Nick's lucky break: preview

Chapter 2: Bobby

Nick checked his watch, a battered Timex with a face that was scratched and a rubber band that was soon in need of replacement. ‘Well, that wouldn’t be a problem soon. Heck, I could just spring for an entirely new Timex.’ Thought Nick.

The time was now 5:45pm. Nick felt the buzz of an incoming text message from his phone and reached into his back pocket to fish out the device. He’d missed a few text messages. Some from friends, a few from Travis and a phone call from his mom. The newest alert was from his mom.

He read it, which asked, “Hey, did you get a chance to listen to my voicemail yet?”

He observed the voicemail had been sent over two hours ago, but he’d been busy with the flooring at that time and missed it completely. He listened to her voicemail first.

“Hey Nicky—Nick, sorry. I keep forgetting you don’t like that anymore. You’ll have to forgive an old woman. Old habits and such. Your sister called me a little while ago and she says that she and Paul are having—get this, twins! How exciting!”

Nick smiled at this and ran a hand through his hair. It looked like his sister Jill, his twin sister, was carrying on the family tradition.

Nick continued to listen to the voicemail. “Anyway, oh—I’m all a flutter.” He heard her voice break, but she quickly composed herself. “Well, I wish your father was still alive to hear the great news, and so I had to tell the only strong man I have left in my life the great news first. Give me a call when you can, honey. Lots of love. Mom.”

Nick pulled the phone away from his ear and opened a new text message.

“Hey Jilly Bean, mom just called—CONGRATS! I’m on a job right now, but will call you tomorrow. Lots of love, Nick Nack.”
He then composed a similar message to his mom.

“Hey mom. WOW, great news, huh!? I wonder what they will be having? I hear Nick Jr. is a strong name…I’m on a job and the reception here is not the best. I’ll ring you tomorrow. Maybe I can stop by, and we can grab breakfast at that place around the corner that you like. Lots of love, Nick.”

While Nick was technically the older of the pair by 5 seconds, he was still the baby of the family. His sister was a budding young doctor down south and lived with her husband Paul, who was nearly a decade older and who was head of a hospital department. When Nick’s father passed a few years ago, Nick relocated to be nearer their mom so that he could check in on her more often. Not that she needed it, for she was a spry 65-year-old and literally knew everything about everyone in their community.

Nick was about to put his phone back in his pocket when it vibrated in his hand. It was a new text from Travis. He thumbed it open and read the volley of incoming messages.

“Yo DUUUDE. You’re missing happy hour right now at the Loco Taco. Babes are swimming around me, ha!”

“NIIIIIICK, babes. Beer. Boobs.” This second message was followed by a photo. It was a tilted camera shot of Travis apparently at the bar. It was taken covertly at an angle of two women, very attractively dressed, who did not know their picture had been taken. That was the kind of guy Travis was. Reliable at work, but a total horn dog after hours.

The most recent message he’d received said, “Bust. They’re lesbos. Saw ‘em necking when I got back from taking a piss. Maybe I can covert ‘em with my wiener. Har. Har.”

Nick rolled his eyes and replied, “Sounds like I’m going to miss seeing you going down spectacularly in flames. Happy hunting and good luck, Cassanova. Or should I say, Ass-anova.”

A minute later, he’d received a photo of a selfie with Travis and the two women behind him. He was grinning like an idiot and, while the women in the photo didn’t exactly share his enthusiasm, Nick was certain they would tolerate at least some of his coworker’s hospitality, as Travis was known to be very generous when buying women free drinks.

Nick sent back a sunglasses cool guy emoji; but was startled when a soft knock came from the open door. He looked up.

“Ahem, sorry. Are you the contractor?” A man no older than Nick was standing in the doorway. He had short brown hair, was several inches taller than Nick, and was a fraction of his weight. His long-sleeved shirt, while expensive, hung loosely off his lithe frame and his drainpipe jeans made his legs look like the man had been propped up by pipe cleaners.

Nick pocketed his phone, muttered, “Sorry, work thing. Hi, yes. I’m Nick.” He stuck out his hand and the man shook it. He had a firm dry handshake that was surprisingly strong for such a skinny guy.

He laughed, “Don’t worry. I don’t care who you were texting. My mom’s the one you have to watch out for. She’s mad, you know, but you didn’t hear that from me.” He mimed a ‘shh’ motion and pressed one finger to his lips, a cupid’s bow, and roamed his eyes behind him as if she was just down the hall. The unexpected gesture made Nick laugh.

“I’m Bobby by the way.” He touched his hand to his chest with the tips of his fingers in a feminine gesture and tilted his head to one side. His eyes gave Nick a quick once over.

“Dear mummy told me that you needed to check the downstairs for water? Do you have the time now? She said she’d do it herself, but,” he made air quotes and repeated a line that Nick was sure the homeowner used many times to her own family members, “a genius can’t be bothered with the mundane…”.

Nick suppressed the urge to laugh. This Bobby seemed to be very cavalier about the way he talked about his mom, especially in front of a stranger. Obviously there was friction, but what family didn’t have some of that these days. Still, Nick was professional enough not to bite. After all, he didn’t know Bobby for more than a few seconds and didn’t want to say more than he meant to.

“She’s a spirited woman.” Nick offered.

“Oh, come on. She’s horrible. Brilliant, but horrible.” Bobby reached out a hand and touched Nick on the shoulder as he said these words, and the contact made Nick feel a pang of warmth.

Nick merely raised his eyebrows, committing to nothing, but Bobby pursed his lips, as if chewing on more to say.

What Nick really wanted to do was to ask for the money. After all, the homeowner had sent him in expressly for that purpose. But something told Nick not to worry about that right now. That, and he reflected that it might be in poor taste to ask this relative stranger for the money then and there.

“Well, let me give you the 10-cent tour. This way.” Bobby rolled his shoulders and spun on his heel and Nick followed, as the pair of men went down the hallway, past a few more paintings and sculptures; past a balustrade that led upstairs, until they finally reached a large wooden door. Bobby turned the knob and pulled it open.

“Down here,” he said as he flicked on a wall light and took the lead. They descended and doglegged backward, and Nick was mentally calculating where they might be now. The hallway downstairs was less ornate than the floor above, with plain walls that looked like they had never received more than a basic coat of primer. The floor beneath his feet was mostly concrete, and he could see swirls of dust kick up around their shoes as they walked past door after door.

Bobby stopped to flick on another hall light and turned to face Nick. “So, where do you need to check first?” He gestured down the hall with a wave of his hand.

“Based on the construction of the house, I’d say either of these two rooms. Nick said, pointing to a pair of doors. They both had similar fashioned wooden appearances, but one of them had a reinforced steel frame around it and a security padlock where the handle should be. Nick had guessed that this was likely the room the homeowner had protested about Nick needing to enter, for it was her private study.

“Let’s check that room first.” Said Nick, pointing to the non-secure one. He secretly hoped it would be this one, as, if he needed to wait for the homeowner to come down and unlock the other door, he wasn’t sure he was in the mood to hear her try and chew him out again.

“Okay.” Said Bobby. He motioned to Nick that he was free to enter the room and he did so. Nick reached forward and turned the knob. The darkened room sneered at him. There were no windows along the far wall, and he reached to his left and felt for the light switch. A harsh yellow light bathed the room and Nick observed stored summer furniture, large poorly balanced cardboard boxes and other bric-a-brack that lined the floor and walls. As Nick entered the room, he heard the scuffle of feet behind him and knew that Bobby had entered the room also. It wasn’t unusual for homeowners or members of the family to behave like this. There was always polite curiosity whenever he worked. After all, they did not know what he knew, and he knew that homeowners were always fascinated and would often ask him basic questions that he usually was always happy to answer.

“Sorry about the mess, mother’s a bit tetchy about strangers seeing the unseen, if you know what I mean.” Said Bobby, stepping a little closer to Nick so that he was now in his eyeline.

Nick caught a smell in the air that was mixture of hair product and lived-in clothing. Not an unpleasant smell, but rather the opposite. It was coming from Bobby. Nick breathed in a little more deeply, feeling his chest and belly expand and felt a little heady all of a sudden.

“Oh, I just stick to the job at hand. People’s personal stuff is their stuff. I only move things if I have to get over or around them for the job.” Nick said politely as the new smell rolled over and over in his mind.

Bobby stepped a little closer, “Oh, come on. You’re telling me you’ve never had the urge to snoop a little?”

Nick shook his head and smiled as he reached for the flashlight in his toolbelt. “ ’fraid not. Not my thing. However, whatever is left exposed on surfaces that my eyes happen to catch a glimpse of, is another story.”

He roamed his flashlight over the walls and floors looking for leaks and drips when his flashlight suddenly stopped on an open box that had evidently tipped over onto its side some time ago. Among the contents was a large, purple dildo that looked conical, girthy and might have been molded after a horse. “See what I mean.” Nick said dryly.

“Oh, my fucking god. Mom!” Said Bobby in evident shock and surprise. He touched Nick on the arm quickly before heading forward to lift the box up and shoveled the evidence back inside it. Nick felt the sudden urge to approach and, not offering to pick up someone else’s clearly private property, offered the beam of his flashlight for Bobby’s benefit.

“Just over there, too. Thanks Nick.” he said, crouching low to reach some other items: a pair of pink fuzzy handcuffs and a ball gag.

“Can you fucking believe this!?” Bobby said, both a mixture of horror and elation, laughing, as he reached out to each item and, grabbing them with thumb and index finger righted the box and began depositing the items.

“Well, these are clearly movie props your mother has kept for future film or television use.” Said Nick, trying hard to keep the humor out of his voice.

“That’s nice of you to tell that to yourself. Guess I’ll have to add this to the already mountainous list of things to discuss with my therapist.” Said Bobby. He then broke out in a mock conversation with his clinician, “Tell me Bobby, anything new to discuss during our session today? Why yes, Dr. Havenscham, I’ve just discovered my mother likes to be gagged and drilled to equine proportions. Completely normal behavior, right?”

Nick snorted and Bobby blushed. Nick was beginning to like this guy more and more and was beginning to forget the fact that he was related to the monster upstairs.

“I can tell you this runs to the top of my list, Bobby.” Nick said as he swept the flashlight once more over the floor. Satisfied everything was collected, Bobby bent low once again to pick up the box and restack it, wrapping his arms around the cardboard. As he did so, the back of his t-shirt rode up, exposing several inches of pale skin. Nick could see the trim waist and bony prominence of Bobby’s spine, little bumps in the center of his lower back. And, Nick couldn’t’ help himself, his eyes travelled further southward to the exposed space that was the top of Bobby’s backside. The man had chosen not to wear any boxers.

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This ends the Preview for Nick's Lucky Break.

If you'd like to find out about what happens between Nick and the mysterious Bobby, check over in the Premium section.

Thanks.

-runningsoft