Back in the car, Kurt was quiet, mentally going over the last hour and the reception he’d received from everyone he’d visited, and felt tired. No one had turned him away and only two – the wife of one employee and the sister of another – openly glared at him. But, for the most part, they had welcomed his company and thanked him for paying his respects when they knew he was a busy man. He knew he wasn’t a bad person, but it still shocked him somewhat that no one blamed him for their loved one’s death.

But they didn’t know the whole story behind it, and they were never going to.

With a world-weary sigh, he instructed the driver to take them home and stared out the window as the city rolled past.

Blaine had been quiet for most of the visits, offering his condolences to the families, but he’d let Kurt do most of the talking. He’d been impressed by the way Kurt had handled the visits. Escaping hadn’t even crossed his mind; he’d been too busy observing.

He hesitated and glanced at Kurt, watching him stare out the window for a few moments. He licked his lips, shifting a little and flexing his fingers. He wanted to reach out and give Kurt’s knee a comforting pat, but he forced his hands to still.

Of course, that didn’t stop him from breaking the seemingly awkward silence. “That was a wonderful thing you did for those people, Kurt.”

Deep in thought over where he should start again with the gaming hall he lost, he barely heard Blaine speak to him, but it was enough to pull him out of his head. “Hm? Oh, it’s nothing. It’s the least I could do for depriving most of them of their sole breadwinner.”

“It wasn’t all your fault, though.” Blaine let out a soft sigh. “I shouldn’t have ditched my bodyguards and gone for that walk.” He laughed, a light, self-deprecating sound. “I have this terrible habit where I like to take walks; I start going stir crazy if I’m inside too long. Been like that since I was a kid.” He shook his head. “Drives Sebastian crazy when I lose my bodyguards.”

He snorted. “Of course, it doesn’t really take much to piss him off.” He licked his lips and smiled softly, glancing at Kurt. “So, what’s next?”

Kurt smirked, imagining Blaine’s delight in angering Smythe and ditching his bodyguards whenever he went out. He would definitely keep that in mind the longer Blaine stayed with him. Maybe he’d take Blaine with him on errands so the man wouldn’t want to try to escape as much.

“Next,” he answered, “we go home. I have to make a few calls and discuss what my next business venture will be.” Kurt looked at Blaine curiously. “Why? Do you have another idea?”

Blaine laughed and smiled. “I don’t know. I think you work too much.” He blinked, surprised at the words; he hadn’t meant for them to slip out. What was he thinking? It wasn’t his place to be concerned about how much or how little Kurt worked. He’d just seemed sad while visiting the families – understandably, of course – and Blaine couldn’t help but want to cheer him up.

“I work as much as I need t–” Kurt countered, but was cut off mid-sentence when Blaine leaned in.

Blaine hadn’t even realize he’d moved until his lips brushed against Kurt’s, and then he stilled, caught off-guard, his heart racing wildly against his chest.

Kurt pulled back and looked at Blaine in confusion. He couldn’t deny that over the last few days of being cooped up with his guest that he’d had passing thoughts of what Blaine’s lips would taste like, and that he’d even considered trying his luck and seeing for himself. He was a man without a lover and had urges just like everyone else. And Blaine was undoubtedly attractive, as well as clever, and they seemed to have been developing a connection, but he was surprised the young man had taken the initiative and kissed him out of the blue like that.

He just hoped it was an open invitation, because he closed the short distance between them and kissed him back.

All the excuses that came to mind when Kurt pulled back died on Blaine’s lips as he found himself being kissed by Kurt, and he let a soft groan escape as his lips parted. Some small part of him tried to convince himself that it had been days since he’d been with Sebastian and he just missed the intimate contact of another human, but the rest of him couldn’t help but notice how much softer Kurt’s lips were than Sebastian’s.

Kurt’s eyes fluttered open to peek at Blaine as their lips moved in sync. He vaguely wondered why this was even happening, but when Blaine made that sound, he didn’t really care. All that mattered in that moment was that Blaine’s lips were attached to his in such delightfully sinful ways, and he crept closer to close the gap between their bodies. Thank God he paid his driver to watch the road and not the backseat, or he’d be getting a heck of a show.

Lifting a hand to the back of Blaine’s neck and tangling his fingers in the soft curls there, he angled himself to deepen the kiss; letting his tongue lick at Blaine’s lips and venture inside, while his free hand rested on his inner thigh and his thumb caressed the thin fabric there.

Blaine had forgotten how sensual just kissing someone could be. Sebastian had a tendency to rush right past the kissing part, pausing just long enough to drop a peck on Blaine’s lips before moving along to activities that would guarantee his pleasure, but Blaine preferred the slow build-up to burning passion.

He could feel himself opening up to Kurt – not just his lips, which welcomed Kurt’s tongue inside, but even his legs seemed to be betraying his desire, splaying open a little further as if coaxed by the light touch of Kurt’s thumb. His pulse raced, his body feeling flushed –

And then everything in him cried out in disappointment as the lulling movement of the car suddenly lurched to a stop.

Drawing back from the kiss, he panted as he glanced out the car window, trying to see what had caused their journey to end. He startled as he realized they’d arrived back at Kurt’s house, and then his eyes widened. Oh god, what was he doing, kissing another man? He had to get out of there; he had to get some air, clear his head.

Reaching behind him, he fumbled blindly for the door latch and practically fell out of the car when he leaned too heavily on the door. He managed to catch his balance just before he ended up sprawled out on the gravel driveway, and swallowed. “I have to–” He winced; his voice sounded more than breathless to his own ears, so he could only imagine how wrecked he sounded to Kurt.

Scrambling out of the car, he bolted into the house, retreating to his room. Once the door was closed behind him and the chair propped under the knob to keep anyone from entering while he collected himself, Blaine let out a heavy breath and closed his eyes.

“Get a hold of yourself, Anderson,” he muttered as he jammed his fingers through his curls. “You just need to relax. It was just a kiss; it didn’t mean anything. You certainly aren’t falling for him.”

He took a deep breath. “A bath. That’s what you need. A nice, hot bath to cool you down.”

Convinced that was the best thing for him, he gathered up his bathrobe and eased the chair out from under the doorknob. He peeked out into the hallway to make sure the coast was clear, then tiptoed out, sneaking across the hall to the bathroom, where he began filling the enormous claw-footed porcelain tub with warm water and bubbles.

Removing his clothes, he tested the water and smiled when he found the temperature to his liking. Once the tub was filled, he shut off the tap and climbed into the tub, easing himself down into the water. He let out a soft sigh as he relaxed, leaning back against the tub wall. Closing his eyes, he allowed his mind to drift as he soaked up the warmth of the water.

Of course, his thoughts immediately turned to Sebastian and the start of his own personal hell...

Manhattan, 1918

Blaine's eyes followed Sebastian as the other man circled around him, and he couldn't help the shiver that traveled down his spine. This must be how a shark's prey feels, he thought.

"Now, Blaine, I can't do anything about your brother in jail," Sebastian said, recapturing the attention he hadn't realized he'd lost, "but I can pay off your debt to Fat Sal; remove that mark over your head."

Blaine narrowed his eyes, suspicion wrinkling his features. "Why? What's in it for you?" Everybody knew Sebastian Smythe wasn't a charity worker; if he offered something to somebody, there was always a price tag attached.

Sebastian's lips curled in a smirk that sent more chills racing down Blaine's spine. "Your brother's speakeasy was a favorite hangout of mine, Blaine, and it wasn't because of the bathtub hooch." His lethargic trek around the small office came to a stop behind his desk, and he rested his hands on the surface, leaning forward to give Blaine a pointed look.

Blaine gulped. "Me?"

Sebastian nodded as he took a seat and leaned back in his chair. "You. You've got a hell of a set of pipes on you, Blaine, and you're not bad-looking to boot." He tilted his head to the side, eying Blaine in a way that made him feel exposed, naked. "I want you, Blaine. As my lover."

Blaine opened his mouth to protest, but Sebastian lifted a hand. "Don't give me that 'I'm not that kind of boy' crap; my boys have looked into you, and I know for a fact that you've been having midnight trysts with Nick." He smirked. "I've got pictures, if you'd like to see."

Blaine's stomach twisted, turning sour, and he shook his head. He didn't need to see any photos; he'd been there.

His brow furrowed as he considered Sebastian's offer. The man was attractive, to be sure, but his arrogance perverted everything else that made Sebastian easy on the eyes.

Still, he'd have to work ten lifetimes to pay off what Cooper and he owed to Fat Sal, since the cops had closed down the speakeasy and seized all the contraband after the raid. The only reason Blaine wasn't sharing a jail cell with his brother is because Sebastian had gotten him out of there before the cops had arrived.

He had a sinking suspicion that that hadn't been by accident.

Sighing, he let his shoulders slump in defeat, and nodded once. "All right. As long as you take care of mine and Cooper's debt to Fat Sal, I'll..." He pressed his lips together before continuing. "I'll be your lover."

Sebastian smirked and rose from his seat, walking around the desk and perching on the edge, right in front of Blaine. "Excellent. Seal it with a kiss?"

Blaine nodded and stood, leaning in to press his lips against Sebastian's, but he was stopped by Sebastian laying his finger over his lips.

"Ah, ah, ah. Not the place I was thinking, lover."

Blaine drew back, giving the other man a confused look, then groaned as Sebastian sent a pointed look southward. Blaine's eyes followed the line of sight, and he grimaced as he realized where Sebastian's gaze was focused.

He sank to his knees, fingers undoing Sebastian's pants, and he flinched as the other man's hand settled onto the back of his head, practically shoving him down onto the waiting cock.

After Blaine’s mad dash from the car, leaving a bewildered Kurt in his wake, Kurt decided it was probably best to give the man some space. So he did what he initially planned to do once they returned home – he went to his study and made a few calls about upcoming potential business.

It hadn’t taken very long to realize his mind wasn’t in it. His thoughts kept straying to his entirely too handsome guest and wondering what exactly had happened between them in the car – besides the obvious, of course.

With a frustrated sigh, he put away his account books, knowing he wouldn’t be getting more done that day, and headed upstairs, hoping to find Blaine in his room.

When he realized Blaine wasn’t there, it only took a moment to notice the light coming from the bathroom down the hall. The door was slightly ajar, and Kurt could hear gentle splashing as he drew nearer. Peeking through the gap, he saw the other young man reclining in the tub, and it was all he could do not to gasp aloud and make himself look like a Peeping Tom.

From what he could see of Blaine that the bathtub didn’t hide, the man was an Adonis – tan skin, defined muscles, a neck he could spend forever licking and marking as his own. The last thought sent a thrill through him, and he worried his bottom lip at the mental image.

God, he should probably just go and find himself a rent boy in one of the brothels around town and relieve the sexual tension he hadn’t realized had built up for so long until the car ride home. Unfortunately, his body appeared to have a mind of its own, and instead, he pushed the door open to make his presence known.

The sound of the door opening brought Blaine out of his thoughts, and he blinked in surprise as he tried to sink further into the bubbles, hoping they’d hide him. “Kurt! W-what are you doing?” The distraction was welcomed partly because it meant he didn’t have to think about Sebastian, but he also felt shy in his nakedness. Just thinking about how little the bubbles really concealed had him blushing; remembering that kiss they’d shared in the car didn’t help matters, either.

“I wasn’t spying on you, I swear.” Kurt definitely wanted to make clear, though he felt like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He had no idea what he was doing barging in on Blaine while he was bathing, but he knew he didn’t want to leave. “I looked for you in your room, but you weren’t there, and then I saw the light on in here. Do you mind if I come in?”

Blaine felt something in his chest ease as Kurt assured him that he hadn’t been spying on him, and he smiled softly. “Well, that’s comforting to know. Thank you.”

He intended to tell Kurt that yes, he did mind, could he have some privacy while he took a bath, so he was surprised when he heard himself say, “I don’t mind. Please, come in.”

Kurt stepped further into the little room and, for a moment, debated whether he should keep his distance and sit on the toilet or perch on the edge of the tub. He chose the latter, and the moment his eyes locked with Blaine’s, anything he meant to say completely evaporated. Just the close up sight of Blaine’s damp skin and those hazel eyes were enough to let his dick do the thinking for him, and he pressed his lips to Blaine’s, barely giving enough thought to brace his hand on the opposite edge of the bathtub as he bent over the water.

Blaine had known that inviting Kurt into the bathroom had the potential of landing them back in a precarious situation, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. He gasped into the kiss and shuddered, his fingers flexing as he tried to decide what to do with them. He ended up resting a hand on the back of Kurt’s head, not caring that he was getting the other man’s hair wet. He placed his other hand over Kurt’s, still braced on the tub’s edge. His mind whirled, knowing that he shouldn’t have been kissing Kurt, but his body didn’t seem to be listening. His mouth opened, his tongue brushing against Kurt’s lips.

Meanwhile, Kurt’s free hand snaked around Blaine’s shoulders to pull him closer. A muffled moan fled his throat when he allowed Blaine in and their tongues tangled together. It had been far too long since anyone, be it a whore or a lover, had kissed him like this, and it was certainly a heady feeling.

God, he just wanted to be closer. He scooted farther up the edge of porcelain tub, hoping that would do, and for a while, it seemed to. He had the perfect angle to dominate the kiss and just lose himself in it, but that only went so far before his back began to ache from twisting to lean over the edge and his hand grew tired of supporting his weight.

So, breaking their lips apart and resting his forehead against Blaine’s, he took a moment to gather his senses. He could stop everything now and go back to his study, and they could either ignore or talk about this incident later – or he could forget all that sensible crap and go with his gut instincts that told him not to stop any of what they were doing. Frankly, the second option was infinitely more appealing.

Giving Blaine a quick kiss, he murmured, “Give me a moment,” and quickly sat back up to remove his leather shoes and knee length socks. He wasted no time after that climbing into the bathtub, not caring that his clothes got wet or that he splashed water onto the floor in his haste, to straddle Blaine’s lap and attached himself to his lips once more.

When Kurt pulled away, Blaine took the opportunity to catch his breath and try to shake some sense into himself. “Wait, Kurt, we-” He watched Kurt remove his shoes and socks, his brows knitting together as Kurt climbed right back into the tub still dressed. “Kurt! You’re going to ru--”

His words dissolved into a groan as Kurt reclaimed his lips again, and he fell back against the wall of the tub. His hands settled onto Kurt’s back, carelessly seeping water into the fine material. He opened his mouth once more to Kurt, drawing the other man’s tongue inside.

Kurt sucked on Blaine’s tongue, clutching tightly at his hair. It all felt so good just being in another man’s arms again. And since this particular man had been the one to initiate this particular interlude between them, he didn’t feel guilty continuing where they left off.

Blaine felt a brief twinge of guilt as he thought of how upset Sebastian would be if he knew that his boy-toy was kissing another man – and not just kissing another man but enjoying it. Sebastian would be even more angered to know that it was his enemy Blaine was kissing, and that encouraged a little of Blaine’s rebellious side. Kurt had been nothing but nice to him since the first day he’d arrived – why shouldn’t Blaine enjoy the taste of his lips?

Sebastian cruelly took what he wanted with little regard to Blaine’s feelings, but Kurt – he’d actually been making an effort to be Blaine’s friend. Sure, it was probably all just an act to get what he wanted out of Blaine, but why couldn’t that go both ways? Kurt seemed willing to give Blaine attention where Sebastian had been lacking. Why shouldn’t he take advantage of that while he could?

If Kurt could read Blaine’s mind, he would’ve agreed wholeheartedly. As it was, he was already moving to take advantage of their closeness by trailing his hand down Blaine’s bare chest, skimming the hair that led to his crotch and wrapping his fingers around his cock firmly. He spared a moment to pull back enough and gauge whether that was okay, before he peered down through the water to watch as he stroked Blaine.

He always loved watching a man go from half-hard to fully erect purely because of the things he was doing to him. With a pleased smirk, he bent his head to suck at Blaine’s collarbone, kissing and licking and nipping his way across so he could lap at the salty droplets of sweat that gathered in the dip at the base of his throat. All the while, he worked Blaine steadily, pulling at him with just enough friction to begin building him up but not send him over the edge yet. He hummed in pleasure as he latched onto the spot between neck and shoulder, and began to mark Blaine, sucking the skin to a satisfying bruise.

Blaine moaned and tipped his head back as Kurt sucked at his skin. He bucked his hips up to meet Kurt’s hand, letting his arousal wash over him. A small part of him knew that he should be doing something for Kurt’s pleasure as well, but he couldn’t seem to get his hands to move from where they clutched at Kurt’s back.

“God, Kurt.” He breathed out a shuddering sigh, rolling his hips. At any moment, he expected Kurt to draw back and demand attention for himself, so Blaine was determined to enjoy this while he could get it.

But Kurt just continued ravishing Blaine, not realizing the other man expected him to be concerned about himself. Yes, his trousers had become uncomfortable in the water, which only worsened as he became just as aroused as Blaine, but his only thoughts were of Blaine’s pleasure in all of this. Not once had he so much as shifted to relieve the tension in his pants as he saw to Blaine.

He stroked Blaine faster as he sought out his lips again, and after a heated kiss and a brief shifting to bring himself closer to him without hindering his hand’s movement, he asked Blaine a question, sounding breathy with concern. “This is good for you, isn’t it? Please say it is.”

Every little moan and thrust up into his hand said yes, but he just had to be sure. He supposed he should’ve asked long before that moment, but sometimes desire had a way of taking over and reason got left by the wayside.

At some point after Kurt drew back, Blaine’s mouth had dropped open in soundless ecstasy, and he stared at the other man with glazed eyes. It took a moment or two for it to register that Kurt had spoken to him and he blinked in surprise. “Hmm?” He licked his lips and then shuddered, swallowing. “I- Yes. Yes.”

He reached up and placed his hand on the back of Kurt’s head, drawing him down for another heated kiss. He felt a tingle go through him and moaned into the other man’s mouth. It had been far too long since he’d been touched with any kind of tenderness, and he could already feel his orgasm creeping up on him.

Deepening the kiss, twining their tongues together, licking and sucking at Blaine’s mouth, Kurt’s grip on his cock tightened just a little more, and he twisted on the upstroke with shallow strokes. He always enjoyed doing that to himself, and he’d never had any complaints from any of the other men he’d been with.

He broke the kiss again to see what his hand was doing under the water and immediately felt the urge to take Blaine’s cock in his mouth. He’d save that for some other time though – he didn’t think drowning via fellatio in the bath would be good for his health or his reputation.

Blaine’s moan echoed off the walls as Kurt continued to work him. He definitely would not be complaining about the short strokes or anything that Kurt was doing to him. He could feel his toes curling as his orgasm built in his body, and he shuddered. “God, ah–” His body arched as he threw his head back, and he cried out as he started to come.

Kurt smiled, watching Blaine’s come streak through the water in spurts and continued to pull him through it until it was clear he was finished. Gazing back up, Kurt gave him a pleased look and a lazy, slow kiss before ultimately standing up and placing a leg over the edge of the tub and back onto the tile floor.

“Don’t stay in there too long or you’ll turn into a prune,” he said, with another fond glance at Blaine. He could easily stay and sit with Blaine longer and soothe him during his afterglow, but Kurt was still very obviously hard in his pants and he wanted to get out of his soaked clothes to take care of himself.

Blaine watched with a flabbergasted expression on his face as Kurt climbed out of the tub, then he frowned, feeling confused. “Wait, where are you going? Don’t you want me to–” He hesitated, dragging his tongue over his lower lip. Sebastian wouldn’t have hesitated to demand Blaine pleasure him, whether with his mouth or by bending himself over the edge of the tub.

He worried his lip between his teeth as he sat up, the sleepy sated sensation that had been settling into his bones bleeding away. “It’s all right, if you want me to please you.” He dropped his gaze; Sebastian always enjoyed it when he displayed a submissive side. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”

Kurt swung his other leg over onto the floor, puddles of water collecting at his feet, when Blaine’s words stopped him from going any farther. He looked back at him, his brow furrowed as he shook his head. “I don’t want you to do anything, Blaine. I don’t expect you to.”

It was true. As soon as he’d sat with him in the bath, all Kurt had wanted was to make Blaine feel good and make him come. Any thoughts he had of his own pleasure had been put on hold for when he was alone in his own bedroom. Whether it was an unconscious effort to not be a greedy bastard like Smythe or not, he didn’t expect mandatory reciprocation. This encounter had been about Blaine, not Kurt.

He placed the tips of his fingers under Blaine’s chin, lifting his head up so they could look at each other equally, and he smiled faintly. “Finish your bath and don’t worry about me. I can take care of my own needs.”

Blaine’s mouth fell slack at Kurt’s words, his eyes widening as his head was tipped up, their gazes locking. He felt something unnamed swirling inside his chest, stealing his breath and any hope of a coherent thought beyond obvious shock.

Kurt expected nothing from him. Kurt had forsaken his own pleasures to attend to Blaine’s.

He couldn’t remember the last time someone had done something for him without wanting something in return.

The foreign feeling in his chest swelled, and he swallowed, trying to tamp it back down. Quiet words slipped out before he could stop them, and he cringed at how reverent his voice sounded to his ears.

“Thank you.”

He leaned back against the tub wall, taking a moment to catch his breath as Kurt gave him a soft smile and nodded. His eyes followed Kurt as the other man turned and started heading toward the door, and then he sat up, making a rapid decision. “Kurt, wait!”

When Kurt turned back, eyebrow arched, Blaine swallowed. “You’ve been so nice to me, and I–” He took a deep breath, the severity of his decision weighing on him for a moment. “You’ve asked me about Sebastian, and I’ve deflected your questions. But…

“Tomorrow night, there’s a shipment of alcohol arriving by train from Detroit. It’s meant for Sebastian’s clubs and gambling halls.” He licked his lips. “It’d be a shame if anything happened to it.”

His heart pounded against his chest. He’d just betrayed his protector, and God help him if Kurt wasn’t serious about his promise that no harm would come to him.