Beauty--Remastered

Dear readers...yay! You're reading my first ever intentional erotic story. I finally feel like I've come of age, so now I can let all the dirty little secrets out. Please judge me as harshly as you can, cuz I can take it =)

Also, this story is mostly straight romance, but this first chapter has a gay sex scene, so if you don't like it, skip the last part. The other sex happens much later on in the story, so if you want to get off immediately, sorry, this isnt' for you. Everyone else, let me know if I should continue!! =) <3

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The late afternoon sun shone down on two dark, tousled heads belonging to a boy and a girl. They were both in their late teens, and both small in stature. Anyone who didn't know them would expect them to be siblings, if not twins, but that wasn't the case. His name was Joseph, and she was Scarlet.

Joseph's blue eyes were furious, but he held Scarlet gently as she finished talking. "It couldn't be as bad as all that."

"Yes, it could be!" Scarlet shot back. "It's an arranged marriage, Joseph! For one thing, I don't even know the man I'll be shackled to in less than a week! And for another...how the hell could my mother resort to something so barbaric? This is the fucking twenty-first century!"

Joey softened his voice. Scarlet only cursed when she was really, really upset. "Well...at least he'll end up being rich. Your mother wants you to be taken care of, especially now that she's sick, and your father is gone."

Scarlet pinched his thigh. "Don't pull that with me. We're perfectly well-off for ourselves finally. Besides, am I really that shallow?"

"Well...who is it?" He questioned, rubbing the sting out of his leg. She hadn't even told him who yet—she'd been too busy going on about the marriage itself. She groaned. "It can't be someone too bad."

"Anybody would be bad."

"Who is it, Scary?" he used his childhood nickname for her in a feeble attempt to cheer her up.

"Don—Donovan Alford." She felt Joey's breath hitch, even though he didn't say anything, and tears sprang into her dark eyes. Wiping them away furiously, she stubbornly tamped down any sobs that threatened to escape.

"Well," He tried to think of something cheerful. Donovan was probably one of the worst choices, even though not a lot was known about him. He was a recluse; nobody had seen him in years since...well there had been talk of some sort of accident, but his father was richer than God himself, practically, and most likely got those shut down before any real damage had been done. "He's not...horrible. He's young, only a few years older than us. And...well I've heard he's quite a hottie."

Scarlet looked at him over her shoulder, her huge liquid brown eyes sorrowful. His attempts at levity weren't working at all, but he knew she appreciated them. If he wasn't attached, or, you know, gay, he'd be madly in love with her for her looks alone—the lovable personality was an added bonus. That was the only thing that allowed her to be with him alone. Her mother had strictly old-fashioned ways—more so than her daughter—and made sure Scarlet was chaperoned with any males. At first, when they'd hit puberty, she'd tried to keep them away from each other, but once it was known that he wouldn't ever try anything with her daughter (and after a very upset Scarlet ran away,) she let go.

"He's rich too," Joseph continued trying to make Scarlet see something good about the situation. "And you'll be well-known..."

"I don't care about that. I want to be happy."

"Think of all the freedom you'll have. Your mother won't be breathing down your neck 24/7."

"I'll be trapped, still."

"I'll visit you every day."

"What if he doesn't let you?"

He hadn't even considered that. What if he ended up being a selfish prick who wouldn't let his wife even talk to her male best friend? "Wild horses couldn't stop me."

Scarlet laughed sadly and kissed him square on the mouth. "And I absolutely love you for it."

"I love you just as much." Joseph assured her. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I'll do it. What choice do I have? She's still my mother, and I have to obey her. Besides, I couldn't do anything to hurt her. It's too soon after Father's death to do that. I don't understand why she's so anxious to pass me off so quickly. It's only been a week—we're still grieving, for god's sake!"

"She's doing this for you. Remember that."

"But...I don't understand. She almost lost me, why would she be so quick to pass me off?"

"I don't know." He stood and pulled her up beside him. "I have to get back to Daniel."

Scarlet smiled sadly. "Say hello to him, will you?" At Joey's nod, she mounted her waiting horse. Joey looked up at her with concern when she softly moaned as her still recovering body protested her movements. It still terrified him, that not even a two days ago, she'd been lying so still in a stark white hospital room. She wasn't even supposed to be riding—it'd taken a lot of persuasion to get the doctor to even let her go home, despite Scary's protests that she was perfectly fine. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost her.

Scarlet turned to him. "It's...it's not fair. That you get him, and I get tossed off to the highest bidder."

He stared. This wasn't like Scarlet—she could laugh at anything, and she'd never once—since he was thirteen and developed a huge crush on Geoffrey, her tutor's son—said a bad thing about his sexual orientation. But, ever since she'd woken up from her week-long coma, she'd been kind of different, subdued. He prayed it was temporary; it would break his heart to see her stuck like this forever.

"It will be okay, I promise."

"I hope you're right." She looked away from him. "Joey...I'm scared."

"Hey," he took her hand and tugged gently until she looked down at him. "If it's so horrible, I'll take you away. It'll be just you and me—and Daniel, of course." He was awarded with a small smile and a laugh, not even close to something the old Scarlet would give him. "I promise, Scary. Just say the word, and we'll be gone."

"Thanks, Joey. I love you, okay?"

"Of course you do. I love you too. Now, go before you get into even more trouble. Your mother is going to be furious that you're riding—more than me." He'd actually yelled at her when he'd seen her galloping toward him; only the heavy tears coursing down her face had stopped his angry tirade. "I'll come over tomorrow, with ice cream."

She smiled again and nudged her horse into a slow walk. When she'd entered the woods, Joey sighed and turned to make his own way home.

***

"Danny, I'm home!" Joey's high but masculine voice rang through the small house. The door was barely closed behind him, and already clothing was tumbling to the floor. They had agreed—no clothing allowed inside, except on special occasions or when company was over (which happened rarely). They liked to be ready at all times, and they certainly put those times to good use.

Joey was getting hard already, remembering yesterday when he'd come in, and his husband in every way possible—had pinned him against the wall and taken him almost brutally. It wasn't extremely painful—just painful enough at the beginning, and then simply animalistic.

"Finally!" Daniel rounded the corner, a white apron tied around his otherwise bare body. He bent to give Joey a quick welcoming kiss before pulling away. Joey pouted. "Not yet. I'm in the middle of dinner." Daniel turned with a little shake of his butt, earning a light swat. "Cut that out, or you'll not get any dessert."

Joey scowled at his retreating back. The man could drive him absolutely insane sometimes. He'd left his short blonde hair ungelled and messy, which he knew Joey loved. The dimple in his left cheek as he winked saucily over his shoulder did nothing to calm Joey's raging hormones. "Scarlet says hello."

Daniel turned back slightly, but kept walking. "How is she feeling?"

"She's getting married—this week. Her mother told her today." Remembering Scarlet's expression, his erection flagged.

Daniel's face darkened. He wasn't as close to Scarlet as Joseph was, but he loved her just as much. Their friendship had had a rocky start, because he'd been scared Joey was in love with Scarlet, but she'd set him straight, so to speak, and he was grateful and ecstatic that she accepted him into her heart so easily after all the pain he'd caused both of them. "To whom?"

"Alford." That name always brought the same reaction. Danny stared at Joey in disbelief. "She's doing it, too. She thinks it's too soon after the accident—she just woke up, for god's sake! But her mother is determined to give her away."

Daniel knew how much this pained his lover. He'd known Joseph for years, but Scarlet had known him even longer. They had a special connection, and when something was wrong with Scarlet, something was wrong with Joey, and vice versa. "Come inside and talk."

Joey sighed. "There's not much to talk about." But he followed the other man into the kitchen and sat at the table while Daniel checked the contents of several pots. "She's not the same, Danny. Ever since the accident...she barely laughed or smiled today. She really held on too. She wasn't spouting plans to run away, either. She just...wilted." Daniel pulled his shaking lover into his lap and wrapped both arms around him. "She—" Joey finally broke down in sobs.

"You know how she is," Danny said gently. "She'll please everybody—every single person on the planet—before she does something for herself. She's doing it because it's what she was told to do."

"I know." Joey tried to get himself under control. "What if he...he could hurt her. He could break her. You know how tiny she is! And what if he frightens her? I can't help. They'll live so far away...you know how she gets when she's scared."

"She'll take her horse out."

"What if he doesn't allow it? She's independent and different. What if he doesn't like her?"

"Shh," you're being silly." Daniel caressed his lover's hair. "Of course he'll love her. Everybody does."

"But you know how he is—how he's supposed to be. What if—"

"What if he falls madly in love with her, and she with him and they live happily ever after?"

"Well what if he doesn't? And she doesn't? And they don't?

Daniel sighed in fond exasperation. Joey had a tendency to overreact when it came to Scarlet, though it was understandable under the circumstances. Joey had been a wreck when Scarlet had been unconscious, and he was still recovering from that hellish week. "She will be fine. She always is."

"What do you know about him?" Joey knew Daniel knew almost everybody in Scarlet's mom's social circle. He'd once been a part of it. "Have you ever met him? Or even seen him?"

"Once, about two months before his..." Daniel stood to remove the pans from the fire. "He's just what everybody says. Big, brooding. Not to sociable." He heard Joey sigh brokenly. "Scarlet will be fine. I wouldn't be surprised if she turned him right around."

"She doesn't love him."

"Of course she doesn't, yet. Everybody knows she only loves you." Danny served dinner, but Joey only picked at it. "I'm sorry, Joey."

"Why?" Joey suddenly swept his plate off the table. The two of them stared at the broken glass and splattered food, before Danny got up to clean the mess. "Oh, god, I'm so sorry, Danny."

"No, you're upset. Let me get this cleaned up, and then you and I will go to bed, and forget for a while, okay?"

"Now..." Without waiting for Daniel to answer, Joseph wrapped the bigger man up in his arms and carried him to the bedroom. He loved that he was strong enough to do that, even though Danny had almost a foot in height and nearly thirty pounds on him. Danny giggled musically, wrapping his hands around his lover's neck and pulling him down for a smoldering kiss.

"Stop!" Joey jerked back, tearing their lips apart, just as they tripped over clothes that Danny had not picked up in their room. "You'll kill us both!"

"What a way to go!" Danny smirked deliciously, nipping at Joey's ear. His voice was low and loaded with unadulterated lust. "Hurry up, already!"

"I'm trying!" Joey's breath came in panting gasps. "Don't do that!" He groaned as Danny's hand drifted down his back to rub the sensitive spot right above his ass. "Danny, I'll explode right here, right now, if you don't quit it."

"Really?" Danny smirked as he walked his fingertips lower. "I'd love to see that." His wide blue eyes grew even wider as his smaller lover shook. When Danny's fingers brushed Joey's most intimate spot, Joseph gasped, shuddered and exploded. Luckily, Danny thought, they were next to the bed, and so tumbled onto it.

"Well," Joey muttered when he came down from his high, nuzzling Danny's neck. "That was a first."

"First what?"

"First time I've ever come without direct stimulation. You've got the magic touch, Danny."

Danny raised his hips to rub his dripping erection against Joey's quickly recovering one, the cooling semen providing the perfect lubricant to his sliding. "We haven't had a lot of time to practice, or I'd have done it ages ago."

"I'm sorry." Joey said automatically. He was still upset that it had taken so long to get with Danny. He'd loved the slightly older man for years, but it had taken almost losing him to realize it. "That's all my fault. I—"

"Oh, shut up." Danny muttered, pushing Joseph onto his back and straddling his hips. "That's over and done with. Now, love me or I'll do it myself."

"You wouldn't." Joseph shot back, the daring tone in his voice buried beneath the pants of desire. He rolled them over again so he loomed above Danny, who giggled that strange musical laughter of his. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing." The bigger man chuckled. "Oh, everything!"

"Hmph." Joseph pretended to be put out.

"Baby..." Danny stopped laughing immediately and wrapped his legs around one of Joey's. He rubbed his whole body against his lover's and moaned. "Mm, Joey..."

"Don't try that with me!" But Joey was already weakening. There was something absolutely strikingly arousing about Danny's voice, especially when he moaned his name. And Danny knew he couldn't resist.

Danny just moved faster. "Please, Joey. I'm so close!"

At that, Joseph pulled away completely and watched Danny's chest heaving as he whined. "I kind of like torturing you like this."

Danny rolled over and reached for him, but his lover backed away quickly. "What are you doing?"

"Hold on." Joey hurried out of the room and Danny dropped to the bed with a sigh. His lover was shy; and though he loved him, Danny wished Joey would actually do something without him having to coerce him into it. Danny didn't look up when the other man came back, didn't raise his head until he felt Joey's hand close around his wrist, followed by what felt like silk, and pull until Danny's arm was stretched above him.

"Shh."

"What the—" Danny tried to sit up when another tie closed around his other wrist and he was stretched. "Joey!"

His normally shy lover had tied him to the bedposts and was preparing to do the same to his legs. They'd never even talked about bondage. Danny had no qualms, but Joey hadn't seemed ready to change their rather straightforward habits. Joey didn't say anything until he'd secured the knots firmly, but not too tightly, around Danny's legs. He raised his eyes slowly up Danny's large, nude, impressively aroused body and met his eyes.

Danny could see the lust burning in them. "Joseph..."

Instantly, a worried expression smothered the arousal in the smaller man's baby blue eyes. "I'm sorry, Danny!" he made as if to release his lover, but the older man cried out in denial and writhed on the bed. Despite Joseph's fear, he found the movements wildly erotic. "Hold still—"

"Don't you dare untie me!" Danny growled. Joseph's eyes widened. Danny changed his pitch, so his voice was pleading and breathy. "What were you going to do with me, Joey? Now that you've got me tied up and helpless, what are you going to do?"

Joseph breathed out a sigh of relief. Danny wasn't mad! "I really don't have to do anything..." The surprised and pleading whimper from Danny made him laugh. "Let's see..."

He climbed over Danny and straddled his hips, just under his dick, so their erections rubbed together. Danny pushed his head back into the pillow and closed his eyes, letting out a deep moan. Joey leaned over, kissing his lips. He rotated his hips, grinding down on his lover.

"You like that, baby?"

"You know I do," Danny panted. "More. Faster."

Joey set out on a slow, leisurely exploration of Danny's body, using his hands and mouth. Danny moaned almost nonstop and writhed as much as the ropes would allow. He wanted the torture to end, and wanted it to continue forever. Joey's touches were incredibly erotic, but not enough—they were meant to tease, and they were working.

"Joey," Danny whimpered as Joey's fingers slid down to toy with the hair at the apex of his thighs. His nipples had been left untouched, but they were diamond hard, and his also neglected cock wept for some attention. "Please...touch me."

"I am." Joey whispered, moving back up to Danny's abs.

"Damn it! You know what I mean." The tied man ground out. "Touch me!"

He squealed as Joey's weight suddenly disappeared from his legs and warm heat closed over his dick at the same time as his nipples were pinched and rolled between his love's thumb and forefinger. Almost immediately, he came, crying out and bucking against his restraints. Through his arousal, he felt the warmth of Joey's own semen spurting against his leg. His dark haired lover's tongue played along the underside of his cockhead, drawing out the sensations and making him almost painfully sensitve. He mewled until the mouth pulled away.

"Damn!" Joey flopped down beside Danny and gasped for breath. "That was..."

"I wasn't expecting that." Danny sighed happily. "I can't believe you did it twice."

"I wasn't expecting it either. I thought I had better control."

"Untie me, baby," Danny requested. Joey sat up and undid the knots around Danny's wrists and ankles before lying back down. Danny curled around him.

"I love you," they said at the same time, and then: "I love you, too."

"We've got to stop doing that." Joey muttered when they had stopped laughing.

"I love how we just know."

"But it takes away from it. Makes it less serious, because we always laugh."

Danny turned onto his side and lifted up his head to look down at Joey. "Look at me, love. It doesn't make it any less real because we laugh. You know how I feel, and I know how you feel. That's all that matters. We don't even have to say it, you know that. But we do, and for some reason, we're linked so we do it at the same time. That's special. Do you understand that?"

"Yes," Joey smiled. "I love you, Daniel."

"I love you too. How's your leg?"

"Stop worrying about it," Joey looked down towards their feet. "It's fine, Danny. I'm okay."

"I care, baby." Danny pushed him onto his back and started rubbing Joey's disfigured left leg. "You didn't strain it riding with Scarlet, did you?"

"Maybe a little." Joey admitted, looking away. He hated that he was messed up and his lover had to constantly worry and tell him to go easy on himself. He'd been trampled by a horse when he was just a toddler, and it was a miracle he could even walk. He was used to it, and had learned to hide the limp, but Danny still pestered him about it. "But I wasn't limping too bad."

"Yes, you were. And then you carried me." Daniel scolded gently. Joey looked about to cry. "You should've told me."

"I've grown up with it." Joey reminded him, his voice rising unconsciously. "I'm used to it. I don't need you to tell me what to do!"

"Shh, baby. I'm sorry." Danny lay back down and kissed the frown away from Danny's forehead. "I can't help worrying about you. I love you, Joey. I'm always going to care, and I'm always going to ask how you're doing. Even if your leg was perfectly fine, I'd care and ask."