9
L awrence shifted in his chair, trying to get comfortable. To say his lower back was killing him was an understatement. He had hoped he’d be able to get rid of the soreness before returning to work Monday, but he hadn’t been so lucky. He may have if Remy hadn’t thought it would be a good idea to keep him up into the early morning hours over the weekend.
What started out as sex after a date somehow turned into Lawrence spending the night with Remy. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, something that just happened. The morning after their date, Remy wanted to take Lawrence to breakfast. Lawrence needed to go home and get changed, which somehow ended in Remy persuading him to pack a bag.
Lawrence shouldn’t have been surprised he’d agreed to spend Sunday night with him. Typically, he didn’t spend more than a night with someone until they’d been dating for a while. With Remy, he constantly did things he didn’t normally do. Lawrence would get used to it at some point, but until then, he still found himself mildly surprised.
Remy had almost persuaded him to stay another night and call into work, but Lawrence had meetings he couldn’t miss. He’d barely managed to leave the other man’s condo that morning for work. So, his lower back still being in pain and sore was no surprise.
Lawrence brought his heating pad to work with him to combat the pain, placing it behind him in the chair and taking some pain medication after breakfast. In hindsight, he should have taken some at the end of each night. He hadn’t expected to be that sore .
It’d been a couple of years since Lawrence had bottomed that much, let alone in such a short period. His body would need time to adjust to it, but he was sure he would have far less soreness once it did.
Lawrence was appreciative that he wasn’t the one presenting during the first meeting, so he’d been able to sit still in his seat. The last thing he wanted was to bring his heating pad into the meeting and have his co-workers all in his business. It was bad enough that Mary, who had the office next to him, constantly tried to be in it. Lawrence chalked it up to her not having a life or friends outside of work. Luckily for him, she'd only asked about his heating pad once when she'd come in to tell him about a new coffee she tried.
He was looking over a sales contract that he would be taking to a client to have signed over dinner on Thursday. The first one needed some modifications but no major changes, so it didn’t take Lawrence long to get it back.
Leaning back in his chair, he checked the time. Lunch was approaching, and he decided to have something delivered. He was enjoying the heat and comfort of his chair and was in no hurry to give it up.
He decided to order a sub from his favorite sandwich shop. He brought up their website and placed his order, getting their secret punch. Lawrence paid online, adding the address and instructions on how to get to his floor and office.
He reached into his drawer where he’d placed his wallet when he made it to work, pulling out some cash to tip the delivery person when they arrived.
As he waited, he reviewed his proposal for a potential client. Global Technologies wanted to be their only supplier, and Lawrence had been tasked with making it happen. He’d come up with a list of pros and cons if they were to change, wanting to be honest. He knew where their product beat the competition and would focus heavily on those.
This would be a large account for them, and Lawrence was determined to nail it. Even though he’d only been in his current position a little over a year, he had goals to be promoted again within the year. He wanted to be the youngest director of sales .
When Lawrence’s food arrived, he tipped the delivery person, asking them to close his door behind them. He’d just taken a bite of his sandwich when his phone vibrated. Picking it up, he saw he had a text from Remy.
Remy: How’s work?
Lawrence: It’d be better if my back wasn’t sore.
Remy: You wouldn’t have to worry about that if you’d taken the day off and stayed with me.
Lawrence: Somehow, I think I’d be worse off.
Remy: You aren’t wrong.
Lawrence stared at the message for a moment. He should have known that Remy would agree with him.
Lawrence: Which is why I went to work.
Remy: Come over when you get off. I’ll rub you down.
Lawrence bit his lower lip. He was well aware that rub down could have several meanings when it came to Remy, and the last thing he wanted was to be worse at work tomorrow because he may end up calling off.
Lawrence: Remy, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’m sure I’ll have to call in tomorrow, and I can’t do that.
Remy didn’t text him right away, and Lawrence figured he’d gotten busy with something and returned to eating his lunch. He was almost finished eating when his phone vibrated again.
Remy: Alright. I’ll call you when you get off.
Lawrence responded with a thumbs-up emoji and finished eating his lunch. After throwing away his trash, he took pain medicine, pulled up his emails, and responded to a few. He had another meeting in an hour and a half. This time, he would be leading it and had to move around. He was hoping for a bit of relief before then.
L awrence walked into his apartment, locking the door behind him after work. His back was still sore, but he figured he would soak in the bathtub before bed later.
Entering his bedroom, Lawrence removed his shoes and placed them in the closet before tossing his tie over the empty hook on his closet door. He returned to the living room and sat on the couch, turning on the television. He figured he’d catch up on a couple of episodes of shows he tended to watch over the weekend but missed.
Lawrence had finished one episode and was five minutes into the next when there was a knock at his door. Pausing the television, he got up and went to it. He looked through the peephole before pulling it open.
R emy paid the cashier for the Chinese food he’d ordered twenty minutes prior. He took the food bag and left the restaurant, sliding back into his car and pulling out of the parking lot.
Ten minutes later, he pulled into the parking area, grabbed the food bag, got out, and locked the door behind him. He entered the building, stepped onto the elevator, and rode it to the third floor.
When Remy reached the door he was looking for, he knocked. He only had to wait a moment before it was pulled open, and Lawrence stood there with an eyebrow raised at him. Remy smiled at him before leaning in and kissing him softly.
“I thought you may be hungry,” he stated, holding up the food.
Lawrence took a step back and gestured for him to enter. “I’m not going to turn down food.”
Remy walked in and went to the dining table while Lawrence went into the kitchen. He pulled the different food containers from the bag, placed them in the middle, and opened them. Lawrence returned with two plates and silverware in one hand, and in the other hand, he held two wine glasses and a bottle of wine.
Remy took the glasses and bottle from him, placed the glasses down, and opened the wine while Lawrence put the plates on the table.
Once seated with food on their plates and wine in their glasses, Remy took a few bites of his food before sparking up the conversation.
“How’s your back feeling?”
Remy didn’t miss how Lawrence cut his eyes at him before answering. “Better than earlier, but it still hurts a bit.”
“I’m sorry. Next time, tell me I’m being too rough. ”
He did feel bad that he’d hurt him. He wasn’t a selfish lover by any means, though his actions during sex at times could seem contradictory. All Lawrence had to do was tell him he was being too rough and hurting him, and Remy would have backed off. If he’d told him he was hurting before he left, Remy would have given him more aftercare.
“You weren’t too rough. I just haven’t been on the receiving end in a while. Let alone that much in a short timeframe.” Lawrence took a drink of his wine. “It’ll be fine after a bit.”
Remy considered what he said, and he knew Lawrence was right. Once he got used to it, he’d be less sore each time, but it wouldn’t go away completely. It was negligence on Remy’s part not to think that was a possibility. He assumed since Lawrence was a switch he bottomed as much as he topped. It seemed he’d been mistaken, and he should have asked.
While they ate, Lawrence told Remy a few stories about him as a teenager and what he’d envisioned himself doing growing up versus what other people—or at least the women in his family—thought he should try to do. Lawrence wanted to go into sales, which he had, but they thought he should try his hand at modeling.
Remy could see it. Lawrence was pretty and had a look that would appeal to those who’d see him in ads, but he’d always been a believer in going for what you wanted, not what others thought you would have been good at. Remy also told him stories of growing up in Haiti until he left for college and decided to put down roots.
Once they finished eating, they washed the dishes, and Remy decided to leave the leftovers for Lawrence. Lawrence asked Remy if he wanted to watch a movie when they finished. It was barely eight, so Remy took him up on the offer and allowed Lawrence to choose.
Halfway through the movie, Remy ended up with Lawrence’s head in his lap, one hand lazily playing with the short curls, his other hand running up and down Lawrence’s side.
Lawrence sat up and stretched when the movie was over, wincing a bit. Remy stood, pulling Lawrence up with him.
“Why don’t you soak in a bath, and when you get out, I’ll massage you. ”
“That sounds nice if you're going to behave,” Lawrence responded. “Make yourself at home. I’ll try not to be too long.”
“Take your time.”
Remy’s first meeting the following day wasn’t until nine-thirty. He'd be fine if he made it there in the morning by nine. And it wasn’t quite ten yet.
Once Lawrence had gone to soak in the tub, Remy went to his car. He grabbed the bag from his backseat before going back inside. Remy locked the door behind him and entered Lawrence’s bedroom at the end of the hall.
He opened the diffuser he’d bought and placed the batteries in the back, adding the lavender essential oil, removing the bottle of water from the bag, and filling it. He’d decided when Lawrence texted him earlier about his back hurting that he’d give him a massage and help him relax. He then removed the warming massage oil and placed it on the bedside table beside the diffuser.
Turning the lamp on, Remy turned off the overhead light. He’d thought about getting some candles, but this massage wasn’t supposed to do anything more than relieve some of the pain in Lawrence’s back.
Remy took his shoes off, placing them at the end of the bed before pulling the comforter back to the end. He scrolled through his phone as he waited for Lawrence. True to his word, he didn’t take long, even though Remy told him to take his time.
He stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. Remy looked him over before tossing his phone aside and standing. He approached him, placing his hands on the other man’s waist and pulling him over to the bed.
“Lay on your stomach, baby.”
Remy watched as Lawrence lay down, then grabbed the massage oil before straddling his legs and opening the bottle. He’d made sure to get water-based oil so it would absorb and not leave a mess.
He’d been massaging Lawrence’s back for a few minutes when Remy shifted, and the other man gasped before groaning.
“Remy,” he stated exasperatedly, and Remy found himself chuckling.
“Relax, baby. I can keep my dick in my pants. ”
Lawrence scoffed. “I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Remy massaged Lawrence’s lower back for the next half an hour, pulling small groans and moans from him for the first twenty minutes. When Remy heard Lawrence’s soft breathing, he looked to find him sleeping.
Slowly getting off of him, Remy pulled the towel from Lawrence, covering him with the comforter and placing the towel in the bathroom on the rack. He put his shoes on, kissing Lawrence’s cheek before turning off the lamp and leaving the room.
Remy turned the television off and left the apartment, locking the door. He slid into his car and headed to his condo. He made a mental note to text Lawrence tomorrow to see how he felt.