Date: Sat, 28 Dec 2013 17:07:30 -0500
From: Lewd Shrewd <lewdandshrewd@gmail.com>
Subject: The Chemistry Professor, chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is a work of gay, erotic fiction; please do not read if it
is illegal for you to do so.  This work is entirely fictional; any
resemblances to real people, events, or institutions are coincidental.

Please direct any comments, suggestions, or questions to
lewdandshrewd@gmail.com.

Thanks, and enjoy!

-Lewdandshrewd

Chapter 1

I sat on the train, paging through the free newspaper I had picked up in
the station, mindlessly skimming stories about Obamacare and the
Kardashians; my mind was elsewhere.

I had just finished the first day of my new job as an assistant professor
of chemistry at a small Catholic university in Chicago.  The day had gone
well; it had mostly consisted of meetings with deans, human resources
representatives, and other members of my department.  Students weren't
scheduled to arrive several weeks, and I was eager to get my office in
order and preparations for the classes I would be teaching underway.

My small office was nestled in a back corner of the science building, on
the third floor; new professors weren't offered prime locations.  A couple
of teaching labs, two classrooms, a conference room, a small kitchenette,
and a pair of bathrooms filled out my isolated wing of the building.  I had
spent much of the evening setting up my desk, organizing my bookshelves,
and putting pictures of my friends and family up on the walls – I was
planning to spend a lot of time at work, and I wanted to make it a personal
space.

Just as I had been putting my computer in my briefcase and putting my
jacket on to leave, my new coworker James – another untenured chemistry
professor – stopped by my office.

"Looks like you're getting settled in, Rob; glad to see it.  We're very
happy to have you join the department, and are excited to see what you'll
be doing with the outdated inorganic chemistry curriculum."  James gave me
a warm smile and a firm handshake; I couldn't help noticing how strong his
grip was, and how that smile seemed to reach his eyes.

"I'm happy to be here.  I was nervous about coming to a Catholic school,
but it seems great so far," I replied, as I shrugged my jacket into place.

"It's also really nice to have another young professor in the department;
it's just been me, Alice, and the five geezers for the last two years,"
James said, chuckling.  "Alice is fantastic – both as a teacher and a
friend – but having another young guy around will be great.  Let's grab
a beer after work tomorrow; I'll show you one of my favorite bars near
campus."  His smile continued to glow.

"I'd like that," I replied.  "I'm so new to the area, I don't know any
decent spots, and I always enjoy a good IPA."  I tried to sound like the
friendly professional, despite the fact that I couldn't keep myself from
wondering if I'd just been asked on a date.

"Great.  We can talk beer, chemistry, and `Da Bears.'"  My heart sank.  I
loved beer and chemistry, but football – or was it basketball? – was
not my strong suit, and I wanted to make a good first impression on my new
colleague.  "See you tomorrow.  I'll swing by here around 6."

James turned to leave, and promptly tripped over his own untied shoelaces.
I stifled a chuckle.  As he bent over to tie his shoe, he murmured, "We're
scientists; we're supposed to be clumsy, right?"

I laughed outright at his self-deprecating joke, knowing he wasn't far off;
most of the chemists I knew were either awkward, clumsy, or just plain
strange.  James had that rare combination of nerdiness, humor, and
self-confidence that I admired.  I strove for it, but tended to be a little
shy.

Standing back up, James asked, jokingly, "Anything else wrong with me?"  I
did a quick once-over and was embarrassed to notice one thing James might
want to know about.

"James, uhhh, your fly's open," I muttered, smirking, trying to make it
sound like a joke.  I didn't want him to think I'd normally be checking out
his crotch, even though I already had earlier that day, during a meeting
when he had given a brief report on the organic chemistry curriculum.

James, the smile never leaving his face, said, "Well, dammit; I always
forget to zip up after I swing down to the bathrooms over here!"  He made
no attempt to turn away as he reached both hands down to fumble at his
zipper, and I tried to keep my eyes on his face instead of his pants, which
seemed a little tighter than they had when he walked in.  Finally put
together, James said, "Well, welcome, Rob.  Look forward to drinks
tomorrow.  Have a good night!"  And he walked away down the hall.

My eyes caught on the words "same-sex marriage" in the newspaper, and I was
jolted back to my surroundings on the train.  Oklahoma had finally
relented, after a drawn out state Supreme Court trial, and had just become
to the 43rd state to legalize same-sex marriages.

"Addison" blared over the train speakers, and I shoved my newspaper into my
bag and scurried off the train.  I walked the three blocks to my new
apartment, a two-bedroom place in Wrigleyville.  Walking through the front
door, I was greeted by my roommate, Lisa, with a loud "Welcome home,
honey!"  Lisa was my best friend from graduate school in DC, where we both
got our PhDs in chemistry from the same lab. She and I had done our
post-docs in different cities – mine in Boston, hers in Seattle – but
we were thrilled to find out we'd both gotten jobs in Chicago at the same
time.  We decided to live together, on the conditions that we weren't to
expect each other to be our entire social lives, we were to cook our own
food, and we weren't to interfere in the others' sex lives.  I was fine
with that, considering that Lisa's sex life almost exclusively involved
vaginas.

"Supper ready, dear?" I replied, and we both chuckled, knowing that I was
on my own for my dinner.  We were great friends, and joked about living
like husband and wife, but we were very pleased with our mutual
independence.

"Get any head on your first day, Rob?"  Lisa was, to put it mildly, saucy.
And away from work, I could be, too.

"No, but the organic professor, James, is fucking sexy."  He was exactly
the kind of guy that tended to catch my eye, though I had broad tastes:
medium height – 5'10" or so, with very dark hair, a strong jaw, a
well-trimmed beard, a sense of style that accentuated his physique, bright
blue eyes, and a gleaming smile.  "And he walked into my office with his
fly down," I added.

"This sounds promising," Lisa grinned.  "Just don't drool over him in front
of your students."

"I'll get over it; I suppose I have to.  I can't ruin my first real job by
sexually harassing a coworker!  Besides, he wants to grab a beer after work
tomorrow and talk sports."

"Ah, so he's straight.  Maybe I should join you; I haven't had any dick
since that threesome with Ann and her boyfriend back in grad school.
Dildos just aren't the same."

"Oh, shut up, Lisa.  Let me have my fantasy, even if I can't have him!"

"Well, you better get laid soon; we've been here a month already and I'm
tired of NOT finding condoms in the trash."  Lisa and I were very open
about our sex lives – our whole lives, really – and lovingly hassled
each other all the time.

I let the comment pass; it had been nearly two months since I'd even gotten
blown, and even longer since I'd had "real" sex.  I knew I was a good
looking guy – quite a catch, in fact, though I'd never say that out loud
– but sex wasn't the only thing on my mind, especially with the recent
move to Chicago and the new job.

Dinner was macaroni and cheese and frozen peas; I had been so caught up
with getting ready for work that I hadn't been grocery shopping the last
week.  I sat down with a glass of wine and my bachelor food, and mindlessly
watched re-runs of Breaking Bad until midnight rolled around.

I yawned as the third set of credits rolled by on the TV, and decided to
head to bed.  Lisa had gone to bed hours ago; she had to be up much earlier
than I did.  As I stripped off my clothes, brushed my teeth, and took a
piss in preparation for bed, I felt myself getting a little aroused
wondering what was in James' pants.  I fell asleep rock hard, and had
fantastic dreams.