Columbia, present day

They were served at table that night by a stolid mestizo woman and an Indian girl not long into herteens. Both were so silent that Mulder had no idea whether or not they spoke English. They were effectively mute. They might as well have beeninvisible, too, for all the attention that Manuel and Olivero paid them.

Mulder was a little surprised that they didn’t eat at a dining table roughly the length of a bowling alley. Instead they were at a table that was not much largerthan a card table. He realized why they were being treated to such informality when, about halfwaythrough the meal, a hand landed on his knee.

He didn’t change expression, or look up. Ethan wasacross from Fox, so it wasn’t him. *Let’s see. It’s coming from my right. That would be...* He looked at Manuel archly as he sipped his wine. The younger man smiled, and Fox felt a squeeze. The hand slid higher. *Well, if he’s expecting discreet, he’s misjudged Daniel.* Fox said coolly, “Young man, remove your hand.” The other two men looked at Manuel, who retrieved his hand, but didn’t seem too embarrassed. Mulder spoke to Olivero. “It’s not so much that I object to being groped. It’s very flattering, actually. But we’re eating right now, and it’s hardly sanitary."

“Please forgive him, Daniel. It is a chore to keep him from having dessert first,” Olivero said blandly.

Ethan added cheerfully , “And ya might keep in mind, laddie, that I’m holdin’ a steak knife and fork at the moment.”

“My apologies, senors,” Manuel murmured.

Olivero looked at Ethan. “Do you wish for me to punish him?”

Mulder waved his hand. “Hello? Injured party over here. No, there’s no need to slap his wrist.” When Olivero looked at Ethan again Fox made his voice cold. “And you can just stop looking to him for the answer. Major stuff, yes, I defer, but not for petty shit like this. Now, let's forget this, shall we?"

After dinner they went into... well, it wasn't the huge front living room, and it wasn't exactly a recreation room. Mulder supposed that it would have been called a 'salon' in an English manor house. It was intimate, but still fairly formal. Mulder and Hunt settled on a small loveseat, Olivero took an armchair opposite them, and Manuel (as usual) went to the small bar to pour drinks. When he had distributed them, not taking one for himself, he settled on Olivero's lap and accepted sips from him.

"Tomorrow, Connor, I will take you out to view one of the nearer poppy fields, and introduce you to a few of my mid-level men." Olivero set aside his empty glass and began to massage Manuel's neck absently. *It's like someone scratching his dog behind the ears while he talks,* Ethan thought. "Good enough." He looked over at Mulder. "Do ya want to come along, Danny?"

Mulder hesitated a moment, waiting to see of Montana would objecte. When he didn't, Fox said, "Run around in that baking heat? No, I don't think so. I'll find something to do around here." Manuel gave him a wide smile. "I wasn't talking about you, Manuel." He cocked his head, then looked at Ethan. "Though I don't know..."

Ethan shrugged. "I know how you hate to be bored, Danny. He seems like a nice enough playmate, as long as his daddy doesn't mind." His eyes grew cold when he looked at Manuel, and he gently touched the dark mark on Fox's wrist. "And he behaves himself."

Olivero's hand tightened on the back of Manuel's neck. "I promise that any mark he puts on your boy will be doubly applied to his own smooth hide."

Fox looked at Ethan, who nodded. Fox scooted toward Ethan, then patted the seat beside him. "Then fly to me, little one, and let us become better acquainted."

Olivero released Manuel, who scrambled down and came over to insinuate himself in the narrow space between Fox and the loveseat's arm. He must have found it a touch too narrow, because he promptly hung one leg over Fox's. Fox looked at Ethan. "Friendly little thing." He looked back at Manuel. "Relax. We have days and days."

"True, senor, but I do not wish to wait that long." He shifted quickly, and ended up straddling Mulder's legs, facing him.

"Oh, and it's fast, too."

Manuel lifted and moved forward, setting his knees on either side of Mulder's hips. When he lowered himself again, their crotches rested against each other. He began to rise and fall, a few inches at a time, rubbing himself against the older man. Fox gripped his waist to hold him steady, and leaned back comfortably, letting the young man do as he wished.

His voice tolerant, Ethan said, "You're lazy tonight, eh, Danny? Going to let the boyo do all the work?"

Fox gave him a languid look. "Far be it from me to stifle his energy."

Ethan tipped a look at Olivero. "Good to see the children playing together so nicely."

They watched as Manuel rode against Fox, posting like a child on his first pony ride. Fox began to lift to meet him, holding him so that he could move against him more firmly. "I ought to stop this," he murmured.

Ethan reached over and touched Fox's throat. "Danny, why on earth would you want to do that?"

"Because I'm kind of old to come in my pants, that's why."

"We can take care of that, senor." Manuel moved Fox's hands off his waist and knelt before him, pushing his knees apart. Fox looked at Ethan, who nodded. They all watched as Manuel unzipped his fly and reached inside.

Olivero quietly shifted his chair so that he had a clear view as Manuel eased Mulder's cock out into the open. He cradled the half-hard organ gently in his palms, and Ethan realized that he was displaying Fox for his master. Without a doubt, Manuel wanted this, but he was doing it at the direction of his lover.

*Just as well,* Ethan thought. *I'm not so sure I want Montana to get his hands on Fox.*

Manuel bent his head and blew a warm breath across Fox's cock head. The older man shivered, sighing quietly. He was giving every evidence of relaxed arousal, but inside he was tied in a knot. He'd had sex now and then with someone he didn't know all that well, but never with anyone he was sure was dangerous--never with someone he wouldn't have freely chosen.

As he felt the first moist swipe of Manuel's tongue, he thought, *The movies always fade out before it gets to this point. There's always some distraction before the main character gives up his or her body to the bad guy. They also don't hint that it could feel this good.*

Manuel kneaded the strong muscles of Daniel's thigh with one hand, holding his cock steady with the other, and licked delicately at the flushed glans. He teased the tear shaped slit with his tongue, dipping into it until he had coaxed the first clear droplets of pre-ejaculate fluid from it. Then he drew back again to give Olivero a clear view as the fluid oozed out to trickle down the side of the shaft.

Olivero massaged his crotch, his eyes fixed on the tableau. When his gaze met Ballard's he smiled and said, "Manuel is quite good at this, yes?"

"Pretty good so far, but it's called cock sucking for a reason."

"Manuel, Danny is impatient. Get on with it."

Manuel took the glans into his mouth and began to suck, stroking the shaft slowly. He loved performing this act almost as much as experiencing it. While the one giving head was considered to be the submissive partner, it gave Manuel a sense of power. He had his partner's most vulnerable part between his teeth. He could maim, or he could pleasure--it was his choice. Tonight he chose to pleasure, but there had been times... One of Olivero's enemies had thought he was being given a peace offering when Manuel went on his knees before him. A bullet to his brain had ended the man's life, but the medical examiner said that the wound to his genitals might have let him bleed to death, if he had lived long enough.

Manuel slowly sank down, swallowing Danny's cock, till he had his nose pressed to the American's groin. Mulder was impressed. His experience with Ethan had taught him that trick wasn't all that easy, and Manuel did it with no hesitation. The younger man repeated the process over and over, swirling his tongue against the underside of Daniel's prick, then fastened again on the head, flicking.

Olivero opened his pants and reached inside, beginning to stroke himself. Danny's head dropped back against the cushions, and he moaned quietly. The sounds of passion were always similar, but was there something familiar about that small, breathy sound? Something that he had been waiting to hear for almost twenty years?

Ethan moved even closer to Fox, slipping an arm around his neck. He reached down to touch the sleek head that bobbed in his lover's lap, and at the same time pulled Fox's head down on his shoulder and began kissing him.

*He allows him this play,* Olivero thought, *but at the same time reminds him who he belongs to. Yes, I do not blame you, Galbraith. If he were mine, I would want him to hold me in his mind every moment.*

*I'm getting all sorts of experience on this mission,* Fox thought. *For instance, I've never been kissed while someone was giving me head. It's nice.*

Ethan rubbed his lips against Mulder's and murmured, "Is it good, sweetheart? Can he do it better than I can?"

"It's good, Con, but just different, not better. You know that no one is better than you. I love you."

*That is the right answer, chico. When you belong to someone, no one is better than he is,* Olivero thought as his movements sped up. *Not even if they are better.*

Galbraith kissed Fox again, then smiled lazily at Montana. "Can ya see all right from there, Vero?"

His hand did not cease moving. "For now, Connor. For now."

In another few moments Fox arched his hips up, thrusting deep into Manuel's mouth again, and began to come. When he finally went still, finished, the young man slid his lips back up Mulder's prick, keeping a tight seal. He continued, easing off the head with his lips pursed, as if preparing to bestow a kiss. With a final pet to Mulder's thighs, Manuel stood and went back to Olivero.

As the younger man seated himself again on Montana's lap, Fox said drowsily, "Manuel, what ARE you doing? You look like Alvin the Chipmunk with your cheeks all plumped out like that."

"Please, Danny," Olivero said, "do not make him smile, or he will lose it."

"Lose...?" As Ethan and Fox watched, Manuel fitted his lips over Olivero's open mouth, and Olivero sucked the boy's tongue in, capturing the mouthful of still hot sperm that Manuel had conveyed to him. "Oh, my." Fox looked at Ethan. "You know, darling, sometimes I feel almost innocent."

Ethan pulled out a handkerchief and tenderly cleaned Mulder's still slick cock. "You are an innocent, Danny, m'love. You will be no matter how many you fuck. Give us a kiss."

"I've told you that he lies? Well, he's also mad." Fox kissed Ethan almost chastely. "We should go to bed now, if you have to get up at some godawful time of the morning."

"Things are relaxed here in the jungle, Danny," Olivero assured him. "You and Connor may sleep as late as you like." He had pushed Manuel off his lap, and now the young man was assuming the same position that he had with Mulder, moving in between his patrone's knees. Olivero's dick jutted stiffly through his open fly, and Manuel engulfed it in a quick swoop, beginning to suck briskly.

Ethan and Fox exchanged looks, then remained where they were, and watched. They had provided a show, and now de la Montana was returning the favor. It would be impolite to walk out. Olivero's eyes remained fastened on Mulder. He didn't bother to try to hide his interest as his lover worked him toward orgasm. When he came, he was staring at Fox's mouth.

Fox smiled at him and said, "And to think that some people play bridge for entertainment."

Ethan stood, pulling Fox to his feet. "Yeah, well, Danny, we haven't had much experience with foursomes, have we? Though I suppose there's always a time to learn. Good night."

He looped an arm possessively around Fox's waist and led him from the room. Olivero called quietly as theyexited, "Good night, Connor. Duncan."

As they started up the stairs he whispered. "Mr. Olivero was about to eat you with his eyes."

"Well, people do tend to stare when your fly is open, but you're right. I'd have expected him to be interested, but the man was intense. And something else. He got my name wrong again."

"Again?"

"Yes. He called me Duncan. That's the second time. The first was at the helicopter. He said I must have misheard him, but I didn't."

"Could be a simple mistake, like calling someone named Andy Randy."

"I don't think so, and neither do you."

"You're right. I'm going to contact our outside help tomorrow and have them look into Olivero's past a little more closely and see what they can come up with about anyone named Duncan. I don't know what it might mean, but I don't like it."

"Neither do I. He had a funny tone in his voice when he called me by that name."

"What kind?"

Mulder thought for a moment. "Possessive. Gloating. Just subtly creepy."

They'd made it up the stairs and were approaching the room. They knew that they would have to finish their talk quickly. The bugs in the room were not the most sophisticated, but they didn't want to risk saying anything incriminating if they could help it.

"I'll need to get the location of as many of his growing fields and processing labs as possible. Once we get out of here we can take them out in a way that looks like it's due to the organization's carelessness. Montana's been careful so far, and we'll need to ruin any credibility he might have, or ever have. We have to hurt him to the point where he needs help, and make sure no one trusts him enough to give him that help."

They entered their room and undressed quietly, then slipped into the large bed. Fox stroked Ethan's chest, whispering, "And what's your pleasure tonight, sir?"

"I want to hold ya, Danny."

He quirked an eyebrow. "That's all?"

"Danny, love, that's enough. I think young Manuel made ya a wee bit winded, and I'm content just to be with ya." He nuzzled Fox's neck. "We have plenty of time, love. All our lives."

"Do you mean that... Connor?"

Ethan recognized the pause before the name for the question that it was, and answered him gravely. "I do indeed... Danny."