"Drive," Law said.

The edges of the keys bit Tom's palm. This was the forbidden fruit, and Tom could not let go. He imagined himself a fish swimming around a baited hook, all his schoolmates screaming at him No, no, no you fool!

Law stepped back from the driver's side door to make way for Tom to take the wheel. The door opened and slanted up.

He's playing me.

And Tom was walking around the car without thinking about doing it or meaning to do it, as if possessed. He dropped into the driver’s seat, felt an instant tingling thrill of expectation.

The passenger door lifted. The beast slid into the passenger seat, a sexually threatening presence.

I don't care. I need to drive this car.

Tom turned the ignition. The car came to life for him. Lusty noise filled him head to ass.

He shifted the devil into gear. It responded.

He made a slow, lumbering exit over the grass to the driveway, onto the road, and out of the village.

Merging onto the interstate was license to speed. Tom released all the horses, and the Diablo torpedoed up the ramp and broke free onto the highway. Tom might have shouted.

"How is it?" Law asked coolly.

Tom had to grin. "I’m harder than this stick."

I'm going to pay for this, he thought, still grinning like an ass.

Then he had the sense to be scared shitless.

No, I'm not.

Tom never saw Law as anything but a bully. A big bully. But there was something else now. Something more. Intensely threatening. Tom responded with fear tainted with desire.

No. Don’t go there.

Tom felt like prey being stalked by a great beast, not for hunger, but for fun. This straight mofo was going to humiliate him.

When they arrived on the slow streets of the old town, Tom's fear built to choking strength.

He nosed the Diablo up behind another car under a street light in front of the dark furniture store. He wanted to just drop the keys in the driver's seat and sprint to his door like a frightened rabbit. That would look asinine.

The doors lifted like wings. They both got out. Something wobbled in Tom's diaphragm in counterpoint to his heartbeat.

Okay, I'm a frightened rabbit.

Tom tossed the keys back to Law and headed quickly to his door. "That was awesome, but I'm not going to kiss you. Have a safe trip back to D.C." He opened the outer door into the tight foyer. He had his key in the lock of the inner door as fast as thinking about it. He didn't dare look back. He took the narrow stairs two at a time. He rattled the other key into first one lock, then the other lock in his apartment door.

He pushed the door open, felt along the wall for the switch plate. He swept all the switches up with side of his hand. The lights came on. He tugged the key out of the stubborn deadbolt and moved around to shut the door.

The door stopped abruptly short against something.

A bolt of fear hit with the force of electrical shock.

The door wouldn't move, adamant, as if he'd hit a wall. The door had stopped against the flat of Law's palm.

It was just like Law had once caught Tom's thrown fist.

Fear rose up in a blank white wall and hot stab of desire. His blood effervesced. Terror gripped his throat and shook hard. Tom met Law's hard gaze and the world stopped.

He knew he must look like wild game caught in the crosshairs, and he really could not have been more scared looking up the muzzle of a gun. But it was more dangerous than that. Law's eyes. The door moved slowly, moving the wrong way. Pushing inward.

Law was inside.