Chapter Nine
The final buzzer echoed through the recreation center, followed by applause that rolled from one end of the gym to the other.
Brian stood near center court, proudly handing out medals to participants while volunteers reset tables for the closing reception. His smile never seemed to fade.
Raw leaned against the wall, watching.
"They did good."
Cora stepped beside him, folding her arms.
She smiled.
"You always say that."
"Because it's true."
Across the gym, Malik was laughing with several sponsors while helping stack folding chairs. There were no speeches. No spotlight. Just another pair of hands making sure the event ended as smoothly as it had begun.
Raw watched him for a moment.
"You'd think he owned this place," Cora said.
"He doesn't."
"No," she replied. "He just knows how to make people feel like they matter."
Raw looked over at her.
"You two getting acquainted?"
"As much as we can. I only see the young man in passing or when he comes to support something we are doing."
"And?"
"I like him."
Raw smiled.
"I figured you would say that."
"Raw." Kevin's voice carried across the gym.
Raw turned to see him weaving through the crowd with two cups of coffee.
"I guessed you'd be ready for one of these."
"You guessed right."
Kevin handed him a cup before looking toward Brian.
"Looks like this was a success."
"It means a lot to him."
"It shows."
They stood together watching Brian laugh with another volunteer.
"You remember the first time Malik introduced us?" Kevin asked.
Raw laughed.
"You looked like you hadn't slept in three days."
"I hadn't."
"You blamed it on quarter-end reports."
"I wasn't lying."
"You also said you'd never step foot in a gym."
Kevin smiled.
"And look where that got me."
Raw glanced toward him.
"No complaints."
"None."
Their conversation paused as Malik approached, balancing three paper plates loaded with barbecue.
"I figured neither of you had eaten."
Kevin laughed.
"You still solve problems with food."
"I solve problems, period." Malik smiled.
"Facts."
Malik handed each of them a plate before taking a bite himself.
For a few minutes the conversation stayed light.
They joked about old workouts.
About Kevin complaining during his first training session.
About Malik insisting everyone meet at a little restaurant that no one could ever remember the name of.
It felt familiar.
Comfortable.
Exactly the way it always had.
Then Kevin's phone vibrated.
He glanced down.
The smile disappeared.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
Raw noticed.
So did Malik.
Kevin slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"You alright?" Raw asked.
"Yeah."
"You sure?"
"Just work."
Malik wiped his hands on a napkin.
"Can it wait until Monday?"
Kevin looked at him.
"I don't think Monday's going to look much different thanFriday."
The words hung between them.
Raw frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Kevin forced a small smile.
"I'll probably be working all weekend."
Malik studied him for a second before nodding.
"I understand."
Nothing else was said.
Someone called Malik's name from across the gym.
"I've got to steal him for a minute," one of the sponsors said.
"I'll be right there," Malik replied.
He looked back at Kevin.
"Don't work too hard."
Kevin smiled politely.
"I'll try."
Malik walked away.
Raw watched him disappear into another conversation before turning back to Kevin.
"What was that about?"
Kevin kept his eyes on the crowd.
"Nothing."
"You've never been good at lying."
Kevin laughed quietly.
"And you've never stopped calling me out."
"I'm serious."
Kevin finally looked at him.
"Have you ever noticed how quickly things can change?"
Raw shrugged.
"I guess."
"One day everybody thinks they know where they fit."
"And the next?"
Kevin took a slow breath.
"The next...they find out they were standing on borrowed ground."
Before Raw could ask another question, Brian jogged over.
"Ramon!"
"What?"
"We're taking the volunteer picture!"
"I'll be there."
Brian hurried back toward center court.
Raw looked at Kevin again.
"You coming?"
Kevin glanced toward the group gathering beneath the event banner.
After a moment, he smiled.
"Yeah."
"For at least one more picture."
The photographer counted down from three.
Volunteers squeezed together.
Brian waved enthusiastically from the front row.
Raw stood beside Cora.
Kevin took a place just behind them.
Malik stepped in at the last second, drawing a few laughs from the group.
The camera flashed.
For a brief instant, everyone smiled.
No one looking at that photograph would have guessed that something beneath the surface had already begun to shift.
As the crowd started to break apart, Kevin's phone vibrated again.
This time he didn't look at it.
He simply slipped it into his pocket.
Raw noticed.
More importantly...
So did Malik.
Raw’s phone buzzed.
It was a single text from Derrick: Come by the doors open.
By the time he reached the councilman’s apartment, the door was closed but unlocked.
Raw knocked twice before slowly stepping in since it had been a few months since he’d been inside and it wasn’t a space he was 100% comfortable with.
The sounds of Ari Lennox swirled through the air mixed with the aroma of vanilla and oak mixed with another masculine scent Raw didn’t recognize.
The space was lit by dim lighting clear enough for him to make his way towards the bedroom.
Derrick stood holding a glass of red wine and wearing a white jock strap. Despite missing the past few month’s training sessions with Raw, his body had maintained the majority of what the two men had focused on.
“I need to feel you tonight, deep inside me.” Derrick admitted biting his lower lip just before taking a large gulp from the wine glass. Raw glanced around the room and noticed the immaculate order of the space. Only two items were out of place, a bottle of lube and poppers on the nightstand.
“I can definitely take care of that.” Raw smiled with squinted eyes while removing his clothing to reveal his chiseled body. Letting Derrick take in the show as he did so.
Raw pulled on the man’s two nipples hard and aggressively forcing an unexpected moan of satisfaction. Derrick reached his hand around Raw’s throbbing manhood barely able to contain himself.
Raw sat on the edge of the bed while staying focused on teasing Derrick’s nipples until the man pulled away to grab lube from the nightstand and apply it to Raw’s dick, the wetness of the hand job led to moans of his own.
Before he could open his eyes Derrick was backing his ass up into his dick, lining it with his hole.
Raw slowly thrusted up into the tight opening, barely giving enough for entry.
“Yo shit is like new booty nigga.” Raw moaned as he continued to work the tight hole open with more lube and dick action.
“You were the last one inside” Derrick took a deep breath of the poppers and hoped his body could relax enough to let the massive meat back inside.
For the next ten minutes, Derrick slowly took in more of Raw until finally sitting all the way down on his extended inches.
He stroked Raw’s dick with his own ass. The tight, slow strokes were sending Raw in ecstasy as he gripped the man’s waist guiding him up and down.
“Tight little hole always has me ready to bust the best nuts” Raw slowly thrusted his hips upward to meet Derricks rhythm.
The slow sensual pace continued until Derrick felt Raw begin to shake beneath his and knew he was about to erupt.
Not stopping, Derrick continued until he felt Raw flood the inside of his reopened hole.
He then stroked his own dick at the same slow pace he had taken Raw until his own seed shot upward and across the floor in front of him.
“Fuck!” Raw collapsed backward onto the bed.