Excerpt from "Winner Takes All"

Calyx followed Black to the staff room and sat down on the cushioned couch by the wall, crossing one smooth leg over the other. He draped an arm casually over the back of the couch and sat there watching as Black changed. "Tough first night out there, sweetheart?"

Black shrugged, not very surprised that Calyx had followed him. "Not too bad. I'm just not used to sitting in one place for so long. And after eight hours, the game can get tiring."

He turned, looking at the beautiful drag queen. He didn't bother with the professional façade anymore and quirked an eyebrow at him. "What kind of entertaining do you do? I don't recall actually watching you perform tonight."

Calyx's lips curved up in a smile. "That's because tonight was my night off. I heard some fresh blood was hired so I decided to welcome them to our cozy little family."

Calyx ran a finger over his lower lip, drawing attention to his mouth. "As for entertainment, I can do all sorts of things, but here they pay me to sing."

Black's eyes moved down to that fingertip, and then lifted to Calyx's face. He glanced around; they were alone, so he grabbed a chair and took a seat before the singer. "I can't tell if you want me to crawl into a hole or if you're looking for some... entertainment."

"Sweetheart, I'm always looking for entertainment." He paused and looked searchingly into Black's eyes. His smile faded and he said, "I don't want you out of the way. I was merely teasing. But I am curious about you; I've never seen Bee so taken by a staff member before, not since…"

Calyx stopped in mid sentence. Black looked at him quizzically, his coffee eyes intense. "Not since...?"

"Well, I don't know if he told you, but he was married… She was found murdered." Calyx paused, catching his breath. "Bee didn't handle it very well. He simply adored that poor girl, practically worshiped the ground she walked on."

Black wasn't an excellent liar for nothing. "Murdered? Why? By who?"

"That's just it, nobody knows. Mr. Mathers, you know, the big boss, thinks it was a rival crime family, the Benassis, but no proof was found. Bee was so devastated and nobody could pull him out of his stupor. The only thing I think that has kept him alive has been his little girl."

Black sucked in a breath; that must have been Bee's 'darling.' "He has a daughter?"

"I think she's about five now," Calyx replied, looking distant. "Of course, as soon as that little girl was born, Bee made sure she and Sarah were as far away from his world as possible." Calyx paused and looked down at his hands. "But I guess that wasn't enough, was it? Sarah still got killed."

Black glanced at the clock. He had a lot to think about, not to mention he was supposed to meet Bee. "Thank you so much, Calyx, but I have to go. I owe you big time."

Calyx looked up at Black. "What? Oh, yes, go on, sweetheart. Get lost. And Black-- be careful. Not everything is what it seems."

Black watched Calyx leave, then grabbed his stuff and headed up to Mathers' office, thinking furiously, adding up the facts:

The person on the phone had been Bee's daughter.

Jace was an FBI agent who was supposedly trying to discover the murderer of Bee's wife, though Black was beginning to suspect Jace wasn't on the level. If there was surveillance in the penthouse, why did Jace need Black badly enough to threaten his life? Also, threats to life and limb were probably not in the FBI manual.

In addition, there was a drag queen lounge singer who knew more than he was saying. Sure, Calyx had sounded sincerely upset for Mathers, but there had been a distant, empty quality to his tone.

None of it added up.

He was running late so he picked up the pace, but he didn't think Mathers would mind. He hoped. He knocked politely on the door. Black walked in cautiously, relaxing when he saw Bee was alone. He shut the door behind him and walked up to the desk.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" he asked respectfully. Only the quirk of one sable brow gave away his amusement.

Bee smirked. He leaned back on his wide leather chair, relaxing into the cushion. "So, how was your first day?" He crooked a finger at Black, motioning for the young man to come closer. Black circled the desk, then leaned against it beside Bee. He shrugged.

"Not bad. Sitting for that long will take some getting used to and dealing one game gets boring after a few hours, but it's not so bad. I met the singer, Calyx. He seems friendly."

Bee placed a hand on Black's hips as he glanced up to meet that gaze with his own dark eyes. "Hmm, Calyx. Yes, my star attraction. He's quite talented, very friendly, but otherwise harmless."

Bee's hands roamed to Black's inner thigh, pressing his legs apart. Black kept his arms crossed, looking relaxed, and he was. Talking to Bee, being flirty with him, made Black feel better after the day he had.

"I like him. He's fun to talk to."

"Yeah, he has amazing stories to tell, but enough about him." Bee lifted Black's shirt with one hand while the other rubbed circles on the young man's inner thigh. "How are you feeling?"

"A little stiff still," Black replied, looking down to lazily watch the hand stroking his stomach. He shivered lightly at the feel. "Now that work is over, I'm a little better."

"So you're pretty relaxed, eh?" Bee's hand made quick work of Black's pants as he unzipped them and dipped his hand inside. He found his prize and wrapped warm fingers around Black's dick and stroked slowly. "Let's see how long you can keep relaxed, baby."

Black gasped, his hands moving to grip the edge of the desk behind him.

"Bee..." he said, glancing around the room. Of course, there was no one there, but Black was reminded of the surveillance Jace told him about. He could feel his flesh hardening under Bee's skillful strokes, his stomach quivering from the open mouth kisses he placed there.

The trickle of hair that dipped below the younger man's waist tickled Bee's nose. He tightened his grip on Black's cock, keeping his movements languid, drawing out the exquisite torture and feeling Black quiver under his ministrations. His own dick filled and was being constrained inside his pants, but he didn't want to rush this, he was feeling too good at the moment.

"I like having you like this, Black, trembling with anticipation and excitement. The things I could do to you… I could take you right now and you would enjoy every minute of it." Bee stood up slowly from his chair and leaned his face closer to Black's, their lips barely touching. "Did you like having my cock inside you last night, Black?" he asked huskily before giving a quick lick to Black's lips.

Black quivered at Bee's words, his grip on the table tightening. When the grip on him tightened, he whimpered, his eyes briefly closing. Black nodded in reply to the question. "Yes," he said, his voice breathy as he leaned forward and ran his tongue over the underside of Bee's chin.

"Hmm, I love how you react to me." Bee's unoccupied hand reached for Black's backside, pulling the young man's body closer. He squeezed a firm mound, Black making a small, needy sound in his throat.

Black rocked his hips forward into the hand stroking him, fisting his hands in Bee's shirt as he leaned forward to lick his way over the strong column of the larger man's throat. He found a particularly interesting spot that made Bee shiver, so he bit down there, teasing the skin, making Bee groan.

"I can't wait to be buried inside you once again, claiming you and owning you. This," Bee gave a particularly hard squeeze to Black's ass, "belongs to me now."

Irritation flashed through Black at the possessive comment, but only briefly. It was hard to complain when the words made his cock twitch. He didn't mind so much the belonging to Mathers. It was the helpless ordering around that bothered him. That and the relentless teasing. Black moved more forcefully into the hand on him.

"Bee, stop teasing me," he growled softly into the other man's throat.

Bee chuckled before capturing Black's lips in a kiss, his tongue probing lightly before plunging inside the tempting mouth. He stroked Black faster, their breathing matching his movements. The intense stimulation made Black moan deeply into Bee's mouth, wrapping his arms around his neck like he was trying to crawl into the older man. He wrapped one leg around Bee's hips, holding him close as he leaned back against the desk.

Bee's tongue eagerly stroked Black's, the kiss becoming more heated and intense with each heartbeat. He pumped Black, feeling the body beneath him tense and shiver. He held on tight to his lover, his bulky arm now wrapped around a slender waist.

Black shuddered, the hand on him driving him wild. He pulled his mouth from the kiss, burying his head against a broad shoulder. "My god, Bee, please. Please." Black clung desperately to him, his body tight from the orgasm building inside him.

Bee knew Black wouldn't last much longer, and neither would he. "Just hold on for a bit longer. I want you to come with me inside you."