by Trina Solet
After dinner, Cory was helping with the dishes while Mom walked Mack to his truck and talked his ear off. Teddy was drawing on the back porch. Alec sidled up to Cory at the sink and whispered, "Hey, do my homework. Come on. I'll make it worth your while."
It was all in the tone of his voice, but Cory got his point loud and clear. He turned to glare at him.
Judging by his look, Alec guessed, "You've heard that before."
"A few times." He looked Alec up and down. "From guys just like you, who think they're God's gift."
"So what form of payment did you take?" Alec said while wiggling his eyebrows.
"Those guys didn't think they needed to do anything except look at me like they owned me," Cory said pointedly.
"Then they're nothing like me. I would have paid in full," Alec told him.
Cory rolled his eyes and turned back to the dishes.
Alec went close to him again and said, "Make sure you rest up tonight. I want you fresh for tomorrow."
"What?" Cory jumped. "What is wrong with you?" He was blushing as he pushed Alec away.
"I meant because we have to clean up the store. Anything else you might be thinking is all in your imagination," Alec claimed.
"Don't toy with me," Cory warned him. It sounded like a threat, the good kind.
"Or what?" Alec asked, a little excited by the gruff tone in his voice.
Instead of trying to warn him again, Cory looked deep into his eyes. Alec felt like Cory's eyes burned through him and at the same time like they opened more fully and he could plunge inside.
"Are you trying to start something with me?" Cory's tone was low and intimate, making the kind of insinuation that scared the hell out of Alec. As he felt a tremor right down to his bones, Alec was reminded of the kind of guy Cory was. He was the kind of guy Alec had stayed far away from until now because the message he sent out was, "Get serious or get out."
"Just passing the time," Alec said sheepishly. With his eyes, he kind of begged for Cory's forgiveness.
Cory smiled. "Don't worry about it," he said like a man who knew he had the upper hand.
So that's what it was like to tangle with an all or nothing kind of guy. Damn, they were scary. Alec looked at him with newfound respect based mostly on fear. He still checked out his pert ass though.
Early the next day, Alec, Teddy, and Cory drove to the store and lugged in some serious cleaning supplies. Cory gave out the assignments. Teddy got the lower shelves. Alec got the top ones.
Alec stopped to watch Teddy as he wiped. First he drew a picture in the dust with his finger then he wiped it. Cory came over to admire his work too.
"Mom said to tell you that Family Services approved for you to stay with us," Alec told him. He noticed Cory's relief at the news and said, "That was never in doubt. You're Teddy's family. Plus Mom always gets her way."
"It's great. I was worried because I didn't get their approval before I moved in," Cory said.
"Mom handled it. Possibly lied," Alec said with a shrug.
"I'll make sure to do a good job for her at the store. Make her idea work."
Alec laughed at his eagerness. Teddy shared his brother's work ethic. He never stopped to rest unless they made him.
"Juice break," Cory called out and got the orange juice from the cooler they brought.
"You have any blisters?" Alec asked and turned over Teddy's hands.
Teddy looked worried until Alec said, "Nope. You're good."
"He's a hard worker," Cory said.
"So is his big brother," Alec said and watched Teddy's expression as he looked at Cory. The little guy was still absorbing the news that he had a big brother. Now and then he would look at Cory in wonder like he was a giant Christmas present he hadn't opened yet.
Cory really was something. Alec couldn't remember ever meeting anyone who was so low key and enticing at the same time. Cory drew him in because Alec wanted to know what was it about him that got his imagination going. In a moment of inattention, Alec imagined Cory was a gift for him and pictured ripping Cory's clothes off like they were wrapping paper. Cory stood revealed and ready. As he stared hard at Cory, what he was thinking must have shown on his face.
"Hey!" Cory warned him.
"Don't read my mind, and we won't have this problem," Alec told him.
"Your mind? I think this problem is located a little lower," Cory said and looked down pointedly.
They remembered Teddy at the same time and turned to him. He looked at them in confusion.
"He means that the floor is going to need a good scrubbing," Alec said.
Teddy looked at him like he didn't quite believe him. When Teddy was busy and out of earshot, Cory came up to Alec.
"Don't cause trouble," Cory warned him.
"You're the one causing trouble. You're trouble in a hot little package," Alec said and looked him all over.
Cory blushed and looked anxiously in Teddy's direction.
"I know," Alec assured him. "I've just been out here, not getting any. I'm not going to start anything." He stared at Cory seriously to let him know he meant it.
"At any other time, I would be taking advantage of how hard up you are. I would be climbing all over you and to hell with the consequences," Cory told him. Then he looked over at Teddy significantly. "But not here and now." When he looked back at Alec, his expression was regretful.
Cory also looked damn gorgeous, and Alec wondered if he really thought Alec had to be hard up to want him. Sure Alec had said so himself, but it was only an excuse. Despite that, he decided not to correct Cory's wrong impression. Telling him, "I would want you any time, anywhere" wouldn't help them keep their hands off each other.
*
Cory felt good about the work they did that day. He gave Miriam a report over dinner. She was pleased. Because she gave him the job to help him out, Cory wanted to do his best for her. Hearing about how hard Teddy worked, she called him "my little working man". Teddy looked so proud of himself.
"You were planning to pick up some tools in Beacher, right?" Alec asked Cory.
"I'll be going with Mr. Utley. I ordered a few things online, but he didn't like the prices for the rest of the stuff."
"Tomorrow we drive Teddy to see Dr. Minwari. That's his child psychologist. We can combine that with some tool shopping," Alec said.
"That sounds good." Cory already knew about the appointment and planned to go along.
"It's good you'll be going. Monica is nice, but Teddy doesn't like going there so she has me sit in. He's more relaxed that way. You can sit in this time if she says it's OK," Alec told him.
"I'll do that," Cory said though he felt nervous about it.
That night Teddy went to sleep earlier then usual, tired from all the work they did. Cory fell asleep pretty fast too, but something woke him in the middle of the night. He heard the door to his room open, but there was no one there. Whoever it had been hadn't closed the door, just pulled it part way. Cory could see a sliver of light from the small lamp that Alec and his mom always left on in the hallway.
Cory was up now, looking up and down the hall. He was just in time to see Teddy scurrying back to his room. As he was about to go after him to see if he was OK, he ran into Alec.
"Is everyone up?" Cory asked.
"I guess so. I heard Teddy getting up," Alec whispered. "He's done that a few times. He looks around for me and Mom. I think he's making sure we're all still here. He looked in on you too, didn't he?"
"He did. It makes sense." Cory thought about how he had been left alone in some apartment. "I guess if that's what he needs to do..."
"He goes back to sleep OK after that. He's a good little sleeper," Alec assured him.
Cory still felt anxious about Teddy and about the visit to the child psychologist the next day. Maybe Teddy did too.
"Let him go back to sleep then we'll look in on him," Alec said seeing that Cory was still worried.
Cory smiled at how surprisingly thoughtful he was.
<
br /> "Don't smile at me like that or I'll climb right into bed with you," Alec told him.
Cory felt an immediate reaction from his cock. He was glaring and not smiling at Alec now.
"That look is kind of sexy too," Alec told him.
"Go to bed," Cory ordered him.
"I want to check on Teddy." Alec pouted.
"Check then go," Cory told him sternly.
Alec tiptoed over to Teddy's door and then turned to give Cory a thumb's up. As Alec left, Cory went over. Teddy was snug in bed. Cory went in and kissed the top of his head.
"You worked hard today. Get some sleep now," he told him and saw him close his eyes.
Cory sat across from him on the other bed and watched him drift off.
When he left, Cory couldn't help but glance at Alec's bedroom door and wonder if he was awake. He pictured him in that messy room, stretched out hard and naked on a bed with disarranged sheets. Cory cursed himself. That was not a sight that would put him to sleep. After Alec's teasing, Cory's body was on high alert. It needed calming not arousing.
Cory's body was eager and ready to give itself to Alec. Cory's brain overruled it firmly. He was not here to screw around. Not that Alec seemed genuinely interested anyway. He was just playing with him. Cory wasn't one to throw himself at a guy who wasn't really into him or even at a guy who was. At his boldest moments, Cory would send out a clear signal and let the other guy approach him. Except no guy he met before was anything like Alec. Alec was the most tempting man he ever set his eyes on. Plus there was something about him. Between Alec's shameless teasing and his big heart, Cory didn't know how long he could resist him.
When he got into bed, Cory was still consumed by Alec. He called back the image of Alec's mouth. The slightly curving line was always on the verge of a smirk. Cory's hand was moving frantically as he saw flashes of Alec's mouth opening to take his cock. He could see Alec's tongue licking the head like it was an ice cream cone before he swallowed him down to the root. As Alec sucked furiously and Cory pumped to the same rhythm, Alec's blue eyes looked up, hard, promising him satisfaction. Cory's hips rose off the bed as he threw his head back. Gritting his teeth, Cory held back a moan and the sound of Alec's name which threatened to escape his throat.
Chapter 9
Next day, they started out for Beacher early. It was a sunny day, but Cory knew that both he and Teddy would have been happier about this trip if it didn't start in the child psychologist's office. At least they were getting that out of the way first.
After Seaview Pines, Beacher seemed pretty big. It was a modest sized town full of nondescript buildings like the one where the child psychologist's office was located. The office itself was colorful and bright, but Cory was as fidgety as Teddy sitting in the cheerfully decorated waiting room. Dr. Minwari came out to greet them. She was young and friendly. Her warm manner would have put Cory at ease if only she wasn't going to be writing reports about him and Teddy that could have an effect on their future.
When she introduced herself as Monica, she explained that she didn't like being called Dr. Minwari because she wasn't a medical doctor. Cory pointed to the nameplate on her desk.
"Ignore that," she told him. "Make yourself comfortable." She motioned to the floor where there were toys for Teddy to play with. Alec usually sat on the floor with Teddy, but this time she invited Cory to sit with him. It was a familiar moment for Cory. As a child, he had spent some time in offices a lot like this one. Just as Cory had once, Teddy knew he was being observed and couldn't relax. Monica asked Teddy about having a brother. Teddy smiled shyly, and she seemed pleased. As she talked with Teddy and Cory, she watched Teddy's reactions. Cory was pretty sure that she approved of how he was progressing. She congratulated Teddy on having a big brother as they left. Cory had been thinking of having a private chat with her, but he was too anxious so he put it off until he was sure he could make a good impression.
Stepping into the waiting room, both Cory and Teddy breathed a sigh of relief. Waiting for them, Alec shook his head.
"You're a matched pair," he told them. "Let's go shopping."
*
As soon as the visit to Monica was over, Alec saw a big change in Cory and Teddy. They were both petrified on the ride over. You would think poor Monica was a wicked witch not a perfectly nice woman with the best intentions. Now Teddy and Cory were cheerful and looking forward to the rest of the day.
Their next stop was the hardware store where Mack Utley was meeting them. Cory and Mack zeroed in on the tools they needed and let Alec and Teddy explore. Alec challenged Teddy to figure out what different tools were for.
"Most of them are for cutting off your fingers if you aren't careful," Mack told them.
Teddy tucked in his fingers, holding his fists against his chest.
"They won't jump up and bite you," Alec told him.
While Mack was chatting with one of the guys who worked there, Teddy was busy looking at a wooden board where different door knobs were mounted. He tried out all the ones he could reach. Alec went over to see what Cory was looking at.
"I want to see how they have things set up. We're still keeping the basics in stock, stuff people need on short notice," Cory explained.
"Your diligence is adorable," Alec told him, standing close, trying to distract him. "All these tools are inspiring some seriously dirty thoughts."
"I don't need to know the weird stuff you're into," Cory told him.
"You're the one looking at duct tape," Alec said.
"For purely business reasons. I like my hands free," he whispered.
"Tell me more. What do you like to do with your hands?" Alec asked.
Good thing Teddy came back from the door knob display to stare at Alec.
"I wasn't bothering Cory," Alec said defensively.
Teddy gave him a look that said Alec would be in trouble if he did.
As soon as they were done with the tools, old Mack left for a job. Now it was just the three of them, and Alec took them to the big thrift store he liked to visit whenever he was in town.
"Now the real shopping can start. This is where the real finds are," he said.
"Or eBay for us civilized people of the modern age," Cory said then some t-shirts caught his eye, and he started looking through them.
"We'll never get him out of there," Alec predicted. "Let's dig up some kids' books," he told Teddy.
The book section was pretty well stocked. Alec wanted to look for himself, but they started with kids' books. Teddy already had his eye on something. It was a Christmas themed book with snowy illustrations that looked like old fashioned Christmas cards. The story looked boring, but Teddy's eyes lit up at the lush drawings.
"What about this one? Looks good." Alec showed him a newer book with an interesting, modern drawing style. The story had something to do with giant animals. There was a rabbit towering over a house with the face of a little boy peering out of a window.
Teddy liked that one too. He put back the Christmas book he was holding.
"You can have them both. You can have as many as you want. Look how cheap they are." Alec pointed out the prices to him and read them out. Some of them were a few bucks some were less than a dollar.
Teddy picked out a few more books, and Alec grabbed some for himself. Cory rejoined them empty-handed. He praised Teddy's choices then said, "That reminds me. Do you happen to know if they have comic books here?"
Next to him, Teddy became more alert. He even looked around unobtrusively for some place where comic books might be hiding.
"No. They do not," Alec lied through his teeth.
Cory grinned at him.
"I think I might ask someone who works here," Cory threatened.
"Fine. They do. Over there," Alec said, resigned to the inevitable.
Shaking his head with disapproval, he waited while Teddy and Cory chose some comic books. Teddy had a big smile on his face when they headed to the register.
"I got left out," Cory said see
ing that they both had books and he had nothing. "We're sharing these," Cory told Teddy, who clutched the comic books to his chest.
"There is a porn section in the back, but it's all straight," Alec whispered in Cory's ear. "I guess I'll just have to be your porn."
Oh, yeah, Cory blushed. It was so easy to get him going. Fucking him would be hours of fun. He sighed then noticed Teddy. Alec tried to look innocent. As the three of them waited their turn at the register, Alec's eyes returned to Cory. He traced the lines of his face and body like Cory was a sculpture. Alec knew there were better looking guys out there, but none of them had this combination of beautiful eyes, a trim, sexy physique, and a heart so full of pain and love.
After their successful shopping trip, they arrived home late in the afternoon. While in Beacher, they had gone to a supermarket to pick up a few things the Smorgasbord didn't have. They got every kind of yogurt, of course. Teddy had one and then went to do some drawing. Instead of just putting away what they bought, Cory was cleaning the fridge.
"Now that's just borrowing trouble," Alec told him. "You're too helpful. Relax. We aren't that neat and tidy."
Cory was always ready to do the dishes. He had already vacuumed voluntarily. Someone had to put a gun to Alec's head to get him to do that.
Cory shrugged. "I worry about the social worker visits plus it's a habit. Growing up, I was always trying to be good, especially when my foster parents were nice and I wanted to keep living with them, maybe even get adopted. Something always happened."
"Do you stay in touch with any of your foster families?" Alec asked.
"A few of them a little bit. Usually around the holidays I'll hear from them."
Alec could tell that he didn't feel close to any of them. He must have lived in so many different homes and didn't have one of his own.
"You're all set now for a family so you can stop trying so hard," Alec told him.
"I can't help it. I got shuffled around, at the mercy of other people. Sometimes it seemed like for no reason, I would leave one foster home for another. We already have too much in common. I don't want Teddy to know what that feels like."
