into the right frame of mind for work. But the memory of Bennett’s long shaft glistening with his spit and of the sounds he’d made as he’d come all over himself kept creeping to the forefront of Jordan’s thoughts, distracting him enough that he had to reread whole sections of the plans.
Finally, he gave up in disgust. He was gonna have to figure out what the hell was happening in his life and what the hell he was going to do about it. This thing with Bennett felt too good to be just physical. When had he ever had virtual sex with anyone? How about never! And yet the very real feelings that had sparked between them, just looking at each other on a screen had been too intense to be meaningless.
Eventually he went to bed, giving up on doing anything useful for the rest of the night. Morning would bring fresh focus and a better chance to get in the zone for work. He tossed and turned before finally falling asleep, and when his phone alarm went off, he was definitely not ready to face the day or the new week. It was a good thing his body had a mind of its own sometimes, because he was up and ready to go by the usual time, after walking the dogs, feeding them, and setting Mrs. Salvietti’s coffee maker. He even managed to remember to pack himself a light lunch before he left, taking his car coffee mug and a breakfast sandwich with him out the door.
To say the day dragged wouldn’t be an exaggeration, but Jordan managed not to mess up his lessons, and even finished marking one class set of tests before he packed up the rest of them and left. After calling Bennett to settle on a time when he could go over, he had sat through a mind-numbingly boring faculty meeting as well, so he didn’t actually leave the building until four, but he’d have a couple of hours to spend with Bennett before he’d have to make his way over to the college for his freshman class.
Chapter Fifteen
The sign on the door of Bennett’s studio said “Closed”, but Jordan could see a faint light coming from the back, so he rang the bell and waited. A few seconds later, Bennett appeared and the sight of him though the plate glass window made Jordan’s heart skip a beat.
What the hell? This is some serious shit!
“Hey! Come on in.” When Jordan stepped past him into the reception area of the studio, Bennett locked the door.
“Go through. I’ll just pull these blinds and join you.”
Jordan put down his leather satchel and draped his coat over the back of a chair just as Bennett came in. Resisting the urge to drag the other man into his arms, he smiled and said,
“I hope I didn’t interrupt your day.” He had wondered if Bennett had closed the studio early to accommodate him.
“No, you’re fine. I spent the afternoon prepping for an upcoming trip. I didn’t have any afternoon sessions.”
Jordan homed in on the word ‘trip’. “Where are you going?”
“I’ve been invited to be part of a team of photographers who will work on a series of documentaries on the effect of fires in the Amazon on the economy of the countries it passes through as well as on the global economy, and on their environmental impact.”
Jordan was impressed. He remembered thinking that with Bennett’s talent, he could be a brilliant photojournalist for a big organization like National Geographic, and he wondered why the younger man hadn’t pursued that path. He got wanting to work for yourself, but that kind of corporate work would most likely not only be a feather in his cap but also a pretty important resume item with long-term impact on his career. He asked the question…they were still, despite the sex, just getting to know each other.
“Why isn’t a talented guy like you working for a big name organization all the time and raking in the dough?”
Bennett chuckled. “First off, thanks. I’m flattered you think I’m good enough to work for any such organization. Second, I prefer to work for myself.”
Something in the way he said that struck Jordan as odd, and when he looked over at him, there was some kind of defiant resolution on his face that Jordan read as meaning “Back off with the questions.” So, he did.
“I ordered curried chicken from the new Jamaican food store,” he said. “I was gonna order