Skipping Stones

by D. J. Manly

  * * * *

  Leo watched Mark pick up the phone with baited breath. It had been almost a month since Reed had left and he ached with missing him every night. He told himself it would get better as time passed. Mark knew nothing about what he was feeling and it was going to stay that way.

  Mark was listening, waiting for someone to answer. He looked at Leo. "It's ringing. Ah, the message machine. Oh well. Hey, Reed, it's Mark. Look, I'm not calling to harass you. I need to talk to you. I got the letter and I've made a decision. I'd like to talk it over with you. Can you call me please? Thanks. Bye." He hung up. "I have no idea where he is. He might be in Europe or Asia for all I know. "

  Leo nodded and headed outside. He swallowed it, all of it, his emptiness. Goddamn you, Reed. I'll stop dreaming about you. I'll stop seeing you everywhere... and dreaming about you...your cock inside of me.

  It would be good when he left this place, good for both of them.

  * * * *

  Adrian came over that night and after Leo's little sister went to bed they all sat around on the back porch talking. Mark had opened some wine, and after a few hours, none of them were feeling much pain. Mark grew bold with his questions and he was playing a little game of truth or dare...asking questions like who was the best fuck you've ever had...who would you fuck over and over again...ever had your cock sucked in a public place...

  When Mark challenged Adrian to come over to the lawn swing and suck his cock, Leo wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He was horny as hell from all the sex talk, and the wine, but maybe Mark and Adrian wanted to be alone. It would be good for Mark to fall for someone else, or at least to have an affair.

  When he heard the phone ringing inside the house, he jumped up and went to answer it.

  Mark didn't hear it. He was teasing Adrian in a bravado voice and running his hand up and down his own zipper. Adrian stood in front of him, teasing back.

  Leo heard a burst of laughter coming from outside as he dashed into the living room and picked up the phone. Not for a moment did he think it might be Reed. But when he heard that smooth deep voice say hello, he clutched the phone and closed his eyes.

  "Reed?" he said. "It's Leo."

  There was silence for a moment on the other end.

  "Reed?"

  "Yeah," he said. "I'm here. Is Mark there?"

  "He's outside."

  "He called me, left a message, said he needed to speak to me. Is something wrong?"

  "It's about the letter from the lawyer. He's made a decision and--"

  "I think that's something he better tell me himself, don't you?"

  Leo knew that made sense but he was suddenly quite desperate to keep him on the line. "Where are you?"

  "I'm in Rome."

  "Oh, wow. Are you fixing some computers for the Roman emperor?" he tried to joke but it came off lame.

  "No, I'm having a little vacation."

  "Oh. I bet there are a lot of hot guys there."

  No answer.

  "Reed?"

  "What is it, Leo?" He sounded impatient.

  "What happened between us--and don't say you don't remember, well...me--I can't forget it."

  "Don't do this, Leo."

  "Don't do what, tell you the truth? What did you do to me? Don't say it was just a fuck. I've tried that already. Reed, Jesus Christ, will you say something?"

  "Is Mark there or not?"

  "Adrian is giving him a blow job, and I'm next in line," he growled and slammed the phone down. "Damn you, Owens!"

  The phone rang again a few minutes later. Leo sighed and picked it up. "What now?"

  He heard laughter.

  "Oh, you think this is funny?"

  "I usually don't bother answering the phone when some guy has my cock in his mouth."

  Leo smiled. "Very cute. I'll go get Mark. Hold on."

  When he went back out on the porch, Mark and Adrian were gone. "Shit." He walked back into the house and picked up the phone again. "You still there?"

  "I am."

  "He's not outside anymore. He and Adrian took off somewhere. I wouldn't be surprised if they went to Adrian's cabin. They were both pretty drunk."

  "You sound drunk, too."

  "I'm a little...well...yeah. I guess so. I'll tell him you called."

  "Just tell me what he wanted then. Is he going to buy me out, or not?"

  "He wants to sell. I've talked him into going to New York with me once the busy season is over."

  "Good."

  "Anyway, I'm anxious that he start over, find someone who will love him."

  "I want that, too."

  "How can you?"

  "How can I what?"

  "After everything? He told me about Clifford. I'm sorry, Reed."

  "Yeah. I'm sorry, too."

  "To lose the love of your life and..."

  "He wasn't."

  "He wasn't what?"

  "He wasn't the love of my life."

  "But you said--"

  "I know what I said. Recently, I've come to know differently. And if Clifford had really loved me, he wouldn't have believed Mark. He would have come to me, talked to me. He'd be alive right now."

  Leo fell silent. Love meant trust. He hadn't trusted Reed either. He'd believed everything...all the lies Mark had told him. "I'm guilty of that, too...believing the worst."

  "Yes, you are. But you know it doesn't matter anymore."

  Silence

  "By the way, I'm coming back next week."

  Leo's heart leaped. "Coming back here? You are? I thought you said that--"

  "Yes, I did say that, but if Mark is going to agree to sell the place, we need to fix it up some. And I'll have to get a real estate agent, have the place appraised. We want to get the best price we can get, especially for Mark, since he's going to need the money to start over."

  "Yes," Leo tried not to sound too happy. But damn, he was on top of the world suddenly. Reed was coming back. "I'll tell Mark. You want him to call you back?"

  "No. It's okay. How are we doing? Are we full up?"

  "As of next week we will be."

  "Good, that will go well for the sale."

  "I'll help you anyway I can...you know, to do repairs and such."

  "Good," he said. "I'll pay you for that."

  "No, it's--"

  "Goodnight, Leo. You better get back in that line. I'm sure Adrian is waiting for you," he said. The line went dead.

  * * * *

  Mark was humming in the morning when Leo came down. He hated to mention that Reed had called last night. He wanted him to focus on Adrian. "Have fun last night?" he teased, popping a piece of bacon into his mouth. Mark hadn't slept in his bed.

  "Not bad," he said, grinning. "And you?"

  "No," Leo said with a grin, "unless you count my hand."

  Mark cooed at him, "Poor baby."

  "We got people coming in today?" Leo poured some coffee.

  "Yep, they've already arrived and Meg got them all settled in. She's great."

  "That was nice of her. What in heck was she doing out of bed so early?"

  "One of the guys who showed up is hot. He's nineteen and here with his parents. They've been chatting it up down by the lake for the last hour."

  "Ah, that would account for it." He sipped his coffee, grinning. "Mark?"

  "Um." He was beating some eggs in bowl.

  "Reed is coming home."

  He looked up, his mouth opening. "He is? When? What did he say? You spoke to him?" He put down the bowl. "He's had a change of heart...he--"

  "I told him you were selling and he's coming back to help you get the place in shape. He wants to hire an agent."

  "Ah." He picked up the bowl again and poured the egg into the pan on the stove.

  "I hope you're not pissed at me for telling him. You were ah...indisposed."

  "Did you tell him that, too? I hope you rubbed it in his face."

  "I did." He didn't add that Reed didn't appear to care.

  "When's he com
ing home?"

  "I don't know. Soon, I suspect. He was in Rome."

  "He likes Italy."

  "I'll put Meg in with me. Can we move a twin bed into my room?"

  "Oh right, Meg's been sleeping in the monk's quarters."

  Leo smirked. He was hard pressed to think of Reed as a monk. "Yeah."

  "Leave her there. We'll deal with it when Father Reed comes home. Now, you want eggs?"

  * * * *

  Adrian was sweet as sugar candy, but he wasn't Reed. He was good enough in bed, though not nearly as adventurous as Mark was used to. Mark had showed him a few tricks over the course of the last few nights, and that had been pleasant enough.

  The cabins were almost filled to capacity now, and the place was hopping. Mark was in a pretty good mood until Adrian suddenly announced to Mark that he was leaving.

  "Why?" Mark asked from where he was lying on the bed in Adrian's cabin.

  "It's not quiet here anymore." He came out of the bathroom with a grin on his face. "And you're too much of a distraction. I can't get any writing done."

  "Really?" Mark lay back and stretched out on the bed. "Show me."

  Adrian groaned and tossed away the towel he had hitched around his hips. He crawled on top of Adrian and kissed his mouth hard.

  Mark pulled him down on top of him and returned the kiss, running his hands over Adrian's naked back and fine ass.

  Adrian rolled off him and onto his side. "You've been distracted as well."

  "Yeah, by you." He laughed.

  "No, not by me," Adrian shook his head, letting his finger trail over Mark's bottom lip.

  "Well, it has been busy here and--"

  "And," he paused, meeting his eyes, "Reed is coming home."

  Mark shrugged and sat up. "Just to fix up the place since we're selling it."

  Adrian rubbed Mark's back a minute. "Do you want to go with Leo to New York?"

  He sighed. "Sure."

  "Mark," Adrian said, turning his face around to look at him, "what you really want is Reed...in your bed."

  "You don't know what I want," Mark snapped. "We hardly know each other." He got out of bed and picked his pants off the floor.

  "Now, you're angry."

  Mark glanced at him while he stepped into his pants. "I'm not, really. I'm sorry."

  Adrian wrapped his arms around his knees. "If I thought you could ever get that guy out of your system, I'd..." he trailed off.

  "You'd what?" Mark met his gaze.

  "It doesn't matter because it's always going to be Reed."

  "When are you leaving?"

  "I'll stay the week, leave next Sunday."

  Mark looked down at the floor. Damn. "That's it then?"

  "What else can there be?"

  Mark nodded and slipped on his sandals. He picked up his shirt. "I've got things to do. See you later," he said and left the cabin.

  * * * *

  Leo found Mark in the laundry room washing sheets. "Got any clothes to wash?"

  "Yeah," Leo said, "tons. Wow, there are a lot of sheets there."

  "Well, the last three guests requested linen service rather than do it themselves at the laundry hut. Cabin 5 and Cabin 9 paid to have their sheets done each day. Those guys are fucking like bunnies, and then some. Sheets are filled with the evidence."

  Leo smirked. "Oh, the newlyweds from Canada?"

  "Yeah, two cousins married two cousins." Mark laughed.

  "Gives a new meaning to the term, kissing cousins," Leo joked. "I'll give you hand."

  "You can take those to the laundry hut if you like," Mark said. "I'll find the key for you." He searched his pockets. "Here it is. And bring me your clothes and I'll throw them in next load."

  "It's okay, I'll do them," Leo said.

  "Adrian is leaving."

  "Oh?"

  Mark nodded. "In four days."

  "Are you all right with that?"

  "No choice I guess."

  "I thought you two... Well, you seemed to be cooking."

  "Yeah we were. He says I'm still hung up on Reed."

  "Are you?" Leo already knew the answer, and he suspected Mark already knew he did, so he didn't bother to answer.

  Leo left the bag of sheets by the front door and ran up to his room to get his own clothes. As he went to retrieve a dirty sock under the bed, he caught sight of something silver. He reached under and pulled out his cell phone. Shit. He'd forgotten all about it. He went to turn it on. It was dead, and he hadn't added any money to it for ages. He searched his suitcase, found his charger and plugged it in. He'd have to put some money on it one day, but for now at least he could check his messages. He'd made a lot of art contacts in Paris. Maybe someone important had called him. He laughed as he dragged the bags of dirty clothes outside. Fat chance, Waters.

  On the way to the laundry hut, he met the two newly married couples. They walked two by two, holding hands, dressed in bathing trunks, fresh from swimming. They all said hello to him almost at the same time.

  "Hello," he sang back at them. God, they looked disgustingly happy. It was no wonder, with all the sheet changing that was going on.

  Leo got to the cabin and unlocked the door, dragging in the bags as he went. He sorted the laundry and filled three machines. The soap was low but he managed to scrape out enough. He'd have to get some more from the store room

  He came back outside and sat on a bench, looking around to see where Meggy had gotten to. His sister was officially boy crazy, not too different from the way he'd been at her age really, but it was strange to hear the stuff that came out of her mouth.

  A rowboat was coming closer to the shore now and he watched as Adrian pulled the boat up to the dock and tied it up. He waved at Leo before heading to his cabin.

  It was shame Mark couldn't let go of Reed. Adrian was a really nice guy, handsome, successful. He hoped Mark didn't come to regret letting him go.

  He practically fell asleep while he waited, the summer breeze turning cooler as the sun began to sink in the sky. Reed. He opened his eyes to see his sister standing there. She'd really filled out, and was so tall, all legs like their dad. Meggy was almost the same height as he was.

  "How'd you get so tall?" He blinked up at her.

  "I'm taller than you."

  He laughed. "Probably. You're five-ten?"

  "Yeah."

  "Well, I think I'm five-ten and a half." He stuck his tongue out at her.

  She laughed. "I put the clothes in the dryer for you."

  "Thanks, sweetie."

  She sat beside him.

  "Mark says a hottie arrived today."

  She shrugged. "He's okay, but immature."

  "Mark says he's nineteen."

  "Still immature. I want a real man."

  He laughed.

  "Those gay guys are hot...wow, but they're all into each other. They don't even see me."

  "They just got married. They're distracted."

  She rolled her eyes. "Marriage is nothing but a life of servitude and slavery. Why would gay men want to get married anyway?"

  "We only want the same rights as everyone else." He ruffled her hair. "Anyway, somehow I think servitude and slavery suits them just fine for now."

  "Kinky." She grinned.

  Suddenly they were both distracted by a car driving up the road. The top was down and as it got closer, Leo could see the driver in the silver sports car. "Reed," he said aloud.

  "Uncle Mark's ex?" Meggy inquired as the car pulled to a stop in the yard.

  Reed turned off the engine and got out.

  "Yeah," Leo muttered, feeling the butterflies floating around in his stomach.

  "Oh, my God," she groaned, "look at the body on him. He's hot."

  "Um," Leo managed, "he's that all right."

  "You didn't tell me Mark's ex looked like that. Let's go meet him."

  "Stop calling him Mark's ex," Leo snapped, his gaze on Reed as he walked around the car and took his bag out of the trunk.

  His sis
ter raised an eyebrow. "Something you're not telling me about the hunk?"

  He didn't answer. He walked toward the car, and was standing just a few feet away when Reed turned around. Reed had on those dark sunglasses, and his hair looked windblown. He was dressed casually in faded jeans and a mocha colored sweatshirt with a hood. God, he could wear those jeans.

  "Hello, Leo." He smiled.

  "Hey, Reed." Leo swallowed hard. "Got another new car?"

  "Loaner."

  Meggy elbowed Leo.

  "Oh, this is my little sister Meggy."

  "Megan," she corrected and held her hand out to Reed.

  He smiled at her from behind the sunglasses, took her hand and kissed it briefly. "All grown up, eh?"

  Leo watched his sister blush. Reed could turn on the charm, no matter the sex.

  "Is there a cabin free?" Reed asked him.

  "Ah, yeah but...it's the one we didn't rent due to the repairs that need to be--"

  "I'll take that one," he told him. "Number three?"

  Leo nodded, confused. "Yes, but you can have your old room. My sister can..."

  "No, it's okay. I want the serenity."

  "I'll go and unlock it for you," Leo offered.

  Reed fumbled in his pocket. "I've got the passkey. Nice meeting you, Megan." He nodded at her.

  Megan's eyes lingered on Reed as he walked off in the direction of Cabin 3. "What a great ass on him." She sighed heavily. "I could just bite it."

  "Megan!"

  "What? Well, it's true. It's damn near perfect. You should know that, Leo, you're queer."

  "I'm gay."

  "Excuse me," she mocked. "You know I'm homophobia free. I just meant you gay guys are ass freaks. You know your asses, so come on, tell me, brother dear--is his ass perfect or what?"

  He smiled faintly. "Yeah, it is, perfect." And that's not all that's perfect. An image of his gorgeous, highly satisfying cock also came to mind.

  "And he's at least eight inches hard, if there's a God." She moaned.

  Leo laughed out loud and took her in a headlock. "Okay, what alien took my baby sister?"

  She was laughing when Mark came outside.

  He looked at the car then at Leo. "Reed?"

  "Rented."

  "Where is super slut?"

  "Is he?" Meggy asked, pushing Leo off of her. "Is he a super slut?"

  "Mark," Leo muttered. "Don't give her ideas. She's already half gone."