It was adead-serious business.Sasha, who had never abandoned his mannerseven in his darkest days of homelessness, tried to make it a tidyone, but he knew that for a minute or two he was nothing but aravenous animal, with every mouthful staving off death.By the timehe'd consumed two thirds of the hot dog he was calming down, andsheepishly nodded to his lover, who'd watched the processindulgently.“Thanks.Sorry.Want a bit?”
“A bit of what?The wrapper?”Nevertheless Laurie accepted thelast piece of sausage, popped it into his mouth with an absurdvaudeville wink.“Better?”
“Mm.God, yeah.”
“What a wolf-cub.”Laurie reached out and smilingly wipedketchup from the corner of Sasha's mouth.“Now, the questionis—doyouwant abit?”
Sasha'sbrain was clearing, but still slow.It took him a moment.He lookedaround the churchyard, eyes wide.“We couldn't.Couldwe?”
“Well, it's still early.And I know it's holy ground,but...”
“Everything you do to me is holy.”Sasha was getting to hisfeet, fears and objections evaporating.He helped Laurie out of hisjacket then took off his own, folded them neatly over a gravestone.Maybe he did know how to make up after all.What better way thanthis?His conflict with Laurie had strained him away from hisnatural place in the world: now the rebound was coming, hard andsweet, fuelled by additives and relief.He put out a hand.Laurietook it, and they ducked beneath an arch of late-blossoming lilacand ivy into the shade.
Therewas a fallen tomb cover in the corner of the churchyard, so oldthat its carving had worn out to nothing in the rain.It wassheltered from the world beyond, the hot-dog sellers and shoutingmarquee staff, from deals with Hollywood devils and harshimmigration laws.They had perhaps a minute.They exchanged aglance which acknowledged that their finery would come second bestin a fight with the moss, and quickly, in fast-breathing silence,kicked off shoes and socks, unfastened trousers.They balanced oneanother to strip them off, hands gripped to elbows.“Shirts too, Ithink,” Laurie whispered.He undid Sasha's tenderly, then liftedhis own off over his head with a moan of impatience.“God, look atus.Rampant as a pair of wolverines.Is it the thrill of theforbidden, I wonder, or...”
“No.I just missed you.”
“Oh, Christ, me too.Let's never quarrel again.You'll reallycome with me?”
“Haven't I said?Come here.Lie down.”
“You get on top, love.That stone's gonna be cold, and you'renot well.”
Sasharesisted, but Laurie turned him in his arms, subsided onto thelichen-daubed stone and hauled him down after him, a lean-muscledavalanche that brought Sasha down full length, gasping andlaughing.They were belly to belly, cock to engorged cock.“Notgonna last thirty seconds,” Sasha warned, rubbing his brow againstLaurie's chest.
“Just as well.”Laurie thought he'd heard the crunch of tyreson gravel.It didn't matter.Stefan Petrica wouldn't show up herein a vintage Rolls with a ribbon, and Laurie could deal with anyoneelse.He wrapped his thighs round Sasha's hips.“Give it here,handsome.Come on.”
Sashabraced a hand to the moss.Every muscle in his spine contracted inthe pleasure of a first strong thrust, driving his shaft tightagainst Laurie's.He cried out, a muffled explosion of delight.Laurie ran both hands down his spine, briefly grabbed his backside,then heaved up beneath him and clutched him round the waist as ifhe'd been made of gold, or lost at sea and miraculously returned.“Sasha!Let go now!”
Nochoice.Ecstasy ripped up from Sasha's balls, from the shudderymarrow of his spine.He rose up on his arms to get purchase for thelast few strokes.Laurie drew up his thighs, arched his back andturned his head aside, as if trying to hide from his own pleasure.He buried his face in the crook of his arm, mouth opening in asilent wail.Sasha leaned over him, shielded him.His own climaxwas fierce but not for one instant did he lose the sense of thebright world around him.The shadow that preyed on the sun...Hewhispered his lover's name.Laurie came back from his ecstaticdistance.They clung together, tracing out one another's featuresin clumsy, tired kisses.A blackbird seized prime position in thelilacs above them, and began to pour out a passionate middaysong.
***
“Sir Ralf called me in person.”
Sashapushed onto one elbow.Poor Laurie.For a man who'd got his way—histicket to stardom, and no more fuss from the other half—he didn'tlook happy.“Was it bad?”
“Fucking awful.He wasn't mad at me—I wish he had been.He justsounded like his favourite son had let him down.”
“Ouch.”
Laurierecovered with a flash of forced brilliance Sasha had so far seenonly on stage.“My choice, though.Not your problem.I'll have tosell the Merc, I guess, before Camden Council sends men to break myknees for those parking fines.”
“I spoke to Jeff Davis.He just got a three-year ban for drunkdriving, so he's selling his car.He said he'd rent us hisgarage.”
“Who's Jeff Davis?”
“Our neighbour.The one who tries to unlock our front door whenhe rolls home drunk.”
“Oh.”Laurie brushed florets of lilac out of Sasha's fringe.“You sorted that out even before you'd decided to come withme?”
“I wanted things to be as easy as possible for you.”
“Bloody hell.You're one in a million, aren't you?”
“Not really.I'm as selfish as anyone else.I just...Oh,Laurie.Let's not ever be apart.”
He laidhis head on Laurie's shoulder, and Laurie stroked his hair,watching swallows weave patterns in the blue.Tyres crunched ongravel once more—serious this time, not just someone pulling in foroncoming traffic in the narrow lane.Gently dislodging him, Lauriesat up.“Uh-oh.Quick, sweetheart.Clothes.”
