Page 16

Wyatt

I ’ve spent the better part of the last few days trying to avoid Finn. The other night was the opposite of what I expected from him or myself. I’ve never, and I mean never, come even remotely as close as I did the other night to kissing another man.

What have I done?

Not only have I found myself in a confusing situation where I’m questioning my own sexuality, but I’ve crossed the line with my boss. Well, he’s not really my boss, but Finn is the owner of The Wildwood Bed and Breakfast and I both live and work here.

Not good. Not good at all.

We are all meeting in the lobby this morning as Jake and Rebecca are set to say goodbye. They’ve spent the last ten days with us on their honeymoon and are heading back to civilization. Finn is taking them to the airport, so I have no idea how I can continue to avoid him.

I hesitate at the front door and let out a breath, trying to calm myself.

Without further ado, I pull the door open and step into the lobby.

Miranda, Doris, and Finn are already present and lined up, waiting for our guests to make their last journey down the long hallway from the guest rooms to the front lobby.

“Hurry, Wyatt,” Miranda says, waving me over to stand next to her in line. “They’re expected any second.”

I glance over to Finn, who checks his watch but doesn’t make eye contact with me.

Which is probably for the best. What would I do, wave?

I hurry over and stand next to Miranda, giving her a side hug as I line up.

Within seconds, we hear the telltale sounds of suitcase wheels on the wood floors as Jake and Rebecca make their way to us.

“Aww,” Rebecca says, putting her hands up to her mouth, eyes watery with tears. “You guys don’t have to give us a sendoff.”

Jake stops next to his wife, and they hug each other as he addresses us individually.

“Miranda, I don’t know how you manage to keep this place so spotless.

Despite the weather and often messy conditions outside, we could have eaten off the floors.

You somehow know what we need before we even ask for it. ”

“Thank you,” Miranda says. “It was a pleasure to serve you.”

“And, Doris,” Jake says, visibly hugging his wife tighter to his side. “I can barely fit into my pants.”

We all laugh.

Rebecca wipes away a tear. “The food was so much more than I had expected. The pictures on the website could not have prepared me for the elegance and pure joy each meal gave us.”

Doris puts the hand towel she carries to her eyes. Rebecca’s emotions are truly contagious.

Jake and Rebecca then step forward, directly in front of me. Jake reaches out his hand, and I take hold of it to shake when he pulls me into a hug. I can feel Finn’s eyes on me, and I am unable to enjoy this moment of gratitude from Jake.

“Wyatt,” Jake says. “We will never forget what you did for me.”

“For us,” Rebecca chimes in.

I nod and smile. “You’re very welcome. I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“Finn,” Rebecca says. “You have the most magnificent lodge we’ve ever stayed in, and we plan to return each and every year on the same date to commemorate our anniversary.”

I watch Finn’s face contort, ever so slightly. Why does he look like he’s been punched in the gut? Is he really that uncomfortable with compliments?

“I’m glad we could bring you such good memories. May you always take them with you in your hearts and minds.” Finn bows his head a bit as he speaks. “But all good things must come to an end, as they say. Here,” he reaches for Rebecca’s bag. “Let me help you with the luggage.”

Jake and Rebecca follow Finn out the front door as they leave for the airport.

The next week or two will be quiet around here as there are no guests staying with us.

Miranda and Doris will stay on as they live in the lodge, but their workload will be nearly nothing.

For my part, I will have to double my efforts to winterize the lodge and prepare for the inevitable polar winds and deep freeze of December.

Miranda and Doris high-five and hurry off to do whatever jobs they still have unfinished, and I breathe a sigh of relief. I am finally alone again and can overthink and worry about what happened a few days ago, in peace.

The outbuilding in the back of the property needs to have some thick plastic sheeting put up on the windows to help secure it against the bitter cold.

I’ve recently ordered in the supplies, and it shouldn’t take too long to put it up, and then I’ll have time to check the fuel levels in the emergency generators.

The property is expansive, even by Alaskan standards, and the farthest outbuilding that I need to secure is barely visible from the lodge itself.

I decide to take the quad since I need to carry all the heavy plastic sheeting with me.

After loading up, I set out over the rough-cut trail.

I stopped maintaining it at the end of October since it will soon be under a foot of snow.

Rumbling over a couple of downed saplings that didn’t make it through the last storm, I have to slow way down to cross one of the ruts that formed from rushing water.

I make a mental note to smooth that out with the heavy equipment in the spring.

Once I finally reach my destination, I sling the sheeting over my shoulder and grab the staple gun.

There is a loud crashing sound that comes from somewhere deep in the forest, past the outbuilding.

I stop dead in my tracks. Other than a tree falling to the forest floor, the only two animals large enough to make that sound are bears and a moose.

Either one could spell disaster if I don’t have a gun.

A gun. Dammit .

Looking back at the quad, I realize I forgot to strap the rifle on the back. I’ve been so distracted by my own thoughts and concerns about Finn I left the weapon back at the lodge.

Another crash, but this time a low growling sound accompanies it.

Bear. Definitely a bear.

I hurry to unlock the door and go inside the building.

I drop the plastic sheeting on the floor and pull the doors closed, sliding a latch in place to keep the doors secured.

Not that a bear can’t pry open the doors or break out one of the windows if it really wants to get inside, but I’ll at least make it as difficult as possible.

Doing my best to remain quiet, I go to the nearest window and peer outside.

There it is; a brown bear, probably male, and absolutely huge.

Why he isn’t tucked away somewhere, snoring away in hibernation, is beyond me.

Every now and then there’s a report that a bear didn’t make it into their yearly slumber period and they wreak havoc in town as they search for food.

With him being this close to the lodge, I can only hope he gets sleepy soon and finds a nice hole, hollowed-out tree, or cave to pass the winter away in peace.

But right now, he’s getting too close for my comfort.

The massive creature is headed right for the building.

He’s huffing and snorting and sniffing loud enough to telegraph his location.

At least he hasn’t snuck up on me. I slide down to the floor and wait.

I can’t start working on the place until he moves to another location.

If I alert him to my presence, and he’s indeed looking for one last hot meal before bedtime, I’ll be another Alaskan death-by-bear statistic.

There’s not much to do but sit and wait for the bear to leave, so I sit up against the wall.

Time seems to stand still as I listen to the bear rutting around, looking for something to eat.

I don’t know how long I sit there until I fall asleep, but I suddenly wake up with my face pressed against the cold floor, bits of pea gravel sticking to the skin of my cheek.

I take a few seconds to listen for sounds of the bear but don’t hear anything, so I stand and look out the window.

Sure enough, no signs of the bear. From the position of the sun, I can tell I’ve been fast asleep for a couple of hours.

Clearly, I needed the rest, but now there isn’t time to winterize the building.

Fastening my coat, I think back to the other night when Finn and I almost kissed.

My lips tingle, and when I close my eyes, I can feel what I imagine his lips to be like, pressed against mine.

My cock twitches as the blood rushes from my brain to my groin.

I check the time on my watch. There are still thirty minutes or so before the sun sets, and I snicker.

The building is secure, only a couple of windows.

No one will come out here looking for me.

I shrug. Damn, I haven’t jerked off out here in years.

I remember back during my high school years when I would get a raging boner if the wind blew just the right way.

I’d sneak out here and look at the dirty magazines my friends would let me borrow, ever careful not to get caught.

I’m unsure if it’s the memories or the idea of having sex with Finn that has me so horny, but I want a release and I need it now. In my thirties now, I can’t believe I’m about to do this out here. Fuck it .

Removing my coat, I rub my hands together to warm them up. Slowly, I unzip my pants and pull out my semi-hard cock. I feel so constricted by my clothes, but do I really want to take everything off? What if someone does come looking for me? What if it’s Finn? I would be embarrassed beyond belief.

Fuck it, I’m so horny I have to relieve myself.

I pull my shirt off and drop my pants to the floor.

There’s an old chair covered in a tarp in the corner.

Kicking my pants off from around my ankles, I hurry over and pull the tarp free.

Dust flies everywhere, but it does little to slow me down.

I plop down on my ass and spread my legs out in front of me.

Wanting to take my time, I rub my hands over my hairy abs while playing softly with my nipple, pinching it every few seconds, each time a little harder than the last. Arching my back, my cock grows to full length, and I grip it at the base, admiring its girth.

I close my eyes and think about Finn. I’ve never cum thinking about another man before.

This will be a test or something. It’ll show I’m not really gay if I can’t finish, right?

I imagine Finn’s smile, the way he palms back his dark hair.

He is such a handsome guy, his eyes twinkling whenever he gets excited or super interested in a conversation.

I can’t help but remember that twinkle when we had dinner the night we almost kissed.

He had been looking at me, biting his bottom lip.

I moan as I start stroking the shaft of my cock, now impossibly hard.

I let my head fall back against the chair as I straighten my legs all the way, locking my knees.

I am getting close to release. Damn, this is happening fast. With one hand, I pull at my chest hair and rub the sweat that has formed on my chest and belly, massaging and pinching the muscles as I stroke myself.

“Oh, fuck,” I say. I bite my bottom lip and suck in air as I continue to rush toward climax.

Faster and harder, I continue to stroke in a rhythmic motion, just the way I like it. “Finn,” I moan, without caution or concern for being caught.

“I need to feel you. Taste you,” I say breathlessly.

The familiar sensation of my impending release starts in my balls and works its way into my low belly. Finn’s face comes to mind once again and I hear myself grunt in a primal way I haven’t heard before. “Oh, god.”

I shoot my hot load over my belly and chest. Not just once, but twice. It keeps pumping out, each release coming with an exhalation of breath. I sit up as the last of the cum drains from my cock, my breaths ragged, sweat profuse.

I fall back onto the chair, completely spent and totally satiated.

Damn, that was amazing. After a few moments of basking in the afterglow of it all, I look around for something to wipe myself clean.

Other than the dusty old tarp, there isn’t anything.

Again, I can’t believe I am about to do this at my age, but I bend down and remove my sock.

Once I am clean, I toss the sock into the little waste can next to the chair and stand. I get my clothes all put back on and buttoned up, ready to go just in time to get back to the lodge before it gets dark.