Part 3
DeAnna Zankich
Sequel is | Storm Warning
Summary: Stuart makes a new friend at work and she turns out to be quite the little troublemaker.
Warnings: Nonee
Stuart:
The room was still dark and it was so warm under the covers, but he could feel Vince's hands on him--moving over his skin as
though he were exploring for flaws. Stuart just couldn't wake up. He was still so drunk and needed to sleep a lot more before his
body metabolized all that vodka. He groaned and drifted in and out of sleep, vaguely aware that he was being moved onto his
back. Then he felt Vince's warm, loving fingers ruffling his pubic hair. He felt Vince's breath on his thighs, then on his balls and
cock. Heard him inhale deeply. Those fingers lifting the organs and holding them, feeling their weight. That warm wet tongue
licking every inch of his cock and balls once, but without the intent to arouse. Stuart knew he was being inspected but it felt really
nice so he just laid there and sighed, slipping out of consciousness again.
Vince:
At around 2:00 that Sunday afternoon, Vince was sitting at the computer reading an email from Dane about his exploits the night
before. The phone rang and he grabbed it quickly, not wanting the ring to wake Stuart.
"Hello?"
"Vince?" Kate said, her voice groggy and scraped.
"Yeah. Hiya, Kate. How are ya?"
"Uhhhhh. I cannot believe how much we drank. Your lover has a wooden leg."
"Yeah," Vince said, laughing. "But you're awake and he's still sleeping it off."
Kate laughed, weakly. "Poor bastard. Anyway, sorry I got him so wasted and then sent him home to you. Did he throw up?"
"No. He just mumbled incoherently and passed out."
"That's pretty much what I did, too. Anyway, ask him to give me a jingle at the hotel if he ever decides to get out of bed. I'll be
here. In bed."
"All right, luv. Drink water, it'll help a lot."
"I can't face anything consumable right now. I'm just . . . you know how it is."
"All too well," he said. "Take care."
"Bye."
He hung up and looked at the phone for a moment, thinking about the call she'd made to him last night on Stuart's mobile. He
glanced back at the bed where his lover was sound asleep, his naked body sprawled across the mattress and barely covered by
the soft down comforter. Stuart looked like a prone god lying there, smooth, perfect skin, shiny black curls tousled in his sleep.
His plum lips were parted, relaxed and his black lashes rested on his slightly puffy cheeks. He was so beautiful it almost hurt.
Smiling sadly, Vince turned back to the screen and continued reading about Dane's wild night out in the village.
Stuart:
He hadn't even looked at the clock when he finally woke up, but he knew it was late afternoon by the color of the light. He could
hear Vince talking to someone on the phone down in the lounge--most likely Hazel, judging by his tone. Reluctantly, he sat up in
bed and took a few long breaths, trying to decide if he was well enough to shower. His skin felt sticky and he reeked of stale
vodka.
Staggering into the bathroom, he pissed for what seemed like ten minutes and then he felt considerably better. He went straight
into the shower and just stood under the hot water for ages before he started to wash. And wash he did--scrubbing his skin with
a bath sponge and shampooing his hair twice. He felt filthy and just couldn't seem to get clean. Finally he got out and dried off,
pulling on some sweats and a white jumper. As he headed out of the bedroom, he glanced at the clock on the bedside table. 4:48.
He'd slept all day.
He smiled at Vince who was sitting on the couch with the phone pressed to his ear, apparently listening to Hazel tell him a story.
His boyish lover winked at him.
Stuart got another bottle of water out of the fridge and stood there drinking it until it was almost empty. He was dying of thirst.
Then he looked in the fridge for something to eat, grabbing out a loaf of bread to make toast. Toast was always safe on a
hungover stomach.
Vince hung up and wandered into the kitchen, sitting up on the counter beside the toaster. He ran his fingers through Stuart's wet
hair, pulling him into a hug. Stuart just leaned against him, folding his arms around Vince's sturdy waist and letting himself be held.
"All right?" Vince asked.
"I'll live. Maybe."
"Kate phoned around two. Said she's at the hotel if you ever decided to get up."
He breathed a laugh. "Did she sound bad?"
"She said she felt terrible."
Stuart sighed. "We were very drunk."
"Yes," Vince agreed. He held Stuart's face in his hand and looked into his eyes. "Can I kiss you now that you've showered?"
Confused, Stuart's brow wrinkled. "I said you couldn't kiss me?"
"Yeah. Guess you don't remember that." Vince's lovely eyes were clouded when he said that, a thin mist of pain still visible there.
"I'm sorry," he said, meaning it. Stuart kissed his lover deeply, slowly, lingering for a long time.
They looked at each other without speaking for a bit, then Vince offered a knowing little smile.
"Well, the evidence shows this," he said. "You had no scent on you but your own, so you didn't fuck anyone and no one sucked
you off. You didn't come because you came home and had a wank."
"That's correct," Stuart said. "I didn't break any rules."
"However." Vince reached into his pocket and took out a cloth handkerchief, which he dangled from his fingers. "Spunk on the
handkerchief in the pocket of your trousers from last night. Not yours, I presume."
He shook his head, his belly doing a flip-flop. He was caught and he knew it. "Not mine. Right."
Vince set the soiled handkerchief aside, then put his hands on Stuart's face again. "Kate called me to try to stop you from doing
something bad, didn't she?"
"Yeah."
"Did she succeed?"
"Yeah."
"And . . . the soiled hanky?"
Stuart sighed, ruefully. "I was bad, but not as bad as I might have been. If you'd been there, I wouldn't have been bad at all.
Kate's a naughty girl, just like me. We've got no business being out together without a guardian."
Vince laughed softly. "Right. Without telling too many disgusting details that will only upset me, what did you do?"
The toast popped up and he took the warm, crispy slices out of the slots. Walking over to the fridge, he got out the butter and
black currant jam. "I was drunk and Kate was instigating and I got in too deep with a bloke."
"Were you dancing?"
"No. Just standing there having a drink. Talking." He spread the butter on his toast slowly, concentrating on what he would say
next.
"Did you snog?"
Yeah."
"Did you grind on him?"
"Yeah."
"Did he touch you?"
"Only through my trousers," Stuart said, extremely glad that it was all true.
Vince sighed like a patient school teacher interrogating an unruly child. "So, you kissed and gave this bloke a wank but you didn't
come."
"Kate called you at just the right time," Stuart admitted. "I would have done. I was over the edge."
"Did you get him off before or after I spoke to you?"
"After. Right after. It would have been . . . rude not to at that point."
"But he didn't touch you?"
"Just through my trousers. We've established that." He wasn't being defensive; he just didn't want to repeat the incident any more
than he knew he had to for the sake of this confession.
"All right," Vince said. "Hold out your hand."
Stuart blinked at him. "Wha'?"
"Your hand," he said again. "Hold it out. Palm down."
Stuart stuck out his right hand and Vince smacked it--hard.
"Ow!"
Chuckling, Vince slid off the counter and walked up to the bedroom. "That's for the snogging. You know you aren't supposed to
do that. But as long as you didn't come, it wasn't sex so it remains a fairly minor infraction." He went to the closet and got out his
jacket. "I'm going to Hazel's for a bit. Probably stay for dinner if you feel like coming `round."
Stuart shook his head, rubbing his stinging hand and frowning petulantly. Vince walked around the counter, pressing his body
against Stuart's from behind. He kissed his neck sweetly, nuzzling his ear. Stuart leaned back into his lover's touch, gently stroking
Vince's hands that were teasing the skin on his belly.
"I love you," Stuart said.
"I know."
He turned in Vince's arms and wrapped himself around, kissing and being kissed, mashing his body as close as possible. He
buried his face in Vince's neck and closed his eyes, knowing without a shred of doubt that he had to say. He had to tell. "It was
Nathan," he whispered, miserably.
"I know," Vince said.
Looking up into those calm, soft blue eyes, Stuart took in a surprised breath. "You knew? Did Kate say?"
He shook his head. "No, but it would have to be Nathan, wouldn't it?"
Stuart was confused.
"I mean, at this point, after all this time, I think . . ." Vince took a breath, clearly trying to organize his thoughts and express them
coherently. "At least to me, and I might be kidding myself, but it seems that after six months of you being faithful, that we must be
pretty solid. I don't believe that you would have done that with just any bloke--pissed or not, Kate instigating or not. At this point,
Nathan Maloney remains our one and only weak spot. At least in my mind. And as relationships go, that makes us pretty strong.
Most couples have loads of problems. We've only got this one."
Stuart blinked, taking all that in. He turned the words in his head, thinking about their meaning and was surprised that they rang so
true. "It's a pretty big problem, nonetheless," he said.
"Yeah. But, I don't think it's without a solution." Vince kissed his forehead and then started for the door.
"What does that mean?" Stuart said, suddenly worrying that his lover might be planning another surprise test like the night of that
dinner party.
But Vince shook his head, seeming to read the thought. "Nothing. I'm not plotting anything, Stuart. I just . . ." He stopped by the
door and turned around. "I'm not anywhere near as angry this time as I was the last time. So, maybe . . . I dunno. Maybe I'm
coming to terms with it. Maybe, after a bit, I'll find some way to accept it."
Stuart frowned, not liking that comment at all. It made him feel powerless and weak. "I don't want you to come to terms with it.
That's mad."
"Well," Vince said. "What choice have I got? Your attraction to him isn't going away. It likely never will. If I don't find a way to
accept it, it'll just continue to eat me up inside." He shook his head. "I don't want to live like that. I love you and I've never been
happier in my entire life. I want us to keep going like we are. Keep moving ahead. I'm looking at this as a compromise that I have
to make in order to have all the fantastic other stuff."
The more Vince talked about acceptance, the angrier Stuart became. His teeth clenched in his mouth and his brow was deeply
knit. He didn't know what to say at that time, so he said nothing.
Vince smiled at him again and blew him a little kiss. "Are you sure you don't want to come to Hazel's?"
Again, Stuart shook his head. "Kiss her for me."
"Okay. Be home around nine." He opened the door and went through it, the heavy hinges creaking after him.
Stuart flung the now cold toast across the room angrily, then marched over to the phone.
"You know what he's doing, don't you?" Kate said, lying on her back on the couch. Stuart was stretched out there, as well, their
heads on the opposite arms of the big couch, feet next to each other's sides. They passed a carton of leftover rice and vegetables
back and forth.
"Pissing me off, that's what," he said.
Kate chuckled at him. "Your Vince is one smart cookie, baby. He made you feel weak and helpless and like you had no control
over yourself--which, where that kid is concerned, you might not. But Vince's plan was to make you mad. And he did. Look at
you."
Stuart stabbed the chopsticks into the cardboard container viciously as he listened to her.
Kate continued. "His plan, if I'm not mistaken, is to make you mad enough to change yourself out of spite. Because you won't be
told what to do. And you certainly won't be told that you have no self control." She raised her brow expectantly, reaching out for
the carton.
They were drinking beers because it sounded good and it helped their hangovers. The bottles were on the floor beside the couch
along with the rest of the Thai leftovers. Kate sat up and took a sip of her drink, her brow furrowed in thought.
"Wha'?"
"I'm just thinking," she said. "Vince knows you really well."
"He has been my best mate for sixteen years."
"Yeah. Tricky, that. Hard to get anything passed him."
"Not that I'd want to, mind," Stuart said. "I don't want to lie to him. It's not like I'm proud of this, Kate. I mean, I'm fine if I don't
see Nathan. But when I'm around him . . ."
"Yeah," she said, rolling her eyes. "I saw." She smiled. "Want my advice?"
He nodded.
"You have two choices. You can either do everything in your power to avoid Nathan or you can see him so much that you
become immune. You know, get sick of him."
"I already don't like him. I mean, I know he's just a kid and all . . .suppose he might still grow out of being such a twat. But I don't
want to spend time with him. Give me another plan." He sat up as well, draining his second beer.
"I don't think there is another plan. You either saturate or you avoid. Avoiding clearly has it's problems. Vince can't be with you
all the time and you never know when that little cutie is going to show up. At least he's not staying at Vince's mother's anymore.
That must been . . . really awkward."
Stuart's mind flooded with tiny flashes of memory. Nathan sucking him off in Vince's old bedroom, Nathan having a wank in the
lounge while Stuart looked on, the feel of the kid's plump balls in his hand on the stairs.
Kate was watching him. "Maybe not so awkward," she said. "You dug having him there, didn't you? You liked it. He was this
dangerous little time bomb you got to tiptoe around every time you went there. Probably got your heart pounding."
He scowled at her. "That's not nice."
"No," she said. "But it appears to be true." She got up and went to the kitchen to get them more beers. "I think you need to try
saturation. Just get sick o' the kid and then you won't want him anymore."
He picked up another one of the cartons and poked a piece of chicken with his chopsticks. "Vince would never go for that."
She came back to the couch, setting his fresh beer on the floor beside him. "I think he might," she said as she sat down again.
"Sounds to me like he's willing to try anything to get that little boy out of your blood."
"I wouldn't even know how to bring it up," he said. "It's not like this topic is ever very well-received in this house."
They each took a carton and stretched back out on the couch, facing each other, feet next to each other's hips.
"I think he might surprise you," she said. "Just ask him."
Stuart sighed, spearing a piece of broccoli and putting it in his mouth. "I don't know what I'm going to do," he said, chewing.
"Well," Kate said. "You don't have to decide tonight. Sounds like he forgave you."
"Oh, no. Don't be deceived by his calm demeanor. I'm not forgiven, luv. Count on that. He just set it aside for future use. Just in
case."
"Ah. A grudge holder, eh?"
"No . . . just . . . a really good memory."
Kate offered him a sympathetic smile, then she reached for the remote on the coffee table. "What's on the tube? British television
never ceases to amuse me." She pressed the Power button and the universal remote turned on all the machines, just as it always
did. And there was the tape Stuart had watched when he came home the night before.
The screen was filled with a graphic, close-up shot of a huge cock sliding in and out of another man's anus. Kate barely flinched.
"Last night's visual aid?" she asked.
Stuart smiled, not bothering to get embarrassed.
"Yeah, I didn't think you were going to bring that erection home and give it to your lover. Not with Nathan stink all over you."
Kate studied the remote then pressed the button that turned off the VCR, then she switched the system to the satellite and started
surfing the channels. "Vince really smelled you and tasted you?" she asked.
"Always does. Whenever he thinks I might have been up to no good."
Grinning, she said, "that's kind of . . . sexy."
"Yeah," he giggled. "I know."
They laughed like teenagers and then traded cartons again.
"So, what are you going to do?" she said.
"Nothing for now. Just going to wait and let this blow over."
Sighing, Kate nodded. "Probably for the best. I guess. Except that doing nothing is not promoting a resolution."
"I know," he said, unhappily. But he just couldn't think about it anymore right then. He set the carton down on the floor and sat up
to have another drink of beer. Just as he brought the bottle to his lips, the white phone by the door buzzed.
"Expecting someone?" Kate said.
"Nope." He swung his legs off the couch and stepped around the cartons on his way to the door. Grabbing the white receiver, his
belly turned with dread. "Yeah?"
"Stuart?"
Heaving an irritated sigh, he rolled his eyes. "Nathan, what do you want?"
"I just want to talk," the boy said.
"I'm busy. I have company. Besides, there's nothing to talk about. Go away." He started to hang up when he heard Nathan's
voice on the phone.
"Please," he said.
Kate was suddenly at his side, her big green eyes wide. She looked at him with marked caution, holding up a warning index
finger. "Don't you let him come up here," she said. "Send him away."
He shook his head, speaking into the receiver. "Nathan, I said I'm busy. Just go away."
"Stuart--I just want to talk for a minute. I promise I won't touch you or anything. I just . . . please, just let me come up."
"How did you know Vince wasn't here?" he said.
"I didn't," Nathan answered and his tone suggested that was probably true.
Kate stood there shaking her head, staunchly. She crossed her arms to punctuate her admonition.
"If you just want to talk, then I'll come down," he said. "I can't let you come in."
"Fine," Nathan said. "Come down, then."
Stuart hung up the phone and looked at her, resolutely. "I'll just go down and see what he wants."
"If you're not back up here in ten minutes, I'm coming down there and dragging you in by the scruff," she said. "I will NOT be
responsible for you getting' busy with that kid again. I already feel like Vince must hate me."
He slipped his shoes on and grabbed his keys, pushing the door open. "I'll just be a minute. Why don't you watch that tape. It's
good." He grinned at her and she laughed, then he closed the door and trotted down the stairs.
Nathan stood out in front of the glass doors to the building's lobby and Stuart let him in.
"Sit over here for a minute," he said, walking over to the staircase he'd just come down. He and Nathan sat beside each other and
Stuart leaned his elbow on the next step up. "What do you want?"
With his hands in the pockets of his jacket, Nathan sighed. His cheeks were ruddy from the cool air outside and his fine blonde
hair was windblown. He pursed his lips and a little frown appeared between his eyebrows. "I'm sorry about last night, Stuart."
"You're sorry? I should be sorry. It's my fault."
Nathan looked at him, his blue eyes combing Stuart's face. "Are you?"
Stuart just shrugged, smirking. "I'm never sorry for touching you, Nathan. Clearly I enjoy touching you. But I'm always sorry for
the trouble it causes me with Vince."
The boy looked down. "Then why do you keep doing it?"
"Who the fuck knows? I just do." Stuart sighed, looking at the boy closely. "Nathan, do you care for me?"
"You know I do," he said softly, sadly.
"Then why don't help me? Just don't talk to me when you see me. Ignore me."
"I can't."
"Yes, you can. You just WON'T."
The two men stared at each other, the honesty momentarily halting the conversation.
"You torture me and you LOVE it," Stuart continued. "It gives you control. Look, it's obvious that my attraction for you gets the
better of me, so . . . if you care for me at all, please, Nathan, just . . . stop approaching me. Don't talk to me. Just leave me
alone."
Nathan looked at him, miserably, his blue eyes brimming with tears. "But, Stuart . . . I love you."
"No, you don't. You just think you do. If you loved me, you would do as I ask with no protest." He let that comment sit there
between them, hoping the boy would take the bait.
Frowning deeply, Nathan let out a ragged breath. "I don't want to leave you alone."
Stuart shook his head. "I don't know what to say to you. You know I love Vince, right? He's my boyfriend. I'm committed to him.
I can't have you anymore. And I don't want you, Nathan. I just . . . can't resist you. This hurts Vince too much--every time you
come `round, something like this happens. Just . . . leave me be." He stood up and started up the stairs, leaving Nathan sitting
there with his head down. "Promise you'll leave me alone, Nathan."
"I can't. I'm just as addicted to you." The boy stood up without meeting Stuart's gaze and walked out the glass doors into the
street.
Stuart stood there for a moment just staring after Nathan, wishing he could get the upper hand in this situation. Maybe there was a
pill he could take. Some sort of drug to eradicate the high of his attraction to that kid. Pulling his fingers through his hair, he sighed
and went back upstairs.
* * *
Vince:
Around half nine, he walked into the building and nearly crashed into Kate as she was leaving.
"Oh, Vince. Hi," she said, offering him a woeful smile. "You hate me, right? I don't blame you at all if you do."
He shook his head. "Not at all. I can't blame anyone for Stuart's behavior other than Stuart."
"Yeah, but . . ." she hedged. "I really egged him on. I feel completely responsible."
"Don't worry, luv," he said, looking in her pretty green eyes. "You haven't done anything unforgivable. Besides, I'm actually happy
that you two are friends. He doesn't have a lot of friends outside our relationship so I think being with you will be good for him.
Maybe even a bit good for both of you."
Kate nodded, laughing a bit shyly. "Right. Because we can learn from each other's mistakes. Like looking in a mirror."
Vince smiled and returned the nod, but he didn't elaborate. He knew she understood him.
"Well, as long as you don't hate me," she said.
"Not at all." He gave her smooth cheek a kiss and she hugged him around the neck.
"All right," Kate said. "I'll see ya later. He's upstairs waiting for you. Still kicking himself."
Vince held the door for her and wished her a goodnight, then he took the lift up to the second floor.
Stuart was lying on the couch with the remote in his hand and a soft chenille throw blanket on his legs. Vince took off his jacket
then went over to join his lover, stretching out beside him on the cushions.
"Hi," Stuart said, curling against Vince and kissing him. "How's Hazel?"
"Fine. She kisses you back." He slid his fingers into Stuart's hair at the nape of his neck, paying homage to the silky curls with his
touch. They were especially soft back there, just above his spine.
Stuart shivered slightly and cuddled closer.
"Cold?" Vince asked.
"Yeah. I think I'm getting sick. My throat hurts."
"Hm. I'll make you some tea, all right?"
"Vince?"
"What?" He turned Stuart's face so they were looking at each other.
"Are you still angry?"
"I wasn't angry to begin with."
Stuart frowned, looking away. "You should have been."
"Perhaps," Vince agreed. "But, I wasn't." He picked up Stuart's hand and kissed the back of it right on the spot where he'd
slapped earlier. "You took your punishment like a man," he smiled. "It's over as far as I'm concerned."
Stuart kissed his lips, then nuzzled him, pressing up against him on the couch. Vince could feel the heat of Stuart's skin and it
concerned him slightly.
"I think you are coming down with something." He placed his palm on Stuart's forehead. "Yeah. Let me take your temperature."
Getting up, Vince went up to the bathroom and got into the medicine cabinet. Searching around for a moment, he located the
digital thermometer and brought it with him back to the couch. "Here," he said, sitting beside Stuart. "Under your tongue."
Stuart took the thermometer obediently and sat still while it gauged his temperature. When the little timer bell went off, he took it
out and scowled at the display screen.
"What is it?" Vince asked.
"101."
"Mm hm. I'll make you some tea." He got up and went to the kitchen, grabbing the kettle and bringing it over to the sink.
As he ran the faucet, his eye caught the soiled handkerchief he'd left on the counter from that afternoon. The sight of it made him
sad and jealous but not angry. Vince wondered if they would ever be free of Nathan Maloney and the idea that they might never
be made him feel old.
Setting the kettle on the burner, he went back to the lounge to look after Stuart.
(And with that, we downgrade Kate to a tropical storm. At least for the time being. And don't worry--it's just a cold. I don't do
death and illness stories. LoL.)
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