Inked

I was leaning provocatively against his desk with my arms crossed over my chest. My bald head gleamed in the overhead lights and my sleeve was prominently displayed, highlighting the tight cotton t-shirt stretched over my slabbed pecs. The studs in my ears twinkled. My package was an obscene bulge in white denim and I gave him bright and wicked grin.

"Miss me?"

Donny continued to stare at me. I chuckled. "A lawyer at a loss for words. Now I've seen everything."

I walked slowly over and wrapped my arms around him. As usual, he felt amazingly good. Then I slid my hands down past the waistband of his jeans and pulled him close. "So are you shocked and awed?"

The spell was broken. My lover spun me around and started to nibble my jaw. I shivered. The scent of him - overlaid with his A*Men cologne - drove me mad. He began to pepper my neck with gentle kisses. My hands rose up his back and began to trace elaborate patterns through his thin shirt, feeling his muscles; feeling him. God, how I missed the press of his body against mine!

"Oh, darlin', these six weeks have been hell!" He held my face in his hands and kissed me. Slowly. Tenderly. Donny ran his fingers over my now-bald skull and fondled the diamond studs in my ears. "Mmmmm ... nice."

He cocked a black eyebrow at me. "Six weeks to finish up business in New York, hmmm? You do know the penalty for perjury, don't you, Mr. Gardner?" His blue eyes were laughing and he gave my bulge a provocative squeeze.

I nibbled back. "I wanted it to be a surprise. The sleeve, I mean. Jeff said to say hello, by the way..."

Donny took my arm and examined the biomechanical tattoos. "It's beautiful, Jared. It fits you to a tee." He wrapped my arm back around him and continued to kiss me.

"I told Dylan he needs to get one, too."

Cook laughed. "You're a diabolic influence on that boy, sweetheart ... now I know why he just asked for a month off!"

My back was to the door of his office; all of a sudden I felt him tense. "Donny, what's the mat-"

"Donovan, it's bad enough that you're hiring Philistines into this firm, but we are drawing the line at you fornicating with one of your convicts!"

I turned around to face two older men standing just inside Donny's office. One was spindly with sharp features; the other was a heavyset, florid man with a horrible comb-over.

"Alex. Jacob. How good of you to stop by ... no estates to plunder today?" Cook's voice held a biting note of contempt and his normally handsome face was somewhat twisted by a sneer. This was a side of him I had never seen before. His prosecutorial side. This was going to be good.

"There's going to be some changes in this company, Donovan Cook! You're going to start with firing Dylan Forrester. Then we insist that you-"

"I'll do no such thing. And just who the hell do you think you are? Insist? Between the two of you, you own less than 15% of this firm! And when was the last time you actually did any work? Billed any hours?" He barely raised his voice, but the other two men nearly cringed. I figured I'd sit back and watch the show. I sauntered over to the couch and draped myself over it. Donny gave me a look that said Tone it down! - I gave him a wink and pulled a piece of fruit from a nearby bowl and eyed it appreciatively. I love red delicious apples.

The other man - the fat one - started up. "You think you're untouchable, don't you? Well, those airs of yours aren't going to do you a damn bit of good when we have a serious discussion with the Martindale heir. You've gotten too big for your britches! You and your... your... ilk walk around here dressed like a male whores! By the time we get done with him, we'll have him thinking you're stealing him blind!"

My ears pricked up. Oh, I could sell this storyline to Lifetime Movie Network in a heartbeat. "Those are pretty baseless accusations ... Mr. Cook is a fine, upstanding man. He wouldn't cheat a fly." I had completely lost my Yankee diction and now had a soft Southern accent of my own.

The fat one looked daggers at me. "And what the hell do you know, you goddamn piece of white trash? Is he defending you, or did he just pick you up in some halfway house for a quick fuck? From the looks of it, you've been in DWCC ... for what? Statutory rape? Sodomy? You're nothing but some uneducated, ex-convict male prostitute, so shut the fuck up!" He turned to the open office door. "Miss Sutherland, come in here, please."

Debbie came into the office and looked at the tableau in front of her - the two older lawyers huffing and puffing; Donny looking at them like something he needed to scrape off his shoe; and me, lounging on the couch. I gave her a bright grin and blew her a kiss.

"I want you to give me the number for the Martindale heir right now! I'm going to set up an appointment with Mr. Lee and myself. It's extremely urgent that we speak with him as soon as possible."

"You mean Jared Martindale-Gardner, Mr. Dayton?"

"Yes, him. Do it now!"

"But Mr. Dayton, he's-"

I put my finger to my lips and shooed her out of the office. Donny gave me a quizzical look. I gave him a wicked smile back. Hell, this was a perfect coming-home present. Debbie returned with a slip of paper and handed it to the gangly lawyer. He strode over to the phone and began to dial.

"Donny ... don't you think these two should go? I mean, wouldn't you be better off with Dylan as a partner? He's not only brighter and more honest, but he's a helluva lot easier on the eyes..."

"I would, love, I definitely would. But I'd have to buy them out. And they're not worth the money. You know how cheap I can be..."

"I'll spot you, sweetheart. Think of it as an early Valentines Day gift."

The two partners looked back and forth between us with puzzled glances. At that point, the cell in my jacket went off.

"Excuse me."

I reached up over the couch to grab the phone. I felt my shirt ride up and from the gasps behind me, the red jock must have been partially visible above the low rise white denim. I looked at the incoming number and flipped open the phone. I looked straight at the thin lawyer.

"Hello, Mr. Dayton." My voice echoed from the speaker on the desk phone.

The two lawyers looked at me in amazement. Alex Dayton turned white as a sheet. I flipped the phone shut and tossed it onto the couch.

"Gentlemen, I don't think I've introduced you to Jared Martindale-Gardner. You barged into my office before I had the chance..."

I got up from the sofa and put out my hand. "Jared Martindale-Gardner, white trash sodomite and uneducated male prostitute. Nice to meet you."

"Mr. Gardner, I'm so sorry ... I had no idea that you were-"

I cut him off. "Donny, since I was a witness to this conversation, anything I can do to help?"

Cook's eyes glittered and a cold smile spread across his features. I could just imagine the malevolent plans running through that razor-sharp mind. "I believe so, Jared. After I get done with the disbarment procedures, I'm going to sue these two old bastards for defamation of character. You willing to testify? I can also bring a slander suit for you, too - if you'd like..."

"Absolutely. But, why don't I just write them a check for a quarter-million each so they'll go away? I'm in a good mood today."

Donny turned to them. "You heard him ... the offer stands for an hour. But not for a quarter-million each. Two-hundred and fifty thousand... in total. Jared's generous to a fault sometimes." He gave them an icy smile. "Either I get your dissolution papers on Debbie's desk by... " He looked at his watch. "... 2 o'clock or I start the procedures by 3pm. Now, get the fuck out of my office."

* * *

"I like it." I was looking at Donny's new business card



"So did Dylan..." Donny grinned. "By the way, I got a call from him today. Jeff's almost done with the sleeve and he sent me a work-in-progress picture."

Dylan and Jeff had settled on a fireworks design for his sleeve. As with all of the Texan's work, the detail was exquisite and the colors were amazing. Old-fashioned conical fireworks in red, yellow, blue and green traveled up and down the new partner's arm, with silvery striped accents, white smoke, and yellow-orange flames coming from the various explosives.
"Wow - great work!"

"He's also getting some piercings - 'Nothing I can't take out for a courtroom appearance.' he said. You're such a bad influence on my associates, darlin' ..."

"I like to think of myself as a role model ..." I kissed the tip of Donny's nose.

"Dinner at Rabb's tonight?"

"Sounds good!"

* * *

I've been thinking about what Jared would look like when I finished my original story involving him and Donovan Cook. So, I decided to try it out. It was great! I had also been pondering about the other lawyers in Donny's firm. How would they react to him in general? How far could they be pushed? All of these issues have been flying around my head and I decided to clear them up, not only for me, but probably for folks that probably had the same questions. Jared is becoming a favorite AE of mine - right up there with Richard, Duncan and Jason.

I've also come to the conclusion that well-built men with shaved heads and tattoos really turn my crank!

For this version, I used one of my favorites - the Greyland "Artist" mask. Shirt and jeans came from American Eagle Outfitters. Belt from Express. Watch from Fossil.