The Welder

-1-

The once luscious copse of trees outside my office window had been gone for months. Replaced first by a muddy lot and then a slab of concrete indicating the foundation of the new building and its parking lot, the tranquility disappeared, and so did my ability to concentrate. Even lunch was less enjoyable as the bench I often used also faced the trees that had been ripped away by the bulldozers.

The day the men came to erect the metal skeleton of the building my attitude changed. A team of good-looking young men scurried around. They bolted this piece to that piece, and I must admit that I got very little work done during that week. My favorite worker was the hunky welder. He removed his jacket after finishing one of his tasks to reveal a muscular body in a wife-beater t-shirt. During his lunch, he sat facing my building. I got an eyeful, and what I didn’t see, I imagined. And I imagined quite a bit. I envisioned myself walking over there, telling him what I thought about him, kissing him, and letting him take me on the spot. Sometimes, fantasies can keep you going, but they’re a poor substitute for real love. I imagined his going home with me, telling me about his day as I made dinner for us. We’d shower together and make love before falling asleep in one another’s arms. Can a man fall in love with someone he’s never met?

As the week drew to a close, I wondered how much longer they would be there. It was Friday and all day I kept telling myself to go over here and talk to him, but as I closed up, I knew I didn’t have the balls to do it.

I watched him until five-thirty; I knew I couldn’t stay any longer in the building, so I headed out to my car. I pushed the button on the handle and listened for the click. Just as the doors unlocked, I hear, “Hey. Hey.” The welder walked up to me.

I was frozen to my spot. Was he going to beat me up for watching him? My heart started to beat faster.

“You just going to fucking go home without saying anything to me? I mean, after watching me all week?” He seemed indignant

I looked from his eyes to the ground. I had no idea how to answer.

“Are you that shy?”

I looked back at him and nodded. “Yeah.” How could such a work-dirty man look so sexy?

“Hell, man. You’re going to miss out on life. Let me tell you, this week I’ve had three guys from this building offer to blow me, and two different women and a guy tell me they’d sneak me inside so I could fuck ‘em. But I was thinking no fucking way. I want to talk to that cute guy who keeps looking at me. Didn’t you see me looking at you?”

He was looking at me? How the hell did he see me through the mirrored glass? I glanced at the building and realized that with the light on in the room, you could see in as plain as I could see out. “I saw you looking toward my office, but I didn’t realize you could see me.”

“Ha! It’s a good thing you didn’t whip it out and pull on it then.” He chuckled; it was a nice quiet kind of laugh. “Of course, I would have enjoyed the show. My name’s Shane Walker.”

I shook his hand. “I’m Jason Carter.” Shane held onto my hand after we shook.

“You’re the quiet type, ain’t you, Jason? I hope you don’t think I’m too rowdy ‘cause I kind of liked that you were looking at me, and I thought we might be friends.”

“Friends?” I asked. I wasn’t sure he could tell, but I was sexually attracted to him, and it wouldn’t take much for him to get me into bed even though my brain was whispering for me to be careful.

“That’s right. If I’d have just wanted a fuck, I’d have taken on that guy named Tom. I mean, he wasn’t bad looking, but I think he was married. Not that I’d have done him; I don’t do married guys. Anyway, just so you know, I ain’t into pussy, not female pussy anyway.” He smiled. “I’m rambling, ain’t I.”

I smiled back. I tried to hide my surprise. I only knew one Tom. There had to be another.

“You’ve got a cute smile there. So, you wanna get something to eat, get to know each other better.”

“I’d like that, Shane. Shall we ride together?” I asked.

“Oh, fuck no. I’d get your car dirty. My camper is just up the road. Follow me there and I’ll get cleaned up. I’m sure you don’t want to be seen in public with me dirty and stinkin’ like this.”

“I haven’t noticed a bad smell,” I told him. I saw his cheeks flush a little red.

“I’m in that old white Ford, I’m just up the road there to the left; it’s less than a mile, where the construction equipment is.”

I got in my car and backed it up. Waiting for Shane to pull in front of me, I couldn’t believe that I was going to follow this man to his camper. While he seemed only a year or two younger in age, he seemed young in the way he acted. It made me smile. And he was very attractive; although that East Texas accent of his might get on my nerves, it was cute as fuck, as he would say. Plus, I liked that he wanted to see if we could be friends. Maybe friends first, then… I pulled my upper lip into my mouth. He was sexy; there was no doubt about that. I wouldn’t have watched him all week if that weren’t the case, but somehow I had a feeling that there could be more than that.

We traveled to a large area where there were several temporary buildings and other pieces of large equipment. A small camper stood in the corner of the lot. Shane parked his truck next to it. I pulled up behind him. He exited his truck and looked at me; he seemed exasperated. I got out as well. “Are you OK?”

“I can’t fucking believe it. They moved my camper,” he came closer to me. “They moved my fucking camper.”

“Did they damage it?” I really didn’t understand the problem.

“I sure as hell hope not, but now it has no electricity or water. What the fuck were they thinking?”

“No idea,” I said, but I’m a problem solver, so I added, “Why don’t you get a change of clothes and follow me to my house. I have a spare room. You can shower, wash your dirty clothes, and we can order pizza.”

“But you don’t know me. You’d let me stay over?”

“Are you likely to murder me in my bed?” I asked.

He grinned. “If I was to be in your bed, murdering you is not what I’d be doing. Fuck, but you’re cute.” He turned and took a step toward the trailer; he turned his head back around. “And you’re nice, too.”

I smiled back. “You need help?”

“Nah, my clean clothes are already in a suitcase, and my dirty ones are in a laundry bag.” He stood at the door and took a step down. “You know, you’re really sweet to do this.”

Was I? Or was I letting his hot body allow me to make poor decisions? As I looked at him, I realized I was thinking more about him and less about his muscles. “Now it’s your turn to follow me.”

“I think I liked it better when I was in front.” He grinned again and moved his eyebrows up and down quickly. “Where to? You’re the boss now.”

“Corner of Maple and Red Oak. My driveway’s on Red Oak, but the address is 3200 Maple.”

“I’ll be right on your tail,” he laughed. He tossed his things into the truck and got in.

I drove straight to my home. I questioned my sanity. Did I want to be friends with a good old boy welder from East Texas? Damn straight, I did. What about having a boyfriend that guys wanted to blow at the drop of a hat, and even married men wanted to get plowed by him? Would I be jealous? Maybe. Was he worth it? I had a feeling he was. I told myself that this weekend was a time of discovery. If I didn’t invest the time to find out, I would never know. I pulled into the garage, and he pulled onto the driveway. He parked in such a way that I could still back out if I needed to. I went to him and took the laundry bag from him, and we went inside.

I kicked off my shoes and put his bag at the entrance to the laundry room. “Let me show you the spare room.

Shane removed his boots and put them next to mine. He followed me through the kitchen, across the living room, and to the front of the house.

“That’s one honking big fireplace,” he commented.

“They told me that it was built so people could cook in it.” I took him to the spare room and showed him the bathroom. “The towels are in here. What do you like on your pizza?”

“Anything is good, thanks. I like everything.”

“Thin crust, or regular?”

“Thin. Shit, but you really are sweet.”

I ignored him. “Toothbrushes are in this drawer. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Thanks.”

I left him and went to order the pizza. I could hear him singing in the shower; he had a good voice. I resisted the urge to walk in and ask if he needed anything else. The wind picked up a little. A branch from one of the shrubs on the side of the house rubbed against a window. I wrote a note to myself on the refrigerator to trim it back and then unloaded the dishwasher. I set aside some plates for us to use. I wondered whether he’d want some wine with the pizza. I’d ordered a 2-liter Coke. I could go into the bathroom to ask him, and the thought of that gave me a twitch in my groin. I took a deep breath and went into my room to change into some sweat shorts and a t-shirt. I was coming out of the bedroom when the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” called Shane.

I heard the door open, and a familiar voice said, “You’re not Dr. Carter.”

“You’re right.”

I stepped around the corner and into view. “There you are.”

“How are you, Mark?” The pizza delivery boy was the son of a coworker. I’d known him for a few years.

“Doing OK, sir. Thanks.”

Shane smiled at Mark. “You must order a lot of pizzas to know the pizza guy by his first name.”

“My dad works with Dr. Carter,” Mark interjected.

“Really? Who’s your dad?” asked Shane.

“Tom Starky.”

“Wait, is he about my height, thinning blondish-brown hair, mustache, and glasses?”

“Sounds like him,” nodded Mark. “So, do you work with my dad?”

“No. But I’ve met him. Anyway, that pizza for us?” asked Shane as he moved the topic away from Mark’s father.

“Here’s your tip, Mark.” I handed him a ten. I turned to Shane. “You want to take that into the kitchen?”

“Sure.”

I turned back to Mark. “You stay safe. I heard the wind pick up a bit ago.”

“Yeah, it’s supposed to rain,” he said as he walked away.”

I made sure he got to the car and began to drive off. I closed the door and headed back to the kitchen. I found Shane leaning against the counter. “Hey, Jason, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I should have let you answer the door.”

“It’s OK. Nothing happened. The real crime here is the shirt you’re wearing. Arkansas. Really?”

“I can take it off,” he suggested.

“Then I’d get arrested for my thoughts.” I laughed.

“They can’t do that; not yet anyway,” Shane was smiling again. He smiled so easily.

“Well,” I told him, “I want to listen to what you have to say instead of staring at your nipples as they bounce around while you eat your pizza.”

“So, you like my titties?”

“Men have chests or pecs,” I corrected him.

“No, they have titties and pussies, too. Maybe I’ll show you mine sometime.” He laughed again. “But now it’s time for the fucking pizza.” He turned slightly and slapped his ass ever so slightly. I felt a slight stiffness in my pants.

“Do you want wine or Coke with your pizza?”

“Coke. Wine would make my thinking fuzzy, and you’re already making me think fuzzy.”

“Am I? Sorry. Do you want to eat here or on the couch?”

“The couch.” We both looked up as the rain began to fall. It was heavier than predicted, so it was slightly noisy. Our eyes caught the glance of the other as we looked back down, and we started laughing.

“Grab some pizza,” I demanded. “I’ll pour the drinks.”

We settled onto the couch and ate quietly. I noticed Shane shiver, and when he shivered the second time, I asked whether he wanted me to start a fire.

“Sure,” he said softly. “I’ll help.”

“The logs are on this end,” I said as I got up. “In this little alcove. You want to put some in the fireplace. I’ll get some blankets out of the closet to put on the floor in front of the hearth, and we can sit closer. I’ll bring the starter sticks.”

“No kindling?”

“Nope. I make it easy on myself.”

“I think they call that cheating,” he laughed as he picked up a few logs.

By the time I had the blankets set, he already had the fire going. The rain had started, and the wind was howling around the corners of the house. I poured us a little more to drink and placed the glasses on stones of the raised hearth before turning the lights off.

The orange flames forced shadows to dance in the room. The flickers highlighted the manliness of Shane’s face and enhanced the strength of his jawline. I reached out and brushed his bangs from his eyes. “Tell me something you wouldn’t ordinarily tell someone,” I requested.

“I was a regular slut in high school.”

“Were you? Why does that not surprise me?” I raised my eyebrows and tilted my head to let him know that it was his turn to say something even though my question was rhetorical.

“I was in a state of confusion back then,” he said. “I was so fucking confused that I was blowing guys on the football team. To prove I wasn’t gay, I boned a couple of cheerleaders at the same time. Until one of them told me she was pregnant. Fucking scared the life out of me. Turned out she had an STD which scared me even more. I didn’t catch it, but it made me rethink things.”

“So you stopped fucking around?”

“Hell no. I just found one guy who liked to get banged, and I always wore a fucking rubber. But he left town, and I went to trade school. The guys there are too scared to admit they like to get fucked, so I found a regular buddy on Grindr.”

“You’re not looking for love?”

“Who needs love when you’ve got a tight hole to fuck?” He laughed.

“What if love comes looking for you?” I asked.

He looked at me with a silly grin.

“And finds you.” I looked at him seriously. Could he be a serious boyfriend, maybe more? I liked his charm, his demeanor, his openness.

“You mean like maybe now?” His voice had become quiet and soft.

I continued to look into his eyes. I saw him swallow hard.

“I need to fucking think about his.” He pulled himself up to sit on the edge of the stonework.

“Want another piece of pizza while you think?”

“Yeah, another piece will be fucking awesome. But just one piece. I need to keep these abs flat so you’ll keep lusting after me.”

I stood up. “You think your abs are the reason I lust after you?”

“Well, ain’t they?” he asked sincerely.

“While thinking about them might make my dick twitch a little; it’s your smile and that little cleft in your chin that make me lust after you.”

He touched his hand to his chin.

“And it’s the way you talk about things that makes me like you.” I left to get us another slice of pizza. When I walked back into the room, I noticed that he was staring at his feet. He was wiggling his toes and watching them. Had he never considered that he wanted more than a friend when he told me he wanted to see if we could be friends? I assumed he still had his buddy back home.

I sat next to him; I made sure our legs were in contact, and I handed him a slice of pizza on a paper towel. “What about your friend back home?” I asked him.

“I haven’t had a buddy in a couple of years. He said he wanted more than a guy who worked all the time and fucked him every other Saturday night.”

“What are you looking for, Shane?”

“I guess I want someone I can talk to. I guess I’m tired of being fucking alone. I want somebody I can text or call.”

What was I looking for? I put my arm around him; it felt like a natural thing to do. The fire at our backs kept us warm. My leg against his made me feel connected to him, and with my hand on his shoulder, I wanted him to know that I wanted him to stay next to me as we talked.

Shane broke the silence as he quietly said, “When I saw you, while you were in your office, I thought that I wanted you to be a friend. I was thinking about how nice it would be if you pulled out your phone and sent me a message. Fucking weird, huh?”

“Not really.”

“What were you thinking when you watched me?”

“Honestly?”

“Fuck yeah. I’ve got the balls for it. Lay it on me.” There was that smile again.

“When I first saw you, all I could see was how sexy you were; I imagined you pumping your seed into me. As the week went on, I kept imagining what it would be like to go home with you and talking and making love and snuggling.”

“What are you thinking now?” he asked.

I looked over at him. Would telling him cheapen what was happening? As he looked at me, I felt myself harden. “When you look at me like that…”

“What?” he asked in a whisper. “I’m just fucking looking at you.”

“No. You’re looking into me, and it makes me want you. I want to feel myself inside you, and I want to feel you inside me. I want to know you physically, and I want to know all about you. I want to wake up tomorrow holding you. I want to walk on a hiking trail holding your hand. I want to see what you’re seeing, and I want to share with you what I’m seeing. And, Shane, on Monday, when you’re done with work, I want you to come here and tell me about your day.” For the first time that evening, I couldn’t read him.

“Shane, I want you to think about what I just said. I’m going to take a shower and get into bed. If you want to explore the possibilities I’ve talked about, come join me. If not, the spare bedroom had clean sheets, and you are welcome to use the washer and dryer tomorrow.”

I got up and went into my room. I turned the shower on extra hot. Not even the steamy water could stop my burning tears. I’d pushed too hard; I could tell by the expression on his face. He could have any guy he wanted for sex, and he wanted someone for friendship. I wanted friendship, too, but I knew that I already wanted more with him.

But I had lost him.

-2-

I stepped out of the shower still sobbing. My eyes burned; I knew they were bloodshot from the tears. I toweled my head and stepped toward the sink when Shane stepped into the doorway.

“What’s the matter?” his tone was that of one who was really pissed.

“I’ve screwed up. I’ve scared you off, and all I wanted to do was to bring you closer.”

“Jason, you’re a fucking idiot. You didn’t scare me off; in fact, you made me want to be with you. I’m a fucking idiot, too. I wanted to jump in the sack with you from the start, but I thought if we talked a little and became friends, you wouldn’t go looking for someone else.”

I stood shivering with a towel in my hands.

“Dry yourself off,” he told me as he stripped. We stood facing one another. His penis erected as he looked at me. “You’re so fucking sexy,” his voice barely a whisper. He stepped forward, his dick bumping against mine, and he breathed into my ear as his tongue touched my earlobe.

Shane kissed me; I opened my lips to let his tongue pleasure my mouth. My moans began as low, guttural signs of acceptance. I pushed my tongue against his, and he began to suck on it. Static electrical impulses shot through me. I reached around him and held each mound of his ass in the palms of my hands. I pulled him against me; our dick ground against that of the other. The pleasure I felt was unlike any before. How could just kissing someone feel like this?

I felt Shane’s lips move away from my mouth and down my neck. My dick jerked in response. His mouth continued to my chest; his tongue played with my nipple as he sucked my skin into his mouth. Lightheaded, I gripped the doorframe with one hand as I ran the fingers of my other head through his hair. I bent my head forward, and he released my nipple and met my lips again. I truly believe that had I died at that moment, I would not have felt cheated by life.

Shane pulled me over to the bed, and I pulled the covers down. He pushed me back, but I pulled him with me, and we fell together onto the bed. We laughed. I sensed his knee between my legs, and he brought it up applying pressure to my balls, just enough to excite me. I kissed him and reached down to wrap my fingers around his dick. A nice thickness, not too large, but definitely not thin, his shaft was straight and ended in an uncircumcised foreskin. I couldn’t wait to play with it with my mouth.

As if he knew what I was thinking, Shane straddled my chest and teased my lips with his cock. I could taste the precum as I licked the head with my tongue. I wanted to grab him and shove him into my mouth, but he had pinned my arms to my sides.

“No hands,” said Shane. “Just your lips and your tongue. Make love to my dick.”

I bent my head forward. I could only get about three inches of the shaft into my mouth, but I was able to run my tongue under the foreskin. I heard an ‘oh, fuck yeah’ indicating that I was doing a good job.

“No, no, no,” I suddenly heard. “You’re not going to make me fucking come this fast. He pulled back and stood on his knees next to me. “Move your ass over here,” he said as he grabbed my legs and positioned my head closer to the edge of the bed before flipping me onto my front. My knees were pushed apart; then his hands grabbed the mounds of my ass cheeks and separated them. The wetness of his tongue against my hole caused an immediate string of moans. No one had ever given me a rim job, but I knew instantly that I liked it. My head reflexively moved backward as I responded to the sensation of Shane’s tongue pushing into me.

“Yes, Shane. I love it. Don’t stop, please,” I cried.

He pulled back. “So you like it when I fuck you with my tongue?” He slapped my cheek softly. “When my tongue gets tired, I’m going to push my cock into you.” He went back to licking my hole and pushing his tongue inside.

I closed my eyes and clenched my fists. This was unexpected and so wonderful. I was suddenly flipped onto my back and my ass lifted into the air. Shane’s tongue continued to drive me crazy as he pushed saliva into me. He replaced his tongue with a finger. I heard him chuckle. He hit my spot as his finger plunged inside. I squealed as he moved in and out of me. I’d never had a partner finger fuck me, but Shane’s skill with his finger was better than any man’s dick. I was on cloud nine when I felt the pressure of his cock pushing against my entrance.

His fingers had done their job, and his dick popped inside with just a little effort. I was still tight, and there was a little discomfort as I relaxed to allow him in. His arms held my legs in a position that allowed him to penetrate me with a maximum of pleasure. Using Shane’s words, he was fucking awesome.

I was tingling as he moved in and out. His lips found mine, and he kissed me passionately, lovingly as his shaft buried itself inside me. He was able to sense things that no other man could feel. He would slow his thrusting as I neared orgasm, and once I had calmed, he would begin to fuck me again.

He was able to do this several times before I felt an urgency in his motions. He plunged into me until the hilt of his rod was completely inside. He repeated this several times until he held himself tightly against me and filled me with his seed. His eyes rolled back and then a smile broke through on his lips.

He slowly slid his cock out of me and then began to cover my erection with his mouth. Copious amounts of saliva wet my shaft. He used his hand to transfer spit to his ass before straddling me and riding my dick. He shoved himself down rather quickly; I saw his face grimace and then soften before he began moving up and down. I didn’t last long, and when I came, I held his legs and shoved myself into him. Cum squirted from his hole as I shot my seed.

“Oh, fuck, Jason. I can feel your exploding inside me. Aww, fuck.” Shane moved next to me and kissed me. When he pulled his face away, I could see the raw emotion in his face. He pulled our heads together and kissed me again, more passionately than before.

As he moved his head away a second time, I brushed his bangs away again. “Jason. Fuck, Jason. I’m falling for you. Fuck but this feels great. And that was the best sex I’ve ever had. Fuck yeah.” He sat up in bed. “Let’s rinse off so we can cuddle and then fuck some more. Fuck, but I feel great.”

Thunder rumbled outside.

“Listen, Jason. The angels approve.”

I got up and led him to the shower. It was our first night of many, and it may not seem possible, but each time was better than the time before.

Author’s note: Shane never did clean up his language, but then, the swear jar that Jason started paid for their honeymoon to France.