Substitute Masseur:

"Ach! Shit!" My roommate's voice came from the kitchen. The sound of a knife falling to the floor clanged through the apartment. I came running.

"Are you alright?!" I said rounding the corner into the kitchen.

"I don't think so," she said as she turned to me, blood running down her forearm from the cut on her hand. It looked deep.

"Whoa," I said stupidly as my head spun a little. I'm not really good with blood, but I saw the emergency and shook myself to stay present. "We gotta go to the emergency room."

"I know, I know, but that's gonna take hours and I have a client coming here in an hour." She sounded frazzled. "Shit! Shit! SHIT! Why did I have to fucking do this today?"

"Don't worry about that now," I said as I grabbed her some paper towels to staunch the bleeding. "I'll drive you to the hospital and you can call and cancel the appointment on the way."

"Thanks, Mark, but I can't. I've already rescheduled with this guy twice! Do you know what happens when you cancel someone's massage after that?" Her voice became shriller as her panic grew. "Bad reviews! That's what happens!"

"Bad reviews...? Beth, look at yourself! You're bleeding onto the floor!" I pointed at the drops of red collecting at her feet. "Fuck the reviews, we gotta get you stitched up! I'm sure your client can understand that."

"You should do it."

"I should do what?"

"I've already shown you how to do the basics. An- and I'll split the cash with you!"

I paused and repeated, "I should do what?"

"The massage!" She yelled as though frustrated I hadn't picked that up already. "Remember when we got drunk last year and I showed you my routine? The steps and motions I go through?"

Actually, I did remember that lesson. I'd been waiting for months to find someone to use it on, certain it would get me good points to score some dick. But my year-long dry spell was holding up those plans.

"Y- yeah..." I said tentatively. "But that was just us messing around. I'm not a professional masseuse!"

"Masseur," she corrected.

I put a hand on my hip and raised a snarky eyebrow at her.

"Ugh! Ok, ok! What if you got to keep the all the money?"

I started to say "no," but I paused a moment. "How much is this guy paying you for the massage?"

"200 dollars for an hour."

I considered. $200 was a good chunk of cash. I'd been saving up for a PS5 and that amount put me just under by some $50. I sighed.

"Ok I'll do it. But I've gotta take you to the hospital first!"

"Don't worry about me. I'll just go to the clinic down the block."

"The clinic? Beth, you need the emergency room!"

"They'll take me, trust me! Just please clean up the blood here in the kitchen. Everything is ready in my room, the massage table, the oils, the towels in the heater, it's all there. When he comes in, just take him there, let him have time to take off his clothes and lay down on the table, then come in and get to work. It's very easy." She said all this as she grabbed a fresh wad of paper towels and tossed the blood soaked ones in the trash. "Oh and take a shower."

"A shower?!"

"Yes!" She said before I could protest further. "You're about to have a very close contact encounter with a client I hope to keep. I don't need you smelling like some sweaty dude all over him and ruining my reputation." She emphasized this last point by sniffing near me and pulling a face while she stepped past to get her shoes on.

I reached down to help her since it was difficult without her hands.

"Thanks," she said. "But I mean it. Wash everything that might be smelly, put on some good deodorant but no cologne. The smell can be too pungent for massage."

"I thought you liked my cologne!" I felt stung a little.

"I do, dummy, but you don't know if the client will!" She rolled her eyes as I opened the door for her. "He's expecting to smell a woman in the room, if anything, so let's not scare him away by smelling too much like man. I'll text you any updates, and thank you thank you thank you so much!! I really owe you one!"

"More than one!" I called back at her as she disappeared noisily down the stairs and out our building's front door. When she'd gone, I closed our apartment door. It shut with a finality that gave me the shivers. What did I just get myself into?

I cleaned up the blood on the floor and then padded through the apartment to Beth's room. Just as she'd said, the table was set up. There were 2 folded towels on top, another was already spread over the cushioned surface of the table, and the rest in the warmer. The lights were off save for a strip of LEDs she'd lined along edges of the ceiling. They emitted a soft glow that shifted lazily between tones of blue, purple, and pink. I stepped inside and fingered the bottles of massage oils sitting on a table to the side. Some were scented with lavender, others with sandalwood, and a few more were completely scentless.

I checked my watch, it was a quarter past 5 and I realized I didn't actually know what time to expect the client. Or even his name!

"Hey! Can you send me the details of the appointment?" I texted Beth. Then, I headed straight for the shower.

I'd actually worked out that afternoon and needed to clean off anyway. I met my own gaze in the mirror and shook my head at the situation I was in now. Then I pulled my tshirt over my head, my curly brown hair bounced as it was released from the neck hole. I studied the muscles of my lean frame for a moment, like I always do, turning my arms and flexing them straight. My chest was smooth save for a small dusting of hair between my nipples. I'd worked hard over the last few years to fill out a bit, but it was difficult to beat genetics. At 5'11", my 150 pound body remained lanky as ever, but with some definition I was starting to be proud of.

My blue eyes scrutinized my legs further as I slid my thumbs under my pants and underwear waistbands to push them off together. These and my ass were what I really liked about my body. I was a runner and I often made sure to pick routes that went up and down hilly streets and stairs in the park. I hoped the work showed.

I showered, scrubbing extra long on anything that might be considered smelly. Under arms, dick and balls, ass, feet. Then for good measure I brushed my teeth and rinsed with mouthwash.

I checked my phone and there was a text from Beth. Client's name was Dominic, he was coming for a therapeutic massage, he had a back injury he was recovering from that needed some extra work, and he'd be there at 6pm sharp. I checked the time and got a jolt. It was 5:50 already.

Once completely dry, I went to choose some clothes. Remembering my own experiences with masseurs, I picked out a pair of close fitting gym shorts and a cutoff tee that left my arms and sides uncovered. I'd always felt sexy in these clothes and, for some reason, I wanted to feel a little sexy.

I had just a minute or so left and I took that time to breathe and remember the order of techniques Beth had shown me. Then at 6:00 on the dot, the buzzer sounded out and I pushed the button to let him up to the apartment. I opened the door to greet him when he came up the stairs.

The man who rounded the landing was not at all what I was expecting. He had salt and pepper hair with more grey at the sides than in the swooping wave of hair at the top, though he didn't look much older than 35 or 40. He had a pretty dense 5 o' clock shadow, which also betrayed artfully placed patches of white. His face was sculpted in the tradition of the finest Greek statues and his frame looked well built as he climbed the last stairs. When he reached the top, he extended a hand.

"Hi, I'm Dom. I'm here for an appointment with Beth?"

His smooth baritone voice turned up in pitch, indicating he was feeling a little unsure about the situation. I just stared for a moment, bedazzled by his handsome face, before shaking back to reality to take his hand.

"Y- yes, yes, so sorry. Um- yeah, so I'm Mork... I mean, Mark."

His hands were strong and slightly rough, but their warmth seemed to pass through my hand to the rest of my body.

"Please come in," I regained my composure. "Beth unfortunately had a medical emergency but knew that you had urgent need of a massage, for your back, right?"

"Yeah, I pulled a muscle recently and it's been really bothering me."

"Right, so she asked me to cover for her this time around."

"Oh. So you're a masseuse too?" He looked at me apprehensively.

"Masseur," I corrected him, smiling in spite of myself. Then I embellished a little, "I've been working with Beth for a few years now. We're both massage therapists and I'm perfectly qualified to give you everything she was going to."

He raised an eyebrow and rubbed the back of his neck.

"So, the thing is, I was kind of hoping to... have a woman masseuse," he said awkwardly, not looking me in the eye. "I've actually never had a massage before and not really comfortable being naked with another guy in the room."

Did he somehow look even cuter when embarrassed? His honey brown eyes flicked between me and the floor as he fidgeted slightly. Why did I now WANT to massage him so badly?

"I understand," I said slowly. "Comfort in these situations is always key. But if I may," I reached out my hand in a request to touch him. He turned his back in response and I touched his muscles in the midsection. I melted slightly when I felt the strength and warmth of his back, even as he winced suddenly when I pressed his sore spot. "Something like this should really have been worked on immediately. How long ago was the injury?"

"Last week." He said between sharp intakes of breath.

"Yeah, I can feel how it's starting to seize up the surrounding muscle groups as well." I really hoped what I was saying wasn't complete bullshit. His back definitely felt tight... and well-built, and sexy. I started wondering what the front was like.

"Look," I began, "this really seems like we should take care of it. I know you're apprehensive about a male masseur, but I think I can help you out. And if it's really an issue, how about we do the massage for $150. For the inconvenience."

Dominic flinched again as I touched his sore spot once more, then ran his hand roughly through his hair. He let out a deep sigh and turned around. "Fuck it. Alright. I guess it's not the worst thing in the world. And I can't stand to have this knot any longer."

"Absolutely," I said brightening up. "Please come this way."

I brought him to Beth's room. He stood in the doorway and peered in. I watched him, filling up the doorframe with his more-than-six-foot body. His arms were big and his chest full. But he didn't seem to be super cut, like bodybuilding wasn't the reason he had such a strong body. I could see a slight gut protruding over his belt, just enough to tell me this was an athletic man who also liked to kick back and relax with some beer and pizza. Just my type, and it was driving me crazy. I'd really have to lock this shit up if I had any hopes of getting out of this encounter with $150 in my pocket and no black eye.

"So... yeah, take a moment in here to take your clothes off. I'll be out here, and you can call me when you're lying on the table."

"I have to take them all off?" He asked apprehensively.

"Oh- oh, no. Only to your comfort level, I guess." Damn, I hadn't thought to make that clearer.

"But it's better naked?"

"Uh..." I was thrown by the question. "Sure!"

"Sure?"

"I mean- yeah. Yes!" I tried to regain my façade. "Yes, it's better if I have access to- I mean..." I faltered and felt my face turn a little red. He seemed to find my flustered demeanor funny, because he broke into a half smile then that made my heart skip a beat.

"No worries. I understand, thanks."

I pursed my lips for lack of anything to say after that embarrassing display and closed the door behind me. I went to the kitchen and threw some cold water on my face. This man was seriously hot. But I had to hold it together, this was a professional setting and Beth's reputation was on the line.

It took several minutes before Dominic called out that he was ready. I figured he'd been trying to decide what "to your comfort level" meant for him, but I was a little stunned to when I walked into the room to see him fully naked lying face up on the massage table.

"Oh! Um... actually we can start with you lying the other way..." I stammered as I tried to divert my eyes. "Uh, you know, on your stomach."

"Oh! Ha!" He barked his laugh out and the table creaked under his weight as he turned over. "Sorry, that makes more sense."

"No worries." I tried to sound casual as I took the chance to steal a glance at his body. I was not disappointed. He was easily 4 inches soft, and his whole package flopped with enticing weight when he flipped over. It was topped with a full, yet trimmed, bush of hair that happy trailed up to his belly and spread thick over his pecs. Like his head hair, this too was a sexy salt and pepper.

He had a slight layer of padding all over, but I could see his muscles tense and flex while he repositioned himself, exposing a thick, meaty ass. The last thing he did was readjust his junk to lay comfortably and he exhaled when he became still.

"Ready... uh, oh sorry I didn't catch your name when you said it earlier," he said through the face hole.

"Mark," I said, my voice falling to a quieter, calming tone as the scenario settled in.

"Mark," he repeated. "I had a friend named Mark growing up. He- well... let's say he was a good friend."

I wasn't sure what to make of that, nor of the fact that despite his earlier apprehension, he hadn't covered himself with a towel. They were currently both still folded up under his feet. Another thing I'd forgotten to clarify, but at this point I felt disinclined to clue him in. I was standing there in the presence of such a godly display of masculine beauty, and so I just decided to start the massage.

I walked over to the oils and chose an unscented one, pouring it over my hands. I ran them over his shoulders and back to slick them up and got to work. Using the method Beth had showed me, I started working the muscles in his neck and shoulders, following each side down the arm and to the hand. It was delicious getting to kneed his powerful upper and forearms, and I'd always loved it when a masseur massaged my hands and spread their fingers through mine. So, that's what I did, and boy, did it send electric sparks through my skin to do it to Dominic. When I did his second hand, he actually let out a small groan in pleasure and I could have sworn I felt him almost close his hand interlaced with mine. But the moment passed and I moved on to his legs. I wanted to leave his sore back for last as it needed the most work.

I started at his feet and slowly worked my way up each leg. The oils flowed and my hands glided back and forth up his sumptuous calves and hamstrings. He let out a few more moans as I cupped each thigh, pushing my thumbs upward to release any lactic acid in the hamstrings. Each time I slid upward, the tips of my fingers on his inner thigh came closer and closer to the cock and balls I could see peaking down between his legs. I tried to ignore the sight because I was already getting hot and bothered enough running my hands all over this man. My own dick was threatening to pop a visible tent in my tight gym shorts.

But the pull on me was strong, and before I could stop myself, I brushed my fingers "inadvertently" against his sack on my next pass over his hamstring. He didn't flinch.

I did my next few strokes on the more outer part of his leg before my daring got the better of me and I went for the inner thigh again. This time putting some pressure to stimulate the muscles. My slick hand ran slowly up to where leg becomes groin, my fingers sliding just under his balls. This time, I could definitely see his body respond, because his dick grew ever so slightly. He was uncut and starting to push out of his foreskin.

I made one more pass, same as the last one, and used the motion to transition to kneading his plump glutes. This time he actually moaned as I brushed boldly against his junk. He was definitely still getting bigger.

I turned to get more oil but used the moment to mop my brow. I was getting majorly turned on and the room was starting to feel particularly warm.

What was happening?? I was playing a dangerous game here with this ostensibly straight man... but he also hadn't stopped me yet. And there was no way he didn't feel me touching him.

Before turning back around, I readjusted my own hardening dick so it wasn't so obvious.

The back was now going to be the most difficult to accomplish at a distance. To start, I had to stand by his head and run my hands down the muscles on either side of his spine, maintaining a good pressure. This meant my now-fully aroused dick was standing at attention just over his head. I arched my back upward and stood on tiptoes to keep my erection from touching his head while I massaged. I made this pass several times and despite my best efforts, my dick definitely tapped him on the head at least once.

But he never said anything so I just kept on going.

I moved to the side of the table to really start in on his mid back. He let out a groan when I started. I could feel that he really was very tense here, and in need of some seriously dedicated pressure. I leaned forward and against the edge of the table to add more of my body weight behind my strokes.

As I did, two things happened at once: Dominic yelped out loud, and he grabbed a hold of my ass. It was a grip like when you need to squeeze something to handle pain, but his palm on my right buttock sent a fresh wave of blood rushing to my cock.

"Damn, dude!" He called out loudly. "Wooo! That's definitely the spot!" He was taking deep breaths, muscling through my kneading, and still holding onto me.

Then, I felt something in the muscle crackle and dissipate and Dominic groaned a sigh of pleasure.

"Oh my god, dude. That feels so good." His grip on my ass slackened but his hand remained and I didn't bother to move it. "I can already tell the knots are loosening. But I almost feel like I want more pressure."

"Oh... um-" I thought for a moment, then steeled my nerve. "Well there's one thing I can do if you don't mind trying. I can get on the table above you and then really put my weight behind it."

I didn't know how he'd react. It was a daring proposition for someone who'd said he was nervous about being naked with another man in the first place. I kept kneading him while he mulled it over before responding.

"Th- that sounds good," he said.

Oh my god, I thought. Somehow I didn't really expect him to agree, and when he did I panicked a little. How was I going to hide my boner now?! This was a dumb move, I chided myself.

But I stepped over and hoisted myself up onto the table, taking care to place my points of contact around his body. From that straddling position, I angled my full weight at his knot and pushed.

"Aaaaaaaoooooooohhhhh yyyeahhh!" He let out the words over a mighty exhale. I kneaded my hands up and down this focused area. My cutoff shirt hung low from my torso and I felt a small rumble in Dom's chest between his grunts of pleasure.

He said something low under his breath that I didn't quite catch.

"What was that?" I leaned instinctively closer to him to hear better. My shirt brushed lower over him and he let out another barking laugh and twitched violently.

His ass pushed up against mine hard and I was pitched forward. I nearly went tumbling face first but his hands flew backwards to catch me, gripping my ass once more though this time practically saving my life.

"Whoa dude! You ok?" His hands held me fast, though when I lost my balance I'd fallen chest first into his back. He'd caught me just in time and was clutching my body to his. There was no way he didn't feel my hard-on pressing into his upper ass and back.