually he had, but from seeing it on Tek’s sexy-as-fuck back. Either way, it would be bad for Jamie if his friend knew.
“Turn around, let me see,” Tek encouraged.
Jamie did as Tek asked; standing next to Tek, he turned and presented his back.
Tek whistled. “Sweet! The chicks are going to be all over you tonight, man.”
“I’m doing the doggie, my man. No way am I lying on my back tonight,” Jamie deflected. He hated when Tek encouraged him to bang chicks, but he’d learned long ago just to go with it. Play it safe.
Jamie checked his watch—six fifteen. “You ready? We gotta be at the club in forty-five minutes.”
Jamie thanked Christian, complimented Tek’s artist, and then took his instructions and left Tek to settle up. Jamie stepped out of the shop and inhaled deeply. The warm summer wind felt cool against his sweat-dampened flesh. He was thankful for the few extra minutes to get his shit together. He was finding it harder and harder to hide his desire around Tek. He’d hoped it was a phase, like the hero envy he’d had for Batman when he was eight, but it was getting worse. Jamie scrubbed his hand over his face and rubbed at the throb that was settling into his forehead. Somehow he had to figure out how in the hell he was going to come to terms with the fact he was in love with his best friend. The bigger question was how in the fuck he was going to keep it hidden.
T
HE
WHISKEY
flowing through Tek’s system had long burned off any discomfort he’d felt on his back. His body tingled pleasantly—his head a little swimmy. He sat on the old worn leather couch at the back of the club. He had the perfect vantage point to take in everything going on around him as he sipped his drink. The club was full, all the members drinking, laughing, playing pool, and having a good time. Plenty of chicks tonight too; some dancing, swaying sensually to the loud rock songs that blasted from the stereo, others clinging to the men, being felt up, kissing, and groping each other. And they were all here to celebrate with him and Jamie—the newest members of Crimson VIII.
Tek grinned and slammed back the rest of his whiskey.
Best fucking birthday, ever!
Tek sought out Jamie, finding him leaning down to take his shot at the pool table. Jamie was the biggest reason their eighteenth birthday was so perfect. It wasn’t just the sweet weapon or the kickass new nickname that the rest of the members approved of or even the matching tats inked across their backs, but because Jamie had been at his side. Setting his glass aside, Tek pushed up from the couch and made his way to the pool table just in time to see Jamie sink the eight ball and win the game.
“That’s my boy,” Tek praised and raised his hand to slap Jamie on the back.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” Jamie warned with a brow arched.
Tek yanked his hand back. “Oops, sorry, I keep forgetting,” he chuckled. “Congrats.” He held out his fist.
Jamie bumped Tek’s fist with his own and grinned. “Fourth one in a row,” he said proudly.
Tek took the cue stick out of his hand and handed it off to Sully who was grumbling something about Jamie cheating. “Time to give someone else a chance,” Tek informed Jamie and slung his arm over his shoulder, mindful of the new ink.
He steered a frowning Jamie toward the bar. “I was—”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. Winning,” Tek interrupted. “Best to always go out on top, my man. Besides, I want some attention. I was starting to get a little jealous of all those balls you were playing with.” He planted a wet, sloppy kiss to Jamie’s cheek and laughed at the way Jamie shoved him and glared at Tek.
Behind the bar, a hot little blonde with big tits spilling from her black leather bra was pouring drinks. She was fairly new to the club, but from the dull look in her blue eyes and lines around them, she wasn’t new to the party scene. Tek guessed she was pushing thirty from some of the conversations he’d had with her earlier, but she looked older. Didn’t matter, she had a smoking hot body. Obviously, what she didn’t spend on booze or drugs, she spent on plastic. Better yet, with this one, he didn’t have to try and sweet-talk her or make promises, bullshit her into thinking he liked her for more than just her wet hole. The younger girls irritated the hell out of him with their
tell me I’m pretty, do you really like me, are you going to call again
. None of that stupidity with Miss Big Tits. She’d already told him she’d love to give Tek a birthday present. The seductive tone of her voice left no question as to what she was offering as a gift. The cherry on the top was she had a friend who would love to give Jamie a
gift
as well.
“Hey, sweetheart, how about a drink for the birthday boys,” Tek called out and gave her a sly grin he knew worked well with the chicks.
She grabbed two glasses and a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and swished and swayed her way to Tek and Jamie. “But of course, darlings,” she drawled, batting her long fake lashes. “
Anything
for the birthday boys.”
The way she had emphasized
anything
made Tek’s grin grow, and he waggled his brows at Jamie. “I got you hooked up,” Tek whispered against Jamie’s ear. “You want the blonde or that one?” Tek nodded toward blonde’s friend at the other end of the bar.
She didn’t have as an impressive rack or bod—she was tiny, barely any curves—but she was younger, cuter, with her long flowing dark curls and huge blue eyes. Tek could picture her with Jamie, neither of them seemed to have the hard edge Tek and the blonde chick did. And from their shared stories, Tek knew Jamie was nowhere near as fucked-up kinky as Tek was.
“Dude, I’m pretty sure I can find my own,” Jamie hissed and grabbed the glass of whiskey the blonde set in front of him. Jamie took a large gulp and winced.
“I have no doubt you can,” Tek assured him and picked up his whiskey. He clinked his glass against Jamie’s. “But why turn down a feast when it’s spread out in front of you?”
Tek tipped up his glass, drank down half in one large gulp. He loved the way it burned his throat, the way the heat moved down into his gut, warming him from the inside out. Without giving Jamie time to protest or back out, Tek winked at the blonde. “How about you find someone else to work the bar and you and your friend come hang with me and my boy here in the back for a little while?”
“No need,” she purred. “Rocco already informed me I was to make sure the birthday boys had a good time and give them whatever they wanted.” She topped off Tek’s drink and then Jamie’s. “I’m all yours.”
“And your friend?” Tek inquired.
The blonde set her hands on the bar and leaned forward, putting her impressive tits on display. “Sure, or you both could have all this. It’s all about your pleasure.”
Another dirty little whore willing to do whatever it took to win favor with the club president. Tek shook his head; he didn’t care, and he would be using her for much of the same reason, no guilt. Tek knew what he preferred. The thought of he and Jamie tag-teaming a chick was something he’d thought about, not as often as…. Well, he wasn’t going to go there. With the amount of whiskey in his system, he wasn’t sure how well he’d be able to keep those desires hidden. But if they were with the same girl and he just so happened to get a good feel of Jamie’s skin, taste it, he could blame it on the moment, the close contact. But would Jamie go for it?
Tek glanced over to his friend. Jamie’s cheeks were red, and he was looking down at his glass. Jamie had never had much confidence with women, turning them down more times than he accepted their offers. Tek could use that to his advantage in getting what he wanted; he was simply going to help a friend, boost his confidence with sex.
Yeah, that’s it, you sick fucker
. Tek ignored the little voice in his head. He felt too good, full of warmth and desire to let this opportunity pass.
“I say we do her in the shower, that way we can wash off that bottle of sweet shit she bathed in. Sound good?” Tek whispered against Jamie’s ear.
Jamie swallowed hard, Tek’s gaze drawn to the movement. This close he could see the muscles twitch in Jamie’s jaw as he clenched, smell the alcohol, clean sweat, and cologne on Jamie’s skin. Jamie wasn’t looking at him, but Tek could tell he was thinking about it, saw the thoughtful expression in his handsome features.
“C’mon,” Tek encouraged. “Let’s show this little chick the time of her fucking life.”
Jamie swirled the dark amber fluid in his glass, staring at the movement for a second, then tipped it up and gulped down the contents in one drink. He then slammed the glass down on the bar and met Tek’s gaze.
“Let’s do it,” he growled and headed toward the back room.
“Tonight is your lucky night, sweetheart. Let’s go,” he said with a wink and followed Jamie.
T
EK
BEGAN
washing the dark blonde locks the instant they were under the spray, no doubt trying to wash away the scent he’d complained about earlier. Jamie had zero desire to touch this chick, let alone bang her, but he needed to do something to keep his eyes and his mind from settling on Tek’s naked form. It had been pure fucking torture trying not to watch Tek’s firm ass as he entered the shower, even harder to keep his eyes averted while the sexy fucker rolled the condom down the length of his impressive shaft. The few glances Jamie had gotten were the only reason he had a hard-on in the first place. He was finding it more and more difficult to… rise to the occasion with a girl.
Jamie grabbed the soap and washed her chest and stomach. The spray washed away the suds until only the water sluiced down her body. Seizing on the distraction, Jamie leaned in and chased the water droplets rolling down her body with his tongue. Down her collarbone to the swell of her breasts, he lapped at her skin until he reached her hardened nipple. He teased one with the tip of his tongue before sucking it into his mouth. It felt strange, too big, compared to the size of Tek’s nipples, the ones Jamie had been fantasizing about teasing and tasting. A deep moan as he sucked on the tender flesh caused him to look up. They both stared at him as he suckled, but it was Tek’s heated gaze that made Jamie’s hard shaft swell even further until he felt as if the skin would split.