Boys in Heat

'Man, I wish we had arranged any other day to do this.'

I parked right outside the front door, watching the electronic gates closing behind me in the rear-view mirror. Switching the engine off, the air conditioning blowing lukewarm air into our faces stopped and we were enveloped by a wall of heat once more.

'We'll be OK,' Logan said, opening the passenger door and stepping out. He put his right hand on his brow, staring at the house. 'I guarantee you this fucker's got a pool.'

I smiled. 'Yeah, cause he'll definitely let us use it while we're on the clock.'

I got out and shut the door behind me. It had been a twenty-five-minute drive from picking up Logan at his place to here. The hood of the truck was the brightest red I'd ever seen under the glare of the sun. How long would it take to fry an egg on that thing? I placed my palm on it and quickly let go. Not long at all.

Logan put his hands in his pockets and sauntered up the steps to the front door. He was wearing a pair of black gym shorts and a white wife beater. I was the same, but with the colours swapped. That was one of the beauties of doing what we do; never having to get dressed up a day in your life.

I knew from the moment the guy texted me his address that he had money; you couldn't live in this neighborhood without it. But this place had to be the biggest house on the street. Three floors, window shutters, white columns in front of the door.

This job better not take all day.

'Hang on,' I said as Logan went to ring the bell. He stopped and turned, waiting for me to reach him. 'I do the talking, remember?'

Logan rolled his eyes. 'What do you think I'm gonna say? Ask can I have a beer and jerk off on the couch?'

'Wouldn't surprise me.'

Logan laughed and put his hands in his pockets, his triceps flexing with every move he made. His body looked even better in the summer sun. I was trying - and failing - not to look.

I always did the talking on jobs. Logan is just as good a worker as me, but I come across more professional. You have to show some level of decorum, especially when you're dealing with rich people. Logan is more rough around the edges.

The door opened seconds after I'd wiped the sweat already forming on my brow.

'Mr. Nicholson?' I said, extending my non-sweaty hand. 'I'm James and this is Logan. We're the gardeners.'

'Dave,' he answered, shaking my hand. 'Hell of a day for it. It's scorching out there.'

I stepped inside, the cool air nothing short of euphoric. Mr. Nicholson was wasting no time and was already heading down the hallway to the back. I glanced into the sitting room as we followed, seeing an armchair still wrapped in plastic and a floor length mirror not removed from its box.

'Been here long?' I asked.

'Three days,' he said. 'I gotta warn you, there's been no work done to the garden since the other guy moved out so it's a bit of a jungle out there.'

'No problem.'

Logan was behind me, whistling in appreciation at the double staircase. I silently beckoned him on.

We went through the kitchen and Mr. Nicholson opened a pair of French doors leading out into the amazon where we would be spending the next few hours. He wasn't kidding when he said jungle. This guy better not be stingy with the tips.

'Everything you need is in the garage,' he said, pointing to the right. 'I know it looks bad, but I'm sure with the two of you it won't take long.'

'Absolutely,' I said a little too loudly, trying to drown out whatever Logan was muttering under his breath.

'I've got to go pick my wife up,' Mr. Nicholson said, grabbing his car keys off the kitchen counter. 'I should be back in about two hours or so.'

I nodded. 'We'll have the place in much better shape by then.'

'Great. See you.' He gave us both a nod and left.

'Holy shit,' Logan said as soon as the front door shut. 'Look at this fuckin' place. I think I actually

will

jerk off on that couch.'

'Just do it on the cover so you don't leave a mark,' I said.

He smiled, giving me a playful punch on the shoulder. It wasn't like the ones he usually gave, though. It was softer and his skin lingered on mine for longer. I blinked, looking away.

Did I imagine that? I probably did.

We headed back into the searing heat and around to the garage.

'I call dibs on the mower,' Logan said, darting past me and jumping onto the seat.

This meant I was stuck trimming the bushes. I found the shears on one of the bottom shelves and placed them at my feet.

Just as I was putting on my gloves, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I fished it out, hoping it wasn't from the person I thought it would be from.

I scanned the screen. It was. Trying not to make my anger too obvious, I kept my face as neutral as possible as I read the message. I could feel the fury bubbling up inside me as I reached the end.

I immediately started typing out a reply, my fingers punching the screen harder with each letter. Then I stopped. I looked at what I was saying and then quickly erased it.

Take the high road, James. Take the fucking high road.

'You OK bro?' I looked up. Logan was staring at me. 'You look like you're about to punch the wall.'

I put my phone away and forced a smile. 'Sure,' I said, putting on my gloves. 'Come on, let's work up a sweat.'

***

I licked around the rim, making sure I got every drop. I put the empty bottle on the porch steps and wondered how long it would be before I'd have to go inside for another refill. It was the hottest day of the year. I hadn't read that on the news or anything, I just knew it had to be. In fact, I couldn't remember when it was ever this hot before.

Logan's guess had been right. Mr. Nicholson did have a pool. It was at the end of the garden, two beach chairs laid out alongside it. I started at it with longing before picking up the shears again.

A voice called from behind me. I turned around. Logan was mowing the lawn by the right side of the fence.

'Huh?' I called.

'I said, I can't take it anymore,' he yelled over the mower.

'Take what?'

Logan reached down to ends of his wife beater and yanked it off. I watched the muscles of his torso flex as he pushed himself forward, peeling it away from his skin. He had always had a great body, but today, sun-tanned and glistening with sweat, it was hard not to stare. His chest was covered with dark hair leading down his abdomen and past his naval. His legs, from the position he was sat in, looked more muscular than ever; his quads straining the fabric of his shorts. Reaching back, he tossed his vest in the air, ensuring with his throw it landed right on my head. The fabric was damp with seat. Instinctively, I took a breath; his scent filling my nostrils. Masculine but sweet. He grinned at me as I pulled it off.

Logan had a habit of removing his shirt when we were on jobs and I didn't like it. Not the best way of showing professionalism, is it? But we were alone and I was already baking. Screw it.

I yanked my own vest off and tossed it on the porch. Logan whistled. 'Someone's been working out. Who you trying to get into bed with?'

'Shut up,' I said, laughing awkwardly. I could feel my cheeks reddening and quickly turned away.

I

had

been putting the effort in at the gym lately; lifting weights and making sure I was eating right. A few people had mentioned it to me, but I felt particularly pleased Logan had noticed.

A few more moments passed. I moved further to the left, away from the porch and right underneath the sun's glare. Even with my sunglasses on, I still had to squint. I pictured myself walking into the kitchen, sticking my head in the refrigerator and never coming back out again.

'Fuck this,' Logan said.

I looked. He leaned over and switched the lawnmower off, stopping in the middle of the lawn. I glanced around. He had done a pretty decent job, but it wasn't done. There were a few corners near the fence that needed to be worked into and some uneven patches at the end of the garden. He got off the mower and made his way down towards the pool.

'What are you doing?'

'What does it look like?' he said, smiling back at me. 'I need to cool down, man. I can't work like this.'

I dropped the clippers and went after him. 'Dude if that guy comes back and catches you in the pool, we're screwed.'

'What's he gonna do? Leave us a bad review?' Logan waved his hand like it was nothing.

'That could actually mess us up. This guy probably has rich friends he could recommend us to.'

Logan stared at me, lifting his hands to his waist. He undid the top button of his shorts, followed by the second and the third. He pulled them down to his ankles and tossed them to the side. His underwear was black, snug around his thighs. He hooked his hands into the sides and pulled them straight down before kicking them off with his foot.

Despite being friends since our freshman year of high school, Logan and I had never been naked in front of each other. In our underwear? Sure. But I never knew what he was packing until now.

His dick was long and girthy; at least eight inches and he wasn't even hard. Now I knew why he was never without a girlfriend for long.

'You worry too much James,' he said. 'Relax.'

Logan turned around and walked the remaining steps to the pool. I was glad he had his back to me because my mouth fell open as soon as I saw his butt. He certainly had been doing his squats. That thing was big and round. He put his hands in the air and dived into the pool, drops of water splashing my toes.

'Fuck, that's better.' He turned around, slicking his hair back. 'You getting in or what?' Another big smile spread across his face.

I glanced at the time on my phone and then back at the house. We did have time. Really, what was stopping me? It wasn't the fear that Mr Nicholson would come back and catch us slacking off. It was something else. A feeling that had been in the back of my mind, flickering to the forefront every now and then, usually when I didn't want it to. I shook my head, as though doing so would shake those thoughts away. I didn't want to think about them right now. I really didn't.

Logan shoved both his hands forward, sending a splash of water onto my face. 'You zoning out on me over there?'

I took my sunglasses off, followed by my shorts and underwear, feeling Logan's eyes on me the entire time.

He's looking at you, but he's not looking at you like that. Don't be ridiculous.

He swam to the side on his back and I dived in, feeling the water envelop me, cool and sharp. God, it felt good.

I got on my back with my arms stretched on either side; Logan's splashes sounded miles away over the water in my ears. Eventually, I turned and dived under, touching the bottom of the pool with my right hand. I looked across and saw Logan front crawling towards me at breakneck speed. I swerved to the left just in time to miss his fists bashing into my face. I went down low enough that his body went right over mine with probably an inch, if that, between us. Before I could move again, his dick brushed against my chest and shoulder.

I came up for air, running my hands through my hair to shake off the excess drops. 'You trying to knock me out or something?' I said, the skin where his dick touched me still tingling.

'Just testing your reflexes.' He smiled.

I know looking down in the water can make everything look bigger, but I was pretty sure Logan was starting to get hard.

No, not pretty sure, positive.

Had he brushed up against me like that on purpose?

He met my gaze and held it. He said nothing, but the look in his eyes felt like he was daring me to look down again, to make sure I was seeing what I thought I was.

My dick started to get hard. I turned and swam to the other end of the pool, feeling my heartbeat quicken in my chest. I hoped he hadn't seen that. I was faster hiding it than he was.

When I reached the other end and turned around, Logan was still in the exact same spot, watching me.

'What?' I said.

Another grin spread across his face. 'You must really, really like swimming, James.'

***

We climbed out of the pool about ten minutes later and sat on the beach chairs to relax.

'Some towels would come in handy,' I said.

'In this heat, we'll be dry again in five minutes.'

Logan's eyes were closed, his face angled towards the sun. He sat with his legs spread, cock hanging between his thighs. It was soft again.

Jesus, stop fucking looking down there. What are you doing? He's your friend. He's not interested in you. This is all in your head.

I put my head back and closed my eyes, sighing. We still had a while before Mr. Nicholson would be back. I wished we'd done more of the garden before diving in, because going back to it now was the last thing I wanted to do.

'What was up with you earlier, by the way?' Logan said.

I looked over. 'What do you mean?'

'The messages you were getting.' He frowned slightly. 'Everything OK?'

My phone was in the pocket of my shorts. Like clockwork, it buzzed with another message. I didn't bother checking it this time.

'Zoe's been driving me nuts lately.'

'Oh yeah?'

I nodded. 'The text she sent earlier was just one big lecture. She feels like I'm not giving her enough attention lately. Says I'm distant, distracted.'

'Distracted by what?'

I shrugged. 'She said she thinks I like someone else. She's never caught me cheating so I don't know what she wants me to do.' I sighed. 'I'll reply eventually. I just don't wanna deal with it right now.'

'Well, do you?' Logan asked.

'Do I what?'

'Like someone else?'

I looked at him and opened my mouth to reply before he spoke again.

'It's OK if you do, I mean, you're only human right?'

I hesitated. How to answer? I suppose I could play coy. 'I don't know, maybe... I guess so.'

'Another girl?'

I said nothing.

He leaned over slightly in his chair, his voice lowering. 'A guy?'

I turned. 'What?'

'Do you like another guy?'

I could feel my face turning hot. Feeling exposed, I folded my arms and frowned, pretending like this was an absurd question to ask.

'N-no, course not.' I laughed awkwardly.

I was looking down at the ground now but I could still feel his eyes on me.

'It's OK if you do James, you can tell me.'

I looked back at him. He met my eyes right away, a small smile spreading across his lips.

'Well?' he said, after a moment of silence.

I considered saying no right away and reminding him that I was not into guys. But that wouldn't be completely honest, would it? Besides, we weren't in the habit of lying to each other.

'I... I don't know,' I said under my breath. My neck was turning hot now too. I had been naked for several minutes but hadn't felt more exposed than right at this moment.

Logan didn't respond right away and I immediately regretted my words. I should've just said no. This was getting awkward now. We never should've got in the pool together. I prepared to stand up and tell him we needed to get back to work when he spoke again.

'I've done stuff with guys you know,' Logan said, likely sensing I was preparing to change the conversation.

I had not been expecting that. 'You have?'

He nodded. 'Sure. If it feels good, it feels good.'

The emotions I felt in that moment confused me. I was pleased to hear Logan had an attraction to other guys and wasn't afraid to act on it, but I was also not happy that he had been doing this for God knows how long and I'd never been involved. Seven years of friendship and he'd never said a word.

'You've never said anything before.'

'That's cause you get awkward talking about that sorta stuff.' He leaned over and gave me another nudge on the shoulder, even softer than his first one. 'Like right now.'

Maybe those signals he was giving me weren't all in my head.

'You ever touched another guy's dick before?'

I shook my head. 'No.'

He smiled again, his perfect white teeth shining under the sun's glare. 'You wanna try it?'

'Logan, I'm not sure if we should -'

'Come on man, it's me you're talking to here. We're buddies.'

He repositioned his chair so it was closer to mine and spread his legs, giving me a full view of his cock.

'Give it a try.'

I held my breath. I pictured myself standing up, telling Logan to put his clothes back on and get back to work, both of us promising to never speak of this again.

But sometimes what you

think

you should do and what you

want

to do are two different things.

Casting away my thoughts of doubt, I leaned over and wrapped my right hand around the shaft of Logan's cock; it was warm and smooth in my hand. Slowly, I moved my palm back and forth, enjoying the feeling of his skin against mine.

Logan's smile widened. 'There you go.'

I could feel him hardening in my hand, his balls tightening as the blood rushed into his shaft. I let my hand run along the full length of his dick before I gently rubbed his head with my thumb.

'Oh fuck,' he said, letting his head roll back. 'Fuck, that feels good, man.'

I briefly glanced up the garden and into the dark house. There was still no sign of Mr. Nicholson, no sound of cars nearby. We were completely alone.

When I turned back to Logan, he had leaned over and placed his hand on my cock. Our faces were only a few inches apart. His mouth hung open slightly, his breath warm on my neck. We locked eyes as we jerked each other off, pulsations of pleasure coursing through my body.

I became hard within seconds. I'd been jerked off by Zoe before, but this was completely different. There was something about the way he touched me that drove me wild.

Why had neither of us never made a move before now?

We moved closer again, me draping my legs over his. Logan pressed his cock against mine and began to grind back and forth, rubbing them together. Our heads touched, both already slick with precum, and I moaned loudly.

'That feels good?' Logan said, his voice barely above a whisper.

The sun was still beating down on us. I'd put sunscreen on just before I'd left the house, but I wasn't sure it was strong enough to prevent a burn under these rays. A bead of sweat was making its way down my neck, tickling the skin. Logan put his hands around my waist, which felt even more intimate than when he touched my cock, and gently licked it off.

'It feels amazing,' I said breathlessly.

Without another word, we kissed. Lips gently parting, our tongues touched. I put my hands around his back, feeling the muscles of his shoulder blades contract as we explored each other. I emitted an involuntary moan of pleasure and Logan responded by pushing his tongue deeper. I'd been kissed before, of course; plenty of times. But none of them compared to this. As soon as our lips met, I knew it felt right. This was how a kiss is supposed to feel.

I wasn't sure how long our tongues were locked like that but when we eventually pulled apart, I knew what I wanted next. Logan seemed to be reading my mind because he lay back in the beach chair and spread his thick thighs open once more.

'Suck my dick, man,' he said. 'I want my dick sucked so bad.'

I wanted it bad too, more than he knew. And yet, I was nervous. What if I wasn't any good at it? I'd heard all the rumours that guys are better at giving head because they know how to work with what they've got, but I'd never tried it before. God knows how many blowjobs Logan had got in his life. Enough to make me worry I might not measure up.

He read my face, trying to tell what I was feeling. 'You'll do great,' he said. A big, weak-at-the-knees grin spread across his face. 'And I know you're gonna like it.'

I felt my cheeks redden as I climbed onto Logan's beach chair and lowered myself down, salivating at the view of his torso slick with sweat. I took the base of his cock in my hands once more. As I opened my mouth, I felt his hand gently touch the back of my head, guiding me down. I wrapped my lips around the head; his girth slowly filling my mouth. I ran my tongue along the shaft, feeling it growing even harder. My taste buds perceived a slight saltiness from the sweat on his skin. I savoured it.