Chapter 4
"Damn it!" Kitt growled and tossed
his pillow across the bedroom. The
clock read four thirty in the morning and
he hadn't slept a wink all night. The
television in his bedroom played an allnight
marathon of Gun Smoke. He'd
watched all five shows wishing his
brain would turn off and he could
actually get at least a minute of sleep. It
never happened.
Kitt's hard-on stayed unyielding no
matter what he did to relieve the tension.
He'd jacked off twice and tried a third
time, but nothing helped. Kitt even went
to his last resort, the thing to surely bore
his brain into sleep: he got up to do his
accounting. Doing the farm's
bookkeeping should have done the trick
and firmly knocked him out, but it didn't
work because about every thirty
seconds, no matter what he did, his mind
strayed back to Austin Grainger.
Hands down, Austin was the hottest
man on the planet. He'd been Kitt's
crush since high school. It was Austin's
yearbook photo and newspaper sports
page snapshots that he used to stroke
himself off when he was just a typical
hormonal adolescent boy.
Austin had left town straight after high
school to begin a modeling career.
Those photos had got Kitt all the way
through high school and into college,
jacking off about every other day. He'd
even learned that if he whispered
Austin's name softly when he came it
made the orgasm just a little bit better in
the end.
It took a couple of years, but it was
Austin's first movie role that had Kitt
finally admitting to himself straight
dudes just didn't fantasize over being
with men. Well not men. A man.
Only one man, but it was the image of
Austin Grainger in Kitt's mind that
helped get him through those dark days
when he first admitted to himself he truly
was gay. Back then, Austin had stayed
etched in his brain all the time to help
fight the depression, giving him hope
like only a high school crush could do.
Now he understood he'd never lost the
intensity of those feelings, not even after
all these years. That was probably the
single greatest thought fueling his anger
while they stood outside this afternoon.
Stunned beyond words, Kitt's heart
seized in his chest when he saw Austin
standing in front of him. He was almost
struck dumb by the guy's presence and
his body betrayed him. It hardened and
responded to just the air Austin
breathed.
How could Austin still be so good
looking after all these years? He wasn't
that same youthful, sunny, blond boy
running around town who charmed
everyone in his path. Instead he'd grown
into a gorgeous man with thick, sandy
colored hair, and strong, alluring facial
features. His cheekbones were high and
he had a long straight nose that flared
just slightly at the end. His mouth was
wide and his lips – Dear God, those
thick, full lips! – spread into a glorious,
easy going smile.
Kitt always imagined his cock would
fit perfectly inside Austin's mouth, and a
groan resonated in his chest just from the
thought of Austin giving him a blow job.
God, he wanted that so badly! He could
just see Austin on his knees in front of
him. Kitt's fingertips running along his
strong, chiseled jaw and chin, Austin's
deep cobalt blue eyes would lift up
locking on Kitt's as he sucked him
deeper in his mouth. Austin's hair was
just long enough to thread his fingers
through, to grip on to and help guide
himself deeper down Austin's throat.
Man did he want to fuck Austin's
mouth…
Refusing to allow another image to
conjure in his overactive brain, Kitt
forced himself to think of anything else
and his eyes landed on the pile of dirty
clothes. He needed to do his laundry. He
rose from bed, gathered the clothes and
tossed them into the washing machine.
Kitt started the machine with a push of a
button and leaned a hip on its side. He
may not have wanted to think about
Austin anymore, but he didn't seem to
have choice. His brow furrowed and he
thought about Austin's movie career.
Kitt had every single one of Austin's
movies, all the magazines from his
modeling days up until now and
regularly jacked off to every one of them
during the long, lonely spells between
visits with Sean. He'd heard Austin
planned to retire. How had it never
occurred to him that Austin Grainger
could be the person buying his land?
And what the fuck would happen now?
Kitt took a chance, grabbed his phone
as the time ticked closer to five in the
morning. He sat with a thump on his
small sofa in the living room. He began
a text to Mike. They'd been friends since
college. Kitt had been in the graduate
program. He'd just finished his Master's
degree, working on his PhD, when he
first met Mike who was just starting
school. Mike had come up and helped
him when his dad died and when Kitt
fired his dad's foreman. Those were
dark days, the foreman didn't go easily
and Mike stood by him the entire time.
Now Kitt stumbled on his words, typing,
erasing, and typing again.
'Hey man, sorry about yesterday. I
was pissed off.' Kitt finally hit send and
cringed at the time.
Mike's text came immediately. 'No
worries. I knew you were and you had
every right. They didn't talk it over
with me first. Sorry man."
'No sorry necessary. I don't
normally let myself get that upset
anymore. I need to apologize to your
ranch owner. And was I just pissed off
or was that really Austin Grainger in
front of me?'
'It's him. I couldn't say anything,
part of my agreement. It's grounds for
termination and a lawsuit. He said he
grew up around here.'
Kitt laid back, propped against the
back of the sofa thinking that over.
'Yeah, I went to high school with
him.' Kitt didn't say anything more. It
would be utter humiliation if anyone
ever found his stash of photos.
'He asked me to ask you not to say
anything. He doesn't want people to
know he's here. Did you know him back
in school?'
Kitt barked with laughter at the
thought of knowing Austin. 'Not really,
he's a few years older. He was out the
door as I was coming in. Are we still
set for the cattle coming in tomorrow?'
'So far we are. I need to check their
schedule, but the first load should be
here tomorrow. If you're still willing to
come? Micah's coming, he signed an
agreement, but it flows better with you
here.'
'Of course I'm coming! Text me and
let me know the time, I'll meet the
trucks there.' Kitt had offered to help
unload and register three semi's full of
cattle. His only saving grace, it would
be true manual labor, something he
couldn't see a famous movie star signing
up to do.
'Thanks, man. And seriously,
Grainger seemed fine. He said he
understood and agreed. He
remembered the Kelly temper.' Mike
replied.
'I hate that. I try not to be my dad.'
Kitt typed in a rare moment of honesty
about his father's reputation.
'Don't worry, you aren't. I gotta go.
I have a ranch hand meeting this
morning at five. I need to lay down the
law about your pond. Take care. I'll
text you later about tomorrow.'
And with that, Kitt technically knew
nothing more than before he'd sent the
first text. As he sat back, resting his
head on the back of the sofa, he pulled
back up the message he'd received
around midnight from Sean and re-read
it.
'Kitt, I turned away a hot little
number tonight. It's a first for me, but
I'm texting you to let you know how
serious I am about my offer. I'm
planning to head down there tomorrow
night. Don't stop me. Just send me
directions. As time goes on, we can
plan it better. I'll rent a truck, isn't
that what all you cowboys drive? Now,
think about the positive side. Sex, twice
in one week. How long has it been since
that last happened for you?'
Kitt planned to again ignore the text,
just like he had when he first read it,
until he looked down at his still partially
erect cock sticking up in his underwear.
The underwear was Sean's gift to him
last Christmas. Kitt should have been set
for a few weeks after last night, but then
Mr. Hollywood made his presence
known this afternoon effectively ruining
the sex buzz from the morning. Kitt
finally texted Sean back, 'I'll send
directions through email.' It was all the
enthusiasm he could muster.
Frustrated beyond words, Kitt took a
too cold shower standing under the spray
until his cock finally lay down. He
dressed quickly with his lips chattering
and his fingertips blue, but the icy
shower did the trick. Until his body
warmed up again, causing his cock to
spring back to life.
The last three days had been the
quietest days Austin could remember
and he'd loved every minute of them. He
refused to check email, only answered
text messages from Cara and his agent if
truly necessary. Except he rarely found
them necessary. The nights were perfect
here in his little slice of heaven. Even
though it was early fall the days were as
hot as he remembered, but the nights
came on earlier every single day. By
seven in the evening the air turned cool
and the only thing he had buying for his
attention were the crickets and shooting
stars shining brightly in the sky. God, he
loved this life.
So far Austin hadn't even had a need
to turn on the brand new plasma HD
television that had been installed the day
before, or sit on any of the expensive
leather furniture delivered that morning.
The back porch was perfect for him and
all he seemed to really need in the
world. He kicked back in a lawn chair.
The light breeze blew, an AM/FM radio
played old country classics and he had
an ice cold Corona in his hand with a
small cooler sitting at his feet. If he
stayed true to his most current goal, the
cooler would be empty before he ever
went back inside for the night.
From the best Austin could tell, Mike
looked to still be working in the barn.
The guy easily worked from before
sunup to way past sundown. Austin spent
most of the day lending a hand to get
ready for their cattle to arrive the
following morning. He found he'd turned
soft over the years, no matter how many
hours he'd logged in the gym or how
muscularly sculpted his body looked.
Apparently, all that was for nothing
more than to look good on the screen, not
suited for any true manual labor. His
body already ached in places he hadn't
even known could ache, and for
whatever reason, he loved that too. This
whole place gave him a sense of
belonging. One he found he'd completely
lost along the way. Austin felt like he'd
really pulled his own weight today
which might be the best feeling of all.
A grin tore across Austin's lips at the
thought that he might actually get a real
suntan again, not one of the spray ones
he'd grown accustomed to living the
Hollywood lifestyle. Maybe he'd look
as hot in his real tan as his next door
neighbor did in his. And just like that,
much like he'd done about five hundred
times over the last twenty four hours,
Austin looked out over his pasture in the
direction of Kitt Kelly's house. Just like
every other time, the ridge obscuring his
view didn't move, but if it had, Austin
would have been able to see the little
log cabin out in the distance.
Kitt Kelly was a problem. He stayed
firmly under Austin's skin, having never
strayed too far from his mind since the
moment he stormed off, refusing to look
back. But it was okay Kitt didn't turn
back. Austin did enough looking and
lusting for both of them. After watching
Kitt swagger away, Austin came straight
back to the house to text Cara one simple
question. Nine simple words, 'What
kind of a man wears Andrew Christian
underwear?'
He knew the answer, but wanted
reassurance from a professional
shopper, and his fake fiancée fit that bill.
And just like he'd known it would be,
the answer he got back was clear, 'Gay
men with money or husbands whose
wives buy them.'
The information didn't come free and
he'd then spent the rest of the night trying
to convince Cara he wasn't already
hooking up down here and possibly
blowing their cover. Which technically
was completely true, he didn't lie at all,
but he planned on changing it very soon.
Based on Cara's assumption, Kitt
would be a gay man with money. If run
properly these farms could bank, but he
wasn't so sure Kitt fit the mold of a
prosperous rancher. If Kitt had money,
he wouldn't have sold such a prime
piece of land. So the next question might
be, who was it that bought Kitt that
expensive underwear? Perhaps a
boyfriend... Jealousy Austin couldn't
comprehend kicked up in his heart
before his competitive side kicked in.
Both feelings were odd and
unexplainable considering he didn't
even know his new neighbor.
With one leg propped on the porch
rail Austin leaned back in his chair and
thought about the past. He remembered
Kitt from their school days. Not real
well, but he did remember one particular
time in the locker room shower. Kitt was
at the end of his Freshman year and
Austin was about to graduate. Even
remembering the scene he'd walked into
had Austin feeling a little like pervert,
but he remembered it clearly: Kitt Kelly
was hung. Something had happened to
the boy during his Freshman year. He
went from being a skinny kid to a gown
ass man in a matter of months.
It was funny how some things stuck
with you. That one glimpse of Kitt
standing all alone under the hot spray…
Oh yeah, Austin looked. He wasn't going
lie to himself even as wrong as it felt.
He'd fantasized about Kitt for months.
Austin had him on his knees, both from
the front and back. He regularly starred
in every possible position Austin could
dream to put him in and turned out to be
perfect for any gay man's wettest of wet
dreams. Now as Austin sat there on his
porch he wondered if Kitt had gotten any
bigger.
His eyes darted back in the direction
of Kitt's house willing the man to appear
before him. He lost track of everything
as he thought about how Kitt might look
walking toward him right now,
completely naked, that huge cock hard as
steel. The thought had him take a long
draw from his cold beer trying to cool
off his now hot and bothered body. He
didn't catch Mike's approach until he
was already walking up the porch steps,
which was incredibly unusual for
Austin. Over the last few years he'd
gotten almost paranoid at sensing when
anyone tried to sneak up on him.
"Hey boss man. I just got word all
three truckloads of your cattle are
arrivin' tomorrow, for sure. They're
close now and gonna book it through the
night. I'm guessin' the first one'll be
here around eightish tomorrow mornin',"
Mike said anchoring a hip on the porch
rail in front of Austin.
"Want a beer?" Austin asked. His
mind was so solidly on Kitt, he thought
if he could lure his foreman into
conversation maybe he could learn more
about the guy.
"Sure." Mike said and reached for the
cooler. Austin cocked his head toward
the empty lawn chair next to his for Mike
to sit down. "I've got the crew comin' in
tomorrow. I trust everyone comin' to
keep your secret. The only one who
doesn't already know is Micah, but like
I said, I trust him."
"That's fine. Let me know what I need
to pay everyone." Austin absently stared
out in the night. He finished one beer
while reaching another.
"Nah, that's not how it works around
here. We all pitch in and help each other
out." Mike twisted the cap off his beer
as he kicked his boot up next to Austin's
on the rail. He took a long drink before
removing his ball cap and rubbed a hand
threw his sweaty hair.
"Yeah, I remember some of that. I just
haven't given anything back," Austin
said just as casually as Mike did.
"But I have. They're helpin' me. I've
helped them enough, now they're givin'
back to me. I've got Micah, his oldest
two boys, Kitt, and all your ranch hands
slash security'll be here. They're all
pretty worthless though. You do know
that right? We're gonna have to hire
more hands now the animals are comin',
but I think we got enough people for
tomorrow. I can get kids from the FFA
program at the high school. They'll need
volunteer hours for the class. You'd
have to stay hidden if they came." Mike
took another long drink.
"I'll be here to help, too. You'll have
to tell me what you need me to do."
Austin gave a sideways glance toward
Mike.
"Tomorrow won't be too hard. It's
just runnin' them through. It'll be taggin'
and vaccinations that'll be what takes
the time. They'll be quarantined and
separated for a while. Micah and Kitt
can handle all that. They're bringin'
their horses, a couple extra too. They'll
do their part on horseback. I'm thinkin'
we'll start breedin' right away. I think I
told you Kitt started an artificial
insemination program a few years back.
I know we agreed to run the bulls and
cows together for now, but we could
look at something like that, too. I know
Kitt's cattle is gonna sell big this year,"
Mike said. His hat sat crooked on his
head and he seemed just as lost to the
lure of the night as Austin.
"I need to apologize to him. I still feel
bad about all that over the fence. Does
he run the farm by himself?" Austin
didn't hesitate to take his opportunity.
"Pretty much. His step-mom and
sisters live in the main house. She does
all the cookin' for everybody. Has a
badass garden out there she maintains
just about year round. Kitt's got about
ten full time hands. He's really got it
goin' on over there. It's just taken a lot
to get the ranch back up and movin'
forward again. His dad didn't
modernize."
"Yeah, I can't see old man Kelly
being too modern." Austin winced
remembering the hardened John Wayne
kind of a guy Kitt's father had
represented.
"They butted heads pretty hard, but it
turned out good for Kitt, though. He tried
to come home after his Bachelor's
degree. It didn't last. So he went back to
school." Mike said finishing off his beer.
Austin quickly handed him another
hoping to keep the conversation going.
Hell, Austin would get Mike drunk if he
had to, he was already getting way more
information than he thought he would.
"You met Kitt in college?"
"Yeah, he was in the graduate
program. He got a full ride, he's
freakishly smart. I met him when he was
a teacher's aide in one of my classes. I
think he might've become a professor if
his dad hadn't up and died. I was on
financial aid and Kitt found me work
pretty regular during the summers. He's
a good guy. You shouldn't judge him by
what you saw," Mike said, and this time
it was him giving a sideways glance at
Austin. It seemed Mike might be trying
to smooth the path between him and Kitt.
Funny, it was about the same thing
Austin wanted, but for far different
reasons.
Austin gave a nod as Mike kept his
eyes on him. He thought that might be
better than letting Mike know his overall
plan was to fuck Kitt.
"Did he marry someone down here?"
Did that sound casual enough?
"Nah, he says he doesn't have time for
that even though the ladies in town try
real hard to change his mind. He's real
focused on that ranch." Without realizing
it, Mike gave Austin exactly the
information he wanted.
They both stared out at the night as
Kitt's choice of underwear again entered
Austin's thoughts. "Do you have his
number? I can't get it out of my mind that
I need to apologize."
"Yeah, sure. Here." Austin typed the
number Mike spouted off. "He goes to
bed early, but honestly, Mr. Grainger,
Kitt doesn't get mad like that often, and
he doesn't hang on to it like his dad did,
either. He's fine." Mike turned his full
body toward Austin, hooking an arm
over the back of the chair and looked
directly at him.
"Good. I'd hate to have already
pissed off my neighbors." Austin
chuckled.
"So what're you thinkin' about all this
so far?" Mike's eyes never wavered.
Austin was finding Mike had a way
about him of just cutting to the root of a
situation, finding out what he wanted to
know.
"I love it. All this silence out here
rocks! I love how y'all don't treat me
any different. I regret ever leaving,"
Austin said honestly.
"Okay, I guess I can see that. What're
you gonna do when you get found out? It
has to happen eventually." Mike drained
his beer and shook his head when Austin
offered another.
"I'm hoping enough time passes that
no one really cares anymore."
"Is your wife gonna come out and live
here or she stayin' in California? You
know what? Don't answer that. It's none
of my business. Mr. Grainger, I gotta
roll. Tomorrow'll be here pretty quick.
Good night, sir." Mike stood from his
chair. Just like that the conversation was
over.
"Good night, Mike, and you can call
me Austin." Austin stayed seated but
gave Mike's outstretched hand a shake.
"No, I already told you, all owners go
by their last name." Mike called over his
shoulder already down the steps walking
out to his truck.
"Then lose the Mister. Wait, I don't
remember that rule!" Austin yelled out
after Mike.
"It's one we're definitely enforcin'
around here," Mike called out without
looking back before getting in his car
and driving off. Austin raised his beer
in answer before looking down at the
phone he still held in his hand. He had
Kitt's number! Now all he needed was
the guts to call the guy. How long had it
been since Austin called someone he
was interested in? He couldn't even
remember and the thought made him
more nervous. What would he say when
he called? A simple 'I'm sorry'
wouldn't have the conversation going
much longer than a few minutes.
Austin needed a second reason. He
could call Kitt and ask about artificial
insemination. Mike had made several
references to Kitt's expertise in that
area, but hell, Austin seriously couldn't
remember jack about that shit. He'd been
out of this world for way too long and
his own dad wasn't a modern kind of a
guy himself. He could ask about pasture
management, but again he knew dick
about it, not even enough to form an
intelligent question. He could ask Kitt to
come over and lick his balls. A smile
spread across his lips as he took another
drink. That was one topic he definitely
knew plenty about. After a couple of
swipes of his finger, he got enough of a
signal to pull up the key facts about
artificial insemination and began to read.
Austin sat on the porch for at least an
hour forming his questions in his mind.
He drank his beer and listened to the
oldies play on the radio. When he felt
reasonably comfortable at being able to
ask a couple of legit questions, he
started to dial Kitt's number, but Sam
rang through first.
"Yeah?" Austin said a little too
gruffly. His security team was to only
call with problems and so far no reason
had presented itself until the exact
moment he planned to make his move. It
kind of spoiled his good mood to even
be reminded they were out there.
"Sir, we have a Fisker pulling along
the property line. Along the east side of
the Circle K. We've been tracking it
since it left the highway. It's going
slow, clearly the driver's concerned
about the car, but it's headed south,
coming your way."
"How far down?" Austin asked
dropping his feet to the stone porch as he
sat up a little straighter.
"Half way down, already."
"Who's inside? Anyone we know?"
Austin asked, finally standing. Shit, how
the fuck did Rich & Mercedes find this
place already?
"One person, male. We can't see
anyone else in the car. He's dark
headed, no one I've seen before
following you, but his windows are
tinted. I could be wrong."
"Okay, stay on him, and keep me
posted. Stop him before he crosses the
fence line. Stay with the car. Maybe we
can head 'em off." Austin bent down to
turn off his radio and grab his cooler.
"We are, sir. We just wanted to notify
you since you're sitting outside in the
open."
Just like that Austin was reminded he
wasn't truly as alone as he thought and
didn't that just completely suck.
He disconnected the call without
responding and decided not to follow
through with calling Kitt. Instead he
stood in place. He stared off toward the
guy's house. Did Kitt let the world know
he'd relocated here? How often did a
hundred thousand dollar sports car drive
down a rugged path to get to Kitt's
cabin?
The underwear came back to Austin's
mind.
He was off the porch in a matter of
seconds, sprinting toward the barn. He
never broke stride as he entered from the
side. He grabbed a pair of binoculars
from the tack room and the keys to his
four-wheeler and took off toward Kitt's
house. He rode full throttle, eating up the
distance between their houses. As he got
closer, he slowed down the engine,
bringing it to a crawl and turned off the
lights. The moonlight guided him.
Austin saw a line of fresh new trees
planted along the fence. By spring they
would grow big enough to hide the fence
and all of Austin's land from Kitt's
sight. For some reason the move seemed
intentional and it hurt his heart. He'd
been so focused on seeing Kitt again
while Kitt obviously spent his time
trying to block Austin from his view.
He drove the rest of the way in the
dark, still worried they could hear the
motor. Austin stopped at least a hundred
feet out and parked the four-wheeler in
the middle of the pasture. He jogged the
rest of the way, staying low as he
bridged the small hill before the pond.
He lay down on the grassy slope, edging
forward until he got a clear shot of the
car parked in front of Kitt's house. The
curtains were drawn, closed up tight and
most of the lights were out. Only a small
glow peaked through the curtains from
somewhere in the back of the house.
Austin moved forward and hid behind
one of the trees. He stayed there
watching the house. Beside the Fisker
was a truck, he supposed Kitt's, but
there was no sign of anyone. He palmed
his phone and texted Sam on a very
weak signal.
'Are they in the cabin or did they
leave?' Simple, clear and to the point.
'They're still inside.' Equally clear.
'Did you see who arrived?' Austin
asked.
'One man. Kelly opened the door, let
him in. That's all we got.'
'Any visual on what's going on
inside the house?' It was all Austin
asked when he really wanted to know
how the guy was greeted, what he
looked like, and did anything personal
happen in the way Kitt answered the
door.
'No, not from any angle.'
'Me either, sir.' Good, more than one
set of eyes was on the house.
'Can you run the plates?' The
binoculars were back to Austin's eyes
before the message was sent. The car
was new, nice, specially made. It had to
have come from Dallas, maybe Houston,
but probably Dallas. They were flashy
kind of people up there.
'Already on it.'
'Let me know when you find out
anything.' Austin's message ended the
texting session.
Surprisingly, two hours passed as
Austin stayed there, binoculars trained
on the house. No real movement, nothing
changed inside, but he planted himself
there until he got word on the driver. His
gut told him Kitt wouldn't sell him out. If
nothing more than the sheer fact that
Austin would bury him in legal trouble
deeper than anything he could dig his
way out of if he so much as breathed one
word to the wrong person. Their
contract was iron tight. Certainly the
educated hot cowboy wasn't that dumb.
Austin's phone beeped alerting him of
an incoming text message. It simply
read: 'The car is registered to Sean
Romero. Address 211 Cedar Springs
Rd, Dallas Texas. Age 35. Senior Vice
President of Global Market Share, a
brokerage firm. Positive ID.' Sean's
picture came through and damn it if
Fisker wasn't a good looking guy. The
photo looked to be from some sort of a
badge, a professional shot. The guy
wore a cocky grin and tailored looking
suit. Austin could see he'd be attracted
to Fisker himself if they crossed paths.
Could this be Kitt's boyfriend?
The next text broke his train of
thought. 'The background report isn't
complete, but so far we aren't tying
him to surveillance or the press.'
'No connection to those two
motherfuckers who follow me
everywhere?'
'Not so far.'
'Alright, nothing's going on here.
I'm going back to the house. Call me if
anything happens. Anything! Send
whatever pictures you have in the
morning. I want him recorded leaving
that house.' Austin stood, but stayed
low as he ran back to the four-wheeler.
He drove slowly back to the barn, turned
on the lights only once he'd made it
about half way back. Too many years
had passed since he'd been to Dallas
and he'd only lived there for a few
months before moving to New York.
The name Cedar Springs rang familiar
with him, but he couldn't place it no
matter how hard he racked his brain.
Austin parked and silently made his
way back inside his house. He flipped
on the lights as he went. Did he seriously
have the good fortune of living next door
to a hot, young gay man? It was one thing
to fantasize that a pair of underwear
gave some sort of clue, but did Kitt's
lover really just come to his house?
Austin grabbed his phone and laptop and
kicked back on his brand new leather
sofa and waited to hear from security.