“You don’t want Wendy to find you covered in spunk, do you?”
“No.” Ezra laughed and used his discarded underwear to wipe his chest, missing most of it. “I miss you, Roman. I want to come home.”
“Soon, babe. Real soon.”
Ezra passed out shortly thereafter without bothering to end the call. Roman watched him sleep for a while and only disconnected when he heard Wendy knocking on the door to Ezra’s bedroom. He definitely didn’t want to be on the hook for that one.
He had some time to kill before he was supposed to meet up with Jay at the gym, so he pulled out his computer and went online to search for something lacy and pink, a sweet surprise for when his little cream pie came home.
17
Mardi Gras Party
There was one thing about New Orleans that Ezra didn’t care forat alland that was Mardi Gras. It was the perfect storm of all of his least favorite things—strangers, crowds, stinky food, loud noises, people yelling, vomiting, and urinating in the street… and it wasn’t just one night of chaos; the madness went on for weeks.
But Roman had a tradition, one that Ezra intended to uphold, and that was a Mardi Gras party, one night during which they would share in the festivities with their friends. Ezra did a lot of research and planning for it, and when the day finally arrived, he worked diligently with Roman to prepare his home for their guests’ arrival.
“You sure you still want to do this?” Roman asked while Ezra arranged their collection of party favor beads on a coat rack by the door. “We can lock the door and you can earn those beads one strand at a time, starting with showing me your cute little nips.” Roman pinched both his nipples at once, and Ezra squealed like a piglet.
“Roman, don’t distract me! Do people really have to flash their breasts in order to get beads, and does that same rule apply to men? Seems like they would have to show something more provocative.”
“The thrower has complete discretion over who gets the beads. It’s like feeding ducks at the pond. You can give them to whoever you want and for whatever reason.”
Ezra nodded. “And how many guests do you anticipate will be joining us tonight?” Ezra had already factored in his handful of friends—if they dared to brave the crowds; he wasn’t the only introvert in his circle.
Roman squinted. “It’s hard to say, but they’ll probably just come for a drink and some food before moving on. It’s more like an open house situation than a set arrival and departure time.”
That made food distribution a lot more complicated. “I think we should stagger the appetizers. It would be terrible to run out of food while people are still arriving.”
“True, but we’re really not obligated to feed people. And if anyone pukes or clogs the toilet, they’re out of here,” Roman said. “Same rule applies if anyone bothers you, okay? You let me know and I’ll bounce them right out the door.”
“I like your friends, Roman. They’re always very nice to me.”
“Okay, but this is your house too, so what you say, goes.” Roman kissed the top of his head and Ezra smiled. He knew that technically, the house belonged to Roman, but he did like thinking of it as his own. He had certainly spent enough time fixing it up just the way he liked it!
“Do you think we ordered enough meatballs and chicken nuggets?” Ezra asked, still worrying over the food.
“Yes, babe, there’s plenty, and if you get hungry later and we’re out, we can always order more. Now, how about a break? You’ve been at it all day. Let’s get you a fruit punch and we can watch the parade from the balcony. See if you’ve got what it takes to earn those beads.”
“I think we both know that I do,” Ezra said cheekily, and Roman only shook his head, grinning.
* * *
The party was going well.Their guests seemed appropriately festive, the buffet table was stocked, and no one had vomited or broken anything. Ezra’s friends came in a cluster, stayed long enough to eat a plate of food and marvel at Roman’s home, then left before things got too crazy on the streets. A drink was spilled on the floor, but Ezra was quick to help clean it up. That is, before Roman dragged him away and told him to let someone else handle it, that he wasn’t supposed to be working tonight. The habit was hard to turn off, especially in situations such as this. Ezra’s stuff was all locked away behind his bedroom door, but he didn’t want any of Roman’s belongings to be ruined.
Only halfway through the night and Ezra was already dizzy with introductions. Roman certainly had a lot of friends! Many of them Ezra had never met before. Perhaps they were his employees or acquaintances? It wasn’t long before Ezra started to feel a little overwhelmed. But it was okay because he had his headphones to dampen the noise, and presently, they were out on the balcony for some fresh air. Roman had made his coat into a little cocoon to keep them both warm and was whispering sexy things into his ear, which Ezra liked very much. He suspected Roman might be a bit tipsy, based on the evidence that his breath smelled a little boozy and his hands kept wandering down to his privates. Ezra didn’t stop him though. He didn’t think anyone was watching, and even if they were, Roman was his boyfriend and his lover.
“Can you feel me, cutie?” Roman asked, grinding his erection against his backside.
“Yes,” Ezra said, a little breathless because Roman turned him on so much. “It’d be hard not to notice you, Roman.”
“I can’t wait until everyone leaves and I get you all to myself.”
“What are you going to do to me?” Ezra goaded.
“First thing I’m going to do,” Roman said as his hands crawled underneath Ezra’s shirt to tweak his nipples, “is suck on these little tiddies you keep showing off to everyone on the street.”
“I had to earn my beads,” Ezra protested. He’d collected about a dozen strands, now proudly displayed around his neck like medals.
