Being Graves

by Drew Sera

  “Matt, I made sure your room has the flannel sheets and the extra blankets. Just in case,” he teased.

  Matt and I laughed, and Anthony smirked before heading upstairs. I knew that with Anthony joking and making light of it before bed that he and Matt were ok. I heard Anthony’s door to his room close and then glanced at Matt.

  “You almost got your ass tossed outside in the cold,” I said quietly.

  “What? Seriously, Col. It’s fucking hot in here.”

  “It’s not that hot. We’ll put the fire out, and it’ll cool down. You knew he had a thing with being comfortable.”

  Matt and I went over to the fireplace, and I worked on putting the fire out.

  “I wonder if my room will feel like a crematory,” Matt joked.

  “Close the vent and shut the floors off. Then you’ll be cold and roughing it just like you want.”

  I stood up and put the fireplace tool back in its place, and a noise in the kitchen caused Matt and I to whip our heads around. Anthony had just closed the fridge and was facing us. He held up a bottle of water.

  “Forgot my water.”

  He headed towards the stairs again. I know he heard Matt’s crematory comment and I felt bad about it. I know Matt regretted it, but Anthony was already upstairs and closed the door by the time Matt said his name. Matt and I stood at the bottom of the stairs and I thumped him on the shoulder.

  “Fix it in the morning, Matt,” I said and headed upstairs to my room.

  Since it’s usually deathly silent at this cabin at night, any movement or noise inside, or out, can be heard easily. I woke up very early to the sound of something being shifted and moved around on the deck. I finally pulled on my sweatshirt and went downstairs.

  The kitchen light was on, and there was a soft glow of light out on the deck. I saw the top of Anthony’s beanie near that potted tree. I grabbed my coat from the back of the chair and opened the door to the deck. Anthony turned around to the sound of the door.

  “Hey,” he said. “Hope I didn’t wake you.”

  “Anth, the dead rolling over in their graves would wake anyone up here,” I said and took a seat under the heat lamp.

  Anthony had all of the old soil out of the pot and had a fresh bag next to him. He’d pour some in, mix it around with his hands and then put a little bit of another soil in. He really took care of this tree. I was so curious about it now.

  “I like the fact that it’s quiet up here. It’s an easy drive from Vegas to be able to just sit and be.”

  “It’s incredible up here. So peaceful. Cold though for a guy who hates the cold,” I said.

  He smiled, stood up and wiped off his hands on a towel and sat down on one of the other chairs. From his coat pocket, he pulled out a new San Francisco 49ers decal sticker and set it on his lap.

  “The peacefulness up here outweighs the cold.”

  “Hence the heated floors and crazy insulated garage with a heater?” I joked with him.

  He nodded but laughed.

  “Yes, all of that.” He paused, and I glanced over at him. When he noticed that I was looking at him, he started tracing the decal as it sat on his leg. “I didn’t have a lot while growing up.”

  That sentence coming from him told me so much. Much more than the eight words would insinuate. In the time I’ve known him, I’ve learned that he’s not one to share much about his life. I knew that warmth was something left out in his life. Plus, Blake had mentioned that he didn’t think Anthony came from a loving background.

  “I understand,” I told him.

  And I did. I could tell though that he struggled to believe that I knew what it was like to go without. And that, I didn’t. Despite losing my family at nine, Matt’s family that was just as well off as mine was, took me in. I always had a warm house in the winter or cool house in the summer. But, that doesn’t mean I’m not sympathetic to what others go through.

  “Our house was always cold, Colin. I went to bed cold and I’d wake up cold. I didn’t have a blanket, just the thin sheet. I hated it and vowed that I’d never be cold in my own home when I grew up.”

  I felt like I had been punched in the stomach at his declaration. I knew that I had to grab Matt in the morning and tell him so he wouldn’t jab about the warm cabin again.

  Anthony seemed like he was deep in thought for a moment and then picked up the decal and crouched down by the tree again. He began scraping off the old decal that has weathered the weather and needed replacing.

  “Can I ask you something?” I chanced.

  “Yep,” he said while cleaning the ceramic pot.

  “What’s the deal with this tree?”

  “It’s just a tree, Col.”

  “Bullshit.”

  He glanced at me and went back to focusing on putting the decal on the pot. He cleaned up his mess and gave me a pat on my shoulder as he walked by with his tree supplies.

  “Sorry I woke you up.”

  He walked around to the front of the cabin, down the steps and crunched through the snow to his garage. I hadn’t moved but knew that was his destination because I could hear everything. I looked at the little tree.

  “What’s your story, little tree?” I whispered and then went back inside to the warmth.

  Anthony was a natural on the slopes. He only fell a few times, but it looked like he had the hang of it pretty quickly. We spent the day on the slopes and decided to go to the lodge for dinner and some drinks.

  The three of us ordered big steaks for dinner and devoured them.

  “So, how’d you like skiing?” Matt asked Anthony.

  “I liked it. After we had been out there for a while, I was warm and didn’t notice the cold.”

  “Good to hear,” Matt said and looked over at me. I knew what he was thinking. He was noticing how much Anthony either mentioned cold weather or prevented being in it. “Anth, I apologize for my comments last night about the warm cabin.”

  Anthony shook his head and grabbed his glass of Coke.

  “No worries, Matt. It’s probably warmer than it needs to be.”

  “Anth, no shame in a warm cabin. Fuck, it’s an awesome place,” Matt said.

  Through the rest of dinner, Anthony was quiet, and I could tell that he was tense. He looks forward to coming up here so he can unwind and relax.

  After dinner, we walked around the lodge and ended up in the bar. We stood laughing and joking at the bar and I kept noticing some women a short distance away that kept looking over at us and were whispering to one another.

  I bumped Anthony in the arm and gestured over to the group of women checking us out. Well, I thought they were checking us out until Matt rained on my parade.

  “What are you smiling at, Col? Those women aren’t checking you out. They’re looking at Anth,” Matt said.

  “What? Not all of them are looking at him.”

  “Yep, I’m pretty sure they are,” Matt said as we glanced over that the women smiling and doing a flirty wave at Anthony.

  Anthony flashed a smile and winked, causing the women to crowd together and laugh. He just had that look about him. Anthony wasn’t what society or magazines would call “dashingly handsome,” but he just had that look that drove women nuts.

  “Anth, we could have all those women tonight,” I mentioned to him as the three of us looked over at the women.

  “If they’re not into kink, I don’t want a part of it.”

  I frowned at him and looked back over at the women. There were five women, most likely close to my age. Anthony could, and often did, have a different girl to scene with at Irons each night. I was typically his co-topping partner with these ventures.

  “You guys go. Enjoy your evening with the ladies. I’ll leave the door unlocked for you,” Anthony said.

  He was serious.

  “You don’t want to go have some fun with them?” Matt asked him again.

  “No. My thing is kink. I’m not getting into bed to fuck. I don’t cuddle. I don’t make out. I don’
t kiss and whisper sweet shit,” Anthony said and finished his Coke.

  “You’re going to miss out,” Matt teased.

  “I’m not. I’ll catch you guys later.”

  Matt and I stood at the bar and watched Anthony leave.

  “I can’t believe he didn’t want to unwind with the ladies,” Matt said.

  “He’s headstrong. If he doesn’t want to do something, he simply won’t.”

  Matt and I finished our beers and headed over to the ladies.

  Chapter Nineteen

  July 2003

  Colin and I went out to one of the trendy nightclubs on the Strip for a change. Typically, we go to Irons on Friday and Saturday nights. But Matt had to work tonight in the emergency room and Colin suggested a nightclub. Since we always go to Irons, I went along with Colin’s suggestion for something a little different.

  I got dressed up, and Colin and I headed to Mandalay Bay for a night in their club. When we arrived, the line stretched the length of the club. Women and a handful of men waited in line to see if they could get in. I headed toward the back of the line, but Colin headed toward the podium. When he realized that I wasn’t beside him, he stopped and looked back for me. He mouthed, “What are you doing,” and motioned for me to get up there with him. I approached the podium with him, and the man in a suit smiled and asked Colin something, but I couldn’t hear over the loud, thumping noise that I’d soon be surrounded by.

  “Last name, sir?”

  “Everett.”

  “Colin?” The man behind the podium asked as Colin nodded.

  “Gentlemen, please step to the side and one of our hostesses will show you to your seating area.”

  I raised my eyebrows at Colin when we moved away from the podium and the long line. A seating area sounded nice versus just a table.

  “Impressive, Mr. Everett,” I joked.

  Colin slapped his hand down on my shoulder and guided me to look at the line of women.

  “Now, don’t forget where you’re at, Mr. Graves. We’re not in Irons, and those women are not all here for you,” Colin teased.

  I couldn’t help but laugh at his jab.

  “Night is still young, Col.”

  Colin and I were laughing and joking about what we could do with the velvet rope and the brass pole when a hostess came over to take us to our seating area.

  Inside was louder than I imagined it would be. As Colin and I sat down on the lush, velvet couches that made up our private area, I glanced around at the atmosphere. It was loud, dimly lit with bursts of light…and women, everywhere.

  Our server immediately came over and took our order. Colin ordered something, but due to the volume, I couldn’t hear what he ordered. I shouted my order of a Coke to the woman and then turned my attention to the dance floor.

  Before our drinks arrived, a few women approached our table.

  “Are you fellas locals or visiting?” The blonde one asked us.

  “We live here,” Colin replied.

  “Great! So do we! I’m Kate, and this is my best friend, Chanel.”

  Seriously?

  “As in the perfume?” I asked. I must be hearing things funny since the music was so loud in here. Maybe she said Chantel, because who the fuck would name their kid after a bottle of perfume?

  “Yes, just like the perfume,” Chanel confirmed, and the two girls giggled and hugged one another sideways.

  Fuck me. The nightclub scene drives me up a wall.

  “So what do you guys do?” Kate asked us.

  I sipped my Coke, and let Colin play the social host. I wasn’t working, so my social mask was off.

  “We work in the casino industry. Tech-related field,” Colin said.

  Good. At least he wasn’t giving out solid info.

  “Like cords and wires, type of stuff?” Chanel asked in all seriousness.

  “Yes. That’s exactly it. Wires and cords,” I answered.

  “Are you guys interested in dancing? We came to dance,” Kate explained.

  “Not right now, but thank you for the invite,” Colin said, and the girls lost interest and moved on.

  “Thank fuck they left,” I sighed.

  “I’m sure by the end of the night they will find a few cocks to entertain them,” Colin said and leaned back against the couch cushion.

  “Or an STD,” I added and sipped my Coke.

  Colin laughed and shook his head. We were watching two hot women dancing together and made a few jokes about what else they might do together. While we were watching, three more women appeared at the table. Fuck, is there some invisible sign that just brings them over?

  Colin and I moved away from one another to make room for one of the girls to sit between us. The two other girls took up a spot on either side of Colin and me, and one wasted no time leaning into me. She strategically placed her cleavage around my bicep. Her fingertips toyed with my hairline on the back of my neck while the girl between Colin and I placed her hands on my thigh and Colin’s. The woman on the other side of Colin was petting his chest.

  The conversation was at least pleasant with them, and the touching became more obvious and apparent. I leaned back against the couch cushion and kept my arms on the top of the cushions and stretched out. The girl on the other side of Colin, Maggie, began kissing and making out with him. While they kissed, the woman between us, Liz, was rubbing her hand over Colin’s crotch. Connie, the girl on my side, began rubbing my chest and squeezing me here and there.

  I won’t lie. I was enjoying it, but I had to remember that these girls weren’t kinky. At least not Irons kinky to my knowledge.

  “Care to dance?” Maggie pulled her mouth off of Colin’s long enough to ask him.

  He smiled at me before leading Maggie to the dance floor. Liz and Connie’s touching grew bolder with me once Maggie and Colin left. Liz’s hand quickly found my crotch, and she found the outline of my balls in my pants and gave me a grab.

  “Mmm. Your friend has a nice package, and it would appear that you do too,” Liz said and shared a look with Connie.

  “Let me feel,” Connie playfully whined and gently pushed Liz’s hand away.

  I could barely feel Connie’s touch. Women at Irons knew that if I wanted to be touched, they better make sure I feel it.

  “Harder, sweetheart. If you’re going to touch me, make me feel it,” I advised.

  Their eyes lit up, and they stared at one another. Connie continued to pet my balls that hid in my pants.

  “I know men are sensitive about their nuts. I don’t want to hurt you. You’re so handsome,” Connie flirted.

  “I promise you, I like it harder. If I don’t feel it, what’s the point?”

  She looked questioningly at me as if considering my seriousness. I raised my eyebrows at her, and finally, she gripped the outline of my balls. Though I felt it, it wasn’t something that would ever make me hard. Connie looked up at me, testing the waters to see if she had hurt me.

  “That’s better, Connie,” I said and winked at her.

  “I’ve never met a man who liked to have his balls played with roughly,” Liz mentioned.

  “I’m not like most men.”

  “You’re special,” Connie said and grabbed my hand from the back of the couch. She examined my left hand. “You don’t have a ring. Girlfriend?”

  “No. I’m not into that.”

  “Rings or girlfriends?” Liz asked.

  “Either.”

  I pulled my hand out of Connie’s hand and set it back on top of the couch cushions.

  “Is your friend into rings or girlfriends?”

  I glanced at Colin on the dance floor with Maggie.

  “Not really. He is more boyfriend material than I am.”

  “Mmm, but you like your balls rubbed hard. What else do you like?” Liz asked.

  Now both girls had their hands rubbing and lightly squeezing my balls through my pants, and I was getting hard. I wasn’t going to go into what I liked. They would be appalled, repulsed
and disgusted. I was fully aware of what the stereotypes were for guys like me. I avoided their question.

  Liz played with my hair while Connie rubbed and gripped my chest. Liz tugged on my chin and pulled me closer to her, and then she moved in to kiss me. Though I’m not a kisser, I pacified her by letting her tease and play little games with my mouth.

  “Do you kiss on the first date?” Liz asked between shoving her tongue into my mouth.

  “I don’t date,” I said.

  Liz crushed her mouth against mine, and we continued to make out while Connie groped my chest and abdomen. Soon, Connie’s hand was under my shirt. I quickly shifted my attention from Liz to Connie just in case she got too close to my side. And even though I tried paying attention, I still flinched when her hand grazed my scar. I pulled her hand out from under my shirt and guided it back to my balls.

  Breathe, Graves.

  I occupied my mouth with Liz’s because it was the only thing I could do to get my mind off my scar…and Bruce.

  “Why don’t you two keep my legs warm?” I said and slapped my thighs.

  Both girls quickly moved to occupy one of my legs and flung their arms around my neck and back. I wrapped my arm around each of their waists so they didn’t fall off my thighs. Now, they were taking turns kissing me and either rubbing my chest or my crotch.

  “You ladies taste lovely,” I complimented them and had to catch my breath from the constant kissing.

  “We taste good all over,” Connie said and glanced at Liz.

  “Have you ladies tasted each other?” I playfully asked and watched them smile.

  They nodded.

  “Let me see. I want to see you two kiss.”

  I stroked the small of their backs as they leaned into one another and kissed. Oh yeah. They kissed as though this wasn’t something new to them. These were special friends. As I watched them kiss, I couldn’t help but notice my cock stir in my pants.

  As they kissed, they gripped my chest and shoulder tighter for balance. Liz and Connie perched on my thighs and making out was hotter than fuck.

  “You two look like little pros. Do you two do this often?” I asked.