...I found Patrick in the living room examining the huge flat screen.

“Oh, yeah, this is big,” Patrick said. He suddenly turned whiny however. “But what if I want to watch it in my bedroom? I mean, I have to be out here to watch this. I’ve only got that tiny little thing in my bedroom. It looks like a toy.”

I embraced him from behind and whispered in his ear. “Why don’t you do something else in your bedroom then, and don’t worry about watching TV?”

He turned and kissed me. I got hot and bothered fast, my lips aching to feel every inch of his. We tasted each other over and over, kissing and groping each other in the middle of the living room. The front door had been left wide open, but we remained oblivious to the fact that at any given moment, somebody could walk up and witness us making out.

I Frenched Patrick deep and hard. He sucked my tongue before fighting for dominance, shoving his into my mouth. Back and forth this went, a frenzy of hot, wet heat connecting our mouths, while my hard-on bulged against my zipper in search of an outlet. At the same time, I could feel Patrick’s erection press against mine as we mashed against each other in delicious frustration. Our hands slipped up underneath each other’s shirts to rub abs, nipples and shoulder muscles.

Patrick’s hot breath tickled my neck when he whispered, “I want to get naked with you, now.”

“Yeah, me, too,” I whispered back.

More panting and neck-kissing until, all of a sudden, he stopped and pushed me away. I stood there staring.

“What?” I asked, mystified.

He shook his head and ran his fingers through his dark, thick curls. “What is this?”

“What’s what?”

“This, this…thing? What the hell is happening here? I— This is crazy, Ken. I wasn’t prepared for this.”

His head shook with what appeared to be uncontrollable little spasms. It seemed as though it had just occurred to him, for the first time, that I might actually mean more to him than a one-time fuck. Since I’d automatically thought of him as a love interest and not just for sex, I wasn’t sure if I ought to be insulted or not.

He pushed back a couple of curls that had slipped onto his forehead and started pacing. Then, he started rambling, and I sensed he was talking more to himself than to me.

“I’ve got to stay focused on Urban Days and Nights for now. And I’m stuck in this thing with Tyler. I’m treading some very dangerous turf here—” He stopped and looked at me, apparently out of words.

“I know,” I said in an effort to be helpful. “I know.” I ran my fingers through my own hair and took a step toward him. “But I can’t help it, Patrick. I could really get into you.”

“Well, Jesus, me, too! I’d like to take this as far as it can go. It’s just—I have to be careful, you know? We’ve got to take things slow. Tyler—he can be very vindictive at times. And we both know a lot of the same people—know what I mean?”

I nodded and felt depleted all of a sudden, as though a bit of air had seeped out of my happy balloon.

I decided I’d be wise to let go of any expectations I’d had for meaningful involvement with Patrick. “I guess we better be cool about things.”

But as soon as I’d said this, Patrick was all over me again, kissing and groping me. He pulled me into him and massaged my butt.

“I can’t be cool,” he said in a passionate whisper. “I don’t want to! I want you, Ken, I want everything with you. I want to crawl inside you! What are we gonna do?”

“First of all,” I answered, “we need to get a grip on ourselves and get out of the living room.” I chuckled and kissed him one last time before holding him at arm’s length. “Second, I’m taking you to dinner.”

“You are?”

“Yes. Some girl is coming to take Wiley, and I’m taking you.”

“Okay. That sounds good. Then you’re coming back here with me, right?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Discretion is advised.”

“Yes, we need to be discreet.”

I lowered my voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Especially since Wiley just invited me into his bed later, should I be up for a romp.”

Patrick giggled. “Are you a chubby-chaser, Ken?”

I snuffed a laugh. “No. But isn’t he married? To a woman?”

“I think so. His beard.”