The Burning Key

Chapter 1

It was two weeks before Ezra came calling again. He found Cameron doing his job, feeding nutrients to his plants. Since no one else was permitted in the grow area for cannabis, they had it to themselves. Ezra pulled him close and kissed him passionately.

Cameron wasn’t sure how he felt about having s*x with his boss. There was definitely an imbalance of power. But he didn’t hate being touched by him. Pulling away, he reached into his pocket and produced a joint. Lighting it, he handed the thing over to him. “I promise it’s good quality.”

“I have no doubt.” He took a hit and immediately coughed. Cameron laughed. Ezra gasped for air. “s**t, you weren’t lying.”

“You’ve never tested the product before?” Cameron was genuinely surprised.

“No, I have people for that.”

“Oh.”

He took a few more puffs before handing back the joint. “Care to join me for another lunch?”

Cameron made sure he was high before answering. “Yup, let’s do this.”

* * * *

As it turned out, being the boss’s s*x buddy had added benefits. Cameron regularly ate better meals. He got to see more of the business end of cannabis sales. And generally, he was invited to accompany Ezra wherever he went. This earned him the title of “assistant” and meant that he now left the warehouse on occasion. Apparently, their dealings involved meeting with city factions to establish territories. For this, Ezra brought along a small army in addition to Cameron.

Unlike the others, Cameron was not armed. He didn’t know the first thing about using a gun, and the only knife he carried was attached to a multi-tool. So, he simply sat at Ezra’s side and kept his mouth shut.

At issue was the exact parts of the city where Ezra’s people were allowed to sell their drugs, which included not only m*******a but cocaine, too. The factions wanted to limit it to just a small area near the warehouse, but Ezra maintained a much larger region. He did so by paying the factions and occasionally threatening them with force. While only around thirty-five people lived under Ezra’s roof, many more individuals were also in his employ. Most were dealers, tasked with servicing their specific neighborhoods. And some were pure muscle.

Cameron tried to pay attention to the negotiations, but his presence here drew the ire of both Anjea, who probably wondered what he’d done to deserve such a promotion, and Rachel, who quite possibly suspected something. The two of them kept glaring at him. It was everything he could do to avoid fidgeting under their gazes.

Hours later, Ezra’s meeting with one of the city’s biggest factions ended. The group left the gang’s compound and started walking home.

Before Cameron could take his place at Ezra’s side, Rachel slipped into that role and took hold of his arm. Cameron was not in any position to challenge her about it, nor did he particularly want to. Though Ezra said that she understood and accepted his tendency to wander, it seemed clear that she didn’t, or at least she was reluctant about it.

To be honest, Cameron didn’t really like being the “other man.” Though his relationship with Ezra was purely s****l—with a friendly element—and he couldn’t be jealous toward Rachel or anyone, it didn’t feel good to be secondary. And he certainly didn’t want to cause any friction with Rachel, who seemed like a nice enough person. He hated conflict. That was why he spent so much time by himself, getting high.

He hung back in the group, walking by himself. But Anjea caught up to him. With an accusatory glare, “So, how the hell did you, of all people, get to be EZ’s assistant? The weed you grow can’t be that good.”

Cameron put on a fake smile. “He seems to like it.”

“Well, of course. We sell a lot of it. But you’re not exactly a go-getter. You hardly do your main job, as it is. What on Earth are you doing for EZ?”

Mostly lying around in bed. Ezra didn’t take long to get off. So, they often spent more time sleeping or simply wrapped up in each other. “I advise him. Believe it or not, I know a lot about what I do.”

As a teenager, he’d dabbled in growing pot in his parents’ basement. He’d done his research on the practice, and while his setup of the time was hardly notable, he dreamed of a complex system like the one Ezra required. His somewhat unique skillset made him a desirable employee all those years ago. As it turned out, he wasn’t the most motivated of employees—and smoking so much certainly didn’t help—but he did know a lot about growing cannabis.

“Even if that’s true, why does he need so much of your advice?”

Cameron shrugged. “I guess he likes what I have to say.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“You don’t have to, Anjea. I don’t answer to you anymore.” Another perk of banging the boss. He could do pretty much whatever he wanted without consequences, so long as he kept Ezra happy in bed. That alone would be reason enough to do it, but he actually enjoyed himself, too.

“We’ll see about that.”

* * * *

Ezra had him on his hands and knees. He tried to grip Cameron and stroke him while he pushed in and out. The dual approach was successful in getting him off, though it took a bit longer for Ezra this time. After cleaning up, Cameron took his leave of him, citing a need to check on his plants. In truth, he just wanted some time to himself. He enjoyed being alone. As of late, Ezra took up much of Cameron’s day, leaving very little room for solitude.

But upon sneaking out of Ezra’s quarters, Cameron ran straight into Rachel. The blonde woman had fire behind her eyes. She stood about three inches shorter than him, but that didn’t stop her from grabbing him and throwing him against the nearest wall.

“Ow! Hey!” Cameron writhed under her grasp. He looked around for someone to help him, but there was no one. And he wouldn’t dare scream for Ezra.

“I know what you’re doing,” came the inevitable accusation. “And you better f*****g stop. Right now.”

“Do what?” he played stupid.

She shoved him. “You know damn well what.”

“Look, I don’t want any trouble with you. We don’t really know each other, but you seem nice. I get why you’re angry. But I’m not the problem. I’m just who Ezra wants right now. He’ll probably move on to someone else when he gets bored with me. If you want him to stop seeing other people, you should talk to him.”

“I have.”

“Then maybe you should dump him.” Leaving Ezra to focus entirely on Cameron. “Leave him and find somebody new.”

She laughed. “I’ve left him three times before. He always finds a way to get me back.”

“Then we’re stuck. But he cares about you more. I’m just…exercise.”

Rachel let him go and took a step back. Looking at the ground, she seemed more upset than angry now. “And you’re happy with that?”

Cameron shrugged. He smoothed down his shirt. “It is what it is. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” He sighed. “I can’t stop seeing him, but I really am sorry you have to go through this.”

She started crying, and he did the only thing he could think of doing. He hugged her. They stood like that for a long time.

Too long.

Ezra came out of his room and saw them. Sniffing, Rachel straightened her back and moved away from Cameron. She gave him one last look before taking off. Cameron turned toward Ezra. “She knows.”

“It’s not your concern.”

“Isn’t it?”

“No.”

Cameron backed up against the wall once more. Ezra strode by him in the same direction as Rachel.

He felt sick to his stomach. Guilty, he took the long walk to his plants. Before doing any actual labor, he stuffed his pipe full of pot and smoked until he felt better. He spent only a short amount of time checking and watering his crops before heading up to the roof.

* * * *

When he saw Rachel again, it was at another meeting with a faction. She seemed in better spirits. Whatever happened between her and Ezra, they made up. She sat close to him, her fingers intertwined with his. Cameron smiled weakly at her, and she gave a subtle nod in his direction.

The session went well at first. This faction was more concerned with the police than with Ezra’s operation. The conversation was friendly, and Ezra and the faction’s leader acted like colleagues.

But the city did not cooperate.

An explosion from about a block away rocked the room and killed the lights. “Son of a b***h!” said Ezra.

Someone threw open a side door, and Cameron could see smoke drifting through the air. Ezra picked up a gun and marched outside. After a moment to look around, he second-guessed his plan to fight whoever interrupted their meeting. “Time to go,” he told the group. “Cops are coming.”

Everyone scrambled to their feet. The faction went across the way to their hideout while Ezra and his people rushed down the street and across an intersection. In the chaos, Ezra put one arm around Rachel and loosely touched Cameron’s back with the other. He ushered them both into the warehouse. Once inside, he and Rachel kissed in front of Cameron. But he didn’t experience even an ounce of resentment. It was good to see them getting close. He was the outlier. He was the one who didn’t belong. At once, he felt like a voyeur watching them. Cameron turned around and left them to it.

* * * *

The bombings continued all week. Ezra said it was a small gang trying to establish itself by targeting well-known faction storefronts. The death toll was high, and it included a lot of innocent people. Every time Cameron heard a boom, his heart sank.

He found some comfort in being with Ezra. Though he and Rachel were closer, Cameron still spent plenty of time in Ezra’s bed. In fact, their days together only increased. Ezra insisted that he stay the night a few times per week. And he started becoming infatuated with Cameron. He would say things like “I worship your body,” and “You give me life.” It made Cameron feel a little uncomfortable, since he didn’t really feel the same way about him. Ezra was a decent lover, but Cameron didn’t require more than s*x and maybe a little cuddling. He wasn’t in love. Far from it. He liked things as they were.

With that said, Ezra’s obsession with him resulted in gifts and more attention. Ezra bought him clothes, a new pipe, and a nicer chair for his rooftop escape. He openly touched Cameron in public—albeit without doing anything s****l. And he put Cameron in charge of distributing his cannabis to the dealers. This added responsibility took up a lot of his time, but it also meant that he got to meet new people.

One such person was Nicolás Del Rio. Nicky, for short. With deep brown eyes and skin that practically glowed, he was a sight to see. He turned out to be the same age as Cameron—twenty-two—and he had the most gorgeous smile. He stretched, and his shirt rode up a little, revealing delicious lines that plunged below his waistband. Cameron was enamored.

For his part, Nicky immediately took to him. He asked questions about the pot and about his life. He flirted with Cameron. After a few weeks of sweet back and forth, Nicky asked Cameron to come to his apartment, about a block away from the warehouse. He had to sneak out, but he did go. Enthusiastically.

Cameron couldn’t use any of the main doors without fear of getting caught. But he had a backup plan. He went up to the roof, like he always did. He smoked for few minutes before climbing down an old and rickety fire escape. It took all of his energy not to make loud noises on the rusted metal. When he finally reached the ground behind the warehouse, he breathed a sigh of relief.

With a smile, Cameron practically skipped his way to Nicky’s apartment.

It was a small place, with only the barest of necessities. The mattress lay directly on the floor, and there was just one window. The only thing that adorned the walls was a collage of old pictures of Nicky’s family. He caught Cameron staring at it. “We always took so many photos. I have two boxes-worth that I still need to go through.”

“Where is your family?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“Most of them are in Mexico. But I used to live with my dad, my mom, and my sisters.”

“Are they alive?”

He nodded. “Very much so. I send them money when I can. But in order to help support them, I had to take a job they don’t like.”

Cameron could understand that. He knew his parents, if they were still living, would not approve of his m*******a growing. They would want so much better for him.

“What about you? Do you have family abroad?”

“No, I was adopted. But they’re dead now. It’s just me.” They died from a tularemia outbreak in his hometown. He got it, too, but survived. He could still remember the looks on their faces after they passed.

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Nicky took a seat on the edge of his mattress. “Way to kill the mood, huh?”

Cameron shook his head. “Take off your shirt, and we’ll see if we can get it back.”

He obliged, revealing a giant tattoo of an eagle across his chest. Cameron sauntered over and climbed into his lap, straddling him. There were a few tantalizing seconds before they kissed. It felt special. Tangible. Magical, even. A far cry from kissing Ezra, though that was fun, too. Cameron tried to push Ezra from his mind. This was something completely different. Ezra probably wouldn’t like it if he found out, but they’d never had a conversation about loyalty. And if he could be with Rachel whenever he wanted, then why couldn’t Cameron be with Nicky?

He pushed him back onto the bed. When he reluctantly stopped kissing him, Nicky laughed sweetly. They disconnected long enough to strip naked and switch positions. Nicky found a bottle of necessary liquid and gently applied it with two fingers. Cameron didn’t have to ask him to wear a condom. He donned one without a word of protest. Good, he thought. There was always a chance that his unprotected s*x with Ezra yielded negative results. He didn’t feel sick, but there was no reason to risk it.

When Nicky entered him, it was careful and considerate. Slow at first. Shallow. He ran his hands up Cameron’s chest before holding him at the cheek. Cameron took Nicky’s thumb into his mouth and bit down lightly. It rested on his tongue. That small action seemed to excite him considerably, and he pushed deeper.

They had s*x for the better part of an hour. Nicky managed to help Cameron climax through intercourse alone, a feat never accomplished by Ezra. He came shortly after.

The two of them cleaned up and then lay there, kissing lethargically. It wasn’t until it started to get dark that Cameron realized he should probably get back. He got dressed and bid Nicky farewell. It took only a few minutes before he was in the warehouse. He immediately went to his plants to start a much-needed harvest.

Halfway through, Anjea appeared at the edge of his growing area. “Where the hell have you been?”

“I went for a walk.”

“Uh-huh.”

“What’s it to you?”

“EZ’s looking for you. He’s pissed.”

But Cameron knew that Ezra wouldn’t stay angry for long. “I’ll talk to him, once I’m finished here.”

She rested both hands on her extended belly. “Please do. I’ve had to deal with him all afternoon. He’s fixated on you. It’s weird.”

“Not that weird,” he countered. May as well tell her. “He’s head over heels for me.”

She snorted. “Yeah, right.”

“I’m serious. We’ve been sleeping together for a while now.”

Anjea leaned on one of the growing tables. After a long time of studying him, “Does Rachel know?”

“Yup.”

“And she’s okay with it?”

“She’s…used to it, I think.”

Shaking her head, “No. That’s just—no. EZ’s a good man. He wouldn’t just run around on her.”

Ezra was certainly kind to Cameron. Perhaps overly so. And he treated his employees well. But that didn’t make him any less disloyal to Rachel. Even Cameron recognized the wrong being committed. “You can ask her yourself. She was upset at first, and now she’s not.”

“Do you care that she’s being hurt?”

“Of course I do. But I’m not the one hurting her.”

Anjea pushed off the table. She walked up to him and pointed her finger in his face. “You’re just as much at fault as he is.”

“Maybe I am.”

“Then you should do the right thing and end it.”

Before he could answer, she turned around and started walking away. Moments later, she disappeared among the rows of food crops. He finished collecting buds in a large plastic bowl. With the task accomplished, he made his way across the compound and knocked on Ezra’s door.

While he expected some anger, Ezra showed only concern. He wrapped his big arms around Cameron and let out a breath. “Where did you go off to? You had me worried.”

“Worried? You?”

“Yes. Cam, yes, absolutely.”

“I went for a walk,” he began. But he changed his mind, Anjea’s statements ringing in his ears. Maybe he couldn’t leave Ezra, but he shouldn’t lie to him just to stay in a one-sided relationship. “To Nicky Del Rio’s house.”

Sobering, “What were you doing there?”

“Him.”

Ezra went pale. He held onto the doorframe and looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “You didn’t think you should tell me about this?”

“I’m telling you now. I slept with him.”

He rubbed at his forehead. “Are you planning to do it again?”

“I think so.”

Surprisingly, “I guess that makes sense. He’s more your age, and you probably have a lot in common.”

“Are you angry?”

“With you? No. No, I—it’s fair. If you have to share me, I suppose I should expect to share you.” He leaned down and touched Cameron’s chin with one hand. “So long as I get to have you, I don’t care about anyone else.”

He resisted the urge to ask if Rachel was included in that sentiment. In all honesty, he didn’t want to know. He was still enjoying a wonderful afterglow from his time with Nicky. He didn’t want it ruined. With a smile, Cameron wrapped his arms around Ezra’s waist. “You’re the best.”

Ezra kissed him deeply.

“Can I come in?” No reason he couldn’t have a little fun with Ezra, too.

He grinned. “Definitely.”