Since he still had a couple of hours to go before his normal quitting time, Nick returned to his makeshift office in Franco's. With the construction workers gone for the day and the noise of power drills and hammers temporarily silenced, it gave him the peace and quiet he needed to complete the menu for the party. However, as he waited for the computer to boot up, he ran a finger slowly along his lips and found himself reliving Trip's kiss, his touch...the heat, the passion, and the intensity of a moment he'd been quite sure would end in a totally different way to what it had.
He wondered if Trip had ever kissed another man. He hadn't noticed anything awkward or fumbling about the kiss they'd shared, and that was a pretty sure indicator Trip wasn't exactly inexperienced. Then again, there was always such a thing as beginner's luck. Lead with your heart and everything else will come naturally?
But now what?
Once Trip resurfaced, would he want to pick up where they'd left off, or was Nick supposed to act as if the kiss had never happened?
He flipped open his phone and tapped in Trip's speed dial number. He'd give him a quick call, just to say hi and make sure he was okay. But the call went to voice mail so he hung up.
He'd wait a while and try again. In the meantime, maybe Trip would call him.
Nick tapped his pen impatiently against the edge of the desk. If he knew where Trip might be... Unfortunately, he didn't and, since sitting here worrying wouldn't change a thing, Nick opened the folder containing the party menu and started rechecking what was needed for each item and ensuring it was in stock or easily available. After adding the three new dishes to the menu and readjusting the ingredients in one of the basic side salads, he emailed copies to Silvia and Trip with a note asking them to give him their final approval.
Unable to concentrate on work, he tried Trip one more time. The moment he heard the click signaling voice mail, he ended the call. Damn! He closed the folder and turned off the computer.
Where the hell was he?
In an attempt to occupy his mind with something else, he leaned back in his chair and looked around at what he hoped would soon turn out to be one of Vegas' smartest and highest rated dining spots. Silvia wanted the best of everything, and that's what she was getting--from the finest imported wines and liqueurs, to the highest quality tile flooring, wall coverings and handcrafted decorations, to the specially designed and manufactured furniture, monogrammed silver, linen, table and glassware. In addition, it would have a menu featuring a selection of signature, one-of-a-kind dishes made from the best, freshest ingredients and obtainable only here at Franco's. As an extra precaution, Trip had chosen the most experienced members of the hotel's kitchen and wait staff to ensure the launch party went without off a hitch.
Nick rubbed his tired eyes and got to his feet. It had been a tough couple of days and he was beat. If he'd forgotten anything important, hopefully someone would think of it before the big day. If they didn't...well, then they'd just have to get by without it.
Picking up the office phone, he dialed Trip's extension, but as he'd expected, the call went straight to voice mail. He then keyed in Trip's home number on his cell. Once again there was the click, then voice mail, but this time he left a message.
"Hi, Trip. It's Nick. I'm just leaving and I'll be home all night. Call me when you get this, okay? Ciao."
For a moment, Nick continued to sit at the desk impatiently tapping his foot on the floor and his fingers against the surface of the desk. He wanted to see Trip, talk to him. If Trip didn't want that, however, there was nothing he could do except wait.
* * * *
It was a beautiful evening, warm with a light breeze and the setting sun glinting off the snow capping the highest peaks of the Sierra Nevada. As usual, Nick walked home, and, once he was inside his apartment, he opened up a cold beer and headed for the shower. He thought about trying Trip's number again, then decided against it. He wanted to see Trip, make sure he was okay, and if Trip was willing, pick right up where they'd left off, but what if Trip didn't want to see him?
Nick was a little afraid Trip might interpret a second message as overkill. The one he'd left had been light and friendly, making it clear he wasn't upset or offended by what had happened earlier, and that was enough. Now, it was up to Trip to make the next move.
After taking a shower, Nick threw on a pair of comfortably soft and ragged jeans, added an equally ancient tank top and headed for the kitchen. For supper, he made himself a medium-rare rib steak plus a large bowl of salad. Dessert was fresh fruit and a cup of his favorite, freshly brewed Arabica coffee.
He'd just taken his coffee into the living room and switched on the TV to watch a favorite show when he heard a knock on the apartment door. He figured it was either one of his neighbors looking to borrow something, or the building superintendent. But when he looked through the peephole, his heartbeat moved up a few notches. Trip stood on the other side of the door, dressed in jogging pants and a hoodie, looking better than any man had a right to. The slump of his shoulders and the strained expression on his face, however, tore at Nick's heart. He looked so damn confused, worried, too, as if he wasn't quite sure what reaction he'd get if and when Nick opened the door...
Telling himself to stay cool and let Trip take the lead, Nick unlocked the door and waved him inside. "I see you got my message."
"Yeah." Trip shrugged, but remained where he was, looking more embarrassed than worried now. "You mad at me?"
"Because you kissed me?"
"What else? Are you?"
"No, of course not. Why would I be? We were both pretty excited about getting Silvia's approval. Suddenly, after weeks of planning and worry, everything was finally coming together perfectly, and we were flying. I figured you just got carried away."
Trip frowned. "That's all? You thought I just acted in the heat of the moment?"
"You didn't?" Nick said, hopefully.
"Hell, no. I'm not saying the moment didn't give me the courage to do something I'd wanted to do for a very long time because it did. I care about you, man."
"Hey, I care about you, too. We're friends. Right?"
"What I mean is that I really care about you." Trip's lips twisted in an uncertain smile as he shuffled his feet. "But I knew you had a lot on your mind. I figured I should wait. Let you work things out..."
Nick didn't really want to talk. He wanted to grab Trip's hand, pull him inside the apartment, and--
"Why don't you come in," Nick urged. "I just made coffee, or there's beer if you'd rather."
When Trip continued to hesitate, Nick went with his heart. He reached out and pulled Trip inside, wrapped his arms around him and kicked the door shut. His head and his heart were full to bursting that Trip had come to him. Yeah, man! This was so much better than imagination.
"You know, coming over here and getting this kind of welcome feels exactly the way I hoped it would," Trip murmured against Nick's mouth.
"And how is that?"
"Like coming home."
Trip's lips brushed gently against Nick's, not with the same passion-filled intensity of earlier in the day, but in a soft, tentative, getting-to-know-one-another way that melted Nick's heart and made him feel he was finally doing something right.
"If you're plain not interested, or need more time, just say the word." Trip captured Nick's gaze. "I'm not here to rush you into something you don't want, or aren't ready for."
"Don't worry. I'm fine, and you're not rushing me into anything I don't want. In fact..." Nick paused, knowing what he was about to say was the whole truth and nothing but. "I'm really glad you're here. Whatever Al and I had was over a long time ago. It's just taken me a while to realize that."
"You're sure?"
"Positive."
Trip visibly relaxed and gave Nick a wobbly smile. "In that case, can we please sit down? I'm so damn wound up from worrying my legs are shaking."
Nick took Trip's hand and led him through the apartment to the bedroom, where he pulled Trip
down beside him on the bed. Turning onto his side, Nick gently stroked Trip's face. He wanted to kiss Trip the way they'd kissed earlier, and although his cock was hard, and all he could think about was how much he wanted the man lying beside him, Nick knew he had to be patient. Right now, Trip was the one who needed a little reassurance. Everything else could wait temporarily. "What were you so worried about?"
"That you'd slam the door in my face. Maybe kick my butt down the stairs. Report me for sexual harassment. I don't know."
"Walk off the job and leave you to do Franco's opening on your own?"
"Yeah, that, too. I admit it crossed my mind. Except I couldn't believe you'd screw up Silvia's big night for something I'd done. You wouldn't have, would you?"
"No. Not a chance. It's not like you were using your position as my boss to hit on me."
"True. If I'd been doing that, I'd have told to you to just drop your pants and bend over."
"You'd have what?" For an instant, Nick thought he'd misheard, but then he howled with laughter. "You wouldn't have dared."
"You're right, I wouldn't. Even though it once happened to me."
"Where you were working?"
"A weekend job I had at a wine shop while I was in college. One day I was late getting in, and as I was about to leave that night, the boss called me into his office. He said he didn't tolerate tardiness in his employees, and I needed to be taught a lesson so I'd remember to be on time in the future."
"And then what happened?"
"He said to bend over and drop my pants. He was a big guy with fists like a pair of Virginia hams, and he was leaning his full three hundred pounds against the door. No other way for me to leave, so I had no choice but to go along with the request. Anyway, he rammed his surprisingly skinny dick up my ass a couple of times and when that didn't do the trick, he said I had to suck him off."
"Did you?"
"Nope." Trip grinned and shook his head. "I might have done it, but the reason I was late was because I'd been up all night partying and I didn't feel that great. Then I got a whiff of his disgusting body odor, and I threw up all over his fancy handmade shoes. The guy smelled gross, like dead fish or worse."
"And that was the end of your job, I imagine."
"Sure was. Actually, it's a miracle it wasn't the end of me. I was so damned scared, I took off running, and I didn't stop until I was far enough away to be sure he couldn't catch up. I wanted to go to the cops, but that guy had connections everywhere from the dog catcher up to the mayor. I was too damned scared to say a word about it to anyone."
Nick had reached the point where he could no longer ignore the ache in his cock, and as Trip's aroused shaft was now pressing against his leg, he rubbed the pad of his thumb along Trip's lower lip. "Would you do those things for me if I asked you nicely?"
"Do what things?"
"Suck me off." Nick slipped a hand inside Trip's jogging pants and stroked his cock. "I want to feel my dick in your mouth, and I want to feel you sucking me until you've sucked me dry. Then, if you want, I'll bend over for you, and maybe after that, you'll bend over for me. Sound like a plan?"
While Nick was talking, Trip pushed Nick onto his back, unzipped his jeans and slid them off. "You have any condoms handy?"
Nick opened the nightstand drawer and took out a couple of small foil packets. After opening one of them, he covered his hard-on, and gave the other to Trip.
Trip positioned Nick on the edge of the bed, then knelt down between Nick's legs and, holding Nick's arousal firmly in one hand, he took him into his mouth. As Nick gave a sigh of pleasure and lay back on the bed, he felt Trip start to squeeze his balls gently with his free hand.
Nick held his breath because, between the heat of Trip's mouth, the insistent sucking, and the havoc Trip was wreaking with his balls, he knew he wouldn't last long. But then the tension eased slightly and Nick felt a finger pushing into his hole. One finger became two, and as his muscles stretched to accommodate the intrusion, Nick's whole body was awash with sensation.
Suddenly, Trip released Nick's cock and told him to turn over. As soon as Nick did what Trip asked, he heard Trip open the package containing the other condom. There was the interminable two-second wait while Trip covered his own erection. And then Nick drew in a sharp breath as Trip spread his ass cheeks wide and ran his tongue slowly up and down his crack.
"You have some lube?"
"Same drawer as the condoms."
Nick heard the soft whoosh of the drawer opening and closing, and he felt the cold splash of the gel against his warm flesh. Almost afraid to breathe, Nick held on tight to the bed, emitting a soft groan of satisfaction as Trip gave a small experimental push against his hole before sliding all the way in. For Nick, locked together with Trip like this, and with Trip's arms around his body, stroking his cock, and his face pressed against his back, felt so good and so right. Whether it was a one-off or the first day of the rest of their lives, Nick knew this moment of the two of them finally coming together was one he would never forget.
"This feels so unbelievably great. I mean us together like this," Nick said, knowing what he felt for Trip was both real and important. Whether it was love and would last a lifetime, only time would tell. But if wishes had anything to do with it, he wished the way he felt right now would last forever.
"Yeah, even better than my imagination," Trip said as he withdrew and pushed back in.
"You've imagined us together like this?"
"Once or twice," Trip murmured as his tongue began to investigate Nick's ear and his hands began to stroke Nick's cock.
"Me, too," Nick admitted. "But the reality is a thousand times better. Like whatever happened before today wasn't important. Almost as if it was just a rehearsal."
"And not an especially good one?"
Nick sighed. "I feel like that princess who had to kiss a thousand frogs before she found her prince. You keep thinking you've got it right, until the day comes when you know you have for sure."
Trip had started to up the speed of his strokes, pushing Nick closer and closer to the edge, and Nick gripped the bed even tighter.
"You mean like the way I feel right this minute?" Trip asked.
"If it's anything the same as what I do, then yes!" Every muscle and nerve in Nick's body had gradually tightened until, finally, he felt Trip orgasm, and then it was his turn. For a moment, everything stopped, including his breathing, then the explosion came. One incredible sensation after another rolled through his body in wave after wave. It was like nothing he'd ever known before. But then as his arms gave out and he collapsed on his face, he gave one long yell of happiness and satisfaction.
Nick rolled onto his back, pulled Trip down on top of him and nuzzled his mouth. "Man, are we good together or what?"
"We'll be even better with a little practice."
"Okay, if I catch my breath first? I'm totally beat."
"Jeez, Gregorio, you're such a wuss," Trip complained, laughingly. "No staying power whatsoever. Here I am, all ready and raring to go for round two, and you want a time out? Next thing I know, you'll want to take a nap. I don't believe this."
Nick slid a hand between their bodies and fondled Trip's limp dick. "Ready and raring to go, hmm? It's all in your head. Sorry to be the one to give you the bad news, but I think this little guy's gone on furlough."
"Little?"
Nick grinned. "Well, I didn't want to hurt your feelings by saying tiny or microscopic."
"Bet yours isn't very big right now, either."
"Probably not." Nick hesitated, doing his best not to laugh out loud. "Want to play show and tell?"
With a quick flip, Trip reversed their positions and whacked Nick hard on the butt. "No, I do not want to play show and tell. But maybe we can reconsider having round two after a little cuddle."
"Followed by a ten-minute nap?"
* * * *
Trip awoke a little after midnight to find the room bathed in moonlight, and Nick cuddled into his side, snorin
g his head off. For a moment, he stayed where he was, enjoying the comforting warmth of Nick's body. It had been a long time since he'd shared a bed with someone he cared about. In fact, it wasn't something he'd ever thought or expected to do again until he met Nick and all his resolutions went out the window. But being with Nick like this felt so good. Maybe too good? If this turned out to be a one-night stand, or--
Trip refused to consider the possibilities. Like Nick, he knew all about falling in love and the pain of betrayal. The way it started with the ready smile and the passionate sex, the feeling that you were the only person in his world that mattered. Then the unexpected feeling of distance, the excuses, the late nights, the trips out of town, and, finally, the knife straight between the shoulder blades when you'd least expected it.
Trip had sworn a thousand times never to put himself through all that again. He'd be better off alone. It was safer that way. After all, sex and temporary company were available in every bar in every town, and for a while, they'd sufficed. But as everyone knew and he'd come to realize, life without love and companionship was no life at all.
He hadn't planned to fall in love with Nick. It had just happened. And the fact Nick was still emotionally involved elsewhere at the time had had its advantages. It had made Trip step back, wait to see how things played out and test the strength of his feelings, rather than jump into something too fast and end up regretting his actions.
Needing to use the bathroom, Trip tried to ease away from Nick and slip off the bed without disturbing him. He'd just about made it when Nick grabbed his arm. "Where you going?"
"The bathroom. I'll be right back."
"I thought maybe you were going to leave without telling me."
"No. I wouldn't do that."
"Al did it all the time, and it really pissed me off. He'd say he was going to stay the night, and I'd wake up say around two or three and find him gone. Of course, he always had a great excuse, like he couldn't afford to be seen arriving home at dawn, or he'd just remembered something he needed to do. Bullshit...all of it. He was scared sick someone might guess he was fooling around and screw up his partnership dreams."
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