Chapter Four
Afternoons carried a different energy at Langston Iron. The lunch crowd filtered out, the after-work rush hadn't arrived yet, and the gym settled into a comfortable rhythm where conversations became easier to hear than clanging weights.
Raw stood beside the half court, watching Shawn finish a shooting drill with three teenagers who had wandered over after seeing him practicing. Every missed shot earned exaggerated groans. Every made basket brought loud celebrations that could probably be heard across the gym.
"You letting them win?" Raw asked when the boys finally headed toward the locker room.
Shawn tucked the basketball under his arm and laughed.
"If I let them win, they'll stop coming back."
Raw nodded.
"Fair point."
Shawn leaned against the wall, catching his breath.
"You know what I've figured out?"
"What's that?"
"People tell you everything."
Raw looked at him.
"They do?"
"They don't even realize they're doing it."
Shawn motioned toward the weight floor.
"The guy going through a divorce."
He pointed toward another member.
"The woman training for her first 5K."
Another nod.
"The retired firefighter that checks on everybody every morning."
Raw shrugged.
"I guess people like to talk."
"They don't talk to everybody."
Raw tossed him a towel.
"They're here for a workout."
Shawn caught it without looking.
"No."
He smiled.
"They're here because somebody notices when they don't show up."
Raw started walking toward the front desk.
"You thinking too much."
"I'm paying attention."
The words stayed with Raw longer than he expected.
Just before closing, his phone buzzed.
Kevin: You free for an hour?
Raw smiled before typing.
Raw: Depends.
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
Kevin: Wrong answer.
Raw laughed to himself.
Raw: Condo. Thirty minutes.
Kevin arrived wearing a charcoal suit that looked like it had survived a twelve hour workday.
He stepped inside, loosened his tie, and immediately glanced toward the kitchen.
"You ever buy groceries?"
Raw closed the door behind him.
"I've got protein powder."
"That wasn't the question."
"I've also got bottled water."
Kevin shook his head.
"You live like somebody who's expecting to move every weekend."
Raw grinned.
"I spend my money somewhere else."
"I noticed."
Kevin's eyes drifted briefly over Raw before he laughed.
"Probably a decent investment."
Raw tossed him a bottle of water.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It wasn't."
"It absolutely was."
Kevin smiled despite himself.
They slipped into the familiar rhythm that had carried them through the better part of three years.
There were no awkward questions about where either of them had been, no expectations about how often they should call, and no conversations about defining whatever existed between them.
Their time together had always been uncomplicated, and both men preferred it that way.
Kevin leaned against the kitchen island.
"You still single?"
Raw laughed.
"I wasn't aware I was interviewing."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
Kevin nodded.
"Good."
Raw raised an eyebrow.
"Didn't want the competition?"
Kevin laughed.
"I definitely didn't want the responsibility."
Raw pointed toward the hallway.
"That's why we've lasted."
Kevin chuckled.
"Exactly."
Raw folded his arms.
"Imagine us trying to date."
Kevin made a face.
"We'd last...what?"
Raw thought about it.
"A week."
"That's generous."
They both laughed.
Raw reached for Kevin's wrist and gently pulled him closer.
"Good thing neither of us has ever confused this for something it isn't."
Kevin met his eyes for a moment before smiling.
"Best agreement we never had."
The distance between them quietly disappeared and Raw led Kevin into the bedroom where the two men found themselves removing clothes and exploring familiar body parts with mouth and hands.
Kevin sucked on Raw’s chocolate nipples, stroking his tongue up and down.
Raw’s finger danced between his own mouth and Kevin’s ass with one finger and then two.
He fingered Kevin’s hole, feeling all the familiar folds and increasing moisture.
Soon Raw no longer needed to add additional spit. He pushed the man back onto his bed.
Kevin spread his legs as he lay on his back, revealing his slightly opened pink hole.
Raw licked his lips as he stared at the fleshy opening.
Raw collapsed onto the bed and began licking Kevin’s pink hole that seemed to open more with the stroke of his tongue.
His tongue slid inside working the hole open even more.
Kevin’s legs were folded back completely to give Raw full access, and his hands gripped the top of the mattress to anchor himself as waves of pleasure shot through his body.
Less than an hour afterward, Kevin emerged from the hallway and Raw walked out behind him, running a towel across the back of his neck.
Kevin checked the time on his watch.
"I've got to get across town."
"I figured."
"You never expect me to stay."
"You never do."
Kevin laughed.
"That's because I actually like sleeping in my own bed."
Raw smirked.
"I appreciate your honesty."
Kevin reached the front door before his phone vibrated.
He glanced at the screen.
The smile faded almost immediately.
"Everything alright?" Raw asked.
Kevin slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"Probably."
"You don't sound convinced."
"My calendar just changed."
"What happened?"
"Mandatory executive meeting."
"When?"
"Tomorrow morning."
Raw whistled.
"Sounds important."
Kevin shrugged.
"They didn't bother explaining."
He opened the door.
"If they're making me come in before sunrise, somebody's either getting promoted..."
He paused.
"...or fired."
Raw leaned against the doorframe.
"Let me know which one."
Kevin laughed.
"If I survive it."
With that, he disappeared down the hallway toward the elevators.
Raw closed the door behind him and headed toward the kitchen to straighten up.
His phone vibrated before he'd taken three steps.
Malik.
Two text messages waited.
Thank you for your observations.
Another arrived almost instantly.
You've confirmed exactly what I needed to know.
Raw stared at the screen.
His thumb hovered above the keyboard.
About Kevin?
He typed the words.
Stopped.
Deleted them.
Instead he sent a single reply.
Happy to help.
The message delivered immediately.
The typing indicator appeared.
Then vanished.
No response.
Raw slipped the phone into his pocket and stood alone in the quiet condo.
For the first time since Malik had asked him to visit Peach State Fitness, he found himself wondering whether he'd ever been sent there to study the business at all.
Or if he'd been sent to study the people inside it.