by Mia Terry
“Hey, I’m a merchant banker who doesn’t touch cocaine. I know the feeling.”
“Okay,” Rhys turned to face him, for the briefest second, eyebrows raised. “I didn’t know you were a merchant banker. No wonder Luke makes you a little scared, you’re worried he’s going to arrest you for financial crimes.”
There was enough humor in Rhys’s tone that somehow Ollie didn’t take much offence at the harshness of his words. “Hey,” Ollie protested. “I’m an ethical banker.”
“Isn’t that an oxymoron these days,” Rhys joked.
The worst of the joking was he wasn’t exactly wrong. Ollie wasn’t the type to be involved in any dodgy deals, and probably his family wealth kept him quarantined from being approached by anyone with anything really borderline in mind, but he couldn’t pretend financial companies weren’t trying to push the boundaries all the time.
“Yeah, I know. I’m a wanker banker. Are you still willing to have dinner with us tonight?” Ollie asked.
Rhys expression could only be described as a grin. “Well you’re a banker with a bit of charm and your friends sound interesting, so yeah I’ll be there. Definitely still not a date though.”
Ollie had been so engrossed in their prickly but definitely not boring conversation that he hadn’t noticed they were pulling up to the resort gates. Rhys quickly dealt with the codes and they were on their way down the winding driveway to reception. Despite their prickly conversation, Ollie didn’t want their morning together to be over. He was reluctant to say good-bye. He supposed, though, that asking for a second surfing lesson to be scheduled today might be a bit obvious.
Despite wanting to linger, as he was getting out of the van, Ollie couldn’t resist putting the boot back in. “Anyway, before you said you were a professional surfer. Traveling around the world, doing what is definitely a leisure activity and charging sponsors. Let’s face it who is the professional scammer here.”
For a second, Ollie wondered if he’d gone too far. Then he got the benefit of a highly amused smile from Rhys, which even brought out the dimples in his slightly sun battered face. “Touché. However, now I’m just a not very hard-working surfing instructor who charges a very fat fee. You can pay my invoice at the front desk.”
“Will do. I’ll text you the instructions for tonight. Would you like us to come and pick you up?”
“Way too date like,” Rhys replied. “It’s easy for me to meet you there.”
“I did say we,” Ollie defended his plan. “As in all five of us. Nothing too date like about being picked up in a full Land Cruiser of overgrown men. Though come to think about it you might have to sit in my lap.”
Standing near Rhys’s driver side there was a moment then where their eyes met. From the slight dilation of Rhys’s pupils, Ollie could see that the idea of being in Ollie’s lap didn’t leave him completely unaffected. Hell, Ollie couldn’t get the idea out of his own head. Knowing Rhys found the idea hot as well was making his board shorts far more uncomfortably tight than this PG conversation justified.
Rhys broke first. A raised hand and a rapid backing up of the van had him heading back the way he had come. Ollie lifted his hand in farewell and then marched to the reception. Paying the surfing lesson bill there did prove Rhys was very, very well paid. Lucky for Ollie’s bank account, he himself was even better compensated for the job he had, in the job that so amused his new surfing teacher.
* * *
An hour later, he’d showered, changed, eaten the lavish breakfast laid out in his room, and was lying out in the sun in his briefest Speedos.
“Babe, are you baking out here? You’re a millennial so I know you got the sun-smart message.”
Ollie would have flinched at a voice so close by, but the familiarity of Kris’s tones had him just turning his head in his friend’s direction.
“It’s twenty minutes. I’ve got cream on, and if I come home from Byron with no tan, work will think I’ve spent the whole holiday in a sex dungeon,” Ollie replied, barely moving, pleasantly lethargic from the warmth.
Kris barked a laugh; he might be slim with pretty features, but the laugh came deep from his core. “Why the hell would they think you’d spent the week being sexually tortured?”
Ollie rolled his eyes. “Because the senior bankers are old and conservative and even though they are perfectly polite, mostly, I can see the question marks around what kind of depraved behavior I get up to.”
“Where is the Ollie I know and love?” The sympathy in Kris’s eyes softened his tough tone. “You should turn up next Monday with handcuff bruises on your arms and watch their eyes bulge out.”
Ollie smiled. He could imagine that. Even wearing their gay rowing club’s sweatshirt with the slogan “pullers” had raised more than a few eyebrows at their yearly corporate retreat. However, he wasn’t quite ready to discuss work with Kris even knowing how sympathetic his best friend would be.
“How’s Billy going?” he asked, changing the subject.
“A little dull eyed from all the luxury,” Kris replied, with a smile. “This trip was my treat, with a bonus I got from work. I kept the overall cost of the place from him, so he didn’t object. But, I think he likes it, even if he does find the place a little overwhelming.”
Ollie could understand. It wasn’t just the luxury of the place; it was the blatant sexuality of the surroundings. Last night when they had gone to drinks, there were naked men draped around the pool, eyeing up the group as well as each other. Ollie wasn’t surprised all his traveling companions kept their clothes on. It wasn’t a sleazy atmosphere, but there was no mistaking it for anything other than a grouping of gay men. He supposed their group had been tired after the long day of traveling, as well as having a few shyer members, and had only stayed long enough to be polite. Ollie could only imagine the hijinks that went on through the evening. Next time, Ollie decided, he’d be joining in the naked part at least. He wasn’t going to hook up with a random at the resort, especially now he settled his sights on Rhys, but he also wanted to take part in the freedom the resort offered.
“Well you can distract him with sex at least,” Ollie said, trying not to sound jealous, however he was sure that last night he had been the only one who had gone to bed with his hard-on unattended. “I thought you guys liked a bit of an audience anyway.”
Kris raised his eyebrow in his direction. “I really do tell you way too many details about my relationship.”
“I know to play dumb in Billy’s hearing.”
“Lucky,” Kris replied. “I’m pretty sure if you didn’t, I’d have a hard time getting him to leave our room.”
“You guys are so much less discreet than you think you are.” Ollie and Kris both started at the sound of an unexpected voice, though they soon relaxed, as it was only Jai settling in to the sunbed adjacent to them.
“Dickhead,” said Kris, though the hand he settled on his best friend’s arm showed the deep affection beneath his words.
Ollie couldn’t help but feel a faint stab of jealousy. Kris might have been one of his closest friends, but what Kris shared with Jai was closer, deeper, more forged in the bonds of brotherhood or a deep non-romantic love. Maybe their deep affection was created in the hell of rehab and overcoming drug addiction, but whatever it was, it was as separate to him as their individual relationships with their boyfriends.
“So, we were talking about the possibility of your boyfriends exploring the naked part of the clothing optional space,” Ollie said, when the men’s attention had come back to him. Rhys definitely had most of his attention, but he hadn’t completely given up on his vague fantasy of knowing exactly how beautiful his travelling companions actually were.
Jai’s smile was speculative. “I don’t think the main pool is going to be the place Luke would do that. The fact it is legal on this property doesn’t mean he is quite there yet. Maybe tonight though, after dinner, I can get him to agree to a night swim.”
“And we know Billy isn’t shy on
ce the stars are out…” Ollie might have got a standard headshake from Kris, but Kris’s smile and Jai’s outright laughter made up for any faux disapproval.
Ollie’s alarm went off and he reluctantly conceded he’d have to give up his lizard impression on the sunny part of the deck. “Shade time,” he declared, dragging his sun-lounger over to the other side of the pool, where the tree canopy created a much gentler dappled light. The other two men followed him, they might not have spent as much time in the sun as him, but they were far too well-mannered to have him out of conversational range.
As they all got themselves comfortable, Ollie turned to Jai and asked, “Can you really see yourself staying in Dungoon long term?”
He’d been shocked at the idea Jai and Luke had sold Jai’s very cool inner-city apartment and were looking to buy in the country town. Setting down those kinds of roots implied more than a few years away, it implied a long term commitment to country life.
“It’s Luke’s hometown,” Jai replied. “It is part of who he is and it is getting to be part of me too. What we do there is important to the community, and I don’t think I’d find as much meaning in what we do anywhere else.”
Ollie had always struggled with the idea of the sophisticated, beautiful Jai in some country town, but the man seemed content. He couldn’t help trying one last time though for understanding. “But don’t you find it hard being a gay man out there in the middle of nowhere?”
“It is only seven hours from Sydney,” Jai protested, like that was just a tiny drive. “Yeah, us being a very visible gay couple worried us both a little at first, but the world has changed in the last few years. More people want to see us happy than don’t. Almost the whole town accepts our relationship and really sees me as his partner. Since we decided to buy in town, half of the community has been giving us real estate suggestions and advice.”
“Do you know what you are going to buy yet?” Ollie was proud of how positively Kris asked the question. He knew from their morning rowing sessions Kris missed his best friend and losing him to the country had not been an easy journey.
The animation with which Jai answered the question spoke to his happiness. “There is this property just out of town, it’s a gorgeous farmhouse and on ten acres. It is only a five-minute drive to the center of town, so it is perfect for when either of us are on-call.”
“What would you do with ten acres?” Kris asked.
“I kinda like alpacas,” Jai admitted shamefacedly.
Both Ollie and Jai almost collapsed out of their chairs as they roared with laughter. “Have you told Luke that?” Ollie finally managed to ask. “He’ll never move out of the police cottage. Nothing about the man makes me think he wants to be the gay dude who farms the weird cute animals.”
“Shut up, both of you. If he hears you two carrying on, he’ll never go for it,” Jai hissed. “They are very useful animals. You can use both their meat and fur and we wouldn’t be the only people in Dungoon who farm them.”
“Good luck taking them off to the slaughterhouse, once you’ve named them all,” said Kris, amusement still thick in his voice. “The other person farming them in Dungoon wouldn’t happen to be a hipster would they?”
“Shut up, shut up, shut up,” Jai muttered, as they both giggled uncontrollably.
When they had calmed down enough to speak, Kris turned to Ollie. “Are you looking forward to dinner tonight because I’ve heard the restaurant is amazing?”
Ollie wished he hadn’t laughed so hard at Jai when he had to admit. “I’ve got an extra person joining us tonight, so can we add to our reservation?”
He got intrigued looks from both men before Kris chimed in with a question. “Ah, what does this guy look like that he’s made the cut for dinner?”
“He’s my surfing teacher. It’s not a date or anything. He’s just a nice guy.” Ollie failed to mention it wasn’t a date per Rhys’s request, rather than any amount of caution on Ollie’s part.
“We’re getting massages this afternoon. If we’re inviting all the leisure coordinators, should we make tonight’s booking for another few seats?”
“Whatever,” Ollie muttered. “He’s coming tonight, and you guys better not be assholes about it in front of him.”
“I don’t know,” Jai dimpled with a look of contemplation on his face. “I would imagine my impulse control might have something to do with potential future mention of an exotic breed of livestock.”
Ollie’s agreement was fast, considering he had at least three alpaca jokes he could think of off the top of his head. Kris on the other hand was demanding, “What do I get though?”
The look Kris got from Jai was deadly enough Ollie was glad he wasn’t on the receiving end of it. “I don’t know. I suppose I could cash in my best-friend card.”
“Done,” Kris’s voice replied, as soon as Jai had the words out. “We’ll get you those damn alpacas if they’re what you want.”
Ollie wasn’t surprised to look over at the two men and see Kris’s hand loosely bracketed around Jai’s wrist. Clearly the best friend card was a serious one.
“Damn,” Jai said quietly. “I’m totally going to be the townie who names all those adorable animals and hand clips them aren’t I.”
“Luckily you don’t have to actually make your living as a farmer,” said Ollie. “You’re already the long-haired, tattooed, gay, city radiographer. The alpacas as pets will hardly even add to your eccentric mystique.”
It was to the sound of their gentle shared laughter that Billy and Luke joined them on the deck.
“What’s happening out here?” Luke asked, as he sat on the end of Jai’s sun lounger, pulling his partners feet onto his lap.
“We were promising to be nice to Ollie’s date tonight for dinner,” Kris said, sending a wink Ollie’s way.
Ollie considered getting into the not-a-date debate again, but gave it up as a lost cause. Anyway, Luke and Billy were the least of his worries in the gently mocking stakes, so he settled back on his sun-lounger and asked, “What’s for lunch?”
* * *
Six hours later and Ollie was carefully following the GPS instructions of the resort’s courtesy car along a narrow driveway. After a lunch BBQ with his friends and a very good massage, he should be floating away with relaxation. Instead, there was an unfamiliar tingling in Ollie’s stomach which could only be nerves. He was a man used to feeling confident in other people’s desire for him. With Rhys that just wasn’t the case.
Rhys had turned him down for a date, and his reasoning was sound and realistically something that Ollie was going to have to respect. So, Ollie was going to have to probably stay in the friend-zone, no matter that his attraction for this man was more powerful than anything he’d felt in a long time.
His car cleared a ridge, and he looked onto the lovely view of the valley below. Then he sighted two buildings which matched the directions Rhys had texted him. These weren’t any hill shacks. Though after Ollie had paid for Rhys’s surf class and booked another, he knew the man wasn’t a pauper. The trendy barn-style house and its accompanying storage shed were dwellings worthy of a photo shoot.
Before he could get out of the car, Rhys was coming out his front door. Okay, so Ollie wasn’t going to be invited in. Looking at Rhys, nothing mattered. His long, fit body was encased in skinny jeans, and even his plaid button up was rolled up at the arms and of such thin cotton that you could see the musculature below. His hair was in a bun, a man bun, and Ollie felt stupid about all the jokes he’d ever made about that hairstyle. On this man, showing off those cheekbones, it was fucking hot.
Rhys quickly climbed into the car and Ollie could see his quizzical look about him arriving alone. It was suddenly very important to Ollie to let Rhys know he hadn’t tricked him into some sort of intimate date. “Yeah, I’m sorry about this. I thought we could squeeze you into our massive land cruiser, but when I mentioned it this afternoon, the police officer inside my friend Luke came out and he has this funny thin
g about us all following the legal requirements for our seating. So, I’m doing the pickup and we’re meeting them there.”
Actually, what Luke had said was, “Don’t be stupid. Do you really not understand how embarrassing it would be to get pulled up by the Byron Bay police and have to explain why there are four men in my backseat when any one of you is capable of driving another bloody car.”
Ollie continued, nervous as hell. “Robert at the resort was nice enough to give me the courtesy car. Really, we probably should be grateful, my friends Jai and Kris have surprisingly sharp elbows, and god knows what I would have had to do to bribe them to let us have the window seat.”
Rhys’s voice when he spoke sounded amused. “Well I suppose I should be grateful to have you here without you having to sacrifice a kidney. I could have driven myself though.”
“Yeah, well, I wanted to make sure you didn’t have an excuse to cancel,” Ollie replied, surprising himself with his honesty.
“I’m a man of his word. If I said I’d come I would have been there,” Rhys replied.
Ollie’s social training kicked in and he filled the space with chat about his friends. “You’ll hopefully like the others there tonight. Two couples, both annoyingly in love. Luke and Jai are living in the country these days and Luke is the aforementioned cop. Billy and Kris live just a few suburbs over from me, and I met Kris through rowing. Oh and,” Ollie felt suddenly a little awkward. “When we pre-ordered the degustation menu, we specifically didn’t ask for the matching wines.”
God, Ollie hoped Rhys understood it wasn’t because Ollie was too cheap to pay for the matching wines. Ollie had grown up with enough money that he’d never been cheap in his life.
“Feel free to order a drink,” Ollie continued. “But the theatre of waiters producing the matching wines through the meal just didn’t seem right when so many of our group weren’t drinking.”