Jc and the Actor

JC and the Actor, Chapter 35, Copyright 2004

The following story is entirely a work of fiction. It is not meant to imply anything about the sexuality or the personal lives of the members of NSYNC, or any other celebrities mentioned. If you are underage, or if it is illegal to read sexually explicit gay material where you live, don't read this.

Only five more chapters to go, folks! After much contemplation, I have decided that "JC and the Actor" will conclude after 40 chapters. I am amazed that what was originally going to be an 8-part series ended up lasting for so many chapters over so many months. I will save my parting words for the final chapter, but I thought it was a good idea to let all of you know that the series is wrapping up, so that the finale doesn't seem too abrupt and cold. There is still much more to come though, so please continue to send your thoughts, comments and criticisms to mzbryan2003@yahoo.com. And now, on with the show!

Chapter 35

I was in the backseat of a limousine, headed toward the desert. I was crowded in-between a pop star, a dancer, a baby, and a tall man who apparently went by the name of Kevin. Across from us sat two ominous looking men, both with their guns prominently visible.

"This really sucks, Nate," Lance whispered. I turned to him and almost had to start laughing.

"That's the best thing you can think of to say?" I asked. I faced forward again, looking at our captors, almost comical looking in their double-breasted, monochrome suits. "At least you won't ever have to worry about dealing with the embarrassment of someone seeing that tape," I said. I guess that Lance wasn't in the joking mood that I thought he was, because he didn't have any reaction.

The truth was that we were very likely about to die. Having almost died only a few short months ago, I was probably more prepared for the experience than the others. Elaine looked as though she would pass out at any moment. Lance had a bewildered expression on his face, while Kevin was completely deadpan. Only Madeline seemed totally unaware of what was going on, as most three-month-old babies in similar situations would be.

"Any chance we could hit the casinos for a bit?" I asked the goons, a smile on my face.

"This one thinks he's funny," one of them said.

"Yeah," said the other. "We should kill him first." I swallowed sharply and decided that it was best not to talk, entertaining myself instead by imagining what catch phrases "Entertainment Tonight" would use to discuss the missing celebrities. For as much as I was not looking forward to having to publicize my first film, now it really didn't seem like that bad of a thing to have to do.

"They never find anyone in the desert," Lance said, half to me, half to himself. We were both in agreement that we had bit off a bit more than we could chew in this situation. We really should have stopped before ever breaking into Kevin's apartment, because things really started to go drastically downhill after that.

According to my watch, we had been in the car for about four hours when it finally rolled to a stop. The lights of Vegas had come and gone very quickly, and for the past hour or so there had been no activity on the outside, except for the occasional car passing by.

"Let's do this," one of the men said, moving to get out of the car. "Come on, everyone out," he said. Not really having any other options, I shrugged my shoulders and stepped out of the car. Not having really spent much time in Nevada, I was surprised that the desert was quite cool given the time of night. We all lined up outside, and watched the front door of the limo open, a large man stepping out, smoking a cigar.

"This is like a fucking movie," Lance said to me. "How fucking embarrassing."

"Looks like you got more people involved in this than you should have, Kevin," the man said, stepping closer to us.

"These people have nothing to do with it," Kevin pleaded. "Please, just let them go."

"They know a little more than I would like them too," the fat man said. He pointed at Kevin with his cigar. "And you need to be taught a lesson." He stepped closer to Kevin, making Kevin take a step backward. "When I tell you to do something," the man whispered. "You do it." He blew some smoke in Kevin's face and backed away, waving at the two men. "Shoot them," he said matter-of-factly, walking back toward the car. The men raised their guns and I looked at Lance, feeling as though I needed to apologize before our lives were taken.

"It's not you fault," Lance said before I could say anything. I nodded appreciatively and turned back toward the men. My thoughts became a rapid mix of so many things. Of my parents and JC, of my childhood, of the life I had begun, of the life I was about to have. Would JC know how much I really loved him? Would he think I had died with secrets he would never uncover? Would people ever appreciate the loss he was about to experience, or would they just wonder why a rich celebrity always looked a little sad?

I put on a brace face, blocking out the sounds of Elaine's soft cries. I heard the safeties to the guns release, and I closed my eyes. A shot rang out, followed by deafening silence.

EARLIER IN THE DAY

"Who is this?" I said, turning the picture toward Elaine.

"That's Kevin," she said, her voice immediately sounding aggravated. "Madeline's father."

I cocked an eyebrow and bit my lower lip. "Elaine," I began. "This is the guy who just tried to kill me."

"What?" she said, her voice shaking, the blood draining from her face. Lance stood up with Madeline, and looked at the picture over my shoulder.

"Your ex is behind all of this?" Lance said, looking at Elaine with a bit of contempt.

"How could he? I mean, where did...?" Elaine clasped her head in her hands and sat down on the bed. "Nate, he's been here all along? Following me?" She looked at me more closely, noticing my neck. "Oh God, he hurt you," she said her eyes tearing. She lowered her head and started to cry.

"That's a great guy you got there," Lance said to her sarcastically. I glared at him, to which he just shrugged his shoulders.

"Elaine, is there anything you aren't telling me?"

Elaine looked at me as though she couldn't believe I had asked the question. "No, Nate, I promise you. I have no idea what is going on."

"This is bullshit," Lance said, handing Madeline back to Elaine. "Nate," he began, turning back to me. "You don't need to get involved in all this. For all you know this could be some scheme to bilk a fortune out of you or JC."

"How dare you," Elaine yelled. "You don't know me." She turned to me. "Tell him," she said. "Tell him I would never do that." I must have held my silence for too long because before I knew it, Elaine had stood up and started shouting at me. "I can't believe this," she yelled. "You think I knew that any of this was going on?"

"I didn't say that," I said. "But Elaine, who do I look like? Inspector Gadget? How the hell am I supposed to know what is going on?" I threw my hands in the air. "I'm an actor, God damn it! Not a fucking P.I.!"

"Well why don't you just leave me to deal with it then?" Elaine said. "I can take care of myself. The only reason you have been helping me is to get back whatever it was you sent me in the first place."

"Wait a minute!" I yelled back. "You wouldn't even know you were being followed if it wasn't for me. I'm trying to help you."

"Well, thanks a lot," she said coldly, slamming her suitcase closed. She turned around, her voice suddenly flat. "Kevin," she began.

"My name's Nathan," I corrected. I was wondering why she was staring at me so intensely until I realized that she was looking past me. I also noticed that Lance was now looking in the same direction that she was. I turned around to find a man standing in the doorway. He was wearing a large hat and an overcoat. He was holding a gun.

"Are you ok?" he asked, looking toward Elaine. I realized that he was pointing the gun toward me, but I was in too much shock to even be scared.

"Kevin," she said, placing Madeline down on the bed. She stepped closer as though she needed to get a better look to determine that he was real.

"These guys broke into my place," Kevin said. "And now they've come for you."

"This is my friend," Elaine said, stepping closer to him. "Put the gun down." He looked confused, but lowered the gun. Elaine stepped closer and suddenly started punching and grabbing at Kevin

"You son of a bitch!" she yelled. "You've been here the whole time? You left me alone and pregnant! You didn't even take a fucking suitcase!" Trying to stop her, Kevin dropped the gun, which I quickly snatched up and put in the desk drawer.

"Listen to me," Kevin yelled. "I don't know who these guys are, but you're in danger! I have to talk to you." Being much bigger than her, Kevin was able to pin her arms down by her sides, preventing her from hitting him again. She improvised by spitting in his face. Madeline started crying and Lance actually walked over to quiet her, picking her up and patting her back.

Elaine eventually calmed down, pulling away from Kevin and sitting back down on the bed.

"I had to go," he said tentatively. "I did it to protect you. I figured the less you knew, the less danger you would be in."

"Danger from what?" Elaine asked, her cheeks stained with tears. "You're a friggin' accountant. What kind of danger could you be in?"

"One of my clients turned out not to be who I thought he was," Kevin said. "When the FBI started investigating him, I knew that he would have me killed if they made me testify against him. So I just disappeared."

"Without saying a word?" Elaine asked, her voice a bit more calm.

"Elaine, I knew you would be in danger if you were with me. And I knew that if you really knew nothing, then they would leave you alone."

"How about explaining why you broke into her apartment," I interrupted, not in the mood for a long back-story. Kevin turned and gave me a quizzical look.

"You really want to talk about breaking-and-entering?" he said. "Fuckin' pervert." I glared at him and Lance walked over to stand next to me.

"Don't talk about stuff you don't understand," Lance warned him, bending over to hand Madeline back to Elaine. I could tell that Kevin recognized Lance as the "star" of the video, but he stayed quiet.

"Why did you break in?" Elaine asked him.

"They found me," he said. "There's a document that they want from me. I told them that I didn't have it, but they don't believe me. I had to try and find it, but I still didn't want to involve you in it." He paused, his voice almost becoming choked. "I never wanted to put you in danger."

Lance and I were standing next to each other, our heads shifting from Elaine to Kevin, our interest definitely peaked.

"What's with all the videotapes?" I asked. Elaine looked at Kevin, wanting the answer to the same question.

"I knew I couldn't be with you, but I wanted to see you," he said. "I wanted to see our daughter. If you only knew how many times I've watched them, just wishing we could all be together again."

"I don't know what to do with all of this," Elaine said, wiping the tears from her face. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"I have to get out of here," Kevin said. "I never would have come if I hadn't followed these two guys, thinking they were going to hurt you."

Lance leaned over to me, whispering into my ear. "I'm the first to admit that I'm not the smartest guy in the world," he said. "But I am really confused."

"I think we would understand better if we watched more Mob movies," I said.

"Oh," Lance said, kind of getting what was going on. "Right. I think I've seen this one." Kevin backed away toward the door.

"Wait, you're just going to leave again?" Elaine asked, standing up.

"I have to," Kevin said. "For your safety." Elaine picked up Madeline and walked toward him.

"Do you want to see your daughter," she asked him, her icy-ness seemingly melting away. Kevin looked down at Madeline and smiled.

"She's beautiful," he said. He looked up at Elaine, opening the door behind him. "We will be together again," he said to her. "Soon." He leaned down and planted a chaste kiss on her lips.

"Why wait?" a gruff voice from the hallway said. Kevin looked like a shiver had just run up his spine as he turned and opened the door wider. "You can be together now. For eternity in fact," the voice said. Kevin backed into the room, followed by two large men in suits, holding guns.

"Looks like we hit the jackpot," the other man said. "We got the girl, the kid and from the looks of it, two overly groomed guys." I felt like messing up my hair, but knew it would only make me look even cuter.

"Hey," the other guy said, looking at Lance. "My daughter loves you guys." Lance smiled politely while the guy asked the other one if they were allowed to kill celebrities.

"I don't see why not?" the other one answered. "Where these guys are going, no one will ever find them."

"This is taking a really bad turn," I said to Lance as the men directed all of us out of the hotel room. Lance nodded in agreement. It was pretty clear that we weren't going to be getting any detailed explanations as to what was going on as we were hurried through the lobby and into a limousine that was parked at the front entrance.

I heard a scream and forced my eyes to open. Kevin was lying in the dust, blood pooling around him. I wondered why we all weren't dead until I realized we were surrounded by police cars. At least a dozen officers were kneeling behind the doors of their cars, their guns pointed directly at our captors. The goons dropped their guns and raised their arms. Elaine dropped to the ground, cradling Kevin in one arm, holding tightly to Madeline in the other. I could hear Kevin moaning and saw paramedics rushing toward him.

"Nate, we're going to be ok," I heard Lance say. I slowly turned to him, not quite understanding what was going on. I gave him a quizzical expression. "Nate, what's wrong?" he said. "Didn't you hear the sirens?"

"Sirens?" I said, totally confused.

"What? Did you leave your body or something?"

"I, uh, I guess I did." Perhaps I had been so prepared to die that I had entered into a meditative state. While police ran around, handcuffing our captors, Lance caught me up to speed, explaining to me that right after they had shot Kevin, they heard the sirens, and knew they weren't going to be able to finish the job and get away.

"You mean we aren't going to die?" I asked innocently.

"Well," Lance smiled. "Not today." I smiled and hugged him to me, suddenly overcome with emotion. Someone yelled out that they thought Kevin would be ok, and I saw him being loaded into an ambulance with Elaine and Madeline close behind.

"It's going to be a lot easier putting you away for attempted murder than for tax fraud," I heard one of the officers say to the large man.

"Wait. How did they know we were here?" I asked Lance.

"Beats the shit out of me," he said, taking a deep breath. "Phew, I think I am going to sit down," he said, plopping down onto the ground, the dust billowing out from underneath him. Thinking that wasn't a bad idea, I sat down next to him, wondering what I should do with the fact that I was once again given the opportunity to live.

"Jesus Christ, can I go over to them now?" I heard a voice yell in the distance. Lance and I both turned around and to our mutual amazement saw JC arguing with an officer. He must have gotten the "ok," because he was soon walking toward us, his hair bouncing in the wind, his piercing blue eyes, noticeable even in the darkness. He walked straight up to us and knelt down so that his eyes were level with ours.

"This is what you couldn't tell me?" he asked, shaking his head up and down, biting the inside of his cheek.

"Josh," I began. "I don't know what to...I mean, I can't believe you..." He stretched out his arms and embraced both of us, hugging us so tightly that my shoulder hurt.

"Whoa!" Lance said. "If you wanted a threesome you should have just asked."

"You both could have been killed," JC said. "What the fuck were you doing playing spy games?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a pair of paramedics who wanted Lance and I to go the hospital with them, just to be checked out. JC turned to look at them, and then turned back to us. "You can tell me later," he said, standing back up and helping us to our feet.

During the ride back to the Vegas hospital, we received word that Kevin was stable, that he had been shot in the chest, but that amazingly his heart and lungs did not seem to be damaged. Feeling like this must be the end of a very long nightmare for Elaine, I wondered what her next step would be. Her lover and the father of her child was back. Would she be welcoming him?

The three of us were mostly quiet on the ride, and it started to dawn on me that Lance and I had been through something pretty traumatic. In all of the excitement, I never really felt like I had the time to think about any of it, but now, I had to admit, that I was feeling a bit creeped out by the whole thing.

"Wait," Lance said suddenly, obviously lost in his own thoughts. He looked across the ambulance at JC, who was sitting next to me. I realized he was holding my hand, but I couldn't feel it. "You called the cops?" he asked JC. I, too, turned and looked at JC.

"Yeah, how could you have known?" I asked. JC looked back and forth between us.

"Don't worry," JC said. "It wasn't all cloak & dagger stuff like you guys. I had come to the hotel earlier in the day to see Elaine about something, when I saw you guys hurrying out of the lobby with guys that didn't exactly look like friends of yours. I even called out to you but when you gave no response, I just knew something was wrong." He shook his head, as though reliving the image of Lance and I being hurried into a limousine. "It was just a stroke of really good luck, I guess," he said, already not wanting any kind of praise.

"Some might say it was fate," I said, looking warmly into his pale blue eyes, feeling the warmth of his hand on mine and placing my other hand on top of it. I leaned over, resting my head on his shoulder as we approached the hospital.

"How did you know it was safe to call the police?" Lance asked him, apparently wanting more information than JC provided.

"I guess I didn't," JC said. "But what else was I supposed to do? I followed you guys by myself for a while, but then I thought, 'What the hell am I gonna do to protect them? Dance?'"

"You could have offered to blow them in exchange for our freedom," Lance smiled, already back to his regular self.

"What would have been the point?" JC smiled back. "I knew that would have already offered that."

"Ouch," Lance said, pretending to be hurt by the comment. He started to laugh.

"When I called the police and started to describe what was going on, they immediately put me through to the FBI, who seemed to immediately know who had taken you and why."

"Thank God, for that," I said, immediately wondering why I had said it.

JC turned his head and looked down at me. "Nate, what made you think you could solve a case that even the FBI hadn't?"

"It wasn't like that," I began, wondering how to come clean about all of this.

"He was just trying to help Elaine find the guy who was stalking her," Lance interjected. My eyes shot over to him. "I offered to help," he continued, "because, well, because I had nothing better to do. I don't think either of us planned on it all going so far and becoming so dangerous." I bit my lower lip. Nothing Lance had said was exactly a lie, but at best it was an imaginative reinterpretation of what had happened.

"Why couldn't you have just told me that?" JC asked me.

"Because," Lance interrupted again. "He knew that with everything that had gone down between you guys, that you would get too worried, or start to think that he wasn't telling you the whole truth."

"Where the hell does the guy get all this?" I thought to myself, wondering if I should come forward with the whole truth. Again, what Lance had just said was practically the truth. Everything finally seemed to be over, so why create even more drama? Why bring up the tape and embarrass Lance and cause JC to have doubts about him and I that would be totally unnecessary?

Leaving JC in the waiting room, Lance and I were brought into an area of the emergency room just to be examined and talked to about post-traumatic stress management. "Lance," I said when we were left alone for a moment. "What the hell was all that stuff in the ambulance about?"

"Relax," Lance said. "I was doing you a favor."

"You lied to him."

"Exactly. I lied to him. Not you. I'm absolving you of any guilt, Nate. You're free to go out there and live your life to the fullest. Openly and honestly."

"You have no problem lying to him like that?" I asked.

"Not when it's for his own good. For your own good. For my own good." He rolled his eyes. "Nate, it's all over. Case closed." It did certainly seem to all be over. I was already telling myself that I could probably keep the drama at a minimum after this. A nice life of acting and traveling seemed to be a perfect path to head down. I wasn't going to thank him for what he had just done, but in a way I appreciated it. I had been giving many second chances in my life, but I couldn't count on continuing to get them forever.

"Post-traumatic stress," Lance laughed, coming back out into the waiting room with me and walking over to JC. "Don't they know I'm dead inside?" he laughed.

"Are you boys ready to go home?" JC asked.

"Home?" Lance asked, apparently shocked. "We're a mile away from the Vegas Strip. Time to get your party on." JC and I both looked at him and then back at each other. Almost simultaneously we both shrugged our shoulders and said, "What the hell." We went to check on Elaine, Madeline and Kevin, who already looked much more like a family than they had earlier. After talking to them for a while, JC asked Lance and I if he could talk to Elaine alone for a minute. I said "of course," remembering that he had originally gone to the hotel to see her, wondering why.

"What's that all about?" Lance asked me.

"Beats me," I said. We watched the two of them from afar. JC looked like he was knee-deep in another way too long explanation of something, but eventually he pulled out an envelope from his jacket and handed it to Elaine. She opened it, a look of shock washing over her face. There was some protesting but then I could see that her eyes were tearing yet again, and she embraced JC, hugging him tightly to her. He looked a bit uncomfortable, but reciprocated, soon thereafter hurrying back over to us.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"I'll tell you later," he said. An agent approached us.

"We need to talk to you guys," the agent said to Lance and I.

"Tomorrow," JC interrupted, looking assertively, perhaps intensely into the agent's eyes. I looked at JC, intrigued by this new take-charge side to him. "They've been through a lot today."

"I'll have to check with my superiors," the agent said.

"Do that," JC said, leaning a bit closer to him. "And also tell him that it's real important that Nate and Lance's names are kept out of this if it goes public."

"I'll see what I can do," the agent said, turning on his heel and walking off.

"Josh, you're so authoritative," I laughed. Even Lance seemed taken aback from JC's assertiveness.

"Me?" JC said innocently. "Please, it's just that that agent has been looking at me the whole ride hear like I was the only dish at an all-you-can-eat buffet."

"Whatever gets the job done," Lance laughed. "Let's roll."

We arrived at the Palms hotel, which I had learned on the way over was Lance and JC's favorite hotel on the Strip. By the time we had arrived, all I could really think about was a hot shower and a good sleep. The casinos could wait until morning.

"Are we staying in the usual suite?" Lance asked, looking surprisingly clear-eyed after all that had happened.

"Um, well, Nate and I are staying there," JC said. "I got you one of the other ones."

"So no threesome?" Lance smiled.

"Uh, no," JC said politely. I told the two of them that I was too tired to do anything and JC quickly nodded in agreement, telling Lance that we would see him in the morning. Lance pretended to be insulted, but quickly lightened up once again as he disappeared into the casino.

"Do you think he will be alright?" JC asked me in the elevator.

"Lance?" I said, raising my eyebrows. "I think he will be just fine."

We were the only people in the elevator, so JC leaned his arms over my shoulders, bringing his face against mine. "You realize you could have died tonight," he said. "I never would have even known what had happened to you."

"I realize that," I said. "And I'm sorry. I just didn't know how to explain any of this, and I didn't want to get you involved in stuff I didn't really understand myself."

"Is this it?" he said lightly, but seriously. "Can I finally stop worrying about you?"

"I believe you can," I said. "I think I'm ready to turn in my badge," I said, smiling warmly. His mouth broke into his childish grin and he kissed my lips.

"I love you, Nate," he said. "But I don't know if I will ever understand all the parts to you."

"It's what keeps me fascinating," I said sarcastically.

"I know what it feels like to lose you," JC said, a bit more serious. "I don't want to feel like that ever again."

"You won't," I said. "I promise." He smiled again and I hugged him tightly, wondering how insanely tall this hotel was that we still hadn't reached the penthouse. "Now tell me something," I said, my hands moving down to his waist. He looked into my eyes in anticipation of what I might ask. "Who's my big strong man?" I smiled, ticking his ribs.

"Stop it," he laughed, trying to pry my fingers away from him.

"Come on," I laughed. "Who's my hero? Who's my big strong man?"

He rolled his eyes, giving in to my teasing. "I am," he blushed.

"Whoa," I said, visually absorbing the suite. "Impressive." I started to walk around it. "This is where you normally stay?"

"Yeah," he said. "It's the basketball player suite. Everything is bigger in here."

"We'll have to see about that," I laughed. "I didn't realize you liked basketball players."

"I like basketball," he corrected.

"Sure," I said, moving toward the bathroom. "Care to join me for a little one-on-one in the shower?" I asked.

"You go ahead," he said. "I have to call Brit and apologize for standing her up."

"Oops!" I said.

"Don't say anything after that," JC warned.

"Try to reschedule," I said. "I really would like to meet her. She's a babe." JC gave me a strange look and I gave him a cute wink, disappearing into the bathroom.

The tub appeared to be nine feet long. The showerheads loomed high above me. "This place is hysterical," I said to myself, pulling off my clothes and entering the shower. The warm water felt absolutely therapeutic. It was as though all of my stresses were finally washing away. Lance was out of danger, Elaine was out of danger and I was out of danger. No one would ever know about the tape, and hopefully no one would ever know that an actor and a pop star were driven out into the desert to be killed. I shuddered at the thought, realizing how over my head I was, getting involved in all of this nonsense. I though about my childhood on the farm, feeling that the calmness surrounding that type of life was not something to criticize.

I stepped out of the bathroom, a thick white towel wrapped around my waist. The bedroom of the suite was dimly lit and a few candles flickered on the nightstands. Light from the Strip filtered in through the gauzy curtains. JC was looking down at the city, nothing but a pair of black boxer-briefs clinging to his tight body.

"So, uh, thanks for saving my life," I smiled, watching him turn around, the light dancing across his smooth shoulders. I thought about JC showing up right before I had gotten sick in Africa. "Again, I guess," I added with a smirk. JC looked at me, his eyes warm, his lips full with color.

"That David statue has nothing on you," he said, looking at my body, almost becoming embarrassed as soon as he said it.

"He's smoother than I am," I said, trying to make light of the compliment. "But thank you."

"You must be exhausted," he said, hurriedly walking over to the bed and peeling down the top covers. "Oh," he said, standing erect and looking at me. "You don't have anything to sleep in. I'll call downstairs."

"Josh, it's ok," I said, pulling the towel from my hips and letting it drape onto the ground. "Let's just go to bed." I smiled at him, walking past him and slipping under the crisp white sheets. I turned onto my back and propped one of my hands behind my head. JC followed, hovering over me, his elbow on the pillow, his head resting on his hand.

"You know, it's these quiet moments that make it all worth it," he said, leaning down to lightly brush his lips against mine.

"We're going to have a pretty hectic life, Josh. We have to always make time for this." His free hand was sliding gently and slowly up and down my torso, noticing the lines of my abs, the sharp line dividing my chest.

"I guess I just sometimes feel that this can't last," he said seriously. "I mean, I want you so much that it actually scares me. I know that sounds stupid to say, but it's like I start to worry that you're going to become too consuming." I looked up at him, my eyebrows knitting together.

"Uh, was there a compliment somewhere in there?" I asked.

"Yes," JC said immediately. "I mean, I, fuck I can never explain myself." I raised my hand and stroked his face, telling him that it was ok. He looked back down at me. "I love you, Nate," he said. "That's all I can say."

"That's all you need to say," I said, pulling him down on top of me, kissing him deeply and firmly. Our kissing started off tender and affectionate, but was quickly heating up as JC climbed over me, his body draping over mine. I let out a soft sigh as JC's kisses became quicker and harder. Before I knew it we were kissing passionately, our tongues entwining.

My hands moved from the sides of his face, down his back, eternally exhilarated by the feel of his tight and smooth skin. Our erections were already pressing against each other. It was one of those times when you didn't really expect to make love, but suddenly couldn't think about doing anything else.

JC bit lightly at my lower lip, then actually bit a little harder, causing me to make a noise. I responded by lunging forward with my head, attacking his mouth. I could hear his breath quickening, and I could feel it against my face.

"I want you so much," he said. "I want you so much it hurts."

"I'm here," I said, nipping at him. He started to slide down my body, his hands roaming all over me, his lips and tongue following his hands. He sucked, licked and bit at my nipples eliciting soft cries of pleasure out of me. He jumped up on me, pushing my arms out and bringing his face into my armpit, kissing my skin, inhaling my scent.

"Oh, Josh," I sighed, rocking my hips against his crotch. He slid back down me, making sure to leave no part of me dry. He moved almost like a machine, with the singular purpose of pleasuring me. I closed my eyes and began to feel his broad nose moving through my trimmed pubes. His hands lightly tickled my scrotum, causing it to firm up. His tongue started to slide back and forth on my cock before I could feel my entire shaft sinking into his mouth. I concentrated on the sound of his breath, so heated, so full of energy. I raised my hands over my head, grasping the headboard behind me, giving myself over to the pleasure.

It felt like he was sucking me for hours. An ounce of precum must have escaped my slit, which he began to tongue, making me wonder how much longer I could hold out. He left my cock, his mouth moving to my balls, then underneath them as he began to spread my legs and move them more toward me. Suddenly his tongue pressed against my naturally smooth hole, and my eyes shot open, but only for a moment as I sighed in delight. My knees bent toward my chest, his hands on the underside of my thighs, his tongue began to explore my ass. At first he licked up and down, then side to side before beginning a circular motion, concentrating on the wrinkly ridges of my hole. Anyone could tell that JC had a long tongue, but what they may not know was that his tongue was very much like the rest of him. Slim, but firm. Precise, but infinitely flexible.

He was breathing out of his nose as his tongue began to push further inside me. "Oh yeah," I cried, feeling like I would die happy if this was to be my last memory. "Open me up." I felt his hands slide down to the corners of his mouth, and then his fingers lightly began to spread my hole open, allowing him to move in deeper with his tongue. "God, this feels so good," I moaned, pressing the back of my head into the pillow. His tongue continued and began to periodically be joined by one or more of his fingers. My hole felt like it was on fire, but it was a feeling I suddenly wanted more than anything. I was amazed at his persistence, but thankful for it. "Josh, I called," coming to a decision, propping myself up on my elbows. He stopped for a moment, raising his head just enough for me to see his sparkling blue eyes. I looked into them intensely. "Josh, I want you to fuck me." I could see his mind start to work.

"Are you sure?" he asked, taking a deep breath, his lips red and swollen. I just looked at him and in a flash he was reaching for the nightstand, pulling a bottle of lube out.

"They keep you well supplied here," I laughed.

"But of course," he smiled, popping open the cap and squirting a bunch of liquid into his hand. He looked down at me, his face turning serious again, while his chest continued to noticeably heave.

"Maybe this is wrong," he said

"What?" I asked, wanting him so badly I was almost frantic.

"Is it wrong to be this turned on?" JC asked. "I mean, you were almost killed tonight."

"Josh, I understand the gravity of the situation, but we have to celebrate life. If we are so turned on it's because we are happy to be alive." I looked at him and raised and eyebrow. "We certainly can't do this when we're dead." He thought for a fraction of a second, and then slid back down my body, bringing his lubed hand to my hole. The liquid felt cold, but his hands were warm. He used a lot of lube and he took a long time to work it in using one or two fingers as necessary.

"You ready, baby?" he asked, raising my legs to his shoulders and brushing his cock up against my hole.

"Wait," I said, realizing that there was probably a more comfortable way to take his sizable cock. I turned myself around, propping myself up on my hands and knees. "Ready," I said, letting my head drop. JC grabbed my hips firmly and I felt his cock push up against me. "Oh fuck," I moaned, feeling the head of his cock pop into me. This wasn't something I did often, but there was something about tonight that made me want it more than ever before. Maybe it was a celebration of life. Maybe it was me wanting to feel like JC was in control. I didn't know and I didn't care.

More of him entered me and I began to slide back against him, happy with my doggy-style position, able to receive him comfortably. With half of his nearly foot-long cock inside, we began a slow rhythm, which quickly sped up and quickly led to his entire cock expanding inside me. "Oh, yeah," he moaned, as he began to work his cock in and out of me. JC may have been a bottom boy, but when he was asked to top, he sure knew how to do it. "Nate, you're so tight."

His hands slid up and down my ass, caressing my muscular cheeks, moving down to pull on the sparse hairs on my thighs. JC's cock was so large that I didn't really have to worry about him missing my prostate, which he continued to poke and slide against upon every thrust. My own cock was hard as a rock, slapping up against my stomach, leaving a sticky spot on my thin treasure trail. I would have stroked it were it not my fear of not being able to support myself on one hand, given how much energy I was already exerting. Noticing my dilemma, JC reached for one of the smaller roll pillows and slid it between my legs allowing my cock to hump against it. "Nice idea," I panted, slamming myself back onto him, wanting to be fucked like I had never been fucked before.

"I'm full of them," he moaned. His hands slid to my shoulders, dispersing the sweat that was pooling on my back. I felt the sweat rolling down my sides as I felt his large hands firmly grip my shoulders.

"Oh, yeah," I moaned, knowing what was coming next. "You're so fucking big. Fuck me, Josh. Fuck me hard." He did just that, moaning and breathing, kissing and sucking my back. I lowered my head to the pillow, assuming a yoga position as he began to approach his orgasm. I was still fucking the pillow, and new that I could blow whenever he was ready.

"Oh, God," he suddenly cried. "I don't think I can last much longer."

"Cum in me," I ordered. "Cum in my ass, Josh." He let out another groan, and I could only imagine what his face must have looked like. Flushed, sweaty, that large vain straining out of his neck.

"Oh, man, here I, oh, oh, OHHHH!" He exploded inside me, and I whimpered, soaking the small pillow with my cum. Jet after jet streamed out of me, and I could feel his cock inside me, sliding around in its own cum. I unfolded my legs, stretching them, laying flat out on my stomach. JC collapsed on top of me, his cock still inside. We were both thoroughly exhausted. Thoroughly elated. Neither of us could speak. There was no need to say anything.

A couple of days later, back in Los Angeles, I called Lance and asked him to meet me down in Orange County.

"The O.C.?" he asked. "Why the hell are you down there?"

"Just get you ass down here," I said. "What else do you have to do?"

"True," he said, closing the phone. A few hours later, we were sitting on the beach, looking out at the ocean, our bare feet in the sand, our pants rolled up to our calves. I had made a fire in one of the small pits and enjoyed the warmth from it as the sun began to set.

"This is really beautiful, isn't it?" I said.

"Um, yeah," Lance said. "But I've seen the ocean before." I rolled my eyes at him and reached for the bag I had brought with me. I pulled out four black videocassettes and laid them down in the sand. Lance looked at them, and then quickly back at me.

"I don't know what was going on with us last year," I began. "But I'm done with it." He looked back down at the tapes. "These are the only other copies of the tape," I said, lifting them up and tossing them into the fire. Lance watched the smoke billow up into the sky, and I could tell that he felt relieved. He looked back at me.

"That's bad for the environment," he said.

"I think we can screw the environment, just this once," I winked. My face grew serious and I looked directly into his eyes. "It's just us now, Lance. We can't use anything but our words to hurt each other from now on."

He thought for a moment and then smiled. "I don't want to hurt you, buddy," he said. "Honestly, you've taught me quite a few lessons since you hooked up with Josh."

"Maybe we can't really be friends, but I hope..."

"We can be friends," Lance interrupted, extending his hand to me. I was taken aback a bit, but I grasped his hand firmly and shook it. "We are friends," he said. "You almost got yourself killed trying to get that tape back for me."

"I almost got us both killed," I said sadly.

"Who knows what would have happened to Elaine or Kevin if you didn't become involved when you did? They should be grateful." I shook my head and we both turned to look out at the ocean again, sitting quietly together for a few minutes.

"Are you thinking what I am thinking?" Lance asked after a while, his eyes still fixed on the ocean.

"Probably," I laughed.

"You mean you're thinking about how much fucking fun this all was?" he asked, turning to look at me."

"Oh," I laughed again. "I guess we weren't thinking of the same thing."

"What were you thinking?" he asked.

"Nothing," I said, turning away from him before deciding to turn back. "I, uh," I started to laugh. "I was thinking that this is normally where you would ask me if I wanted to fuck."

"Me?" he said, pointing at himself, looking very innocent. "Not me. That was the old Lance."

"Of course," I said, raising an eyebrow.

"God," he said after another minute. "Who do you take me for?"

"Sorry," I said. "Really." A few more minutes passed.

"So," he began. "Do you?"

To be continued