Take This Man

by Neil S. Plakcy

  Bryant turned to her. “But Jeri, the idea was to be able to bill for my time. I don’t get why he’s so angry.”

  Jeri put her hand to her forehead. “You’re not the first person to get promoted out from under him. It’ll be fine, I promise.”

  Just then, Llewellyn opened his door and stuck his head out. “You.” He pointed his stubby finger at Bryant. “Don’t you ever bill anything for any of my clients.” One more nasty glare, and he slammed his door shut again.

  Jeri chewed a fingernail. “Oh dear.”

  Bryant burned. Bastard. Now what the hell do I do? He pushed his chair back and stood. “I’ll see you later, Jeri. I need to clear my head.” He walked down the hallway toward the firm’s HR office. First job out of college. Shitty pay, I’m bored to tears, and now the boss makes it impossible for me to do my job. Fuck him, and fuck this place.

  He reached the door. Tracy looked up from her desk and smiled brightly. “Hi, Bryant. Congratulations on your promotion. You really deserve it.”

  Bryant stood in the doorway leaning against the frame, still on fire from the boss’s tirade. “Llewellyn doesn’t think so. In fact, he’s decided in rather a spectacular fashion to not allow me to bill for any work I do for his clients.”

  Tracy’s face fell. “What?”

  Bryant’s blood boiled. “Yup, that’s what he said as he pointed his finger at me and yelled.”

  “Shit.”

  Bryant stood up straight. “I really appreciate you going to bat for me, but I can’t stay in this kind of environment. I told myself I’d never work for someone who screamed at me. He’s crossed the line, and so I’m putting in my notice.”

  “Bryant, please don’t do that.”

  He crossed his arms. “Two weeks from today will be my last day.”

  “Is there nothing I can say to change your mind?”

  “No.”

  Tracy nodded. “I understand. I’m so sorry.”

  “Me, too.”

  ***

  Bryant got off the bus and walked the block to his apartment. Still angry, he fumbled with the key to the outer door and dropped it on the ground. Fuck.

  “Hey handsome, what’s new?”

  Bryant snapped his head up. Alan walked toward him with a smile and a bouquet of bright yellow daffodils. Bryant’s shoulders dropped and some of the weight he carried slid away. “I’m so glad to see you.” He set his backpack onto the sidewalk, and wrapped his arms around Alan’s torso.

  “Hey, baby, what’s wrong?”

  Bryant nuzzled his face against the fabric of Alan’s dark-blue sweater. He inhaled the scent of ground coffee beans, and squeezed him tighter. “I got my promotion.”

  “Hey, that’s great. Let’s go celebrate.”

  “I quit my job.”

  Alan pushed him back far enough to look into his eyes. “What?”

  Bryant sighed. “The boss went berserk when he found out. I guess they didn’t consult with him before making the decision. He basically cut me off at the knees and made the promotion worthless. What use is a document clerk that can’t bill for his time?”

  Alan shook his head. “Fucking lawyers. I’d never work for a law firm.”

  “He thought yelling at me was a good idea.”

  Alan pulled him back against his chest. “Well, it is definitely their loss. You don’t want to work in a place like that. I still want to take you to dinner.”

  Bryant rested his head against Alan’s chin. “What am I going to do? I just got a notice that rent is going up a hundred and eighty a month. I couldn’t afford that before I quit.”

  Alan kissed the top of his head. “Let’s take this inside. You can put your stuff away and we can talk about it.”

  Bryant reluctantly pulled away and retrieved his key from the ground.

  “Mmm, I love it when you bend over.”

  In spite of his worry and stress, he laughed, putting his hands on his knees in mid bend to steady himself. Turning to Alan, he grinned. “You always know the right thing to say.”

  He unlocked the lobby door and checked his mailbox. Alan took his hand and squeezed it. Bryant glanced at him and smiled as they walked down the creaking hallway. Bryant looked at the faded paint on the wall as he inhaled the musty scent of the carpet. Maybe it’s not a bad thing to find another place. This building hasn’t improved with the new owners.

  They reached his apartment, and Bryant unlocked the door. Alan held it open for him, and they went inside. He dropped his backpack onto the table and sat down on the futon couch against the wall.

  Alan pulled a chair from the dining room table and placed it opposite him. “This isn’t the end of the world. In fact, it’s a fortuitous change of events.”

  Bryant’s shoulders tightened as his brow furrowed. “What do you mean? I might have to move back in with my grandparents in Spokane. If I leave Seattle, I likely won’t be able to come back.”

  Alan’s eyes widened. “That can’t happen.”

  Alan’s words took a moment to register through Bryant’s haze of worry. He raised an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”

  “Because I love you.”

  Bryant’s mouth dropped open. “What?”

  Alan smiled. “I love you, and I want us to be together. So here’s my proposition. Move in with me. My apartment has two bedrooms. You can put your stuff in one of them, and we can have hot monkey sex in the other as often as we want.”

  Speechless, Bryant put his hand to his forehead.

  Alan leaned forward in his chair toward the shocked young man. “We can do two months before you need to worry about helping financially. That’ll give you plenty of time to get a new job. You’re smart and resourceful, so I’ve no doubt you’ll land something quickly. My sister moved out three weeks ago, so there’s plenty of room.”

  Bryant’s face flushed with warmth. Alan wanted him. Truly wanted him. He thought about their friendship, and how much he enjoyed their time together. He knew he loved Alan, no question in his mind.

  “Are you sure? I’m starting over from nothing here.”

  “No you’re not. You have a college degree, work experience and all the sex you could possibly want. You only need a good man to come home to every night. That’s what I’m missing, too. We already spend a lot of time together. Let’s make it official.”

  Bryant fought down tears as he pushed forward off the futon and kneeling on the floor wrapped his arms around Alan still seated in the chair. “Thank you.”

  Alan kissed him hard and gently bit his earlobe. “How about we pull out the futon and consummate the deal?”

  A shiver of lust traveled down Bryant’s spine. “Yes,” he hissed as his lover nibbled at his neck.

  Alan pulled away and they stood. He cupped Bryant’s face in his hand, sparkling green eyes dancing with desire. “I can’t wait to sleep with you wrapped around me every night.”

  A tear slid down Bryant’s cheek. “I love you.”

  Alan’s smile lit up the room. He wiped away the tear with his thumb and pulled Bryant into another embrace, squeezing him tight. “I love you, too.”

  2013

  Bryant took off his suit jacket and hung it on a hanger in the expansive closet of the hotel room. The ring on his finger glittered in the light, and he stopped to admire it. Ten diamonds inset into a gold band.

  Alan strode out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. “Hey there, what are you thinking about?”

  Bryant raised his eyes, savoring the view of the man he’d stayed head over heels in love with for all these years, and grinned. “Just thinking how full of shit you were.”

  Alan raised his eyebrow. “Oh?”

  Bryant chuckled. “Yeah. When you told me that taking me home was on your way. What a lie! The U is a mile and a half in the opposite direction.”

  Alan took the towel from his hips and ran it over his salt-and-pepper hair. “Well, I didn’t want you to have to wait for that bus. Besides, it was on the way home once we g
ot to the restaurant.”

  “You were so sweet. I was such an innocent young thing back then.”

  His naked lover dropped the towel to the floor and snorted as he sat on the bed. “Well, that didn’t last long. I can’t believe your roommate didn’t catch us even once that first year.”

  “He was busy banging a girl from his art history class. I’m glad he moved out spring quarter to pledge a frat, though he was nice to look at when he came back from the showers.” Bryant took off his black bow tie and unbuttoned his tux shirt. Desire flooded him as he stared at his lover’s lean body. His cock pushed against the fabric of his slacks.

  Alan watched him take off his shirt. “Geez, how is it possible you’re just as beautiful now as you were twenty years ago?”

  Bryant turned away from him, warmth spreading across his face. Alan still knew all the right things to say. He opened the clasp on his slacks and bent over, pushing them and his underwear down.

  “Damn, honey, just like when you dropped your keys the day I asked you to move in.”

  He tried to stifle his laugh. “I wasn’t dropping my drawers then.”

  “Your ass still looked fine framed in your work slacks. I hope you’re coming to bed with me soon.” Alan gasped as Bryant turned to face him. “You’re hard as a rock.”

  Bryant smiled, love and lust coursing through his body, battling for dominance. “You’ve always done this to me, but tonight I’m extra hard for you.” He raked his gaze over Alan’s stretched-out form. Age had started to show: a few more lines on his face and graying chest hair. After all, he was fifteen years older. Even younger men didn’t turn him on like Alan did. His solid muscular legs sent Bryant’s heart racing at each glance, still strong though they’d stopped dancing years before.

  Bryant joined his lover on the bed, putting his head on Alan’s chest. Black and white hair tickled his face and he smiled as he brushed it away from his nose. “I’ve been waiting all day for this.”

  Alan’s fingers traced their way up Bryant’s back. “Me, too. The party was great, but this is the best part.”

  Bryant basked in the warmth and the light thumping in Alan’s chest. “I love listening to your heartbeat.” He lifted his head and pressed his lips into Alan’s neck, nipping and licking his way over his chin. He climbed on top of his lover and kissed him deeply. Alan’s hands traveled up Bryant’s stomach and ribs, leaving goose bumps in their wake as he wrapped his arms around his shivering younger lover’s torso and pulled him into an embrace as their tongues dueled. Every point of contact with Alan exploded in a shower of sparks just under the surface of Bryant’s skin.

  Alan rolled them over and maneuvered a pillow under Bryant’s head. He kissed his way down his chest and stomach, sending jolts of lustful heat into Bryant. When he reached Bryant’s cock, he pressed his lips around the base and on the inside of his thigh, bringing his tongue over his balls. He pulled the hardness away from Bryant’s body and looked into his eyes. “I love you.”

  Bryant threw his head back into the pillow as a loud groan escaped his lips. He clutched the sheets as Alan sucked his cock to the root. His fingers grasped the sheets and he writhed as his senses overloaded in pleasure. The pressure increased, and Bryant’s hips pumped into Alan’s mouth. Tingling started in his balls, causing him to moan even louder.

  Alan backed off panting. “I love how you taste, baby.”

  Gasping for breath, Bryant pulled Alan up to kiss him again. Alan pressed his cock against Bryant’s rock-hard shaft and ground his hips. Bryant met his lover’s thrusts as his fingers clawed at Alan’s back, nearing his release. “Oh, babe, I’m gonna shoot.”

  Alan pushed off of him and flopped onto his back. “There’s only one place I want that load right now, and it’s not across my stomach.” He spread his legs and pulled his knees up to his chest.

  Bryant’s desire for the man he loved burned white hot. He jumped between Alan’s legs and darted his tongue into Alan’s exposed hole.

  “Oh yeah, that’s hot.” Alan hooked his arms under his knees. “Fuck, eat me out. Get me ready for that thick monster.”

  Digging deeper, Bryant rimmed his lover into a moaning and whimpering mass of man. He slid his body up and pushed his shoulders against the back of Alan’s knees. Alan’s hands went to Bryant’s ass and clamped on, pulling him closer.

  “Are you ready for me?”

  Alan positioned him so that Bryant’s cock lined up for entry. “Take me.”

  “Want some lube?”

  Alan shook his head. “Put some spit on it and ease it in.”

  Bryant covered his head and shaft in saliva, then pushed into his lover. “Oh, baby, you feel so good.”

  Alan winced. “Let me get used to you, and then pound the hell out of me.”

  Bryant slid farther in as Alan relaxed and paused when he was buried to the hilt. They stayed like that for a few moments, Bryant’s dick pulsing from the warmth and tightness around it. Alan squeezed and pushed his ass against Bryant’s cock. “I’m ready. Make love to me the way you know I like.”

  “Your wish is my command.” He backed out a little bit, then rammed home. He pounded his moaning lover deep into the soft mattress, kissing him as he fucked him hard. Lustful fire burned bright inside of Bryant. In the twenty years that he’d known and loved Alan, he had never experienced this level of desire. They were joined in so many ways now, but he yearned to fill him with his seed and make their joining that day complete.

  Alan groaned out his desire, pitch increasing with each of Bryant’s thrusts. “Yeah, baby, yeah. Take me. Love me. I’m yours.”

  His speed increasing, Bryant angled his cock to provide Alan the most pleasure. Alan moaned and gasped with each thrust. He dug his toes into the sheets and plowed deep.

  “Oh fuck, I’m gonna shoot.” Alan’s back arched, his muscular legs pushing down hard onto Bryant’s shoulders. His load blasted against his chest and hit Bryant’s chin.

  Bryant wiped it off with his arm and kept up his rhythm. The squeezing from Alan’s orgasm pulled him over the edge. “Yeah, I’m there, too. Ready to fill you.” His eyes rolled before he closed his lids and screamed out his release.

  Alan’s lips found his, and their lips pressed together as Bryant shook. The aftermath of his explosion and the intense emotions flooding through him drained his energy. Alan pulled him to his chest as Bryant’s cock slid out of him. He pressed his heaving body against his lover.

  Bryant’s breathing returned to normal after a few minutes. He ran his hand over Alan’s chest. “You’re a mess.”

  “Are you complaining?”

  Bryant smiled. “Not in the slightest.” He moved to Alan’s side. “I love you, Alan Hansen.”

  Alan wrapped his arm around Bryant’s torso. “I love you, too. Marrying you was the best move I’ve ever made.”

  “Nah.” Bryant snuggled into his side. “Dropping your drawers when I opened the door and then taking me home was by far your best move.”

  WEDDING DAY JITTERS

  Rob Rosen

  I woke up in a cold sweat, eyes stinging, head pounding. “I think I’m dying,” I lamented, wiping the torrent off my forehead and groaning as I did so.

  John, my partner, snorted. “No, Peter; just getting married. Now go back to sleep.”

  “But it’s already light outside.”

  The snort was repeated. “That’s the moon, dearest.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah, oh.” He rolled toward me and took my hand in his before replacing the snort with a heavy sigh. “Why so nervous, anyway? Everything’s been taken care of.”

  A list began rolling in my head before spewing forth from between my parched lips. “What if it rains? What if no one shows? What if everyone shows? Did I put the stamps on all the invitations or did I miss some? Did I pay the caterer, the minister, the rental hall, the florist? Does my tux fit? Do I look fat in it?”

  He squeezed my hand. “Please stop, Peter. Now I’m nervous.”
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  “See.”

  He huffed while I puffed, both of us staring up at the ceiling, my heart beating out a mad samba in my chest. “So much for sleeping.” He looked over my shoulder at the alarm clock on the nightstand. “Only eight more hours to go.”

  The pit in my stomach ripened into an overgrown melon. “Plus six minutes.” I gulped. “Make that five.” The gulp repeated. “And counting.”

  He slapped the bed and then quickly sprung up. “Okay, enough of this. Put your shorts on; we’re going for a jog.”

  I stared at him incredulously. “At this hour?”

  He tilted his head my way. “Any better ideas? Besides, it always relaxes you.”

  “So does a Xanax, a margarita and a Golden Girls marathon. Not necessarily in the order.” I reconsidered. “Okay, exactly in that order.”

  He tossed me my shorts. “No Xanax, the bars are all closed, nothing on TV worth watching. Or, in two more hours, we can either watch Sunday morning prayer services, Sesame Street, or perhaps expand our cable service. Take your pick.”

  I grabbed for the shorts and lumbered out of bed, grumbling all the while. “Really, no Xanax?”

  He shrugged. “Gave the last one to your mom.”

  I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Now you know where I get my neuroses from.”

  “Trust me,” he retorted, “I know. And I’m marrying you just the same.”

  I spanked his ass and ran around him before scooting out the bedroom door. “Sucker,” I yelled over my shoulder. He was already galloping behind me as I reached the front door, where I quickly slipped on my sneakers. I raced outside, a warm summer breeze washing over my exposed chest and bare knees. John was jogging next to me a moment later as we made our way up the driveway and into the night—well, nightish, soon to be morningesque.

  “Funny,” he said as we rounded the corner, a dog barking at us from behind a fence.

  “What, that we’re out jogging or that in just under eight hours we’ll be getting married?” My gulp watered the melon in my gut, a veritable orchard sprouting in its place.