Full Frontal Read online

  The image of Cooper returned to his mind especially, no matter how many times he tried to shut it out. They had talked a fair bit that night, more than usual. Although they were friendly, they never really had full conversations. Maybe Owen tried to avoid having too much contact with the other guys. Maybe in a sense, he was worried that talking to them too much would turn him gay.

  No, that was ridiculous. He didn’t need to worry about turning gay. He was straight, and these things were set for life. He knew who he was. If he was gay, he would have no problem with it, but he was straight. He would have known a long time ago if he was into guys.

  So why was his erection still pulsing between his legs? He put his hands down his boxers, giving in to the compulsion. He pictured his last ex-girlfriend, who had broken up with him a year ago over sexual incompatibility. His boner withered, almost going away. He allowed his mind to drift back to Cooper. The ripped body face, the stylish haircut… He was such a good guy, and Owen could see why the customers liked him so much. If Owen was into guys, he would be into Cooper for sure.

  He allowed his hand to wrap around his dick. Although it didn’t make sense, he let the images of Cooper invade his mind. He would allow himself this one moment of weakness. He moved his hand up and down his cock, thinking all the while about how weird this was. His grip tightened, and he jerked himself in earnest. He could almost imagine that this was Cooper’s hand on him. What would it feel like to be touched by another guy? What would it feel like to have Cooper make him come?

  The motions were familiar. He had been masturbating for as long as he could remember, but now that he was thinking about a guy, his erection was more rigid than ever before. He knew what Cooper’s dick looked like now, but what about when it was hard? He let himself imagine taking it into his own hand. Maybe into his mouth, or… other places. He faltered, thinking for a second about how strange and wrong this was. But when he let himself go with it, it felt better than anything he could remember.

  Cooper filled his mind as he built toward an orgasm. His face was almost next to his in his imagination, and Cooper’s warm breath brushed his cheek. Their faces moved toward each other, stubble brushing against each other’s.

  Was Owen really thinking about kissing a guy? Was it really going to make him come? As he tumbled over the edge, there was nothing more to think about. His whole body shuddered, tension rising from his toes up through his entire body. It felt like he was going to explode.

  He jerked himself frantically, just enough presence of mind to grab a tissue from the nightstand. But where one was usually enough, this time he had to grab several more. He kept pumping himself until the whole wad of tissues was drenched.

  He rolled over, but whereas jerking off normally helped him fall asleep, he was suddenly wide-awake. What had he just done?

  This wasn’t exactly the first time that he had had these fantasies. It was just the first time he had given in to them.

  But as he forced himself to go to sleep, he vowed that it wouldn’t happen again.

  Six

  Cooper woke up with a splitting headache. He lay in his bed for several minutes, one hand over his eyes, and tried to convince himself to get out of bed. His fingers weren’t enough to block out the sunlight. He cursed the windows that he had found so appealing when he was moving in here with Xavier. This beautiful natural light was way too much when he was this hungover.

  Once he managed to climb out of bed and stumble into the shower, he could almost laugh about it. What would the other guys say if they saw their “big brother” now? His entire apartment was a wreck. Frisbee had knocked over his CD collection while he’d been out, and he hadn’t bothered to rearrange it before tumbling into bed. After the long shift and hanging out with the guys, he hadn’t had the energy.

  The party was good overall. He had enjoyed hanging out with the guys. He slipped a hand over his forehead as he tried to remember exactly how many drinks he’d had. Probably four or five, between the tequila and the beer.

  It was just a shame that Owen hadn’t come. With the awkwardness last night, Cooper wished he had stayed to bond with them. There was some tension between him and the gay guys, and spending more time together might help. Cooper wished Owen could be part of the group like the others. He was still their coworker, even if they swung different ways.

  The guy was always fun to be around. He was generally a good sport about not being gay. Cooper thought he might be one of the coolest guys there if he would open up a little. He could definitely appreciate Owen’s sense of humor and his chilled-out attitude.

  Frisbee ran through the room, and Cooper sighed as he watched the puppy. He was hyper, which meant he was probably hungry and restless. He usually ate a few hours before this, but Cooper had slept much later than usual.

  He poured food into the dog’s bowl. Just over a year earlier, he’d relied on Xavier for half of the dog duties. Not anymore. He was just glad he’d been the one to keep Frisbee. He would have taken the split even harder without the golden retriever.

  Putting Frisbee on a leash, he took him into the elevator. It still felt like Xavier should be here for this. They’d been joined at the hip for the whole year they’d been together. But that time had been full of fireworks. The constant fighting was exhausting. He was better off without Xavier, that much was for sure… but it had been nice to have someone to hold his hand while he walked the dog.

  The worst part might be the lack of sex. Cooper did miss that aspect. There had been no problem in the bedroom with his ex. The months since they had broken up had been sexless and cold. Cooper missed having someone to enjoy physically, not to mention cuddling and waking up next to someone. But he could live without intimacy for as long as he had to. He wasn’t looking, especially not in his workplace. No way would he ever make that mistake again.

  Frisbee ran ahead of him once they got out onto the street. The dog pulled on the leash, wanting to run faster than Cooper was willing to walk with his headache. Cooper just laughed as he looked at the puppy. He wished he could have that kind of enthusiasm about life. Frisbee sniffed the grass as if he had never sniffed grass before. It was the same grass as yesterday and the day before, but to him it was somehow new.

  If Cooper had been into girls, the dog would have been a chick magnet. Three or four young women stopped to coo over the dog as he walked around the block. Of course, Cooper could have met girls anywhere, anyway. It was the great tragedy of his life. If he was straight like Owen, he would have had the time of his life working at that strip club.

  Speak of the devil… Was that Owen in the yard over there? It sure looked like him. The meticulously messy hair and perfectly fitting clothes couldn’t be anyone else. He was standing with the hood of a car open. A damn nice car, it looked like. A Chevrolet? Cooper thought he remembered Owen mentioning an interest in classic cars.

  Cooper waved. “I didn’t know you lived so close to me,” he said once he was close enough. “What’s that you’re doing?”

  “Oh, hey!” Owen looked surprised to see him, and not necessarily in a good way. “I’m just working on my car. I didn’t know you lived close to me, either. Who’s this little guy?” Leaving the hood of his car open, he came up to offer Frisbee his hand. The dog sniffed it and immediately licked his palm. Cooper started to apologize, but Owen only seemed amused. “He’s adorable.”

  “Yeah, he is. And who’s this?”

  “This is my baby. I call her Eileen.”

  Cooper looked at the car. It really was a beauty. Shining chrome blue, with gleaming windows and low riding wheels. It was clear that Owen had put a ton of work into the car. Cooper would have no idea where to start with such a thing. He had a car that got him from point A to point B, but he just took it to the mechanic when anything needed to be done.

  “Eileen is a nice name,” Cooper said. “Very erotic. I think we have a regular by that name.”

  “Oh, the old lady who used to come in with her daughter? You might have jus
t ruined the name for me.”

  Cooper laughed, admiring the way the sun shone on Owen’s hair. “Sorry, bro. It wasn’t intentional.”

  The dog leaned into Owen’s touch as he trailed his fingers through his fur. Cooper didn’t blame the little guy. He would have enjoyed Owen touching him, too.

  “So, what are you up to until the shift starts?” Owen asked conversationally.

  Cooper was glad he was acting normal again. He guessed it was weird for Owen to spend so much time with naked guys. It was weird to see him clothed now, actually. But either way, Owen looked amazing.

  “I’m just hanging out,” he said. “You missed a good party last night. I think we’ll be hanging out at Ace and Gabriel’s place more often. They do have a nice place.”

  “Oh, yeah? I heard you guys talking about that before I left, but I wanted to get home. I guess I’ll probably see it at some point. I haven’t hung out too much with Ace and Gabriel before.”

  “Yeah, you kind of keep to yourself, don’t you? I thought you got along with both of them well enough.”

  “I get along with them fine.”

  Cooper recalled his earlier suspicion. “It’s changed since they got together?”

  “Maybe. I just don’t need to see two guys making out all the time, you know? Well…” He paused, giving Cooper a funny look. “I guess you wouldn’t know.”

  “Sure, I get it.”

  Owen’s eyes lingered on Cooper. What was Owen thinking? He was always so tense around Cooper, so on edge. What exactly made him that way? Cooper wished he could get him to loosen up a little. Maybe he needed to take Owen under his wing.

  “What did you guys do, anyway?” Owen asked.

  “We got straight up wasted,” Cooper said, rubbing his forehead again. As he remembered how much he had to drink, he was suddenly reminded of his hangover. “I drank more than I have in ages.”

  “I wouldn’t have pegged you for a heavy drinker.”

  “Well, I’m not. I’m usually the responsible one, as you’ve probably noticed. But I like to unwind from time to time.” Maybe Owen should do a little more of that.

  “That’s cool,” Owen said. His fidgeting betrayed some nervousness. Even though Cooper was fully dressed, he looked at Cooper’s body from time to time. Maybe he was finding it weird to see him clothed, too. Well, even if it was kind of awkward to talk to Owen, Cooper was going to stay a little longer. Owen intrigued him.

  “So, you ready to get naked again tonight?” Cooper asked. He tried to sound as casual as Lev or Ace would have, but he couldn’t quite pull it off. To his ears, he just sounded like a pervert. He hoped Owen wouldn’t think he was looking forward to seeing him in the buff again. Even though, well, he kind of was.

  Owen cringed visibly. “I’m not a big fan of showing my junk,” the guy said. “I don’t know if I’m going to get used to it. Dropping the G-string at the end of the act was bad enough. Walking around with my stuff out all night, well…”

  Right. Cooper had almost forgotten they were supposed to do that. “It’s not so bad,” he said. “It’s not much worse than what we were doing before. And you never minded that, did you?”

  “No, but it just feels different.”

  “Why is it so different?”

  Now Owen was looking anywhere but at Cooper. His eyes rested on the car, and then he looked at Frisbee. He started petting the dog as if hoping that playing with him would make the rest of the conversation go away. For such a masculine guy, he could be adorable.

  “Aren’t you a cutie?” he said, his voice rising as he petted Frisbee. “You’re a little sweetie, aren’t you?”

  Maybe Cooper should have left it at that, but he was too curious. “You can’t ignore the question and play with my dog,” he said. “Why is dick different? It’s just a body part, and one that you don’t even like. Why does it make you so uncomfortable?”

  Owen looked at him for a second, then looked at Eileen again. “I don’t know,” he said, his gaze resting on the car. “I just don’t like it. It’s weird. Maybe it’s all right for the guys who like it, but I don’t.”

  “I know you don’t,” Cooper said. “You’ve mentioned that a few times lately. I would think it would be easier for you than the rest of us, since you’re not trying to stay professional all the time. It should leave you neutral.”

  Owen slammed the hood of the car shut. “Well, it doesn’t,” he snapped. “I don’t like it, and I don’t want to see it. I don’t want it anywhere near me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go.”

  Cooper frowned as his coworker headed back into his apartment. He felt bad that he had pissed Owen off like that. He hadn’t meant to. He always tried to set everyone at ease, whether it was a coworker, a customer, or a friend.

  It was a little strange that Owen had reacted so strongly to the changes at the Tool Shed, though. As Cooper picked up Frisbee’s leash and turned to walk away, a suspicion began to take root inside him.

  The suspicion that maybe, just maybe, Owen wasn’t as straight as he claimed.

  Seven

  Owen peered through his apartment window. As soon as he saw Cooper leave, he went out to lock up his car. He gave Eileen a loving pat, mentally apologizing for leaving her unlocked for even a minute.

  The encounter with Cooper had left Owen restless and more than a little uneasy. He knew he had been rude to his coworker, who was only trying to be friendly. But he couldn’t deal with dick. He just couldn’t. And Cooper had pushed him a little more than he would have liked.

  Knowing his concentration was shot, he didn’t bother trying to continue working on his car. The transmission would have to wait. Eileen was still running.

  He couldn’t help but bite his lip as he went back into the apartment. He had felt like Cooper could see right through him. Could Cooper possibly know what he had done last night? What he had jacked off to?

  It was as if some kind of innate sense had told Cooper he’d been the object of Owen’s fantasies. Of course it was impossible, but Cooper had somehow seemed to know. Owen had only done it because he was so horny. It wasn’t like Cooper turned Owen on. He turned him off. Owen was into girls, period. Full stop. End of story.

  If Owen wasn’t going to work on the car, he could go ahead and prove that. He opened up a porn site, one of the classier ones that had the most beautiful women. Sitting in front of his computer, he took his dick in his hand as he looked at the thumbnails.

  He hovered the mouse over a few different videos, watching the few seconds of preview that it showed. Sex, blow jobs, anal… None of these were appealing to him. The girls looked so fake. That was the problem. Those silicone tits and lip injections… It was no wonder he hadn’t gotten hard for these girls last night.

  Teen, redhead, amateur… Amateur should do the trick. Those girls would be average girl next-door types. But as he scanned up and down the page, none of the videos even made his dick twitch. He frowned. What was going on down there? Maybe his D was shy because so many people had been looking at it. And yet, he’d had such an incredible orgasm last night.

  Owen went back to the category page, looking at all the different possibilities. Solo girl, that one could be good. Maybe he needed guys as far from his cock as possible. Or maybe not. His eyes drifted one slot to the right. Solo guy.

  He had never even thought about looking at such a thing before, but he was almost compelled to click it. His cock grew in an instant as he looked at the thumbnails on the page. These guys were hot, much hotter than their equivalent girls. They were big and buff, and even their faces were more appealing.

  Why did the porn companies hire hotter men than women to make videos? Obviously the guys were just better looking than the girls, and that was why they were turning Owen on. It didn’t mean that he was gay, or even bisexual. The quality was just better. These guys were sexy enough to turn anyone on.

  Owen scrolled down the page. His cock only grew harder as he took in more and more men. Most of them seemed
to be around his age. He found most of them attractive, in an objective straight-guy kind of way. But the guy he had just been talking to was better looking than any of them.

  Cooper was just an insanely good-looking guy. Stripping was the perfect profession for him. He could beat out anyone Owen could think of in the looks category. Movie stars and rock stars had nothing on him. Cooper had an awesome personality, too. He was more laid-back than Owen had originally assumed. He wouldn’t mind spending more time with Cooper, getting to know him better. Since they were neighbors, maybe they could hang out. Strictly platonic, of course.

  Owen’s thoughts paused as he came to a thumbnail of a guy that looked a little like Cooper. He had a different haircut, but otherwise he looked exactly like Cooper – at least from what Owen could tell from the tiny picture of the guy sprawled back with his dick out. Owen hesitated with his mouse pointed over the video.

  He could click it. There was nothing wrong with watching another guy jerk off. He could pick up some new tricks for when he took care of his own business. Nothing gay about checking out how other guys did it. He was just curious to see if there might be a different way to hold his dick or something.

  After another second of hesitation, he let his finger drop enough to make the mouse click. He watched, his cock hardening more, as Cooper’s lookalike filled the screen. With his left hand, he reached across his body to grab the mouse and make it full screen. His right hand was already on his cock. It was okay that this was making him horny. It didn’t mean anything. Straight guys did stuff like this all the time.

  He watched carefully as the guy blew a kiss at the camera. “This one is for you, babe.”

  Hell, the guy even sounded like Cooper! Owen’s heart leapt with inexplicable excitement. But it had to be his crappy laptop speakers making the guy sound like that. Cooper would never have made a dirty video.