Disclaimer: This is a work of gay, erotic fiction; please do not read if it is illegal for you to do so. This work is entirely fictional; any resemblances to real people, events, or institutions are coincidental.
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-Lewdandshrewd
Chapter 1
I sat on the train, paging through the free newspaper I had picked up in the station, mindlessly skimming stories about Obamacare and the Kardashians; my mind was elsewhere.
I had just finished the first day of my new job as an assistant professor of chemistry at a small Catholic university in Chicago. The day had gone well; it had mostly consisted of meetings with deans, human resources representatives, and other members of my department. Students weren't scheduled to arrive several weeks, and I was eager to get my office in order and preparations for the classes I would be teaching underway.
My small office was nestled in a back corner of the science building, on the third floor; new professors weren't offered prime locations. A couple of teaching labs, two classrooms, a conference room, a small kitchenette, and a pair of bathrooms filled out my isolated wing of the building. I had spent much of the evening setting up my desk, organizing my bookshelves, and putting pictures of my friends and family up on the walls – I was planning to spend a lot of time at work, and I wanted to make it a personal space.
Just as I had been putting my computer in my briefcase and putting my jacket on to leave, my new coworker James – another untenured chemistry professor – stopped by my office.
"Looks like you're getting settled in, Rob; glad to see it. We're very happy to have you join the department, and are excited to see what you'll be doing with the outdated inorganic chemistry curriculum." James gave me a warm smile and a firm handshake; I couldn't help noticing how strong his grip was, and how that smile seemed to reach his eyes.
"I'm happy to be here. I was nervous about coming to a Catholic school, but it seems great so far," I replied, as I shrugged my jacket into place.
"It's also really nice to have another young professor in the department; it's just been me, Alice, and the five geezers for the last two years," James said, chuckling. "Alice is fantastic – both as a teacher and a friend – but having another young guy around will be great. Let's grab a beer after work tomorrow; I'll show you one of my favorite bars near campus." His smile continued to glow.
"I'd like that," I replied. "I'm so new to the area, I don't know any decent spots, and I always enjoy a good IPA." I tried to sound like the friendly professional, despite the fact that I couldn't keep myself from wondering if I'd just been asked on a date.
"Great. We can talk beer, chemistry, and `Da Bears.'" My heart sank. I loved beer and chemistry, but football – or was it basketball? – was not my strong suit, and I wanted to make a good first impression on my new colleague. "See you tomorrow. I'll swing by here around 6."
James turned to leave, and promptly tripped over his own untied shoelaces. I stifled a chuckle. As he bent over to tie his shoe, he murmured, "We're scientists; we're supposed to be clumsy, right?"
I laughed outright at his self-deprecating joke, knowing he wasn't far off; most of the chemists I knew were either awkward, clumsy, or just plain strange. James had that rare combination of nerdiness, humor, and self-confidence that I admired. I strove for it, but tended to be a little shy.
Standing back up, James asked, jokingly, "Anything else wrong with me?" I did a quick once-over and was embarrassed to notice one thing James might want to know about.
"James, uhhh, your fly's open," I muttered, smirking, trying to make it sound like a joke. I didn't want him to think I'd normally be checking out his crotch, even though I already had earlier that day, during a meeting when he had given a brief report on the organic chemistry curriculum.
James, the smile never leaving his face, said, "Well, dammit; I always forget to zip up after I swing down to the bathrooms over here!" He made no attempt to turn away as he reached both hands down to fumble at his zipper, and I tried to keep my eyes on his face instead of his pants, which seemed a little tighter than they had when he walked in. Finally put together, James said, "Well, welcome, Rob. Look forward to drinks tomorrow. Have a good night!" And he walked away down the hall.
My eyes caught on the words "same-sex marriage" in the newspaper, and I was jolted back to my surroundings on the train. Oklahoma had finally relented, after a drawn out state Supreme Court trial, and had just become to the 43rd state to legalize same-sex marriages.
"Addison" blared over the train speakers, and I shoved my newspaper into my bag and scurried off the train. I walked the three blocks to my new apartment, a two-bedroom place in Wrigleyville. Walking through the front door, I was greeted by my roommate, Lisa, with a loud "Welcome home, honey!" Lisa was my best friend from graduate school in DC, where we both got our PhDs in chemistry from the same lab. She and I had done our post-docs in different cities – mine in Boston, hers in Seattle – but we were thrilled to find out we'd both gotten jobs in Chicago at the same time. We decided to live together, on the conditions that we weren't to expect each other to be our entire social lives, we were to cook our own food, and we weren't to interfere in the others' sex lives. I was fine with that, considering that Lisa's sex life almost exclusively involved vaginas.
"Supper ready, dear?" I replied, and we both chuckled, knowing that I was on my own for my dinner. We were great friends, and joked about living like husband and wife, but we were very pleased with our mutual independence.
"Get any head on your first day, Rob?" Lisa was, to put it mildly, saucy. And away from work, I could be, too.
"No, but the organic professor, James, is fucking sexy." He was exactly the kind of guy that tended to catch my eye, though I had broad tastes: medium height – 5'10" or so, with very dark hair, a strong jaw, a well-trimmed beard, a sense of style that accentuated his physique, bright blue eyes, and a gleaming smile. "And he walked into my office with his fly down," I added.
"This sounds promising," Lisa grinned. "Just don't drool over him in front of your students."
"I'll get over it; I suppose I have to. I can't ruin my first real job by sexually harassing a coworker! Besides, he wants to grab a beer after work tomorrow and talk sports."
"Ah, so he's straight. Maybe I should join you; I haven't had any dick since that threesome with Ann and her boyfriend back in grad school. Dildos just aren't the same."
"Oh, shut up, Lisa. Let me have my fantasy, even if I can't have him!"
"Well, you better get laid soon; we've been here a month already and I'm tired of NOT finding condoms in the trash." Lisa and I were very open about our sex lives – our whole lives, really – and lovingly hassled each other all the time.
I let the comment pass; it had been nearly two months since I'd even gotten blown, and even longer since I'd had "real" sex. I knew I was a good looking guy – quite a catch, in fact, though I'd never say that out loud – but sex wasn't the only thing on my mind, especially with the recent move to Chicago and the new job.
Dinner was macaroni and cheese and frozen peas; I had been so caught up with getting ready for work that I hadn't been grocery shopping the last week. I sat down with a glass of wine and my bachelor food, and mindlessly watched re-runs of Breaking Bad until midnight rolled around.
I yawned as the third set of credits rolled by on the TV, and decided to head to bed. Lisa had gone to bed hours ago; she had to be up much earlier than I did. As I stripped off my clothes, brushed my teeth, and took a piss in preparation for bed, I felt myself getting a little aroused wondering what was in James' pants. I fell asleep rock hard, and had fantastic dreams.