Chapter Two -- Not A Virgin-Virgin
If he had been asked, Aidan would have had a hard time explaining why he was so keen on using Heathcliff Stone as JO material. It made him feel a bit ashamed. With so much gay porn to use for that particular purpose, singling out a guy who wasn't even in that industry was sort of fucked up.
Aidan could not clearly explain to himself the attraction. He had never been into the muscled type, although Heathcliff wasn't some bodybuilder, to begin with. But there was something in the man's harmonious body that was easy on the eyes, and also made it difficult to keep from objectifying the guy and making him the main protagonist of some pretty X-rated fantasies.
The thing was Heathcliff had something unique. Aidan knew, and not only because he was trying to build a career in advertising for himself, that it wasn't for nothing that so many people were following Heathcliff Stone on social media.
The fitness guru had charisma. When he talked, he was full of passion and genuinely interested in what he did. He was the kind of celebrity that didn't seem to look down on his audience.
Aidan had been enthralled from the first time he had watched one of the man's videos. The truth was Heathcliff's advice worked. He was interested in making people do at least a little something to change their lifestyle for the better.
Of course, once Aidan had realized the guy on the screen was also making him hot under the collar, that had been a sort of revelation. Not that he hadn't been well aware that he was gay. But because he had realized, that moment, what was his type.
The type Aidan knew would be so good for him, and yet so bad, at the same time. From that first eyes-to-screen contact, Aidan had been interested in learning more about the man. Discovering that Heathcliff was batting for the same team had made him feel stupidly happy. It was like he was suddenly some schoolgirl dreaming, wide-eyed, about having a real chance with some A-list celebrity.
Aidan had found the idea so ludicrous that he had been trying ever since to dismiss it. There was no real chance of meeting the guy, let alone getting involved with him in some way. Well, that had been before.
Because now, not only he had made Heathcliff's acquaintance, but he was supposed to look after him some of his working hours on most days. Which made Aidan's imaginary dilemma from before a pretty much real one.
He needed something to blame everything on. Maybe the fact that he was still a virgin. Well, not a virgin-virgin since he had traded handjobs and blowjobs with a few strangers in his life. But his experience was limited. Each time he had seemed to find the courage to go for the next step, something had happened, preventing him from doing so.
The other problem was that he was buried in work. He had a very clear plan in place that was supposed to take him to being paid six figures yearly before the age of 30. That meant that he needed to put in the hours and kiss the right behinds. The latter, he wasn't crazy about. Plus, while he was a hard worker, it seemed like everyone just saw the proverbial willing donkey when looking at him.
And that landed him in his current position. Being the youngest in the department, the higher-ups had decided that he was perfect for looking after Heathcliff Stone and his shenanigans. In other words, his work at the office was not that important or indispensable. And that was going to put him through a lot of suffering, seeing who Heathcliff was and his prowess in bedroom affairs. At work, people weren't aware of Aidan's sexuality, and he hadn't been keen on telling them. After all, office romance was frowned upon, regardless of form and sexual orientation, and it was no one's damn business anyway what he was and what he wasn't.
So, back to the current situation, Aidan was in a pretty bad place. But he planned to survive. Also, seeing that outside his fitness guru image, Heathcliff Stone was sort of an ass, that was definitely going to cure him of his little obsession.
What the hell was he thinking? Cure him? Now he had the image of the guy's glorious cock imprinted on his cortex. And how the guy moved when fucking. All those details had stored themselves happily into the spank bank.
Damn, Aidan thought and winced. His dick had a mind of its own, and it wasn't helping. No problem, he said to himself. He knew how to be the perfect professional. And he was going to keep a perfectly cool head while dealing with the guy.
Aidan clicked on the folder and went through the schedule he had eventually agreed upon with Heathcliff. Now he was at work, and he was not supposed to fantasize about a particularly scrumptious male specimen when he actually had to keep his mind in the game, as his boss often said.
"Aidan, the boss wants to see you." One of his female coworkers peaked at him from above, looking down inside his cubicle.
He almost jumped.
"All right, thank you," he murmured, and the woman gave him a half-frozen smile like she had been studying hard for it.
He took the physical folder with him since he knew their head of department liked to do things the old fashioned way.
"Come inside and sit down," the man said the moment Aidan knocked, and half stepped into the guy's office.
"Yes, sir." Aidan sat gingerly across from the guy.
All the chairs in the room, except for the one on which the head of the department sat his important behind, were so low that Aidan, without being unusually tall, felt like he was trying to fit into a kindergarten chair.
For some reason, his boss was making him nervous. There was something about the guy that seemed to judge everything and everyone. He wore thick black-rimmed eyeglasses, and he could be anywhere between 40 and 55 years of age. Even that detail about him was making Aidan feel a bit odd. And the fact that the man seemed to have nothing particular about his physique. It was like someone had traced the persona of an average middle-aged, middle-class, man, and come up with this guy.
"How was your meeting with Heathcliff Stone?" the man asked sharply, linking his hands in front of his face and looking at Aidan over them while keeping half of his face hidden.
"Good, sir. We established a schedule and, starting this week, we will go through a few possibilities to see what works. The first photo shoot is today."
"Excellent. Do you find him manageable? You know you must keep a close eye on the guy. He's quite famous for his rather unsavory sexual trysts."
Aidan knew a bit about Heathcliff Stone's sex life. It wasn't like he was some stalker. By merely picking any tabloid, one could get up to date with the guy's adventures. Aidan especially recalled a particular night spent by the said celebrity exposing his talents as a dancer while showered in expensive champagne by two rather attractive and also obnoxiously rich celebrities. It had happened at a very posh and high-class establishment catering only to the most affluent clientele, and made quite the impression on Aidan.
Yes, Heathcliff Stone knew how to live his life to the fullest, but Aidan would not have called that unsavory. Glamorous? Yes. Exciting? Definitely. And maybe wild. But Aidan was sure Heathcliff would not do anything truly dangerous for him, or his sex partners. In his frenzied and bubbly lifestyle, the man still acted responsibly, as far as Aidan could tell. Otherwise, how the hell he managed to look so good and healthy day after day, in the videos he was sharing with the world? Also, while he was thankful for the tabloids carefully documenting Heathcliff's sex life, Aidan was sure that it was, after all, no one's business how the guy spent his free time.
"What's your opinion on this guy, Spark? Do you think you can make him behave?"
Aidan kept his professional smile on, but he could feel his cheeks hurting.
"The deal is for him to be discreet, sir," he said, his voice a little strained.
"Sure." His boss nodded. "Of course, it would be great if there wasn't anything for him to be discreet about. Keep him busy."
"Um, sir?" Aidan blinked a few times. "I filled every free opening he had in his schedule for the week, but, otherwise ..."
"Be proactive." The man suddenly smacked the desk with both palms, making Aidan almost jump from his chair. "That's the secret to climb the career ladder. And you want that, don't you?"
"Of course, sir," Aidan replied right away.
"I expect a lot from someone like you. The first steps you make in your career, they matter a lot. They shape up your future. Do you understand what I'm telling you?"
"Yes, sir," Aidan said again.
"All right. Dismissed. Make sure our most recent asset doesn't make a fool of himself and our brand."
"That's my mission, sir," Aidan said while standing up.
