Lance and Martin 11

Previously

Before long, the limo was driving through the streets of Los Angeles and finally arrived at the hotel. As the car pulled up in front of the building, Martin began to laugh softly. Lance glanced at him, wondering what was going on.

Martin looked at him. "You know what I forgot to do?" he asked. Lance shook his head. "I forgot to reserve another room for you," he said.

Lance smiled. "Don't worry, they should have some empty rooms in this place."

The chauffeur opened the door and the two men stepped out. Each grabbed their respective bag and walked into the hotel foyer. Both stopped dead when they noticed the large sign in the middle of the lobby welcoming the Latter Day Saints Convention.

Chapter 11

They looked at each other simultaneously and Lance began to laugh. "Then again, maybe they won't."

Martin shrugged. "I picked this hotel because it wasn't that famous or luxurious. I didn't think anyone really knew about it. Guess I was wrong. Oh well, I guess we'll have to share...if you promise to behave yourself," he added.

Lance actually blushed slightly. "I'll try, but it won't be easy," he said with a smirk.

They walked to the front desk to register. As they suspected, there wasn't an empty room in the building, nor in any of the other hotels in the area. Martin was nervous about the idea of sharing a room with Lance, but he'd already made the suggestion and he didn't want Lance to think he was playing games. Martin signed the register and got the card key. He asked for a second and handed it to Lance.

They walked over to the elevator and rode up to the tenth floor. Martin opened the door and allowed Lance to walk in first. They discovered the uniqueness of the rooms. Every floor in the hotel actually encompassed two floors. The rooms were all two stories. Immediately inside the door was a little kitchen area with a small fridge, sink, counter and cupboards. A round table with four chairs sat opposite the sink. Further into the room were an entertainment center, coffee table and two couches. The sliding glass doors opened to a small balcony. Windows above the glass doors reached to the top of the second floor. Against the inner wall was a flight of stairs. Both men walked up the stairs and found the open concept bedroom. A huge king size bed was at the top of the stairs. In a little balcony area, beside the staircase, was a small table with two chairs and a dresser. On either side of the bed was a nightstand and lamp. On the wall to the right of the bed was a closet. Left of the bed was the door leading to the bathroom.

Lance looked around at the little suite then grinned at Martin. "I love this Martin. I've never been in a hotel room quite like this before." He wandered into the bathroom to see what it held. Martin grinned and set his overnight bag beside the bed. He pulled out the clothes he was going to wear the next day and hung them in the closet to let any wrinkles fall out. Lance came back out and copied Martin's actions, hanging his clothes beside the others.

Martin sat down in one of the chairs and watched Lance. "James?" Lance looked over at Martin. "I just want to make sure you know that I didn't plan this. I honestly forgot to call about a room for you."

Lance zipped up his overnight and walked over to Martin. He squatted down in front of him. "I know that, Martin," he said gently. "If this is going to make you uncomfortable, I can sleep on one of the couches downstairs."

"No!" Martin responded quickly, then blushed. "I'd like to have you next to me while we sleep," Martin said shyly.

Lance nodded. "Okay." Lance stood up. "Martin, you do know that I'm not going to rush you into anything, right? We can sleep beside each other and hold each other, and that will be enough for me. When we're both comfortable with what we have, then we'll see what happens next."

Martin smiled up at Lance. "Thanks James." Martin stood and pulled Lance into a hug. He kissed the pale, soft skin of Lance's neck as they embraced. "So tell me Mr. Bass, are you as hungry as I am?" Martin asked.

Lance giggled. "Yeah, I think its time for dinner." Because of the time difference, it was only past two in the afternoon locally, but for both men it felt later.

They left the room and the hotel to walk down the street. Lance never even thought about the fact that he was walking around in public, unprotected. He was simply James Bass, walking around LA with his boyfriend. Although he was still conscious enough of reality that he forced himself not to hold Martin's hand, no matter how much he wanted to. Martin understood. They walked close, very close, but for the most part, never touching. Occasionally one would bump into the other or move even closer to avoid another pedestrian. But the casual observer would not take a second look at the two friends.

Lance had been in LA often, but wasn't familiar with the part of the city they were in, so they agreed to simply walk around. Martin spotted a restaurant about fifteen minutes later. They were immediately seated in the nearly empty restaurant.

They ate a leisurely meal, talking about everything and nothing. They compared the food to Martin's restaurant and found it lacking. The food was good, but not good enough.

After eating, they walked around the city like a couple of tourists. They stopped again later in the evening for a snack. Eventually they headed back to the hotel. Every step towards their room increased Martin's nervousness. With growing certainty he knew he wanted to be with Lance, yet he also knew that once he took that step, his life would be forever changed.

Lance kept glancing at Martin as they approached the hotel. Already he could read Martin so well and knew the older man was fighting an internal battle. He wanted to help, but knew it was up to Martin. All he could do was give his love and support and hope Martin reached the right decision.

They were both silent as they made their way into the building and up the elevator to their room. Lance finally broke the silence.

"Do you want to shower first?" he asked quietly as he threw his jacket over one of the chairs.

Martin looked at Lance. "Why? Do I smell or something?" he asked.

Lance looked shocked. "No! No. That's not it Martin, its ..." Martin walked over to Lance and placed his fingers over the singer's lips, silencing him.

"James, I was kidding," he said gently. Lance blushed. Martin leaned forward and gently kissed Lance's lips. "I think I will shower first. Okay?" Lance nodded and Martin walked up the stairs to the bedroom and bathroom.

Lance flopped down on the couch and grabbed the remote, flicking on the TV. His emotions were racing erratically. Every moment he spent with Martin, he knew with more certainty that he loved the restaurateur. But as he'd decided at the Orlando airport, it was too soon for him to tell Martin. He had to wait for Martin to make the first move. Instead of thinking about it more, he decided to check in with JC. They talked for a few minutes and Lance arranged to go into the studio on Sunday to make up for the couple of days he missed.

Martin grabbed his robe and walked into the bathroom. He closed the door and turned to look at himself in the mirror. "Why don't you just admit it?" he asked his reflection. "You've never felt this way about anyone, not even Jessica," he said to himself. Spending most of the day with Lance had confirmed what he'd already suspected; he was in love with the blond haired singer.

Martin turned to the shower and started the water. Quickly he stripped off his clothes and stepped under the warm spray. After shampooing his hair, he grabbed the soap and began to lather his body. As he washed, he thought about Lance, that funny, spiky blond hair, those incredible light green eyes, the unbelievably smooth, pale flesh. He could feel his manhood begin to harden as he continued to reflect on Lance; his smile, his sense of humor, his politeness and sincerity. Without even thinking about it, Martin grasped his erection and began to stroke it. More images of Lance flashed through his mind; Lance's gentle touch, his sweet, soft lips. Martin increased the tempo of his strokes. He started to think about the dreams he'd been having; the dreams that started with a faceless lover and evolved into intense, fulfilling, erotic dreams about Lance.

Martin moaned loudly as his body tensed and his member released its load onto the shower wall. He relaxed finally and wiped off the wall before shutting off the water. He quickly dried himself and wrapped his robe around him. Again, he glanced at the mirror.

"Tell him," he said to his reflection. "I will," he answered himself.

Martin exited the bathroom. He could hear the TV running downstairs and walked over to the small balcony. He gazed over the edge and found Lance relaxing on the couch. Martin smiled to himself.

"James, the shower is free," he called down.

Lance looked up and Martin smiled. "All clean?" Lance asked as he stood and stretched, revealing the creamy flesh on his stomach.

Martin inhaled sharply and grinned. "I better be or else the water isn't doing its job," he replied, unable to take his eyes from Lance.

Lance laughed and climbed the stairs. He grabbed his own robe from the closet and continued to the bathroom. "I won't be long," he said over his shoulder as he closed the door behind him.

In the bathroom, Lance inhaled deeply, loving the smell of the soap and shampoo that reminded him of Martin. It was going to be a long night; lying in the same bed as the man he was completely in love with. He stepped under the warm water and decided to give himself some relief. It didn't take much effort as he thought about Martin and how he would make love to the man.

Martin quickly changed into some boxers and decided against putting on a t-shirt. His nerves were rattled as two little voices in his head argued for and against telling Lance his feelings. He checked the flight schedule for Kaylie's flight to verify the time. She was scheduled to arrive at one in the afternoon. Their flight to Orlando was for four. Martin put everything back in his bag and climbed onto the bed. He leaned against the headboard and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. He could hear the water running in the bathroom, and knew when Lance finished his shower.

A few minutes later Lance walked out of the bathroom in his robe. He smiled at Martin before going to his own overnight and pulling out some boxers. He slipped them on before removing the robe. He slid under the covers on the other side of the bed.

Neither said a word, both battling their internal voices.

"Martin, I..."

"James, I..."

Suddenly they both spoke at once. They both laughed and turned on their sides to face each other.

"Martin, you go ahead," Lance said softly. He reached out and gently ran his fingers across Martin's cheek and through his light brown hair.

Martin looked down at the bed. "Um, I ... I've been doing a lot of thinking the last couple of days, James," Martin said quietly. Lance tensed, afraid Martin was going to say it had all been a mistake. Martin kept talking. "There is something that I want to say to you. I never thought I would say these words, but..." Martin took a deep breath and raised his eyes to Lance. "James, I love you."

Lance heard the words, but they didn't register at first. Martin stared expectantly at Lance waiting for a reaction. "James? Did you hear what I said?" he asked softly.

Lance blinked rapidly and focused on Martin. "Did you just say that you love me?" Lance asked incredulously. Those were words he was afraid he'd never hear from Martin. Martin smiled tenderly and nodded.

"Yes. I've never felt for anyone, the way I do for you James," Martin confessed.

Lance wiggled across the bed and wrapped his arms around Martin. "Oh, god! Martin, I love you too! I was afraid you were going to end things with me! I didn't think I would ever hear you say those words. I love you so much," he whispered. Tears of happiness streamed down his cheeks as he kissed Martin's face all over.

Martin laughed softly and held Lance tightly. "You won't get rid of me that easily, sweetie," Martin whispered. Lance giggled and pulled back a little so he could see Martin's face.

His fingers stroked down Martin's cheek. "I'm never letting you go now," he said softly.

Martin leaned forward and gently kissed Lance. "I'm glad." He lay back on the bed and pulled Lance with him so Lance was resting his head on Martin's shoulder. "James, I hope you will be patient with me," he said seriously. "Things are going to be a little crazy for the next month with Kaylie here. I don't know how much time we'll get to be alone, but Kaylie has to come first."

Lance lifted his head and looked at Martin. "Martin, I would have been surprised if you didn't put her first," he said softly, kissing Martin's jaw. "I can wait as long as you want, as long as I know you love me." He continued softly kissing down Martin's neck and throat. "Are you going to tell her about us?" he asked quietly.

Martin gently pushed Lance back to see his eyes. "James, that is up to you. I would like to tell her the truth, but I will tell her we're just friends if that's what you want. I don't want to do anything to hurt your career."

Lance thought about it for a few seconds. "Why don't we wait and see. From the brief glance I had of Kaylie, I think she's a pretty observant and mature girl. She may figure it out herself. If not, we'll tell her at the right time," he said.

Martin smiled. "Sounds good to me James. Now lets get some sleep, okay?" he said, kissing Lance on the nose.

Lance giggled softly then snuggled against Martin. Both men quickly drifted to sleep.