CARRYING HIS HOT BIKER'S PUPS

Andrei walked into the condo he shared with his fiancé Tom. Tom was up in the loft, as expected, in front of his massive easel. Andrei sighed as the canvas was blank, as it was most of the time. Tom kept promising that his next masterpiece would sell for the same price or more than the first, but he never seemed to be working on anything. It was beginning to weigh on Andrei, who worked nearly 12 hours a day at his soulless, corporate job. Brent, his cousin, had founded a successful business years before and had hired him early on.

Despite the high pay, the long, arduous hours were destroying him.

"Tom," said Andrei.

“Yes? " Andrei cringed as Tom's falsetto pierced the air.

"I thought I asked you to pick up the trash." Those tissues, by the way, are still on the table. You're going to make me ill! You know I can't afford to be absent from work. We'd be late on our rent once more."

"Of course," Tom said with a thick and playful French accent. "I'm sorry."

Everything was always his fault. Andrei's blood pressure had been rising since moving in with Tom. Dealing with his soul-sucking job might have been fine if he was still living in his cheap bungalow, but Tom insisted on finding something fancier, somewhere they could truly begin their lives together. But the thought of spending the rest of his life cleaning up after a slacker who was all talk and no action was the last thing Andrei wanted to do. Nonetheless, he had made a commitment. Perhaps Tom would eventually catch on and pick up the slack in the household. All one could do was hope.

Andrei had no time to argue with him. He'd been working all day and needed to sleep before the next shift. Brent's company was expecting a large shipment, and big deals were in the works. While Brent was on vacation in the Bahamas, Andrei was in charge, working double shifts to make ends meet and do whatever was necessary to keep the company running while Brent avoided phone calls.

Andrei flopped facedown onto the bed after a long, steaming shower and promptly fell into a deep sleep. During the night, he felt Tom's warm weight fall beside him. Normally, he would have wanted to wrap his arm around him, but neither of them had been in the mood for cuddling recently.

The next morning came and went like clockwork. Tom rolled over and smiled at Andrei when he awoke. Andrei's heart skipped a beat. It was difficult to remember why they were together at times, but that smile always helped.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Tom said.

"Morning," Andrei said, snuggling up against his shoulder.

"I forgot to ask how your day was yesterday?"

" Tom shifted his weight so their gazes could meet. "You were in such a hurry to shower that you didn't have time for us."

"Oh, it was delicious. We got some work from the wolf shifters in town. "I met with one of the alphas, and they were very impressed with Brent's plan."

"Wolfshifters?" Tom crinkled his nose. "They're such ferocious beasts, what's the point of doing business with them?"

Andrei's skin pricked; he had actually enjoyed his interaction with the wolf shifters the day before; they were a wild bunch, to be sure, but they were fiercely loyal, people you could look up to. Tom assumed they were filthy and ate from trash cans.

"Money is money," Andrei frowned.

"It's all too true," Tom said, "and as soon as I finish this canvas, we'll be rolling in it!"

Andrei gave Tom an indulgent smile, unsure when that would be.

"Of course," Andrei replied as he climbed out of bed to prepare for work.

On his way out of the apartment, he was irritated to see Tom's old tissues still stacked on top of Andrei's business magazines, and the trash bin still overflowing. The easel in the loft remained blank, and Tom snored loudly.

He arrived at the office as usual and worked like a mule for the next six hours. Andrei's cell phone buzzed in his pocket at 2:00 p.m.

“Yo! Cousin! I'm on my way to work now. Thank you for keeping the fort manned. Why don't you take the rest of the day off? ”

Andrei's heart pounded with joy as Brent hung up the phone. He'd be able to return home. Spend some time with Tom, perhaps. Take out the trash, without a doubt.

He jumped into his convertible and drove as fast as he could home. He hadn't been able to relax in a long time, and after two weeks of twelve-hour days, he felt he deserved it.

When he walked in, the condo was strangely quiet. Tom was neither snoring nor painting in the loft. Andrei stuffed his keys into his pocket and crept into Tom's room, hoping to find out what he wanted for dinner.

"Jesus, Christ!" " Andrei exclaimed disgustedly.

Tom was sleeping with another man in their bed. Someone he had claimed was just a gallery friend. He'd been hanging out a lot lately, and Andrei now knew why.

"This isn't what it appears to be!"

exclaimed Tom.

"Save it, you wuss!"

Andrei sobbed. "You are free to keep the condo. "I'm getting out of here as soon as possible."

Andrei packed his belongings and kicked the trash can over as he walked away. He should have foreseen this. Tom was destined to fail from the start. He'd have to start all over again.