"How's it going, boys?" I leaned in to greet each of them with a kiss on the cheek. Noah dove forward and slipped me the tongue. That fucker. He was always pulling tricks. I pinched his nipple hard. He yelped, then laughed.
My friendship with Rick and Noah was strictly platonic. We started coming to the bathhouse around the same time when we were new to the scene. They were both young like I was, and both were getting out of serious relationships—again, like I was.
The three of us hit it off and I was attracted to both of them. Rick had a smooth, twinkish look about him; the poor guy couldn't grow facial hair if his life depended on it. Noah had tight, lean muscles, and colorful tattoos that covered his arms.
We tried to arrange a threesome together, but it ended up being an embarrassing disaster for all of us.
On that fateful night, Noah was too nervous to get hard, and Rick had a sensitive stomach. Let's just say Rick wasn't quite as prepared as he thought he was.
The mood was shot and I was left with a painful case of blue balls. We became the best of friends after that and supported each other as we navigated the awkward politics of the bathhouse.
"Hey, have you seen the new guy?" Rick whispered, nodding toward the back of the steam room.
I searched through the fog for an unfamiliar face. It seemed I knew everyone in there, either through personal experience or at least seeing them around. Finally, my eyes landed on the prize, taking in the stranger's silhouette.
He was an ox of a man with a salt and pepper beard, and a dense crown of ebony hair that faded into tightly tapered and buzzed sides. His eyes were shut, his head rested against the tiled wall. I admired his body, thick but solid.
"Fuuuck me," I murmured.
Rick nodded. "I knew you'd want to check him out. We spotted him earlier in the shower. Dick like a brick."
"Well, who is he?"
Noah shrugged. "They just call him 'Bear.' A couple of guys were talking about him. Apparently, he's got, like, magic powers. He just looks at you and knows exactly what you need. One guy said sex with him wastranscending." He emphasized the last word with air quotes.
"Transcending?" I tried it on for size.
Bear's eyelids rose up, revealing two smoldering coals. His stare fixated on me.
Time to pounce. I puffed up my chest, rolled back my shoulders, and glided over to introduce myself. Bear was a mystery I had to solve.
"Hey there," I said with a boyish smile, "I'm Ty."
Bear closed his eyes again and settled against the wall.
What the fuck?
I sat down next to him, feeling the heat radiate from his skin. "I said I'm Ty."
"I heard you, Ty." The words rolled from his lips like a raspy growl.
I didn't understand why he was being so unfriendly. Everybody liked me.
"What's your name?" I asked.
He shrugged his meaty shoulders. "You can call me Bear."
Dark curls blanketed his belly and pecs, a swath that went up to his collarbone. I took a little walk with my fingers, all the way up his chest, and caressed his beard. It was softer than I'd expected. "Well, hi, Bear. I've heard you have magic powers."
He was quiet for a moment, then he looked at me and a wry smile spread across his lips. Finally, he seemed to be warming up.
"I don't know about magic powers," he said, "but I do know a trick."
I leaned closer and whispered into his ear, "What's that?"
"I can disappear." He stood up and disappeared from the room without giving me another glance.
Slack-jawed and ego-bruised, I turned to Noah and Rick. It happened so fast, I wasn't even sure it was real, but their faces confirmed it. I returned to my comrades, crossed my arms and collapsed onto the bench. "Can you believe that shit?"
"Cold as ice," Rick said.
"Maybe you're just not his type," Noah offered.
"I'm everybody's type." I chewed my fingernail, replaying the whole scene in my head. All I did was walk over and introduce myself. Bear didn't even give me a chance.
I knew it was stupid to care, and petty to get worked up about it, but nobody had ever rejected me like that. I wanted to find out why.
Determined to get an answer, I turned to Rick and Noah and said, "Wish me luck, guys. I'm going bear hunting."