He began securing the weights to the barbell, one ata time, alternating sides. His plan was to start out strong andfast, work off as much of the strength as he could in what littletime he had. Once he attached the five weights here, he’d return tothe wall for the remaining five plates. One thousand pounds oughtto do it—
A phone rang once, twice. Vic glanced at theattendant watching him. “You gonna get that?” he asked, gruff.
She reached for the nearest plate as if it were readyto fall and she thought she could catch it. When she realized hewasn’t talking about the weights, she looked up at him. “Getwhat?”
Vic frowned—the sound was in his head. It cut off inmid-ring, and his lover’s warm voice filled his mind. ::MattdiLoren—::
An oily voice interrupted him, jarring Vic’s teethand setting his nerves on edge. ::Hey there, boywonder.::
He knew that voice; he recognized it from Matt’smemories.
Jordan.
Oh, no, he didn’t call back. The strengthhumming through Vic’s arms stepped up a notch, buzzing like beesbeneath his skin. Anger clouded his mind, filled his senses.Pissed, he thrust the last weight onto the barbell hard enough totopple the bench press on its side. The weights slid off the end ofthe barbell to thud on the floor. When the attendant started tocomplain, he barked, “Move.”
She scurried aside as Vic stormed from the weightroom. The nerve of that asshole, calling Matt back. Callingtoday. Vic’s knuckles cracked beneath sudden fists.
The pool was on the far side of the locker room, buthe closed the distance in less than a minute. The halls were nearlyempty at this early hour, and the few who saw the murderous look onhis face got out of his way. The doors to the pool were chainedfrom the inside, but Vic set one shoulder against the release barand shoved through them. Chain links tinkled to the tiled floor ina metallic rain. Kicking them out of his way, Vic barged throughthe half-closed door to Matt’s office. His lover looked up fromwhere he sat behind his desk, the phone’s receiver held to one ear.Vic snapped, “Is he still on the phone?”
The tortured look in Matt’s wide eyes answered thatquestion. Over the emotions boiling inside him, Vic could hearJordan’s insidious voice pouring its poison into his lover. ::Ithought of you last night, Matthew. While my guy was in me, Iimagined it was you. He’s not half as good but then they always sayyou remember your first, right? And he doesn’t make me feel the wayyou did afterwards, either. You know what I mean. What about yourguy? Does he think you’re good in bed? Or doesn’t it matter, aslong as he turns into Superman—::
Vic plucked the phone from Matt’s nerveless fingers.“Listen to me, you fucker,” he swore, his voice low and dangerous.The voice on the other end of the line fell silent. “Don’t youever call here again, do you hear me? I will hunt you downmyself if I have to, and break every goddamn bone in yourbody.”
For a moment, silence spanned between them. Vic couldalmost believe the dickhead had hung up, except for the faintbreath he heard through the line. Finally Jordan laughed.Laughed—the audacity made Vic’s hands clench in rage. “Areyou the bullet-proof fuck friend? What a sweet deal you stumbledonto, eh?”
It took all Vic’s super strength to restrain himselffrom destroying the office, the gym, the world and everything init. Instead, he concentrated on the phone and the tiny wire thatconnected it to the wall. He let his mind unfurl down that narrowline, tracing it down to the source, then routing back again toseek out this jerk on the other end. The extent of his mentalcapabilities surprised even Vic when he managed to pinpoint the onetwisted mind he sought. “Azalea,” he breathed into the phone.
Jordan’s laugh cut off in shock. “What?”
“Azalea Road,” Vic told him. “Last house on thesecond block. Two fifty six.”
He let that sink in. When Jordan tried to speakagain, Vic couldn’t keep the grin from his face. “I know where youlive, asshole. Call here again. I dare you.”
The phone went dead in his ear.
* * * *
Chapter 13
Remnants of excess strength swirled through Vic’sbody, setting him on edge for the rest of the day. He felt one stepahead of himself, as if when he moved, his mind somehow blazedahead and left his body one heart beat behind. Sounds were tooloud, smells too strong; even the sunlight was too damn bright.Jordan’s phone call had interrupted his time at the gym—instead oflifting weights for an hour or so, he sat on Matt’s desk with hislover held tight against him. Matt fit into the space between Vic’sknees, his arms around Vic’s ample waist, his head tucked againstVic’s chest. Their bodies meshed perfectly, as if they’d beencreated for the sole purpose of loving one another.
With the door to Matt’s office opened, things didn’tprogress further. Vic nuzzled Matt’s neck, planting tiny kissesbehind his ear and murmuring nonsense that made them both snicker.Slowly the tension in Matt’s muscles drained away, the fistsclenched at Vic’s back relaxed, and Vic managed to wash out any badaftertaste that lingered from Jordan’s phone call. But it didn’tgive him much time in the weight room. He managed to press a fewthousand pounds before he had to shower and leave for work; despitethe cheers from other bodybuilders who watched him, Vic wanted tolift twice that, at least. As it was, he still had enough energycoursing through him to lift a city bus, and it took much of thatstrength to avoid doing just that when he reached the citygarage.
From the moment he clocked in, time seemed to grindto a stop. It took years for the end of his shift to come around,and the garage was dark when he returned shortly after eleveno’clock. He wanted another hot
