Bad Decisions

Chapter Seven

-Devin-

Monday morning, Devin walked out to the truck and was surprised to see that Avery was gone and Marc was standing there by a different truck.

"You're going with me today," Marc said as he approached.

Devin let a smirk spread across his face. This was a pleasant surprise indeed. He'd be able to stare at Marc all day, and if he got lucky, maybe he'd be able to do more than stare. He hadn't gotten the chance to interact with Marc much, and he was looking forward to having some time alone with the man.

Marc didn't say a lot on their drive to the work site, but this suited Devin just fine. It seemed as though he and Marc would get along if Marc didn't see much need for talking either. Instead, he furtively took in Marc's dark hair, five o'clock shadow and the faint laugh lines around his brown eyes. Marc was probably at least a decade older than him, but he didn't care. He'd hooked up with plenty of men older than him. Age didn't matter when a man was as hot as Marc.

At the site, Marc explained what they were doing and then set to work. Devin did what he was told, but he kept his eyes on Marc, watching his biceps as they flexed. He'd love to sink his teeth into the area between Marc's shoulder and neck as he fucked him hard. He'd even settle for sucking him off. He imagined that Marc was probably packing a lot more than Avery. Avery was just average.

When Marc paused his work to take a tool to the truck, Devin decided now was his chance.

He walked up to Marc and put a hand on one of his biceps, his thumb slowly rubbing Marc's skin. "Want to take a break?" he asked, his voice low.

"I'm straight, Devin."

"I know," he continued, running a hand down Marc's chest. "But you also don't have a lot of options out here. A mouth is a mouth, and I promise you won't be disappointed."

Marc knocked his hand away. "No thanks."

"You were the one who caught my eye. You're a lot hotter than Avery," he said, giving it one last shot.

"Leave Avery alone," Marc told him, turning away and getting another tool out of the bed of the truck.

Frustrated, he stood by the truck and scowled. Sometimes he got lucky with straight men, but today wasn't one of those times. He sighed and got back to work. He'd just have to settle for Avery while he was here.

-Avery-

While he'd enjoyed the break from Devin, he missed being able to talk to someone else while he worked. Sometimes they'd work in pairs, but he'd been doing a lot of solo work for the past few months. He was happy to join the others for dinner, but he didn't see Devin.

Sam sat down next to him and immediately broached the topic of Devin. "So, Marc," she asked, looking across the table. "How was working with Devin?"

"Not as painful as I thought it'd be. Although, he tried to come on to me."

"No way!" Sam exclaimed, starting to laugh. Even Peter raised his eyebrows.

"He has no shame," Marc continued, shaking his head. "But at least he let it go once he realized I wasn't going for it."

"He's going to find himself in some trouble if he tries that with the wrong person," Peter said. "He's lucky we're all accepting and laid back here."

"That's true. And I'd rather him be a problem for us than for you two," Marc said, glancing at Amanda and Sam.

Avery half smiled, knowing he was lucky that his coworkers were open-minded, had accepted him instantly, and all looked out for each other. He had been a bit anxious when he started working for the forest service, but he'd had no need to worry with this group.

At the same time, he felt a bit hurt. Why was Devin trying to hook up with someone who was straight? Was Devin bored with him or not happy with what they were doing? He thought back to the time at one of the work sites when he'd blown Devin and Devin had kept his eyes closed. Devin had seemed like he was barely into it, and when they'd hooked up on their hike yesterday, Devin had been rough again.

He snapped out of it when he realized Sam was talking to him. "Sorry, what?"

"I was asking if Devin has hit on you. I'm assuming that since he tried it with Marc, who isn't gay, then he's definitely tried it with you."

He felt his face flush. The last thing he needed was any attention brought to the fact that he and Devin were both gay. He didn't want his coworkers wondering if he'd taken Devin up on his offer. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't sidestep the question.

"Yeah, he has," he admitted.

"How long did it take him to do that?"

"About twenty minutes after he got here."

Marc snorted out a laugh and Peter shook his head disapprovingly. Avery was afraid that they were going to ask more questions, but fortunately Devin chose that moment to finally make an appearance.

"What's for dinner?" he asked, taking a seat at the end of the table.

"Zucchini pasta," Amanda replied.

Devin made a face. "That's vegetarian."

"Beggars can't be choosers, Devin," Peter told him, getting up from the table. "If you want something specific, you're more than welcome to cook for the group."

"Amanda's zucchini pasta is great," Avery chimed in. "It's got lemon and garlic and it's nice to have something fresh after eating a sandwich for lunch most days."

"I thought we'd have food with meat since we're doing manual labor all day," Devin replied. His tone turned casual, which Avery had come to discover meant that Devin's next words were going to be anything but casual. "Although, I guess meat isn't all that easy to get around here. I didn't get any at lunch," Devin said, glancing pointedly over at Marc. "Maybe Avery can give me some for dinner," he continued, turning his gaze to Avery, his stare so intense that Avery immediately blushed.

"Wow," Sam said, incredulous. "You are unbelievable. We should just call you Devil instead."

Marc tried to hide a laugh, and Peter turned around from the stove. "Not appropriate, Devin," he said, his voice firm.

"Okay, Dad," Devin mocked, getting up from the table. "Sorry for ruining the family dinner." He left without taking any food.

"I thought you said he was over it," Amanda commented, looking at Marc.

Marc shrugged. "Maybe he took the rejection harder than I thought."

"Or maybe he's just an asshole," Sam insisted. She looked over at Avery. "Are you sure you don't want to ask Mitch to assign him to one of us for a while? If that's what you have to deal with every day, I don't know how you haven't snapped."

"Avery's a lot more patient and good natured than the rest of us," Peter said. "But I don't want him to get taken advantage of by Devin. If Devin's becoming a problem, let me know."

"It's okay," he said. "I still want to try with him. And I'm sorry about all that."

"Sorry about what?" Sam asked. "What do you have to be sorry for?"

"That Devin is proving the stereotype about hitting on everyone, whether they're gay or not."

"Avery," Sam scolded. "That is not what we think. Don't you apologize on behalf of Devin just because you're gay. You're nothing like him, and in fact, we have a great impression of gay men because we know you. Devin's behavior isn't because he's gay, it's because he's a spoiled, selfish jerk."

"She's right," Peter said. "Don't waste your time worrying about it, Avery."

"Thanks, everyone," he replied, smiling at his coworkers.

"You're a brave guy to still want to work with him," Amanda said. "But if anyone can get through to him, it'd be you."

He hoped she was right.