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 Good, he rasped.  Keep going.
Didn t need to tell me twice. I added another slippery digit and began stretching
him slowly, until he had to shove his fist in his mouth to stifle his groans. My cock
throbbed in sympathy. It wanted in.  You ready?
 You have to ask?
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Cat Grant
I d never rolled a condom on so fast in my life. An extra squirt of lube to smooth my
way and I was ready. I pressed the crown of my dick against Trev s hole and pushed.
Took a moment or two before I breached it, then, amazingly, I sank in balls-deep.
Oh, sweet fucking Jesus. It felt as if I d just plunged into a burning house. Every last
breath of air had been sucked out of the room. Trev gripped me so damn tight I was
afraid to move. But I had to. There was no stopping this now.
I wasn t sure how long it lasted. Time telescoped and collapsed in on itself,
speeding up, winding down then finally speeding up again, until I slumped across
Trev s sweat-soaked back, my teeth sunk into his shoulder as I exploded inside him.
We lay there recovering for what felt like an eternity. At last Trev stirred, giving me
a not so subtle elbow in the ribs.
I rolled onto the mattress with a grunt, every muscle protesting. My head rang like
a struck bell. I never got this wrung out after sex with a client. I d never felt much of
anything after sex with a client.
But God, this felt fucking wonderful.
Poor Trev looked just as wiped as I probably did.  You okay? I murmured,
ruffling his thoroughly mussed hair.  Hope things didn t get too out of hand.
 Nah. Probably won t be able to walk for the next couple days, but aside from that,
I feel great. He grinned.  And for the record, I came like a freight train.
 I assume that means it was worth waiting for?
 Oh yeah. He leaned in for a slow, deep kiss.  Most definitely.
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The First Real Thing
Chapter Five
Sunday, May 30th, 9:43 a.m.
Trev left early this morning to catch his plane back to Toronto. He s probably in the
air right now.
I got up and made him coffee and a bagel before he had to go. Thought we d have
the usual morning-after regrets, but we didn t. We kissed goodbye and he said he d call
the next time he was in town. We left it at that.
Maybe he will, maybe he won t. Either way, I m fine with it. I really am.
* * * * *
There were three messages on my phone, all from clients. I didn t feel like
answering them. I didn t feel like doing much of anything.
My muscles still ached, so I blew off my workout and sacked out on the couch with
the Sunday Times and a latte potent enough to prop open my droopy eyelids. But by the
time I d worked my way through the entertainment section, I d already started to nod
off.
Next thing I knew, my watch read a quarter  til one and I could ve easily fallen back
asleep. But if I wasted all day napping on the couch, I wouldn t sleep tonight. I needed
to get out of here for a while, get some fresh air and recharge my batteries.
So I showered, got dressed and headed out for a walk. The warm sun beat down on
my face and arms, brightening my mood considerably. I walked and walked, first
south, then west, until I got tired and flagged down a cab.
That cab ended up dropping me in front of Ted and Garrett s apartment at Sixth
and Twenty-Fourth, a few blocks up from the Icon. I rang the bell four times before I
heard faint shuffling footsteps on the other side of the door.
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Cat Grant
Poor Garrett looked like he d been dragged through a knothole backward, but his
face lit up as soon as he saw me.  Well, this is a surprise.
 I know, I know, I should ve called first. Sorry about that.
 No need for apologies. Come in. I couldn t help noticing how badly his hands
shook as I stepped past him into the foyer. I d forgotten he had Parkinson s. The
symptoms hadn t been this bad the last time I d seen him. How long ago was it? Six
months? Nine?
He d always been a rather slight, delicate-looking man but now his chinos and
royal blue cardigan hung on him. His hair had grown thinner too and grayer. He used
to sweep into the bar like a force of nature, smiling and charming the pants off
everyone, the dashing matinee idol to Ted s big, burly bear. Now he looked like his own
father.
The apartment hadn t changed much same elegant antique furniture, photos
lining the walls. They had an impressive collection, including a couple of
Mapplethorpes. I noticed a few empty spaces that hadn t been there last time. It made
my heart ache to think of them selling off their treasures, the legacy of a shared lifetime.
They d owned the Icon for close to thirty years, for Christ s sake. Almost as long as I d
been alive.
Ted was in the living room, huddled in a chair near the front window with a
blanket wrapped around him and Chester, their ten-year-old Chihuahua, curled in his
lap.  L-look who d-decided to sh-show up, he said in his trademark rumble.  Glad I-
I m s-still h-here to s-see you.
 Me too. I pasted on my best smile and bent down to hug him. Time was, my arms
could barely fit around his barrel chest. Now he felt like a still-breathing sack of skin
and bones. Still wheezing, more like. The cancer had taken an irascible, lovable
mountain of a man and eaten him alive.
 S-so, he went on,  must ve been a st-stiff breeze that b-blew you up h-here from
that f-fancy-ass n-neighborhood you m-moved to.
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The First Real Thing
I dragged over an ottoman and sat down.  You know I visit your establishment
every fucking weekend. I haven t forgotten where I came from.
 I-I know, kid. Chester woke up, gave me the big hairy eyeball, yawned then went
back to sleep. Ted scratched him absently behind the ears, glancing out the window.
 You m-moved on, but you g-got no regrets. T-That s the only w-way to live.
 Well, I wouldn t go that far, but& yeah, I guess I ve done okay.
 Y-you re one s-smart kid, you know t-that? Not too m-many people c-could b-
build a g-good l-life out of what y-you s-started with.
I grinned.  All those years you busted my balls and now you re getting all mushy
on me? What s going on here?
 I-I don t h-have much t-time left. Got t-to get it all off my c-chest now. As if on
cue, he started to cough until it doubled him over and sent Chester running. His hand
came away from his mouth streaked with blood. He sat there staring at it until Garrett
rushed in. He knelt beside Ted s chair and they whispered for a few moments.
Finally Garrett turned to me and said,  I m sorry, but he s very tired. These
coughing spells take a lot out of him.
 Not a problem. I stood.  Do you need my help with anything before I go?
 No, he ll be fine sleeping here in his chair until the caregiver comes.
I went over and gave Ted a kiss on the forehead. His eyelids fluttered, but other
than that, he didn t move. Garrett showed me to the foyer and paused before opening
the door. He was barely holding it together. The skin under his eyes looked like bruised
tissue paper.
 Thank you for coming, he said softly.  It means a lot to him. And to me.
I d only intended to shake his hand but ended up with my arms around him.
 Mike s got my number. Call if you need anything, all right?
He nodded, his fingers trembling as he gave my shoulder a squeeze.  I will.
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Cat Grant
I started walking again. Twenty minutes later I walked through the front door of
the Icon. Sundays weren t usually that busy but there were a few customers gathered at
the far end of the bar, watching baseball on the thirty-two-inch plasma screen.
I slung myself onto a stool and stared Mike right in the face.  You re still here?
 Where the hell else would I be? Everybody knows I got no life. Want a beer?
 Please. He set a Rolling Rock in front of me. I took a long pull, following it up
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