A Pirate's Life for Me

Lucas hadn't thought he was the kind of person to stereotype, but he realized to his dismay that apparently he was, because in his opinion the man who had paused just inside the door, a motorcycle helmet in one hand and another beneath a muscled arm, couldn't be a gay guy.

He just couldn't be.

For one thing, Adam looked to be about the same age as Lucas but was much bigger than him, taller and practically built like a linebacker. He wore a white tank top which showed off the solid mass of his shoulders and thick arms that could probably beat Lucas in an arm wrestling match. His chest stretched out the shirt, hinting at impressive pecs topped by thick nipples, and the navy blue board shorts he wore revealed thick, defined calves lightly dusted with black hair.

He looked to be of Native American descent -- cinnamon-skinned -- with straight ebony hair that just brushed the tops of his shoulders. He possessed dark eyes set in a face that was as square and symmetrical as any model's.

From the moment he'd stepped into the cottage and seen Lucas there, Adam's attention hadn't moved from Lucas, not even to acknowledge Kip.

"Aras did right by us this time, yeah, bro?" Kip was saying nervously. "This here is Lucas. Lucas, this is Cap'n Blackheart."

Lucas cleared his throat self-consciously. He broke free of his stasis and stepped forward, hand outstretched, trying not to be intimidated by the dark stare. "Hey, how're you doing? Adam, right? I'm Lucas. I arrived today."

Adam switched the helmet to his left hand and shook Lucas' hand. He flashed a disarming smile. "How's it going, man?" His voice was deep and slow, full of confidence. It wasn't at all what Lucas expected. "We've been wondering when our new crewmember would be arriving. Your timing is good. You came just in time for grilling." His grin widened. "You also showed up just in time for me to win the pool. Thanks, man. I'm five hundred dollars richer. I owe you a round of beers one of these nights."

How can this man be gay? Lucas thought in bewilderment. He never, in a million years, would have pegged Adam as anything other than a magnet for the chicks and a drinking buddy during Sunday football.

"Grilling and free beer, huh? This day keeps getting better and better." Lucas shot a smile at Kip, whose own smile was looking a bit strained at the edges. "What more could a guy ask for?"

"It should get lots better," Adam said with a chuckle, releasing Lucas' hand. He finally glanced at Kip. "Isn't that right, Kip? I take it you've already seduced him with everything that Joyboy can offer? You're good at that."

Kip saluted, eyes darting anxiously between Lucas and Adam. "Aye, aye, Cap'n. I've got him hooked. The last thing he wants to do is leave."

"You can say that again." Lucas laughed nervously.

"Enough with the Cap'n bullshit, already. Can you get out of the way? These bags are heavy."

Adam smirked at Lucas and rolled his eyes like a long-suffering boyfriend before he stepped to the side, allowing a second man holding three grocery bags to enter the house. This man was similar to Lucas in appearance and build -- like a soccer or baseball player. His hair was nearly platinum blonde, cut short above his ears, but his face was more in keeping with what Lucas had expected when Kip told him his roommates were gay: large gray eyes ringed with thick lashes, a pointed, delicate nose and wide, lush lips. Gold hoops swung from both ears and a leather cord holding a shark tooth rested against his collarbones which were exposed by a white tank that matched Adam's -- although wasn't filled out the same.

This guy is definitely the girl in the relationship, Lucas thought as he looked the other man over. He tried not to squirm uncomfortably at a mental image of Adam and this new guy -- most likely Tyler -- making out hot and heavy.

Tyler froze when he caught sight of Lucas. After a quick once-over, his gaze turned suspicious. "Who's this?"

"Our new crewmember," Adam told him, still smiling. "Lucas just got in today. Tyler, be nice and give him a proper island greeting."

Lucas smiled. "Hey, Tyler."

But the blonde pursed his lips and shifted the bags in his arms. "Yeah, hey, what's up. I see you've already made yourself at home." He looked pointedly at Lucas' state of undress.

Lucas was embarrassed, but he knew it would look worse if he tried to cover himself. "You have a great place. You'll have to tell me what I can't touch, which I imagine is a lot." He grinned to show he was teasing.

Tyler didn't play along. He thrust out the bags. "You can take these, for starters. Apparently they hold the dinner I'm now cooking for you, although no one bothered to tell me there'd be an extra mouth to feed so someone's going to get shafted. Don't blame me that the newbie is getting your food."

"Take it easy," Adam said casually. He reached out and massaged the back of Tyler's neck. "Lucas just got here. Put away the claws for at least a few hours. We don't want to scare him off already."

The look Tyler sent Lucas was just shy of a glare. Lucas responded by smiling evenly and taking the loaded bags from the other man's arms.

"I ate a little something on the ship," he said, trying to be diplomatic. "You really don't need to fix me anything, Tyler. I'm good."

"Well, lucky for us," was the blonde's reply, dismissing Lucas with a wave of his hand as he turned to Adam.

Lucas gritted his teeth and kept the smile on his face as he watched Tyler wind both arms around Adam's thick neck.

"So he's not going to ruin our plans, is he?" Tyler asked, not bothering to disguise the fact that he was referring to Lucas. He stretched his body against the slightly taller Adam. "You promised me, Cap'n."

When he realized Tyler was about to kiss Adam, Lucas turned and headed for the kitchen with the bags. "I'll put these away for you," he muttered, hoping his unease wasn't too obvious.

"Yeah, I'll help you, bro." Kip hurried after him.

"Tyler already hates you!" the slender man hissed once they were inside the kitchen.

"I haven't done anything!" Lucas protested as he began unloading the bags. Steaks, fresh shrimp, papayas and a variety of vegetables went into the refrigerator or on the counter. He paused, palms braced on the edge of the counter. He was more shaken than he'd realized. "I don't know if this is going to work," he admitted. "They're not what I expected at all. I don't know how to --" he shook his head, confused, " -- I just don't know."

"Well, you'd better figure it out because Tyler's gonna tear your hair out, bro, if you don't get it together. I told you he's the key. You gotta get on his good side."

"Does he even have one?" Lucas asked, giving a desperate laugh. "I don't know how to be friends with a guy like that."

Kip came up and poked his finger into Lucas' arm. "Learn quick, bro. Blondie's gonna be the reason you end up back in the States selling turtlenecks at the Gap. Think about that."

It wasn't difficult to do and it wasn't difficult to know it was exactly what Lucas wanted to avoid. Taking a deep breath, he nodded and straightened.

"You're right. I've got this. I'll make it work. Don't worry."

Kip looked dubious, but nodded, anyway. "You should come with me and help me set up the fire pit. Tyler rules the kitchen so he might like it if we get out of the way and set up the grill for him."

When they entered the living room again, neither Adam nor Tyler were to be seen, although Lucas could hear sounds of movement coming from the master bedroom. He made sure he didn't listen too hard in case the men were fooling around. He wasn't confident that he wouldn't freak out if he heard moaning.

"We're gonna set up the pit!" Kip yelled out as he swung open the front door. "Bring us some beers when you come out!"

"Get 'em yourself!" Tyler yelled back.

Lucas sighed and followed Kip outside. The other man led the way to the side of the cottage where a waterproof plastic bin containing two bags of charcoal sat. Lucas hefted a bag over his shoulder and grabbed a bottle of lighter fluid and an extended lighter while Kip gathered an armful of cut firewood and driftwood that had been stacked against the bin.

The volleyball game had broken up, most of the players now stretched out on the sand near the water. It felt strange to look at the men and realize they were all gay. Kip led the way to a stone-ringed pit the size of a large coffee table that had been cleared in the sand. Ashes and the remnants of bones sat in a gray pile within the pit. A large circular grill was propped against the rocks, which Kip inspected before declaring clean enough. Lucas covered the bottom of the pit with the charcoal and Kip doused it with lighter fluid before lighting it up.

"We'll throw the wood on after it's burned enough," Kip told him. "This way we get a nice fire but the heat won't go out too soon."

Lucas nodded, his eyes straying back to Cottage 22.

Kip touched his arm. "Bro, relax. Tyler was wound up because he was horny. Once he gets laid he'll be a lot easier to work with."

Lucas winced. "Great. So I'll have to keep a schedule of when they have sex and only talk to him afterwards?"

Kip laughed. "Might not be a bad idea. But seriously, I could tell Adam was into you. He's the one who makes the final decision so just keep working on him and you might be okay."

"Adam." Lucas shook his head ruefully. "He wasn't what I expected at all. The guy could take me in a fight. He's huge."

"Wait'll you see his dick. Now, that's huge."

Groaning, Lucas dropped to the sand and crossed his legs. "Do me a favor and don't mention his dick ever again. Or any other guy's dick, come to think of it. You'll only make it harder than this needs to be."

"Hard is the way it's supposed to be!" Kip crowed. "You've been doing it wrong if it's soft, bro!"

Lucas reacted the way he always did with guys his age: he surged forward and tackled Kip to the sand. The lighter man fell easily beneath him and was laughing as he fought ineffectually to twist out of Lucas' chokehold.

"Are you going to behave?" Lucas taunted him playfully as he held the other man face-first to the sand. He gave Kip a nookie on his dreads. "Are you?"

Kip twisted his head around and winked at him. "Maybe you'll have to make me," he said in a husky voice.

Heat pulsed in Lucas' cock. Horrified, he started to release the other man but Kip reached up and locked Lucas' arm in place. He twined his legs around Lucas', pinning him atop Kip.

"You gotta get used to this," Kip said softly.

Lucas strained to keep his hips away from Kip's backside. "No, I don't. I'm only here for the show." He didn't understand where all this was coming from. "Come on, Kip. You know this. I thought you were my friend."

"I am your friend. That's why I'm doing this. The show's going to be worse than this, Lucas. Much worse." Kip turned his head again, dipping his chin. He ran his tongue across Lucas' forearm. "How bad do you want to be here?"

"Kip," Lucas said angrily, "don't do this."

Kip arched his back, rubbing his tight ass into Lucas' groin. "I'm helping you," he whispered. "Trust me."

"Helping me?" Lucas choked out as his cock nestled in the crease of Kip's ass. "What are you --"

"Well, well, well. New guy's been here half a day and you're already fucking? You work fast, Kip. I'm impressed."

Lucas' face flamed as he looked up at Tyler and Adam walking towards them. He quickly scrambled backwards as Kip released him and jumped to his feet. Tyler and Adam wore the same clothes he'd seen them in earlier, but there was a flush on Tyler's cheeks that suggested he'd gotten some kind of action. Lucas didn't want to imagine what it had been.

"No need to be shy, new guy," Tyler said with a smirk as Lucas surreptitiously adjusted the crotch of his too-tight shorts.

Lucas rolled to his feet and ran a hand through his hair, shaking the sand out. "It's Lucas."

Tyler looked bored. "What?"

Lucas stepped up to the other blonde. "My name. It's not 'new guy', it's Lucas. If I'm going to work with you for the next few months it makes sense to use my name."

Tyler gave him a smile that was anything but friendly. "Until you prove yourself in the show you're just 'new guy' to me."

"Lucas and I were just foolin' around," Kip spoke up, tugging Lucas back. He grinned and slung an arm around Lucas' neck. "He's an okay guy, you know?" He slapped Lucas' chest with his free hand and let his palm linger on a pec. Lucas struggled to keep his face blank as Kip felt him up. "Feels good, too."

The scene reeked of performance to Lucas and when he glanced at Adam he worried that the other man thought so, too, for his gaze shifted between Kip and Lucas thoughtfully.

"Glad you like Lucas so much, Kip." Lucas watched warily as Adam walked slowly to the pit and inspected the fire. For as muscled as the man was, he moved with grace. The sun shone blue on his dark hair. "You gonna throw the wood on there anytime soon? The boys want their steaks black and blue. You know this."

Kip released Lucas and hurried to comply. "Sorry, Cap'n!"

"Just don't want to get a late start on the cooking. Not like last time, right?" Adam bared a grin at Kip.

The smaller man looked up and offered a surprisingly shy smile. "No, we don't want that. I'll get this ready, don't you worry."

Adam nodded and cleared away some bits of shell in the sand with a sweep of his feet. "I'll put Riley and Sam in charge of manning the grill. You keep an eye on the wood."

"Sure thing. Whatever you want."

Lucas wondered at Adam's ability to command other guys so casually. Maybe physical intimidation was a part of it, but Lucas doubted Kip was afraid Adam would beat him up. No, there was something beneath Adam's easy, casual attitude, something the captain of the football team always had, something the leader of a gang exuded: magnetism. Lucas had barely met the guy, but he really hoped he would get the chance to stay and learn more about him.

"Here." Something ice cold pressed into Lucas' back, making him gasp and arch away. He looked back over his shoulder accusingly.

Tyler snickered and handed him an open bottle of beer. "Hope you're not used to Coors Light. We drink real beer on the island, new guy."

"You're not challenging me to a drinking contest, are you?" Lucas strove to keep his tone neutral, but his annoyance with Tyler's attitude was reaching its peak.

The other blonde took a pull from his beer, his gray eyes fixed on Lucas. "You don't want to challenge me, new guy. This is my turf."

Lucas paused in the middle of raising his beer to his lips. "I didn't know the Caribbean harbored territorial gangs of fake pirates."

Gray eyes glittered. "Now you do."

"Tyler." Adam was standing still by the fire, a beer held low by his hip. He wasn't smiling, but his eyes held amusement. "Knock it off."

"I wasn't --"

"Just stop."

Mulish, Tyler stomped over to Adam's side and muttered something into the bigger man's ear. Adam nodded, his eyes on Lucas, but he didn't reply to Tyler. Instead, he raised his beer.

"I know we'll find excuses to do this several more times tonight, but I'd like to be the first. Here's to your first night on the crew." His grin was charming, infectious. Lucas' bad mood faded in the face of it. "Welcome to the island, Lucas."

"Here, here!" Kip called out even though he didn't have a beer to toast with. Tyler grudgingly raised his and quickly took a drink from his bottle, but Adam kept his in the air, grinning at Lucas as though they'd been friends for years. "I'm glad you're here, man," he said.

Caught up in Adam's enthusiasm, Lucas replied, "I look forward to working under you, Cap'n." It took him a second to realize the innuendo in the comment and flush red.

Adam, watching him steadily, tipped his beer at Lucas and laughed.

***

Tyler was an excellent cook.

The marinated steaks and shrimp skewers were delicious, maybe the best Lucas had ever had. Tyler had made salads, too, and the one made with citrus fruit, squid, and some spices Lucas had never tasted before was good enough to fill his plate three times. He had to tell the guy how great everything was. Tyler, typically, just grunted and pretended he was too busy eating to respond to the praise.

The sun was in the middle of setting, and the entire gathered crew of the Dreaded Destroyer -- all twelve of them -- paused in finishing up their meals to watch the blood red sun melt behind the jungle vegetation.

Lucas had already finished eating and was working on a beer, but he paused also, though he was more interested in the new friends he had made than in a pretty sunset. There were too many faces and names to match up and he knew with the drinking that he wouldn't successfully remember anyone until tomorrow. So he simply admired them, again marveling over the shattering of his expectations.

If Susan Moore, the woman who'd given him the job in the States, was also responsible for hiring these men, the woman deserved a bonus. The men gathered around the fire pit were the cream of the crop. Even a straight man could acknowledge the attractiveness of the men here. It was like being in the middle of a Calvin Klein commercial. Granted, some guys did possess a few mannerisms or speech patterns that immediately identified them as gay to Lucas, but from a visual standpoint he couldn't tell Adam's crew from a gathering of straight jocks. It was uncanny and he was more than a little ashamed of himself for believing all gay men were pretty and effeminate.

Of them all, Kip was the most girly, but even the brunette could pass for straight if he bothered to put in the effort. Tyler was perhaps the next cutest, but Lucas wouldn't have pegged him for gay if the other blonde had been in school with him. With the exception of the platinum hair and slightly delicate features, Tyler was Lucas' twin in athleticism and build. If they ever got into a fight -- something that seemed to grow more likely with each new beer that Tyler consumed -- they would end up doing pretty equal damage to each other.

But the one who had surprised Lucas the most and who held his continued fascination was Adam. Watching the dark-haired man greet each of his crew with a grin and a heartfelt one-armed hug was for Lucas like watching any of his buddies back home in a neighborhood bar. He had the feeling Adam could be dropped in any city in the world and people would flock to him, drawn by his charisma. They'd have no idea that he was gay and probably wouldn't even care. The longer Lucas covertly watched the other man, the more he wondered if Kip was mistaken and Adam was as straight as he was.

Adam caught him staring just as the sun disappeared from view. Grinning, he came around the fire and nudged aside the guy sitting beside Lucas whose name he had forgotten two hours ago, and dropped heavily to the sand.

"You ready to crash yet or are you still hanging in there?" he asked as he clinked the neck of his beer with Lucas'.

Lucas grinned sheepishly. "A little tired, but not too bad. I'll probably head in earlier than the rest of you, though."

"Kip show you around the house?"

Lucas nodded, glancing at the brunette who was busy licking his fingers clean of the juices from his shrimp. "He showed me most everything. He's a good guy."

"That he is." Lucas tensed as a heavy hand landed on his shoulder and began to gently squeeze. "He's a firecracker in bed, too. You and he will have a good time, man."

Throat gone dry, Lucas did his best to relax beneath the massage. "You're assuming I don't have anyone back home."

"If you do, don't expect it to last," Adam told him matter-of-factly. "I'll tell you something, Lucas. I've been on this island going on five years. Guys who come out here with boyfriends back home end up not talking to them within six months. The distance is too great. It's hard to tell someone on the phone about the snorkeling you did with sharks when they're flipping burgers in a dirty city. One of you starts to resent the other. It happens. This world doesn't mesh with the old one. My advice to you, Lucas: this crew here, these guys -- they're the only ones who matter in your new life. We're your family, your brothers and your lovers. We've got your back. We'll do anything for you. We understand what it's like to be here and want this kind of lifestyle. No one at home can relate. That's just how it is."

The words were encouraging, but also served to make Lucas more depressed. The life and camaraderie Adam described -- minus the homosexuality, of course -- was something he yearned for. It was why he'd joined a ship crew in Chicago. He craved the brotherhood that was created by the close confines and the isolation. He'd grown up a single child and every day that he'd gone to work on a ship he'd felt like he'd found the brothers he'd always wanted.

Clearly, life on Anteros could be the same way and even better since the place was so breathtaking. But what about the downside that was currently massaging his shoulder? How far was he willing to go to keep this?

His eyes sought Kip again and found the slender man nervously watching him and Adam. Lucas could tell Kip wanted to come over and run interference, so he subtlely shook his head. That was what Kip had done earlier with the wrestling, he realized belatedly. Kip was trying to show that Lucas was already claimed, like they were in prison or something and he was at risk of forcibly becoming someone's bitch.

A shocking thought raced through Lucas: what if every new crewmember was required to sleep with the captain as a sort of initiation?

"You okay, man?"

Lucas shook off the alarming thought and drained the rest of his beer in one gulp. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thought I saw Tyler shooting me the evil eye," he joked.

As he'd hoped, the comment caused Adam to remove his hand from his shoulder. "Don't worry about Tyler," Adam said with a chuckle, glancing at the platinum blonde who really was glaring at Lucas. "He's the First Mate and he's even more possessive of the crew than I am. He'll give you a rough time at first, but stick it out and he'll love you like he loves the rest of his crew." His eyes slid to side, meeting Lucas'. "I don't anticipate it being a problem. You seem to have it together, Lucas."

If only you knew, Lucas thought wildly. "Listen," he began, his palms beginning to sweat. "Do you mind if we take a walk? I need to talk to you about something."

Adam's eyebrows lifted, his expression curious. "Sure thing." He stabbed his beer bottle into the sand. "We can walk over to --"

"So, Lucas!"

A member of the crew, a redhead with curly hair -- Orinth, Lucas managed to remember -- had climbed to his feet where he stood there, swaying.

"Lucas, since you're the new guy in the crew, you gotta be welcomed right proper, isn't that right, Cap'n?"

All eyes turned expectantly to Adam, who was now grinning and nodding his head. "That's right. That's how we've done it for years."

Lucas gulped. "What kind of welcome are we talking about?"

Another guy with long brown hair who'd arrived at the beach with a joint pinched between his lips and hadn't stopped smoking except to shove chips in his mouth, joined Orinth on his feet. "You gotta be reborn, dude. You gotta be baptized in the jizz of the Loa."

Lucas stomach dropped, but the rest of the crew broke into laughter. "Man, quit with the porn movie fantasies, Hewie," one of them called out. "You're gonna freak the guy out."

Lucas laughed uneasily, trying to play along. "Yeah, don't freak the new guy out. He's suffering from cruise-lag."

Beside him, Adam chuckled. "Take it easy on him, men. Newbie's are fragile. Just the typical baptism will be adequate."

"Typical baptism?"

Adam only grinned at his question. "Hope you don't mind sand in your cheeks."

Eyes widening, Lucas jumped to his feet and began to run, but the predatory roar of the men behind him told him he wasn't going to get far.

He didn't. Ten pairs of hands lifted him off his feet and tossed him around long enough to make him worry he was going to be thrown into the bay. But he abruptly found himself pinned to the beach instead and buried in what felt like a ton of sand. By the time the last pirate had backed away, grinning, Lucas was sure he'd been buried beneath the newest pyramid. He couldn't move a limb.

"Shit," he groaned, letting his head roll against the cooling sand. He stared up at the stars. He'd never seen so many stars before in his life. "How long do I have to stay here?" he called out.

"After we've all taken turns sitting on your face!" yelled a familiar voice from the direction of the fire pit. Tyler, of course.

A figure squatted beside Lucas' head. "It's okay, bro. We'll come dig you out in the morning and you'll be a new man. You'll be a pirate!"

"Kip, what if I have to piss?"

The other man snickered. "Sand is absorbent, bro. Just go with the flow." Kip's smile faded and he glanced over his shoulder before whispering, "When are you going to tell Adam?"

Lucas shook his head and sighed. "I don't know. I haven't found the chance yet. I don't want to tell him while Tyler is around but the guy won't leave Adam's side."

"Well, you'd better tell him soon, bro. Aras is gonna ship you out if he doesn't hear from Adam within the next few days."

"I know, I know." Lucas looked longingly towards the fire where the food and beer were. "Any chance you'd help a roommate out?"

Kip just laughed and stood up. "Sorry, bro. You gotta go through the initiation same way we all did. Don't worry, though. There aren't any sand crabs or wild dogs here. You'll be okay until morning."

"Yeah, thanks. Thanks a lot," Lucas muttered as the other man walked back to the pit.

The sand was cooler down where they'd buried him, but it wasn't uncomfortable and the air around his face was warm. The food and alcohol in his belly combined with the calm sound of the water lapping at the beach soon lulled Lucas' eyes closed.

He opened them with a start, disoriented. He struggled to move his arms and legs and couldn't. Then his memory returned and he turned his head to see if the other guys were still at the fire pit.

He gasped at finding someone kneeling directly next to his head.

"Thirsty?"

Before he could answer, the smooth lip of a beer bottle was at his lips. He parted them and gratefully accepted the slow stream of cool beer that ran over his lips and down his throat. After he'd taken a couple of swallows, the bottle was pulled away.

Lucas licked his lips. "Thanks. I needed that."

He finally glanced up at the face of the other man and blinked in surprise.

"Too bad you're not a heavy drinker," Tyler said, his expression hooded. "If you made an ass of yourself I wouldn't need to interfere."

Lucas struggled to comprehend the words and the implied threat. "What do you mean?"

"There's only one First Mate on the Dreaded Destroyer and that's me."

"It's only a pirate show, Tyler --"

"That's where you're wrong, and that's why you don't deserve to be here." Tyler stood up, his body blocking Lucas' view of the stars. "I'd piss on your face if it wouldn't get me in trouble with Adam," he murmured, as if he were considering doing it anyway.

Lucas waited, prepared to explode out of the sand if Tyler's hand moved anywhere near his shorts.

"Go back to the mainland," Tyler muttered. "Go back or I'll send you there myself."

"The hell I will," Lucas replied. "I'm here and I'm staying."

He thought he saw Tyler scowl, but the other man didn't say another word. He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Lucas buried by himself in the sand.

"Damn it," Lucas whispered to himself, staring at the stars again. "Way to charm 'em, Lucas. Way to go."

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