A/N: This is for my newest fan, LadyDe! Welcome, Milady! :)
Chapter 8
Eli leaned back in the booth and sipped at the cup of coffee in his hand. Sebastian had been right. It WAS pretty good coffee. He had to admit that he’d really enjoyed this date so far. He’d never imagined that he’d like going on a date with Sebastian Versang; the photographer hadn’t really seemed like the romantic type, after all. He’d actually shown a surprising new side of himself to Eli this evening. He studied Sebastian’s face across the tabletop, liking how relaxed the photographer looked. There was even a small smile on his face. The thought that HE was the reason for that smile was a slightly weird one. It made the muscles in his stomach twist, and warmth spread under his breastbone.
He sighed, setting the cup down on the table. “I hate to cut this short,” he began unhappily. “But I’ve got a meeting in the morning.”
Sebastian nodded, accepting this. “I’ll take you home,” he said. “But…will you go out with me again soon?” he asked in a wheedling voice as he rose to his feet and tossed a couple of bills on the table to pay for the coffee and pie.
Eli shook his head, but he was smiling as he did so. “Yes, I will,” he replied. “I really enjoyed myself tonight, Sebastian.”
The photographer grinned in a satisfied sort of way. “Great,” he said as Eli rose to his own feet and they left the diner.
The agent glanced sideways at him as they approached Sebastian’s Jaguar. “You’re really okay with just dropping me off on my doorstep without any sex taking place?” he asked skeptically.
Sebastian shrugged. He opened Eli’s door for him, and the agent got in the car. “I’m not happy about it, but I’m fine with the fact that you’re not ready. I’ve waited this long, pretty much without hope, to get with you. I can wait some more if I have to, so I don’t end up fucking up the only chance I might have to actually get what I want.”
Eli had to admit that he was surprised once again by Sebastian’s patient reasonableness. Love really DID do strange things to people, he mused as Sebastian closed his door and loped around to the driver’s side. It would be interesting to see the changes wrought in Sebastian, caused by his love for Eli.
Sebastian drove him home, and walked down his sidewalk with him to his front door. “Here we are,” he said. “This is where I leave you. I’ll see you
He turned to stare at Sebastian. “What? No goodnight kiss?” he asked.
The photographer’s eyebrows shot up. He stared intently at Eli’s face, to make sure that he was serious. Then a small smile flitted over his face, and he stepped forward and closed his mouth over Eli’s. His kiss was sure, his lips firm, his technique very good. Eli found himself moaning again, and lifting his arms to wind them around the photographer’s neck. Time passed, and he was dazed and bemused when Sebastian finally lifted his head.
The photographer smiled at him. “Goodnight, Eli,” he said softly, then he released the agent and stepped back. He walked away toward his Jaguar, with a spring in his step and a lifted head.
Eli stood and watched him go, a hand lifted to his mouth. What a kiss! His body was hot and throbbing, and his clothes felt too tight. He sighed. If he hadn’t told Sebastian that they were going to move slowly while he figured out his feelings, he could have invited the photographer in tonight. Oh, well. It was going to be a long night tonight…
Eli yawned. He rubbed at his burning eyes, squinting at the papers on his desk. Last night had been, indeed, a long night. He’d tossed and turned all night, his body thoroughly aroused and mad at him. Even a quick jerk off session in the bathroom hadn’t helped much. Damn him for asking for that goodnight kiss last night! Now he was paying the price.
He glanced at the clock on his desk. He was due at Sebastian’s studio in half an hour. He felt both a surge of anticipation and an equal surge of reluctance go through him as he stood up. He really wanted to see Sebastian again, but he was also afraid that his ‘condition’ would get worse when he did so. Ah, well. Sebastian was still his client as well as the guy he was now dating. It wasn’t as though he could avoid him completely.
He walked into the studio, seeing a slender beauty draped over a divan under the lights. She wore a flowing dress and an angry pout. Clearly Sebastian was being his normal self. The photographer said scornfully: “Listen, Kara, I don’t have all day. You’re wasting my time. I could get a wooden block that could stand in for you right now, and show just as much life.”
The woman’s brows snapped down, and her glare was evil. Sebastian nodded. “Keep that face,” he remarked to her. “Open your mouth a little more, and look directly at the camera. Show me how much you hate me. Think about ways you’d like to kill me.”
He began to rapidly take pictures, as Eli shook his head and walked over to fetch a cup of coffee. Sebastian’s assistant Carrie greeted him cheerfully. “Hi, Mr. Drake. How’s it going?”
“Fine, Carrie. How are you?”
“Oh, I’m pretty good today. Mr. Versang’s been in a great mood all morning…”
Eli’s eyebrows lifted in disbelief. “He has?” he asked, glancing over to where the photographer was once again berating the model.
Carrie giggled. “Yes, he has. I know it doesn’t look like it, but he only does that to get the models worked up so they emote better for the camera. He’s been really nice to the rest of us, even me,” she beamed at him as she said this.
“Well, that’s good to hear,” he remarked.
“Yes, and it’s all thanks to you, Mr. Drake!” she said earnestly.
His eyebrows shot up. “Me? What do I have to do with it?”
She giggled. “Oh, come on, Mr. Drake! You’re dating Mr. Versang, aren’t you?” she said shrewdly.
Astonished, he just stood and gaped at her for a second. She grinned at him. “How do you know that?” he asked weakly.
She tilted her head to the side. “It’s pretty obvious,” she said. “It didn’t take me long to figure out that Mr. Versang was totally into you, and what else could improve his mood so drastically than you agreeing to go out with him?”
“Oh, I see,” he replied, feeling like he’d just wandered into the Twilight Zone.
She laughed merrily. “Hey, I’m a girl, Mr. Drake. We’re usually pretty good at spotting those kind of things. So, did you guys go out last night?” she asked avidly.
“Well, yes, we did. We went to dinner and a photo gallery that was showing some of Sebastian’s works.”
“Oh, cool! Did you have a good time?”
“Actually, yes. I did.”
“Are you going out together again anytime soon?”
“We haven’t discussed it yet, but I’d like to,” he told her.
“Well, discuss it, discuss it! All of us around here will love you forever if you do,” she added with a wide grin.
He found himself chuckling. I’ll try my best to make you all happy,” he said dryly.
She nodded as though that should be a given. He shook his own head, as Sebastian finished what he was doing and stomped over to them in a state of high disgust and ire. “Hey, Eli,” he said.
“Hey, Sebastian. Bad day?”
“Hah! Typical day, more like.” the photographer remarked sourly. “Can I get a cup of coffee,” Carrie?” he said to the girl.
“Right away, Mr. Versang,” she said.
“Great, thanks.”
He became aware that Eli was staring at him with his mouth slightly open. He lifted his brows a little. “What?”
The agent pulled himself together visibly. “I’ve just…never seen you say ‘thank you’ to anybody for getting you a cup of coffee before,” Eli replied in bemusement.
A shrug. “Oh, well. Maybe you’re rubbing off on me, Eli,” he said with a crooked smile.
The agent felt the muscles in his stomach contract at the image that Sebastian’s words pulled up in his head. He had a sudden vision of rubbing himself all over Sebastian, and gulped as his mouth went dry. The photographer stared at him, looking first puzzled and then suddenly wicked. His dark eyes gleamed with an unholy light, and he dropped his voice so that no one else could hear them. “Would you like to rub off on me, Eli?” he purred.
The agent pulled at his tie, which seemed to be strangling him. He couldn’t have answered if his life depended on it. Sebastian chuckled at his expression, his voice deeper than normal and full of triumphant amusement. “Nice to see that I get to you,” he said. “Because you’ve so thoroughly gotten to me already, Eli. I mean, I gave up having sex because I fell in love with you. Do you know how amazing that is? You’re just that special,” he added, and his words made Eli melt into a puddle of mush right there in the middle of the studio.
Sebastian took a step toward him, and Eli knew that the photographer intended to kiss him in spite of all of the people standing around the studio. He felt breathless anticipation surge through him. He wanted it. He wanted to be kissed right here and now, out in the open, for everyone to see. He didn’t care what anyone thought. His mouth opened a bit, and he waited.
But just then, Carrie returned with Sebastian’s cup of coffee. She handed it to him with a smile. “There you go, Mr. Versang,” she said cheerfully. “Just the way you like it.”
A pained look crossed Sebastian’s face. “Thank you, Carrie,” he said through gritted teeth.
Eli felt disappointment ripple through him as Carrie gave Sebastian a puzzled look. He’d really wanted that kiss. His body was throbbing a little, and he wanted to whimper at the tight pinch of his trousers at his groin. While he still wasn’t sure whether he loved Sebastian Versang yet, he definitely knew that he wanted the other man. A lot. But he couldn’t just jump into bed with him, not until he knew one way or the other how he truly felt about Sebastian. Because it wouldn’t be fair to the photographer for him to just use him for sex, not when Sebastian was in love with him. So he’d continue to date Sebastian for now, with no sex involved, until he made up his mind about how he really felt about Sebastian. Even though it would be very hard to do so without just jumping the man. Very hard indeed…
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