With This Ring Read online

  Vic felt his heart expand in his chest; he could’ve hugged his boss, if he were the affectionate type, and the man a little less homely. Instead he settled for a curt nod and took off for the double doors leading to the employee parking lot, hoping he could reach Dr. Veej’s lab before Matt.

  * * * *

  Though the bus garage was south of the James River and a good ten minutes closer to Chester than Matt’s gym, Vic hit a snag on the interstate that delayed him. By the time he took the exit he needed, he was convinced Matt was already out of reach, lured into some decadent queer harem by Dr. Veej’s exotic charms. Much as Vic trusted his lover, he didn’t put anything past anyone else, and Matt’s naiveté would probably get him into trouble one day. Jordan had used it to his advantage. Why couldn’t Dr. Veej?

  Vic slowed as he turned into the employee lot at Armour Labs. This late in the day, the lot was half-empty, and he spotted Matt’s black Jaguar easily enough. The moment he saw it, he noticed the reflective rainbow-colored strip across the back windshield—Matt had bought that at last year’s Pride event downtown. Vic smiled at the memory that rose unbidden to his mind: his lover in a pair of khaki shorts and nothing else, his skin bronzed by the sun, his curls tight with sweat because September was still hot in Richmond. He’d asked Vic to hold his beer as he clambered onto the back of his car, laughing at the hot metal that warmed his skin. It took three tries to get the strip straight. Finally Matt said the hell with it and pressed it down against the glass, then turned to lay across the back of his car. One hand had brushed down his chiseled chest to catch the button of his fly. With a hooded expression on his face, he watched Vic closely as he undid that button, then the next. “Matt,” Vic had chided, glancing around.

  But they had been only one couple out of hundreds crowded into the 17th Street Marketplace for the Gay Virginia Pride celebration. Matt grabbed a fistful of Vic’s shirt and tugged him closer, pulling him down beside him on the car. “Kiss me,” he demanded, taking the beer from Vic. Letting go of the cup, Vic’s hand drifted to Matt’s unbuttoned crotch, and his cool fingers eased into the hot fabric to stroke over heated skin as their lips met.

  The memory stirred Vic’s blood, and he shifted uncomfortably in the driver seat, trying to alleviate the sudden ache at his crotch. Pulling into a spot beside Matt’s car, he tore the keys from the ignition and slammed the door as he exited. There was a main gate that blocked the entrance to the plant—in front of it sat a squalid grey building marked SECURITY. Vic saw a second, smaller gate controlled by a keycard; as he watched, an employee approached this gate at a run, paused long enough to swipe an ID, and hurried through the turnstile into the plant.

  Vic approached the security building and noticed a sign indicating visitors should register before entering Armour Labs. Unsure of exactly what he planned to say, Vic pushed through the tinted glass door that led into the building and blinked in the dim light. A young black man stood behind a low desk—dressed in a uniform, he looked maybe twenty years old. If that was the height of their security, Vic thought he might as well just waltz right on in.

  Noticing him, the guard grinned. “Hello, sir. Visiting Armour Labs today?”

  “You could say that.” Vic saw movement from the corner of his eye and noticed a second security officer circling the building outside, a lit cigarette between his lips. This man was larger, Vic’s size, a brawny Asian fellow who looked like he could’ve been a sumo wrestler in his spare time. Now that was security.

  The younger guard pointed to a clipboard on the desk. “If you’ll sign in here, I can give you a day pass to enter the plant.”

  So it was that easy. Vic leaned down to sign the clipboard and got a nasty jolt when he recognized his lover’s blocky handwriting on the line above his. “Who are you visiting today?” the guard asked as he set a keycard marked VISITOR on the desk.

  Vic smoothed a finger over Matt’s name.

  “Sir, who—”

  Vic glanced at what Matt had written. “Research and development,” he read. Then he added, “Dr. Veej.”

  With a smile, the guard joked, “He’s quite a popular guy today. Let me call him up here to meet you—”

  “No.”

  The guard’s hand froze as he reached for a phone on the desk beside him. He raised an eyebrow, his smile slipping a notch. “Sir, it’s policy. You can’t enter the facility without an escort.”

  “No,” Vic said again. “I…it’s sort of a surprise. He doesn’t know I’m here.”

  That smile came back, brighter than before, and the guard lifted the receiver, already dialing. “He will now.”

  There was no time to think—even without Matt’s powers in his system, Vic’s instincts took over. With reflexes that surprised him, he grabbed the phone off the desk and pulled. The cord snapped, leaving the receiver useless in the guard’s hand. As he reached for the night stick on his belt, Vic tossed the phone at him.

  He fumbled for the phone like an overeager quarterback trying to keep the ball in play. Vic took the moment of confusion to snatch up the day pass and bolt. Outside, he tore around the building and almost collided with the second guard, still enjoying his smoke. Jerking to a stop, Vic flashed him the day pass and an intimidating grin. “How’s it hanging, buddy?” he asked, hoping he sounded nonchalant.

  “Same ol, same ol,” the guard replied. “Where you headed?”

  Vic frowned at the fence. “R and D? Could you point me…”

  The guard flicked his cigarette at the first low building beyond the gate. “Behind Human Resources. They’re removing asbestos from the offices so they got the science geeks in trailers back there. Can’t miss ‘em.”

  He took a long drag on his smoke and waved Vic through. Vic didn’t wait to be told twice. He headed for the turnstile, keeping his gaze on the gate ahead and trying to consciously slow his racing heart. He kept his pace slow, measured, despite the urgency that ran through his body. He almost didn’t dare hope the day pass would work, but when he swiped it, a light on the control box blinked green and he pushed through the turnstile easily enough.

  But the moment he was inside the gate, he heard a commotion behind him as the young guard burst from the security shack, yelling, “Stop! Stop!”

  His words had the opposite effect. Taking a deep breath, Vic raced for the building the other guard had pointed out, and the promise of finding Matt.

  Chapter 10

  When Matt arrived at Armour Labs, he wasn’t sure what to expect. All he knew was he wanted Vic back inside his head. As he waited for Dr. Veej outside the guard house, he wondered why he even bothered getting the cock ring adjusted. Now that it was off, his balls felt loose and low, the constricting band around them gone, and he couldn’t imagine trying to wriggle back into that small piece of rubber again any time soon. Why not just toss it into the nearest trash can and go home? If he had to deal with the powers he didn’t like just to get the ones he did, then so be it. As selfish as it was to admit, Matt couldn’t stand to lose any part of his lover, and he needed Vic’s thoughts in his to feel whole again.

  To feel complete.

  Matt had almost made up his mind to call the whole thing off when Dr. Veej approached, his large grin impossibly white against his dark skin. He looked so beguiling, so energetic, that Matt felt he should at least give the man a second chance. If he could tweak the cock ring’s frequency enough to cancel out everything but the telepathy, it’d be a dream come true. “Matthew,” the doctor said through his grin. Both hands reached out to take Matt’s, and the warm palms clasped his fingers tight. For a moment, Matt almost thought the guy didn’t plan to let go. “I am so glad you’ve come to me.”

  “Who else would be able to help?” Matt joked.

  Dr. Veej took his elbow, leading him to the gate’s turnstile. Matt shook him off and stepped out of reach. Once inside the facility, he walked behind the doctor to keep those hands from touching him again. That might be acceptable where he came from, but it made Matt unc
omfortable, and if Vic knew? Even without the powers, Matt’s lover was intimidating, and would probably snap skinny little Dr. Veej in half if so inclined.

  Matt followed the doctor to a cluster of trailers huddled in a courtyard formed by the facility’s permanent buildings. “Excuse the mess,” Dr. Veej said, holding the door to one trailer open for Matt to enter. His hand strayed to Matt’s shoulders as he ducked inside.

  Turning away from that touch, Matt backed up into the makeshift office. He made a show of looking around, both to calm his suddenly churning stomach and to put some much needed distance between them. He didn’t like that the inside of the trailer looked more like a cozy home office than a clinical laboratory, or that they were alone when the doctor pulled the door shut behind him. Matt felt cut off from the rest of the world, isolated, and berated himself for getting into this position in the first place. At least Vic knows where I am, he thought. Thank God he’d called Vic’s cell before leaving the gym. Unconsciously, his hand dropped to the holster on his hip, where his own phone rested, to assure himself it was there.

  One large desk took up most of the office—made of a glossy cherry wood, the desk was intimidating and impossibly clean. But a stack of papers in the tray suggested Dr. Veej had simply gathered them all together and tucked them away before Matt’s arrival. The executive style chair behind the desk looked like it was made of real leather, and two computer monitors jostled for position on the desk. Another three screens were spread out on the matching credenza behind the desk, fields of stars zooming into focus on their screensavers. Diplomas and various framed certificates graced the walls, and two comfortable chairs sat in front of Dr. Veej’s desk, inviting. Matt moved to one of them before he realized the doctor didn’t plan to sit there.

  Instead he headed for the other half of the trailer, where a thick shag rug covered the threadbare carpet and a large loveseat stretched out against the far wall. A small refrigerator hummed softly to itself, and on a nearby counter, bottles of amber liquid winked in the overhead light. Recessed lighting above the loveseat added to the ambiance. As Matt approached, he heard the sultry sounds of a sitar, playing softly from a speaker at the end of the couch.

  The place was half executive, half bachelor pad. Matt wanted to take their conversation back to the business half of the room, and leave the loveseat and the seductive music alone. Stopping at the edge of the shag rug, he started, “Um, I really think—”

  “Thirsty?” Dr. Veej asked. Before Matt could reply, he opened the fridge and poked his head inside. “I’ve got some iced tea and a few sodas, if you want. Bottled water. Some beer.” Glancing up at Matt, he cocked an eyebrow in a flirty expression. “Harder drink, too, if that’s your poison.”

  “I’m fine.” Matt shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and rocked back on his heels, uncomfortable. “Can’t we just get on with this? I want to be home by five.”

  The doctor jumped as if goosed into action. “Oh, right. You want me to adjust the ring somehow? I’ll have to take a look…”

  His gaze drifted to Matt’s crotch, and disappointment flashed across his face when Matt extracted from his pocket the plastic box that held the cock ring. “Right here,” he said, thankful he’d thought to take it off before he left the gym. “Should I wait? Or—”

  “Why don’t you have a drink?” the doctor tried again.

  Matt assured him, “I’m cool.”

  Moving closer, the doctor reached for the box and Matt handed it over quickly. He resisted the urge to step back and open up more space between them. As he watched, Dr. Veej ran a thin finger over the top of the box, caressing it. “Matthew,” he said softly.

  Biting the inside of his cheek, Matt fought the urge to reply. He had nothing to say other than, “Fix it,” which sounded petty and demanding. That stuff only worked on Vic—between them, that sort of childish play-acting was nothing more than another display of affection. No matter how prettily Matt pouted, his lover knew exactly what he felt and thought…

  Or rather, he used to know.

  Matt cleared his throat. “Can you fix it?” he asked. It sounded a little better, at least.

  But Dr. Veej pointed out, “It isn’t broken. It works, yes?”

  “A little too well,” Matt admitted. “Do you think there’s a way to negate only some of the powers?”

  The doctor’s response was a little too quick. “Oh, there’s a way, I’m sure of it. But it’s really going to take some trial and error.” He flashed Matt a sardonic grin. “I can’t test it out on just anyone, you know.”

  Matt hadn’t considered that. He thought it would be a simple procedure—the doctor would fiddle with the ring for a while, then Matt would take it home, put it back on, and the next time he made love to Vic, their telepathic bond would return. He should’ve realized it wouldn’t be so easy.

  “You know,” Dr. Veej said, “this actually presents the perfect opportunity for further study.”

  Matt glanced up from the box in the man’s hands to find that he’d moved a step or two closer. When had that happened? Matt took an involuntary step back. “I thought you’d said you’d studied this before.”

  The doctor frowned at him. “How could I possibly—”

  “Your sister’s fiancé,” Matt reminded him. “You said he had this too?”

  “Oh!” A surprised look flickered across Dr. Veej’s face and was gone. “Yes, of course. He does.”

  Suddenly Matt wasn’t too sure. Something in those shifty eyes told him the good doctor might be lying. He took another step back, and looked around to assure himself the door was nearby. “Maybe I should just go…”

  A warm hand closed around Matt’s wrist. “Listen to me, Matthew,” the doctor said, his voice low and urgent. “I know you want to get rid of these powers of yours, but wouldn’t it be nice to get rich on them instead?”

  Matt jerked away from the doctor. “What the hell are you talking about?” A feeling of disgust rose up in him…had he honestly trusted this man? With something as serious as this? “I want them to go away, yes, but I’m not giving them to you.”

  “No, you misunderstand.” The doctor tried to flash him a winning grin, but it only looked false and leering to Matt. “With my scientific resources, I can study the powers, learn where they come from, learn how and why and tell the world—”

  But Matt shook his head, adamant. “No. No one needs to know—”

  “Think of what this could mean in today’s society.” Dr. Veej spread his arms wide, the look on his face exultant. “If word about your abilities came out in academic circles, if proper research was done, if we could understand how you were singled out—”

  “There are others,” Matt pointed out. “You said so yourself.”

  “Matt, listen.” The way Dr. Veej said his name made Matt realize there was no other, no one in India with the power, no future brother-in-law for whom the cock ring had been made. With a conscious effort, the doctor reined in his enthusiasm and tried again, calmer this time. “Your story could earn me a place among the giants. We’re talking the Nobel Prize here. If you’d just consent to give me say two hours a week to extract and study—”

  “No.” Matt backed up and bumped into a bookcase behind him. When the doctor opened his mouth to speak, Matt held up both hands in a warding off gesture. “You listen to me, doctor. Keep your damn ring already. I don’t want it if it means I have to become some sort of…of guinea pig in your quest for glory, do you hear? I don’t care how much goddamn money you’d make.”

  Dr. Veej corrected him. “We’d make. Together. Let me draw up a contract…”

  He headed for his desk, and Matt took the opportunity to sprint for the door. As his hand closed over the knob, the doctor grabbed a paper off the stack in his tray. So he’d had the contract already written—this was the reason he’d been so willing to give Matt the cock ring in the first place. This was all just research to him, steps on the path to a glorious scientific prize. Vic had been right
about the man all along.

  As if thinking of his lover called him into existence, Matt heard Vic’s voice outside. “Matty!”

  “That’s Vic.” Matt exchanged a glance with Dr. Veej. Why his lover had followed him to the facility, he had no clue, but his heart sang in his chest to know he was no longer alone.

  With a nod, Dr. Veej said, “Good, good. Talk it over first, I understand.”

  You understand nothing, Matt thought as he flung open the door and stepped outside.

  Vic stood in the middle of the ring of trailers, legs apart and feet planted firmly as the young security officer Matt recognized from the guard house clambered over Vic’s back. He grappled with Vic’s arms and neck, trying in vain to throw his own meager weight around in the hopes of bringing Vic down. But Vic stood his ground, and when he saw Matt, he drew in a deep breath to bellow again, “Matty!”

  Relief rang out in his voice. Matt crossed the graveled courtyard at a jog. “Hey!” he cried to the security officer. “Get off him!”

  “It’s okay,” Dr. Veej called out behind him. “Alfonso, really. He’s here to see me.”

  Matt rolled his eyes—the doctor would wish he hadn’t interfered when Vic found out about his research request. Reaching his lover, Matt grabbed at the security officer’s jacket with both fists as he tried to haul him off his lover. “Get the hell off him,” he growled as he wrestled with the younger man. No one messed with his lover, no one.

  The anger that rose in him was refreshing and heady. No wonder Vic liked coming to his rescue. The adrenaline pumping through his system was an addicting rush. As his lover shrugged the security officer away, Matt dragged him down, pinned him to the ground, and would’ve started to punch him, too, if strong arms hadn’t caught his. Matt found himself pulled back, out of the fight, and held tight in Vic’s embrace.