Apt. B-5

"Getting comfortable I see," he said.

"Uh...yeah...I, uh...I figured we'd be here for a while so, why not kick off my shoes and relax?" I did my best to conceal the deer-in-headlights look I was sporting.

"Ooookaaaay. So, where's the dude?"

"He's in the other room."

"Well that's rude. He could've at least offered you a drink or something. I swear, just because he's hot doesn't give him the right to be an asshole."

"Look, it's no big deal really," I said. "So, are you done?"

"Not yet. I still have about half the bathroom to go and then we can hit the road. Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You look a little...flushed. I guess it's all the second hand pot smoke, eh?"

"I guess that's it," I said, laughing nervously.

Right then, Brad came back into the room. He was in a black t-shirt, clumsily tucking it into gray sweatpants.

"All done?" he asked.

"No, not yet. I've got to go out to the van to get some more glue. It shouldn't be more than, I'd say, a half hour before we're out of your hair."

"Hey, take your time. You guys want something to drink?"

Marcus shot me an "Oh shit" look as if maybe Brad had heard his little comment, and I smiled and looked the other way.

"Sure, why not?" Marcus said. "Um...I'll be back." He was gone in a flash, and I settled back onto the couch again and burst out laughing.

"What's funny?" said Brad from the other room.

"I was just thinking how close we came to getting caught."

"Nonsense," Brad said, reemerging with two plastic red cups in his hand. "He had no idea what was going on." He sat down beside me on the couch.

"Oh, but you don't know Marcus. He'll let it slide for now, but in a couple of days he'll say, 'By the way, I know you and that guy were fucking while I was in the other room laying tile.'"

"Well he'd be wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that we weren't fucking, technically."

"Well, we both got naked, right? You came and I came. I think it's safe to say that we weren't exactly playing Parcheesi."

"Yeah, but when I really fuck, I like to go all the way."

"Me too. If not for that pesky little not-having-a-condom thing..."

"So we'll make up for it next time."

"Next time? You mean you actually want me to come back?"

"Only if you want to, of course."

"Well I will if you promise to get rid of those horrible ferns."

Brad shot me a wounded look, and I suddenly wished I could take back the last five seconds of my life. He then smiled wide and laughed, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"See, I told you they were grody," he quipped.

"Poor things should've been put out of their misery a long time ago."

"No argument here. So, what do you say? You come back tomorrow. I'll play a few tunes, we can smoke a little herb...that is, if you smoke."

I hadn't smoked weed in quite some time, but I wasn't beyond dabbling in it if the occasion presented itself. I remembered that I had some business cards of my own in my wallet, and immediately went for one.

"Call me tomorrow," I said, handing him a card. "Anytime after...say...5."

"Count on it," said Brad. He gave me his number as well, which I immediately saved in my cell phone.

Marcus came back just then and the two of us reacted by sitting bolt up on the couch. If Marcus hadn't suspected anything before, I was sure he would now.

"You like cranberry juice?" Brad asked him.

"I do," Marcus replied.

"It's on the table right there."

"Thanks." Marcus took the cup and downed it in one fell swoop. "Laying tile can really work up a thirst." He disappeared back down the hall to finish his work and Brad and I talked for the rest of the time. I didn't learn much about him, save that he was single, in his early thirties, did landscaping for a living and didn't like to give himself a label sexually. I told him that that was bullshit, and that he was gay and just didn't want to admit it. He liked to smoke pot to relax, and has just been smoking right before we arrived. He said that he'd never had a cock in his ass, and that what we'd just done was the closest he'd come to it. He also told me that he knew he wanted to fuck me the minute he laid eyes on me. "That explains the long stare," I said. He told me he wasn't aware that he was staring too long, and I told him that it was fine by me. "You don't think Marcus would mind, would you?" he asked. "Only that you were eyeing me and not him," I said.

I didn't tell him that I initially thought he was a psychotic killer at first, for fear that it might ruin the mood. He took my hand and put it down the front of his sweats, making me rub his cock, which was still sticky with the residue of his cum. I told him he'd better stop before we ended up going even further than before, and he agreed. Before long Marcus was done, and we were readying ourselves to leave...me with fond memories and a plan to soon return to the scene of the crime, and Marcus with a check and the feeling of a job well done. I mouthed "Don't forget to call me," to Brad as we left the apartment, and he nodded and waved before shutting the door.

"Well that was painless," I said as we neared the elevator.

"Says the man who was scared shitless to even step foot in this place at first."

"Come on, you gotta admit that this isn't the most...savory place."

"No, but with tenants who look like that, how bad can it be?" I laughed and we stepped into the elevator. It hummed to life and began to take us up, and Marcus spoke again. "I didn't want to say anything before, but since it's just you and me, I thought I'd mention that your shirt is on inside-out."

"What?" I said.

"Tag's in plain view." I looked at him, slack-jawed but not at all surprised that he'd figured out what Brad and I had been doing.

"Wait, how'd you know...?"

"Are you kidding? The walls in that place are paper thin. I figured something was going on, but seeing you all sweaty and bug-eyed with your shirt on backwards cinched it." The elevator opened onto the first floor and, before stepping out, Marcus said, "Maybe once you've picked your jaw up off the ground, you'll tell me if Mr. Loverman was as good a lay as he was to look at." He winked at me and left, and I could hear him giggling in satisfaction as he made his way toward the exit.