The Christmas Bonus Read online

  “Merry Christmas Ethan,” I said as I sidled up to him and leaned on the cold granite. The night was clear and chilly, making the neon lights of downtown sparkle with a hint of magic. We stood silently watching cars, and people pass by, and looking at the Investobanck headquarters across the road—office lights still blazing because, yeah, there were still workers in the building. Investobanck was proud of its 24/7, 365-days-a-year support service. And of course, during the holiday season credit cards would be red hot from usage, and things would invariably go wrong for some customers.

  With each sidelong glance, I was aware of Ethan placing the cigarette between his lips, and then withdrawing and pursing to exhale a languorous stream of menthol scented smoke. “Are you having a good time?” I asked. “It’s strange to see you without your coterie,” I added slyly. Ethan looked up to face me and huffed a laugh, making menthol smoke waft out of his nose as well as his mouth and float over me. I coughed.

  “Not a smoker, Mr. Walters?”

  “Nope. I’m kinda choosy what I put inside my body”, I said. When it came to my health, this was totally true, but with sex, it was all kinds of hooey. I was—had been—a total slut, but Ethan didn’t need to know that. Not yet! His pretty mouth hitched to a smirk. He knew exactly what I meant.

  “Oh, that’s a shame. I’m not choosy at all. I’ll try anything once”, Ethan admitted in a slow, deliberate, flirtatious way, and to be honest, it kinda shocked me. I’d always assumed he was an innocent but now, I wasn’t so sure.

  God, watching his mouth as he took another drag on the cigarette made my balls ache. Did he have any idea what he was doing to me?

  “Are you enjoying the party? Investobanck always puts on a good celebration.” I said trying to keep the conversation going.

  “It’s great, but the girls are a bit… clingy, y’know.”

  “I noticed,”

  “You did, huh,” Ethan smiled knowingly and then was silent for a long moment. I could not take my eyes off of him, the curve of his lips as he sucked on that cigarette made my dick throb and start to fill. I just couldn’t control it.

  “Is it true upper management booked rooms for the night?” Ethan queried, his cigarette nearly smoked down to the butt.

  “Yeah. I’m in 593. I’ve got a great view of the river from up there.”

  “Is that so, Mr. Walters?” He drawled and pushed out a stream of smoke. I met his blue-eyed gaze, and yeah, without doubt, he was interested.

  “Please, call me Jake,” I said. “You wanna come see the view?” He extinguished his cigarette in the soil of the potted Christmas tree, and then gave me a curious smile. I took it as a yes and strode off back into the hotel, a triumphant cocksure swagger to my walk.

  I needed to get him alone as soon as possible. I was out of practice and hadn’t been with a boy since college—nearly twenty years ago, but I knew when I got him alone I would be on familiar ground. I was a good-looking man, fit with a rugged build, my dark beard cropped close to my jaw, and I still had a full thick head of hair. I had plenty of sexual experience, and I could be with a man, I yearned to be with a man, more specifically, with Ethan.

  Ethan gave the impression that he was shy and inexperienced and so I wanted to be a thoughtful daddy and take my time with him, slowly seduce him. I would savor that lithe young body and make this first time good.

  In the elevator, we were not alone, and as the merry seasonal tunes piped from speakers above, the two couples joining us for the ride chatted among themselves. Ethan was still wearing the reindeer antlers. He tapped away on his black iphone without even looking up once or acknowledging we were even together. I liked that he was discrete. The anticipation was delicious. We were so close to being alone.

  When we reached the fifth floor, I left the elevator car without saying a word to him. One of the other couples also alighted and walked in the opposite direction. As I strode down the deserted, lushly carpeted corridor I was pleased to take a glance back and see Ethan was walking ten steps behind me, the bells on the antlers jingling with each step. Our eyes met, and we shared a bolt of electricity.

  I had it all planned out in my head. We would order room service; have a little food and wine to relax a little before I made my move. I would be in control, and he would give it up for me.

  I extracted my key card from my tuxedo breast pocket and pressed it to the keypad. I pushed the door open and entered, turning the lights on as I moved further into the large suite. I had a sizeable lounge with sectional sofa, a dining table and a separate bedroom with a king size bed facing French doors that, when the drapes were pulled back, led to a balcony that overlooked the sparkling city skyline and the river.

  I placed my key card in a dish on a side table with my phone and wallet. I turned to see Ethan enter and grab the “Do Not Disturb” sign from the inner door handle and slip it over the outer handle and close the door. It was a surprisingly confident move. He knew what he wanted. I liked that.

  I strode to the drinks cabinet and prepared myself a glass of Jack in a cut crystal tumbler. I turned to welcome Ethan. “Um, d’ ya want a drink? There’s a fully stocked fridge. Something from room service, maybe?” I suggested. When his cornflower blue eyes looked up and met mine, I saw a hint of something different from the doe-eyed innocence I had been so attracted to for the past four months. These eyes were hungry—knowing.

  Ethan strode straight past me without a word and took a turn around the suite. He removed his tux jacket and tossed it on a chair, and loosened the bow tie. I noticed the way his shirt clung to his torso. I wanted my hands to be doing exactly that! He paused and pulled back the drapes to take in the view.

  “Nice view, nice digs,” he commented nonchalantly.

  “Aren’t they. Gerrard has been very generous this year, what with this and the Christmas bonus”, I chuckled.

  “You got a Christmas bonus?” He exclaimed.

  “Oh, I forget, this is your first year with the company. It was only upper management who got financial bonuses this year. I think all the other staff got was this party”, I winced. I knew it was a shitty thing to say and that the CEO really should have given the staff a small monetary bonus—it’s not as if we weren’t raking in cash.

  Ethan strode to the couch. His body was long and slender; his ass, so shapely it was almost feminine. He bent over and undid the shoelaces on his patent leather brogues. I was transfixed by the curve of that ass. He slipped his socked feet from the shoes, placed the shoes under the coffee table, and then turned to look at me. I must have looked like a dog at feeding time. I’m sure my tongue was hanging out.

  He draped himself on the sectional sofa and drew out two phones, one from each trouser pocket, one red, one black. I knew too much about him that I should not know, but I had no idea he had another phone number. He glanced at the screens of both phones and then laid them on the coffee table.

  “Two phones?” I queried.

  “Of course, business, and pleasure.” He replied matter-of-factly as if everyone had two.

  “So, which is which?”

  “Black phone is for Grindr, red for friends and work.”

  “Oh,” I was shocked that he had a phone, especially for hookups. He was messaging on the black phone while we were in the elevator. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. “Do you have two Facebook accounts too?” I joked.

  “Damn right. My dad warned me that if I want to succeed, I have to keep my sex life away from the prying eyes of my employers.” He admitted. I guess it was a smart thing to do. We did employ people in IT to keep tabs our worker's social media accounts. You never can be too careful nowadays.

  “Do you know I’ve been watching you?” Ethan said, his eyes flicking up to pin me. I couldn’t deny the unease that rushed over me. I thought it had all been one-sided, that I had been in control, watching Ethan. It made me feel uncomfortable to think that he’d been watching me in return and I’d never realized. It just shows you how I’d lost myself in this ga
me. What did he know about me—my route to work, my favorite coffee shop? Did he know where I lived? Did he know I used to be married?

  “Like what you see?” I said smoothly, trying to make a joke out of his obviously predatory statement. Ethan gave the appearance of a young man in control. He smiled and stretched his arms out along the back of the couch. The stance was all confidence and dominance—not the behavior of the shy coquette I’d fantasized about.

  “So, um… What do you want?” I asked again, gesturing to the drinks tray.

  “What I want, Mr. Walters—” He smiled wickedly, removed the reindeer antlers from his head, tossed them on the coffee table and then, he stood and strode toward me.”—is my Christmas bonus.”

  I was glued to the spot, unmanned, and caught in the remit of those flirtatious eyes. My heart kicked against my ribcage, and I was sweating, hot, and bothered. I took a burning swallow of Jack. Then, Ethan was standing in front of me, right up in my personal space. I could feel his warm breath prickle my skin.

  Without warning, Ethan launched himself at me. I stumbled back and hit the wall; the tumbler fell from my boneless grip and shattered on the polished marble surface. I could hear shards of crystal skidding across the floor, but I didn’t care. My erection arrived with the immediacy of a lightning strike. It was keen and uncomfortable, squished into my tailored black dress pants. I was fit to burst my zipper.

  I gathered Ethan into an embrace, and, near violently, we locked lips. A rush of passion flooded my blood, and with his hard slender form pushing against my body, there was no turning back. He tasted better than I imagined, a mixture of beer and mint and smoke. His taste was alchemy.

  “Fuck, I’ve wanted you for all these months, Sir,” Ethan gasped.

  “Jake,” I murmured between kisses and nips, “Call me Jake.”

  “I think we can do much better than that. Cocksucker!”

  That comment was so out of the blue it blindsided me and stopped me in my tracks. I wasn’t into demeaning lovers, and I’d never called my ex-wife, or any of my other hook-ups names, and they had never degraded me either. But hearing that word from Ethan’s pretty mouth did things to me I wasn’t ready to face.

  I unclasped and moved from the warmth of his body, the crunch of broken glass underfoot reminding me of the shattered tumbler. My head was spinning, and I needed to understand just what was going on here. A year ago, with a woman, I would have had my pants around my ankles already, but therapy made me pause for thought and attempt to make informed decisions.

  “What did you call me?” I shot a glare at the blond, self-satisfied, partly undressed young man. My hand wiped the sweat from my brow, and my lust mingled with anger.

  “I called you what you are,” he insisted, still with that smirk on his face. “I can see it in the curve of your lips. You want to suck my cock, and I want you to. I think I’ve earned it.”

  It hit me then, what an idiot I’d been. I’d idealized Ethan for all those months, and all of those fleeting, innocent glances were a lie. I’d convinced myself he was a fragile sub, and I could be his daddy, but that submissive coquettish act was all for show—he was nothing of the sort.

  I was unable to detach from our eye contact. Ethan grabbed my right hand and pushed it roughly against his crotch. Jesus, he was so hard and bigger than I expected. My brow was beading with sweat once more. He moved my hand up and down so that we traced the shape of his length together. I wanted my fingertips to trace the gossamer skin, to feel that length throb in my grip.

  I wanted it in my mouth.

  Ethan was right. He saw right into the core of me. I hurriedly unzipped him and snuck my hand inside the warmth of his underwear. Ethan’s hands dropped by his side, and his head fell back. He moaned, and my balls jumped in their sacs.

  I removed his cock and balls from his jockey shorts. Ethan’s dick was long, pale and slender, cut, with a fat mushroom head, and his balls were small and tight into his body. When my fingertips traced over the glans, they found a pool of sticky precum. For more than twenty years I’d only played with my own dick, so this was a delightful discovery. I smeared the precum up and down his shaft while keenly watching his reactions to my touches. I got such a rush seeing the flashes of pleasure in his eyes. He loved what I was doing to him, the way I handled him and tugged him.

  Ethan’s hand rose, and he placed it on the top of my head and then pushed down. I got the hint and fell to my knees, thankfully missing shards of broken glass. Head-on, his dick looked delicious. I took and preparatory lick and then opened up and let him slide into my mouth. The musky, salty taste took me back to memories of college—to the locker room where I would give blowjobs whenever I got a chance. I knew then that I was home—with my nose pressed into a nest of musky blond pubic hair, my throat filled to bursting with hot, throbbing dick. Ethan withdrew and then flicked his hips, pushing back in and starting a careful rhythm, using my mouth for his pleasure.

  “See, I was right Jake; you are a great cocksucker,” Ethan said in a low, sexy voice. I smiled around his dick at hearing his praise. The words did something indefinable to my insides. He’d got me pegged, in more ways than one!

  When Ethan said, he’d wanted his Christmas bonus I had no idea it would be me. I felt a rush of pride at being chosen. I loved the fact he was using my mouth, taking what he wanted. It was only the start of our Christmas party, and it was going to be the best night of the year with Ethan in my throat, and later in my ass, I knew there would be plenty more gifts to unwrap.

  ****

  THE END

  Want more Christmas themed reads?

  Try:

  “Back Where He Belongs”

  M/M, Friends to lovers, Pup Play,

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  “Detective Fox and the Christmas Caper”

  M/M Comedy Heist-

  NOW IN AUDIOBOOK!

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  Fred and Ginger- M/M Comedy short

  BOOKS BY ISOBEL STARLING

  Shatterproof Bond Series

  “As You Wish” (Shatterproof Bond #1) Novel M/M

  Listen to an audio sample: http://adbl.co/2qnXRE4

  “Illuminate the Shadows” (Shatterproof Bond #2)

  “Return to Zero” (Shatterproof Bond #3)

  “Counterblow” (Shatterproof Bond #4)

  “Shatterproof Bond” series box set – The first three novels in one ebook download

  COMING SOON

  “Powder Burns” (Shatterproof Bond #5) Novel M/M

  SHORTS

  “Top Hat” (A Sam Aiken prequel) Short story M/M

  “Silken” (An A.L.L. Sidestory) Novelette M/M, BDSM, “Fred & Ginger” standalone M/M Christmas short story

  “Back Where He Belongs” M/M Christmas Novella

  “The Christmas Bonus” Christmas Short story M/M

  Pretty Boy series

  “New York’s in Love” (Pretty Boy Series #0.5) M/M

  “Fall Together” (Pretty Boy series #1) M/F, M/M

  “Sweet Thing” (Pretty Boy series 2) M/M

  “Pretty Box Series Box Set”

  Dick and the Sidekick series

  “Detective Fox and the Christmas Caper” M/M Romantic Comedy Novella

  Audiobooks

  “As You Wish” (Shatterproof Bond #1

  Listen to an audio sample:

  US: http://adbl.co/2qnXRE4

  UK: http://adbl.co/2q36TU1

  “Illuminate the Shadows” (Shatterproof Bond #2)

  “Return to Zero” (Shatterproof Bond #3

  “Counterblow” (Shatterproof Bond #4)

  “Top Hat” (A Sam Aiken prequel)

  “Detective Fox and the Christmas Caper”

  All narrated by Gary Furlong

  Also available:

  “Silken” (An A.L.L. Sidestory) Novelette M/M, Narrated by Gomez Pugh

  Available on Audible, Amazon and iTunes

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Isobel Starling spent most of her twenty-year professional car
eer making art in Ireland. She relocated to the UK and, faced with the dreaded artist’s creative block, Isobel started to write and found she loved writing more than making art.

  Isobel is currently working on her sixteenth book. The Shatterproof Bond series is an Amazon Gay Romance bestseller and is being translated into French with Juno Publications, German with Deadsoft Verlag, and Italian with Quixote Edizioni. The series is also available as audiobooks, narrated by Gary Furlong.

  “Fall Together” and “Sweet Thing” will be translated into French by Reines- Beaux Publishing.

  Already in audio, narrated by Gomez Pugh, “Silken” will be available in German, Italian and French in 2018.

  ****

  https://www.decentfellowspress.com/

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  https://www.amazon.com/Isobel-Starling/e/B00U1MKE5I

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