Archive of Our Own ^beta

Party Favors

Gena

Do you believe in Fate? Me neither, at least not until the night of Rainier

University's Annual Charity Ball. It was a routine party, the kind I've worked a

hundred times before. Bored, rich professionals each trying to impress the

others with their flashy clothes, their fast cars, and the age of their

girlfriends. I worked the room, mingling with the older men knowing one of them

would come on to me and I'd be engaged for the night. Jerry, he's the guy who

set it up, he'd warned me this was a formal affair, and I'd have to look like

something other than the high priced hooker I was. It wasn't a problem. I'd been

a Captain in the army for a while, even a cop at one time. Now, well, now I was

just making a living. I dusted off my tuxedo, the fitted one with the green

vest, and used my charm and wit to win over the johns. I thought I might be a

bit rusty, my clientele came to me nowadays. I'd come a long way since my days

on the street, now I picked my johns from only the richest men in Cascade. But

Jerry was an old friend and he'd been in a jamb when he called. What the hell, a

guy needs a change once in a while, right?

So I'm working the crowd of old boys, scouting out the most likely ones, the

ones who will fork over the money and probably only want to suck me off. Some

times they want to watch me jerk off, very rarely do the old ones want to fuck

me. It's a living, what can I say? Back to Fate. I had scoped out a middle aged

man, he was giving me the eye as we talked about politics and things in general

when all the sudden there was this horrendous commotion. A drinks laden waiter

was sopping up spilled alcohol and all the while a long haired young man was

apologizing profusely.

He was an angel; hair like a silken halo of deep chestnut brown, eyes so bright

they could have been sapphires, and lips so red and full I wanted to suck the

juice from them. He wasn't the type to covet this party scene, he had the look

of a man who liked pizza and beer not champagne and caviar. He looked up and the

world faded away. Even now I'm not sure I can explain it. I'd never had it

happen before. Every sight, every sound, slowly ebbed away, leaving only his

eyes and the timber of his voice speaking directly to me. 'Can't take me

anywhere, right?' He smiled and I could feel the grin growing on my face in

response.

"I could take you to heaven," I answered. He blushed. God, it was so cute, the

pink made his eyes even bluer. The old guy who'd been lusting after my favors

tugged on my arm but I shook him off. Suddenly doing Jerry a favor didn't seem

too important. I stepped forward, the picture of gentlemanly helpfulness. The

angel smiled again and let me right a glass, my hand brushing his as I did. I

have this...this phobia about open water, it's not something I like to talk

about, but that same excited - scared - exhilarated feeling that comes with it

slammed into me with both feet right then. He must have felt it too, the hand

beneath mine trembled and his voice, when he spoke, shook slightly.

"Uh, I'm Blair, Blair Sandburg." Paradise was named Blair! Isn't that something?

I grasped his hand and introduced myself as well. I didn't use any of the names

I sometimes amused myself with; things like Brick or Ridge or even - don't laugh

- Dakota.

Nope, right then I knew there couldn't be any secrets. "Jim Ellison. Can I buy

you a drink to replace the one you so brutally disposed of?" He laughed again, a

good start to our passionate love affair, even though he didn't know that's

where we were heading. I used my charm like a weapon that night, spinning tales

of my glamorous past and tragic present, but in the end it was my desperate need

for help which won him over.

"You're a...a..." I waited, wanting him to say it aloud so he could understand

it. "You pick up men for a living?"

"You make it sound like I'm the circus strong man or something," I complained.

Jeez, was he being polite or had I misjudged him? In his eyes I thought I'd seen

a kindred spark. If he couldn't accept what I did...in the past, because if he

would be mine, I'd never bed another john even if I starved....then we had no

future. "I'm a hooker, Blair. A whore, a prostitute, a rent boy if you will. I

sell this body to a list of men who pay good money to use it." I sighed, put

that way my existence sounded pretty pathetic.

"But," he reached out and touched my arm and I wanted to hold him so tightly no

one could ever pry us apart, "you said you'd been an Army Ranger, a cop too.

What happened?" If it had been anyone else I doubt if I'd ever told them. Hell,

I'd never told anyone before, but there was something in Blair's eyes, some

spark which said he really did want to know.

It was a long story and I won't bore you with the details. Let's just say the

Conquering Hero turned out to be a frightened man." God, did he have to look at

me like that? I placed a hand in the small of his back and propelled him out the

balcony doors. It was chilly so we had the place to ourselves. I walked to the

edge of the verandah and stood looking down the fifteen stories to Cascade.

Blair stayed close but not close enough to peer over the edge. I got one of my

flashes, then, some weird kind of fit or something. I can hear things no one

else can. No, it's not drugs, I don't use and I think people who do are idiots -

weak idiots. No, this is like my senses just go haywire. All of them; sight,

smell, touch, taste and hearing. It's a real problem in my line of work. How

would you like some guy going down on you and all the sudden he throws up? Don't

answer that.

Anyway, I could hear Blair's heart thundering in his chest like conga drums in

some Carmen Miranda movie. When I turned around he had his eyes closed but was

edging closer to where I stood. He was scared! Obviously he was terrified and

yet he wanted to be with me. This simple act touched me so deeply, I can't even

begin to tell you the depth of it. I took his hand and pulled him into my side.

He smelled wonderful; all fresh and clean with a wild, exotic scent of herbs and

musk. I wanted to bury my nose in his hair and only breathe through that glorious

filter for the rest of my life. And the feel of those curls! It was like

gossamer threads slipping between my fingers. I couldn't help it, the scent, the

feel of his hair, the look in his deep blue eyes overwhelmed me. I found myself

falling into his gaze and the world faded away from me.

I don't know how long I was....out of it. When reality came back I found myself

kneeling on the stone floor with Blair holding me up. I felt lightheaded, almost

like I'd overdone it at the gym or something. Blair, my angel, hadn't reacted

like I would have if the situation had been reversed. No, he was talking to me;

gently, soothingly, his words were like a cool breeze in the desert. It came

back to me then, that his voice, the sound of it had drawn me back. It was

almost like he'd come inside my head to guide me out again.

'Jim?' The concern in his voice made me oddly happy. 'Jim, listen to me. Relax

and take a deep breath.'

"I got it, Chief," I told him, and to tell the truth I was feeling better. "Just

a little problem I have." He nodded as if he understood and helped me back to my

feet. We sat there in the darkness and...and I told him. Stupid, crazy whore,

right? I mean why would I expect this guy to believe me? But as I spoke and he

listened I knew he would believe and help.

I wasn't wrong. Blair Sandburg, graduate student at Rainier University turned

out to be the only man who could help me. He gave me hope that night, not just

that someday I'd have him in my bed but hope that I wouldn't end my days

wandering the streets of Cascade talking to my invisible dog, Pippi. He'd spent

years studying something called Sentinels. The way he explained it, which at

the time I think I took offense to, I was a genetic throwback. He mentioned

cavemen once and I think if a club had been handy I would have brained him with

it. As it was I settled for pushing him around. I mean, no matter how pretty he

was I wasn't going to be insulted. I'll give Sandburg credit, he didn't back

down. I was very impressed by his guts and his willingness to help me.

Well, after that asepsis start how could things not look up? Blair went home

with me that night. And we didn't have sex. We talked. We talked for hours about

my senses. He wanted to know everything, every last detail about how they'd come

back to me. Parts of it were painful; my times in Peru, the loss of my job with

the Cascade police, but he had this look on his face like I could tell him

anything and he'd understand. You know those little dogs people use to have in

the back window of their cars; the ones who's heads nodded as you drove? Well,

Blair was like that. I talked and he nodded, I yelled and he nodded, I - I cried

and he...he made it okay.

He fell asleep scribbling his notes. Such energy and then it was like someone

cut the power. I was drained too. I felt like I'd used the heavy bag for twelve

straight rounds. I couldn't let him just sack out on the couch, what kind of a

host do you think I am? I bundled him up, careful not to fully wake him and led

him up the stairs to my bed. He was like a child in my arms, so pliant, so

trusting. I got him out of his shirt and shoes and tucked him under the blanket.

I wanted to join him there, snuggled next to his beautiful body, his head on my

chest, but I couldn't. He wasn't one of my clients who I could rouse from a dead

sleep and pleasure for an extra two bills. No, Blair was so much more. He made

me long for the life I'd once led, the one which had deserted me when these

senses took it away from me. I guess it was a fair trade, they took away my

former life, but they gave me Blair in return. I watched him sleep that night,

knowing I'd lost more money than he'd earn in a week but feeling richer than I'd

ever thought possible.

About two o'clock he began to stir, nightmare maybe. I reached out, just to calm

him down, but he latched onto my wrist and pulled me to him. I didn't want to

take advantage of him, but I'm not stupid. I let myself be pulled onto the bed

beside him. I folded my larger body around his, nestling his butt up against my

cock. but you know what? Jimmy Junior didn't even wake up! Never happened to me

before....well, maybe once. Anyway, I just held him all night. It was the most

incredible experience I've ever had. I could feel the air rushing in and out of

his lungs as he breathed, my ears echoed with his heartbeat, the scent of his

body filled me completely, the sweat on his bare shoulder and the sight of his

golden skin made me want to weep for the beauty of it. If I'd been struck down

at that moment I don't think I could have ever wanted for more. No, really.

Fucking him or, better yet, being fucked by him could never have compared to

just being allowed to hold him as he slept.

When the morning light washed over us, I woke. I could feel its warmth and the

heat from the body in my arms and my own solider was beginning to rouse for

inspection. I made to pull away, I didn't want Blair to think I'd done this just

to get into his pants, but strong arms held me in place. When I looked down into

his eyes, the sight knocked me spinning. How can I describe with mere words all

encompassing love? It was as if we had always been together, we had always had

this bond between us. I loved him with all my heart and in that instant I knew

he loved me too.

And so that's how one of Cascade's best hookers, a man who screwed his way

through a list of its most influential men, came to be a sentinel guarding her

citizens. Blair helped me gain back what I'd lost. He talked me into going back

with the police, said that's what I'd been meant to be. Oh yeah, I could give

Vice a whole lot of pointers. I joined Major Crimes, made detective in half the

time it should take thanks to these hyper senses of mine and the unofficial

partner I have with me at all times. Blair won't let me work nasty cases by

myself, these "zone-outs" are a real hazard in my line of work. And no one but

Simon Banks, my captain, knows my past or why Blair is a "police observer"

assigned to me. Everyone else thinks I was undercover for vice and managed to

break a big prostitute ring. In a way I was, I had a lot of inside information

to share once I got back.

As for me and my angel, well, let's just say heaven is a place on Earth. It was

a long slow, road; one filled with twists and turns and some terrible detours

but we've found the right direction now. I love him more now than I did that

first night. He's my partner, my best friend, my lover. He's a part of my heart

without which I'd die and be glad for death. He guides me through the jungle of

my own senses, he keeps me sane. And me? I take care of him. I love him and

worry about him, I would die for him if he asked me to. And once in a while I

pull out my old bag of tricks and remind him of why I was the highest paid

hooker this city has ever seen. Have you ever heard an angel scream? I have.