A Valentine's Quest (The Valentine's Trilogy)

by Sam E. Kraemer

  "Five-thirty? I'll be here with bells on. Thanks, mate," he offered as he held out his hand. I shook it, and he was off like a shot. I went back to my research for the essay question in my American History class and made notes. From what I'd read on-line, the professor graded heavy on the mid-term, and I didn't want to jeopardize my GPA by doing for shit on the test.

  My phone vibrated on the table a few hours later, and I picked it up to see a text from Derek.

  BB – I'll be late. Craig's having a crisis (of stupidity, I’m sure) and we're gonna grab a beer after shift. That'll give you more time to study. I'll try to be home by eight. It depends on how much drama Her Majesty is bringing to the table. ILY, Big Daddy

  I laughed and heard the admonishing, "SHHH!" from someone nearby. I didn't give a shit. The man was sweet, sexy, and funny, and I was glad he was mine.

  I responded, "OK. ILY2" and went back to the books. I was engrossed in subject matter relating to the class when there was a knock on the table, scaring the shit out of me…figuratively.

  I looked up to see Ethan Glass standing there with a grin. "You were in deep," he stated with a chuckle.

  I laughed as I stood and began to organize my stuff to pack up. "I'm not happy with the last few quizzes in my history class, so I want to do well on the mid-term. I'm trying to qualify for a grant next year to help with expenses. I want to go into social work, and I'm planning to apply for the Quigley Grant for Social Betterment. It's one of the privately endowed grants, and it's not easy to get, but I think I might have a shot," I told him, not sure why I was being so open with a virtual stranger.

  I shoved all my stuff into my messenger bag and bundled up in my heavy coat and the scarf Derek bought me for Christmas. We went light on gifts, saving our money for when I had spring break. He wanted to go somewhere warm, and I was all for it, so he bought me a really nice scarf and leather gloves, and I bought him a new calf-skin wallet because his old one was shot to hell. He'd had it since high school, for God's sake. He seemed to like my gift, and I got fucked wonderfully that night.

  "Ah. You sound like my friend, Griggs. He's studying criminal justice because he wants to be a cop. Myself, I'm looking to get rich, not make the world a better place. I'll likely represent drug cartels and Mafioso's, I’d expect," Ethan stated.

  I looked at him to see the sly smirk. "Gotcha!"

  We both laughed as we left the library, hurrying to the bus stop to catch the number three to the apartment I shared with Derek. On the ride, we got to know each other a little better, and I found him quite entertaining. I didn't have any friends at school since Beth had moved to L.A., and I liked the idea of having someone on campus with whom I could hang out or study. I had the guys at the deli as friends, but everyone could use more friends, right?

  "Ah, this is us," I told him as we came to the stop on my block. We got off the bus and headed toward my building, taking on the head wind. It was fucking cold, especially for Houston in February, so we sort of huddled together because the wind was cutting through us like knives.

  "God, I hate this kind of weather. Someday, I’m going to live a place where it never gets below fifty and never above eighty," Ethan complained as we finally made it up the front steps and into the foyer.

  We both hissed as the warmth in the lobby prickled our frozen cheeks. "I need to get the mail," I told him as I walked over to our mailbox and pulled out a stack of what appeared to be a lot of junk.

  Ethan looked around the foyer and grinned. "This is actually a nice building. I live on campus…in The Towers. I hate my goddamn roommate, the fucking homophobe," Ethan complained.

  That answered one question I had, leading me to believe he was probably one of the tribe. He'd sort of given off the vibe as he talked about his sweater, though I could have definitely misread it, but in the end, it worked out well. I felt better about our potential friendship, not that I would ever rule out straight guys as friends. It was just that not many of them expressed interest in being friends with me.

  "I shared an apartment with a friend and showed proof of residence so I didn't have to live in a dorm when I first came here. She moved to L.A. over Christmas," I explained to him.

  We took the elevator to my floor, and I opened our front door, flipping on the hall light. The curtains must have been closed in the living room because it was really dark in the house, but then I remembered I'd closed them the day before while I was studying because there was a glare on my computer screen. "It's not designer or anything, but its home. Come on in," I invited.

  I dropped my bag by the bench and took off my sneakers, putting them in the tray next to Derek's running shoes. ‘Damn, my man has big feet…and a big cock,’ I thought, though I wasn’t willing to share that information with a stranger.

  I hung up my coat and turned to take Ethan's. He had his coat halfway off when he spotted the shoes. He glanced up at me, only to look back down at the shoes. "Fuck, you have a boyfriend, don't you?"

  I hung up his coat, grabbing his backpack and my messenger bag to make my way into the living room. When I turned on the light, I spotted a pair of Derek's briefs, undershirt, and a pair of socks on the floor by the couch. I remembered why and grinned, not feeling guilty at all.

  "Hey, I made dinner," Derek stated as he walked into the living room with a tray. There were two grill cheese sandwiches and two cups of tomato soup. I was busy reviewing dummy financial statements, and until the smell hit my nose, I didn’t realize I was starving. It was incredibly sweet of Derek, who wasn’t a cook, to fix me something to eat.

  "Thank you, Big Daddy," I teased. It had become a new thing since Christmas, me teasing him with a ‘daddy’ comment, and it made him grin and offer me a cocky wink.

  "Yeah, yeah. Eat and get back to the books, young man. I expect an 'A' you know," he stated with a kiss to my forehead.

  "Why don't you get comfortable?" I glanced up to see he was still in his jeans and dress shirt from work. His sports coat was draped over the back of the recliner, and his gun was secured in the closet safe. I'd basically missed hearing him when he came in because I was busy doing a fucking balance sheet for a make-believe business I'd been running since the beginning of the semester. The assignment was to prepare income taxes for the company, and I was struggling a little because I was feeling burned out. I knew the remedy…Detective Derek Valentine.

  After we finished eating, I finished undressing him, pulling off his briefs to reveal that gorgeous piece of man-meat and those beautiful balls I worshiped. I sucked that man until he lost control, and after he recovered, he led me back to the bed and fucked me gently…lovingly…for a very nice, long time.

  That morning after I was ready for class, I picked up Derek's clothes, putting his jeans in the hamper and packing up his shirts for the dry cleaner, but obviously, I’d forgotten about the underclothes.

  "Sorry 'bout that. We're not the neatest guys when we're busy, and to answer you, yes, I have a boyfriend. He's hanging out with a friend tonight so I can study. Something to drink?" I asked as I gathered Derek's clothes and walked toward the kitchen.

  "Whatever you're having is fine," Ethan answered. He didn't seem too pissed I had a boyfriend, and I was glad because while he was handsome and charming, I was pretty sure he was a bottom just like me, and I already had the man of my dreams in my bed every night, fucking me to heaven.

  After depositing the clothes in the laundry room hamper, I washed my hands and grabbed two beers and a bag of pretzels. I walked into the living room and handed Ethan a beer, placing the pretzels on the glass coffee table.

  "Shit, you have beer? You got a fake ID? I wanna get one, but I can't find the hook-up. Emily's so damn squeaky clean, she'd never consider getting one," he complained as he took a swig of his Shiner Bock.

  I opened mine and took a gulp. "Not a fake ID. An older boyfriend who enjoys a beer now and again. I'll go look for my notes, so make yourself at home. Here's the remote if you wanna watch something," I told him, handing hi
m the universal remote we had for the television, cable box, DVD player, and stereo that rested on the entertainment center we'd bought, on sale, after Christmas. It was a bitch to put together, but it was pretty nice and it was the first piece of furniture we’d bought as a couple. I was very proud of it.

  I went back to the spare room/office and dug through the small file cabinet I'd rescued from the curb one afternoon in January. Someone was moving out, and they'd put it out with a 'free' sign on it. It was in rough shape, but Derek helped me clean it up, sanding and repainting it, so I could have a place to keep my school documents. He recommended I hold onto things because 'you never know when you can revamp an old essay and use it for another class. I did it a time or two, and it helped a lot.' I took his word for it, and as I dug for the notebook from my Psyche 101 class, I could see the value in his words.

  I found the blue spiral and glanced through it to make certain there was nothing embarrassing inside. Once I was sure it was the one I wanted, I walked down the hallway to the living room where Ethan sat watching 'Pardon the Interruption'. They were discussing the top seeds for the upcoming NCAA Men's Basketball tournament, about which I knew nothing.

  I tossed the notebook on the table in front of Ethan, seeing him jump. "Basketball lover?" I teased with a laugh.

  He smiled, turning a little red. "I keep up in case I meet a cute, butch guy. I mean, I like the sport and all, and a lot of the players are hot, but I'm not really an enthusiast. To be honest, I'd rather watch 'The Voice' than the Sweet Sixteen, but that won't get me laid or a hot boyfriend," he admitted with a cute grin and pink cheeks.

  I laughed. "I'm right there with you. Derek just rolls his eyes at me, but he gets into the singing show. I watch ‘DWTS’ on demand because it’s on the same night, but I prefer 'The Voice'. I like the fact they don't see the singers before they pick them for their teams. They're judged only on the way they sing, and it seems fairer to me."

  That discussion set off a two-hour, three beer, 'getting-to-know-you' conversation regarding movies, music, and fashion designers, wherein I learned Ethan and I had a lot in common, but we had some distinct differences.

  He told me his parents didn't know he was gay, and he wasn't anxious to tell them. His sister knew and was still a huge supporter of his, and he was grateful, but he had the same fears any other gay boy had…not being accepted by his family and the people he’d come to love over the years. Unfortunately, when I related my story, it didn't give him a lot of hope for his own coming out.

  We ordered a pizza and turned on 'The Cooking Channel' to watch Deb Mazar and her husband on their cooking show. To me, she looked like a 1950's-era Barbie doll, which I loved, and the husband was hot as fuck, which didn't hurt either.

  "So, what do you like to do outside of school?" I asked Ethan. We'd both had a few beers, and I guess we were a little looser than we'd been previously.

  He giggled. "Well, Ellen, I like cooking, long walks on the beach, and candlelit dinners," he gushed. We both cracked up.

  "I love the woman. She's right up there with Cher, Madonna, and Gaga, though in a different way, I guess," I joked as we continued laughing. I was having a great time with him, and I hoped we could hang out more in the future.

  I heard a key in the lock and chatter outside the door. "Whoops! That’s my mister," I explained, anxious to introduce my new friend to Derek.

  "You're a stupid fuck, Craig. The guy was, say it with me, using you. Quit taking his calls," Derek complained as they came in through the front door.

  I heard shoes being shed and coats hung. "What? I should change my number? He's in rehab, Derek. It seems cold to turn my back on him," Craig responded.

  They walked into the living room and both came to an abrupt halt when they saw Ethan and me sitting on the couch with several empty beer bottles and half a pizza in front of us. "Hey, Craig. Hi, baby," I greeted, happy to see my man was home.

  "Gray, good to see you," Craig responded with a curious smirk.

  "Who's your friend?" Derek asked with a look on his face which didn't spell 'H-A-P-P-Y'.

  "Derek Valentine, this is my new friend, Ethan Glass. You remember Emily from last semester? You met her at Wayne's a few times when we were working on our project, well, this is her twin brother. He's just started at UH, and he's borrowing my psychology notes from last semester. We started talking and got hungry. Pizza? I can heat it up," I offered, knowing I was probably in hot water because Derek did not look thrilled with me.

  "Ah, yes, I remember Emily. Ethan, nice to meet you, man," my tall, handsome man greeted as he looked around the living room, seeming to take in every inch of it. For what? I wasn’t sure.

  Craig, however, walked into the living room and took a seat in the recliner. "So, Ethan, what's your major?" he asked with a sly smile. I could see Craig Baxter was interested in my young friend, and as I thought about it, I decided they might be a good match.

  Ethan was a great guy, as I'd begun to learn, and he was very easy on the eyes. He didn't seem to be the wild sort, much like me, and I was pretty sure Craig was looking to settle down like Derek. In my mind, it was a match made in heaven.

  "Excuse me, guys. I need to talk to Derek," I offered as I grabbed the empty bottles and went to the kitchen to find Derek standing at the counter waiting for me, looking none too pleased as he leaned against the sink with his muscular arms crossed over his broad chest. He took my breath away just a little.

  "Who's that? What's a strange guy doing here, in our home? Did I walk in on something?" He was quite agitated, I could tell, but there was truly no need for it.

  I placed the bottles in the recycle and opened his arms before I wrapped mine around his neck and pulled him down to me. "Detective Valentine, you know better than that shit," I whispered before I kissed his inviting lips. They were soft, thanks to the cherry chap-stick he used all the time, but feeling them against mine was all I wanted in life.

  He broke the kiss and offered a sheepish smile. "So, you're not leaving me for him?"

  I giggled…likely because of the beer. I wasn't a drinker by any stretch, but it tasted pretty good that night. "Get your sister out of your head, please. Just so you know, he's a bottom like me. I don't see the two of us having a lot of fun together. Besides, I think Craig's interested in him, and I have my hands full with you," I whispered as I moved my hands from around his neck to the front of his jeans, stroking his large cock through the fabric and feeling it harden even more.

  Finally, Derek smiled. "Oh, really? That guy might just be perfect for Craig. How old is he?"

  I returned my hands up to Derek's very muscular chest, grazing his nipples with my fingers as I looked into his lovely brown eyes. "He’s likely my age. Is Craig afraid of a younger guy, Daddy?" I teased, picking up the little game we’d started playing which Derek loved, and being the Derek-addict I was…I loved what he loved.

  My handsome detective laughed and pulled me closer, rubbing his hard cock against my stomach through our clothes. "I don't know, but if he's smart he'll enjoy the hell out of it. One more beer for you and then we're going to bed. You studied today, correct?" he asked, to which I nodded.

  Derek picked me up and dropped my ass on the counter, moving between my legs. "I love you so fuckin’ much, and I'm extremely happy when I come home and find you here waiting for me. I'm glad you met a friend, and if you like him, then I'm sure I'll like him," he stated before he kissed me. ‘God, I love his kisses!’

  We pulled apart and my man lifted me down from the counter, grinning at me. He opened the fridge and handed me a beer, pulling out three others. "Did you guys go out for beers? Is Craig going to be able to drive? I'll put Ethan in a cab because he lives in a dorm on campus," I explained as I opened my beer.

  "We just went for coffee before we came here. We got sucked into a case with Josh because when David got his transfer, Josh lost his work partner as well as his boyfriend. Was that pizza good? I've never used that place before," Derek inquired, glancin
g at the box, hungrily.

  My mind was stuck on what he’d said. David hadn’t actually told me where he’d ended up working, just saying downtown, which didn’t really tell me anything. Apparently, he hadn’t contacted Derek as I’d suggested, so I didn’t say anything. If I ended up having another encounter with David O’Shane, I’d bring it up and alert Derek, but I didn’t want to sound like a wingnut, so I let it go.

  I took two beers and walked into the living room, seeing Craig and Ethan had, indeed, hit it off from what I could tell. "I'm heating up the pizza for you guys, Craig. Do you want a salad, maybe?"

  Craig looked up and smiled as Derek offered him a beer of his own. "It's fine. It’ll be a good appetizer. I'll get something else to eat later if I’m still hungry," he responded as he gave Ethan a sexy smirk.

  I offered Ethan a beer, which he declined. "Thanks, but I want to remember this one,” he told me with a wink. I wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but I had a pretty good idea, and I didn’t really want to dwell on it. Craig’s conquests were Craig’s business, and Ethan wasn’t my responsibility, but I still felt a sense of protection. The timer went off on the oven for the pizza, and we all continued to get to know Ethan while Craig and Derek ate.

  As it turned out, Ethan’s parents owned a beach house on Martha's Vineyard not far from Craig's parents' beach house. They discussed the merits of The Vineyard versus Cape Cod or Nantucket for thirty minutes as Craig ate and Ethan nursed a bottle of water. Ethan told us his family was originally from New Hampshire, but his parents had relocated to Lubbock, Texas when he and his sister were in junior high, and he was still trying to adjust to being in the South, with which Craig agreed vehemently. Myself, I found the whole thing quite surprising and laughable, having grown up in Texas.

  When they both finished their drinks, Ethan excused himself to use the bathroom. I, then, turned to Craig and pointed an authoritative finger at him. "DO NOT…use him and toss him…do not fuck and duck on the guy, Craig. He's a friend of mine, so don't do what you usually do with guys you meet. If he's agreeable, then have fun, but don't make promises to him you won't keep.