Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2016 13:32:38 -0700
From: fullmetalocelot12@gmail.com
Subject: Ashton and Noah Part I

	First off, a few things you should be aware of. 1) This is my first
story for Nifty.  I, the author of this story give Nifty all rights,
privileges etc for the storing of story on their servers.  All rights
reserved.  This story may not be displayed on any other website. 2) I know
there are a lot of stories that are good for quick orgasms.  This is not
one of them.  In this chapter, we meet our two main characters.  This story
is intended to unfold over several chapters.  There will be sex, feel free
to jerk yourself or finger yourself to orgasm.  Whatever you do, enjoy
yourself.  3) If the content or even idea of sex offends you, or you're a
minor or it's against your religion, stop reading.  If you're going to
continue, sit back, relax, and enjoy the story.  At the end of the story
will be my contact information.


	The best part of being a bestselling author?  Making your own
schedule.  Some days I slept until noon and wrote and edited until late
into the night.  Other days when a good idea was in my head, I'd get up at
seven AM, and write and edit for several hours, forgetting to eat or drink.
Another good part?  Money.  I had purchased a rather large estate in a
wooded forest back east.  I had just gotten word a few weeks ago that
everything had been remodeled to my designs.

	As I had just finished up my latest book tour, I decided that it
was a sign I should go unwind for a few weeks.  I packed the essentials.
Cell phone charger, clothes, laptop, laptop charger, and some snacks for
the road.  If I'd forgotten anything, I could pick it up later.  You may
think that I'd be tired of travelling, but this was for me.  Not for my
fans, or the conventions I'd attended, or the thousands of books I'd
signed.  It was time to relax.

	Dropping my bags into trunk of my car, I locked up the house and
set the alarm.  I started the car, and set the radio to a favorite station
of mine.  Classical music poured out of the speakers.  Classical?  Yes,
classical music.  It may be boring to many people, perhaps yourself as
well, but to me, it was relaxing.  Not to the point of falling asleep
relaxing, but enough to help wash away the stress and pressure I'd been
under in the past few months.

	Rolling down the highway, it was relaxing.  Humming along with the
music, I flicked on the wipers as it began to rain.  After a moment, I
flicked on the headlights as well for a safety measure.  After a few hours,
it was close to dark.  Not really caring about standards, I pulled off at a
random highway motel.  Pulling into a space in front of the office, I got
out, stretched, and brushed any crumbs from my shirt.  Crackers may taste
good, but they're not so good for being mess free.  Patting my pants pocket
to make sure I had my wallet, I hit the button on the key fob to lock the
doors and ambled into the office.  I surrendered my debit card and driver's
license for a few moments, and was rewarded with a room.

	Nothing of consequence happened during the night. I arrived at the
small town two miles away from my new digs.  I knew there would be no food
when I arrived, so I stopped at the small grocery store first.  The lot was
virtually empty, so I was able to get a spot right by the doors.  I could
see an employee sweeping the sidewalks a little distance away.  They had
their back to me, and with their blonde hair hanging to their shoulders, I
couldn't identify the gender either.  Locking the car, I entered the store
and grabbed a cart.

	Walking the aisles, I was able to see that though it wasn't busy,
the employees made sure to keep the shelves organized, and the store clean.
Not knowing the layout, I started on aisle one, and decided to go down
every aisle and grab what I needed before getting perishables like milk or
meat.  The aisle I started on was full of toiletries.  Soaps, body washes,
shampoos, and the like.  Grabbing familiar brands, I moved onto the next
aisle.

	It wasn't until I was browsing the produce section that I ran into
the employee again.  It could only be the same one.  Same blonde hair, same
small frame.

	"Hi, looking for anything in particular, sir?" he queried.

	"Not really, just stocking up on everything?" I responded, eyeing
his small frame, and judging his age to be no more than twelve.  His blue
eyes twinkled as he smiled at me.  Clearly he was taking me in as much as I
was taking him in.

	"Everything?  Did someone steal all your food?" he asked me with a
grin and a wink. Flirting?  I'm not sure.  Maybe he was friendly.  After
all, there are many books about friendly people in small towns.  I should
know.  I've written a book or two about them.

	Bagging the potatoes I was looking at, I decided to keep it
neutral, but on the warm side.  "No, I'm new to town.  I purchased the big
cabin east of town.  It belonged to someone named..." I faltered as I
couldn't remember the name of the previous owner.  Heck, I couldn't even
remember the reason why it was up for sale.

	"Old man Wethers.  He got too old and had dementia.  His kids stuck
him in a home.  People think that it was really to get to his money.  He
had plenty of it.  He owned a logging company decades ago, and then the
industry got stricter in regulations.  Rather than bow down to the almighty
government, he sold the company and made a mint."

	Wow.  Not only was he talkative and smart about the business of
others, but he had a nice cadence to his voice, and a soft pleasing voice.
I easily could have listened to him for hours.  Mentally slapping my face,
I wondered what I was thinking.  He was just a kid.  I was here to relax,
and have some alone time!

	"Yeah.  That place.  It's mine, and I've had it remodeled and I
decided I'd spend some time there.  Make sure everything is in order.
First though, I needed some food."  I pushed my car to examine the onions,
hoping that would be the end of it, yet also hoping he'd follow me and
continue talking with that sweet voice of his.

	"I hope it's a nice place for you."

	He HAD followed me.  I wasn't sure if he was just being polite
because he was an employee, or if he wanted to see what the place looked
like now.  He had the adorable ruffian aura about him.  Rather like an
American Oliver Twist.  I picked out two different types of onions and
bagged them separately.

	"If I may ask, why'd you get different onion types?  People here
usually buy one type or the other." Smiling internally at how sweet his
voice sounded, I turned to him.

	"These are sweet onions," I said, holding up the bag.  "They're
ideal for meals cooked in a crock pot.  Whereas these others are more ideal
for frying in a pan with some ground beef."  Placing the onions in my cart,
I realized I didn't know where the meat department was located.  If wanted
meat in my crock pot, or frying pan, I'd need directions.  Here was an
opportunity to use his name, and see how it felt in my mouth.

	With a quick glimpse at his name tag, I said "Where is the meat
department, Noah?  It's my final stop before checking out."

	Smiling, he turned and said "Follow me". Obediently, I followed
him, admiring his graceful posture, and nearly smooth style of walking.  He
had a bit of a limp or something, and his right foot wasn't keeping quite
in time with his left.  Regardless, I didn't query him about it, as I
didn't want to embarrass the lad.

	Guiding me to the meat counter, he looked around, and saw that it
was deserted.  Shaking his head, he looked at me with an apologetic look,
and stepped behind the counter.  Though he could barely see over it, he
moved as if he had been behind there many times.

	"Mike is probably on the truck dock, having a smoke.  He likes to
sneak off because we're so slow. Anyway, what can I get you, sir?"

	"Well," I said with a grin at how professional he looked, "I'd like
some pork chops please.  Say, half a dozen."  I pointed at the ones I was
referring to.  "Also, I'm sure you have to do the polite thing and use
manners because the store requires it, but call me Ashton.  Sir makes me
feel so old.  I'm not quite in my mid-thirties, and I assure you, I feel
quite young."

	Wrapping up my chops, he asked me "How'd you be able to afford a
place like old man Wethers's?  Most people your age around here still live
with their mommas if they aren't married." Placing the price sticker on my
meat, (no pun intended) he handed it over to me.

	Well now.  This was a question.  Should I admit who I was, and risk
rabid fans seeking me out in my new sanctuary?  Should I lie and say I was
a stock market person? Not knowing the difference between an option and a
bond, I opted for the truth.

	"I'm an author," I said, looking at the ground beef. "May I have
five one pound packages of the ground beef, please?"

	"Sure," he said, with that killer grin of his.  I was liking this
kid Noah more and more.  "Anything I might have read?"

	Belatedly, I realized I hadn't even given my name yet.  I decided
to correct that in a hurry.  "I'm Ashton Ridgeway.  I write the Thomas
Halberd novels."  I had no idea if there was library or even a bookstore in
this small town.  Indeed, I had no idea if my books had even made it to a
small town like this.

	"Oh!  They're awesome!  On my breaks, I check out the book section
and read them.  We have everyone you've written!  We're the only place to
get books in town, and so we do a decent business in your books."

	Handing me the ground beef, he tilted his head, and asked me "Do
you mind if I call the store manager over here?  He'd like to know that an
author stopped by."

	Shrugging, I said "Sure.  I'm done here at the counter.  I'm moving
down to the steaks and such."

	"Okay, one sec!"

	As I was selecting some steaks and sliced lunch meats, I head his
angelic voice over the speaker "Fish to the meat department, Fish to the
meat department."  I nearly lost it at that.  I didn't know if it was a
pun, or if Fish was the manager's actual name.  Either way, I thought it
was funny.

	Moments later, a tall brawny guy came over, led by Noah.  I
extended my hand. "Hey there.  I'm Ashton Ridgeway."

	He extended his hand and shook mine.  "Pleasure.  I'm Mister
Fischer, but I get called Fish because I bring in the fish to the store.
I'm also the store owner, so I'm pretty busy mornings.  Noah tells me
you're about done with your shopping.  While your items are rung up, I was
wondering if you'd be willing to sign the books we have on the shelves.
Your items would be on the house as repayment."

	I'd normally sign my books for free, if a store manager asked, but
considering how much I'd bought, I decided a bit of bartering was in order.
Shaking his hand to seal the deal, I allowed Noah to take my cart to the
front, and myself to be led to the book section.  It wasn't huge by any
standards, but they had my books there, so I agreed to sign them.

	After signing them, and even posing for a few photographs (I swear
I'm going to go blind with all the flashbulbs I'm exposed to) Noah pushed
my cart out to my car.  Normally, I don't accept help out, but when he
asked, Noah flashed me his million dollar grin, and I couldn't say no.
When I was signing books, Fish had told me that Noah came from a broken
home, and that he was jack of all trades around the store.  Noah helped out
with miscellaneous tasks, and was paid cash under the table so he could buy
food to survive.  I also got the impression that his father took what money
he could, and drank it away.

	Mentally shaking my head to get it focused, I directed Noah to load
my groceries in the trunk.  He was able to stuff them in there pretty well.
After shutting the trunk, and making sure it was secure, I turned to him.

	"Thanks for the assist.  Old men like me aren't as strong as young
people like you." I said this with a grin, so he knew I was joking."

	Grinning again, he said "I'll make sure the pharmacy has a walker
for you next time so you don't have to hold onto your cart all the time."
This kid was all right.
	"Well, I should go before my frozen stuff melts too much.  I'll see
you around, eh?"  I didn't want to seem like some old pervert, so instead
of hugging him like I wanted, I settled for shaking his hand.  It was soft
and warm.  Just perfect.

	He saw that I pressed a few dollars into his hand, like I did when
I greeted bouncers at nightclubs. "There's no need to tip me, I was just
doing my job." Noah protested.

	"Where I come from, we tip for good service, regardless if it's
their job or not.  You've helped me a lot.  I've made a friend, you helped
me where things were in your store, and you got everything loaded better
than I ever could."  It was true.  While I'm excellent at writing books, I
haven't the faintest idea how to properly load groceries in the trunk.  I
just knew bread and eggs on top.

	He began to roll the cart back into the store.  "See ya later
Ashton!" he called over his shoulder, blonde hair swinging and reflecting
sunlight.

	"Have a great day, Noah!" I called, waving.

	I got into my car, and started it up.  The radio was off.  I'd
tried to get a radio station, but apparently the surrounding mountains
blocked the signals.  In cases like these, I'd use my phone for music, but
I needed it for the GPS.  I'd never actually been to my new cabin.  I had
used Skype with the realtor and builders.  Checking out Noah's departing
figure in my rearview mirror, I realized that my first friend was a twelve
year old kid.  Didn't matter to me, really.  Friends are friends.  Shifting
into first, I got my phone settled in the dashboard cradle.  With Siri
directing me to my new place, I pondered what the future would hold for me
here.


	Well, that's the end of chapter I.  I hoped you liked the
introduction to our characters.  I know hot sex scenes didn't happen in
this chapter, but something may happen next chapter.  I have the outline,
but need to flesh it out.  Like I said, this is going to happen over
several chapters, so hang in there.
	Questions?  Comments?  Smart remarks?  Feel free to email me at:
fullmetalocelot12@gmail.com I can't promise I'll respond to everything, but
I'll do my best.