The next morning, Holly woke me before my phone's alarm sounded, and when I sat up on the couch, I released a low groan.
"Morning, Josh!" she said, appearing completely unfazed by all the chardonnay she'd had the night before. Her eyes were bright as she gave me a sunny smile. I knew she had to be at the library a little later, but I had no idea how she could look so chipper. I was only grateful it was my Saturday off.
"Morning," I croaked while rubbing my eyes. It was then that I vividly remembered all I'd done with Troy on this very couch just a few hours ago. Staggering to my feet, I knew I needed to leave before he got up.
"Would you like some coffee?" Holly asked me.
I would have loved some coffee, but I couldn't risk lingering in the apartment. "Nah, I'm good," I said. "I'm just going to use the bathroom before I head out. Thanks for letting me crash here, Holly."
Her smile faded a little. "But it's still early. You don't have to hurry off just yet."
I gave her what I hoped was an apologetic look. "I just have so much stuff to do this weekend," I replied. "But I had a great time last night. We should do this again soon, and I promise I won't get shitfaced next time."
Holly laughed, apparently satisfied with my excuse for leaving so early. "At least you're a happy drunk," she said.
And a horny one, too, I almost added. Instead, I headed to the bathroom, and when I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror, I couldn't help but cringe. I looked almost as bad as I felt from the hangover; my skin was ashen and I had dark circles under my eyes. There was no way I could let Troy see me like this.
Fortunately, I was able to say goodbye to Holly and leave before Troy emerged from his bedroom. It wasn't a long drive to my place, and as soon as I let myself inside my studio apartment, I gulped down a glass of water. All the while, I was trying to decide the best way to respond to Troy's text. I wanted him to know I was definitely interested, but I didn't want to appear too eager. I'd practically thrown myself at him the night before, so I could afford to pull back a little. If I continued being so forward, I might come across as desperate. Which I was, but I didn't want that to be completely obvious to Troy.
Once I'd brushed my teeth, I stripped naked and climbed into the shower, lingering under the hot spray of water. As I recalled the way Troy had looked stretched out on the couch, his magnificent body on full display, I began stroking my cock. Letting my head fall back, I breathed faster. Fuck, just the memory of his gorgeous dick and the way it felt in my mouth had me close as I jerked my dick faster. My moans were muted, almost drowned out by the shower, and I dared to say his name aloud.
It was the thought of him playing with my ass, sliding a finger inside my needy hole, that pushed me over the edge. With a gasp and a fierce shudder, I shot my cum all over the shower wall. A strained groan escaped my lips, and even as the orgasm began to ebb, my desire for Troy remained. I needed to feel his skin beneath my palms again. I needed to smell and taste him, to press my body against his.
"Fuck," I whispered while washing away my cum. I was no stranger to infatuation, but this was ridiculous. I could not be falling for this guy after one night, I told myself. He hadn't even fucked me, for God's sake!
But oh, how I wanted him to.
It wasn't until later that morning that I replied to Troy's text. I kept the message brief: I had a great time last night. Don't be a stranger.
He should be the one to make the next move, I decided. After last night, the man had to know how much I wanted him, but he needed to let me know he wanted me, too.
The rest of the weekend passed, and I didn't hear a word from Troy. As each hour slipped by, my disappointment deepened, but I kept busy with housework and laundry, as well as running numerous errands.
By Sunday evening, I was lying on the couch, trying to lose myself in a novel, but I kept staring at my phone as if I could will Troy to contact me. I finally gave up and decided to go to bed early, but my despondency made me restless. Tossing and turning beneath the covers, I asked myself how I could have ever believed I'd be able to hold the attention of a guy like Troy. I must be fucking delusional.
As I got ready for work Monday morning, I was weary from lack of sleep but also determined to stop feeling sorry for myself. Troy had clearly lost interest, and I needed to accept that. Above all, I needed to act like everything was normal when I was around Holly; the last thing I wanted was for her to guess that something had happened between me and her roommate on Friday night after she'd gone to bed.
By the time I arrived at the library, I was freshly caffeinated and had a friendly smile pasted on my face. As soon as Holly saw me, she smiled back and gave me a big wave, and while we exchanged hellos, I realized Troy hadn't said anything to her about me. I hadn't really believed he would, but I was glad for his silence all the same.
At a little after ten, one of the library's most loyal patrons, Mrs. Sinclair, approached the front desk. She was an elderly widow who lived within easy walking distance of the library, and she stopped in several times a week. While the woman was an avid reader, I figured she sought me and Holly out for company more than anything else. I had repeatedly helped her use one of the computers so she could email her sister, and during those times, she'd urged me to ask Holly out.
"She's such a sweet young woman!" Mrs. Sinclair said. "Why are you letting a nice girl like that pass you by?" My polite smile had grown more strained as Mrs. Sinclair offered to play matchmaker.
"That won't be necessary," I'd finally said in a clipped voice, "because I don't date women, Mrs. Sinclair."
I'd watched the understanding settle over her features before she gave me a grin.
"My nephew's gay," she revealed in a stage whisper. "Next time he's visiting, I'll bring him here to meet you."
Now, as I watched Mrs. Sinclair place a paperback in front of Holly, my smile was genuine. I had to admit, the woman was entertaining and often broke up the monotony of a quiet morning.
"I'm afraid I didn't care for this one, Holly," Mrs. Sinclair said, nodding toward the book.
Holly's expression grew exaggeratedly serious. "I'm sorry to hear that, Mrs. Sinclair, especially since I was the one to recommend it to you. What didn't you like about it?"
"It was too slow, and it didn't have enough sexy parts," Mrs. Sinclair replied.
I let out a snort of laughter but quickly regained my composure. Holly shot me a dirty look, then returned her attention to Mrs. Sinclair, who had begun to rattle off a list of what she considered to be the novel's shortcomings. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed someone striding toward the front desk. Fixing a "how may I help you" smile on my face, I turned, and my eyes widened when I caught sight of Troy. He flashed me a grin, which made a hot pulse of lust bloom in my chest just behind my breastbone before it traveled downward at lightning speed to my dick.
Mrs. Sinclair must have noticed my shocked expression, for she turned toward Troy and regarded him with an astonished stare of her own. "My, my," was all she managed to utter.
"Troy!" Holly said. "What are you doing here? Is everything okay?"
"Everything's fine," he assured her before placing an insulated bag on the desk. "You forgot your lunch."
Holly gave him one of her sweet smiles. "Oh, thank you! But you didn't have to go to the trouble of bringing it all the way here."
"It's no trouble," Troy said. "You're right on my way to the gym."
"Looks like you live at the gym," Mrs. Sinclair remarked.
Troy laughed softly, careful to be quiet so as not to disturb others in the library. "Not quite," he said to Mrs. Sinclair. Then his gaze settled on me. "And how are you this morning, Josh?"
I swallowed hard, not trusting myself to speak for a second. "I'm great, Troy," I finally managed. "How are you?"
"Oh, can't complain."
By that time, Mrs. Sinclair had resumed her conversation with Holly about the disappointing novel, and Troy leaned against the desk, his hands clasped before him. Looking down at his long fingers, I again remembered how fucking incredible it felt when he played with my ass. I stepped even closer to the desk, and to Troy, and his playful smile widened. "It was really nice of you to bring Holly's lunch," was all I could think to say.
"My good deed for the day," Troy replied. His gaze moved to my lips, and I wondered if he was picturing them wrapped around his cock. "And I do recall someone telling me not to be a stranger," he added. I grinned at his words, my face flushing with warmth. He wasn't just here for Holly, I realized. He wanted to see me, too.
Before I could respond, Troy straightened up and gave Holly a wave. "You two have a good day," he told us. Then he offered Mrs. Sinclair one of his winning smiles. "And it was nice meeting you, Ms...?"
"Mrs. Sinclair," she said, holding out her hand for him to take. "You wouldn't happen to have a grandfather you could introduce me to, would you?"
Holly actually had to turn away then, and I watched as her shoulders shook with silent laughter.
"I'm afraid not," Troy told Mrs. Sinclair. "But a beautiful, charming lady like you must be turning down men left and right."
"Pretty much," Mrs. Sinclair said matter-of-factly. "I'm picky, though."
"As you should be." With a final goodbye to the three of us, Troy left the library.
Mrs. Sinclair watched him go, then turned to Holly. "Holly, who is that?" she demanded.
Holly couldn't stop a giggle from escaping her lips. "My roommate, Mrs. Sinclair."
The woman leaned close, dropping her voice to a dramatic whisper. "Do you ever get to see him without his shirt on?"
I opened my mouth to try to steer the conversation into safer territory, but before I could, Holly said, "Sometimes, yes."
"Lucky you!" Mrs. Sinclair squawked. A nearby reader shushed her, yet the older woman was undeterred. Looking at Holly and then at me, she tilted her head and said in a low voice, "I notice things, Josh, and it seems to me that Holly's roommate has taken a liking to you."
My face burned in embarrassment as I felt the weight of Holly's stare on me. "Uh, I don't think so, Mrs. Sinclair," I stammered.
"Oh, I do," she said, seeming to delight in my discomfort. "The look he was giving you? My late husband--God rest his soul--he looked at me the same way when we were first dating and he was hoping to get laid."
It was then that Holly rushed out from behind the desk. "How about we take a look at the new fiction releases, and we'll see if we can find a book you like better?" she suggested to Mrs. Sinclair.
The woman mercifully agreed, but as they headed away from the desk, Holly gave me a long, searching look over her shoulder. I busied myself at one of the computers so I wouldn't have to meet her stare.
Mrs. Sinclair kept Holly busy for a good while, but the woman finally decided on something new to read, and as soon as she'd checked out the book and left the library, Holly turned to me. "Did something happen between you and Troy when you stayed over?" she hissed.
I glanced down at my shoes, and then at the window, squirming under her scrutiny. "I mean, something did, yeah," I confessed, my voice just above a whisper. "But we didn't, uh, you know..."
"Oh my God!" Holly mouthed. Then she leaned toward me, bringing her lips close to my ear. "Mrs. Sinclair's right--Troy definitely likes you!" I could only grin at what she said, unable to hide my own excitement. Holly tucked her hair behind her ears before giving me a wicked grin. "You'd better invite me to the wedding," she said.
"Do not even start with that, Holly!" I warned. Jesus, she was bound to jinx me with that kind of talk.
Holly didn't say anything more about me and Troy, but every time our eyes met that morning, she smiled knowingly. By the time my lunch break arrived, I'd already decided I'd better call Troy and warn him that his roommate knew about us. I figured after he'd stopped by to see me, he wouldn't mind me reaching out.
The day was cold but sunny, and I sat on one of the benches near the library entrance, bundled up in my coat. Staring at the phone in my hand, I took several deep, calming breaths. Before I could lose my nerve, I placed the call to Troy and prayed he would answer.
And he did answer, on the second ring. "Hello, Josh," he said in that low, sexy voice of his. Just hearing him talk turned me on.
"Hi, Troy!" I said brightly, then cringed. Christ, I sounded like a telemarketer. "Uh, just wanted to give you a heads up that Holly knows about us." Closing my eyes, I shook my head in frustration. I was making it sound like we'd had a torrid affair or something. "I wasn't going to say anything about it, but Mrs. Sinclair picked up on a certain... vibe between you and me, and she oh so helpfully commented on it in front of Holly."
I grew weak with relief when Troy only laughed. "Well, Holly's okay with it, right?" he asked.
I almost told him that Holly was actually over the fucking moon about it, but instead I replied, "Oh yeah, she's good."
"Fantastic," Troy said. A brief silence followed, and I began to worry I'd lost him, but then he spoke again. "I'm off tonight since I worked this weekend, and I'd like to see you, but I'm not sure how awkward it would be with Holly at our apartment."
My heart started an excited, galloping beat in my chest. Troy actually wanted to get together again! Yet even as I grinned, thrilled by his words, I knew he was right about Holly. I could just imagine her looking from me to Troy, beaming as she made no effort to hide how pleased she was at the sight of us. Then she would probably slip into her bedroom to give us privacy, but the idea of her being in the next room while Troy fucked me was enough to dampen my arousal.
"You can come to my place," I offered. Before he could reply, I hurried to tell him where I lived.
"I know where that apartment building is," Troy said. "I'd love to come over. Eight sound good?"
"Sounds perfect," I answered, and I knew he could hear the smile in my voice.
I spent the rest of the afternoon in a daze, distracted by constant thoughts of Troy. Though I didn't reveal my plans for the evening to Holly, it was as if she could sense the nervous energy emanating from me. "You two are so cute together," she whispered at one point.
"Knock it off," I muttered, which only made her snicker.
By the time I left work, the daylight was fading. As I headed to my car, I realized I was actually trembling with anticipation. In a few hours, Troy would be in my apartment. The thought of him naked in my bed made my breathing quicken, and I was gripped by a sudden fierce need to feel him deep inside me.
Once I got home, I found I was too nervous to eat anything more than a small sandwich for dinner. After I'd finished the paltry meal, I rushed to prepare for the evening ahead. By this point in my life, I had a familiar routine to ensure I was ready to be fucked, and I was painstaking in going through the steps. It was almost seven when I got out of the shower and inserted a plug into my ass. I was still shaking a little, and I wondered if I should pour myself a shot of the bourbon I kept in one of the kitchen area cabinets. Maybe the booze would calm me down before Troy arrived. I finally decided against it, figuring it was best to be completely clearheaded so I didn't make a fool of myself.
For my outfit, I chose a pair of cords and a soft sweater. If the night went as planned, I wouldn't be wearing clothes for long, but I wanted Troy to see that I'd made an effort to look nice for him. At fifteen minutes to eight, I'd finished getting ready, and all I could do was sit on the couch and anxiously wait for his knock on the door. My knee bounced up and down, and I had to resist the urge to bite my nails. It was a bad habit I thought I'd given up long ago, but its sudden return made me realize just how nervous I was.
Troy was right on time. As soon as I heard his gentle knock, I jumped to my feet, and I had to stop myself from running to let him in. "Calm the fuck down, Josh!" I muttered to myself, taking pains to walk slowly toward the door.
When I opened it and my eyes met Troy's, he gave me that smile I'd already grown to love. Letting my gaze sweep over him, I saw that he wore a pair of perfectly fitting dark gray slacks, along with a dress shirt that brought out the blue in his eyes. "Hi, Troy," I said, my voice low and soft as I returned his smile. "Come on in."
I held open the door for him, and he stepped into my apartment. "Thanks for inviting me over," he said while looking around. "I really like your place."
After I closed and locked the door, I moved closer to Troy. "It's tiny, but the rent's reasonable. I do wish I had room for more books, though."
Troy smiled as his stare settled on a tall bookcase which I'd placed near the window. It was a cheap piece of furniture, its shelves sagging a little under the weight of so many books. "It looks like you found the perfect career as a librarian," he said, turning to me.
"I do love my job." Standing before Troy, I drew in a deep breath and caught the subtle scent of his cologne. "How about you? Do you like to read?"
Troy's expression grew a little sheepish as he said, "Uh, not so much. Holly's always recommending novels to me, but it's hard for me to sit still long enough to lose myself in a book, you know?"
I quickly nodded, wanting to make clear I didn't judge him for not sharing my interests. "Have you eaten dinner?" I asked. "I can make something for you, or we can order in. Wait--do you even eat carbs?" Realizing I was talking too fast, betraying my nervousness, I abruptly fell silent.
"A few," Troy said with a grin. "But I'm not hungry, thanks."
"Want something to drink, then?"
He shook his head before placing his hands on my hips. "I have everything I want right here," he murmured. As he gazed down at me, his stare grew hot, and my body immediately responded to his touch.
Before I could stop myself, I lifted a hand so I could weave my fingers through his hair and draw him closer until his lips were mere inches from mine. Our eyes locked, and I felt his grasp on my hips tighten a little. "Kiss me," I whispered.
Without hesitation, he lowered his mouth to mine. As soon as I felt the warmth of his lips, I released a pleasured moan. Troy slipped his arms around my waist, and I stood on tiptoes so it would be easier for him to kiss me. His mouth was tender, gently exploring mine. While the kiss went on, I pressed my body even more firmly against his, and I heard his own low moan in response. He took my lower lip between his, gently biting and sucking it. Then his kiss grew deeper, harder, his tongue meeting mine. My knees weakened a bit as he cupped my ass and gave it a squeeze.