Charles disrobed, deliberately brushing provocatively against his lover's cock, smiling as he entered the shower.

He turned on the water, waiting for the steam to welcome him into the much needed respite. As he stepped into the scalding water, he allowed his mind to drift back to Andy, and the relationship that grew increasingly uncomfortable. Andy was a nice guy, but the sexual tension, the fact that he'd shared Joseph's bed made him grow more and more unsettled. He wished he could be as "forward thinking" as Joe, but for him it just seemed the more he thought about it, the less he was okay with any of it. As he allowed his mind to drift, he realized the water was turning cold quickly. Absently he turned off the water, resting his head against the heated tile wall.

I want to resolve this... now! His thoughts turned to how to tell Joe he wasn't okay with him having Andy in his life. It put them at risk, and it wasn't something Charles wanted to deal with. After drying off, he quickly tossed on a robe and padded quietly downstairs, hoping to find Joseph still enjoying his morning ritual of cereal and coffee. As he rounded the corner toward the kitchen, he overheard Joseph talking to someone in the kitchen. Within a second he recognized the voice. Andy. Charles knew he should enter, and announce his presence, but curiosity, as well as a certain level of distrust caused him to wait outside, listening to the conversation.

"Look, Joseph, you have to tell him now! I won't be part of this deception of yours. I know you think its best, and you're trying to protect Braden, but you have no right to keep this from him. He's a good kid, and you owe it him to be honest!" Andy's was growing in pitch and confrontational in tone.

"Don't fucking presume to tell me how to deal with Braden! It is none of your fucking business! For that matter you inconsiderate prick, neither is Charles. If you think I'm going to sit idly by while you use Braden to get back into my lover's pants, you are sadly mistaken. I should never allowed this to continue. I knew you would be trouble."

"I'm not trying to steal Charles!"

"Then why the fuck, would you bring Braden into this? Tell you what, If you mention his name again, I'm going to break you in half. Is that specific enough?" Joseph's words reverberated in the large kitchen.

"I know that your first responsibility is to Bre..."

"I wasn't kidding..." Joseph warned

"I just don't think you're treating Charles right. He deserves to know. That's all."

"You let me worry about Charles, now get the fuck out! While I'm at it, you need to leave Charles alone. I'm not okay with this. I'm not okay with it at all! I want him to want me, not you! I love him. Goddamnit!"

"I know you do, you ignorant fuck! That's why you owe it to him to tell him."

Charles began backing slowly up the stairs, as he rounded the corner out of sight of the doorway, he sat down on the top step. His mind reeled. There was a certain part of him that swelled with an unfamiliar feeling of happiness. Joe loved him. He did. That realization made his heart sing.

The feeling was short lived though. The name Andy kept mentioning, Braden, wouldn't leave his mind. He rose as he heard the door slam and Joseph's footsteps approaching the bottom of the stairway. He hurriedly padded toward the bathroom. As he took a bottle of cologne and spritzed himself liberally with the scent, he sensed the presence of his lover in the doorway.

"Enjoying the view?"

"Of course."

Charles turned to see his lover, fully dressed and ready for work.

"I do love you. I have a meeting this morning. Can we do dinner tonight at Mangioni's? We have some things we need to discuss."

Charles' heart sank. God, he's still seeing someone else, this Braden guy. He probably wants a threesome or something. He didn't want to share Joseph with anyone, not Andy, not whoever this Braden guy was. "Sounds serious."

"Nah, I just need to talk to you about something."

"Why not now? Just get it out."

"It'll have to wait." Joseph pecked him on the mouth. "I have work."

"I thought you were off work today?"

"I got called in at the last minute."

"Okay, baby, we'll talk later." Charles reassured his lover. He was thankful he'd opted not to discuss the other man.