Playing Dirty Book 2 of the Action! Series Read online

  ~

  With the vibrating echoes of Carl’s cock in his ass, Keith savored being inside Carl’s hot, wet mouth. No longer did Carl recoil at the possibility of Keith shooting into it. Carl appeared to hanker for a taste of Keith on a daily basis.

  They had become so close, so confident. Literally from timid touches to deep fucking and sucking, they had grown to enjoy the taste and touch of each other in so many ways. Keith no longer felt it was odd, uncomfortable, or awkward to reach out and stroke his lover’s dick, push his fingers inside his ass, lick his skin all over his body. The days of fear and anxiety about holding each others’ dicks and the terror over the stigma of being gay, in private, were over, replaced by self-assurance and the desire to please in the bedroom.

  Keith purred a deep, contented sound as Carl drew him into his mouth to the root, running his teeth lightly over his skin and his tongue tracing down his length. As Keith began to rise with the climax, Carl slid his finger inside Keith’s slick back passage, massaging his prostate with light, gentle strokes that made Keith go insane.

  A prelude to the explosion shivered through Keith’s body. Keith wished he could hold back and prolong the splendid blowjob, but the urge to come was too powerful.

  As Carl worked his finger deeper into Keith’s ass, Keith let loose a howl of pleasure, tensing his back muscles and feeling the shiver down to his toes. Throbbing, rocking into Carl’s throat, Keith gave up his seed and soared with the aftershocks as Carl sucked him down, draining him and milking him with his hand.

  Choking for breath, Keith moaned in exquisite agony, sated, madly in love, and astonished at the depth of the emotional attachment he and Carl had developed. It was the most incredibly experience in his life. Add to that the fact that he was starring in his first hit cable television drama in a career move of a lifetime. He had never been happier.

  Finally able to open his eyes and breathe normally, Keith looked down to see Carl lapping at his cock leisurely. Carl’s eyes were closed, his concentration solely on his task of getting every drop of come out of Keith’s dick.

  When Carl seemed to have his fill, his long, dark eyelashes raised revealing his emerald eyes.

  “Get over here,” Keith prompted, reaching out his hands.

  Carl’s wicked smile appeared as he crawled up Keith’s body to his lips. Keith cupped Carl’s face and tasted his own come on Carl’s mouth. Pausing for a breath, Keith whispered, “I love you.”

  An adoring grin appeared on Carl’s face. “I love you too, Keith.” After some sweet gentle kissing, Carl said, “But…we have to learn the new script.”

  “I know.” Keith pushed Carl’s dark brown hair back from his dewy forehead.

  “Let’s wash up.”

  “Okay.” Keith gave in, though all he wanted to do was snuggle.

  ~

  Once they had rinsed off and dressed, Keith found the scripts. As he read his, he recalled Adam’s conversation. Though he and Carl had been distracted by their love making, inevitably, they had to admit there was a problem that they needed to address. It was just in the heat of the moment they had a chance to pretend they didn’t have any worries. Pretend. That was what he and Carl did best. They were actors. They were only playing gay characters on TV. Right? Isn’t that what the viewing public really needed to hear? We aren’t gay; we’re straight. We just play the part of gay men.

  The irony to Keith was their popularity. The amount of fan sites on the internet that ran video clips of their sexual encounters on screen was growing. Not only gay men were setting up these sites. Women were too. Millions of women across the globe were going mad for the sex scenes of Dennis Jason and Troy Wright. Why, then, did the reality of two men being gay scare the bejesus out of the producers?

  It was the worst case of hypocrisy Keith could ever imagine. And it wasn’t fair to him and Carl. Why was it if they chose to come out to the public that their heterosexual acting roles would vanish? Why?

  That was a question that continued to plague Keith. Ironically, he already knew. He couldn’t even admit he was gay to his parents. How would he admit he was gay to the public? No. That could never happen. And like his trusted “gay” agent Adam Lewis had advised, “deny, deny, deny”.

  “Carl?”

  “Yes, babe?” Carl returned from the kitchen with two glasses of wine.

  “Thanks.” Keith took his and sipped it, setting it on a coaster on the coffee table. “What are we going to do? Should I move out?”

  “Fuck no. I thought we were going to say something about being green. Why don’t you trust me on that? It’s the new catchphrase of 2008. Green. We’re green. Carpooling.”

  “You really think anyone will buy it?”

  “We have to make them buy it.” Carl drank his wine, placing the glass down next to Keith’s. “What exactly did Adam Lewis say?”

  “He said he found an article in the rags that exposed us.”

  “Rags. Hello? No one believes those idiots. Don’t worry. You’re not moving out.” Carl picked up the script. “What perversion were we rehearsing?”

  “You suck my dick.” Keith grinned wickedly.

  “Uh huh. Sure I do. Oh, here it is. We go to a gay nightclub and dance together. How bold!”

  “I know. Dennis and Troy are fearless.”

  “I wonder what Charlotte has in mind for that scene. You think she’ll really have a gay nightclub for us to go to? Or some pathetic stage set with a few man dancing in the shot?”

  “You’re asking me? You’re the pro. I’m the new guy.” Keith took another sip of wine.

  “If I know Charlotte, we’ll be shooting at the hottest gay dance club in LA .”

  “Really?” Keith felt excited at the idea. How weird was that, when the notion of gay anything a few months ago would have scared him to death?

  “She’s pretty determined to have realistic shoots. Remember the first season? When Omar and Cheryl’s character were courting? She went to Paris and shot their romance scenes there.”

  “Yes. That’s right. I do remember.” Keith smiled at the thought. “We should ask her.”

  “No!” Carl nudged Keith’s knee. “Don’t you dare. If you ask her if we’re shooting in a gay bar, she’ll think you want to. No. Just keep quiet and we’ll just see how it goes.”

  Keith put his glass down and sat up on the couch. “Carl. Do you think Charlotte is capable of planting the seed of our love being real into the tabloids?”

  After a long moment, Carl sighed. “Yes. I wouldn’t put it past her.”

  “Should we ask? Confront her?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “There must be a way of doing that without tipping her off.”

  “How?”

  “Let me think about it.”

  “Just run it by me first.”

  “I will.”

  “Now, where were we?” Carl raised the script to eye level.

  As Keith thought about everything, he struggled to come up with a way of asking Charlotte if she was the “source” or not.

  Chapter 3

  Carl had his face in the script while they descended the elevator to his car. Keith seemed to be able to memorize his lines easily while he struggled. At the lobby level, Keith tapped Carl’s arm to alert him they had arrived at their floor, and exited the elevator with him to the parking garage door. Before they left the lobby, Carl heard some noise at the entrance and paused to look back. A group of photographers were gathered just outside, shoving their lenses at them, flashes going off like mad.

  Carl froze where he stood. “You have got to be kidding me.”

  “Holy shit, Keith gasped. “What do you want to do, Carl?”

  “I want to confront them. I just don’t know if I have the damn balls.”

  One began banging on the glass, shouting for Carl and Keith to talk to them.

  As if that comment forced Keith come to a decision, he stormed over to the mob and did the unthinkable. He allowed the feral pack of paparazzi
in.

  “How long have you men been dating?”

  “Is your sexual attraction in reality what makes the sex scenes in Forever Young so believable?”

  “Are you coming out for yourselves or the show’s ratings?”

  Keith held up his hands to quiet them. “Hello? Can I say something?”

  Carl felt his throat close up. Although he had wanted this kind of attention from the media all his life, he didn’t like what they were exposing.

  “Now,” Keith shouted, finally getting a chance to speak, “Carl and I are friends. Period. Though I know you vultures would love the story to be different, it isn’t. I’m pretty strapped for cash at the moment and living here is helping me financially.” When they broke into a loud rebuttal of questions, he silenced them again. “Be quiet and let me finish!” In the pause, he added, “We’re both very environmentally conscious and the price of gas has gone through the roof. It just made sense to commute together and economize. I know you want to hear something else. But it’s not happening between us. We’re friends. Emphasis on the word ‘friends’!”

  Carl watched the men’s faces as Keith gave it his best shot. The doubt in their expressions was very obvious.

  “Both Carl Bronson and I are straight. There is no question about that. Okay? So, whoever is giving you the opposite information either wants to harm our careers or is just hoping we’re a couple for the sake of ratings. Enough said on the topic.”

  “Do you have girlfriends?”

  “If you’re straight, who are the ladies in your life?”

  “Why are you so afraid to admit you’re lovers?”

  Carl cringed at the force of venom being spouted. He knew damn well the paparazzi only believed what was good for distribution numbers of the papers they sold pictures to.

  “That’s it. Good day, gentlemen.” Keith nodded for Carl to go.

  The pack of hungry hounds followed them all the way to Carl’s garage. Shouting out more incriminating accusations, taking photo after photo, Carl suddenly understood the fear and anxiety that these types of encounters caused, and didn’t wonder why so many celebrities reacted violently.

  Locked in his Corvette, backing out of his garage, Carl bit his lip on his rage and imagined gunning the engine and running a few of them over. Once they had driven out of the parking area, Carl wiped the sweat off his forehead. “That sucked.”

  “Shit.” Keith covered his eyes tiredly. “We are so fucked.”

  “I can’t tell you how much I’m hating this.”

  “I know.”

  “You know the ironic part?” Carl asked sadly. “I used to crave being in front of a crowd like that. I imagined getting photographed wherever I went. To be in every entertainment magazine in the country. Now?” He choked at the irony. “I want to run and hide.”

  “We have to be seen with women, Carl. We have to.”

  “I know. But I’m not happy about it.”

  Keith reached for Carl’s hand. “We’ll get through it. Let’s just make a game of it, okay?”

  “A game?” Carl stopped for a red light and stared at Keith’s handsome profile.

  “Yes. If they think they’re the only ones to play dirty, they’re mistaken. Two can play it that way.”

  When the light changed, Carl hit the gas. “What way? What are you thinking?”

  “Carl, you and I are going to double date.”

  “Why did I have a feeling you were going to say that.”

  As they pulled onto the studio lot, Carl showed the guard at the gate his ID.

  “Adam said that they can arrange to get us a couple of women to be seen with.”

  “This sucks.” Carl parked in a spot and shut the engine. Before they got out, Carl twisted to face Keith. “We barely have enough time to have fun together as it is, Keith, with our tight rehearsal schedule. When exactly are we going to find time to date women?”

  “Twice a month? Be seen in some overcrowded restaurant in West Hollywood? I should think that would be enough.”

  Once they were out of the car and walking to the studio, Carl said, “And how do we stop those pretend girlfriends from going to the same lousy tabloids and selling their story? Keith, I don’t like it.”

  Halting in his footsteps, Keith stared at Carl and replied, “I don’t see what choice we have.”

  ~

  Inside the studio’s wardrobe room, changing into his character’s clothing, Keith eyed everyone around him with suspicion. Someone was talking to the press. It had to be one of the crew, Keith was convinced. He had no idea how they had found out he had moved in with Carl, but how hard could it be to deduct? They commuted in together now and exited from the same damn car.

  His wardrobe assistant, Melvin, shifted hangers on a rack, handing Keith a shirt and a pair of slacks. When Mel caught Keith’s eye, he asked, “What’s wrong? Get up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Keith took off his shirt and replaced it with the one Mel was handing to him.

  “What’s with the evil look?”

  “What look?” Keith narrowed his eyes at him.

  “Whatever!” Melvin threw up his hands and walked away.

  Carl shook his head at Keith in admonishment, having overheard the conversation. Trying not to allow it to consume him, Keith continued to change his clothing, running over the lines in his head so he didn’t forget them.

  “Boys?”

  He and Carl spotted their director, Charlotte Deavers, flagging them down. “A word?”

  “What did we do now?” Carl breathed anxiously.

  “Bet she read the article in the tabloid.”

  Charlotte held each of their hands and brought them to a private spot to whisper softly, “Have you seen that YouTube video yet?”

  “YouTube?” Keith wasn’t prepared for that.

  “What are you talking about, Charlotte?” Carl voice was deep and serious.

  “One of my friends found a video on YouTube of that love scene we shot last week.”

  Keith was confused. “What the hell do you mean?”

  Rubbing her face first as if gathering her thoughts, Charlotte replied, “Last week we shot a sex scene with four cameras around the bed. Remember?”

  Carl spoke up, “Snippets for that two minute love scene?”

  “Yes.”

  “When we were both naked?” Keith felt sick.

  “That’s the one.”

  “Now it’s on YouTube?” Carl tilted his head. “You mean the finished copy?”

  “No. Not the one we edited. It’s a full length version of you two on the bed.”

  It was so shocking, Keith staggered back in terror. Carl caught him, holding him tight.

  “Charlotte, that would mean someone who was filming it sent in the video, correct? One of your cameramen?”

  Keith needed to vomit. He felt his skin go clammy and his stomach fill with ice.

  “That’s what I thought originally, Carl. But the video is amateurish. I think someone used their mobile phone or something.”

  “You have got to be kidding me!” Carl exclaimed. “Charlotte, you have to find out who did that and make them delete it.”

  The feeling had left Keith’s legs. He needed to sit down or he would pass out. He remembered that scene. How could he not? They were both nude, hard as a rock, and simulating oral and anal sex.

  “Keith?” Carl grabbed him around the waist as Keith began to sink to the floor.

  “Shit. Let me find a chair.” Charlotte raced off.

  “Keith, babe, take it easy.” Carl held him up, embracing him. “We’ll deal with it.”

  “Here.” Charlotte set a folding chair near Keith. She helped Carl sit him down on it.

  Keith was numb. Feeling as if he would pass out, he stuck his head between his knees and closed his eyes, hoping the sickness would subside. This was his worst nightmare. He and Carl, naked, having “sex” on the internet. Did it get any worse than that?
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  Carl crouched beside him, rubbing his back. “Charlotte, you need to do some investigating. Bring in an outside agency and figure it out. This is way out of line.”

  Charlotte knelt down and tried to get Keith to meet her eyes. “Sweetie? It’s not that bad. Believe me. The viewers’ comments are all positive. They completely support the two of you.”

  That angered him even more. Keith peered up at her face. “Ratings? Are you actually talking to me about viewer ratings when my life is falling apart?”

  “It’s not falling apart, sweet-stuff. Honest.” She petted back his hair from his forehead. “It’s all good. Believe me. Just roll with it. Roll with it and pretend it’s all part of the nature of show business.”

  Keith showed his teeth in a snarl. “Is she kidding me, Carl?”

  “No. I know what she’s getting at, Keith.” Carl sat on the dusty floor next to him. “We just have to play it cool. Like it’s no big deal. If we freak or do something drastic, it’ll confirm everyone’s suspicions.”

  Charlotte whispered softly, “Are you guys lovers?”

  “No!” Keith shouted.

  “Okay. Take it easy. Everyone knows you’re living together.”

  “Do they?” Carl asked, “Is that common knowledge?”