Vincent discerned signals passing back and forth among Andrew, Jeffrey, and Doug at their group meeting at his new house. He was nearly certain he was a subject of much of the communication through subtle movements of fingers and nods of the head, but he couldn’t decode the details of the messages sent.

Jeffrey and Doug had so many great ideas to open up the house, beautify the exterior, and make it a fun place for a budding teenager. After a while, Vincent was overwhelmed, and all he could do was nod at the flood of new information.

Finally, Jeffrey asked, “Would this work better for you if we put together a three-dimensional rendering of the house using our ideas and then walked you through it on the computer? Then we could even alter things on the fly as we all watch.”

Vincent nodded energetically. He said, “Yes, that would be much better. I’m trying to visualize everything you are saying, and I’m getting a little bit overwhelmed. Just when I think I have the picture, you talk about tearing out a wall or enhancing a sight line, and I feel confused again.”

Andrew smiled warmly. Vincent noticed that he was quieter than normal and let Jeffrey and Doug do most of the talking. As the meeting wore on, Andrew’s smiles grew wider, and he laughed softly at every attempt at humor by either Vincent or his partners.

An hour after the meeting began, Jeffrey stood up from the kitchen table and said, “Doug and I need to get back to the office. Vincent, if you have any more questions, I’m sure that Andrew can answer them.” Then he turned toward Andrew and asked, “Can we talk to you outside for just one moment?”

Andrew said, “Please excuse me, Vincent. I’ll be right back. Please don’t go anywhere.”

Vincent’s eyebrows furrowed in some confusion, but he said, “No, I won’t. I’m just going to look around the kitchen a little bit more and think about what Jeffrey said about the island and constructing a small pantry.” He watched the three men leave the room.

Just before they disappeared out of sight, Doug elbowed Andrew, and Andrew laughed heartily in response. Vincent also saw Jeffrey nod. More laughter erupted just before the front door opened.

Vincent was confused about exactly where Jeffrey was planning to get the extra space that he needed to turn the closet into a comfortable pantry. To Vincent, it didn’t look like there was much extra space not already taken up by the rooms and hallway. He shrugged as he stared into the closet and heard the sound of Andrew’s footsteps across the hardwood floor of the living room.

A shiver ran up Vincent’s spine. He was alone again in the same room with Andrew. There was so much that he wanted to blurt out and say, but he couldn’t figure out how to do it.

Andrew stepped up close almost like he was trying to sense something. He asked, “Are you looking for something in there?” “Umm, I’m not sure how…” Vincent’s voice faded, and he took a deep, ragged breath.

“Is something wrong?” asked Andrew. “Are you bothered by the closet, I mean the pantry.”

Vincent said, “I don’t completely understand how they are planning to get enough additional space to make this a full-sized pantry.”

“I’m sure it will be in Jeffrey’s blueprints.” Andrew took a step back, and he said, “You seem nervous, Vincent. Does the house make you that nervous? Is it a financial thing?”

Vincent sighed knowing that Andrew perceived something completely off base. He gathered his courage and asked, “Do you feel something, Andrew? Between us?”

“Oh, you mean an attraction? I thought we were talking about the house.”

Vincent bit his lip and was worried his knees were going to buckle. Andrew sounded so nonchalant, while he was agitated. He said, “Yeah, I guess. I’m talking about that.”

Andrew stepped up closer again and peered over Vincent’s shoulder at the pantry space. He said, “I don’t mean to point out the obvious, but you were married to a woman.”

Vincent stammered, “You s...s...sent me chocolates.” He knew the intended meaning wasn’t romantic in nature. Maybe the attraction was all one way and was completely made up.

Andrew cocked his head to the side and said, “You’re serious about this, aren’t you? Those chocolates were a professional gift. I do that for nearly every client.”

Vincent waved a hand and steeled himself against his desire. He said, “No, never mind, completely forget everything that I said. Let’s just talk about the house. I’m just nuts. I’m being completely unprofessional.”

Andrew reached out a hand to Vincent’s shoulder and said, “To be completely honest, I felt it, too, but I couldn’t imagine how you could be serious. When you were married, did you have a man on the side?”

All of the tension, longing, and desire rushed back to Vincent in a giant wave. He stumbled a step back and leaned against Andrew. The question was an intensely personal one, but Vincent had nothing to hide. He whispered, “No, I didn’t, and, please, Andrew, hold on.” Vincent thought his knees were going to buckle.

Andrew reached an arm around Vincent’s midsection. He whispered, “Just relax. You’re making me nervous, too.”

Vincent laughed nervously and said, “I don’t mean to do that. It just all became a little overwhelming. It’s there. It’s obvious. I can’t ignore it, and I don’t want to. Do you want me to ignore it?”

Andrew gripped tighter and whispered, “No. I’ve been with married guys before, but every single one of them was dishonest about almost everything. I’m not feeling that from you.”

Vincent said, “No, I’m honest. I always am. It’s all the truth. Andrew, please…”

“Please what?” asked Andrew in a flat voice.

Vincent slowly turned and whispered, “Kiss me.” He exhaled sharply. He thought in the past about kissing a man, but he never thought that it would happen. With Andrew, he might have a real opportunity. It felt like there was potential. At the moment, he was wildly attracted to Andrew.

A grin spread across Andrew’s face as Vincent turned. He wrapped his arms tighter, and then pressed his lips to Vincent’s when they were finally face to face.

Vincent knew how to kiss, and kissing a man was not that different from kissing a woman in the past. Andrew’s lips were soft, and their tongues touched as they each parted their lips. Andrew’s hand slipped up behind Vincent’s head holding him close.

“Is this okay?” asked Andrew.

“It’s amazing,” whispered Vincent.

“Let’s go sit on that sofa in the living room,” suggested Andrew.

Vincent followed diligently in Andrew’s wake. Andrew sat on the couch with his back against one corner. Stretching out one leg along the back, he patted the cushion and said, “Right here. I’ll hold on so you can’t get away.”

It felt like he was sleepwalking through the moments, but Vincent followed Andrew’s instruction and sat. He then leaned back against Andrew’s chest letting his head nestle against Andrew’s shoulder. He whispered, “I didn’t expect this. Even though I asked you, I didn’t expect it. I guess I should say thank you.”

“Did you want this?”

“I don’t know. I mean, yes, my gut wanted it, but I don’t know where my head is.”

Andrew asked, as his nerves tensed, “You don’t know?”

Vincent whispered, “I’ve never been with…a man.”

“Never?” asked Andrew.

Andrew’s arm wrapped around and his fingers gently rubbed at Vincent’s chest. It felt good. Vincent suppressed the possibility of another moan. He said, “I’ve thought about guys before, but no, never. I was married for fifteen years.”

“Well, I’ve never been with a woman, so I guess we’re even,” said Andrew.

They both laughed softly. “I almost kissed a guy once,” said Vincent.

“Once?” asked Andrew.

“Yes, it was in college. We met at a friend’s party, and we hit it off. We ended up hanging out together the whole evening, and then we both headed outside to walk across campus in the dark together.” Vincent couldn’t believe he was sharing such an old story, but at least it was something to focus on besides the nearly unbearable heat that he felt emanating from Andrew.

Andrew unbuttoned the first two buttons of Vincent’s shirt and slipped a hand inside while he listened. He asked, “And he tried to kiss you?”

“He reached out for my hand,” said Vincent feeling Andrew’s warm hand against his chest. The sensation was both comforting and frightening. Vincent’s pulse quickened and his breathing grew more shallow. He whispered, “That feels good.”

“I’m glad it does,” said Andrew. Although powerfully aroused with a rock-hard cock between his legs, Andrew knew that this was a situation to take slowly. He kept his hand in place and slowly kneaded at the muscle of Vincent’s chest. “And about that guy?” asked Andrew. “Did you take his hand?”

“I did, and I squeezed it,” said Vincent. “He turned to face me.”

Andrew kissed the side of Vincent’s neck while he listened. He said, “I guess it was his loss if he didn’t kiss you.”

“It wasn’t his fault,” whispered Vincent.

“It was yours?”

“No. This part of the story is funny…”

Andrew wrapped his other arm around Vincent’s belly and squeezed. He whispered, “You feel just as good as I thought you would. I wanted to touch you when we first met, and I thought maybe you wanted to touch me, too.”

“I did. It feels so satisfying to have you hold me. No one has held me like this since…” Vincent bit his lip to stop himself from saying more.

Andrew held tight. “Tell me more about the missed kiss.”

“Oh,” whispered Vincent. He was feeling flustered and finding it hard to concentrate. He said, “Well, I could see his face coming close to mine, and I knew what was next. I closed my eyes, and I pursed my lips, and then…” Vincent paused.

“Then?” asked Andrew.

Vincent said, “The guy yelled, ‘Skunk!’”

“What?”

Vincent nodded and said, “I’m serious. That’s what happened. Honestly, he yelled, ‘Skunk!’”

“And why?” asked Andrew.

“Because there was a skunk. We had skunks that lived on campus among the trees. He saw one just behind me.”

“That was bad timing,” said Andrew.

“It was.”

“So what happened next?”

Vincent said, “We broke apart, and he looked like he was going to run. I said, ‘Don’t move too fast. If you do, then he might spray. Just back away from him slowly.’”

“You sound like a skunk expert,” said Andrew.

“I grew up out in the country, and we had them once in awhile. My dog got sprayed by one once, and it was horrible.”

“So you didn’t try again to kiss him?” asked Andrew.

“I barely ever saw him again,” said Vincent. “I convinced myself that I wasn’t trying to kiss him. I convinced myself that it was the other way around. But now, if I’m honest with myself, I wanted it just as badly or even more than he did.”

Andrew asked, “When did you first want to kiss me?”

“Do you want me to be honest about that?” asked Vincent.

“As long as you don’t tell me that you never wanted to kiss me in the first place and that this was all my idea. Then I would know you’re not telling the truth.”

Vincent laughed. He shook his head, “No, I wanted to kiss you when I first fell into your arms here in the house.”

“And you got your wish,” said Andrew. “I got mine, too.”

Vincent reached his hands upward and gripped Andrew’s arm. He relaxed against Andrew’s chest. It felt good to be in his arms. It felt warm. It felt sexy. It felt right. He was aroused, but he was in no rush to push things any further. He wanted to revel in the moment. When he first fell into Andrew’s arms in the house, he wanted it to last longer. Now it could.

Andrew asked, “So I wonder what should come next.”

“I like this just like it is,” whispered Vincent. He turned his head to face Andrew’s neck and kissed lightly. Andrew’s skin tasted good. It was warm, and Andrew smelled good. There was a light scent of what Vincent thought was shaving lotion, and he smelled clean. Andrew’s grip was tight and steady, but it wasn’t rigid.

“I’d like to go out with you,” said Andrew.

“Like a date?” asked Vincent.

Andrew chuckled softly. “Not like a date. It would be a date, but we might have one problem.”

Vincent blinked. “A problem?”

“Well, we have this business thing,” said Andrew. “Sometimes that can be a little complicated.”

“Does it have to be?” asked Vincent.

Andrew shook his head and said, “No, I don’t think it has to be. We just need to stay professional when it comes to the house. It should be separate from whatever we do dating.”

“And aren’t we getting a little ahead of things?” asked Vincent. “We haven’t even had a date. Maybe I won’t like you.”

Andrew squeezed tighter and laughed. “Oh, you will like me. People aren’t allowed not to like me. It’s a requirement. Didn’t you figure that out yet?”

“Well, I like you so far, but I don’t know you. Maybe you won’t like me. Maybe you just like me for my strawberries.”

Andrew reached up and gripped Vincent’s chin. He used the leverage to turn Vincent’s head slightly so that their eyes met. He said, “Those strawberries were amazing.”

“So were your chocolates.’

“Maybe we should bring the strawberries and chocolate together,” said Andrew.

“I think that’s a good idea,” added Vincent. He leaned forward, and they kissed again. This time Vincent wasn’t nervous. He parted his lips as Andrew’s tongue darted forward. Their tongues touched, and Vincent could feel the sensation race all the way to his toes. Andrew moaned softly, and Vincent joined him.

Vincent tried to damp down the alarm bells that began sounding in his head. He was worried that Andrew might want to take things further physically, and Vincent wasn’t ready yet for that. He tried to relax and just enjoy the kiss. He relaxed when Andrew pulled back and said, “We do need to come up with a time for that date, but sadly, right now, I need to get back to work. I’m sure that Jeffrey and Doug will want to discuss things about the house.”

Vincent rubbed his fingers across the back of Andrew’s hands and sighed with some relief. He said, “I’m sure I have a parade of messages, too. Anytime I’m gone from the office they seem to converge. I’ll have somebody wanting to sell grapefruit or a manager with a sticky personnel decision.”

“Can we talk tonight?” asked Andrew.

“On the phone?”

“I’m not planning on climbing through your bedroom window,” said Andrew. “At least not yet.”

“Yes, it would be great to talk on the phone. I’ll have my schedule, and we can decide on a date. I am excited,” said Vincent.

Andrew reached a hand down between Vincent’s legs and gave a gentle grope. Then he pulled it back and whispered, “Yes, you are, and, sorry, I couldn’t resist.”

Vincent gasped slightly feeling Andrew’s hand wrap around his stiff cock. He said, “That’s okay. I liked it.”