Andy Keeps Trying - Chapter 14

ANDY KEEPS TRYING

Chapter 14: Andy makes a new friend

“I wasn't sure you would come.” David said, opening the door to his apartment. 

As I expected, he was not doing too badly moneywise despite the divorce.

He lived in the wealthiest part of town, and his apartment was big enough for a family of five, with three bedrooms and a large living space with bay windows.

Ah, bay windows— our downfall.

David opened the door wearing checkered long underwear and a gray singlet. Very sexy.

He pretended to be just chilling at home, acting unsure if I would actually come, but I bet he knew he looked hot in that outfit.

David had been going to the gym; he looked fitter and more shredded than ever. 

With his veiny biceps, hairy armpits, and one nipple escaping the tank top, he was sex on a stick.

“I'm here. I agree that it would be good to discuss the leaked pictures now that we know the whole truth, I want to know how you feel about it.”

“Come on in. Would you like something to drink?”

He put his hand on my shoulder and led me inside.

His welcome was warmer than Adrian's had been that morning.

“Thanks. Maybe a beer?”

“A beer it is. I have some fresh Coronas in the fridge. Good for you?”

“Perfect. Your place looks nice— it’s really fancy.”

“A realtor friend of mine found me a great bargain.”

I chuckled.

“You and your rich friends…”

“Yes, Andy. Life is easier when you’re wealthy. What can I say?”

“Sorry. I shouldn't be bitter about it. It's good for you, and it's a great place.”

He brought us Coronas, his cock bouncing in his undies. 

“It is. A little too big for my taste, but…”

“No, David. I can’t fault you for being wealthy but you shouldn’t say stuff like that. Cody and I live in an apartment that is smaller than your living room alone and some people don’t even have a home, nobody should complain about how their houses is too fucking big.”

“You’re right, that was uncalled for.”

“Have you been to the gym more than usual lately?”

He smiled, taking a sip of his beer.

“You think I’ve gotten bigger?”

“Come on, you know you have.”

He flexed his right bicep playfully. That muscle was firm and massive for sure. 

“Or maybe, it’s been too long since you’ve seen me in so little clothing. You just didn’t remember.”

My gaze fell on his underwear.

“Yes, it’s been a while. But I do remember.”

He sat on the couch, and I followed, sitting far away from him in an absurd attempt to keep a safe distance.

David's classic leg spread got our thighs closer anyway, until they were almost touching. 

Sorry to all the feminists out there, I had never minded the man-spreading.

But hey, don’t worry, I was wearing jeans! It was still very PG.

“So, about Rebecca. What are we thinking? She really went there, didn’t she?” He told me.

“Yeah. I’m surprised you’re not more pissed at her. It's your life she destroyed. I was collateral damage, but my name wasn't exposed.”

“I can't hate on Rebecca. We’ve been together for so long. She tolerated a lot from me over the years. She’s also the mother of my son. Whatever happens, we’ll always be linked because of that.”

“I see… about Zach, that’s the other thing that I…”

“We had a long talk after the gala. The three of us.”

“He didn't want to come out like that. I kinda feel responsible.”

“He was sneaking around with his boyfriend during a very public event. You can’t be held responsible for everything that goes wrong on this planet, Andy.”

I flinched at the reference to Victor as Zach’s “boyfriend” but I did not comment on it. 

“And how did it go? Zach was freaking out.”

“He wasn’t very talkative, and I didn’t push him. Rebecca asked him to think about whether he was serious about this guy— she said that was the only condition before making anything public— but we both said we would support him, of course.And we will.”

“I know you would, but Rebecca…”

“She loves her son more than anything in the world. Well, maybe she loves winning more, but Zach is very high on her list. Besides, she’s pragmatic— she knows she can’t change her son’s sexual orientation.”

“When there's something she can't change, she finds a way to make it an asset. I’m aware.”

“Exactly.” David said, spreading his legs even further.

“Well, I hope Zach will be okay. Of all people, you should know that being open about these kinds of things is important.”

“Yeah, not to mention that he wouldn't even have been in that situation if I had been open myself.”

“I didn’t mean to be insensitive. I know your family is important to you.”

“No, I understand exactly what you mean. Having my picture on the cover of a leftist newspaper in the middle of the campaign, when I’m in my forties, is certainly not the best way to go about things. At the same time, I don’t regret my marriage to Rebecca. She and I were a team. In some respects, we still are.” 

“You two really have the strangest relationship.”

“We're family. No matter what.”

“And I do get that. Look, David, I know I shouldn’t take responsibility for everything, but I also know my reaction last night was stupid. I shouldn't have forced a confrontation. It wasn't the right time or place. It was just impulsive and reckless.”

David put his hand on my thigh.

Electric shockwaves went through my body.

“I like it when you're reckless; it's better than being uptight. I also enjoyed seeing Park with champagne dripping on his glasses.” He spoke. 

“I bet you did.”

“You think I'm weird for not holding a grudge against Rebecca, but you're literally dating the man who released the pictures to the whole world.”

“We're no longer dating.”

“Seriously? Why?”

His hand remained on my thigh, as he began to grip it more tightly.

“Because of what happened at the gala, because of my reaction, because of his secrets. We were never meant to last anyway.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“Then stop smiling.”

“Oops.” He bit his lower lip, pausing for a moment to look deeply into my eyes. His expression became serious.

“Honestly, Andy. I hope you find happiness.”

“So, do you think I should go back to work?”

“Were you really considering quitting?”

I let out a sigh.

“No, not really. It's just that I'm afraid of seeing Rebecca tomorrow. And the others. God, Thompson is really going to judge and despise me even more.”

“Who cares about that prick?”

“That’s fair. I shouldn't.”

“There are seven weeks left before the vote. The campaign is going to get a lot more thrilling; you might like it.”

“I think I might. It scares me a little how much I’m involved now—I genuinely think Rebecca should win the primary.”

“I do too. Ultimately, she was right. I wouldn’t have lasted, and I didn’t want it. She did me a favor.”

“Because talking it out wasn’t an option? She didn’t have to do it that way.”

“Certainly… But again, I think she was hurt. I wasn’t treating her with respect.”

I finished my beer.

There was a long moment of silence.

What else was there to say?

“I'm glad we talked it out David, and that we can have a conversation without drama.”

“Why? I've always had my door open.”

“You seemed a little upset last night when we talked.”

“I had just learned about your fling with Park.”

“It wasn’t just a fling.”

“Andy, you just told me it was already over.”

“Whatever. Let’s not go there. I just wanted to thank you for inviting me here. Also, I really do appreciate what you did for Cody, despite everything. Maybe it was wrong, but Cody deserved the help.”

“Is he okay?”

“I think so. You two should talk, though.”

“I will. Tomorrow, at work. I just wish Rebecca would have kept her mouth shut about that one.”

“Agreed.”

“See, we can still agree on some things.”

We smiled at each other, but another silence followed.

I was startled by his blue eyes, by his thighs, and his partially exposed pecs and nipples.

“I… I think I should go. I have a game night planned with Cody. Laurie will be there and she's bringing me ice cream for the breakup.”

“You should definitely not miss that.”

I stood up, and he did the same.

I saw his fat dick bouncing in his underwear out of the corner of my eye. It seemed to have grown in size.

David appeared to be sporting a semi. 

He walked toward me for a hug.

I went for it, too.

Obviously, I had missed him. I felt his cock against me.

“Bye, David.”

“Bye, Andy.”

The evening at my place went well. 

The breakup with Darius had been rather traumatic because of the shooting at the rally, but I had been on the fence about the future of my relationship with Adrian for a few weeks.

We had never said "I love you" or promised each other forever.

I had hoped that our relationship might evolve into something more, but it did not work out that way, and I was fine with it.

Besides, it could not have been clearer after the breakup that Laurie had never been a fan of Adrian.

“How arrogant he was! He couldn’t stop showing how much smarter he was, with all his elitist references that no one got!”

“You don't need to trash him.” I told her.

“Sorry. Is that bothering you? I won't talk badly about Adrian if it's not okay with you.”

I cracked a smile. 

“I mean, you don't have to, but you’re free to remind me why he wasn't good for me.”

She smiled and served me more ice cream— and more dishes on Adrian. 

“Exactly! That’s what tonight is all about! Celebrating dodging a bullet.”

Cody rolled his eyes, but did not say anything.

I thought he was still being careful around Laurie and trying to behave.

Sunday night was fine, but Monday morning was the real nail biter. I dreaded waking up and having to go to work. 

Laurie had spent the night, so we went together.

Zach would not be there because his internship was over, which was already a bummer. After my stunt though, I could not escape the feeling that everyone would be watching me.

Also, I was not sure how Rebecca would react.

“Don't make that face, Andy. It's going to be fine.” Laurie tried to reassure me.

“It's not. We keep calling Broadhall a clown, but maybe that’s me.”

“First of all, we're calling him “Fascist the Clown” now. Second, look at it this way: It’s not worse than when you had to show up after everyone had seen you blow the candidate’s cock.”

“Thank you, Laurie. That helps.”

She kissed my cheek.

“That's what I'm here for! Come on, relax. Rebecca won’t bring anything up, and the rest of the team already knows you’re a drama queen.”

“Yeah, they must think I just had a fight with my boyfriend. Well, ex-boyfriend.”

“Exactly! Now, cheer up!”

I smiled when the elevator doors opened, but I had no idea what I would find behind them.

I was in for another surprise.

“Victor?”

“Hey, Andy.”

He was standing in the hallway wearing a white shirt and brown tie.

Maybe things would not go as smoothly as Laurie thought.

“What are you doing here?”

He did not have time to answer that— Rebecca called us into the open space.

"Perfect, everyone's here. Come on, let’s gather around.”

Laurie and I looked at each other, both perplexed. She had no idea about this one either.

“Okay, guys, I just want you to meet Victor Garcia, our new data analyst.” Rebecca announced.

I audibly gasped, and Thompson rolled his eyes at me.

“I'm sorry, but isn't he working for Broadhall?” Bradley intervened.

Common sense! I thought. 

“He was. Victor quit this weekend, and I offered him a position here. We needed someone, especially since Zach is no longer part of the team.”

“Is that even legal?” I asked. “I mean, like, regarding Broadhall?”

“Of course it is!” Victor snapped at me.

“As a data analyst on Broadhall’s team, Victor was not directly involved in the campaign strategy or decisions. In any case, his employment contract did not prevent him from switching employers.”

“But we don't need a data analyst. Am I fired?”

“You’re not!” Laurie told me. “He’s not, right?” She then asked Rebecca, unsure.

“Andy, we'll talk in my office in a minute. Everyone else, please go back to work. Garcia, if you have questions, ask Laurie, not me.”

“Fine, ma'am.”

“Andy, come with me.”

I was ready to apologize for my behavior over the weekend, even though I was still angry with Rebecca for the pictures, but getting fired was not fair.

I lashed out as soon as I was in her office.

“Rebecca, why are you replacing me? You can’t fire me like this, not after everything.”

“Andy, can you step down from your high horse? Who said anything about replacing you?”

“Victor is a data analyst. He’s doing my job!”

“Andy, you're doing much more than working on data for this team. You’ve been with us for about a year, right?”

“Yeah, almost.”

“You've participated in every meeting, and you've worked with both the communication and policy teams. Of course, your expertise in data mining is needed, but you’ve been much more involved in the campaign. Like Laurie, I’m happy to see my staff evolve and take on more prominent roles, especially since the team was so small after David left.”

I was taken aback.

“Oh, so you… You’re not firing me?”

“Quite the opposite. I saw how valuable you were when Zach took care of many of your tasks, giving you time for more important work.”

“Wait… Does that mean Victor would work for me?”

“Not exactly. In the first few weeks, though, you’ll have to guide him on the systems you put in place with the panels and the target voters while I give you other tasks to handle. The primary marathon is turning into a sprint at this stage. I need everyone at their best. Are you able to do that?”

“I think I am.”

“You’ve gotten over your little tantrum from Saturday?”

I gulped.

“I did. I mean, I don’t think what you did was fair but I’ve worked too hard to see this campaign shut down.”

“That’s the spirit. The way I see it, you slept with my husband, and I leaked some pictures. We’re even. Now, we go back to work.”

She extended her arm.

I shook her hand.

“Yes, I agree with that.”

“Perfect. Think about the bright side. We don't have to worry about Victor running his mouth anymore. He signed a strong NDA as part of his contract with us.”

“That makes sense now. That’s why you hired him!”

“Part of it. There’re a lot of good reasons actually. Sure, I want Garcia to keep his mouth shut but frankly, I’m happy to steal people from Broadhall’s team. That will make him rage and struggle for a while. It also shows that people are ready to support me instead of him, it’ll be seen as people switching to the winning team. Victor seemed good at his job. He graduated from the same program and college as you.”

“I’m convinced.”

She winked at me as continued.

“I should add that I don’t mind keeping an eye on my son’s boyfriend to see if he’s worthy.”

Once again, Rebecca had thought everything through, and the decision to hire Victor no longer seemed crazy.

In fact, it seemed like another strong power move.

“You’ve been able to talk with Zach?”

Her face changed. 

“Now, that’s the problem. I share a little, and then you think you’re allowed to ask personal questions like that.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. But this conversation is over.”

“May I go back to work?"

“Please do. I’ve just promoted you, so you better show me it was worth it.”

Adrian would never have understood, but Rebecca Crown was impossible to say no to.

She was just too freaking good.

I sort of dreaded spending time with Victor, but ordering him around for once turned out to be kind of fun.

He had to keep a low profile to get in with the team.

The first day was awkward, but by Thursday, we could work together normally.

In fact, I was surprised how Victor was willing to put his ego aside and listen to my advice.

He even suggested we go to the swimming pool together after work.

I agreed; there was no reason not to get along with him.

Admittedly, I was also curious if he would try to make a pass at me despite being in an exclusive relationship with Zach.

To be honest, I even tried to tempt him a little.

I just wanted to test him out! He had been doing the same to me for so long.

I was wearing a brand-new pair of dark gray speedos that fit my bubble butt perfectly, and I was well aware of how hot they made me look.

Did I arch my back a little more than necessary? I may have.

Did I wear the swimwear so low that I showed a bit of my ass crack? It was subtle; I was not giving a show to the whole pool but I also may have.

Did I make sure to shower right next to Victor when our session was over, knowing he would have to get out of his red Speedo so close to my naked body? Okay, I plead guilty on this one!

Again, it was not as bad as it sounds.

I simply wondered how serious he was about his commitment.

At first, it did not seem like he cared that much about Zach.

He got his fat Cuban cock semi-hard under the pouring water, and he checked me out lewdly without even trying to hide it.

He stared at my back, and I let him. I even ran my hands on my waist and then my ass as if I were in a steamy shower gel commercial.

But then, nothing happened.

I turned around to face Victor. He was certainly aroused, but he kept his head (and cockhead) underwater and washed his groin.

He was not making any moves!

Dang!

Now, I felt somewhat silly and ashamed of how I had whored myself out.

I tried to act normal while we dried off and changed back into our clothes in the locker-room.

Only after we were outside, did Victor mention what had happened.

“What was that about, lil’ freak?”

“What do you mean?” I asked innocently.

“Your whole show at the pool and then in the shower.”

“I didn't do anything.”

“Come on. I know you, and I know every trick in the book. You were trying to turn me on. It wasn’t that subtle.”

“I was just having fun. It meant nothing.”

“So, you're single again, and suddenly you're a slut? I thought you said you didn't want to do anything with a coworker.”

“Okay, you're right. This was stupid. I was just trying to see if you really changed.”

Victor puffed. 

“I haven't changed. I've just grown up.”

“You’re serious with Zach?”

“Was that a trap? Did you want me to fuck you and then tell Zach or his parents everything? Maybe only tell Rebecca so she would fire me?”

“I wouldn’t have let you fuck me!”

“Sure… If you say so. But you did want to trick me, didn't you?”

“I've told you; it was stupid. It’s just that I care about Zach and I worry about him. I know you to not be the healthiest boyfriend.”

“Hey, Andy— we haven't really been close since I moved to Philly. College was a long time ago. Just like you, I've become a different person since then.”

“Maybe, but I never would have pictured you in a long-distance relationship.”

“Zach comes back every other weekend, and I'll visit his campus too. In the meantime, I’ll behave, and I’ll see in a few weeks if it suits me. It’s not perfect, but why not? I'm tired of one-night stands.”

“Wow… If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I would have said there's no way Victor Garcia would settle down!”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I just said I’d behave for a few weeks.”

“Well, I like that look on you. Again, I feel silly for what I did earlier. I guess I can be pretty immature sometimes, too.”

“That's okay. I’ve really enjoyed working with you this week, by the way. You seem so confident and efficient at the office. It’s very impressive.”

“Really?”

It felt good, although very surprising, to hear. And he seemed sincere.

“Yes, I hate to say it, but I've learned a lot from you already. I don't regret leaving the clown for one minute.”

“I'm glad, and it's been surprisingly cool to have you around the office.”

Victor smiled.

“Friends, then?”

We shook hands.

“Yes, we can be friends. That’s fine with me.”

“Cool. Now, we just have to find you another man, and we can double date!”

He ruffled my hair.

“Don't push it, Victor. Your friendship is still on a trial basis.”