Tackling the Subject

by Jon Keys

  “Did you think I wasn’t coming?”

  Sam turned and beamed. Before he thought it through, he jumped into Gordy’s arms, and kissed him. “Congratulations! That was an amazing play. You won the freaking game.”

  Panic flooded Gordy’s face, and he scanned the area as he lowered Sam to his feet. “Hey, we’ve gotta be careful. We don’t want anyone to see us.”

  Sam nodded, giving him time to verify no one was close. It took a minute, but then Gordy’s tensions seemed to melt away. And once they did, he grabbed Sam in a tight embrace, pressed his face hard against Sam’s neck and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. Sam held onto Gordy and inhaled. The sharp aroma of soap underlying Gordy’s scent was something Sam found he looked forward to each time they were together. He grinned that a smell he’d found so objectionable a short time ago had become one of his favorite things. They stood for several minutes enjoying their time together before Gordy took a step back, letting Sam’s hand drop into his.

  “I guess we should get going. I’m starved,” Gordy said.

  Sam squeezed the hand that enveloped his and grinned. “And where would the conquering hero like to celebrate tonight?”

  Gordy chuckled and bumped against Sam’s hip. “I don’t get to pick until after break. That was the deal, remember?”

  “Well, I’m instituting the ‘Saved the Day’ rule. The person who saves the day gets whatever he wants.”

  Gordy curled his arm around Sam’s waist. “Oh really? Anything?”

  Sam wiggled his eyebrows at Gordy, enjoying the playful banter between them. “Anything you think you can handle.”

  “Hmm, I think I can handle just about anything you got.”

  “You think so, stud?”

  The sound of a door closing destroyed their fun. Gordy dropped his hands and stepped back. Sam ached at the action, but understood Gordy was trying to figure out how to deal with coming out and when. Sometimes you worked with what you got. Unfortunately, Gordy hadn’t gotten the same set of cards as he had.

  A few seconds later they heard the sound of footsteps down the concrete ramp to the locker room. A man came into view and Sam couldn’t help but cringe. The guy looked like a televangelist lacking any conscience. He steeled himself and stood his ground. Gordy seemed concerned enough that Sam moved closer for moral support.

  “Hey, Coach,” Gordy said.

  The guy nodded toward Gordy. “Great job, Hager. Spectacular play today. Saved the game.”

  Gordy’s cheeks turned crimson. “Thanks, Coach. I appreciate that.”

  The coach turned to Sam. “Hi, son. I’m Coach Miller.”

  He held out his hand, and it was all Sam could do to keep the revulsion from his face. He took the offered hand and gave a firm shake. “Sam Doherty, sir. I’m a friend of Gordy’s. He’s been tutoring me in biology so I thought I’d see a game.”

  The sweep of Miller’s eyes made Sam’s skin crawl. While still staring at Sam, he said, “Good job again today, Hager. Keep up your guard, though. Always keep up your guard.”

  “Sure, Coach. I’ll keep watch.”

  The man formed his fingers into a gun and pointed it at Sam. “Good to meet you, kid. Don’t get Gordy into any trouble.”

  Sam nodded, but kept silent. The guy flashed his far-too-perfect teeth in a smile with all the authentic warmth of an iceberg. He studied the man as he disappeared into the parking structure then turned back to find Gordy’s enthusiasm undiminished.

  “Let’s swing by the house,” Gordy said. “I can put on something other than sweats then we’ll grab dinner.”

  Sam slapped Gordy’s shoulder and grinned at the excitement. “Sounds good. In your honor, we should have either steak or barbecue.”

  Gordy sprinted toward his pickup. Sam settled back while Gordy did a recap of the game on the drive to the trailer, most of which Sam didn’t understand. He nodded a lot and uttered the occasional affirmative, which seemed to be enough to keep Gordy going. Sam was dissecting what the coach had said and trying to decide what part had been aimed at him. Deep down, his biggest fear was that he’d seen them being affectionate, and Gordy would get the backlash.

  “Here we are! Won’t take me but a minute.” Gordy bounded out of the seat and was in the trailer before it registered with Sam that they’d arrived. He followed Gordy inside, closed the door and sat down to listen. He also planned to enjoy the scenery while Gordy changed clothes.

  Gordy stripped off his skintight shirt and tossed it into the laundry. He ran a towel over his chest and Sam licked his lips at the sight of the rippling hair. His scent grew stronger as he moved like a caged animal. “Can you believe it? Can you? It fell right into my hands.”

  The heat rose in Sam as Gordy pulled down his sweat pants and kicked them off. With Gordy stripped to his jockstrap, Sam breathed heavier. He swallowed hard and smiled at Gordy. “It was amazing. You were fast, too. You saved the day for State.”

  Gordy came closer and retrieved a beer from the fridge. He dropped onto the seat next to Sam and drank several swallows. As he did, he stretched his arm up and exposed the thick growth of damp hair that filled the muscle-bound cavity. The smell was sharper, more intense. Sam leaned closer, unable to resist, and he inhaled. Gordy’s smell filled him and his cock hardened and grew down his leg. He was long past any kind of civil behavior.

  He realized what he was doing and froze, his whole demeanor changing in the hope he hadn’t been discovered. But when he lifted his gaze, Gordy’s twinkling eyes were all he needed to see. Gordy had caught him, but he hadn’t wanted to startle Sam. Feeling a little like the rabbit cornered by the wolf, he wasn’t certain what to do next.

  “It’s okay. I thought you didn’t like the—natural me.”

  Sam swallowed hard again. “My opinion seems to have changed. You smell…good.”

  Sam felt a little trapped with Gordy so close, but Gordy didn’t move as his smile grew. As the tension slipped from the situation, Gordy spoke. “Do whatever turns you on. Tell me what to do.”

  “Really? You’ll let me order you around?”

  “Sure. It sounds fun.”

  Sam scooted a little closer, grinned and leaned forward. He paused only a few inches from Gordy’s thickly furred armpits and couldn’t help but inhale again. The smells spun about him and Sam’s cock hardened until it was a throbbing ache between his legs. Unable to resist any further, he pressed his face into the damp pit and grabbed Gordy’s bicep. With his face buried, Sam enjoyed the feel of hard muscle under his touch. He shifted sideways, flicking his tongue over Gordy’s nipple and a sigh rewarded his effort.

  Sam pressed Gordy against the seat and climbed onto him. As he moved in for a kiss, Gordy suddenly tensed. Sam panicked when he pushed from under Sam and regained his feet. He sprinted to the bedroom, cursing the entire length of the house. “Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!”

  Shock flooded Sam as he recoiled from Gordy’s reaction. He straightened his clothes and worked out what happened as Gordy yanked on clothing. Then he heard it, the frantic honking of multiple car horns. It was still faint but unmistakable. He leaned over to the window and peered outside just as one huge pickup slid to a stop in front of Gordy’s trailer. The doors swung open and two enormous men grabbed the truck’s roof, stood in the doorway, and yelled out. “Gordy! Gordy my man! Gordy the hero!”

  The door to the bedroom slammed open and Gordy shot out, trying to pull on his second boot. As he stumbled around, a second and third vehicle appeared, he glanced at Sam with a sigh. “It’s the team, at least some of them. They want to celebrate.”

  The din outside grew in volume while Sam tried to think. Gordy frowned as he stepped to the door. “Knock it off, you animals! This isn’t Joe’s! Keep it down.”

  “Come on, Gordy! We want to parrr-teee!”

  Gordy spun toward Sam. “Come with me. Please. They aren’t bad, just excited.”

  Sam glanced out the door to the scene of adult men behaving like twelve-year-old boys. He wa
s surprise to find that he didn’t have any animosity to them, but since he was half their size, he might be an easy target.

  As if he could read Sam’s thoughts, Gordy said, “They won’t dog you. I promise. Or they’ll answer to me.”

  “What are you going to tell them? That you want to have the guy you tutor in biology along for fun?”

  Gordy slumped against the door and looked crestfallen, but he refused to admit the difficulty of the situation. The determination was clear as he met Sam’s gaze. “You should come. They don’t have to know we’re more than friends.”

  “Maybe later, Gordy. You deserve to celebrate with the team tonight.”

  Gordy’s face twisted and he let out the breath he was holding. “I would. And we were working on an outstanding celebration before they arrived.”

  Sam fought the urge to caress Gordy a last time, but instead smiled and popped his fist against Gordy’s shoulder. “That’ll be for sometime later. But for now, how are you going to explain me being here?”

  Chapter Nine

  Gordy staggered into the locker room and dropped to a bench. Every muscle he had was sore and sweat drenched his clothes. After sitting for a few minutes, he peeled off the workout shirt he was wearing and dropped it to the ground. He was trying to tug off the shorts that had adhered to his thighs when someone else walked in and sat beside him.

  “Damn, Gordy. Why is Coach so pissed at you?”

  Gordy glanced up to Nate’s concerned face. He shook his head and tried not to sigh. “Damned if I understand it. He’s been kicking my ass for the past few days. I’m so sore it’s not even funny.”

  As he stripped, he moaned, then started toward the showers. He heard footsteps behind him and looked back to see Nate had followed him. He hung his towel outside the door, went inside then turned on the water as hot as he could stand. Nate moved to the same set of nozzles and rinsed off. After a few minutes, Gordy’s pain lessened and he soaped up. By the time he’d covered every sweat-crusted part of his body, he seemed more human.

  “You should soak in the sauna. It’ll help.”

  Gordy shook his head. “Finals are coming up and I need to study. Thank God, we’ll have a break from practice. I’m kind of glad we didn’t make it to a bowl game. Maybe it’ll give Miller time to get over whatever he’s pissed at me about.”

  Nate got a wicked expression on his face and Gordy cringed. Nothing good happened when that expression arrived. “So, how’s the tutoring going? It must be intense if he had to come out to your place right after you won the freaking game.”

  Gordy couldn’t keep himself from scanning the shower and was relieved to find them alone. He turned back to Nate, wondering how to handle the situation. “Hey, yeah. He’s struggling in biology.”

  “That’s funny. I thought the guy you were tutoring was a complete ass, although a hot one. But wasn’t that him in the free ticket section, too?”

  Gordy panicked. Nate and his wife were the only ones who knew he was gay. Nate had been his freshman roommate and he’d been fine with it. But he also loved to make Gordy squirm.

  Nate grabbed his bottle of soap and squirted it over Gordy’s chest, catching him by surprise while Nate’s deep laughter filled the room. “Relax, man. I was just yanking your chain. Besides, I got your back. Always remember that. I don’t care if you do have the hots over a cute redhead.”

  Gordy stood under the hot spray, staring at Nate. Once the heat worked its way into his stiff muscles he let out a sigh of relief as he washed the soap off his body. “We’ve been getting along pretty well, and he seemed to enjoy the game. But I’ve never been in a relationship before so everything is kind of confusing.”

  He glanced over as Nate wiped the water from his face. He grinned at Gordy. “Did he reward his stud man for saving the game? I’d have tried to talk Sarah into it.”

  “Jeez! Too much information. And you don’t need to know about my sex life.”

  There was a moment of quiet before Nate continued, “But I’m serious, dude. Whatever you need, I’m here for you.”

  Gordy had a few minutes while washing off the soap before he had to deal with the offer Nate had left hanging. The last of the white suds disappeared down the drain and he turned off the shower to discover Nate standing at the doorway, toweling off. He grinned at Gordy, who prepared himself. But it seemed his friend had moved on to new topics. “You going home for the break? Practice starts the day after Christmas. Sarah isn’t happy about it. But then she isn’t pleased with me right now in general.”

  Gordy grinned at his friend and his unending litany of marital drama. But it left Gordy wondering about his break as Nate vented on his current issues.

  * * * *

  Sam slid his car beside Gordy’s pickup, leaped from his car and ran toward Gordy’s trailer. He skidded to a stop at the door and pounded. “Gordy! Hey, Gordy! It’s Sam. I have to show you something.”

  The door popped open and Gordy stood in the doorway in only a pair of workout shorts and flip-flops. “Hey, Sam. Get in here. It’s freezing.”

  He scrambled up the steps, closing the door behind him. Sam slipped into his seat while Gordy went back to whatever he was cooking. Gordy was always cooking. But he was also hungry all the time. Sam was shaking with excitement from his news when Gordy turned to him.

  “What’s up? Didn’t you have work or something?”

  Sam vibrated with nervous energy as he shook the paper he held. “No, they changed my schedule. Finals week. But look! Feast your eyes on this.”

  Gordy wiped his hands on a towel and took the sheets of paper from Sam. As he read down the page, his smile widened. By the time he turned to Sam, the smile covered his face. “You got a B in the class. A freakin’ B! That’s fantastic.”

  Giddy with excitement, he pointed at the score on the top. “See that? Did you see what I got on my final? Ninety-two! I was flunking this damn class, and now I made a ninety-two on the final.”

  Gordy lunged forward and grabbed Sam in a hug. Sam tensed at first, but then found comfort in Gordy’s embrace. The heat and scent of Gordy’s bare chest swirled in the surrounding air. Gordy said in his ear. “That’s fantastic, Sam. I’m so proud of you.”

  Sam wrapped his arms around Gordy and squeezed tightly. He couldn’t recall being this comfortable in someone’s arms in a long time. Then he realized his hug had become more of a cuddle and eased himself away. A sense of relief filled him when he saw the smile was as wide as ever across Gordy’s face. The food popped in the skillet and Gordy stepped over to take care of it.

  “We have to celebrate. I’m taking you out to dinner,” said Gordy.

  “You’re half right. We are celebrating. But you pick the place, and I’m paying for the meal.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  A short time later found Sam following Gordy to his pickup. The shirt looked good on Gordy, but the jeans made Sam drool. His muscular butt and thick legs were working on Sam like he’d never experienced before. A month ago, Gordy was the antithesis of who he would have wanted to date, now Gordy turned him on in ways that surprised him every day. But he still hadn’t brought himself to where there was any real physical contact. Well, beyond a lot of cuddling in front of Gordy’s television, but that was only leaving both of them hard and horny. That was the effect it had on him, anyway.

  He slammed the truck door shut and grinned at Gordy. “So, Mister Excellent Tutor, where do you want to go? It’s all on my tab tonight.”

  The pickup roared to life, and Gordy backed out of the driveway. He was chewing up gravel road toward town when he turned to Sam. “How about Joe’s? We can split cheese fries and burgers.”

  “Sounds like a plan, but you can have the fries. I’m getting fat.”

  Gordy chuckled and reached over to pat Sam’s flat stomach. “Dude, you’re miles from fat. You even have the sex muscles showing.”

  “Sex muscles? I’m afraid to ask.”

  “You know. Those muscles on each sid
e that point at your goods.” Gordy raised one side of his shirt and ran a finger down his abdomen. “Along here, except I’m too fat. Mine don’t show.”

  Gordy motioned with his hands as he split his attention between Sam and the road. “Go ahead. Pull up your shirt and I’ll show you.”

  Sam grinned and hid his shaking hand as he tugged the side of his shirt up, exposing his torso. Gordy reached over and ran his beefy finger along the crease of muscle and into the top of Sam’s pants. For Sam, the touch was erotic, and it was all he could do to keep from moaning and pressing himself against Gordy.

  The pickup lurched as they entered the parking lot, and Gordy’s touch disappeared as he grabbed the wheel with both hands. They exited the pickup once Gordy parked. Sam tried to hide the sizable bulge in his pants before they reached the streetlights and everyone would know they’d been fooling around. The blast of music and rumble of voices helped him refocus, so by the time the hostess seated them, it wasn’t noticeable.

  Once they’d ordered a pitcher of beer, Gordy smiled at him again. “That grade is amazing. I might not have been able to bring it up if I’d gotten that low. You kicked it in the ass.”

  The waitress dropped off the plate of cheese fries and disappeared. Sam grabbed a fry and chewed on it while he considered. “It was you, totally you. I would have failed if it wasn’t for your help.”

  Gordy stabbed his fork into a cluster of fries and stuffed them into his mouth. He chewed for a minute before he swallowed and used his utensil to punctuate his words. “Pretty cool, man. Pretty cool. Now you’re done with bio.”

  Sam played up the drama as he dropped his arms. “Sadly, no. I have to take the second one in the spring. But then I’ll graduate from this cowboy school.”

  “Hey, Gordy! How’s it going?”

  They glanced over to see Nate cradling a beer in each hand. “Hey, Nate. How’s things?” Gordy said.

  “Good, good. Just celebrating my last final. How about you?”