Travis and Adam Ch. 03

Thank you to everyone that has posted a comment, voted and emailed me. I am enjoying Travis and Adam's journey and I hope you are, too. I have several more chapters ready and will set them up for posting at least once a week until we reach the end. I have only just begun sharing my writing with people and it is only through feedback that I learn what others feel. I am also working on several more series for this genre and hope to start sharing the first few chapters of those soon.

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Reluctantly they both rose from bed and got ready. They decided to take separate showers, afraid if they didn't they may not arrive on time to open their booth.

Travis dressed in a nice pair of button-fly jeans, a black and red plaid shirt and his black leather boots again. He checked himself in the mirror, decided the clothes were the right way to go for this convention. He liked wearing his boots again. He couldn't really wear them at the office and there weren't a lot of places to wear them in the city. But he had grown up wearing boots and they felt natural to him. There were days he did miss living on the farm.

Hmm. Farm. Finding out Adam wanted to own and run a farm was a surprise. Actually, there had been a lot of surprises in the last 48 hours. He smiled at his reflection. Decided he couldn't wait to see what other surprises this trip had in store for him. His smile grew when he saw Adam step out of the bathroom. Felt his heart do a little flip.

Adam was busy trying to get his shirttail tucked into his jeans and missed the intense look Travis was giving him. He finally got the shirt tucked in comfortably, pulled the zipper up on his Levi's and buttoned them before he reached for his belt on the bed.

Travis grabbed the belt before he did. Held it up in front of him, forcing Adam to look at him, his eyes widening as he saw the look in Travis's eyes. He swallowed nervously as Travis leaned in and brushed his lips to his ear.

"Let me." Travis whispered, the hot breath on his ear sending a shiver down his spine. He slipped the leather belt into the first belt loop at Adam's waist. Slowly through the next loop and the next, turning Adam as he stayed in place and guided the belt around to the front and buckled it.

Adam was a few inches taller than Travis, but when he wore his boots they were almost eye level. His dark eyes flashed as he stared at Adam. Slid his hand into the top of Adam's waistband and pulled him closer.

Adam gasped. Blushed. Travis made his desire very clear.

He brought his other hand to cup Adam's cheek and felt him lean into his hand. Adam sighed as Travis stroked his soft skin and then he closed his eyes.

Travis leaned in and brushed his lips lightly to his. He knew it was a mistake because he felt himself being pulled under, into a wave of emotions. Electricity coursed through his body as he ached for more of Adam. He kissed him again. Harder. Tugged at his bottom lip. Heard Adam moan. Felt the moan on his own lips and gave in. He dove his tongue into Adam's sweet mouth, felt his tongue tentatively rub against his.

Travis growled deep in his throat and pulled Adam hard against his chest, wrapping an arm around his waist. He plunged his tongue in over and over, slipping past Adam's sweet, soft lips. Felt Adam rub his hips against him. God, he was so sexy. So gorgeous.

He pulled back, panting. Almost gasping for air. He willed himself to hold back and not push Adam down on the bed. He noticed Adam was having the same problem, as he tried to keep pressing his body against Travis.

"Fuck!" Travis raked his hands through his hair, standing back a few inches. "You make me lose control. Every time!"

"Don't you want me, Travis?" Adam whispered, trying in vain to get closer to him again, but Travis's hand was firm against his chest, holding Adam back.

Travis groaned loudly. "God, you know I do! We need to pull it together so we can get down to the booth." Fuck. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

But they had a job to do, and Adam realized it, too. He pulled back a little, silently urging his body to gain control.

They stood like that for a minute, both warring with themselves; fighting the temptation to follow their base desires and ravage each other. There was no doubt about it, the attraction between them was intense. The desire to explore each other was almost overpowering.

Travis leaned in and rested his forehead on Adam's. "Let's go kick ass today and come back and celebrate tonight." His voice was strained.

Adam murmured his agreement. "Room service tonight?"

Travis pulled back. Smiled. Hell, yeah!

It wasn't until Adam was following Travis out the hotel room door that he noticed the cowboy boots. His breath caught in his throat. He loved a man in cowboy boots. And when that man's ass filled out the jeans like Travis's did...damn! Travis was so hot. And when he walked in those boots, his ass was even sexier. It was going to be a long day being so near him.

They were both glad to see they arrived at their booth in plenty of time, even before a lot of the other vendors did. And, although both men were prepared, Adam was a little jittery. He wanted to sign as many new dealers up as possible and make his dad proud of him.

Truthfully, his dad had always shown him unconditional love. Never once had Adam felt like his "stepson", even though he technically was. No, when his dad married his mom years ago, he had taken him on as family, too. Adam couldn't remember a time he wasn't there. He had never shown any favoritism towards his sister, even though she was his biological child.

No, he admitted to himself, he had been lucky. His dad was one of those storybook dads that kids wished they had. And when he had finally decided to tell his parents he was gay, his dad had taken him into his arms and held him while he cried.

"Don't you know we love you, son?" he had whispered to Adam. "I have known for a long time, but I am just glad to see you come to terms with who you are."

That understanding and unconditional love his parents had given him was a gift. One that many young people struggling with their sexuality didn't receive. He wasn't sure why he was so lucky, but he had vowed to make his parents proud of him and show them he was worthy of their love and support.

After college he had moved away and he knew it wasn't what his parents wanted, but they had let him find his own way. Eventually, when the company he was working for had been sold and then gone under, he found his way back home. But living at home had been hard. He supposed it was that way for any adult child moving back under a parent's roof, but he needed his own space.

He had just moved into an apartment about a month ago, but he was still thankful that his parents had been there to help him get back on his feet. He wasn't sure about working for his father, but had finally given in a few months back. He had his degree, but there was just nothing else out there that he had found.

His only condition was that his dad didn't share with the staff who he really was. Debbie in Human Resources knew, but she had kept quiet about it. He respected her for that. Juicy gossip around a water cooler can ruin a career.

Speaking of juicy gossip...he slid his gaze over to Travis and smiled. He wondered what the office snoops would think if they knew what had transpired between the two of them over the last few days. His heart fluttered a little when he saw Travis turn and smile.

God, he was sexy. He felt his body react as soon he caught his gaze. He was like a horny teenager, he thought. But it was more than sex. It was a connection. He felt it in his bones. He wanted to know everything about him. And what surprised Adam was that he also wanted to share everything about himself with Travis. He had never told anyone about that horrible experience a few years ago, and yet he poured out the whole story to Travis. And rather than think he was pathetic, he was incensed that anyone would treat him like that! He wasn't sure what he had expected, but it certainly hadn't been unqualified support!

Travis winked at him as they heard the announcement that the doors would be open to the dealers in one minute.

Adam took a deep breath. Today was going to be his day. Travis made him feel like he could master anything.

Within sixty seconds, the large room they were in was filled with complete and utter chaos. Dealers from all over the Oklahoma, and many from surrounding states, filled the space.

The guys looked at each other, eyes wide, nodded to each other. They could do this!

Within seconds, they were both talking with dealers. Because their office was just branching out into Oklahoma, the dealers had a lot questions. Thankfully, they had a lot of answers.

An hour later, when it was time for some break-out workshops, the room cleared and Travis plopped down in a chair. "Whew! That was crazy!"

Adam agreed and slid into the other chair. "What we need is a plan. They are all asking too many questions at once and then we can't help them fill out their forms. I have an idea."

"Shoot," Travis said.

"Okay, how about this. Every 30 minutes we start the sales pitch. If there are ten dealers, or only one, we start. Then when we hook them, they move over to you to fill out paperwork."

"Wait...I'm handling paperwork and you are handling sales?" Travis raised his eyebrows.

"Um, you caught that, huh?" Adam smiled. "Look, I just want to try it."

"Hey, you know what? I think it's a great idea. I was having a hard time keeping up. This plan might work out smoother."

They worked out a schedule, and made a little sign for the booth that said: WANT TO KNOW ABOUT US? WE GIVE YOU THE FACTS EVERY HALF HOUR!

Travis left in search of a couple of water bottles and stopped on the way out to chat with Michael and Ben. They had been just as busy that first hour, and agreed it was pretty chaotic. They were all glad they had an hour to regroup.

When Travis arrived back at the booth, he was surprised to see Adam speaking with someone. He thought all the dealers were in the break-out sessions. As he got closer, he could see Adam's face was red and he seemed flustered. He picked up the pace and scooted in behind their table.

"Listen, you really need to leave."

Travis's ears perked up at that. Why was he telling a dealer to leave? He looked at the man on the other side of the table. He was about 6', slim, probably about thirty years old, and dressed much too nice for a farm machinery dealer. His clothes screamed tailor-made. And he would bet money that his perfectly high-lighted hair cost him more than Travis spent on his monthly truck payment. He took a closer look at his face and didn't like what he saw. He couldn't place his finger on it. Just something smarmy.

"Can I help you, Sir?" Travis stepped up, handed a water bottle to Adam.

The man glanced over and waved his hand at him, almost as if he were waving away an annoying gnat. That didn't set well with Travis.

"Sir? Is there anything I can do for you? Are you a dealer here at the convention?" This time his voice was measured; his tone low, but direct.

Adam didn't look at Travis, which worried him even more. "Albert, you need to leave. Now."

The man leered at him, leaned over the table a little. "I'll be back, Adam." Then he turned away and disappeared into a different aisle of vendors.

Travis waited for Adam to say something. He saw Adam tremble and knew this man must be trouble. Unfortunately, Adam was not saying anything. His face was beat red, as if he were embarrassed, and he wouldn't look at Travis.

Finally, he had waited long enough. "Adam, dammit! We only have about ten minutes left before the dealers flood the room again. Are you going to tell me what the hell was going on?"

Adam felt shaky, so let himself slide into one of the chairs, braced his elbow on his thighs and rested his head in his hands. Travis was beginning to freak out a little and sat down next to him, placing his hand on his back.

He felt him shake under his touch and slowly, gently, ran his hand up and down Adam's back in an effort to soothe him. He felt the trembling subside, but kept rubbing his back.

Adam finally pulled himself up in the chair and made eye contact with Travis. Took a deep breath. "That was Albert."

"I heard. Who is Albert?" He pressed his lips together, waiting. He didn't think he was going to like Adam's answer.

"Albert is someone I know from college," he paused, lowering his voice, "and he's an ass."

Travis waited for more. He knew there was more to this. Waited a little longer, his body tense. Finally realized Adam wasn't going to give him any additional information than that for now. It would have to wait.

"Okay." He watched Adam down the entire bottle of water, eyes not meeting Travis's. His skin was clammy. Sweaty. He reached over to brush Adam's falling bangs out of his eyes and Adam flinched.

"Whoa, jumpy much?" Travis tried to keep his voice level.

"Uh, yeah, sorry." Adam mumbled a reply and stared at his empty water bottle. Travis gently took it from him and set it aside to be placed later into the recycling bin near the double doors. He hadn't opened his yet, held it out in front of Adam, wiggled the offering a little to get him to see what was right in front of his eyes.

Adam appeared to shake a second and then jumped up. "No thanks. You keep it."

He smiled, but Travis noted it didn't travel all the way to his eyes. His gut churned for a moment. He didn't like seeing Adam upset. And he felt helpless to make him feel better. He opened the bottle in his hand and chugged some, letting the cool water run down his throat. Snuck another look at Adam and noticed he seemed almost back to normal. He was looking over some notes they had put together earlier and was leaning into the table, pretending to be really deep into those notes.

Travis knew he was putting on act, but also knew now was not the time to press him. As he watched him, the doors opened and a stream of men of all ages- and a few women- filled the room. Most wore jeans with plaid shirts. Several of the men made their way over the booth and he wondered if Adam was ready for this. That worry was put to rest as soon as the first few men arrived at the booth.

Adam smiled. Introduced himself. Shook the men's hands and launched into his spiel. Travis watched the men's body language as they listened to Adam and noticed that even the older dealers, the ones that had been in the business for years and could be pretty skeptical, were leaning in.

Travis moved a little so he could see Adam's face as he spoke and he felt himself smile. Whatever might be going on with him, he certainly didn't let it interfere with his job. He talked on their level. Answered questions directly. Made them all feel at home. He shared some personal information, showed them he was there to be more than just a salesperson. He was a friend to dealers. He was on their side and would watch their backs.

And that was it. They were hooked. Every single one of them signed up with their company. And that's how the morning went. Over and over, Adam would share the story, sell them on the company and get them to sign up. Travis was almost overwhelmed with paperwork, but he handled it.

When everyone broke for lunch, he decided to stay at the booth and get caught up before the afternoon rush. Adam offered to stay, but Travis waved him on.

"Go. Eat. Have fun with Ben and Michael. Just bring me back something. Doesn't matter what."

"If you're sure, Travis."

"He's sure," Ben said. "Let's go. I'm starving."

Adam felt guilty leaving him with all the paperwork, but Travis was glad he did. This had been an eye-opening experience for him. Adam killed it in sales! It warmed him to see him in action. He wanted to show Adam he, too, could handle the job.

He still wanted to know about Albert, but had decided to wait for Adam to come to him with the information. He wasn't going to be pushy and scare him away.

His eyes scanned the near-empty room and noticed Rose talking with someone. He watched as she pressed into him and smiled. She was good. Watching her performance was fun. If he was attracted to women in any way, he had a feeling she was more than good in bed.

But he wasn't into women. Had always been attracted to men. It was just something he had always known. Growing up, his friends were crushing on Britney Spears when he was drooling over Ryan Reynolds.

Now he couldn't stop drooling over Adam! He had never really been with someone that he couldn't keep his hands off. Yes, he had had great sex before. Fun. No-strings attached. Some short relationships. But never had he felt such an intense pull to someone. He yearned for Adam every second they were apart. It was crazy.

All he could think of was making Adam happy. Pleasuring him in bed. Helping him do well at the convention. Take care of him.

Never had he wanted to take care of anyone. He thought back over men he had dated over the years and he only thought of one other man that had made him feel a little that way. And Travis had fucked that up by calling out the wrong name. But even with him, the feelings were never this intense. He almost felt like Adam gave him breath. Like he was slowly opening his soul to a new life.

Damn... he was such a lovesick idiot. He rolled his eyes as he made himself get back to the paperwork.

Adam arrived about twenty minutes later with a Styrofoam box of food in one hand and a Dr. Pepper in the other. He paused a couple of feet away to watch his new boyfriend. He was hunched over the table, focused on some paperwork. The shirt was taut against his shoulders and he saw that his biceps were bulging, pushing at the sleeves. He wanted him to stand up so he could see the jeans hug his ass. He sighed a little as he slipped behind the table. He felt like a teenager as his heartbeat sped up when Travis turned towards him, his warm brown eyes crinkling when he smiled and thanked him for the food.

"Dr. Pepper! My favorite. Thanks!"

Adam wanted to tell him he knew that. That he had spent the last three months trying to be in the break room at the same time as he headed there to get his morning Dr. Pepper. Thought he might sound a little "stalky" if he shared that and kept it to himself.

"How's it going with the paperwork?" Adam scanned the table, noticed a large stack of forms.

"It's good," Travis answered before he took a big bite of the Chicken BLT Adam had brought him. Chewed for a minute. Swallowed as he glanced back at Adam. "You were amazing this morning, Adam. You signed up more than twenty-five dealers in three hours!"

Adam blushed a little. He was embarrassed to tell Travis that when he first said he was amazing, his thoughts went to their hotel room.

Travis caught the blush, though. Smiled. Stood up and leaned into him a little. "Oh, you were amazing there, too, baby."

Adam gasped. How did he know what he was thinking? Shoved his hand against Travis's arm, pushing him back a little. "Whatever." Tried to sound nonchalant. Travis laughed low and he knew he had failed to cover up his embarrassment. Finally, he smiled back at him and saw that Travis was still watching him. He was eating his sandwich, but Adam got the feeling he really wanted to devour him.

Travis watched Adam shudder. Damn! He couldn't wait until their evening together. Tried to concentrate on the plans for the rest of the day.

They agreed the plan of talking every thirty minutes was working. Adam wanted to know if Travis wanted to trade places, and he decided to let Adam do it the rest of the day. He knew how badly he wanted to impress his dad and, if he knew Mr. Martins at all, this was going to impress the hell out of him. He was going to make sure that the boss knew that Adam took the lead with the dealers.