Page 22 of Copper

Maybe it’s me moaning for him. Maybe it’s the fact that a man is sucking his dick, and men really know how to suck dicks…because they’re men. Whatever it is, Aaron grabs Jason’s face, fists his hair, and pushes his dick so far down Jason’s throat I think the younger man will digest it. Aaron grunts, and his jaw tenses like it does whenever he orgasms.

Jason gags and coughs, but Aaron holds him until I grab his hand. “Don’t hurt him. He’s twenty.”

Aaron pulls his dick out of Jason’s mouth and looks at the long line of drool that comes with it. The spit is attached to both Jason’s bottom lip and the tip of Aaron’s cock, and Aaron swipes it away like it’s filthy.

Jason sputters and coughs as he swallows the last of Aaron’s cum, and I watch the younger man's throat move, wishing I was drinking Aaron down.

How did we get here? How did I ever put Aaron in this position? I just want to stay alive, out of trouble, and live in peace. I want Aaron to be happy, even if it's not with me. He deserves that and so much more. He doesn't deserve to fuck an anonymous frat guy in a back room while his ex-girlfriend wishes she didn't fuck up so damn much.

Shame roils through me for the millionth time when I think about how much better Aaron deserves, and I force myself to look at Aaron.

When I finally find his eyes, Aaron’s already buttoning his shirt and pulling up his pants. Without a word, he turns his back to me to finish dressing.

“Aaron!”

“You’re special to me,” he says, buckling his belt and wiping a drop of sweat from his forehead. “You always will be, and there’s not a fucking thing you can do to change that. Not even this.”

I don’t know what to say. I can’t form words, and I can’t run after him. I’m naked, and my legs still tremble from my orgasm. I look at the floor, frantically trying to locate my underwear and bikini top to go after him.

Aaron pulls a five-dollar bill out of his pocket and throws it in Jason’s lap where it flutters to the younger man’s dick. “That’s for you, Princess. You earned it,” Aaron says, walking toward the door.

He shuts the door with a slam when he leaves, and I wonder if it’s finally the last time I’ll ever see Aaron Dwyer.

Chapter 10

Aaron

“Whoareyouagain?”the man in front of me asks, straightening his suit.

I quickly look Jalen Quarry up and down before shaking his hand and moving my own suit jacket out of the way to show him my badge. No police uniform today. I wore a suit, and I didn’t bring Coleson. I didn’t tell Mitchell where I was going. Nobody at work knows I’m in Chicago. I told them I was doing rounds but also had some personal business to attend to. Unless another mafia thug dies, they’ll leave me alone.

“Sheriff Aaron Dwyer. I was wondering if I could talk to you about Beck Lenin.”

He nods and circles his desk, simultaneously gesturing for me to have a seat. “Of course, what can I do for you?”

“How long did Beck Lenin work for the firm?” I ask, taking a seat in the reddish-brown chair across from him.

He seems eight miles away with the wide pine desk between us, but the desk is insightful. That must be Ellen in the silver picture frame. I’m assuming it would be her in the white wedding dress. I lean forward and smile at it. She’s pretty. Not as pretty as Lucy, but she’s blonde whereas Lucy has auburn hair. Ellen has a lighter skin tone with watery blue eyes, and Lucy has light brown eyes and a skin tone that makes her always look like she just spent a couple days in Florida. Ellen doesn’t have as many curves as Lucy. Some women lose weight for the wedding, and I wonder if Ellen was one of them since her shoulder bones stick out from the strapless gown.

“Five years or somewhere around there.” Jalen pauses. “I know he left without telling anyone where he went, but are you concerned about him?”

It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell Jalen Quarry that I wouldn’t care if Beck drove off a cliff, but I smile and play nice. “We’re covering all our bases. His ex-wife has recently moved to my area and contacted the police. She says Chicago wasn’t that interested in finding Beck. Since she wants to serve divorce papers and file in my county, we have an interest over there to make sure he really abandoned the marriage.”

If Jalen thinks twice about my bullshit, he doesn’t show it. In fact, he’s hard to read at all. I’m usually good with nervous fidgeting or facial expressions, but either Jalen doesn’t know the first thing about Beck or he’s a professionally trained actor.

“Well, he didn’t show up for work one day. We didn’t think much of it,” Jalen says, tapping his fingers on his fancy ink blotter.

“That seems odd. Why didn’t you think much about it?” I ask, leaning forward and staring at his face like I expect some big revelation from it. Jalen’s a handsome enough man, but he’s not what I was expecting. He’s bald, and his head is shiny, giving him the appearance that he buffs his head with a floor buffer. There’s a dark and neatly trimmed beard that he idly scratches when he talks. He’s the complete opposite of what I can remember about Beck Lenin. Lucy’s dickhead ex was clean-shaven and had the messy but stylish hair so popular with men of our generation when I saw him.

Jalen shrugs. “He was always talking about how he was going to leave Lucy. Personally, I felt a little bad for her.”

“Bad how?” I ask, opening my phone’s note app and jotting down some notes.

Even hearing this man say Lucy’s name makes me second guess being here. I haven’t seen her since I left the club the other night after what I’ve been calling in my mindthe incident. My fingers have itched to call her every day, and I sit in the club parking lot at the end of her shift, parked where she can’t see me from the door. I make sure she’s safe when she gets in her car after she waves to Peter at the front door. But I don’t know what to say to her. Something tells me I can’t lead with, “Yeah, remember when we both fucked that guy the other night? That was fun.”

I widen my eyes, trying to keep them open after not having nearly enough coffee this morning. Jalen raps his knuckles on his desk a few times before answering. “He was always leaving Lucy at parties by herself. The company picnic. The Christmas party.”

I clench my phone so hard my knuckles turn white, and I take a deep breath. I’d never ignore her at a party, and I don’t see how any man could. My hand would be at her lower back until the night ended, and I’d drive her home and make love to her properly before getting up and making her pancakes. She deserved so much more in a first husband than Beck Lenin, and I intend to make sure her second husband is much better.

---