Flame

by J. P. Scott

  George looked down the list, making sounds of “Mmmm,” and “Ohhh,” every now and then.

  I took a sip of my coffee as I waited for any extended response. The list encompassed a lot and ranged from small to big projects.

  “How much do you think this will cost?”

  “Great question. I don’t see anything in there as a dire situation, so we can decide what is important. We have some time to budget things out and maybe look for cheaper options.”

  “How much time do we think we have? This looks like it could take years.”

  I nodded, “That’s true. Especially if I tried to do it on my own. Nancy did refer me to a handyman that can start to tackle things. I don’t know his rate yet, but I guess he’s recently moved back and looking for work. I’m hoping his rate will be reasonable.”

  “Who is it?”

  I pulled out the business card, “Jonathan Clay. Do you know him?”

  George raised his eyebrows, “Well, I’ll be damned.”

  “You do know him.”

  “I know of him, but I don’t think I ever laid eyes on him in real life.”

  I knew that in small towns a person’s reputation quickly and easily spread. The less positive the reputation, the quicker the spread—much like a wildfire. Just how quickly had Jonathan’s reputation spread to George who rarely left his cabins? “What do you know?”

  George put down the list and looked out the window to his room. Dark clouds had started to form as I drove in to Payson and they had grown in size and darkness since my arrival. The summer monsoon might be producing its first storm. As summer progressed, the forest had been increasingly dryer. A storm promised relief if it included a good rain. However, if it was mainly lightning and wind, wildfires could quickly ignite and spread.

  “Do you have any problems if I hire him? Asking around, I’m not getting too many other leads. If you would rather that he not work on the property, I’ll keep looking.”

  George shook his head, “No, I trust your judgment.”

  “But you have some hesitation.”

  He signed, “I do, but it is ancient history by now.”

  I thought about pressing further, but recent events had taught me that George was not usually receptive to people prying. Alex had done that with Gray Whitlock and I had feared it might affect George’s heart. Whatever happened between George and Jonathan in the past, I could let it go if there was nothing about his work that I should be concerned about.

  “Anything on the list that has you worried?” I wanted to get George to focus back on the list and off of anything that he may be thinking about Jonathan Clay.

  George picked up the list again, “All of it. Is it really that bad?”

  “I think realtors tend to make long lists to maximize the asking price. I wouldn’t be too concerned. The place is holding up well.”

  “The water heaters concern me. That could get expensive.”

  “I agree. Any idea if they have been recently updated in any of the units? We may want to focus on the older ones first. Any ones that have been replaced in the past five years can be a lower priority.”

  “Let me think.” George grabbed a pen and began to make notes. His spirit seemed up and I did not care that I already found his repair records. He seemed like his old self as he dove into the details. We spent the afternoon making lists and debating priority. When I left, George was ready for a nap, sufficiently stimulated by the decisions to be made. I promised to keep him updated.

  Chapter Seven

  After I pulled off the highway and into George’s property, I saw a pickup truck with a camper on the bed parked in front of the office. I remembered my neighbors as a kid having a camper like this, the dad excited to camp in the state parks. Both the camper and the truck appeared to be from that era, with grime and rust dotting their bodies. Did they even still make these kinds of campers? Most of the tourists I saw driving in the area drove massive RV’s or had large trucks with an equally large fifth wheel towed behind. While current trends were to have a camping lifestyle on par with everyday life, this combination of truck and camper seemed unnecessarily compact. How did everything—and everybody—fit inside?

  I mentally reviewed if I had anticipated any check-ins and was sure there was nothing on the books. All the cabins were rented, with a few opening up next week. It had to be a hopeful traveler crossing his fingers that there might be room.

  I parked and walked up to the office door where I had marked my estimated return time on the “Be Right Back!” sign. I was unlocking the door when I heard the camper’s back door open up. I turned to see Jonathan step out and hop to the ground.

  “You’re back early. I’ve never believed those signs,” he pointed to the sign on the door with the clock face and moveable hour and minute hands. “Especially if it only says, ‘Back in fifteen minutes.’”

  “Hi. It’s good to see you. I must have missed your message or call. I did not know you were stopping by.”

  He winked, “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t leave one. I got your message and thought I would drop by. Have a few minutes to chat?”

  “Sure, come on in.” I held the office door open and indicated for him to enter. I took in as much as I could as he stepped up to the porch and walked inside. He was dressed more casually—a t-shirt and camouflage shorts and sneakers. All were clean and clearly not part of any work uniform like his previous outfit. He finished off the look with a frayed Dodgers ball cap. The blue cap pairing well to highlight his blue eyes. His legs were muscular, hairy, and tanned from plenty of time spent outdoors.

  I headed to the doors of the back office, “Let me just put this stuff down.”

  I placed the papers on the desk and scanned around. The room was not tidy, but it was work related items that created the clutter. I had feared I might have left out the lube I had used that morning while watching some porn. I closed the door to my bedroom where things were less tidy.

  “We can talk back here,” I peeked my head through the door. Jonathan was pretending to take an interest in the rack of pamphlets that advertised attractions around Arizona that might warrant a day trip to anyone who was bored or feeling stir-crazy in the cabins.

  I settled into the chair behind my desk and Jonathan sat across from me. Like at the restaurant, he folded his arms and I could not stop myself from staring and the muscles as they bulged.

  He cleared this throat, “So, when I said we would see each other around, I didn’t expect it to be about business.”

  “What did you expect it to be about?”

  “Well…” he smiled. “You know.” He unfolded his arms. His right hand landed down on his leg, fingers pointing into his crotch. The squeeze was brief and may have been more instinct than intention, but I knew he was grabbing is cock. Yes, I knew exactly what he was thinking and expecting.

  I smiled back. Jonathan sounded like he was a lot like me—ready for a good time always. And with those eyes and those arms, he was probably used to getting what he wanted whenever he wanted it.

  Just across the room was the door to my room and enough lube to get us through endless rounds of fun. Without George in the adjoining residence, there was no need to be quiet. The headboard could bang against the wall, Jonathan could grunt with each of my thrusts, and no one would hear. The fun could spill out to this office or even the front office without much concern of being discovered. And after dark? My playdate with Joe showed that even a little outdoor fun was possible without the cabin guests suspecting a thing.

  “Unfortunately, I need you here for other…services.”

  “Which my wallet definitely needs. It’s been tough moving back without anything steady lined up.”

  “Where did you move from?”

  “I’ve been up in Colorado for a few years. I needed a change and thought why not try my luck back in Arizona.”

  “It comes at a great time for me. My uncle owns these cabins but suffered a heart attack last fall. I’m here to help f
igure everything out. That led me to Nancy who had some suggestions of repairs.” I looked at Jonathan who listened and smiled. His eyes told me that he heard the words but was picturing me naked instead. I took a deep breath and tried to stay focused. “Do you do all kinds of handywork? Plumbing, electrical, painting…?”

  “Pretty much everything.”

  I pulled out a copy of Nancy’s list—one without George’s notes. “Take a look at this list. If you could estimate how much you would charge for each job—or if want to set an hourly rate, then I’d like to estimate how much time you think it would take you do to each job.”

  He picked up the paper and looked over the list, “Can I get this back to you tomorrow?”

  “Sounds good. I should be around all day. Are you staying nearby?”

  “Haven’t settled on a place. The campground across the highway was full when I checked. Do you have any camping hookups?”

  “Well, not by themselves. Sometimes our guests park a camper or RV next to the cabin they’ve rented.” I turned and looked up the hill from the office window. “There’s a cabin currently empty. You could connect up there. It would be temporary until that renter comes back.”

  “That’ll do.” He dropped a fifty-dollar bill on my desk. “My deposit. We can negotiate a rental agreement when we talk numbers tomorrow.”

  We stood and walked to the door. Jonathan stopped in the doorway and I almost bumped into him. He turned and our faces were inches apart. Almost close enough to kiss.

  “And if you need any other sort of deposit, feel free to come find me tonight.”

  He was relentless. Normally, I was the aggressor. I did not know how to handle being on the receiving end.

  Should I say, “Thanks”? Grab his crotch and haul him back to my room? How messy could this get fucking someone who was working for me? Would it make a difference if I fucked him or if I kept my distance?

  “I scare you.” He smiled, pleased with himself. He reached up and touched my cheek. “I’ll get you to trust me.”

  He turned and left, leaving the skin on my face on fire from his touch. Getting naked with him might turn into the hottest sex I have ever had. Refusing his advance could be the hardest thing I ever tried to do.

  Chapter Eight

  I decided to risk dinner at the restaurant. I was too hot and bothered to focus on making food. I also needed a series of stiff drinks and my supply of vodka was low. There was tequila, but I tried to save that for special occasions. I was also worried that if I stayed home, I would end up inviting a trick over or breaking down and knocking on Jonathan’s door. We could see if the two of us could fit in that camper and finding out how hard we could get that place rocking.

  The sun was near setting and there were long shadows on the ground of the trees. The sky and its clouds were a rainbow of hues. I was growing used to an Arizona sunset. A rooftop patio in New York had amazing views of sunsets, but the colors were not as varied and vibrant as they were here.

  There were only a handful of cars in the parking lot. If Cody was working, there would not be much chance to avoid him.

  Someone had added money to the jukebox in the far back pool area. A pool stick leaned against the table and I suspected someone had left their game midway for a smoke or a trip to the bathroom. A family of four sat in a booth near the window. At the bar, a middle-aged woman sat two-thirds of the way down. Her hair was pulled back in a loose, blonde ponytail. She wore a shawl over her shoulders to fight off any drafts even though it was the middle of summer. The shawl looked handmade, probably crocheted by herself. She was thin and looked tired from a long day, and long life.

  I sat down in the first stool. A moment later the kitchen door opened and Cody appeared with a plastic bag of to go containers. He set them in front of the woman. She reached up and pinched Cody’s cheek.

  “You’re good to me.”

  “It’s the least I can do.”

  “Do you think you can stop by this weekend? Your dad would like to see you.”

  Cody’s smile disappeared, “Sure. I’ll try. I might need to be here.”

  “You work too hard.”

  “I take after you.”

  The woman slid out of the chair, grabbed the plastic bag, and blew Cody a kiss as she walked away. He watched her walk towards the door and then sighed as I crossed his line of sight. “Of course, you would come in tonight.”

  “Couldn’t stay away from the special.”

  “We are out. You’ll have to choose from the menu. Vodka soda?”

  I nodded. Cody may not like me, but he was good at his job and remembering what a customer wanted was always a good trait in a bartender or server.

  “Slow night.”

  Cody nodded as he finished pouring my drink. “I guess there’s a silver lining of you coming in.”

  “I could always take my order to go. I didn’t realize you did carry out service. The real question, do you deliver?”

  “Moms get special service. She works hard, and I hate thinking about her having to go home and start cooking dinner after a long day working. My dad is not exactly handy around the house when it comes to doing chores.”

  “You’re a good son.”

  Cody nodded, but seemed to be thinking about me. The weight of family problems and complicated dynamics were on his shoulders. I know how he felt. At least I had a little escape from my problems. What did Cody have? Alex was gone. His responsibilities with the restaurant were great. If things were complicated with his parents, that made things even worse.

  “Let’s do a burger, medium.”

  “Coming right up.” Cody punched the order into the POS machine. “I did have a question for you. Alex asked me to stop in at the cabin. I ran up there before work and saw a camper parked outside.”

  I had meant to get word to Alex about letting Jonathan hook up outside. I had not anticipated that Cody would stop by. “Yeah, I’m getting work done and considering hiring a handyman. I said he could park there since Alex is gone. He knows it is temporary and we will find another place once Alex is back.”

  “Oh, that makes sense.”

  “Feel free to go in whenever you need. Do you know when Alex is going to be back? While he’s gone, I may have the handyman start with repairs in there.”

  “I’ll let know. I’m sure he won’t mind. And I’m not sure why he needs anything from there while he’s away anyway.”

  I smiled to myself. Here I was having a civil conversation with Cody. Maybe there was hope that we could move past that night and coexist. Deep down, I was happy that Cody and Alex were together. If I could trade places with either one, I would. They were both sexy men and getting tangled in the sheets with either one could bring a smile to any man’s face.

  Chapter Nine

  Jonathan’s bid came in lower than I expected—even with free hookups to water and electric thrown in. I had him start right away focusing on items at Alex’s cabin and the office building with George’s residence attached. I made a spreadsheet to map out expected vacancies in other cabins to see what might be the least disruptive time to check off items. When they finalized the arrangement and shook hands, Jonathan smiled his cocky grin. “It’s not too late to add a clause about getting sweaty and dirty together.”

  “Maybe we can revisit that at a later time.”

  “You won’t be disappointed.” He winked and then dropped his sunglasses over his eyes. He left the office, but the air of sex and desire remained. I was finding myself more and more drawn to him. He might be a simple guy down on his luck, but he was a charmer that had seen glorious days.

  Since then he had been hard at work, and I had not seen much of him. Except in my fantasies. He had become the image in my mind when I crawled in bed at night. I imagined him in my room where I could have him and the rest of the world was blocked by the door.

  Our kiss would start slow and tender. His stubble scraping against my cheeks, sending shivers down my spine. He would kiss my neck, finding the s
pot along the jawline that drove me crazy.

  I imagined his nipples to be sensitive. After pushing him down on the bed, I would attack them, sucking and biting while he writhed and moaned, twisting the sheets. His cock would throb as the electric connection between the nipples and his manhood was activated.

  Slowly, I would ease his legs apart and encourage him to lift them up, tilting his ass up to receive me. I imagined his legs and ass to be muscular and firm. I frequently saw him working shirtless and envisioned tan lines created by only wearing the cargo short that were a regular uniform. While we kissed, I would enter him, his tight muscles wrapping around my cock—so tight that I would have to fight the urge to come. No doubt I would fail as the desire burst within me.

  I wanted Jonathan’s ass…bad. Until I got it, my sheets would need frequent washings after the mess I made fantasizing about him.

  Each morning, I was taking extra-long runs around the property to try to get my mind off of him. I usually cut things off at two loops around the cabins, but this week had been runs of three or four loops. I got back to the office drenched in sweat but still thinking about Jonathan. The shower got me clean, but also included a spray of cum on the tile. I was growing sore from the abuse but the routine kept repeating itself. He would just not leave my mind.