Matchmaker 06: June

When Kevin was about halfway to the yard, Shelby stepped out of the garage, gas can in hand. "Hey!" Shelby called. "Hey, Kevin! Here's your gas! Kevin! Stop!"

I slowed, halfway between the pier and the house, watching as Kevin kept coming, oblivious to Shelby's call. Shelby put the can down and started after Kevin, trotting to catch up. Shelby caught up with Kevin at the edge of yard and took his arm.

Kevin snatched his arm away. "Don't touch me! I don't like to be touched!"

"You need to take your gas and go," Shelby said, his voice firm as he pointed down the walk.

"Okay, yeah, okay. I'm just going to say goodbye to—"

"No, you're going to get out of here."

Kevin started toward me again, but before he completed a step Shelby took his arm again and pulled him to a stop.

"I said don't touch me!" Kevin screamed, pushing Shelby.

Shelby backed off, holding up his hands. "You need to calm down," he said, his voice hard.

"I'm just going to say goodbye to that fine piece of ass you're fucking and then I'll—"

"That's it," Shelby growled, cutting Kevin off and talking him by the arm again. "You either get the hell out of here or I'm—"

With a snarl, Kevin turned and drove his fist into Shelby's face, causing Shelby to stumble back a step and fall. "You'll what, you fucker?" Kevin sneered as he kicked Shelby hard in the side.

I heard the thump of his foot connecting with Shelby's ribs, and Shelby's hard grunt, from fifty feet away. I stood in mute horror, unable to comprehend what was happening as Kevin turned from Shelby before reaching into his swimsuit and pulling out his erect penis.

"Come here, you bitch! I want to say goodbye!"

Kevin started toward me, slowly stroking his cock, but before I could shake myself out of my frozen shock and run for the house, Shelby staggered to his feet behind Kevin, blood pouring from the corner of his mouth. There was death his eyes as roared and lunged at the other man, wrapping his arm around Kevin's throat as he drove him face first into the grass.

I stood with my hands covering my mouth as I stared in shock and dismay. I wanted to help but I was helpless, frozen in fear as Kevin bellowed, reaching behind him to claw at Shelby's face as Shelby rode his back, holding him down. They rolled, coming to a stop with Shelby on his back, Shelby's arm still locked around Kevin's throat. Kevin was pinned, his back against Shelby's chest, as Shelby wrapped his legs around Kevin and held him fast. Kevin roared again, the men's muscles bulging as they strained against each other, Shelby's teeth bared in pain, effort, and rage.

Suddenly Kevin relaxed, clearly beaten, and after a moment, Shelby released him and shoved him away. The two combatants tumbled to their feet and faced each other.

"Get the fuck out of here before I call the cops," Shelby panted.

I couldn't believe it, but rather than accept his defeat and do as he was ordered, Kevin shoved his swimsuit the rest of the way down and began to rapidly stroke his cock. "Come on, you fucker! You want to fight? I'll cockfight you! I'll fuck you in the ass and your bitch too!"

"Put your pants on, you crazy son of a bitch, and get the fuck out of here!"

"Come on, you limp dicked motherfucker! Let's fight! I'll fight you with my dick before I bury it in her pussy!"

"Genny, go call the cops," Shelby ordered, never taking his eyes off Kevin.

"Come on, you pussy!" Kevin bellowed as he charged Shelby.

Shelby set to take Kevin's charge, but Kevin powered through him, lifting him with an enraged roar and driving him off the edge of the yard and into the swamp beyond. The tide was going out, so they landed in the muck with a squishy splash. I was again frozen, unable to move as the men roared and bellowed like bull elephants as they tumbled briefly, each fighting for advantage. They broke apart and staggered to their feet, completely covered in the slimy, clinging mud, moving clumsily as they sunk almost to their knees in the thick, quicksand-like mire.

Shelby lunged at Kevin, throwing a hard right that staggered the other man and caused him to fall back. Shelby struggled after him, throwing himself on the other man and taking him into a headlock. They grappled, grunting and straining, as they battled each other and the mud that slowed and hindered their movements.

Kevin slipped Shelby's hold, the mud making them slick, and grabbed Shelby by the throat, Kevin's eyes wide and bulging in his drug fueled rage. Shelby fell to his back, bent at the knee, unable to free his legs from the mud in time to back away. In desperation, Shelby grabbed Kevin's throat, their arms bulging in effort as they tried to choke the life from each other. They lay frozen and silent, their teeth bared, muscles straining for a long moment before with a mighty thrust of Shelby's hips, they rolled, burrowing deeper into the mud. Now on top, Shelby threw himself back, breaking Kevin's grip on his throat and sucking in a great lungful of air.

Free from Kevin's grasp, Shelby lunged at his opponent again, leaning over him and kneeling between Kevin's legs. "You're... not... fucking... touching... her," Shelby snarled, each word punctuated by a hard blow to Kevin's face.

Kevin tried to rally, hauling his opponent down to his chest to protect himself from Shelby's fists as he threw one, two, three hard punches into Shelby's side. They spun and squirmed as they kicked, punched, and clawed at each other, grunting and snarling as they sunk ever deeper into the quagmire. With every rolling tumble, the man on bottom was in more danger of drowning as they churned the mud into a thick soup that wouldn't support their weight.

They stopped rolling with Shelby on top. He grabbed Kevin by the face and forced it under the liquified mud. Kevin scratched and clawed, becoming more and more frantic as Shelby held his head under, Shelby's face twisted into a mask of rage, hate, and pain. I was beginning to panic, afraid Shelby was going to kill his foe, when he jerked Kevin's face out of the muck and staggered back, pulling him up by the hair. Kevin was wobbly as Shelby drew back and fired a right into Kevin's face, mud and blood flying from the impact. Kevin fell back before he slowly rolled over and tried to rise again. Panting, Shelby grabbed Kevin by the hair again, hauled him up while turning him to face him, and delivered another crushing blow as he bellowed.

Kevin dropped into the mud like a sack of potatoes as Shelby panted, watching him. Kevin was moving, but feebly. "You wanted a fight?" Shelby sneered, grabbing a handful of mud and throwing it into Kevin's face. "What do you think of the idea now, you crazy fuck?"

Still panting, Shelby slogged around behind Kevin, the sucking mud squelching with every labored step, grabbed him under the arms, and hauled him out of the marsh and dropped him on to the grass. From the first blow until Shelby dragged Kevin out of the mud, the fight had lasted less than five minutes. Kevin was trying to rise as Shelby hoisted the man to his feet and started dragging him toward his boat. Kevin tried to walk, but his legs weren't working very well. I followed, and when they reached Kevin's boat, Shelby unceremoniously dumped him into the bottom, the resulting thud sounding painful with Kevin's soft cry confirming it.

"Sorry, man, sorry," Kevin muttered as he struggled to climb onto one of the boat's seats, wiping mud from his face.

Shelby said nothing, dropped the gas can into the bottom of the boat, and shoved the boat out into the canal. As the outgoing tide carried it away from the garage, Kevin slowly began to hook the gas can back to the outboard. He was well away when he pulled on the starter rope to start the engine, and then motored slowly away.

Shelby had been standing straight and tall, watching until Kevin started the motor, but as soon as he was out of sight around one of the many turns, he slumped sideways.

"Fuck," he grunted, hugging his side where Kevin had kicked him.

Shelby might be covered in blood and mud, but I'd never seen a sexier man. "Are you okay?" I murmured, my hands fluttering around him with my desire to touch him, but I was afraid I'd hurt him more.

"Yeah. The asshole tried to loosen a few of my ribs, though," he hissed.

I nodded, wrapping my arm around his waist for support as I helped him back to the house. If he started to fall, there was no way I could hold him, but I wanted to help him as much as I could. "Should we call the cops?" I asked as we made our way slowly to the house.

He shook his head. "No. What are they going to do now?"

I was going to take him directly inside, but he pulled me to garage where I washed him off with a garden hose first. Except for what had happened, it would have been humorous watching him stick the hose into his swimsuit to hose out the mud. Once most of the mud had been washed off, I led him inside and directly to the bath. I stripped with him, joining him in the large shower so I could carefully bathe him.

As I gently scrubbed him, I was amazed at how suddenly my perceptions of him had changed. What I'd thought was a lack of passion I now saw as thoughtfulness, and his reserved nature as restraint. Unlike so many in my past, he wasn't bothered by trivial matters, allowing little things to roll off him, but when it really mattered, he'd more than risen to the challenge. I couldn't imagine any previous lover fighting for me as he had. I warmed as I remembered him pounding Kevin's face into a pulpy mess, clearly explaining with every punch why Kevin was getting his ass kicked. It wasn't because Kevin had hit Shelby, it was because he'd threatened me.

Shelby was perfect. Kind and thoughtful, yet willing to fight for what he thought was important. As the last of the dark mud gurgled down the drain, I slowly turned him and snuggled into his chest. His arms surrounded me, holding me close as I carefully placed my head against his shoulder. We stood together, saying nothing, each of us lost in our thoughts, until the water ran cold.

I swam up from the darkness of sleep. Genny was snuggled into my side, still sleeping, the warmth of her body a continued comfort. The ruddy glow of early morning was lighting the bedroom windows, but I was far too comfortable to consider leaving her alone in the bed. I was still a little achy and sore, but last night I'd felt able to get back in the saddle. Genny had taken the opportunity and tried her best to fuck me to death.

Four days had passed since the incident with Kevin who's-his-fuck. Whatever spark that had been missing between Genny and me had certainly flared last night, and the inferno that resulted had threatened to burn the bed to the ground.

After she'd bathed me, I'd tried to keep moving, knowing from my hockey days that if I didn't, I'd be sore as hell the next morning. Unlike the fights I'd had while playing hockey, when Kevin tried to kick my ass, I wasn't wearing protective pads, and moving hadn't helped much. As I slowed down, she'd insisted on preparing dinner alone, doting on me, trying her best to make me comfortable. That night, after turning in early, she'd taken my manhood into her mouth. Despite some over the counter pain killers, I'd tried to beg off, too fucked up for fucking, but she'd invited me to lay back, relax, and enjoy the ride.

For one brief instant, as I peaked in pleasure, all my aches and pains disappeared, her soft, warm mouth a far better pain killer than any pill could ever be. The relief was short lived but welcomed, and afterwards, as she curled up in my arms, the warmth of her body against mine leeched some of the discomfort from me.

The next morning, as I'd groaned awake, she'd give me another 'treatment,' and as I stood in the shower under cold water, trying to ease my misery, she'd prepared breakfast. The rest of the day I'd stayed inside out of heat, and I'd gotten another 'treatment' around noon, and a third one at bedtime.

By the next day, though I was still one big bruise, some of the soreness was leaving and I was more mobile. I was sure something had changed between us. She'd suddenly become more of a cuddler, and she was looking at me differently. She'd softened and was touching me far more often than she had before the fight.

Since I was feeling better, we'd snickered about the fight, wondering how Kevin had explained showing up wherever he arrived, wearing nothing but mud, blood, and bruises. We dreamed up outrageous ideas, like mailing his swimsuit to him with an enclosed note telling him he'd forgotten them when he left, or sending him a rooster so he could have his cockfight, that caused me to hurt from laughing. Something magical was happening between us, and I gladly suffered the aches. That night, after I received my 'treatment,' I'd felt ready and able to give her one in return. I wasn't up to making love to her, my ribs still too tender for a lot of energetic moving, but my busted mouth was much improved.

The next day we'd gone out, enjoyed an ice cream and our time together as we strolled through old Charleston, going nowhere and not caring. She'd always let me hold her hand, but for the first time she tucked in close to my side. Having her so close made the already hot day even hotter, but I could have stood on the surface of the sun if it meant having her arm looped inside mine while holding my hand, her outside hand rested on my bicep as she rested her head against my shoulder.

Last night, after we'd turned in, our passions had exploded into life as we ravaged each other. We'd made passionate love long into the night as our cries of pleasure filled the room, and I'd never had a more intense sexual experience. After she'd fucked me to a brain melting orgasm, she hadn't been satisfied and had kissed and licked me back to full hardness. When I'd orgasmed again, coming so hard my ribs screamed in protest as I shuddered through the hardest climax of my life, she'd tried to revive me a second time. I couldn't stay hard, but I'd managed to finish her with my fingers, lips, and tongue.

I'd never heard a woman wail in orgasm before, but she had last night as we climaxed together during my second orgasm. It was the single most erotic thing I'd ever experienced, and I wanted to hear her again and again. I tucked her in close as I sighed into her back. Something was changing between us, and whatever it was, I didn't want it to stop. Sleep began pulling at me. I kissed her softly on the shoulder as I allowed the darkness to take me. I was smiling as I slid back into sleep. Never had someone trying to beat my ass been so worth it.

My ringing phone pulled me out of slumber. I slapped for it as I glanced at the clock. It was my regular ten o'clock call from the office. I groaned as I lifted the phone to my ear. Normally we were up by now, but after last night's late and strenuous workout, we were slow to rise this morning.

"Shelby."

"Mr. Rockford, are you ready for your ten o'clock?" Janice, my assistant, asked.

"Yeah, go ahead," I grunted, rubbing my eyes with my free hand.

I spent twenty minutes on the phone discussing the upcoming plant take over, the progress of the design of our new line of tires, new tire disposal regulations being discussed in Congress, and other matters related to running Rockford Tire.

When I hung up, Genny was looking at me. "You're supposed to be on vacation."

"I am."

"Taking a phone call from work every day isn't a vacation."

"It's only twenty or so minutes a day."

She kissed me on the chest. "Unless there's a problem. Why do you let them take advantage of you like that?"

"They're not."

"No? We've been here three weeks and you've taken at least one phone call a day since we've been here."

I nodded. "I know, but there's nothing I can do about it."

"Yes there is. You're the COO, for God's sake, not to mention the owner's son. You tell them to stop calling you. What are they going to do, fire you? I don't think so."

"Yeah, maybe, but Dad works more than I do."

"That's his problem, not yours."

I could tell she was upset. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's my fault. We've only got a week left, and I feel like I've wasted so much time. I don't—"

"Wasted time? What do you mean?"

She hitched herself higher in the bed and kissed me softly on the lips. "I... wasn't fair to you. Everything I thought I knew about you has been wrong."

I frowned, unsure what she meant. "I don't understand."

She swallowed hard and snuggled back into the crook of my arm, her head resting on my chest. "I made some assumptions about you, assumptions that were wrong," she said softly. "This week, I've seen you as you are, not as I assumed you are."

"What changed?"

"I did."

"How?" She shrugged but said nothing. "Please tell me. I'd really like to know."

She was quiet for a long moment. "I thought you were kind of dull and timid," she said, her voice soft and full of sadness. "You never stood up for yourself, and because nothing ever seemed to bother you, that made you seem..."

"Weak?" I provided when she didn't continue.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Look at me," I coaxed, gently prodding her until she rose and met my gaze. She had tears in her eyes and my heart went out to her. "It's okay."

"It's not okay!" she exclaimed as she looked away, her voice hard. "This is what I'm talking about! You're so damned understanding. I thought that made you, I don't know, beta or something, like you're the type to let people run all over you. Why aren't you mad about how I treated you?"

"What is there to be mad about?" I asked. "We're just now getting to know each other."

"See?" she demanded. "How can you be so calm about this stuff?"

I shrugged. "What do you want me to say? Would me being upset make you feel better? Would it change anything?"

"No," she muttered.

"I wasn't hurt by it. In fact, I didn't even know you thought that. If I had known and gotten upset, do you think it would have changed your mind?"

"I don't know, maybe."

"But maybe not? Would you have believed me if I'd said, 'I'm not like that,' or would you have thought it was an empty protest?"

"I don't know! I just feel like you should stand up for yourself more."

I kissed her on the head. "I do, and will, when it's important. It doesn't cost me anything to be kind to people, and I'd rather let people find out for themselves about me than going around all puffed up, talking about how great I am. Egotistical assholes..." I paused as I shook my head, "they rub me the wrong way."

She rocked her head slowly on my chest. "I still think you let people take advantage of you."

I smiled. "I kind of liked it when you took advantage of me last night."

"I'm serious, Shelby. Like this work thing. Why can't you tell them to fuck off?"

I chuckled. "Because Janice is a sixty-year-old grandmother and would be shocked to hear me say that." My joke fell flat, so I became more serious. "Because I have a job to do."

"I understand that, but if the place can't operate a month without you, maybe you should consider training your people. What would happen if you were to get hit by a bus? If you're that indispensable, what would happen to Rockford Tire then?"

I thought about what she said. She had a good point. It wasn't that I was so indispensable, it was... what? Was the problem I couldn't let go? Dad was a workaholic and thrived on eighty-hour weeks. As I thought about it, he and Mom lived separately together. That wasn't the life I wanted, but he'd beaten into me since I was sixteen that work came before everything else. I agreed with the philosophy, but only to a point.