by A R Steele
Shortly after the night, Austin had started hanging out with the group. That gave Lev the chance to observe that he was more than his intimidating exterior. Austin was nice to everyone, except when they fucked with his family or friends. And he had a fun, joking side that only came out on rare occasions.
Lev liked seeing that side, even if he preferred to avoid Austin these days. When the group hung out, Lev only spoke to their mutual friends rather than addressing Austin directly. He did his best to keep from even making eye contact.
After what had happened between them, Lev was feeling an emotion that he rarely felt. He was… embarrassed.
He wrote back to Austin, Cool. See you.
He flopped back, lying down on the couch, pressing his head back into the cushion. This sucked. What was Jesse doing that he was so busy he couldn’t reply? It had been a full ten minutes since Lev had texted him.
The two of them went back a good while. They had known each other from the gym before working together. In fact, Lev was the one who had told Jesse to interview at the Tool Shed. They were definitely tight enough for Lev to show up unannounced at his place.
After throwing what he needed for the night into a bag, Lev wrote a note to his aunt and grabbed his skateboard. Jesse’s place was only a few minutes from here. He rode quickly, fuelled by self-righteous irritation. Jesse needed to check his phone more often.
Jesse was probably busy with Shade, but fuck that. These couples needed to get a grip and stop acting like jerks just because they had boyfriends. Jesse was way cooler before he started dating that guy.
As Lev hopped off the skateboard in front of Jesse’s driveway, he noticed the Jeep wasn’t there. Jesse might not be home. Well, his grandmother was cool. Maybe she would tell him where Jesse had gone.
He banged on the door, then smiled brightly when Jesse’s grandmother opened it. The little old lady stood in a faded dress and hair curlers, looking at him in surprise. “Why, it’s Jesse’s young Jewish friend,” she said. “I haven’t seen you in a while. Jesse’s not home right now.”
“I figured,” Lev said, gesturing at the empty driveway. “Do you know where he is?” He gave her his award-winning smile. Although he didn’t go around calling Jesse his black friend, he’d let the lack of political correctness slide because of her age.
“If memory serves, he’s having dinner with his friends.”
Frowning, Lev rolled his tongue piercing against the gap between his front teeth. “I’m his friend. Or do you mean his programmer friends?”
“No, his friends from work,” she said. “Although I do believe he mentioned something about it being couples only.”
Lev nearly hissed, his eyes narrowing and his nostrils flaring. That was tonight? He remembered hearing about that party, but he still couldn’t believe they hadn’t invited him. What a load of bullshit to have a couples-only dinner party. Just because pretty much everyone else at the club was in a couple, they were going to exclude him?
“Would you like to come in?” Jesse’s grandmother asked. “There’s sweet tea.”
“No, that’s all right,” Lev said. “Thank you, though.” He took a step away, then looked back and added, “Ma’am.”
Dammit, he couldn’t believe they were doing this. He could just picture all five couples over there right now. Being happy, being affectionate, holding hands and making out. Hell, they’d probably have a big ol’ orgy.
Well, fuck them. Lev knew that being in a relationship felt good while it lasted. Oh, did it feel good. But when it was bad, it was so bad that he never wanted to feel like that again. That was why he stuck to one-night things. He never went back to the same guy twice.
And that was why he was so damn awkward with Austin.
Well, if they were all eating dinner together, he would make his own entertainment. He turned his steps toward the park nearby. It was a cruising spot back in the day, according to an older guy Lev had once hooked up with. At the moment, it still had some spots secluded enough for guys on Grindr to meet.
He pulled out his phone as he walked, opening up the hook-up app. If he was lucky, he could get a guy to meet him here before he got to work. He could use an angry blow job. He stiffened slightly in his pants, aroused at the thought of thrusting furiously into a stranger’s willing mouth.
The only problem, which he saw well before he arrived at the park, was that he’d been through every guy on this thing. The town was far from large, and Lev went through guys on a regular basis. There were plenty of flakes who only seemed to want to chat, and Lev figured he could message some of them again. But getting one to come out when and where he wanted wasn’t exactly likely. And with his no-repeats policy, he’d run out of new men to talk to.
He sat down on the bench, the wind blowing his shaggy dark hair out of place. He had a nice view of the grassy area, and then the treed section where men liked to go and fool around with each other anonymously. It was still August and the nights were warm, so the breeze was welcome.
Heaving a sigh, he looked at the pictures on the app. He recognized literally every single one of these guys. Although… this wasn’t the only game in town. Scruff was a decent option, too. It had less guys, and a lot of them overlapped with Grindr, but seeing as he was reaching the bottom of the barrel, he might as well check it out again. There was a good chance that he would waste his time, but the other option was no chance of getting laid.
As soon as he opened the app, he saw a new name at the top. The profile didn’t even have a picture, but the username was intriguing enough to make his mouth water. Tattooed Muscle God? Yes, please.
Lev opened the profile and looked at what the guy had written. Tall, check. Buff, check. He sounded like everything Lev needed in a partner for the night. He sent a message, attaching one of his best dick pics as well. Hey! I thought I had already talked to every guy on this thing. Check this out and tell me if you want to play.
No reply came immediately. Lev went back to the list of people and looked through it for a few minutes, not seeing anyone now. He’d seriously been through every guy in this town. A few minutes passed, and he was just about ready to give up and flop down in the grass until his shift started.
Then a reply from Tattooed Muscle God finally appeared. Hey. What’s up? What’s your deal?
I’m into anything and everything, Lev wrote. Anytime, anywhere.
Why don’t you send me a face picture? Muscle God asked.
Lev: I don’t like doing that. I need some privacy.
Lev had met someone on one of these apps years ago. He preferred to stay away from him… far away. If Peyton ever saw him on here, he didn’t want him to know that it was him.
Anyway, you haven’t shown me any pictures, he wrote.
Tattooed Muscle God: You’ll see everything you need to see when we meet up. I think we might be able to have some fun.
Now, that was more like it! Oh yeah? Lev wrote back, biting his lip. What are you into?
Tattooed Muscle God: I’m versatile.
Well, I’m looking to meet right now. Lev shifted on the bench, a twinge going through his body. His cock swelled between his legs, and he pinched himself to make it go down again. What do you think of meeting right now?
I don’t know, the other guy wrote. I have to go to work tonight. That doesn’t leave me a lot of time.
Lev: Funny, so do I. We can make it quick.
Tattooed Muscle God: Maybe. I’ve never actually done this before.
Dammit, Lev was so close to getting his dick sucked. He wasn’t going to let this go.
He went to his phone gallery and chose another dick picture, one that made it look even bigger. No guy could resist once they saw what he was working with.
I’m the perfect guy to initiate you, he wrote. You’re going to have a great time.
Three
Austin leaned back on the couch, kicking his feet up on the coffee table. It was already scuffed from years of abuse, and his large feet weren’t going t
o do it any harm. He glanced at his phone, taking a sip of his protein shake before browsing through a few more profiles on the app.
The TV blared with some kind of wrestling match, but Austin paid no attention. His mind was on his love life. Wright had really gotten him thinking about it earlier. He definitely hadn’t been on a date in a while. As for sex, it’d been even longer.
Tipping back the shaker, he swallowed the last few grams of whey protein. None of the other profiles on the app stood out to him, and none of them messaged him.
The drama guy seemed pretty keen on meeting up, based on his last note. A guy without a face picture wouldn’t have been Austin’s first choice, but he didn’t feel like reaching out to anyone else either. He wasn’t even going to take this seriously enough to put up a photo. Maybe this guy would talk him into meeting. If not, he was fine with jerking off as usual.
I’m not looking to rush this, Austin typed back to him. I like a little anticipation… I’m not the quick fuck kind of guy.
At the Tool Shed, he saw so many happy couples on a daily basis. If he had the chance to be like them, he had to admit that he would take it. They were always so happy to be together, it was kind of annoying. Since he didn’t anticipate finding a boyfriend anytime soon, he might as well get his rocks off instead. He looked at his phone.
I’ll make it so good for you, Drama Twink wrote. You won’t regret this.
Austin: What exactly do you want to do, anyway?
Austin licked his lips at the prospect of talking dirty. He would have been happier if he’d seen the guy’s pic, but at this point he was getting turned on. It might be good that the twink hadn’t seen what he looked like yet. He tended to intimidate potential partners.
Few men compared to him in sheer physical size. The strippers at the club were in great shape compared to the average American male, and even they were terrified of him – with good reason. He could beat the shit out of any of them.
Mixed martial arts training did that. He’d been doing it for years, and the discipline was not about polite rules and regulations. In MMA, you did whatever you needed to do to win the fight. Open-hand combat. Little protection. That shit got brutal, and that was what Austin liked about it.
He did get turned on often – multiple times a day, in fact. A lot of testosterone pumped through his body, and the exertion he went through at the gym didn’t help.
Masturbating was fine, but sometimes he wanted to feel a hot mouth – better yet, a willing asshole. He wanted to see a man writhe under him, to feel him coming around his cock. It had been a long-ass time. People looked at him in fear, not in desire.
While he waited for a reply, he hit the speed dial button to call his mom. Even though they’d had dinner together last night, he liked to check on her every day. He’d keep the call quick and then get back to his conversation.
“Hello, sweetheart,” Mom said when she picked up. “How are you?”
“I’m doing well.” His voice instantly modulated to be less gruff and more caring. “What did you have for dinner tonight?”
“Pasta with pesto sauce.” She was probably twirling the phone cord around, maybe squinting at her laptop at the same time. “What about you?”
“I should have come over,” he said. “I had chicken and broccoli, like always.”
That was the best kind of meal for muscle building, which was always his number one goal. But spending time with Mom came even before number one.
“You’re welcome here anytime.”
Austin knew he had an open invitation. He’d lived with her until four years ago, only moving out because it seemed strange to be at home at that age. Even now, he was only down the street. He’d intentionally rented an apartment close to hers. He didn’t like to see her being alone.
“What have you been up to today?” Mom asked. “Talked to Trenton?”
“No, I’ll see him tonight.” Austin saw his brother every night they were working, although they were each busy with their own tasks. He didn’t know much more of what happened in Trenton’s life than Mom did. “I just went to the gym, as usual.”
“Did you beat your record on the deadlift?”
“I did,” he said. “And my buddy Wright had some gains, too. He can do ten pull-ups now.”
Austin looked at his phone, replying to a message from the drama guy. This guy seemed pretty eager, and Austin wondered why. Men were so horny. He’d forgotten what it was like in the dating scene… although he’d also never used an app like this before.
“What about your day?” he asked.
“It’s been fine. Nothing exciting happens to me!”
“Yeah, let’s keep it that way,” Austin muttered. His mom had a way of attracting trouble.
They went quiet for a moment. Austin’s phone vibrated, so he put her on speakerphone and read the last text from this drama guy. I’m going to take you out into the bushes, get you down on your knees, and give you a taste of this big, beautiful cock.
Austin was definitely interested… although he doubted the guy would be so cocky if he knew who he was talking to. There was barely any time before work, but then an anonymous hookup wouldn’t require all that much time.
And if I suck you well enough, you’ll return the favor? he wrote.
Drama Twink: Exactly. Then maybe I’ll lay you down on the grass and ride you ‘til we both bust our nut.
“This is odd,” Mom said, bringing Austin’s attention back to her.
He settled one leg on top of the other on the coffee table. “What’s odd?”
“I just got an email from my bank. They say somebody tried to log into my account from Nigeria. That’s where all the scams are, right? I should change my password.”
Austin stiffened. “Does it tell you to change your password?”
“Yes, it says so right here. Hold on, let me do that. I’m not so old that I can’t manage to change a password.”
“Mom, don’t!” he practically shouted. “That’s a scam. They tell you someone tried to log in to scare you, but it’s actually them who are the scammers. As soon as you click that link and try to change your password, you’ve given them your real password.”
“But it’s from my bank,” Mom said in confusion.
“Don’t just look at the name. Look at the email address that it’s from. If it doesn’t look legitimate, then don’t click it. Even if it does, don’t click it. Go straight to the bank’s website and change your password from there.” Fuck, did he need to go over there and physically stop her from clicking it?
“Okay, okay,” she said.
Austin’s heart was racing, his conversation on Scruff forgotten. His mom kept getting herself into this sort of situation, and she never seemed to learn from them. He seriously wished he’d gone to her place for dinner tonight. Then he could have shown her in person. Maybe he should think about going there every night. At least he’d called, saving her from giving her bank account information to scammers.
“You deleted that email?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“You sure?”
She sounded guilty. “I did now.”
“All right. I have to go get ready for work, okay? I’ll come over tomorrow.”
He hung up, still shaking his head. Mom had no common sense. Con artists seemed to see her vulnerability from a mile away. They kept coming at her, one after another, swooping down on her like vultures.
If only he could leap in front of her and show all of them who they were messing with. His mom might have been frail and gullible, but he was six foot three, two hundred and sixty pounds of pure muscle, and more than ready to defend her. He would make protecting her his full-time job if he ever needed to.
He flicked back to the hook-up app. He hadn’t responded in a couple minutes because of talking to his mom, and it seemed that Drama Twink had gotten impatient. As soon as he saw the new pictures the guy had sent, he forgot all about the scare with his mom.
Drama Twink: Are you coming
or not?
Austin glanced at the clock. There wasn’t much time left, certainly not enough for the kind of lengthy, drawn-out encounter he preferred. But after so much thinking about sex, he was pretty worked up. He could squeeze this in before nine-thirty.
He might as well do it, just this once. It had been a long time. Why the hell not?
Yeah, okay, he wrote. Where am I meeting you?
Drama Twink: I’m sitting in Richfield Park. We can fool around here. It’s pretty quiet.
Austin: Cool, not far from my work. I’ll be there in ten.
Drama Twink: I’ll be in a blue T-shirt and sunglasses.
There was so little time, Austin didn’t even have a chance to get ready. At least he’d showered and put on clean black jeans after the gym. He was already wearing the wifebeater he wore outside the club, the one that showed off the tattoos all over on his chest, neck, and arms.
He’d collected the tattoos over the course of his twenty-seven years. Some were related to his loved ones, like his mom’s birth date. Others were just for show, as with the seven pieces of metal that decorated his face. The ink and piercings made him look like a tough, mean fighting machine – accurate, although there was more to him past his surface.
After locking the door behind him, he headed for his car. He sure wished he’d seen this guy’s face. What if he turned up and this twink had a mouth full of rotting teeth? Or no teeth at all? Austin’s heart beat a little faster. What if it was someone that he knew? Something nagged at his mind, some connection between drama and twinks, but he couldn’t put his finger on what.
As he got into the car, he pulled out his phone. Hey bro, is it crazy to meet up with a guy without seeing his face? he texted Wright.
He balanced the phone on his knee and pulled into the street. A few minutes passed without a reply from Wright. Austin gritted his teeth when he remembered he was at that couples-only dinner party. Never mind, he wrote. So much for getting advice from him about this mess.
The drive to the park went by quickly, which was good because Austin was a little nervous. What exactly was he getting himself into?