T. Central

Luke

Luke lay on his stomach with his face pressed down into the mattress, hiding under the pillow from the sunlight. The marks on his back stopped aching at three o'clock thanks to the Ibuprofen he had swallowed with the help of some flat wine, but the sun had risen at four, filling his bedroom with a blinding white light, and he groaned, hiding his eyes, trapped somewhere between sleep and being awake, refusing to wake up for just a second.

His night off had turned into an orgy all thanks to his friends. Julian had received an invitation from one of his clients who believed that the presence of a couple of pretty young men might help bring his business contacts in the right mood. It hadn't been business for them. He, Julian and Billy had made sure the client knew that they had been asked as guests only, but somehow, under the influence of vodka and a few green pill tasting like sugar, they had all been involved with one or more guys.

Luke tried to swallow now as he raised his head and winced against the sun, but his tongue was dry. Last night he had fallen for some muscle head with a fetish for whips, just like himself, and now felt every red lash on his back as the drugs started to wear off. Julian...he had last seen him on the beach being fondled by a leather guy who apparently found that kissing a feminine guy made him a little less gay, and Billy? He had been drinking at the bar, attracting hoards of men with his tormented puppy dog gaze.

Unfortunately it was a workday, and he had no time to nurse his throbbing head. The client waiting was one of the few still expecting him to be at his room at Central, instead in a hotel room closer to his home, so he had to drag himself downtown for a few hours work. Oh well...He might get some shopping done too.

The room was pitch dark as he entered, and he sighed relieved, removing his sunglasses.

”Carl?”

His client answered with an expected giggle from the bed. Luke knew how he liked it, so he only zipped down his jeans before he climbed up on the bed, sliding in between Carl's already opened legs, and the man moaned as his thighs were parted even further. This was his favorite client. Young, no nonsense, no games. Just a fuck that had to be prolonged as long as he could do it, the longer he took to come, the bigger the tip. Luke reached over on the nightstand and found the condom lying ready next to the new jar of lube.

He rolled it on in silence, sensing Carl's eyes watching him eagerly and heard him moan as he rubbed plenty of lube up and down his hardened cock pulsating through the condom. Easy boy, he thought. Not too quickly. He rested his palms hard on Carl's soft shoulders and felt him already wet with sweat as he began to ram slowly into him to prevent himself from coming.

He felt the softened opening receive him instantly as Carl let out a quivering moan. Oh yeah, he was a talker. Another thing Luke liked about him. He smiled in the dark as he felt him respond to every thrust of his hips with higher and higher moans. If this continued he would have to pay Max a fine for breaking the sound rule. Some of his guests had apparently interrupted the others sessions in the past. Carl let out another yell, and Luke placed his hand over his mouth, feeling his muscles twitch and clench around his cock in response.

”If you make one more sound, I'll have to muzzle you!” he groaned. As he removed his hand he heard Carl gasp out, a little less loud,

”Oh shit baby. Oh shit. Sorry...sorry...oh...oh... yes, like that...harder, harder, harder!”

Luke looked over at the clock. Time for the climax. He raised himself up and flexed, ramming into him again and again, and felt himself getting ready as Carl came wetly against their stomachs.

Julian

He looked at his face in the mirror. The bronzer was wearing thin in places and plain Julian was peeking through Julio's healthy facade. Julian quickly found the tube of wash off dye in his jeans pocket and evened out the patches. He turned and saw the lifeless figure on the bed; a tattooed musician in a local band who showered money on any tanned guy he could find.

Unfortunately he had been so high on cocaine he hadn't been worth much in bed today, but Julian had been paid up front, so if the client wanted to sleep, he could. The bedroom they were in was supposed to belong to a poor Italian boy with wine bottles standing on the table and empty cigarette packs under the bed. 

The old radio on the windowsill played a soft Dean Martin song tune perfecting the fragile illusion he sold of the sassy cute foreigner who didn't speak English very well but made do with the little he could. Julian heard a groan from the bed and smiled as a groggy voice called out,

”Hey beautiful. Who told you to leave the bed?”

Julian answered slowly,

”Gonna cost you another session, Mister..isn't my rules, my Padrone holds me in a short...what you say...rope?” He slunk over to the bed and was drawn down by powerful arms,

”A short leash...well, lucky Padrone. Tell me, sweet cheeks, does he pull you into his office and teach you English after work?”

Julian leaned back in bed and allowed the bulging man to run his hands over him.

”Only takes me in the back when a customer...what you say...stiffs me? Runs from bed without paying me. Then he makes me work bill off.”

The musician let out a groan; the thought obviously exited him,

”Well, see here, J. I'll lay down money for an extra hour, and then you'll just have to work it off with me.” The musician wet his lips and reached down, finding the cash in his pocket. ”And just to make sure we won't fall asleep again...” He pulled out a silver cylinder and waved it under Julian's nose. ”Want some poppers?”

Billy

He sat staring out of the window, down on the wet streets. The lack of sun was beginning to get to him after five weeks. Perhaps he should leave and return to the US? England reminded him a little too much of Tom. He knotted his fists at the thought of his name. Just forget him. Forget you left the game because of him, believing you two could actually make it work. 

He had gone back to T. Central on his hands and knees after Tom had found someone else. Max, the manager of the brothel, had been awful nice about it after Luke talked to him and made sure they wanted him back. Billy had broken all ties to his friends when he had moved in with Tom, but thankfully neither Luke nor Julian had mentioned this with even a word.

”Never again,” he mumbled to himself. He had the word whore thrown at him in their last fight, as if Tom could do so much better. If I'm a whore, what are you? he had said and left, without taking a single of his possessions with him. He had just arrived at Luke's apartment in the middle of the night and slept in his guest room. Now it was time to earn a living the best way he could, and thankfully he had kept up his physique. Fat rent boys weren't high in demand...

A knock on the door made him wake up.

”Come in,” he said and turned, dangling his long legs from the windowsill. A middle aged man, whom Billy knew as a repeat client before he left the game, closed the door behind him and looked him up and down, clearly liking what he saw. For one second Billy couldn't remember his name, but then it dawned on him. Howell, accountant, married, two kids, a clinger.”Howell,” he smiled, letting himself be hugged, and the affectionate embrace strangely enough made him happy. ”Long time no see.”

”Billy,” the other answered a little seriously. ”No, not since you abandoned me. Hurt my feelings...”

Hurt feelings, Billy thought bitterly. You have no idea.

”Aw, babe,” he said instead and slid his arms around his neck. ”See it as a little break on my part. In the end I just had to come back. Couldn't get the best fuck I ever had out of my mind.” He saw a proud look in Howell's eyes,

”Bet you tell every client that...”

Billy felt his meaty hands lock around his butt and gasped as he knew Howell preferred him to.

”No, never. You're the first.” That was true. He never used that line before. He pressed his entire frame against him and felt Howell's body react instantly as he whispered, ”Besides...you weren't true to me while I was gone. I know you went to the others here.”  He went down to his knees. Howell gasped as he felt him open the zipper and pull out his hard cock.

”I never went to the same twice!” he whispered and groaned when Billy took him in his mouth and started sucking. ”Oh shit!” He grabbed Billy's dark brown hair in his fists, slowly making stabbing motions towards his face.

”Billy!” Luke caught up with him as he stepped out into the warm street. Billy turned and saw Julian come running behind them and sighed. He had planed to go home and sit in a dark room, but his friends clearly had other things on their mind.

”Hey,” Julian punched his shoulder. ”Sourpuss, lighten up, there are plenty of fish in the sea. You of all people should know that!”

”Julian, shut up!” Luke growled. ”We're going down to the harbor. J knows some boys there with a boat. Wanna come?”

Billy looked down with a shrug and felt Luke's arm on his back, ”Didn't have fun last night?”

”Not exactly.” Billy sighed and stared at Julian. ”I won't come along if you keep babbling about my love life!”

”Yes, shut up Julian!” Luke said automatically.

”Shut up yourself, Lulu,” Julian said cheerfully. ”I don't babble. I leave that to you muscle heads. Come on, Billy. These guys are fun...and rich!”

”Unlike you, we don't consider money a lubricant,” Luke mocked and stepped back to avoid Julian's fists.

”Luke.” The sound of Drake's voice over the phone made him turn away from the others and move to a quiet corner of the boat. He didn't answer though. Not right away. ”Luke?” Drake's voice dropped to a low tone that made him answer,

”Yeah?”

He heard him laugh,

”Angry?”

”I'm not angry!”

”No? You sound the part. Are you angry I didn't call you up the very next day, Cinderella?”

Luke turned off his phone and looked up, right into Julian's curious face.

”Who was that?”

Luke shrugged, ”Just a client...” He looked at the display and frowned when it didn't light up.

”Client as in William Drake Trent?”

Luke looked up and saw his all too knowing face, ”What are you, the psychic Madame Zorva?”

”No. Just never seen you mope around so much as the last fourteen days. Reminds me of Billy when he had it worst with Tom. So, how was he?”

”You asked me that before.”

”And you didn't answer. Another thing that reminds me of Billy.”

”What are you talking about?” Billy watched them suspiciously.

”Nothing,” Luke said.

”Thought I heard my name?” Billy pointed with his thumb over his shoulders. ”Anyway, would you please entertain your damn friends, J? I'm not interested in fighting off horny Etonians.”

Julian hurried over to his friends, hissing,

”You better not have pissed them off” and Billy chuckled,

”Eternal rent boy, huh? Does he ever breathe?”

Luke reached out and stopped him from joining them,

”Wait a minute. You know someone named Trent?”

Billy shrugged but then said,

”Oh, you mean last name? Yeah, William D. Trent, some rich guy involved in things you don't wanna know about.” He lit a cigarette, ”Why?”

Luke shrugged too,

”Just curious. Had a client who...knew him. Just wondered why I never heard of him.”

”Because you're not a criminal, that's why. Rumor says he's in deep with money launders and hookers and drugs. Talking about drugs, do you have a joint? I need to relax.”

Luke gave him one from his shirt pocket,

”Is he in with the mafia?”

Billy lit the joint with the cigarette and hissed out a response,

”Think they're the only ones he isn't dealing with. His father was a politician, and some say he made them some favors and paid for his own turf that way. So Trent and Son sit pretty and skim off on top in the north while they live a clean life in London and never get their hands dirty. Unless when they want to.”

Their eyes met and Luke knew he ought to ask the question: And when is that? but somehow he doubted he would like the answer.