by Lara Hale
“Shane… you better come up here, or I’m telling you–I’m coming in your mouth.”
He releases me with a loud pop and climbs me like a tree without warning, causing us both to almost fall flat on our asses.
“Lube and condoms?” I ask.
Finally releasing me, he all but crawls to the nightstand in search of supplies. By the time he is back, I’m already almost naked. “That desperate to get in me?”
I look him up and down before I reply, “Oh, you have no idea, sweetheart.”
Kneeling in the center of the bed, he begins to undress. I just watch the show while stroking the hard length of my cock. He is so different from Harvey. I wonder what Harvey would look like on all fours and ready to take me inside him. I shake my head, knowing damn well I shouldn’t have gone there.
“What?” Shane interrupts my thoughts with the question.
“‘What,’ what?”
“You were shaking your head.”
Shit! Was I that obvious?
“You… you are more than I was expecting.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Nice save, I guess; that is something I won’t have to explain, so, great. He finishes his torturous strip tease, and I climb the bed. The man has smooth skin, soft hair on the few spots where he is not waxed. He helps me get him ready for me; when he is good and stretched, I reach for the condom and roll it on.
“I want to ride you.” He says; and ride me, he does. The man can move like he was born to ride cock. The faces he makes just put me on edge and I feel my orgasm almost there, but not quite.
“Mmm… jerk me off, handsome. I’m a little busy here.” I let go of his hips and grabbed him. I wonder if Harvey would like to ride me, hypothetically speaking, of course. Like, if he was gay, would he like to take or be taken?
My stupid brain decides it is a good idea to imagine Harvey seated on my lap, taking my cock, and honestly, I’m not even embarrassed to admit that just the thought of it made me spill my load in seconds. I moan like a cheap whore but don’t let go of Shane; I’m not that selfish, and he deserves to come too. He does and his clenches squeeze the last drop out of me.
The silence lasted less than a minute after he felt flat next to me, leaving my hand and my stomach full of his cum. “That was—Fuck! I so needed that.”
“You and I both.”
∞∞∞
Between make out sessions, a movie that’s too lame not to laugh, and the two other rounds I doubted I had in me, we talk, and I like him. I can see myself getting busy with him every now and then. But that’s it.
We are in the living room. Shane’s head on my lap, and his feet propped on the couch’s arm on the opposite end. “Listen. I need to be honest with you.”
“Damn! Am I getting the ‘listen’ talk already? Ok, I’ll bite. It’s not me, it’s you?” He looks hurt, and I realize that is precisely the talk we are having. Tremendous!
“I like you,” he begins, “I do. But I can’t have anything serious right now. I’m disgustingly in love with someone else. I can give you my body as much as you want, but my heart belongs to someone else.”
Well… that was extra sappy considering we met less than twelve hours ago. But, what Shane offers is exactly what I need because my heart may not belong to him, but Harvey—and all that is Harvey adjacent—operates my brain.
“Actually, Shane, that is perfect. I like you a ton, and the sex was twice as mind-blowing, but I can’t see myself with anyone right now. I’m not in that place.”
“Because of Harvey, isn’t it?”
I straightened so hard that my movement almost sent him flying. Does he know anything I don’t?
“Fuck! Am I that obvious?” I ask, worried that if I am obvious in front of him, I might be just as obvious when Harvey is around.
“To the gay eye?” Shane says, “Yes, honey, completely obvious.”
“As long as he is oblivious to the matter, I’m ok.”
He stays quiet, and that peaks at my interest. “What?” I ask.
“I might be wrong, though I’m usually not–I think he isn’t as oblivious as you wish. He was sweating possessive vibes over you when we were flirting.”
“He is my boss, and he is used to having me there to fix or throw anything he breaks while banging one of his many women. Believe me… he doesn’t know.”
“Ok, sugar, whatever you say.”
I change the topic before I say shit I shouldn’t. Straight muscular bosses going gay for their employees. That only happens in romance novels, and I know better than that.
Sometime later—around 3 am—I walk back into Harvey's house. I take my shoes off at the entrance, so I don’t wake him up, although his room is at the total opposite of my own. I’m walking to the kitchen to grab a glass of water and almost have a heart attack.
“Shit! You scared the crap out of me.”
I see Harvey creepily seated on one of the kitchen stools, his elbows holding his weight on the counter. “A little late, don’t you think?” He asks.
“A little early, considering I asked for the rest of the night off.”
“Oh?” That seems to catch his full attention. “Did it not work out between you and Shane?”
“Oh, believe me, it did! Multiple times.” I see the slightest twitch of his jaw but won’t read into it. Shane doesn’t know what he was talking about.
“Of course, it did.”
He lets out the words in a huff and I wonder what crawled up his tight ass. Unfortunately, not me, I think. And then I laugh at the inside joke between me and myself.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing. Nothing, boss, I’m going to bed. I’m spent.” And as I walk away, I hear a barely audible, “Fuck!” But I refuse to read into it.
HARVEY
Chapter 6
I spent the night thinking about Tobias, worried about him, of course. Nothing else.
My entire hookup list decided to be busy tonight, so I had to end up settling for a long boring conversation with Jared.
“What’s up your ass today? Why are you so moody?” Ever since Jared asked those questions, I’ve been wondering why I got so worked up. “Nothing is, and nothing will ever be ok? So, shut it!” I got so defensive there. Why did I get so defensive?
“Morning, boss! What’s in store for me today?”
Tobias walks into the open space that showcases my dining and living room, and my kitchen. “How did you sleep last night?” I ask.
“Like a well-cared for, baby!”
He sighs, and I want to punch the sigh off his face. What can that scrawny man give him that could be better than what someone like me could? Is he going to stop flirting with me? I kind of enjoy being the center of Tobias’ attention. Because it cracks me up, of course, nothing more.
“Are you going to see him again?”
The words came out in a growl, and I coughed to try and get my shit together. “I have no idea what you just asked me.” He says in the middle of a laugh fest.
“Nothing Spencer. Anyway, I was wondering what your plan is about your ID and all personal documents. How is that going?”
I see the immediate change on his face, and I wish I could spare him the pain of talking about his family, but I’m doing it for Tobias. I’m doing it to help him.
“I—They don’t… My parents won’t talk to me, so I’ll have to go there.”
How can his parents just do shit like that? I will never understand how being homosexual can be wrong. Shouldn’t it be the parents disowning you, what society should qualify as ‘wrong’?
You can’t choose who you love, or that’s how I’ve had it explained to me, but you can choose to be a piece of shit and not support someone you created.
“I can drive you to them.”
“You would? I was trying to find the courage to ask Shane.”
Yeah, like I’m going to let that happen. I mean, because the guy is so shamelessly gay. His parents would judg
e them even more.
“Nonsense! You’re coming with me.” He smirks, and I know he is flirting, which again, I don’t mind. I know he is about to say something that he thinks I think is a joke. “I mean like not coming but like, taking you… there–”
He raises an eyebrow, and I know he just wants to laugh. God! When did I turn thirteen again?
“I meant to drive you there, Spencer.”
“It’s ok, boss, I’m just giving you a hard time.”
Ok, so here’s the thing; the reason he flirts with me without shame. The first time he did, it was an accident. To appease his mind, I might have insinuated that I didn’t think he was attracted to me; otherwise, he would be acting like a dog in heat. It turns out Tobias believed me, so now he flirts blatantly because he thinks I don’t know that he likes me.
“I’m serious here, Tobias.” I try to sound empathetic since I know this is a tough subject for him. “I really need you to get your ID and all that. I can’t have you working around the house like some sort of inexperienced handyman.”
“Wait,” I see a hint of fear in his eyes, “you mean you are firing me? Harvey, I need this job. Did I do something? Whatever it was I promi—”
“No, Tobias it’s not that,” I said, interrupting him, I won’t let him think I’m firing him, “quite the opposite. I happen to be short on staff in one of my restaurants. I was going to ask if you wanted to take one of the empty positions.”
“Shit! How about you start with that next time?”
“Next time? So, you plan to get robbed again and end up cleaning some douche-bags messes?” The expression now on his face is one I don’t recognize. I’ve never seen that in him, and I’m pretty sure I know each facial expression that he associates with any given emotion.
“What?” I ask.
“You don’t think I consider you a douche-bag, do you?” I just raise my eyebrow as if asking… Don’t you, though? “Harvey, you bought me a hot meal and welcomed me in your home without even knowing me. You trusted me and my words.”
Somehow, he ended up in front of me, his palm against the side of my face. “I don’t think I will ever be more grateful to anyone than I am to you. I think the world of you, Harvey; you have to know that.”
I just stay there, dumbfounded. Tobias’ hand was still there. I’m not leaning into it, but I’m not pulling away either. Suddenly I am very aware of each breath he takes, his lip twitch, his eyes like the ocean—shades of greens and blues in them. I blink. The slowest blink ever, and just like that, the spell breaks.
“Eh, thank you. I will go and check on the pool.”
“Wait, you didn’t answer me about the job.”
“Can we talk about that later because... the pool…” But he doesn’t finish whatever it is he was trying to say. He disappears from my sight, and I find myself stunned in the middle of my kitchen, wondering one thing.
What…
The hell…
Just happened?
TOBIAS
Chapter 7
Harvey ended up convincing me to go to my family the day after he offered to do so. Now here we are, driving the five hours that it takes to get to Millinocket, Maine. Or rather, Harvey is doing the driving since I don’t have a license.
“Hey?” I look at him from the passenger side. “Everything will be ok.”
“People say that right before things go to shit!”
“This time, it will be.”
My blood drains from my brain and freezes on the way to my chest. It wasn’t that the roads are bad, it wasn’t Harvey’s cliché, it wasn’t even his attempt to comfort me… no, what did it was what came with it. Because as the words leave his bitable lips, he puts his hand on my leg, right above my knee, and squeezes.
He leaves his hand there, and I’m petrified. But a few seconds later, he removes it, and without saying a word or giving any reaction, he gets the hand through his hair, combing it with his finger.
“Eh, I think we should—” He cuts his own words, and now I’m getting the reaction that makes sense. Yes, Harvey freaking out is what I expected from a straight guy. This will keep me from getting my hopes up.
“Do you want to stop and get some food? I’m starving!” I ask him, and the relief in his eyes tells me that I just saved him from a very uncomfortable situation, which I didn’t, because I’m bringing it up later.
“Yes! Check places near us and set the address on the GPS.”
“Alright, what are you in the mood for?”
“Nothing specific. What are you craving?” Harvey asks.
You! With salad dressing, with mustard, with pancake syrup, with coffee, with pretty much anything I can pour all over you.
I cough and almost choke with my own thoughts.
“Pasta. Let’s go for pasta,” I say as I check out my phone. Even the nearest gas station, is twenty minutes away. Apparently, our location is the middle of nowhere, intersection with fuck-you-ville.
Two stomach growls away from fainting, and I finally see the light in the form of a town. We made it to a restaurant and thank God they were fast. Not too long after our arrival, we have hot food and cold drinks. And that’s when my bright self decides to have the worst conversation.
“Listen about what happened earlier in the car. You don’t have to worry, ok? I won’t think you suddenly turned gay because you touched my knee. I won’t try to do anything; I just wanted to say it just in case you were afraid I would. You were offering comfort as a friend, and that’s the only way I took it.”
“Thank… God! I had no idea how to bring it up.”
“Which is total bullshit, Harvey. You know me better than that. You know me better than anyone.”
As much as he said he was ok, the remaining two hours of the trip were awkward, to say the least.
“You’re going to want to turn right here and take a left right after. That’s their street.” He follows what I say, and I found myself about to confront my family for the first time. “That last big house at the end of the road, with the yellow porch.”
We get in through the long driveway, and when he parks where I instruct him, he takes the key out of the ignition to start getting out of the car.
“Where are you going?”
“What do you mean? I’m coming with you.”
“No! No! That’s not a good idea. My parents will think you’re my… that we are… that you and I… you know.” A nod from him is enough to tell me all I need to know. He will wait outside, but he will kick someone’s ass if he has to.
I knock on the door—because, of course, the guy that robbed me also took my keys. My brother, Ahmed, is the one to open it.
“What the fuck are you doing here, you little queer?”
“Can I come in? I need to talk to mom or dad.”
“That’s Sylvia and Thomas Spencer for you. And no, you can’t come in.”
“Ahmed, I’m not here for a fight. I just want my birth certificate. I was robbed, and they took my wallet with my ID. I’ve been going around with nothing to identify myself.”