All Business No Play

As much as Copper had been enjoying the flirty banter between the two men, he was enjoying the making out even more.  Mark really was a fantastic kisser, and his awkwardness was adorable and sexy in a way that Copper couldn’t explain.  “I’m glad that it is too,” Copper replied.  “You’re seriously sexy, Mark.”  It amazed Copper that Mark apparently hadn’t thought of himself in that way until coming here.  “You’re going to have guys lined up to have fun with you here,” he told the man confidently.  “But for now, it’s my turn.”  As the men continued making out, his body on top of the other man’s, Copper placed one hand on his shoulder while the other moved up and down his side before sliding lower, down to Mark’s hip.  He was starting to grind against Mark, hoping this wasn’t too much for him, but fuck, Mark had Copper amazingly turned on, and there was something thrilling about doing this while a storm raged around them.  “Tell me…if you want me…to stop,” he managed to say, only breaking the string of kisses to speak.  He pressed kisses down Mark’s jaw, his neck, his collarbone, his chest, sucking on a nipple, then the other.  Copper let desire take over, kissing further down Mark’s body, down his abs, all the way to the waistband of his swim trunks.  Looking up at the other man with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he grabbed the waistband between his teeth and pulled back, letting it snap back against Mark’s skin.  “No one else is around,” Copper told Mark, a suggestive smirk on his face.  “Only if you want to though.  No pressure.”  Hopefully Mark would know where he was going with this.

Casey knew that his accountant would be moving to the Estates at some point. He’d been badgering the man to come get himself a little slice of paradise, but something always came up and Marcus stayed where he was. So it was a nice surprise when he heard the man coming up behind him and greeting him. Casey put his phone down and got up from his lounge chair to wrap his lanky arms around him in a hug. “Marcus!”

He pulled back and adjusted the sheer kimono robe that had slipped down his shoulder and pushed his sunglasses up to perch them on his bright blonde hair. “Oh my god, you’ve been here WEEKS and you didn’t say hi to me? I could kill you. But LOOK at you, you look like you’ve fucking slept for once. Thank god,” he teased, laughing softly. “How are you, babe? Are you liking it here? Tell me everything! Have you stopped by the Pearl to get your dick wet yet?” he teased.

Marcus smiled at the other and nodded his head, hugging Casey back easily and squeezing him a bit tighter. “Please don’t kill me! I really didn’t mean to avoid you. I honestly wasn’t, I just kind of... got distracted with all of the things this island has to offer me.” He gave a bright smile at the other and finally pulled back from Casey, rubbing the back of his neck and giving a soft laugh as the began talking about how he looked. He looked down at himself, wearing a pair of swimming trunks. He was fairly sure Casey had never seen his knees before, but a lot of firsts were happening on the island.

“I’m good. The island is great. Thank you for inviting me.” When the other asked about his dick, he could feel his face heating up as he laughed. “I can’t say I have. Honestly I’ve spent most of my time exploring or working out. It’s nice to get out of the office.” He paused and looked over the other’s face. “Are you always so forward with guests?” He believed it, but was still amazed with the confidence that the other had.

“You’ll have to be the judge of that,” Copper said, grinning at Mark.  “Hopefully you still think I’m cute once you see me in them.”  While he appreciated the offer Mark was giving him, Copper wasn’t sure he would take him up on it.  It wasn’t anything personal - Mark seemed like he was a good listener.  But Copper barely talked about that at all, and when he did he always felt exhausted and emotionally drained, which was not a feeling he enjoyed.  However, he didn’t want to make Mark feel uncomfortable, so Copper just smiled and nodded, saying, “Thank you.”  Watching the storm outside the cabana, Copper nodded.  “You’re probably right,” he agreed, “about storms I mean.  They keep things interesting sometimes.”  That was true, but storms could also be destructive, and Copper knew that too.

Watching Mark try to explain himself, Copper was struck by how adorable he was.  Clearly the man felt awkward, like he had made this weird, but that wasn’t true at all.  On the contrary, Copper was totally charmed by him, and he liked the way Mark’s body relaxed when Copper kissed him.  It turned out that Mark was a good kisser, and Copper found it easy to melt into him.  As Mark pulled him close and deepened the kiss, Copper went with it, gently pushing Mark onto his back so that his body was on top of the other man’s, their bare chests pressed against each other.  The kiss was so good that Copper was getting turned on almost immediately, and by the way he was pressed against Mark’s hips, that was probably pretty clear to the other man.  When he broke the kiss, Copper didn’t move off of Mark, looking down at him and smiling.  “The attraction is definitely mutual,” he told him, and then Copper kissed Mark again.

Marcus smiled and nodded his head. “I know I will. I mean they’d have to be some pretty impressive glasses to keep you from being attractive anymore.” He gave a soft laugh easily and nodded at the other easily. “I think so. Storms are pretty amazing to look at and they change how everything feels and looks once they’ve passed. It’s all pretty interesting. Nature is amazing and all that.” He laughed easily and gave a soft smile at the other.

Marcus had been on the island for a few weeks now. He had spent most of his time so far adjusting to the island. He had meant to give Casey some kind of notice or warning, but he had honestly just forgotten. It was a nice place and with all the attractive men hanging around, Marcus was getting easily distracted. The especially odd part for him had been seeing a past client or two. Surely they had always been attractive, but seeing them out of his office and in a relaxed environment caused him to see them in a new light. It was weird.

Noticing a familiar face, Marcus approached slowly and made sure he had the right person before actually jumping up on the other. But as soon as he was certain it was Casey, Marcus beamed brightly at the other and approached. “Hey... It’s so good to see you.” He grinned brightly and gave a small half wave. “I know I’ve been on the island for a few weeks, but I haven’t said hi yet. I’m sorry.” He was much more cheerful than normal. While at work, Marcus tended to be reserved, respectful, and friendly. But out here he was just plain friendly.

“Well, between you and me you shouldn’t be. Your look is your look and you do it pretty well if I do say so myself.” Jon commented and chuckled softly. “Thank you though. I mean, fashion is my life and I know some models go all out when it comes to dressing up but I don’t need all that damn attention on me. And besides, I ain’t ever gonna wear like, some platforms I walked on the runway with in the damn street. Plus, simple is in again for the most part, so why not own it.” he said and shrugged his shoulders some. When Marcus said that he didn’t have to kiss him, and rambled on, Jon had to laugh because it was so damn cute and the guy just seemed like he hadn’t a clue on how to accept a compliment, or give some flirty line back. “I didn’t say that you were just saying things to get in my pants, babe.” Jon assured him and gave him a little nudge to the foot with his own. “So you said you wouldn’t mind kissing me, that mean you’ll let me?”

“I don’t mind talking about it.” Ryan assured the other guy. After all, the only people that bought his story that he was selling commission art pieces in New York was his parents. Ryan was alright with a paintbrush, but good enough to sell pieces to keep him in designer brand clothes? Not a damn chance. “It was sort of a by chance thing. I was working in this little pancake house back in New York, after moving from England, and one day whilst we were jammed pack some guy left me like, a $600 tip, and I was like what the fuck? It had to be a mistake, because I know I was doing my absolute worst because we were short staffed. And I’d forgotten his coffee creamer, and I just knew it was a mistake. But he left his card and I called him a few days later and well, things just worked out.” he aid and chuckled. “I enjoy it though, yeah. Everyone just assumes you’re fucking the guy to get a paycheck but that’s not the case. I mean, there’s a companionship, a bond, a relationship of the sorts.” Ryan rambled on. But little did he know he was the only sugar baby of Stefano’s that really got special treatment. 

“They look just like any other glasses,” Copper admitted.  “At least now.  I’ve had them since I was seven, and back then there was a line that separated the two lenses.  These days they’re more sophisticated, so to the outside observer they look exactly the same.  All it means is that I should be wearing them more than I do.”  He smiled at Mark’s compliment, and he nodded.  “I’ve been told that before,” he admitted, “which I hope doesn’t sound arrogant.  It’s just a fact.  It’s still nice to hear though, so thank you.”  And then again Copper nodded, and he did truly appreciate Mark’s offer.  “It’s honestly nothing personal,” he told the other man.  “It’s just…”  He thought about it, looking out over the ocean, and Copper said, “We’re in paradise, even if it doesn’t seem like it now because of the storm, and it doesn’t feel like paradise when I talk about the sad things that have happened in my life.”  It was definitely a mood killer to go in depth, that was for sure.  “But again, thank you.  If I ever want to, I might just take you up on it.”

“Fantasy is a good word,” Copper replied.  “I mean, it’s a nice image, and I’m enjoying it and am aware that I’d enjoy it even more if it weren’t just in my head.  So I would say that make sit a fantasy.”  He grinned at Mark, nudging him playfully and then looking back at the storm.  Mark’s offer definitely caught him off-guard, and it tore Copper’s attention away from the storm outside the cabana.  “Wow,” he said, “wasn’t expecting that.  Definitely a surprise, but the good kind.”  Grinning, he went on, “We could do that.  And don’t worry, I never pressure guys into going further than they want…though if you do, I’m pretty much always game for more.”  Not wasting anymore time, Copper leaned in and pressed a kiss to the other man’s lips.  It was just a soft one at first, and when Copper pulled away he was smiling.  “You’re a good kisser,” he told the other, and then he leaned in and kissed him again.  This time the kiss was deeper, slipping his tongue in Mark’s mouth, reaching out to touch his chest.

“Well then I know they’ll be super cute on you without a doubt!” He smiled easily at the other and tilted his head as the other began talking about how they were in paradise. “I understand that. I just want to make sure you know that you’re not alone. I know that we might be in paradise, but being alone never feels good, no matter where you are.” He smiled warmly at the other and shrugged, not wanting to put any kind of pressure on the other. “Personally I think a paradise without storms would be far too boring.”

“It’s Girl Scout cookie season back in the states, and I’m here missing out,” Nevada pouted, bringing a beer up to his lips as he took a swig. “I always cleaned my freezer out to make room because I bought one box from each student that sold one. It always made me feel bad just buying them from one. Plus, all my students knew my weakness for sweets, and they knew I couldn’t say no. I think there was a time where I bought nearly 30 boxes of cookies,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “That year, I donated, at least, half of them; otherwise, I would have been at home sitting on my couch, eating them all.”

“Maybe, I can bribe someone to mail a box or two to me. Or, like a full freight to the island.”

“I think they have some knock of brands at the store. Maybe that will tide you over?” He smiled softly at the other and laughed easily. “Thirty boxes? That’s amazing. I mean I’m sure they appreciated the sells.” He gave a soft laugh and shook his head. “I bet if you asked someone who ran things they’d totally do it. I mean everyone loves those cookies. At least one brand.” He gave a bright laugh, beaming brightly at the other and tilted his head. “Though I don’t know if any bribing would be required.”

“They’re technically bifocals,” Copper replied, “but I mostly only need them for reading and other things like that. Maybe if you think I look good in them then I’ll consider it.” He smiled at Mark and winked, though really he had no intention of wearing them full time unless his vision got worse (which was likely). “I can’t wear contacts because I can’t touch my eye,” he went on, cringing even at the thought, “so glasses are my only option.” The smile on his face grew, and Copper asked coyly, “You think I look amazing, Mark?” He elbowed his new friend playfully. However, though he knew Mark meant well, Copper didn’t smile when he offered to be there to talk, even if he appreciated the sentiment. “Thank you, but I don’t usually like to go into details about,” he said quietly, and he left it at that, not discussing it further. In the cabana, Copper laughed when Mark admitted he hadn’t realized what Copper meant. “Hey, it’s okay,” he replied, patting the man on the back. “It’s actually kind of cute that you didn’t. This is really new terrain for you, isn’t it? Being on an island of men who love other men and flirt openly.” Even Copper hadn’t been quite used to it when coming here since usually he was forced to wonder if the guy was even into other guys. That wasn’t an issue here. “Not gonna lie, I’m sort of imagining that now,” Copper confessed when Mark mentioned the shower.

Marcus smiled at the other and nodded his head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen bifocals in person so that’d be pretty cool.” He gave a small smile at the other and ran his fingers through his hair. glancing over at the other. “Of course I think you look amazing... I mean I’m sure you know that you’re an incredibly handsome man.” He smiled softly and rubbed the back of his neck. “I understand that. No pressure at all. I just... wanted to offer it to you so you know.” He gave an awkward laugh and smiled shyly, knowing he was a bit awkward, though that was true all of the time.

“Not at all.” Ryan replied before taking a sip from his beer and set it aside. “Well, at first I was doing little odd and end jobs, I worked at a pancake house for like, two years. Then I met Stefano, and well, he employed me. I’m a sugar baby. You know the whole provide companionship, you get paid sort of deal.” Ryan replied and shrugged his shoulders. After all he wasn’t ashamed of what he and Stefano had. After all, they were pretty happy with their arrangement and if Stefano didn’t want to blow money on pretty boys, then he’d have kicked Ryan nearly five years ago. “That’s cute. I’m sure they love it more than you loved giving it to them.”

“Seems like I’m gonna be talking to my lawyer about this. I mean, sure, brown hair won’t kill me, but I got a look I have to live up to. And fuckboy isn’t it, emo e-boy? Definitely.” Jon replied only to start laughing after. It wasn’t that big of a deal, but to him, everything that didn’t go his way, was certainly a big fucking deal. When the man mentioned his style, Jon just laughed and shrugged, “I mean, there’s nothing to it. Just well, all black I guess. Sometimes I’ll throw a pattern or two in the mix of it all, but, only sometimes.” he said and shook his head. Leave it to Jon to go on vacation and get his hair all fucked. “Probably like two months, then I’ll go in and actually get it done right. Or I’ll just go back to my high school days and do the shit myself from a box.” he said and shrugged a shoulder. Though he didn’t  want to go to that since box dyes were actually the worst fucking thing, but what could he really do? When Marcus said that he looked good, Jon smiled and said, “Thank you. Though you keep complimenting me like that I may end up kissing you, Marcus.” he said and offered the man a playful wink to follow his statement. 

“Well the truth is that I don’t wear them as much as I should,” Copper admitted before quickly adding, “And I’m not about to.  But if you like the nerdy look, then I definitely want to.  Maybe you could come by place sometime, and I could answer the door wearing them.”  And maybe not much else, Copper thought, though he wasn’t about to say that before gauging the situation more.  Like Mark, Copper thought that if nothing else he had made a new friend.  Although he knew Mark meant well and understood the position he took, Copper nodded knowingly when he revealed he’d never actually been in love.  "Well I have,“ Copper responded somberly, "and losing the one you love hurts.  Like really fucking hurts.”  He wasn’t about to get into that; that topic of conversation was for another time, if ever.  "Maybe this is the place where you make one of those deep connections,“ Copper pondered.  "And then you can form your own opinions.  Maybe you’ll still disagree with me.”

“But one could argue that adorable awkwardness is its own kind of smoothness,” Copper countered, “at least if it works, and right now it is.  So let’s just both say we’ve got some smoothness inside us.  Sound good?”  Nodding, Copper responded, “Yeah, I know.  It’s just nice when I don’t have to think about them, you know?”  The pair headed for the cabana, still watching the storm only with a roof over their head now, though with the wind they were still getting wet.  "This is a big one,“ Copper said, watching the waves off the coast and smiling; he loved this weather.  "Ah,” he said when he heard Mark’s answer.  "And here I was picturing something sexy.  I guess I’ve got to get my mind out of the gutter.“

Marcus smiled at the other and gave a soft laugh and tilted his head. “You should then! You really ought to wear them more if you’re supposed to. You’ll look amazing in them I’m sure. Of course you look amazing without them so... I don’t know what that’s really saying.” He smiled at the other and nodded his head when the other said he had been in love before. It wasn’t surprising to hear, but Mark could tell that it had affected the other in a major way. “Hey... if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here for you.” He always wanted to be a good friend to his friends and being someone they could confide in.

“Isn’t it?  I don’t think they could’ve picked a better spot for this whole resort to be.”  Dash smiled and grabbed for his bottle of water and lit up when Marcus spoke of his own growing up in the city.  “West Coast hmm?  I grew up in Seattle myself.  I’ve moved around a lot as an adult though; I like seeing new places too.  Hence part of the reason I’m here now,” he said with a wider grin.

Dash shrugged nonchalantly, still smiling.  “It can be but I love the challenge.  My parents are super supportive of me and my siblings which is great.  He watched the other’s moments letting him continue.  “That sounds like a big decision, getting away from family and legacy like that.  It’ couldn’t have been an easy choice to make.  But coming here, definitely a good choice,” Dash laughed, “and this place is exciting if nothing else too.”

Marcus nodded his head. “I imagine they spent a lot of time deciding on where they wanted to put this place. Luckily they made a pretty good choice.” When the other mentioned the West Coast, he smiled brightly at the other and nodded his head. “Yeah, but I’m really a southern guy. I spent almost my entire life in Texas.” He gave a soft laugh and shrugged easily. “I loved both places I’ve lived to be honest.”

“A challenge is always pretty fun in my book.” He gave a soft laugh and smiled at the other. “It is. But at the same time I know it’s exactly what I wanted so you know... It was kinda easy.” When the other mentioned that the place was exciting, Marcus smiled brightly at the other and gave a soft laugh. “Agreed. There’s yet to be a day I didn’t totally enjoy.”

“Fucking sick, because this definitely effects my damn income. Look at this hair, would you want this hair modeling your damn clothes? I don’t think so!” Jon ranted on. He was being a baby, but eventually you just learned to deal with it or tune him out. The downsides of being a spoiled brat were complaining about everything when things didn’t go your way. “Oh no, I can’t just go back just like that. Do you know how damaging it is to color you hair? I mean even professionally done, putting all these chemicals back to back in your hair is just like, asking for it all to fall out.”

“Teslas are nice, I agree. I think my favorite part about that car is that it’s got a pet mode. And the screen on that thing is sick, not to mention it’s pretty fast. A favorite of mine. Though if I ever got one it’d have to be completely blacked out - it’d look cool as fuck in my opinion.” Ryan rambled on. Not that he needed a vehicle in New York, after all he could take the train or he could get one of Stefano’s drivers to take him where he needed to go. Didn’t stop him from dreaming about driving a nice car. “It makes sense yeah. My mum and I were piss poor, like, literally eating out of garbage cans when I was younger and it was gross. But, luckily I got out of that and she sort of did. I’m kinda living my best life now, and I’m enjoying it.” 

Grinning at Marcus (or Mark he supposed), Copper promised, “If you get nerdy, I will too.  I’ll wear my glasses for you.”  Normally Copper only wore them when he was writing because he eyes always got too dry with his contacts in while staring at a computer screen for hours.  “I like it too,” Copper replied.  “It helps to clear my head.  It’s hard to stress about things when you’re so focused like when you work out.  And I’ve always been an outdoorsy person, so I get that.”  He might have a rich family, but he wasn’t pampered and soft.  Shrugging, Copper responded, “I don’t know.  Is it really?  Is heartbreak ever worth it?  I don’t believe that old adage that it’s better to have loved and lost than to have never loved before.”  Even as he said it. Copper wasn’t sure it was true.

“I like the way you think, Mark,” Copper told the other man, smiling at him.  Drops of rain were falling on his face before the downpour came, but he really wasn’t phased by them.  “So we’ll say because I’m so forward and guys seem receptive than I’m one smooth motherfucker.”  He laughed, not really serious.  When Mark said that he felt more relaxed and calm after a storm, Copper said, “It’s not like I feel less clear, and during the storm I do weirdly, but afterwards it’s like everything that’s been bothering me comes back, you know?”  They sat there together as the rain came, but the weather was starting to get a little wild.  The wind was picking up, lightning was flashing, thunder booming, and the rain was a downpour now.  Behind them was the cabana, and Copper asked, “Should we?” as he gestured in that direction.  “You can tell me how you like to cool off after a storm has you relaxed and calm.”

Marcus smiled at the other and laughed easily. “You don’t have to wear them for me. Only if you need them. I hear it can hurt your eyes to wear them extraneously.” He nodded his head slightly as he listened to the other talk about liking the outdoors as well, glad to have found someone who was so alike to him. He had confidence that the two of them would become good friends, a fact that Mark was happy about. He liked making new friends and while it wasn’t the hardest thing to do, it always felt quite amazing when it happened. “I think so... I mean I think denying yourself love to avoid pain won’t work. Inevitably you’ll loose someone or something that you love. I think really the point of love isn’t for it to last forever, but rather to cherish the good moments and to keep those memories with you.” He shrugged. “But I dunno. I’m just talking out of my ass. I’ve never really been in love. I’m not amazing with like... deep connections.”