Flame

by J. P. Scott

  I was in my bedroom. I pulled down the comforter and sheets to find that I was still wearing clothes from last night. How drunk had I been at the restaurant? Cody had poured plenty of drink and shots, but not really anything I had not done in a gay bar and been totally coherent.

  I sat up and looked around me. The entire queen-sized bed was rumpled. How much had I moved around last night after I had passed out?

  And how had I gotten home? I had no memory of walking back from the restaurant. It would have been dark. I would have been stumbling around on the gravel road. How did I manage to get the office unlocked and find my way back here to the bed? That seemed like a lot based on how I felt right now and my lack of memory of any of it.

  The clock on the nightstand said it was a quarter after eleven. In the unlikely event that anyone tried to come to the office to check in or out or ask questions, they would have found it closed. Did I close and lock the door behind me? I swung my legs to the floor and started to get up but then collapsed back down on the couch as my head pounded and the room spun.

  The bedroom door opened and Cody walked in. He was carrying a glass of water and a mug. “Good. You’re awake. It’s getting late. I brough you water and some coffee. I’m not sure how you take your coffee—only your vodka.”

  What the hell was Cody doing here?

  He set the drinks on the night stand and stood to look down on me as I lay on the bed.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Like shit.”

  “Well, that’s partly my fault as your bartender.” He grabbed the glass of water, “Sit up. You need to drink some of this.”

  “I don’t think I can.”

  “Let’s try. You need to push through this. Your body needs some water to help correct itself.”

  I still did not know why Cody was here. Had he decided to stop by this morning to check on me? What did he care? So, what if he served me strong drinks. That was his job. Following up with his bar clientele the next day was not.

  “Wait, why are you here?”

  “Well, I’m trying to get your sober.” Cody waved me to sit up and held the glass to my mouth. I took a sip, grateful for the cool water hitting my ragged tongue and throat.

  It still did not make any sense. “No, why are you here?”

  After I took a few more drinks of water, Cody set the glass back on the night stand. “I helped you get home last night.”

  “You what?”

  “The restaurant closed down and you headed home. After I walked out, closing the place down, I saw you next to a tree. There was no way you were getting home by yourself. I got you to your feet, threw your arm over my shoulder, and got you back here.”

  Considering that I could have woken up leaning next to a tree, having spent the night in my own bed was certainly a better alternative. “Thank you.”

  “It wasn’t easy. You were so fucking drunk. And then trying to find your keys and getting you inside. It’s a little bit of a maze in here—especially in the dark.” Cody pointed to the glass of water as if to ask if I wanted any more. I shook my head.

  “Why are you here now?”

  Cody shrugged. “It was late. I was also a little bit drunk from the beers and shots. I crawled into bed next to you and passed out. I only woke up about twenty minutes ago. I went into George’s place and made some coffee.” That explained the mug.

  “You’ve been here all night?”

  “Listening to you snoring. So glad I was passed out. I’m not sure I could take hearing you all night sawing those logs.”

  I looked at the bed around me. Cody had been next to me all night. How had I not known this?

  “You were here? Right next to me?”

  “Don’t get excited. Nothing happened.”

  The fact that it was Monday and that the office should be open hit him. “Did you see anyone come to the office?”

  “I haven’t seen anyone, but I knew you needed to get up. It’s my day off, so I don’t have anywhere I have to be. But like we talked about last night, I should try to make the most of it.” He looked at me, “But I wanted to make sure you were okay.

  Here Cody was taking care of me. He did not have to do it. In fact, he had every reason not to do it. Even if he had helped me get home, why had he stayed the night? Why was he still here this morning?

  “I’m going to head out. Maybe I’ll take that hike. Maybe I’ll just crash at my place, who knows.”

  Who knows how long I would have slept without Cody here to look after me? If I had woken up on my own and he was not there to bring me coffee and water, would I have been able to make it to George’s kitchen to get those things myself? Probably not. Somehow, Cody had turned into the friend that I desperately needed right now. I had not been a friend to him and he was not holding that against me.

  “I thought you should be getting up and at least sitting in the office in case anyone needed you.”

  “Oh, my god. Thank you, Cody.”

  “Do you need help getting into the shower or anything before I go?”

  I shook my head. “No. I can do it. I might throw up, but I can do it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I nodded. I did not want to tell him that I was not sure. I may or may not be able to make it to the bathroom. If I did, I may or may not be able to stand up in the shower and pull myself together. I was pretty sure that I was going to heave into the toilet or trash can at some point. I had too much to drink. Maybe it was the altitude, or maybe it was Cody’s strong pour. Something had gotten to me and I was paying for it.

  “I don’t want to leave you if you need me.”

  “I’ll be all right. I’ll just pretend I’m in my twenties.”

  Cody stood and looked at me. He was clearly debating what his next step should be. Should he stay and help? Should he haul my ass out of bed and throw me in the shower to help sober me up? Should he make me breakfast to help fill my stomach? I had been in his shoes debating the best strategy to help friends, roommates, and even boyfriends over the years.

  Was I really that drunk? Was he worried that I might not be able to pull myself together? I felt awful, but I was not near death, was I?

  “Well, I’m going to go. Call me if you need me. I programmed my number in your phone. It’s charging.”

  That meant not only had Cody brought me to my room and helped me into bed, but he fished in my pockets for my phone. I was sorry I missed that. A cute guy putting his hands in places that only I did…that usually got my attention very fast.

  “It looks like Jonathan’s camper is back. He must have pulled in sometime late last night.”

  Jonathan was back. Where had he been? And why had he stayed away all weekend?

  “Good. He must be back to work.”

  “And so, should you.”

  Yes, that was true. I should be sitting at my desk working on paying bills and looking over spreadsheets about the next couple months project incomes and outflows. George had medical expenses. Jonathan was working to make repairs and most of them were not cheap. Would the projected renters and their income cover all of these expenses? Maybe Alex allowing me to rent his cabin to a second person was a smart move.

  “Enjoy your day off,” I said to Cody. He had been working hard and deserved some time for himself. It was a shame that he was here spending that time with me in my drunken state.

  “I will.”

  “And no more shots the next time I come in.”

  “That’s a deal.”

  Cody left the room and I continued to lay on the bed. At least Jonathan was there working. I did not have to worry about him anymore. Or did I? Just because his truck and camper were there did not mean that he was hard at work. He may have stumbled into the place much like I did. If he had been gone all weekend on a bender and just getting back, was he really up working hard on the list of to do items?

  There was only one way to find out, and that was getting myself right with the world. I forced myself up to a sitting
position. Blood pounded in my temples and I was instantly nauseous. It was going to be a hard road ahead, but I had to do it. I stood, staggered a few feet towards the bathroom door, stopping to prop myself up against the wall. I could make it…at least to the toilet.

  I vowed never to get this drunk again.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Jonathan stepped out of the camper shell on the back of his pick up and gave me a wave. I was waiting on the front porch of Alex’s cabin. I was finally feeling better after a long afternoon of drinking water and sneaking in a nap when I thought no one would stop into the office. I wanted to wait until Jonathan was done for the day before heading up to check in on him.

  “Did you take a look inside? I think I have everything done.”

  “Yeah, it looks great.” I wanted to rip his clothes off of him and pin him against the wall for a long kiss. The business talk was not what I wanted, but I knew it had to be done. He was my employee and I was his boss. I hoped he was still interested in more. “The guy who was renting the place may not be back for the rest of the summer and wants me to try to rent it out. I’m glad that it is done.”

  “So, does that mean there won’t be any toys in the night stand?”

  I nodded. “Yes, those have been cleaned out and put into storage.”

  “That’s too bad. We had just started to explore what was in that drawer.”

  “If it makes you feel better, the storage area is down in my office.”

  Jonathan growled at the thought. “Then why are we meeting up here?”

  “I was hoping to talk business.”

  By now, Jonathan had walked up to the porch to join me where I stood. He faced me, standing two feet in front of me. “Business is being taken care of. There is still the issue of taking care of that ass.”

  “Jesus. Is that all you can think about?” I asked him as if that was not all that I could think about. His cock and my ass finding all the right places. I may be hung over, but there was no fog in my mind when it came to the passion that I felt for him. Just seeing him step out of his camper in his t-shirt and shorts, butch and sexy as fuck. Did I care that he had actual work to do? I just wanted him in the bedroom.

  He winked at me, “I know it is all you can think about.”

  I wanted to have a serious conversation with him, but all I could think about was him naked, on top of me, having his way with me. It was all I could think about. Even with everything that needed to be done with the property and the decisions to be made with George, it was Jonathan that was top of mind. And it was sex with Jonathan that was even more at the forefront of what came to mind.

  “I-I-I was surprised you did not come back this weekend.”

  Jonathan took two steps back and leaned against one of the support posts for the porch and the roof overhead. He crossed his arms and his smile faded a bit. “That’s right. I stayed down in Payson for the weekend. It didn’t make sense to drive back and forth.”

  “Is everything okay?” It was none of my business what Jonathan was doing down in Payson for the weekend, but I was still dying to know.

  “Yeah, everything’s good.” He looked away from me and off into the trees. He was not staring at the nature, but thinking about something important. There was a reason he went to Payson and stayed away, a reason that kept him from spending the weekend with me in bed. Given the choices available to us, I could have been cuffed or tied up all weekend with an infinite combination of toys and props.

  “It’s none of my business. You can do what you want on your own time. I was just worried that there might be something wrong. That you might be mixed up with something or someone that would hurt you or prevent you from being here.”

  He laughed. “What did you think I was doing?”

  “I have no idea. My mind went a million places.”

  He looked at me. He eyes hard and cold, boring into me as if they were a lazar drilling a hole. “Do you think I would be doing something illegal? Up to no good as if I were some dumb kid?”

  “Well, adults are dumb, too. I had way too much to drink last night. Is it too hard to imagine you might also tie one on and spend the weekend god knows where?” The fact was, it was not too hard to imagine. Jonathan was not innocent by any stretch of the imagination. He had seen much in the world, including things that were not great influences on the mind or body.

  “So, you imagine that I can tie one on, huh? What is my vice? Booze? Drugs? Loose women?”

  “Well, may it please me loose men instead?”

  He turned and walked down the porch steps. He stood at the spot where Alex and I had landed when Alex tackled me in anger. Was this to be the pivotal spot where all important moments with the men in my life happened?

  “Hey, I don’t mean to butt in where I don’t belong. I know there was just one night together. If it was just a one-time thing, I can accept that. I’ve had sex with plenty of men and sent them home at the earliest chance.” Fuck, what was I doing? Was I really spilling my heart out to this man that I barely knew? Why? Because he had whacked my balls with a riding crop and made me want to bottom?

  “You’re not butting in.” He turned back around and his cheeks were red with rage. “Well, you are, but not because you don’t have a right to. Yes, you’re my boss, but you’re also the first man in a long time that I have liked. I gave up having casual sex a long time ago. A time when I made bad choices. Every relationship I had was built on destructive things. With you, it is different. I think there could be something. And, ah, fuck, you’re my boss and I really need the money to get back on my feet. I don’t want to screw it up.”

  When was the last time someone had told me what they were actually thinking and feeling? This was certainly a different man than the one who had directed me to strip and get cuffed to a bed. More precisely, it was a different side to that man.

  How often had I met a man, had great sex, and that was all I knew about him? Maybe I would learn about his career, or what move he had seen lately. But did that really show me what kind of person he was? Here Jonathan was, vulnerable and anxious. The confidence had shown in the bedroom was amazing and sexy, but it was more fantasy than real. Here he was, showing me that he was conflicted about our relationship, too. Maybe so much that he had to stay away on his days off instead of being here.

  And how much sexier did that make him?

  “You haven’t screwed anything up, Jonathan. I…I’m glad you’re back. I’m glad you’re working for me.” Did I dare take this further? “And I want you to kiss me despite me being your boss.”

  He looked up at me, eyes afire with passion and desire. I shivered and stepped back because of his gaze. He took one step and then another, slowly approaching and ascending the steps to the porch. I took equal steps back until I was pressed against the side of the cabin.

  “I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” Jonathan said as he approached. “You were all that I could think of this weekend.”

  “Then…why weren’t you here?”

  “I’m here now.” He stopped walking as he got just in front of me. He leaned in, kissing me gently on the lips. “If you’re not mad at me….”

  Mad? He thought I was mad at him? For being away for the weekend? He had told me he had things to do. How could I be mad that he actually did what he said he was going to do?

  I kissed him back and hooked an arm around his waist. “I missed you,” I said when we parted.

  “Oh, really? I made that much of an impression on you, huh?”

  “You cocky bastard.”

  Jonathan reached down and grabbed my shirt at the waist and clenched it into his fist. He stepped back and used the hold on the fabric to pull me with him. We got to the door of the cabin and he opened it, pulling me inside. Once inside, he stopped moving and pulled me in for a kiss. I melted. Never before had a lover been so commanding with me, nor had I ever wanted to be led around like I was right now.

  He pulled my shirt up over my head and threw it across the room
. He lifted his own, watching me watch him. Our gaze separated only when the fabric passed over his face. Once he was free of his shirt, his eyes were again locked with mine as if they had been connected the entire time.

  “Get naked.” It was a command, but it was also spoken in a hushed tone. A secret for only him and me to hear. I kicked off my shoes and began to unbutton my jeans. Jonathan stepped back, leaning on the arm of the couch.

  Was he going to get naked? He had kept his shorts on the last time. Since he had only been using the paddle and jerking me off, there had not been the need for him to be naked. But I had wanted to see him, all of him. I had been dreaming about it since that night.

  He cocked his head to the side, “Come to the couch. Lay down.”

  “We don’t have a riding crop.”

  “We can save toys for another day.”

  I walked around to the couch and stretched out across the cushions. I put one arm under my head for support, looking up at him in what I hoped was a seductive pose.

  “That’s perfect.”

  I smiled, “Now you. Let me see you.”

  Jonathan hesitated, but then grabbed the button to his fly and opened it. He moved the zipper down and let the shorts fall to the floor. He had not been wearing any underwear. He now stood totally naked in front of me.

  I licked my lips as my eyes moved down from his, over the tanned pecs with their swathe of gray hair, down his flat stomach, and to where his cock hung semi-hard. I had been wrong about two things: he had no tan lines, and he was a good rival to the length and girth of the dildo. The number of veins on the dildo were the only difference that I could see.

  I then noticed some dark lines on his upper leg. Three lines of equal length, about an inch each in width. They crossed his body at different angles as if caused at different times or motions instead of all at once. They were aged, slowly fading to near his natural color.

  He must have known where I was looking. He touched the area with a finger, “A story for another time.”