The Rules of Dating a Younger Man

“Holy fuck,” I muttered to myself. I’d completely forgotten I was still on the phone.

Alex’s breathy voice reminded me. “I’ll take that to mean you appreciate the view?”

Considering I was salivating, appreciate didn’t feel like a strong-enough word. Alex stood at the window, pink dress gone, clad only in a nude, lacy bra and underwear. Fucking phenomenal was more like it. Where the hell was a set of binoculars when you needed one? What I wouldn’t give to see that close up, run my fingers over the lace and feel her gorgeous curves beneath. “You’re exquisite, Alex.” I swallowed. “Would you turn around for me?”

The line was quiet, except for the sound of our heavy breathing. I stared across the way, feeling my heart hammer inside my chest. After a few seconds, she turned.

Thank you, Lord.

A thong.

A fucking thong.

I groaned. “What I would do to that ass if I were there…”

“Are you an ass man, Brayden?”

“I’m an Alex man. There’s not one thing about you that doesn’t turn me on. I’m not exaggerating either. Today when we were buying the stove, you asked the guy checking us out if he had any coupons lying around, and it made me want to wrap your hair around my fist and yank your mouth to mine.”

“Mmm… That sounds really good.”

I closed my eyes. “It’s taking everything in me to stay where I am and not come to your room right now.”

“Maybe that’s what I want—your mouth on me, my hair pulled.”

“Say that again tomorrow, sweetheart, and try to stop me—all that and more.” I blew out a shaky breath. “Now turn around again so I can take one last look. As much as I’m loving every second of this, I don’t want anyone else seeing you this way.”

Alex turned. My eyes raked slowly up and down her incredible body, searing it into my memory. “Thank you.”

“Sweet dreams, Brayden. I know I’ll be having them.”

“Goodnight, babe. Don’t forget to pull the curtains.”

“Okay.”

After the line went dead, Alex wiggled her fingers in a wave before closing the drapes. With the peep show over, I turned and looked around my room. There wasn’t much more to it than a bed, dresser, TV, and lamp. And I was way too wired to go to sleep now, even after all the wine we’d had tonight. I thought about going to the hotel gym, or maybe even out for a run. Although neither of those would be too comfortable with the erection currently bulging from my underwear. So I settled for a quick shower, figuring I’d take care of myself while conjuring up fresh images of Alex in her sexy underwear.

In the bathroom, I turned on the water and waited for it to warm up before peeling off my boxer briefs. I didn’t even have to close my eyes to remember every detail—her striking blue eyes, naturally pink lips, her creamy, long neck. Her body was perfect, curvy—not rail thin like too many women aspire to be—hips that begged to have fingers dig into them, and a handful of tits I was almost positive were natural. Alex was all woman—so much so that she made every woman who’d come before her seem like a girl in comparison.

Yet at the same time, something about her felt oddly innocent—untouched or pure. Which, of course, was ridiculous considering she’d been happily married for a decade. Maybe I was just adding to the fantasy to get my rocks off—not that I needed more than looking at her. Closing my eyes, I let the warm water sluice over my shoulders and reached for my cock. But as I stroked up and down, a feeling I wasn’t used to came over me.

Guilt.

It felt wrong to jerk off to Alex.

Why? I had no fucking idea. It had never been a problem before. Hell, I’d spent most of my freshman year of college jerking off to my married English professor, and she was married to a woman. Every Tuesday and Thursday I’d said good morning with a big-ass, guilt-free smile.

This is ridiculous.

I needed a release after seeing Alex practically naked. In fact, she probably wanted me to do it. I’d even wager that she was currently in her own room, writhing on the bed with her fingers inside her wet pussy, getting herself off.

Visualizing that took my already steely erection up a notch. So I reached for the conditioner, squirted a healthy amount into the palm of my hand, and went back at it. It felt good, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to relax like I needed to in order to reach the finish line. It was frustrating as hell. Eventually, I gave up and got out of the shower. Hours later, I was still staring at the ceiling in the dark, wondering how I was gonna function with constant blue balls if I didn’t get to touch Alex soon.

***

I was late getting to Ryan’s House on Friday morning. Luckily most volunteers only came for Saturday and Sunday, so it was only the team leaders and two other volunteers who’d gotten into town early.

Alex smirked when I walked into the kitchen. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”

I raked a hand through my hair. “What’s so good about it?”

She bit her lip, trying to hide her amusement. “Did you not sleep so well?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Gosh, I slept like a baby.”

I grabbed a paper cup and pulled the lever on the Dunkin’ Box O’ Joe on the table. A few drops trickled out.

“Sorry,” Alex said. “We finished the last of it. But I was just about to go pick up some waters. I can grab you a coffee.”

“Whatever.” I pouted.

Then Chad, another volunteer I hadn’t realized was here, walked into the room. I wasn’t a big fan of his, mostly because he was good looking, closer to Alex’s age than me, and followed her around like a puppy.

“I’m going for a Dunkin’ run,” Alex said. “You want anything, Chad?”

“No, but I’ll take the ride with you.”

Great. As if I weren’t already in a piss-poor mood. But whatever. I had shit to do. So I went about starting my day while the two of them disappeared. I was on my second trip hauling in boxes of tile from my car when a man walked up. He was dressed in tattered clothes, had silver duct tape wrapped around the front of one sneaker, and had a large green duffle bag slung over his shoulder. He looked vaguely familiar.

“Is this the Ryan’s House project?”

I nodded. “It is. How can I help you?”

The man extended his hand. “Charlie Nolan. I’m volunteering.”

I set down the box of tile and shook. “Good to meet you, Charlie.”

He gestured to the tile and then my car, which was parked out front. “You got more of those in there?”

“About a dozen.”

Charlie nodded. “Let me put my bag down, and I’ll give you a hand.”

“Thanks.”

The new volunteer and I carried in the rest of the tile. When we were done, I smacked dirt from my hands. “You look familiar. Have we met before?”

“Were you at the last project?” he asked. “The one in Jersey?”

“I wasn’t. Did you volunteer for that one, too?”

Charlie nodded. “I live in New Brunswick. Well, I used to anyway.”

“Do you live here now? Upstate New York?”

He shook his head. “Not really. I’m sort of floating these days. A couple days here, a couple days there…”

It hit me where I’d seen Charlie before. Yesterday when I’d arrived, I’d parked my Porsche in a remote area of the parking lot—so it wouldn’t get dinged by a big truck opening its doors. There had been a homeless guy setting up a cardboard shanty in the grassy area right behind me. I’d waved, but kept going.

“Well, we’re glad to have you here. Do you mind if I ask what brought you to volunteer at Ryan’s House?” It was a question I asked everyone. Some people just looked for a project to help out with, but the majority of our volunteers had a story—a reason they donated their time to a cancer-related charity. And those people liked to share what had brought them.

“My wife had cancer. Bone,” he said. “She passed a year ago. While she was sick, we spent a lot of time in Texas, at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, so Arlene could get some experimental treatments. Traveling, living expenses, and the cost of the uncovered medical bills wiped us out. I had to sell our little house in Jersey to keep up. Lost my job as an accountant after my family leave time was over. Not long after my Arlene died, I read an article about Ryan’s House. I don’t have a single regret about going through our savings and losing our house and my job. I’d do it all over again to have that time with her. But…if someone else doesn’t have to go through what I did? That’s a cause I can get behind.”

“Wow. I’m very sorry for your loss. It sounds like you’ve been through a lot.”

Charlie nodded. “It was a rough few years, but things are starting to look up. And I owe a lot of that to Ryan’s House. For a while after my wife died, I’d sort of given up. No wife, no home, no job…it’s easier to succumb to self-pity than to fight your way through the losses. Building the last project made me feel useful again. Made me remember, I might be sixty-one, but I’ve got a lot to offer still. Even have a job interview lined up for next week.”

“Good for you.”

Our conversation was interrupted when Alex and Chad came back in. I introduced everyone and told Charlie to stick with Alex. Something told me she’d be good for him. Then the appliance delivery came, and before I knew it, most of the morning was gone. I wasn’t sure if it was Charlie’s positive attitude that had brightened my day or the coffee, but I felt like less of a curmudgeon by the time I found Alex alone in the hall bathroom taking measurements.

She scribbled a number on her notepad and stuck the pencil behind her ear with a smile. “Hey. Feeling better than this morning?”

“I am now.” I closed the bathroom door behind me. The room grew smaller.

“You look tired.” She tilted her head. “Did you really not sleep well?”

“Nope. Slept like shit. You said you slept like a baby though, huh?”

Alex’s cheeks heated. “I did.”

I took a step closer. “Oh yeah? Anything you did before you fell asleep that helped?”

“Nope,” she answered, waay too quickly.

I leaned so we were nose to nose. “Liar.”

Her pink cheeks bloomed into a full face of crimson.

“Tell me what you did, Alexandria.”

She bit her lip. “You know what I did.”

“Maybe. But I want to hear you say it anyway.”

“Because you’re an egomaniac?”

“Because I had to go to bed alone after you got me all worked up. Give me at least this little satisfaction.”

“Fine. I touched myself. Are you happy?”

I smiled from ear to ear. “Ecstatic.”

A knock at the door behind me interrupted our conversation. I opened it to find Chad. He tried to look around me to talk to Alex, but I wouldn’t move. Except to broaden my shoulders. Too bad I wasn’t a peacock, because I could’ve blocked his view entirely with my feathers.

“I finished up in the living room,” he said. “Figured I’d see if Alex needed any help.”

“She doesn’t.”

“Oh… Okay.”

“But I could use someone to clean out the gutters, if you’re free.” Nothing like cleaning muck and bird shit with your hands instead of hanging out in a tight little bathroom with Alex.

Chad’s face fell. “Sure.”

“Thanks.”

Alex scolded me once I shut the door again. “You aren’t very nice to him.”

“Maybe he should spend more time focused on what he came here to do instead of the woman he wants to do…”

She rolled her eyes. “Chad’s a nice guy. He’s not interested in me in that way.”

“Uh-huh.”

“He’s not.”

I folded my arms across my chest. “Care to put your money where your mouth is?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll bet you that Chad asks you out before this project is over.”

“What are we betting?”

I grinned. “Oral sex.”

Alex’s eyes widened. “That’s crazy.”

I lifted a brow. “Doesn’t matter what you bet if you’re sure you have a winning hand, right?”

“Fine. But he’s not going to ask me out, so you won’t be getting a blowjob.”

“You’re right. I won’t be. Because when I said oral sex was the prize, I meant giving it.” I whispered in her ear. “You have no idea how badly I want to taste you, sweetheart.”

***

“Hey, Charlie?”

He stopped setting up his makeshift house at the far end of the parking lot and turned around. “What’s up, Brayden?”

I extended a hotel room keycard. “Room two-eighteen.”

His bushy brows dipped. “You need help carrying stuff?”

“Nope. It’s your room. I prepaid it for a week.”

“Why would you do that?”

“You have a job interview next week. Figured you could use some good sleep, and you need to be able to shave and stuff before your appointment.”

“That’s very nice of you. But I can’t accept it. It’s a few hundred dollars a night for a room here.”

“You told me why you give to Ryan’s House. But I didn’t get to tell you my story. My buddy Ryan had leukemia. He had a lot of time on his hands during treatments and hospitalizations. We were both engineering students. I kept him company, and during that time we developed a technology that sold for a lot of money after he died. His half of the profit goes to build houses to help cancer patients. So I’m not giving my money to a charity. I’m giving his away to honor him.” I extended the key in my hand again. “You’re honoring your wife by donating your time. Let me honor my buddy this way. Please.”

Charlie’s eyes welled up. He nodded and accepted the keycard. “Thanks, man.”

“I also made you an appointment at a suit store a few blocks from the project house. Tomorrow at ten AM. Whatever you pick out is prepaid, and the tailor said he can get the alterations done in twenty-four hours. I’ll go with you.”

“I don’t know what to say, how to thank you.”

“No thanks necessary. Just tell your Arlene to keep an eye on my Ryan.”

He smiled. “You got it.”

I helped Charlie pack his stuff, and we walked into the hotel together. Alex was at the desk, so I told Charlie to have a good night and went over to see what she was up to.

“You’re not checking out, are you?”

She shook her head. “No, my key isn’t working. My wallet has a magnetic closure, and it keeps deactivating the swipe card. I need to remember to keep it in my pocket.”

I nodded.

She lifted her chin to Charlie, now waiting for the elevator. “He seems like a really nice guy. I talked to him a bit today. I guess he’s staying here, too?”

“Yep.”

“Good. I was a little worried he might be sleeping in his car or something.”

“Nope. All good.”

The woman behind the desk gave Alex a new keycard, and we walked to the elevator together. I pressed the button, and the doors slid open. “You up for some dinner?”

The look on Alex’s face told me the answer before she spoke. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Last night was…a mistake. I had too much to drink and…” She shook her head. “It just shouldn’t have happened.”

My heart sank. I wasn’t sure if it was the lack of sleep or being rejected one time too many, but I didn’t have the heart to argue with her. I forced a smile. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry.”

I raised a hand. “It’s fine. Nothing to be sorry about.”

An hour later, I was still feeling glum when room service knocked on my door. I’d ordered a bunch of shit I normally wouldn’t allow myself to eat—macaroni and cheese, a BLT, and a side order of tater tots from the kids’ menu. Just as I sat down to munch away my sadness, my phone buzzed. Alex’s name flashed on the screen. I was tempted not to pick it up, but I couldn’t help myself.

Alex: Is it too late to take you up on your offer for dinner?

I started to type back, but decided it would be quicker to call.

She answered on the first ring. “Hey, Brayden.”

“I’d love to have dinner with you. But what made you change your mind?”

“Charlie.”

“Charlie the volunteer?”

“Yeah. I went to get a water from the vending machine on my floor, and he was there getting ice.”

“Okay…”

“He told me what you did for him. The hotel room, the suit… It made me realize my attraction to you is more than just physical. I’m attracted to the man you are, Brayden. I don’t know where this can go or what it means, but I know I would love to have dinner with you.”

“How does ten minutes in the lobby sound?”

“It sounds perfect.”

I did a quick cleanup—swiping on deodorant and brushing my teeth—then wheeled the food cart out of the room with me, and down the elevator. At the second floor, I stepped off, walked down to room two eighteen, and knocked.

Charlie opened the door and looked at the cart. “What’s all this?”

“Dinner.”

“Wow. Thanks, Brayden.”

“Don’t thank me. Thank Ryan. Actually…” I smiled. “I think Ryan did me a solid tonight, too. So we both can thank him.”