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  I knew that I should be writing. I had a deadline approaching and a meeting with my editor to talk about where this work in progress was going. I was close to being on track but struggling a bit to really get started. I usually had more groundwork down before checking in for the summer. It would be good to have a solid idea of what the plot for this book would be. A nap sounded good—it might calm my mind so I could focus on my book and not Josh.

  I entered my bedroom and started pulling off my clothes sending the shirt, shorts, shoes, and socks in all directions. The white cotton sheets looked cozy and I wanted to nothing between me and them while I slept. I climbed in and pulled the sheets and comforter around me and closed my eyes.

  Sleep did not come, however. Instead, I pictured Josh as he stood there, naked and erect. I grew hard and smiled at the feel of my penis against the sheets. I replayed sucking and licking his nipples and the effects on his body. I loved men with sensitive nipples and playing with ones that hardened and were large enough to flick and bite.

  My right hand moved down to make contact and I began to stroke slowly. Josh had not touched me this morning, but I imagined he was now. I wanted his mouth to explore my body. My left hand rubbed my chest and stomach and felt a tingle spread. I stroked harder.

  In my mind I was kneeling again and taking Josh into my mouth, tasting his precum as the tip rolled across my tongue. I wanted to savor the precum and hoped Josh always got as wet as he had today. More importantly, I wanted him to shoot loads like he had today, large and powerful, forcing me to gulp to keep any from escaping.

  My back arched as my approaching orgasm intensified. I threw the sheet back seconds before cum bubbled out over the tip. I grunted and writhed until the ejaculation ended. When I opened my eyes, the image of Josh disappeared and reality returned—a reality that what happened this morning was probably just a one-time thing. I would help out in the office until things were squared away. George and Josh would settle on a plan for the cabins and the business. I would work on my book, finish out the summer, and return home. The memory would fade.

  I stepped out of bed and into the bathroom where I soaked a wash cloth and cleaned myself up. I returned to bed and again wrapped myself up. This time, I slept.

  Chapter Five

  The nap did clear my head. When I awoke an hour later, I pulled on my boxers and a t-shirt and headed to my laptop.

  My open file showed incoherent ramblings form where I had left off. I hit “Enter” three times and started anew and typed with vigor for a solid twenty minutes.

  I broke to get a glass of water and to start a pot of coffee. Ideas were tumbling in my brain in a way they had not for weeks. They tumbled in a way that I always prayed for—plentiful and complex. I wanted to mine this inspiration for all that I could. There was potential here to get the core of the book nailed down and meet my deadline.

  Beau appeared at my side expectedly and I checked his water and filled his food bowl. For myself, I filled a plate with crackers, deli meat, and slices of cheese. I needed something quick that would tide me over and not slow my progress. I surrounded myself with the snack, water, and coffee and started writing again.

  Three cups of coffee, a refill of snacks, and five thousand words later, I rubbed my eyes and looked at the time. The sun had set and I was not surprised that it was approaching eight. I saved my work and sent the new material to the printer to look over in the morning. A lot would be trashed or rewritten, but it was an incredible start. I already anticipated the coming days to be a much lower word count as inspiration waned and writing became more of a trial. Putting ideas to paper did not always work out the way a writer wanted. It was like love in some ways—we hoped for something, but it would take turns we did not expect and took more work than we were always willing to give in order to get things right. In the end, writers hoped it was worth it.

  Beau sensed my movement and appeared at my side with a ball in his mouth, wagging his tail.

  “Do you want to play?”

  Beau bolted towards the door, pawed at it, and turned to look at me. I hesitated to follow thinking about my attire. Then I realized in the dark it was unlikely anyone would see these were not shorts but boxers. Even in the daylight I had sat on the porch in similar dress and no one knew because of the distance between the cabins. I opened the door and moved out to the porch with Beau.

  “Drop it,” I commanded. Beau did and descended the stairs. I picked up the ball and tossed it away from the cabin. Beau caught it after the first bounce, brought it back, and set it down at the top of the stairs. This was his favorite game. We played for ten minutes until Beau laid down on the porch panting and smiling.

  I went inside to put on jeans and shoes and check my hair. I felt I had earned an evening out instead of trying to put together dinner for myself at this hour. I called Beau inside and give him a chew toy.

  The restaurant on the highway was a quick walk away and should still be serving. Since I first came up, it had changed owners a few times. The name might change, but the menu did not stray far from the burgers, sandwiches, and typical bar food options.

  The current owners were Jim and Molly Jenkins. They had each grown up in the area. They were young but had bought the restaurant for a steal that seemed to set them up for success in surviving the ebbs and flows of tourist seasons. Off season, they were still close enough to other small mountains towns to get a dinner crowd and bar patrons.

  I arrived after a short walk. There were three tables occupied as the dinner rush drew to an end. I joined two other patrons at the bar.

  Molly appeared from the kitchen, “Alex! I wondered if you were back this summer!”

  “This is my third day here, but the first night that I’ve ventured out.”

  Molly swatted me with a towel, “Make sure you stop in a lot. I’ve missed you.”

  Last summer I spent quite a few nights with Jim and Molly. I heard their plans for the restaurant and I shared about my writing. At the end of a long day we all enjoyed some friendly chit chat. Molly also poured extra wine when Jim was not looking.

  “I’ve missed you, too.” I looked as she moved from behind the bar to give me a hug. “I think I’ve also missed some major news.”

  Molly blushed and rubbed her belly, “Twins. We can hardly believe it.”

  “That’s so exciting!”

  “Jim’s stressed. We weren’t really planning this.”

  “Twins are a big deal, especially with all that you two do here every day.”

  Molly stepped behind the bar, “Wine?”

  “You know me so well.”

  “I’ve got something special,” she surveyed a group of red wine bottles on the counter behind the bar. “I know you’re suspicious of Arizona wines, but this one’s really good.” She poured, “First one’s on me.”

  “I’m a fan already.”

  She checked on the others at the bar, popping open a few beers.

  “So, what’s the plan with all of this?” Jim and Molly worked crazy hours. Having kids—much less twins—would change all of that.

  “It definitely helps that we’re close to family—both of our moms are chomping at the bit to get their hands on their first grand baby. I think we are preventing having drama by giving each of them one to hold.”

  “And the restaurant?”

  “We’ve got some good, tenured staff that we think we can trust to pick up the slack—things have improved since last summer.” I was there the night that most of the dishes ran out of key ingredients, the beer refrigerators were not chilling, and the staff was crumbling under pressure.

  The kitchen door opened again and a young man stepped through. He ran his hand to sweep his blond hair back from over his eyes. His gaze fell to me and he smiled.

  “Cody, perfect timing. I want you to meet Alex. You’ll probably be seeing him a lot this summer—he stays in George’s cabins each summer. Keep his wine full and you’ll make him happy.”

  Cody reached out to sha
ke my hand, “Nice to meet you. I looked forward to keeping you filled.”

  I normally see a double entendre coming but this one caught me off guard. Most of the time I encountered good old boys here who treated me with suspicion until I proved I was not trying to get into their pants. Cody was young and cute but this was still far from a gay bar or any setting where I would expect suggestive banter.

  Cody moved down the bar checking in on the stock of beer in the coolers and taking notes.

  Molly winked at me, “I thought you two might get along.”

  “I think you have enough to worry about other than my love life.”

  “Well, if you don’t mess it up, it will be ones less thing on my mind.”

  I shook my head, “He seems a little young.”

  “That’s not always a bad thing, dear. It’s like ten years. It’s not that uncommon these days.” Molly left me with my wine to take care of the list of chores she had in her mind. I tried to be subtle glancing Cody’s way every now and then. He was about my height, trim through the waist, with a nice round ass. It was the kind of body I worked hard in my twenties to achieve but never quite made it happen. His hair fell down over his face whenever he looked down and he had to flip it back up with a snap of the neck or run his hands through like a comb. Each time his eyes sparkled. I doubted at his age that he quite understood what his looks did to me. His lack of awareness of his sexiness just made him even more attractive.

  If he turned or looked my way I looked down or towards the TV that was tuned into a baseball game. If anyone asked, I would not have a clue what was actually happening or even who was playing.

  “I officially have to ask, but I assume you want some more?” Cody held up the bottle of wine Molly had recommended. I nodded and Cody poured above the normal amount and winked at me.

  “Do you have any extra paper and a pen?”

  Cody disappeared into the back and produced a small spiral notepad and two bens, “Black or blue?”

  The blue looked like the kind I usually used – smooth flowing ink that quickly dried. I may have even left it here last summer. I had not planned to write at the bar tonight. I often did but since the day had been so productive, a night off seemed to be in order. Now I wanted something to keep me occupied other than thoughts of seeing Cody out of his tight jeans. There was only so much baseball that I could take.

  “Molly said you were a writer. Did something inspire you?”

  I reddened – more like distracted me. Spending time at the cabin usually put me miles away from men I found attractive. First Josh and now Cody – this was becoming a different summer than I had planned.

  “I guess it’s the wine,” I said. Cody’s smiled faded, probably he was hoping I would flirt a bit. Why was I so bad at this? “And maybe the view…”

  Cody turned to add some beers to the stock in the fridge behind him. He bent displaying his ass in my direction, “Well, let me know if you need anything else.”

  I shifted in my seat. My cock was hardening and looking for space in my jeans. I pretended to write but my eyes followed Cody as he worked and continued to find suggestive poses in my sightline.

  By my fourth glass I had several pages of doodles and random scribbles. I had attempted some words but nothing I would ever be able to use. I closed it and set it aside next to the empty plate that had been my dinner. Molly appeared putting on a light jacket.

  “Night, Alex. See you tomorrow?”

  “We will see how productive I am and if I’ve earned a night out. I’ve been helping out in the office for George.”

  “Tell him hi for me. I’ve only seen him a couple of times since his heart attack.” She fussed at her clothes and continued, “I’m done for the night. Jim’s stuck in the back doing payroll and some other accounting—I doubt you will see him—but he said hi.”

  “Do you need someone to walk you home?”

  “You’re sweet, but I can manage. I drove even though the cabin is just around the corner.” Molly kissed me on the cheek and left. Jim and Molly’s place was part of the west side of Lakeside Estates. It was close, but sometimes from my cabin it felt worlds away. Locals did not mix too much with the tourists.

  I looked in my wallet and pulled out cash that would cover the wine, dinner, and a healthy tip. I finished the glass and headed out. Cody was delivering drinks to the crowd playing pool in the back of the room.

  The night quickly surrounded me as I moved away from the restaurant. Walks at night were often my favorite. Shapes became distorted; noises were different and hard to detect from which direction they came. The moon was nearly full and cast enough light to guide my path even though I knew it well. I walked slowly, enjoying the darkness and quiet.

  “Alex, hey! Wait up!”

  I turned as a figure approached at a run. I could not make him out but knew it was Cody.

  “I’m glad I caught you,” he said. His face was close to mine and I could feel his breath. I half expected him to lean the last bit and kiss me. I wanted him to kiss me. “You forgot this.”

  I looked down and he was holding the spiral notebook.

  “I figured you might need to use your notes.” If he had opened the notebook, he would have seen my gibberish and known it was not something I needed. Even if there had been something important inside, it was sweet for him to chase me down tonight. Molly told him I was a regular and would be in again soon—most people would simply set it aside until I came back.

  “You didn’t have to chase after me.”

  Cody smiled, “I didn’t mind.” His hand was still on my arm and he gave it a squeeze. “It gave me a chance to chat one on one. It was nice to meet you. And…I’d like to hang out sometime.”

  He dropped his gaze. I imagined what he must be feeling. It was not easy to approach someone you were attracted to.

  “I’d like that,” I said.

  Cody looked up and smiled, “Text me. We will find a time.” He turned and walked back to the restaurant.

  “I don’t have your number.”

  “Check your notebook. I wrote it by your doodles.”

  He had looked in the notebook. There was no fooling him about what I was actually doing all night. It was a smart move on his part. If he chickened out, the odds were I would never look at these doodles again. I admired his ingenuity.

  He disappeared into the restaurant and I headed back towards the cabins. My thoughts were on the last few days. Once again, I realized how different the summer was than my plans. Just when finding a relationship was furthest from my mind, two hot men had emerged from the shadows.

  Back at the cabin, I poured one last glass of wine and threw the ball off the porch for Beau until he seemed content. Then I settled into bed wondering who would pop up in my dreams—Cody or Josh?

  Chapter Six

  I did not dream of either man. I also did not get much sleep. Beau started barking around three. After my third attempt to quiet him and get him to lay down, I got up to make sure there was not someone lurking around the cabin.

  I found nothing. I was also now wide awake.

  I started a pot of coffee and sat down at my desk to get some work done. I read through my emails and focused in on a note from my editor. We knew each other well enough that I could read between the lines that he was nervous about my progress and wanted to see that I was getting somewhere. Yesterday was a great start and if I made the most of this extra time, I should be able to report good news to him.

  Most of my other emails were junk and I closed out of my account. I was tempted to bring up my social media accounts to check in on some writing groups, but knew how easily that became a distraction. I should save that as a reward for getting pages written.

  I opened my file and read the last few pages that I had written to remind myself of where I was in the story and to get back into the flow of where I was going. Soon, I was typing away as the story continued to flow from some mysterious part of my mind.

  I stopped when I realized
the sun was rising. I had earned the right to enjoy the beautiful sky. Beau joined me on the porch after I topped off my coffee cup. I alternated throws of the ball with sips of coffee and gazes at the sky and its changing colors. Sunsets were better but this was still pretty amazing.

  My book was still at the forefront of my thoughts. I liked the characters that were developing. Everything seemed fresh and interesting. My previous two novels had done well in sales, but some critics had said some elements were echoes of earlier works and did not break any new ground. Part of my problem this year had been the fear of writing anything. I doubted everything I wrote—it was all trash! I started, then deleted files, shredded notes, and fought to get anything down. Now that I was up at the cabin and things were flowing, it felt good to have rediscovered the part of me that I had thought had no new ideas.

  Then I changed my focus to Cody. I imagined him still in bed recovering from a long day at work. His hair again falling over his eyes as he slept. I walked inside to my desk and found the notebook. After a few page flips, I found his number in a margin printed in neat blocks. I retrieved my phone, added him as a contact, and brought up the screen to send him a text.

  Here is where I had no fresh ideas of what to say. Should I be funny? Serious? Flirty? Raunchy? I settled on a simple, “Hello. It’s Alex. When did you want to get together?”

  I did not expect a response right away and I hoped the sound of the text coming through did not wake him. I assumed he was at the restaurant late and would be enjoying a chance to get some sleep before another long day.

  I checked the time and decided I should try to get a nap in before I headed into the office and see Josh. What would he be wearing today? Maybe just a towel this time? Would he be aroused from watching porn? I realized I knew very little about him. Very little other than his taste and his feel. He could be any man I had ever hooked up with and forgotten about. Or could he? I had not forgotten about him or the electricity I had felt.