Page 26 of Jacked
“Excuse you, can you please refrain from discussing the hard-ons my boyfriends give you?” Ez tuts.
Butch smirks at him and gives him an exaggerated once-over now he’s not hidden behind Callan.
“Don’t worry, precious, I’ve still got plenty of attention to spare for you,” he purrs.
Ez blushes again and Silas chuckles from the back seat.
“I’m still hoping that campingis just a euphemism for an orgy.” Fender holds up crossed fingers on each hand.
“It’s not,” Callan says blandly.
I’m still trying to catch up to the fact that apparently every one of these dudes are gay and I somehow missed it these past couple of weeks as more sexually charged banter flies back and forth. Butch and Callan manage to get our stuff to fit intothe already overflowing trunk as Xeno and Dre untangle their tongues. I glance back at AJ again and he looks just as dazed as I feel.
“You good, dude?” I ask quietly.
Maybe he didn’t realize they were all gay either? It’s not a problem for me, but what if spending a weekend in the woods surrounded by gay dudes is too much for him? The familiar urge to defend guys like this, guys like my brother and Nolan, rises, but there’s something else there too, something more anxious and urgent deep in my chest. The panic on AJ’s face melts into an awkward but reassuring smile after a second and he nods.
“I’m cool,” he says, nodding at me to go ahead and get in the van.
It’s technically a nine-seater, but given that most of these dudes are bulkier than average, it’s a bit of a tight squeeze once we’re all seated and the doors are closed. The faint smell of gym socks and sweat hangs in the air, and Dre cranks up some classic rock on the radio as he pulls away from the curb. Gay or not, I’m fucking stoked for a weekend of male bonding out in the great outdoors.
AJ
Okay, so they’re allgay. Not gonna lie, it took me a second to process, but it’s fine. I’mfine. Honestly, I’m more rattled by whatever the fuck that was back at the apartment right before we left. I can still feel the ghost of the shape of Slater’s cock pressed between my ass cheeks.
My stomach heats and squirms and I do my damnedest to push the thoughts away. It was nothing. Who hasn’t gotten an adrenaline boner while roughhousing before? It used to happen to meall the timewhen I was younger. Sure, it hasn’t happenedin years, but I also haven’t wrestled around with anyone in years either.
Fender leans over in his captain’s chair—I’d like to know who the fuck I can petition next time to get one of those instead of ending up squished into the back seat—and gives me a curious look.
“Alright, be for real now guys, we’re all just a bunch of gal pals here with nothing to hide.” He narrows his eyes and looks between Slater and me.
“Huh?” Slater cocks his head in confusion.
“We’re straight,” I say, trying not to sound defensive and tryingreallyhard not to squirm in my seat as everyone else turns to look at us at the same time.
Fender’s face is blank for a half second, and then he throws his head back and brays with laughter.
“Hold the fuck up,” he says once he manages to get his cackling under control. Next to him, Butch unbuckles his seat belt and knee walks over to hug him.
“You’re the fuckup, right?” Butch says solemnly, and Fender falls into another fit of laughter.
“Dick,” he mutters, giving Butch the finger as he gets back into his seat. “No, seriously though, I’m trying to work out why in the hell a straight dude would evenwantto work at a gym smack dab in the middle of Boystown.”
Slater leans forward in his seat. “Okay, what the fuck is Boystown? My brother won’t tell me. Every time I ask he just starts laughing.”
Silas’s eyebrows shoot up and he pats Slater on the thigh. “Oh, you sweet summer child. You are too precious for this world, aren’t you?”
“For the love of fuck, somebody please just tell me,” Slater begs.
My attention zeroes in on Silas’s hand still resting casually on Slater’s thigh, and for some reason, it makes me unreasonably grumpy. Like I want to reach over and make him move it. I’m just being protective of my bestie, that’s all. He doesn’t want that big oaf pawing at him. Before I can do anything about it, Silas pulls his hand back on his own.
“Boystown is the nickname for the neighborhood. It’s the oldest recognized gay village in the States,” Butch explains.
“Oh.”
My stomach twists again and I huff out an involuntary laugh. I feel like the universe is playing some kind of massive trick on me. Somehow I ended up living in gayville and working at a gay gym without realizing it. Maybe it was some higher power’s way of getting rid of the pit of anxiety in my stomach about gay shit. Like exposure therapy or something.
I glance over at Slater, who looks perfectly relaxed, my favorite big, dopey smile on his face. He’s as straight as I am and he doesn’t melt into Straight Dude Panic every time a guy checks him out. I can be more chill about it like he is. I’ll work on it if I have to.
