Hammered and Nailed

Chapter 1

Chapter One

Mason

Something was wrong with me. Sitting across from me in one of Cedarvale’s most expensive restaurants, leaning forward and showing off her ample cleavage, was Brittany Merriam.

The room was rich with ambiance—soft lighting, gentle music playing, white tablecloths and servers dressed all in black.

It was a top-notch location for a romantic date, especially considering Cedarvale didn’t have many fancy restaurants to speak of, if that was your idea of a romantic date.

It wasn't mine. And unfortunately for both of us, even though Brittany was hands-down Cedarvale High School’s hottest teacher, I couldn’t seem to summon an ounce of interest in what she was so clearly hinting at.

Instead, all I could think of was how it was finally summer break, and my best friend Emery, another teacher, would have weeks of free time ahead of him.

Time we could spend fishing or hiking or camping, going to the lake for a swim, doing all of our favorite outdoorsy stuff.

As an independent contractor, I had the freedom to schedule my own work, and I’d intentionally left myself with a little free time over the next few weeks.

“So, what do you think?” Brittany asked.

I raised my eyebrows and offered her a weak smile. I hadn’t heard a word she’d said, but I could probably guess. "I’m sorry. Can you say that again?"

With an exasperated sigh, Brittany shifted in her chair, exposing more of her cleavage to me. "I was just saying we should head back to my place. Finish this date somewhere quieter. What do you think?"

Normally, I’d have been all about it. Not only was she hot, she was smart, funny, kind… the whole package. For someone. Increasingly, as the date had gone on, I’d realized I definitely wasn’t going to be that someone. "Listen," I said in an attempt to turn her down gently. "You’re great, but…"

She leaned back in her chair and gave me a soft smile. "But you’re not interested. I get it."

"I’m really sorry."

She waved my apology away. "It’s fine. I’d rather you be upfront about it than pretend you’re into me."

I rubbed the back of my neck and gave her a sheepish look. "Thanks."

“Can I ask you a question though?”

“Yeah, anything.”

Brittany bit her bottom lip slightly and hesitated before speaking. “Did I… do something wrong?”

“No,” I said hurriedly. “Not at all.” I paused, racking my brain for an explanation that made sense. I wasn’t entirely sure I knew why we weren’t headed back to her place at that very moment. “It’s just that my head is somewhere else tonight.”

She nodded slowly, and a moment later, the server stopped by our table to deliver the check. Relieved, I scooped it up without hesitation before tucking my credit card into the check holder.

“You really don’t have to—"

I held up one hand to stop her. "Nope. I asked you on this date, I’m going to pay."

A few minutes later, we were outside and walking toward her car. "This was fun," she murmured as we slowed to a stop in front of her little red two-door. "We should hang out again sometime. As friends, I mean."

"I’d like that."

She reached out and wrapped her arms around me in a hug. "You’re a good guy, Mason. You’re going to be a real catch for the right person."

"Thanks, Brittany. You too."

With that, we parted ways and I headed back to my car. About two seconds after I pulled out of the parking lot, my phone rang—and it was my brother. I made sure it was secure on the dash mount before swiping to answer.

"Hey, Josh."

My brother’s voice came out of the speakers. "So? How’d it go?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "It was fine. She’s great."

"You going back to her place tonight?"

"No." I chuckled. Of course his mind would go straight to whether I was going to hook up with her. In his defense, there was precedent for me sleeping with practically anyone I went out with.

"Are you at least going to see her again?"

"Maybe as friends, but that’s it."

"Aw, come on, man. What happened? Did you blow it or something?"

I rubbed a hand over my face, keeping one hand on the wheel. "Not exactly. I told her I wasn’t feeling it. We decided to part ways amicably and maybe hang out platonically sometime. That’s all."

Josh let out a low whistle. "Wow, I can’t believe it."

"What?" My tone was more defensive than I’d meant it to be.

"Nothing. I’m just surprised my hook-up-with-everyone brother wasn’t interested in hooking up with the person who is hands-down the hottest teacher at the high school, if not in all of Cedarvale."

I let out a sigh. "I’m going to hang up on you if you don’t stop objectifying women."

"Hey, I didn’t say you have to sleep with her. Just surprised that you didn’t want to, that’s all."

"I don’t know… I feel like maybe I'm getting too old to keep playing the hookup game, you know? I’m almost forty."

"Fair. You’re getting old." I could hear his smile coming through the line.

"Hey, fuck you. You’re older than I am."

His voice took on a sad tone. "Yeah, but I met the one for me when I was in college. I’m set. No more dating for this guy." Josh’s wife had passed away after only a few years of marriage, in their late twenties, and he’d been single since, raising their daughter alone.

"So what you’re saying is that I should settle down like you did? Get married, have a kid, the whole thing?"

"I’m not saying you should do anything. I guess what I’m saying is, figure out what makes you happy and go for it. Who am I to judge?"

"Yeah. You’re right." I thought for a few moments, worrying my lower lip between my teeth as I drove.

"Hey, in other news, how’s work?"

"Ugh." I sighed deeply. "Tommy fucked himself up. Broke his ankle the other day. It’s going to be a long summer working solo."

"Got a lot of work lined up?"

"It’s more that everything will take longer by myself.

The good news is, I’ve kept my schedule light for the first few weeks of summer.

Figured I’d go camping or fishing or something, hang with Emery.

I’m going to move my summer jobs around, too.

Give myself a little freedom, since Tommy can’t work.

I did line up a major project for the fall though.

Helping a family totally renovate. They want a ton of work done.

" By then I had pulled into my driveway.

I let Josh know I had to hang up and we said our goodbyes before I headed inside.

The house was dark—I'd forgotten to leave the lights on—and as I made my way in, I flipped the switches to illuminate the inside. The front door opened into the living room where I kicked off my shoes onto the hardwood floors I’d installed myself less than a month after I’d bought the place.

That led me into the kitchen, which I’d painted a friendly pale blue with slate-colored tiles. It wasn’t much but it was mine.

I grabbed a beer from the fridge and cracked it open with the refrigerator door still open. Taking a long swig, I closed the door before leaning against the counter. "Well," I said to nobody. "That date was… something." A colossal failure on your part, genius, my brain said, unbidden.

The beer wasn’t as appealing as I’d hoped, so I took a second swig before pouring it down the drain and leaving the can on the counter before heading to my bedroom.

Once in my room, I stripped down to my boxers and climbed into bed.

It took me ages to get comfortable, tossing and turning as if I could release the restlessness from my body by sheer will alone.

I picked up my phone and navigated to my favorite porn site, clicking on video after video.

None of them seemed to get my dick’s attention, until I came across a video of two men that somehow piqued my interest. I watched, weirdly captivated for a few moments.

One of the guys in the video almost looked like Emery.

When I realized that, I laughed, shook my head and kept scrolling.

As I scrolled, my mind kept going back to that video.

I tried to imagine telling Emery I’d spotted his lookalike in a porn video getting railed by another guy.

He’d find it funny, surely. It reminded me a little of the first—and only—time I’d kissed another guy.

It hadn’t been a big deal, but it also hadn’t been arousing.

It just… was. Funny, maybe. Just something that happened and I moved on from. Just like this porn. Right?

Except I couldn’t move on. I couldn’t stop thinking about the look on the Emery-lookalike’s face, the sounds he made, the way his dick looked as he stroked it.

After a while, I sighed and tossed my phone aside, having no real luck with the videos after that. There was definitely, definitely something going on with me if I couldn’t get hard from my usual porn. I just wished I knew what it was.