Moving On (Rob Colton) - 1. Part 1

Chapter 1

"That's nice, Dale," I moaned as he sucked on my neck.

My husband's right hand was between my legs. His wet finger pushed into my ass. My cell phone phone rang and it momentarily distracted me. I glanced at the screen. Damien.

"Shit," I muttered.

"Don't answer it," Dale growled.

I ignored the phone and returned to making out with my husband. A minute later, the phone rang again.

I let out an annoyed sigh. "I'd better answer it or he'll just keep calling back."

"God damn it," Dale mumbled and rolled off me.

I grabbed the phone from the nightstand and answered it. "Hello? What do you want, Damien? It's late and I'm already in bed."

"Mason!" Damien cried.

"What's wrong, Damien?" I asked my sobbing friend over the phone.

"It's... Joseph! He... dumped... me!" he managed through wracking sobs. "He told... me... to... get out!"

"Dame, calm down. Listen, I'll be right there, okay?"

"Hurry, Mason. Please!"

"I'm on my way."

I hung up the phone and sighed. I rolled over and looked at my husband.

"What's wrong with Damien now?" Dale asked with an annoyed sigh.

"He said that Joseph dumped him and kicked him out."

"He's probably fed up with his drama."

I stroked the little hairs between Dale's pecs. Damien drove Dale crazy, but Dale got along with him for my sake.

"Dale, I know he can be a little bit of a diva, but he's my best friend."

"Mason, you bail him out of situation after situation every time. What does he ever do for you?"

"That's not the point. I've known Damien for over twenty years. Since we were freshman in high school. I'm not going to turn my back on him."

Dale shrugged my hand off him. "Do what you need to do. I'm not gonna argue with you about god damned Damien."

"I'm sorry, Dale. I'll be back in a bit, okay?"

I leaned in and Dale huffed, but then turned and gave me a reluctant kiss.

"Okay," he said. "I'll be here."

I got out of bed, pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt and threw on some sneakers. I sped off in my car to Damien and Joseph's house.

Damien was sitting on his front porch steps when I pulled up. I parked in front and sat down next to him. He had his face buried in his hands. I put my arm around him and he laid his head on my shoulder.

"What happened, Dame?" I asked.

"He dumped me. I..."

Damien started sobbing again, unable to continue. I tightened my grip on his shoulder.

"It's okay. We'll talk later. I'm gonna go inside and pack you a bag, okay?"

Damien sniffled and nodded. He wiped his running nose on his sleeve. Rubbing his back, I gave him a quick kiss on top of his head. I took a deep breath and stood and knocked on the front door and opened it.

Joseph was sitting at the dining room table drinking straight from a bottle of whiskey. He looked awful. His eyes were bloodshot red.

"Joseph?" I quietly interrupted.

He looked up at me with a blank expression, then turned back down to his bottle.

"I'm gonna pack a bag for Damien. Is that okay?" I asked.

"I don't care," he grumbled without looking up.

I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn't think of what I could say that would help. Instead, I went to their bedroom and grabbed Damien's gym bag. I packed some clothes for Damien and grabbed his toiletries.

When I finished, I headed back to the front door. Joseph continued to ignore me, so I went outside and quietly shut the door behind me.

"Come on, Dame," I said as I held out my hand.

He grabbed my hand and pulled himself up.

"Where are we going?" he asked.

"You can stay with us until you figure it out."

Damien sighed and got into the car. The drive home was quiet. Damien held his head down, occasionally letting out a sniffle. After I parked the car in the garage, Damien followed me inside. I led him to the guest room and set his bag on the dresser.

I sat down on the bed and motioned for Damien to sit with me. "What happened, Dame?"

Damien dropped onto the bed. "I fucked up. I... I don't want to talk about it." Damien's eyes began to water and he sniffled and shook his head. "Please don't ask me, Mase," he whispered.

"Okay. Why don't you get some rest?"

I gave him another hug and I helped him strip down to his t-shirt and boxer briefs. I got him into the bed and pulled up the covers and tucked him in. He turned away from me and his body shook as he started crying again. I didn't know what to say to him, so I just rubbed his back for a little while until he fell asleep.

I got up and shut the guest room door behind me and returned to the master bedroom. When the door clicked shut, Dale turned on the lamp on his nightstand and sat up on his elbows.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," I said with a sigh. "He just said he fucked up. Joseph was really upset and was getting drunk."

"How long is he staying for?"

"I don't know."

I pulled off my clothes and crawled over Dale and got under the covers. I scooted up to Dale and wrapped my right arm around his torso.

"He's really messed up," I said. "I've never seen him this bad."

"Babe, I don't mind if he stays here a few days, but I'm not going to put up with his shit. You'd better tell him."

"Dale, please. He won't be any trouble. I promise. Okay?"

Dale let out an exasperated sigh. I leaned in and kissed his neck and up his jaw to his chin. He turned and kissed me. His kisses quickly escalated and he pushed me onto my back and started to move on top of me.

"Mm-mmm," I grunted as I pushed back on his chest.

"What's wrong?"

"Not with Damien here," I said.

"God damn it," he mumbled. "The Spawn's been here twenty minutes and he's already in the fucking way."

Dale often called Damien 'the Spawn', as in the 'Spawn of Satan'. Dale said he was evil just like his namesake from the movie 'The Omen'.

"I'm sorry, Dale. I just don't think we should make love with Damien in the house. I don't want him to hear, especially in his state."

I kissed his chest and ran my hand down his smooth stomach. I tickled his neatly trimmed pubes, then wrapped my hand around his fat cock.

"That doesn't mean I'm not going to take care of you," I whispered.

I kissed my way down his muscular chest and his flat stomach. I swirled my tongue around the head of his dick and wrapped my lips around him. I took his thick, cut, six inches into my mouth all the way down to his pubes.

"Oh fuck, babe... Nice and slow... Yeah... suck it for me..."

I swirled my tongue all over him as I slowly bobbed up and down, sucking gently but firmly. I went all the way up to the head and down to the root nice and slow, just like he liked it. I massaged his balls with my right hand as I worked him with my mouth.

"I'm gonna blow, babe. Oh god, here it comes..."

Dale's hand moved to the back of my head and he began thrusting erratically up into my sucking mouth.

"I'm coming, babe!"

Dale groaned and his dick began pulsing. His semen oozed out in thick spurts and I swallowed as my mouth filled. When he was finished, I swallowed once more. Dale was breathing heavy as I moved and laid up next to him. He grabbed the back of my head and kissed my forehead. He let out a deep breath.

"Thanks," he said contentedly.

I chuckled. "You're welcome. Let's get some sleep. I gotta be at work early tomorrow. I got a meeting in the morning. I love you, Dale."

"Love you, babe."

We kissed each other goodnight and rolled over. Dale was out like a light, which was his usual behavior after sex. I laid there for a while with my eyes closed.

Dale was such a great guy. I was really lucky to have him in my life. We've been together for six years. We got married in Massachusetts three years ago and things have been great.

I sometimes wonder how I was able to land a guy like Dale. He's so handsome and athletic. Dale is a little older than me; he's thirty-nine and I'm thirty-six. He's two inches taller than me at 6'2", but he's much more muscular, whereas I am built thin and lean. We both have dark brown hair and brown eyes. Dale keeps his short and professional since he is a lawyer. My job as an IT project manager allows me a little more freedom. I wear my hair longer, down to my shoulders. I also have a nice bit of hair on my chest and a treasure trail from my belly button to my groin.

Dale says that I look like 'Chuck' from the TV show. I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not.

Chapter 2

When the alarm clock went off in the morning, I kissed Dale, climbed over him and shuffled into our bathroom. After I pissed, I brushed my teeth while waiting for the shower to warm up.

Dale came in and stood at the toilet pissing. He yawned and stretched, then followed me into the shower stall.

"You gotta work late again tonight?" he asked as we washed up.

"I don't want to, but probably. Once this project gets going, things will get better. I just have a lot of work to do in the planning stage."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. Oh, don't forget I'm hosting the game this week."

Dale and his buddies played poker every week. It was an excuse to drink and smoke cigars and be obnoxious. I usually tried to avoid it.

"Don't worry, I'll be out of the way," I said. "And I'll make sure to take Damien with me."

"Good. Let me get your back."

Dale turned me around and began washing my back. As soon as he touched me, I knew what he was really after and I smiled.

His soapy hands slowly stroked up and down my back, caressing instead of washing.

"My ass needs washing, too," I whispered and gave him a sly grin as I pushed back against him.

Dale moved closer and wrapped his arms around me. He pressed his hard cock into my ass crack and began sliding it up and down. He kissed my shoulder and up my neck. He licked my ear lobe and flicked his tongue along my outer ear, causing my body to shudder. My dick was now at full attention, standing straight up against my stomach.

Dale's hand moved between my legs. A soapy finger pushed into my hole, quickly followed by a second finger. He slid the fingers in and out, stretching them and twisting them.

I whimpered and laid my head back against him. "Dale..."

"Hold on, babe."

Dale pushed my shoulders forward and I reached out and braced my hands against the shower wall. He tapped my legs further apart with his foot. He lined up his dick against my ass, then gave a firm push. I grunted at the momentary shock of his entry. He held completely still while he kissed along my back. He moved my hair to the side and kissed the back of my neck.

When the pain started to fade, I pushed out with my muscles and leaned back slightly, causing him to slide further into me another inch. Dale groaned loudly. His left hand moved to the shower wall on top of mine. His right hand moved around my torso and slid up and grabbed onto my left shoulder. He started moving slowly, sliding in and out.

"You feel so fucking good, baby," he moaned in my ear.

Dale pumped in and out of me faster and harder. He held me to his body with his strong arm. I looked up at our left hands. He locked his fingers between mine and squeezed my hand. I stared at our matching gold wedding bands as I pushed back against his thrusting body.

"Fuck me, Dale," I panted.

Dale's mouth moved up to the base of my neck on my right side. He nipped the sensitive skin with his teeth, then sucked it into his mouth. He clamped down and sucked hard. His hips slapped loudly against my body. He hammered into me hard and fast. I could feel his body tensing and I knew he was getting close. His right hand slid down my body and wrapped around my throbbing, dripping dick. He pumped his hand on my dick in rhythm with his hips and I couldn't hold back.

My body trembled and I gasped as ropes of hot come flew out of my dick and splattered against the shower wall. Dale grunted into my neck and his hips jerked as he came inside me. I could feel his dick throbbing and the warm liquid spurted and oozed out of me. It ran down my leg as he pulled back and let his dick slide out of me.

He laid his forehead on my back as he tried to catch his breath. He let out one more deep breath and stood up. He put his arms around me and pulled me up to him. My legs trembled as I let go of the wall and stood upright. I turned around and kissed him. Our tongues met in the middle as we slowly kissed.

"Fuck. That was hot, babe," he said.

"Yeah. I need a nap."

We both chuckled and gave our bodies another quick once-over with the washcloth. We got out of the shower and dried off and got ready for work. While Dale went to the kitchen to make the coffee, I knocked on the guest bedroom door.

"Come in."

I opened the door to find Damien sitting up on the bed.

"Hey, Dame."

I sat down next to him and took his hand. He looked like shit. Well, he looked like shit for Damien. Damien was perfect. He was stunningly gorgeous. He could be a male model. He had wavy blond hair and blue eyes. He had a ripped body. While I worked my ass off to just stay lean, he would coast through his workouts. No amount of crunches would give me washboard abs like he had. I always felt inadequate around him.

Hanging out with him in high school and then college, he always got all of the attention while I stood in the shadows behind him. Every once in a while, one of the guys would notice me. Usually what happened was a hot guy would flirt with Damien and his not-as-hot friend would end up stuck with me.

Of course, Damien knew exactly how hot he is. He can be a bit full of himself at times and he used it to his advantage.

As close as we were, Damien and I have never had sex. Once when we were drunk in college, we made out and there was some over-the-clothes touching, but that was as far as it went. The thought of it actually creeps me out now. It'd be like having sex with a brother. Eww.

"You gonna go to work today?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I guess so."

"If you want to take the day off and hang out here... maybe that'd be a good idea."

"No. I should just go in."

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"He caught me," he whispered. His eyes looked at me and then looked down. "He caught me cheating on him."

"Oh, Damien. Again?" I couldn't help but be disappointed in him.

Damien pushed my hand away. "I don't need you to judge me!"

"I'm not judging you."

"I just couldn't help it, Mase," he whined. "This guy... He checked into my hotel and he was so freaking hot. He's an actor. Well, he's going to be. He kept flirting with me... and we... we fucked. Anyway. Joseph saw the texts he sent me."

I couldn't believe that Damien threw away yet another great relationship for a quick fuck. Joseph had put up with all of Damien's bullshit for the past two years. That was the longest relationship Damien's ever had. I actually thought that Joseph might tame Damien's wild ways, but I guess not.

Damien had a track record of cheating on his boyfriends. He also wasn't above stealing other people's boyfriends.

Back in college, I met a great guy and we really hit it off. He liked me for me, not because he wanted to get to Damien. Ted and I dated for over six months when he suddenly broke up with me. Less than a week later, he started dating Damien. To this day, Damien adamantly denies that they cheated behind my back, but I know when he's lying. I was so angry with Damien. He could have anyone he wanted, why did he have to take my Ted? Ted wasn't even his type. Ted was a bear. Damien didn't like bears. But he liked big dicks and I made the mistake of telling him that Ted was hung really thick.

I didn't talk to Damien for over a month. That was the longest we had ever gone apart from each other. But when Damien got caught with yet another guy, Ted dumped him. Damien called me sobbing. I did what best friends do. I forgave Damien for stealing my boyfriend and held him while he cried.

I looked down at my watch.

"Dame, I gotta go," I said. "We can talk more when I get home. You can stay here as long as you need, okay? But you have to promise to be nice to Dale."

"Okay. Thanks, Mase. You're my best friend in the whole world. No one understands me like you do."

"I know, Dame. Me, too."

He pulled me in and hugged me while he cried on my shoulder. I hugged him and rubbed his back until he got himself together.

"I'll see you tonight," I said.

I patted his shoulder and got up and went to the kitchen. I poured a cup of coffee and joined Dale at the table.

He looked up from the newspaper and pulled off his glasses.

"So, what's up?"

"I told him he could stay as long as he needed to."

I could see Dale grinding his teeth, but I didn't say anything.

"So what happened this time?" he asked. "He get caught cheating again?"

I nodded. Dale shook his head. He put his glasses back on and returned to reading the paper while he sipped his coffee.

I quickly finished up my cup and grabbed my leather briefcase.

"I gotta go," I said. I leaned down and gave Dale a quick kiss.

"Bye, babe."

* * *

The week went better than I thought it would. Damien toned his diva behavior down quite a bit so that he wouldn't piss off Dale. Dale went off on Damien once over leaving shoes in the middle of the floor, but otherwise they got along okay. There were a few times that Dale bit his tongue and wanted to say something to Damien, but he didn't.

Friday night, Dale's friends came over for poker night while Damien and I got ready to go to the movies.

Before the guys arrived, I helped Dale lay out the snacks in the back sunroom where the poker table was set up.

Dale gave me a kiss. "Thanks, babe."

He gave me another kiss and whispered in my ear. "And thanks for taking the Spawn with you."

"Don't call him that," I giggled. "I love you."

"Love you, babe."

"Hey, hey! There'll be none of that kissing shit on Man Night," Lew said with a chuckle.

I looked up as Dale's best friend, Lewis, walked in with a case of beer. Lew was a straight, married guy. They were college roommates and became best friends, even after Dale came out. Lew is tall, with a little bit of a beer belly. He's got spiky blond hair and hazel eyes. Lew's a nice guy. He was Dale's best man in our wedding. He's got three kids, two girls and a boy, ages twelve, nine, and six. His wife is kind of a bitch, though. I guess I would be too if I had to take care of three kids. We don't hang out with her.

Dale and Lew's other best friend, Alex arrived next. Alex was a big guy. His dad was Hispanic, so he had those tall, dark and handsome good looks. He was a rugby player in college, then joined the Army after graduation. After he got out, he got a job in corporate IT. Sitting around a computer all day, he kind of got fat, but he's been going back to the gym and was slowly turning his fat to muscle. Alex has black hair, which he still keeps cut in a military crew cut. He also wears a beard, which he keeps trimmed short as well.

Alex says he's bisexual. When I first met him, he was dating a guy. Then he starting dating a woman. He and Susie had a baby, then they got married. The marriage lasted less than a year. I'd guess their son is about two years old now. Dale was Alex's best man at his wedding to Susie. Dale predicted back then that they would never last, though he had enough sense to not tell Alex that.

The last of the group, Tom and Rick, showed up as Damien and I were getting ready to leave. Rick was a hot California surfer dude, while his boyfriend Tom was a tall and muscular black man.

Damien took one look at Rick and went into full flirt mode.

"Ooh, maybe we should stay here, Mase," Damien said.

Damien flitted over to Rick and began massaging his shoulders.

Dale shot me a dirty look. Tom gave Rick a raised eyebrow.

"Thanks, dude, but the table's full," Rick said as he moved his hands off him.

"Aww," Damien pouted and poked out his bottom lip.

Alex looked at me and rolled his eyes. I just smiled and shrugged, but Dale was not amused. Dale made a head motion for me to get Damien out of here.

"Come on, Dame," I said. "We're gonna be late. Bye, guys. Have fun."

By the time Damien and I got back from the movies, the poker game had finished. Dale, Lew and Alex were sitting around the table drinking whiskey, smoking cigars, and talking shit.

"Where's Rick?" Damien asked.

"He's gone home. With his boyfriend. Tom. You know, the muscular black guy that is going to beat the shit out of you," Dale said.

"Too bad," Damien shrugged as he plopped down in one of the empty chairs. "I thought we could get in a game of strip poker."

I frowned. "Damien..."

"Ain't gonna happen, buddy," Lew said.

"Come on, Dame. Let's go to the living room and watch some TV. Let these guys talk."

"Okay," he said. "Ooh, did you record 'Project Runway'?"

"Yeah, come on."

I grabbed him and pulled him out of the chair.

As I walked by, Dale grabbed me and pulled my head down for a kiss. His hand moved to the back of my neck and he held me as he kissed me slowly and sensually.

"Missed you," he said as he pulled away and licked his lips.

I wiped my mouth and frowned. "You taste like cigars and scotch."

The guys all laughed.

"Where's my kiss?" Damien asked as he leaned down towards Alex.

Alex covered Damien's face with his hand and gave it a hard shove.

"Ow!" Damien cried as he stumbled backwards.

Everyone laughed at Damian and I dragged him out of the room. We went to the living and settled down on the sofa to watch this week's 'Project Runway'. I could still hear Dale and his friends laughing loudly in the sunroom and it made me smile.

After the show was over, I looked over at Damien and he had tears trickling down his face.

"Okay, Dame. Girl wasn't that good. He deserved to go home for that hot mess."

Damien wiped his face and giggled. "No... I was thinking about Joseph. I miss him."

"Call him and tell him."

"I've tried. He won't talk to me. He won't forgive me this time. I know I fucked up, Mase. But I did love him."

"I know you did."

"I don't try to fuck things up... It's just like... Like the universe is out to get me. It's like I can never be happy."

I was a little irritated that Damien just admitted to me that he had cheated more than once on Joseph. Joseph didn't forgive him 'this time'. Damien never took responsibility for his actions and that was also frustrating. He always found a way to blame someone or something else.

Damien had a tough life growing up. It was just him and his mom growing up, just like me. But his mom was emotionally and mentally abusive towards him. He spent a lot of time at my house. My mom always made Damien feel welcome. When Damien's mom disowned him for being gay after we graduated from college, my mom even took him in until he got on his feet.

I always thought that was why he seemed so desperate to be loved.

"I know you've had a tough life, Damien. But you've got a great job. You're healthy. You're still young and insanely good looking. One day you'll find the right guy and settle down. And you won't even want to look at other guys."

"You think so?"

"Of course I do."

"It's easy for you to say. You've got Dale. He's so good to you. You're so lucky."

"That's what I'm saying, Dame. One day you'll meet a great guy like Dale. And you'll live happily ever after."

Damien sighed. "I guess."

Chapter 3

Over the next two weeks, Damien and Dale got along okay. I only had to break up one fight between them. But Dale and I were both starting to get a little annoyed with his antics. Damien was looking for an apartment, but nothing was ever good enough. There was always some nit to pick.

Dale was also getting very frustrated in bed. I didn't want to make love with Damien in the house. It weirded me out. So we'd do it in the shower, or I'd give him a blowjob. We did make love properly in our bed a couple of times when I got Damien to go to the gym.

After four weeks in our home, I decided that I needed to tell Damien it was time to go.

It was a Saturday and I had to go in to work. I decided that I'd only work a half day. I wanted go home and make a nice dinner and let him down easy. I quickly finished what I needed to get done, then stopped by the grocery store.

When I walked in the door, I froze in my tracks.

Damien and Dale were on the couch. Damien was completely naked. His head was thrown back as he rode up and down on Dale's cock. Dale's shirt was unbuttoned and his pants were still around his ankles. He was gripping Damien's waist and was thrusting his hips up into him. Both of them were so caught up in each other that they didn't notice me standing there.

The grocery bags came crashing down to the floor. Damien looked up and gasped in horror.

Dale shoved Damien off him. He pulled the condom off his cock and bent down and scrambled to pull up his pants. "Babe... Babe, I'm sorry. It's not—"

"Mase, I'm so sorry," Damien cried as he pulled on his clothes.

I grabbed onto the wall as I was overcome. My body was wracked with sobs.

"How could you?!" I screamed. I wasn't even sure which one I was talking to.

Dale started to explain. "It just happened, babe—"

"Don't 'babe' me, you bastard!" I screamed.

I looked at Damien's crying face. I saw it in his eyes. This wasn't the first time.

"And you!" I screamed as tears poured down my cheeks. "You were my best friend. How could you, Dame? With my husband? I forgave you for Ted, but not Dale. I will never forgive you for this! Never!"

Damien fell to his knees and sobbed.

Dale tried to put his arms around me. "Come on, Mason. Calm down. Let's talk—"

I shoved Dale back as hard as I could. "Don't you fucking touch me! With Damien, of all people. You— I—"

I was crying so hard that I couldn't continue. I pulled my wedding ring off my finger and dropped it onto the floor. After I grabbed my keys, I slammed the door behind me. I got into my car and sped out of the garage.

Unable to keep my eyes on the road, I pulled over to the side of the road and parked. I cried until I had no tears.

I only had one place to go. I drove to Mom's house. She still lived in our little house in the suburbs. When I got there, I sat in the driveway for the longest time. I didn't want to get out and face my mother. I didn't want to tell her what happened.

After a while, Mom stepped out onto the porch. She came around opened the car door, pulled me out and hugged me. I grabbed onto her and I lost it. I bawled like a baby on her shoulder as she helped me into the house. She laid me down on the sofa and wrapped me in a knitted afghan. She sat next to me and softly stroked my hair.

"Damien and Dale have been calling for you," she said quietly.

My self-pity instantly turned to anger. "They can both go to hell," I spat.

"What happened, honey?"

"I walked in on them... Having sex."

Mom gasped. "Oh, no."

"And it wasn't the first time. How could they, Mom? How?"

I squeezed my eyes shut and sobbed.

"Shh... It'll be okay," she said as she hugged me tight.

"How, Mom? How will it be okay? I just lost both my best friend and my husband."

"You don't mean that. Maybe—"

"Yes, I do. I don't ever want to see either one of them ever again!"

I wiped my face with my hands and ran my forearm across my nose. "I'm gonna go take a nap," I said.

"Your room's all made up."

Mom sniffled and wiped the tears from her cheeks and I gave her a tight hug.

I got up and went to my old bedroom and lay down and cried myself to sleep.

* * *

Dale and Damien called me incessantly over the next day. I finally answered Dale's call Sunday evening.

"Stop calling me," I said.

"Mason! Please, don't hang up. Babe, I am so sorry. Please, just talk to me."

I could tell he was crying and it broke my heart. Dale was so strong. He never cried. But that did not mean I forgot what he did, or that I forgave him.

"Mason," he cried. "Babe... Please come home. We can work things out. I love you."

"I can't, Dale. I can't get the image of you making love to Damien out of my head."

"We weren't making love. It was just a f—. He seduced me. Look, it doesn't matter. We can go to a therapist, whatever it takes."

"It matters to me, Dale! You had lube and condoms. We haven't used condoms in years. You were obviously prepared to cheat. It wasn't the first time, was it?"

The silence on the phone was deafening.

Dale finally spoke so quietly I could barely hear him. "No."

"How many times?"

An annoyed huff of air. "Babe, don't."

"How many?" I screamed.

"I don't know."

"How long have the two of you been...?"

More silence. My stomach flipped. I hung up the phone and ran to the bathroom. I fell onto the floor just in time, barely making it as my lunch heaved into the porcelain bowl.

After I cleaned myself up, I returned to my room. I picked up my ringing cell phone and turned it off.

Chapter 4

Monday morning I called in to work and took a personal day.

While Dale and Damien were at work, I went and packed up as many of my things as I could fit into my car. I drove back to Mom's house and threw everything into a pile in my bedroom.

My room was officially a mess. I had boxes piled up along one wall, stuff all over the floors. And we won't even get into the Madonna and Duran Duran posters that still hung on the wall.

Over the next week, Dale kept calling and leaving me messages at least twice a day. Sometimes I'd listen to them, sometimes I'd just go ahead delete them. It wasn't as if he was actually saying anything of substance. At least Damien's calls had finally stopped.

Lew even called me once. He had called me at work, and it caught me off guard. He told me that Dale was miserable. He had thrown Damien out of the house and he wanted me to come home. I told Lew to tell Dale to go to hell.

I looked into filing for divorce and it was going to be a nightmare. Since our marriage wasn't recognized by Michigan, we'd have to go through the Massachusetts family court.

I wasn't sleeping well. Every night I would lay in bed pouring over the details of our life. Wondering what I had done wrong that he would want to fuck Damien instead of me. Wondering how long they had been fucking behind my back. The two people closest to me in the world had betrayed me. I didn't know how to wrap my head around it.

By the next week, I was finally starting to snap out of my funk. At least I had stopped crying. Dale's calls tapered off as well.

I'd go to work every day, then drive back to my mom's house. We'd have dinner and watch TV until it was time to go to bed. I'd sometimes catch her looking at me with sympathy. Sometimes, she'd come up to me and hug me for no reason. I suppose it helped some. She knew very well what I was going through.

My dad had done the same thing to her. Well, not with her best friend, but one woman after another. Only now did I realize how strong she really was for leaving Dad and moving on with her life. She deserved better. We both did.

* * *

I had been living with Mom for three weeks when she knocked on my bedroom door one morning. I groaned and turned over and looked at the clock. It was 12:43 in the afternoon. On a Saturday.

"Come in," I croaked. I cleared my throat and sat up.

"You going to sleep all day?" she asked as she opened the door.

I sighed. "Yeah. No. I guess I should get up." I didn't want to, but I felt like I was supposed to.

"You have a visitor."

"What? I don't want to see anyone. Tell whoever it is to fuc— To go away."

Alex's big frame leaned against the door jamb. "I'm already here, Mason."

I had no idea why Dale's best friend would be standing in my bedroom. I was nothing but suspicious and my guard instantly went up.

"I'll let you two talk," Mom said as she excused herself. She gave Alex a friendly smile and a pat in the arm as she walked out the door.

"What are you doing here?" I asked. "I'm not going back to Dale, so you can save your breath."

"I'm not here because Dale asked me to. I'm here to check on you. Everyone is so concerned about Dale. I wanted to know how you were holding up."

I opened my mouth a couple of times to respond, but I couldn't think of anything to say. I hadn't expected that from him.

Alex came and sat down on the end of the bed. "So, how are you?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm just great," I answered sarcastically. "My best friend and my husband are having an affair. Couldn't be better."

"I reamed Dale a new one a couple weeks ago. I just couldn't believe he would do that to you. He can be a real asshole sometimes."

I opened my mouth to defend him on instinct, but then caught myself. He's right. Dale was an asshole.

"Did you know that Damien is back with his boyfriend?" Alex said. "He somehow convinced him to take him back. Some people never learn, I guess."

I shifted my position so that I was sitting up in the bed and sighed. "Yeah. How long has it been going on, do you know?"

Alex shrugged. "Don't know. You really think it happened more than the one time?"

"Dale admitted it. When I asked how long it had been going on, he didn't answer."

Alex shook his head and mumbled, "That motherfucker. He doesn't deserve a guy like you."

I scoffed. "Yeah. Right. 'Cause I'm such a catch." I waved my arms around my mess of a bedroom as if modeling it for a showcase showdown.

Alex opened his mouth to respond, but changed his mind. We sat quietly for a moment.

As I sat and thought about it, I wondered if Dale had cheated with others besides Damien.

"I should get tested." I had voiced my thought aloud.

"It wouldn't hurt. I got re-tested recently."

"Yeah."

After a few awkward moments, Alex finally spoke. "So, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. File for divorce. Find a place to live. All I know is that I'm not going back to him."

"I can get you the name of my divorce lawyer if you want. I mean, Susie and I had a mutual and friendly split, so it wasn't messy. I doubt things will get ugly between you and Dale."

"Yeah, okay. I'd like to talk to him."

Alex pulled out his phone and flipped through the contacts, then messaged the info to my phone.

"Thanks," I said.

"So, how's that project you're working on?"

"A nightmare. I got way behind, but I put in a lot of extra hours this week and got caught up."

"Is that why you're still in bed at 1:00 in the afternoon on Saturday?"

I shrugged. "What else do I have to do?"

"It's a nice day. Go play a round of golf."

"Dale is the golfer, not me."

"Well, that was just a suggestion, Mase."

I saw Alex's eyes travel down my body. I was wearing a tank top and a sweat shorts and his eyes rested on my chest and stomach before moving back up to mine. I noticed for the first time that Alex had dark gray eyes. I also noticed for the first time how incredibly handsome his face was.

Jesus. I quickly averted my gaze.

Alex cleared his throat a couple of times. "You wanna go grab some lunch?" he asked.

"No, that's okay. I'm not really up for it."

"Aw, come on. You been hiding for, what, three weeks now? It's just lunch. Come on. Get up."

Alex stood, grabbed my wrists and pulled me out of bed. My leg caught under me as I cleared the bed and I tripped, smacked straight into his body. "Oof!"

My hands touched his soft pecs and his arms moved around me to keep me from falling.

Damn, he was warm and damn if he didn't smell good.

"Okay. I'm okay," I said quickly as I pushed away from him. "Let me get cleaned up and get dressed."

"I'll wait for you downstairs."

I scurried to my closet while Alex turned to leave. I saw him cut his eyes at me as he went through the door, his gaze all over my body.

"This is a bad idea," I muttered to myself as I reached down to my crotch to adjust my rock hard dick.

I quickly got showered and dressed, then headed downstairs. Mom and Alex were sitting on the sofa drinking iced tea and chatting.

When Alex saw me, he stood up.

"Thank you for the tea, Mrs. Weston," he said. "It was very good. As was the company."

"You're quite welcome, Alexander. It's nice to have a friend of Mason's over. You're welcome anytime."

"Why, thank you, ma'am," he smiled.

"And so polite," my mom said as she blushed a little and pinched his arm.

"Oh my god," I muttered.

"Ready?" Alex asked me.

I nodded. "I'll be back in a little while, Mom."

I gave her a quick hug and followed Alex out the door. I got into the passenger seat of his red Ford Expedition SUV and buckled up.

"Where to?" he asked.

"I don't care. Anywhere."

"Mexican?"

"Sure. Sounds good."

Alex backed out of the driveway and headed into town.

"I can't believe you were flirting with my mom," I said.

"I wasn't flirting with your mom," he laughed. "I was being friendly."

"Yeah, well, I'm not calling you 'Daddy', so you can just forget about that."

Alex laughed loudly and I joined in. That was the first time I had laughed in weeks. I looked over at him and smiled.

We had lunch at Dos Amigos Mexican restaurant, which served authentic Mexican style food. The food there was always good. We both had a margarita with our lunch and it helped me to relax a little bit.

I was very grateful that Alex did not want to talk about Dale or Damien.

"You know, I can tell you've lost weight," I said. "You still working out?"

"Yeah. I try to go five days a week. I've lost fifty pounds so far."

"Wow. Well, good for you. You can tell."

"Thanks," he smiled proudly.

We talked about his job as an IT manager and my job as a project manager. In fact, we talked and laughed for nearly two hours. It was the first time in weeks that I allowed myself to let go and have fun.

After lunch, he wanted to go out and do something, but I declined and he dropped me off at home.

I was a little surprised when he shut off the SUV and walked me to the front door. I didn't know what to say to the man. I felt nervous, like a teenager after his first date, even though that was not what this was. "Thanks for dragging me out, Alex."

He shrugged. "Eh. Anytime, Mase."

He looked like he was going to hug me, so I held out my hand and he shook it instead. His hand was big and warm as he gently gripped my hand. He held onto my hand a little too long and let his thumb slowly stroke the back of my hand while he stared into my eyes.

God, his eyes were beautiful.

"Thanks, Alex," I said again.

"You're welcome, Mason."

"Bye."

I pulled my hand out of his and went inside. Making my way to the living room, I joined Mom. She looked up from the TV as I sat in the comfy leather chair.

"Back already?" Mom asked.

"I've been gone almost three hours," I frowned as I looked at my phone.

"Oh. Well, I thought maybe you'd go out or something."

"Uh, no."

"Okay, fine. Suit yourself."

* * *

I got in touch with Alex's divorce lawyer on Monday morning. I explained that the house was Dale's before we got married. I only wanted my belongings and my share of our savings. Because we didn't have same sex marriages in Michigan, the only way we could get divorced was to be a resident of a state that allowed same sex marriage. What a nightmare. But the lawyer seemed like a nice guy and he seemed to be sympathetic even though he couldn't really help me.

Throughout the week, Alex called me a couple of times. I let the calls go to voicemail, feeling awkward about talking to the man. He was Dale's friend after all.

When Alex showed up at the house unannounced on Saturday, I was more than a little surprised.

"Alex. What are you doing here?" I asked as I opened the door.

"You wanna go out to lunch?"

"Uh, maybe you've heard of phones?"

"If I called you first, you would have just said no."

I shrugged. He was right. I would have said no.

"Okay, so get your shoes on," he said.

He pushed into the house past me, leaving me standing there with my jaw on the floor. Man, was he presumptuous.

"Alex, nice to see you again," Mom said as she came down the stairs.

"Mrs. Weston. Don't you look lovely today?"

"Oh, stop," Mom giggled.

She swatted his arm and he gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you for dragging Mason out of the house," she said. "All he does is work and sleep."

"Oh, it's no problem. I don't mind getting him out of the house for you. I know he must cramp your style."

"Oh, you!" She giggled.

"You don't fool me. I know a cute little thing like you must have them lining up down the block."

I opened my mouth to speak, but I was speechless. I just shook my head, sighed and went to get my shoes.

Alex took me to a deli. I ordered a salad and soup combo, while he chose the salad and half sandwich.

"Okay," I started. "What's up with my mom? I thought you two were going to start making out."

Alex laughed. "Your mom is a sweetie. She reminds me of my mom."

I nodded. I remembered Alex's mom passed away a couple of years ago.

"Your dad is Puerto Rican, right?"

"Actually, my granddad was Puerto Rican but my grandmother was white, so I'm a quarter latino."

"So do you speak Spanish?"

"A little bit. My dad taught me some, but English was his first language."

"I never really knew my dad... They split up when I was little."

"Well, your mom is still with you, so spend all the time you can with her. When your parents are both gone, you'll look back and wished that you did."

Alex looked so vulnerable right now. I wanted to give the big guy a hug. Instead, I nodded and smiled at him.

"You know, I think my mom likes you more than she likes Dale. She never laughs and jokes with him."

Alex shrugged, but I saw the corners of his mouth turn up in a little smile.

"Oh, I called your lawyer," I told him.

I told him what the lawyer told me and he shook his head. After that things got quiet and a little uncomfortable.

"All right. Let's get out of here," he said. "We need to do something fun. This is too depressing."

I agreed and stood up. We got rid of our dishes and I followed him to his truck. He pulled out and drove to the other side of town.

He pulled into a mini golf/go kart park.

I frowned. "I don't think—"

"If you're not gonna play real golf with me, then you have to do this instead."

"Shit. Okay," I sighed and relented.

"It'll be fun. I promise."

Alex was right. It was fun. It was ridiculously fun. I had such a good time. We were both laughing non-stop the entire time. He won by a landslide, not surprisingly, but I didn't care. I liked that he just wanted to have fun and not get all competitive like Dale. I really liked that he fudged my scores so that I didn't appear to lose too badly.

"You wanna do the go karts?" he asked after we finished our game.

"Aren't we too big and too old for that?"

"Nah. Come on."

"Okay," I shrugged.

I almost died laughing watching Alex stuff his 6'5" 300-pound frame into the go kart. We both whizzed around the track screaming and laughing. I had more fun than I had in years.

After our go kart ride, we ordered ice cream and sat down at a picnic table.

"I had a really good time today, Alex. Thanks for taking my mind off things."

"It's no problem, Mason. No problem at all."

Alex's eyes kind of glazed over and I realized he was watching me lick my ice cream. His eyes darted up to mine and his cheeks reddened while he looked away. I smiled to myself and looked away from him as well, feeling like a nervous teenage girl with her first crush.

When he dropped me off, he walked me to the door again. When it looked like he was going to hug me—or maybe kiss me—I stuck out my hand. As I shook his hand and said goodbye, the front door opened and Mom popped her head out.

"Alex, you're leaving already? Why don't you stay for dinner?"

"Well, thank you, Mrs. Weston. I'd love to."

Mom held open the door and let Alex in. I shot her a dirty look as I followed him inside. She was up to no good.

While Mom worked on dinner, Alex and I sat on the couch and quietly chatted.

Dinner was delicious. If I didn't know better, I'd say mom was showing off for Alex. She made her oven-fried chicken that was always moist and delicious. She also cooked sautéed green beans and real mashed potatoes to go with it.

"This is great, Mrs. Weston," Alex said as he stuffed his mouth with another bite of chicken. "Even better than my mom's."

"Oh, well, wait until you taste dessert. Apple cobbler."

"Oh, man, that's my favorite." The man even rubbed his hands together.

I gave Alex a wry look. He just chuckled and winked at me.

After Alex finished his plate, mom gave him another heaping plateful. He clearly enjoyed the dinner and the fact that it made Mom happy was enough to make me feel good.

After we finished eating, I cleared the dishes while Mom made coffee. She then served us the apple cobbler with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

"Oh, this is fucking fantastic," Alex said. His eyes suddenly widened and his cheeks reddened. "Sorry for the language, Mrs. Weston."

"It's quite alright," she chuckled. "I've heard that and much worse." She gave me a pointed look. I shrugged.

After we finished dessert, Alex needed to head home. Before he left, Mom put together a container of leftovers, including a big helping of the cobbler.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weston," he said as he gave her a hug.

"Anytime, Alex. Have a good night."

I walked Alex out to his SUV. For some reason, I was really nervous. This was not a date, I kept telling myself.

"Thanks for a great day, Mason."

"You're welcome. Thanks for being there for me. I don't really have anyone I can..." I let out a quiet sigh and shrugged, feeling a little vulnerable.

Alex leaned in and hugged me. I was caught off guard for a second, but then hugged him back. He rubbing his beard on my cheek, and I didn't move to stop him. I closed my eyes and leaned into the big guy and let him hold me for a minute.

"Thanks," I said as I broke the hug.

"Go out with me."

I frowned at him. "You mean on a date?"

"Yeah, I mean on a date."

"I don't think that'd be a good idea."

"Why not?"

"Off the top of my head? I've only been separated from my husband for a month. Two, you're one of his best friends. Three, you're bi."

"So? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because bi guys just want to fuck around with you until they've found the perfect woman to start a family with. Then they ditch the gay and go 'straight'."

"Been there, done that." He laughed.

"I'm not joking, Alex. More importantly, you're one of Dale's best friends. What do you think he'd say if he knew you asked me out?"

"Fuck Dale if he doesn't realize when he's got a good thing. And I'm not gonna sit here and pretend I don't have feelings for you when I got the chance to do something about it."

What? Feelings? I wasn't ready for that. I shook my head and took a step back. "No, Alex. It's not a good idea. I'm sorry, but I can't. I don't think we should hang out anymore."

I rushed into the house and closed the door behind me.

I couldn't—wouldn't—go out with Alex. It wouldn't be right. No matter how attracted to him I was.

Chapter 5

"Mason! Alex just pulled into the driveway," Mom called from the bottom of the stairs.

Shit. After not hearing from him all week, I thought for sure he wouldn't be back.

Glancing at the clock, I saw it was 12:30. I should have known that he'd show up uninvited at lunchtime on a Saturday afternoon. I shut my laptop and went downstairs.

I took a deep breath. "Tell him no," I told myself. The doorbell rang. Bolstered, I held my chin up, walked to the door and opened it.

Alex stood on the porch, grinning really big.

Cradled in his arm on his hip was his son.

The toddler was adorable. He had a shock of black hair and chubby cheeks. Coupled with long dark lashes, he had his daddy's dark gray eyes, opened wide as he took in the unfamiliar surroundings. He was dressed in the cutest little denim overalls and a white t-shirt.

"Hi, Mase," Alex said. "This is Aiden. Aiden, this is my friend Mason."

"Hi..." The boy drew it the word and waved his arm.

"You are something else," I mumbled as I shook my head. "Using your baby to manipulate me."

"Is it working?" he asked with a grin.

"Come on in," I sighed.

"Oh, can you hold Aiden for minute? I need to get his bag from the truck."

I held my hands up and shook them as something like a panic attack threatened to cripple me. "Oh. No. Uh-uh. I don't— I'm not good with—"

"Just hold him, ya big baby."

Alex held out Aiden and pushed him to my chest. I put my arms around the boy, holding him under his butt with one arm and my other hand on his back. Aiden gripped my shirt in his fists and laid his head down on my shoulder. He left out a soft sigh.

I melted.

"Oh, my! Who is this?" Mom asked as she walked into the living room. She tickled her hand on Aiden's back. "What's your name, honey?" she asked him in a sing-song baby voice.

"Aiden," he said as he lifted his head and blinked his eyes.

"Aren't you precious?" she said as she pinched his cheek.

Alex returned and shut the door behind him. "Okay, buddy. Let's get you changed." He took Aiden from me and turned to my mom. "Mrs. Weston, do you have some place I could change Aiden's diaper?"

"Just do it on the couch. He doesn't have anything we haven't seen before."

Alex laid a blanket on the couch, put down Aiden and began unbuckling his overalls.

"Okay then," I said. "I'm gonna give you some privacy."

"You are such a baby," Alex laughed. "Man up. Come on. Sit down."

I reluctantly sat down on the other end of the sofa and turned my head away and focused on anything but the naked, poopy baby at the other end of the sofa. Mom and Alex chatted while he changed Aiden's diaper.

"Okay, you can look now, Mase." Alex chuckled.

When I looked back, I saw Aiden had a fresh diaper on and Alex was putting his overalls back on. Mom picked up the dirty diaper and I cringed as she took it to throw it into the garbage.

Mom returned a few seconds later.

"I hope you washed your hands," I said to her.

Alex laughed and picked Aiden up and set him on my lap.

"Hold him for a second. While I go wash my hands," he said pointedly.

Mom was looking at me with a wide smile on her face. "I always thought you'd be a good dad," she said.

"Yeah. Right," I said sarcastically.

"I'm serious, Mason."

"Well, I don't think that's going to happen."

"You never know," she said with a raised eyebrow and nodded her head towards Aiden.

I opened my mouth to respond, but Alex had returned and sat down on the couch next to me.

"How old is Aiden, Alex?" Mom asked.

"I two," Aiden said as he held up two fingers.

Okay, I admit it. It was way cute and we all chuckled.

"I didn't even know you had a son," she said.

I shot my mom a dirty look. I just knew she was going to start prying. She pointedly ignored me.

"Yeah. I... Well, I got my girlfriend pregnant and we got married. We only lasted a year before we divorced. But it wasn't all bad. I got Aiden out of it. Right, buddy?"

"Right, Daddy," Aiden said.

"So, you date girls then?" Mom asked. "I thought you were... um..."

"Mom," I muttered and shook my head.

Alex smiled. "I have been known to date both women and men."

"Oh. That's fascinating. So, do you have a preference for one over the other?"

"It depends on my mood. Over the years, I kind of switched back and forth. But I'd say I'm more into guys right now."

He cut his eyes at me.

I blushed like a little girl and had to look away. "Okay, then," I said. "Let's change the subject."

"So you have joint custody of Aiden then?" Mom asked.

"Yeah. I normally get him every other week. But Susie's had him for the last three weeks. She was visiting her parents out of state. I get him for the next two, then we're back on our normal schedule."

We chatted for a while and then Alex asked me if I wanted to get lunch with him and Aiden. I started to say no, but Mom intervened.

"Of course he does," Mom said.

"Great," Alex said with a big grin.

He stood up and took Aiden from me. Resigned, I got up to go put on my shoes.

"Go bye bye?" Aiden asked Alex.

"Yup. We're going bye bye. You want Mason to come have hot dogs with us?"

"Yay!" I was positive that it was the hot dogs that elicited the cheer. It had nothing to do with me.

As we walked to the front door, Mom stopped Alex. "If you ever need a babysitter, I would be happy to watch him."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weston. I'll keep that in mind."

"Bye, sweetie," Mom said to Aiden.

"Bye bye."

I followed Alex out to his SUV and watched as he buckled Aiden into his car seat. We got into the truck and headed out to lunch.

"Aiden likes Country Dogs," he said. "I hope that's okay with you?"

"Sure. That's fine."

When we walked into the hot dog and burger restaurant, Alex handed Aiden to me while he got a child seat. Alex and I both ordered chili dogs and fries, while Aiden had a plain hot dog with ketchup.

Alex gave Aiden a few of his fries.

The little boy certainly made a mess. He had ketchup all over the place. He mostly skipped the bun to concentrate on the dog.

I watched Alex take care of his son throughout the meal. By the time I was finished with my meal, Alex had barely touched his food.

"All gone!" Aiden said and he held up his hands.

"That's my good boy," Alex said with a grin. "Who's my big boy?"

"Aiden," Aiden said with a toothy smile.

Alex leaned in and loudly kissed one of Aiden's chubby cheeks, causing him to giggle. Alex smoothed down Aiden's wild hair as he looked at him with complete love and adoration. It was beautiful to watch.

Alex glanced over at me and smiled. I blinked and felt a warm tear drip down my cheek. I cleared my throat and quickly wiped it away, feeling self-conscious.

After Alex wolfed down his food, he took me back home.

He got out of the truck as usual, but he left it running and stayed by the driver's door.

"Thanks for lunch," I said.

"Anytime. Can I call you?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

Alex looked at me with a smug grin. He moved in and gave me a hug.

"I'll see you later then?" he whispered in my ear. I could feel his warm breath and whiskers tickling my skin and it sent tingles down my spine.

"Yeah. Bye, Alex."

I let go of him and looked into the back seat. "Bye bye, Aiden."

"Bye bye."

* * *

That night, Alex called me just to chat. We spent nearly an hour on the phone, making small talk.

He called me the next evening, then the next. We also started texting regularly. It was strange, but it was also nice to have someone to talk to besides my mother.

The next Saturday afternoon, Alex and Aiden came over again. The three of us went out to lunch, then went to a kid's movie. It was actually enjoyable for an animated feature. I was surprised that it kept Aiden's attention for nearly an hour and a half. And he loved the popcorn almost as much as his daddy did.

By the time we returned home, Mom had made dinner. She insisted that Alex and Aiden stay and it didn't take any effort on her part to convince them. I had the feeling that Alex didn't get many real home cooked meals. He certainly raved about Mom's cooking. Aiden seemed to be happy with it too, having cleaned his plate twice.

When the two of them were ready to leave for the night, I walked them out to the SUV.

"Thanks for spending the day with me and Aiden."

"Anytime."

Aiden was laying with his head on Alex's shoulder and was almost asleep. I reached up and gently rubbed Aiden's back.

"He's a great kid," I said.

When I looked up at Alex, he was already looking down at me. He suddenly leaned down and kissed me on the lips. When I didn't pull away, he pressed harder into me. Without thinking, I returned his kiss. It was quite erotic, opened mouth, but no tongue. I pulled back before things went too far.

"I'll call you later," he said.

"Bye, Alex."

* * *

I went out with Alex and Aiden again the next Saturday. We spent the afternoon at the zoo. Aiden absolutely loved the monkeys and primates more than anything else. I had been to the zoo a couple of times, but it was really amazing to see it again through Aiden's perspective.

Aiden had to be at Susie's by 6:00, so after we left the zoo, we drove straight to her place. Alex got Aiden out of the car seat and asked me to get his bags. I admit, I was nervous as hell walking up to the door behind Alex. I hadn't seen Susie in a couple of years and I wasn't sure what kind of reception I would get.

After Alex rang the doorbell, Susie opened the door and let us in. She glanced at me and frowned. She took Aiden from Alex and smothered him with kisses, then set him down on the floor. He waddled over to some of his toys that were strewn in the corner.

Susie snatched the bags from my hand and gave Alex a sharp look.

"What are you doing with him?" she asked Alex, while cutting her eyes at me.

"Mason's a friend of mine."

"I thought Dale was a friend of yours."

"He is," he grumbled as he shot her a look that said 'stay out of his business'.

"And you know how I feel about you dating in front of Aiden," she said under her breath.

"I'm gonna wait outside," I interjected, backing towards the door.

"No. We're done here," Alex said firmly. He squatted down next to his boy. "Aiden. C'mere."

Aiden turned and jumped on his dad.

"Who loves you?" Alex asked.

"Daddy."

"I gotta go bye bye, but I'll see you soon."

Aiden's big eyes pooled with tears and he started to wail as they streamed down his face.

Alex hugged Aiden tight and kissed his cheek. "Bye bye, sweetie. I love you."

Susie pulled Aiden from Alex and held him to her chest as he sobbed into her shoulder. She gave Alex a sympathetic smile. I nearly burst into tears watching. I wondered if this was what happened every time Alex left.

I followed Alex back out to the truck. He sat in the driver's seat, making no effort to start the truck. With his eyes closed tight, the tears still escaped.

He was so vulnerable, so sad. My heart broke for him.

I reached out and took his hand in mine. I held it, gently rubbing my thumb across his skin. I knew then that I liked Alex as far more than a friend and there wouldn't be going back after this.

He let out a deep breath and wiped his face. He looked over at me and I smiled warmly at him.

"Thanks," he said quietly.

He reached up and wiped the tears from my cheeks, then wiped his own away.

"Okay," he sniffled. "I haven't had a real meal all week. Let's go get a steak."

"Yeah. That sounds good, Alex."

Alex started the truck and backed out of the driveway. Once he got on the road, he reached out and took my hand in his. We held hands during the entire drive to the restaurant. No one spoke, but it was a comfortable silence. The soft music playing on the radio and the sounds of the road were the only soundtrack.

At the restaurant, we kept our conversation light. We laughed and joked throughout dinner. I was so glad I was able to take his mind off how much he missed his son.

After dinner, he drove me home and walked me to the front door as he always did.

With my hand on the doorknob, I turned back to him. "It's still early. You wanna come in for a while?"

"Sure."

Alex followed me inside. I took off my shoes and he took off his boots. Following the sound of the TV, we joined mom in the living room.

"How was the zoo?" she asked as we sat down on the sofa.

"Great," Alex replied. "Aiden had a blast."

"Good. He's such a sweet boy. I hope I have a grandson just like him someday," she said wistfully as she flashed me a look.

"Oh my god," I muttered. "Real subtle."

Alex laughed loudly and I gave him a dirty look while elbowing him in the side. "Stop encouraging her," I grumbled, but I couldn't help but smile a little.

We watched TV with Mom for a while, but when her show was over, she let out an exaggerated yawn. "I'm tired. I think I'm going to bed. Goodnight." She winked at me as she walked out of the room.

I blushed slightly and looked over at Alex, who was trying his best to hold in a laugh. It didn't work. The dam burst and he doubled over from laughing so hard.

"Ass." I shoved his arm and started laughing with him.

"Oh, shit." He sighed as his laughter died down. "Your mom is something else, Mase."

"Yeah. She's a riot," I said wryly.

I laid my head on the back of the couch and looked up at Alex. Mimicking my position, he put his left arm on the back of the couch and laid his head on it. His other hand moved up to my head. He ran his hand down my hair, feathering his fingers through the soft strands.

I closed my eyes and let out a soft sigh as he twirled his fingers through the wavy locks at the nape of my neck. I felt his body shift closer and then his lips brushed against mine. They were warm and soft.

Alex kissed me slowly and sensually. I brought my hand up to his face and lightly stroked his beard whiskers. I liked the feeling. Dale was always clean shaven, even on the weekends. When Alex's tongue gently slid across my bottom lip, I opened my mouth and touched his tongue with the tip of mine. That was all the encouragement he needed. His tongue pushed into my mouth and he kissed me hard.

He leaned into me and his weight pushed me back down onto the couch as he moved on top of me. My arms circled his back, gripping his shoulders.

His arms tightened around me as he let his body settle on mine. He licked and kissed along my jaw to my ear. His beard tickled my neck as he kissed and sucked, causing me to moan softly. He moved back to my mouth and kissed me breathless.

When he pulled away, I opened my eyes and looked up at him, feeling completely aroused but a little unsure. I liked Alex, but did I really want to take things further with him? My body was definitely ready, but my head wasn't so sure.

He looked down at me and stroked my hair and my face. "You're so handsome, Mason," he whispered.

"Thank you, Alex," I whispered back as I looked up into his face. "God, you're such a stud."

He furrowed his brows. "I haven't been a stud for a long time."

"I think you are."

I ran my hands down his back to the soft sides of his belly. I could feel his throbbing cock pushing into my thigh. He felt so much bigger than Dale. The thought of making love with him made me shudder.

"It's getting late. I should get going," he said.

"Okay," I said with a touch of disappointment in my voice.

He leaned down and whispered in my ear, "If I don't go now, I won't be able to control myself. And I'm not after just sex with you."

He pushed back and stood up, turning his back to me to discretely adjust his dick in his jeans.

I knew exactly how he felt. I got up from the couch and walked him to the door. He bent down and pulled on his boots. He leaned in and gave me one more quick kiss.

His hand massaged the back of my neck as he gazed into my eyes. "Bye, Mason. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye, Alex."

I shut and locked the door after him and leaned my back against it and sighed. I felt like a love-struck teenager. With a smile on my face, I pushed off the door, turned off the lights and went up to bed.