by A. D. Ellis
“Well, Mr. Morgan, thanks for answering my questions. I feel a little bit more at ease over my spur-of-the-moment acceptance of this job. I just want to say one thing, please remember how perfect I am for the job when you meet me again tomorrow.” Katherine had a smile in her voice as she spoke. “Goodnight, Mr. Morgan.”
Meet her again? What the hell did that mean?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Sawyer, Torey Hope: The Later Years (http://getbook.at/SawyerAmzn)
Sawyer, age 16
Shirts discarded and arms entangled around torsos, the young men rolled around the bed as if wrestling. Hidden, she watched from the doorway in fascination, not disgust or horror. Her mind struggled to make sense of something her heart had already accepted. As the boys’ lips met in a sensual kiss, she brought her hand up to cover her surprise. She knew, instinctively, the act happening in front of her was what Sawyer had been missing, seeking, craving.
Knowing she should look away, afford them privacy, she couldn’t unglue her eyes from the awkwardly arousing scene transpiring before her. Hands roamed, cupping ass cheeks; hips and tongues thrust in simultaneous dances. Red basketball shorts and tight gray boxer briefs slid down firm, muscular legs followed quickly by black shorts and black briefs moving down a second pair of toned legs. She’d seen the male anatomy in Health class, but the young men on the bed were aroused from their sensuous exploration and she felt her eyes widening in impressed awe at the size of their…male anatomy. Sawyer, the dark haired one, reached a hand down and grasped the other boy; the act was reciprocated and a delightful display began to play out before her. Mouths, teeth, and tongues clashed as hips thrust and fists pumped; rough breaths, sexually charged, resonated in the otherwise silent room.
She knew she should have left, should have allowed him this intimate moment, but it was too late; an ill-timed sneeze, obstructed by a quick pinch to the nose, but not thwarted completely, literally blew her cover.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Walking arm-in-arm, they headed back toward his house. “So, Josh, huh? Do you want him to be, like, your boyfriend?” Katie nudged Sawyer’s hip in teasingly playful way.
“I like Josh, but I think I like him because he’s the first guy I’ve kissed. I like his body next to mine; I like to have my hands on him; I like to kiss him. Do I like him? I don’t know. I don’t think he’s any closer to admitting or accepting his sexuality than I am, so I don’t see us becoming a couple and publicly outing ourselves. If anything, we’ll spend time behind closed doors and try to figure things out for ourselves, individually.” Katie blushed at the mention of closed doors.
“Hey, bud, that door was practically wide open. I probably should have just walked away, but you two were astonishingly beautiful in your sexy little coupling, and I couldn’t help myself. You should thank your lucky stars it was me and not your mom or dad or brother!” Katie wagged a finger sternly in front of his face.
Sawyer blanched yet again at the thought of his parents or twin brother, Decker, finding him in a compromising position with another man. He knew in his heart that his parents and brother would accept him no matter what, but he didn’t want to bring undue stress or drama into their lives; for now, he’d keep it secret, but he’d tell them once he was a little more comfortable with it himself.
But, the thing with keeping secrets and not being truthful with those who love you is that it gets harder and harder with each day. As the years passed, Sawyer realized he’d missed several prime opportunities to be upfront with his parents and Decker.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I’m gay.
His brother, Decker, had taken the news fairly well. He’d needed a solo walk through the woods to gather his thoughts; Sawyer suspected his always-in-control, serious, black and white brother also needed to come to grips with the fact that he’d never suspected his brother’s sexual preference was different than his own. How ironic that the one person Sawyer was the closest to in the whole world was the one person who was the most clueless.
Sawyer had held his breath practically the whole time Decker had been walking through the woods. A deluge of rain poured down as the dark sky broke open, yet Sawyer still sat alone at the campfire. His head had started playing tricks on him. You disgust him…he can’t stand the thought of having a gay brother…you’ve lost him…he’s not coming back. But Sawyer held out hope that Decker was just doing his usual thinking things through.
He had breathed a sigh of relief when Decker emerged, soaking wet, from the woods. Walking towards him with purpose, his twin had stopped in front of him and spoke the most heartwarming, sincere words Sawyer had ever heard from him.
“You’re my brother, always have been, always will be. I wish you could have told me sooner, but nothing has changed between us. I’ll be there in any and every way that I can.” Decker grabbed Sawyer and pulled him into a deep embrace, communicating his love and acceptance through his touch.
Telling his cousins, Zach and Kendrick, had been less emotional, and a lot more entertaining. Sawyer had to laugh at the questions his admission had stirred up.
“I’m gay.”
Two words that held such power. Would they laugh? Would they walk away in disgust? Would they be angry?
Zach smiled and nodded. “I think I’ve known that for a long time, man, but thanks for telling me.”
“Wait, you knew? Why didn’t you ever say something? Why did you joke with me about girls?”
“I don’t know, I guess I figured you’d tell me when you were ready. I didn’t want to bring it up if I was wrong and it offended you. I think I joked about girls thinking it would give you the opportunity to bring it up if you wanted to.” Zach stood and walked to his cousin, reaching a hand down, he pulled the other man up into a hug. “Nothing changes, I’ve got your back, man.”
Kendrick sat with his hand rubbing his chin. Would he be the one who couldn’t accept it?
Eyes twinkling and a shit-eatin’ grin on his face, he finally spoke. “What’s it like to suck cock?”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Zach, Torey Hope: The Later Years (http://getbook.at/ZachAmzn)
The big truck backed slowly out of the driveway and headed toward the next town over.
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Zoey asked.
“Now, what would be the fun in that?” Zach smiled at her pout. “We’ll be there in about thirty minutes. I think you can wait until then.”
The entire half-hour drive was filled with laughter and chit-chat. Zach realized that nothing had changed between them. It was like they were four years prior, she had always been his best friend, and she still was. The only difference was he’d gone from someday wanting to kiss her, when the time was right, to being able to hold her and kiss her anytime he wanted. But, other than that small tidbit, she was still his favorite forever girl. His heart warmed.
“So, speaking of sleeping arrangements. I planned on doing whatever you thought would be best. We can get completely separate rooms, one room with two beds, or just one bed. It’s your decision, but either way I don’t want anything going too far tonight. Your birthday is so close, then after that we can start talking about the next steps.” Zach knew she was disappointed, so he reached over and lifted her chin so she was looking in his eyes.
“Zoey Belle, the first time I make love to you isn’t going to be in a hotel room. It isn’t going to be an afterthought or mistake. I’m not going to back down on that. I love you, I’ve always loved you, I will always love you. But, I’m determined that if we’ve waited this long, we can wait until you’re 100% legal and do it right.” He leaned in and kissed her before entwining his fingers with hers. “But that doesn’t mean that I’d be against holding you close while we sleep tonight.”
“Okay, Zach. I know where you’re coming from, and I know you’re right. It doesn’t diminish how much I want you, how badly I want to feel what it’s like to be with you that way, but I’ll settle for whatever we can get. Let’s get one
room, one bed. You can hold me all night long.” She leaned into his body and breathed deeply.
“Pretty girl, I’ll hold you all night long, and for the rest of our lives. That’s a promise.”
They arrived at the zoo.
Zoey looked at him confused. “Zach, I think the zoo is only open at night on certain dates. It doesn’t look like it’s open this evening.” She looked like she felt bad for him.
“You’re right, the zoo isn’t open tonight, but the butterfly garden is. And, if the lady I talked to on the phone is right, we should see some butterflies hatching this evening.”
“Zach, this is so neat. I’ve lived close to this exhibit since it opened five years ago, but I’ve never taken the time to come over to see it. Thank you. You know what a sucker I am for butterflies and flowers.” She smiled sweetly at him and kissed him lightly.
They walked the short distance to the entrance. Once Zach had paid their entry fee and the price for both of them to feed the butterflies, they walked into a tropical oasis filled with lush plants and flowers and over 100 species of butterflies.
For the next two hours, Zoey was in heaven. Zach couldn’t have cared less for the plants and insects, but watching his girl enjoy the evening was his own little spot in paradise.
“We have to come back here sometime. I think the grandmas and moms would enjoy this too. I can’t believe there are so many different types of butterflies. I wish I could grow some of these plants, but I am definitely planting a butterfly bush so the backyard will be full of them this summer.” Zoey babbled on as she gazed at the beautiful vegetation, and giggled when the light tickle of butterfly wings danced along her skin.
All too soon, the clock struck closing time.
“Come on, pretty girl, we need to let the butterflies get their sleep.” He had let her wander the gardens freely, but grasped her hand in his and pulled her close to his side as they walked out the door.
Stopping in the protected area between the inner and outer doors, they let an employee check them over to be sure they weren’t carrying any stowaways with them.
“Oops, you’ve got one trying to make an escape here on your shoulder. If you’ll just hold still a moment, I’ll get him off and back into his home.” The employee made a move to gently remove the butterfly.
The insect fluttered from Zoey’s shoulder to her hand.
“Oh, Zach, look how pretty it is. It’s the biggest one I’ve seen. He’s gorgeous.” The awe in her voice filled the small area.
As if pushed by a whisper of breeze, the butterfly zigged and zagged around Zoey’s strawberry-blonde hair before lighting on her nose.
Trying her best to stay still so as not to startle the gentle creature, a breathy giggle escaped her.
Zach’s heart filled, his breath caught in his chest. He would keep the image of her giggling with a butterfly on her nose in his heart for the rest of his life. Never once had he doubted the girl standing in front of him was his soulmate, and watching her smile as if the winged insect was the most precious thing in the world cemented her place in his heart and soul.
Once the tagalong had been safely returned to his garden home, they walked out into the evening. Arriving at his truck, Zach quickly gathered her in his arms and pressed her back against the shadowed driver’s side away from onlookers. Running a gentle hand across her cheek, he swallowed audibly when her sparkling emerald eyes lifted to meet his own.
“Zach?” She whispered, her chest rising and falling quickly.
“You are the most beautiful, special, amazing woman I’ve ever known. I don’t know how or why watching you in there affected me so strongly, but it did.” He stopped speaking and slowly lowered his mouth to hers.
This kiss was different. This kiss was a promise of something more to come, and Zoey felt the heat sear through her body. When she thought her heart would explode, he stumbled backwards breathing heavily.
“Zoey…” With fire in his eyes, he reached for her again, but simply pulled her into his chest. Allowing their breathing to return to normal, they stood in the shadows of the evening.
“We need to go somewhere, anywhere, but not to the hotel just yet. Let’s get some supper or dessert at least. I can’t be in a hotel with you right now.” He adjusted himself as he spoke and his eyes twinkled at his girl’s flushed cheeks and swollen lips.
“I think there’s nothing I want more than to find a hotel right this moment.” She quipped.
“Hey, sassy pants, don’t tempt me. There’s nothing more I want right now either, but that’s not what this weekend is about. We both need to cool down before we climb in bed.” He tapped her nose and kissed her gently. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
As they drove away, Zoey sighed and watched the butterfly garden fade in the distance.
“Well, tonight was special from the moment we arrived, but that kiss just put the evening into my Top Five best dates ever.” She looked at him and smiled.
“Only in the top five? Which dates were better? And since I’ve not taken you on many dates, you better not tell me about dates with other guys.” Zach teased her.
“Well, for now, it fills the number one spot. But we’ve got a whole weekend ahead of us, so we’ll see if it can hold onto its ranking.” She teased him back.
“Wow, the pressure is on.” He chuckled as he opened her door and slowly let her body slide down his as he huskily whispered, “I look forward to the challenge of filling all of your slots.” He threw his head back and laughed at the look on her face.
“Oh my gosh, you just sounded so much like Kendrick!” She laughed and threw her arms around his neck.
Her voice whispered in his ear and the heat instantly returned, “You can fill any and every slot you’d like.”
He growled into her mouth as he kissed her.
“Pretty girl, you’re making things very hard with your teasing.” He let his heat press against her belly.
“Hard is just the way I like it.” She tried to say it seriously, but dropping sexual innuendos was so foreign to her she couldn’t help but to crack up laughing.
Walking into the little coffee shop, they worked hard to control their laughter.
Had either of them seen the lone figure who watched them from a corner booth, their laughter would have died instantly. His angry heated eyes watched silently. Hatred and lust filled him. He had plans for the girl, and her dickhead boyfriend wasn’t in those plans.
If you’d like to read any or all of the books from which I’ve shared excerpts, please find them on my Amazon Author Central page http://author.to/ADEllisAmazon
Recipes
Snickerdoodles (Jay learned how to make these from her grandma)
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 ¾ cups flour
1 tsp cream of tartar
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
2 TBSP sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1) Preheat oven to 400 F
2) Combine 1 ½ cups sugar, butter, vanilla, eggs. Mix well.
3) Stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt. Blend well. Shape dough into balls. Combine the 2 TBSP sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. Roll dough in sugar/cinnamon mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes or until set. Immediately remove from cookie sheet to cool.
