The Lure of Port Stephen Read online

  He happily accepted the invite to join the people gathered around Wayne and Wanda’s fire that night. As the sun set behind the trailers, lighting up the trees across the creek with a brilliant orange glow, Raj found himself sitting beside Robbie. He wasn’t sure if that was a coincidence or contrivance or even just which one of them might have contrived it.

  “What do you do besides fishing?” Robbie asked, curiosity in his voice.

  “Like for fun? Or are you asking about my job?”

  “Um.” Robbie took a noisy slurp of his beer. “Job?”

  Raj hesitated. He liked his job, but most people found it incredibly boring. “I’m a systems analyst.”

  “Oh.”

  “It’s not as boring as it sounds. Well, maybe,” Raj said.

  “Oh no, I didn’t mean—I mean, I guess if you’re able to work on the Internet from here, it had to be computer related, right?” Robbie grinned. “Besides, aren’t systems analysts always the guys setting up false IDs and breaking into bank accounts and shit?”

  “Uh…no.”

  “I watch too many movies, right? But hey, at least they glamourize your job, right? I’m a machinist. One movie, and did you see The Machinist? We’re not all whack jobs.”

  Raj blinked, intrigued in spite of himself. “I never saw it, though I heard it was great. And being glamourized is pretty awful. If people don’t already assume my job is boring, it’s because of the movies. The reality always disappoints,” he said mildly.

  “So you’re not like some uber-hacker?”

  Raj looked at Robbie. He was grinning, so he decided the younger man was teasing him. It was nice, being teased. The grin looked pretty good too, even in the waning daylight.

  Raj grinned back. “Nope, sorry.”

  “Damn my luck.”

  “So a machinist, hmm?”

  “Yup. Just started at Ceylon. You heard of it?”

  He hadn’t but did hear the pride in Robbie’s voice. “No, tell me?”

  Raj’s father had started as a machinist; he likely knew all about Robbie’s company, but Raj had an affinity for computers and systems, understanding almost intuitively how to get various machines and software to integrate smoothly.

  “It’s cool to think parts I worked on are in vehicles all over the world,” Robbie said, winding down. Then he grew a bit bashful. “I guess my job sounds pretty dull to you.”

  Raj laughed. “How could it, when you describe it so enthusiastically?”

  “It’s funny, when we finished high school, me and my friends were all pretty much equals, but I knew this was what I wanted to do, and they were telling me I could do ‘better’.” He made air quotes with his fingers, still holding his beer. “Like somebody has to do this kind of work, and I love it, so what’s better?”

  Raj nodded. “They probably think they’d hate that kind of work, thus everyone does. Not everyone gets to do the job they like.”

  Robbie nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah. I can see what you’re saying. I certainly feel lucky to get hired on at Ceylon.” His tone grew playful as he asked, “If your job isn’t like the movies, what is it like?”

  Raj wondered if he projected as much enthusiasm for his work as Robbie had, would the younger man understand? He decided to try, aiming for an entertaining cadence to his voice.

  Robbie whistled when he was done and said, “That sounds really…complex.”

  Raj chuckled. “That’s the nicest way to say ‘boring’ I’ve ever heard. But speaking of movies, do you watch anything other than action movies?”

  “Just my guilty pleasure that I won’t admit to someone I just met.”

  “Oh, please,” Raj said. “Everyone watches porn.” He was teasing, but he noticed Robbie’s cheeks darkened in embarrassment.

  “Not porn.”

  “You don’t watch porn?”

  Robbie seemed to grasp he was being teased as a laugh finally sputtered out of him. “Of course, I watch porn,” he returned with a snort. “I meant that’s not my guilty pleasure.”

  Raj chuckled. “Chick flicks. Gotta be.”

  “Rom coms.” Robbie laughed, so Raj couldn’t tell if he was serious or not.

  “No, I got it,” Raj said, snapping his fingers and pointing. “Disney movies.”

  Robbie’s jaw dropped. “H-how did you know? You, too?”

  Raj spewed beer.

  Robbie got up and slapped him on the back, as Wayne, Terry, and Paula all turned to look at them. “That’s alcohol abuse, man.”

  Wayne cracked up laughing at Robbie’s comment, and Paula snickered. “Let me find you a paper towel, Raj.”

  Sunday morning, hearing Robbie’s voice as he and his father packed up to go fishing, Raj decided to pull on his grey sweatpants. He pushed open his trailer door, letting it bang, and then stepped outside, coffee in hand. He stretched his arms out, drawing in a deep breath, before walking over to light the Coleman stove for a quick breakfast.

  His gear was already on the boat, ready to go if the lake was calm, so he had plenty of time to do another kind of fishing. He picked up his sunglasses from the picnic table and slid them over his face so he could look over at his neighbours without being too obvious. Wayne was cheerfully talking, but Robbie’s attention was fixed on Raj’s crotch. Yes. He might be bi, but he definitely liked dick.

  Raj obligingly shifted his weight to give his admirer a better view.

  And then Robbie grabbed his own coffee and came trotting over.

  Raj turned and bent over to retrieve his fry pan from the brace of the picnic table that formed his outdoor kitchen. He heard Robbie’s breath catch before he said, “Fuck,” his voice rough. Interesting.

  Raj stood, remembering the first time he’d heard Robbie say that. “Hey. You okay?” He put the pan on the stove and lit the burner.

  “St-stubbed my toe. I’m fine.”

  You are indeed. “You guys heading out soon?”

  “Yeah. Bernie and Paula—the trailer on the end?—they went out about fifteen minutes ago. Don’t wanna let them catch all the fish.”

  Much to Raj’s amusement, he seemed to have trouble focussing on Raj’s face. He had to remain amused, or his dick, already restless, might decide to pitch a tent. Instead, he busied himself with the eggs and bacon bought from the local market.

  “I have to eat before I go out,” he said as if it wasn’t obvious. For once, instead of being keen to hit the lake himself, he was wishing everyone would get the hell out there so he could bend Robbie over his picnic table and fuck him hard.

  Slow down. What’s gotten into you? He didn’t know. Maybe it was the idea of the potential for hot gay sex in such a very straight place. He wasn’t even that interested in anal penetration as a rule, but something about Robbie Wales brought out his inner porn star. He wanted to be rough and dirty, especially now he’d confirmed Robbie might be interested—in something—if not his gay porn fantasies.

  The soft putt-putt of a boat coming back up the creek provided a welcome distraction.

  “Caught your limit already?” Wayne called cheerfully.

  “Couldn’t stay out,” was the easily heard reply. “Lake’s got chop like you wouldn’t believe this morning.”

  Raj immediately began calculating whether he wanted to spend the fuel to find out for himself. “Maybe I’ll take a drive down to the beach after breakfast,” he said aloud, “and check it out.” It was a two-minute drive over a bridge, much shorter and faster than following the curving creek out at ten kilometres per hour to avoid a wake.

  Robbie went down the dock to where Wayne was standing on his boat, discussing what to do.

  Raj didn’t pay much attention until he heard them arguing if catfish counted in their ongoing competition. “Anything edible” Wayne had said. Until last night, when Raj had pulled up a catfish from off the dock and cooked it twenty minutes later, both Wayne and Robbie had thought catfish didn’t count for edible fish. Raj might not know as much as he should about boat maintenance, but he
knew how to cook; his mother had made sure of it.

  More boats came in while he ate. Then he took his dishes inside to wash later and grabbed a tee. He almost forgot he was wearing the grey sweatpants until he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. They really did show everything. He smirked and loosened the drawstrings, letting them slide off his hips. He pulled on his bathing suit—bigger than a Speedo but a damn sight smaller than the baggy knee-length board shorts all the guys seemed to wear these days. He covered them up with a pair of plaid shorts that, at first glance, looked like boxers.

  Maybe he’d go to the beach today and ask Robbie to go with him, toss a Frisbee around or something. A date. No, he thought, scowling, not a date. Sounds like a date. Maybe a date.

  Robbie and Wayne were fishing off the back of their boat when he came out. He waved as he got into his Jeep to check the water. Even before he got to the pier, he could see the waves crashing on the beach, but he continued out to the pier anyway.

  The lake was more than choppy; big waves rolled and crashed not only near the shore but up the channel, breaking in white spray over the pier. No way was he taking the boat out in that.

  He crossed the parking lot to walk down to the water. The sand was already hot, burning his feet as his sandals sank into it. He slid them off as he got close to where the waves rolled up the shore. The water was like ice. Not surprising this early in the season. If the sun got hot enough—if Robbie got hot enough—a quick dash in and out would cool him down. Assuming Robbie would come… Language, Raj.

  As he drove back to the campsite, he worked out what he would say. “Do you want to go to the beach?” seemed obvious. Would it sound like he was asking Robbie on a date? Would it make things weird with Wayne if he did?

  He glanced over at Wayne and Wanda’s site as he started dismantling his sun shelter to take to the beach. Before he could figure out how to ask in a completely platonic and casual way, Robbie turned around and caught his eye.

  “Whatcha doing?” Robbie called curiously as he climbed the few concrete stairs up from the docks.

  It had taken Raj all last summer to get used to how friendly—even nosy—people were around here. Now it was working in his favour. “Water’s too rough for fishing, so I figured I’d go work on my tan,” he joked. “Wanna come along?”

  “Sure. Hey, Dad. Good news! I’m going out with Raj; give you a chance to catch up.”

  “Brat.” Wayne walked up the narrow dock, leaving his rod in a holder at the stern of his boat.

  Robbie turned to Raj. “Just give me a minute to change and grab some stuff.”

  Raj nodded. He packed four bottles of water and two cans of sparkling lemonade into a small cooler and put it and the shelter in the back. He already had a bag with a blanket, sun screen, and a towel back there. He pushed his shades to the top of his head as Wayne came over, beer in his hand already.

  “You guys coming back for lunch?”

  “You catching it?”

  “Ha, you catch your own fish!”

  “I figured we’d grab something at the Sandcastle.”

  But Wayne was staring at his T-shirt. It was a blue-grey colour, screen-printed with dark-blue stylized swallows, and the word “swallows” in a script font. It was from the women’s department, and it fit Raj just tight enough. Wayne burst out laughing as Robbie came out of the trailer, a mesh bag in hand.

  Raj gave Wayne a quizzical look, though he knew what the older man found so amusing.

  “Swallows,” he sputtered, rocking back on his heels.

  Robbie looked at the T-shirt and did a double take, looking past his father to give Raj a startled glance.

  Raj met the glance with a grin and a wink.

  The sun shelter went up much faster with Robbie’s help. Raj felt every look Robbie sent his way. When the shelter was pegged into the soft sand and the blanket spread out, Raj pulled off his shirt. He stretched, flexing what muscles he had, deliberately showing off.

  When he heard Robbie’s intake of breath, he smiled to himself and turned his back to the younger man. With one swift motion he pulled down his shorts, aware he had a nice ass and how good it looked in his little swim trunks.

  He heard a groan, and Robbie muttered, “Fuck.”

  Raj ignored it this time. While he was bent over, he grabbed the sunscreen. “Would you mind doing my back?” he said innocently, pretending not to notice Robbie’s shorts were distorted. “I’ll do you too,” he added, not even hearing the double meaning to his words until he’d said them.

  But Robbie had already taken the bottle and poured some on his hands, rubbing them together. “Turn around.”

  Raj obeyed. Robbie spread the lotion on in long, caressing strokes. A sigh escaped Raj’s throat. He hadn’t meant to reveal how much he enjoyed Robbie’s hands on his skin.

  “Want me to do your legs too?” Robbie’s voice was husky.

  Before Raj could answer, Robbie was on his knees, rubbing the coconut-scented lotion on the back of his legs. Fingertips brushed the hem of his trunks and slipped between his thighs.

  He sucked in air, about to suggest his inner legs were unlikely to see much sun when he felt Robbie’s breath—warm, feather-light, and wickedly close to his ass.

  Who was teasing whom, here?

  “Fuck,” Robbie muttered, abruptly pushing to his feet.

  Raj knelt to the cooler, not wanting to turn around and reveal just how affected he was by Robbie’s teasing. “Your turn,” he said, pretending to make sure everything in the cooler was fine.

  “N-no. Think I’ll test the water. Be right back!”

  He turned his head as Robbie dashed down to the surf.

  “It’s cold!”

  “Counting on it!” Robbie called back without turning or slowing.

  Raj smiled.

  Robbie found himself stealing glances at the hot neighbour all day. He was 99 percent sure tall, dark, and deliciously handsome Raj Williams was gay, but he’d been too tongue-tied at the beach to say anything. Part of it was the extreme effort not to have a constant hard-on. Discovering he’d left his wallet at the trailer helped—it was difficult to feel sexy while worrying that he was coming across as a mooch.

  Raj had simply grinned and paid for his lunch. “My treat. You can buy next time.”

  It felt like a date, with the promise of a second date, but that was silly. He and his friends did this kind of thing all the time. No big deal.

  Who am I kidding? All he could think of was how Raj’s skin had felt under his hands and the unmistakable sound Raj had made that told him Raj enjoyed it too. And, oh god, that fucking tiny bathing suit and whatever Raj had turned away to hide.

  He helped Wanda stack the lawn chairs, angling himself in such a way as to take another look.

  Raj’s hair was sticking up all over in a dishevelled sexy way, and he had his sunglasses on. He was in a chair, feet in worn leather sandals resting on a log. Ridiculously short shorts like he was deliberately flaunting those strong thighs. Like what did the guy do to stay in shape? He’d never heard of a systems analyst with muscle tone like Raj Williams.

  And then he imagined him in a suit. “Fuck,” he muttered.

  “You okay?” Of course, Wanda would notice.

  “Yup,” he assured her.

  His father was dropping the awning, loosening the struts so he could roll it away. “Hey Robbie, you wanna stay ’til tomorrow morning? It’s a short commute. And you were late getting here. Mind,” he added in a teasing voice, “any fish you catch after me and Wanda leave don’t count.”

  “Does that mean you’ll leave me the boat key?”

  “Ha, you are funny! You should try open mic night at Yuk Yuk’s.”

  Robbie cocked his head as if he needed to think about it. He could finally talk freely to Raj and ask the questions he really wanted to know, like “Do you fool around?” and “Am I your type?” Out loud he said, “Car’s mine ’til tomorrow. I guess it’d be nice to hang out here without you geezer
s.”

  His father snorted and said, “Turn off the water and propane before you leave.”

  He waved at them as they left, followed the vehicle to the back of the trailers, and watched it go out the driveway.

  Alone at last.

  He pretended to accidentally notice Raj lighting a fire. “Hey.” Nice ass.

  Raj straightened and gave him a smile he chose to interpret as suggestive. “Hey.”

  Robbie went for the confirmation. “My dad never mentioned his neighbour was…”—young, hot, sexy—“gay.”

  Raj gestured toward one of the seats. “Probably hasn’t figured it out.”

  Unable to stop grinning like a fool, Robbie managed to say in a casual tone, “Really? I mean, I get he never saw the ‘swallows’ T-shirt before, but…”

  “It’s not like I announce it, any more than straight people say ‘Hi, I’m so-and-so, and I’m straight.’”

  “So you’ve never had…anyone…here?”

  A wicked grin spread across Raj’s face, and Robbie blushed as he heard his own words. “Not yet,” Raj said, letting his gaze slide over Robbie.

  Robbie opened his mouth to volunteer himself as tribute when he abruptly remembered he still hadn’t told his father and Wanda that he was gay.

  Chapter Three

  The following Friday, Robbie didn’t hesitate to get off the bus at the car rental shop after work. He liked that they remembered him and gave him a 5 percent return-customer discount. He’d sold the car-shaped heap of rust he’d driven in Brantford to cover his moving truck, even though his mother had offered to pay for the U-Haul rental.

  “I need something more reliable anyway, Mom, but thanks.”

  He just had to save up enough money to buy the something more reliable.

  As soon as he was behind the wheel of the little car—small equalled cheap—he had only one thought. Soon I’ll be seeing Raj again. He might have had other thoughts, involving nakedness, hard cocks, and hot come, but all involved a certain tall, dark, and devastatingly handsome fisherman. Even if all he managed to do in reality was stare in lust.