Cheap Gas

Fiction by Daniel Bradford

Back when thirty bucks could still buy a tank of gas, I was driving on a narrow mountain highway and praying that a gas station would soon appear. The red fuel indicator light had been illuminated for quite some time and the last gas station I passed looked to have been closed for at least ten years. The situation was more than a bit nerve-wracking but I was trying not to beat myself up as I was headed home from a blissful week of doing nothing. I was, or had been beyond mellow when the fucking light first appeared. Without knowing who or what I thought I might be bargaining with, I had reached a $5/gallon bargain plea, when a gas station appeared a couple of miles further down the road. I pulled up to the pumps being careful to be on the correct side. The engine stalled and without power to the brakes I almost overshot the pump. I shifted into park and turned off the engine, while exhaling a grateful thank you to the cosmos. That is sooooo not my style.

Perhaps I should explain. I'm a fairly responsible guy: I worked hard enough in high school to garner a partial scholarship for college; I studied hard and worked part time to help pay my way, which landed me in the real world with a smallish student loan to repay and a decent job after the fact. Surprisingly, I learned more in my first two years out of school than the four for which I'd paid tuition, but I guess it's all good when you get what you want. After two years of hard work I got an offer from another company, so of course I packed my meager belongings into my piece of shit car and moved several hundred miles in pursuit of a better paycheck.

I liked, really liked my new job! The people were cool, the work was engaging and the town offered a gay scene that was several steps above the non-existent one in the town I had left behind. I had even managed to upgrade to a much nicer used car. Maybe I was naive, but I thought I was golden until everything changed at work. Depending on who you talked to or who you believed, the company was in the midst of a hostile takeover, a merger or a corporate shakedown; we were just responding to prevailing economic trends, a.k.a. downsizing, or restructuring from the bottom up. The only thing I knew definitively was that pink slips were floating around like ticker tape at a parade.

When the situation finally settled, I still had a job and had actually received a payless promotion, which is to say I had a new job description with more responsibilities but without the commensurate hike in pay. Suddenly I was in charge of a small group of employees, many of whom were older than me. I quickly realized that a couple of them were way more qualified for the job than I was but I wasn't about to let on. So out of necessity I worked my ass off! It wasn't like I was the total stud and had guys standing in line to be with me, but I did have to cancel a few dates because of work. I worked long hours during the week and put in at least half a day on the weekend or company holidays. My only exception was December 25^th and January 1^st! And that was only due to some knee jerk remembrance of holidays past! Oh, and because I hooked up with a really hot guy at a New year's Eve party and was too exhausted when January first rolled around.

Six months into it I was rewarded with major praise from my department head and a very modest pay raise. Three months after that I decided to take my one week of paid vacation; I was exhausted!

I rented a cabin and invited a friend who was occasionally a sex buddy; nothing serious between us but we always had fun. Steve cancelled just days before we were to leave, but I was not dissuaded and packed jeans, shorts and tees into a bag; filled another with bottled water, fresh fruit, veggies, trail mix and some of my favorite coffee; I iced a couple of steaks and some salmon in a cooler and tossed in a couple bottles of wine. I took my phone but turned it off before I left my house.

The cabin was modest but it had a small, furnished kitchen, a full bathroom and a fireplace with firewood! It wasn't the kind of place you'd go for spa treatments and massage but it wasn't like I'd have to chop my own firewood or shit behind a tree. It was sort of like a Gen X version of Walden Pond I guess, though housekeeping service was provided! When I signed in I opted out of the housekeeping. (I was flying solo and didn't want to have to bother with being out of bed or clothed, for that matter, when the housekeeper might arrive.)

Being early in the season, I only noticed activity at one of the nearby cabins and it turned out to be occupied by a couple of grad students, who like me, were exhausted. Dale and Sarah were totally cool and we spent part of a couple afternoons together; their mutt Sheba and I bonded like long lost friends. Mostly I did NOTHING! Usually I had my ears entertained with my iPod as I lounged or went for leisurely hikes; I'd pull out the buds when I wanted to read or nap. The lake water was still chilly but I went for a swim at least every other day. After my morning coffee, I'd survive primarily on fruit and trail mix until it was time for dinner, when I'd light a fire, open a bottle of wine and cook an entire meal over hot coals. Most evenings I'd also start a fire in the fireplace, as in the mountains, it was much cooler that it would have been back home.

Needless to say, I was totally blissed out when Saturday eventually rolled around, and since I had a one o'clock check out time I was fairly casual and relaxed as I prepared to depart. Sheba didn't seem to mind that I was only wearing boxers when she arrived at my door; I scratched her behind her ears before I tossed a bone from last night's steak into the yard where she descended upon it like a junkie. I smiled at her remembering how much I had enjoyed the grilled steak the previous evening. Apparently, I had planned well, as there was only a bit of trail mix and a couple of apples remaining for my return trip. After a shower, I dressed and somewhat reluctantly locked the door. I dropped my bottles and cans into the recycling bin before signing out at reception and headed towards home.

I was so relaxed until that fuckin' red light came on. I cursed myself for not paying better attention but had to smile when I noticed the going rate was several cents cheaper that what I typically paid at home. Stepping out of the car, the first thing I noticed was how beautiful the area was; I'd been so busy fretting over an empty gas tank that I'd pretty much ignored the landscape. I also noticed that my bladder was aching for release; my anxiety and morning coffee had apparently been conspiring against me, though I'd seemingly ignored that need as well. Finally I noticed someone approaching from the station at about the same time I noticed the Please play before you pump sign affixed to the pump. (I hadn't yet noticed that there wasn't a credit card slot on the pump.)

My first impression was that the guy was drowsy or dumb, but figured he was probably bored! He was wearing a pale blue, oversized uniform shirt with the tails hanging out over baggy jeans. The sandy blonde hair on his head seemed to head in every possible, the kind of hair that defies you to comb it but the sides were cut short which suggested maybe he played sports. As he approached his face broke into an inviting smile. "Good morning!" he enthusiastically greeted. "Well, I think it's still morning..." he said more quietly though the smile remained. I didn't correct him but smiled back. "Cash or credit?" he asked as he finally stepped beside me. Up close I guessed him to be 20 or 21, so five or six years younger than myself and decided he was actually sorta cute, as I handed him a credit card in response to his inquiry.

He slipped my card into his shirt pocket and proceeded to wash the windshield; I just stared at him, as I hadn't seen a service station attendant wash a window since I rode in the back seat of my parents' car! He finished in less than 45 seconds and turned to me. "It's okay to pump your gas," he said with another smile and headed back into the station. That time I really noticed his smile.

After the first five gallons my bladder forced me to abandon my car and find the restroom. I entered the station and felt like I was in some kind of time warp. The place wasn't dirty though is was a bit messy; there were boxes of car parts and materials stacked on older versions of the same thing. There was a Coke dispenser, which had to date back to possibly before my parents were born: it was a bulbous horizontal thing, like a 50s Buick and had a bottle opener and cap catcher mounted on the front; I also noticed several pin ups with girls that actually looked cute rather that their blatantly sexual contemporary counterparts. Everything had a patina of dust and age with a bit of grease. It felt homey but my need pressed me to ask. "Where's the head?"

The kid looked up from the steel tank desk, smiled and pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "There's the closest one. You're welcome to use it."

I nodded and entered, closing the dark green door behind me. Like the office it was clean yet had the patina a years of use by greasy mechanics; I couldn't have cared less. I needed to piss in a major way. The seat was already raised and I unzipped and pulled out my slightly swollen cock but after holding it in for so long, it took me awhile to let go; what started as a tiny dribble gave way to a thunderous stream as my piss droned into the bowl. I sighed as my bladder continued to produce prodigious amounts. When I felt certain there was no more, I shook my cock, replaced it, zipped up and washed my hands.

"Hey, can you help a buddy out?" I heard as I exited the small restroom. The gas jockey was sitting in the desk chair with his pants open and his dick hard. I had to smile at his presentation; it was like a display at a jewelry store: the lower portion of his shirt was unbuttoned and pulled back to create an inverted vee, exposing his cock and pubes, while his open fly completed the diamond started by his shirt tails; his plaid boxers were tucked under his balls, keeping them on display. He wasn't hung like a porn star but everything he had on display looked fantastic, including the small drop of ooze on the tip of his cock.

Knowing full well what he was after, I decided to tease a bit. "So what do you want from me?"

"Well, usually a wet pussy, a tight ass or a hot mouth makes the swelling go down," he said with a nervous smile.

I'm not sure why, because I knew I was going to suck his cock, but I just stood there like I wasn't interested. The kid got a bit nervous like maybe he'd asked the wrong guy, but after a week of solitude I couldn't hold off. I dropped to my knees and grabbed his stiff rod; we both groaned. I yanked his jeans and boxers to his knees before I leaned in to lick, kiss and then swallow his perfect dick. His lowered jeans revealed muscled thighs and I occasionally licked and kissed them or his balls in order to prolong our session. I was thinking how perfectly his cock fit my mouth and how it might feel in my ass, when his hips began to lift off the chair and I realized that I hadn't been as successful as I had hoped at keeping his orgasm at bay. So I went into full motion sucking his cock, stroking his chest, pulling on his balls and occasionally teasing his butt hole. He was grunting, cursing and humping my face as he started to unload a serious amount of cum. I didn't pull off until I had swallowed every drop and felt certain that his dick was clean. Even then, as I pulled away his dick was still half hard.

Apparently tweaking his nipples had encouraged him to undo the remaining shirt buttons as his smooth, lightly muscled chest was revealed when I finally stood. He was still breathing heavily as his eyes opened half way. "Dude..." he exhaled, still overcome with lustful exhaustion. His eyes fluttered open and his hand reached out to fondle my crotch, where my own hard on was obvious. "Dude, it you fuck half as good as you suck, I want that in my ass."

I would have been satisfied with a blowjob in return, until he made the offer to fuck. "Well let me see what you have to offer," I said, completely as a tease. He stood, and though hobbled by his pants managed to turn to expose the most gorgeous male ass I had ever seen. I thought he was just showing off as he bent at the waist until I realized he was fishing lube and condoms out of a pants pocket. I however, did not waste the opportunity and grabbed a handful of butt in each hand. It was pale, virtually hairless and soft to the touch with hard muscle just below the surface. I settled into the chair he had recently vacated and proceeded to knead, caress, squeeze, kiss and gently bite his twin, near-perfect mounds; we seemingly groaned and moaned in unison. Maybe 15 minutes later I stopped long enough to notice that he was still holding lube and a condom in his hand. I applied the lube to his hole and started to work his ass, occasionally tweaking a nib or licking the back of his neck. Eventually I suited up and worked my hard cock into his incredibly tight hole. The condom and lube convinced me he had done this before but he was tighter than any ass I'd known. Occasionally I'd pull out and just rub my sheathed dick up and down his ass crack to keep me from coming too soon; I also sort of wanted to memorize how my cock and his ass looked together: they were like the perfect match, though I didn't imagine they'd ever be together again.

After several repeats of hot fucking followed by my cool down, he turned his head toward me. "C'mon buddy. All the way this time," he encouraged me by pushing his ass back towards me. I responded by burying myself balls deep, which produced the sound of slapping flesh echoed by our simultaneous groans. I picked up the pace until I was pistoning in and out of his tight hole. I thought to reach around and tweak his cock but I was too busy holding onto his bucking hips. I guess he didn't need my help as he started to shoot on the floor, which in turn caused his ass to clamp down even harder on my fuckstick, pushing me over the edge. I leaned onto his sweaty back as my balls drained themselves. I managed to nibble his ear and kiss his neck before I fell back into the desk chair. My eyes were closed as I gasped for breath.

When I finally opened my eyes, that gorgeous ass was staring me in the face until he turned around; he had a silly grin on his face and his cock was half hard. He carefully removed the rubber from my softening cock before inhaling it and licking it clean. It might have been perfect except I was a bit sensitive at that point and had to push him away.

"Dude, you're amazing but my dick isn't accustomed to so much attention; you have to stop. But it looks like you're ready for more," I said noticing that his cock was nearly hard, again. He just gave me a silly grin as I moved the desk chair closer and had him lean against the desk. I decided to spoil him if I could just because he was cute, sweet and hot.

Somehow he managed to wiggle out of his shoes and then stepped out of his jeans; naked except for his white socks he looked even hotter. I placed one of his feet on the chair seat beside me to expose his ass and eventually he leaned back on his elbows, while I licked rubbed and nibbled on almost every portion of exposed skin. Not surprisingly his nipples were very sensitive, so I didn't stay there too long at any one time, but I hadn't expected a similar response to my tongue in his navel. When I eventually acquiesced to several ragged requests to let him blow, I got my mouth busy on his cock, and while one hand teased his balls the other finger fucked his tight hole. His third orgasm didn't produce as much spunk but it was at least as intense as the previous ones. He collapsed on the desk with his head and legs hanging over the sides. He was no virgin, but he looked like the perfect sacrifice of some ancient ritual. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, which accentuated the light sheen of perspiration on his smooth torso. My own cock was hard but I pulled up my boxers and jeans before he could notice. I figured I'd already out-witted fate today and had possibly used up all my karmic brownie points for the month at the very least; plus, I still had to get home.

When the kid opened his eyes, we shared a smile and I held out a hand to help him up. Being half dressed told him that we were done for the day, but we both stared at the other for a long moment before he began to pull on his pants. He looked a bit sad as he fastened the waistband. "Why aren't there any guys like you anywhere around here?"

"Well, maybe one of these days you'll have to move to some place where there are more guys like you and me, though I'd guess there aren't many guys like you, anywhere." He gave me sort of a blank look. "I'm serious, you're something special." And with that I kissed him gently on the cheek.

He blushed and smiled and stared and smiled again before he picked up my credit card receipt and tore it into small pieces and dropped it into the same trash can as the used condom. He wore a shy smile as he handed me back my card. "Thanks R.C.," he said reading the name on my card.

"My name's Richard but most people call me Rick; I prefer it that way."

"I'm Nolan."

"But didn't your shirt say Tom?" I asked even though we were both still shirtless.

"Tom's my big brother; it's Tom's shirt. He recently took over the business from our uncle but he and his wife just had a baby so he's trying to spend more time at home...I'm just sort of helping out."

Suddenly I wanted to take him home with me: he wasn't just a hot fuck but he was a really decent guy. Instead, I pulled out 30 bucks as I returned the card to my wallet and placed it on the desk. "If you won't take my card, at least take this. You probably don't want the cash drawer to be off too much right?"

"Yeah, thanks," he said. We were just staring at each other when the service bell rang, announcing a new customer.

He made to move towards the pumps but I reached out and tweaked a nipple. "Maybe you should put your shirt on. It'll help cover this," I said as I grabbed his half hard cock one last time.

"Yeah, thanks," he said, repeating himself before grabbing the shirt from the chair.

At the door I deeply inhaled the fresh air while observing a minivan expel two adults, two kids and a dog. I turned to find my friend staring at me. I walked inside far enough that I figured the newcomers couldn't see and pulled him into a hug. "Thanks for saving my ass today, but mostly for making this the most perfect vacation ever!" Then I kissed him on the lips and walked to my car. I caught his eye as he approached his newest customers and gave him a wink. The car started without a hitch and I cranked up the radio as I pulled back onto the highway. I planned to jump in the pool when I got home and relax all day Sunday so that by Monday morning I'd be ready for anything at the office.