Teaching Teacher, page 3
"It's a really good time to get a table," Ruari said. They sat down with the menu. "Early doors have eaten and hit the pubs. The clubbers won't be in until much later, and they have a pint and then go for a curry brigade. So, what do you want to drink?"
"Well, I'd usually have Indian beer," Seb said. "But you can't, can you? So, whatever you're having?"
"Water."
"Water?" Seb sighed theatrically. "Should have had another pint. Okay, water."
Ruari laughed. "You have beer if you want. Honestly, it doesn't bother me. I've a rather excellent bottle of merlot waiting at home."
"Nope. I'll have water as well. But now I know why you were drinking cola earlier," Seb said as Ruari gave the drinks order to a smiling waitress. "As long as I get to share the merlot at some point."
Whew. Nice one, that. Ruari was pleased. "Of course. My pleasure. As well as yours, I hope. Any idea what you want to eat? Freddie does a great mixed taster plate for two."
"Sounds good. I like the sound of sharing."
Ruari nodded. "Okay, so we'll have that, shall we?" At Seb's nod, he waved to Freddie, who was waiting to take their food order.
"Although," he continued once Freddie was out of earshot, "in other ways, I do not share. Ever."
Seb looked him straight in the eyes. "Neither do I. Ever."
A rush of relief flooded Ruari. The intensity took him aback. "Yet again we're on the same wavelength. That's a good start. So how about a little life history, eh? Sort of twenty questions?" He leaned back as Freddie put a big plate onto the table in between them. Steam rose from lots of little dishes. "Ah, Freddie, that looks good. Thanks." The smell of spices made his stomach rumble.
"No problem, and there's gluten-free naan for you, Red. Now then, just wave if you want seconds and enjoy." Freddie walked away.
Ruari turned back to Seb and watched him inhale the aroma. Shit, even that look went straight to his cock. Via his balls which were aching. His cock twitched. Fuck it, down boy. Now. Think ice cubes; imagine, well, anything cold and nasty. This maybe relationship is too good to ruin with a quick in and out, wham-bam fuck. He winced; he didn't even want to think that it could end before it began.
"What's up?" Seb asked obviously puzzled by his pained look.
"My cock. Oh fu…. Er, hmm, bloody hell." Ruari closed his eyes in embarrassment. Given the choice, he could have put his head in his hands. Why won't the ground open up and swallow me? Seb roared with laughter.
Ruari, grinned, and rolled his eyes. "My fucking mouth. Enter feet."
"Oh jeez." Seb wiped his eyes. "Well, all I can say is back to you, and let's eat this food." He paused dramatically. "First."
It was Ruari's turn to laugh. "Okay, first." They began to sample the incredible dishes, saying very little as they enjoyed the food. The different tastes and textures exploded on his tongue. "At least we'll both taste of garlic," Ruari said. "This lamb is so full of flavor."
"Abominable." A tall, elegantly dressed woman had come to stand by their table. "And you, the dominie as well. I saw you through the window. It shouldn't be allowed." She sniffed.
Ruari’s heart sank. Why, oh why, did she have to appear then? Was he never going to be able to live his life as he wanted? He bit his lip, ready to intervene when Seb’s polite but bland expression stopped him.
Seb looked up from his plate at the red face of the woman, who was almost quivering with emotion. Ruari wondered how he’d reply. He’d guess Seb’s reactions were similar to his own, albeit not knowing who she was. Anger? He had no idea.
He watched as Seb stood up. "I'm sorry?"
"So you should be."
Ruari had never thought it was possible to screech shrilly, but quietly until then.
"It's abnormal."
Same old same old. Would she never accept him for who he was? It appeared not.
Seb however, appeared to take it in his stride. The only indication of his reactions was a brief tic in one eye.
"What? Tasting of garlic? It's inevitable when you eat curry."
"Not at all." Her spittle hit Seb’s sleeve. He wiped it off, his gaze never leaving her face.
As ever, Ruari decided she hadn't stopped by for a pleasant chat and hadn't finished.
"Sitting, laughing with that pervert there."
Ruari also stood up before Seb could answer.
"Mum," Ruari said. "Not here, not now. Just go home." His voice was resigned as he took her arm. Had she blown his chances with Seb, just like any other fledgling romance he’d had? He hoped not.
His mum shook off Ruari's hand from her arm. She brushed at the place he had held her, as if to erase his touch.
"Fornicators." Her eyes darted from one to the other. "The Lo…"
"Mum. Give it up. We are all fornicators in one way or another. Even you and dad, otherwise how would Stacy, Ben, and I be here? Now go home." Ruari looked toward the door.
Ruari saw relief in Seb’s expression as a gray-haired, tired-looking man entered.
"Here's Dad. Love you."
"Well, show it, then." She poked Ruari on his arm and then dusted her fingers together.
She hadn't finished. "Show your love to me. Give up this foolishness and do not corrupt the dominie."
Seb butted in. "Mrs. McGregor, I am not open to corruption, and I'll tell you, yes, before you ask. I am gay, like your son. I’m not afraid to say so. I don't go around seducing innocents, of either sex. I am clean, careful, and at the moment celibate. If that state changes, then it is bugger all to do with you. Also, if I choose to have a quiet meal with a friend, that is nothing to do with you either! Understand?" His voice was quiet but forceful. "If you have any complaints about the way I run the school or my teaching methods, then I can give you the name of the appropriate person to speak with. If you have complaints about my private life, tough—because that is what it is. My private life. I don't interfere with your private life, and I expect the same consideration. Now if you will excuse me, I'd like to finish my meal. With my friend." He sat down and picked up his fork.
The gray-haired man smiled at him, signaling, Seb hoped, his approval of the way he had spoken, before turning to his wife. "Come away, Jessie love. Let's go home. Nice to have met you, Mr. Keo. Sorry about the circumstances." Seb nodded his acceptance of the apology.
"Son," the man hesitated and shook his head. "What can I say. I've no idea how your mum knew you were here. She told me we were going to have a takeaway, and she'd come to get it with me. I saw you through the door." He gave a small laugh. There was no humor in it. Seb thought it the saddest sound he had ever heard, and his heart ached for the other two men. Whatever was going on obviously upset both of them. "Looks like it's bacon and eggs now."
Freddie came toward them, a carrier in his hand. "Ah, Mr. McGregor, here's your order. All paid for. Hope you enjoy it." He bustled away. Father and son looked at each other. Ruari shrugged.
"Coincidence, then? No matter, Dad. She'll never change," Ruari said. His voice was full of regret. "Bye. I'll ring you."
His father nodded and led the now-quiet woman away. Ruari sighed. Seb said nothing.
"I guess you want to know what that was all about." Ruari sounded despondent.
"Not if you don't want to tell me. I'm here because I want to be, Ruari. It has nothing to do with your family or anyone else. Consenting adults and all that. Hell, family, we're stuck with them whatever. We choose our friends regardless of how many skeletons they have in the cupboard. For fuck's sake, my great-great-grandmother was a courtesan. To a royal, no less. Or so we’re led to believe, by my grandmother's family history."
Ruari, who was in the process of drinking, coughed and spluttered. "Any shirt lifters mentioned in your, er, archives?"
"Probably. But there are so many euphemisms dotted about, I can't begin to decipher half of them. I do think Great Uncle Bertie was a bit of a bugger, though. In more ways than one. Evidently, he lived in seclusion with his manservant, Giles. Who according to Gran was young, tall, and slim, with a marvelous gliding gait. Her words. Bertie was sixtyish, stout, and inclined to gout, but rolling in it. In his will, he left just about everything to Giles with the words, 'to my beloved manservant, Giles. For his attention to my every need.'"
"You're making it up to cheer me up," Ruari said. He wiped water off his shirt.
"Well, only a little bit." Seb was glad to see the bleakness had left Ruari's eyes. "Bertie actually said more than that, but someone had scored it out, and come what may I can't decipher it." He dipped his naan bread into his bowl of chutney and took a bite. The tangy flavor made his mouth water. "So, did it work? The cheering up bit?"
"Oh yes. Once we're home, I'll give you a little bit of my family history. It'll explain a lot, I think. I'm not presuming here, am I? You will come home with me?" he paused. "Just for coffee? Hell, it's not that I don't want more, I do. But well, I've a hunch this…this emotion or whatever you call it between us, is fucking important, and I don't want to screw it up with a quick shag. After all, as we both keep saying, this is our first date."
Seb nodded. "Yeah, I'm with you there. No first date fucking. So tacky." He burst out laughing. "That's not to say we can't practice a bit, though."
Ruari laughed with him, and then stopped abruptly.
"Shit, Seb. You announced to my mum and all the punters in here you were gay. How will that affect your job?" He raised his eyebrows in query.
Seb smiled. He liked the fact that Ruari thought about such things. It made him feel wanted. "Don't worry, it won't. I know I said I need to be circumspect, and I do, but the interview board knows I am gay. They asked very subtly if I would be bringing my wife with me and what was her opinion about uprooting herself. So, I took a deep breath, told them I was gay, did not have a partner at present, and did not flaunt my private life in public."
"Are they allowed to ask that?"
Seb shrugged. "Depends how they word it, I guess. Anyway, I got the job, so… Ready to go?"
Ruari nodded and got the bill. "My treat."
"Thank you. Mine next time?"
Ruari nodded. "With pleasure. So, there is going to be a next time?"
"Yes, I damn well hope so," Seb said. " How about we go to my house where we won't be interrupted? Or do you need to be close-at-hand for the pub? The only thing is, if we go to the cottage, I've no car. I walked."
Ruari rolled his eyes. "Fitness freak. Yeah, I'd love to go to your home. It's good to get away sometimes, although I'll have to keep my phone switched on. My car's in the garage behind the pub. We can take that. First, though, do you mind if I take a quick look in the bar on the way? Just to make sure everything is okay. Friday nights are always heaving. Usually, I stay around to help if need be. Tonight, I had something else I wanted to do and thought bugger it. Or even one day soon, bugger me." He raised his eyebrows in query. Seb's cock acknowledged and responded to the silent invitation. He smiled and saw Ruari had read his intention and his acceptance, in the smile.
"One day, yeah."
"Evidently, the barmaids were accosted by some woman as they came to work, asking them if they knew what sort of den of iniquity they were entering," Ruari said as they walked along the street. There were a few groups of people wandering about, and most of them nodded or said hi as they walked past. "I want to make sure there's been no more problems."
"Your mum?"
Ruari shook his head. "Nope, small and dumpy, according to Kizzy. No one could describe my mum as small and dumpy. Anything but."
Seb agreed. "True, so any idea who she could be? Do you get a lot of that? You know, gay bashing?" He watched as Ruari shook his head. "So, a one-off, then? No, by your face evidently not."
"It doesn't happen often, but occasionally, you get a Mary-Whitehouse-get-rid-of-filth type trying to stir it. But as we have the least trouble of any pub in the town, the police deal with it pretty damned quick. Lucky for us. This one? No idea."
"Ah well. No doubt, it'll sort itself out." They reached the pub door, and Seb pulled it open to let Ruari precede him through the entrance. As he went past, their bodies touched. He heard Ruari's indrawn breath. It looked as if his celibacy was soon to come to, what he hoped would be, a glorious end.
The bar was heaving. Seb looked at Ruari's face, the despair could have been comical if he hadn't experienced the same emotion. He crossed his fingers and prayed it wasn't fate’s way of telling them their relationship was going to forever be thwarted. "They need help," he said. "Where do we dump our jackets?"
"We?" Ruari queried, his face lightening.
"Of course, we. D'you think I'm going to let that body of yours loose in here with all those 'perverts'?"
The look on Ruari's face was priceless.
"I'm taking a leaf out of your book," Seb chuckled. "Telling it like it is. So, jackets? What do you want me to do? I pull a mean pint, and I even have my license. Just tell me"
"Pull pints. 'Cos ditto, and back to you. I can deal with these 'perverts'." Ruari's relief was evident. "I don't want them trying to corrupt you. I'll shove the jackets behind the office door. Come on, then. Let's see how you pull." He paused for effect. "A pint."
Seb pulled more than a pint. More like dozens. The punters were talkative and teasing. Even though most of them knew he was there with Ruari, he didn't think he had heard so many chat-up lines, many of them chronically bad, in such a short time. It was a relief to serve a woman when one came to the bar. Seb said as much to Dave, the bar manager, when he laughed after listening to Seb deliver yet another put down.
"Boy, you're good at this," Dave said. Seb looked up, surprised.
"At pulling pints and putting down obnoxious punters," Dave elaborated. "And smiling as you do it. All necessary skills here. If you ever want a change of career, I'll take you on, like a shot. Well, Ruari would. He's the boss man. On second thought, I guess he already has."
"I guess he has too." Seb handed a pint across the bar and took the proffered money. "Lucky for me. Though I didn't know taking on Ruari mean moonlighting in this way. I thought I'd left my pint-pulling days behind me."
Dave's laugh was loud. "You're just what the boss needs," he said, serving customers with a speed that astounded Seb. "Especially after that fucking Miriam fiasco."
"Miriam?" Seb paused in the middle of using an optic. "Who's Miriam?"
"Oh shit." Dave looked worried. "Look, don't tell Red I said anything. I know for sure he'll tell you about the bitch. He'll have to, if you two are together. And please, please, don't let it put you off. Red is a really good guy. He could do with a bit of loving, and it's more than obvious you are the man to give it to him. All I'll say is please be careful. Don't take anyone or anything for granted, and do not fuck him up. He's had enough shit in his life." His look appeared grim, and Seb shivered as he got prickles of fear down his spine.
"Whatever's happened is in the past, Dave," he said. "I'm interested in the present and the future."
Dave nodded. "Good." He went back to serving.
Ruari's head spun, his arms felt stiff, his cock ached, and he wanted to be alone with Seb. It seemed like hours but was probably no more than forty-five minutes before he judged they could leave his bar staff to finish off. He swung behind the bar, grabbed a surprised Seb, and kissed him full on the lips. Cheers and catcalls sounded from the people around the bar.
"You"—He finished off with a squeeze to Seb's ass—"are a fucking star. Definitely, a fucking star."
"Too much info, Boss." Dave smirked at him.
Oh, fucking shit. He realized where he was. Bollocks and buggery and any other appropriate epithets. How the hell was he going to sort this monumental cock-up out? He chanced a look at Seb's expression and sighed inwardly with relief. Seb was laughing.
"Feet. Mouth into?" Seb asked him.
Ruri grinned. "As ever. Okay, we're finished here. Coffee?"
Seb nodded. Kizzy, who had walked up to them unnoticed, made a face and sniggered. "That is the most pathetic euphemism I've heard, Boss. Coffee. Hah!" She carried on past them, still sniggering.
"Gotcha there, Boss." Dave patted him on the back. "Take yourself off for, er, coffee. Don't forget the Swiss roll with it."
"Hells bells." Ruari almost pushed Seb through the door and into the stairwell of his flat. "Are you sure you still want to take a chance on me? I shouldn't be let out without a keeper. And my lips sealed."
Seb pulled him tightly toward his body. Cock found cock and reacted in the best possible way. "Oh, you're not reneging now, Boss Man." Seb moved so his cock surged upwards. "All that is so easily arranged."
"Huh?" He was so caught up in the sensations of Seb hard against him, he’d lost the thread of the conversation.
"Lips sealed and a keeper. I'll be happy to be in charge of all that. Soon,” Seb said.
"Okay, so, first we have coffee?"
Seb smiled and squeezed Ruari's arm. "Coffee. Where's your car?"
About ten minutes later, Ruari prowled round Seb's kitchen watching his soon-to-be-lover—he hoped—measure grains into a coffee pot and pour on the hot water. "Nice. I like it. Did you hunt long to find it?"
Seb shook his head. "Nope, not really. I found out I'd got the job here just after Christmas and saw this around Easter. Just what I wanted. I love it. I can walk into town if I want. It takes about thirty minutes to get to school. I'm near enough to be part of the community and far enough out not to be bothered by my pupils. Perfect." He picked up the coffee pot and indicated mugs and milk. "Shall we go and have a comfy seat?" He led the way into the lounge and took one end of a comfortable-looking settee.
Ruari followed him and admired the way Seb's buttocks clenched as he walked.
Nice ass. Hope I get some of that. He squashed his erotic thoughts. There were other things to talk about first. The thought of them deflated his arousal before it had a chance to develop.
"So, well, how to start." Ruari sat next to Seb, coffee mug in hand, and exhaled deeply. This was probably one of the most important moments of his life. He didn't want to mess it up. He sat silently for a second.
