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considered, but… yeah, sure. I’m not afraid of it or anything.”

Garrett nodded, forgetting he was on the phone. “Yeah, that’s kind of how I feel too. Never really thought about it until the last few years with all the political stuff in the news.

But yeah, it seems like a nice thing to do if you’re going to grow old with someone.”

“Totally.”

There was another pause and then Justin cleared his throat. “Did you have a reason for asking?”

Garrett blinked, interrupted from fishing out some clothes from under the bed. “Huh? No, I was just curious.”

There was more silence, and realization finally struck him.

He sat down. “Oh, you didn’t think… come on, man, I’m not that oblivious. Okay, I
might
be that oblivious, but I’m not that clueless about social interactions. I was honestly just asking your opinion on the subject. Like, politically.”

“I’d vote for it. And maybe I’d get married, if I could. Or, I don’t know, maybe once I hit fifty, I’ll be looking for some twink with a tight young ass.” Justin laughed.

“Like Jeremy?” Garrett asked, remembering the scene at the sex party the night before the Folsom Street Fair and trying not to sound jealous.

“Yeah, maybe. Or you,” Justin teased.

Garrett snorted. “Yeah, but when you’re fifty, I’ll be forty-five or so.”

“Oh, that won’t work at all, then. You’ll be way too old, totally saggy everywhere, I bet.”

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“Fuck you,” Garrett pouted, laughing as he got back to sorting his laundry.

A low chuckle came across the phone before Justin replied in a seductive voice, “Oh yeah, I’d like that.”

“What, you’re not getting enough sex?”

“Now, now, it’s not like I work every day,” Justin admonished.

It was a valid point, Garrett thought. “No? So what do you do with the rest of your time?” he asked, changing the subject as he began stuffing his foul-smelling clothes into duffel bags to take to the laundromat.

“Well, I work out for a couple of hours almost every day.

Actually, I’ve been trying to figure out about maybe starting school again, but the job’s kind of unpredictable, and I don’t know if I can make any kind of time commitment to my studies and not fuck up one thing or the other.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. You said you were working to save up the money and then go; are you getting impatient?”

“A little, yeah. I have so much free time, and as good as this pays, I don’t need another job. But I’m kind of bored. I thought maybe I’d just try to take one class at a time and see if I can make it work, while I keep saving up money to go full-time as soon as I can. Or I guess I could just stop being such a lazy bastard and get another job,” he admitted.

“Or you could make more movies,” Garrett suggested helpfully.

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“Yeah, I suppose I could. Would you like that? Having more films to watch me fuck and get fucked in?” Justin purred.

Shivering, Garrett reached down to press a hand against his dick. “Uh. Well. I don’t know?”

“You can’t tell me it doesn’t turn you on.”

“No, I mean, it does, duh. But it’s just weird, you know?

I mean, I, um, like you. But in the films you’re ‘Alec’, and it’s somehow different and feels weird. Maybe I’m just a prude,”

he sighed.

Justin sighed too. “You’re not a prude, just maybe a little less wild. And that’s okay, that’s fine. You don’t have to compete with me, you know.”

“I know. I just feel… stupid, I guess. Boring,” he admitted, glancing at his tidy bags of laundry and feeling absurdly mundane.

“Aw, baby, you’re not boring. Not to me, anyway. I like my life, like guys watching me, and for now, I like making porno movies,” Justin explained. “But it’s not for everyone. I mean, if you wanted to quit being a writer, I could totally get you a job with Hawk, after that performance at the fair. But it’s totally fine that it’s not your thing. Really.”

Garrett felt all fluttery inside. How could Justin be so goddamned nice, and so hot, and so… perfect all the damn time? “Thanks.”

“Now, if you change your mind,” Justin teased, and they both laughed. “Seriously, I’m not sure I’d want to share you.

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be at creating a different persona for film. I like the real Garrett.”

“I like the real Justin too.”

There was a snort. “I’m going to gag if this gets any more sweet.”

Garrett laughed his agreement, and they talked for a while longer before hanging up. The fluttery feeling lasted through the whole trip to the laundromat, even though the junkies on the corner hit him up for cash as usual.

DESPITE the good phone calls and the overall excellent week he was having, Garrett decided that this thing with Justin was simply too fucked up. He really liked the guy, way more than he should for someone whose body he’d be required to share if they ever “dated.” And since Justin was in L.A. and Garrett was in S.F., it was just dumb to be angsting about a relationship that was never going to work out. Probably.

Of course, thirty-six hours after his very reasonable, logical decision, a somewhat mopy Garrett received an e-mail from Justin. An e-mail telling Garrett that Hawk wanted Justin to relocate to the San Francisco area and asking if Garrett knew anyone looking for a housemate, because Justin sure would appreciate the help.

Clearly, the Gay Sex Gods hated him.

After a day of staring absently at various legal web sites at work, unable to focus on anything and forgetting about his meeting with Ellen until she literally pulled him out of his cubicle and dragged him into her office by the collar of When Work Is a Pleasure |
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his shirt, Garrett was worn out. He’d had to appease Ellen with a promise of her favorite coffee beans before she’d stopped glowering, and he knew he’d be getting a shitty assignment next month if he didn’t get his head together soon.

By the time he got off the bus and walked to his apartment that night, Garrett couldn’t remember a damn thing about what he’d supposedly been working on all day.

He’d only remembered to get the coffee because he’d written it on his arm with a Sharpie. Sweating a little, heart pounding, he picked up his cell phone.

He and Justin exchanged greetings, but Garrett got straight to business before they had a chance to get too distracted and end up just shooting the breeze and flirting, like always.

“So what kind of place are you looking for, and in what part of the Bay Area?” he asked.

“Oh, actually, I think I’m going to take an extra room at Steve’s house—remember, the guy you met, ‘Carl’?”

“Yeah, I remember him and Kris.” Well. Okay, then.

Garrett let out a sigh of relief.

“So yeah, I’m coming up next week to look at the place and hang out with them and see if it’ll work out. Are you free at all?” Justin asked.

And that, the request in Justin’s gentle tone, hopeful and easy, made Garrett’s anxiety and tension just evaporate for some reason. He grinned. “Yeah, totally. Do you want to crash here or stay with them?”

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“Sure, if you don’t mind. Crashing with you would be good, just in case it doesn’t work out with them. That could be awkward. Thanks,” Justin answered. “Plus, then I’d get to see you.” Garrett grinned like an idiot, glad Justin couldn’t see him at the moment. “Hey, I’ve been wondering. How is it that you have your own place?” Justin asked out of the blue.

“I thought rent was at a premium up there.”

“Ah, um, well. That would be because of my secret identity as the building maintenance guy.”

“Oh yeah? How’d you score that gig? Oooh, do you have grease-stained overalls and a dirty wife-beater you wear?”

“What is it with you and the costumes, dude? Got some kind of fetish I should know about?” Garrett laughed. Justin made an offended noise in response, which made him laugh more. “I moved in when I was in college, and since I’ve been here for so long, I ended up helping other people out a lot. So a few years ago when the property managers raised the rent, I offered to do minor repairs and help with new tenants and leases and stuff if they didn’t raise mine. They agreed.”

“So you’re a man with a tool belt, huh? Sexy.”

“You’re such a perv,” Garrett said.

“I should try to find a place in your building so I can have you come over and clean out my pipes,” Justin teased in a sultry voice.

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your pipes, and I don’t think there’s an opening for you here,” Garrett shot back.

“I’d make an opening for
you
.”

Garrett groaned. “You’re horrible.”

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“Nope, just horny.” Justin’s voice was practically a giggle.

Feeling his face flush, Garrett asked, “Oh yeah? No work today?”

“Nope. This is all for you.” There was an audible sound of a hand on denim, and Garrett could instantly visualize Justin, sprawled out on his sofa or bed, touching himself while he talked on the phone.

“Um. Are you hard?” he asked, sweating again as his heart started to pound.

“Why, you wanna have phone sex?” Justin asked.

“Um, okay, I guess. If you want.”

There was more of that gentle laughter. “I want anything I can get from you, Garrett. And yeah, I’m hard. Just wearing a pair of old, soft jeans, got the top button open, my hand rubbing over my dick through the fabric. Wishing it was your fuckin’ huge hand.”

“Oh my God.” Garrett shivered, his body mimicking what Justin was doing, stroking his own nearly instantaneous erection through his jeans and boxers.

“I love your hands. I wanna suck your fingers, taste the salt of your skin, get them all sloppy and wet, and then feel you slide them in my ass and fuck me.” Justin’s voice had gone all breathy. “I’m gonna take off my pants, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Please.” Garrett’s voice was already sounding strained. He was so familiar with how Justin looked naked from his movies that hearing him, being able to see it in his mind so clearly was… overwhelming. Not as good When Work Is a Pleasure |
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as actual sex in person would be, but still pretty goddamned hot.

“What are you wearing?” Justin asked.

Garrett laughed at the clichéd line, and Justin did too.

“Uh, I’m wearing jeans, boxers, and a button-down shirt,” he said, quickly pulling off his socks.

“Take off the pants and unbutton your shirt but leave it on,” Justin ordered.

“Yessir,” he replied, smirking, but hurrying to obey.

“You done yet?” Justin asked. “What color shirt and shorts?”

“Um, kind of whitish with pale pink stripy stuff, and um,
Transformers
boxer shorts.”

Justin groaned. “Seriously, it’s a damn good thing you’re so fucking good looking or your lack of fashion sense would keep you from ever getting laid.”

With an offended noise, Garrett suggested, “Well, I could take them off,” before he realized what he had said.

“But then we couldn’t play Erecticon versus Optimus Prime.”

“Man, way to kill the mood, dork.”

“Me? You’re the one with the cartoon underpants.”

Justin took a deep breath over the phone. “So. The shorts.

Take them off. I want to picture you in just the shirt, hanging open, framing your gorgeous body and your hard dick.”

Garrett swallowed and slipped the offending item of clothing down his legs. “Okay. They’re off.”

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“Mmm…. Wanna take a picture for me?”

Garrett inhaled sharply. “Um. I, uh. I…. I don’t know.”

“Ever have someone take nude pictures of you, Garrett?

Or filmed yourself having sex with someone, to watch later?”

Biting his lip, Garrett answered. “No.”

“Mmm…. It can be fun, the photo shoots. Getting all naked and horny with your boyfriend, posing for each other in sexy ways, teasing each other. You’re so hot. I’d love to do that with you.”

A whimpering noise might have come from Garrett’s end of the phone. “Um. Okay. I mean, maybe. If you wanted to.”

“Have you had phone sex before? I love the idea that there are things you haven’t done, and that you might want to try them with me.”

“I just don’t have as much experience as you do,”

Garrett mumbled. His erection was starting to fade, with getting the sidetracked by humor and now a sudden wave of insecurity. There was no way he’d had a sex life anywhere near as exciting as Justin’s.

“I told you, not only do I not mind, but it’s kind of a turn-on. I like the idea of introducing you to anything you want to try.”

“I’ve got a long list,” Garrett joked.

“Yeah? Just haven’t had the chance to do the things on it or what?”

“Yeah, I guess not. And I told you my last boyfriend said I was boring in bed.”

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Justin snorted. “Garrett, you’re not supposed to listen to the things that assholes say when you’re breaking up with them. Trust me. You’re great in bed. We haven’t even fucked yet, and I already know for sure that it’s going to be brilliant.

So stop worrying that you’re not going to live up to something or someone else I’ve had sex with, okay?”

“Okay.” Garrett was unexpectedly touched, in a heart-fluttering kind of way that he knew was a Very Bad Thing.

But whatever, it felt good.

“So…. What kinds of kinky things are on your list?”

Justin asked in a teasing, sexy tone.

“Uh. Well….” Garrett thought for a minute, trying to think of what wouldn’t be too humiliating to admit he’d never done. “I’ve never been tied up. Or blindfolded. Never had a threesome—”

“Oooh. I’d totally love to tie you up. All those smooth, lean muscles, pulling at a pair of black leather cuffs…. I’d love to see your face, half-hidden behind a blindfold, letting you be totally free, uninhibited…. I just know you’d be so hot like that. I mean, you’re adorable when you get flustered, but damn. I want to see you let go completely.”