“I know what you’re thinking,” I said, eyeing Damon warily.

“Yeah. You do. And you should be thinking the same thing. The proof just keeps piling up, Jamie. All signs point toward Barry,” he said stubbornly.

I sighed and set the phone down on the table between us, shaking my head. “Anyway, I don’t want to think about that right now. I have to focus on this meeting with Mayor Wade. This is important. Not just for me, but for the people of Oakview. I need to make a good impression,” I said, nervously tapping my fingers on the table as I stared out the window at the clouds.

“You’re anxious about this,” Damon noted aloud.

I nodded, still not meeting his eyes. “Yeah. This is a big deal. I don’t want all this bullshit with the police and the break-in and…Barry or whoever is out to get me to mess with my head and ruin this opportunity,” I admitted.

I was so on edge that I nearly jumped out of my skin when Damon leaned forward and placed his hands over mine. “Listen,” he said quietly, a twinkle of mischief in those blue eyes, “I think I know how to get you to relax.”

I frowned, and it took me a second to realize what he was implying. I felt my cock stir just at the thought of it. But my conscience warned me I needed to stay on task, that I wouldn’t deserve a roll in the hay with Damon until after the work was finished. But Damon just smiled wider, those eyes teasing me, goading me to give in. I checked the flight path on the monitor overhead. We still had a good hour to kill anyway.

Might as well make use of it.

I gave Damon a subtle nod, and he pulled me up, leading me down the aisle to the bedroom at the back of the jet, closing the door behind us. As soon as he turned around, he all but pounced on me, pushing me back toward the bed. I stumbled and collapsed back onto the mattress with an exhilarated laugh, and he crawled over me, looming above me with that grin on his handsome face.

“We were interrupted earlier,” he growled, leaning down to brush his lips against mine, “and I intend to pick up where we left off.”

He pressed me into the mattress with his hard, taut body, his hands pinning my arms down by the wrists. I could feel his cock, stiff and straining through his jeans as he rutted against my thigh. My own cock was hardening, twitching with need. I had so much pent-up energy and stress inside me, and I was desperate for Damon to touch me, to help me release that tension. He kissed me softly, teasingly, while he rocked his hips. I arched my back to meet him, the two of us sliding against each other in perfect tandem.

“We can’t make a mess here,” I whispered. “This is what I’m wearing to the meeting.”

Damon chuckled. “Looks like we’ll have to get naked, then. What a tragedy.”

I grinned as he released my wrists and reared back on his knees, peeling off his button-up shirt, unzipping his pants, and sliding off the bed to drop his clothes onto the floor. I braced myself up on my elbows as he pulled off my suit pants and belt, tugging my boxers down and dropping them onto the pile, too. He unbuttoned the bottom half of my starchy shirt and pushed it up out of the way without taking it all the way off. He, however, was totally naked. Glorious and strong, his cock jutting out proudly. As he stood at the foot of the bed, I couldn’t resist him any longer. I scooted to the edge of the bed, lowered myself down, and peered up into his face as I wrapped my mouth around the head of his cock. Damon groaned and tilted his head back, his hands fumbling to press against the back of my head, guiding me gently to suck him down to the hilt. I moaned around the thickness of his shaft, using my hands to pump his length while my tongue lathed around the swollen head.

“Fuck, Jamie. God, I love your mouth,” he hissed, gritting his teeth together.

I began to bob up and down slowly, sucking as hard as I could while my hands played with his balls and massaged the sensitive root. I rocked my hips, rubbing my hardness against the bedsheets, teasing myself while I pleasured Damon. He began to thrust gently into my mouth, the salty slit of his cock poking at the back of my throat. I hollowed my cheeks and slid back and forth, stroking the underside of his shaft with the rigid tip of my tongue. He groaned and shuddered, his fingers curling in my hair, ever so slightly digging into my scalp. I could tell he was every bit as frustrated and needy as I was.

This time, I wasn’t going to let up until he was finished. I sucked him harder and faster, rutting against the bed as I felt his balls tightening up, his body tensing. “I’m so close,” he murmured, his voice as rough as gravel.

I pumped his shaft a few more times, and then he clenched up, his fingers pressing into my hair as his cock twitched and spurted hot, salty seed down my throat. I swallowed it down hungrily, moaning as I made sure to eke out every last drop. I gently stroked him through the waves of climax, Damon shivering and groaning all the while. When he was finished, he gently pushed me back, and I licked my lips, looking up at him with a satisfied smile. He smirked down at me, shaking his head.

“God, you’re good at that,” he muttered, sliding his hand down to cup my cheek. He leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips, and it gave me a little thrill to know he was tasting himself on my mouth.

A moment later, he nudged me backward, crawling onto the bed and straddling me. I gasped as he wrapped one big, rough hand around my stiff, aching cock, and began to slide it up and down rhythmically. I leaned back against the pillow, sighing with bliss as he worked my shaft with one hand. I closed my eyes and was startled when I felt his lips on my taut abdomen, delicately kissing his way down. I held my breath, unable to focus on anything but the slow, teasing trail he made down my stomach to softly kiss the head of my cock. I bit my lip, gasping as Damon tentatively tasted the bead of precum glistening at the tip. His tongue was velvety soft and warm, and I found myself burning for more, but I wasn’t going to push him. This was new territory for Damon, and the last thing I wanted was to move too fast and discourage him. So I forced myself to endure his slow, cautious exploration for a few moments, his tongue sliding up and down my shaft while one of his large hands stroked me. When he pulled my cock into his mouth, his lips closing around my hard length, I groaned and opened my eyes to look down at him. The sight in front of me was so gorgeous it made me smile.

Damon, kneeling between my legs, pumping my cock with his rough fingers while he sucked me off. I could sense the slight hesitation, even maybe some nervousness, in his movements, but judging by the way he closed his eyes and moaned, he was enjoying himself. The fact that I was the first guy he’d ever touched this way only aroused me more. I was watching him learn something new, something delicious. Damon began to move faster, sliding up and down, his hand circling the base of my cock, every now and then slipping down to lightly fondle my balls.

“Just like that,” I whispered. “Oh fuck, that’s good.”

He groaned appreciatively and picked up the enthusiasm, as though all he’d been waiting for was my word of approval. I reached down to cradle the back of his head with my hand, gently rocking my hips to meet him as I inched closer and closer to orgasm. But I worried maybe he wasn’t quite ready to swallow. There would be lots of time for that later. I just wanted to ease him into this, keep a steady but comfortable pace in our exploration of each other’s bodies. So I softly pushed him back, tracing a thumb over his sharp cheekbone, and he got the drift. He pulled back, replacing his mouth with his free hand. He stared directly into my eyes as he pumped my cock with both hands, moving faster and increasing the pressure until I was panting hard, and moments later, I whimpered as a thick stream of come sprayed across my stomach, slicking his fingers as he stroked me a few more times. When I was totally spent, he moved up on the bed to kiss me, first on the lips and then on the forehead. I grinned, feeling completely relaxed for the first time all day.

“Just a minute,” Damon said, sliding off the bed to grab me a towel from the closet across the room.

He brought it back, and I took it, cleaning myself up a little before we hopped in the shower together. We lathered up, rinsed off, sharing a few soft kisses and caresses under the hot water, and then we dried off and put our clothes back on. Damon helped fix my tie, kissed me one more time, and then we headed back into the main area of the jet just in time to put on our seatbelts for the landing.

An hour and a half later, we were in Mayor Wade’s office, seated at a long conference table with the mayor at one end and me at the other. Damon, of course, sat next to me, quietly watching it all go down. I knew the stakes were high, but I felt good. I felt confident.

“I’m so pleased you could make it out here so soon,” Nolan said, leaning back in his chair and folding his hands behind his head. “I’ve got to say, my constituents are giving me hell about this whole water contamination issue. It was one of the promises I built my campaign on, but of course they don’t understand how it all works. It’s one thing to say you’re going to fix something, but it’s an entirely different beast to actually make it happen. Especially when my budget is… well, the way it is. But I want to change things. I want to restore safety to my citizens, and I want my legacy to reflect that. Eventually, I’d like to move up, you know. Run for governor or even senator. But of course, I can’t exactly do that without fixing things here on my home turf.”

“We’re happy to be here, too,” I said, smiling placidly and trying to ignore the undertones of selfishness in Nolan’s words. I knew better than to expect pure idealism from a seasoned politician, especially one who’d been through the wringer like Nolan. I reminded myself that as long as the job got done, it didn’t much matter what his motivations were. I was here for the people of Oakview, not for Mayor Wade himself.

“So, let’s get started. I’m excited to see what this flashy new tech is like,” Nolan said.

I stood up and opened my laptop, shining the presentation up onto the projector screen behind me while I spoke. I walked Nolan through the details of how my nanopores system worked, using a software simulation to give a visual, since I wasn’t about to cart my actual prototype around with me. It was too dangerous, so I left it safely on the plane.

“So, you see, my system uses a combination of nanotechnology and aquaporins to filter out contaminants from the water supply,” I said, clicking to the next slide.

Nolan was frowning in confusion. “You might need to give me a more, ah, pedestrian explanation, Mr. Davenport. I’m a politician, not a mad scientist.”

He chuckled.

I nodded. “Fair enough. Okay, so here’s the basics of how my system will work on your end. First, we’ll need to replace all of the existing lead pipes and infrastructure here in Oakview, adding my new filtration system in its place. The nanopores will remove lead, other heavy metals, bacterium, viruses, and parasites. They work sort of like a computer chip, but organic. Imagine setting loose tiny little soldiers to pick up and sort out all the bad stuff that’s making your citizens here sick. It’ll purify the water so that not only will the people of Oakview be able to wash and bathe again, they’ll actually be able to drink the water straight from the faucet.”

Nolan’s eyebrows shot up, and he nodded slowly, looking impressed. “Sounds pretty complicated. And expensive. Could we not just replace all the existing structures without adding in that science fiction part you’ve cooked up, though?”

I smirked. “Well, you could. But that would still run you the risk of contamination, and it would be a temporary fix to a permanent problem. A Band-Aid on a gunshot wound, if you will.”

“Hmm. Understood,” he said, scratching at his chin. “And you say my folks will be able to drink tap water and it’ll be safe? And taste good?”

I nodded, putting my hands on my hips. “Yes. Definitely. It’s expensive, I know, but wouldn’t you love to be the guy responsible for such a massive upgrade in quality of life? This would be a positive ripple effect for generations to come. That’s one hell of a legacy if you ask me, Nolan,” I said persuasively.

Mayor Wade grinned and clapped his hands together. “I’ve got to say you drive one hell of a bargain. I’ll admit, it sounds great. My constituents would love it. But, and this is important, you’re totally certain this will work?”

“Yes. Definitely. I’ve run countless simulations and even built a small, to-scale prototype. Of course, I keep it under lock and key for obvious reasons, but I could go into the detailed mechanics of the tech if you’d like--”

Nolan shook his head and held up both hands in surrender. “Oh no, that won’t be necessary. Don’t waste your breath, Mr. Davenport, I wouldn’t have any clue what you were talking about anyway.”

He chuckled.

I made brief eye contact with Damon, who was barely containing his excitement underneath his usual stoic facade. I couldn’t wait to celebrate with him later, but first we had to tie up this meeting.

“So, what do you think?” I asked, my heart pounding.

“I think,” the mayor said, leaning forward and tapping his fingers on the conference table, “I’m ready to sign. I mean, I need to talk it over briefly with my committee and my budget team, but otherwise, we’re all ready to –”

Just then, the office door slammed open, causing Damon to jump up instinctively and step in front of me. Mayor Wade gasped, frowning at the intrusion. I was frightened for half a second before I realized it was just Barry and his little tag-along, Jeff. Barry looked pissed as he shot me a withering glare.

“Excuse me, we were in the middle of a meeting,” Mayor Wade said, annoyed. He got to his feet and stodgily dusted off his suit jacket, staring at Barry.

Barry’s face was flushed, his tie slightly askew. “My apologies, Mayor, but I was supposed to be present for this meeting, too. You still haven’t heard my proposal yet.”

“Oh, you’re Mr. Atelier, is it?” the mayor asked, nodding as though he’d just remembered. That didn’t surprise me at all; I was sure the mayor had a ton of meetings to keep straight in his mind.

“Yes, sir. I didn’t realize that the meeting time had been moved up. Another last-second move on my colleague Mr. Davenport’s part, I’m sure,” he said, smiling, even as he glared daggers at me across the room. I wasn’t going to let him ruffle my feathers.

Keeping my cool, even as I felt Damon prickling up beside me, I said, “Barry, why don’t you go ahead with your proposal, then? We have time.”

He looked surprised at my suggestion, as though he’d expected me to try and cut him out right in front of the mayor. But to his credit, he quickly regained his composure. He launched into a detailed description of his own tech, which was similar to mine but considerably less comprehensive and much less pricey. By the end of it, the mayor looked torn.

“Well, I have to say that I do prefer the price tag on Mr. Atelier’s proposal. Still, I respect your authority on such matters, Mr. Davenport, so I’m going to ask your honest opinion. If you were in my position, which proposal would you accept? And be honest with me,” he said.

I didn’t hesitate for a second. “Based purely on budget, Barry’s system comes out on top. I’ll admit that. But as far as establishing a system that will ensure a positive and glowing legacy both for yourself and for the city of Oakview as a whole, my system wins out, hands down. You want me to be honest, so here goes. In my opinion, too many politicians are quick to cut corners. To choose short-term solutions rather than thinking far ahead into the future. What I have to offer is better in the long run for the people of Oakview. Generations of people will make their home here instead of fleeing to other cities for a better quality of life. People will no longer be hesitant to start businesses here, to raise families, to invest in the local economy. You have the opportunity here in front of you to take a negative and spin it into a positive that you will look back on as one of the highlights of your career. A change this big and this great will be expensive, yes, but I’d wager that within a few short years, you will gain so much more in return. I need to return to my work now, so I will leave the decision with you. I hope, for your sake and for the great people of your city, that you make the right choice. Thank you so much again for your time and consideration. Good evening,” I concluded with a beatific smile.

And with that, before anyone could say a word in response, I gathered up my belongings and marched out of the room, Damon close behind. As soon as the door was shut behind us and we made it down the hallway toward the security check to leave, Damon let out a low whistle.

“Wow,” he said quietly. “You really made an impression walking out like that.”

“Yeah. I guess I did,” I mused, then shrugged. “Oh well, I’m not here to play hardball with Barry Atelier. I came here to make my pitch and go. I think I more than accomplished what I set out to do.”

As we made it through security and stepped out into the brisk fall air, Damon took my hand. “Do you think the mayor will accept your proposal?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” I said, smiling. “Maybe. If he does the right thing. I know it’s a long shot. When you give a politician two options, and one of them is vastly more expensive, it’s difficult to convince him not to go the cheaper route. I get that. But it’s out of my hands now.”

“Huh. I’m surprised to hear that,” Damon said, chuckling as we walked along down the sidewalk. “Normally you’re the first to try and defend everybody. You find the best in everyone, all the time. It can be a little infuriating, actually.”

“Hey,” I laughed. He nudged my shoulder playfully.

“I’m kidding. It’s a good trait to have. Optimism. But you’re right; we can’t persuade him to do the right thing. That’s his decision. So, what do you want to do now?” he asked.

I shrugged and took a deep breath, looking up at the starry sky. Oakview wasn’t a small town, but compared to New York City, it was downright rural. I could see constellations up there I hadn’t seen with my own eyes in years. I turned to look at Damon and smiled. “Let’s just go on a walk, look around the city a little bit. Besides, I have a feeling Mayor Wade will be calling me back later tonight with his answer yea or nay. I don’t particularly feel like sitting nervously by the phone waiting for that.”

“Alright. Fair enough,” he replied, lifting my hand to kiss it softly. “We’ll take a walk, then. See the city.”

“Perfect.” I sighed as we fell into step. “Just what I need right now.”