Chapter 3 - The Villa

Carson felt a little regretful that he'd lost out on date time with Darren just to jerk off alone in the pool change room, but it hadn't turned out to be that long. By the time he'd cleaned up and come out to find his shorts, the PAs were herding various couples back into the house.

Darren, the hot leggy ginger he'd spent much of the past hour making out with, was waiting for him, half-perched on the edge of a patio table. He was also wearing a towel over his speedo, but was no less hot and leggy. Especially not when those incredible lips turned up into a shy, crooked smile.

"Will I see you tonight at the mixer?" he asked, and Carson couldn't resist the urge to step close, claiming a slow, deep kiss. His nerves buzzed pleasantly in the aftermath of orgasm, and Carson told himself firmly that was the reason his stomach had given another little flutter at Darren's smile.

"I'd like that," he replied, and took Darren's hand, walking at his side until they had to separate to go to their separate dorm rooms.

Despite the size of the mansion the show was filmed in, Carson had been surprised to discover that they actually filmed in very little of it. The first floor common rooms were all set up for filming, of course - kitchen, dining, games room, an atrium/greenhouse and a main room that had been cleared out apart from a very large sectional that he was sure could comfortably seat twelve. Other than two identical "confessional room" sets, it seemed like the actual rooms on the second and third floors had all been converted into sleeping space for the crew that was sleeping onsite. Carson and the other four "DILFs" were herded to what he assumed had been a third floor common space but now had six single beds in it in a layout similar to what he'd seen when he'd watched the first season of the show for research. He obviously hadn't seen the two camera stations on the show, which immediately made him feel very exposed, but Quinn reassured him that they wouldn't start rolling until everyone was fully dressed.

His bag and small suitcase had been left on one of the beds in the gabled nook, which was probably because he was one of the two men short enough not to worry about hitting his head getting out of bed. It felt slightly more private than the other beds, and when he was dressed and the cameras were rolling it was easier to relax on the end of the bed and engage with the conversation. Off mic, Quinn fed them questions to ask each other, but it felt natural enough to discuss their various dates.

"Alain, you should ask Carson about making out with Darren in the pool," Quinn instructed the pale, dark-haired man on the bed beside Carson's. From the way Alain's - and several others - eyebrows rose immediately, Carson suddenly worried that his date may have moved more quickly than the others, and just barely managed to hold back an immediate defensive response.

Alain smiled, eyes twinkling, and thank god his smile was almost as infectious as Darren's or Carson might have given into the urge to crawl under the bed. The warm Scottish brogue that flavored his voice didn't hurt either. "So Carson, I hear you were getting a bit handsy with your handsome ginger lad in the pool?"

God, how on earth was he supposed to respond to that? "I... feel like we're really making a connection," he said, which sounded as ridiculously fake to his own ears as it had from everyone in the previous season, despite it actually being true. "I mean that, he's a really great guy."

"You can't tell me you didn't kiss Wes," Carson shot back, because surely he couldn't be the only one?

"Perhaps once or twice," Alain replied, leaning back against the wall and wiggling his eyebrows with playful coyness. "He's a very sweet young man."

"Carson," Quinn said, "you should ask Stephen how he feels about Alain kissing Wes."

"Whitlock," Stephen said warningly before Carson could question why he'd even care.

"You can answer however you like," Quinn replied, even and calm in a way that made Carson very certain that something big was going unsaid. "Carson, if you will?"

Carson hesitated on the question. He didn't particularly want to make enemies when this was clearly something Stephen was sensitive about for whatever reason, but they'd all agreed to this, and if he didn't someone else would. "Do you think Alain and I shouldn't be kissing our dates?" he asked instead, hoping that side-stepping the strange specificity of Wes would lessen the tension in the room.

"I think," Stephen replied, careful and measured, "that our dates can conduct themselves however they choose and kiss whoever they like."

"We did just meet them," said one of the other DILFs, who'd introduced himself as, of all things, Sir John Blythe. Carson wasn't sure whether to call him John or just Sir. "Competition or no, don't you think it's moving a bit fast when we haven't really even met everyone?"

"That's what tonight's mixer is for, isn't it?" Alain replied with a smile and a shrug. "I'm not so controlling as to tell Wes he can't come talk to Stephen. Or anyone else."

Thankfully at that moment, one of the other PA's - a sweet, dark-haired young woman named Asha that Carson was pretty certain must be Quinn's sister - brought the fifth DILF, Tydall, back to the room from confessional. "Quinn, I'd like to take Carson now, if it's alright?"

"I didn't really mean to bring up my ex-wife, I just... don't want to keep things from someone I might be forming a connection with. It really meant a lot that Darren was willing to be vulnerable with me. It felt disrespectful not to be the same."

"Ideally I think it shouldn't matter if someone's been with a woman in the past. Or a man. When I'm with someone, they're who's important to me. I take fidelity very seriously. But I like to be upfront about being bisexual to weed out anyone who might be close-minded about that. It hasn't been an issue so far, but I haven't really dated seriously since the divorce. My focus has been on my kids.

"I don't think Darren knows who my ex-wife is. I mean, he probably knows who she is, the albums I wrote for her went platinum, but I don't think he knows specifically that she's my ex-wife. I don't hold any ill-will towards her, things just weren't right for us. I'm ready to move on now."

Carson did, in fact, hold a lot of ill will towards his ex-wife, but he wasn't about to say that on camera. When she'd left him for a hunky movie star five years younger than her he'd managed not to go on record about any of it, and fortunately, since Noah had only been six months old at the time, he'd rather thought the situation spoke for itself. He'd expected he'd have to talk about it at some point - they knew who he was - but was rather annoyed that they'd pulled it out of him so early. He supposed it was his own fault for bringing it up with Darren.

He tried to push it out of his mind as he returned to the DILF bedroom, where things seemed rather calmer than they'd been when he left, thank god. That probably had a lot to do with Quinn no longer being there. The cameras were still rolling, of course, and Sir John Blythe and Tydall were discussing what Carson assumed was European football while Stephen sat at the head of his cot, reading a book. He went with Asha when bidden.

Alain had been listening to the others, but moved back farther into their bed nook as Carson returned, his smile apologetic. "Sorry if that was a bit of an ambush earlier."

"That's true, but the logic of considering something ahead of time and the emotion of experiencing it are rather different, aren't they?" At Carson's rueful nod he leaned across the narrow space between the beds, patting his knee. "Don't measure you or Darren by what other people are doing or what you think they might expect. This is your journey. What feels right to the two of you is the right thing to do."

"...thank you," Carson replied, unexpectedly grateful for the apparent vote of confidence.

Thankfully Alain steered the conversation away from their dates to just getting to know each other. It probably wouldn't be very interesting footage, but he didn't care. It was hard not to like the older man, and by the time the crew had finished with confessionals and took them down to the mixer Carson was hardly thinking about his ex wife at all.

It was hard not to immediately get lost in that smile, hard to want to do anything but make him smile more. He slipped a hand into Darren's, smiling up at him. "Hey."

"It's good to see you again," Darren said softly, and Carson tried to ignore that such simple words already made his heart skip a beat.

He nodded. "I'm sorry if - if I moved too fast earlier. I didn't mean to imply - I mean, obviously you're incredibly sexy, but I really liked talking to you."

Darren chuckled softly, perhaps even looking a little... bashful? "I enjoyed talking to you, too. And I'm pretty sure I'm the one that kissed you, Carson." His smile faltered for a moment. "Did I move too fast for you?"

"No," Carson said immediately. "No, not at all. I wouldn't have - Darren, I don't... it's rare for me to - to get involved with someone so quickly, but... I feel comfortable with you. I really like you."

Darren's expression was serious as he spoke, but grew bashful, lips turning up into a small, still lopsided smile that made Carson's heart flutter painfully in his chest. "I really like you, too," he said quietly, and Carson couldn't resist the urge to kiss that shy little smile, soft and sweet and warm though not nearly as long as he would have liked it to be.

Darren smiled wider as he pulled back, though, squeezing his hand. "Let's grab some food. I can introduce you to the other himbos and then we can talk some more?"

The offer was reassuring in a way Carson hadn't expected; on the first season he'd seen a lot of contestants get exceptionally possessive of a potential partner after a single date. "And I can introduce you to the Daddies?"

Carson managed to mostly keep his hands off Darren's ass over the course of the evening. It was nice to gradually meet the other contestants, who were all very nice, and in some cases even people he might have found attractive, like the arguably beautiful Asian man Tydall had spent the afternoon with, Zhehan, and Blythe with the very hot Latino telenovela actor, Luiz. But none of them drew him like Darren had.

They chatted first over finger food with Alain and Wes, Blythe and Luiz until Stephen was dragged over to join them by his date, a sweet nerdy little British-sounding boy named Trevor. Carson didn't miss the way Wes immediately excused himself to go chat with Tydall and Zhehan. He wondered if he should also take the opportunity to excuse himself with Darren, but before he could work it into the conversation Trevor had taken his hand.

"Trevor," said one of the PA's that Carson hadn't met yet, off-camera, "just a reminder not to name public figures on camera, please."

"Oh - yeah, of course, right." The dark-haired young man gave a nervous smile. "I, uh. Managed to see you three times on your last UK tour with your wife."

"Yeah, ex-wife of course. It was real shit how all that went down, by the way, I'm so sorry, really moronic. Your albums are still the best stuff she's put out."

"Don't suppose I could have an autograph?" Trevor asked hopefully. "I never managed to get through the crowds at the stage door. Don't have an album with me, of course, but I'm sure there's some paper - "

Carson felt increasingly like a fish out of water as he spoke. He'd always kept things low key, especially since the divorce, and it occurred to him that he hadn't been asked for an autograph since the tour the young man was speaking about.

Trevor had opened one of the draws in the kitchen island as if to magically find paper in among the spatulas, but before Carson could stammer out some kind of awkward reply, Darren had reached across him to cover Trevor's hand on the drawer.

"I've got a nice notebook with me, I'll give you a page later," he said with a warm smile. "But Carson was about to go help me with some plants, okay?"

"Oh! Yeah. Yeah, of course. Thanks, that would be swell." Trevor smiled back widely, and Carson was all too happy to let Darren pull him away.

"Some plants?" Carson asked him under his breath as they quickly made their exit.

"First thing I could think of," Darren replied, steering him around the corner to where Asha was presiding over the wine, chatting quietly with Freya, their hostess. "Think we could get another glass, Asha?"

She smiled, uncapping the white they'd both been drinking. "You have a ways to go before we'll cut you off, don't worry."

Even when they reached the atrium Carson felt like he couldn't quite breathe a sigh of relief, hovering awkwardly beside the well-lit chaise lounge that made up the main filming area. "...thank you for that."

Darren smiled and shrugged. "No problem. You'd do the same for me if someone brought out the Tom of Finland holiday catalog, right?" At Carson's blank stare he grinned sheepishly. "I've done some underwear modeling."

Fuck that's hot, Carson barely managed to keep himself from saying, and nodded. "Of course."

"Good." Darren squeezed his hand, then settled on the edge of the chaise, crossing one leg over the other. "Now... where were we this afternoon before we got distracted by making out in the pool? The Rangers?"

"Uh... yeah...." Carson sat slowly, taking a rather too large swallow of wine and being glad that Asha had given them a generous pour. He watched Darren carefully. "...you're not going to ask me about... that?"

Darren raised an eyebrow, his smile easy and unassuming. "Your apparently gossip-worthy divorce, or the groupie in there?"

"Not really," Carson said, stomach twisting. "What I told you this afternoon is all that matters to me. I'm ready to move on."

"Yeah." Darren placed a hand on his knee, squeezing gently. "Carson, I came here for the same reason you did, not in the hopes of finding someone famous to get autographs from." He gave a teasing smile. "Except Freya, of course."

Carson chuckled, relaxing more despite himself. "Thank you. I... really appreciate that."

It was so easy to talk to him. Even nicer to do so half stretched out on the chaise with Darren curled against his side, resting his head on his shoulder. Talking about New York, about hockey, discovering to his pleasure that Darren followed the Rangers even more closely than he did. He found himself thinking how miraculous it was that they lived in the same city. That perhaps, if things worked out in the villa....

"Darren, Carson, we'll be wrapping the mixer up in fifteen minutes if there's anyone you want to talk to or anything else you want to do," said the PA from before, from the doorway.

"Thanks, Nayah," Darren replied, sitting up enough to meet his gaze. "Do you want to go chat with anyone else?"

"Is it alright if I ask for you for the date tomorrow?" he asked as they finally made themselves leave the atrium, warm to the tip of his toes from the way it made Darren smile.

Even though they were greatly encouraged not to talk or interact during breakfast, Carson still enjoyed just being able to sit with Darren, leaning into him as they ate in companionable silence. When they were brought to the main room with the sectional to start the day's filming, he tugged Darren close, pleased when his date steered him into one of the corners of the sectional and settled between his thighs.

There was a new himbo joining the house, Freya told them all, who'd been given the choice of two DILFs for a two-on-one yoga date that morning before they chose their dates for the evening's activity. "And the lucky daddies are... Blythe and Carson."

Darren squeezed his hand before Carson could worry. "Enjoy yoga," he said quietly, turning in his embrace to meet his gaze with a smile. "I'll see you later?"

Carson wanted to give him a hundred reassurances, knowing without a doubt that whoever this new man was, there was no way he'd feel as comfortable with him as he did with Darren. But it was too much for TV, and Freya was waiting. "Promise," he replied, giving a sigh of relief at Darren's soft kiss.

The new Himbo, Ryland, was good looking enough, and Carson managed to make polite conversation as the yoga instructor took them and Freya through some vinyasas, but he was relieved when John - Sir - Blythe was immediately far more into him. He was more relieved when the date was over, and they were allowed to rejoin the others.

They hung out casually throughout the first floor for the rest of the afternoon between being stolen away for more confessionals or to film beauty shots of them each "entering" the mansion. Darren was talking with Wes and Luiz next to the pool deck when he found him again, and Carson was more than happy to let his date tug him down to share the sun lounger, relaxing in the shade and listening to the others talk for a while. When Wes was pulled away for confessional time Luiz wandered off as well, and then Carson was even more happy to let Darren pull him into long, slow kisses, making out like teenagers again for what felt like hours until Carson was finally called away again.

And to think he'd been convinced that not being able to have sex would be a benefit!

Of course he picked Darren for their evening date, which consisted of drinking wine and trying to jointly make a painting of Freya, who lounged artfully on a chaise lounge in a bikini covered in a pile of flowers. Blythe chose Ryland, leaving Luiz to move between couples whenever he wanted, which Carson discovered had the unexpected advantage of taking the focus of the cameras with him.

Darren caught his elbow as the camera crew repositioned, drawing him slightly closer to their canvas, and Carson watched him look around the room slowly to make sure none of the crew were paying particularly close attention to him. They were still miked, of course, but he grabbed the finest paintbrush from their jar, quickly painting a few strokes on the bottom of the canvas.

Carson felt his pulse quicken even more as he met Darren's gaze, his date raising his eyebrows with a hopeful little smile. It was obvious what he was suggesting. And of course they weren't supposed to, and they'd probably get in trouble if they were caught, but... Carson hadn't come here with any illusions about winning.

He gave a little nod, painting over the time before quickly scrawling a response underneath.

Darren quickly piled on the dark blue over his reply in swirls of paint, obscuring their nefarious plans.

It was hard to think about anything else for the rest of the evening, even when they went up to the rooftop deck for the night's elimination. He did briefly wonder if Darren had offered what he did to make absolutely sure Carson would choose him, but then he pushed that thought away. Darren must know it was unnecessary. He'd been fully committed to Darren since the moment Darren had pulled his underwear. Even when Carson had been second in the order to choose his date that evening.

They bid a sad goodbye to Luiz - Blythe was clearly very into Ryland - and Carson stole the last few moments of filming exchanging very enthusiastic goodnight kisses with Darren and promising to see him tomorrow.

Then he took his time getting ready for bed as the crew struck the cameras for the night, the house emptying of the ones not staying on site. Then he finally laid down like he intended to go to sleep.

It wasn't hard to stay awake in the darkness, despite being tired. Now that he was alone he couldn't help but worry about what he'd agreed to. Was it worth getting in trouble? He might have decided to skip it all together if he hadn't already agreed. But he couldn't stand up Darren. He might disappoint Nathaniel and Kim if he got in trouble, of course, though Carson immediately knew that both his siblings would also care far more about whether or not he actually started dating someone than what happened in the competition.

Watching the bedside clock, Carson quietly slipped out of bed to use the bathroom. There were still cameras running on the hallways and common areas at night, of course, and he didn't delude himself; the editors might very well choose to show them both sneaking out of bed to do this. But Darren had indeed managed to identify about eight feet of stairs that wouldn't be covered by any of them. And just as importantly, they finally weren't mic'd. So, instead of returning to the DILF bedroom, he turned the corner and into the back stairwell.

Sitting on the third stair down, in a silky, emerald green housecoat that made his hair blaze and his freckles even more kissable, was Darren, waiting for him.

Carson sank down next to him and claimed his mouth, kissing him deeply as Darren's lips parted to his with a groan. "Shh," he breathed, even as he stroked into the opening of his robe to caress his bare chest. "If we wake anyone up we'll get in big trouble for this."

"I'm alright with that if you are," Carson replied immediately. "I... I'm honestly not here for the money, Darren."

Darren's eyes widened, and for a brief, terrifying moment Carson worried he'd read him wrong and said the wrong thing. Then Darren surged forward, claiming his mouth with a soft whimper.

In moments Darren was straddling his lap, kissing him breathless, and Carson was lost. Finally he didn't have to think about holding back or being appropriate for the cameras, finally he could touch and taste and feel everything he yearned for. The compact strength of his body felt incredible under the silken fabric of his robe, but it had pulled open when he moved, and Carson couldn't resist the lure of that exquisite bare skin. He tugged the tie undone completely, slipping his hands inside to stroke up those beautiful well-muscled thighs, then filling them with the exquisite strength of his well muscled ass.

Now he could grind up against him like he'd wanted to in the pool, achingly hard in no time from the heat of his kisses and the weight of Darren's delectable body on top of him. Darren gave a soft, needy noise in his throat, wiggling closer, and soon they were rocking together like Carson had very much wanted to do in the pool - and in the atrium - and on the sun lounger and - basically every other place they'd kissed. Carson tried to memorize the lines of his thighs with his hands, stroking over his hips and ass and finally pushing down the back of his underwear, squeezing and encouraging him to grind the hardness of his erection into Carson's stomach. "Haven't been able to stop thinking about you," he breathed, and Darren gave a soundless laugh against his mouth.

"I've spent the past thirty six hours dying to fuck myself on your huge cock," Darren gasped, breath catching in pleasure as Carson's hips stuttered up helplessly at his words. "Fuck, Carson, please let me suck you, I'm so fucking hard for you - "

Carson bit his own lip to keep from groaning aloud at the thought, fingers digging into Darren's ass in a way that drew another little needy whine from his lover's throat. But the thought of being so exposed if they were walked in on immediately threatened his likelihood of being able to relax and enjoy it. Instead he pushed a hand between him, freeing Darren's cock from his briefs and kissing away his breathless groan as he took him in hand. "God, I really, really wanna have your luscious mouth wrapped around my cock," he breathed. "But not right now. Gotta make this quick, darling."

"Fuck," Darren replied, but pulled away long enough to free Carson's cock as well. He squirmed close to stroke Carson's cock alongside his own, claiming his mouth with a helpless whine.

It ought to have been awkward, but after so long waiting it was perfect. Finally being surrounded by the pleasure of this delectable man, breathing in his labored breath between desperate kisses. Finally having the hard heat of Darren's cock against his palm as Darren pushed up into his grip. Stroking Darren's incredible ass and thigh hungrily with his free hand, feeling them flex and tense as Darren rocked on top of him with increasing desperation. "Gonna get off like teenagers," Darren breathed with a ragged laugh, and Carson bit his lip on a whine, rocking up into his touch as much as he could.

It ought to have been awkward, but it felt so right. When was the last time sex had ever felt so urgent and needy and unbelievably hot? Had it ever felt like this? Darren's fingers were slick with what was probably his own arousal, stroking slick down his shaft. He moved more urgently, fucking up into Carson's fingers, breath ragged against his mouth. "Oh fuck, Carson - "

"You're so goddamn sexy," Carson managed to breathe, not knowing when he'd feel truly free to say anything again. "Fuck, Dare, the moment I saw you... your smile and freckles and your body... wanted these legs wrapped around me...."

"Yes," Darren gasped, choking back a whimper as Carson rubbed down the crease of his ass and over his hole, trembling on top of him. "God - Carson - please!"

"Come for me, darling," Carson whispered, rubbing more firmly, and in moments Darren was shuddering against him and spilling hot and slick in his fingers, soundlessly sobbing his pleasure against Carson's lips. It was so gratifying, so incredibly sexy to bring him to climax, and Carson was so close that he knew he could join him so easily -

Then Darren slipped off his lap, dropping down to swallow his cock to the hilt with impossible ease, and Carson came so hard that the world blacked out around him.

Darren's mouth was warm and lush and exquisite, throat milking his cock as he hungrily swallowed around him as if determined to draw every bit of pleasure from him. Carson managed to open his eyes as Darren pulled away, giving a soft moan despite himself at the dark pleasure in Darren's eyes as he looked up at him, suckling lavishly at the head of his cock as if to make sure he'd gotten every bit of his spend. Carson's cock pulled from his lips with a soft pop, and Darren grinned. "Sorry... figured this would be less messy."

Darren grinned wider, then started to crawl up his body, licking his own come off Carson's chest as he did. "Mmmm...."

"Oh my god." Carson couldn't think of anything else to say - or anything much, period - but tugged Darren's mouth back to his, kissing him deeply. "You're amazing."

Darren gave a soft, happy hum into his mouth. "You're pretty amazing yourself, handsome," he replied, kissing him again long and sweet before pulling away with no small amount of regret. "Should get back to bed, though. Go first and clean up?"

Carson returned his smile, holding his gaze as he lifted his other hand to his lips to suck off the remains of Darren's seed. "I think I'm good, sexy. Go ahead. I'll follow."

Darren grinned, kissing him hard. "Hot," he whispered, nipping at Carson's bottom lip. Then he pulled back. "See you tomorrow, sexy."

Carson was fairly certain that everyone else in the room was still asleep as he crept back into the bedroom, quietly slipping into his bed. He'd just settled when Alain turned towards him, looking far more awake than Carson wanted.

"You were gone for a bit," he murmured, and even in the dim light Carson could see him smile. "Feeling alright?"

"... just indigestion," Carson replied, and whether or not Alain believed him, he gave a soft hum and appeared to go back to sleep.

	Day 1	Day 2	Day 3
Darren	Carson	Carson	Carson
Carson	Darren	Darren	Darren
Wes	Alain	Alain	Alain
Alain	Wes	Wes	Wes
Trevor	Tydall	Stephen	Stephen
Tydall	Trevor	Zhehan	Zhehan
Zhehan	Stephen	Tydall	Tydall
Stephen	Zhehan	Trevor	Trevor
Blythe	Luiz	Ryland	Ryland
Ryland	n/a	Blythe	Blythe
Luiz	Blythe	(spare)	(eliminated)