The Practice Page 9

  Thomas looked down at the schedule for the day. Only three appointments were left barring any last minute emergencies. His cell phone buzzed in his pocket. Fishing it out, Thomas smiled at the message. It read, “Crazy day here. Be there 6:30.”

  All of the remaining appointments were routine check-ups with booster shots. None of them presented any unexpected problems. Thomas was always happy to see healthy patients and pet owners who were enjoying their lives with their pets. Thomas laughed when Celia Banner said of her black Lab puppy, “He’s doing fine except for eating my husband’s shoes. I’m a little worried his life might be cut short if he destroys one more pair.”

  Thomas said, “Puppies do like to chew. I suggest keeping the shoes in closets or places that are high up enough that the pup can’t reach them.”

  Celia said, “He’s keeping them in a dresser drawer now.”

  Since Hadley was going to be a little bit later, Thomas decided to visit Lucky and her puppies before leaving for the day. As he approached the kennel, she stood up leaving puppies tumbling in a heap in her wake. She was clearly happy to see him. He let himself inside the kennel and said, “Let’s see how they’re all doing, Lucky.”

  Thomas squatted down and looked at each pup in turn. Their mottled colors and patterns in various shades of white, brown, gray, and black were distinct enough now that they could all be distinguished from each other. Every puppy was gaining weight as expected. A few were more aggressively active than the others, but no health problems were apparent.

  Thomas whispered, “I’ll be gone tomorrow Lucky, but Bennett will be here to take care of things. Then I’ll see you on Saturday.” He leaned even closer toward her ear and said, “Wish me luck with Hadley.”

  * * *

  At 6:15, Thomas ordered Chinese food for delivery. He estimated that it would arrive just a few minutes after Hadley. After placing the order, he settled back on the couch watching old sitcoms. At 6:30 on the dot, Hadley knocked at the door.

  Thomas greeted him with an immediate kiss, and as they stood smiling at each other, he said, “I really should just give you a key to my place. Nobody has one other than Dr. Benton. The Chinese food should be here any minute.”

  Hadley kissed him again and said, “It was such a long day at work. I’m so happy to see you. Your text was a great surprise.”

  Thomas said, “It was Bennett’s idea, actually. He said I had been putting in too many long hours at the clinic. He suggested I take a full day off. Lisa got all of the appointments moved, and they will refer any emergencies to my colleagues in Mitchell. The practice will be open tomorrow but only to pick up prescriptions or sell the special food that we carry.”

  Hadley said, “You do work a lot. We both work a lot.”

  “Then let’s make a deal right now that we don’t forget to have enough time for each other,” said Thomas.

  Hadley smiled and said, “Agreed. And that’s enough serious talk for now. Is the couch free?”

  Thomas said, “It is, and old silly sitcoms on the TV.”

  Hadley said, “Perfect.” He flopped down on one end of the couch and then offered his hand to Thomas.

  Snuggling in against Hadley’s broad chest, Thomas said, “There’s nowhere I would rather be than right here right now with you.”

  Hadley said, “That makes two of us. How is Lucky doing?”

  “She’s a proud mama of six healthy puppies. They’re just starting to open their eyes. It won’t be long before they’re romping and tumbling around.”

  “I need to stop by and see her again soon,” said Hadley.

  Thomas turned and pressed his face into the side of Hadley’s neck inhaling his scent deeply. He mused that if he knew someone like Hadley was living right in Catlett’s Cove, he might never have left town in the first place.

  A knock sounded on the kitchen door. “Dinner is served,” said Thomas. He climbed off the couch and said, “We can eat in the kitchen or I can just bring it to you on the couch.”

  Hadley said, “I vote couch.”

  “Then it’s unanimous,” said Thomas. He opened the kitchen door and signed the credit card receipt with a generous tip added. With the bag of food in hand, he called toward the living room, “Forks? Or do we go authentic with chopsticks?”

  Hadley said, “I’ll give the chopsticks a whirl if you will.”

  Thomas grabbed two beers from the fridge on the way back to the living room and then laid the boxes out on the coffee table. He said, “We eat straight from the boxes like real men.”

  Hadley laughed. He occasionally ordered Chinese delivery with Aunt Mae, but she insisted on dumping everything into formal serving dishes and serving the meal family style eating at the dining room table. He loved seeing Thomas offer noodles dangling from chopsticks. Hadley leaned forward and slurped the noodles into his mouth with a satisfying smack against his lips.

  He offered Thomas a snow pea and chunk of chicken in return. When Thomas dropped a small chunk of beef on to Hadley’s T-Shirt, he apologized profusely and then said, “I guess you know what we need to do.”

  Hadley turned toward Thomas and said, “I don’t think I do.”

  Thomas said, “I think we just need to take our shirts off. It’s a lot easier to clean the sauce off bare skin than wash it out of a shirt.”

  Hadley laughed. “I guess you do have a point.” They both laughed as Hadley pulled his T-Shirt off over his head.

  Soon they were both shirtless and began feeding each other again. Thomas dropped a chunk of chicken doused in a sticky, sweet sauce. He said, “Oops, I did it again.”

  Hadley grinned. “I sorta think you did that on purpose. Do you need a napkin?”

  Thomas shook his head. “No, I have a better idea.” He picked up the chicken with the chopsticks and popped it into his mouth. After he swallowed, he leaned forward and kissed the spot of sticky sauce on Hadley’s chest. He followed the kiss with gentle licking.

  Hadley squirmed and moaned softly. He whispered, “That’s hot,” and a minute later, he lost control of a chunk of beef as he was offering it to Thomas. Hadley followed the previous example and soon found himself planting a trail of kisses down the center of Thomas’ abs.

  Thomas said, “Umm, did you really drop something down there.”

  “No. Do you think I should stop?”

  Thomas shook his head no as he squirmed on the couch. “It was just a question not a suggestion.”

  The Chinese food was soon forgotten in a wave of kissing, laughing, and licking. Thomas whispered in Hadley’s ear, “My bed is even more comfortable than the couch.” He knew that it was a step forward. After weeks of dating, they hadn’t yet gone to bed together. Thomas was eager to take things one step further.

  Thomas looked into Hadley’s eyes and waited for a response. Finally, there was a deep breath, and Hadley said, “Let’s go.”

  Thomas’ bedroom was designed as a personal retreat from the world. He repainted the room when he moved in to a pale grayish blue. The sheets, spread and curtains were all similar shades of gray and blue. Decorations were sparse, and the only furnishings beyond the bed were one dresser, one chair, and one nightstand. Thomas intended it to be a relaxing place to escape from the rest of the world. Now he was ready to bring Hadley into his personal inner sanctum.

  As Hadley glanced around the room, Thomas hooked his fingers into the waist of Hadley’s jeans pulling him forward and unfastening the top button. He said, “Hadley, the first time I saw you, I wanted to kiss you. The first time I kissed you, I wanted to taste you, and the first time I tasted you, I wanted you in my bed.”

  Hadley whispered, “I don’t know if I’m ready.”

  “Were you ready the first time I kissed you?” asked Thomas.

  Hadley breathed deeply and shook his head no.

  “Just tell me if you want to stop, but let me lead the way?”

  Hadley nodded. “Yes.” He reached forward and unfastened and unzipped Thomas’ jeans. Both wriggled their
ways out of the jeans and underwear before tumbling into Thomas’ bed stark naked.

  Thomas reached down between them and rubbed their thick, hard cocks together. Hadley moaned, “Aw, damn, that feels so good.”

  “Would you like to be inside me?” asked Thomas.

  For some reason, Hadley imagined that sex with Thomas would be reversed. His worries about being ready were mostly related to reluctance about being penetrated. Instead, Thomas wanted to take the broom bunk. Hadley’s cock throbbed with anticipation. He was now eager to take the next steps forward.

  Thomas kissed Hadley’s chest as he slowly rolled a condom over the thick, hard, pulsing cock. Hadley raked his fingers through Thomas’ hair and gripped his shoulder with the other hand.

  “You’re ready?” asked Thomas.

  Hadley whispered, “Yes,” and he watched as Thomas pulled a small bottle of lube from the nightstand by his bed. He said, “It’s so fucking exciting that you know exactly what you’re doing.”

  Thomas laughed softly. “It’s called experience, Hadley.”

  Hadley closed his eyes and moaned while Thomas lubed up his cock stroking it firmly and slowly. “Feels so good.”

  Thomas said, “Open your eyes, Hadley. I want you to watch it all.”

  Hadley opened his eyes wide and looked up into Thomas’ handsome face. He stared into the dark brown, deep-set eyes and saw light moisture glistening on Thomas’ lips.

  Then Thomas straddled Hadley and rose up on to his knees. His heart began to pound when Thomas gripped Hadley’s cock and positioned it. Hadley reached out and placed his hands on Thomas’ muscular chest.

  Lowering himself, Thomas let out a soft yelp. “You’re big, Hadley. Oh fuck…”

  With real worry in his voice, Hadley asked, “Is it okay?”

  Thomas laughed softly. “More than okay. It’s…fuck…it’s perfect.” He lowered himself further.

  Hadley felt Thomas’ body grip tight. He hissed trying to remember to breathe and keep his eyes open. Hadley slid hands down Thomas’s sides until they rested on his hips.

  “Feels good to you?” asked Thomas.

  “Oh…fuck…yeah. Amazing…” Without coaching, Hadley gripped Thomas’ hips and began to encourage him to rock up and down.

  “Yeah…that’s it Hadley. Fuck me…”

  Hadley arched upward and grunted as his cock began to slide more easily. “So damn good, Thomas…”

  “Grab my cock and stroke me,” said Thomas. “I wanna get off with you.”

  Hadley gripped Thomas’ cock tight in his right hand and began to pump it. “It’s not gonna take me much longer,” whispered Hadley.

  Thomas said, “Slow down just a little bit.” He slowed his own riding of Hadley’s cock and smiled down at his lover. He thought of how many men he fucked in the city and none of them were as good of a man as Hadley.

  Hadley began to pump Thomas’ cock faster again. He whimpered, “I’m close. I can’t hold out much longer.”

  “Fuck…almost made me cum saying that.” Thomas rode up and down faster and gave in to Hadley’s stroking. He was on the edge, too.

  “Oh man…almost…cumming…fuck!” yelled out Hadley as he exploded deep inside Thomas. He arched up and dug the fingers of one hand into Thomas’ hip while the other stroked Thomas’ cock faster.

  Thomas’ voice was a guttural growl when he yelled out, “Fuck! Cumming now!” He felt his ass clench and he shot a huge load over Hadley’s chest and abs. Thomas fought to catch his breath while he rode up and down on autopilot.

  Hadley looked down at his chest and rubbed his cum-covered fingers across his belly and laughed softly.

  Thomas slowly pulled off Hadley and collapsed beside him on the bed resting his face on Hadley’s chest. He whispered, “That’s what it’s like to fuck a man, Hadley.”

  Hadley watched while Thomas peeled off the condom and dropped it to the floor beside the bed. “Fucking awesome, Thomas.”

  “You would do it again?”

  A huge smile spread across Hadley’s face. “Over and over again.”

  “You’re gonna get addicted,” warned Thomas.

  “Is that a bad thing? Maybe I’ll have my own practice…practicing sex with you,” laughed Hadley.

  Thomas grinned and wrapped an arm around Hadley’s neck pulling him close. “Practice all you want…just make sure it’s practicing on me.”

  “Don’t worry, you’re the only man for me.”

  “You’re welcome to spend the night,” said Thomas. “I can make you breakfast before you need to head off to work.”

  Hadley said, “I would love to, but I can’t. Aunt Mae doesn’t know about us, and I don’t think I’m ready to talk to her.”

  Thomas nodded in understanding. He wrapped a hand behind the back of Hadley’s head and shared another kiss. “You take it all at your own pace. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Hadley smiled and said, “Thank you.”

  After polishing off more of the Chinese food, now cold, and then switching to chips and salsa while talking about growing up in Catlett’s Cove, Hadley was shocked to suddenly realize it was nearly 3:00 a.m. He said, “I really need to go.”

  “I hope she’s not suspicious,” said Thomas.

  Hadley shook his head no. “She’s used to me being out late. Don’t worry. It’s all okay, but I have to be back up in just over three hours for work. It will be a long day.”

  Thomas smiled sympathetically and then said, “If you need to call in sick, just let me know.”

  “I’m so tempted,” said Hadley.

  As Hadley stood at the kitchen door for one last kiss, Thomas pressed a key into his hand. He said, “You are welcome here any time. I mean that.”

  14

  Thomas

  Monday’s were always busy at Thomas’ veterinary practice. It was even busier because of having moved appointments from Friday to allow for a day off. Thomas knew that he would pay for the change in exhaustion, but anything was worth the evening that he spent wrapped in Hadley’s arms.

  By 10:00 a.m., Thomas was already running late on his appointments. He hated to keep patients waiting and prided himself on keeping waits to less than fifteen minutes. That was not going to happen on this day. He scowled to himself when he realized the wait had already grown to twenty minutes midway through the morning.

  Then Lisa brought news that made matters worse. As Thomas looked over her shoulder at the desk to see the details on his next appointment, she asked if she could have a private moment to speak to him. He said, “Of course.” Then he turned toward the patients in the waiting room and said, “We’ll be right back in less than five minutes.”

  Lisa followed Thomas into an empty examination room. She said, “It’s not really a big deal, but Bennett and I thought we should bring it to your attention.”

  Thomas asked, “What’s up? Something is going wrong?”

  She said, “It’s Lucky. We’ve had to move her and her puppies twice to make room for patients that needed somewhere to stay. Do you want us to treat her like a patient? Is there a plan for Lucky in the long term?”

  Thomas sighed heavily. He grumbled and said, “I can’t make a decision right now, but no, I don’t expect her to live the rest of her life here. I need to give it some thought, and I have a whole room full of patients out there.”

  Lisa took a half step back in a defensive pose. “I’m sorry. I’m not criticizing. We just wondered.”

  Thomas shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have barked at you like that. I know it’s something I need to figure out sooner than later. Now let’s get back to the patients.”

  Doing his best to concentrate on the tasks at hand, Lucky’s future lingered in the back of Thomas’ mind. The pups were just starting to be cute and fun, tumbling around and chasing each other, but they were still too young to be separated from their mother. As he saw it, Thomas had three choices. One was taking the family to the animal shelter. They might be able to find homes f
or the entire family, but there was always the risk that it could be a death sentence for one or more members of the family of dogs.

  The second choice was finding someone to adopt the entire family or at least take them home for the next month while the pups aged enough to be able to live comfortably without their mother. If he leaned on a few of his best clients, Thomas might find someone to help Lucky, but, as a new veterinarian in town, he was reluctant to push too hard while he was still settling into the practice.

  The final choice was taking home Lucky and her pups himself. Dr. Benton promised him that he could own a dog or a cat, but six puppies and their mother was something different. He was pretty sure that Dr. Benton would allow the pets in the carriage house, but they were a lot of responsibility, and they might have long periods of time alone. Still, as the morning wore on, it seemed like the most viable option. Thomas convinced himself that he could head home over lunch hours to tend to the dogs and Hadley could transfer his odd job work for the animal hospital to puppy care. Thomas thought of Hadley surrounded by six rambunctious pups and smiled.

  Just before entering an examination room to check on his next patient, Thomas sent Hadley a text message, “Please call me on your lunch hour.”

  The return call came while Thomas was giving Sarah Bellows’ Siamese cat a booster shot. The cat yowled and scrabbled at the exam table. Thomas smiled and said, “Make that the 10,000th cat that hates me for giving them shots. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are forming a special club.”

  Sarah laughed and said, “Oh, he doesn’t hate you Dr. Randall. He only hates what you do to him.”

  “I really do hope he can understand that fine distinction. Excuse me for a moment, Sarah. I have a phone call I need to take. Meanwhile, you can put Milo back into his carrier. I’m finished poking and prodding him.”

  Thomas dialed Hadley’s number. The cheerful voice on the other end made him smile. Hadley said, “It’s good to hear from you. Did you need something?”