Chapter Four
“Well, this is a pleasant surprise,” Ben called from the hot tub as Jason walked into the hotel’s spa area. The space, in a greenhouse-like enclosure, had a lap pool surrounded by many lounge chairs in addition to the bubbling water where Ben soaked. From the ceiling speakers, top 40 hits played softly. Even though it was only nine o’clock, no one else took advantage of the amenities.
“Hey, man.” Jason might have sounded too excited. Finding Ben was an unexpected, and quite welcome, surprise. “I should be asleep, but my legs were too restless. A good soak should take the edge off.”
“I couldn’t get to sleep either. Since my roomie conked out quick, I didn’t want to pop the TV on so I decided to relax here.” A warm smile broke across Ben’s face. “Glad to have some company though.”
Jason kicked off his sneakers and pulled his T-shirt off. Shyness rolled through him as he revealed himself to Ben. He wasn’t sure why. He was a decently built guy—shorter than Ben but only by a couple of inches. He considered his legs to be his best feature. With all the running, cycling, and the soccer he played, they were firm and muscled. The rest of him was nothing extraordinary, but he certainly didn’t have a couch potato physique. Jason had darker looks than Ben too. While Ben was the typical fair-skinned redhead, Jason had dark hair, dark eyes, and a slightly darker complexion from his mixed heritage.
Ben was everything Jason had imagined from seeing him during the day. He’d definitely had more than a few lusty thoughts while riding behind him on the last stretch of road. He’d seen a lot in the tight spandex cycling clothes, which can leave little to the imagination. His broad chest dusted with fine red hairs was almost more than he could stand. He’d happily lose himself exploring Ben if given the chance.
Jason stepped into the hot tub wearing black boxer briefs, his only option since he hadn’t packed a swimsuit. With all the bubbles in the tub, Jason couldn’t see what Ben wore, but he planned to stay in the tub until he saw whatever wet, clinging fabric it turned out to be.
“So, besides not sleepy, how are you feeling now that you’ve gotten to decompress a little?” Jason sat across from Ben and submerged as much as possible to let the hot water work on him.
“I can’t believe I rode more than a hundred miles today.” Ben sounded relaxed as he looked at Jason. “I’ve got you to thank for the last part. I couldn’t have done it on my own. Between the physical challenge and spending too much time in my head, the day was brutal.”
“Kyle, Drew, Diane, and I bonded over those very things during our first year. It’s why we stick together so much now.”
“You have some incredible friends. I’m excited to see what riding tomorrow will be like with the team.”
“I think you’ll like it. Riding in a group is so much better. Ending up alone can happen for one reason or another. But if we get separated, we reorganize at the rest stops.”
Ben pulled himself out of the tub and sat on the edge. “Oh man. Got to cool off for a second.”
Jason swallowed hard. The water drops trickling down Ben’s chest and onto his flat stomach, which featured a vivid red treasure trail, drew Jason’s attention. The trail disappeared into red briefs that sported a significant bulge. What Jason had seen earlier in the cycling shorts wasn’t an exaggeration.
Jason’s cock went to full attention, straining against the boxer briefs. He was glad this particular pair didn’t have a fly. At least he wouldn’t have to worry about his cock floating out unexpectedly.
“So how did you decide to do this ride?” Jason got his vocal cords working to restart the conversation.
“My dad died of AIDS in ’88 when I was sixteen.”
Jason didn’t know what to say. He’d heard a lot of answers as to why people participated in this event, but never a parent dying.
“I’ve done various walks and runs around the country ever since. I did the Chicago Ride for AIDS last year. This year I wanted to tackle something longer, more challenging. Next, I want to take on the California ride, provided I survive this one.”
“That is… well… I….” Jason frowned, not used to feeling at a loss for words.
“It’s okay.” Ben gave a reassuring smile. “People rarely know how to respond. They expect to hear about a friend or boyfriend, or even a brother or sister, but not a dad. What about you? What got you into this?”
“I wanted to do something.” Jason ran his hand over his forehead and hair to push back the sweat. “You hear so much about how people think AIDS is over since it’s not a death sentence anymore. But there’s such a need for services and education. It felt like a good thing to do, and I like a challenge too. I try to raise more money and ride stronger every year.”
Jason kept his focus on Ben’s eyes and not his body. This wasn’t the time for a hookup or even flirting. At the same time, he relaxed into the water. The tension in his legs loosened, as did the ache in his lower back.
“Yeah. The amount of support these organizations need is staggering. I consistently give in Chicago, but I try to do things like this in different places when I can. I lend my professional services as often as possible too. Since I’m in marketing and event planning, I can fundraise pretty well.”
“Oh, nice. I’m in marketing too, more for brand and image than the event side, but the know-how helps me do some pretty sweet fundraising too. I can convince friends and strangers to donate to my causes.”
“You got a really mischievous look in your eye when you said that. I like a marketer who understands they can wield the power for good just as well as evil.”
Jason laughed and Ben joined. He didn’t realize his expression had changed when he said that. He firmly believed that raising money for the charities important to him put his marketing talents to better use, rather than only encouraging people to buy something.
“What kind of events do you do?” Jason asked.
“It varies. I run my own consulting firm. I worked in agencies for years and got fed up with some of the stuff I had to do. I’m lucky that I was successful enough to go out on my own. I try to do good. Sometimes I still sell my soul, but I try to keep that to a minimum.” Ben slid off the side of the tub’s rim and back into the water. “Man, that’s good.”
The two sat in comfortable silence and allowed the music to provide the sound. Jason closed his eyes to soak in the good companionship and the peacefulness of the water.
“Do you ever get to Chicago?” Ben asked softly.
“Work gets me there sometimes.” Jason opened his eyes only to find Ben had his closed. He gazed at the peaceful expression for a few seconds before closing his eyes again. He didn’t want to be caught staring.
“We’ll have to get together next time you’re in town. I’ll show you all the good places that you probably miss if you only stay downtown or by the airport.”
“I’d love that.” Jason checked and found Ben’s eyes open. “We definitely have to trade info.” Jason paused for a couple of seconds and decided to get a bit more forward. “When do you go home after this? I imagine you’re not getting on a plane the second we’re back in the city.”
“No. I’m leaving Tuesday or Wednesday. I have to ship the bike on Monday. I may catch a show or something. Officially, I’m on vacation all next week, so I haven’t made firm plans yet. I can’t imagine my legs are going to want to be crammed in a plane on Monday, or maybe even Tuesday.”
“Have dinner with me tomorrow night?” Jason blurted out before he could second guess himself.
“I’d love to.” No hesitation in Ben’s answer either.
“Cool,” Jason said, so softly that it wasn’t until Ben grinned that he was sure the sound traveled across the tub.
“It’ll be great to dress in real clothes, sit in a comfortable place, not worry about how hydrated I am, and get to know you better.”
“Sounds perfect.” Jason’s words got clipped by a yawn.
“We should get some sleep, shouldn’t we?”
“Awww… but it’s so perfect here.” Jason hunkered down into the water.
“Can you imagine what this is doing to our hydration levels?”
Jason splashed Ben, landing water on his face.
“Oh, you want to play that game, eh.” Ben used both hands to create waves from two directions, sending several tidal waves of water into Jason.
To fight back, Jason stood and vigorously splashed Ben. The peaceful atmosphere they’d shared became a grade-school ruckus with water flying in all directions. Ben met him in the middle of the tub as they continued to laugh heartily and toss water around.
Suddenly Ben stopped, grabbed Jason’s face, and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.
This kiss was a surprise, albeit a welcome one. It took Jason a few seconds to stop splashing and for his brain to catch up. He returned the kiss and wrapped his arms around Ben. The taller man was wide enough that Jason’s hands almost didn’t meet to complete the hug.
“You’re pretty awesome, you know that, Jay?”
“I think you’re the awesome one.”
“Okay, we’re awesome.”
They kissed for another few minutes, their tongues tentatively exploring.
“We really should get to bed.” Jason sounded unconvincing. “Five thirty is going to come too fast, and day three is hard enough without sleep deprivation.”
Ben sighed. “Yeah.” He stepped out of the hug and climbed out of the tub. He extended a hand to help Jason.
“I want more kisses sometime,” Ben said as they toweled off.
“That can be arranged.”
Fun fact: My reason for doing the Northeast AIDS Ride is the same as Jason’s. I wanted to do something to raise awareness and critical funds. While HIV/AIDS is no longer the death sentence it was in the 80s and 90s, the people living with the disease need so many services and support—more so if they don’t have access to good healthcare or don’t have friends and family they can lean on. I heard so many stories about why people participate in the ride—riding for themselves because they have HIV/AIDS, riding for someone who does, riding for someone they’ve lost, or riding to do something. I’d like to share with you one of the most inspirational stories from the ride. I rode with Clay Williams as a member of the Flying Goats. In 2011, my second year riding, Clay spoke at the ride’s closing ceremonies detailing his journey when he received his AIDS diagnosis in 1991. His story has stayed with me these 10 years and I’m so happy and proud to count him as a friend. I encourage you to read his story of strength, determination and empowerment, which is available on his blog.
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