Chasing Charlie

*Author's note: Main characters are 18+.

This is a standalone story that features characters from 'Bait a Hook' and 'Plotting a Course.'

I hope that you enjoy it. Please comment and let me know. Thanks for reading!*

*****

Prologue

I grumbled as I rolled over to silence the annoying, shrill sound that escaped the alarm clock. The screen flashed 5:33 AM and I groaned as I dragged myself out of bed. The mid-summer sun was starting to clear the horizon and a soft glow illuminated the thin curtain covering the window. I shuffled into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee before stumbling into the shower. I let the warm water wash the apple-scented shampoo suds off of my shortly cropped brown hair. I went through the motions as my body started to wake up and adjust to its daily routine. I was getting older, but noticed I was still in good shape for a man thirty-five years old. My furry belly had softened a little over the years, but I could still make out my abdominal muscles in the mirror.

I brushed my teeth and looked into my green eyes, the same green eyes that most of the men in my family had. Everyone in these parts knew my family, but if they didn't they could pick us out at relatives just from our eyes. Even my nephew Rob inherited matching eyes. I slid on my light blue boxer shorts before pulling on a pair of tight Wrangler jeans. They were snug in the butt and I could tell other people, especially the ladies, would take an extra glimpse when I walked by. I slid on a simple white t-shirt that was probably a little too small, but I liked the way it hugged my bicep and pectoral muscles.

Not wanting to be late, I poured a large travel mug of coffee. I walked out my front door, not bothering to lock it behind me, and headed to my trusty old Silverado pickup truck. It was white with a two red pinstripes. The red vinyl bench seat was hot as I eased down onto it. I rolled down my windows before starting her up and heading on my way.

It was six o'clock on the dot when I pulled into the animal shelter. Every Wednesday for the past few years I had volunteered to open the shelter for the day. I saw a box sitting by the door and sighed knowing that we had some more mouths to feed. I parked in the shade of an old pecan tree and headed towards the door. I keyed in the code to open the door as I peered into the box. The box had five newborn puppies. They were some type of hound, maybe beagles, but I couldn't be certain at this age. They were definitely newborns; their eyes were still sealed shut.

I carefully maneuvered the box inside and placed the pups under a heat lamp and turned it on. The scent of dogs, cats, and cedar chips filled my nostrils. I walked into the closet and pulled out a plastic laundry basket and grabbed a handful of towels to line the basket. Once I was satisfied with the new bed I had created, I carefully picked up the puppies, one-by-one, and placed them on the soft towels. The last pup was the runt, about a third smaller than his brothers and sisters. I felt sorry for him and gently placed him into the pile of huddled puppies.

In the pantry I found some formula and mixed up a batch. I retrieved a bottle and placed a small nipple on it. I returned to the dogs and nursed the starving puppies. They drank greedily and I focused my attention on the last pup, the runt of the litter. He tried to nurse on the bottle, but he couldn't get his mouth around the rubber nub. I carried him with me into the kitchen and found a small dropper. I placed him on the towel when I returned to the exam room and filled the dropper with fluid. I cradled the tiny puppy in my left hand as I held the dropper to his lips. His tiny little tongue escaped his mouth and licked at the nourishing fluid. I fed him four droppers before he stopped licking and fell asleep in my hand. I placed him with his litter mates before tending to the other animals in the shelter.

"Saw the new pups Charlie." I heard as I saw Ginny walk into the shelter. Ginny was a widow in her seventies. Her silver hair was perfectly curled as she walked over to join me next to the "cat condos," as she liked to call them. Ginny stood five foot, five inches tall, but when she entered a room, people noticed. Her husband was a farmer and when he passed she sold his massive acreage of land, save ten acres. With her small track of land and her money from the sale, she opened this animal shelter. She was very generous, and like me, hated seeing neglected or stray animals. Ginny was very business savvy, when she was building her new building she convinced the local veterinarian to move his practice here. She built it with plenty of room; there was a barn for larger animals and large fields for the animals to graze. Dr. Andrews, the veterinarian, agreed when he heard that she would never charge him rent as long as he and his staff helped with the exams of the rescued animals. Having the vet in the same building as the shelter also aided adoptions. People would come in with their pets and see the adorable animals and want to adopt another pet.

I made small talk, catching up with Ginny until she left to answer a phone call. When I went back to check on the new puppies I noticed that Ginny had tied three pink and two blue ribbons around their necks, marking their genders. They were still curled up next to each other, enjoying the shared heat, and the heat from the warm lamp above them. I joined Ginny in her office.

"I think I'm going to take the little guy if he makes it." I told her.

"Take 'em all if you want." Ginny answered smiling as she looked up at me.

"I can't have five dogs in my house Ginny; you know I would adopt them all if I could."

"I know Charlie; you have a good heart, that's why you've helped me out all of these years." Ginny set down the paper she was reading and moved her glasses to the top of her silver hair. "You need to find someone to take care of you Charlie." Her expression was serious, and a little bit sad as she spoke. "Find a nice girl, settle down."

"Yeah, yeah." I answered, cringing a little at her advice. "Slim pickings around here." I shrugged and she studied me over the lenses of her reading glasses before placing them back over her eyes.

"Charlie, you're so handsome, if I were thirty years younger..." She flashed me a toothy grin. "You've gotta put yourself out there."

"I'll take that into consideration." I answered before standing up and heading out of her office to check on the pups. What would Ginny think of me if she knew the truth? As long as I could remember I had never been attracted to women, sure I thought some were pretty, beautiful even, but they never drew my attention in a sexual way. I tried unsuccessfully at dating up until my late twenties. I had had a few sexual relationships, but they were ultimately unsatisfying. What I desired, what I was attracted to, was the male form.

The Eastern Shore of Virginia was mainly small farming and fishing towns. I see stories about how accepting some cities are to homosexuals, but I have never known anyone to be gay where I live. At the slightest sign of difference there would probably be a riot. It was a combination of fear and ignorance that I stayed abstinent from my deepest yearning.

*One year later*

Chapter 1: Tipping Point

"Hey Rob, can you watch Bear for me today? I need to run some errands across the bay, I would take him with me, but it's too hot to leave him the truck." I talked to my nephew through the phone.

"Hey Uncle Charlie, I'm going fishing today, but Bear can come, I'll throw him in the water if he gets hot." I heard Rob laugh as he finished speaking.

"Bear can swim, just make sure you dry his ears out if he goes, don't want him to get an infection." I answered. "Where are you, I'll come drop him off?"

"I gotta pick up Chuck, so I can stop by your place on the way." Rob answered.

"Thanks Rob, I appreciate it." Rob was a good kid and always helped when I needed him.

I heard my little beagle Bear howl before I saw the tell-tale trail of dust coming down the dirt drive. I filled a plastic grocery bag with two bowls, a Ziploc bag of dog food, and a bottle of water. Bear was the runt of the litter, and the smallest beagle that I had ever seen. People teased me that I named him Bear, but I thought it was fitting. When I found the little guy he wasn't in good shape, I nursed to him back to health and got so attached to him that I brought him home with me. Bear might have been small, but he was tough, he was a fighter, he deserved the name as much as any big dog.

I opened the door and Bear ran out and immediately jumped up on Rob begging for attention. Bear was a good judge of character, if he didn't like you he wouldn't pay you any attention, which was a good sign to me. If Bear liked you, that was high praise. Rob looked a lot like me; we were both six-foot-tall with brown hair cut short. He was more muscular than I was, but he was a virile eighteen-year-old kid in his prime. I am thirty-six years old. Rob's dad is my older brother and they live about ten minutes down the road. I got along pretty well with my brother, but he resented the fact that dad left me the farm house when he passed; being older he thought he should have gotten it. Our dad left us both the farm. I farm my half, and my brother leases his half out.

"Hey Uncle Charlie!" Rob called as I walked over to where Bear was on his back getting his belly rubbed.

"Thanks Rob." I answered handing him the plastic bag. "He probably won't eat because he'll be too busy sniffing everything, if you see him try to drink salt water stop him."

"I know Uncle Charlie." Rob said smiling. "He's too smart to try to drink salt water anyway." Rob scooped up my little beagle and plopped him on the bench seat of his truck. Rob climbed in after him and bear immediately climbed in his lap with his head hanging out the window. I shook Rob's hand and gave Bear a final scratch behind the ears.

"I'll come pick him up when I get back. Thanks again." I waved and Rob pulled away with Bear happily sniffing the air as they drove away.

*

I made quick work of my errands, I always hated crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel into the busy streets of Virginia Beach and Norfolk. I had to though because unless I wanted to drive to Maryland which was much further away. I decided to grab something to eat before I headed back home and noticed the bright orange letters spelling out HOOTERS and got an instant craving for chicken wings and an ice cold beer. I turned off of Military Highway and into the Hooters parking lot, which was surprisingly full. It was fairly loud inside and I took a seat at the end of the bar.

"How can I help you today handsome?" A bleached blonde, wafer thin, top-heavy, waitress asked as she put a napkin on the counter. She probably would be cute if she didn't look like she was in a Dolly Parton lookalike contest, it would be a miracle if she didn't have back pain hauling around those melons on her chest.

"Yes, may I have ten wings hot and a Bud Light please?" I asked and she grinned. I'll put that in for you right now sugar." She winked and walked away. I wondered if all guys fell for this type of flattery and looked around the restaurant and noticed several other guys flirting and practically drooling at their waitresses. Well I wasn't attracted to my waitress, and she'd be getting a tip based on her service, not the size of her rack. I chuckled inwardly and got up to pee and wash my hands before eating, I had been hauling some bags of fertilizer and definitely wanted to wash that off of my hands.

The bathroom was empty and I stepped up to the urinal closest to the sink. I unzipped my wranglers and fished my penis out of the fly of my boxers. I wasn't an expert on dicks, but I always thought mine looked nice and I was rather proud of it. I could only compare it to guys in the locker room or even on porn videos, but I feel like I held my own in that department. I let loose and a strong clear stream flowed from my slit and I sighed as my bladder slowly drained. The door opened behind me and I picked up my gaze from my pissing cock and looked at the wall straight in front of me. A burly man a couple inches shorter than me walked up to the urinal right next to mine. He had a black leather motorcycle jacket on over tight fitting jeans. I glanced over briefly and he had a handle bar mustache over a stubbled face. I heard him unzip his zipper as I shook of the remaining drops of liquid out of my dick. Chills ran up my spine as I got the feeling that I was being watched. I looked over and he was clearly staring at my cock before he locked his steel gray eyes on me and winked and nodded.

I gulped nervously and glanced to see what he was holding. He was slowly stroking a quickly engorging cock. It was about five inches long and as wide around as a can of energy drink. I looked back into his eyes and he grinned broadly, flashing a nice smile. I felt my cock hardening and embarrassedly hurried trying to stuff it back into my jeans. It was a strange feeling. No girl had ever had caused such a reaction, and all the man did was wink and smile at me, and stroke his cock. I washed my hands and glanced behind me before exiting the bathroom. The biker man had turned sideways away from the urinal so I could watch as he stroked his thick cock. I started to stammer 'bye,' before I stopped myself and left the bathroom.

I was immediately subconscious of my bulging jeans as I walked back to my seat, but then I stopped worrying about it as I realized there were probably drunk, horny guys in there all of the time.

"Just in time honey." Feather haired Dolly Parton grinned and placed a frosty mug of beer in front of me at the bar. I took several long sips of beer and settled onto my stool.

"Hey you dropped this." The guy from the bathroom came up behind me at the bar and handed me a card. As he walked by his fingers grazed, lightly ghosting from one hip, across the small of my back, to the other hip. A strange sensation radiated a tingling sensation throughout my entire body. He walked, without looking back to the opposite end of the bar.

"Hey Molly, a pitcher of Bud please." He shouted to Dolly Parton.

"I'll be right there Gagey." She answered sweetly. I looked at the card, it was his business card: Gage McCoy, Your local handyman. It had a business number and a cell number. I flipped it over and almost gasped when I read the message: 'Call me, I'd be happy to show you the ropes.' I quickly glanced up and Gage thankfully wasn't looking my direction and I didn't glance over there again until I had finished my chicken wings and another mug of beer. I was beyond curious, but I didn't think there was any way in the world I wanted my first experience to be with Gage McCoy who tried to pick me up in the restroom at Hooters.

I paid before walking over to Gage.

"Thanks, but I don't need a contractor."

"Keep it man, you never know, you might spring a leak." Gage smirked and wouldn't take the card from my hand. It was an awkward exchange and eventually, card in hand, I retreated to the parking lot and my pickup truck. I couldn't help but rub my bulging cock and think of my interesting encounter with Gage the whole drive home. "If not now when?" I said aloud to myself. I pulled off the road before I got to the toll booth and parked my truck and pulled out my phone. Here I was, 36 years old, I had waited long enough.

*

The parking lot was in the back of the adult bookstore. Am I really doing this? I couldn't help thinking. There were two cars parked in the lot near the dumpster and under an old white oak tree. I can't do this. I thought and got ready to put my car in reverse, when I heard a loud rumble of a motorcycle pull into the parking lot. Gage was riding on a Harley Davidson motorcycle and his hands were high on his handlebars. He parked right beside me and winked as he took off his small black helmet. I steeled my nerves and put the truck in park and gripped the steering wheel with both hands while exhaling deeply. Gage had parked and dismounted his bike and was approaching my window.

"First time?" He smiled a warm, handsome smile at me. This close I could tell he was younger than I had originally thought, maybe in his early twenties. I had never been with a guy and Gage was handsome, but I wasn't sure if he was my type of not.

"Um, yeah I've never been here." I nervously, awkwardly, answered and turned off my engine.

"That's not what I meant." Gage opened my door and I unbuckled my seatbelt.

"What did you mean?" I asked as my boots hit the blacktop.

"You know, been with a guy..." Gage raised his eyebrows and his steel gray eyes locked on mine.

"No." I hesitated by the tailgate of my truck. Gage stopped and stood beside me. "I never have been..." I trailed off.

"There's nothing to be worried about, I can tell you've thought about it before. Listen I don't make a habit of picking up guys in bathrooms, but you're too damned cute. I'm clean. I won't do anything you don't want to do. Deal?" He paused and then held out his hand. "I'm Gage, nice to meet you."

"Charlie." I gulped and held out my hand before following him into the bookstore. I had never been in a store like this, it was a little overwhelming. The overhead lights were a little dimmer than a normal store and the shelves held all sorts of movies, magazines, leather, lace, rubber, and sex toys. It was a little overstimulating and Gage slapped my hip and pointed down a hallway on the opposite end of the store. I cautiously followed him and the light seemed to darken the further I went. I saw a red lighted exit sign at the end of the hall. There were several rooms with green light bulbs above the entrances. Gage slid a $20.00 bill into a slot and the door clicked open and the light bulb turned red.

"You coming?" Gage asked as he stepped into the room and held the door open. This was it, the moment of truth. Was I going to continue to repress my feelings and desires, or was I going to take my first step down this road, not knowing where it would end up. I inhaled deeply, trying to calm the pounding in my chest before I stepped through the door. Gage released it, and it closed with a satisfying click. The room was dark but I could clearly see Gage, a small vinyl couch, and a large TV screen that was playing a video of a light skinned redhead woman, and a dark haired Asian woman sucking on a giant black cock.

"Let's find something else to watch." Gage said and picked up the remote. I remained silent but nodded as he flipped through the movies. The scene changed to three women, then three men and two women, then at least seven men and one woman. Gage took a seat and patted the couch beside him. "I won't bite." The channel changed again and I saw two men, fully clothed, making out on their own couch. "Like what you see?" I nodded as I watched two masculine men kissing, their tongues were in and out of each other's mouths. I had watched gay porn before, but always alone, in secret. Everything was more sensual now that I knew Gage was here, watching me, watching the movie. Gage let his left hand fall onto my right thigh and I didn't move. I just stared straight ahead at the screen, the men had lost their shirts and their firm sweaty chests were on the verge of pressing together. Gage scooted closer and I felt his strong thigh pressed against my own.

"This okay?" He whispered and I braved a glance at him. I nodded and he leaned in and I felt his breath against my neck. I felt the slightest tickle as his soft lips pressed the stubble on my neck. The feel of his facial hair against mine was extremely erotic. His strong left arm wrapped around my shoulders and I couldn't help the sigh that escaped my lips as I melted into him. His lips and tongue worked their way up to my ear and he lightly nibbled on my earlobe before pressing a wet kiss against my cheek. On the TV both men had slipped out of their jeans and were making out with large, clear erections trapped in their fancy designer briefs.