Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

“What’s your family like?” James asked, snuggling up to Mike’s body.

Mike continued stroking James’ glossy hair as he spoke. “They’re cool. My mom worked in a school cafeteria and my dad was a construction worker. We grew up outside of Pittsburgh. My uncle was a well-to-do banker. I think I mentioned he was the one who paid for my schooling. He’s a great guy. Gay. My folks always knew it. It didn’t matter to them. They appreciated how much he helped me. I think their love for him helped pave the way for their acceptance of my announcement.”

“Did you go to college?” James wondered.

Mike smirked. “I thought you were one of my biggest fans. How do you not know that?” James shrugged. “I went for a couple of years on an athletic scholarship. I quit when I got an offer to join the Colorado Rockies farm league. From there, I got noticed and drafted by the Yankees. Played with them my whole career.”

“Did you like it?”

Mike pondered for a second. “Yes, for the most part. I loved playing baseball. Staying in the closet was a bummer. The traveling got tiring, and some of the teammates were asses. There were unspoken rules like not ratting out a teammate you knew was finding ways to juice, even though it would piss me off that they had an unfair advantage and were cheating the system.”

“My father would have applauded them,” James muttered. “He always used to say, it doesn’t matter how you win, as long as you do. Nobody remembers the good sportsmen or the people who play by the rules. They only remember who was successful.”

“You think that’s true?” Mike worried.

“Unfortunately,” James answered. “I don’t think it’s fair. It’s not the philosophy I apply to my own life. But yes, I think it’s true.”

“It’s a fucked-up world, isn’t it?”

James sighed. “It’s almost hard to blame my father. People prove him right all the time. His colleagues and voting base claim they care about morality and fairness, but they reward the exact opposite.”

Mike kissed James’ head. “Well, I admire your principles.”

“My father is involved in baseball too, you know,” James informed him.

Mike’s eyes widened with surprise. “How so?”

“He’s part owner of the expansion team, the Cherry Hill Marksmen.”

Mike whistled. “No shit. I’m not that familiar with who owns the teams—except the Yankees, of course. Well, the Red Sox and the Chicago Cubs, too. I don’t know, I guess that never mattered to me.”

“He wants sole ownership, but he only owns forty percent. Typical of my father, he’s tried underhanded ways to wrestle the sixty percent owned by his partner, Stan Lyons,” James continued.

“The internet mogul? Why do these guys want to own professional sports teams?”

James laughed. “Why else? Money. Power. Status. Although I’m guessing that Lyons, unlike my father, is a decent guy.”

“You’ve met him?” Mike asked.

“No, but my father hates his political views and his fight for things like an increase to the minimum wage and preservation of social security and Medicare. Those are worthy causes in my opinion. Plus, if Lyons is on the opposite side of my father on anything, it speaks well of him,” James mused.

“Must be an uncomfortable partnership,” Mike agreed. “Can I ask? How did your mother die?”

“Car accident.”

“That’s rough,” Mike soothed. “I’m sorry. To think you were left alone with the likes of your father…”

James sighed. “I learned to manage. He wasn’t physically abusive often. I mean, he supports physical discipline, and he slapped my face hard a few times. But I have to say, he seldom lost it like that when we annoyed him. Instead, he’d take something from us or send us to our rooms without dinner.”

“He courts the worst element for votes,” Mike stated. James looked at him in surprise. “What? Just because I’m a baseball player doesn’t mean I don’t follow politics. Plus, I’ve read more about him since meeting you. I wanted to be prepared for what I might have to deal with if he finds out about us.”

James nodded. “There’s not much you have to research when it comes to him. Just look up ‘douche’ in the dictionary, and you’ll see my father listed as the second definition of the word.”

Mike chuckled. “And you have a sister?”

James groaned. “Lilah. A spoiled, bratty, entitled, future-fascist.”

Mike laughed. “So, I see you’re close.”

“She takes after her mother, Morticia,” James mumbled.

“Her mother’s name is Morticia?” Mike asked.

“No.”

Mike blushed—he hadn’t recognized it was a joke.

They stayed quiet for a bit, enjoying the wind that was blowing through James’ now open bedroom window. The air tickled their naked bodies, and it was just cool enough that it made them want to press against each other for warmth.

“James?” Mike whispered.

“Hmm?”

“When’s the last time you let a guy make love to you?” Mike ventured.

James tried to gauge Mike’s exact meaning. “Um, about a half hour ago?”

Mike chuckled. “Thanks, but that’s not what I meant. Was it with your boyfriend?”

James closed his eyes and nodded. “Yes.”

Mike touched James’ chin, lifting it a bit so they were staring in each other’s eyes. “You pretend you’re carefree, but you save the most intimate acts for the very few who have been special to you.” James didn’t reply. He just closed his eyes again. “I respect that. In fact, I’m glad. I won’t joke about being with you like that anymore. If, one day, you’re ready to do that with me, I’ll consider myself lucky and be very grateful.”

After a moment of silence, James pulled from Mike’s arms. Mike worried he had offended James, but saw that he was reaching over to the nightstand. James pulled out a box of condoms and a bottle of lubricant. Mike’s eyes went wide.

“You’re special to me,” James stated, handing the items to Mike.

“James…” Mike gasped.

“I’m sure,” James cut in, as if anticipating the rest of Mike’s question.

Mike pulled his man back to him and kissed him. Within seconds, both were aroused, caressing and kissing every body part within their reach.

Mike turned James onto his back, then climbed on board, sucking on James’ tongue while flicking James’ nipples. “You are so beautiful, James,” he panted.

Mike was beginning to realize James was sarcastic when he was nervous, so he wasn’t surprised when James still found the strength to utter, “But if you make choo-choo noises while you’re entering me, we’re done.”

“Baby, the only noises you’ll be hearing from me are the whimpers of a man who’s in disbelief at what’s happening,” Mike assured him, kissing James once more.

Mike decided he’d better proceed to the next step before each exploded from their anticipation and passion. He kissed his way down his lover’s body to the soft, soapy-smelling pubes. He then moved down to the hard cock that still struck his awe. Licking James made the man moan, squirm and flex his thighs in Mike’s roaming hands.

“Mike,” James panted.

“James, I want you so bad. I can’t get enough of you,” Mike confessed, taking James’ leaking dick into his mouth and sucking until James was losing control beneath him. With some regret, he let James fall from his lips so he could push James’ muscular legs up. James pulled his knees to his chest, exposing himself as Mike had done earlier. Mike had to agree with James’ earlier comment that there was nothing more beautiful than someone offering themself—especially this hot man. He used his tongue to create a wet trail over James’ balls, taint and anus, eliciting a guttural cry from James. Mike bathed James’ opening with his saliva, circling and probing the twitching hole.

“Stop teasing, Mike,” James pleaded.

As much as Mike was enjoying burying his face in James’ warm buttocks, he was even more eager to bury his dick. He slowed his excitement so he could prepare James by lubing and stretching him. When he probed with his forefinger, James hissed, and his tight muscles contracted. Mike pushed and twirled his digit until the resistance diminished. He inserted a second finger, loving the look of penetrating his lover. He twisted, pushed and scissored his fingers, making certain James was slick, loosened and ready. “Baby, tell me when.”

“Now,” James groaned.

Mike sheathed his cock with a rubber, then lubed it. Holding up James’ legs, he lined the head of his shaft to the impossibly small-looking entrance. He pushed about an inch of himself inside James. James moaned, a mix of discomfort and pleasure.

“I’ll go slow, James,” Mike promised. “I know it’s been a while.” James didn’t respond, which Mike took as agreement with the plan. He pushed bit by bit, watching James’ expressions to see when pain turned to relaxation, and when comfort moved on to lust. When he was fully inside James, Mike looked down at where they were joined, marveling at seeing himself immersed in the beautiful man.

Jolting him from his reverie, James snapped, “No parking.”

Mike chuckled, pulling his dick back. He loved watching his cock working James’ opening while also seeing James’ ecstatic face. Mike started a slow rhythm of in-and-out thrusts, the wet tightness shooting bolts of pleasure to him with each movement he made. Once the slide was smooth and slick, Mike hurried the pace, pounding against James’ prostate.

James was whimpering words, but Mike couldn’t decipher them. They could have been satanic, as he thought James must be the devil himself to inspire such lust and gratification. Mike felt and heard his balls slapping against James’ ass with every downward stroke, heightening his pleasure as the sounds mixed with those of his and James’ cries. Mike looked down to watch himself pull out of the now-sweating ass, then plunge back in with one hard stroke. He repeated the movement a couple of times, causing James to shout his name.

Unable to take any more, Mike resumed fucking at a frenetic pace, yelling as James’ rectum coaxed multiple hot spurts into the condom. Mike continued pumping while grabbing James’ cock and twisting it in his hand. James let out a loud groan like he was in pain, but the streams of milky cream erupting from his throbbing dick revealed what he was truly experiencing. Mike watched with awe as the cum from his lover continued to splatter his beautiful torso until it came to a halt and James lay covered in a pool of his emissions.

Mike pulled out of James, holding onto the condom. He removed it, tied it and tossed it over the bed, collapsing on top of the guy who had just given him the best orgasm of his life. Both were still panting and touching each other as they tried to catch their breaths. After a moment, Mike grabbed his T-shirt from the floor and cleaned up his partner. Tossing the cum-soaked garment back to the carpet, Mike used his clean hand to pet James’ hair while kissing his nose, cheeks and lips. “James, that was so wonderful. Thank you.” He almost found himself saying ‘I love you,’ but stopped himself in the nick of time.

James kissed the side of Mike’s head, but remained quiet. He stroked Mike’s back, though, giving Mike a sense of peace.

After two rounds of sex, both were sated and sleepy. Mike rolled to his side, pulling James into a cuddle until they both fell into a deep slumber.

* * * *

When Mike awoke, the apartment was as dark as the night outside the window. He glanced to the nearby alarm clock—it was two in the morning. He was surprised James wasn’t in bed. Mike glanced at the ensuite, but he could make out that the door was open and the lights weren’t on. Beginning to worry, he rose from the bed and walked into the kitchen-living room area of the apartment. Once his eyes adjusted, he saw that James had put on sleep pants and was standing by the window, staring at the dimly illuminated street.

Mike wasn’t sure how to make his presence known without startling the man, but it seemed James sensed his presence. “I couldn’t sleep,” James murmured without turning around. “My sleep pattern is screwed up now.”

Mike walked to where James was standing, worried that James’ comment was an accusation that Mike had let them fall asleep in the afternoon. James had mentioned that it was important for him to maintain his schedule for work. “I’m sorry, James,” he offered, even though he knew he was no more at fault than James.

James nodded. “I fell asleep too early.”

From behind, Mike put his arms around James. “Are you okay?”

James ignored the question. “You shouldn’t be standing in front of a window naked.”

Mike laughed. “It’s dark in here. Nobody can see. Besides, your body is shielding me.” James didn’t respond, and Mike sensed that something more than a disrupted sleep pattern was bothering him. Mike rubbed James’ upper arms and kissed the back of his neck. He was relieved that James didn’t pull away or signal that it was unwanted. “Was I keeping you awake? I’m never sure if I snore or toss around a lot in bed.”

James huffed a soft laugh. “You snore a little. It wasn’t a big deal. You don’t toss around. Your death grip on my body prevented that.”

Mike wasn’t sure if the last statement was made with affection or annoyance. “Oh, yeah. I’ve been told by people that I’m a cuddler.”

“They were right,” James replied.

Mike started to worry that James was angry with him, or that this was the start of James pushing him away, just as Billy had warned. “James, you only need to tell me what to do or not to do to make you happy. If you come back to bed, I’ll keep distance between us.”

James turned to Mike and even in the darkness, Mike could see that James had been crying. Mike knew James’ pride would be wounded if he pointed it out, so he remained silent. Instead, he stroked James’ chest, still hoping he wasn’t the reason for James’ tears.

“I like cuddling,” James whispered. “It wasn’t the reason I couldn’t sleep. Just one of those nights, I guess.”

Mike dared to lean in for a soft kiss. James didn’t resist, but he didn’t stoke the passion either. “Maybe you’ll be able to if you come back. Besides, I thought we agreed you’d stay naked through my whole visit.”

That drew the laugh from James that Mike had hoped for. “Are one-sided declarations the same thing as agreements in your world?”

Mike sighed. “They can be if the declaration is from you. As I said, you need only tell me what you want and I will honor it as an agreement between us.”

Mike dared to look back at James’ eyes—they had moistened a bit again. As if realizing Mike was on to him, James blinked and cleared his throat. “I’m good. There’s nothing I’m asking of you.”

Mike tried not to read too much into the statement. He knew it would be easy to worry that James was communicating that he wanted nothing else from him. “James, please come back to bed.” When James nodded, Mike sighed with relief. He wondered if he should try to lighten the mood again. “And take off those ridiculous sleep pants. It’s dark, so I’m hoping my eyes are deceiving me and the pattern isn’t a bunch of ponies.”

As Mike had hoped, the teasing snapped James from his funk. “They’re horses, and what’s wrong with them?”

“Nothing, if you’re a twelve-year-old girl.” Mike grinned. “There’s only one stallion I’m interested in seeing. Hint—he’s the one who’s hung like one.”

James chuckled and shook his head. “Fine. I’ll take them off. Come on.” He took Mike’s hand and led them back to his bed, shucking his pajama bottoms before climbing back onto the mattress.

Mike was a bit fearful of holding him again. He watched James to sense what would be welcomed. When James scooted a bit closer, Mike stroked his forearm, enjoying touching the silky hair over hard muscle. “Just to clarify, it is okay to hold you?”

“Yeah,” James replied, snuggling closer to Mike, putting his arms around his torso and resting his head on the pillow next to Mike’s.

After a few minutes, Mike whispered, “I’m falling for you, James.”

James didn’t respond, and Mike wasn’t sure if he was ignoring him or had already fallen asleep. It took Mike several minutes longer to reach that state.

* * * *

When Mike next awoke, the sun was shining and the cooling breeze from the night before had blown itself out to the Atlantic. The usual street noise was louder as people were making their way into the city for another workday. Because the air-conditioning was off, it was warm in the room, and Mike realized they had never felt the need to pull the covers over their naked bodies.

He glanced over at James, who had moved onto his back, an arm up under the pillow that cradled his head. Since James’ eyes were still closed, Mike shifted a bit so he could take in the view of James’ incredible body. James had lightly hairy calves, the follicles lying straight and flat against James’ tanned skin. His thighs were thick with muscle, and James’ knees were knobby enough to avoid the elephant-leg look. The creases from his hip bones down to his groin were like chiseled stone—surface-level paths leading to morning wood that lay over James’ hip. Mike wanted to run his hand over James’ little concave belly-button and up his stomach until he could trace his fingers under the sculpted pecs. The exposed armpit revealed James opted not to manscape it, and Mike thought that was masculine and sexy. In Mike’s mind, as beautiful as the body was, nothing could be more glorious than James’ head. Mike loved James’ beautiful light hair, the green eyes that were so full of emotion, the well-proportioned nose and the soft, pink lips. The ridge between James’ nose and mouth was a bit deeper than on most people, and it gave him a sculpted, noble look.

Mike blushed when taken by surprise as one of James’ eyes popped open and James’ expression signaled he knew he’d been gawked at. “Perving again?”

“Yes,” Mike admitted. “I couldn’t help it. What sight-privileged person could?”

James chuckled, then groaned as he stretched and forced himself to open his eyes more. “What time is it?”

Mike glanced at the clock. “Quarter after eight.”

“Hmm. Should get up. Need to eat, then get ready to meet Billy.”

“Oh,” Mike replied with disappointment.

James glanced back at Mike and felt some sympathy. “What? Do you still have spunk in that tank of yours?”

Mike reached down to his hard-on and gave it a couple of strokes, which drew James’ eyes to what he was fondling. “Seems there is.”

“Insatiable,” James stated as if perturbed, but his slight grin said otherwise. “Maybe, if you’re good and get up to make coffee and toast while I throw these sheets in the washing machine, I’ll entertain letting you shower with me.”

“And I’ll suck your cock,” Mike added.

James wiped a hand over his eyes while laughing. “You’re too much.”

Mike shook his head. “No, you’re too much. For now. But I’ll learn how to swallow it all.”

James shook his head and pretended to snarl. “Go put some bread in the toaster and start the coffee.”

“If that was a yes to cock-sucking, I’ll have your coffee and toast ready right away!” Mike joked, jumping out of bed and hauling his bare ass into the kitchen, leaving James to snigger at his exiting nakedness.

Once the coffee was done and the toast was ready, Mike was surprised when James emerged from the bedroom still undressed. It was a pleasant surprise that James would indulge in sharing breakfast nude.

The two sat on counter stools side-by-side, eating their food and drinking their beverages. They didn’t talk. They just touched each other’s arms and pressed each other’s bare legs together. Once done, James took the dishware and utensils to the sink and deposited them. He turned and saw that Mike had been watching his every move.

“Your ass cheeks look so nice in motion,” Mike observed.

James smirked. “Full circle. I believe that’s what you admired when you first saw me on stage.”

“It was. But it’s so much better when they aren’t covered.” Mike drooled. “And that huge dick—wow. I like watching that sucker swing when you’re walking.”

James strode to the other side of the counter, faced Mike and leaned his arms across to take Mike’s hands in his. “It’s official. I slept with a voyeur. A very perverted, relentless voyeur. But glad you enjoyed the show. How about we brush our teeth and take that shower now? Billy’s sweet, but he gets impatient if you keep him waiting.”

Mike nodded and stayed in place until James circled around the counter so they could leave the kitchen together. In the ensuite, James handed Mike a wrapped, unused toothbrush and the tube of toothpaste, then walked over to the toilet to relieve himself. While Mike brushed, he watched his man taking a piss, and he found the intimacy domestic and heartwarming. When he noticed James giving him a side-eye, Mike decided to refrain from sharing the in-love couple part of his thinking. “Kind of hot,” he mumbled with a mouthful of toothpaste and brush protruding from his lips.

James snickered, shaking his cock to drain any remaining drops. “Like I said in the kitchen…”

James bumped Mike with his arm to give him room at the vanity so he could wash his hands. He took his own toothbrush and began to brush his teeth.

Mike spit into the sink and washed his mouth, then looked back at James. “I can’t help it, James. You’re the guy I’ve always dreamed of being with.” Mike caught James’ reflection in the mirror, and he could tell there was sadness and a bit of retreat. Mike decided to turn his statement into a joke. “I mean, who wouldn’t have pictured a dick like yours on their fantasy man?”

James seemed to relax and rolled his eyes. Mike moved to the can and let loose his own stream of pee, finishing as James completed brushing and gargling.

Mike took it upon himself to open the glass door to the shower and turn on the hot water. He then held out a hand to James, inviting him to join. Under the hot spray, James followed through on his promise to Mike, letting the man relieve him orally before they washed each other.

Once they had dried off and dressed, it was time for them to leave the apartment and part ways. Mike turned James around at the doorway, pressing him against the frame. “I need to kiss you one more time, James. Please.”

James nodded, falling into Mike’s arms. The two kissed with passion until James pulled away a couple of minutes later. “Mike, I have to go.”

“I know.” Mike frowned. He rested his forehead against James’, closing his eyes. “Please don’t make me wait another week to see you, James.”

James was quiet. Mike opened his eyes to receive a nod that appeared more like uncertainty.

“Let’s go,” James whispered.