Safe Harbor 2: Hiding in Plain Sight (4 page)

Joe snorted.
Who am I kidding? It could be a total fucking disaster, and I’d still want to do it.

There was something about the vulnerability Vlad showed that made Joe want to take care of him. He was pretty sure he was the only one on the planet who saw that chink in the guy’s armor, and that pleased him far more than it should. Joe’s hand slipped on the part he was pulling off the shelf, and he swore as the sharp end of it dug into the underside of his forearm.

Keep your head in the game.

He grabbed a shop towel—thankfully a clean one—and pressed it against the gash. Shaking his head, Joe went to find some gauze and tape to put over the wound. Of course, it had to stop bleeding first, and that didn’t look like it was gonna happen anytime soon.

After finally stemming the flow of blood and thoroughly cleaning the cut—who knew what was hanging around the shop—Joe wrapped tape around the piece of gauze protecting it. He’d just returned to his workstation when his phone buzzed.

Back in town. Need a nap but could do dinner later. If you want.

Joey stared at the message. Was Vlad asking him out on a date? Or did he just mean dinner between friends?
Shit, I’m acting like a teenager, wondering if the popular girl, or, well, boy, is gonna ask me to the prom. Get over yourself.

Dinner sounds good. I’m at work until four and will need a shower. I look like a grease monkey. How’s six work for you?

Grabbing his work list for the day, Joe mentally checked items off. Hopefully he’d be able to get everything done and wouldn’t have to work late. This wasn’t the kind of job where a person could just leave at the end of a shift. If planes were out of commission, the airline was losing money, and they expected you to stay until the jobs were finished. And the mechanics couldn’t finish without parts.

Six is good. There’s a new Thai place near me—Jasmine Thai. Do you know it? And grease monkey? I do not know what that means, but it sounds kind of funny.

Thai food sounded awesome. Joe’s sub for lunch had been downright soggy and definitely less than satisfying.

I’ll find it. See you then, unless something happens to hold me up here. Will text if that happens.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Joe went back to his repair.

Joe was able to get out by twenty after four and booked home to shower and change before meeting Vlad. After drying off, Joe stood in front of his closet, staring. He had no fucking clue what to wear. He sneered and pulled a pair of cargo pants off the hanger before reaching for a button-down shirt. He figured between the two, he had both the casual and somewhat dressier looks covered.

He dressed and then grabbed his car keys. A glance at the clock showed he had nearly forty minutes until he had to meet Vlad. Apparently he’d had more time than he thought, since the ride to the restaurant wouldn’t take nearly that long. Joe didn’t want to look overexcited or desperate, so he forced himself to sit down at the kitchen table and go through a couple days’ worth of mail. After completing that task, he put the dishes littering the sink into the dishwasher. Finally it was time to leave, and Joe felt like a total idiot being so anxious about this dinner.

When he arrived at the restaurant, he didn’t see any Navigators in the parking lot. He strode up to the door, pulled it open, and nearly plowed into Vlad.

“What the hell?”

Vlad smirked. “Hello to you too.”

Joe could feel his face heating. “Hi. I, um, didn’t see your car outside. The Navigator.”

“I brought my BMW. I don’t drive the Navigator as much. Terrible gas mileage. But I think I was trying to protect myself when I went down to Bond Street, you know, like if I were in a tank, no one would think I was gay.” Vlad bit his lip. “I am sorry. I’m going on and on.” He started and pointed to Joe’s bandaged arm. “What did you do? Are you all right?”

Shrugging, Joe said, “Cut it at work. It happens.”

“I hope not often.”

“No, not too often.” Joe indicated the seating area. “Shall we?”

“Oh yes, of course.”

Soon they were seated, and Joe took a moment to look over the menu. Despite the extensive array of choices and having had all sorts of strange dishes during his time overseas, whenever Joe got Thai food, he inevitably ended up with Pad Thai. Totally boring, but he loved it. “What are you looking at?”

Vlad looked up, and Joe swallowed hard as those light blue eyes nearly made him forget where he was.

“Lemongrass chicken. I love spicy things. You?”

“Pad Thai,” he said with a rueful smile. “So tell me about your trip.” Making a face, Vlad closed his menu and set it aside. Joe did the same.

“I would rather not. It was boring, and I hate that I have to act like some playboy. I’d prefer to talk about you.”

“What do you want to know?”

They were interrupted by the server bringing over glasses of water and taking their orders. When the man left, Vlad leaned back in his chair.

“How about…” He glanced around, and Joe did the same. No one was paying any attention to them. “When did you know for sure you were gay?”

“That was easy,” Joe answered. “The first time I dropped to my knees and put a cock in my mouth. Yeah, I was pretty damn sure.” He watched as the pulse point on Vlad’s neck sped up. That would be fun to lick.
Maybe later.

“How old were you?”

“Sixteen.”

“No shit. Really?”

“Yeah.”

Vlad shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it. “Who was it?”

“My friend Mark. He let me jerk him off and blow him a couple of times but after a while told me he wasn’t gay and that he didn’t want to be friends anymore. I was crushed.”

“What a dick.”

“It’s hard when you’re that age.” Joe shrugged. “Everything seems so momentous.”

“Yeah, sure, but he still should not have done that.”

Joe wanted to alternately laugh and hug Vlad. The guy’s face was stormy, and Joe had no doubt that if Mark were there now, Vlad would be beating him into a bloody pulp.

Their food came, and they tucked into it, not conversing much as they shoved food into their mouths. Finally, not able to handle the suspense any longer, Joe set down his fork and took a long drink of water. “Can I ask you something?”

Vlad looked up from his meal, a frown pulling down his mouth. Joe almost relented and didn’t say anything, but he needed to know. It was driving him crazy.

“Yes, sure.”

“Is this…” He cleared his throat and tried again. “Is this a date?”

Vlad pushed some food around on his plate, his eyes downcast. “Do you want it to be?”

“I don’t know.”

He looked up again, his face belying his confusion. “You don’t know?”

Joe sighed.
I’m fucked.

“Well, no. I’m confused.”

Vlad’s frown deepened, and Joe felt like an asshole. He needed to be able to express this, so Vlad didn’t get totally paranoid. “I like you. If it were just up to my heart and my dick, yeah, I’d totally want to date you. But it’s not, and I’m a little leery of getting involved with someone who’s in the closet. I was there for so long. I know how hard it is. But I don’t want to do it again. If I’m with someone, I want to be able to hold their hand when we cross a street, give them a kiss on the forehead when I get up to go to the bathroom, stuff like that.”

“How would you do that anywhere but Bond Street?”

Joe shrugged. “Maybe I wouldn’t. But like I said, I’m tired of hiding.”

“I understand.”

The other man pushed his plate away, the kicked-puppy expression making Joe want to kick his own ass. “What do you want, Vlad?”

Vlad took a drink, and Joe watched his throat work, his evil, dirty mind conjuring up pictures of him taking all of Joe’s cock. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop the moan threatening to rear up at the image.

“I want you.”

“Because I’m the only gay man you know?”

Vlad looked away. “Maybe. But I like you. You’re sexy. You’re nice to me. But I understand if you do not want me back. I have a lot of problems. I know that.”

The guy looked so miserable. He wouldn’t meet Joe’s gaze. He had to check the impulse to reach over and squeeze Vlad’s hand.

“I feel like a dick.”

Vlad’s gaze flew back to his face. “You aren’t. You have been great, answering all my stupid questions.”

“They’re not stupid,” Joe argued. “Everyone has those questions when they first realize they’re gay.”

“Probably. But most people get them answered a lot sooner than I have.”

“What does that matter?”

“I feel so stupid, so helpless.”

“Why?”

Vlad gestured to himself. “Look at me. I am a hockey player. I am strong. I am supposed to be tough. But I’m so scared. What if someone finds out?”

“I know you said Russia isn’t gay-friendly, and believe me, I understand. The Middle East isn’t either. But you live in the US now.”

“Yes, but my entire family lives in Russia. If I was found out, they would be harassed. And they would probably also never speak to me again.” He mumbled something else under his breath.

“What was that?”

Vladimir ran a hand over his hair. “Not that I see them much anymore anyway.”

“It’s possible they wouldn’t take the news well, but you don’t know that for sure. So, um, I’ve wanted to ask you about how your coach forced you to call Stephen a fag.”

Vlad straightened, stiffening. “What about it?”

“Can you tell me exactly what went on? Why you were so scared to defy him?”

“The Russian mob is bad news. I’m actually surprised they haven’t come after me for money yet. Many of the Russian players pay them.”

“Pay them? For what?”

Rolling his eyes, Vlad said, “For protection for their families. It’s strange, because the people they need protection from are the ones who are supposedly protecting them. There’s a lot of corruption in Russia. Tons of it. And if you don’t cooperate with people like the guys running the international ice hockey team, your family could be harmed.”

“That sounds kind of James Bondish. If I hadn’t been in the army, I’d have a tough time believing it. But I’ve seen everything.”

“One player about fifteen years ago refused to pay them, and the player’s parents were kidnapped. The guy paid—four times as much as they had originally demanded—and the mob let his parents go. He brought them here to the US and hid them. Another guy would not pay and got beaten up pretty badly. He missed a couple of months of the season.”

“Fuck, seriously?”

“Yeah. So when the Russian mob threatens you or your family, you listen.”

“Can’t anyone do anything about it?” Even as Joe asked the question, he knew what the answer would be.

“No. Like I said, there’s a lot of corruption. These guys can do whatever they want. That player whose parents were kidnapped only found them after he hired some private investigator. The police did nothing.”

“I wish I could be surprised by that, but I’ve seen a lot of corruption too.”

“In the army?”

“A little bit there. More in the leadership in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s unbelievable.”

“Anyway, so that’s why I didn’t say no. I really could not.” Vlad stared at the tabletop in front of him, his brows knit.

“That totally sucks.”

“Yeah.” Vlad looked up at him. “I am sorry to be so depressing. I wanted to have a nice meal.”

“It’s okay. I’m glad I understand where you’re coming from a little better.”

“Do you work tomorrow?”

The sudden change in topic threw Joe for a minute. “Yeah, but not until midafternoon. They have us on staggered shifts, so there’s always a parts puller, which is what I do, and a mechanic, day or night.”

“Would you come see a movie with me tonight?”

“What’s playing?” The thought of sitting in the dark with Vlad for a couple of hours was exciting. He just hoped he could keep his hands to himself.

“I have no idea.” Vlad pulled out his smartphone. “But I will check.”

“Sure.”

Vlad thumbed through stuff for a while, naming several movies. They agreed on one and finished their dinner. Vlad offered to drive and bring Joe back later for his car, and soon he was sliding onto buttery-soft leather seats.

“You like?” Vlad’s smile was contagious, and Joe returned it.

“Very much.”

At the cinema, they got their tickets and found seats about two-thirds of the way back in the theater. The movie started, and Joe became hyperaware of Vlad’s warmth next to him. Joe had never messed around during a movie but found that was all he could think about. Vlad’s hand lay on his thigh. Joe imagined moving it to the placket of his own cargo pants and pressing down. He was rock hard. A picture of him kneeling in front of Vlad and taking Vlad’s dick in his mouth wouldn’t leave him alone either, seemingly on a loop through his sex-deprived brain.

Joe’s leg began to bounce, and Vlad leaned over, bringing the smell of his intoxicating cologne even closer.

“You okay?”

Not trusting himself to speak, Joe merely nodded.

I am sooo going to hell.

He’d been screwed from the first minute he’d seen Vlad. The man was far too tempting for Joe’s peace of mind. Before he had more time to drive himself crazy, Joe grabbed Vlad by the chin. There were only four other people in the theater, all sitting farther forward. Joe kissed Vlad, swallowing the little moan that escaped the other man. His cock twitched, and he wanted to make Vlad moan again, to lose control, no matter where they were.

Joe ran his tongue over the seam of Vlad’s lips, and they immediately parted, letting his tongue in to explore. Vlad tasted vaguely of spice, and Joe couldn’t get enough. Emitting a low growl, Joe dived in farther, and Vlad matched his marauding tongue stroke for stroke. Reaching down, Joe unsnapped Vlad’s jeans. Vlad jumped and pulled away, his eyes wild.

“What are you doing?” he whispered, wildly scanning the room.

“I need to touch you.”

“Here? Now?”

“No one’s watching.” Joe ran the backs of his fingers along the ridge of Vlad’s cock. “Let me.”

“Fuck.”

Vlad quickly unzipped and pulled out his dick. Joe’s mouth watered, but he knew instinctively the guy would freak if he tried to go down on him here. Vlad’s cock was perfect—a little longer and definitely thicker than his own—and Joe’s ass clenched as he imagined taking that stiff rod inside. He was too far gone to stop now and took a firm hold of Vlad’s dick, pumping it. Slipping his other arm around the back of Vlad’s seat, he kissed Vlad again, partly because he loved the taste of him and partly to disguise the little moans and groans Vlad was making as Joe worked him. It didn’t take long before Vlad spurted hot cum all over Joe’s hand.