Not one person had mentioned my 30th birthday. Not Rachel, not Andy or the kids, not Louis, not even my mom. Not a word about a party or presents or anything. Granted, I'd been whining and making a big deal out of turning 30, threatening them with violence if anyone dared get me black balloons or even mention the words "over the hill"; in fact I said I didn't want to celebrate at all. But what we say and what we mean are not always the same. I didn't need the banks to shut down, but at least they could've said something about it.
Anyway, I had to work that night. It was a Saturday and I'd be working the whole bar alone until 2 am, as usual. I usually had a few beers during my shift, lots of customers bought me drinks; but I couldn't get drunk, not with so much to stay on top of, so instead before work I had a few hits from my stash that Louis gave me free of charge. One of the perks of sleeping with someone who grew his own. It made me more mellow and a little giggly, more tolerant of the usual crowd of idiots.
Still, even a little high, I was pissed off when I drove down to the Goose, brooding about why everyone had decided to ignore my birthday. Shit, they didn't really believe me when I asked them not to make a fuss, did they? Birthdays are the one day of the year when it's all about you. Surely my friends and family knew me well enough to know that since one day was all I got, I sure as hell wanted to milk it for all it was worth.
The new sign the Lakes had just gotten, one of the big yellow ones you can put letters on, was blinking and flashing. As I got close enough, it occurred to me to read the newest message, and it said in big black letters, Happy 30th Birthday Sean. The parking lot already was full of cars and it was only 6 pm; when I walked through the door, bewildered, there was a big shout of "Surprise!"
The bar was decorated with balloons and streamers and a Happy Birthday banner; the tables were pushed together and there was a cake and a buffet and even some wrapped presents. Everyone was there. The Lakes. All the regulars, including Nick and all his friends I'd gone to school with since kindergarten. My mom, Andrew and the kids, his friends and their kids, Rachel and Tom, and Louis, all grinning at me as I blinked, speechless, but laughing. I got a kick out of seeing how Rachel squirmed with Tom and her ex-boyfriend Ryan in the same room after what had happened a few weeks ago.
"Are you surprised, Uncle Sean?" my niece Kayley jumped up and down, throwing herself at me. I lifted her up in my arms and hugged her. She was very proud to have kept the secret so well.
"Yeah, baby. Stunned."
"You really thought we weren't going to do anything, didn't you?" My mom hugged me. Carla Lake was tending bar while I opened my presents and had a piece of the cake my mom made, my favorite, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting. It was a really great party and I was so surprised and touched that they'd cared enough to plan out such an elaborate scheme. No one had given me a birthday party in years, not since my first year of college, when I turned 19 and my friends in the dorm surprised me. There were so many people there I barely had a second to talk to Louis out of anyone else's earshot.
"I'll give you your present later," he whispered, giving me that bone-melting grin of his, the one that turned me all to jelly and made my dick give a jump in my pants.
Eventually the party wound down, all the kids had to leave, and my mom took the remaining food and cake back to Andy's; the Lakes left too, leaving me to handle the bar full of rowdy drunks. Louis stayed, shooting the shit with old schoolmates at the end of the bar, even though they weren't friends back then. None of that really mattered these days, though. Out of the edge of my awareness, at one point I noticed him go to the jukebox, and the song that he played was "Lola" by the Kinks. I felt my whole body flood with warmth. That was the song that was playing the very first time we kissed, in the front seat of my brother's old Mustang he inherited from our dad. I glanced up and our eyes met, and over all the heads, we shared a smile.
What a romantic.
The night was pretty wild. I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally locked the door behind the last customer to leave. Louis was sitting at the bar finishing his beer while I did the close-out, waiting for me, even though he hadn't mentioned any plans. I assumed we were going back to my place and I was getting worked up just thinking about it, wondering what my present could be.
"We better go."
"Okay." Louis nodded and went toward the door, but I caught him before he got there and grabbed him, pushing him back against the pool table so he was sitting on the edge, his inner thighs resting along the outside of mine . My hands went around his back and I gently tugged his hair free of the ponytail, burying my hands in its silky warmth while our tongues met and played. I let out a little groan when he pulled me against him and slowly ground my hips into his. Breaking away, I grinned through the haze of desire growing between us.
"Oh, I like this."
I knew we had to get out of here before the sherriff's deputy made the nightly rounds, checking to make sure the bars were closed on time. I knew this wasn't the time or place for it; but Louis was so fucking irresistible to me, I couldn't stop. Throwing my knee up on the edge of the pool table, I pressed him back until he was lying flat against the green felt, with the Budweiser table lamp spotlighting his face, his hair fanning out and pooling around his shoulders. He smiled up at me and my breath caught in my throat. Our eyes held. God, I loved him so much. He was amazing. I shifted my weight to my good arm, hand braced behind his head, and our mouths locked while his hand slid up over my ass and squeezed my cheek.
"I fucking knew it."
My knees went weak as the shock whipped through me. My heart pounded with surprise. Quickly Louis and I scrambled up and I faced who was standing behind me-- thank God. It was Nick; his arms were crossed and he was standing there in his good old boy cowboy boots, scowling at us with his face as dark as a thundercloud.
"I knew you two were fucking," Nick repeated with angry triumph. "I could just tell."
The startled thumping of my heart had receded, and while Louis looked between us with amused curiosity, I suddenly smiled. Reaching out, I grabbed Nick and put my arm around his neck, pulling him in close; and with my other arm hooked over Louis' shoulder, I leaned over and kissed Nick's sweet, pouty lips, sliding my tongue into his mouth. He didn't respond, but he didn't stop me. I could feel Louis' erection kicking against my leg so I knew he was okay with this. More than okay. When I drew back my eyes met Louis' and a look passed between us, a question and an answer, before I met his open mouth with my tongue, sharing the taste of Nick's saliva with him.
"So Nick," I said softly when I pulled away from Louis, the three of us very close, with me the link in the chain. His green eyes were searing between Louis' and my faces, instinctively catching our drift, the way an animal senses meaning from the tone of its master's voice. "Maybe Louis and I could come over to your place and have a few drinks, maybe a little smoke?"
"Sure," Nick said in his oddly toneless voice. "If you can give me a ride."
"I need to lock up still."
Louis stood up from the edge of the pool table and pulled his keys out of his jacket pocket. "I'll give you a ride Nick, Sean can meet us over there. You'll have to show me where you live." He looked at me for approval and I nodded.
"See you there in a few minutes."
It was my birthday, but this gift was for Louis. I wanted to rock his world like nothing he'd ever known before. The exhibitionist thing didn't give me the same charge it did him, but I'd been looking out for the opportunity to set it up for him ever since he'd told me about it. And Nick-- he liked to watch. He'd told me so the first night we got together after drinking at the Goose. He was the perfect third party in this little game. Drunk, horny, a little kinky, up for anything, with no pesky hangups to get in the way.
The Jeep was in front of Nick's trailer when I pulled up. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and walked in, with no real idea of what to expect from here on out. Uncharted territory. They were sitting at opposite ends of the couch, passing a joint. While Louis got me a beer out of the fridge, Nick handed me the fatty and I dropped down in the middle as I inhaled it into my lungs, holding my breath.
"Damn, that's good," I breathed out, coughing a little. Louis and I smiled at each other while Nick kind of sat quietly, observing us. I wondered what they'd been talking about before I got there. "Well," I announced glumly as I slumped back against the green velour couch between them, "I'm not twenty anymore."
"No, you're better." Louis reached out and ran his hand through my blonde hair, picturing it the way it used to be. "I always hated it black. Glad you're back to natural."
"Yeah, baby. All natural." I wiggled lower so my jeans came off my hips and showed the blonde hair on my stomach, disappearing into the waist of my boxers just barely visible. I was wearing my brother's jeans; he outweighed me by about 10 pounds and so the jeans sat low on my hips, faded and comfortable, sexy. Louis' finger lazily ran across the exposed skin, into my belly button, and I shivered as his fingers raked gently through the hair right where it spread out into my groin.
Having Nick sitting there was almost like undressing in front of the family pet. His eyes moved back and forth between us, but he didn't say anything unless we spoke to him directly. Louis and I almost forgot he was there. He had turned the TV to his favorite satellite station, the softcore porn channel. I watched Louis' face for a reaction when the obligatory scantily clad blonde with big tits came on the screen; he didn't show any interest until a cute blonde delivery guy knocked at her door in brown shorts.
"Shit!" Louis' face lit up. "He looks just like you."
"He really does," Nick echoed with his eyes glued to the screen.
With some interest the three of us watched the TV. This was cable, so there was no penetration shown; it was mainly back views, ass cheeks, and lots of tit shots. Just enough to whet your appetite for the real stuff.
"I want to see some dick," I complained, shifting around on the couch cushion. Louis' hand was resting on my thigh and he gave it a little squeeze, smiling when he noticed the bulge in my crotch becoming more obvious.
