I've seen a thing or two in my 46 years of life. From that experience, I've made some rules for myself.
Rule: Don't let opportunities slip by. You're not getting any younger.
That was definitely rule #1. I live comfortably on the income from my AC repairman job, and ever since I've discovered online dating I've never been starved for sex, but I don't want to get complacent. My life is barely halfway over; no reason to get fully comfortable.
That's why I knew what I wanted to do when I first saw Gabe.
It was a normal call, just a vent in his apartment that wouldn't blow air. I fully intended to do my job, but after seeing my client I had other things in mind, too.
This boy was absolutely gorgeous. Latino skin, thin beard, and an unbelievable femboy body. I knew I wanted him to be mine. But I had to follow protocol.
"Hello, Gabe. My name's Rod, I'll be helping you out." I flashed him a grin.
He smiled sheepishly back at me and returned the greeting.
It was entirely possible that he was intimidated by me. I have the stereotypical bear build: thickly muscled arms, strong legs, a bit of a belly. I'm 6'1" and covered with hair. Gabe was probably 5'8" and couldn't have been older than 25. I'm sure I could use that to my advantage.
"So, Gabe, where's your problem vent?"
He blinked a few times before telling me to follow him.
I decided to begin small-talk, mostly to form a profile of the kid.
Rule: Always, ALWAYS make sure the guy is single, unless their significant other tells you themselves that they have an open relationship.
Cheating is a scummy thing to do, and allowing yourself to be the other woman (or man, in my case) is just as bad. I've heard the sob stories from closeted guys who simply had no choice but to cheat on their girlfriends, or were just caught up in the moment. Some of them are more sincere than others, but I've decided that I don't want to deal with that guilt. If a guy wanted to cheat, that's their choice, but I didn't have to be a part of it.
"How long has that vent not been working?"
"Um...I don't really know. I haven't noticed it until a few days ago."
"You know what the problem might be?"
"Not at all."
I tried my best to act wise and professional.
"Well, how many people live here?" This was a question that was casual enough, and I could probably explain it away as me doing my due diligence.
His gaze went down. "Just me."
"You don't have any roommates?"
He shook his head.
"They don't have to be permanent residents. Maybe a girlfriend that sleeps over a lot?"
His cheeks flushed red.
"I don't have a girlfriend," he mumbled.
I nodded calmly, but on the inside I was excited.
Okay, that's that part.
"Alright, then. I'm gonna go and take a look. Let me get my ladder."
On the short walk to my truck and back, I decided to gently start with the seduction. I'd see how he responded and decide if it was a good move to push further.
Rule: Don't be an ass. If the guy isn't interested, he's not interested.
I smiled at him again when I got back.
"Would you mind staying? This won't take long and I'd like you here to answer my questions."
Once again, he nodded. God, his eyes were so dark and pretty!
I climbed up and started unscrewing the vent.
"Did you just move here recently, son?"
He noticed that word, but seemed mildly surprised instead of creeped out.
"Um, yeah. I moved here about a month ago."
"Is this your first apartment?"
"Yep. I just got my first job and needed to relocate."
"Well, good for you." I looked down at him. "That's quite an accomplishment, seeing that you're, what? 21? 22?"
He chuckled. "I'm 24."
I raised my eyebrows. "Really? You're pretty cute for your age."
He blushed slightly. Things were looking good so far.
Once I took off the grate I could see the problem immediately.
"Jesus, kid, the air filter is filthy!"
I showed him and he looked shocked.
"Wow..." he marveled. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"Don't worry about it, son," I reassured him. "You haven't been living here long enough to do this kind of damage. Clearly this was the last owner."
I stepped down, careful to not shake loose a bunch of the dirt and dust.
"I'll need to clean this off. I got the equipment in the truck. I'll show you what to do so you can clean it yourself next time."
He nodded and started following me.
"I remember my first apartment," I told him. "It was so exciting for me and my boyfriend at the time to have a place of our own."
I gauged his reaction. A little startled, but not in a bad way.
"Apologies if that's too personal."
"Oh, no, it's fine, Rod," he said, maybe a little quickly.
That's another brick laid. I had a good feeling about this one.
Once we were down to my company truck I showed him how to vacuum the filter and rinse it off with water. I kept up the conversation with him, wanting the boy to be comfortable with me. It seemed to be working. He started calling me "Sir," but it came off as a show of respect. I appreciated it.
After it was clean, we walked back up to his apartment. I made sure to stand a little bit closer to him on the elevator. Once we got back, I put down the filter and turned to Gabe.
"I gotta take a leak. You mind if I use your bathroom?"
"No, that's fine, Sir."
I had done work for the apartments in this building before, so I walked to where I knew the main bathroom was. In a second he suddenly got panicked.
"Oh, wait, uh, do you think you could use the other bathroom?"
I cocked an eyebrow and looked at him. He seemed so flustered.
"Why, exactly?"
His eyes were wide.
"Uh, no reason, I justβ"
"No reason?"
Gabe looked so embarrassed.
"I, uh..."
"Well, if there's no reason," I teased, reaching for the door knob, "then it wouldn't hurt if I took a little peek..."