=========

Welcome to my novel.

This is a mature gay romantic story that follows the members of a

temporary love triangle and the life they experience afterwards

This story is “R”rated (restricted) or “M” (mature) or “X” (explicit)

for what ever rating system you are use to.

Enjoy

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copyright ©2014
copyright ©2021
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 Interview
Chapter 2 Moving Day
Chapter 3 Moving Day II
Chapter 4 Our First Night Together
Chapter 5 Very Late Lunch
Chapter 6 Susanita
Chapter 7 New Lines
Chapter 8 Breakfast Time
Chapter 9 A Good Pain
Chapter 10 Dinner Time
Chapter 11 Something New
Chapter 12 Fitting Pieces
Chapter 13 Fitting Pieces II
Chapter 14 A New Day
Chapter 15 Found Him
Chapter 16 Finding Myself
Chapter 17 Moving On
Chapter 18 Plans
Chapter 19 Progress
Chapter 20 Common Problems
Chapter 21 Common Problems II
Chapter 22 Answers, Answers and More Questions
Chapter 23 Answers, Answers and More Questions II
Chapter 24 The First Snow
Chapter 25 Cleaning Up
Chapter 26 The Cover Story
Chapter 27 Time to Report
Chapter 28 Time to Experiment
Chapter 29 Time to Eat, or Not
Chapter 30 Now We Eat
Chapter 31 At The Movies
Chapter 32 After The Movies
Chapter 33 The Buy Out
Chapter 34 Fruit Wine
Chapter 35 Meeting Family
Chapter 36 Tis The Session
Chapter 37 Merry Christmas
Chapter 38 Merry Christmas … Still
Chapter 39 Not A Merry Christmas Anymore
Chapter 40 The Rest of Our Day
Chapter 41 This is Why
Chapter 42 We Move On
Chapter 43 The Year Comes To An End
Chapter 44 The Year Starts Again
Chapter 45 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!
Epilogue Going, Going, Gone.
 ==========

Chapter 1 - Interview

==========

Why was I here? Did I need money this badly? I asked myself as I sat there tapping my foot on the floor in my
newly cleaned black sneakers. I can still leave after he tells me what is expected. That should scare me enough
to get me out of here. I told myself for the third time. I gripped my bag that was on my lap that held the papers
that he told me to bring as I looked up at his secretary. She looked over at me and made it plain that she was
also looking at my moving leg. I smiled brightly and stopped it.

When she turned away, I checked my watch. I had gotten there early, not expecting his office to be so upscale,
to get in and out, but he had appointments to keep, and I wasn't going to be seen until it was my turn at 10:50
am. It was now 10:46 am. Just four more minutes. I told myself as I pulled the sleeve of my jacket back down.

I started to go over what I should have, in my head, one last time. I didn't really know why I was bothering
unless I wanted the blame for this thing going south to be completely on him. I had my birth certificate, I had
my driver's license, the results of my last STD test that I took two weeks ago for another job that was
completely unrelated to this one. My resume and some references that weren't as many as I would have liked.
It was kinda hard to get just these since I hadn't been in the city long. One is from the job I got when I first
moved here. It went belly up so everyone had to find a new job, and the other was from one of my professors. I
had asked three professors really, and of them, I picked the best one.

"Mr. Harris?" the secretary said to get my attention.

"Yes?" I answered as I looked up and in her direction.

"Mr. Stroker will see you now," she told me.

"Thank you," I answered as I stood up with more butterflies in my stomach than I would have thought would fit
in there.

Before I made it to the door, another man opened it and walked out of the office without even looking at me. I
wondered for a moment if he was there for the same thing I was, but I killed that idea when I saw the expensive
suit he was wearing.

I now pushed the door wider as I entered his office. I turned around to close it once I was inside before going
any further. When I turned back towards the room, I saw a man of about forty-something sitting behind a big
wooden desk. The old kind that made you think it was inherited, considering the other newer pieces around
the room.

As I walked closer, I wanted to change his age, but I still ended up at forty-something. A young-looking forty-
something. I extending my hand when I had to stop because of the desk that was now between us.

"Mr. Stroker," I greeted him. He stood and smiled as he shook my hand.

"Mr. Harris," he said before sitting back down. There was a ping from his computer before either of us could say
anything. He gave the screen a quick look. "One moment please," he said before he turned towards it and
pulled out the keyboard tray to send a reply. I'm sure it was an e-mail and not some IM.

I looked down at my hands, which led me to looking at the desk in more detail, then at the pieces around it,
then to the walls. Soon I found myself looking over what I could see of Mr. Stroker, who wore a face of
concentration as he continued to type his reply. I was slightly impressed that he knew how to touch type, but
then it must have been a skill he needed in this kind of business.

"Ok," Mr. Stroker said as he hit the enter key. "Sorry about that," he told me with a truly apologetic looking
smile on his face. "But this, along with other reasons, is why I'm looking for a person to fill such a position," Mr.
Stroker explained. Now I felt sorry for him. Darn. Did he have to be likable?

"It's ok," I told him as I waited for him to start asking me questions.

"Did you bring the information?" he asked me.

"Yes," I replied before I started to open my bag. I pulled out a dark brown folder and handed it to him across the
expanse of the desk. He just continued to smile as he took it from me and opened the packet. I went back to
looking at his face as he looked over what I gave him. He mostly had a head of black hair that was sprinkled
with a few grays. It was cut the way you would expect a businessman to have his hair cut, and it seemed to fit
his face. His build was average for any male, not just one of his age. I would have given him the age of thirty-
two based on his body alone, but his face showed the signs of having to worry over a lot of details for a long
time.

"You are twenty-two?" he asked as he looked up from my file. He must have just read my birth certificate.

"Yes Sir," I told him. He looked me over before looking at the paper again. He flipped the page over and put it
back in place before he looked at me again.

"May I see your Driver's License?" he asked as he closed the file and placed it on the desk in front of him. I had
expected it, so it wasn't a problem.

"Sure," I told him as I stood and pulled my wallet out of my front pocket on reflex. I unfolded it and pulled my ID
out of its pocket with the seethrough window. I handed it to Mr. Stroker, and our fingers touched as he took it
from me. Warm fingers was a thought that went through my mind as I closed my wallet and sat back down. The
butterflies that had gone to sleep were now flapping their wings again.

"You really are twenty-two," he said more to himself than to me.

"Yes Sir," I told him again. I kinda wanted to say that everyone thought I was younger when they first meet me,
but I stayed quiet. He placed it on the desk before he picked up my binder again. Mr. Stroker then searched for
where he left off, then turned two more pages to continue reading, placing the room back into silence.

He's taking this seriously, isn't he? Maybe it won't be as bad as I thought. I told myself as the idea of waiting for
this man to come home and smile at me became rather inviting.

"Why did you move here for college?" I watched his lips as he asked those words until he lifted his eyes from
the papers to look at me. My eyes shifted to his as I gave him my answer.

"Well, I thought that if I moved to a smaller town, I would be able to concentrate on my school work more, and
maybe I would have less competition for a decent job too." I smiled at the last part. Honestly, I hadn't thought
about that when I moved here, but it made some sense.

He nodded his head and went back to reading.

"Have you always wanted to be an Architect?" Mr. Stroker then asked.

"When I was younger, I thought it would be a good job even though I didn't know that much about it other than
I drew what I wanted the house to look like. But then things got in the way, and I had to put it off for a while.
When I got the chance to start college, I thought that it was worth trying. If I failed at it, then at least no one
could say that I just gave up on being one," I explained.

"What would you choose if this didn't work out?" he asked. I looked at Mr. Stroker, not sure what he was
asking. "Architecture school, I mean," he clarified with a smile. "What other subject would you choose to
study?"

"Oh," I said a little too loudly as I finally got it. "Something to do with computers, I think. Computer tech help, if
I had to nail down a field."

"Is that because of the years you worked in the IT department?" he asked.

"Yes Sir," I said again.

"Are you normally this quiet?" Mr. Stroker asked me with a smile as he closed my file and leaned back in his
chair.

"Not all the time, but most of the time," I told him. He nodded his head as his eyes moved over me again.

"Are there any questions that you want to ask me?" Mr. Stroker asked as he sat up more upright. "This is
suppose to be something that we both want," he added on.

Did I have any questions for him? I lowered my head a little. Think! I had something. I looked up at him, and I
chucked it out the window. "How old are you?"

His smile grew wider. "I'm forty-six," he said. "Is that ok?" he asked. I nodded my head. Mr. Stroker was silent
again. It then occurred to me that he was waiting for me to ask him another question.

"Do you live close to the bus lines?" I asked, thinking of how I would get to school. I may have a driver's license,
but I didn't have a car to go with it yet.

"You don't have a car?" Mr. Stroker asked instead of answering my question.

"No Sir," I answered him.

"I think there is a bus route about three blocks from my apartment, but you can use one of my other cars to get
to school if you like," he offered.

"Ok," I answered at learning of this unexpected perk.

"Since we have gotten onto the subject, I might as well list what would be expected of you and what you would
get in return," Mr. Stroker said. I just nodded and waited for him to continue. "This would be a live-in position,"
he started. "I said that you were to be naked around the house in the post, but that can be delayed until you
feel more comfortable. Also, you are to have at least one meal with me each day. You aren't required to cook,
but if you can, I would like to stay home to eat dinner once in a while," he said with a wasteful smile that made
me think of dusting off some old skills that kept me just about chained to the kitchen back home. "Do a bit of
cleaning around the apartment to keep it clean and maybe a more thorough cleaning once a week along with
the wash and picking up my suits from the dry cleaners that's a block away. Pick a day that is convent for you."

"There is a second bedroom in the apartment that you can use if you feel the need to, and I honestly expect you
to use it for the first week or so, but we'll see how it turns out. You will have free reign of the apartment when
I'm not there. You can even have your college friends over when I'm at work or out of town on business trips.
You will have an allowance along with gas money for the car if you choose one of them. I will also give you
some money to buy food for the apartment. I'm not there to eat lunch during the week, so I don't have much,
but I need to have more in my fridge, and I'm sure you would like to get a few things for the kitchen too. Like
milk and cereal," he said with an odd grin before he stopped. His face turned grave for a moment before he
spoke again.

"There are a few things that I will not accept," Mr. Stroker stated. "You will not lie to me. You will not steal from
me, and you will not have a boyfriend or girlfriend while you are in my employment," he listed. I blinked a bit at
the last part. It never occurred to me to do any of those things, but the last one I thought was a given.

"Yes Sir," I confirmed as I also nodded.

"Are these terms and duties acceptable to you?" he now asked me. Mr. Stroker had bowed his head when he
started to speak, but now he was looking into my eyes. This is it. Tell him that you already have a boyfriend, tell
him that...

"Yes, they are perfectly acceptable," I informed him. Now my brain split in two, and I heard a moan of dismay
and a cry of joy at the same time. Mr. Stroker was now smiling again. The same warm smile that I saw him
wearing when I first walked into his office, but now it seemed to come from somewhere deeper inside him. He
then picked up what looked like a business card and started to write on the back of it.

"Here is the address, the code to enter the building, and the apartment and," he reached into his pocket,
"Some money for bus fare and any moving costs," Mr. Stroker finished as he held out both the card and at least
one, one hundred dollar bill to me. I looked at it. I knew there was more than just one bill there, but I didn't
want to hope that he gave me more than two hundred dollars. "David," he said again as he slightly bobbed his
hand in front of me again for me to take what he was offering.

"Oh," I exclaimed as I came back into the moment. "Thank you," I said as I took the money and card from him.
Again our fingers touched, and the oddest feeling went through me. "Ahm," I started to ask, "Would you like me
to move in this afternoon. I don't have any classes. Or do you want me there sometime tomorrow morning?" I
finished asking him.

Mr. Stroker raised an eyebrow and looked at me with sharper eyes for a moment before he stood. With a new
smile on his face, he walked out from behind his desk. I stood too as I felt uneasy about him standing over me. I
watched him as he started to walk towards the door before following him. Mr. Stroker stopped and turned
around to face me before he got to the door.

"Surprise me," he said as he placed both his hands in his pockets. I smiled back at him as I started to think of
getting everything packed today and moving in tomorrow. It wouldn't take that long since I didn't have that
much stuff. I could ask one of my friends for their car to move my books and desktop over. Mr. Stroker moved
towards a coat rack that was next to the door as I stood there looking at him. He picked up the jacket for his suit
and shrugged it on before buttoning it up.

"Are you going to a meeting?" I asked him now that I felt calmer for some reason.

"Actually, I'm going out for lunch, David," Mr. Stroker told me as he reached his hand out for the doorknob. His
fingers wrapped around it, but he didn't pull. "You wouldn't mind having lunch with me on such short notice,
would you?" he asked, looking back at me.

"No," I said as I shook my head.

"Great," Mr. Stroker said before opening the door. He held the door open and held his other hand up like he
was going to wrap it around my shoulders, but he let me pass through the door untouched.

"Silvia, I'll be back from lunch in an hour. If anyone besides Bingum says that he needs to speak to me, tell them
that I will be back in an hour. As for Bingum, call me on my cell and give him the phone," he told his secretary.

"Yes Mr. Stroker," she replied before going back to what she was doing before we came out of his office.

We walked down the deep red-carpeted corridor towards the elevators. I got there first, so I pushed the down
button. We waited in silence until one came. We stepped aside to let two people get off, leaving it empty for us.
As the doors closed, Mr. Stroker pushed the button for the first floor.

"Is there anything you care to have for lunch, David?" Mr. Stroker asked me.

"No, nothing in particular. Where were you going to eat?" I asked him as the title of 'House Boy' now felt heavy
in my pocket next to the money and his business card.
 ==========

Chapter 2 - Moving Day

==========

I jogged back to the car and took it around the building until I came to the entrance for the underground
garage. I pulled up to the gate, and there was a keypad waiting for me to punch in something. I took out the
card he gave me yesterday and typed in the same code that I used four minutes before to get into the building.
Something clicked, and the metal doors started to roll up.

I drove in and saw an elevator right in front of me, but it was labeled '1'. The guard at the desk told me to look
for the one that said '2'. So I drove around and there it was at the other end of the building. I parked as close to
it as I could. I pulled out the three bags that held all my clothes and anything very personal to me before
walking over to the elevator and another keypad. I put down one of the bags and pulled the card from my
pocket again. The guard said that the code for the rooms operated the elevators down in the garage, so I
quickly memorized that one since it had far fewer numbers than the other one. I then placed it back in my
pocket and tapped it out. The doors opened right away, and I stepped in.

The air was cooler in here than it was outside. I pushed the button for the thirty-sixth floor and waited for the
elevator to take me there. The elevator came to a stop, and I watched the doors open up into a wood covered
hallway. It was dark and rich-looking. I stepped out into the hall and felt something very soft. I looked down and
saw a dark grey carpet. Right in front of me, I saw two signs. Both of them were pointing in different directions,
explaining where the apartments were located. I turned right and found his number at the very end.

I punched out the same number and was pleased with myself when I heard the door unlock. I hadn't forgotten
any of the numbers. I pushed the door open and stepped inside. I closed the door then slowly walked around
the apartment as I looked for the second bedroom to put my stuff in until I could unpack them.

The kitchen was right next to the door. There was a long counter between it and the living/dining room area. To
my right and my left, there were two short hallways. I picked the one on my left. There were three doors down
that way, and they were all closed, so I turned around and went the other way. I was hoping that the door to
the second bedroom was left open since my hands were full. I walked down the other hallway, and they were
all closed too. Great. I will have to open doors. I just hope I don't wake Mr. Stroker. I told myself as I now walked
back into the dining room area to pull a chair out with my foot and placed two of my smaller bags in it while I
rested the third one on the floor. I went back down the first hallway I had tried.

I decided to start at the very end and work my way up. The first door opened up to a study. It was like his office.
Everything was all very modern but still sturdy looking. As I looked around the room, I had a feeling that he
didn't really use the room even though it looked very tidy. Two-thirds of his walls were nothing but glass, and I
could see the park down below that was at the back of the building. I closed the door and walked down to the
next door. It was a bathroom. It wasn't very big, but bigger than the one I was moving from. It had both a
shower and a tub and a door leading to the next room. I closed the door and moved to the last one. I opened it
slowly, knowing that it would either be my empty bedroom or Mr. Stroker's, and he would most likely still be
sleeping.

I slowly pushed it open, and I saw a white and blue patterned carpet leading up to a big king-sized bed with
someone laying under brown and white sheets. I opened it a little wider and looked at him as well as I could
from the doorway. Mr. Stroker had two pillows under his head, and his chest was bare. He wasn't very hairy. In
fact, it was just a few strands of hair that kept him from being smooth chested. I slowly closed the door to make
sure that I didn't wake him.

So my room had to be down the other hallway. I opened the first door instead of going down the hall, and it
was the bedroom with a door on the side that I'm sure led to my own bathroom. I swung the door open and
went back to get my bags. I put them all next to the bed before turning around to leave the apartment for the
rest of my things. I made four more trips before I had everything inside. I checked my watch. It was now 6:30
am. I had a class at 9 am, but I needed to finish cleaning out my part of the dorm room before then. I also felt
like I should leave something for Mr. Stroker. I looked in the fridge and saw some butter, some eggs, one onion,
some hot sauce packets, some leftover food he had as take out, and three beers. Ok, I said to myself as I looked
for anything else.

In one cupboard, I found bread and something I think use to be bread. After I took care of it, I set about making
two onion omelets. I placed Mr. Stroker's on the table with toast on the side. I left the beer in the fridge since
no one likes a warm beer. I stood in the kitchen and ate my portion of breakfast. I looked up and saw a clock on
the wall as it said 6:55. I ate the last bits as quickly as I could and drained my can as I turned and laid the plate
into the sink. I place the can on the countertop, next to the dead bread, wet onion skins, and eggshells, and
quickly washed everything that I had used. I wiped down the counter and picked up the can to drop it in the
recycle bin, but I didn't see one. I looked around again as I wondered how I was able to miss it. I started to look
in the lower cupboards, and there was something that wasn't a trash can marked CANS/ALUMINUM next to
others that were labeled GLASS, PLASTIC, and PAPER right under the sink. I lifted the lid under the sign to see a
tube. There was one last one that I almost didn't did see. There was some distance between it and others. So
much so that I had to open another door to make sure what it was.

It was labeled COMPOST. I guess all the food bits went in there. That saved me the trip of taking the plastic bag
down the elevator carrying onion peels, bread, and eggshells. I reached for the bag containing all three items
and dumped the contents down the tube before moving back over and chucking the bag down the one marked
plastics.

"Cool," I said out loud before I remembered the can that started the hunt for the trash can in the first place. I
threw the can in the right one and heard as it slid its way down to wherever it was going. I lowered the lid and
closed the doors. I stood and looked at Mr. Stroker's plate and remembered what he said about having at least
one meal with him each day. I hurried to my bedroom and found a pen and some paper. I used the stack of
books on my bed as a hard surface as I wrote out a short note for my new boss and roommate.

I told him that I had moved in that morning and placed my stuff in the other bedroom and that I had made him
eggs with onions for breakfast. I also wrote down my cell phone number and said that he could call to let me
know if he wanted to have lunch with me. If not, I would see him when he got home later. I then remembered
that he had lunch at 11:15 am yesterday and that I was going to be in class, so I added that I would be free for
lunch after 12:30 pm. I grabbed my schoolbag that I had packed since yesterday for today's classes before
leaving my room and placing the note next to his plate.

I left the apartment and rushed back to the car. I had to return the car to Maggi, clean up my dorm room, and
then head off to a 3-hour class, and hope that I won't fall asleep during said class. On the way out of the
building's garage, it asked me again for the code to the building. That could get annoying really fast, or I would
just get used to it over time. Right now it was annoying.

-------
-------
He didn't call me. I felt kinda disappointed. Yesterday, even though I was nervous, he was good company. Today
I used some of his moving money to get something healthier than a big mac and fries for lunch. Normally, I
would have eaten on campus, but I hadn't realized how dirty the walls were until I finished cleaning up this
morning. I had to go back there after my class to get the walls as clean as possible before the inspection.

The dorms weren't on campus so it was on my walk there I got something good for lunch and paid my cell
phone bill. After my meal, the cellphone bill, and paying Maggie back for the gas, I still had over a hundred and
thirty dollars left from what he gave me. I would be set in bus money for over a month.

I entered my old dorm building and jogged up to the third floor. I turned down the hall and said hi to a few
friends and confirmed that I was moving out to a few others that asked. I got to my door, and it was open. As I
stepped inside I smelt that they were painting before I saw them. They were almost done by the look of it. I was
about to ask what was going on when Arthur tapped me on the back.

"Hey, David," he said as I swung around.

"Hey Arthur," I mimicked back. "What's with the paint job? I came back to clean the walls," I said in my defense.

"Oh, that is what you were going to do. You don't clean the walls, we paint them," Arthur told me. I looked
puzzled. That's a waste of money, I thought. "It's a written procedure for when a dorm room is vacated. If more
than a number of marks or defects are found on the walls due to dirt or constant use, the room gets a new
paint job. If it doesn't meet that number, then the walls are cleaned," he explained.

"Were the walls that bad?" I asked feeling bad for making him bring in painters.

"Not really, you only went over by one, and it's a low threshold anyway. They came up with this stuff years ago,"
he told me. I wasn't sure if he was trying to make me better about it or that he was against the old rules. I
turned to look back into
the room.

"I guess that's it then," I said.

"Yeah, that's it. You just have to give me back the keys now," Arthur added.

"Sure," I said as I dug my hands into my jean pockets and pulled out the three sets of keys.

"Don't forget to stop off at the CPO to redirect your mail," Arthur said. "Well, take care David, and see ya
around campus," he added as he turned away and walked down the hall. I looked back into the room and saw
the painters as they started to walk out. I then turned around and went back the way I came. The CPO was also
not on campus, in fact, some students don't even think the school has a campus. Buildings belonging to the
school were blocks apart with normal businesses and apartments or homes in between. At least the CPO was
closer than the main lecture buildings were to my dorm. Well, former dorm now.

I stood in line once I found the window for change of addresses, and it moved along rather quickly. The blonde
girl I met at the window was too happy to have been there all day. I gave her my information, and she filled out
the card with my new address, my old dorm room address, and the fact that I did pay the five dollars fee.

I walked out of the building into the warm sunshine and thought of what I had to do now. I go home. I told
myself. Home. I said again. Ok. I looked up and down the street as I tried to remember where the bus was that
took me there.
-------
-------

The fridge was now stocked far better than how I found it this morning. There was some food in the cupboards,
his dishes from this morning had been cleaned and I was halfway done with putting away my things. There
were several shelves in my room, and I had used about half of them. My closet was a walk-in as far as I was
concerned, but I didn't need all that space.

I now started to set up my computer on the desk that was in the corner of my room. I was happy to find that
there was a cable modem already in the room and attached to a line. I wrote down the password from the back
of the unit before I started to untangle the cords and plug everything in. I placed my monitor right in the middle
of the desk and a bit near the back so I would have space to write stuff down or to copy information from, for
when I was typing. When the mouse and keyboard were plugged in and where I wanted them to be, I turned it
on. It booted just fined, and soon I was looking at my latest wallpaper and familiar icons. After a few moments, I
heard the lady's voice.

"Your virus database has not been updated."

It couldn't get online, but I had to wait until it was fully booted before I could open the setting the gave it the
password. Once a connection was made, I told the program to check again. Now I heard what I wanted.

"Your virus database has been updated."

I moved the mouse and went right for the internet to see if I had gotten any mail. There was nothing but spam
in two of them. The last e-mail account was where I kept my important contacts, like school and family. There I
had three e-mails from actual humans. One was from my mom. I could read that one later. The others were
from my classmates. The first one was from Kay. She was asking when we were having our study group next
week. The last one belonged to Tate. He was complaining about getting grief from his job over taking any more
days off, so most likely, he would not be able to make it for whenever we choose to meet up for group study.

Now I was starting to feel tired, but before I crashed I had to take a bath, I reeked. I pushed myself up after
shutting down the computer. I picked up my towel, that I had already slung over the foot of my bed, and walked
through the door into the adjoining bathroom.

The shower felt great. The heat almost put me to sleep as I stood there, allowing the water to fall onto me. I
reached for the soap absently and realized when I kept hitting the tiles that I wasn't in the shared showers in
my old dorm. I opened my eyes and located the purple bar on my other side. I lathered up and rinsed off
quickly so I could get to bed faster. As I opened the shower door, I saw the steam make its way out ahead of me.
I grabbed the towel from where it hung and dried my hair as I walked back into my bedroom. I worked my way
down my body as I now stood next to the bed. I tossed the towel over the metal railing and happily crawled
onto the bed. I was out before I knew more than how soft the bed sheets felt.
 ==========

Chapter 3 - Moving Day II

==========

"David," a voice said. I didn't know that voice and moved away from it. I felt fingers in my hair, and someone's
lips touched my own. This was a nice dream, dark, but nice. I kissed back, and then I felt them pull away.
"David," that voice said again. This time it seemed more familiar. I felt the fingers in my hair once more as I
started to wake up. I turned my head feeling disappointed that I was coming out of the dream but I knew that I
had to. Mr. Stroker's dinner wasn't going to cook itself. "David," the voice said even clearer. It felt closer too. My
eyes snapped open to see Mr. Stroker sitting on the edge of my bed.

"Mr. Stroker," I said as I started to sit up.

"David," he said again. I watched in amazement as he leaned forward and kissed me. It was a simple kiss where
he just pressed his lips to mine for two long seconds. "Looks like you had a long day," he said.

"Yeah," I answered as I nodded. I watched as his smile changed from happy to funny.

"Get dressed," he said as he started to stand. "I'll take you out for dinner."

"No, you don't have to," I said as I started to stand also. "I was going to cook dinner. I already bought
everything," I told him as I now stood next to the bed in front of him. He looked at me. Really looked at me.

"If you insist," he said. "I'll go take a bath then," he stated as he turned and walked out of the room leaving the
door wide open.

Darn. I overslept, I told myself as I started to step forward. Goosebumps stopped me in my tracks. I'm naked. I
realized, I remembered. That is why he looked at me that way when I talked about staying in to cook dinner. As
brave as I could be, I wasn't ready to seduce him yet. Did he have to wait for me to seduce him before we slept
together?

I walked over to my new dresser and pulled out some shorts, and a tee that I checked to make sure didn't have
any holes before pulling them on. I then left the room thinking back over what I was going to make for him. For
us, I corrected myself. It was our dinner.

First, I preheated the oven, then I got out the meat and seasoned it. I set them aside to pull out what I needed
for the dirty rice and beans. I opened the can of red beans washed them out in the strainer where I left them as
I had found, and placed everything else that was needed for the dish into the pot but the rice. I got a baking
pan and placed the chicken pieces in it and placed them into the now hot oven. As I closed the door I saw that
there was a timer on the range. So I set it for twenty-five minutes hoping that that would be long enough. I've
never really timed it before.

The last bit of the meal was the vegetables. I didn't want to cook something and have him not like it, so I stood
there for a while thinking of what would be safe. I decided to sauté some carrots, zucchini, and squash in garlic.
I checked the pot that was on the fire to see if it was boiling yet. It was, so I put in the cup of rice that I had
waiting for it, stirred it, placed the cover on the pot, and turned the flame down low to let it finish cook.
Now I got the frying pan, cutting board, bowls, and the new bottle of olive oil. I cut the carrots the long way,
and I sliced the zucchini so they came out round, and the squash I decided to dice. Then I got the garlic and
figured out how much to use and cut it up. I should have gotten the garlic oil, I told myself and hoped that I
would be able to get this done without causing too much of a burn. I turned the fire down low when the pan
was hot, and I was ready to put the garlic in. I put in about three cloves of garlic, sliced, into the oil, and took
them out just as they started to get too brown for my liking. Then I put in the carrots and stirred them around
for a minute or so before adding in the squash and zucchini.

I was almost done with the vegetables when I realized that I hadn't put a bowl out for them yet. I was thinking
of taking them off the fire while I got a bowl when the timer goes off for the oven. Great!

"Ok, bowl first, then check on the meat and then check the rice," I told myself as I was ready to move the frying
pan to a cooler part of the stove. But before I could, I saw a white bowl as it appeared next to the range on my
right side.

"Is this big enough?" Mr. Stroker asked me as I now smelt the clean soap smell coming from him.

"Yes, thank you," I said without looking at the bowl again to make sure. I now felt very concerned about burning
myself.

"You said something about meat?" Mr. Stroker asked from right behind me as I scooped out what I had in the
pan into the bowl. I stopped halfway through to sprinkle on some raw garlic pieces that were left over and a
little salt.

"Yes. I'm baking some and the timer just went off," I told him as I slid the last piece of zucchini into the bowl.
"I'm taking them out now," I added as I put the pan down and moved over to the oven. I pulled the kitchen
towel from off my shoulder as I opened the oven door. I reached in to pull out the pan only slightly aware that if
Mr. Stroker was looking at me, he was really looking at me now. I thought about the chicken again as the heat
from the oven started to overheat my face. They looked brown enough, and clear liquid was seeping out, so
they should be done. I reached over to my side and pulled a draw open to get a folk. I stabbed one of the
pieces, knowing that this would be mine, and moved it to the cutting board where I sliced it open. It was done. I
got the tray out of the oven and then found a plate to place them on. I then moved both dishes onto the higher
part of the counter that separated the kitchen from the dining room.

I picked up a spoon as I turned back to the pot of rice, and I stepped back a bit as I lifted the lid to avoid the
steam that came out. I knew that Mr. Stroker was still close by, but he hadn't said anything else since he asked
me about the meat in the oven. I wondered how far behind me he was standing but didn't look around. I just
told myself to be careful when turning. I stirred the rice to make sure that it was properly mixed, and I checked
a rice grain to see if it was cooked. Not quite. I recovered the pot and punched into the timer five more
minutes.

I turned around to tell Mr. Stroker that dinner was almost ready, to see him leaning against the wall opposite
the kitchen. His hair still looked a little wet from his shower with his hands in the pockets of some blue shorts
that he wore with a plain white tee. I couldn't help but think how good he looked.

"I'm almost done," I told him as I remembered what I wanted to tell him. "Just five more minutes for the rice.
What would you like to drink?" I asked him. This gave me a good reason to turn away as I made my way over to
the fridge. I didn't want to look away, but there was this nagging feeling that I shouldn't stare.

"What do you have?" he asked from where he stood.

"Well, I got some more of the beer you had in the fridge," I started as I looked at what I had gotten. "There is
orange juice with pulp, pomegranate juice, fruit punch and a lady at the store helped me pick out two wines.
One red and one white. She said that they were good even though they were cheap," I said with a grin. For
some reason, I turned towards him to share the fun fact, and he smiled back at me.

"Which do you prefer?" he asked. "Red or white wine?" he expanded. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Neither. I don't like wine," I told him honestly. "I've never really gotten past beer and sometimes I can't even
drink that," I said.

"So you don't drink?" he asked a bit puzzled.

"Not really. Once in a while I drink a beer. Well until I got to college that is. I got tired of turning down all the
beers that everyone passed to me, so I drank more in the last six months than I have since I turned eighteen," I
said with a laugh as I leaned against the fridge.

"So what do you want to drink with dinner?" he asked instead of telling me what he wanted.

"The pomegranate I guess," I said with another shrug.

"Then pomegranate it is," he said as he moved off the wall and walked over to the dining room table to take a
seat. He smiled at me as he sat down, and I smiled in return before I turned around and got the juice out of the
fridge. I place it on the elevated counter just as the timer went off again. I turned back to the pot and stood out
of the way as I released the steam from the pot. I mixed the rice up again before taking out another grain.
Done.

I found a long plate to put some of the rice on so it could cool a bit before we ate it. I walked right over to the
table with it instead of putting it with the others. I then turned back and picked up the other parts of the meal. I
placed them as neatly as I could in the center of the table before turning back to the kitchen for the plates,
knives, forks, and glasses.

As I sat down feeling happy to be finished, I looked at Mr. Stroker, and he looked like he said a joke that I hadn't
heard.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"Are you suppose to sweat that much when cooking?" he asked me with a grin on his face.

"It depends," I told him as I moved an arm across my forehead. "But I'm not sweating that much," I said in
defense of my cooking speed.

"So what do we have here?" he asked as he turned attention to the food that I made. I pointed to each one as I
told him what it was.

"And these are garlic sautéed carrots, zucchini, and squash," I ended. "Are there any vegetables that you don't
like?" I asked him. He was quiet as he started to move some of the rice to his plate.

"I've had vegetables done badly that I don't I want to eat again," he said as he added some of the sauté to his
plate. "But I don't think I've come across any that I just didn't like," he said just before choosing one of the
boneless tights from the plate by stabbing it with his folk.

"Oh," I said as I nodded my head. I watched him as he poured out some of the juice into his glass. I was waiting
to see how he liked what I cooked, so I just sat there and watched all of his movements. How his hands moved
when he cut into the chicken. How he bent his head low when putting it into his mouth and how he ate off the
fork backwards. He seems to like it, I told myself before I saw him lower both his hands to the table.

"David," he said as he looked at me.

"Yes, Mr. Stroker?" I asked him with a smile.

"Aren't you going to eat?" he asked me with badly hidden amusement if he was trying to hide it at all that is.

"Oh yeah," I said with a start. I felt like I should be embarrassed, while at the same time, considering what my
'job' was, nothing much about all of this should be. I grabbed my fork and started to dish out my own meal
when I saw an envelope that was half-hidden under my plate.

"That, of course, is for you," Mr. Stroker said as I put down my empty plate and fork to reach for it. It was kinda
heavy but one-sided heavy. When I looked inside I saw two cards and one key. "The key is for one of my cars. I
won't tell you which one. Just use the alarm button to find it down in the garage." I looked up to see him
smiling at me. I then pulled out the two cards and turned them over in my hands. One was for a local bank with
a VISA logo on it, and the other one had the name of the apartment building we lived in.

"Instead of giving you cash, I thought giving you your own bank account that I could transfer funds into would
be easier." I nodded my head at this. "And that other card," he continued. "Is to get into the building and the
apartment. On the right side of the keypad is a place for you to swipe it, but you should still learn the numbers
or keep them written down in case anything happens to the card," he ended.

"Sweet," I said as I looked at the cards again. On the back of the bank card was a post-it with what I took to be
its PIN. On the apartment card, it just had the picture and name of the apartment building and a black strip on
the back. Nothing to tell you where it was and or which room it belonged to, and I think that there was another
building with this name within the town limits.

"Sweet?" he asked.

"It is isn't it?"I asked him as I put them back into the envelope. "I like having cash on me for some things, but
this was the first time I've had to walk around with so much," I continued as I now forked out my share.

"Speaking of which," Mr. Stroker said as he went back to eating. "Did you have enough money for everything?"

"More than enough," I said after chewing what was in my mouth. "I still have like forty dollars left," I told him
before I drank some of my juice. "I didn't have much to move. You might have seen if you checked my room
before going to work. I borrowed my friend Maggi's car, and I gave her gas money, and I paid my cell phone bill,
I paid to have my mail redirected here from my dorm, and as you know I bought food. I even have a handy
dandy month long bus card," I said with a grin before I took another bite of my chicken. I watched him as he
nodded his head at what I had said.

"How was work today?" I asked him before I could stop myself. "Am I allowed to ask you that?" I asked very
quickly to keep him from being upset at me for asking something I shouldn't have.
"Work is work," Mr. Stroker said before he took a sip from his glass. "You can ask, but it doesn't change much
and I'm not even sure if you would understand anything I said," he explained before he selected a carrot on his
plate to eat next.

"So what are we suppose to talk about?" I asked him feeling a little bit worried about what would fill the time
we spent together if he wasn't willing to talk about his job.

"What's going on in the world, or in town. How your day was, the weather or what's playing on tv," he said with
a shrug before eating some more.

"So I'm truly expected to 'expand your horizons'," I said as I quoted a line from the ad he posted.

"I'm not asking you to keep me constantly entertained, but I think having anyone in my life will do that. We just
have to talk to each other," he said with his head bent down before eating some more. I nodded to myself and
continued eating also. "This tastes really good," he said after a moment. I felt my lips curl into a half-smile.
"Who taught you how to cook?" he asked before I heard his fork scraping against his plate again.

"I was the oldest of three and my mom needed me to help out with things," I started."But she said that I asked
her to teach me how to cook, but I don't remember that," I said with a laugh. "I remember when she gave me
the easy jobs when it came to prepping. She didn't really let me cook anything until I was thirteen. It turned out
to be a complete failure. After that I don't remember much until I see myself in a cooking class with boys and
girls," I ate something and finished it before continuing with my story. "I wondered for years where that was. I
finally asked my mom about it and she said that a local church was giving free cooking lessons to kids and I
made her sign me up for it. I don't remember if I passed or not and I didn't ask at the time," I said as I went
back to eating.

"Do you know a lot of dishes out of your head now?" he asks me.

"I know a few, but beyond three or so, I get the recipe or I guess. I try not to guess that much since most of
them don't come out so well," I said with a weak grin.

"Was any of this a guess?" Mr. Stroker asked as he waved his fork around his plate.

"Not really. The rice I've done before, the same for the chicken. The stir-fry not so much. Every time I do it, it's
different somehow," I explained. A few more moments went by as we took seconds. "Do you know how to
cook?" I asked him. I didn't expect it to be a yes since his kitchen was empty.

"Do you really have to ask?" he laughed. "Once in a while I get around to boiling an egg or two, but I'm only
pleased with that when I don't burn them," he said before eating some more.

"Burn boiled eggs?"I asked him in shock as I laid my wrists on the table.

"I forgot I had the stove on a few times," he said in his defense. I could see that as being a possibility so I let it
go and finished eating. As I stood to take my dishes to the sink, Mr. Stroker placed his fork and knife down
showing he was finished also. I reached over and picked up his plate to take both our dishes to the sink. I heard
the clinking of the glasses and a few other sounds as things were placed on the raised counter at my side. I
turned to my right to see that he had cleared the table and placed everything there for me.

"Thank you, Mr. Stroker," I told him with a smile since I knew he didn't have to do it.
"I don't have anything else to do at the moment and I like seeing you in the kitchen," he said. That almost
sounded like a sexist comment, but I let it slide since he pulled up a seat on his side and continued to watch me.
I turned to the task of cleaning up, but with every move I made I felt the clothes as they touched and slid along
my skin, and I remembered that he saw me naked. That he was most likely thinking of me naked now.

As I wiped down the counter after washing the dishes and putting away what was left of our meal in the fridge,
I stopped and gripped the wet cloth tightly in my right hand as I slowly breathed out. I was beyond grateful that
Mr. Stroker could only see my back.

I thought about him seeing me naked with too much detail, and my current condition wasn't helped by me
thinking of what might have gone through his head with those images. Man did that handle hurt. Move slower.
I told myself as I started to wipe down the counter again.

"I think it's clean enough David," Mr. Stroker said from his seat. As I stopped moving my hand I realize that I had
been standing in the same place for a while. I was so concerned with trying to get my erection to go down that I
forgot to move. I moved to the sink, carefully, to rinse out the dishcloth. I hung it over the divider between the
two sinks and slowly turned to face my new roommate and employer.

"So what now?" I asked him. I found myself inching closer as I waited, but I stopped myself before I got too
close.

"We could watch some tv if you like," he said as he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure what is on, but my
cable bill tells me I have a lot of channels to choose from," he said with a grin. I couldn't help by smile back. He
was rather cute when he smiled.

"Don't you watch anything?" I asked him. I walked past him into the living room and towards the tv. I saw the
remote on the shelf below the hanging flat screen. I sat down in the corner of the couch and switched on the tv.
I saw that it was on CNN when the screen flickered on. "There is always the news," I said as I settled into my
new seat. I looked up and saw that Mr. Stroker was still standing. "Who was your last house boy?" I asked him
to ease us both into being comfortable with each other.

"Last house boy?" he asked me as he turned away for a moment. "I don't know if I should be proud or
embarrassed," he said as he turned back towards me. "But you are the only house boy that I have ever had."

"Oh," I said as that sunk in. Great. This was new territory for both of us. I looked down at my hands. "You can
have the remote if you want," I suggested as I held it out to him. "It is your tv," I said to help convince him to
take it from me. I didn't think he could find anything to watch that I would have any strong objections against.
He took it from my hand after a moment and sat next to me. He flipped through a few channels stopping once
to ask me if I watched any sports. I told him that I played one or two, but I didn't really back any teams or had
time to truly follow a sport since I was on the computer a lot.

He finally stopped on the history channel, and we watched something on the rise of Shanghai I think. It was way
too soon after that I felt his body heating me up. Ok, I told myself. I could just ask for it. Or I could remind him
that he was the one in charge and all that. I turned and looked at him. He seemed to be looking at the screen.
My eyes ending up at his hands. The one closest to me was resting on his thigh and the one holding the remote
was on the couch at his side.

"Mr. Stroker," I started.

"Yes, David," he answered without looking away. I now thought about which approach I should use.
"You can tell me to sleep with you. You don't need to watch tv with me," I decided to tell him. It took him a
moment before he said anything.

"Do you want to sleep with me tonight?" he asked.

"It doesn't matter if I want to. I choose to become your house boy, and you picked me," I told him even though I
wanted to say yes like a cheap date. Mr. Stroker raised his hand with the remote in it and turned off the tv. He
then stood and started to leave the room. I sat on the couch and watched him as he walked away. Before he
entered the hall he stopped.

"Follow me," he said before he started walking again. I felt like saying 'Yes sir' as I stood and followed him
towards his room. After I walked into his room, he closed the door behind me. There was just one light on in
the room and it was a lamp that was on a table next to a big easy chair off to the side of the room. I missed that
when I looked in earlier since it was technically behind the door.

"Get undressed David," Mr. Stroker said from behind me. I didn't have much to take off so I was finished in no
time, and I did it while my back was to him since he didn't tell me to turn around. I felt his finger slow on my
back before I felt his whole hand as it came into contact with my skin. Slowly it went up higher. When it reached
my shoulder I felt his other hand on my hip and his body, naked, as it pressed against my back. He kissed the
skin of my neck that my hair didn't cover as his taller frame curved slightly away from mine. His arms now held
me about the waist with his hardening cock pressed against my ass.
 ==========

Chapter 4 - Our First Night Together

==========

I leaned my head forward and closed my eyes as he continued to kiss his way across the back of my shoulders.
Mr. Stroker's hands roamed across the front of my body. His warm, large hands reached as far down as my
upper thighs and as high as my nipples where he rolled them in his palms. When he held my upper arms his lips
left my body, but I didn't open my eyes until he starting to turn me around.

I looked into his green eyes as I felt one of his hands holding my waist and the other slid up my neck, across my
cheek, and into my hair. It kept going until he reached the back of my head and started to pull me forward. Our
lips touched and I held on to him lightly as we carefully and slow tested and tasted each other's lips for the first
time.

We inched closer together. Our hand holds became stronger as I felt his cock as it slid past mine and poked me
below my bellybutton. His kiss got hotter as his breathing sped up and got rougher before I felt him starting to
push me backwards. I walked until I felt the footboard of his bed along with his hand that was caught between
it and my ass. I don't know when his hand moved from my waist to down there, but I didn't care as lust took a
firm hold of us and we started to grind our bodies and cocks together as we breathed through our mouths that
were still trying to suck, lick and consume the other person.

"Turn around," Mr. Stroker told me with a sex heavy voice as he pulled away first. In a haze I obeyed him
thinking that I knew what he wanted to do next and that I was more than ready to have him do it. I turned
around and ran my hand along my cock to have it point downwards so I wouldn't hurt myself as I leaned into his
wooden footboard to show him everything that made me male. I felt his hand on my back again and with a little
force, I felt as he pushed me forward. I bent over the board, placing my hands on his bed, and then down unto
my elbows as he continued to push. When he stopped I had to spread my feet apart and was now showing as
much as any human could.

I felt exposed, defenseless, horny, and slightly impatient as I now felt nothing from him. No hands, no lips, not
even his hot bre- "Ahhh..." I moaned out as I now felt his mouth as it covered and sucked on my balls. I held on
to the sheets as wave after wave of pleasure was sent through me as he sucked and rotated them around with
his tongue. My cock ached just an inch away from his face. He hadn't touched it once since I had gotten
undressed.

"Mr. Stroker," I started before having to stop to lick my lips.

"The lube David," he cut in and told me before I felt his wet tongue as it glided up the crack of my ass. It was
such a surprising move that my eyes snapped open for a moment and I looked directly in front of me at his
pillow that was slightly dented from when he slept there last night. My eyes started to drift close again as I
waited for him to do it again.

"Lube David," Mr. Stroker told me again and this time I heard it. "Unless you enjoy pain," he added along with
his finger that he pushed inside of me. It didn't hurt that much, but it motivated me to look around the bed and
I found it just a few inches from me. I started to question how I missed seeing it before when his second finger
reminded me that we needed it now. I reached for the clear tube and handed it to him, close to my butt so he
would see it. If I unclenched my jaw, I didn't know if I would moan or scream, but I knew that I wouldn't be able
to speak.

A moment later everything was gone. The lube from my hand, and his fingers from inside me. I breathed out
and closed my eyes almost in relief. I almost hissed as I felt the cold substance as it came into contact with my
skin. He didn't let it drop from the bottle like the last time I had lube used on me. It was on his fingers. He
teased me first as he moved down to my opening, over it, and past it to massage the stretched piece of skin.

I pushed myself up onto my toes as he sent new tingles through me. He took his hand away and I went back to
placing the whole sole of my foot on his carpet. When I felt his hot fingers covered in almost shocking cold
slime again, he was making his way into me again with two digits. He stretched, probed, and lubricated me for
his impending entrance.

"Ah!" I cried out as another finger joined the first two. I was on my toes again as his fingers went deeper into
me. I tried not to let myself think that it felt as good as it did. I wanted to hold out for a bit longer.

"I think that we are both more than ready now," I heard Mr. Stroker say as he pulled himself free of my orifice a
moment later. "And you need to lay down so we can thoroughly enjoy this," he added before kissing along my
spine. I eased myself up into a standing position before I turned to look at him. He wasn't right behind me but
was still within two steps and an arm's reach away. I watched in belly flipping awe as he greased his cock with
the lube. He was a man of contradiction standing before me. He was a perfectly controlled mix of strength and
years, while the possibility of losing control lingered around the edges.

I made my way around to the side of the bed and the squishy feeling in my ass added excitement back to the
list of feelings contained in me. I crawled onto the bed and turned over onto my back to see Mr. Stroker as he
reached out his unoccupied hand to touch my foot and moved up my calf.

"Come closer," he tells me as I switched from watching his hand that was on my leg, to the hand holding his
impressive penis. I scooted closer while keeping my legs apart as I went back to watching his hand on my leg as
it moved up to my knee, and over my inner thigh. I stopped moving to keep my ass from going over the edge. I
moved up unto my elbows and watched his cock, that he let go of, to lift my other leg unto his shoulder. I
looked up into his face and watched those green eyes of his as they came closer.

I felt as he curved my body slightly in on itself. I closed my eyes and felt his lips on mine again a moment before
his penis touched my skin. It slid over the base of my cock. It passed over my balls and came to rest at a barrier
that had just been worked over to not resist his entrance.

I moaned slightly as Mr.Stroked grunted at the pressure he now applied to his active entrance into my ass as we
curved more towards each other. I raised my leg, that was free at his side, up onto his hip and pulled him closer.
I felt his fingers dig into my thigh as he pushed deeper and faster into me.

"Ahhh," I moaned out loud as he bottomed out and I felt his thick coarse hair as it was crushed against my
backside. A deep growl of a hum vibrated through his chest as he stayed still while we both adjusted to the
feeling of being filled and crushed in on.

"Mr. Stroker," I started, as I felt his lips as they started to suck on my shoulder.

"Call me Sir," he said in a low tone before he kissed me lower than where he was a minute before. His tongue
wandered down my chest until it got to the closest nipple. He didn't do anything to it, but cover it with his
mouth as Sir moved his hips a little in and out of me. As if he was testing something. Then he moved a bit faster.
He moved further out of me before he came back in with a push that rocked me backwards a little. As he sped
up, he sucked on my nipple before he let go and braced himself better by holding my leg as he hit me just a
little harder.

"Ah," I whimpered as he started to slide repeatedly over my prostate. "Ahh..."I cried out at a new faster thrust
from Sir. I closed my eyes and felt my skin break out in a sweat all over my body.

"No," I heard him say. "Open your eyes. Look at me," Sir told me. I slowly opened my eyes and found myself
looking up at the ceiling. I bent my neck to look into his face as he concentrated on me. I felt more naked than
when he had me bent over before. I knew I was breathing as hard as he was. Sir looked into my eyes and I
looked into his through every chest heaving breath.

We both moaned louder and saw the other change as we got closer to coming. Our breathing took on a hissing
sound. I reached out and laid my hand on his stomach and I saw his eyes become even darker.

"Ahah, Ah, Ah..."I moaned louder and louder as I felt my orgasm starting to pool. Sir was getting closer too. He
was going faster. He was closing his eyes for seconds at a time, but he always looked right at me when he
opened them again. I reached my other hand down and started to jerk my cock that hasn't been this hot and
hard since I made out with my first crush five years ago. As my fingers touched the ridges of my cock's head I
knew I couldn't stop myself from coming now if I wanted to.

"Sir, Sir," I said louder each time. "I'm coming," I finished before I started to hiss and huff as I felt my cum
making its way through me and my insides pushed to get it out. I continued to look at him as my cock fired off.
What Isaw flickered and flashed before I felt my cum cooling random spots on my body.

"Oh, OH... fuckYes... David... Fuckkk Yesss..." Sir ended on with his last stiff, wet, thrust deep into me. Now we
were still. Only our chests moved as we continued to look at each other. I wanted to reach up and kiss him, but
my heart was moving too fast, and my breathing felt as dangerous as his looked. My limbs didn't want to move.
I tried lifting my hand that was still on his abs, but it was my leg that I had on his hip that moved as it fell onto
the bed.

Sir rested on my leg that he still held over his shoulder. His breathing seemed to have gotten better now, and I
felt like I could at least try to move my hand again. I moved a few fingers and slid them over the area that was
above the patch of hair that surrounded his cock that was still up my ass.

"That felt great," I said to both of us. Every man loves to hear the person he just tore in to say how great they
were, and I was never below some fanservice. But in this case, it was all true. I haven't had sex for over a year.
At least not with another person. But before I could really think back on my many one-handed sessions, I felt Sir
as he moved my leg off of his shoulder and placed it on the bed.

His movements continued as he now slowly pulled out of my slightly sore hole. I gasped and winched a little as
he moved his head through my ring. He then crawled up onto the bed and over my body before I felt at least
half his weight on me before our lips met again.

"You felt so good that I don't care if you meant that or not," Sir said as we broke our kiss. I was about to protest
and tell him I wasn't lying when he started to kiss me again. I wrapped one arm around his head and the other
around his waist, pulling him completely down onto me as I kissed him back. Hard. Our kissing soon lost its
heat, and at some point, we shifted and found our heads resting on his pillows.

"Sleep here tonight," Sir told me. It wasn't a harsh order, and as happy as I was at being told to stay, I also
realized that he could have easily told me to leave. That knowledge did not sit well with me.
"Yes Sir," I answered him before I felt his arm around me as he pulled me closer. I snuggled closer and rested my
head just below his in the crook of his neck. I fell asleep feeling tired, sexually sated, warm, and almost as lonely
as I was the night before.

----------
----------

"David," Sir called out to me.

"Mum?" I answered back as I kept my eyes closed for a few moments longer.

"When does your morning class start?" he asked. I snuggled closer to his chest as I didn't try that hard to
remember the answer.

"What is today?" I asked him instead since I couldn't think of the day that we were now talking in.

"Thursday," he answered as I felt his hand touching my head.

"Awm," I said as I tried to really remember now. "I think I have two classes today. The first one is at ten am," I
finished. I had tons of time.

"I guess I wore you out more than I thought," I heard Sir say above my head sounding a little happy. I smiled at
this, but I kept my eyes close as I started to drift back to sleep. "As tempting as it is to stay here with you I have
to be at work in an hour and twenty-two minutes," he tells a sleepy me before I felt him slide out from under
half of my body.

Something isn't right. I started to wake up as I tried to understand what was wrong. I opened my eyes before I
sat up. As I looked around I was instantly reminded that I was in Mr. Stroker's, no, Sir's room. The clothes we
wore last night were over the footboard of his bed. I heard the shower as he turned it on and remembered
what he just said about having to be at work in an hour and twenty-some minutes. Why would he take that
long to get to work? His office was twenty minutes away with bad traffic, and I'm sure he didn't take that long
to get ready.

My hand moved to my stomach, and as the idea of being hungry came to me, I realized what was wrong. I was
suppose to make Mr. Stroker breakfast and even eat it with him. I quickly got up and put back on my clothes as I
made my way into the hall and headed for the kitchen.

I went to the fridge and pulled out the eggs without even thinking. Yesterday I made Mr. Stroker a simple
scrambled egg with just onions, but that was because he didn't have anything else. Today I have vegetables to
work with also. I aimed for making him an omelet with tomatoes, sweet peppers, and just a little Monterey jack
cheese. I placed the first one onto a plate before I put some sliced wheat bread into the toaster. I didn't hear
when the shower stopped, but I was sure he was out of it by now.

I was halfway done with making my omelet when the bread popped up. I placed them on his plate before
getting a glass and turning to the fridge for some orange juice. I left it out on the counter, for myself for later,
and left the kitchen to pick up his plate on the other side of the counter to place it on the table along with his
glass of juice. I turned back to get a fork for Sir as I heard him close the door to his room.

As I passed in front of the passageway I saw him walking towards me dressed in a very light blue shirt, a white
striped tie with dark blue slacks as he carried the matching jacket over his arm. He smiled at me as I hurried into
the kitchen for his fork. I got one and grabbed a paper towel sheet for a napkin before heading back to the
table. I got there just as he sat down.

"I hope you like," I told him as he took the napkin and fork from me.

"It smells and looks good," he said without looking up at me. I went back to the kitchen and finished making my
breakfast. By the time I made it back to the table with my plate of food and glass of OJ, he was only half-
finished.

"So what two classes do you have today?" he asked as he continued to eat, but chewing slowly.

"Blueprint reading two, and Autocad two," I told him before I took my first bite. He nodded his head at this
piece of information. As we ate, here minded me of the keys for the car he gave me last night. They were still on
the table in the little white envelope with my new bank card and access card for the building and our
apartment. I dared to ask him about his work again, and he gave me an answer that he swore he would explain
over lunch, which brought up his next question.

"Will you be free for lunch today?" he asked.

"Yes Sir," I answered. "My first class is from ten until eleven-thirty, and my next class starts at three," I
explained. For some reason, he didn't seem to like my answer. He stopped eating and finished what was already
in his mouth before he looked at me.

"You don't have to call me Sir when we are like this," he started. "Only when," he paused. "Only call me that
when we sleep with each other," he ended. He said it softly, almost as if he was ashamed to say it. I just nodded
my head. It wasn't a big deal. I've heard stories of other sexual requests that seem further out there than this.
His eyes searched my face for something before he turned back to his plate and quickly finishing what little he
still had there.

When he was finished, he got up, and I got up too, even though I wasn't finished, and walked him to the door. I
wasn't sure what I was suppose to do, but sitting there felt wrong for some reason. I kinda helped him into his
jacket, but of course, he didn't really need my help. I was about to wish him a good day at work when he turned
around instead of opening the door and pulled me towards him. For one short moment, I was surprised as our
bodies came together, and I felt his cool suit under my hands and his hot lips on my own before I started to kiss
him back.

Sir, Mr. Stroker, kept me still but hot as we 'said good-bye' for the next three minutes. I'm positive it was longer
than two by the time he ended the kiss.

"How about we try out a Spanish restaurant today?" he asked me with those inviting green eyes of his. I nodded
my head as I continued to hold him in my arms, not thinking that I need to say anything. "My meeting should be
over by twelve-fifteen, and I'll meet you at my office at twelve-thirty," he informs me.

"Yes Mr. Stroker," I now answer him. He smiles at me before we kiss again. I watch him as he walks out the door,
and I close it behind him. I walk back to the table to finish my breakfast and think about how I will spend the
rest of my morning before attending my first class.
 ==========

Chapter 5 - Very Late Lunch

==========

As I sat on the bus on the way to Mr. Stroker's office, I saw a little red car speed by, and it reminded me of the
car that belonged to the keys in my pocket.

This morning, as I entered the underground parking of my new apartment building, with my school bag slung
over my shoulder, I had entertained the idea of looking for the car by sight. Then it hit me that I didn't have a
clue what it looked like and used the alarm on the keychain to locate it. The first beep that the car emitted, was
echoed from the furthest end of the garage. So I walked several feet before clicking for it again. It was like
playing Marco Polo with someone you hadn't met yet to meet them.

In response to my next click, there was an answering beep, and I was able to see the flashing headlights
through a thin tarp. I pulled the covering off from front to back and came face to fender with something that
looked like a spider. I think it was a series two, one of the jrs. I didn't know that they came in black, but then I
didn't know that much about them. I would be lucky if I was right in calling it a spider at all. When I got back to
the front of the car, I saw the logo with the name Alfa Romeo in white on blue.

I jumped in, throwing my bag into the side seat, and started it up. I drove around the mostly empty garage for a
few minutes and even tried backing up and parking to get a feel for it. I haven't had a car of my own in a long
time, and after a few minutes, it felt like I had been driving this car for years. I loved it. I parked it closer to the
elevator before standing there, looking at it and moving my hand over its slightly dusty body. I then realized a
few things.

One, I needed to clean it before taking it to school or anywhere else for that matter. Two, I needed to get
updated insurance information for it, and three, this wasn't Mr. Stroker's parking space. I got back in and placed
grey fingerprints on the steering wheel as I took it back to where I found it. As I was about to get ou, I decided
to check the glove compartment to see if somehow Mr. Stroker had placed the insurance papers in there
already. No such luck. The car, on the whole, looked like it had been cleaned and cleaned out before it was
parked here.

The car was in great condition, so he either didn't drive it much, or he did drive it and kept it in top working
order the entire time. "I wonder how long you've sat down here in the dark waiting to be driven again?" I asked
the car as I ran my hand over the dash. At least long enough for all this dust to pile up.

My phone beeped, letting me know that I should start thinking about leaving for class. I leaned over to the
passenger side for my bag and then thought that I should cover it up again until I was ready to take it out. So I
spent about a minute putting that dusty thing back on the right way before I jogged out from under the building
to catch my bus.

As the memory ended, I checked to see where I was and saw that I was two stops away from Mr. Stroker's
office. I got up and made my way to the back door of the bus. We halted once for another bus stop and three
times for traffic lights before the door opened, and I got out with a small crowd of other people. I walked
around the corner and down a block before turning again to reach his building. I waved to the guys at the front
desk as I walked by, and they just waved back as I made my way to the elevators. Eleven floors later, I was
walking on plush carpet. I took a seat outside of Mr. Stroker's office and was far calmer than the first time I sat
there. I checked my phone and saw that his meeting should be ending soon and reached in my bag for one of
my books and read over a few pages that the teacher talked about in class today.

In no time, it seemed, I saw a suited pair of legs moving towards me. I looked up, expecting to see someone
else from the office stopping by to see if Mr. Stroker was back from the meeting to speak to him about
something. Instead, I saw Mr. Stroker himself, speaking to his secretary, Silvia, and collecting some pieces of
paper. I sat there waiting for him to tell me if I should stay here or to follow him into his office. I didn't want to
be in the way, and there might be things that he didn't want me to hear or know.

"David," Mr. Stroker said as he turned away from Silvia, who stayed seated behind her desk. I closed my book
and stood as he came closer. Mr. Stroker now smiled a little, but it did nothing to erase the stress from the
meeting he just left. "Come into my office," he told me as he stopped himself from placing his hand on my
shoulder.

"Sure," I said as I got my bag and placed my book in it as I walked behind him. I looked up to make sure I wasn't
walking into anything to realize that he was holding the door open for me as he stood inside his office. I looked
back to my bag and zipped it up just as I walked into his office. I heard Mr. Stroker as he closed the door and
held the bag in my hand as I waited for him to say something. Instead, he walked around me and towards his
desk before pointing to a chair for me to sit in.

"I just have to check my mail and make a few calls, then we can leave," Mr. Stroker informs me as he pulls out
the keyboard. I nodded my head as he turned his attention to the screen. I pulled out the book that I just put
back in my bag and picked up from where I left off. The next thirty or so minutes passed mostly in silence as I
read, and he typed. About twenty minutes into this, he started making his phone calls, and I began correcting or
appended some of my notes from class with additional or contrary information that I found in the book.
Something to ask my teacher about later. The other students are going to love me for that, I mentally remarked.
I was about ready to change subjects when Mr. Stroker caught my attention.

"I'm sorry David," he said.

"What for?" I asked him. So we would be having a late lunch, I told myself.

"It's starting to look like I have to cancel our lunch," Mr. Stroker tells me. I debated if I should accept that or try
to talk him into taking a lunch break. I closed the book as I looked back at him. He looked stressed. Even if he
didn't eat something, he should at least get a break from work.

"What was that restaurant that you wanted to take me to?" I asked him.

"Awm," Mr. Stroker started sounding a little surprised at my question. "Susanita, on Lincoln Ave," he answered.

"Ok," I comment as I start to pack up. "Lincoln Ave that curves around town, Lincoln Ave?" I question him with
an odd smile. "Would it take too much of your time to come downstairs and point me in the right direction?" I
asked him, hoping I get him that far before I think up something else. I smiled even wider at him as I slung my
bag over my shoulder as I waited for his answer.

"I guess I can do that," Mr. Stroker said as he gave both his computer and telephone a last look before he
walked around his desk. I walked ahead of him and opened the door as I waited for him to catch up to me. We
walked out into the waiting area, and Siliva looked up to see if she was needed.

"Silvia, I'll be stepping out for a moment," he tells her before turning away and walking towards the elevator
with me. "How much time do you have before your next class?" Mr. Stroker asked me as we waited for the
elevator. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone to check.

"Well, it's one seventeen now," I said as I read what my phone was telling me. "So I have just over an hour and a
half before I have to be back on campus for class at three," I explained as we got into the newly arrived elevator.

"So you have more than enough time for lunch then," he mostly commented. To who I'm not sure, but I was
hoping he was kinda talking to himself. I didn't want to push yet, so I just nodded. We were both quiet for the
rest of the ride down and our walk out of the building. So we stood there looking at each other for a few
seconds before Mr. Stroker pointed behind me.

"Susanita is on that end of Lincoln Ave between Holly and Peterson," he tells me.

"Do you think you have some time to walk with me halfway?" I asked him. "I'm sure you could do with some
fresh air," I quickly said to make it sound like I was thinking of him and not just trying to trick him into having
lunch with me. He turned slightly to look back into the building before looking back at me. "It's not very far
away, is it?" I asked him.

"Halfway, you say?" Mr. Stroker asked to make sure. I smiled broadly and nodded. "Sure," he said as he placed
his arm around my shoulder and walked with me towards Susanita. We never got there in the end. Either one
of us. Halfway there, we found this little wedge of a park. We bought some juices off of a cart and sat under a
tree for a few minutes, just looking around at everyone as they passed by.

At one-thirty, the alarm on my phone went off, breaking into our calm mood. The alarm was suppose to mark
the end of our lunch, so Mr. Stroker would get back to work on time, in case anyone was waiting for him. I knew
that our time was really up as he looked at me, and I looked back at him. I slowly stood and turned to look at
him again.

"So, can I walk you back?" I asked him. Mr. Stroker smiles in my direction before finishing his drink and standing
next to me.

"I would like that," he replies with an easy smile. As we walk past a trash can, he takes my empty bottle and
tosses it in with his own. As we exit the park, he leads me down a side street, and we walk through the shadows
of a few buildings.

"Are you going to Susanita for lunch after I get back?" he asks me.

"Nope," I honestly tell him.

"Thanks," Mr. Stroker tells me as he pulls me closer and lays his arm around my shoulders as we continued to
walk.

"For what?" I asked him to find out what he thinks I did.

"For giving me a break from work," he answers me.

"That's what I'm here for, isn't it?" I ask him with a smile as I look at him for a moment before looking straight
ahead again.

"How about we go there for dinner tonight?" Mr. Stroker asks me. "I'm still in the mood for some Spanish food,"
he tacked on.

"Sure," I answered him. "But do you want me to meet you there after work, or do you want to come home
first?" I ask him in return.

"I'm sure I'll be starving, so how about you meet me there," Mr. Stroker tells me. "And I'll call you when I'm
ready to leave the office," he finishes. His hand moved down to my waist, where he squeezes me before it fell
away from my body completely.

"Ok," I answer him as I felt rather happy with myself for getting him out of the office for a little while, even if I
didn't get as far as persuading him to get something to eat. All too soon, we came to a stop, and I found that we
were standing outside of his building. "I guess I'll see you later then," I tell him as he now moves to stand in
front of me. "Just," I started to say, then bit my tongue to stop myself. He didn't need me to tell him to eat
something. He hired a house boy, not a mother.

"Just what?" Mr. Stroker probed.

"It's nothing. It can wait till later," I say as I adjust my bag over my shoulder and smiled at him again. Actually, I
think I've been smiling the whole time. He took a moment to consider what I said before he appeared to
believe me, and he looked unworried again. "See ya tonight," I tell him as I start to move away in the direction
of the bus stop.

"Later," he says as he stands there and watches me walk away. After a few paces, I had to take a turn and leave
him behind. When I got to the corner, I looked back to see if Mr. Stroker was still there, but he had already gone
inside. I turned to my left to walk down the short block.

Before I made it to the bus stop, my bus drove past me. I watched as it slowed down to a standstill as it picked
up waiting passengers. By the time I arrived, there was still one person left to get on.

I found a decent place to stand before I pulled out my phone to send a mass text to my friends. I asked if
anyone was up for meeting me at 67 Burgers for a late lunch. By the time I got off the bus, three blocks from
the eatery, I had two takers.
 ==========

Chapter 6 - Susanita

==========

I sat down in the park that Mr. Stroker and I found that afternoon. I was allowed a few moments to admire what
was left of the sunset before the ring tone, that I just set up that evening, started to sing in my pocket. I didn't
even check the caller ID to see who it was, since he was the only one that had set that ring tone for.

"Hello," I automatically said.

"Hello David," Mr. Stroker answers back. "I'll be leaving in about twenty minutes. That should give you enough
time to get to Susanita about the same time I do," he explains.

"Ok. I'll be waiting," I tell him.

"Ok," Mr. Stroker answers back before hanging up. I look across the street at the streetlamp as it started to get
brighter in response to the night that was closing in. As I turned away from the light to see who was around and
what they looked like, I wondered again if I shouldn't just meet him at the restaurant like he was expecting me
to, but I just sat there. Looking at others as they went out for the night also. Some of them traded in their suites
for something far more comfortable, like jeans and a tee, while others were more dressed up for the few high-
end places around town.

I went the middle ground since I wasn't all that sure how I was supposed to be dressed. I figured that I was safe
in my dark solid colored jeans, collared white shirt, with cuffs, with my only jacket. My shoes were a lost cause,
but at least my jacket seemed to have matched everything. And by match, I mean it was black.

I stood up and ran a hand through my hair as I seriously considered going to the restaurant and meeting him
there. What would meeting him here do for either one of us? I asked myself as I looked in the direction where
Susanita was suppose to be.

"David?" Mr. Stroker's voice asked from behind me. I felt like I failed at something before I pulled on a smile and
turned around to face him.

"Hi," was all I could think of saying to him. He looked me over as he came closer, and I just put my hands in my
pockets.

"Why are you here?" Mr. Stroker asks when he stops a few feet away from me. I was never good at telling lies so
I never really tried.

"I was waiting for you," I confessed. As I said it, I sounded worst than I thought I could. I groaned, and he looked
at me oddly if not concerned.

"Well, it's a nice surprise," he commented after a while. "But we should get going, or we will be late for our
reservations," Mr. Stroker informs me.

"Reservations?" I ask him as he starts to move away. I catch up with him as I think of another question to ask
him. "They won't make me get a tie would they?" I asked as we stopped at the end of the block and waited for
a car to pass.

"No, you look fine," Mr. Stroker tells me as he looks me over again. "You combed your hair," he remarks before
checking for any more cars. I kept up with him now as we crossed the street and walked down another
block. What was wrong with my hair? I asked myself as I ran my hand through it again.

"How late are we?" I ask him as I realize we were rushing more than I expected us to be. Mr. Stroker came up
short as we rounded a corner. I didn't see to stop in time and saw the back of his still clean collar as I ran into
his broad shoulders. I held the back of his arms as we both leaned forward from the impact.

"David?" Mr. Stroker asks in concern before he turns around and looks at me.

"I'm fine," I said before looking down to make sure that my shirt was still tucked into my jeans and fixing my
jacket. When I looked up again, he was checking his watch.

"You're right," Mr. Stroker tells me as he looks up.

"About what?" I asked as we started to walk again but at a slower pace.

"The time for our reservations. We are only two blocks away now, and we have over ten minutes before we
have to be there," he explains.

"Sooo..." I pulled out. "Why were you rushing then?" I asked as I realized why Mr. Stroker said I was right
before.

"Well," he started as I looked over at him. Mr. Stroker's whole demeanor had changed, and he looked a little
less ... confident now. No less handsome, just with some added cuteness that I hadn't truly seen before. I saw
the black tunnel of a gap between some buildings behind him as we walked by, and I opened my mouth to ask
him if he was meeting someone else there when he grabs my forearm and pulls me into the darkness with him.
Mr. Stroker walks us about twenty feet into the darkness so that no one simply passing by would be able to see
that we were there.

Once we came to a stop, we faced each other with our backs on opposite walls, with only a few inches between
us. I looked at him, waiting to hear why we were in there while feeling appreciative that the walls appeared to
be dry. He looked like he was trying to decide what to say, or how to say it, or both.

"Mr. Stroker?" I prompted him. A moment later, he looked a bit more at ease at having found his answers I
think.

"I think I asked you not to lie to me, the day we met, and I think it should go without saying that I won't lie to
you either," he tells me before going quiet. His statement lead me to think of a few things.

"We are meeting someone else at the restaurant?" I ventured. That got a smile out of him.

"No, we aren't meeting anyone there. At least not on purpose," Mr. Stroker added on. I was looking into his
eyes and missed seeing his hand as it came closer to my face so I was a little surprised when I felt his fingers on
my cheek before they touched my hair. I drifted closer to him as I pushed off of my wall. He met me more than
halfway, and it was a nice soft kiss with a little tongue as he pulled at my waist to hold my body to his. I held
him any way I could, and I couldn't tell you where my hands were other than I remembered feeling his back
under my palms.
Just as I started to get into it some more, Mr. Stroker pulled out of the kiss, but his hands stayed where they
were. I watched his eyes as they roamed over my face. He worked his way down from my hair and held my eyes
for a while before he moved on down the rest of my face.

"So, what was it you wanted to tell me?" I ask him as I felt him looking at my lips.

"I wanted to see you," Mr. Stroker says. "I wanted to get to the restaurant on time. I didn't want to keep you
waiting," Mr. Stroker continued. "Since I saw you earlier and felt badly about canceling our lunch, I worked
quickly to make sure I wouldn't have to cancel our dinner too or keep you waiting," he said in a low voice. I felt
so moved that I felt a little confused. Not confused as if I didn't know what he meant or what he said, but on
the inside. I felt a little unsure of how to continue.

"I thought this was going to happen," Mr. Stroker said softly.

"What?" I decided to ask him in the same low tone. I wasn't sure what he meant, but from what he said before,
I kinda thought that I had something of a clue.

"I'll tell you at home," he tells me as he continues to whisper to me. Mr. Stroker drifted his mouth closer to
mine again. It was less intense than the first one, but I liked it just as much.

"Ok," I agreed as we parted, but he stayed close enough to feel the word move across his lips.

"We have a dinner to get to," Mr. Stroker told me as much as it was a reminder for him to keep from kissing me
again. We just look at each other until I felt his hold on me loosen, and then his hands were gone. I reluctantly
did the same to him. I turn and walk out in front of him and was, of course, the first to walk back out into the
'real' world where we had dinner reservations, and I had a hungry boss to feed. Once Mr. Stroker joined me, I
looked at him and waited for him to lead the way.

------
------
------

"I'm going to tell you this once," Jacob told me as he moved his eyes from looking over my shoulder to looking
me in the eye. "Do not cause a scene." He paused. "It looks like Al chose someone, and I don't recognize him,"
he finished. I turned around in my seat and saw Alfred Stroker as he was being seated with some kid. I wanted
to say he was his son, but I knew he had no children, least of all a nineteen-year-old boy. I watched as they sat
down and talked about something before laughing and looking at their menus that the waitress had left for
them to read over.

"I mean it, Edward," Jacob warned me again. I felt my hand ache in complaint at the tight grip I had it in. How
dare he! I remembered seeing him two months ago when he hinted at picking me at our next matching mixer. I
sucked him dry, and he picks this...this...twerp! As my muscles started to cramp in my right arm I eased my grip.
I was not going to just sit here like I didn't see him. I did see him, and I was going to make sure he knew.

"It would be rude of us not to say hello," I told Jacob as I formed the words in my head that I wanted to say to
him.

"No, it wouldn't be if it keeps us from getting kicked out of here," he told me in a slightly louder voice than
before.
"We won't," I told him as I pushed my chair back and stood. As I started to walk away, I heard his chair scrape
the floor before I felt him walking behind me. I lead the way through the tables with my eyes locked on him. I
was a table away when he saw me. It wasn't downright displeasure I saw on his face, but he didn't look that
enthusiastic to see me either. He was suppose to be mine, still raged in my ears as I stood looking down at him.

"Good Evening Mr. Stroker," Jacob said before I did.

"Hello Mr. Stroker," I soon added trying to sound pleasant. "Will you be stopping by this weekend?" I asked him.
Maybe we were wrong. Maybe I wasn't looked over, and maybe this person wasn't his choice after all. I still
refused to look at the kid as I waited for an answer.

"Hello Jacob, Edward," Al said sounding a little sharp with my name. "No, I don't think I'll be coming back. At
least not anytime soon," he answered. I went cold before quickly starting to overheat.

"So, this is your choice?" I asked as I now looked at the boy sitting next to him. I refused to see his features as a
cute combination. His longish black wavy hair, clear light brown eyes with cheeks that I saw dimpled when he
laughed earlier, and a gentle-looking body type that screamed his youth at me.

"His name is David, and we choose each other," Al informed me, causing my eyes to find him again.

"He can't choose. We aren't allowed to choose," I insisted. "What House are you from?" I turned and
demanded of the kid. I was going to see he got into trouble for this.

"Edward," I heard Jacob again. "It's done," he calmly stated.

"House?" the boy asked in a puzzled voice.

"I hope you have a pleasant dinner, Mr. Stroker," Jacob said as he took a hold of my arm. "David," he addressed
the boy before starting to pull me away. I wanted to resist, but I wasn't suppose to make a scene, so I went with
him. I let Jacob steer me outside before I pulled my arm free.

"I didn't get us kicked out," I informed him before he said anything. "I barely raised my voice," I went on. I stood
with my back to the restaurant, not liking the feeling of having lost something I thought was mine. "Let's go," I
told Jacob as I walked back to where I parked my car.

"Will you be coming to the matching mixer tonight now?" Jacob asked as we sat at a red light half a town away
from the reason for my bad mood.

"Do you think Tiffany and Jeffery would want me there tonight?" I asked him in turn. I thought about going
once I had gotten in the car, but my fowl mood may cause my House more damage than I was willing to pay for
later.

"You will have about an hour to calm down," he answers. I thought about it as I pulled off from the green light. I
kept quiet as I made my way out of town and into the suburbs. I quickly got onto the road that leads me around
the cookie-cutter maze of family houses and headed to what most people thought was a smaller neighboring
complex. The houses here were almost twice the size of the ones I passed, and there were only two blocks of
them at the moment. Six houses in all.

There were three houses per block with the back of each house connected to create a large parking space for
everyone who lived there and those that came to visit. Only the regulars and housemates had their names over
a parking spot. Edward Colt was lit up as the car came close to the wall in front of a parking space.

"I'll let you know," I finally told Jacob as I got out of my car and walked into the house. No one needed to lock
their doors around here, so I never bother to. I walked through the back lobby that looked identical to the one
at the front of the house. I made a few turns, passing some of the other guys living here without saying a word,
before going up the stairs and towards my room that was on the second floor.

I got undressed without even thinking and found myself standing over my hamper, dropping in my underwear. I
walked over to the full-length mirror that was next to my closet and looked at myself. I looked from the tips of
my dirty blonde hair, past my green eyes, down my straight nose, over my full lips, and down the clear skin that
covered my slender body.

I looked like I barely aged since I came here five years ago. I stepped closer and gave myself a closer inspection.
Maybe I wasn't as slender, but I was a man, not some teenager. I looked damn good for my twenty-six years.
Everyone asks for me first. Everyone but him. He thought that I was too good for him. That is what he told me
the last time he was in this room.

I liked ...I turned and went into the shower. I had to get ready for the matching mixer's post-party. I didn't have
it in me to pretend to want a commitment with anyone beyond tonight. A nice fuck or two will get me back into
a good mood, I told myself as I stepped into the shower.

Fifteen minutes later, I was dressed in a light pair of slacks, and laying on my bed shirtless. I wondered if I
should just go to sleep, but I already heard people starting to arrive, and someone will come looking for me
near the end. Then I'll just go with them and take advantage of the leftovers. They always felt needy and ready
for at least a quick one to be reminded of how much of a man they still are. I felt my cock get a little hard at the
thought. They might even be a bit rough tonight. I was starting to look forward to that knock at my door.

Someone was knocking I realized as I started to wake myself. I sat up and rubbed my eyes as I walked over to
the door shirtless. I opened the door, and there was Tiffany. Her expression was business-like as she looked me
over.

"Good night, Tiffany," I greeted her.

"The mix is over, come down," she told me. "Comb your hair," she added before walking away.

"Yes, ma-am," I told her backside as she walked away. Even though no one in the house or any of our clients had
any interest in her psychically, she was dressed to the nine to appear professional. I stretched and yawned on
my toes before opening my eyes again as I fully planted my feet on the hard wooden floor. I heard footsteps and
looked down the hall as a couple made their way up onto my floor before turning and going up to the top floor.
I left the door open as I turned around to look for my shirt.

I could have gone down shirtless, but that wouldn't be fair to the other guys. I smiled at the thought before
seeing the near-transparent shirt that I had set aside earlier. I shrugged it on over my shoulders before going to
see how bad my hair was. I stood before my full-length mirror as I did up the last two buttons.

It wasn't so bad. I ran my fingers through my hair a few times, and it had a well-behaved look that still shouted
that I belonged in bed. I started to feel excited at the prospect of meeting a man whose dreams I would put to
shame tonight. I thought about how he would smell as we get impossible close to each other. So what if Al
chose some kid instead of me. He will hear tales of me that will make him regret his choice.
I closed my door and walked down the hallway towards the stairs. I was about to head downstairs when I saw
Miguel on his way up with Patrick, one of our regulars, around his waist. They both looked at me, but Patrick's
eyes lingered a little longer. I flashed him a grin before bounding downwards to the party to make one horny
man very happy.

------
------

As I turned over, I felt something poking my spine. I rolled back and tried to move whatever it was out of the
way. I brushed my hand back and forth across the surface of my bed, and as my hand touched it, I pushed it
towards and off the edge of my bed. I heard whatever it was as it fell onto the rug that extended two feet out
from under my bed. My ass ached in a good way as I started to wake up. A feeling that was all too common to
me that it was less intrusive on my mornings than my strong need for a piss.

I tried to stand, but the bottle or two that I drank the night before made me sit down again as my head
pounded, and my eyes tried to focus. As my stiff cock insisted that I get into the bathroom, I decided that I had
to use what little of my senses I did have at the moment. Slowly, but in a rush, I made my way half-blind into
the bathroom and towards the toilet that already had the seat lifted. I planted my feet widely, placed my palm
flat on the wall before me, and leaned on it as I used my other hand to aim my cock downwards.

A stream of hot piss shot out of me and hit the bowl above the waterline. I heard no instant splash, but I did
hear water rushing into water, as I leaned there with my eyes closed. I continued to stand there like that for a
while after my bladder was empty, not thinking of anything. I shook the last lingering drop off my cock before
standing there until I saw clearly, and the pounding in my head had worked its way down to a buzz. I bent down
and flushed the toilet before walking into the shower. I stood under lukewarm water until my head felt like the
one I had yesterday about this time, then I showered.

I walked into my room, drying my hair as I navigated a path towards my dresser for a pair of boxers. I just pulled
one out at random and tossed the wet towel over something before bending to pull it on. I then grabbed my
phone, which was actually on its charger, as I made my way downstairs for breakfast.

"You missed the matching mixer," Frank informed me as I stepped into the kitchen. The others continued to talk
or cook or eat while Frank gave me his undivided attention.

"I think I know that I missed the mix," I told him.

"You still think that Alfred will come for you?" he continued. "He isn't even a regular," Frank added on.

"That was the point. He was someone new who didn't act like everyone else who has been coming here," I
answered before I stuck my head into the fridge to get some orange juice. I saw five boxes of the stuff and
picked the closest one.

"I heard that you actually fell for him," Frank continued. I paused on my way out of the fridge for a second
longer than I should have. I shouldn't have paused at all.

"Who told you such nonsense?" I asked before trying to move away. Frank just slid his bowl of oatmeal down
the counter to where I was getting a glass, proving that he wasn't going to drop it so easily.

"Sam," he simply answered.

"Sam?" I now questioned him. "How on earth would he know something like that about me?" I asked as I
looked at him for a brief moment before starting my pour. Sam knew nothing about me. At least nothing about
who I may or may not like. It wasn't like I disliked him or anything like that. We just didn't mesh well and didn't
hang out together.

"Is he lying?" Frank asked before he stuck a spoonful of the light brown stuff into his mouth. I watched him as I
lifted my cup and took a slow drink. I didn't know what to tell him.
 ==========

Chapter 7 - New Lines

==========

We just laid there in his bed. I half wanted to ask myself how I got here. In bed with a man that I didn't know
four days ago, and thinking about the near-perfect example of a human male who was upset at me for being
with Mr. Stroker, but I didn't. When I took this job, this was part of it. I agreed to sleep with him, and he came
with a past. Everyone did.

I tightened the grip I had of him, on his shoulder. I felt like keeping him close at that moment, I also cursed
myself for the action. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had hoped that I would start acting like a "normal"
man when I took this job. Like having sex for the sake of having sex. I was also getting myself out of this dry
spell and making some money at the same time. Getting a room all my own, so I wouldn't have to pay for my
dorm, was the only bonus I knew about when I decided to answer the ad.

I should have known that it wouldn't have been that cut and dry. I have never had a hook up that didn't come
with some kind of emotional attachment. At least I wasn't alone in it this time. Mr. Stroker told me that he was
starting to feel very attached to me and that his encounters tended to carry some emotional weight for him
also. He didn't tell me about the guy he called Edward. He said it was a story for another time before he started
to kiss me.

Our dinner was nice even with the shadow of that man hovering over it, but he easily made up for it when we
got home. I think it was my responsibility to take his mind away from the encounter, but letting him use me was
also something I was suppose to do, wasn't it? Mr. Stroker liked taking control, so I should let him do what he
liked. Right? I felt his fingers as they rubbed my back in a slow drifting motion letting me know that he was still
asleep.

I closed my eyes and tried to think of something nice so I could go back to sleep, and not remember what woke
me up in the first place. I opened my eyes and looked over at the side table and the clock that sat on it. It was
three past two in the morning. I settled back down into my warm space on ... Sir's side. I smiled at that. Maybe I
can give Sir a bath tomorrow since it will be Saturday, I thought as I closed my eyes and dreamed of doing that
instead.

That will work, I reasoned. I will be doing something within my job description, and we will both enjoy
ourselves. I smiled as bubble filled thoughts took over my awakening dream.

-----
-----

"David," I heard breaking into my sleep. It sounded like it had been repeating over and over again, but the voice
that said it didn't sound impatient. This time I recognized Mr. Stroker's voice right away.

"Yes, Mr. Stroker," I answered him as I started to open my eyes.

"I think I would like some oatmeal and a small fruit salad for breakfast today," he told me before bending to kiss
my forehead. "I think it's time I got up and had a shower," he said as he moved to get off the bed. I reached out
and caught his hand, and he stopped to look at it before he looked up at me.
"I was thinking that I could give you a bath," I said in an even, clear voice that surprised myself at how easily I
seemed to have said it.

"What about my breakfast?" Mr. Stroker asked. I pulled my hand off of his.

"Ok," I started as I realized that work had to come first even if that was what I thought I was doing, but he
wanted to eat instead. I started to think if we had everything for what he requested. I think I had the oats, but I
would have to go to the store for more things for his salad. "I will need to go to the store for more fruits," I told
Mr. Stroker as I now stood on the other side of the bed. I reached for my underwear and the rest of my clothes
that I wore the night before.

"What would you like in the salad Mr. Stroker," I asked him as I started to get dressed. I was surprised that I felt
hurt at being told to make him breakfast instead of helping him bathe, but I pushed it back as I tried to
remember if I had enough cash to cover a small watermelon, some seedless grapes, maybe a honeydew, and
some pears. I didn't bother putting back on my jacket but walked to the foot of the bed to get my shoes. When I
was done, I was slightly surprised that he was still in the room.

"I shouldn't be too long," I told him before turning to leave the room without looking at him. I didn't mean to
not look at him, I just didn't. I stopped in the kitchen to double-check what I did or didn't have and then
checked my pocket to make sure that my new debit card was still in there. I was missing more than I thought,
and I might as well get some stuff for lunch too.

As I reached for the doorknob to exit the apartment, I thought I saw Mr. Stroker out of the corner of my eye
standing in the hallway, but that couldn't be right. He should have been in the shower. I hurried out to the
store, so I would really be back before too long. As I lightly jogged down the block I realized that he didn't tell
me what fruits he wanted.

-----
-----

Please don't let him be there waiting for me, I wished as I opened the door and looked past the kitchen and into
the living/dining room. Good, I said to myself as I breathed a sigh of relief at not seeing him there. I had hurried
as fast as I could, but I couldn't find something for a while, then I was in the checkout lane, and people in front
of me had more than fifty items, each. I carried one bag inside then went back for the other two.

I can start the oatmeal, and it would be done quickly, then I can start making the salad by the time he gets out , I
prayed. With the door closed, and my shoes off, I turned towards the cupboards. I would put everything away
after I used them. I had just picked up a pot and was walking towards the sink to get some water when I heard
him.

"David," he said, sounding not very happy.

"Yes, Mr. Stroker," I answered as I slowly turned to face him.

"Put down that pot and come here," he said. I felt a little sick as I did what he told me to do. I stopped like four
feet away, and he just looked at me. He didn't look close to happy at all.

"Strip," Mr. Stroker told me in an even tone. I unbuttoned my shirt and held it under my arm as I undid my
pants before pulling them off. He took them from me and threw them behind me at a bar stool I think. "That
too," he stated as he pointed to my boxers. I didn't know what was going on, but I felt like I was going to be
punished for getting back late from the store. I thought about explaining why I was late as I pushed my boxers
down my legs, but I didn't believe he was a man that wanted to hear excuses. I held it in front of me when I was
finished, then he extended his hand to ask for it instead of taking it from me this time. As much as I knew that
he had already seen me naked, I still found it hard to give it to him, but I did.

"Now you can make breakfast," he told me

"Yes Mr. Stroker," I answered him as I turned around and went back into the kitchen. I felt like reaching for an
apron, but he didn't have any. That got placed on a new list of things to get from the store. I chanced a glance
to where I expected to see him sitting and looking at me, but he wasn't there. I fully turned my head to the side
and saw that he wasn't out here all. He must have gone back into the bedroom or had to use the bathroom, I
reasoned.

I should get started before he comes back and sees that I haven't done anything yet. I got the pot that I had
picked up a moment ago and filled it with some water. I placed it over a lit burner before looking through the
bags for the cinnamon that I got along with the sugar. I sprinkled in the cinnamon before measuring out the
sugar and adding it to the pot. I got the oats and placed it next to the stove as I waited for the water to boil. I
held some red grapes in my hand as I look at the water again. It wasn't there yet.

I walked across the kitchen and got the straining bowl that I found here. I laid the grapes in it and glanced into
the pot as I walked back to the sink. It was boiling. I placed the metal bowl on the counter and picked up the
oats to add to the water. I was about to dump it in when I realized I didn't have a stirring spoon. I didn't have to
go far to get one since the drawer that held it, and other large kitchen utensils, was next to the stove. I gave it a
quick rinse before I stood before the pot with the oats in hand once again.

I stirred the pot as I shook in the oats a bit at a time. I stirred it faster when the starch from the grains
threatened to boil over the pot. It worked, and soon the mixture was calm enough for me to leave it for a while.
But I turned down the flame to make sure I had a little more time to get something done with the fruits before I
had to add the milk. I quickly pealed two pears and placed them in a bowl of cold water once I had them diced
since I didn't want them turning brown. I pulled off too many grapes and had to add about half of them back
into the bags that I got each of them from. The red, green, and black grapes hung out in the strainer as I went
back to finish the oats.

I searched the bags to get the can of condensed milk and then a can opener. I couldn't find a small can of milk
at the store, so I would have to find a container to save what was left when I was done. I stirred the pot to make
sure that not too many of the oats were stuck to the bottom before I started to pour in the milk. As I finished
adding in as much milk as I wanted, I heard the legs of a bar stool scraping the floor as Mr. Stroker sat down.
Now I remembered that I was working in the kitchen naked. He didn't say anything as I made myself move
about to finish what I was doing. I went back to stirring the pot, mixing the milk into the bubbling brown stuff.

After a minute or two, I got two bowls and poured the oatmeal equally into both before moving the bowls to
the dining room. I walked back, right in front of him, to finish the fruit salad. I did notice that he was sitting
where I thought he threw my clothes, but they weren't there. Mr. Stroker also didn't look like how I expected
him to look either. I thought he was getting dressed, but he was still wearing his bathrobe. Maybe he liked
wearing his bathrobe on the weekends, I told myself as I now opened the package of already diced watermelon.
I thought it would save me some time, and it will, but the sizes were still too big and had to be cut into more
manageable sizes.

I left them on the cutting board as I moved back to the bags to see what else I had to add to the salad. After
going through the bags twice, I came back with two kinds of apples. Pink Ladies and Golden Delicious. After I
peeled and diced two of each, I realized that this was going to be a lot of salad. At least we could snack on it for
the rest of the day. The square blocks of apples sat in the cold water with the pears as I now looked for a big
enough bowl to toss them in. I found one and felt oddly comfortable as I stood in front of Mr. Stroker as I now
tossed the salad after adding a new layer of fruit after the first two.

When I was adding the grapes, I had a short vision of feeding him one of them across the raised countertop. I
felt him lick my fingers, but it was after I mentally shook myself out of that dream that I felt my reaction to his
touch. I didn't realize that the lower cabinets had such a smooth surface to them before.

"Are you finished?" Mr. Stroker asked me.

"Awm, yes," I answered as my mind caught up with the fact that my hands weren't moving anymore. I still
tossed the salad one more time before lifting the bowl and holding it kinda low as I walked to the table with it. I
hoped and prayed that the cool touch of the container would help my erection go down. I think it helped.
Somewhat. But that thought was questioned as I walked back to get some smaller bowls, spoons, and forks
under Mr. Stroker's gaze.

As I reached for two more bowls like the ones I used for the oatmeal, I first felt the hardware on the lower
cupboards before I hit the edge of the countertop. I was harder than before. Shit! As I got the spoons and forks I
realized that it wasn't something to be upset about. You tell a guy to walk around naked then leer at him, he
will get hard, but that didn't make me feel any less ...off, about the whole thing.
 ==========

Chapter 8 - Breakfast Time

==========

I walked back to the table, and as I passed Mr. Stroker, he got up and walked the very short distance to the
dining table. He sat as I placed his spoon and fork down next to their respectful bowls. I stopped myself from
jumping, too much, as I felt his hand on my ass. All the images I had ever seen of the maid getting felt up
flashed through my mind in those few moments. I would have considered it funny if I wasn't getting turned on
at the same time. I didn't move a muscle as he slid his hand across my ass. His hand traveled down the sides of
my hips and before brushing over the crack of my ass. He even followed it down a few times to between my
thighs.

When he pulled his hand away for a second time, I waited to feel his fingertips sliding along my skin again. It
wasn't until I saw him pick up the spoon that was next to his bowl, that I realized that he was finished and
moved to take my seat. I didn't know what to say, so I didn't say anything as I sat across from him eating my
oatmeal.

"Do you have plans for today?" Mr. Stroker asked me.

"No," I answered as I got used to feeling the seat without pants on. "I just have some homework and reading to
do for my classes. But I'll have lunch ready for you by one pm, and there is enough fruit salad to snack on until
then," I paused to look at Mr. Stroker to gauge if this was ok with him or not. He nodded his head as he
continued to eat. I watched him as he cleaned the bowl of almost every speck of the oatmeal before pushing it
aside and picking up the clean one.

Between spoonfuls of oatmeal, I watched Mr. Stroker as he scooped out equal amounts of everything from the
salad bowl into his own. He didn't fill it even though the bowl was on the small side for everything I had in the
salad. But then he could always take more if he wanted, I reasoned. I was thinking of looking away when he
looked up at me.

"I've never had oatmeal that way before," Mr. Stroker told me as he placed his bowl in front of him. "Where did
you get the idea to add..." he paused.

"Milk," I supplied for him.

"That was milk?" he asked with a grape halfway to his mouth.

"It's condensed milk," I clarified.

"Not cream?" he tried. I shook my head while I chewed.

"It's normal whole milk that they just take a lot of the water out of," I explained. He nodded his head as he tried
some watermelon.

"So where did you get that idea from?" he asked again.

"A Caribbean restaurant that I found one morning," I answered. "I think they said it was Vincentian food," I
explained as I hoped I said the word correctly.

"What island is that?" Mr. Stroker asked as he paused to hear my answer.

"St. Vincent. As in St. Vincent and the Grenadines," I clarified.

"They have them where you come from?" Mr. Stroker asked as he decided which piece to eat next. "Caribbean
restaurants that is," Mr. Stroker expanded.

"Yeah," I answered. "We aren't as big as some other cities, but I've seen restaurants with food from Egypt, Soul,
France, Singapore, Southern India, Russian, and a few Caribbean places. As well as some South and Central
American countries," I said with a smile as I recalled those places.

"You liked their take on oatmeal so much that you had to ask what was in it?" he questioned before another
grape entered his mouth, bringing us back to the start of this conversation.

"I asked them what was in every dish I had," I answered as I continued to smile at the memory. It was such a
surprise when I found that restaurant. "I think the waitress said they had just opened that week, so they had
the time and were willing to talk to me. I went back there several times before I moved out here for school," I
ended. We were quiet after that for a bit. I finished up my bowl of porridge before taking some fruit salad for
myself. Mr. Stroker had a little bit more also.

"What about the dry cleaning and clothes washing?" he then asked before eating the last bits that were in his
bowl. I assumed I would get to it, but I never really told myself when. I hadn't even looked at his closet to see
how many suits and such he did have, never mind where he placed the dirty ones. I continued to chew as I
thought about it.

"Well," I started. "I could take the dry-cleaning in today right after lunch, and do the wash tomorrow," I came up
with. "Would it be ok if I picked up the dry cleaning Monday after my last class?" I asked him.

"That's acceptable. I was just interested in what your plan was," Mr. Storker told me. I nodded my head as I ate
the last watermelon cube that I had left. I stacked my two bowls together, and as I lifted my butt off of the chair,
I was once again struck with the knowledge that I was naked. I continued with what I was doing to show that I
could be a man about it. I picked up his bowls and stacked them before walking with all four bowls into the
kitchen. While there, I put away what was left of the groceries and emptied the leftover oatmeal into the
appropriately sized Tupperware before putting the pot to soak and placing the other bowls and forks into the
dishwasher. I wiped down the kitchen before looking for something like Saran Wrap or foil to cover the bowl of
fruit that was still sitting on the table.

As I turned to walk back into the dining room to collect the bowl I stopped at the thought of having to walk my
buck naked ass in front of him again. I had kept myself from getting hard by thinking of what I had to do next,
but what I would have to do next would put me right in front of him. He would be able to look anywhere he
wanted to, and he ... Suck it up and get it done!

I walked with purpose and efficient speed, but as I walked into his line of sight, I felt myself slowing down, and I
knew I hadn't. I reached out for the serving bowl that was still half full of fruit salad and lifted it just before I felt
his hand on the back of my thigh. I stood still holding the cold bowl while his hand moved higher. Mr. Stroker
stopped just under my butt before following the curve of it around and up to my lower back. Mr. Stroker stood
as his hand came to rest on my hip. His thumb brushed across a patch of my skin repeatedly. I saw and felt the
press of his body. His body crowded mine and heated the air that I was breathing. We now shared the hot
atmosphere as his mouth moved closer to mine.

"When you're finished, come to the bathroom," he whispers into my ear before removing his hand and walking
away. You are so easy, I complained to myself as my cock hit the underside of the table. After a breath, or two, I
took the bowl into the kitchen and covered it with Saran Wrap before placing it in the refrigerator and looking
down the hall. Should I just go right into the bathroom or go through the bedroom? I wondered. As I walked
down the hall, my choice was picked by familiarly. I walked into his bedroom.

Mr. Stroker wasn't there, but he did say to meet him in the bathroom. I saw that my clothes had been placed
over the footboard. I walked past his bed and towards the door that leads to his en-suite. I heard spraying
water, that let me know that the shower had been turned on, as I got nearer to the door that I pushed open.
When I stepped onto the tiled floor I saw that the room was filled with steam, but there wasn't so much that I
couldn't make out Mr. Stroker as he leaned against the wall next to the shower naked.

"It's time for our bath," he told me while pushing himself off the wall to walk towards me. He didn't take his
shower? All this time he was waiting for me to come back from the store and cook? Why did ... My thoughts
were stopped, as well as my breathing, as Mr. Stroker kissed me. He lifted me slightly off the floor as his arms
tightened around my body.

After trying for a while, I was able to push him away for a deep breath to give myself back the oxygen that I lost
at the start of the kiss. My actions of breathing and coughing were far more pronounced than I thought they
would have been. When I glanced at him before another cough, his eyes shined with kindness again. I smiled at
him after what I hoped was my last cough, and I moved back in to continue the kiss that he had started.

When we parted again, we both did it at the same time. The kiss left us gasping for air as we each held a
handful of the other's ass. As I looked up into Sir's breathtaking eyes, which were a little darker than the last
time I saw them, and I wondered if I should ask why he waited. But I didn't want to ruin what we were doing.

"Ready for your bath now, Sir?" I asked him, hoping it would be ok to call him 'sir' now.

"I would think so, but next time you could at least look like you get turned on from me watching you," he said
before giving me a quick kiss and pulling me towards his large shower.

"I was trying not to," I told him as I stepped into the wet shower area.

"Why?" Sir asked as he reached behind me to close the door.

"Reflex," I admitted quietly as I got crowded in by his big frame again. I couldn't stop myself from licking his
chest and across his collar bone. He quickly caught my lips and moved me around the shower until we were
standing under the perfectly heated water as our kiss went grew more intense.

--------
--------
--------

Alfred Stroker's bathroom was an upgrade from how its former twin continued to look. There were at least
three more feet of standing room that the other shower in the apartment was lacking, along with a wooden
slotted seat. The tiles had also been changed and had something of a roman design on the walls. There was a
pattern mimicking waves on the floor and swirling around the drain. This stall, which was more like a room, was
meant to hold more than one person.
Where someone would have half expected to find some kind of suctioned shelf, there were ledges built into the
corner. They were on either side and at different heights. They appeared to be at least two feet long before
they narrowed and sloped to move any collected water down and away.

As the warm water filled the room with steam, it sprayed itself over the two bodies that clung to each other as
they twisted, kissed, and groped. The chrome shower head that was clicked into its place on the wall, turned
out to be set at the perfect angle for the two men it drenched.

David was the first to pull away. He pushed his Sir back gently until he reached the seat and had to sit down.
David then looked around for the soap and soon realized that his Sir had a foaming body wash instead. He
smiled at the older man, and he took the bottle with him as he moved back under the falling water. When he
was sure that he was completely wet from the top of his head to under his toenails, he turned it off and moved
to stand just out of Sir's reach as he poured the soap into his hand and had it foam as it made contact with his
skin.

David made some inelegant moves as he turned in a circle to show off what he thought he was doing in a sexy
way. His free hand started at his face and slid down his neck and over his chest on a slick trail of foam. He closed
his eyes for a moment as he took a deep breath to work through what he was seeing and now feeling. David's
hand continued to slide down to his abs where he paused to cover in more soap. He then tilted the bottle to
poured some soap down the trail of hair that left his bellybutton and continued down to surround the base of
his cock. A cock that was as hard as Sir's as he sat there looking at him with eager eyes.

Alfred had inched a bit closer to his David. His balls hung free off the edge of the seat as he used one hand to
brace himself up while the other slowly slid and pulled at his cock. He did it slowly as he watched David's hand
foam up the soap as it moved down his treasure trail as it got closer to that part of his body that was looking at
him. David's breath hitched as he sucked it in once he finally reached his penis. He only stroked it twice before
his hand slid under, and he played with his balls. Now he tried to turn around. David's fingers had already
started to move back to touch his hole as his legs moved to turn his back to his Sir.

He held some of the soap in his hand and rubbed one half of his ass as he made it a purer shade of white. David
then used both hands as he poured the contents of the bottle over his back. He dropped the bottle to the floor
before he lathered himself up, covering both his hands with some of the substance before turning to walk
towards the man watching his every move. David replaced Sir's hand with his own. All ten of his fingers worked
on the head and shaft of Sir's cock at the same time. Alfred closed his eyes and leaned his head back a bit as
the new and very welcomed feelings invaded his body.

David moved his lips forward until they touched Sir's and coaxed him into taking part in a kiss that Sir soon took
over. He tried to pull David closer, but the only place he could hold fast on his slippery body was his arms. David
came a little closer and wrapped his arms around Sir's body and slid his soapy hands down his neck and all over
his back. With some difficulty, he then broke Sir's kiss and turned his back to him as he stood between his open
legs. David was still for a moment before placing his hands on each of Sir's thighs and pressing his back to Sir's
front. He laid his head backwards until he was resting on Sir's shoulder, and he felt Sir's cock in the crack of his
ass. David's eyes were closed as he took a deep breath and licked his lips. Sir reached his arms around David's
chest and revived the soap bubbles across his chest and down this front. As Sir was about to make contact with
David's cock, David slid down Sir's body.

Before David's ass touched the tiles, he pushed down on Sir's thighs and slid back up Sir's body. When Sir's cock
popped out from between their bodies and bounced a little below his ass, David stopped again. Sir's placed his
hands as far down the back of David's thighs as he could and didn't attempt to stop David as he once again slid
down the front of his body. His hands followed the only path they could. Up the back of his thighs. Up over each
ass cheek and stopping, when David did, on his lower back.

David moved up again, and Sir's hands moved back down. His fingers curved a little, so his nails grazed along
David's skin. They continued this for a while with their breathing getting stronger, deeper, and louder as David
pushed back into Sir's body, and Sir's hand created more resistance as they now grabbed along David's skin.

--------
--------
--------

"Ah," I moaned out loud as my balls grabbed my attention, and I pulled away from him. I stood and looked
down at Sir and saw him breathing almost as heavy as I thought I was. He looked up at me with half-lidded
eyes. I saw the soap on his body, but it hadn't foamed the way I had expected. But other than that, there was
his cock that had been the focus of my attention. For the last few minutes, it had been moving up and down my
back.

As I looked at it now, I realized that Sir had been leaking for a while. It must be all over my back too, I realized. I
was going to reach out for Sir to help wash him off, but Sir stood and pulled me to him as he crushed his lips to
mine. As he humped into my body, I groaned into his mouth. I wanted him to fuck me so badly.

"We need to get the soap off," I told him in a low voice when he pulled away for a breath. He pulled me up flush
with his body again and kissed me as he walked me backwards with my arms wrapped around his neck and
kissed him. I half hoped that he wouldn't listen to what I said and just fuck me now, but I soon felt his arm
moving at my side before water fell onto us.

I pulled back in surprise at the slight cold before it started to warm. I kissed him soundly once more before I
started to wash his chest free of the soap. Before I got too carried away again, I left his encircling arms to wash
his neck, shoulders, and back. I made sure that as I moved lower I didn't leave any soap behind. Once I was
down with his legs I couldn't stop myself as I once again licked part of his body and reach through his legs to
grope his balls at the same time.

"Ahh," Sir moaned out as I touched him. I pulled my hand away as I made myself finish what I started. I stood
and moved to stand in front of him once again. He tried to kiss me, but I managed to dodge him as I once again
washed down his chest before moving lower and lower until I was kneeling while cleaning off his legs. I had
avoided washing his cock and balls until now since I wanted to save the best for last.

When I was ready, I looked up and saw his cock sticking out and curving slightly upwards, away from me. It was
in the path of the water, so most of the soap that was there was gone. I reached out with both hands and still
felt the slight mixture of soap and pre-cum on the under-side of his cock.

I worked my hands back and forth along his length. Soon I was holding my hands still as Sir rocked into them
himself. He must have felt when he was clean because when I realized this myself, he pulled me up and
prevented me from touching him as he bent to kiss my mouth again. His tongue played with mine, and as I tried
to get closer to him and fight against his grip, he ended the kiss and quickly turned me around to face my back.

All too soon, I realized that Sir wasn't going to be as kind to me I was to him. He touched and played and
fondled and even tortured parts of me if they were soapy or had already been washed clean. By the time he
finished washing my body, Sir was kneeling before me. We weren't under the showerhead anymore, and I was
leaning back against a wall as I held the wet strands of his hair in my clutching fingers.
I moved my hips as little as possible. I didn't want it to appear as if I was using Sir, but his mouth felt so good.
His tongue sent shivers along my entire spine. His hands played with my balls, and I didn't think that once I
started to cum I would be able to stop. The surprise at even having him sucking on my dick almost made me
come the moment I felt his lips on me. But this was so much better and so much worst at the same time.

"Ahh, ah, ah," I continued to moan, but now I was making the noises faster as I felt my orgasm nearing. "Sir," I
called out. I didn't know what I was asking him to do. Hurry up and make me come? To stop completely or to
stop sucking me and start fucking me? "Sir," I said a little louder as my hips began to thrust even harder on their
own. As I was about to give up on the idea of not coming into Sir's mouth while being propped up against a
shower wall, Sir pulled his mouth off my cock. I looked down and watched him as he stood. My hands fell to his
shoulders as I fought to bring my body back under control as it cried out at the unfairness of the interruption.

"I need to get you out of here," Sir told me in a low heavy voice that made me gulp. He stepped into the path of
the falling water and ran his hands quickly down his body before motioned me forward. Unlike the first time Sir
laid his hands on me, he was as quick with his movements on me as he had been with himself. The only time he
paused and lingered was when he stuck his finger, then two, up my ass. Soon I felt a third as he opened me, and
I felt water being funneled in me before it was allowed to flow back out again.

SLAP

"Ouch!" I said more in surprise than pain as Sir hit my ass and pointed me towards the door of the shower.

"Lay some towels on the bed and get the lube," he told me. I didn't hang around to ask or say anything or to see
what he was staying to do. On my way out of the bathroom, I grabbed three towels. I pulled off the top sheet,
along with the pillows to spread them out and completely cover the mattress. As I pulled open the side draw to
get the lube I heard Sir as his steps stopped as he stepped from the tiled floor and onto the carpet.

"Mmmm," I moaned as he stood behind me, pressing his strong frame into mine. I felt the muscles as they
moved across his chest. I felt his arm as he reached around and pulled me even closer. Sir took the lube from
me with his other hand before he turned me about and pushed me backwards onto the bed.

I watched as he greased his very stiff pole. I saw as he tossed the bottle to the side when he was done. I felt his
hands on my legs as he lifted them and pushed me further onto the bed. I saw the wet outline of his hand on
my thigh when he moved his lube covered palm to adjust us so we would fit together. With my legs spread over
his thighs, I waited to feel his fingers in me again as he lubed me up for his entry.

"Ahh," I almost hissed as Sir teased me with the head of his cock, and I ground my ass onto it as I played along
with his perceived teasing.

"AHH!" I cried out at the swift heat, pressure, and the slight stinging of pain that I felt at Sir's complete entry
into me.

"Ah, ah, hah," I gasped as I tried to catch my breath. I held my eyes closed as I felt Sir slowly pulling himself out
of me. As soon as he was gone, I want him back in me, and he complied with my silent request.

"AHH!" I shouted again. Firecrackers started to go off under my skin. It hurt so good. "Sir," I begged and cried at
the same time in a weak voice that I almost didn't recognize as mine. I felt him kissing me, and I kept my eyes
closed as I kissed him back. I also felt the bed shake as he searched for the lube before finding it and pulling it
out. I laid there in darkness, waiting for him to return. Once again, I didn't feel his fingers at my entrance. What
I did feel was the re-greased head of his cock as he slowly pushed my hole open before he stayed there.
Waiting.

What was he waiting for? I wanted to now. My body was shaking with want and fear of the next hit as I waited
with him. When I couldn't take the torture anymore, I started to push down, forcing him inside of me. That is
when he rammed home again.

"AAHH!" I screamed as I arched up off the bed and into him. He stayed deep in me as I started to twitch. He
couldn't have gotten any larger, but it felt like he did. I felt his lips before his tongue as he swiped his way up the
center of my chest. He kissed my chin before he kissed my lips.

"Are you ready to come now, David?" he asked me in a low voice next to my ear.

"Mmm," I murmured as I nodded my head.

"One last time, and then we come together," he told me before I felt him pull away. I opened my eyes and
watched as he pulled himself out of my body again. For a moment, I witnessed a string of cum as it connected
both of us before it broke. He bent his head to kiss my waist before his hot breath passed over my cock, and he
kissed the other side of my body. Sir then looked up into my eyes as I felt his thumb rub around my hole.
Pushing and then entering me. It felt like forever, but at the same time, it wasn't very long at all. Not even a
minute had passed since I opened my eyes, and there it was again. I felt the head of his cock as it made contact
with my hole once more.

"This is the last time, David. You have to come this time," Sir tells me. I don't understand why, and I didn't care.

"Yes, Sir," I told him as I looked down at my cock as it laid between our bodies, hard and wet. Sir's hands held
my body down to the bed, and he jammed his cock as quickly and as deeply into my body as he could. I bowed
and twitched as he pushed my legs even wider. It felt like he exploded my prostate, but it was when I reached
for my cock and gave it two hard jerks that I fall over the edge.

The best orgasm of my life took over my body. I twitched and shuddered and said stuff that I couldn't hear as
my mind happy floated away.
 ==========

Chapter 9 - A Good Pain

==========

I laid there and enjoyed the last bits of the orgasm as it finally left my body a very contented mass. I shifted a
little before I opened my eyes to watch Luke as he pulled himself free of my ass to lay on the bed next to me,
allowing me to close my legs. I was almost disappointed to see his handsome young face as he smiled at me. His
eyes were the same color as Al's, so I didn't try to stop him as he moved in closer to kiss me. I kissed him back
and even rolled over to lay on top of him.

“That was great,” I told him in all honestly. I didn't have to always lie to a customer to make them happy with
me. I felt his hand as it cupped my jaw then cheek before pushing back my hair.

“Is it great enough to have you really consider leaving this place to come live with me?” Luke asked me again as
he used those eyes of his to get me to say yes. He knew his eyes were the same color as Al's, but he seemed to
avoid saying his name. It showed he was really a nice guy, but he still wasn't Al.

I hung my head a little and kissed his warm chest. His very hairy chest. Something rather uncommon in this day
and age. I smiled to myself as I moved my fingers through it. It was one of the physical things he had over Al.

“No, but you can keep trying,” I told him with a smile that I only half felt, but arrived on my face automatically. I
looked at him as he thought about it. There was a small moment of disappointment, but he couldn't have
believed that I would have said yes.

“Then dinner tonight? Becco?” he suggested. Did I feel like having Italian tonight? I felt depressed and hopeful
at the same time as he rubbed my cheek again, and I looked into those grey eyes.

“What time?” I asked him. Maybe I could get him to buy me another suit. Even in our little town, Becco would
not seat you unless you dressed to their standards.

“How about seven o'clock?” he asked.

“How about five thirty?” I asked Luke instead. I started to finger massage his chest as I moved my hand through
his thick chest hair.

“And once again my dear, you remind me why you don't play poker,” Luke told me as he kissed my forehead,
then nose before starting to get up and displacing me. “As much as I would love to see your very handsome ass
work its way into a new suit, Claire won't be leaving until six o'clock and I have to see my baby off,” Luke said as
he headed for the bathroom.

I laid there on my back as I heard him turn on the shower. I didn't have to join him. He most likely didn't expect
it, but I was hungry, and I wasn't allowed into the kitchen leaking cum. I wasn't the only one that did, but
everyone looked at me when the subject was brought up.

“I'm coming in,” I called out as I got up and walked into my bathroom. I wasn't the top earner, but I was the
lowest of the top five, so I got one of the eight rooms that had a bath. There were the five for the top earners in
house, one for live-in management, and two spares for anyone with deep pockets who wanted a room better
than the one that the lower boys called home.

When I got to the shower, Luke himself opened the glass door to let me in. “Would you like me to help you with
your bath?” I asked to be polite. We kissed as he pulled me further into the shower. I started to have a feeling,
around the time I felt his hard cock against my hip, that getting bathed may end up being something of a
symptom of being in the shower with the water on.

-----
-----

“See ya at six forty five?” Luke asked to confirm our dinner plans.

“See ya then,” I told him as I got ready for a quick goodbye kiss. My stomach almost growled as I thought about
the breakfast I would be making for myself in a few moments, but the image of garden scrambled eggs faded as
I saw an unexpected look of seriousness on Luke's face as he took a step closer.

“Luk...?” I started to ask before he locked his lips with mine and kissed me slowly and deeply as our arms
moved to wrap themselves around the other. My skin shifted back and forth between hot and cold as the kiss
wore on. His lips burned mine as he tried to seal them together with something called a kiss. I... He suddenly
and slowly pulled out of the kiss. I knew that if he moved any faster, I would have fallen from the lack of
support.

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? That was not a good-bye kiss. That was a you-are-a-sight-for-sore-eyes kiss.

“Be prepared to be wooed,” he told me before a cocky, if not a very happy smile appeared on his face. “That's a
nice look on you. Shame I can't take you to Becco like that,” Luke added on after he stepped away from me a
little. I followed his eyes down to understand what he was talking about and realized that he had opened my
bathrobe.

“Well maybe afterwards,” I told him as I got back my bearings and closed my robe. Yet another rule. So The
House wouldn't appear low class. Luke smiled before turning around and walking down the steps and towards
his car. He didn't wave as he left, and neither did I. I closed the door and walked through the house to our little
makeshift check-in/out 'booth'. I filled in the time first, from the clock hanging over the desk, then Luke's name
code, before re-pinning it to the top of my pile. The week was only three days old, but I was doing rather well
compared to the others that were lining the wall over the table. I looked to where Jake's sat on the shelf and
took it down. His top note said that his last 'John' was still here. Not that he had been here long. As I continued
to read the slip of paper, I saw that he had gotten here only four hours ago. It was after nine now.

I put Jake's stack back in its place and started towards the kitchen, knowing that my friend would be down
soon. He liked morning sex, but he had to eat, and his 'John' had to go to work.

-----
-----

I had taken my time. I even fucking cleaned up the kitchen after I cooked. I looked across the table to the
transparent cover bowl that I had placed over Jake's plate of eggs and toast that had raisins in it. It was all foggy
from the steam that became trapped in there. I was just about done eating too, and he still wasn't there yet. I
placed my fork next to my half gone eggs to pick up my phone. I checked to see if anyone had gotten off from
my newest blog update, tweet, or my morning tumbler post. I smiled to myself as I read that I rocked the world
of two other guys since my postings. I thanked them for their ego-boosting words and went back to eating what
I had left of my breakfast.

“Wow, breakfast,” Jake said as he walked into the room with a towel around his neck and his mandatory robe,
even if his robe looked like it belonged in a brothel while mine looked far more comfortable and not black. But
that was his style. Like his black hair that was perfectly combed, even if it was wetter than normal.

“I was in the mood,” I told him as he sat down. I pushed my iPhone away and ate the last of my eggs and toast.

“You're improving,” Jake commented. I watched him as he bit into the toast before forking on some eggs.

“And you're late,” I pointed out after I swallowed what was left in my mouth. “Are we still going to the gym?” I
asked as I started to stand.

“Of course,” he answered me by the time I got to the sink.

“Then I'll go get dressed,” I told him as I left the dishes in the sink and walked back to the table to get my
phone. “I'll meet you at the car,” I told Jake before exiting the kitchen.

Back in my room, I ditched my robe before looking for my gym bag and packing it with what I would need for
my visit to the gym. Water bottle, socks, shoes, a change of clothes, earbuds, and my wallet, holding the club's
card. The membership was mine, but we always went together with Jake as my plus one.

Five minutes later, if not seven, I was dressed in flip flops, jockstrap, shorts, and a tee-shirt that read NO GAG
REFLEX. I had a pile of these shirts just for going to the gym. It kept the breeders away. I tried to get some for
Jake, but they were clearly not his style, and he refused to even touch one once he knew what was printed on
them. I thought that I found one that he would like, but he still didn't take it. I left it in his room anyway. One of
these days I'll see those words across his chest.

I smiled as I walked down the stairs carrying my bag. I didn't see anyone else, but that wasn't uncommon. Most
of us stayed in our rooms unless we wanted something to eat, or there was a party going on downstairs. If we
stayed inside, that is. As I reached for the doorknob the door opened in my direction forcing me to jump back
as some boys made their way into the house. A few things went through my head as the small crowd came to a
stop in front of me. I looked at them, and they looked at me. Was there some kind of college private party that I
wasn't told about? As I opened my mouth to ask what was going on, someone new made his way through the
unmoving group of boys.

“Hi Edward,” Cricket said as he emerged.

“Hello Cricket,” I greeted him. “Party?” I asked as my eyes moved over the group of guys again. More than a few
looked uncomfortable after they read my shirt.

“No, not really,” Cricket replied. “Just some guys from school. We were going to hang out in the living room for a
bit. Watch tv, play some games and such,” he explained.

“You cleared this with Tiffany?” I asked him as I temporarily locked eyes with a cute brown-headed boy in the
back of the group. He was one of the few guys there that didn't look away when I looked at him. He looked very
unphased by what was around him and by me. I found myself wondering if I would break my 'no younger than
twenty-two years old' rule. There is something to be said for being a little young.

“Of course,” Cricket informed me, pulling my attention from starting to undress the willing young man at the
back of the room.

“Well have fun then,” I said as I tried to leave the house again. As I came face to face with the brown-haired boy
that was already fucking me in his head, I heard Cricket speak up again.

“Hi Jake.”

“Christian,” Jake answered back. He wasn't much for nicknames either.

“How old are you?” I asked the boy in a decent but low tone.

“Twenty-one,” he admitted. True or not, he was still under my required age.

“Edward. Ready to leave?” I heard Jake ask from just behind me.

“Sure,” I said in a louder tone. “See ya around kid,” I told the boy before walking out the door and towards my
car with Jake next to me.

“He looks,... young,” Jake brought up as we dropped our bags into the car before climbing in ourselves.

“Yes. Only twenty-one it seems,” I informed him.

“So he didn't get your name then?” Jake asked.

“I didn't offer it, but Cricket said it when he saw me,” I answered.

“When you turn him down send him my way,” Jake instructed me.

“He's not that innocent,” I enlightened him.

“I don't care if he is,” Jake told me. “But it would be nice to screw someone this week,” he said before he turned
on the radio.

“That was what I was thinking, but,” I paused.

“But what?” Jake asked a moment later when I hadn't continued.

“Youth,” I simply said. Jake didn't say anything, but I felt his eyes on me. “It would have been nice,” I continued,
“But he wasn't old enough for me,” I said, making it sound like I was disappointed with my own rule. Jake still
didn't say anything. The air around us was soon filled with George Michael's Father Figure as I turned on
Carplay. I remembered liking that song when I was in high school, and bits of the video came back to me as I
turned out of the suburbs.
 ==========

Chapter 10 - Dinner Time

==========

“Where did you hear about this place?” Mr. Stroker asked as he watched me get dressed in the only suit I
owned.

“I heard some guy from class talking about it,” I answered as I looked at myself in the mirror, thinking that this
wasn't good enough, but it was the best I had. I even ironed the pants that came with the jacket that I hadn't
worn the day I met Mr. Stroker for the first time. I remembered getting this the year I graduated from high
school.

“Is something wrong?” Mr. Stroker asked as I pulled on the lapel and wondered if it was too late to go
somewhere else?

“I need a new suit,” I bluntly told him.

“We'll go shopping for a new one on Sunday,” he told me without hesitating. I turned and looked at him as he
sat in the chair that I had in front of my computer.

“We?” I asked him.

“Yeah,” he answered. “I wouldn't mind seeing you get fitted for a nice, real, suit,” he continued as he casually
insulted my suit.

“This is a real suit,” I proudly told him as I defended my least used piece of clothing. “I've only had this suit for …
what do you mean fitted?” I asked as I remembered what else he said. I saw the light in his eyes sparkle a little
as he stood and walked towards me.

“La Rukico Tailors are the best tailors in town, and the only suit that a grown man should be wearing should be
one tailored for him,” Mr. Stroker said as he laid his hands on the front of my jacket. I looked up into his face
and felt more like getting undressed than getting measured.

“My mom got me this suit for my senior prom,” I confessed to him.

“I'll tell them not to throw it away then,” he told me with a grin before he dipped his head down and kissed me.

-----
-----

I sat down as I watched Mr. Stroker wave to someone I think he knew from work, who called out to him, as we
were showed our seats.

“This is a nice place,” he commented as he looked around. I looked up from the menu and watched him as he
continued to take it all in.

“I'm surprised that you haven't been here yet,” I told him as I went back to reading the menu. Well, trying to
anyway. Half of it wasn't in English.

“It's a rather new place, but you already know that I don't go out much,” Mr. Stroker told me as I heard him
slide his menu off the table. I nodded my head in agreement as we both tried to find something to order before
a waitress showed up. He suggested a few dishes every now and again. I asked him what some other words
meant and reminded him that I didn't drink when he started to pair up wines with some of the dishes he was
suggesting we try.

In the end, I went adventurous. I took Mr. Stroker's suggestion of Pesce Spada with a glass of chilled apple juice,
without ice, so his friends would think that I was drinking, if not at least old enough to drink, and he decided on
something rather interesting also. Something called Fegato.

When the waiter came around and explained what we had asked for, I was very happy with my pick. Then the
waiter started to describe Mr. Stroker's choice, and my mouth watered. I knew he was getting pan-seared calf’s
liver with caramelized onions, bacon & crispy polenta, but then the waiter added how it was drizzled with olive
oil and a few other things, and that made me wish I had two stomachs.

Mr. Stroker surprised me when he ordered a sparkling apple cider for both of us and asked that the bottle be
brought to the table.

“I'm driving us home tonight, remember,” he reminded me once the waiter had left. We then slipped into a bit
of odd silence as we, or at least I thought of something to say.

“I thought about...”

“I think you could...”

We both started and stopped at the same time. Mr. Stroker smiled, and I laughed from seeing him smile and
from us trying to talk at the same time.

“You first,” I told him and was happy that he didn't try to say it the same time I did.

“I was going to say that it would be alright, if you wanted to,” he hedged. “To call me by my first name when no
one else is around,” Mr. Stroker informed me.

“Your first name?” I asked him.

“Yes, Alfred. Al for short,” he informed me. I nodded my head as I heard and understood what he was telling
me. I wasn't sure how far to take this, or if I should take it anywhere, but he walked into my vision and was
staring me down.

“Does this mean that I can ask you abut him?” I asked Mr. Stroker as I tilted my head in the direction of the
brown-haired man that almost attacked me last week, who now stood in front of me in a perfect dark blue suit
as the man next to him looked at me as well. From the corner of my eye, I saw Mr. Stroker as he turned around
in his seat and looked in the direction that I nodded.

“David,” I heard as he called to me. I pulled my eyes away and saw that he had already turned back around.

“That is Edward Mike Webb,” he stated. I nodded my head as I said the name over in my head. “He's a
prostitute,” Mr. Stroker finished. I stopped nodding my head.
--------
--------
--------

Why the fuck was he here? And with him of all people? I fumed on the inside.

“Don't think about him dear,” Luke told me as I felt his hand cover mine before squeezing it a little. I was still
upset at Al for not picking me, then showing up with this... kid without letting anyone know that he had picked
someone other than me. I squeezed what I was holding, and didn't realize that it was Luke's hand until his other
hand patted me again and he pulled me towards our table.

I almost yanked my hand away from his. Actually, I think I tried, but he held on to me. He kept me. At least that
is what it felt like for a split second before it occurred to me that he just didn't want me to ruin his dinner by
making a scene or starting a fight with that... that...

“Edward,” I heard someone say faintly. “Edward,” was spoken louder this time, and I turned to see Luke holding
up a glass towards me. I took the water, well I thought it was water until I tried to swallow the liquid. It was
vodka, and it burned. I screwed up my eyes as it went down. It was a good thing I hadn't tried to drink all that
was in the glass one time.

As I placed it back down on the table, a familiar bloom of heat filled my chest, and I looked over at Luke who
was unwisely still holding my hand in the full view of anyone who cared to walk past our table. I didn't even
remember sitting down. I pulled at my hand again, and he still held it. I stared him down, hoping that my eyes
would convey that I wanted my hand back but, he just adjusted his grip.

“I want you,” he told me in the least sappiest way I've ever heard. I looked at him and knew he meant it.

“I need my hands to read from the menu,” I told him after a moment.

“I didn't know that you knew braille,” Luke quipped with a grin on his face. I yanked my hand free and reached
for a menu. I didn't bother answering him as I scanned the menu.

“Mmm,” he said as he now read his own menu. “They have some good stuff here,” he added. I agreed, but I
didn't feel like talking yet.

“A nice Italian Red Wine?” he asked me. I looked over to see him still looking at the menu.

“Sure,” I agreed as I started to narrow down what I wanted to eat.

“Medium or full bodied?” he asked me this time.

“Medium,” I told him after checking all my choices and saw that they leaned in that direction making my
decision easy.

“I think I'll try the Perdera 2009,” Luke informed me as he picked our wine. I had no objections since he let me
pick the kind of wine we were having in the first place. Some part of my head told me to not think about Al and
the kid and that I should move on. Our menus were stacked in the center of the table as we waited for the
waiter, or waitress, to come back. I didn't see who it was when they came by the first time, but someone must
have come since the tables were not set up with glasses of vodka.
“How is Emma?” I asked Luke. It was a question that was very far from my current situation.

“She's a peach,” he answered. “She caught her flight on time and the last time I saw her, she was wrapping one
of the fight attendants around her little finger,” he said with a smile on his face.

“Was this before or after you had your little talk with them?” I asked Luke as I remembered how much he
worried about her.

“It was before, but he let me know that she wasn't his type at all when he tried to give me his number,” he
explained.

“Oh, you finally met a gay flight attendant,” I remarked. “I thought that there would be more of them then
there really are,” I added.

“That is Hollywood's fault,” he started. “They milk stereotypes, and this is one they seem to like a lot,” Luke
ended. I nodded my head in agreement. I was about to ask about our waiter when a lady dressed in a black
waiter's suit walked up to our table.

-----
-----

I wiped the last piece of bread I had across my plate to get every last bit of tomato, cheese, and olive oil I could
find before putting it in my mouth and chewing contently. That was a good dinner with good company. I will
have to come back here again.

“Feeling better are we?” Luke asked. I was about to say yes when I remembered why I would be in a bad mood
at all.

“I was until you reminded me,” I told him. I will not turn around, I told myself and I was happy when I didn't.

“So we aren't staying for desert?” Luke asked as he started to raise his hand for our waitress.

“I'm game for something, but not here,” I ended as the girl arrived at our table.

“Check please,” Luke told her, and she nodded her head before stacking and collecting the plates. The glasses
stayed behind because she ran out of hands, so I picked up the bottle and emptied the last drops into my glass.
I reached for the stem of the glass and held it, but didn't lift it off the table. I had never been one to drink when
I was upset, and as much as this seemed to be the right action for the moment and mood that I was in, I
couldn't do it.

“How late is it,” I asked Luke instead. “I want to get something from Sweet Bites before they close at ten,” I
explained.

“Then you will have to go by tomorrow,” Luke stated. “It's ten o three now,” he explained as he looked up from
his watch. “Are you sure you don't want to stay here and get something?” he asked. I wasn't sure for whose
benefit he was doing this for, but I was sure I didn't want to stay in here any longer.

“I don't care if they have in-house made Turkish Delight, I want to leave,” I insisted. Now it was just spite
keeping me from turning to look at their table. There weren't many people in the restaurant, so our waitress
came back quickly with our check and removed all of the glasses in one go. Almost right away she was back for
the empty bottle, ice bucket, its stand, and Luke's credit card. She took a bit longer to return this time, and it
gave Luke enough time to try and reach for my hand again. I realized in time and snatched my hand away from
his.

“What are you trying to do?” I asked him with slightly narrowed eyes.

“I thought it was very clear,” he said with a raised eyebrow and an undeterred smile on his face. “I was trying to
hold your hand,” Luke told me to make sure that I really knew.

“Didn't you do that already?” I asked. I could use some line about how it wouldn't be wise for him to be seen
doing such things in public, but it would be too feeble to convince anyone since there weren't that many people
around, and we automatically picked a table that was close to the back of the restaurant.

“I did warn you that this was going to happen,” he told me as I saw something like thinking going on behind his
eyes.

“No you didn't,” I countered a little slowly as I became worried about what he was thinking.

“I told you that you were going to be wooed didn't I?” he asked me very calmly as he stood and pulled his chair
around the table and placed it next to mine. After he sat down, he reached for my hand that I had on my thigh
and held it there.

“Yeah, but holding hands is what people who like each other do,” I explained as he continued to hold my hand
on my lap, causing that part of my thigh to heat up. “I don't like you like that,” I insisted, as his expression didn't
change. This wasn't the first time I've told him, and I think it no longer bothered him. I liked him fine as a person
or I wouldn't hang out with him, no matter how much he paid for me.

“Not yet,” Luke once again insisted. “The fact that you like me at all gives me something to build on,” he ended
as I saw the waitress walking towards our table. A few seconds later, she caught his attention and gave him back
his card as she thanked us for coming. As we made our way to the door, I saw two plates that smelled sweet
and watched as they were taken in their direction.

--------
--------
--------

“He's leaving,” I told Mr. Stroker when I saw Edward, and his friend, walk through my line of sight as they
headed towards the door. I was expecting our desert and was looking for it when I saw them. The other man
seemed decent enough and nodded in my direction as Edward himself still looked at me with some level of
hate.

That was the most I've said to him since he explained how he knew Edward. I was friendly enough with the
waiter when he brought our dessert, but I stayed quiet as we ate it. I can't say that I was mad at Mr. Stroker, and
in all truth, I had no right or reason to be mad at the man. This was his past. It was before we knew each other
existed. I shouldn't feel bad over this at all. It was his baggage that he was still dealing with. I knew he came
with baggage. I just never expected his baggage to be a first-class male escort that looked hotter than any guy I
had ever seen in the flesh, and who wanted me dead for apparently 'stealing' someone from him.

Mr. Stroker said that there was only one brothel in town. For men, women, straight or gay, and anything else in
between. It was built on something that started back when the city was first settled over a hundred years ago.
They got no hassle from the law because they paid taxes and employed a fair about of people.

Mr. Stroker wasn't born here, so once a fellow worker somehow found out that he was gay, Mr. Stroker didn't
say how, he introduced him to the largest gay pool of drug and STD free men that side of the state. He had gone
there five times within the space of a year before he 'worked up the courage' to speak with Edward. They
became a fast item before Mr. Stroker realized that he couldn't get what he wanted from their relationship. At
least that is what he said. I felt like there was more to their story.

He may or may not have clearly “broken up” with Edward before placing the ad that dropped me into his life,
but I was here now. When he finished, I knew he hadn't told me a lot, and I didn't say anything in return. Now I
really wished that I had picked a different restaurant or had just stayed home. As I cut into my slice of cake, I
thought that maybe it was that he was keeping other stuff from me, and not Edward himself which was why I
was feeling so upset. I pushed the small piece of cake around in the pool of melting ice cream as I thought
about it.

As I lifted it to my mouth, I started to realize that I knew next to nothing about this person sitting with me. I
liked the cool feel of the ice cream before the warmth of the cake took over my mouth, so I went in for some
more instead of stopping like I thought I was going to. By the time I finished my dessert, I had figured out a few
things. Mr. Stroker had a right to his past and can choose to tell me what he wanted when he wanted, just like I
did. Not that I had much of a past to speak of.

Secondly, I was his House Boy. An employee, a servant, if you took it far enough, and that was fine. I was well
paid, and the job wasn't that demanding. It was far better than the only other 'real' job I had before. And
despite any feelings we had for each other, until Mr. Stroker stopping paying me, I could not assume that he
owed me anything.
 ==========

Chapter 11 - Something New

==========

I managed to go a week and a half before Mr. Stroker said something about having to talk with me. I knew it
was about how I was acting. Not that I wanted him to realize that anything had truly changed. I did everything I
was suppose to. I cleaned, I cooked, I did the wash, my weekly shopping trip, I carried out his dry cleaning and
picked it up on time. We still had sex as often as he wanted, I just tried to stay as emotionally detached as I
could. I didn't hate him or think any less of him. I just told myself that I had to step back a bit. Take a harder look
at Mr. Stroker and get to know him without my emotions getting in the way. Or so I told myself. This included
visiting him at the office to try to have lunch with him. To see how he acted around other people. How he
reacted to stress and all that.

More often than not, I just ended up hearing him talk about work over the phone with someone, before he
canceled on me. But I was never upset. For some reason, I liked sitting in the same room with him as we both
did some form of work. Emotionally distance my foot.

“David,” I heard someone call.

“Yes Sir,” I said on reflex as I raised my head to see who had called me. It was Mr. Stroker. Oh yeah. He wanted
to talk to me about something. We stood between the kitchen and living room as I waited to hear what he had
to say.

“Are you ok with this Sunday for going to get your suit?” he asked me. I blinked.

“My suit?” I asked him to make sure I heard right.

“You don't remember?” Mr. Stroker asked me with a slightly odd look on his face. I started to think about what
he told me about getting a new suit. “Don't bother remembering,” he said as he reached out to hug me. I
started to lean into him before I caught myself and stiffened as Mr. Stroker pulled me closer. “One less thing for
me to apologize for,” he said with something of a laugh in his voice before kissing my forehead. He didn't
notice.

“So what time this Sunday?” I asked him as I tried to see if I had time to do the wash before we left or if it could
wait until we got back. I tried to move out of his grip before I ended up laying my head on his chest and
listening to his voice. I had to be a bit more forceful than I wanted, but he did eventually let me go. I felt his
eyes on me as I moved into the kitchen and started to clean up. I was on my third plate when I heard him
starting to talk again.

“I made an appointment for two pm,” he continued. I'm sure he was watching me as I continued to wash the
dishes. “Are you alright?” he asked a few minutes later.

“I'm fine,” I told him. “Just a little tired,” I added on. It wasn't a complete lie. I had a long day and it was hard
fighting myself to not enjoy the closeness that we shared not that long ago.

“Will you be able to spear three hours for the fitting,” Mr. Stroker asked from his side of the room.
“Three hours?” I asked back as I paused to look in his direction.

“Yeah, it takes a while to make a suit from scratch,” he tells me.

“From scratch?” I asked again. “I thought they were just making a pre-made suit fit me better?” I asked him.

“So you remembered something?” Mr. Stroker asked me in turn.

“Yeah, I remembered,” I confessed. It wasn't that hard to remember once he brought it up. "You said that we
would go on Sunday," I told him. "That was almost two weeks ago," I added on. Mr. Stroker coughed while
looking embarrassed.

“So can you put off studying on Sunday for about three hours?” Mr. Stroker asked me again. I nodded my head
as I turned back to finish up what I was doing. I slowly washed the bowl that I now had in my hand. I might be
able to take a book with me for when they were making the changes and didn't need to have me standing.

“Can I bring a book with me?” I asked him as I started to move my hands a little faster.

“I don't see why not,” Mr. Stroker quickly said. “I normally read their magazines while I wait,” he confessed.

“Then it shouldn't be a problem,” I answered his earlier question before trying to focus on getting the dishes
done and not wonder if we were going to sleep together tonight. I was concentrating on a piece of onion that
was burnt onto the frying pan so I didn't hear him walk into the kitchen.

“I'm turning in,” Mr. Stroker told me as his hands held my hips. I jumped and I knew he noticed that. We were
both quiet for a moment. I was afraid of what he might say, and I'm sure he was thinking of what to say. It must
have only lasted like three seconds, but it felt like we stood there waiting for a bomb to drop for forever. "You
seem to have a lot on your mind and I have to be up for an early meeting tomorrow,” he tells me. One of his
hands rubbed my hip through the waistband of my shorts. His other hand slowly moved around my waist as I
thought of nodding in agreement with his statement. As I followed through and lowered my head to start, I felt
Mr. Stroker's lips on the back of my neck.

His warm, soft lips. Sir pressed his body into mine, and the smell of him took over my personal space. I closed
my eyes and wished that he wasn't doing this to me as I leaned back against his chest. His hand that was on my
waist gripped me harder as his other slid between the waistband and my skin, and went straight for its target. I
gasped as I gripped the frying pan and soapy sponge harder.

“You look so sexy tonight,” he rasped into my skin as he held me to his body.

“Ah!” I gasped as he continued to jerk me off. I pushed my backside into his groin to give his hand more room to
work with. My mind screamed that I wasn't suppose to be enjoying this until I shouted for it to shut the fuck up.
I started to move in rhythm with Sir's hand, and each time I pushed back I felt him getting harder. I really
wanted him to fuck me, but I just held on to the sides of the sink instead of doing anything about it. The sponge
was the last thing I had dropped over five strokes earlier.

Sir's hand movements started to slow so I moved faster to make up for it as some primitive part of my mind told
me that I had to keep going.

“Don't, move,” Sir said to the back of my neck again. I had forgotten or just accepted his physical closeness. I
flattened my lips together as I did what he told me. I almost trembled from holding still as well from the loss of
his body heat that had been covering my shirtless back, as he stepped away.

I heard everything as I waited for him to touch me again. The slide of his feet on the tile floor as he took a step
back. The pull and movement of his clothes. The sliding of cloth along his skin as he lowered his pants. I almost
shook as I heard the elastic waist of his boxers as they slapped against his skin. My skin tingled as he placed his
fingers at the small of my back before he slid it up to my neck and then back down to the elastic band that was
keeping me half-dressed.

“I think this is how you should dress while in the apartment with me from now on,” Sir told me as he came
closer bringing his heat with him again. He kissed my shoulder as he started to pull down the left side of my
shorts revealing half an ass. “Short shorts and skin,” he said before I felt him kissing across the base of my neck.
“They are a great combination on you,” Sir commented before he pulled down the other side of my shorts in
the back. In the front, the waistband was pressing against the base of my cock as it was pulled tight against my
body.

Sir held my shorts and pulled me back until I felt his pubic hair as it was pressed into my ass, and his cock
separated my cheeks.

“Yes Sir,” I mumbled as my penis ached and the hole under his cock twitched. He pulled me back onto himself a
few times, and when I felt that my penis was now free and poking the wood in front of it, I realized that I had
been doing it on my own for a while. I only half wondered if we were going to stay like this or not when I felt
something wet being poured down my back and into the crack of my ass. I knew I recognized the smell, but I
couldn't place it until I opened my eyes and saw as he placed the bottle of olive oil down on the counter next to
the sink.

“Oh!” I cried out as two fingers entered me along with some of the oil. I leaned over the sink and held on to the
divide of the sink and pressed into one of the sides. It wasn't long before I felt something bigger and heavier as
it glided its way into me. That's not to say that I didn't feel every inch of him that came into flesh on flesh
contact with me, or that I didn't feel the tips of his teeth as they left marks on my skin. But the impromptu job
of lubricant that the oil was given makes me believe that it had a hidden calling as I adjusted from empty to
happily full.

“Ohh Daaviidd,” Sir moaned along my back and up across my neck as he pulled and pushed our bodies together.

“Ahh,” I moaned in return as he made me feel as full as he ever has. I was in rocking heaven from then on. I
gripped the sink, and Sir gripped me as we went back and forth, coming together in short bursts of pleasureful
pain. My hands slipped and slid, and I readjusted them a few times like Sir did each time he found his fingers
digging into me hard enough to worry about leaving marks.

As my jerking orgasm started to grow from the inside out, he placed his hands on my shoulder, and his rhythm
started to falter.

“Ah,”

“Hah,”

“Yes,”

“Yes,”
“Ahh,”

“Fuck,”

“Fuck,”

“Yes, yes,”

“Fuckk,”

“Fuck! Fuck!” I shouted as I banged my hand on the side of the sink as my other hand helped to hold me up as I
came with Sir still fucking me until he came when I stopped squirting on the front of his lower cabinet doors. I
felt him as he went ridged then slowly fall onto my back.

“Oh David,” he quietly whispered before he kissed my skin again. “I love you,” Sir confessed.

Fuck!

--------
--------
--------

“So should I be getting a tux?” Jacob asked as he walked with me towards the back of the house.

“A tux?” I asked him without looking in his direction.

“For your pending wedding,” Jacob informed me.

“I'm not getting married, unless you know something I don't?” I asked him before going up the steps. I tried the
doorknob, and it opened, so I pocketed my keys as I stepped inside. We had three hours before everyone had to
be downstairs to make themselves 'available', so most of the guys were in bed getting some shut-eye if they
weren't doing something else to get ready.

“I just know what you've told me,” Jacob said as he continued our conversation. “And it sounds like Mr. Greene
wants to marry you,” he concluded.

“Luke's been married and it didn't work,” I pointed out as we walked further into the house and headed for the
stairs.

“Yeah, he married a woman. That was his second mistake,” Jacob countered. I stopped and looked at him
before taking another step.

“What was his first?” I asked.

“Pretending that he wasn't gay,” Jacob said as he walked past me. I was about to follow him when I heard
something. I stopped with my foot on the next step as I waited to hear the noise again. It wasn't that it was
unusual to hear someone moving around, but what was odd was that I didn't know what the sound was.

“Are you coming?” Jacob called from the second floor as he looked down at me.
“Yeah, I'll be right there,” I told him. I watched him as he walked off to his room before I went back down the
few steps that I had taken and went to see what the noise was. The whole first floor was lit, so I went to the
most likely place, the kitchen. No dice. Next was the living room. Bingo. As I looked inside I saw that the tv was
on and playing some kind of amateur video. As I got closer, I realized that it was taken in a classroom. I heard
someone talking before I saw an older man standing in front of the class. He was talking about the massacre at
Wounded Knee. I had forgotten that they killed three hundred Native Americans in that thing. This teacher
added how seven of them were infants.

I knew that this was one of Cricket's classes, but I looked around to see if he was the only one looking at it. It
was, and he was taking notes. Wasn't he suppose to do that in class? I asked myself. He was sitting on the floor
next to the coffee table and writing in his notebook with the camera about two feet away and connected to the
tv via a black cable of some kind. I looked back at the screen before I decided to walk away and saw as it slipped
and fell onto the floor behind someone's seat. As someone handed it off to someone, Cricket I assume, I saw
their face. It was the kid.

“Stop!” I shouted, making Cricket jump before he reached out and pushed the stop button on his little video
camera.

“What? What's wrong?” he asked as he stood and looked at me.

“That kid,” I told him as I pointed to the screen. His face wasn't there anymore, it was just showing a blurred
shot of the ceiling, but I still pointed. “The guy that handed you the camera. Do you know him?” I asked.

“Yeahh,” Cricket said slowly, pulling the word out of his mouth. “That's David. He's an architecture major.”
 ==========

Chapter 12 – Fitting Pieces

==========

La Rukico Tailors was what I expected but larger. It was half a city block long and three stories high. Mr. Stroker
said that it was the best in town, but I was more inclined to think that it was the only one in town. It couldn't be
missed, once you were looking for it. It was a very clean and modern looking building. It was as tall as the other
buildings in the immediate area.

The name was plainly styled, but it was a very contrasting black that made it stand out against the white walls
of the building. As we walked through the doors we were almost instantly greeted by a young man, who we
both said good afternoon to, before he asked us who we came to see.

I raised an eyebrow thinking that this was a little too formal for a tailor's shop. Mr. Stroker said that he had an
appointment with Mr. Rukico himself. That had the dark-haired man, who was just a little older than myself,
leading us across the foyer to a pair of elevators and getting in with us as we went up to the top floor. He then
got out and waited for us to do so also before taking a right down a rather short hallway. He stopped at the
door that was facing the hallway to pick up a small stack of large cards before turning towards us once again to
confirm who's name the appointment was under.

Once he found what he was looking for, he took it from the set and placed it on a large nameplate type holder
on the door before putting the rest away. As he bent down, I took a look at it.

Mr. Stroker and a plus one at 2 pm

No time restriction
Contact by phone before interrupting

When he was upright again, he knocked on the door but didn't wait to hear anything before opening it. As he
walked into the room, I moved forward to follow him when Mr. Stroker held my hand to keep me from walking
any further. I turned to look at him as I heard a voice from inside the room ask a question. He smiled at me as
his palm touched mine, then he let go of my hand and looked ahead before I heard a voice at my side.

"You can go in now," the doorman slash escort person said, almost making me jump since I didn't hear him
come back.

"Thank you," Mr. Stroker said before I chimed in and repeated what he said before following him inside.

"Mr. Stroker!" a large and very Italian sounding voice almost shouted, with a measure of happiness in it, as the
door was closed behind of us. I stood at a safe distance as I watched the two men greet each other.

"Rukico," Mr. Stroker warmly answered before he shook hands with Mr. Rukico, who covered Mr. Stroker's with
both of his. As they started to small talk with each other, I looked around the office and saw that it had a split
personality. One side looked like a very sun-drenched office due to almost a wall of windows that was behind
the desk. The other half looked like it belonged to the tailor we came to see and not a corporate friend.

The whole back wall, and a third of the other two, were covered in shelves of fabric. There was a rainbow wash
of solid colors along with different sized dots and stripes on dark and light backgrounds. From where I stood, I
could also tell that they were made of different textures also.

"David," Mr. Stroker called, making me turn towards him and the other man. At seeing his outstretched hand, I
moved in closer until I was standing at his side. He held me around the shoulders as he introduced me to the
owner.

"Rukico this is David, and David this is Rukico. He will be making a suit, or two, for you today," he said with his
hand moving between the two of us. I reached out to shake Mr. Rukico's hand, and he held it with both of his as
he shook it, just like he did with Mr. Stroker.

"Nice to met you," I told him as I smiled at his warm welcome.

"It's a pleasure to met you too young man. I always tell Mr. Stroker to bring me new clients when he can. I don't
get to work with the public that much anymore," he said sounding a little sad near the end.

"Oh, how come?" I asked, thinking he would have a lot of work if he was a great tailor.

"I make my clothes too well. They are still wearing them and don't need any new ones," Rukico said with almost
a blank face before a grin slowly consumed it, and he laughed out loud. I laughed with him while Mr. Stroker
looked pleased standing next to both of us. "So what kind of suit would you like?" he asked as he pulled me
away from Mr. Stroker and towards a large book that seemed to have a slightly honored place on a deep brown
podium.

I didn't realize that there were so many different ways to cut a suit. We flipped through pages until we had it
narrowed down to three styles in two cuts. Everyone, including myself, agreed that while I still had a body to be
proud of, I had to have an Italian cut full suit. Mr. Rukico said that I would have to fight the girls back if I couldn't
handle that many at one time. I turned beet red at this and didn't look in Mr. Stroker's direction as I said that I
liked the British cut too.

"Then you can have two suits," Mr. Stroker said from his seat a dozen or so feet away.

"With how many buttons?" Mr. Rukico asked. "One, two or three?" he slightly clarified.

"Ahm," I started as I went back to the book again to look for the examples that made me think of getting each
cut in the first place. "I think three buttons for the British cut," I said once I found the picture again and
confirmed how much was used for that one. "And," I said as I started to flip pages to find the Italian one. "Two
for the other one," I declared.

"Fine choice," Mr. Rukico informed me. "Now about the fabrics?" he asked as he lead me away in another
direction. Oh god, I moaned in my head. This will never end.

----
----

I allowed my eyes to refocus as Mr. Rukico told me that I could lower my arms again. I found that it was the only
way for me to keep my arms up. We were almost done now, and it was turning out worst than I feared it would
be. I never knew that a suit was made up of so many layers and a fabric made from horsehair. That was
something of a surprise. It was the only cloth that I didn't have to pick out.

I was told that my Italian cut suit was going to be bespoke while my British one was only going to be half
bespoke. All I know is that it had something to do with the amount of the horsehair fabric that Rukico was going
to use in making them. Then there was the inner lining and the cloth on the outside then there were the
pockets. Oh yeah, these pockets worked.

At a few points, Mr. Stroker answered some of the questions that Mr. Rukico had for me, allowing me to
continue studying for as long as I could until another partial fitting. Once or twice, I realized this and listened in
to see if I would have a clue of what a relevant answer would be. I didn't. There were moments when I was
trying on the bits of cloth that had yet to look like the top part of a suit, never mind a vest, when I saw Mr.
Stroker looking at me for a few moments before trying to turn his attention back to the magazine he held in his
hands.

I have never really shopped for clothes with anyone other than my mother, and even then, you aren't shopping,
but disagreeing and compromising on what you would be willing to be seen wearing.

"Ok, I think I've held you hostage here long enough," Mr. Rukico announced as I felt him sliding one finished
sleeve off my right arm. "I will just need to get a few more measurements then you will be free to leave," he
told me with a large smile on his face. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone to check the time. I
saw the sun as it set through his window. I noticed when the light from the fixtures became the only light
source available, but I was moving from trying to stay awake, to getting fitted, and trying to read that I didn't
bother checking the time since I didn't think it would help. I would leave when it was time to leave.

"How about getting something to eat at Becco? It's close by," Mr. Stroker suggested as Mr. Rukico got down on
one knee and measured every dimension of both my legs.

"Formal wear," I reminded him.

"Ah, yes," he exclaimed before thinking of somewhere else. "Dino's Burgers and Shakes?" he put out there. I
looked at him in the mirror to see if he was laughing. "I like a burger every now and again," he explained.

"Ok," I said still sounding puzzled. "Sure," I said a bit more enthusiastically.

"We'll take them home and eat them while watching the news or something," Mr. Stroker continued causing
me to question where all of this was coming from.

"You are starting to sound like a real bachelor now Mr. Stroker," Mr. Rukico laughed, teasing my employer.

"Really?" he questioned his friend. I half expected Mr. Stroker to say that he wasn't all that single anymore, but
then I remembered that I was still his employee and not someone that was capable of making him any less
single than he was the week before we met.

Thirty-two minutes later, I was seated next to Mr. Stroker with the smell of hot hamburgers and fries filling the
car's interior. I noticed how quiet it had been since we got back into the car after ordering and collecting our
burgers. I looked out my window again and saw our apartment building as it loomed closer. Now it was only
one street away to our right. I waited and expected the turn, but was surprised at the change in our route when
Mr. Stroker continued to drive ahead.

"You missed our turn," I hesitatingly pointed out to him almost two blocks later.

"Have you heard of Black Rock Cliff?" Mr. Stroker asked me.
"The BRC?" I asked him instead. There was a questioning moment that hung in the air between us until he
shrugged his shoulders.

"Your peers may have shorted it down to those letters, but I know it as Black Rock Cliff," he answered me. "It's a
picnic area on a cliff that looks out into Rosemary State Park," he described.

"That sounds like it," I agreed. "But why are we going there now?" I asked him. "It's dark out," I explained.

"We aren't getting out of the car," Mr. Stroker told me as he now turned in the direction of Rosemary State
Park. My mind started to do quick social math. The BRC plus food, plus night time, plus staying in the car, plus a
man who is paying me to have sex with him, among other things. I got excited and worried at the same time.

Excited because it was beyond clear that we were going to be making out on some level if not going all the way.
This could be a fantasy that he has had for a while, for all I know. My body was still very much into this twisted
relationship even if I was trying to distance my heart from it.

Worried because I was trying to not involve my heart and the emotions that came with it, from what I did with
Mr. Stroker. But this was almost sweet. I couldn't help but start my crush on him all back over again. At least
crushing on him, and knowing that I was crushing on him was better than believing that I had fallen in love with
the man. I could deal with crushing. You live easier if nothing comes of it.

I came back to the world around me when I sensed the loss of light. I looked around and saw that we were now
leaving the main road, and the street lamps were further apart. We were also starting to go uphill.

"When was the last time you were out there?" I asked him as I questioned myself if he knew how to get there
at all, never mind in the dark.

"Oh, a few years," he answered. "No more than five I think." Mr. Stroker sounded like he believed five was only
a few years. As much as I would have liked to take the wheel to make sure we go there, I had only been there
once myself, and I wasn't driving at that time either.

The music was low as we made our way along dark dirt roads, that wound themselves through the even darker
trees. Every now and again, we saw a sign pointing us in the right direction, and our wish of not getting lost, at
least my wish, was realized each time we saw one. Then there was a clearing in front of us, and Mr. Stroker
moved to park away from the tables. He stopped as close to the edge, of what we called Black Rock Cliff, as was
safely allowed. When the engine was cut, we were enveloped in darkness and silence.
 ==========

Chapter 13 – Fitting Pieces II

==========

“Edward, over here,” someone called out across the living room. I turned from Jacob, who I was talking to, to
see Joey waving me over.

“Be right back,” I told Jacob before raising my hand to signal Joey that I was coming as I emptied my glass.

“Not likely,” Jacob responded. “He's with Corbit,” he informed me.

“Well then, at least I'll have some fun then,” I countered before walking off to find out how long I would be
needed for. I slid my way past a few guys who hadn't worked up the courage to talk to me even though I was
standing there waiting for a 'date'. How do I know this you ask? Heads turned, and their dates had to work a bit
harder to regain their attention. Why they were still downstairs was beyond me if they already had their
attention.

“Mr. Corbit,” I said greeting our guest first as the house rules stated. “Joey,” I then said to the younger man who
had waved me over. I continued to smile as I waited to find out if this was only going to be a meet and greet or
if we were going to be upstairs together. I had doubled teamed with Joey before, so working with him wasn't
going to be that odd or new to me.

“Mr. Corbit would like to invite you to our room for the night.” Joey sounded like he was asking and telling me at
the same time. I turned my attention to the man at his side.

“The whole night?” I asked him to make sure. It was not a cheap way to spend one's time there. This would pad
Joey's wallet nicely. Heck, it would do my bank account a little good too.

“I believe between the three of us we could pull it off,” he half boosted. I smiled a little wider, and I felt Joey
start to buzz next to me from his excitement.

“Then Joey, by all means, lead Mr. Corbit to your room and I'll be there after I settle some paper work.” This
statement was directed at Joey, but I was looking at Mr. Corbit. He turned to leave as Joey lead him towards the
stairs.

I made my way over to Jake and told him what was up before heading to the desk. On my name, I placed a note
saying that I was with Joey. On Joey's, I wrote Mr. Corbit's name and the time, which I looked up to see that it
was just seconds past nine-fifteen.

As I placed them back on the shelf, I noticed that this was going to be Joey's second John for the night, while
this all-nighter would be my third. I turned around and surveyed the quiet party. There was no one hanging off
of anything except a guy's arm. The music was upscale and a little old fashioned at times. That isn't to say we
didn't hear anything modern. Someday by Sugar Ray was playing low in the background as I now walked
towards the staircase to meet Mr. Corbit and Joey in his room.

--------
--------
--------

Sugar Ray was playing Someday as we ate. I had turned up the radio, so it was a bit louder than it was on the
drive here. I didn't want there to be too much dead air between us. Mr. Stroker ate at his normal pace while I
felt like I was eating too fast and too slowly at the same time. It was when I almost choked I realized I was
eating too fast and slowed down.

As I did, I knew that we may end up talking about something, and I kinda hoped that he would just want to fuck
instead so I wouldn't have to maybe lie to him. Not that I had much to lie about. If I was lying to anyone, it was
myself, and I was really starting to hate it.

Mr. Stroker did nothing wrong and has been completely honest with me from day one. All too soon, I realized
that I had eaten my burger and all my fries. I reached for my cup, and it was near empty also with just a few
cubes of ice left rattling around on the bottom.

Besides my shocking revaluation at how fast time really can fly, I realized that I was rehashing a problem that I
already went over before I took the job. I thought I settled this. Why was I doing this to myself? I turned and
looked at Mr. Stroker. He seemed completely unaware of what I was thinking and was looking out into the not
so dark scenery. There was a sky full of stars and one big moon that shone down on the park below us. You
could almost believe that it was a hot summer night from what we saw.

“I'm not sure what to do now,” Mr. Stroker admitted. I turned to look at him again.

“We could go home,” I told him not being sure if he wanted me to tell him to stay out or not.

“I brought you out here for a reason,” he slightly insisted as he turned to look at me.

“Ok,” I agreed and commented at the same time. I looked outside as I waited for him to speak again. I turned
back to look at him again when he said nothing. “What did you bring me out here for?” I decided to ask him,
even though I was pretty sure I already knew.

“I …,” Mr. Stroker stopped and turned to look out the windshield again.

“Yes?” I prompted him as I now unbuckled my seatbelt to turn in my seat to see him better. He looked adorable.
Mr. Stroker wasn't fidgeting on the outside, but I saw how his eyes darted as he tried to make himself say what
he wanted to say. I decided to have mercy on my boss. He may talk himself out of doing anything with me out
here, and it would almost have been a waste of a ride.

“Do you mean something like this?” I asked Mr. Stroker as I braced one hand on the dashboard and the other
on the back of his seat while moving my body to sit over his right leg. I always thought that big cars like the one
Mr. Stroker drove were far too large and that no one needed to take up that much space when driving
themselves around, but now my head and back appreciated all that extra room. I slid my knee into his crotch
and just under his very warm privates. He realized where my leg was going and jumped a little out of his seat
fearing the pain I might have inflicted on him. I couldn't have planned it better since that made us kiss before he
settled back down. He pulled me into his chest, as best he could, with my knees in the way.

“Something like that,” he admitted when we paused for a breath. I smiled down at him, and he smiled up at
me. I felt so much lighter now that I had decided to enjoy it while I could.

“There's more, Sir?” I asked him before moving my right leg to the outside of his other leg. This allowed me to
finally sink onto his lap as I rubbed the back of his neck.

“Well, just a little bit more,” he answered before he licked my chin, and his seat fell backwards, causing me to
lay over his now horizontal body.

“AH!”

“Oph!”

“Are you alright?” I asked to make sure that I didn't hurt him when he cushioned my fall.

“I should have done that more slowly,” Mr. Stroker admitted as I felt his hand rest on the back of my thigh.
“When was the last time you parked?” he asked me as I started to make small slow movements over his crotch
with my own.

“What is that?” I asked him as I licked, then kissed his lower lip before lightly nipping at it. I heard him as he
breathed out as I moved my attention to the skin that covered his neck. Soon I felt the palms of his hands over
each half of my ass, and I left them there as I started to unbutton his shirt.

“You are rather,” he paused as he continued to look at me. “Active tonight,” Sir decided to use. I started to think
of an answer as I pulled his shirt ends from under me and out of his pants.

“I just think that it's sweet that you brought me out here to be all alone,” I said before I bent my head and
started to kiss his chest.

“We are alone,” he started and stopped as I licked around one of his nipples before sucking on it for a few
seconds.

“But there are no walls with people behind them,” I said as I licked my way across his broad chest.

“You are worried about the neighborers?” he was able to ask before I had him gasping for air again. I never
really thought of it before since buildings like his should have excellent soundproofing between the units.

“Maybe,” I told him as I closed my eyes to enjoy the thorough massage that my ass was getting. I pressed our
crotches together and ground them slowly across each other as I raised my chest just above his, causing our
nipples to rub the other's chest through my thin tee.

--------
--------
--------

“Yes, lick down. Further. Do you feel his nipple in your mouth?” Mr. Corbit asked me as I indeed felt the small
protruding piece of Joey's skin. I sucked on it and heard Joey as he moaned beneath me. I heard Mr. Corbit as
he shifted in his seat before I turned to look at him as he sat naked watching us on the bed.

I nodded slightly in answer to his question as I continued to suck on Joey's chest. I heard and felt him as he
pulled at the bonds that kept his hands from touching me in return. I watched Mr. Corbit as his hand moved
back to his cock, and he slowly stroked it for a little while.

“Move over to the next one,” he tells me as I watch him stop his hand and move it back to the hand rest on the
chair. I turn my attention back to the chest in front of me and licked a trail over to the next nipple before
sucking at that also. Out of habit, I looked up and saw Joey's blindfolded face and one of his hands that was
being held to the headboard by some padded handcuffs.

Granted, this wasn't how I expected to be spending my night, but it was a long night, and as Mr. Corbit inched a
little closer to the edge of his seat, I'm sure I will get my tongue on him soon enough. I'm not saying that Joey
doesn't taste great, he actually has this pleasant smell coming off his skin, but I try to have little sexual contact
with other guys in the house.

I held Joey by his waist as I moved myself to one side of his body so Mr. Corbit would have a better view of him
and what I was doing. It was only after I moved I realized that I did something without him telling me. I half
expected him to say something about it now as I settled on that side of the bed.

“Would you look at that?” Mr. Corbit breathed as his eyes became fixed on the lower part of Joey's body. I
followed his gaze and saw a healthy, strong, wet version of a cock just a foot or so away from my face. I watched
it as it strained and wavered a little as it pointed upwards. I heard something of a 'thump' sound and turned
back to see Mr. Corbit on his knees in front of his chair before he crawled over to the bed. He stayed on his side
as he took his time memorizing what he saw.

“Guys?” Joey called out. “I feel breathing, but nothing else. What's going on?” he asked as he continued to feel
nothing from me or Mr. Corbit.

“I can lick him if you want,” I told Mr. Corbit just to get him, and myself, to do something. Much more of this
nothing, and I might start to get soft.

“No,” he quickly said. “Suck his nipples some more,” he told me as he continued to stare at Joey's leaking cock. I
did as I was told and soon had Joey squirming under me and his cock leaking more pre-cum to Mr. Corbit's
delight. I kept my lips latched on Joey's nipple as I turned to look at Mr. Corbit. He was licking his lower lip as he
settled his left hand on Joey's thigh. I started to anticipate watching him suck on Joey's cock, but his face never
got any closer. His hand slid down in between Joey's thighs and pushed at the third toy we were using on him.

“Ah,” Joey cried out at the new movement he felt inside. Something in his voice caused my pulse to pick up, and
I felt the edge of lust again. I licked around his nipple and lazily made my way across his chest to the other one
as I kept my eyes fixed on our client. Mr. Corbit slipped down the length of Joey's thigh and past his knee as he
crawled around the foot of the bed and then up the other side as he made his way towards me. His hand
slipped out from between Joey's legs and rested on his slightly protruding hip bone as he watched the cock
before him for one last moment before turning to look at me. I raised my head from Joey's chest as our eyes
met.

“You can lick him now,” Mr. Corbit told me as he moved away from the bed to give me space to move forward. I
looked at him for a moment longer before I turned to look at the cock I was told to lick and eventually swallow. I
felt my lips part a little as I moved closer to it. One of my hands moved to the base of the shaft as the other
cupped Joey's balls. He pushed his hips up at the contact I made with his warm skin, and I felt the slight buzzing
from what Mr. Corbit had pushed into him. It was only a slightly new feeling for me.

I felt Mr. Corbit's hands on my back as he slid them down to my ass when I started to bend over Joey's cock. As
my lips touched it, Mr. Corbit's fingers slid down between the two halves of my ass. I rolled the tip of my tongue
over the top and around the sides of the head of his cock, and Mr. Corbit's finger pushed at and circled my
puckered opening. Joey moaned as I slid my mouth down over his cock, and I moaned onto his cock as Mr.
Corbit pushed his lubed version into my ass. As he settled into me, Mr. Corbit's moan was heard filling the
room.

Moments turned into minutes, and the minutes ticked by. Ten minutes, twenty-one minutes, fifty-five minutes
brought silence and a break to the room's activities. I laid across Mr. Corbit's chest as Joey rested over and in
me. I believed I picked up on the full scope of Mr. Corbit's tick. He liked to watch at times, and he wanted to be
included in a way that would allow him to still see what was going on between his two partners to some
degree. I saw it in his face not that long ago. He looked into my eyes and got turned on from the look on my
face as he made Joey slow fuck me over him.

“You two have exquisite faces,” Mr. Corbit breathed without talking to anyone in particular. I felt a shiver run
through him before I felt the hardening of his cock against my hip bone. I shifted a little to let him grow, but I
was still recovering and wasn't going to do anything else unless he asked. Joey may or may not have known
what I was doing, but he tried to move with me all the same. His soft cock was barely in my now, but he didn't
try to separate us.

“Shhh, shhh,” Mr. Corbit said as he patted each of us and stopped us from moving. “Just rest my little fuck boys.
You need your rest,” he said before I felt another little thrill run through him. I didn't argue and closed my eyes.
 ==========

Chapter 14 – A New Day

==========

“David,” broke into my sleep and I shrugged it off as my aching body told me to stay asleep. “David,” he said
again. This time I heard who was talking and opened my eyes to see Mr. Stroker looking down at me from just
beyond my nose. I smiled up at him as I realized that I had to wake up, but this was a good way to do it.

“Sir,” I answered as I moved in for a little kiss. He wrapped his arms around me and held me close as he
returned the kiss. When our kiss slowly ended, half of my body was covering his since I had been pulled up to
lay across his chest.

“Are you ready to get up now?” Mr. Stroker asked me with a smile in his voice and on his face.

“It's not like I really have a choice,” I answered as I started to get off of him and sit up. Once again I found
myself looking around for my underwear. Today I found it right in front of me after I looked around the rest of
the floor space first. I bent over and picked it up before standing and slipping it on. I needed a shower, so I
wasn't going to bother putting on more clothes.

“How does an omelet with raisin wheat toast and some cantaloupe strike you?” I turned and asked Mr. Stroker
as he continued to lay in bed.

“It sounds great,” he answered without moving. I paused before turning to leave, just a little, and he just
continued to lay there. I almost wondered if today was some kind of holiday that he was taking off of work. I
opened my mouth to ask, but as he smiled up at me and put his hands behind his head, I closed my mouth and
left the room to make Mr. Stroker his breakfast.

I kept thinking about the day as I got the eggs and the greens from the fridge. Then the few herbs from the
cupboard. I got the bowl to mix it in along with the frying pan from the same place. Well almost, they were
behind doors that were next to each other. As I stood over the bowl with an egg in my hand ready to crack it, I
switched to thinking about making the toast and decided against it until I was ready to start frying the egg so it
would still be kinda warm when I gave it to Mr. Stroker.

Mr. Stroker, I wondered. Why was he just laying there instead of getting ready? I cracked two eggs and placed
the shells back into the carton. I beat the eggs as my mind turned back to the date. I had my normal Monday
classes as far as I could remember. I didn't remember any of my friends or teachers saying anything about how
Monday was going to somehow be different. I reached for the thyme and some paprika before reaching for a
bottle of diced garlic that was soaking in olive oil. I used a fork and took out just enough to give some taste to
the eggs and but not so much he had to brush his teeth again.

I turned around to place the frying pan on the stove and reached out with my other hand for the fridge door. I
pulled out the bag of raisin wheat bread and double-checked to make sure we really did have cantaloupe. We
did, so I left it where it was and turned towards the toaster. I popped two in and went back to the bowl
containing the eggs.

I stood over the frying pan beating the eggs as I continued to think of what was different about today. When I
felt the heat from the frying pan moving over my hand that was closest to it, I snapped back to what I was
doing. I poured the mixture into the non-stick frying pan and then rummaged in the draw for a spatula. I placed
it next to the stove as I turned down the heat of the burner. I reached for the plastic container holding the
mixed greens and popped it open to now cover the yellow surface of the egg in different shades of green.

I switched out the plastic tub of greens for the spatula again and now I folded the eggs over. I was grateful when
I learned that Mr. Stroker didn't mind my 'colored' eggs. I thought I had to make them as uncooked as I saw
them on television for him, but I made his a little darker one day, by accident, and I was making him another
one when he walked into the kitchen and took the plate.

I picked up the frying pan to keep the current egg from really burning as I went to the cupboard to get two
plates. As I slid the eggs out, the toast popped up looking the right color also. The stove was turned off before I
place the frying pan on it and then reached for the toast to add it to Mr. Stroker's plate. Next up was the
cantaloupe. Before I turned back to the fridge, I placed his plate on the raised part of the counter.

I opened the door to the fridge and the cold air slightly chilled my skin for the second time. I reached with both
hands into the lit insides and grabbed the melon. I placed it on the cutting board and reached for the longest
knife from the woodblock next to it.

“Is there spinach in the eggs?” Mr. Stroker asked as my knife made its way through the fruit and hit the cutting
board.

“Yep,” I answered as I put down my cutting implement and reached into the cupboard again, this time to get
two bowls and then the draws to get some spoons, knives, and forks. Now I looked up and Mr. Stroker was in a
bathrobe. I glanced into the living room at a clock that hung on the wall. He was a little early, so once again I
stopped myself from asking him anything and walked over to the table with his half of the melon and
positioned it along with everything he would need to eat his breakfast. As I made my way back into the kitchen
he now moved towards the table holding his plate of eggs and toast.

“What would you like to drink?” I asked him as I reached the fridge again.

“What do we have?” he asked me instead.

“Orange juice, pomegranate juice, fruit punch and one small bottle of Yoohoo,” I ended with a smile as I looked
at him across the counter.

“Yoohoo?” he asked with a slight laugh. “I couldn't get that could I?” he asked with a bit more serious tone.

“Sure,” I told him as I opened the fridge to get it. “I had the other one that came with it,” I explained as I
brought it to him. I shook it all the way there and handed it over to have him just look down at the label.

“Wow,” he exclaimed before twisting open the cap. “I haven't seen these in ages,” he told me he took a swing of
it. I smiled as I went back to making my breakfast. I did everything the same way I did Mr. Stroker, but I felt like I
wasn't moving as fast this time. I guess it was because I was trying to get his finished before he came out. But as
I checked the clock as I walked to the table with my own meal it said that I only took four minutes. As I settled
into my seat across from Mr. Stroker, I saw that he had barely touched his food.

“Is there something wrong with your breakfast?” I asked.

“No,” he said as he waved his hand in a no motion. “Nothing is wrong with it. I was just waiting for you,” he
informed me.
“Thank you Mr. Stroker,” I told him before turning to eat. As I reached for my fork I realized that I forgot my cup
of orange juice so I got up to go back into the kitchen for it. As I walked past my Mr. Stroker, he reached out and
grabbed my wrist. I stopped and looked down at him wondering why he did that.

“Yes Mr. Stroker?” I asked him feeling a little worried for some reason.

“Alfred,” he said before looking up at me. “My name is Alfred,” he reminded me.

“Alfred,” I said with a nod of my head. He smiled, and I smiled and he let go of my wrist. “You are going to be
late for the office if you don't hurry up and eat your breakfast,” I told him.

“Then hurry up and sit down,” he told him instead.

“I forgot my glass,” I called out from the kitchen before I made my way back with it in hand. As I sat down he
just looked at me until I started to eat, then he dug in. I smiled around my food as I chewed. Every time I looked
up, I realized it was because I felt him looking at me.

“What?” I finally asked him as I placed my hands on the table. First, he shrugged as he tried to eat something
without looking at me for once. Then he put down his flatware as he gave me his full attention.

“I'm trying to think of my day, at work, but I keep finding myself thinking of you like you are now, and how you
were last night,” he confessed. I understood about last night.

“What about me now?” I asked him. I didn't look down since I knew how undressed I was, but I've been close to
this “look” before, so I didn't think that was what he was talking about.

“You may not realize this, but this is as close as you have gotten to how I first asked you to be while in the
apartment,” he reminded me. I thought back to that day when I first met him in his office. I was impressed with
him then, fully suited, surrounded by a mix of old and new furniture. He learned a lot about me once I handed
him my history that was documented on all those pieces of paper but I took a while longer to learn about him.
Despite what I thought a few weeks ago about not knowing anything about him, I realize that now I did. Each
day I learned something new about him. Bit by bit I see what is under Mr. Stroker. Bit by bit I find out more
about Alfred.
 ==========

Chapter 15 - Found Him

==========

“Have you thought about what you are going to say to the kid?” Jacob asked me as we made our way onto the
campus.

“No,” I honestly told him. I gave any male that walked in front of me a quick scan to make sure the kid didn't
slide by. “Once we do find him, I'm just going to ask him a few questions,” I said as I watched one Asian boy as
he walked past me in pink and white pj bottoms that he matched with a black KISS concert tee shirt. He was
talking to some black-haired girl who was hanging off his arm wearing something just as odd.

“The dress code has gone down hill I see,” Jacob remarked as he watched them enter a building that was close
by.

“Where do you think we should look?” I asked him.

“Student Directory?” he answered and asked with a shrug. He started walking towards the building while I just
watched him. “What?” Jacob asked as he turned around to look at me.

“That building it nothing but red tape,” I told him. “For information going in and coming out,” I reminded him.

“We have an acquaintance on the inside,” he remarked before turning his back on me and continuing to walk
towards the kinda newish looking building that was old when I first went here.

“Who?” I asked as I slightly jogged to catch up to him.

“You'll see,” he answered. “But keep an eye out all the same. I would like to keep the favors I own anyone at a
very low count.”

-------
-------

“So that's Vee,” I started when we got to the bottom step of the administration building. “I never knew you took
on girl clients,” I shot at him.

“Who said that Vee was a girl?” he answered off-hand as he looked down at the papers we got from what I
thought was a female.

“Huh?” I asked as I tried to think about it. “What are you talking about?” I asked him as I gave up trying to think
of an answer.

“What time is it?” he just asked me instead. I sighed and pulled out my phone.

“It's 2:36,” I informed him. “Where is he?” I then asked.

“He should be in his Building Materials class,” he started. “It's located in the Boon Building, room F8,” he ended
as he folded the paper and tucked it into his back pocket.

“The Boon Building it is,” I remarked as we started our walk across the main campus hub and out into the city.

--------
--------
--------

“So how did you do?” I asked Candice as I got up from the floor where I was skimming my q-cards for another
class.

“I forgot half of the information on columns,” she said sounding upset with herself. “I remembered Doric and
Ionic and Corinthian, but I know there is another,” she said as she laid her head on the wall as another student
came out of the classroom.

“Hey,” he called out.

“Hey Tim,” I called back. “Do you think you passed?” I asked him as he walked backwards facing me.

“Yeah, I think I did well. See yeah,” he said a bit louder before turning around and leaving.

“Ahm Candice,” I started to say.

“Yeah?” she asked sounding sorry for herself.

“You forgot Tuscan,” I told her.

“Aahhh,” she groaned loudly, as I think she now remembered.

“Come on,” I said as I slightly tugged at her arm to get her to leave her spot and the building. After a moment,
she gave in and started to walk. With each step, her mood seemed to improve even if we didn't say anything.

“So how is your guy treating you?” she asked as I saw the light outside trying to get in. It was the best cover
story that I could think of that wasn't far from the truth. Everyone who knows me knew I couldn't afford to live
anywhere but a dorm and even that was pushing it. So as far as anyone was concerned, I had a rich boyfriend
who I was now staying with.

“Fine,” I answered. “We had something of a night time picnic on the BRC,” I told her.

“Ooh. How romantic,” she cooed. It really was a bit on the romantic side and I saw it before we even got there.
“So what did you have to eat?” she asked. “Did he have some Italian meal all wrapped up for the two of you?”
she asked in her search for details.

“Burgers and fries,” I told her honestly and with a bit of pride.

“That's it?” she asked sounding disappointed. “Shawn gets that for us all the time,” she said, making it sound
like a complaint. “He's rich. He should be able to do better than that,” she continued.

“I liked it,” I said with a smile as I kinda defended Mr. Stroker. We pushed our way through the doors and ended
up on the outside. She looked at me for a moment before looking a bit closer.
“What?” I asked her as I pulled back from her unexpected closeness.

“I thought you were blushing,” she answered. I started to think of what I would be blushing about when I
remembered what we did after we ate.

Honk! Honk!

“Later David,” Candice called out as she ran down the steps and headed towards her boyfriend's car. I waved
back as I watched her get into the car and drive away. I took a deep breath and felt proud of myself for how I
think I did on the test. It was a little cool out, but it felt good after being in that stuffy room for over two hours.
After looking at the sky, which seemed to be a rather nice blue, I zipped up my jacket and looked around at the
other people who were street level.

Everyone was moving about and heading where they had to go. The street didn't have that many cars since
rush hour hadn't kicked in yet, and I started to wonder about what I would cook for dinner as I started down
the steps myself. I looked across the street, then down to the right at the bus stop before looking back.

That guy looks familiar, I remarked to myself as I gave him a closer look to remember where I saw him. It was as
he started to cross the street in my direction did it hit me. It was that prostitute, and he wasn't alone.

“What do you want?” I asked him when he was more than close enough. I looked at his tall dark friend as I
waited for his answer.

“I just want to know who you are and how you got your hooks into Al so quickly?” he asked me. Once he said
'hooks' he had my attention. He must have really liked Mr. Stroker to still be after me after all this time.

“I didn't get my 'hooks' into him,” I told him evenly.

“Don't give me that. All the houses knew he was going to pick me,” he stated. “You had no right to interfere,” he
added on.

“I'm not from any house,” I tried to explain to him. “I moved out of Patterfield's Dorm the day Mr. Stroker hired
me and I didn't hear anyone there talking about him or you and any competition,” I explained. I found myself
huffing a bit, so I calmed down as I saw him looking a bit hurt and confused at the same time.

“I'm sorry,” I started. “I'm sorry that he didn't … didn't pick you,” I said lamely. “You seem to really like him, but
I'm not involved in what was going on before he placed the ad and hired me,” I ended. Now I felt cold. I pulled
my jacket a bit closer and put my hands in the pockets.

“I'm sorry,” I said again as his friend stepped closer and placed his hand on his shoulder. I looked at him for a bit
to give him a moment to say what he wanted to, but he just turned his head away from me instead. I turned
and walked towards my bus stop. As I started to cross the street, I saw the bus as it turned the corner and
picked up my pace to make sure that I got to the stop in time to catch it.

--------
--------

He looked so stunned and put out, I reminded myself as I walked down the aisle that had the pancake mix. I
reached out and picked up a box of Fiber One Pancake mix. I thought about it for a second, then put it back
down. I didn't know what it would do to Mr. Stroker while he was at work. I'll wait until the weekend to use it
and Friday to buy it. I looked over the shelves and saw mostly buttermilk, plain, and blueberry mixes. There was
one here that I thought was a good idea to try. Maybe I should save that for the weekend also? I wondered as I
continued to search for something since I seemed to be in a pancake making mood.

I saw a box that read Lunda's Swedish Pancake Mix. I picked it up, and the picture showed something that
looked like fat crapes that surrounded a big patch of butter in the middle of the plate. I turned the box around,
and it asked, What is the difference between Swedish Pancakes and Swedish Crapes. I read down the back
and nodded my head before tossing it into my cart. It seems they are the same. It all depended on what you
paired it with. Wrap or cover it in something sweet, the Swedes called it a pancake. Make it part of your meal,
and it becomes a crape. A bit odd to me, but I can give it a go, but not in a very Swedish way.

As I walked along, a feeling of being kinda helpless came over me as that guy's face showed up in my head
again. I wonder if Mr. Stroker … I dropped that line of thought. If Mr. Stroker wanted to do anything about him,
he would have. The guy could just not be getting the hint that it was over and was still hoping. I sighed and
shook it off before starting to walk again.

I turned into another aisle to look for the cinnamon apple sauce that I heard some people ate with the Swedish
pancakes before getting some real apples to add to it. We are going to have an interesting breakfast
tomorrow, I remarked as I came to a stop in front of the chicken sausage display.
 ==========

Chapter 16 - Finding Myself

==========

“Edward,” Jacob said. “Pull over,” he told me. He didn't ask, and his voice didn't have any give in it. I pulled off
the road and turned into the 7/11 that was just outside of town. The engine was turned off, and the two of us
just sat there. I started to feel stupid for just sitting there. When I remembered why I was sitting in my car in the
first place, the anger boiled up again.

“Why?” I asked the world. “Why?” I asked a little louder. “Why!?” I shouted as I raised both my hands and
slammed them into my steering wheel. The horn went off each time I pounded it, but I didn't care. Everything
started to get blurry, and I didn't hit my car as hard. When my chest started to hurt, I laid my arms on the wheel
and my head on my arms.

I felt Jacob as he first laid a hand on my shoulder then moved it to rub my back. I almost cried out loud a few
times, but I was able to hide it with some needed breaths that seemed to be deep and shallow at the same
time. About five minutes later, I was able to take a few really deep breaths, and I cleaned my face off before
turning to look at Jacob.

“Can you get me a drink?” I asked him.

“What kind?” he asked me after a moment. I tried to steady my voice before I opened my mouth again.

“A punch from the fountain,” was my answer since it was the only thing I could think of to tell him. Jacob looked
at me for a bit longer before nodding his head. He rubbed my back one last time before clapping me on the
shoulder as he got out of the car. I sniffled and wiped my eyes that were wet again until I heard that bell over
the door ring. Then my chest just cracked once more, and I sobbed openly before ducking my head and
weeping into the steering wheel again.

I had to get it, this, out of me. I cried louder as I gripped the wheel until my fingers hurt. I remembered seeing
Al's face. I saw all his faces. When he first met me. How he looked at me the first time we had sex. I
remembered how unforgiving he was when I kissed him in front of everyone else, but it was cute to see a man
his age blush.

I said that Al chose me, but I hadn't seen him in a while. He said that it wasn't working, but he also told me that
he cared about me. I believed him. I wanted to believe him. I cared enough to send him the information about
the houses allowing us to be “bought”. I thought that was his problem. That I wasn't really his, and it
embarrassed him, but it really was over. My chest and throat hurt, but my face was mostly dry now. I raised my
head and blinked a few times as I started with the deep breaths again. I reached over to the glove compartment
and pulled out some napkins to wipe my face and nose clean.

I felt better. I felt a wreck, but at the same time, I felt better.

---------
---------
---------
The rest of my day didn't quite turn out like I had planned. On my way up in the elevator, Mr. Stroker called to
let me know that he would be running late due to some meeting that came up at the last moment. I asked him
to call and let me know when he was coming home so his meal would be hot for him. Mr. Stroker chuckled
before saying he liked my word usage. I didn't get it until he hung up.

So when I go into the apartment, I prepped everything I could. I cut everything that needed to be cut. I had all
the ingredients measured and in those glass things that I bought but only got to use one of so far. I placed the
liquid ingredients together with the measuring spoons and cups. I had all the bowls and plates and pots with
water and things I would need to move other things around with and waited for his call. While I waited, I got my
books for the next exam and skimmed over that in the meantime. I was able to re-read two whole chapters and
all my written notes along with quizzing myself with the q-cards I had on me from earlier. I didn't think I would
have gotten that much done before his call, but I did.

Just as I was starting to think that I should start to cook something, my cell rang. Well, it beeped really. It was a
text. I thought one of my friends from school was texting to ask a question about their notes. To my surprise, it
was Mr. Stroker. It was the first text that he ever sent me.

Still in meeting. Taking longer than first thought. Will call.

He clearly made it short not to have it take time away from the meeting, but I was a bit disappointed that he
didn't use whole sentences. It went against his personality, I thought. I picked up my books and notes and
whatever else I had pulled out of my room and took them back, clearing the table. I picked up the tv remote
and turned on the tv to the evening news before walking into the kitchen to take my time cooking. It worked. I
think I took almost twice as long since I stopped to look at the tv so often.

Mr. Stroker had called me about halfway through my cooking, so when he walked into the apartment, I was
laying the dishes on the table.

“Just in time,” I told him as I walked back into the kitchen to get something from the fridge for us to drink while
we ate. I stopped in front of him, wondering if I should kiss him or something when he handed me his bag. He
didn't carry it that often, so it was kinda odd to find myself holding it. He took off his coat and hung it on the
rack next to the door before taking his bag back from me. I was about to turn away when he pulled me close
and kissed me. The kissing I was very use to. I happily returned the act of affection, and I was relieved that I
hadn't made a mess of myself as I cooked.

“What's for dinner?” Mr. Stroker asked me before kissing me again, not giving me a moment to answer. Once he
did give me space and a moment to speak, I told him what I came up with. Well, more like what I pulled out of
the Eating Well magazine that I found in the library. I was thinking of getting a subscription.

“Chicken Piccata with Pasta & Mushrooms,” Mr. Stroker repeated, saying piccata a little different than I did.
“Impressive,” he added before letting me go. “So I get some red wine with that?” he asked as I walked towards
the refrigerator.

“Sorry,” I told him. “I have a carrot juice blend,” I said as I pulled it out. “I can get a bottle for the weekend if you
want,” I said as I walked in his direction.

“No, it's ok,” he told me with a smile. I smiled back before turning to walk towards the table as I vigorously
shook the liquid in the bottle. “I'm actually surprised that I don't miss drinking. I thought I would, but I don't for
some reason,” Mr. Stroker confessed as he walked behind me.
“Maybe it's because you weren't a heavy drinker,” I volunteered.

“Perhaps,” he kinda agreed as he took a seat. I filled both our glasses before taking my own seat. The tv was still
on, and the next hour of news had kicked in.

“Do you want me to turn off the tv?” I asked Mr. Stroker. I half wanted to leave it on, but to date, we haven't
had it on while we ate.

“If you don't mind,” he told me. “I want to hear about your day,” he added. I stood and walked over to the
couch where I picked up the remote and turned off the tv before placing it on the coffee table.

“My day?” I asked him as I sat back down.

“Mmm,” Mr. Stroker said to the positive since he was eating. I got some of the spinach pasta on my fork, and
twirled in some of the sauce before putting it in my mouth. It tasted good.

“Nothing much,” I said once my mouth was clear. I started to cut into a piece of chicken. “I had two exams. One
was this morning at 9. It was math,” I elaborated before taking a bite and chewing.

“How well do you think you did?” Mr. Stroker asked a few moments later as he reached for his glass.

“I know I passed,” I said. “I just don't know by how much,” I continued before reaching for my glass of juice.

“How come?” Mr. Stroker asked.

“Well,” I started as I placed something in my mouth. I stopped to chew it properly, leaving most of my mouth
empty before replying. “I think I do badly on a test, and I don't, or I think I did really well and I don't,” I
explained. “I seem to only know for sure when I've passed or failed. I just about about never fail, so that isn't a
feeling I'm use to getting,” I explained.

“So A or B you can't tell?” he asked to make sure.

“I'm guessing a B+,” I said hopefully. “I think I missed too many questions to get a A,” I elaborated. I looked up
from my plate to watch as he nodded his head. We then ate in silence for a little while.

“What about your other exam?” Mr. Stroker asked when both our plates were half empty.

“A solid B,” I told him before draining my glass. “There was a lot of information to remember for that one,” I
went on. “But I'm sure I did better than Candice,” I ended with a smile until I remembered who I saw once
Candice left.

“What is it?” Mr. Stroker asked. I guess I was quiet for too long or something. I looked up at him.

“That guy from the restaurant came looking for me this afternoon,” I told him. Mr. Stroker placed his fork on his
plate.

“You didn't get into a fight with him did you?” Mr. Stroker asked as he seemed to look me over a bit more
closely. Searching for a cut or bruise that he didn't notice before.

“No,” I answered, voicing my puzzlement. “Does he normally get into fights?” I asked Mr. Stroker.
“He is known for making scenes,” was all he said before looking away for a moment.

“I,” I started and stopped. “I think he really likes you,” I told him. I don't know why, but I thought he should
know.

“I was never really sure if he was, which was why I wasn't very comfortable around him and his life,” Mr. Stroker
told me. Now he turned to look at me again. “At one point I thought that I did love him, but it was a stupid
crush, if you can call it that,” he started to explain. “He was, is, one of the top … employees.” He paused. “I was
a little over whelmed and made to feel happy, then I saw it for what it really was and felt naive for thinking it
was something else,” he told me. I was a little confused by what he said, and I must have shown it.

“I know putting that ad out there doesn't seem like the logical thing to do after what I went through, but after
being labeled, more times than I care to admit, as being old, I thought it was the only way,” he tried to explain. I
tried to understand what he was telling me, and I think I was starting to put most of the pieces together. We
stayed quiet, and I picked up my fork again. I poked at my food for a bit before choosing something and starting
to eat again.

“The only way to not be lonely, or get laid or both?” I asked him when everything had slid into place for me.

“Huh?” Mr. Stroker asked as he lowered his fork again.

“You said that placing the ad was the only way,” I reminded him. “The only way for what?” I asked him again,
but now a different reason came to me. Maybe he did like that other guy and ... and...

“I didn't hire you just for sex,” Mr. Stroker announced. “Sure sex is part of it, but I was hoping it would be on
mutual terms. I wanted someone in my life, yes, but,” he stopped.

Great. Now I've done it, I told myself as he tried to fully understand what he wanted, what he did and wanted
to say to me. I reached out and held his hand. That got him to look at me. I smiled and waited for him to look
less tense.

“It doesn't matter,” I told him, and I meant it. The only thing that would matter is if he was trying to get over
that guy, and I didn't believe he was.

“Really?” he asked me to make sure. I paused before answering him as I thought of what to say myself.

“As girly as this might sound, you liked me when you first saw me, and you aren't really trying to get over him
and you are happy with how things are now. Right?” I ended. I was still holding his hand, and his smile grew
with each sentence I said.

“Right,” he confirmed before standing and leaning down to kiss me. I tilted my head up, expecting a quick kiss,
but he held on for a while, and by the time he pulled away, I wished that we were still going. As he sat down, I
let go of his hand, and we continued eating.

“What about you?” I asked a few bites later. “What was the meeting about, if I'm allowed to know?” I
continued.

“It's no big secret,” Mr. Stroker started between clearing what was in his mouth and getting some more food
onto his fork. “One of our factories in Texas ran into a bit of a mechanical problem that they wanted all branch
heads input on, on how to fix it,” he explained. He started to eat again. “I didn't think it was going to take so
long, but when you ask too many people what to do about a problem, you get more than one of them believing
that their way is best and it becomes a problem of too many chefs,” he ended before eating what he had on the
end of his fork. I smiled as I continued to eat.

“Why did they ask so many people? They couldn't fix it themselves?” I asked thinking it was simple.

“Well it was suppose to just be a briefing that got turned into something else. In the end we talked in circles
and settled on a plan that had already been put in place,” Mr. Stroker concluded. I nodded my head as I now
heard both our forks scraping the plates.

“Any desert?” Mr. Stroker asked with a smile as I drained my glass.

“Popcorn,” I said before licking a stray drop or two off my lips. I stood and started to collect the dishes since we
were both finished.

“Popcorn?” Mr. Stroker queried as he watched me move around.

“I was thinking that we could watch a movie, but then the meeting happened,” I replied. “You might be too
tired to watch anything now,” I said from the kitchen as I placed the first set of dishes in the sink.

“What movie?” he asked instead as he stood up from the table. I shrugged my shoulders.

“You have On Demand, so I was thinking of something that did well at the box office. Something a bit up-to-
date,” I told him as I cleared the last bits from the table and wiped it down.

“Do I get a say?” Mr. Stroker asked me as he now looked into the kitchen as I washed the dishes.

“Do you know about any movie that came out in the last two years?” I asked with a grin without looking over at
him.

“I'll go take a bath,” he told me in silent defeat. I smiled wider to myself as I finished washing up and thought of
what movie I wanted to see last year. When Mr. Stroker returned smelling of soap, wrapped in a terry robe and
wearing boxers, I was sitting on the couch scrolling through a list of good movies that I remember seeing the
trailers for with a large bowl of seasoned popcorn sitting on the coffee table.

“So have you decided?” he asked as he sat down next to me and sipped his arm around my waist, pulling me
closer to him.

“I'm not sure,” I admitted as I let my head fall back onto his shoulder. “I forgot about some of these,” I admitted.
“Do you want to see something funny, spy related, drama filled, or a tear jerker?” I questioned him. I felt him
shrug before he answered.

“Can it be funny and drama filled?” he asked.

“Ok,” I answered as I paused to look up at him. “What do you think of pirates?”

 ==========

Chapter 17 - Moving On

==========

“Are you saying that you don't want me here now?” I asked as I walked into his back yard. I looked at him before
looking for the path out.

“I never said that,” I heard Luke say behind me as I tried to leave. “Edward wait,” he just about shouted at me as
he grabbed my arm and turned me around to face him. We both looked at each other for a moment before I
realized that I left without my coat.

“You told me to come,” I told him as if proving I had a reason for being here.

“I remember,” Luke answered softly. “You also told me that you didn't want to come,” he reminded me.

“I can change my mind,” I said as I felt the cold penetrating my fingers. I shoved my hands into the pockets of
the last dress suit I had made myself. It was about three years old, but I still looked hot and professional in it.

“I didn't think that you would and you showed up without letting me know you were coming,” Luke told me in a
normal toned voice. “I was surprised to see you. That's all,” he continued. “I would never not want you,” Luke
assured me before pulling me into one of his hugs.

“I'm freezing,” I told him as I turned my head away from being kissed. He kissed the side of my face before
pulling back.

“Then we should go back inside,” Luke said sounding happier than someone who was just denied a kiss. He
placed his arm around me as we walked back. I wanted to shake it off, but I was cold, and no one from his
house could see us. So I left it there until the light streaming out a window crossed our path. I walked ahead of
him and out of his grasp. As I stepped into the room, most of them, if not all of them, turned to look at me. I
didn't care and looked for a waiter walking around with something to drink. As I snatched a glass of what was
most likely champagne, I heard life as it filled the room with murmurs of conversations and the sound of fabric
as peopled moved about once again.

It was a typical looking high society party. A lot of black everywhere as it was worn by all the men and the
waiting staff. The women were the colorful ones once they hadn't elected to go with their little, or long, black
dresses themselves. Mr. Luke Greene had a very large house that seemed to exist for these parties. He lived
alone most of the time, with only his daughter Emma visiting during her vacation and special weekends. Tonight
was not my first time being here. Like a few other members of the House, I had been brought here as a paid
date. In fact, that was how I first learned of Luke's existence. Later he tracked me down through his network of
friends, and one night he turned up at the House, with one of my current clients as a voucher.

Once he became my client, I haven't been back here for any kind of public soirée that he was hosting event
though he has invited me to attend. And no one who knew that Luke was my client has requested me as their
date either. So why was I here now? I weighed many factors in the last week, and this was part of my decision.
As I continued to look around, I saw a few of our clients milling around with their wives, girlfriends, and some of
my housemates and boys from other houses that I wasn't too familiar with. By the time Luke was at my side
again, I was on my second glass of champagne and holding some kind of cracker hors d' oeuvre in my other
hand.

“Since you know more about what is going on than I do, how would you like me to introduce you?” he asked as
he stood next to me, looking at all his guests as most of them looked back as they continued to whisper. “Boy
friend, fiancé or just friend?” Luke coolly asked me. I turned to look at him for a moment as I ate the hors d'
oeuvre. I turned to look back at the crowd as I took a sip from my glass.

“Let's see how boyfriend floats their boats for now,” I answered.

“Yes Dear,” Luke answered me before I felt his arm slide across my lower back. I froze. He was holding me in
public. I turned towards him and opened my mouth to recite Rule Four of how clients or House members are to
act while in public together. “I'm not your client,” he said, quickly cutting me off. “I'm your boyfriend,” he
whispered as he bent down slightly before going for my lips.

Damn! And he was smiling too.

----------
----------

“Are you going back to the House?” Johnathon asked me as we sat on two chairs in the near-empty room. Most
of the couples had started to leave the party over an hour ago, handing off the honor of closing out the party to
others. Now it was time for the closers to be heading home themselves. I didn't see Johnathon at the party,
never mind knew he was there until it had thinned out. We just spent the last forty minutes catching up on how
our lives had or hadn't changed since he was 'bought'.

“I still live there,” I informed him.

“You said boyfriend,” Johnathon reminded me.

“I can take it back,” I informed him as fear started to make my toes cold. “Only the two of you know,” I said.
Despite what I told Luke, he just introduced me around as Mr. Edward Webb without getting into any defining
answers of what I did for a living or how he knew me, despite the very public kiss. No wonder the man was a
lawyer.

“No you won't,” Johnathon told me. “The question is, will he “buy you” or will you leave the House on your
own?” he told me. I didn't miss the question that was in there also.

“Johnathon,” a slightly older man called from across the room where he was in the company of two other men.
One of them being Luke.

“I'll be right there,” he answered with a wave. The group then turned and walked towards the coat check.
“Looks like it's time for me to leave,” Johnathon said as he stood. I rose with him, and we started to walk.

“How is it on the outside?” I asked him as we reached halfway across the room.

“Hahah...,” Johnathon laughed. “You make it sound like you're in prison,” he said with a chuckle.

“It's no where near that bad, but it is different not being part of the House,” I said as we climbed the two steps
up into the foyer.
“A little,” he admitted, “But not very,” Johnathon said as we got closer to his date, who was also his husband
and the men in his company. “It's worth it Edward,” he told me as he stopped walking and watched at the back
of the men we were walking towards. He turned to look at me again. “If he really loves you, and it looks to me
like that isn't one of your problems, and you can or do love him back, it's worth the feeling of fear that you have
now,” he said. Johnathon placed a hand on my shoulder while he continued looking at me. I turned my head
away and looked at Luke's back before looking back at Johnathon.

“Fine,” I said as I caved. “I won't take it back, but it's his move now,” I informed him.

“Fair enough,” he agreed before dropping his hand and walking with me to catch up with the guys.

-----------
-----------
-----------

“Ten more minutes,” I complained and requested as Mr. Stroker rubbed my back. I knew it was time to wake up,
but I didn't want to. He didn't say anything, and I just let his rubbing ease me back into the comforts of sleep.
As his hand moved lower, I found myself a little less interested in sleep. He rubbed his hand across the small of
my back repeatedly. He also brushed my ass several times before committing and moving even lower. He didn't
go into anything like I expected him to. He just rubbed my ass. One cheek, then both, then one again before
moving lower. He didn't go between my thighs but stayed on them. I felt his fingers as far down as the back of
my knees before he raked them up the other leg. Then he started it all back over again.

He rubbed his way from the middle of my back all the way down to the back of my knees two more times
before I interrupted him by turning over. I looked at him as he relocated his hand to my chest. Sir rubbed the
palm of his hand across my nipples until I was closing my eyes for a reason other than sleep. When I started to
gasp, he moved lower to my stomach which was fluttering from every touch he gave me. When he got near my
crouch, he went around it. First on my left to my knee before he came back up and went around it on my right.
As he started to do it again, I couldn't stay quiet any longer.

“Sir,” I lightly moaned, and instead of feeling his hand on my chest, I felt the warm wetness of his tongue and
lips instead. I reached my hand up and slid them through his short cut hair and held them for a moment before
just resting my hand on his head and letting him move when and where he wanted. I sucked in my breath as I
felt his teeth slide over my last rib. I let go of him completely as he licked his way out of my belly button. I
pushed my ass into the mattress as he glided his tongue down the length of my cock.

“Aahh,” I moaned as I felt the head of my cock as it was licked, sucked, and then swallowed. His lips didn't move
beyond the head of my cock. The whole spongy head was held behind his lips as his tongue lapped against it
when he stopped his forceful sucking. I pushed up with my hips, hoping that he would take more of me in, but
his lips never moved. I dug my heels into the bed as he moved his tongue faster, and sucked a bit harder. Every
second it seemed to get more intense, and I knew I was going to come like this.

“Sirrr,” I called out as it all came out of me. I still felt his mouth on me a few minutes later when an alarm went
off somewhere. Or was it someone calling one of our cell phones? I didn't care until he pulled his lips away,
leaving me a recovering mess in the middle of our bed.

“Your ten minutes are up David,” I heard Mr. Stroker say from very close by. A smile broke out across my face
before I started to laugh. I opened up my eyes and saw him smiling down at me from his side of the bed.
“Oh,” I answered him without trying to move. “Just let me catch my breath,” I said as I moved my closet hand to
his waist. He bent down and gave me a quick peck before pulling himself off the bed.

“I'll go take my shower now,” he told me before walking into his bathroom. I laid there just breathing until I
believed that I could use my legs. Firstly, I sat up and looked for the boy shorts that I wore last night. They are
not the girl's underwear that you might be thinking about. They were actual shorts worn by boys and now girls
too, I guess. It was a gift that Mr. Stroker brought home Friday night. I was to wear them, and only them for the
whole weekend. Today was day two. As I stood and tested the theory of walking, I was grateful for the fact that
I was already on my winter break and didn't have school Monday morning.

Every muscle below my ribcage ached and protested at all movements I made to get to the kitchen, but I made
it. I used the leftover wheatberry pancake batter once the waffle iron had heated up. They had turned out
surprisingly well and not as dry as I had feared. I went back to whisking the eggs for Mr. Stroker's scrambled
eggs. When the five eggs had been completely beaten I started to look for things to add to them, to make them
taste good. I walked over to the fridge, a bit easier now, and opened the top freezer part. I pulled out the
chopped onions, diced peppers, and chopped spring onions. From the rack on the counter, I reached for some
black pepper and salt.

I added acceptable amounts of each ingredient into the bowl and whisked them until they had all separated
and were coated in egg. I was about to pour it into the frying pan when I realized that I hadn't turned on the
stove yet. And I needed to check the waffle at the same time.

I opened the lid and saw that it was a great shade of brown and placed it on one of the two plates that I had
sitting on the counter. I pulled the large waffle into the four wedges that had been embossed into it before
pouring some more batter into the electric waffle iron for myself. Once the lid was closed, I turned on the
burner under the waiting frying pan and placed what was left of the batter into the fridge. Before closing the
door, I snagged the margarine to grease the frying pan before it got too hot.

Once it was hot enough, in went the first half of the egg mixture. I move it around so it all got a taste of the
margarine and didn't stick to the pan or got too well done. When it was finished, I turned off the stove and
walked the pan over to its plate, and placed it next to the waffle. I then reached for the waffle iron again and
pulled out mine. It looked pretty good also. Score one for me. No burnt waffles on the first try of the day. I
smiled to myself as I unplugged it and set it further back on the counter to cool. I turned the stove on again and
added more margarine. Soon had my own eggs cooking up nicely. As Mr. Stroker entered the kitchen to watch
me cook, something he was happy to do when he had the time, I was sliding the eggs onto my plate. I placed
the frying pan on the stove before reaching into the cupboard for the apple sauce.

“Do you want apple sauce or the maple syrup?” I turned to ask him. Mr. Stroker's hair was still a little damp,
and he was wearing his blue boxers and one of his plain white tees.

“The syrup,” he answered. I turned around and opened another cupboard to retrieve it. I took the apple sauce
and syrup out to the table before coming back for everything else. As I started to leave with the plates, Mr.
Stroker stepped into my path and took them out of my hands, but not before he kissed me, and it wasn't a
quick peck. I tasted toothpaste on his breath and the tongue that he slipped into my mouth. For a second, I
thought that my breath might not be that great, but Mr. Stroker didn't stop kissing me until he was ready too. I
made a note to clean myself up right after breakfast.

As we parted, I watched as he took the waffles and eggs to the table for a second or two before turning to get
knives and forks and two glasses. When I turned around, he was there again and emptied my hands once more,
and again he kisses me. As embarrassed as I felt I should be, I couldn't stop myself from kissing him back.
“Orange juice,” Mr. Stroker breathed across my lips when the kiss ended this time.

“Ha?” I asked him as I tried to press my lips to his again. He obliged me and even touched the tip of his tongue
to my lips before pulling back again.

“Orange juice,” he told me again. It was only when his face wasn't taking up all of my field of vision did I
understand what he meant.

“Sure,” I told him with a smile. I waited to see him walk away again, but he just waited for me this time. Once I
realized that I made my way over to the fridge and pulled out the carton of OJ.

We sided stepped each other as he placed the cups on the table, and I filled them. He then got the knives and
forks onto the table, and soon we were seated across from each other.

“I hope your waffle is still warm,” I told him as I picked up my fork and dug in. I was so hungry. More so once I
sat down. I ate some of the eggs before reaching for the apple sauce and opening the jar. I slowly shook it until I
had enough to cover most of my waffles. Next was a trio of eggs, waffles, and apple sauce as my fork entered
my mouth. I looked over at Mr. Stroker and saw him enjoying his meal too. I was starting to wonder if I should
have done another waffle for each of us.

“I think I should have cooked more food,” I admitted before another forkful entered my mouth.

“Maybe some eggs with toast if we're still hungry,” Mr. Stroker suggested as he also kept on eating. Last night
had us both hungry this morning.

“There is still some batter left,” I informed him. “You can have another waffle and I'll have the toast,” I
suggested to him. At this, he looked up at me as he continued to eat.

“Fifty, Fifty,” he said before taking a sip of some juice.

“Toast, waffles and eggs?” I asked him with a questioning eyebrow.

“Yes,” he stated as he pointed his knife down at this plate. I looked and saw that he was down to one piece of
waffle and maybe a forkful of egg. I was just about there myself, so I finished up what was on my plate and
stood to take them back into the kitchen. “I'll help this time,” Mr. Stroker said as I picked up his plate.

“Oo...k,” I said as I tried to understand. I thought it was my job to cook. He didn't even know how to. What was
he going to make? The toast? I wondered to myself.

“Hahaha,” Mr. Stroker laughed as he looked at me. “You don't think that you can teach me how to cook?” he
asked before walking ahead of me into the kitchen.
 ==========

Chapter 18 - Plans

==========

“So how is Johnathon?” Jacob asked as the waitress walked away.

“Well,” I told him as I reached for my burger. “He said that he was happy, and he looked it,” I added on before
taking a bite out of my lunch.

“Did he go back to school for his masters like he kept telling us he would?” was his next question. I continued to
chew until my mouth was mostly clear.

“He's still working on it,” I said with a small smile as I remembered how Johnathon continually said that every
time we walked or drove past our old college stomping grounds. That he was going back to school to finish what
he started. Jacob was the first to join the House while Johnathon was the last, but the first of the three of us to
get out. “Um,” I started to say as I remembered that I was suppose to be talking about Johnathon and not just
remembering stuff about him. “He's called the admin office to see if his credits were still good towards his
masters, or if he had to start all back over again,” I informed him before bringing the burger back to my mouth
that I kept a hold of as I talked.

“Was he under?” Jacob asked hurriedly as he too paid some attention to his meal.

“He barely made it,” I answered. “He had one more year when he called,” I finished before reaching for my
glass.

“That's good,” Jacob commented.

“Yeah, if he doesn't want to play house that is,” I said as I went for some fries.

“He's been playing house for a year already,” Jacob reminded me.

“Yes, and it's those new nieces and nephews that has him thinking of being a daddy now,” I informed him with a
wave of a lone french fry. That stopped him. The fork had just touched his lips when all movements left him. I
chewed on a new piece of beef patty that was covered in onions and mustard with a bit of ketchup and two
pieces of flattened bun as I thought of eating some fried pickles that we ordered to share, as I continued to look
at him. Slowly he started to move again and continued to chew as he then placed his knife and fork on the plate
as he gave me his undivided attention. I went for a fried pickle as I waited for him to finish. Just as I saw him
start to swallow, I reached for my glass.

“Ok, it's not that ...” he stopped to find the correct word. “It is understandable,” he corrected himself. He
continued to think for a moment longer as I resumed eating what was on my plate. It wasn't such an
outrageous idea. It was that, like me, Jacob was trying to remember if Johnathon ever said that he wanted to do
this during the five years we knew him before he “bought” his way out of the House.

“I didn't remember him bringing up that he wanted kids either,” I said when I saw Jacob open his mouth to tell
me what he came up with.
“So you were caught a bit off guard by this little announcement also?” Jacob asked me as he fully regained his
composure and started to eat again.

“A little,” I confessed. I didn't need to tell him that my moment of silence lasted twice as long as his. I had no
wish what-so-ever of raising kids myself, so it was a bit harder for me to understand why he would even want to
do it in the first place.

“So he's trying to decide between becoming a Mr. Mom or a full time student?” Jacob now asked as he
energetically ate again. I kept on eating for a while before answering him.

“They are talking about their options,” I slightly corrected him. “You forget. He's a married man now,” I
reminded him.

“I'm still upset with him over that,” he quickly shot back at me. He still sounded as angry over it now, as he did
when I first told him.

“We couldn't have attended,” I went on. “They were married in Maine and it was a shot gun wedding on
Johnathon's end,” I explained once again. “Mr. Phan planed it to happen at the end of one of his business trips
that he talked Johnathon into taking with him.”

“I remember,” Jacob said as he narrowed his eyes at his food for a moment. I guess he felt a bit more
disappointed at not being told than I was. I on the other hand didn't really expect for us to have that much
contact once he left.

“If I'm ever crazy enough to let some guy talk me into marrying him, I'll make sure to invite you,” I promised
Jacob.

“So you have been thinking of it,” he countered instead of simply saying thank you.

------
------
------

“And that is the end,” I said as I raised my hand to turn off the DVD player with its remote before switching it
with the tv's remote that was on the coffee table in front of us. When the room was dark and quiet again, I
leaned back into my spot which was a comfortable angle between his arm and the right side of his chest.

“Is this really the last one?” he asked as I felt him rub my arm a little. “There isn't another one on its way is
there?” Mr. Stroker asked to make sure.

“I haven't heard anything, but I guess it's possible,” I answered him as I looked up at the clock. We had spent a
week watching all four of The Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Some nights he wasn't in the mood or fell asleep
near the end and I would have to stop the movie there while I got him to bed. But when everything was right, it
was a great couple of hours. I liked the movies, and seeing them again on such a good set up was a bonus for
me. On top of that, Alfred asked questions now and again and I was more delighted than I thought I would be
when I saw him enjoying the movies also.

“So what do you think of them,” I asked him as I turned my face to look at his. He seemed to be thinking about
it for a minute before he looked up at the clock.
“It's time for bed,” he said instead of answering me. He said it in such a way, that I wondered if I had said
anything at all. He sat up a little before turning to smile down at me. “You may not have school tomorrow, but I
have work,” he said with a smile before he kissed me and then stood.

He walked towards the kitchen and then started down the hallway in the direction of his bedroom. “Aren't you
coming?” he asked as he was about to disappear around the corner. I stood and quickly looked into the kitchen
before looking back at him. Mr. Stroker had given me time, after we ate dinner, to clean and pack things away in
the kitchen before we watched the movie, so that wasn't a problem. I was looking at him as I thought about the
question I had just asked.

“Didn't you like the movies?” I now asked as a possibility occurred to me as to why he avoided answering the
question. There was no way he couldn't have heard me before. I was right next to him in an absolutely quiet
room. “Mr. Stroker?” I asked him quietly. The pleasant look on his face slowly slipped away and a deep feeling
settled over me. I felt like I had done something very, very wrong. I watched as he turned around and walked
into his bedroom. I stood there wondering what I should do.

Should I follow him? He didn't tell me not to. I waited a bit longer to see if he would call me again, but the
apartment stayed quiet. Slowly I started to walk towards his bedroom. I wanted to avoid him and the mood that
I saw descend over him, but I didn't think I was capable of not walking towards the bedroom that we now
shared. I felt all of eight years old as I leaned my head around the corner of the door frame and looked into the
room.

The large window over the head of the bed let a good amount of light into the room allowing me to clearly see
Mr. Stroker as he laid in bed under the covers. He was just looking up at the ceiling. I was sure that he was
looking since I saw him blink a few times while I watched him. Slowly the eight-year-old turned into an adult
idiot. I straightened my slightly curved back and walked into our bedroom. I walked to my side and pulled off
my tee before my shorts and briefs that I tossed onto a chair that I had brought into the bedroom just for that
purpose.

I then slid into bed next to him. I almost reached over and hugged him like I've been doing lately, but he didn't
once look in my direction as I got undressed. So I just looked up at the ceiling too as I thought of what to say.

“You should have said that you didn't like the movie,” I started, thinking that this was a safe subject. “Perhaps
we could go to the movies this weekend and you get to choose?” I suggested. I turned to look at him then, but
he was still looking upwards. I sighed on the inside. I turned onto my side and started to think of going to sleep.
“Good night Mr. Stroker,” I told him before closing my eyes.

“Mmmm!” I exclaimed into his mouth. One minute I was thinking of perhaps taking Mr. Stroker's suits to the
dry cleaners, and the next I found myself being flipped over and dragged to the middle of the bed were my
mouth was covered with his lips before the rest of his body was laid over mine pressing me into the mattress.
“Mfffff,” I tried again as I started to need air. I started to turn my face away from his, but it was when he was
ready to assault my neck did he release my lips. As I gulped in almost a lung full, I realized that he was holding
my hands down and I felt his knees as he pushed my legs apart. Our groins were pushed and rubbed together. I
felt moisture as we both got wet from all that stimulation. My eyes were closed until I tried to move my hands
again. He was still holding them down. Every time I tried he held on just a little bit harder. When I stopped
trying to get free, I realized that he was saying something.

“Say my name. David, say my name. Please.”

 ==========

Chapter 19 - Progress

==========

“Say my name. David, say my name. Please,” Mr. Stroker, Alfred, whispered against my skin in between kisses.
“Please David, say my name,” and “Say my name,” were phrases that he repeated and mixed as he continued to
ask me to do that one simple thing.

“Alfred,” I said quietly after licking my lips. He continued to whisper the words into my skin, so I didn't think that
he heard me. “Alfred,” I said again, a bit louder. “Alfred,” I loudly moaned as I felt him bite into my shoulder as
he released my hands. I wrapped my arms around his head as I bent my own backwards with closed eyes. I bit
my bottom lip between my teeth as an odd thrill went through me.

“David,” he spoke against my body as his movements became more fluid. I felt the word as it rippled across my
flesh. “David,” he said from a little lower on my chest. His tongue licked me after his voice caused my body to
shiver unexpectedly.

“Alfred,” I moaned as my fingers and hands messed with his hair before grabbing it as he sucked, then bit one of
my nipples. “Alfred!” I called out as I bowed my body up into his. It feels so different. How was he doing that? I
managed to ask myself before he licked and pulled on my nipple at the same time again. “Ahh,” I moaned into
the room.

“My name. Say my name,” Alfred started to request again with a louder voice as I felt my hands move with him
as he now licked his way across my chest.

“Alfred,” I said a little weakly. I now felt his thighs under mine. He was slowly rocking his penis alongside my
own. The whole area felt slick and warm. I started to tingle inside my gut every time I felt his balls brush the
base of my cock. “Alfred,” I said a little louder.

“Yes,” Alfred all but cooed as he found my other nipple. I felt the tip of his tongue as it circled in closer to it.

“Al,” I said when I felt that he was taking too long to get to his target. His hips instead now actively pushing my
straining cock back onto my stomach. Then things changed. His thighs moved forward, forcing my legs back a
bit more. He reached for my hands and held them at my side before he slid his hands up to my shoulders,
where he displayed an impressive grip as he held me in place. His grinding and sliding got more intense as they
covered new ground. Alfred now had access to that tight area behind my balls and my now wanting, aching ass
hole. That tingling was growing, and I tried to move my body along with his, but he laid his weight on me, and
as much I wanted to move, the sheets that stuck to my back made sure that I didn't.

That wet slip and side area that was in my crotch now expanded lower with Alfred's moments. He used my
shoulders as lavage as be moved down to rub his balls and half his cock over my hole before sliding back up
alongside my dick.

“Alfred,” I groaned. I bent my arms at the elbows, and I was able to hold the sides of his face as he traveled up
and down my body. “Alfred,” I said louder as my balls started to feel tight, and I felt them moving in, closer to
my body. I thought that I was going to come as he slid down me again, but he found a way to make me
interested in and needing to be fucked, more than just simply coming.
“Oh Al,” I cried out as first his balls rubbed around my hole, adding slick pre-cum to my entrance, and as his lips
left hickies along my torso before his tongue dipped in and out of my navel. Now I wanted to feel his cock in
me. “Alfred. Alfred. Alfred,” I said over and over again.

I didn't know if I was doing it myself, or if it was just my body telling us both, but I felt my hole as it opened and
closed repeatedly. Like it was trying to reach for something that it knew was just within reach. Sooner than I
expected, I felt something enter me. It was a finger, and then two, and then, “Oh Al,” a third slick one pushed in.
My back arched up off the bed, and I lifted Alfred with me with that move. The feeling of his hand hitting into
me, again and again, brought me back down.

This is almost good enough, I started to tell myself as my hole was repeatedly stretched. Then it was gone. I
opened my eyes at the sudden loss and saw Alfred on his hands and knees over me. He still held my legs up and
open with his own, but he had his hands on either side of my chest. Alfred was just looking at me. I hadn't a
clue what he was thinking as I looked up into his face.

“Alfred?” I asked him as I started to raise a hand to touch his cheek. He stayed still until my fingers touched his
skin, then he caved in on me and covered my lips with his. My mouth never received a chance to close, so I was
open to the invasion of his tongue that dipped past my lips right away.

“Fuck me,” I half pleaded when our lips parted. Alfred's cock was once again torturing my own as he stroked up
a fire with our two bodies providing the friction and heat. “Alfred, please fuck me,” I begged him before his
mouth covered mine again. We kissed as we pushed back against the other's body. My back arched, and his
body bowed. I was about to give up when he slides down, breaking our kiss again.

For four strokes I felt wet fingers in me again before the broader, almost hot head of his cock replaced them at
my opening. I felt Alfred's hands on my hips as he started to push himself inside. As we both voiced a low, long
moan, I felt his fingers gripping my wrist. He pushed in more, and his body covered mine as his nails bit slightly
into the skin around my elbows. As he fully and finally seated himself inside me, his palms held my shoulders
with his arms under mine, and he stopped moving.

I heard him breathing. I felt his chest as it expanded to use the air, but Alfred himself didn't move. He just laid
over me, with his cheek pressed against mine as he held me close.

“Say my name,” he whispered into my ear again. “Say my name David,” he said a little louder before he shifted
his head to my chest, and I felt his teeth as they were raked across a nipple.

“Ahh, Alfred,” I groaned. He pulled out and pushed back in.

“Again,” he told me.

“Alfred,” I answered him. He pulled out and pushed back in.

“Again,” he said a little louder as he raised his head to look into my face.

“Alfred,” I said as I looked back at him. My voice was only half as loud as his had gotten, but I knew he heard
me. I leaned up a little and caught his lips with mine, and we kissed as he started to fuck me, but the kiss was
short-lived. He pulled away as he began moving faster. He continued to look at me, but he didn't say anything
this time.
I wrapped my legs around him the best I could. I rocked my ass back into this groin as he came in to meet it. I bit
my lower lip as he violently massaged my prostate. As I bent my head back and closed my eyes, Alfred yanked
on my shoulders in a way that clearly showed that it was an approved movement. I watched him as his
breathing picked up with my own. There were light moans of sex coming from both of us, along with the rapid
breathing that always accompanied sex. I raised my arms and held his sides. My senses were starting to swirl
again, and I closed my eyes to bask in ecstasy. But before I could sink into the mental bliss of good sex, I was
shaken again. I narrowed my eyes as I opened them once more.

No one should be made to think while having sex! my mind screamed in annoyance, but I knew that he wanted
something from me.

“Alfred,” I said. He closed his eyes.

“Alfred,” I said a little louder. He picked up the pace.

“Allfredd,” I moaned, and he kissed me. My arms were around him as quickly as I realized I was being kissed and
nibbled on again.

“Al,” I said quickly between two kisses. I locked my hands in his hair as he assaulted my face and banged my
other end.

“Ohh,”

“Al,”

“Ha,”

“Alfred,”

“Yes,”

“Alfred,”

“I'm coming,”

“Yes Alfred,”

“I'm coming,”

“Alfred, Alfred, Alllfreeeddddd!” I moaned out loudly as I came first. I couldn't take it anymore. My penis was
crushed and rubbed and jerked off by two overheated bodies. My ass, along with my prostate, was fucked
within an inch of their nerve endings' lives. Above me... Above me. I looked into his face as he seized just two
inches above my nose as sweat ran down his features. Above me was the man I loved.

------
------

I groggily opened my eyes before I tried to move. My first attempt failed. Alfred's arm was keeping me in place.
I slowly lifted his hand out of the way so I could get free, then I all but ran to the bathroom to pee before I
made a mess on the floor. I lifted the lid just in time with the help of the overhead, dim, night light. As I stood
there emptying my surprisingly very full bladder, I allowed what little bit of consciousness that I had acquired to
slip away. I sleepily cleaned up myself, flushed the toilet, washed my hands, and headed back to bed. I didn't
care what time it was since it would just cause me to think about getting up in how many hours that might
be. Did that even make any sense?

So I just looked at the bed once I was in the darker bedroom again and made my way back into the spot that I
left not that long ago. Before I turned my back against his chest, I looked into his face. I never really got a
chance to look at him while he slept. Granted, I didn't see that much of his face now in this dark room, but I saw
enough. I reached out and touched his face before curving my fingers around his ears.

I thought about telling Alfred that I loved him as he slept and couldn't hear me, but what would be the point?
You told someone that so they would know. I wasn't ready to tell him yet anyway. The right time would come,
and if it didn't, he would never know, and he wasn't meant to know. I bent down and kissed his lips before
slowly lifting his arm and cradling my body back into his.

Sleep didn't take that long to come back to me. I thought about what 'a right time' would look like. The one I
was most fond of, by the time I fell asleep, was graduation. He would arrive my boss and leave my boyfriend. If I
was lucky.

------
------

“You're walking funny,” Maggi told me as I got closer.

“Hello to you too,” I said before giving her a hug.

“He is?” Candice asked from behind her boyfriend before she looked over his shoulder at me. I was standing
still, and I wasn't about to walk over to her so she could see. I did feel a little sore, but I didn't think that I was
walking that badly.

“So...” she started as she walked around Shawn and headed in my direction.

“So I hear that you are paying for the tickets,” Shawn cut her off by saying. “Does that include popcorn and
some M&M's?” he then asks.

“Yeah, it includes snacks,” I answer him. “But you are on your own for your food afterwards,” I pointed out. It
wasn't like I didn't have the money, I just didn't want it to get in the way. I didn't have money for a long time,
and they helped me out, but to start spending a lot of money seemed wrong. But I would help them out if they
needed it.

“What's the grin for?” Maggi's boyfriend, Jo, asked as he spoke up for the first time.

“I was just wondering if Shawn had enough money to feed himself today,” I said with a laugh. Shawn was the
only athletic one in the bunch, so we normally saw him eating enough for two if not three people. This would
result in some of our unguarded food ending up in his stomach.

“Maybe wise ass, maybe,” he said with a smile on his face.

“I'll go get the tickets,” I said as I continued to smile and walked towards the teller.
“He is walking funny,” I heard Candice say when I was half-way there. I didn't bother looking back.
 ==========

Chapter 20 - Common Problems

==========

“Hey, David. Hold up,” Shawn shouted out to me as he left the girls with Jo back at our table. They had already
told me what they were ordering, so maybe he came to help me take them back to the table. He honestly didn't
need to shout. It was a small and quiet place, and I ended up waiting in a short line.

“How are things?” Shawn asked once he was standing next to me. “With you and your, your,” he paused out.

“Boyfriend,” I finished for him.

“Yeah, him,” he quickly added. “Everything O.K. between you two?” he finished. I took one step closer to the
counter as one person moved away allowing the line to move, and of course, Shawn kept up.

“Yeah. Why?” I asked, not understanding where he was going with this. He was quiet for a while as I saw him
move his weight from one foot to the next before looking back at our friends before facing me again. Then I felt
his arm around my shoulders as he pulled me closer to him. I felt a little uneasy with such a move on his part,
but I didn't pull away.

“I know that we haven't really talked, bonded and just hung out by ourselves,” he said to start this off. I
completely agreed. I've never been in his presence without Candice somewhere close by, if not between us.
“And I know that this is going to sound way out there, but honestly, you are the only person I know to ask,” he
paused again. “To talk to about this,” he corrected himself as his voice dropped and his arm went a little slack.

“Ok?” I answered him sounding understandably puzzled. Shawn looked around before pulling his arm off of me.

“Do you think we can meet up?” he asked me. “To talk about some stuff,” he only slightly clarified.

“Sure,” I said as I stepped up to the counter.

“I'll text you,” Shawn told me before I felt a slight slap on my back before I saw him walking back to the table. I
turned and looked at the girl behind the register. I half expected her to ask me what was wrong with him.

“Welcome to La Casa Verde,” she said instead. “What would you like today?” she asked me with a smile. I then
pushed Shawn's weird behavior aside as I tried to remember what everyone wanted.

Since my order was so large, I had to step aside and wait to keep the line moving. I was standing there for like
two minutes when I realized that I could sit at our table and wait for them to call my number.

“Well that's a crummy thing to do,” Maggi said to Shawn as I slid in next to Candice.

“What did he do?” I asked to get myself into the conversation.

“I didn't do anything,” Shawn said in his defense.

“No, not him, his boss,” Maggi explained. “The jerk cut his sick days and vacation time,” she informed me.
“Why?” I asked, not understanding why someone would do that or if it was even legal.

“We had this meeting the other day. Near the end he said that he's combining our sick days and vacation days
under one heading and we get fourteen of them,” Shawn tells us. “Not fourteen each, just fourteen days. So if
you are out sick for five days, you have nine days of vacation left for the rest of the year, or the other way
around. You can take a week vacation, but when you get back, you will only have seven days to get paid sick
leave from.”

“Can he legally do that?” Jo asked him. Shawn shrugged his shoulder.

“None of us are jumping ship over it because we know it would be hard to get any other job right now,” Shawn
replied. We all nodded our heads. Out of the number of ads, I answered, I found out that they had already
found someone. To the tens of resumes I e-mailed out, only three got back to me, and only one was for a
meeting slash interview, and that was with Mr. Stroker.

“Why are you nodding your head?” Candice asked me.

“Huh?” I asked as I looked up from the table and into her face.

“You are nodding like you work for a living instead of being set up with your rich boyfriend,” she slightly rubbed
in.

“He works for a living you know,” I pointed out. “Besides, I met him when I was trying to find work remember,” I
reminded her.

“How?” Maggi asked.

“How did I meet him?” I asked her.

“Yeah,” Candice chimed in. “You said that you meet him job hunting, but no real details. Was he the person
interviewing you for a job?” she asked.

“Well,” I started as I tried to think of something close to the truth so it wouldn't at least sound like a lie.

“Number two zero five,” someone from the counter called out. I looked down at my receipt and thanked the
universe that it was my number. When I got to the counter I saw that they had four trays waiting for me. So I
made four trips to our table before I could sit and eat my Chicken Fajitas with white meat, a side of Mexican
rice, and fresh lemonade. Jo got the big Taco Salad with chili meat and a bottle of Mahou, some kind of beer,
and a coke since he was driving. Candice got a pile of Enchiladas. She got two Spinach ones that came in a
cream sauce, and she had two others that were chicken. Her drink of choice was a Lipton lemon tea. Then there
was Shawn's. He had the heaviest tray. If I didn't think he would eat from mine, his would have been last. He
ordered the cocido madrileño. It looked good, but there was a lot of it. He didn't need anything to drink since it
was half stew, but he got a bottle of water to go with it.

When I came back with my own, everyone was too busy eating to ask me about Alfred, and I did not remind
them.

When the last crumb was gone, we all seemed to have eaten something from everyone else's plate. The
suggestion of dessert caused us to groan, but as we were leaving, I changed my mind and thought of taking
something home. After all, it was just after five.

I went up to the counter and picked something that I thought Alfred might like as well. Well, I tried to pick
something. They only had three things, but I wasn't sure about either of them. My choices were Flan, Sopapilla,
or a fruit-filled chimichanga. The chimichanga sounded the safest until I realized that it was fried, and most
likely would be a greasy mess by the time I got home.

I'll just have to make something myself for him then, I told myself as I turned away without getting anything.
The gang had already left the table and were standing near the door in coats and scarfs with Shawn holding
mine.

“How about I drive you home?” Shawn asked as he handed me my coat. “You came on the bus right?” he asked
to make sure.

“Yeah, I took the bus. Thanks,” I told him as I finished bundling myself up. When we stepped outside, we
realized that Jo had parked in the opposite direction and that we had to part ways here. So I hugged Maggi and
shook Jo's hand, and stood back while they did the same with Shawn and Candice.

As we made our way to the parking garage, we didn't talk about much. The weather mostly. It seems that it was
going to snow for a few days in a few days. I wasn't looking forward to it, but Candice was. The parking garage
was open to the outside, but it seemed a bit warmer inside there than it was outside. Maybe it was because
there was no wind, but by the time we spotted the car, I didn't feel like I was shaking anymore. Music filled the
car when the engine was ignited.

We sat there, in the car, for about two minutes as it warmed up. By the time Shawn started to leave the garage,
I had taken off my scarf and unbuttoned the top three buttons of my coat. When a song came on that either
one of us knew, that person sang, as best they could, along with the song, and we gave each other applause
when they finished. All of us sang about three songs together by the time we dropped off Candice.

We keep the singing going, once I wasn't telling him how to get to the apartment building, but other than that,
we didn't say anything else to each other since he told me to move up to the front seat when Candice got out.
When we got close enough to the building for me to point it out to him, he whistled.

“Nice place,” he commented. I felt like saying thank you, but I didn't design the building or built it, and it was
Alfred's choice to live there, and he paid the rent long before he ever met me and still does.

“Want to come up?” I asked him instead. “You'll be my first house guest,” I told him with a smile.

“Sure,” he answers after a moment. “I was going to ask if I use your john anyway,” he informs me.

“Pull around back and head down to the garage,” I tell him. I looked through my pockets until I got my card to
give it to him to swipe us in, just as he pulled up the keypad. He parked in Alfred's spot, since it was empty, and
rode the elevator up to my floor. We were quiet most of the way, but a few seconds before we got to our floor,
we started to talk about the movie and brought up points that we had already said early. We were laughing
when we got to the door of my apartment, and as I reached for my key card, but it got quiet again as I had to
swipe it twice to get the door to unlock.

“Come on in,” I told Shawn as I went in before him and held the door open. He stood on his side of the
threshold for a ten-second longer than he should have as he looked into the apartment before walking forward.
“Thanks,” he said as he finally came in and walked past me.

“So do you...” I started.

“I'm not gay. You need to know that,” Shawn said as he cut me off.

“...Want some water?” I quietly finished asking him. Both his hands were on his head, then just one as Shawn
bowed his head to look at his shoes.

“Do you have anything stronger?” he asked when he looked up.

“I don't drink and so far I've gotten Alfred to go along with it,” I answered him from in front of the door as I
watched him standing in the hallway. “But I have some orange juice that got pushed to the back of the fridge.
That might have fermented a bit,” I said for a stab at humor. He smiled weakly. “Oh,” I said as I remembered. I
went to the fridge and moved a few things around and out of my way until I found what I was looking for. I
stood up as I pulled out a bottle with me. “It's red wine,” I told Shawn as I turned around to show him my find.

“Sure. Why not,” was his reply as he walked towards the counter and took a seat. I placed the bottle on the
counter and got two glasses. I filled my own up with water and poured the last of the wine into Shawn's glass. I
placed it in front of him before I walked over to the other side of the kitchen and leaned against the fridge. I
sipped my water as I watched him drain his full glass of a medium-bodied, Fawn Creek Winery's Merlot.

“Why did I have to know that you weren't gay?” I asked Shawn as he placed his glass back on the counter. He
played with it a bit before he looked up at me. I hope he didn't break it. I don't think Alfred ever saw plastic
stemware.

“If I didn't tell you that first, you might think that I was when I asked you something,” Shawn said as his eyes
went back down again.

“Why would I think you were gay for asking me a question?” I asked him as I came forward and took his glass
away. I washed and put it away before getting him a normal cup and filling it with water for him. I placed the
cup and its cold contents in his hand before leaning against the counter on my side. He had me worried there
for a moment. I watched him drink the water almost as quickly as he downed the Merlot. “What's the question
Shawn?” I asked him to quickly put him out of his misery. Once again he took his time.

“You have to understand,” he started. This was going to take a while, I started to think to myself. “Candice
started this whole thing. At first, I might have been able to share the blame, but it's all on her now. It's her gig,”
he said sounding like he was trying to defend himself against something. How this turned into a question, I
wasn't sure yet. So I waited for him to tell me.

“Maybe it really is my fault,” Shawn half mumbled to himself. “But now that I think back, I don't know if I really
felt that way or if I'm now just adding things on to the memory to make sense of it,” he said to himself as he
started to hang his head.

“Shawn, the question?” I asked him quietly when he hadn't said anything for over a minute.

“No, I have to explain it first,” he said as he raised his face to look at me. That might have been the second time
since we came into the apartment, that he actually looked at me.

“Ok,” I started as I settled back against the counter by the sink and looked at him as I got as comfortable as I
could. I didn't think that I should be on his side of the counter until I really know everything. “Explain,” I
implored him.
 ==========

Chapter 21 - Common Problems II

==========

“Can I have some more water?” Shawn asked. I stepped forward and took the glass from him. A minute later, it
was full and cold sitting in front of him again. But instead of drinking it, he just looked at it for a bit. He even
nudged it a little.

“I really did start this, but I had no idea it was going to end up anywhere close to here,” he told the water.
“Once in a while, back when we first started dating, and Candice would spend the night in the dorm, Mitch,
next door, would be jerking off loudly. I noticed that she came pretty hard those nights, so I started to keep
track of when Mitch would beat off and ask Candice to stay those nights. I even thought at one point that Mitch
was doing the same thing with us. So to increase the chances that both happened at the same time, I would
start dropping hints to Mitch about when Candice was planning on staying over.

It worked out great. Too great at times,” Shawn paused to lift his glass for a slip. “I started to feel like Mitch was
in the room with us. At least, I think so now. I don't remember if I did then, but now as I think back, I feel like I
felt like Mitch was in the room. First, he was watching us. Then he was beside us. A few times, depending on
how Candice and I were positioned, he was fucking her too, and that made it more exciting,” he said before
looking up at me, then quickly back down at his glass. “Candice said I called out his name once, one of those
nights, when she started to make her case a few weeks ago,” he remembered. “But back then, I didn't realize I
said his name,” Shawn continued. “Well, that went on for weeks, months even. At one point, I remembered
feeling sorry for the guy. Here I was banging Candice on the other side of the wall from him while he only had
his hand for company,” he stopped for a breath, I think. He didn't reach for his glass.

“You know Mitch Roop right?” Shawn asked me as he looked up at me again and waited for my answer.

“I think so,” I answered as I tried to place the name with a face. “He was the big blond guy in room E8 right?” I
asked him to make sure. As I said, we never hung out much, so I was only ever in his room once or twice in the
two years I've known him.

“Yeah, that's him,” Shawn confirmed before looking down into his glass again. “Even I thought he was a decent
looking guy. He should have had a girlfriend too.” He stopped for another small drink of water. “I got Candice to
set him up with one of her girlfriends, and I didn't think about it again. We continued to precariously share our
sex lives with the wall separating us until Candice moved out of her dorm to share an apartment with another
girlfriend of hers. Now all our overnight hookups were spent there until I moved in like three months later when
we realized that I was just about living there anyway and that I would spend less money spitting the rent than
paying for the room back at the dorm.

Our sex life went back to how it was before we started to listen out for Mitch. Quiet and a bit boring, I thought,”
he looked at me with a grin. “I wondered why she didn't seem as into having sex with me as before, but I didn't
say anything. After a week or two of trying things to make her have that spark again while having sex, she asked
me why I wasn't into it anymore more. Well, not like I use to be she said,” he stated with a small short laugh at
the end. “Me,” Shawn commented. “She said that I wasn't the same anymore. I told her that she was the one
that changed. That kinda turned into a dumb fight, but it didn't last long. The silence afterwards? That lasted
three days.” I nodded my head. I remembered Candice telling me about their quiet time. “So one day,” he
coughed into his hand. “One day, I came home, and she's in the bedroom on her laptop. I had tried a few times
to get her to speak to me, but she didn't want to, so I was going to let her talk to me when she was ready. I took
off my shoes and got some books to do some reviewing on the bed since she was at the only desk in the room. I
don't know when it started, but I realized at some point that I heard a man moaning in our room. I looked up
and saw Candice looking at me.

We stared at each other for a while, then she stood up and got undressed as I watched. We banged each other
so hard. We even forgot about going to Sablock's party that night,” he said with a grin on his face. “I thought
that it was like white noise to me. Something that didn't mean anything other than I had gotten use to it being
there. I don't know what Candice thought, but that is what she let me believe for a while. It more or less
became our “music” in the background. Every time it looked like we were going to get sexy with each other, she
went and played the sound file. Well, I thought it was just one that she had, but one night it became clear that
it wasn't just one.” Shawn stopped and drained his glass dry. He then nodded it at me, and suddenly I felt like I
was his bartender. I smiled a little as I took it from him.

“Another?” I asked him.

“Yes please,” he answered. Back to the tap I went. As I turned around with the refilled glass in my hand, I stood
there and looked at him.

“Didn't you ask to use the bathroom?” I asked him as I remembered what we said before we got into the
apartment.

“Oh. Yeah,” he seemed to remember himself. “Well that was going to be my excuse to come up and talk to you,”
he said. “But,” he stopped prematurely. “But I think that I do need to use it now,” he said as he stood.

“Sure,” I agreed. “It's the second door on your right,” I said before raising the glass to my lips. I watched as
Shawn smiled weakly before turning to walk down the hall. I thought about what he told me so far while he was
gone. I was about to wonder where this was going when I heard the toilet flush. I turned around and got
another glass from the cupboard and filled it with water for him. When he walked back into the room, it was
there waiting for him in front of the chair that he was sitting in before.

“Thanks,” Shawn said again as he sat down. It could have been for the water, or for letting him take a break
from the tale he was telling me, or he was just grateful for the bathroom reminder. I shrugged my shoulders. I'll
take it for all of them. He took a sip before looking at me. “So where was I?” he asked a minute later. I didn't
have to think too hard to answer that question.

“You said that Candice played an interesting different sound file for you,” I reminded him.

“Yeah,” he said with a blush. I looked at him questioningly as he slightly turned away. “The sound,” he kinda
repeated. “Well, until then it was just moaning really. No real words other than "yes" really,” Shawn started to
explain again. “You know what I mean right?” he asked to make sure that he was being understood.

“Yeah,” I agreed as I nodded my head.

“But this one. This wasn't just that. He was talking. It was like there was a porno on, and the girl was gaged so
we couldn't her.” He still looked a little stunned. “To be honest, I've never really watched pornos. I seem to
mostly find myself with a mag when I'm alone. Anyway,” he said with a cough. “Once I heard him talking like
that, I first made this image in my head of what he could have looked like, then it was like back at the dorm
again. I saw this guy in the room with us and when he said some things, it was directed at Candice and I saw
him doing things with her at the same time I was.” Shawn paused for a moment. He picked up the glass and
swallowed half of it before standing up and turning his back to me.

“I liked it. Later I thought it was odd since I never liked sharing my old girlfriends before, so why should thinking
of guy fucking my girl turn me on?” he ended with an exhale. It almost sounded angry, but I heard puzzlement
in there also. “I thought about it a lot and by the time it happened again, I figure that since I was there and she
wasn't actually with anyone it was no big deal and part of me knew that. But if part of me knew that, then why
did I get more excited thinking it?” he asked the room. Maybe he was asking me too, but I didn't have an
answer for him. If I bothered to think about it, I wouldn't have been able to tell him anything since he started
back up again.

“A week or so later we're laying in bed and it came up that I never really watched a porno before,” he said with
a laugh. He had started to pace, but he stopped to look back at me before turning around again. “She said that
she had a whole bunch of them on her laptop and that we should watch some together, some time. Some time
turned out to be that weekend. It was like she couldn't wait to show me what she had. Everyone knows that
Candice is open about sex and at times seems a little … out there.” He decided to go with. “But this was a step
beyond for her. She didn't say anything, but she was all giggly and happy and had this look in her eyes when
ever she saw me. I started to think that she had some of those taboo sex films. That she was into really freaky
sex and that this was how she was going to let me know. For days I saw chains and whips with blood on them
and some stuff that would have no problem replacing a cold shower,” he admitted.

“Hahah,” I laughed. “You are giving Candice either too much credit or not enough,” I told him.

“I did,” Shawn said with a chuckle. “Which ever it was.” He sat back down. I put my cup down and crossed my
arms as I waited for him to continue.

“It wasn't any where near that horrible. In fact it started off almost cheesy,” he commented. “Two friends went
to a club and they were drinking and one of them got a girl, but they all went home together for some reason.
As soon as they are inside the apartment clothes started to come off and one of the guys disappeared. We
watched like fifteen minutes of the two of them on the couch and on the floor and there was a chair at one
point, but they kept changing positions like they had some list to get through. My only real complaint was that
they were taking so long to get off. I was turned on, but I was ready for something to happen other than a new
position. So I asked Candice how much longer the movie was. She said that there was more to come. The best
part even. That is when she started to strip me.” His voice faded into a memory. I watched him as he
remembered and enjoyed the memory for a few moments before I raised my hand and coughed into it to get
his attention back to the here and now.

“Sorry,” he said with a slightly red face. I don't think it was so much from embarrassment as it was from, heat?
He shook his shirt a bit to prove me correct. “Well, just as she got down to pulling my boxers off the other
friend showed back up and I saw it quickly become a threesome. Then I got a little disconnected with what was
happening in the movie. I was going back and forth between what Candice was doing to me, what I saw when I
glanced over to see what they were moaning over and everything I was feeling when I closed my eyes to take it
in. A few minutes later Candice had straddled me and we were going at it when I looked up and froze as I saw
one room mate fucking the girl and his room mate fucking him at the same time. It was wrong, it was weird and
I still came,” Shawn confessed as he hung his head.

“I think...” I started.

“I'm not gay,” Shawn firmly told me. “That is why I told you I wasn't before I started to talk about all this,” he
said as he stood up again.
“How do you know that?” I asked him, well, his back to be honest. Shawn started to pace, and he made his way
back and forth two times before he turned to look at me.

“I tried to look at just the gay stuff to make sure,” he confessed. “I surfed around until I found some movies, but
I was only mildly interested. If anything I learned more than I got turned on. I then thought that since I normally
got off from pictures I should try those. Some did something for me, but most didn't. Then to make sure that
things, that I, was still, like I thought I was, so to speak, I looked up some girly pictures. No problems there at all.
Then I looked at a few with the girl getting boned by a guy and things were great. I almost forgot what I was
doing and started to jack off until I was scrolling for more and saw the bi-sexual category. I almost didn't click on
it, but it turned out that I wanted to find out more about what was going on with me, than I wanted to get off
at that moment,” he ended as he turned around.

“Does Candice know about this?” I asked him before he continued.

“Now she does, but at the time I didn't tell her for a few days,” he said as he reached for his glass and took a
sip. “She clearly likes seeing guys with guys, and ever since you got your boyfriend, she brings up stuff you tell
her. So I never thought that I would loose her if I found out ...something new about myself.”

“So what did you find out?” I asked him.

“Well one, I'm not gay,” Shawn told me again.

“Alright. You aren't gay,” I agreed sounding exasperated at his persistence of making sure I knew that piece of
information.

“Two, I don't seem to get turned on by seeing guys make out with other guys, but once I'm turned on, it doesn't
turn me off either,” he tells me.

That's an interesting one, I told myself.

“Three, I'm ok with a guy being with Candice, once I'm there. I think,” he added on sounding kinda sure but
questioningly also. “And that leads me to the last bit that I was kinda hoping that you would be able to help me
with,” he finally got around to. “Now this is Candice's plan, not mine, but I did agree to go along with it because
it made some sense when we talked about,” Shawn tried to make me understand. I just looked at him.

“I, she, thought that perhaps we, she and I, along with you, you and your boyfriend, could have a date night and
end up in a hotel some where. But we, I, thought that it may put our friendship in a tight spot, and that perhaps
you could suggest another gay couple or bi guy for us to kinda test my boundaries with,” he said anxiously. “You
know. To just make sure and all that,” Shawn ended.

I just looked at him.

 ==========

Chapter 22 - Answers, Answers, and More Questions

==========

He didn't just say that. He couldn't have asked me that, I felt the glass start to slide from my hand, and it
snapped me out of the shock of what I heard to save the glass from falling to the kitchen floor.

“I'm not asking you to, to, to do anything with us. It was just something that Candice brought it up,” Shawn
quickly said as I continued to hold onto the glass. “I have no such thoughts about you at all. Candice on the
other hand does think that you are cute and on the upside we could have met your boyfriend that we keep
hearing about,” he continued. “I knew it wasn't ever going to happen, but it was kinda connected to the actual
question, and it kinda made the real question not seem so, so, ...odd,” Shawn kept explaining.

I suppressed a shudder as I followed through on the thought of putting my glass on the counter. I braced my
hands on the hard surface and turned to look at him. I couldn't fully move past the first part of what he said. I
know, I know. He said it was just a passing idea, but I couldn't get past it yet. I took a breath, with my eyes
closed, and exhaled before I looked at him again. I then started to think about his actual question.

“I don't know that many gay people,” I informed him. “And if I do know any bi guys they haven't told me,” I
added on.

“Well umhm,” Shawn said with almost a cough as he stood up from his seat. “I kinda feel better by talking to
someone about this, even if you couldn't help us,” he said.

“Hold,” I told him as I held up a hand to keep him from running out the door. “I may not personally know any
other gay guys, other than Alfred and the guy I lost my virginity to, but I have heard of a place where you might
find someone that could help you, that way,” I informed him. He looked at me slightly surprised. “For a price of
course.”

-------
-------

I was walking back to my apartment building and trying not to swing our dinner around too much as I made my
way there. I wondered if I would be able to get the information out of Alfred. He was the only link I had to
this House.

“Do you want a lift?” I heard Alfred ask from right next to me. I looked over and saw him as he slowly cruised in
his car about three feet away.

“Sure,” I said with a smile, and he brought the car to a complete stop. I got in carefully so I wouldn't spill
anything. The drinks I placed on the floor, while the food sat between my legs since they were still too hot to be
on my lap.

“What do you have there?” Alfred asked me as he started the car up again.

“Some Indian food,” I boosted.

“Indian food?” he asked. “What kind of Indian food?” he asked again.

“You don't like Indian food?” I asked him not thinking that he would have had any objections.

“That depends,” Alfred started as he turned a corner which now placed us a block from home. “Is it Native
American Indian food like buffalo stew, or Hindi Indian food like Naan bread with Tandoori chicken?” he asked.

“I have Puri along with Naan bread. Sorry, no Tandoori chicken,” I answered him with a smile.

“So what else did you get?” Alfred asked as he swiped his card to get into the building's garage.

“Some Dum Aloo. That's potatoes in curry sauce. Butter Chicken and some Idiyappam. It's a kind of rice
noddle,” I explained as Alfred came to a stop and parked in his spot. The wall looked a bit more familiar to me
today since this was the second time, within three hours, that I sat in this same spot. I just had a slightly more
comfortable seat this time, but I had to get out now. Alfred was closing his door as I opened mine.

We made our way up in the elevator as we shared the load. I carried the food, and Alfred transported the
drinks. We chatted about bits of our day until we parted for separate showers. Well, I tried to part. Alfred pulled
me along with him when he saw me walking away after agreeing that we could both do with a bath. I held out
little hope that we would be out anytime soon.

Once we were in what was now our bedroom, we helped each other get undressed with only slight diversions
of a lick or kiss somewhere on the other's body. Then I was being pushed backwards into the bathroom with
him holding my body to his as we fought in a battle of tongues. We stumbled into the shower just as I was
starting to think of the shower as a destination instead of an activity.

Yet, when we reached the far wall where some faucets and one shower head were, Alfred turned on the cold
water first, and we both reacted badly to the sudden shower of liquid ice and laughing out loud once we had
the hot water turned on also. We pulled each other in close for another kiss that only lasted moments before
we both pulled away and sought our own showering space.

As I lathered up, I found myself looking at his feet as they shuffled in a stream of water. His toes lead up to his
instep, which connected to his ankles, and started the show of hair that was damp against his skin. I continued
to let my gaze travel up his calf, across his knees, and along his thighs that flanked a cock that was flaccid and
swung freely between them. I watched his waist as he swiveled and turned as he carried on with the task of
cleaning his body. Occasionally, a hand immersed in soap bubbles would come into view and left a trail of lather
in its wake.

When Alfred turned around and gave me a full, water-drenched view of his ass, I couldn't stop myself from
comparing it to all the others I had seen in group showers over the years. In real life or skin flicks. I moved up
his back, following his skin as much as the water that was flowing down it did. When I reached his shoulders, I
remembered how impressive they looked in his suits. I was soon traveling up his neck as he turned his head and
presented me with his profile.

I was so caught up in watching his lips that I didn't feel the water on my skin until Alfred raised his hand to cover
his mouth. I was questioning, slightly, why he seemed to be smiling before I saw his fingers. After I regained my
senses, I realized that he must have been watching me too. I felt the blush that took over my face, but it only
lasted a moment before I smiled back at him and turned my back to him so I could take my own bath.

From then on, I was a few minutes behind Alfred. He was the first out of the shower. Then the first to leave our
bedroom dressed, then as I walked into the kitchen, he was already unpacking the food I bought. I hoped it
wasn't cold yet. I entered the kitchen and fetched plates and forks and knives before retrieving glasses to set
the table. As I moved back and forth, Alfred placed the dishes on the table also. I was able to snag the last one
before he got his hands on it and took it with me as he followed behind.

“Oh, I forgot about the Samosas,” I commented as I nudged a few of the dishes aside to make a place for the
one I was holding. I lifted the lid and saw that it was the Idiyappam.

“I like Samosas,” Alfred said as he took his seat. “Once they aren't too spicy,” he added on.

“I don't think they are,” I answered as I sat down. “I asked. I don't like them hot either,” I concluded.

“What was the name of the movie you saw again?” Alfred asked me as he started to pour out one of the bottles
that I brought into a glass. It was a Tamarind drink that they made themselves at the restaurant. I drank a little
before I bought two bottles of the stuff.

“Taken 2,” I told him as I reached over and picked up a Samosa to eat first. I smelled it to see if I could pick up
on the spices that they might have used. It didn't seem to have any hot peppers. I looked up and watched him
as he took a small sip of the drink. He thought about it for a moment before pouring himself a full glass.

“You said it was fun, but do you think it was better than the first one?” he asked me as he poured me a glass
also.

“I liked it,” I told him. “It was interesting to see his daughter helping to find him and her mom and we saw his
wife in this one,” I continued. “Well ex-wife really. She was dating this other person we never saw. It wasn't very
clear at the end if they were back together after all they went through or not,” I commented. “But it would be
nice if they did. I like Liam Neeson,” I ended before taking a bite of the Samosa. It wasn't bad, I told myself as I
chewed some more. I took another bite before placing the last piece on my plate and reaching for the Butter
Chicken. I spooned a few pieces onto my plate before reaching for some Naan bread.

“I think I know him,” Alfred said. “Wasn't he in one of the Star Wars movies?” he asked.

“Yeah, two of them actually,” I answered. “You went to the movies to see it?” I asked in turn around bites of
food. Alfred just continued to eat for a while. I gave him a moment, thinking that he just wanted to eat. But
even when he paused between forkfuls of food and to take a drink, he didn't answer my question. It was clear
that he didn't want to answer my question for some reason, so I started to think of something else to say.

“The first time I remember seeing him was in Batman Begins. Then I saw this old movie one day call Rob Roy.
He was good in that movie too. I think he really is Irish,” I commented before eating something again. I
scrapped around my plate for a while before taking a drink myself and then reaching for one of the take out
plates for more food.

“I...”

“I...” we both started at the same time. I looked up and held my tongue as I wanted for Alfred to speak again.

“I saw the Star Wars movies with Edward,” he finally told me. He was looking down at the plate as he told me.
Alfred started to pick up some more food when he just dropped his fork and looked up at me. He looked a little
worried, and I opened my mouth to say something when Alfred started to talk again. “I know I shouldn't make
such a big deal of this,” he told me. “I'm sure that you think that I'm reluctant to talk about my time with
Edward because remembering him hurts, but it doesn't.” Alfred reached out and held my hand that was laying
on the table with my fingers around the foil container. “I'm reluctant to speak of the time I spent with him,
because I think it bothers you,” he said.

I blinked at this before sitting up straighter and pulling our hands apart.
 ==========

Chapter 23 - Answers, Answers, and More Questions II

==========

“Since the last time I told you something about Edward I knew you didn't take it well, and you took some time
to get over it. So I haven't said anything about him since,” Alfred kinda confessed as he reached for my hand
again. I looked from his face to his hand as his thumb rubbed my skin. I was shocked that I didn't hide it as well
as I thought, but I also knew that it was unnecessary. I understood Edward's role in Alfred's life now.

“You don't need to avoid talking about him,” I told him with a hopefully convincing smile. “He's part of your
past,” I explained.

“Really?” he asked me.

“Really,” I told him. “In fact,” I started as I scooped some more food onto my plate. “I want you to tell me about
when you saw Star Wars with him,” I said. I honestly didn't know if any of that was a lie.

“Ok,” he said a little hesitantly. “It was last year, late fall a think. A little over a year now,” he started as he went
back to eating. “I had known Edward for a few weeks when he talked me into spending a day that I had off with
him. At the end of the day we went to an out door movie event. They used the back of a building as the screen.
It was quite nice actually. We were given some beach chairs when we arrived and walked onto the grass and
through the other watchers until we found a space we liked and sat down in our coats next to each other.” Then
he was quiet.

“Which one did you watch?” I asked after giving him a moment to continue on his own, and he hadn't.

“They showed all of them, but we only stayed for the first two,” he answered before taking another bite of his
Butter Chicken. “I heard we left before the best one. Where the kid turns into Dark Vader,” he commented to
keep the conversation going.

“I like the ending of that one a lot,” I said as I joined in. “Are you interested in seeing it?” I asked as I lead the
conversation away from Edward. “I can get it so we can watch it one weekend if it isn't on demand,” I offered.

“Sure, why not,” Alfred agreed. The following silence allowed me to think and I didn't like what I was coming up
with. One moment it occurred to me that I shouldn't have turned the conversation away from Edward. How
was I suppose to find out where he lived or how to get in contact with his House. Do I just ask Alfred? Should I
tell him what Shawn asked me? Would he know someone else who could help? I thought for a moment, but
then I remembered that he didn't go out much, which is how he ended up at the House and then found me.
This now lead me to wonder who it was that introduced him to the House in the first place. Could I ask him
that?

“Alfred,” I started cautiously.

“Mmm,” he answered before reaching for his glass.

“Would it be alright for me to ask you stuff about Edward and the House?” I asked him. I kept on eating like I
didn't ask anything important, but my eyes kept flicking up in his direction to see his reaction. He paused very
slightly at the end of my question, but he too continued to eat and drink. About twenty seconds later I saw the
shrug of his shoulders as he answered.

“Sure. Ask me anything you want,” he voiced.

“Who was the guy that took you to the House?” was the first question I leveled at him.

“Oddly enough, his name was Edward too. Edward Flint,” Alfred answered. “No relations to the infamous Mr.
Flint,” he added on. “Not that you could tell from the way he decorated his place,” he went on. “He worked at
the company with me and we were friends for three years before he tested me to see if I was gay.” Alfred
paused for a drink. “Edward told me that he suspected that I was gay for a while, but he never saw me with
anyone and I blended in too well with everyone else. So his test to me was an invitation to dinner at his place.”
He pushed his near-empty plate away to show he was finished.

“I won't lie. Edward Flint is, or was, a rather decent, good-looking man and I would be lying if I said that I
wouldn't have minded dating him at one time. But he was too flashy around the office and I didn't make time to
hang out with anyone much less him, so we just slipped into being just good office friends. Anyway, I was more
excited at seeing what the inside of his place looked like since the few times we had hung out were always
punctuated by him refusing to let me into his apartment.

For a while, I thought that his place was just messy and as much as he didn't like cleaning up after himself, he
also wasn't in any rush to show it off. One time I thought that he was hiding a girlfriend or wife or someone like
that in there. Or, he was richer than he was letting on and he was hiding a very decadent interior from my work-
my-way-up eyes. Either way, Edward said that it was my eyes that made him think I was gay, so one Saturday
night, I arrived at the converted old house that he rented his floor in and he walked me upstairs,” he ended on a
chuckle.

I just looked at him as I bit off a piece of bread that I had dipped into some curry sauce. Alfred looked happy as
he thought back on the memory. I was wondering why I hadn't met or heard of this other Edward until now
since they seemed to be friends, and I honestly didn't think that Alfred had any close friends.

“Where is Mr. Flint now?” I couldn't keep myself from asking.

“Oh, he got promoted to the New York branch,” Alfred said. “I'm sure his flamboyant life is happy in such a
place,” Alfred commented.

“So he was rich you found out?” I asked to get back on track.

“Quite, it turned out,” he answered. “His place was like one huge studio. It could have been a two or even three
bedroom apartment easily, but the only room in the whole place that had a wall to separate the spaces was the
bathroom. This gave him tons of wall space which he covered in art. Well, he called it art. I know a few people
would have just called it porn. Every where I turned there was either a nude man or a bunch of nude men. They
were doing things that ranged from just posing artistically, to actual intercourse.” Alfred shook his head. “I
openly admired them, and some of the single men photos I thought, as brief as it was, of getting one for my
apartment,” he admitted.

“So what was the test?” I asked him.

“My reaction,” he told me. “If I looked at him like he was a freak, or accused him of being a fag or just couldn't
stand to be in his apartment with all those pictures, he would have know that I was straight in the worst way.
When he told me that, I informed him that he could just have asked. His answer was that, it wasn't a question
that was just asked in the work place, and since that was the only place we saw each other, he didn't chance it,”
Alfred ended as he reached for his glass and drained it.

“Didn't you know that he was gay?” I asked Alfred thinking that he would have done something to date him if
he had known that Mr. Flint was gay all that time. He said that he was flamboyant and that they had been
friends for years.

“I saw him dating or engaged in behavior that lead me to think he had dated a few women from the office
during the time I knew him,” was his answer. He was bi? “He seemed to have dated both sexes, but he
explained that girls on the whole thought that was too showy most of the time, so he had more boyfriends than
girlfriends, but he himself wasn't that picky. I pointed out his art and asked him if he was sure about that. He
shrugged his shoulders and said that he decorated for me and that he had some female centered pieces under
his bed,” Alfred ended with a smile. I smiled too and wondered if I would ever meet this friend of his.

“So why did he want to know if you were gay then, after three years?” I asked as I stood and started to collect
things from the table.

“It seems that he found this great place, that he was surprised he hadn't known about before, and wanted to go
with someone he knew,” he answered from behind me. A moment after I placed what I had on the counter, I
saw him put down a few plates and cutlery of his own. I moved the knives and forks into the sink and walked to
the table for the rest. Al took his seat behind the counter and watched me as I made my way back.

“The House,” I told, rather than asked him as I looked for a few small containers to put the leftovers in.

“Yes,” Alfred answered as his eyes followed all my movements. “His newest interest seemed to have been an
employee of the establishment. The young man's name was Sam I think. I could be wrong. Either way, on the
drive out there, I asked Edward if he ever entertained the idea of both of us dating. His answer was a laugh,” he
said.

“A laugh? What did he tell you?” I asked as I turned from washing the dishes to look at him.

“He just laughed,” Alfred clarified with a shrug. “He apologized almost right away, but he didn't stop laughing
for a while. When he finally stopped he said that I wasn't his type. He liked younger men. He almost never
dated a guy that was close to his own age. That is also one of the reasons why he never bothered finding out for
sure if I was gay or not,” Alfred said before going silent. I didn't say anything. I just continued to wash up and
left him with his thoughts for a while. I made my way through two glass cups, two forks, and two cutting butter
knives during that time.

“So how far out of town is the House?” I asked him as I added some soap to a wet paper towel.

“Not that far. It's on the edge of the Black Hawk building complex on the east side. They are huge houses.
Almost like small mansions with shared parking in the back,” he told me as I wiped down the counter at his
corner. I nodded my head to his answer as I worked my way down the counter back towards the sink.

“Houses?” I stopped to ask him as I looked up.

“I didn't realize until later, but the House, was physically made up of six houses. Each housing about ten
employees,” was his answer. “So Edward had me pull around back and park behind one of the houses. We then
walked up to back entrance that lead us into a foyer that you would expect at the front of the house,” Al
continued as I finished cleaning. I wiped what food bits I had collected into the sink before doing the other side
of the counter.

“Is this when you met the other Edward?” I asked him.

“No, I didn't meet him that night,” Alfred responded. “I saw him,” he continued. “But we weren't introduced
until the next time I went there which was about three weeks later I think,” he tried to remember as I took the
dirty paper towel and food bits out of the sink and sent them down the COMPOST labeled tube.

“Was the party like you expected it to be?” I asked once I was standing up straight again. I washed and dried my
hands on one of the kitchen towels as I waited for his answer.

“No actually. I was expecting to see something of a cross between a frat party and one of the parties described
in The Great Gatsby,” Alfred answered as I heard his stool scrape the floor as he stood up. “But it was very tame
and low key for what I thought Edward would be game for, but this turned out to be the first time he was there
himself,” he finished as I walked up to him. “Ready for bed?” Al asked as I rubbed my neck.

“Yes. I just want to crawl into bed right now,” I told him. “If that's alright with you?” I quickly added on as it
occurred to me that he might have wanted to do something else.

“Sure,” Alfred answered me as his hand reached up for my face. I felt his large fingers on my neck as he pulled
me in for a kiss. “As long as you stop asking about Edward for the rest of the night. Both of them,” he told me as
we separated. I opened my eyes to see a smile on his face and smiled back before nodding my head in
agreement.

------
------

I have more of a location for you than an address, I typed into my phone.

I'll take it, Shawn typed back.

It's on the eastern edge of the Black Hawk development. It's six of the biggest houses that are together in a
group to share parking. I told him. I'll keep trying to get an address for you, I then added.

That sounds good all by itself. Thanks, David, was Shawn's closing text. I connected my phone to its charger
and placed it on my nightstand. I heard one footstep before the door to the bedroom opened. Across the
carpeted floor, Alfred walked naked towards me. He turned and sat down on the bed as he continued lotioning
his hands. I crawled towards him to massage his shoulders.

“I thought you were going to sleep?” Alfred asked as he enjoyed the feel of my hands on him.

“That was before you stripped in front of me. Were you trying to get keep me up?” I asked with a smile as I
continued from one side of his back to the other. He leaned back into my chest as I rubbed my way up to the
top of his shoulders.

“Mmm,” Alfred murmured under my hands. “That feels good,” he said as I proceeded to the back of his neck.

“Does this mean that you are going to fall asleep on me now?” I asked before bending to kiss his shoulder.
“Is that a request to keep you up?” he asked as he turned his head sideways to look at me.

“Perhaps,” I answered as I continued to smile. I soon felt Sir's hand on the back of my head as he pulled me into
a kiss.
 ==========

Chapter 24 - The First Snow

==========

One month later and I was standing in the living room looking down at a very, very white world. Most of the
town had shut down, and I hadn't left the apartment in two days. Alfred just about fought his way into work on
Monday just to be sent back home three hours later when the news came in that the storm was going to get
worst.

The sun was setting, and the snow had stopped falling hours ago. It looked to have reached at least five feet
high on average. The kids and their sleds had brought some of that height down in a few places, but they were
the only ones really out and having fun once it had stopped snowing. No kind of truck from anyone, including
the city, had shown up to start moving the snow. So I guess Alfred was going to be home again for another day
tomorrow.

Warm lips pressed against the back of my neck as hands slid their way around my waist. I smiled and laid my
hand over his. I felt the hairs covering his skin as I moved my hand up and down his forearm. I watched the sun
as it turned deep yellow, and the sky looked a little red.

“What are you thinking?” Alfred asked as he kissed his way down to my shoulder.

“That you would have starved if I wasn't here,” I told him before I broke out laughing. “Sstoop!” I screeched as
he continued to tickle me. “AhhHAahh!” I shouted as I tried to get away, but Al just pulled me back. I fell onto
the couch and gripped its arm as I tried to pull myself free.

I got some distance, but I also felt that Al still had a hold of my leg as he pulled himself up my body. His fingers
found the areas under my arms and behind my ribs. I howled, and giggled, and laughed out loud as I clawed at
the couch before falling to the ground and gripping the carpet.

“SsssStttopopPpp!” I tried to say and screamed. I pulled my legs up to my chest and tried to create some space
between the two of us. My laughter died slowly as I realized that he wasn't tickling me anymore.

How dare you say that my behavior is unacceptable, was playing in the background as I looked down my jean
covered legs to see him holding on as he looked back at me.

So condescending unnecessarily critical, filled the room as he grinned in my direction.

I have the tendency of getting very physical, continued as I sat up and smiled back.

So watch your step 'cause if I do you'll need a miracle.

Harder to Breathe by Maroon 5 continued to play over the radio as Al crawled up and over my legs to kiss me. I
expected him to push me back down onto the floor, but instead, he sat on my lap and held me to him as we
continued to kiss. My hands held on to his sides before they circled his waist. He tasted like mint and bananas,
and I don't know where either of those things came from, and I didn't care. Al's hands continued to hold my
face and head as we licked and sucked at each other's lips and mouth.
You drain me dry and make me wonder why I'm even here, wrapped itself around us as I started to lean back
and braced my left arm on the carpet.

This double vision I was seeing is finally clear, went through our ears as I leaned even further back, and Al's lips
broke the contact he had with mine, and he became the only thing I saw.

You want to stay... faded into sounds and rhymes as Al dived forward to kiss me into the carpet. I didn't bother
trying to keep track of the words as we wrapped our arms around each other again. I welcomed his crushing
weight that he laid across my body. He rubbed his cock into the crotch of my pants as he pushed even firmer
into me. I moaned into his mouth as I vaguely remembered him lightly protesting at my choice to wear some
clothes when I left the bedroom this morning to make him breakfast, which we both ended up eating in bed.

“Ah,” I cried out as the zipper started to hurt me. I reached a hand down and started to undo the waist of my
jeans. I moved down to the metal opening that was hurting my flesh, and Alfred stopped kissing me. He sat up
and swatted my hand away. I looked at him slightly puzzled since he gave me room a few moments ago to start
taking off my pants.

He leveled a “I told you so,” kinda look at me before he took over unzipped my jeans. His hands hooked
themselves into my pants and yanked them down off my waist and past my hips. I managed to lift my butt in
time so it wouldn't sting the skin on my ass. Al was now standing as he reached for one of my legs. He looked
playful as he pulled one leg of my jeans off before reaching for the other and quickly succeeded in rendering
me naked. As he dropped my second leg, I planted the soles of my feet onto the carpet and spread my legs as I
laid there looking up at him.

The playful expression slowly left his face as his eyes scanned my body as I waited for him to do what he
wanted with me. Then he walked away. I wasn't sure he was leaving until he wasn't standing in front of me
anymore. As I turned around to see where he went, I heard cupboard doors being opened and closed. From
where I was laying, I mostly saw the gray in his hair as he moved around in the dark kitchen. He seemed to be
looking for something, and I couldn't think of what it could have been. I was about to ask him what on earth he
was looking for when the sound of his voice cut me off.

“I'm going to need you to call in the carpet cleaning people,” he said from the kitchen. I looked down to see if I
could spot what he must have noticed to tell me this.

“Ok,” I promised him even though I didn't see anything myself.

“And if they can't clean the carpet or the couch, you can buy replacements,” he added on.

Ha? I asked myself before I looked up. As I did, I saw his feet as they came to stand in front of me. I quickly
moved up his lightly, hair-covered legs, past his crotch that sported a half-erect cock, to stop at his waist where I
saw one of his hands holding the bottle of olive oil.

“We do have a whole bottle of KY jelly,” I informed him once my eyes reached his face.

“I know,” he answered. “I just want something to rub over you that will also … help us,” was his answer before
he started to walk back down to my feet. He dropped the bottle on the couch and bent to move the coffee
table that our tickling and make-out session had already dislodged from its normal spot. When it was about five
feet away, Alfred came back to retrieve the bottle and started to open it. I laid back down and placed my legs
the way they were before he left for the kitchen.
I felt drops on my knees, and then on my thighs. He drizzled a good amount over my cock and all over my
crutch before moving down the other leg. Al stood looking at me for a few seconds as he held the bottle at his
side. He seemed to have made his mind up about something as he closed it before kneeling between my legs. I
closed my eyes and laid my head back as I felt his fingers on my skin, and they were all there. All ten from both
hands. One hand for each leg. They moved up from my toes, and I felt as his hands came in contact with the oil
he had dripped onto my skin. His touch felt smooth as he played and massaged the oil into my legs.

First were my calves, then the back of my knees before the knee itself. I thought that I was going to start
laughing again, but he made wide, smooth strokes that did nothing but relaxed me. I felt his forearms as each
slid down my thighs behind the palm of his hands. I felt his fingers as they reached my hips, and I expected
them to turn inwards towards my crotch, but they went the other direction instead.

Alfred's hands swept over my sides before his fingers held the back of my thighs and lifted me off the carpet. I
opened my eyes in surprise and looked at him as he pulled me a bit closer to himself and put me back down
with my legs spread wider. I completely relaxed my legs once he let go of me, and I was spread eagle in front of
him. I watched Al as his hands went back to my thighs. He pushed and slightly prodded me before his fingers
grabbed and then started to massage the oil into my skin again.

The sky behind him was on fire with bright reds and oranges that were in complete contrast, and almost
complemented the black room that framed it from my point of view. I lowered my gaze back to watching Al as
he held a look of intent fascination on his face as he paid close attention to what he was doing. I was starting to
feel more relaxed than turned on when I felt the wiry hair around my cock being pushed aside by invading
fingers. My skin vibrated with each inch of new territory that Al's hand covered as he got closer to my cock. I
almost burst with waiting when I realized that he was avoiding touching my cock. His hand, then hands, combed
their way through my pubic hair, around my hips, and they reached as far north as my bellybutton. But my cock,
that I now felt swaying slightly in the air between us, was never touched. Al then embarked on some long
sliding rubs up and down my torso and waist before I felt him tapping my hip to get even more of my attention.

“Turn over David,” I heard him say. I opened my eyes to look at him before I sat up. I allowed my nose to touch
his before I kissed him. I may have tried to pull him down onto me as I tried to distract him with my tongue, but
it didn't work. He broke the kiss and just looked at me with a grin on his face. So I got up onto my knees and
turned around. I was about to lay down and give the carpet an oily imprint of my body when I felt Al's arm
around my waist keeping me on my hands on knees.

“Stay right there,” he said as he let go. I noticed that the room wasn't as dark as I expected it to be. I chucked it
up to reflection before I closed my eyes and waited again. I was expecting to feel his hands, but it was the oil
that I felt first. I should have remembered. Some was poured onto my back, and I felt as it trickled its way down
and over my sides. I'm sure he was starting to make that mess on the carpet that he was thinking of when he
talked about the cleaners. I didn't have to wait long to feel his hands on me again. This time he worked
backwards. Alfred started at the small of my back and went over my ass, which was quickly followed by the
back of my thighs. Once he reached the back of my knees, he jumped back to my waist. His hands were
together as they came closer to my ass, and I felt the oil running down my crack before I felt his fingers
following it.

I slightly moaned and wanted him to do it again right away, and he did as his fingers reversed course once he
had reached the back of my balls. I so wanted to sit back onto his lap. Once his fingers had cleared my crack, I
noticed that his hands were nowhere on me. I thought that he was getting more oil, and as I felt his hands as
they cupped my balls and gripped my cock I was so happy to have been right.

“Ooh,” I moaned out loud as he started to work them in tandem. Warm tingly feelings radiated into my gut and
down my legs from what Alfred was doing to me. I was more than happy to stay like this until the end. When
one hand disappeared, I didn't have long to wonder where it went.

“AH!” I shouted as he pushed a few fingers inside. He promptly started to move in and out of me and used the
oil for what I expected him to use it for. I slowly fell from holding myself up on my hands to down onto my
forearms. As my thighs lowered themselves also, I felt him move with me.

I moaned into the carpet until he removed his hand completely, and I was left breathing heavily into the room. I
soon felt his knees as it nudged my legs apart and his hands as they reached around my thighs to pull me back
onto his lap. I turned to look at Alfred, and I saw him looking down as he aimed himself at my opening. I licked
my dry lips and turned my head into the carpet as I waited for him.

Then there was the pressure. I felt his hands on my ass, pulling me apart before they quickly moved to my hips.
His hands pressed into me as he used my body as leverage to push himself forward.

“Aaaaahhhhhhhh,” I moaned out low and long. It was a hollow-sounding moan that conveyed that feeling of
being filled.

“Argh,” Al grunted behind me as he pushed the last bit of himself into me. The world was now quiet for a
moment. Neither of us said anything, and the music on the radio had stopped also. I don't know what we were
waiting for, but before we moved to do anything the DJ came on.

“And that ladies and gents was Journey singing Separate Ways. A great blast from the past. Now to put this blast
of a storm in our past. We just got a press release from the mayor's office during that last song. The snow
removal and salting trucks will be out in a few hours and will be working for the whole night to get you slackers
back to work. So spend one last night in your baby's arms because the snow may be going away, but it's still
achingly cold outside. We will not be above forty for the rest of the week. Don't boo me. Tell it to our weather
girl Sam, who's up next in twenty minutes. So to get those beds a rocking for the night here is Kings Of Leon
with Sex on Fire.”

The song had already started to play by the time he said the name of it, but the lyrics kicked it right after his last
word. As I more or less laid there wondering if we could have sex to this song, I felt my skin getting hotter. I felt
Alfred in me as he flexed and jerked a little. Then both his hands were on my back again. They went in circles for
a little bit before they reached all the way up to shoulders, and I felt him laying on my back.

“You are so hot,” Al whispered to me before kissing my ear lobe. He pulled me back and up until I was sitting on
his lap and over cock with his knees between my own. Somehow there was more of his cock for my body to
find, and I slid down.

“Ah,” I called out.

As the tempo picked up Al started to bounce me on his lap, and as I fall, I felt nothing but good as burning
sparks shot out into my body. His hands were moving across my chest. Sometimes rubbing, sometimes digging
in, and other times pulling at my nipples. I reached back and held his head next to mine as I started to use my
knees and thighs to lift my body and bring myself down onto him a little faster and heavier.

“Ah, ah. Yes,” I moaned. Al has his face pressed into the back of my neck, and I only heard his heavy breathing
as I once again realized that the music was gone. My eyes were open as I looked up and couldn't see the ceiling.

“Ooh, David,” he said so close to my ear causing shivers to move throughout my body. I readjusted my hand in
his hair and then noticed that another song was playing. It was just a very soft one, but I didn't try to think of
what it was as I fell forward onto my hands, and we continued to fuck as he grabbed a hold of my waist to help
bring us together better.

Once again, I was the loudest, with Alfred holding most of it in. A grunt or sharp intake of breath was the best I
got from him as I called him 'Sir' and said his name repeatedly.

“Oh, oh... yes,” I started to babble as I got close to coming.

“I love how you do this as you get ready to come,” Al said as he reached for my shoulder again. He didn't move
me but seemed to bring himself closer as he continued to pound away at my ass. “So much tighter,” he
breathed out. I was looking into a dark apartment with the light of the window around us.

“Ah, ah,” I cried out as I felt it starting. “I'm cumming,” I told him as I closed my eyes and bent my head.

“Don't wait for me,” Al said. “Just come,” he told me as he continued at the same pace.

“Ah, ah, ah, Ah, Ahhh,” I cried out into the room as I made my own mess on the carpet, and I saw stars behind
my eyelids that kept on flashing as Al never ceased fucking me. I could tell that my cock stayed hard as he
continued to go in and out of me after all the cum I had in me to give, was now on the floor. I gripped the
carpet and bared my teeth as he worked my prostate over.

Then WHAM. I was rocked off my knees for a second as Al shot home with his first volley of cum shots. His arms
were wrapped around my chest as he held me close and tightly.

“David. David. David,” he softly whispered. More to himself than to me I think as he made five distinct thrusts
as he finished cumming.

“And that was Bruno Mars with It Will Rain. We will be right back after a word from our sponsors,” the DJ broke
into our recovery time to say before we heard the ad for Wendy's. Alfred continued to lay on my back as I got
my breathing under control, but I didn't feel like moving until my legs started to protest my position. Instead of
falling forward, I leaned to the side, and Al went with me, as I moved to lay down on clean, and slightly cool
carpet.

As I laid there, with my eyes closed, continuing to recover, I started to hear beeping and some faint scraping
sounds. I wondered what it was until I realized that the snow movers were outside.

“I'm going to miss you tomorrow when I'm at work,” Alfred said before he kissed my shoulder. I smiled into the
darkness.

“I'll come by and take you to lunch,” I said.

“You promise?” he asked as I felt his arm tighten a little.

“I promised,” I agreed.
 ==========

Chapter 25 - Cleaning Up

==========

“Are you sure I'm not being charged for this?” Luke asked me as he walked back into the bedroom.

“You aren't charged for acts of nature that strand you here,” I told him again as the only towel he had was being
used to dry his hair.

“I thought it was acts of god you couldn't charge me for?” he asked as he sat on his side of the bed. Well, the
side of the bed he slept on last night.

“What's the difference?” I asked him in return as I looked at his only slightly damp back. I laid down on my
pillow and looked at a series of movements that I have watched for almost a week. Luke was only suppose to
spend one night here, but we woke up to one of the worst storms this town had ever seen. So his one night
turned into four as we waited for either the snow to melt or to get dug out by the city or county. We weren't
that picky over who got the job done.

“Where's my phone?” was a question that came from under the still moving towel. I arched my neck up just
enough to see the nightstand on his side of the bed.

“Where you left it charging,” I answered as I laid back, but thought about getting up. I watched as Luke reached
over and picked it up with the cord still attached.

“Hey babe, can you get me some breakfast? I feel like I'll be able to leave today and I want to get going as soon
as I can. I have a back log of cases to catch up on,” he said with his back still to me.

“So quick to run away?” I asked as I made up my mind to get out of bed. “New Hillgrove has been under six feet
of snow for three days. No one could get out of their homes to commit any crimes,” I projected in his direction
as I walked into my bathroom.

“Are you saying that you want me to stay?” his voice asked as it followed me into the shower. I didn't bother
answering. It was going to be a short shower. I've been suck in this room for most of those four days, and other
than having sex, I haven't done much of anything else and I always clean up after sex.

By the time I was walking back into the bedroom Luke was sitting in most of his suit as he was putting on his
shoes. His jacket was still hanging on the wall, on its hanger.

“Since you are sure that your exodus is getting closer, how about eating downstairs with me?” I asked as I
pulled the towel from my waist and dropped it somewhere along the way to the dresser to get a pair of boxers.
I knew he was watching me and I liked it. I bent a knee slightly as I pretended to keep looking, just to show off
that side of my ass for ten seconds longer than I needed to stand there.

I then closed the drawer and put on my boxers normally before turning around to get my robe that was now on
the back of my bedroom door.

“Edward,” Luke called out as he stood and came towards me.

“Hm?” I answered him as I continued to walk towards my robe. I took it off the hook and pulled it on before
turning around. I stood there as I pulled the belt together and tied a knot.

“How about,” Luke said surprising me as he held my hands. “We have a social bond and not a sexual one? If
that is what is bothering you,” he told me. I continued to look at him.

“I haven't a clue what you are talking about,” I leveled at him. I knew it had something to do with our argument
of getting married or moving into his place or something like that.

“It's like we get together. Be there for each other. Love each other, but can still, if we want to, sleep with other
people. I'm telling you that you don't have to be monogamous,” he spelt out for me.

“So married without being married?” I asked him. “No real wedding. Just a ceremony of some kind with a party
attached?” I continued.

“If we have it here, yes,” Luke answered. “You know the state hasn't legalized gay weddings yet,” he reminded
me.

“Is that what you want?” I asked him. “If that's it, then just “buy” me from the house and we live by those
terms,” I suggested as I looked up into his green eyes. It occurred to me that I was slightly offended, but that it
made some sense for us guys. I was more disappointed since I was starting to warm up to the idea of getting
married, but who was I kidding? We don't get married. We pair off and still have fun with someone else if we're
interested. Right?

“I didn't mean to offend you,” Luke started. I reached up and kissed him before he went any further.

“What's there to be offended about?” I asked him after tasting the toothpaste on his tongue. “It makes more
sense this way,” I told him as I turned to get the door. “Men love who they love and still want to sleep with
someone else,” I continued as I walked out of the door. I thought that he was behind me but when I turned
towards him, he was still standing in the room. “What?” I asked him thinking that I was going along with
something that he wanted.

“I love you,” he said. I looked up and down the hallway before walking back into my room and closing the door.
“I love you,” he told me again. “I want to come home to you. I want to see you laying next to me when I wake
up. I want you to get along with Emma and even have her call you Dad one of these years, but I don't want to
make a promise that I won't be able to keep and hurt you by breaking it,” he continued. “You have my heart and
you've had it for a while now, but I can't say that I won't be tempted physically by someone else and that I
won't give into it. What I will ever be able to promise you is that I will try not to and that if I do, I will use
protection. I wouldn't know how I could go on living if I ever made you sick because of something like that,” he
ended. I almost cried.

“Thank you,” was all I could tell him, and even that sounded liked it cracked a little. I bent my head and looked
at my hand that I had against his chest from when I pushed him back into my room a little. I then felt his hands
on both sides of my face as he turned my face up to see his. He was crying. He kissed my forehead before
letting me go to hang my head again. “Breakfast,” I tested out to see if I could speak. “Lets go get some
breakfast,” I said again before I turned around and tried to go downstairs again.

------
------
------

Beep, Beep Beep, Beep

I pulled my cell out of my coat pocket and saw that it was Shawn. As odd as it was to see his number come up
on my phone, I had been waiting for a call from him for weeks now.

“Hey Shawn,” I answered as I slowed my walk down the aisle.

“Yo David,” was his greeting. “We were wondering if you were up for doing something this week?” he asked me.

“I think so,” I answered. “What kind of thing and who are we?” I asked him before glancing at the shelves. I
looked over my choices while I waited for his answer.

“It's just me and Candice,” he said before a pause. “She might bring a friend, but they might not come,” he told
me. I reached up for the six-pack of large toilet paper and turned to drop it into the cart. I was about to move
off when I reached up and got another one. “As for where,” Shawn continued. “We're up for suggestions,” he
said rolling the ball into my court.

“You could just say that you want to meet to tell me how it went at the House,” I told him as I pushed my cart
down towards the paper towels. “We don't have to do anything,” I explained. “I can come by your place
tomorrow afternoon,” I ended as I stopped in front of the Bounty.

“Hold on,” Shawn said before his end got muffled. I picked the DuraTowel six-pack while I waited for him to get
back to me.

“Ok. Tomorrow afternoon is good. Candice and I are both free,” he answered.

“Good,” I replied. “But,” I started as an idea occurred to me. “If you guys still want to meet Alfred, the four of us
can go to the movies this weekend,” I offered up. I almost completely regretted it the second it was out of my
mouth. But I knew that they wanted to meet him and it wasn't all that fair to keep him from at least seeing my
friends so it was kinda ok I guessed.

“Wow... ok,” Shawn said again before there was silence and more muffled sounds. “This includes dinner?”
Shawn asked as he came back on the line.

“Yes, dinner is included,” I laughed. I shook my head to myself as I turned the half-full cart around a corner and
down the next aisle to get some bath soap.

“Then sure,” was his answer. “We can iron out the details when you come over,” he told me. “So is three pm ok
for you to come by tomorrow?” Shawn now asked.

“Yeah, that should be good,” I answered as I looked past the Dove.

“Ok then. See you later,” Shawn said before hanging up. I closed my phone and slid it into my pocket with one
hand as I reached the other out to get an Irish Spring, then a Dial. I was about to walk away when something
new caught my eye. MUSCO with a crown on the box. Below the name, it said that it was Real Men's Body
Soap. The price was a little high for two bars of soap, but I opened one of the boxes a little and gave it a sniff. It
wasn't half bad. I placed it in the cart to see if Al would like it. I walked by everything else as I headed towards
the meat section, which was at the other end of the aisle.
------
------

I opened the door for a second time and walked in backwards with the last of the grocery bags. As I walked
towards the counter I heard the door as it clicked closed, and the smell of freshly shampooed carpet once again
met me, even though it had been cleaned yesterday around noon. I had to buy so much for this dish that I was
making today along with restocking some supplies, that I had to make three trips to the car to get everything. I
stood and looked at all the plastic bags for a moment before I grabbed the toilet paper, and took it to the linen
closet, and placed it on the bottom shelf. When I got back to the lot I looked through the bags for the soaps and
a back brush that I found at check out. Some of the soaps went to the same place the toilet paper did, but one
made it into the bathroom itself. I decided to try the Musco, and I unwrapped the brush and hug it on one of
the hooks in the bathroom. I was sure Al would see it when he walked in there.

Next were the cleaning supplies which included the paper towels. Once they were where they were suppose to
be, and I had sent the plastic bags down the shoot, I turned towards the food part of the groceries. First was
the big bottle of olive oil. I smiled as I lifted it to the counter. I looked through the draws until I found the funnel
and reached for the empty smaller bottle that I had washed that morning after I used the last of it to make
French toast for us.

I filled it up and put it back into the cupboard before closing the bigger one and pushing it back against the wall
for when the smaller one ran out again. The funnel I tossed into the sink as I went back to putting stuff away.
The ground meat I placed on the counter since I would be cooking it soon. The same went for the small bottle
of canola oil, the onions, garlic, ginger, coriander, a bottle of masala, cumin, tomatoes, frozen peas, some malt
vinegar, and the cilantro. The frozen naan and chapatis bread made their way into the freezer. I've learned that
they have to be frozen when the time came to heat them up.

The juices and veggies went into the fridge. The fruit went into the fruit bowl that was on the counter. Two pink
ladies, two red delicious and four bosc pears. Normally I would have only gotten two, but I'm making a pear
dessert tomorrow. Next was the ice cream and put that up into the freezer also. I got a half-gallon tub of Blue
Bell's Southern Hospitality ice cream. I had never seen, never mind had it before, but it was on sale and once I
read that it had pineapples and roasted pecans in a vanilla base, that was enough to overrule the fact that there
was a strawberry sauce swirl in there also.

To be on the safe side I picked up and tossed the frozen peas into the freezer also. I turned around and saw that
I was now down to two bags. Some more veggies and some shredded cheese and bread crumbs along with
some eggs were in one bag. The last bag had more eggs, wheat bread, and half a gallon of milk. I grabbed all
the now-empty shopping bags and sent all but two of them down the PLASTIC labeled shoot. The other two I
put into a bag, that had one other bag already in there, that I hung on a hook, that I placed on the door of that
cupboard.

“Ok,” I said as I looked at what was around me. I pulled off my jacket and walked back to the door where the
coat rack was and placed it there next to the other two lighter ones. I was starting to walk away when I
remembered my phone. I reached into both my pockets and pulled it from my right one before walking back
into the kitchen with it. I checked to see if I had missed any calls or texts and noted the time. It was just after
three which gave me enough time to cook everything and get some studying in before Alfred got home. I
reached into my jean pocket and pulled out a crumpled printout of the Kheema recipe that I had gotten all the
ingredients for.

It said that prep time was five minutes and that it took about twenty minutes to cook. I had more than enough
time. So much time I thought about making it later. I once again went over the list to make sure that I had
everything that I needed. I reached into the cupboard and found the black pepper, cayenne, paprika, and the
salt. I looked at all of it and picked up the ground meat and walked over to the fridge with it and placed it in the
freezer. It was too early to make it. All I had to make was that, some rice and the salad.

The salad, I realized. I grabbed my phone and my coat and left the apartment to get the mixed greens for the
salad.
 ==========

Chapter 26 - The Cover Story

==========

“Al,” I started as I moved some rice next to the Kheema on my plate.

“Mm,” he answered since he was in the middle of chewing.

“Some of my friends said that they wanted to meet you, so I said that we could go see a movie this weekend.
But if you don't want to I can tell them that you couldn't make it,” I quickly added. I watched his fork as he
rested his wrists on the table like some guilty ten-year-old.

“They actually said that they wanted to meet me?” he asked sounding interested if not a little surprised.

“Yeah,” I said. “I'm going over by Candice's tomorrow and it's her and her boyfriend who would be going with
us to the movie,” I explained.

“So it's a double date?” Al asked me as he reached for his glass of sweet tea. I finally looked up at his face. “And
you are one that suggested the movie?” he asked to make sure.

“Yes,” I answered him.

“So what movie have you picked out?” he asked as he lifted his fork back up. “Do I have to watch any pre-
movies to understand what is going on in this one?” he asked with a smile on his face before he forked some
food into his mouth.

“I haven't picked yet,” I told him feeling a little less nervous about it now. “We are going to figure that out
tomorrow,” I said before I started to eat again.

“Mm,” Alfred acknowledged as we continued eating. “Why were you so...,” he started. “Hesitant just now?” Al
finished asking me. The relief that I just acquired was slightly eaten away at by the anxiety that now came back
to keep me company. I shrugged my shoulders as I thought of the best way to answer him.

“I wasn't sure how you would feel about it,” I ended up saying. “I don't know how out you are about being gay
and I don't know who the people in the office think I am, but going to the movies with me and another couple
may have been going too far,” I explained. “Especially since I started to plan it without asking you first,” I tacked
on before reaching for something to drink.

I heard him as he breathed out, and I looked directly at him, to see him looking right back at me. I held his gaze
for a few moments before lowing them as I put the glass back down.

“This is slightly unexpected,” Al started. “I would never have considered cutting you off from your friends, but I
didn't think that you would want them to meet me,” he confessed. “I'm rather pleased that you would do this,”
he told me with a small smile on his face. “Unless of course they think I'm just some uncle of yours that is
helping you while you are in college,” he said with a laugh that didn't reach his eyes.

“No,” I quickly said to knock that down. “I told them that you are my boyfriend, and that we met when I went
on an interview,” I continued. “They just don't know that I work for you, or any real details of how we met,” I
finished quietly.

“We can figure something out,” he said with a smile as he stabbed the last piece of tomato that was on his
plate.

“Sure,” I said sounding encouraged. I smiled back before going to work on what was left on my plate also. About
five minutes later I was standing and removing both our dishes from the table. Al got up and went to take a
shower. He was still dressed in his suit from work.

All the salad for once was gone, so I just had the glass bowl to wash. The first thing that made it into the fridge
was the half-empty bottle of sweet tea. About half of the Kheeme was left. Maybe less, but that just meant that
I got to move it to a slightly smaller container to pack it up in. The rice stayed in its container in case I wanted to
make a stir fry with it later in the week.

So that just left a few plates, four eating utensils, two glass cups, that I was much more comfortable handing
now than I did when I first got there. Two serving spoons and one container. I made quick work of them before
turning to wipe down the table then the counters. I washed out the paper towels before sending them down
the paper shoot and turning off the lights. While I walked down the hallway I pulled my shirt up over my head
to get ready for my shower.

As I walked into the room I saw Alfred walking in from the bathroom. He stood there and smiled as I stepped
further into the room and tossed my shirt onto the armchair. I toed off my shoes and reached for the button on
my jean's waist before sliding down the zipper. I watched Al as he watched me do all this. I smiled a little more
as I started to push my jeans down and off my legs.

He stood there with a towel wrapped around his waist as I more or less stripped for him. I didn't mind, but I was
going to make it to the shower before he did anything to stop me. My socks came off before my briefs, as he
leaned against the door frame watching my movements. Everything that I wore, from my waist down, I think
ended up on the floor, and I left them there as I walked in his direction since he was blocking my path to the
shower. I came to a stop a few inches in front of him, and he just continued to stand there. I didn't say anything
and just waited for him to move.

“That was a good dinner,” Al told me as he raised a hand to my face and held all of my left cheek. I just smiled.
He then leaned forward as he pulled my face towards him to kissed me. It wasn't very deep, but quick enough
for me to taste the toothpaste on his tongue and be reminded that I had to get cleaned up myself. “That was for
the bath brush,” he told me when he pulled away and started to walk around me. I moved a little to the side to
let him by.

“I'm glad you liked it,” I said as I walked over to the shower. I used the brush too, hoping that it would help to
shave some time off my shower. I'm not sure if it did or not. I ended up washing my hair and enjoying the feel
of the bristles as I moved them in circles across my back. When I finally got out, I started to wonder if I did
spend too much in there and if Alfred was already asleep.

“Al?” I called out as I walked towards the sink to brush my teeth.

“Yes David,” he called back.

“Just checking to see if you were still awake,” I called back before picking up my toothbrush. I was thorough but
quick.
As I walked back into the bedroom drying my hair I saw him all propped up in bed reading. It was a book that he
brought home a few weeks ago, but he didn't start reading it until we were snowed in. I couldn't tell you the
name of it since it was covered and to date, I hadn't been interested enough to ask him what it was. Besides, he
never reads it long once I'm in bed with him.

“So what do you think I should tell my friends?” I asked as I stood next to his side of the bed drying my hair.

“About how we met?” Alfred asked as he looked up from reading. I kinda nodded my head as I continued to get
most of the water out. “Well,” he started. “You could say that you didn't get the job, but I work there and we hit
it off,” he said simply.

“That could work,” I said as I dried off my shoulders. “And you buying me lunch really helped in winning me
over,” I said as I smiled to myself. That got him to look up from the book that had already re-caught his
attention.

“I got you for the price of lunch?” Al asked me with a grin on his face as he laid the book down on his chest.

“I said it helped,” I told him as I turned and picked up his towel from across the foot of the bed before turning
to go back into the bathroom.

“So what did it for you then in this story of how we met?” he asked me from a room away. I hung all three
towels up to dry, and on my way out, I turned off the main light, and the night light switched on automatically.

“Your age,” I told him. “Do you want me to leave the light on?” I asked him as I thought of turning it off.

“Yes, thank you,” he answered. “My age?” he quickly asked as I scooped up my clothes and dropped them in
the chair with my jeans as I made my way to the other side of the bed.

“Yes,” I answered Al. I lifted the covers and slid in next to him. “I thought that being with someone your age
would do me good,” I said as I thought it out in my head. “After all, I didn't find out that you were rich until after
I moved in,” I said with a grin.

“That all sounds reasonable,” Al said after he thought it over for about a minute. And mostly true, I said to
myself. He then turned back to reading his book. I wasn't that tired, so I watched him as he started to read
again.

“What are you reading?” I decided to ask after he continued to read long after he normally puts it down. He
seemed to be really interested in whatever it was.

“In The Garden of Beasts,” was his answer. I continued to look at his serious face.

“So,” I started. “It's not a romance book then?” I asked jokingly. If he stayed this absorbed with the book, I
would just have to fall asleep on my own, I told myself.

“It's a non-fiction account of a US ambassador and his family's life in Germany when Hitler takes over,” he said
as he continued to read. Yeah, you can't get horny from reading a book like that, I commented to myself.

“Good night … dear,” I quietly whispered in his direction before I turned over and tried to get some sleep with
the room light on. I think that I was just about there and started to float away when I felt the bed move a little
and Alfred's hand slipped around my waist to turn me over to lay on my back. I squinted my eyes as I looked up
at Al looking down at me. I smiled a little, as I reached up to kiss him. I ran my hand down his chest until he
pressed his body into mine, and we moaned at the same time. I opened my legs up, and he slid in between
them to press our growing cocks together.

“I thought you were reading,” I told him when he moved down to my throat. I kept my eyes shut as I wrapped
an arm and fingers around his head and neck.

“There's no rush to finish it,” I heard him say before his lips were on mine again. Both of his hands were behind
my back and holding on to my ass as he pulled me against his body. Our cocks now hard and hot as we
continued to grind away. When I felt Al's fingers as they first rubbed around my opening I moaned into his
mouth and mentally asked for more. It was when he pushed inside that I broke the kiss and shuddered slightly
before pushing away.

I turned to stick my hand between the bed and the box spring to pull out the bottle of KY. I was already close to
coming, and I didn't want him teasing it out of me with his fingers. Once Alfred realized what I was doing he
took the bottle from me and turned me unto my stomach. My face fell into the pillow, and I untangled my legs
from his feet by the time he pulled me up onto my knees. The cool sensation of the lube had me hissing into
the pillow before I balled it up to have it support my face better.

Now I started to leak. It was like a little of the pressure to come was taken out of me, but just a little. Like the lid
on a boiling pot had to be turned crooked to keep the water boiling, but not to let anything overflow. It didn't
even bother me anymore that the lights were still on. My eyes opened and closed with each wave that filled my
gut. My hands wadded the sheets as my pleasure-pain built.

All of a sudden I found myself being flipped over and my thighs pressed against my chest. I looked at Alfred as
he rolled me back slightly so his cock could meet the entrance to my ass. I pulled his face to mine as he quickly
stabbed his way into me and hitting home on his first go. My scream was caught in his throat as our lips stayed
locked. He bit my lower lip slightly as he started to pull out of the kiss. His hips were hitting me at a fast pace as
his eyes just looked down into my face. A whole bunch of emotions washed over me as I looked into his green
fierce eyes.

Possession. Desire. Love. Power. Need. They burned my heart, and I was pushed beyond reason and came.

“SIR!” I shouted and bucked back as I felt myself being held down tighter, and warm puddles populated my skin.
 ==========

Chapter 27 - Time to Report

==========

KNOCK

KNOCK

I put my hand back in my picket as I waited for someone to open the door. I didn't know who I would see.
Shawn or Candice.

“Hey,” I said when the door was pulled open. Candice stood there smiling back at me.

“Hey yourself,” she said as she stepped aside and waved me in. I walked into the front hall foyer type room and
took off my shoes while she closed and then locked the door. When I was done she gave me a hug and asked if I
wanted something to drink.

“What do you have?” I asked her as she walked ahead of me into the apartment. I looked around as I followed
her since I hadn't been there before. It looked a little better than her old place use to be, but then I didn't see
much of her stuff here. The furniture, books, and other stuff must have belonged to the other roommate. After
all, her friend was living here before she moved in.

“We have some sparking water, SevenUp, Dr. Pepper and some Bud Lights,” Candice answered from inside the
fridge.

“I'll have the sparking water,” I told her as I made my way into the kitchen. It wasn't very big for a two-bedroom
apartment, but it was a city kitchen if anything. Microwave, old-fashioned pop-up toaster, a five-foot-high
fridge, and an electric oven and stove. The counter space was impressive for the galley kitchen, but it was at the
expense of the one sink that was so small, that if it wasn't made from stainless steel, it could have been
mistaken for a bathroom sink instead.

Candice handed me a yellow plastic cup with the cold sparkling water that I still heard fizzing away. It felt odd to
hold a plastic cup again. I lifted it and took a small sip. I knew I should have asked for some normal water, I told
myself as I already started to fight down a burp.

“Shawn, David's here,” I heard her say when she ducked her head into a room.

“You want to talk to him out there?” I heard him ask as I got closer.

“Yeah. It's too small for both of us in there some times,” she stood in the doorway telling him.

“What about your roommate?” he asked her instead of coming out.

“We pay rent here too,” she said. “Besides, she's not going to be back for hours,” she added on in a slightly
smaller voice.

“Ok,” I heard Shawn say before I saw him leave what I now believed to be their bedroom. He looked around for
me before smiling in my direction.

“Dude,” he said as he came over and threw an arm around my shoulders and pulled me with him as he walked
into the living room where Candice was already seated.

“How have you been?” he asked as he had me sit down next to his girlfriend while he took the armchair for
himself, looking very male as he seemed to possess the chair as he laid back slightly with his legs spread apart.
This was a much different feel than the last time we talked. “You didn't loose power during the storm did you?”
he asked to stay social, but on some level, I think he really cared.

“No, we were good for the whole time,” I answered. “We started to run out of stuff to eat since it hit near
shopping day, but we made it through just fine,” I finished. I took a sip from my cup.

“Babe, any beer left?” he asked Candice.

“Oh, yeah,” she said as she got up to go back into the kitchen. When I saw her walking back with the beers I
decided to start the conversation.

“Well Alfred said that he would like to come to the movies with us. We just need to figure out what movie to
see,” I said before reaching for my cup that I had placed on the coffee table.

“That's great,” Candice said as she sat down next to me again. “What was that movie you wanted to see?” she
asked as she turned to look at Shawn. “Dredd?” she asked.

“Yeah, I did want to see that. but would Alfred want to see it?” he asked as he now looked at me. “It's kinda a
young movie,” he tacked on.

“He's not my grandfather,” I said defensively. “And it's not that “young” as you put it. It's a remake of an older
movie and it's had its own comic for years,” I said in defense of both the movie and Al.

“Ok. How about the Batman movie?” Shawn asked now. “I heard it was good too,” he added.

“They are still playing that?” I asked. “It came out in July didn't it?”

“Yeah, but we just got it a month or so back,” he informed me.

“Or The Hobbit movie,” Candice spoke up with.

“That's not out yet,” Shawn said.

“It is,” she insisted. “I saw them putting up the poster for this weekend.”

“Did you see if Flight was still playing?” I asked her.

“Yeah, it's still there,” she answered.

“So we are ok with watching any of those?” I asked the two of them.

“Yeah, yeah,” they both said as they looked at each other and nodded their heads.
“Now lets move on to sex,” Candice suddenly said with her eyes sparkling as she looked at the two of us.

------
------
------

“I didn't think that I was going to be spending time with you again to so soon,” Luke told me as he brushed my
hair as I laid on the couch with my head in his lap. I turned away from the tv and looked up at his face.

“You were the one that made me tell them that we were dating,” I told him. “They always encourage us to
spend time with those who want to buy us,” I explained.

“You mean push you out of the door to go on dates with them?” he corrected me with a question. I just turned
over and watched the show again. Luke's hand went back to moving through my hair and I felt a little wrong for
liking it as much as I did. Like how I enjoyed the idea of marrying him before he started to talk about that social
bonding nonsense. I still liked it better and that was odd. With Al, I just wanted to be his. Not have to work at
the House for a few years, if ever again. We would be together for a while but then we would part ways
because we would both change. I saw him as a way out. A very liked way out. Maybe I made myself like him
because he was my type.

I turned to look up at Luke. His hand moved to rub my chest as I laid there watching the tv lights move across
his face. It was different with him. It wasn't like it was with Al, but there was something there. Luke felt
different to me than everyone else did, but then just about everyone had their own feeling, their own taste
with me. This was something else. Luke fought for me. He fought with me, for me. That was something that
hadn't happened before.

He was starting to get under my skin too. I started to wonder what he would think of things that I looked at,
touched, or just crossed my path with when he wasn't around.

“I don't like it,” I told him before I sat up and continued to look at him.

“We can change the channel,” he said sounding very accommodating and not that attached to the show. “I have
seen this one already,” he informed me as he reached for the remote that was on the couch arm next to him.

“I'm talking about your social bond thing,” I said with my gaze still on him. He looked at me before he lifted his
hand with the remote and turned off the screen killing the show mid-scene.

“What do you mean?” he asked to get a bearing as to what I was thinking or trying to say. Something else that I
liked about him I realized. He didn't just jump into things without knowing what he was getting into. Everyone
knew where everyone was, wanted, and wanted to go or get when he was involved. Luke normally did it with a
kind, calm, or happy look on his face. Unlike right now where he did look a bit nervous. He tried to hide it, but I
noticed the difference from spending so much time with him I guess.

“I prefer having a wedding to the bonding thing,” I told him before I got up and walked to his kitchen to get a
fresh beer. Saying that rattled me more than I expected. I never really thought that I would say such a thing and
here I was and I truly meant it. I was about to reach for the beer after pulling the door open and flooding the
dark space with the bright white light, but I changed my mind and reached for his last bottle of coke instead. I
think it would be better if I at least kept a clear head if not a level one.

I stood there in the door, wearing just the long pants of a pajama set, as I drank as much of the coke in two big
gulps as I could. I put the cover back on and placed it back inside the fridge as the cold was starting to prick my
skin. I turned around and almost ran into Luke who was standing about two feet behind me. For a moment I
thought that something was wrong.

“Are you...”

“Thank you,” he said in a rush as he fell on me and held me close as I heard him start to cry.

“Don't go all to mush on me now,” I said a few moments later after I let him have his way for a bit.

“It's my house and I can go to mush anytime I want to,” he said behind my ear before he patted my back. He
pulled away and looked me in the face before kissing me. I smelt the tears but I didn't taste them.

“What was all that talk back at the House?” I asked him when he pulled out of the kiss and just held me.

“That was for you,” he said easily. “I don't have any intentions of being with someone else, but if you ever
wanted too, I wanted you to know that I would be there waiting for you and that if, by some plan of the devil, I
touched someone else's body, I was covered,” he stated.

“Lawyer,” I accused him.

“Guilty,” he said with a laugh and I kissed him this time.

------
------
------

“He had you take a Kinsey Scale test?” I asked Shawn.

“We both took it,” Candace added in.

“She just wanted to see where she fell,” Shawn said. “I had to take it to understand some stuff before he would
even do anything with us,” he answered. “I'm not a zero, but I'm not that far off,” he continued instead of telling
me the actual number. “I'm hovering around a one, or one point five,” he soon gave up. I looked at him knowing
that all this just meant that he wasn't a pure hetero, but I knew that before he went to the House.

“I'll go get the papers,” Candice said before jumping up and running to the bedroom.

“How did you end up with the House's shrink?” I asked Shawn as she looked for their 'scores'.

“He wasn't the House's shrink,” he told me. “He was 'one of the boys',” he explained. “It seems he studied
sexuality when he was in college before he worked there. It's kinda like he doing field research or something. So
when we got there, they called him down to talk to us,”

“So you didn't go to his room?” I asked wondering where was the sex Candice had talked about.

“No, we went...”

“Here they are,” she said cutting into his sentence. She handed me two pieces of paper as she sat down. Only
hers had her name at the top. I looked over Shawn's first. There were a few multi-choice questions and a few
that asked him to described a few events in his life and his feeling towards some situations. At the bottom was
the scale that I think the guy used to show where he fell. Zero meant that he was purely a hetero and had no
inclination to be with a person of the same sex, and it progressed past three that meant they were bi to six that
meant that they only wanted their own sex. At the end, there was an x for being nonsexual. I wonder what that
is like?

Shawn got a mark around one point five like he said, which placed him in the middle of Predominantly
heterosexual, only incidentally homosexual. and Predominantly heterosexual, but more than incidentally
homosexual. I looked up at him.

“It mostly means that I'm willing to try, but I don't need to,” he said.

“Ok,” I answered as I nodded my head.

“Look at mine,” Candice then said. I glanced over hers since I knew I was a six, and saw where on the scale she
landed. She was a two it seemed.

“A two?” I asked in her direction.

“Yeah,” she said almost wistfully. “I think he was trying to be kind,” she told me as she took the papers back and
looked them over.

“So then he had sex … with who?” I slowly asked. Someone had sex with him, right? The man sounded like a
catch for either one of them, even if they were paying him. Tall, dark, young, and handsome with a Native
American twist.

“Does it count if we held each other while we fucked Candice?” Shawn asked me. I looked at him wide-eyed
before I turned to look at Candice. She nodded her head very happily.

“Hah?” I asked Shawn as I turned to look at him again. “Wait,” I said as I cut Shawn off from answering me.
“Start from the beginning,” I told him. “Please,” I then added on to sound somewhat polite.

“Well,” he started. “After the little evaluation, he said that it was time to put it into practice or just see how far I
could go. Candice was just beyond pleased, but I asked about price before we went anywhere. He said that he
would make it a fair price for us. He then tells us where his room was upstairs and that he would be up soon. I
think he went to talk to whoever ran the place. More than likely that lady that called him down, and talked to
us first.

So we went up to his floor and we were expecting to hear moaning and whatever, but other than maybe one
guy snoring, the place was rather quiet. Even his room wasn't what I was expecting,” Shawn confessed.

“What were you expecting?” I asked him.

“I thought all brothels were red and had shiny things and feathers everywhere,” he said. “When I didn't see it
downstairs I thought that it was going to be found in the rooms, but it was normal. Big even. Like a master
bedroom with it's own bathroom. We looked around until he came up and saw that the shower was kinda big
and it had hand bars in there too. Maybe an older person lived there first or someone handicapped. We didn't
bother to ask him when he showed up a few minutes later.”

“He started to get undressed after he apologized for the wait,” Candice cut in with before sighing. “The body on
this one. He could have been on Shawn's foot ball team. He wasn't muscle bound at all,” she quickly added.
“But he looked strong and had such wide shoulders,” she said with a melting voice. I turned to look at Shawn.
He didn't look as … offended as I expected. Also, he looked like the white version of what she was describing. I
guess her tastes did run that route.

“She was doing that while I just looked at him,” Shawn started again. “He stopped when he got to his boxer
briefs and he looked liked he could have been in one of her movies,” he said with a nod of his head in her
direction.

“In the flesh,” Candice breathed.

“So then he looks at us and asks how we wanted to start this. Candice opens her bag and pulls out her laptop
and explains a bit more about the sound files. So they pick one to play and he tells me to get start getting
undressed. Candice then runs over to me and tells him that it's something she likes to do. So he backed up a bit
with a hand raised and said that we should do it the way we did it then. So we made out a little before we
started to undress each other. When we were naked and still kissing, she leaned away and went to lay down on
the bed. I looked around and saw that Matt. Oh, that's his name. Matt,” he said with a realization that he hadn't
told me the guy's name yet.

“It's short for Mathew,” Candice added. “I saw his full name on some mail later.”

“Well Matt, was sitting in a chair that was next to a table that he placed the laptop on. He was just looking at
us. He wasn't doing anything but looking at us. And for a moment it occurred to me that we were putting a
show on for him and we were paying him. But then Candice pulled me down onto her and she was so into it
that I kinda forgot about him every now and again and it was just her, me and the moaning as we went all the
way. I didn't remember him again until we were resting and he turned off the sounds. I then watched him as he
got up, with a well defined cock in his briefs as he walked over to the bed.”
 ==========

Chapter 28 - Time to Experiment

==========

“He wasn't wearing much. It was impossible not to see it,” Shawn said to defend himself. “Then she does the
oddest thing,” he said as he turned to look at Candice, but didn't continue. He just looked at her.

“I told him that I would never have done this on my own. Not without him next to me,” Candice spoke up. “It's
true. I may have been drooling over the guy, but I love Shawn and would never cheat on him,” she said as she
got up and walked over to him. They hugged and kissed. I thought it was cute until they continued to kiss,
causing me to look away before coughing a bit to remind them that I was still there. It wasn't because it was a
girl and a guy kissing, but I felt like it was something I wasn't suppose to be apart of, even if they were telling
me stories about their sex lives.

When I looked back in their direction, they were just stopping, and Candice settled down into Shawn's lap as
they both smiled.

“Well, you can guess that took me back a bit,” Shawn started with. “But then it made me love her a bit more
since she was mostly doing this for me. So I felt a little more at ease with the near-naked guy walking towards
us.” He stopped to reach for his beer and took a swing of it before starting again. “So he gets to the bed, and I
expected him to take off the briefs and make Candice's day, but he keeps them on as he lays down across from
me on Candice's other side.

He was about to touch her when he stops and looks at me. He asks my permission, which was kinda surprising,
but I told him to go for it, and he does. He touches her waist, her arms, and he plays with her breasts before
kissing her, and she really kissed him back,” Shawn said as he shook her a little with the arm that she was laying
on. Candice smiled and giggled a little while he smiled in her direction. “Now, I feel like I'm the one watching a
show, and it's kinda odd. When I looked at her face it was so strange to see her kissing someone else, but when
I looked at the rest of her and what he was doing with his hands and legs, I was starting to get a little turned on,
or I was already turned on, and I just realized it. I think Matt told Candice to do something because the next
thing I knew, I was now between both of them, and they were touching me. She's kissing me, and so was he,
but not near or on my mouth like Candice was doing.” I covered my mouth with my hand as I sucked in a small
breath.

“No, he didn't do that,” Shawn told me. “At least not yet,” he said kinda quietly, but I still heard him. “He was
kissing my chest,” he said to get back to the story. “It was the weirdest best thing I felt in ages,” he said with
some excitement in his voice as I saw him falling back into the memory. “Candice was kissing me back onto the
bed and Matt moved around my chest with his mouth and tongue. I almost saw stars,” he confessed. “I pulled
Candice more onto me and I felt his month moving down my body as I kinda pushed him out of the way, but at
moments, it wasn't a guy's mouth, but just a mouth,” Shawn told me.

“I have never been or really thought of being in a threesome before, and it felt so weird and great, to have two
areas that someone was doing something too. I somehow managed to focus on Candice, so when I felt his
mouth on me down there, I froze. She was sitting on my waist and she was there in front of me with her hair
falling down over her face, and I was feeling a mouth on my cock and these big hands on my legs. It almost felt
wrong, but he was doing a good job. I was torn as to how I was suppose to feel about this. Matt must have
realized that I was having an odd reaction to what he was doing, so he asked if I wanted him to stop. It took me
a moment to think about it, and told him no. I ended up siding with how I felt and not what I was suppose to
feel. And he was good,” Shawn added with a blush.

“So I went back to kissing him,” Candice now said. “His hands were on my ass and every time we parted for a
breath or to change how our lips met, he was moaning. It was so sexy to see and hear. I of course had it in my
head that he was letting another guy touch and lick and whatever else to him. I even felt Matt's hair rubbing
against my skin as he went down on my boyfriend,” she said with a small squeal. “So he's moaning, I'm getting
turned on and the next thing I know, I felt Matt's hands on my waist as he lifts me up a bit. At first I didn't know
what was going on, but it didn't take long for me to understand what he was doing. He kissed my neck and slid
his hands to holding my breasts as he lowed me down onto Shawn. I leaned back and used him as a wall as I
moved up and down on Shawn. His moans were a bit louder, but my eyes were mostly closed at this time, so I
didn't really see the look on his face.”

“But Matt told you later since he was looking at me,” Shawn cut in with. “The whole time I'm looking at him
behind her and she's seem to be getting mini orgasms from just having both of us there. I would like to believe
that it was because I was fucking her, but she was like painting her body on his and Matt looked me right in the
eye during all this. And I could tell he was into it too. Not like some of those bad triple x-rated movies. I think he
looked like I do when I'm with Candice,” Shawn boosted. I think. I nodded my head absently as I hoped for
something. I don't know what, but something. But either way, I knew Alfred was going to be having a late
dinner tonight.

Almost on reflex, while I was telling myself I shouldn't do it, I looked at Shawn's crouch. I quickly looked away
without learning what I looked there for in the first place.

“Maybe this wasn't such a good idea,” I told them as I started to stand.

“What?” they both asked at the same time. Candice looked at Shawn before she looked back at me as she
started to stand.

“I thought you wanted to know what happened?” she asked me.

“I did, but this is a blow by blow of your sex life. Something I shouldn't really be hearing,” I said to distance
myself from where I thought this could end up.

“Ok, ok,” Shawn said as he now stood. “I just thought that after the last time we talked, you wouldn't have
minded and it's nice talking to you,” he added. “You're the only one we could talk about this stuff too,” he said. I
wasn't sure if he was trying to make me feel guilty or not, but I worked all the same.

“Fine,” I said after a minute. I took a seat and looked at their shoes as I waited for them to sit also. Candice sat
on Shawn again, and there was a small pause as I looked in their direction. I think they were trying to figure out
how to tell me what they wanted to say. Until my little request, they were just going to talk. Now they had to
try to choose their words.

“Ahmm,” Shawn tried to start. “Well,” he tried again. “You stopped us just as we going to say that Candice got
DP'ed, and we all felt something and it was good. Then when that was done Candice was resting and Matt was
about to kiss me and I was going to let him, just to see if I felt anything,” he explained.

“But there was an interruption,” Candice now said. “It seems that his friend, co-worker or whatever you want to
call him, just saw on the news that the snow falling outside was actually a storm and that everyone was
instructed not to drive until they were told it was safe to do so again. They were shutting down the highways
and most of the major roads to make sure no one was driving around during the storm. But then I'm sure you
know that part. So we were stuck there. For three days and our phones died that night.”

“You were at the House for three days?” I asked him. They nodded their heads. “In Matt's room?” They nodded
their heads again. “And I take it you had sex for most of that time,” I said more than asked. They nodded their
heads again. Candice smiled and giggled while Shawn just blushed a little. “Wow,” I said before covering my
mouth again. They both nodded as they smiled at me.

“You had sex with him too?” I now demanded to know of Shawn.

“You want those details?” he asked before answering me. I slowly nodded my head. I hoped that it came off as
being slightly on the profound, dignified side. I just know that it was slower than I would have liked. Candice
smiled at both of us while Shawn scratched his head. “Well the short answer is kinda,” he said at first. “The
longer answer is that we made out, a lot, but there was on intercourse, even though he sucked my dick a few
times,” was his better explanation. I hung my head as I tried not to think about it, as I thought about it.

“Ok,” I started, to make this seem less like a 'Real Sex Six' and more like a candid conversion between friends.
“So after all this, what did you learn?” I asked as I looked up at him. “Are you ok with a guy being part of your
sex life, as in less jumpy about it, or did you just get over it while you were with Matt?” I asked him. Nope. Still
in 'Real Sex Six'. I told myself as I waited for his answer. The only things missing were the lights and cameras
aimed at them for this interview.

“I think, that I'm not as 'straight as an arrow' like I thought, and that it's ok,” Shawn ended with a small smile.

Still not a news flash, but it looked like news he was now more willing to accept.

------
------
------

“What did you mean by 'if I wanted to be with someone else'?” I asked Luke as I watched him shake something
into the bowl of hot popcorn.

“I understand that it would be a big change for you to go from being with so many different people to just one
man, so if you ever felt a need to shake things up, I wouldn't hold it against you,” he said without missing a
beat. I almost hated him for it.

“And now?” I asked to see if his option of me was different.

“Now?” Luke asked as he paused to look at me for a minute. I stood up a little straighter for some reason as I
held my bowl on the counter in front of me.

“I'm not that sure,” he said before turning back to what he was doing. Luke added a little bit more before
tossing the contents of the bowl a few times. He stopped to taste it before turning to walk in my direction. He
walked right by me as he headed for the living room.

“What are you not sure about about?” I asked as I followed him. We ditched the show that popped up after
what we were watching finished and browsed through Netflix until we found the last Batman movie. So it was
up on the screen, waiting for us to hit play as we entered the room. When Luke sat down, he placed his bowl on
the coffee table instead of picking up the remote.
“Do you remember telling me of your life before the House?” he asked as he turned to look at me.

“Yes,” I answered. I told everyone about my life before the House. It wasn't a sob story.

“You changed partners back then, almost as quickly as you get clients at the House,” Luke informed me.

“That's not true,” I interjected. “The way you say it, makes it sound like they were boyfriends,” I told him. “I had
a number of hook ups before joining the House,” I cleared up for him. “I hadn't found anyone worth settling for,
and at the time I wasn't looking for such a thing,” I ended. I sat back and looked at the image of the Dark Knight
and ate some of my popcorn.

“So you think that you are ready to settle for me?” Luke asked sounding happier than I felt over his use of the
word “settle”.

“I'm hardly settling,” I said to make him, but mostly me, feel better. “You are a rich, cute, and funny lawyer,” I
explained.

“Not handsome?” he asked with a toothy grin.

“Who knows how to make good popcorn,” I said as I continued to eat and watch the screen. I heard Luke laugh
as I saw his hands reach for both his bowl and the remote. Finally, the movie was starting.

“How about we go out for dinner?” Luke asked me.

“We're eating popcorn,” I told him.

“With a walk before dinner. We could walk the length of the river and back before going to eat,” Luke
suggested. Someone on the screen started to speak, and I moved a little closer to him.

“Ok,” I softly agreed so he would also hear what was going on in the movie.
 ==========

Chapter 29 - Time to Eat, Or not

==========

I dropped Alfred's bag somewhere close to the kitchen before I pulled him against me.

“Ah!” I exclaimed as the wind was pushed out of my lungs. I fell back against a wall with Al on top of me. I
sucked in a breath before I latched my lips onto his. I wanted to hold onto him. I wanted to feel the length of his
body as it pressed into mine. But at the same time, my hands were busy stripping him of everything he wore. I
worked my way inward from his coat to his jacket but ran into a problem when I tried to ditch the shirt. I ended
up fumbling with his pants to get the ends of this shirt free.

When I felt his pants hit my foot, I stepped on them to help him take them off. His hands continued to roam my
back and hold my ass as he pulled me to him even as I tried to add some distance to get him as close to
undressed as I already was.

I had gotten home not that long ago, and I was still buzzing from Shawn and Candice's story. Even though I had
them stop telling me all the details, it didn't prevent my mind from filling in the blanks. Granted, in my version,
Candice was nowhere to be seen, and I was the one sitting in the chair watching Matt and Shawn on the bed.
My mind was running in overdrive with what they did, could have done, and what my mind could think up for
them to do. There were two spotlights, with the rest of the room being dark. One was on me, and the other lit
up the bed and the two men on it. To my credit, it at least looked like a normal bed. I was very grateful for the
fact that it was cold enough for me to have to wear my long coat out today. I didn't want anyone sitting or
standing next to me on the bus thinking I was some kind of pervert from seeing the hard-on I knew I was
sporting on the bus ride home.

That might also explain why I felt like I was burning up and couldn't wait to get undressed when I got home. I
had already ditched my coat, scarf, and shirt, and was working on my jeans when I realized what I was doing.
Images started to flash through my mind, and with a plan thought out, I fully undressed. I was butt naked as I
searched the apartment for the shorts that Alfred had gotten me. Soon I was standing in front of the mirror
assessing how I looked in them. I looked the same as I did when Alfred got them for me a few weeks back. Do I
need a hair cut? I asked myself as I raised a hand to touch some hair that moved across my left eye. I then
waited for Al to get home. That shouldn't have taken long, and it didn't.

Now Al's hands were in the back of my shorts as he pushed them down and grabbed my ass at the same time.
He was also trying to keep us glued to each other as he ground our crotches together. I moaned with him as we
continued to kiss.

“Step out of your pants,” I managed to gasp before we were lip locked again. Once Al understood, he tried and
succeeded in this task. I knew what needed to be done next and pulled my lips away from Al's before dropping
to my knees. I now had the wall at my back and Alfred looming over me. I wasted little to no time pulling down
his boxers.

Before I had them covering his socks, he was already lifting a foot to step out of it. I didn't know or care when
he got rid of his shoes. As soon as one leg was clear I slid my hands up his calves, to his thighs, and forward to
his crotch where I held his cock as I licked and nibbled at it with my lips before sucking it into my mouth and
slowly swallowing all of it. I went slow to keep my gag reflex from kicking in so I could go faster later, but Al
became impatient, and soon he set his own pace. His legs were on either side of my body as he leaned into the
wall. He pushed himself all the way in, and my head moved back until I was against the wall, where I stayed. I
breathed through each thrust allowing him to easily deep throat me over and over again.

I liked it when Al was all the way in, and I smelt his skin. It made me believe that it was the best smell in the
world, and I wanted more. I felt pressure from my cock straining against what was holding it down. I reached
down with one hand to pull out what was left in my pants and tugged on it as Al continued to fuck my face. My
mind swam when I felt his fingers slide into my hair and pulled my head away from the wall a little.

I moaned onto his cock, and I heard him moan in return. Happiness bloomed inside of me, right next to my lust,
and I moaned again to hear his voice. Al didn't disappoint. Soon we weren't waiting for the other as we
moaned, and he gasped, and I moaned longer. My hand stopped tugging and grasped my cock into full jerks
now. I didn't know how much longer we lasted like that before Al pulled himself free of me. I coughed a little as
I tried to understand what he was going to do now. A moment later Al's green eyes were even with my own as
he knelt to my level. He was a little sweaty and breathing just as hard as I was. His hand moved over my face
and into my hair a few times before his fist tightened in my strands, and he pulled me forward for a kiss that
soon had him on his back with me straddling his waist.

Once he started to hump up against my butt, I stood and pulled the little short shorts down my legs and threw
them somewhere before lowering myself over him again as I reached for his dick. I didn't get him in right away,
and it took longer than I wanted, but once his head popped past my ring, I just sank my lubed ass down until I
felt skin with my ass cheeks. My eyes were closed on the way down, but I felt his hands on my legs and smiled.

I moved my legs so I was crouching instead of kneeling, and I got another inch or so to push in deeper. I held my
knees as I opened my eyes and looked down at Al. I breathed deeply as I saw him looking back at me. He was
always looking at me. He was probably thinking about something like this most of the time. I licked my dry lips. I
stared at him as I continued to wait for something. Then I felt his hands as he gripped my ankles. My mind felt
like something had clicked, and I knew this was it.

I was slow in moving to see how far I could go before his cock threatened to pop out and to find a rhythm. Then
I was moaning with every swift fall. My hands moved from my knees to Al's waist. My mind swam with images,
my nipples puckered and hurt me on their own. Matt, as I saw him in my head. Shawn, naked and sprawled on
a bed. The two of them laying there as Shawn pushed his cock into Matt's mouth again and again. Al, looking at
me. Al, naked and wet in the shower. Al, kissing me before leaving for work. Al, kissing me against the wall as his
hand jerks me off inside my jeans.

“Al,” I moaned.

“Al!” I shouted. My fingertips dig in. I bent my fingers and pressed with my knuckles instead.

“Ah,” he answered.

“Fuck yes,” I moaned loudly as my knees hit the carpet as I knelt over him again. I didn't stop. I didn't want to
stop.

“Yes, yes,” I heard Alfred say as his hands gripped onto me as they moved up to my thighs.

“Aha, Ha!” I exclaimed as the pooling in my gut started to hurt.

“Yes. Keep going,” Al said. “Keep going David.”

“I'm coming,” I uttered as I realized that it was happening. I leaned down over his body as I started to go faster.
There wasn't a plan, my body just did it. My hands were pressing down on his shoulders now. His hands were
still on my thighs. He was pulling me back onto him as I pushed myself off. Our bodies met in hard slaps that
sounded wet and smelt hot.

“Ha, Ha, Ha,” Al moaned with every flesh stinging sound. His hips were meeting me halfway now. My ass tingled
inside and out. I flexed my fingers in the light hair covering his chest, as I marveled at the burn of my balls, that I
rubbed against his stomach before I came. My balls jerked up to my body, my ass clamped down on his cock,
my dick tingled and fired cum over both our bodies. I was aware that I was moving, but I also knew that I had
stopped as well. Al was riding me now, and with each new thrust, he milked more cum out of me. Once I had
gone dry, and my balls had nothing left, it was starting to hurt, but I still liked it. I didn't want him to stop yet.

I opened my eyes to look at him and held his gaze when I sat back up to give my aching balls a small measure of
relief. I half-closed my eyes as my cock started to strain. This made Al go faster. My balls started to hurt again as
he assaulted my prostate. I didn't have anything left, and it was telling me to expel more. My cock and balls
tried, and as I started to cry out in pain as Alfred came. He held me down and still over his jerking and pulsing
cock. I smiled with relief before slowly collapsing forward until our noses touched. We were breathing
laboriously into the other's mouth as we tried to take in air. I tiredly pressed my lips to his in some odd need
that I felt to kiss him. I think I felt his lips pucker in return, but he didn't move to make the kiss any deeper.

“Welcome home,” I finally managed to say.

“Damn, it's good to be home,” Alfred said with a laugh a moment or two later. I knew that he was smiling, but I
couldn't move as my skin still pricked from my orgasm.

------
------
------

“How long is this walkway?” I asked Luke.

“Well they extended the whole thing to a mile and a half this year,” he informed me. “But if we get to the end
you will see that they have already started working on extend it for about another half a mile I think.”

“Are we walking the whole thing?” I asked him as we passed another block that was across the street from us.

“No, we can turn back when you're ready,” Luke said with a look on his face.

“I don't mind the walk,” I told him in my defense. “I just don't like the cold,” I explained.

“Then why don't you go away?” he asked. “At least for the winter,” he added.

“For a second there I thought you were trying to get rid of me,” I said as I admitted my first impression of what
he said. “Over the years I've had a number of reasons for staying here,” I answered once Luke didn't reply but
instead put his arm through mine.

“Ok,” Luke started as he thought about something. “You've been here for like six years,” he said.

“Eight years,” I corrected him. “I've been working at the house for six years.”
“Eight years?” Luke asked me to make sure he understood. I just nodded my head as we continued to walk.
There was one long row of benches looking out at the river on our right. Each seat was separated from the next
one by either a bush, a trash can that was dome covered, a straight street lamp that looked kinda fancy, or a
combination of the three.

“I moved here to go to college,” I answered after another couple walked past us. She had both her arms around
his waist, but still managed to walk in a straight line with his hand on her waist.

“Where did you move from?” was Luke's next question.

“Kansas,” I admitted.

“You know it's colder up here right?” Luke asked before he stopped and steered me over to the railing to look at
a brightly lit boat that was floating by.

“I know, but it fit this list that I was using to help me choose places to apply to,” I told him. We both leaned
forward and rested our arms on the railing as we just watched the people on the boat looking back at us and
the area where we were standing.

“How many schools did you apply to?” Luke asked as the world seemed a little darker as the boat continued on
its way.

“Twelve or so,” I told him as I tried to remember. “I didn't send them all out at the same time, so I might have
sent out more than twelve,” I admitted as I stood up and rubbed my sleeves where the cold had started to
enter my arms. As Luke leaned away from the railing, the street light closest to us flickered twice before going
black.

“Great. Dark and cold,” I said to no one in particular.

“Come here,” Luke said as he turned in my direction and pulled me against him. I could have pulled away, but I
didn't want to. It oddly felt safe and kinda nice.

“Do you want to keep walking?” he asked me a moment later. I turned my head in the direction where we
would walk before flipping my head around to look back the way we came.

“We can walk some more,” I told him after I recognized his smell on the coat. Luke didn't try to move, and I
didn't start walking until I realize that I was standing there only to smell him.
 ==========

Chapter 30 - Now We Eat

==========

“You have to sign the receipt first,” the guy said from the other side of the door.

“Then slide it under the door,” I told him as Alfred kissed the back of my neck and started to move over to my
spine. A second later, I saw the receipt poke its way into the kitchen under the front door.

“Here,” Al told me as I felt him pushing something into my hand. I looked down and saw that it was the
magnetic pen from on the fridge. Al started to work his way down my back. He licked every inch of skin along
the way, down over my spine.

“Sir?” I heard from the other side of the door and felt myself rolling my eyes back out of my head before
stooping down to get the paper. I stayed down there and quickly signed it before pushing it back out and
dropping the pen.

“Thank you,” I said to the door before turning around and kissing Al again. He lifted one of my legs, and we
rocked back and forth to have his cock sliding undermine. I moaned when I felt his helmet slide repeatedly
between the base of my cock and my balls. I'm sure I was still standing.

“Al,” I breathed as I started to remember something.

“Yes,” he moaned more than answered.

“Ah!” I sighed loudly as he thrust forward a bit harder this time and compressed my cock between the two of us
forcefully, sending new tingles of pleasure into my body. “Ohhh,” I whined as the feeling came out of my fingers
that I had in Alfred's hair. I suddenly felt a strong need to be in a bed. I wanted to do and feel all this, without
trying to keep standing. Why were we standing here? Someone was at the door. I felt Al's fingers sliding down
my crack. Who was at the door? A guy, I think. His fingers went through my puckered opening, and I felt him
pushing past each joint of two fingers.

“Aahh,” I moaned as I grabbed his hair tighter. Al continued to suck at any patch of skin he wanted between my
mouth and the top of my pecks. I started to press down and rub harder on his cock as he began to finger fuck
my ass. “Ooh,” his fingers felt great. I opened my eyes as I reached down with one hand and held his dick with
mine to my body. I pushed at it from both directions as I looked at him. I heard his breathing hitch before I saw
him raise his eyes to meet mine. Then my lips were crushed as the back of my head hit the door. We both went
faster. Harder. Got closer. More. All. Yes. Him. Me.

“OH FUCK!”

------
------
------

“I would suggest this one. It's a nice crisp white that will go well with what you ordered,” the waitress said in
answer to Luke's question.
“Very well then,” he agreed.

“Your order should be ready in about twenty minutes,” she told us as she collected the menus.

“Have you been back since I brought you here last?” Luke asked as he leaned back in his chair and watched me.

“No,” I honestly told him as I glanced around the restaurant. It was the middle of the week, so it wasn't as busy
as I'm sure it could have been. In fact, the place was half empty. I reached for my glass of water and took a sip. I
sat there looking at him as he picked at his sleeve, looked around at odd movements that caught his attention,
and at me. He seemed comfortable with the silence between us, but I wasn't sure. It seemed odd not to be
saying anything as we waited.

“Emma was pleased, but upset at the same time,” Luke started.

“Over what?” I asked him.

“That we were getting married,” he informed me. I did this head shake and shoulder shrug movement combo
that honestly conveyed my confusion over what he said.

“Pleased that I was “getting on with my life” as she put it,” Luke started. “I'm not sure what she thinks I've been
doing until now,” he said with a smile. “But she was upset with me for not introducing the two of you before.
She will be home for the Christmas, New Year's holiday. So I have a favor to ask you,” he told me. Just when I
was feeling comfortable. I was leaning back into the chair until then. Now I leaned forward as I placed my arms
on the table.

“Which would be?” I helped him along.

“Would you be able, and or willing, to live with me during Emma's stay?” Luke asked.

“Sorry for the wait,” the waitress said as she walked up to our table and started to unload the food that she had
on the tray. I looked in her direction and saw a male waiter walk up behind her and then around us to the other
side of the table to set up the wine, that she had suggested, complete with an ice bucket and it's stand.

He poured us both a glassful before putting it in the bucket and walking away. I had speared them each a
decent amount of my attention, but as soon as they left my 'personal' space, Luke was once again where my
eyes settled.

“Did you tell her that we were living together?” I asked him since I didn't see a reason to move in.

“No,” he answered before he picked up something from his plate and put it in his mouth.

“Then why do you want me to move in for a week or what have you?” I asked him as I reached for my glass of
wine.

“Because she heard you in the shower and jumped to the conclusion that we were living together and I was too
happy with the idea to correct her before she hung up,” Luke admitted.

“So that was a fishing question,” I informed both of us. “Sorry Luke,” I told him as I reached for my utensils. “You
will have to tell your princess 'no',” I told him before aiming my fork at the cheese-covered shrimp. “Besides,” I
started again. “I have to work,” I informed him. “How would you explain to her why I was working at night and
not wearing some blue collar jump suit?” I asked before starting to swirl some pasta on my fork.

“You are working during the Christmas holidays?” Luke asked me instead.

“Yes,” was my short answer.

“Why?” became his counter. He held his silverware as he started to cut into his steak. “Everyone has their
family that they would want to spend time with. The guys at the house as well as your clients, I would think,”
Luke offered up.

“It's one of our best times of the year,” I said. “We are gay men. Some of our families want nothing to do with
us or we are just alone and don't want to be during that time of the year. So we have parties with odd themes
to keep sprites high and wallets loose,” I explained to Luke as I brought a mixture of shrimp, cheese, and pasta
to my mouth. I watched him nod before turning his attention to the food on his plate and taking his first bite of
steak.

------
------
------

I felt Alfred's stomach rumble before we both heard mine grumble out loud. I smiled as Al laughed, and I
pushed myself off of him and turned towards the door. I reached for one of my lighter coats and held it to my
waist to keep me somewhat decent if anyone happened to see me, as I now opened the front door of the
apartment. I didn't have to open it too wide to reach out for the bag of food to pull it into our apartment. If the
light wasn't on behind me, I knew that I could have passed for some kind of anthropophobic shut-in.

I still felt some heat coming from the food, and there were water droplets on the inside of the plastic bag, and
the inner paper bag was half soaked because of it.

“I think we should wash up first,” Alfred said from his now standing position. I looked in his direction to see him
bending to pick up his pants that weren't where I was expecting them to be. I walked the short distance into the
kitchen and placed the bag on the counter.

“Ok,” I answered when I felt things starting to run down and stick to me. I was tempted to lean on him as we
walked down the short hallway, but I made it through the bedroom and into the shower under my own power.
About halfway through my bath, I was feeling less tired and achy and more hungry. I was the first to leave and
arrived in the kitchen with a towel around my waist ahead of Al. Everything was still surprisingly warm as I
unloaded the bag and made sure that nothing had spilt. I then took bowls and forks and glasses to the table
and laid them out before bringing the food over. I wasn't sure what it was exactly, but it smelled familiar and
delicious. When I made the order, I didn't really make one. I had pulled away from Al just long to find one of the
take-outs that I kept around since they had some healthy food options. I grabbed the first one and had
confirmed our number and address before I felt Alfred's hands and mouth on me again. I couldn't order
through the blow job he was giving me, so I told them to send what we had requested last time and hung up
before they realized why I was so out of breath.

I left the lids on before turning around and walking back into the kitchen to find something to drink. I was bent
over with my head in the fridge as I tried to decide if I should open a new bottle or finish the one that was
already open when I felt Al behind me. He pulled the towel from around my waist, but I thought it was falling
when I reached out and caught it. This caused us to have a very short-lived game of tug of war, which I easily
lost. I actually let it go when I fully realized what was going on and reached for the already opened container
that held an apple and grape juice bend before I stood up and closed the fridge door.

“Looks good,” Alfred said. His voice came from the dining room. He was already seated and was in the middle of
taking off the lids as I walked towards him. As I approached the table, I saw that he had laid my towel over the
seat of my chair. I poured us both a glass before sitting and joining Alfred in eating our late dinner. Our spread
consisted of brown and white rice. Garlic chicken. Sesame seed Asian vegetables. Fried plantains and two
servings of miso soup. The Jade Garden cooked a good looking spread.

We ate in silence, but that was because we ate quickly. We were both famished. We both hadn't eaten anything
in a while, and fucking twice before didn't help our situation. We ate everything. Surprising, even the miso
soup. It was a nice palate cleanser for our meal. When there was nothing left to eat, we just sat there for a
moment. As the moment got longer, I started to feel tired from everything I had done that day. I didn't want to,
but I had to clear the table. I sat up reluctantly and reached for the empty containers.

“It can wait,” Alfred said as he spoke for the first time since we sat down. I didn't think to argue and leaned back
into my chair. “So what brought this on?” he asked a minute or two later. I looked at him across a table of dirty
dishes, half-empty glasses, and completely empty foil containers. I kinda shrugged as I thought of how to
answer this. For some reason saying the pure truth didn't seem right. I started to laugh as something came to
mind.

“Young male libido?” I asked, instead of confirmed, with a smile still covering most of my face. A smile appeared
on Al's face also as he leaned forward in his chair and rested his arms on the table.

“Ok, but what kicked it into high gear tonight?” he now asked. “You weren't this... excited when I left for work
this morning. If you were, I might have called in sick,” Al commented with an interesting smile on his face.

“My friends were just telling me stuff and it got me thinking,” I said before reaching for the containers again.
This time he didn't stop me as I started to clear the table.

“Your friends that we are going to the movies with?” he asked me.

“Yeah. Candice and Shawn,” I told him. “Oh, we have a list of movies to pick from,” I told him as I now stood
with stacked plates and containers in hand.

“Oh, what at they?” Al asked from his seat. As I walked past him, I felt his eyes on my ass as I tried to remember
the list we had agreed on.

“One was Dredd,” I started before I got into the kitchen. “And there is the new Batman movie, The Hobbit,
Flight, and think there was one more,” I attempted to remember as I put everything down and picked up the
containers to toss down the shoot. I stood there for a moment as I tried to recall what it was. I looked up when I
saw a faint shadow pass over the counter in front of me. I watched as Al placed the two glasses, that I left on
the table, on the high part of the counter.

“I can't remember any others,” I told him when I couldn't think of anything else.

“Which do you want to see?” Al asked as he continued to stand on 'his side'.

“All of them actually,” I admitted. “We are fine with any of them, you have the final say in which we see,” I
informed him.
“Such power,” Al said mockingly.

“Well it's your first time going to the movies... in how long?” I stopped to ask him as I rinsed the second plate
off.

“Real movie seats with the smell of butter popcorn heavy in the air?” he asked more to himself, by the sound of
his voice, as I now washed the forks and one knife. “At least fifteen years I think and even then, it had been a
while since the last time,” Al recollected. “I didn't go out much after I finished high school,” he admitted. “I was
either busy with work or studying for classes, then work took over once I was out of college,” he confessed.

“Ok,” I answered as that sunk in. I knew that he didn't go out much, but I didn't expect that big of a gap. “Have
you heard of any of these before?” I asked as I now rinsed the last glass and put it to drain with the others.

“Well J.R.R. Tolkien was required reading in college, so I remember something from the books. I may still have
my copies in the office I think,” Alfred said as he turned to look down the hall briefly. “As for the others,” he
paused. “The only thing that sounds slightly familiar, other than Batman, is Dredd. But I don't know if it's the
one I'm remembering,” he told me.

“Well it was, or is, a comic. But I've never seen it. I did see the first movie version years ago when Stallone
played Judge Dredd,” I said as I finished wiping up. “I liked it back then and this looks like a good remake,” I said
as I started to leave the kitchen.

“So it is Judge Dredd,” he confirmed with himself as he stood with his towel still wrapped around his waist while
my towel over his shoulder. Al extended his hand out in front of him and towards the hall. He wanted me to
walk ahead of him. With a feeling of great pride, I walked my naked ass down the lit hallway for him to have a
look. I thought about stopping at the door to the bedroom, but I walked right in instead.
 ==========

Chapter 31 - At The Movies

==========

“This will be your only warning Edward,” Luke started. I looked over at him as he pulled into a parking space. I
told Luke to warn me before he displayed any public gestures of affection, but sometimes I think he takes it too
literal at times, but I also know he's doing it on purpose. “You will find me holding your hand at one point
during this movie,” he informed me.

“It's an action movie,” I insisted as I started to zip up my coat. “You don't have a reason to hold my hand,” I said.

“How about, we are on a date,” he told me. It sounded more like a reminder, but the look I gave him said that
he was just being silly. Never the less, I reached over and held the front of his jacket to pull him closer for a kiss.

“That should keep your blood warm until we get inside,” I told him as I pulled away about three minutes later.

“In deed,” Luke agreed with a smile before we stepped out of the car and started our three-block walk to the
movie theater. Snow was lightly falling around us with just a little bit of breeze to have it swirl around our feet
every so often. It looked like it was already Christmas. The stores and streets had their decorations up and lit,
and the snow falling did nothing but help with that feeling. The only thing missing were the Christmas songs
coming out of the street speakers they put up every year just for that purpose.

I glanced at Luke and saw that he was concentrating on trying to avoid ice patches with both his hands in his
pockets. At least I didn't have to worry about him trying to hold my hand as we walked there, but I'm sure that
at some point, he will find a way to hold my hand in the dark movie theater. I felt a bit more resigned to it than
happy that it was going to happen.

There weren't many people milling about outside where Luke had to get the tickets, so we weren't standing out
there for more than a few minutes before entering the warm building. As we passed through the doors, we saw
that this was where all the people were. They were almost packed in back to the doors.

“Do you still want popcorn?” Luke almost shouted for me to hear him as we looked at the mass of bodies.

“Do you think the other level is this bad?” I asked as I still held out hope for getting my favorite snack.

“Only one way to find out,” he replied. We both turned toward the ticket taker and slowly pushed our way in his
direction. I'm sure that there must have been a line, but we couldn't tell and weren't stopped when Luke
presented our tickets. My lungs seemed to expand to twice their size, and I remembered how to breathe as we
crossed over to the other side, where there were far fewer people around us. I barely heard the ticket taker say
that our theater was number three and on the second floor, but we were going to the fourth floor to hopefully
get some popcorn.

We got on the escalator with Luke standing in front of me. I saw the back of his head and his hair, which he had
cut just a few days, didn't touch his collar at all. The movie house was narrow and long, so the escalator wasn't
that steep but long, as it made its way up to the second floor. Once we got off, we turned with the crowd and
stood on a second one that took us to the third floor. There we parted company with most of the riders. We
went up again for a third time on the metal moving stairs side by side, and this time there was a view. There,
hanging in front of us, was a gigantic Batman poster banner covering all the windows on that side of the
building. He looked sad and determined at the same time, with the tops of buildings behind him forming the
simplified shape of his bat.

“I can see if I can get it for you,” Luke whispered to me as I felt his breath on my face.

“And do what with it?” I asked him. It wasn't that I wouldn't love to have it. Come on, it was Batman, but I
already went through this and knew it wasn't that sane of an idea. The Sucker Punch banner poster that I
scored in a game of strip poker hasn't seen the light of day since I won her. It was Henry's fault for upping the
anti just because I still had on most of my clothes.

“Well I think it's cool,” Luke said as he straightened up and looked at it himself.

“But you aren't really thinking of owning it are you?” I asked him as the escalator got closer to the fourth floor.

“I rather buy the movie,” he answered as we got off. We headed towards the concession counter that was
elbow deep in humanity. It wasn't a ghost town either, but it was far less crowded than the one on the first
floor. There were three lines that were well defined, and only about six people long on average. We took our
place at the end of one, as we continued to look at the menu. At least the part of it that we could see from
where we were standing. We had mostly decided on what we were going to get before we got to the front of
the queue.

“Good evening,” the girl said to us as we stepped up to the counter. “What would you like?” she asked right
afterwards.

“I'll like a medium popcorn, with no butter and,” I looked up at the wall to see the popcorn list. “Can I get some
of that southern seasoning on it along with a medium lemonade?” I asked and told her.

“Yes Sir,” was her answer before we both turned to look at Luke.

“You have turtle popcorn?” was the first thing he asked as he turned from the board that hung on the wall
behind the lady to look in her face. “Really?” Luke asked to confirm, as he now looked around for what he was
asking for.

“Yes Sir. We have some in the back,” she answered him.

“Then I'll have a large bag and a water,” he requested with a wide smile on his face as he reached for his wallet.
Luke did like his chocolate and nuts combo. I smiled to myself as we waited for the attendant to come back with
our food.

------
------
------

“Is it too late for me to back out?” Alfred asked me as he parked the car on the street, a block from the movie
house. I turned to look at him, and he looked at me with something in his eyes telling me that he meant it.
“How is this going to look?” he asked me.

“Would it appear any less 'weird' if you went with just me?” I asked him. He looked at me as he thought about
it.
“No,” he reluctantly answered. “Not that much better, but it wouldn't be any worst than it has been when we
went out for dinner,” he hedged.

“Al,” I started. “You are just thinking the worst. It might be a little odd, but it's not so out of place to have an
older member in a group of people doing anything,” I told him. He turned to look out the windshield as he
thought about it.

“And if anyone asks?” he inquired while still looking outside.

“No one is going to ask,” I told him. He nodded his head after a moment and moved to get out of the car.
Within a few minutes, we arrived at the movies, I bought our tickets along with Shawn's and Candice's and
were now walking inside. The heat hit me at the same time as the sound of that many people in such a small
space did. My eyes took a little longer to understand what they were seeing. As I began to wonder how to find
out where Shawn and Candice were, never mind if they were there at all, I felt someone grab ahold of my arm. I
knew it wasn't Al for a few reasons. One, he wasn't that scared of being there, and two he was standing on the
other side of my body.

I turned to see Candice hanging off me with Shawn right behind her. He was walking away from two stools that
had been tucked away in a corner of the room. I smiled at them and handed them their tickets before I lead
everyone towards the ticket check guy to get in. Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one.

“The Dark Knight Rises will begin playing in theaters two and five in ten minutes,” came over the speakers. Then
the mob became a surge of people, and we all got separated, except for Candice and myself since she was still
holding on to my arm. I turned around and made my way back to the concession counter and waved until I
caught Al's and Shawn's attention. I wasn't the only one to think of avoiding that mess, and the four of us, along
with about ten other people, at least, stood back or got something to eat until it was safe to step forward.

“So this is Alfred?” Candice asked as we stood there.

“Oh yeah,” I said as she detached herself from my arm. “Al, this is Candice,” I said as I introduced them.

“Nice to finally meet you,” she told him as they shook hands.

“And this is Shawn,” I said as Shawn, who was still standing next to him, turned in his direction to shake his hand
also. For a split second, I thought that Shawn was checking Al out. Then I realized that he was more likely trying
to figure out a few things about him.

“Hello Sir,” he greeted Alfred, then turned to look at me as if he might have said something wrong when Al
didn't reach for his extended hand right away.

“You can call me Alfred,” Al told him as the handshake ended.

“Ok,” Shawn answered sounding somewhat apologetic.

“So are we getting anything while we wait?” Candice asked as she nodded toward the person standing behind
the concession.

“Sure, why not,” Al spoke up as he moved forward. “I'll have a medium popcorn and an apple juice,” he told the
boy who was standing back there in a striped shirt and khakis.
“I'll have a large popcorn with a coke,” Shawn quickly spoke up before the guy turned away. They both shared
an odd smile over their mutual liking of popcorn before they looked at Candice and me to help fill the gap that
had opened up.

“I didn't know you liked popcorn,” I said to Al as we waited. I watched him shrug his shoulders.

“I thought one ate popcorn at the movies,” he said. I then realized that I should have known that was the
reason behind his order. “I do like it I guess, I just don't eat it that often,” turned out to be Al's full answer. A
minute later, the guy came back with the popcorn and drinks and punched it up on his cash register before
turning his attention to the other half of the group.

“Is that all?” he asked.

“No,” I answered him. “I'll have some Twizzlers and a lemonade,” I said before turning to Candice.

“I'll have a water and,” she paused as she looked through the glass at the shelves below our hands. “Some
Reese's Pieces,” she finished with a smile in his direction. He smiled at her before reaching down below and
picking out the two bags of candy.

“Do you want a fountain lemonade or a bottled one?” he asked me before turning to get the drinks. I stopped
myself from telling him that I wanted 'real' lemonade as he waited for my answer. “Bottled,” I told him instead.

“Be right back,” the guy said again. I knew those words were meant for Candice. When he left, I turned to look
at Shawn and saw that he was in a low-toned conversation with Al. Well, they are getting along.

“Here you go,” the guy said as he reappeared. “And that will be it?” he asked again to make sure as he added
the new stuff to the tally.

“Yeah,” Al said as he produced his card. I thought that I was going to pay for it, so I felt a little off for a moment
as he settled the bill.

“The Dark Knight Rises will begin playing in theaters two and five in five minutes,” the lady said over the PA
system this time. We now all moved to get in line, and we turned out not to be the last ones since more people
were still arriving.

------
------
------

Despite wanting to sit in the middle and finding those seats already taken, Luke and I ended up on the left side
of the room, near the back. As I was starting to feel packed in with people taking up seats in front and behind of
us, I was grateful that we had stopped to use the bathroom before coming inside to take our seats. I didn't like
people who got up during a movie, and I hated to be one of them.

The lights started to dim, and I took a sip of my very cold drink as the first trailer began to roll. My other hand
was free, and Luke took that moment to hold it. I didn't protest and thought that it wasn't worth a fight. Four
trailers in, and we were still holding hands. We both felt jerks, squeezes, and laughter from the other person
through this connection, and I found myself not disliking it as much anymore.
There were people still streaming in looking for seats as the trailers continued. I enjoyed the crunchy, slightly
salty, slightly peppery snack before looked back up at the screen. Will Smith was coming out with a new movie
along with another black but very young actor. He looked a little familiar, but I didn't know who it was until they
showed his name. It was his son. In real life, and in the movie also.

The room got even darker, signaling the real start of the movie. Four more people walked in and moved up and
down the aisles looking for a place to sit. At first, I thought they were just two couples until they started to
wave and talk to each other. The movie was still keying up, so no one was making a fuss with them. Yet.

------
------
------

I should have thought about this, I told myself as I walked into our theater and saw a sea of people. How are we
going to find seats together now? I wondered.

“We'll go look on that side,” Candice whispered into my ear before she grabbed Al and walked across the back
of the room and then down the other aisle looking for a set of four chairs. I'm sure that they weren't going to
find any.

“Well come on,” Shawn said as he plucked at my coat to get me moving before he then moved down to the
front of the room to search on his own. The light dimmed even more, and I was looking in the dark until some
image came up on the screen that allowed me to see, not that it helped that much. All I saw were single seats. I
got about half-way down the aisle before I turned back to do a quick check when I realized something about
how two couples were sitting.

“Excuse me,” I said as I neared the first couple. An older lady looked at me before a man of equal age looked in
my direction. “I was wondering if you would mind moving down two seats?” I asked them as I pointed to the
two seats next to them. She looked at the guy on her left, and he just got up and moved down. I then went to
the row behind and asked two ladies if they would mind moving down one seat to make two seats free on the
end instead of one. They said sure and moved down as I stood up and waved everyone over. I thanked both
couples as I waited for everyone to reach me. The actual movie had started to play, and we sat down just as the
first line was being spoken.

Candice didn't let go of Alfred's arm, so they sat down behind Shawn and I as we sat next to the older couple. I
thanked them again as we took our seats and settled in for what was advertised as the best movie of the year. I
heard Al and Candice from time to time, and I felt like he was enjoying himself, so I didn't mind when Shawn
asked me stuff about the movie we were both watching. At times I didn't answer, because those were clearly
rhetorical.

We groaned and cheered with the audience at the defeats and accomplishments of our hero. We heard one
person giving fighting advice, which I smiled at knowing it was just talk. As the movie neared its ending, there
was a deep, mournful groan, and I couldn't believe that they were going to end it that way. I swear the lady
next to me sniffled, but it wasn't over. There was still more movie to be seen, and I watched intently as I waited
to see how they would fix this. They had to fix this, and there it was. In the last scene. People started to clap,
then stopped as we realized that it wasn't the last bit after all. The few people that stood up to leave sat back
down again, and we watched something. We watched history being changed. Then the screen went black, and
there was clapping from wall to wall.
 ==========

Chapter 32 - After The Movies

==========

I felt a little reluctant to take my hand out of his, but as the lights came back on, it was a reflex that I didn't
interrupt. I reached into my coat pocket and checked my phone. No missed calls or texts, but it did tell me that
it was almost eleven pm. We had been sitting in the dark for almost three hours.

“That was a long movie,” I said out loud.

“Really?” Luke asked. “It didn't seem that long,” he added on as he started to stand. I looked up at him as he
stretched.

“It was almost three hours long,” I explained as I watched him extend his arms up over his head.

“That would explain why I'm feeling a little tired,” Luke confessed. He then turned to look down at me. “So
where are you staying tonight?” he asked. I looked at my phone again for a few seconds before looking back up
into his face.

“With you I guess,” I answered as I now stood. “No one has called me back to the House, so...” I drew out as I
left the row of seats. Luke was quick in catching up with me before I made it too far.

I looked around and saw a few people still sitting down and watching what was left of the credits while most of
us finished making our way out of the theater.

“Do you want to find some dinner before going home?” Luke asked as we continued on our way to the outside
of the building.

“Where?” was all I had time to ask him before I was covering my mouth to hide or at least block a yawn.

“I don't know,” he shrugged as we rode the escalator down. “Are you even going to be awake to eat it?” he
asked as I covered up another yawn. I tried to shrug my shoulders but didn't succeed, so I shrugged them again,
as I thought about just going home and to bed. The only thing was, I saw two bedrooms when I thought of
home.

“Do you have milk?” I asked Luke.

“Yeah,” he answered as he looked at me a little oddly.

“Do you have Pops?” was my next question. I wasn't sure if the box was finished or not. We both liked that
cereal.

“No. I finished it,” Luke confessed.

“Then we are going to find some, then head home,” I said, almost as a decree before we turned and went down
the last escalator. We moved along with the crowd of people, and it almost felt like I wasn't moving under my
own power until we were out the doors and standing in the cold night air. The snowing had stopped, and
someone had shoveled the area outside the building clear. But beyond that, there were just narrow footpaths
cutting through about an inch of show. I couldn't see any ice, so that was one thing to be grateful for.

“I think there is a store about a block this way,” Luke said as he thumbed his hand to the left of the building. The
opposite direction of where he parked the car.

“Do you think it's still open?” I asked him. It was rather late, and I was hoping to stop off at the Safeway that
was on the way to his place.

“Only one way to find out,” he answered as he stood there waiting for my answer.

“Alright,” I said, and we fell in line, with him in front of me, as we kept to the newly made path. It turned out to
be a block and a half away. We crossed against the street light both times when we saw no cars on the street
coming towards us. The store itself was just about closed when we got there. They were happy to know that we
knew what we came for and were paying for the three boxes of Pops, one box of Raisin Bran, and a gallon of
milk two minutes after they saw us.

It felt so much colder as we walked back the way we came, and I felt myself starting to shiver as we passed the
movie house. I was holding the boxes while Luke carried the milk. The whole walk back we didn't see anyone
else on the streets. We heard them in a bar or two, and a few cars drove by, but we were the only two walking
anywhere at the moment. As we slid into the car we placed everything in the back seat, and I rubbed myself as
Luke ignited the engine. We sat there for a while, as everything warmed up before he put the car in reverse to
back out of the parking space.

I was warm and nodding off slightly as we drove by the Safeway. I only realized that because seeing its glowing
logo jogged the outdated memory of wanting to stop there on the way home. I turned and moved around in my
seat as I realized that I wasn't nodding off, but had actually fallen asleep. The car was quiet, Luke hadn't turned
on the radio, and as I looked at him, he appeared as alert as you would want your driver to be.

“How long was I asleep for?” I asked as I rubbed my eyes and looked out the window again.

“Not that long,” Luke said. “You can go back to sleep, I don't mind,” he offered as he paused for a stoplight.

“I didn't mean to fall asleep,” I told him for some reason as I tried to stay awake.

“I know. It's what tired people do,” he said. I rubbed my left eye and thought that I could stay awake until we
got to the house. I saw myself walking under my own power into the bedroom where I could fall asleep the way
I was suppose to. Naked and in a bed. I caught myself as I started to go under and sat up a little bit more in the
car seat. I reached out to turn on the radio, but my fingers didn't reach the touch screen. On second thought of
hearing happy, loud music in my current state was almost enough of a turn off to wake me up completely.
Almost. I crossed my arms over my chest and thought of somethings to ask Luke about, but I just ended up
answering them myself. I looked over and saw as he yawned into his free hand but kept his eyes on the road.

“Almost home love,” Luke said in an almost non-Luke way. I looked at him questioningly. My slightly fuzzy mind
was trying to remember if he had ever done that before.

“How much longer?” I asked as I gave up trying to remember or guess. I just continued to look at him since my
eyes were staying open.

“Not even five minutes,” he answered.

------
------
------

“But we had nothing on that Spanish girl. Nina I think,” Candice said with a laugh. Al looked on in interest as
Shawn sipped his beer.

“That's right,” I chimed in with. “It was like she became some tiny Suzy home maker and decorated the heck out
of the inside of her model. You could have moved into hers,” I said as I continued to laugh.

“Her cute little pillow even had ruffles on it,” Candice said, but this time, you heard some amount of envy and
respect in her voice.

“Hi there,” the waitress said as she stopped next to our table. “Would you like me to start clearing a few of
these plates now?” she asked with a smile. By the time she left, she was weighed down with two plates from
each person. The glasses had to wait for her to return. Which was fine by me since I was working on my second
drink. I was taking a sip when I saw Alfred reach for the check that she had left in the middle of the table. I was
tempted to look before he got it, but Al seemed set on paying for everything tonight.

I had gotten used to having him pay when we ate out, but he didn't owe my friends anything, and Shawn ate a
lot. Like always. It wasn't a matter of him not being able to afford it. On some level, I felt a little embarrassed,
and I didn't even know why.

I continued to watch as he placed the still closed check in front of himself as he reached for his wallet. He
opened it up to pick one of his cards, and I think he chose his debit. He opened the long black check holder and
barely glanced at the receipt before sticking his card in and closing it again. He then slid it back to the middle of
the table for the waitress's return.

“I hope it wasn't too surprising,” Candice told Al as she nodded at the black check holder.

“No, not at all,” he said with a smile. He continued to smile as he slid his gaze one person over to look at me.
“Really,” he said to both of us.

“We should do this again sometime,” Shawn said, causing all of us to look at him.

“What?” he asked, looking innocently back at us.

“Maybe,” was Al's answer a moment later. I saw him trying not to laugh. Before anyone could say something
else, the waitress showed up and took away the glasses along with the check and debit card.

“I think I'll use the bathroom before the ride home,” Al said causing Shawn to get up to let him get out of the
booth. “I shouldn't be too long,” Al said before he turned his back on us and went in the logical direction to find
the bathrooms.

“I may never let you come out again,” Candice said once Al wasn't within earshot.

“Hah?” Shawn asked as he turned to look at her.

“You pig,” was the only thing she said before staring at him for a bit.
“What did I do?” he asked, not understanding what was going on. I understood where Candice was coming
from, but he hadn't really done anything wrong.

“It's ok Candice,” I told her to help cool her down.

“I felt so embarrassed,” she told me before looking at him again. “You could at least tell Mr. Stroker thank you
before trying to get him to feed you again,” she said with a huff.

“But he said it was ok,” Shawn said in his defense.

“That doesn't mean that you couldn't be nice,” she insisted. I looked back at Shawn, but he didn't answer back.
He just looked between the two of us and then nodded his head for a bit as he stayed silent. I didn't bother
saying anything since he seemed to have understood but didn't look that put out. The table stayed quiet until
the waitress came back with a copy of the check and Al's card. As she turned to leave, I saw Al walking up
behind her. I nudged Candice as I reached for the receipt and his card, and we started to get our coats.

I smiled at Al, but he knew that something was up when he saw the other two. He was about to say something
when Shawn gave him his coat.

“Thanks Mr. Stroker,” Shawn started. “It was really nice of you to pay for everything,” he said as Al looked on a
little surprised.

“It was no problem,” Al assured him. “Did the waitress bring back my card?” he asked me as he shrugged into
his coat. I reached in and pulled it out of my pant pocket with the receipt
wrapped around it.

“Yeah. Here it is,” I said as I held it out to him. Our fingers touched, and I warmed at realizing that it was the
first time, since we left his car, that we've touched.

He looked at the three of us before turning and walking out, leaving us to follow him. It was a short walk
through the tables to the door of the restaurant. Once we got outside, I once again stood next to him as we
faced Shawn and Candice.

“It was nice meeting you Mr. Stroker and once again thanks for treating us,” Candice said with a big smile. I
knew she was holding back a hug as she extended a hand to him instead.

“It was fun,” Al told her as he shook her little purple gloved hand. “It was really nice to meet the two of you
too,” he said with an easy smile on his face as he looked at both of them.

“Well, bye then,” she said as they started to walk away. I waved, and they waved back before turning
completely away from us, and Shawn placing his arm around her shoulders as they walked off to where ever he
had parked his car.
 ==========

Chapter 33 - The Buy Out

==========

“Would you like something to drink?” I asked Al as he took off his coat, and I walked further into the kitchen.

“Yes, thank you,” he said as he hung his scarf over his coat.

“Something cold or hot?” I asked as I wondered which way to go. To the fridge or the stove to boil water. I was
starting to lean heavily in the direction of something hot. Hot chocolate, mint tea, or hot mint chocolate tea
even.

“How about both?” I think I heard him say.

“What?” I asked as I turned around to look at him.

“Both,” Al said clearly this time. He walked forward and pinned me between his body and the countertop.
“Something special to celebrate and then something warm afterwards,” he explained as his mouth drifted
closer to mine. I nodded in agreement as I brought my lips closer to his. We kissed deeply as our arms wrapped
themselves around the other's body, pulling us closer.

Our legs scissored each other as we pressed even closer. I was starting to rub myself along his thigh when Al
started to end the kiss. I reached for him and forgot about drinking anything, as he gave in and kissed me back. I
sighed into his mouth when I felt his hand going up under the back of my shirt.

“How about getting some of what's in that bottle you have at the back of the fridge?” Al asked before he licked
my ear. I nodding as I heard what he said, but my hands moved up into his hair as I kept him close, thinking of
the last time we did it in the kitchen. “I'll wait for you in the bedroom,” he said before capturing my lips once
more for a few seconds. I stood there, half on the counter, as I watched Al walk away from me as he started to
get undressed. It's only when I heard him open the door to the bedroom did I remember to move and turn
towards the fridge.

I stood there for a moment looking into the fridge as I tried to understand what I was looking for. Then I saw it.
It was the Fre-be Cranberry Wine that I had gotten for Christmas. I'll just have to buy another one, I told myself
as I pulled it out and turned to get two glasses from the cupboard. I held the cold bottle in one hand and two
glass cups in the other. As I walked down the hall I felt my heart rate pick up with each step I took forward. I
knew why it was happening just as much as I didn't understand why it was happening.

I was going to have sex with Al. Sex is something to get excited about, but I didn't think it should have been this
profound. Should it? I pushed open the door, and there he was lying back against the headboard, sitting on top
of the blankets, completely naked.

“I hope I didn't keep you waiting,” I told him as I walked over to his side of the bed and held out the hand with
the glasses. I expected him to take one, but he took both instead after he swung his feet off the bed to sit on
the edge. I stood in front of him as I opened the bottle, and to make sure that I didn't spill any as I opened it, I
didn't look at him or anywhere else for that matter, but the bottle in my hands. I held my breath a little as I
unscrewed the top, but nothing bubbled out. I smiled at Al before I saw him lifting the glasses as a signal for me
to pour. I filled them both before placing the bottle on his side table and taking my glass from him.

“So what are we celebrating?” I asked as I looked down at him.

“Meeting your friends,” Al tells me. “It really was fun and I think it was a success. Don't you think so?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I answered. “Everything went fine.”

“Well then,” he said raising his glass a little. I brought mine closer to his. “To a fine night,” Al stated.

“To a fine night,” I copied before our glasses clinked. I watched him start to drink his before I lifted my glass. It
wasn't bad, and it only had a very slight alcoholic taste to it. I was almost finished when I felt my pants being
tugged on. I finished my drink in time to hear my zipper being pulled open. I stood there looking down as Al
pushed them to the floor.

“Now let's work on making it a fine morning,” Al voiced as he pulled me forward to lick my cock through my
underwear.

“Ah,” I moaned as he found the head of it quickly. Maybe I was showing more than I thought. My fingers
tightened around the glass, and I realized that I couldn't keep holding it. I raised it to my mouth again to make
sure it was empty before I dropped it on the carpet where I was sure it was going to be safe.

------
------
------

“It's about time you woke up,” I told Luke as I watched him enter the kitchen. He was halfway to the table
before I turned my attention back to the eggs in the frying pan.

“Why aren't you having cereal for breakfast?” he asked with sleep still in his voice.

“I did,” I told him as I flipped the eggs over. “This is my second breakfast, or your first if you want it,” I told him
as I now reached for a plate.

“Your second breakfast?” Luke asked me.

“It is after ten am,” I informed him. “I've been up for over five hours and one of them was spent at the gym,” I
explained as I walked over to him with the steaming hot eggs and slightly cold toast. “You can have it,” I decided
as I placed them in front of him. I then turned around to make another batch for myself. I didn't bother toasting
the bread this time. By the time I sat down next to Luke, he was half-finished, and a glass of orange juice was
waiting for me.

“Are you going to work tonight?” he asked without looking up at me.

“Perhaps,” I told him. Tiffany still hadn't contacted me, and it was starting to make me nervous. Well, maybe
not nervous, but it was bugging me. Jacob was working, but then he wasn't going to be 'bought' in a few weeks.

“Why do you say that you are being bought?” Luke asked me. I looked up at him before turning my attention
back to my food. Clearly, we were thinking about the same things.
“You do,” I told him. “You have to pay Tiffany for taking one of her bread winners away,” I told him. Luke stayed
silent for a few moments.

“I can't, buy you,” he said, sounding outraged, unsure, and a little quiet at the same time. “I thought that you
were joking when you first told me. You used air quotes,” Luke explained as his voice got a little louder. “That's
human trafficking. Slavery even,” he said, appearing more and more dismayed.

“Hold your horses,” I said as I held my hand up and turned towards him. I had to calm him down before he burst
a vain. “The amount is just symbolic and I can even suggest how much it could be,” I told him. I watched him as
he started to cool down. “I'm not saying that some people haven't shelled out a pretty penny once in a while,
but they were just showing off. It's just all old traditions,” I ended as I turned back to my near-empty plate.

“So I can give them five dollars and they will give me some kind of fake certificate of sale?” Luke asked,
sounding suspiciously lawyer-like.

“No,” I told him as I turned around to face him again. I placed an elbow on the table and just looked at him for a
moment. He wasn't even looking at me. He was picking at the eggs instead. “You don't get any paper work and
it's not done in some back room somewhere either. It's part of a party. Normally there is more than one being
done on the night and you don't have to offer money. You can give gifts to the house or the manager of the
house. And, and,” I said twice for emphasis. “We can leave who 'bought' us if we don't want to stay with them,”
I told him. “You don't own us. It's like a dad giving away his daughter in marriage,” I started. “I'm pretty damn
sure that she can still get marred if he wasn't there or didn't like the guy enough to do it,” I ended with a huff.

I breathed deeply as I tried to settle myself. It was still a sore spot for me. People really thought that we could
be bought and sold like that in this day and age. I stabbed the last of my eggs before getting up and walking the
plate and cup over to the sink.

“We get paid,” I started up again once I was no longer holding the plate or glass. “I have a very healthy bank
account,” I told Luke as I turned round to face his direction again. “We all...” his mouth stopped mine from
saying anything else as he kissed me into silence.

“I get it,” he whispered against my lips before pressing down. “It's just a fun tradition,” he paused to tell me
before he kissed me with a tip of his tongue moving over the inside of my lower lip. “I get it,” he assured me as
his arms pulled me closer to his body. I opened my mouth as most of his tongue pushed its way inside.

“Mmm,” I murmured as I went with it and my hands made their way up under some shirt he had put on before
walking out for breakfast.

“Bed, hah, room,” he said as I felt him starting to steer me somewhere. We bumped into a few things as we
tried to leave the kitchen with our faces stuck together, but since we weren't moving that quickly, nothing
created any lingering pain. Our minds were only half invested in the move, at least mine was, so I didn't mind
the few knocks we got or how long it was taking us to get where he wanted us to go.

As I walked backwards down the hall, we stopped kissing long enough for me to get rid of his shirt. I was barely
able to ditch mine when I felt his arm around my waist as he pulled us back together again. As much as I
wanted to jump up on him and just consume him, I worked on getting us to the bedroom a bit faster so we
could get rid of our pants safely.

It was when I felt the carpet under my feet did I realize that we had finally reached our destination. I was
thinking of undoing Luke's pants when I felt his hands working on mine. My hands helped Luke as he pushed my
pants down with my boxers as we somehow managed to continue kissing. My hands let go of his as his lips
moved down my neck. I reached my fingers up to bury them in his hair as he kissed my left shoulder blade. My
eyes stayed close as he left hickies along my skin as he made his way across my chest to a nipple to lick and suck
at it. I didn't remember that he had hands until they were holding onto my ass as he went lower and was soon
kneeling in front of me.

I opened my eyes and was almost blinded by the onslaught of light and color. I looked down and saw the top of
his head from this somewhat new angle. I continued to comb my fingers through the natural waves of his
perfect chocolate brown hair. Luke's eyes were closed as he repeatedly sank his mouth onto my cock.

“Ahhh,” I moaned as I started to rock myself back and forth into his mouth to speed up the sensation. His grip
became tighter, and I shook a little as he moaned, and I had to stop for a moment to keep my balance. But my
balance was still compromised when Luke started again without me.

“Ah!” I cried out with a guttural sound as he pushed me closer to coming when I was expecting a momentary
break. “Luke,” I all but cried as I held on to his hair a bit tighter. This is when the sucking stopped. His lips were
still around me, but that was the only thing I felt beyond his hot breath. I decided to take matters into my own
hands before he did something else.

I reached for his shoulders as I stepped back and out of Luke's mouth. I pulled him up and kissed him deeply,
tasting a bit of my pre-cum on his tongue. I then pushed him back as his hands got grabby with my ass again. I
had to keep pushing him back until he got the idea and stayed back. Luke watched me as I kicked away the last
of my clothes that he left around my ankles. I felt my insides get hot from the look he leveled at me. It was a
state that I wanted to stay in a bit longer so I pointed at him with my finger and moved it up and down between
his waist and feet, signaling that I wanted him to get rid of his pants.

I slowly pulled on my cock as I watched him ease his pants off and step out of them before moving on to his
boxer briefs. Luke's eyes stayed on me most of the time, and when he was finally tossing away his underwear
my cock had been perfectly self-lubricated by what came out of it and my even, long, head rounding tugs. The
heat spread throughout my chest as his stormy eyes moved over my body. He gave himself a tug or two, and my
hand sped up.

“No. Don't. Not yet,” Luke told me as he quickly crossed the distance between us. I was already starting to
shake from my orgasm as he gripped my arm. He covered my mouth with his, and I cried out into his chest. My
hand flew over my dick as it covered both of us with each jerk.

“Ah, hah, ah,” I huffed and moaned into him as I gripped the back of his head to keep him close. “Oh man,” I
said as I started to feel somewhat normal again.

“At least you'll be too tired to push me away again,” Luke said past my ear before he pulled back and looked me
in the eye. I was a little shaky on my feet as his fingers moved down my arm to hold my clean hand. Luke then
proceeded to pull me with him towards the bed. His original destination all this time.
 ==========

Chapter 34 - Fruit Wine

==========

“Mr. Harris,” an older Asian man called out to me as I walked into the store.

“Hello Mr. Malik,” I answered as I walked in his direction. I wasn't in a rush today, and it never hurt to talk to the
owner. There was a real smile on my face as I came to a stop in front of him and the counter.

“So what can I help you find or try out today?” he asked me with a toothy grin.

“Actually, I came back for another bottle of that cranberry wine I got last time,” I explained.

“Drank it all already?” he asked without losing the smile.

“Yes. Somehow,” I said to make fun of it.

“Well you are in luck my friend. I just got restocked,” Mr. Malik said as he started to walk from behind the
counter. There wasn't anyone else really around, but an employee was there to take his place none-the-less.
“Maybe you would like to take a bottle of the pumpkin one too?” he asked as he lead me to where they were
displayed.

“No I don't think so,” I said. I still didn't like the idea of pumpkins being alcoholic. "But I'll try any other fruit or
berry wine that you think is good,” I said. It might be a good idea to have a backup since I was planning on
drinking most of it for New Year's. Neither of us were going out as far as I knew. Heck, we may even start the
drinking a little earlier on New Year's Eve too.

“Well,” Mr. Malik said as he thought about it. “Would any fruit do, or would you like another berry based
wine?” he asked me.

“I think another berry one would be ok,” I told him.

“Well hold on to this one first,” he said as he handed me the cranberry wine that I came in for, before walking
around to the other side of the rack. “I have this raspberry one that I think you would like,” he said from behind
the rack.

“Ok,” I answered back as I waited for him on the other side.

“Zupa Fruit wine is a unique product. It comes from the heart of Serbia. One of the rare zones which produce
the highest quality berries in the world. Raspberries from Serbia are famous the world over for their premium
quality. This wine has a low percent of alcohol, up to about four percent, and is promoted as a wine for
customers who enjoy discovering new and exotic wine experiences. That sounds a bit like you to me,” Mr. Malik
said as he walked back around towards me.

In his hand he held a slightly larger bottle that was so black, it made the white label and caps pop out that
much more. He handed it to me and I read the Zupa name next to a square showing off some large raspberries.
“It sounds good,” I told him as I started to turn it around to see how much it cost.

“It's only twenty-two ninety-nine,” Mr. Malik said. Well, that wasn't too much, and with the other one only
being fifteen dollars, I was good.

“Ok then,” I said with a smile as I looked up at him. “I'll take both,” I said.

“Good choice Mr. Harris,” he said with that brilliant smile on his face again. “Let's go ring them up,” Mr. Malik
told me as he took the bottles out of my hands and headed towards the counter ahead of me.

------
------
------

“Oh come on Tiffany, you have to let me work Christmas night,” I half begged her. “There will be guys there that
came just for me, you can't do this to them,” I said as I tried a different angle.

“I thought you wanted out,” Tiffany started. “One man life and all that,” she told me.

“I do,” I calmly told her. “But I'm going stir crazy, I need to do something and last I checked I stilled worked
there,” I said.

“Yes, you do,” she said before pausing. “And your regulars have been asking when they will see you again.”
Another pause. I knew that she was thinking it over if not talking herself into letting me come. “Is Mr. Green ok
with this?” Tiffany asked. This was her last way of stopping me.

“I told him it's my job. He knows that,” I said.

“It's Christmas Night,” she reminded me.

“I know,” I told her, and her quietness now made me rethink my request. “Ok,” I said as I slightly caved. “How
about letting me work Christmas Eve. I then stay here with Luke for two days. Then I'm at work again for the
count down parties except the last one so New Year's Eve I'm with Luke again?” I gave her as a workable
compromise.

“I can live with that,” she stated.

“Thank you Tiffany,” I told her as I smiled to myself.

“Ok then. I'll see you tomorrow,” she told me before hanging up. I moved my cell from my ear and ended the
call on my end. I then looked around at the empty room that was part of the larger empty house. I was now
living with him and I haven't been in such an empty house before. I was one of three kids back home and then I
lived in a dorm. From there I moved to the House to live with my new housemates, along with Jacob.

I slipped my phone into a front pant pocket and walked around looking for something to do. First I found myself
washing the dishes that were in the sink. We had cereal, so it was just two bowls and two spoons. No reason for
me not to wash them. I walked past Luke's library and barely looked in. I was walking past the big room that he
held his parties in when I paused at a thought. Would Luke be having a Christmas and New Year's Party? If he
did then I would have to be there for them. Why didn't he tell me? It's only a few days away. Because you didn't
ask. I told myself. I was too concerned about trying to get out that I didn't think. I looked around the wide-open
space before turning to walk towards the bedroom to get my laptop.

------
------

“You didn't think of telling me?” I asked Jacob.

“Why would I? You live there,” he shot back. “I knew I wouldn't be able to make the event, but I was wondering
why you hadn't called to tell me something about it,” Jacob stated.

“It didn't even occur to me until today after I talked Tiffany into letting me work tomorrow and the countdown
parties,” I told him as I leaned forward in the chair and placed my elbows on my knees.

“You, are working?” Jacob asked. “Here?” he tacked on.

“No. Chum Chum got me into his House on a temporary bases,” I answered him with a breath. “Of course
there,” I shot back, feeling even worst about what I've done. And caring more than I thought I could, of how
Luke might think badly of me over this and how he might react when I tell him that I'm working the session.

“What days did you ask for?” Jacob asked as he got back to the facts of my mess.

“I asked for Christmas Eve then two days later I go back for five days,” I explained with my eyes closed. “I was
going to be here on New Year's Eve with the night before being my last,” I said as I remembered how happy I
felt at being able to end things so neatly for once.

“Ok. So it's easy then,” I heard Jacob's voice say over my laptop.

“Easy?” I questioned him as I looked up at his face.

“Yeah,” he started. “You can't back out of this first night coming up, it's too soon. But you can tell Tiffany that
you won't be able to make the other nights after all,” he said. It sounded simple enough.

“So I would be free to plan a party with my fiancé for the new year?” I asked him. I didn't expect him to answer
that.

“It's what you want isn't it?” Jacob asked me instead, as he looked up from the book I was keeping him from
reading.

“Perhaps,” I said as I thought about it. We both stayed quiet for a moment.

“So Emma isn't getting under your skin then?” Jacob asked me. I felt the blood drain from my body at hearing
her name.

------
------
------

“So, are you interested or already busy?” Candice asked as I finished peeling the onions.

“I'm not sure about New Years, but we are staying in for Christmas,” I told her from about three feet away over
speakerphone.

“He's not taking you to the company Christmas party?” I heard her ask with that sound in her voice.

“No,” I said simply, as I lifted the cutting board and carried it over to the frying pan that already had some
peppers and cut string beans in it. I added the onions and walked back over to the phone to start cutting the
broccoli.

“Why not?” Candice asked. “I've never been to a company Christmas party, but I hear they can be fun, and they
have all those rooms for making out it,” she ended on a laugh.

“Of course you would think of that, but really,” I started. “Alfred isn't out at work, and bringing me around
would just cause him problems,” I explained.

“Oh. Sorry David,” Candice said sounding sincere. “So don't you guys go out at all?” she asked in a more
respectful tone.

“Sure,” I said as I separated the head of the broccoli from its stem. I saved the stems in a zip lock bag so I could
use them later to make broccoli soup. “We go to restaurants, but mostly for lunch when I have classes,” I
started. I cut the broccoli head down to size before slipping it into a bowl with the others. I reached for another
piece of broccoli and decapitated it as I continued to think.

“That's it?” she asked when I was quiet for too long.

“Well it's winter time,” I told her. “But yeah, we haven't done much lately,” I reluctantly confessed. “There's just
been the tailor and the that trip up to the BRC,” I said.

“So you have to come out with us on New Years to see the fire works,” she said. “Considering what you said, I
don't think Al has ever been out to see them before,” she continued. She was most likely correct.

“I'll ask him tonight,” I told her as I started on the last piece of broccoli. “Hey Candice,” I called to her before she
hung up.

“Yes David,” she answered back.

“Thanks,” I told her. She was a good friend, but I was bad at keeping in touch outside of classes and school
work.

“Not a problem,” Candice said sounding happy. “Talk to you later,” was the last thing she said before hanging
up. I watched as my phone lit up, ended the call, then go dark again. Next up was the cauliflower. I only had one
so it seemed to go by fairly quickly. They went into the same bowl as the broccoli. I reached for the carrots but
spent some time figuring out what size to cut them into, so they didn't overcook or take too long.

I put the knife down and went to check on the brown rice that I had boiling on the stove. I lifted the lid and saw
that it was almost finished. Most of the water was gone, but I saw some bubbles from about two or three rice
layers down. I put the lid back on and turned the fire even lower so it was just a flicker of a flame. I turned my
attention to the frying pan and changed my mind about what I wanted to sauté first. I found a bowl and
emptied everything into it, and added in the carrots instead.

I then went to the freezer and pulled out a bag of frozen corn. I cut it open with a knife and poured about the
same amount as there were carrots in the frying pan. That's a good amount. I tied it and put it back right away
so I wouldn't have it defrosting on me to get re-frozen badly later. I felt like humming, but I couldn't think of
anything to hum, so I wiped my fingers in a kitchen towel to unlock my phone, and launch my music app. I
picked my favorite channel and walked back to the stove while it loaded. I poured in a little olive oil into the pan
as Miley Cyrus' song Can't Be Tamed started to play, and I sang along with it.

------
------
------

“Edward,” Luke called out as he entered the house. I was in the dining room, so I heard as he closed the front
door. I also could have sworn that I heard someone else with him. I quickly pulled out my phone to check the
time. He was late, but wouldn't he have told me if he was bringing work home like this? I looked at the two
place settings and wondered if I had enough food for three people. At least I had a full bottle of the blackberry
currant wine.

“Edward?” Luke called out again. “Are you here?” he asked as I heard him walk further into the house.

“I'm in the dining room,” I finally answered back. Well, it was going to be surprises all around then. I put a smile
on my face and stood where I had planned to stand and waited to see him walk into the room.

“Edward,” he said with a big smile on his face. I smiled back hoping he would see what I did. “I would like you to
meet Miss Emma Candice Green,” Luke said instead as he brought someone else into the room with him.
“Emma dear, this is Edward,” he paused to look back at me. “Do you have a middle name?” he asked. I nodded
my head.

“Mike,” I finally said when I realized that they were waiting for it.

“Edward Mike Webb,” Luke stated. “My Edward,” he tacked on before beaming at both of us.

“Hello.”

“Hello.”

We both said at the same time. Emma laughed, I smiled, and Luke beamed brighter.
 ==========

Chapter 35 - Meeting Family

==========

“What's all this?” Luke finally asked as he looked at the table.

“I ordered dinner,” I said before looking down. I couldn't say why I got dinner in front of Emma. “I just thought
that it would be nice,” I continued. “I even got duck to go with that black berry current wine that you like,” I
explained. “I think we can make three servings out of it,” I said with a smile in Emma's direction.

“Duck,” she said as she took a step closer to the table. “What is it paired with?” Emma asked, displaying the fact
that she didn't live in America. Then I remembered how Luke sounded a few days ago. He must have talked
with her earlier that day. He had an odd mimicking tick when it came to accents.

“I got some mashed potatoes with caramelized onions,” I told her.

“And you got my favorite cake too,” she said, smiling at me before looking back at what I had gotten for dessert.

“Red Velvet Cake with Beets?” I asked her. It wasn't close to being hidden under the light cream cheese frosting.
I tried to keep it from being applied to the cake at all, but clearly, they couldn't process the idea. I said the
whole name, so she knew that it had real beets in it.

“Actually made with actual beets?” Emma asked me to make sure.

++
“Yep,” I answered her as I now placed my hands in my pockets.

“And I thought you said that you didn't tell him I was coming today,” she then said to Luke, who raised both his
hands to let her know it wasn't true.

“I like beet cake too,” I told her in Luke's defense. Her smile started to falter a little, so I started to think of
something to say to keep the night on a good note. “But I'm glad to find something in common with you so
soon,” I said with a smile. She perked back up again when she heard that.

“Ok,” I said as I took my hands out of my pockets. “We should start eating before everything gets too cold,” I
said as I made my way to the doorway. “I'll just go get another plate and stuff,” I said before leaving. I entered
the kitchen and went towards the cupboard that held the plates to grabbed two. A large one for the food, and a
smaller one for the cake. I grabbed a fork and a knife too. I was missing something and stood still as I tried to
remember. Oh yeah, a glass to drink from, but drink what?

I put everything down and went to the fridge to see if there was something in there I could give her. For a split
second, I thought about the milk but almost hit myself for thinking it in the first place. She was a child, not a
baby. There was a bottle in the back of the fridge that I didn't recognize, and reached for it, hoping it was
something I could use. It was apple cider. Perfect! I then spent about two minutes trying to figure out how to
carry everything safely back to the dining room. I ended up walking slower than I wanted, but I made it with
everything still in one piece.

“I got you some apple cyder Emma,” I said once I was free of the dishes.
“That you can accuse me of getting for you,” Luke said before I admitted to not knowing where it came from.
“I'll pour,” he then offered as he stood and reached for the bottle. I wasn't going to argue with him. I handed it
over and moved to sit in the only other chair at the table. I watched as he poured her a glass, then preceded to
pouring the wine in our glasses. I watched Emma as she arranged the plates to either how she liked them or
thought they should be. I just tried to have it look decent when I laid them out for Luke and I.

Since I was playing nice, I stood up before Luke had fully taken his seat, and to share out the meal. As I scoped
out the last of the mashed potatoes, I was happy to see that everyone got about the same amount, and it
wasn't a bad serving with the duck included.

“I hope everything is still warm enough,” I said as I took my seat. Cold duck was almost not worth eating as far
as I was concerned, but then I didn't really like duck all that much. I can eat it, warm, but it was Luke's dish. I
liked goose better.

“So Emma, how was your semester?” Luke started before he tasted any of his duck.

“Quite well,” she answered as she cut her duck into smaller pieces. She didn't look that … stuck up as she did it.
It seemed more necessary since she was on the petite side. “I almost won a bursary but my friend Cathleen got
it. I missed it by five points,” Emma explained before finally taking a bit of the duck with some of the mash on it.

“Shame it would have helped out,” Luke answered before taking a sip.

“What is a bursary?” I asked so I could be involved in the conversation also.

“It's like a scholarship,” Luke said. “It's a British school thing to give grants to help families pay or not pay,
depending on how you see it, the education fees to the school itself,” he fully explained. “So I'm a bit surprised
that you were even considered,” he leveled at Emma.

“Why?” I asked since I didn't understand.

“Because most of the qualifications for obtaining a bursary is based on a family's ability to pay the full tuition
once their child has been accepted into the school,” Emma answered me. “But,” she said with a pause. “They
have one that is just based on our academic scores,” she informed both of us. “That is the one that I almost
got,” she ended with a lick of her fork before getting more duck.

“Do you participate in any sports at this boarding school?” I asked Emma a few minutes later. I expected her to
say rowing or horseback riding.

“I have swimming classes right now,” was her answer. “I hope to be allowed onto the rowing team next year,”
she added on.

“I thought you were going to try for tennis this year,” her father said. “You said you didn't like all that water in
your ears,” Luke added on before reaching for his glass.

“I got ear plugs,” was Emma's short answer. “Did you participate in any sports while in school?” she turned and
asked me.

“Well,” I said to let her know that I was going to answer, but paused to clear what was in my mouth. “I tried a
few sports really,” I started. “Basketball, soccer, football. Even some frisbee golf my last year in college,” I
admitted. “But I never retained much interest longer than a year into playing any sport. Hockey was a disaster,”
I remembered and shook my head.

“Couldn't skate?” Luke asked with a smile.

“I can skate just fine,” I answered. "I just got confused one game of who's goal belonged to who and scored for
the other team. It goes without saying that I wasn't allowed to play for the rest of the session,” I ended in the
middle of their laughter.

“They kicked you off the team?” Emma asked as she tried to calm down.

“No, I was still on the team. I was just forever benched. They needed me on the team to meet the required
number of players for them to play,” I explained. They continued to snicker as I went back to eating, but it
wasn't something for me to get upset about. It was bad, and I was smiling myself as I took my next bite.

------
------

“Mmm,” Luke murmured before he kissed me again. “Thanks for the dinner, Edward,” he said before rolling
onto his back and pulling me slightly into the crook of his arm. I laid there looking up at the ceiling as I thought
of how I was going to tell him that I was working tomorrow. I had been laying here thinking of how to do this all
through Luke's shower and him barely getting dressed for bed. “Edward,” Luke said as his fingers repeatedly
brushed my arm.

“Mm,” I answered him.

“What's wrong?” he asked.

“Why do you think something's wrong?” I asked him without turning my head.

“You ordered duck. You had my favorite label of black current wine. I wasn't that aware that you knew how
much I enjoyed watching you eat beet cake, and you are laying in bed awake. I know you didn't know of Emma
coming today so the duck and cake weren't there to impress her and you do not just lay in bed with me. You
either sleep or fuck in some form unless we already did that, and that just leads back to sleeping. So something
is up,” Luke concludes.

I could punch him. I wanted to punch him. For just a split moment I hated how right he was, but he didn't
deserve it for something I had done. One of my earlier ideas came back to me. I didn't have to tell him the
whole truth, just the bit that he needed to know.

“I,” I hesitated. “I have work tomorrow,” I told him. “It's my last day,” I quickly added on. “A few people have
been asking to see me. I'm kinda like a Christmas present for them, then that's it. I only have to go back again to
get the rest of my stuff and the Sale party,” I told him. Now I turned my head to see how he was taking this. I
did it slowly, so I wasn't too surprised when I saw him looking at me.

He stayed quiet as we looked at each other. He then reached for the back of my head and kissed my forehead
before kissing my lips and laying back on his pillow.

“What about chocolate coins?” Luke asked.

“What?” I asked in confusion from his strange change of topics.

------
------
------

“How would you like to meet my mother?” Al asked me from his side of the counter. He was wearing his
bathrobe since he came out to eat after taking a shower, and I was dressed in a more modest pair of shorts, but
nothing else. The heat had spiked in the apartment when I was cooking dinner, so the tee shirt I was wearing
was still over one of the stools as far as I knew.

“Your mother?” I asked as I turned from the dishes I was washing. As I did, I felt some of the soapy water
running down my stomach until it hit the waistband and soaked in. “You want me to meet your mother? Eye to
eye?” I asked to make it clear what we were talking about. Maybe he meant that he wanted to show me what
his mom looked like, or something like that, that wouldn't require him to come out to an old lady and give her a
heart attack that may kill her.

“Well, it won't be eye to eye,” Alfred said. I put down the soapy scourer sponge. “My mom will be calling me on
Christmas day, if I don't call her first,” he said looking right at me. “I've gotten her to let me live my life and she
knows that it's out here. I'm a busy person and never enjoyed family get togethers, so we have the tradition of
the yearly phone call. It doesn't last that long considering it's the only time of the year we do talk to each other
unless there is some kind of event going on that requires communication.”

I felt bad that he had such a distant relationship with his mom, never mind his whole family, but then I realized
that I wasn't all that better. Granted, I have talked to my own mom like three times since I've moved in with
Alfred, but all those times it was my mom that called me. I was happy to hear from her, but it never occurred to
me to call her. I watched Al as he exhaled slightly before standing and walking around the counter to stand in
front of me.

“I want to introduce you to my mother, but it wouldn't be as my boyfriend,” he said. Boyfriend? I was his
boyfriend? “It would be as my live-in cook,” he finished. I saw him looking at me as he waited for my reaction.
So I searched for one to give him.

“Why am I your live-in cook?” I asked him. I think I managed to raise an eyebrow. I just hope I didn't come off
sounding... upset.

“That was part of the last conversation that I had with her,” Al said with a laugh. “She said that I was making
enough money to eat well and perhaps even hire one of those chefs that make healthy home meals,” he told
me with a smile.

“And the live-in part?” I asked as I felt his fingers on my arm before I saw him touching me.

“Healthy late night snacks?” he asked with a grin. I laughed out loud. “We can talk it over when you get to the
bedroom,” Alfred said before he leaned down and kissed me. It was a rather quick kiss, but then I saw him
walking rather quickly down the hall. I guess he really had to go.
 ==========

Chapter 36 - Tis The Session

==========

“Why didn't you call me?” I heard Alfred shout from his office. I tried not to pay attention, but it was kinda hard
not to.

“How long has she been like this?” he asked in a calmer voice.

“Of course I'm coming,” he said a bit louder, sounding frustrated before I heard his footsteps leaving the room.

“What do you want to drink?” I asked him from the fridge, where I had walked to while he came down the
short hallway.

“Anything,” Al said after a second. I reached for the closest thing and poured it into a glass that I took down
from the cupboard. I placed the carton back, before turning to see where he was. Al was standing where you
could say the hall met the two other rooms. I expected to see him holding the sandwich I had made for him, if
not sitting at the counter or the table with it, as he waited for me to bring him his drink.

I walked over to where I left his sandwich on the counter and placed the cold glass next to it. Clearly, something
was upsetting him, but I didn't know how much I could ask him about it. So I just stood there waiting for him to
tell me what he believed I needed to know.

“My mother is in the hospital,” Al said carefully and unlike himself. I felt myself reach out for him, but at the
same time, I crossed my arms across my chest and held my elbows as I only took a step closer to him. I watched
him, not sure if I could say anything that would make him feel better. His eyes looked a little wet, but I could
have just been imagining it. As I watched him, he seemed to be thinking of something as his eyes flickered from
one point to another.

It was when his gaze stayed locked on a point on the counter just to the left of the drink that I placed there, that
a tear, then two, just rolled down his face that I walked across the distance separating us to hug him. I didn't say
anything as I stood there holding him. A few seconds later, I felt his arms as he now returned the hug, but
neither of us said anything. I was ready to hold him for as long as he wanted me to, and I expected to hear him
cry, but it still caught me off guard when I heard and felt as a sob broke through his chest.

I almost felt my heart break for him, and I held on to him a bit tighter. The actual sounds of him crying didn't
last that long. Just a few seconds really, but I knew that the tears were still falling. I felt the odd drop as it hit my
shirt now and again. At one point, I realized that my hand had been rubbing his back, so I just continued. As I
stood there for him, I made a mental note to call my mom and tell her Merry Christmas before the day was out.

“I'm going to see her,” Al now said. He patted me on my back a few times before he started to pull away. Of
course I let him.

“How long will you be gone for?” I asked him.

“I want you to come with me,” he said instead of answering my question.

------
------
------

“So what are your plans for the day?” Luke asked as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed the back of my
neck, interrupting me as I brushed my teeth. I finished what I was doing as he rubbed his hand across my chest.
I don't know if he was trying to get me back in bed, but every time he cupped one peck while moving his fingers
over the other's nipple, the idea came to mind.

I finally deemed my teeth clean enough and bent as much as I could to spit out the foam and get some water to
wash out my mouth. Luke gave me some slack so I could reach down, so his hands now just held on to the side
of my ribs as they moved in a very non-ticklish manner.

As I lifted my head, I reached for a hand towel and wiped off my face before turning around to face him. He
smiled at me as he came in closer and wrapped himself around me a bit more.

“I was planning on going to the gym this morning,” I told him as I saw him leaning in for a kiss.

“Mmm,” Luke moaned onto my lips. It was a nice kiss that appeared to not be leading to something else. “How
long will you be gone?” he then asked as he pulled his head back to look into my eyes for a moment before
pulling away completely.

“I'll be at the gym itself for about an hour, give or take fifteen minutes. But including the ride there and back, I
should be gone just over two hours,” I calculated. “Why?” I asked as it occurred to me that he might be
planning something.

“I wanted all three of us to go for brunch and I wanted to know what time to make the reservation for,” he said
before kissing my lips and smiling before pulling back and letting go of me again.

“So you don't want me to stay and just have breakfast here?” I asked to make sure.

“Nope,” Luke called out as he walked back into the bedroom. “I don't have work. Emma doesn't have school. So
we are sleeping in,” were the last things I heard from him. I looked at the empty doorway for a few more
seconds waiting for … something.

“Ok,” I said more to myself than for Luke to hear me when I didn't see him again. I pulled off my shorts and
dropped them somewhere before entering the shower. I stood there under the water for a bit as I thought
about what the day held. I'm sure I was going to mow this over again while I was jogging on the treadmill, but I
couldn't stop myself. I would be finished with brunch just in time to go to the House. I had to clean up and air
out my room. Then I would have to help with setting up the House for the party.

The small staff that we hired for our parties were mostly just waitresses, for the times we went that fancy. We
only hired girls so that we didn't have unexpected elements getting between us and our clients. Sal was our
current h'orderves maker. Until he showed up, I didn't know h'orderves was spelt with an 'h'. I could see the
kitchen now. It, and the attached breakfast nook, would be the only place that no one, other than the serving
staff, would be allowed. All the counter and tablespaces would be covered with food that was to be served
while Sal was out mingling with the guests and making appointments with old and possibly new clients.

The fridge would be stocked with nothing but wine and champagne, and extras would be sitting in ice in one
half of the double sink. The music would be pumping out of Cricket's iPod that he and Tiffany had put together.
She would insist on some classics while he pushed for a few more update songs. The iPod would be jacked into
our House's sound system, with a few switches flipped so it could be heard in every room of the House, except
the kitchen and our private rooms.

Then there would be the moving and decorating that most of us did. Moving tables and chairs around to create
gathering places or new sitting settings and putting up whatever Tiffany wanted. Since it was Christmas,
everything green, red, and gold now went up. There were boxes of stringed lights that were to go up the stairs.
Trees were brought in, and two to three guys would be given one to fully decorate. Nicknacks that were more
elegant than homey were brought out and displayed along shelves, mantel places, and side tables.

We use to complain about why we had to do all of this, the day of the party, if not from the night before, and
Tiffany's response was mostly the same. She didn't want there to be time for us to wreck anything or have it not
be party-ready. After a few years, we got used to her want of a pristine look with how we presented what we
did.

I shook my head before starting my shower. It was mostly a quick rinse with some soap because, as odd as it
might have been to take a bath to get sweaty, I didn't feel a need to invest time and effort into a full scrub down
now. I would just save that for when I was done working out. I washed up quickly with a handful of liquid soap
and was soon stepping out of the shower and grabbing the nearest towel to start drying off as I walked into the
bedroom.

I rubbed the towel over my hair as I got closer to the bed before I put it down and retrieved my gym bag from
the closet. I went through the motions of getting the duffle ready and picking out a decent outfit to wear to
brunch with Luke and Emma. I left it on the bed for when I got home from the gym. It was only when I was
sitting on the bed putting on my shoes did I realize that Luke wasn't in the room, never mind the bed itself. He
said that he was going to sleep in, but he wasn't there. I wondered where he was, but I didn't think it was a
great mystery. He could have been getting something to drink or eat downstairs, or Emma could have come and
gotten him for something else for all I knew.

I slung the bag over my shoulder before heading out of the room and walking downstairs. As I neared the
bottom step, I heard talking coming from somewhere on the first floor. I couldn't make out what they were
saying, just the fact that it sounded like Luke and Emma. That answers where he had gotten too. Once I was on
the first floor, I could tell that their voices were coming from the kitchen. I had to tell them that I was leaving, so
I turned in their direction and heard bits and pieces that didn't make any sense on their own.

“Hey,” I said and paused as I heard and saw Luke say my name to Emma at the same time.

“Oh hello Edward,” Emma said as she spoke up first. Luke just smiled at me.

“Talking about me behind my back?” I asked with a smile. I'm sure Luke was telling her something about me
that he thought was amusing.

“Just your fondness for Pops for breakfast,” she said with a smile.

“Oh, don't let that stop you from having any if you want some,” I said before I checked my watch. I didn't want
to keep Jacob waiting. “I guess I'll see you in about two hours then,” I told both of them as I smiled back at
Emma.

“Give or take fifteen minutes,” Luke added on. I now smiled at him as I heard him repeat what I said earlier. I
felt like kissing him goodbye, but I didn't know if I should in front of Emma, so I stood still as we looked at each
other and just smiled. I was about to turn away when I saw Emma push Luke towards me before walking out of
the room.

“I guess she's ok with us kissing. Kinda,” Luke joked as his hand moved towards my face. I didn't reach for him as
I leaned in with the guidance of his hand that held my neck. “Have a nice workout,” he whispered against my
lips before he covered them. I agreed with a moan as I kissed him back. I stepped up to his body as I got a little
bit caught up. Luke was warm and smelled great. I pressed my chest to his and felt a hand on my back keeping
me there.

“Are you done yet?” I heard Emma's voice ask as it interrupted our cocoon of bliss. I laughed, and Luke playfully
kissed me through it before we finally separated.

“See ya,” I told him quietly before turning to leave.

“Bye Emma,” I called out as I headed down the hallway.

------
------
------

“We landed about twenty minutes ago and we're headed towards our hotel now. I'll call you in about an hour
to get mom's hospital information,” Alfred said over his phone. We were sitting in the back of a taxi as it drove
us from the airport to our hotel. It was suppose to be close to the hospital that his mom had been admitted to.

The whole trip had been a whirl of fast-paced activity. The only time my head wasn't spinning was when we
were sitting to get on the plane or sitting on the plane in business class. It clearly wasn't first class, but the
amount of room we had wouldn't let you believe that we were in coach either. I slept most of the way, with Al
waking me up a few times. Either to eat or when we were landing. The other times I woke up under my own
power and saw that he had taken naps during the flight too.

I looked out the window and almost couldn't believe that I was driving down a street in Miami on Christmas
Eve. My mom was more happy and jealous about the trip until I told her why I was coming down here. Then she
passed on her condolences and wishes that his mother recovered soon.

The drive to the hotel wasn't that long at all, but then the driver used two large main streets to get there. I was
a little disappointed not to see the sea, but hopefully, once Al's mom was better, we could find one for a walk
along or just to look at. I've never seen the sea before or any large body of water really.

As Alfred paid him for the twenty-odd minute ride, I got our two bags out of the trunk. We weren't staying that
long, so we just grabbed a few things and brought a bag each. As I stood looking at the six-story building, I
thought it kinda looked like how most people thought of buildings in Miami. New, but old at the same time. But
unlike some of the other buildings we had passed, it was an almost boring paint scheme. No hot pink, or
shocking blue, or glossy red. There was a pattern of deep and light brown covering the building.

As Alfred walked past me, he pulled my attention from the building by taking his bag from one of my hands. I
then followed him inside and saw that this was where all the colors were for the hotel. We walked up to a
circular wood and glass front desk that glowed with light and polished red oak and had a backdrop of large
green banana leaves on the back wall.

“Good evening and welcome to the Marriott SpringHill Suites,” the man behind the desk said in greeting. He
was rather tall, wore glasses along with his uniform and a pleasant smile.

“Good evening,” Al said as he spoke up. “I made a reservation for two under the name Stroker,” he told him.

“Ok,” the man said as he turned towards his computer to confirm what he had been told. It was then that I
noticed his name tag and read Elliot on it. “Yes,” he said when he found it. “You have room 406 and it's one of
our King Studios,” Elliot said before pausing and looking up. “Is that ok?” he asked Alfred.

“Yes, anything's ok, as long as you don't have us sharing a twin bed,” Al answered, sounding a little irritated.
Normally, those words could have passed for a joke, but the look on his face made it clear that he wasn't in the
mood.

“No Sir, it has a king size bed and a sofa bed in the room,” Elliot explained. “But we do have a few rooms still
open that have two queen size beds, if you prefer,” he informed Al. I expected him to say not to bother, but
there was a pause from Al.

“I'm good with the sofa bed, you don't have to spend extra to get me a bed,” I spoke up to fill the gap.

“What is the price difference?” Al then asked.

“Our studios with the king bed is one hundred and ninety-nine a night while our queen studios with the two
beds are two hundred and forty-nine dollars,” Elliot explained without looking down at his computer.

“We'll keep what we have,” Al quickly said, making it sound like he was making his decision based on price.

“Not a problem,” Elliot said before he turned back to his computer and started typing. “Can I see some form of
identification please Mr. Stroker?” he asked as he continued to type away.

Ten minutes later, I was dropping my bag on the floor next to the only real bed in our room, and I suddenly felt
drained.
 ==========

Chapter 37 - Merry Christmas

==========

I watched as Al pulled a few things from his bag, that ended up on the bed. From a comfortable armchair, I
speared the room a quick once over. I could see why Elliot called this a studio instead of a suite. There was a
small living room with a sectional couch that he said could open up into a bed. It shared its space with a small
work area that had a desk, a lamp, and an office chair. The back of the desk was against something of a glass
dividing wall for the bedroom.

There was a large flat panel tv that was centered on its wall. It could be tilted towards who wanted to see it,
may they be at the couch, the desk, or the bed. Speaking of the bed, it was smaller than the one we shared
back home, but I didn't see either of us falling off of it either. At this point, I saw that Al had his things laid out
and was heading into the bathroom. For a moment, I felt a little off for not helping him, but I was torn between
helping him since I didn't lay out his clothes while we were home and letting him do what he wanted to cope. I
didn't move until I heard the water running in the shower.

I figured that I should get my stuff together too, so I could use the shower after him. That way, we could leave
for the hospital as soon as possible. I thought about watching some tv until he came out since the only thing I
had to get was my toothbrush. There were towels in the room along with soap, and I think they had shampoo.
Even if they hadn't, I didn't pack any. I had just lifted the remote and was pointing it at the tv when Alfred
walked out of the bathroom.

“I won't take too long,” I told him as I stood up and dropped the remote in the chair before walking past him. I
was just about out of arm's reach when I felt him grab hold of my forearm.

“I think it would be better if I went by myself this first time,” Al told me. I don't know if I heard regret in his
voice or if it was just my disappointment at not being able to go with him that colored his words, but there was
nothing to make a fuss about since it made some sense.

“Ok,” I said. “I'll still take a shower,” I told him as I walked into the bathroom anyway. I didn't rush now, but
there wasn't much to do. I found the shampoo and rinsed my hair with it before leaving the shower. I stood in
the bathroom and dried off, thinking that Al had already left for the hospital. Now I felt hungry and thought
about going downstairs to see if the hotel had some kind of café or restaurant. I was walking out into the
bedroom while drying my hair when I heard Al's voice.

“Yeah, I'll be there soon,” he said as I looked in his direction. He removed the phone from the side of his face
and turned off the screen before slipping it into his front pocket.

“You do understand why don't you?” he asked.

“No, I mean yes. I understand. You don't have to worry,” I told Al as I opened my bag to get something to wear. I
didn't have many choices, so I just picked out a random shirt and pair of pants that my hands touched. I pulled
the towel from around my waist before reaching for some underwear.

“Ok, I'll call and let you know,” Al said as he continued to watch me.
“I hope she's doing better,” I said as I turned around to face him. “Really,” I added on. He nodded, and I nodded
back before he turned and left the room.

------
------
------

An instrumental of Jingle Bell Rock was playing in the background, but it was loud enough for those who were
already buzzed to dance along to the beat. Not that I wouldn't have minded being one of them, but I had been
busy. The only time I got to drink something, was after a goodbye toast in my room before a whole lot of naked
was going on. I felt in the grove and out of place at the same time.

It was now twelve seventeen, and I needed a break. I saw my latest client downstairs and to the front door.

“I'll try to attend your going away party Edward, but in case I don't, I'm glad to have met you, and here's an
extra fifty to stow away for a rainy day,” he said as he pressed three bills into my hand. Rick was one of my nicer
clients. If he wasn't sixty-nine and needed a cane to get around, I might have thought more fondly of him. But
as it stood, he was my sweet horny grandfather type client. I smiled and hugged him for the gift. I was going to
miss seeing him. Not so much the sex since Luke was better, but he wasn't a bad person to spend some time
with.

“Thanks Rick,” I said as I pulled away and pocketed the money before someone saw it. It was ok to receive, but
not flaunt. One of the many rules from Tiffany that I won't miss. He clapped me on the back of my neck and just
held me for a bit with an almost sad smile on his face.

“If only I was twenty years younger,” he commented. We both chuckled and smiled before he slowly made his
way down the steps and over to a man holding open the door to his car. Once he was in, the man walked
around to the driver's side and got in to drive the Honorable Richard H. Morgan home. I quickly closed the door
to get away from the cold and walked back to where the people were. As I neared the stairs, a girl walked past
me with a full tray of h'orderves. I pulled it out of her hands and kept her from getting it back as I walked up the
stairs and to my room for that break that I need.

I was about to duck into my room when I saw Jacob walking out his latest client. I waved at him to get his
attention, then waved him over before going into my room and closing my door. I was sitting on the bed with
the platter before me on the covers. In my left hand, I was holding a glass of water when Jacob walked in. He
had more food in a bowl, and a bottle of something which I knew I was going to enjoy.

Jacob placed the bowl on the bed next to me as he walked around, looking for another glass to use. He found
one on the dresser and smelled it before pouring himself something to drink. I looked into the bowl as he made
his way back to me.

“Buffalo wings? They had buffalo wings?” I asked as I reached for one.

“You would know if you stayed downstairs for longer than a head nod,” Jacob answered as I saw his hand enter
the bowl. I looked up and watched him walk towards a chair with the wing in his mouth. He pulled it over to the
foot of my bed and placed his glass on the floor. A second later, I felt as Jacob took the cup out of my hand and
watched as he switched it for the bottle of wine.

"Thanks,” I told him before taking a swing. “And for your information, I was downstairs for longer than a head
nod,” I added on.
“Well that isn't how I saw it,” Jacob informed me as he reached for some more wings. “I'm looking around and
you appear somehow, from somewhere,” he said before taking a bite. “You nod in my direction when you see
me looking at you and I nod back, then you are off with a new guy,” he said after taking a sip from his glass.
“How many have you had?” Jacob asked before taking another bite. This time it came from my platter.

“You didn't check my stack?” I asked in between each lick of my fingers.

“I was getting the wings,” he stated before taking a proper drink. I held out the bottle for him so he could get a
refill. He saw and quickly brought his glass to the bottle for me to pour.

“Let's see,” I told him before I took a sip myself. “First there was Paul, then Alex, then Tom, then Carl,” I stopped
for a sip and to think. “Next I think was Neil, and Richard was the last one I just saw out,” I sipped again. “Noel,
Sam and Kurt are next, in that order,” I finished as I reached for a buffalo wing.

“Busy,” Jacob commented. “Just for the session or because it's your last night?” he asked as he reached for
more sauce covered meat.

“Both, but mostly because it's my last night I think. Almost all of them wished me well in case they couldn't
make my sale party in January,” I answered.

“How much have you gotten so far?” Jacob managed to ask without sounding that interested.

“I think I have about three hundred now,” I said before reaching for the last h'orderve on the platter.

“Decent,” he commented before taking a drink.

“How about you?” I asked him as I reached for my last wing. “How many clients have you had for the night?”

“Three so far. I should be able to get one or two more before the night is out,” Jacob answered.

“Well good luck to you,” I said as I held out the bottle, and he clinked his glass to it. I drank some, then bent
over and placed it on the floor before getting off the bed. I walked into the bathroom to wash my hands and
brushed my teeth. When I came back out, I looked at my bed and just started to strip, but left my briefs on. I
crawled onto my cool sheets before I turned my head to look at Jacob.

“Jacob,” I called to him.

“Yeah?” he asked as he continued to eat.

“Can you tell Noel Conner, in about twenty minutes, that he can come up to my room?” I asked him. “I need a
small nap,” I added on.

“Sure thing,” Jacob said. I assume that is what he said. I think I was already falling asleep by then. The next thing
I knew, I was waking up to kisses and licks as they moved across my back. I turned around and was surprised to
see Noel. I was expecting Luke. I smiled sleepily, and he kissed me.

------
------
------
I was slowly walking back towards my hotel at a slow pace with some food for Al in the bag I was carrying. Most
of the area around the hotel wasn't that built up. It was like they had gotten rid of a lot of buildings and hadn't
replaced them yet, or decided to make it a park. Either way, I had clear sights all around me, and I was about
the only one out there walking. I was expecting it to be more crowded, but I guess being in the hospital center
cut down on the number of partying crowds you could bump into.

When I came downstairs hours ago to get something to eat, I found out that they only served breakfast. So I
asked where I could get something good to eat. That got me a menu and a map to this place called Pashas. It
was this healthy Mediterranean restaurant. It wasn't that far away, so I turned down the offer of calling a cab to
take me there. Thirty minutes later, I was starting to wish I had since I was sure I was lost. By the time I asked
someone how to find this place, I realized that I had walked by it twice, and it was across the street from where
we were currently standing.

I thanked the guy, and quite easily jaywalked across a four-lane street to the front of the building. I stood there
looking at what appeared to be an office building of about twenty stories. I pulled the flier out of my back
pocket and looked for the address of the place again.

1120 NW 14th St

I looked up from the paper and checked the outside of the building for those numbers. I didn't look that hard
the first few times thinking I would just see the name of the restaurant on the outside of the building. Clearly,
that didn't happen. So now I was trying to double-check. There were no bushes or trees within ten feet of the
structure. So I didn't know where the numbers were been hidden if they were there at all. I stepped a little
closer and saw a recessed wall next to the entrance. There I saw the numbers in shinny, slightly oversized metal
pieces.

I folded the flier and walked towards the glass doors. Once I was inside I saw a list of all the businesses that
were in the building and what floor they were on. Pashas was on the ninth floor. I walked in through another
set of doors and made my way to the elevator. The ride was short in the large elevator, and as I stepped out, a
cafeteria-like feeling hit me along with some enticing aromas.

I had a hard time choosing what to order, and even then I had to ask what a few things were. I ended up with a
rice bowl that had beans and beef in it. They called it 'Yanis', with a grilled vegetable medley side. They didn't
serve any soft drinks either. They sold fresh-squeezed juices and house-made lemonade. I chose melon. When I
was halfway finished I thought of getting something for Al and got him the Shish Kebab Wrap with salmon and
grilled vegetables and aioli. For both of us, I got some rice pudding. I also got him a cup of the same melon juice
I was drinking.

I received the order ten minutes after I finished eating. I was looking around the restaurant and saw that I was
the only customer there before the guy brought me the food. I was then informed that they were closing. I
guess they wanted me to leave, so they could go home. I apologized and looked out the window, before leaving
a seven-dollar tip even though it was almost as much as I spent on my meal there.

Now I was approaching the lit front yard or driveway of our hotel. I wondered again how Al was doing. He
hadn't called or texted me this entire time, and I didn't dare call him to find out what was going on in case I
rang him at a very bad time.

“Did you find Pashas easily Mr. Harris?” the lady behind the front desk asked when she saw me enter the lobby.
“Yes,” I lied. “Thank you,” I said with a smile in her direction as I made my way to the elevators. I fished my
room card key out of my pocket before the elevator came to a stop on my floor. I walked down the deep purple
carpeted hallway until I got to my room. With practiced fingers, I swiped the key and was in the room in one
smooth movement.

I kicked off my shoes before going too far into the room and then took the bag apart on the desk. The juice
went into the little fridge that was in the room. The Shish Kebab Wrap went into the microwave, and the rice
pudding stayed on the desk. For a moment, I felt at a loss of what to do with the bags. I was so used to having
the tubes. I got over it and shrugged my shoulders as I balled them up and threw the bags into the wastebasket.
I pulled off my shirt and suddenly felt like using the bathroom. I open the door to a dark room, so I flipped on
the lights to see where everything was. I turned in the direction of where I remembered the john being and saw
Al sitting on the closed toilet with his head in his hands.
 ==========

Chapter 38 - Merry Christmas … Still

==========

I woke up not knowing when my last client left. I looked over at my clock and was surprised to see that it wasn't
there. In fact, my whole nightstand and a wall weren't there. I lifted my head and realized that I was at the foot
of my bed with my feet propped up on my pillows. I slowly swiveled my body around until I was laying the right
way up, and I saw my clock and then my phone. It was about ten thirty-nine am, so I reached for my phone to
see if anyone, namely Luke, had called or texted me while I was asleep.

Indeed there was a text. He was going to come by around noon to get me for lunch with him and Emma. He
also wished that I had fun but not so much that I slept past noon. I smiled and texted him back that I was now
awake and should be dressed and ready by the time he made it here.

I stood and looked at my screen as I waited for an answer. After a full minute ticked by, I tossed it onto my bed
and grabbed my towel on the way to the bathroom. As I stepped onto the tiled bathroom floor, I heard my
phone as it faintly pinged. I smiled to myself as I walked towards the shower.

A few hours later, I was sitting in the living room watching something. Even though I had enough coffee to make
me use the bathroom while waiting for Luke, I keep falling asleep on the couch. I was almost surprised that
there weren't any Bloody Marys on the counter for us this morning. Not that I would have taken one. I hate
tomato juice.

When I turned on the tv, I think it was showing a documentary on loggers in Washington state. Now, as I
flickered my eyes open once again, I found myself laying on top of a bag of things I took from my room. I think I
heard something about renovating a kitchen. I looked at the tv to see this pretty blond lady in jeans and an
oversized sweater as she talked about some turn of the century home that had been updated. I rubbed my eyes
to wake up as I thought about searching for the remote to change the channel. I was looking around the room
when I heard footsteps coming my way.

“Hey Edward,” someone called. I looked up and saw Joey looking at me. “Luke's outside waiting for you,” he
informed me before turning and leaving. Finally, I thought as I stood up and reached to grab my bag. Before my
hand even touched it, I heard something as it fell to the floor. There was the remote. I picked it up and turned
off the tv in one motion before grabbing my bag and walking out the room as I tossed the remote onto the
couch. I walked out back after putting on my coat, not thinking that he would be in front of the house, and as I
walked out into daylight he was there waiting for me.

His black car shone in the midday sun. He must have had it cleaned, I remarked to myself as I walked down the
steps. Luke looked every bit the lawyer as he leaned against it in a long thick coat over an expensive suit. I knew
I was smiling as I got closer to him, and I didn't feel like hiding it. I had missed him, and it was nice seeing him
again.

“Well don't you look happy,” Luke commented as he pushed off of his car and walked a few steps to met me.
We briefly kissed without holding each other.

“I can be happy,” I told him before I kissed him again. This time I held his waist and pulled him in a bit closer.
“Fine by me,” Luke said with a wide smile after he licked what was left of the coffee from the inside of my lips.
“What's with the bag?” he asked he started to walk back to the car.

“Just some stuff from my room,” I told him as I walked to the passenger side.

“Anything for Emma?” he asked as we both settled in our seats and buckled up.

“Sure if you think she would like one of my tee shirts,” I told him as I opened up the bag. One by one, I pulled
them out and started to read what they said out loud to him. “I have 'I DON'T GO TO THE GYM TO HAVE SEX'. 'I
MAY BE CUTE, BUT I'M ALSO GAY'. 'I'M SOMEONE'S REASON TO MASTURBATE'. 'I'M STD FREE', that one is on a
pink heart candy, and last but not least, 'HAYY IS FOR HORSES',” I told him before stuffing them back in.

“Is there anything funny on that last one?” Luke asks me.

“Funny?” I asked back.

“Yeah. A cartoon or a rainbow or it's on a pink colored tee?” Luke asked in more detail.

“Well it's on a black tee, and there is one little white horse just standing there off on the side kinda,” I tried to
explain.

“She may like that one then,” he told me.

“You know I was joking,” I said.

“You can't part with one little tee shirt to give to your future daughter-in-law? As a Christmas gift?” Luke asked
with something of a grin. I wasn't sure if he was joking or taking a light approach to something very real. For a
moment, a brief terrifying moment, I felt something that wasn't anywhere near pleasant as I heard the words
'daughter-in-law', but it passed, and I was confused over it, but not confused enough to not think of something
to tell Luke.

“My shirt is a few years old and it won't fit her,” I started. “I'll order her a new one, that's her size and she will
have it in time to take back to school with her,” I said as a compromise. I got to keep my shirt, I got to give
Emma a gift to make Luke happy, and if she really liked it, we would have matching tees.

“Acceptable,” Luke soon said as he now merged with traffic.

“Where are we having lunch and aren't we going to pick up Emma from home?” I asked as I looked out the
window. The world was still the same. I was almost the same, yet changing like everything did in time. The fact
that I was going to have lunch with a girl who was the daughter of the man I was going to marry proves it. I
looked back at Luke as I waited for his answer.

“She's already at the restaurant waiting for us. She said that she wanted to really look over the menu,” he told
me.

“And which restaurant would that be again?” I asked when I realized he hadn't given me a name yet.

“Oh, it's Olive's Oil on Clark St,” Luke stated.

“Clark St?” I asked him. “Carat Clark St?” I asked to make sure. “You got her jewelry for Christmas and you are
asking me to give her an old used tee shirt?” I asked, feeling slightly outraged. Here I thought that he was trying
to help me win her over or something, and he was just, just...

“No, that's not true,” he cut off my thought with. “We were walking downtown since it wasn't so cold, and we
just ended up there. I was going to take you two to Susanita, but we were standing across the street from
Olive's Oil and Emma said that we could just eat there unless I had my heart set on Susanita. I didn't, so she's
waiting for us there,” Luke ended as he turned off the highway and headed downtown. Two more turns had us
driving down the main street of our little town. We were three blocks away from Clark St, since it ran parallel to
the main street, but the part that held all the glittering stones were at the west end of town.

Now we started to hit traffic and a lot more stoplights. I guess a lot of people were going out to eat for
Christmas. Susanita might actually be full really. They, and every other high-end place, I'm sure, was enjoying
their Christmas crowd.

“What have you told Emma about us?” I asked him as I thought about how we were going to pass the time. Not
just over lunch but also the rest of the day. We talked a little yesterday over brunch, but it was mostly about
food and some more school stories from Emma and her dad with one or two of my own.

“Nothing much,” Luke started as he once again idled at a red light. “Other than saying that I meet you at a party,
I talked about other things about you that didn't have to do with your job,” he continued.

“She didn't ask at all? About my job that is,” I clarified.

“She did, but I just said that you were something of an assistant to the public relations department of an
entertainment company,” Luke told me with a grin. Nice wordplay.

“She bought that?” I asked as I looked back out to see people walking up and down the sidewalk with shopping
bags. I wonder if there were any good suit sales still going on?

“Yeah mostly,” he answered. “She only had one more question about it. Why did you work at night?”

“And how did you answer that one?” I half asked out of curiosity and half out of need. I had to make sure that I
didn't make him out to be a liar by giving her a whole different story about what I do, or at least, did for a living.

“That was a bit harder,” Luke admitted. “I think I managed to convey that you worked when they had work, and
that was at night,” he told me. “I'm not sure how much of that she heard, because when I turned to her to see if
she understood, she was looking at a tiara, that I promptly told her I wasn't buying for anyone,” something in
his voice didn't make me quite believe that last part. He may not buy it for her this year, but who knew about a
few years from now. She would shine at his parties wearing something like that.

“I could buy it for her,” I suggested rather uncharacteristically.

“You?” Luke asked, knowing me. “Spend that much money?” he asked.

“Well, I'm asking you first,” I pointed out.

“I said she couldn't have it because she's too young to own something so expensive,” Luke said as he turned
down Garamond Lane. We were almost there, just a few more blocks.

“So are we doing anything special tonight?” I casually asked Luke.

“You want to go somewhere?” he asked as he scanned the road for a parking spot and found one. Luke had to
wait until the person pulling out was gone before he could clam it.

“No, not really, but you normally throw a party for Christmas don't you?” I asked even though we both knew
that he did. “And it's clear you aren't this year, but maybe you want to go to someone else's?” I added on.

“Not this year,” Luke said while being more concerned about not hitting the car that was parked behind us. “I
just want the three of us to spend Christmas together. New Years will be a party,” he said as he turned and
grinned at me while turning off the engine. I smiled back, thinking that I had managed to save the season
without him having to change any plans on his end. I also managed to fight down this odd urged to reach over
and kiss him, considering I wasn't that showy with how I felt.

I turned to look down at the bag I had in my hands and thought about leaving it versus taking out the shirt to
show Emma. As Luke slammed his door as he got out, I opened it up and quickly sorted out the one that he had
approved of and got out before he started to wonder what I was up to.

As I stepped onto the sidewalk, I saw Luke as he pointed his keychain at the car, and I heard it beep twice
behind me before we walked into Olive's Oil. I looked around for Emma and saw her starting to stand as she
waved us over to the table. As expected, the place was rather busy, but we weren't that packed in with
everyone else.

“How was work?” Emma asked after she hugged me in welcome. I stopped myself from looking at Luke, and as I
tried to think of what to tell her.

“Not bad,” I started. “A lot of people said that they were going to miss me, and I got a few parting gifts so I
guess it was fun,” I ended up telling her. Now I looked over at Luke, and I could swear that he was covering his
mouth to keep from laughing at me.

“Was that a gift?” Emma asked, causing me to look at her again. She was pointing at the shirt that I had in my
hand.

“Actually it's not,” I said as I started to open it but closed it again before showing it to her. “Luke said that you
may like it, but since it wasn't new I said that if you liked it, I would buy you one so we could match or
something,” I told her. During all that, she continued to smile at me without it looking like it was being forced.

“Cool,” Emma said at first as she continued to look at me. “So?” she prompted, and I realized that she was
waiting to see what it looked like. I held it up and finally showed her the front of it. If anything, I thought that
she might like the drawing of the horse on the side.

“Hay is for horses,” Emma said as she tried to understand. I'm grateful that it didn't take that long. The blank
look in her eyes snapped into understanding a few seconds after she read it out loud. “That is hilarious,” she
laughed.

“Do you have a funny shirt too Dad?” Emma asked Luke as she looked over to him now. I followed her gaze, and
he looked surprised that questions were being aimed at him over this subject.

“No, I don't,” Luke admitted.

“I can get him one,” I offered. I had asked him months ago if he was interested when he saw me walking around
in my BLOW JOB? tee when I was making breakfasts. That was a fun weekend, I remembered with a smile.

“How about one that says “I Like A Good Rare End?” she asked with a smile.

“Emma!” Luke said, loudly in shock. I covered my mouth as I half-concealed my laughter.

“What?” she asked with an even bigger smile. “I thought it would fit,” she said. I lowered my hand but
continued to smile as I watched to see how this would play out.

“And how does that fit with anything?” Luke asked. I looked at Emma as I waited for her answer. She didn't look
worried, but he looked between the two of us before she gave her dad an answer.

“Well, there are all those jokes of the hind end of a horse, and I think you still like your steak medium rare,
and,” she paused before quickly looking at me again. “I'm sure you're the top,” she said with a blush.

“Emma!” Luke said, even louder.

“Yes Sir,” a lady quickly and cheerfully said behind us. “Merry Christmas to you and are you ready to order
now?” she asked. I turned to see a waitress who looked to be about twice Emma's age wearing a name tag that
said that her name was Emma also.
 ==========

Chapter 39 - Not A Merry Christmas Anymore

==========

“Al?” I asked cautiously for the first time in over two hours, once I knew he was awake. He was starting to worry
me. I had managed to get him undressed and into bed last night without him saying a word the whole time. I
placed everything that I had gotten for him in the fridge when I realized that he wouldn't be eating any of it.

I left him in bed, looking almost as miserable as when I found him, while I had a quick shower and took care of
some bodily functions. As slightly odd as it felt, I pulled on some underwear before I slipped into bed next to
him. I had turned off the lights, so I didn't know that he had been crying until I reached across his wet pillow to
pull him closer.

He pulled at my shoulder and kissed my chest slowly before settling down again. My mind spun with things that
could have happened at the hospital until I fell asleep. Now I was looking out the large windows that I had left
open the night before. I had watched as the sky lighted and now saw the top of some palms as they moved
back and forth in the breeze that occasionally made it into our room.

“Yes?” Alfred answered back. I didn't expect him to talk back to me. I hoped, but I wasn't anticipating it. I
thought of a logical thing to now ask him.

“Would you like some breakfast?” I came up with. “It's not a real hotel so I have to go down and get it since
they only serve breakfast and it's buffet style,” I explained. I waited for him to say something but felt him hug
me instead.

“Yes, thank you,” Al said before sitting up as he pulled away from me. I felt odd and cooler now that he wasn't
covering most of my body.

“Ok,” I said as I now sat up myself, and I swung my legs onto the floor. I repeatedly raked my fingers through my
hair as I stood and walked over to my bag. I pulled out a pair of jeans that were a little faded and put them on
before reaching for one of my other tees.

“I'll go take a shower,” Al told me, or the room, as I felt him walk past me and into the bathroom. I looked at the
bathroom door as he closed it before I walked towards the door to our room for my shoes. I couldn't stop
myself from looking at his door again before I left our studio.

Ideas of what could have gone on while he was out yesterday came back to mind as I walked to the elevator. I
hadn't dismissed those thoughts as I made my way into the lobby and asked where breakfast was being served.
By the time I was walking back down the hallway on our floor, I realized that I had forgotten my room card key
and that I had to ask Al what happened yesterday. I couldn't keep imagining what happened to him.

When I got to our room, I knocked at the door and waited for him to let me in. I waited for like a whole minute
before I started to think that I had to knock again. I figured that I hadn't knocked loud enough, or he could have
been in the bathroom still. So I knocked harder, knowing that he had to have heard me that time.

“Coming,” I heard him call from the other side of the door a few seconds later. Very soon, I was flashing an
embarrassed smile as he opened the door.
“I forgot my card,” I explained as Al looked at me standing in the hallway. “But I have pancakes, vegetable
scrambled eggs and chicken sausages almost swimming in maple syrup,” I said as I raised the tray a little to
show him. He smiled back at me a little before stepping back and letting me in. I was a little confused as to
where we would sit and eat since there wasn't a real table for us to use.

“Nothing to drink?” Al asked me as I stood looking at the desk in the middle of the room.

“There're some in the fridge,” I told him as I looked elsewhere to eat. I ended up choosing to use the small
matching coffee tables that were in front of the couch. I didn't like it, but it was the best we had unless Alfred
wanted to eat in bed. I took the plates off the tray and repositioned the tables to make sure we could sit
comfortably as we ate. As I slid the tray between the two tables, I saw Al's hands as he placed a bottle of orange
juice next to each plate. “Thanks,” I told him as I straightened up and looked at him. He did look a little better,
but I wasn't going to ask him what was wrong until he had eaten. I'm sure he was hungry.

So we sat down and ate what was on our plates. I had to get up to retrieve two more bottles of juice because
the pancakes were a bit drier than they looked, and the bottles themselves were on the small side. All the food
was gone, and all the bottles were empty when Alfred let out a breath and sat back on the couch.

“My mother died last night,” he told me. I was about to reach for his plate to stack it with mine and take them
downstairs when I heard him. I looked over in his direction and saw him looking at his plate, and I left it where
it was. I wanted to know how, since I wasn't sure why she was in the hospital in the first place. I opened my
mouth to ask him but closed it without saying anything as I remembered telling myself that I wasn't going to
press him. Yes, I was going to ask him, but I wasn't going to push for information.

“She was alive when I arrived at the hospital, but she wasn't in her room. My brother, Ben, told me they were
doing tests and that I had just missed her. I didn't want to start a conversation that I knew would turn into
shouting, if not an argument, so I said hello to everyone else who came and excused myself to get something to
eat,” Al paused. “I ended up hiding in the cafeteria for about two hours before I made my way back. I figured
that I couldn't delay talking to my family any longer. As I walked down the hallway towards her room, I saw
everyone who was waiting for my mother to return huddled, talking about something. I was quick to believe
that they were talking about me until I got closer. It was a doctor that they were talking to. I stood behind them
and listened to what I could until the doctor saw me and stopped.

Margret, Ben's wife, informed the doctor that I was family. We shook hands before he continued with what he
was saying. He seemed to have finished informing the family of why Mom was in the hospital by this time and
said that it was unlikely she would live beyond the week, so as morbid as it was, we should start finding out
what her wishes were for when she passed,” Al told me. He was still looking at his plate. His gaze hadn't moved
away from it once as I looked at him. “I was able to speak to her privately for an hour or so before she said that
she was tired and wanted to take a nap. We covered quite a bit of ground until I left the room. When I first
entered her room, I just stood there looking at her before she waved me over for a hug.

She had aged. I knew it was impossible for her not to have gotten older. It was just that the last time I saw her,
her hair was still wheat brown. Now almost all of it was gray, and she was too thin, in my opinion. Her hug was
a bit stronger than I expected, but it was cut short as she coughed and quickly reached for some tissues.

As we started to talk, it was mostly mom asking me things about my life but staying away from asking if I was
seeing anyone. At one point, I was holding her hand and asked her why she didn't tell me. Why I had to find out
from the doctor that she has had small cell lung cancer for two years already. I asked her if she didn't think I
cared if she was sick. She,” he paused to rub his eyes. “She said that she didn't believe that, but there was
nothing I could have done to help her. She already had enough money, thanks to me, to afford the treatments
and prescriptions. She wasn't alone since Ben and his family lived nearby and visited every day. I slightly argued
that I could have come for a visit, for a weekend or something.

She said that it could have caused more trouble than it was worth and that we both knew it. She still looked at
me as tho she wished that I had come to see her before now. There was also some pity in there, I think, so I
decided to tell her something to make her happy.” Now he raised his gaze to look at me. “I told her about you,”
Al informed me. “I told her that I found someone and that we were happy. The only thing she asked me was
your name. I told her, and she smiled,” he told me before rubbing his other eye. “She looked really happy, so I
told her that I loved her and that I wanted the two of you to meet, but I wanted to know if she was ok with me
bringing you to the hospital. She was a bit surprised that you came with me but stopped talking as she started
to cough again. When her fit was over, she said that we would talk about it later and that despite being sick, she
was happy to see me. Then she kicked me out of her room, saying that she needed her rest.” Now Alfred stood
up and walked over to the open window.

“I was almost out the room when she called me back. She said that she wanted to kiss her grand kids goodnight
before they went home. So as I went out I told Margret and she took her kids, a boy and girl, into the room
along with Eila, my sister, and her boy. I'm not sure of their names since I often got them confused when
mother talked about them, and my brother and sister never sent me their pictures, not that I expected them
to,” he continued. I had kinda followed him into the bedroom area and was sitting on the bed as I watched his
back against the blue sky that was full of clouds.

“I wanted to call you then and let you know that I was on my way back here, but they took my cell phone from
me when I told them that I was going to the intensive care department. So as I was starting to walk away, I
heard Mom starting to cough again, and then Eila called me. I walked back, and she was pushing the kids out of
the room as Ben ran by me and down the hall. A few seconds later, Margret came out of the room, crying after
some alarm went off. The kids still clung to me, which I thought was a little odd, and Eila's boy looked around
worried, but mostly at his Aunt Margret.

People started to rush into the room with carts and were shouting things at each other. Soon, Ben was back,
but it looked like he might have come to terms with what was going on, just as Eila walked out of the room. I'm
sure she was pushed out for space as I heard them shocking Mom a few times to get her heart going again.
They somehow succeeded, and then we waited to find out what was going on now. The same doctor as before
showed up and asked for some time, so he could gather some information. It felt like forever, but it was only
about two hours. I was starting to wish that you were there,” Alfred said as he turned from the window for a
moment. He smiled with sad eyes before turning to look out the window again. “When the doctor came back,
he said that everything they had done to fight the cancer and the broken bone from her fall was now working
against her, and her body wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. The last scare was due to a blood clot.
They couldn't give her anything to thin out her blood because she would start to bleed internally from the
stitches in her lungs from a surgery she had a month ago. In a younger person, they would have healed much
faster, but with her health and age, it was taking longer. As we were talking, the alarms went off again, and the
doctor ran back into her room.” Al stopped talking again. The room felt heavy and sad with the silence. I started
to say something but realized that I had to clear my throat before that would be possible.

“Do you want to go out for a walk?” I asked him. “There's this park like a block from here and there aren't that
many buildings around so it should be mostly empty,” I suggested. He nodded his head as he raised his hand to
his face again. I stood and walked over to him. I held his shoulders and kissed the back of his neck. As I pulled
my lips away, I rubbed my hands up and down his arms and hoped he took my actions as comforting.

“I'll take the plates down and wait for you in the lobby,” I told him. Al nodded again without saying anything.
This time I made sure I had my card key before I picked up the tray with the stacked dishes, forks and knives,
empty bottles, and used napkins. By the time I was leaving the room, he was still looking out the window.

------
------

It took him longer than I expected to come downstairs. I was sitting in the business section of the lobby as I
looked through my e-mails. Half of it was spam that I trashed without opening. Some were updates from sites I
visited once in a while. One was from my mom, asking how things were going and hoping that my flight went
well. I sent her a short reply with the necessary high lights and told her that I'll try and call soon before we left.

I got two from Candice. One was hoping that I was having a fun stay in the warm weather and wishing us a
Merry Christmas. The next was details about the fireworks on New Years'. What time they were suppose to
start. What time we should meet up before then. A reminder to bring a blanket, because it was going to be
cold. We also had to bring something to eat and drink since we were getting there a little early to get a good
spot.

I thanked her for the info and told her that it sounded good and that I would get back to her. The other e-mail I
looked at for a bit before reminding her that I didn't come down here for a vacation. Just before I hit the 'send'
button, I felt someone behind me and knew it was Al. I looked up after I sent it, and he was just standing there
with his hands in his pocket.

I logged off the machine and grabbed the two water bottles that I had picked up when I dropped off the dishes
before walking over to him. I stood next to Alfred, and he looked at me for a few seconds before turning
towards the exit. We walked out into the sunlight, and I pointed us in the direction of the green space. It was
warm but not humid. We passed a car or two, and when we were across the street from the park, which was as
empty as it was last night, a couple walking by smiled in our direction.

“Merry Christmas,” the lady said. I think Al smiled back at her.

“Merry Christmas,” I answered for both of us. I didn't feel it in the least, but I tried to smile to attempt looking
friendly. I almost felt sick actually, considering what Alfred told me not that long ago. We crossed the street,
and I continued walking in search of a bench that was under a tree, or some other shade. If it was a little off the
path, that would have been great. Al just followed me as we both stayed quiet.

I soon found, or thought I found, a clean bench for use to use. It was under a tree, which we had to walk off the
path to get to. As we got closer, I saw that it wasn't as clean as I thought it was, and as we came to a stop in
front of it, I realized that it was mostly peeling paint and a few fallen leaves from the tree overhead. So we
dusted it off and sat down. I looked out and saw that whole half of the small park. The tree sheltered us well,
and the breeze that rustled its way through the leaves cooled us a bit as I wanted for either of us to say
something.

“This was not how I planed to spend Christmas,” Al said when he spoke up. God knows I didn't want to bring up
Christmas and his mother dying at the same time. “I even forgot, and there was tinsel all over the first floor of
the hospital,” he remembered. “Do you know why there aren't any in the hotel?” he asked.

“Tinsel?” I asked him.

“A tree,” he answered as he shrugged his shoulders. “Decorations of any kind for the session,” Al explained.
“Fairness,” I said as I answered with a shrug of my own. “Not everyone is a Christian or likes the holiday, so they
don't celebrate anything,” I guessed, sounding like I knew what I was talking about.

“I can understand that,” he said after a moment. “I don't think I'll be able to enjoy Christmas as much as I used
to. At least not for a while,” he said with his voice losing volume near the end. I nodded slightly, as I understood.

“So what happens now?” I asked Al after I allowed him a few deep breaths.

“I'll help or at least I'm going to be present at the funeral planning for my mother today. We are suppose to
meet for lunch some where called Los Tres Amigos,” he said. “We want to have the funeral no later than the
twenty-seventh, more like need really. The hospital can only hold her body for so long.” I was leaning on my
elbows that were resting on my knees, as I looked at my hands as Al spoke. I didn't look at him to see how upset
he had every right to be.

“Ok,” I said to get talking again. “I'll help you find the place if you want, and I'll just walk around or find
something to do until you're done,” I offered.

“Thanks,” Al said, sounding a little grateful. I looked up at him then. He was looking at me and seemed to have
found something to be a little happy about. We smiled at each other. Al then turns his head as he pulls out his
phone and checks it for something. “We have a long time until we have to meet them,” he said as he put it back
into his pocket before standing. “Let's go back, get directions, and take a long shower before slowly finding the
restaurant?” Al suggested.

“Sounds do-able,” I said as I now stood. I looked around to see if there was anyone else there. It was still empty
except for one guy running behind a three-wheeled stroller. The good thing was that he was running away from
us. So I leaned in and kissed Al. He pulled me closer, and we just stood there kissing, as we held each other
close.

I was starting to get turned on when he ended it. We smiled at each other for a bit before completely
separating and turning to walk back the way we came. I was tempted to look around again to see if anyone had
seen us, but it was too late for me to do anything about it. It wasn't like I was going to apologize to them for
what they saw. I smiled a little at that as we neared the edge of the park. I almost told him about the e-mail I
got from Candice about the fireworks, but I didn't because I thought it was too soon. It could wait until we were
back home.
 ==========

Chapter 40 - The Rest Of Our Day

==========

“Dad,” Emma quickly said in our direction before turning back to look through the glass of another jewelry
shop.

“What do you see now?” Luke asked her sounding less annoyed than I was starting to feel. Everything started to
look the same after a while, and honestly, it was boring. We were looking at literal rocks. The things you did for
girls. He walked over to see what she was looking at, but I held out for about twenty seconds before I was
following him. As I got there, Emma started to pull him into the store. I hung my head in defeat and followed
them inside. It was a little less shiny than some of the newer stories we had walked by, so at least I was able to
look around a bit more and try to find something that could hold some interest for me.

As I glanced around, I realized that it wasn't a very glitzy jewelry store and saw some things that actually caught
my attention. There was a more masculine looking section, and it had some wood and metal crafted items that
had no jewels anywhere for two whole cases.

“Edward,” I heard Luke calling as I was taking a closer look at a wooden ring that had fish carved into it. It
looked familiar, but I put it aside as I turned to see what I was being called to see.

“Yeah,” I answered before walking towards Luke.

“What do you think?” he asked me once I reached them. I looked at Emma, and she was smiling as she held up
her long black hair to help show off the locket that she was now wearing. I had to admit that it was a beautiful
looking locket.

“Is that a peacock feather?” I asked them.

“Yeah, isn't it cool?” Emma asked as she dropped her hair and picked up the locket to look at it again. It wasn't
a small dainty locket I instantly noticed once it was in her hands. It took up half of her palm. In the locket's
defense, she was still a small person and had little hands.

“Actually,” the man behind the counter broke in with. “It's a 3D photo of a peacock's feather,” he said with a
smile. “I think it works quite well with the antique finish on the oval brass frame. It completes the old world feel
of the piece I believe,” he said while looking between the three of us. Emma looked at her Dad like I think all
kids look at their parents when they want something from them. I looked at Luke for a while as he seemed to
be considering it.

“I think it's a good looking locket,” I said to voice my opinion. “It doesn't look like it would be that commonly
found either,” I tacked on.

“It is hand made,” the guy said to remind us of his existence.

“Please,” Emma now verbally begged.

“How much is it?” Luke asked, and we all turned to look at the attendant. He went into the case and picked up
the box that I think it was in and turned it over to read something.

“With the case,” the man started as he handed it to Luke. “It would be one hundred and twelve dollars. The
locket by itself is fifty-nine ninety-nine,” he stated as he watched Luke looking over the carved wooden box. It
was about three inches long and two inches high. I say box but, it wasn't a square. I should call it a container
more than a box truthfully, and it didn't bring to mind the word case like the guy said when you saw it. The
container looked like a polished mini stump of a branch off of a tree. It had a smooth, dark finish and wavy
natural walls since all of it was made from one piece of wood. I think it was walnut for how dark it appeared.

“Does it have a cover?” Luke asked.

“Yes Sir,” the man said from behind the counter. He reached in and pulled out a lid that fit into the craved out
top. There was a knot in the cover, and just to the right of it was a peg-like handle to easily lift it out of place.
The whole container had natural cracks, knots, and holes in it.

“Do you want the box too?” Luke asked Emma. She enthusiastically nodded her head. “Ok. We'll take both,”
Luke said as he started to pull out his wallet.

“Yeah! Thank you Daddy,” Emma said as she jumped up and down before hugging him before jumping up and
down and heading in my direction next. I braced myself, so we just swayed a bit as she hugged me. It was a
strong, but short hug. Soon we were looking over the locket in greater detail while Luke settled the bill.

------
------
------

“Ahahaha,” we both laughed. Al was even patting me on the shoulder as he tried to control himself. Soon we
both managed to quiet down, and Al's hand stayed on my shoulder. We were finally feeling less bogged down
by the weight that had been pulling at us since I got to our room last night. I opened my mouth to ask him
something when I was cut off.

“I see that you have already gotten over Mother's death,” a female voice said. We both turned in the direction
it came from to find two people looking at us. They looked younger than Al and kinda like him too. I lost my grin
and the happy feeling that went with it as I realized that this was his family.

“Eila,” the guy next to her said under his breath a little.

“Where's Margret?” Alfred asked instead of addressing the lady's comment.

“She's home with the kids,” the man answered. I felt like I should be leaving, so I stood and was about to tell
them that I was sorry for their loss when I was once again cut off from saying anything.

“This is David. My boyfriend,” Al said. I was a bit shocked, but I tried to smile at them as I now extended my
hand to the lady who was standing the closest. She looked at me and my hand for a minute before lightly
grasping it and quickly taking a seat on the other side of the table. I then turned to the guy, and he seemed to
have taken less time thinking about shaking my hand because he took half as long as the lady did before he
shook it. For some reason, he held my hand longer than I expected, so I just looked at him as he looked back. I
don't think he was trying to intimidate me. I didn't get that feel from him. His hold wasn't trying to cut off the
blood flow to my fingers either. He just held it firmer when I tried to pull away the first time.
“My brother Benjamin, we call him Ben for short and my sister Eila,” Al said.

“Nice to meet you,” I said as I tried to pull my hand free again. This time Ben didn't try to stop me. As he moved
to sit by his sister, I turned to face the table. “Well I'll be on my way then,” I started.

“David,” Al said to get my attention. I looked just at him now. “Stay,” he stated. He could have been asking. He
didn't sound demanding. I looked over at his brother and sister. I felt very caught in the middle. I didn't think
they wanted me, so I wanted to leave, but he just asked me to stay, and I felt like I should do that too. So I just
ended up standing there, looking between them. “Please,” Al then added.

“Why do you want him to stay?” his sister asked him before I accepted.

“Because he's here with me, and he's going to be at the funeral,” Alfred told her. “If Ben could have found a
baby sitter for the kids, Margret would have been here, and David is no less important to me,” he ended. That
had the brother and sister looking at me again. That had me looking at Alfred again. I didn't spear them another
look until I was seated next to Al once more. He wanted me, and I was staying.

Two hours passed, and a lot of details were settled. Half of them were choices that didn't need to be made, just
passed on and understood. It was around them that the other decisions had to be dealt with. We weren't
planning on eating anything, but a server said that for us to stay and take up a table, we had to order
something. So we got some appetizers that we moved papers around to make room for when they showed up.
The table wasn't that big, so I ended up holding most of the pamphlets and forms that we had already dealt
with.

I was surprised at how much I was asked for my opinion, and not just by Alfred. When Ben wasn't sure about a
detail and his sister was talking with Al about something else, he would ask me.

When Eila announced that we were done, I had a strong urge to call my own mom, but I stood with Al and
shook Ben's hand and told him that it was nice meeting him, but I wished it was under better circumstances.

“Yeah, timing sucks,” he commented as we ended the handshake. “Call us once in a while,” Ben then said as he
held his hand out to Al. He only slightly hesitated before taking his brother's hand in return.

“I'll try,” he answered before glancing at his sister and pulling back his hand.

“Thanks for your help,” Eila said as she slung her bag over her shoulder. “You too David,” she told me. She still
didn't try to shake my hand. Nor did she with Al. “Tomorrow then?” she asked both of us. We were meeting at
her house to make calls about what we had decided. We also had to find out who would be able to make the
funeral, which would impact how much food we had to order or make for the wake afterwards.

“9:30 am,” Alfred read from a piece of paper he pulled out of his pocket before putting it back in.

“9:30,” she answered in return before turning and leaving the table. Ben wasn't too far behind her, but he did
spear a moment to nod goodbye in our direction. As we sat down, I saw a waitress as she walked over to our
table.

“Would you like your bill now?” she asked us. I turned to look at Al to see if he wanted to stay and eat
something or leave.

“Yes please,” he answered her, letting it be known that we were indeed leaving.
As we stepped out onto the sidewalk, I breathed in the air and marveled at how much better it smelled. Not
that the air was bad inside the restaurant, it's just that this air, in particular, hadn't been trapped with me in a
room that had been kept constantly charged by Al's sister.

“Is it ok for me to ask you why your sister doesn't like you?” I asked him as we started to walk, hopefully in the
direction of our hotel.

“It's an old story,” Al started. We walked a block without saying anything. I was about to ask him if we could hail
a cab to take us to the beach. The sun had already set, but I heard that walking on a beach at night was kinda
interesting.

“It happened back when we were in high school,” Al started. “Ben and I are only a year apart, and Eila was born
two years after me, so we were all in high school for one year. A lot happened that year. There was a boy called
Brian Thistle. He was in my class, but that didn't stop Eila from trying to date him. I didn't think it was going to
happen, but she seemed to have done it.”

“Seemed to?” I asked him.

“I'm getting to that,” Al said. “So he started to come around to the house, and pretty soon he was spending as
much time with me as he was with Eila, if not more, and I just thought it was because we had the same classes
and would end up helping each other with homework and assignments and such. Eila sat with us most of the
time, so I never thought anything of it.” Alfred stopped for a moment as he looked up and down the street.

There was no stoplight or crossing sign, so he was making sure it was safe to cross before we stepped off the
curb. As we neared the other side, I saw one pair of headlights start to grow from the other end of the street,
but we were already walking away from the crosswalk before it was even halfway up the block.

“We were never buddies, Brian and I, but I had known him for years. We may not have had all the same classes,
but we were in the same grade since we started high school. Well, one weekend came when I was the only one
home. I had a fever earlier that day and had slept in. Mom stopped by my room to tell me that they, her and
Dad, were going to this charity picnic that was being held for something and that Eila was out shopping with
Kelly. I knew that she didn't have that much money, but she always manged to spend most the day out
'shopping' somehow. So I took some fever medicine and slept for a few more hours. I think I work up in the
middle of the afternoon, but I'm not sure anymore.” Al confessed to me.

“So I'm in the kitchen looking for something to eat when I hear knocking. I open the kitchen door to find Brian
standing on our back step with a smile on his face. We hadn't made any plans to do homework, so I asked him
what he was doing there. He didn't answer right away, but then he said Eila's name. Just her name. I thought it
was a bit odd, but it was an answer. So I shrugged my shoulders and let Brian in as I told him that his girlfriend
was out shopping and I didn't know when she was going to be back.

Brian asked for a glass of water, and as he takes it from me, he says that Eila wasn't his girlfriend. I asked him
what he meant since I was very sure she was. Brian asked me if I ever saw them kiss or hold hands as he sat at
the breakfast bar. I told him that was gross. He smiles and swallows half the glass before he asks me another
question.” When Al stopped talking, I looked around to see where were.

“Where are we?” I asked him when I didn't recognize anything.

“I thought I knew, but now I haven't a clue,” Al answered.

“I'll pull up a map,” I tell him as I pulled out my phone. “So what was the question?” I asked him as I waited for
the app to find our location.

“Well, Brian asked if I thought it was gross because it was my sister or because it was with a girl?” Al said. I
looked up from my phone just as it started to populate the map with street names to look at him.

“What?” I asked him. Al sat down on a wall and nodded his head before speaking again.

“Yep,” was all he said for a while as he thought about something while looking down at the sidewalk. “I was
stunned myself and just stood there looking at him, not believing what I heard and understanding what it
meant. Brian finished his glass of water and then stood. I don't know how I looked, but I was very apprehensive
of where all of that was leading and just watched him as he came towards me.

'It's not that bad kissing a girl if you make yourself think that you are kissing someone else,' Brian told me. 'Have
you ever tried?' Was his next question for me.”

“Have you ever what?” I couldn't stop myself from asking Al.

“That is what I asked him,” Al answered. “Brian shrugged his shoulders at me as he continued to walk closer.
Soon I was pressed up against the fridge, and he was standing like a foot in front of me. 'Kiss a boy,' he
answered. Or kissed a girl and thought of a boy. I just shook my head denying that I had kissed anyone. 'Want to
try?' Brian quickly asked before he kissed me. I was too shocked to do anything but just stand there for a few
seconds, then I found myself trying to kiss him back. It was my first kiss, and for a few years, I felt like it was the
longest kiss that I ever participated in. When we parted, we weren't breathing that hard, but my heart was
going a mile a minute.

Brian's arms were on either side of my face and pressed up against the fridge while I found myself holding on to
his shirt with both hands. As we stood there, I remembered Eila and said her name. He said that she wasn't his
girlfriend again. He said that he felt slightly bad about it now, but he never told her that they were dating or
that he liked her, liked her. Brian said that she was a nice kid, which made hanging out with her fun, but he liked
me and kinda used her to be around me.

Once again, he became a first for me. No one, not a boy, nor a girl, had ever told me that they liked me in any
way, for anything. So this time, I kissed him first. It was odd and stimulating at the same time, but before we
could enjoy it some more someone, a girl, screamed. I couldn't go anywhere, so Brain was the one that jumped
away and put about three to five feet between us as we turned to see who had screamed and why. I didn't have
time to hope that it wasn't my mom when I saw my sister looking at us.

I expected Eila to go off on Brian for kinda cheating on her, but she came after me instead. She called me all
kinds of named and accused me of messing with his mind to make him like me and not her. She wouldn't let me
get a word in edgewise, and I also didn't think that she would believe me if I told her it wasn't true. So I looked
past her and looked at Brian for help. He was just standing there looking shocked until he saw me looking at
him. Then he moved forward and pulled Eila back, so I at least got some breathing room.

She turned to him and said that it was ok, she knew it wasn't his fault and that he didn't mean to kiss me and
she wasn't going to hold it against him. She was about to say something else when Brian finally spoke up. He
told her that he was the one that kissed me and that he wanted to. She insisted that he couldn't have because
he was her boyfriend. Brian then told her that he never said or asked her to his girlfriend. They were just
friends. Well, that stopped her from talking for a while.”
The entire time Al was telling his story, he was looking at the sidewalk. Now he looked up again and seemed to
remember where he was.

“Do you know where we are yet?” Alfred asked as he turned to look in my direction.

“Oh, yeah. I mean no,” I said as I remembered why I was holding my phone and started to unlock it. “Give me a
second,” I told him as the map app once again began to load. I saw Al from the corner of my eye as he stood
and walked around a bit. The map program came up faster this time since we hadn't moved since the last time
it had loaded. I then had it get directions back to our hotel. It zoomed out a little and showed that we weren't
that far away. We had just walked down a few streets that we didn't use to get to the restaurant, but we were
still going in the right direction. “We aren't that far away,” I told Al to get his attention. “We turn down here,” I
informed him as I pointed down a street that we were going to cross until we decided to find out where we
were going.

“How far?” Al asked. I looked back at the map.

“Five blocks,” I answered before putting my phone away. I fell into step with Al as we started to walk again.
 ==========

Chapter 41 - This Is Why

==========

“So?” I prompted Al when we were halfway down the first block.

“So what?” he asked as we kept walking forward.

“What happened next with you and Brian? Did your parents show up then too? Did Ben?” I asked him as I was
slowly being eaten by the need to know what happened.

“No, one else walked in, but Eila told Brian that he was never to come near her or our house again or she would
tell our parents and his, about the two of us. Well that is the cleaned up version of what she said,” Al told me.

“And you just let her?” I asked a little surprised. I was surprised at myself for saying it, but also at Al for not
standing up to his younger sister. Sure she had a right to be mad, but not at him. “I mean this wasn't your fault.
She should have been mad at him,” I said in explanation of my earlier statement.

“I felt a little guilty about the whole thing even if I didn't know what was really going on with Brian until a few
minutes before, but once she brought up telling our parents I was just scared that she would and what they
would do. Very few people were understanding back then,” Al said.

“So she's hated you all this time because you're gay and you never did anything with Brian again?” I asked after
we crossed the second street.

“Sort of,” Al started. “It wasn't that hard for Brian to pull me into a nook or take me to the library to study so he
could drive me home late. We were kinda together for the rest of our junior year. A few weeks into our senior
year, Brian told me that they were moving. He looked as heart-broken as I felt. He explained that his mom had
been promoted at her job. But her new promotion included a transfer to a different branch. That was why they
were moving. Brian said that he would write once he got there so we could keep in touch, but I never got a
letter. As for Eila, I think she half believed that I really stole her boyfriend, but I'm sure being gay didn't go over
that well with her either. About a week after the incident, Ben had sat us down to find out what was going on. It
wasn't like we were lovey-dovey with each other before, but afterwards, there was this chill that entered the
room when we crossed paths.

Until that moment, she would just tell him to ask me what was wrong, while I would say it was nothing. Now he
wanted to know, and he pulled rank to make us explain to him what was going on. I still wasn't going to say
anything. If this was how Eila was acting, Ben might have punched me. When she did start to recount to him
about what happened, half of what she said were lies, which proved that this was how she really saw things. So
I spoke up and told him, and her, what happened.

Ben was in shock while Eila finally got the whole story and looked a bit more sorry for herself than angry at me.
Ben got Eila to promise not to tell anyone about what happened and was happening between her, Brian, and
myself. I was then told, not to let anyone else see us doing anything, funny. I nodded my head in agreement,
but that was the day that we started to drift apart. Ben was civil to me, but he didn't sit too close or touched
me in any way for a long time. As far as Eila was concerned, I was all but dead. Granted, that didn't stop her
from giving me the evil eye every time I came back from spending time with Brian.”
Al was quiet as we continued to walk down the rest of the block. When we got to the curb, I tugged him to turn
left, so we went down NW 13th CT. We walked that whole side in silence also. We weren't walking that fast, so I
was able to look at the few houses we passed. I think a few lime or lemon trees were growing over some of the
wire fences. The most popular tree that we walked by were these tall palms. The ones out on the sidewalk with
us had thick bases.

Just after a bend in the road, that we had to follow, we found ourselves walking across a small bridge. The
waterway below us was rather well kept. It wasn't palm tree-lined like the part that was closer to our hotel, but
it was a decent run-off area to help with flooding, and there was grass covering its banks. That was a nice touch.
I could almost see a few people laying out there in the sun, like they do back home, even though they have a
beach to go to here. I stopped to look at it, and Al stood beside me instead of continuing to walk and making
me catch up with him. I looked up at the sky and saw a few stars and wished that I could have seen the moon
up there too.

“Did you ever hear from Brian again?” I asked Al after a while.

“No. I never got a letter for him. He could have died for all I know,” Alfred confessed to me. I turned to look in
his direction.

“Died?” I questioned him.

“I know he's not dead. More likely than not,” he explained. “I was just saying that anything could have
happened to him and I wouldn't have known. I don't know,” Al ended. For a moment I thought about telling him
that he could try and locate him now and find out what happened, but he didn't seem that upset over not
knowing, and it was so far in the past. Also, he was kinda mine now, so why would I want to bring an old
boyfriend back into his life?

“Want to stop off at Pasha's for something to eat?” I asked him. “It's on the way,” I added as I started to turn
away from the little water scene.

“What's Pasha's?” Al asked as he was once again walking at my side.

“It's a nice restaurant that I found yesterday,” I answered.

“Why not,” Al answered. “I could go for something to eat now.”

------
------
------

“Hello,” I said as I lifted the phone to my ear.

“Good evening,” a lady said on the other end. “This is Kristen calling from Doyle & Doyle. Is Mr. Greene
available at the moment?” she asked.

“I think so,” I told her sounding puzzled. “Hold for a moment,” I told her before actually looking at the phone
before walking off to find Luke.

“Luke?” I said as I rounded the corner and saw him in his office looking at something on his computer.
“Yes,” he answered before he looked up at me.

“There's a lady named Kristen calling from Doyle & Doyle for you on the phone,” I told him. At first, he seemed
to not know who I was talking about, but once I said Doyle & Doyle a light went off in his eyes, and he even got
up instead of asking me to bring the phone to him. The phone in his office was on a separate line, so as Luke
rounded his desk, I held out the phone for him.

“Thanks,” Luke said as he kissed me on the forehead before leaving the room and walking down the hall with
the phone he took out of my hand. I walked back into the kitchen and got the two bowls that I was about to
walk out with when the phone rang. Now I headed into the living room, surrounded by two opposing scents.

“Where's Dad?” Emma asked me as I handed over her bowl of jalapeno cheese flavored popcorn.

“He's on the phone,” I told her as I sat down with my bowl of flavored popcorn. “Are you even old enough to be
watching Fringe?” I asked. I didn't know much about the show except that the cute guy from Dawson's Creek
was in it and that it was science-heavy.

“I'm fifteen,” she answered. “Of course I am.”

“I'll still check to make sure,” I told her as I reached for the remote and navigated to Netflix on the tv and found
five seasons of the show in question. The information on the show said that it was rated PG-14.

“See?” Emma rubbed in a bit before eating some of her popcorn. She then turns to look over the back of the
couch to see if her father was coming. I decided to scroll through the popular list while we waited for him. “I'm
going to see if he's coming,” Emma quickly said as she got up even faster and ran from the room before I could
stop her. I looked over at her bowl as the smell of hot cheese, and the spicy mix of jalapenos made their way
over to me. I reached out for a handful and tried a few.

It wasn't bad, and not as much heat from the peppers like I expected. I pushed Emma's bowl back to where she
left it as I finished what I had in my hand before going back to my bowl. I was moving past Star Trek: Voyager
when I heard the two of them talking as they headed in my direction. At one point, they stood still as they
continued to talk. When they lowered their voices, I assumed it was a father-daughter issue and kept going
through the list until they made it back to the couch. I was moving past Batman when I heard them enter the
room.

“So what are we watching again?” Luke asked as he walked around the couch and came to my end to take a
seat.

“Fringe,” I told him as I found my way back to the show so he could read what it was about.

“I was meaning to watch that show,” Luke said as I reached a hand in and took some of my white cheddar
flavored popcorn. As I pulled my hand out, Luke lifted my bowl away and took its place in my lap before putting
the bowl back within my reach.

“That was a late work call,” I commented as I now navigated to the first episode of the first session.

“Yeah, different time zone,” was his answer.

“Sounds international,” I said as the opening music started. I expected him to name someplace like New York or
Nevada or some other state we weren't in.

“Actually yes. London,” Luke tells me. I looked between them, thinking it really was a school thing, and dropped
it. Luke leaned back into me a bit more, and I found myself rubbing my hand over his shirt that covered his
waist. It was a nice feeling that slipped in and out of my mind until the sofa moved. Emma crawled off the
couch and onto the floor in front of the tv, giving us more room to spread out.

We stayed like that, more or less, for the next four episodes. We broke apart a few times to get drinks, use the
bathroom, move empty bowls into the kitchen, and jumped up for a few show surprises. It was an interesting
show, and I was looking forward to what would happen next, but I was also getting tired. Emma was the one
that yawned the loudest, and that allowed me to not feel so bad when I yawned right after her.

“Ok bed time young ones,” Luke said as he started to stand and pull away from me.

“Did you just call me young?” I asked Luke as I looked up at him. Emma giggled, but my eyes never moved from
him.

“Well you are younger than me,” was his answer as I watched him back up a little.

“Really?” I asked him as I now stood. “You grouped me into the same age range as your fifteen year old
daughter,” I enlightened him.

“I am aware of that,” he admitted as he got closer to the door.

“So apologize,” I told him.

“Emma,” Luke started as he continued to move away from me. “Make sure that the tv and the lights are off
before you go to bed,” he said before turning his attention from Emma, and back to me as he smiled in my
direction. I was starting to wonder what he was talking about when he turned tail and ran from the room. I was
in shock. He ran. Luke actually ran.
 ==========

Chapter 42 - We Move On

==========

I opened my eyes, and I looked across Al's chest and out the window to see the early morning sky and the top
of those palm trees again. I blinked a few times before tilting my head up a little to look at his face. I expected
him to still be asleep, but he was awake and looking up at the ceiling.

“How long have you been awake?” I asked him as I turned to look out the window again. While I waited for his
answer, I remembered when doing this was new. I didn't feel like it was that long ago, but clearly, it had been
long enough for me to no longer consider his smell new and trying to understand what he smelt like. Or waking
up in the middle of the night and being surprised that a warm body was next to mine. For some reason, the
word 'warm' always went with 'body' as if people could easily be in bed with a cold one. Still, that didn't stop
me from looking at him breathe. I did that off and on for the first two or so weeks I was with Alfred. Now I just
expected all these things.

“Just before sunrise,” Al answered.

“Do you want to talk?” I asked since I was tired of not asking him.

“Nothing to talk about really,” he told me. I felt his hand move up from my lower back and onto my shoulder.
“You know why we came. You know what happened. You are going to be with me as we make plans and during
the funeral. You know more about what I'm going through then my family,” Al informed me.

“You haven't seen your family in...,” I stopped as I realized I didn't know how long it had been.

“Years,” Al supplied.

“Decades?” I suggested as a more realistic count.

“Perhaps,” Al admitted after a short moment.

“With that much time separating you, anyone else you have met more recently would know you better,” I told
him. I exhaled heavily before sitting up on my side of the bed. I looked at the cable box to see what time it was.
It was only six am despite how much light I could see outside. Then I remembered that the sun rose sooner in
the south.

I started to turn to get off the bed when I felt Alfred hold my arm. I looked back at him, thinking that he
changed his mind and was ready to talk to me now.

“Last night we had fun and I was happy to be in better spirits again, but this morning I couldn't help but
remember why we were here. I'm sorry Daniel,” he said as he looked at me for the first time. “I know this isn't
how you ever expected to spend Christmas,” he apologized. Al let go of my hand as he now sat up in bed. “I also
know that you didn't have to come with me,” he started.

“You expected me not to?” I asked him.

“I hoped you would,” he said. “But you weren't required to,” Al ended.

Insulted. I felt insulted.

“Not required to?” I asked him as I pulled away to stand and look back at him. “How the fuck was I not required
to?!” I found myself shouting at him. I took a few breaths to calm myself down before I spoke again. “We are
involved,” I continued. “Or at least I thought we were,” I said as I started to feel unsure about something I
completely believed in twenty seconds ago.

“We told people that we were a couple, that we were dating, but we never made it official,” Alfred reminded
me as he now moved to get off of the bed on the side where I was standing.

“Fine. Then it was my own misunderstanding that ruined my Christmas,” I told him as I started to turn towards
the bathroom. I wanted to take a shower and stand under the water for a long time.

“I'm not done David,” he said, causing me to stop mid-stride. I thought about walking away, but he was still my
ticket home, and if he was going to insist on the fact that I wasn't required to accompany him, I would quit
when we got back. I turned to look at him.

“This, event, was something that I didn't think would happen during our relationship, but it has made me
understand or see something that I was either avoiding or didn't fully see,” Al stated. I watched as he reached
his hand out to touch the inside of my elbow. Alfred slid the tips of his fingers down to my palm. He turned his
hand over to lock his fingers with mine.

“I'm sorry,” he said. I froze. No! I shouted on the inside. Breath. I just said that I would quit, I reminded myself. I
started to breathe, but I didn't want to hear that he didn't have any feelings for me. I just didn't want him to
think that we couldn't be more than what we were. That 'we' couldn't be. I stood still. I willed him to hurry up
so he wouldn't see how much this was hurting me.

“I want to make this, us, official,” Alfred told me. He said it so calmly that I almost didn't believe my ears.

“What?” I asked him.

“Mr. David Harris, would you consent to being my boyfriend?” he asked me. I was too surprised to say anything
for a moment. “I know one doesn't really ask that question, but I feel like we need to have it said, stated, and
agreed to,” was Alfred's explanation as he now stood without letting go of my hand. I slowly nodded yes and
stopped to look directly into his eyes when his other hand caught the side of my face. I watched as he started to
cry silently, with a small happy grin on his face. I let go of his hand first as I pulled myself forward and into his
embrace as I kissed him as passionately and as happily as I ever did before. Almost immediately we fell
backwards onto the bed, but we didn't stop.

------
------
------

I enjoyed the faint sounds that my lips made as I kissed the side of his face and felt the blunt ends of his very
new beard on my tongue.

“So this is how you spend the day after Christmas,” I commented as I kept him close to stay warm.
“Well, it's not a new tradition that I'm against. In fact, I would love to vote on it being the way I spend the day
after Christmas officially,” he stopped talking to kiss my neck. “The way I spend New Year's Eve.” Luke kissed me
higher just under my jaw. “The night before my birthday.” He ran his tongue down to my chin. “The night of my
birthday.” I reached both hands up to his face and pulled his lips to mine. I felt Luke crawl over my body and in
between my thighs as he now sucked on my tongue. I slowly pulled my mouth away from his.

“I get it,” I told him a little out of breath. “You are going to chain me to the bed and have your way with me for
forever,” I told him as a joke. Luke grinned as he looked at my mouth, and I smiled back before I kissed and
pulled him closer once again. I continued to kiss and rub my body against his until the feeling of being a thing
went away.

“I love you,” Luke paused to tell me. I kissed him. “I love you,” he stopped to tell me again. I kissed him deeper
as I felt hands holding me down to the bed. “I love you,” Luke said one more time before I felt him lifting my
legs and his cock as it slid past mine in a slick trail that it was making itself. I felt a shiver of anticipation go
through me and over my skin. I knew he saw it. He was still looking at me. We held eye contact before Luke
lunged at me, and I cried out into his mouth as his cock pushed its way fully into me while his mouth covered
mine. I wanted to shout yes, but the swift creation of pain and bliss just had me half shouting and half grunting
into his mouth instead.

“Fuckk,” I managed to get out on his third stab into me. I was only a little sensitive from last night, so I was
completely enjoying our early morning session. One of my hands moved its way up the back of his neck and
into his thick hair to keep his face still. My hips started to rock into his groin, and now he was gasping over me.
Our lips met and kissed and sucked and pulled. When we paused for air, our lips continued to touch. As I tried
to lick my lips, both of ours got wet at the same time. I shook again and closed my eyes as I felt this one going
up my spine.

We made few verbal sounds as we took each other closer to and then over the edge into sweet inner core bliss.
I felt his back go stiff as I held on during my fall. Luke collapsed onto me a few seconds before I fell back the
short distance onto the bed myself.

“I hope you don't have to use the bathroom,” Luke whispered to me or just breathed into the room.

“Why?” I lazily asked him as I started to think of going to the gym, even though I knew I didn't have to move for
about twenty minutes.

“Because I don't think I can move for a while,” he told me.

“Getting old?” I asked him a moment later as I remembered when he called me young. I smiled as I laid there
looking up at his vaulted ceiling.

“I think you are getting more into it,” is what Luke answered back with.

“I don't have sex in the mornings,” I told him when my breathing was regular again. I wasn't trying to pick a
fight. I felt too good. “Consider the whole thing a belated Christmas gift,” I told him. As the words left my
mouth, I realized that the gym was closed today, but now I had to pee. “Can you move yet?” I asked after I tried
to wait until he moved before getting up.

“Where do you want me?” he asked with his mouth close to my neck.

“Off,” I answered. “I need to use the bathroom,” I quickly added as I started to have that slipping feeling. Luke
groaned but quickly rolled off to let me get out of bed. I got up and ran to our bathroom and aimed my cock
into the bowl just in the nick of time.

As I walked back into the bedroom I immediately noticed that Luke was missing. I knew that I wasn't in there
long, but something got him to leave the room. And me. Emma was the only reason I could think of for his
disappearance. I walked back to our bed and crawled under the covers that were still warm. I wasn't hungry and
I didn't have the gym to get ready for, so I was going back to sleep.

------
------
------

“UP!” I heard someone say from Al's other side. I leaned forward a little to see Mary, Margret’s youngest child,
standing there with her arms open and aimed up at him. Alfred wiped his mouth and followed the order he was
given. Thirty seconds later the little girl was sitting on his lap and receiving her plate that she left on the other
side of the table. Ten seconds after she got it, I watched as they both happily ate from their own plate. Mary
with two hands and Al with one.

I looked around the table again and recognized the faces of people I met not that long ago but were part of Al's
family that he hadn't had much contact with either. We were having a late lunch at his brother Ben's house. We
met here early this morning to finish what we started the night before. It was a bit odd when we met again, but
it wasn't long before even Eila seemed a bit more comfortable around us.

We quickly got down to work and did what we had planned. We didn't have that many people to contact, so
just notifying everyone that needed to know about Al’s mom's passing was my job. I was getting confirmation
of them being able to attend her funeral and passing on information like the date, time, and place of the
funeral and wake. A lot of them wanted to know who I was, I half expected it, but I was more caught up in not
sounding insensitive as I told them about their friend or family member dying. Most of them didn't even know
that she was in the hospital. Up until my fifth call, that is.

They demanded to talk to Ben, after which Ben and I agreed to swap duties. I ended up ordering flowers and
taking care of the catering. I didn't have to think of anything because of last night's planning and the new list I
now had before me. I insisted on a few things for the time and place we needed them to be. By the time I hung
up on my last call, I was the only one in the living room. I was wondering when I was left behind when I heard
voices coming from a room or two away. After walking through the dining room, I found almost everyone in the
kitchen. By everyone, I meant Ben and his wife Margret, Eila, her three children that I knew about from Al, and
another toddler that belonged to Ben and Margret, named Mary, that Ben was holding. The only one missing
was Alfred himself.

“Done?” Ben asked when he looked up and saw me.

“Yeah. I got everything,” I told him as I came closer.

“What would you like to drink? I have some beers,” he said as he started to walk towards the fridge.

“I’ll take any kind of fruit juice or water if you don’t have any,” I requested. I saw as he stopped for a moment
before reaching in for something. He pulled out a bottle of water and walked in my direction with it.

“Sorry, but the juices are for the kids,” Ben apologized as he handed the cold liquid over.
“It’s ok,” I told him with a small grin before opening the bottle.

“So you don’t drink, or don’t you like beer?” Ben asked as he sat down on the chair, I now found myself
standing next to. I looked down and saw Mary holding on to his leg with both arms and legs. I hadn’t even
realized that she had disappeared from his arms when Ben moved towards the fridge.

“Both really,” I answered him before taking a swing. “But I do drink a little on special occasions,” I looked down
and saw him nod his head like he understood before taking a swing from his bottle of beer.

“So where did you two meet?” Ben asked me a few seconds later.

“He came to the company looking for work,” Al answered for me as he now walked into the room. At hearing
his voice I saw Mary as she abandoned her father’s limb and ran towards Al.

“UP!” she quickly demanded with a smile. Al bent and picked up, and she looked very please as if she had just
won some great prize.

“Did you get work there?” Ben then asked as Al came closer.

“No, they wanted established engineers more than a second year college architect student,” I said before
sipping some more of my water.

“So you asked him out after you said that you couldn't hire him?” Ben asked Al with a laugh. I smiled a little and
looked over at his sister to see Ben's wife smiling too, but Eila was just looking at us and didn't appear to be
amused at all.

“No,” I quickly spoke up to keep it from sounding too sorted. “Al didn't interview me. We meet when I was
waiting for the elevator before and then we bumped into each other afterwards,” I tried to explain. “He had
wished me luck the first time, then offered me lunch when he heard how it went,” I finished. I lifted the bottle
to my mouth, hoping I had remembered it correctly. We hadn't gone over that story in almost a month.

“I just felt bad for him. I actually thought that he was younger than he really was, but over lunch he showed me
his driver's license and proved that he was twenty-two,” Al broke in with.

“So who liked who first?” was Ben's next question. I slowly drank now as I tried to remember if we covered
that. Everyone was quiet, even the kids who weren't paying us any attention.

“Sorry, I didn't need to pry,” Ben said when the silence stretched out a bit longer.

“No,” Al started. “I guess it's a normal enough question,” he admitted, but I wasn't sure who he was admitting it
to. “We just haven't talked about it much,” he added on. I'll say, I told myself as I failed to recall us coming up
with an answer for such a question.

“I liked him the moment I saw him,” Al started. We all looked at him now. I didn't really see it, but I felt it. “I
didn't think anything was going to happen. It was more like a note to myself before moving on with my day. The
next time I saw him, I pushed myself to cheer him up a little. I entertained the idea of David liking me once he
proved to me how old he was, but it wasn't until our lunch was over and we were leaving the restaurant that I
asked him if he wouldn't mind seeing me again. I didn't think he would say yes, but he didn't say no either,” he
ended. He ended. I was looking at him and enjoying the story, but now he was looking back at me, and as I
looked around, I saw Ben, along with Margret and Eila, looking at me too. I also now noticed that Mary had run
off along with the other kids. I was not keeping good track of that girl at all.

“Mom, when are we having lunch?” Mary's older sister, Kimberly, asked as she walked back into the room
holding Mary in front of her. I looked at Margret as she now looked at her watch to see what time it was.

“Hey Eila, can you help?” Margret asked the woman next to her.

“Sure,” she said as they both stood from the kitchen table.

“Give us the island boys,” Margret told us as they moved around it. “We'll have something in an hour and half
Kimberly,” she tells the girl that was still waiting for an answer. “Do you want an apple dear?” she asked as Eila
waited to hear what they would be making.

“Clyde wanted some chips,” Kimberly tells her mom.

“Eila, pass me the Pringles please,” Margret told the other woman. Eila had to look through three cupboards to
find it, and Kimberly had walked forward as we stepped away from the island. “You guys can share this until it's
time to come and eat,” Margret told her daughter as she handed her the can.

“Thanks mom,” Kimberly said before walking off with the chips and her sister.

“Are any of you going to stay and help?” Margret then asked in our direction. I was about to say that I could
help when I felt someone's arm on my shoulder.

“Us guys are going to finish our talk,” Ben told his wife.

“I'll send one of the kids down for you then,” Margret tells him as she turns her back to us to open the
fridge. Down?

“This way,” Ben said as he started to walk away. Alfred was right behind him. I was last as I tried to think up
something to follow what Al had ended with. By the time Ben was showing us our seats in the finished
basement, I had something that I think was passable. Al was looking around as Ben walked over to what looked
like a mini-fridge that was standing on a barstool.

“Hey Al, do you want a beer?” Ben called out from his side of the room.

“Sure. I'll take one,” he answered back. When Ben made his way back over to us, he handed Al a beer, kept one
for himself, and gave me a cranberry grape cocktail.

“My wife drinks those. I think they're mostly juice,” he told me as he took a seat, and I looked at the label to see
if he was right, not that it mattered. He was mostly right it was fifty percent juice from concentrate. I twisted
open the cap and drank some. It wasn't bad. “So what about you?” Ben asked. At least I thought he was asking
me. I looked from Ben to Al, and he was looked at me too.

“About what?” I asked him to make sure I knew what he was talking about.

“When did you think Alfred was boyfriend material?” Ben asked me.

“Well,” I started as I tried to re-work what I had come up with to answer this new question. “I think I noticed
him more when we first met, and I kinda wished that he was the one giving me the interview,” I offered up.
“I thought that only girls did the love at first sight thing,” Ben commented before drinking from his bottle.

“Who said it was love?”

“Who said only girls fall in love at first sight?”

We both asked him at the same time. He looked at us as he blinked a few times to clearly understood what was
just said.

“Didn't you fall in love with your wife?” I hesitantly asked Ben. I felt it was a sure give away that I was the one
who asked about only girls being capable of falling in love at first sight, but it was just the three of us there
anyway.

“I don't remember,” he told us honestly. “I do love her, and I can remember loving her from about a month into
dating her, but I never felt that knock-you-off-your-feet thing that people call falling in love,” Ben calmly told us
before drinking some more of his beer.

“If you didn't fall in love with her, then how did you go from not loving her, to loving her?” Alfred now asked.

“I grew to love her,” was Ben's simple answer as he shrugged his shoulders, showing he considered it a given
answer.

“David?” Al asked as I felt someone bump into me. I saw the plate of baked chicken, green beans, and macaroni
casserole in front of me. I looked up and saw the adults at the table looking at me.

“Yes?” I weakly asked them since I didn't remember hearing anything.

“Al said that you do all the cooking back home and Margret wanted to know what you thought of the meal?”
Ben asked me.

“Oh,” I said as I understood. I looked back down at my plate and thought about it for a second. “It's good,” I said
as I thought of something else. I knew that I would want to hear more about what I cooked than it was just
good. “Everything is seasoned well. The pasta isn't over cooked like my Mom did for a long time and the dish
tastes very comforting,” I ended.

“You didn't say anything about the beans,” Margret pointed out. I was hoping to avoid saying anything about
them. At hearing this, I saw the kids turning to look at me. Well, almost all of them. Mary was making sure she
got the bits of casserole that were on her spoon into her mouth before going back for more.

“Well,” I said slowly. “They could have been a bit better.” The kids' eyes turned to look at Margret.

“How?” she asked as she placed one in her mouth.

“Well,” I started again. “It didn't have to just be beans,” I started. “I would have made it at least three things and
seasoned with some kind of herbal blend or mixed with roasted garlic,” I offered. I saw Kimberly make a face
when I said garlic. She was my last hold out. I lost the other two when I started talking about adding more
growing things to their plate rather than saying that the one they had was bad enough and shouldn't be there
at all.
“You hear that guys?” Margret asked down the table. “You are going to be getting more veggies and garlic,” she
informed them.

“Why garlic?” Kimberly now asks me.

“It's good for you,” was my short answer.

“How?” she asked back. Now the adults ate and looked at me while I talked to her.

“I know it's good for your heart and your immune system,” I started with. “I think it's good for your skin too, and
it works really well against infections,” I ended on.

“Well that settles it,” Margret broke in with. “Tell Uncle David thank you,” she told the kids. With varying
degrees of interest and disdain, they looked in my direction.

“Thank you Uncle David,” they said out of sync.

 ==========

Chapter 43 - The Year Comes To An End

==========

For the past three days, I've been checking in with myself as to how happy I was. It was surprising and enjoyable
at the same time. It was also very unplanned and came about as a reflex all on its own. The three of us hung
out and did things together when we weren't pulling the New Year's party together. I expected there to be
more work considering what Tiffany puts us through. Use to put us thought. Luke said that it just went by faster
because it was the three of us, and his parties weren't that demanding.

So we have had a day trip each day so far. One to the state capital where we got crapes and ice skated. I never
skated before so, Emma skated circles around us as Luke kept me upright and moving. He failed twice, but I
believe that he did it on purpose so he could stand closer to me as he helped me back up. Once, when Luke was
pushing me around the rink, he was going too fast, and I fell forward. The next time was when I was holding on
to his shoulders, and he was pulling me forward. He “forgot” to mention that he was turning, and I didn't see it
because I was looking at my legs and the ice.

After that, I grabbed onto him and didn't let go until he got me off the ice. All in all, it was a fun day. The next
day we went to Rosemary State Park, where we went on a tour which showed that they still grew rosemary
there along with twenty other herbs in five very large greenhouses. Not to say that the whole trip was
educational. To end off the visit, we were given small, colorful, inflated rafts. We were then pointed in the
direction of a not very steep, but long hill that was covered in snow that fell the night before.

Despite the long walk to the top, I made the trip twice and watched as Luke and Emma did it once more before
we turned our toys in and drove home. That night we ate Chinese and went to bed early. We woke up to extra
work concerning the party since we didn't do any before we left to visit the park at two pm the day before. So
we ended up getting a late lunch, then just driving for a while until we saw a movie poster and found a movie
theater to watch it in.

Now we were heading home. Luke had one hand on the steering wheel because I was holding his other one
between us. Emma, I think, was sleeping, but I didn't bother looking back to make sure. I just looked out at the
countryside that rushed by on the back road that Luke had decided to take. I was comfortable, so I didn't care
how long the drive was taking.

“Looking forward to the party tomorrow?” Luke asked me from his side of the car.

“It would be interesting being a co-host,” I admitted. At saying that, I felt a twinge of fear. I didn't know why, but
it lingered long enough to worry me.

“Everything will be ok,” Luke told me as he squeezed my hand. “It may not be perfect, or something may go
horribly wrong, but it's not the end of the world. Unless someone dies,” he paused for effect. I looked in his
direction, and he quickly glanced at me before laughing. “We are doing this to have a good time,” Luke said.
“It's no fun if you're a bundle of raw nerves,” he ended. I smiled and squeezed his hand back before turning to
look out the window again.

“I know,” I told him. I knew it, but hearing him say it calmed me somewhat.
------
------
------

It was 3:47 am as I watched my phone as it came back on. I didn't remember that it was off and we had landed
over an hour ago. Or was it longer than that? You can't blame me for being tired and not knowing the time. Al
insisted on taking the red-eye back home. All because I told him of the fireworks display that Candice wanted us
to see.

Once Al made up his mind and had me book the flights, I started to look forward to it. At one point I thought it
would be something that would be good for us after attending the funeral and staying another day. The funeral
was what I expected it to be. Somber, a lot of black and teary memories shared by friends and family members.
At least it didn't rain when we were in the cemetery.

The number of people who came slowly shrank after each, big event, so speak. Not everyone who was at the
church for the viewing went to the cemetery for the lowing of the casket. And not everyone that stayed for that
followed us back to Al's mother's house. I had seen and even given out the address two days before when we
were finishing up the details, but that was my first time seeing what it looked like. It was a very nice house. A
little bigger than I expected considering she mostly lived by herself.

During the wake, I found out that Eila and her son lived with her until about ten years ago, so it wasn't until
rather recently only one person lived there, and even then, there were a lot of sleepovers. Visits from Ben and
his family, Eila and her son, and some of their mom's friends. I was walking around and smiling at people I had
just meet that day as I tried to keep out of conversations since I didn't know Al's mother and never even got to
meet her. I was walking down the hallway when I stopped for a moment at seeing something like a monitor that
was wedged between the wall and the ceiling.

“That was for Grandma's home alert thing,” I heard a child say. I turned around and saw Kimberly looking at
me.

“You mean those emergency buttons that you wear around your neck?” I asked her. She nodded her head.

“Uncle Alfred wants to see you,” she then tells me.

“Oh,” I answered as I wondered what for. I didn't think we would be leaving for at least two more hours.

“He's upstairs in Grandma's room,” she tells me before walking over to the stairs that I had already walked past
and waited for me to follow her. We made our way up to the second floor and walked past two doors before
she stopped at the open one. I looked into the room before moving to stand in the doorway. I didn't feel like
just walking in, and he was looking at a photo that stopped me from breaking the silence.

“Uncle Alfred,” Kimberly said to get this attention a few seconds later. He turned towards us and tried to smile a
little.

“Thanks Kimberly,” Al told her, and she left right away. “Come in and close the door,” he said before going back
to looking at the photo. I walked over to his side and looked down at what he had in his hands. It was a group
photo in a wooden frame. It showed a lady, a man, and three teenagers standing under a lifeguard tower. I
figured that it was Al and his family, and they looked very typical for the time. The guys were bare-chested and
in shorts. His sister and mother were in poke-a-dot swimsuits. His mom's was a one-piece, while Eila's was a
bikini.
“This was how I saw my Mom whenever I thought of her,” Al said as he handed me the photo and moved to sit
in a chair. I looked down at the photo and saw a much younger version of the woman I saw in the picture we
had for the service. She was smiling and had her arms around Eila and Alfred, while Ben stood next to his dad.

“Was this before or after Brian?” I asked since it was the only marker he had given me from his younger years.

“The summer before,” Alfred informs me. “It was a great trip,” he continues. “My Dad had rented this house for
three or four days. I don't remember. But I do remember that it was on a street named Pepper Lane and it took
over three hours to drive there so he could show us a reserve,” he tells me. I soon found myself sitting on the
bed as I paid attention to his memory.

“It was called Jupiter Aquatic Preserve I think. Mom wanted to go somewhere fun, while Dad said that we were
going to learn something that summer. And that place is where they meet in the middle. There was the beach
and restaurants and shopping for Mom, and the reserve for Dad. It wasn't that bad considering how much
worst we thought it was going to be,” Al admitted. “It was an inlet so the beaches were quiet and Dad took us
around with this booklet he had, showing us birds and he would pick out fishes for us to find when we went
snorkeling. Most of the time it was just the three of us. Dad, Ben and myself, while Eila and mom did
somethings on their own. She, Eila, had just gotten a camera for her birthday, so she was taking pictures of
everything. I think that is when she decided to become a photographer. She was lucky that her internship lead
to a solid job,” he added on before stopping for a moment.

The moment continued for longer than I expected, and I placed the photo standing up on the side table before
standing and walking over to Al. I placed a hand on his shoulder, but he continued to look at his hands that
were laying in his lap.

“Was it the photo that you wanted me to see?” I asked him.

“Yes, actually,” Al admitted as he looked up and around the room before settling on the photo that was now
next to the bed. “I wanted you to see her the same way I did. To see her younger, healthy and caring for her
family,” he said before standing. “I wish the day was over, but we have to stick around for another hour or so,”
Al said as he made his way over to the window. I followed him and saw a few people standing next to their cars
since they were able to leave by not being immediate family.

Eila was out there hugging another female goodbye. They looked to be close in age, so I think she must have
been a personal friend.

“Ready to go back down?” I asked him as I gave in to the inevitable. Alfred didn't move. “I promise to stay at
your side the whole time,” I told him with an odd smile. I was trying not to smile, but I felt as it crept out and
took over my lips before I was finished with my sentence. He turned around and looked at me. He didn't
understand the double meaning of my words like I did after I said them.

“Sorry for not being myself lately,” Al said as if it needed to be said. This time I smiled on purpose, and he stood
a bit taller, and his shoulders seemed to go back on their own before Alfred leaned a little and kissed me. I tried
not to think of kissing him deeper. Of not pushing my body up against him. Of not wishing that this was our
bedroom and that we didn't have anyone to see downstairs. Or that there was a downstairs at all. But as Al
pulled away, I cursed myself for failing.

------
------
“We're home,” I heard Al say in my darkness. I was then rocked as he shook my shoulder. Before the idea of
being in a bed occurred to me, I felt the car seat under me. I opened my eyes to see the cramped interior of the
cab that found us at the airport. I got out, but I stood there for a moment, getting my bearings. I turned around,
and a building that I now considered my home, was lit up since it was still dark out. A few windows even
twinkled with Christmas lights.

As I saw Al's head duck down at the back of the car, I realized that I had to get my bag and moved next to him. A
few minutes later, I was saying good morning to the two guys manning the front desk.

I yawned and stood in the elevator with Al as we went up to our floor. I never realized how cozy that box felt
before. I yawned again as the door opened. We got out and walked down the hall towards our apartment. As I
started to think of where my card was, Al punched in the code. Oh yeah, the code, I remembered. I was
reminded that I still had the number in my wallet. I saw it every now and again when I pulled out my bank card
to pay for something, but I don't think that I've used it since the first day I moved in. We didn't turn on any
lights as we made a beeline for the bedroom.

I dropped my bag at the foot of the bed before I started to pull off all my clothes. I was only a few seconds
ahead of Al as I crawled under the sheets. I felt him as he got comfortable next to me, and I kinda remembered
feeling his hand as he pulled me closer, but I was asleep before he had us spooned together.
 ==========

Chapter 44 – The Year Starts again

==========

Ring!

Ring!

Ring!

“Ahh,” I moaned as I wondered why my phone was ringing. I automatically reached over to my side table, but I
was puzzled as to why I couldn't feel it there. I leaned over my side of the bed to see if I had somehow dropped
it, and I heard the ringing a bit more clearly but still somewhat muffled. I looked through tired eyelids to see the
pocket of my jeans glowing slightly as my phone continued to ring. I had to pull myself free of Al's grip and
warm body to reach down to the floor to get the ringing annoyance.

“Yes,” I asked with my eyes closed again. I hadn't checked who it was, but if it was someone who could have
called at a more decent time, I would let them have it. What time was it anyway? I asked myself before the
other person answered.

“David?” Candice said into my ear. “Are you asleep?” she asked disbelievingly.

“Of course I'm sleeping,” I told her. Now I was really wondering about the time. “What time is it?” I asked her
even as I settled back against Alfred. I sleepily smiled as I felt him brush his lips across the back of my neck.

“It's almost noon,” she informed me. “At least you'll be awake tonight,” she added on. “Is that why are you were
sleeping?” Candice then asked as her pointed interest started to wake me up. “Were you guys at it until the
wee morning hours?” she asked far to loudly for my liking. I opened my eyes and looked at the wall across from
the bed.

“No,” I firmly told her before sitting up as I started to feel hungry. It was her fault for waking me up, but now I
just thought of whole wheat apple waffles and turkey bacon, with cinnamon apple sauce on the side. Al was ok
with me pulling away, but he put up more of a fight as I tried to leave the bed.

“I'm going to make us something to eat,” I told him as I leaned back and kissed him, muffling my phone in the
sheets as I pressed it into the mattress. He tried to persuade me to stay as he pulled me back into bed, and I felt
his tongue moving around parts of my mouth. But as my stomach bent inward and kicked me, it became easy
for me to pull away and walk out into the kitchen. I put the phone back to my ear as I walked into the kitchen
and headed to the fridge.

“Hello?” Candice asked. She sounded bored, so she must have repeated that word a few times, I figured.

“Yeah, I'm here,” I told her as I pulled open the door and looked for the bag of frozen waffles that I made a
double batch of and had to save the week before. I placed it on the counter before fetching the waffle iron.

“What were you doing?” she asked.

“Kissing Al good morning,” I told her honestly as I walked back to where the bag was with the waffle iron in
hand.

“So when is your flight? I hear it's like four hours long,” Candice said as she got to the reason she called and
woke me up.

“I'm already back,” I told her before not trying to hide a yawn. I plugged in the iron and looked around for two
plates, the cooking spray, and a fork.

“Already?” Candice asked, sounding surprised. “When did you get in?” was her next question.

“About three am,” I said as I turned on the waffle iron. I picked up the bag and pulled out all four of the large
waffles, and separated them as I waited for the iron to get hot enough.

“Why?” was Candice's next question.

“I was telling him about what you said about the fireworks and the next think I know he has me booking our
flight back for last night,” I told her. “By the way, it's more than fours hours. You forgot the lay over,” I informed
her.

“Why?” she asked again after a few seconds of silence.

“Why there was a lay over? Or way the trip is more than four hours long?” I asked her in

“No,” Candice said quickly. “Why did you rush back like that?” she asked. “I was prepared to hear you say that
you weren't coming at all for New Year's Eve,” she informs me.

“Well we said that we were going to come and Al felt a little bad for how our first Christmas turned out-”

“But that wasn't his fault,” Candice jumped in with.

“I know that,” I answered. “But he felt bad about it anyway,” I continued. “And I think he wanted to see you
guys,” I added on. He hadn't told me that, but it was one of the things I thought about on our way back home.

“Really?” she asked.

“I think so,” I told her as I placed a waffle onto the iron that I had already sprayed and was more than hot
enough.

“Well ahm...,” Candice paused as she thought of something to say. I made my way back over to the fridge to get
the bacon as I waited for her to continue. “Well,” she started again. “Did you remember to get a chair or
something sit on and to bring something to eat?” she asked.

“Yes Candice,” I told her and remembered the two folded chairs leaning against the wall in my bedroom that I
had gotten for the occasion. The food I wasn't buying until we were on our way out there. I was thinking of
getting some Chinese take out. “We are meeting up at ten right?” I asked her.

“Yeah, on the corner of Pits and Wiggly,” she said.

“Ok,” I told her as I opened the lid to see how the waffle was coming along. It still wasn't warm enough so I
closed it and turned my attention back to the bacon.

“Well I'll see you tonight then,” she said, sounding a bit more upbeat.

“See ya,” I said as I smiled into my phone before I heard her end go dead. I didn't even realize that I was naked
until I tried to put my cell in my pocket and realized that I didn't have any. I slid it onto the countertop before
going to get the frying pan and an apron. I tried frying naked before, I don't recommend it.

I think that I was still half asleep or something because before I realized it, I had two waffles on each plate
without remembering having heated up the last two. There were four strips of bacon on one plate, with four
more sizzling away in the frying pan. I placed the bag in the sink to wash later before turning all my attention to
watching the bacon to make sure they didn't burn.

I reached for the fork to turn over and check the bacon. I moved them over to their plate a minute later as I
turned off the stove. I took the plates over to the table and picked up a crispy strip from my share to eat as I
walked back over to the fridge. I pulled out the apple juice along with the apple sauce after I wiped my fingers
in the apron.

On my way back to the table, I saw Al walking down the hall wrapped in his robe. I smiled as I continued on my
way. As I turned around to go back for a few more things, he grabbed me by the waist and pulled me into him. I
didn't mind his hand on my ass at all. But I was pulled out of the moment as he murmured the word bacon
across my lips.

“Yes,” I said in agreement. “Turkey bacon,” I clarified before giving him one last kiss and heading into the
kitchen for the maple syrup, some knives, and some forks.

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“When did the pizza get here?” I half-shouted as I opened a box and pulled a slice free. As much as I wanted an
answer, I couldn't stay. I was on my way out back to see about setting up the projector and the screen wall. I
chomped on pineapple, pepperoni, and cheese, on a slightly thick crust on my way there. I walked around the
staggers and caterers on my way out of the house to walk between even more people setting up the dance
floor that was next to the fake wall. A finished fake wall by the looks of it. Mr. Ross was standing in front of it
with the four guys I saw setting it up a few hours ago. He was looking over my head at something, if not
someone. When I came to a stop in front of him, finishing up the pizza, he smiled a welcome at me.

“Sorry about that,” I said as I licked my fingers clean. “I was starving,” I explained.

“It's ok Mr. Webb,” Mr. Ross said as he looked up again. I followed his gaze saw that someone was in the attic as
they positioned what I took to be the projector, out a window. “Now I'm not sure if we settled on having the
wall this low,” Mr. Ross started again as he turned around and directed my attention to the white and almost
seamless looking wall. “If you are going to show anything and no one is on the platform, then it's ok, but if you
plan to have a speaker or dancing going, you may want to have it raised about three feet,” he suggested.

“Is the picture going to cover the whole wall?” I asked him as I thought that three feet was too low.

“No it won't,” Mr. Ross assured me. “We have a safe, or buffer zone of space at the top and bottom so it's never
too close to the edge of the surface,” he explained.

“But then what about the sides?” I asked since he didn't mention them.

“The sides too,” Mr. Ross added on. “And there are the checks to make sure,” he said before holding his thumb
up at the person in the attic. A beam of light now appeared over my head, and a smartly dressed black woman
with long hair was seated behind a desk. I couldn't hear what she was saying, but it was clear that she was
reporting on some piece of news that had something to do with the picture of a crashed car that was in the top
left-hand corner of the screen. Since I was looking at the corner, I remembered to now look around at the sides
of the screen to see how well the video fit, and it did easily.

“And the sound?” I asked Mr. Ross as I was momentarily satisfied with the look of it.

“Yes,” he said before waiting himself. “It should have come on at the same time,” he admitted. “I'll have to
check on a few wires. I'm sure that something just got over looked,” Mr. Ross tried to reassure me. I wasn't put
out by this kink. We had at least six hours left before the official start of the party, but I was hoping to at least
cross this off so I could sit down with another slice of pizza.

“I'll check back in a little bit, but you can come find me or Mr. Greene,” I told him. He nodded his head, and I
turned around to head back to the pizza boxes for another slice or two. As I approached where I had found the
pizza boxes, I started to hope that the only one that I saw closed, which was sitting on a pile of open ones, still
had some pizza left in it. I was just four feet away when I heard someone call my name. I continued to look at
the box for a few more seconds before I pulled myself away and turned to see Mr. Ross standing in the doorway
looking in my direction.

“You found what was wrong?” I asked him as I got closer.

“Yes. One of the wires had been pulled free some how. I added extra length at the connection point and
secured it,” Mr. Ross explained as we walked back. I looked up at the wall and saw the same lady still talking,
but there was a Christmas tree where the wrecked car had been. As we got closer, I started to hear what she
was saying. We came to a stop on the dance floor, and the beam of light was still well overhead, and the sound I
could hear was very clear and in sync.

“How loud can this get?” I asked as I thought about all the noise that the people at the party could be
generating, and I wanted to know how far into the rest of the garden it could reach.

“We have fifty on the dial, but we normally don't get asked to go over thirty,” he informed me. I then watched
as he held his thumb up to the attic again and jerked it twice upwards. Slowly I heard as the lady's voice got
louder and louder and heard details of fireworks that were going off tonight at midnight over the river on either
side of the bridge.

“Ok, I think that'll do,” I half-shouted as I raised my hand to have him stop and hopefully turn it back down.
When it was back down to a level that allowed me to talk normally, I turned to Mr. Ross again. “So will one of
you be here to work the equipment?” I asked as I wondered if we had to hire an extra person to do it or if one
of us had to climb into the attic.

“Yes. Danny,” Mr. Ross said as he nodded his head in the direction of the projector. “He will come back tonight
and take are of all audio and video needs that you may have,” Mr. Ross assured me. “What time will the party
be starting?” he asked me to make sure.
“It will start at eight o'clock,” I said. “And we'll be finishing up about one or two am,” I added on. This is going to
be a long day I realized. We've been up since eight that morning, and I was starving. I pulled the check from my
pocket to give Mr. Ross before making my way back into the house praying there was still something there. I
had just reentered the house when Emma waved at me from across the room. I cried on the inside as I walked
past the now visibly empty pile of boxes and in her direction.

“Yes Emma?” I asked her as I tried to tell myself that I will get food later.

“Dad's office,” she says before turning to walk away in that direction. Luke wanted to see me? I wondered what
for as I followed her down the hall. As I entered through the open door behind Emma I smelt the pizza before I
saw it. Luke held out a slice for me, and I quickly closed the door before stepping forward and taking it from
him. As I chewed, I mouthed I LOVE YOU in his direction. Emma passed me a bottle of water, and we ate in a
hungry, but happy silence.

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------
------

“You have never watched the New Year's fireworks?” I asked Al as he pulled into a spot that opened up just as
we rounded the block for a second time.

“I've seen them on tv but I only saw it once in person a really long time ago and I don't remember it. I just know
that I did it,” Al ended as he turned off the engine.

“I've been to about four and I remember all of them,” I said as we got out and turned to open the doors to the
back seat. Al had to wait for a car to pass before he could open his door. I got the food and one chair, while Al
got the other chair and a blanket that we brought just in case. I stood on the sidewalk and wanted for Al to
round the car before asking which way we should go.

“Your friend said to meet them on the corner of where?” he asked as he tucked the blanket under his arm.

“Pits and Wiggly,” I answered.

“This way then,” Al said as he walked off towards our right, in the general direction of the river.

“So what year did you go to see the fireworks?” I asked him to pass the time walking.

“It was the New Years after Brian moved,” he answered. “That might be why I don't remember being there,”
Alfred explained. “I guess I was just wishing he was still there so I could have spent that time with him and
didn't want to enjoy it,” he continued. I was expecting him to say it was when he was three, and there was a
picture in some album that showed he was there, but he didn't remember. Not this.

“Sorry,” I said after a bit.

“Nothing to be sorry about,” he answered. I looked over at him, and I saw Al smiling back at me. “It was a long
time ago and I'm more than happy being with you,” he stated. The smile that lingered on his lips warmed me as
much as my coat was doing at the moment. I wanted to kiss him but there were a lot of people around as they
seem to be heading towards the river to see the fireworks also.
 ==========

Chapter 45 – 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!

==========

“David! Al!” Shawn called out to us as we finished crossing the street. They were standing on a slight rise of a
hill just beyond the sidewalk. I had to find the hand that was waving itself from the direction of the words we
heard to find them. I smiled as I watched them make their way down to our level and out of the crowd of
people.

“Hello Mr. Stroker,” Candice said as she held out her hand to be shook.

“Al or Alfred is fine,” he told her with a grin before shaking her hand. “Shawn,” Al greeted her boyfriend as he
shook his hand next. Shawn nodded his head in acknowledgment as he continued to smile.

“So where are we going?” I asked as I looked around at all the people. This couldn't be the spot Candice meant
for us to stay.

“I think most of them are here to get into the bar,” Shawn said when he saw me eyeing the crowd. “We already
staked our clam,” he said, beaming at me a little brighter. “Come on, I'll show you,” Shawn told us before
starting to walk back up over the little hill that they come down to greet us.

We then followed them over a small bridge that went across a little stream which branched off from the river
and went inland a bit. We walked on some brown stuff that was once green grass until we reached something
of a pier that went along the outside of a building that was next to the water if not in it. We walked along the
length of the structure until we saw some boats. They seemed to be having their own New Year's party from all
the lights and music we heard coming from them. We took a few turns, walked through the side of a building,
down a very wide hallway, and ended with us walking back outside and onto a field. I think it was called
Brookdale Field, but I hadn't been there before. I just heard that it was on the riverside of a building that
belonged to some sports club.

Our first sight of it was stunning because the grass was green. There were some people there, but they were
spread out enough that it didn't feel crowded. If we came any later, I believe we would have been picking which
neighbors we hated the least to set up next to.

“This way,” Shawn said, pulling my attention from looking over the expanse of the field and people. I turned
and saw him walking up an incline to our right. As I stepped onto the grass it felt and looked real and fake at the
same time. Shawn and Candice were standing at the top of the rise, waiting for us. As I came to a stop next to
them, I saw that they had indeed claimed it. There was one blanket in the middle of staked out flags to mark
the border of the space they wanted. That little hill was all ours.

I was impressed, and I turned to see the view that came with such a spot. I saw that other groups had done the
same thing as I spied a few flag marked squares. I saw the whole field, and it was bigger than I first thought. It
was blocked from the street by a few buildings, and it looked to be about two thousand feet long, and we were
near the end of the field with our little hill fort.

I pulled my phone out and checked the time. I slid it back in and opened the chair that I had in my hand as I
mentally settled in for the long wait.
“So when was the last time your guys saw some fireworks?” Candice asked as I sat down next to Al.

“The forth of July before I moved out here,” I said with a smile as I looked from her to Al.

“Never,” was Al's short answer.

“Never?”

“Never?”

Both Shawn and Candice asked at the same time. I just laughed as I looked at Al.

“It's not so odd,” he added as some kind of defense. “When I was a kid, I was asleep long before midnight. It
wasn't something that was big on my parents to-do list. Then when I was in college, I would go out, but miss the
actually count down and we were no where near any fireworks. Then there was work,” Al ended.

“And?” Shawn asked.

“And I worked,” Al said with a shrug as if what else could it have been.

“But you weren't working that day or the day after, so you just stayed in?” Shawn asked in slight disbelief.

“Yes,” was Alfred's answer.

“I haven't missed a New Year's firework show since I was six,” Shawn bragged. “As long as you are with David,
you are friends with us, and this is where you will be every New Year's,” he ended as he held out a beer for Al.
He looked touched as he looked up from the offered beer to Shawn's face. He paused for a moment, and Shawn
smiled a little bit wider as he nodded the beer at him again.

“Thank you,” Al told him as he took the beer and just held it.

“So what kind of food did you bring?” Candice asked to either move away from a touching moment or to see if
we had enough food to last the night.

“We got Chinese take out. I think we got a serving of everything but the spring rolls,” I said as I pulled the
insulated bag towards me to double-check. They, the Chinese restaurant, didn't seem that surprised when I left
their bags behind and repacked all the food in this bag that I had gotten for the occasion. After all, we wanted
the food to be warm by the time we got around to eating it.

“Everything of what?” I heard Shawn ask as I reached for an egg drop soup.

------
------
------

“Thanks for coming even though you couldn't stay too long,” I told Jacob as I walked him to the front door. The
party was just hitting its stride at 9:30, but he was one of the first to show up so it wasn't just a meet, greet and
dash encounter.
“It's your first party, I had to see how much effort you put into it,” Jacob said, sounding sarcastic but looked a bit
impressed. I hoped I had impressed him as I showed him around before I got too busy with the other guest. He
was one of my best friends, and I wanted to show him that I did good.

“Thanks,” I replied in tone with his comment.

“Maybe next year I'll be able to stay longer,” Jacob said as we stopped in front of the coat check girl that we had
given the run of our formal dining room to.

“Thinking of getting out of the House?” I asked him as it struck me that this may be what he meant. He
shrugged his shoulders before handing over the stub number for his coat.

“It's a whole year from now,” Jacob started up as the girl walked back behind the curtain to get his coat. “I
might be out. I might be helping to run the House, I might ease up on my hours to go back to school. Who
knows?” he ended. I kinda admired him for having such an outlook for just the upcoming year. I just got Luke,
and all I wanted was to keep this relationship going.

“Well, how ever it works out, I look forward to having you around for the countdown,” I told him.

“Will I be seeing you before your sale party?” Jacob asked as the girl walked back through the curtains.

“Outside the gym?” I asked.

“Are we going to start that again?” Jacob, in turn, asked before taking the coat from her and nodding his thanks.

“Yeah, we need to nail down times for that again,” I said, feeling a little guilty. Once in a while, we would bump
into each other, but lately, I've been too busy getting the party organized to spend time with him. “Sorry about
not doing it sooner, but putting this party together kept us really tied up,” I tried to explain.

“I understand,” Jacob told me as he now shrugged his way into his long grey winter coat. “I'll give you a day or
two to recover from this shindig of yours before calling for details on our first gym date. I would give you more
time, but I still have to work for a living,” he told me with one of his unique sly smiles. It was a half honest joke.

“As if you need to work,” I told him. “You have more money saved up then I do,” I explained.

“I have places I want to visit and activities to take part in. I need to save up,” Jacob countered. I nodded my
head in agreement if not just understanding. I remembered the few talks that we had about what we were
saving our money for.

“How come you aren't photo documenting the party?” he asked as he was about to open the door. “I haven't
seen you take one photo all night,” he added on.

“I gave it to Emma, my camera that is. She's been going around taking photos. She said that she even wants to
help with posting them for me. We'll see,” I said with a smile. Then I remembered the other photos on my feed
that she could never see.

“Well then, enjoy the rest of your party,” Jacob said as he opened the door and walked through it.

“Have fun at work,” I replied before waving him off. Once Jacob had taken four steps, I closed the door to
escape the cold that was wafting in. I turned around and saw someone waving at me to join them. For a
moment, I felt something that surprised me and suppressed it as I walked in their direction.

I'm not working this party. I don't have to flirt with anyone, and the only one I'll be sleeping with later will be
Luke, I told myself as I neared another friend that used to work at the House with me. He was standing with
Johnathon and his husband. A lady crossed my path with a near-empty hors d'oeuvres platter, so I snagged the
last two to eat on my way over there. Mr. Phan extended his hand to me first. I was half expected Johnathon to
be the first to greet me, but I took it in stride and hoped my slight surprise didn't show.

“Nice party,” he commented. I know I grinned at the compliment.

“Thank you Mr. Phan,” I said as I shook his hand.

“I think I see some of your touches here and there,” he commented before we all took a quick look around the
room. “I've been coming here for years so I'm sure I see them as much as you do,” he told me with a smile. “So
will we be able to depend on you to return the favor?” Mr. Phan then asked me.

“Favor?” I asked him cluelessly. Return what favor?

“Yeah, we are getting married,” Johnathon interjected with.

“Again?” I now asked both of them. “Didn't the first one take?” I questioned them out loud as I tried to
understand why they were doing it twice in just as many years.

“No, nothing was wrong with the first one. It was legal and everything,” Johnathon started to explain. “It's just
that his family wasn't there and my family wasn't there and some of our friends weren't happy with us either,
so we are having a second wedding. A destination one,” he ended.

“Where is it going to be this time?” I asked since they couldn't get married in this state yet. Symbolically or not.

“China,” was his short answer. I just looked on stunned. I had to go to China to attend his wedding?

------
------
------

“How much longer?” Candice asked before eating her last piece of steamed dumpling.

“It shouldn't be too much longer,” Shawn said as he nodded towards the boats that seemed to be moving into
place.

“ll:50 pm,” Alfred told all of us. I was still feeling full from the soup that I ate earlier, but the warmth was long
gone. I stood up and relocated my chair from next to his, to touching his. I noticed Al as he watched me moving
around looking for the blanket. I found it under the food bag. I shook it out before wrapping it around Al's
shoulder and sitting back down at his side. I felt his hand as he extended the coverage of the blank before I had
a chance to reach for it myself.

“Thank you,” I told him before securing my end, laying into his side, and waiting for the fireworks to begin.
Before long we had an arm around each other with the blanket held tightly in place. We watched the boats as
they continued to drift into a line along the middle of the river.
“What are you thinking?” I softly asked Al. I had started to think of the upcoming year, and no matter what I
thought of, Alfred ended up in there somehow.

“Nothing much,” Al answered. I wasn't going to push. I didn't need to know. I was trying to talk the time away. I
looked around and most of them looked like us. Huddled together under blankets for warmth and looking out
towards the river in a very still manner as we waited to hear the first firework as it was launched, if not as it
exploded. Before, people were moving around, talking, eating, laughing, and running. A few guys had even
thrown a football back and forth, for warmth I think. As I watched the dark water churn along the hull of one
moving ship, I reminded myself that I didn't start my classes again for three weeks.

“I was trying not to think of work,” Al said.

“Ha?” I asked him.

“Your question,” he said. “I was trying not to think of work,” Al told me.

“Oh,” I said. “How is that working for you?” I asked as I felt his arm grip me a little tighter.

“Some success, but not much,” Al admitted. “If I didn't think of work, I thought of coming home to you,” he
continued. “You?” he asked a minute later.

“The same,” I slowly answered. I continued to look straight ahead, but now I consciously rubbed his side as
midnight came even closer.

------
------
------

“Emma?” I called as I walked out into the back garden, wrapping myself into my coat. “Emma?” I called again as
I thought I saw her move further in with the rest of the crowd. I hadn't expected everyone to come out here for
the countdown, but it looked like just about everyone thought it was a great idea. I was walking faster to catch
up with Emma when I saw someone helping her to stand up on a chair. She held the camera above her head as
she did a slow pan across the whole garden. She smiled a little wider when she saw me looking at her, but she
kept on going.

I was about to go back and tell Luke where she was instead of bringing her back with me when I felt someone's
hand slide into one of mine. I turned, expecting to see Luke and I wasn't disappointed to see him standing next
to me.

“I see you found her,” Luke said as he nodded in Emma's direction.

“Do you still want me to get her?” I asked him.

“No, she's good,” he told me as his hand moved up my arm before jumping to my waist. Soon I felt warmth
flooding my body as Luke stood behind me and wrapped both his arms around my chest.

“The box has begun its accent here in downtown New Hill Grove,” a lady wearing fuzzy white gloves and a hat
that contrasted with her black coat told us from the projected screen. “Forty-five seconds to go as we wait for
the Flower Shower. This year they were done by the students of Clark High. Every grade spent a few weeks
making their allotted thousand flowers for the event. Ok, we are now at the twenty seconds mark and we are
going to flip over to our box cam for the rest of the count down,” she ended as we saw a white studded box
with a huge red bow that was being raised over a square full of people by a crane that had to be at least ten
stories high. I heard it was rented out from Boston every year. It was a long drive from there, but the rumor also
said that they couldn't find one that high any closer.

A clock popped up under the image of the box and was counting down from fifteen. Our guests started to slip
on the mini top hats, and tiaras with the new year already flashing around us. I had worn my earlier, but the
strap broke, and I didn't bother getting another one. The hats and tiaras were one of Emma's touches, and I had
to admit it was a cute one.

“10, 9, 8, 7, 6,” everyone around us chanted. It was also being echoed over the speakers from the square
downtown. I felt like I was apart of this much larger thing. I felt apart of this home, this party, this whole town.

“5, 4, 3, 2,” Luke whispered into my ear. I turned around and faced him in time for us to say “One,” at the same
time.

“Happy New Year,” I told him before he kissed me. I heard the exploding sound of the box and the commotion
being made here as everyone wished each other a Happy New Year and blew on noisemakers. I tried to block it
out as I continued to kiss my guy. I heard the amplified screams as people scrambled to catch and pick up the
flowers that flew from the now collapsed box and I think fireworks, but I didn't care. I wrapped my arms around
Luke as he pulled me in even closer.

I tasted the wine on his tongue, and I felt the start of a beard as it rubbed against my chin. I smelt his cologne as
it wafted up from his clothing, and I wanted more. I held the back of his head as I tried to push my way into
him. To be completely wrapped up in everything he was made of.

“Hold on there,” someone other than Luke said since he was still busy kissing me back. “If you don't stop now,
Emma's video is going to turn into a porno,” the voice continued. I formed the thought to stop, but Luke was
the first to pull away. I felt warm and fantastic. I didn't want to let go of him, but I looked around to see if Emma
had been actually watching, and there she was, with the camera pointed at us. She waved, and I waved back as
I slid my arm back around Luke and looked about at our guest having a great time.

------
------
------

I looked up, amazed as I watched the night sky as it exploded with earthly made stars, fire, and light. Each boom
and crack was felt inside my chest.

“Happy New Year,” Al spoke into my ear. As I turned to look at him, I saw Shawn and Candice making out behind
his back. I smiled as I looked up at him.

“Happy New Year Alfred,” I said. I shivered a little at saying his name when I remembered how much it meant to
him to have me not call him Mr. Stroker. I saw him as Mr. Alfred Stroker. The man I met in an intimidating office.
The man I felt some attraction to the moment he looked at me with his slightly tired and hopeful eyes. The man
that has provided more for me than I thought I would ever get.

“I love you Mr. Stroker,” I told him as I looked up into his gorgeous grey eyes.

“I love you too David,” he replied. I surged up to kiss him as I felt the blast from one of the fireworks rock the
chair I was sitting in. I kissed him for making me feel so loved and happy. I pulled him to me as we sucked and
licked lips. Our breath heated the other's face as we parted our lips and came back together again. The blanket
fell away, and I shivered my way closer to his body.

“Ah,” I moaned softly, as it hit me that my pants were too tight, but I continued to kiss and suck him in. It was as
Al pulled away that I heard catcalls and clapping. In a slight haze that was clearing up quickly, I turned my head
to where all the ruckus was coming from to see Shawn and Candice. I turned back to Alfred to see how he was
taking the attention when I saw this look in his eyes.

“The fireworks look great,” Al told me. I wrinkled my forehead at such an odd statement.

“You aren't looking at them,” I informed him.

“I can see them perfectly in your eyes,” he corrected me. I smiled up at him, and he kissed me again. I groped
around for the blanket and hopefully threw enough of it over most of us as we went back to what we were
doing. We didn't get very far as the hoops and clapping got louder from my two friends that had me believing
that they were now standing over both of us.

Soon we were laughing and re-emerged back into the cold night air. We all then turned and looked up as furious
blasts and bangs made me think of cannon fire, as a massive amount of fireworks went off over the head. The
sky looked like it was fighting back the dark of the night, and for a moment, you could have believed that it was
winning until the explosions stopped. The light died, and only the faint smell of smoke reminded you of what
you had just witnessed.

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” Candice shouted before she jumped at me and knocked me off the chair. “Oh, are you
alright?” she quickly asked.

“Yeah I'm fine,” I told her as I realized that I really was. “Happy New Year Candice,” I told her as I reached up for
a hug.

“Happy New Year Al,” I heard Shawn say. I looked past Candice's shoulder and saw as he extended a hand. Al
took it with a smile and repeated the words.

Yes. This was going to be a happy year.

 ==========

Epilogue - Going, Going, Gone

==========

“So will I be getting a paddle at the door or will they give that to me once you officially go up on
stage?” Luke asked me as I fixed his tie.

“What paddle?” I asked him as I continued trying to make sure that the knot was formed perfectly. It
felt odd making him look good so I could show him off. Until recently, it was the other way around.

“The one you raise when you want to out bid someone else,” he answered me.

“There,” I said as I got it to look the way I wanted. “What?” I asked him as all the words he said started
to come back to me.

“You know,” he said as he raised his hand and nodded his head like he was at an auction.

“What do you think I am?” I asked as I thought about hitting him. “I'm not there to be acquired by the
highest bidder. I'm already yours. You are just there to show how much I'm worth to you,” I said a little
smugly as I turned towards the mirror to see how I looked in my new three-piece suit. It was very dark
grey in color without it being black. It was single-breasted with two buttons on the jacket.

My vest was tight to the body like it was suppose to be and displayed a line of nine buttons down the
center. I wore a black tie with florets of tight white poke-a-dots which peaked out of the bottom of the
vest. The shirt that the tailor picked to go with this was off white with thin, compact vertical bands of
midnight blue strips. As I was thinking of what else I might need other than my coat, since I was
already wearing my shoes and socks, I caught Luke's eyes in the mirror.

“Like what you see?” I couldn't stop myself from asking him. I liked what I saw.

“Yes I do,” he said. I turned around, and he handed me a bright, but deep blue piece of cloth. I almost
asked him what it was for when I realized it was for my breast pocket.

“Thank you,” I said before turning around and making sure that it looked right as I folded and tucked it
halfway in.

“Ready?” he asked me a minute later as I stepped back to get the full effect.

“Ready,” I agreed.

------
------
I almost went into the House the back way. In fact, it was Cricket that turned us around as he told me
that we had to use the front door. I'm not saying that I've never walked in through the front door, just
hardly never. So we walked around to the front and up onto the porch. Just as Luke was about to ring
the bell, the door opened for us. It was Cricket again.

“Trying to come in through the back,” he told me with a smile as he shook his head. He took our coats
and walked us right into the middle of the gathering. There were a bit more people here than I
expected. They all shook my or Luke's hand as we walked further in. When we got to the living room,
which I barely recognized, we saw this big banner that read FAREWELL EDWARD which hung against a
wall and over something of a low stage or platform. We always did our send-offs with flair. I
remembered.

As we came to a stop in front of the platform, everyone started to clap. Tiffany appeared and walked
up onto the stage where there was a mic already set up. I felt like it was a bit over the top now, not
that it occurred to me when I was just an onlooker and not a participant.

“Our guests of honor have arrived, but the 'sale' part of this party won't begin for another hour and
that portion of our night should take about thirty minutes for those you who need to know,” she said
with an odd smile. She then stepped down and walked over to us.

“Mr. Greene,” Tiffany said as she greeted Luke first. He shook her hand and sounded agreeable as he
exchanged pleasantries. I then had my moment with her, and it was odd. She was still kinda my boss,
but she was also something of a life that I no longer lived. She said how it wasn't the same with me
gone, and there were a few times, not many, but few where she missed me. I didn't press for
examples.

“Well, mill around,” she told both of us. “Get a few things nailed down if need be,” she said more in
Luke's direction before walking off to do more hosting with the other guests.

“There are a few people I want to talk to,” Luke told me before he squeezed my arm and walked away.
I watched him as he walked off to a group of men that I recognized. I could even recall some of their
sexual ticks. I stopped myself from remembering all of them by turning away and looking for Jacob. I
didn't have to look far.

“Edward,” he said from almost right next to me. I held a hand out for him, and he gripped it warmly.

“Good to see you,” I told him before looking at the others he brought with him. Cricket wasn't there
this time, but I saw Lex, Brain, and Bobby as they stood around me.

“Hello guys, how are things?” I asked them.

“We have a pool going,” Bobby said as he spoke up first.

“A pool about what?” I asked them.

“How much you are going to go for,” Lex supplied. “Do you know?” he then asked me. The other guys,
except Jacob, leaned in to hear my answer.

“I haven't a clue,” I told them with a shrug. It was true. “I haven't heard him bring it up at all,” I
continued.

“Well you aren't any help,” Brain then said. “I have you down for something that would be about three
thousand in value,” he said. “I have faith in you,” he said before we heard someone calling his name.

“Later,” he told me with a nod of his head before he left our group.

“So you really don't know?” Bobby now asked me.

“None,” I answered. “How much did you put down?” I asked him.

“A thousand,” he answered.

“Nineteen ninety-five,” Jacob said, causing all of us to look at him. “He's a lawyer,” seemed to be his
short answer. “I don't think he would be comfortable paying for you. But I think he would pay for the
stand at cost and the cost is nineteen dollars and ninety-five cents,” was his explanation.

“I didn't think of that,” Lex then said a little quietly. “The lawyer thing.” he then added on. “I thought
he would at least pay two thousand for you. About as much as one of your suits cost him,” he said
with a grin.

“Well, we will all find out together,” I told them before a server wandered in our direction with some
drinks. We all snagged one.

------
------

I looked up when I heard someone clinking their glass, and I saw Tiffany as she made her way across
the stage again and towards the mic. When she got there, she pushed the stick, that she was tapping
her glass with, back into her hair.

“Would Edward and Mr. Greene please make your way up on stage please?” she asked with a smile.
Jake patted me on my back as I left the group. I reached up there just a few seconds before Luke did.
The lights were bright up here, but after a while, I didn't feel like they were trying to burn my eyes out
of their sockets.

“We are here tonight to see off Edward Webb, one of our dear boys, who has been with us for just
over five years and have made a lot of friends here. Both among the staff and clients. It's one of those
friendships that has brought about his 'sale' today.”

That prompted a mix of boos and cheers from the room. Luke and I both smiled.

“Now, now,” Tiffany called out as she prompted them to stop. “He couldn't stay with us for forever. It's
not that kind of a job,” she explained. “Now, tradition dictates that if someone sweeps one of our boys
off their feet or want them all to themselves and out of the House, they had to present a gift to
management, or the House, in any form they like or was capable of. It was a show of gratitude,
perceived reimbursement and or to prove that they could take care of the person they were making
unemployed. But these days, it's just symbolic and maybe a bit of showing off,” she said with a laugh.
Some laughed with her.

“So the question, Mr. Greene, is how much is Edward worth to you?” Tiffany asked before stepping
away from the mic. This time it was all cheers as Luke stepped forward. The room quieted as he
cleared his throat.

“When I heard about this, sale thing, I wasn't sure what to do about it. As a lawyer I wasn't that
comfortable paying for my experiences with Edward, but over time I seemed to have justified it. But
“buying him”,” he did the air quotes. “Outright was something that I couldn't really see myself doing
until it was explained along the lines that our lovely hostess said a few moments ago. So that left me
with an interesting balancing act. What could I give, gift, to the House and what would show how
much Edward means to me,” he stopped for a breath. “I hope I'm able to pull that off,” he started
again as he placed his hand inside his jacket. He pulled out a slightly thick looking envelope as he
turned to face Tiffany. We all looked on and waited to see what it was.

“This is my gift to the House for taking care of Edward until I was able to find him. It's a reservation for
a cruse down the Mississippi on a river paddle boat,” he said as he handed it over to her.

“Why thank you,” she said, sounding a little surprised. “I've never been on a river cruse before.”

“No, I'm sorry. You misunderstood me,” Luke told her, which caused everyone who had started to clap
to quiet down. “It's not a reservation for you. It's a reservation for the boat,” he clarified. The room
stayed silent. “The ship is called Queen of the Mississippi, its passenger capacity is one hundred and
fifty and there are seventy eight cabins that you can fill how ever you want. All the details are in
there,” Luke said as he pointed to the envelope that she was holding. The room was still quiet. Slowly
cheers came from the back of the room and worked their way forward until everyone showed their
approval with whistles, clapping, and hollering.

I watched as he reached into his jacket again and pulled out another envelope. It looked to be twice a
big as the first one. He couldn't have money in there, I told myself. I wasn't the only one that saw his
movements, and the room was soon pin-drop-silent again. Luke didn't say anything. He just stood
there looking at everyone. Whispers started to populate the space as nothing changed. When I was
about to walk over and ask him what he was waiting for, the doorbell rang.

“Better late than never,” Luke finally said. He opened the envelope and turned around to give me
something. “They'll be wanting that,” he said before he turned around and looked at the room again. I
slowly made my way off the stage but picked up speed once I touched down. I found Cricket, who
seemed to be on door duty, standing with the door wide open with a delivery guy next to him.

“Edward Webb?” the guy asked.

“Yeah,” I confirmed.

“Do you have the voucher?” he then asked. I handed him the paper that Luke just gave me, thinking
that had to be it.

“Thank you,” he said as he took it from me. He stuck it into his clipboard and checked off a few things.
Then he lifted a box that had been at his feet and gave it to me. “Have a nice night,” he said before
turning to leave. Cricket walked back with me and even helped to open it when we reached the stage.

“I didn't want to deprive Edward of showing off some cash, so he can hand this out to everyone here,
but all future deliveries will just be for the house,” Luke said as we pulled the box open and moved
aside the bulk of padding that was used to protect the contents of the box.

“Hahahaha,” I laughed out loud. I ripped the netting open to pulled out a handful of gold chocolate
coins. I threw them up in the air, and a few of the guests and staff reached up to catch them, while
others sheltered their heads. I grabbed a few more and walked back to where I was standing before. I
opened the thick gold foil of one of them to take a bite. It was good.

“Every month that you want a shipment, you make a call to the number on the voucher, give them the
name of the person who is to accept the package and they will be here in two days. They also ask that
you exchange a box, or bag, of the empty wrappers when getting a new shipments. Once again, it's all
in the envelope,” he ended with as he handed it over to Tiffany.

“Thank you,” Tiffany said as she looked a little unsure as to whether to step back and wait for another
gift or if it was safe to take the mic again. She looked at Luke for a clue.

“No more gifts,” Luke said with a wide grin as he stepped back and walked over to my side. He
shoulder bumped me and I handed him one of the coins. I looked up in time to see Tiffany as she
waved me forward. I walked up to the mic and stood next to her.

“Well Edward,” she started. “All that's left is for you to officially approve his gifts,” she said before
stepping back.

“Hi everyone,” I said. I was swallowing before opening my mouth again when I was interrupted. I
turned to look back at Luke.

“I'm sorry, but I have something else for him to answer also,” Luke said as he slipped his hand into his
trouser pocket. I didn't care until he pulled it out, not holding an envelope. He walked right up to me
and then sank to one knee. Oh my god! He wasn't doing this now!

“Mr. Edward Mike Webb, would you do the honor of marrying me?” Luke asked before opening the
little box that he held up in his hand. I looked at it and saw the name Doyle & Doyle across the inside
of the lid. The box was lined with a deep blue fabric that matched the blue handkerchief I was
currently wearing. A matching pair of brushed white metal rings were encircled with two bands of a
slightly lighter blue. One small diamond was embedded in the middle of each ring, in between those
two blue lines.
I looked up into his face and saw everything. My life, the way it was. What it became and what it
would become with him.

“Yes.”