You Can Leave Your Hat On Read online

  “I wish I could. Viagra is the devil’s concubine. This wasn’t a hit it and forget it moment, man. They were going at it for hours. I ended up bailing after they hit the two-hour mark.” Rhys shivered as if trying to shake the thought from his mind. “I just couldn’t get my iPod loud enough.”

  “Wow.” Harlan wondered if therapy was in order. “I can’t say how sorry I am.”

  Rhys continued as if his brother hadn’t spoken. “He actually asked her, ‘Who’s your daddy?’”

  “Okay, stop it.” Harlan actually felt his stomach roll. “Now you’re just being cruel.”

  “No, cruel was leaving me alone with them in a hotel with a mini bar. You know Mom can’t handle her alcohol. I don’t care what you say, nothing you had to do was as important as rescuing me from that.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.” Making the video for Sawyer was very important, but apparently only to him. Out of the many different ways Harlan imagined Sawyer responding to his movie, none of them included silence.

  “Really?” Rhys’s hazel eyes, so like his own, were filled with curiosity. “What was more important than that? And you better not say a girl, or do I need to remind you about the age-old adage, bros before hos.”

  “It wasn’t a girl,” Harlan said dryly. “Trust me.”

  “No?”

  “No.”

  “Then was it a boy?”

  His brother’s question floored him. Since he’d never had a significant other worth having the talk with his parents about, Harlan had chosen to keep his sexual preference to himself. He knew one day a conversation would be necessary, but in the middle of pictures and tears at his graduation just didn’t fit the bill. Yet at the same time, denying it wasn’t an option for him either.

  His brother read his silence the wrong way, however. “Forget I asked.” Rhys’s lips curved in a cynical twist. “Lord knows I’d hate for you to shit your pants in front of all these classy ed-u-ma-cat-ed people.”

  “Look, Rhys, it’s complicated.”

  “Right, and a dummy like me could never understand?” Rhys shoved his hands in his pants pockets and for lack of a better phrase, sank into himself, as he always did when he thought he was being talked down to because of his learning disorder. Rhys’s dyslexia was a scab on a wound Harlan didn’t think would ever heal.

  The chip on his brother’s shoulder could rival Gibraltar and it had a way of weighing Harlan down with guilt whenever his brother hefted it up for all to see. “I wasn’t calling you a dummy, asshole, I was simply saying this wasn’t the time or the place for a conversation of that magnitude.”

  “Then when will be?” Rhys asked. “You can tell me anything, Harlan. You know that.”

  If there was ever an opening, this was it. “I do. And I will.”

  “When?” the younger man insisted with the tenacity of a bulldog.

  “I…”

  “You ever think that maybe you’re not the only one who has something to spill? Who needs someone to talk to about…stuff.”

  Truth be told, he hadn’t, until right then. “Fine. We’ll talk.”

  “Tonight. After all the dinner and all the bullshit that’s destined to follow.”

  “I’m sorry, but Harlan’s busy tonight.” At the sound of Sawyer’s voice, Harlan and his brother both turned. Sawyer was the only man in the world who could manage to look hot in his graduation regalia. On him the black robe didn’t appear like a big muumuu, instead it made him look distinguished and refined. And it made Harlan want to bring out the dirty side of him all the more. That thought led Harlan right back to what Sawyer had just said.

  Busy. He hadn’t made any plans other than visiting with his family. “I am?”

  “Yes.” Before Harlan could question him further on his odd comment, Sawyer asked, “Was your other suit dirty after all?”

  Suit? It took a second for Harlan to figure out what Sawyer meant, but when he did, he smiled. Birthday suit. He’d forgotten that he told Sawyer he was going to be nude under his robe. “I thought it might be better to dress up for the occasion. My mom has an annoying habit of breaking out a camera at any and every opportunity.” Smiling, Harlan reached up and took his cap off, running his hands through his pressed-down hair. “I’ve been looking for you.”

  “Really. Why?” Sawyer’s casual demeanor baffled Harlan. Had he gotten the email? Did he watch it? Was he upset about it? Pleased? What?

  “You know…” he hedged, unsure of how to continue with his captive audience. “To check in with you and whatnot.”

  “Well, here I am.”

  “Yeah.” He could see that, but it didn’t tell him diddly or squat about the video he’d sent. Since he couldn’t just flat out ask Sawyer about the email, Harlan did as his brother reminded him earlier, and relied on his gracious gene to get him through the awkward silence. “Sawyer, let me introduce you to my younger brother, Rhys. Rhys, my professor and mentor, Sawyer Addison.”

  “Former professor,” Sawyer corrected with a smile as he held out his hand to Rhys, who took it with a baffled look on his face. “Call me Sawyer. Please.”

  “Alright.” Rhys broke the handshake and shoved his hands deep in his pockets. “So, Sawyer, I bet you’re happy to be seeing the last of my brother.”

  “I wouldn’t say that.” Sawyer turned his attention back to Harlan. “In fact, it seems as if I’m seeing more and more of him each day.”

  Question answered. There was no way Harlan could mistake that comment. The two of them locked gazes and for a second it seemed as if the air grew heavy and thick, blanketing out the world around them, until everything went quiet and still. It was this instant Harlan had been waiting for. The moment when, without a doubt, he knew Sawyer was aware of him, and not just as a student, but as a man.

  Before Harlan could act on the realization, Rhys loudly cleared his throat, breaking the spell Sawyer placed him under. "About tonight. I’m having dinner with my folks then…”

  “Drinks with me.” It wasn’t a question. It was a statement of fact. “We have…much to discuss, you and I.”

  “We do?”

  “Yes. We do.”

  “Oh.” Out of the corner of his eye, Harlan could see his brother’s gaze volleying back and forth between him and Sawyer as they spoke. Heat scorched his cheeks as he tried his best to hold it together. “I’m sure I can break free aroun—”

  “Ten sharp. My place.”

  Sawyer’s place. Harlan blinked. Then blinked again, checking to see if he had dozed off during the ceremony. When after a few seconds, Sawyer didn’t fade away, Harlan grinned and began to thank the QuickTime gods. The video had worked. Check and mate. “Your place. No problem.” He didn’t know what he was going to tell his parents and after the conversation with his brother, Harlan knew he needed to put in some face time with Rhys, but there was always tomorrow. Tonight…his free time was taken.

  “I didn’t think there would be one.” Sawyer turned to Rhys and offered his hand to his brother once more. The younger man took it and shook it, smiling all the while. “It was very nice to meet you.”

  “You too.” Sawyer glanced back at Harlan and gave a sharp nod of his head, business as usual. “Harlan.”

  “Sawyer.” If he wanted to keep it light, Harlan could too. Besides there was no need to gloat. He’d gotten what he wanted in the end, after all. With a pleased expression on his face, he watched Sawyer walk away, until the other man faded into the crowd.

  “Is that the complication?”

  Harlan couldn’t think of a single reason to lie. “Yes.”

  “’Nuff said.”

  Startled Harlan glanced at his brother, brow raised. “Hey,” Rhys said with a shrug of his shoulders. “As I said, you’re not the only one who needs to talk about stuff.”

  Before he could respond to his brother’s comment, Harlan spotted his parents heading in their direction. Swinging his arm around his brother’s neck, he pulled him in tight into the crook of his elbow, and rapped hi
s knuckles against his head. “You and me, little bro, have some talking to do.”

  “You ain’t just whistling Dixie.”

  From the smug expression that had flashed across Harlan’s face earlier in the evening, Sawyer knew the other man was feeling pleased with himself. But if his former pupil thought he would be so easy, he had another think coming.

  The video had been an eye-opening experience for Sawyer in more than one way. Teaching him more about his former pupil than he’d ever figured he’d learn. The more important lesson though by far was that Harlan didn’t know Sawyer at all. It was obvious to Sawyer now that Harlan had mistaken his benevolence for meekness. Sawyer’s temperament in the classroom was in no way a reflection of his disposition in the bedroom, and the sooner Harlan learned that, the better.

  When the doorbell rang a few minutes later, Sawyer put his game face on as he opened the door. As he’d come to expect, Harlan looked good enough to eat. Even better, because Sawyer knew if things went right, he might very well be getting a taste of the younger, sexy man. Dressed in jeans, a blue T-shirt and a black leather coat, he looked much as he had every other day leading up to tonight, with the exception of the arrogant look in his eyes. A look Sawyer was going to enjoy removing.

  A small smile crooked the corner of Harlan’s lips. “Evening, Professor.”

  “Evening.”

  The reminder of his position gave Sawyer a second of pause. His desire for Harlan and his plan for tonight had yet to completely vanquish the sense of responsibility he felt to do the right thing. Yet it was a long fought battle that his conscience was going to lose. “Come in.” Sawyer stepped back and gestured for Harlan to precede him. “I see you were able to get away after all.”

  “Wasn’t as difficult as I thought it might be,” he said, as he stepped into the hallway. “Rhys slipped Mom a Mickey, curtailing tonight’s festivities.”

  “And your brother?” he asked as he shut the door, locking it tight, as was his habit.

  “Escaped back to my place.”

  “Ah.” Enlightened, Sawyer nodded his head as he turned around to face the other man. “The scene of the crime.”

  “I just call it home.” Harlan began to take off his coat as he spoke. “So tell me, did you enjoy the movie?”

  “Don’t do that.” Sawyer held out his hand, stopping the man before he could shrug it off his shoulders. “I have everything ready. You’ll mess it up if you get started too soon.”

  Harlan halted, confusion marring his brow as he stared at Sawyer. “Mess what up?”

  Instead of answering his question directly, Sawyer shot him a disarming smile and nodded with his head towards the living room. “Everything. Come on.”

  “Oh…kay.” From the sound of his voice, Sawyer could tell things were far from okay with Harlan.

  Good.

  He led the other man down the hall to the living room. After stepping into the room, Sawyer moved to the side, so he could see Harlan’s expression for himself. It was well worth it. He watched as the other man smiled as he took in the burning candles sporadically placed around dimly lit room. Then he watched as Harlan’s smile fell as soon as his gaze landed on the money spread out across the coffee table.

  “Do you like?” Sawyer asked lightly.

  Frowning, Harlan glanced from the table to Sawyer. “What’s all this?”

  “I told you I had everything ready.” Walking around him, Sawyer picked up the small white remote control off the table, pointed it towards the entertainment center and clicked play. The sexy crooning voice of Marvin Gaye filled the room as Sawyer strolled over to the couch and made himself comfortable. “All right go ahead. Hop right on it.”

  “On what?”

  Sawyer leaned forward and patted the oak wood. “The table, of course. It’s sturdy, and as long as you’re not jumping up and down, I’m sure it will hold you. Come on. Get started.”

  Harlan stood stock-still in the middle of the floor, and stared in bewilderment. “What’s going on?”

  “I think it’s more than obvious.” Sawyer swiped a five-dollar bill from the table and dangled it from between his fingertips. Staring Harlan directly in the eye, Sawyer spoke in a firm no-nonsense tone. “You want to perform. I want to be fair and make sure you get paid for services rendered.”

  Harlan’s face clouded with rage. “Fuck you.”

  “Don’t worry.” Sawyer dropped his hand, money and all, on his crotch and rubbed. “I’m sure I have enough money here for that, as well.”

  “My ass isn’t for sale.”

  “Funny, that’s not the impression you gave.” Sawyer stood, dropping the money to the floor in his haste. A renewed sense of anger filled him as he thought back to the video. Yes, he had enjoyed it, but he hadn’t enjoyed having the proof of what Harlan did, day in and day out, thrown in his face. Tilting his head to the side, he regarded the other man with unguarded derision. “I have to hand it to you, you’re a natural.”

  Instead of storming off as he thought Harlan would, Harlan took a step closer to him, his body radiating with unfettered anger. “Tell me something, Professor. What pisses you off more, the fact I sent you the video, forcing you to watch me and see me in a way you’ve never admitted but longed to do for so long?” Harlan raked his heated gaze over Sawyer’s body. “Or the fact you loved it?”

  “What can I say? You’re good at your job.”

  “You’re damn straight I am. And you hate it.”

  “Nothing new there.” Sawyer was hard pressed to keep the scorn out of his voice. He loathed the idea of other men looking at Harlan, lusting after him, when he couldn’t openly admire him the way he wanted to. “Did you really think I was going to be pleased you sent it?”

  “You know, for a moment there, I did.” Harlan’s disappointment was heavy in his voice. “And I still think that. I bet you’ve watched it over and over again.”

  “Don’t push me, Harlan.” Sawyer rounded the table. “Just walk away now.”

  “I’m willing to bet you beat off while watching me stroke my cock.” Harlan took another step, then another, eating up the space between them until there was nothing but room and opportunity. “Did you come right away, or did you match your performance to my own?”

  Sawyer moved so suddenly Harlan’s words came to a quick and brutal death as Sawyer grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket and brought him in closer to him. “I warned you, Harlan, in so many ways, to keep your distance.”

  “And I’ve ignored you.”

  “And now you’re going to pay the consequences.” Being up close and personal like this was playing havoc on Sawyer’s head and his cock.

  “I’m not afraid of you, Sawyer.”

  “You should be.”

  “Why, so you can have just one more made-up reason we shouldn’t be together?”

  Sawyer didn’t need to make up any reasons, there were too many real ones floating around to have to fabricate ones out of thin air. He was too old for Harlan. It was unprofessional for him to fall for his student. The list went on and on. They couldn’t have a real relationship, but they had the here and now. And that would have to do for the both of them. “I don’t want to talk about relationships, or my job, or yours. I just want to know one thing, Harlan.”

  “What?” Harlan’s earlier anger seemed to have evaporated somewhat.

  “Who’s in charge here?”

  “You.”

  “Damn straight.” Without giving Harlan a second to comment, Sawyer pulled him in closer and covered Harlan’s mouth with his own. Time for talking was at an end. It was time for Harlan to live up to the promise of his video.

  Chapter Three

  The word finally filled Harlan’s head almost at the exact time Sawyer’s tongue slipped into his mouth. Many nights he’d imagined what it would feel like to kiss the other man. His fantasies paled in comparison. There was nothing gentle and soft about the way Sawyer pressed his lips against Harlan’s. Nothing kind in the way he demanded entr
ance, stealing his breath away as he passionately took command of his mouth. It was just Sawyer—no late-night fantasy, no hyped-up play of his imagination. Just Sawyer. And it was damn good.

  Harlan moaned as Sawyer’s tongue danced with his. He’d participated in more than his share of tongue tangos over the years, but Sawyer outshined every one by far. He could only wonder if Sawyer was this good with kissing, how well he might be with his mouth on other parts of Harlan’s body.

  His cock throbbed at the thought—hot, hard and more than ready to take things to the next level. His wasn’t the only cock hard though. Harlan could feel Sawyer’s erection against his own, which only added fuel to the fire burning inside him.

  Damn, he wanted this man, and he didn’t care about the particulars. If Sawyer wanted to go off in his mouth, Harlan would gladly swallow his load, lick his lips and ask for more. If Sawyer wanted his ass, he’d give it to him, no questions asked. He was Sawyer’s. All his, and there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for, or to, the other man.

  Moaning, Harlan worked his hand between their tightly pressed bodies, heading straight for the top of Sawyer’s slacks. “I want you. Now,” he insisted against Sawyer’s mouth.

  Chuckling, Sawyer broke their kiss and eased back a bit, giving Harlan room to maneuver. “What’s the rush? Afraid I’m going to change my mind?”

  “Maybe,” Harlan admitted begrudgingly. He didn’t want to chance Sawyer coming to his deluded senses and ruining this for the both of them. Too many nights he’d lain in bed, his thoughts filled with this man.

  “No way that’ll happen.” Sawyer cupped his hand along Harlan’s jaw line and rubbed his thumb over his bottom lip. “I’ve given up fighting myself and you.”

  Harlan nipped at Sawyer’s finger. “Pointless fight if you ask me.”

  “I didn’t.”

  “Trust me. I noticed.” Despite giving in, Sawyer wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, and Harlan wouldn’t have it any other way. “Know what else I noticed?”

  “Hmm…”

  Harlan slipped his jacket off and dropped to his knees before Sawyer. “You dress to the left.”