Final Act

by A R Steele

  Final Act

  Tool Shed Book 6

  A.R. Steele

  Final Act

  Tool Shed Book 6

  Published by A.R. Steele

  Copyright © 2020 A.R. Steele

  All Rights Reserved

  May not be copied or distributed without prior written permission.

  The Tool Shed Series:

  Hard Wood

  Full Frontal

  VIP Room

  Live Fantasies

  Exposed

  Final Act

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  One

  Sweat and testosterone hung in the air. The sound of soft grunts filled the large room. Austin flipped the barbell over as if it weighed nothing and fastened on four more weights. Setting his feet hip-width apart, he took a deep inhale. His powerful muscles barely strained as he curled a total of one hundred and eighty pounds from his knees to his shoulders.

  Ten repetitions later, he hadn’t even broken a sweat. “Okay, I’m done with my warm-up set.”

  Austin passed the bar to Wright, noticing impassively that his friend staggered a little under the weight. While Wright was in good shape, Austin had eighty solid pounds of muscle on him. Austin hulked over most people he knew.

  He grabbed another bar, stacking three fifty-pound plates onto each side. Planting his feet firmly on the floor again, Austin looked into the mirror. His lips were set, his two lip piercings pressing from his lower lip against the upper one. Every piece of metal in his face glimmered dully in the gym’s fluorescent light.

  Wright shook his head. “You’re a beast.”

  “I do my best,” Austin said tightly, inching the barbell higher.

  Getting into position, Wright prepared to curl the bar Austin had given him. “I want to lift like you when I grow up,” he joked.

  Austin kept his gaze steady. “Good luck with that. You’re struggling with what I used for my warm-up.”

  “Struggling?” Wright asked through gritted teeth. “This… is… so… easy.” He clenched his jaw and let the weights clatter to the floor.

  Smirking, Austin continued his slow, controlled movements. The trash talking was only for fun. He had immense respect for Wright and what he was capable of, especially since he’d recently found out Wright had a disability.

  “How many reps are you doing?” Wright asked.

  “Five sets of five.” Austin watched a bead of sweat form on the reflection of his collar, right above the tattoo of his mother’s birthday.

  “I see.”

  Austin had been doing bicep curls on a regular basis for roughly twelve years. He knew the motion well enough to do it in his sleep. Even the incredible amount of weight on his barbell didn’t faze him.

  But at Wright’s next question, he nearly let the bar slip from his fingertips.

  “So, what’s up with your love life?”

  Austin glanced at his friend, who was a few repetitions into his second set. Wright gave him an innocent look, as if romance was something they talked about often. It had never been a subject of conversation between them until Wright started to click with his new boyfriend. Austin was the first to tell Wright that Yorick was in the closet, and he’d been correct. He felt a little smug every time he looked at them together.

  Steadying himself, Austin pulled up the bar, making his biceps pop. A bead of sweat dripped from his neck as he eased the bar down again. “Nothing’s up.”

  “Okay,” Wright said, putting the bar down beside him and taking a swig of water. He swallowed and wiped off his forehead. “Just wondering.”

  “I would ask you about yours, but I know everything is perfect,” Austin grumbled.

  Wright and Yorick were too damn happy together. They completed each other in the way a couple should. Austin could see how they had helped each other come to terms with themselves. They were so perfectly in love, it was insufferable.

  “We’re excellent,” Wright said. A smile crossed his face. He got stars in his eyes every time anyone brought up Yorick. Being around the two of them was disgusting. “We were talking about you, though.”

  “Nothing to talk about.”

  Austin hadn’t dated in years. He knew fully well that he was too intimidating for most men to approach. His height and bulk were part of it, and then there were his seven facial piercings and the tattoos that covered nearly all of his exposed skin. He needed to intimidate in his line of work, and he had no issues with how it affected his life outside the strip club.

  “Pull-ups?” he asked.

  They headed over to the pull-up bar, and Austin stood back to let Wright go first. Wright did pretty well at this. Nowhere near as well as Austin, but then Wright also had a life outside the gym.

  Some of the guys at the strip club thought Austin juiced. He’d only laughed when he’d overheard them talking about it. Why would he need steroids? He spent half his spare moments here, adding greater and greater weights to his sets every time. The other half were at his mixed martial arts gym, where he learned to beat the shit out of anyone without mercy.

  “There was that night you left the bar with Lev,” Wright pointed out as he positioned his hands on the bar above him.

  Austin scoffed. “That was nothing.”

  He tried to tell himself that, anyway. He, the strippers, and the other staff had been hanging out as a group fairly regularly for the past couple of months. Lev was probably the youngest stripper at the Tool Shed, and he definitely acted the youngest. The others looked at him as a sort of little brother. He was loud and obnoxious and annoying. And he avoided Austin like the plague.

  Austin’s eyes flickered closed, and a clear picture of Lev came into his mind. Sure, he was attractive, with his shaggy dark hair, sparkling brown eyes, and the fun-loving grin that showed off the gap between his teeth. He was more cute than hot, really… despite the flames that flickered low in Austin’s belly when he thought about him.

  His own role in the group was the protector, the one who hung back and watched over everyone else. He felt a responsibility for the others, especially being the club owner’s brother. When he was alone with someone he didn’t have to worry about, like Wright, he could relax and let his playful side loose.

  “It can’t have been nothing when you two’ve been avoiding each other ever since then,” Wright pointed out. Every muscle in his arms corded as he brought himself up to the highest point.

  “Focus on your damn reps. Are you even going to make it to three this time?” Austin stroked the back of his head as he watched. “Lev hasn’t even brought up that night anyway, never mind thanked me for it.”

  “Four,” Wright huffed. “Five… six… seven… eight! That’s more than last time, right?” He let himself down, wiping off his forehead.

  “More than last time, but still shit,” Austin said teasingly. “Stand back and watch the master.”

  He stepped forward, jumping up to take hold of the bar. He went roughly twice as fast as Wright had while exerting himself half as much. Pumping himself up in quick, short bursts of energy, he did a set of eight.

  Still panting, Wright gave him a critical look when he jumped down. “Your form was bad at the end. You must be losing muscle.”

  “Yeah, I donated some to you because you needed it so bad.” Austin grabbed his water bottle and took a swig.

  “Keep telling yourself that, buddy.” Wright seemed to be willing to let the love life discussion go.

  Except he picked it up again as Austin went back for a second set. “So nothing’s up with you and Lev?”

  “Why would something be up? We haven’t spoken in months.” Not that Austin wanted to speak to that kid, with all of his brattiness and bluster. Austin still kept an eye on him, like he did
with all the strippers, but he felt no need to talk to him after what’d happened.

  “Doesn’t mean much,” Wright said. “Anyway, I think you could use someone in your life. Humans are social creatures. We weren’t meant to live alone.”

  Blinking sweat out of his eyes, Austin gave him a dirty look. “I’m doing fine on my own.”

  “Hey, I spent a long time being single, too,” Wright continued. “I didn’t even think about dating for two years. But now I see how good relationships can be.”

  “I’m sure they can, but I’m not looking. And I’m not lonely. I have friends, and my mom.”

  “That’s definitely a substitute for a man who loves you,” Wright said, rolling his eyes.

  As they headed for the free weights, Austin considered whether his friend might be right. He’d been out of the closet since the age of fifteen. He hadn’t opened the door so much as punched it open, leaving it in smithereens. His brother was much older, yet had meekly followed him out. And yet, in all those years since, Austin had never had a proper boyfriend.

  “I’m not looking,” he said again. “I’m fine with my life as it is right now. I work, I go to the gym, I do mixed martial arts, I watch out for my mom. That’s all I need.”

  Wright shook his head slightly. “You might not need love, but what about sex?” he asked. “You can’t tell me you don’t want that from time to time.”

  Austin shrugged and grabbed a barbell from the rack. “Hold on for a second, trying to beat my personal record here.” He added several plates to each side until it carried ten pounds more than usual. “I suppose I wouldn’t mind getting laid,” he grunted as he heaved up the bar. “It’s just not a priority.”

  “You should try it,” Wright said. “It doesn’t have to be hard. Half the guys at the club have been on Grindr.”

  “It’s not for me.” Austin’s nose wrinkled.

  “I will admit it seems a little… dirty,” Wright said. “But there’s other options. What about Scruff? They say that one has more mature guys. Might be more your scene.”

  Austin shot a glance at Wright. “Who says I like mature guys? And what’s with all this sudden interest in my sex life?”

  “It was a lucky guess,” Wright said. “And I figured that if you got laid once or twice, you might realize that you need a connection with a human being other than your mom.”

  The glance turned to a glare. Wright needed to mind his own damn business.

  “You know, if you had a boyfriend, you could come to Owen’s couples-only dinner party tonight.”

  Austin raised his eyebrows. He doubted that would ever happen.

  They racked their weights and finished up. Austin kept the conversation light as they headed into the changing room. But as he got home a few minutes later, the idea of registering on some dating app was still on his mind.

  He’d checked out Grindr once or twice before, finding it overrun with faceless torsos and disembodied cocks. There wasn’t much to get turned on by, unless he wanted a purely anonymous hook-up with someone he would never see again. He doubted he’d be into that, no matter how hot the guy might be.

  Scruff could be different, though. He’d only vaguely heard of it before, and the name alone intrigued him. He always enjoyed feeling the scruff on a man’s face, at least when he was with one. The last time had to be… oh, a while ago. He was so busy, he didn’t really think about it.

  He closed the door of his apartment behind him, ducking under the too-short doorway. He had to slouch at certain places in this apartment, but other than that minor inconvenience, he had no complaints. It was large and sunny, well-located, and reasonably priced.

  After dropping his bag of sweaty gym clothes on the floor, he headed into his bedroom. He would do the laundry shortly, but first he wanted to take a look at that app Wright had been talking about. He opened up the App Store, noticing the video streaming app his coworker Jesse made was doing well.

  The reviews of Scruff said that it was better than Grindr. Apparently it was less focused on hook-ups. Austin shrugged. He wasn’t planning to get married or anything, but it would be nice if the app he chose didn’t leave him feeling like he needed a shower. If he didn’t like Scruff, he could delete it.

  It was worth a try. He hit the download button. He’d stay anonymous – he wasn’t going to put up a face picture or anything. He would give this five minutes, maybe ten, and then he would go make dinner and do the laundry.

  Sprawling out on his bed, he filled out his profile. What should he use as a screen name? He hesitated before deciding on Tattooed Muscle God.

  Age: 27

  Height: 6’3”

  Weight: 260 lbs

  Ethnicity: White

  Body Hair? Austin wavered between “some hair” and “hairy,” eventually deciding to leave it blank. If anything happened, the guy could find out for himself. Even on a dating app, he figured guys would still like a little mystery.

  The next part was harder. I am… Bear /Guy Next Door/Geek/Jock/Daddy – the list went on and on!

  Austin had been called a bear cub when he was younger, but he had no idea how other gay men would label him now. Bears were usually older, so he didn’t think he was one yet. He definitely wasn’t a chub or a chaser, though.

  Oh! His eyes had skimmed right over Muscle. That applied quite nicely.

  Now, to select which of those categories he was interested in. All of them, he figured. There was no particular “type” that he was into. What turned him on varied from one moment to the next – although he tended to prefer being dominant. He left it unset.

  Once he was done with making his profile, he began to scroll through the pictures of men around him. There were dozens upon dozens, far more than he’d anticipated. Were this many men really trying to find sex in small, quiet Bridgehaven?

  He scrolled down through a few rows of pictures until he couldn’t see any more without paying for access. The app limited how many matches a free user could get every day. Austin started to close the app.

  Before his finger came down on the home button, a notification vibrated his phone. There was a new message from someone named “Drama Twink.”

  He looked at the profile first. 22 years old, 5’6”, 175 lbs. No face – one would have been nice, but whatever. Austin didn’t mind going for a younger guy, regardless of what Wright had assumed. Their size difference already had him fantasizing about throwing the smaller man around and taking control of him.

  The picture showed a nice torso, rippling with muscle just below the surface. Pert pink nipples were at the center of hard, shapely pecs. A few fine dark hairs pointed toward the belly button, and beyond. Austin’s throat tightened as he thought about what might lie beneath where the picture cut off.

  Then he clicked on the message, and his eyebrows shot up. No need for imagination after all. The guy had attached a full picture of his dick. Austin chuckled as he looked at it. From the way the guy held it, he could tell he took some pride there. He had some reason to… but Austin was endowed in that department as well, and truth be told, he put this guy to shame.

  Still, it was a nice color, olive-toned and nearly purple with arousal. The light fell on it in a way that made it glow. The guy had his hand wrapped around it, showing just how thick it was. The dark hair around the balls was closely trimmed.

  Austin went back to the message, reading what the guy had written this time. Hey! I thought I’d already talked to every guy on this thing. Check this out and tell me if you want to play.

  Drama Twink had attached three winky faces.

  Two

  Staring at the TV, Lev spooned a bite of cheesy chili ramen into his mouth. His phone was right beside him, as always. He couldn’t wait for the day that it could be surgically implanted into his left hand.

  The trashy talk show host made a cutting remark to one of the guests. The ramen on Lev’s spoon fell back into the bowl as he cheered him on. He adored this guy’s cattiness. “You go, girl,” he said
to the screen.

  His aunt was at work, which meant he didn’t have to fight over the remote. She always wanted to watch soap operas, while he was more into reality TV and America’s Next Top Model. But even having his choice of what to waste his time on, he preferred having company over being alone.

  Looking down at his phone, he wondered why it wasn’t vibrating. His friends usually texted him all the time. Whether it was the group chat with the other strippers or his Grindr notifications, it never went silent for this long.

  He shoveled another spoonful into his mouth and then picked up the phone. Yo, what are you up to? he texted Jesse.

  After a minute, his buddy still hadn’t replied. Lev pouted as he realized he was going to have to wait for a response. He texted Elijah next. Despite how long ago Elijah had left the club, they still hung out from time to time.

  But Elijah didn’t reply immediately, either. Damn. Lev sprawled back and ate a few more bites. He wanted to hang out with somebody before work. He never spent this much time alone.

  As entertaining as the show was, he couldn’t focus. He fidgeted as he looked at the screen. When he finished eating, he got up and brought his bowl to the kitchen without even waiting for the commercial break. The talk show host simply wasn’t holding his attention anymore.

  Neither Jesse nor Elijah had responded by the time he got back. Oh, of course. He should try asking in the group chat. Then he would have the chance to bug ten people at once instead of going one by one. Much more effective!

  Where is everyone? he typed.

  The phone vibrated almost immediately, and Lev breathed a sigh of relief. At least one person wasn’t ignoring him. But his heart caught in his throat when he saw who it was from.

  I’m at home, Austin wrote.

  Lev wriggled on the couch, wishing Austin hadn’t said anything. He didn’t want to reply to him. Austin was nice and all – too nice, really. They’d always been friendly enough when Lev went in and out of the strip club. Lev had definitely let his eyes slide along that brawny body a time or two. Austin was absolutely huge, and from what Lev could tell, all of that bulk was solid muscle.