The Proposition (Nights Series Book 6) Read online

  Even though he could just as easily have taken a cab to his own apartment, Wade decided to go to Rhys’s place since it was closer. He’d stumbled into the immaculate foyer of the multi-million-dollar modern condo in central Tokyo, slipped out of his dress shoes, and had been making his way to the guest quarters when he saw soft light spilling out under the door of Rhys’s bedroom at the end of the hall.

  Surprise had jolted through Wade then and dampened the effects of the alcohol still coursing through his veins. He’d stood there hesitating for a moment as he wondered whether to let Rhys know he was crashing at his place for the night. That was when he heard it.

  A moan.

  The sound had frozen Wade’s feet to the ground. Heat had flooded his face in the next instant when he realized Rhys had someone with him. Someone he was evidently having sex with. Wade was berating himself for being an ass and had decided to leave Rhys’s apartment and go back to his own place when the moan came again.

  It was louder. Breathy. Sensual. And most definitely male.

  Awareness slammed into Wade with the force of a speeding train. He knew that voice. Had known it for sixteen years.

  He moved then, his feet taking him unbidden toward golden light spilling on hardwood floor, his racing pulse sending blood thundering in his ears. As the hairs rose on his arms and his mouth went dry, Wade ignored the internal voice screaming at him that this was a bad idea, that he didn’t have the right to do this.

  To watch his best friend have sex.

  But overwhelming curiosity fueled by alcohol clouded his better judgement and Wade found himself standing in front of Rhys’s bedroom in the blink of an eye. The door was slightly ajar. He saw his own hand rise and push it open a few inches as if in a dream.

  Wade swallowed as he acknowledged a staggering truth to himself in that split-second before he looked up. He needed to see. Was desperate to see who had elicited such a sound from the refined man he had come to know and respect. A man Wade had never been able to fully figure out, despite over a decade of friendship.

  The sight that met Wade’s eyes had his breath locking in his throat and his heart stuttering in his chest.

  Just like the rest of the apartment, Rhys’s bedroom was an elegant mix of grays, blacks, silvers, and whites. Dominating the stylish space to the right and visible through the gap in the doorway was a large, charcoal, modern sleigh bed which Wade knew faced a floor-to-ceiling glass wall overlooking a terrace and the city at the opposite end.

  Everything blurred out of focus as Wade stared at the man lying atop the gray sheets. The naked man who was very much on his own and masturbating while he pushed a large, flesh-colored dildo up his ass.

  Sweat beaded Rhys’s forehead and upper lip as he dug his heels into the mattress and thrust up, his hips undulating in time to his busy hands as he squeezed and rubbed his glistening, engorged cock while driving the lubed love stick between his thighs in and out of his body.

  A tortured sob left Rhys’s lips as a spasm of pleasure shuddered through him.

  The sound traveled down Wade’s body and straight to his groin. Wade stared, entranced, as Rhys writhed on the bed and pleasured himself. There was no shame. No guilt that what he was doing was wrong. That watching Rhys in this state was a vile transgression of his friend’s privacy. Instead, only one thought filled Wade’s mind as Rhys’s movements grew more frantic, his voice unrecognizable as he moaned and cursed and groaned out in rising ecstasy.

  Rhys Damon was as sexy as fuck.

  Rhys suddenly stiffened on the bed. He let go of his cock, grabbed the headboard behind him in a white knuckled-grip, and rammed the dildo into his ass once, twice.

  Rhys climaxed on the third violent thrust, his spine arching off the mattress in a deliciously tense curve, his toes flexing in the sheets while pulses of cum jetted out of his flushed dick and struck his golden, sweat-slicked chest and stiff nipples.

  Rhys’s breath hiccupped in his throat a second before he cried out, his face crumpling as he surrendered to pure pleasure.

  “Wade!”

  Shock blazed through Wade at the sound of his name on Rhys’s lips. It brought him back to life in an instant, jolting him out of the hypnotic daze he’d found himself in. He stepped back from the door, turned, and headed rapidly out of Rhys’s apartment, more sober than he had ever been in his entire life.

  What Wade had witnessed in that illicit, stolen moment stayed with him throughout the cab ride back to his apartment and in the dark hours of the night that followed, while he lay in his own bed and stared blindly at the ceiling. It stayed with him even after he acknowledged that the hard-on he’d been sporting since he left Rhys’s apartment was not going to go away without a cold shower and got up to have one at five in the morning. It stayed with him in the months that followed as he bedded woman after woman, each more stunning than the previous one, in a desperate attempt to erase the memory of what he had seen.

  But despite the passage of time and his numerous bed partners, Wade still couldn’t forget the arresting image of Rhys’s face as he climaxed, his breath catching in his throat, his hips flexing off the bed, his mouth open on Wade’s name.

  Mixed in with the storm of conflicting emotions that had raged through Wade since that day were two startling realizations.

  He hadn’t been disgusted by the sight of Rhys pleasuring himself. If anything, it had turned him on like little else had since, and he knew full well he hadn’t been thinking of those women when he’d been fucking them this past year.

  He was stark, raving mad at Rhys. One, for not admitting to Wade that he was either gay or bisexual. Wade wasn’t homophobic in the least and had never done or said anything to indicate otherwise. Both he and Rhys had had gay friends while they were at college and employed a score of openly gay employees. Two, Wade was angry at Rhys for hiding his feelings from him.

  It was evident from what Wade had witnessed that Rhys liked him enough to use him as a fuck fantasy. And it had left Wade wondering how long that had been going on for. And the more he wondered, the angrier he got. They had been friends for sixteen years. The fact that Rhys didn’t trust Wade enough to admit his own sexuality to him hurt Wade to the core. As for not admitting to his feelings, Wade had begrudgingly had to concede that that wasn’t exactly an easy thing to do.

  And what the hell would I have done anyway if he’d walked up to me one day and said he wanted me?

  It was that thought that had preoccupied Wade the most in the past year and had led him to behave like an ass most times he was in Rhys’s presence, something that hadn’t escaped their employees’ notice. Because deep down inside, Wade sensed the answer he would have given would have surprised both himself and Rhys.

  And that, right there, made Wade question everything he thought he knew about himself as a man.

  Chapter 3

  Rhys shrugged into his coat before turning to the man walking into the foyer of the restaurant from the direction of the restrooms.

  “Ready for that nightcap?” Michael Lynch murmured as he took his jacket from the cloakroom attendant.

  Rhys smiled. “Sure.”

  They stepped out into the cold winter night and headed south toward the Shinjuku main strip. As they strolled through the busy evening crowd, Rhys couldn’t help notice the flattering looks the women they passed, and some men, cast at his companion.

  A financial lawyer for one of the largest private equity firms in New York, Michael had been relocated to the Tokyo branch of the company eight months ago. They’d met at Saron, the most exclusive gay club in town, some three months back and hit it off straight away. It helped that Michael was some six foot three, with thick dark hair and blue eyes, and looked like he could be a distant cousin of Wade’s.

  It didn’t take long for Rhys to discover that they had great chemistry both in and out of the bedroom. Had it not been for the fact that his heart completely and irrevocably belonged to Wade Tucker, Rhys might even have considered the possibility o
f changing his relationship with the lawyer from sex friends to something more meaningful. Although they’d both made it clear from the get-go that theirs would be a casual association, Rhys knew from Michael’s increasingly possessive demeanor that he wouldn’t mind getting serious and making things official between them. Rhys couldn’t ignore the seed of guilt that had been growing inside him since he’d noticed the change in Michael’s behavior.

  He looked at Michael as they turned into the inconspicuous side alley where Saron was located and wondered not for the first time if he was being a tease and leading the man on.

  Well, as long as we’re having great sex and no one is getting hurt, I don’t mind if we carry on seeing each other.

  “What?” Michael said, arching an eyebrow as he noticed Rhys’s stare.

  “Nothing,” Rhys said with a faint smile. “I’m just thinking you look good tonight.”

  Michael’s eyes darkened. He reached out and took Rhys’s gloved hand as they approached the suited doorman guarding the steel doors of the club.

  “You know better than to say things like that to me,” Michael said in a thick voice. He raised Rhys’s hand and dropped a kiss on his knuckles.

  Rhys bit his lower lip and shivered at the sexual heat in Michael’s gaze.

  Looks like I’m going to get fucked long and hard tonight.

  Rhys grinned at that thought. He could think of nothing better to help him forget about Wade and their encounter in his office that morning.

  “Mr. Damon, Mr. Lynch,” the doorman murmured as he unclipped a rope from a pair of stanchions.

  “Kiba,” Rhys replied with a nod.

  Michael greeted the doorman warmly as the latter opened the door for them. A wave of heat and the sound of jazz music washed over them when they strolled inside the club.

  Wade gritted his teeth as he stared at the two men sitting with their thighs touching and their heads tilted toward one another at the polished mahogany bar on the other side of the crowded club. Rhys chuckled at something his companion said and placed his hand on the man’s knee. The man covered Rhys’s fingers with his own and gripped them lightly.

  Wade’s entire body tightened where he sat in one of the booths at the back of Saron. His knuckles whitened on the glass in his hand. He brought it to his lips and took an angry gulp of his Scotch. The liquid scorched his throat and fanned the fire burning inside him.

  Tonight was a night of many firsts for Wade.

  It was the first time he’d stalked Rhys to see where his friend and business partner was going to go unwind for the day and have that elusive drink he’d mentioned.

  It was the first time he’d been consumed with the intense longing to beat the shit out of a perfect stranger when he’d seen the man Rhys had met at an upscale restaurant in Shinjuku. As he sat in a cafe across the road and watched the pair have dinner through the glass windows of the restaurant, it didn’t escape Wade’s notice that Rhys’s companion looked very much like Wade himself. As that realization sank in, Wade found his indignation turning to fury.

  It was also the first time he’d visited a gay club in Tokyo.

  When he’d followed Rhys and his companion from the restaurant, Wade hadn’t been sure exactly what to expect. He’d told himself he would tail them until their final destination, wherever that may be. The fact that that could end up being the stranger’s place, or even worse, Rhys’s apartment, was a reality Wade told himself he would just have to deal with if it came to that.

  Surprise had flashed through him when he’d spotted the club in the dingy alley they’d headed into. It had been rapidly superseded by outrage when he’d seen the asshole Rhys had had dinner with kiss Rhys’s hand before they entered the place.

  The doorman had hesitated briefly when he’d seen Wade walk up to the club’s entrance. One look at the vein throbbing in Wade’s temple and a quick scan of his tailored suit and dress shoes was all it took for the man to unclip the rope guarding access to the place.

  The interior of Saron had been Wade’s fourth surprise of the night. As he’d studied the unique decor of the club, Wade’s anger had reached boiling point. He could see Rhys’s touch all over the place and knew instinctively his business partner had kept this little side endeavor a secret from him too.

  Wade wondered how many more of Rhys’s secrets he would uncover before this night was over.

  He’d just glanced at his watch when movement to the right caught his gaze. A man was strolling down the steps of the club. At six foot three, with dark hair and a stubbled jaw, he was dressed in a casual suit and carried himself with a bearing that oozed confidence and sex appeal. The crowd parted ahead of him, the club patrons calling out greetings as he passed them, many following him with longing gazes.

  The man headed behind the bar, dropped a kiss on the lips of the blond bartender who’d served Rhys and his companion, and greeted Rhys with a warm smile.

  Wade scowled. And who’s this fucker?

  Rhys said something to the newcomer. The man’s smile widened, amusement sparkling in his eyes as he glanced from Rhys to Rhys’s companion. The blond bartender frowned at Rhys. Rhys laughed and took a sip from his tumbler.

  Rhys’s companion reached up suddenly and ran his thumb over Rhys’s glistening lower lip.

  Wade straightened in his seat, his back rigid.

  Rhys’s eyes grew hooded as he gazed at his companion. He finished his drink, said something in the man’s ear, and climbed off the barstool. Wade tracked Rhys with a heated stare as the latter headed for the back of the club.

  “Is this seat taken?” someone murmured.

  Wade looked at the man standing next to his booth. Though he’d been aware of the men in the club checking him out as if he were a piece of prime meat, this guy was the first one who’d actually had the nerve to speak to him.

  “It is,” Wade said curtly.

  The man studied the obviously empty space beside Wade for a beat before nodding and strolling off into the crowd.

  Wade’s gaze shifted back to the bar. His stomach dropped when he saw that Rhys’s companion was also missing. He scanned the club with narrowed eyes and caught sight of the man just as the latter disappeared through a door at the back.

  Chapter 4

  Rhys glanced in the mirror at the sound of the restroom door opening. He finished drying his hands and turned to smile at the man strolling toward him.

  “What, you couldn’t wait for me to get—”

  The rest of Rhys’s words were swallowed by Michael’s lips as he grabbed Rhys’s chin and crushed their mouths together. Rhys gasped when Michael gripped his hips and lifted him up onto the edge of the black marble countertop before settling between his thighs. Ever the opportunist, Michael slipped his tongue inside Rhys’s mouth and started frenching him in earnest.

  Rhys welcomed the rough mating for a couple of heartbeats before pushing at Michael’s chest and chuckling against his lips.

  “Whoa, slow down. What’s the rush?” He arched an eyebrow at Michael’s burning stare and cocked his head toward the door. “Besides, unless you’re planning on putting on a show, we should do this back at your place.”

  Michael nipped at Rhys’s lower lip with his teeth. “I suddenly feel very horny,” he said huskily. “Blame it on someone who complimented me on my looks earlier tonight. I put the ‘Cleaning in progress’ sign in front of the door, so no one should disturb us.”

  Rhys’s gaze dropped to the obvious bulge straining the front of Michael’s pants. He ran a finger down it and grinned when Michael shuddered and cursed.

  “You mean, little ole me is responsible for putting you in this, how should I put it, inflamed state?” he murmured.

  “You know very well you are,” Michael groaned. He pulled Rhys against him and swooped down to take his mouth in a hot kiss.

  Rhys grabbed Michael’s shoulders, locked his legs around Michael’s thighs, and surrendered to the moment, his own cock hardening behind his zipper.

&nb
sp; He was starting to think having a quickie in the restroom was a damn perfect way to begin the fuck fest that would be the rest of the night when someone wrenched Michael away violently and sent him slamming backward into a stall door to Rhys’s left.

  Wade’s breaths left his lips in harsh, shuddering pants as he glared at the two men staring at him across the club’s restroom, their expressions so shocked it would have been comical under any other circumstance.

  Somewhere at the back of his mind, Wade knew he was acting irrationally. But when he’d walked through that door and seen Rhys wrapped around the man he’d been flirting with all night like a rose coiled on a vine and kissing him passionately, something inside him had finally snapped.

  “Wade?” Rhys said hoarsely. He blinked, his dilated pupils constricting as he seemed to finally grasp what had just happened. The color drained from his face. “What—,” he swallowed convulsively, knuckles whitening where he gripped the edge of the marble countertop, “what are you—”

  “Hey, asshole! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?!” roared Rhys’s companion. He straightened from the door he’d crashed into and charged across the room.

  Wade cast him a deadly glare and pressed his hand against the man’s chest as the latter stopped next to him.

  “Don’t,” Wade said in a savage voice even he didn’t recognize, his gaze swinging around to lock on Rhys’s wild-eyed stare once more.

  The man froze. He looked slowly between Wade and Rhys, evidently sensing the undercurrent of pure tension running between the two men.

  “Rhys, who is this guy?” he said with a scowl.

  Rhys startled and blinked. He broke eye contact with Wade and gazed blindly at the man he’d been kissing barely a minute ago.

  “He’s—he’s my—,” Rhys mumbled.

  “I’m his partner,” Wade said icily.