Karma

by Sandrine Gasq-Dion

  “Good then, it’s all set. Tonight at the Wisteria, seven sharp.”

  *~~~*

  Paul had decided to take the whole group out for an outdoor arcade outing. Mark was by far the worst player at miniature golf. He had already hit the ball out of the area twice and Paul had to go find it. Jay got his hand caught in the clown mouth while trying to get his ball out and it took three of them to stop the windmill from smacking Josh in the head. Greg and Tanner were the best players. The each made a hole-in-one every time. It got to the point that Tyler would distract them while Damon stole the ball.

  “I hope you get stuck in the alligator’s mouth, Damon!” Greg laughed as Damon ran off with his golf ball.

  They finally got to the go-karts and the competition was in full swing. They rounded the track laughing their asses off, Damon riding Tyler’s ass the whole time, trying to push him off the racetrack. Tanner came up behind him and hit him, then wheeled around and passed him.

  “Oh, hell no! It’s on!” Damon swung around and tried to pass Tyler only to end up in the wall, as Tyler smiled and flew past him.

  Mark side-swiped Paul and took off, laughing like a maniac. Paul took the outside and passed Jay, making a beeline for Mark. Mark swerved out of the way at the last second, sending Paul into a hay bale.

  “Oh, baby, I’m sorry!” Mark laughed and kept driving.

  “It’s no problem, sweetheart!” Paul called out, backing up.

  “I think someone’s coming after you, Mark!” Tanner yelled as he drove by, just before Josh ran right into his ass.

  “Hey, baby.” Josh smiled.

  “Oh, I see how it is! No one’s safe!’ Tanner hit the accelerator and took the turn wide, cutting Josh off.

  After multiple times around and a half hour later, they finally left the track, all of them laughing.

  “Oh, they have laser tag!” Tyler ran for the building.

  “Well, here we go.” Damon winked.

  They split up into teams. Jay, Greg, Josh and Tanner were on one team, which put Damon, Tyler, Mark and Paul on the other. They all took off into the dark room, their vests on and armed with the laser guns. Damon was giving Tyler hand signals and Mark was watching them in fascination.

  “Mark, pay attention,” Paul whispered. He crept in front of him and peeked around the corner; he saw Jay for a split second. “Shit.”

  Paul dragged Mark with him behind a barricade and looked through the tiny peep hole.

  “I see Tanner.” Paul aimed and Tanner’s vest went off.

  “Shit!” Tanner went and sat in the chairs.

  “You lasered my boyfriend!” Josh laughed from his hidden position.

  “I’m comin’ for ya, Josh!” Paul laughed and hunched down.

  “Come on.” Paul reached for Mark, only to realize he had taken off. “Shit.”

  Mark came up behind Jay and his vest went off. “HA!”

  Mark’s vest went off two seconds later and he heard Josh laughing.

  “Shit!” Mark and Jay sat down with Tanner.

  After another twenty minutes, it was down to Josh and Paul. The boys sat in the chairs laughing as the two of them ran from corner to corner trying to sneak up on the other. Mark and Tanner watched their boyfriends hunt each other down.

  “Baby, sometime tonight, please!” Mark called out.

  “Josh! I’m ready to get naked with you!” Tanner laughed.

  Josh popped out of the corner. “What?” He saw Paul and they pulled the trigger at the same time, their vests going off simultaneously.

  “Finally!” Damon laughed. “It’s a tie!”

  Paul and Josh shook hands and laughed. They sat in the chairs and Josh hugged Tanner, picking him up off the floor and kissing him hard.

  “You say something about being naked?” Josh asked.

  “Yeah, I did.” Tanner smiled and took Josh’s hand.

  “My poor baby.” Paul kissed Mark.

  “I’ll survive. I need mouth-to-mouth, though.” Mark smiled and pulled Paul in.

  “Well, with all this lovey-dovey shit, I’m ready to go home.” Damon grabbed Tyler and laid one on him.

  “Wow.” Tyler took Damon’s hand.

  “All right, we’re off.” Greg waved at everyone, pulling Jay with him.

  “Night, guys!” Jay waved.

  Chapter Nine

  Quinn admired Jason over the table at Outback. He was talking about his physics class. The way he was talking about it made Quinn smile. Jason was smart and sexy, and Quinn was liking him more and more every second.

  “You look bored,” Jason observed suddenly.

  “No, not at all. I love listening to you talk about class. You’re very smart, Jason.”

  “Well you are, too — maybe even more so than me.”

  “Maybe.” Quinn winked.

  “Have I told you that your accent does terrible things to me?” Jason admitted.

  “Hmm, maybe I shouldn’t talk.” Quinn shoved a piece of shrimp in his mouth.

  Jason chuckled and attacked his steak. They talked more about school and family. Quinn’s family was still in Australia and he planned on going home for Christmas break. Jason told him that his family was taking a trip to the Bahamas but he didn’t think he was going to join them. He figured Tanner would go with Josh.

  The check came and Jason tried to grab it but Quinn got it first. “I asked you out.” Quinn paid and then drove Jason home.

  They got to the apartment and Quinn walked him to the door. “Did you want to come in?” Jason ate Quinn up with his eyes; he was wearing tight-fitting jeans and a button-up shirt, his golden skin visible with the top two buttons undone.

  “Yeah, sure, for a little bit.” Quinn walked into the apartment and the first thing his eyes hit was the packed floor-to-ceiling-bookshelf. Quinn strolled over and thumbed through some of the titles. “Do you know we have almost all the same books?”

  “Really?” Jason walked over. “Which ones don’t you have?”

  Suddenly, the books didn’t matter. What mattered was the way Jason was looking at him.

  Jason undid more of Quinn’s buttons and parted the fabric. He slid his hands up Quinn’s chest. He glanced up, and saw his own lust mirrored in Quinn’s eyes. “Bedroom?”

  Quinn grabbed the back of his neck and they walked backwards into the bedroom, clothes coming off with incredible speed.

  Quinn devoured his mouth. Jason tasted so good; Quinn couldn’t get enough of him. They landed on the bed and Quinn’s hands immediately sought out Jason’s hard cock. He looked in his eyes and saw the need there. He kissed him hard, his hand sliding up the rigid cock.

  “Jesus!” Jason gasped and sucked in a deep breath. He hadn’t been with anyone in a long time and Quinn’s fingers were making quick work of his cock.

  It was obvious to Quinn that Jason hadn’t been with anyone in quite some time. His hips were rocking quickly and his breathing was uneven. He was totally turned on and ready to come — fast. Quinn licked his way to Jason’s cock and was quickly rewarded with a stream of cum and loud moans.

  Quinn licked and kissed his way back up Jason’s torso, tasting him the whole way. He flicked the nipples and smiled when Jason gasped. His tongue found his lips and he let Jason taste himself.

  “I knew you would taste good.” Quinn lazily kissed him.

  “Wow — that was embarrassing.” Jason blushed, thanking God the room was dark.

  “Don’t be embarrassed. I haven’t been with anyone in a long time, either.” Quinn palmed his face.

  Jason pushed him to his back, and slid his hand into his boxers to grip a very large erection. “Well, let me return the favor.”

  “You Americans — so giving.” Quinn pulled Jason in for a kiss.

  Jason worked Quinn’s cock. He hadn’t been lying; he got worked up awfully quickly. There was an enormous amount of pre-cum on his hard cock and Jason worked him. He slid his hand down, and tightened his grip on the return trip. Quinn moaned as Jason’s mou
th found his cock and sucked off the pre-cum, running his tongue around the tip. He hadn’t even made it halfway down before he felt Quinn’s cock tighten. He covered the head with his mouth and took everything Quinn had to give.

  Jason swallowed and gave Quinn’s cock one last flick of his tongue before crawling back up and kissing him. Quinn’s hands went to his hair and he pulled Jason in further, deepening the kiss.

  “I’m not usually such a slut on my first date,” Quinn admitted.

  “I don’t normally attack men in the cooler at work.”

  “So, I was your first cold encounter?”

  “Yes, you were my first,” Jason said seriously.

  “I feel special.” Quinn laughed and held Jason tight.

  “You are special. You’re smart, sexy and fun.” Jason shut his mouth, he was babbling like an idiot.

  Quinn rolled Jason over on his back. “I feel the same way.”

  “Really?” Jason whispered, his eyes were adjusting to the dark and he could see Quinn’s face, he was smiling.

  “Yes, really. I am smart, sexy and fun.” He laughed at the look on Jason’s face. “Seriously, I feel the same about you. And I would like to kiss you again.”

  “Do all Australians kiss as well as you?”

  Quinn kissed him softly and ran his tongue across his lips.

  “Only the good ones, mate.”

  *~~~*

  Tanner would never forget his first time with Josh. After they had gotten home from the arcade and golf, Tanner went to their room and found it strung with lights. Josh undressed him slowly and then laid him on the bed. He took great care of Tanner and had even purchased numbing lube to avoid causing him undue pain. His kisses ranged from soft to passionate to wild, and Josh took his time tasting every part of Tanner before actually entering him.

  The initial penetration, even with the lube, was a little painful. The burn came when Josh pushed in further, prompting Tanner to sink his nails into his arms. Josh stopped more than once to make sure Tanner was okay.

  Now, as they moved together, the pleasure set in and Tanner was at a loss of words to describe how it felt to have Josh inside him. It was as if they truly belonged together. They moved as one, lips meeting, tongues sliding.

  If there was truly such a thing as making love to someone, Josh was doing it. He kept his movements slow, and stroked Tanner’s cock at the same pace, all while kissing him ever so slowly. Tanner had never felt anything like it. He felt so close to Josh right now. He slowly ripped the sheets loose as the buildup began churning in Tanner’s gut and nuts. He moaned loudly and then his whole body convulsed. His orgasm ripped through him and he cried out. Josh took the cries into his mouth, silencing him.

  Josh came with his own loud moan. He hammered Tanner into the bed and kept their mouths fused together. His whole body shuddered and his arms shook; he collapsed and kissed Tanner harder. They stayed there for what seemed like hours, with Josh breathing hard and Tanner running his hands through his hair.

  “You know, I had the biggest crush on you when I was a kid. That’s how I figured out I was gay. I told my mom I always thought about you and she just smiled,” Tanner laughed quietly.

  Josh glanced up. “Really?”

  “Why do you think I always followed you and Jason around? It was kinda sad that I had a crush on my brother’s boyfriend.”

  “I thought you were just annoying,” Josh chuckled softly.

  “Well, there was that, too.” Tanner smiled. “I just wanted to be close to you. And now I am. I was so happy when you and Jason stayed friends after you broke up.”

  “I’ll always be friends with Jason. We have a bond.” Josh searched Tanner’s features. “But it’s different than the bond I have with you, okay?”

  “I know.”

  “Did I hurt you?” Josh searched his eyes. This was his Tanner; he would always be his.

  “No. I’m a little sore, but in a good way. I want you to come with us to the Bahamas. I already asked my parents.”

  “Really, you want me to come?”

  “I always want you with me, Josh.”

  “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

  *~~~*

  Dinner had been interesting. Morgan found out all about his daughter’s ex-boyfriend, and how she and Logan ended up on their own. He told her about LA life and how he and Maggie had gotten together before he wanted to admit he was gay. He told her about his first meeting with Robert, how he had worked at the Coffee Stop, how Robert had relentlessly pursued him and Morgan had finally given in. Robert laughed at that.

  “Oh yeah, Morgan — I stalked your ass until you grew tired and couldn’t run anymore.” Robert kissed him softly.

  “Cool! I have a stepfather, too.” Julia grinned at Robert.

  “I’ll be a good one, I promise. No trying to murder you.” Robert laughed.

  “I saw that movie.” Steve shuddered.

  “Well, it wasn’t one of mine,” Morgan chuckled.

  They talked about Julia’s job. Morgan was impressed how she had opened the day care business on her own. She had made a life for herself and her son with no help from anyone. Logan smiled at Morgan; he looked a lot like Michael and Morgan felt his heart ache.

  “Honey, you know I can help. I have tons of money.” Morgan took her hand.

  “I’ve made it this far on my own, Dad.” Julia tested the word on her lips and smiled when Morgan’s face lit up.

  “At least let me buy you and my grandson a house. Something. Please? We can call it a Christmas gift.” Morgan watched Logan play with his peas.

  Julia realized he wanted to make up for lost time and it wasn’t even his fault — he’d had no idea she existed.

  “Can I choose it? I don’t want some huge mansion.”

  Morgan sighed. “Oh, all right.”

  They said their goodnights, with Julia promising to see them tomorrow at the hospital. She kissed Morgan on the cheek and hugged Robert before Steve drove her back to her apartment. Logan had fallen asleep in the backseat. She took him inside and put him in his bed. She turned to find Steve in the doorway smiling.

  “He’s really adorable, Julia.”

  Julia took his hand and led him to the living room. She went to get him a drink and joined him on the couch.

  “Well, he’s my life, you know? It’s been just me and Logan for so long.”

  “I hope I can be a part of that now.”

  “I have no idea how long you’ll be here, Steve.”

  “Right now, it’s indefinite.”

  “I like that word.” Julia leaned in for a kiss.

  “Me, too.”

  “I think you are the most caring man I’ve ever met, Steve. Any woman would be lucky to have you.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “Look, I have a kid, and you’re in school. It’s not fair to you, Steve.”

  “Let me decide what’s fair, okay? I want to see where this goes. I think it’s going somewhere, don’t you?”

  “I would like that.”

  “Then stop talking like that. I want to be with you, and I care about Logan. He’s an amazing kid.”

  “You have that look on your face.” Steve smiled and palmed her cheek.

  “I’m happy. This is what it looks like!”

  “Well then, I’ll remember that and make sure it’s always there.”

  *~~~*

  Charlie had fallen asleep in the chair next to Michael’s bed, her feet beneath her. He watched her as she smiled in her sleep, probably dreaming about him he assumed. He laughed quietly and ran his fingers through her long, auburn hair. He knew how she was when she slept. There had been countless nights spent watching scary movies and Michael always found her nestled into him during the night, her arms wrapped around his neck.

  He gently touched her arm.

  “Come here,” he whispered.

  Charlie, still half asleep, obliged. Michael moved over and she crawled in to next to him. She settled into the crook of
his arm and folded her arms into her chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. Her hair smelled like a cross between jasmine and honeysuckle. It was so soft. He closed his eyes and drifted off.

  Soft kisses awakened her. She thought at first she was dreaming, until she opened her eyes and saw Michael’s face. He was smiling at her, and it wasn’t his normal smile.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Making out with you.”

  “Only you would be making out after major surgery.” Charlie rolled her eyes.

  “Well, my doctor’s a hottie.”

  “Michael, come on.” Charlie tried to move but he held her tight.

  “I’ll let you go when you kiss me back.”

  “You are so childish.”

  “What are you afraid of?”

  Charlie sat up in the bed, looked at him and sighed. “Nothing.”

  She leaned over and kissed him. Michael placed a hand at her nape and pulled her in. He parted her lips with his tongue and crept inside, slowly exploring her mouth. Charlie pulled away quickly.

  “I have to go.” She grabbed her shoes and ran for the door.

  “Wait, was I bad at it?” Michael cocked a brow as she hurriedly left. “What the hell am I saying? Of course I’m not bad at it.”

  Charlie made it around the corner and leaned against the wall, her hand over her mouth. She couldn’t believe she had let herself kiss him like that, much less be in bed with him. Everything was about her career and yet here she was in Fort Worth instead of Boston, because Michael was here.

  “Crap.”

  Her father was walking down the hall and she grabbed him and pulled him into his office.

  “What is it, Charlie?”

  “Was it worth it, Dad? Everything you gave up to be with Dad? Was it worth it?”

  “I didn’t give anything up, honey. In fact I got so much more by letting your dad in. Now we have wonderful children and grandchildren. Is this about Michael?”

  “I don’t want to lose who I am. I don’t want to be so crazy about someone, I forget what I want and what I want in life.”