The Gardener (Part 16)

[Reeza]

Author's Note: Here's a chapter that's meant to generate heat while it moves the story along. I hope I succeeded. Also, for those of you who love to hate Henry, he's baaaack!

Previously on The Gardener . . . Adam and Sam got naked for the first time and took a nice long shower; Sam tried to be friendly to the Weasel Woman; The boys went shopping for furniture; and Sam met Donna for the first time - they got along pretty well.


The Gardener
by Reeza

Parts 1 and 2 : Part 3 : Part 4 : Part 5 : Part 6 : Part 7 : Part 8 : Part 9 : Part 10 : Part 11 : Part 12 : Part 13 : Part 14 : Part 15

Part 16

I didn't like to miss having dinner with Sam, but on Monday night I had my first appointment with the psychologist Dr. Rubin referred me to, so Sam would have to fend for himself. When I finally got home after the appointment, the house was dark but the lights were on in the coach house. I stopped to get my mail out of the box and headed straight up to his apartment. I pounded loudly on the door. "Open up! It's your landlord!"

A few seconds later Sam threw open the door. "You scared me! Get in here!" He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck and kissed me rather aggressively, penetrating my mouth with his tongue and taking as much of me as he wanted before pulling out and leaving me with a look that said, "I can do that whenever I want to." What he actually said was, "Are you here to collect the rent?"

"No." I was stunned by that kiss. "But I feel like I just got paid." I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "You just set a whole new standard for after work greetings."

He smiled proudly. He was wearing a tight grey t-shirt and white boxer shorts with yellow smiley faces all over them. He closed the door and padded across the floor in his bare feet. "How was your day?"

"Kind of long." I sat down at his kitchen table where a large paper bucket from the Chicken Shack was filled almost to the top with the bones of deceased hens. I tried to guess how many chickens he had eaten, but I gave up because I was too tired.

He was gathering up the empty containers from the mashed potatoes, gravy, cole slaw, and who knows what else. "Are you hungry? Do you want anything to eat?"

"Is there anything left?"

"Uh . . . no. Wait . . . I have some ketchup packets, but that's probably not . . ."

"That's okay. I had a burger before my appointment."

"Yeah, how did that go?"

"It was interesting. Difficult. Good."

"Do you wanna talk about it? You don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, I don't mind. Umm, he asked me a million questions, I told him how fucked up I am. Then he made some observations and we talked about how to proceed."

Sam wiped the table clean and was drying it with a dish towel. "Did you like him?"

"I felt comfortable with him. It's not easy to talk about some of that stuff, but he made it easier. He said something at the end that I have to think about."

"What did he say?"

"I told him I wanted to feel more in control of myself, and he said, 'Haven't you had enough of that?' He asked me to come up with a better goal."

"Huh." Sam rubbed his abdomen and looked thoughtful.

I started shuffling through my mail. "Hey, I got something from Dr. Rubin's office. Must be my test results." I opened the envelope, unfolded the papers and scanned their contents while Sam looked over my shoulder. "It looks like I don't have cooties. Everything is negative. Here you go." I handed the papers to him and stood up to get a drink of water.

He read the results, then folded them up and stuffed them back in the envelope. "I'm not surprised, but that's good news."

I finished drinking my water and turned around to find him standing right in front of me. He grasped the front of my trousers and unzipped my fly. Before I could react, he had me backed up against the refrigerator with his hand inside my pants.

"Whoa! Slow down, tiger. I need to get out of my work clothes and . . . oh! Aaah."

He was looking me in the eye and massaging my genitals. "I'll take your clothes off when I'm ready. I like you in your work clothes."

"Okay, that feels good, but I'm gonna go back to the house and . . ."

"You're not going anywhere." He had the slightest hint of a smile on his lips.

"That's . . . kind of hot, but really, we'll be more comfortable over there . . . ."

"I guess you could try to leave." He was petting my silk neck tie with his free hand.

I realized what he was doing. I tried to push myself away from the refrigerator, but he pressed me back against it with just the tips of his fingers on my chest. I liked it. I tried to move sideways, but felt increasing pressure between my legs when he lifted the hand that was inside my pants. He stared into my eyes as my heels almost left the floor. "Aaah, ah . . . okay." I grabbed the sides of the refrigerator and stopped trying to move.

He removed his other hand from my chest and used it to pull up the stretched sleeve of his t-shirt, exposing the biceps muscle that was supporting my weight. He looked down at it and ran the tip of his forefinger over the hardened surface. "Do we have an understanding?"

My dick was trying to grow against the pressure of his hand. "I get it . . . you're in control."

"That's right." He allowed my legs to support my own weight. My appreciative boner expanded in his hand. "In my house, we play by my rules." He gave me a quick kiss on the forehead.

Reflexively, I replied, "Well . . . technically, I'm the owner."

This seemed to amuse him. With a smile, he placed his forearm across the top of my chest, pinning me to the refrigerator. He took his hand out of my pants and started to unbuckle my belt. "Okay, Mr. Owner Man . . . do you think you own me?" He was looking into my eyes again.

I knew I didn't own him, but I wondered how he wanted me to answer. I took a risk and said, "Yeah, pretty much."

The look in his eyes changed a little. He pulled my belt, roughly, through all the loops in my trousers and threw it to the floor with a clatter. He brought his face close to mine. "Really?" He undid a button on my waistband. "Do you think you can do whatever you want with me?" His nose and lips almost touched mine. He finished unfastening my trousers and pulled them off my hips. They crept down my thighs and legs to my ankles. With a defiant look he said, "Oops. Your pants fell down."

I tried to kiss him, but he pulled back, staying just out of reach. He licked his lips and left them slightly parted. I struggled to reach them, but he teased me. "Do you think you can kiss me whenever you want to?"

"Please!"

"No."

"C'mon!"

"Why do you want to kiss me?"

"Unf! Because I love you. I love your face. I love your stubble. I want to feel it with my lips, and my nose."

He waited. "Is that all?"

"Mmph! Your lips! They look so juicy. I wanna suck on the bottom one."

"What's wrong with the top one?"

"Nothing! I'll take it! I want your tongue inside me. C'mon!"

"Do you own me?"

"No!"

"Whose house is this?"

"Yours!"

He kissed me aggressively, like he did at the door, thumping the back of my head against the refrigerator. Tongue, lips, juice and stubble. My hard-on was stretching my underwear. He took control of it, unwrapped it, and held it. He withdrew his tongue and slowly pulled his lower lip away from mine. I stretched my neck forward, like a hungry baby bird. "More!"

"Don't be greedy. It's rude."

"When you're at my house, I feed you as much as you want."

A smile flashed across his lips and disappeared. After a moment's hesitation, he kissed me again, hard and deep. Just before he finished, he moved his hands to my waist and picked me up. I heard a ripping sound and grabbed his shoulders. He turned around, walked me across the floor, and plopped my ass onto the table.

"What was that sound?"

He lifted his arm to reveal a hole where the sleeve separated from his shirt. "I knew that was gonna happen. This thing is too tight." With a single pull, he ripped the sleeve off and tossed it aside.

"That was hot." My boner throbbed with approval.

"You like that? I have a bunch of shirts I could do that with." He removed my shoes without untying them, threw my trousers onto a chair, and started tugging at my socks.

"Why am I on the table? This is unsanitary."

"It's my table."

"What are you gonna do?"

"You don't need to know."

"I don't? I'm kind of involved . . ."

Exasperated, he clamped his hands on my thighs. "Is your dick hard?"

"Yes."

"Then shut up and enjoy it!" He pushed at my chest, forcing me to grab the table to keep from falling onto my back. He pulled on my briefs, roughly tugging them toward my knees.

"Don't tear them."

He stopped and glared at me. Is he really angry? Without looking away from my eyes, he clenched his fists and jerked his hands apart once, then again, and dragged my torn briefs away from my body. He held them for a moment between his thumb and forefinger, then dropped them on the floor. "I'll buy you a new pair."

He made his point, and I was really turned on. As if that wasn't enough, he grabbed the collar of his t-shirt and effortlessly snapped it in half, tore the shirt down the middle, and ripped the remaining pieces off his body.

"Oh God, that's so hot! I've seen that in videos, but I never thought I would see it in . . ."

Sam lunged forward and swallowed my boner all the way to my pubic hair.

I shouted. "Oh! Fucking hell!" He applied a lot of suction. "Jesus H. Christ! Mother of God, mother fucker!" My catholicism was coming out with some profane updates. Mr. Zipinski would have been appalled. "St. Francis! St. Paul!" I gave up trying to stay seated and lay back on the table.

He slowly drew his lips up the length of my shaft while applying some serious pressure. He stopped when he reached the crown and started teasing it with his tongue. He let the head slip between his lips, then lapped at it like an ice cream cone.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa." That's the sound I made. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaa."

He went all the way down to the base again, pumped his mouth up and down a few times, then repeated the long, slow drag to the top. Pressure was building in my balls.

"Haaa! Haaa! Haaa!"

He kissed the head the way he kissed my mouth, his full wet lips sliding over it again and again. He circled the base of my shaft with his thumb and finger, then engulfed the top half of of my dick and waited. I gave him what he wanted, bucking and clenching and squeaking while he sucked and swallowed and sucked. When I was finished, he drew his lips up and off my spent rod, gently licking and kissing the tip until the last drops of fluid were collected.

"Hoooooo. Hooooo. Hoooo."

He came around the side of the table and gave me a slow, gentle kiss on the mouth, allowing me to taste myself on his tongue. Smirking, he patted my cheek a few times. "Thanks for dessert. I waited a long time to taste that." He loosened my tie and started to take it off.

"Hooo. That was . . . amazing."

"Thanks. I haven't done a lot of sex stuff, but sucking dick is one of my favorites so far. Of course, you know me . . . I'll eat anything."

"Well . . . anytime you want a snack . . ."

He was unbuttoning my shirt. "It sounded like you were praying . . . except for the swearing."

"I don't know what that was." I realized what he was doing. "Wait, I might as well keep my shirt on to go back to the house."

"You're not going back to the house."

I sat up. "Whataya mean? I've got things to do."

"Like what?"

"Uh . . . I haven't checked my e-mail."

"Who do you get e-mail from?"

"Umm . . . Best Buy . . . OfficeMax . . . a place in Canada that sells Viagra."

"They can wait."

"But they might have a sale."

His brow crinkled. "Is this for real, or are you teasing me?"

"Uhh . . ." Am I, or not?

"You're staying here. Lift up your arm, or I'm gonna tear your shirt off."

I obeyed. "But I have my routines. I like my routines. They help me feel more . . ." I stopped.

He removed my shirt and hung it on the back of a chair. "More what?"

"Never mind."

He was facing me again, with his hands on my knees. "More in control? Is that what you were gonna say?"

I looked at the ceiling. "Maybe."

"I want you in my bed." He grabbed me at the waist and slung me over his shoulder. It gave me a very nice view of his smiley face boxers. I tried to grab his ass, but I couldn't reach. He started walking to the bedroom.

"My bed is bigger," I said.

He reached up and smacked me on the butt with his open palm, and not gently.

"Ow! That hurt!"

"Do we have to go over this again? Who's in control?"

I sighed. "I dunno . . . is it you?"

He smacked me again, harder.

"OW!! You're in control! Sir!"

"Ooh, I like the sound of that." He dumped me onto his bed and smiled at my scowling face. "Make yourself comfortable. I'm not done with you yet."

"What are you gonna do now?"

He rolled his eyes at me and shook his head. "You're really not clear on the concept, are you?"

He had a point, of course. I had known for a while that my life was too controlled and orderly, but I hadn't come up with a plan to overcome my habits. He was challenging me. Despite the powerful incentive of his sexy ways, it was not easy for me to relinquish control. I situated myself on the bed and decided to be more cooperative. "I like your boxers."

He smiled. "Yeah? They're happy to see you." He waited for his goofy joke to have an effect on me. "Get it? They're smiling?"

I couldn't keep a straight face any longer. I had to laugh because he was so fucking cute. I loved his goofy grin.

"Now I can take them off. I was waiting all this time for you to say something about them."

I could not get the smile off my face. I wanted to consume him. Speaking of which . . . his dangling cock was looking delicious as he climbed onto the bed and straddled me. "Oh, good! Now I get to suck yours!"

"Did I say you were gonna do that?"

"Well, no, but . . . okay, I'll be quiet."

"Very good! You're catching on." He bent down and kissed the tip of my nose. "Okay, I want you to stroke my thighs now." With his hands on his hips, he waited for me to comply.

Not a problem. I put my hands on his muscular thighs and petted them gently, stroking the hair. His dick started to rise.

"See what that does to me? That feels good. Now watch my foreskin and keep petting my thighs. Watch what it does."

As his erection grew, the loose skin at the tip tightened and was drawn up. I used my fingertips to lightly graze the skin on the most intimate part of his legs. The head of his penis emerged from the foreskin, plump and shiny.

"There it is. Well done, Adam. Okay, put your hands down. Now remember, this is a lot more sensitive than yours because it's covered up most of the time. So you're not gonna chomp on it like a carrot."

"I wasn't planning to."

"Alright, but I had a bad experience with one guy, so I'm just warning you. I slapped his head so hard I think he had a concussion."

I looked up at him. "I know that shouldn't turn me on, but it does."

He smiled. "Shut up! It wasn't funny." He stroked his hard-on a few times, bringing it to full size. I think it was full size. "Okay, I want you to touch it with the tip of your tongue. Just the tip."

I leaned forward and extended my tongue, carefully contacting the glistening head, just as he had instructed. It was surprisingly exciting. If it had been up to me, I would have touched it with my uvula. I retracted my tongue.

"Good! Very respectful." He squeezed his member and produced a drop of precome that hung like a bead of dew on a rose petal. "There . . . you can have that. Just with the tip of your tongue again."

I curled my tongue and went in to collect my prize. The taste of it was subtle . . . slightly salty. I smiled gratefully.

"You're behaving very well." He moved his knees forward so he was closer to my face. "I'm gonna let you kiss it now. Get your lips nice and wet, and think about how you like to suck on my lower lip." He stuck out his juicy lip, and I knew exactly what he meant. I licked my lips. "Okay, make a fish face." He demonstrated, I imitated. "That's right. Now, I'm gonna park it right in the center of that. I don't want you to suck, or move forward, or do anything other than the fish face. Ready?"

I nodded. He held his prick with one hand, aiming it at my lips, and put his other hand on the top of my head. He guided them together until my lips were caressing his sensitive head. "That's good. Gentle fish kisses. Keep going. That feels great." He closed his eyes for a moment and his breathing changed. I continued my fish impersonation and thought about how this would feel on the head if my penis. I liked it.

He took a breath and exhaled contentment. "Alright . . . next step. Stop moving your lips and just make a round opening in the middle of the fish face." I did what I thought he meant. "Yep, that's it. Just hold that. I'm gonna push the head of my dick through that hole and pull it out. I want it to be snug, but not too tight. Okay?"

I nodded again. I was surprised by the detailed instructions he was giving, but it was very helpful. I wouldn't have thought of any of this. If he wanted to teach me how to love his cock, then I would be an eager student. I lubricated my lip hole with plenty of saliva. He approached. He pushed it in, and pulled it out. In again, and out. It made a little popping noise on the way out. "Oh, that's nice, Adam. You're gonna be an expert cocksucker in no time." Yay! That's better than a CPA license.

"Now try a little suction, like you would with my lip. Suck it in, and then let it out." I gave that a try. The image of a baby's pacifier came into my head. Then the baby Maggie Simpson, from "The Simpsons." Then the glossy red head of Sam's giant cock. It all clicked, and I was sucking contentedly on the head of his meat stick, as if it would provide all of my nourishment. "Oh. Oh. You've got it. That's it." He let go of my head, trusting me to do it on my own. He gestured toward my right hand, inviting me to grip his shaft. "You don't have to do it quickly, Adam. Nice and slow is fine. Just let it glide in and out. That's right. Very good." I was glad that he was pleased with my performance.

After a few minutes of moaning softly, he put his hand on my head to stop me. I reluctantly withdrew and let go. "You did great, but I'm gonna finish myself off this time. Just lie down and watch me." I almost objected, but stopped myself before breaking the rules. He spread his knees wider until his testicles were nested in my pubic hair and my revived erection was bumping against the crack of his ass. He stroked and pumped and squeezed himself while I watched his muscles flex, stretch, and slide under his skin. When he was ready to blow he let out his usual bellow. Aiming low, he tossed several ropes of pearly white essence the length of my torso, followed by a small puddle on my stomach. His ragged breaths became regular, then slower. "Oh, that was good. Do you wanna suck me clean?"

"Yes, please." I was afraid he wouldn't ask. I sat up a little and took him into my mouth, a few inches down the shaft. I was surprised at how wide I had to open to get it in, but it felt good and tasted better. His come was surprisingly sweet. Maybe it's from all the doughnuts and ice cream. I sucked and licked and dragged my lips up his shaft until he was clean.

As soon as I was done with that, he started lapping his own product off my stomach and chest. It was a lovely sight, very sexy, and he obviously liked the taste as much as I did. He continued until there was nothing left but the sheen from his saliva and the faint scent of his creamy filling. I was very relaxed. He finished me off with a tender kiss on the mouth, then rolled to one side and stretched out next to me with his head resting on one hand.

He smiled. "So . . . how was I?"

"Delicious. You're very sweet."

"Aw, shucks."

"I mean your come, but you're sweet, too."

"Oh, yeah. Mine is kind of sweet. Maybe that's why I always eat it."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Don't you?"

"No. I've thought about it, and I tasted a little once or twice, but it always seemed . . . wrong."

"Whatever. Why waste it? But I'll be eating all of yours from now on."

"Oh, really? What if I have a little private fun when you're not around?"

"That's not allowed anymore. You have to save it all for me. And I'll do the same for you."

"God . . . you say the sexiest things sometimes, but I'm never sure if you're trying to be sexy or funny."

He shrugged. "What difference does it make? As long as I'm sexy."

"You are so right. And you are always sexy."

"I know." He picked up his arm and flexed his biceps for me, while smiling that goofy smile. "Lemme turn the lights out so I can cuddle up with you for the night." He crawled over me, rubbing himself against me more than he needed to. I watched his beautiful body move through the apartment, switching things off while turning me on. He came back to the bed and rubbed himself across me again.

I thought about how to get comfortable. "Y'know, I sleep on the right side in my bed."

"Well, you're not in your bed, are you? You're sleeping on the left. In my bed."

"Okay." I looked around. "Where's your alarm clock?"

"I don't use one."

"But I need to get up for work."

"So do I. I'll wake you up."

"What if you oversleep?"

"I won't." He waited to see if I was going to say anything else. "You'll just have to trust me."

"Hmm. Okay. I like to get up at six-thirty so I have time to exercise and eat breakfast."

"I don't have any clocks."

"What?! Are you crazy?"

"I'm kidding! Jeez! I'll wake you up at 6:30, I'll put you through a military calisthenics routine, I'll make French toast for breakfast, and then you can go over to the house and get ready for work. Satisfied? Can we cuddle now, or are you too busy?"

"Mmm. Alright." I tried to settle down, but I had to verbalize one more anxious thought. "Maybe I'll just wait until you fall asleep and then I'll go back to the house."

"Uurgh! Adam, you were doing so well for a while, but you couldn't let it go, could you? I'm just gonna hafta sleep on top of you so you can't go anywhere." He rolled me onto my back and crawled on top of me, face down, with his limbs spread across the bed. "I hope you can breathe."

"Mmmrph!" I couldn't breathe. He was very heavy, and I felt as flat as a chalk outline at a murder scene. "Mmmmrph!" I managed to move my hand enough to grab a piece of his skin. I pinched him. He moved.

"Is something wrong?"

"Get off me! I can't breathe!"

"Hmm . . . I don't know about that. Are you gonna settle down for the night?"

"Yes!"

"Do you promise to stay?"

"Yes!"

"Who's in control here?"

"You are!

"Well . . . okay." He rolled off me and I filled my lungs with air. I wanted to hit him, but I knew he was helping me. He lay on his side, pulling me against his body in the position we both preferred. He spread his hand on my chest and nuzzled my neck. He was warm. I felt safe and loved. Yes, I had a lot of issues, but I was going to get better . . . or Sam was going to suffocate me. It was a good arrangement.

"Sam?"

"What?"

"Can we do this every Monday?"

"Yes. Go to sleep now."

"Thank you . . . sir."

"Mmmm. That makes me wanna fill your belly with my seed."

"God! That's so sexy."

"That was supposed to be funny."

"Still . . .sexy."

***

At the end of the day on Tuesday, I was leaving the office feeling cheerful and optimistic. Just as I was about to get in my truck I heard someone call my name. God dammit! Now what? Probably some horrible disaster I'll have to deal with. I turned around to see Henry trotting across the parking lot. Oh! I haven't seen him for a while.

"Hey Adam! How are ya? Nice truck, dude! That looks brand new. Your boyfriend must take good care of you."

"It is . . . he doesn't, I mean he's not . . . I bought it. Myself." I leaned against the side of my shiny blue pickup.

"Oh. It matches your eyes."

"Really?" I felt my eyelashes flutter. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. How do I look?" He peered at his reflection in the window glass above my shoulder.

"You look good, as usual . . . I mean . . ."

He showed his bright white teeth. "Thanks! I'm meeting a guy for drinks. He's been begging for a date for weeks."

"That's nice."

"You look hot."

"Uff!" I rolled my eyes.

"You should unbutton your collar in this weather."

"Oh."

He loosened my tie and opened my top collar button. That's very thoughtful. While he was doing that he asked me an unexpected question. "So . . . I was wondering if you've heard anything about personnel changes in the office."

"Changes? Who? What? I haven't heard anything."

"You haven't? Oh, well . . . never mind. They were probably just rumors."

"What rumors? What did you hear?"

"No, I shouldn't repeat rumors. If you haven't heard about it, they're probably not true."

"But I'm not always in the loop."

"Yeah, but this was about a friend of yours, so it can't be true."

"Donna is my only friend. Did you hear something about her?"

"Hey! What about me? I'm your friend!"

"I'm sorry, of course you're my friend. I was just thinking of Donna because I know she's having problems with Mr. Zipinski."

"She is? What's that about?"

"I think he's trying to get rid of her because she has information about him that could . . . you know, I really shouldn't be talking about this . . . she'll kill me."

"Why? I'd like to help, if I can. A friend of yours is a friend of mine, right?"

"Well . . . yeah. I guess it would be good for you to know about this, too. Apparently Zipinski has been doing some nasty sexual stuff to a bunch of female staffers, and Donna was trying to get them to band together and file a formal complaint."

"Really? That's great! I mean, that's terrible! That old mummy has a functioning dick?"

"Well, I didn't hear any details on that."

"I get along well with a lot of the women in the office because I'm so . . . well, you know they like me. I could probably find out who those women are and talk them into filing a complaint. Maybe if they hear it from a guy, it'll be more persuasive."

"That would be great! I'm so glad I told you about this. Donna will be . . ."

"But you can't tell Donna that you told me about this. She's in enough trouble as it is. She needs to stay clear of this, right?"

"Oh yeah, right. She said she would keep her mouth shut for a while. I won't tell her we spoke. That makes it easier for me, too." I knew he was a good guy! "So, I'm curious . . . who was the person you heard a rumor about?"

"Hey, do you wanna grab a drink with me right now? We could go to that bar across the street. I fucked the bartender, so he'd probably discount us."

"I thought you had a date."

"Oh, I can blow him off. I don't care. He'll call me again anyway."

"I'd like to, but I have to go home and make dinner. I can't let my man go hungry."

"He's a lucky guy, whoever he is. I'd like to meet him some time."

"That wouldn't go well."

"Why do you say that?"

"Uh . . . he's kind of jealous. In a good way."

"Really? There's a good way to be jealous? I wouldn't put up with that."

"Oh, it's not like that. He doesn't control me. Well . . . most of the time. But that's different. It's complicated."

"I dunno, Adam. You're running home to cook dinner for him . . . he doesn't want you to have friends. It's not exactly paradise, is it?"

"No, he's great. Really, I don't deserve him. But thanks for your concern. It's fine."

"I hope so. If you ever need help with him, just let me know."

I had to laugh. "That's sweet, Henry, but you have no idea what you'd be up against. And there's no need. He's fine. I'm fine. Everybody is fine. Okay?"

"I'll take your word for it, but I worry about you, buddy! I'd better let you go, or he'll be angry that his dinner is late."

I smiled. "That's not true!" I looked at my watch. "Oh, shit! I need to get that roast in the oven. I'll see you on Thursday."

"Thursday? What about tomorrow?"

"I'm not working on Wednesdays anymore. Zipinski is letting me work on Saturdays instead so I can spend more time with my boyfriend." I climbed into my truck.

"Zipinski knows about your boyfriend?"

"No, no! I let him think I have a girlfriend. He'll never find out. Have fun with your date. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"No, of course not." He showed his teeth again. "I'll see ya."

As I drove away, I felt glad that I had accepted Henry's offer of friendship. If Donna and Sam knew him the way I do, they wouldn't be so suspicious of him. It feels good to trust people. My life has been so much better since I started trusting people. I don't know what I was afraid of all those years.

I flipped on the radio. Chris Isaak was singing "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing."

I love this song!

I cranked it up and sang along.

*****

Continued in: Part 17

Postscript: Your comments and thanks, no matter how brief or repetitive, are sincerely appreciated and keep me motivated to write. I doubt that there would be any stories on this forum without the appreciation shown by readers, so don't underestimate your contribution to this process.

[hardmuscl4life]

"Yes, I had a lot of issues, but I was going to get better . . . or Sam was going to suffocate me. It was a good arrangement."

Ha ha ha .... This bit was great. There is nothing as good as a mash form someone you love... Breathless or not!

Thanks again,
George

[martinp13]

"So you're not gonna chomp on it like a carrot."

Visuals!

[marmel]

Ooo...maybe Sam has to deal with Henry in a brutish fashion. Great story Reeza!

[chocomus]

i have thefeeling Donna is gonna get fired because of Henry just because of what Adam told him. He gives me a snake vibe (and not in a good bulgy way lol)

[sierraca]

Woo hoo, an early holiday treat from Reeza. I'm so looking forward to some down time tonight to give this a good read. What a great way to start the week before Christmas!

[Mdlftr]

Let's see how long it takes, for

`` Donna to get fired

```Adam to be "outed" to his boss,


``and Sam to rearrange Henry's teeth for him!

[that last one will never happen, since Reeza's already told us that Sam is not physically aggressive. Shame. He could go a little "Rambo" on Henry~!]

Great writing!

[umlerian49]

"Uh . . . I haven't checked my e-mail."

"Who do you get e-mail from?"

"Umm . . . Best Buy . . . OfficeMax . . . a place in Canada that sells Viagra."

"They can wait."

"But they might have a sale."


I nearly fell off my chair!

As for Henry-- be afraid-- be very afraid...

I've been around office politics too long not to see that Sam's (Adam!) about to be played like a cheap fiddle.

[Reeza]

Originally Posted by umlerian49

I've been around office politics too long not to see that Sam's about to be played like a cheap fiddle.

You mean Adam, I think.

Isn't it possible that Adam is right about Henry, and he really is a good guy?

[Mdlftr]

Originally Posted by Reeza

You mean Adam, I think.

Isn't it possible that Adam is right about Henry, and he really is a good guy?

....Did I tell you about a Bridge in Brooklyn that I have that's for sale? You can stop by my house to pay for it. Come at 10. Santa Claus is stopping by at 9 and then the Tooth Fairy is coming after that.


---Didn't NNNRG say that Adam probably has Asperger's syndrome or some other autism spectrum disorder where he is totally clueless about human feelings and reading people?

[sonic260]

^You mean Adam, not Henry.

[weaknobody]

That was so SO good.
You should be making money out of this, really.

I'd pay to read you.

[makurra]

Damn, would love to be under Sam's control!!! That storie is going better as time goes by!!!!! Reeza, you deserve "The Evolution Forum Literature Nobel Award"

[mario2007]

Reeza, I love this story, but nobody's as naive as Adam. And if they are, they would NEVER be somebody I would trust. Anyone who would trust, or even associate with someone like Henry, should be shot in the head.

[Reeza]

Originally Posted by mario2007

Reeza, I love this story, but nobody's as naive as Adam. And if they are, they would NEVER be somebody I would trust. Anyone who would trust, or even associate with someone like Henry, should be shot in the head.

WOW! I love the strong reaction.

Remember that Adam hasn't had a lot of friends in his life, so he's vulnerable to an attractive man who seems friendly. Haven't you ever been dazzled by someone like that? I know I have. Perhaps you shouldn't trust me. (You do trust me, don't you?)

Beside, what has Henry actually done so far that would make you say Adam shouldn't even associate with him?

[Tibo]

This installment was reaally good, Rezza, as always.
Sam can be really ? convincing, haha. He really seems to like to dominate Adam. Even though I liked the cutie Sam a bit more .

The last part however ? I have to say I don't like it. I don't believe that anyone can be this naive and untrustworthy. Even is someone is that naive why would he consider to tell a third party something a friend told him in secret, and even more when he knows that Donna doesn't like Henry at all?
I know that she show has to go on, but this part felt a bit pressed and artificial.

[nnnrg]

Running commentary in the form of a soundtrack.

On Sam's table: "Losing My Religion"
In bed, even though I hate the song for its smugness, "Sexual Healing"
And for the stupid blurt to notFriend Henry, "Secrets" by One Republic, for the chorus.
Although you nailed it pretty well with Chris Isaak there, and if Henry doesn't do a face turn, he needs to do an off-the-cliff-at-90MPH turn soon.

[Reeza]

Originally Posted by Tibo

This installment was reaally good, Rezza, as always.
Sam can be really ? convincing, haha. He really seems to like to dominate Adam. Even though I liked the cutie Sam a bit more .

The last part however ? I have to say I don't like it. I don't believe that anyone can be this naive and untrustworthy. Even is someone is that naive why would he consider to tell a third party something a friend told him in secret, and even more when he knows that Donna doesn't like Henry at all?
I know that she show has to go on, but this part felt a bit pressed and artificial.

Thanks for your honesty about this. I am, believe it or not, pleased with the negative reactions to the scene between Adam and Henry. It is a plot device, but it's also a development of Adam's character. You might not like this aspect of Adam's character - in fact, it might completely change your mind about him, as it might if one of your friends did this to you. But that doesn't mean people like this don't exist. Making stupid mistakes in relationships is one of the ways we learn to be better friends, if we learn from our mistakes.

I have been concerned that Adam and Sam are a little too cute and perfect for each other. I want to portray them as realistic human beings with real flaws and problems. Love would be kind of lame if we only had to love perfectly wonderful, beautiful people.

[umlerian49]

Originally Posted by Reeza

You mean Adam, I think.

Uh... yeah.

[portamivia]

Hmmm I love this story and it gives me so many ideas on how it could proceed.
(I think the way too good-to-be-true Sam needs a challenge of his own...)
Thanks for your writing.

[Reeza]

Originally Posted by portamivia

Hmmm I love this story and it gives me so many ideas on how it could proceed.
(I think the way too good-to-be-true Sam needs a challenge of his own...)

Sam's challenges and weaknesses will be revealed.

[mlbjock]

Originally Posted by Reeza

Thanks for your honesty about this. I am, believe it or not, pleased with the negative reactions to the scene between Adam and Henry. It is a plot device, but it's also a development of Adam's character. You might not like this aspect of Adam's character - in fact, it might completely change your mind about him, as it might if one of your friends did this to you. But that doesn't mean people like this don't exist. Making stupid mistakes in relationships is one of the ways we learn to be better friends, if we learn from our mistakes.

I have been concerned that Adam and Sam are a little too cute and perfect for each other. I want to portray them as realistic human beings with real flaws and problems. Love would be kind of lame if we only had to love perfectly wonderful, beautiful people.

Having character flaws makes it a great more realistic story, but Adam seems beyond naive for as long as he seems to have been working in/around office politics.

The fact that he knew not to reveal his partner is a man and allow his boss to think he's a she shows he's not that naive. So missing the very blatant hints that Henry is a sleaze-ball seems a bit forced.

Overall I love to story but an not looking forward to Donna getting burned by Henry.

[mario2007]

Really, just too many things. Just about everything Henry does is calculated, manipulative, underhanded and self-serving. Adam has had his 2 closest friends warn him about him and he STILL gives him the time of day?....

ANYWAY, please do keep writing. You, Sir, have a gift.

[Reeza]

Originally Posted by mlbjock

Having character flaws makes it a great more realistic story, but Adam seems beyond naive for as long as he seems to have been working in/around office politics.

The fact that he knew not to reveal his partner is a man and allow his boss to think he's a she shows he's not that naive. So missing the very blatant hints that Henry is a sleaze-ball seems a bit forced.

Overall I love to story but an not looking forward to Donna getting burned by Henry.

Thanks. These are good points, but Adam hasn't been involved in office politics. He stays away from everyone, doesn't attend social events, and wouldn't know anything if Donna didn't tell him.

He hides his sexual orientation because he's been doing it for most of his life, and he knows his boss is a strict Catholic. Remember, he only recently told Donna that he's gay.

In my mind, Adam's blindness to Henry's sleaziness comes partly from his physical attraction to him, and partly from an admiration that many inexperienced gay men have for the supremely confident and promiscuous guys who live a life of sexual gratification that many of us couldn't have. (Think of Brian from 'Queer As Folk.')

Is Adam's naivete a bit forced? Yes it is, because Adam is the narrator and has to be the one who reveals Henry's sleaziness at the same time he disregards it. As a writer, I can only reveal things that Adam knows about unless I have him say, "I found out later that Henry was killing and eating babies, but at the time I thought he was a vegetarian."

Regarding Donna getting burned, she's a formidable woman. Henry should be afraid of her, but he doesn't know her. He has a low opinion of women, and doesn't take them seriously.

This is a good discussion. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

[worshipper]

"He's jealous, in a good way." Yes, he is protective & I love him for it.

[TJDasen1]

It's Christmas morning as I read the latest chapter in what has become a story of true delight. Thank you for the marvelous gift.

I was obsessed with the Harry Potter series when they came out, and this story has all the same earmarks as far as I'm concerned.

Certain passages have even spontaneously sparked my brain to remember several European phrases I learned while on an extended vacation during my hay-making years. (Oh those Italians!)

Thanks again, Reeza.

[anpuZA]

" "Well . . . okay." He rolled off me and I filled my lungs with air. I wanted to hit him, but I knew he was helping me. He lay on his side, pulling me against his body in the position we both preferred. He spread his hand on my chest and nuzzled my neck. He was warm. I felt safe and loved. Yes, I had a lot of issues, but I was going to get better . . . or Sam was going to suffocate me. It was a good arrangement. "


I think they could hear me sigh in the city bowl.

[Brock10704]

Great Story! Really enjoying it. Thanks!