I'm a Sucer for You

After work Sunday night, Ethan microwaved himself some dinner and went to bed as soon as he could, wanting to make sure he was as rested as possible. It was hard to fall asleep, though. He kept thinking about how he would get to see Carter again, and this time it wouldn't be in a professional capacity. He was both nervous and excited about what this could mean.

The more he thought about Carter though, the more difficult it was to sleep. He kept thinking about the heat from his body, his muscular arms and legs, the feeling of his hands touching Carter's skin, and he knew he wasn't going to get to sleep unless he took care of the physical response it had caused.

Ethan pulled his boxer briefs off and threw them on the floor, releasing his hard and aching cock. Never in his life had a man been the reason he has been so hard, yet here he was. He grabbed the lube out of his drawer in the bedside table and lubed up his dick, stroking it slowly to build up the feeling. All the while, he closed his eyes and pictured that Carter was with him. It was Carter's hand he wanted to feel, Carter's mouth on his, and on his body. He used some of the lube on his fingers, curiously moving them down between his crack, running his finger tips over his hole.

He'd been friends with Jeremy long enough that he knew plenty about gay sex, and while he had never considered being a bottom for anyone, or being pegged, his curiosity had been peaked now. He slipped a finger through the muscled ring, feeling a slight burn but it didn't last long. It was an odd sensation as he moved his finger around, but not a bad one.

"Holy shit!" Ethan cried out when he felt that little bundle of nerves called his prostate. The waves of pleasure that hit him were intense and he wanted more.

He pulled his finger out then slowly added a second finger, finding that bundle of nerves and using his fingers to repeatedly rub against it. He used his other hand to keep stroking his cock, while his mind imagined Carter's naked body moving against his. When he finally came, it was explosive. The first pulse of cum hit him in the chin, and the next hit his neck, before the rest spread out over his chest and stomach, covering the dark, auburn hair on his chest and the trail down his stomach. He could feel his ass clamp down around his fingers as he came, and he let his fingers slip out as he started to come down from his orgasm.

He lay there for a little bit, trying to put his mind back together. He couldn't remember a time he had come so hard. Ethan eventually got up to clean off, and then it didn't take long to fall asleep.

When he woke up the next day, he made a quick meal and then took a long shower before trying to find the perfect clothes to wear to the basketball game. He was standing at his closet in just nice jeans and socks when Jeremy, Jimmy, and Chloe showed up. Wayne was finishing up his football season so they had told Chloe what was going on. She had promised to try and keep her mouth shut around Carter, which was the best Ethan could ask for right then.

"You aren't going like that, are you?" Jeremy asked him. "I mean, Carter might like it but the people running the game might not."

Ethan sighed. "No, I'm not. What is acceptable for something like this? I don't want to be too dressy but I don't want to look like some straight male douche either."

"Considering that your wardrobe was put together by one..." Jimmy said, laughing.

Ethan threw one of the shirts he was contemplating at Jimmy playfully.

Chloe gave a little snort at that and went over to his closet. She went through his options for a moment before she pulled out a maroon colored Henley shirt with three-fourths sleeves that were black. It showed a peak of his tattoos that were on his arms, like the forest line with a wolf standing in it howling at the moon around his right wrist and a large raven on his other forearm. Chloe unbuttoned the top two buttons of the shirt.

Then she grabbed a pair of chucks that were black with stars on it and handed them to him. He put everything on and then looked in the mirror. The shirt she had chosen did a good job of showing off his athletic physique. Ethan never did sports regularly like Jeremy and Chloe did, but he'd been doing aikido his entire life and he had been into kick boxing since med school, plus he played baseball in high school for a while, just long enough to get his letterman jacket. He didn't want to play in college though. He would join a couple of basketball games here and there too when he felt like spending time with other students or doctors.

Chloe finished it up by using a little bit of styling gel to style his hair and then gave him a smile. "You look perfect."

Jimmy wolf-whistled, then waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Ethan. Ethan chuckled at him while Jeremy gave him a nod of approval.

Chloe took a photo of Ethan and sent it to Wayne in the group chat, simply telling him, "My masterpiece for the day."

Wayne responded with his compliments to the chef for putting Ethan Morrow on the proverbial menu. Chloe seemed happy with that and the group left to head to the venue. Ethan wasn't surprised to see quite a few people from his work there, as many of them enjoyed going to events and games when they had the time off. Their group had been to plenty of sports games before, but usually it was football. It was nice to be at a different sport this time, though Ethan wouldn't say that to Wayne.

Ethan was starting to get nervous once they got to their seats. He had started to question whether the flirting was just how Carter usually was with attractive men, or if going to all of this effort was worth it. Chloe put a hand on his shoulder to remind him to calm down. Jimmy and Jeremy found their seats quickly and then Jimmy started scanning the court for Carter. He was practicing with the rest of his team, so Jimmy passed Ethan a sign he'd made before the game.

It proclaimed "Hey Candyman, I've got a sweet tooth!"

Ethan read the sign and then looked over at Jimmy like he was ridiculous. "I'm going to look like some crazy basketball groupie!"

Jimmy smiled and pointed at Carter out on the court, trying to convince Ethan to show it to him. Just then, Ethan looked at Carter and his heart stopped as he first realized that Carter was indeed looking at him, and then he realized that Carter could make out the sign. He smiled his 1000 watt smile as Ethan embarrassedly tucked the sign under his chair.

Chloe grabbed onto his ears. "Look at how red they get!"

Ethan pulled out of her grasp. "Stop it or I'm going to tell Wayne you've been manhandling me."

"You know, considering that he's playing New York, it kind of feels a little like being a traitor if we root for Cleveland," Jeremy pointed out. "Well, except for Jimmy."

"I mean, we all have an Ohio Alma Mater, so..." Jimmy pointed out.

"So go Cleveland!" Ethan yelled, making Jeremy shake his head.

"We could make this interesting," Jeremy said with a smirk.

"Oh no," Chloe groaned at them, because she knew where this was going.

"A wager!" Ethan cried with a grin on his face. "Okay, what are the stakes?"

Jimmy and Wayne had learned over the years that Ethan and Jeremy made little bets constantly. Sometimes it would be for money, though they never kept the money they earned. When they made a bet about whether Wayne would actually date Chloe or not, they had bet a grand and ended up giving it to Wayne to do with as he pleased. Sometimes they donated it to charities, but half the time they didn't even bet money.

"Okay, if Cleveland wins, then you have to do something I demand," Jeremy said. "And if New York wins, I'll do something you demand."

"Okay, if New York wins, you roll out the full pride collection through the business, and not just in June," Ethan replied.

Jeremy gave a nod. "And if Cleveland wins, you ask Carter Evans out on a date."

Chloe turned to look at them. "Actually, I am here for this wager."

"Chloe, we're all here for exactly this reason..." Jimmy said, rolling his eyes good-naturedly and gesturing at the sign, now stowed beneath Ethan's seat.

Over on the court, Carter couldn't help but keep glancing over at where Ethan was when he had a little time to stand and do nothing, which wasn't often but he stole quick glances between plays. He hadn't been sure if Dr. Morrow would have had the day of the game off, but he was glad to see he did.

When he had asked Lily how many people worked in the ER so he could send over the tickets, he had hoped that it would give him a chance to finally ask Ethan for his number. He wasn't sure if Ethan was gay or bi, but he could tell that there was sexual tension between them so he could safely assume Ethan was at least attracted to him.

And based on that sign, he had to be interested too. It was adorable the way his entire face turned red when he was embarrassed. Carter could tell his friends were egging him on.

While Ethan and Jeremy were shaking on the bet, Chloe reached under Ethan's seat and grabbed the sign before holding it up over Ethan's head and letting out a whistle, something her husband had taught her to do for games. Carter laughed and missed a pass, catching the ball on the chest and managing to fumble it comically before snatching it out of the air. He still landed it in the basket, though.

"And that's why they call him the Candyman. He always finds the sweet spot," Jimmy said.

"Of course you know that," Ethan said as he grabbed the sign from Chloe and pointed his finger at her like she was a bad child.

"It's fine, he fixed it," Chloe pointed out with a giggle and then went back to watching the game.

The longer they watched the game, the more of an appreciation Ethan had for Carter's skills on the court. He was easily good enough to play in the major league for the NBA, and deserved it too. Ethan could tell he had his ankle wrapped up, which was good, and he was moving around the court a ton so Ethan hoped that meant it was feeling a little better.

He also was getting a better appreciation of how well Carter moved his body. That realization was far less clean-minded though, and he had to remind himself to focus on the game before his colleagues would be able to see his reaction to it. Despite how well he was playing, Jimmy leaned over and told Ethan that Carter's ankle must really be bothering him. Apparently he was usually a little more aggressive on the court and he was taking a lot more "safe" shots than normal.

By the end of the game, though, Carter was chosen as the MVP and given the game ball, which he grabbed a marker and wrote on before trotting over and tossing it to Ethan. Ethan blushed but he smiled at Carter as he caught the ball. Carter blew him a kiss and winked, then headed back to the locker rooms with the rest of his team.

"I hope he's icing it," Ethan said as people started leaving the stands.

"You just can't help but be a doctor, huh?" Jeremy asked him.

"I went to school for years for this," Ethan pointed out. "It's not something you leave at work."

"Yeah, Ethan's a workaholic. We know that. What we don't know is what Carter wrote on the damn ball!!" Jimmy said. "You're killing us with the suspense, man, tell us!"

Ethan thought about just continuing the conversation like Jimmy hadn't said anything just to annoy him, but now the wondering was bugging him too, so he turned the ball so he could read what Carter had written on the ball. "Can I get those digits now? -Carter 'Candyman' Evans" it said.

Chloe went into her purse and pulled out a small notebook and handed it over to Ethan with a pen. He took both of them from her and wrote down his number with his name before ripping off the piece of paper and handing the items back to her. They then made their way down to where some of the bigger fans waited for the players to come out to go to their bus to get back to their hotel or get on the road.

It was cold outside so Ethan zipped up his leather jacket, trying to keep some of his body heat in. He had never been the type to wait for athletes or celebrities like this, so it still felt a little silly to him. He was just glad he had his friends with him because he knew if he was alone he would have chickened out by now.

For all the times that he had pursued women for one night stands or relationships that lasted a few months that were generally based on sex, he couldn't think of a single time he would have stood out in the cold for any of them, and he had been considering what Jeremy had been saying about that spectrum. Maybe he had just never let himself get involved with a guy because of watching everything Jeremy went through. It was easier to be a slut with women than to accept that he might have far more than just sex with a guy, but something about Carter made it entirely impossible to ignore. That both scared and excited him.

Carter, on the other hand, spent his time in the shower thinking about whether that smokin' doc would actually get his number to him or not. Now the ball, quite literally, was in Ethan's hands and Carter could only hope that he took the invite.

The players finally started making their way out of the venue and toward the tour bus. Ethan looked for Carter but the players had to exit the building in ones and twos. Even the G-Leagues had two or three alternates for most positions and those players were fresher than the others so they left for the bus sooner. Finally, after what felt to Ethan like an eternity, Carter Evans made his way through the door, to a thundering of cheers and applause from the other fans.

"Go sportsballer!" Chloe called out with the other cheers, making Ethan chuckle.

Carter looked up at that and met Ethan's eyes. He broke out into a bright smile and winked before signing a fan's autograph book who had jumped the crowd to be first in line. Jimmy took the Game Ball from Ethan so he had his hands free and nodded with his chin toward the Candyman.

Ethan let out a breath and moved forward so he was standing close enough that he would be able to hand over the paper, which he had brought out of the pocket of his jacket. He waited while Carter signed a few more autographs before he was able to stop in front of him.

"My my, aren't we greedy? Game ball and an autograph, Doc?" he said with a wink.

Ethan smirked at that and held up the piece of paper. "Actually, I have something for you."

"Oooh, for me? See that, folks? Real fans give me stuff!" He said with a smile, garnering scattered laughter from the curious onlookers. He accepted the slip of paper with a slight bow and tucked it away in his comfortable-looking clothes.

"Well, I always go above and beyond for the really good sportsball players, you know," Ethan joked with him.

"Fair enough, so this is like the fourth slip of paper you've handed out?" Carter said, still smiling.

"I don't slip digits and tell," Ethan replied with a grin.

Carter nodded sagely and continued making his way to the bus, "I'd love to stay and chat but I don't have wheels back to Cleveland without those guys. And if I don't come back on the bus I might as well not come back." He waved and made a gesture as if he were texting, then pointed at Ethan before turning back around and trotting painfully to the bus. He had a little extra spring in his step even with his injury.

"Ice that!" Ethan yelled as Carter made his way up the steps of the bus, causing Carter to laugh out loud while Jeremy shook his head at his friend.

"Come on, Dr. Romeo," Jeremy said to Ethan. "No use in standing here watching the bus fade into the distance."

Carter didn't text him until the next day, but it was with an apology. "Hey Doc McDreamy! I'm sorry I didn't text yesterday, but I fell asleep on the bus."

"As long as you iced the ankle while you did, then all is forgiven," Ethan texted back a little while after he had seen it.

"So professional!" was his reply, with an emoji of a tongue.

"My friend might be right that it's hard to get out of doctor mode. It's why we make terrible patients," Ethan admitted to him.

"I hope this is okay with your code of ethics. I heard through the grapevine that it would have been unprofessional for you to engage with me privately, so I kinda left the door open." Carter said.

"There are some who would say we're in a gray area right now, but it's not going to end with me going up in front of the ethics board or anything. You were a patient for a night, so it's slightly more ambiguous, but it's why I couldn't just give you my number that night. Plenty of people date their ER nurses and doctors over time, just so long as we don't overstep during treatment," Ethan explained. He had already told Lily what happened at the game and she was thrilled, so he wasn't too worried right then about that side of it. "Of course, living something like 530 miles away from you makes it less of a risk too, though more difficult."

"Technically my team is a farm for the Cavs but I could try to jump ship..." Carter responded, then: "The League plays my team against yours a lot, though, so I'll probably be back out that way soon, then the off-season kinda belongs to me as long as I log time in a gym somewhere and get back in time for pre-season practice."

"I might know some good gyms," Ethan told him. He considered mentioning that he had a gym in his house for his kickboxing and aikido but he didn't want to sound too forward.

"Sweet! I'll be sure to ask you where to find them in the morning." Carter sent, with a winking emoji.

The two of them kept chatting through text as the days passed. There were times that their communication would drop off, but it was understood that they could be at work during the times they didn't respond. Ethan gave Carter a basic rundown of how his schedule shifted, while Carter told Ethan when his practice was.

In his down time, Ethan would find a way to watch the games that Carter's team played, usually by finding a stream of it. He could understand now how Jeremy had felt back in school. They had never really watched football before he started dating Jimmy, and then he was there learning the game for his boyfriend. Ethan at least knew how basketball worked, even if he hadn't watched many games before.

Of course, on some of his free nights, he had to take part in some of the society events. Not even because he wanted to, but because it was expected. He talked up the hospital a lot when he went to them, so his bosses wanted him there. It got them donations. The only ones he liked going to were the ones Chloe or Jeremy organized, but he managed the others fine. It did not escape the press's notice that he started showing up to these events without some beauty on his arm though. It ended up causing quite a few article headlines about whether the free-spirit or man slut, depending on which paper you read, was settling down.

Carter saw some of the headlines, as Ethan had mentioned them, and got a kick out of the press trying to pin down what was going on with Ethan. He may have also saved screenshots of photos from the events, because Ethan always looked amazing with a suit on, and the cameras couldn't seem to get a bad side to the man. Carter was slowly building up a collection of photos of Ethan for himself in his phone.

Ethan had learned through his research that Carter was openly gay but didn't flaunt his sexuality in public. He had remained a confirmed bachelor since college, with nary a hint as to his sexual preferences. When the topic had come up in conversation, Carter had openly admitted to keeping his personal life out of the spotlight to support his dreams of making it into the NBA. There was still a great deal of stigma to the Alphabet Mafia, as Carter called it, in the big leagues. He indicated, however, that "some folks are worth being out and proud about, I just hadn't met any of them until recently."