Acceptable Behavior (5 page)

With all eyes on him, Travis had to focus. “Good news. Nothing is broken, it looks like a mild sprain. I’m going to wrap it with an Ace Bandage and give him a sling to wear for a few days, until it feels better.”

“That’s great news.” Sam’s voice oozed relief. “Thank you so much.” He turned to Levi. “Did you hear that? Your arm should be feeling better in just a few days.”

He bobbed his head up and down, then looked at Travis. “What are your kids?”

“Excuse me?” Travis blinked.

“Boys or girls, I mean. Why didn’t you bring them to the race? Don’t they like to watch you?” Levi’s questions were natural and friendly, but Travis was still baffled.

Apparently they had been talking about him. He looked at Sam. “Who told you I had three kids?”

Sam waved a hand. “Let’s not worry about that now. It’s getting late, and we need to get him home for dinner. You said something about a sling?”

Levi kept talking. “Uncle Sammy doesn’t have any kids. Mommy says that’s ‘cause he’s gay. Gay people don’t make babies.”

“Levi!” Sam’s face turned beet red. “It’s not polite to discuss that kind of stuff with strangers.”

Travis tried to keep the ‘cat who ate the canary’ expression on his face to a minimum. He glanced at Sam quickly then squatted in front of Levi. “It’s all right, Levi. I’m not a stranger, I’m your doctor. You’re absolutely right that it takes a man and a woman to make a baby. But gay people can still have children. They just have to choose other people to help them with it.”

Melanie gazed at him suspiciously. “You seem to know a lot about gay people,
Dr. Travis.
”

He rose and stared back at her. “Just basic human anatomy.”

Janel entered with the bandage and sling, and they proceeded to take care of the boy’s arm. They’d barely finished when Melanie said, “Are we done here? I need a smoke. I’m going out to the car.”

Travis tried to hide his disdain. “We’re done.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Janel led Melanie to the door.

“I’ll take care of the bill and be right out,” Sam advised his sister.

She nodded and left without another word to Travis.

Levi glanced up and smiled at him. “Thank you, Dr. Travis.” He gave Travis’ leg a quick hug, then followed his mother.

Travis stood in the doorway and blocked Sam’s exit. “He’s a really good kid.”

“I know,” Sam agreed. “You can see why this is so hard for me.”

“No, I really can’t. Why didn’t you tell me you’re gay? It’s not like you didn’t have a chance. You had the perfect opportunity when I told you I was.”

Sam just stood there, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter. Gay or straight, I don’t have time for a life right now. My sister—well, you can see how she is. She’s a flipping mess, but she’s all that Levi has.”

“Because his father went to prison.”

“Exactly. Mel’s barely holding herself together, let alone taking care of a kid. I’ve got to be there for him. I’m taking him to school, picking him up, feeding him, making sure he bathes and does his homework and all of it. Mel works most nights, so I can’t go out then. I’m living in one room of a shitty apartment. Levi has the other bedroom and Mel sleeps on the couch. Tell me when I’d have time to fit a relationship into my schedule.”

Travis sighed. “That’s tough, man, I agree. But a relationship doesn’t have to be all about schedules. Sometimes it can be just hanging out together.”

Sam blinked. “You, me and Levi? Cozy.”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t sound that bad to me. Listen, since I’ve been on call I have tomorrow off. Levi has school, right? Maybe we could get together for lunch or something.”

The handsome hunk smiled at him sadly. “Lunch is probably all I have the energy for. But yeah, I could do lunch.”

Travis pulled a business card from his pocket and wrote his home address and cell number on it. He handed it over with a return smile. “Shall we say about eleven?”

“Early lunch,” Sam commented.

He grinned. “We’re working under a time constraint. School gets out at, what? Three?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Travis. I’m looking forward to it.”

“So am I.” He stepped aside so Sam could leave.

“Direct me to the person I can settle up the bill with?”

“No charge today.”

Sam frowned. “You can’t do that.”

“It’s already done. Forget about it.”

“We can pay our way.”

“Well, if you insist, you’ll have to find some other way to pay me back. Not coercing you in any way, but just saying…”

Sam paused and smiled. “Do I get to see your tattoos?”

“If you want to.”

“I do. I really do.”

Travis liked the hungry look in Sam’s eyes. He felt the same way. “See you tomorrow, then.”

Chapter Three

Friday morning, Sam showered and checked Google Maps to locate the address Travis had provided him. Unsure what to wear, he finally decided on black jeans and a white button-down shirt, left untucked. He was ready an hour before he needed to leave, but he was nervous and couldn’t focus on anything but the handsome doctor and what the day might bring.

Melanie slept peacefully on the sofa as he slipped out of the door. She’d never know he was gone. He’d return with Levi at three-thirty, and all would be well. Sam headed out.

It took twenty minutes to reach the nice neighborhood Travis lived in.
Of course he lives someplace like this.
A doctor wouldn’t live where he had to worry about bugs or, worse yet, rats.

Sam parked his bug in the double driveway of the large white stone house and smiled at the basketball goal above the garage doors. Levi would love a place like this. He wondered if Mel would ever be able to provide it.
Maybe if she got lucky and married a doctor who didn’t mind her drug addiction.

He shook his head to clear the negative thoughts and climbed out of his car.

The front door opened and Travis came into view. He was wearing shorts and a tank top, exposing the massive, colorful tattoos covering his skin.

Sam gave him the once-over as he climbed the front porch steps. “Holy mackerel, you weren’t kidding, were you?”

The doctor grinned. “I’m told I have an obsessive personality. When I do something, I don’t do it partway. It’s whole hog or nothing.”

“Which is not all bad.” Sam paused next to him and studied the various patterns of ink on the closest arm. “Wow. You’ll have to tell me the significance of all these someday.”

“Someday I will. For now, come in.
Mi casa es su casa.”

Sam stepped inside, awed at the beautiful southwest-decorated living room, which sported shades of tans, browns and blues. “Wow. This is one hell of a
casa
.”

Travis waved a hand. “It’s comfortable.”

Sam bit back a laugh. If the good doctor thought this place was merely ‘comfortable’, he wondered what he’d think about Mel’s tiny infested apartment. ‘Cozy’ didn’t even fit quite right. “Comfortable. Yeah. It’s very nice, Travis.”

“Are you hungry? I’ve prepared chicken fettuccine alfredo and a feta salad. I thought we might have a glass or two of wine, as well.” He led the way into a spacious, open kitchen. Pots and pans hung from the ceiling above a center work space island. There were four seats at the kitchen bar and a table in a nook around the corner.

Sam didn’t want to gush over every room though he easily could have. He sighed. “That sounds amazing. The last pasta I ate came from a box with
Velveeta
written on the front.”

“Eh, it’s different when you’re cooking for kids. They have peculiar appetites.”

“Yeah, true, but that was what my sister was hungry for.”

They laughed and Sam sat while Travis served their meal at the bar. He sat next to Sam and they talked as they ate. “I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of doing something for you as a surprise.”

Sam savored the first bite. “Something more than this fantastic meal? I can’t imagine what it could be.”

Travis smiled. “I’ve arranged for two massage therapists to come here at one o’clock. They’ll bring portable tables, and we can have dual massages for an hour this afternoon.”

Sam could have fallen off his stool. “Massages? Oh my God. Have I died and gone to Heaven?”

“Oh yeah.” Travis grinned over his wine glass. “You definitely have.”

“You must think I’m a pathetic sad sack to pamper me this much.”

The smile slipped from the doctor’s face and he set his glass down. “I do
not
think that, and I’m
pampering
you because I like you, and because I can. And yeah, a part of me is doing it to get you between the sheets. Not today—don’t worry about that. There’s no pressure. But sometime soon, whenever you’re ready, just letting you know I’ll be game.”

Sam gazed at him thoughtfully. “Wow. That could be the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.” He leaned in until his face was mere inches from Travis’. “Would I be too forward if I snuck a kiss right now?”

“I’ve been waiting for this since the first day I laid eyes on you.” Travis brought their lips together in a gentle kiss.

Sam knew then he truly was in Heaven. Travis’ mouth was soft and strong at the same time, the perfect combination of sweetness and heat. He opened his lips and Travis didn’t waste any time allowing his tongue to dart forward. Sam met the tongue with his own, and they battled for dominance as the kiss lingered on.

He finally had to pull back to breathe.

Travis groaned. “Don’t stop. Feels too good.”

Sam pressed a light kiss to the corner of the doctor’s mouth. “What happened to ‘not today’?”

“Changed my mind. Totally changed it. I want to feel that tongue on every inch of my body. And that’s just for starters.”

It was Sam’s turn to groan. “I want that, too. I can’t wait to explore every one of those sexy tats with my mouth. But as wonderful as that sounds, you got me jazzed up for that massage and I’d hate to miss it. Or miss out on finishing this meal.”

Travis pulled away. “You’re right, of course. Let’s eat so the food has a chance to settle. We’ve got time for the rest of it. We’ll have another day. I’m not going anywhere, Sam.”

Sam gazed at him appreciatively. “Me either.” He stole one more quick kiss, then they went back to eating with big smiles on their faces.

Julie and Jill, the massage therapists, arrived shortly before one and set their tables up in the spacious living room. Following Travis’ lead, Sam stripped to his boxers and climbed on one table, then covered up with the provided sheet.

The women lit candles and lowered the lights, then turned on soft music. Sam had never had a massage in a spa so he wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was done very tastefully. Jill folded the sheet down to his stomach as she worked on his arms and shoulders. She then uncovered one leg at a time and massaged it. When she’d finished, he rolled onto his belly and she massaged the calf and foot of each leg before finishing with a nice, long backrub.

He didn’t want to move when it was over, but the tables had to go. He carried his clothes to one bathroom and Travis took his to another. When they returned, Travis paid the women and they left, precisely an hour later.

“Wow.” Sam sank into the sofa. “That was incredible. Thank you so much.”

“I enjoyed it too. We’ll do it again sometime.” He handed Sam one of the bottles of water the women had left. “But now, I’m estimating we have about twenty minutes to neck before you have to go and pick up Levi.”

Sam took a swig of water and set the bottle down. “Twenty minutes to neck? Damn, feels like high school all over again.”

Travis grinned. “High school was fun. Sneaking around, furtive hand jobs in the showers, quickie blow jobs in the car…”

Sam’s cock thickened. “Mmm, those things do sound like fun.”

Travis straddled him and ground their groins together. “They were fun, and they will be again, when you and I have more time. I love giving head, and there won’t be anything quick about it. When I devour you, I’m gonna want plenty of time.”

“Aw, God.” Sam panted as their mouths came together. Tongues battled again, to and fro, lingering in one mouth then the other. His cock was on fire, and he could feel Travis’ was just as hard. “Use your hand now,” he encouraged. “Quick can be nice, too.”

“Not for our first time.” Travis circled Sam’s inner ear with his tongue before drawing the lobe into his mouth. “Our first time is gonna be slow and sweet, not fast, furious and sticky.”

“I like sticky.” Sam’s voice was almost a whimper.

“And I like you—too much to do that to you.”

“You’re gonna make me go home and jack off, thinking of you?”

“Yep. You can picture me here, jacking off, thinking of you.”

Sam groaned again as Travis sucked his neck. “Fuck, yeah.”

“Oh, I like to fuck, too. Doggie style, missionary style, bent over the back of the sofa, across the kitchen table, and standing in the shower. I like to give and receive. How about you, sexy?”

“Both,” Sam panted. “All of the above. At this rate I might not make it home. Forgive me if I come in my pants.”

Travis laughed and pulled back. “Sorry, our twenty minutes is up. But I’ll see you tonight in my dreams.”

Sam wiped perspiration from his brow. “You are a horrible tease.”

“And you are a good uncle who’d never be late to pick up his kid. I’ll check my schedule and let you know when my next weekday off is. But maybe this weekend we could get together and do something with Levi?”

“That’d be great. Thank you.”

Travis squeezed Sam’s crotch as he climbed off. “No, man. Thank
you
. I’m stoked to see where this thing takes us.”

“Me too. You have no idea.” He rose and gathered his things.

“Text me so I’ll have your number.”

“Will do.” He looked at Travis seriously. “Thanks again for lunch and the massage. They were both perfect.”

“I thought so, too. Talk to you soon, handsome.”

“You bet.” Sam ogled him one more time, then mustered all the willpower he possessed to walk out.

* * * *

Travis’ text notification sounded, and he reached for his phone. Nearly nine a.m., he needed to get up but was comfortable right where he was. He glanced at the screen.