Overboard (3 page)

A
week passed
with Sebastian dropping lewd comments every time that Duncan walked past.

Duncan grumbled, shook his head, and continued without comment each time.

Just get through the job, collect the paycheck, and go on the cruise.

As the next week passed though, Duncan no longer wanted to punch his obnoxious client for constantly, and graphically, hitting on him. Instead, he started fantasizing about pushing the smaller and prettier man against the wall and kissing him until Sebastian grabbed Duncan’s beard and begged for a chance to catch his breath.

Duncan had a problem with bad boys. His dating rule the last couple of years had been “No More Bad Boys.” Most of the ones he had met had been drunk jerks in bars trying to pick him up right before last call. Those guys had been easy to turn down after accepting the drink.

Being trapped in Sebastian’s house made it much more difficult to resist the constant temptations. Duncan’s grumblings turned into focused silence and then into little smirks as he weakened. Occasionally, a little chuckle snuck out and Sebastian would smile knowingly and stop teasing Duncan for an hour. Sebastian was playing a game of cat and mouse and Duncan decided he might be better off just finding a mouse trap to jump onto before the cat caught him.

Instead of complaining, Duncan started wondering about what kind of sheets Sebastian had on his bed and whether he had a TV mounted on the bedroom wall or not. Duncan loved watching sports after fucking.

Each time he thought about Sebastian’s bedroom, he imagined grabbing Sebastian’s hips and making him beg Duncan to fuck him harder and harder.

Duncan had never wanted another man as badly before. It wasn’t the money and it certainly wasn’t Sebastian’s work ethic.

There was just some kind of energy that seemed to be locked in Sebastian’s body that needed a man like Duncan to release it. He wanted to be the man to show Sebastian how to be the kind, happy man that Duncan thought he could be.

Bad-boy fantasies never end well,
Duncan reminded himself.
It’s all just wishful thinking on my part. Bad boys don’t change just because stupid guys like me think there is some kind of magic between them. Bad boys are bad boys for a reason.

“Need some help with your wood?” Sebastian asked as Duncan carried a stack of two-by-fours into the basement.

If Sebastian had just shut his mouth, Duncan would have given in.

Duncan needed to convince Sebastian that him hanging around in the basement was a distraction that was slowing down the project without making Sebastian think that Duncan was flirting with him. At the same time, he knew that was impossible. Sebastian thought every word out of Duncan’s mouth was some kind of flirtation.

Horny bastard.

He’s turning me into a horny bastard.

“No. I can handle it.”

“I’m certain you can, but wouldn’t it be more fun with a little help?”

Duncan dropped the lumber in the corner and used his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face.

“Holy shit. I knew there would be tats everywhere. Let me check those out.”

Duncan quickly pulled the shirt back down. Not that it mattered. Showing off the tattoos would rile up Sebastian more. Hiding them would give Sebastian something to chase.

I should just give in. Fuck him until I’m out of his system and then maybe he’d let me get back to work without bothering me anymore.

“Sorry. I’m starting to slip a little behind schedule. I need to really focus to wrap this stage up today so that the electrician can do his work tomorrow and get us back on schedule before we fall further behind.”

Sebastian ran his hand along Duncan’s arm sympathetically. “You work too hard. You need to take some time to play, too.”

Duncan’s breath caught at the touch. Despite all the words, Sebastian had not touched him. Duncan wanted more. He wanted to be rubbed, gripped, poked and stroked. He blushed at the images flashing through his head. His resistance crumbled. He leaned toward Sebastian, giving him a chance to make the move that Duncan was prepared to fall for.

“Fucking knew you’d fall for me. You blue collar types always do in the end. Should we fuck here or up in my room?”

The ice-water words brought Duncan back to his senses. He was angry at Sebastian for ruining the moment. Asshole couldn’t even take his conquest the right way.

“Sorry. Gotta get back to work. Work is always first. Not all of us have the money to blow off our responsibilities...”

What the hell am I saying? I can’t insult the homeowner. The customer is always right.

“You’re a good man, Duncan. I’m glad you’re the one doing this project.”

Sebastian’s mood swings left Duncan speechless. Those words would have led Duncan to the bedroom if they had come a few seconds earlier.

“I worried that I would get some fat, balding contractor who flashed his big, hairy ass crack at me each time he bent over.”

What the fuck? There’s the asshole. No assholes. No psycho bad boys.

“Thanks. I’m...umm...glad to be working on it too. Now, if you’ll let me slide past.”

Sebastian backed up just enough to let Duncan get out of the crowded corner, but stayed close enough that their chests touched.

Duncan took a deep breath as their bodies touched.

Don’t touch him. Don’t bump him. Don’t kiss him. And certainly, don’t pick him up and carry him to the bedroom with his legs wrapped around my hips.

Duncan carried the board to the saw and let the noise cut through his lust.

Just two more weeks and the project would be done. He had to stay on schedule and finish in time for the cruise.

He needed that trip. He promised to reward himself on the ship by finding a nice, pretty man and fucking the Sebastian right out of his system.

“Hey, can you bring me a couple...never mind. You’re around so much sometimes that I forget you aren’t actually working on the project.”

Duncan grabbed more boards on his own, lamenting that he couldn’t afford to keep his own assistant. It would have cut so many hours off the project time, but it would have cut into his profits, too.

Oh well. Hard work didn’t scare Duncan. His strong back would carry him through the project and he wasn’t anywhere near worrying about what he would do when he got older. He couldn’t afford to do that kind of long-term planning.

Duncan tried to imagine what Sebastian did other than follow him around the basement; investing, maybe. Whatever Sebastian did, it seemed to leave him unfulfilled and with plenty of time to hang around the house. He rarely left Duncan alone for more than a few minutes at a time, but his nervous energy seem to indicate that Sebastian wouldn’t be afraid of doing something more rewarding.

Duncan knew a lot of rich guys had dreams of turning into weekend warriors using power tools. It was silly since those men usually had so many great things going on in their lives, but Duncan still felt sorry for a man that couldn’t make something with his own two hands.

“What do you do for a living, Sebastian? If you don’t mind me asking. I’m guessing day trader since you always seem to be home. It must be something over the Internet.”

“I don’t really do much of anything.”

That sounded sad to Duncan but Sebastian seemed numb about it. He was a lost man and probably didn’t even know it. How could someone with his kind of money not have the opportunity to do a million things?

Duncan wanted to wrap Sebastian in his arms and help him find a mission in life. They would be empty words, but Duncan wanted to find a way to make Sebastian whole.

Stop trying to fix the bad boys.

The mission would have been a failure though. Duncan didn’t think that Sebastian had any idea what could make him happy. Money only bought opportunities. Sebastian needed more than that and until he realized it, he would be a lost cause.

Sebastian needed a good man. Duncan nearly asked him out right then. He could be Sebastian’s Real Thing.

He reminded himself that a pretty face and soulful eyes didn’t make Sebastian any less of a player, or asshole, or bad boy. Sebastian most likely knew exactly how to use those eyes to melt the hearts of men like Duncan.

Finish the job. Go on the cruise.

“I’ve been thinking about doing some manual labor,” Sebastian said, breaking the silence. “I think it would help bulk me up. What do you think? Normally when I want some bulking up, I just get drunk and look for big burly men like you who have already done all the work. Working stiffs like you drive our parents crazy.”

Sebastian’s words saved the day again. Duncan would not be someone’s way of pissing off their daddy. Not anymore.

He started cutting the boards again, letting the roar drown out any further words from Sebastian.

It didn’t stop the fantasies. It might have made them worse. Sebastian seemed so much easier to ignore when Duncan actually let him talk.

D
uncan almost drove past
the country club parking lot. He hated formal events. He didn’t own the right clothes. His hair and tattoos would be out of place.

He would have preferred parking in the parking lot the groundskeepers used and having a few beers out back with them. His rusty pickup truck would have fit in better back there, too.

The valet certainly didn’t rush over to park his truck.

Duncan bet that if he had shown up in Sebastian’s convertible sports car, the valet would have come running with a mouth full of “Sirs.”

Duncan had his white, short-sleeved shirt tucked into his khaki pants that would rip at the knees with a few more trips through the laundry. They were the most formal things he owned and his family would just have to deal with it.

Duncan reminded himself to be careful when walking because the bottom button on the shirt was missing. His white t-shirts were too stained from wearing to construction sites. So he was just wearing the one shirt, and any wrong move would expose his stomach.

Not that he minded his stomach. Hanging around Sebastian had been great for Duncan’s body image. Duncan knew that if his stomach was flat enough and his shoulders broad enough to attract from Sebastian, then he looked pretty damn good.

But he doubted his parents would be impressed if everyone saw any of his belly hair or tattoos.

Thinking of bare stomachs made him think of sexy Sebastian, always walking around the house practically nude. So much smooth, creamy skin just waiting to be licked and sucked and...

He pushed the thought away.

He would absolutely not think Sebastian around his family. He would not think of any men, and certainly not the one who haunted his hot, sweaty, and sometimes sticky dreams.

He had never lied and told his family that he was straight, but he had never actually come out to them either. Living three hours away made it easy to avoid the topic, but Duncan grew more weary each time he saw them.

He wanted to tell them, especially Katey, just so that he could stop thinking about not thinking about it around them.

I’m an idiot and a coward.

Everyone in the lobby wore formal jackets, starched white shirts and black dress pants.

I bet if I had brought Sebastian, he would have bought me something nice to wear.

Duncan wondered what it felt like to be someone’s eye candy and then reminded himself that, dressed like he was, he was at risk of being kicked out of the country club. He should have at bought a cheap tie along the way.

The only thing that prevented him from running away when he noticed a paint stain on his sleeve was that he really wanted his sister to know how much he wanted her marriage to be a great success.

He was such a bad brother most of the time. He couldn’t bail on her with anything she asked him to do for the wedding. He didn’t even know the name of the guy she was marrying or what the guy did for a living. Somehow, he always seemed too busy to get back home for visits and he had never been good at phone calls. He promised that he would start texting her every couple of days. She deserved that at least.

He must be a good guy if Katey had picked him, though.

Someone jumped onto his back and squealed in his ear. “You came!”

“Hi, Katey. I told you I’d be here. I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t hear the lie.

“Bullshit. You hate monkey suit events.”

“True. But, for you, I’ll hang out with the monkeys and try to dodge any shit they throw at me.”

She hugged him tightly before dropping back to the ground.

Duncan loved his sister more than anyone else in his life. Easily the prettiest girl with the prettiest dress in the room, she had not hesitated to jump on his back in front of everyone.

She was so silly like that.

They had spent their summers growing up half in trees and half swimming in lakes. Katey had never lost her wild spirit.

“Mom and Dad are over in that corner. The bar is over in that one. Why don’t you head toward the bar and I’ll distract Mom and Dad long enough for you to get a couple drinks in you.”

“Sounds good. You going to finally let me meet this imaginary boyfriend tonight—I guess fiancé now—or will he stay mysterious and in the shadows?”

Katey flashed her pouty face. “Tied up at work again. So much fucking work. He’s so career-focused right now. I told him that will have to change after the wedding. I’ve got needs.”

Katey turned and skipped away.

Duncan shook his head. His sister was always such a whirlwind. Knowing he only had a few minutes until the inevitable meeting with his parents, he hurried to the bar and ordered two beers.

He quickly chugged both while scanning the crowd for single meat. There was no reason he couldn’t try to find some man candy who looked like he’d be available to offer Duncan a subtle overnight stay. Duncan couldn’t afford a room. If he couldn’t find someone to bunk with, he was looking at another three hour drive to get home and an excuse to explain his absence at the family breakfast the next morning. Plus he’d have to rein in his drinking.

There was no way he was could survive staying sober around his parents.

He saw plenty of single women, but no single men that tripped his radar as being available.

Realizing that he would probably need to drive himself home after all, he set down the third beer and sighed.

“Duncan.” His father’s voice made it a statement of fact rather than a greeting.

“Father,” Duncan returned without moving to offer a hug or handshake.

“Glad you were able to tear yourself away from you busy life to come and visit your family.”

Duncan’s mother looked tense, and for good cause. Duncan and his dad ended up arguing almost every time they saw each other.

Duncan wanted to believe that it was because his dad was an ass, but knew that half of the time he picked fights with his dad to avoid having The Talk with him.

“Who could pass up an opportunity to see Katey all prettied up and glowing with excitement?”

His mother relaxed her grip on his dad’s arm. Duncan knew he should have let it end there, but the muscle memory was too strong.

“I’m not sure I was looking to see everyone on the guest list, of course, but I do love seeing Katey.”

His dad growled and stormed away.

“Why do you do that, Duncan?” his mother asked with a frown of disappointment.

Duncan felt like shit.

He did love his family, but it was just so hard to keep a secret from them. It was easier to just push them away to deal with in the future.

He frequently thought that they had to know. How could they be so oblivious to not know? But, if they did, they hadn’t said anything to show they accepted him.

Is it too much to ask for a little support from them? Are they going to make me come out and tell them I’m gay before they accept me for being gay?

Duncan knew how stupid his thought sounded and took a drink before answering his mother.

“I’m not even sure anymore, Mom. It’s like we’re both expecting it and neither would know what to do without the fight. I’ll apologize in a little bit. I don’t want to ruin Katey’s night.”

Katey was dancing with someone’s toddler. Katey didn’t need a dance floor or a DJ to have fun.

The guy she’s marrying better be as awesome as she is. If he hurts her, I will crush him, burn him, and drown him to teach him that you don’t pull the wings off of angels.

“That would be great, Duncan. Your father just needs an olive branch. So, did you come alone tonight?”

“Yes, Mom,” Duncan said with a groan.

His mom had never ceased trying to set him up whenever he came home.

“See those two girls over there talking to each other.” She pointed to two tall, thin, pretty girls. “They’re both very single. I talked to both of their mothers the other day. Their clocks are ticking, if you know what I mean. They just need a good man to settle down with.”

Duncan knew exactly how to get his mother to stop with the setups for the night.

“While they wait for him, maybe I’ll have to take them both back to my room and show them a real party.”

Duncan’s mom threw her hands up over her ears. “I’m your mother, Duncan. I don’t care what you do or who with as long as you are happy and safe and I don’t hear any details. You don’t like those girls, find your own date. Just be happy with whoever.”

She turned and scurried after her husband to try and calm him down.

Duncan couldn’t help but wonder if her “be happy with whoever” meant that she knew he preferred men. Maybe they weren’t as clueless as he thought. If only she would just say that they all knew, without making him guess.

A random moment of quiet passed through the crowd. Katey continued dancing with the toddler.

Sebastian would probably be a great dancer, Duncan thought. His long, lean body always seemed to move through the room with a silky grace. Guys with money like he had always seemed to have learned to ballroom dance somewhere along the way.

Or maybe that was just the movies.

Duncan smiled bitterly, imagining himself boarding the cruise ship with Sebastian dangling from his arm. Sebastian of course would look like gay sex personified in some short pastel shorts and a tight coordinating t-shirt and maybe even a sweater tied around his neck.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t imagine his mom and dad accepting Duncan being happy with someone like Sebastian.

Duncan was halfway to the front door before his sister grabbed his hand.

“Where you going so soon, grumpy?”

“I’m sorry, Katey. I’m just out of sorts.” Duncan waved his hand over the crowd. “This just isn’t the right kind of place for a guy like me. I’ve spent half my time here worrying about whether anyone would notice that the bottom button of my shirt has popped off.”

Katey grabbed the bottom of her brother’s shirt and tugged it free from his pants.

“There. That’s better. That’s the brother I love. Thanks for coming. You just showing up means the world to me. I know it’s tough for you, for some reason. I’ll see you on the cruise. We’ll get drunk together and talk shit about the bridesmaids and groomsmen and figure out who will be standing next to you at your dream wedding.”

Duncan smiled at his sister. “Perfect. And I’ll finally get to meet your imaginary husband.”

“Have a safe drive. See you in a couple weeks.”

Katey stood on her tiptoes and still had to pull Duncan lower to kiss his cheek. They were opposites in almost every way possible.

Katey pushed her brother gently toward the door.

The last thing Duncan saw before leaving was his father scowling and shaking his head.

Duncan was the big disappointment once again.