who would take his control from him for a change, be dominant, or at least show some damn passion.
But most of the men he’d met just lay there like potatoes while he did all the work. He’d experienced the ‘quick’ he was looking for a few times, but unfortunately quick was usually attached to selfish: closeted rednecks who hated being gay and were shooting their load and out the door in minutes, without a thought to Ben’s pleasure, not even bothering to wait until he came.
He showered and dressed, then went through his mail as he waited for Dominick to finish getting ready. He tore open the bills from school, scowling at them. Just a little longer , he told himself. He’d graduate and get a job before his money could run out. He had to. Opening a third envelope from the school, he laughed. An invitation to a party at Dean Yarboro’s house. Tammy Albert, his department head, had invited him as an honor for his nearly perfect grade point average. Yeah, sounds like about as much fun as a root canal . He tossed the invitation in the trash, then filed the bills. His gut twisted with anxiety over his financial situation, peppered with worry about that damn lit class.
Perhaps Thorn’s party was just what he needed: something sleazy but a bit more upscale than he was accustomed to. He didn’t really feel like hooking up with anyone, but if he was surrounded by eye candy all night, it might take his mind off of the coming Monday, and whether or not Dr. Coyle would decide to accept his late, ungraded test. Or if he’d calmly and casually destroy Ben’s life plans with one stroke of the keyboard.
Chapter Two
Freshly showered, Dr. Peter Coyle stood before his closet, nude except for the towel around his waist. Most of his clothes were still in boxes stacked against the wall. Though he hadn’t even come close to unpacking all his things, he was happy and content. There was something uniquely satisfying about that first hot shower after moving into a new place. My place. My own .
Flicking through the hangers, he chose a pair of expensive black dress pants, with a simple, but tight fitting silk shirt. He brought the clothes to his bed and set them down, then removed the towel, glancing irritably at the erection jutting out below his hips. Out of control. This was what he got for denying himself pleasure in his quest to keep his personal life invisible to prying eyes. There was masturbation of course, but it didn’t scratch that deeper itch, and still left him restless and hungry for the real thing. It got to the point where every little thing set his lust afire. Like that damn kid in your office today . That sexy, angry, completely terrifying kid.
Attempting to think unsexy thoughts, he carefully dressed, then moved into the bathroom to put in his contact lenses. Usually he wore his glasses for social outings, especially if he was looking for companionship. The hot professor look had always served him well. But tonight he was going to one of Thorn Beverly’s parties, and he planned to get messy. Very messy. With that thought, he pocketed a handful of condoms and headed downstairs.
Thorn was one of his oldest friends, one of the few people in his life he trusted completely. They’d met in college, back when he’d been Thornton Beverly, the closeted gay son of a very wealthy, and very homophobic property owner in southern Vermont. Peter had helped Thorn come to terms with his sexuality, to accept himself as he was, instead of the obnoxious, misogynist frat boy he was trying to be. He’d also helped Thornton hide his sexuality from his overbearing, emotionally abusive father, at least until he turned twenty-five, old enough to receive his ample inheritance from the family. Thorn had wanted to come out to his father after college, tired of the charade, itching to offer the man a final fuck you after years of taking his shit.
But Peter had convinced him that it would be far more satisfying