Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 01:57:19 -0800 (PST) From: steve martin Subject: Unexpected Gift: ashley and joe undress Chapter 2 - Joe and Ashley Undress This is a story about television characters in the soap "Coronation Street", (copyright Granada TV), and is in no way a reflection on the characters, production company, actors playing these characters, or how people should conduct themselves in real life (hanky panky without a condom is just not good!!). This is a work of the writer's strange but true imagination, and should be treated as such. If you like what you have read, please let me know at shagmyass@yahoo.com, and tell me if you want to hear more from this series. This second story, like the first, is a build up, so you have been warned, there is no real action involved, but if you decide you like where this storyline might lead, let me know, or else I will just leave it and let it die a death!! A note to our American readers, you probably will not understand this story at all, as you don't receive the programme featured on your screens, or if you do, it is likely a little behind our own episodes. Apologies for this, but we readers from the United Kingdom often have to put up with this problem in reverse, so just for once, let us have the upper hand!! I hope you all enjoy this, it is a little different from other stories you have read, I hope, and is different from stories I have submitted before (see "Adam seduces Summer bay" series to see what I mean). PS If the series goes ahead, it will be titled "Coronation Meat" so you will know what to look out for!! Joe woke up with a start. He had just had a nightmare, of driving a car into water, and being pulled out and then to shore by Ashley, of Ashley bending over him, asking was he alright. Only when he woke up did he realize that, although a dream, he remembered how he ended up in the canal. What he couldn't remember was why?? Looking at the clock, he saw it was only 6.30 a.m. Knowing he wouldn't sleep (in fact was scared to), he got up, showered and dressed. He passed the time until Ashley came home by having some breakfast, washing the dishes and watching T.V. Ashley arrived in at 9.30 a.m., throwing his jacket onto a hook on the wall. "'Iyer." He said to Joe, collapsing onto a chair. "I am shattered." "Busy?" Joe asked, sitting down himself, turning off the T.V. "Flat out." Ashley replied, smiling as he thought to himself how the real meaning of that phrase applied to him, lying next to his wife Maxine all night. "Well, you go onto bed, and I'll be quiet out here, and maybe I'll go for a walk later." Joe suggested. Now, Ashley wasn't worried about Joe going for a walk, they were on the other side of Manchester from Weatherfield after all. But he wanted to see Joe undressed, and, even better, be in bed beside him. "Aren' yer goin' ter join me?" Ashley asked, disappointed. "Yer usually do." "Do I?" Joe asked, uncertain. "I'm not sure, it feels a bit awkward.." "Look, don' worry." Ashley reassured him. "I know yer nervous, but we won' do anything until you make first move. Now, do yer wanner join me, see how it goes?" Joe sat there torn. He was Ashley's lover, Ashley told him himself two nights ago, and they had this flat together. But he didn't feel comfortable yet getting into bed with him. On the other hand, it was going to have to happen sooner or later, and perhaps the sooner he did it, the sooner the awkwardness would go. "Okay." He said finally, and getting up, he walked into the bedroom. Ashley couldn't believe his luck. Here was Joe, possibly the sexiest man Ashley knew, undressing to get into bed with him!! Ashley nearly broke his neck in his eagerness to join Joe. When he got to the bedroom, he just stood and stared at Joe undressing in front of him. "Shit." He thought to himself. "I've got this man all to myself." Joe's body was athletically slim, but muscular, with a perfect six-pack sitting above tight black underwear. Ashley came out of his trance, and quickly stripped down to his white boxer briefs. Now Ashley, though shorter than Joe, was a lot more muscular, with two slabs of muscle for pecs, and six bricks of pure hard flesh for a stomach. Joe turned round to face Ashley, and looked at him. "He's fit." He thought to himself. "I can see why I liked, no, like him, nice personality, great body, what more could you ask for?" But still Joe felt there was something missing, some spark that connected the two of them. He pulled back the covers and got into bed, pulling the covers over him up to his neck. Ashley got in the other side, and pulled the covers up until they rested halfway up his chest. Both lay on their backs, staring at the ceiling, clearly nervous, for their own reasons. "Well, sleep well." Joe said, and, giving Ashley the briefest kiss on the cheek, turned his back to him. "Will do." Ashley replied, turning in the opposite direction. His bum touched Joe's, but neither of them pulled away. Joe, at first tense, gradually relaxed, and having woken up so early, actually dropped off to sleep. When Ashley heard his breathing slow and eventually become a steady rhythm, he slowly turned to face Joe's back, and lay there, watching him sleep, hardly able to believe he had pulled off this scam. They were lying there a good hour when Joe started moaning, and getting distressed. Ashley realised he was having a nightmare. He let Joe go on for a moment, to see if he would come out of it himself, but when he saw there was no chance of that, he gently shook him by the shoulder to wake him. "Joe wake up." He said. "It's me, Joe, Ashley." He repeated this a few times before Joe finally roused. "What's going on?" Joe asked. "You were 'aving nightmare, that's what's goin' on." Ashley replied. "I was dreaming about the crash." Joe said, rolling onto his back, with Ashley now leaning slightly over him, propped up on one elbow. "It's scary, thinking what nearly happened." "You're tellin' me." Ashley replied. "I thought I'd lost yer." "If it weren't for you, I'd be dead now Ashley." Joe said simply, looking into Ashley's face. "Don' talk like tha'." Ashley scolded gently, putting a finger lightly to Joe's lips. "You're safe, that's main thing." And tenderly leaning over, he kissed Joe softly on the lips. It felt good to Ashley, those warm lips and the brush of stubble against his own chin. To Joe, a stir of emotions erupted. Gratitude towards Ashley, fear of the unknown, but stronger than these was a feeling he couldn't identify, all he knew was it felt good. When Ashley came up again, Joe just stared into his face, into those eyes, brimming over with compassion. "I am so lucky to have this man." Joe thought to himself.