Page 14 of Trust and Obey

By the time Kendall set down the drink, I had worked up a fine head of steam. Throwing all caution to the wind, I reached out and grabbed his wrist. “I thought I told you to take the day off.”

He didn’t jerk his hand away, but his green eyes were hard with warning. “You don’t have the authority to do that. Besides, I can still work.”

“Says who?”

“My manager, and me.”

“You hit your head.” As I said it, I realized that I was truly beginning to be upset on his behalf. “Concussions are not a joke.”

To my surprise, his expression softened. Turning his hand in my grip, he patted my own arm in a there-there gesture. “It’s not a concussion. It’s just a little bump.”

“But—”

“I have to work, Deacon. If I’m not assisting you, then I help out at other parts of the resort.” He had the audacity to wink at me. “I told you I was great at mixing drinks.”

“Fine,” I snarled, suddenly exasperated. Taking my glass, I threw down a few dollars for a tip and walked away.

I wanted to find out who Kendall’s manager was, march up to him, and demand to know why he didn’t allow his employees sick time.

I had practically made it to the beach before my anger cooled and I realized I was acting like an overprotective, jealous boyfriend. The type of asshole who didn’t trust their partners when they said they were fine. I hadn’t ever been like that with my wife.

And Kendall wasn’t my wife.

He wasn’t even my boyfriend.

I shook my head and drank the whiskey sour.

Kendall was right. It was delicious.

* * *

I spent the day sightseeing along the beach. The island resort had a varied ecology that appealed to my inner environmental nerd who had been long buried by the needs of an ambitious business major. I had a feeling that the pristine white sand was imported, but the tidal pools further away from the villas were naturally occurring.

I spent a few happy hours clambering along sharp rocks, seeing fish and small crabs I normally only saw in salt-water tanks. There was even an octopus in one pool who seemed to be patiently waiting for the tide to come in. I suspected it had already made a dinner of the rest of the fish in the pool, as it looked completely empty.

My stomach rumbled. Huh. Dinner wasn’t a bad idea.

As I clambered and explored, I let the weird realization that I was attracted to a man filter through the layers of my mind. It was still a little odd, but not nearly as shocking. And as I slowly let myself become comfortable with the idea… it was intriguing.

Would sex with another man be different? Messier? Would it be better than with a woman?

So yes, I had found some peace with the realization that I wanted Kendall sexually, but I was nowhere near ready to explore further than that.

The best thing, for now, would be to ignore my feelings. After the divorce was finalized, I would be free to analyze this new part of myself.

With a nod and a final lingering farewell to the tide-pools, I made my way back to the villa.

I placed an order for dinner using the resort’s tablet, and then stepped into the shower for a quick rinse.

This time, I intentionally did not reach for my own cock. My mind and body were confused enough.

I regretted the decision almost at once. While toweling off, I heard a knock at the door. Kendall’s voice called out, “Dinner service!”

My traitorous cock stirred in interest.

I glared down, deliberately reached for a pair of fancy but neat slacks, and called back, “Come in!”

By the time I walked out, Kendall had my dinner laid out and was buzzing around the room, straightening, and dusting away my small amount of mess.

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