by Viridian5
"It's his fault," Mac answered.
"Oh, please," Victor said, while Li Ann just looked martyred.
"It doesn't matter whose fault it is. Since the two of you haven't
worked it out on your own after the last warnings, I've decided to
force the issue. You will be locked in a room together until you
figure out a way to work together."
"We tried that once, and it destroyed my apartment," Mac said,
somewhat resentfully.
"Yes, but this time it will be different. Dobrinsky won't be there,
and you'll be in an apartment so spare you'll be forced to deal with
one another."
"'Two man enter, one man leaves'? Sounds good to me," Vic said.
"Your lives are mine; neither of you die until I say so. I don't care
if you learn to like one another, but I won't tolerate your personal
problems getting in the way of the assignments I give you."
"Li Ann's part of the team. Shouldn't she be with us?" Mac asked.
"Li Ann isn't part of the problem. She works well with the both of
you, and she's smart enough to be able to quickly manipulate you
into doing what she wants."
"And we're not smart?" The Director merely looked at him, and
Mac sat back. "But I'm sure we have cases to do—"
"In one hour you'll report to the address I give you. If you don't
get there on your own, I'll send people to bring you. You'll stay in
that room until I feel you've learned your lesson."
Victor paced the room. The Director hadn't been exaggerating
about it being spare. It had a couch, two cots, and a tiny bathroom.
He guessed that meals would come through the slot in the door if
the Director decided to feed them.
Another prison, and once again unwarranted. He'd sworn never
again... I can't stay in here.
He wanted to work; he needed to work. He had to get the hell out
of here. And there was Mac sitting in lotus position on the couch,
long body folded, meditating his way through the time and not
even thinking about a means of satisfying the Director enough to
get them free.
No way in hell that could be allowed to continue. Vic threw
himself down on the couch next to his partner and smiled at the
expression of irritation that briefly crossed Mac's face. "If I'm
going to be bored so are you. We have to figure a way out."
"You figure it out. It's your fault we're here."
"That's typical."
Mac opened his eyes to glare. "Oh, really?"
"You blame everyone else. You don't take responsibility for
anything."
"I don't take responsibility for things I had nothing to do with. For
instance, everything would have been fine if you hadn't put the
moves on Li Ann. We probably wouldn't even be partners right
now."
Vic laughed, and Mac had to throttle down the urge to hit him. As
much fun as hitting him was, it never made him shut up. There
must some way... I'll figure it out someday. And I'll figure out
some other things, too. Like how he manages to talk—well,
mumble, really, in that soft, husky voice—without moving his lips.
He's like a bad ventriloquist's act. Now he has that snarky
eyebrow thing going too, which makes it even harder for me to
keep my hands off him, the bastard...
"She thought you were dead and moved on, though it probably
didn't take much effort. If you want to talk about fault, we would
have been married by now if you'd had the decency to die like you
should have."
"That is so cold. I'm wounded." Mac moved closer until he was in
Victor's face. Knowing how much Vic always fought against
being touched by him, he put his hand on a very solid shoulder.
"I'm alive, and I'm here, so live with it."
"I hate you. You're arrogant, untrustworthy, obnoxious—"
Mac stopped the words with a bruising, greedy kiss. Hey, that
works! Those lips might not move much, but they were so soft...
One of his hands went to the small of Victor's back while the other
stroked the peach fuzz at the nape of that strong neck. The older
man shuddered and briefly moved closer, seeming almost to
surrender, but then jerked to his feet, shoving Mac backward.
"What the fuck was that?" Vic asked, bristling. Thick, sable lashes
rose and fell over wide green eyes.
He's pissed, yeah, but there's something else there too, isn't
there? Mac licked his lips. "I figure that Li Ann going from me
to you must have been like settling for hamburger after having filet
mignon. I wanted to see if you were any good." He stretched
sensuously. "You give it up so sweetly."
"It's a good thing you think so highly of yourself. I guess someone
has to."
"C'mon, Vic. I'm bored; you're bored. We have nothing to do but
each other. Maybe the Director will settle for that and let us out."
Mac took a long, appreciative look at Victor, He does wear
leather well, just to freak him out before asking, "What's the
matter, are you scared?"
Victor snorted. "If I don't let you paw me, I'm a chicken? That
might have worked... when I was five. Can't you be original in
anything?" He has such a big mouth. Maybe I can fit my fist
inside... Nice lips though. What else could I fit inside there? He
only let his mind stray to more interesting and obscene possibilities
for a moment before reining himself back in. Idiot. This is Mac
Ramsey, remember? He's only doing this because he knows it
ticks me off.
"Do you want to get out of here or not?"
"What do you think?"
Mac moved in closer. "It'll be a change from the treacherous
blonde bimbos you have as your usual diet."
"You're one to talk."
"Then it'll be a change for me too."
That admission seemed to surprise Victor, made him glance down
in thought, and Mac suddenly remembered that time they'd worked
together to get the Rembrandt out of Michael's office... Mac
suddenly flashed on the way Vic had looked right after their little
trapeze act in Michael's office. Rubbing against Victor's crotch
had been great Too bad we were wearing so many clothes, but it
had been the ex-cop's look after their aerial act that stuck in his
mind. It hadn't struck him much at the time, but later... Mansfield
had ducked his head, looking down almost bashfully, while his
half-closed eyes had gleamed and a small smile had lingered at one
corner of his mouth. He'd softly said that he guessed he could
trust Mac after all. He had looked exhilarated and happy, which
Mac had first attributed to their successful grab for the painting.
Not to mention the extra zing of being this close to getting
fried. Always rings my bells, that's for sure.
Over time, though, Mac had realized that Victor's happiness had
been at the fact that Mac hadn't let him down, hadn't stranded him
there on the wire. Then I decked him and left him for Michael to
find.
He's dying to find someone who deserves his trust. That's not
me, but... I want to see that look again.
Victor watched Mac's lips purse and his usually avid eyes soften.
I think he's thinking. No wonder I don't see that look very
often. He didn't appear quite so arrogant and obnoxious this
way.
This time when Mac brought Victor closer, he didn't pull away,
too curious to see where this would go. Long, clever fingers
stroked down the seam of his jeans, down the crack of his ass.
Then Mac pressed his hips forward, and Vic bit down on a groan
as he felt the other man's erection brushing against his own. I
can't possibly want him. Mac kept watching his face, which
made him crazy, so he looked away.
Victor tried to fight back by running his hands down Mac's khaki-
clad ass and saying, "I forgot. You don't have an ass."
"Where did that come from? Early senility must be rotting your
brain."
Victor grabbed Mac by his vest and pinned him against the wall. It
was getting harder to think, especially with the whipcord body
writhing against him. "We're being manipulated into this. I hate
that."
Mac pushed back, and in a moment they were further down the
wall with Vic's back to it. He kissed one of those enticingly
mobile eyebrows. "Mmm-hmm. But we can't do anything about
it." His lips teased the warm metal of Vic's gold earring, and his
breath heated the delicate curve of the ear.
"That's why we can't do this," Victor gasped.
"Yeah, but then we're not doing this just because the Director
wants us to do it. Why give her that much power over our lives?"
I'm obviously thinking with the wrong head now. That made
sense. "Mac, we—" Victor pushed at the younger man,
struggling for dominance, but somehow lost his train of thought as
they rolled along the wall, first one pinned and then the other.
He didn't know how they'd reached the tiny bathroom, when Mac
had lost the vest, when they'd gotten unzipped, or how they'd both
ripped so many buttons off their shirts. He was so hard he ached,
and Mac didn't look like he was any more comfortable.
Victor looked dazed and utterly fuckable. Mac wasn't about to
waste the opportunity. He pinned the older man to the wall and
began kissing a trail down his chest, tearing the few remaining
buttons loose as necessary. When Vic tried to push him away, he
retaliated by grabbing and stroking the cock that, independent of
its owner's better judgment, pressed, hard and more than ready,
against him.
"Careful with that!" Victor panted.
While Mac knew he couldn't match Victor's natural bedroom
voice, Mac felt he sounded more than sultry enough as he panted,
"After you almost snapped my spine? Don't worry, I know what
I'm doing."
"Sorry, I'm sure you handle yourself often enough to have some
expertise."
"Oh, and I guess you've never touched yourself? That might
explain a lot, actually..."
While Victor glared, speechless with annoyance, Mac smirked and
said, "Let me show you how."
Mac pumped Victor's cock and grinned as his partner whimpered.
The face that leaned so close to his own had softened a little in
pleasure. He began to wonder if he could come just from having
Victor convulse against him, but then, to his surprise, Vic's hand
closed around him.
"Like this?" Victor asked innocently as he stroked and teased with
a skill that surprised Mac.
"You're a quick study," Mac managed, before the friction robbed
him of coherency. Their rhythms quickly meshed, and it wasn't
long before Mac came, muffling his cry by nipping at Vic's neck.
The bite, combined with everything else, seemed to send an
electric charge down Victor's spine and out through his cock. He
actually blacked out for a moment.
Victor wasn't really sure how he'd stayed on his feet, especially
with Mac draped over him, but for the sake of his pride, he was
glad he had. "I still hate you," he said, but his voice sounded much
softer and smokier than he'd intended, lessening the sting.
"But we have just proved we can work together." Mac smiled at
the look on his partner's face. It wasn't quite the "I guess I can
trust you" expression, not with the startlement mixed in, but for
exhilaration and pleasure, it was pretty damned good.
"Oh, thank you so much for reminding me that I'll undoubtedly
get to watch this on video next time the Director wants to humiliate
me." They looked out the door to the exit, both half-expecting to
hear the locks being undone. It didn't happen. "I'm sure she saw
everything. Why the hell isn't she done with us yet?"
"Well, she doesn't get a show like this every day."
"You sure?"
Mac smirked widely. "Maybe she wants to make sure we can keep
it up—" He laughed when Vic smacked him. "She wants to make
sure this cooperation wasn't a one-time thing. We have to show
her, Vic, and keep showing her until she lets us out of here."
"Oh, you're really subtle, Mac."
He stopped Victor from moving away by nibbling at one slightly
pointed ear. "I know you liked it. I can feel you liking it again."
Mac slid down the older man's body, petting and nibbling, until he
rested on his knees. "I'm going to ruin you for other people."
"You can try. I do like seeing you on your knees, though."
"Appearances can be deceiving." Mac looked up at Vic with his
most evil leer. "By the time I'm done, you'll be under my complete
control."
Victor laughed. "That's not even worth answering. At least even
you can't talk with your mouth full."
"Now who has a high opinion of himself? That sounds like a
challenge..."
Li Ann sighed and took another sip of her champagne. "I should
know better than to bet with you."
"You should, but it's not as much fun that way," the Director
answered.
"You were off by only one minute. You didn't... manipulate
them somehow, did you?"
"I don't have to. You may have slept with them in the past, but I
know them, better than they know themselves. Truffle?"
"Please." Li Ann daintily took the chocolate from the Director's
fingers with her teeth, then licked the lingering fingertips. "How
long will you keep them in there?"
"Until they exhaust themselves and sleep it off. Don't worry,
you'll have plenty of other opportunities to make some money off
me."
"You can't be right on everything."
"Would you like to make a bet on that?"
"I'm not that stupid."
The Director smiled in acknowledgement. "Have you ever thought
of a threesome with them?"
"Of course, but then I thought of all the bickering and posturing I'd
have to put up with, and it became much less attractive." Li Ann
cast a long look at the woman sharing the bed with her. "You have
plans."
"I have a certain genius for problem-solving."
"Maybe if I tied and gagged them... but no, then I'd have to do all
the work."
The Director clinked champagne glasses with her. "Between the
two of us, I'm sure we'll think of a solution."
don't care what you boys do on your own time, but your
bickering on the job is ruining the efficiency of the team. It has to
stop," the Director said.
Trademark smirk well in evidence, Mac leaned back in his chair and tried to look innocent for the Director and hotter than hell for Victor, all at the same time. Vic was studiously ignoring him, wearing his blankest professional face, but small smiles kept slipping out to spoil the effect. Li Ann couldn't decide whether she wanted to laugh or bash their heads together.
"You let us out, so you must have decided that we can put aside our differences to work together," Mac said.
"Actually, I saw that the first time. I kept you in there through the next six for my own entertainment," the Director replied. Mac beamed while—or because—Victor squirmed. "So, what did you learn that could be useful on assignment?"
Mac's smile combined malice and ass-kissing. "Well, first, Vic has incredible physical control. You wouldn't believe how long he can hold a single position." As Victor winced, Mac asked, "Is that the sort of thing you're looking for?"
"That's a good start. Anything else?"
"He also has this cute, sexy little belly. If we can get him over his modesty, I'm thinking he could flash it at critical times to get our opponents so distracted with lust that we could—"
"That's it, Ramsey!" Vic moved without warning and had Mac in a chokehold before he could react. Li Ann studiously avoided getting involved.
"Is this any way to treat the one you love?" Mac gasped.
"Boys," the Director purred dangerously. They went still. "Victor, you do realize that Mac is getting off on this."
Victor pulled away. "He would." But his hand lingered on Mac's shoulder.
"I think Vic needs to be punished. Badly," Mac said, straightening his shirt. "I'm willing to do it for you..."
"Oh, you both do. Though I'm actually pleased by this show of killer spirit. It should be helpful on your next assignment." She slid folders across the desk at them. "You'll be going undercover at a club as a team of mud wrestlers. Li Ann will be your owner and manager. There's the information, you can read up—and your uniforms are in the folders too," she drawled, smiling as Victor pulled a strip of spandex out of the file with a look of unconcealed horror. "I'm so looking forward to this new camaraderie, aren't you, Li Ann?" Victor Mansfield sat on his couch and nursed another beer, utterly unable to come up with a way he could feel worse. Then the doorbell rang. Let me guess: God figured out a way. He opened the door to see Mac's smart-ass grin. Shoot me now.
Mac pushed past Vic to let himself in. "I figured you'd be here, wallowing in your mortification, so I decided to—"
"Rub my nose in it?"
"Maybe that too, but mostly to cheer you up," Mac answered lightly. The other man certainly looked like he could use it. Mac had known that recent events—what had happened during their hours stuck in that room together and then that humiliating assignment—would leave the ex-cop off-balance and embarrassed. Add "tired" and "maudlin near-drunk" to that, and even Vic's usually pretty self obviously suffered. Of course, I intend to cheer him up by cheering me up...
"That's easy. Leave."
"After everything we've shared?"
"I want you to know that all the sex we had in that room could be covered by either or both of these terms: 'desperation' and 'temporary insanity.'" Please believe me.
"I liked it. I know you liked it. So what's the problem?"
"The problem is that I'm not the fuck-buddy type. I get emotionally involved with the people I have sex with. In fact, most times I get involved first and then have sex, though that may be a foreign idea to you."
"And the problem is...?"
"I already share an emotional connection with you, mutual dislike, and I'm already doing most of the work there. I don't want to get in any deeper."
Time for a diversionary tactic. "I was right about your belly though."
"I don't have a belly!"
Mac smirked. So predictable. Cute, though... "You're thinking 'gut,' and you're right about not having that. You do have a cute little belly though, just a slight rounding. All the people at the club were cooing over it and you—"
Victor closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Having to wear nothing more than a thong was bad. I felt like a piece of meat. Having to wear a collar and leash to show Li Ann's ownership of us was worse. But the absolute worst was having to mud-wrestle you in front of an audience—"
"While sporting wood? I was flattered. Hell, I wanted to pin you in some non-regulation ways myself." Still do.
"You have no shame."
"And I'm not in the least ashamed about that." Mac opened the fridge and helped himself to a beer.
"Sure, make yourself at home," Victor said with a resigned sigh as he sat back down on the couch.
"Don't mind if I do." Mac settled down next to him and grinned at the way Vic sat with his knees pulled up toward his chest, like a virgin trying to give off I'm-inaccessible vibes. Or maybe he was just trying to pull into a fetal position from stress. "If it makes you feel better, you can blame your attraction to me—"
"I'm not attracted to you!"
"—on the job. I mean, we work odd hours at an agency we're not even allowed to tell anyone exists. If you went into a bar and tried to pick someone up saying that you're an agent for a super-secret crime-fighting organization, you'd get laughed out of there."
"You tried that, hunh?"
"I didn't say it that way, but yeah, and not only did I get laughed at, but the Director took me aside and.... Well, let's just say that if she ever tells you to go into a room alone with her, refuse and run like hell. Sure, she'll have Dobrinsky or some of her other people drag you in, but at least you won't feel that you walked into it like an idiot."
Victor decided not to take advantage of that invitation to insult or, worse, just look at Mac. Maybe then the younger man would get bored and go away. "I'll keep that in mind."
"So we can't tell anyone what we do or explain our odd hours. That's hard on any relationship, friend or lover. I know you're lonely." Mac grinned when Vic flipped him off. "I couldn't figure out at first why you—the former cop, Mr. Clean, psycho boy scout—cuddled right up to the mob. Then I realized that you were starving for friendship, for people who were loyal to you for more reasons than just because the Director threatened them. It's—"
Victor took a deep chug of his beer. "Pathetic?" Like I need anyone to tell me that.
"That too, but understandable. I know how it feels. I mean, when I was with the Tangs, it was hardly the perfect family situation, but I was never alone. Now I don't have anybody either, and I want somebody."
Victor moved further away until he reached the arm of the couch. "Which makes us both pathetic. That's a really stupid reason to get involved with someone."
"Who else knows what it's like to be us? Li Ann's been distant to both of us lately..."
"So this is really about Li Ann."
"No! I'm just saying we don't have too many people. I'm not saying we stop bickering with one another—I really enjoy that—but maybe we could at least be friends? If some recreational side activities can come with that, even better, who does it hurt?"
Victor tried to let the alcohol take him to a place of total numbness. "Mac, the problem I have with you... Okay, one of the problems I have with you is that when you give me a heartrending confession like that I have to wonder if it's for real or if you're trying to manipulate my famously soft heart."
Mac swallowed his hurt. It had taken a lot for him to say that. Okay, maybe that is the kind of thing I do... sometimes, but... Then he took a good look at Victor. The older man looked sad and bone-weary as well as melancholy-drunk. We're both in the Director's steel-toothed trap and each gnawing a leg off trying to get free.
Everybody has betrayed him. He probably thinks I'll hurt him too.
"I trust you," Mac said. Of course; Victor was one of those people strangers would trust with their children and cameras. Instead of using it to his advantage, the ex-cop seemed to see it as a kind of honor, something he should work hard to protect. After first finding that rather stupid, Mac had come around to liking that about Vic. And it's something I can take advantage of, too.
"What?"
"I just said that I trust you."
Victor sighed. "You figured I'd be drunk, so you came over to mess with my head, didn't you?"
"What I'm trying to say is: you can trust me, too."
"Really."
"I swear."
Victor seemed to be fading out. "Sure."
Mac gently pushed Victor down on the couch and lavished light kisses on his face. He was gratified to see Vic sigh and give himself up to it, even nuzzling back a little. Mac draped himself on the other man Only fair with all the times he pinned me and kicked my ass in the ring; wrestling is not my thing. Besides, I'm lighter. and settled himself contentedly into the hollows he found. Like two puzzle pieces.
"Trust me," Mac said.
"Okay, you win. For now. This is nice," Vic answered blurrily.
"I'm glad," Mac answered, but Victor was already gone. I think I made some progress, though the morning should be interesting... Mac smiled at the thought of sparring to come and drifted into sleep, feeling protected by the solid warmth beneath him.
