The Contract

by D. C. Hall

  “So, where are we going?” Williams asked.

  “There's a little waterfall up here. I thought you might like it.” He answered. They walked a while longer before they came to the waterfall. It was only about ten feet, but Williams had never seen one in person before.

  “That is pretty.” He commented. They walked over to where the water was falling into the river and sat at the bank. Nathan leaned back with his arms propping him up while Williams sat cross legged beside him. They sat for a while just listening to the sound of the water and enjoying the breeze. Williams glanced over at Nathan before looking back at the water.

  “We've come a long way.” Williams muttered. He didn’t know why he was saying it. It was just a thought that popped out.

  “Kind of, I guess. It was an hour hike.” Nathan responded. Williams sighed. He could just leave this conversation where it was, or he could tell him what he meant. Might as well push it ahead.

  “I don’t mean the hike… I mean us.” He was hesitant in the statement. Nathan looked over at him and thought about what he was saying.

  “I guess you’re right.” He sat forward and put an arm around Williams’s shoulder. He felt him lean into the contact.

  “Why didn't you hate me? You seemed so cold at first. I thought that was going to be how the whole five years was going to be.” The words were falling out of his mouth, and he was doing nothing to stop them. He truly wanted to know.

  “I figured out you weren't a bad person. I mean, how we met was questionable, and I was angry about it. I was angry about the job Dave did on that contract too, but that's not what we’re talking about.” He pulled him a little closer to his chest. Williams always seemed to respond well to being held. Nathan tried not to think about that it was probably due to a lack of it when he was younger. “As far as the cold thing, that's an act I do. A lot of the rich people I've worked with react well to it. They don't like pleasantries.”

  “So, is this an act?” he was scared that he was getting attached to a fake version of this man. Never mind that part. He was scared that he was getting attached period. Nathan would be gone in four and a half years.

  “No, this is just me.” Nathan wasn't sure what the look in his eyes were, but it looked like relief of some kind. Williams lifted a hand to place on his cheek. His thumb brushed over Nathan's lip, before he leaned forward and kissed him.

  Nathan closed his eyes and pressed back. It was slow and soft. He tried to follow Williams’s lips as the kiss ended. Instead, he ended up with his forehead pressed against his.

  “Do we… Should we rethink what we are to each other?” Williams asked, his eyes closed tight. Nathan didn't move away like Williams thought he would.

  “It depends. What do you want us to be right now?” he wouldn't show it, but his heart was racing. He hadn't made Williams want to be in a romantic relationship, had he? This was supposed to be a causal thing. Although, he didn't know if he could call the way he was acting towards Williams casual.

  “It's just that the other day, you said you cared about me.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I didn't say it then, but I care about you too.” He stated. This was hard for him. He wasn’t even saying anything drastic. He finally opened his eyes in time to see Nathan smile. “I want to be your friend.” It took him everything he had to say. God forbid that he ever make a love confession. There was no way he'd ever get the nerve to do it.

  “Of course, we can be friends.” Nathan responded with a chuckle. His heart calmed down. There was a twinge of something else in the back of his mind that he refused to believe was disappointment. Williams let out a sigh. “I have to ask though. Is this friends with benefits or do you want to lay off the sexual stuff?” He didn't get a verbal answer. Instead, he got a hand wrapped around the collar of his shirt pulling him in. Williams met his lips with intensity. Nathan's eyes shut in response to the hand at the back of his head, carding through his hair. It sent a tingle over the back of his scalp. He pulled back only an inch before moving into kiss him again.

  Nathan pulled Williams into his lap while the shorter man pressed his tongue into his mouth. Nathan moaned, letting Williams have control of the kiss. He thought he'd have to break his rule one day and let Williams fuck him. As Williams tongue danced with his own, Nathan considered leaning back right now and letting the man have his way with him. Williams pulled away breathlessly.

  “I'm sorry.” His face was red. He hadn’t meant to attack him like that.

  “Don't apologize. Just tell me what you want me to do.” Nathan responded, his hands traveling down Williams’s sides. “Whatever you want.” Nathan said. He wouldn't explicitly say it, but that including flipping Nathan over right now. He wouldn't blame himself for the thought. Williams had earned his trust not to hurt him, and Nathan was very aroused right now.

  “I want you to fuck me against that wall.” Williams stated, pointing towards the rock wall next to the water fall.

  “Yes, sir.” Nathan said. He pulled them both to their feet before bringing Williams close. Nathan kissed his neck and pushed his hands down to hook into the man's shorts. Williams leaned into the affection while helping Nathan push the cloth away. The shorts fell, and he stepped out of them, leaving him with nothing but his shoes and a t shirt. Nathan grabbed Williams’s ass with one hand while the other stroked him.

  Williams moaned and bit his lower lip. He leaned heavily on the other man. Nathan could feel himself getting hard.

  “I don’t have lube.” Nathan said. It probably would have been a good idea to mention it earlier.

  “I don’t care.” Williams reached down and unzipped Nathan’s pants, getting an involuntary jerk from him. He unbuttoned them before unzipping his boxers. It didn’t take much to feel how hard Nathan was already. He stopped stroking him to put his arms around Williams. The shorter man wrapped his arms around Nathan’s neck and pulled him back into a deep kiss.

  Nathan lifted him and felt his legs around his waist. It was only a few steps before Williams’s back was firmly pressed against the wall. He sucked at Nathan’s neck while the accountant was lining up to push into him. Nathan bit his lower lip and groaned both at being inside Williams and at the feeling on his throat. He was sure he’d have a hickey there tomorrow. Williams had moaned and tightly gripped the other man’s shirt.

  Nathan moved slow since they didn’t have lube. Williams was aware of the rocks scratching his back, but he didn’t care at the moment. The only thing Nathan could do right now was keep moving. Williams shifted his hips in rhythm and kept kissing Nathan's neck.

  Nathan shuddered when he felt Williams lick his throat. He gripped the man's hips before moving faster. Williams moaned as his hips jerked, and he leaned his head back.

  “God, Nathan.” He groaned. Nathan pressed into him more firmly pulling out another moan.

  “You’re so good.” Nathan said. He loved how Williams felt in his arms. “You're gorgeous.” He added, losing his breath. Williams bit his lip and closed his eyes tight. All he needed was Nathan’s voice and the rhythmic thrusting. It didn't matter if he didn't believe the praise that Nathan was saying. His body felt like it was floating. He didn't think he would make it much longer.

  “I-I think I'm close.” Williams said. He was so hard, and he could feel himself dripping precum. Nathan kept his pace.

  “I’ll get you there, baby.” Nathan responded. Williams felt like he had a fire lit in his chest. He couldn’t remember the last time someone had called him a pet name, especially during sex. It wasn’t even a minute later that he orgasmed. It felt like a wave of calmness fell over him. He tried to not go slack in Nathan’s arms.

  Nathan was almost there himself. He almost sounded strangled when Williams tightened around him. It sent him over the edge, and Williams felt him release inside of him. Nathan pulled out of him before getting them to the ground softly.

  ***

  They were back at the cabin and getting ready to go to bed. Williams was a
ware of two things. His head was still buzzing over Nathan calling him baby. He knew it was just because what they had been doing, but it made him feel good. The other thing was the stinging on his back. He had known that the rocks were scratching him, but he didn’t think it should be enough to cause this much discomfort.

  He was already in his pajamas while Nathan was brushing his teeth. The stinging just felt like it was getting worse as time went on. Finally, he went to the bathroom door.

  “When you get done, will you look at my back for me?” he asked. He heard Nathan spit.

  “Yeah, I’ll be out in a minute.” He answered. Williams went back to the bedroom and sat down to wait. Nathan wasn’t long behind him. He sat behind Williams.

  “I think I scratched it up earlier.” He said as the other man lifted the back of his shirt.

  “Jesus. Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Is it bad?” He asked. He sucked in a breath and arched his back when Nathan touched one of the cuts.

  “It’s not good. I’ll go get some alcohol.” He said and was back in a moment. “Go ahead and lay down.” After pulling the shirt off, he did as he was told and laid on his stomach. Nathan sat back down with the alcohol bottle and cotton swaps. “This is probably going to hurt.”

  He dabbed at the cuts on Williams’s back getting a pained grunt from him. Nathan grimaced. He didn’t want to cause him pain, but it needed to be disinfected. He stopped when Williams let out a loud swear.

  “I’m sorry.” Nathan muttered.

  “It’s okay. It just stings. Is it done?”

  “Almost. There’s one more.” Nathan said. He took the swab and wiped it over the worst cut. Williams groaned but relaxed after Nathan finished. “You might actually have a scar from that one.”

  “That’s great. How’d you get that scar? Oh, I was getting fucked by my accountant in the middle of the forest.” He laid his face down into the mattress.

  “At least you’ll have a memory to go with it.” Nathan laid down next to him. They stayed silent for a while. Nathan sighed before nudging the other man. “Look at the scar I have.” He said, drawing Williams’s attention. He looked over and saw a faint line down Nathan’s arm. “You want to know how I got this?”

  “Sure.”

  “You’re not allowed to tell anyone.” Nathan stated, suddenly very serious.

  “O-okay.”

  “I mean it.”

  “I won’t. I promise.”

  “That includes Brad and the rest of my family. If any of them find out, we will have another fist fight. Am I understood?” Nathan said firmly. Williams gave him a weird look.

  “I get it. I won’t tell anyone. Now, what the fuck happened, Nathan?”

  “I jumped out of a second story window.” From the look he got, Nathan could tell he had just cause more questions than he had answered. “It was a bad date night.”

  “So, you jumped out the window?”

  “I forgot we weren’t on the first floor. I needed to get away. I was on a date with this guy named Antoine, and we went back to his place.” Nathan suddenly looked uncomfortable. He laid his arms over his chest while he looked for the right words. “He, um. He had my wrists tied to the head board, and we started kissing. I told him I didn't feel comfortable and wanted to stop. He said it was too late to change my mind.”

  “Nathan.” Williams said softly with concern on his face. He placed a hand on his arm. Nathan took his hand in his and held it.

  “I freaked out and kicked him away from me. So, I broke the head board and this wrist.” He motioned to the one on the hand that Williams was holding. “Then, I jumped out of the window because it was the closest way out. The glass cut my arm up.”

  “That’s why you asked if I would stop.”

  “Yeah. He's the reason I don't bottom anymore. I tried with my last boyfriend, but I had a panic attack.”

  “I’m sorry that happened.” Nathan just shrugged.

  “Just promise if any of my family mention him in front of you, that you won't mention what happened. They don't know. I told them that I found out that I was his side hoe. They think I hurt myself by punching out his window.”

  “Why didn’t you tell them?”

  “Brad would have killed him. I don’t need my brother going to prison.” Nathan turned on his side towards the other man. “You’re the only one that knows. Just promise you won’t tell anyone.”

  “I promise.” He responded before kissing his forehead. Nathan shifted closer, and Williams wrapped his arms around him. The tension in Nathan seemed to melt, and Williams silently told himself that he wouldn’t let anyone hurt Nathan as long as he was around.

  ***

  They slept late the next day. Nathan woke to the sound of his phone ringing. He leaned up from his spot where he’d had his head on Williams’s chest and rubbed his eye with the heel of his palm. Grabbing the phone, he laid back down to his original spot.

  “Hello?” he said, voice raspy.

  “You okay, man?” Brad asked from the other end.

  “You woke me up?” he slurred back. Williams shifted a little.

  “What?” The Williams asked.

  “On the phone.” Nathan responded and felt Williams settle back down.

  “Mom, said you were going to call me and cuss me out yesterday. What happened?” Brad said. Sure, he hadn’t wanted to be cussed out by his brother, but it still worried him when he never called.

  “Oh yeah. I forgot about that. Why’d you tell her about me and Williams?”

  “I didn’t mean to. It just kind of slipped. I really am sorry, dude. Was she mad?” Brad asked. Nathan let his eyes shut for a second. It was so warm and comfortable. The fall and rise of Williams’s chest was soothing. If he wasn’t careful, he’d fall asleep again.

  “No, you know mom. She’s supportive to a fault. She even invited him to Thanksgiving.”

  “Oooh, he should come. Sam would have a hay day getting to do someone else’s nails.” Nathan chuckled.

  “And what’s your reason for him to come?” He asked. He knew his brother wanted more than just to see someone have their nails done.

  “Because, I get to tease you about it.”

  “You’re a horrible brother.”

  “Yeah, yeah. You’re reception sucks, by the way. Where are you?”

  “We came out to the cabin for the meteor shower.” Nathan answered.

  “WHAT?” Brad yelled, making Nathan jump. “You went to the cabin without me? And then you say I’m the horrible brother?”

  “You don’t care anything about meteors.”

  “No, but I like fishing. I could have done that while you two did… Whatever you two are doing out there.” Nathan rolled his eyes. They closed again when he felt fingers brushing through his hair gently. Williams wasn’t fully awake yet, but he was getting there. “Besides, the cabin is like a honeymoon place. You two need a chaperone.”

  “What exactly do you think is going to happen?”

  “I think you’re going to do all this romantic stuff like watching the stars, sitting by the fire, and all that good stuff. Then, you’re gonna fuck around and fall in love with this guy. I mean he seems like a good guy, but I don’t think that’s what you’re trying to do.”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Whatever you say.”

  “I’ll talk to you later, Brad.”

  “You can’t run from the truth, Nathan.”

  “Bye, Brad.”

  “Alright, I’ll talk to you when you get back.” The call ended and Nathan put the phone back on the nightstand.

  “What’s the plan for today?” Williams asked, voice groggy. Nathan cuddled back up to his side and felt his arms wrap around him.

  “I thought we’d lay here a little longer. Then, we can go get stuff for tonight.”

  “What do we need?”

  “Mostly things to make smore’s. We need wood, lighter fluid, stuff like that.”

  “I don�
�t think I’ve ever had a smore’s. I’ve had stuff flavored like them.”

  “You hurt me, sometimes. You know that?”

  “What did I do?” Williams asked looking down at the other man.

  “Never had a smore’s?”

  “I told you, I’ve never been camping.”

  “Still. Just pop one in the microwave or something.” Nathan said. Williams rolled his eyes before shutting them again. “How’s your back feeling?”

  “It feels a lot better. It should be fine in a few days.”

  “Good.” Nathan settled again before shutting his eyes. They’d be up late. A nap wouldn’t hurt.

  ***

  Several hours later, the sun had gone done. The two sat in the chairs next to the bonfire with skewers for the marshmallows. Nathan had shown the other man how it was supposed to be done. Williams was putting his last smore together while Nathan was chewing the sugary treat. He licked his lower lip where some of the melted chocolate was.

  “It shouldn’t be too much longer.” Nathan said before shoving the rest in his mouth.

  “You’re going to choke, if you aren’t careful.” Williams warned. Nathan gave a muffled response. He chewed before swallowing it down. Williams took a bite of his own. He was a bit more reserved than Nathan was. The accountant pulled another marshmallow out of the bag and put it on his skewer.

  “I don’t choke, thank you very much.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Williams said with a smirk. He received a smack to the shoulder from Nathan who was blushing.

  “Shut up.” He put his marshmallow over the fire.

  “You said it, not me.” He finished his snack and sat back in his seat.

  “It doesn’t mean you have to be dirty about it.” He pulled the skewer back and blew on the marshmallow. Once, it was cooled off enough, he stuck it in his mouth. A bit of it slipped out of the corner of his mouth.

  “You’re making it too easy for me.” He said. Nathan made a disgruntled noise and wiped his mouth. He swallowed before reaching for the bag again.