Josh pumped his legs, lifting the weights on the machine, and stole glances off to the side. It was all he could do not to stare at the handsome man doing easy reps on the bench, not far away.
He had a bulky, well-sculpted frame. He was broad-shouldered and square jawed. That jawline sported an immaculately trimmed beard that put Josh in mind of an idealized lumberjack. If it wasn't his first time at the gym, Josh knew it was the first time they were there at the same time, because he wouldn't have missed such an incredible specimen of manhood.
How he wished the man had asked him to spot, instead of the hulking black man who stood behind the bench. The spotter had his own charms, but Josh had never found the full-blown bodybuilder look particularly attractive.
Not that he would have known what to do with himself if either of them had approached. Growing up in a small, conservative town, he had kept his sexuality a secret out of fear. Despite the far more progressive environs of college, he still hadn't found the courage to come out, or even attempt to act on his desires.
The barbell settled back into place, and the object of Josh's lustful desire sat up. He offered a hand to his spotter and said, "Thanks." His voice was deep and authoritative.
The black man's hand clasped his, and he said, "No problem, man."
Josh sighed, finished his set, and allowed himself a long look as the bearded man headed for the locker room. Thankfully, nobody was looking
his
direction. Despite his best efforts, Josh was half hard, and it was easy to see in his tight gym shorts. He took his time wiping down the machine, thought about what he was going to do with the rest of Saturday, and gave his erection time to go down.
He walked into the locker room at just the right — or perhaps
wrong
— time.
Only his fear of discovery prevented Josh from gawking as the man crossed into the shower. A patch of dark, well-groomed hair decorated his chest. More sprouted everywhere, though it wasn't overly thick. A trail of hair on the man's stomach pointed downward, bisecting his V-line, and terminated in a perfectly trimmed patch of kinky black.
Below that dangled the most gorgeous cock he'd ever beheld.
The vision lasted for only a pair of seconds, but it burned into Josh's brain, and set his manhood to rising again. As he stood in front of his locker — trying to catch his breath while his cock swelled — he briefly considered skipping a shower to escape. The thought of putting on his street clothes over his sweat-coated skin quickly dissuaded him of that notion.
Again, the fear that someone would notice his erection and make the connection with his hidden sexuality helped, as did scrolling through social media posts on his phone. By the time the shower shut off and he heard heavy, barefoot steps slapping on the tiled floor, he'd drooped enough for it not to show through his shorts.
Josh waited, continued to scroll on his phone, and tried not to think about what was happening beyond the two banks of lockers. They were the only two in the locker room, so when he heard the sound of a bag zipping up, he breathed a sigh of relief. After that, he heard footsteps, and waited a few seconds longer before undressing for his shower.
Setting the temperature on the cool side encouraged him to hurry, and discouraged other things.
His heart nearly stopped when he exited the shower with a towel wrapped around him to see the bearded man leaning against the wall. It then began to race with fear and alarm as the man pushed away from the wall to follow him.
Sure enough, the object of his secret desire rounded the lockers and lifted a foot up onto a bench. He glanced toward the door to the gym, and then turned back to ask, "So, you just shy, or still in the closet?"
Panicking, Josh stammered, "I... Uhm... What?"
The man gave a nod and said, "In the closet, then. The weight of that will crush you, kid. Name's Paul. If you want me to open that door for you, I'll be outside. South corner. I won't wait long, though."
With that, he turned and headed for the door. Josh stood in stunned disbelief, his thoughts a whirl of chaos. It was an offer part of him was absolutely screaming to accept, yet he was deathly afraid. A dozen horrifying possibilities ran through his head. It could be a trap. It could be a prank. The guy could be a serial killer for all he knew.
Or...
Get dressed.
The thought cut through the muddle in his head. It was a simple thing, and committed to nothing. Fortunately, it also required little conscious thought, because he had virtually none of that to spare as he descended into the whirlpool of lust and fear again.
Once dressed, he zipped up his gym bag, and knew he had to make a decision. Again, he took it one step at a time. He left the locker room, and made his way toward the lobby. As he approached the door, he slowed, and then stopped. He stared at the door — his heart pounding.
Josh looked away after a few seconds, still too fearful to commit. His eyes fell on the receptionist. She was staring at him with an expression that was easy to interpret as,
What's wrong with this guy?
The embarrassment was enough to push him out the door. He turned slowly toward the south.
There he was, leaning against the corner of the building. Paul waved a hand, beckoning him, and Josh found himself walking that way without much conscious thought.
"So, what's your name, kid?" Paul asked. There was a hunger in his eyes Josh had never seen directed his way before.
"Josh."
"You just made it. I was about to leave. Walk with me. My place isn't far."
Josh hesitated, and said, "I... I don't know."
"Look, Josh. I'm not going to pussyfoot around. I like what I see. The way you were staring, I assume you like what you see. You want to do something about that, then walk with me. It's up to you, kid."
Swallowing hard, Josh tried to think — tried to make a decision. In the end, it was a small thing that broke through the cacophony of opposing thoughts in his head. Though it lasted only a second, seeing Paul reach down and adjust the swollen bulge in his shorts was a siren song.
He fell into step beside the handsome, bearded man.
"So, you in college?" Paul asked, pointing at Josh's t-shirt.
"Yes. Just started last fall."
"Hmm. Freshman," Paul responded, and grinned as if remembering some private joke. "From the Midwest?"
Josh acknowledged, "Kansas."
"Iowa myself. Probably went through a lot of the same things. What's your major?"
"Architecture."
