Mr. Shannon's Secret: The Complete Story: Mr. Shannon's Secret

By Owen Burke

Young Charlie is going to college in the fall and he’s tired of keeping his gay lifestyle a secret.  After breaking the news to his stunned parents, he goes to work at the small grocery store where he’s worked for the past three years.  After his shift, Mr. Shannon, the owner of the store and his dad’s best friend, offers Charlie a ride home.

But when they take a detour and end up at the lake, Charlie discovers that Mr. Shannon has a secret.  Mr. Shannon also has a very experienced mouth and hands, which gives Charlie his very first sexual experience with another man.  Is it a onetime thing, an older man enjoying the inexperience of a younger one?  Or does Mr. Shannon have more secrets…and desires…to share with Charlie?

15,000 words.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ButtonFly Books
• Release date: Oct 14, 2013
• ISBN: 9781498927918

Book preview

Mr. Shannon’s Secret

Discovery

My shift at the grocery store was finally over. I stepped out into the cool night air and zipped up my hoodie. Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I began the walk home which was only about a mile away. It had been a long day but I felt good about myself for the first time in a long while.

Would you like a ride?

Mr. Shannon, who owns the grocery store where I’ve worked for the past three years pulled up beside me and lowered the window. I stopped and walked over to his car. My first instinct was to just tell him that I’d rather walk. After the announcement I’d made to my family today, I needed some time to think about my next move.

Come on. Hop in, he said with that big, friendly grin that always makes my heart skip a beat.

Okay, I hesitated, but then opened the car door and slid onto the soft leather seat.

Little bit chilly out there, he said and steered the car back out into the quiet street.

Little bit, I agreed.

Spring’s coming, though, he added.

Yes, sir, I answered.

Mind if we take a little drive first? he finally asked and flashed that grin at me again.

I glanced at Mr. Shannon’s classic profile lit by only the dash lights of the car, unable to read his face. That’d be okay, I answered suddenly nervous. Here it comes. My parents and Mr. Shannon were long-time friends. Since he is also my employer, I was sure they’d gone straight to him with the stunning piece of news I’d handed them that afternoon. Either he going to fire me or....

I just want to talk to you about something, he said. A quick look at me. A little smile. And then he concentrated on the road again.

Did I do something wrong? I asked.

He chuckled and shook his head. No.

That helped settle my nerves a little bit. Then I wondered if his wife had said something. What if she didn’t want me working in their grocery store any longer? I had worked there every day after school since I was 16 years old and usually one weekend day, too. This had allowed me to save up a nice chunk of change to use for college in the fall. If I lost my job now...

I sighed and looked straight ahead out the windshield. For the tenth time, I told myself it would have been easier to just keep my mouth shut. But I was so tired of pretending to be someone I wasn’t. At school I pretended to lust after girls the way the other guys on the football team did. Virgin that I am, I just kept quiet when they boasted of their conquests in the bedroom or the back seat and clued the rest of us in on who would do what. That hunky quarterback would have been surprised if he knew that he was the one who caught my eye. At home and with my family, I just avoided the subject altogether.

That afternoon, before I left for work, I sat my parents down and simply told them that I was gay. Their reaction wasn’t what I expected, in fact; it wasn’t much of a reaction at all. Before I left for work, though, my mom hugged me and my dad assured me we could talk more about this later. This would give them some time to think about it, maybe even come to terms with it.

And evidently, they felt like Mr. Shannon should know because I was sure this was what this little ride was all about.

Mr. Shannon drove slowly through the park and then through our small downtown, almost as if he was trying to make a decision about something. And then he headed out of town toward the lake. I sat there in silence wondering what he had on his mind. Maybe my parents really had asked him to talk to me about this gay thing as they called it. It wasn’t something I could change, nor did I want to change. God, how embarrassing!

He circled the lake and found a place that he liked, pulled up under some trees and killed the engine.

So, he said looking at me, a lock of dark hair curling across his forehead.

So, I echoed. I met his gaze and suddenly decided I wasn’t going to back down or make excuses or anything else. Mr. Shannon, my dad’s best friend, had always been