The 10 Year Plan (8 page)

People had often misjudged Myles as being a shark just because he was an attorney. He was now doing the same to Hunter. Clearly he had met a sweet man just like himself, who was just looking for a connection. Someone to love, just like Myles was. “You know... it's okay if you want to put your hand on my leg. I won't freak out on you. Promise.”

They stared at each other for a moment, and then Hunter placed his hand on Myles' upper thigh. It sat there for a moment. The physical contact felt good, and Myles couldn't deny that Hunter turned him on. Myles nodded. Hunter again reached out further running his hand up his leg until he had it on Myles' crotch, then gently squeezed Myles' cock, which clearly indicated his approval of what was going on. He waited for Myles' reaction.

Myles suddenly sprang into action. He grabbed Hunter and threw him backwards on the couch. Like a rag doll, Myles thought, before he climbed on top and kissed him—wildly, passionately.

Myles had been repressed too long. Always playing the role of the perfect husband; conservative to a fault, so as not scare away the perfect man. Tonight was long overdue. This sexy rocker was just what Myles needed, and the encounter unleashed something Myles didn't even know was inside him—a propensity for rough, anonymous man-on-man sex without judgment or boundaries. It was if he'd lost total control, and Hunter was the lucky recipient of all Myles' years of pent-up his passion.

Fortunately, Hunter was up for the task!

“Oh, man, you really were ready, weren't you!” Hunter said. They pressed against each other hard, lips pressed tightly together. After a time both stood and stripped down. Myles' shirt was the first to be peeled off, revealing his sweat-covered chest and defined abs.

Myles was only slightly aware of the rock paraphernalia that filled the room, the darkly painted walls, and three or four guitars in corners. He had the fleeting thought that Hunter's apartment was like a fan-ravished Van Halen tour bus. Somehow it added to encounter.

Quickly, Myles mounted the other man, and then they switched. Hunter held Myles' hands down as he had his way with him. Myles decided to try new tricks, to allow himself to be uninhibited. And he followed through, over and over again. An hour later, Hunter told Myles he was exhausted, and the fun had to end.

Myles wasn't sure how he felt about that. Something had been released inside him and reminded him of a feral animal in heat.

“Oh no.” Myles shook his head. He grasped Hunter's hand. “Which way to the bedroom?” There was no sleep for either of them till the early hour of the morning.

The next day Brody and Richard were in the police station locker room changing into their uniforms. “I'm worried about Myles,” he told Richard.

“How so?”

Extremely upset, he tried to explain. “Myles met this guy last night.”

“Great! Isn't that what you wanted?”

“Well, yes, but—” He couldn't put to words why this was a bad thing. It just wasn't Myles.

Just then Brody's phone rang. He saw the number was Myles' office. “What the hell happened to you last night?” He was angry and concerned. “You never called me back!”

“It's Diane.” The feminine voice momentarily halted his tirade. “Do you know where Myles is? It's ten thirty!”

Brody was surprised and distressed by this. He's not at work? Myles would never be late for work. Something must have happened! Myles could be so damned naïve, taking everyone at face value. But that wasn't the way the world worked; there were a lot of nasty people out there. As a cop, Brody was more attuned to the facts and certainly more able to handle himself in a dangerous situation.
Something must have happened to him,
he thought. His police academy training kicked in and Brody went into crisis mode.

Without thinking Brody blurted out the obvious. “He should be at the office.”

“Oh.” Her tone was sarcastic. “Maybe he's here after all. I forgot to look around. Hold on, let me check the other three corners of his office.
No, he's not here!”

He didn't appreciate the sarcasm, but considering the situation, he pushed his resentment aside. Besides, she sounded as worried as he was.
“
Did you try him at home?”

“
It's a wonder you're not a detective yet.” By now her voice dripped with mockery.

He decided to ignore her tone and press on. He was more concerned about his friend than about correcting Diane on how to be socially tactful. “I haven't talked to him since last night.” He began to panic.

“
He had a client meeting on his books at ten, and he missed it.”

“
I'll go by his place to check on him. Give me ten minutes. I'll get back to you.” Brody was clearly shaken by the fact that Myles was now MIA. They changed quickly into their uniforms and headed out to investigate what was happening with Myles.

***

Myles was still asleep in Hunter's bed, snuggled beneath a patchwork quilt. Hunter woke him with a cup of coffee. At first Myles was confused. Where they hell was he, and what was going on? Suddenly, he remembered. Grindr. Coming to a strange person's house. A night of wild sex. Oh, yes. Hunter. Already, he was half in love! Well, not really, but he certainly could be, given a little more time with him.

Hunter presented the hot coffee to Myles.

“Aw, how sweet.” Myles said, sitting up and taking the cup. What a wonderfully thoughtful way to greet your partner in bed? This one may be a keeper, he thought.

He was getting dressed as Myles lay in bed. He pulled his shirt over his head as he stood there in his gym shorts. “Well, that was certainly hot.”

Myles smiled at him. “I needed that.”

“Apparently several times.” He laughed politely trying to give Myles a not so subtle hint that it was time for Myles to leave. “Listen, I have to go. I've got class.”

“Oh. What are you studying?” Myles asked with no intention of doing anything other than enjoying the hot coffee and getting to know this stud better.

“It's an aerobics class.” A feeble attempt to be adorable.

“Ah. Is it tough?” He was kidding but the tone held a hint of teasing.

Hunter's answer was defensive and a bit dismissive. “It's actually quite fun.”

“No. I mean getting back to the 1980's – back when they actually taught aerobics.” Myles chuckled at his own acerbic wit. Hunter was stone-faced.

“It's coming back, I'll have you know.”

“I'll have to remember to tell my leg warmers.” Again, he was kidding but could tell Hunter was far from amused. What made him say things like that, he wondered? A nice man. Relationship potential, to say the least. And here he was, letting his stupid sense of humor control him.

“What are leg warmers?” Hunter asked with a slight curiosity still hoping that Myles would get the hint that he's dressed to leave and edging towards the door?

“You're kidding, right?” Did he really not know what leg warmers were?

“No, and unfortunately I don't have time to find out. I need to leave. I've got to be there at eleven.”

“Eleven!” For the first time Myles spied a clock on the wall. “Oh, my God.”

Myles realized what was going on finally and remembered his morning meetings. He grabbed his clothes from off the chair and quickly got dressed. He'd call Diane in the car and tell her was on his way.

***

Brody knocked on the door to Myles' apartment. “Open up. Are you in there?” He'd never forgive himself if anything happened to Myles. What had ever possessed him to talk him into posting his picture on Grindr?

“Don't you have a key?” Richard asked.

“Why would I need one?” He pulled out a lock-picking kit. Across the hall, a door opened and Mr. Harrington, an older man stuck his head out. He looked to be about sixty with a white beard, brown hair, and a solid build.

“Is there a problem, officers?” Mr. Harrington asked.

“No,” Brody answered as he hid the lock picking kit away from sight. “We're just responding to a call. Do you know Myles?”

“I do. Quiet fella, but nice. Always a hello in the hallway. Raised right. Smells good too.” He paused, the typical nosey neighbor. “What did he do?” His tone was filled with suspicion.

For heaven's sakes, Brody thought. So he's that kind of neighbor. Wanting the latest gossip. “He didn't do anything. We're just checking on him. Did you happen to see him last night?”

“Nope. Don't think he came home, or I would've heard him. I hear everything. Even with this bad ear.” He pointed to one of his ears. “I catch it all.” He paused. “Let me know if you need my help. I'm a vigilante, you know.”

A vigilante. Oh, sure he was. This was exactly the kind of old coot that called in every complaint imaginable to the station. Just what Brody needed to start a bad day. “I've got it covered. Thank you for your help,” Brody responded as politely as he could muster.

“Anything for officers of the law.” The guy was a brownnoser too. “Keep up the good work, boys.” The neighbor disappeared back into his apartment content that the two officers were doing their job.

Brody shook his head in disbelief before using his kit to open the door. In just a few seconds he and Richard walked inside.

“Myles? Myles?” Brody called and then looked around. He looked inside the bathroom. Nothing. The bedroom. No one. And the kitchen. Not there either. Oh, my God, what had Brody done? Myles couldn't handle himself in a bad situation. He didn't have the training, the know how. Brody was starting to get upset, so upset he could hardly concentrate on what he was doing.

“Wow. Who's his roommate, Mr. Clean?” Richard looked at the bar admiringly. “A carafe? Silver shaker?” He picked up the latter to look more closely. “Who does he entertain here? James Bond?” He shook his head in disbelief. “So,” he said, glancing at a stack of DVDs, “when Blockbuster runs out of movies rent to their customers, do they come here and borrow a few from Myles?”

Richard was doing his best to lighten the mood. He desperately wanted to diffuse Brody's angst. He knew that Myles was a smart man who could handle himself and wasn't in the least bit worried. Brody, however, was on the edge of his last nerve.

“Enough with the commentary! Just see if you can find anything.” Brody barked at him as he continued to look through the apartment—in closet doors and everywhere else he could think of. Where in the hell was he? What was going on? This wasn't at all like Myles. He was the epitome of responsibility.

“Like dust? Good luck with that.”

And why wasn't Richard more concerned! Brody didn't understand. Suddenly, he noticed a suit hanging over the bedroom door. “Oh, man, that's what he was planning to wear today. That means he never came home last night.” He was breathing hard.
Where are you, Myles! Where are you?
he thought. This was all his fault! Brody didn't even know where he'd gone. It could be anywhere in the city.

“I'm sure he's fine,” Richard said.

“Famous last words just before we find the body in a dumpster. We've got to put out an APB. Get more eyes out there looking for him.”

Richard had never seen this side of Brody before, his genuine concern for someone. He knew Myles meant the world to him, but Brody's voice held sheer panic, as if to ask, “What if something happened to him?”

Richard decided instead of trying to make light of the situation, he'd change his tactics. Brody needed support right now, not humor.

“Before we sound the alarm, let's stop by his office and see what we can find there.” There was a look of sympathy on Richard's face. “Relax. It'll be fine. One quick stop. Okay?”

Richard corralled Brody out of the apartment and back out onto the street.

***

Back in Myles office, Diane's cell phone rang. She reached into her pocket, pulled it out, and answered. It was Myles. “I've been calling you,” he said. “You're not answering your office phone.”

Whew! It seemed he was okay, she thought. “I'm in
your
office. Where are you?” Now she was annoyed. Where had he been anyhow? What had he been thinking, scaring everyone half to death? “You had a 10 o'clock client!”

Why was she so concerned, for heaven's sake? It wasn't like he'd been missing for days. “I overslept.”

Sure you did,
she thought. “I know you better than that. What's going on, Myles?”

“Nothing. It's all good.” He paused for a moment. “What happened with my client?”

“I covered for you. Everything's been handled, but you need to call Brody. He's about to drag the river looking for your body.”

“You called Brody?” Why would she do that?! And why hadn't he called Brody like he promised? Well, that was easy enough to answer. He grinned to himself. He'd just been a little bit too busy.

“You had me worried. You're never late or miss work. What was I supposed to do?”

“That's not true, Diane.” But it was true, he thought. Old dependable Myles. Old predictable Myles. Well, not so predictable now, was he! “Please! You make Old Faithful look like a slacker, and Big Ben calls you to find out the time.”

“Well, I'm here now. I'm just walking in...” Myles entered still on the phone. When he saw Diane, he hung up. He gave her a smile. “Thanks for covering for me.”

She looked at him, clearly puzzled. “Just hold it, Myles. Why are you dressed like that? Is this a walk of shame?”

Of course, he wore the same “Abercrombie” clothes he'd had on when he'd gone to Hunter's house—a knit shirt and slacks rather than his usual lawyerly suit.

“I'm not ashamed of anything.”

“Then you obviously didn't do it right,” she answered back with a smirk.

Myles grinned. “I wouldn't be so sure about that.”

She sat on the edge of his desk. “Okay, tell me what happened. And it better be filthy. Pictures, descriptions, names, and phone numbers. Is video asking too much?” She smiled in anticipation.

Diane loved details and she loved Myles. This was something she'd clear her calendar for. She wanted to know everything about Myles' tryst. He had clearly gone out of his comfort zone and done something unexpected and naughty. She was proud of him and dying for the details.

“A gentleman doesn't kiss and tell.” Myles sat at his desk and leafed through some papers, obviously trying to indicate to her that he was busy and didn't want to discuss what happened, at least at the moment. She knew that inside he was probably dying to tell her about his night. He did have a ton of work, but nevertheless…

“A gentleman who doesn't tell is asking for a beating,” she threatened.

“Fine, but only because you scare me...”

Diane picked up her phone. “Wait. Hold that thought for one second. Before you start, let me call Brody so he can call off the SWAT team he's about to send looking for you.” Diane dialed, and they heard a ringing sound from the hallway.

In a moment Brody and Richard walked into the office as if they were about to seize the building and conduct a full manhunt for the missing Myles.

“I was just calling you...” Diane said as she put down the phone.

“See?” Richard said. “I told you he was fine.”

Brody turned to Diane, “Has he been here the whole time?”

Brody was thrilled to see his friend; it felt like a thousand pounds had been lifted off his chest and he could breathe better than he had in an hour. But he wasn't going to let Myles know he been afraid something bad had happened to him. The wall would stay up till he received some answers.

“He just showed up. Hence, I just called you.” Diane's tone was a little confrontational.

“Hello,” Myles said, “I'm standing right here. You can address me directly.”

“Diane said you didn't come to work today. She had us all worried.”

“I just came in a little late.” He looked toward Diane. “You really didn't need to call Brody.”

“Don't blame me. It's my maternal instincts. I'm a hostage to them.” Suddenly, she became aware of Richard standing by Brody.

As they all knew, Diane liked Latin men, and it was easy to see this big Mexican stud was exactly what she wanted. In fact, if the situation were different, Brody might have laughed at her oh, so obvious, attempts to attract his full attention

“Hold it,” Diane said. “All at once it seems this whole series of events has made a turn for the better.” She held out her hand, palm down. “Hello. I'm Diane. I hope you enjoy the softer of the two sexes.”