Feelings of Security

G-Village....Build It, They will Cum, part 36 by lennoxbear@aol.com

The following is a continuation of stories with characters begun in Feelings of Security. This story contains graphic gay sex, man to man. If such material offends you, please go elsewhere. Also, sexual practices are fantasy and not an endorsement of unsafe sexual practices and are not meant to be seen as such.

At 6:15, Tom reluctantly walked into Dan's restaurant with Nick and directly into a wall of support and caring. Dan's staff knew Tom and Eric by sight. He was stopped every couple of feet by another staff person who wanted to ask how Eric was doing and offer their words of support. Nick chuckled quietly to himself as person after person hugged him. Tom looked bewildered and lost.

Nick guided him toward the back banquet room where Dan stood motioning. "Guess it pays to be a good tipper."

"Wow, evidently." Tom got another big hug from Dan and smiled nervously. He didn't feel much like eating but figured if he smelled food, he might get hungry. The rest of his friends, including Mark and Kyle, were waiting for his arrival.

Dan pointed to two open chairs and then whistled loudly. "OK, studs, let's do this in one announcement, listen up. Go ahead Tom." Tom shook his head from the whistle and blinked.

"Ummm, I didn't know you could whistle like that. Sheesh that was loud. Don't do that again. So, uh, I don't have much more to say. Tom Pratt hopefully, will be joining us. Eric is as good as can be expected. The bullet wound is clean, went straight through that big ham of a thigh, no problems there. What they are watching is his head injury. Clotting, swelling, all that stuff. He's pretty out of it. Nothing is showing up right now but from what Tom told me, that doesn't mean he's out of the woods. All we can do is wait while they keep a watch on him. If he gets any less groggy, well, you know he can be a handful." He choked back his emotion. "I want to thank all of you for caring, calling, the room already looks like a greenhouse. Thanks guys." He sat down as people walked to their chairs and either squeezed a shoulder or patted his beefy butt. Marsh nudged Jack as he watched Tom's hands visibly shaking. Red walked over and kissed the top of Tom's shaved head. His thick hands squeezed the man's huge pex as he whispered something into his ear. Tom laughed, pulled Red forward and kissed him. He seemed to relax more after that.

Dan walked back in and banged a spoon off of a pot lid. "OK, girls, listen up, no ordering off the menu tonight. What we have is, either low-fat vegetable lasagna and salad and veggies, or for those of you who can't get enough meat. And who among us gets enough meat, my special 15-layer lasagna. We'll be around to get your choices, so tell me what ya want." Someone yelled 'bend over.' "That's on the dessert menu, and it ain't low fat. Shut up, no comments about my fat ass."

"Honey, that ass ain't fat, it's all prime beef. Moooo-oooo-oooo." The evening went out of control from that point on. "So, Tommy, what'll it be? And don't say, just salad. I know you better than that." He heaped a big slice of veggie lasagna on Tom's plate with and equally huge portion of salad and veggies. Tom just stared at the plate as Nick snorted beside him. "And you, LA-boy, you make sure he eats." Nick saluted. Dan worked his way to the next person as Nick rubbed Tom's thigh under the table.

"You OK?"

Tom looked at the mounds of food in front of him and sighed. "Yeah, oddly enough I suddenly feel hungry. Thank heaven I ain't getting ready for a competition." Nick's hand slid to the inside of his thigh as a big plate was slapped in front of him. Tom snorted this time in response to Nick's reaction to the food.

"Does he always serve like this?"

"Oh yeah, and he expects you to have seconds."

Nick looked at him blankly. "This is seconds, maybe thirds." It took two hours to get through the dinner and dessert. Doc Pratt had finally wandered in after his rounds and was greeted with an enormous mound of food and a big kiss from his partner. No change with Eric. Tom excused himself to leave. Nick chose to go with him. Bruce and Steve thought it a good idea and would be back at the house shortly. Back at the house, Tom slowly trudged toward the master bedroom. Nick followed him to the door and hugged him as he turned to go up the stairs to the guest room where he was staying. "Try to get some rest. Doc will call if there is any change." He kissed Tom softly.

Tom held him by the mountainous biceps. "Sleep with me, I need someone to hold me."

Nick took a shallow breath. "Gee Tom, I don't, uh, all right. I need to go brush my teeth. Dan really likes the garlic." He studied Tom's weary face. "I'll be back in a minute buddy." Tom was already on his stomach when Nick returned. He quietly stripped out of his jeans and flannel shirt and slipped into the big bed next to Tom. Just the thought of Tom's naked body made his dick hard as he snuggled against the smooth bodybuilder and draped an arm over the wide back.

"Fuck me." Nick pulled back slightly.

"Tom, I don't think it's such a good id......."

"Fuck me hard. Slam my damned ass as hard as you can. Come on Nick, fuck me, please." Nick hesitated. Tom pulled his arm to pull the big man on top of him. A condom and lube lay next to him. Nick straddled the muscular bubble butt and slid a wet finger deep into Tom's hot ass. Tom pushed back onto his knees. He felt Nick's fat cock head push slowly into him and moaned. "Yeah, now slam me."

Nick wrapped his fingers around the tight small waist and pushed. He moved slowly, enjoying the warmth of Tom's hot body enveloping his stiff prick. His hands slid up the angular thick wide lats to the mounds of knotted shoulder muscle as his cock slid in to the base. Tom dropped to his elbows and pushed his eager ass back forcing Nick to let go of his shoulders and simply fuck. He rocked his dick in and out of the muscle butt as Tom moaned loudly. Tom's ass seemed to suck more and more of him deep within. He increased the force until he was sending waves of energy through the beefy man's ripped body.

Tom's sighed. "Yeah, Nick, fuck me into tomorrow morning." He lifted up and placed his hands in a wide gripping stance on the iron headboard. "Lean into me buddy. Work my tits too." Tom supported the musclebear's weight as Nick grasped the massive hard pex. His fingers pinched the pierced nipples and pulled. Tom arched his back and sucked Nick's dick deeper into his fuckhole. Nick was no longer in control of this scene. He felt his own sexual heat raise the more out of control Tom got. The more Tom bucked his ass, the harder Nick fucked. The harder Nick worked Tom's tits the louder the groaning and the more desperate the need to be fucked. Tom was taking his emotional release out on Nick's cock.

Forty minutes later, Bruce and Steve returned to find Nick in his jeans sitting in the den drinking a beer. Bruce flopped down on the sofa next to him and squeezed the thick thigh. "You look a bit whipped. What's up?"

Nick took a long drink. "I, oddly enough, am having some guilty feelings about just fucking Tom. Let me explain. He practically demanded it. And it was like he needed to be fucked hard to release the pent up emotions from this whole day. It was weird and hot at the same time. I don't know, and it's just weird. I mean, men pay me to have hot sex but this scene bothered me."

"How's Tom?"

"Sleeping like a baby. He didn't even get off. Says he isn't going to cum until Eric gets home. He was like a totally different man. Funny, I'm the one who usually has to beg for men to fuck me. Now, I'm the one who feels all confused."

Steve glanced at Bruce. "Guilt trip? Need a therapy session? We can handle that." Nick pushed back into the sofa as the two beefy men took control. "But keep in mind, you may be called to duty again with Tom. Marsh told us everything that was on Eric's agenda this week. He's going to have to go to Chicago to take care of some details for the assisted living business thing and to finalize an interview for the administrator's position. Can't be rescheduled. So, any time away from Eric will only magnify his need for emotional release. But buddy, we're here to help you afterwards." The men half carried him to the basement playroom for therapy.

Tom jumped to kill the alarm clock at five AM. Nick was out cold. His heavy thick arm was draped over Tom's chest. He carefully pulled out of bed to not wake Nick. In the bathroom, his reflection showed a man looking much older than his 23 years, or was it 24? The radio announcer talked about the cold front that had moved through over night bringing back the seasonal temperatures. He pulled on sweats and gloves and headed out for a long run. The cold air invigorated him as he jogged down the back roads of the new development to the main road. He thought about Eric in the hospital and tried to run out his feelings of worry. Five miles of worry.

At 6 AM, he padded back up their drive and into their gym. His sweats were soaked despite the cold. A clean T-shirt and a pair of baggy shorts would be in order for a tough workout. A naked Nick stumbled down the steps at seven.

"What are you doing? I woke up and you were gone."

"I felt like a good run and workout, join me." He grabbed Nick's semi-hard prick and pushed him down on the bench.

"Cripes Tom, I'm not even warmed up." He lay back on the bench and tried to figure out how much weight was loaded on the bar. A hot mouth clamped over his dick.

"You awake now?" Tom pushed Nick through another 30 minutes of iron pumping before heading to the shower. Nick did a few more sets then followed upstairs. He sat outside the shower and talked with Tom about his plans for the day. Tom didn't seem too happy about the prospect of a Chicago trip as he toweled dry and pulled on clean jeans and a sweater. "I'll make us some breakfast while you shower." Bruce and Steve already had breakfast started when Tom walked into the kitchen.

They chatted with him about his general well-being and the work that appeared ahead of him with Eric out of commission. Tom was more resolved to get things done. By the time Nick joined them he was leaving to get to the hospital to visit Eric. He teased Nick that Bruce and Steve would keep him entertained only to have Nick look blankly around the room and mumble something about again.

Eric woke up to find Tom sitting and reading the paper in a chair next to the bed. He watched quietly as Tom intently read. The smoothly shaved head and masculine profile were totally engrossed. The muscles flexed and relaxed as he shifted in the chair and turned a page. He felt his dick stir and his head pound.

"Hey buddy, good morning. Don't you have anything better to do than sit here with me? Go workout." Tom got up, carefully looked around to see if anyone was watching and deeply kissed the tired looking man.

"Already did all that. You're my priority." He rubbed the thick veined arm and tried to ignore the growing mound under the sheet. "You better get control over that before you have a major tent thing going."

"I'm trying. It just responds to you automatically. My head hurts when it throbs."

"That can't be good."

"No it isn't." Both men turned to see Dr. Pratt enter the room. "You need to rest Stout, no excitement. You have a really nasty head injury. Don't make me give you something to keep that from happening. And you, Mr. Bell, don't do this to him."

Tom smiled demurely. "I didn't." Tom stepped back as the doctor helped Eric sit up for a quick check.

"I know the last thing either of you wants to hear is 'no excitement', but until this beast, and I mean Eric, not his dick, is out of the woods, he has to be quiet. Head injuries are nothing to play around with." Tom looked hurt. "I'm not yelling at you. But we are monitoring for brain swelling or clots or any number of things. We can't be sure what the dick swelling might do."

Eric saluted and covered his still rigid dick. "Down boy. We'll behave doc, really." Pratt looked at them with a slight snarl.

"You better. I'll see you later. Rest dammit."

They watched him walk out then both giggled. "You going to do the Chicago thing for me?" Tom nodded. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. Besides, if you keep busy, my dick will behave. I think. I just have to try not to think about you." Tom looked like he was going to cry. "You better go see Marsh before he starts all the phones ringing and Pratt has a bird." Tom squeezed his hand.

"I'll try to make this quick so I'm not away too long."

"Take all the time you need to do things right. Bruce is staying the week and so is Nick. If I need you, I'll have one of them track you down. I was supposed to stay at Bill and Steve's apartment; they're out of town. They left the key with some guy downstairs. I can't remember his name. Man, I'm getting foggy on things."

"I'll find it. You get some rest. I'll call you later. Just don't tell Pratt I'm going to call. Probably disconnect the phone." He softly kissed Eric and hustled down to the office to find Marsh and Jack up to their ears in work. They quickly filled him in on what Eric had to accomplish this week. Tom sat at Marsh's desk and breathed a low whistle.

Marsh put the last of the paperwork in a translucent plastic folder. "You OK, Tom?"

Tom sat back and flexed his shoulders, which bounced his pex. "Wow, this is a bit overwhelming. And all this has to happen this week?" Marsh shook his head. Tom rubbed his meaty hand over his head. "I'm feeling like I have the head injury."

"I know it's a lot but we'll be covering here when you need anything. Everything is coming to a close this spring. It's both good and bad timing."

Tom got up and peeked out of the window. "Guess I better go home and pack. Have to be in Chicago by 2, eh? Good grief."

Jack handed him another folder of paper. "Stuff you need to read tonight. And I, uh, well, I called Bruce and he and Steve will have your stuff packed. You just need to gas up the Lincoln and hit the road."

Tom blinked. "You did? They are? The Lincoln? Oh no, I wouldn't take the LS. I'll drive my truck. If Nick needs a car he can drive it or my old truck."

Jack shrugged. "Your choice. And why do you still have that old beast, not Eric, the truck."

"Hey it still runs. It just doesn't look too perty. It fits me. OK then, I better be going if I am to meet this, what's his name, Michael, for an interview at 2:30. I have plenty of time really but I have to figure out who has Bill and Steve's apartment key and maybe grab some lunch."

Marsh hugged him. "Eric will be just fine. I know where Bill and Steve are this week, let me try to reach them and see who has the key. I'll call on your cell phone; just remember to turn it on. Don't worry buddy, it'll all be fine." Tom reluctantly nodded and headed back home.

Red rubbed his eyes as he took a break from staring at the floor plans for the new gym. He had been trying to finalize the layout with Richard, Mike and Rick all morning. The equipment arrived in less than a month and if they were to be open for any of the January resolution business, they had to be prepared. Dave was working on the layout of the store and cafe with Dell downstairs. Red wanted to be able to go to the new space and walk through things but knew the workmen would not be happy if they got in the way. He felt Rick's thigh nervously bouncing against his.

"That's it, no more coffee for you."

Rick smiled a silly grin. "Nothing to do with coffee. My girlfriend comes home today and I have to figure out if I tell her about this past weekend.

Richard and Red looked at each other. "Are you out of your ever-loving fucking mind? Don't just drop it on her. If you have any doubts at all, try to get your head straight first."

Richard looked quizzically around the office. "Or gay, whichever the case may be. She's going to be happy to see you, take it slowly."

Rick flopped back in the chair. His Dog Pound T-shirt stretched across the thick chest. "I am a mess guys. I know I have to play a lot of this by ear but I am really breaking new ground here. I mean if someone came to me to design a new gym, like this, I am really cool. But facing my girlfriend and knowing that I spent the weekend having sex with a bunch of muscleheads, well, it's out of my expertise."

Red looked away as Rick's cock moved under the jersey shorts. Mike got up to meet a client and squeezed Rick's shoulder. "Well, this is something I can't even pretend to know how to do. Always been a cocksucker and a bottom boy. I may have been beat up a few times but it's always been by men who feel my sexual orientation challenged them. I've never been on your side of the fence. If you need to talk, call me, I'll be home with Doug. I have a training to do, later guys."

Rick got up to leave too. "I have all that paperwork to do for the new gym and people to interview. I better get started. You going to help with the interviews Red? I'm assuming Tom won't be in?"

Richard got up and stretched. "No, Marsh called. Tom's on his way to Chicago to take care of some stuff for Eric. You want me to help with the interviews."

Red scratched a big round pec. "Yeah, we'll split them, give Ricky a hand. Don't worry guy, we'll help you through this. Well, the interview part. I'm like Mike, always been an assfuck. Can't help you with the girlfriend thing." Rick sighed and his shoulders sunk.

Richard put his arm around the beefy furry man and herded him toward the door. "I have, used to be married ya know. Let's go talk." They passed Dave on his way to see Red.

Dave stood in the doorway and watched Richard and Rick go down the stairs. "That man's in big trouble with the girlfriend coming back."

Red looked closely at Dave. "Why do you say that?"

"Well." Dave blushed a deep red. "He spent yesterday afternoon with me and Bob. We fucked and sucked every which way. Ain't no way that guy is straight."

"He might be one of those men who is truly bisexual."

Dave crossed his arms across his chest. "You know that video you guys just bought and showed us last week?" Red nodded. "We did a lot of that with him."

Red's eyes opened wide. "Hooooooooooly shit. You did? OK, well now I'm horny."

Tom had just enough time to grab his oversized suitcase and toss it in the truck. He hugged Nick and groped the big man's crotch. "I'm sorry I was a tramp in heat last night. I didn't mean to put you in an awkward position."

"Oh no, I'm all right. The awkward position came later downstairs."

"What? Oh. That explains the giggles this morning and the extra towels in the laundry. Well, I don't feel so badly going to Chicago and leaving you here with Bruce and Steve, knowing that you guys can entertain yourselves." Nick played coy. "Or do you want to come up to Chicago with me?"

Nick thought about it. "Not right now, maybe I'll come up on Wednesday. Call me. Bruce and Steve are both here until tomorrow right?" Tom nodded as he picked up his briefcase.

"Ooooooooooooookay then. Thanks buddy. I better book, got a lot waiting on me in Chicago." He hugged the beefy man another time and headed for his truck. He tried to not worry about Eric on the drive to Chicago and did everything to keep his mind from wandering. Problem is, if he didn't worry about Eric, he thought about sex with Eric. He was deep into a sexual fantasy when his cell phone rang and Marsh's happy voice greeted him.

"Hey Tommy. Pratt called, things are the same but Eric is perking up, that's good. And Bill says the key to their place is downstairs with a guy they call Ducky in apartment 3-C. You got that?"

"Ducky? In 3-c. thanks." An hour later, Tom was buzzing 3-C and waiting for an answer. A deep voice answered the intercom and buzzed Tom through the door. Tom lugged his bag onto the elevator and pushed three. The door opened and he more felt the presence than immediately saw him. A huge thick black arm held the door to the elevator open as Tom got off. He stared up at a giant of a black man with shoulders a yard wide. Tom's eyes just came to the chest of the mountainous man.

"You Tom? I'm Ducky."

"Ahhhhhh, I get it." The man waved his hand above his head to indicate he had to duck through doors. "I've never seen you here before."

The deep bass voice filled the hallway. "I work lots of strange hours. Seldom overlapped with Bill and Steve being here, but they're great guys. I workout with them once in awhile."

"At Quads? I've been there. Never seen you. And you're hard to miss."

The man laughed and shot a big smile at Tom. "Well, they've told me all about this guy they know who is prime bodybuilding material. They're right."

"Thanks. Hey, if you're around later, want to hit the gym? I have a couple of business things to do but I can stop by when I finish and see if you're around."

"Sure. I have to go out myself but I should be back by 6, if that isn't to late."

"Perfect, I did a workout this morning but I gotta get myself into shape."

Ducky just stared at him. "Uh huh. Like you aren't in shape now? Super, I'll catch ya at 6 then. Hey, I have to run. Sorry to hear about your partner." Tom watched the broad back disappear around the corner. He tried to calculate just how big those arms were. By the time he threw his stuff in the apartment and did a quick change he was horny as hell for Eric. He rushed the train to the office where he was to do his interviews and tried to calm his raging nuts by doing multiplication tables. Sonny and Marsh had made the arrangements to use this office to interview the guy they wanted to be the administrator of the assisted living operation. Marsh's advice from Sonny was for Tom to concentrate on the man's work history and ignore everything else. Tom sipped coffee as he reviewed the resume and wondered what Sonny had meant. The resume and work history were outstanding with no hint of any problem or gap. There was a light knock on the door and Tom felt the heat enter the room, again. The doorway was filled with man.

"Ducky?" The man stood in the doorway and smiled broadly at Tom. "That is one great suit, you aren't exactly off the rack on fit."

He offered his hand. It covered Tom's. "Thanks. I have to get them made. Um, the name's actually Michael. Bill and Steve just call me Ducky. May I?" Michael squeezed himself into a chair and spent the next hour and a half discussing his work history with Tom. The man was as qualified as he was muscular. He had recently made adjustments to his life when he divorced and was hoping to find a job in a quieter environment, and a smaller town. He genuinely loved what he did and was eager to have the opportunity to work for Tom and Eric. Tom just wasn't sure how to bring up the subject of the gay slant to business. The man gave him no clue to being anything other than heterosexual. He decided the thing to do was invite Ducky, or Michael down for a visit to the site and to do a casual follow-up interview with Marsh or Jack. Or hopefully, Eric, if he got out of the hospital.

Michael got up to leave and Tom walked him to the door. He caught sight of a hard nipple through the dress shirt as the man moved. His cock stirred. "Michael, let me work out some details and let you know the next move. I can have them by 6, if you still want to grab a workout together?"

"Sure, that's still great by me. See you back at the building by 6, thanks Tom. This sounds like just the opportunity I was hoping to find. I'd really like to work for you guys. Later." Tom breathed a sigh of relief as he closed the door and adjusted his semi-hard cock. Eric better recover real soon.

Marsh answered the phone and Tom quickly filled him in on the details of having Michael do another interview as soon as possible. He would leave arrangements to Marsh for the coming Friday. He was finishing telling Marsh about his having to go pick up the last of the state paperwork when Marsh told him he needed to call the gym. He explained that Richard had wanted to wait to tell Tom and Eric both but he had to finalize details. He had formally submitted his resignation to Red that he was retiring to Florida after the new gym was open. Tom was saddened by the news since Richard had been a vital part of the success of the Dog Pound. Marsh said there was more. Dell was going with him. Tom felt his shoulders drop. Damn, two good employees and friends.

Marsh was really concerned that this was too much for Tom to handle right now but Richard had to sign paper for a condo and couldn't hold off. Tom reassured him that he was fine and that they would pull together to make things work. Jack was going to post the positions and run ads in the paper with Tom's permission. Tom said sure and hung up. He blew out a long deep breath and sighed. That had certainly killed that hardon fantasy. He thanked Sonny's friends and hurried to get the last of his paperwork before the state offices closed. The train back to the apartment gave him time to think about the big changes at the gym. He was more saddened by two of his friends moving but knew it was what they wanted. By the time he got back to the apartment, he had a plan.

The key was hardly in the lock when the bass voice startled him. Michael tried not to laugh as Tom scowled at him. "I just thought I'd see if you were back and still up for a workout. The shorter man turned to study the big frame. Michael stood in the hallway in a tiny tank top, shorts that would have been baggy on any other human being, and sneakers.

"Well Ducky." He faked disdain. Then smiled. "Yeah, I just need a few minutes to change, come on in so we can talk." Tom explained the game plan and asked Michael to come down on Friday to see the operation and have another short interview. It could be casual so he wouldn't have to lug a suit coat. He also explained about their philosophy as a gay owned business. Michael nodded. And he was more than welcome to stay with Doug and Mike at the old house. He explained all this as he changed into suitable workout clothes. He turned around to see Ducky standing in the doorway quietly watching him.

"I'd really like that. Friday it is. Let's celebrate and pump iron."

"Now there's a phrase you don't hear everyday." They made an interesting pair as they sauntered the streets on their way to Quads. Michael's easy gait equated to near running for Tom. "How long are your legs, or are we jogging?" The gym was busy but not packed for a Monday evening. "So what's on your agenda today?"

Michael looked down at Tom and all his beef. "Well, I usually do legs today, is that OK?"

"Works for me, let's go. I did mostly chest this morning after I ran." For the next hour, the two new friends murdered their legs. Ducky's warm-up squat was near Tom's max. He pushed Tom to go for more as he spotted him. He moved up and back with Tom as he raised and lowered the weight. Tom concentrated on the mass of iron to avoid the thick basket poking him in the ass. They blitzed their calves then moved to heavy loads on the three different Hammer Strength machines. Tom was drenched.

"You want to do a few quick back sets? You're looking a little thin." Michael smiled coolly knowing that he had figured out how to push Tom's lifting buttons. A few back sets meant four more machines. Tom leaned against a back wall and dripped sweat into his towel.

"OK, man, that's it. I started my day running and doing chest. This is like total suicide."

"Give me a front double biceps and left quad." Michael watched as Tom dropped his towel and slowly moved into the pose. His legs exploded with mass and cuts, his arms popped into mountainous peaks. "You've been trained well."

"Thank you Yoda." Michael swung a thick arm as Tom ducked toward the door. "Dinner?" The giant black man gave a big thumbs up. They casually walked back to the apartment building and discussed dinner choices and Friday's interview. Michael asked Tom into his apartment to show him a collection of commendations and certifications for his career. "Something told me you were an over achiever. Who are these guys?" Tom picked up a framed picture of three smiling happy boys.

"My sons, my soul." Michael took the picture and pointed to each one, telling Tom their names and ages. "I'm divorced. It wasn't pretty. I don't get to see them much. She moved to North Carolina."

"That's too bad. They're really cute. Look like a real handful. Hey, I better go call in about Eric and hit the shower. How's 30 minutes? Good. I'll leave the door unlocked, just come on down."

Michael walked into the apartment just as Tom pulled on his faded black jeans. He rummaged through his suitcase for a favourite flannel shirt knowing that Bruce in his packing for him didn't miss a trick. Michael watched intently as he finished dressing. "How's Eric?"

Tom paused. "His doctor said he was a lot more lethargic this afternoon and his speech was slurred. They're running more tests and moved him back to ICU. He kept telling me not to worry." Tom tossed his hands in the air. "I need to take this one step at a time. I'm starving. They have my cell phone number. Let's go eat."

Rick had sailed out of the gym to pick up his girlfriend at her job. She leaned across the truck seat and gave him a long wet kiss. Her more than ample breasts rubbed his arm. A hot hand slid across his chest under his leather jacket. His nipples tightened and his dick stirred. They exchanged a few pleasantries about their weekends as they drove back to Rick's apartment and got naked. She had to tell him to slow down several times to control her own orgasms. It was late in the evening before they even discussed dinner. He looked down at her clear smiling face and huge mounds of breast. His dick stiffened again.

"I should go away more often on weekends. You're a total fucking animal tonight. Omigod." He wrapped his thick arms around her and slammed deep into her abused cunt. "Rick stop. We're out of condoms, no. Don't." He quickly arched his back, pulled free and sent another copious load of cum across her tits. "Ewwww, I hate when you do that." She pushed him off and headed to the shower. "We better be going out to eat now, there's isn't time to cook. I'm not spending the night you know." He sat on the edge of the bed and listened to the running water. By the time he had finished showering and dressing, she was whining about starving and half way out the door. Dinner was a simple and quiet affair with neither of them saying much. It suited him fine. He dropped her at her apartment and drove away after a too short kiss. It wasn't her style. 9:30.

He headed home but veered around the corner at the last second and headed back around the block and down the street. The truck squealed to a halt and he catapulted from the cab, slamming the door behind him. Light from within splashed across his face. "Look, I'm sorry. I know it's kinda late and I should have called but we need to talk. Can I come in?" Bob closed the door behind him.

Tom and Michael ate dinner and chatted away like two old friends. Tom was amazed at Michael's life experiences and warmed to the big man's unassuming demeanor. His friendship with Bill and Steve was a natural outgrowth of their crossing paths at the gym and realizing they lived in the same apartment building. Their nicknaming him Ducky had solidified the friendship. He seemed perfectly at ease around gay men. Tom was convinced he was a perfect fit for the job. His only concern was keeping their friends from hitting on him.

Both men passed on dessert. "Go ahead and call." Michael pushed the phone toward him. "You've been glancing at the damned thing all night waiting for it to ring. If there was a problem with Eric, I'm sure they would have called you, but call anyway." Tom bounced his head back and forth trying to decide what to do. Michael picked up the phone and placed it in his hand. "Call."

Tom punched in Tom Pratt's number and heard the man's tired voice. Michael listened as Tom responded with single words and noises. He ended the call and put the phone back on the table. Michael looked deeply into his green eyes. "They're worried about clotting and are doing another scan, MRI or whatever tomorrow. He's really out of it. And Tom keeps telling me not to worry."

Then try not to. If your partner were in danger, and this doctor is as close a friend as you say, then he would have told you to come home and forget about all the business stuff. This may all be routine procedure for a head injury. I'm an administrator, not a medical person. If you want, I can check into things with some folks I know."

"No, you're right. At least I think you are. If things were not going well, Pratt would have told me to come home. He knows how we feel about each other."

"Then you need to get some rest. Let's go." Michael got up and slipped on his jacket. The cold air swirled around them as they walked the few blocks back to the apartment building. "You want to work out again tomorrow night?" Tom nodded yes. "Good, then I'll see your butt ready to pump iron tomorrow. Get some rest Tom. Try to put your mind at ease." Tom watched the big man disappear around the corner before entering the dark apartment. He clicked through the TV channels and wrote a few notes on what to do at the gyms with the changes in staff. He was about to go online to email suggestions to Red but his mind wasn't focusing. At 11 PM, he was still wide-awake and pacing in the apartment. A walk and a drink seemed appropriate. Tom pulled his leather jacket back on and headed for a bar a couple of blocks from the building.

He sat quietly at the bar and sipped his beer. The crowd was unusually animated for early in the week. Lots of hot men wandered in and out of the dark corners. Several tried to get Tom's attention but he carefully avoided contact. The weather may have gotten colder but that didn't stop several of the men from stripping off their shirts and showing what they had to offer. The bartender tried to get Tom to go shirtless but he wasn't in the mood. He felt the heat from another man who leaned in behind him to order a soft drink. The man leaned against him and draped a heavy arm across his back.

"You don't look anymore relaxed than you did an earlier. Couldn't sleep?" Tom looked up into Michael's dark handsome face. The big man was shirtless; his ebony skinned glowing with the dim lights of the bar. The deeply cut abs disappeared into tight leather jeans.

"Ducky? I, I, I thought you were straight."

The big smiled down on him. "No, sorry. Well, part of me is right now 'cause of that big man in the corner." He pulled Tom close to him in a tight hug. "Tom, you look awful. Are you OK?"

Tom closed his eyes and leaned against the big man's chest. "No."

To be continued, comments- suggestions? lennoxbear@aol.com