Salvation

They shook each others hands and sized each other up. I shifted nervously.

Leo stared Moose in the eye while he addressed me. "You taking in another stray, Danny? I think you got enough dogs around here."

I gasped in horror. "Leo!"

Moose narrowed his eyes at Leo, then turned to me. "I'd better get going, Danny. Thanks for the trim."

"Wait," I said. "Are you sure you won't stay for dinner?"

"I'm sure he's got places to be, Danny," Leo said. "We don't want to keep him."

I ignored Leo. "When will I see you again?" I asked Moose.

Moose glanced at Leo. "I'm not sure, Danny. I don't know for sure if I'll stick around."

He walked to the front door and opened it. He was about to leave and I just knew he wasn't ever coming back. The thought made my stomach wrench.

"Wait!" I called out.

Moose stopped and turned back to me. I ran to my messenger bag and pulled out one of my business cards.

I gave him the card and said, "Be at this address at nine tomorrow. I can get you a job.Please."

He took the card and put it into his pocket.

"I'll think about it. Bye, Danny."

I watched him get into his beat up pickup truck and drive away.

I sighed and shut the door. I turned around and Leo was standing directly in front of me. I felt a flash of pain on my left cheek as he slapped me across the face.

"You fucking slut," he growled.

Bandit and Harley jumped up and surrounded Leo and barked and growled at him. Harley bared his teeth and snarled while Bandit barked loudly.

"How dare you humiliate me like that?!" he shouted at me. "Did he fuck you?"

I was pissed. How dare he talk to me like that! Leo was not the guy I thought he was.

"Get out of my house," I told him.

I started to open the front door, but he slammed it shut.

"I got a right to know! Did he fuck you?! 'Cause you sure as hell looked like you wanted it."

Leo grabbed my arm and jerked it. I pulled my arm free and shoved him backwards as hard as I could and stormed past him.

"Don't you walk away from me!" he demanded.

Leo moved to follow me, but Harley growled and snapped at him.

"Get the fuck back!" Leo shouted and kicked at Harley.

I walked into the kitchen and grabbed the knife off the counter.

"Don't you fucking touch my dogs!" I shouted as I held the knife out at him.

Leo laughed at me and shook his head. "You gotta be fucking kidding me. When your new ex-con boyfriend's used you up and thrown you away, don't come crawling back to me, bitch."

"Don't worry. I don't want to ever see you again. Now, get out!"

Harley barked and growled again and moved forward. Leo backed up to the front door.

"Fuck you," he spat at me as he slammed the door behind him.

I let out a deep breath and walked back to the kitchen. I slumped into the chair that Moose sat in earlier and laid my head on the table. I took a deep breath and sat up. I did the right thing by dumping Leo. I should have done it earlier. I nodded and smiled to myself and got up and fixed myself dinner.

***

"Absolutely not!" Dad shouted.

"Shh! He'll hear you," I said as I shut my office door.

"I am not giving him a job."

"Dad. Please. He just needs a break. I can personally vouch for him."

"I am not bringing an alcoholic ex-con onto my crew, and that's final."

"Dad. He doesn't drink anymore. And you know I wouldn't ask if I didn't think he could do the work. He's my friend. He's not the same person he was ten years ago. He's got a good heart. I promise you, he'll work hard. Just give him a chance. Please."

Dad's expression softened a little, but he didn't say anything.

"It's important to me," I continued, my voice lowering a little. "I got into a fight with Leo over this and we broke up. He didn't understand, but I know you do. Just give him a chance, Dad. If he doesn't work out, then you can let him go. I'm just asking for a chance. Please. For me."

I sniffled and a tear fell down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away. He let out a soft sigh. Dad caved in.

"One chance. He fucks up and he's gone. It's the least I can do for getting rid of that dick Leo."

I frowned. "Why didn't you tell me you didn't like Leo?"

"Because he was your boyfriend and I didn't think it was my place to tell you that I thought you were settling."

I sighed. "Well, that's in the past now. Thanks, Dad. You won't regret it."

Dad scoffed. "I already do."

Dad opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

"You," he shouted. "Marvin. Moose. Whatever your name is. Get in here."

Moose stepped into my office and he looked between the two of us.

Dad folded his arms across his chest and stared Moose down. "Danny will get your paperwork started. I'll be in the back when you're ready to go. You'll ride with me today. Try to keep up. Oh, and if I even smell so much as cough syrup on your breath, you're out on your ass."

"Dad!" I gasped.

"No, sir," Moose said deferentially. "I won't let you down, sir. You have my word."

Dad grunted and walked out.

"I'm so sorry for that," I said.

Moose shrugged. "It's okay."

I picked up a clipboard and grabbed the new hire paperwork. Moose gave me a small smile and sat down in one of the chairs front of my desk. I handed him the clipboard with an application and all of the other paperwork he had to fill out.

He took a few minutes to complete everything and then handed me the clipboard. I looked everything over and smiled. "You're ready to go. Dad will get you your gear and stuff."

"Thanks, Danny. I mean it. Thanks."

I squeezed his arm. "You're welcome."

I escorted him out back and handed him off to Dad, who started to explain how we ran things. I stayed back and checked out Moose while Dad got him set up with his high-viz vest, gloves and hard hat.

He looked really good. He was big and brawny. And that beard looked good on him all trimmed up. He looked especially hot in his hard hat. It went well with his jeans and work boots. He glanced at me as he followed Dad to their truck. I gave him a little smile and I waved.

By the end of the day, I was going crazy. When I saw Dad walk past my office with Moose, I hopped up and walked out to the hallway.

"See you tomorrow, sir," Moose said to Dad.

Dad grunted and turned and walked into his office.

I caught up to Moose and walked with him to the side door that led to where the employees all parked.

"So, how was it?" I asked him.

"It was good. The work was hard, but I liked it. But your Dad does not like me. I'm not sure if it's going to work out."

I smiled. "Give him time to get to know you. He'll come around."

"I doubt it."

I stopped at the side door and shuffled my feet nervously.

"Do you want to go and get dinner?" I asked.

"I'm really beat, Danny. I'm gonna go back and crash. Thanks for the offer."

"Oh. Yeah. Of course."

"And thanks for getting me the job. Really."

"You're welcome."

He pushed through the door and was gone. I walked back to my office and slumped into my chair. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I got up and walked to Dad's office and sat down in one of his guest chairs.

"Hey, buddy. What's up?" he asked.

"I just wanted to see how Moose did."

"Fine," he grumbled.

"Just fine?"

"Yeah. He was... acceptable."

He looked back down at his papers and began writing.

I was starting to get really annoyed. "Okay, Dad. Whatever."

I pushed up out the chair and stormed back to my office. I sat down at my desk and buried my face in my hands.

I heard my door shut and I looked up as Dad came in and leaned back against the door.

"Son. I know you want to help this guy. I know you think you know him, but you don't. You can't be his personal savior."

"I know, Dad. But if I can help him, then I'll do whatever I can. I'm the only person he has that he can call a friend. He deserves a second chance."

Dad sighed. "I'm just trying to protect you. But I can't fault you for having such a generous heart. You get that from your mom, God rest her soul."

Dad pushed up from the wall and walked around my desk. "C'mere."

I got up from my chair and he grabbed my arm and pulled me into a hug. He ruffled my hair and kissed the top of my head.

"Dad. I'm 32 years old. When are you going to stop doing that?" I joked.

"When you stop being my little boy."

I laughed and gave him a little shove with my shoulder.

***

Moose finished out the week fine. By the end of the week, Dad wasn't such a complete asshole to him, but I would definitely not go so far to say that he was friendly.

He seemed to get along okay with the other guys as well, though he mostly kept to himself. I heard from some of the others that he worked really hard and always went the extra mile. "Trying to impress the old man," one guy said.

I tried to catch up with him before he left on Friday, but he snuck out without me realizing it.

In fact, he seemed to be avoiding me. All week, whenever I looked for him, he wasn't around. After work, he would leave without a word.

By the end of two weeks, I wasn't going to let him get away this time. Being payday Friday, it was the perfect excuse. I held back his paycheck in my office and told Dad to have him stop by after his shift because I needed him to fill something out before I printed it.

I was at my desk writing out some AP checks when I heard a knock on the door. I looked and smiled at Moose.

"You needed to see me, Danny?"

"Yup. Can you shut the door?"

He nodded nervously and shut the door behind him. He wiped his hands on his pants and sat down in one of the chairs in front of my desk. He pulled his hard hat off and ran his hand over his hair. He held his hat on his lap and nervously scratched at his beard.

I opened my desk drawer and pulled an envelope out and got up and sat down in the other chair next to him. I handed him the envelope containing his paycheck.

"Here's your check."

He looked confused for a second. "There wasn't a problem?"

"No. I just wanted to talk to you for a minute.... Have you been avoiding me? Because it seems like you have."

He looked down at his feet, but didn't speak.

Apparently he was avoiding me. I cleared my throat. "Okay. Um. Well, uh, that's all I wanted."

I wanted him to leave before I started to cry. I quickly got up and sat back down behind my desk. I turned my chair around to my file cabinet and opened it up and pretended to look busy.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

I squeezed my eyes shut and my shoulders started to shake. Closing my eyes didn't help. The tears poured down my cheeks faster than I could wipe them away.

"Danny. Please don't cry," he said with a shaky voice.

He was standing behind me. My face turned red in humiliation as I wept like a baby in front of him. "I thought you were my friend. Just go."

"I didn't want to," he said quietly. "Your dad... he told me to stay away from you."

I turned around and looked up at him. He had tears running down his cheeks. He sniffled and wiped his nose with his sleeve.

"I didn't want to," he repeated. "Please, don't cry."

I stood up and I threw myself at him and hugged him tight as I tried to get my tears in check. He hugged me back and his arms felt so good around me.

"Will you go to dinner with me tonight?" I asked.

"I don't think that would be a good idea. What if your Dad sees us?"

"He can't stop us from being friends."

"Well... Okay. Just as friends."

"Okay. Pick me up at my house at 8:00," I said.

I patted his back and he patted mine and we separated. He wiped his face and blew his nose. He tossed the tissue into the trash can. He turned away from me and tried to discreetly adjust his dick in his jeans, but I noticed. He walked to the door and gave me a smile before he left.

When I got home, I went to the bathroom and pulled off my clothes. I took a nice, warm shower and scrubbed everywhere as clean as I could get it. I wanted to make sure that I was squeaky clean for Moose. Just in case.

I was a nervous wreck waiting for 8:00 to come around. When I heard his rumbling truck pulling up at 7:45, I slipped on my shoes. He rang the doorbell and I opened the door and let him in.

The dogs came running up when the doorbell rang, naturally. Moose squatted down and played with both of them.

He stood back up and looked me up and down. "You look nice, Danny."

"Thanks. So do you."

We were both dressed in jeans and boots. I had on a polo shirt and Moose had a faded red plaid flannel shirt with the sleeves rolled up.

We gave each other a quick hug and then headed out. He wanted to drive, so I got into the passenger seat of his old truck. I gave Moose quick directions to the Chinese restaurant on the other side of town.

"Did you get your check cashed okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah. It's nice to have some spending money. I was getting low. You guys pay pretty good, you know that?"

"Yeah. We try to attract good talent and hard workers. How do you like it so far?"

"I like it. I used to paint houses before, you know... This is much better. It's harder work, though."

"I'm glad you like it. I've heard that you're doing really well."

"Really? Your dad didn't say that, did he?"

"No. Some of the other guys. You're apparently showing some of them up."

"I don't know about all that," he said modestly.

We pulled into the Chinese restaurant and parked the truck. We walked inside and Moose asked for a table for two. We were seated at a booth and we read over the menus.

"Hey, Moose? Do you want to do family style?"

He gave me a questioning look like he didn't know what I meant.

"We can order a couple things and share them," I explained.

"Yeah. That sounds great, Danny."

We ordered three different dishes and spring rolls for appetizers.

"So, why aren't you out with your boyfriend?" he asked.

I furrowed my brow at him. "I broke up with Leo. That night you came over."

"I know I'm supposed to tell you that I'm sorry... but I'm not. I'm glad you dumped him. I suspect he didn't treat you as good as you deserved."

I smiled. "Yeah. I'm not sorry either. I should have done it a long time ago. I still can't believe my dad told you to stay away from me."

"He's just worried about you."

"I don't need him to do that. I can take care of myself. I should tell him off... But then he'd only make things miserable for you."

"Yeah, and I'd really like to keep my job. And my nuts," he chuckled and I laughed with him.

After we finished dinner, we headed back to my house.

"Do you want to come in?" I asked when he pulled in front of the house and parked.

"I don't know, Danny. I'd better not."

I took his hand and scooted closer to him. I leaned in and gave him a hug.

"Okay, then," I said. "I had a good time, Moose. Thanks. Say, do you want to come over for dinner tomorrow? I'll cook. I'm a pretty good cook. And I'd really like it if you came over. We could watch a movie. I have a bunch of DVDs. Or we can rent something. Oh, geez, I'm babbling. I'm just really nervous. I'm not normally this dorky. I--"

Moose started to laugh. "Okay, okay. I'll come over for dinner tomorrow. Do you need me to bring anything?"

"Nope. Just come over at 6:00."

I leaned in and kissed his cheek. With a soft laugh, I got out of the truck and went inside.

***

I spent all afternoon Saturday cleaning the house. We were having a beef roast for dinner, so I got that started and in the oven ahead of time so that it would be ready between 6:30 and 7:00.

Moose arrived just after 6:00. I let him in and gave him a hug. Harley and Bandit demanded that Moose give them some attention. Whiskers even made an appearance before disappearing.

Moose was wearing a blue button-down shirt. It looked like an auto mechanic's shirt and even had a patch with the name Moose on it.

"I like your shirt," I told him.

I ran my hand over the name patch and gave him a smile. He smiled at me and shook his head.

"Dinner will be ready soon," I said. "Sit down and relax."

Moose got down on the floor and played with the dogs while I went to the kitchen and checked on dinner. I got everything ready to serve and set the kitchen table.

I walked back to the living room and saw that Moose was on his hands and knees. He was laughing at Harley, who was crouched down in front of him. Harley growled and bounced back and forth, side to side, then ran around Moose in circles as fast as he could. He crouched back down and barked at him, then ran around him again.

"I've never seen Harley play like that," I said with a giggle.

"He's a great dog," Moose said as he pushed up onto his feet with a grunt.

He followed me into the kitchen and we sat down at the table to eat.

"This is great, Danny," Moose said after his first bite.

"I'm glad you like it," I said with a smile. "I had to learn to cook after mom died. This is one of Dad's favorites."

"Well, it's fucking fantastic."

I smiled, very happy that I could make a homemade meal for him that he enjoyed.

After dinner, we took our drinks and sat down on the couch in the living room. I looked down at his right arm. He had the word 'MOOSE' tattooed underneath the hair on the inside of his forearm. He saw me looking and turned his arm so I could see better. I ran my hand over the letters. I felt Moose's arm quiver under my touch.

"I have a tattoo," I said.

I pulled up my left sleeve and showed him my Superman tattoo.

"I know. It's kind of lame," I said.

"It's not lame."

"Yeah, well, I got it with my boyfriend Silas. He reminded me of Superman. He looks like Superman, well, more like Clark Kent. And 'S' for Silas. He dumped me before it healed. That's what makes it lame. I've never told anyone that before. Dad thinks I got it because I like comic books."

I took a sip of my pop and put it back on the coffee table. I let out a deep breath and moved closer to Moose. I put my hand on his and gave him a small kiss on his shoulder.

"I'm glad you're here," I whispered.

"Me, too."

I looked up at him and we moved closer. Our heads moved closer and closer and I closed my eyes as his lips pressed into mine. Our passion ignited and we devoured each other. I pressed back into him and kissed him hard. His hand gripped the back of my head as his tongue pushed into my mouth. I whimpered and playfully tried to keep my tongue away from him. He pursued it, demanding that I give it to him.

When we finally broke the long kiss, I opened my eyes and looked into his. His eyes seemed to be swirling with emotions. I ran my hand along his bearded face and gave him a gentle kiss.

"Come to bed with me," I whispered.

I stood up and held out my hand. He hesitated for a second, but then took my hand and stood up. He followed me back to my bedroom and I shut the door behind us.

I pulled back the comforter and sheet and moved onto the bed. Moose hesitated again, then got into bed with me. We laid on the pillows facing each other.

He reached up and ran his hand over my head, stroking my hair. His finger traced along my beard, then ran across my lips.

"You're beautiful," he whispered.

I smiled at him and leaned in and brushed my lips against his. Our kisses grew from tender to passionate. Our hands ran all over each other. When his hand slipped under my shirt and ran up my back, I moaned softly into his mouth and my body shuddered. His hands were rough and calloused, but his touch was tender and loving.

"Your skin is so soft," he said.

Our tongues intertwined and explored each other while my hands moved to his shirt. I unbuttoned each button and he helped me pull it off and toss it to the floor. I grabbed his tank top and pulled it up. He sat up and tossed it onto the floor. He pulled my shirt off and then laid back down next to me.

I groaned as I ran my hand over his hairy chest and stomach. He had a barrel chest with firm pecs. His belly was soft and rounded out a little. All covered in dark curly hair. I raked my fingers through the hair, loving the sensations as it tickled my finger tips.