A Time for Charity * A. Willingham

“J

INGLE

Bells, Jingle Bells…”

Seriously, Mitch couldn’t believe that it was that time of year

again. He did not relish the idea of spending the holiday season alone.
Again.

Mitch fought the urge to growl aloud as he struggled through

crowded mall. All he needed was one little birthday gift to send across
the country to his sister. If her birthday weren’t so close to Christmas,
he would have mailed a gift card, regardless of how impersonal the
damn things were. Hell, that’s what everyone was going to get for
Christmas, as far as he was concerned. Let them pick their own
presents.

He formulated a plan. Get to Redmond’s department store as

quickly as possible. Grab the first bottle of perfume that caught his
eye. Then make a mad dash for his car and the quiet of his little
apartment. He could run to the post office to mail it tomorrow on the
way home from work.

Assaulted by mind-numbing odors as he entered the teeming

store, he spotted a bottle of H.G.L. perfume. Jill would definitely think
the cartoonish looking bottle was “cute.” He grabbed it and made his
way to the line, annoyed even before he got behind the six other men
obviously buying gifts for the females in their lives.

The only positive was the guy behind the counter. Definite eye-

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candy, despite all the extra holes he seemed to need: three in one ear,
five in the other, and one in his eyebrow for good measure.

Despite his six foot two size, Mitch had always had a thing for

small, lean, and handsome. And this guy was all of that. He couldn’t
have been more than five foot six with a small compact body that
didn’t look like it had an ounce of extra flesh on it. And he was
gorgeous and mouth-watering with his black hair and full, kissable,
suckable lips.

The poor guy would definitely be starring in Mitch’s fantasies.

Hell, just watching the guy smile and chat amiably with customers
was beginning to make Mitch’s blood flow south, making him wish his
jeans had more room in them.

The guy had a great laugh. Mitch wondered what that voice

would sound like in his bedroom, moaning under him as he kissed his
way down that delicious looking neck.

Mitch groaned aloud. He needed to stop before he embarrassed

himself. He gave himself a good shake and looked up.

The guy behind the counter smirked and raised a brow, an

amused twinkle in his green eyes.

Shit! Mitch didn’t realize that he was already at the front of the

line. He had been too busy imagining what he could do with that lithe
little body.

“Sir? Can I help you?” the guy asked, his grin growing as Mitch

stood there staring at the devilish mouth that had revealed a tenth,
hidden hole. The silver of the cashier’s tongue ring caught Mitch’s
attention.

“Sir?” the clerk—Sam, according to his name tag—asked again,

barely concealing his chuckle at Mitch’s inability to talk.

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A Time for Charity * A. Willingham

“Um, yeah?” Mitch fumbled and practically threw the perfume at

the clerk, winning another poorly concealed laugh.

Mitch felt a blush spread over his face as he handed his check

card to Sam. He cleared his throat and pretended to be interested in
the perfume display by the counter, tiny little spray bottles disguised
as snow globes.

“Those are really popular with the ladies as well. Could I interest

you in one for $10.95? It’s a great price. Plus, you can put any type of
perfume in them.”

“Huh?” Mitch jerked at the sound of Sam’s voice, neatly knocking

three of the perfume boxes by the register onto the floor.

“Uh, sorry about that. No thanks.” Mitch bent to pick up the boxes

and bumped his head on the edge of the counter, hard.

“Sir? Are you all right?” Sam asked, handing Mitch back his bank

card.

“Uh, yeah. Thanks.” Mitch reached for the card, his focus straying

to the delectable little smirk that Sam wore. Without thinking, Mitch
licked his lips.

Before letting go of the card, Sam stuck out his tongue enough to

catch the stainless steel bar between his teeth and winked. Mitch
grabbed his bag and practically ran out of the store, chased by the
sound of Sam’s cheerful laughter.

Fuck! Mitch couldn’t believe the total ass he’d just made of

himself. His only consolation was that he would never have to see Sam
again except for fantasies, and probably not even there. Mitch doubted
he could think about Sam without feeling like a fool.

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A Time for Charity * A. Willingham

* * *

S

AM

laughed quietly to himself as he made his way to his car after

work. Despite it being a long, tiring day dealing with the holiday
madness, he had actually enjoyed filling in for Joan at the perfume
counter, especially after tall, blond, and clumsy had come through. He
couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen someone so obviously
checking him out.

The guy was so not Sam’s type with his tall, bulky frame and

blue-collar wardrobe, but he sure was fun to tease. That blush and
bumbling clumsiness totally contradicted the image the guy projected.
Sam chuckled again as his phone began ringing.

“Hello?”

“Sam, hey. What time do you think you’ll be ready tonight? What

time do you want us to pick you up?” asked James, Sam’s longtime
best friend.

Every time he heard James’s voice, he still felt a little prickle in

his gut. He really was over his crush, for the most part. He had to be,
because James was taken, had been for two years now. And while Sam
was truly happy that his friend had found love, he sometimes still
wished he’d spoken up about his feelings. Who knows? James could’ve
been his. At one time, it seemed like James was interested, and they’d
almost had sex. That was in the past, and James was so drunk at the
time that he probably didn’t even remember. Sam was determined to
put the last little bit of his pointless regrets to rest and find someone
else to obsess over.

“Sam? You there?” James asked, breaking the silence of Sam’s

thoughts.

“Yeah, sorry. Long day at work. Let’s see, it’s seven-thirty now. I

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A Time for Charity * A. Willingham

need to go home, take a shower, get ready. How about you and Chris
swing by around eight-thirty? Sound good?”

“Cool. See ya then.” James hung up, leaving Sam to his thoughts.

I so need to hook-up with someone and get laid tonight, Sam

thought as he pulled into a parking spot in front of his apartment
building.

* * *

M

ITCH

had just finished packing his sister’s perfume when the phone

rang.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Mitch. It’s Dave. Are you busy?”

“Oh, hey Dave. No, not really. What’s up?”

“I have a really big favor to ask. The Beaverton Gay Men’s

Association is throwing a party at the Double Clover to raise money
for charity. The cover charge is two canned goods. My uncle is one of
the people running this thing, so he expects me to be there, but my car
is in the shop. Can you give me a ride? You’re more than welcome to
stay. Drinks are on me if you do.”

Mitch groaned. He was already settled in for the night. He didn’t

want to fight the crowds that would be at the Double Clover on a
Friday night.

“Dave—”

“Come on, Mitch. I’m begging you. My uncle is expecting me, and

it’s for a good cause. One dollar from every drink purchased goes
towards feeding the hungry. You don’t want anyone to go hungry

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during the holidays, do you, Mitch? Plus, weren’t you saying the other
day that you needed to get out more?” Dave pleaded.

“Fine,” Mitch sighed, “I’ll go, I’ll go.” It was for a good cause and

all. “What time do you want me to come by? I gotta shower if I’m going
out.”

“How about eight-thirty? Sound doable?”

“Yeah, yeah. See you then.” Mitch hung up the phone and sighed

again.

“So much for a nice quiet evening alone,” he said to himself as he

got up off the couch and went to shower.

* * *

J

AMES

arrived at eight-thirty, prompt as always. And Sam, like usual,

was running late. He ran to the door half-dressed to let James and
Chris in.

“Sorry. Give me five more minutes. Just gotta put my shirt on and

fix my hair.”

“Hey, I can’t believe you’re almost ready,” James teased. “You

almost never run ahead of gay standard time.”

Chris just rolled his eyes, sighed, and pointedly looked at his

watch, not trying to hide his annoyance from anyone. “Come on. You
knew what time we’d be here. Why aren’t you ready yet? I don’t want
to be late. We’re supposed to be there at nine.”

“I know. I know,” Sam called from the bathroom, “but I couldn’t

decide what to wear. I wanted to look perfect. Gotta look perfect to
feed the hungry. How do I look?” Sam asked, walking into the room,
straightening the snug, pink and white pin-striped button down that

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A Time for Charity * A. Willingham

he wore over his favorite pair of worn-out jeans.

“Good enough to eat,” James said as he smiled. “Now get your

coat, and let’s hit the road. If we don’t hit traffic, we should be okay on
time.”

Chris shook his head and rolled his eyes again as he led the way

to the car, mumbling something about how there wouldn’t actually be
any needy people at the party. Even after two years, Chris only
seemed to put up with Sam for James’s sake. Sam sometimes
wondered if Chris knew about the secret crush he’d once had on
James.

“So,” Sam said to break the silence in the car. “You think there

will be any hot single guys there, or only old, stodgy types?”

“Well,” replied Chris as he turned in the passenger seat to face

Sam in the back, “I’m sure there will be young and old there. A few
guys I know from work are going. I’m sure you’d be able to have some
fun with one or two of those guys.”

“Cool. Fun is good,” Sam murmured, looking out the window as

the storefronts zoomed by. Fun was good, but Sam really wanted
something more. He wanted something like James and Chris had,
something more long-term than one night. He was tired of quick hook-
ups and one night stands. Well, maybe tonight would be different.
Maybe he’d finally meet someone worth meeting. He’d never know
until he tried.

* * *

“T

HANKS

,

Mitch. I owe you one. Drinks are on me tonight,” Dave

promised as the two of the walked into the Double Clover and handed
over their canned food. Dave took in the crowd and smiled back at

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A Time for Charity * A. Willingham

Mitch. “Maybe we’ll both get lucky, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Mitch replied half-heartedly. He just wanted to get a beer,

maybe play a little pool, and then call it a night. One night stands
weren’t really his thing. He was basically only here because Mitch
begged him.

“Oh, hey, there’s Chris, a guy I know from my uncle’s group.”

Dave pointed and led the way to a couple of tables back by the pool
tables.

Dave greeted the small, attractive blond leaning against one of

the tables. “Hey, Chris. This is my friend Mitch. He gave me a lift and is
gonna hang out for awhile.”

“Cool. Thanks for coming.” Chris leaned over to shake Mitch’s

hand, flashing a pleasant smile. Turning to Dave, Chris pointed to a
small, dark-haired man and a tall, lanky redhead coming toward them.
“Here come James and Sam. I think you and Sam could really have
some fun together.”

“Oh shit. No fucking way,” Mitch muttered to himself as he

recognized the small man as the guy from the perfume counter at
Redmond’s. Just great. Not only was he a total stranger to most of the
people here, he also had to see the perfume guy again. He felt a blush
coloring his cheeks as Sam approached with the redhead.

Sam laughed aloud as he and James joined them.

“It’s you! Who would’ve thought we’d meet again? How’s the

head?” Sam smiled. Mitch felt his blush intensify.

“You two know each other?” Chris asked, eyes shifting from Sam

to Mitch.

“Not formally, no, but you could say that we’ve met before.” Sam

flashed Mitch a brilliant smile before turning to wink at Dave.

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A Time for Charity * A. Willingham

“This is Mitch and Dave,” Chris introduced.

Sam and Dave seemed to hit it off immediately. Mitch was

relieved when Sam’s attention shifted to Dave. As soon as he was sure
that Dave had a ride home, he was leaving.

He found a nice dark corner just behind the pool tables and tried

to blend in with the wall. From this vantage point, he could watch Sam
without having to worry about making a fool of himself again. And
man, was Sam something enjoyable to watch. Those elegant hands
flying around as he animatedly talked to Dave. Those mischievous
green eyes and supple mouth driving Mitch crazy. Oh man, Mitch
would love to know how that mouth felt on him. Mitch’s cock began to
fill as he fantasized about a panting Sam down on his knees. That
tongue ring teasing his balls. The tight, wet heat of that mouth driving
him to the edge of ecstasy.

* * *

“H

EY

,

Earth to Mitch. You look like you’re having too much fun over

here by yourself,” Sam teased as he waved his hand in front of Mitch’s
face.

“Huh?” Mitch jerked out of whatever daydream he was having

and knocked over his beer. “Shit!” He jumped out of the way,
managing to bump into a passing patron. Luckily the guy’s mug was
empty, or Mitch would be wearing a lot more than just that cute little
blush.

“Steady. You okay? How many of those have you had?” Sam

chuckled as he reached out to keep Mitch upright.

“Um, yeah. Thanks. Sorry,” Mitch mumbled, setting his chair

upright and sitting back down.

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A Time for Charity * A. Willingham

“Are you always this clumsy, or can I take it as a testament to my

overwhelming charm?” Sam teased as he winked at Mitch, causing
him to blush again. Mitch was a lot more fun than Dave. Which was
good, Sam guessed, as Dave had already switched targets and was
hitting on some skanky-looking twink at the bar.

Mitch just stared at him, saying nothing at first. “Um, where’s

Dave? He had big plans for tonight, or so he said. I thought you and
he—”

“Dave is over there.” Sam pointed to the bar where Dave had his

tongue in the twink’s ear while another guy was grinding against his
backside. “Looks like he does have big plans, just not with me,” Sam
noted wryly.

“Oh, sorry,” Mitch mumbled, not quite meeting Sam’s gaze.

“Why? Did you set him up with those two so that you would have

me all to yourself?” Sam flashed his best teasing smile. Even though
Sam usually preferred cool, calm men, he found Mitch’s nervousness
kind of hot. He wanted more time to play with the big man. Maybe he
could lure Mitch home or at least get his number.

“Ah, well, huh? No?” Mitch stammered, that cute blush coloring

his face once again.

“Sam,” James called as he and Chris walked up to the table.

“We’re leaving. You need a ride home or have you got it covered?” he
asked, eyeing Mitch curiously.

Sam glanced at Chris, and from the glare he received, he knew

his answer. “I’m good. Thanks anyway. Call me later.”

“Okay, later.” Chris had already started pulling James to the door.

Sam half-waved at their backs and rolled his eyes.

“Great,” Sam muttered sarcastically, “Now how am I supposed to

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A Time for Charity * A. Willingham

get home?” Sam looked at Mitch, a wistful smile pulling at his lips,
trying to lure Mitch in with his eyes. “Okay, I guess I’ll call a cab. See ya
around.” Sam got up to leave and made his way to the front of the bar.

* * *

O

KAY

. Just get up and go. Mitch tried to encourage himself to go after

him. Now was his chance. He really wanted Sam. Wanted to be with
him, be inside him, almost more than he’d wanted to be with anyone,
ever. He didn’t know why he was such a mess around Sam, but he
wanted him, and it seemed like Sam had been interested too. Mitch
jumped up out of his chair to catch up.

“I could take you home if you want me to,” Mitch said catching

Sam’s arm just as they were walking out the door of the pub. “Unless
you want to take a taxi, that is.”

“No, no. I don’t really have the money for one. I was thinking

about walking home if it wasn’t so damn cold. Are you sure it’s not a
problem?”

“No, not a problem at all. I’m parked this way,” Mitch said over

his shoulder, leading the way to his truck.

“Thanks.” Sam smiled a real smile, not the flirty, teasing one.

Mitch thought his heart would stop. Sam was breathtaking when he
smiled.

“Yeah. Okay,” Mitch said and smiled back, feeling himself relax.

He could do this. He could talk to Sam, maybe get his number. Maybe
this could lead to something. Mitch sure hoped so. “Here it is.” He
pointed to his truck and unlocked the doors. “How do I get there?”

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A Time for Charity * A. Willingham

* * *

A

S

THEY

neared his apartment, Sam desperately tried to decide the

best way to lure Mitch in. He really wasn’t ready for the night to end.
The ride over from the Double Clover had been quite enjoyable. Mitch
seemed to finally relax, which made him seem much more confident.
Sam learned that Mitch was a really good guy with an easy laugh, the
sound of which went straight to Sam’s dick. He wanted to hear that
voice calling out his name. He wanted to feel that big body pounding
him into the mattress. It had been awhile since Sam had been with
anyone, and he was ready.

“Just pull in right here.” Sam pointed to the empty spot next to

his car. “Um, so, thanks for the ride.” Mitch looked at him, his knuckles
white on the steering wheel as if he was holding himself back. Sam
took that as a good sign. He leaned over and kissed Mitch, running his
hand up Mitch’s thigh right up to the evidence that proved he was
every bit as interested as Sam was.

Sam pulled back slightly. “So, you wanna come in?” He leaned in

and took another kiss, running his tongue lightly over Mitch’s bottom
lip before sucking it in. Mitch opened his mouth and let Sam in. Damn,
he tasted so good. Sam wanted more. He began to massage Mitch
through his jeans.

“Come in,” he breathed between kisses, not wanting to stop.

Mitch moaned into his mouth and bucked up into his hand, trying to
get more friction.

“Let’s go inside before I come right here,” Mitch panted, breaking

away from the kiss and opening his door.

Sam hopped out of the truck and practically ran up the stairs to

his apartment with Mitch right on his heels.

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A Time for Charity * A. Willingham

“Hurry, Sam. I need you. Now.”

“I’m trying!” Sam fumbled with the keys, highly distracted by the

fact that Mitch was rubbing his erection through his jeans. He finally
got the door open, and they fell inside. Mitch kicked the door closed
and pushed him up against the wall with a searing kiss.

“Fuck. I need you,” Mitch murmured, kissing his way down Sam’s

neck. Sam moaned and turned them around, pressing Mitch against
the wall. They fumbled with buttons and zippers before getting pants
undone. Sam dropped to his knees, nuzzling and sucking Mitch
through the cotton of his white briefs. He pulled at the waistband and
freed Mitch’s cock.

“Mmmmmm,” Sam moaned as he took the thick head into his

mouth, sucking it lightly. Mitch tasted so fucking good. He began
licking his way down the shaft, tracing the thick vein with little swirls
of his tongue. He lightly tongued Mitch’s balls and then took one into
his mouth, sucking it. He let go and began teasing the head again,
focusing on the slit, pressing the ball of his piercing into it.

Mitch gasped, his eyes closed, and his head dropped back to the

wall. He reached down and began to caress Sam’s head, not pushing or
demanding, just rubbing through his hair.

“Sam,” Mitch choked out as he looked down into Sam’s dazed

eyes, “I want you. I want inside you.”

Sam shuddered at the thought of that long, thick cock stretching

him, filling. With one last kiss on the head of Mitch’s cock, he got up
and led the way to the bedroom, stripping off his clothes as he went.
He grabbed some lube and condoms out of the drawer of his
nightstand and crawled up into the middle of the bed. With his legs
spread, he stroked himself lightly as he watched Mitch get rid of the
rest of his clothes. Mitch crawled between Sam’s legs and began

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petting his chest.

“You are so fucking hot.” Mitch moaned and leaned over to take

one of Sam’s nipples into his mouth. Sam arched his back when Mitch
tugged lightly with his teeth. Mitch made his way down Sam’s body,
licking and kissing and teasing.

“Mitch, please,” Sam panted as he bucked up into the light licks

Mitch was using to tease his balls. He almost lost it when he felt Mitch
using one lubed finger to trace the tight ring of muscles before
pushing into him. Mitch began to slowly fuck him with his finger,
rubbing until Sam began to push down to meet him. As he pushed in a
second finger, Mitch took Sam into his mouth, swirling his tongue
around the engorged head.

“Oh-please-oh-please-oh-please,” Sam begged. He couldn’t

decide if he wanted to buck up into the tight, wet heat of Mitch’s
mouth or push down onto the fingers twisting and scissoring inside of
him. “Fuck me, Mitch,” he panted as he pulled on Mitch’s head. “Please,
fuck me. Now.”

Mitch sat up and removed his fingers. Sam whimpered at the

emptiness and then moaned as he felt the head of Mitch’s cock breach
the tight muscles. The burn was soon replaced with pleasure as Mitch
slowly pushed his way in until his balls rested against Sam’s ass.

“Fuck, Sam. You feel so good. So tight. So hot.” Mitch held himself

still, letting Sam adjust to the stretch.

“Move, please move,” Sam whispered, pushing up, trying to get

Mitch deeper.

Mitch began moving slowly at first, barely pulling out before

pushing back in. Sam thought he would go crazy; he wanted it fast and
hard, but Mitch seemed to be teasing him. Sam bucked up, trying to let

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A Time for Charity * A. Willingham

Mitch know what he wanted.

As if he understood, Mitch pulled almost all the way out before

slamming back into Sam. After a few more times, he set up a fast, hard
rhythm that had Sam writhing and fisting the sheets, thrusting up to
meet him.

“Fuck!” Mitch grunted. “Wanted this to last, but I can’t hang on

much longer.” With that, he reached down and grabbed Sam’s cock.
After three solid tugs and a twist of the head, Sam’s body was
convulsing, shooting itself onto his chest. Mitch fucked him through
the spasm and then froze. Sam could almost feel him filling the
condom.

“Fuck! Sam!” Mitch groaned as he practically collapsed on Sam,

panting and resting their foreheads together. He kissed Sam lightly a
few times before rolling over and tying off the condom. Mitch got off
the bed and went into the bathroom and returned with a towel to
clean Sam’s stomach and chest. He threw the towel in the direction of
the bathroom before crawling back into bed and drawing Sam into his
arms.

Mitch planted a few slow, soothing kisses on Sam’s face and neck

and lightly rubbed his back. Chest still heaving slightly, Sam snuggled
deeper into Mitch’s grasp, nuzzling into his chest before getting
settled. Sam loved to cuddle after sex. He missed the safe feeling of
sleeping in someone’s arms. He had a feeling he would be able to do
this a lot more with Mitch.

Just as he was drifting into sleep, he thought he heard Mitch

murmur, “I guess the holidays aren’t so bad after all.”

16

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Mistletoe Madness?

The Dreamspinner Press 2009 Advent Calendar is available at

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

.

A. W

ILLINGHAM

, a born-and-bred Texan, loves books, photography,

and scrapbooking. Soon after being introduced to the joy of yaoi by a
coworker, she became obsessed with M/M romances. After much
encouragement from friends, she decided to fulfill a lifelong daydream
and try her hand at writing.

A Time for Charity ©Copyright A. Willingham, 2009

Published by
Dreamspinner Press
4760 Preston Road
Suite 244-149
Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of
the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover Art by Paul Richmond http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com
Cover Design by Mara McKennen

This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any
means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal
prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally
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Released in the United States of America
December 2009

eBook Edition
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61581-312-4