Sunday evening, I spent a good bit of time moving my purchases from the truck into the house. Once I got things inside, I decided to leave the pile near the door to the stairs so that I could stop and fix some dinner. My phone chirped before I was able to get started.
`Free?'
`Sure, come over'
Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang, I opened it, and Luke collapsed into my arms. He hung onto me as the tears flowed from his eyes, soaking my shirt. I wrapped my arms around him and I held him close as he sobbed. Based on the songs I could hear playing on the stereo in the den, I knew we stood there for at least five minutes.
Once he'd composed himself, we walked into the den. I sat there quietly with my arm around his shoulder, knowing that he needed to discuss whatever had him so distraught on his own terms. I had an idea of what was to come.
"My dad has cancer... BAD!"
"What type of cancer?"
"Pancreatic," he said, and sobbed again.
"How advanced is it?"
"The doctor said something about stage three. My mom started crying, so I never got an explanation."
I debated if I really wanted to be the one that gave him the news. I decided he needed to know. "Stage zero is what they call it when the cancer is only in the organ. Stage one is when it's localized around the organ. Stages two and three are when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The worst is stage four, when it's spread throughout the entire body."
Instead of speaking, he buried his head in my shoulder and sobbed. "Is there any chance?"
"Of course, there's always a chance. Well, from what I understand, there's always a chance before stage four. Typically, at that point, there isn't a lot of hope or time."
"Huh?"
"My mom was diagnosed with stage-four cancer when I was twenty-five and died just before I turned twenty-six," I explained.
"Oh, shit." With that, he started crying again. I couldn't decide if he was crying about my losses, his issues or both.
"What was the doctor's prognosis?"
"Dad's going to have chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and then may need radiation."
I hugged Luke a bit more tightly. "Then they think there is a chance to shrink the tumors and slow the growth, maybe even remission."
His face brightened up a little at that.
"How's your mom doing?" I asked.
"She's being... I don't know. She's not showing a lot of emotion in front of Dad or my younger brothers. But when it was just her and me, she cried a lot."
"I remember talking a bit about your brothers, but don't remember their ages."
"Peter's twenty-four, John's sixteen, Mark's fifteen, Matthew's thirteen."
"Not quite reverse order," I said with a quiet chuckle.
"Yeah, my folks get that a lot. Dad has always said that there wasn't a plan when I was born, or later when John was born. It was when Mom had Mark that they decided to finish up the list."
"Where's Peter?"
"He's got a job out in Oregon, so it'll be really hard for him to come home much."
His stomach took that moment to growl.
"I was starting to fix dinner when you arrived. Let's fix something and eat."
We got up from the couch and Luke followed me into the kitchen. I hit the oven start button as I passed it.
"Cut four thick slices from this," I said to Luke, handing him a loaf of bread.
I grabbed a container of meatballs in sauce that I'd made during the week and put a good portion into a bowl. I pulled a small pizza screen out of the cabinet and had Luke put the bread on it. I sliced some mozzarella and covered the bread.
"Ok, put that in the oven while I get the meatballs going."
With the bread toasting and the cheese melting, I put the bowl into the microwave and nuked it till the sauce was bubbling. I pulled the screen out of the oven, put the meatballs on and plated our sandwiches.
"I have potato salad and coleslaw if you want."
"I'm good."
We ate quietly. Luke helped me clean up the kitchen and followed me back into the den.
"TV?"
"Sure."
I flopped down on the sectional, and Luke curled up next to me. I cycled through the channels and found Bob's Burgers. We sat lay there watching the animated shows on Fox for a while. The Simpson's were ending when I realized Luke was asleep. I watched another couple shows with him snuggled up to me. Finally, I needed to head to bed.
I said quietly, "Hey, sleepyhead."
"Mmmph," he mumbled.
"I need to head to bed."
"Can I sleep here tonight?"
"Sure."
I did my routines in the bathroom and then crawled into bed while he took his turn. He came out, climbed under the covers, and curled up next to me. I flipped over and spooned with him, my arms encircling him.
The next morning, I woke with him curled up next to me, his head on my chest. I thought it would be nice to stay that way all morning, but work and school called. Plus, the alarm would wake him up soon. I reached over and swatted the clock off. My shifting must have woken him.
"Morning," he said in a very sleepy voice.
"Morning."
"I'd like to stay like this all day."
"I was thinking the same thing, but you have school and I have work."
"My first class isn't till 10:30."
"Well, you can stay in bed, but I need to get ready for work."
He stretched his body and wrapped his arms around me.
"Thanks," he said softly.
I lifted my head slightly and kissed the top of his head. "Welcome. You can stay in bed as late as you need. Just make sure you lock up."
"Naw, I should get back to the dorm and get ready for class."
"Shower?"
"Sure."
He got into the shower stall and started washing his hair. I am an electric razor guy, so I shaved first and was finishing up at the sink.
"Going to join me?"
"Sure."
He got his washcloth lathered up and started washing my back. Our shower was friendly and a bit sensual, but not sexual.
Luke dressed quickly and disappeared. I got ready for work, and having meetings scheduled with my client, I chose suit and tie. Ready to go, I walked into the kitchen.
"Damn!"
"What?" I asked.
"You look fuckin' sexy in a suit; I never thought I'd be turned on by a guy dressed up."
"Thanks! You ever seen the porn site Men at Play? Lots of sexy guys in suits. The trick is having the tailor fit the suit to you. Show off what you got, no matter your build. Breakfast?"
"I'll have to check it out. But I do think your build makes you look fuckin' sexy in a suit. I'm good for breakfast, I'll hit Einstein's in Merten and get something."
"Okay. Need anything else? I need to hit the road and get to the train station."
"I'm good and thanks again!"
"Anytime, handsome."
We walked out and he drove off to campus while I headed over to catch the train. I hopped off at the Crystal City station and hoofed it over to the underground, where I grabbed a coffee. I arrived at the client's site about fifteen minutes before our meeting, where I joined the rest of the team in the lobby.
The meeting started cordially, but it was obvious one of the customer's team was quite agitated. We'd been discussing the customizations made to our core software for their business for about ten minutes when the young lady just started slamming us for all the `mistakes' made in the latest release. Our project manager, Gio, tried to discuss the points; but the woman wasn't having it. While Gio is a good PM, he's a bit young and his inexperience in handling a difficult customer was showing. While the tirade continued, I grabbed my Surface and pulled up the system design document that the customer signed when we started the project.
"Excuse me," I said with a soft but firm voice, "Why don't we work from the SDD and see what items we may have missed."
The young lady turned towards me. "That doesn't matter!" She screeched.
Keeping my voice at an even tone. "I beg to differ. The SDD is the signed agreement, a contract in essence, that says how we are to perform the work. If you would like changes, I'm sure we can accommodate them in a future release."
That obviously didn't suit her, and she started back on her tirade. No one within the client's organization seemed to want to stop her.
"As you cannot be civil about this, we will leave. If, you are claiming that we breached the contract, then I suggest your legal department contact ours."
With that, I began packing my items back into my bag and the rest of the team followed my lead.
"That won't be necessary," a familiar voice from behind me said. I turned to find James walking into the room. I hoped that my face didn't show much surprise. "Susan, we've told you several times that your changes weren't going to be in the release. Screaming at these folks isn't the way to get what you want. Put your requests through the change management team."
She started to say something, and James cut her off. "Enough! Please leave this conference and do not return until you can present your concerns in a professional manner."
The young woman stood, and stormed out of the conference room.
"Thank you, Sir," Gio said.
"No worries," James replied. "I got a text from one of my staff that she was going off again. I offer my apologies and hope that you and your team will continue with the release presentation. I need to go deal with this issue." He glanced at me, and I could see he wanted to say something. Instead, he turned and left the room.
The meeting resumed. We completed presenting the release and obtained customer acceptance. We began discussing what would be in the next release.
It was a few minutes before noon when the meeting ended, and our group was packing up to leave when James walked back into the conference room.
"Successful meeting?" he asked Gio.
"Yes, very. Your team seemed pleased with the release, and we have a good draft for the next SDD. I'll have it over shortly for review and approval."
"Good. I'll make sure you have no further disruptions in the meetings. I've only been here a short time, but I can see I've got challenges ahead."
James turned and looked at me.
"How are you, Coulter?"
"Well, thanks. You?"
"Doing well." I had to admit that he did look a lot better than he had back on Halloween. "You look amazing."
"I started taking better care of myself after the diabetes diagnosis."
"Diabetes?"
"Yeah, that's why I came home early that morning. Car accident, diabetes, and then..."
"I'm truly sorry about that."
"Understood. It happened and is in the past. We need to get going."
"Would you, would you like to do dinner some time?"
"I think not. You take care of yourself," I said with a half-hearted smile.
"Thanks."
He extended his hand, and I shook it. Our team left the office and got into the elevator.
"What was that all about," Gio asked.
"That was my ex."
"Oh, shit!"
"Exactly."
The conversation on METRO back to the office was interesting as the team asked me a few questions and I answered them as discreetly as possible.
Back at the office, I sent Darryl and Phil emails telling them what happened and asking if they were free for dinner. I mentioned that I'd need to go back to the burbs on the train, get my truck, and come back in towards the city. They both told me to meet them in Annandale at a little Indian place we liked, essentially meeting me in the middle.
They were sitting at a table when I got there.
"Did you two order?" I asked as I got to the table.
"Yeah," Phil responded.
I walked up to the counter, ordered butter chicken with garlic naan, got my number, and joined the guys at the table.
"So, you ran into Slut?"
"More like he's the new IT boss at one of our clients. One of the staff was making a scene. Someone in the meeting must have sent him a message; he arrived, shut it down and we were able to finish without incident. He came back when the meeting was over, and we spoke briefly."
"And???" Darryl asked.
I went on to explain the conversation and how things ended.
"So, you're going to stay on the project?"
"Damn right. I'm not letting this drive me off. I can be professional. Plus, our company isn't big enough for me to pull off."
"Any feelings?"
"Other than shock, no. When he walked into the room the second time, I really didn't have any reaction. He's just part of the client now."
"So, changing the subject," Phil started. "Dating?"
"Some," I confessed.
"Just some?"
"Hey, we're all about the same age, and I've been in a long-term relationship. I dated Rob all last fall. What about you two?"
"Okay, okay. I get it," Darryl admitted. "But you're a catch and I'm not."
"I question that, even though there is a compliment in there for me."
"So, more than a date with anyone?"
"Yes, actually. One I stopped after the second date when he got plastered. A second, that was a mutual thing -- no spark. Another we've had a number of dates, but nothing that's gotten too far."
"Well, at least you got through the boy-toy phase," Darryl teased.
His comment bugged me. In fact, it pissed me off. "Rob was a sweet, wonderful, intelligent man! I'm sorry you are obsessing on his age, but get the fuck over it!" I said, my voice projecting well in the small restaurant.
The entire place quickly got quiet.
"Sorry," Darryl said. "You're right, he was a great guy, and his age doesn't really matter if you're happy."
"Agreed," Phil added. "We're just not sure you can make a long-term relationship out of it."
With the noise level of the restaurant returning to normal, I said. "Well, my last one was with a guy thirteen years older, and you saw how that ended. I don't know that I want to be in one right now. I'm enjoying dating, having fun, sowing my wild oats."
"Fair enough," Darryl admitted.
"The one with lots of dates, what's he like."
"You've met him."
"Rob's back?" Darryl's voice was incredulous.
"No!"
"I'm coming up empty," Phil said.
"Remember Luke? Rob's friend."
"That little hottie!"
"Yup!"
"So, you're dating a twenty-what; twenty-two-year-old?
"Actually, he's twenty, and don't go there!" I admitted.
"I'm not saying he's too young."
"He's not. I'm not trying to form a relationship with him. I'm the first guy he's ever really dated. It's been fun. We go out to dinner, go to the movies, or just hang out."
"I'll admit that does sound like fun," Darryl said.
"My plan is to enjoy it while it lasts. He will probably go away for summer break and that will be it for me. Speaking of dating, let's discuss your love life."
I got the subject changed to Phil and Darryl's latest dates, and my love life went back to the shelf.
We were leaving the restaurant when my phone chirped. I pulled it out and found a text from Luke -- `Wanted 2 say thnks'
`You're most welcome' I typed back.
Tuesday morning, I got a text from Luke asking if I was free either Wednesday or Thursday night. Since Thursday was karaoke, l let him know I was free on Wednesday. He proposed dinner and a movie, I let him know that I would cook something easy and then we could curl up and watch something on Netflix.
-----
I said "evening" as I opened the front door.
He said quietly, "Hey."
I leaned forward and gave him a kiss. He returned it with passion. Greetings done, he hung his coat in the closet and followed me into the kitchen.
"What's for dinner and how can I help?"
"Steak tips with onions and mushrooms, green beans, and roasted Brussels sprouts. I picked up a container of gelato for dessert. You can snap the ends off the green beans," I said, handing him the bag of beans and two containers.
He got the beans cleaned and into the steamer while I finished cooking the onions and mushrooms. I got the beans going while I pan fried the steak tips.
I asked, "Pull the Brussels sprouts out of the oven."
We got everything plated and he followed me into the den. I grabbed the remote and pulled up my Netflix account.
"I haven't seen that one," Luke said.
I admitted, "Me either. Let's give it a whirl."
We were sitting on my sectional that, though modern, was mid-century in style, using my 1950's style tray tables for dinner, and I'm sure that it would have looked fairly appropriate for the setting, except for the big 50" flat screen television we were watching.
When we finished eating, I paused the movie long enough for us to clear the dishes and get some gelato. We ate that, watching a bit more of the movie, then put the dishes aside and curled up.
As the movie ended, Luke was spooned up against me. "Do you need to head back to the dorm?"
"I'd rather stay with you."
"Works for me!"
We got up, and he followed me back to the bedroom.
As we snuggled up for sleep, I said, "If you don't want to be up early with me, you can sleep in. Just lock the house up when you leave."
"Naw, I can survive getting up early once in a while."
"Suit yourself."
-----
"I hate alarm clocks," Luke admitted as we got up.
"Rather jarring, I'll admit."
"Clock radios aren't much better. They just come on blaring whatever you have on."
"Agreed. I need to think about something better. I'll grab coffee if you get the shower going."
"Deal."
I went into the kitchen, fixed two big mugs, and found Luke just ready to step into the shower. I joined him for a hot, steamy clean up with just the right amount of touching!
He drove off to campus as I pointed my truck toward work. I'd decided to fight traffic, drive in and park instead of dealing with Lyft back to the train station after karaoke. I wanted to see which worked better.
"Driving into the office stinks," I said to Carol in the next cubicle.
"Thought you took the train."
"Usually, but I have something in Arlington tonight and didn't want to have to get a ride home."
"So, time versus money."
"Probably not a good choice," I admitted. "Gas to the office, parking lot costs, gas to the venue in Arlington, parking costs, gas home; plus, longer time to the office. Time home would be the same and the difference to the venue shouldn't be much. Okay, so the experiment failure. Now to work."
She laughed, and I got logged into my system.
Just after lunch, I got an email from James, from his corporate account. It said he wanted to talk. I walked over to my boss' office to discuss with her.
"Lucinda, got a minute?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"I got an email from the customer's main person saying he wanted to talk."
"Weird, that should have gone to Gio."
"If you haven't heard, their boss is my ex."
"Trust me, I heard. Regardless, he shouldn't be contacting you via your work account. I'm assuming he used his work account."
"Yes."
"Forward it to Gio. Ask him to respond to James. I'll send Gio a message right now saying that he should remind the client, politely, that all communication should come through him."
"Thanks, I just don't want to piss a customer off."
"We'll be very careful, but James' boss wouldn't be happy with this either, so it shouldn't go far."
"Thanks!"
I went back and forwarded the message to Gio. I hoped this would end the contact. I tried hard not to let it worry me the rest of the day at the office.
-----
"Holy shit," Darryl said to me as I sat down from singing.
"What?"
"That was fucking amazing."
"Thanks."
"I didn't recognize the song, but it was amazing."
"It's Erase by Mika from his debut album. I sang it an octave lower than the original."
"So, what brought this one up?"
"Nothing. It's a great song to sing and I hope to get good feedback. It has nothing to do with my mood."
"That's good. It seemed a little, um, depressing, but you nailed it."
Since I had my truck, I hung around a bit after karaoke ended.
"So, what have you been up to lately?" Chris asked.
I knew what he was really asking as my real estate agent -- what had I done to the house.
"I've been working on the woods mostly. Trying to clear the invasives back enough."
"You have enough usable yard..."
"I'd like a good distance of woods where you can take a walk, put up a hammock, move the bird feeders more to woods edge instead of the middle of the yard."
"What all are you pulling out?"
"English ivy, wild English rose, some Greenbriar, which is native but aggressive. Oh, and of course poison ivy; again, a native but a nuisance."
"I'm so allergic to it, can't go near it," he admitted.
"Well, I'm allergic to it, but I'm using a Tyvek bunny suit, rubber gloves, and then washing my face with Tecnu to make sure the one exposed part doesn't break out."
"How much have you done?"
"Not much, it's going to be a long project."
"Anything else going on?"
"I'm thinking about writing an Android phone app."
"Huh?"
"I got the idea this morning. I started trying to figure out how to do it at lunch. You know, I built that server to manage all my music and such. It has an app that allows me to control it anywhere in the house. So, I got to thinking that I could write a little app to turn it into an alarm clock."
"I say again, huh?"
"So, tying in the functions of an alarm clock app, the music controller app; I'm creating something that will start playing specific music from my collection at low volumes and then steadily increase the volume to a normal level until I shut it off. Kinda clock radio meets NAS."
"Very cool."
"So, what's new with you?"
Chris went on to tell me about the latest houses he'd sold and the trip to the Caribbean that he and Stephen were planning.
I left the club much later than usual and drove home.
-----
Sunday, I got a hit on one of the dating sites, and I agreed to meet up that evening for drinks at a local hang out. We both made it clear this wasn't a hook up, it was just a chance to meet.
"Nicolas," he said as I got to the bar.
"Coulter," I said.
"Your pics don't do you justice."
"Thanks. It is great to meet you. How about we grab a drink and find a quiet corner to talk."
"Sure."
Done at the bar, we found a quiet spot and sat.
"So, tell me about yourself," he said.
"Well, you got the basics out of the profile. I'm thirty-nine, divorced and getting back into the dating scene after more than ten years off. I'm an IT guy and work for a small company in Alexandria. What about you?"
"I'm thirty-six, single and still looking for Mr. Right. I work for the government and enjoy my job."
We sat and talked for over an hour, refilling our drinks once during the conversation.
"This was a lot of fun," he said.
"Agreed. Let's set something up for later in the week," I suggested.
"Sounds good!"
With that, we walked out. He turned to the left, and I went to the right, heading for my car.
-----
I got a text from Nicolas early on Tuesday asking if I was free on Wednesday. Having no plans, I agreed. I was walking from the office to the train station when my phone buzzed.
"Hey, Luke. How's it going?"
"Good, and you?"
"Great, I'm heading home after work."
"You free for dinner tomorrow night?"
"Sorry, no. I have plans."
"Oh."
"I'm free tonight," I suggested.
"Oh, okay. That'll work."
"How's school?"
"It's fine."
"So, you want to come over for dinner and a movie?"
"Sure!"
That seemed to perk him up.
The doorbell rang at about six.
"It's open," I hollered from the kitchen. A few moments later, Luke appeared.
"Hey!" he said, walking over to me at the stove and kissing me on the cheek.
"Hey, handsome." I put down the spoon, turned and kissed him fully.
"Busy week?" he asked.
"Something tomorrow night and karaoke on Thursday."
"Work stuff tomorrow?"
"No, dinner plans," I tried to keep it simple.
"Oh."
I was trying to read his face. It looked somewhere between hurt and angry.
"Problem?"
"Umm, no," he said quietly.
"Look, we agreed we could both date others. I have a date with someone."
"Oh. Maybe I should..."
"Luke, if you're not comfortable with me dating other people then we should talk. I've never asked you who you date, what you do on other nights, nothing like that. You said you didn't want the pressure."
"I know."
"So, do you want to be exclusive? Only date me?"
"Umm, no," he started. "It's just..."
"That's why I don't ask. It's easier. Put a smile on your face and let's focus on our time together."
"Okay."
"How's school?"
He went on to talk about classes, and I told him a bit about work. By the time we were cleaning up the dinner dishes, he seemed to be back to his normal self.
"Got a specific movie you want to watch?" I asked.
"Nothing in mind."
We started scrolling through the options and finally settled on one. He snuggled up beside me to watch and I felt like things were at least on an even keel. As the movie ended, he moved up a bit and gave me a kiss. Yup, back to normal.
I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him to me as we continued to kiss. I worked my hands down his back and then under the waistband of his pants. I couldn't really get to his buns like I wanted, but I could at least feel the warmth of his skin.
I could also feel his dick expanding against me. I'm sure he felt mine hardening at the same time.
He lifted his face away from me. "We so need to get nekkid, Daddy."
I smiled up at him. "Bedroom?"
"Yeah!"
He climbed off me, gave me a hand to help me off the couch. He didn't let go of my hand, instead pulling me down the hallway to the bedroom. He let go and started pulling his shirt off. There was a quick flurry of activity as we both stripped at a breakneck pace.
Naked and hard, he grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the bed. I ended up on top of him. I leaned in and started to kiss him as our cocks pressed against each other. I could feel him leak a little precum each time my tongue worked into his mouth.
After dueling with his tongue for a bit, I moved my mouth down. I nibbled a bit on his chin and then moved down his neck. I zeroed in on his nips as I found them as wired to his cock as mine were. Each lick, nibble, or bite made his dick jerk and fluid seep between us.
I continued to work down his body and came to the sticky fluid that pooled in his belly button.
"Yummy," I said, lifting my head to look up at him.
"Glad you like it," he said with a laugh.
I worked down a bit more and wrapped my lips around the head of his cock. I licked and sucked the sweet stuff out of the tip and then worked my tongue down the shaft. I continued down and sucked first one, then the other ball into my mouth.
As I moved down further, I hooked my hands under his legs and pushed them up. He reached down and pulled his cheeks apart, giving me full access. I pushed my tongue towards his pucker, licking as I went.
I worked my chin around a bit letting the hair of my goatee tickle. Luke started to squirm.
"Let me at your dick," he said.
I spun around, letting my cock slide between his lips. It didn't take him long to have the entire thing planted in his throat. His muscles were massaging it nicely. He was giving me what I called a sloppy blowjob, getting my dick wet for his hole.
While he took care of my dick, I worked back and forth between his hole and his pole. I was mixing his juices with my saliva to slick up his hole.
"Ready?" I finally asked.
"Damn right! Pound it in!"
I flipped around, letting him hold his knees to his chest. I grabbed hold of his sides, put my cock against his hole, and pulled him onto it as I rammed in.
"Fuck!" he said, as he expelled a lot of air.
I pulled my hips back and my cock popped out of his ass. I lined up again and slammed in.
"Oh, fuck!"
I repeated this several times, eliciting a steady stream of gutter talk from Luke.
I sank in one time and stayed in deep, stirring my dick around with my hips. I found his prostate and started rubbing it. Each time I hit his love nut; his cock would spurt more fluid.
I looked at the clock and realized we'd been at it for at least twenty minutes.
I instructed, "Wrap your arms around my neck," as I leaned forward. "Now put your legs around my back."
He complied with both, and my cock was deep in his hole. I leaned back, lifting him from the bed. I put my hands down to stabilize and then worked my way to the end of the bed.
"You're not?"
"Fuck yes, I am," I said in his left ear.
With that, I stood up with Luke impaled on my dick.
"Damn, Daddy," he moaned as his ass sank deeper onto my dick. "I'm glad you work out regularly!"
"I'd have wrenched my back if I didn't."
I started bouncing him on my cock as he hung onto me. He moved his head just a bit, and we started to French kiss as his hole worked up and down. His cock was getting massaged between our bodies.
"Dad!"
"Do it, son! Fuckin' explode!"
"Oh, fuck. Fuck, oh fuck!" Luke moaned, as his cock shot spooge between us.
His hole contracted and spasmed as he shot, triggering my cock to release deep in his ass.
As we both came down from our explosions, he started kissing me rather passionately.
"That was fuckin' awesome."
"Yeah!" I agreed. "Shower before bed?"
"Sure!"
I carried him into the bathroom and then let him down. We had a relaxing shower and then climbed into bed together.
-----
Thursday night, I joined the gang at the club.
"How's tricks?" Austin asked.
"My magic's getting rusty," I explained.
"I'm sure your wand is getting plenty of action," Ben laughed.
"It gets enough."
"Any good dates?" Ben asked.
"Had a second date with a guy last night. Went nowhere. No chemistry, no spark, nothing."
"What about bowling guy?"
"We have a date about once a week, but I don't see it going anywhere."
"Why not?" Austin asked.
"I don't think he's in the mood for a relationship. It's nice to date, but he seems to have too much going on in his life now."
"Why date him?" Ben asked.
"He's fun to date. Our time together is great. I just don't see it going further."
"Gotcha."
"What's up with you two?"
"We've decided to remodel our bathroom," Austin said. "Call us the exciting couple!"
"Found a contractor?"
"Not yet," Ben admitted.
"I'll email you information for the guy that did mine. He was very professional and kept to his schedules."
"Wonderful," Austin said. "Other than that, we've been talking about a summer vacation."
"Something exotic?"
"Yup, we're driving down to Biloxi and then over to Corpus Christi and back," Ben explained.
"Umm... fun."
That got a laugh out of them.
"My folks retired to Biloxi and Austin's folks moved to a small town on the coast just outside of Corpus Christi. We're going for two weeks since we're driving. We are taking some stuff down for them. We'll do a side trip to New Orleans for the weekend in between visits."
"That'll be fun."
"What about you?"
"No plans yet. I'm putting so much time and money into the house."
"Another reason to stay in our condo," Austin said. "But I really do like your place."
"Evening gents," Chris said as he and Stephen joined us.
Others from our group began to arrive, and the conversation moved on to other topics.
-----
The following Tuesday, the doorbell rang at about six. I opened it to find Luke standing there looking handsome as usual.
"Hi," he said as he stepped into the house.
"Evening," I replied as I leaned forward and kissed him.
He hung his jacket in the closet, then turned, wrapped his arms around me, and kissed me deeply.
When it finally ended, I looked into his eyes. "That's a nice way to start the evening! Now, follow me into the kitchen, I don't want dinner to burn."
"What can I do to help?" he asked as I started tending to things on the stove.
"Set up the TV trays, silverware, and drinks; I have the food almost ready."
With that, Luke grabbed a few things and disappeared. I started plating our food and shutting off the stove.
"Smells good," Luke said as I set his plate on the tray in front of him.
"Let's hope it tastes good. It's a new recipe."
We sat next to each other on the sectional. I grabbed the remote and found the Simpsons playing on FXX.
"This is really good," he said.
"I'm good at following recipes."
That got a chuckle from him.
"I've been meaning to ask, what are your summer plans? Work? Sleep all day? Party? Travel?"
"I have a job lined up at one of the boardwalk hotels."
"Restaurant staff?"
"No. I'm going to be working at the front desk on the night shift."
"Eeek..."
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I don't think I could do eleven to seven. I'd be half asleep at work. And the thought of trying to sleep during the day."
"You know me, I'm a night owl."
"I'm surprised they're using a summer hire at the front desk."
"My mom found it through a friend that works there. They add to the full-time staff in the summer because things get so busy."
"Gotcha."
"What about you?" Luke asked. "Vacation?"
"Nothing planned yet. Yard work, but no travel plans yet."
"It's summer. You should take some time off."
"As a single guy, the thought of going on a vacation when the places are packed with kids doesn't thrill me. I might see if anyone wants to hit Rehoboth for a long weekend or go hiking in the Shenandoah."
"Hiking sounds fun. What about camping?"
"My idea of roughing it is more Motel Six than a tent under the stars," I admitted. "Trying to sleep on hard ground was something I didn't really enjoy when I was in the Scouts."
"My Dad would take us boys camping each summer. I think it was as much to give my mom a break as it was to take us into the woods."
"He took all five of you? Isn't there a ten-to-twelve-year age gap?"
"When he started, Peter was..." he paused a moment. "I was seven, so Peter was eleven. He took the two of us. Mom woulda been pregnant with Matthew at the time. John got to go when he hit seven."
I said, "That would have put Peter at fourteen."
"Yeah, and better able to help dad. By the time Matthew hit seven, Peter was eighteen and working that summer, but I was fourteen and..."
"Now you were the helper."
"Exactly."
I thought about asking if he was taking Matthew, Mark, and John this summer and then bit my tongue.
"Peter's flying in this summer, and we're taking Dad camping."
"That's really a great idea," I admitted.
"We're hoping this isn't the last summer," Luke said with a sob.
I moved my tray out of the way, scooted over a bit, and put my arm around his shoulder. It took him a few minutes to compose himself.
"Thanks," he said quietly.
"Anytime."
We finished eating and took the time to get everything into the dishwasher.
"More TV or?"
"SEX!"
"I'm good with that," I said, with a huge smile.
Luke grabbed my arm and started leading me to the bedroom. He flopped down on the bed, fully clothed, and I climbed on and crawled towards him. I took one of his feet in my hands, removed his socks, and started massaging it with firm, deep strokes. After a few minutes, I repeated the process with his other foot.
I said, "Undo your pants."
He complied, then lifted his ass as I pulled his pants off. I took his left leg in my hands and started massaging his calf. After a thorough massage, I did the same for his right leg. I started massaging his thighs, sometimes together, one hand each and other times with both hands on one thigh. I'd let my fingers stray and rub the pouch of this boxer briefs. Luke started to lift as I moved up his body, but I gently pushed him down.
I took the hem of his polo shirt and started pulling it towards his head. He lifted, letting me slip it off him. As the shirt popped off, I gave him a quick kiss.
I spent some time rubbing his abs and then worked his pecs. I leaned forward and started licking on his tits. While not directly wired to his dick, like mine, I'd found enough attention did rev his engine up. Feeling his cock plumping against my leg, I moved up to nibble on his chin before laying my body on his and kissing him.
At this point, Luke wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly. We shared a series of deep, passionate kisses.
I started lifting off Luke and he started unbuttoning my shirt. I took a moment to stand and strip. While I did this, Luke slid his briefs off. I climbed back on and laid atop him.
I returned to kissing him, his tongue playing with mine or running around inside my mouth. His arms wrapped around me, and he pulled me into his body. With him holding on tightly, I used my legs to flip us, so he was on top of me.
Luke started licking my chin and then began moving down my body. His teeth toyed with my tits for a few moments and my cock belched a little precum. He chuckled a bit as he worked his way down towards my crotch.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
"Your tits and your dick are sooooo tied to each other!"
He sat with his cock lying next to mine. He started rubbing my tits and my cock started jerking.
"See!"
"Oh, I know just how much that gets me going!"
He leaned a bit and started licking the ooze from my abs.
"Yummy."
He moved down and took the head of my cock between his lips, licking the fluid from the tip.
"Turn around and let me get at yours."
He pivoted and dangled his dick just above my face. I opened my mouth and let it slip in as he slid his lips down my shaft. His head started bobbing up and down as he worked the length of my shaft. At the same time, his hips started rising and falling, letting his cock work in and out of my throat. I put my hands on his butt and massaged his cheeks as he fucked my face.
After a bit, he rolled a bit while pulling me with him. We ended up in a classic sixty-nine position, which gave me more freedom to spread my attention around his groin. My hands were still rubbing his butt and I let a finger slip down into his ass crack. I slipped it through and wet it with my mouth at one point, then gently pushed it against his hole. Once I had it buried, I started working it around a bit until I found his prostate.
"Oh, FUCK!" he yelped, as I rubbed his love nut.
His cock started oozing fluid into my mouth. I worked my finger over that hard little spot.
"I'm gonna..." Luke warned. I opened my mouth so the head was right at my lips and redoubled my efforts. I was rewarded with blast after blast of his salty-sweet cum. As he shot, his lips clamped around my shaft, and his mouth turned into a vacuum tube.
"Damn," I let out as I started shooting.
As my orgasm waned, I slipped my finger out of his ass. Luke crawled around and lay next to me. I pulled him in close and we shared a kiss that had the taste of mixed cum.
We had been cuddling for a few moments when Luke hopped up and ran for the bathroom. I chuckled a bit, then realized that I should follow him. He was just finishing up when I got in there.
He was lying there waiting for me when I returned. I climbed into bed, and snuggled up against him. It was going to be a good night!
-----
Thursday night, I got to the club at dinner time. I sat at the bar and ordered my dinner.
"Where's your gang tonight?" George asked as he walked up.
"It's going to be a smaller turnout tonight. Most of the guys called off for one reason or another."
"Y'all have been good for business. It's nice to have a few more regulars. You should come for our trivia night once in a while."
"We've talked about it. I live twenty miles west of here, so it's a commitment."
"Gotcha. Awfully far out, you able to find any fun?"
"Yep. I live near GMU, so there's a good number of guys in the area."
"Oh, not that far out then. Thought of a song for tonight?"
I explained, "I was thinking of doing A Guy Walks into a Bar."
"Is that Luke Bryan?"
"No, Tyler Farr."
"I'll make sure it's on the system."
"Thanks!"
I finished drinking and was sitting at the bar when someone tapped my left shoulder. I turned my head to the left. Okay, no one there, I turned to the right.
"Evening, Phil."
"How's it going?"
"Good, good..."
I followed Phil to the table, and we got settled for the evening.
-----
Luke came over Sunday night after he got back from his folks.
"How's your dad," I asked as he came through the front door.
"He's doing good," he said. He wrapped his arms around me and gave me one hell of a kiss.
"Wow!"
He gave a big grin.
"He's finished his round of chemo and things look good," he explained.
"I'm happy for him, for your family, and most importantly to me; I'm happy for you. Will another round be required?"
"We won't know for a bit longer. So, what's the dinner plan?"
"I thought we'd go for TexMex and then come back for us time."
"Yum and then double yum!"
I chuckled at that.
We walked out to the truck and headed over to the restaurant. The place was busy and noisy, but we were able to get a booth in a quieter section.
"How's school?"
"Going well, but with two more weeks I'm ready for it to be over."
"Exams?"
"I'm doing really well in my classes, so I'm not too worried."
"That's good to hear."
We talked about the remainder of his school year, my current work projects, and the summer ahead a bit. We decided to skip dessert and head home.
As soon as the door closed, I pulled Luke into my arms, spun us a bit, and pushed him into the wall while kissing him deeply.
"Too many clothes," he said once I broke the kiss.
I reached down and tugged on his shirt while he did the same to me.
"Strip!" I said as I realized it wasn't the most efficient way to get naked.
Luke and I shed clothes as we hurried down the hall and into the bedroom. We were both naked on top of the covers in a matter of moments.
Several hours later, he started snickering as we were cleaning up.
"What?"
"I kept you up late!"
"Yup, I'm gonna suffer tomorrow morning."
His face showed concern.
"Trust me, this evening was well worth a few yawns, and I'm a big boy, I'll survive."
"I'm glad you'll survive, and yes, you are a big boy!"
I swatted his butt as he moved past me. We went back into the bedroom and soon fell asleep.
-----
Wednesday morning started with some delays. There was an accident on the way to the station, so I had to run to catch the train. The train had a delay at the next station, and it started to rain as I walked to the office. In the end, I was five minutes late logging into the morning SCRUM call.
"What's the status of the UI update?" Greta, our SCRUM Master, asked.
"Coding and developer testing are complete," I responded. "We've completed thirty percent of the integration testing."
"That's great; you're ahead of schedule. Any concerns?"
"None."
"What's the status of the DB updates?
"Coding and developer testing at seventy-five percent," Wescott responded.
"What are the issues delaying completion?"
"The design for the new tables missed a few items and we've had to rework the fields."
"Expectations?"
"We should catch up by COB today, no later than lunch tomorrow," Wec replied.
"Issues? Concerns?"
"Wec brought this up to the UI team yesterday. We adjusted the design to accommodate the changes and ensure the look remains cohesive throughout," I reported.
"Same for the application and function calls," Sophia reported.
"Great."
With that, Greta moved on through the other areas.
"So, we are on track to deploy these modifications! Wonderful, team!"
I logged off the SCRUM meeting and was about to put on my headset when I noticed a presence over the cubicle wall.
"Yes?" I asked with a bit of a laugh.
"I'm going to be on vacation Monday through Wednesday," Greta said.
"And you'd like me to run the SCRUM?"
She gave me a smile. "Yes, please!"
"Sure."
"Have you thought about taking the SCRUM Master certification?"
"Thought about it, yes. Plan to do it, not currently."
"Why not?"
"I'm honing Chunhua's UI skills at the moment. Plus, I'm looking at the entire front-end development as much as I can."
"You're working your way through the entire field, aren't you?"
"Yup and I'll get to SCRUM Master at some point."
"Smart man," she admitted.
"I've got a few years of experience on most of the team."
She got a laugh out of that.
"You're not that much older," Greta said.
"I'm at least ten years older than most of the staff. Barb, Lucinda, and I, I think are the oldest. That's my guess and no I won't put it in order."
Greta had a stunned look on her face.
"You're what? Thirty-two? Thirty-three tops?"
It was my turn to chuckle. "I'm thirty-nine, heading for forty."
"I would never have guessed."
"Thanks!"
-----
"Excited about summer break?" I asked, as I set out two place settings on the counter.
"I guess."
"It doesn't sound like it."
"It'll be nice to be home, make money, and not have schoolwork."
"I hear a but."
"But I'll miss the freedom I have here, my friends, those sorts of things."
"No friends down there?"
"Oh, I have friends from high school and such, it's just different."
"Can't let your gay boy out."
"Yeah, I only have one friend at home that knows."
"The one that Rob mentioned?"
"Yeah."
"When's your last exam?"
"Tomorrow afternoon."
"I take it you don't cram for exams."
"No, I learn the material and either get it or don't. Studying before an exam might be reviewing a few formulas or something to make sure I have them down, but I don't spend hours re-reading everything."
"Gotcha. I know some that spend all-nighters getting ready for an exam."
"That would just make me tired and lead to mistakes."
"Sounds like me. Heading home afterwards?"
"No. I'm leaving Friday. I haven't stopped to pack everything."
"Gonna all fit in your car?"
"Yeah, I might have to fill the passenger's seat, but it will all fit."
"Cool."
After dinner, we cuddled up on the couch. It felt like Luke was trying to absorb all the me time he could in preparation for the summer.
"Time for bed," he said, after the show was completed.
He stood, offered me his hand; helping me up. He kept my hand and led me into the bedroom. We stripped quickly.
"Ready to fuck me?" Luke asked. "Last time for the semester."
"Oh man," I said. It took only a moment for me to bone up.
His hand ran down my body and wrapped around my hard cock.
"I see you are!"
Luke climbed onto the bed, lay on his back, and pulled his legs back. I got in between them and started licking his balls. Getting them nice and wet, I ran my tongue up and down his hard cock a few times before moving between those muscular cheeks. I let my tongue work around his hole, and then started pushing in and out. I wanted his hole to relax.
"That's it, Daddy. Eat my ass," he cooed.
I used my hands to spread his cheeks a bit more and let my tongue get in deeper.
"Fuck me! Come on Daddy, I need you in me!"
I kept eating a bit more, I'd always found his ass addictive.
"Fuck me, Coulter!"
I reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the lube. I started by spreading some on his hole, then worked some in deep with my fingers. His hole was fully coated, so I made sure I had a good coating on my dick. I positioned the head of my dick against his hole and pushed gently until it gave in and let the head slip in.
"Oh, FUCK YEAH!" Luke let out. I was glad I didn't have any nearby neighbors!
Luke's hole yielded and my cock slipped in quickly until my pubic hair was rubbing his balls.
"That's it," he urged. "It feels so fucking good, Daddy."
I leaned over and kissed him lightly. He put his hands on either side of my head and pulled me into a deep, passionate kiss. As he let go, he looked deep into my eyes and said, "FUCK ME!"
I pulled my dick back about halfway and then slid back. I wanted this to be memorable. I pulled my dick until only the head wrapped by his hole and then thrust back in. I started fucking him, in and out. I started changing my angle a bit until I found his prostate, I pulled out and hit it again. Then I switched up again and avoided it.
"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! Daddy, I want to cum!"
"Not so fast, boy. You're going to remember this fuck for a long time."
"Oh, Fuck!"
I kept varying the pace, stroke length, and angles. He started stroking his dick and I pushed his hand away. I did not want him to cum and end this. I was going to fuck him till he came hands-free. I kept the variations going, sometimes bringing him almost to climax, before altering again and pulling him back from the edge.
"You're cruel! Fuck me! Fuck me and make me cum!" he begged.
I was sweating. He was drenched. I glanced at the clock. We'd been in bed nearly an hour.
I picked up the pace, trying my best to rub his love nut in all the right ways. My strokes got harder, deeper, and faster. I was going to wear that spot out!
It was only a moment later that we were both ready to blast off.
"Cumming!" I yelled as his hole clenched and grabbed my cock.
"FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!" He yelled once again as he shot all over his chest.
I leaned over and licked the largest, creamiest load he'd ever shot with me from his abs, chest, neck, and face. I decided to let what landed in his hair stay there.
"That was fantastic," I whispered in his ear.
"You're telling me. I've never shot so much in my life."
"It was tasty," I told him. I kissed him and let him share the flavors. "I think we need a shower. You have cum in your hair."
"Nope. Leave it. I wanna curl up and sleep!"
"Okay."
I figured I'd have to strip the sheets in the morning. What a price to pay.
-----
I was on the train headed home Friday afternoon when my phone vibrated.
`See you in fall'
`Sounds great. Don't pick up any strange men at the hotel.'
`Umm....'
`I said StRaNge men'
`O, OK! Won't'
`Drive safe!'
`Thanks!'
And with that, my one steady beau was gone for the summer.
I sat there watching the scenery of Springfield go by and thought. Time to start thinking about someone I didn't have to pick up on campus, wouldn't go on spring or summer breaks. In other words, I needed someone closer to my age.
-----
The Tuesday following Luke's departure, I was at work when an email popped up on my screen with the subject line Road Trip! It was from Darryl to Phil and me. In the message, Darryl explained that he'd found a place in Pittsburgh on HomeAway for Pride Weekend. We'd drive up on Thursday, do the pub crawl on Friday evening, the big concert and dance on Liberty Avenue on Saturday, and the parade on Sunday. I looked at my schedule and responded, `count me in!'
When I got home that night, I dug into the Pittsburgh Pride website to get more details. I also figured we'd need to find places to eat and things to do during the day. I'd been to Pittsburgh twice for business years before, so I had some ideas, but I wanted to make the trip special.
-----
Two days later, I got to work a bit early. I wanted to leave a little early so I could run two errands before meeting the guys for karaoke. I'd just gotten to my desk and was settling in when Lucinda walked up.
"Morning, what's up?"
"Katie up and quit last night."
"That's not good. It's gonna put a burden on Jian until she can be replaced."
"Jian is leaving for China tomorrow," Lucinda's voice was almost panicked, and I could see why. He's going to see his mother, who is ill."
"Anyone else comfortable running the SCM tool for deployment this weekend?"
"I don't think anyone has a clue," she admitted. "Do you?"
"I know some, rusty at best, but I don't think I could manage the entire deployment this weekend." Her face sank while I sat and thought. "I'm guessing it's crash course time."
"You sure?"
"What's the alternative?"
"None. I was trying to find an agency so we could get someone in. The best I could do was tomorrow, and by then it's too late."
"Jian in already?"
"Yup."
"Send him over, I'm going to want to do this from my workstation, not his."
She disappeared, and a few minutes later, Jian walked up.
"Ready to learn?" he asked.
"Yes, Sir."
"I'll leave you two be," Lucinda said.
About eleven thirty, Lucinda stuck her around the cube wall. I'm ordering pizza for the office. Anything you want on it or don't like?
I said, "no anchovies."
"No black olives," Jian added.
"Got it."
She disappeared and returned about forty-five minutes later with a cart loaded with pizzas, sodas, plates, and utensils. Jian and I grabbed our food and returned to the cram session.
"You have the process well documented," I said to Jian as we finished up. "I feel pretty confident that I can get through this unless something goes horribly wrong."
"You'll be fine. You seem to understand pretty well."
"Like I said, you have it well documented, so it's easy to follow."
"I need to run. My wife is going to kill me if I'm not packed and ready."
"Understood, I was supposed to run some errands before meeting friends for dinner."
With that, Jian headed back to his desk and I started packing up.
"Coulter, you don't know how much this means to me," Lucinda said.
"It's all part of teamwork. I've been happier here than any place I've been before, which makes it easy to go the extra mile."
Lucinda just smiled at that and then replied. "Let's get out of here."
"Sounds good."
"You missed all your trains. Put in the Uber receipt for reimbursement."
"No worries, I'm not headed home, just late for meeting friends."
"Well, have a great night!'
"You, too."
I got to the club about thirty minutes before karaoke. I walked up to the bar.
"What can I get you?"
"Kitchen still open?"
"Yep."
"Buffalo chicken tenders with blue cheese and a side salad. Oh, a diet Coke."
I handed him cash when he handed me my drink, then I moseyed over to the table.
"We thought you'd bailed on us," Darryl said.
"Emergency at work," I explained.
I went on to explain what happened and what the game plan was. The table filled up and I got to eat quickly before George announced, "Sign up time!"
"What'd you pick for tonight?" Phil asked as I got back to the table.
"Games by ItaloBrothers."
"Don't know that one," he admitted.
"It's fun."
-----
Friday was a busy day as I got the code prepped for deployment. I reviewed the documentation twice and made sure I was ready.
Saturday, I got to the office at about five p.m. and pushed the notice that the system would go offline in one hour. I checked and saw that only two users were online, but it didn't look like they were active. At six o'clock, I knocked them offline and took the authentication system offline. Once everything showed offline, I started the deployment.
I was yawning badly when I got to my truck. The deployment had gone smoothly, and by a few minutes to ten, the testers were logging into the system to make sure everything was ready. At midnight, I sent a notification that the system was available and logged off.
Sunday morning, I cursed as I realized it was only six and I was wide awake. My body didn't like trying to change its rhythm. Fortunately, I had no plans, so a quiet day around the house would let me relax and recover.
-----
Thursday, three weeks later, Darryl and Phil showed up at my place late in the morning. I threw my bag in the trunk of Phil's car, and he pointed us west. We stopped at a quaint restaurant, Penn Alps, in the panhandle of Maryland for lunch. I found a great cutting board for my kitchen in the attached gift shop that showed off the arts and crafts of the Amish and Mennonites.
We drove on into West Virginia, and Phil pointed us to this great gelato place in Morgantown. By the time we got to Pittsburgh, I was still full. The house Darryl found was in the Mexican War Streets district, so we had a short walk down the hill and across the Andy Warhol bridge to get to most of the events, centered on Liberty Avenue.
Since Darryl had taken care of the accommodations, Phil and I agreed to split all the food, fuel, and ticket costs. Thursday night, I'd made reservations at Lidia's on OpenTable. I'd watched a lot of her cooking shows on PBS over the years and wanted to enjoy her food.
Phil hadn't been to the Burgh before, so Friday we walked up to the Strip district for a late breakfast at DeLuca's and then went through the touristy and food-related shops. Darryl was thrilled to hit the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company and get a variety of pasta, spices, and, if you believed his raving, the best flour ever for making pizza dough. We had lunch at Primanti Brothers before grabbing a cab over to the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
We walked off breakfast and lunch at the gardens, then headed back to the house to clean up and get ready for the pub crawl.
"What's the protocol if one of us gets lucky?" Darryl asked.
"Go back to their place!" Phil said.
That made me laugh. "We each have our own rooms," I pointed out.
"Spoil sport! I wanted to be able to watch," Darryl teased.
"My flab and some other flab?" Phil asked.
The not so witty banter continued for a few more minutes.
We walked back over to Liberty Avenue and Phil bought three tickets for the pub crawl at our first destination -- Cruze. There were too many bars on the route to hit them all, so while we were at Cruze I found a local and got recommendations on which ones to skip. During the evening, we were able to hit several great bars and ended up back at the beginning of the loop in the early hours of the morning.
Darryl and Phil wanted to hit the bathroom before we walked back to the house, so we ducked back into Cruze. I was standing alone when I heard a guy's voice say, "Woof, Daddy." I turned to look and found a twenty-something guy in leather shorts and a leather harness. He was awfully cute.
"Howdy."
"How goes, Sir?"
"Doing well. It's been a busy day and a lot of fun."
"Where are you visiting from?"
"Just outside DC. How'd you guess?"
"I make it a point to know all the hot daddies this town has to offer."
"I bet you do."
"Here alone? Got a boy? How long are you visiting?"
"An inquisitive young man. Let's see, no, I'm not here alone. Two of my buddies came up with me. I've been dating, but he's away for the summer. Finally, we're leaving on Sunday."
"Need a boy for the weekend?"
"A tempting offer," I replied. "But I think not."
"Your loss, Sir."
"I'm sure it is."
He turned and walked off as Darryl and Phil returned.
"Attracting the younger crowd?" Phil asked.
"Yup."
"Where's he off to?" Darryl asked.
"Don't know, don't care."
"What was wrong with him? He looked really cute." Phil asked.
"Well, he indicated that he made it a point to know ALL the hot daddies and I didn't want to be another notch on his belt."
"See, that's why we like you!" Darryl said with a sly grin.
"Cause I turned down sex?"
"No. You're so rational about things."
"Ah. Ready to head home?"
"Sure!"
We walked out of the bar and down Liberty Avenue. The eye candy was great for looking at, I just didn't need to sample.
Saturday, we got up somewhat late and went out for breakfast. I led us over to the South Shore, where we rode the Monongahela Incline up Mount Washington, walked around the neighborhood, and then went back down using the Duquesne Incline. We walked around downtown a bit, then back to the house for a nap before the Pride in the Street dance and concert.
We got to Liberty Avenue early and started exploring. We grabbed drinks and enjoyed people watching until the DJ started the show. The crowd packed the street and started undulating to the music. The DJ ended the set just before ten and the host began teasing the crowd, getting them ready for the performers. The stars were great, and at eleven, the DJ started the second set. The three of us danced until things shut down.
Exhausted from the night, we crashed back at the house. The next morning, we fixed a light breakfast, then hit the parade, followed by the street festival. While we were checking out the tents at the festival, I heard a familiar voice "Woof, Daddy."
"Howdy."
"What are you up to this afternoon?"
"My buddies and I are checking things out before heading home."
"Aw, can't I convince you to stick around?"
"Nope, I have to be at work tomorrow morning."
"Well, damn. I may have to come to DC."
"It's a great place to visit," I said as non-committedly as possible.
"With daddies like you around, I bet it is."
"Thanks. I need to catch up with my friends. Nice meeting you."
"Yeah."
I walked off and caught up with Darryl and Phil.
"He's a persistent fucker."
"Cute and interested," Phil said.
"And in Pittsburgh," I added.
"True, true."
We finished up the street fair, walked back to the car, and headed south. Pride was a good diversion.
-----
With Luke gone for the summer, I made sure I hit karaoke each week. I found I enjoyed performing in front of the crowd, and for me, it was a bit more serious. You know, trying to make it sound as good as I could.
As June progressed towards July, the club announced that the last Thursday in July would be girl group night. Duos, trios, and larger groups were encouraged to practice and show off their best girl group song. The prize was free drinks for August.
"Anyone wanna do something?" I asked the table.
The responses were either a deer-in-the-headlights stare or a vigorous head shake. Most of our group either didn't sing or just got up there to have fun.
That night, I'd chosen Brantley Gilbert's Kick It In The Sticks. As I left the stage to a round of applause, I walked over to the bar to grab another drink.
"Excuse me. I'm Brian; this is Oscar."
"Coulter."
"We were wondering," Brian started. "Well, Oscar's a tenor and I'm a baritone, and we wanted to find a bass to do the competition with."
"Cool."
"You've got great range," Oscar said.
"Thanks, none of my friends were up for the competition. I'm open. Any thoughts on what you'd like to do."
"We hadn't gotten that far," Brian admitted.
"Let me give you both my business card. Then we can email back and forth some ideas, arrange to get together to practice and plan." I pulled out my wallet and handed Brian a card. As I handed one to Oscar, he put his hand up.
"We're together, so one's enough."
"Couple? Roommates?"
"We've been together for fifteen years."
"Congrats."
"What about you? You're awfully handsome to be single," Brian said.
"Thanks, I'm a recent divorcee."
"Sorry to hear that," Oscar replied.
"Yeah, it was rough. Email me and let's get started."
I thought about it a bit. Maybe I was healing. I hadn't mentioned James' cheating for once. Back at the table, Phil looked at me with one eyebrow raised.
"They were looking for a third for their group. Someone with bass range," I explained.
"So, you're competing."
"Yup! At least we'll see how the three of us get along."
"Whatcha doing?" Darryl asked.
"We haven't decided that yet. We'll figure it out over email."
The rest of the evening with my friends was very enjoyable, and I made a mental note not to let dating take my other fun out of the equation.
Friday morning, an email popped up from Brian. It gave me both their emails and a list of songs they'd talked about over breakfast. As I looked through the list, nothing really hit my mood. I got my phone out, put on my headset, and started shuffling through my music.
I sent Brian and Oscar a list of song ideas and they marked the ones they liked, plus added more options. We emailed back and forth a few times before winnowing the list down to six. I agreed to meet them at their townhome in Arlington the following Tuesday to try out the short list.
"Hey," Brian said as he opened the door. "Welcome."
"Thanks!" I followed him up to the main floor and into what appeared to be the rec room.
"I downloaded the karaoke versions of the songs I proposed," I said, handing Brian a thumb drive.
"Cool, we have ours," Oscar said as he came into the room from the other direction. "Let's try each song once before we start discussing."
"Agreed," both Brian and I said.
We decided who would take each part, queued up the first song, and got started. We went through the six songs and then stopped to discuss them.
"I liked Dream's He Loves You Not, but I feel a bit too old for it," Oscar said.
"What about Move in My Direction?" Brian asked.
"I liked that one," I agreed. "I also liked I'll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me and Don't Let Go."
"The other two just didn't do anything for me," Brian admitted.
I said, "agreed. Let's try the three we liked most again."
We went through the songs again and discussed each one afterwards.
"Guys, I need to head back out into the hinterlands," I explained. "I think we're down to one of the three."
"How about we come out this weekend to practice?" Oscar offered.
"Sure, Sunday? I'll provide dinner."
"Works!"
-----
I'd been continuing the work on cleaning the woods around my house of invasive plants and large aggressive vines. Progress was slow, so I found a local landscape company that offered a day rate. They placed a crew at my place with equipment for a day at a flat rate. It seemed like a deal to me. I wanted them to clean the scrub out of the first fifty or so feet of the woods.
I worked from home on Wednesday while they worked and was happy with how far they were able to get. The brush hogs did a good job of chopping everything down, and they pulled out most of the debris. They also cut all the poison ivy that was growing on trees and took the section from the ground up as far as they could reach. The vines higher in the trees would die and drop out over the next few years.
Saturday, I fixed myself a good breakfast and started my part of the project. I drove over to the landfill and loaded leaf compost into the bed of my truck. Back at the house, I picked a corner of the woods and pulled whatever I found left that shouldn't be there. Next, I got a wheelbarrow of the compost and spread a thick layer to reduce how much it would grow back.
Sunday morning was a repeat of Saturday. I stopped early and cleaned up before Brian and Oscar arrived. We practiced the three songs a good bit then broke for dinner. After dinner, I gave them a tour of the house and the yard. The warm summer evening was nice as we walked through the yard.
"I really like your place," Oscar said. "But it's so far out."
"I was a bit concerned when I moved here," I admitted. "But I wanted more privacy, more land, and I wanted this house. In the end, I don't feel I have sacrificed anything at all."
"Hard to find guys to date out here?" Brian asked.
"Not really."
I went on to discuss a little about my successes and failures in dating.
We wrapped up practice and they headed back into Arlington.
-----
"Fuck it," I said to myself as I sat the weights down.
It was the end of my work out. I was tired, a bit sore, and most of all, horny as all hell. While I'd had a few summertime dates, nothing had panned out-dinner and goodbye. I stripped off my jock and went into the bathroom. I turned on a few of the jets, getting it ready for a hot and steamy shower, then went over to the urinal and drained. When I got under the jets, they started working my muscles, and it felt good. Unfortunately, feeling good meant my dick firmed up fast.
I pumped a little conditioner into my left hand and grabbed my cock. I started stroking, working the length, playing with the head and then back down the shaft. It felt good. My mind started wandering and I replayed one of my sessions with Luke. We'd fucked on the equipment, then taken a shower. He'd ended up on his knees in front of me, the water cascading down my body while he sucked me to a second climax.
As the memory triggered my orgasm, I let out a let out a "FUCK
-----
I was a bit concerned about going back to James' office. It had been three months and now we had another release of the software to debut. With this release, we were delivering the final, agreed upon product. Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for the company, they were so happy with our product that they had already requested additional modules and additional customization! It meant I'd be in their offices about once a month going forward -- something to which I was not looking forward.
I got to Crystal City about fifteen minutes before the meeting. I met the team in the lobby as usual, and we proceeded up to the office. This time, James was standing in the conference room with his staff. I'd asked Gio and another coworker, Sue, to make sure he and I weren't too close if he was in the meeting. I didn't have feelings-well, not positive ones-for James, but I didn't really want to be forced into awkward conversation either. After Gio put his stuff down, I sat to his right while Sue quickly got her things down next to me. I don't think anyone -- but James -- noticed that we'd positioned ourselves so quickly.
The young woman who had created the turmoil in the earlier meeting was nowhere to be seen. James' team seemed happy with the latest release and were excited to start the discussions for the new work. The meeting was coming to the end of the second hour when Gio asked for a break. I headed to the restroom, and as I turned the corner, I noticed James not far behind. Instead of hitting a urinal, I went into one of the stalls and locked the door. I took care of matters slowly and was happy to hear the outer door open and close. As I exited, I noticed James at the sink; however, Gio was in the space as well. Whew.
The three of us exited the restroom at about the same time.
"How goes, Coulter?"
"Fine, thanks."
"Can we talk at some point?"
"About the project, sure. I'm always willing to discuss the system design."
"That's not what I meant."
"I didn't figure it was. However, that's the extent of the conversation I'm willing to have."
We'd gotten back to the conference room, and I walked in just behind Gio with James almost at my heels.
"I'd like to talk about us..."
"James, there is no us. There has been no us for a long time."
"Ready to get started?" Gio asked in a firm voice.
"Certainly," James said.
During the rest of the meeting, I got odd looks from James. I really didn't want to cause a scene in a customer's office. I passed a note to both Sue and Gio, asking for some help to keep him from having private moments with me.
As the meeting ended, Sue pulled me aside. "So, when we get back to the office, we need to start mapping the requirements and developing the user stories."
"Agreed. With only a month till the next release, we may have to switch over to a faster sprint rhythm."
The rest of the team heard us and came over to discuss it. With us grouped, Gio said our goodbyes and we were off, James kept at bay. I gave a sigh of relief once I was on the METRO heading back to the office.
-----
`1 More Month' the text read.
`Summer going well?' I responded.
`Busy. Work 11-7'
`Sleep, Help Mom-Dad'
`No free time'
`Sorry to hear that!' I typed.
`What's up, w/U'
`Work, yard work, hang with friends.'
`Cool'
-----
On the last Thursday of July, I met up with Oscar and Brian outside the bar, going through our plans one last time before the competition started. We'd gotten together to practice several times, and we felt good about our chances.
As things got going, it was clear that the acts fell into two categories: those folks having fun and those folks out to win. It was about halfway through the evening when we were called up to the stage. The music for En Vogue's Don't Let Go got started. Brian moved forward to sing lead while Oscar took the high harmony, and I took the low. I was pleased when the crowd really cut loose with claps, whistles, and cheers.
Brian and Oscar joined me at our group's big table to watch the rest of the performances. Shortly after the last group performed, the judges handed their decision to Georgia, and she called three groups--including us to the stage. A few minutes later, Brian, Oscar, and I were announced as the first runners-up.
"We should do this again," Brian said as we headed out the door that evening.
"I'd like it," I agreed.
"Have you thought about joining the chorus?" Oscar asked.
"Naw. Like you two said, I'm pretty far out and I really don't want to head into the city that much."
"Darn, your voice would be a good addition to the group."
I just shrugged and said, "Next competition or next time you want to do something together, let me know!"
I headed home that night feeling good.
Copyright 2023 BndgDawg (BndgDawg@gmail.com). Do not reproduce or distribute this story without the author's permission.
This is Chapter Four of the third story I have written. I look forward to positive comments, constructive criticisms and otherwise pleasantly worded feedback. Flames and attacks will be ignored and addresses blocked. (BndgDawg@gmail.com).
My other stories on this site are Double Trails (Beginnings/Rural - December 8, 2016) and Homeless (High School - July 30, 2017).