Nick peered anxiously out the bedroom window as a car pulled into the driveway. He heard Peggy call out a goodbye and watched as she jogged over to the passenger side of the vehicle, hopping in the back. She didn’t have her own car so her brother-in-law was playing chauffeur for the girl’s day out that was about to commence.

Nick was thanking his lucky stars as he watched them pull back out of the driveway that she hadn’t asked him to drive them around. He didn’t think he could have tolerated that much femininity in such a small space, especially if Peggy’s sister was anything like her. He loved how girly Peggy was because it made him feel extra masculine in spite of his penchant for the arts but occasionally it made him need to escape to his man cave and be a dude.

In the past Nick had always had a rather large house with rooms that he could use just for recreation but this home was decidedly smaller. When they were breaking down what they were going to put where he had claimed the entire basement for himself. The former owners had used it as an in-law suite so there was a full kitchen and bathroom and a rather large bedroom and living room.

Once the technicians arrived the bedroom would be his new studio and the living room was divided between his home gym and man-land; the spot that was home to his favourite recliner and various gaming systems. Peggy had been under the impression that he was breaking down boxes for recycling when he was down in the basement the previous day but he was actually setting up all of his toys.

He needed the television to be a particular distance away from the chair in order to best see the screen, and he didn’t like how unsightly a bunch of cords could be if they weren’t hidden properly so he had focused on that. He could have easily defended his actions by saying he was simply unpacking but he knew there were more important rooms in the house that probably would have been better done first. Regardless he now had all of his things just how he liked them and was ready to spend the afternoon engrossed in a world of espionage.

The television in the basement was always much smaller than people expected when they saw Nick’s set up. Although he had every top of the line gaming console available on the market, and although his recliner had built in back massage, temperature control, and mini fridge, his television was fairly run of the mill. He had a large 73-inch HD projection screen TV with 3D capabilities and every wireless bell and whistle imaginable in the living room but downstairs he had a simple 37-inch flatscreen that he had nabbed on sale at Costco the previous Thanksgiving.

It was somewhat unimpressive to those that expected him to spare no cost on anything but there was a simple explanation to his decision. There was a time where he felt that way, that he had to have everything money could buy, but his video game abilities suffered from him having to scan back and forth across the screen because he couldn’t see it all at once. Since then, he had opted for a more reasonable screen size and displayed it with pride. He usually let people believe it was his humility that lead him to opt for the budget electronic choice, but he knew the truth.

Once he was sure Peggy was long gone he pulled off his t-shirt and jeans, throwing them happily on the bed. Clothing was overrated when it came to playing video games. Nick preferred to be in a more natural state, opting just for a pair of black boxer briefs and white socks. He practically skipped down the stairs into the basement, turning his XBox on with a satisfying click.

He let out a contented sigh as he sank back into his recliner, enjoying the feel of the cool leather on his bare back. He grabbed the wireless controller off the table next to his chair and immediately got into his game, picking up exactly where he had left off when he had last played back in California. He let himself get absorbed in the game, blasting terrorists and completing covert operations through the eyes of a US Marine during the Gulf War. He had no concept of time on the outside world because time was never ending in digital Baghdad but when he heard footsteps over his head he glanced at the clock, surprised to see that four hours had passed since Peggy had left the house.

He continued to play the game but let his mind wander while thinking about his girlfriend. She had been exceptionally frisky the past few days so he figured that since she was home it was probably the perfect time to get in round number three before dinner. He didn’t know what had gotten into her, whether it was the excitement of moving out of her parent’s home, or boredom from being off work but he was definitely supportive of it.

“Nick?” he heard her call out and he responded, letting her know that he was in the basement.

He thought he heard noise on the stairs but kept his eyes on the screen so his character wouldn’t die, “What would you say...” he began slyly once he thought she was within earshot. “If I said the word blow job?” The voice that spoke next was not that of his girlfriend’s which sent Nick flying out of his seat in surprise.

“I would say blow job is two words.”

The sound of a massacre on the screen behind him signalling that he was about to lose his life in the game was drowning out the rapid beating of his heart. There were two strange women standing in front of him with satisfied smirks on their faces. He figured one had to be Peggy’s sister because they looked similar and she had a bright pink flowered scarf tied around an obviously bald head. There was an awkward silence as they stared at each other (him embarrassed, them amused) when Peggy suddenly bounded into the room behind the other women.

“Where are your pants?” she asked and it suddenly came to him that he was standing there in his underwear.

“I’m playing XBox...” he answered as though it were a completely reasonable explanation for the whereabouts of his bottoms.

“I thought you were unpacking?” Peggy asked with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “You weren’t down here watching porn were you?”

“What?!” Nick exclaimed wide-eyed. “No! I really was playing XBox. I had to unpack it, so technically...”

“That doesn’t explain the nudity,” the girl that he hadn’t yet identified piped up and he felt self-conscious as all three women gave him an obvious once over, giving a lingering pause as their eyes hit below waistband of his boxers.

He chuckled anxiously, one hand playing with his hair while the other settled against his hip, “Not that I need to explain to you, since I don’t even know who you are, but I just prefer to play video games without pants, okay?”

“I just didn’t know when Peg asked me if I wanted to come check out her new place that it included free tickets to the gun show.”

The three women giggled wildly and Nick could feel the heat rising in his cheeks.

“Okay, okay,” Peggy interrupted. “Stop teasing him. Go upstairs and I’ll meet you up there.”

Nick watched as Peggy’s sister and the other woman walked out of the basement with unmistakable grins on their faces. As soon as he heard the door close at the top of the stairs he turned to his girlfriend, throwing out his arms in frustration.

“Way to let me know you were on your way home with guests!” he exclaimed.

“I sent you a text when we were leaving the restaurant,” Peggy replied coolly.

“I didn’t get...” Nick trailed off, his eyes scanning the immediate area for any sign of his white iPhone. “My phone is in my pants.”

“So you play video games in your underwear...” she mused with a smirk. “I keep learning all these new and interesting things about you.”

“And you let your girlfriends make fun of me when I’m weak and defenceless,” he joked in return. He raised an eyebrow when Peggy approached him, running her hands down his chest until they were holding tightly onto his sides. He let out a content sigh as one hand then trailed over his hip before moving to grasp him through his boxers.

“Were you saying something before about a blow job?”

He shrugged innocently, “Yeah. I dunno, I’d just kind of like one. It’s been a while. Maybe tonight?”

“How about now?”

“With your sister and your friend just upstairs?”

“She’s not my friend she’s my cousin - Amy,” Peggy clarified. She walked him backwards until his legs hit the recliner and he had no option but to fall back into the seat. “And yes, with them just upstairs.”

The mere thought that they might get caught doing something lewd, even if it was in the basement of their house, aroused Nick immediately. Instinctively he scooted down further in the chair, sending a cautionary glance towards the basement door to ensure they were in fact alone as he felt his underwear being pulled down his legs.

“What’s with this?” he couldn’t help but ask. He hadn’t gotten any attention of the oral variety since the last time they’d met up, before they’d moved in together, so it surprised him that Peggy was suddenly so gung-ho despite how revved up she’d been lately.

“Can’t I just be nice?” she asked sweetly, her hand wrapping around his erection. “I know how... hard... you’ve been working to get the house set up. You deserve something special.”

“You’re right,” he panted, his hands gripping the armrests of the chair. “It took me a long time to make sure none of the cords were showing behind the tv.”

“You’re such a good house husband.”

The word husband made every one of his muscles tense for a moment and he was about to correct her when a sudden warmth flooded his body and he looked down to see her mouth on him. Surely he could wait until later to chastise her for using the h-word.