ROMANTIC THEIVES

  CONNOR WHITELEY

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  Copyright © 2023 CONNOR WHITELEY

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  DEDICATION

  Thank you to all my readers without you I couldn’t do what I love.

  Table of Contents

  Copyright Page

  ROMANTIC THEIVES

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  ROMANTIC THEIVES

  The only idea Art Thief Steve Barker could come up with to get back at his homophobic father was to rob him, steal his favourite piece of art and then burn it. Steve didn’t exactly know where the idea had come from but he really, really liked it so that’s exactly what he was going to do.

  Steve crouched down on the cold white marble floor of his father’s massive gallery with ten large pillars of polish black marble lining the walls that were filled with so much art that Steve couldn’t tell what the colour of the walls actually were these days.

  It had been years since Steve had spoken to his father, mother or the rest of the family. They could have decorated the gallery a thousand times without Steve ever knowing and it wasn’t like any of his family tried to talk to him too, because at the end of the day, he was nothing more than a little sissy fairy boy.

  The art gallery itself had hundreds of portraits and landscape paintings of countrysides, towns and famous cities and they glowed dimly in the moonlight that came into the gallery through the massive glass roof overhead. There wasn’t an access point on the roof thankfully so Steve didn’t need to worry about climbing down like he had originally thought and since his family never changed the passwords Steve simply walked through the front door.

  Avoiding the cameras of course.

  The only major difference in all the years since Steve had left was there was so many fascinating and beautiful sculptures and artefacts in glass cabinets in rows. There were little lights inside each cabinet and that only made each artefact seem even more beautiful and stunning.

  The glass cabinet that Steve was crouching next to was of an absolutely stunning pair of golden sapphire earrings from mainland Europe hundreds of years ago. They were stunning and very well protected.

  And Steve really didn’t want to grab something that he didn’t need because that only increased the risk of getting caught, something he had almost learnt the hard way as an art thief over the years.

  The entire gallery was engulfed in darkness with only the small lights from the glass cabinets and the bright moonlight providing any light whatsoever, so Steve was going to have to be extremely careful but after stealing for so long it was just second nature to him.

  The entire art gallery smelt of harsh cleaning chemicals with the absolutely brilliant aromas of orange, cranberry and lemons filling the air. It was such an outrageously good combination that Steve loved it, and it left the taste of Christmas cake on his tongue.

  The art gallery was silent so Steve poked his head up and he just smiled at the treasure that he wanted to steal more than anything else in the entire world. He wanted to steal the portrait of him and his two brothers that his father still loved for some reason.

  But something was wrong with the painting as it sat there right in the middle of the gallery on a little painting easel.

  Steve always remembered how damn hot the day was when the painting was done, and Steve had been on the outside with his two brothers to his left. Now the painting that Steve had heard his father constantly talk about and show it off to visitors was missing him. His father had actually cut the painting to cut Steve literally out of it.

  That was outrageous.

  And now Steve was even more determined to steal the damn painting. All Steve had heard from his father before he had run away was how wonderful his two brothers were because they were straight, had wives and were going to produce the most perfect offspring imaginable.

  Steve had already hacked into the security company that his father used for the art gallery and found out there was very little security in the entire gallery. The only pieces of security were in the glass cabinets, roof and walls themselves.

  Steve stood up and silently started walking over to the painting.

  “Hello?” an elderly man said in the distance.

  Someone grabbed Steve’s ankles.

  Pulling him to the ground. Dragging him behind a glass cabinet and slamming a hand over his mouth.

  Steve just looked at the utterly gorgeous man who had tackled him. Steve had never seen a more beautiful man in his entire life. He had broad strong manly shoulders, a very cute smile and a short blond beard.

  He was extremely hot and sexy and stunningly beautiful.

  But why on earth was he here?

  ***

  Art Thief Joey Grace seriously hated when he tripped a security alarm as he was breaking into the estate. Damn those security people and their dodgy records and damn himself for not expecting it.

  Joey currently laid on top of a downright sexy twink of a man that was beyond gorgeous. He was so damn hot with his long brown hair, tight black jeans and black t-shirt. He was so cute and he was so warm.

  Granted Joey could have sworn he felt something long and hard almost stabbing him but he was even more surprised at how professional this man was. He wasn’t struggling, making a sound or anything which was brilliant considering there was a security man coming into the art gallery as they were hiding behind a glass cabinet.

  It was only a matter of time before the security man found them so there wasn’t a lot of time to get the ancient Greek earrings that he needed and escape and hopefully this hottie would help.

  Joey wasn’t exactly sure if this hottie was friend or foe for now but he didn’t have a lot of options if he didn’t want to go to jail. And he just wanted to escape the disgusting aromas of cranberry, oranges and lemons, it was a foul combination.

  In fact this entire damn art gallery was rather foul in a way because Joey always stalked his targets for a while before he robbed them and it was disgusting how the family spoke about a man called Steve. It seemed that the two brothers wanted to get in contact with him to make up for their parents’ mistakes but the parents threatened to cut them off if they dared do that.

  This entire family seemed absolutely pathetic.

  But what they lacked in parenting skills they definitely more than made up for with their art tastes.

  Joey slowly took his hand away from the hottie’s mouth. “Art Thief Joey. After ancient Greek earrings,”

  The hottie smiled. “Steve. After revenge on my father. After painting on the easel,”

  “Hello? Anyone in here?” an elderly man said.

  Joey watched sexy Steve silently crouch like he was a gymnast, a very hot one at that, and they both carefully watched an elderly man walk into the art gallery.

  Joey was surprised the man wasn’t tall, but he was carrying a Glock-17 pistol, wearing black shoes and a green bulletproof vest. He was serious.

  “We need to deal with him,” Joey said almost silently.

  “Bigger problems. My father always told his people to get help. There’s probably another ten security guards en-route,”

  Damn it. Joey really liked this hottie so close to him but he had to focus on the mission and the job.

  “We need to knock him out,” Joey said.

  “I hear you!” the elderly man said.

  Joey felt Steve lean over him and it felt great to have his body so close to him.

  A bullet screamed through the air.

  A glass cabinet on the opposite side of the gallery shattered.

  A deafening alarm went over.

  “Got you?” the man said on the other side of the gallery.

  Joey couldn’t believe how silly this security man was but he was still a man with a gun. A gun that could and would kill them both.

  “Make a distraction,” Steve said.

  Joey was about to protest when Steve silently ran off and pure excitement filled with Joey because Steve was clearly a very crazy, fun and clever man to be around.

  And his amazing body didn’t hurt either.

  ***

  Steve was so excited as he silently ran to the other side of the art gallery, past glass cabinets filled with ancient treasures and the aromas of orange were growing even stronger now. The entire art gallery was silent except for the heavy footsteps of the elderly male security guard as he tried to hunt them down but he was certainly a bad guard.

  Steve supposed that sexy Joey, who was insanely hot, had tripped an alarm or something that was definitely the sign of an amateur thief but he was hot so that sort of made up for it.

  Steve’s biggest problem and the thing he couldn’t believe was that the stupid security guard was actually interested in shooting them. Steve knew for a fact that his father hated guns, shooting and death so it was strange that a security guard would be interested in shooting them and not tasering them.< br />
  Unless this wasn’t a security guard.

  Steve just couldn’t believe it had taken him so long to realise this was another thief. A very armed and dangerous thief.

  “Where are you two?” the armed thief asked.

  Steve now couldn’t understand how the man knew there was two of them. He silently crouched behind a glass cabinet as he noticed sexy Joey was standing up.

  Joey went out into the middle of the art gallery and clapped his hands that echoed off the walls and Steve watched the armed thief walk up to Joey.

  Thankfully the armed thief stood with his back to Steve so it would only take one single jump to hopefully take down the bad guy.

  The armed thief pressed the gun against Joey’s head.

  “I need you to help me,” the armed thief said.

  “If you want help then why do you have a gun to my head?”

  “Oh,” the armed thief said putting the gun away. “Sorry about that I didn’t know if you were a security guard or not,”

  Steve really couldn’t understand this now. Was this a play to make him come out of hiding?

  “I need you to tell me where the father’s favourite painting is? I’m the artist you see and I want it back,”

  Steve stood up and went right in front of the so-called artist and Steve really looked at him.

  The so-called artist was certainly older, fatter but he always did have a slight American accent and a very slight interest in guns. And there was something about the nose that reminded Steve of the artist.

  “Steve?” the artist asked. “What are you doing here your father will kill you if he finds you here?”

  Steve just nodded because this was definitely the artist. The only person who seemed to see Steve as something more than his sexuality.

  “It’s over there on the easel and I’m here to steal it to punish my father.” Steve said.

  “Oh,” the artist said taking out his gun and aiming it at the painting.

  “Wait,” Steve said going over to the easel and picking up the painting, surprised by its warm and rough texture.

  It was almost strange looking at a perfect painting of his two brothers again after not seeing them for so long.

  Steve threw it on the ground and stomped on it. Harder and harder until it was completely destroyed and broken.

  The artist laughed. “Well I was going to do the same thing so no hard feelings and I just wanted revenge for your father firing me as his personal artist,”

  Steve nodded and then looked at Joey. “What were you after?”

  Joey smiled as he went over to the glass cabinet towards the back of the art gallery, and Steve really enjoyed watching his ass from behind as he walked, and he smashed the glass taking out two very small and ancient earrings.

  Then he smashed the one next to them but Steve couldn’t see what he was stealing out of it.

  “Oh,” the artist said. “Before we all go, your brothers wanted me to tell you they want to talk with you. Their phone numbers are the same,”

  Steve just nodded because he really wasn’t sure about that but it would be great to finally have some family again after everything that had happened in recent years.

  Then Steve focused on Joey as he came over to Steve and smiled. Steve’s legs were weak and he was so desperate to kiss and taste Joey’s big, soft beautiful lips.

  The sound of police sirens in the distance echoed around the estate.

  “Well then,” the artist said. “Good day,”

  Then he simply walked away and Steve grabbed Joey’s hands and they both ran away together with both their missions done.

  ***

  A few days later, Steve sat on a wonderfully warm wooden bench in the middle of a large abandoned park with thick green grass stretching out for tens of metres in all directions, the sound of ducks splashing in the large pond twenty metres away and the smell of nature filled the air.

  It was such a beautiful day with the cloudless sky above Steve, and it had been great getting to see and caught up with his brothers again and hear how married life was treating them. There were clearly massive issues to overcome from the past but Steve was excited for the future because he might actually have a family again.

  A few moments later the beautiful smell of sexy spiced aftershave filled the air and a strong manly arm wrapped round Steve as Joey sat down next to him. Steve seriously loved the feeling of Joey’s firm, hard, warm body against him and Steve kissed Joey’s large and wonderful lips.

  Since they had escaped into the night together after the theft, they had walked around for hours talking, exploring each other’s bodies and really getting to know each other. Steve was surprised that Joey wasn’t as much of an amateur as he feared him to be, he had a delightful sense of humour and every moment with Joey just felt so preciously wonderful that Steve never ever wanted their time together to end.

  Steve was even starting to think he was falling in love with Joey, but as his dick of a father used to say, when someone meets the right person they just know, and sadly his father might be right.

  Joey was stunning.

  Steve quickly caught up with his Joey and told him how great it was seeing his brothers again and seeing pictures of his nieces and nephews and kissed Steve again before Joey took Steve’s hands in his.

  “I got a present for you,” Joey said.

  Steve couldn’t believe that they had only been going out for a few days and normally he didn’t even start to think about buying presents until the two months mark, normally later.

  Joey took out a very expensive and modern golden necklace with three small diamonds on it and Joey put it on Steve.

  He felt so beautiful, stunning and gorgeous that it was a strange feeling to have because he had never been allowed to look like this, act like this and do something even remotely feminine that Steve was really surprised that he liked the necklace so much.

  “I took it from the cabinet the other night. I thought it would look perfect on you, and you look even more stunning than normal,” Joey said.

  Steve just kissed beautiful Joey again because he knew that they would go on jobs together, teach each other how to become better art thieves and they would do a lot of loving in-between jobs. Steve just felt so excited to be with Joey that he wouldn’t be surprised if they fell in love in the future and hopefully did a lot more together.

  But whatever the future was going to bring, Steve and Joey were going to enjoy every single precious moment they had together and that was exactly how Steve liked it.

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  About the author:

  Connor Whiteley is the author of over 60 books in the sci-fi fantasy, nonfiction psychology and books for writer’s genre and he is a Human Branding Speaker and Consultant.

  He is a passionate warhammer 40,000 reader, psychology student and author.

  Who narrates his own audiobooks and he hosts The Psychology World Podcast.

  All whilst studying Psychology at the University of Kent, England.

  Also, he was a former Explorer Scout where he gave a speech to the Maltese President in August 2018 and he attended Prince Charles’ 70th Birthday Party at Buckingham Palace in May 2018.

  Plus, he is a self-confessed coffee lover!

  OTHER SHORT STORIES BY CONNOR WHITELEY

  Mystery Short Stories:

  Protecting The Woman She Hated

  Finding A Royal Friend

  Our Woman In Paris

  Corrupt Driving

  A Prime Assassination

  Jubilee Thief

  Jubilee, Terror, Celebrations

  Negative Jubilation

  Ghostly Jubilation

  Killing For Womenkind

  A Snowy Death

  Miracle Of Death

  A Spy In Rome

  The 12:30 To St Pancreas

 

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