“Truth? I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you ever since you called.”
Ralph beamed. It was the familiar smile of many advertisements.
“Hold on,” Bo said, lightly patting Ralph’s chest with both hands. “Let’s contain that ego for just a moment. I had concerns because I needed a place to stay.This place. When I stormed out on Dale this morning I had no idea that you would choose today—of all days—to visit.”
“It’s fate. Embrace it, Bo.Embrace me.”
Bo didn’t, but it wasn’t easy. Ralph’s charm had a powerful pull. Instead, he regained his train of thought: “I wasn’t sure you’d be so keen on my crashing on your property.”
“You can stay on any property of mine you want.”
“You’re my boss, Ralph.”
“Big deal. It’s not the first workplace romance.”
“Yeah, but you’reRealty-Man. You’re a fucking celebrity. I can’t drive to work without seeing you. Your face is visible all over DC and half of Maryland.”
“And Virginia.”
Bo rolled his eyes at him.
“I’m just kidding,” Ralph said. “So, what? I’m successful. We can be successful together, Bo. We’re already in a business partnership. If it develops into something bigger, so be it. Good things usually grow.”
Bo ignored the innuendo. “What if I don’t want to beMrs. Realty-Man?”
“I’m not proposing marriage yet. We’ll give it a while. But what I am proposing is that maybe you go ahead and live in these properties we flip.”
“Like that douche, Jeff, onFlipping Out?”
“I hate that guy,” Ralph said, referring to the moody property flipper on the popular Bravo TV show. “But it makes sense. It’s a way I can pay you more without really having to pay you more—by cutting your living expenses.”
Bo thought about it, nodding.
“I was hoping you’d agree.”
“You just want a kept man,” Bo teased.
“I’m not opposed to it.”
“Honestly, Ralph, I thought you were going to propose something different.”
“That you could move in with me in Falls Church? That crossed my mind. And you’re welcome to. I’ve got plenty of roomandfurniture. It would save me from having to stage these flips earlier for your comfort,” he added. “But I didn’t want to scare you away. I mean, you did just break up today. And you’re not a lesbian... at least not the last time I checked.”
Bo grinned.
“But we can talk about this more in the morning,” Ralph continued. “Right now, I just want you to move in here.”
He reached into the fly of Bo’s boxers, pulling his cock out and slipping it into the fly of his own. He pressed his body up against Bo and the counter.
“Goddamn, that feels good.”
“Yeah, it does,” Ralph said, nuzzling and kissing Bo’s neck. “You taste good too.”
Ralph sunk deeper into the embrace. Bo was receptive, slipping his hands beneath the waistband of Ralph’s underwear and squeezing his taut ass, pulling him closer as if to absorb him.
After a moment of this, Ralph pulled back. He held Bo’s face in his hands, looking into his eyes, shadowed mostly, the firelight behind him.
“What?” Bo asked.
