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List of addresses in hand, James hurried out to Nikki’s car with a smile, climbing into the passenger seat and leaning over to give his lover a kiss. “Hey, gorgeous. No Frankie-Jean today?”
“Thankfully, no,” Nikki replied after returning that kiss with interest. “Yeah, we’d be okay if we needed to take her along, but this way, we don’t need to worry about finding a bathroom out in the middle of looking at a place or anything like that. Janice warned me that some of the places have had the water turned off because they’ve been empty for a while,” he added, referring to the realtor they’d contacted. “You know, so there’s no danger of flooding the place if an earthquake hits and cracks a pipe but no one’s there to shut off the water at the main.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” James agreed. “And a good reason not to bring Frankie-Jean along. We meeting Janice at her office? Or at one of the places we’re supposed to see today?”
“She said the office, so she could update her list before we headed out,” Nikki said. “Something about making sure she didn’t show us anyplace that went under contract in the few days since we first talked to her and let her know what we’re looking for.”
James nodded. “That also makes sense. I’d hate to see a place that looks perfect, only to find out that it’s not actually on the market anymore.”
“Definitely,” Nikki said as he pulled out onto the road. “I really hope we find a place today, though. It’ll take a bit of time to handle all the legal shit, and I want that done before your lease is up. You know the fuckers’ll jump your rent by $500 a month or more if you have to go month to month.”
“Not much to be done about it, though,” James said. “If we find a place and close before I have to leave, great! And if I have to go month to month for a little while, I can manage. It’s not like it’ll be for more than a month, maybe two months tops, if we can’t close on a place before my lease is up.”
“Well, I’m gonna hope we have luck today anyway,” Nikki said, reaching over to squeeze his boyfriend’s hand lightly. “I’m really looking forward to having a place that’s all ours.”
“So am I,” James admitted with a soft smile. He squeezed Nikki’s hand in return, then looked at the list of addresses once more. “So, bare minimum is three bedrooms and two bathrooms, right? One each for us, for Frankie-Jean, and for guests.”
“Yeah. I’d honestly prefer bigger,” Nikki said. “I mean, we already talked about putting in a home studio, so that’s gonna need some space too, maybe a rec room for Frankie-Jean, space for us to entertain, whatever. It’s not like we can’t afford damn near anything we could want, after all.”
“True enough,” James agreed. “If it’s got a finished basement, that would be a good place for a studio.”
They continued to discuss their needs and wants as they pulled up at the realtor’s office. Janice met them inside and printed off several spec sheets for various houses, several of which were different than the ones on the list James had. Fortunately, only one of the four that had vanished from the original list had been high up on their wish list, and three of the new ones looked promising as well. After a bit of discussion with Janice, they set out for the first house on their revised list.
Watching James walk around the house with a thoughtful expression, flipping light switches and muttering about paint colors and furniture, Nikki couldn’t help but smile. Especially when his boyfriend turned to him to ask his opinion about something or other. When he’d bought the house that Donna ended up getting in the divorce, she’d hired a professional decorator and hadn’t even thought to ask if there was anything he did or didn’t want to see in the place. He considered the layout of the ground floor and frowned a bit, though, as the house was an older one and didn’t have a lot of closet space in general, nor much storage space in the kitchen.
“What do you think, Nikki?” James asked softly, resting his chin on his partner’s shoulder.
“It’s nice,” Nikki answered. “I’m not entirely sold on it, though. I know you like to keep a good supply of food basics on hand, and I think there’s not enough storage here for your preferred stockpile.”
James looked at the kitchen again and nodded with a sigh. “Yeah. And I was kinda worried about the tiny closets upstairs, too. It’s kind of a shame, I love the looks of these older houses. Reminds me of what I grew up with, you know? We had some of the old Sears catalogue kit houses still standing, back there.”
“Wait… you could really buy houses from the Sears catalogue? Are you shitting me?” Nikki laughed. “How did that even work? And some people think Amazon sells everything.”
“For real, you could buy a literal house mail-order from Sears back in the early 1900s,” James said with a laugh of his own. “They came as DIY kits, all the hardware included – nails, door hinges, window-hanging hardware, all that stuff. Kind of like IKEA furniture, only this was a whole fucking house and not just a bookshelf or entertainment center.” He grinned and added, “Crazy part it, quite a few of the ones still standing are more solidly built than professionally built homes put up in the 70s and 80s.”
“Well, that, I’d believe,” Nikki snorted. “Anything to save a buck in those days.” He led the way back to the living room where Janice waited for them to finish their exploration of the place. “It’s nice, but I think not quite what we’re looking for,” he told her. “It looks really nice and the layout isn’t bad, but we’ll definitely need more storage in the kitchen and bigger closets as well.”
Janice nodded. “All right, so that eliminates one other one from the list, as it’s got a smaller kitchen with even less storage than this one. That’s on me, thinking that two men wouldn’t need the kind of kitchen a family would prefer.”
“Well, we will have my daughter with us part time, so it’s not just the two of us,” Nikki said. “Also, we’ll most likely need to entertain fairly regularly given the nature of our work, so that’s part of why we’d rather go bigger than smaller, even if it is just the two of us here much of the time.”
“That makes sense,” Janice said, making a few notes on the stack of spec sheets and nodding. “Okay, this one’s eliminated and so is the one in Sherman Oaks. That leaves Encino and Pacific Palisades.”
Looking at James, Nikki said, “I got no problem seeing ‘em both, but just on location, I’m already leaning towards Pacific Palisades, because Donna’s there too. If we’re really lucky, it’ll be in Frankie-Jean’s school district.”
“Would you like to head there first, then?” Janice asked. “There’s a lock box for the key, so we can go in at any time. The previous owner got transferred overseas, so there’s no need to worry about making an appointment or anything.”
“Sounds good to me,” James said, giving Nikki a smile. “If it is in her school district, you’ll be able to have her stay even on school nights, as long as Donna doesn't object to it, of course.”
Janice smiled and locked the house behind them, putting the key back into the lock box hanging from the door handle, and led the way back to their cars. They followed her out and towards the next place she had in mind for them to see.
Nikki snorted. “Like Donna’d object to more time to herself when I’m not on the road. She’s a decent mom, don’t get me wrong, but she’s pretty shallow in general and don’t always consider that she might be putting someone else out when she’s thinking about herself. Well, you remember last month when she just told me that I had to keep Frankie-Jean all day because of a meeting with her director. Yeah, that worked out fine, but she didn’t give me the chance to object, you know? Hung up on me before I could get a word in edgewise. What if I’d planned on flying out somewhere for some reason?”
“Yeah, I know,” James said calmly. “Honestly, if we end up in her school district, I’d say you should go for 50/50 shared custody once we move in. You’ll get more time with her as long as you’re not on the road, which I’m sure you’ll like. Although it will mean talking with Donna more often, since we’ll be so close to her.”
“For more time with my daughter, I’ll talk to Donna more often,” Nikki said softly. “You can help me keep my temper when she pisses me off.”
“Always, Nikki,” James said, just as softly. “That’s what being partners is all about, yeah? Like how you helped me keep it together last week, when DJ pulled that prank that made me think I’d fucked up and lost the mix I was working on. I was ready to rip his head off, but you got me to calm down again.”
“Glad to do it for you, babe,” Nikki said. He followed Janice’s car in through a gate after she punched in a security code, and they pulled up in front of a large house with an attached 3-car garage. “This looks promising already,” he commented.
“It does,” James agreed as they got out of the car and followed Janice to the door.
“Whoa,” Nikki murmured as they stepped into the entry hall and looked up at the vaulted ceiling, gracefully curving staircase, and the upper level’s balcony overlooking the formal living room with its fireplace to the left. “Fancy.”
Janice handed each of them a copy of the spec sheet. “I’ll wait in the living room so you two can explore the place without me hovering. But you’ll know where to find me if you have any questions.”
“Thanks,” James said.
He tugged Nikki in the opposite direction, checking out the huge kitchen with a walk-in pantry as well as the dining room and a comfortable-looking family room. Then they peeked downstairs at the luxurious media room and the space that the listing marked as a home gym, although if there had been any equipment in there, it was long gone.
“This might make a good studio,” Nikki commented.
“Yeah, it would,” James agreed. “Check out the bedrooms now?”
“Babe, I always wanna check out bedrooms when you’re around,” Nikki said playfully.
James blushed. “Nikki!”
“What?” his lover asked, attempting to look innocent. “Come on, let’s head up and check out the bedrooms.”
“Okay,” James said, still looking flustered. But before they went upstairs, he pulled Nikki in for a gentle kiss. “What do you think of the place so far?” he asked over his shoulder as he preceded Nikki on the stairs.
“It’s a little bit fancy, but I love the location, it is within Frankie-Jean’s school district,” Nikki told him as they made their way upstairs. “I love the privacy, only one neighbor directly adjacent to us. And the views are abso-fucking-lutely amazing.” He gave a saucy wink, knowing that his eyes were currently on level with his lover’s ass.
“Nikki!” James blushed once more. “What am I gonna do with you?” he laughed.
“Oh, I’m sure you can think of something,” Nikki countered. “Or I can. Either way works for me.”
“You’re incorrigible,” James laughed as they checked out one of the bedrooms.
“And you’re invited to incorrige me any time you want,” Nikki laughed, giving James a kiss and a firm squeeze on the ass.
“Down, boy,” James laughed, although his expression said that he didn’t exactly mind, and he returned that kiss with some interest. “We’ll be back to your place soon enough.”
“Not nearly soon enough,” Nikki said in a low, seductive tone.
James felt his breath catch as his body started to react to Nikki’s tone. “Nikki…” he protested weakly. “We shouldn’t… not here…”
“How about in here, then?” Nikki tugged James into the master suite and into the huge bathroom, then locked the door behind them. “I want this place, babe… I want it, and I want you. Here’s my dumbass superstition – we christen the place now, they’ll accept our bid.” He pulled James close against himself, grinding his erection against his lover.
“I… we… oh… I…” James wrapped his arms around Nikki, pressing even closer. He slipped his hands into Nikki’s back pockets and squeezed, even as he leaned in for a slow, burning kiss.
Nikki gave an approving rumble deep in his throat as he worked his hands under the waistband of James’s jeans to caress his ass. “Will you fuck me, babe? Bend me over that tub and make me beg for your touch?”
“Oh, shit, Nikki… we really shouldn’t…” But despite his words, James slipped his hands around to unfasten Nikki’s jeans. “You know I want that hot ass of yours, though.”
“Good,” Nikki purred, producing a small tube of lube from his front pocket before shimmying his hips to drop his jeans to his ankles. He handed James the lube and then unfastened his lover’s jeans as well, pushing them down and out of the way. “Wanna feel you inside me so bad…”
James couldn’t help but chuckle when Nikki handed him the lube. “Fucking Boy Scout, always prepared,” he teased as he coated his fingers. “Turn around, then, show me how much you want me.”
Nikki turned around and bent over, bracing himself on the waist-high soaking tub in the middle of the bathroom and making a point of rubbing his ass against his lover’s cock. “Please, babe,” he moaned. “Need you so much…”
“Oh yeah…” James breathed, slipping his finger into Nikki’s tight pucker. “Gonna get you nice and slick for me, then I’m gonna stuff you full, make you know you’re mine.”
“Fuck, yeah…” Nikki whimpered, thrusting back on that invading finger. “More…”
James added a second finger, thrusting harder and curling to find Nikki’s sweet spot. Leaning over Nikki’s back, he brushed his lover’s hair aside and nuzzled the back of his neck. “We’re probably stupid for doing this, but holy hell, you’re too hot to resist.”
“Hot for yo…ohhh!” Nikki gasped as his lover unerringly found his sweet spot. “Fuck… so good…”
“Tell me what you want,” James’s voice took on a slightly commanding tone as he added a third finger to Nikki’s passage. He kissed and licked a particularly sensitive spot behind Nikki’s ear, then nibbled lightly on his earlobe.
“I… I want… want you to fuck me,” Nikki panted out in between moans as he thrust back at his lover’s fingers. “Please…”
“As you wish,” James quoted The Princess Bride with a grin. He withdrew his fingers slowly and coated his cock, then positioned himself carefully and sank into his lover’s welcoming heat. “Love you so much, Nik.” He added more lube to his hand and reached around to stroke Nikki’s cock, his thumb teasing at the head.
“Oh fuck… right there,” Nikki gasped as James expertly thrust at the perfect angle to hit his sweet spot and stroked in perfect time with his thrusts. Sex in illicit places being a particular thrill for him, he knew he wouldn’t last long. “So fuckin’ good, babe… love you…”
James adored when Nikki turned into a pleading puddle of goo in his arms and increased the pace. “You love it when you know we’re fucking somewhere we shouldn’t be, yeah?” he asked in low, dangerous tone. “Such a naughty boy, yeah?”
“Yeah… and you love it,” Nikki riposted.
“Fuck yeah,” James agreed, thrusting faster and harder. “Mm, you’re so hot and tight around my cock… look so hot panting underneath me…” He leaned down again and lightly bit the back of Nikki’s neck, then slid his free hand down to cradle his lover’s balls, caressing lightly. “Gonna make you come so hard…”
“Oh…” Nikki whimpered at the feel of his lover’s hands caressing both cock and balls, shaking as he tried to keep his balance. “James… oh god… more… need… need…” His voice faded into incoherent moans as his cock throbbed in his lover’s hand.
“Do it, Nik… come for me…” James moaned, feeling his own climax building. “So close…” He leaned down and licked Nikki’s ear once more.
“James… oh… oh, fuck…” Nikki stuffed his hand in his mouth, muffling his cry to a soft whimper as he erupted over his lover’s hand.
“Nikki!” James muffled his own cry against his lover’s shoulder as he strained forward, spilling into Nikki’s tight heat. He stayed there for a long moment, pressing soft kisses over Nikki’s neck and shoulders. “I love you,” he murmured.
“Love you too,” Nikki replied a little breathlessly. “So very much.”
James straightened up and withdrew himself carefully, grabbing some toilet paper to clean up with. “Janice is gonna wonder if we got lost in here.” He handed Nikki some toilet paper as well.
“She’s not gonna say anything, babe. She’s got no way to know what we just did,” Nikki tried to reassure James. “It’s a big fucking house, it’s to be expected we take our time looking around.” He arranged a padding of the toilet paper inside his jeans and pulled them up.
James fixed his clothes as well and scrubbed at his hands, then bent down to wipe up Nikki’s cum from the side of the tub and the floor. “Best we don’t leave a mess behind, then,” he said with a blush and a grin.
Nikki leaned in and kissed him softly. “Smart man,” he said. “So, let’s go put in the offer.”
They made sure they looked reasonable and made their way down to where Janice waited. “We’re going for it,” Nikki said. “We want to put in an offer, full asking price.”
Janice beamed. “Wonderful!” she exclaimed. She pulled out her phone and sent a text off, smiling at the reply. “Right, then, follow me back to the office and we’ll get all the paperwork filled out.”
They did just that, going through all the necessary hoops both for them to own it jointly and to make sure that the other would have right of survivorship if anything happened to one of them. They put down a deposit, and spent the next week waiting for the offer to be accepted and the closing date set.
Once their offer was accepted, they each started packing their individual apartments in preparation for the move, and talking about how they wanted to decorate the place, paint colors for the bedrooms, curtains and rugs, and anything else they could think of. Whenever Frankie-Jean visited Nikki, he would talk to her about the house he and James were buying, and took her to look at paint samples so that she could pick what she wanted for her bedroom there.
On closing day, Nikki and James met Janice at their lawyer’s office to sign the paperwork and turn over the cashier’s check. Once they got the keys in their hands, they looked at each other and smiled. Janice and the lawyer shook hands with both of them.
“Congratulations, gentlemen, you’re now homeowners,” the lawyer said.
“Thank you,” Nikki and James chorused. After checking that they’d indeed signed everything necessary, they exited the office and climbed into Nikki’s car.
“So… what do we do first?” James asked. “Go buy the paint or what?”
“Or what,” Nikki said, a lascivious grin spreading over his face. “We still gotta christen the rest of the house.”