Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 14:36:16 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tiffani Chin <eliteecrew@verizon.net>
Subject: Jumping over my mountain, Chapter 21

Disclaimer: This story is copy right protected. Please do not post it on
any other website. If you are not 18 or male on male action offends you, do
not continue further. Email me at EliteECrew@verizon.net for feedback.

I tried my best to edit this chapter, but I'm sure there are some mistakes
hiding around since it's a lot for me to keep rereading. I want to post on
a regular basis, so I don't have a lot of time to edit my work. I
apologize. Hope you all enjoy, nonetheless.


Jumping over my Mountain, Chapter 21


*******SKYLER******


I frowned as I gently rubbed my fingers along Zeke's forehead and the large
bruise that stretched across his skin.

Last night it looked bad, but overnight it got even worse. Instead of the
bright red and purple color, the bruise was now black and blue, and there
was a fairly sizable bump.

The bridge of his nose was a little bruised too, and there was a small nick
there with dried blood imbedded in it.

When Davy had called me last night and told me what happened, I was fucking
pissed.

Angry that this happened to Zeke and angry that he didn't want to tell
me. Like I wouldn't want to know my boyfriend got hurt at some fucking frat
party?

I was worried that Zeke had too much to drink at this party solely because
he was feeling lonely and missing everyone. I knew it was hard for him to
go back to school when all his friends were in a different state, but I
didn't think he felt that bad. I mean he had friends and a pretty cool
roommate. And in the past, he had done well without me by his side.

In some ways, I was worried that Zeke was becoming too dependant on me for
his happiness. I wanted him to be ok whenever I wasn't around, otherwise I
would be really worried about him all the time.

Anyway, after the phone call, I told everyone where I was going, packed
some clothes and then drove to Boston.

Crew was shocked about my quitting snowboarding, but understood why I did
it. After all the time Zeke and I had been spending together and my
previous visits, it was like serious withdrawal not seeing one another for
four months straight. In that case, snowboarding didn't seem like so much
fun or that important. And I really didn't need the money. Being with Zeke
and making sure he was ok was the most important thing to me.

As I stroked his forehead I smiled at him as he slept, soundly, with a
small hint of a smile on his face.

Zeke was so beautiful. My hand moved up to his fluffy light blond hair,
which was in a buzz cut, had grown out a little, so it felt nice to run my
fingers through it. My fingers were helping me to imprint his features in
my mind. I rubbed his rosy cheeks with my pointer finger, and then down to
his full reddish lips and I outlined the smile already there.

He opened his eyes, revealing the dark husky blue shade and I leaned down
and kissed his forehead and then both of his eyelids.

"Morning," I whispered.

He smiled widely in response and turned into my body, snuggling deeper.

I chuckled.

His face was buried in my neck, so I leaned down and kissed his cheek and
neck continuously until he stirred.

"I can't sleep if you do that," he murmured.

"That's the idea," I whispered back.

Zeke wildly threw his arm over my stomach and shifted around to get
comfortable.

"I'm gonna go shower," I said softly and he mumbled something incoherent in
response. I smiled, knowing Zeke was definitely not a morning person. Then
again neither was I. But I rushed over here last night without taking a
shower and I felt gross, even if I really wasn't.

I took some of my shower supplies and walked to the bathroom, nodding and
waving to some people that I had gotten to know last semester.

By the time I came back to the room, I saw Davy quietly looking for
something on his desk and Zeke was still sleeping.

Davy looked up at me when I entered the room and smiled.

"Hey man," I greeted.

"Hey."

"Where'd you go last night?" I asked.

"To my friend's place. I figured you two would want some privacy."

I grinned, "Thanks man, but nothing went on."

He looked surprised, "Really?"

"Yah. We just slept. He was pretty beat up."

Davy nodded frowning, "Yeah he was. I want to find out who did this to
him."

"How are you going to do that?"

"Well, it was a frat party but there's no guarantee he is in a frat. Hell,
he could have been just a visiting friend," Davy said.

"Yeah, it would be hard to find him."

"Well, I'm gonna try. Too much bad shit always happens to Zeke, it isn't
right. I mean, he helps people all the time, even strangers, and this is
what he gets in return. Bigoted idiots attacking him when he was trying to
have fun like a normal person?"

I knew that Davy and Zeke were tight. Zeke had told me that during
sophomore year Davy had some issues getting to class and needed to bring
his grades up to get out of academic probation and Zeke would actually go
to Davy's classes with him to make sure he got there. And Zeke would help
him with homework and keep him on track. I knew that Davy was really
grateful for all of that.

"I know. I want to find the fucker who did this while I'm out here as
well," I said.

"No, don't do anything to get yourself into trouble," Zeke groaned out,
sleepily stretching, his legs tangled in the sheets. He yawned, his mouth
opening wide, reminding me of a kitten.

I smiled and sank into the bed beside him, rubbing his stomach and he
opened his eyes, smiling at me and then at Davy.

"Come on Zeke, this is me we're talking about. I was made to get into
trouble and out of it without a scratch," I said rather proudly and joined
in when Davy and Zeke began to laugh.

"What?" I asked innocently, "It's true. This pretty face of mine never gets
into trouble."

"Yeah, I can see that," Davy said nodding and grinning.

"I gotta piss," Zeke said stumbling out of bed and out of the room.

Davy turned to me, "So we're so gonna get this guy, right?"

"Absolutely," I answered confidently and with determination.

This guy liked to attack people. Well he picked the wrong fucking night to
start shit with Zeke.

This motherfucker sure as hell was gonna be taught a lesson, Skyler style.

Beware bitch.


*****


"Dude, I think that's him," Angelo said nudging my side as I walked with
him and Davy back to the dorms after lunch while Zeke had to go to class.

Zeke didn't want me to get in trouble or cause any trouble, but I couldn't
just sit there and let that rapist wannabe walk around fucking his
girlfriend while stalking out drunk gay guys.

I was an informal vigilante, if you will.

So I did the boyfriend thing and kissed Zeke reassuringly and told him not
to worry. Although, Zeke knew me well enough to know that if I set my mind
on something, it was gonna be done no matter what. But he just sighed and
tried not to think about it.

"Are you sure?" I asked Angelo.

Angelo narrowed his eyes, studying the guy. Then he nodded, "Yeah, when
Zeke pointed him out, I got a clear look at him. He didn't get a chance to
run anywhere because people had him surrounded, asking questions."

"Did you find out his name?" Davy questioned.

Angelo shook his head, "No one knows his last name for sure, but I think
Riley Tyson, or something with a T."

"Well, let's kick his ass," Davy said heading over.

I grabbed onto his hulking 6'3 frame and pulled him back.

"No," I said firmly.

"No?" Davy and Angelo asked incredulously.

"Don't you want to get him back for what he did?" Davy wondered.

I smiled, "Of course I do, but there are better ways to do it. More
humiliating, less violence. Zeke would never forgive me for one, and
second, I'm not a violent type of person. "

Angelo smiled, "Are you planning something bad?" He looked excited and I
was beginning to really like this guy.

"You don't know me that well, but I'm always planning something bad," I
replied grinning, "That's just how I roll."

Davy frowned, "I still want to kick his pansy ass. See how tough he is when
he fights someone sober and his size."

"Down Davy," Angelo joked, "Let's hear what Skyler's got planned. I'm
interested."

"Fine," Davy grumbled folding his arms.

I laughed and slapped him on the back, "We'll get him, trust me. But I
think we need to know more about this guy. Now he seems to know about Zeke
being gay and having a boyfriend, if he saw us on campus together, which
I'm sure that he did. And he knows Angelo from the party and you Davy,
cause you're his roommate."

"So, then what?" Angelo asked frowning.

"We need reinforcements. Great things take careful planning, my friend," I
said grinning and raising my eyebrows, flipping my cell phone open.

"Reinforcements?" Davy and Angelo asked together with confusion as I
searched through my phone book.


******BRYCE*****



"I feel like crap," Hela moaned wiggling under the covers and closing his
eyes.

"I know Hela, but we have to go to work today. We have that presentation
today, remember?"

"Yeah," Hela groaned, "But my mouth is so sore."

"Sore?" I asked grinning.

He shot me a dirty look, "I have some kind of gum sore, ass. Don't knock me
when I'm in pain," he grumbled.

I laughed and crawled into bed beside him, "I'm sorry baby," I said softly,
kissing his cheek and then his lips lightly. I felt him begin to kiss me
back and his hand came around my neck.

I pulled back, "So you feel ok enough to kiss, huh?" I teased.

"Well, the pain comes and goes," he said reaching for me again, but I
dodged his hands.

"Up," I said slapping his ass, "Get ready. We're going to work today. And
we'll have soup for lunch," I said firmly, pulling on his hand.

With a loud sigh, he got up and headed to the bathroom, while I blatantly
stared at his bare ass.

Nice.


*****


I studied the tall dark haired guy in the blue suit who was standing close
to Hela and smiling way too much at my boyfriend for my liking.

We were presenting our pitch with Andy and Lance, another coworker on some
ad campaign for this new company, and the owner of the company was young,
good looking, successful, and showing way too much interest in Helaku.

And Hela was Mr. Social and Mr. Friendly, and didn't notice anything from
Nigel Lane, or his flirting tactics. Hela was just laughing along and what
not.

I could hardly jump up and claim ownership of Hela because that would
effectively out the both of us to our entire department and I knew for a
fact that Hela didn't want that, nor did I.

I glared at Nigel as I saw his brown eyes looking Hela up and down while
Hela was reaching for some paperwork.

I admit it, I got jealous easily.

Fuck.

Hela glanced at me and smiled, but faded when he saw my expression. I
watched as his face became confused and concerned, but he wiped it off when
he turned back to Nigel.

The rest of the presentation wasn't so bad. Andy and Lance did a lot of the
talking but I noticed that while those guys were talking, Nigel's eyes
always somehow made it back to Hela.

When the meeting was over, Hela walked with me back to our cubicles.

"Are you ok? You look pissed?"

I stared at him without answering and he began to frown.

"What?"

"Nigel," I stated.

His green eyes looked blank, "What? Nigel, what about him?"

"He was totally into you," I said.

Hela groaned, "Oh Bryce, if he was, it was no big deal. That guy was too
loaded and uptight for my liking, even as a friend. I wouldn't have given
him a second thought if you hadn't brought him up. And besides you and I
are gonna go home in a few hours and you're gonna make me feel better."

"Huh?" I asked dumbly, "Make you feel better?"

"Yeah," Hela said winking, "My tooth hurts."

I laughed, "Are you serious?"

"Yeah," Hela said widening his eyes, grabbing my ass slightly, "I need lots
and lots of pain treatment," he said kissing my neck lightly.

I inhaled his cologne and couldn't resist wrapping my arms around him.

My Helaku.

At that instant I saw Nigel walking towards the elevator and he happened to
look in our direction. He slowed his walking down and stared at us, with a
weird expression on his face that I couldn't quite read. It didn't look
good though. The guy looked calculating and that scared me. In fact, he
reminded me of my Dad, and that really scared me. I had a feeling trouble
would be ahead.


******HELAKU*****


I picked up my cell phone on the third ring.

"Yeah?" I said breathlessly. It was a tiring Saturday, cleaning the
apartment. I didn't understand how the place could get so dirty so fast.

It just didn't make sense.

Bryce was out getting groceries and we were planning a nice dinner
together, so I figured he could at least come home to a clean place.

The voice on the phone was one I didn't recognize.

"Who is this?" I asked frowning.

"Nigel Lane."

Huh?

"Mr. Lane? Oh hi, um, what can I do for you?" I asked confused he would be
calling me on a Saturday evening on my cell, no less.

The man's deep voice filled my ear, "I would like to meet up with you
sometime this week," he said, getting right to the point.

I raised my brow in shock, not knowing what to say.

The head of companies usually didn't make requests to hang out with the
workers they were hiring.

"Uh, do you have some questions about the ad campaign, because you should
really talk with Andy and Lance. They did the legwork of the ad. Bryce and
I just helped with the research," I said grabbing a sponge and wiping down
the counter.

Nigel laughed, "No, there is no problem. I just have a proposition for
you."

"Ok," I said slowly, still a bit confused.

"Are you free for dinner sometime this week?" Nigel asked smoothly.

"Well, I would have to check," I began.

"How about Wednesday night? I'll pick you up from work?" Nigel went on, not
letting me finish my sentence.

"I don't know about," I tried again.

"Ok, I will be at your office at 5:00. I will meet you on your floor. I
remember where your cubicle is," Nigel said sounding pleased.

"Mr. Lane, I have to get back to you on-"

"Please call me Nigel," he interrupted.

"Ok, fine, Nigel," I said impatiently, "I'll get back to you on my avail-"

"I will see you then Helaku," and with that he hung up.

I stared at my cell phone in shock, awe, and amazement.

Geez, this guy really didn't take no for an answer, did he?

"Hela?" Bryce called out as he walked inside our apartment.

"What's wrong?" he asked kissing my cheek as I still stared at my phone.

"Did someone just call?" Bryce continued frowning, as he set the groceries
on the newly cleaned kitchen table.

"Yeah."

"Who?"

"Nigel Lane," I said still slightly confused.

Bryce frowned and stepped closer to me, "Nigel Lane? Why? What did he
want?"

"He wanted to know if I was free for dinner," I answered.

Bryce's eyes widened, "When, tonight?" he demanded.

I shook my head, "No, for sometime this week."

"Did you tell him no?" Bryce asked, his voice getting a little louder.

I took a step back away from him, "I tried to-"

"What do you mean you tried to?" Bryce interjected.

I sighed. Why wasn't anyone letting me finish my sentences?

"Well, I tried to, I really did," I said looking imploringly at Bryce's
annoyed expression, "He kept making plans, like for Wednesday, saying he
would pick me up or meet me at the office or something and I kept saying I
would have to get back to him and I didn't know if-"

"Why didn't you just say NO?" Bryce snapped.

"Because he wouldn't let me get a word in. It was as if he was making the
plans without really asking me!" I exclaimed back.

"Well, I don't want you to go to dinner with him or anything at all. That
guy is trouble. What did he say he wanted?"

"That he had a proposition for me."

"A proposition?" Bryce asked raising his eyebrows, "I can guess what that
proposition might be."

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked frowning.

Bryce looked at me like I was an idiot, "Hela, Nigel is attracted to
you. And he saw us as he was leaving. We were hugging. He knows you have a
boyfriend and he still wants you. There is something up with this
guy. Something bad and calculating. He's trouble, I know he is. He's gonna
try to sleep with you."

I laughed and Bryce shot me a dirty look.

"Look Bryce, just because HE wants to sleep with ME, doesn't mean he's
gonna get any," I said smiling, "I don't want him."

Bryce looked conflicted and bit his lip, "I know, but people like him,
they're good."

"What?"

"He's a smooth talker, like he talked you into having dinner with him. Then
after dinner he'll talk you into going to his apartment to check out some
art or whatever, and then he'll talk you into trying a nice drink, and
before you know it, the two of you are in bed," Bryce said looking ready to
pull out his hair.

"Wow, how do you know so much about this?" I asked eyeing him.

He glared at me, "Please, that's not me, ok?" he snapped, "I could barely
muster the courage to talk to you, you think I could persuade someone to
fuck me on the first night?" he asked, then paused, " And don't answer
that!" he cried out holding up his hand, "My Dad was like that, he still
is. Guys like him are trouble. Stay away from him."

Even though I sort of agreed with him on the Nigel matter, I didn't
appreciate his bossy and firm tone when he told me to stay away from him.

It was the immature mentality, like if someone told you not to do
something, you had to go out of your way and do it.

"Was that an order?" I challenged, folding my arms.

Bryce looked at me, his eyes dark with anger and something else. What was
it? Fear maybe?

"No, it wasn't an order," Bryce said sighing, "I just, I, well, I would
just feel more comfortable if you didn't go out to dinner with him. I would
like it if you didn't see him ever again," he said, carefully choosing his
words.

I smiled, "Good save."

Bryce grinned, "I know how you don't like to be ordered."

I walked over and wrapped my arms around his chest, "That is true."

"So you won't see him?" Bryce asked.

"I won't see him," I confirmed, "When he shows up at the office on
Wednesday, you and I will just tell him I can't and whatever proposition he
has to tell me, he can tell me in front of you or anyone else," I said
hugging Bryce.

I felt Bryce relax against me and he audibly sighed.

I frowned, not knowing what Bryce was so worried about and I didn't
honestly see any problem with having dinner with Nigel. I knew for a fact
that I wasn't interested in Nigel whatsoever, but it obviously bothered
Bryce, so out of respect for him, I would do whatever to make him happy or
feel safe.

"I love you," I murmured into his ear.

I heard Bryce inhale sharply and he spun around, claiming my lips with his
own, kissing me urgently.

Never one to turn down a kiss, my hand went under his shirt feeling his
warm back and I pulled him into me, feeling his tongue swirling around
mine.

"What about dinner?" I gasped out as he kissed me continually on my lips
and my neck.

"Later, we have time for a quickie before dinner," Bryce whispered
urgently, pushing me onto the couch.

All I managed was a muffled response as I fell onto the couch with a loud
oomph and my arms came up to support Bryce's weight as he kind of jumped
onto me.

"Holy shit Bryce," I mumbled as I kissed his neck and gripped his waist as
he moved over me.

His hands were under my shirt, touching my chest and I was getting hornier
and hornier by the second.

I impatiently shed my shirt, chucking it to the floor and Bryce's hands
eagerly roamed my naked torso.

With an animalistic growl, I pushed Bryce forcefully and he flopped on his
back on the couch and I leaned over him, kissing him roughly.

I felt his hands unbuckling my belt and unbuttoning my jeans. His hands
tugged my jeans to me knees and his fingers groped my hardon through my
boxers.

I moaned into his mouth and got off of him briefly to kick off my pants.

Bryce lunged on top of me while I was straddling his hips and I was now
flat on my back.

"Clothes, take them off," I panted as I grabbed at his sweater and pulled
it over his head.

He shed his sweats and underwear off in one quick peel and when he kissed
me again, we were both naked, our hot flesh rubbing against each other, a
layer of sweat developing on the both of us.

"Lube?" Bryce breathed out as his lips traveled all over my face.

"In the bedroom," I responded heatedly.

Bryce groaned, "Too far."

"It's ok, just do it," I said blind with lust, passion, and love.

Bryce stopped what he was doing and looked at me, "Without lube? I'll hurt
you."

I shook my head, "It's ok, just go slow," I said pulling his face back to
mine, exploring his mouth with my tongue.

"I have an idea," Bryce said as he broke away and pulled me up with him.

"What?" I asked, missing the feel of his body against mine.

Bryce tugged me into the kitchen and pushed me onto the table, face
first. I used my arms to offset the impact, and my chest hit the table with
a dull thud.

I watched as he grabbed a bottle of olive oil and he got behind me, kicking
my legs further apart, with a frenzy.

I gripped the edge of the kitchen table and felt him slip in an oiled
finger.

"Fuck," I groaned out as the pleasure rippled throughout my body once he
hit my prostate.

I hissed as he added in another finger and I held onto the table for dear
life as the sensations washed over me.

"Ready baby?" Bryce asked as he added a third finger and fucked me,
widening my hole.

"Yes!" I gasped and I cried out in a mixture of pleasure and pain as he
added a fourth finger, stretching me out as much as possible.

He maneuvered the four fingers in and out of me, slowly, easing me open.

I was going crazy here, feeling like I needed to cum, but being teased
sensually with his long gentle fingers sliding within me. It was enough to
almost drive me to the brink of insanity.

"Ok baby," Bryce whispered and there was a pause and I assumed he was
slicking his cock with oil.

A moment later I winched as he pushed the head inside of me.

"You ok?" he asked when he heard the involuntary whimper escape my lips.

"Yes, keep going," I said and I pushed my ass back against him, hearing him
mumble his approval as a couple more inches of him sank inside of me.

"Hela," he murmured, easing himself inside of me further and I felt my hole
being stretched wide open. There was a slight burning feeling, but he was
going slow so it wasn't too painful.

Moments later, I felt his balls slap against my ass and I knew he was
completely inside of me.

Giving me a minute to adjust, he then rotated his hips slightly and aimed
his cock around my insides and I jerked when I felt the head of his cock
brush against my prostate.

"Is that it baby?" Bryce teased as he directed his slight thrusts in that
same spot.

"God yes," I groaned, my eyes closed, my mouth opened wide as I panted with
anticipation.

I spread my legs further and arched my back, giving him better access and
Bryce slowly pulled out, and sank back into me in long, calculated thrusts
as if he wanted to make this last.

In.

Out.

I felt my body rub against the table as I was splayed out on it. The
friction from the rubbing caused my body to heat up even more. My fingers
gripped the table as Bryce made love to me.

In.

Out.

Bryce began to pick up speed as his breathing increased and I figured his
release wouldn't be far off.

I knew I would cum soon if Bryce kept hitting my prostate with the force he
was going at currently.

The faster and shorter his thrusts became, the harder they also got and
pretty soon he was banging directly on my prostate.

All I could do was emit strangled cries as I was helpless while he made
love to me.

"Hela, I'm gonna cum," Bryce said and I tried to lift my back, but I felt
his body fall down on top of mine, pinning me to the table. His other hand
wrapped around my cock and he pumped me hard and fast, his fist closing
tightly against my width.

I clawed at the table, feeling immobilized as Bryce pounded me.

I felt the tingle in my groin as his hand stroked me and I screamed as I
felt the most powerful orgasm rip through my entire body.

I dug my nails and hands onto the table and braced my feet firmly on the
floor as I felt my knees buckle and my stomach muscles tense and contract
over and over again.

I cried out as my orgasm went on and his hand continued to jerk me off. I
didn't know when I would stop cumming.

"Bryce," I whimpered as his hand slid up and down my length, milking me.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered that Bryce was cumming as
well when I felt him shout and push his hips into me one last time and then
there was an explosion of heat deposited in my ass.

Bryce humped me a few more times, but then stopped, probably because he was
too sensitive.

His hand let go of my softening cock and he just rested on top of me,
breathing heavily, as was I.

His lips kissed my neck and shoulder blades and my eyes were still closed,
basking in the afterglow of our lovemaking and our combined release.

"God," I said sighing, unable to come up with anything else.

"Yes?" Bryce asked giggling and the vibrations from his laughing made my
back tingle.

I began laughing as well and both of our bodies were bouncing up and down
as we dissolved into a huge laughing fit that neither of us were able to
get out of.

"That was intense," I finally said when the both of us calmed down.

"Yeah," Bryce agreed.

"I'm a mess."

"You are," Bryce said.

"You made me mess up the floor," I said, indicating my cum that had most
likely created a little pool on the tiles, "And I just cleaned it while you
were out."

Bryce eased his flaccid cock out of me and sat beside me on the table. I
slowly stood up and sat down gingerly next to him, my hole a little tender.

I felt his cum oozing out of me and I looked at him sideways, "And now you
made a mess on the table."

"I'm sorry. I'll help you clean again," Bryce said lacing his fingers with
mine.

He actually looked apologetic and he was just too adorable with that puppy
dog look on his face, as if he really did something wrong.

I brushed his sweaty bangs off his forehead so I could see his eyes.

I shook my head and smiled at him affectionately.

"I was just kidding," I said leaning in to kiss him again.


********BRYCE*********


"Ready to go?" I asked Hela as I put the last folder away in my drawer.

"Yeah, hold up," Hela said as he shut off his computer, "Ok, now I'm
ready."

I smiled at him as we both made our way to the elevator, but we didn't get
too far before we stopped in our tracks.

Nigel Lane.

That's right, today was Wednesday. And stupid Nigel was trying to force a
date out of my Hela.

I shot him a cold look as both Hela and I stopped in front of him.

Nigel simply ignored me and focused his stare at Hela.

"Ready for dinner?"

"Uh, yeah, listen about that," Hela began.

"He's not going to dinner with you," I said, louder than I intended to.

This time, Nigel's brown eyes fell onto me. He arched his brow in a
challenging manner.

"Bryce," Hela said from the side of his mouth.

"We're going home," I said insistently shooting Hela a firm look and he
closed his mouth.

Hela looked at Nigel apologetically, "Goodbye Nigel."

Nigel looked a little shocked and maybe impressed with being turned down,
as if he had never been turned down before.

"Yes, goodbye Hela, for now," he added and I turned to look at him as we
passed him to get to the elevators.

He smirked at me and I felt my stomach tense up. His face looked sneaky. He
was planning something.

"And goodbye to you too, Bryce," Nigel called out just as the elevator
doors began to close.

He blew me a kiss as the door closed.

I immediately turned to Hela, "See, he's trouble?" I said.

"Bryce."

"What did I tell you?" I continued.

Hela looked at me and kissed me quickly, "I don't necessarily think he's
trouble, but I will stay away from him, ok?"

"You don't think he's trouble? Didn't you see how he acted?"

He shrugged, "Well he has a bit of an attitude, a cocky one at that, but
he's harmless."  Hela stepped through the opening doors when we reached the
garage, and we headed for his car.

"Yeah, everyone's harmless until they do something," I muttered under my
breath.


******************


The next afternoon, I saw Hela's Uncle heading towards us.

"Hela, I need to talk with you," he said.

"Yes?"

"Nigel Lane called me," Mr. McAdams began. I tensed up and bristled,
waiting for what he was going to say next.

"What for?" Hela asked frowning.

Mr. McAdams was smiling, "Nothing bad," he reassured Hela, "but he has
something to tell you."

"So where is he?" Hela asked looking around.

"Oh, he's not here now," Mr. McAdams explained, "But he said he would like
to set up a meeting with you. He's busy for the rest of the week, but would
like to meet up with you for dinner Friday night."

Dinner on a Friday night?

That sounded like a potential date to me.

Hela glanced at me and Mr. McAdams smiled, "Relax Hela, and Bryce," he
added, "It's not a date. Trust me, he just wants to discuss something with
you."

I frowned at the secretive undertones of what Mr. McAdams was saying.

Why couldn't he just say whatever it was?

"Um, what time Friday night?" Hela asked hesitantly and I looked at him
with shock.

"He'll pick you up after work," Mr. McAdams said and he knocked the cubicle
wall with his knuckles twice before walking off towards his own office.

"You're going?" I demanded when Hela turned back to me.

He shrugged helplessly, "What else am I supposed to do? He needs to see me
and my Uncle expects me to go. I can't not go now," he defended himself.

I sighed, "Yeah, I guess so."

"I promise to call you right after I finish dinner, ok?" Hela said trying
to comfort me.

I nodded, "Fine."

I guess that was the best I could get.

Nigel Lane, going to our boss to get to Hela.

That sneaky fucking bastard.



*****SKYLER*******



"Hey bro," I said walking inside our previously shared apartment. I had
moved in with my Mom while Kate moved in with Storm.

And between both of our school schedules, living in different locations,
and me visiting Zeke every weekend, we hadn't seen each other in quite
awhile, and I honestly missed my brother.

I didn't get a reply, which I found odd. But I shrugged it off and placed
two pizza boxes on the kitchen table and began rummaging around for drinks
in the fridge.

I heard the front door open just as I managed to find a can of Pepsi and I
sipped on it while I waited for Storm to come by.

Storm entered and when he saw me, he did a double take and took a step
back, his face startled.

"Holy fucking shit!" he gasped.

"Dude," I said holding my hands up.

"Fuck, Sky, you scared me."

I smirked, "I scared you? Who else could it have been? We have the same
face," I laughed, "What, did you think someone placed a mirror in the
middle of the kitchen or something?" I guffawed.

Storm just glared at me, apparently too tired to deal with my normal
annoying sense of humor.

"Calm down man, I just brought some food over," I said waving to the pizza
boxes trying to appease him.

Storm took a deep breath and nodded, "Thanks man, and sorry for the mini
freak out, but I haven't been sleeping all that well and I guess I've been
jumpy lately."

"Understandable," I said, taking in Storm's appearance. He did look tired,
with some under eye circles, his skin paler than normal, and he looked a
little haggard or thinner.

That was not good.

"Well, you look like crap, so eating something," I said sitting down and he
rolled his eyes before plopping down in a chair.

"Where's Kate?" I asked.

"Took her to her friend's place in Somerset," Storm said rubbing his eyes.

"Glad to have some alone time?" I asked.

"Absolutely," Storm said, "I don't mind helping Kate out and living with
her. We get along pretty well, but pregnant women are so emotional and
unstable. And with school and stuff, I don't know how much longer I can
stay sane."

I laughed, "That sucks man."

"Thanks Sky."

I shrugged.

"How's it living with mom?" he asked.

I smiled and quirked an eyebrow at him, "It's great. I love having Mom fawn
all over me, now that I've officially taken your place as the favorite
son."

Storm rolled his eyes, "Whatever, bonehead."

"Have you talked to Dad?" Storm suddenly asked, changing the subject
abruptly.

That question caught me off guard, "No, why?"

"Well he called me and apologized for overreacting and said he would try to
help in the future," Storm said grabbing a slice.

"Whatever," I said.

"Has he tried to call you?"

I paused, "Yeah."

"How many times?"

"I don't know, I haven't kept count," I said nonchalantly.

"Skyler," Storm said in an almost patronizing tone that had me defensive.

"I don't want to talk to him," I said snippily.

"He was just upset," Storm said, "It was big news. We all got a little
carried away that night."

I looked at Storm incredulously, "No fucking way! Dad's always been an
asshole and he meant every word. You just forgave him because you're this
good little son, but I'll never forgive him for all those years of being
ashamed of me or pushing me to be better, when I was just fine, and
especially not for putting me down for being with Zeke. I don't care if he
is my Dad. That doesn't automatically make him in good standing with me."

Storm sighed, "I know, I'm sorry. I was just trying to help."

"I know you were, but I don't know when I'll talk to Dad next, or
when. Every time I think about him and what happened, I get pissed."

"Ok, you need more time," Storm said.

"Like the rest of my life," I muttered.

Storm didn't bother to comment. He knew when I was really pissed off it
wouldn't be wise to push me.

"Ok, so what else is new with you? I feel like I haven't spoken to you in
months," Storm said swiftly changing topics.

I swallowed a large mouthful of pizza, "Well, I'm not going to California
anymore."

"What?"

"Yeah, I'm staying in the East Coast for good."

"Why?"

"Because I couldn't move," I admitted.

"Because of me?" Storm asked frowning.

I snorted, "Don't flatter yourself," but then I looked at him and smiled,
"Yes among other things. Like," I said facing Storm, "When I was in
California, I couldn't find anything I liked enough to stay there, and
let's face it, no place can compare to New York City. And I would miss Mom
and you, and Crew and Hiro, and even the oldies living upstairs. My entire
life is here and I want to see what your baby looks like," I said honestly.

Storm began smiling, "really? You're staying?"

I nodded and smirked at my twin, "Got excited didn't you? About finally
getting rid of me? Well, I'm staying, bitch!" I pointed my fingers at him
and he laughed.

"No, I'm glad you're staying."

"Me, too," I sharing a grin, "Someone has got to keep you in check."

Storm raised his brows, "Keep me in check?"

"Well, yeah, if I remember correctly, I'm the one that has things going in
the right direction for a change. If Zeke were a woman, everyone would be
applauding me instead of looking down on me."

"No one looks down on you Sky," Storm said.

"Dad does," I scoffed bitterly.

"Well, Dad is old and doesn't understand stuff. He's a dick, I know, but
that doesn't make anything about you and Zeke wrong. I mean, sure it was
weird for me getting used to seeing you and Zeke together, acting like an
actual couple, but you guys are great together, and I already feel as if
Zeke is my brother in law."

I grinned, "Thanks."

"So if you're staying does that mean Uncle Skyler and Uncle Zeke will baby
sit?" Storm asked, his lips curling in a teasing manner.

"Uh I don't do well with babies. When the kid is five, then give me a
call," I said reaching for another slice of pizza.

The rest of our lunch was spent by Storm trying to convince me to baby sit
and arguing that little babies weren't all that bad.


**********HELAKU***********


"Bye Bryce, I'll call you later," I promised as I spotted Nigel waiting for
me.

He was chatting with my Uncle and looking in my direction as my Uncle
nodded and smiled at me.

Bryce looked nervous and uneasy and I hated leaving him in that state. I
wasn't that thrilled to be going on this dinner date either with Nigel
Lane, but I didn't have much of a choice.

I was in a tight spot; my Uncle wanted me to go on this meeting. How could
I say no?

I felt his hand holding my elbow as if he didn't want to let go.

"Bryce, it's going to be ok. I love you," I said turning to look him in the
eye and I saw his face soften a bit and he smiled weakly.

"I know, I love you, too," he said.

"Well, that's good to hear," I teased pulling gently on his tie.

He peeked at me, his blond bangs getting in his eyes and I was tempted to
kiss him right here and now.

"You have nothing to worry about," I whispered as Nigel began to walk over
to me, with a little strut in his walk.

I grasped his hand in mine, only letting go when Nigel was directly in
front of me.

I didn't know for sure Nigel was gay, but I had a feeling, but either way,
no PDA's at the office, even if my Uncle knew about us.

We were trying to keep professional here.

"Ready to go?" Nigel asked smiling at me.

"Yeah," I said shooting one last glance at Bryce, who was looking at Nigel
with disdain.

Nigel simply smiled in a superior manner at Bryce, "Good bye Bryce. See you
around."

He then patted me on the back and nudged me towards the elevator slightly.

"I love you," I mouthed to Bryce, unable to resist looking back once more
at Bryce and maintaining eye contact with him before the elevator door
shut, even as Nigel tried to start a conversation with me.

I saw the sad look on Bryce's face and I felt a little nauseous and I
really, really wanted to back out of this dinner.

But corporate obligation called.

"So are you hungry?" Nigel asked turning to me and I finally glanced at
him, "I know this great all you can eat sushi place?"

"Where is it?" I asked curiously.

"Not too far," Nigel answered vaguely and I frowned.

"Listen I don't want to be out too late, ok? Can we go somewhere more
local?" I asked.

Nigel studied me and he pressed his lips together in a line.

"I like Italian food," I interjected, "Let's go to this place in
Edison. It`s a really close drive from here."

Nigel opened his mouth to speak, but I rushed ahead, "I'll drive. My car is
right over here," I said pointing and leading him before he could answer.

I unlocked my doors and shooed him to the passenger door. He looked annoyed
as if he really wanted to drive, but I wanted to be in control of this so
called date like atmosphere and that meant me driving to dinner.

"Get in," I said forcing a friendly smile on my face and got in myself,
starting the car.

With a sigh, he finally sat inside and buckled himself in.



**********



"So what was this thing you had to tell or ask me?" I asked while I dipped
my bread in olive oil.

Nigel frowned and looked slightly confused.

"You told my Uncle you had to tell me something, so what is it?" I asked, a
little impatiently.

"Oh that," Nigel said dismissively as he ate some bread himself, "Let's
enjoy dinner and discuss work matters later," and he smiled at me, trying
to look charming, but even though the guy was good looking, something about
his overly intrusive manner annoyed me.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and nodded in agreement.

"Fine," I said eating more bread.

Well, I was forced into a dinner with an aggressive man I didn't really
care for, so I may as well enjoy the food.

I knew Nigel was watching me, but I simply ignored him as I continued to
eat.

By the end of our meal, he seemed frustrated.

I answered all the questions he asked me, but to the bare minimum and
didn't engage in his flirting tactics.

I could tell this bothered him. He was the type of guy that got what he
wanted and hated it when guys didn't return his attention.

He was getting antsy in the car as well.

"Why don't you come to my place and we can finally have that discussion,"
Nigel said as I got closer to our work parking garage.

"Can't you just tell me now?" I asked, "Not to be rude, but I would like to
get home at a reasonable hour. It's the weekend after all," I said trying
to remain polite.

"It won't be too long. We can have some coffee at my place," Nigel said in
a placating tone.

I sighed, "Fine. Where do you live?"

Nigel directed me to his house, about twenty minutes from where we worked
and his house was huge!

He lived alone, but it was a pretty big house and I saw some nice cars in
the driveway.

"Come in," Nigel urged and I followed him to where I assumed was the
kitchen.

He took out some wine glasses and began pouring wine.

I shook my head, "No, it's ok. I have to drive back. I'll pass on the
wine."

"Just try a little bit," Nigel coaxed and began walking to his living room.

He sat on a leather couch and got comfortable, motioning for me to do the
same.

I sat down, but my back was straight and tense.

"Relax Helaku," Nigel said in a husky tone.

I smiled uneasily, thinking of Bryce and his warning to me about Nigel.

"You have such a beautiful name. What does it mean?" he asked.

"Full of sun," I answered automatically as I had been asked that question
many times.

"Your Uncle told me you're Native American and Irish?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

Nigel's eyes ran over my body, "Beautiful mixture," he murmured with
approval.

"Nigel, I'll be honest with you. I'm a little uncomfortable here and you're
hitting on me and I'm spoken for," I said trailing off.

Nigel's eyes narrowed and his already dark brown eyes darkened even
further.

"I know, by that Bryce," Nigel spat out.

"Yes, Bryce," I said bristling at his nasty tone, "Now, if there is really
nothing to discuss, I must be going," I said standing up.

I yelped when he yanked me back down on the couch forcefully.

"I want you Helaku," he said in almost angry tone.

"What?" I asked stupidly.

"I want you. Right now," Nigel said sliding his hand up my thigh. I shoved
his hand off before he reached my package.

"Well, you can't," I said trying to stand up, but his arms came around me
as he attempted to kiss me.

"Stop it!" I shouted, pushing him off. Although, he was a little taller
than me he was thinner, so I had the physical advantage, thank
goodness. That and he had had some wine to drink and I didn't.

He panted as he sat on his end of the couch staring at me, "I'm
leaving. This whole night was a big waste of time," I said heading to the
door.

"If you walk out that door, I won't be using your Uncle's company for my ad
campaign," he called out to me.

I stopped walking and slowly turned to look at him and there was a smug
expression on his face.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me," Nigel said standing up and adjusting his clothes and fixing
his hair, "I won't be doing business with McAdams Ink and that's a shame
for your Uncle. My new trendy business would be great for your company and
I could refer you to a lot of people. Imagine how bad your Uncle will feel
when he finds out that his own nephew caused this deal to fall through."

"You can't do that!" I protested childishly. It was my automatic response.

Nigel grinned wider, "I can and I think I just did."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I was feeling a bit of shock at
this point. I never expected the evening to turn out this way.

He looked at me expectantly, his eyes combing over me appreciatively,
"You're very sexy Helaku. I wouldn't have to do this if you would just give
in to me. It won't be bad, I promise. I'm a good lover."

I shook my head, "No, I can't."

"Why, because of your precious blond boyfriend?" Nigel said dismissively.

I swallowed hard, "You can't do this, this is blackmail," I whispered.

Nigel smiled, tight lipped and strode over to me, "I know what blackmail
is, my friend. That's how you get ahead in the business world and get to be
where I am today," he inched closer and I felt his breath on my cheek.

His hand slid up my waist slowly and I felt my skin crawling. His other
hand came to rest on my lower stomach, gradually moving up to my chest
where he felt my pecs.

I cringed and looked away.

My face was pulled so I was looking at him and I stared into his cold eyes
that disgusted me, "You're fucking hot Helaku. Can you feel how hot you're
making me?" he asked moving forward and I indeed felt his hardness poking
my leg.

"What is it going to be?" he asked.

I began to breathe hard. I had no idea what to do.

My first instinct was to say hell no and run out the door, but then I
thought about my Uncle and how excited he was to land this deal.

My Uncle, who had been just as supportive as my Dad when I came out if not
more and who gave me a job when I really needed one.

I loved my Uncle and I couldn't screw this up for him.

But would he want me to whore myself out for business and money? I didn't
think my Uncle would, but all these questions were coming too fast for me
to answer.

I gasped when I felt Nigel's hand push down into my pants and I hunched
over, trying to dislodge his hand.

Nigel was relentless though in groping me.

His hand firmly found my member and he began to fondle me, stroking his
thumb over the head rapidly.

Nigel smiled at me and kissed the corner of my mouth as I tried to fight
him off. "Let me see how big you get."

"Stop!" I choked out but I couldn't help moaning as he moved his thumb
aggressively over my piss slit and to my horror I found myself getting
hard.

Nigel smiled, "That's it baby, just enjoy," he said looking me in the eye
as his hand wrapped around my cock and began to jerk me off slowly.

I gripped his arm trying to pull it away from me, but I felt my knees
weaken a bit from the pleasurable sensations that washed over me.

I shook my head and regained my senses, forcing myself to focus.

I did not want this to happen.

"No!" I said again firmly and I ripped his hand off of me and out of my
pants. I practically shoved him away.

I was panting, trying to calm down and get my cock to subside.

He smiled at me again, glancing pointedly at the bulge that had formed in
my pants, "I think you like what happened Helaku. Your body speaks for
itself."

I just stood there, still trying to catch my breath.

Finally, Nigel stepped away from me, "I'm going to the bedroom," he said
his eyes darting to the stairs, and he looked at me meaningfully before
walking away.

I looked after him, not believing that this was really happening.

I felt a vibration in my pants and I fished out my cell phone.

I saw Bryce on the caller ID.

"Baby," I said into the phone.

"Hela, where are you?" Bryce asked.

I heard the concern in his voice and it made my heart break.

"Bryce, I love you," I said instantly, my voice breaking, everything that
had just happened finally getting to me. "I love you so much, you know
that, right?"

This was just too much for me to handle.

"Hela, are you ok? Where are you?" he asked, detecting how off I sounded.

His beautiful voice comforted and soothed me. It made me almost want to
cry. I wanted to be with him.

"I'm coming home," I said with determination and without saying anything
else I shut the phone and walked out.


**********


As soon as I walked into our apartment I walked over to Bryce and hugged
him tightly, shoving my face into his damp hair, inhaling deeply.

"Hela, what happened?" Bryce asked his arms coming around me.

"This was a big mistake. I wish I hadn't gone with him," I said still
holding Bryce.

Bryce tensed up and his arms tightened around me. "What did he do to you?
Did he hurt you?"

I could hear the anger in his voice.

I shook my head, "Nothing, he didn't do anything directly to me, but he may
cause some problems in the future."

Bryce pulled away from me and sat me down on the couch, "What do you mean?"
he asked with concern.

I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed, not knowing where to begin.

"The whole date was a sham Bryce. There was nothing to discuss at all!"

Bryce frowned.

"He wanted to wine and dine me, but we just hit up some Italian place
locally, and then he was desperate to get me to go to his house," I
continued.

"His house?" Bryce exclaimed.

"It's not what you think," I quickly added, "We went there and he tried to
give me some wine, but I refused to have any. Then he started full blown
hitting on me and telling me how he wanted me."

I licked my lips as Bryce's frown deepened.

"I was set on leaving then, but before I left, he said if I didn't have sex
with him he wouldn't do business with McAdams Ink."

Bryce's eyes widened, "No!"

"Yeah!" I exclaimed, "And I didn't know what to do at first. I was so
confused," I said with a pleading expression as Bryce started to look hurt,
"I was thinking about my Uncle and how great he is and how he gave me this
job when I broke up with Crew. Then I felt horrible that I was going to be
the reason this deal would fall through."

Bryce leaned closer to me and rubbed my shoulder comfortingly, "It's not
your fault Hela. Your Uncle wouldn't have wanted you to do that."

I nodded, "I know, but when I saw your phone call and heard your voice, I
knew there was no way I could do that to you, to us," I said looking deep
into his eyes.

"I love you," I said.

Bryce smiled and rubbed his face into my neck, kissing it slightly.

"I love you so much Bryce," I murmured wrapping my arm around him.

We kissed slowly and softly, enjoying the closeness and tenderness of our
actions.

I touched his warm soft cheek, trying to memorize everything about him and
how he felt when my skin met his.

I pulled back, my fingers tangled in his damp blond hair, and I wrapped my
forearm around his neck.

"I know you do," Bryce said and I simply smiled as we both rested on the
couch, side by side, unwinding from our long day.

It felt good to have Bryce beside me, feeling his weight against me as we
just sat in comfort together.

I felt like everything would be ok as long as he was there. I felt safe.

I never wanted that feeling to go away.


******************