“How did you…?” He stopped himself before he said something that would give the impression of being unhinged.
“You did place an advertisement on Craigslist? Wanted: One housekeeper. Gay male?”
Dane nodded.
“Light cleaning and some maintenance?”
Dane continued nodding, but he could see Ryan’s smile wavering.
“Please, come in,” he said, stepping aside.
“I haven’t caught you at a bad time, have I?” said Ryan as he entered. “You did say mid-morning and it is, in fact, mid-morning. I can come back…”
“No. No. The thing is…I can’t seem to recall giving you my address.”
Ryan uttered a nervous, uncomfortable laugh. “Well you must have because I’ve got it. How else could I have found your house?”
Dane’s hand went to his forehead. He rubbed it, although it wasn’t really aching. “Yes, I guess I must have.”
He led Ryan into the formal lounge and offered him a seat on the couch, then took the chair opposite.
“I suppose I should tell you exactly what I’m looking for. I’m after someone to keep the house clean, and I mean the windows, the curtains, the pool. Everything. And to do any little maintenance jobs that crop up.”
“Is it just you?” asked Ryan, settling into the couch.
Dane nodded. “It used to be my aunt and me, but she…” He felt the welling of tears and directed his eyes at the ceiling, blinking them back before continuing. “She passed away recently. You see, I looked after her for a good many years.” He forced a laugh. “It used to be my job to keep the place clean. I did most of the cooking, and maintenance as well. But now I’ve inherited everything, I can afford someone to take care of me.”
Ryan remained silent, his dark brown eyes full of sympathy.
“Of course, the position is live-in. You’ll have your own room. If you want it, that is. You don’t have to.”
Ryan’s handsome smile returned. “Living-in would actually suit me. I’m what’s known as ‘in-between places’ at the moment.”
A lull in the conversation caused both men to look around the room as if literally searching for something to talk about.
“How about I show you around?” suggested Dane. “Give you an idea of what you’re in for.”
Both men stood simultaneously.
“This, quite obviously, is the formal lounge.” Dane stepped past Ryan and detected the scent of pheromones. He turned, deliberately, to inhale once more, and felt a rush of blood to his groin. “Follow me,” he said, stealing a glimpse at the bulge in Ryan’s blue jeans.
“Here is the dining area,” he said, skirting the oversized dining table. “Through there is the living room.” He walked into the kitchen. “You can see the sunroom through those French doors. This”—he thrust out a hand—”is the kitchen.”
Ryan nodded and made small noises to demonstrate he was listening.
“Here,” said Dane, leading Ryan down the hallway towards the “east wing,” “we have bedroom one.” He gestured to the first door they came to. “Bedroom two.” Similarly gesturing.
They turned the corner.
“This is another bedroom, with en suite bathroom. As is this one. The main bathroom, another bedroom, and finally the laundry.”
“Gee, you weren’t kidding when you said you had a pool,” exclaimed Ryan. “That’s a big mother.”
“Yes. It’s a beauty, isn’t it?” He turned to face the pool. “Do you like to swim?”
“Love it.”
“In that case, feel free to use it any time. Just put on your swimsuit and jump in.”
Ryan laughed. “I don’t need a swimsuit.”
Dane raised his eyebrows in mock surprise, but the stirrings in his loins betrayed his real feelings. He could tell, even at that stage, it was going to be difficult to keep things professional.
“Okay,” he replied. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem. As you can see, it’s a very private area.”
“Perfect. Hey, if I get the job, which room’s mine?”
Dane patted Ryan on the shoulder, feeling the hard muscle beneath the shirt. “You’ve already got the job. If you want it. And this room”—he pointed to the bedroom next to the laundry—”will be yours. It’s also private…”
“And conveniently located next to the laundry,” Ryan managed to get out before breaking into laughter.
Dane couldn’t help chuckling, too.
Chapter 3
It was a little uncomfortable to watch someone else clean his house. At least, in the beginning. It had once been his job, a daily chore that never seemed finished. However, he couldn’t deny a certain thrill watching Ryan in action, watching Ryan’s muscles rising and falling beneath his pale skin. His own body was nothing to be ashamed of. It was athletic and toned. Not nearly as hairy as Ryan’s, but for that he was grateful. At forty, he had a body most other men his age would die for. But watching your own body in the bathroom mirror after a shower, no matter how aesthetically pleasing it was, could not compare to drinking in the chunky, muscular body of another. Especially one so blessed with firm, pronounced buttocks and an intriguing bulge at the front.
More than anything, he wanted to see Ryan naked. In quiet moments, he’d fantasize about what might happen. Ryan would take him in his thick, muscular arms. Their naked bodies would press together. Ryan’s facial hair would lightly scratch against his face as they kissed, and tickle his chest as Ryan sucked his nipples. Their cocks, erect and deep red, would rub together, each coating the other with pre-ejaculate. And then Ryan would gently lower him onto his back, spread his legs and…
It was torture to imagine what could never happen. As an employer, he knew there were laws restricting what he could and couldn’t do with an employee. Or were those laws for public businesses? Did they apply to people hired in a private capacity?
If he’d purchased a beautiful, antique vase, would he not be entitled to gaze upon it all he wanted? To drink in its beauty? To handle it? To caress it between his palms?
Late one afternoon, when the light outside had taken on a burnt orange hue, Dane suggested Ryan have a break.
“Sit with me,” he said, leading Ryan into the living room, dark and cool. They sat side by side on the couch. “You’ve been here a week and I’m keen to know how you feel?”
“About the job?”
Dane nodded.
“It’s cool,” Ryan replied with a small shrug. “If that’s what you mean. I like you, too. We get on well.”
Dane felt a burst of warmth in his chest.
“Actually,” Ryan continued, “I’ve been wondering…” He shook his head. “No, no. None of my business.”
Dane shifted position to face Ryan more fully. “No, go on. Ask me anything you want. If I don’t want to answer, I won’t.”
“It’s just, you told me you used to take care of your aunt and clean and cook. But what is it you do now? I mean, it’s none of my business, obviously, but don’t you…get bored?”
Dane laughed. “I do a bit. It never lasts long, though. At the moment, I’m enjoying doing nothing. I’ve worked every day for the past twenty years. I’ve never had a partner. Never had my own place. Never been to an all-night party.”
Ryan’s eyes widened. “Never been to an all-night party?”
Dane smiled. “Nope. Sad, isn’t it? I went from high school to university, studying hard and not getting distracted, then at twenty, I came to work for my Aunt Beatrice.” Dane couldn’t help smiling at Ryan’s expression of disbelief.
“Have you at least travelled?”
Dane laughed. “Oh, yeah, I’ve definitely travelled. Wherever Aunt Beatrice went, I tagged along.” He looked up at the cornice, thinking. “I’ve been to Europe three times. Egypt. South-east Asia. New Zealand twice. Oh, and Kenya. India. I might be forgetting one or two places, but the point is, I might not have partied much, but at least I can say I’ve travelled.”
“I’ve only b
een to Sydney and Bali.”
Dane laughed again. “Well, you beat me in the party stakes.”
As the afternoon light continued to fade, Ryan suggested they go for a swim.
“Oh, no, not me,” said Dane. “You go. I’ll watch.”
Ryan stood. “Come on. It’s no fun watching.” He reached for Dane’s hand, then pulled back, as if suddenly remembering their relationship was employer and employee, not friends. “You don’t mind if I go?” said Ryan, turning to leave.
“Why should I mind? I told you before, you can use the pool whenever you want.”
He stayed seated as Ryan walked out of the living room and through the sunroom to the pool. In full view of Dane, Ryan removed his clothing and piled it on one of the sun lounges.
Dane got up from the couch and strolled to the full-length window, mesmerised by the masculine beauty of Ryan in all his naked glory. He was certainly hairy. That much he knew already. He also knew Ryan’s body was solid muscle—thick, solid muscle. But now he could see the man’s beautiful cock. No longer would he have to imagine what created the bulge in Ryan’s jeans. He could see it quite clearly now—large and veined, with a long hood of foreskin. And the hair so plentiful over the rest of his body, grew in a dense black patch around the top of his cock.
Dane felt himself become erect.
Ryan stepped to the side of the pool, and with a wide smile and a wave to Dane, he dived in. His body carved through the water like a razor through silk. He swam underwater almost the entire length of the pool, his dark shape spearing through the cool blue like a marine mammal. Barely a metre from the opposite end, he surfaced in an explosion of water and bubbles. After wiping his eyes, he looked to see if Dane was still watching him.
He was.
For a few seconds, they stared at each other through the glass until Dane became aware of the protrusion at the front of his trousers. He glanced down and saw how noticeable it was, then moved away from the window, his heart beating fast and his mind filled with images of Ryan naked.
He stood at the kitchen counter with his back to the sunroom, and the pool beyond. He heard the occasional splash and was tempted to join Ryan, but his head was beginning to ache. Glancing in the direction of the pool, although unable to see more than a few splashes, Dane left the kitchen and walked to his bedroom.
In the sanctuary of his room, he removed his clothes and lay on the bed. He closed his eyes, not to sleep, but to play over and over again the sight of Ryan undressing, of Ryan standing naked by the pool. He smiled as he mentally explored Ryan’s thick, muscular body, stocky and hairy like a lumberjack’s or a truck driver’s. And the round orbs of his buttocks that were so pronounced they looked somewhat unnatural. And the light covering of dark hair against the twin mounds of milky white skin.
He rolled over, weaving an arm beneath his pillow and hugging it to him as he rubbed his hard cock against the firm mattress.
He imagined what it would feel like to be enwrapped in Ryan’s powerful arms, with Ryan holding him tightly against his thickly haired chest. And when they kissed, what would Ryan’s moustache and beard feel like against his clean-shaven face? And those pheromones. When he thought of the strong sexual scent Ryan gave off, the heady aroma that had Dane hard every time he caught a whiff of it, he thought he might ejaculate. Just the memory of it and its effect on him created a sense of urgency to be naked with Ryan, and to feel Ryan slide inside him, to make love to him. He ached for it. When he thought of how much he ached for it, he felt a warm explosion between his legs.
Bathed in a sea of endorphins, he rolled over, his cock still impressively rigid, though he was surprised to see no sticky mess. He inspected his belly, his cock, and his pubic bush, but detected no hint of dampness. He raised his buttocks and patted the sheet beneath, yet still found no sign he’d ejaculated.
“I forgot my towel,” said Ryan, padding down the hallway, wet and naked and holding his clothing.
Dane pulled the sheet over him, though Ryan was long gone, down the hallway to his room, in search of a towel.
* * * *
An hour later, with thoughts of Ryan’s naked body still lingering in his head, Dane suggested they go for a walk. “I can show you the neighbourhood.”
Ryan immediately agreed.
They stepped through the front gate to the footpath. The tree-lined street was quiet, and there was a line of cars parked along one side, since parking wasn’t permitted on the other side. There was a half-moon in the sky and a smattering of stars across the inky void, which seemed to melt into the shadows.
“This is nice, isn’t it?” said Dane.
Ryan nodded. “Yes.”
They strolled side by side, Dane’s right hand occasionally connecting with Ryan’s left hand, and each time, a small bolt of electricity travelled up his arm.
“You could almost imagine we were the only two people on the planet, couldn’t you?” asked Dane.
Ryan chuckled. “You say some strange things.”
Dane looked at Ryan’s grinning face and smiled. “It’s the poet in me.”
“Do you write poetry?”
Dane sighed. He didn’t mean to. It was almost an involuntary response to the thought of what might have been. “I used to. Used to write a lot. I don’t really anymore. The care of my aunt took up most my time for many years. Now I’m forty and I feel the world has passed me by.”
Ryan looked at him from the corner of his eye. “Jeez, man, forty isn’t old. You can do anything you want. Especially now.”
“What do you mean ‘especially now’?”
“You’re free. Freer than any of them.” Ryan gave a great sweep of his arm to indicate all the people who lived in the street, in the neighbourhood, in the city.
Dane made a sound of agreement.
They walked a while longer, turning into a darker side street.
“Life is strange, isn’t it?” said Dane.
“Why’s that?”
“With all my newfound freedom, I haven’t the slightest desire to do anything with it.”
“You’re too settled. You’re a cocooner.”
“A cocooner?” Dane grinned. “Is that even a word?”
Ryan laughed. “I think so. It is now, anyway.”
“What does it mean?”
“It means you’re happy in your own environment. Content to stay at home, in your cocoon. Granted, it’s a damned fine cocoon with a huge swimming pool. You know I love that pool. And I can’t say I haven’t enjoyed being in the cocoon with you, because I have.” He paused. “Maybe a little too much.”
Dane, although overjoyed to hear that Ryan liked being at home with him, was puzzled by the final comment. “Too much?” he asked, trying hard to mask his curiosity.
“Yeah. I haven’t been going out either. I can’t remember the last time I went to a club or a pub or a party.”
Dane didn’t know what to think. Was Ryan complaining? “I hope it’s not because of me.” He heard the note of defensiveness in his voice. “You’re free to go out pretty much whenever you want to.”
Then Ryan did something completely unexpected—he grabbed Dane’s hand and squeezed it. “I know, Mister Jump-to-Conclusions! I meant, there’s something about your house, about you, that makes me not want to go out.” He released Dane’s hand. “My work keeps me busy—it’s a big house—but then, I really enjoy our conversations.”
It had only been a gesture, something Ryan had done to emphasize he’d meant no ill-will, but Dane’s heart fluttered. He wanted Ryan to take hold of his hand again. More than that, he wanted Ryan to take him into his arms and kiss him beneath the shadows of the trees.
“Do you think it’s possible to find lov—” Dane stopped still. “Did you see that?”
“See what?”
“Something moved under that tree. It shimmered.” He approached the area, searching the lower branches for signs of movement.
“Probably a bat. Or an owl,” suggested Ryan.
&nb
sp; Dane shook his head and continued investigating the shadows. “They don’t shimmer.”
Ryan gave the branches a cursory look, then lost interest and started walking off. “Whatever it was, it’s not there now.”
Dane, preoccupied with what he thought he’d seen, eventually followed.
“What were we talking about?” asked Ryan.
“Cocooning,” said Dane, forcing a smile that Ryan wasn’t able to see in the shadows anyway.
“Ahhh, yes, and what a lovely cocoon it is.”
“We’re two peas in a pod.”
“Two lonely souls that found each other.”
A warm feeling washed over Dane, producing a wide grin on his face and a stirring inside his pants.
Ryan laughed. “Sorry, that made it sound like we were lovers.”
The warm feeling drained away.
“I don’t want to overstep the mark,” said Ryan. “All I meant was…”
Dane sighed. “I know what you meant.”
Chapter 4
Dane couldn’t deny it. There were moments when he was so utterly bored that he followed Ryan around as he cleaned one room then another. Occasionally he picked up a dusting rag and joined in, working side by side with Ryan. It was due to occasions such as these that the nature of their relationship blurred.
“How many times have you been in love?” asked Dane.
Without a second’s pause, Ryan replied, “Three. Not including all the times I’ve fallen in love with hotties on the street, or in a club.” He chuckled. “The first real time was when I was eighteen. It lasted only a year, but I loved him. Second time, I was twenty-one. I met a guy in a club. Was supposed to be a one-night sort of thing and ended up lasting eight years. And number three was a mechanic.” He began dusting the books in the large antique bookcase. “And you?”
“Not really ever. There was a guy who delivered our groceries I thought I was in love with. As much as I could be with someone I only saw once a week for five to ten minutes.”
Ryan didn’t respond immediately. He continued dusting the many volumes Aunt Beatrice had collected over her lifetime. “Are you in love with anyone now?” he asked.
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