One Day at a Time

After the ten-minute mark, he was pleading, begging me to let him come. By the time I'd been blowing him for twenty minutes he couldn't do much besides whimper. When it got to the point where he was biting his fist to keep from crying out, I pulled off.

"If this is too much for you, I can always stop."

He unclamped his teeth so he could lower his hand and give me a deadpan look.

"Do you want to die?"

I went back to sucking his dick. After maybe a minute more I decided that Vik had learned his lesson. I brought him to completion.

When he came, he arched his back harder than I'd ever seen and let out a strangled, moaning cry. Over and over again he shot in my mouth. I drank his come like a man dying of thirst. Some orgasms are better than others, and I took pride in the fact that I'd brought Vik to an orgasm that almost made him pass out.

Once he was flaccid and drained dry I took a page out of his book, snuggling up at his side and nuzzling his neck. For the longest time he was just panting, reeling from the experience. Eventually he was able to speak.

"You're a cruel, sadistic man."

I giggled. "That's what you get for making me wait."

I kissed his temple. "Just think, now you can get that whenever you want."

He chuckled weakly. "I don't know how many more of those I have in me."

We both laughed and kissed some more. It was pretty late, past midnight, so we went to bed. When we were cuddling in the dark, I grabbed his face and kissed him.

"I love you, Vik."

He kissed me back.

"I love you, Alice."

We fell asleep facing each other, our lips touching.

Vik got his revenge on me the next morning.

I was woken up by him manhandling me. He laid me down on top of him and pinned my legs down to the bed with his. Using one hand he clasped both of mine and raised my arms above my head. He used his remaining hand to jack me off.

I could have escaped if I wanted to, but I let him do it, only mewling a little. If Vik wanted to do some power play I wouldn't stop him.

He used his skilled hand to bring me up, then took his hand off of me completely, waiting for me to come down. He did this over and over for about ten minutes. Either he wasn't as confident in his edging abilities as I was, or was less willing to watch his partner squirm in agonized pleasure than me. He brought me right to the edge and then grabbed my arms with both hands, holding them tightly.

I got more and more aroused as he breathed heavily in my ear. All of a sudden, he stopped. The anticipation was killing me. I needed to come so badly. It felt like he held his breath forever.

Then, he spoke one word into my ear at a level between whispering and talking.

"Come."

I did as he requested. I came so hard that I saw stars.

Once I climbed down he flipped me over and kissed me tenderly.

"Was that okay? I didn't want to hurt you."

I laughed. "That was so good I barely made it. I guess I had that coming, though."

He kissed me again. "It was kind of fun to dominate and submit, but I want us to be equals."

I nodded. "Me, too. It's just nice to experiment a bit."

"I love you so much, baby."

"Thanks, Vik."

We spent the entire morning in bed. He stroked me, I sucked him, and he made love to my thigh over and over. We were fully drained and sated by the time we had lunch at his place. When we were done eating he grabbed me by the hand.

"C'mon, let me take you out."

"Where to?"

His gray eyes glittered. "It's a surprise."

His surprise was a batting cage. Not a place I would have chosen, but we had fun. It was a little unnerving to have rock-hard baseballs launched my way repeatedly, but I figured that if I could handle a gun this was child's play. The ball followed the same path every time, so I could hit a majority of the pitches once I got used to it.

Vik played baseball in high school, so he had very little difficulty. Eventually, I just watched him. He was like a machine; his body making the same motions as he whaled on the ball time after time. The sound of the wooden bat connecting to the ball echoed in the giant room.

Crack!

He had an expression that made me think he was doing this to let off some steam. I figured only one thing could have been on his mind.

"You're imagining that the ball is that guy's head?" I asked him.

He grimaced. "Maybe a little."

Crack!

"Gay-bashing is something that will always exist whether you like it or not. You shouldn't let it bother you so much."

"I'm fully aware of that. I'm just not used to it. It may be hard to believe, but I haven't faced a lot of homophobia in my life."

Crack!

I arched an eyebrow. "Really?"

He nodded. "I have an understanding mother, go to an understanding church, and didn't flaunt my sexuality when I was out in college. Most of my encounters were discreet during those four years. I don't have much experience being a full-time queer in the real world."

Crack!

I laughed. I knew what he meant, but it was still funny.

"Well, Vik, I've been a full-time queer since I was fifteen. If you ever need any tips, just let me know. I should also get you some mace or something. When that guy spat on you, I saw red."

"I didn't know you were that affected by it."

Crack!

"It's not like I'm unaffected by fuckheads like him, but I've gotten good at acting like I don't care. The reaction is what they're after. You should never feed the assholes, it'll just cause them to lose their fear of humans."

He laughed. "You should make that into a bumper sticker or something."

"Nah, if I were to get a custom bumper sticker I would use my favorite movie quote."

Crack!

"Which is?"

"It's from Ratatouille. 'Once you learn to muscle your way past the gag reflex, all sorts of possibilities appear.'"

After a second, I could see him get the double entendre. Vik let the next pitch sail by just so he could pointedly roll his eyes and groan.

"Changing the subject," I continued, "I wanted to go over to Cary and Danny's tonight and get some drinks. You could come with me if you want."

As expected, he shook his head.

Crack!

"No thanks. You have fun, though, and if you need a ride, call me."

"Okay, Mom."

Cary greeted me with a smile when he opened the front door of his house.

"Al! It's been too long, how the hell are ya?"

I grinned. "I've been great."

He led me in and walked me to the den, where Danny was sitting on the floor cross-legged. Cary was fully dressed, but his sub was wearing only his collar and blue jeans.

Danny beamed when he saw me.

"Sir, may I please greet our guest?"

Cary nodded. "Yes, pup. Say hello to the nice man."

He went up to me and gave me a big hug. "It's great to see you again, Al."

Cary sat down on the couch and Danny curled up in his Dom's lap. Cary was 6'4" and over 250 pounds. Danny was 5'7" and wouldn't be more than a buck-twenty soaking wet. Danny looked like a child next to his boyfriend.

I was beginning to feel relieved that Vik had said no to coming with me. Cary and Danny kept things mostly kosher in public, but their home-life was enough to make most people at least uncomfortable. They had a 24/7 safe word, though Danny told me in confidence that he had rarely needed to use it.

Cary picked the younger man up and cradled him like a baby.

"So, how are things with Vik?" He asked.

I didn't even have a second to answer before he started laughing.

"You scored, didn't you? It's written all over your face!"

Was it? I wouldn't have guessed.

"Maybe," I muttered. Cary let out a whoop, but thankfully didn't press further.

"I liked Vik," Danny said. "I'm glad things are going well."

Cary narrowed his eyes and yanked on the collar around Danny's neck. "Did I say you could speak, pup?"

Danny whimpered. "No, Sir. I'm very sorry."

"I might have to punish you later."

Danny nodded, his eyes widening.

"In the meantime, get the three of us drinks, pup."

He nodded again. "Right away, Sir!"

As Danny scampered off, I turned to face Cary.

"I'm glad Vik didn't come here with me."

"C'mon, you know I love Danny more than anything."

"Yes, but you two have a bit of an odd way of showing affection."

The rest of the evening was relaxed as the three of us drank and caught up. It had never been lost on me how strange interacting with the two of them was, but it was obvious how much they cared for each other. Cary loved taking care of his sub, and Danny trusted his Dom more than I could ever trust anybody. They were both cool guys. I had fun with them and was a little sad to leave when the night was over.

Things were going well for the next few days. Vik and I were together at pretty much any time we didn't have to work. We fooled around often. Sucking his dick while he gave me a hand job became one of my favorite past times.

Then Wednesday night happened. Vik usually texted me when his group session at his church was over, but it was almost an hour past the time that normally happened. I assumed that he was doing something else at the church, so I simply went to his apartment.

Once I used my key to get in I noticed that the lights were on. Vik was home.

Quietly, I walked around the house. I got to his bedroom to see my boyfriend there.

He was on his knees, his elbows propped up on the bed and his hands clasped together. His head was tilted forward and his eyes were closed.

He was praying.

He had to have heard me come in, but he didn't react. I just sat down on the bed and waited for him to finish up. Once he raised his head and opened his eyes, I knew he was upset about something.

"Babe, what's wrong?"

His eyes got shiny. Without a word he flung himself at me and burrowed his head in my shoulders. I put my arms around him, now concerned. He wasn't crying, but he was close.

"Vik, I'm your boyfriend. You can tell me what happened."

Vik looked up at me, all the warmth drained from his eyes. Now the gray looked cold and sad.

"I met up with somebody at my group today. He was a friend-of-a-friend who's a higher up in another church. He said he was looking for a recruit for a new project and that I fit the bill perfectly."

"What's the position?"

"It's the adult leader of a support group for LGBT teens, Christian or otherwise. It's a way for kids in the closet to be less afraid, feel less alone. It's a paying job, too. I could make a living off of it."

Christian, queer, social working, helping others, and a paycheck. It really did sound like the dream for him.

"So...what's the problem?"

His lip quivered and his eyes got shiny with tears.

"The job is in Los Angeles."

There was so much pain in the way he said that one sentence. He didn't say another word. He didn't need to. He just cried, with me trying my best to hold and comfort him. I knew that Vik wanted this job with all his heart. He told me that in his adolescence, he felt so confused, so alone. He had problems, and people who loved him, but no one to turn to. This job would mean that he could be responsible for less kids having to go through their teenage years the way he did. He would be good at it, too. He could make a difference. Part of me wanted him to seize this opportunity.

The other half of me wanted to make him stay in Philadelphia. With me. Vik was my first love, the first man I truly settled down with. I didn't want to lose that. But it didn't seem fair for me to ask him to stay.

We didn't even talk for the next hour. Vik just wept and I held him, trying not to cry myself. After what felt like an eternity, he calmed down. I used the time to think about what I wanted to say to him.

I sat him up and held both of his hands.

"Vik, do you want this job?"

He nodded. He took a deep breath.

"I want...I want it so badly, Alice. I think I...I felt something deep inside of me tell me that this was my calling, what God has planned for me. Maybe that..." he started choking up again.

"Maybe that was God telling me that this was what I'm meant to do."

Tears silently fell from his eyes.

I let go of his hands and cupped his face.

"I won't lie to you and say I know much about your God or how He works. Maybe that was a higher being giving you a sign, maybe that was just your gut instinct. But I do know you. I love you. I want you to be happy. I can't tell you to turn this down."

The tears kept flowing.

"P-please don't say that. W-w-what about us? What about you? I c-can't just abandon you!"

He wasn't just upset or confused. He was ripping himself apart from the inside out. He suddenly had a stutter I assumed he only had when he was breaking down.

"Eve-even if you moved for me, that would m-m-mean dropping everything in your life jus-just for me. I can't d-do that, Alice. I d-don't want you to l-l-look back and regret being my partner."

He was sobbing again. I leaned forward, pushing away some tears of my own I could feel welling up. I needed to be strong right now.

"Look, Vik. I'm pretty fuzzy on the whole 'God' thing. I don't know if there's one out there or how they would work. Still, I believe that things happen for a reason. I also know that life's too short to not do what you want just because you're scared."

He whimpered. I had never seen him this bare, this vulnerable. I kissed him on the forehead.

"Listen to me. I don't want to lose you, either. If it were up to me I'd never have to let you go. But you can't control everything in your life."

I felt tears stubbornly push their way up to my eyes. Now we were both crying. I tried to regain enough control to keep talking.

"You said that you didn't want to abandon me. I promise I will never hold it against you if you leave for LA. You..." I faltered.

"You also don't want any regrets between the two of us. When would you leave?"

He was stuttering so hard he could barely speak.

"He-he-he'd want m-m-me as soon as p-possible. Th-th-th-that means I'd h-have to quit m-m-my j-job. It would be t-t-t-two weeks."

I kissed him.

"That means we have two weeks to be together. To love each other. Two weeks to make sure there are no regrets when we let go."

I didn't think it was possible, but he cried even harder. I cried with him.

We fell asleep fully clothed on the covers that night, wrapped in each other's embrace.

I woke up before Vik the next morning, which almost never happens. Usually our phone's alarms wake us both up, but Vik was the morning person of the two of us. I was wide awake, still holding him.

I looked at the time on my phone. 5:37 in the morning. Nothing happens before 6 AM. Nothing worth being awake for, at least.

Vik was still fast asleep. On my phone I sent out an email to my boss, saying that I needed to take the day off for personal reasons. I nudged Vik until he woke up.

"What?" He asked groggily.

"I need to call your work and tell them that you're taking the day off."

"I'm not taking the day off..." He said, confused.

"Actually, you are. You're spending all day with me."

He blinked a few times. He was still barely awake. "I..."

I reached over and grabbed his phone. "Do you have your boss's email?"

He furrowed his brow. "Yes..."

"What's your boss's name?"

"Jackson...babe, what are you—"

"Don't worry about it. Go back to sleep."

He was snoring in less than a minute.

He had one Jackson in his contacts. I sent out an email.

To Mr. Jackson.

This is Al Walker. I'm Vik Matheson's boyfriend and I'm using his phone to send this message. Due to personal manners Vik cannot come to work today. Blame me if this causes any trouble. If you have any questions please call my number.

I punched in my cell number and sent the message.

Still on Vik's phone, I turned off the alarm that was set to go off in a few minutes at 6 AM. I returned his phone and turned off the 6:30 alarm on mine. I needed Vik to get some rest, he had a big day ahead of him and needed his energy.

At around 7 AM, he started stirring. I knew how I wanted to wake him up.

I really wished I could have heard Vik's thoughts as he was waking up that day. I don't think they were too coherent, though. Vik wasn't exactly great with words while I was sucking his dick.

Only half-awake, he was fully erect in a minute and came a minute later, waking him up completely.

"Alice? What?"

I smiled sweetly at him. "Good morning, babe."

He rubbed his head. "Thanks for that, but..." he looked at the window and his eyes widened.

"What time is it?"

"Oh, it's..." I glanced at my phone. "7:09, but you're not going to work today and neither am I."

"So that wasn't a dream?"

"Nope. You're spending the day with me."

He rubbed his eyes and managed a small smile.

"I guess I better make breakfast, then." He walked to the kitchen, tucking his member into his open fly.

He was gone barely a minute before I got a call on my cell. It was a number I didn't recognize, but I could hazard a guess.

"Hello," I said brightly.

"Hello," a female voice answered. "Is this Al Walker? I'm one of Vik's coworkers, Tamara."

"Yes, I'm Al. I apologize, but Vik needs today off."

"No, no, the boss says it's fine. Vik hasn't asked for a day off in the 2 years he's worked here."

I grinned. Of course Vik always showed up for work. He was such a Boy Scout.

"Is he okay?" She asked.

"He'll be fine, but right now he needs some R&R."

"Okay then. This whole thing is just kind of surprising. I had to re-read the email to make sure I wasn't seeing things."

"Did you not know Vik had a boyfriend?"

"I didn't even know he was gay."

Damn. Leave it to Vik to use the "don't ask, don't tell" policy while working a fucking office job.

"Oh. That just means we need to meet up for coffee or something. Vik can arrange it when he comes in tomorrow."

She laughed. "Sounds good. But, Al...please take care of Vik. He's a really sweet guy."

"I know that better than anybody."

She said goodbye and hung up.

I went to the kitchen. Vik was cooking up eggs, bacon, and toast. Good. I needed him at full strength for today.

About halfway through the meal, Vik started talking.

"Alice, I'm so sorry about all of this."

I shrugged. "It's not like you had control over any of it. Maybe it's just not meant to be between the two of us."

"Uh...no offense, but I kind of expected you to be more...sad about this."

"Oh, no, I am fucking crushed. Don't you remember how I was last night? I'm just putting on a brave face for you."

He put his hand on mine. "Thanks."

When we were done eating, Vik asked what I had in mind for what we were doing that day.

"Oh, I think you know," I said, grinning. "Now let's take a shower. I need you clean so I can get you nice and dirty."

Once we were done washing ourselves, we kissed each other in the shower. It felt amazing.

I grabbed his face and looked him right in those beautiful eyes of his.

"Vik, I don't want there to be any regrets when you leave for LA. Not for you, not for me. Our relationship has a time limit now."

I pulled him even closer.

"We can't afford to take things slow anymore. I want you, and I know you want me. We have to enjoy ourselves. No restraint. Nothing held back."

He kissed me.

I pulled him even closer to me so I was whispering into his ear. "I got tested last month. I'm clean. If you're still not sure, I'll go get some condoms right after this shower. Once we start, I don't think we'll be able to stop." I never asked him about it, but I couldn't imagine Vik ever being dumb enough to let a guy give him something.

He turned my head so he could ravish the inside of my mouth with his tongue. He got really close to me.