MAX
Feeding Channing had been a brilliant experience. But that still hadn’t managed to keep thoughts of what had happened earlier at bay for long afterward.
Judd was trouble.
And not the charismatic, heart of gold kind of trouble either.
Judd was simply bad news.
As Max sat up in bed, he nervously looked toward his phone. There were no new messages from Judd, which was a relief. Perhaps it was possible that after the scuffle the previous night that Judd would back off and leave Max alone.
Max ran his hand through his hair and looked over toward Channing, still happily snoozing.
Why did Judd mention your name, kid?
What’s he got planned?
I have to do something about this…
Max knew that simply ignoring Judd and hoping that he would go away wasn’t going to cut it. Something had to be done. The only problem was that Max didn’t know how to tackle the issue.
It was at times like this that Max truly wished he still had his older brother Trey around to support him and offer brotherly advice. Max always idolized Trey as a child, and Trey truly had the kind of big brother energy that made Max feel safe and secure.
When Trey passed away in a road accident, Max had sworn that he would live life to the max, never holding back and seeking fun anywhere and everywhere he could find it.
This had often led to Max running away from problems or making a swift exit from any situation that looked like it might require more than casual and free-spirited enjoyment.
All that Max knew was that in this particular case, the last thing he wanted to do was to run away. Max felt determined to do what was right by Channing too.
Sure, Max could avoid the whole potential drama with Judd by cutting town and starting fresh somewhere else.
Max had done it plenty of times before and had all of the right attributes to do it again.
Except the difference this time was that he didn’t want to leave Channing and put him through a whole heap of hurt.
Max felt like if he left Channing, there would be no going back in the future. Channing had recently opened up more and more about his own life and his feelings for Max and there was no way that Max wanted to put this sensitive young man through any more pain.
The way that Judd had mentioned Channing by his name too was worrying.
In fact, it was this that had plagued Max’s thoughts the most during the night and was still on his mind in the morning too…
Why did Judd do that?
Why did he make a point of calling Channing by his name?
It seemed… sinister. It felt… fucked up.
Max frowned at the thought of Judd trying to implicate Channing into the situation. Something wasn’t right. In fact, Max was beginning to feel like Judd might be involved in this situation a whole lot more than he was letting on.
With this in mind, Max decided that what he needed was some thinking time. And the best way he knew of doing this would be by hitting the road for a good, old-fashioned jog in the Los Frisco hills.
Max quietly slipped out of the bed and got into his torn running t-shirt and short black running shorts.
It was time to work up a sweat and see if he could come up with a solution to this problem – a solution that involved sticking around and making good his commitment to Channing.
Max was a Daddy now. There was no way he was going to leave his boy hanging.
And if Max could manage to get one or two of his friends involved too, then that was even better…
* * *
The Los Frisco hills, more specifically the Las Losso canyon, was a popular running spot for the hardened, physically fit runners and athletes in the locality.
With its punishing terrain and swelteringly hot temperatures, it wasn’t the kind of place to come for a gentle warm up run. No, this was something else. To run in the hills, you needed grit, determination, and a whole heap of cardiovascular prowess.
Fortunately for Max, he had all these things.
As did Harrison and Michael too…
‘Fuck! That was intense!’ Max said, just about reaching the top of the canyon ahead of Michael and Harrison. ‘I think this means that the juices are on you…’
‘Damn it, man,’ Harrison said, arriving seconds later, his breathing heavy. ‘You’re getting faster with age.’
‘That was brutality defined,’ Michael said, making a final effort to sprint to the finish. ‘But I think we all did a good job.’
The three Daddies high-fived and took a moment to take in the surrounding from the top of the canyon.
Beneath them in the distance was Los Frisco, its coastline full of cafés and boutique shops looking as pretty as ever.
Behind them was the lush forest and lake-filled expanse of territory that stretched out for miles, further than the eye could see.
‘We need to arrange a camping trip,’ Max said. ‘The sooner the better.’
Max imagined how much fun it would be to take a camping trip with Michael and Harrison. They hadn’t done anything like that together for a long time. But a few beers around the campfire seemed like a perfect way to escape the Judd situation…
‘Guys, I need to talk about something,’ Max said, realizing that he needed to open up to his friends. ‘I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but…’
‘No, speak, we’re here for you bro,’ Harrison said, lifting his t-shirt to wipe the sweat from his face, his six-pack glistening in the morning sun.
‘Yeah, whatever it is we’ve got your back,’ Michael added, squatting down onto his haunches and then powering back up into an upright position. ‘Damn, I came up too fast! Maybe we are getting too old for this.’
The men laughed.
The levity of the moment put Max at ease.
‘Okay, so here’s the situation…’ Max said, beginning to explain exactly what had happened on the night of the crash, how he couldn’t remember anything after blacking out, and then of course Judd’s increasingly menacing presence in his, and now Channing’s, life.
When he was through explaining the situation, Max took a deep breath. It actually felt like a huge relief to get it off his chest. And luckily for Max, he had two of the best bro friends a man could ask for…
‘You need to do what is right for you and Channing,’ Harrison said. ‘If that means facing Judd, then that’s what you need to do. Whatever it takes, man.’
‘Yeah, and we’ll be here to back you up if you need it,’ Michael added. ‘I do not like the sound of Judd at all. I’ve known people like him. If a dude acts like a snake, that usually means he is one. I think this is one problem you need to tackle sooner rather than later by the sounds of things.’
It was comforting to listen as Michael and Harrison continued to spitball some suggestions for how Judd could be dealt with.
Max always thought of himself as someone with good problem solving skills, but listening to Harrison and Michael it was clear that in fact Max really could benefit from sharing his problems more rather than trying to be macho by covering them up.
‘One thing though,’ Harrison said. ‘I think you need to explain all of this to Channing. You can’t keep him in the dark. He’s not some naive kid. He’s smart. Channing might even be able to help.’
‘That’s true,’ Michael added. ‘I’ve heard actually that over at Green Sky Future, Channing is in with a real shot of becoming VP.
That’s not nothing. This isn’t the same Channing who you knew at college.
He’s building a big reputation for himself.
And with that in mind, you need to make sure that any danger from this Judd asshole is squashed ASAP. ’
The three guys looked at one another.
Michael was making a good point, and Max resolved that he would heed both Michael and Harrison’s advice. Once he was home, Max would tell Channing everything a spare not a single detail.
We’ll solve this problem together.
I’m not running away this time.
This is a new me. This is a new Max.
Max smiled and the three friends happily made their descent back down the canyon.
There was time for a quick juice and refuel, but after that Max’s plan was to head home and begin solving this problem with his favorite kinky, sexy, hardworking baby boy in the whole world.
* * *
‘Hey? Anyone in?’ Max said as he entered the apartment. ‘Yo! I’m here looking for one special baby boy who loves his milks and spankings too?’
Max walked into the kitchen and expected to see Channing playing a game on his iPad or listening to one of the business and environmentalism podcasts he was so fond of.
However, there was no sign of Channing at all.
‘Huh,’ Max said, walking over toward the water filter. ‘I guess you went out.’
Max decided that wherever he was, Channing would no doubt be back soon. With this in mind, Max downed his cold, perfectly filtered water and began stripping off.
It was time to hit the shower and cool off.
With Channing’s arrival back home to look forward to, Max decided that he would simply relax around the apartment and get himself nice and loose and limber for the likely fun and frolics that the pair of them would be getting up to together later that evening.