By Tim Mead
Chapter 5
Jesse couldn't get that redhead out of his mind. The one who'd come asking about the apartment. The one he'd seen with his history professor. The one with the nice, open look on his face. Almost like a country boy. He had nice shoulders, a flat stomach, and a tempting bulge.
That morning out in front of Mrs. Brill's, Jesse had sensed the redhead was gay. Something about the way he'd sized him up. Never one to believe too much in "gaydar," he'd had a vibe about this guy.
But then he'd shown up at The Cougar with that great-looking woman.
There'd been the moment in the bar when he and the guy had made eye contact. Jesse had nodded to show he remembered their meeting out in front of Mrs. Brill's. It might have been a significant moment if "Red" had been with someone else. With Professor Handley or another guy. But he wasn't. He was with the sexy woman. And they seemed to be good friends. So he was probably straight.
Fuck!
But then, Jesse thought, you don't really know anything about him. He might be a total asshole.
Crofts, you're just horny. You need to get laid. Maybe you should visit Nellie's and see what's on offer.
Well, it was Saturday night. Why not?
He showered, shaved his balls and ass crack, trimmed his pubes, and douched. After all, you never know. He debated shaving his face but decided not to. He'd never used the scruffy look professionally. Since coming to Colby, however, he'd maintained his beard to look a couple of days old. That and the glasses were a kind of disguise. So far he hadn't been spotted.
Are you being just a little paranoid? Maybe no one here would recognize you anyway. Had that occurred to you? Maybe you're not as famous as your agent claims. And the fuckin' beard does itch!
Although it had been warm that afternoon, the temperature had dropped when the sun went down. Besides, the bar would be air conditioned, so he chose to wear a clean pair of soft, faded jeans instead of shorts. He chose not to wear underwear. He topped off the jeans with a white golf shirt that had no designer logo. On his feet he put his Birks – without socks, of course. He put in his contacts. Nothing ventured . . . .
After running his fingers through his hair until it looked properly tousled, he grabbed his wallet and keys and went out to his car.
Nellie's looked like a thousand other bars. It wasn't cute or kitschy like some gay spots he knew. From the décor, or lack of it, you'd never know it was a gay bar. Of course, a few minutes studying the patrons . . . .
He'd found an empty booth in a corner where he could watch the rest of the room. A cute waiter came over.
"What can I get for you, doll?" Waiters in gay bars were apparently the same everywhere. Though their outfits differed. No clever costumes for the all-male wait staff here. They wore jeans and navy tee shirts with the name of the place embroidered in green over the right pec.
"I'll have a Sam Adams." Suddenly feeling emancipated, Jesse grinned up at him. "And a large order of fries."
Giving Jesse a smile that seemed more personal than professional, the waiter said, "We just made a new batch of fries. I'll be back in a sec."
Jesse noted that the televisions were all tuned to a baseball game. Well, what did you expect, a ballet?
Though hardly deserted, the place was relatively quiet. Most of the patrons were male, but this wasn't just a college hangout. There were couples and foursomes of various ages at the tables and booths, chatting quietly. But it was early yet. It would probably become noisier as the evening progressed. Jesse found himself speculating about the various men. And some of them were definitely eye candy.
He was surprised that the waiter came back so quickly with his beer and fries.
He'd been enjoying the sinful pleasure of the grease-laden fries when a movement off to his right caught his eye. He looked that way to see a guy coming toward him. A couple of inches under six feet, pretty obviously a CSU undergraduate but just barely old enough to buy beer in Ohio, Jesse guessed, the kid had pale blue eyes and shaggy hair that was somewhere between light brown and blond. With highlights that didn't come from the sun. Jesse wondered where the guy had his hair done. He needed to find someplace soon, and he wasn't about to go to just any old barber shop.
The guy's pink tee shirt had a logo from a clothier whose nearest store was probably in Detroit's most upscale mall. His crisp khaki shorts were a marked contrast to the baggy ones most college guys were wearing. And he was wearing expensive sneakers with anklets.
This should be interesting, Jesse thought, as he watched the preppie approach. Then he thought,
Oh, shit! He's recognized me!
Preppie guy stopped beside the booth, started to point a finger at Jesse, and then, apparently thinking better of it, slipped his hands in his pockets and tried to look casual.
"What the fuck are you doing here?"
Jesse couldn't help grinning. "Is that a variation on `What's a nice guy like you doing in a joint like this'?"
Preppie grinned back. "No. I mean, what's a famous fashion model doing here in Bumfuck, Ohio?"
With a straight face, Jesse replied, "I think you must have me confused with someone else."
"No! I'd know your face anywhere. You're in every issue of GQ. You were in the Burberry ads in the September issue. And this spring you were in the Guess ads."
"Oh, you mean that guy. Yeah, I'm occasionally taken for him. Sorry to disappoint you."
"Oh, come on! I just remembered your name."
"I don't think so."
"Yeah! It's Jesse something. Jesse . . . Crofts."
"Like I said, that's not me."
Looking as if he didn't believe Jesse for a moment, Preppie said, "Well, sorry I bothered you. If you want to pretend to be someone else, that's your business." Then he grinned. "Can I at least sit down for a minute so you can tell me who you really are?"
Jesse shook his head. "Sorry, guy. I'm waiting for someone."
Preppie's face fell, but then he summoned up a grin and said, "Okay, stud. I'm sure I'll see you around." He turned and went across the room to a table where two other guys his age were sitting.
Jesse went back to people watching. Preppie was talking excitedly to his friends. They were all looking at Jesse.
A few minutes later, the redhead, Dr. Handley's friend, came into the bar. He paused, scanning the room. The two made immediate eye contact. He smiled in recognition, and Jesse smiled back.
Jesse felt an immediate warmth in his nether regions.
Great! If he's here, it means he's probably not straight after all!
The redhead wasn't as handsome as most of Jesse's erstwhile colleagues. Many of them came close to being pretty, while this guy was just good looking, in a boy-next-door sort of way. But Jesse loved the pale skin, deep blue eyes, and red hair. He found himself thinking of red pubes. He loved red pubes. And some red hair in the trench as well? Yum!
"Hi."
The guy had come straight to Jesse's booth. Jesse looked up to see him smiling down.
"Um, hi. You're the guy who came about the apartment, aren't you?"
"Yeah, Ray Stonesifer." He held out his hand.
Jesse took the proffered hand. It was cool and dry. A nice grip. He could have sworn his hand tingled after Ray let go.
"I'm Jesse Crofts. Would you like to sit down?"
"Sure, if you don't mind."
Ray slid into the booth opposite Jesse.
Their alert waiter stopped to take Ray's drink order and then disappeared.
There was a moment's awkwardness. Then Jesse asked, "Did you find a place to live?"
"Yeah. I've got an apartment here in Colby."
"Good."
Another pause. Jesse tried not to stare at Ray, but he was quite aware of the breadth of the shoulders. The dark green tee, which set off the hair perfectly, also revealed that Ray was more muscular than Jesse. Not overly so. Just nice.
"You're a friend of Professor Handley, aren't you?"
"Oh, yes. You must have seen us that day at The Cougar. And I, um, actually already knew your name."
"He told you?"
Ray blushed. "Yeah, he did."
Jesse wondered why the two of them had been talking about him and was about to ask, when Preppie Guy showed up again. "Hi, Copper," he said, grinning at Ray.
Ray didn't smile back. "Hi, Bernie. What's up?"
Bernie chuckled and said, "Haven't seen you in a while, stud." Then, giving Jesse an appraising glance, he continued, "So, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"
"Jesse Crofts, this is Bernie Caldwell."
Bernie offered his hand and raised an eyebrow. "I'm very pleased to meet you . . .
Jesse," he said.
"Look, about that . . ." Jesse said.
"Oh, I understand. But with that face, you're not gonna stay incognito very long." He paused. "Well, I don't want to interrupt. Good to see you, Ray. You boys have fun." He put a hand on Ray's shoulder for a moment and then sashayed back across the room to his friends.
Just then the waiter returned with Ray's beer.
Ray thanked him. He lifted the bottle to Jesse, took a swallow and set it down. He looked puzzled. "There's a subtext here I'm missing, isn't there?"
Jesse took a deep breath and expelled it. Then he smiled. "I'll tell you about that if you'll answer a couple of questions first."
"You can ask. Maybe I'll answer, maybe I won't."
"Fair enough. First, I wouldn't be surprised, with the great hair, if your nickname was "Red." But "Copper"? That's a bit unusual, isn't it?"
Ray laughed. "'Copper' isn't about my hair. I'm a policeman."
Feeling a little foolish, Jesse laughed, too. "Oh! That makes sense. I guess I should have known."
"No problem." Ray paused. "You like the hair?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks. Not everyone does. I've taken a lot of ragging about it from some people."
"I'll bet you look great in your uniform."
"I'm in the plain clothes division."
"Oh."
"You said you had two questions?"
"Uh huh. Why were you and Dr. Handley talking about me?"
"Oh, that! He was sort of teasing me about being a detective and asked me what I could deduce from your appearance. We were playing Holmes and Watson."
"But why did you choose me?"
"You were the best-looking man in The Cougar that afternoon, so who else were two gay men gonna look at? Besides, that was the first day of the summer term. I'd asked him if he had any first impressions about his students. He nodded toward you and said you were one of them."
"Yeah?"
"Uh huh. So I pretended to study you carefully and then said something about your living in Higgins and running in the mornings. He was very impressed until I told him how I knew that."
"How do you happen to know the professor?"
"His partner's my former boss. He's retired from the Force now and is teaching at CSU."
"From what I've observed of Dr. Jake, your ex-boss is a lucky man."
"They're both great guys. I probably wouldn't still be in police work if it weren't for Jim Grant. And Jake's, well, you get to see him every day. You must have figured out what he's like."
"Well, I know him only from the classroom, but I never knew a man that age who's that sexy before."
"He's a stud, all right."
The waiter stopped by to see if they wanted more beer. Surprised that he'd almost finished his first one, Jesse nodded yes. Ray said he'd have another as well. Then he took a big swallow, draining what remained in his bottle.
"Okay, Jesse. I've answered your questions. Now, what was that business with you and Bernie? Is he in one of your classes or something?"
"No. I'd never seen him until just a few minutes before you arrived. But . . . Oh, shit! You'll think this is silly."
"Probably not. Try me."
"He recognized me. From my pictures. I've been a clothing model since I was a kid. But I've quit all that now. I never liked the life. So I'm trying to just enjoy being a student. I couldn't go anywhere in New York without people wanting my autograph, wanting money, wanting me to use my influence to get them or a friend a photo shoot, wanting to hit on me. I've had it with all that. It's the price of fame, as they say. It was a way of making a living. The only way I've ever had to make a living."
He pushed the plate of fries toward Ray. After Ray had helped himself, Jesse took one. They munched companionably together for a moment. Then Jesse continued, "Now I can afford to get an education. And that's what I'm doing."
"Wow! So you're a celebrity."
The waiter came back with their beer. If he heard what Ray had just said, he didn't let on.
"Only in men's fashion circles, and then only a minor one."
"I hope you aren't offended that I didn't recognize you, haven't heard of you."
"No way! You wouldn't know me unless you spent a lot of time looking at GQ and
Esquire and such. Although I've had a few things in the mags with more general appeal. Besides, I'm pleased that you came over here and wanted to sit with me, not knowing who I am."
Ray laughed. "I do know who you are. You're the dude who lives where two guys I know used to live."
"That apartment would be a little crowded if two guys lived there."
"Oh, they weren't there at the same time. Brody lived there first, and then Joe moved in after that. And, I knew when I came over here to talk with you that you were one of Jake's students."
"Got it."
"Of course," Ray said with a grin, "it doesn't hurt that you're gorgeous."
Jesse had been told since he was a child that he was beautiful, handsome, great looking, whatever. He knew from looking in the mirror that his looks were okay. A little too sensitive, too artistic, too vulnerable, maybe. But he knew people liked the way he looked. Still, he'd never gotten over being embarrassed when people told him so.
"Thanks, Ray. I don't know what to say." He took a swallow of beer. "Yes, I
do know what I want to say. I saw you with the prof that day in The Cougar and recognized you. I saw you again with a beautiful woman just a few days ago. And you know what?"
"Tell me."
"When I saw you with the woman, my heart sank. I didn't know your name. Didn't know anything about you. But when I thought you were straight I was really disappointed." He wasn't usually that direct, but something about Ray made him so at that moment.
"No shit?"
"No shit!"
"Well, then, let me tell you something. When you said goodbye to me that morning out in front of where you live, I watched your ass twist as you ran away. And I've thought of it a lot since. So, you see, it isn't just the photogenic parts of you that attract me."
Jesse laughed. "What makes you think my ass isn't photogenic?"
Ray almost strangled on the beer he was swallowing. After he got it down and then coughed, he said, "Sorry. I didn't mean to suggest it wouldn't be."
Jesse leaned forward. "Ray, when you came here this evening, did you plan to get laid?"
"I was hoping something like that might happen." He grinned. "Why are you asking?"
"Maybe you'd like to find out for yourself what my ass looks like."
~~~~~
They went to Ray's place, which was closer than Jesse's. Ray's heart was pounding and his palms sweating when he unlocked the door and ushered Jesse inside. Although they hadn't touched each other yet, his cock was granite.
A tantalizing cylindrical bulge extended down the left leg of Jesse's jeans.
It was as if they'd both been in solitary confinement for months. When they closed the door of Ray's apartment, they went at each other, tearing off clothes, groping, rubbing, humping.
Ray couldn't quite believe either his own behavior or Jesse's. He'd never been so aggressive before in beginning the sex dance. And the calm Jesse of Nellie's now urgently returned his advances.
They soon found themselves naked on Ray's bed, having hastily turned back the summer spread and top sheet.
Jesse immediately lay on his back. Ray did the instinctive thing and assumed the top position, his knees on either side of Jesse's.
Jesse made a low, growling sound and pulled Ray's head to his lightly-haired chest, to a nipple which Ray happily tongued, then nibbled, and then sucked.
He could feel Jesse's hard cock against his abs, his own erection jabbing the bottom of Jesse's balls.
When after a while Jesse ceased being passive and began humping up against him, Ray pushed himself up with his hands, looked down and said, "I thought I was supposed to see that ass."
Jesse grinned. "Well, you big oaf, get off me so I can turn over!"
"Oaf? Oaf!" Ray chuckled. "You'd better watch it, buster!"
"Yes, officer!"
"That's `yes, sergeant'."
"Oooh, sorry!"
When Ray rolled off, Jesse flipped himself over and stuck his butt in the air. He looked back at Ray and said, "There! I hope this meets with your approval."
Ray groaned. "Oh, God, yes!" Positioning himself on his knees between Jesse's spread legs, he put a hand on each of Jesse's tight globes and pulled them apart. There the pink, hairless pucker winked at him. He groaned again and pushed his face into the crack.
Soon Jesse was pushing his ass back onto Ray's face and hissing. "Yesss! You're great! You must have done this a lot."
Ray pulled away long enough to say, "Not really. But you inspire me. I've never seen a butt this beautiful."
"Shut up and eat me!"
Ray was only too happy to comply. His own cock, throbbing since they'd left Nellie's, continued to ache. Just as he was beginning to think of providing it some relief, Jesse, almost whispering, begged, "Fuck me, Ray. Now, please!"
Although his fantasies regarding Jesse had mostly involved being the bottom in their coupling, Ray wasn't about to refuse that offer, especially considering his importunate cock.
He reached into his bedside table for the necessaries.
"Hurry, copper! I need you. It's been too long."
The guy's just really hard up, Ray thought. Oh well, so are you. This doesn't have to be love. Make both of you happy and get your dick in his ass.
"Do you want to stay in this position?"
"Yeah, fine! Just do it!"
"Okay, okay." He probably should have used his fingers to loosen Jesse up, but he assumed the guy was no stranger to having cocks up his ass and he
did seem in a hurry. So Ray suited up, applied lube, and entered, none too gently. Not the way he'd like to be entered, he realized, but appropriate to the circumstances.
"Ouch! I know I said hurry, but jeez!"
"Sorry!" And he was. Jesse was, from everything he could tell, a nice guy. A potential friend. Not just a quick fuck. And hands down the best-looking guy Ray had ever been in bed with.
So he slowed down, went into gentle mode, and soon managed to have Jesse and himself moaning and gasping. Jesse's sounds of pleasure increased in intensity when Ray reached around and began stroking Jesse's cock. He leaned forward and kissed Jesse's back between the shoulder blades and then the back of his neck. Jesse turned his head and opened his mouth. They shared an awkward kiss.
Simultaneous orgasms were things Ray had read about but had never experienced until then. Regretting that he was coming so soon, he nevertheless blasted his seed into the condom. Jesse began to shudder, and Ray felt the cock in his hand begin to pulse as Jesse shot onto the bed beneath them.
Jesse collapsed. Ray remained on top of him and resumed licking the back of Jesse's neck and his shoulders. When his dick eventually softened, he withdrew, rolled off, and lay there on his side.
Jesse turned to face him.
"Wow! I've never been fucked by a cop before. I think I like it."
"Oh, I'll bet you say that to all your lays."
"Nope." Jesse grinned. "You're my first policeman."
"Can I ask you something?"
"This would be a good moment."
"Would you just hold me?"
Jesse looked surprised, but raised his arm and said, "Sure."
Ray scooted over and, after a little wiggling on both their parts, he was in Jesse's arms. He didn't worry what Jesse was thinking. He merely enjoyed the warmth and security as they snuggled together.
Both must have drifted off to sleep, for the clock said it was a little after 1:00 AM when Ray next looked at it. He and Jesse had pulled apart at some point. He lay there admiring the man in his bed, happy that Jesse hadn't left.
Jesse's body was on the thin side. Though his muscles were nicely defined, he wasn't bulky. But that face. It was easy to see why he'd become a model.
Perfect nose, cheekbones, lips, chin. Long, long eyelashes. Ray still had the urge to hand Jesse a razor and ask him to shave his face as closely as he'd obviously shaved his ass crack. That was just the cop in him, probably. But this man in his bed was nothing short of gorgeous.
So what was he doing in Ray's bed?
Maybe you'll find out. Just don't do anything to scare him off!
Jesse opened an eye. Then the other. He smiled.
"Hi. You okay?" Ray asked.
"Better than okay."
"Kiss me?"
"Oh, yeah!"
As they kissed, Ray's member grew hard again.
He'll think I'm, what's the word? Insatiable. Yeah, that's it.
Then he felt Jesse's hard cock poking his abs and humped back.
"Do me again?"
"You don't want to top this time?" Ray half hoped Jesse would say yes. Either way he'd be happy, but it would be nice to have that sweet, long cock inside him.
"Maybe next time. Not now. Fuck me again, please, Ray."
Later, they were lying side by side on their backs, looking at the ceiling. Ray's fingers were interlaced behind his head. Jesse's arms were at his sides.
"You transfer here from UConn?"
"No. I'm just starting to college. Why are you asking?"
"The cap."
Ray had never seen a man shrug his shoulders lying down before, but that's what Jesse did.
"Man, it's just a cap. I don't even remember where I got it."
"Oh."
They lay there quietly for a while.
"I must have been wearing the Huskies cap the day you and the prof were playing games."
"Uh huh."
A couple of silent minutes elapsed.
"You know," Jesse said, "I like it that you're lying there processing things about me. It means you're interested, doesn't it?"
"You bet your photogenic ass!"
Ray fixed bacon, eggs, and English muffins for breakfast. He noticed that Jesse wasn't eating much.
"It's hard to screw up eggs. Is there something wrong?"
"Oh, no! I just don't usually eat this much in the morning."
"You need to start the day with some protein."
"Yeah, I know. I'm just used to having some OJ and a bit of fiber cereal."
"I've got OJ." He went to the fridge and took out the container. "I have to admit I've drunk out of the carton, though."
Jesse grinned. "No problem. Hand it here."
Ray loved the intimacy of that.
A few moments later, as Ray was putting jam on a half a muffin, Jesse chuckled.
"What's funny?"
"I was thinking about last night. Your friend Bernie is probably pissed with me."
"Why?"
"He'd come over to the booth before you got there. Said he knew me. Even told me my name. I told him he was mistaken and that I wasn't Jesse Crofts. So the clever bastard came back when you arrived and asked for an introduction. Which you gave him."
Ray sighed. "I'm sorry I blew your cover. I didn't know."
"Of course not."
"Bernie's not really a close friend. We had sex. Once. And now I hear he's told everyone on campus about it. I didn't know it at the time, but I understand he has a reputation for fucking guys and then bragging bout it."
He put down the half-eaten muffin slice and leaned forward, looking into Jesse's eyes.
"I'm afraid your secret's out. Bernie being Bernie, it'll be all over town that famous fashion model Jesse Crofts is a student here."
"I think I was probably being overly secretive. Bernie may be the only person in Colby who'd have recognized me. I'm used to being spotted, but I'd hoped to get away from that for a while."
"Except for Caldwell, people around here aren't really pushy. I doubt you'll have much of a problem."
"I'll cope."
"Does that mean you might get rid of your beard?"
"You don't like the beard?"
"I love your face. I'd just like to see all of it."
"I could show you lots of pictures."
"Sorry I said anything. You can't help being gorgeous and sexy, even with the fuzz. But I'd settle for seeing those pictures."
"Next time we'll get together at my place and, if you're really interested, I'll get out my portfolio. Or maybe just a few back issues of GQ."
"So there's going to be a next time?"
"I certainly hope so!"
To Be Continued
Emails encouraged at t.mead76@yahoo.com Please put the title of the story in the subject line so I'll know it isn't spam. Thanks. --Tim