“Would you like to come inside?” Rory asked kindly. “You could take a shower and borrow some fresh clothes, if you’d like.” He turned to Franklin, and they did that thing where they talked without words again.
Franklin nodded. “Have a glass of wine, stick around for a while, if you’d like.”
I wiped my face one more time and realized my hand was trembling. I was desperate to fall back in their arms, but terrified that if I did, I’d lose control, and whatever confusing thoughts I was having would bowl me over.
“It’s cool,” I said. “I have a change of clothes in the back of the car.”
“Oh,” Franklin said. “Okay then. Well…”
Fuck, I was going to make this weird. I rubbed my hand with the handkerchief, then returned it gingerly. “Nothing to worry about,” I said. “That was hot as hell. Maybe we can even have a round two sometime soon. But I actually have to get going.” I swallowed, then turned my eyes away, not wanting to see those open, honest looks. “I have a person I need to meet,” I lied.
“That’s fine,” Rory said.
“I can clean up the paint supplies here,” Franklin added. “If you need to rush.”
I nodded, then forced myself to turn back. “Thanks, guys,” I said, catching their eyes with a smile. “You’re always a blast.”
“If we’re a blast, then make sure you bring protective gear next time,” Franklin joked. Rory and I turned to each other. Then Franklin seemed to realize what he said. His eyes got wide, and he started to sputter. “I mean…”
Rory and I both erupted with laughter, and some of the tension faded.
“Catch you later,” I said, then hurried off.
No need to get emotional around the guys. They were dealing with enough in their own lives, without the slutty handyman throwing his problems at their feet.
Anyway, Franklin and Rory were like fire hoses. I needed a shower and probably a few cold ones after that.
RORY
“That was unexpected,” I said to Frankie as we watched Asher speed away.
“The blowjob?” he asked. “Or the speedy exit, stage left?”
“He definitely would have left a hole in the wall, if this were a Looney Tune,” I agreed.
My mind flashed over something for my class, a point about gay imagery in those old cartoons that would add to the conversation we were having. Shaking my head lightly, I caught Frankie’s eye instead. “Do you think he’s okay?”
He turned his hands up toward the sky. “I think so? He can act a little cagey, but I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”
I nodded but furrowed my brow. “He seems a little skittish, it’s true. All the energy, I expect. He probably has to get it out one way or another.” I let out a puff of breath. My body was still warm with the aftershocks of the climax, and I pulled Frankie close. “I just hope everything is okay with him. It sounds like his move back to Seattle was rather sudden.”
“Something must be right with him, I’d say,” he said, nuzzling his cheek against my shoulder as he took my hand. “To get the two of us acting out like that.”
I growled, and Frankie tittered in response. “I’m not sure how that even happened.”
“Asher tried to make it happen,” he laughed. “And then you really made it happen.”
“I barely said anything,” I objected with a chuckle.
“But what you said, you meant.” Frankie squeezed my hand. “Anyway, thank you.”
“Why thank me?”
We started walking back to the house, stepping slowly through the yard. “Because at least part of the reason you did that,” he said, “was for me.”
“Hmmm,” I said, thinking carefully. “I did enjoy giving you a special experience. And it was really hot to see you acting more dominant.”
“I thought so, too,” he answered, and I could hear the blush in his voice.
“But don’t act like you were the only one getting something special! I was enjoying the whole thing myself, too, if you didn’t notice.”
“Yum,” he whispered. “I noticed.”
I laughed, then paused by the back door. “And you know what I really loved?”
“What’s that?”
“Kissing you while Asher was going down on us.”
“You did?” Frankie said sweetly. “I really loved that, too.”
I pulled my arms around him and planted another kiss on his lips. “So where does that leave us?” I asked. “We should probably have some real conversations about what just happened and what it all means.”
“Oh Rory,” Frankie said. “Always one to take care of business.”
“Later?” I asked.
“Later,” he confirmed. “Let’s just enjoy it for now.”
“That,” I replied, “will be very easy to do.”
Chapter Ten
Asher
I was back to finish the shed a week later and trying to keep my cool. It wasn’t like I expected something more to happen with Franklin and Rory.
I was just going to be really fucking frustrated if it didn’t.
Franklin had texted me a couple of times during the week. I think he was trying to check up on me after I ran away, acting sweet and concerned in a way that made me get all weird and choked up again. I assured him things were chill, though, and didn’t show my cards.
If I was going to draw this out, I needed to keep acting like their fun side piece, and your fun side piece wasn’t really supposed to dump his emotions on your lap.
Or laps. Whatever.
I poured some of the dark green paint into the roller. The color was a little more subdued, but still with a pop to it, like the guys had found a compromise. When I pushed the roller through the paint, it made a slurpy noise.
With Ava off doing some extracurricular thing, Franklin and Rory were working inside. They’d each come out to greet me. Franklin rubbed his hands and talked fast, but Rory just stood there, a calm smile on his face while he rested his hand on his husband’s shoulder.
I knew we were all thinking about the blowjobs, which made me start to obsessively think about the blowjobs.
I was surprised I didn’t just blurt out “blowjob” while I was walking away from the house, in fact.
Let us know if you need any help, Asher!
Thank you! Blowjob!
I shook my head as I climbed the ladder and told myself to just focus on getting the job done.
One thing I knew for sure—I fully intended to impress the husbands again.
I painted one side of the shed, climbing up and down the ladder as clouds passed over the sun. My thoughts wandered all over the place, but they kept circling back to Franklin and Rory, inside their house.
The way I was picturing it, Rory was sitting on his desk, reading a book while his face creased with concentration. Maybe Franklin was making a cup of tea for him, or maybe he was rubbing Rory’s shoulders while he worked, pawing at his broad back.
I tightened my grip around the roller and took in a couple of deep breaths.