Strictly Business - 13. It’s Party Time

Sam and Brian quickly settled into their new routine of living together. They had already been spending most of their free time at each other’s places, so not much has actually changed, except that they didn’t have to pretend they were living apart anymore.

In many ways, life became easier and more convenient for both of them. They were now going to and from work together, having meals together, didn’t have to pay separate bills, and so on. Also, Sam loved taking care of Bo and taking him out for walks when Brian had other things to do. Of course, the biggest benefit was that they got to spend more time together. They could snuggle up in bed every night and sleep comfortably next to each other, enjoying the warmth of the bed and their naked bodies pressed together. However, this made it more difficult to get up in the morning and go to work, because neither of them wanted to leave the comfort of their bed – they wanted to stay there and cuddle all day.

Brian decided to invite several of his good friends to their ‘moving in’ party – Eric, Chester and Tina. They all knew about Sam and Brian being together, but only Chester had actually met Sam, as he also worked at Stein & Burns. Chester was Brian’s closest associate and friend at the company, and the two of them often went out together with Eric and Tina, who were Brian’s friends from college. Chester and Tina seemed to have been flirting lately, but so far they haven’t made any actual moves. Still, Brian thought it was just a matter of time before they ended up together. Eric and Brian were good friends since college. They were always looking out for each other and basically considered themselves brothers.

Sam knew he wanted to invite Clara, as well as Maggie. Since Brian invited Chester, it’s not like Maggie wouldn’t know anyone at the party. Even if she didn’t, it wouldn’t be a problem for her, since she was very extroverted and could talk to anyone about anything. Except work – she hated talking about work.

Sam also wanted to invite Jared, as they had become good friends over time. After finding out about Sam and Brian, Jared never mentioned his attraction to Sam again, so there was no uncomfortable moments between them. They would just hang out and talk as friends. Still, Sam wasn’t sure if Brian would be comfortable with having Jared there.

“So, how many people is that? We have Eric, Tina, Chester…” Brian started listing the guests.

“Clara, of course – she should be like our special guest,” Sam chuckled.

“We should get her a throne to sit on.”

“Damn right, she deserved it!” Sam smiled. “I was also thinking of inviting Maggie and Jared. You cool with that?”

“Sure, why not?”

“I dunno, I thought maybe it’d be weird having Jared here?” Sam thought about his and Jared’s little elevator making out scene and wasn’t sure if Brian would want to have him as a guest. However, his concern proved to be unfounded, as Brian had no objection to having Jared come over.

“No, it’s fine, really… He’s your friend now, no reason we can’t hang out,” Brian replied and Sam saw that he was sincere.

“OK then, that’s decided. So we’ll have six guests and the two of us.”

The text messages were quickly sent and all the guests confirmed they’d be coming. The party was postponed a few weeks to match the guys’ 4-month anniversary. Clara was especially looking forward to coming and telling everyone the story of how the guys got together. Eric and Tina were also looking forward to finally meeting Sam, as they’ve heard much about him from Brian and Chester. Well, mostly from Brian. Also, Chester immediately asked Brian if Tina would come, as he had a crush on her.

As per protocol, all of the guests were fashionably late and it wasn’t until quarter to seven that all of them gathered at Brian and Sam’s place. Clara came first, followed by Maggie, Jared and Chester, and finally Eric and Tina.

The two hosts played some chill music in the background, served drinks and snacks, and soon everyone was in a very good mood, talking to each other and just having fun.

Tina and Eric were pleased to finally meet Sam. After talking to him for a while and seeing him and Brian together, they realized why Brian loved him so much.

Maggie was just generally loud as always, talking to everyone and occasionally humming to the music. Chester soon found his way to Tina and sat next to her. The two of them hadn’t seen each other in a few months and were glad to finally catch up.

“So, are you seeing anyone?” Chester decided to be direct for once. He wasn’t sure whether it was the alcohol, or he just didn’t want to drag things anymore, or maybe a bit of both. He was flirting with Tina for months, and she was clearly flirting back, so he thought – what the hell!

“No, I’m not… yet,” Tina replied, looking into his eyes.

“Maybe we can fix that… if you want? I’ve been meaning to ask you out for a while now.”

“I’d love to… And I’m glad you didn’t wait any longer,” she smiled at him.

Brian and Clara were watching them. Brian smiled, as he knew this was bound to happen sooner or later.

“Well, the two of them seemed to have hit it off nicely,” Clara noted.

“It’s about time. They’ve been playing coy for too long,” Brian nodded and smiled.

As the evening progressed, everyone seemed to be having fun and getting along quite well. Sam and Brian were glad they invited their friends and shared this occasion with them.

Maggie was sitting and talking to Sam, but after a while she got up and went over to where Brian was standing.

“What about your friend Eric? Is he available?” Maggie asked Brian. Even though Eric was a bit younger than her, she didn’t seem to mind it.

“Yeah, I think he is…” Brian said and turned around to see where he was. “Although, I think he’s got his hands full already,” he added and pointed with his head in the direction of Eric. Maggie turned around and saw Eric and Jared standing close to each other next to the balcony door. They were talking and laughing, with the occasional hand on the shoulder or around the waist.

“Of course! Just my luck,” Maggie said, loud enough so that everyone could hear her, but barely anyone was paying attention to her at that point.

“Yeah, I was thinking of changing gyms, mine has become too busy... Especially after work, which is about the only time I manage to go,” Eric said.

“Hey, I go to this new gym on Olive Street, it’s relatively new so it doesn’t get crowded. If you don’t mind a workout buddy, we could go together?” Jared was quick to suggest.

“That sounds like fun... If you don’t mind people checking you out while you work out?” Eric smirked.

“I think I can manage one more pair of eyes…” Jared chuckled.

Sam got up from the couch and went to Brian.

“See, I told you we should invite him,” Brian said proudly.

“Oh, such a master plan!” Sam chuckled. “I bow to you, lord of matchmaking!”

“You can bow to me later tonight,” Brian whispered with his deep voice in Sam’s ear, making him instantly horny. Hearing him talk like that always turned Sam on. It reminded him that he was with a real man, and made his orgasms much more intense when Brian would talk to him like that during sex.

Jared and Eric decided they wanted some privacy, so they snuck out to the balcony and closed the door behind them. They quickly exchanged phone numbers and started making out. Eric was Brian’s age, and Jared could see why Sam would go for a guy ten years older than himself. Eric was serious, mature and self-confident. He was also a man who didn’t like to play games and knew exactly what he wanted. Jared like that about him. Both of them being upfront about their intentions, they quickly made plans to see each other again and see how it goes from there.

While Sam went to the kitchen to get some more drinks from the fridge, Maggie and Clara were swapping stories about him, mostly focusing on embarrassing moments from his life. Brian sat with Chester and Tina, who once again congratulated him on moving in with Sam.

“I gotta say, I was a bit surprised when you told me,” Chester said.

“Yeah… Don’t get me wrong, Sam is lovely and I’m glad you guys are happy. I just didn’t think you would do it so soon, especially after how things went with Richard after you proposed…” Tina added.

“What…” Sam asked in a barely audible voice.

He just got back from the kitchen and was standing behind Brian, overhearing the conversation. He was confused, but mostly shocked. He had no idea that Brian had ever proposed to Richard, he didn’t know things had been that serious between them. Why didn’t Brian tell him?

Brian immediately turned around and saw Sam behind him. He knew exactly what Sam was thinking and knew that he needed to explain.

“Baby…”

“Sorry, I need to… think,” Sam slowly uttered, put the drinks down on the table, went into the bedroom and closed the door. Brian stood there for a few seconds, but then decided to go after him.