by Pepper North
“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about, Tony. If you were my Little boy, I’d spank your bottom for not telling me that you weren’t feeling well,” Rob said shaking his head. “Eat your sandwich. I’ll fix you another if you’re still hungry.”
Tony took a big bite and chewed. Now that he’d had something to eat, he could look around at Rob’s home. What was that over there in the corner? It looked like an oversized highchair, Tony thought. Aloud he said, “If you’re going to feed me, you’ll have to deduct food from my paycheck. I don’t want to mooch off you.”
“No, I’m not going to deduct food from your pay. You’ve already helped me complete over a day’s work in half the time. I think I can throw in food if you’re going to work so hard,” Rob said. He held up his hand when Tony looked like he was going to argue. “Just say, ‘thank you’.”
Tony met his eyes, “Thank you, Rob. I promise to always work hard for you.”
“That’s a deal. You work hard. I’ll take care of you,” Rob said without thinking about how that sounded. As soon as it was out of his mouth, he froze looking at Tony to see his reaction. But Tony was looking around at the kitchen as he relaxed and ate the last of his sandwich slowly as if savoring it. Rob cut his sandwich in two and put half on Tony’s plate. “Eat! You’re a big boy. You must have been running on empty,” he said before taking a bite of his half.
Tony just nodded his head “yes” as he picked up the half sandwich and ate it as well. He set the last bite down on his plate. “I’m stuffed. Thank you. My stomach doesn’t know what hit it. It feels like Thanksgiving and Christmas all in one. I better get back to work,” Tony said as he stood up. He carried his plate over to the sink and rinsed it off before turning to walk to the door downstairs.
Rob listened to him clomp downstairs and smiled. “It feels good to take care of someone who needs me again,” he said to the empty room.
Chapter 4
The two men worked until seven o’clock until the last car had been picked up by its grateful owner and a new batch had been dropped off for tomorrow. Customers were very pleased that their cars had been fixed early. He started to close the garage doors when a red convertible pulled up, the driver honking the horn.
Zora Nixon opened her door, sliding her long, shapely legs out of the car before standing up. She paused for effect so that Rob could admire her skin-tight mini dress. “Hi, Rob! Do you have time to look at my baby? She’s making a funny noise.” Zora blinded him with her overly white smile.
“Sorry, Zora. You’ll have to bring it back later in the week,” Rob said flatly. Zora came to his garage at least once a week with some made-up ailment for her convertible. Zora had decided that Rob was her next conquest, and she couldn’t figure out why he was resisting her charms.
Zora slinked over to him and tried to put her arms around his neck. “Come on, Rob. You have to check me out.” Zora didn’t even pay attention to Rob’s efforts to step away from her.
“The dealership is really the best place to take your car. The convertible is still under warranty, and they’ll know if there have been any recalls for your car. Try there first and see if they can fix it. If not, call for an appointment, and I’ll take a look,” Rob said coldly.
“Hey, boss. Anything else for me to do tonight?” Tony walked out of the garage bay. He had stripped off the top of his coveralls allowing them to hang loosely low on his hips. He wore an old thin tee underneath that was plastered to his body with sweat.
Rob tried not to stare at the young man’s toned body. The tee shirt revealed rows of muscles in his chest and abdomen. Rob’s view was blocked as Zora turned to immediately saunter toward Tony.
“What do we have here? I didn’t think the view could get any better around here,” she said, turning to wink at Rob. “Now, it’s just man hunk times two.” She smiled widely at Tony and ran her hand down his chest to stop suggestively at his drooping waistband.
Tony immediately stepped back. “I’ll just wait inside, boss,” he said throwing a concerned look at Rob. He didn’t want to piss off his boss the first day he was employed by flirting with his boss’ girl.
Rob nodded. “Good idea, Tony. I’ll be there soon.”
Finally, Rob extricated himself from Zora’s attention, and he walked back into the garage, lowering the last bay door to seal himself in away from the world. He stopped and picked up a screwdriver. Tony cleared his voice from his position sitting on the bottom step up to Rob’s home. He’d put his arms back into his coveralls and snapped up the fasteners to his throat. Rob put his hand on Tony’s shoulder and said, “Well, that’s always a bad way to end our day.”
“I wasn’t flirting with her boss. I had just gotten hot, and I thought everyone was gone,” Tony said quickly.
“Zora is a menace. I can’t get her to go away. Now that she’s gotten a look at you,” Rob said as he pulled Tony to his feet with a hand up, “she’s going to be here every day.” He shook his head. “Come on. Let’s go get some dinner.” Rob led the way up the stairs. “Let me show you where you can sleep.” He led the way down the hallway and opened a door into a room, unlike anything that Tony had ever seen.
It was pale blue with wispy white clouds encircling the room. There was a crib on the side of the room that was larger than the average baby’s crib. There was a large table with a padded top and items sealed in plastic bags for protection underneath. Everywhere Tony looked, it was cheerful and welcoming but obviously designed for a child.
“Hey, I don’t want to take your kid’s room. I can sleep on the floor in the family room,” Tony blurted out.
“My Little boy grew up and moved away a long time ago. I just haven’t gotten around to taking down his room. I’ll get these railings off, and you’ll have a twin-sized bed to sleep on tonight. That’s not too roomy but will be better than the ground. Go grab your bags and bring them in.” Rob started unscrewing the railings that encircled the bed. “Why don’t you go take a shower while I finish this? Join me in the kitchen with any clothes that need to be washed. No offense, Tony, but that coverall stinks now. We’ll get it ready for you to wear tomorrow.” Rob smiled up at him. “There are towels under the bathroom sink. Help yourself to soap and shampoo. Don’t rush. I have hot water.”
Rob chuckled as Tony’s eyes widened in delight and he immediately dived into his duffle. He started making a pile of dirty clothes, carefully smelling all his clothes as he pulled them out. He chose a pair of shorts and a tee shirt before rushing down the hall to the restroom. Rob heard the toilet flush and the water come on immediately. He heard the shower curtain whisk open and shut before a low groan sounded through the bathroom door. Someone’s enjoying their hot shower. I bet my water bill is going to double. In just a few minutes, Rob had the crib railings off. He looked sadly at the twin bed. It seemed so forlorn without the white railings. Rob leaned the railings against the back of the closet behind a few clothes still hanging at one end.
Rob started to pick up the clothes Tony had put in the dirty pile before deciding to pick up all his clothes. He had a feeling it had been a long time since Tony’s clothes had made it into a washing machine. Everything could use a good cleaning. He carried them down the hall and pitched them into the machine before stripping off his coverall and tee shirt to throw in as well. Rob pulled off his work boots and threw his socks in for good measure.
Stopping to throw a pan of lasagna in the oven, Rob walked down the hallway in his tight boxer briefs toward his room. When the bathroom door opened and Tony walked out with a towel wrapped low on his hips, Rob’s penis immediately began to rise at the sight of the handsome man still dotted with drops of water. Rob immediately moved a shielding hand over his crotch to cover the bulge. Tony didn’t see him immediately as he dried his hair with another towel.
When he looked up to see Rob almost fully undressed, Tony’s eyes widened. He’d tried not to look at Rob too much. He knew that Rob was very muscular due to his physical job. However, the sight of his new boss dressed only
in skin-tight underwear made him stop and stare. Tony slowly assessed Rob’s body with a long, hard look starting at his bare feet and progressing past muscled legs, well-defined abdominals, wide chest, and shoulders to his face. He caught a look of heat for a split second before Rob lowered his eyes.
“I’ve got your clothes in the washer. I just took them all. Throw your coveralls and anything else in the washer. It’s through the door off the kitchen. I’ll just take a shower quickly now. I hope you can eat again. I put a pan of lasagna in the oven,” Rob said as he passed Tony in the hallway headed to the bathroom. He took a deep breath as he passed to savor Tony’s natural scent. Damn, Rob thought to himself. He felt Tony turn and stare at him as he walked down the hall and into the bathroom.
Chapter 5
Leaning against the closed door, Rob looked around the room noticing all the signs of Tony’s presence. Rob rubbed a hard hand down the front of his boxers, groaning as he pictured Tony dressed only in a towel. Rob turned the water on quickly to mask the sound of his groan as he quickly pushed his briefs down to his ankles and wrapped his hand around his penis. Repeatedly pulling his hand up the length of his penis, Rob drove himself to a furiously fast orgasm into a wet towel on the counter that smelled faintly of Tony. He freed his feet of his boxers and stepped shakily into the shower and quickly washed the day’s grime off his body. Rob walked through the connecting door to his master bedroom and dressed in a loose pair of shorts and a tee shirt decorated with the name of the local football team. Picking up his boxers and towels, Rob returned to the kitchen to find Tony waiting for him dressed very similarly.
In the rush to get the washer started and dinner finished and served, the two men talked sporadically to each other to complete their tasks. When they were finally seated and looking at each other across the table, Rob smiled to watch Tony start to turn red. Tony pointed at the large chair in the corner. “Rob, if I can ask, what’s that for?”
“That was my Little boy’s high chair,” Rob answered simply.
“Isn’t it awfully big for a small child?” Tony asked, looking at him with concern.
“Tony, I was going to tell you after dinner so you’d at least have another meal inside you before you went to lock yourself in your room. I am also gay. I have an extra kink. I enjoy living my life in an age play relationship. Do you know what age play is?” Rob asked, trying to read Tony’s expressive face. When Tony shook his head “no,” Rob explained. “Age play is a lifestyle where a couple chooses to enjoy their lives together as a child and a parent. No, I can see your eyes starting to get angry. Age play doesn’t involve children. That’s abhorrent. Both people in the relationship are adults. One takes the Mommy or in my case, Daddy, part of the relationship and the other desires having his ‘parent’ make decisions and care for him or her as a young child or baby. My last relationship lasted four years. I thought we’d be together always, but he fell in love with a beautiful twenty-three-year-old woman and now is married, living the traditional dream with twin baby girls. For Brandon, our time together was a fantasy. For me, it’s my reality. This is how I’m wired. I must be in total control of my partner.”
He put down his fork and said calmly, “Tony, I’ll understand if you want to leave. It’s a lot to have happen in one day. Find a job. Have a successful day working together. Finally, get something to eat and a roof over your head. Then, find out that your old boss has a strange lifestyle.” Rob shook his head. “I really enjoyed working with you, today. Tony, I can promise you that I won’t ever force my attentions on you. I’m not that kind of guy. You’re a very attractive young man. There’s a lot out there in the world for you.”
Rob watched in surprise as Tony picked up his fork and took a big bite. “I’m not going anywhere. You haven’t scared me off yet. I also enjoyed working with you today. I learned a lot, and I’m looking forward to each day I have the opportunity to work with you.” Tony paused and looked at Rob. “You’re a very handsome man. I don’t know if there’s any chance of us getting together, but I’m not leaving until you’re sick of me.” Tony offered Rob a piece of warm bread. “Eat. I hate to eat alone.”
Helping himself to a piece of bread, Rob smiled at the younger man. “Me, too.”
They looked at each other for a long pause, and then Tony asked, “What’s the deal about Zora? Doesn’t she know you’re gay?”
Rob groaned and said, “I hate to ruin our dinner, but let me give you the run down on Zora.” Rob paused to take a drink of water and then continued. “Zora is a reporter for the local paper. She thinks of herself as a great detective. When Brandon and I broke up, she just happened to be in the same bar where Brandon was drinking his sorrows away. He said a little too much, and she got a whiff that something different was up between Brandon and me. Brandon, thank goodness, wasn’t too far gone that when she started asking lots of questions, he realized he needed to shut up to protect his own name. His wife has no idea about his previous relationship with me. I think she’s one of those women who think they can change a gay man straight with their feminine wiles.” Both men looked at each other and laughed.
Turning serious, Rob added, “I don’t care if you talk to Zora, but I’d prefer that you kept what you’ve learned about my lifestyle to yourself.”
“I don’t even know anything to tell. You don’t have to worry about me. Zora’s way too into you to bother me,” Tony added. “It must be your massive biceps or your smile.
“So, you like my smile, huh?” Rob said laughing. “Go on, eat. You need some calories in your skinny tummy. You almost lost your pants in front of Zora today. I don’t think that’s safe.”
The rest of the meal was spent in light conversation. Tony again ate his weight in food. He definitely had been too hungry for too long, Rob thought. He was glad to have Tony there as long as possible. He was pleasant, definitely nice to look at, and he brought out a protective side in Rob. The latter would be glad to take care of him for a long time.
I hope I have the chance, Rob thought as he picked up the empty dishes.
Chapter 6
The next morning, Rob’s alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. as normal. Rob rolled out of bed and pulled on a pair of tight boxer briefs before walking down the hall to the dryer. He’d changed the wash into the dryer before he had gone to bed, but after helping Tony put sheets on the twin bed, he’d gone back to his room and stripped off his clothes to climb in bed. The clothes in the dryer had been abandoned to dry overnight. Rob folded all of Tony’s clothes before knocking on his bedroom door.
There was no response, so he tried again. Still no response. Worried, Rob opened the door and peeked in to see Tony curled in a ball on his right side facing the wall. His hands were tucked under his cheek on the pillow. Rob set the clothes down on the changing table and walked to Tony’s bedside. He laid a hand on Tony’s shoulder, and the younger man leaped into action, grabbing Rob and trying to wrestle him down to the ground.
“Tony, Tony, it’s just me, Rob. It’s Rob from the garage. I’m just waking you up for breakfast, man.” By that time, Rob had contained Tony’s fight by wrapping him tight in his arms with Tony’s back against Rob’s bare chest. “Sorry to scare you, Tony. It’s okay it’s just me.”
“Let me go, Rob. I need to see your face,” Tony demanded and was instantly free. He twisted around to look at Rob. When he saw him, Tony launched himself toward Rob’s muscular chest, throwing his arms around his torso. “I’m sorry. I had some bad people approach me while I was sleeping over the years. I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Tony leaned back to look desperately over Rob’s hard body.
Rob said softly, “I’m okay, Tony. You didn’t hurt me. I’m sorry I disturbed you. It was my mistake.”
Tony leaned back in getting very close to Rob’s face. He sighed greatly and relaxed into Rob’s arms, pressing his forehead against Rob’s wide chest. “I’m so glad it was you.”
Rob just rubbed his back until he felt Tony relax. He squeezed Tony tightly and then tr
ied to lighten the mood, “Hey! Are you usually this quick to wake up? I don’t know if I can have an alert, morning person working for me.” He felt Tony’s chest rumble against him as he laughed. Rob relaxed his arms as Tony pushed against them to shift away to look at him.
“I am really sorry for attacking you as you tried to wake up, Rob,” Tony started, “but I’m probably not as sorry as you’re going to be to find out that I’m the most chipper morning person who ever has walked this earth. I hope you like singing in the morning.” He winked at Rob before laughing heartily at Rob’s groan of dismay.
“Next time, I’m just going to throw your clothes in the room and run,” Rob joked.
“You brought my clothes?” Tony asked. “Thanks, man. I haven’t had clean clothes for a long time. I’ve washed things out in restrooms, but machine-washed always smells so good.”
Rob stood up and walked to the door. “I’ll meet you in the kitchen. I don’t want to see how you’ll react when you realize I put a dryer sheet in with your drawers to make everything soft.” Rob smiled as he walked through the door and heard Tony scramble to reach the clothes. He chuckled as he heard the younger man swear that he owed him one.
Chapter 7
Tony made a mad dash for the bathroom after dressing in a clean tee shirt and underwear before pulling on his coveralls. Then, he headed to the kitchen. The smells coming from that room were amazing. He got there just as Rob was dishing up scrambled eggs and bacon with toast, juice, and coffee. “You’re kidding, right? This is an amazing breakfast.”
“Don’t count on this every morning, but it is a nice way to start the day. Sit down and eat. We’ll need to open the shop in a half hour.” Rob set both plates on the table, and Tony sat down to eat. Rob noticed he stopped and closed his eyes for a minute before eating. “You religious?”