A Fine Wine

Part IV - A Fine Wine

Juniper said, "You two head on up. I'll follow in a moment." Evan nodded. Cory bit his lip as though wanting to protest, but eventually Cory relented and turned in the direction of the stairs. Evan followed soon after.

Once the other two men had left the library, Juniper exhaled heavily and ran a hand through his short, wavy brown hair, trying to process what had just happened. What had he even been doing when he first came into the library? Trying to find a book with which to distract himself from the fact that Cory was spending time with his ex. Well, Juniper had certainly

not

taken his mind off things. But perhaps he wouldn't need to.

Abandoning his original pursuit, Juniper kneeled near the desk where Evan had been sitting, getting down to inspect the rug and its swirling golds and greens and oranges. It had been an anniversary present from Cory two years ago, and it fit perfectly under his desk. He tried to find the place where Evan had dripped, but he couldn't see anything. Finally, Juniper ran his fingers over the lush carpet, seeking moisture. After a few moments of shifting his fingers through the carpet's fibers, he found it. One single drop of fluid. Evan's fluid.

It was hardly enough to need to clean it up. Mostly, Juniper wanted to know the exact location in the pattern where it had fallen--in the center of a gold section between an orange and green one. He thought he might like to know, later.

Juniper stood up, deciding to leave the rug to soak up the foreign moisture, and a small smile curled onto his face, thinking about the ways the three of them had touched each other. Cory with his arm around Evan's neck, scratching up one side. Evan staring at Juniper's hand on Cory's thigh while he sounded his own cock. Juniper with his hand around the base of Evan's length, stroking, trying to convince himself not to taste.

Whatever waited for him up in his bedroom had the potential to be far more than even that.

Cautiously, Juniper wondered if he had everything he needed to join them. Briefly, he inspected the desk where Evan had leaned, but nothing needed cleaning there, at least, not immediately. Juniper then went to the kitchen to wash his hands for good measure and felt a small slick spot when he reached for the backside of the faucet's handle. Stunned for a moment, Juniper froze, realizing at once what it was.

Evan used this sink.

Bringing the hand that had touched the handle closer to his face, Juniper lightly inhaled near his fingers like he might have done with a fine wine he was about to critique.

Light notes of pollen, heavy on the tannins,

he imagined himself saying. There was no one here to see, and yet he could not quite bring himself to taste the semen. Who knew what other microorganisms the handle of the faucet had introduced.

Resolved, Juniper washed his hands and found a towel to properly clean the handle before he took a long, deep breath and started up the stairs to his bedroom.

When he opened the door, the comforter had been pulled all the way down, and Cory lay shirtless on the bed with Evan straddling him and pinning his wrists, both men still wearing pants. Evan bent over Cory, placing his lips against Cory's throat and over his collarbone. Objectively, it was a dazzling, gorgeous sight with the afternoon light streaming in from the window behind the two of them and gentle piano playing in the distance. Yet, Juniper's stomach flipped and clenched at seeing his fiancé beneath another man.

"Juniper," Cory said, relief and pleasure equally plain in the breathless nature of his tone. Immediately, Juniper felt himself melt for this man he had so wholly fallen in love with, helpless any time Cory said his name. It reminded Juniper that Cory and Evan had

explicitly

invited him in. This was not Juniper catching Cory in the act--Juniper was part of the play.

Evan sat up and looked over at Juniper, a mild smirk on his face. Even Evan, his tank top discarded now to fully display just how diligently he worked out, shoulders complete with geometric and curved tattoos, black hair disheveled, looked ravishing. Juniper blinked a few times, remembering the faucet downstairs. He decided not to mention it.

"I thought you might've chickened out," Evan said, one hand opening and closing as though, just maybe, Evan was also the slightest bit nervous. "Glad you didn't." Juniper nodded and swallowed, coming more fully into the room and closing the door gently behind himself.

"No," Juniper said, unable to come up with anything witty to say. Pulling himself off Cory, Evan stood on one side of the bed and folded his arms.

"Just tell me if I do anything that crosses a line, yeah?" Evan said, looking at Juniper first and then Cory. " 'Stop,' 'yellow,' 'red,' whatever works." Juniper nodded, familiar with the stoplight system and confident that he could use it, even now. Cory also nodded, a light laugh on his tongue.

Excitement

, Juniper thought pleasantly.

"Same to you," Juniper said, not wanting Evan to feel uncomfortable either. Evan opened his mouth as though tempted to ask what Juniper might do that might require a safeword, but he let it pass.

There was a brief moment when the three of them stood there, unsure what to do next. After a minute, Juniper smiled to himself and shot Evan a brief, mischievous look. Rolling up the sleeves of his white tailored button-down, Juniper looked at Cory and said, "Evan, will you please help me tie Cory to the bed." Cory's mouth erupted into an open-mouthed smile of disbelief and wonder.