The weekend passed without any unforeseen events, and Tyra and Feadri returned to their home on Sunday. Nobody mentioned the weekend's events any further, but Tyra still had some uncomfortable feelings when he sat down on the couch in the living room, desperately hoping that his parents had kept themselves mostly to the bedroom.

His dates with Elain continued, alternating between romantic dinners and casual, fun outings. Every time they shared more of each others' lives, talking about almost anything. Although they didn't have that much in common, their general attitude towards certain things were the same.

The dates all ended in a similar fashion: One or the other of them would "steal" a kiss. It became a sort of game for them. Who would steal the kiss this time? Would Tyra find some sneaky way to pounce on Elain or bait him into a kiss, or would Elain have the chance to do his favorite trick of grabbing Tyra by the back of the head and pulling him down for a kiss when he least expected it?

Tyra quite cheerfully noted that he was winning by two kisses. However, after each kiss, he was having a harder and harder time stopping. On one of their most recent dates, during the goodbye kiss, he had discovered that he'd slipped his hand under the back of Elain's sweater without even realizing what he was doing.

The more he came to know Elain, the more Tyra wanted him.

He didn't know, however, that Elain was having the same difficulties. He was starting to think of Tyra as a constant presence in his life, something that he had always missed before but had never known it. The young sire was so charming, intelligent, and simply fun to be with that it was too good to be true, but even after weeks of dating, Elain still hadn't found the catch and was seriously starting to believe that there was none.

And he caught himself losing the battle against the growing passion between them. The sweetness of their kisses and the warmth of Tyra's body pressing against him were like drugs that he craved more with every time they met. It didn't help either that Elain couldn't remember the last time when he had been intimate with someone. And it had never felt so... right.

The only thing that was a bit strange was Tyra's reluctance. At first, Elain had attributed it to the young sire's courtesy and general desire to put Elain at ease, but now it was starting to become a bit annoying. Despite Tyrallin's flirting and compliments, maybe he wasn't truly interested in getting their relationship to a more intimate level? Nasty thoughts of just being a shallow amusement for Tyra or simply being not attractive or not, well, lifebearer-like enough crossed Elain's mind more than once, but he decided to keep his doubts for himself — at least for now. Maybe Tyra was just working up some courage.

However, courage was only a small part of Tyra's troubles. He saw the confused and uncertain looks that Elain was giving him more and more often whenever he ended their make-out sessions all too early for the both of him. His excuses were running ever thinner, ever less credible.

He was also glad that the shower at home could never run out of cold water, because he now required cold showers after every single date.

It was the end of April, and they'd been dating for six weeks. Tyra desperately longed for his graduation day to come and go so that he could feel confident enough to tell Elain the truth about his age. He knew Elain would be extremely unhappy with him, but he felt certain that if he told him in the right way and immediately set about making it up to Elain that he could win the lifebearer over again.

They kept their dating activities confined to the weekends, which suited both of them extremely well. Tyra spent his weekday evenings either studying or working some extra hours for his father's company so he could keep scraping together spending money, and Elain spent long hours during the weekdays working at the Velvet Shadow.

Tyra had also started to read the architecture book that Professor Hobbs had recommended. It turned out to be a thick, heavy tome with glossy pictures and floor plans in incredible detail. But the text was extremely difficult to understand, so Tyra also needed to buy a dictionary for architectural terms so he could read it properly. The more he understood what he was reading, however, the more fascinating it became.

The book about lashran sexuality was just as fascinating, but Tyra kept it hidden and only read it when he was alone and safe in his room so as to evade any embarrassing discussions with his parents.

One Thursday evening, his father was out buying groceries and his sire was working late, so Tyra took the opportunity to pull out the book on lashran sexuality and continue reading it where he'd last left off. He curled up on his bed, facing the window with the book laid out next to him. Likely he would only be able to get through one chapter before he needed another cold shower, just like the last time he'd gotten to read the book, but the knowledge he gained was well worth the price.

However, he had forgotten one critical factor: His brother was still at home, and the young lifebearer could be very, very stealthy when he wanted to be.

"What are you reading?" Feadri asked from directly behind him all of a sudden.

"Aahhh!" Tyra shouted. He slammed the book closed and quickly sat up on his bed to face Feadri. "Forests, you scared me! What the hell are you doing in my room again?"

"I just wanted to check on my beloved big bro and see if he's willing to part with his old, nasty green sweater. I even brought potato chips as payment." Feadri said, trying to make out the print on the book's cover while he held up a bag of Tyra's favorite flavor.

"Fine, take the sweater and return to that bottomless pit of a room of yours," Tyra said as he snatched the bag of chips from his brother's hands. At the same time, he moved to block Feadri's view of the book.

But his little brother wasn't that easily chased away. Instead he crawled onto Tyra's bed. "I still wanna know what you're reading! Is it something secret? A love letter?"

"None of your business, pipsqueak. Out!" Tyra got up and bodily lifted Feadri off the bed and started carrying him toward the hallway. He'd make sure to lock his door this time.

Feadri squirmed like an eel. He finally had Tyra's ribs within reach and started to tickle his brother mercilessly. That resulted in Tyra letting go of him, and immediately the young lifebearer dashed through the room and grabbed the book. "Gotcha! Oh!" When he realized what it was, he started to giggle.

Tyrallin held out a hand toward his brother. "Give it back, you little menace. I'm not kidding about this."

"Are you kidding me?" Feadri asked. "No way. Do you realize how much trouble you'd be in if dad and sire knew you had this? Oh gods, you're studying up, aren't you?" At this, Feadri broke into such a fit of laughter that he bent over and clutched his sides. "Gods, gods, Tyra, you and your manuals. Even sex?! You're absolutely hopeless!"

"Would you shut up already?" Tyra demanded. He shoved his brother onto his bed and started mercilessly beating him with a pillow and smothering him with it, trying to get him to stop laughing, but that only made the little brat laugh harder.

"Come on, admit it, you're one geeky guy! Who else would read manuals about something like this?" Feadri clutched the book closely and wasn't about to let go, even with the pillow beating he received. "So, now you don't believe that the stork brings babies?"

"Forests, you're such a pest sometimes, Feadri," Tyra snapped. "I already knew about the big details. I'm just trying to find out all the extra details that people don't talk about. Now give me back my book!" Getting serious now, Tyra snatched one of Feadri's wrists and twisted his arm behind his back. He didn't use enough force to cause real hurt, but he let Feadri know he wasn't kidding around.

"Argh, alright, alright! Lemme go!" Feadri dropped the book on the bed. "You don't have to get so snappy about it." When Tyra released him, Feadri rubbed his abused wrist and pouted. "But I should consider telling dad that you're reading this cause you wanna be prepared to do some indecent stuff. Unless..."

"Unless...?" Tyra prompted. He folded his arms across his chest. "Spill it."

Feadri's face took on a look of fake concentration, before he started to grin again. "Unless I get to read that book, too!"

"Deal," Tyra said without hesitation. "Actually, it can be your secret present for your birthday this summer. Does that work for you?" For the past couple of years, Tyra had gotten Feadri a normal birthday present but also a secret present, something their parents would definitely not allow but was harmless and much desired anyway. Last year, Feadri's secret gift had been a chance to get sneaked into an R-rated movie.

"Yup! I'll look forward to it! And now I leave you to your very important and educational reading." With a big, triumphant grin on his elfin features, Feadri skipped out of the room.

Tyra just groaned and rubbed a hand over his eyes and then returned to his reading.

~*~

Elain looked up from his computer screen when his secretary entered his office after a brief knock.

"Sir, Mr. Ashton is already waiting for you in conference room two," he said.

After a look at his watch, Elain furrowed his brows. "The meeting was scheduled for three o'clock, not half past two, if I remember correctly. Tell him that he has to be patient."

"I already did, sir, but you know Mr. Ashton." Conroy's normally stern and unaffected face betrayed slight worry. "He told me quite firmly that he intends to come up to your office if you don't show up soon."

Elain suppressed a curse. "Fine. Tell him I'll be there in five minutes."

He absolutely loathed to be pushed like that. But Davaric Ashton hanging around in Elain's office, criticizing the sparse furniture and making some unsubtle comments on how that big office desk could be put to far better use than working wasn't something Elain could tolerate anymore. Therefore their private meetings always took place in one of the conference rooms with a big table between them. Not that Davaric was less inclined to make some overtures there, but it was still by far the better solution.

Elain finished the document he had been working on and left his office without hurry. Conroy opened the door of the conference room for him and then went back to his own office. During their previous private meetings Elain had hoped that the presence of his secretary would keep Davaric from getting too flirty, but the sire had always ignored Conroy completely. So now Elain was meeting him alone again.

"Mr. Ashton," Elain greeted his business partner with a cool voice. "You're not making it any easier for me by showing up too early. Your business may run itself, but I still have to work for it."

Davaric merely shook his head. "I'm sorry for the trouble. It turns out that I'm suddenly needed at one of the branch offices, so I have a plane to catch a bit later. My secretary tried to contact your office, but to no avail. I'm afraid my help isn't quite as reliable and steadfast as your Conroy. Now, shall we discuss that promotion for the new liqueur product?"

"Of course." Davaric getting to the point this straightforward was unusual, but Elain wasn't about to argue. He sat down at the table and opened the file laying in front of him.

For the next two hours, the two lashran discussed their business, coming to very satisfying results.

Elain almost thought that for once he would be able to get through a meeting with Davaric without having to put up with any untoward comments. However, that wasn't the case.

"Well, now that we're all wrapped up, why don't you agree to let me take you out to dinner as soon as I get back from my trip the day after tomorrow?" Davaric asked. "I'd love to take you to that new place, the Black Orchid. I've heard that it's been highly reviewed and has received five stars."

"Thank you for the offer, but I have to decline," Elain answered, sighing inwardly. "I already have plans for that evening."

Davaric put on a small pout that many people likely found charming. "Elain, Elain, how much longer are you going to continue to put me off like this? What's the harm in at least granting me a date? I solemnly promise to ensure that you have a good time." He raised his right hand as if taking an oath.

"Unfortunately, my understanding of having a good time is vastly different from yours, Mr. Ashton." Elain emphasized the formal address. "And although it's none of your business, I'm seeing someone, so going on a date with you would be out of the question even if I wanted to."

"Seeing...someone?" Davaric asked haltingly as though he couldn't believe what he'd heard. Davaric searched Elain's eyes, trying to determine whether he was joking, but Elain's eyes remained serious. "Incredible. Well, this is the first time I've heard you say such a thing since we were introduced. Tell me, who is it that you're seeing? Anyone I know?"

"You met him briefly some weeks ago, when you practically broke into the red party room," Elain reminded him with a stern look. He didn't usually discuss private matters with a business partner, but maybe this was his chance to get Davaric to back off for good.

"The red party room..." A light of remembrance finally came into Davaric's eyes. "Surely you don't mean that young buck with the blond hair? Are you telling me that was more than some little fling?"

Elain's eyes narrowed. "Unlike you, I don't have any 'flings,' Mr. Ashton."

"Of course, of course," Davaric replied. "I didn't mean any offense. I was just surprised. I mean, he didn't seem to be your type at all. He looked like he'd be more at home on a surf board than in a board room."

"And how, pray tell, do you know what my type is?" Elain asked. "I have my reasons, and I'm not going to explain them to you because it is still none of your business. I just thought it would spare us both time if you'd know that I'm not available for you. So you can stop trying."

"Fine. I understand," Davaric conceded. "I won't keep pressing you since you happen to be seeing someone. But still, just what do you know about this person? Can you be sure he's not just some fortune hunter?" Davaric asked his question with narrowed eyes and a stern expression.

"Yes, I am sure and I appreciate your concern. But there are still some people who don't judge a person by the size of his wallet." Elain caught himself smiling while he thought of Tyra's open, honest, and handsome face. "Maybe you should start looking harder."

Davaric collected his papers and put them into his briefcase. "For your information, I did manage to find somebody who didn't judge me by the size of my wallet. He just wasn't interested. If you'll pardon me now, Mr. Silvestri, I need to go catch a plane. Thank you for your work today on the project."

"I have to thank you. Have a safe trip, Mr. Ashton," Elain answered, fully meaning it. He wasn't a cruel person and hadn't intended to hurt his business partner in any way, but it seemed to have been the only way.

As Davaric left the conference room, Elain allowed himself a deep sigh of relief. Twenty years of being constantly hit on had done nothing for his nerves. But it was finally over now. Elain closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair.

He would be meeting Tyra on Saturday for lunch. And he was resolved to show him his apartment and tell him about being the owner of the Velvet Shadow during one of their next dates. Elain hadn't been able to make up his mind about it for weeks now, but ironically Davaric's words about inconsequential flings and fortune hunters had helped him decide.

If this was getting serious, then Tyrallin deserved to know the whole truth.

~*~

Tyra showed up at the Velvet Shadow that Saturday for another lunch date with Elain. There was no line at the front entrance and only one bouncer. He flashed his keycard to the bouncer and greeted him by name, and then he went into the building and headed for the main disco floor. However, unlike usual, Elain wasn't there waiting for him. Instead he found Marithia at the bar, going over inventory with a clipboard in her hands.

"Hey, Marithia, how're you doing?" Tyra greeted. "It's been a little while."

The female lashran turned around and smiled warmly at him. "Hey there, handsome. I guess Elain's been sneaky and found a way to smuggle you past my watchful eyes. I hope all's going well?"

Tyra grinned happily. "Yeah, things are going great. Hey, speaking of Elain, do you know where he is? He's supposed to be meeting me for lunch right now."

"I guess he got delayed by someimportant stuff and should be here any moment. He has a secretary and dozens of employees and still insists on doing all the work himself." Marithia shook her head in disapproval. "Can I get you anything while you're waiting?"

Woah, woah, wait. Dozens of employees? Tyra thought, feeling a little shell shocked. He carefully slid into a seat at the bar and leaned over it. Perhaps he could still get a little more information from Marithia about this without showing just how much he didn't know.

"Just a glass of water, thanks," he replied. "Elain really does work hard. He has such a demanding job that I just don't see how he keeps up with it."

Come on, Marithia, Tyra thought. Help a guy out here. Give me just a bit more info to go with.

Marithia shrugged while she pulled up a glass and a bottle of mineral water. "Well, he's working practically around the clock. I can't remember him ever taking a day off since he took over the Velvet Shadow from the previous owner. So I'm really happy that you're here to distract him from all that business stuff."

Owner. Elain was the owner of the Velvet Shadow. He owned the whole damn thing.

Tyra took a swallow of his drink, taking care not to choke on it. Forests, he couldn't even begin to guess how much this place was worth. Elain's income had to be astronomical.

"And what about you, Marithia? How long have you been working here?" he asked as he tried to gather his wits about him again.

"Me? Phew, let me think. When Elain started working here, I had already been a dancer in this club for a couple of years, so I guess it's roughly about eighty years," Marithia said, tapping her chin with her forefinger thoughtfully. "And speaking of years, you might want to know that Elain's birthday is coming up on May tenth. He always tells me not to make a big fuss and he'll definitely kill me if I throw him a party, but I'm sure he'd be happy if you surprise him with something nice."

Tyra froze with his glass halfway tilted to take a drink. He was glad he hadn't taken a swallow at just that moment, because he was sure he would have had water coming out his nose.

Eighty...years. Tyra took a quick drink to calm himself and put his glass back down. He then plastered on a big grin for Marithia and leaned in toward her. "And just what year is Elain going to be celebrating on May tenth this year? Come on, you can tell me."

"What, he didn't tell you? And there I thought only we women were divas about not telling our age. He's turning one hundred twenty, and I'd say that requires a bit of celebrating." Marithia eyed Tyra with a critical look. "By the way, are you alright? You look a bit pale, handsome."

Tyra couldn't verbalize a response to reassure Marithia. He could barely even process the number she'd told him. One hundred twenty years old was, well, it was a pretty damn big number. Forests, Elain was older than both of his parents' ages combined. He was nearly twice as old as sire.

He was over a century older than Tyrallin.

It was much, much worse than he'd thought. Oh gods, how was he ever going to be able to tell Elain he was only eighteen? What would Elain think? Tyra was years away from even entering the workforce, and Elain owned the most popular, classiest club on the continent, and he was six times Tyra's age. Tyra's mind started spinning in circles, rolling around those two facts over and over again until he started to feel dizzy.

Marithia's warm, gentle hand on his forehead brought him back to reality. "Hey, maybe you should skip lunch today? You seem to be a bit hot; perhaps it's the spring flu. You'd better go and rest, handsome."

"I-I think maybe you're right. It just hit me all of a sudden." It certainly did hit him suddenly, not entirely unlike a piano falling on his head. He felt like a cartoon character that was reeling from a blow and seeing stars. "I'm not feeling so great."

"Then go home and take a good rest, dear. I'll apologize to Elain on your behalf, okay?" Marithia offered. "You're no use to him all sick and miserable. Do you want me to call a cab for you?"

Before Tyra could answer, however, a familiar figure stepped out of one of the elevators and made his way over the dance floor toward the bar.

Tyra watched Elain's approach, seeing him now in a completely different light. This was a mature lashran, a person forged and molded by many, many years of experience in the world.

Tyra didn't get up from his seat but instead lifted a hand and gave a weak little wave. "Hi there," he said in a small voice. "I think I need to cancel our date for today. I'm not feeling so great."

Elain looked at him and nodded. "No problem. You get some rest now, and we can have lunch next week. Can you get home on your own or do you need a ride?"

"No, I don't need a ride, but thanks. I'll...see you later," Tyra finished lamely. He got up from his seat and looked at Elain for a moment. Normally he would reach out and touch the lifebearer at a parting moment like this, but he felt too confused and flustered to do so at the moment. So Tyra simply turned and headed toward the exit, with his feet feeling like lead weights and his head buzzing with confused thoughts.

Elain looked after him for a few moments. There was something strange going on — he could feel it. Sure, Tyra had looked quiet off, but there was something else, too. Elain turned to Marithia.

"Hopefully it's nothing serious."

"I hope so, too. He came in here some minutes ago, looking perfectly well," she said. "Then he got suddenly pale and then flushed. We were talking about your birthday and..."

"Wait a minute," Elain interrupted her. "What did you tell him?"

"What do you mean? I just thought he should know that your birthday was coming up if he didn't already know. I mean, you're hard to buy for, since you already have everything you need," she replied. "Now that I think of it, he seemed just fine before we started talking."

"That's why I want to know what you told him. Did you by any means mention how old I am, for example?" Elain asked, almost dreading her answer. If Tyra found it out this way, it surely must have been hard so swallow.

"Yeah, it came up. What's the matter, boss? What's got you looking so worried all of a sudden?" Marithia asked.

"Oh damnit." Elain sat down on one of the bar stools. "Marithia, I never told him how old I am, and I almost forgot that issue altogether. But from everything I've said to him, he must have thought me being maybe half that age."

Marithia's brows rose. "Oh really? Even though we both know Tyra's pretty young? I'd say he'd probably around thirty. You didn't think he might like to know that little fact?" Marithia leaned forward. "Is there anything else you haven't told him, boss?"

"Yes, just one more not-so-little thing, and I hope to the Forests that you didn't mention that as well," Elain murmured. He felt a massive headache coming. "He figured out by himself that I work here, and I never lied to him or anything... but I never told him that I own this place."

Marithia smacked her hand to her forehead. "Well, shit, Elain," accidentally slipping into familiar use of his named at work. "Damn. He knows now. I brought it up. He didn't seem phased by it, but looking back, I think that's what got him started asking questions." Marithia turned away from Elain and started cursing repeatedly under her breath.

Elain had the sudden urge to join her in that storm of nasty words, but he kept himself from it with some effort.

"So it's done. Now I can only apologize," Elain muttered und pulled out his cell phone from his vest pocket. In a slow and still inexperienced pace — before he met Tyra, he had never needed to type any cell phone messages — Elain wrote the sire a short message since he was pretty sure that Tyra wouldn't answer his phone now.

"I'm sorry you found out this way since I wanted to tell you everything myself. Please give me a chance to explain?"

Elain quickly send it off and then took a deep breath. "Stop cursing, Marithia. It's not your fault."

Marithia turned back to him with an annoyed expression. "Of course it's not my fault. That fault lies solely in your lap. But I blundered right into the situation anyway, didn't I? Forests, Elain, what were you thinking?"

Before Elain could respond, though, he heard a blip from his cell phone. He opened it and found a short message from Tyra. "Not right now. Can't think straight. Can we meet later?"

Elain hastily typed another message, saying "Of course. Please contact me. I'll be waiting."

Then he put his cell phone back into his vest pocket and took another deep breath. "I wanted to tell him everything today or on one of our next dates. But you know how people treat me because I'm the owner of this place. I wanted Tyra to get to know me without any preconceptions."

"Well, congratulations, it worked. But now he found out and turned white as a sheet before beating a hasty retreat. And I got to be the one to tell him." Marithia put both hands on the bar and leaned on it. "You know, I think you need to keep the extra stresses like these, the ones that you cause, in mind when it comes time for my yearly evaluation for a raise."

"I'll keep that in mind," Elain remarked dryly. "But only if he's not scared off for good. Wish me luck, Marithia. I really don't want to lose him because of this," he added softly.

Marithia's eyes brightened at that. "Oh ho, what's this? Really now. That's very interesting to hear from you, boss. Either Tyra's pretty damn good in bed, or you've developed a soft spot for him. Am I right?" Marithia leaned forward with an eager grin.

"I thought your love life was exciting enough that you didn't need mine for entertainment," Elain said with a sigh. "And I wouldn't call it a soft spot. It's more like... well, yes, it could be a soft spot. Maybe."

Marithia laughed delightedly. "I think I'm going to bake Tyra a big batch of cookies as a thank you. I don't know how he did it, but it's nice to see you so stirred up after all this time."

Elain's cell phone blipped again. It was another message from Tyra. "I can come over after dinner to talk. Is 8 okay?"

Elain typed a quick affirmation and then looked at Marithia. "At least he's willing to come over again and talk."

It seems I haven't completely fallen from grace, he thought with relief. I just hope he'll understand why I never told him.

"Glad to hear it, boss," Marithia replied with a wink. "You want my advice? Apologize nicely and then haul him straight to bed and do the rest of your apologizing there. It's worked wonders for me in the past."

"Well, maybe it will work for me, too," Elain replied. "If I can get him to overcome his... reluctance."

"Reluctance? What do you mean, reluctance? Every time I see the two of you in the same room, he's practically drooling over you."

"Nevertheless, he never made a move to deepen our relationship to a more intimate level." This was still bothering Elain, and as loath as he was to admit it, he wanted to get Marithia's opinion on that matter. "I can only assume that he's either too shy, trying to be the gentleman, or that, well, he's not really interested in more than kissing."

"Options A and B are definitely possibilities, but option C is out," Marithia replied. "Forests, I can't believe this. You're both hopeless. Of course he's interested in more than kissing. Trust me. I saw the way his eyes dropped straight to your ass the moment you turned away from him when he picked you up last week. And what about you, boss? What have you been doing to put the moves on? Invited him up to your apartment yet? Of course not, not if you've been keeping your job a secret." Marithia just shook her head in disgust, but Elain could see a sparkle of amusement in her eyes.

"I was about to invite him upstairs tonight. And if we get this mess sorted out, I hope he'll be willing to take the next step. But I won't pounce on him and drag him to bed or anything. It's already complicated enough."

Marithia snorted inelegantly. "Well pooh, where's the fun if you can't pounce on him? Anyway, good luck with everything. I hope you get it sorted out. Let me know how it goes, won't you?" Elain could see the genuine concern in her eyes.

"I know I won't have any peace for the rest of my life if I don't tell you, dearest Marithia," Elain answered with a smile. "And thanks. I'd better go upstairs and get some more work done."

"I'll have to talk to Tyra and see what I can get him to do to stop you from working so hard all the time. Maybe he just needs to provide some worthwhile distractions for you," Marithia said with a big smile. "I'll see you later, boss."

"See you, Marithia."

Elain went back to the elevators to ride upstairs. He knew if he didn't bury himself in work now, he'd be constantly worrying about what would happen later.

He had never thought that it would come this far, but like a ray of sunshine Tyrallin Alwick had found his way into Elain's life, disturbing the lifebearer's peaceful, dark world for good.

And now, Elain was afraid to have shut out that light forever because he had been unable to trust.

~*~

Tyra looked up at the bright neon sign above the entrance to the Velvet Shadow. The glow from it lit up the faded evening light and shone down upon the handful of people waiting in line to get in.

So much of his life revolved around this building now. So much of it revolved around Elain.

He'd spent the entire afternoon holed up in his room, doing very little but thinking and turning facts over in his mind. Now here he was, back again just a few short hours after receiving the shock of the year. The two shocks of the year, actually. Tyra took a deep, steadying breath and walked forward, bypassing the short line so that he could flash his gold keycard at the bouncer waiting there. The bouncer, one he recognized by face though not by name, waved him through.

He walked into the main first floor room, which was not yet crowded with patrons, though it would be soon enough. He found Elain sitting in the same bar stool where they'd first met. He approached Elain slowly, making careful observation of his bearing just as he had that first night. Elain's shoulders seemed tense, and he fidgeted with his glass of water uncharacteristically.

Tyra leaned against the bar next to him. "So, nice place you have here," Tyra said weakly.

"Thank you. I'm glad you came back", Elain answered, trying not to sound too relieved. "Would like to come upstairs with me, to my apartment? There we can talk undisturbed."

Tyrallin raised his brows. "So you live here, too? That explains a lot." He straightened up and stepped away from the bar. "Sure. Let's go. Lead the way."

Elain lead him to the elevators, where he swiped his keycard, and they proceeded in silence up to the tenth floor.

There Elain opened the door to his apartment. "Please come in."

Velvet, hearing the arrival of her master, jumped from the couch to greet him. She eyed Tyra with a curious glance since she wasn't used to visitors, but after a moment she decided he had passed her test. With a loud purr, she rubbed herself against Tyra's leg.

"That's Velvet," Elain introduced her. "I hope you're not allergic?"

"Nah, not allergic," Tyra replied. He crouched down and held out a hand for the fluffy white cat to sniff. "Hey there, Velvet. Nice to meet you." She sniffed at his hand daintily before giving it a quick head butt and then rubbing her cheek firmly against it.

As Velvet continued to mark him thoroughly with her scent, he gazed around the spacious and austere room. It was exactly as he would have imagined Elain's residence to be, though he hadn't expected the feline companion.

"Sorry I bailed on lunch, by the way," he heard himself say quietly.

"No, I understand. And I'm the one who has to apologize for not telling you everything up front. But I had some sound reasons for not doing so," Elain answered in an equally quiet voice. "Will you give me a chance to explain?"

"Of course," Tyra said. He rose and put his hands in his pockets. "Just so you know, I'm not really mad or anything. Just sort of...stupefied, I guess. I knew by a lot of little hints and big hints that you had to have some sort of significant position here, but I just never guessed you owned it. And, well, I don't mean this rudely, 'cause I really don't care about it, but I was a little surprised to find out your age." Oh Forests, why did I say that? Please, please, please don't ask me how old I am, Tyra pleaded in his mind.

"Truth be told, I didn't think about the age difference either. I mean, it was clear to me from the beginning that I'm about three or four times your age, but it didn't seem to be a problem. I'm glad you see it the same way." Elain smiled briefly, but then his face grew serious again as he looked at Tyra. "And about me owning the club... when you guessed correctly that I worked here, I should have told you. But I was just afraid that you'd judge me by my position— since everybody does as soon as he knows who I am. And when I realized that we would continue to see each other, I wanted you to get to know me without all the dead weight of social influence and wealth."

Tyra listened and nodded. "That makes sense, especially since you probably have to deal with a lot of bullshit on a regular basis." Tyra scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Look, I know we haven't really talked about it, but you know my net value compared to yours is pretty much zip, right? I don't want you thinking I'm some kind of money grubber, though."

"No, I already know that. And since I've had enough of fancy restaurants, the dinners you treated me to were perfect." Elain took off his glasses and put them down on the table before he took a few steps into Tyra's direction until he was standing mere inches away from him. "Nevertheless, I'm sorry that you had endure such a shock. I want to make it up to you."

Tyra gave Elain a small smile and ran a hand through his soft red hair. "You don't really have to do that, you know. There's nothing to make up for." Even as he said it, he couldn't help leaning down just a bit to put their foreheads together.

"Nevertheless, you deserved better than that. It's just that in my line of work I almost never meet really decent people, so I'm still trying to get it in my head that you're one of them," Elain said softly. Then he raised his head a bit to plant a soft kiss on Tyra's lips.

Tyra's fleeting moment of guilt over being considered trustworthy was quickly washed away by the touch of Elain's lips. He relaxed in contentment and tilted his head to deepen the kiss, encouraging Elain to part his lips. At the same time, he lowered the hand that was in Elain's hair to the lifebearer's shoulders in order to draw him in closer.

So warm. So sweet. Everything that Tyra wanted.

Elain pulled Tyra closer, gently stroking the back of his neck and combing through the short hairs there. It still was the perfect kiss they shared, but it wasn't enough anymore. And Elain wasn't about to let this end even before it had really started.

With a gentle but insistent pull, he maneuvered Tyra to the couch.

Tyra paid little heed to where they were going. All he knew was that Elain was kissing him, and Elain wanted him to move, so move he did. He would happily do anything Elain asked of him as long as the kisses continued. So a few short moments later, he was surprised when the backs of his calves came in contact with something soft but firm. It came as even more of a surprise when Elain stopped the kiss and gave him a gentle shove backwards, which had him falling onto the couch.

Woah, holy shit, Tyra thought. Solid, soft surface. Space for being horizontal. Alone. Private. And at that point, his higher brain functions shut down. All that mattered was that the kisses had stopped.

"Hey there," he said menacingly to the smiling redhead above him. He grasped Elain's wrist and firmly pulled him down so that Elain ended up in Tyra's lap, straddling his thighs.

Elain wasn't protesting in the slightest. On the contrary, he leaned down to kiss Tyra again while his free hand busied himself with finding a way under Tyra's T-shirt.

When Elain's hand slipped under the front of his T-shirt, he gasped at the feeling of the warm fingertips touching the skin of his stomach.

Forests, if he didn't get a handle on things now, this was going to run away with him. He remembered one bit of advice from the lashran sexuality text book he'd been reading: If you want to be a good and generous lover, don't let your partner overwhelm you. If you want to keep your cool and control, focus on your partner. It was actually meant to be a tip for sires dealing with lifebearers in seasonals, but Tyra thought it was sound advice in general.

So Tyra quickly captured Elain's wrists and pulled them away, and then he focused on getting him out of his suit jacket. At the same time, he also leaned forward and started pressing dozens of small, sucking kisses along the side of Elain's neck. Once he had the suit jacket off of him, he set about getting his tie unknotted.

That proved to be a difficult task since Tyra soon realized he wasn't familiar with that sort of tie knot. But he finally managed to get it undone, and the expensive silk tie fluttered to the ground next to Elain's jacket.

Elain hadn't meant to leave the whole task to Tyra, but those kisses sent shivers through his whole body, distracting him from any further rational thoughts. Before he could stop himself, a soft moan escaped his lips.

The sound of it went straight to Tyra's head. His groin tightened and he couldn't help but give a quick little bite to the spot where Elain's neck met his shoulder. He renewed his attack on Elain's clothes, fighting with the buttons of his pressed white shirt. He heard a small snap of a fabric thread breaking, but nothing seemed to tear, so he kept going until the white shirt hung open and loose. He immediately started kissing and licking along Elain's collarbones, which had been teasing him with the barest glimpses for weeks now. At the same time, he put a hand against Elain's soft, smooth stomach to feel the heat and life in his body.

For Elain, it felt like Tyra's hands and lips were burning, leaving marks on his skin that would never fade. But at the same time he felt cherished in a way he had never before. Vaguely Elain remembered that he had been the one who had wanted to do the pleasuring, not the other way around. But he wasn't about to stop what Tyra was doing. He just tried again to get rid of Tyra's T-shirt with unusually clumsy fingers.

This time Tyra cooperated, pulling back from Elain and helping him get the T-shirt over his head. He took a moment to look at Elain, taking in the open white shirt and the lovely pale flesh behind it. He could see a small pink nipple peeking out whenever the lifebearer took a breath. Elain started to move toward him again, but Tyra stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait. Please, just a bit," Tyra requested softly so that he could just look for a few more moments. Then he slid his hands under the white shirt along Elain's waist, moving the shirt a bit more out of his way, and he leaned forward and captured that nipple in his mouth.

Unconsciously Elain leaned into the touch. Tyra's mouth and tongue were almost scalding hot against his sensitive flesh, and little electric sparks ran through his body with every caress and nibble.

Elain's hands found their way into Tyra's hair again, partly holding the young sire in place, partly needing something to hold onto. He moaned again, the sound of his own voice strangely foreign in his ears.

Tyra hummed happily to himself, pleased with the positive response from Elain. Taking it as encouragement for more, he wrapped his arms around Elain's torso beneath the white shirt he still wore, and he focused his efforts on the tasty little treat in his mouth. All the while, he felt his pants constricting tighter and tighter against his swelling crotch, and he started to squirm a bit in a futile effort to relieve the pressure.

Beneath the haze of pleasure, Elain noticed it, too, since his own pants also started to feel a bit too tight. They had to get rid of those offending garments fast while they were both lucid enough.

With some regret, Elain gently pushed the young sire away so they got enough room for further undressing and proceeded to unbuckle Tyra's belt.

Tyra gasped and shifted, giving Elain room to work. At the same time, he reciprocated and started to undo Elain's buckle. It was an easy enough job, but as soon as he undid Elain's fly, he realized he was a bit stuck. He couldn't pull down Elain's pants with him in his current position.

"Here, come on, you need to stand up, lovely," Tyra said, urging Elain to rise with gentle nudges. His own belt was unbuckled now, but Elain couldn't undo the zipper with Tyra in the sitting position.

Elain complied, climbing off Tyra to pull his own pants and shoes off. They unceremoniously joined the other garments on the floor before Elain joined the young sire on the couch again. Tyra's pants and shoes were easier to get out of the way, albeit with a bit of strain because of his arousal.

As soon as Elain was back on the couch, Tyra pounced. He put one muscled arm around Elain's middle and then swung him down so that he lay on the couch on his back with his head cushioned on the pillows at one end. He quickly shifted so that he was sitting between Elain's legs. He placed a brief kiss on the inside of one of Elain's knees, and he looked greedily down on the prize waiting for him between Elain's thighs. The edges of the white shirt Elain was still wearing fell open at his sides.

Focus! Focus on your partner! Tyra shouted at himself mentally. He tore his eyes away to meet Elain's eyes.

"I'm gonna go slow, okay? I want to do this right and figure out what you like and dislike, so you have to tell me if you don't like something, all right?" Tyra asked as he stroked one hand along the outside of Elain's thigh.

"You're definitely doing this right up until now," Elain whispered a bit breathlessly, feeling a blush rising in his cheeks. It wasn't because of what they were doing, but because of the look Tyra gave him. Although Elain wasn't in any shape to find out what exactly it was in those glowing, hazel eyes that made him blush again after countless decades, it certainly made him feel like he was doing this for the first time.

Tyra nodded and then lifted one of Elain's legs up with a firm hand placed behind the knee. He started slowly kissing and licking a trail down the inside of Elain's thigh. The skin was wonderfully soft, and he couldn't help but nuzzle it just to enjoy the sensation. When he had almost reached the top of the thigh and all of the fascinating parts that waited for him there, he could feel Elain tensing up with anticipation.

Tyra wanted to go right for it, but he reflected back on the advice that he'd read. Tease, tease a bit more, take your time and don't go straight for the goal, he reminded himself. He switched backward and started giving the same attentions to the inside of the other thigh, and the frustrated yet eager sound that came from Elain's lips told him he'd done the right thing.

Elain was about to grab Tyra's head and tear a bit of hair off, but he kept himself from doing it with some effort, instead holding onto the cushions of the couch. But those teasing touches and licks were absolutely maddening.

"Please," Elain heard himself begging and was a bit shocked by the wantonness of his voice, but then those thoughts drowned in sensations again.

Hearing that one little word made Tyra's cock buck eagerly, and he gave up his attentions to Elain's thigh. In a kneeling position, he leaned forward and placed his elbows on either side of Elain's hips. He panted softly as he glanced up at Elain.

"Remember to tell me if I do something you don't like," he said quickly. Then he took the head of Elain's cock into his mouth, molding his tongue to Elain's sensitive flesh and discovering what it meant to give a blow job for the first time.

Tyra loved every second of it.

Elain was far from protesting. Instead, he had to keep himself from crying out at the sudden sensation of being engulfed in this incredible heat. Tyra's careful ministrations were just perfect, albeit maddening slow. Elain finally gave up and grabbed Tyra's head, stroking the soft blond hair and incidentally touching the tips of the sire's pointed ears.

Around his mouthful, Tyra gasped and whimpered in shocked pleasure at the brief touch against his ear tips, sending vibrations along Elain's twitching member. Had his ears always been so sensitive? Just the briefest touch against them had given him a jolt of sharp pleasure that went straight to his groin. He put his left hand around Elain's member, taking a firm grip to steady it as he tried to recover from the shiver-inducing shock. His right hand stole between his legs to grip his own cock, which was growing desperate for attention.

As soon as he felt he had control over himself again, he began to gently suck at the head of Elain's cock, giving it tentative, investigating licks as he did so.

Despite his resolve not to cry out and save some dignity, Elain couldn't keep himself from whimpering. Damn, the young sire was good at this — and it had been far too long since Elain had gotten a blow job. He just hoped that he could hold back a bit longer, but at this rate it wasn't very likely. Lust spread like wildfire through his veins, setting every nerve ending in his body ablaze.

Tyra began to stroke his cock even as he caressed and squeezed Elain's shaft, attempting to somehow coordinate the motions with the sucking motions from his mouth. So far Elain hadn't given him any complaints, and the sounds he was making were all stroking his ego's fire rapidly.

But then, as he sucked, suddenly a new flavor began to spread across his tongue. He'd heard that lifebearers tasted sweet, but this....

Tyra pulled his mouth back and observed Elain's member as he gave the shaft a firm but careful squeeze. A bead of moisture appeared at the very tip, and Tyra quickly lapped it up with his tongue.

He looked up at Elain's fevered violet eyes. "You taste wonderful, like honey tea," he said between pants, and then he put his head back down to sample more of the flavor. He began shifting his hips restlessly as he jerked himself off faster. Forests, the flavor, the touches to his ears, the sounds Elain was making...this had to be heaven. He whimpered eagerly for more.

Every time Tyra made any sound, it reverberated through Elain, eliciting more jolts of pleasure.

"Forests, Tyra... please...", Elain begged, feeling absolutely helpless in his pleasure. If he had been more coherent, this feeling would have been frightening, but now it wasn't at all. Because Elain trusted Tyra. And this trust was like a warm, glowing light inside him, fueling and deepening the passion even more.

Emboldened by Elain's passionate responses, Tyra strove to take more of his cock in his mouth. He could take a bit more, but he couldn't get anywhere close to taking Elain into his throat.

He jerked his own cock eagerly, thrusting into his fist with his hips. He couldn't hold out much longer — he was on the verge of coming now with the sweet taste of Elain on his tongue and the eager sounds of Elain's passion ringing in his ears. He needed just a little more, a little bit extra to help Elain along and push him over the edge first.

Then something he had read in the manual occurred to him. With his left hand that was gripping Elain's shaft, he shifted his thumb down to the spot between his member and his testicles and gave it a firm press and rub.

Elain's eyes widened, and this time he wasn't able to suppress a cry as the orgasm suddenly washed over him. For a few moments, he saw little stars dancing before his eyes and reminded himself to continue breathing.

The sweet taste of Elain's release flooded Tyra's mouth, so much that he couldn't swallow all of it. What he couldn't swallow at first he then quickly began to lap up from Elain's flesh. But for a moment, his greedy suckling halted because suddenly his own release was upon him, and he arched as hard as he could and groaned loudly against his companion as he spilled his seed on his own thighs and hand.

With his body trembling from the adrenaline rush of pleasure and his lips and jaw feeling numb and overworked, Tyra shakily pushed himself up so that he could look down at Elain.

The lifebearer was breathing heavily, his eyes half lidded, cheeks still flushed.

"I think you just found out was I like," Elain finally said, smiling up at Tyra. "Forests, I honestly can't remember anyone ever being this dedicated. Thank you."

Tyra froze briefly, not expecting the sharp sting that Elain's words left in his gut. But there was no reason for Elain to realize what a cold douse of reality his compliment would have on Tyra. Of course Elain was experienced, and it would be perfectly within reason for Elain to expect that a mature sire was experienced as well.

But Tyra was neither experienced nor even truly an adult in the eyes of society. And he realized then that he couldn't go any further that night.

Carefully, he leaned over his prone companion and gave him a brief but deep kiss. "You are absolute sweetness," he said. He gave him another quick kiss. "Elain, where's your bathroom? I have a bit of cleanup to do."

"Through that little hallway next to the entrance, second door," Elain told him, sitting up on the couch. His usually pristine apartment looked decidedly messy with all the clothing on the floor, but at the moment he couldn't have cared less.

Who would have guessed that this disastrous day would turn out like this? Now Elain just had to wait for Tyra to come back and then convince him that they'd better migrate to the bedroom.

However, Elain was in for a surprise when Tyra came back and started to pull on his underwear and jeans. Once he was half dressed, Tyra sat back down on the couch next to Elain and took his hand to pull him into a sitting position.

"If it's okay, I'd like to call it a night there," Tyra said. "This actually wasn't what I was planning on when I came over to talk, but," and here Tyra gave Elain a small, satisfied smile, "the moment kind of ran away with me."

Now Elain was even more confused, but he smiled back at his... lover. Yes, he could call him that now. "To be fair, I had firm plans for seducing you tonight, but I didn't expect to be seduced instead. Next time I'll have to even the odds again."

Tyra smiled and leaned over to kiss Elain once more. "I don't know. I think I was pretty well seduced actually. I just...can't stay the night tonight. When we make love the first time, I want to do it right, and afterward I want to be able to sleep with you and wake up with you the next morning." He reached out and touched Elain's cheek. "Is that okay? We can wait a bit longer, can't we? There's no rush."

"No, you're right. We have time." Elain gently stroked over Tyra's neck and chest before he pulled back his hand.

There it was again, this warm feeling inside Elain as he heard Tyra saying those words about making love and waking up together. This wasn't about quick satisfaction and shallow fun together, but about something deeper, something meaningful. And Tyra was right, they didn't need to hurry anything. Elain just had to accept that fact that he had found probably the only sire on Wyndrah who didn't jump at an opportunity for sex, but was a true romantic and wanted to savor the experience. But Elain wasn't about to complain since he now knew it wasn't a problem of lacking passion.

Tyra pulled his T-shirt on and then grinned mischievously at Elain. "I'm going to think of you every time I put honey in my tea from now on."

Elain felt his cheeks grow warm again. "And I won't ever be able to sit on this couch without thinking about you. Now off you go before I decide to tie you up and drag you to the bedroom like Marithia proposed." He gave Tyra a playful little shove, using this as an excuse to feel the sire's well-defined chest under his fingers again. Next time he'd have to do a lot of exploring.

The thought of being at Elain's mercy made a delightful little shiver race up and down his spine. "Wow, I didn't realize Marithia was so kinky. I'll have to thank her for the suggestion." Tyra pulled on his shoes and rose from the couch. "So, I think it's your turn to decide what the next dating event is. Next weekend, do you think? Will you drop me a note and let me know what the plan is?" Tyra found that he was extremely eager to return to Elain, and he couldn't leave without making sure they had their next meeting in order. He wanted more than anything to take the lifebearer in his arms and kiss him and cuddle him, but if he did that, he'd never leave.

And he'd have a hard time explaining to his parents why he never came home that night.

"I'll think of something special," Elain promised. "And by the way, I'll upgrade the status of your keycard so that you have access to this level as well. Just put it into the scanner in the elevator."

He leaned down to grab his jacket and pants only to find Velvet sitting on them and yawning. With a little push he shooed the cat away from his clothes. Velvet gave him a betrayed look and went straight to Tyra, begging for his attention instead.

"She really seems to like you," Elain remarked with a smile. "Just be careful that she doesn't follow you outside the apartment."

"Heh, she just knows I'm a big sucker, that's all," Tyra said, and he leaned down and give the cat a quick scratch behind the ears. "And I'll make sure she doesn't get out." Tyra straightened up again and took a hold of Elain's wrist and pulled him up into an embrace so that he could give him one more sweet kiss. "I'll see you next weekend. Mm, it's going to be a long week until then."

"I'll promise to tell you of my plans in the next couple of days, so it's not that long a wait," Elain said softly and smiled. "Goodnight, Tyra. I'm really glad that we now have all the secrets out of the way."

Inwardly, Tyra groaned, but he kept it to himself and gave Elain a quick kiss on the tip of his nose. "Call me or email me," he said, and he just barely kept himself from calling Elain love.

Shit, he was in so, so much trouble.

He excused himself with one more kiss and left Elain's apartment. As he got into the elevator to descend to the first floor, he hoped that the sinking sensation was the lift and not his heart.

Elain just stood there for a moment, looking at the already closed entrance door. He was feeling ridiculously content and it didn't even bother him that he was standing around almost naked.

A soft "meow" behind him reminded Elain of his demanding little roommate's feeding time. With a smile, he picked up his clothes and dressed again, still feeling Tyra's hands and lips on his skin.

To be continued...

(I had totally fogotten how long this chapter was ^^;;)