Chapter 15 Jude
jude
Barnaby meowed loudly as he jumped on the bed because it was already eight-o- one and how dare I be one minute late to feed him. Another louder screech came out of him like he was dying. He walked on my back, batting at my head before giving me another screech.
“Barnaby, go away,” I said into my pillow, dreading getting up for the day.
Another meow as he pushed himself under the covers.
“Barnaby, please,” I pleaded.
He must have felt my anxiety because he pushed his face into mine like he was offering some comfort. Today was an event I was not looking forward to, but it was mandatory and while it was for a good cause, I was nervous about seeing two men.
I hadn’t seen Sam and Forest since we fooled around last week and even though we had been calling and texting, we had yet to see each other.
It wasn't for the lack of trying, but I wasn’t really trying that hard.
I was still wrapping my head around fooling around with Sam and what this all meant for us.
What the hell were we doing? We had had dinner together a few times, we kissed several times but that night together had been playing in my head on repeat.
Stroking Webber and I together as I sucked Forest's cock was an experience I didn’t think I’d ever forget.
Just thinking about Forest’s commanding voice had my cock getting hard.
Barnaby meowed under the blanket deflating my hard-on.
“Ok, fine, I’m up!” I yelled, throwing the blankets off me.
The house was a little cool as I walked to the kitchen to grab his breakfast and start my coffee.
If I was going to survive this benefit carwash then I needed to be caffeinated and maybe a little buzzed.
I served Barnaby some dry food with his favorite gravy spread on top, full of things he needed for his skin, bones and god knows what else.
I bought him the most expensive-ass food from the local vet because Barnaby was going to live longer than me.
“Here you go, Sir Barnaby.” I set the food on a tray next to his water fountain that had constantly running water.
He gave me a meow before eating three bites and then walking away from his food. I rolled my eyes at my spoiled-ass cat who liked to graze. It would take him forty-five minutes to eat this entire bowl in small bites as he leisurely walked around.
I sighed as I put a coffee pod into my machine, added a pump of hazelnut into my cup, turned the machine on and I grabbed milk out of my fridge to froth it up.
There was nothing like starting the day with a good cup of coffee.
As I waited for my coffee, I did fifty push-ups, took a break, then another fifty.
Washing my hands, I grabbed the sweetbread I had grabbed at the market the other day and put it on a plate.
I fixed my coffee and walked outside to my patio to enjoy a quiet morning before the chaos.
It had been a long time since I had had time to do something like this.
I grabbed a sweatshirt for me and Barnaby.
We each had our own firefighter sweater and I still laughed when I saw him with a Sterling Ridge Fire Department logo on his back.
The chief's wife and daughter made it for him when they found out I had a hairless cat.
I removed the cover off one of the chairs, sat down, and grabbed Barnaby to sit on my lap so he was warmer.
I scrolled through my phone, seeing that hockey preseason was coming up.
I still followed the Yetis on social media and while I harbored ill feelings for the team, I still followed just to support Val, Romeo and Hunter.
This season was going to be hard on Sam, and I had no idea how to help him.
I still held hope that he might be picked up mid-season, but the way he talked last time, I worried if his body was past its hockey prime.
One surgery was rough, but two in such a short amount of time had to be very hard on the body and mind.
Maybe this relationship with the three of us had come at a perfect time for all of us.
I liked that Sam and I were together, but having Forest with us, I don’t know, gave me the freedom to be more comfortable and not so nervous around Sam.
The way he took control of the situation was exactly what I needed because I didn’t know if I'd be able to be this way if it was just Sam and me.
I was starting to think we had needed Forest all along.
It was a rather warm day and the perfect temperature for the charity carwash the fire department was hosting for Kaylee, who was diagnosed with leukemia over the summer.
We always rallied behind our community, and she was eligible to get into a cutting-edge treatment program, but it was costly.
So what did we do? We raised money for her.
The carwash had been advertised all around the town, at the Boozy Bandit, a few other fire departments and Nova said she had a friend in Mountain View she had passed the information along to.
I tried to avoid the carwash for as long as possible, but Bailey found me, threw me a white T-shirt and shamelessly put me to work.
Casey and Weston were already working on a few cars, their shirts soaking wet with a small audience of our elderly women behind them.
I shook my head feeling my cheeks heat up as I started on a car by myself, hoping I didn’t get wet.
I wasn’t ashamed of my body. I worked hard on it, but knowing Forest and Sam might be here gave me stage fright.
I was never one to be the center of attention anyways.
“You look too dry.”
That was all the warning I received before cold water was dumped on me.
“Son of a—” I stopped myself before I could yell a well-deserved profanity.
I looked behind me to see Casey grinning at me with Bailey cackling.
“Oh, it’s on,” I said, grabbing my bucket and throwing it at them.
Bailey screamed since she was mostly dry and Casey laughed. We fought with the water for a few minutes before we went back to washing the cars.
“Looking good, Jude!”
Someone wolf-whistled as my face heated up and I willed my face to not get red. I kept washing the cars, squatting down to get the tire as I heard “Oh my god, look at that ass.”
I was not cut out to be a sexual figure.
Maybe we should have gotten Forest to do this?
The white shirt was clinging to me and giving me the ick after the fifth car we did.
I was getting annoyed and at this point I was over it.
Casey, Ruben and another firefighter took off their shirts, so it wouldn’t be a big deal if I did the same thing.
Walking to the front of the enormous truck we were washing, I took off my shirt, casually throwing it to the side, not caring if I lost it.
I went back to washing the truck, hopping onto the bed of the truck to wash the top of the cabin.
A few more wolf-whistles came from the crowd we had gotten and that’s when I felt eyes on me.
It was different than feeling the eyes of the pervy old ladies.
Looking over my shoulder, I scanned the crowd for Forest or Sam. When I didn’t see them, I continued to wash the truck, thinking I was just hoping for them. I finished the cabin, jumped ff and continued washing the rest of the truck.
“Jesus, Jude, put your shirt on, you're making the rest of us look bad,” Weston said, slapping his stomach. “Save some ladies for us.”
“Shut up.” I pushed his shoulder. “You look fine.”
Weston was a good-looking man and he worked out with the rest of us.
“Dude, your abs have abs.” He threw a sponge at me.
I laughed. “Shut up.”
“You’ve got that Adonis Belt.” Bailey waggled her eyebrows. “Or cum gutters, you know, based on your preferences.”
I barked a laugh as Weston looked confused.
“Don’t scar Weston,” I said, throwing a sponge at Bailey.
“He’s a big boy,” she cackled. “Anyways we have a truck for you to wash, and they specifically asked for you to wash it.”
She pointed at it over her shoulder, and I recognized it immediately. I knew either Forest or Sam were here.
“Alright, I’ll wash it after I finish this one,” I said, looking again at the crowd for Forest, but didn’t find him again.
I wanted to know where he was, it drove me crazy that I didn’t know.
After I finished the truck, they pulled up Forest’s that looked extra filthy.
I didn’t know if he had done it on purpose, but he was making me work.
As Casey rinsed it off, I filled another bucket with soap, trying to covertly look for Forest when I noticed a tall man with reddish hair.
Webber was in shorts, a Yeti’s t-shirt and a backwards hat, one of my favorite looks on him.
He had his hand in his pockets as he looked at me. My stomach somersaulted at his intense gaze. I washed the car feeling self-conscious, but a part of me felt like I wanted to put on a little show. It was for a good cause, right?
I slowly washed the car making sure I flexed my back, dipping down so he had a perfect view of my ass each time.
As much as I wanted to look at him, I made sure that I kept my eyes off him.
I squatted down, popping my ass out a little as I washed each tire that was facing him.
Before I went to the other side, I peeked over my shoulder to see Sam with his hands in front of his crotch, and I hoped it was because he was hiding his hard cock.
My confidence soared as I walked to the other side to wash it and I saw Forest leaning against a building.
He was in a cowboy hat, blue button-up, jeans and boots.
My mouth watered as he took me in. I couldn’t help but flex my chest while I bit my lip.
My face grew red at how bold I was getting, and I had to turn around to cool down before I sported my own hard-on.
I squatted down, popping my ass out, cleaning the tires, but when I tried to get up sexily, that did not work out in my favor. I fell right on my ass and Weston laughed at me. To make matters worse he threw his bucket at me.
“Jerk,” I said, throwing my sponge at him.
“Weston is such an ass.”
I looked up to see Lulu Robin holding her hand out for me.
“Hey, Lu,” I said, taking her hand even if I didn’t need it.
“You’re looking really good.” She blatantly checked me out. “Maybe we can get a drink some time?”
“Oh,” I said dumbly. “Um…”
I had no idea what the hell to say, I wasn’t used to being hit on, especially in Sterling.
“Lulu, you have to get out of the way or you're going to get wet,” Weston said looking upset.
“You know where to find me if you want that drink,” she said, patting my chest.
I didn’t say anything, but when I looked up Forest was glaring at me, his eyes full of fire. Was Forest jealous? A little possessive? I smirked and winked, turning around to see Weston also glaring at me.
“Are you and Lu a thing?” he snapped.
“Oh, god, no,” I said quickly.
“Then why didn’t you say no?” he stood closer.
I had never really come out to my coworkers, just cause I never thought it was anyone's business. None of my straight co-workers had to come out, so why the hell should I?
“I don’t know, she caught me off guard, but I don’t want Lu like that,” I said, trying to reassure him.
He eyed me warily.
“Wait, I thought you didn’t like Lulu like that?” I cocked my brow at him.
“Things….” He shrugged.
“Well, if it makes you feel better, I’ll never like Lulu, she or any woman will never be my type,” I said.
He looked at me with confusion until his cheeks grew red.
“I… didn't know,” he said, looking relieved.
“I know, I hate the idea of coming out to people,” I said, going back to washing the car. “I mean, you don’t have to come out so why the hell should I? It really shouldn’t matter who I date.”
Weston was really quiet, and his silence made my stomach sour. I had experienced some backward mentality, but I didn’t think it would come from close friends I worked with.
“You’re right,” he said softly. “I never thought of it that way, but you shouldn’t have to tell anyone. It’s no one's business and I’m sorry.”
“It’s ok, man,” I said, putting my arm around his shoulder. “But do tell me about Lulu, what changed?”
“I stayed at the hospital with her and we actually talked,” he said, leaning against me. “It was just us and it was nice without the pressure of being put together by other people. We talked and I thought we hit it off, but after that it’s like she has gone out of her way to not be around me.”
“Hmmm, that doesn’t sound like Lulu,” I said, patting his back.
“Hello, Jude.”
I looked over my shoulder to see Forest glaring at Weston and then cocked an eyebrow at me. My cheeks grew red at the possessiveness in his gaze.
“Hello, Forest,” I said, turning around. “How can I help you?”
“Oh, hey man,” Weston said, holding out his hand.
“I work with Weston at the station,” I said, as Forest shook his hand not saying anything. “Weston, this is Forest. He works at the ranch with my brother.”
Weston looked between us a few times before a huge smile crossed his face.
“Well, I’ll let you finish the truck,” he said. “It was nice to meet you.”
Forest nodded as Weston walked behind, Forest giving me the thumbs up and an obnoxious wink.
“Just a co-worker?” he said, stepping closer.
“He’s straight as an arrow and in love with Lulu over there,” I said, keeping still.
“The woman who was all over you a minute ago?” he growled, as I saw Sam walking towards us.
“Are you jealous, daddy?” I asked, feeling brave.
His eyes flared at my words. I had no idea where that had come from, but it felt right.
“Oh, Jude you have no idea how much of a daddy I can be,” he growled, and my entire body responded.
I had no idea what that meant, but I was on board with finding out. No, I needed to find out and god, I hoped it was soon.