Mercy - Chapter 1

…CHAPTER ONE…

It was barely five a.m. when Andrew Pryce fumbled quietly to climb out of a stranger’s bed. He didn’t want to wake the doe eyed little college boy who was still sleeping. He glanced around the room, trying to remember where he had tossed his clothes the night before. That’s when he noticed that they were scattered about the floor in no particular type of order. He grabbed each item one by one and started to pull them on. He moved almost franticly, trying to hurry and get dressed so that he wouldn’t have to face some awkward morning after scene with the guy he’d gone home with the previous night.

For Andrew the morning after a one night stand could be compared to a game of Russian roulette. No matter who he went home with the night before, he never knew who he was going to wake up to in the morning. Some guys could seem perfectly normal the night before and end up being completely crazy in the light of day.

Andrew was quite familiar with the routine of sneaking out after a one night stand. He was no stranger to the life of a play boy. Just as most men do, Andrew liked sex and it was his insatiable drive that kept him begging for more. That’s why scenes like this one, the scurrying and scampering to get dressed were part of Andrew’s everyday life.

Andrew got a thrill from his exploits. There was far more to the excitement of his lifestyle than the climax and sexual gratification that came with every new partner. The hunt, the ritual of seduction, and the night life were all things that Andrew felt he would be bored without. Each new encounter brought the promise of something exhilarating. From the moment he spotted the perfect playmate all the way up to the instance, in which he came was worth what it took to sneak out in the aftermath. Even when the sex itself wasn’t very good, the buildup that came before it was stimulating enough.

Andrew was often persecuted and even scolded for his ability to jump from one man to the other so swiftly; however, he took the insults in stride because he was in no way ashamed of what type of man he was. He was not a man without morals, values, or loyalties; he was simply a man with a hearty appetite for sex.

It took Andrew only a few minutes to find his clothes and pull them on. He had even found and put on his shoes in that amount of time. He’d rehearsed this same scene over and over again throughout his adult life, so he had it down faultlessly. He was quite relieved when he managed to get dressed, sneak out the door, and avoid awkward circumstances all in less than three minutes…



Andrew made his way to his car after sneaking out of the stranger’s apartment. He had met the guy the night before at the movie theater across town. He was this starry eyed inexperienced young thing that was quite eager to learn from Andrew. It didn’t take much for Andre to catch the guy’s interest, and before long Andrew was driving the guy home. Now Andrew was thankful that he had been the one to drive. He had to be to work to at seven a.m. and had less than two hours to get home, shower, and head to the fire station for his shift.

Andrew respected the quiet of the early morning walk of shame. At five a.m. most of the city was still quiet aside from the roar of engines starting up as folks were getting ready to head off to work. Mercy was a small city. Andrew had grown up here and he knew it well. He felt perfectly sound walking through the dead of morning to find his car.

Andrew climbed into his car and started up the engine, adding to the mix of noises from others who were doing the same. Before pulling his car out and driving away from where it was parked, he stopped to take a breath and enjoy the peace of his favorite time of day…



Andrew’s roommate David was in the kitchen of their apartment, pouring himself a cup of coffee when Andrew entered. David glanced up just in time to see his friend come in and make his way through their living room. This was what David always referred to as the walk of shame. Of course for Andrew this was the wrong term, because he had no shame. Like all of the other mornings when Andrew returned home after a night of casual sex, he walked in proud. He held his head up high and marched in like he was something to admire.

Andrew was a bit of something graceful when he walked with this stance. He had an air to him that squealed with masculine conceit and highlighted every one of his features with confidence. Andrew was by no means unattractive. He was blond, blue eyed, and had an incredibly enticing yet boyish smile. At six foot one and roughly a hundred and sixty pounds, he was fit and athletically built, and he stayed this way from all the physical exertion he dispensed while carrying on with his chosen ritual of life. He worked out at the gym a lot, mostly because it was a great way to pick up guys, but also because he loved the overly male atmosphere that the gym had to offer. Andrew’s next to perfect physical condition added to the loftiness of his stride.

“Good morning.” David greeted as Andrew made his way from the living room to the kitchen. The two rooms were separate only by a small counter island that doubled as a dining area. On mornings when both David and Andrew were home, one of the two of them would make coffee while the other had a seat on one of the counter stools

“Morning” Andrew greeted back. He was excited to see his best friend. It was another part of his morning that he prized. This was because David always enjoyed the stories that Andrew brought home from whatever mischief he managed to get into. Part of the thrill of Andrew’s excursions was being able to brag about them later. So Andrew took a seat at the counter, prepared to begin his boasting whenever David was ready to inquire.

Without even needing to ask, David knew that Andrew would want coffee. After having poured his own cup, David grabbed a second mug and began to pour one for his blonde haired roommate. The aroma of the freshly brewed coffee gave Andrew reason to inhale as his dark haired, green eyed friend generously predicted his need for caffeine. After David poured the coffee and slid the mug across the counter to Andrew, he was now ready to dig into whatever tales of triumph were ahead.

“From the way you’re strolling in here an hour before you’ve got to get to work I’m gonna assume that you must have had fun last night.” David grinned, envious of whatever his friend was returning home from.

“I had a fucking blast.” Andrew gasped with relief after a sip from the black coffee that David had gifted him. “You totally should have come with me.”

“I wish I could have.” David sighed with jealousy. “Unfortunately I got stuck in the ER until midnight.”

“It was fun enough without you there, but it would’ve been even more so if you had been.” Andrew said with honesty. His adventures were always a little more exciting when David came along. The two of them were partners in crime when it came to the night life and cruising for guys to take home. David wasn’t nearly the playboy that Andrew was, but he did enjoy the same type of casual encounters that Andrew thrived on.

Like Andrew, David was an incredibly attractive man. He had dark almost black hair that he kept at a length that was just perfect to run fingers through. His eyes were a deeply dark shade of emerald green and he had a complexion that held a year round tan. He was also just as fit as Andrew was. David was an inch taller than his roommate and weighed the same amount.

It was obvious to Andrew that David hot. It was actually something that he’d noticed many times before, but gave little credit to. While Andrew usually looked at all men as fair game, David was his friend and therefore off limits. However, David did make a great sidekick when it came to picking up men that weren’t off limits.

“Well, we can go out tonight if you want.” David suggested. “I’ve got the night off so if you’re interested we can head over to Brock’s for a few drinks.”

“Sounds good to me” Andrew grinned at David’s suggestion, excited by the idea of the two of them going out and letting loose. It had been a couples weeks since David had been able to go out and have a good time, and Andrew missed his sidekick.

“Cool man, I definitely need a night of fun.” David grinned back, his green eyes displaying his enthusiasm as he finally took the first sip from his coffee mug.

“Then we’ll make sure you have one tonight.” Andrew assured. He really did know how badly David needed to enjoy himself a little. One of the reasons for David’s recent absence from the night life was due to work getting in the way. David was a doctor, more specifically a surgeon. The hours he worked were long and often exhausting and though Andrew craved a little more attention from his friend he knew that David found his job rewarding. The other half of David’s reasons for skipping out on fun lately had a little to do with the fact that he had been hurt recently, and was still dealing with the aftershocks of a bad breakup. Andrew was sympathetic both of these reasons.

“So who’d you go home with last night?” David finally asked, ready to indulge and live vicariously through the stories.

“Some cute little college boy I met the movie theater.” Andrew gloated, drinking again from his coffee. “He was stood up by a couple of friends and I showed up just in time to give him a little company.”

“Lucky him” David esteemed.

Andrew laughed, “Lucky indeed.”

“Was he hot?” David questioned.

“He was cute, a little doe eyed and naïve, but definitely cute.” Andrew spoke in a whimsical manor, mentally reliving all the excitement.

“How was the sex?” David questioned further as he was ready for the juicier details. He liked watching the way that Andrew got carried away with his tales. He liked the way that Andrew’s blue eyes would grow dark with desire as he recounted.

“He was a little inexperienced, so I had to do some teaching.” Andrew explained. “It took him a little while to figure out what he was doing, but once he warmed up he was pretty eager to learn.”

“Nice man, really nice.” David commended. “It sounds like your night of cruising guys at the theater paid off pretty nicely.”

“Yeah it fucking did.” Andrew chuckled with macho pride. “He wasn’t so good at giving head, but damn was his ass tight.”

“Oooh” David sighed with more envy then laughed at Andrew’s comment as he was amused, not at all held back by its crudeness. Andrew and David had been friends for a long time, and there was almost nothing about his friend that surprised David anymore. “Good for you buddy.”

Andrew grinned with even more male pride as David gave him praise. Then his dark haired friend came around to the side of the counter where Andrew was still sitting, and took a seat beside him. A mutual silence fell in as David sat down, and the two friends continued to enjoy the silent company of their morning coffee routine.