Page 34 of Bad to the Bone
Chapter Seventeen
“KIDNAPPED?”Alex laughed. “Right, because I have so much to hold for ransom.”
Ricky Lee’s smile could only be described as predatory. “That assumes I’m willing to let you go.” He ignored the right turn Alex had suggested and drove the Challenger past the light, continuing south on Lincoln Avenue. “You spend so much time working and volunteering, you don’t leave any time free for yourself. So I’m freeing some for you.”
“By kidnapping me?” Alex didn’t think it would help to point out that without Ricky Lee’s presence, he’d have nothing to fill any free time.
“Uh-huh. For the next forty-eight hours, you’re mine. If you’re very… persuasive… I may consider letting you go back to Freeland Sunday night.”
“I can’t just disappear for two days!” Alex protested, though the implications of how Ricky Lee might be persuaded were already sparking ideas in both his brain and his groin. “The store—”
“—is not your worry this weekend.” They crossed under the 235 overpass, and Ricky Lee swung a right turn onto Sheridan. “It’s covered.”
Alanna’s grin that morning suddenly made a lot more sense. “I take it my sister is complicit in this kidnapping?”
“You could call her a coconspirator.” Ricky Lee made two more turns in quick succession and pulled to the curb in front of a building that had clearly been some kind of factory once, though no one could mistake it for that any longer, even though “Fred Jones Mfg. Co.” was still spelled out in script above the first-story windows. A valet ran up as soon as the Challenger came to a stop.
“Welcome to the 21c Museum Hotel,” he said as they climbed out of the car. “Are you dining with us this evening, or will you be checking in?”
“Checking in.” Ricky Lee paused and glanced at Alex, the keys dangling from his fingers. “Are you okay with valet parking?”
Still a bit stunned by the whole situation, it took Alex a moment to realize Ricky Lee wasn’t asking whether he wanted to pay the extra valet fee. “Uh, yeah. I’m sure they’ll be careful with her.”
“Absolutely, sir,” the valet confirmed as Ricky Lee tossed him the keys. “Let me get your luggage and I’ll have it sent up to your room.”
“We don’t have any lugg—” Alex broke off when the valet unlocked the trunk and extracted a duffel bag and a suitcase he recognized as his.
“My coconspirator was very thorough,” Ricky Lee said with a grin. He took the claim ticket and passed the valet a folded bill in return, then took Alex’s arm and steered him toward the main entrance.
They walked past a sculpted metallic tree that wafted a mist of fog like a canopy around its crown on their way to the bright, open lobby. “This used to be a manufacturing plant for Model T Fords,” Ricky Lee explained. “It’s been converted into a combination hotel and modern art gallery.”
“I thought you hadn’t been back to Oklahoma since you left for college.”
“I haven’t. Read about it on the internet when I was looking for somewhere to stay.” They reached the registration desk, where Ricky Lee gave his name to the young woman behind the counter and accepted two room keys in return.
“Can I make a dinner reservation for you at Mary Eddy’s?” she asked.
“We already have plans for tonight, but we may try it for brunch tomorrow.”
The receptionist didn’t bat an eye at Ricky Lee’s repeated use of “we.”No one here cares that we could be a couple, Alex realized. “Enjoy your stay, gentlemen.”
“We already have plans?” he asked as they took a refurbished freight elevator to the fourth floor. The hallways on each floor were enlivened with neon arrows and eclectic pieces of modern art.And do they involve leaving the room?
Ricky Lee raised an eyebrow, making Alex wonder if he’d read his thought. “We have enough time to clean up before we go out.” He used one of the keys to open the door to a large, airy suite. A huge steel-framed, paned window stretched from the carpeted floor to the high ceiling along an entire wall. Sleek modern furnishings and what looked like original works of art beckoned a closer look, but the king-sized platform bed piled with crisp white bedding and luxurious-looking pillows drew Alex’s attention. He’d be joining Ricky Lee there tonight. He ran a hand over the soft, smooth duvet, already imagining what he had to look forward to.
“Why don’t you grab the first shower?” Ricky Lee suggested. “The luggage should be here by the time you’re done.”
Alex swallowed. “You could join me. I’ve been thinking about it both mornings after we ran.”
Ricky Lee crossed the room to take Alex into his arms and draw him into a long, slow kiss. “Hold that thought,” he said when they broke apart to pull air into their lungs. “If I join you now, we’ll never get out of the hotel, and I think you’ll enjoy what I have planned for tonight. Besidesthat,” he added when Alex grinned knowingly.
The bathroom proved as modern and spacious as the sleeping area. Alex slipped out of his suit and hung the jacket, slacks, and shirt on the hooks beside the door. He washed quickly, despite being disappointed that Ricky Lee didn’t change his mind and step into the shower with him after all—it was certainly large enough for them both. Once he’d dried with one of the thick, thirsty towels, he wrapped it around his waist, gathered his clothes, and opened the door.
As Ricky Lee had predicted, their luggage had arrived while Alex was showering. He rolled the suitcase to the mirrored closet and set it on one of the luggage racks. He wasn’t sure what to expect inside since Alanna must have packed it, but when he opened it, he was surprised to see his other suit, which he’d dropped at the cleaners after the reunion, neatly folded on top of the contents.
“You looked so good in it the night of the reunion, I wanted a chance to take you out of it myself.” Ricky Lee came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Alex, bending his head to nibble at a bare shoulder. Alex could feel Ricky Lee’s cock nudging his backside, but before he could release the knot on the towel tenting over his own erection, Ricky Lee let him go. “That means I have to let you get into it again first.”
“Shower fast,” Alex urged. Once Ricky Lee disappeared behind the bathroom door, he hung up the garments from his suitcase, relieved to see that other than the suit, his sister had packed a selection of clothes suitable for a casual weekend. He dressed quickly, then debated whether to add the tie Alanna had included. He seldom wore them other than when he was lobbying, but if Ricky Lee wanted to recreate the night of the reunion, that was part of the ensemble. He tucked it under his collar and knotted it just as Ricky Lee emerged from the bathroom.
