A Still, Small Voice

by D. W. Marchwell

  They were connected, a complete circle, Oscar moving slowly in and out as his tongue played with Noah’s. And when Oscar’s hand wrapped itself around Noah’s sensitive dick, he had only another couple of seconds before they were both crying out, Noah’s seed shooting between them while Oscar emptied himself into the condom.

  Neither man moved for what seemed like hours, hands petting and mouths kissing. Then, with as much speed as the need to please each other had overtaken them, Noah lifted himself off of Oscar’s body. “Fucking hell!” he bellowed.

  “What?”

  “I have to meet with that fucking lawyer tomorrow,” Noah grunted and fell back down on Oscar’s muscled torso.

  “So you can come over afterward,” Oscar said, his hands hugging Noah tightly.

  Noah whined, “I don’t wanna have to wait. I wanna go with you.”

  Oscar began to laugh, and Noah found it contagious. “God, you make me laugh,” he said as he kissed the top of Noah’s head. “And horny and happy and—”

  Noah cut him off with a kiss. “Good, ’cause after all the work I went through to get that monster inside me, I’m not going anywhere.”

  Chapter Twelve

  WHAT the hell have I gotten myself into?

  It wasn’t the first time Noah had asked himself that question since agreeing to help Paul and his lawyer, and Noah was sure it wouldn’t be the last time, either. He just hoped that he wouldn’t have to go through the months and months of waiting and wondering, as he’d done when he’d been a defendant. In his case, Noah had not had to wait too long to find out that everyone finally believed he hadn’t done it, but the months of “after” had been agonizing, to say the least. The registered letters, the phone calls, the endless stream of questions from school officials who felt the need to launch their own “investigation.” It had almost broken Noah’s spirit at times.

  He shook the lawyer’s hand and stood, thanking everything holy that the meeting was finally over. Noah had somehow, naïvely, thought that since he was only a witness, the meeting would be short enough to see him at Oscar’s house helping to take care of the overgrown grass and bake some cookies for Mrs. Komarniski.

  Noah headed for his car and cursed when he saw that it was just after six. He pulled out his cell phone before starting the car and smiled when he saw the name Oscar Reynolds. “My boyfriend,” Noah said out loud as he punched the name and held the phone to his ear, waiting to hear that soothing, calm voice.

  “I was starting to worry,” Oscar said from the other end of the line.

  “I’m so, so sorry, baby, but….”

  “Are you close?”

  Noah decided against the innuendo, thinking that it would be tacky since Oscar was worried about him. “I’m just leaving right now. I’ll be there in about thirty minutes.”

  “Okay, I’ll get the lawn done and meet you in the house to make the cookies.”

  “You’re amazing,” Noah sighed. “See you soon.” He listened to Oscar’s laughter before ending the call. He checked the backseat to see that his duffle bag was still there and started the car, pulling out of the parking garage and heading south, very much looking forward to being with Oscar.

  As he drove, Noah found himself replaying parts of the conversation with the lawyer. There had been several red flags that piqued Noah’s curiosity. Like when the lawyer had asked Noah if he’d ever observed Cherie threaten or be abusive to anyone. Noah had foolishly asked if he’d meant students, only to hear laughter, followed by a correction of “anyone.” Why would the lawyer ask him that? Wasn’t this only about the fight out in the hall when Cherie was telling Paul his visitation would have to coincide with her schedule?

  And then the question about whether Noah thought Cherie knew he was gay.

  “Who? Paul?” Again the lawyer laughed, but said nothing, only using his pen this time to point directly at Noah. “How would I know? Cherie and I avoided each other as much as possible.”

  “Why was that?” the lawyer had asked then.

  “Probably because she couldn’t manipulate me like she did other people.” Noah had watched the lawyer scribble furiously on his legal pad, and hadn’t really given it too much thought. His mind was on the clock—and Oscar.

  But now he was thinking about why that particular answer would be so fascinating to the lawyer. And the question he’d asked about precisely what Cherie had said to him that day in the hallway, when her loud yelling had awoken him. Noah couldn’t honestly remember, so he’d shrugged and offered a flippant answer: “What hasn’t she called me?”

  “Did she make some reference to your sexual orientation?”

  Noah remembered that Cherie had asked him some sort of insulting question about how hard it must have been for him to find another job, but he explained to the lawyer that he’d heard a lot of comments from Cherie—and not all of them aimed at him—so trying to remember any one in particular would be akin to looking for a drunken teenager at a high school prom.

  As he continued his journey to the suburbs, turning west to head toward Oscar’s house, Noah suddenly found himself remembering that she’d called him a sexual deviant. He’d not given it much thought beyond wondering why she’d chosen those words. The police officers and the smarmy detective and even some of his former coworkers had all used words like “rapist” or “sex offender.” But Cherie had called him a sexual deviant.

  His sexual preference had always been a well-guarded secret while he was at work. He’d even made up lies—ones he would easily remember—about having had girlfriends and even a wife. Noah would simply shrug and explain that they were divorced and change the subject or leave the room. Aiden had advised him that it would appear that Noah was still far too chagrined about the dissolution of his marriage to wish to discuss it any further. Could Paul have said something to Cherie about their short-lived affair?

  By the time he’d pulled into the driveway on Wolf Ridge Place, he’d lost any interest in figuring out the answer. Oscar was still outside in shorts, his T-shirt tucked into one of the back pockets, bending over and cleaning the blades of the electric mower. Noah felt his cock stirring in his pants as he watched Oscar stand and smile at him, his hand coming up to mop at his brow.

  He exited the vehicle, Oscar already having walked over to take the duffle bag out of the back of the car. Noah was wondering if he could kiss Oscar right there in front of the man’s neighbors as he locked the doors. He’d decided it wasn’t a good idea and prepared to go inside and have a quick grope before helping with whatever was left, when Oscar wrapped his impressive arms around Noah’s shoulders and planted a lingering, wet kiss on his lips. Noah was momentarily stunned but got over his modesty pretty quickly, especially since a quick check with his hand revealed that Oscar wasn’t wearing any underwear.

  Noah pulled away. “We’d better get inside before….” Noah pushed one of his legs between his lover’s, finding it already almost too late.

  “Okay, but I warn you that we may not be out for a while.”

  Noah laughed and kissed Oscar quickly, heading through the garage and into the house. Oscar kicked his sandals aside, and Noah toed off his shoes before Oscar dropped the duffle bag and pressed himself against Noah once more.

  “God, you smell incredible. Sweat and sunshine and freshly mown grass.”

  “Thank you,” Oscar said, going in for another lingering kiss. He pulled on Noah’s shirt, then brought his hands around to the front to undo the buttons. “I need someone to scrub my back,” Oscar teased as he started walking Noah backward to the bathroom.

  “Your mower,” Noah said between kisses. “Shouldn’t you put it away?”

  “You’ve been living downtown too long,” Oscar said, laughing and pushing Noah’s shirt off of his shoulders. “It’ll be fine.”

  “In that case…,” Noah said with a grin and popped the button of Oscar’s baggy shorts, that one action enough to let them fall off of his slim hips. He took Oscar in his hand and began to make lo
ng, slow strokes, his other hand finding the sensitive ball sac and pressing it up against Oscar’s body.

  “Love the way you touch me, Noah, but….” Oscar pulled himself free so that he could help Noah step out of his pants, boxers, and socks. Noah expected him to come back up, but Oscar remained on his knees, his hands rubbing and caressing while his mouth covered the uncut head of Noah’s cock, nipping and massaging the foreskin. “Can you start the shower?”

  “Can’t even think when you do that,” Noah whimpered. He threw one hand over to where the taps were on the shower wall, keeping his hand there to test the water. “Think I got it,” he said when he and Oscar were eye to eye again.

  “Such a talented multitasker,” Oscar teased before pulling Noah to him. Their lips met, then their tongues. Too soon, Oscar pulled away and stepped into the shower, his hand out, beckoning Noah to join him. Noah didn’t need to be asked twice. “Sorry, there’s no bench… and we don’t have more than ten minutes of hot water.”

  “In that case…,” Noah repeated and dropped to his knees, swallowing almost the entire length. He pulled off, feeling the urge to laugh when Oscar fell against the back wall of the shower.

  “Jesus, I’ve created a monster,” Oscar teased as his hands found their way to stroke Noah’s wet hair.

  “Stop making me laugh,” Noah said before taking Oscar into his mouth again.

  “Fuck,” Oscar said, drawing it out again into several syllables. It spurred Noah on, his mouth and hands working together to provide maximum pleasure. He pulled off every now and then to tongue the slit and press his fingers to Oscar’s entrance. “Now, Noah, I’m gonna—” Noah pulled off just in time to see and feel the jets of cum shoot out, some hitting him in the face and chest.

  Noah stayed down there long enough to grab the soap and begin washing all evidence of Oscar’s release away. After a few moments, when he was clean, Oscar pulled Noah up and grabbed the bar of soap, still breathing hard. “To be continued in the bedroom,” Oscar said as he soaped and lathered every inch of Noah’s excited body. “The water will be cold soon.”

  Noah’s erection had not subsided, the intense cleansing having made him even more aroused. Even the jets of cool water that hit his back did nothing to subdue his excitement. They exited the bathroom after quickly drying each other off and headed to the bedroom, not coming out again until there would be enough hot water to do another cleanup.

  Sometime after eight o’clock, Noah questioned Oscar about the cookies and the visit they’d planned to Mrs. Komarniski. Oscar explained that after receiving Noah’s phone call, he’d called his elderly neighbor and told her that they would do the visit the following evening. “That way you’ll have to come back,” Oscar had teased. Noah had only laughed and told him that he had plenty of reasons to come back.

  They were in bed, but not ready for sleep, by nine, arms and legs and lips entwined. Occasionally, they broke apart for air or for conversation, Oscar wanting to know how the meeting with the lawyer had gone. Noah had found himself explaining about the odd questions and why he’d found them so. He wasn’t surprised to hear Oscar ask some of the same questions he’d asked himself during the drive over. And he hoped that Oscar had some possible answers, because Noah certainly didn’t feel like thinking about them. He doubted that Oscar did either.

  WITH only a small amount of guilt, Noah called in sick the next day. He had more than enough accumulated days, and since he hardly ever used his vacation time, he figured he deserved a day off. Oscar had only been too willing to skip his usual routine at the club, calling his manager and explaining that he would be looking after a “sick” friend.

  When Noah had first suggested the plan sometime around ten the night before, he’d worried that Oscar would be offended by the little white lie. But to his amazement, the suggestion was met with a smile and a long list of things they could do together around the house.

  As far as Noah was concerned, the house did not need any cleaning, nor did the yards or flower beds, but that was how they spent their morning. While Noah dusted and vacuumed, Oscar was busy out in the backyard, weeding and giving a lot of attention to his perennials. Noah didn’t know the names for any of the plants, and he tried to listen to Oscar’s explanations, but he was far too distracted by the mere thought of having an entire day to himself, alone with his new boyfriend.

  Sometime before noon, Oscar came back into his house, ready to suggest a shower and then heading out to find something to eat for lunch. But when he saw that Noah had already prepared club sandwiches and French fries, he very quickly let Noah know that Noah’s idea was a much better one.

  Noah’s work was done long before Oscar’s, so he spent the rest of the afternoon helping Oscar tend to his flowers. He hesitated to do too much without consulting Oscar’s superior skills, since Noah had never had much success in keeping plants alive. And despite Oscar’s eagerness to help Noah acquire the necessary knowledge to reverse that particular trend, Noah remained oblivious. Not only could he not seem to remember the names of the dozen or so plants that created the peaceful and colorful backyard, he didn’t seem to be able to remember the instructions for their care, either. Noah had always been amazed at people, like Oscar, who could store all of this information; it was one more thing that made this wonderful man so intriguing to Noah.

  After dinner had been prepared and consumed, Noah set to work making several batches of cookies to take to Mrs. Komarniski later that evening. He might not know what he was doing in a garden, but he was more than confident in the kitchen. As the assortment of cookies baked in the oven, Noah found Oscar fast asleep on the sofa in the little TV room just off the living room. Noah assumed it had once been used as a bedroom, since there was a closet taking up almost one entire wall. But since Marcus and Oscar had no children and there were already two other bedrooms down the hall, it seemed to make sense that this room would house the flat-screen television and other electronic equipment, thus leaving the large living room uncluttered and better able to seat as many guests as possible.

  He stood beside the long leather sofa and listened to the sound of Oscar breathing, entranced by the sight of the flushed cheeks and the taut belly rising and falling. If he hadn’t felt like a creepy stalker, Noah would not have kneeled down beside the slumbering form, nor would he have placed his hand on the muscled chest. He hated to wake him, but it would be time soon for them to go next door and visit with the elderly lady who had taken such a shine to Oscar. And as Noah watched those eyes open slowly, Oscar looking up and accepting the quick kiss to his lips, he could see why anyone who met Oscar would want him around.

  “Sorry to wake you, Sleeping Beauty, but the cookies will be done soon,” Noah said as he stretched his hands out over the warm torso.

  “Came in here to watch the news,” Oscar said, then yawned, stretching out his arms and pulling Noah to him. “Guess all that sun made me sleepy.”

  “We’ll make sure that we’re home and in bed early tonight.” Noah traced the outline of Oscar’s square jaw and smiled. “Then it’s back to the usual grind tomorrow.”

  “Can’t wait for the weekend,” Oscar sighed as he sat up and pulled Noah onto his lap. “We should do something spontaneous and go away somewhere.”

  “It’s not really spontaneous if we plan it, is it?” Noah let his body lean into Oscar’s, his hands snaking around the broad back while he kissed the rosy cheeks.

  “Well, how are we supposed to know what to bring? We have to make a reservation, don’t we?”

  “True,” Noah said as nuzzled Oscar’s neck. “Do you have any favorite spots?”

  Oscar laughed and did some nuzzling of his own. “I was just about to ask you that same question.”

  “It depends on how much time we have, I guess.”

  “Can you take Friday off?” Oscar’s hands moved slowly over Noah’s back, then settled underneath the waistband of his shorts.

  “Aiden and I have a show on Saturday night,” Noah said with a
pout. “Not much time to go away and relax and enjoy ourselves.”

  “Can you take Monday off, then? And maybe Tuesday?”

  “I don’t see why not,” Noah said, squirming a little when Oscar’s roaming hands found their way under the elastic of his boxers. “If you keep doing that, the cookies will burn.” Noah unwrapped himself from around Oscar’s body and moved to stand up, but he was held fast.

  “I’ll let Mikey, my manager, know. He’ll be okay with filling in for me for two days.”

  “I’ll let them know tomorrow at work that I’m actually going to be using some of my vacation time. I just hope it doesn’t lead to all sorts of gossip.”

  “Gossip?”

  Noah finally extricated himself from Oscar’s embrace and held out his hand, pulling Oscar off of the sofa. “Yeah, you know…. ‘Why has he been so happy lately?’ ‘Where do you think he’s going?’ ‘Why is he taking two days off? He never takes sick days.’”

  “And what will you tell them?”

  “Nothing,” Noah said as they walked out of the little room and toward the kitchen. “I don’t really enjoy sharing details about my life with colleagues.”

  “Once bitten, twice shy, I guess,” Oscar observed, and Noah knew he was referring to Paul. He’d been slowly letting go of the details of his arrest and how it had happened. And although he shouldn’t have been, Noah was amazed each time that Oscar thought no less of him.

  “Why don’t you go start getting ready? I’ll take these out and let them cool, then I’ll come and join you.” Noah put on the oven mitts and opened the oven door, pulling out the three cookie sheets and placing them on the little island in the center of the kitchen. “Don’t—”

  “Hot,” Oscar hissed as he dropped the cookie he’d just tried to steal.

  “That’s what you get for trying to steal from your elderly neighbor,” Noah chastised him, removing the mitts and pushing Oscar toward the bedroom.