Salvation

He tapped the head of his dick on my chin a couple times, then put it away. He did up his pants and I got up and used the bathroom to clean myself up. I pulled off my dirty shirt and tossed it into the hamper in the laundry room next to the bathroom. I came back out to the living room in my white undershirt and jeans. As I entered the room, Leo stood up.

"I'll take that drink now," Leo said. "You got any water?"

I went to the kitchen and got both of us a glass of water.

"I had a good time tonight, Danny. But I gotta work early in the morning. I'll give you a call tomorrow when I get off work. Maybe we can hang out?"

"Sure, Leo. I'd like that."

"Great. Bye, Danny."

Leo gave me a hug and quick kiss and then left.

I sat down on the couch and smiled to myself. I grabbed a pen and paper. I couldn't wait to tell Moose.

Dear Moose,

Guess what? I took your advice. I met someone! I ran into him at Home Depot and he flirted with me and we went out to dinner. We've gone on two dates so far. He seems like a really nice guy. He seems to like me. I'll let you know how it goes.

How are things with you? I hope you are doing well.

Work is really busy. We had an ice storm last weekend and we have been working overtime clearing trees and branches.

They also started to hang the Christmas decorations downtown. Can you believe that it's almost Christmas? Time flies so fast!

I had some gifts added to your account, so think of me when you put on your new boxer shorts and socks. Ha ha.

Your friend,

Danny

***

I went out again with Leo a couple of days later. We went to the movies and then to dinner. It was a very simple date, but I had a really good time. I invited Leo inside after our date.

I made sure to corral the dogs before they could jump on Leo and I put them out back to go potty. Leo came up behind me and put his arms around me and started kissing my neck. I could feel his hard dick pushing into my butt.

"Leo," I moaned.

"Take me to your bedroom," he whispered into my ear.

His hot breath tickled my ear and sent a shiver down my spine. Leo followed me into my bedroom and I shut the door behind us. I turned on the light on the nightstand. Leo came up to me and kissed me. He unbuttoned my shirt and unbuckled my pants and let them fall to the floor.

Oh god, he was going to touch me. The thought of it made my dick jerk and leak into my briefs.

He pulled off all of his clothes and then pushed me onto the bed. I pushed the covers down and crawled back. He pulled my briefs off and tossed them onto the floor. He straddled me and kissed me deeply.

I stroked my hands over the light dusting of hair on his chest and let his tongue enter my mouth.

He tweaked my nipples and I whimpered against his mouth. My body shuddered from his touch. I arched my back up and pushed my dick up into him.

"Fuck, Danny... You are so hot..."

"Mmm, Leo..."

Leo rolled us over so that he was on his back. His hands grabbed my head and he pushed down. I let him push me until his dick brushed against my lips.

"Suck it," he groaned.

I took him into my mouth and moaned. His dick was so warm. I sucked all of the pre-come from the head and slid my lips down the shaft. I sucked gently, taking most of him into my mouth. I sucked harder as I pulled back.

Leo groaned and gripped my head tighter. He bucked his hips up. The head of his cock hit the back of my throat and I gagged a bit and pulled back. His hands loosened on my head and I bobbed my head up and down his shaft.

"Suck harder," he whispered.

I sucked harder and moved faster, up and down. I stroked his balls as I sucked him.

Leo pulled me up and kissed me. He rolled us over and and turned me over onto my stomach.

"Fuck. Your ass is fucking perfect. Hot little bubble butt."

He got up off the bed and pulled a condom and a packet of lube from his jeans pocket. He moved between my legs and I laid my head down on the pillow and closed my eyes. I wasn't sure if I was ready for this, but I liked Leo and I wanted Leo to like me back.

Leo ripped open the lube and I felt his slippery finger push into the crack of my ass and slide into my tight hole.

I grunted in pain. "Go slow, Leo. Please... It's been a really long time..."

"Sorry, baby."

Leo slowly slid his finger in and out of me. I breathed in deep and let it out slowly. Just as the discomfort faded, Leo pulled out and slid two fingers into me. I drew in a sharp breath. He slid his fingers in and out of me, faster and faster. He hit my prostate and I whimpered. I was panting and trembling. I gripped the pillow I was laying on with my fists and moaned into it.

A third finger slid into me and I tensed up for a second and then willed myself to relax. I was soon pushing back against his thrusting hand.

Leo pulled back and I heard him rip open the condom wrapper. I turned back and watched him roll it down his penis. He dribbled the lube onto his cock and then leaned forward. He balanced himself on one arm as his other guided his dick to my hidden entrance. The head pushed into me and I shuddered and moaned.

Leo held himself up on his hands over my back. I let out a small whine of discomfort and he leaned down and kissed along my shoulder up to my neck. His tongue flicked against my ear. His hot breath assaulted my ear, sending waves of pleasure throughout my body.

"I won't hurt you," he said quietly. "Tell me when it's okay to move, baby."

"I'm okay, Leo."

He pushed further into me, sliding in another two inches. He pulled back and then pushed in again, sliding further into me. He slid all the way down and held still.

"You're so fucking hot, baby."

I grabbed his hands with mine and moaned as he started sliding in and out.

"Oh god," he groaned.

He pumped into me hard and fast, grunting and groaning loudly. Within a couple of minutes, he was gasping.

"Oh god, oh fuck," he grunted. "I'm coming!"

I felt his dick throb and it pulsed over and over as he spilled his seed into the condom.

"Your ass is too good, baby," he panted.

He relaxed on top of me and kissed along the nape of my neck. He pulled back and pulled out of me. He tied the condom off and tossed it into the trash bin next to my nightstand.

I rolled over onto my back and pulled him to me and kissed him.

"I gotta get up early, baby," he said. "I better get going."

"Oh. Okay," I said with a smile that hid my disappointment.

We kissed for a little bit more and I got up and put my underwear on, tucking my hard dick into the briefs while Leo got dressed. I walked him to the front door and he kissed me again.

"I'll call you tomorrow, babe," he said.

"Okay. Talk to you tomorrow."

One more quick kiss and he was gone for the night.

I went to the back door and let the dogs in and then headed for bed.

***

I continued to date Leo for the next two months. We saw each other two or three times a week. We continued to have sex, but it wasn't very satisfying. He always finished pretty quickly and then made no effort to take care of my needs.

He also didn't like my pets and that upset me more than the not-so-great sex. I really didn't see a future in us beyond what we were now. I wondered if I should just go ahead and break up with him.

Moose would know what I should do. He always gave me good advice. As I pulled out a pen and a piece of paper, I realized that I hadn't heard from my pen pal in over two months. I wrote him two months ago when I started dating Leo and I never heard back from him. I looked at the calendar. He was supposed to be released in less than a month. Maybe he was preoccupied because of that. I hoped that it wasn't trouble or anything bad. I hoped that I didn't do anything to make him mad at me.

Dear Moose,

It's been a couple months since I've heard from you. I hope you are okay.

I guess this will be the last letter you receive from me before you get out. I just want to tell you that I know that you are a good person at heart. I hope that you remember this as you begin the next chapter of your life.

I really hope you will still keep in touch with me.

If you are ever on this side of the state, look me up if you get a chance.

I will always be your friend.

Danny

***

I ended up not breaking up with Leo. I think I was being too critical of him and being too picky. He was a nice guy. I just needed to give him a little more time.

Before I knew it, Winter turned to Spring, and Spring turned to Summer.

I was sitting in my recliner one evening in June reading the latest Stephen King novel. I heard a loud rumbling. I peeked outside to see an old, rusty, beat up pickup truck pull in front of the house. I couldn't see who was in it and they didn't make any move to get out. I shrugged and set my book down. I got up to start dinner. Leo would be coming over after he finished working.

I grabbed a few onions and bell peppers and began chopping them up. I was making sausage and pepper sandwiches, one of Leo's favorites. I opened up the pantry and got the canned tomatoes and all of the other things I needed. I was busy chopping a clove of garlic when the doorbell rang.

Bandit and Harley ran to the front door and started barking like crazy.

I set the knife on the counter and washed my hands and dried them off with the towel.

"Okay, guys. Get back," I told my mutts.

Once I got them out of the way, I opened the front door to see the back of a giant man stepping off the porch onto the sidewalk. I stepped out onto the porch and shut the door behind me to keep the dogs in.

"Hi," I said. "Can I help you?"

He turned around and looked at me for a second then walked back onto the porch.

He was big. Tall and large, with a bit of a belly. He had shaggy black hair and a big bushy beard. He was wearing a green flannel shirt, dirty looking jeans and work boots. He shoved his hands into his pockets and looked at me nervously.

"Hi, Danny."

His voice was very deep and a little gravelly.

I looked back into his brown eyes and stared for a second. "Moose?"

He nodded. I laughed and jumped and hugged him tight. He let me hold onto him for a moment and then he brought his arms around me and nervously patted my back.

"I'm so glad to see you," I said. "I have been wondering for months what happened to you. Oh, please come in!"

I grabbed his hand and pulled him into the house and shut the door.

Bandit and Harley jumped all over him and he squatted down and let them sniff him. He then pet both of them and scratched their heads. Bandit licked his face and he laughed and wiped the drool off with the back of his hand and stood back up.

"Sorry about that," I said with a big smile.

"No problem. I like dogs."

I dragged him to the living room and I sat down on the couch. Harley became bored and went and laid on his doggy bed. Bandit ran back and forth in front of the couch wanting some attention. I told him to go lay down and reluctantly settled down at me feet.

"I can't believe I'm finally meeting you! What are you doing here?" I asked Moose. "How long are you in town for?"

"I'm not sure. I was thinking of moving here. I guess I'll see how the job market is first."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to find something. It's not too bad here."

"It's hard to find a decent job."

He didn't say it, but I knew why.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly.

"Don't be sorry. It's not your fault. It's mine."

"Where are you staying?"

"There's an extended stay motel by the highway."

"Oh, yeah. I know where that is."

He looked past me at the framed picture on the side table. It was a photo of Leo and me taken on Valentine's Day.

"Is that your boyfriend?" he asked.

"Yeah. That's Leo."

"He treat you good?"

I swallowed nervously and then lied. "Yeah."

He looked at me for a moment, staring into my eyes. I felt like he could see right through me and I turned my eyes away from him.

We sat in silence for a few seconds.

"Aren't you scared of me?" he asked quietly.

"No. Of course not."

"I'm an ex-con. You just invited me into your home. I could rob you. Or rape you. Or worse."

"You wouldn't do that."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you. You wouldn't hurt me. You're a good person."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. I wish you could forgive yourself. You paid your debt. Now you need to move on."

"I killed my best friend," he whispered. "There's no forgiveness for that."

I looked him right in the eyes.

"I forgive you," I whispered back.

He closed his eyes and tears poured down his cheeks and he began to sob. I wrapped my arms around him and pulled his big head to my shoulder and cried with him. After a few minutes, his cries subsided and he sniffled and cleared his throat. I let go of him as he sat up and I reached and got a tissue for him and one for me.

"You feel better?" I asked as I wiped my nose.

"Yeah. I do actually," he said with a mirthless chuckle.

He blew his nose and then stuffed the tissue in his pocket.

"You want some water? Or something else to drink?" I asked.

"Water is fine."

I got up and went to the kitchen. I tossed the veggies that I chopped earlier into a ziploc bag and put them in the fridge. I got both of us a glass of water and returned to the living room and sat down next to Moose.

"Here you go," I said as I handed him the glass.

We sipped our water quietly and I looked him over. He looked a bit of a mess, but if he cleaned up, I bet he'd be really handsome.

"You know what you need?" I said. "A trim."

"Hmm?"

"Your beard. You can't go on job interviews looking like Hagrid from Harry Potter."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind," I chuckled. "Come on."

I stood up and waited for him. "Come on."

He shook his head. "You don't have to..."

"No, it's no problem. Please let me do this for you. I won't mess it up. I promise. I trim myself regularly. See?"

I ran my hand over my thin beard and stroked my chin and smiled.

He got up and followed me into the bathroom. I got a big bath towel and my beard trimmer and scissors. He followed me into the kitchen and I set everything on the kitchen table.

"Okay, Moose. Sit down," I said. "Maybe you should take off your shirt. I don't want to get hair all over you."

He unbuttoned his flannel shirt and laid it down on the table. He was wearing a ratty wife beater underneath. He had a big barrel chest and his stomach stretched the tank top a little bit. He had several tattoos on both of his arms. I could see his dark curly chest hair spilling out over the neck of his tank top.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. I felt my dick start to expand in my jeans and I was very glad that my t-shirt was hanging low enough to cover my crotch. I looked into his eyes and saw that he was staring at me. I got flustered and dropped the scissors on the floor. I cleared my throat and picked them up and he pulled out a chair and sat down.

I draped the towel around him so that he wouldn't get covered in hair. I took the scissors and began cutting off big chunks of his beard. Being this close to him made my dick start to leak.

"You smell good," I whispered.

He chuckled. "That's the free shower gel and shampoo from the motel."

I smelled the clean scent of the shampoo and soap, but it was more than that. He had a musky, manly smell that was doing things to me that I've never felt before. I just smiled at him and kept cutting until I got down to a point where I could use the beard trimmer. I adjusted the guard to a quarter inch length and turned it on. I slowly moved up and across his beard with the trimmer.

"You're looking better already," I said. "Lift up your chin."

I took off the guard and then cleaned up under his neck. I held his face in my hands and moved him so he was looking straight ahead. His freshly trimmed beard tickled my fingers. His skin was warm. I felt the jolts travel through my arms and straight to my groin. My dick pulsed and leaked another blob of pre-come into my briefs.

He stared into my face as I lined up my fingers on either cheek. I ran the trimmer up his cheeks and shaped up the top of his beard. I put my fingers on his face and checked the symmetry.

"Perfect," I said with a smile.

He looked up at my face.

"That felt nice, Danny. Thank you. Can you cut my hair, too?"

"Oh, no, you should go to a professional for that. Unless you want a buzz cut."

"Go ahead. Buzz it all off."

"Are you sure?"

"Don't worry. If you fuck it up, it'll grow back."

We both laughed and I said, "Okay. Last chance to back out... Here goes..."

I grabbed the scissors and began cutting off his hair. Once I got it cut down, I set the guard back to a quarter inch and began buzzing. I took off the guard and shaped up the sides and over his ears. I took off the towel and shook it off and smoothed down the back of his neck with my hand. I turned on the trimmer and neatened up his neck line and cleaned up the hair on the back of his neck.

I wiped his neck with the towel. I could see the top of a tattoo on his back and I used my index finger and pulled the tank top away slightly to look at it. He had KELLOGG, his last name, spelled in Old English script curved across the top of his back.

"You like that?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," I said. My voice quivered and I quickly let go of his shirt.

"I saw you looking at my ink earlier. Maybe some day I'll tell you about them."

"Okay," I said. I cleared my throat. "You're all done. Come on. Come check it out."

He followed me into the bathroom and stood in front of the mirror. He ran his hand over his beard and his head.

"Christ. I look like a different person."

"You look really good."

He did. His beard and hair were nicely shaped up. You could see his mouth better. His lips were red and full. Even his eyes stood out more.

"You should probably get a pro to do your hair next time," I said. "But this will work for now."

"You did good, Danny."

We stared at each other through the mirror for a few more seconds. His eyes started to glaze over and I saw the tears pooling.

"Why are you so nice to me?" he whispered.

"Because you deserve it."

He drew in a deep breath and then let it go. Then he grabbed me and pulled me in for a hug. I melted into his arms and laid my head on his chest and closed my eyes and held onto him. I could feel his beard tickling my neck. His lips brushed the side of my neck. I realized how tall he was then as we held each other. He had to be about 6'4".

I was feeling things for Moose that I didn't feel with Leo. I really liked Moose as a friend from his letters, but standing here with me, in his arms, I realized that I liked him a whole lot more than that.

God, I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted him to make love to me.

I felt something stir and push into my stomach. I drew in a sharp ragged breath when I realized that it was his dick. Moose realized what was happening at the same time and he quickly pulled back from me.

He wouldn't look me in the eye as we walked back into the kitchen.

"Can I get some more water?" he asked.

"Of course."

While he filled his glass, I went and got the broom and dust pan and swept up the hair clippings in the kitchen. He helped me sweep the hair up into the dust pan and I dumped it into the trash.

"Well, I should get going," he said.

"You're not going to stay for dinner?"

I looked up at the clock and realized that Leo was on his way.

"Leo is coming over for dinner," I added. "He should be here any minute. You can meet him."

"No, I should--"

Leo tapped on the front door as he opened it.

"Danno?" he called out.

"In the kitchen, Leo."

Leo walked in and stiffened when he saw Moose. "Who's this?" he asked.

"Leo, this is Moose. My pen pal."