Three Strikes - 20. You can be the boss tonight - Shane's POV

My job was a mixture of presentations, meetings, working from my office, and supervising job sites. I was glad to be stuck in the office Monday since my neck looked worse than it did Sunday and July isn’t the month to sport a turtleneck without losing potential clients because they’ll think you’re a whacko.

The whole day passed quickly—the way it does under the looming pressure of deadlines. Before I knew it, I was going out the door and on my way to practice. I checked my phone a few times throughout the day, in case I’d missed anything important. Besides a few business calls, and expected texts from the guys regarding baseball and drinks afterward, I hadn’t received anything. Nothing. Zilch. Radio silence.

A thousand possibilities crossed my mind as to why I hadn’t heard from Donovan. Most probable? He was upset that I left him high and dry last night. If he thought it was easy for me than he needs his head checked. And I didn’t do it to play games. I have no disillusion, even though he was humping me last night, I’m on his shit list. If we would’ve slept together who knows how he would’ve felt afterward. I want—need him to want me as much as I want him. That’s the only reason I left. I feel powerless around him and I need something, some semblance of control.

If he was upset, then I wasn’t about to text him and chance a case of preventable miscommunication. In the best situations—I suck at communication. Texting? Forget it, I will fuck shit up more than I already have. I decided to leave it alone until baseball.

*** *** *** ***

It was fun having Thad back. Back in the day, we played ball together. Sometimes just the five of us and sometimes in group settings such as men’s league or coed. With regard to my time spent with an ex, having him back on the team was one walk down memory lane that I wasn’t opposed to. We always got on well enough and having him here proved that nothing had changed, that we were still friends.

It was the last play before practice ended. I sent a really crappy throw. It bounced off of the ground and nailed Thad on the knee. It wouldn’t have been a big deal except I knew he had a bum knee. He'd had problem with it since a skiing accident when he was twenty. Two surgeries and half dozen hardware pieces later, he was a walking weather station. Although I doubt anyone else noticed, I saw the wince on his face and I immediately felt guilty for aggravating a old injury. He ended the play by throwing the ball to first, who threw to third, who sent it home. While everyone ran off the field, I ran straight to him. I gripped the back of his neck and pulled his head to my shoulder.

“I’m so fucking sorry. I didn’t mean to give you such a shit throw.”

Still gripping the base of his neck, I pulled him back and looked at him in his eyes. Being the macho man he was, I knew he liked to downplay stuff like this. But I knew him well enough to know when he was full of shit.

“Are you okay?”

“Ya, I’ll be fine,” he smiled, although a bit strained.

I pulled his face closer and gave him a serious stare down, “Don’t fucking lie to me.”

He rolled his eyes and pulled away from me.

“Okay, fine. It hurts like a mother fucker. Are you happy? Can we not make a big deal about this in front of everyone?”

I nodded happily and patted his cheek with a bit of excessive force; a reward for good behavior. As I walked with him toward the dugout I saw Donovan waiting with a few other guys, including Drew and Kurt. I was happy to see him. He looked a little irritated but it was expected that after I left him high and dry. I wasn’t too worried, nothing a little extra attention wouldn’t fix.

I hit Thad’s shoulder and pointed in Donovan’s direction.

“Do you think you can move a little faster, gimpy? Donovan’s here and I’d like you to meet him.”

“Fuck you. You’re the one that tried to take my knee out,” he laughed.

We raced the rest of the way to the dugout and gathered our stuff before finding everyone else. Donovan was watching intently as Thad and I approached the group. I wasn’t sure what to do since we were still in that awkward phase where we weren’t dating, but we weren’t not dating. Was I supposed to kiss him or awkwardly stand next to him? I’m just a big strong friend after all.

I stood next to him, because I wanted to. I tried to lessen the awkwardness by discreetly leaning against him.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” he lightly chuckled at my lame attempt at discreteness. He tried to pretend like he was unimpressed by my presence but I knew he was happy to have me there. Our eyes caught for a minute, we looked at each other and smiled—it was the best fucking minute of my life.

We were interrupted when Thad stuck his hand out toward Donovan.

“I’m Thad, longtime friend of Shane.”

“I’m Donovan, shiny and new boyfriend of Shane,” Donovan teased as they shook hands.

They made small talk while I stared at Donovan in disbelief. I knew he knew I was staring, but he wasn’t about to look me in my eyes and acknowledge that he'd just officially made me his big, strong boyfriend.

When finally looked at me and my smug grin he did his classic eye roll and tried not to smile as everyone dispersed, either to the field or home.

“Shut up. I have to go to practice,” he started to walk away, but I yanked him back.

“Doesn’t your big, strong boyfriend get a kiss goodbye?” I leaned in to kiss him, but he ducked away before I had a chance to drive one home.

“After last night? Not a chance in hell. You have some making up to do and you can start by being half naked with your lips around my dick...begging for forgiveness. Then we’ll talk about a damn fucking kiss. I’ll call you after practice when I’m on my way to the bar. Later, skater.”

He was already walking away when he threw a peace sign over his shoulder before ducking into the dugout. There was no doubt he meant business. He wasn’t going to let me get away with leaving him cold turkey again. But hey, we were boyfriends.

*** *** *** ***

We arrived at the bar after practice and found a comfortable booth. We decided to start with a few drinks and appetizers as we (mostly I) waited for Donovan to join us. We spent the majority of the hour asking Thad questions about life since he’d moved to Atlanta.

“Sounds like things are going pretty good for you. Is there any chance you’ll move back?” Aaron asked.

“Nah, not in the foreseeable future anyway.”

“Why not? Boyfriend?”

Thad smiled and nodded. “Yeah, something like that. Nothing serious, yet, but who knows.”

He shrugged, but the group wasn’t buying it. They wanted to know everything—name, age, job, and what he was like. They didn’t let up until he was singing like a songbird.

“His name is Jordan, he’s thirty, physical therapist, and he’s tall, dark, and handsome, just like I like ‘em.”

“You haven’t really strayed much, have you? I don’t think you’ve ever dated anyone that didn’t fit that description,” Kurt added.

Thad looked at me, “Unlike some people, I like to stick with what I know.”

He was teasing, but the comment still pissed me off. I was already hyper aware of our differences and potential obstacles they might cause with my family. Plus, after last night, I was aware Donovan was worried about rude comments from ignorant strangers and I didn’t want that to include my friends.

“Well, what I knew clearly wasn’t working.”

There might have been a bit of bite to my words but I didn’t want to deal with this shit from my friends. I wanted Donovan to be easily accept, just like Thad was, only I wanted more with Donovan then I ever wanted with Thad.

He raised his hands and backed off, “I didn’t mean anything by it, it’s just—he’s nothing like your usual picks. I have to admit, he’s a bit more…”

Everyone turned their attention to Thad, waiting for him to finish his sentence. It looked like everyone was ready to snap at the wrong reply. He noticed and decided to choose his next words carefully.

“...well-kept, than I was expecting,” his voice broke on his word choice.

My phone started ringing before I had a chance to slap him upside the head. It was Donovan, letting me know he was pulling into the parking lot and he’d be in soon. Since we hadn’t had a proper hello, I decided to slip out of the booth and meet him outside. The group was looking at me strangely when I stood.

“Donovan's here so I’m going to meet him outside,” I smiled innocently.

“Oh, does he need an escort?” Thad joked.

“No, I just don’t want to suck his dick in front of you pervs.”

Drew snapped his fingers with disappointment and everyone laughed. I stepped outside just as he was getting out of his 4Runner and started walking toward me. He looked amazing in his skin-tight jeans; a tight, long sleeve shirt with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and showing off his long lean body and of course, his hair was perfectly styled—you never would’ve guessed he’d just finished baseball practice. He smiled as he got closer and playfully winked at me.

“Hey, cutie.”

“Hey, yourself.”

The second he was within reach I grabbed his hand and dragged him toward my truck.

“Wha…where are we going?” He asked as he stumbled behind me, thrown off by the suddenness of my movements.

I was parked at the edge of the lot, next to a tall chain link fence with green plastic slats for privacy. I opened the back door then faced Donovan and put my hands on his waist.

“Ready.”

“What the fuck for?”

“To forgive me.”

Before he could say anything I tossed him on the seat, ripped his pants down, and wrapped my lips around his cock in one fluid motion. I didn’t give myself a chance to worry about the fact it was summer and still light out or that we could’ve easily been caught. My truck was partially hidden but it was definitely not totally secure.

He cried out as he watched me bring his unexpecting cock to life. I closed my eyes as I felt him expand in my mouth and between my fingers as I stroked, licked, and sucked him as if my life had depended on it. I wouldn’t say I loved giving head, but I sure as hell loved making Donovan happy. There was nothing more satisfying than feeling his body shake with pleasure because of me. His fingers gripped my hair and the cute noises he made as I brought him closer and closer to release made everything in me swell.

“Oh, Shay, I’m close,” he warned out as his stomach clenched.

I don’t know if he thought I was going to stop, crazy boy. No, I doubled my efforts until his body tightened and I felt his flavor flood my mouth. When I was sure he was done I released him but only to carefully licked him clean while he tried to catch his breath.

I pulled him to a sitting position then claimed my well-deserved kiss.

“What the fuck was that for?” He was looking all sorts of dazed and confused.

“I wanted to kiss you and you gave me very explicit instructions.”

Donovan’s smile was so bright it burned my soul.

“A man who follows directions, I fucking love it,” he pulled me forward and kissed me with the same passion I had while sucking his dick only a minute before.

“I’d love to stay here longer and keep doing this but you should probably pull up your pants. Everyone's waiting for us.”

He obliged and I helped him get his clothes situated, spending a little extra time making sure he was property tucked in. I laughed when his brow perked at the extra attention.

"What?" I feigned a genuine innocence. He simply mumbled and rolled his eyes, but never stopped me.

"I'm just making sure everything put away properly."

I checked his hair for him, not that there was anything out of place, before walking toward the front door. He tugged my arm slightly before we stepped inside.

“You failed to mention Thad was actually Thor: hulking hot superhero,” he teasingly smiled, but I didn’t miss the underlying insecurity, or maybe it was jealousy. Inwardly it made me happy to think Donovan was jealous. I’m not exactly in high demand and I’ve never had anyone jealous over me, so this was new.

“I guess?" I shrugged. "I’m not a fan of Thor myself so…”

“Why can’t your ex be ugly?”

I tried to slip my hand down the back of his pants to give him a quick and crude squeeze but they were so tight it took a lot more effort than I’d originally anticipated.

Donovan looked at me with a grin and teased, “Problems?”

“Yes, you like to wear stuff that makes you really difficult to access,” I kissed his forehead as my hand burrowed it's way until it was squished against his firm buttcheek.

“I’ll tell you what. Come to my house tonight and I’ll make sure everything is very, very accessible.”

I had literally blown him two minutes ago, yet you’d think I was a virgin the way my body responded to his insinuation of sex. My breath hitched, my heart jumped, my brain seized, and my dick twitched. I must’ve stopped moving because he tugged me forward.

“First, we have to hang out with your friends,” he laughed.

Friends? What friends? Why the fuck did I have friends again?

I gathered my bearings and wondered how I’d make it all evening knowing I’d get to have Donovan, again, in just a few (long) hours. I don’t know what changed from last night but suddenly I wasn’t nearly as worried about waiting. It was probably the fact he admitted that we were dating, paired with the fact he wanted sex immediately after getting off, so I knew it wasn’t just a hormone induced decision. Donovan wanted me. The best part? Since it would happen in his bed, I felt confident he’d be there when I woke up. Waking up next to Donovan was something I’d fantasized about ever since the first morning I stopped by, unannounced, and saw him in his morning glory.

I was almost thankful he’d slammed the door in my face because I needed a moment to process what I’d seen. Donovan was always showcase presentable, always had a manicured, well put together, and confident air about him that could sometimes be a little overwhelming.

Seeing his blank canvas was like looking through a window into another dimension—innocent, soft, vulnerable, childlike, and a different level of fucking hot as hell. So hot, in fact, I couldn’t stop myself from chasing after him and pinning him down onto the stairs so I could try to burn his image into my head. Of course, I had to kiss him after that because...biological response. Yes, it was science.

As we approached the table, Drew started yelling and waving.

“Donovan!”

He got up and they exchanged the European-style cheek kisses, which made me roll my eyes and laugh inwardly because it was Drew’s way of not being gay for Donovan. Aaron, Kurt, and I made knowing eye contact and laughed. Drew is so fucking gay for Donovan.

Thad looked at us and silently demanded, “What’s going on?”

Aaron nudged his head toward a drooling Drew and flirty Donovan, then joined his fingers together in a heart shape and thumped it over his chest. Thad caught on and joined us in our silent mockery of the strange love affair between my best friend and boyfriend.

“Donovan, can I get you anything to drink?” Drew asked.

“If you don’t mind, I think I’ll buy my boyfriend’s drinks.”

I’d be damned if another man, gay or straight, was going to buy my boyfriend anything. I looked at Donovan, who was wearing a smug grin and asked if he wanted his usual. He nodded and winked. I went to the bar after expressing myself as Donovan’s dominate and the thought made me chuckle. I was pretty sure I’d need Donovan’s permission first, which he’d given me in the way of his smile and a wink. It’s okay Shane, you can be the big boss tonight. *smile* *wink*’

We talked a ton about baseball and I was impressed by how knowledgeable Donovan was. In fact, there were a few times when Donovan would challenge something someone else had said with an opposing argument or different fact or figure, such as a player’s batting average, number of home runs in one game, draft pick statistics, or overall rankings.

We’d have to google the answer and Donovan came out ahead, every time. I had a suspicion he’d spent the last two days googling everything about baseball so he could try to show off in front of the guys. I kind of like the thought. Was he trying to impress me or my friends? Impress my friends so he could impress me? He didn’t need to, he’d made an impression already.

I never liked PDA and I still don’t, but I was finding it increasingly difficult to not want to touch him in some way—a hand on his thigh, arm around his shoulder, or silent footsie under the table. I was very proud of him. He was more than a beautiful face—he was smart, talented, funny, and if his last minute google research was any indication, he likely had a photographic memory.

I’d gone to the bar a few times for fresh drinks and to the restroom while Donovan appeared to hold his own with the group, specifically Thad. They’d been left alone a few times during my excursions out, which happened to align with the rest of the group, and they appeared to get along just fine, which made me happy.

I was on my way back, after using the bathroom, when I saw Drew chatting extra intimately with Donovan. I wasn’t worried or jealous, but I still pulled Donovan close to me when I sat down. I still wanted to asserted myself as his boyfriend. Drew noticed and rolled his eyes.

“Calm down there, Richard Gere. I’m not going to steal your pretty woman.”

“Excusez moi? Exactly when did I become a female prostitute? If anything, I’m Richard Gere. It was only a few nights ago when Julia Roberts here (pointed his thumb at me), demanded I wine and dine him if I wanted him to put out. Then he was all high maintenance like, ‘but we can’t go out because you gave me a couple tiny little bruises, you asshole’.” Donovan was overly dramatic as he told his version of the situation.

“Why is it that every time you impersonate me, I sound like a fourteen-year-old valley girl? And they aren’t a couple of tiny little bruises!” I barely fought back laughter as I showed off my still very apparent, bite marks. “I had someone ask me if I needed the eight hundred number for the domestic violence hotline.”

“Oh-my-god, shut up! You’re such a fucking drama queen. As if you weren’t moaning like a heifer in heat. A few more minutes and you would’ve been on all fours, with your ass in the air, and begging to be inseminated,” he retorted.

Everyone at the table was laughing hysterically, including myself. Donovan’s theatrics made everything he said funnier.

“That’d be the day,” Thad laughed. He thought the comment was funnier than anyone else.

Donovan shot Thad a quizzical look.

“The day Shane has his ass in the air for anyone? The guy’s the top of the tops. Have you ever tried to touch his butt?”

“Uh, yeah,” Donovan hesitantly replied. He looked at me and I could see the pieces come together. He hadn’t noticed, until then, the few times he’d touched my butt, I’d always rerouted the situation.

Thad laughed, “Exactly. Shane has a weird complex about his monster butt. Two and half years and I never got close and you better believe I tried hard for it.”

I rolled my eyes. Hearing things like monster butt definitely didn’t help alleviate the insecurities that’d built up over a lifetime of literally being the butt of the jokes. I saw Donovan’s mood change ever so slightly. I couldn’t read him but it irritated me that he was uncomfortable. I narrowed my eyes at Thad, trying to tell him to shut the hell up, but he only laughed.

The next hour passed, but not fast enough since most of it was Thad and the guys reliving the glory days, of which Thad appeared to overly enjoy highlighting different aspects of our relationship. All of which made me look really undesirable. It also wasn’t lost on me that Donovan seemed to throw back his drink quicker than before and, by the time the evening was drawing to a close—was borderline shitfaced.

I’ve been on the receiving end of angry Gordy, and he didn’t seem to be angry, but he wasn’t as happy as before. It’s possible I was over analyzing everything, worrying because of Thad.

Donovan, not so innocently, slid his hand up my thigh and graze it across my crotch. Not expecting him to be quite so brazen, my eyes whip in his direction only to find him fully engaged with the rest of the group...even though his hand is all over my junk.

I wonder if he knew how hot he looked. Not just because he was touching my crotch, but because he’s stunning. I wanted to take him to the bathroom and bang, but Donovan was wasted. The last time he was wasted we had fantastic sex, that was followed by his ‘great escape’. Except, as far as I was concerned, there was nothing great about it and I wasn’t exactly keen on re-living it.

To make matters worse, I started to wonder if he only wanted to have sex with me when he was drunk. It made sense, since the first time we had sex, he was wasted and the last time we almost had sex, he’d had a few drinks with dinner. He was still rubbing my crotch and not getting a quick reaction since my mind was stressing about everything.

“Well, I think it’s time to call it quits. Work comes early, regardless of the night before,” Aaron said.

Everyone followed his lead and started grabbing their jackets, called cabs, and closed out their tabs. I didn’t drink much—three beers—over the course of five hours so I grabbed Donovan’s keys and drove him home. He was still under the impression we were going home to have sex, so he spent the whole car ride leaning over the center console as he kissed and rubbed on me.

I’d liked to say I was unaffected by it, but I can’t. He was hot and I could probably get aroused watching him make a sandwich. It still didn’t change the fact I wasn’t going to allow our first official time together to be a repeat of our actual first time together. If I’d been on the fence about throwing caution to the wind, the fact he reeked of booze and his dirty talk was slurred as well as borderline incoherent, nipped my desire right in the bud.

I tried to get him to stay in his seat and after a few minutes of obedience, I looked over only to find he’d passed out. He looked cute though. His head was drooped at a weird angle. I’m sure if he saw a picture he’d cry about his double chin, but I could have easily sat there in my car and watched him all night.

Parked in his driveway, I took a moment to run my thumb across his soft cheek, then across the side of his head just above his ear. With a kiss on the forehead, I carried him bridal style to his room, stripped him to his ridiculously hot boxer briefs, and put him to bed with minimal issues. I even made sure his alarm was set for work.

I glanced back one last time, just to see his sleeping form one more time. My heart clenched at the view, it was what I wanted to see the night we were together; to wake up to him like that. Maybe someday, but it wasn't going to right now.