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sgareversebang2011-05-31 12:00 am
sgarb_mod) wrote in sgareversebang2011-05-31 12:00 am
Entry tags:
Fic: Back in the Saddle
Author: Adrian/![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sam_gamgee
Wordcount: 10,023
Rating: NC-17
Pairing(s): Lorne/Zelenka
Summary: Evan Lorne gets more than he bargins for when Radek Zelenka shows up to help him overhaul his computer system.
Warning(s) highlight to read: AU
Notes: Many thanks togblvr for a) the great artwork, b) allowing me to bounce ideas off of her, and c) beta-ing for me.
Companion piece to Here Comes Goodbye // I Think I'm Falling.
Evan sighed as he stared at the filing cabinets while the phone rang. He knew making this job low-priority had been necessary in the beginning, but now it was long overdue.
“Pegasus Computer Solutions, how may I direct your call?” a female voice asked.
“Yeah, I was wondering if you’d be able to help me set up a computerized filing system, a company website, and online accounts.”
He could hear a few key clicks before, “We can help you with those things. And did you want onsite or offsite assistance?”
“Definitely onsite. Oh – do you offer data entry?”
“Possibly. It depends on the amount and type, which we’ll get to in a moment. Please hold while I transfer you.”
“Radek Zelenka,” an accented male voice said. “How may I help you?”
When he finally hung up the phone, Evan was a bit dizzy from all of the questions, but was relieved to have it over with. Pulling up the duty roster, he made sure he was free after the drive.
Evan was waiting outside when the car with Colorado plates pulled up Monday morning, a week later. After the driver got out and stretched, Evan approached and said, “Welcome to Atlantis Ranch. I’m Evan Lorne.”
The other man shook it. “Yes, we spoke on the phone. Radek Zelenka.”
“How was your drive?” Evan asked as he grabbed the duffel bag out of Radek’s trunk while Radek shouldered a bookbag and a laptop case.
“Good, good. The directions were perfect. Where can I set up?”
“I’ll show you to your room, then to the office.”
The phone started ringing as they entered the office and he looked sheepishly at Radek, who shrugged and began setting up his laptop, and then moved to work on Evan’s computer as he talked.
“Okay, sorry about that. I’m all yours,” Evan said, putting the phone down and leaning back in his chair.
Radek smiled. “I’m used to it. Though, I’ll admit it’s the first time I’ve had to ignore a call about manure. I’ll skip the preliminary ‘Your computer and you’ speech.” At Evan’s laughter, he said, “I’ve had to give that speech more times than you’d expect in this day and age. I’ll show you how to operate this program and help you get started on inputting the files.”
A couple of hours later, Evan stood and stretched. “Come on, let’s take a break.”
Radek nodded and stood. “Sounds good. It’s easy work, but the repetition does take a toll after a while.” As they exited the building, he added, “We shouldn’t take too long, considering we’re only halfway through the first filing cabinet.”
“They’ll get done,” Evan replied casually, breathing in the fresh air and relaxing. “Let’s go for a ride.”
“I don’t know how,” Radek said, following him into the stable.
“That’s not a problem. You can use P.J. while you’re here – she’s really laid-back and great with beginners.” Evan could feel Radek’s eyes on him as he saddled P.J. and Jumper – his own horse – and used the time to focus himself. It had been a long time since he’d been even remotely interested in someone, but there was something about Radek that kept drawing his attention and this was definitely not the time or place to foster an attraction.
Once he was finished, he led the horses out of the stable and draped Jumper’s reins over his neck. Handing P.J.’s reins to Radek, he said, “You always mount from the horse’s left side. Put your foot in the stirrup, grab the saddle, and pull yourself up.”
“You make it sound easy,” Radek replied with a huff of a laugh, studying P.J. for a moment before putting both of the reins in his left hand and shuffled a bit to get his left foot in the stirrup. Then he grabbed the saddle, hopped a couple of times, and launched himself upwards. He got most of the way there, but ran out of momentum about halfway, with his right foot resting on P.J.’s rump.
Evan chuckled and gave him a push to help him the rest of the way, and did his best to not allow the feeling of Radek’s ass beneath his hands register in his brain. “That wasn’t too bad, was it?”
Radek settled in his saddle and put his right foot in the other stirrup while Evan checked the length of the left stirrup. “Honestly, no. And, at least now I know what to do to not make a fool of myself.”
Evan smiled. “Believe me, that was one of the more graceful first times I’ve seen. We’ve had people fall on their asses, not even get that far, go too far and get stuck on the other side with their foot stuck in the stirrup... you name it, we’ve probably seen it. Do these feel good?”
Radek nodded. “Do you get many customers?”
“Not a lot,” Evan said as he patted P.J. on the neck on his way by. “But then, we’re not primarily a dude ranch. We do have the licenses and all that, but we’re mainly a working ranch. I think we’re billed under ‘a truly authentic ranching experience’ in the pamphlets. Our guests mainly tend to be overflow from the other ranches who don’t mind going more rustic than they’d originally intended. Though, we do get some hardcore people from time to time.”
“You sound like this wasn’t your idea,” Radek commented and Evan could hear the uncertain tone – as if Radek wasn’t sure whether to make it a question or a comment.
“Not really,” he said, easily swinging up into his saddle. “I guess you could say I inherited the place and haven’t changed a whole lot. Make sure you’re sitting deep down in the saddle and your reins aren’t too tight.” He looked at Radek’s posture and nodded before clucking his tongue and tapping his heels against Jumper’s flanks.
“Where are we going?” Radek asked as they headed out of the main compound.
Evan shrugged. “Just out. Don’t worry – we won’t go very far. And use your thighs to help keep your balance, though points won’t be taken off if you grab the saddle too. And if you need to stop or slow down, squeeze your knees and pull back on the reins. Or pull her in a tight circle.”
“Where’s the rest of your staff?” Radek asked. “I haven’t seen anyone else all morning.”
“They’re all robots. I’m actually a mad scientist bent on world domination and this is just a cover.” Radek laughed as he continued, “I have about a dozen or so cowboys. They’re around – hopefully doing their jobs.” He flashed a quick smile. “Some are branding the calves – we brought them and their mothers in last week so we could check them over and brand them before we release them back out. We have a couple of small herds spaced out on the property. How do you feel?”
“Fine. So far, it’s easier than I thought.”
“Good. Let me know if you have any problems. So tell me something about yourself.”
Radek shrugged. “Not much to tell. I grew up in what used to be Czechoslovakia during a bad time in its history, got a few science degrees, and got out as soon as I could. Since then, I’ve worked at a few different universities and scientific communities before landing at Pegasus – which is more of a favor to a friend than an actual interest in the business.”
Evan smiled. “I kinda figured. You seem like the type that would be more at home in a lab or a university classroom than installing computers. What did your significant other think of your career change?”
“Nothing, because I’m single – and have been since I left the Czech Republic. My family, on the other hand, is stymied. And I can’t say I blame them. I’m not sure why I did it either.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
“For the most part. As much as I hate to admit it, I needed a break from the lab work and this provided me with that opportunity for the time being. But enough about me. I think you have a more interesting story than I do.”
“And what makes you think that?”
“Well, you said you inherited this place. And you don’t have the air of someone who’s grown up in such an environment.”
“You’re right about that. I was born and raised in San Francisco. I majored in art in college – which was due to my mom, who is an artist. But since I also wanted to be a pilot, I joined the Air Force while in college. I figured it would be a good way for me to pay for college and do that for a while, then have enough money to get me started as an artist.
“What I didn’t plan on was having an asshole fellow soldier see me while we were both on leave. I had been visiting my college roommate, who I was really close with and when he dropped me off at the airport, we hugged and kissed each other – on the cheek, mind you – in the drop-off zone. And my comrade-in-arms – who I was supposed to be able to trust with my life – reported me to our CO. I wasn’t going to perjure myself and told him the truth. He was willing to sweep it under the rug, but the other guy wouldn’t let it go. So I got kicked out.
“At the same time, another friend of mine was in a bind. She got the news that her grandfather had died, and that the unit was being deployed on the same day. Apparently, her family’s pretty fucked up, so he left her this place, knowing it would be in good hands and she didn’t trust anyone else in the family, so she asked if I’d help run it for her while she was deployed. I agreed because I just wanted to get away from everything. That was three years ago. She’s been deployed a few times, and reassigned too.” He smiled wryly. “What she gets for being too good at her job, I guess. But she enjoys what she does and I was surprised to find that I enjoy it here and, not only that, I’m good at it too. So it works out.”
Radek nodded. “It seems as though we’ve both landed on our feet, despite some opposition. May I ask – were you and your roommate together?”
Evan shook his head fondly. “People always assumed we were because we were always together and we’ve always been physically comfortable with each other. But it never went past best friend territory and we were both okay with that.”
“Have the two of you kept in touch?”
“Some. This keeps me really busy and he’s a –” he paused to think. “I can’t remember the exact name, but he’s really into plants – especially extinct ones. And he’s married now to a really nice guy, who I’ve met a few times.” Changing the subject, he said, “Okay, let’s try trotting. Deepen your seat and press your heels into P.J.’s flanks. It will be bumpy.”
On the way back in, Evan asked, “What about you? What caused your burnout?”
Radek shrugged a shoulder. “A mix of things. Crazy boss. Strictures about what I could and couldn’t publish and talk about, since I was working for a military company. Being under constant scrutiny from my boss’ bosses. It’s probably good that we both got out before we were eaten alive.”
“You worked for the American military?” Evan asked in surprise. “You seem like an unexpected fit.”
Radek shrugged. “I had experience and knowledge they needed and they were willing to give me an opportunity of a lifetime. It worked out well for both parties until it didn’t.”
“And what about your family? What do they think about your change in career?”
“They only know that I was unhappy and now I’m... less unhappy. I’m not married, if that’s what you were thinking. And my surviving family is still in the Czech Republic.”
Sensing Radek didn’t want to continue in that vein, Evan asked, “Feel up to cantering?”
Once they’d dismounted back at the stable, Radek said, “Thank you for this. I think it was definitely needed.”
Evan led the horses into the stable. “Good. And you did a great job. Many don’t take to riding like you did.” Two guys were mucking out the stalls as Evan took care of the horses and turned them out into the small pasture. After introducing them to Radek, he and Radek headed back inside. “You’ll rarely see Stackhouse and Markham alone,” he commented. “And don’t worry if you don’t remember which one’s which – they’ll both reply. Sometimes I don’t think they remember.”
After working well into the evening – Evan on hacking away at the files, and Radek on the ranch’s website – Evan called it a night for the both of them, shut down the computers, and herded Radek out of the office. “Do you tend to work long hours?” he asked.
“Yes,” Radek replied sheepishly as they entered the kitchen, “but I tend to be kicked out before this – I don’t think I’ve ever worked somewhere that’s also a residence.”
Opening up the refrigerator, Evan said, “Okay, we’ve got some left-over barbeque chicken, hamburgers, sandwich fixings, or I can throw some steaks on the grill.”
“The chicken sounds good,” Radek replied. “What can I do to help?”
“Relax. I’m just going to nuke this stuff.” Evan took out the chicken, coleslaw, and baking potatoes. “So what made you decide to come up here? The drive from Colorado Springs must’ve been, what, four hours?”
“About that,” Radek replied, sitting down. He shrugged. “I guess I just wanted to get away for a while and this seemed justifiable. Why did you pick us? I’m sure there are closer places you could’ve hired.”
“I did some research and you guys seemed like the best ones for what I wanted. I know we could’ve done it remotely, but I’m pretty hands-on with things, so I figured when we got to the part about where I was located, you’d refer me to someone closer. I figured it would be better if I had a chance to work with someone here, in case I had any questions or really screwed something up. Plus, it gets me and the guys away from each other for a while. I can prove I trust them to do their jobs while I work on this and they can blow off some steam without me around.” He brought over two laden plates, silverware, and napkins. “You’ll have to forgive me – we only have water, beer, and coffee.”
“Beer’s fine,” Radek said as he took a plate.
Evan grabbed two beers from the refrigerator on his way by with the salt, pepper, and butter. They ate in companionable silence and afterwards, Radek insisted on cleaning up.
“So what do you do for fun?” Radek asked as they put the last dish away.
“There’s a small town a few miles away that’s got a movie theater and some bars. But we usually hang out here and tend equipment or watch a game or something. And if we have guests, we’ll try to do something for them.”
“Do you mind if I take care of a few personal things?”
“Go ahead. Don’t feel like you’re putting me out or like you have to do what I do. And there’s a set of towels on your bed and the bathroom’s at the end of the hall when you’re ready.”
“Thank you.” Radek fetched his laptop and set himself up at the kitchen table.
Evan excused himself and went to the office to check the weather forecast and the news. Afterwards, he checked in with the guys, who were in the living room watching a game, and left knowing things were going as expected and with only one teasing leer. Satisfied everything was as it should be, he stopped in his room for his sketchbook and pencils on his way back to the kitchen.
The quiet companionship was a nice change from the not-quite-muted chaos that normally reigned in the house. Away from having to contend with the TV, music blaring from someone’s headphones, and at least six different conversations going on simultaneously, he was able to quickly finish the horse drawing he’d started months ago.
“What are you working on?” Radek asked as Evan finished up.
Evan turned the sketchbook for Radek to see. “I also enjoy painting, but I hardly have time for this, let alone anything else.”
“You’re very good. Have you ever thought about doing it professionally?”
Evan blushed. “I have and I’d love to, but I doubt I’m that good. Besides, it’s a way for me to blow off steam.”
“What are you going to do next, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I don’t know. I don’t usually plan ahead. What are you working on?”
“I still do some consulting from time to time, so it’s some equations. Nothing too exciting – just power consumption and output. Not very interesting to anyone but me, I’m sure,” he smiled.
He went back to work and Evan stared off into space for a while, trying to decide what he wanted to draw next. Without thinking, he started to draw, the picture taking shape before his eyes. Radek was bent over his laptop, an intent expression on his face, his hair sticking out oddly from his head. It came easily and quickly for him, and his subject came to life on the page. He smiled as he finished the last bit of shading. He hadn’t drawn another person in a long time and he had forgotten how fulfilling it could be.
“This is very good,” Radek said, breaking Evan out of his reverie.
Evan blushed. “Thanks. I-I, uh, I didn’t mean to draw you. It was just that you were right here and before I realized it –”
“It’s okay,” Radek assured. “I could,” he bit his lip for a second, “I could sit for you – if you’d like.”
Evan was sure agreeing would cross a line, but it had been a long time since he’d indulged this part of himself and it would be nice to have someone other than one of the other cowboys to use as an inadvertent model. “Okay,” he said. “How about we do it tomorrow?”
“Sure. Just let me know.”
In bed later that night, Evan couldn’t get his mind off the adjacent room’s occupant. He’d always had a thing for smart guys and Radek definitely had that in spades. And even if he wasn’t conventionally handsome, he was good-looking, as well as personable and he had a sense of humor to match Evan’s. And they worked well together and Evan was surprised at how comfortable he felt around Radek.
Arousal started to pool in his groin and Evan pushed his hand s under his pillow. He’d been completely celibate for a few years now, and he wasn’t going to change that now.
His body slowly relaxed and he began to doze when he heard the other bedroom’s door open, movement outside his door, then saw light hit the opposite wall for a few seconds before the bathroom door closed. Evan turned on his side towards the wall and finally fell asleep.
The next morning, Evan woke relaxed and comfortable, a warm presence pressed against his back. An arm was wrapped firmly around his waist and there was an erection pressed against the crack of his ass. Someone muttered unintelligible words sleepily and the warm breath tickled the back of his neck before soft lips pressed against his skin. Evan’s brow furrowed and he scrambled out of bed, doing his best to not get tangled in the covers or wake the intruder, until he had an idea of who he was dealing with.
Looking back at the bed, he found Radek blinking at him sleepily. Unsure of what to say or do, Evan grabbed some clothes and fled into the bathroom. Only once he had shut himself in and taken a few deep breaths, did his own morning erection register. Diligently ignoring it, Evan went through his morning ablutions and changed. Unconsciously, he then headed outside to begin his morning chores.
The physical labor of moving and feeding the horses, then mucking out their stalls before turning them out to pasture did little to help calm his mind. That moment of contentment before he’d realized something was wrong kept replaying in his mind, despite his attempts to redirect his thoughts. His decision to be celibate had always been just that – his decision. When he joined the Air Force, he’d locked that part of himself away, knowing that while the option was still there, sex was too risky to even think about. And when he landed on the ranch – it still wasn’t an option because he wasn’t going to allow anything to undermine his relationship with the men. It had been a necessary sacrifice he’d been willing to make.
Until now. He’d been able to ignore it for most of the previous day, but he couldn’t do it now. He felt like his body was responding viscerally to Radek, like everything about him was calling out to Evan. And, to his surprise, he wanted to give in.
Unable to stall any longer, he went back into the house through the kitchen door. Just inside, he was stopped by the smell of coffee and breakfast cooking. Radek turned from the stove and looked at him sheepishly. “I would like to humbly apologize for what happened this morning. I honestly have no idea how I got there.”
“Apology accepted,” Evan replied, knowing it was the only way to gracefully handle the situation. “Smells good. Let me know when you’re done so I can make some for myself.”
“I hope you don’t mind – I made breakfast for you as a means of apology. It should be ready in a moment.”
“Then I’ll go wash up.” Evan toed out of his boots and headed to the downstairs bathroom.
Evan also used the time to clear his mind and remind himself that he needed to be in control here, not his emotions. Returning to the kitchen, he poured himself a mug of coffee and refreshed Radek’s mug as Radek dished out the food and placed the plates on the table.
“Everything smells great,” Evan said, sitting down.
“Let’s hope it tastes great too,” Radek replied as he joined him. “Have the others already gone?”
“It’s not burnt or unnecessarily on fire, so I’m sure it’ll be at least good.” Evan spread some butter on his toast. “You’d think a bunch of guys who have to fend for themselves would pick up some cooking skills, but such is not the case. I’ve been slowly trying to teach them the basics, but even that seems to elude them. And, yeah, they are. We’re usually up at the crack of dawn doing things. I’m allowing myself the luxury of sleeping in a bit while you’re here.”
Radek smiled as he sprinkled some pepper on his scrambled eggs. “I know what you mean. I hear stories from my coworkers of their attempts to cook things for their significant others and it seems that they aren’t much better off. I hope you won’t catch any flack for it.”
Evan took a bite of the eggs. “These are good,” he said to reassure Radek. “Eh. They’ll tease me a bit for a week or so, then somebody will do something more worthy of teasing. So I can chalk up cooking to another unusual talent of yours, along with having a number of advanced degrees and yet working in an IT firm. Anything else you want to spring on me?”
Radek shrugged. “I’m sure there may be more, but to me they’re normal things. What about you? Is there anything else other than an ex-Air Force pilot who’s now the head of a ranch, even though he has an art background? And who’s an extremely good sport?”
It was Evan’s turn to shrug. “Like you said, it seems normal to me.” Changing the subject, he asked, “How much longer do you think the work will take?”
“Shouldn’t be too much longer. The data entry will take the longest, but it looks like you have a handle on using the program, so continuing it after I leave shouldn’t be a problem for you. I need to make a few more tweaks to the website and I want to check over the billing program I installed. So I’m assuming this afternoon sometime?”
“That soon?” Evan asked in surprise. He quickly added, “I’ll admit, even though I use computers regularly, I have no concept of how long it takes to actually do things. I guess that means you’ll be leaving late this afternoon or early this evening, then?”
“If you’d like,” Radek replied. “But I did promise to sit for you and I’m not planning on going back on that promise.”
“That was a stupid idea,” Evan told him, blushing slightly. “Please don’t feel like you have to actually do it.”
“I would like to.” Radek took a sip of his coffee. “The idea of being a model, even if only you and I know about it is an interesting, and slightly exciting, proposition.” Evan could see the hint of mischief in Radek’s eyes and hear it in his voice. “In exchange for not rescinding, I’ll cook you dinner. I’ve been told I grill a mean steak.”
“How about we see how today goes? I want to say yes, but things can be very changeable out here and I might need to rush out.”
“Of course.”
They ate quietly for a while and Evan enjoyed it. He knew it was insane to let Radek stay past any necessary business, but he was finding it hard to say no to him. And his muse – damn it – was beginning to get ideas for poses. And not all of them were family-friendly. He shifted carefully in his seat as his brain wondered what Radek looked like nude and tried not to put that image together with the image of a sleepy Radek in his bed from that morning. A totally kissable, fuckable Radek.
“Something wrong?” Radek asked, snapping Evan back to the present.
“What?” Evan asked.
“You’ve been staring at your toast for a good two minutes. I was wondering if something was wrong.”
“No. No – everything’s fine. I guess I just zoned out.” He took a bite, chewing a little more viciously than necessary.
“Is there still coffee left?” Hicks asked as he came in with a large thermos.
“I don’t know if there’s enough for that thing, but there should be,” Evan asked. “And be careful – Radek made it, so it’s actually drinkable.”
“Maybe we should keep him then, if he can cook too,” Hicks replied as he emptied the pot into the thermos. “Feel like changing professions?” he teased.
“Depends on the offer you make me,” Radek replied good-naturedly. Hicks laughed as he screwed the cap on and left.
Evan helped Radek clean up when they’d finished, and he liked how easy it was with Radek. There was no expectation of anything – as much as his brain might be trying to convince him differently, and he was certain Radek didn’t feel similarly, so there was nothing to worry about. Once Radek was gone, he’d be able to get himself back under control and then it would be back to normal. And things would be busy on the ranch, so he wouldn’t have to worry about getting sidetracked again.
They went into the office and started up their laptops. Evan checked the weather forecast, the news, and his email before settling in to chip away at the old accounts. While he knew that a fair amount of them were no longer necessary, he wanted to keep them for a “just in case of the worst case scenario” – a part of his training coming to the fore and wanting to make sure his ass was covered from all sides.
Radek checked his email as well, huffed in amused exasperation at one or two before replying, then set to work as well. When he’d finished on the website, he showed it to Evan and walked him through the different parts of the site. Evan grinned. It looked better than he’d ever imagined. Aside from giving Radek a graphic of the ranch’s logo and all the information he asked for, Evan had told him he wasn’t sure what he wanted; and, despite the lack of direction, the end result was perfect. Radek then showed him how to access the website and gave him a crash course in site maintenance, before writing it all down for him.
With the website out of the way, Radek went through the billing program and double-checked everything was set up to Evan’s specifications. After it was done, he made sure that Evan knew the program’s ins and outs in case of a problem. And throughout, Evan would have to pause from time to time to deal with the normal day-to-day stuff of the ranch. When they were both satisfied, he sat back with a happy sigh. “I think I can now safely say that with the exception of those files, you are now completely in the twenty-first century. How do you feel about all of it?”
“Good,” Evan said, stretching his shoulders and back before sitting back. “A little overwhelmed, but I’m sure that’ll pass as I get used to this stuff. This will be good. It should help things run smoother. We might be a tiny operation in the grand scheme of things, but locally we’re a large enough fish to make things interesting.”
“I’m sure. I hadn’t thought about what cattle ranches do in this day and age – I’ve always taken the food at the supermarket for granted, so it’s been quite an education. How about some lunch?”
Seeing it was the middle of the afternoon, Evan’s stomach growled. “Sure.” They headed out to the kitchen and made sandwiches.
“When are your men expecting to finish with the calves?” Radek asked as they ate.
“In about a day or so. Were you thinking of finding a way to stick around so you can see how some real cowboys work?” he teased.
“Maybe,” Radek replied, the mischievous look was back and this time it sparked something low in Evan’s belly. Then the look was gone as he casually added, “Unless you’d rather I didn’t.”
“I’d like it if you stayed,” Evan replied. “It’ll be nice to have company that isn’t one of those guys. As much as I like them, when you’re with a bunch of people for most of the day in close quarters, it can get a bit tense. Don’t you have to get back?”
“I probably should, but I have some vacation time due to me, or I could fabricate some sort of story about your systems continually getting fried by freak thunderstorms or that you’re an idiot and keep messing things up. Whatever we end up doing, it would be worth the twenty minute rant I get from Rodney about allowing myself to be steam-rolled by idiots.”
Evan laughed. “You could be a really bad influence if you set your mind to it.”
“How do you know I’m not already one? I could be corrupting the young minds at my work.” Putting the dishes in the sink for later, he turned and leaned back against the counter. “So – about this modeling bit. Where and how do you want me? I was thinking about it and I’m all for anything – including full nudity.”
Evan rolled his eyes in amusement as they left the kitchen. “We’ll start off with something a little tamer first. Let’s go back to my room – less chance of being disturbed and made fun of.”
“Are you sure you won’t be missed?”
“If they need me, they’ll figure it out. Besides, that’s what the comms are for.” At Radek’s confused look, he showed him the one in his ear. “Did you think I was crazy and was talking to myself?”
“I used to work in an environment where people talked to themselves all the time – myself included. I tend to tune it out if I’m not involved.” Evan nodded in understanding as he shut his door, then sat at his desk and readied his supplies.
Sitting on Evan’s bed, Radek asked, “Do the others know you’re gay?”
“I’ve never officially told them, but I think they know – they’re a pretty intuitive bunch. What about you?”
Radek shrugged. “The same. Though, unlike you, I felt the need to hide myself. I’ve seen a few people since coming to America, but never anything serious. How do you want me?”
Evan wanted to say, ‘Any way you want,’ but settled with, “Just get comfortable and we’ll start with that.”
Radek settled on the bed with his back against the wall, his legs tucked under him and his hands folded in his lap. He took a deep breath and relaxed, his eyes closing. “If I start snoring, I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s very relaxing here and I think my body’s starting to take advantage of that.”
“If you want to leave, feel free,” Evan said, his hand pausing above the page. “We don’t have to do this.”
Radek shook his head. “No, I want to. Granted, it’s not something that was on my bucket list, but it’s definitely not something I’d ever thought I’d do. Please, continue.”
Evan shook his head in amusement and started drawing. The picture came quickly and he enjoyed the easy work and how it let him relax. He did two versions – one black and white and the other in color. “How are you doing?” he asked as he initialed and dated both of them before carefully tearing them out of his sketchbook.
“Good,” Radek replied, slowly opening his eyes. “Enjoying the peace and quiet. How are the drawings coming?” Evan showed them to him. “Amazing! May I have one?”
“You can have both, if you’d like.”
“You should keep one – add it to your portfolio. Okay, what next? Should I –” He started undoing the buttons on his shirt and wiggled his eyebrows.
Evan huffed in amusement. “Are you trying to figure out a way to get laid without actually asking for it directly?” he teased.
Radek stopped with the top two opened and said, “Maybe. But I’m fine with asking directly too. Maybe I was just trying to see if I could rile you up.”
“And why would you want to do that?”
“Because I like to flirt and because it’s fun watching you almost blush. You sure you won’t think about having a little fling? It might do you some good.”
“I’ve been doing just fine,” Evan replied, a little more tersely than he’d intended. Looking up from sharpening his pencils, he amended, “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sure you mean well, but I’ve been doing just fine without since I joined the Air Force and I don’t feel any desire to change that now.”
“Are you sure?” Radek asked serious. “Because I’m fairly certain you’ve been looking at me a few times while we’ve been working – and I don’t think all those glances during the ride were solely to make sure I was still on P.J.”
“I – uh –” Evan opened and closed his mouth a few times.
“And I’m sure you’ll agree that this morning was nice – even if it was an accident. I’m not asking for much – just a fun little romp. I think it’ll do us both good if we take the chance and blow off a little steam.”
“Just once?” Evan asked skeptically. He may be celibate, but he was still a man, not a saint, and he’d be lying if he said he’d never had times where he wished he hadn’t made that decision.
“Just once – or more, if you want. You dictate the terms. Did you want to do any more pictures?”
“I’m good for now. Maybe we could do it again tomorrow, if you’re planning on sticking around?”
Radek nodded, and his gaze became thoughtful. “What are you scared of?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” Evan asked, confused at the change in subject.
Radek leaned forward, his forearms on his knees. “I just figured that if you’ve been celibate this long – especially now that you have ways of dealing with it and the men who work for you would be okay with it, then there must be something that worries you.” Radek stood. “Whatever it is, you don’t have to be scared with me.” He closed the space between them and Evan automatically opened his knees and Radek moved into his personal space. “If you don’t trust yourself, trust me. I promise I’ll take good care of you.”
Radek brushed a strand of hair off Evan’s forehead and let his fingers trail down Evan’s jaw to his chin. He pushed Evan’s chin up with two fingers and bent down to capture Evan’s lips with his own. Evan groaned into Radek’s mouth and the softness of Radek’s lips combined with a day’s worth of stubble felt better than Evan remembered. Radek cupped Evan’s face with his hands and licked Evan’s lips, seeking entrance – which Evan granted, his hands meanwhile coming up to grasp Radek’s hips. Radek deepened the kiss and Evan groaned again, causing Radek to smile against him. Radek’s kiss felt like a bucket of water had been poured over him after a hard day’s ride.
Radek pulled away reluctantly, and Evan whimpered. Radek grinned. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise,” he said huskily, taking Evan’s hand. “Come on, I just think we should move to somewhere we’ll be more comfortable.”
He pulled Evan up and over to the bed and Evan’s body’s willingness to comply surprised Evan. Evan was suddenly nervous. What if he didn’t measure up to Radek’s other partners? He obviously had more experience than Evan had.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay,” Radek told him. “If you don’t want to continue, we don’t have to continue.”
“I do,” Evan managed. “It’s just that – I’m not as experienced as you and –”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m certainly not. Right now, it’s about me and you and what we’re doing. And I’m planning on having a great time. Now, I think we were right about here.”
Radek began kissing Evan again – this time more passionately and Evan was certain his brain was going to melt and dribble out his ears. He faltered slightly, then began matching Radek’s intensity. Radek rolled his hips against Evan’s and Evan could feel his arousal through their pants and it sent a river of desire down to his groin. Radek maneuvered them around then pushed Evan down on the bed. Evan looked up at him, panting and with lust-filled eyes. Radek returned the look as his eyes wandered over Evan’s body, lingering on his groin and Evan looked down to find a bulge in his pants to match the one in Radek’s.
Radek quickly disrobed of his shirt, shoes, and socks, then paused with his hands on the clasp of his pants. “Are you sure about this?” he asked and Evan nodded. He may regret it later, but he was definitely sure at this particular moment.
Radek popped open the button, then slowly opened the zipper, watching with amusement as Evan’s eyes tracked the zipper’s progress against his bulge. Once they were opened, Radek shucked them off, leaving only his erection straining against a pair of briefs. Radek may be on the wiry side, but Evan definitely liked what he saw.
“Now, I think it’s your turn,” he said, joining Evan on the bed and leaning over him and pressing him back against the bed.
Radek began kissing Evan again as he slowly began unbuttoning Evan’s shirt with one hand, the light touch tickling Evan’s chest. When it was open, Evan shucked it off and Radek’s hand began caressing his chest as they kissed languidly. Evan relaxed into the touch and reached up to tangle a hand in Radek’s hair. Radek took that as a cue to move on and began kissing down Evan’s neck and chest to his left nipple. He took the nub into his mouth and played with it. Evan moaned and arched up against his mouth. Radek released it and kissed his way over to the other nipple and did the same thing, getting the same response.
“Like that?” he asked looking up at Evan.
“Like anything, really,” Evan said breathlessly.
“I’m sure you do,” Radek replied. “I bet everything feels good right now.”
Evan could only nod as Radek went back to kissing his way down Evan’s stomach. When he reached Evan’s waistband, he looked up at Evan. Evan nodded and he opened Evan’s jeans, and Evan arched up so Radek could take them off along with his shoes and socks. Evan’s erection tented his boxers and the tip peeked out of the slit. Evan watched as Radek shucked his own underwear, his erection curved up towards his stomach, the head glistening with precome. Evan decided to join him and pushed off his own boxers and kicked them off the bed.
He blushed as he watched Radek’s gaze concentrate on him, focusing on memorizing every last detail – from the way his hair fell to the tips of his toes and everything in between – and especially his erection, which was sticking straight up and had darkened considerably. Radek rejoined him and settled on top of Evan, their erections rubbing together, sending sparks of pleasure through his body. Evan rolled his hips against Radek’s and Radek grinned down at him. Evan tentatively put his hands on Radek’s ass and held him in place as they rubbed against each other. Radek watched him intently the whole time, cataloguing each expression, each breath and moan as they moved towards orgasm. And Radek wasn’t quiet either – he moaned, gasped, and groaned throughout. Evan couldn’t believe how good it felt. He had forgotten exactly how amazing it was. He felt his cock tighten a little more, then he came hard, splattering against both of them, and his vision whited out for a moment.
When he came to, Radek was grinning down at him and their cocks were softening. “You weren’t lying when you said it’s been a while,” he said. “That was some orgasm.”
It took Evan a moment to find his voice. “Told you.” He pointed at the desk. “Tissues are on the desk, if you want to clean us up. I don’t think I’ll be able to move for a few days.”
Radek laughed and complied. Once they’d been cleaned up and the tissues disposed of, Radek joined him on the bed. “I hope that was satisfactory,” he said as he curled up against Evan’s side and Evan wrapped an arm around his back.
“Definitely,” Evan replied with a yawn. “Sorry.”
Radek smiled at him affectionately and gently stroked his chest. “I’m sure it’s too soon to ask this, but do you think it’s possible we could maybe....”
“I don’t know,” Evan replied, gently stroking Radek’s back. “Ask me later.”
They laid together for a while, content to just be with each other. Evan had to admit – it had felt amazing. And as the minutes ticked by, he became more certain the world wasn’t going to end. Not that he’d honestly believed it would, but it had felt wrong to even think about sex for a long time.
“What made you decide to become completely celibate?” Radek asked softly, looking up at Evan. “I know you said you decided against having sex while in the Air Force – and I can understand why – but why not even masturbating from time to time? Or starting again once you got out? Obviously, this place takes up a lot of time, but there are ways around it.”
Evan shrugged. “I don’t know. I think I figured if I even masturbated, somehow the other soldiers would know and that would be it. And once I got out, I was used to it, so I didn’t give it much of a second thought. And I was busy here. And one day turned into two turned into three and now it’s been a few years and I couldn’t say I missed it most of the time, because I didn’t. But after what we just did – wow.”
“Feel up to some more?” Radek asked lightly.
“What do you have in mind?” Evan asked guardedly.
“Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve fellated someone.”
Evan laughed and his cock stirred. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard it said that way. For that, I’ll let you give it a shot.”
He watched in amusement as Radek leaned up and gave him a peck on the lips before sliding down his body and settling between Evan’s legs. He sucked lightly on the tip of Evan’s cock and Evan moaned as waves of pleasure flowed through his body. Radek slowly took more of Evan’s hardening cock into his mouth, sucking as he went, his throat relaxing when necessary to deep-throat Evan’s cock, until his lips touched the base of Evan’s cock. Evan groaned and arched up into the tight, wet heat as Radek slowly pulled himself off, sucking hard the whole time. Evan relaxed bonelessly against the bed. He lost all concept of space and time as Radek concentrated on his cock –nipping, licking, and sucking up and down the length, as well as his distended balls. Evan tangled his hands in Radek’s hair, and when Radek took the head of Evan’s cock in his mouth, carefully arched against him. Radek moaned softly and Evan pushed a little further before sinking back down, Radek chasing him. Huh. Evan began slowly fucking Radek’s mouth and Radek relaxed his mouth and throat and let him do it, alternating his sucking as Evan took his pleasure. Finally, it was too much for Evan and he came. Radek swallowed his come and licked him clean when he was done.
Releasing Evan’s cock, Radek settled back against him and kissed Evan deeply. Evan could taste himself on Radek and decided he liked it. Pulling away, he said, “I’m sorry – I’m not very good at blow-jobs.”
“It’s okay,” Radek replied, wrapping a hand against his straining erection. “I can take care of it.”
Evan batted his hand away. “It’s only fair I do it for you.”
He wrapped his hand around the base of Radek’s cock and began slowly stroking it. It was weird how different, yet alike, their cocks were. Evan’s was a little longer, but Radek’s was a little thicker, and the skin on both was amazingly soft and sensitive. Radek closed his eyes, twisted his hands in the sheets, and arched up into his hand and Evan watched his face for clues and altered his ministrations accordingly. Suddenly, Radek came and Evan caught most of it in his hand. Curious, he licked it off, and was surprised to find it salty-sweet. When Radek opened his eyes, Evan smiled at him and kissed him.
“Thank you,” Radek said.
“Stay a bit?” Evan asked.
“Of course,” Radek replied and Evan pulled the cover up over them.
A beeping went off nearby and Radek groaned in Evan’s ear. Evan opened his eyes and saw sunlight streaming through the window. Definitely morning, then. Radek slid over Evan, their bodies rubbing together deliciously, and, quickly putting on his glasses, got out of bed to retrieve his phone from his pants. He sat down on the edge of the bed and checked the text message.
Radek sighed. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to cut this slice of heaven short,” he said. “Rodney needs me back at headquarters. Normally, I’d tell him to handle it himself, but he’s used the deal-breaker code.”
“Deal-breaker code?” Evan asked, confused and still mostly asleep.
“AFSAFP,” Radek said and added, by way of explanation, “as fucking soon as fucking possible.” He leaned over and kissed Evan lightly. “Thank you for the past couple days. I’ve enjoyed it immensely. And, no, I’m not just saying that because we had sex. I did really enjoy all of it. I’ll call you when I get a chance and we’ll get everything settled, okay?”
Evan nodded. “Okay.” He sat up as Radek stood and dressed.
Radek paused at the door and winked at him before heading next door to pack his things. Evan got up and pulled on his clothes from the night before and went into the guestroom. “Would you like me to make you some breakfast before you go?” he asked.
“Thank you, but no.” Radek replied, closing his bag. “When Rodney gets like this, I really do need to get to him ASAP. I’ll just get something on the way. Depending on how things go, either I or someone from the office will call you this afternoon or tomorrow to settle the account. And I’m sorry about having to leave like this.”
Feeling a little lost, Evan followed him to the office and watched Radek pack up his laptop and gather a few other odds and ends. Evan helped him carry a bag out to his car and after everything was in, they both hesitated for a moment, before Radek pulled him close and kissed him hard. “This isn’t a definite good-bye,” he said.
Evan nodded. “I’ll see you, then,” he said. Radek nodded and got into his car. Evan watched him drive away, then ran a hand through his wild hair. He considered getting a shower, then decided against it since he still needed to do chores and headed to the barn.
When he got back inside, Stackhouse and Markham were sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper. “What happened?” Stackhouse asked. “You didn’t scare him off, did you?”
“Nope,” Evan replied, pouring himself a cup of coffee. “He had an emergency at work.”
“You had a good night, though, right?” Markham asked, his eyes raking over Evan’s day old clothes in amusement and Evan almost choked on his coffee.
“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t,” Evan replied, doing his best to not get testy, and took another big sip of coffee. He knew nothing was meant by it.
“Congratulations!” both of the guys replied. “It’s about damn time,” Stackhouse added. “We were getting worried about you,” Markham continued.
Evan rolled his eyes and headed towards the interior of the house. “I’m going to get a shower.”
Afterwards, he went to his office and fiddled with the new program, happy with the results. But his mind kept returning to Radek. How had the other man slipped through his well-crafted defenses? There was nothing remarkable about him, and yet Evan had felt an attraction to him from almost the beginning. And even now, he could still feel Radek’s lips against his, and the weight of his body on all the right places. And that mouth of his.... Evan smiled and shook his head.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then began mentally packing everything away. It was over with and there was no way it – or anything like it – was going to happen again and he had to get used to going without again.
Evan filled the rest of the day with odd tasks around the house and was surprised when Coughlin handed him the phone. “Evan Lorne,” he said reflexively as he screwed in a light bulb.
“Hi, my name is Katie Brown and I’m with Pegasus Computer Solutions,” a cheery female voice said. “I’m calling about your balance.”
“Yes, right,” Evan said. “Is it still the same amount as the invoice that Radek gave me?”
“It is,” she replied. “And all of our payment options are listed on there as well. Do you have any questions I could help you with?”
“Nope,” Evan replied. “Oh, wait – I do. Did Radek make it back all right? He left in a hurry this morning – something about a problem?”
“He did and everything is just fine, sir,” she replied smoothly, though Evan could hear a hint of surprise in her voice.
“Good, I’m glad,” he replied. “That’s it.”
“Have a good day, sir.”
“You too.” Evan hung up the phone and banged it against his forehead a few times, hoping he hadn’t sounded like such a love-sick puppy to her.
A week passed and Evan didn’t hear anything from Radek. He knew that he really shouldn’t have expected anything more from him. Radek had even said it himself – it had been a fun little romp for the two of them to blow off some steam. But at the same time.... He kept expecting Radek to come up the drive in that little car of his or for an email from him to pop up in Evan’s inbox or to hear his voice every time he answered the phone. And Evan knew how ridiculous it was – it had been a working relationship that had taken a pleasurable turn, but now it was over. And he needed to move on and not mope around like a schoolboy.
“You okay, boss?” Coughlin asked, startling Evan out of his reverie.
“Fine, why?” Evan replied.
“Because you’ve been staring at that saddle like it’s the most interesting thing in the world the whole time I’ve been taking care of my horse. You know you could call him or something.”
“Am I really that obvious?” Evan asked.
“Just a little,” Hicks replied. “Invent a reason if you need to – that computer program’s not working liked you’d hoped or something. At least then you’d be able to talk to him.”
Evan shook his head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Four hours isn’t so bad, is it?” Hicks asked Coughlin. “You think we could manage the place for a day or two if necessary?”
“Maybe the two of you need to get your heads checked,” Evan replied with affectionate exasperation.
This was insane. He didn’t even know why he was doing this. There wasn’t even a good reason for doing this. Despite what a plethora of romantic comedies might tell you, a one-night stand was not reason enough to be doing this.
Evan sighed and leaned forward to rest his head on the steering wheel with a thud. There was no good explanation for why he was sitting in the Pegasus Computer Solutions parking lot. None, whatsoever. He should just turn around and go home. Because this was insane and if Radek hadn’t called him before now, it was obvious he wasn’t interested in more than just the job and getting laid. Which he probably did with everyone he worked with. He probably had a reputation of doing it, and if Evan mentioned it to anyone inside the building in front of him, they would surely laugh at him and ask him what exactly he had been expecting.
Truth was, Evan wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Aside from wanting to see Radek again and not give him a chance to back out of it.
A knock came on his window and Evan jumped. He slowly looked and saw Radek and a young woman standing outside. Radek smiled and waved and Evan rolled down the window. “What are you doing here?” Evan asked.
“I could ask you the same thing,” Radek replied. “Did you take a wrong turn somewhere during your chores this morning?”
“Very funny,” Evan replied dryly.
“Katie and I are going to lunch. Please join us.”
“Okay. Where?”
“I’ll drive, come on.”
Evan got out and held out a hand, “Evan Lorne,” he said.
“Katie Brown,” she replied and shook his hand before they started walking to Radek’s car. “Radek’s talked a lot about you. More than you’d expect for a two day job.”
“Really?” Evan asked, surprised. “I didn’t think it was more than a routine job.”
Amused, she said, “It wasn’t, but somehow you’ve seemed to charm him with your lifestyle and your surroundings. Whatever you Wyoming boys have going for you, it must be a great thing.”
“Yeah, it’s a state secret,” Evan responded with a chuckle. “Besides, I don’t know how much credit I can take for it, since I’m originally from San Francisco.”
Radek unlocked the car and they all got in, Katie taking the back seat. “It’s good to see you again, Evan,” he said as he started the car. “But I’ll admit I’m surprised you’re here. There haven’t been any frantic phone calls or emails, so I’m assuming you don’t have any computer issues?”
“Nope, the program works great and we’ve had a pretty good response to the website. I just –” He stopped and glanced back at Katie.
“She’s fine,” Radek replied neutrally.
“I missed you and wanted to actually see you. Which I know sounds really, really stalker-ish and I’m sorry. And I know I could’ve called, but... I don’t know. Somehow it didn’t seem like enough.”
There was a chuff of laughter from the backseat and Radek glared at her in the rearview mirror. “I’d like to say I’m flattered, but you’re right – it does seem on the stalker-ish side.” They pulled into a parking lot and as soon as Radek parked, Katie was out of the car and heading towards the busy diner to get a table. Turning towards Evan, Radek said, “But I’m willing to forgive you, because I’ve been thinking about you all week too. We should probably get our heads examined.”
“Do you think we could have fallen in love?” Evan asked.
“Love? It’s doubtful. Lust? Probably. Intense like? Definitely. I really wish we could’ve seen where things would have gone if I hadn’t had to leave so abruptly. And it really was an emergency – we had a horrible virus hit most of our highest priority clients and it took us days to eradicate it.”
“Do you think there’s a chance for us?”
“Do you want there to be a chance for us?” Radek asked, throwing it back at him.
“I don’t know,” Evan replied. “Now that I’m here, I’m seeing how crazy this is. We have two really different lives four hours apart.”
“There are couples who’ve done worse than that,” Radek replied. “Besides, there are a lot of options available – such as phone calls, Skype, email, texting... sexting.” They both giggled. “How about we see how lunch goes?”
Evan nodded and they got out of the car. Meeting at the front of it, Radek pulled Evan to him and kissed him intently. “Hello,” he said when they pulled apart.
“Hi,” Evan replied shyly.
They joined Katie at the table, sitting next to each other, and took their time perusing the menu. During the meal, they made small talk and Katie did a good job of subtly grilling Evan for his side of the story and she seemed very satisfied with him – which pleased Radek, and made Evan relax.
Once they were back at the office, Radek asked, “So how long can I have you for?”
“I’ve been informed that the ranch can run itself without my help at least through tomorrow, so as long as you want.”
Radek grinned. “Great. We’ll start with this afternoon and take things from there. Katie – please inform Rodney that I’m taking the afternoon off and will not be available.”
She nodded and got out of the car. “Have fun, you two.”
They watched her until she was inside the building. Turning back to Evan, Radek said, “Come on, let me show you around town.”
“Actually, I was hoping you’d show me around your bed first. It’s only fair, considering I showed you mine.”
Radek shook his head in amusement. “Yes, you did. But you did take me for a horseback ride first.”
Evan laughed. “I can’t argue with that. Lead on.”
sam_gamgeeWordcount: 10,023
Rating: NC-17
Pairing(s): Lorne/Zelenka
Summary: Evan Lorne gets more than he bargins for when Radek Zelenka shows up to help him overhaul his computer system.
Warning(s) highlight to read: AU
Notes: Many thanks to
gblvr for a) the great artwork, b) allowing me to bounce ideas off of her, and c) beta-ing for me.Companion piece to Here Comes Goodbye // I Think I'm Falling.
Back in the Saddle
Evan sighed as he stared at the filing cabinets while the phone rang. He knew making this job low-priority had been necessary in the beginning, but now it was long overdue.
“Pegasus Computer Solutions, how may I direct your call?” a female voice asked.
“Yeah, I was wondering if you’d be able to help me set up a computerized filing system, a company website, and online accounts.”
He could hear a few key clicks before, “We can help you with those things. And did you want onsite or offsite assistance?”
“Definitely onsite. Oh – do you offer data entry?”
“Possibly. It depends on the amount and type, which we’ll get to in a moment. Please hold while I transfer you.”
“Radek Zelenka,” an accented male voice said. “How may I help you?”
When he finally hung up the phone, Evan was a bit dizzy from all of the questions, but was relieved to have it over with. Pulling up the duty roster, he made sure he was free after the drive.
Evan was waiting outside when the car with Colorado plates pulled up Monday morning, a week later. After the driver got out and stretched, Evan approached and said, “Welcome to Atlantis Ranch. I’m Evan Lorne.”
The other man shook it. “Yes, we spoke on the phone. Radek Zelenka.”
“How was your drive?” Evan asked as he grabbed the duffel bag out of Radek’s trunk while Radek shouldered a bookbag and a laptop case.
“Good, good. The directions were perfect. Where can I set up?”
“I’ll show you to your room, then to the office.”
The phone started ringing as they entered the office and he looked sheepishly at Radek, who shrugged and began setting up his laptop, and then moved to work on Evan’s computer as he talked.
“Okay, sorry about that. I’m all yours,” Evan said, putting the phone down and leaning back in his chair.
Radek smiled. “I’m used to it. Though, I’ll admit it’s the first time I’ve had to ignore a call about manure. I’ll skip the preliminary ‘Your computer and you’ speech.” At Evan’s laughter, he said, “I’ve had to give that speech more times than you’d expect in this day and age. I’ll show you how to operate this program and help you get started on inputting the files.”
A couple of hours later, Evan stood and stretched. “Come on, let’s take a break.”
Radek nodded and stood. “Sounds good. It’s easy work, but the repetition does take a toll after a while.” As they exited the building, he added, “We shouldn’t take too long, considering we’re only halfway through the first filing cabinet.”
“They’ll get done,” Evan replied casually, breathing in the fresh air and relaxing. “Let’s go for a ride.”
“I don’t know how,” Radek said, following him into the stable.
“That’s not a problem. You can use P.J. while you’re here – she’s really laid-back and great with beginners.” Evan could feel Radek’s eyes on him as he saddled P.J. and Jumper – his own horse – and used the time to focus himself. It had been a long time since he’d been even remotely interested in someone, but there was something about Radek that kept drawing his attention and this was definitely not the time or place to foster an attraction.
Once he was finished, he led the horses out of the stable and draped Jumper’s reins over his neck. Handing P.J.’s reins to Radek, he said, “You always mount from the horse’s left side. Put your foot in the stirrup, grab the saddle, and pull yourself up.”
“You make it sound easy,” Radek replied with a huff of a laugh, studying P.J. for a moment before putting both of the reins in his left hand and shuffled a bit to get his left foot in the stirrup. Then he grabbed the saddle, hopped a couple of times, and launched himself upwards. He got most of the way there, but ran out of momentum about halfway, with his right foot resting on P.J.’s rump.
Evan chuckled and gave him a push to help him the rest of the way, and did his best to not allow the feeling of Radek’s ass beneath his hands register in his brain. “That wasn’t too bad, was it?”
Radek settled in his saddle and put his right foot in the other stirrup while Evan checked the length of the left stirrup. “Honestly, no. And, at least now I know what to do to not make a fool of myself.”
Evan smiled. “Believe me, that was one of the more graceful first times I’ve seen. We’ve had people fall on their asses, not even get that far, go too far and get stuck on the other side with their foot stuck in the stirrup... you name it, we’ve probably seen it. Do these feel good?”
Radek nodded. “Do you get many customers?”
“Not a lot,” Evan said as he patted P.J. on the neck on his way by. “But then, we’re not primarily a dude ranch. We do have the licenses and all that, but we’re mainly a working ranch. I think we’re billed under ‘a truly authentic ranching experience’ in the pamphlets. Our guests mainly tend to be overflow from the other ranches who don’t mind going more rustic than they’d originally intended. Though, we do get some hardcore people from time to time.”
“You sound like this wasn’t your idea,” Radek commented and Evan could hear the uncertain tone – as if Radek wasn’t sure whether to make it a question or a comment.
“Not really,” he said, easily swinging up into his saddle. “I guess you could say I inherited the place and haven’t changed a whole lot. Make sure you’re sitting deep down in the saddle and your reins aren’t too tight.” He looked at Radek’s posture and nodded before clucking his tongue and tapping his heels against Jumper’s flanks.
“Where are we going?” Radek asked as they headed out of the main compound.
Evan shrugged. “Just out. Don’t worry – we won’t go very far. And use your thighs to help keep your balance, though points won’t be taken off if you grab the saddle too. And if you need to stop or slow down, squeeze your knees and pull back on the reins. Or pull her in a tight circle.”
“Where’s the rest of your staff?” Radek asked. “I haven’t seen anyone else all morning.”
“They’re all robots. I’m actually a mad scientist bent on world domination and this is just a cover.” Radek laughed as he continued, “I have about a dozen or so cowboys. They’re around – hopefully doing their jobs.” He flashed a quick smile. “Some are branding the calves – we brought them and their mothers in last week so we could check them over and brand them before we release them back out. We have a couple of small herds spaced out on the property. How do you feel?”
“Fine. So far, it’s easier than I thought.”
“Good. Let me know if you have any problems. So tell me something about yourself.”
Radek shrugged. “Not much to tell. I grew up in what used to be Czechoslovakia during a bad time in its history, got a few science degrees, and got out as soon as I could. Since then, I’ve worked at a few different universities and scientific communities before landing at Pegasus – which is more of a favor to a friend than an actual interest in the business.”
Evan smiled. “I kinda figured. You seem like the type that would be more at home in a lab or a university classroom than installing computers. What did your significant other think of your career change?”
“Nothing, because I’m single – and have been since I left the Czech Republic. My family, on the other hand, is stymied. And I can’t say I blame them. I’m not sure why I did it either.”
“Do you enjoy it?”
“For the most part. As much as I hate to admit it, I needed a break from the lab work and this provided me with that opportunity for the time being. But enough about me. I think you have a more interesting story than I do.”
“And what makes you think that?”
“Well, you said you inherited this place. And you don’t have the air of someone who’s grown up in such an environment.”
“You’re right about that. I was born and raised in San Francisco. I majored in art in college – which was due to my mom, who is an artist. But since I also wanted to be a pilot, I joined the Air Force while in college. I figured it would be a good way for me to pay for college and do that for a while, then have enough money to get me started as an artist.
“What I didn’t plan on was having an asshole fellow soldier see me while we were both on leave. I had been visiting my college roommate, who I was really close with and when he dropped me off at the airport, we hugged and kissed each other – on the cheek, mind you – in the drop-off zone. And my comrade-in-arms – who I was supposed to be able to trust with my life – reported me to our CO. I wasn’t going to perjure myself and told him the truth. He was willing to sweep it under the rug, but the other guy wouldn’t let it go. So I got kicked out.
“At the same time, another friend of mine was in a bind. She got the news that her grandfather had died, and that the unit was being deployed on the same day. Apparently, her family’s pretty fucked up, so he left her this place, knowing it would be in good hands and she didn’t trust anyone else in the family, so she asked if I’d help run it for her while she was deployed. I agreed because I just wanted to get away from everything. That was three years ago. She’s been deployed a few times, and reassigned too.” He smiled wryly. “What she gets for being too good at her job, I guess. But she enjoys what she does and I was surprised to find that I enjoy it here and, not only that, I’m good at it too. So it works out.”
Radek nodded. “It seems as though we’ve both landed on our feet, despite some opposition. May I ask – were you and your roommate together?”
Evan shook his head fondly. “People always assumed we were because we were always together and we’ve always been physically comfortable with each other. But it never went past best friend territory and we were both okay with that.”
“Have the two of you kept in touch?”
“Some. This keeps me really busy and he’s a –” he paused to think. “I can’t remember the exact name, but he’s really into plants – especially extinct ones. And he’s married now to a really nice guy, who I’ve met a few times.” Changing the subject, he said, “Okay, let’s try trotting. Deepen your seat and press your heels into P.J.’s flanks. It will be bumpy.”
On the way back in, Evan asked, “What about you? What caused your burnout?”
Radek shrugged a shoulder. “A mix of things. Crazy boss. Strictures about what I could and couldn’t publish and talk about, since I was working for a military company. Being under constant scrutiny from my boss’ bosses. It’s probably good that we both got out before we were eaten alive.”
“You worked for the American military?” Evan asked in surprise. “You seem like an unexpected fit.”
Radek shrugged. “I had experience and knowledge they needed and they were willing to give me an opportunity of a lifetime. It worked out well for both parties until it didn’t.”
“And what about your family? What do they think about your change in career?”
“They only know that I was unhappy and now I’m... less unhappy. I’m not married, if that’s what you were thinking. And my surviving family is still in the Czech Republic.”
Sensing Radek didn’t want to continue in that vein, Evan asked, “Feel up to cantering?”
Once they’d dismounted back at the stable, Radek said, “Thank you for this. I think it was definitely needed.”
Evan led the horses into the stable. “Good. And you did a great job. Many don’t take to riding like you did.” Two guys were mucking out the stalls as Evan took care of the horses and turned them out into the small pasture. After introducing them to Radek, he and Radek headed back inside. “You’ll rarely see Stackhouse and Markham alone,” he commented. “And don’t worry if you don’t remember which one’s which – they’ll both reply. Sometimes I don’t think they remember.”
After working well into the evening – Evan on hacking away at the files, and Radek on the ranch’s website – Evan called it a night for the both of them, shut down the computers, and herded Radek out of the office. “Do you tend to work long hours?” he asked.
“Yes,” Radek replied sheepishly as they entered the kitchen, “but I tend to be kicked out before this – I don’t think I’ve ever worked somewhere that’s also a residence.”
Opening up the refrigerator, Evan said, “Okay, we’ve got some left-over barbeque chicken, hamburgers, sandwich fixings, or I can throw some steaks on the grill.”
“The chicken sounds good,” Radek replied. “What can I do to help?”
“Relax. I’m just going to nuke this stuff.” Evan took out the chicken, coleslaw, and baking potatoes. “So what made you decide to come up here? The drive from Colorado Springs must’ve been, what, four hours?”
“About that,” Radek replied, sitting down. He shrugged. “I guess I just wanted to get away for a while and this seemed justifiable. Why did you pick us? I’m sure there are closer places you could’ve hired.”
“I did some research and you guys seemed like the best ones for what I wanted. I know we could’ve done it remotely, but I’m pretty hands-on with things, so I figured when we got to the part about where I was located, you’d refer me to someone closer. I figured it would be better if I had a chance to work with someone here, in case I had any questions or really screwed something up. Plus, it gets me and the guys away from each other for a while. I can prove I trust them to do their jobs while I work on this and they can blow off some steam without me around.” He brought over two laden plates, silverware, and napkins. “You’ll have to forgive me – we only have water, beer, and coffee.”
“Beer’s fine,” Radek said as he took a plate.
Evan grabbed two beers from the refrigerator on his way by with the salt, pepper, and butter. They ate in companionable silence and afterwards, Radek insisted on cleaning up.
“So what do you do for fun?” Radek asked as they put the last dish away.
“There’s a small town a few miles away that’s got a movie theater and some bars. But we usually hang out here and tend equipment or watch a game or something. And if we have guests, we’ll try to do something for them.”
“Do you mind if I take care of a few personal things?”
“Go ahead. Don’t feel like you’re putting me out or like you have to do what I do. And there’s a set of towels on your bed and the bathroom’s at the end of the hall when you’re ready.”
“Thank you.” Radek fetched his laptop and set himself up at the kitchen table.
Evan excused himself and went to the office to check the weather forecast and the news. Afterwards, he checked in with the guys, who were in the living room watching a game, and left knowing things were going as expected and with only one teasing leer. Satisfied everything was as it should be, he stopped in his room for his sketchbook and pencils on his way back to the kitchen.
The quiet companionship was a nice change from the not-quite-muted chaos that normally reigned in the house. Away from having to contend with the TV, music blaring from someone’s headphones, and at least six different conversations going on simultaneously, he was able to quickly finish the horse drawing he’d started months ago.
“What are you working on?” Radek asked as Evan finished up.
Evan turned the sketchbook for Radek to see. “I also enjoy painting, but I hardly have time for this, let alone anything else.”
“You’re very good. Have you ever thought about doing it professionally?”
Evan blushed. “I have and I’d love to, but I doubt I’m that good. Besides, it’s a way for me to blow off steam.”
“What are you going to do next, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I don’t know. I don’t usually plan ahead. What are you working on?”
“I still do some consulting from time to time, so it’s some equations. Nothing too exciting – just power consumption and output. Not very interesting to anyone but me, I’m sure,” he smiled.
He went back to work and Evan stared off into space for a while, trying to decide what he wanted to draw next. Without thinking, he started to draw, the picture taking shape before his eyes. Radek was bent over his laptop, an intent expression on his face, his hair sticking out oddly from his head. It came easily and quickly for him, and his subject came to life on the page. He smiled as he finished the last bit of shading. He hadn’t drawn another person in a long time and he had forgotten how fulfilling it could be.
“This is very good,” Radek said, breaking Evan out of his reverie.
Evan blushed. “Thanks. I-I, uh, I didn’t mean to draw you. It was just that you were right here and before I realized it –”
“It’s okay,” Radek assured. “I could,” he bit his lip for a second, “I could sit for you – if you’d like.”
Evan was sure agreeing would cross a line, but it had been a long time since he’d indulged this part of himself and it would be nice to have someone other than one of the other cowboys to use as an inadvertent model. “Okay,” he said. “How about we do it tomorrow?”
“Sure. Just let me know.”
In bed later that night, Evan couldn’t get his mind off the adjacent room’s occupant. He’d always had a thing for smart guys and Radek definitely had that in spades. And even if he wasn’t conventionally handsome, he was good-looking, as well as personable and he had a sense of humor to match Evan’s. And they worked well together and Evan was surprised at how comfortable he felt around Radek.
Arousal started to pool in his groin and Evan pushed his hand s under his pillow. He’d been completely celibate for a few years now, and he wasn’t going to change that now.
His body slowly relaxed and he began to doze when he heard the other bedroom’s door open, movement outside his door, then saw light hit the opposite wall for a few seconds before the bathroom door closed. Evan turned on his side towards the wall and finally fell asleep.
The next morning, Evan woke relaxed and comfortable, a warm presence pressed against his back. An arm was wrapped firmly around his waist and there was an erection pressed against the crack of his ass. Someone muttered unintelligible words sleepily and the warm breath tickled the back of his neck before soft lips pressed against his skin. Evan’s brow furrowed and he scrambled out of bed, doing his best to not get tangled in the covers or wake the intruder, until he had an idea of who he was dealing with.
Looking back at the bed, he found Radek blinking at him sleepily. Unsure of what to say or do, Evan grabbed some clothes and fled into the bathroom. Only once he had shut himself in and taken a few deep breaths, did his own morning erection register. Diligently ignoring it, Evan went through his morning ablutions and changed. Unconsciously, he then headed outside to begin his morning chores.
The physical labor of moving and feeding the horses, then mucking out their stalls before turning them out to pasture did little to help calm his mind. That moment of contentment before he’d realized something was wrong kept replaying in his mind, despite his attempts to redirect his thoughts. His decision to be celibate had always been just that – his decision. When he joined the Air Force, he’d locked that part of himself away, knowing that while the option was still there, sex was too risky to even think about. And when he landed on the ranch – it still wasn’t an option because he wasn’t going to allow anything to undermine his relationship with the men. It had been a necessary sacrifice he’d been willing to make.
Until now. He’d been able to ignore it for most of the previous day, but he couldn’t do it now. He felt like his body was responding viscerally to Radek, like everything about him was calling out to Evan. And, to his surprise, he wanted to give in.
Unable to stall any longer, he went back into the house through the kitchen door. Just inside, he was stopped by the smell of coffee and breakfast cooking. Radek turned from the stove and looked at him sheepishly. “I would like to humbly apologize for what happened this morning. I honestly have no idea how I got there.”
“Apology accepted,” Evan replied, knowing it was the only way to gracefully handle the situation. “Smells good. Let me know when you’re done so I can make some for myself.”
“I hope you don’t mind – I made breakfast for you as a means of apology. It should be ready in a moment.”
“Then I’ll go wash up.” Evan toed out of his boots and headed to the downstairs bathroom.
Evan also used the time to clear his mind and remind himself that he needed to be in control here, not his emotions. Returning to the kitchen, he poured himself a mug of coffee and refreshed Radek’s mug as Radek dished out the food and placed the plates on the table.
“Everything smells great,” Evan said, sitting down.
“Let’s hope it tastes great too,” Radek replied as he joined him. “Have the others already gone?”
“It’s not burnt or unnecessarily on fire, so I’m sure it’ll be at least good.” Evan spread some butter on his toast. “You’d think a bunch of guys who have to fend for themselves would pick up some cooking skills, but such is not the case. I’ve been slowly trying to teach them the basics, but even that seems to elude them. And, yeah, they are. We’re usually up at the crack of dawn doing things. I’m allowing myself the luxury of sleeping in a bit while you’re here.”
Radek smiled as he sprinkled some pepper on his scrambled eggs. “I know what you mean. I hear stories from my coworkers of their attempts to cook things for their significant others and it seems that they aren’t much better off. I hope you won’t catch any flack for it.”
Evan took a bite of the eggs. “These are good,” he said to reassure Radek. “Eh. They’ll tease me a bit for a week or so, then somebody will do something more worthy of teasing. So I can chalk up cooking to another unusual talent of yours, along with having a number of advanced degrees and yet working in an IT firm. Anything else you want to spring on me?”
Radek shrugged. “I’m sure there may be more, but to me they’re normal things. What about you? Is there anything else other than an ex-Air Force pilot who’s now the head of a ranch, even though he has an art background? And who’s an extremely good sport?”
It was Evan’s turn to shrug. “Like you said, it seems normal to me.” Changing the subject, he asked, “How much longer do you think the work will take?”
“Shouldn’t be too much longer. The data entry will take the longest, but it looks like you have a handle on using the program, so continuing it after I leave shouldn’t be a problem for you. I need to make a few more tweaks to the website and I want to check over the billing program I installed. So I’m assuming this afternoon sometime?”
“That soon?” Evan asked in surprise. He quickly added, “I’ll admit, even though I use computers regularly, I have no concept of how long it takes to actually do things. I guess that means you’ll be leaving late this afternoon or early this evening, then?”
“If you’d like,” Radek replied. “But I did promise to sit for you and I’m not planning on going back on that promise.”
“That was a stupid idea,” Evan told him, blushing slightly. “Please don’t feel like you have to actually do it.”
“I would like to.” Radek took a sip of his coffee. “The idea of being a model, even if only you and I know about it is an interesting, and slightly exciting, proposition.” Evan could see the hint of mischief in Radek’s eyes and hear it in his voice. “In exchange for not rescinding, I’ll cook you dinner. I’ve been told I grill a mean steak.”
“How about we see how today goes? I want to say yes, but things can be very changeable out here and I might need to rush out.”
“Of course.”
They ate quietly for a while and Evan enjoyed it. He knew it was insane to let Radek stay past any necessary business, but he was finding it hard to say no to him. And his muse – damn it – was beginning to get ideas for poses. And not all of them were family-friendly. He shifted carefully in his seat as his brain wondered what Radek looked like nude and tried not to put that image together with the image of a sleepy Radek in his bed from that morning. A totally kissable, fuckable Radek.
“Something wrong?” Radek asked, snapping Evan back to the present.
“What?” Evan asked.
“You’ve been staring at your toast for a good two minutes. I was wondering if something was wrong.”
“No. No – everything’s fine. I guess I just zoned out.” He took a bite, chewing a little more viciously than necessary.
“Is there still coffee left?” Hicks asked as he came in with a large thermos.
“I don’t know if there’s enough for that thing, but there should be,” Evan asked. “And be careful – Radek made it, so it’s actually drinkable.”
“Maybe we should keep him then, if he can cook too,” Hicks replied as he emptied the pot into the thermos. “Feel like changing professions?” he teased.
“Depends on the offer you make me,” Radek replied good-naturedly. Hicks laughed as he screwed the cap on and left.
Evan helped Radek clean up when they’d finished, and he liked how easy it was with Radek. There was no expectation of anything – as much as his brain might be trying to convince him differently, and he was certain Radek didn’t feel similarly, so there was nothing to worry about. Once Radek was gone, he’d be able to get himself back under control and then it would be back to normal. And things would be busy on the ranch, so he wouldn’t have to worry about getting sidetracked again.
They went into the office and started up their laptops. Evan checked the weather forecast, the news, and his email before settling in to chip away at the old accounts. While he knew that a fair amount of them were no longer necessary, he wanted to keep them for a “just in case of the worst case scenario” – a part of his training coming to the fore and wanting to make sure his ass was covered from all sides.
Radek checked his email as well, huffed in amused exasperation at one or two before replying, then set to work as well. When he’d finished on the website, he showed it to Evan and walked him through the different parts of the site. Evan grinned. It looked better than he’d ever imagined. Aside from giving Radek a graphic of the ranch’s logo and all the information he asked for, Evan had told him he wasn’t sure what he wanted; and, despite the lack of direction, the end result was perfect. Radek then showed him how to access the website and gave him a crash course in site maintenance, before writing it all down for him.
With the website out of the way, Radek went through the billing program and double-checked everything was set up to Evan’s specifications. After it was done, he made sure that Evan knew the program’s ins and outs in case of a problem. And throughout, Evan would have to pause from time to time to deal with the normal day-to-day stuff of the ranch. When they were both satisfied, he sat back with a happy sigh. “I think I can now safely say that with the exception of those files, you are now completely in the twenty-first century. How do you feel about all of it?”
“Good,” Evan said, stretching his shoulders and back before sitting back. “A little overwhelmed, but I’m sure that’ll pass as I get used to this stuff. This will be good. It should help things run smoother. We might be a tiny operation in the grand scheme of things, but locally we’re a large enough fish to make things interesting.”
“I’m sure. I hadn’t thought about what cattle ranches do in this day and age – I’ve always taken the food at the supermarket for granted, so it’s been quite an education. How about some lunch?”
Seeing it was the middle of the afternoon, Evan’s stomach growled. “Sure.” They headed out to the kitchen and made sandwiches.
“When are your men expecting to finish with the calves?” Radek asked as they ate.
“In about a day or so. Were you thinking of finding a way to stick around so you can see how some real cowboys work?” he teased.
“Maybe,” Radek replied, the mischievous look was back and this time it sparked something low in Evan’s belly. Then the look was gone as he casually added, “Unless you’d rather I didn’t.”
“I’d like it if you stayed,” Evan replied. “It’ll be nice to have company that isn’t one of those guys. As much as I like them, when you’re with a bunch of people for most of the day in close quarters, it can get a bit tense. Don’t you have to get back?”
“I probably should, but I have some vacation time due to me, or I could fabricate some sort of story about your systems continually getting fried by freak thunderstorms or that you’re an idiot and keep messing things up. Whatever we end up doing, it would be worth the twenty minute rant I get from Rodney about allowing myself to be steam-rolled by idiots.”
Evan laughed. “You could be a really bad influence if you set your mind to it.”
“How do you know I’m not already one? I could be corrupting the young minds at my work.” Putting the dishes in the sink for later, he turned and leaned back against the counter. “So – about this modeling bit. Where and how do you want me? I was thinking about it and I’m all for anything – including full nudity.”
Evan rolled his eyes in amusement as they left the kitchen. “We’ll start off with something a little tamer first. Let’s go back to my room – less chance of being disturbed and made fun of.”
“Are you sure you won’t be missed?”
“If they need me, they’ll figure it out. Besides, that’s what the comms are for.” At Radek’s confused look, he showed him the one in his ear. “Did you think I was crazy and was talking to myself?”
“I used to work in an environment where people talked to themselves all the time – myself included. I tend to tune it out if I’m not involved.” Evan nodded in understanding as he shut his door, then sat at his desk and readied his supplies.
Sitting on Evan’s bed, Radek asked, “Do the others know you’re gay?”
“I’ve never officially told them, but I think they know – they’re a pretty intuitive bunch. What about you?”
Radek shrugged. “The same. Though, unlike you, I felt the need to hide myself. I’ve seen a few people since coming to America, but never anything serious. How do you want me?”
Evan wanted to say, ‘Any way you want,’ but settled with, “Just get comfortable and we’ll start with that.”
Radek settled on the bed with his back against the wall, his legs tucked under him and his hands folded in his lap. He took a deep breath and relaxed, his eyes closing. “If I start snoring, I’m sorry,” he said. “It’s very relaxing here and I think my body’s starting to take advantage of that.”
“If you want to leave, feel free,” Evan said, his hand pausing above the page. “We don’t have to do this.”
Radek shook his head. “No, I want to. Granted, it’s not something that was on my bucket list, but it’s definitely not something I’d ever thought I’d do. Please, continue.”
Evan shook his head in amusement and started drawing. The picture came quickly and he enjoyed the easy work and how it let him relax. He did two versions – one black and white and the other in color. “How are you doing?” he asked as he initialed and dated both of them before carefully tearing them out of his sketchbook.
“Good,” Radek replied, slowly opening his eyes. “Enjoying the peace and quiet. How are the drawings coming?” Evan showed them to him. “Amazing! May I have one?”
“You can have both, if you’d like.”
“You should keep one – add it to your portfolio. Okay, what next? Should I –” He started undoing the buttons on his shirt and wiggled his eyebrows.
Evan huffed in amusement. “Are you trying to figure out a way to get laid without actually asking for it directly?” he teased.
Radek stopped with the top two opened and said, “Maybe. But I’m fine with asking directly too. Maybe I was just trying to see if I could rile you up.”
“And why would you want to do that?”
“Because I like to flirt and because it’s fun watching you almost blush. You sure you won’t think about having a little fling? It might do you some good.”
“I’ve been doing just fine,” Evan replied, a little more tersely than he’d intended. Looking up from sharpening his pencils, he amended, “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sure you mean well, but I’ve been doing just fine without since I joined the Air Force and I don’t feel any desire to change that now.”
“Are you sure?” Radek asked serious. “Because I’m fairly certain you’ve been looking at me a few times while we’ve been working – and I don’t think all those glances during the ride were solely to make sure I was still on P.J.”
“I – uh –” Evan opened and closed his mouth a few times.
“And I’m sure you’ll agree that this morning was nice – even if it was an accident. I’m not asking for much – just a fun little romp. I think it’ll do us both good if we take the chance and blow off a little steam.”
“Just once?” Evan asked skeptically. He may be celibate, but he was still a man, not a saint, and he’d be lying if he said he’d never had times where he wished he hadn’t made that decision.
“Just once – or more, if you want. You dictate the terms. Did you want to do any more pictures?”
“I’m good for now. Maybe we could do it again tomorrow, if you’re planning on sticking around?”
Radek nodded, and his gaze became thoughtful. “What are you scared of?” he asked.
“What do you mean?” Evan asked, confused at the change in subject.
Radek leaned forward, his forearms on his knees. “I just figured that if you’ve been celibate this long – especially now that you have ways of dealing with it and the men who work for you would be okay with it, then there must be something that worries you.” Radek stood. “Whatever it is, you don’t have to be scared with me.” He closed the space between them and Evan automatically opened his knees and Radek moved into his personal space. “If you don’t trust yourself, trust me. I promise I’ll take good care of you.”
Radek brushed a strand of hair off Evan’s forehead and let his fingers trail down Evan’s jaw to his chin. He pushed Evan’s chin up with two fingers and bent down to capture Evan’s lips with his own. Evan groaned into Radek’s mouth and the softness of Radek’s lips combined with a day’s worth of stubble felt better than Evan remembered. Radek cupped Evan’s face with his hands and licked Evan’s lips, seeking entrance – which Evan granted, his hands meanwhile coming up to grasp Radek’s hips. Radek deepened the kiss and Evan groaned again, causing Radek to smile against him. Radek’s kiss felt like a bucket of water had been poured over him after a hard day’s ride.
Radek pulled away reluctantly, and Evan whimpered. Radek grinned. “I’m not going anywhere, I promise,” he said huskily, taking Evan’s hand. “Come on, I just think we should move to somewhere we’ll be more comfortable.”
He pulled Evan up and over to the bed and Evan’s body’s willingness to comply surprised Evan. Evan was suddenly nervous. What if he didn’t measure up to Radek’s other partners? He obviously had more experience than Evan had.
“Hey, hey. It’s okay,” Radek told him. “If you don’t want to continue, we don’t have to continue.”
“I do,” Evan managed. “It’s just that – I’m not as experienced as you and –”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m certainly not. Right now, it’s about me and you and what we’re doing. And I’m planning on having a great time. Now, I think we were right about here.”
Radek began kissing Evan again – this time more passionately and Evan was certain his brain was going to melt and dribble out his ears. He faltered slightly, then began matching Radek’s intensity. Radek rolled his hips against Evan’s and Evan could feel his arousal through their pants and it sent a river of desire down to his groin. Radek maneuvered them around then pushed Evan down on the bed. Evan looked up at him, panting and with lust-filled eyes. Radek returned the look as his eyes wandered over Evan’s body, lingering on his groin and Evan looked down to find a bulge in his pants to match the one in Radek’s.
Radek quickly disrobed of his shirt, shoes, and socks, then paused with his hands on the clasp of his pants. “Are you sure about this?” he asked and Evan nodded. He may regret it later, but he was definitely sure at this particular moment.
Radek popped open the button, then slowly opened the zipper, watching with amusement as Evan’s eyes tracked the zipper’s progress against his bulge. Once they were opened, Radek shucked them off, leaving only his erection straining against a pair of briefs. Radek may be on the wiry side, but Evan definitely liked what he saw.
“Now, I think it’s your turn,” he said, joining Evan on the bed and leaning over him and pressing him back against the bed.
Radek began kissing Evan again as he slowly began unbuttoning Evan’s shirt with one hand, the light touch tickling Evan’s chest. When it was open, Evan shucked it off and Radek’s hand began caressing his chest as they kissed languidly. Evan relaxed into the touch and reached up to tangle a hand in Radek’s hair. Radek took that as a cue to move on and began kissing down Evan’s neck and chest to his left nipple. He took the nub into his mouth and played with it. Evan moaned and arched up against his mouth. Radek released it and kissed his way over to the other nipple and did the same thing, getting the same response.
“Like that?” he asked looking up at Evan.
“Like anything, really,” Evan said breathlessly.
“I’m sure you do,” Radek replied. “I bet everything feels good right now.”
Evan could only nod as Radek went back to kissing his way down Evan’s stomach. When he reached Evan’s waistband, he looked up at Evan. Evan nodded and he opened Evan’s jeans, and Evan arched up so Radek could take them off along with his shoes and socks. Evan’s erection tented his boxers and the tip peeked out of the slit. Evan watched as Radek shucked his own underwear, his erection curved up towards his stomach, the head glistening with precome. Evan decided to join him and pushed off his own boxers and kicked them off the bed.
He blushed as he watched Radek’s gaze concentrate on him, focusing on memorizing every last detail – from the way his hair fell to the tips of his toes and everything in between – and especially his erection, which was sticking straight up and had darkened considerably. Radek rejoined him and settled on top of Evan, their erections rubbing together, sending sparks of pleasure through his body. Evan rolled his hips against Radek’s and Radek grinned down at him. Evan tentatively put his hands on Radek’s ass and held him in place as they rubbed against each other. Radek watched him intently the whole time, cataloguing each expression, each breath and moan as they moved towards orgasm. And Radek wasn’t quiet either – he moaned, gasped, and groaned throughout. Evan couldn’t believe how good it felt. He had forgotten exactly how amazing it was. He felt his cock tighten a little more, then he came hard, splattering against both of them, and his vision whited out for a moment.
When he came to, Radek was grinning down at him and their cocks were softening. “You weren’t lying when you said it’s been a while,” he said. “That was some orgasm.”
It took Evan a moment to find his voice. “Told you.” He pointed at the desk. “Tissues are on the desk, if you want to clean us up. I don’t think I’ll be able to move for a few days.”
Radek laughed and complied. Once they’d been cleaned up and the tissues disposed of, Radek joined him on the bed. “I hope that was satisfactory,” he said as he curled up against Evan’s side and Evan wrapped an arm around his back.
“Definitely,” Evan replied with a yawn. “Sorry.”
Radek smiled at him affectionately and gently stroked his chest. “I’m sure it’s too soon to ask this, but do you think it’s possible we could maybe....”
“I don’t know,” Evan replied, gently stroking Radek’s back. “Ask me later.”
They laid together for a while, content to just be with each other. Evan had to admit – it had felt amazing. And as the minutes ticked by, he became more certain the world wasn’t going to end. Not that he’d honestly believed it would, but it had felt wrong to even think about sex for a long time.
“What made you decide to become completely celibate?” Radek asked softly, looking up at Evan. “I know you said you decided against having sex while in the Air Force – and I can understand why – but why not even masturbating from time to time? Or starting again once you got out? Obviously, this place takes up a lot of time, but there are ways around it.”
Evan shrugged. “I don’t know. I think I figured if I even masturbated, somehow the other soldiers would know and that would be it. And once I got out, I was used to it, so I didn’t give it much of a second thought. And I was busy here. And one day turned into two turned into three and now it’s been a few years and I couldn’t say I missed it most of the time, because I didn’t. But after what we just did – wow.”
“Feel up to some more?” Radek asked lightly.
“What do you have in mind?” Evan asked guardedly.
“Well, it’s been a long time since I’ve fellated someone.”
Evan laughed and his cock stirred. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard it said that way. For that, I’ll let you give it a shot.”
He watched in amusement as Radek leaned up and gave him a peck on the lips before sliding down his body and settling between Evan’s legs. He sucked lightly on the tip of Evan’s cock and Evan moaned as waves of pleasure flowed through his body. Radek slowly took more of Evan’s hardening cock into his mouth, sucking as he went, his throat relaxing when necessary to deep-throat Evan’s cock, until his lips touched the base of Evan’s cock. Evan groaned and arched up into the tight, wet heat as Radek slowly pulled himself off, sucking hard the whole time. Evan relaxed bonelessly against the bed. He lost all concept of space and time as Radek concentrated on his cock –nipping, licking, and sucking up and down the length, as well as his distended balls. Evan tangled his hands in Radek’s hair, and when Radek took the head of Evan’s cock in his mouth, carefully arched against him. Radek moaned softly and Evan pushed a little further before sinking back down, Radek chasing him. Huh. Evan began slowly fucking Radek’s mouth and Radek relaxed his mouth and throat and let him do it, alternating his sucking as Evan took his pleasure. Finally, it was too much for Evan and he came. Radek swallowed his come and licked him clean when he was done.
Releasing Evan’s cock, Radek settled back against him and kissed Evan deeply. Evan could taste himself on Radek and decided he liked it. Pulling away, he said, “I’m sorry – I’m not very good at blow-jobs.”
“It’s okay,” Radek replied, wrapping a hand against his straining erection. “I can take care of it.”
Evan batted his hand away. “It’s only fair I do it for you.”
He wrapped his hand around the base of Radek’s cock and began slowly stroking it. It was weird how different, yet alike, their cocks were. Evan’s was a little longer, but Radek’s was a little thicker, and the skin on both was amazingly soft and sensitive. Radek closed his eyes, twisted his hands in the sheets, and arched up into his hand and Evan watched his face for clues and altered his ministrations accordingly. Suddenly, Radek came and Evan caught most of it in his hand. Curious, he licked it off, and was surprised to find it salty-sweet. When Radek opened his eyes, Evan smiled at him and kissed him.
“Thank you,” Radek said.
“Stay a bit?” Evan asked.
“Of course,” Radek replied and Evan pulled the cover up over them.
A beeping went off nearby and Radek groaned in Evan’s ear. Evan opened his eyes and saw sunlight streaming through the window. Definitely morning, then. Radek slid over Evan, their bodies rubbing together deliciously, and, quickly putting on his glasses, got out of bed to retrieve his phone from his pants. He sat down on the edge of the bed and checked the text message.
Radek sighed. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to cut this slice of heaven short,” he said. “Rodney needs me back at headquarters. Normally, I’d tell him to handle it himself, but he’s used the deal-breaker code.”
“Deal-breaker code?” Evan asked, confused and still mostly asleep.
“AFSAFP,” Radek said and added, by way of explanation, “as fucking soon as fucking possible.” He leaned over and kissed Evan lightly. “Thank you for the past couple days. I’ve enjoyed it immensely. And, no, I’m not just saying that because we had sex. I did really enjoy all of it. I’ll call you when I get a chance and we’ll get everything settled, okay?”
Evan nodded. “Okay.” He sat up as Radek stood and dressed.
Radek paused at the door and winked at him before heading next door to pack his things. Evan got up and pulled on his clothes from the night before and went into the guestroom. “Would you like me to make you some breakfast before you go?” he asked.
“Thank you, but no.” Radek replied, closing his bag. “When Rodney gets like this, I really do need to get to him ASAP. I’ll just get something on the way. Depending on how things go, either I or someone from the office will call you this afternoon or tomorrow to settle the account. And I’m sorry about having to leave like this.”
Feeling a little lost, Evan followed him to the office and watched Radek pack up his laptop and gather a few other odds and ends. Evan helped him carry a bag out to his car and after everything was in, they both hesitated for a moment, before Radek pulled him close and kissed him hard. “This isn’t a definite good-bye,” he said.
Evan nodded. “I’ll see you, then,” he said. Radek nodded and got into his car. Evan watched him drive away, then ran a hand through his wild hair. He considered getting a shower, then decided against it since he still needed to do chores and headed to the barn.
When he got back inside, Stackhouse and Markham were sitting at the kitchen table reading the paper. “What happened?” Stackhouse asked. “You didn’t scare him off, did you?”
“Nope,” Evan replied, pouring himself a cup of coffee. “He had an emergency at work.”
“You had a good night, though, right?” Markham asked, his eyes raking over Evan’s day old clothes in amusement and Evan almost choked on his coffee.
“Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t,” Evan replied, doing his best to not get testy, and took another big sip of coffee. He knew nothing was meant by it.
“Congratulations!” both of the guys replied. “It’s about damn time,” Stackhouse added. “We were getting worried about you,” Markham continued.
Evan rolled his eyes and headed towards the interior of the house. “I’m going to get a shower.”
Afterwards, he went to his office and fiddled with the new program, happy with the results. But his mind kept returning to Radek. How had the other man slipped through his well-crafted defenses? There was nothing remarkable about him, and yet Evan had felt an attraction to him from almost the beginning. And even now, he could still feel Radek’s lips against his, and the weight of his body on all the right places. And that mouth of his.... Evan smiled and shook his head.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then began mentally packing everything away. It was over with and there was no way it – or anything like it – was going to happen again and he had to get used to going without again.
Evan filled the rest of the day with odd tasks around the house and was surprised when Coughlin handed him the phone. “Evan Lorne,” he said reflexively as he screwed in a light bulb.
“Hi, my name is Katie Brown and I’m with Pegasus Computer Solutions,” a cheery female voice said. “I’m calling about your balance.”
“Yes, right,” Evan said. “Is it still the same amount as the invoice that Radek gave me?”
“It is,” she replied. “And all of our payment options are listed on there as well. Do you have any questions I could help you with?”
“Nope,” Evan replied. “Oh, wait – I do. Did Radek make it back all right? He left in a hurry this morning – something about a problem?”
“He did and everything is just fine, sir,” she replied smoothly, though Evan could hear a hint of surprise in her voice.
“Good, I’m glad,” he replied. “That’s it.”
“Have a good day, sir.”
“You too.” Evan hung up the phone and banged it against his forehead a few times, hoping he hadn’t sounded like such a love-sick puppy to her.
A week passed and Evan didn’t hear anything from Radek. He knew that he really shouldn’t have expected anything more from him. Radek had even said it himself – it had been a fun little romp for the two of them to blow off some steam. But at the same time.... He kept expecting Radek to come up the drive in that little car of his or for an email from him to pop up in Evan’s inbox or to hear his voice every time he answered the phone. And Evan knew how ridiculous it was – it had been a working relationship that had taken a pleasurable turn, but now it was over. And he needed to move on and not mope around like a schoolboy.
“You okay, boss?” Coughlin asked, startling Evan out of his reverie.
“Fine, why?” Evan replied.
“Because you’ve been staring at that saddle like it’s the most interesting thing in the world the whole time I’ve been taking care of my horse. You know you could call him or something.”
“Am I really that obvious?” Evan asked.
“Just a little,” Hicks replied. “Invent a reason if you need to – that computer program’s not working liked you’d hoped or something. At least then you’d be able to talk to him.”
Evan shook his head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“Four hours isn’t so bad, is it?” Hicks asked Coughlin. “You think we could manage the place for a day or two if necessary?”
“Maybe the two of you need to get your heads checked,” Evan replied with affectionate exasperation.
This was insane. He didn’t even know why he was doing this. There wasn’t even a good reason for doing this. Despite what a plethora of romantic comedies might tell you, a one-night stand was not reason enough to be doing this.
Evan sighed and leaned forward to rest his head on the steering wheel with a thud. There was no good explanation for why he was sitting in the Pegasus Computer Solutions parking lot. None, whatsoever. He should just turn around and go home. Because this was insane and if Radek hadn’t called him before now, it was obvious he wasn’t interested in more than just the job and getting laid. Which he probably did with everyone he worked with. He probably had a reputation of doing it, and if Evan mentioned it to anyone inside the building in front of him, they would surely laugh at him and ask him what exactly he had been expecting.
Truth was, Evan wasn’t sure what he was expecting. Aside from wanting to see Radek again and not give him a chance to back out of it.
A knock came on his window and Evan jumped. He slowly looked and saw Radek and a young woman standing outside. Radek smiled and waved and Evan rolled down the window. “What are you doing here?” Evan asked.
“I could ask you the same thing,” Radek replied. “Did you take a wrong turn somewhere during your chores this morning?”
“Very funny,” Evan replied dryly.
“Katie and I are going to lunch. Please join us.”
“Okay. Where?”
“I’ll drive, come on.”
Evan got out and held out a hand, “Evan Lorne,” he said.
“Katie Brown,” she replied and shook his hand before they started walking to Radek’s car. “Radek’s talked a lot about you. More than you’d expect for a two day job.”
“Really?” Evan asked, surprised. “I didn’t think it was more than a routine job.”
Amused, she said, “It wasn’t, but somehow you’ve seemed to charm him with your lifestyle and your surroundings. Whatever you Wyoming boys have going for you, it must be a great thing.”
“Yeah, it’s a state secret,” Evan responded with a chuckle. “Besides, I don’t know how much credit I can take for it, since I’m originally from San Francisco.”
Radek unlocked the car and they all got in, Katie taking the back seat. “It’s good to see you again, Evan,” he said as he started the car. “But I’ll admit I’m surprised you’re here. There haven’t been any frantic phone calls or emails, so I’m assuming you don’t have any computer issues?”
“Nope, the program works great and we’ve had a pretty good response to the website. I just –” He stopped and glanced back at Katie.
“She’s fine,” Radek replied neutrally.
“I missed you and wanted to actually see you. Which I know sounds really, really stalker-ish and I’m sorry. And I know I could’ve called, but... I don’t know. Somehow it didn’t seem like enough.”
There was a chuff of laughter from the backseat and Radek glared at her in the rearview mirror. “I’d like to say I’m flattered, but you’re right – it does seem on the stalker-ish side.” They pulled into a parking lot and as soon as Radek parked, Katie was out of the car and heading towards the busy diner to get a table. Turning towards Evan, Radek said, “But I’m willing to forgive you, because I’ve been thinking about you all week too. We should probably get our heads examined.”
“Do you think we could have fallen in love?” Evan asked.
“Love? It’s doubtful. Lust? Probably. Intense like? Definitely. I really wish we could’ve seen where things would have gone if I hadn’t had to leave so abruptly. And it really was an emergency – we had a horrible virus hit most of our highest priority clients and it took us days to eradicate it.”
“Do you think there’s a chance for us?”
“Do you want there to be a chance for us?” Radek asked, throwing it back at him.
“I don’t know,” Evan replied. “Now that I’m here, I’m seeing how crazy this is. We have two really different lives four hours apart.”
“There are couples who’ve done worse than that,” Radek replied. “Besides, there are a lot of options available – such as phone calls, Skype, email, texting... sexting.” They both giggled. “How about we see how lunch goes?”
Evan nodded and they got out of the car. Meeting at the front of it, Radek pulled Evan to him and kissed him intently. “Hello,” he said when they pulled apart.
“Hi,” Evan replied shyly.
They joined Katie at the table, sitting next to each other, and took their time perusing the menu. During the meal, they made small talk and Katie did a good job of subtly grilling Evan for his side of the story and she seemed very satisfied with him – which pleased Radek, and made Evan relax.
Once they were back at the office, Radek asked, “So how long can I have you for?”
“I’ve been informed that the ranch can run itself without my help at least through tomorrow, so as long as you want.”
Radek grinned. “Great. We’ll start with this afternoon and take things from there. Katie – please inform Rodney that I’m taking the afternoon off and will not be available.”
She nodded and got out of the car. “Have fun, you two.”
They watched her until she was inside the building. Turning back to Evan, Radek said, “Come on, let me show you around town.”
“Actually, I was hoping you’d show me around your bed first. It’s only fair, considering I showed you mine.”
Radek shook his head in amusement. “Yes, you did. But you did take me for a horseback ride first.”
Evan laughed. “I can’t argue with that. Lead on.”
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