Small Claims

by Ethan Stone

  She yanked away from me and stood. My daughter glared at me for a moment before running up to her room. I ran my hands through my hair before rinsing off her dishes and putting them in the dishwasher.

  A few minutes later, Gabrielle returned with her bag. “I’m going to Dad’s. I’ll call you later.”

  I went to her and gave her a hug that she didn’t return. “Love you, Princess.”

  She relaxed a bit. “I love you too, Pops.”

  When she was gone, I got my phone and called Scott.

  “Hey, Shawn. What’s up?”

  “Gabrielle is on her way to your place,” I said. “She’s upset.”

  “Why?” Scott gasped. “What happened?”

  “My…date and I went for a midnight swim last night, not knowing Gabrielle was there.”

  Scott snickered. “That must have been a downer.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “I can imagine she wasn’t thrilled to see her pops frolicking in the water, but is that the only thing she’s upset about?”

  I hesitated before answering. “She thinks there’s a possibility you and I will get back together. She said you’re still in love with me and waiting for me to take you back.”

  Scott gasped again, and I imagined he had his hand on his mouth like he always did. “Oh, damn, Shawn. You do know that isn’t true, right?”

  Yeah, I knew, but it still kind of hurt to hear it from Scott’s mouth. Not that I held any hope for a reconciliation or even desired one.

  “Shawn? Are you still there? I hope that didn’t hurt you,” he said. “I’ll always care for you, but I’m not in love with you.”

  I sucked in a big breath. “Don’t worry, Scott. I know neither of us is harboring some secret desire for the other. You’re the first man I ever loved, but that’s in the past. Right now, I’m concerned about Gabrielle.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to her and try to get her to see the truth.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Hey, Shawn, I’m glad you’re dating again. You’re too special a man to be alone.”

  I thanked him again and ended the call. It was awesome to know Scott and I could be friends—or at least friendly. We would always be in each other’s lives because of Gabrielle, so a good relationship was advantageous.

  After going for a skinny dip and a shower, I called Jody.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Lying in bed, touching myself.”

  The image of his hot, naked body made my cock stiffen. “You should come over so I can touch you.”

  “What about your daughter?”

  “Over at my ex’s place. She’s mad at me. I doubt I’ll see her again this weekend.”

  “Why is she angry?”

  “Don’t worry about that,” I replied. “I just want to be with you.”

  “I’ll be there in a few.”

  Twenty minutes later, I heard Jody pull into my driveway and opened the door before he got to it. I pulled him inside, barely getting the door slammed shut before I yanked his pants down and swallowed his cock. He fucked my face while tugging on my hair and shot his load quickly.

  He collapsed on the floor next to me as we both breathed heavily.

  “Wow,” he murmured.

  “I missed you last night. I wish you hadn’t left.”

  He shrugged with one shoulder. “I didn’t want to interfere with family business.”

  “You’re part of my life, Jody. That means meeting my daughter and anyone else in my family.”

  He stiffened.

  His reaction worried me. Did he not want to meet my family? “You are my boyfriend, right? I know we didn’t talk about that specifically, but that’s how I see you.”

  He chewed his bottom lip. “Yeah, I’m cool with being boyfriends.”

  I didn’t like his hesitation. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, I like you a lot, Shawn. I have no intention of seeing anyone else.”

  “Something’s bothering you. You might as well tell me.” I wiped the sweat from my brow.

  He sighed loudly. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “How would you do that?” I put a hand on his leg.

  “Look, I tend to fall in love easily. I’m what you call a serial monogamist. I don’t sleep around, but I’ve had a lot of relationships.”

  “Do you think I would judge you for that?”

  “No.” Jody shook his head. “The problem is that as easily as I begin a relationship, I end them almost as easily.”

  I stood and offered him a hand to get up as well. He pulled up his pants but left them unbuttoned. We shuffled into the living room and sat on the couch so we were face-to-face.

  “There have been the normal reasons for breaking up,” Jody continued. “He cheated, I cheated, he moved, I moved. But there were a lot of bullshit reasons, too. I dumped one guy because he cheated at Monopoly, another because he cut his long hair super short. And there was the guy who was in a car accident and needed someone to take care of him.”

  It was kind of callous that he would leave someone who needed help, but if the feelings for each other weren’t there, it didn’t make sense to stay in the relationship. I sensed there was more to it than Jody was saying. He found any reason he could to move on, especially when things got tough. That explained why he took off after Gabrielle caught us in the pool. I could’ve seen that as a sign that he would take any excuse to cut and run, but I wasn’t ready to let him out of my life. Even if it didn’t work out, I wanted to spend as much time with Jody as possible. Hopefully, we could deal with any issues together so there just wouldn’t be a reason for Jody to freak out.

  He seemed surprised when I leaned over and kissed him. “You don’t care about my past?”

  “Not really. It doesn’t have to interfere with our future.”

  Jody beamed. “Good. I like you a lot.”

  I kissed him again, pressing my tongue past his lips. “Do you remember what we talked about last night, before we were interrupted?”

  “Yeah.” He smiled. “You want to fuck me, don’t you?”

  “Hell yeah.” I stood, held out a hand to help him up and led him into the living room. “Lean over the couch.”

  Jody smiled and put his hands on the back of the sofa. I stripped and helped him out of his pants, then spread his ass cheeks and pushed my face between them. I swiped my tongue across his hole and thrilled as he shivered and goosebumps formed on his skin.

  I’d rimmed guys before, even Scott a few times, but since he’d mostly topped me, it hadn’t happened often. I enjoyed doing it. It was more than preparing my lover or pleasuring him. It was a turn-on for me too. His manly, musky scent was intoxicating and stimulating. I tongued his ass, licking up and down before thrusting against his hole, pushing in as far as I could. My cock was hard and leaking and I could no longer resist my eager anticipation to be inside him.

  “Do. Not. Move,” I ordered before rushing to my bedroom to grab the supplies.

  Jody was in the same spot when I returned, but he was shifting and wiggling like a kid with ants in his pants. Not that he had any pants on.

  “Hurry, Shawn. I can’t wait for you to fuck me.”

  I tore open the condom wrapper with my teeth and rolled it on quickly. After flipping open the lid of the bottle, I squeezed it at the top of his crack and watched it slide down his hole before rubbing it in.

  “Just do it.”

  I was just as excited as he was, so I didn’t argue. Besides, he knew what he could or couldn’t handle. With my dick in hand, I pushed it between his cheeks, grabbed his hips, and thrust. I met resistance but not for long.

  Sliding into his tight, warm body was mind-blowing. I stopped moving for a moment just to take it all in. I was fucking a man. Something I hadn’t done in…I didn’t know how long. That it was Jody was even more amazing. I really cared about him, and he felt something for me.

  “Will you move?” Jody whined. “You’re killing me.
Fuck me already.”

  I thrust all the way in, burying myself to the root. Jody cried out as his body clenched up. He was adjusting to the pain, but the constriction almost made me shoot. I wasn’t going to last long as it was but figured it should be longer than a minute.

  Finally, he breathed and relaxed. The tension eased, though the tightness around my length was just as stimulating.

  “God, you feel so good, Jody. So fucking great.” I withdrew a bit, then drove forward. Then I did it again harder, then harder still.

  “Jesus Christ, you’re good at this. Fuck me, man. Pound me.”

  I held his hips hard as I pounded his ass again and again. Jody put his head on the couch so he could stroke himself and I continued the relentless assault. Before long, it all was just too much to hold back and I unloaded into the condom. He came a few moments later before my cock had softened.

  He was breathing heavily and seemed dizzy when he stood. I wasn’t much better but managed to help him around the couch before we tumbled on it.

  “That was…” He searched for the word, but I knew what he meant.

  “Agreed.”

  GOD, BEING WITH A VERSATILE man was awesome. Jody and I spent the weekend taking turns fucking each other. I came more in those two days than I even thought possible.

  By Sunday night, I was physically exhausted. My dick and ass were beyond sore.

  “Do you know where you’re working tomorrow?” I asked. We lay in bed after coming for what seemed like the bazillionth time.

  “Nope, I’ll go into the temp office tomorrow and see.”

  “It’s been nice this week,” I said. “Our working together made it easier to spend time with each other.”

  “We’ll figure it out. It’ll just take communication.”

  “I’ll try not to be too clingy.” I ran a hand through my sweat-soaked hair. “I’ll want to spend as all our time together, but I know that’s not possible.”

  He chuckled. “I’m usually the clingy one in the relationship. I love seeing my boyfriend often. I’m a horndog, and I love sex, but I also like just sharing a bed with my man.”

  He snuggled underneath my armpit, and I caressed his chest. “Lord, Jody, you make me feel a way I haven’t for more years than I can think of. I hope that doesn’t freak you out. I’m trying not to move too fast and scare you off, but fuck, I am very enamored of you.”

  “Enamored?” He snickered. “Using big words will just get you laid.”

  I groaned. “Oh, hell, no. I never thought I’d say no to sex, but I don’t think I could get it up right now with a bottleful of Viagra.”

  “I’d try to prove you wrong,” Jody replied with a wink, “but I feel the same.”

  I pulled him against me, pressing my chest to his back, and snuggled for a bit before I asked a question. “What’s the longest relationship you’ve ever been in?”

  “Five years,” he said quietly.

  “And the second longest?”

  “Eight months.”

  I whistled. “What was different in that relationship?”

  Jody didn’t respond for what seemed like a long time. Since he was facing away from me, I couldn’t tell if he was asleep. I was about to check to see if he was awake when he finally spoke.

  “I met Logan in high school. I’d just moved, and he was one of the first friends I made—outgoing and kind and extremely attractive. Everyone knew I was gay but thought he was straight. He corrected that assumption when he asked me out. We kissed on our first date and were together from that day forward.”

  “Young love can be intense.”

  He chuckled. “Intense is an understatement. I loved him so much—and he loved me. We moved in together after high school. He was studying journalism, and I was going for a business degree.”

  The fact that Jody had gone to college was a surprise—knowing his major had been business blew my mind. Talk about a 180.

  “Halfway through our second year in college, we were fooling around, and I found a lump on one of his balls.”

  “Oh, shit.”

  Jody sucked in a breath and it sounded like he was crying. “He didn’t want to go to the doctor. It took months for me to convince him to go. I don’t know if it made a difference or not, but…I just wish he would’ve gone earlier.”

  “It was cancer.” I hadn’t phrased it as a question, but he still nodded.

  “It wasn’t too far spread,” Jody continued, putting his head back against my chest. “We had hope. Logan got better, then worse. And he never got better again. Logan hung on as long as he could. He wanted to be there for me, to take care of me. I assured him I didn’t need him and that he shouldn’t stay if he was in too much pain. I didn’t want him to hang out if he was in pain. I was there with his family when he died.”

  I didn’t know what to say. There really wasn’t anything I could say so instead, I held him as tightly as I could.

  “I loved Logan and watching him die nearly killed me.” Jody wiped his face with the back of his hand. “The honeymoon phase of the relationship is the best. Leaving early on means I remember the good stuff. Ditching a guy at the first sign of trouble might be a dickhead move, but it saves me from getting hurt. I only have good memories of lovers.”

  I kissed the back of his head as he pressed against me. A minute later, he began snoring softly. The fact that Jody didn’t like to stay in relationships very long could’ve been seen as a warning sign, but it didn’t scare me off. I was prepared to deal with his issues because I was pretty sure he was worth it.

  To quote Barney Stinson—Challenge Accepted.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  AFTER TALKING AGAIN, SCOTT AND I decided the best way to deal with Gabrielle’s issues was to deal with them head on. We arranged a family dinner at Scott’s place, just the three of us.

  Stepping back into the place I’d called home for twenty years was surreal. The art on the wall had changed and the furniture was different, but the atmosphere was the same—warm and friendly.

  “What do you think?” Scott asked as I surveyed my former home.

  “It’s very nice, of course.” I finally took the chance to check out my former husband. He wasn’t very tall, but he packed a lot into his small frame. He went to the gym often and as a result, he had a massive chest and large biceps. His hair was fully gray, but he was still sexy as fuck.

  Scott stepped into the kitchen and I followed. I inhaled the scent of his spaghetti and my stomach growled. He was an excellent cook. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed his meals.

  He stirred the sauce and offered me a bite. I took the spoon and licked it clean. “Tastes perfect.”

  “Thanks, Shawn.” He grinned at the compliment.

  “Hello?” Gabrielle called out from the entryway.

  “You ready?” Scott asked.

  I sucked in a breath before answering. “Not at all, but let’s go.”

  As soon as we left the kitchen, Gabrielle ran to us and hugged us at the same time. “I’m so happy to have both my daddies together again.”

  Scott and I exchanged glances and rolled our eyes.

  “Why don’t you two go have a seat while I get the spaghetti?” Scott suggested.

  I took Gabrielle’s hand as we went into the dining room and sat.

  “Thanks for coming, Princess. Your dad and I thought we should sit down and talk to you together.”

  “I was surprised when Dad called and said you were coming over for dinner.“

  Scott brought in the food and we dished up our plates. None of us spoke right away, instead focusing on the amazing meal. I exchanged nervous glances with Scott several times until I decided we were just avoiding the inevitable. Clearing my throat, I pushed my plate away.

  “Gabrielle,” I said, turning to her, “your dad and I want to talk about something.”

  She wiped sauce from her face and set her napkin on the table. “You guys are getting back together, right?”

  Scott appeared as s
hocked as I felt. I hated the idea of hurting our kid, but she had to accept a reconciliation wasn’t going to happen.

  “Princess, look,” I said, “I’m sorry, but your dad and I are not getting back together.”

  “Ever,” he added for emphasis.

  She scrunched her forehead and looked as if she was going to cry. Her eyes welled up and a tear streamed down her cheek. She gripped her fork so hard her knuckles turned white.

  Scott scooted closer and put an arm around her. “Listen, Gabrielle. I will always care about your pops, but our relationship is over.”

  “Couldn’t you try again?” she asked as a few tears streamed down her cheek.

  Scott hugged her tighter. “We did try. Those last couple years were us trying, struggling, to make it work.”

  “But neither one of you seemed unhappy.”

  “Acting,” I said. “We were both pretending—for you and for us. You know that saying, fake it ’til you make it? That was me. I thought pretending things were all right would mean everything would be all right eventually. Ultimately, it just didn’t work.”

  “I know it probably seemed to you like it was all of sudden.” Scott shifted so he could look Gabrielle in the eye. “But it wasn’t. It was a long time coming.”

  I left my chair, stood behind Gabrielle, and rubbed her shoulders. “Just because Scott and I aren’t in love doesn’t mean we aren’t friends.”

  She leaned her head back on my chest. “Really? You guys can be friends?”

  Scott and I made eye contact, and we took each other’s hands. “Absolutely.”

  I experienced a swirl of emotions. I’d known Scott and I were over but putting that final nail in was still difficult. It helped that Scott and I could still be friends. Most of all there was also relief that Gabrielle was finally accepting there would be no reunion.

  CHAPTER NINE

  A FEW WEEKS LATER, AFTER a quiet romantic weekend together, I followed Jody into his place for no other reason than to give him a proper goodbye and spend a few more minutes together. I took him in my arms as soon as he set Obie down.

  “Thanks for the amazing weekend. I had a great time.”