“Even a week is an eternity, so I hope we can get together again before then. But where and how?”
“Eric and I are sharing a bedroom in my uncle’s house off campus, so maybe we can meet there sometime when Eric and Uncle Roger aren’t around. We wouldn’t have to use Eric’s and my bed – there are other rooms, and even a basement kinda like this.”
“You’re on – just give me as much notice as you can. I’ll be thinking of you every time I jack off till then.”
“Well, just don’t jack off too much – I want you to save some for me. Now about that lunch…”
CHAPTER 26
Bobby Rushton had recently fallen into a funk – professionally speaking. His seemingly innate optimism carried him through most any difficulty, but he was starting to despair of finding satisfactory employment.
He had bowed out of his father’s business in early December when his dad hired Grant to take over the business end of the operation. The idea was for Bobby to bring in some outside income to the household, now that his dad’s recovery made it less necessary for him to continue working there.
But after a string of unappealing short-term assignments from the temp agency he was working for, Bobby found himself floundering. He had a degree from Browland in his back pocket, but it wasn’t proving to be worth much in the current stagnant job market. All he had found to do since graduating just over six months ago was the bank internship in Nashville, helping out in his dad’s business after his heart attack, and now the temp agency work. He found it increasingly gnawing at his self-esteem that he couldn’t do better, but he kept it to himself, not wanting to burden his family – especially Grant – with his angst.
But in the middle of January, an opportunity came up that looked promising. Bobby was assigned by the temp agency to a position as an administrative assistant to the owner of a computer equipment sales business. The owner, Nick Perry, was a man a few years older than himself – about Grant’s age, he thought – and they hit it off from day one. Within only a few days Bobby was feeling useful again, especially when Nick would praise him for bringing much-needed organization to what had been a rather sloppily run business.
Nick took Bobby under his wing, seeking his advice on ways to streamline the operation, and sitting down with him often to talk over ideas. He would invite him to lunch frequently and always pick up the tab. Within a week he was also often inviting him to have a drink after work. Wanting to be with his family and Grant after work, Bobby at first resisted, but Nick was persistent, and Bobby finally relented one Friday afternoon.
At first Grant was very supportive of this new opportunity for his lover, but his enthusiasm steadily waned as he saw what was happening and grew suspicious of Nick’s behavior and motives.
Bobby came home at 7 that Friday night full of excitement – and a few drinks. The rest of the family had eaten dinner without him, and Barbara had kept a plate of food warm for him. As Bobby ate it, he talked non-stop about his day.
“Nick is eating up my ideas about how to improve the company’s day-to-day operations as fast as I can come up with them. You have no idea how good this is making me feel – for the first time I feel like my college education is paying off. In fact, Nick wants me to go to Chicago with him to a trade convention next weekend, and he’ll pay for everything, of course.”
This really raised red flags in Grant’s mind, but he didn’t say anything negative, not wanting to throw a wet blanket on his boyfriend’s enthusiasm. But the look in his eyes told Bobby that he was uneasy with the plans he was making.
“Oh, I know, Grant. We’re not used to being apart, and I’ll miss you like crazy, but this might be a big steppingstone for me professionally, so I hope you’ll be supportive. Besides, I’ve never been to Chicago and I’d love to experience it.”
Grant swallowed his misgivings, not wanting to be seen as jealous of Bobby’s opportunity, but he vowed to do a little digging on his own in the coming week. The name Nick Perry had resonated with Grant, and he had an inkling that it was from his days at UK in Lexington. He couldn’t quite recall why the name sounded familiar, but he decided to follow up with one of his former fraternity brothers to see what he remembered.
Bobby was beyond excited as he packed a bag and took it to work with him the following Friday. He and Nick were flying up to Chicago that morning for the three-day event, planning to return late on Sunday afternoon. He hugged Grant on his way out the door.
“Don’t worry about me, honey. I’ll be fine.”
Grant plastered on his best fake smile and kissed his lover good-bye. He hadn’t yet heard anything back from his inquiry, but his unease at this new “business” relationship of Bobby’s had hardly dissipated.
Nick had not pressed Bobby for much personal information about himself, but he assumed Bobby to be single – and likely gay. Few straight men were as “pretty” as Bobby was, he observed – from years of paying close attention to such things.
Nick took care of the checkin at the Palmer House after they arrived in Chicago that afternoon. Bobby had been soaking up the sights, the sounds, and even the smells of the largest city he’d ever seen. So far, he was loving the experience.
“Come on, Bobby, let’s go up. Our room is on the 7th floor.”
Bobby hadn’t even considered the possibility that he wouldn’t have his own room, but he chalked it up to the fact that cash flow in the business was a little tight. He decided that Grant didn’t need to have this information, but he grew extremely uneasy when he saw that the room contained only one king-size bed.
Bobby practically worshiped Nick and didn’t want to reveal his discomfort with the accommodation arrangements. Besides, he found Nick to be an attractive man and wouldn’t mind seeing what he might be able to see of him. He was sure that it would go no farther than that – he certainly wouldn’t be putting the moves on Nick, and he hoped that Nick wouldn’t put any on him.
The pair attended a reception and dinner that evening in the hotel, which included a hosted bar beforehand. The free flow of booze and the excellent dinner that followed had put Bobby into a very mellow mood as he and Nick made their way back to their room.
“I don’t know about you, Bobby, but I’m going to grab a shower before we hit the sack,” Nick said as they got out of their business clothes. He kept his back to Bobby as he stripped off his last remaining garment, and Bobby took the opportunity to sneak a peek before Nick walked naked into the bathroom. Bobby was alarmed that seeing his boss in the nude was making him feel things he hadn’t felt in a while for someone other than Grant, so he decided to take the opportunity to make a quick call to his lover while Nick was in the shower.
Bobby enthusiastically told Grant about his day, while Grant listened without much comment. Suddenly, he heard another voice on the line besides Bobby’s.
“The shower’s all yours, Bobby,” Nick said as he poked his head around the corner. “I’m just going to brush my teeth.”
“Who was that, sweetheart?” Grant inquired.
Not wanting to lie, Bobby was left with no alternative than to reveal the truth. Nick was at one of the sinks with the water running and couldn’t hear anything.
“Oh, that was Nick. He’s just letting me know I can have the bathroom now.”
“What?? You’re sharing a room with him? You never told me that.”
“I didn’t know it myself until I got here. But there’s no need to get alarmed about it, honey. I love you, you know, and nothing’s going to happen. You can be assured of that.”
Grant was fuming inside at this unexpected development, but he felt he had no choice but to trust that Bobby would do the right thing if Nick made a move on him.
“I trust you completely, Bobby – you know that. But you have to realize that Nick has put you in an awkward situation. I don’t think that was very professional of him. Please tell me you’ll watch out for yourself.”
“I will – don’t worry. But I have to cut this off for now. I�
��ll call you tomorrow. Good night, sweetie. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Bobby. Talk to you tomorrow,” Grant said, knowing he would probably not get much sleep that night.
Bobby had a hard time not looking when Nick had finished in the bathroom and came back into the bedroom stark naked. This was his boss after all, and it seemed strange.
“Don’t you want to take a shower, too, Bobby?”
“Yeah, I guess I should,” Bobby said, getting up off the bed.
“By the way, I hope you don’t mind my bare-ass nudity. I can’t sleep with anything on, so I always go to bed this way. Feel free to do the same, if you like.”
Bobby liked to sleep naked, too, but he didn’t think it would be wise to do that around Nick, especially when they were going to occupy the same bed. Rather than have a discussion about it, Bobby chose to just smile and not comment. He had slipped a pair of jeans on after getting out of his business gear. He now lowered them, but – feeling Nick’s eyes on him – he chose to keep his underwear on until he was safely behind the door of the bathroom. He stepped into the shower and tried to relax and not think about his boss’ nakedness.
Emerging from the shower, Bobby had to go out into the open to get to the double sinks. He kept his towel on while he brushed his teeth. He was hoping that Nick was already asleep, but there was no such luck. He was sitting up in bed watching TV. At least he was covered up. When it was time for Bobby to remove his towel, he decided to first go grab some clean underwear and put it on just around the corner from Nick’s sight.
“Don’t be so modest, Bobby,” he heard Nick say, with a forced laugh. “We’ve all got the same equipment, and you’ve seen mine now. We’re going to be here for two nights, so we’d better get used to seeing each other in the altogether. Why don’t you lose those briefs?”
“I sleep better with something on, Nick,” Bobby lied nervously. At this point Sunday suddenly seemed like an eternity away. He crawled into his side of the wide bed and kept as far to his edge as possible. Nick, however, was rather close to the middle. Nick turned the TV and lamp off but kept on chatting away about the day, the business, or whatever was on his mind. Bobby was tired and just wanted to go to sleep.
“Bet you could use a backrub before you go to sleep, Bobby,” Nick said, reaching over and grasping his young employee’s shoulder firmly. Bobby turned to stone.
“That’s all right, Nick. I’m really tired and all I need is some sleep.”
“Well, maybe tomorrow night then,” Nick said, with evident disappointment in his voice. “Good night, Bobby.”
“Night, Nick.”
The sleep that Bobby craved was elusive. All night long he kept one eye open to check on Nick’s whereabouts in the bed, but his boss remained in his original spot. Bobby had never picked up on Nick’s sexual interest in him before, but he had to admit to himself now that it was all but certain that Nick was attracted to him. He had successfully tried so far to keep his personal life to himself, but he now felt that maybe it was time to come out to Nick and tell him about Grant. He just wasn’t sure how forthcoming to be about that, but he wanted to do whatever it took to keep Nick at bay, despite being aware of how good looking he was.
Bobby woke up before the alarm went off. Nick was still asleep, but he was no longer completely covered. He lay sleeping on his back, with his prominent cock fully on display and mostly hard. Bobby had to pee really badly, so he got up quietly. When he was finished in the bathroom, he was still half hard. Nick was now awake and had turned on the bed lamp and stared openly at Bobby’s condition.
“Morning, kid. How did you sleep?” Nick said, scratching his heavy balls. The sight made Bobby even harder, which his boss noted with considerable interest as Bobby started looking for some clean clothes to put on. Business casual was the order of the day, Nick had said.
“Fine, Nick, and you?”
“Well, I tossed and turned for a while, but I guess I slept okay. There’s no hurry about getting dressed. Don’t you want to shave first? I do.”
Bobby returned to one of the basins, still wearing his briefs, and started shaving. He saw with some alarm in the mirror that Nick was now up and approaching the other sink, still in his birthday suit and still mostly hard. Once again, he tried not to stare.
“Sorry about the wood, man, but I see you have it, too – just covered up. Let me take a leak and maybe it’ll go down.”
Nick peed with the door wide open and then came to the sink to wash his hands and shave. Talking to Bobby the whole time, Nick took care of all his morning preparations as nude as the day he was born, expecting Bobby to participate in the conversation. Between Nick’s image in the mirror and the reality of his body only inches away, Bobby was having an increasingly difficult time staying calm with the awkward situation.
As Bobby was contemplating how this was going to play out over the weekend, Grant received a return call on Saturday from his old fraternity brother. And what he heard confirmed his worst fears.
“Grant?” the familiar voice said.
“Barney? Is that you?”
“You recognized my voice after all these years? Awesome.”
“You and your voice were always one of a kind.”
“Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner but the wife and I were on a little ski trip in Colorado. How the heck are you?”
“Making do, buddy. Are you still crunching numbers up there in Indianapolis?”
“Still at it. What about you?”
“Pretty much the same. I’m heading up an office operation for an electrical contractor here in Evansville – sort of my father-in-law actually. I’m in a relationship with his middle son, and…well, it’s a long story. Were you able to dig up anything on Nick Perry?”
“Yeah, Grant. I’m surprised you don’t remember more about him. He was the biggest asshole in the UK fraternity system when we were there. His house pulled his pin and kicked him out after he was caught embezzling some of their funds. After that he lived off campus but had a reputation for bullying whoever he wanted into keeping him in drugs and rent money. He’d pick on rich naïve underclassmen and make them feel like he was their buddy – or his lover in some cases – and he’d chew ’em up and spit ’em out when he got what he wanted. How come you’re asking about him? That was years ago.”
“The reason I’m asking about him is that he’s now holed up in the Palmer House in Chicago with my partner, Bobby, who started working for him recently. They’re supposed to be at a trade show up there till tomorrow afternoon, and I’m worried sick about it. Bobby’s too trusting of people and he practically fawns over Nick since he’s the first employer who’s made him feel like he has a brain in his head. Bobby’s eating up the attention, but I smelled a rat and left a phone message for you a few days ago.”
“Oh, Grant, buddy, you smelled right. A bigger rat than Nick Perry I never knew. I just hope he’s changed his ways.”
“Me too, Barney. Me too. Listen, I appreciate the information, but I think I’d better call Bobby now and talk him into coming home. Let me know if you’re ever down this way. It’d be great to see you again and meet your wife.”
“My door’s always open to you, too, Grant, if you’re ever in Indy. I’d like to meet your Bobby. Take care.”
“Bye, Barney.”
Grant felt like throwing up. His instincts, sadly, had proven accurate – Bobby’s ass was in jeopardy. He immediately pushed the speed dial button for his young lover and waited impatiently for him to answer. No luck – he had to leave a message.
“Bobby, call me ASAP! Nick Perry is a first-class skunk, and you have to get yourself home. Tell me where I can pick you up, and I’ll be there as fast as I can. I was talking to an old frat brother of mine just now, and he told me some real horror stories of what Nick was like at UK. He’s out to take advantage of you, and I hope and pray it’s not too late. Don’t waste a minute – call me!”
While Grant stewed for hours and left several more
impatient messages for Bobby, his lover was spending the day with the one person Grant was most wary of. He took him to the trade show, where they spent all morning and most of the afternoon attending presentations and schmoozing with various suppliers that Nick was trying to get obscenely low prices from. Bobby just stood back and watched Nick perform his magic, making promises that Bobby doubted he could or would keep.
Toward 4 p.m., things were winding down, and Nick took Bobby and some of the suppliers out for a drink. It wasn’t long before Bobby was losing respect for his new employer and seeing the slicker – some would even say slimier – side of him. One by one the suppliers begged off and by 6 p.m. Bobby was alone with the weasel. He hadn’t even thought to check his cell phone for messages, since he hadn’t heard his phone ring all day, but he finally did when Nick went to take a piss.
He was surprised to find his phone turned off but then remembered that he’d turned it off during one of the presentations this morning so it wouldn’t embarrass him if anyone called. He saw with some trepidation that he had four messages from Grant and started listening to them. He turned ashen as he listened to what Grant had found out about his employer but had to cut his listening short when he saw that Nick was returning to the table.
He put his best face on but was sweating in his pits as Nick sat down beside him and started in again on his bullshit. After another half hour, Nick threw some money on the table and announced that it was time for some food. He was almost too drunk to walk a straight line and knew it, so he suggested they get something from room service and call it a night.
Not the confrontational type at all, especially with his employers, Bobby struggled to find a workable way out of the situation he was in. He was also extremely disheartened at the fact that his storybook job was apparently going to go down the tubes, just when he had been feeling so good about it.
Someone to Bank on Page 25