Page 75 of His Choice

“Later?” I gulped.

“You’re cute when you’re shy,” he commented. “A big, strong, handsome Cliff, blushing and uncertain, is quite adorable.”

The mention of someone being adorable because of their bashfulness made me think of Mikey, and my temptation to sleep with Brighton despite having feelings for Mikey, as well, made me feel like a dog. Even though the producers would encourage it for the drama, I was still grounded in the real world’s moral expectations.

“I like you, Brighton. If circumstances were different, I’d invite you to my room. It’s just, I haven’t shut down the others,” I explained. “Well, Mikey, in particular. I’m still getting to know both of you and…”

My confession was met with a disappointed nod. “You don’t need to explain. I respect your scruples. Mikey seems like a nice kid…man. Besides our wide gap in age, he and I are quite dissimilar in many ways, and what we have to offer is different as well. You should take the remaining time we have on the show to decide who’s best for you. For what it’s worth, despite the short amount of time we’ve spent together, I have a good feeling about us, Cliff. I’m not a fool who has a habit of giving my heart to everyone who strikes my fancy. But I already see you’re a man with principles who is beloved by your community. Every interaction we’ve had has validated their opinions, and being with someone good is the most important thing to me. Besides, my daughter’s intuition about people is never wrong.” He winked.

“Oh,” I whispered.

Brighton chuckled. “And I pray the time comes when you will invite me to your room. But for now, might I be granted a kiss?”

I nodded. He leaned up and kissed me softly. I held him by the back of his neck, and we continued more passionately.

“We might need to stop,” I suggested, my chest heaving.

He backed away onto his haunches, then stood. “Yes. That had me envisioning things we just agreed we’d refrain from.”

Brighton triggered every nerve in my body, especially those responsible for sending messages from my brain to my dick. “Me too.”

He glanced at my crotch. I was well-endowed, and I was reminded of Keller’s observation that it was apparent without me needing to remove clothing. Arousal was even harder to conceal.

“And seeing that won’t make it easier to suppress the images in my head,” Brighton said with a smile. He sighed. “Goodnight, Cliff.”

Chapter Twenty

Mikey

Aaron hadn’t said anything about the previous evening, despite how an outside observer would have found it strange that my roommate assessed my cock. I was relieved that he wasn’t behaving differently either, though. As soon as we were awake, he had begun joking and teasing as he always had.

I had hoped he would begin strutting around naked in our room as he had indicated he might, but he had still closed the bathroom door to shower and had emerged fully dressed. So, I did the same when it was my turn.

The fact that I had been wishing for a different level of intimacy troubled me. Aaron was fine with the nudity because it didn’t mean anything to him. My motives weren’t as innocent. Even though Aaron knew I found him attractive, and maybe even believed I would want to have sex with him, I felt guilty and embarrassed about it. I would have thought that by now, I would have begun to view him more like a brother. Maybe if he did start parading around naked, I’d become bored and be able to put him in the ‘friend with no sex appeal box’ once and for all. And perhaps I’ll win a lottery jackpot even though I never buy a ticket.

The one thing that had helped me stop obsessing over Aaron was Cliff Walker. From the first moment I had seen him, I thought he was one of the most incredible looking men alive. The odd thing was, Cliff wouldn’t normally be my type. I couldn’t recall ever having been attracted to a guy who had rippling muscles, a massive hairy chest, and a smoldering face that would probably scare me if he ever became angry with me. But he was so handsome. Then learning how Cliff was kind and thoughtful made the whole package work for me. I had fantasies about him pinning me down with his strong arms, mesmerizing me with his intense gaze as I submitted to him. Perhaps Aaron had been right about me being a bottom, because every image I had of sex with Cliff was of him taking me with what appeared to be his massive cock.

Envisioning life with Cliff outside the bedroom raised doubts, though. I couldn’t imagine his friends or his mother ever believing Cliff couldn’t have done better—someone better looking, more rugged, more sophisticated, more successful. And I worried about his lifestyle. I couldn’t imagine being waited on all the time by his staff, right down to having my clothes handed to me each day. Then there’d be life in his mansion. Despite all the toys, it felt remote and isolating. Even if I wasn’t the most sociable person, I still enjoyed the energy of people around me and the ability to observe their actions. Considering my job was not terribly exciting, I couldn’t imagine what I’d discuss with Cliff at the end of each day. I wondered if he and I could ever have the kind of rapport I have with Aaron, where he’d make me laugh and wouldn’t be offended by my darker humor.

The good thing about having uncertainties was that I could lean into those if Cliff chose Brighton or someone else instead. I’d be able to rationalize it was for the best. And the bonus would be there’d be no impact to my friendship with Aaron—at least until he met someone who would push me out of his life. And that thought had me back to hoping I would be chosen by Cliff. I didn’t want to end up alone. Despite concerns I had, I was sure Cliff would do everything he could to make the man he chose happy. And I’d push past my own petty worries and try to do the same for him. I became more determined to impress Cliff during the last challenge today.

“Gentlemen, it’s hard to believe we’re nearly through the week,” Cliff announced from the podium they had set up in front of a dilapidated house on Fern Street. “Each of you has so much to offer, but tomorrow, I must choose the man I wish to date going forward. Which means this challenge is the last opportunity we have to learn more about each other.”

There was a crowd of White Pines citizens gathered around us, but the contestants, camera crew, and director were closest to Cliff. Aaron was to my left, and Dani was to my right.

“We could have learned more about each other by having an orgy back at his mansion,” Dani complained loud enough that only I caught what he said, apparently.

“Shh,” I warned him. I didn’t want to miss the instructions for the challenge.

“What? I didn’t say anything,” Aaron replied.

Even though I hadn’t heard everything Cliff said, I gathered he had brought us to this site to help with the renovations that the house was undergoing.

“The man I choose to be with needs to share my passion for helping those less fortunate,” Cliff continued. “For me, that’s more than donating money—though that’s part of it if we’re blessed with the ability to do so.”

“I guess Brighton had better get ready to whip out his…checkbook,” Aaron snickered. “If he gets chosen tomorrow, that is.”

“Quiet,” I whispered. “Most of us have the ability to donate our time and, in this case, our muscles,” Cliff added. “And no, this isn’t where I announce the men will be stripping for cash from the crowd.”