Take This Man

by Neil S. Plakcy

  “Fine,” he said, still smiling. “I haven’t been entirely honest with you either.”

  “What?” I said. I could tell by his expression that he was suddenly very excited and nervous about something.

  “I’ve planned a big surprise for you,” he said.

  “What?” I asked. I stood up and began putting the dishes in the sink and refreshing our coffee cups. I began cleaning while he sat at the table and drank his coffee.

  He laughed. “Maybe it’s better if I just show you.”

  I nearly dropped the dishes. I turned and looked at him, while he stood.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said, and he dashed up the stairs.

  I continued cleaning the kitchen as quietly as I could, listening. I heard him shuffling around upstairs. What was he doing? And what was taking him so long?

  Finally I heard him walk out of the room to the top of the stairs.

  “Close your eyes!” he shouted.

  “What? Why?” My heart beat wildly.

  “Just do it! Or I’m not coming down.”

  “Fine,” I said. I closed my eyes. What was he up to? After what I had done to him, I was both terrified and excited. He probably had something really sexy planned. But what?

  “Are your eyes closed?”

  “Yes,” I said.

  I heard him walk down the stairs. I could almost feel him staring at me, checking to make sure I wasn’t looking.

  I stood before the kitchen sink, my hands on the counter to steady myself, waiting.

  I heard him approach behind me.

  “Turn around and open your eyes,” he said.

  I obeyed and didn’t see him. Then I looked down in shock.

  Scott was on his knees. He was dressed in a tuxedo and looked more beautiful than I had ever seen him before.

  Only then did I realize he held something in his hand: a small box.

  He opened it. Inside was a bright gleaming gold band. I gasped.

  “Oh my god.”

  “I told you I had a surprise.”

  “Yes!” I screamed. “Yes!”

  He laughed. “You didn’t even let me ask!”

  “Go ahead,” I said, jumping up and down.

  Scott proceeded to give a very eloquent and traditional proposal, asking for my hand in marriage. We had talked about marrying many times, but until recently, the laws had not allowed it. I had been thinking about asking Scott, but now he’d beat me to it. And I couldn’t have been happier.

  “Yes!” I screamed again, and trembled as he put on my ring.

  I planted a huge kiss on him and apologized for crying.

  “Okay,” he said, pointing to a huge box on the table. I hadn’t even noticed it was there. “Get dressed,” he said.

  “What is that?”

  “It’s your tuxedo. We’re getting married today. All our friends and family are waiting. Your parents, mine, all our cousins, aunts, uncles…everybody.”

  I looked at him in shock.

  “Oh, and one more thing,” he said. “I’ve been honorably discharged. I finished my education, so now I’m all yours.”

  “You’re joking.”

  He shook his head and grinned wickedly at me. “I told you I would get you back.”

  I wasn’t sure whether to hit him or kiss him. So I did both. I grabbed the box. “This isn’t over,” I warned him, and I dashed upstairs to prepare for the happiest day of my life.

  LATE START

  Heidi Champa

  I gave myself a once-over in the full-length mirror and smoothed my lapels. God, I hated wearing suits. And whoever decided it was a good idea to keep wearing ties after the invention of the button needed to be shot. But they were a hazard of the job. I picked up my watch and fixed the clasp into place, glancing down at the time before I picked up my briefcase and headed for the front door. Until I was stopped dead in my tracks. By Ben.

  “What are you doing out of bed?”

  He looked at me with tired eyes. “I made you coffee.”

  “I can see that.” I could also see that he was sitting naked on the couch, pretending it was the most normal thing in the world, even though it was anything but common. When I first woke up, I tried to be quiet so as not to disturb him. Ben wasn’t much of an early riser. When I tiptoed into the bathroom to shower, he was tucked up under the covers, looking adorable. Somewhere in the time it took me to get dressed and ready to leave for my train out of town, he’d woken up. The smell of fresh-ground beans filled the room and I was torn between getting myself a cup and staring at Ben’s body a little more. He smirked as he sipped from his mug, crossing his ankles on the coffee table. The morning paper was strewn all over the place, our cat Sadie nestled in the pages of the sports section.

  “Why don’t you join me, Cam?”

  “Because I have a train to catch. You know that.”

  “Not for a little while yet. You have time for one cup, don’t you? It’s barely eight.”

  He gave a coy smile and brought his mug to his lips, staring at me until I relented.

  “Fine, I’ll have a cup. But then I really have to go.”

  “Whatever you say, Cam.”

  I looked over at him and saw that his face had fallen, his eyes focused on the mug cradled in his hands.

  “Don’t pout, baby. I’ll be back before you know it.”

  I walked to the kitchen and filled my own cup with steaming goodness and took a few steps toward the couch. Ben ran a lazy hand down his chest and I stopped in my tracks.

  “Why are you leaving so early anyway? You don’t have to be in DC until tonight.”

  “I told you, Jeffrey from the home office wants to have lunch and discuss the meeting tonight. We have to pregame, as he calls it.”

  He rolled his eyes, tapping his fingers against his white porcelain mug.

  “Oh, right. Sounds boring. That Jeffrey uses way too many sports metaphors for someone who’s never played a sport.”

  I smiled for a moment, trying not to get sidetracked by his attempts to bait me into another discussion about my job.

  “Everything I do sounds boring to you, Ben. But we all can’t be painters.”

  “You only say that because you’re terrible at art, Cam.”

  “True enough.”

  He drank the rest of his coffee and dropped the cup on the table. This time, as he slouched back, he left his legs gloriously open. He wrapped his fist around his dick and stroked slowly up and down.

  “You should stay for a little while longer at least. Spend some time with your husband. We’re still supposed to be in the honeymoon phase after all.”

  “We’ve been together too long to still be in the honeymoon phase. We did all that seven years ago.”

  He chuckled for a moment, before letting out a rattling cough, the remnants of a cold he’d been battling the week before. I was just about to ask him how he was feeling, but he didn’t give me the chance, his response dripping with sarcasm.

  “God, you’re such a romantic, Cam. I don’t know how I’m supposed to stand it.”

  “You know what I mean. It’s not my fault we couldn’t get married until a few months ago.”

  “That doesn’t mean we can’t act like newlyweds. Because, you know, sweetie, we actually are.”

  “I promise when I get back, we’ll do something.”

  “We could do something right now.”

  He looked at me expectantly and it took everything I had to get the next words out. “I’m sorry, I really have to go.”

  Ben stared at me, his hand still moving around his cock, a little moan slipping past his lips before he spoke.

  “Killjoy.”

  I sipped my coffee and glanced at my watch. I really did have to leave. Technically, I should have already been on my way to the train station. It was so typical of Ben to try and distract me on a day like today. There he sat, on our giant sofa, bathed in the morning sun, every curtain in the loft wide open. Light bounced off the whitewashed brick w
alls, making everything glow. In the middle of it all was Ben, without a care in the world, his dark brown hair a mess, the glint in his eye making me reconsider my plans. For a moment, at least. The sky was the most gorgeous blue and I could hear the noise of the city getting louder as more and more people flooded onto the streets to start their day. Just like I was supposed to be doing. I repeated my words, but I said them more for me than for him.

  “I really have to go, Ben.”

  He sighed and ran his free hand up and down his thigh.

  “So you said. Then go. Call me when you get to our nation’s capital.”

  His words were flat, but I barely heard them. Mostly because Ben was making it hard for me to focus on anything but his hard dick. I looked at my watch, but I barely even saw the numbers. I knew I should just go. Then, Ben opened his mouth again.

  “I’ll miss you, baby.”

  His voice came out a bit husky, a trick he used when he wanted to get his way. The sound of it always drove me crazy, even after all these years. Which he knew, of course. He stretched an arm up into the air, his head coming to rest against the back of the couch. While I kept watching him, I found myself setting down my briefcase and loosening the knot on my tie. Ben smiled as I toed off my shoes on my way to the couch, careful to lay my suit jacket over the back of his favorite chair. I stood right in front of him and looked down at him, his hand still moving slowly up and down his dick.

  “I thought you had to go, Cam. I mean, you have that lunch date and all.”

  I smiled at his sarcasm, but otherwise ignored it.

  “I do have to go. But, there’s something I want to do first.”

  I leaned down and gave him a kiss, his lips still tasting of the coffee he’d just finished. Ben scooted forward on the couch and grabbed me by the belt, undoing the buckle with quick hands. The wool pants slid down my legs to the floor and I felt the tickle of Ben’s fingertips sliding under the waistband of my boxers. I put my hands to his to stop him, to get my trip back on track. Someone had to be practical, after all.

  But, then I looked down into his gorgeous heavy-lidded eyes. My last bit of resolve, the last practical thought in my head disappeared.

  “What’s wrong, Cam?”

  I shook my head and ran my hand through his hair, the morning sun dancing off the strands. Damn, he was so cute.

  “Nothing.”

  As the word came out of my mouth, I undid the strap of my watch and dropped it to the table. At that moment, it really didn’t matter what time it was.

  Ben looked up at me with a smile and started lowering my boxers before I could protest again. My cock sprung free, brushing against the week’s worth of stubble covering his face. His eyes fluttered closed as his lips closed around me. In that moment, everything stopped. Everything except the exquisite sweep of his tongue along my shaft. I gave up on the rest of the buttons and yanked my dress shirt and the white tee underneath it over my head, tossing them aside. Wrinkles were suddenly the least of my worries. My fingers tightened in his hair as he took me deep and I moaned out my words.

  “Fuck, Ben. That feels so good.”

  He looked up at me and grasped the base of my dick, his tongue swirling around the head until my knees buckled. It only took a small tug at my wrist to pull me down to the couch next to him and I took Ben’s face in my hands, giving him a kiss. He eased back and slipped my glasses from my face, placing them gently on the table. Everything went hazy and fuzzy around the edges. I hated not being able see him properly, but I’d busted too many pairs over the years to keep them on when we had sex.

  Ben shoved me onto my back and nestled between my legs, my cock back in his mouth before I could say a word. The sun streaked across his back and I couldn’t resist running my hands over his soft, warm skin. When I felt his lips close around one of my balls, I cried out, the sound echoing off the walls. The sound made Sadie run under the chair, kicking up pieces of newsprint as she scampered away. From across the room, I heard my cell phone ring from the confines of my briefcase. Ben stopped and looked up at me, his hand still jerking my cock.

  “You’re not going to get that are you?”

  I grinned, thinking back to the one time I’d made that mistake, years before.

  “No, I’ve learned my lesson. Don’t worry.”

  He slithered up my body and kissed me, our tongues tangling as the electronic noise finally stopped. No doubt it was Jeffrey checking to make sure I made it onto the train, which was probably pulling out of the station without me at that very moment. But I couldn’t care.

  “I should hope so. After the Valentine’s Day debacle.”

  “God, I mess up one time. You remember everything, don’t you Ben?”

  “Yup, including how much you like this.”

  His mouth went to my neck and I felt his teeth sink into my skin, not enough to really hurt, but enough to make my back arch off the couch. Ben kissed his way down until I felt his teeth close around my nipple, a gasp coming out of my mouth before I could stop it.

  “Fuck.”

  I hissed out the word, my hands twining roughly through Ben’s hair. Guiding him back to my cock, I watched through blurry eyes as he took it back in his mouth. Even with my terrible vision, the sight of my dick disappearing down his throat made my toes curl against the couch cushion. As much as I wanted to let him go on forever teasing me, I reluctantly pulled back.

  “What’s wrong, Cam?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Then why did you stop me?”

  “I think you know why.”

  Ben smirked, giving the head of my cock a kiss before crawling over me until his knees were on either side of my chest. I looked up at him for a moment, his hand stroking his dick. I quickly pushed his hands away and took him in my mouth, our eyes locked. Grabbing his ass with both hands, I sucked him as deep as I could muster. Ben cradled my head in his hands, rocking his hips forward, trying to get me to go faster, but I kept up my slow pace. He groaned each time he pulled back, my tongue dragging along the underside of his dick, just like I knew he loved. His eyes were closed against the sun, his mouth slack and the muscles of his torso tense. God, he looked beautiful.

  “Oh god.”

  Those words usually signaled that Ben was close to coming and were my cue to stop. Taking the hint, I eased him back, his protests quickly quieted by my kisses. We stopped long enough for him to say the words I wanted to hear.

  “I want you to fuck me, Cam.”

  He leaned his forehead against mine for a moment and I caressed him everywhere I could reach. Without a word, he turned away from me, his knees digging into the sofa cushion, his ass high in the air. I spread his cheeks apart, pressing the pad of my thumb against his puckered hole. He groaned, the sound slightly muffled by the fabric of the couch. Taking my time, I ran my tongue around his asshole, again and again, until he was squirming and pushing back against me. I reached for Ben’s cock, but found his hand already there, moving at a frantic pace. He was trembling and my need for him was starting to get the better of me. I pressed the tip of my tongue hard against his center and we both let out a moan.

  “Cam…”

  I got up from the couch with the intention of heading to the bathroom when Ben stopped me.

  “Where are you going?”

  “To get what we need.”

  Ben pointed to the coffee table and smiled.

  “The lube is under the metro section.”

  He stood up and I wrapped him in my arms.

  “So, you were that confident you could get me to stay, huh Ben?”

  He swirled his hips and I could feel the hard press of his erection against my leg.

  “Yup.”

  “Cocky little bastard.”

  “I was right, wasn’t I?”

  He had me there. I kissed him and shoved him back onto the couch. Ben was back on his knees in no time, while I searched through the detritus on the table to find the lube Ben had hidden. I knelt behind him and he looked a
t me over his shoulder. Our eyes locked as I slid my lubed fingers over his hole.

  “Cam, how much longer are you going to make me wait?”

  His eyes fluttered closed as I pushed a digit inside him, a sigh the only sound he made.

  “You didn’t seem to be in such a hurry when you were trying to make me miss my train.”

  I twisted my wrist as I pulled out, making Ben moan so sweetly. When he spoke, it was barely a whisper.

  “Am I being punished, then?”

  I plunged my finger back inside him, as slowly as I could muster.

  “Does it feel like punishment?”

  He grunted, his ass coming back to meet me.

  “It feels fucking amazing.”

  I leaned down over him and whispered right into his ear.

  “Just you wait, baby.”

  I sat back and he looked at me as I lubed up my cock, his face impatient. He wasn’t the only one desperate to get started. I pressed the head against his puckered asshole and I could see the tension run through Ben’s muscles. Suddenly, he relaxed and let out a deep sigh as I eased inside him, his tightness enveloping me. The sun made his pale skin glow and as I ran my hands up his supple back, Ben rutted back against me, no longer willing to be patient.

  “Fuck me, Cam.”

  With my hands firmly on his hips, I pulled almost all the way out, enjoying the way he whimpered as I did it. Each thrust of my cock made Ben moan, his hand wrapped firmly around his dick, jerking himself as I pounded into him slow and deep. I pressed my chest against his back, letting my teeth sink into the soft flesh of his shoulder. Kissing everywhere my mouth could reach, but it just wasn’t enough.

  “I want you on your back, Ben. I want to see you.”

  We eased away from each other and I waited as Ben rolled over onto his back, his legs in the air without a word. Before I could slide my cock back into him, he pulled me close, kissing me hard. He reached between us and guided me, gasping against my lips as I entered him. There was no more teasing, no more going slow. I started fucking him with abandon, his arms tight around my back. He lifted his legs higher and wider, allowing me just a little bit deeper inside him. I cried out when he scratched down my back, his hands coming to rest on my ass. He urged me on, writhing underneath me, forcing me to go faster. I eased away from him, trying to get some composure back, but his words took it away in an instant.