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Contract Law (Complete Story 5/4/20; Bonus Material Added 5/15/20)


TQuintA

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Chapter 24

            I enjoyed myself four more times that evening.  I took periodic breaks to clean the bathtub, take a shower, have dinner—things like that. 

            For one of my breaks, I decided to see just how strong my new muscles were.  Mo had banned me from the gym until the spell completed, so I walked around the apartment lifting random things.  I started with the couch; it was so light, I barely felt it.  The bed Oz and I shared was a little more of a challenge, but that was partially because of its shape.  When I stood in the right spot, I could lift the whole thing off the floor in one movement.  I could feel it in my glutes, but it wasn’t overly heavy.  The fridge was the biggest challenge.  Oz had gotten me one of those double-wide, stainless steel devices with a side-by-side freezer.  It took some effort and focus, but I was able to lift it off the ground.  I couldn’t wait to get this body back into a gym.

            Despite fun like that, the bulk of my time was spent managing my libido.  In fact, I would probably have orgasmed yet another time, so high was my need for release, but around eleven, Mo came home.  Fortunately, it was during one of my breaks.

            He announced his presence by knocking on my door.  “Your baby brother is home.  Put on some clothes and join him in the living room.”

            I threw on a pair of boxer briefs and Oz’s robe.  I was able to cinch it in the middle and hide my bulge, but my chest and shoulders were too broad for Oz’s clothes now, so my furry pecs were peeking out of the top half.

            When I came into the living room, Mo wolf-whistled.

            “Thank you,” I said, sitting in the armchair.  “But I took your advice, and I think I’m good on orgasms for the night.”

            Mo pointed at my crotch; Oz’s robe had slipped open.  “Not with that cannon you aren’t.”

            “I am now officially done with this topic,” I said, frantically closing the robe again.  “How was dinner with Alexander?”

            “Pretty good.  I came clean to him.”

            “You did what?”

            “Well, as clean as I could.  But I didn’t lie.  I explained that Carr hired me to investigate staffing irregularities at C&G, which I was.  I said that I flirted with him before I was really attracted to him, which is true.  I said I flirted with him so he’d have lunch with me and give me all the office gossip, which I did.  But then I caught actual feelings for him, which I have.”

            “Cayden Todd has actual feelings for a boy?”

            “What can I say?  I like him.”

            “Glad to hear it.  You guys going to try the long-distance thing?  I know you have to go back to…”  I trailed off.  “Where do you live now?”  Mo moved around so much that I frequently lose track.

            “See, that’s the thing.  I have a new job starting up in London.”

            “London.  Ouch.”

            “You and Oz made trans-Atlantic work.”

            “Oz and I have been making it work for six months, not indefinitely.  And, we had a stable bedrock of 15 years of marriage beforehand.”

            Mo pouted and threw his head back childishly.  “Fine.  I know.”

            “Alexander’s a wealthy fellow.  He doesn’t need to work at C&G.  Ask him to come to London with you.  At least for a little while.”

            Mo shook his head emphatically.  “Too big a step.  I’ve known him for three days.  The feelings I have might just be infatuation.”

            “I’m not saying marry the man.  I’m saying see if you work in London as well as you work in Boston.  If you do, keep taking steps until you decide if this is more than just infatuation.”

            “See.  That’s good advice.  This is why I need my big brother.”

            I offered to hug him, and he looked at me.

            “Are you kidding me?  You want me to hug you with your magnificent, hairy chest peeking out through a robe you’re exploding out of?  I’m not tempting fate.  Night, Eenie.”

            I went to bed feeling content.  I woke up feeling content. 

            That morning, I decided not to shave, to just grow in the beard.  At the rate my facial hair was growing, why fight it?

            I was making my morning coffee when there was a knock at the door.  Letting the water percolate, I went to the door and opened it.  It was Alexander.

            “Morning, Alexander,” I said.

            “Morning, Ian.”

            “Mo’s getting dressed, but you can…”

            Alexander interrupted me.  “I’m here to see you.”

            “Oh, okay.  Come into the kitchen.  I’ll pour you a cup of coffee.”

            Once we were in the kitchen, Alexander sidled up close to me, not close enough to touch thank goodness.  There was an entire sink’s length between us.  After a deep breath, he said, “Is Cayden serious?”

            “Serious about what?”

            “About me,” Alexander said.  “I know my strengths.  I’m a skilled artist.  I am a master at wines.  I have impeccable taste in just about everything.  But I also know my limitations.  For one, I’m not hot.”

            “Shut up,” I said.  “You’re plenty hot.”

            “Really, Ian?  Then why did you never ask me out?”

            “I met you when we were 18.  I was a shallow little fuck who couldn’t see everything you offered.  I didn’t even kiss a guy unless he was taller than me and had a beard.  Mo used to joke I was a carnival ride with a sign shaped like Smokey the Bear saying ‘You must be this much of a bear to ride.’  But you were fun to hang out with.  You still are.”  The coffee had finished brewing, so I got two mugs out of a cabinet.  “Don’t tell Oz, but I actually did think about having sex with you once.”

            “Really?” Alexander said.

            “The night of homecoming sophomore year.”  I poured Alexander a mug of coffee and gave it to him.  “About three months before I met Oz.  You were such a good friend, and I could tell you wanted more from me.  I didn’t want to lose you.  I almost convinced myself to try having sex with you to see if we worked that way.”

            “Why didn’t you?”  He put his mug on the kitchen table.

            “I realized it would have been a pity fuck.  And I don’t pity you.  You deserve to have a man who wants to be with you.”

            Alexander sighed.  “Everyone says I make a great friend.  I want something more than that.”

            I poured myself a cup of coffee and hopped up to sit on the counter.  “I think you could have that with Mo.”  I took a sip of coffee.  “Maybe.  I’m not promising.”

            Alexander hopped up onto the counter on the other side of the sink.  “What makes you say this?”

            “Well, he told you the truth about why he’s working at C&G for one.  He has no problem lying to the guys he’s just using.”  I took another sip of coffee. 

            “That’s true.”

            “He told me he had feelings for you last night.”

            “Really?”  Alexander was intrigued.

            “Yeah.  He’s not sure what they are, but he’s never even admitted to having feelings for a guy before.  That’s a breakthrough all by itself.”  I took another swig of coffee.

            Alexander slumped.  “He’s probably just feeling friendly affection.”  Alexander looked away while he said the following.  “When he told me that he had been hitting me up for information, it made total sense.  He was sleeping with me to keep me on the hook.  That’s why someone as gorgeous as Cayden would deign to sleep with me.”

            “Do you know what Mo said about you the first time he saw you?  As we were walking to Mr. Carr’s office?”

            He looked back at me, worry in his eyes.  “No.”

            “He called you ‘an absolute snack.’  In fact, I told him to be careful with you.”

            “A snack?  Really?”

            “His word, not mine.”

            “I told him to invite you to London.  Just for a bit.  To see if this is relationship potential.”

            “Really now?”

            “Yeah.  You’ve got vacation time you never use.  And if you need more than the two weeks, it’s not like you need the paycheck C&G gives you.”

            Alexander looked despondent for a second.

            “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” I reassured him.

            “I want to go.”

            I finished my cup of coffee and put the empty mug in the sink.  “I have an idea.  Mo doesn’t like being cramped in my Miata.  He says I take up too much space.”

            “You do,” Alexander said.

            “So, for the next week and a half, be his ride.  Drive him to work.  Drive him home.  Sit with him at lunch.  Go on dates.  Hang out here some evenings.  Spend the night if you want.  Squeeze as much relationship in as you can before he has to go to London.  See if this could be serious for yourself.”

            “Solid plan.” 

            At the same time, Mo came into the kitchen.  “What’s a solid plan?” he asked.

            “I suggested Alexander escort you to work for the next week and a half since you don’t want to drive with me anymore.”

            Mo smiled and took Alexander under his arm.  “I’ve always wanted a sexy chauffeur all to myself.  Thank you, brother.”

            “You’re welcome.”

            “If I could offer you some advice,” Mo said.

            “Sure.  Why not?”

            “Today’s an excellent day to ask Garrett that thing you were dying to ask him about.”

            “What thing?  Garrett?” I was genuinely confused.

            “You know.  Ask him about his vision for the future.  Take him by the hand and see what shakes loose.”

            I nodded.  Hopefully, Garrett was as straight as he acted.

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Chapter 25

            I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to accomplish my goal.  I didn’t want Garrett to catch wise, especially if he had been the one to cast the spell.  Managers aren’t supposed to touch the people who work for them.  That went double for employees who have made it clear they don’t like or respect you.  There are very few approved ways of touching: the handshake, the pat on the shoulder, the accidental bump.

            Garrett spent most of his days at work trying to thwart me, so I doubt he’d reciprocate a handshake.  Besides, I’d tried that yesterday, and he just walked away.  If I pat him on the shoulder, he might take it as a come-on.  Even if I saw no vision whatsoever, I wouldn’t want him to think I was coming on to him.  That really only left the accidental bump.  But if I did it wrong, it wouldn’t look accidental, and we’re back to him mistaking it for a come-on.  And if I assumed Garrett was the caster, well, any sort of touch could let him know I was suspicious.

            The stage was probably the most important piece of the puzzle to figure out first.  An accidental bump would be significantly harder in his cubicle.  For one, Alexander would be there, but that cubicle was so small, there really wasn’t room to bump.  Places like the bathroom, elevator, and hallways seemed ideal.  They were all narrow, and they were all perfectly innocent places for me to be.  However, unless I out and out stalked him, there was no way of guaranteeing he would be in any one of them.

            As I sat in my office pondering a solution to my conundrum, I got a lucky break.  He came to me.

            It was about 10:30 A.M.  I was taking a quick break from my paperwork, and Garrett knocked on my door.

            “Come on in,” I said.

            He entered the room predatorily, just like always.  He was dressed in a mint green dress shirt, burgundy tie, and flint grey slacks.  His belt was a thin strap of sand-colored leather that brought the whole look together.  While I internally wished for his fashion sense, he scanned the room, walking around, his hands behind his back.  “Still no pictures of the Mister,” he said.  “I thought you’d fix that.”  As he continued looking, he stared intimately at the painting Quincy had hidden the camera behind.  He asked, “Is this higher than it was the last time I was here?”

            “Yes it is,” I said.  “Did you just come in here to offer me more decorating tips?”

            “I came in here to ask for a truce.”

            This was out of nowhere.  “You’ll have to be more specific.”

            “I’m sure you’re well aware that there’s an opening for manager in the art department.”

            I was not aware.  The only two people I dealt with in the art department on a regular basis were Garrett and Alexander. 

            I waited a few seconds for Garrett to continue, but he didn’t.  So, I said, “And…?”

            “I’m applying for it.”  Again, a long pause.

            “And…?”

            “Don’t sandbag it.”

            “Why would I?”

            Garrett answered before I even finished talking.  “I know I make your job hard, but I applied for your job when you did.  We started at the same time, we had a similarly impressive track record, and Hugo likes me more than he likes you.”

            “You call Mr. Tyler Hugo?”

            “My point exactly.  On paper, we were 100% equally qualified, but the boss liked me.  The only way you could’ve gotten this promotion was if you sabotaged me.”

            I had not sabotaged him even a little.  I always thought his behavior was just sour grapes, but it was a little deeper than that.

            “That’s not why I got the promotion,” I asserted.

            “Don’t tell me it was some gay affirmative action nonsense.  Hugo would never…”

            “I got the promotion,” I said, standing up to my full height, “because my degree is in marketing.  Your degree is in art.”

            “I minored in marketing,” he retorted.

            “I minored in business.”

            “It couldn’t be that simple.”

            “You’re right.  It’s not.”  I sat on my desk.  There was only my guest chair between us.  “You forget one crucial thing.  Networking.  One of our company’s biggest investors is the Bailey Group.  And Vernon Bailey will only do business with me.”

            “So, you didn’t sabotage me?”

            “Nope.  Mr. Tyler promoted me because I was, as you so rightly point out, qualified.  But his secondary reason was to make the Bailey Group more comfortable investing further money into the company.”

            “Dammit,” Garrett said.  “You really didn’t sabotage me?”

            “It never occurred to me to sabotage you.  In fact, I think you’d make an excellent manager in the art department.  Would you like me to write you a letter of recommendation?”

            Garrett’s jaw dropped open.

            “Close that thing before you catch flies,” I told him.

            “You’d help me get the promotion?  But I’m such an asshole to you.”

            “If you get the promotion, I’d have one fewer asshole reporting to me.”

            “But this promotion would make us equals.  Could you really do that?”

            “I’d still have years of seniority on you, and we’d be in different departments, so I don’t think you could call us equals.  But we would be on the same level of the org chart, if that’s what you meant.  Yes.  I would help you do that.  You’re good at your job, and you’re the person I trust of to sit in for me when I’m not here.  You’re always the first person I ask to fill in if I can’t be here.”

            “That wasn’t fucking with me?  Some sort of mind game?  That was trust?”

            “Yep.  So, do you want the letter?” I asked again.

            “Definitely.”  He offered me his hand.  I shook it.

            He smiled warmly at me.  The first warm smile I’d seen from him ever.  I braced for him to tear my clothes off or grab my head in a kiss, but nothing happened.

            When the shake ended, he left the room.

            I went back to my desk and sat down a little disappointed that nothing had happened.

            Not even thirty seconds later, he popped his head back into the room.  “Wanna grab some drinks after work?”

            “Excellent idea,” I said.

            In what felt like no time, we were sitting next to each other at a bar, sharing drinks.  He even talked me in to drinking beer.  I always preferred wine to beer, but beer just felt right this time.  Soon enough, we were laughing about all the shit we’d given each other over the years.

            “I thought you were my biggest rival,” he admitted.

            “I liked sparring with you,” I replied.  “But I never wanted to be your enemy.  You definitely kept my sword sharp, though.”  I don’t know if it was the spell or the alcohol, but I just wanted to lean over and kiss him, even if he didn’t want to kiss me.

            Five drinks in, we were sitting on the same side of the booth.  His cheeks were bright red from drinking.  My cock was stretching out into an erection.  He was witty, and charming, and looked unbearably cute all pink.

            Eight drinks in, I couldn’t stand it anymore.  I had to have him.  I casually put my hand in his lap as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

            “I’m married,” he said, removing my hand.

            “So am I,” I reminded him.  “But my husband’s not here.”  This had to be the spell.  It had to be.

            He leaned over and kissed me.  It was tentative, but sweet.  He kept his eyes closed the entire time.

            “I haven’t done that since college,” he confessed.

            I leaned in and propped my head on my fist.  “So, you have been with men before?”

            “Not men.  Just one.  Dennis.  My junior and senior years at Northeastern, my roommate was on the hockey team.”

            “Go Huskies!” I cheered, taking a swig from my beer.

            He leaned in close and began talking in a hushed whisper.  “We’d only been roomies for two weeks before we were screwing like rabbits.  But Dennis told me I had to keep it a secret ‘cause he wasn’t out to the hockey team.  But for those two years, he was my everything.”

            “What happened, then?” I asked.

            “We graduated.  I stayed on to get my Masters, he went who knows where.  I haven’t seen him since 2007.  He broke my fucking heart.  I would’ve married him.  I came out to my severely Catholic mother as bisexual for that man.  She never stopped doing rosaries the whole two years I was with Dennis, and when he abandoned me, she basically said, ‘I told you so.’

            “It was almost a full year before I even went on another date.  And with the exception of Dennis, I’d never really been attracted to men, so I just went back to dating women.  I met my Cara.  We dated.  We fell in love.  We got married.  We had kids.  Life happened.”

            “Do you still think about Dennis?”

            “Like when I’m making love to Cara?”

            I shrugged.  “Cara.  Yourself.  Whenever.”

            Garrett looked down at the table.  It was hard to tell because of how red the beer was making his cheeks, but he seemed to be blushing.

            “That’s a yes,” I said.  “It’s okay.  Fantasies are just that.”

            “I lied to you,” he blurted.  “I said that I’d never been attracted to men except Dennis.  That’s a lie I tell myself.  It’s rare, but it happens.”

            “Oh,” I said, pretending to find it scandalous.  “So, with guys, who’s your type?”

            He grabbed my face and kissed me again.  This time, there was no hesitation.  He kissed me long and deep, so deep I was having trouble catching my breath.  When the kiss ended, he didn’t take his hands off my face.  “You are the sexiest man I’ve ever seen.”

            “Thank you,” I said.  It was my turn to blush.

            “But I won’t cheat on my wife,” he insisted.

            “Haven’t we cheated already?” I taunted.  This had to be the spell.  Or the alcohol.  Or both.  There is no way I would say that stone cold sober and unenchanted. 

            “I’ve got to go,” Garrett said, and ran out of the bar.

            I was left alone, drunk, and hard as a rock.

            And for some reason, there was the faintest smell of wintergreen in the air.

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The writing, the Writing, THE WRITING!!! IT'S SOOOO GOOD!!

============================

  “Definitely.”  He offered me his hand.  I shook it.

            He smiled warmly at me.  The first warm smile I’d seen from him ever.  I braced for him to tear my clothes off or grab my head in a kiss, but nothing happened.

            When the shake ended, he left the room.

            I went back to my desk and sat down a little disappointed that nothing had happened.

            Not even thirty seconds later, he popped his head back into the room.  “Wanna grab some drinks after work?”

            “Excellent idea,” I said.

=================================

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Wow that was evil...and so very, very good, lol. 

One of the best twists I've seen on this site.  The whole time I was reading I was thinking, "I can't believe he's wrapping the story up THIS quickly..."  And of course you weren't.  And worse yet, we should've seen it coming. 

Excellent work, my friend.  Amazingly talented writer.  

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