"Look, it’s gonna take that dude 15 years before he realises what he’s missing. He’s missing a lot, because you’re fucking magic. If that’s too long to wait, I can get Lemmy from Motorhead to cut off his cheeks with a straight razor. Totally up to you."
[ He isn't too disappointed when Ray escapes from his touch, it isn't exactly like he was trying too hard, and all that happens is his hand slides away, back to the balcony railing where he picks up his beer again. He'll get to touch plenty soon enough, he knows that because he knows when he's in-like-sin, and Ray is playing 'catch me if you can' rather than 'hard to get.' All he'd have to do was tell Ashby he didn't swing that way and they could order up some ladies and have a nice wholesome LA orgy instead, no problem.
But Ray is interested, there's no doubt about it. Lew had seen him look right at his mouth when he'd been tonguing his beer bottle before, and they kept catching and maintaining eye contact. Looking right back into his own eyes was like staring into a mirror, except this mirror wasn't doing exactly what Lew was doing; it was unpredictable, could reach out and grope him or punch him or kiss him and he wouldn't know until it happened. Fucking thrilling. ]
Oh yeah? And you like that? You wanna live like that? Simple? I mean it's not like I don't respect that whole survival thing - shit, I've been there, I can scrap with the best of them - but isn't that a bit...I mean. Boring? Do a bit of thrusting, roll over and go to sleep?
[ He scratched his chin with his free hand, then turned and leant back on the railing himself, puzzled and scowling. ]
You really like that shit? I mean I am really fucking sad for you, Little Me. All you gotta do is flash that badge and that pretty grin of yours and you could take home any piece of ass you like, you know that? "Chicago PD, I'm sorry ma'am but there's been an emergency, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to eat you out."
[ Another sidewards flash of a grin, this one a little subdued, and then something more thoughtful. ]
Hey, but we could do that... I mean the hitting thing. After dinner, though, cause I'm starving, but if you wanna wrestle we can wrestle. [ He popped away from the wall, and two steps back toward the open door the gong went. He smirked back over his shoulder at Ray. ] Winner gets the other guy's ass. C'mon.
[ Dinner was laid out downstairs. Or well. It was literally laid out. A table had been unpacked, and across it lay a very naked, sun bronzed woman with tumbling black hair. Dinner was on her; long trails of rice interspersed with morsels of sushi, and not a single fish or shellfish derivative to be seen. State of the art vegetable sushi, thinly sliced threads of meat sashimi of venison, beef and duck, veiled nipples and made artful swirls across her belly. There were tiny little edible flowers and flashes of dark green leaves laid out under some of the display, but they were mostly decoration rather than intended to hide anything. ]
Best thing about the place isn't even the presentation. [ Stepping back so he was hovering over Ray's shoulder, Lew murmured over it into his ear. ] See, any other sushi place in the city would kill me, but this guy's son has allergies too, so uh--so we're good. I'm good.
[ He licked his lips. ] It's called uh--nyotaimori. [ And hey, Ray had wanted T&A. There was no denying that he was getting it. ] No chopsticks, though, that's my special rule. Go on, you don't gotta wait on ceremony.
[Maybe his contentment for simplicity was an issue. It's not that he necessarily liked it simple, he was just okay with it being a thing. Until Fraser had come along, Ray had just been going through the motions of working and going home to an empty house, occasionally interspersed with the odd burst of excitement from a shoot out or an interesting case. It's only recently that he's realised he likes the thrills, he likes trying the unknown, he likes adventures and unusual occurrences, even if he does complain his way through them. If he'd only just found that out about himself in every day life, then what the fuck was he going to find out about sex in the future?
He and Stella had tried some things, sure. Some things. But it'd never really strayed too far from the norm, not enough for Ray to feel like he's got any sort of bragging rights that relate to 'I've seen some shit'. Maybe that's part of the reason for the divorce, another layer to their arguments and frustrations and everything else. Since her he'd only had a couple of embarrassing attempts with other women and first nights aren't exactly the time to really bring up the 'so I was thinking of trying this out...'. Well, not unless you're some sort of rock god with masses of money and the ability to risk shit like that.
So ok, maybe simple isn't so great, but simple is comfortable and familiar and if Ray can't even get lucky on simple then what's the point in trying the next step up? Walk before you can run, right? Unless that's where he's been going wrong. Might be that people just don't want simple guys any more. What if, in the twenty-odd years he'd been married to Stella, the world had evolved and he hadn't moved along with the times? Shit.]
Guess that's why I'm divorced and single.
[He mutters with a hint of amused self-deprecation to go along with it. This trip might be good for more than just seeing his clone after all, especially if he can keep up these self-revelations. Even if they do result in him crawling back to Stella and begging that he can change. Not going to help, Kowalski. And who was he kidding, he could never change, he could just be a little more self-aware and open to new things.
Whatever, this isn't some enlightenment trip to India, this is just him in a huge mansion in LA with a guy who likes identical to himself in virtually every way, give or take a decade. If he could be as honest with himself as this guy seems to be, then maybe shit would work out better.
He's hungry. That's probably why his mind is spouting tired and pointless exposition that's of no use to him. So when Ashby mentions dinner, Ray's all for following, deciding to settle on the wrestling idea with a vague;] Maybe.
[Once they get downstairs, Ray stops dead, staring at the spread before him with an uncertain sort of disbelief, all blank faced and slow blinking. That's not something you see every day. At least not in Chicago. That's not even something he's ever heard of before, let alone seen. Food on a naked chick? Seems an odd concept. But hadn't Ray just been thinking about how much he's up for trying new stuff since the Mountie showed up in his life. This was definitely new stuff to try.]
Uh. Is she uh. Is she okay with this? Like uh, is this legit? [Head turned just slightly to other at his shoulder, voice lowered like he's afraid he might be overheard by the other body in the room. God, he hopes this isn't some sort of weird prostitution thing. How clueless he was to the International ways of the world.
But damn, she was beautiful, even if Ray was still uncertain as to whether he should be staring or not, like he's suddenly shy by the sight of naked bodies.]
[ It made a lot of sense, really. That Ray was a divorcee, that he was single, that he was content to be simple and didn't think much of excitement, even in the bedroom. Or maybe he did. Maybe he wanted more from his life and he was just starting to work that out. Maybe he'd work it out and go back to Chicago and have way more fun with his life, but it all started now.
Oh that was cool. Ray fell dead still, staring, and that was exactly the kind of reaction he'd been hoping to get out of him. Little bit of shellshock when on holiday was good for the soul. This was like the Orient to Ray; exotic and so far outside his usual lifestyle that they may as well be on another planet.
And that was what Ashby liked best. Blow them away. Then he could do anything he wanted and masquerade it as perfectly normal.
He smirked. Ray wasn't looking at him any more, but then Ashby didn't blame him. She was really quite pretty, and from what he could tell Ray was dry--had just come out of a marriage where the fun had gone out of it, probably hadn't had a whole lot of glory since. And there she was, everything that LA could get you laid out and decorated and edible. Poor bastard, he'd been dropped in at the deep end.
So Ashby stepped closer, pressing his chest against Ray's back, leaning in so that his mouth brushed the shell of his ear. ]
It's totally legit, completely above board. It takes a lot of skill to stay put like that; she's a professional.
[ He bit Ray's earlobe firmly, then nudged him forward step by step, putting all of his force into his chest to urge him forward. ]
Now if you wanted to sleep with her that would be extra, and if I'm honest with you I'm not really feeling the charitable spirit tonight. The hell am I paying someone else to get what I'm after.
[ He pinched Ray's butt, then grabbed his hand and led the way, led him the rest of the way across the room. He pointed at the girl. ]
Go on. She's pretty, right? You like her. I definitely like her. It's pretty hot, and we're all having a lot of nice, safe, sexy fun. That's all this is.
Here, here. You kneel right down. [ He was close again; he was crooked in against the corner of Ray's throat, smirking still, a little flushed, definitely aroused. It was audible in his voice. ]
[This was exotic. This was so far away from the norm of pizza boxes and greasy take away boxes that Ray's still not quite sure how to process it all. Who the fuck thought eating off a naked woman was a thing that should be done? It was weird. Weird but beautiful and damn she had some good curves on her. Could you chat up women pretending to be plates or tables or whatever? Was that a thing? Or were you meant to pretend they're not there? Ray's not really sure about it all. Not sure if he approves entirely of the principle, or of whether this was meant to be some weird porno thing, stripper thing or artsy thing.
He really did have a lot more to learn about life. Briefly he does wonder if Fraser would have ever heard of this, which might be a mildly inappropriate thing to be considering as Ashby's pressing in closer but it's a valid train of though that he doesn't entirely discount.]
Yeah, no. No payin' for any kinda sleepin' with. C'mon, let the girl do her job without all the sleaze stuff.
[Because apparently Ray is suddenly a strong advocate of women's rights or something. Or he just doesn't want any slight suggestion of paying for sex anywhere near him. Cops and prostitution shouldn't mix.
He still has to deal with Ashby though, the guy trying to woo him with all of this and the far too frequent touching. Ray didn't mind a bit of friendly contact, he's all for that, especially by his own hands, but this was pushing it. Especially with the bite that has him hissing out a quick exhale and cocking his head away the second he's given the chance, and that pinch that has him flashing a warning glance towards the other but unable to do much else before he's grabbed and led.
Once they're at the table, Ray's using the closeness of Lew curling in against him to his advantage, his elbow suddenly jerking towards the edge of Ashby's ribs, more as a caution than any real attempt to cause serious pain. Just a little display of 'keep your distance and let me eat'.]
Other side of the table, pal. I can sit myself down just fine.
[And he's going to wait for that dick to move before he kneels himself down, because there's no way he wants to be on his knees beside this guy. Not yet anyway. Ahem.]
[ At the end of the day, this was who he was. Lew Ashby, the man who had taken 'No' as an answer only once in his life, and given up his longing to be with the one woman who'd ever really made him happy. Lew Ashby who had every reason and excuse to take the liberties he wanted when he was presented with them, because he lived in an industry where life was too short, where living fast and dying young was the name of the game and chances came round once and once only. You never got a second chance to get a track right. Oh, you could tweak it, but there could only be one definitive version.
Lew Ashby was the definitive version of Lew Ashby. He lived life like he only had one shot at it, and his answer to everything was yes.
Well, to everything that wouldn't leave him penniless on the streets, which when people wanted your money or your babies was a constant risk.
Ray finally gave him a little bit of a fight back, and Lew knew he'd pushed him far enough that he was starting to find his legs again, remember who he was. He knew he'd won him over on the idea of sex already, though, but this way he'd be more confident maybe, more willing to push as be pushed. Ashby knew he had it in him. He hoped he did, anyway, it'd be hot. ]
Oh yeah?
[ And he knew it was about the kneeling, because he'd said that more or less setting him up for it, so he just grinned another dazzling grin and slipped out of there, giving Ray back his space and kneeling down on the tatami that had been rolled out on the other side of the table. It was the whole experience: that was sort of the point.
He folded his hands in front of himself and bowed reverently to his partner, and then he spared a glance for his table. ]
You alright there, sweetness? Yes. Hell yes.
[ And now he could watch Ray, watch that face with his own captivated glacier blue eyes, ravishing him hungrily without ever so much as touching him again. No, instead he leaned in, unfurling his tongue along the curve of her hip, then wrapping his mouth around one of the pieces of sushi, leading by example. He didn't take his eyes off Ray as he did it, nor as he chewed, and he didn't raise his head much more than a few inches either.
Oh, this was sexual alright, but it had nothing to do with the naked lady. To Lew this was absolutely nothing less than full on foreplay. ]
Tell me the most...the most dangerous thing you've ever done. The most danger you've ever been put in.
[It was more than obvious what Lew wanted out of this. That constant staring, the contact, the licking and biting and rubbing up against. The guy was as subtle as a car crash. He made Ray look like some sort of super subtle stealth secret agent. But that's cool. That's fine. Ray can't blame a guy for making his intentions obvious from the get go. He appreciated it far more than lying and fakeness that he'd heard LA was known for. He didn't need to be coddled and walked through all this, even if it was unfamiliar territory.
The thing was, he wasn't even opposed to it. It might be a little more forward than he was used to, granted, but the idea of it all, of getting to explore someone who was basically a clone of him in virtually every way. They could see just how alike they were. Anyone would be lying if they said they hadn't thought of doing themselves at least once in their life. It's just a thing that if you ever met your double you'd either kill them or fuck them, right? And fucking them was always the best option because it's the one time in your life you know you won't get judged. There's no fear there of what the other person might like or dislike about your body, not when they have exactly the same parts.
Maybe Ray should have looked closer at the dick pic when he had the chance, but that had been something he'd skipped past quickly when flicking through boob photos. Whatever, he'd get a view of it later if he agreed to all this weirdness.
When Ashby moves away, Ray lowers himself to his knees, finally able to at least look at the spread before him without feeling guilty about staring. Not that he's opposed to staring to hot, naked women anyway. Especially not ones as good looking and literally delicious as this. He does spare a look towards her face and offer up a small smile as if trying to seek some sort of approval, but then Lew's lean in and his attention flickers back to his mirror image.
So that's what he'd meant by no chopsticks. And here Ray thought it'd be finger food. That's certainly one way to eat a meal.
But that eye contact wasn't anything to do with the naked body in front of them, the tongue lashing out against bare skin wasn't really about the woman. This was between him and Ashby. Every bit of that eye contact suggested that, and Ray wasn't going to shy away from it, even though his eyebrows were lifting and his lips parting just slightly in curiosity.]
Uh. Dangerous? I uh. Huh? [How does speaking work again? Something to do with moving your lips and your tongue and throat and-- nope, still a distracting thought process.]
It's uh. I dunno. Kinda hard to put it all on a scale. I mean I guess bein' shot at by known psychopaths is kinda up there. But then there's almost drownin' in a sinkin' ship like you're in some sorta Titanic movie. Or, or. Drivin' an explodin' car, or uh. Like, it's all just part of the job. Protect and serve and get shot at a lot, that's the motto. It's what I'm paid for. Looks like I'm in the wrong business though, huh?
[ Speechless. Speechless was awesome. Also this was the good kind too, not the kind of speechless where you slapped a womens rights lawyer on the ass and called her 'honeybunch'. This was the kind of the-earth-just-moved-in-my-pants sort of speechless that Ashby thrived on, and he broke into the most crooked, open mouthed grin yet, all lolling tongue and sharp teeth. It was pure filth, his rock star 'watch me play your clit like I'm strumming a guitar with my tongue' smirk, smug as hell and probably more suited to a boy of 1/8 his actual age.
He was still grinning when Ray started explaining about psychopaths and sinking ships and exploding cars, and that was so fucking awesome he closed his mouth and just looked impressed, eyes dancing across the other man's face as he described it as just a part of the job. Boring old nine-to-five, what a way to earn a living.
It sounded so cool. ]
That's the kind of lifestyle they're always trying to shoot down in the valley, though, isn't it? Getting shot at all the time, driving exploding cars, fucking your doppelganger. You should sell that shit.
[ Says the strange almost-rock star who knows what a doppelganger is; who is clearly much more shrewd than he at first appears. It's a good act, it's just that occasionally a sparkle of intelligence shows through. The quick wittedness and wild imagination really help, but mostly it helps if people underestimate him. It was - for one thing - a fucking fantastic way to make money if other people thought they were the ones getting the leg over.
But he's there: bright like a hundred karat diamond under a rough layer of shitty colored rock. He's always the one on top, even when he's on the bottom. It's just the way he rolls.
Lew put his hand across the table, gripping it where the wood was under her right elbow and leaning across the woman's chest, dipping low and raking a line of rice from her ribcage before lavishly stealing a morsel of smoked venison from her left breast. This he had to do without looking at Ray, but so confident was he of being watched that he lingered there for a moment with his tongue flashing against her bare skin, flush against her plush, springy bosom. Joyful, mischievous, he sat back, jerking his head up toward Ray in challenge. ]
[That smile is filthy. Wicked and dirty and not something Ray's seen from himself, but that's because he's never looking directly at himself. He'd been told before he had a roguish grin, and he can sure see that now. Is that how this guy gets all the chicks? Well that, and the mass amounts of money, because money gets a whole bunch of chicks too. And yet, Ray bets if he offered a look like that, he'd get a slap for it.
At least Ray won't be slapping Lew for it. Not unless he liked that sort of thing. Some people are into that, so Ray hears. Whatever.]
Nah, they wouldn't wanna know. Especially not when there's a Canadian involved. They want hard guys and hot chicks. [Definitely not him, a Mountie and a half-wolf. Ray wouldn't want the attention anyway. LA is the last place he wants to tell his secrets to.
He still watches, fascinated by it all with an almost child-like curiosity, head ducking just enough to get a better view of Lew's movements against the woman beneath. She really was a pro. If Ray had a tongue on him like that, he'd be writhing and squirming all over the place, and yet here she was, unmoving and still beautiful, like a stylish bit of art laid out before them. Shit, it was weird.]
I uh. Was just seein' how it was done. Kinda used to using my hands.
[Best excuse ever, right? And actually the truth for the most part, because this is like learning how to eat with chopsticks or something. It's a whole new method and one he's still just a little uncomfortable with. She's a good looking lady, only there because she's paid to be. Who would want a guy like Ray clumsily trying to eat food off them without a good chunk of money for their time? A guy like Ashby is fine. He's cool. He knows what he's doing and he looks slick doing it. And yet Ashby looked like Ray... This hurt his head too much.
Fuck it, he can do this. No problem. Just start easy, right? He opted for something a little tamer than Ashby's choices, settling for a beef sashimi balanced perfectly against the flat of her stomach. He hesitates only briefly, huffs out a soft breath and then leans down, curling his tongue around the sushi as his mouth wraps around it, mostly succeeding in avoiding skin. As he starts to sit up again, he chews thoughtfully, nodding his approval. Better and fresher than any he's had. Probably costs a damn fortune.]
Depends on if the Canadian's a chick. You know--dysfunctional...unresolved sexual tension, all that jazz. We are all about that. All she needs is big tits, then throw in a badge and a uniform and maybe a dog and you got a show.
[ Of course the real gift in all this was Ray wanting to watch him so bad that he ducked his head, but Ashby hadn't seen that. He could only read the change in his double's expression; the way his lips parted and his eyes sharpened with curiosity and desire. The thing about hanging out with yourself, it turned out, was that reading your own expressions was sort of easy--after all you made them all the time, you knew what they meant.
Ashby was not lacking in reflective surfaces. ]
It is, isn't it? Here, come on. We're still playing the tame version of this. Dinner parties around here are only ever good if someone gets laid, injured or arrested.
[ Ashby sat back just slightly, pulling off his jacket and stripping out of his Sabbath shirt. Only then did he draw out how the wild version of sushilady went, pretending to ignore the fact that he was flashing the ultimate question at Ray: tattoo? So this was the crazy version. Where two beers was supposed to loosen Ray up enough to get a healthy buzz going. ]
You wanna know how we do this, don't you? Okay, here's how we do this. First, I tell you what you've got to eat, I tell you from where. You play along, and it's your turn. You pussy out, I get to eat a sushi off that part of you. You lose you pretty much starve, but I get to suck sushi off every part of you, so I don't know--look on the bright side, huh?
[ He definitely emphasized the word 'suck'. ]
So for instance I'd say 'Hey Ray, dare you to eat that tomato rose out of her navel.' And you'd get right on that shit no questions asked.
[Hah. Fraser as some big breasted woman, now there's a thought. That might just make for a popular show if she was hot enough, but still not gonna happen.
But now they were getting into it. The real part of all the show and bravado that involved something more than just Ray guiltily eating like this. He assumed Ashby was up to something more, one surprise after the other. They might have only known each other for an hour or two but Ray likes to think he can get a pretty good read on people, especially face twins.
The shirt comes off and Ray's left staring, constantly intrigued by what he'd see from this guy. It's the same. All the same. So maybe Ashby's learnt how to keep a little more weight on him somewhere in the age gap, and maybe he's managed to catch just a little more sun in Cali, but it's still an almost identical match, all things considered. Same shaping, same muscle structure, same-- is that a tattoo? Ray's tattoo? That tattoo had relevance and meaning in Ray's life, of days spent on the car with his dad, of engine parts and spark plugs and, and... it makes no sense.
He's so fixated that for a few drawn out seconds he's totally ignoring Lew, zoning in just in time to catch the rules of the game, unfair as they are. Ray's hungry, he doesn't want to miss out, but he's also not so sure he can comfortably eat sushi from a few more private areas when he hasn't even spoken to the girl. But fuck it, this was LA. He was in some rich, face twin's mansion and when was he ever going to get a chance like this again?
With a huff of breath and an eye roll, he follows suit with the stripping thing to avoid being the most over dressed person in the room. The t-shirt is easily tugged over his head, barely making a dent on the always ruffled hair, and there, there's the tattoo that he's not even going to mention beyond flicking his gaze to Ashby's.]
Yeah, yeah. You want me to eat a tomato? I'll eat a tomato.
[Example or not, Ray's going to get straight into this, eyes on Ashby as he bows forward and, without much flair, manages to wrap his mouth around it. He sits up almost immediately, grinning around the tomato rose between his teeth like it's some great achievement and then lifts a hand to shove it fully into his mouth. He's still chewing as he chooses Lew's turn.]
Hows about the nice arrangement of meats riiiiight... [And of course he points to the beautifully displayed slices splayed out across a nipple.] ... there.
[ He can't help himself but to lean back, to take it all in as Ray gets out of his shirt, all without so much as fluffing his immaculate hair, revealing pale skin and hard muscle - had he ever looked that wiry and tight? - and sure enough his shoulder sported the same tattoo, the same tattoo Billy Talent had, even, and it was a weird fucking universe, wasn't it?
He licked his lips, letting the appraisal go unspoken, because Ray was clearly up for playing this game the right way, leaning across and plucking the tomato from her navel, keeping his eyes on Lew the whole time. It hadn't taken him long to get used to the idea, to accomplish a certain amount of cocky sensuality right out of the starting gate. Or maybe he's projecting that, but there's still something about having the other man's eyes on him throughout that he has to perceive as pure sex even if it isn't. ]
Yeah. Yeah that's hot.
[ He couldn't be more turned on. This--this game, this whole situation, was proceeding just fine so far as he was concerned. It made him ache the way he hadn't in years, and while usually it was true that he had some staying power, that he actually enjoyed talking for hours on occasion, this situation was different. He wanted. He wanted, and it was driving him crazy. He shifted a little uncomfortably in place, following Ray's gaze, his gesture. Nipple, huh. Tempting. Any other day he'd have been all for it, sucking and nibbling and lapping until every morsel was gone and the poor girl was trembling from the effort to keep still, but she wasn't what captivated him. That, without doubt, was the man opposite. ]
I do like me some breast meat. [ Which is terrible, but down he goes, drawing the moment out, playing to his strengths, almost as though he means to get right to it. His tongue reaches out, almost touching, almost as though he means to do it, but then he's rocking back on his heels, and there's amusement and challenge dancing in his eyes when he fixes them back on Ray. ]
I just can't do it. Expose the lady like that so soon into the game, leave her with one breast hanging out like that. It's just not gentlemanly. [ Because now he cares about what's gentlemanly? ] I think maybe I'm going to have to forfeit my turn.
[ He crooked his finger at Ray, plucking a piece of sashimi off her hip and dangling it in the air for a moment as though to make his point, and then he was leaning back on one elbow, draping the meat across his own chest, his own nipple. ]
Come on, Ray. Rules are rules.
[ Like he could pass up the opportunity to get Ray's mouth on his nipple even for a second. ]
[Projecting was the only way Ray was going to get through this without being a fumbling moron. He could do all this bravado thing just as good as Ashby if he had to, like every other undercover work he'd had to do. It wasn't fake, nothing about Ray's actions were fake, but it was like having to push past certain barriers in his own mind. Like being drunk without ever actually being inebriated. He could do this. This wasn't about the woman before them anyway. This was about him and Ashby and whatever they had going on between them, that electric heat lingering in the air like static.
He's leaning again, enough to try and get an angle on Lew and that too perfectly shaped breast, a slow inhale of anticipation as that lewd tongue comes curling out and then-- shit. Was he pussying out? No. Definitely not. This guy had done this a million times before, and probably with people far more willing to lick and touch the girl than Ray had been.
This was something else. It was...]
Oh.
[Oh. Of course. If this wasn't about the girl, then Lew was using his own rules to get her out of the picture for this round. It's an obvious move that Ray should have seen coming, especially with that daring dancing in Ashby's eyes. A fine move to play too, like a totally legal but nevertheless dirty chess move. Lew knew how to play these pieces far too well.]
Y'know if I knew you were such a pussy, I woulda picked somethin' simpler.
[It's like a verbal eye roll, quietly amused as he heaves himself to his feet to head around the foot of the low table and then, only a few steps later, dropping himself heavily to his knees at Lew's side. It's obvious Ashby is up for this, and he's not even being paid for it. This is all just part of some weird foreplay game that the two of them are playing out, all because Ray had said he needed to be wined and dined first.
His eyes met Lew's again, gnawing on his own lip in the briefest moment of thought. He could do this.
Just be cool, cool as a cucumber. Remember back to the days when you actually got laid.
He still lowers himself forward slowly, not exactly hesitant but almost as if he's giving those extra few seconds to think, but then he shuts his mind off because thinking really doesn't help at all in this. Instead Ray opts for instincts, letting his body guide his mind.
Without any further thought put into it, his tongue extends, flicking a wet patch against Ashby's sternum, then dragging under the curve of his pectoral and back up, a damp U that ends it's path at the covered nipple. His tongue curls around the delicate slice of meat, lapping it into his mouth and then, just before withdrawing, offering one final, long lick against the nipple with the flat of his tongue. Just clearing up.
As he sits back, his gaze immediately locked back onto the other's, still chewing at the achieved food as he smiles around it, brows creeping up just enough as though he's looking for some sort of approval. That's how they play this game, right? He did good, right?]
[ For a few moments Ashby wasn't entirely sure Ray would do it. It was like he was holding his breath, waiting for the other guy to make a decision, and then all at once Ray was moving forward, sweeping up to his feet and circling the table.
It was all Lew could do to lick his lips, to keep them moist and wet as the temperature raised a degree per step, and Ray came kneeling down on his side of the table like some kind of positively godlike younger version of himself, all eager and willing. This was going to work. Ray was so up for it, and even if half of that was bravado, and the inability to back down from a challenge - both things Lew had no problem with being himself - it didn't really matter. It'd get him there in the end and that was all that counted.
If he'd been transfixed by that mouth before, it was nothing to the things it was doing to him now. He was already hard as a rock and Ray hadn't even touched him - just that little lip nibble had been more than enough - and now he could only shift his hips very slightly so as to not deliberately make contact elsewhere, letting Ray lean over him, watching with breathless fascination as that mouth came closer.
His mouth, his eyelashes, his head of hair; the long languid stretch of muscled back exposed to him, the tattoo on Ray's shoulder as he supported his own weight, the slick hot heat of his tongue as it came down half a mile away from his nipple and licked a gorgeous path across to it.
Lew groaned, fingers and toes curling, inhaled a quick gasp and panted out something that sounded "A-ha--aaah" as Ray's tongue returned for a second go, sweeping across his nipple before he retreated, leaving it hard and wet and abandoned. That had been way more than he'd expected considering Ray's shyness with their dinner platter, but he couldn't find anything to complain about. Not if that was the kind of mouth action he could look forward to. It was hot. It was fantastic. It was everything that made the game worth playing.
Ray even looked up at him for approval with those fucking blue eyes, so full of sex, so much like his own. He raked his teeth against his own lower lip, searching for words, then sat forward. Lew wasn't going to spoil it by telling Ray how good he was, how great that had been: he'd show him instead. ]
Okay, okay. So uh-mm. You gotta take that sushi there off her Adam's apple.
[ He did know all the ways to cheat playing this game. Here was another one. And like hell was he going to let up so easily. There was less dancing now, more smouldering, a liquid sort of desire that hung in his eyes and thickened the air between them. It helped that they were now both on the same side of the table, decidedly not touching, even if Ray was well aware that Lew wanted to. Just a matter of time. ]
[He didn't need verbal approval, not when he could look back at Ashby and see the obvious desire burning in him. That groan, the gasps, the way he'd moved under Ray had been more than enough. It was more than any words of encouragement could do, and Ray couldn't help but keep staring just to see what was almost his own face looking back at him, filled with want. And was Ashby already straining in his jeans? Eager, much. He must get turned on by himself even more than Ray is.
It felt like someone had turned up the heat in the room in a matter of seconds, and Ray can't even help the slight heave to his chest or the sweat prickling against his bare skin. It really didn't help that they were now sat next to each without a table between them.
He wasn't so hungry any more. Not when he had all these other distractions to deal with. He really should have had a burger or something before coming, but he hadn't realised he'd be having to eat his meal off his host.]
Her Adam's apple, huh?
[Finally he switched his attention back to the girl, as if checking if there was any way around this obvious bend in the rules. But no, that's dumb, he's not thinking straight.]
I guess we both already know I can't do that, dickbag.
[Cheating or not, Ray will play along. He reaches for a nigiri balanced at her stomach, plucking it off carefully and, with a huff of effort, lowered himself onto an elbow just as Ashby had. There's one last chance for him to meet eyes with Lew's own stormy gaze, brows lifting in a silent come on, then and then he's hanging his head back and doing his best to balance the food right on the arch of his throat before lowering his hand.
Fuck, this was a little more vulnerable than he'd like to be, but he grits his teeth and waits, eyes locked on the extravagantly high ceiling. He's fine. He trusts this guy, he thinks, but there's still that distant paranoia that bubbles and churns in his chest.]
[ But Ray was still playing along, hadn't flipped the nigiri in his face at the suggestion. Maybe Ray didn't play obvious so much, but Ashby could see that he was breathing a little harder, and that was deeply satisfying. All of this was starting to get through to him, starting to turn him on.
Oh, it was good. It was fucking fantastic. Ray was hot, and he was all Ashby's, and as soon as this dinner was over he was going to have him. Every inch. Probably sooner rather than later.
The moment Ray leant back, putting the morsel of food on his throat, Lew became very aware of the submission he'd asked for--the trust that was placed in him in turn. He owed Ray after this, there was no doubt. He'd flown all the way out here and let this stranger more or less have his way with him. He needed to be given something back for that.
Lew leaned in, being very careful not to unsettle that piece of sushi until he was ready, dipping his tongue into the bead of sweat that had caught in the hollow above Ray's collarbone, then licking his way upward, just the tip of his tongue rolling upward, against the grain of Ray's stubble.
He opened his mouth wide - as wide as he could around the sushi - scraped his teeth down, rolled his tongue up, and took the morsel back. He swallowed without chewing, then left little snapping bites working up Ray's throat. He peeled away slowly, but didn't tug himself out of Ray's lap, where he'd half climbed during the process of sucking his neck. ]
You taste good. Anyone ever tell you that?
[ But even if he was leant in over him, Lew was still keeping his hands entirely to himself. Actually he was more or less challenging Ray to push him away. ]
Your turn, Kowalski.
[ Not that Ashby was remotely interested in the food or the game by now. ]
[There is submission in it. The way that Ray's just agreed to all of this and gone along with it, and the way that he's displayed his neck so readily. Come to think of it, he's not to pleased with just how easily he's rolling over for all of this, but money and identical faces are strong persuasive. How can he possibly resist a face as handsome as that?
He keeps still for Ashby, breath catching in his throat as that tongue finds it's way to his collar bone, fingers curling expectantly. It may only be a brief example, but Ray's pretty sure this guy knows what he's doing with that tongue, and even as the teeth come into play, he can't resist his exhale finally releasing as a chesty "Nnn". Even as he straightens himself up, Ashby is still there, close and in his lap.
It's impossibly frustrating for him, that feeling of wanting and desire and craving some sort of release after months and years of blue balling. He could kiss Ashby right now, curl into him and let the action take over. But that's not right. That's not what he does. He didn't get flown over just to be some rich guy's booty call.]
Can't say it ever came up before.
[He murmurs, swiping his thumb up the length of his throat, the same path Ashby's tongue and teeth took seconds ago. But then he's moving, pitching his weight forward to shove heavily at the invasion of his personal space and trying to follow where Lew moves, right fist raising and ready to hit.]
You wanna keep goin' huh? I bet. Waitin' until I say somethin' like her pussy so you'll get me suckin' yer cock instead. I'm not a fuckin' idiot.
[But apparently he seems to think he's being viewed that way. Maybe it's the sudden opposition to that submission he'd shown, or that he's not entirely sure what he's even doing here in the first place, or maybe Ray just likes to be confrontational for the sake of it. He's not really thinking on the 'why?' of it too much right now, just that his brain said defend and so he defended.]
[ Hot hot hot. Getting Ray panting and moaning under his tongue--that's really all he wants. He hopes to get a whole lot more out of it, too. He wants to get Ray writhing under him. Of course, it's not going to happen while Ray is going all agro on him in self defense--not that he really has any problem with that.
Lew didn't know what he expected from the guy who'd asked him if he'd been in a real fight before, who'd looked more than ready to wrestle him or punch a hole through his teeth. Ray was a cop, and sure, up until now he'd put him entirely out of his comfort zone and seen Ray too out of his depth to know what to do with it, but it was all only a matter of time. He had to break at some point, and Ray had been reeling in his own self confidence for a while now.
When he sprang back into it, Ashby wasn't nearly ready for him. Those muscles weren't just for show. He was turfed back on his ass, and then Ray was coming after him, all but changing places, raising his hand up in a tight fist, looming.
He didn't want to get punched, really, but man he did find that hot. He'd been like that a decade ago. Hot headed, fucking his way through other people's ladies and throwing wild hooks at their men when they came looking for justice. Or just running away. Fast. Running away always worked better.
He wasn't going to run from this confrontation. There was too much to gain. ]
You are an idiot if you think I'd be that crass. I'll have you know I'm a fucking gentleman. Lew Ashby Esquire. Hah. [ He raised his chin, jutted it forward as though to say 'you wanna hit me, aim right here.' ]
It's your turn, Ray. So you tell me. [ His eyes flicked down deliberately, made sure Ray could see the gesture, see that he could really understand it. He licked his lips, let his eyes raise back to Ray's once again. ] You just say the word and I'll suck your cock, Ray. My mouth and every beautiful inch of your dick. C'mon. Who knows how to work it better than me?
[He's practically straddling Ashby as he tries to stay over him, arm aching from the tenseness in it, fist clenched a little too tight so that his blunt nails dig into his own palm. He's not sure if he ever actually intended to hit Ashby just then, not unless some smart ass remark had been said. If Ray wanted to hit, he would have done it by now, and yet still he lingers.
He never realised he had a face he so desperately wanted to punch, but hell, he's punched a few mirrors in his time, especially around the whole divorcing period, so yeah, it wasn't anything new to him.
Lew doesn't grapple back or try and be a dick about this. He faces up to it without flinching and Ray respects that enough to he's very gradually lower that fist of his. There's suggestion behind Ashby's actions and words, but then that's pretty much been the case since he first laid eyes on Ray. It's just difficult to know whether this had always be on the cards or whether Ashby had decided to pursue it after seeing what Ray looked like.
But a dick suck does sound good right about now. Anything sounds good right about now, though. Ray unconsciously licks his lips as he starts to shift his weight back again, muscles still tensed and jittery like he's ready to pounce back at any second.]
I don't usually do this sorta thing. The uh. The meetin' total strangers and doin' this. [The sexual suggestions, he means, not the threats to punch. Although he supposes he doesn't do that all that often either.]
I mean, it's cool. You're cool. Like with all the similarities and stuff. I just can't do that whole fuckin' bitches and sendin' them on their way the next day.
[A pause as he tries to work out what's he actually trying to say is:]
[ But Ray isn't going anywhere--not out of his lap, not away, not now Lew's got him where he wants him. As Ray starts to lean back, Ashby's hands find his hips, applying just enough pressure that he can't pull away without a deliberately jerk of movement. Make him feel special, make him feel like he has control. So long as Ray was up there he was looking down on him. Subtle subconsciousness stuff.
He got it. He did. Ray didn't do this sort of thing, and if this was just some chick he was talking to, convincing to come to bed with him, he'd do the same thing, play reassuring, take what he wanted. But Ray wasn't going to produce some child out of nowhere and demand to be made an honest woman, or get crazy and insist on things Lew couldn't give him. He could promise more, reassure more, than he'd ever genuinely give some random piece of tail. ]
You say that like you're not talking to a card carrying narcissist. [ He rubbed little circles into the soft dimples above Ray's pelvis. ] I love myself more than anyone else in the world. I'm no-one's bitch, and neither are you. So let's stop fucking around here.
[ And now he was pushing up into that space too, not pushing Ray of him, but leaning in until they were almost chest to chest, almost nose to nose. He tipped his head all the way over to the right as he spoke, close enough to kiss but clearly deliberately not doing it, snarling through his words as his mouth moved half an inch above Ray's. ]
You don't want this to be some casual fuck. Maybe I gave you the impression that's what I wanted. And yeah, I've wanted you since I laid eyes on you--just fucking look at you. Talk about primal fucking urges. [ Tipped his head back the other way; same sexual snarling closeness. ] The longer we pretend keeping our hands off each other means it's going to mean more, the less time we get to see what having our hands on each other actually feels like. Our mouths.
[ Back again, and this time he tagged Ray's lips with his own, snatching his mouth against the other man's but not lingering even for a second. ]
We're gonna fuck tonight. And tomorrow, and the day after, and I'm gonna show you the best time of your life, show you how the other half lives, rock your fucking world. LA's the city of fucking dreams and with me you're gonna see a side of it people usually never get to see.
I don't do that for just anyone. But be my guest. Your choice. You wanna do this, or you wanna just keep talking about it?
[It's not so bad being on top like this for a little bit, just to get that sense of control back, and to feel like he's not being pushed and persuaded into every part of this. There's hands clamping around his hips to keep him there, but it doesn't feel like such a problem when he's up there and Ashby's on the floor. See, Ray can get control too. Good ol' shoves and threats of violence always solve the problem eventually.
If there's one difference between them, other than the age gap, it's that Lew seems to have a way with words that Ray never quite mastered. This guy makes everything sound so fluent and easy that's it's difficult to argue against what he says. He speaks sense while making it easy to understand. Maybe that's because Ashby knows what he wants from life, or it might come from the mass money and having people do what you say. Whatever it is, he's pretty good at it.
As Lew leans into his space, tips in closer, tilting his head, Ray doesn't even move. His breath shortens, huffing lightly against the lips that are far too close and far too tempting. The snarling words are good, adds a little bit of aggression behind it, makes it all the more appealing for a guy like Ray. This guy is never going to know all of Ray in a day. Even two. He's stupid to even think that it would have been possible. They could talk and catch up on every aspect of their lives, sure, but Ray can do that with any person he picks off the street. But the exploring? The fucking? That's something that you need to do with a doppelganger.
He doesn't chase the brush of lips, as much as he wants to, instead allowing Ashby to finish his inspiring fuck speech, giving Ray a chance to run his lips across his own lips, top first then bottom.]
We gotta do this. We can't not do this. Once in a lifetime, man.
[This time he's the one to lean in just that little bit closer, close the gap between them and brush moistened lips to Ashby's as though the kiss is some sort of signature on the contract of agreement.]
Once in a billion lifetimes. I don't know anyone who's fucked their double, do you?
[ Like he knows a billion people, but that's not really the point. This opportunity isn't just unlikely, it's unprecedented - like nothing that's come before or will come after - and the fortune that's brought them together demands some sort of karmic recompense. This thing is meant to be explosive, Ashby knows it, and he's not about to let that go.
So he waits for the briefest touch of Ray's mouth on his own, and then he springs loose all of that coiled energy, pushing his chin up into the kiss and pouring himself into it like kissing is his artform, his only way to express himself. His hands flatten, rubbing up Ray's sides, climbing his back, but all the while this energy is released without a single effort to flip them over, even though he's shown he has the energy to do just that if he wants to. Ray isn't really holding him down, but Ashby isn't really holding onto him either, so it all more or less works out.
But the kiss. There's never been a kiss that is more teeth in the first few seconds that wasn't someone literally biting the other person's mouth off. It's a rough, wet kiss, meant to draw gasps and leave bruises, and once he's snarled his teeth against Ray's lips each in turn his dangerous tongue lashes out, seeking the heat of the other man's mouth, albeit still entirely from below.
Not a girl's kiss. And maybe when he broke it he might dismiss their evening meal, because unless Ray has other ideas this is Ashby going from hot and heavy to hotter and heaviest in .5 seconds, and eating is literally off the menu. Dining was suspended until further notice. The only way to hold him back would be to physically restrain him, and even that would come with no guarantees.
He'd been given permission. Contract signed. Ashby Unleashed.
Maybe he'd slow down by about Monday, take Ray to the Rainbow to chill out. Hah, Raynbow. Seriously, after a weekend of Ashby the girls at the Rainbow would seem like a relaxing interlude. ]
[He should have expected that small amount of reciprocation from him to spark things off. Those few words of his and that soft brush of lips had been enough to get Ashby surging forward like a tsunami and taking down everything in his path. Lew doesn't push or shove, but there's hands all over Ray's torso and a kiss that has enough force to have Ray gasping and growling within seconds.
The fucker likes teeth it would seem, and Ray's learning that the hard way. It's just a good thing that he doesn't mind a bit of rough and tumble, because his mouth gets a battering.
But then there's that tongue, soft and moist and somewhat of a relief after the sharp sting of the teeth that came before, and Ray accepts it in, his own coiling in against it. He only gives the briefest scrapes of teeth against that invading tongue, almost a warning that he can do that sort of shit too. And jesus christ, Ashby practically even tasted the same, it was like his own mouth. It was his own mouth, more or less.
It's quite a feat that ray even manages to talk with the assault on his mouth, but he does, mumbling against those lips with his own battered pair.]
Always get what you want, huh?
[No hate there, he can respect a guy who knows what he wants and goes for it. Maybe Ray could learn a thing or two about that.
It's probably best not to get too carried away where they are anyway. Ray's not too keen to put on a full show for the sushi lady and the floor probably isn't the most comfortable spot to be for all of this anyway. Even if having Ashby still just slightly under him was quite the rush.]
[ They kiss fiercely, teeth on lips and tongue on teeth, and that's what Ashby wants, he wants to feel it, wants to know it, wants all the bruises and scratches, and he knows Ray will give them to him.
Not that he couldn't have gotten a girl to give that to him if he wanted. If he asked he could have anything he wanted. What was better was not having to ask. With Ray, he felt like they were much more on a level with each other. Okay maybe not financially, but they were literally physically identical, had that aggressive streak running through them--this could work.
He ran his hands back down, slid them across Ray's ass and squeezed, tugging him forward. ]
You'd be surprised.
[ He growled it back against Ray's mouth, lashed his tongue once more against the other man's, and then fell back panting, needing to catch his breath, rolling his eyes and his head up toward the sushi lady. ]
Hey uh--think we're done here.
[ And then his strength gave out and he flopped back on the floorboards, still tightly holding Ray's backside, a cheek in each hand. ]
That all you got, Ray; Ray Kowalski?
[ Sushi lady was sweeping sashimi from her chest with remarkable skill and leaving it in a messy pile on the table. Then she was away, pulling on a gown from under the table and disappearing out the nearest door. Ashby didn't even pay attention to the flash of naked ass that swayed away from him, his attention fixed on Ray, shedding challenge from every pore. ]
[There was something vaguely in tune between them, Ray could go with that. There's nothing predictable about Ashby, but it feels like Ray can read him well enough, understand what's going on and expect some of the basics of it. Those hands on the ass aren't a surprise, but they're appreciated, not too forward now that both of them had been putting one another's tongues down their throats.
This was still weird. Even if he forgot the whole identical person thing for a second, this was still out of Ray's usual comfort zone. He'd try anything once, sure, but he'd had monogamy for so long that meeting someone and screwing them the same night was still something that never seemed more than some fantasy. But this is LA. And when in LA...
Ray's a little more distracted by the retreating woman. Ashby's great, but Ray can't turn down a free view of a naked ass, which he pauses to stare at until it's out of view and then snaps his attention straight back to Ashby, now laying down underneath him.
The guy was practically asking for it, and while Ray's not entirely certain what challenge this face twin of his was trying to project, there's only one challenge Ray really understands. There he is, staring down at the man with his face, and he can do anything he wants. Anything. And Ray Kowalski opts for the one thing he knows how to do in times of uncertainty. He punches. It's just the one. A sharp jab downward, and he pulls the punch at the last second just enough to avoid causing serious injury if it hits, aiming away from the nose while he's at it.
But he's smiling, which is sort of a good sign. Maybe this is his thing. His way of showing affection when he's not sure how else to go about it. Ray's good with this physical violence thing between guys. He's never been so good on the wooing and the sex and what the fuck he's meant to do with himself during those times.]
I got plenty more if you can take it, Lew; Lew Ashby.
[ Ashby isn't sure what challenge he's projecting either. He's playing the ultimate game of cold reading as it is, judging Ray's feelings based on expressions he himself pulls - and maybe that's not totally wise because they're two different people in many ways - but it's been working for him so far. He knows he's a guy who has to respond when a challenge is laid out in front of him, who's willing to take risks and do anything once--because that's Ashby through and through too.
So he doesn't know what he expects, except that Ray will inevitably rise to that challenge, and sure enough a second later there's a fist cracking into his jaw, pounding him down into those floorboards. He feels Ray pull it, but it's still some punch, a punch made by a guy who depended on his own violence to survive. Lew, on the other hand, made money by laying on his back and listening to other people play tunes. That was his thing.
And it really had been well...at least two months since anyone had actually hit him in the face. Wrestled with him, punched him in the gut, sure, but not the face. Not since New Years.
Jimmy Cricket this guy can throw a punch. And he's grinning--no, smiling. Big difference. Like he's finally comfortable in his skin again. ]
Alright [ He says, ego a bit bruised. ] I think I maybe deserved that one.
[ But he was drinking in that face, that smile - his face - and he couldn't help but be into it, punching and all. He arched his back, rising a few inches off the floorboards, wriggling under Ray deliberately. It was meant to provide a reminder that there was more to this than just his face, and planting fists in it (and what kind of sex was that anyway, where someone hit you?), but it was also sort of hot, and he could roll with it.
So long as he got the honey as well as the medicine. ]
You wanna show me what you've got, take off my pants.
[ Letting Lew grab his ass was one thing--besides which Ray would be in for a surprise. He was going full commando under his jeans. ]
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thelockbox2014-10-02 01:02 am
no subject
But Ray is interested, there's no doubt about it. Lew had seen him look right at his mouth when he'd been tonguing his beer bottle before, and they kept catching and maintaining eye contact. Looking right back into his own eyes was like staring into a mirror, except this mirror wasn't doing exactly what Lew was doing; it was unpredictable, could reach out and grope him or punch him or kiss him and he wouldn't know until it happened. Fucking thrilling. ]
Oh yeah? And you like that? You wanna live like that? Simple? I mean it's not like I don't respect that whole survival thing - shit, I've been there, I can scrap with the best of them - but isn't that a bit...I mean. Boring? Do a bit of thrusting, roll over and go to sleep?
[ He scratched his chin with his free hand, then turned and leant back on the railing himself, puzzled and scowling. ]
You really like that shit? I mean I am really fucking sad for you, Little Me. All you gotta do is flash that badge and that pretty grin of yours and you could take home any piece of ass you like, you know that? "Chicago PD, I'm sorry ma'am but there's been an emergency, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to eat you out."
[ Another sidewards flash of a grin, this one a little subdued, and then something more thoughtful. ]
Hey, but we could do that... I mean the hitting thing. After dinner, though, cause I'm starving, but if you wanna wrestle we can wrestle. [ He popped away from the wall, and two steps back toward the open door the gong went. He smirked back over his shoulder at Ray. ] Winner gets the other guy's ass. C'mon.
[ Dinner was laid out downstairs. Or well. It was literally laid out. A table had been unpacked, and across it lay a very naked, sun bronzed woman with tumbling black hair. Dinner was on her; long trails of rice interspersed with morsels of sushi, and not a single fish or shellfish derivative to be seen. State of the art vegetable sushi, thinly sliced threads of meat sashimi of venison, beef and duck, veiled nipples and made artful swirls across her belly. There were tiny little edible flowers and flashes of dark green leaves laid out under some of the display, but they were mostly decoration rather than intended to hide anything. ]
Best thing about the place isn't even the presentation. [ Stepping back so he was hovering over Ray's shoulder, Lew murmured over it into his ear. ] See, any other sushi place in the city would kill me, but this guy's son has allergies too, so uh--so we're good. I'm good.
[ He licked his lips. ] It's called uh--nyotaimori. [ And hey, Ray had wanted T&A. There was no denying that he was getting it. ] No chopsticks, though, that's my special rule. Go on, you don't gotta wait on ceremony.
no subject
He and Stella had tried some things, sure. Some things. But it'd never really strayed too far from the norm, not enough for Ray to feel like he's got any sort of bragging rights that relate to 'I've seen some shit'. Maybe that's part of the reason for the divorce, another layer to their arguments and frustrations and everything else. Since her he'd only had a couple of embarrassing attempts with other women and first nights aren't exactly the time to really bring up the 'so I was thinking of trying this out...'. Well, not unless you're some sort of rock god with masses of money and the ability to risk shit like that.
So ok, maybe simple isn't so great, but simple is comfortable and familiar and if Ray can't even get lucky on simple then what's the point in trying the next step up? Walk before you can run, right? Unless that's where he's been going wrong. Might be that people just don't want simple guys any more. What if, in the twenty-odd years he'd been married to Stella, the world had evolved and he hadn't moved along with the times? Shit.]
Guess that's why I'm divorced and single.
[He mutters with a hint of amused self-deprecation to go along with it. This trip might be good for more than just seeing his clone after all, especially if he can keep up these self-revelations. Even if they do result in him crawling back to Stella and begging that he can change. Not going to help, Kowalski. And who was he kidding, he could never change, he could just be a little more self-aware and open to new things.
Whatever, this isn't some enlightenment trip to India, this is just him in a huge mansion in LA with a guy who likes identical to himself in virtually every way, give or take a decade. If he could be as honest with himself as this guy seems to be, then maybe shit would work out better.
He's hungry. That's probably why his mind is spouting tired and pointless exposition that's of no use to him. So when Ashby mentions dinner, Ray's all for following, deciding to settle on the wrestling idea with a vague;] Maybe.
[Once they get downstairs, Ray stops dead, staring at the spread before him with an uncertain sort of disbelief, all blank faced and slow blinking. That's not something you see every day. At least not in Chicago. That's not even something he's ever heard of before, let alone seen. Food on a naked chick? Seems an odd concept. But hadn't Ray just been thinking about how much he's up for trying new stuff since the Mountie showed up in his life. This was definitely new stuff to try.]
Uh. Is she uh. Is she okay with this? Like uh, is this legit? [Head turned just slightly to other at his shoulder, voice lowered like he's afraid he might be overheard by the other body in the room. God, he hopes this isn't some sort of weird prostitution thing. How clueless he was to the International ways of the world.
But damn, she was beautiful, even if Ray was still uncertain as to whether he should be staring or not, like he's suddenly shy by the sight of naked bodies.]
no subject
Oh that was cool. Ray fell dead still, staring, and that was exactly the kind of reaction he'd been hoping to get out of him. Little bit of shellshock when on holiday was good for the soul. This was like the Orient to Ray; exotic and so far outside his usual lifestyle that they may as well be on another planet.
And that was what Ashby liked best. Blow them away. Then he could do anything he wanted and masquerade it as perfectly normal.
He smirked. Ray wasn't looking at him any more, but then Ashby didn't blame him. She was really quite pretty, and from what he could tell Ray was dry--had just come out of a marriage where the fun had gone out of it, probably hadn't had a whole lot of glory since. And there she was, everything that LA could get you laid out and decorated and edible. Poor bastard, he'd been dropped in at the deep end.
So Ashby stepped closer, pressing his chest against Ray's back, leaning in so that his mouth brushed the shell of his ear. ]
It's totally legit, completely above board. It takes a lot of skill to stay put like that; she's a professional.
[ He bit Ray's earlobe firmly, then nudged him forward step by step, putting all of his force into his chest to urge him forward. ]
Now if you wanted to sleep with her that would be extra, and if I'm honest with you I'm not really feeling the charitable spirit tonight. The hell am I paying someone else to get what I'm after.
[ He pinched Ray's butt, then grabbed his hand and led the way, led him the rest of the way across the room. He pointed at the girl. ]
Go on. She's pretty, right? You like her. I definitely like her. It's pretty hot, and we're all having a lot of nice, safe, sexy fun. That's all this is.
Here, here. You kneel right down. [ He was close again; he was crooked in against the corner of Ray's throat, smirking still, a little flushed, definitely aroused. It was audible in his voice. ]
no subject
He really did have a lot more to learn about life. Briefly he does wonder if Fraser would have ever heard of this, which might be a mildly inappropriate thing to be considering as Ashby's pressing in closer but it's a valid train of though that he doesn't entirely discount.]
Yeah, no. No payin' for any kinda sleepin' with. C'mon, let the girl do her job without all the sleaze stuff.
[Because apparently Ray is suddenly a strong advocate of women's rights or something. Or he just doesn't want any slight suggestion of paying for sex anywhere near him. Cops and prostitution shouldn't mix.
He still has to deal with Ashby though, the guy trying to woo him with all of this and the far too frequent touching. Ray didn't mind a bit of friendly contact, he's all for that, especially by his own hands, but this was pushing it. Especially with the bite that has him hissing out a quick exhale and cocking his head away the second he's given the chance, and that pinch that has him flashing a warning glance towards the other but unable to do much else before he's grabbed and led.
Once they're at the table, Ray's using the closeness of Lew curling in against him to his advantage, his elbow suddenly jerking towards the edge of Ashby's ribs, more as a caution than any real attempt to cause serious pain. Just a little display of 'keep your distance and let me eat'.]
Other side of the table, pal. I can sit myself down just fine.
[And he's going to wait for that dick to move before he kneels himself down, because there's no way he wants to be on his knees beside this guy. Not yet anyway. Ahem.]
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Lew Ashby was the definitive version of Lew Ashby. He lived life like he only had one shot at it, and his answer to everything was yes.
Well, to everything that wouldn't leave him penniless on the streets, which when people wanted your money or your babies was a constant risk.
Ray finally gave him a little bit of a fight back, and Lew knew he'd pushed him far enough that he was starting to find his legs again, remember who he was. He knew he'd won him over on the idea of sex already, though, but this way he'd be more confident maybe, more willing to push as be pushed. Ashby knew he had it in him. He hoped he did, anyway, it'd be hot. ]
Oh yeah?
[ And he knew it was about the kneeling, because he'd said that more or less setting him up for it, so he just grinned another dazzling grin and slipped out of there, giving Ray back his space and kneeling down on the tatami that had been rolled out on the other side of the table. It was the whole experience: that was sort of the point.
He folded his hands in front of himself and bowed reverently to his partner, and then he spared a glance for his table. ]
You alright there, sweetness? Yes. Hell yes.
[ And now he could watch Ray, watch that face with his own captivated glacier blue eyes, ravishing him hungrily without ever so much as touching him again. No, instead he leaned in, unfurling his tongue along the curve of her hip, then wrapping his mouth around one of the pieces of sushi, leading by example. He didn't take his eyes off Ray as he did it, nor as he chewed, and he didn't raise his head much more than a few inches either.
Oh, this was sexual alright, but it had nothing to do with the naked lady. To Lew this was absolutely nothing less than full on foreplay. ]
Tell me the most...the most dangerous thing you've ever done. The most danger you've ever been put in.
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The thing was, he wasn't even opposed to it. It might be a little more forward than he was used to, granted, but the idea of it all, of getting to explore someone who was basically a clone of him in virtually every way. They could see just how alike they were. Anyone would be lying if they said they hadn't thought of doing themselves at least once in their life. It's just a thing that if you ever met your double you'd either kill them or fuck them, right? And fucking them was always the best option because it's the one time in your life you know you won't get judged. There's no fear there of what the other person might like or dislike about your body, not when they have exactly the same parts.
Maybe Ray should have looked closer at the dick pic when he had the chance, but that had been something he'd skipped past quickly when flicking through boob photos. Whatever, he'd get a view of it later if he agreed to all this weirdness.
When Ashby moves away, Ray lowers himself to his knees, finally able to at least look at the spread before him without feeling guilty about staring. Not that he's opposed to staring to hot, naked women anyway. Especially not ones as good looking and literally delicious as this. He does spare a look towards her face and offer up a small smile as if trying to seek some sort of approval, but then Lew's lean in and his attention flickers back to his mirror image.
So that's what he'd meant by no chopsticks. And here Ray thought it'd be finger food. That's certainly one way to eat a meal.
But that eye contact wasn't anything to do with the naked body in front of them, the tongue lashing out against bare skin wasn't really about the woman. This was between him and Ashby. Every bit of that eye contact suggested that, and Ray wasn't going to shy away from it, even though his eyebrows were lifting and his lips parting just slightly in curiosity.]
Uh. Dangerous? I uh. Huh? [How does speaking work again? Something to do with moving your lips and your tongue and throat and-- nope, still a distracting thought process.]
It's uh. I dunno. Kinda hard to put it all on a scale. I mean I guess bein' shot at by known psychopaths is kinda up there. But then there's almost drownin' in a sinkin' ship like you're in some sorta Titanic movie. Or, or. Drivin' an explodin' car, or uh. Like, it's all just part of the job. Protect and serve and get shot at a lot, that's the motto. It's what I'm paid for. Looks like I'm in the wrong business though, huh?
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He was still grinning when Ray started explaining about psychopaths and sinking ships and exploding cars, and that was so fucking awesome he closed his mouth and just looked impressed, eyes dancing across the other man's face as he described it as just a part of the job. Boring old nine-to-five, what a way to earn a living.
It sounded so cool. ]
That's the kind of lifestyle they're always trying to shoot down in the valley, though, isn't it? Getting shot at all the time, driving exploding cars, fucking your doppelganger. You should sell that shit.
[ Says the strange almost-rock star who knows what a doppelganger is; who is clearly much more shrewd than he at first appears. It's a good act, it's just that occasionally a sparkle of intelligence shows through. The quick wittedness and wild imagination really help, but mostly it helps if people underestimate him. It was - for one thing - a fucking fantastic way to make money if other people thought they were the ones getting the leg over.
But he's there: bright like a hundred karat diamond under a rough layer of shitty colored rock. He's always the one on top, even when he's on the bottom. It's just the way he rolls.
Lew put his hand across the table, gripping it where the wood was under her right elbow and leaning across the woman's chest, dipping low and raking a line of rice from her ribcage before lavishly stealing a morsel of smoked venison from her left breast. This he had to do without looking at Ray, but so confident was he of being watched that he lingered there for a moment with his tongue flashing against her bare skin, flush against her plush, springy bosom. Joyful, mischievous, he sat back, jerking his head up toward Ray in challenge. ]
You've barely touched your dinner.
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At least Ray won't be slapping Lew for it. Not unless he liked that sort of thing. Some people are into that, so Ray hears. Whatever.]
Nah, they wouldn't wanna know. Especially not when there's a Canadian involved. They want hard guys and hot chicks. [Definitely not him, a Mountie and a half-wolf. Ray wouldn't want the attention anyway. LA is the last place he wants to tell his secrets to.
He still watches, fascinated by it all with an almost child-like curiosity, head ducking just enough to get a better view of Lew's movements against the woman beneath. She really was a pro. If Ray had a tongue on him like that, he'd be writhing and squirming all over the place, and yet here she was, unmoving and still beautiful, like a stylish bit of art laid out before them. Shit, it was weird.]
I uh. Was just seein' how it was done. Kinda used to using my hands.
[Best excuse ever, right? And actually the truth for the most part, because this is like learning how to eat with chopsticks or something. It's a whole new method and one he's still just a little uncomfortable with. She's a good looking lady, only there because she's paid to be. Who would want a guy like Ray clumsily trying to eat food off them without a good chunk of money for their time? A guy like Ashby is fine. He's cool. He knows what he's doing and he looks slick doing it. And yet Ashby looked like Ray... This hurt his head too much.
Fuck it, he can do this. No problem. Just start easy, right? He opted for something a little tamer than Ashby's choices, settling for a beef sashimi balanced perfectly against the flat of her stomach. He hesitates only briefly, huffs out a soft breath and then leans down, curling his tongue around the sushi as his mouth wraps around it, mostly succeeding in avoiding skin. As he starts to sit up again, he chews thoughtfully, nodding his approval. Better and fresher than any he's had. Probably costs a damn fortune.]
That's... that's actually pretty good.
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[ Of course the real gift in all this was Ray wanting to watch him so bad that he ducked his head, but Ashby hadn't seen that. He could only read the change in his double's expression; the way his lips parted and his eyes sharpened with curiosity and desire. The thing about hanging out with yourself, it turned out, was that reading your own expressions was sort of easy--after all you made them all the time, you knew what they meant.
Ashby was not lacking in reflective surfaces. ]
It is, isn't it? Here, come on. We're still playing the tame version of this. Dinner parties around here are only ever good if someone gets laid, injured or arrested.
[ Ashby sat back just slightly, pulling off his jacket and stripping out of his Sabbath shirt. Only then did he draw out how the wild version of sushilady went, pretending to ignore the fact that he was flashing the ultimate question at Ray: tattoo? So this was the crazy version. Where two beers was supposed to loosen Ray up enough to get a healthy buzz going. ]
You wanna know how we do this, don't you? Okay, here's how we do this. First, I tell you what you've got to eat, I tell you from where. You play along, and it's your turn. You pussy out, I get to eat a sushi off that part of you. You lose you pretty much starve, but I get to suck sushi off every part of you, so I don't know--look on the bright side, huh?
[ He definitely emphasized the word 'suck'. ]
So for instance I'd say 'Hey Ray, dare you to eat that tomato rose out of her navel.' And you'd get right on that shit no questions asked.
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But now they were getting into it. The real part of all the show and bravado that involved something more than just Ray guiltily eating like this. He assumed Ashby was up to something more, one surprise after the other. They might have only known each other for an hour or two but Ray likes to think he can get a pretty good read on people, especially face twins.
The shirt comes off and Ray's left staring, constantly intrigued by what he'd see from this guy. It's the same. All the same. So maybe Ashby's learnt how to keep a little more weight on him somewhere in the age gap, and maybe he's managed to catch just a little more sun in Cali, but it's still an almost identical match, all things considered. Same shaping, same muscle structure, same-- is that a tattoo? Ray's tattoo? That tattoo had relevance and meaning in Ray's life, of days spent on the car with his dad, of engine parts and spark plugs and, and... it makes no sense.
He's so fixated that for a few drawn out seconds he's totally ignoring Lew, zoning in just in time to catch the rules of the game, unfair as they are. Ray's hungry, he doesn't want to miss out, but he's also not so sure he can comfortably eat sushi from a few more private areas when he hasn't even spoken to the girl. But fuck it, this was LA. He was in some rich, face twin's mansion and when was he ever going to get a chance like this again?
With a huff of breath and an eye roll, he follows suit with the stripping thing to avoid being the most over dressed person in the room. The t-shirt is easily tugged over his head, barely making a dent on the always ruffled hair, and there, there's the tattoo that he's not even going to mention beyond flicking his gaze to Ashby's.]
Yeah, yeah. You want me to eat a tomato? I'll eat a tomato.
[Example or not, Ray's going to get straight into this, eyes on Ashby as he bows forward and, without much flair, manages to wrap his mouth around it. He sits up almost immediately, grinning around the tomato rose between his teeth like it's some great achievement and then lifts a hand to shove it fully into his mouth. He's still chewing as he chooses Lew's turn.]
Hows about the nice arrangement of meats riiiiight... [And of course he points to the beautifully displayed slices splayed out across a nipple.] ... there.
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He licked his lips, letting the appraisal go unspoken, because Ray was clearly up for playing this game the right way, leaning across and plucking the tomato from her navel, keeping his eyes on Lew the whole time. It hadn't taken him long to get used to the idea, to accomplish a certain amount of cocky sensuality right out of the starting gate. Or maybe he's projecting that, but there's still something about having the other man's eyes on him throughout that he has to perceive as pure sex even if it isn't. ]
Yeah. Yeah that's hot.
[ He couldn't be more turned on. This--this game, this whole situation, was proceeding just fine so far as he was concerned. It made him ache the way he hadn't in years, and while usually it was true that he had some staying power, that he actually enjoyed talking for hours on occasion, this situation was different. He wanted. He wanted, and it was driving him crazy. He shifted a little uncomfortably in place, following Ray's gaze, his gesture. Nipple, huh. Tempting. Any other day he'd have been all for it, sucking and nibbling and lapping until every morsel was gone and the poor girl was trembling from the effort to keep still, but she wasn't what captivated him. That, without doubt, was the man opposite. ]
I do like me some breast meat. [ Which is terrible, but down he goes, drawing the moment out, playing to his strengths, almost as though he means to get right to it. His tongue reaches out, almost touching, almost as though he means to do it, but then he's rocking back on his heels, and there's amusement and challenge dancing in his eyes when he fixes them back on Ray. ]
I just can't do it. Expose the lady like that so soon into the game, leave her with one breast hanging out like that. It's just not gentlemanly. [ Because now he cares about what's gentlemanly? ] I think maybe I'm going to have to forfeit my turn.
[ He crooked his finger at Ray, plucking a piece of sashimi off her hip and dangling it in the air for a moment as though to make his point, and then he was leaning back on one elbow, draping the meat across his own chest, his own nipple. ]
Come on, Ray. Rules are rules.
[ Like he could pass up the opportunity to get Ray's mouth on his nipple even for a second. ]
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He's leaning again, enough to try and get an angle on Lew and that too perfectly shaped breast, a slow inhale of anticipation as that lewd tongue comes curling out and then-- shit. Was he pussying out? No. Definitely not. This guy had done this a million times before, and probably with people far more willing to lick and touch the girl than Ray had been.
This was something else. It was...]
Oh.
[Oh. Of course. If this wasn't about the girl, then Lew was using his own rules to get her out of the picture for this round. It's an obvious move that Ray should have seen coming, especially with that daring dancing in Ashby's eyes. A fine move to play too, like a totally legal but nevertheless dirty chess move. Lew knew how to play these pieces far too well.]
Y'know if I knew you were such a pussy, I woulda picked somethin' simpler.
[It's like a verbal eye roll, quietly amused as he heaves himself to his feet to head around the foot of the low table and then, only a few steps later, dropping himself heavily to his knees at Lew's side. It's obvious Ashby is up for this, and he's not even being paid for it. This is all just part of some weird foreplay game that the two of them are playing out, all because Ray had said he needed to be wined and dined first.
His eyes met Lew's again, gnawing on his own lip in the briefest moment of thought. He could do this.
Just be cool, cool as a cucumber. Remember back to the days when you actually got laid.
He still lowers himself forward slowly, not exactly hesitant but almost as if he's giving those extra few seconds to think, but then he shuts his mind off because thinking really doesn't help at all in this. Instead Ray opts for instincts, letting his body guide his mind.
Without any further thought put into it, his tongue extends, flicking a wet patch against Ashby's sternum, then dragging under the curve of his pectoral and back up, a damp U that ends it's path at the covered nipple. His tongue curls around the delicate slice of meat, lapping it into his mouth and then, just before withdrawing, offering one final, long lick against the nipple with the flat of his tongue. Just clearing up.
As he sits back, his gaze immediately locked back onto the other's, still chewing at the achieved food as he smiles around it, brows creeping up just enough as though he's looking for some sort of approval. That's how they play this game, right? He did good, right?]
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It was all Lew could do to lick his lips, to keep them moist and wet as the temperature raised a degree per step, and Ray came kneeling down on his side of the table like some kind of positively godlike younger version of himself, all eager and willing. This was going to work. Ray was so up for it, and even if half of that was bravado, and the inability to back down from a challenge - both things Lew had no problem with being himself - it didn't really matter. It'd get him there in the end and that was all that counted.
If he'd been transfixed by that mouth before, it was nothing to the things it was doing to him now. He was already hard as a rock and Ray hadn't even touched him - just that little lip nibble had been more than enough - and now he could only shift his hips very slightly so as to not deliberately make contact elsewhere, letting Ray lean over him, watching with breathless fascination as that mouth came closer.
His mouth, his eyelashes, his head of hair; the long languid stretch of muscled back exposed to him, the tattoo on Ray's shoulder as he supported his own weight, the slick hot heat of his tongue as it came down half a mile away from his nipple and licked a gorgeous path across to it.
Lew groaned, fingers and toes curling, inhaled a quick gasp and panted out something that sounded "A-ha--aaah" as Ray's tongue returned for a second go, sweeping across his nipple before he retreated, leaving it hard and wet and abandoned. That had been way more than he'd expected considering Ray's shyness with their dinner platter, but he couldn't find anything to complain about. Not if that was the kind of mouth action he could look forward to. It was hot. It was fantastic. It was everything that made the game worth playing.
Ray even looked up at him for approval with those fucking blue eyes, so full of sex, so much like his own. He raked his teeth against his own lower lip, searching for words, then sat forward. Lew wasn't going to spoil it by telling Ray how good he was, how great that had been: he'd show him instead. ]
Okay, okay. So uh-mm. You gotta take that sushi there off her Adam's apple.
[ He did know all the ways to cheat playing this game. Here was another one. And like hell was he going to let up so easily. There was less dancing now, more smouldering, a liquid sort of desire that hung in his eyes and thickened the air between them. It helped that they were now both on the same side of the table, decidedly not touching, even if Ray was well aware that Lew wanted to. Just a matter of time. ]
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It felt like someone had turned up the heat in the room in a matter of seconds, and Ray can't even help the slight heave to his chest or the sweat prickling against his bare skin. It really didn't help that they were now sat next to each without a table between them.
He wasn't so hungry any more. Not when he had all these other distractions to deal with. He really should have had a burger or something before coming, but he hadn't realised he'd be having to eat his meal off his host.]
Her Adam's apple, huh?
[Finally he switched his attention back to the girl, as if checking if there was any way around this obvious bend in the rules. But no, that's dumb, he's not thinking straight.]
I guess we both already know I can't do that, dickbag.
[Cheating or not, Ray will play along. He reaches for a nigiri balanced at her stomach, plucking it off carefully and, with a huff of effort, lowered himself onto an elbow just as Ashby had. There's one last chance for him to meet eyes with Lew's own stormy gaze, brows lifting in a silent come on, then and then he's hanging his head back and doing his best to balance the food right on the arch of his throat before lowering his hand.
Fuck, this was a little more vulnerable than he'd like to be, but he grits his teeth and waits, eyes locked on the extravagantly high ceiling. He's fine. He trusts this guy, he thinks, but there's still that distant paranoia that bubbles and churns in his chest.]
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Really? I have no idea what you mean.
[ But Ray was still playing along, hadn't flipped the nigiri in his face at the suggestion. Maybe Ray didn't play obvious so much, but Ashby could see that he was breathing a little harder, and that was deeply satisfying. All of this was starting to get through to him, starting to turn him on.
Oh, it was good. It was fucking fantastic. Ray was hot, and he was all Ashby's, and as soon as this dinner was over he was going to have him. Every inch. Probably sooner rather than later.
The moment Ray leant back, putting the morsel of food on his throat, Lew became very aware of the submission he'd asked for--the trust that was placed in him in turn. He owed Ray after this, there was no doubt. He'd flown all the way out here and let this stranger more or less have his way with him. He needed to be given something back for that.
Lew leaned in, being very careful not to unsettle that piece of sushi until he was ready, dipping his tongue into the bead of sweat that had caught in the hollow above Ray's collarbone, then licking his way upward, just the tip of his tongue rolling upward, against the grain of Ray's stubble.
He opened his mouth wide - as wide as he could around the sushi - scraped his teeth down, rolled his tongue up, and took the morsel back. He swallowed without chewing, then left little snapping bites working up Ray's throat. He peeled away slowly, but didn't tug himself out of Ray's lap, where he'd half climbed during the process of sucking his neck. ]
You taste good. Anyone ever tell you that?
[ But even if he was leant in over him, Lew was still keeping his hands entirely to himself. Actually he was more or less challenging Ray to push him away. ]
Your turn, Kowalski.
[ Not that Ashby was remotely interested in the food or the game by now. ]
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He keeps still for Ashby, breath catching in his throat as that tongue finds it's way to his collar bone, fingers curling expectantly. It may only be a brief example, but Ray's pretty sure this guy knows what he's doing with that tongue, and even as the teeth come into play, he can't resist his exhale finally releasing as a chesty "Nnn". Even as he straightens himself up, Ashby is still there, close and in his lap.
It's impossibly frustrating for him, that feeling of wanting and desire and craving some sort of release after months and years of blue balling. He could kiss Ashby right now, curl into him and let the action take over. But that's not right. That's not what he does. He didn't get flown over just to be some rich guy's booty call.]
Can't say it ever came up before.
[He murmurs, swiping his thumb up the length of his throat, the same path Ashby's tongue and teeth took seconds ago. But then he's moving, pitching his weight forward to shove heavily at the invasion of his personal space and trying to follow where Lew moves, right fist raising and ready to hit.]
You wanna keep goin' huh? I bet. Waitin' until I say somethin' like her pussy so you'll get me suckin' yer cock instead. I'm not a fuckin' idiot.
[But apparently he seems to think he's being viewed that way. Maybe it's the sudden opposition to that submission he'd shown, or that he's not entirely sure what he's even doing here in the first place, or maybe Ray just likes to be confrontational for the sake of it. He's not really thinking on the 'why?' of it too much right now, just that his brain said defend and so he defended.]
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Lew didn't know what he expected from the guy who'd asked him if he'd been in a real fight before, who'd looked more than ready to wrestle him or punch a hole through his teeth. Ray was a cop, and sure, up until now he'd put him entirely out of his comfort zone and seen Ray too out of his depth to know what to do with it, but it was all only a matter of time. He had to break at some point, and Ray had been reeling in his own self confidence for a while now.
When he sprang back into it, Ashby wasn't nearly ready for him. Those muscles weren't just for show. He was turfed back on his ass, and then Ray was coming after him, all but changing places, raising his hand up in a tight fist, looming.
He didn't want to get punched, really, but man he did find that hot. He'd been like that a decade ago. Hot headed, fucking his way through other people's ladies and throwing wild hooks at their men when they came looking for justice. Or just running away. Fast. Running away always worked better.
He wasn't going to run from this confrontation. There was too much to gain. ]
You are an idiot if you think I'd be that crass. I'll have you know I'm a fucking gentleman. Lew Ashby Esquire. Hah. [ He raised his chin, jutted it forward as though to say 'you wanna hit me, aim right here.' ]
It's your turn, Ray. So you tell me. [ His eyes flicked down deliberately, made sure Ray could see the gesture, see that he could really understand it. He licked his lips, let his eyes raise back to Ray's once again. ] You just say the word and I'll suck your cock, Ray. My mouth and every beautiful inch of your dick. C'mon. Who knows how to work it better than me?
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He never realised he had a face he so desperately wanted to punch, but hell, he's punched a few mirrors in his time, especially around the whole divorcing period, so yeah, it wasn't anything new to him.
Lew doesn't grapple back or try and be a dick about this. He faces up to it without flinching and Ray respects that enough to he's very gradually lower that fist of his. There's suggestion behind Ashby's actions and words, but then that's pretty much been the case since he first laid eyes on Ray. It's just difficult to know whether this had always be on the cards or whether Ashby had decided to pursue it after seeing what Ray looked like.
But a dick suck does sound good right about now. Anything sounds good right about now, though. Ray unconsciously licks his lips as he starts to shift his weight back again, muscles still tensed and jittery like he's ready to pounce back at any second.]
I don't usually do this sorta thing. The uh. The meetin' total strangers and doin' this. [The sexual suggestions, he means, not the threats to punch. Although he supposes he doesn't do that all that often either.]
I mean, it's cool. You're cool. Like with all the similarities and stuff. I just can't do that whole fuckin' bitches and sendin' them on their way the next day.
[A pause as he tries to work out what's he actually trying to say is:]
I don't wanna be another bitch.
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[ But Ray isn't going anywhere--not out of his lap, not away, not now Lew's got him where he wants him. As Ray starts to lean back, Ashby's hands find his hips, applying just enough pressure that he can't pull away without a deliberately jerk of movement. Make him feel special, make him feel like he has control. So long as Ray was up there he was looking down on him. Subtle subconsciousness stuff.
He got it. He did. Ray didn't do this sort of thing, and if this was just some chick he was talking to, convincing to come to bed with him, he'd do the same thing, play reassuring, take what he wanted. But Ray wasn't going to produce some child out of nowhere and demand to be made an honest woman, or get crazy and insist on things Lew couldn't give him. He could promise more, reassure more, than he'd ever genuinely give some random piece of tail. ]
You say that like you're not talking to a card carrying narcissist. [ He rubbed little circles into the soft dimples above Ray's pelvis. ] I love myself more than anyone else in the world. I'm no-one's bitch, and neither are you. So let's stop fucking around here.
[ And now he was pushing up into that space too, not pushing Ray of him, but leaning in until they were almost chest to chest, almost nose to nose. He tipped his head all the way over to the right as he spoke, close enough to kiss but clearly deliberately not doing it, snarling through his words as his mouth moved half an inch above Ray's. ]
You don't want this to be some casual fuck. Maybe I gave you the impression that's what I wanted. And yeah, I've wanted you since I laid eyes on you--just fucking look at you. Talk about primal fucking urges. [ Tipped his head back the other way; same sexual snarling closeness. ] The longer we pretend keeping our hands off each other means it's going to mean more, the less time we get to see what having our hands on each other actually feels like. Our mouths.
[ Back again, and this time he tagged Ray's lips with his own, snatching his mouth against the other man's but not lingering even for a second. ]
We're gonna fuck tonight. And tomorrow, and the day after, and I'm gonna show you the best time of your life, show you how the other half lives, rock your fucking world. LA's the city of fucking dreams and with me you're gonna see a side of it people usually never get to see.
I don't do that for just anyone. But be my guest. Your choice. You wanna do this, or you wanna just keep talking about it?
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If there's one difference between them, other than the age gap, it's that Lew seems to have a way with words that Ray never quite mastered. This guy makes everything sound so fluent and easy that's it's difficult to argue against what he says. He speaks sense while making it easy to understand. Maybe that's because Ashby knows what he wants from life, or it might come from the mass money and having people do what you say. Whatever it is, he's pretty good at it.
As Lew leans into his space, tips in closer, tilting his head, Ray doesn't even move. His breath shortens, huffing lightly against the lips that are far too close and far too tempting. The snarling words are good, adds a little bit of aggression behind it, makes it all the more appealing for a guy like Ray. This guy is never going to know all of Ray in a day. Even two. He's stupid to even think that it would have been possible. They could talk and catch up on every aspect of their lives, sure, but Ray can do that with any person he picks off the street. But the exploring? The fucking? That's something that you need to do with a doppelganger.
He doesn't chase the brush of lips, as much as he wants to, instead allowing Ashby to finish his inspiring fuck speech, giving Ray a chance to run his lips across his own lips, top first then bottom.]
We gotta do this. We can't not do this. Once in a lifetime, man.
[This time he's the one to lean in just that little bit closer, close the gap between them and brush moistened lips to Ashby's as though the kiss is some sort of signature on the contract of agreement.]
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[ Like he knows a billion people, but that's not really the point. This opportunity isn't just unlikely, it's unprecedented - like nothing that's come before or will come after - and the fortune that's brought them together demands some sort of karmic recompense. This thing is meant to be explosive, Ashby knows it, and he's not about to let that go.
So he waits for the briefest touch of Ray's mouth on his own, and then he springs loose all of that coiled energy, pushing his chin up into the kiss and pouring himself into it like kissing is his artform, his only way to express himself. His hands flatten, rubbing up Ray's sides, climbing his back, but all the while this energy is released without a single effort to flip them over, even though he's shown he has the energy to do just that if he wants to. Ray isn't really holding him down, but Ashby isn't really holding onto him either, so it all more or less works out.
But the kiss. There's never been a kiss that is more teeth in the first few seconds that wasn't someone literally biting the other person's mouth off. It's a rough, wet kiss, meant to draw gasps and leave bruises, and once he's snarled his teeth against Ray's lips each in turn his dangerous tongue lashes out, seeking the heat of the other man's mouth, albeit still entirely from below.
Not a girl's kiss. And maybe when he broke it he might dismiss their evening meal, because unless Ray has other ideas this is Ashby going from hot and heavy to hotter and heaviest in .5 seconds, and eating is literally off the menu. Dining was suspended until further notice. The only way to hold him back would be to physically restrain him, and even that would come with no guarantees.
He'd been given permission. Contract signed. Ashby Unleashed.
Maybe he'd slow down by about Monday, take Ray to the Rainbow to chill out. Hah, Raynbow. Seriously, after a weekend of Ashby the girls at the Rainbow would seem like a relaxing interlude. ]
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The fucker likes teeth it would seem, and Ray's learning that the hard way. It's just a good thing that he doesn't mind a bit of rough and tumble, because his mouth gets a battering.
But then there's that tongue, soft and moist and somewhat of a relief after the sharp sting of the teeth that came before, and Ray accepts it in, his own coiling in against it. He only gives the briefest scrapes of teeth against that invading tongue, almost a warning that he can do that sort of shit too. And jesus christ, Ashby practically even tasted the same, it was like his own mouth. It was his own mouth, more or less.
It's quite a feat that ray even manages to talk with the assault on his mouth, but he does, mumbling against those lips with his own battered pair.]
Always get what you want, huh?
[No hate there, he can respect a guy who knows what he wants and goes for it. Maybe Ray could learn a thing or two about that.
It's probably best not to get too carried away where they are anyway. Ray's not too keen to put on a full show for the sushi lady and the floor probably isn't the most comfortable spot to be for all of this anyway. Even if having Ashby still just slightly under him was quite the rush.]
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Not that he couldn't have gotten a girl to give that to him if he wanted. If he asked he could have anything he wanted. What was better was not having to ask. With Ray, he felt like they were much more on a level with each other. Okay maybe not financially, but they were literally physically identical, had that aggressive streak running through them--this could work.
He ran his hands back down, slid them across Ray's ass and squeezed, tugging him forward. ]
You'd be surprised.
[ He growled it back against Ray's mouth, lashed his tongue once more against the other man's, and then fell back panting, needing to catch his breath, rolling his eyes and his head up toward the sushi lady. ]
Hey uh--think we're done here.
[ And then his strength gave out and he flopped back on the floorboards, still tightly holding Ray's backside, a cheek in each hand. ]
That all you got, Ray; Ray Kowalski?
[ Sushi lady was sweeping sashimi from her chest with remarkable skill and leaving it in a messy pile on the table. Then she was away, pulling on a gown from under the table and disappearing out the nearest door. Ashby didn't even pay attention to the flash of naked ass that swayed away from him, his attention fixed on Ray, shedding challenge from every pore. ]
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This was still weird. Even if he forgot the whole identical person thing for a second, this was still out of Ray's usual comfort zone. He'd try anything once, sure, but he'd had monogamy for so long that meeting someone and screwing them the same night was still something that never seemed more than some fantasy. But this is LA. And when in LA...
Ray's a little more distracted by the retreating woman. Ashby's great, but Ray can't turn down a free view of a naked ass, which he pauses to stare at until it's out of view and then snaps his attention straight back to Ashby, now laying down underneath him.
The guy was practically asking for it, and while Ray's not entirely certain what challenge this face twin of his was trying to project, there's only one challenge Ray really understands. There he is, staring down at the man with his face, and he can do anything he wants. Anything. And Ray Kowalski opts for the one thing he knows how to do in times of uncertainty. He punches. It's just the one. A sharp jab downward, and he pulls the punch at the last second just enough to avoid causing serious injury if it hits, aiming away from the nose while he's at it.
But he's smiling, which is sort of a good sign. Maybe this is his thing. His way of showing affection when he's not sure how else to go about it. Ray's good with this physical violence thing between guys. He's never been so good on the wooing and the sex and what the fuck he's meant to do with himself during those times.]
I got plenty more if you can take it, Lew; Lew Ashby.
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So he doesn't know what he expects, except that Ray will inevitably rise to that challenge, and sure enough a second later there's a fist cracking into his jaw, pounding him down into those floorboards. He feels Ray pull it, but it's still some punch, a punch made by a guy who depended on his own violence to survive. Lew, on the other hand, made money by laying on his back and listening to other people play tunes. That was his thing.
And it really had been well...at least two months since anyone had actually hit him in the face. Wrestled with him, punched him in the gut, sure, but not the face. Not since New Years.
Jimmy Cricket this guy can throw a punch. And he's grinning--no, smiling. Big difference. Like he's finally comfortable in his skin again. ]
Alright [ He says, ego a bit bruised. ] I think I maybe deserved that one.
[ But he was drinking in that face, that smile - his face - and he couldn't help but be into it, punching and all. He arched his back, rising a few inches off the floorboards, wriggling under Ray deliberately. It was meant to provide a reminder that there was more to this than just his face, and planting fists in it (and what kind of sex was that anyway, where someone hit you?), but it was also sort of hot, and he could roll with it.
So long as he got the honey as well as the medicine. ]
You wanna show me what you've got, take off my pants.
[ Letting Lew grab his ass was one thing--besides which Ray would be in for a surprise. He was going full commando under his jeans. ]
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