V: Vic and Matt Series

The V in Vengeance-2

Matt diLorenzo’s office overlooked the gym’s swimming pool, but at the moment he wasn’t watching the hydro-aerobics class performing in the shallow end. He stared at his computer screen, his e-mail program open, but his gaze didn’t register the images before him. It was turned inward, where his lover Vic held Matt’s captive attention. ::So Sadie got dropped off okay?:: Matt asked.

In the confines of his mind, he felt more than heard Vic’s affirmative grunt. Currently Vic lay on a bench in the weight room, bench-pressing a barbell laden with eight hundred pounds of weights, and he was just getting started. But the superpowers Matt gave his lover during s*x awakened in him a telepathic ability that linked the two men’s minds together, and they could communicate mentally while both were in close proximity. Matt could feel the strain of Vic’s muscles as if he himself lifted the weights. It always surprised him that what would cripple a normal man—like say, a few hundred pounds of solid iron—barely registered with Vic. Thank Matt’s powers again. A thrill ran through him at the display of strength and, not for the first time since Vic had arrived at the gym, Matt wished his early morning lifeguard hadn’t called in sick. Then he wouldn’t be stuck overseeing the hydro class and could instead salivate over his lover’s feat alongside the other men in the weight room who cheered Vic on.

Only half of Vic’s concentration was on the weights. The rest of his thoughts centered on Matt, where they belonged. Watching the barbell in his hands as he pushed it away from him, Vic ignored the men surrounding him and told his lover, ::She’s fine, Matty. It’s not like I dropped her off at the vet’s.::

::You could’ve brought her in to say hi,:: Matt told him, not for the first time. Even though he’d seen Sadie that morning, he’d grown very attached to the dog since Vic had first brought her home, and enjoyed being with her every chance he got. And besides… ::You know Roxie’s scared of her, right? So why you don’t bring her by more often is beyond me. I mean, seriously. I’d keep her here with me if I could. She’d keep Roxie out of my hair. Speak of the devil.::

Matt heard the scrape of the double doors open out in the gym, then heard a familiar clomp clomp clomp as the gym’s receptionist crossed the tiled floor. When Roxie appeared in the doorway to Matt’s office, he glanced up at her and rolled his eyes. Her hair was dyed an unnatural shade of black, with two strands in the front fire-engine red. She had the sides pulled up into tight little balls that sprouted off the top of her head, the ends spiking out like rays. Her black long-sleeve T-shirt sported a skull and crossbones that wore a pink hair bow, and suspenders held up a short mini-skirt that flounced when she walked thanks to the crinoline petticoat underneath it. Capri-length black and white striped leggings and a clunky pair of black Doc Martens completed the picture. Sometimes Matt wondered if maybe Roxie didn’t own a mirror…did she honestly look at herself before she left her apartment in the morning? He didn’t know if she liked the whole goth/emo appearance she put on or if she only did it to attract attention.

When she flashed him a quick grin, her lips black with lipstick, he told her, “You better not come in here after one. I don’t want you scaring the kids again.”

“Ha ha.” Roxie held a batch of envelopes in one hand, a couple catalogues in the other. “Mail call. Nothing but bills. Lucky you.”

At the sound of Roxie’s voice, Vic grunted again, a vibrating sound that sent shivers of delight tickling along Matt’s spine down into his groin. ::That does terrible things to me,:: he told Vic, suppressing a smile. ::If I didn’t have this damn class to watch over, I’d take you right there on the bench in front of all your buddies and you know it.::

::Roxie’d probably want a ringside seat,:: Vic teased.

That thought doused Matt’s ardor quickly. ::Don’t even—::

The envelopes flew over the top of Matt’s computer screen right into his line of vision. “Matthew!” Roxie cried, her voice cranking up an octave or three. “Are you ignoring me?”

“Heaven forbid,” he muttered under his breath. To Vic, he promised, ::Stop by on your way out, sexy. I have an angry riot grrl to deal with at the moment.::

“I know what you’re doing,” Roxie announced. “You’re pretending to talk to Vic, aren’t you? Give it up already, will you? That whole my boyfriend’s a superhero routine is getting old.”

Now Matt did smile. Ever since Roxie had learned of Vic’s powers and, more importantly, where they came from, she refused to believe it. She explained away any manifestation of the powers, no matter how outrageous. Matt suspected they made her uncomfortable, which meant he now harped on them at any opportunity. “Come on, Rox,” he joked, leaning away from his computer to turn his full attention onto her. “You know you’re just jealous you’re not getting any super dick.”

She scoffed, “Please. I hate to break it to you, lover boy, but if I had to choose one? It’d be Vic, hands down. It’s just my rotten luck he doesn’t like girl cooties.”

“He likes you.” Actually, Matt knew that wasn’t quite true. Vic tolerated Roxie because she and Matt were friends, at least while at work. Her outrageous outfits, strange hairdos, and brash attitude put off Vic at the best of times. Vic only bothered being nice—or rather, his semblance of nice—for Matt’s sake.

With a lofty sigh, Roxie flipped her hair over one shoulder. “I know. How could he not?”

Matt wisely kept his mouth shut and glanced through his mail, waiting for Roxie to leave. But instead she leaned against the door frame, leafing through a glossy catalog as if she had nothing better to do. >From the corner of his vision, Matt tried to see what kind of catalog it might be. There were two male hands on the cover, crossed to show off matching gold bands… “Hey,” he said, reaching over the top of his monitor to flip up the catalog for a better look. “Is that mine?”

“Why would you be interested in a jewelry catalog?” Roxie asked. “It’s just trash.”

She managed to turn another page, then a third, before Matt snatched the catalog from her. His name was imprinted on the back address label. “This is mine. I’ve been waiting for it.”

Roxie laughed. “You don’t make enough to afford the bling in there. You don’t even wear jewelry. What—”

Then she noticed the cover—two men holding hands. Matt didn’t need Vic’s telepathic ability to read past her wide eyes and open mouth. In a small voice, she asked, “Wait. You aren’t…” Her gaze raised to meet Matt’s, who saw her growing excitement before he quickly looked away. “Oh my God, Matt. Are you and Vic exchanging rings?”

“No.” He opened a random desk drawer and tucked the catalog out of sight. Even though he shook his head for emphasis, Roxie let out a tiny squeal and clapped her hands. “Rox, no. I haven’t—I mean, we haven’t even talked about it yet.”

“But you will.” She did a quick little dance in his doorway, her hair flouncing out in time with her skirt. “Oh God, that’s so romantic. Can I be in the wedding? Can I—”

“No,” Matt said, shaking his head. “There isn’t—Roxie! Calm down already, will you? You’re more excited about this than I am.”

That wasn’t quite true. The catalog had brought with it a rush of conflicting emotion; if Roxie hadn’t been standing there, Matt would’ve been choked up just thinking about buying a ring for his lover. This was a big step in their relationship, something he wanted to take slowly, something he wanted to think about and savor before making that sort of commitment. He wouldn’t let himself get caught up in it, he’d already decided. But Roxie’s reaction was infectious, and Matt tried in vain to tamp down the silly grin that wanted to spread across his face. Her girlish behavior made Matt want to run through the halls of the gym shouting Vic’s name at the top of his lungs as he brandished the catalog high above his head. He wanted to bust up into the weight room, straddle the bench on which his lover lay, and pour over every ring in the book with Vic until they found the right pair.

Though he had turned his attention away from his lover while Roxie was in his office, Matt now felt the connection between them yawn open and Vic’s voice spoke into his mind, filling him like a god’s. ::Be there in two minutes.:: Brushing over Matt’s emotions, Vic paused. ::Matty? You okay?::

Quickly Matt pulled himself together. It felt like a shade being drawn in his mind, hiding his thoughts from his lover. ::Fine, babe, if you don’t count Roxie driving me crazy. Want me to meet you up front?::

Vic prodded at Matt’s defenses but knew better than to try to break through them. With a sigh, he admitted, ::I’m almost at the pool. Wait there and you can walk me out.::

When Matt’s attention returned to Roxie, he found her leaning over his open desk drawer, once more flipping through the catalogue. “These are nice,” she murmured, pointing to a pair of ornately chiseled gold rings. “A bit flimsy for Vic, though. How about—”

“How about stop it?” Matt closed the catalogue and tucked it back into the drawer. “Roxie, listen. Forget it, okay? Please?”

She pouted, her lips drawn down like a black scar across her face. “But I want to help—”

“No.” Matt stood, edging between her and the drawer. “Vic’s on his way, and I don’t want him to know I’m thinking about this yet. I need to pick the perfect time to tell him—”

“I won’t say a word,” Roxie promised. “Can’t I just look through the book?”

But Matt shook his head. “Not now. Don’t talk about it, and for God’s sake, don’t think about it, either. He’ll hear your thoughts. I want this to be a surprise.”

Roxie rolled her eyes. “He can’t read minds,” she said, exasperated. “He’s not even here.”

“He’s on his way,” Matt told her. Reaching out with his own thoughts, he found Vic’s easily—his lover currently strode down the hall leading to the pool. “Just forget you even saw the rings, okay? For me?”

“Can I be in the wedding?” Roxie twirled one red strand of hair around her finger and gave Matt a look he’d last seen on Sadie when she wanted him to give her another cup full of kibble that morning. “I can be the maid of honor, or something. Please? What other girls do you know?”

The double doors scraped open a second time. Matt shook his head, eyes wide as he pleaded with Roxie, “Don’t say it. Don’t think it. We’ll see.”

Roxie grinned. “That means yes.”

Matt ducked out of his office, unwilling to argue any further with Vic nearby, and walked right into his lover’s broad chest. The smell of sweat rose around him; he pressed his face into Vic’s damp sweatshirt and breathed deep the manly musk. Wrapping his arms around his lover’s ample waist, Matt raised his head back and set his chin on Vic’s collarbone as he grinned up. “Hey, sexpot. Kiss me quick.”

Vic obliged. His arms came up around Matt’s hips, holding him close. Lip-locked, he spoke directly into Matt’s mind. ::She still here?::

It was Roxie who answered with a randy wolf whistle that made Matt blush. He pulled back from Vic, resting his forehead against his lover’s chin. “Roxie, do you mind?”

“Oh, yeah,” she snipped, “but the girls in the pool can watch, can’t they?”

Matt glanced at the pool—the hydro-aerobics class had paused to watch Matt and Vic kiss. Most of the class were older women who thought Matt adorable; now they smiled wistfully as he stood in Vic’s embrace. More than one sighed. When Vic turned his harsh glare their way, they began to giggle like schoolgirls. Matt’s cheeks burned.

Vic stepped back, slipping his hand into Matt’s. “Come on,” he said, his voice gruff. “Walk me to the car.”

As they left the pool, Roxie made kissing noises that set the women in the class giggling again. Matt waited until he and Vic were alone, the hallway empty, before tugging on his lover’s hand to pull him back for another kiss. “She’s going to be the death of me, you know that, right?” he murmured against Vic’s mouth.

“Don’t let her get to you.” Vic ran a hand through Matt’s hair, pushing it back from his brow, and smiled at his lover before they kissed again. The love Matt saw shining in Vic’s eyes softened his harsh features, making him perfect. “That’s what she wants, and God forbid you let her win.”

With a surprised laugh, Matt let Vic lead him to the car.