Times are hard
You're afraid to pay the fee
So you find yourself somebody
Who can do the job for free
When you need a bit of lovin'
'Cause your man is out of town
That's the time you get me runnin'
And you know I'll be around
Light the candle
Put the lock upon the door
You have sent the maid home early
Like a thousand times before
Like the castle in its corner
In a medieval game
I foresee terrible trouble
And I stay here just the same
Steely Dan --- Dirty Work
****
Gray Saturday morning was at my window. The big bed was empty, and I wanted coffee. I got up feeling cranky, and slipped on sweats and one of Anders' old tee shirts all stretched out and comfy from his meaty shoulders and chest. I padded out to the kitchen.
Anders was at the table, laptop open, writing something from handwritten notes, tapping away. I did not interrupt him. I went for the coffee, pouring myself a huge mug. The carton of skim milk in the fridge was...empty. Three drops landed on the surface of my coffee. Damn and more damn.
"Anders, did you use all the milk and put the empty carton back in the fridge?" I asked low and calm and slow, keeping my annoyance at bay.
"Ah, yeah, sorry Trav. I should have left some for your coffee. My bad. I'll go to the store after I'm done outlining this paper; I'm on a roll." He was wearing a white v-neck undershirt, giving me a sample of the tangled rug of his thick dirty blond chest fur. He gave me his best strawberry blond puppy dog look, weaponized for my benefit. I was roadkill.
I went in behind his chair, lifted his shaggy hair from his muscly nape, and ran my tongue slowly across it and back again. This earned me a full body shiver and groan, while I huffed his un-showered Anders scent; musk, rust, cloves, weed, maleness.
"No worries, werewolf boy, keep working. I'll go next door and borrow some from Grif and Brody. Do you think they are up?" I asked.
"Yeah, probably," he answered softly, putting a muscular arm around my waist, pulling me close and looking up at me. Mmm. Sweet boy of mine. "I'm sorry Trav, I will be more thoughtful."
"Work on your paper." I said. He went back to it, tip of his broad pink tongue out over those full velvety lips, as my universe imploded from his casual hotness. I laced up my Merrells, pulled on a fleece and ball cap, and headed next door to Griffin's flat.
Brody was pretty much living with Grif at this point, while still keeping his dorm room and nominally living on campus as JV freshmen were required to do. I listened at their door then rang the bell.
The door was opened by a young man who seemed familiar but that I did not know. "Hey, is Grif around? Maybe Brody?" I asked.
"Sure. Come on in." He was in boxer briefs and Grif's green plaid flannel shirt, clearly at home here, and clearly having spent the night. Whatever. "Grif is in the shower, Brody is out for a run. You want coffee?" he asked, scratching his balls.
"Hell yeah. I'm Travis Ravenel. I live in the next building over."
"Kyle Taylor. Grif told me about you." I followed him into the kitchen, where he poured me a big mug of joe, and let me lighten it with skim milk. I slurped. Coffee at last. Cool.
"Whoa. Thanks. I needed this," indicating the mug. Kyle looked to be about nineteen, mop of lose blond curls over a narrow, rather rodent-like face. Lean, wiry body, a compelling vibe of ambiguous sexuality. Watchful blue eyes, wary, young townie on the make. I was mildly aroused, not really wanting to be.
"I've seen you at The Tudors. I do valet parking there, Sunday brunches. You were there with that beefy wrestler dude and your parents. New Range Rover, dark gray, had less than 500 miles on it." he said, kind of smirky. "Your daddie is smokin' hot and he tipped really well."
"I'm glad you approve." I Richmond drawled with more than a bit of lofty condescension. "That was over a month ago; you have a good memory."
"Mmm. A good memory for hotness." he said, voice going low and sexy, male gaze upon me from those blue eyes, a knowingness beyond his years. Be cool. "I also deliver pizza for Little River. That's how I met Griffin."
"I see, said the blind man," I clowned for him, starting to warm up to his presence in Grif's seemingly limitless casual network of young men. "Are you in school?"
"Not right now. Too busy making ends meet," he grinned and looked down, suddenly charming. He had a Maryland accent, Eastern Shore. Bay people, watermen. Oysters and Blue Crabs. He topped off my mug and dumped the dregs of the pot into his own.
Grif appeared, shower damp hair, just the right amount of scruff, nether regions wrapped in a huge white shower towel. "Trav! Little spoon! Saturday morning hot!" He hugged me; Kyle looked on, gathering clues and intel. "Brody is out for a run; were you looking for him? I see you have met young Kyle here," tossing his head in Kyle's direction.
"Ah, no. Just looking to borrow some milk. Anders put the empty carton back in the fridge again." I sighed.
"And you instantly forgave him 'cuz he is a total Golden Retriever puppy dog, no?" Grif laughed.
"Of course. How could I not?" I grinned at Grif's knowing us so well.
"Anders is the varsity wrestler beef you were with at The Tudors?" Kyle piped up.
"Yeah. He is." Grif answered for me. He smacked Kyle's boyish ass with one big baseball player hand. "Be a good boy and brew us another pot, Kyle. Bring me a mug when you are done." Grif directed.
"Yes sir!" Kyle jumped to his assignment. Grif and I settled on the ugly plaid sofa.
"Ah...I hope I did not interrupt..."
"...my weekend chaos of carnality?" Grif laughed. "Not at all. The three of us got wicked fucked up, then fucked wickedly."
"Mmm. Some people just live for pleasure. Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad." I teased.
"Yeah, shit happens and then more shit happens." He laughed. Kyle brought Grif's mug of coffee without asking if I wanted more. He sat on the armrest of the sofa and put an arm around Grif. Dude was a bold little tart.
"What are you boys up to today?" Grif asked.
"Mmm. Anders is working on a paper. We will go to Trader Joe's later."
"That is sooo cute; the two of you shopping together." he said with genuine affection in his voice.
"Yeah, it's kinda' great. I push the cart; he runs the list." I said, liking the happiness in my own voice. "You and Brody may well get there." Grif looked down at his coffee, suddenly bashful. Kyle smirked.
Brody came in the door from his run, as if we had conjured him up with our very words. "Hey, Trav!" He leaned over the back of the sofa and kissed my cheek. He was sweaty from his run, new Adidas sport-o pants and a faded, well worn sweatshirt with a 'Sumter High School Gamecocks' logo.
"Whoa. You smell real nice!" I teased. Brody's confidence and charisma were substantially lofted from his getting together with Grif. I was pleased that Anders and I had somewhat engineered that.
"I brewed a fresh pot if you want more coffee, Brody." Kyle piped up.
"No thanks, Kyle. I should hit the shower. I smell like a swamp-wet coon dog." he Low Country drawled. He stripped down over by the futon, my eyes wandering to his nakedness; fine ass, boyish yet JV wrestling muscular, dusted lightly with dark fur. "Like what you see, Trav?" he grinned at me. Cool.
"Yeah, Brody, always good to see you stripped down." I teased. Then he was gone into the hiss and roar of the shower. Grif gave me his crooked horn-dog grin, eyebrows up.
"Brody is fine to look upon." he said softly, with his sexy 'Bama drawl.
"I should head back next door before I cause more trouble." I said getting up. "Thanks for the coffee."
Grif went to the fridge, hauled out a full gallon of skim milk for me.
"Thanks, Grif. I will replace this." I said.
"Whenever. Whatever." he grinned. I was at the door.
"Great meeting you Kyle."