A Tattoo for Lex - 17. Chapter 17

Tuesday saw Ian heading back to the shop. He had a few long days ahead of him to make up for the appointments he had to cancel. Lex dropped him off with the truck as he wanted to hit a garden center after taking an inventory of what he would need to get the backyard cleaned up. Ian had a landscaping service come every other week, but they just mowed and trimmed the edges. Lex went back to the house after dropping Ian off and took stock of what was stored in the small shed and in the garage. He measured the beds lining the back of the screened in patio and along the the side of the yard. Most of the bushes and hedges were well maintained and looked as if they would just need a little trimming.

After taking stock, Lex made a list of things he was going to need. He decided to wait until it was closer to October to get fresh mulch for the beds. However, he did need to get a new rake, a decent hedge trimmer, and a power washer. The concrete on the patio could use a good cleaning. There was an area in the way back that had been neglected and was really overgrown and Lex knew it would be a bitch to clear so he added a chainsaw to his list.

He grabbed the keys to the truck and headed out. There was a Home Depot in Pittsfield so that’s where he decided to go. He sang along to the satellite radio station already tuned to classic rock and enjoyed the ride over the hills. Turning into the parking lot he managed to find a space halfway down the aisle near the garden center. The truck chirped as he hit the lock button on the remote.

Being a guy he couldn’t help but to browse through the store. This was the only kind of shopping he liked. Down at the end of the store in the lumber area near the check out for contractors he saw a familiar head pulling a few sheets of plywood down and placing them on one of those weird looking trolleys the store provided for such purchases.

“Mazen!” Lex called out.

Mazen turned and seeing Lex grinned broadly. “Lex! How the Hell are you? Grabbing his outstretched hand and pulling him in for the ubiquitous “bro hug”, clapping him soundly on the back.

Lex returned the clap on the back with one of his own declaring “I’m good. Real good. How ‘bout you?”

Mazen looked at Lex and informed him “Things are OK. I broke up with my girlfriend, but other than that everything else has been pretty good.”

“Sorry to hear that, man” Lex sympathized.

Mazen shook his head responding “Don’t be sorry. When I realized right after the fact that I was actually relieved, that’s when I knew it was overdue. Besides, I’ve got a date this weekend. So how’s the tattoo coming along?”

Lex couldn’t stop the bright smile that lit up his face. “The tattoo is done. As a matter of fact I’ve fallen in love with the artist and we’re getting married October 13 and you and Jarren are invited.”

“Dude, congratulations! Damn you move quick!” Mazen remarked and added “Jarren will be surprised. He told me you were infatuated with your tattoo artist after you guys went dirt biking a few weeks ago. I know he’ll be happy for you.”

“Thanks.” was Lex’s reply, adding “How’s the renovation going?”

Mazen rolled his eyes and relayed “It’s got its ups and downs. We found some dry rot in the kitchen’s subfloor, but it’s not extensive luckily for them. Hence the run for plywood. Speaking of which, I’ve gotta get this stuff back to the house. Hey, Jarren and I always have a big barbeque Labor Day weekend. I’ll text you the info. We’d love for you and Ian to come and I’ll make sure to tell Jarren about the wedding too.”

“Sounds great” Lex quipped.

After parting ways Lex got the stuff he needed and loaded the back of the truck. He needed to stop at the grocery store as well. Ian kept stocked up on staples, but that was about all. Lex knew Cassie could outeat both of them. He knew that some of her friends hated the fact that she could eat like a cow and stay thin. He swore she had the metabolism of a hummingbird.

Whistling as he parked the truck and walked into the store Lex grabbed a carriage and set off down the aisles. Fresh fruit and veggies were a must. He made sure to grab two boxes of peanut butter Cap’n Crunch. Cassie liked it straight out of the box. Stopping at the meat counter he got an assortment of cuts of beef, hamburger, boneless chicken breasts and a huge pork butt. He figured he could pop that in the slow cooker and voila! Pulled pork sandwiches here we come! After checking out he was ready to head back to the house when he saw the liquor store on the corner of the plaza. Split decision made he hustled into the “Packie” as they were known in these parts and got a case of beer and the biggest bottles of Fireball and Rumchata that he could find. Cassie loved her liquid Cinnamon Toast Crunch. He had to admit that it was really good.

Finally done he headed back to the house and cursed himself for getting so much and then having to cart it from the truck by himself. Not to mention putting everything away. He played it by ear when it came to guessing where some of the groceries went. It didn’t look as of Ian had any kind of system so Lex just put stuff where it made the most sense to him. Most of the meat went in the freezer. He trimmed the chicken breasts and put them into individual baggies so they only had to take out what was actually needed. Keeping two aside for dinner tonight Lex finished putting everything away and then turned his attention to the backyard. He figured he could get in a couple of hours before it was time to get supper ready.

Making sure to grab a baseball cap and slather some sunscreen on his face and arms as his fair skin burned rather easily, Lex grabbed some gloves he found in the shed and got to work pulling some of the overgrowth from the side yard. He worked up quite a sweat and after two hours he called it quits and went back into the house to shower and start dinner.

His shower was short but refreshing. Heading to the kitchen he hit the power button on Alexa and once she was connected commanded “Alexa, Play U2”.

“Shuffling songs by U2 on Amazon music,” was her courteous reply.

As the marching drum beat of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” started Lex sang along as he washed and peeled a couple of yellow potatoes and a couple of sweet potatoes. Chopping up some onion he tossed everything into a shallow baking pan, coated it with olive oil and tossed in some minced garlic, salt, pepper, paprika and Italian seasoning and slid it in the oven. He then turned his attention to some of the veggies that he bought and made quick work of fixing a salad.

Next Lex grabbed the chicken he had set aside and had been marinating in the fridge. He had let it sit in some herb and garlic marinade that he found in one of the cupboards. Taking the chicken out of the marinade he set it on a plate and grabbed a couple of eggs and beat them into the marinade. Then dredging the chicken through flour and then the egg wash he coated both pieces with breadcrumbs and set them in the frying pan on low.

He was washing his hands and heard a car door slam as Casey dropped off Ian. Literally two heartbeats later Ian came through the door and went over to Lex, grabbed him and locked their lips together.

When they finally needed to breathe, Lex laughed and asked “Miss me much?”

Ian merely nodded and told him “How’d you guess?”

Lex smacked Ian’s tight ass and ordered “Go get some wine. We’re having chicken Everything should be ready in about a half hour. Shoo!”

Ian remarked “Yes, Master. It smells good by the way!” as he went out to the porch to get some Pinot Grigio from the wine cooler.

The two men teased each other playfully as they finished getting supper ready, stealing kisses and more than one grope.

“Stop!” Lex admonished. “I’m hungry and you’ll make me too horny to eat!”

Ian growled in that sexy deep voice of his “Oh, I have something you can eat alright!”

“Chicken, Ian. Chicken and potatoes and salad. That’s what I want right now. You’re as bad as Cassie at distracting people!” Lex lamented.

Ian merely laughed and said “Fine. Be a spoilsport. No dessert for you later!. Speaking of Cassie, my morning appointment on Thursday had to reschedule. Do you want me to go with you to pick her up?”

Lex grinned evilly and answered “Yeah, that would be absolutely perfect.”

Ian just smiled and took both plates over to the table having no clue as what he just agreed to.

While they ate they caught each other up on their day. After dinner they quickly cleaned up and settled in front of the TV for a couple of episodes of Grey’s Anatomy. They just barely made it through the second episode before Ian grabbed Lex’s hand and hauled him up from the couch they had been lounging on. Pushing Lex toward the bedroom, Ian kept his hands on the firm ass in front of him.

Reaching the bed Ian pulled off Lex’s shirt and then his own. They both rapidly divested themselves of the rest of their clothes and dropped naked onto the big bed. Hard muscle met hard muscle, lips locked and hands roamed. Limbs were entwined and it was hard to know whose arm or whose leg belonged to whom. Ian reached over and grabbed the lube and coated both of the hard shafts. Moans were being emitted from both lovers. Their cocks slid against each other as they frotted eagerly. Ian had his tongue practically embedded in Lex’s throat, eliciting a low growl from the man. Slowing down their pace the two slid against each other sinuously, each pulling a shiver from the other.

Lex felt the underside of the head of his cock rubbing the same spot along Ian’s equally hard erection. He savored the feeling of pleasure as it riveted along the needy length of steel. Gradually the pace picked up again. Ian was the one who cried out first as he fired several shots of liquid heat between them. Lex was only a few heartbeats behind and added his own hot shower to the cum that pooled on their torsos. Ian gently lowered himself down, covering Lex with his body, panting softly.

Lex, bringing his breathing under control queried “I thought you said I wasn’t getting dessert?”

Not missing a beat Ian countered “That was my dessert, not yours. I came first”

Still in the midst of enjoying the afterglow Lex capitulated “If you say so.” with a smile.

Shortly after they managed a quick shower and then fell into bed totally sated.

Wednesday Ian took the truck to work and Lex spent the majority of the day working on clearing the underbrush from the yard. He was intent on pulling out some stubborn vines when out of the blue he heard “ROCKY! NO!”

The next thing he knew he was flat on his back on the ground getting his face washed by a long tongue.

“Oh my God! I am so sorry! I forgot Ian said you would be here. ROCKET GET BACK!” a female voice tried to command.

Rocket was apparently a very enthusiastic, very large Golden Retriever who currently had Lex pinned to the ground intent on killing him with dog kisses. Between him pushing and the girl grabbing the dog’s collar and pulling they managed to get the giant ball of fur off of Lex.

Lex looked at the dog and started laughing. The dog was actually a mix between a Golden Retriever and possibly a St. Bernard, hence its larger than normal size. It had the typical gold coloring but its head was blockier, more like a St. Bernard. Overall it was pretty comical, especially when it was sitting there with its head tilted to one side, one ear cocked up in quizzical doggy fashion.

“Oh God, I am so embarrassed. I’m Emma, and this ball of misbehaviour is Rocky, a.k.a Rocket, Rocko, Rocket Man, or Elton. He answers to just about anything. He’s only ten months old and I don’t think he’s all that bright. I take him to obedience school believe it or not. He knows sit and down. That’s it so far. Even his instructor doesn’t hold out much hope. We’re on our fourth session.”

Lex managed to stop his laughter and get up off the ground. Brushing himself off as he introduced himself “I’m Lex, Ian’s fiance. I don’t think Rocky here is as dumb as you believe he is. I think he’s training you instead of the other way around.” Looking directly at the dog who was now sniffing at the piles of brush Lex had made he commanded “Rocky COME!” The dog immediately stopped its sniffing and loped over to Lex, tail wagging. “Sit” Lex said firmly. The dog sat.

Emma’s jaw was open as she looked on in disbelief. “How did you do that?” she wondered.

Lex gave a short chortle. Animals had auras too, just nowhere near as complex as a human’s. Rocky had a bright multi-hued aura that signalled how much he wanted to play. This was a dog that believed he was put on this earth to be everybody’s friend. The only problem was that dogs like Rocky tended to be over exuberant and would jump from one thing to the next wanting to make everyone happy, and in a dog’s world people were happy when were paying attention to him. The problem came about because most dogs don’t care if attention is positive or negative. Trainers always tell you to reinforce positive behavior and not negative behavior. A quick and firm “No” then redirecting the dog. Rocky had been getting attention for both positive and negative behavior, hence the inability to discern one from another and the lack of motivation to learn more positive commands.

Lex looked at Emma and informed her “Rocky is like a kid with severe ADHD without Ritalin to help him focus him. Keep things simple with him. Pick one name and stick with it until he’s a little older and knows his commands. I’m sure your trainer has told you to keep commands short and clear. It also helps if you establish who’s in charge. If you look him in the eye don’t be the first one to break contact.”

Emma responded “Yeah, the trainer told me to make sure that I’m the first one in or out the door or through the gate. It’s just hard to remember sometimes, plus he’s getting so big. I just forget. Anyway, I’m here to clean the house. Ian tells me you’re having a guest so I’m going to make sure everything is fresh. Rocky usually stays in the yard when I’m cleaning. Do you mind?”

“Not at all” Lex replied.

The next couple of hours Lex continued to work on the yard while Emma cleaned the house. When she was done she came back out and thanked Lex for his advice and to get Rocky who was now snoozing in the shade. Lex had played fetch with Rocky with one of the big sticks from his brush pile. The overgrown puppy would sleep well tonight.

Ian made it home relatively early and they kept supper simple. Burgers on the grill and Ian opened up a bag of sour cream and onion chips while Lex grabbed the bag of salt and vinegar. A few cold beers washed it down quite well.

“I met Emma today. She’s a nice girl. Did a great job on the house too.” Lex remarked. Emma had swept and mopped all the floors, dusted, cleaned both bathrooms and made sure the guest room had fresh sheets and the bathroom across the hall from it had plenty of clean towels. She even had thrown in a load of laundry. Lex still hated to do laundry. “I also met Rocky” he added with a laugh.

Ian joined in the laughter. “I’m sorry. I forgot to mention to you that I had asked her to come by. So how’d that go? Your meeting with Rocky?” he asked.

Lex relayed getting bowled over like a candlepin by the unruly mutt and Ian laughed harder at the image of Lex being knocked over by the awkward oversized puppy. “He is rather enthusiastic isn’t he?”

Lex answered “Yeah, but he’s just playful. I gave her some tips on how to deal with him. I think she should ditch the trainer. He’s not helping much. I gotta admit though he’s a beautiful dog, unusual, but beautiful. Dogs are awesome.”

“Did you ever have a dog? Ian inquired.

Lex replied “No, The moms didn’t want the added responsibility and Mrs. Hansen was allergic so we never even got secondhand doggy ownership. Cassie and I spent a few summers before the shit hit the fan dog sitting for other neighbors when they went on vacation. What about you?”

Ian nodded “We had a lab mix when I was a kid. His name was Fish, and before you ask, it was all Dad’s doing. You see we got one puppy. There were two kids. We both wanted to name him. I wanted something cool like Zeke or Scooby. Sean wanted Tinker because he peed every time he got excited. Needless to say we fought. It came to blows and and my mom put her foot down and told us that neither one of us would name him. Then she looked at Dad and told him to give the poor dog a name. My Dad looked at her and said ‘Don’t look at me. I wanted fish.’ Hence he was christened Fish.”

Lex howled with laughter. “Oh God. I can see your Dad’s face! Fish! Bwaaahahahaha!”

Ian laughed along with him and when they both calmed down he looked at Lex and said “We should get a dog.”

Simmering down Lex’s eyes widened “Wait. What? Are you serious? You want to get a dog?” he choked out.

“Yeah sure, I mean we should probably wait until after the wedding. I think the next two months are going to be busy and it wouldn’t be fair to the dog not being able to give it the attention it deserves. What do you think?” Ian asked.

“I think you’re absolutely right. Just don’t tell Cassie. She’ll drag us down to the shelter before we know what hits us. I also think you deserve a blow job!” Lex said as he grabbed Ian’s hand and practically dragged him down the hall.

Next up....Cassie arrives.
Consider yourselves warned!!🤪🤣