Power Surge: Hot, dirty—and powerful

Surging competition leads to electrifying desire

Ridley and Sons; an electrician company founded by my grandfather. It was the only time where I can remember feeling truly part of a team. Sports had never been my thing. Sure, I'd played football in high school but so had a lot of other guys that weren't necessarily into sports so much as wanting to get a little exercise, please their parents, and get close to the cheerleaders.

That had never been my thing either. Cheerleaders. Girls in general. I thought it was my thing for a while when I was in high school. Until Cindy and I had found ourselves in a closet alone during a party. Someone had suggested a game of spin the bottle.

It had been beyond awkward. Cindy was all for it. I was good-looking for a young guy. Tall, dark hair, chiseled features, and a body I was proud of—muscular and lean. And I was popular. Being on the football team; that was an automatic perk. But as soon as Cindy laid her hands on me, my body's revolt against her touch had been swift. And embarrassing. She had stormed out of that closet, leaving me to sit in it—afraid to come out.

Talk about living through a metaphor.

I had assumed I would be into girls. I found them attractive enough, but truth be told, looking back, I had always been much more interested in the guys around me. I could remember—group showers had been agonizing. At first, I had thought, I was simply comparing my body to theirs. Height, muscle development, and definition— how high their asses sat upon their powerful thighs.

The size of their cocks.

… what they would feel like in my mouth.

Idiot.

I yanked the covering off the wire I was stripping. It was a simple job today installing new light fixtures in a renovated house. All the electrical housing was there. I had completed that weeks ago before the drywallers showed up. Today was just a matter of hanging chandeliers, attaching wall sconces, and ceiling lights, and affixing some exterior lights outside the doors.

We were lucky to have secured the job. For the past two generations, my family company had been the frontrunner in town. When you needed fast, reliable electrical work done, you called Ridley and Sons. But a new company had moved into town about seven months back and they were giving us a run for our money. Undercutting us at every turn. I had been doing my best to keep costs down so we could stay competitive, but the changes were making my life difficult.

My grandfather was long gone, and my dad had retired a few years back. It was up to me now, to keep the family business running. I had taken it in my stride best I could.

I pocketed my wire stripper.

Scott Tandy. That was my competitor's name. He had moved into town and put down roots, buying a home and setting up his business. Not sure if he was a first-time business owner, but he seemed to know what he was doing. And from what I had heard, he was a damned good electrician. That made competition with him even more infuriating. I couldn't tell potential clients that the reason his rates were cheaper than ours was that his work was inferior.

I would never lie about something like that. That's not how I run our business; how my dad and grandfather taught me to run our business. I was honest to a fault.

To your detriment.

My phone whistled. Text message. I pulled the phone from my pocket. It was my mom inviting me to my childhood home for dinner. I had been out on my own for nearly twenty years, but my mom didn't like the fact I was alone. Dinner invitations came often from her.

Not tonight, though. Tonight, I was grabbing a bite to eat at the pub and then doing a bit of cruising. It was Friday night, after all. And I was horny. One downfall of living on your own without a significant other, one had to go looking for a nice bit of cock out in the world.

I brushed my hands off on my jeans. It was quitting time. Still light out, though. I scrubbed my hands through my hair. Plenty of time for a shower to freshen up.

---

The pub was crowded but I managed to get a seat at the bar. I looked around but couldn't see anyone familiar which was unusual. I had grown up in that town. Everyone knew everyone. But recently, more and more, new people were moving into town, priced out of the housing market in the more popular, highly populated cities. Young families were willing to make the longer commute in order to participate in homeownership. Young families and competing electricians had found a new home in our quiet town on the outskirts of Tucson.

I took a sip of my beer. As soon as I finished dinner, I would be headed to the big city. It was possible I would hit a gay venue or two, but for the most part, Tucson was pretty accepting of the LGBTQ+ community, and you could usually find like-minded guys wherever you happened to settle for the night.

I tucked the giant burger I ordered away neatly, finished the last of my beer, and headed for the gents. I stopped partway across the floor once I was inside the door. I recognized the guy standing at the urinal. I had never spoken to him before, but I knew him. Scott Tandy, my competitor. My nemesis and pain in my ass. I had seen his face on the business cards he left behind on people's counters after giving them an estimate.

I released a heavy sigh and stepped up beside him. I peered over at him. I couldn't help but notice, even Scott's profile looked better than his business card picture.

"It's Cameron, isn't it?" Scott shook off then turned to face me. Now, normally, I wouldn't be keen to engage in a conversation while standing at a urinal, but Scott seemed undeterred by the sight of me finishing up and tucking everything back behind my fly.

"Yeah … Scott, right?"

Scott raised both hands in the air. "Just a sec." He headed for the sinks and dumped a copious amount of soap into his hand then lathered up. I joined him. After we had both dried our hands, he extended his hand toward me. "Let's try this again."

I took a firm hold of his hand, shaking it. "Pleasure to meet you." He smiled at me. His eyes crinkled near the corners, capturing my attention. They were blue with specks of grey, and his lashes … damn. Not only was the guy a talented electrician—he was gorgeous.

Scott's lips parted slightly before he spoke, exposing the tip of his tongue.

My cock warmed against my thigh at the sight of it.