by Zach Jenkins
Parenting is harder than he can imagine.
Levi snapped. “Listen. I don’t need your parenting advice. I don’t need any of those books. Daxter and I will be fine.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I’m sorry about stepping on your toes,” Inigo said immediately, backing down. “I really wasn’t judging you at all. I saw these books before you even came over here. I just know how overwhelmed I would be, and what I would do about it. But we’ve all got our own methods. Please don’t be mad. I think you’re doing a great job with Daxter. A hell of a lot better than I would.”
Levi let out a large breath of relief. He really hadn’t meant to start a fight. The last thing he wanted was to push Inigo away.
“I’m sorry too. Let’s pay and get out of here, and pretend none of this happened.”
“Music to my ears,” Inigo agreed. “The quicker we get back to your house, the better.”
Levi nudged Daxter toward the checkout lines. “Amen.”
Daxter ran ahead to look at the candy.
Inigo grabbed Levi’s hand and said, “You’re stressed. I’ve heard a good massage can help with that.”
“You give good massages?”
“No. But I can do a few other fun things with my fingers that I’ve heard help relieve stress, too.”
Levi smiled, and playfully shoved Inigo.
By the time they made it back to the cars and settled Daxter into his seat with his Icee, Inigo had whispered so many promises of things they could do once Daxter fell asleep, that Levi had trouble concentrating during the rest of the drive and almost missed the turn into his driveway.
10
Inigo
“Did he get back into the tub?” Inigo asked.
“Crap. Daxter, get out and dry yourself off. Brush your teeth and go to bed, man,” Levi shouted toward the bathroom door again.
Inigo wasn’t sure why Levi thought it would go any differently than the last time he had yelled similar directions.
Daxter continued splashing until his dad called his name once more. Only then did Inigo hear the water start to drain.
At least we’re getting a little closer.
“Do I really need to brush my teeth, Levi?” Daxter called out from the half-open door.
“Yes.” The way Levi groaned the word made it clear that this was a regular argument. “Twice a day, remember?”
“But I did it three times yesterday, and once this morning. Shouldn’t I get to skip this one?”
“That’s not how it works. Every day we do it twice, no matter how many times we did it the day before.” To Inigo, Levi added, “The kid is probably a math genius, but if so, he’s going to be an evil one. He’ll probably build a lair in his room someday when I’m not looking.”
Inigo laughed. He’d long since given up any hope of getting laid as it became clear that putting Daxter to bed was not a quick project. He’d only stuck around because the kid was kind of funny, and it was amusing watching Levi try to keep his cool.
Still, Inigo started to think that heading out to a bar might be a better way to spend the rest of the night since Levi and Daxter would probably be arguing all night.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I think I should probably be heading home anyway.”
“Like hell you are. I mean, I won’t stop you if you really need to go. But I really want you to stay. This should only take a few more minutes. Wait right here.”
Levi sprang from the couch and joined Daxter in the bathroom. “You haven’t even put toothpaste on the toothbrush yet? What have you been doing in here, dude? I guess you’re still too young to do this on your own. My bad. Here, let me help.”
Since Levi still seemed interested in getting laid, Inigo decided to stay a little while longer and hope for the best.
A few seconds later, the buzz of an electric toothbrush began, and Levi emerged from the bathroom. He didn’t bother sitting down, though. Like Inigo, Levi apparently believed that he would be needed many more times before the kid was in bed.
“Man, what a crazy night,” Inigo said, trying to ease the tension.
“Crazy? This? This is a pretty normal night around here,” Levi said, the back of his head resting against the wall. “I thought you were a party animal who went out and did actual crazy things.”
Inigo nodded. “That’s true. I spend plenty of nights at the clubs, getting myself into my fair share of trouble, I guess. But all that’s predictable. There might be a fight. There might be some embarrassing pictures with me missing some of my important clothes. There might be a man whose name I don’t remember on the couch the next morning. But that boy in there, he’s wild. I have no idea what he’s going to do next.”
Inigo had meant his words as just a silly diversion, and wasn’t prepared for Levi’s almost sharp reply.
“I bet you a hundred dollars he doesn’t get dressed after he’s done with his teeth.”
“No way, man. I don’t have that kind of money to lose.”
Daxter surprised Inigo by darting to his bedroom as soon as the toothbrush stopped. He raised his eyebrows and told Levi, “Maybe I should’ve taken you up on that bet. The kid’s probably exhausted.”
“This isn’t over yet. Not by a long shot.”
Inigo lay down on the couch. “Okay. I’ll just take a little nap while I wait.”
“No way, man. That’s not allowed.”
Covering a yawn with his fist, Inigo said, “You’ll have to pick your battle. You can either keep me awake or put Daxter to bed. I don’t see how you’re going to be able to do both.”
Levi rolled his eyes and shook his head. “That’s just cruel,” he mumbled, and started raising his fingers one at a time. When all ten of them were up, he marched toward Daxter’s room.
“Oh my God, Daxter. Are you kidding me? Put the book down and get dressed. I can’t believe you’re just sitting there naked.”
Levi had reached the end of his rope. Inigo heard it in his voice. He was a betting man, and he would have put money on the night descending into chaos. Levi would say something that would upset Daxter, and the boy would yell back. By the time things settled down, neither Levi nor Inigo would be in the mood to have any fun.
He had two choices.
The easy one would be to walk out the front door, head to the nearest bar, and start drinking until he needed to call a cab to take him home.
The other option was much trickier. He needed to defuse the situation, get Daxter to fall asleep, and still manage to keep Levi in a frisky mood.
“Hey, Levi, can you come here for a second?” he called out while getting up from the couch.
“Not now, Inigo.”
“Please. Just for a second. I’ve got an idea.”
Inigo chose the second option. He was going to try to fix the problem. Levi might get upset that he overstepped his boundaries, and kick him out. But if it worked, maybe Levi would be extra grateful.
Levi joined him in the living room. “This is a horrible time, man. I don’t think this is going to end well. Maybe we should just call it a night.”
Inigo slowly ran his fingertips down Levi’s shirt. By the time he reached his belly button, Levi’s eyes were closed and he was breathing steadily again.
“Let me have a try. You deal with his tantrums every day. Why don’t you take this one off and let me see what I can do?”
“Seriously?”
Inigo wasn’t happy with how Levi sounded like he didn’t believe Inigo could deal with the situation, but he pressed on as if he hadn’t noticed.
“Yeah. Give me a chance. I just want to make sure we get a chance to have some fun later. But I won’t do anything if it isn’t okay with you.”
Levi bowed, turned to the side, and waved Inigo past. “Good luck. I’m going to pour a beer while I wait. You want one?”
“Definitely. Whatever you got. Something with good head.”
Levi finally smiled again. “Are we still talking about the beer?”
“I’ll tel
l you as soon as I get back.”
Inigo hurried to the end of the hall and knocked on Daxter’s bedroom door. “Hey, little dude, are you dressed?”
“Yeah, Levi said I had to. He said I couldn’t read anymore,” Daxter whined.
Inigo inched the door open enough to confirm the kid really was dressed. “I don’t think that’s quite what he meant. I think he was more likely saying that you have to do things in the right order. Like, it sounds like you guys have a routine, right?”
Daxter shrugged his shoulders. “What’s a routine?”
“A schedule, or checklist. You start with a bath, and then you brush your teeth, and then you get dressed. After all that, you probably read for a few minutes until you are ready to sleep. That was what my routine was like when I was a kid. Well, actually, I got dressed before brushing my teeth, but that’s not the point.”
Inigo didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about his childhood. What forty-two-year-old man does? But when he took a second to allow himself, he remembered that one of his favorite memories was story time before bed. Half the time, he drifted off to sleep before his mom or dad even finished and would dream himself into the story they had been reading.
“What’s your favorite book?”
Daxter hurried to a pile of books in the corner of the room and grabbed a book from the top.
Inigo took the book, and sat on the floor next to the bed. “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? Is that as good as the movies?”
“What movies?” Daxter asked as he scurried into bed and under the covers.
“Maybe you’re too young for those.”
Inigo opened to the first page and started to read. He wasn’t sure exactly when Daxter fell asleep, but he stopped reading after the second chapter. He would have read more—he was starting to get into the story himself—but he heard Levi clear his throat behind him.
Levi was standing in the doorway, holding two frosted mugs of beer. “That was amazing. Thank you. Here, come collect your beer, and I’ll give you that head whenever you’re ready.”
Inigo blushed at the praise. It didn’t feel like he really deserved it. All he’d done was sit in one place and read a book. When he replied, he focused on deflecting the attention. “I don’t know. I was enjoying the book. I think I’ll plop down on the couch and read the rest tonight.”
Levi shook his head. “Come here.”
Inigo wasn’t stupid enough to push his luck too far.
He happily accepted the beer, and, even more so, the kiss that followed it.
When Levi growled, “Get in my bed,” Inigo nodded in agreement, ready to party.
11
Levi
Levi pushed Inigo onto the bed, and quickly locked the door.
“If I’d known you would like my reading voice so much, I would’ve shown it off earlier,” Inigo said.
Levi was embarrassed by how turned on he was. He definitely wasn’t going to admit to Inigo how much of a turn-on it had been to watch him being so…parental. If any of the women he’d dated in his past had said something like that right after they’d started dating, it would have sent Levi running.
Play it cool.
“You seem to be a man of many talents,” Levi said, flipping the switch to turn on the overhead light. If he managed to not ruin the mood, he wanted to get a good look at the man while they fooled around.
Inigo blew across his fingernails and said, “I don’t like to brag, but—”
“Bullshit. You don’t seem like the shy type of guy.” Levi closed the distance between them and pulled Inigo’s shirt up over his head to make sure they didn’t spend any more time arguing.
Levi’s stomach clenched when Inigo hooked his fingers over his waistband and let them dangle lightly against his sensitive skin. He craved more of that touch, but he had things he wanted to take care of first.
“I’m a man of my word, Inigo, and I believe it’s time for me to shut up and suck that dick of yours.”
“I’m a man of…well, a man who is powerless to turn down a blowjob from you, but are you sure this is okay with Daxter in the other room?”
Despite his bravado just a second earlier, the words were a splash of cold water on Levi’s mood. They were a reminder of what he’d feared when he’d first heard he was bringing Daxter home: he was never going to have the chance to be intimate again. He needed to find a way to be a good father and still be able to have a relationship.
Rubbing his hand against Inigo’s cheek, he said, “It’ll be fine. Our parents had sex when we were kids, right? I mean, I know mine did. I have younger brothers. I’m assuming they did the deed when we were asleep.”
“I’m an only child, but I get your point. You’ve convinced me. The only problem is that this bedroom talk of yours sucks. You really need to change the subject.”
“How’s this? I think we should get those pants off of you so we can see whether I can get you ready for action.”
“That’s a little better.” Inigo undid his pants and leaned back on his elbows on the bed. “But careful, there. Don’t go spreading any rumors. I’m always ready for action.”
When Inigo lifted his hips, Levi hurried to pull his pants down. The dick that made Levi lick his lips was large and handsome, but definitely not erect.
“It appears that you and I have very different definitions of what ready for action means, sir. It looks like I have some work ahead of me. I’ll need to note this in my Yelp review.”
“Hopefully that work you mentioned involves using your mouth for more than just telling me about what you plan to do.”
Levi leaned forward and licked firmly along Inigo’s shaft while running his hands across Inigo’s firm stomach. It took almost no time for Inigo to prove that he wasn’t lying about being ready. He hardened almost immediately against Levi’s attention. When Levi switched from long, slow licks to sucks and kisses ever closer to his tip, Inigo groaned and said, “Now we’re getting somewhere. Suck that cock.”
Levi slapped his hand against Inigo’s thigh, and said, “You need to stay quiet, man. I’d hate for you to miss out on your big opportunity just because you couldn’t keep your volume under control and woke up people better left sleeping.” Levi cocked his head toward the other room.
Inigo’s eyes shot wide open. He nodded. Rather than speaking, he twirled his hand in a hurry-up motion and then reached out to grab the back of Levi’s head as if worried that he hadn’t understood the message.
Levi definitely had, though. He needed no convincing. His own dick strained against his pants, encouraging him to finish Inigo as quickly as possible so Inigo could return the favor.
“Very good,” Levi whispered before taking Inigo into his mouth.
Neither man spoke while Levi did his best to work his magic. Based on the occasional grunt and groan that escaped from Inigo, he knew he was on the right track.
He worked the dick with just his mouth, freeing his hands to explore Inigo’s body.
With all the new pressures in Levi’s life, a man like Inigo would be the perfect distraction from the millions of worries of his regular day. Inigo was wild and impulsive, and both times they bumped into each other, Levi had been able to relax and have a great time.
Levi wasn’t ready to throw himself completely into any relationship at the moment, but regular booty calls certainly wouldn’t do any harm. And if Inigo wanted more than that, Levi would definitely be willing to talk.
While he’d been distracted in his own thoughts, he’d lost track of how close to an orgasm Inigo was getting. When Inigo grabbed his head firmly with both hands and started thrusting roughly into his mouth, it forced him back to the moment. He smiled against the fat cock and prepared to swallow whatever Inigo gave him.
He didn’t have to wait long.
Levi didn’t pull away from Inigo until he licked the last drop clean.
Afterward, Inigo collapsed onto his back and covered his face with his hands. “Goddamn, you’re so good at that
.”
Levi smiled, proud that he’d made Inigo so happy. Playfully, he shushed Inigo. “The other room.”
Inigo started to laugh, and quickly stifled it. “Got it loud and clear. Your turn?”
Levi nodded and hurried out of his clothes as the two men hurried to switch positions on the bed. Levi adjusted the pillow behind his head until he was comfortable. When he finally looked down, Inigo was staring back at him with his hands on his hips.
“Almost ready there?” Inigo asked.
“Just making sure I have a good view for the show. You may begin.”
As Inigo lowered himself to Levi’s dick, Levi wondered how he was going to keep himself from screaming. He wasn’t used to holding back during sex. Back at the hotel, it hadn’t really mattered. They hadn’t known any of the other guests and didn’t really care if what they did woke any of them.
But he would certainly have to restrain himself from shouting in his own home. Waking Daxter up would be bad enough, but paying for all the therapy afterward would be horrible.
Inigo licked up the length of his shaft in a slow, yet assertive manner. “Oh my God,” Levi said. “That feels so good.”
“You’ll really like this then,” Inigo said. He wrapped his lips just over the tip, creating a snug vacuum seal while flicking the tip of his tongue over Levi’s slit. “Fuck,” Levi gasped. When he heard his voice in the quiet room, he covered his mouth with both hands. His body tensed, as he listened for sounds of movement in the other bedroom.
“Are you okay?” Inigo asked.
Levi nodded. “I will be.”
Inigo nodded back, and lowered his lips back against Levi’s dick. His hand gently cupped his balls while his fingertip played lightly against his asshole.
Levi was thinking to himself that this was exactly what he needed when Inigo surprised him by taking his entire dick into his mouth in one quick motion.
“Yes! Right there!” Levi shouted.
Even Inigo froze after the outburst. The two sat silently, waiting to see if Daxter was going to wake up.
