Disclaimer: Only the characters that I created belong to me

WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

by Guardian

Warning: THIS STORY CONTAINS SCENES OF GRAPHIC TORTURE AND NON-CONSENSUAL M/M SEX. IT IS VIOLENT, DARK AND DISTURBING. IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEM WITH THIS, PLEASE DON'T READ ANY FURTHER.

"I'm sorry, Mark, but I've already got plans."
Jesse Travis had to force himself to decline his mentor's most tempting invitation to celebrate the approaching July 4th holiday at the beach house and Mark would never know just how difficult it had been for his young friend to do that.
Spending the day at the beach house would mean spending the day with Steve. And, under normal circumstances, Jesse would have sold his soul to do just that. He loved the tall, handsome detective.
Not that Steve had any idea about how he felt. Jesse would have been mortified if he thought that Steve even suspected such a thing. He was happy to keep their relationship firmly at the level of friendship and to just enjoy the time they were able to spend together. That and his own private fantasies.
But, on that particular day, he had to decline Mark's kind invitation. He had just started to try and rebuild his relationship with his dad. What they had between them was tenuous at best, but now they had the chance to try and rid themselves of some of the ghosts of the past. They planned to start by spending the holiday together.
No definite arrangements had been made. Dane had vaguely mentioned dinner, followed by one of the spectacular fireworks displays, so abundant in LA at that time of year. And Jesse had readily agreed, not caring where they went, just wanting to have the time to get to know his father a little better.

*****

Jesse sighed heavily and swirled the remnants of his drink in the bottom of his glass. He really should have known better, but that didn't make his disappointment hurt him any less.
Dane had cancelled. At the very last possible moment - so late, in fact, that Jesse was already sitting in the restaurant waiting for him - he had sent a message saying that he had been tied up at work.
Jesse hadn't even bothered eating. He was so upset that he'd stormed from the restaurant searching only for a place to drown his sorrows.
It briefly crossed his mind that it wasn't too late for him to show up at the beach house. Mark would have made him more than welcome, especially under the circumstances. But he didn't think he would be able to endure his friends' pitying looks, their sympathetic smiles, when his disappointment was still so fresh and raw in his mind.
But nor did he want to spend the night alone. It was July 4th and LA was filled with carefree revellers. He didn't want to go home and brood, he had spent way too many holidays that way, before he'd met Mark and the warm circle of friends that he now held closer than his true family.
And so he found himself in a club - a club used exclusively by homosexual men - quietly enjoying the anonymity it afforded him. It was a place he'd visited before, a place where he didn't have to pretend. Where he could flaunt his preference for men, without hiding behind the facade of doctor, best friend and potential disappointment to the people he loved the most.
Jesse sat at the bar, nursing his drink and thinking melancholy thoughts. He was so absorbed in his musings that he failed to notice the man who sat down next to him.
"I don't think I've seen you here before," a strange voice said.
As chat-up lines went, it was lame, feeble and shouldn't have even dragged Jesse away from his morbid contemplation of his drink. But, for some reason, the young doctor looked up. Then found himself caught, and held, by a pair of beautiful blue eyes.
Unable to help himself, Jesse's gaze took in the rest of the man. Visibly older than him, he was tall, broad-shouldered, with short fair hair and a relaxed, casual sexiness.
"You don't look like you're much in the mood for this weekend's fireworks." The man smiled and Jesse's breath caught in his throat, as he felt the thrill of instant attraction.
The young doctor allowed himself a small smile in return, then his gaze dropped back down to his almost empty glass. He really wasn't very good at this whole pick-up thing. However, the other man obviously was.
"Let me get you another drink," he suggested. "Then, if you don't want to talk to me, do you mind if I just sit and brood along with you? There's been a distinct lack of fireworks in my life lately, too."
And that was how Jesse met Michael Temple.

*****

They'd gone home together that very first night, back to Jesse's apartment. Michael skilfully plied the young doctor with drink and then made his every suggestion seem like it was Jesse's own idea.
That night they had shared a bed. And Jesse, alone for so long had revelled in the attention, the passion, the love that had been offered to him.
When he awoke the next morning, scarcely daring to believe what had happened, it was to find that warm body still next to his. They had made love again, slowly and sensuously, getting to know each other intimately and making promises that they could only hope to keep.
Jesse was lost. He had craved such attention for so long, he gladly gave himself to the first man who offered it to him.
So began their whirlwind romance. It had been blissful to begin with, as they spent every possible moment together. Michael constantly lavished praise upon his much younger lover and bought him endless gifts. In a matter of days Jesse, who had always worn his heart on his sleeve, was hopelessly in love.

*****

Then one day, barely a month into their relationship, Jesse got delayed at the hospital after a bridge had collapsed and was late meeting Michael. He'd tried calling, but was unable to get through to his lover. Unable to do anything about it, he had got on with treating the myriad of casualties that streamed through the doors of the ER and tried not to think about what he should have been doing.
He had arranged to meet Michael in a cafe not far from the hospital and, as Jesse drove there after finally ending his extended shift, his stomach churned with dread at the thought that his lover would not have waited.
His fears, however, proved to be groundless. As he turned the corner, approaching the cafe, he saw Michael on the sidewalk, pacing restlessly. Jesse's heart leapt at the sight and he completely failed to notice the anger that radiated from the other man as he paced.
Pulling up alongside him, Jesse leaned over to open the passenger door and Michael slid in, glaring at him with blazing eyes.
"Is this how it's gonna be, Jesse?" Michael demanded, catching hold of his wrist in a vice-like grip. "I don't mean anything to you? You'll just leave me stranded, for hours on end? No wonder you were on your own."
He had released Jesse then and made to get out of the car. But Jesse panicked, remembering just how lonely he had been before this man came into his life, and reached out after him.
"Michael, I'm sorry," he cried, unwilling to endure that loneliness again. He didn't bother attempting the excuses that he knew would only fall on deaf ears. "Please, just give me another chance."
The blow came without warning. One minute Michael had his back to him, preparing to get out of the car, the next the flat of his hand had connected with Jesse's face.
"I can't play second fiddle," he snapped, his hands catching hold of Jesse's wrists. "I am first in your life, or I am not in your life at all."
Jesse stared at him, ignoring the pain that his lover's grip was causing. His lover. He remembered how Michael had kissed him, had touched him, had told him that he loved him. He had wanted this for too long to give it up for the sake of a mere argument.
"I'm sorry," he whispered again.
And Michael, using the grip he still had on his young lover's wrists, pulled him into a hard and passionate kiss.
Jesse melted into it, totally unable to help himself. As their tongues entwined, his hands were released and he felt Michael reach down and rub at his rapidly growing cock.
"Let's take this home," Jesse breathed, his face flushed with arousal.

*****

"Dad, have you any idea just what the Hell is wrong with Jesse these days?" Steve asked, with mild irritation in his voice. It was late, he was tired and he had just got home after being called out to BBQ Bob's to sort out a problem - where he'd been told that his young partner was not answering his phone.
"I wish I knew," Mark answered, on a sigh. At Steve's inquiring glance, he hastened to add: "Oh, there's nothing wrong with his work, but I hardly ever seem to see him any more. I couldn't tell you the last time that we just sat down and had a chat."
"So it's not just me then." With an annoyed scowl, Steve sank into the chair opposite his father. "He hasn't been seen at Bob's in over a week. He's just been delegating all of his shifts. I figured it was because he was putting in extra time at the hospital."
"Not guilty!" Mark retorted, holding his hands up in mock surrender. "He's doing his regular shifts and barely a minute more."
"Then he's avoiding me," Steve muttered, then had to quickly cast his mind back to make sure that he'd said nothing that might have offended his young friend the last time they'd spoken. The trouble was that he could barely remember when that had been.
"Not just you." His father sounded equally put out. "I told you, it just doesn't seem like he's around any more."
"You think he's in trouble?"
"I don't know." Mark paused as he thought about the last few times that he had met with his young protégé. "I don't think so. Maybe he seems a little… distracted, but… Well, whatever it is, I fully intend to find out."
"Do you have a plan?"
"You know that it's Amanda's birthday a week Saturday?" Mark smiled at him, benignly. "Well, I intend to have a little party for her, right here at the beach house. And that is one invitation that Jesse will be unable to refuse."

*****

Jesse had been surprisingly hesitant about accepting Mark's offer to the party that he had planned for Amanda on ridiculously short notice. His reaction had both disturbed and alarmed his mentor but, in the end, he had been unable to come up with a viable excuse for not going. And he liked Amanda too much to even consider simply not turning up.
His reluctance had stemmed from the fact that he hadn't known how to broach the subject of the party with Michael. He certainly didn't want to invite his lover to tag along. But, in the end, that dilemma had been taken away from him by Michael's fortuitous announcement that he intended to spend that particular Saturday doing a stock-take at the hardware shop that he owned. After that, Jesse hadn't even felt the need to mention the party.
Normally, the news that Michael wasn't going to be around on his day off would have disappointed Jesse immensely. On those rare occasions that his lover didn't spend the night at his apartment - having gradually, insidiously moved so many of his things in that he was practically living there - the young doctor found that he missed him with a desperation that almost scared him.
But Michael must have assumed that he was working that day - he did work most weekends after all - and Jesse did nothing to deny that belief. That way, he could show his face at Amanda's party - fulfill his duties as a friend - and still be home before his lover.
As a plan, it was perfect. He really should have known that perfection has a nasty way of letting you down.

*****

"I thought the whole idea of this get-together was to find out just what's wrong with Jesse," Steve hissed, as he quite deliberately bumped into his dad outside the bathroom - one of the few places where they could have a little privacy.
"No," Mark whispered in response. "The idea was to celebrate Amanda's birthday. Finding out what's wrong with Jesse is an added bonus."
"Not much of a bonus if you don't get any answers," the detective grumbled. As yet, his dad had only exchanged pleasantries and made meaningless small-talk with their young friend.
"I'm just waiting for the right time," Mark protested. "Besides, I don't see you doing any better."
"Well I'm still mad at him." Steve's tone belied those words. While he had been more than a little annoyed by Jesse's continued absence from BBQ Bob's, his concern that there might be something seriously wrong had overshadowed that annoyance.
"Look," Mark said as the two of them wandered back into the lounge, still keeping their voices low. "He's just gone out onto the deck. What say we double-team him?"
Pausing only to exchange the occasional pleasantry with some of the other guests, they wound their way through the throng and outside. Jesse was leaning on the rail, looking out over the ocean. It was a pose that he'd often struck before, but there was something about his posture that made father and son exchange a meaningful glance.
"Hey, Jess." It was Steve who started the ball rolling. "Not in the mood for a party?"
Jesse actually jumped at the sound of his friend's voice. In spite of Mark and Steve's concern, he had been having a great time. He was truly fond of Amanda and was delighted that Mark had done this for her - and that he had decided to be a part of it. She deserved to be the centre of attention and Jesse had enjoyed watching her revelling in the moment.
And, when he wasn't watching her, he had been surreptitiously watching Steve. In fact, he had enjoyed that particular pastime so much that he'd had to step out onto the deck to try and gain some semblance of control.
Then Steve had followed him out and he almost lost said control. He whirled around to face him, a bright blush suffusing his cheeks. It was with relief that he noticed Mark standing alongside the detective. He didn't know if he could have handled being alone with Steve at that particular moment.
"Oh, uh… no," he stammered, realising that both men were still awaiting an answer to the question Steve had asked. "I mean, yes... I mean… It's a great party, Mark. Really it is. I just… I just wanted to get some air."
"Jesse, are you feeling alright?" Mark took a step forward, reaching out to feel the young man's forehead to check for any sign of a temperature.
"I'm fine," Jesse protested, pulling away with an irritated little scowl. "I just needed… It got a bit…"
"Jess, will you just tell us what's wrong with you?" Impatient as ever, Steve cut straight to the chase.
"Wrong? Nothing's wrong." At which point both men knew he was lying. The reply had been all too innocent.
"So how about you start by telling us where you've been hiding?" Steve continued, sounding for all the world like he was interrogating a suspect. "What are you doing with your free time these days? You're never here, you've not been answering your phone."
"You… You tried to call?" Jesse asked in a small voice.
"Not me." Steve's words dashed any hope that he might have dared to nurture. "The staff at Bob's. Speaking of which - Why haven't you been covering your shifts? Aren't we in this together? Running a business isn't about just letting your staff do all of the work. You've gotta start pulling your weight, Jess."
The rest of the lecture died on his lips, as Jesse gave him the most stricken, remorseful look. Steve's heart melted. His young friend had such an expressive face, was always so open and honest, Steve truly believed that he could read him like a book. It was just one of the things that he loved about Jesse - one of the many, many things.

*****

For a long, long moment, Jesse stood - literally frozen - by his friend's words. A fresh wave of guilt swept up to assail him and he felt his blush deepening. He realised that he had been so obsessed with Michael that he had - with the exception of work - completely neglected the rest of his life. And he had let down Steve in the process.
"I'm sorry," he murmured eventually, but then found that he had no answer to Steve's tirade, no excuse that he could give.
"Jess…"
"Hey guys!" Amanda's bright voice from the doorway interrupted whatever Steve had been about to say. "What's..?" Her smile faded as she sensed the tension emanating from all three men, but from Jesse in particular. "Is something wrong?"
"No." Jesse forced a smile. On top of everything else, he didn't want to be responsible for spoiling her party. "We were just…" He shot a look towards Steve, praying that he would let the matter drop - at least for today. "Talking business. I know we shouldn't. I'm sorry."
"Yeah," Steve added, recognising and accepting his friend's silent plea. "We're sorry. Come on, let's get back inside. Isn't there supposed to be a party going on?"
Mark and Steve each took hold of Amanda's arms and escorted her back inside, but Jesse lingered for a moment longer.
He thought about what Steve had said and knew that it was the truth, but he couldn't see how he could fulfill his obligation to the business when he hadn't even told Michael about the restaurant.
And that in itself gave him cause to wonder. Why hadn't he told Michael about BBQ Bob's? For the same reason that he hadn't mentioned the party. He didn't want his lover to know anything about Steve Sloan. If only he wasn't so transparent, then it wouldn't have been a problem. But he knew how expressive his face was, knew how easy he was to read and that Michael would see his feelings for Steve in a heartbeat. He was only surprised - and immensely grateful - that Steve himself hadn't seen the same thing.
"Jesse?"
Mark's voice cut through his musings. The older doctor had paused in the doorway and was looking at him questioningly, clearly wondering why he wasn't following them back inside. With another forced smile, Jesse went back to the party.
Things improved dramatically from then on. Amanda, sensing that something wasn't quite right, completely monopolized his time. She talked to him and made him laugh - and ensured that neither Mark nor Steve had the chance to ambush him and talk 'business' again.
Jesse began to relax and simply enjoy the party. He pushed all thought of Michael from his mind - his dilemma over the restaurant could be resolved on another day - and he completely lost all track of the time.
His intention to make his excuses and duck out early was completely forgotten and he didn't realise just how late it was until somebody pointed out the beauty of the sun setting over the ocean.
"Oh God," he murmured. Michael had only been doing a stock-take and he most certainly would have been home by now. He turned to Amanda and smiled brightly, trying to hide his trepidation. "I'm sorry, but I've really gotta go. I've, uh… I've got to be somewhere."
And he was out of the door before she had time to respond.

*****

As Jesse pulled up outside his apartment, he noticed that the lights were on. His fears had proved correct and Michael had indeed beaten him home.
He felt strangely nervous as he mounted the steps, remembering how furious his lover had been when he had been late meeting him once before and he tried to think of a viable excuse for his absence.
Any thought he might have had of lying to his lover was instantly forgotten when he entered his apartment. He barely had time to register something flying through the air towards him - but he somehow managed to jerk his head out of the way of the object. An empty tumbler sailed past his ear, to shatter against the wall behind him.
"Where the fuck have you been?" Michael demanded.
Jesse's heart almost stopped as he realised that his lover had been drinking again - and drinking heavily. It was obvious from the flush on his face, the slurring of his words. And the absolute fury that emanated from him as he stalked across the room.
"I…" The young doctor still couldn't bring himself to tell the truth. He just didn't want his lover to know how he had spent his day - nor what a truly wonderful time he'd had.
"Don't try to tell me that you were at work." As Michael continued to advance, Jesse unconsciously backed away - until he was firmly pressed up against the front door. Michael towered over him. "I called the hospital. You had the day off - the whole day. So where have you fucking been?"
Jesse swallowed dryly. This was a side of Michael that he'd never seen before. Though it had often threatened, it had never fully emerged.
"I… We…" The doctor struggled to stammer out an explanation. He couldn't understand his lover's fury, they had not made any plans for that day. "I thought you were working."
"That's not a fucking answer!" Michael roared. He lashed out at the man who cowered beneath him - this time with a closed fist - and caught him a solid blow on the side of the head.
Tears filled Jesse's eyes - tears of shock as well as pain.
"I'm sorry," he muttered, shrinking even further away from his aggressor. "My friends… They… There was this party…"
"A party?" Much to Jesse's relief, the older man whirled away from him and went to fix himself another drink. When he realised that he'd smashed his glass when he'd thrown it at Jesse, he took a long swig straight from the bottle. "I've been here worrying about you and you've been at a fucking party?"
Any response Jesse might have made died in his throat as he absorbed those words. Michael had been worried about him and that was why he was so angry. A sudden rush of guilt flooded through him.
"But I never knew you…" He began trying to explain, but trailed off as the other man's fury did not decrease at all. "I'm sorry," he said instead.
Forcing himself to his feet - and on legs that still felt somewhat shaky - Jesse took a tentative step forward. "I'm sorry," he whispered, again.
But Michael kept his back to him and shook his head tightly.
"Are you trying to tell me something, Jess?" he snarled. "Like maybe you don't want me around any more? That you don't like my company any more?"
"No!"
"Didn't you ever stop to think that I might have liked to have gone to your party with you?" Michael continued, finally spinning around to look at him. "To meet your friends? What's the matter, Jess? Don't you want me to meet them? Do you think I might embarrass you or something?"
"No." The denial was automatic and it was also a lie.
He didn't want his friends to meet Michael, for them to have to endure the stream of filth - the countless unnecessary obscenities - that often poured from his lover's mouth, particularly when the alcohol flowed too freely.
But there were also other reasons, much deeper and more sinister. None of the people at that party, either friend or colleague, knew that he was gay. None of them so much as suspected it and he was desperate for it to stay that way.
Too often in the past, ugly, hateful prejudice had ruined what he'd thought to be perfectly solid friendships and he wasn't about to risk that happening again.
So he hadn't invited Michael around to Mark's. Only now he had cause to deeply regret it.
"It was just guys from work," Jesse continued with the lie, moving ever closer to the other man. "I thought you'd have been bored. We just talked shop. Honestly, Michael, I really am sorry."
"Then at least tell me that you missed me."
Jesse closed the remaining gap between them and enveloped his lover in a hug - silently thankful that the drunken, enraged monster was gone and the kind, thoughtful man that he knew so well had returned.
"Of course I missed you," he murmured, nuzzling the older man's neck. "With all of my heart."

*****

"What's wrong?" Michael murmured as, much later, they lay in bed together.
Jesse didn't know what to say. He'd tried hard to forget about the way Michael had lost his temper and lashed out at him, had hit him so hard that the bruise was already visible, but he couldn't. For a very short while he had been truly terrified of his lover and that did not bode well for their relationship.
He was quiet, pensive, all evening as he wondered what he should do. He knew in his heart that he should end it, now, before it went too far - but he also knew that he couldn't. He had been so lonely before Michael came along and he really didn't want to have to face that again.
So he lied to himself, telling himself that the whole incident was just a one off and conveniently forgetting about the time that Michael had slapped him in his car. He told himself that it had only happened because he had lied to and deceived the older man. That Michael had only been angry because he had been so worried and that he, Jesse, should have been grateful to have a lover who cared so much.
Somehow, he convinced himself that he and Michael did have a future together - just so long as he was careful never to do anything so stupid again.
"I'm fine," he muttered in response to his lover's question, snuggling closer to him. Michael's arms encircled his waist.
"So tell me about the party," the older man said. "Tell me about your friends."
"Well," Jesse was genuinely surprised by the question. "It was at Mark's house. Mark Sloan, my boss. I've told you about him. And, well, it was pretty much just doctors mostly. Oh and Steve."
"Steve?" Michael's embrace tightened possessively. "You've never mentioned a Steve before."
"Oh, he's just Mark's son," Jesse replied glibly, when in truth Steve was so much more than that. "He's a homicide detective and…" he paused. Now was the perfect opportunity to bring up the subject of Bob's, but he couldn't force the words out. "He's a pretty good friend."
"And that's it? A houseful of doctors and one cop?"
Michael's hands were busy, moving steadily - caressing Jesse's chest and teasing at his nipples. Unconsciously, the young doctor pulled away ever so slightly.
"What's the matter, Jess?" There was hurt in the older man's voice. "Aren't you in the mood? Or was there more to this party than you're letting on? Should I be jealous?"
"No!" Jesse protested quickly. He couldn't face any more questions, knowing that he was likely to give himself away - especially if Steve's name was mentioned again.
Forcing himself to relax, he surrendered to Michael's caresses when, in truth, the last thing he felt like doing was having sex. The older man still reeked of whiskey, but the memory of his violent outburst was the biggest turn-off of all.
"Come on, Jess." Michael's touch was less than gentle, as the younger man remained completely unresponsive to his efforts to arouse him. "Don't I turn you on any more?"
Jesse closed his eyes and pictured Steve, imagined his strong hands touching him so intimately and his fantasy began to have the desired effect.
"I've been thinking," Michael murmured, nuzzling Jesse's ear. "We don't want to get boring, do we? We don't want to turn into some old married couple. How would you feel about a little fantasy?"
Jesse froze. It was as though Michael had read his mind.
"Wh… What..?" he stammered.
"I don't know." Michael's lips began to trail down his chest. "Maybe some role-playing." Turning Jesse onto his side, he began to prepare him for penetration. "Maybe a little bondage… What do you think?"
"I…" Jesse gasped as his lover entered him and at the same time began fisting his cock. He wanted to protest vehemently at the suggestion of bondage, terrified at what his lover might do if he were tied up and helpless, but instead he found himself completely unable to answer as Michael began thrusting into him, pounding against his prostate and bringing him to the heights of desire.
They didn't reach fruition together, they seldom did any more. As Michael came, he released his grip on Jesse's cock and lost himself in his orgasm. Jesse, by now aching with need, was left to bring himself off. Michael didn't even notice.
Jesse sighed bitterly as he headed to the bathroom to clean himself up. Maybe his lover was right - maybe they would benefit from a little sexual fantasy. Heaven knew, his sex life was in definite need of spicing up.

*****

"So, Jesse, where did you disappear to in such a…" Mark's words trailed off as his young friend turned to face him and he saw the ugly bruise that coloured his temple. "What happened?"
"I um…" Jesse let out a nervous giggle. "I slipped… Getting out of the shower… Hit my head…"
"Are you alright?" Mark was instantly concerned by the hesitant tone. "That looks nasty. Have you put some ice on it?"
"Hey, I'm a doctor." Jesse tried to make light of the situation, all the while hating himself for having to lie to his friend. "It's fine, really. I'm okay."
"Jesse, are you sure?"
For one brief, agonising moment, Jesse considered confiding in his dear friend - of telling him exactly what had happened when he'd returned home from Amanda's party - but common sense prevailed. He could just picture the look on his mentor's face as he said the words: No, Mark I'm not okay. My boyfriend beat me up last night. Oh, I'm sorry, did I never mention that I'm gay?
"Honestly," he said, opting for the easy answer - even if it was another lie. "I'm fine."
Mark frowned, utterly unconvinced and tried a change of tactics.
"You know, Steve's a little concerned," he said, silently adding that he was too. "When we all first bought into BBQ Bob's, you were so keen. I think he's starting to wonder if maybe you've gone off the whole idea. You certainly don't seem to spend as much time there any more."
"It's not that I…" Jesse was suddenly unable to meet the older man's eyes. "I'm not trying to avoid my responsibilities, Mark. It's just that I…" His agitation grew. "I don't have the… That is, I…" Eventually, his restless gaze settled on the floor between his feet. "Is he… Does Steve want me to sell my share?"
"Oh, Jesse." Mark heard the quiet, desperate hurt in the young man's voice and his heart went out to him. More and more, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong, but nor could he figure out just what it was. "Of course he doesn't," he continued reassuringly. "He loves having you as a partner. I think he just needs to know that you're still committed to the…"
"Dad! Jesse!" Steve's voice cut through anything else he might have said and both doctors looked up, as he wound his way towards them.
Mark could tell - from the set of the detective's jaw - that he had been brooding over the situation at BBQ Bob's and had come to the hospital with the sole intention of having it out with his young friend. And he also knew that now was most definitely not the right time.
"Could you give us a minute?" He asked his protégé. Then, without waiting for an answer, he moved quickly to intercept his son.

*****

Three days passed without Jesse even seeing Steve and for that he was truly sorry. Even if the detective had only been there to give him another lecture, at least they would have been together. He could have watched him, could have seen the flash of fire - indicative of hidden passion - in his eyes, could have imagined those mobile lips pressing against his.
Sighing heavily at the sheer idiocy of his love for the taciturn - and undoubtedly straight - detective, Jesse let himself into his apartment. He forced a smile as he tried to forget Steve and concentrate his wealth of affection on a man who at least loved him - even if he was a poor substitute for Steve Sloan.
Jesse slipped his jacket off, wondering why Michael had the lights turned down so low. As he turned around, he caught a glimpse of movement and, squinting into the gloom, he could just make out the vague outline of his lover.
Gradually, the young doctor's eyes adjusted to the light and his jaw dropped as Michael stepped closer to him. His lover was dressed in a police uniform, complete with cap. And handcuffs.
"You're under arrest," Michael murmured, throatily. "Turn around and face the wall."
Still more than a little dazed, Jesse did as he was ordered, placing his hands on the wall and spreading his legs. His breath quickened as Michael began to frisk him, hands roaming over his chest, then moving down to linger on his inner thighs.
Michael stood up and took hold of Jesse's arms and the younger man tensed as a cold pair of handcuffs encircled his wrists, then secured his hands behind his back.
"You have the right to remain silent." Michael's voice was low and husky in his ear, as he placed a gentle kiss on the side of Jesse's neck.
Jesse moaned softly, his shock being quickly replaced by arousal. He didn't know how Michael had done it, but he was playing out one of his ultimate fantasies. Only in his fantasy, it wasn't his current lover who restrained him.
Michael spun him around to face him, his deft fingers undoing his shirt, his mouth moving swiftly to tease at his nipples. Jesse leaned his head back into the wall and let his pleasure take over.
"Oh my," Michael breathed, as he rubbed up against his young lover, feeling the swell of his erection against his own. "It normally takes you longer than this."
It was true. It was taking Jesse longer and longer to get aroused, mostly due to his growing doubts about the man who now caressed him. But those doubts were no longer of any concern to the young doctor. His eyes closed, he bit his lip, enjoying the sensations that coursed through him. He felt Michael's hands at his belt, undoing his pants and lowering the zip. He shifted his hips slightly. Then a warm hand slipped inside his shorts and began to gently stroke the shaft of his throbbing cock.
"Maybe we should do this more often."
Michael's voice was muffled, as his eager lips slid torturously slowly down the young man's body, before eventually replacing the hand that caressed Jesse's manhood.
Jesse wasn't listening, lost in the world of his own fantasy. His breath hitched in his throat, as he felt a hot mouth close over his cock and began to lick and suck, inch by inch taking in his entire length.
"God," he hissed, feeling his balls tighten, his orgasm imminent.
This was everything he'd ever dreamed of and then some. The man on his knees before him was taller than him, older than him, fair-haired and blue-eyed. And, tonight, he was a cop. Steve.
As a feeling of absolute and utter ecstasy surged through him, Jesse gave in to the sensation and succumbed to blissful release. The orgasm which ripped through him in wave after hot, pulsating wave, was better than he could have ever imagined possible.
Unable to help himself, a cry escaped his lips.
"Steve!"

*****

Jesse collapsed onto the carpet as Michael's fist connected with the side of his face. Still caught up in the throes of his exquisite orgasm, the pain didn't immediately register, nor did the reason why his lover had suddenly struck him so forcefully.
"Steve?" Michael's voice was an instant reminder of what had happened. "I'm doing that and you're thinking of somebody called Steve?"
Jesse could only lie there, trapped, with his hands still cuffed behind his back.
"So who is he?" Michael demanded, crouching by his side. "It's your fucking cop friend, isn't it? That's why this uniform was such a turn on."
Jesse flinched as Michael raised his hand again, fearing another blow. But then the older man stopped, a cruel and calculating look lighting up his eyes.
"It looks like I'm not being attentive enough," he hissed. "I'll take your mind off fucking Steve."
"Michael..."
The other man ignored his gasped entreaty and, employing a knee on the young doctor's chest to keep him immobile, eased his shoes and socks off. He trailed one finger lazily across the sole off Jesse's foot, then stopped abruptly as the young man began to writhe with pleasure.
"Oh no you don't," he snapped, stopping his ministrations. "This is no longer about your pleasure. This is all about mine."
Taking hold of Jesse's upper arms, Michael hauled him to his feet and all but dragged him through to the kitchen. With unnecessary force, he shoved his young conquest over the table, face down. Almost immediately, his hands moved to remove Jesse's belt, then drag his pants over his unwilling hips.
"It seems you need to be taught a lesson," Michael said, retrieving Jesse's discarded belt and running the soft leather through his hands. "In loyalty."
Using one hand to pin Jesse to the table by the nape of his neck, Michael quickly divested the doctor of his shorts, leaving him completely naked from the waist down.
"Michael..."
"No!" His lover interrupted him, sharply. "I don't want to hear anything else you've got to say."
Delving into his pocket, Michael found a handkerchief and, using a brutal grip on Jesse's hair to force his mouth open, effectively gagged him.
"We wouldn't want to disturb the neighbours now, would we?"
Jesse barely had time to process that statement before he felt his leather belt connect with the tender flesh of his buttocks, forcing a muffled cry of both shock and pain from him.
Michael held him immobile, easily pinning him to the table with one hand, as the other continued beating him with the belt. His ass, his lower back, his upper thighs, were all targets during the merciless assault. Tears poured down Jesse's face, as he was forced to endure the most humiliating of punishments. And all the while, Michael's voice was constantly in his ear.
"You think of me when I'm sucking you off. Me when I'm fucking you. Me and nobody else. I hear you do that again and I'll kill you. You got that?"
Jesse tried to nod, willing to agree to anything to end this torment and he felt a brief moment's blessed relief as the beating stopped
"That looks sore."
Michael stooped and kissed the reddened flesh of Jesse's right buttock. His tongue trailed lazily across the welts he had left there, moving inexorably towards his anus. Jesse tried to squirm away, but a sharp slap to his already stinging buttocks stopped the movement almost as soon as it had begun. A moment later, Michael's tongue teased at his puckered opening.
"Preparation enough," the older man murmured.
Preparation. Jesse's breath caught in his throat and his heart turned to ice in his chest, as he heard the cold whisper of a zip.
He struggled ineffectually against his captor's remorseless grip, as he realised what was about to happen. Michael was going to take him, right there, and without even attempting to open him properly. He tensed, knowing that it was only likely to make it worse, but unable to imagine the pain such a coupling would mean.
Then Michael's arm snaked under his stomach, lifting him slightly. He felt the intrusion of the other man's cock as it pressed against his anus, trying to breach the stubborn outer ring of muscle. And then he didn't have to imagine any more.

Forward to part two

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