Roommates - 9. Chapter 9

“Good morning,” he said. I looked down to see that he was looking up at me. He hadn’t moved his hand from my waist, and I wasn’t sure he even realized it was there.

“Hey,” I said, offering him a brief smile. “Sleep well?”

“The best yet,” he said, yawning. “A good man could do for some cuddling to get by.”

“Yeah,” I said, causing him to laugh, and making his arm move lower. He then sucked in a breath as he removed his arm from my waist. The cuddling had caused my penis to react.

“Willy has morning wood,” Brett said, lifting the covers to look down at my groin. He laughed when I tugged them back against me.

“So?” I asked, “It’s normal.”

“But I never thought I’d see it,” he said, sitting up to look at me.

His stare made me feel uncomfortable and I felt the tension building in the room again.

What?” I asked.

“Nothing a cold shower wouldn’t fix,” I said, swallowing hard as my heart started to beat faster.

“I think you want this,” he said. And, as he leaned closer to me, I felt a tentative tongue lick my neck before his lips took over with a slight sucking motion.

“Brett,” I said, reaching up to push him back gently. But he grabbed my hand when I put it on his shoulder and redirected it to his side as he kept his gentle assault on my neck. He stopped and backed away from me, making me think he was going to stop.

“I’m sorry,” I said. But he just smiled and flipped the covers off the bed completely.

“For what?” He asked

“Nothing,” I said as he looked down at my hard-on.

“Then shut up and enjoy this,” he said, rubbing my inner thigh and nudging my legs wider. I hesitated before slowly opening them, and then he carefully crawled between them, taking hold of my dick. The sensation caused me to lose the ability to breathe, until he leaned forward and kissed me on the lips. When he broke the kiss I let out the breath I had been holding.

“Sorry,” I said when he looked at me.

“Stop apologizing,” he said. “It will give me too large of an ego.”

“Ok,” I said laughing. And then he bent down, inches away from my groin. I could feel his breath warming the fabric of my boxer briefs. He reached up and tugged down the waistband. Without hesitating, or seeing if I was ok with this, he took me into his mouth. I closed my eyes and leant back to take in everything I was feeling.

“Brett.”

“Yes,” I said, offering him a short smile.

“Ok,” he said. He then leant back down. This time he didn’t take me back into his mouth. Instead he just used his tongue to lick along the length of my shaft. When I did orgasm he backed away, and I noticed him watching me as the intense feeling ran its course through my body.

“Damn,” I said when my breathing had returned to normal.

“Yeah,” he said smiling at me. “My thoughts exactly.”

We both laughed, and then I scooted out of the bed needing to clean myself. I took the first shower. When I re-entered the bedroom Brett quickly took his turn so we wouldn’t be too late for breakfast. I examined myself in the mirror to see if I had any evidence to hide on my neck before I dressed for the day. Not seeing anything I let out a sigh of relief. It would’ve been a difficult lie to tell.

I was dressed when Brett came out of the shower. I noticed that he was happier this morning compared to the last couple of days. Ever since the night we went out away from the yacht he had been reserved. He had also been spending a lot of time with Kat though, and I was starting to get curious. I watched Brett get dressed and when he was done we headed out for breakfast.

“I wonder where Carl is?” I asked, noticing he hadn’t come to get us for breakfast this morning like he normally did.

“I know where he is,” Brett said, winking at me.

“Right,” I said, shaking my head. “At least she hasn’t moved on yet.”

“Yeah,” he said. “Looks like she’s not going to be slutty while on this trip. Your mother can rest easy.”

“Can we talk later?” I asked as we approached the dining room.

“Yeah,” he said, offering me a smile as we entered. The table was already set for breakfast, but no one had started eating the food on their plates yet.

“You two are late,” Kat said. “Do you need reminding of when breakfast starts?”

“Well, Carl must’ve been too busy to come get us,” I said, winking at her. She glanced in Dad’s direction before turning back to me. She gave me a smile that let me know that I would be paid back later for that comment.

“What is going on?” Mom asked as Brett and I sat down in our spots for breakfast.

“Nothing,” Kat said, as we all picked up our forks and started eating.

“Well I think we need to do something as a family today,” Mom said. “Do you guys have anything in mind?”

“Could we get off this yacht?” Kat asked. “And I’ll only go if Carl goes.”

“We do not think that is a good idea,” Dad said. “You and Carl.”

“Why not?” Kat asked, setting her fork back down on the table

“Because he is the help,” Dad said. “He’s not going to be serious with you after we leave. And, really, our winter home in Montana will take you far away from Carl.”

“Daddy,” she said, “I will not be coming with you this time.”

“You have nowhere else to go,” Dad said.

“I’ve decided to buy a house here in Florida,” she said. “Close to our house.”

“That’s great, honey,” Mom said, smiling. “I wish William will do the same. It isn’t like he can’t get a job here in Florida.”

“I like California, Mom,” I said, not wanting to be dragged into this conversation at all. There would be a time I’d have to sit them both down before we finished this vacation, but I didn’t want to have any conflict with them before then.

“She only wants to buy a house here to move in that loser,” Dad said, as he finished eating and slid his plate away from him. He took a sip of his coffee instead of the wine he usually drank with every meal.

“It is not, Dad,” Kat said. “And even if it was, it’s none of your business.”

“It is my business,” Dad said. “You two will be my business forever.”

“You don’t know shit about us, Dad,” Kat retorted. “I don’t know why you are wanting to now.”

“I think we need to start planning a stress free day,” Mom said, “and act like a family today.”

“Yeah,” Brett said, turning all the attention at the table to him.

“I’m thinking Disney Land,” he continued. “I’ve always wanted my picture with Goofy.”

“We’re a bit too old for Disney Land, Brett,” Mom responded, smiling at him. It was nice that they had stopped treating him shittily though, and he did end the fight Kat and Dad had been having. Mom looked to be thankful that he had done that.

“I’ll take you to Disney World when we get back in California,” I said. “To get that picture with Goofy.”

“Ok,” he said, scooting his plate away. He seemed satisfied with this plan.

“I was thinking that Kat and I could go dress shopping with the planner,” Mom said. “And the guys can do whatever they want to.”

“Yeah, I like that,” Kat said. “Only if we all meet up for dinner, and Carl gets to tag along.”

“Kat!” Dad said angrily.

He jumped out of his seat, slamming his chair against the wall behind him. It rattled the lights hanging on the wall, but Kat didn’t seem phased by it. She glared at him, waiting for him to continue what he was saying.

“Yes, I can see it,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean I’ll allow it.”

“Then I’m leaving,” Kat said. “The hell with this anniversary and vacation.”

“Dear, I do think our daughter is capable of her own decisions.” Mom said. “I think it’s lovely she’s finally found someone.”

“Yeah,” I said. “Dad, Carl is a great guy.”

“He does a good job at cleaning the deck,” Dad said. “That’s all he’s good for.”

“Honey,” Mom said. But Dad ignored her and exited the dining room, leaving the rest of us in an uncomfortable silence.

“Well, I guess I’ll need to start packing,” Kat said, breaking the silence.

“Don’t dear,” Mom said, reaching across the table to grab Kat’s hand and rub it with her thumb. “It’s alright that your father doesn’t like your boyfriend.”

“Not it’s not.” Kat said, jerking her hand away and crossing her arms. I put my hand on her back and started rubbing it. I could tell she was fighting to keep from crying. This was the most uncomfortable I could remember her having been.

“I don’t mean it like that,” Mom said. “I mean you’re his little girl. I doubt anyone will be good for you when it comes to your father.”

“Yeah,” she admitted, shaking her head. “Are you going to make him let Carl come?”

“Yes,” Mom said. “Just leave that to me.”

“Do we have to go out with Dad?” I asked, removing my hand from Kat’s back. I suspected the day was going to be hell.

“Yes,” Mom said. “If Carl has to suffer a day with your father, then you two do as well.”

“It’ll be ok,” Brett said.

“What the hell will we do?” I asked. “Dad and I haven’t done anything together.”

“Go watch a baseball game,” Mom said. “I’m sure there is one somewhere.”

“Baseball,” I said, frowning. “This is going to go horribly.”

“Then think of something else,” Mom said. “Just keep in touch so we can all meet up for lunch.”

“Ok,” I said. “We’ll go find Carl and break the bad news to him.”

Brett and I stood and left Mom and Kat in the dining room. We walked up the stairs to the front deck. We found Carl checking the chemical levels in the small pool. When he saw us he blushed.

“No,” Brett said. “We weren’t too late.”

“That’s good. Kat and I stayed up late discussing stuff.”

“Yeah, I bet!” Brett exclaimed, causing Carl to look uncomfortable again.

“You’ve been invited to hang out with us and Dad today,” I said, getting to the point. “Well, really, I don’t think you have a choice.”

“Just don’t expect a welcoming from Mr. Carolton,” Brett said. “He doesn’t like you very much right now.”

“I won’t lose my job, will I?” Carl asked, frowning.

“No,” I said. “He’s just being overprotective.”

“What are we going to do?” he asked, glancing down at his watch. “I have some stuff to do before I can go anywhere.”

“I was hoping you could suggest something,” I said.

“Oh, you want me to be the one killed if he has a shit day,” Carl said, causing Brett to laugh. “I see how you work.”

“Think of it as a right of passage,” I said. “Make Dad happy and you’ll be welcomed into this family for life.”

“Golf. I usually do that on my day off,” Carl said. “And, since you enlisted me to be your Dad’s bitch for the day, I think you two can’t do any complaining.”

“Exactly,” Brett said, laughing. “We wouldn’t care if you wanted to go to a strip club or something. We’d do it with a smile on our face.”

“Yeah,” I said, shrugging. “Just anything to ensure our survival until lunch. And, if it goes well, we’ll tell Dad that you planned all this.”

“And what if it goes bad?” He asked, smiling.

“Then we’ll tell him it was your idea,” I said. He nodded and laughed, having already known what I was going to say.

“Well, I’ll go finish everything and change. I’ll be in the kitchen if I’m late,” Carl said, picking up his pool cleaning supplies and leaving us on the front deck.

I walked with Brett to the patio table. It had an umbrella shielding the table from the sun. “Well I guess this is the only time we’ll have for our talk,” I said.

He sat down next to me. “Yeah, what’s on your mind?”

“This morning I was thinking that we should get separate rooms,” I said. “To give us some space.”

“Why?” he asked. “Are you ashamed of what happened this morning?”

“No,” I said, looking down at the table and smiling awkwardly. “I was thinking you looked upset for a few days and just needed your space at night.”

“No, I don’t need my space. You make a good pillow.”

“Ok,” I said, laughing. “It was just a thought.”

“Anything else?” He asked, and I sighed.

“Yeah,” I said. “I’m going to tell Dad and Mom about me.”

He straightened up in his chair and studied me closer. “What changed your mind?” he asked.

“The fear of a hickey on my neck,” I said. He looked at my neck then back up at me, smiling.

“I was gentle,” he said. “For the same reason.”

“It would’ve been extremely difficult to explain it since the crew is all male and you and I shared a room. I would hate for them to find out in a way that didn’t come from me.” I said.

I leant forward to look past Brett, making sure we were still alone out on the front deck. This was a conversation I hated having. But it had been coming up a lot lately. When I was in California I didn’t have to hide, even if I did hide it. I had better excuses to keep my life hidden here, though.

“Yeah,” I said. “And Kat and you to defend me.”

“Yeah, and if it helps, I’ll come out to them too,” he said, reaching up and putting his arm around me. “To take some of the heat too.”

“No,” I said. “You just keep winning them over.”

“Boys,” Mom said, surprising us. We hadn’t heard her come onto the deck. I tensed, and Brett took his arm off my shoulder. We turned around, to see her standing looking at us, with Kat behind her. Kat still looked angry from the disagreement with Dad this morning.

“Ready to go?” I asked, standing up.

“Yes, we’re ready to be taken to shore. Go find Carl and meet us at the back of the yacht,” Mom said, adding “Is there anything wrong, Will?”

“No, Mom,” I said. “I was just dreading today.”

“It’ll work out,” Mom said. “Your father is in a better mood than this morning.”

“Ok,” I said.

We stood and followed them down the narrow hallway. When they went down to the back of the boat, Brett and I turned down the hall to the kitchen to find Carl. Dad wasn’t anywhere in sight. He was probably already on the boat waiting for everyone else to be there.

We joined Dad, Kat, and Mom at the back of the yacht. They were already in the small boat, which was to take us to shore. When Dad noticed Carl he snorted and turned around to face the opposite direction. Mom put her hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged her off and crossed his arms.

“Ready?” Carl asked, after everyone seemed seated. We all nodded, so he started the boat and we headed to shore. Carl made sure the ride was smooth. He didn’t want to give Dad a reason to complain right at the start of the day. Dad was at least dressed for a day outside, which seemed to relieve Carl slightly. A day outside, with plenty of space, seemed the only way to survive the tension.

There were two cabs waiting for us when we exited the dock. Mom and Kat said goodbye quicker than I would’ve liked. When they had left we all simply studied the other cab. The driver looked to be getting uncomfortable when none of us took the first move towards it.

“A cab,” Dad huffed, finally breaking the silence. He walked over to it and got into the back. Brett sat in the front, leaving me to take the seat in the middle of the back, right beside Dad.

“A limo wouldn’t have been practical, Dad,” I said. I felt Carl elbow me in the side gently. When I glanced in his direction he shook his head, offering me a careful smile.

“I’ve not ever been in a cab,” Dad said, crossing his arms.

“We’re golfing today. Does that sound good, Dad?” I asked, changing the subject before he could complain anymore.

“Yes, but if you would’ve told me I would’ve brought my own clubs,” he said. “As I don’t think any other clubs would be to my satisfaction.”

The ride to the golf resort that Carl suggested to the driver was quiet after that. No one dared talk, not wanting to hear what Dad might add to the conversation. When we arrived Dad paid for the cab ride, without tipping to driver for a smooth trip. As he walked away, I tipped the driver and the three of us had to jog to catch up with Dad’s quick walk to the clubhouse.

“Dad,” I asked, “do you want to practice hitting, or get on the course?”

“The course,” Dad said, shortly. So we got our clubs and Dad drove to the first hole of the course for us to start. He seemed to loosen up once we got out there, but he still wasn’t looking in Carl’s direction.

“I’ll go first,” Brett said when no-one else took the initiative.

“I’ll go after you, Brett,” I said, grabbing a ball and tee. He took his shot which went to the far left, almost hitting a man driving a golf cart.

“You’re supposed to warn people Brett, when you take a wild assed shot like that.” I said

“Right,” Brett said, laughing at himself. “This is harder than it looks when Tiger Woods does it.”

“Damn,” I said, as I hit the ball and it took a similar route to Brett’s. “What are we doing wrong?”

“You need to adjust your stance,” Dad and Carl said at the same time. They looked at one another then back at me.

“Like how?” I asked, stepping away from the tee area to stand by Brett.

“I’ll show you, son,” Dad said as he stepped up. “You need to keep your shoulders level with the ground and your elbows straight. Shoot using your back, not your hands.”

“Ok,” I said, watching him hit the ball. It went straight, and stayed on the smoothly cut grass, meaning he had hit it in the correct direction.

Carl then took his turn, hitting it slightly further than Dad had.

“Well then, today won’t suck as bad,” Brett said. “If we don’t get our ass kicked or something.”

“Yeah,” I said, laughing as he took his second shot. It was slightly better than the first. My attempt sucked as badly as my first, though.. Sports of any kind weren’t my thing, and I could tell Brett hadn’t done any golfing either. It would have interfered with his surfing, and, anyway, he always thought golf was boring and for old people.

Brett and I didn’t ever improve. But it did mean that Dad and Carl had a lot of time to talk as they moved ahead on the course and while they were waiting for Brett and me to catch up.

At first I thought Brett was faking, as he normally seemed to pick things up easily. But, when he started cussing and throwing golf clubs, I knew he sucked just as much as I did. Carl and Dad did offer more advice, but it wasn’t working. We just had to admit to our inability to play the game, and hope Carl was able to show Dad how good a person he was for Kat. It would be the only way Kat would stay on the yacht and participate in the anniversary party. Our family needed to become closer and it wouldn’t happen if Dad and Kat couldn’t get along anymore.

“I don’t know,” I said, shrugging. “They are women.”

“Don’t pretend it doesn’t take your ass a long time to pick out clothes,” Brett said. “I’ve been tie shopping with you once.”

“Shut up,” I said, rolling my eyes and nudging him. “I’m not bad.”

“Yes you are.” he said, “Anything goes with black, but you seem to not think so.”

“Will you two stop wasting time and take your shots?” Dad said. “This is the best game I’ve played, and I want to keep it going before your Mother and Kathryn finishes their shopping.”

“Ok,” I said, walking up to my ball. The end of this hole was surrounded by water and, when I hit it, I frowned as it made a small silent splash.

“Don’t worry, Will. I’ll be joining you in the lake,” Brett said as he lined up his shot. When he took it I held my breath as I watched it hit the green and roll into the hole.

“Oh, fucking hell! That was a sexy shot,” he exclaimed.

“I’m sorry. But did you see that shot?” Brett asked, smiling.

“Yes,” Dad answered.

“And wasn’t it sexy?” Brett asked. I shot him a glare, which he didn’t notice.

“Yes, Brett,” Dad said, surprising me. I turned to look at Dad, who smiled and turned to take his shot. It hit close to the hole and rolled slightly. Brett’s shot had been lucky, and when I got myself a new ball I missed the green again. I sighed.

“I’ve hit the ball too many times this time too, haven’t I?” I asked, realizing that I couldn’t finish this course as well.

“Yeah,” Carl said, laughing slightly. “You need a lot of practice.”

“Golf will never be my thing,” I said, sliding my club back into its place in the bag.

The rest of the course went smoothly and by the end of it Carl and Dad were talking about things other than golf. Indeed, when we got back to the cab, Carl sat beside Dad, giving me the window seat on the other side. He had accomplished the unlikely feat of befriending Dad and proving to him that he was a good enough guy.

He would have to be careful around Dad when it came to Kathryn, though. I just hoped the rest of the day would turn out as well. It was nice not having tension surrounding the day, and controlling everyone. That might change later. But, for the first time on this vacation, I felt like I had a father and, not just someone who intimidated the hell out of me.