The Distance

by Alexa Land

  I tilted my head and asked, “You have?”

  He nodded. “It seems incredibly athletic. I always wondered if I could do it.”

  Skye was already heading for the stairs, coffee in hand. “No time like the present! I haven’t done it in ages. I wonder if I remember how.”

  “I teach classes in pole dancing,” Dare told Kai as we followed his husband, “so I get asked this all the time. Don’t be embarrassed. It’s fun, and a lot of people do it as a way to change up their exercise routine.”

  When we got to the ballroom, Skye gestured at the tent and exclaimed, “Oh shit, we are totally interrupting your date! This is adorable!”

  “It’s fine,” I said. “I’m looking forward to this. Who knew Kai had this secret desire?” He chuckled and colored slightly as I flashed him a smile.

  There were four poles, conveniently, and they were on round, heavy bases. We tilted them at an angle and rolled them out to an open part of the room while the dog climbed inside the tent and made himself a nest amid the pillows. As Dare tossed his jacket aside and did some stretches, Skye came up to us and said, “Wait ‘til you see this.” His blue eyes were sparkling. “I started to fall in love with Dare when I first saw him perform.”

  “No you didn’t,” Dare said, bending over at the waist and pressing his palms to the floor. “You totally hated me when we first started working together.”

  “You hated me too,” Skye said. “I got over it quicker.”

  “I hated everybody, not just you,” Dare said with a smile as he stretched out his arms. “Okay, let me see if I’ve still got this.”

  “He does,” his husband said. Dare ran at the pole and grabbed it high up, then lifted his body gracefully into the air. As he spun around, Skye murmured, “Damn. Why don’t we have one of these in our apartment? That’s so hot.”

  Dare did a few stunningly graceful moves that seemed to defy the rules of gravity and human capability, and when he jumped down, he picked up Skye’s hand, slapped his palm, and said, “Tag, your turn. You didn’t warm up though, so take it slow.”

  “I’ll be fine. I’d been dismantling metal for the past hour, I think that counts as warming up my muscles.” Skye walked up to the pole and pulled himself up effortlessly. He wrapped a leg around the pole and extended his arms over his head, then did a couple athletic spins before jumping down and exclaiming, “Damn, I’m out of shape. I can’t believe I used to do that for hours at a time.” He pushed his blue hair out of his eyes and tried again.

  Kai took off his cowboy boots, and while Dare showed him a couple basics, I took a run at one of the poles and tried to swing myself around it. “Oh hell no,” I said as I landed on my feet. “These pants are way too tight. I’ll be right back.” Kai shot me a smile as I hurried from the room.

  When I returned a few minutes later, I was barefoot and dressed in red athletic shorts and a pink t-shirt with a cartoon of a guy dressed like a unicorn straddling a rainbow. The caption read: ‘I am that gay.’ Kai burst out laughing and almost fell off the pole. “Nice shirt. I’ve never seen a cartoon of someone having sex with a rainbow before,” he said.

  “He’s not having sex with it, he’s just straddling it,” I said as I did a few stretches.

  “Oh no, he’s having sex with it,” Skye chimed in cheerfully. “If you want, I can go get a marker and draw in a couple motion lines for you. Then you’ll see the humpage.”

  I laughed at ‘humpage’ and said, “You just have dirty minds. The shirt’s perfectly innocent.”

  “Except for the rainbow humping,” Dare said. He was hanging upside down from one of the poles and flashed me a big smile.

  “Perverts, the whole lot of you,” I said as I went over to the unused pole and pulled myself up.

  “Hey, you’re the one wearing a shirt with a guy fornicating with a rainbow,” Dare told me as he swung around the pole, then held on with just one leg.

  For the next hour or so, the four of us laughed and joked and kind of learned some pole dancing. Kai made a real effort, even though he almost immediately pronounced it much harder than it looked. I gave up after about twenty minutes, got comfortable on the floor, and cheered him on. “Come back,” he said. “If I can do this, you can.”

  “Oh no. I have the upper body strength of a baby bunny. I’m just going to leave the feats of strength to y’all,” I said as I adjusted my pillow and tucked my hands under my head. Benny the dog swung his head around and rested it on my thigh.

  “Come on,” Dare cajoled. “If Nana and her girlfriends can pole dance, so can you.”

  “They really only do it so they can ogle your muscles,” I told him.

  “I know. But they end up learning stuff, too.”

  “I’m fine right here. The view is awesome.” Kai looked at me over his shoulder and grinned when he saw me checking out his ass. I added, “I’m surprised you can get your pole dance on in those jeans, Captain Tight Pants.”

  “Oh my God, you just made a Firefly reference,” he exclaimed with a huge smile.

  I beamed at him and said, “And you just got a Firefly reference! I think I love you!”

  He chuckled at that and said, “Be sure to tell me when you know for sure.”

  “Awww, they’re having a nerd moment,” Skye joked. He jumped off the pole and shook out his arms. “I think we should let you two get back to your date and the upcoming Joss Whedon love fest that’s probably about to ensue.”

  We thanked our friends for the pole dancing lesson, and they invited us to dinner at their apartment the following week. After Skye, Dare and their dog left, Kai said, “Let me see if I can impress you with my totally graceless flailing about before my arms snap off at the shoulder.” He pulled himself up, did several spins, then turned upside down and flipped himself over, landing on his feet. “That’s all I got,” he said with a shy smile, and I whistled and applauded. “I’m going to go die in the blanket fort now. I figured that’d be strenuous, but holy shit.”

  We went back to the tent and curled up together on the pillows. Kai said, “I hurt all over. I thought I was in shape, but I discovered some brand new muscles this evening, ones that apparently have never, ever been used before.”

  I told him, “I’m both surprised and impressed that you wanted to try that.”

  “Life is short. I know that all too well. Whenever the universe presents you with the opportunity to try something new, you have to go for it. Who knows when you’ll ever have the chance again? I felt like an idiot asking your friends to show me how to pole dance, and I really didn’t intend for that to happen tonight, but Skye and Dare are really good guys. I liked them a lot when I met them last week, and I figured they wouldn’t laugh in my face when I asked them to show me some stuff.”

  “You’re right, they’re terrific. They obviously like you, too.”

  I leaned in for a kiss, and he told me, “I’m all gross and sweat-drenched.”

  “It’s sexy.” I kissed him gently, and he reached up and brushed my hair back as I told him, “You know, if you keep being social like this, you’re going to have to revise your previous statement about only having one friend.”

  “I already had to revise it. My friend count doubled when you and I spent time together last weekend.”

  I smiled at that. “And now it’s doubled again with the addition of Skye and Dare. It’s multiplying exponentially! Pretty impressive for the guy who never says a word to anyone in our racing club.”

  “I’m an outsider there, and I always will be. The guys we race with made up their minds about me a long time ago, and I really have no interest in trying to invest my time or energy into convincing them they’re wrong,” he said. “They’re not what’s important anyway. You are. You bring me out of my shell. I wouldn’t risk total humiliation by learning to pole dance for anyone else.”

  “I’m glad you decided to push yourself out of your comfort zone.”

  “I have to. The last thing I want is for you to get bored with me,
so I need to show you I’m willing to make an effort.”

  “You don’t really think I would, do you?”

  He shrugged and changed the subject by getting to his feet and saying, “Wasn’t there talk of dessert at some point?”

  I got up too and followed him to the table by the window. “I made cannoli. Not the most imaginative dessert, given my Italian theme, but I’ve seen Nana make it so many times that I was pretty sure I’d get it right.”

  “Sounds good.”

  I fished a plastic bag out of a bowl of ice water and removed the pastry bag inside it, then retrieved a couple cylindrical shells from a storage container. As I got ready to fill the cannoli, I said, “I hope you don’t actually think I could get bored with you. There’s just no way.”

  He didn’t look at me as he said, “I know how I am. I’m just this quiet guy, living a simple life. But you, you’re like a garden in full bloom, beautiful and colorful and so full of life and energy. If I’m going to have a shot in hell at holding your attention, I need to be more. Otherwise, you’re going to get tired of me so damn fast.”

  “That’s an amazing compliment, but you have nothing to worry about. Seriously.” I stretched up and kissed him, and said gently, “You have my full attention.”

  “Glad to hear it.” He kissed me again, then asked, “What can I do to help with dessert?”

  “Why don’t you fill the cannoli while I get the plates ready?”

  I handed him the pastry bag and one of the shells, and he said, “Is there a trick to this?”

  “Just keep the end of the bag twisted so the filling doesn’t fall out. Then just insert the tip into the cookie shell and squeeze gently. Do one end, then the other.”

  I found the dessert plates and piled a few fresh raspberries on them while Kai tried to follow my instructions, but after a moment he said, “I think it’s jammed up or something. Nothing’s coming out.”

  He held the bag tip-side up and squeezed it a bit, and I leaned over to take a look. Just then, whatever had been blocking it was forced through, and I was sprayed with ricotta filling. “Shit, I’m really sorry,” he exclaimed. He looked horrified, but then I burst out laughing and he did, too. “I swear that wasn’t on purpose.”

  “I know. Don’t worry about it, I can just go wash up.” I pinched a strand of hair and slid it between my fingers to remove a clump of filling.

  Kai startled me by leaning in and giving my cheek a big lick, and I started laughing all over again. “You taste great,” he said. “Even sweeter than usual.”

  He licked me again and I batted at him and exclaimed, “Oh my God, it’s like dating a puppy!”

  “You taste so good, though!” Kai pulled me into his arms and licked my lower lip, and my tongue darted out to meet his.

  Things accelerated quickly from there, and soon we were making out wildly. He lifted me off my feet and I wrapped myself around him, my cock pressed to his as lust shot through me. I said between kisses, “I need to be inside you, Kai. I know we haven’t talked about this, but I really want to fuck you. Would you be willing?”

  “God yes.” He pulled my collar aside and kissed my shoulder, then rubbed his cheek to mine as he said, “I was going to bring that up tonight. I even prepped myself ahead of time.”

  I shuddered with pleasure, and when he put me down we rushed hand-in-hand to my bedroom on the second floor. After we stripped each other, I spent a long time fingering him and kissing him. I got the impression he hadn’t bottomed very often, but he was so trusting, and it was such a turn on to watch him relaxing under my caresses and moaning as I massaged his prostate. He kissed me deeply as I pushed two fingers deep inside him, and his voice was rough when he whispered against my lips, “Fuck me, Jessie.” The words made my cock swell.

  I got myself ready with lube and a condom and worked even more lube into him before I wiped my hands and knelt between his legs. He was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. His strong body glistened with sweat as he spread his long legs as he offered himself to me.

  When I lined up the tip of my cock with his opening, he looked nervous, but he followed my instructions and pushed back as I pushed in. For a moment, I met with resistance, but then he opened just enough to let me in. I took my time, sinking into him in slow motion, giving his body time to adjust. His ass felt so damn good, warm and tight around my cock, and I took a deep breath and kept reminding myself not to rush it. It didn’t matter that I was shaking with need and desperate to thrust into him. It was pretty clear that he was inexperienced, based on his reactions, and no way on earth was I going to make it a bad experience for him.

  I slid in and out of him slowly as he tried to adjust. There was still worry in his eyes, and I held his gaze and whispered, “You doing okay, Kai?” He nodded and I asked, “Do you want to keep going?”

  “God yes! Please don’t stop.”

  It took several minutes of fucking him slowly before I saw a change come over him. Pleasure edged out pain as I slid my cock over his prostate again and again, and he opened up as he relaxed underneath me. When he grabbed my ass with both hands and pulled me into him, I knew he was ready to ramp it up. I pushed myself into him harder, deeper. Soon we were both moaning. I fell forward and kissed him, sliding my tongue into his mouth as I pumped in and out of his tight hole, and he grasped my body, holding me to him as he returned the kiss.

  When I was about to cum, I raised myself up on my elbows so I could look at him. He was moaning through parted lips, his half-lidded eyes so dilated they were black. As my orgasm shook me, he held my gaze, right there in the moment with me. It was so intense, so perfect. He was perfect. I pushed into him again and again until my body had nothing left to give.

  It wasn’t over yet, though. I slid from him carefully and threw the condom in the trash, and then I stroked his hard cock as I said, “Fuck me, Kai.”

  We both tumbled off the bed as we scrambled to switch positions. Lube and a condom happened quickly. I knelt on the bed and he stood behind me, grasping my hip with one hand as he fingered me open. When I was ready, he slid into me until his body was pressed to my ass, and murmured, “Oh fuck.” He pulled almost all the way out of me before sinking in again.

  Kai sped up quickly, slamming into me as I knelt on the mattress, bent over, ass in the air for him. I cried out as he took me and pleasure and sensation radiated through every part of my body. He lifted me to his chest and held me tightly, and I braced my feet on the mattress, trying to drive myself onto his cock as he pounded into me again and again.

  By the time he came a few minutes later, I was in some other place, far from rational thought, a place with just sex and pleasure and Kai. I was hard again but too far gone to do anything about it. Little gasps and moans slid from me, and he grunted as he came, shoving his cock into me, clutching my body. When he reached around and started jerking me off, I was sure I had nothing left to give.

  I was wrong. I arched my back as my body emptied itself of every last drop of cum and his thick cock stretched and impaled me. I parted my lips in a silent yell, almost convulsing. By the time the orgasm ebbed, I was barely lucid. I let my head fall back onto Kai’s shoulder as I concentrated on nothing more than filling my lungs with air and listened to my heart pounding in my ears.

  I was only vaguely aware of what was happening. Kai slid his cock from me, and I whimpered a little because I suddenly felt so empty. He picked me up, carried me to the bathroom and turned on the taps. I dozed off on his lap while the tub was filling, but revived slightly as Kai lowered us into a bath. His big, solid body felt so good beneath me. He washed me gently, tipping me back to wet my hair, shampooing it, and tipping me back again to rinse. I grinned at him groggily and mumbled, “You’re so nice.” He grinned too and ran his soapy hands over my bare skin. My eyes slid shut as I let him take care of me.

  I was barely awake when he lifted me from the tub and dried me off. A brush slid through my wet hair, and Kai gently kissed my forehead. The last thing I rememb
ered was getting wrapped up in soft, warm blankets, and in Kai.

  *****

  My room was dark when I awoke with a start sometime later. When I raised my head and looked around, trying to get my bearings, Kai stirred beneath me, opening his eyes just a little and murmuring, “Hey.”

  “I passed out on you. Literally on you,” I said, rubbing his bare chest.

  “Well, you did have two massive orgasms, barely twenty minutes apart,” he said. “I think passing out was mandatory after something like that.”

  “Apparently.” I looked up at him in the darkness. The curtains weren’t closed, so I could see his handsome features just a little, illuminated by the constant glow of the city outside my windows. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m so damn good,” he said with a goofy grin. “I’d wanted to try that forever. I’m glad you were willing.”

  “Wait, are you saying that was your first time bottoming?” When he nodded, I sat up a bit and said. “I had no idea. I just thought it was something you didn’t do very often. Maybe we should have waited.”

  “I didn’t want to wait. I’d been looking forward to trying that with you. Like I said, I even prepped myself ahead of time.”

  “But doesn’t that kind of go against our taking it slow policy?”

  “Nah. Given the way you and I started out, the whole taking it slow thing clearly doesn’t apply to sex. It just has to do with barreling into a relationship.”

  Yeah, that was definitely the hard part. “Why had you never done that before?”

  “Well, you know. I already told you I didn’t date, and that most of my sexual experience was with guys I met in bars. The idea of getting penetrated was kind of intimidating, and it’s also something that would have sucked with a hurried, indifferent partner, so I didn’t want my first time bottoming to be with an anonymous stranger.”

  “Thank you for trusting me enough to do that.”

  “I knew you’d see I was nervous and you’d be careful, even without me explaining all of this to you beforehand.” He kissed my forehead as I settled back on his chest and said, “I’m glad you’re versatile. Apparently I am, too.”