Daddy Type - Chapter Twelve

Chapter Fourteen – {05-2018 - 09-2018}

"What should I wear?" Luke asked. I could feel his worry.

"Did the new hire packet give any guidance?"

"It said business casual. I've looked online, and that ranges from polos and khakis to sport coats and slacks. You've worked there, you should know."

"Well, for your first day, I'd recommend slacks, a dress shirt, a tie, and a blazer. Orientation will be from eight to noon unless something has changed." He nodded his head, so I kept going. "You'll have a couple big wigs come in, so looking sharp is good. You'll have lunch as part of orientation and then be taken to meet your manager and your team. That will give you a good indication for day two. Each team in the office had a little different interpretation of how casual you could get without issue. My team wore a dress shirt, but no tie. Jackets or sweaters if you had important meetings. Justin's group was mostly in polo shirts, but then again, they didn't really leave their cubicles. Justin himself wore a shirt and tie, with a jacket available."

"Okay, so no suit. Hmm..."

"Want some help?"

"YES!"

"Have you thought of moving some of your work clothes into the main closet and shifting some of your casual stuff to here?"

"That makes sense."

"Okay, try on this blazer." He slipped it on, and it fit him well. "Fits. I'd try a dress shirt, slacks, and that."

"Which one?"

"How much do you want to stand out?"

"Huh?"

"Well, you have a limited selection of dress shirts. You might want to think about getting a few more. With your light grey blazer, you could do dark gray, black, or blue slacks. Then, based on that, pick an appropriate shirt."

"But what did you mean about standing out?"

"So, blazer, black slacks, and that purple shirt, stands out! Blazer, these blue slacks, and light blue shirt, you fade into the background."

"It's my first day," he paused.

"And your first impression on management, on your boss, and on your team. You'll build a reputation with your work and work ethic over time, but how much confidence do you want to show on day one? There is no bad answer; it is just how you want to portray yourself."

"I'm scared shitless, but I don't want folks to know it." He paused for a moment. "CONFIDENT!" He grabbed the black slacks and the purple shirt.

"You'll look great. You have to be there at eight?" I asked.

"Yes."

"So that's the earlier train than the one I usually take."

"Oh."

"I'll change to match tomorrow, so we can ride in and out together. Saves gas and such. My office won't care."

"Cool!"

"Then we can go back to the later train, so you get a little more sleep."

"I'm used to the early bird thing now," he admitted.

"Well, you'll need the seven-oh-three to get to your station before eight. If you start at eight thirty, you could do the seven-forty-eight train. If you start at nine, you could ride the eight-sixteen train."

"So, I should see if an eight-thirty start works so we can ride together."

I grabbed my phone and pulled up the schedule.

"That works; then you could take the 331 to come home. We can make it work, and that way Cody can have a vehicle since neither of us will be around."

"He was so hopeful about those internships," Luke said.

"I've been talking to him about summer school."

"He mentioned that it wasn't worth it. He can't finish faster."

"No, but it could lighten his class schedule for the fall and spring. Then he could get a part-time job if he wanted."

"That might help his mood," Luke admitted.

"I figure it'll get a bit worse before it gets better."

"Why's that?"

"He's already worried about not contributing' now you'll be bringing home a paycheck."

"Oh."

-----

"Karaoke tonight?" I asked as the three of us were getting our day started.

"Sure, why not?" Cody asked.

"I was just confirming without assuming. Plus, Luke has had a busy three days with his new job," I explained.

"I can walk over," Luke said.

"I can drive in," Cody said. "Should I pick you up?"

"I'll just take the METRO and meet you there."

"I need to finish getting ready," Luke said. With that, he headed to the bedroom.

"That works," Cody admitted. "Anything I can do around the house to help out?"

"You have the house spotless. The laundry is all done." I stopped and thought for a moment. "Would you want to do some yard work?"

"Sure. I need to keep busy."

"No sitting, watching your shows, and eating bon bons?"

"No. What needs to be done?"

Let's walk outside, and I'll show you. We went out back, and I explained my thoughts.

"Coulter. Ready to go?" I heard Luke call from the front.

"I gotta run," I said. I pulled Cody into a hug and softly said, "I love you so much. Have a great day!"

I walked to the front; Luke had my bag, so we climbed into the Jeep and took off.

"What's going on?" Luke asked as I drove.

"He's running out of things to do."

"More depression," Luke said.

"We just need to find something," I said.

"Worse before it gets better."

We talked about options on how we could help until we got to my station.

-----

Saturday morning, Cody and I were sitting in the den having coffee when he said, "I have an idea."

"Lay it on me."

"I know you want to clean out more of the invasives and such. What if I work on that?"

I thought for a moment. It was a lot of work, and he shouldn't have to do it alone. Then my mind clicked; it was a way for him to feel useful. I said, "That would be great."

"I can show you what I'd like to have donelater."

"Works. We can also go get whatever supplies you might need."

"Cool."

It was the happiest I'd seen Cody all week. He put his mug down and snuggled against me. It was peaceful.

"Morning," Luke said as he entered the room.

"Morning," we replied.

Luke sat next to Cody and snuggled in.

"What's the game plan for today?" Luke asked.

"Cody wants to work on the woods cleanout, so I figure we can get supplies and maybe help get started today. I'd rather do something fun tomorrow."

"That works for me," Cody said.

Luke nodded.

-----

"What's the game plan for today?" Luke asked. He and I were in the bedroom straightening up while Cody cleaned up the kitchen.

"Museums?"

"I was thinking Top Golf, go carts, something more fun," he suggested.

"I was thinking of something low-cost."

"Oh. Smart. Museums it is or hiking."

"Why don't we go to Udvar-Hazy? It's up Route 28 and convenient," I said.

"Let's suggest it to Cody."

It wasn't long before Cody joined us.

"What do you think about going to the Air and Space Museum up by Dulles?" I asked.

"I'm game," Cody said.

"Cool. Let's get cleaned up and hit the road."

It was about an hour later when we arrived.

"What's that?" Luke asked as we walked into the museum.

"It's the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird," Cody said.

I must have given him a funny look.

"My dad was into planes, so I heard about all the best."

I pulled up the site on my phone.

"This one set a speed record when it was delivered to this facility. Over 2,100 miles per hour."

"So, almost Mach 3," Cody explained.

"And who's Mr. Trivia today?" I asked.

"Well, in this one category."

We went down on the main floor, and Cody started bouncing.

"It's a freaking Concorde," he almost yelled.

"You're ignoring the space shuttle Discovery back there," Luke said.

As we walked through the space, Cody commented on a number of the planes. He would spend a lot of time digging into each plane.

"I can't believe it's one of the Dash 80's," he said.

"Explain," Luke said. "I thought it was a Boeing 707."

"It is, but this is the 367-80, which became the 707."

We ate lunch at the museum. Luke and I kept looking at each other and smiling. It was so good to see Cody's mood be so positive.

-----

On the train ride to work Thursday morning, Luke asked, "Have you noticed Cody's mood?"

"It's been oscillating pretty wildly. I'd hoped the yard project would help him feel like he's contributing."

"I keep complimenting him on how much he gets done."

"He is throwing himself into it. I am a little concerned that it's all he does each day. I mean, it's been two weeks, and he's done more than I got done in months."

"I don't think it's a long-term solution for the summer. He can't sustain this."

"No."

"Put your thinking cap on. Please," Luke said.

We were coming up to my station. I stood, grabbed my bags, bent over, and kissed Luke.

"Have a great day," I said.

"You too."

I walked to the office pondering, or, as Luke had said, with my thinking cap on. At my desk, I got things ready for the SCRUM.

"Morning Coulter," Greta said.

"Morning."

"We have the user story prioritization meeting today."

"Yes," I said. I wondered where this was going.

"I'll be blunt. I'm trying to gather some support," she explained.

"Support for which project?"

"Security. We seem to ignore how disorganized things have gotten."

"Anas is trying."

"He's relatively new, and he's struggling to get the full picture. I want to launch a reengineering project. First, we have to get what we have fully documented."

"I'll support. I know there were two clients that chose something else since we don't have all the documentation in order for an audit."

"Super! Thanks."

We got through the SCRUM and then moved into the prioritization meeting. Things were more than tense.

"I don't understand why we're putting so much focus on security," Barbara said.

"You lost two clients because we wouldn't pass an audit," Greta said. "I'm trying to put focus on the project to support Anas. It's not shifting development resources."

"What's your proposal?" Lucinda asked.

"Greta helped me put this together," Anas said. He cast his screen onto the monitor on the wall.

Anas went through the project and explained its goals.

"It will divert my team's resources for quite a while, but I think it is necessary."

Barbara started to say something, but Lucinda put her hand up.

"This is one time where I will manage more than lead. I concur. Are there additional resources you need?"

"I need someone to help Janice. She's a great tech writer, but she doesn't understand security."

As we finished the meeting, I asked Lucinda and Anas to stay behind.

"I have an idea," I said. "One of my tenants just finished his junior year in cyber security. He's a great young man with a 3.75 GPA. I've read a few of his papers, and he's good. The thing is, he didn't find an internship and is doing yard work this summer."

"The one that..." Lucinda started.

"Yep."

That got a raised eye from Anas.

"His father put him in the hospital when he found out he was gay. He's living with me."

"Understood."

"We can't really call it an internship," Lucinda said. "How about a summer job?"

"Super!" I said.

"Interview him and get him on board," Lucinda said to Anas.

He pulled out his phone, looked at it a moment, and said, "Tomorrow at three?"

"I'll get him here."

-----

We got home after karaoke that night. I was in the kitchen getting food prepped for Friday's lunch.

"What's wrong?" I asked Cody as he walked into the kitchen.

"Nothing."

"Yeah. Sure. Right. What's wrong."

"I didn't get the job I wanted. Damn it, it was just a part-time thing, but still."

"Do you want to work at my office this summer?"

"What? That would be great!"

"You'd be working with Anas on the security reengineering project."

"Holy shit, that's great. What do I need to do?"

"Interview tomorrow at three. Be accepted for the job. I will admit, I think it is simply a formality."

"What?"

"We're launching a security reengineering project, and Anas needs help. Specifically, he needs help with documenting the current security posture. After the project was green-lighted this morning, I talked to him and Lucinda about using you to help."

"Super!"

"You didn't ask about your salary."

"I'm getting paid? I figured this was unpaid. You're serious?"

"You'll make about $650 a week."

"Wow, that's great." He started bouncing around the kitchen.

"I figured you'd be happy."

"I'm going to show you just how happy."

"I like that idea!"

"So, tomorrow you drive in for an interview at three, and then we'll carpool home."

"Now, I'm nervous."

"No reason to be."

"Job, job, job, job, job," he chanted.

"What's up?" Luke asked.

"Coulter found me a job. Hell, it sounds like Coulter created a job for me."

"The need is real. I just took advantage of the need to propose and create the job," I explained.

"Time to show you how happy I am."

I put things away in the kitchen, and we headed to the bedroom.

"Happy, happy, happy," Cody chanted as he started stripping. "I need to get you naked."

With that, he started unbuttoning my shirt. Luke watched with a huge smile on his face.

"Going to join us?" I asked.

"I'm going to watch for a bit," Luke replied. "I'm happy; he's happy!"

Cody had my shirt off and was working on removing my boots and socks. I reached to unbutton my pants, but he pushed my hands away.

"My job," he said.

I stood there as Cody stripped me. He then stood and wrapped his arms around me. His lips found mine, and his tongue pushed between them. Having one of the two loves of my life envelope me in warmth, passion, and most of all, love, was phenomenal. My dick started plumping up as he kept up the embrace.

Finally, Cody disengaged a bit. He pushed me backwards until I fell onto the bed. Cody pushed my legs apart, slid between them, and took my cock between his lips. I pushed up on my elbows so I could watch Cody. What I really noticed was that Luke was naked, hard as a rock, and recording Cody's efforts.

"You can join us," I said.

"It's just as fun watching! I think I'm going to enjoy some porn."

He kept the phone pointed at Cody and me as he walked over to one of the chairs in the room and sat down.

Cody was doing a great job on my cock and balls, and I was in heaven. I watched him work his mouth up and down my shaft, and after a bit, I started running my fingers through his hair.

"Can I?" I started to ask.

He came up off my cock and said, "No. This is my thank you."

He went back to sucking me for a bit. I started feeling his saliva running down my balls.

"I'm getting close," I warned.

He pulled off and started crawling up my body. His tongue started licking my nipples. This made my cock jerk.

"Oh, I've gotta get a closeup of that," Luke said.

I couldn't see him at first, but I noticed him move behind Cody. My guess was that he was filming my cock jerk each time Cody nibbled my tits. I'm sure it was quite the image with Cody's ass directly behind it.

Luke's hand wrapped around my cock, and I realized he was aiming it at Cody's hole.

"Oh fuck," Cody said. My cock head slipped in just a bit.

"That's it," Luke urged. "Sit back on him."

Cody's ass slipped down my shaft until his cheeks were rubbing my legs.

"What a closeup," Luke said.

Cody started moving his ass up and down my cock. I was already aroused, but this was pushing my stamina. It honestly didn't take long till I yelled, "Fuck!" and blasted my cum up his hole.

My shooting triggered Cody, who shot all over my chest. As he finished, he laid his chest against mine. My cock softened enough to slip out of his hole, and I felt lips wrap around it. Luke cleaned the cum off my dick, and then, based on Cody's moans, he started felching my load out of Cody's ass.

"Fuck!" Luke yelled. I felt his load hitting my legs.

I looked up at Cody and said, "You're welcome."

-----

I saw Anas walk Cody back towards the small conference room. He looked sharp in his suit and tie. I knew Anas was leading the interview but wondered if there would be anyone else from his team. I tried to focus on work, but my mind kept drifting. It was a few minutes before four when Anas and Cody appeared at my cubicle opening.

"Everything you said he would be and more," Anas said.

Cody blushed.

"I honestly think he'll be a great addition to your team for the summer," I said.

"I'm going to go and let Lucinda know we have a new employee," Anas said.

With that, he took off.

"Congrats," I said. Cody moved to hug me, but I held out my hand.

He nodded in understanding.

"Let me get things wrapped up, and we can get moving. Luke should be at the train station in about thirty minutes."

"Cool. I'm in the garage here. I didn't want to deal with a meter."

"Smart man."

I got things shut down, packed up, and we went to the car. We drove over to the train station and waited for Luke.

"How was the interview?" I asked.

"I guess great. I'm not really sure," he replied.

"Why the doubt?"

"He and the lady, Claire, I think, anyway, asked one question each. I answered them like we practiced. Then they started talking about what I'd be doing. That probably took most of the time."

"I told you it was more of a formality than a real interview. Anas is desperate."

"It seems like a huge project."

"It is. I think I told you before that, security was more of an afterthought at first."

"Yeah."

"Management is trying to get a firm grasp on what is already built and what needs to be built and ensure it is fully documented. Some of our potential customers wanted a security assessment, and without proper documentation we're not in a position to support them."

"Makes sense."

We were interrupted when Luke climbed into the car.

"Well?" he asked.

"I got the job," Cody said.

"Congrats!"

Cody got the car moving and filled Luke in on all the details.

After getting my stuff put away, I went into the kitchen to get dinner started. I was surprised that Cody didn't come help me, but I figured he and Luke were catching up on things.

"You need to talk to Cody," Luke said as he came into the kitchen.

"What did I do?"

"Got him an internship."

"Umm..."

"He's stressed. He's worried he's going to embarrass you. He's worried he's going to disappoint you. He's worried it's going to fuck up our relationship."

"Great! Solve one problem, create another."

"You are good at solving problems. Seriously, go talk to him."

I put down the dish towel and went back to the bedroom.

"I hear we need to talk."

"Huh? What?"

"Remember, your husband is also my husband. You talk to him; things might just get back to me."

"Oh."

"Why are you stressed?"

"I don't want to," he said and paused.

"You won't embarrass me. You won't disappoint me. Most importantly, you won't change my feelings for you. I love you!"

"Thanks," he said quietly.

"Just do your best. If you get stumped, talk to Anas. He's going to be there to coach, help, and mentor you along."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to stay out of it as much as I can. You're not in my group, and I do my best not to meddle in their business."

"But."

I didn't let him finish. "He's super excited to have you on the team this summer. He knows you're in college, have no real experience, and need guidance. I'll be glad to discuss things with you as needed, but I want you to shine on your own. I know you will!"

"Thanks!"

-----

"This is different," Luke said as the three of us walked out of the house together.

"I got you a monthly pass," I said as I handed it to Cody.

"Thanks. This is a new adventure. I'm just hoping I can settle my nerves."

"You'll do well," Luke said.

"Thanks."

I drove us over to the train station.

"I've never ridden the train," Cody said. "Anything I should know?"

"First car is the quiet car. Otherwise, just be nice. Hopefully, we can find a set of seats that are empty or only have one person," Luke said.

"There's a bathroom; you can eat. It's very different from METRO."

"Cool."

We got on the train and found a set of seats with only one person.

"Sorry," I said to the lady sitting in the group of seats with us. "It's his first time on the train, his first day on a new job."

"No worries," she said. I noticed that she put ear buds in and started listening to music.

"Am I asking too many questions?" Cody asked.

"Not at all," I said.

We were approaching the King Street stop.

"Have a great day," I said to Luke.

I leaned over and gave him a quick kiss. The look on Cody's face was priceless. He stood, bent over, and kissed Luke as well.

The train pulled into the station. Cody followed me off the train.

"I was shocked," Cody said.

"Luke told me early on that I wasn't allowed to leave him and not kiss him," I explained. "I'm sure it bothers some people. It doesn't bother Luke; that's the most important thing."

"Good for him. Hey, I meant to ask. Other than Anas and your boss, does anyone know that I'm related to you?"

"Lucinda and Anas know you're my tenant. I think Anas told his team. They, just Lucinda and Anas, also know you're the tenant that got abused."

Cody gave me a look.

"Lucinda knew that I took time off to help you last summer. She knew the basics. It came up when we were discussing you, so I gave Anas a high-level idea. Both know you were abused and now live with me."

Another look.

"It won't get any further, trust me. Other than that, that you are my tenant will get around the office. We're not that big of an organization."

"No kissing in the office," Cody said.

"No, that would not be appropriate."

"Can I get my kiss in the elevator?"

"Or in the stairwell. I always walk up since we're on two."

"Cool."

We went into the building. I pointed out the elevators near the back of the building lobby, then headed for the front stairwell. Cody followed me and tapped my shoulder as we hit the landing. I turned around and gave him a kiss. We exited onto the second floor, entered through the front lobby, and I walked Cody over to Anas' cubicle.

"Morning," Anas said as I stuck my head over the top.

"Morning, I brought your newest team member," I replied.

"Welcome Cody. I'm very glad you're here. Let's get you over to HR so they can get the ball rolling. The sooner you get to work, the better," Anas said.

I took the opportunity to disappear.

At lunch time, I went into the break room and started heating up my lunch. Cody showed up a few minutes later and sat with me as we ate.

"How'd the first few hours go?"

"I've got a computer. I'm on the network. I have access to the documentation. I'm pretty impressed with how fast everything went."

"Small organization versus large organization," I explained. "At Luke's place, it takes a couple days before you have everything set up and ready."

"I started reading the first document just before lunch. It seems all over the place."

"Thus, the reason you were hired."

"I'm not as good at editing as you are."

"You shouldn't have to edit them as much as get them organized and rewritten."

"What's the difference?"

"What did Anas tell you?"

"I'm going to work with the team to get the documentation written. I'm supposed to work with him to determine how best to organize it so that it's accessible and locatable. I just assumed that meant editing them as well."

"Don't assume; ask. We have a technical writer, Janice, who will get everything in the correct format and correct grammar."

"Oh!"

"Janice doesn't have the capacity or the knowledge to write the security documentation. That takes your skill set. She will do what I did for Luke - lots of tracked changes."

"Got it."

I smiled at him.

During our lunch break, I introduced Cody to anyone that came into the room.

"Information overload," he said as he packed his cooler.

"Yep. There will be a test tomorrow!"

"Funny, very funny."

"Cubicles have names on them. Try to learn your team first, then build from there."

"Smart."

Having finished lunch, we went back to work. At the end of the day, we walked to the train station. It was evident that Cody was excited.

"This is going to be a lot of fun," he said. "How do we get to the same train car as Luke?"

"He'll text me soon. He tries to find a free seat so I can sit with him. It'll be a lot harder to get two free seats."

We'd just crossed Diagonal Road when my phone vibrated. I glanced at the notification.

"Third car; he's on the upper level," I explained.

We got to the station and were in position. A few minutes later, the train pulled in, and we climbed on. As I thought, he'd found seats, but we wouldn't be together. I had Cody sit across from Luke, and I stood. Cody looked at me funny.

"It's only three stations," I explained.

Cody tried to convey over eight hours of events to Luke as fast as he could. All I could do was smile.

-----

"I'm jealous," Luke said.

"Why?"

"Maybe not jealous; a bit envious."

"Why?"

"You and Cody and working together. He's getting more Coulter time."

"It's really the walk to work, lunch, and the walk to the train," I explained. "And until this, you've had me alone on the train each day."

"I hadn't thought of that."

"I'm glad you see it as envy and not jealousy. The little extra time he and I get isn't going to change the way either of us feels about you. Heck, one of us may annoy the other with so much together time."

That got me a smile and a chuckle.

"How can I help with dinner?" he asked.

"The food's going. How about setting the table and drinks?"

"Sure. By the way, where's Cody?"

"He's picking out his outfit for tomorrow."

"Huh?"

"He set a bar on Monday and Tuesday with his outfits. Now he's trying to meet that level every day."

"Like I did on my first few days?"

"Yep. You found your comfort zone, and he will too."

After dinner, Cody approached me and said, "I know you said you wouldn't or at least didn't want to get too involved in what I'm doing, but I do want your opinion."

"Okay."

"In the framework for the documentation, the security team focused on roles and responsibilities, authentication, testing, and all the usual suspects," he explained, and paused.

"I sense a however coming," I said.

"They don't include the UI features or design, and I think they should."

"Okay."

"How do I propose that?"

"Why should the UI be included?"

"Dude," Cody said, seeming annoyed at my response. "You of all people..."

I held up my hand.

"Stop and think. What did I ask?"

He looked at me for a few moment,s and then the lightbulb went off.

"I explain why I think the UI should be included."

"And?"

"And," he paused. "Oh, and how it should be documented."

"BINGO."

"You're good at that."

"What?"

"Making us think and learn."

"I want you both to be independent people."

"We appreciate that."

"Beyond your parents and school, you'll learn from everyone you work for and everyone you associate with. Including me, I hope."

"I've already learned a lot."

"Stick around that team, and you'll learn a lot more."

"I was talking to Matteo. He's going to start getting his security certifications."

"Makes sense. He's got the experience, which will only help him advance his career. Lucinda wants folks to get the appropriate certifications for their area and is willing to pay for books, bootcamps, or prep courses to get folks there."

"What about you?"

"I'm working on my ITIL3 certifications," I explained.

"ITIL?"

"Information technology infrastructure library. I'm working through the practice manager certifications. I have completed problem management, change enablement, deployment management, and release management. Lots more to go."

"I guess I need to get my degree first, then start thinking about them."

"Continuing education is a good thing, and there are a lot of certifications for security."

-----

"Evening, gents," Georgia said as she walked up to our table.

"Evening, Georgia," we said.

"What's going on?"

"New job," Cody said.

"You graduated?"

"Summer job, but it is in my career field."

"Which is?"

"Cyber engineering and information assurance."

"Too technical for me," she replied. "What about you?" She asked Luke.

"I've been at my company for just over four weeks now. I'm in IT project management."

"Congrats. Internship?"

"No. I graduated and got a full-time job."

She looked at Casey and Kyle.

"We're in summer school," Kyle explained. "Like Cody, we're both rising seniors but we're getting a bit of a jump on things since we plan on going to grad school."

"Smart boys. Well, I need to get things started."

"What are you singing tonight?" I asked Casey.

"Stayin' Alive," he replied. "What about you?"

"All Night Long – D.I.S.C.O."

"Who's that by?"

"Mousse T and Suzie. It's from 2009 but has a bit of a disco vibe and but more importantly is about being at the disco all night long."

"Different," he admitted.

"Cody's doing Baby Face."

"Who's that by?"

"Wing and a Prayer Fife and Drum Corps," I explained. "He found it in my library."

"Cool."

At that point, Cody and Luke started delivering the table's drinks.

"Thanks," I said.

We had the sign-up period, and it wasn't long after that before Georgia walked onto the stage.

"It's disco night, and I'm so intrigued by one of the songs selected that it's first just so I can hear it. Here's Coulter doing All Night Long D.I.S.C.O. by Mousse T."

I went to the stage and got into the zone. The song was fun, and I thought I covered it and Suzie's moves well. I guess the crowd really liked it, as I got a huge round of applause.

"What a great song, and I think we started the night on the right note. I can't speak for the judges, but to me, the bar is very high!"

Throughout the evening, there were a lot of great numbers as folks covered a lot of vintage disco music. As the competition ended, Georgia had a few folks perform while the judges tallied their votes.

"This has been a fun night, and thanks to everyone who competed," she said. "In third place, let's give a big round of applause to Cody!"

Cody ran up to the stage and got his drink coupon. "In second place, let's give a big round of applause to Casey!" Casey walked up and got his two coupons. "And making it a clean sweep for their table, tonight's winner is Coulter." I was stunned. I walked up and got my voucher for a month of free drinks.

"Awesome," Luke said as I sat down.

"My first win," I said.

"Now Cody needs a win, so we each have one."

Our table was buzzing the rest of the evening.

-----

The next morning, I walked into the bathroom and found Cody looking less than ideal.

"I don't feel so good," he said.

"What's wrong?"

"I've got a fever, I'm cold, and my throat is sore."

"What's your temperature?"

"One hundred point eight."

I put my hands on his neck. "It feels like your nodes are swollen. Open wide." I looked into this throat, and it looked red and irritated. "You've got something alright. My guess is strep or mono."

"I had mono in middle school; that was awful."

"You're not supposed to get mono twice, but I hear you can. I guess we're going to the doctor today."

"You've got to go to work."

"I'll call in and let them know I'll be offline till we get things settled. I can work from home the rest of the day."

"Work from home?" I heard Luke say as he joined us.

"Cody's sick, and I'm going to take him to the doctor to get checked out."

"Oh. How bad?"

"I just don't feel good," Cody explained.

"I'm guessing strep."

"Eeek... I don't want that," Luke said.

"Hopefully, we haven't been overly exposed," I said. "But it might be good to avoid folks for a few days just in case."

"I have my stuff; maybe I should work from home."

"Might be a good thing. You go lay down. Luke and I will get things moving."

Cody didn't look so good as he headed back to bed.

I went into the den, grabbed my phone, and sent Lucinda a text. I walked into the kitchen and started heating up water.

"I sent my boss a text," Luke explained. "He said there was no problem with me working from home today since I may have been exposed."

"Text Kyle and let him know."

"Oh, yeah..."

While Luke did that, I made some tea for Cody. I walked into the bedroom and found him lying in the middle of the bed, looking miserable.

"Try drinking this; it should help soothe your throat."

He sat up and took the mug. He took a sip and smiled.

"Call me if you need anything."

Back in the kitchen, Luke and I ate a quick bite.

"Where are you taking him?" Luke asked.

"Well, he doesn't have insurance or a doctor at this point. I'm thinking the urgent care center over on Route 50."

"They open at eight," Luke said. "I used them once my freshman year."

"If you'll get the kitchen cleaned up, I'll get cleaned up and take him over."

"I can go."

"You don't have a lot of leave. Let me handle this part."

"Okay."

I walked back into the bedroom.

"Get into some sweats and a t-shirt. I'm going to get a quick shower. I let Anas know you won't be in today, and I let Lucinda know I'm working from home."

Clean, I drove Cody over to the urgent care center. I stood at the door until they opened and waved Cody to join me. Being first in line, he was seen immediately. I sat in the waiting area while he was seen. It was about forty-five minutes later when Cody reappeared. I walked over to him as he got to the cashier.

"No insurance?" she asked with a bit of concern in her voice.

"Unfortunately, here's a credit card to pay for it," I said.

I was afraid Cody would be upset with me paying the bill;, however, he was too exhausted to respond. When we got home, I got him set up in his room and put his phone on the nightstand.

"You took your antibiotic?"

"Yeah."

"Get some sleep and text me if you need anything."

Cody rolled over and crashed.

Luke was still on a call when I walked by his room. He pointed at his cell phone, and I got the message.

`Strep throat' I sent.

`Not good hows U'

`No symptoms yet. He's on meds to clear up'

`Good'

By this point, I was logging into work to get my day started. The day was busy, and after I caught up on e-mail, I spoke with Anas, letting him know Cody might be out a day or two. Lucinda checked in on us later in the morning.

A few minutes before noon, I set my away flag. First, I checked on Cody and found him asleep. I walked to the kitchen and started prepping lunch.

"How much did the visit cost?" Luke asked.

"Couple hundred," I admitted.

"I will get the next one. And don't try to wave me off, he's my husband too."

"Fair enough. How's work?"

"Fine. I told my boss I'd be in the office on Monday unless this spreads."

"I told Lucinda the same thing. The doctor said he should be safe by Monday or Tuesday."

I heard my phone chime.

"I will check on him," Luke said.

He disappeared for a few minutes.

"Soup? He's hungry, but his throat hurts."

"I have chicken stock."

I got a cup of broth ready, and Luke took it to him.

"Shame he's sick over the weekend," Luke said.

"As a summer hire without leave, it is probably better," I said.

"I guess it is."

After lunch, we each returned to our respective space for work. It was about three when I heard my phone chime. I was finishing up a call and thought I heard footsteps. I figured Luke was helping him.

"Coulter," Luke's voice was booming.

"We good, Adele? I think my sick tenant has a problem."

"Definitely, talk to you Monday. Bye."

"Bye."

I walked toward the bedroom.

"Coulter." Luke's voice was insistent.

"Coming!" I yelled. I picked up my pace. I was about to ask what was wrong when I saw it. Cody had vomited in bed. I said, "Let's get him into the bathroom, then strip the bed."

Luke and I helped Cody into the bath. I started removing his clothes. I said to Luke, "Go get the sheets off the bed."

With Cody naked, I sat him on the bench next to the shower. I quickly stripped off my clothes and got the shower going.

"This is awful," Cody said.

"At least there wasn't much to come out."

I got him into the shower and held him steady as the water rinsed him off.

"Soap yourself the best you can."

A moment later, Luke arrived. "Sheets are in the washer. I didn't start it yet."

"Strip and help me. He's too weak to do much."

Together, we got Cody clean and dried. Knowing his bed wasn't ready, I led him to ours. He conked out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

"That was horrible," Luke said.

We went to get the laundry started.

"Did it soak through to the mattress protector?" I asked.

Luke gave me a blank stare. He followed me back to the bedroom. We found the protector damp and removed it. The mattress was dry.

"I don't remember being this sick with strep."

"I looked it up earlier," I replied. "I wanted to know what to expect. The nausea is uncommon but does happen."

"Should we make the bed?"

"Let's pull the sheets out of the washer and get the protector through a cycle. Once it is dry, we can make the bed."

"Got it."

We both got back to work. Luke moved the laundry along the first time, and then I took a short break once the protector finished drying to pull it and fit it on the bed. By dinner time, we had Cody's bed fresh and clean.

"What do we do about him?" Luke asked.

"Keep him comfortable and feed him what he can eat to keep his strength up."

"I was meaning moving him to his own bed."

"Oh, when we wake him for dinner, we can move him and then feed him if he can eat."

"Change our sheets?"

"Might not be bad to at least change the pillow cases."

"Whole bed," Luke stated.

"Fine. Back to work."

Luke nodded and headed to his room.

We were getting dinner ready when my phone dinged. I looked at it and said, "He's up and thirsty."

"I'll see what he wants."

Luke left and came back a few minutes later. "He's thirsty, but his throat is really sore."

"Let's try some warm tea."

Luke gave me an odd look, but let me go. I made some chamomile tea and took it to Cody. He sipped it and then started drinking a bit more.

"I read somewhere long ago that warm chamomile tea is good for sore throats," I explained.

"It's good," he said with a weak smile.

"We need to keep you hydrated. How about some soup for dinner?"

"Sounds good."

"We're going to move you into your room. The bed is fresh and clean."

"Okay," his tone sounded a bit dubious.

Luke and I helped him up and to his room.

"You two are good to me," he said.

"Damn right," Luke agreed.

With him settled, I went and got dinner going. Cody had chicken stock. For Luke and me, I shredded some leftover chicken and added some Udon noodles.

"What's the game plan for the weekend?" Luke asked.

"I figure we should lay low, just in case."

"I guess so. Do we need any groceries or anything else?"

"I don't think so. Laundry, cleaning, some yard work, but I don't think any errands, at least not till we see if either of us picked it up."

-----

Saturday morning, I checked on Cody, found him still asleep, and then went and made coffee. I'd been sitting in the den staring out the windows for about an hour when Luke walked in.

"He's still asleep."

"Good. He needs his rest."

"Which coffee is this?"

"Hazelnut," I replied.

"I know that. Better question: which brand? It tastes better," he explained.

"Oh, we just finished a bag of mystery coffee, and we're back to Eight O'Clock."

"I like this better."

"I like Eight O'Clock better too; however, I think Cody got the mystery stuff because it was on sale."

"Gotcha."

We heard our phones chime.

"I'll go check on him," Luke said.

"I'll get the water boiling for tea. See what else he might want."

I went into the kitchen, got the kettle going, and put tea leaves into the press.

As Luke came into the kitchen, he said, "He would like to try some toast with butter."

A short time later, I took a tray with hot tea and toast to Cody.

"Thanks."

"If this stays down, let me know if you want something else."

"Sorry for ruining the weekend."

"You didn't ruin the weekend. You caught something and got sick. Luke and I are going to spend the weekend doing stuff around the house."

"But."

"No buts. You didn't do anything to cause anything. You. Got. Sick."

"Okay, I get it."

-----

Monday evening, I was about to join the guys in the den when I heard Cody ask, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Luke said. His tone made it clear he wasn't telling the truth.

"Yeah. Sure. Right," Cody replied. "What's wrong?"

"Just a problem at work."

"Want to discuss it?"

"My boss gave out an assignment today, and for some reason I got about half of it."

"Who got the rest?"

"It was split between three of my teammates."

"Did you talk to your boss?" Cody asked.

"No."

"Could it be that she thought you could get it done and the others couldn't?" Cody asked.

"I hadn't thought of it that way."

"You could ask."

"I don't think I'm comfortable doing that."

"Is it too much?"

"Probably not. I figure I'll be done a little ahead of schedule."

"Another option is to ask your coworkers when they think they'll be done."

"Why?"

"See how they see their scope. They may think it will take all their capacity."

"So, if they think it will take the entire time, then Persis scoped it appropriately. Even if it wasn't necessarily fairly done, you're one smart dude," Luke said. "Thanks."

I walked into the room with a huge smile on my face.

"What's got you smiling?" Cody asked.

"One smart dude."

"You heard all of that?" Luke asked.

"That I did, and I agree with your assessment; he is one smart dude. And I agree with your advice; he should check with his coworkers to settle his mind."

"Thanks," Cody said quietly.

"What's the project?" I asked.

"We're setting up a new testing environment that will better mimic production so that there is less likelihood for defects to make it into production."

"That's great. That's been something Justin's been wanting for a while. I guess you'll be working with Justin a good bit."

"He's the project sponsor, but the person I'll be working with is Jessica."

"She's one of his best, in my opinion, managers, so that makes sense. This will be a big feather in your cap once it is done."

"If I'm successful."

"When your successful, confidence, always confidence."

Luke gave me a smile.

"Changing the subject, do you feel up to going back to work tomorrow?"

"I think so. I didn't lose energy this afternoon like I did yesterday. I didn't have to nap."

"The three amigos hit the rails together again tomorrow," Luke said.

"Just remember, there is an early train if you feel like you're pushing too much," I said.

"It's been four days since I got sick. I think I'm good. I've got more antibiotics to go, but I think it should be okay."

-----

I looked up over my monitor and saw Cody staring into my cubicle.

"Can I help you?" I said.

He moved around to the entrance and said, "Who may I talk to about security in the UI?"

"I take it your pitch worked?"

"It took persistence. Anas supported me from the start, but there were some on the team that didn't get it. Now they do."

"Super. Adele handles both our authentication design and the visual cues for security. Hold on a second."

I turned to my screen, pulled up our chat, and sent her a message.

"She's not busy. Come with me."

Cody followed me over to her cube.

"Adele, you've met Cody, haven't you?"

"Yes."

"He got the security team to include UI in the documentation."

"Wonderful. We felt left out."

"I need to start documenting everything from your perspective," Cody said.

"Do I have the guy for you. Hey, Luka, do you have a minute?"

"Sure." I heard a voice from the next cubical.

Luka came to her cube, standing next to Cody and me.

"Luka's working on the updates to the authentication screens and trying to make them more cohesive with our overall visual look and feel. Luka, Cody's from security and working on the documentation project."

"Cool. I can share what I have and fill in any gaps," he said.

"I'll leave you three alone. Thanks Adele. Thanks Luka."

I turned and left. I was sitting in the break room when Cody walked in and said, "Luka was very helpful. Thanks!"

"Glad to hear it. He's been a great addition to the team."

"He seems to have a lot of ideas."

"He's seven months out of college and has all the latest UI and UX experience. He's going to help take the product to the next level."

"What do you mean?"

"I think our user interface is sharp, and we keep refining it. Luka's going to focus on our user experience. Documenting it and helping ensure we have all our standards defined."

"I ask again, what do you mean?"

"Did he show you the UI Design Standards document?"

"Yes. It was extensive."

"It documents every color, every font, every font size, how we design icons, everything related to our UI. The area that wasn't included was user authentication and other security features. They were done by the security team. We're now in charge of the UI and will be making these features conform to our standards."

"It seems rigid."

"It is rigid. Let me ask you this. You have an iPhone. It went from iOS 10 to iOS 11 last fall."

"Yes."

"When they changed the control center, did it bother you?"

"At first."

"Why?"

"I knew how it worked. I had to learn something new."

"So, being mindful of how we change and add; making the changes sure it looks and feels the same; making sure the change is comfortable to our users - that makes things easier. Thus, our user experience standards will be overarching, encompassing our user interface."

"That makes sense. Do you know much about Luka? He seemed really nice."

"I know his family is from Croatia. They fled during the civil war in the mid-nineties. He told me his parents found out they were pregnant with him and decided to give their child a safe future."

"Wow."

"He graduated from Virginia Tech back in December and moved up here after he got the job."

"Cool." Cody leaned close to me and quietly said, "He's cute too."

I chuckled at that.

"How's the documentation going overall?" I asked

"It's coming together. I was concerned I wouldn't finish what Anas wanted before the fall semester, but I think I can."

"That's great."

We continued discussing work through the rest of lunch.

-----

Friday evening afternoon, Luke and I were doing laundry when he asked, "Where did my free time go?"

"What do you mean?"

"I've been working for just over two months, and I feel like I lost so much of my free time.

"You're working forty hours a week; you spend nearly two hours commuting a day, so that's another ten hours. Fifty hours a week versus, hmmm..." I stopped and thought. "Fifteen hours of class time. What ten minutes commute to campus?" Luke nodded his head. "So, one hour for commuting. Add in five to ten hours a week for homework. Let's stay twenty-six to thirty-one hours a week for school. Oh, I forgot ten hours a week for your work-study program. In essence, you've lost about nine hours moving to full-time work."

"You do that quick analysis so easily," Luke said.

"You'll get there."

"How many hours in a week?"

"One sixty-eight."

"Assuming eight hours of sleep a night, that's fifty-six a week. Then you add fifty a week for work. That leaves you with fifty-two hours of free time," he said.

"Nope. I made a mistake. Forty-two and a half hours for work including lunch and breaks."

"True."

"So, let's say fifty hours of free time."

"Breakfast, dinner, lunch on the weekends, laundry, cleaning, baths..."

"Shopping, errands, doctors' appointments..."

"Don't forget workouts and sex," I said.

"Very important."

"No wonder I don't feel like I have much free time."

"Have you asked your boss about working from home?"

"I can start occasionally working from home after I pass the ninety-day point. Once I get to a year, I can work from home one or two days a week."

"That will help with free time."

"True. I meant to talk to you about an e-mail I got. They are encouraging folks to contribute more to the 401K plan."

"Is the match still fifty percent on your first six percent of salary?"

"Yep."

"You should be doing six percent as a minimum," I said.

"I'm doing four at the moment. I don't think I can do more."

"Why not?"

"I'm trying to pay loans. I'm trying to save. I'm trying to contribute."

"You also need to plan for your future. You don't need to worry about contributing too much."

"Coulter, I need to contribute."

"That's fine. But don't harm your future by doing it. The two percent won't cause a major problem for our family."

"But."

"You're contributing, and what you contribute will grow. Don't scrimp on your future. Compound interest adds up, so contributing early is critical."

"Okay. On another topic, what do you want to do for the fourth?" Luke asked.

"I know some areas are doing fireworks this Saturday. Other places are doing them on the fourth. That is if you want to see fireworks," I said. "Of course, we could go see the Capital fireworks."

"I'm not concerned one way or the other. It's a Wednesday, so it's not like we can travel," Luke said.

"Day trip would be it, but I'm thinking something local would be best."

"Barbecue?"

"Works. Want to invite anyone?"

"Usual group?"

"Justin and the gang? Darryl? Phil?

"Invite them all if you're okay with it. See who can come."

"I'm game. What are we going to make?"

"Burgers, dogs, baked beans, potato salad, watermelon, dessert, and drinks."

"You going to send the e-mail?

"We should ask Cody first," Luke warned.

"A chance to have Casey around and be social. Can't see him turning it down."

"True, but we should, as a courtesy, check with him."

"Cody," I called out.

He came into the den a few moments later.

"What's up?"

"We were talking about hosting a barbecue on the Fourth," Luke explained.

"Super. Who are we inviting?"

"Anybody and everybody," I said. "Let's set the details, then we can start texting."

"It's supposed to be in the 90's," Cody said, looking at his phone.

"Late afternoon. The sun should be behind the trees," Luke said. "Sunset isn't till nine."

"Burgers, hot dogs," I started.

"Folks can bring sides," Cody said.

"I'll do cookies and cupcakes," Luke offered.

"I'll make ice cream," I said.

"Texting time," Cody said. "I will send it to Casey and copy you both."

"I will do Darryl, Phil, Ben and Austin, and Chris and Stephen," I said.

"I will send it to Ginger and the gang," Luke said.

And with that, our plans took off.

-----

Early Saturday morning, as Cody and I sat drinking coffee, I asked, "Fireworks tonight?"

"Don't need it," he replied. "I talked to Luke last night; neither does he."

"Cool. We can relax today and enjoy some quiet time."

"I'd like that."

"What would you like? And why are you getting busy with my husband?" Luke asked as he walked into the room.

"I'll snuggle with my husband all I want," Cody responded. "And we were agreeing that a quiet weekend would be a good thing."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Luke said. "I'd like to get a little shopping done for Wednesday's party today or tomorrow."

"Either day works," I said.

By this point, Luke was snuggled up next to me. I started running my fingers through his hair.

"Can we stay like this all day?" Cody asked.

"Might get hungry," Luke said.

"Is the front door unlocked?" Cody said. "We could have the delivery person just come in and bring things directly to us."

I chuckled at that.

"Umm, three naked men might not be appreciated," I replied.

"Or we might get an offer we don't want to deal with," Luke said.

That got Cody and me laughing.

"What would you like for breakfast?" I asked.

"Waffles," Luke said.

"Bacon, sausage, scrapple, ham?" I asked.

"Scrapple," Cody said.

I smiled at this. I'd introduced the guys to scrapple, and they liked it. I will admit that it was an acquired taste.

"Home or IHOP?" Luke asked.

"Home, I don't wanna go out," Casey said.

"I'll get the waffles if you do the scrapple," I said.

"Deal," Cody agreed.

I got the waffle batter made while Luke set up the waffle irons. Yes, I'd gotten a second one, so we didn't have to wait as long. Cody had the scrapple going as we got the first two waffles cooking. It didn't take long to have a big stack of waffles and scrapple.

"Is it bad that I'm enjoying this so much?" Luke asked.

"Why would it be bad?" Cody asked.

"Waffles, syrup, and fried meat are not the healthiest of meals," Luke explained.

"And how often do you eat this way?" I asked.

"Once a week," he said. His answer sounded as much like a question as an answer.

"And how often do you work out?" I asked.

"Four to five times a week."

"So, you're not doing it to excess."

"True. I just don't want to get fat."

"I don't think you have to worry about that," Cody said. "We'll keep you trim! Lots of sexercise."

"That works!" Luke agreed.

-----

The doorbell rang a bit before five.

"If someone's ready, would you please get that?" I said loudly. I'd had a quick shower after yard work and party prep, and I was pulling on a new outfit.

"Got it," Luke replied.

A moment later, I heard Luke greeting the first of our guests. I finished tying my shoes and headed for the kitchen.

"Welcome," I said.

"Thanks for having us," Anthony said. "Sorry we're a bit early. We misjudged the traffic."

"No worries; we're pretty much ready. We're glad you could make it," I replied.

"We've got a cooler in the car," Greg said.

"I can help you carry it around if you like," Luke offered.

"There's one hot dish in the trunk with it," Freddie said.

"Let's carry the cooler around back," Luke replied. "Then we can bring the hot dish inside for now."

Freddie and Luke walked out, leaving Anthony and Greg with me.

"He's so sweet," Anthony said. "And such a hunk. Where's your other hunk?"

"Cody's out back finishing up the set-up," I explained.

"We need to talk to him," he said. "We're planning our next competition and wanted to see if he would be willing to do the song with us."

"What is Little Mixed Up doing this time?" I asked.

"No More Sad Songs," Greg said.

"And you want him to do the Machine Gun Kelly parts?"

"That was our thought," Anthony said.

"Why not Luke?"

"We thought we'd spread it out," Greg said.

Anthony must have realized my look meant something as he asked, "What are you thinking?"

"I think you're missing a shot with Luke. He's more of a rapper than Cody is. Remember, I get to hear him sing around the house."

They both looked at each other. Anthony nodded at Greg. Greg said, "We didn't want to leave Cody out."

"I don't think he'll be upset. He'll be really happy that Luke's involved again."

"If you think so," Anthony said.

"I think Cody will say the same thing," I said.

"I'll say the same what?" Cody asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Little Mixed Up is planning to do No More Sad Songs," I started.

Cody interrupted me, saying, "Luke would kill Machine Gun Kelly's part."

"There's your answer," I said.

"Answer to what?" Cody asked.

"They were going to ask you," I explained.

"Thanks, but I have plans," he said. "Like I said, Luke will kill it."

"What are you planning?" Anthony asked.

"We're doing this really cool mix of S&M."

"Oooo. Who with, and how are you going to handle that?"

"With Casey, and we're really going to use the lyrics!"

"Going to make us wait?" Greg asked.

"Skin-tight black jeans, leather harnesses, and accessories."

"Can't wait to see it!"

The doorbell rang. Cody looked at me and said, "I'll get it."

A few moments later, Luke, Freddie, Darryl, Phil, and Cody all walked in.

"Welcome," I said.

Luke put the hot food in the oven to keep it warm.

"We have things set up out back," Cody said. With that, he started leading our guests.

"Can we carry anything?" Phil asked.

"Most everything is already downstairs in coolers. We just have the hot food in the oven at 200 to keep it warm."

"At ninety outside, I'm not sure you need to do that," Phil said.

"Well. For now, we will."

I followed Phil downstairs, and we got the party started.

-----

"What are you doing tonight?" Phil asked.

"Dirty Work," I said.

"Who's that?"

"Austin Mahone. Came out in 2015."

"I remember one he did with Pitbull."

"Mmm Yeah," I said. "That would be a good one for Cody and Luke."

"Luke on stage?"

"Yup, he's doing another rap with Little Mixed Up tonight."

"Nice. What about Cody?"

"He and Casey are doing Rihanna's S&M. They're in the restroom changing now."

"Oh, lordy," Phil said. "I'm assuming it will be full-on?"

"Tight black jeans, leather harnesses, and there's a bag of stuff I wasn't allowed to see."

It was a few minutes later then Cody and Casey walked out. I had to admit that they both looked fucking hot. Of course, my attention was focused mostly on Cody. I could see that Kyle was staring bug-eyed at Casey.

"I take it you don't see him dressed like that too much?" I asked.

"No. I've never seen those jeans before. Man, they look skin tight!"

"They have Lycra in them," I explained.

"How do you know that? He's been so secretive about this."

"I saw the packaging slip when Cody got his in the mail."

I watched Cody and Casey go up to the table to sign up and talk to Georgia.

"What's the bulge in his shirt?"

"He borrowed Luke's harness," I said. "Man, he has kept you in the dark."

"You know what's going on?"

"Rihanna's S&M, and there's a bag of stuff somewhere that Cody borrowed from someone."

"Okay, I'm more than a little surprised. This is so not his comfort zone."

"I don't think it's Cody's, to be honest. But they both like to perform and get into it."

At that point, Luke walked up.

"Oh, my, gosh!" Kyle said. "What's this?"

Luke's normally neat hair was spikey. He was wearing jeans, a black tank top, and a silver metallic jacket. There was a chain around his neck.

"Pretty good take on Machine Gun Kelly," I said.

"We call him Machine Gun Lukey," Ginger said as she walked up. "We couldn't get him to pierce his ears."

"Nope, nope, nope, not happening," Luke said.

I got a chuckle out of that.

"Look at those jeans," Ginger hissed. She'd finally caught sight of Cody.

"Check out Casey too."

"Oh, I am, but I won't say it too loud around Kyle."

That got a good laugh out of our table.

"You're covering Jade's parts tonight?" I asked.

"Actually, I'm doing Perrie's, but I have a more Jade look, and Freddie's doing Perrie's look and Jade's part."

"Got it."

"What are you doing? You look like you just came from work."

"Austin Mahone's Dirty Work," I explained. I started singing, "Rolling my sleeves up to here."

"Oh, that was a sexy video. A bit too young for me," she said.

I felt a bit awkward at that point. I said, "You realize he's only a year or two younger than Cody."

"Casey and me as well," Kyle added.

"Kyle, you guys are wonderful eye-candy. But I like my men older, like early fifties."

"To each his or her own," I said.

The lights flashed, letting us know the night was starting.

"Very true. Now, I need to find my crew and make sure everyone's ready."

As we drove home, I threw a bit of a tease at Cody, saying with a laugh, "Don't waste those drink tickets."

"I might not drink a lot of drinks each time, but I do buy quality drinks," Cody replied. "At least I won't turn into a drunk."

"Never figured you would. I was just thinking you and Casey will save the bar a lot of money this month."

"He likes the good stuff. Neither of us like a lot of it!"

"You and Casey both sip a single drink most nights," Luke said.

"It's not like either of you drink much more," Cody said.

"True," I admitted. "My limit is usually two drinks. I was just thinking of some of the other tables."

That got a chuckle out of them.

"There are some heavy drinkers," Cody admitted.

"I just hope it's a night to cut loose and not a common thing," I said. "I know the alcohol and drug abuse rates in the LGBT community are about double those in the mainstream community."

"That's sad," Cody replied.

"Think about what you went through. The stress of coming out. The negative stereotypes thrown at folks. It isn't an easy path." I said.

"I'd rather be addicted to you two," Cody said.

-----

I woke up, and the worry started. It was the anniversary of Cody's beating at the hands of his father. I nudged my guys awake.

Cody sprung out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

"I'm awake," Luke said quietly.

"Morning, handsome."

I leaned over and gave him a kiss, then climbed out of bed. I padded into the bathroom and got my morning routine started. About fifteen minutes later, I was getting the shower started when Luke appeared. He had two mugs of coffee in his hands.

I stepped into the shower, and I was joined a moment later. He turned away from me, put his hands on the shower wall, and I started scrubbing his back.

"This is one of the perks of getting up early," Luke said.

I put the washcloth on its hook and started massaging his soapy back.

"Oh, damn, that's good," he purred.

"Have you ever gone for a professional massage?"

"Huh? No! Why?"

"Hey, I'm not talking about an escort or sex. I mean, a legit massage."

"Still no," he admitted.

By this point, we were washing ourselves.

"Just the way you enjoy back rubs, I thought you might have tried one."

"Nope. Never thought about it. I have Coulter and Cody massage services. Who could ask for anything more?"

We finished up our shower, dried, and got dressed. Cody was in the kitchen with a mug of coffee in front of him. The smells coming from the oven let me know Cody had breakfast warming for us.

"I'm going to grab my shower while you two finish up here in the kitchen," he explained. I'll admit it was fun watching his naked ass head towards the bedroom.

We all finished getting ready and walked out the door.

"How are you doing?" I asked Cody as we drove to the train station.

"Great. Work's been fun. The team is great. Jancie can be a trip. Anas has taught me a lot. For me, this job has been a big win."

"Good."

"I'm guessing you're really asking where my mind is one year later."

I nodded.

"I'm in a much better place. Andi has been a big help. Casey's been a big help. And most importantly, the love and care you two give me keeps me strong."

"Good."

"Andi and I had a great session last night."

"Super."

"I know you don't want me to obsess about money, but this has got to be getting really expensive."

"You're sane. You're on solid footing, and it is really helping you. Well worth it."

"Andi and I talked about dropping to monthly. She thinks I'm in a good place."

"How about every two weeks for a few months first?" Luke suggested.

"We talked about that as an option," Cody replied. "That's why I brought this up."

"I like the idea of every two weeks," I said.

"Cool. I'll let Andi know."

I parked the Jeep in the garage, and the three of us walked onto the platform. The train pulled up a few minutes later.

"You've got this timed," Cody said.

"Yep. I learned the patterns."

We road in talking about inane things. We both gave Luke a kiss as we got off the train. As I often did, I caught an odd look on the guy sharing the seating with us.

Cody and I stepped off the train and started our walk to the office.

"Did you see the look on that guy's face?"

"It wasn't the worst I've seen or the best," I admitted.

"Has anyone ever said anything to Luke?"

"Not to my knowledge."

We talked about his insistence that he get kissed goodbye. It was fair since we saw heterosexual couples do it.

"I wonder if it's that there are three of us." Cody finally asked.

"That may add to it," I admitted.

I kissed Cody when we got to the landing in the stairwell.

"Off to work," I said.

-----

"What have you got planned for tonight?" I asked Cody as we walked to the METRO after work.

"I'm doing Titanium."

"Fuckin' appropriate," I admitted.

"Luke seemed to think so. He heard me practicing last night. Where are we meeting him for dinner?"

"That little Chinese restaurant near the club," I said.

The inbound subway car wasn't crowded, so we were able to sit together.

"I'm going to miss this," Cody said.

"Three more weeks."

"Then back to campus, meh."

"You can hang with Casey, Kyle, and your other friends," I said.

"I really don't have many other friends."

"Why not?"

"Ignored a lot of them, I guess. Once I fled campus and got involved with you and Luke. It all got too busy. I guess most of my time on campus was homework, classes, the library, then back to the house."

"Well, you'll have a lot more time this year to make new ones. You can take the car to campus and come home when you're ready."

"True. Maybe I can make friends with some folks from classes."

"Have you looked into any of the LGBT alliances?"

"No. I probably should."

"See lots of options."

We got to our station and headed to the restaurant. We found Luke waiting for us at the entrance. We were seated quickly.

After we ordered, Luke asked, "I know Cody's doing Titanium; what are you doing?"

"Dierks Bentley's Black," I answered.

"Oh, that's a good one," Cody said.

Luke nodded in agreement.

The conversation shifted to our day at work as we ate. After dinner, we walked to the club and joined the gang. George had things set up when we got there, so Cody and I queued up to select our songs.

"Got a second?" George asked me.

"Sure."

I waited a moment as another person selected their song.

"I saw Cody's selection and Casey's selection. It was a little more than a year ago you that brought him here with bruises and burn marks."

"I should have thought about you and your record-keeping."

"Do we need to do or say anything tonight?"

"No. He's going through counseling. He's in a good space."

"He's surrounded by love; that's clear."

"Thanks. We do love him a lot."

"Well, let me get this party started."

Folks performed, and George had me do mine just before the break. As the break ended, George called Casey to the stage.

"This handsome young man is covering Katy Perry's Fireworks. Enjoy the song, but please listen closely to the lyrics."

Casey covered the song with his usual skill and got a big round of applause.

"Released the next year, Titanium was written by Sia. It's rumored she wrote it for Katy or Alicia Keys. Supposedly, Katy turned it down as being too similar to Fireworks. Again, I urge you to listen to the lyrics. I'm sure you'll find this performance by Cody to be wonderful."

Cody walked up on stage, took his place, and George dimmed the lights a bit. Cody's voice seemed a bit timid as he started the lyrics, but when he sang `I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose," he found his confidence. He started moving around the stage a bit, pulling the audience into his spell. I looked at Luke; he, like me, had tears streaming down his face. Our table gave him a standing ovation as the song ended.

-----

"Do you have plans for Labor Day weekend?" Cody asked.

"I do not. Is there something you want to do?"

"It's a three-day weekend. I don't have any homework. I thought it might be nice to do something."

"Let's pull Luke into the conversation when he gets home."

"Where'd he go?"

"To get his hair cut."

"Oh. Since the last competition, he's been meticulous about his hair cuts," Cody said.

"I noticed. I think doing a Machine Gun Kelly look pushed his comfort zone a bit."

"That's an understatement. I miss his longer hair. I could run my fingers through it."

"One guard on the sides, finger length on the top," I said.

"Do you think I'd look good with shorter hair?"

"You'd look good to me anyway you do you hair. I do like your hair. I'm like you; I like to have hair to run my fingers through. But don't let that stop you if you want shorter hair. It grows back."

"Have you ever had short hair?"

"Yes. James didn't like longer hair. My barber at the time did a two-guard on the sides and an eight-guard on the top."

"He did push his opinions, didn't he?"

"That's the way it felt to me."

"I grew it out after I left him. I mean, like, three or four inches on the sides and five or so on the top. I kept it neat, but for me it was long. As a kid it might have gotten to three inches before it was cut."

"Gotcha, so a rebellious time for you."

"I'm happy with it now, but I'm always open to new options. I don't want it so short; I can't style it at all."

"Makes sense."

My phone dinged, and moments later, Cody's phone dinged.

"I wonder what Luke wants," Cody said.

"Could be Casey."

Cody's phone was close, so he grabbed it and said, "It's Justin. He's inviting us to a Labor Day weekend barbeque."

"What day?"

"Sunday."

"I'm game."

Our phones dinged again. Again, Cody read the text and said, "Luke wants to know if we're game for Sunday."

"Yes."

Cody responded to Luke. Within seconds, our phones dinged again. Cody read it and said, "He told Justin yes and asked what we could bring."

"Send a message to Justin if baked beans would be a good start."

Cody typed and, a few moments later, said, "He said that would be great. He also said they are expecting twelve to fifteen people. He'll give us a full count by Thursday."

"Super. That leaves Saturday and Monday for something to do."

"Anything touristy will be a mess."

"I would think anything is going to be a mess. Locals will flee the area, and the tourists will invade."

"How about a movie marathon on Saturday with popcorn and such?"

"I'm game. We could each pick a movie."

"That would be cool."

-----

"What movie did you choose?" Cody asked Luke.

"Well, the descriptors we chose were eclectic, comedy, unique; so, I found this moving that sounded cool. It's called Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. What did you pick?"

"I picked a 2002 movie that's a remake of an older film that was called 8 Femme. This one is called 8 Women. It stars Catherine Deneuve."

"I sense a trend here. Foreign flicks about women. Do we have three?" Luke asked.

"Well, I'm hitting two of the three topics. Crazy and women, but mine's domestic. I chose Serial Mom. It's by John Waters, who did Pink Flamingos and Hairspray. It stars Kathleen Turner, and someone online called it a move about June Cleaver using a cleaver.

"This is going to be great." Cody was interrupted when the doorbell rang. He continued, "Thanks for letting me invite Casey and Kyle. They enjoy movie marathons too."

"Help me get things from the kitchen," I said to Luke. Cody went to answer the door.

"I thought we were going to do popcorn," Luke said. "Popcorn and brownies."

"Kyle and Casey are bringing the popcorn. You made the brownies, and since we're doing over eight hours of movies, I figured we needed food for the day."

He nodded.

"Grab a tray and set up the queso dip and chips. I'll get the first batch of pizza rolls and egg rolls out of the oven."

We got the food prepared and headed into the den.

"The popcorn smells good," Luke said.

"We picked it up at the movie theater over in the shopping center. They sell it to add income," he said. He took a look at the table. "We're going to eat well today. Well, may not be healthy, but yum."

"You are going to go broke feeding him," I said, teasing Casey. "I know, he's the IT major, so he better earn enough."

"What movie did you choose?" Luke asked.

"We picked one we both love," Casey said. "Mambo Italiano, which is set in Montreal. It's an odd, gay love story."

"Cool!" Cody exclaimed.

"Crazy women?" Luke asked.

"No, some odd men," Kyle replied.

After each movie, we restocked the food table as necessary and refreshed drinks. Five guys do go through a lot of food.

Kyle and I were in the kitchen alone during one of the intermissions when I asked, "What are Justin and Angus up to today?"

"Quiet time alone," Kyle explained. "I think there are times when they wish they didn't have a son and a nephew living with them."

"I can understand wanting alone time, but I'm sure they don't regret the choices made."

Kyle smiled and said, "There is a lot of love in our house. Just like this one."

That made me smile.

"I know that Casey truly considers Justin his dad at this point."

"Yeah, we've had that conversation a number of times. Father is the biological term for the man who provided the sperm to create him. Dad is the term for the real parent. The man who made Casey the man he is."

"What about you with Uncle Justin?"

"You knew Liam, didn't you?"

"I met him a couple times at work events, but I didn't know him well."

"Liam and Justin helped me come out. First to myself, then to my parents, then to life in general. When Liam was killed, I was crushed. I threw myself into helping Justin. Looking back on it, helping him helped me deal with my own grief. Justin has been closer to me than any of my biological uncles. Hell, two of them won't deal with my family any more because of me. Yeah, he's my uncle."

"They say that a lot of folks in the LBGT+ community create families to replace what they lose."

"Casey and Cody have done that and done it well."

"Yep."

"Movie time," I heard Cody call out.

Kyle and I grabbed a few things and headed back.

-----

"Thanks for having us," I said.

"Glad you could make it, and thank you for bringing the baked beans," Justin said.

"The baker made a dessert as well," Cody said, nodding his head at Luke.

"What did you bring?"

"Scottish macaroons," Luke explained.

"Something I have not gotten to try. Thanks!"

Justin led us around back to where Angus was tending the grill.

"Greetings," he said.

"Baked beans and Scottish macaroons," Justin said.

"No! My favorite! Thank you," he said to me.

"Thank Luke, he's the baker."

"Come here for a hug," Angus said to Luke. Angus gave him a hug and then snatched a macaroon off the plate. He took a bite and said, "As good as my mums!"

Luke's smile was huge at that.

"What are you grilling today?" Cody asked.

"Hamburgers made with Aberdeen beef. I've also got Scottish bangers."

"Aberdeen beef?"

"I found a US-based source of Aberdeen cows."

"Nice," Cody replied.

We'd be standing there talking with Angus for a few minutes when the next group of people arrived.

"Anika, great to see you," I said.

"Coulter. Long time, no see. It is good to see you. This is my husband, Rohan."

"Do you know Luke?"

"Of course, he's been working on the new testing environment. Good to see you," she said.

"This is Cody," I said. "He's a cyber security student at Mason."

"Nice to meet you Cody," she said.

Cody shook hands with Anika and Rohan.

"We should talk," Rohan said, looking at Cody. "My company is always looking for new cyber security folks."

"I'm starting my senior year," Cody explained.

"No reason you can't start networking."

Anika and Luke moved off a bit and started talking. Rohan and Cody moved off a bit as well. I looked at Angus and said, "I guess that leaves you and me."

"Aye, it does. How's life?"

"Life is really good. No work stress. No home stress. No stress at all."

"That's great. Any plans?"

"I think things will be quiet for a while. Cody's in his senior year. Luke's not earning a lot of vacation as yet, and what he earns he'll probably use for the holidays."

"Makes sense. I'm trying to talk Justin into flying to Scotland for Christmas."

"Going to see your family?"

"Yes, my mom's up near Inverness. My sister is in Glasgow, and my brother is in Edinburgh."

"Flying into Glasgow?"

"No. We can get a shorter flight into Edinburgh. I'm also trying to convince my mum to come down to either my sister's or my brother's so we don't have the four-hour train ride as well."

"A whole lot of convincing there."

"Justin's pretty much on board. Casey and Kyle are going to Kyle's folks in Norfolk."

"Sounds like you'll pull it together."

"Aye."

Justin walked up at this point.

I looked at him and asked, "Can I do anything to help?"

"No. Casey and Kyle are bringing the rest of the stuff out. Sherry and her husband, Mark, should be here shortly. Caleb is going to be a few minutes late."

"It'll be good to see Sherry," I said.

"You know her?" Angus asked.

"She was my boss when I worked there. Who's Caleb?"

"One of my colleagues," Angus explained.

"Single guy that just moved here from the Chicago office. He's really nice."

"Super."

I walked off to speak with Anika when I saw Sherry come through the back door.

"Coulter!" she exclaimed. "It is so good to see you. How's the not-so-new job?"

"It's great. I got promoted."

"Oh?"

"I'm in charge of front-end development," I explained.

"You are missed."

"I sent you a replacement," I said.

"Huh?"

"Luke over there. He lives with me, graduated college back in May, and started not long after."

"I'll have to meet him."

"He's part of the project team leading the new testing environment."

"Then I really need to talk with him. Where are my manners? Coulter, this is my husband, Mark."

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"Nice to meet you," he replied.

"Mark works for the FAA," she explained.

"I'm in contracts."

"An area I know nothing about," I said. "You're a bit outnumbered here by all the IT folks."

"Sherry gets that when we go to most parties. Our friends tend to be mostly feds or contractors."

"I know a few of both," I admitted.

I saw Casey and Kyle come out the back door with trays of food. With them was a striking young man, whom I assumed was Caleb.

I got into a conversation with Sherry and Anika, catching up on what had changed and what I'd been doing. As always, I watched the crowd, seeing who was talking to whom. I saw Luke, Cody, Casey, and Kyle huddled together for a bit. Justin took the young man over and made introductions.

"Foods ready," Angus called out.

Folks started moving to fill their plates and find a place to sit. Justin had put a few tables together so the twelve of us could sit together. I ended up with Caleb to my left, Mark to my right, and Rohan across from me.

"I got to meet your tenants earlier," he said. "I'm Caleb."

"I'm Coulter. Nice to meet you."

"I hadn't met Luke yet, but it's nice to get to meet some folks from other departments. I heard you used to work there."

"I did. I left a couple years ago for an opportunity at a smaller company. It's giving me a lot of growth."

"Well, a positive reason to leave."

"Cody and Luke seem like a great couple. Are you involved?"

"I am."

"Your partner's not able to make it today?"

"It's complicated," I replied quietly.

Caleb gave me an odd look, but dropped it. He turned to his left and started talking with Kyle.

-----

Monday, I got a text from Justin: `It's complicated?'

`You talked with Caleb?'

`Yes'

`Free to talk?'

`Sure'

"Hey," I said as Justin answered.

"Howdy. I didn't mean to cause an issue. I was just surprised you said it's complicated."

"It's awkward for us," I replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Luke hasn't told his parents he's in a triple. I don't think he's ready to let everyone in your company know."

"What do you mean?"

"Think about who was at the barbeque."

"Oh, got it. Sorry."

"Even though Caleb's gay, I didn't want it getting around your office."

"Makes sense; sorry about that."

"You didn't know what we were trying to do. No reason to apologize."

"Thanks."

We continued our discussion of how or if, Luke's relationship status should be handled at work.

-----

Thursday morning, I had to take the train to Crystal City. We were wrapping up a final round of changes for James' company. I was excited that this release would finish the major changes.

"You're gonna be so happy after today. Aren't you?" Gio asked as we rode the elevator up.

"Darn right!" I replied. "No more visits to this office. No more seeing my ex."

"You two have been apart for a long time; is it not getting easier?" Shelby asked.

"Well, I've moved on, but he seems to stalk me each time we visit."

The elevator stopped, the doors opened, and we entered the offices. The meeting progressed as expected. I was happy that James was nowhere to be seen. We got to the break, and I stood to stretch my legs.

"Big plans for your weekend?" Gio asked.

"Not really. I'm going to karaoke tonight. There's a competition, and a group of us are competing."

"I'm going to have to come hear you some time," he said.

I just chuckled.

"Did I hear you say karaoke?" Rochelle, from the client team, asked.

"Yes."

"I love doing it!" she exclaimed. "But I haven't gotten to go in a while."

"I have a lot of fun with it," I admitted.

I talked a little about the evening's competition, and we were still talking about karaoke when I noticed James walk into the conference room.

"Everyone ready?" Gio asked.

We all got back to our seats, and the meeting started back up.

After work, I met Cody and Luke for dinner, then we headed to the club.

"James just walked in," Darryl said to me across the table. "There's a woman with him."

I just frowned.

"Where?" Cody asked me.

"Have Justin or Darryl point him out. I don't want to turn around."

"Okay."

He leaned a bit and asked. Justin described James and his outfit, and then Cody turned to find him in the crowd.

At the same time, Luke was just glaring from across the table.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Luke asked.

"I was talking about karaoke with his team member, Rochelle, on break," I replied. "He must have found out, and they came together."

I sat there for a few moments. I didn't want to care, but to be honest, I did care. I wasn't just done with the relationship. I was roasted, baked, and fried with him, and I didn't want to be around him.

"Excuse me a minute," I said. I got up and walked to the back, going to the men's room.

I splashed some water on my face.

"What's got you fucked up?" a voice behind me asked.

I turned and found George.

"My ex just walked into the place."

"And?"

"I started coming here after my divorce. He cheated on me and this was my place."

"Now he's here."

"Yup."

"Don't let him fuck up your groove. You've gone from singing all those I'm over you bitch songs to singing fun things."

"Well, tonight, we're doing our competition song, so it won't change. I'm just afraid he might keep coming. I don't understand it. It's been years now."

"You'll make it work!" He patted me on the back and walked out.

I looked at myself in the mirror. I put on my best smile and walked out. Before I could say anything to anyone, George got the competition started.

"It's our monthly competition night," he announced. "The theme is retro, and each individual or group needs to cover a song that is from the sixties, seventies, eighties, or a song that incorporates some portion of a song from any of those decades. Trust me, our judges know their retro, so don't try to do something from any other decade. I know a lot of our regulars have signed up. We'll give folks a few more minutes to sign up. Cubana Sound Machine, you're up first, so come on up to the stage."

I focused on the performances and enjoyed watching the different groups. As the competition progressed, I figured we'd be in the top five but began to doubt whether we'd win or not.

"Last, but definitely not least, we have a trio," George said. "Here's C-Cubed covering the Pussy Cat Doll's Hush, Hush."

When he said, `Last, but...' I realized it had to be our turn, so I started standing. I almost stumbled as I took my first step – that was our group name, but it wasn't the song we'd agreed on. Yes, we'd practiced it. It had come down to it and Jump, deciding _Jump w_as the better fit.

"Bring out your inner Gloria," Casey whispered in my ear as we got into position. "Same motions, just do that part!"

Now I was really confused. When we'd practiced this song, Casey and Cody had done all the primary singing; I was just the background vocalist. That arrangement suited me fine. I didn't have a chance to ask what was going on, as I had to get into position before the music started.

Casey started the first verse. As Casey said, "because," the beat got its retro vibe with Cody and I coming in on the backgrounds. Cody did the second verse, and the music came to a dramatic pause.

"First, I was afraid." I started singing. I got into my zone, channeling my inner Gloria, as Casey had said. "And I learned how to carry on..." and that note went on. As I continued into the next line, I got a lot of applause.

"Our love is broken, baby, hush hush," the three of us ended the song. The lights dropped, and the crowd gave us a good cheer.

"That's the end of the contest, folks; we're going to have a brief intermission, and then we'll announce the results," George said.

I sat down and looked at Casey and Cody; both were smiling broadly at me.

"Thank you," I mouthed to them.

That brought even bigger grins.

"You were a man possessed," Darryl leaned over and said to me quietly.

"That wasn't the song we'd planned. Someone made a change, and I didn't find out till we got up on stage."

"Sounds like someone cares about you very much."

"Yup. I'm just wondering if it was Cody, Casey, or both."

"You going to ask?"

"Nope!"

Darryl started to say something when George spoke into the mic.

"Folks, we have our results," he started. "In third place, let's give it up for Cubana Sound Machine."

That team stood up and took a brief bow as everyone clapped.

"In second place, give it up for Hoochie Coochie!"

Again, the group stood and bowed as folks clapped.

"The winner tonight, getting a month of free drinks, is..." He let the pause go for a moment. "C-Cubed!"

Casey and Cody jumped up. I stood and followed them to the stage.

"Gentlemen, here are your vouchers," George said. "Folks, another round of applause for the winners!"

I kissed Cody and hugged Casey as we left the stage, then went back to my seat. A few moments later, I felt a presence next to me. I looked to my left and found Luke leaning in for a kiss. As we finished the kiss, I pulled him into my lap. He leaned over and kissed Cody.

"Well, I think everyone should have figured things out by now," Phil said.

Chris, who was sitting across from me, leaned forward and said, "Yup, and I think James got the message. His face is wrecked."

"I just don't get it." Phil started. "It's been four years. Can't he move on?"

"I know he's dated," Darryl said. "But nothing that's lasted long."

"Can't find anyone to manipulate," I said.

"Huh?" Luke said.

"I was young, not very experienced in the gay world or the relationship world, and very impressionable. He wasn't as much my lover or partner as my molder. He molded me into what he wanted in a partner. He was in his late thirties, and I was in my mid-twenties. He's in his fifties now, and I guess he can't find someone who is willing to be molded to his standard. I've been clear I'm not coming back to him, but I guess he held out hope."

"Is that why you're so careful about things?" Luke asked.

"After I got you two those suits, it hit me how easy it would be to push, mold, and smother you two. So yeah, I pulled back. I don't want to be like James in that respect."

Luke just smiled at me. "Don't pull back too far. We do appreciate the guidance, advice, and help!"

"I'll give you guidance, advice, and help, but feel free to say when I go too far."

"Definitely, Dude."

"Congrats on the win," Oscar said as he and Brian came up to the table.

"Thanks," I said.

"You brought out your inner diva," Brian said. "Gloria would be proud!"

"It hit a nerve, and I let it out," I admitted. "We weren't supposed to sing that tonight."

"Huh?" Oscar's look was befuddled.

"We were planning on Jump by the Pointer Sisters," I explained. "I didn't know about the change till we were walking on stage."

"Now, I'm confused," Brian said.

"My ex is here, and one of those two characters over there wanted to send a very pointed message."

"You did that well, I would say," Oscar commented.

Before he could continue, James and Rochelle walked up.

"Coulter, that was amazing," Rochelle gushed. "I'm so glad we came."

"Thank you," I replied.

"I didn't know you had such an amazing voice," she continued. "Congratulations on your win as well!

"It was definitely a team effort," I said, looking at Cody and Casey.

"Who's this?" she asked, looking at Luke still sitting on my lap.

"This is Luke," I explained.

"You sounded great," James said from slightly behind her before things went any further.

"Thanks," I replied quietly.

A few other friends walked up, and Rochelle and James moved over to talk to Casey and Cody. I sat there stewing in emotions, much like I had all evening, but the anger and frustration were joined by something new: pity.

Alone with Luke, I put my head against his back, wrapping my arms around him.

"You guys did good tonight," I heard.

I raised my head off Luke's shoulder to find George standing there.

"Thanks. I'm hoping this is the end of an era."

"I hope it will be," he replied.

"Let's go home," Luke said softly.

I just nodded my head.

"Night guys," Cody called out to those still at the table.

The three of us walked out and climbed into Luke's car.

-----

I was sitting in the den, staring out the window, looking at the yard. It was a grey day and looked very uninviting. I heard footsteps and turned to find Cody walking in, holding a mug of coffee.

"How are you doing?" Cody asked.

"Fine. Why do you ask?"

"You seemed to be in a funk yesterday. I mean, having your ex show up at karaoke obviously rattled you."

"It did. I think I'm in a better headspace right now. My biggest concern is that he keeps coming."

"Is there anything you can do?"

"He works for my customer. He came with one of his employees. I can't make a scene. While I could politely ask him to stop coming, it is a free country. I don't know what I can do."

"Casey and I thought Hush Hush might send him a message."

"If he listened to it, then it might. At the same time, he may have assumed it was what we planned all along."

"True. Let Luke and I know how we can support you."

"Thanks!"

"What's on the agenda today?"

"I don't know. What would you like to do?"

That stopped him for a moment.

"Ummm..."

"Too often, it's what do I want to do. Why can't it be what you or Luke want?"

"True. But. Okay. Well, I guess you're right. The agenda is snuggling, cuddling, eating, and repeating!"

"I'm good with that."

"Oh, and some good old-fashioned sex!

"Still good with that."

Cody curled up to me, and we talked quietly until we heard Luke getting coffee. A few minutes later, he joined us on the sectional.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

I nodded as I sipped some coffee.

Cody said, "Yep. Snuggled up and comfy."

"Cody set the agenda for today unless you have anything you would like to do."

"Oh? What's on the agenda?"

"Snuggling, cuddling, eating, and sex," Cody said.

"I'm good with that. I don't have anything pressing to do today. Plus, I think you need some distractions to get James out of your head."

I nodded.

-----

`Need to work late tonight' the text read.

`I'll take the train and get Cody to pick me up.'

`Uber, 2 late 4 last train'

`Okay. Don't work too late'

`Won't LuvU'

`Love you too!'

After work, it was quiet taking the train home.

Cody greeted me at the door wearing pajama bottoms. He said, "Luke sent me a text telling me he'd be late and I should take good care of you."

"I like the sound of that."

"I have dinner started and then a special dessert planned."

I followed him into the kitchen.

"Smells good," I said.

"Thanks."

"What can I do to help?"

"Go get into something comfortable."

I walked back to the bedroom, stripped down, and slipped on a pair of boxers.

"You look delicious," Cody said. "Dinners ready."

"Sounds like dessert is almost ready too."

"Yup. Eat up; you'll need the energy."

Cody plated our dinner.

"I wonder what's going on that Luke has to work late," Cody said.

"He's been working on that new testing environment. He might have had calls with some folks overseas."

"Well, I'm sure we'll find out in the morning. How was work?"

"It was fine. Nothing special. What's up with school?"

"Classes are fine. I think I made a friend."

"Oh?"

"There's this girl in one of my classes. She and I got to talking today while walking from class to the JC. We really seemed to hit it off."

"Do you think she's expecting more?"

"Oh. No. I made that clear."

"Good. It seems like you're making a few friends."

"I guess last year I was a bit obsessed."

"What do you mean?"

"It was homework and home time. I didn't give anyone a chance to get to know me. Between some of the folks from class and the ones I have met through Casey and Kyle, I'm getting a nice group of people to hang out with."

"Good!"

After dinner, I helped Cody clean up the kitchen. When the last task was done, he took my hand, leading me to the bedroom. The bed had a large beach towel laid across it.

"Boxers off and lay face down," he said.

I did as he said. I felt Cody climb onto the bed, and he started massaging my back. Cody really did have great skill at massaging, and he relaxed me quickly. I lost track of time, but I saw the clock when he told me to turn over. He'd spent forty-five minutes on my back, butt, and legs. I wasn't hard when I turned over, but I was showing some excitement.

Cody ignored my cock and worked my legs, abs, and chest. His naked body rubbed against mine quite a bit, heightening my arousal. The massage seemed done when he leaned over and started licking my tits. Of course, that got my dick standing straight up.

Cody moved down and gave me one hell of a blow job. It didn't take me long until I popped.

Spent, he came up and kissed me.

"That was amazing."

"Follow me for part two," he said.

He led me into the bathroom. He grabbed a lighter, got the candles going, and turned on the water for the tub.

As the water filled, he added some bath salts, stripped off his pj bottoms, and climbed in. I dropped my boxers and climbed in, settling down between his legs. Cody wrapped his arms around me.

"This is nice," I said.

"I thought you'd like it. You need to destress."

"Huh?"

"Look, Luke and I talked about it. James worked you up."

"I thought I had it contained. I guess I don't."

"You're getting better, but you need to let it out."

"Thanks!"

He started rubbing his hands across my chest. At the same time, I felt his cock rubbing against my ass cheeks.

"I have something I need to do," I said.

"But..."

I stood up, climbed out of the tub, and ran over to the vanity. I grabbed the lube, prepped my hole, and returned.

As I sat back in the tub, I directed Cody's cock into my ass.

"Fuck," he moaned as I settled on him fully.

I started clenching and unclenching my ass. Then I would lift and sink. With us in the tub, I didn't want to splash water out. Finally, frustrated, I pulled off him, bent over the edge of the tub, and said, "Get up and fuck me."

Cody positioned himself behind me. It didn't take long for him to fill my hole with his cum.

Spent, he sat back down in the tub, and again, I sat between his legs. We were enjoying this when Luke arrived.

"Have fun?"

"That we did," I said. "Very relaxing. A load down Cody's throat and one buried in my ass!"

"Oh man. Sorry, I missed that."

"Strip!"

While he took his clothes off, I climbed out of the tub and dried off. I put my hands on the vanity, spread my legs, and Luke's hard dick found its target. As with Cody, it didn't take him long to add his load to my hole.

-----

We were sitting at our table when Luke let out, "What the fuck?"

I followed his gaze to see James walking into the club.

"I'm going to tell him to leave you alone," Luke said. He started to get up.

"Sit," I said quietly. "I'll handle this in my own way."

I stood up and walked over to George's booth.

"What's up?" George asked.

"Changing songs," I said.

"He showed up again?"

I nodded.

"What kind of message are you going to send?"

"Dirty Laundry," I replied.

George turned to his computer, so I assumed he was swapping out my song. "You did that the seventh week you were here."

"You keep records?"

"Well, at least for those with good voices that stick around."

"Thanks," I said.

"I'll change it, but I'm going to say it again. Don't let him fuck up your groove. You're in love. You're happy. Sing it."

"You're right. Never mind."

When I got back to the table, I found that both Casey and Cody were just sitting down. I looked at them, and both had deer-in-the-headlight looks. They smiled at me, and I wondered what they'd been up to.

The light soon dimmed, and the evening started. George was in rare form with his introduction, and he was really getting the crowd going. We'd been sitting there for about thirty minutes when he called Casey and Cody to the stage.

"I know you're engaged," he said to Casey. "And you're involved," he said to Cody. "So, I'm guessing this is a stay away from my man message?"

Both Casey and Cody nodded.

"So, folks, get the message from these boys. Here's Casey and Cody with Monica's The Boy is Mine."

I knew the song well and thought Casey and Cody did a great job covering it.

It was about fifteen minutes later when George got on stage to introduce the next singer.

"Folks, Coulter's a regular, and as a southern boy, I'm glad he embraced country music and makes it a regular part of his repertoire. Tonight, he's chosen a song originally released in the nineties by Ty Herndon. After Ty came out of the closet, he released a dance mix that Coulter introduced me to tonight. Here's Living in the Moment, the dance mix_._"

The music got started, and I did my best to bring the song to life, singing, "And when they carve my stone, all they need to write on it is once lived a man who got all he ever wanted. Tell me something; who could ask for more than to be living in a moment you would die for?" As the second verse started, some in the club started clapping along softly. As I sang, "I'll be loving you with the very last breath I take." I could see tears on both Luke's and Cody's faces. That started me tearing up! I finished the song, took a slight bow, and started to leave the stage.

As I got to the table, Cody stood, wrapped me in his arms, and kissed me deeply. As he broke the kiss, I felt a tap on the shoulder, turned, and kissed Luke just as deeply. There were a few hoots from nearby tables, but I didn't care.

After the kiss, I sat in my seat, and Luke did what I'd come to expect: sitting in my lap. I wrapped my arms around his waist as George introduced the next performer. I'm sure I heard the song, but I couldn't tell you what he did.

As the last performance ended, the lights went up. I grabbed my work bag, slung it over my shoulder, and looked at Cody and Luke.

"Ready to go home?" I asked.

"Yeah," Luke answered.

Cody just nodded.

Luke drove us back out to Fairfax. I was, I admit, brooding a bit. Walking into the house, I put my bag in the den and then walked towards the bedroom. I got my evening routine done, then started stripping for bed.

"You're in the center tonight," Cody said.

I climbed in and was quickly enveloped in love. Each of my guys was as close to me as he could get without becoming part of me. I let my mind clear as they touched, snuggled, and otherwise let me know how much they loved me.

-----

I was sitting in my usual spot, the corner of the sectional, staring out the window. This morning, the sun was just starting to light the tops of the trees. It looked like it would be a great day.

I took another sip of my coffee and pondered life. How could I be so happy and yet so messed up at the same time?

"He's getting under your skin," Cody said as he joined me.

"What?"

"That look on your face. I can tell, he's in your head messing with you."

"I was more amazed that you read me so well. You are right, by the way. I was just thinking about being so happy and so messed up at once."

"You're not messed up. He is. Ignore him. He's an unimportant aspect of your current life. He's a part of the past, and he should not haunt you."

"Ummm... Wow. Okay. Where'd this come from?"

"I was talking with Mindy last week."

I raised an eyebrow.

"No, not about you. She's a friend at school, and she started asking some deep questions. Well, we were having lunch at the JC, and she said that sometimes she sees this haunted expression on my face. She said she figured that there was a trauma in my past that haunted me. I was about to explain it when she stopped me. That's when we started talking about living in the present and not letting your past haunt you."

"Psych major?"

"Social work, actually. I met her through Casey."

"She's right. I've worked hard to live relentlessly positive, but I do need to ensure I'm living in the present. I like the concept of not letting my past haunt me."

"I turned her on to living relentlessly positive. She said she'd dig into that."

"How do I end the haunting?"

"Forgive him," Cody said.

"What?"

"You can't forget until you forgive."

"Where'd this wise young man come from?"

"I have good counselors. Andy, Mindy, and Casey are all helping me heal."

We spent a good while talking about forgiving and forgetting and the path forward. We'd been sitting there drinking coffee for about an hour when Luke joined us.

"Do either of you need to do anything today?" he asked.

"I have some reading I need to get done this weekend," Cody said.

"Grocery shopping," I said. "The cupboards are getting rather bare."

"I've tried to keep the list updated," Cody said.

I smiled at that.

"I put a couple specialty items on the list," Luke explained.

"Oh?"

"I've been reading about different flours, and I want to try King Arthur bread flour. It's supposed to be the best."

"Sure. Anything else?"

"Cake flour," he said.

"Works for me."

Luke just smiled.

-----

"Busy day today?" Cody asked as we prepared dinner.

"Not really. Actually, now that I think about it, I'd call it quiet."

"Wow, that's unusual, isn't it?"

"Second week of the sprint. We finished our prioritization two weeks ago. With no new customers on the horizon, things should actually calm down a bit for a while."

"That's great."

"How was school? How'd you do on the test?"

"I got an A on the test. School was really good today. Had lunch with Casey, Kyle, and Adamu."

"That's a new name."

"Adamu is a classmate of Kyle's. He's from Kenya and runs track for Mason."

"Cool. Pass me the butter, please."

"Where's the bouillon?" He was looking in the pantry.

"In the fridge," I said. "I'm trying that new stuff."

"Oh, that's right. Adamu seems like a cool guy," Cody said.

"In what way?"

"He seems very down to earth. He's planning on going home after graduation and wants to work on improving the infrastructure in his country. Bringing tech skills back home."

"A noble position."

We kept working on dinner as Cody talked about his day and his new friends. Finally, we had dinner on the table, and Luke joined us.

"How's laundry going?" I asked.

"Good. I've got a load in the dryer, one in the washer, and one folded in the basket." He looked at Cody and said, "I heard you talking about your new friends. Any of them play lacrosse?"

"Nope. Kyle and I were saying we needed to find some."

"Looking to play or just toss the ball?" I asked.

"Thought it would be fun to toss," Luke said. "I mean, Cody and I do from time to time. Should probably get Kyle over here, but that leaves Casey out."

"Think of it as us and me time. Casey could have some me time. He could come watch. Or hell, he could hang with me."

"That's an idea," Luke said. "Changing the topic. What's on the agenda for tonight with you two?"

"I'm done with homework," Cody said.

"Television or read," I said.

"How about a light workout and then some fun?"

"I'm up for that," Cody said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"What? We haven't had any fun in the playroom in a while," Luke explained.

"Fair enough."

We finished eating, cleaned up, and then went downstairs for a workout.

"What are you doing tonight?" Cody asked.

"I figured I'd do a light routine. I don't want to wear myself out for the playroom."

"Smart man," Luke said. "We'll wear you out later."

The three of us went through a lightwork out. It was about amplifying the testosterone, not about building muscle.

Luke had just finished with the leg press when he stood, started stripping, and said, "I think we're well marinated at this point."

"Who wants to fuck me tonight?"

"Me!" Cody said.

"Me too!"

I stood from the bench and started stripping my shorts and tee off as I headed for the playroom. I left my jock on and climbed into the sling. I am beginning to think my guys have telepathy. They simply nodded at each other, and then Cody moved to my head while Luke got between my ass cheeks.

Luke's tongue quickly plunged into my hole, while I opened my mouth and took Cody's hard cock between my lips.

Luke's attention to my ass was great; he showed great skill in getting me prepped for a good, hard fuck. After eating me out for a while, he applied lube to his cock and my hole and started sliding in. Luke's cock probably fit in the average range for length, but he had a good bit of girth.

I moaned around Cody's cock as Luke hit bottom. His dick was doing a good job opening me up. He moved in and out slowly for a few minutes. With my hole loosened, he started fucking me in earnest. I have to admit, it felt really good!

"You're getting me close," Cody said as he pulled his cock out of my mouth.

Luke paused and said, "Switch?"

"Sure."

Luke pulled out, grabbed a towel, wiped his dick, and came around to my head. At the same time, Cody lubed up and slid in.

One thing about having different people fuck you is that they hit, scratch, or whatever you want to call it, in different places. Cody's cock was a bit thinner and a bit longer; he was hitting spots Luke didn't reach.

As one or the other would get close, they would swap positions. Eventually, they stood next to each other, bumping each other out of the way when they wanted to fuck.

Cody was pounding my hole when my cock finally cut loose.

"Fucking epic," Luke said, as my cum sprayed across my chest, my chin, and onto my face.

Luke bent over and started licking the cum off my chest. My orgasm triggered Cody to shoot, dumping his load up my ass.

Spent, Cody pulled out, and moved out of Luke's way. It didn't take many seconds before he added his cum to the mixture.

Copyright 2023 BndgDawg (BndgDawg@gmail.com). Do not reproduce or distribute this story without the author's permission.

This is Chapter Fourteen of the third story I have written. I look forward to positive comments, constructive criticisms and otherwise pleasantly worded feedback. Flames and attacks will be ignored and addresses blocked. (BndgDawg@gmail.com).

My other stories on this site are Double Trails (Beginnings/Rural - December 8, 2016) and Homeless (High School - July 30, 2017).