A Decision for Jarren - 12. Chapter 12

Early Tuesday morning Jarren was surprised to see Danny up and in the kitchen. He gave the other man a questioning look as he grabbed a cup and poured some coffee.

Danny answered the look by saying “Yeah, I know how early it is. I wanted to catch you before you left. I didn’t want to interrupt your time with your brother, but I thought you should know that while you were gone my company asked me to interview for a position in their Operations Department. It’s a big step up and a big raise too. My boss is pretty sure that they are going to send me an official offer later today.”

“Danny, that sounds great! Congratulations!” Jarren told him..

“Well you may not think it’s so great when I tell you that the position is located at one of their three offices in Europe. The offer is going to include a really generous housing package. They own their own apartment buildings in each city and I’d have my own place or they can give me a stipend, but if I did that I would in all likelihood need to get a roommate, or two. I won’t know which location they’ll send me to until sometime next month. They have openings in all three cities. If I take the job, then I won’t be renewing my lease here when it’s up next month. I wanted to give you a heads up and if you want to pick up the lease then I can talk with the building manager. They usually have a waitlist, but he can make exceptions.” Danny told him.

“Wow Danny! What an amazing opportunity. Let me think on the offer about the lease. Can I let you know by the end of the week?” Jarren asked.

“Sure, take your time. I know you’re still trying to figure out what your next step is.” was Danny’s reply.

“So what cities are in the running?” Jarren asked.

Danny had a little smirk on his face when he answered “Well, Amsterdam for one. That would probably be my first choice. There’s also Zurich and Prague. Either of those would be OK, but I think I’d like the atmosphere better in Amsterdam. I have friends who have been and they say it’s a great place for young, gay dudes like me. Zurich is supposed to be really gay friendly too and I’ve heard Prague has a decent like minded community as well. I guess any of the three would be great. I’m just really excited for a new opportunity. I never imagined I would get a chance to live in Europe. It’s pretty much a dream come true!”

Jarren gave his roommate a big hug. “Danny, I really am happy for you. Who knows? Maybe you’ll find a hot European sugar daddy with a big dick to keep you satisfied.” Jarren said with a laugh.

Danny shot him the bird and in his most bitchy diva voice declared “Honey, I NEVER have a problem finding a big dick wherever I go. It’s finding one to keep that’s a problem!” Then with a laugh he told Jarren, “Now go! I’m sure Nash is anxious to see you.”

Jarren shot him a grin and grabbed his stuff and headed out the door. He arrived at the work trailer before Nash and rapped on the door before entering. Andre greeted him warmly as he entered.

“Come on over Jarren. It’s good to have you back. I’m sorry about what happened to your dad and I’m happy to hear he’s doing so well.” Andre told him.

“Thanks. It was hard seeing Dad laid up, but he’s tough, and luckily Mom’s tougher. It wouldn’t surprise me if she ends up hog-tying him while he heals. He one of those people who always needs to be doing something.” Jarren said.

They both looked up as they heard a quick rap on the door and Jarren couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as Nash entered. He suspected Andre didn’t miss the answering grin Nash gave him.

“Nash, come on over. I’ve got a new job for you two if you want it. I have a contract to fully renovate an old plantation house. It needs to be completely gutted first. The new owners want to convert the house into a bed and breakfast and build an adjacent building to cater to weddings and other functions. It’s just outside of Macon so I’ll put you both up at a hotel during the week. I’d like for you both to head up the project. Jarren, I know that you have experience with this through your dad’s business, and Nash I already know that you’d be up to the task.” Andre told them.

“How long is the project expected to run?” asked Jarren.

“I’ve told the new owners that barring any issues with materials or anything weather related we should be able to complete the house itself in roughly three months, give or take. The banquet facilities might take a little longer because you know how some of these counties are with permit approvals on new construction.” was the answer that Andre gave them.

Jarren looked at Nash and then at Andre and said “Can we have a day to think it over? I know that I need to figure a couple of things out.” Jarren was thinking about Danny’s pending move and he needed to figure out if he should pick up the lease on Danny’s apartment or not. It seemed like a waste to lease an apartment he would only use on the weekends. He’d need to sit down and run some figures before deciding anything.

“Certainly. While you guys think it over and talk it out I’ll be nice and give you an easy day today. There’s a crew over at Emory University working on laying new sidewalk down. Why don’t you guys head over and give them a hand. I’m sure they’d appreciate the extra help.” said Andre.

Nash looked at Jarren and gave him a nod. They would need to discuss the job offer in the truck. They said good-bye to Andre and left the trailer. Once they were in the work truck Nash leaned over and gave Jarren a sweet good morning kiss. Settling back into place he started the truck and they were on their way. Nash glimpsed over at Jarren and said “OK, tell me what’s on your mind. You look like you’re trying to figure out how to bring about world peace.”

Jarren chuckled and replied “Nothing that globally important, but Danny told me this morning that in all likelihood he will be moving to Europe by the end of next month. His company has offered him one of those opportunities that come along once in a lifetime and is too good to pass up. He should know for sure sometime today. So that leaves me with a dilemma. I can take over the apartment, but I’m pretty sure it will be a waste of money paying for something I’ll only need two or maybe three nights a week at the most. So that means I would need to find a room for rent or a decent hotel for the weekends that fits my budget. I still have my mortgage payments up in Mass to make every month, although I can probably rent out the house for enough to cover the payments, but there’s still upkeep and taxes to budget for. I guess I just need to sit down and run the numbers and see what will make the most sense.”

This whole time Nash had sat there with a shit eating grin on his face while watching the road. Nash looked directly at Jarren for a second and told him “You silly man. You know you can stay with me on the weekends. By the look on your face, you never even thought of that option did you?”

Jarren blushed when he realized that the answer had been staring at him all along. “B-b-but then wouldn’t we be living together?” he stammered.

See the consternation that had come across Jarren’s face, Nash quickly reassured him “How about we call it being roommates? Like what you and Danny have now, only with extra benefits. Really, really good benefits.” he said with a leer. “Tell you what, let’s ask Andre to pony up for a two bedroom unit at one of those apartment-like hotels. You know, Hampton Inn or Homewood Suites? With a kitchenette so we don’t have to eat out every night. Something like that would give us each our own space if we needed it during the week. It’s a business expense for Andre and it may even be less expensive. Andre doesn’t use lower end hotels like Red Roof or Motel 6. I really think that a two room suite will be less expensive than two rooms at a Marriott or Hyatt. I’ll ask him if you want.”

Jarren thought about it and what Nash was saying made perfect sense. He let go of his reservations and smiled at Nash. “Sounds good to me. But I’m paying you rent. That’s non-negotiable.”

Nash nodded and replied “What are you paying Danny now, if you don’t mind me asking?”

Jarren answered “$150.00 a week plus half the utilities which amounted to a whopping $75.00 last month.”

Nash decided to seize the moment and hash out the negotiations. He offered “OK, so you pay $600.00 a month plus half utilities for a full time place to stay. That’s roughly, ummm, $20.00 a day for rent. How about you pay me $60.00 per weekend plus a third of the utilities. That would be $240.00 a month for rent, part-time on weekends. My utilities should be minimal if we’re only going to be there on the weekends. We can split the grocery bill too if you want.”

Jarren didn’t say anything for a moment as he mulled over Nash’s offer. He snuck a glance and told Nash “Let’s round it to $250.00 and I’ll pay half the utilities. Neither one of us will be there more than the other and it’s only fair.”

Nash gave in and told Jarren “Let Danny know that he can head to Europe with a clear conscience. I’m happy with the arrangements, how about you?”

“You don’t think it’s too soon to be cohabitating?” Jarren asked, remembering their conversation where Nash felt like he had moved to quickly with his ex.

Nash pulled into the parking lot closest to the work area and turning off the truck he undid his seat belt and before sliding out gave Jarren a heated look and merely said “No.”

Jarren followed him and they were soon put to work mixing and laying sections of cement sidewalk. It wasn’t super hard work for either of them, but it did keep them moving constantly.

The rest of the week passed quickly as well. Danny had been offered the position and accepted it with excitement. He was thrilled when Jarren had told him about the renovation job and that he had arranged to stay with Nash on the weekends. Nash decided to pick up Jarren in the mornings and drop him back at Danny’s after work. They stole some heated kisses here and there but they were too busy or too tired for much of anything else. Jarren was looking forward to the weekend and he was sure that Nash was too.

Friday morning Andre informed them that he had arranged a two bedroom unit at a Homewood Suites just north of Macon from Monday to Friday for the next six weeks, and then would negotiate an extension. It would be about a twenty minute commute to the plantation house. Overall it was pretty convenient and Andre said it was reasonably priced too, being shoulder season.

Friday afternoon finally arrived and they reached a good stopping point around five o’clock. Once everything was put away Jarren turned to Nash and reminded him “Date night this weekend. Do you want to go out tonight or tomorrow?”

Nash made Jarren’s pulse race when he suggested “Why don’t we stop at your place and you can grab an overnight bag and stay with me for the weekend. Sunday we can come back and you can pack what you need for the week. That way we can leave early on Monday and beat the traffic going through the city. Next weekend we can get the rest of your stuff so Danny can get packed up and ready to go. By the way, can you ride a horse?”

Jarren’s brain was stuck on ‘overnight bag’ and he said “Huh? What horse?”

Nash laughed at his expression and explained “I volunteer on Saturday mornings at a farm that provides kids with mobility issues riding therapy. If you want, you can join me tomorrow. You won’t be able to volunteer until Maddie clears you. She does background checks on all her volunteers. But afterward we can take a trail ride if you’d like.”

Jarren shot him a huge grin and replied “I’d love it. I haven’t ridden in a few years. Friends of ours had a small farm and we used to ride all the time growing up. Truthfully I’ve missed it.”

“Sweet! Let’s order take out tonight and tomorrow we can have our date. There’s a steak place that just opened up not far from me that I’d love to try. Maybe instead of a movie we can make our own entertainment.” Nash’s eyes darkened as he pushed Jarren up against the truck with his hands on either side of him and stood close enough to touch, but not close enough for there to be any pressure. His body was just barely brushing Jarren’s and his voice lowered as he growled close to Jarren’s ear “I’ve missed you Jarren Dalton, and I want a whole night with nothing better to do than to explore every single inch of your body. Not tonight though, maybe a little teasing and playing, but I want you vibrating all day tomorrow in anticipation. I want the thrill of knowing that you’re horny and I’m the only one who can take care of it for you. You’ll be in charge, but I’ll call the shots. However far you decide to do go will be up to you, but know this, I’ll be the one to take you there. I can’t wait to hear what sounds I can pull from you.”

Nash brought his lips to Jarren’s and just barely brushed them softly, his tongue flicking out for a nanosecond, teasing Jarren with its brevity. Jarren’s cock had sprung to life, now making its presence known quite uncomfortably, pressing against his jeans. Fucking Hell, Nash could be such a cock tease! Jarren adjusted himself, and knowing that Nash was watching he gave his hard shaft a long, firm stroke through the denim material and let out a soft groan. He could tease just as much as Nash, even though it may end up killing him. He wondered if anyone had ever died from extreme horniness? If not, he figured he might be the first and if he did Cassie would have a field day with writing his obituary.

Nash turned away and went around the front of the truck. He hoisted himself up on the runner and looked over the roof and said “Get in the truck, Jarren,” and winked at him.

Jarren opened the passenger door and couldn’t help but feeling like he had just strapped into the front seat of the wildest roller coaster in the park. He could have sworn he heard Cassie’s sarcastic voice say ‘buckle up Buttercup’ in the back of his mind. He closed the door and snapped his seat belt into place and settled back for the ride back to his apartment to get his stuff. Danny wasn’t there when they got there so Jarren didn’t dawdle and packed some clothes and toiletries in a spare gym bag. He left a note for Danny and locked up before leaving.

Once they were back in the truck, Jarren called and ordered food from a Greek place along the way. Their lemon chicken soup was to die for. After stopping to pick up the food they made it back to Nash’s little bungalow a little after seven o’clock. Together they unloaded the food cartons and sat down at the table to eat. In addition to the soup, Jarren had ordered a kabob assortment, and a combo platter that included moussaka, pastichio, spanakopita and stuffed grape leaves. The aroma that hit them when the food containers were opened was absolutely heavenly. Jarren could still feel the sexual undercurrent that continued to emanate from Nash. He subtly added to it with his own sly looks and flicks of his tongue under the pretense of licking non-existent crumbs from his lips.

It didn’t take very long for Jarren to realize that his jeans were rather uncomfortable. He needed to divert the current flow of energy so he said “Tell me more about your volunteer work. How’d you get into it?”

Nash shot him a look that said he knew that Jarren was trying to sidetrack him before answering “I met Maddie and Jeff at a support group for parents that have lost children that I used to attend when I first moved here. I think I told you they lost both their son and daughter to Tay-Sachs disease. It’s a hereditary disease so they decided not to risk having anymore kids but they felt they needed to do something. They were just getting the riding program up and running and I offered to help out. I’m usually there most Saturdays. The kids are great. Most of them have issues with motor skills and a few were injured in accidents and some of them are battling cancer. Maddie runs the program and Jeff mostly takes care of the rest of the farm. They offer lessons for able bodied people as well as boarding services. They normally have 40-50 horses on the property at any given time, between what they own and the ones that are boarded. Jeff grew up on the farm and took it over when his parents retired.”

Nash looked over at Jarren who had been listening attentively and smiled before continuing “Most of the kids are regulars. There are a few that you end up getting attached to. There’s a boy named Liam who’s been with us for about a month now who is an absolute hoot. Olivia is another one who stands out. She has Muscular Dystrophy yet I have never seen her without a bright smile on her face. It’s so satisfying to see them making progress, or even just coming back week to week. It’s absolutely heartbreaking when they take a turn for the worse and it’s even more gut wrenching when they die.”

Jarren interjected “How do you deal with that? They’re just kids.”

Nash merely said “When you’ve lost your own child, the loss of someone else’s cuts deep, but you’ve already experienced the pain and you know that the wound will eventually heal. Thankfully we don’t lose any of the kids very often. The majority of the kids are dealing with congenital or chronic issues that aren’t immediately life threatening. It’s the kids who are dealing with cancer or other degenerative diseases that are the biggest risk. Many of those kids are only with us a short time, and mostly they are referred to us by the Make A Wish Foundation. Maddie has fostered a good relationship with their organization as well as some of the local groups. In the end it’s worth it to see the looks of happiness and joy on their faces. I just feel like it’s something that I have to do. For JuJu.”

Jarren smiled at Nash and told him “Julia would be so proud of you. I know I am. You make things better for those kids and you make things better for me too. Thank you.”

“Well, you make me want to make you feel better. I know several things that I could do to make that happen.” Nash’s eyes narrowed as he got up from the table and cleared his place as well as Jarren’s. Once his back was turned he added “But not tonight. I need you ready and on edge when I finally get to you tomorrow.”

Jarren’s mouth went dry and his cock sprang to attention. He didn’t think he would survive until tomorrow night. He only hoped that Nash’s physical discomfort was equal to his. It didn’t take long to clean up from their meal and when they were done Nash took Jarren’s hand and led him to the couch. Nash settled in and then pulled Jarren down in front of him so that he was reclined with his head and upper body leaning against his hard chest muscles. He flipped through the channels and settled on The Game Show Network. Family Feud with Steve Harvey hosting was running a marathon and the game show took just enough focus to be entertaining while at the same time allowed Nash to distract Jarren with surreptitious teasing. Nash wasn’t kidding when he said he wanted Jarren shaking with anticipation.

Jarren found it hard to concentrate with Nash’s hard shaft up against the middle of his back as he lay against the firm chest. Occasionally Nash would let his hand slide up or down Jarren’s chest, allowing his fingers to lightly brush up against confused nipples that were alternately ignored and then teased into tight peaks. There was no rhyme or reason to when Nash would decide to feel up Jarren, but Jarren knew that every flick, every caress and every single touch was done just to drive him to the edge. It was working and he knew that Nash knew it too.

Nash had taken off his shoes and socks when they had gotten home and he kept flexing his toes, deliberately drawing Jarren’s gaze away from the TV and down to his feet. Jarren had never really given feet a second thought when it came to foreplay, but damned if Nash didn’t have the sexiest pair that Jarren had ever seen.

Nash teased Jarren further by settling his chin in the soft crook of his neck and allowing his breath to hotly flow across his skin that had become hypersensitive with need. Jarren made no objections whatsoever.

Jarren at one point needed to readjust himself but when he reached down Nash grabbed his wrist, saying “Uh unh. Don’t. Touch.” After a second or two hesitation he growled possessively “Mine.” Jarren almost came in his pants.

Knowing that they had an early start in the morning, when ten o’clock rolled around Nash shut off the TV and nudged Jarren and they got up from the couch. The front of both men’s jeans showed an obvious distention. Silently Nash led Jarren to his bathroom. Without a single word he stripped Jarren of his clothes, one item at a time. He ran his eyes up and down the hard planes and let Jarren see his gaze linger on the erection that was oh so evident. Nash shucked off his own garments until not one stitch was left. He then turned Jarren around until so Jarren’s back was flush against his front. Nash pushed until they were standing at the sink in front of the mirror. Jarren stayed still, bathed in the heat that came from Nash in steady waves. Nash handed him a toothbrush and then grabbed his own. They watched each other in the mirror, blue eyes locked onto each other. Brushing teeth was one more thing that Jarren discovered could be extremely erotic. The whole time Nash had his hard cock nestled along the crack of Jarren’s ass, just resting there. Jarren was aware of each and every twitch.

Nash let them separate long enough to pee, although it was rather difficult. When finished, Nash took Jarren by the hand and led him to the bed. Jarren climbed in and Nash settled behind him. Once again Jarren’s hand drifted downward and once again Nash claimed his wrists with a warning growl. Nash wrapped his arms around Jarren, effectively enveloping him in musky heat. All Jarren could do at that point was let out a soft whimper. He knew there would be no release tonight.

Nash chuckled softly and ordered “Go to sleep Jarren.”

As if that was going to happen any time soon, Jarren thought to himself, but couldn’t help smiling. He closed his eyes and let Nash’s heat engulf him. Surprisingly he drifted off.