Thank You! ==========
Thanks to everyone who wrote to me after the first couple of instalments were posted, your support is greatly appreciated as are your suggestions of how to proceed. I have a pretty clear idea of how the next few parts are going to shape up and, who knows, I may even make the disclaimer about "consenting sex" true in the very near future. For the record, I am not an accountant, nor have I ever worked in an office like Mike's my cynical view of life in a cubicle comes entirely from reading 'Dilbert' cartoons! Keep emailing me, it does me ego the power of good and I really am glad you're enjoying it!
Disclaimer ==========
This is a work of fiction; any resemblance to persons living or dead is entirely coincidental. The author asserts all legal and moral rights (copyright (c) 2000 - ardveche@hotmail.com) to this work and you may not copy it or transmit it in any way except in its entirety and with this disclaimer. This story features descriptions of sex between consenting adult males:
- if such material is prohibited in your jurisdiction, please DO NOT READ ON, - if you're under the legal age to read such material, please DO NOT READ ON, - if you don't like, or are offended by such material, please DO NOT READ ON.
Now, if everyone who is still here is meant to be here, let's get on with it. This is the first story I've posted so all comments are welcome (email them to ardveche@hotmail.com), but be gentle with me!
The Copier Guy ==============
Part 5: Dinner
"Really? You're not angry?" I couldn't believe it could be this easy. I had gone out of my way to set this guy up and he wasn't phased by it. It was too good to be true.
"Angry? No, I'm flattered!" He took his hand from my shoulder and leant past me to grab my jacket. "Now let's go. I'm starving!" He thrust the jacket at me and I managed to take hold of it, despite being so stunned that I couldn't speak coherently.
"Flattered?"
"Sure. Have you looked in a mirror recently, Mike? You're a handsome man. To be honest I kinda hoped you'd call, that's why I gave you my card."
"Handsome?" I was winning no prizes for my conversational skills here, but he'd really thrown me.
"Are you going to repeat everything I say, or are we going to go and get some food?" His beautiful brown eyes sparkled with amusement. I could have gazed into them forever, but he would probably not be impressed!
"Sorry. You took me by surprise is all. Um, yeah, let's go."
We walked together to the elevator and made our way out of my building. My mind was in turmoil. I'd never been with another man in any way. Okay, this was only dinner, but even so. It was a big step for me and I had no idea how I should be acting toward him. The fact that he was probably the best looking man I had ever met wasn't helping either. Tall and blond, well built and just really nice. What had I done to deserve this?
"You're driving, buddy, I walked over here." His voice brought me down to earth as we crossed the car park (me totally on auto-pilot). "And you still haven't told me where you're going to take me." I forced myself to think.
"Um, how about Harris's?" That was where Dale and I always went, it was pretty expensive, but the food was great and it was familiar territory.
"We might as well just walk there, that is if you don't mind." He had a point, it was only five minutes away and I could always come back for my car later. So I nodded and we walked along in silence for a while until finally he broke it and spoke up.
"You don't talk much do you? Anyone would think that you were really uncomfortable."
"Sorry, this is just new to me is all. I haven't really, well..." I trailed off, not wanting to tell him my life story here on the sidewalk.
"Been with many men?" He finished for me.
"Any would be closer to the mark." I said before I could stop myself. This was worse than the first time I asked a girl out in high school!
"I see." I waited for him to say more, but he didn't. We arrived at the restaurant then and he held the door open for me, we had to drop the subject and get on with the business of dinner. Thankfully! We were quickly shown to a table, issued with menus and asked for a drinks order.
"Um, just a mineral water for me, thanks." I wanted to be completely sober and in control of this situation. Scott looked at me questioningly.
"Same for me, maybe we'll have some wine with dinner, though." He gave the waitress the same winning smile that had melted my heart the day before. She blushed and scooted off to get the drinks - I had a feeling we'd be getting first rate and very attentive service. "I came out when I was sixteen." He said as soon as she was gone. I was slightly thrown by that, he was just so matter of fact about it.
"I just got out of a long relationship with a woman - it hadn't been right for a while, it just wasn't working. I needed something more, or something else at any rate."
"Like a man?" He grinned at me and I found myself smiling back. Here I was in a pretty public place discussing my private life with this man. This incredibly beautiful, confident, GAY man. And suddenly it seemed the most natural thing in the world to be doing. I found myself wishing, deeply longing I could be more like him, more worthy of his time and effort.
"I guess so. It took me a long time to come to terms with being gay." This was the frankest admission of my sexuality I had made to anyone other than Dale and Eileen. It was oddly liberating.
"So tell me more about the real Michael Robins."
"Like what?"
"Like everything!"
"Um, I don't know where to start..." I honestly didn't. Normally I'm a pretty good conversationalist, but sitting there with him, his big brown eyes fixed intently on my face I dried up completely.
"Just tell me stuff. Like, what's your middle name? How old are you? What's your birthday? Your star sign? Where were you born? Do you have any siblings? Do you prefer cats or dogs? What's your favorite color? Do you like anchovies? What's..." I butted in before he went any further.
"Okay! I get the point! My name is Michael John Robins, I was born on June 19th 1972, which makes me 29 and I'm a Gemini. What was next? Siblings?"
"Place of birth, then siblings. I should maybe print up a form?"
"Very funny. I was born in New Jersey, my parents moved here when I was 11. I have no siblings, just me. Um, I prefer cats, I have a cat in fact called Richie, and no I don't like anchovies."
"Weirdo, no accounting for taste. But you forgot to tell me your favorite color!" He smirked at me and I looked him straight in the eye.
"Right now, I'd say brown." Corny I know, but for the first time since we'd met he looked a little surprised. I felt like I'd scored a point. "What about you?"
"Thomas Scott Logan, born December 15th 1977 in Philadelphia, so 22 and a Sagittarius. Two brothers and one sister, all older, Alan, Stephen and Katherine, in that order. Prefer dogs, but can cope with cats if pushed. Um, love anchovies. And my favorite color would definitely be blue, light blue. With dark brown hair." So I wasn't the only one who was going to be corny, I felt myself blushing as he looked at me with total sincerity. I felt warm all over, like a teenager again. I had an urge to loosen my tie, or play with my napkin or anything that would allow me to look away, but I couldn't. Thank God the waitress arrived just then to take our order and broke what was about to be a very awkward moment.
I quickly scanned the menu and ordered what I always ordered there, a rare steak with all the trimmings. Scott said he'd trust my judgment and have exactly the same and we ordered a bottle of red wine to wash it all down. Suddenly I felt that I could do with some alcohol. We chatted back and forth as we waited for the food to arrive and I learned a lot more about him, and him about me. We stayed off anything personal and just talked about our jobs and stuff like that. It was pretty easy and fun, I found myself relaxing in his company.
Before I knew it we had finished dinner and two bottles of wine and were on to the coffee, chatting away like old friends. He had just finished a really funny story about an embarrassing accident while he was on a skiing holiday when I checked my watch and gasped. It was almost eleven o'clock!
"Got to be somewhere?" He asked, concerned.
"There is nowhere I would rather be than here. I was just surprised that it was so late already." There is nowhere I'd rather be? Oh God! Maybe all that wine was a mistake. It began to dawn on me that I was drunk and he wasn't, that he'd been doing most of the talking and I'd been doing most of the drinking. Was he trying to get me drunk so he could have his way with me? Suddenly my paranoia, the little nervy voice in my head, was starting to sound like my mother. "I think I've maybe had too much to drink."
"You think?" He was grinning at me again.
"Maybe I should go home."
"Maybe you should." He sounded disappointed, but his face was full of concern. "Do you feel okay? Would you like to get some air?"
"That might be a good idea."
"Okay, go outside, I'll be with you in a minute, once I settle up here."
"Hey, I'm supposed to be buying you dinner."
"You can get the next one. On you go." I was in no state to argue with him so I tottered outside while he handed over his card to pay for dinner. When I got outside I took several deep breaths and felt even more drunk than I had inside. I leant against the wall and slid down until I was sitting with my back fully against the cool stone. A few minutes later he came out and looked around, not seeing me at first, again he radiated concern. Then he spotted me, smiled and shook his head. He squatted in front of me and placed his palm against my forehead.
"You don't look so good, Mike. Where are your car keys?"
I fumbled my keys out of my pocket and handed them to him. I shouldn't be this drunk, I guess it was a combination of alcohol and nerves. I had been so keyed up about calling him and I had been drinking heavily the night before. Plus I skipped lunch so I was pretty much drinking on an empty stomach. It must just have been catching up on me now. I'm not as young as I was either.
"Right, let's get you home. Up you get" He helped me to my feet and put his arm around my waist to support me. How I had wanted him to do this! I just never imagined it would be in this sort of situation. We walked quite slowly back to my office car park, me leaning on him a little more than was strictly necessary but it just felt so good. He was so strong and reassuring.
He bundled me into the passenger side of my car and I managed to put my seat-belt on as he made his way round to the other side. I was already feeling better for having walked around for a while. I told him my address when he asked and he started the car. Every so often on the drive he would check I was okay and kept talking the whole way there. Little by little I began to join in the conversation. I was feeling pretty foolish by this stage, I just don't know what happened at the restaurant but whatever it was it felt like it was wearing off now.
When we got to my building I was able to get out of the car by myself and walk up the stairs under my own steam. He came up with me to make sure I was all right but stopped outside my door.
"Do you want to come in?" I asked.
"If you want me to."
"I do. I'm so sorry about that, I don't know what happened. I feel like such a fool, Scott, I'm sorry. I've ruined a lovely evening." Tears started to form in the corners of my eyes. I pushed the door closed.
"No! No, you didn't." And then his arms where round me and his fingers were stroking my hair. I pressed my face against his chest and clung to him tightly as I sobbed. I had wanted tonight to be so perfect and I had ended up behaving like a total fool. I had never felt so bad and he still didn't seem to mind. He was so solid and real, I felt safe there with him. "I had a great time, you're a wonderful guy." He moved me gently to my sofa and sat us both down.
"I'm such a fool. A pathetic fool."
"Don't say that. Don't ever say that. You're lonely and you're insecure, but you're not a fool, do you hear me?"
"Yes I am."
"No you're not." And then he kissed me. Just on the top of my head, but I felt a shock through my whole body, my stomach flipped over and I suddenly didn't feel like crying any more. I felt like laughing and singing. "You can't be, my mother told me never to kiss a fool." I looked up and he was smiling down at me.
To Be Continued... ==================
Like I said at the start, any comments or suggestions should be emailed to me at ardveche@hotmail.com and I'll try to reply to them, but be nice!