STORY EXCERPT

“Bartender!”

Apollo was startled for two reasons. The first one was that the stranger, who had shouted for the bartender, was standing so close to him that their sides were almost touching. The bar might be crowded that evening, but it wasn’t to the extent that made it necessary for this unknown man to invade Apollo’s personal space. The second was that the man was really tall and muscular.

Apollo rarely had the opportunity to say that about somebody because he was a big man himself. His height was six feet and five inches, and he weighed two hundred and sixty-eight pounds of muscles everywhere. The man to his right side was probably as tall as him. Or maybe a tad shorter. His fellow customer obviously had a lot of muscles, though. The stranger’s build wasn’t as big as Apollo’s. However, based on Apollo’s rough estimation, he guessed that the man was only twenty to thirty pounds lighter than him.

Then Apollo smelled the overwhelming stench of a mixture of alcohol, stale sweat, and leftover scent of cologne coming from the man, and he grimaced in disgust. This customer must be employed at a place that required plenty of physical activities. It was the only thing that could explain why the man’s body odor was so strong. He must have come straight to the bar after work and been there for quite a while, and he must have consumed a lot of alcoholic beverages for the entire duration because he seemed terribly intoxicated.

Just then, the bartender approached the customer, who was beginning to sway some. The man almost toppled over to the side, and he would have partially landed on top of Apollo if the bartender hadn’t grabbed his right wrist in the nick of time. Apollo sighed and got up before wrapping one arm around the man’s waist. He wasn’t the type to get caught up in someone else’s business, but he couldn’t leave this drunk man alone.

“I got him,” Apollo informed the bartender. “Is this guy a regular here at the bar? Do you know?”

The bartender shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m only covering a shift for another bartender. He came into the bar all by himself, though.”

Apollo wished that he hadn’t foolishly involved himself in the situation, but he did, and he couldn’t just abandon the man right there at the bar, especially since the idiot was now leaning against him and snoring way too comfortably. He froze when the man abruptly woke up for a moment and started sobbing quietly against his neck while calling out for a woman named Cynthia. The man sounded like he was hurting. Apollo didn’t know what possessed him to even entertain the idea, but he decided to be a good Samaritan that evening. He would drag the stranger out of the bar and call a taxi or ride-sharing service so the bartender could remain at the bar and handle the customers.

“Can you settle our bills?” Apollo addressed the bartender before looking at the man, who was still clinging on to him.

“I can do that,” the bartender answered. “That guy opened a tab earlier. I’ll settle his bills first before yours.”

Apollo nodded while the unknown man was asleep once again. While the bartender was taking care of the bills, Apollo carefully attempted to keep the man in his arms as steady as possible. Fortunately for him, the man also had a death grip on his shirt. The bartender returned a short while later, giving Apollo a credit card while slipping the other one into the pocket of the sleeping man’s pants.

“Can you check his wallet for an ID or something?” Apollo asked the bartender. “I need to know his address.”

The bartender complied, but he couldn’t locate the identification card. “What now?”

Apollo sighed. “I’ll think of something.”

ADULT EXCERPT

After soaking in the tub for almost thirty minutes, Soren decided that it was time to get out, and Apollo agreed. The cupboard next to the bathtub didn’t only contain bath salts, soaps, and shampoos. Apollo had also stored clean towels and bathrobes in it. He got a towel for Soren and another one for himself. However, instead of rubbing himself dry with his towel, he chose to use it on Soren.

“I can—”

“Please allow me to do it for you,” Apollo interrupted with a grin.

Soren chuckled. “Be my guest then.”

Apollo focused on the lower half of Soren’s body while his date dealt with the rest. In all honesty, he was really tempted to grab Soren’s cock, which was hard and throbbing, and suck on it, but he refrained because he wanted their first time making love to be on a comfortable bed. He shoved all of the naughty thoughts to the back of his mind for the time being, concentrating fully on making sure that he got rid of every single water droplet on Soren’s legs. He was startled when Soren suddenly started using the towel on his hair. He glanced upward and smiled at Soren.

“What are you doing?”

“Making sure that you don’t catch a cold or worse,” Soren replied. “Growing up, my grandma told me many times that I should never leave my hair wet for too long. Am I being too rough on you?”

“Not at all! You can be a lot more aggressive with my hair. Or any part of me.”

Soren chortled. “Don’t tease me, man.”

Apollo laughed, but he didn’t utter another word. A short while later, he and Soren walked out naked from the bathroom hand in hand. They had put the towels in one of the laundry baskets near to the bathroom door. Once they reached the bedroom, Apollo got on the bed first and slipped under the massive blanket because the room was cold. Almost freezing, even. The air conditioner was on full blast because it was summer, and Apollo’s insomnia would be so much worse if the room was warm. He patted the spot right next to him, and Soren nodded before climbing onto the bed. Apollo was glad that Soren opted to sleep on top of his outstretched arm while snuggling really close to him because he could hug the man much more easily that way.

“May I kiss you?”

“You may do a lot more than that,” Soren answered while beaming widely at Apollo.

Apollo leaned forward and pressed his lips against Soren’s. The two of them were lying sideways on the bed, and since Apollo was only an inch taller than Soren, he barely had to bend his head downward to capture his lover’s lips. Making out with Soren felt so much more exquisitely pleasurable than any of the men that Apollo had locked lips with previously. Apollo guessed it was because he had romantic feelings for Soren, and the best part was that it was reciprocated.

The kiss was gentle at first. Apollo and Soren nibbled each other’s lips, and every once in a while, they would tenderly swipe their tongues together while trading spit. However, as the heated passion between them grew much more intense, Apollo could sense his self-control vanishing bit by bit until he couldn’t take it anymore. He pushed Soren flat on the bed before pinning the man down with the entirety of his body weight. Their kisses became more ferocious. They panted louder while they were dueling it out with their tongues. Apollo wrapped his arms around Soren’s back, holding his lover tightly. Possessively. At the same time, Soren was clinging on to Apollo, seemingly in desperation. It was as if he would never let go of Apollo. Not now. Not ever. Apollo didn’t mind it at all. He welcomed it.

“Fuck!” Apollo exclaimed softly a few seconds after breaking away from Soren. “You have no idea how fucking crazy I am about you. You drive me fucking nuts. Your face and body. Your voice and scent.”

“What about my cock?” Soren asked with a snicker before bucking upward and humping against Apollo at an excruciatingly snail-like pace.

“That, too. Goddammit! Yeah, just like that. Oh, motherfucker! Shit! I can feel your cock pulsing repeatedly against mine, and it’s burning hot!”

“Do you really like it?”

Apollo huffed in amusement. “Hell, yeah!”

Then he gasped in surprise when Soren abruptly shoved him away, and he somehow ended up on his back on the bed. For the next second or two, he wondered what was about to occur next, and he quickly found out when Soren straddled his waist and kissed him. On the forehead and cheeks. So tender and sweet. After that, Soren licked Apollo everywhere. He started with Apollo’s ears and neck, lapping at every inch so thoroughly as if he was attempting to memorize the taste.

After what felt like an eternity of blissful torture for Apollo, Soren explored some other parts. Apollo squirmed and even giggled when Soren dove into one of his pits, sniffing and bathing it in spit. He instinctively tried to get away. However, Soren obviously refused to let it happen. Apollo could only stay put where he was while Soren finished up with one armpit before moving on to the other. Soren also nursed on Apollo’s nipples one at a time, suckling on them like a thirsty man.

Apollo moaned over and over again while the rapture that surged through every fiber of his being was propelling him toward what might be the most mind-blowing orgasm. With his other sexual partners, he could generally last for a long time. Soren was an exception. Apollo had a strong feeling that he could never win against Soren. Everything about Soren must have been designed by the higher power above to drive Apollo mad with lust.