I sent Nick a text at lunchtime the following Saturday.
Can I cash in my rain check tonight? Let me know what time and what food I need.
Ten minutes later, I glanced at my phone and smiled.
I have a function. I can sneak out after dinner. Eat as you please. Be ready at nine with a glass of scotch and your toys. Thank you for making the remainder of my day most uncomfortable.
I was ready at 8:45. Almost too ready. Maybe I should’ve jerked off earlier so I could last more than the ten seconds this was going to take. I logged in, bouncing in my seat. He didn’t log on for another 15 long, long minutes.
“I’m so sorry, love. Apparently, I faked intestinal distress a little too well, and I think they worried they had killed their new partner and tried to take me to the hospital. They seemed so concerned I almost felt guilty.” He finally looked at me properly. “Almost.”
I asked him about his day, and he brushed the question off, apologetic.
“Sweetheart, I know I was late, but would it be possible for me to call you back in ten minutes? I need a very quick shower so I can relax and enjoy this.”
I shook my head. “No. Sorry. You are welcome to have a shower, of course, but you are not hanging up. Take the iPad in the bathroom, and I can enjoy the view as you relax and shower.”
He hesitated for only a moment before a smile took over his face, and then the picture was wobbling and jumping around. After a moment, I saw a small but luxurious marble bathroom. Nick appeared in front of the camera and removed his clothes piece by piece, throwing them to the side off screen. He turned away from the camera as he removed his briefs and stepped into the shower. The shower door was clear glass, but the steam distorted the image. I watched, completely captivated, as his silhouette moved and turned while he washed. Based on the amount of time he spent on his groin, his dick was now very, very clean. I refused to touch my own, except for applying pressure a couple of times when the image on the screen became too much.
Eventually, the sound of water ceased, and the door opened. Nick reached for a towel left on the edge of the bath and wrapped it around himself, securing it low on his hips. He moved off screen and then returned with a second towel, which he used to dry his hair. Ignoring me completely, he worked his way down his body, slowly stroking his chest and arms and his taut stomach. One at a time he lifted a foot onto the side of the bath to reach down and dry from his foot to the top of his thigh. He was halfway up the second leg when he frowned and looked at the screen. “Ky?”
I shifted uncomfortably. “Yes?”
He smiled. “Nothing, sweetheart. I thought the screen had frozen. You hadn’t moved.”
I glanced down at the tent in my pyjama pants. “Believe me, some things were definitely moving.”
He laughed, such an amazing sound. I never understood how other people, even his best friend, didn’t see him like this. Happy. Joyous. Beautiful.
After he finished drying himself, he carried the iPad back to his room, and I moved to the bedroom. We sat lounging back on our beds.
I wasn’t sure how to progress things. I had never done this before, so I waited for his lead.
Casually, Nick asked about my friends and what I had been doing as his hand wandered down to the towel still sitting around his hips. I was trying to answer, but it was slightly harder to do when I didn’t remember the question. I was mesmerised by that hand, slowly, lazily drawing circles on his stomach, then wandering back up and playing with one nipple. After smoothing over his chest, he lifted that hand and ran it through his hair before stretching it up above his head in a stretch.
Then he burst out laughing. I frowned. I must have missed a joke. I thought he had been talking, but the rhythm of his voice lulled me without hearing any of the actual words. I tried to work out what I had missed, and my frown deepened as he reached for something off screen and then came back empty-handed, laughing even harder.
I tilted my head. “What?”
He shook his head but didn’t answer.
“Hang on. Are you laughing at me?” I sat up a bit and pulled the doona up onto my lap. I wasn’t naked, but I felt like it. What stupid thing had I done? My cheeks burned with embarrassment as my eyes darted away from the screen.
He stopped laughing abruptly. “Ky?”
I fidgeted without looking at him, mumbling nonsense in response to acknowledge him.
“Ky, look at me.” His voice had sobered, and I looked up, obeying his command without a moment of conscious thought. He was watching me intently. “Sweetheart. I’m sorry. I wasn’t laughing at you. Well, I guess I kind of was, but please, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”
He shook his head and adjusted how he was lying so that his face was a little closer to the camera. “You are… you are this beautiful, amazing contradiction, sweetheart. You are this exquisite, beautiful man who is strong and smart, and you spend your days chasing bad guys and saving lives. I am completely in awe of how brave you are. Then here you were, looking at me as if I’m something. You were watching my hand, and no matter where I moved it, you followed. It was kind of intoxicating, and then…. Sorry… I just realized this sounds horrible when I form the words.” He looked guilty and maybe a bit sad. He shouldn’t look like that.
“What? Please tell me. I promise I will try not to overreact like a child.”
He looked back at me, assessing if he should answer. “Well… God… please believe me that in my head it was sweet and cute compared to how strong you are, and I liked it.”
He paused, and I waited. “Fine, I had a quick moment—barely a moment, really—where it occurred to me that the way you were watching my hand was like those videos you see of a kitten following a laser light. So I started moving my hand further to see if you followed… God, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for you to feel I was laughing at you.”
My lips twitched, despite my embarrassment, causing him to pause.
“God, you are such a dick.” I tried to remain a little indignant, but my stupid lips were trying to smile.
He finally smiled too. “But you like this dick, right?”
“Yes, I do. I also like the man it is attached to very much too.”
We just looked at each other, smiling, and then his smile changed, and he sat back a little. “Take your pants off,” he ordered. In that voice.
So I did. When I felt embarrassed, I’d softened, but the way he was looking at me had me hardening again. I lifted my hips and pulled my pants down slowly, kicking them free once they were past my knees.
I manoeuvred myself a little and watched his finger circle one nipple. Then he pinched the nipple between his finger and thumb. His other hand was splayed on his stomach. He moved to the other nipple, pinching hard enough I heard the gasp, and his hand ran down his stomach slowly, so painfully slowly, towards the towel. I realized what I was doing and snorted, trying not to laugh.
His hand froze. I tried to apologise but laughed again. He raised an eyebrow.
“God, sorry, it’s just… you were right. I’m a fucking kitten with a laser light. You could have me hypnotized and making chicken noises.”
He pressed his lips together, trying to look unimpressed.
“I’m sorry. I’m done. I will be good now. I promise. Go back to being sexy.”