Ginger: How It Concluded

CHAPTER 4 of 4.

This is the FINAL part of the 4-part Ginger series!

Thank you for your patience in waiting for the fourth part of my "Ginger" series, depicting the steamy romance between two programmers that started with a hookup on a plane. I know it took a while, but I hope the final installment will meet your expectations! It contains a lot of drama and plenty of passionate scenes - although they are a bit further in the story plotline! So it's more of a slow-burn part.

Tags:

slow-burn, gay anal, intense sex, rimming, ginger, long hair, hairless, programmers, boss-employee, drama, toxic ex, jealousy, office romance, love.

--These events directly follow the bathroom fuck between Rory and Dallas from "Ginger: How it unfolded" --

I stood behind Rory, my forehead resting on the back of his head. I slowly calmed my breathing. My dick was going limp in his ass, but I still didn't want to pull out.

And then Rory said, "Martin is a hard case, Dallas... he may not give up so easily. I haven't told you everything about him."

I didn't answer. I was still hiding my face in his red, luscious hair. It wasn't pleasant to be dragged out of a postorgasmic glow, but the conversation about Martin was going to happen anyway.

"He has a history of... certain behavior," Rory whispered, his forehead still leaning on the stall wall.

"Toward you?"

"Surprisingly, no. I was his boyfriend, so he already had me within his reach. He took me for granted, and I was stupid enough to let him ignore my feelings and needs. But he behaved differently in front of other people..."

"What exactly does he do?"

"He likes challenges. The harder, the better. It excites him! One woman he pursued... She resisted his advances. The more she resisted, the more intense his behavior became: flowers, gifts, DM confessions. She felt cornered and came to me with this. But when I confronted him, he denied doing anything out of the ordinary. He just... seems unable to stop until he gets what he wants, and only then does he lose interest. This woman actually left the company."

I scrubbed my chin. "Did he try to stop you from leaving?"

"He didn't care about me at that point. He was so focused on this new girl... The one who brought him to San Francisco. His new challenge! She had a teasing personality, and he couldn't win her over easily, which made him more... determined. She wasn't afraid of him. Her attitude was an extra challenge for him, resulting in obsession. I believe he wouldn't have let me go if not for this situation with her. I was just a distraction. He was super concentrated on a more rewarding challenge."

"Wow... all of that seems so... fucked up. Toxic."

Rory sighed. "He can be really, really determined to get what he wants, no matter the price. It's a game, a chase for him. That's why I suspect he won't let it go just like that."

"Did his relationship with this new woman fail?"

"I'm not so sure, to be honest. She may still be in the picture. But he felt my resistance in our initial interaction. It ignited him! A new challenge, even if I would only be a 'side project' for him. He can be a bit scary with his intensity."

"I won't let him hurt you, I promise, Rory," I gently stroked his neck and arm.

Meanwhile, my limp dick slid out of his ass, I gazed down, and I could see my cum dripping down his thighs. So I took a piece of toilet paper and wiped him clean, I also gently dried his dick, he watched me with a strange intensity. And finally I slowly pulled up his pants.

Rory turned toward me. Our gazes met, and he analyzed my face, which probably looked a bit worried. Something flickered in his eyes. A shadow of fear?

"Did I scare you? I come with... a toxic ex as my baggage. It may not be what you want." He spread his arms. "I probably talk too much about him anyway; I know it's not healthy to discuss an ex. I told you I thought about taking Tyrone with me as my 'bodyguard', as he..."

I snorted. "As he what? I'm with you, Rory. It's kinda my job now. And I'm not easily discouraged. If you... let me stand by your side, support you and help you, it will only make us stronger. Don't push me away out of fear that I may be unhappy about the situation; that's all I want. We are in this together now, okay?"

He slowly nodded, biting his lips. I lowered myself a bit and kissed him lightly.

"Okay, Dallas. But you must really be prepared that Martin will not back out easily. I see the telltale signs of that."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Well, we'll see what's gonna happen. First, we have to survive the long hours of lectures and labs..." I winked.

"We will be separated, you know that," he murmured, putting his hand on my chest and playing with the lapel of my suit.

"I'm hoping he won't make his move during a public lecture... or will he?"

Rory only sighed. He seemed pessimistic, but I hoped for the best. Oh, naive me.

I was sitting in the lecture hall, listening to the lecturer who was probably trying to teach us something about programming in Java at a medium level, but I had trouble focusing on his words. I was deep in my thoughts. Being separated from Rory made me a bit nervous because I knew he was in the same room as Martin at exactly this moment. What was going on there?

I didn't want to bother Rory all the time, especially not knowing who was at his side, but then I remembered that my friend, Adam, was also in the advanced Java course. Adam was the guy who got me the job here, so I decided to send him a message.

"Hey, how's it going in your part of the course?"

"Boring, except for one situation with your boss," the message appeared on my screen.

I stared at the text for a second. Then blinked and read it again.

What?

Impossible...

"What... situation with my boss?"

"Some guy from the San Francisco branch is sitting next to Mahony, and they talked the entire time, which got the lecturer angry," Adam responded.

I felt a wave of annoyance and suspicion. "What guy?"

"I don't know him. Some blond, bulky guy."

Fuck. So, Rory was right after all.

Martin started his siege even in a public place. I definitely underestimated his determination. Did he use this occasion to sit next to Rory and begin his attempts to... win him back?

"A weird request, Adam. Can you discreetly take a picture of them? I'm curious about something."

"What are you up to?" he asked, but two seconds after my phone displayed a picture he sent me.

Martin and Rory were actually sitting two rows in front of Adam, so there was no problem with discreetly taking a picture of them. Martin was almost hanging over Rory, leaning on him heavily.

My blood started to boil. The game has begun... This fucking jerk was impossible! He had Rory as his boyfriend for years and wasn't appreciating him at that time, only cheating on him over and over... But now, suddenly, he was all over him?

Was Rory right after all? Did Martin see him as his prey, an old... but at the same time NEW challenge?

It was so frustrating that I couldn't do anything about this situation!

"Nothing, I was just curious if that is his former boss," I texted Adam back.

"I have no idea; I have worked in the company only for six months, so I don't know the guy."

After a few seconds of silence, I saw another text message from Adam...

"Is your boss gay?"

Wow. So that was it. I guess I shouldn't be surprised by that question; if Adam saw Martin's interest in Rory, he surely understood it wasn't random. I thought about what to answer for a while.

Adam knew I was gay, of course, as we went to college together, and he knew some of my ex-boyfriends, but should I reveal such private information about Rory? But then I remembered that Martin and Rory actually were boyfriends while working in the Los Angeles company branch - for years. It wasn't a secret there.

"I feel like I should not say that, but I believe everybody knows in his department and beyond, so it's kind of pointless to deny it. Yes, he is."

Another couple of minutes of silence. I just knew what he wanted to ask, but he also wasn't sure how to do it properly. But he finally went all in...

"Are you... into him?"

Eh. I bit my lip not knowing how to navigate this conversation. Fuck, Rory and I decided to keep our relationship a secret. But could I really lie when asked directly by my friend? I was sure it would bite me in the ass in the end. And I needed an ally, to be honest! Would that hurt if I revealed that I liked Rory? Would that be so weird? We were both young guys, and not straight...

"I can answer that question, but I need to ask for your discretion on the topic. It's... a sensitive matter. The guy you see next to him is Rory's ex-boyfriend. He is a very... pushy type."

"That I can see with my own eyes... So? Do you like Mahony?"

I really needed Adam on our side. He was present where I could not be at the moment. He was my only hope - in a way. So, pursing my lips, I wrote my honest answer, "I do."

"Aren't you into Asians? All your exes were of Asian descent."

"I was, but I somehow also like Rory. He is a really great guy."

"Oh. I got it. Does he know? That you are gay?"

"Yep."

"Does he also like you...?"

I sighed and sent him: "I hope so."

A minute went on before he answered, "Now, that's not an easy situation, considering he is your new boss."

"No kidding. So that's why I ask for your discretion. Please, keep it to yourself."

"Sure. But you should be more worried about that ex-guy. He is putting his hands around Mahony's waist all the time, and your boss has trouble freeing himself from this groping. Pretty unprofessional behavior. And wait..."

After one minute of impatient waiting, Adam sent me a short video.

"I even recorded it for you..."

I cursed under my breath, seeing the short clip loading. It was precisely what I suspected it would be.

Martin was - not very discreetly - wrapping his arm around Rory's waist, sliding his hand between the chair and Rory's back, and Rory was pushing him away with his elbow, saying something to him, obviously to no avail. I growled.

"Believe me, I'm pretty angry. I could rush there and make a scene, but that would not help the situation. I have a request, however. Your lecture ends fifteen minutes before mine, and that quarter of an hour makes me pretty uneasy. Could you possibly hang around them, or even interrupt them and say to Rory you want to consult with something, so as to separate them a bit and let Rory have a break from Martin's intensity?"

A long silence... Finally, Adam answered, "I don't know, man. The guy seems pretty determined, I would not want to go between them."

I clenched my fists.

"Please, Adam. Rory is a very... polite guy, not very assertive. Martin can take advantage of that. I only ask you to distract him for the fifteen minutes, Rory will understand if you say Dallas sent you, he also would be grateful for help with Martin."

"Shit, man..."

With some hesitance, I decided to add some extra information. "I would owe you! It really is important. Martin forcibly kissed Rory just before the lecture started. He dragged him to the side corridor. It's really going out of control. He may even do more..."

"Jesus, man, seriously? That's sick. You ask a lot, but okay, I'll try."

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. I was glad Adam agreed to help; it was a relief.

Soon the moment came. I knew their lecture just ended, but mine was still going on.

I was checking the phone every ten seconds.

After five minutes, Adam's report was on my display:

"They left the hall, I followed them, and your boss went into the buffet room, even though the Martin guy wanted to drag him toward the elevator. Mahony firmly resisted. I'm following them now."

Another five minutes of my nervous waiting and another report:

"Jesus, this Martin is really intense, he is literally all over your boss. People are looking weird, he is wrapping his hands around him and whispering something into his ear."

"Please, distract him, tell him you want to speak with Rory about something from the course!"

"I'll try, but only because it's really... inappropriate what he is doing. Even I'm annoyed at this point."

For another five minutes, I was glancing at the lecturer angrily as he still didn't end the class.

So, after another two additional minutes, I stood up and just left the class, as I just could not contain myself in my seat.

I stormed out and rushed toward the buffet. I entered the room and looked around, but... didn't see either Adam or Rory!

Cursing under my breath, I took out my phone and started to call Adam.

He responded after two signals.

"Hey, where are you?"

"I'm outside the building."

With clenched jaws, I made my way toward the exit.

I noticed a group of people smoking there, and a second, smaller group nearby; Adam, Martin, and Rory were standing there, discussing something.

It looked like Rory was explaining something to Adam, and Martin just stood there with his lips pursed, seemingly only waiting for Rory to stop talking.

I approached them, trying to look normal, or even careless.

"Hey," I said, and Rory's light hazel eyes snapped at me.

I could see... a sudden joy in him, that made my heart beat; his face lit up so much, I felt a dizzying, weird wave of happiness in my chest. I wanted to grab him and kiss him in front of all the people, not caring about anything. But I obviously couldn't.

"Hey, Dallas," said Adam, glancing at me knowingly.

"Hey, Adam," I responded, grinning.

"How was your lecture?" Rory asked in a polite and official tone of voice.

"Very informative but also hard. I made some notes. I would love to go through them with you, in the hope of understanding them better. Some elements are completely new to me. Would you be so kind and help me with that?"

"Of course, Dallas, I will help you..." Rory assured me immediately.

But then Martin said, "Jesus, guys. Do you really all have to have some 'questions' for Rory just now when I need to talk with him? I know how smart he is, but seriously, can't it wait?"

"I'm sorry, but the next lecture is in just one hour, and I would have trouble keeping up with the rest of the participants. I don't want to waste my opportunities here to learn," I said in a stiff, official voice, furrowing my eyebrows.

Adam was nodding approvingly.

"That's understandable, Dallas. Of course, I will help you, no need to explain. Let's go, we will look at your notes..." Rory answered quickly, touching my forearm and obviously trying to steer me toward the main entrance.

"Wait! Are you kidding me?" Martin growled, taking a step toward Rory, but then Adam and I - in a weird sync - took a step toward him, effectively separating him from Rory. He raised his eyebrows seeing it.

"Sorry, dude, I don't know you, but you seem very intense. It's getting uncomfortable. Can you let him breathe a bit?"

And Adam added, "You were almost kicked out of the lecture hall, the groping thing you did to our colleague... looked really weird."

Martin froze, fixing his eyes on Adam's face. "Hey! He is my ex-boyfriend! We know each other pretty well!"

"Okay, the word 'ex' provides us with all the information we need. Please, go." I said, trying to sound calm and composed.

Martin's face went fiery red. He clenched his jaw, but surprisingly, he quickly walked away!

Adam and I turned toward Rory, who stood there, turning pale and then reddening alternately.

"Thanks... guys... he really can be a handful," he mumbled, looking embarrassed, obviously.

"No problem," said Adam with a reassuring smile. "Listen, if you want to know, I recorded what he did during the lecture if you need to have that, in case... he wanted to cause you more trouble."

And Adam showed him his phone's display with the record on it.

Rory swallowed hard and licked his lips. I could see he felt very uncomfortable.

"Oh... I appreciate it, Adam. Could you please send it to me?"

"Of course."

They exchanged phone numbers.

I waited, scrubbing my chin and thinking about what to do now...

"Adam, would you be so kind and sit next to Rory at your next lecture? Martin seems very determined to bother him."

Adam glanced at me and slowly nodded.

"No problem, Dallas." And he looked at Rory. "I would suggest you sit at the last chair in the row, and I will take the second last. It would be a good arrangement."

Rory's face was the color of a fresh beet.

"I... thank you... It's a really awkward and uncomfortable situation. Sorry to trouble you all with it," he muttered, his gaze fixed on the ground.

"I really hate that kind of behavior," Adam assured him. "My girlfriend was similarly harassed in her workplace. I can't tolerate people like Martin who just don't seem to know proper boundaries."

"Yes, he's exactly like that. Thank you."

Adam nodded and patted me on the back.

"Let me know if you need anything, Dallas..."

"I already owe you, Adam; I really appreciate your help."

"No problem, good luck." He smirked and walked away.

We were left alone, and Rory closed his eyes for a moment, looking visibly stressed.

"Jesus, Dallas, it all spiraled out of control. What did you tell Adam about us?"

"I didn't tell him we're... in a relationship. But I admitted that... I like you. He knows I'm gay; we went to college together, so seeing you being... cornered by Martin, he probably guessed you are gay too. He agreed it's a difficult situation since you are my boss. He doesn't know anything more than that."

Rory slowly nodded. "God, I feel awful. Martin behaved totally unprofessionally in front of the other course participants and made me look bad. The lecturer addressed us both, saying 'Gentlemen, if you are not interested in the course, please leave.' I'm so angry because my previous director was in the lecture too, and he winced seeing that... Martin made me look stupid in front of everyone."

I let out a small huff. "I'm so sorry, Rory, I really am. I wish I knew Java better, so I could be on your course level, but I'm not. I'm happy Adam promised to shield you from Martin; that's a good thing."

Rory sighed. "I just feel awkward, seeing that you both are literally employed now around the clock to protect me from him. It's so weird. I feel like a damsel in distress!" Rory chuckled.

"I don't mind doing it. I volunteered for the job," I added, smirking.

We both stood in silence for a while, staring at the other people some distance from us, smoking cigarettes. I decided to slightly change the subject, not to torture us only with Martin's topic.

"So... Would you go to dinner with me after today's lectures?"

"Sure, I would," Rory replied and smiled softly. "Anyway... do you really need some explaining with your notes?"

"No, no, no. It was just a false pretense. We can go to the buffet finally, as we didn't eat that much before," I murmured, smirking at him knowingly. He chuckled.

So, we went back to the lobby, heading toward the buffet room.

We ate, glancing at each other from time to time; Rory was slightly blushing, and I could see he was somehow... emotional. So, I stood next to him and whispered.

"I can see something is bothering you... care to share?"

He chuckled quietly. "You may say that. I'm a bit... surprised. And maybe even excited. I never had a situation like that, where I felt somebody actually cares for me, wants me to be... his. Martin was never like that; I remember one time we were in some nightclub, and a guy groped me. I told Martin that I didn't feel comfortable being touched without my consent, and he only laughed and responded that I'm just too prudish. When he conquers somebody, he just loses his interest, I guess."

"Funny, I had almost exactly the same situation. While living in Sydney, Lee and I were in one club, and some guy groped my crotch. I was annoyed about that, believe me. Some places are just not for me."