Like Pizza and Beer

Book 2: Dino Martini Mysteries

by Elle Parker

Genres: LGBT Gay; Private Investigators; Contemporary Romance

Synopsis

Dino Martini Mysteries, #1 Working for his ex and his boyfriend, Dino's past and present cross. Dino is caught off guard when his ex shows up out of the blue asking for help. His current lover, Seth, is pushing him to find dirt on his sister's boyfriend. Juggling between two cases – and his boyfriend and ex – isn't easy, but what choice does he have?Working with his ex takes Dino on a trip down memory lane, raising a few doubts and stirring up Seth's jealousLike Pizza and Beer by Elle Parkery. Now he must save his ex's restaurant and his relationship with Seth before it's too late WARNING: Explicit sexual situations, M/M sex and mild violence. 72,777 Words

Release date: October 4, 2010

Publisher: Lyrical Press

Print pages: 270

Sample

 

Chapter 1

 

It wasn’t the first time I’d found myself standing alone outside Ed’s Garage wondering what to do next. I was supposed to meet Seth here for dinner, but he was nowhere to be found. Seth Donnelly is my best friend and my mechanic. He also happens to be my boyfriend. If that’s what we’re calling it now. I still don’t know for sure. I’d already tried to call him once, but it went to voicemail. None of this would be especially unusual, except he was the one who’d suggested the date.

I got out of the car and went to peer through the office windows. I already knew the doors were locked up tight from the first time I’d been here. On the off chance I had the details wrong, I’d gone back to my place to see if Seth was there. He wasn’t.

My cellphone rang, and I pulled it from my pants pocket, answering without looking. “Dino Martini.”

“Hiya, sexy,” came Seth’s voice.

“Where in the hell are you?” I snapped. “I’m at the garage, and you’re not. The last time I got a call from you when you were supposed to be here, but weren’t, it didn’t go down well for us.”

That time, the call had led to the two of us chasing illegal drugs all over Miami while gun-toting thugs chased us. Just to make it interesting, one of Miami’s big baddies expected us to do it all in record time or suffer the consequences. He’d given Seth a taste of what those might be so everyone was clear, and the whole thing still made me a little edgy.

“Relax. This is going to go down just fine for both of us. In fact, if you play your cards right, I might go down for you.”

“That would be easier for you to do if we were in the same place.”

“Which is why you need to come to me, because where I am is better than where you are.”

“So, where are you?” This was starting to sound like a vaudeville act.

“Not telling,” Seth said with a smug voice.

I sighed. “Then how am I supposed to come to you?”

“You’re the detective, you have to figure it out.”

“Seth, what the hell are you talking about?” I walked out into the parking lot and looked around to see if I could spot him hiding or watching me from an upstairs window.

“If you want me, you have to find me. It’s like a scavenger hunt, and I’m your prize.” He sounded exceedingly pleased with himself.

“You’re not serious.”

“Oh, yes I am. I’ll even give you a hint. I’m not at Mama Gets anymore.” He hung up on me before I could fish for more information.

That was fine. Mama Gets is a great sandwich shop within walking distance of Seth’s place. It’s also about halfway to the beach, and since I heard the surf pounding in the background during our phone call, I had a pretty good idea where he was. It made sense. With Seth’s patience level, he wasn’t going to make it too hard to get to him.

I pulled Matilda into a proper parking space and locked my briefcase in the trunk. Matilda is my burgundy 1966 Mustang convertible, named after the old ladies she resembles when her white rag-top is up.

The weather was gorgeous, so the walk to the beach was pleasant, and only took me fifteen minutes. When I got to the end of the sidewalk at the public access, I kicked off my shoes and socks and rolled up the cuffs of my slacks before heading off over the sand to find Seth. The sun hung low over the Gulf, and it was hard to spot him in the fading light, even with his telltale red hair. I finally found him camped out on one of the wide rental beach chairs scattered along the coast. He had the shell up, but given the hour, I gathered that was more for privacy than shade.

“You pay for this?” I asked, dropping my shoes in the sand and sitting on a corner of the chair.

“Sort of,” Seth said, grinning at me. “I do work for the guy who owns these, and he told me to feel free to use them anytime. You got here pretty quick. I’m impressed.”

“Well, you didn’t make it real difficult to narrow down your general location. But, how were you expecting me to find you out here in the dark?”

He held up a lighter and snapped on the flame, waving it around in front of me. I rolled my eyes. He said, “Not only would you have found me just fine, but since you don’t consider it a real date without symbolic fire involved, I’m covered on that score too.”

“Lots of people put candles on the dinner table. My ma lit candles for dinner every night of my life. You don’t get to make me out to be some kind of romantic sap until I light candles in the bathroom and shove you into a bubble bath.”

Seth shook his head and opened the large bag sitting on my side of the chair. He produced two wrapped sandwiches, two bottles of beer and a bag of chips. “You like Mama’s seafood salad, right?”

“Yep. Thanks.” I moved the bag so I could sit next to him and look out across the water. Orange and pink streaks filled the sky, and two pelicans flew past.

“Listen, I need to ask you a favor.” Seth licked a gob of mayonnaise off his wrist.

“Oh? What kind of favor?”

“A professional one. I intend to pay you in blow jobs.”

“Are you serious? You mean like hire me for a case?”

“Yeah.”

I could tell by his demeanor we weren’t talking about strong-arming someone who’d welshed on a bet, or doing collections. I did those kinds of things for him all the time.

“So, spill it,” I said. I took a sip of beer and shifted to face him.

“All right. You know that jackass my sister’s been living with for the better half of forever?”

Seth’s sister, Molly, was about four years older than him chronologically, and at least forty in terms of maturity. There was no mistaking the family resemblance. She had the same blue eyes and the same red hair, which she wore chin length and usually as out of control as Seth’s. She worked as a lab tech for a hospital in Tampa, and Seth often referred to her as the white sheep of the family.

“You mean Frank? What’s he done this time?”

Molly and Frank had been shacking up for about three years, in spite of Molly’s wish to be a regular middle-aged wife.

“Same old shit, only I think he’s doing it worse than ever.” He took a swig of beer. “Molly’s been complaining because money is tight, and the other night she let it slip that he’s been more secretive than usual. She usually tries to hide that stuff.”

“What are you thinkin’?”

“I don’t really know. I mean, he’s a sleazy guy and he’s always onto some kind of get-rich-quick scheme or making shady deals. I don’t want him getting Molly in trouble.”

“So, what do you want me to do?” I asked.

He shrugged and drank more beer. “Poke around, get some dirt on him. Do what you do, Dino.”

“The goal being?”

“To nail the bastard, what do you think?” He eyed me sharply. Then he sighed. “Maybe if we can dig up enough shit on this guy, Molly will finally see him for what he really is. She keeps hanging on, thinking he’ll settle down, but she deserves better. She sure as fuck is smarter than that. I don’t know what the hell her problem is.”

“You’re a good brother. I’ll see what I can find.” I wadded up the wrapper from my sandwich. “Does she know you’re asking me to do this?”

Seth shuddered and widened his eyes. “No way, man. She’d kill me if she knew.”

“I didn’t think she was the killing type.”

“Big sisters are always the killing type, you know that.”

I thought of home and nodded. “True enough.”

The breeze was warm and humid, and we talked about our day, comparing notes and discussing plans. It was dark when we finished. The only light came from the glow of the condos behind us, and the flicker of moon on the surf.

Seth took the empty beer bottle from my hand and dropped it in the bag with the rest of the garbage. He pushed me to my back and settled next to me, slipping a hand under my shirt. His fingers were cool, but his lips were warm against my neck, and his breath was heavy. I turned to kiss him and he pulled me closer, pressing his groin against my hip with a soft groan. Within minutes, he was all over me.

I caught him by the shoulders and held him back. “You’re not gonna try to have sex with me out here, are you?”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m going to make out with you until you can’t see straight, and then I’m gonna try to have sex with you in your apartment.”

“Yeah, all right, I can live with that.” I let go of him, and he stretched out on top of me with his usual brand of easy sensuality. He’s everything I’m not—wild, easy and free, completely uninhibited. It’s been a big adjustment for both of us.

I slid my arms around him and held tight, opening my mouth as he kissed me. He flicked the tip of his tongue along my lower lip and moaned quietly when I ran my hands over his ass. I loved the weight of his body and the smell of him. A unique blend of spicy deodorant, warm male, and auto shop. Who knew there would be a time in my life when the scent of motor oil could get me hard.

The pounding of the surf blocked out every noise but his hot breath in my ear, and it gave me a sense of timeless isolation. I reached up to thread my fingers in his hair, angling his head to run my tongue over the skin of his neck. He moaned and pressed into me, arching his back so he could grind his hips on mine. The hard line of his erection dug into my hip and he moaned again, louder and more desperate.

“God, Dino, you are hot,” he panted. He thrust in a lazy rhythm, rubbing against me through his jeans. The heat of his cock soaked through our clothing. It made me shiver, and I thought about getting him home.

I pulled him tighter to me and butted my hips, meeting him thrust for thrust. He swore and his breath grew ragged. He had his hands hooked under my shoulders, and his fingers clutched at my shirt. He tried to kiss me but was panting too hard and had to break away for air after only a few seconds. I smirked and licked the edge of his ear, biting softly.

“Oh, shit, I lied,” he gasped.

“About what?”

“About trying to have sex with you here.” He began to thrust in earnest, rubbing off against me like a horny teenager.

“There is no way in hell I’m getting naked with you on a public beach. I don’t care how dark it is.”

“You don’t have to. I can do it just like this.” He ground his dick into me and moaned loudly for effect.

“With all your clothes on.” I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Just takes a little imagination to make up for the direct contact.”

“Seriously.”

“Dino, shut up and work with me here.”

“Mmmm...” I held him by the waist and rocked my hips against his. “And what are you imagining while you rub off on me at the beach in the dark?”

“All kinds of stuff. You fucking me in my bed, jerking you off in a crowded club in Miami, my cock in your mouth...”

My skin flushed hot, and I moaned. Hearing that kind of stuff in Seth’s voice was still something of a novel experience, and it never failed to turn me on. “You have a very active imagination,” I said.

“You have no idea.”

I could see his face in the dim light and his eyes were shut tight, intense concentration etched on his forehead and in the lines around his mouth. He only remembered to inhale about every third breath, and his body was taut with effort. He was gorgeous.

“Come on,” I said, “I wanna see you. I want to watch you lose it right here, like a high school virgin.”

“Oh my God,” he groaned, pumping harder and burying his face against my shoulder.

“That’s it, Seth, come for me.” I slipped my hand under his shirt and ran it up his bare back, still matching pace with him. I didn’t think there was any way I’d get off like that, but helping him do it was hotter than hell.

He gritted his teeth, and a hint of frustration crept into his moans. I tugged on his hair and whispered in his ear, “The next time I fuck you, I want to do it in the backseat of my car.”

He cried out and clutched me with a death grip, bucking his hips wildly while he muttered a string of curse words. The relief was plain in his voice, and the tension eased from his body when he finally slowed. He was nearly laughing as he fought to catch his breath.

“Oh, man,” he said, after a couple of minutes. He rolled off to the side and gave me a huge grin. “I don’t think I’ve done that since I was fifteen.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever done that.”

“Dino, I’m amazed you’re willing to do it doggie style. How old were you when you finally got laid? Thirty?”

“You know what? Screw you. I’ll have you know I did just fine with my sex life before you came along.”

The argument was one we had often and it had turned into a kind of pillow talk, but there was a time when I nearly let that difference split us up. Fortunately, the chemistry we had was more than I could resist, and Seth isn’t nearly the tomcat he likes to make himself out to be.

“Yeah, I’ll bet that was a hell of a weekend too,” he said with a grin. He grabbed some napkins from dinner and sat up on his knees, reaching down the front of his jeans to clean up what he could. When he was done, he tossed them in the bag and straddled my hips, looking down at me with smug glee. “I think you should put your money where your mouth is.”

“What do you mean?” I was still hard as hell, and the warmth of him sitting squarely on my dick made it difficult for me to think.

He slid back a couple inches and popped open the button of my slacks.

“Hey!” I made a grab for his hand, but he yanked it out of my reach. “I thought we had an agreement here.”

“I didn’t agree to a damn thing. And if you’re claiming not to be uptight, then you won’t mind a little public display of perversion.”

“No way. I am not getting naked out here, someone will see.”

“Dino.” He leveled a gaze at me. “I just wanna give you a hand job, and no offense, but your dick isn’t that big. No one is going to see anything.” As he spoke, he wormed his hands into my pants and pushed my shorts out of the way. Being the horny pushover I am, I let him. “Besides,” he said, caressing my cock, “you don’t really want to walk home like this, do you?”

I licked my lips and swallowed hard, shaking my head. “No, not really.”

The air was cool on my skin and his fingers were warm. He wrapped them loosely around me and stroked lightly, teasing me. I was already halfway there. In spite of my protests, watching him get off like that had me wildly turned on, and I wanted to come so bad I could taste it.

“Come on, don’t be a jerk,” I said, thrusting up into his hand.

He raised an eyebrow, but closed his hand tight and picked up the pace. I hummed with pleasure and sat up enough to kiss him, bracing myself on my hands. All I could think about was his hot mouth on my neck and the grip of his hand, working me steadily. The crashing of the waves drowned out everything else.

Seth grinned and licked my ear. “Look at you, all wild and exposed on the beach.”

“Don’t remind me,” I panted. It didn’t actually matter anymore, though. Being lightheaded and on the verge of orgasm goes a long way toward lowering my inhibitions.

I rocked my hips and pushed up into Seth’s hand, moaning with pleasure. It felt so good I was shaking. The salt breeze and the surf heightened every sensation to a fever pitch, and I bit my lip as Seth sped up. The outdoor thing definitely tripped a few triggers for me, but unlike most people, I did not enjoy the ever present threat of getting caught.

“More,” I said. “Come on, please.” I reached to plant a kiss on the side of his neck.

He squeezed tighter and I was there, coming hard and trying to keep my voice down as I groaned with relief. I damn near knocked him off the chair. When the last of it was over, I slid down to my back and lay there panting, staring up at the stars. It was a beautiful night.

Seth cleaned us up and buttoned my pants for me, then dropped onto my stomach, peering close enough to see my face in the dark. “I told you no one would see.”

“You don’t actually know that,” I pointed out.

He shook his head and kissed me long and slow.

* * * *

The walk back to the garage was nice, and I had to admit I was glad not to be doing it horny and hard. Once I was no longer half naked on the beach, I would also say I’d probably remember that dinner fondly in my old age.

“I still get to come home with you, right?” Seth asked.

I cast a sideways glance at him. “There’s no way I’m sleeping in your bed.”

To say Seth’s apartment was generally a mess was seriously underestimating the situation, and while I was trying to influence his habits, safe sleeping there usually required a Hazmat suit. My place, on the other hand, is clean, and usually smells like pot roast or cinnamon buns due to the old ladies who live in the other two apartments in my building.

We climbed into Matilda and headed for my apartment. It’s only a short way, but I’d rather move the car at night than have to make that walk in the morning.

I live in the upstairs front apartment over an old hardware store, which shares the street with a plumbing outfit, a mini-golf course, and the CVS. The hardware store’s been closed for years, and I had recently gotten the go ahead to renovate it into an office for myself. Finding the time to do it was another story.

When I pulled up to the building, there was an unfamiliar black Mazda parked in my usual spot. I didn’t recognize the car, but I sure as hell knew the woman who climbed out of it. Ten years ago, she’d been the love of my life.

 

 

Chapter 2

 

Seth and I climbed out of the car, and he looked quizzically from her to me and back. She was a tall, attractive woman, mid-fortyish with straight brown hair that fell past her shoulders. She pulled her scarf tighter across her shoulders and came around the front end of her car with a nervous smile. My heart was in my throat and memories, both good and bad, came flooding back.

“Hello, Dino,” she said, searching my face for a reaction.

“Gigi.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Seth stop short. “It’s been a long time.”

“Yes, I know. How are you?”

“I can’t complain. Things are pretty good lately. You?” Seth cleared his throat meaningfully and I caught myself. “Oh, ah, Gigi, this is Seth Donnelly. He’s a good friend of mine. Seth, Gigi Sapora, also an old friend.”

She smiled ruefully and nodded at Seth. “Hello.” She turned to me and said, “I’m not so good. I came here because I need your help. As a detective. You’re not easy to find, I had to call Ernie to find out where you’re living now.”

Ernie’s a used car dealer I do repo work for, and we were all friends back in the day.

“Yeah, I just moved about a month ago. I still have the same phone number though.”

“Well.” She looked awkward. “I thought it might be better if I just came in person.”

“Okay, sure. Let’s head inside and you can tell me what’s going on.”

She looked relieved and said, “Thank you, Dino. I didn’t know who else to ask.”

I nodded and led the way to the front door, passing Seth who had an inscrutable look on his face. I had an uneasy feeling this would go badly for me one way or another. The three of us went in and climbed the stairs in awkward silence.

Behind us, I heard two of my neighbors, Della . . .