Date: Wed, 24 Mar 2004 11:57:57 -0800 (PST) From: Michael Bryan Subject: JC and the Actor (Chapter 33) JC and the Actor, Chapter 33, Copyright 2004 ---------- The following story is entirely a work of fiction. It is not meant to imply anything about the sexuality or the personal lives of the members of NSYNC, or any other celebrities mentioned. If you are underage, or if it is illegal to read sexually explicit gay material where you live, don't read this. Please continue to send your thoughts, comments and criticisms to mzbryan2003@yahoo.com. I appreciate hearing from all of you. ---------- Chapter 33 I was in my trailer, placing a few small items in a box. It was hard to believe that tomorrow was going to be the last day of filming. I was only going to have about a week off before I had to start promoting the May release of my previous movie, aptly titled, "The Edge." Almost every talk show in the country wanted an interview, along with countless press and magazines. I couldn't imagine what I would say to any of these people, but I figured that at some point I would create a script in my head and would basically just repeat it for several weeks. Of course, what should have been an incredibly fun and interesting experience was once again overshadowed by my so unpredictable it was almost dull personal life. Ever since Elaine showed up with Madeline, I felt like I was walking around in a daze, alert but not fully awake. I couldn't even begin to think about what was going to happen if the videotape of Lance surfaced, and given that I was so preoccupied with finding out if JC was a father, I wasn't sure that I would care if it did. It was all terribly unfair. I was a twenty-six year old actor, and I was dating a pop star. Did it sound like my life should be particularly complicated? Yesterday, the day after JC took the paternity test, I broke down and called Maggie, the one person who had consistently given me good advice. I explained to her what was happening, and asked her why I felt so confused by the whole thing. "It sounds like you are more worried that you don't know him as well as you thought," she offered. "I didn't know he had all of this inner conflict going on in him. I guess it's always been about me. Maybe I just didn't take the time to notice." JC did basically go with the flow during the good times in our relationship, so it would have been difficult for me to know he felt otherwise. When Edward came out, JC was so casual about the whole thing, one would have thought being gay was never an issue to him. "Natty, it just seems to me that you have always been very comfortable in your own skin and so have the people around you. I'm not sure it is fair to you to have to start becoming someone's counselor." "You're saying I should break up with him?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Leave JC? It didn't seem to be the appropriate reaction to all of this. If he was the father, he would need my support. If he wasn't, we would just go back to being who we always were. Wouldn't we? "I'm just saying that it sounds like the boy has some issues," Maggie corrected. "It's been so much drama already and you guys haven't even known each other for a year yet." I wondered if I was starting to become a burden to my friends, always having some sort of crisis, always making them part of it. I hadn't expected Maggie to say what she was saying, but it made me realize that these were the thoughts racing through my head. Part of me did just want to run away and not look back. Maybe we really have been doomed from the start. Surely long lasting relationships weren't subject to so much hysteria on an almost monthly basis. At the same point, maybe stuff just sometimes happens. Maybe it is all based on the roll of the dice. JC came into my life when I least expected him to, and everything that happened since we met could have just been a series of mishaps and coincidences. Maybe it wasn't a sign at all. "I still love him, Maggie. I want to help him." "Natty, I'm not trying to persuade you either way. I just started to think. I mean, you are going to have people kissing your ass until it gets chapped in these next few months. You're going to win a Tony, you're going to be invited to all the best parties and meet all the best people. At the end of the day are you going to want to come home and deal with all of this?" "I hadn't thought of it like that," I said. "But now I sure as hell am. But wait, if he isn't the father, doesn't this all just go away? Don't we just pick up where we left off?" "That's up to you," Maggie said. "But can you?" I paused for a moment, thinking hard. "I'm not sure," was the best response I could muster. I knew I felt different, but I felt that a large part of it was simply shock. "I guess I need to know if he thinks he is going to be able to commit to this relationship and all that will come with it." "Just ask him," Maggie said. ---------- That was yesterday, and this was the question that had been running through my mind since then. On top of that, I had Elaine calling the police daily to inquire whether any progress had been made in her case. Over and over again they told her that it was very unlikely that the robber would be caught. I realized it was time to tell Lance what had happened. I wanted him to be prepared in case the tape showed up on the Internet. I couldn't imagine what his reaction was going to be, but prepared myself for the worst. Putting my box of stuff in the car, I called Lance, quite sure that he would be quite shocked that I was calling. We had become "friends" in the past few months, but all that really amounted to was that we stopped trying to do diabolical things to each other. "Nate," Lance said in his perpetually cheerful voice. "What's up? I mean, besides me." "Funny," I said flatly. "I need to talk to you about something pretty important. Do you have any time?" "Ooh, sounds serious," Lance laughed. "Sure buddy, I can make time for you. Do you want to come over to my hotel?" "How about we meet at that café we went to a couple of weeks ago?" I felt that a public place was necessary. I was hoping to get through this episode without getting hit. "Ok, buddy. Be there in an hour." I closed my phone, wondering if I should just get into my car and drive to Kansas. I could find a small town and live the rest of my life as a farmhand, albeit a stunning one. What was the point of all this? Fame and money were supposed to make life more fun. If they didn't, what was the point of having them? I made a pact with myself that if I got through this thing with Lance, I would never blackmail someone again. I then started laughing to myself, shocked that I had ever been capable of doing such a thing. On the way to the café I stopped off at the hotel Elaine was staying at. I was somewhat distrustful of her now, a little concerned that she could have been so upset about having a one-night stand that she couldn't even bring herself to determine the paternity of her child. I realized that she was no longer the girl I knew in college. She was a woman who had gone through a number of experiences and upsets. Life hadn't been particularly nice to her recently. "Still no word?" I asked, walking into her room. "You mean about the test or the burglary?" "Both, I guess." "Nothing yet." We talked for a bit and I asked Elaine if she would mind if I was to take a look around her apartment. I didn't think I could spot a clue the police had missed, but I just wanted to see it for myself. "Sure," she said, handing me the keys. Do whatever you want. I took the job in Vegas. I don't even think of this place as my home anymore." I looked toward the basinet, wondering what JC would think if Madeline was his daughter and was being raised in Las Vegas. "Elaine, what else did they take?" I asked, trying to understand the allure of a dancer's apartment. "They mostly just tore up the place," she said. "I guess they realized there wasn't much stuff of value there. But they took the box under my bed, my jewelry box and they cleaned out my file cabinet." She laughed. "I guess they wanted to make sure I had filed my taxes correctly." "Assholes," I said, standing back up. "Not only do they take your stuff, but they inconvenience the hell out of you." "Yeah," Elaine said. She looked down for a moment, then back at me. "Nathan, have you talked to him anymore about..." She looked over at Madeline. "Josh?" I said, raising my eyebrows. She nodded. JC and I hadn't talked much in the past couple of days. There was no antagonism, but we both were just lost in our own thoughts. Sex wasn't even suggested and for perhaps the first time in my life, there was no desire to have it. I was a wreck over so many things that I didn't have any time to think about pleasure or fun. "Elaine, whatever happens, Josh will do whatever he has to do, and he will do it all very respectfully. I know you are angry with him, but you don't know him." "Oh, I know him," she protested. "Elaine, you're going to have to knock it off with all the insults," I said, almost without thinking. "As I said, you don't know him." "But Nathan, he..." "Enough," I shouted. I was getting much angrier than I had expected to. I wasn't used to thinking about JC as being anything less than perfect, and I didn't like hearing someone else speaking badly about him. "Elaine," I continued. "Josh didn't put you under some kind of spell. He didn't know you just as much as you didn't know him. Don't tell me you really expected him to propose to you afterward." "That's not fair. I was vulnerable, Kevin had just..." "I know, I know. Kevin walked out on you and that's terrible. But it's not Josh's fault." She looked like she was going to say something, but I continued. "He might just be the kindest and warmest person I have ever met, and to tell you the truth, I can't imagine my life without him." I almost did a double take with my own statement. Wait a minute. It was true. I couldn't imagine my life without JC and I didn't want to. I realized that I wasn't defending JC in order to bide my time so that I could think about what I wanted. I was defending him because I believed in him. I was on his side. Whatever happened. Elaine sat there, trying to think of something to say. "I'm at a loss for words, Nathan. Maybe I should just take Madeline and get out of your lives. All I was trying to do was tell you about your package being stolen. I didn't know all of this was going to happen." She stood up and started folding baby clothes. "Elaine, I'm sorry. I don't mean to upset you anymore that you already are. I just want you to understand the position I am in. Josh is my boyfriend. I can't begin to explain to you the connection we have, but if I could you would know that my allegiance has to be to him." "I understand," she said, nodding her head, not looking at me. "We're not the best of friends anymore." She wiped a tear from her face. I told her that I would be back with the keys later, but she told me not to rush. I tried my best to reassure that everything would work out, but eventually I just walked out. I called JC but he didn't answer his cell phone. I wanted him to know that I was here for him, figuring that he might not be sure of that, but I had to get to Lance and continue my parade of spreading joy throughout Los Angeles. ---------- Lance was already seated at an outdoor table, looking very happy, though much too tan for late March. "Hey," he said, pushing his sunglasses down on his nose. "Why the long face?" After I left Elaine, I wanted to rush home to find JC, but I knew that I had to get this over with. I wasn't quite sure what I was doing, but I figured that at this point I might as well just tell everyone the truth and let what happens happen. I sat down and ordered an iced tea from the waitress. "You look kind of stressed, Nate," Lance said. He had removed his sunglasses and was tapping them against the table. "What's going on?" "Something kind of bad happened," I said, figuring I would get right to the point. My heart wasn't racing. I wasn't worried. I guess I just didn't care anymore. "What?" he asked, looking for a change like he cared. "The tape I made of you," I began. "You mean my Paris Hilton tape?" he laughed. "What, am I the next big thing on the Internet?" "You might be," I said flatly. His eyes widened and he leaned closer to me. "Excuse me?" he said. "The tape was stolen in a burglary at my friend's house. There's no reason to think that the person even knows or will ever know what it is, but I thought you should be prepared just in case." Lance just stared at me, silent. "Sorry," I offered after a few moments. He gripped the table and leaned over to me so that he could whisper in my ear. "Your lucky we are in public," he said slowly. "If anyone sees that tape, I will bury you." His breath was warm and audible. "I will destroy everything you have." I supposed that Lance could make life quite difficult for me, though I wasn't sure about having my entire life destroyed. I looked back at him, watching him stand up, turn around and walk off. I watched him come to a stop almost a block away, and then he started walking back toward me. I wondered if he had decided that punching me in public would be ok. He certainly wouldn't have been the first. He sat back down, picking up his forgotten sunglasses. "Do you think there is any way of getting it back?" he asked matter-of-factly, his eyes sparkly. "Um, believe me, I'm trying to find it. I was just on my way to check out the apartment it was taken from." Lance looked at me for a moment, tapping his upper and lower teeth together. "Well, let's go then," he said, standing back up. "What the fuck are we doing here drinking iced tea?" He was smiling again and I realized that there was simply no way of upsetting this guy. I guess he was too busy thanking God every day that he had been picked to join an Orlando boy-band. I smiled back, tossing some bills onto the table. ---------- "Don't get me wrong," Lance said as I sped down the freeway. "I will make you wish you were dead if anyone ever sees it. But until then, we might as well work together to find it." "Do you think we're like 'Starsky & Hutch' or something?" I asked him. "More like 'Turner & Hooch," he said. "Ouch," I laughed. I was still somewhat shocked by his calmness. We weren't talking about a sex tape with women. It was a tape of Lance with men. I understood Lance's sexuality less than I understood JC's at the moment, but I was far less interested in doing any further investigations into it. I filled Lance in on the details I had concerning the robbery, noting that it would be pretty impossible to find a burglar in LA. "Strange that they took her papers, though, don't you think?" Lance said. "Maybe they took the whole cabinet," I offered. "Or maybe they thought she might have account numbers to her bank or something." "Ooh," Lance cooed. "Maybe someone is going to assume her identity! How fucking cool would that be?" "Yeah," I said, looking over at him like he was nuts. "I'm sure she would really get a kick out of that." "This is a pretty shitty area," Lance said as we neared her apartment. "We can't all be wealthy back-up singers," I said. "Hey, remember, there is no 'I' in NSYNC." I pulled into the large apartment complex, pulling into a parking spot in front of the building. "Good idea to bring a Porsche here," Lance laughed. "We won't stick out or anything." "Lance, this isn't espionage. I'm going to a friend's apartment. You see, sometimes wealthy people are friends with less wealthy people." I was talking to him like he was a two-year-old. "I'm not following you," he said, shaking his head and stepping out of the car. "When you guys finally break up you should definitely go into comedy," I said dryly, following him inside. The building was a pretty typical LA structure. Large, square and devoid of any character. The apartment entrances were outside, surrounding a small courtyard. Elaine lived on the second floor. "Hmm, no sign of forced entry," Lance said, looking at the door. "They repaired it you dope," I snapped. "I think you are watching 'Law & Order' too much." "Just open the door, Hooch," Lance said. We went inside to find a pleasantly enough decorated apartment. It looked as though Elaine or somebody had done a lot of cleaning up, but some furniture looked like it was still out of place. "I'll check her bedroom," Lance said, practically running for it. I just shook my head and spotted the file cabinet Elaine had mentioned. It was totally empty. "Damn, this girl must be hot," Lance said, stepping out of the bedroom with a pair of Elaine's panties on his head. "Lance," I shouted, snatching the underwear off of his head. "Stop fucking around." "Do you expect to find a clue or something?" Lance asked, momentarily serious. "I don't know. I was just curious to get a sense of the place. I mean, I'm not trying to be mean, but why would anyone want to rob a place like this?" "Beats the shit out of me," Lance said, before going quiet for a moment and then turning to me. "Unless maybe it was somebody specifically interested in this apartment," he offered. "You mean like somebody that knows her?" I asked, shocked that Lance's suggestion actually made sense to me. "Maybe she's like a drug dealer or something," Lance said. "Your boyfriend would like that." I disregarded his last two statements, walking over to her answering machine, an idea from an episode of "Law & Order" running through my head. The machine said that there were zero messages, but I pressed the play button anyway. There may have been no logical reason to do so, and maybe it was my own sense of drama that propelled me to do it, but sure enough a message started to play from some friend of Elaine's, suggesting that the message had already been played, but not erased. "What are you doing?" Lance asked from underneath Elaine's bed. I took out my cell phone and called Elaine. "Did you find anything?" she asked. I asked her if she had recently got a message from her friend Sharon. "No," she replied. My heart skipped a beat. "I haven't heard from her in ages." I was quiet for a moment wondering if it could possibly mean anything. I told Elaine that someone must have played her messages. "I don't think a typical robber would do that," I said. She was quiet for a moment, probably feeling quite scared. "Do you think someone purposely wanted to rob you?" I asked. "I don't see why," she said. "You don't have any enemies?" I asked. "Um," she sighed. "You don't make many enemies in the world of dance, Nathan." I asked her if she thought that this information was worth telling the police, but we both tended to agree that they wouldn't care all that much either way. I hung up and Lance and I continued to look around for a bit. Nothing else seemed too unusual, though maybe I wasn't paying the strictest attention since I was silently patting myself on the back for playing the phone messages. I thought about wanting to portray a detective in my next film. We eventually climbed back into my car, and I began driving back toward the café, where Lance's car was still parked. Dusk was approaching but I already felt like I would have no problem falling asleep immediately when I got home. "So it seems as though someone is very interested in your dancer friend," Lance said, staring out the side window. "I can't understand why," I said. It was true that my direction of thinking could be totally off, but something just felt wrong and slightly more sinister about the whole thing. I parked in front of Lance's car, and he opened up the door to get out. He had been uncharacteristically quiet during the drive. "Lance," I called to him. "You have to know how sorry I am about this. You know I honestly didn't want something like this to happen to you. "Nate, I'm the one who likes to play games," he said. "You just happened to be the first person able to play on my level." It had become apparent to me that there was probably no way of getting the tape back into my possession, and Lance probably felt the same way. He was probably wondering how he was going to live each day not knowing if his reputation was about to be destroyed. "Maybe we can find it," I suggested, trying to act optimistic. "I hope so," he said, staring me in the eyes, his voice completely serious. He closed the door and walked back to his car. Once he was inside, I headed back to JC's house, eager to find out if his life was about to be forever changed as well. I pulled into the driveway to see that the wall JC's car had hit was repaired. I supposed that his car would take a couple of days more to fix. I walked into the house, placing my box of memorabilia down and calling out JC's name. "In here," he called from the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen to find JC sitting up on the counter, eating chunks of pineapple out of can. It had been a while since groceries had been in the house. His hair was flat-ironed straight, which told me that he must have some appearance to make. He was wearing a long-sleeved, black t-shirt and baggy blue jeans hung over his bare feet. He didn't look happy. "Nate, I..." "Josh, let me just say something," I interrupted, needing my feelings to be heard, wanting him to know where I stood before he unloaded on me. "I know we haven't been ourselves since all this happened, but I need you to know that I am here for you. It's true I've been quite overwhelmed by the whole thing, but the point is that none of this has made me doubt my love for you. I think part of me was so upset because I thought I was supposed to be angry, but I really wasn't. You see, I'm kind of starting to reach the conclusion that I don't think that you can do anything wrong in my eyes. No matter what happens, I just can't imagine waking up anymore without you next to me. Whatever happens, Josh, I love you and I'm here for you." I took a deep breath, amazed that I could talk that long without taking one. "I'm not the father, Nate." "Oh thank God," I gasped, sliding dramatically down onto the ground. JC smirked as he hopped off the counter and knelt down in front of me. "Thanks for saying all that," he said, his crystal blue eyes staring directly into mine. "Josh, why did you look so upset when I walked into the room?" "I felt bad. I mean, when I first found out I was really happy, but then I thought it was kind of gross to have that kind of reaction. I guess I was disappointed in myself." "I understand, Josh, but it's ok to be happy. You wanted to have children, but not like this." "I want to be with you Nate, whatever else happens can happen. But I want to be with you and only you. You have to believe that." I couldn't tell if his eyes were watering up. "I do, Josh." "It's true, I have been confused in the past. But after being with Elaine I totally accepted that I was gay. I wasn't conflicted anymore. And then I met you. I know having Elaine show up made it all seem so present, but I don't want women. I don't want marriage. I just want you." I didn't know what else to say, so I just leaned over and kissed him, my hands grasping the backs of his arms. It was amazing how fresh and new his lips felt after only not experiencing them for a few days. I could feel my whole body warming up, the blood coursing in every direction. I pulled away after a few moments, afraid that I might have a heart attack. I asked Josh if he was on his way somewhere. "Yeah," he sighed. "This stupid charity karaoke thing that David Arquette puts on. I don't really want to go, but I committed to it weeks ago." "Well, if you have to go," I said, hoping that he would just decide to skip it. "I don't suppose you would want to come with me?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. "Truthfully," I said. "No. But I will if it will make you have a better time." "Thanks," he said, slapping my knees and standing up. He reached out his hand and pulled me off the floor. "Go get dressed." I went upstairs, my heart restored with a sense of hope that even the most difficult problems could still be worked out. ---------- We arrived at the charity event, somewhat happy, somewhat still in shock from all the recent events. There was a red carpet, and we were forced to stop and pose along the way. A lot of people knew who I was now, but it was still weird to hear photographers yelling out my name. JC and I had done a pretty shitty job of dispelling the rumors about us, since we almost always showed up at the same things. My fans (or whatever you wanted to call them) wondered why a "brilliant" young actor was hanging around with a pop star. JC's fans seemed to think I was a new member of his so-called "entourage," a long list of people that had included Carlos, Tony, Tara and Rob at some point or another. The room was filled with celebrities of all levels, along with a couple hundred people who had one various radio contests. I didn't know what the celebrities were raising money for, but apparently they were going to do it by humiliating themselves with a karaoke machine. What was sad was that as each person took the stage, you could tell they actually thought they were going to deliver an excellent performance. JC walked back from the bar and handed me a bottle of beer. I noticed that he was drinking a soda, but decided not to say anything. "Thanks," I said, taking a sip. "Can we go now?" "Oh, I get it," JC laughed. "You're going to be a Hollywood snob." "Josh, everyone is acting like a fourteen year old." "And here comes their leader," JC laughed again, noticing Justin walking toward us. My relationship with Justin was "icy" at best, quite in contrast with what I had thought of him when we first met. "Dudes, what's up?" Justin said, sipping his beer. JC's way of dealing with me not getting along with his friends was to basically ignore the tension, and act as though everything was fine. In a strange way, I respected that. I didn't like people who would start dating someone and then tell the guy who his friends should be. I stood there quietly while JC and Justin talked. I had the chance to think about all the stuff that was going on, but what really impressed me was the idea of just how many things could be going on at once, how one person's mind could handle so many different emotions. Here I was at a Hollywood party, honestly enjoying myself. True, one of my problems was over, but another one was ever present. "When are you gonna sing?" Justin asked me. "Don't you want to raise money for the kids?" "Not really," I said, looking around the room. Was Courtney Love standing in a garbage can for no apparent reason? "You should, Nate," JC said. "You would be great up there." "No, Josh," I practically yelled. His eyes widened at my reaction. "Ok, ok," he said. "I just figured you..." "Josh, I'm petrified of singing in public," I interrupted; quickly aware of the company I was in. Justin smiled at me and disappeared in a flash. "Where is he going?" I asked JC, the fear rising in my voice. "It looks like he's getting up on stage," JC said, pointing toward it. Sure enough Justin was up there, mercifully taking the microphone away from Bruce Willis. "Josh, he wouldn't?" I asked, barely able to talk. "I think he might," JC answered. He looked like he was concerned for me, but couldn't understand why I was so scared. Of course, how could someone who sang for a living understand my fear? "How y'all doing?" Justin yelled to the crowd. "Now it's time for a very fine up and coming actor, though you've probably seen his name more in the tabloids lately. Give it up, for Nathan Murray!" I looked up in horror to see Justin standing with the microphone, a sinister grin on his face. This was war. I turned back to JC. He could see the rage in my face. "Josh, you don't understand. I almost failed my musical theater course in college. I can't do it. I'm telling you I can't do it!" "Nate, you're an actor," he reminded me. "And I can portray somebody else with no problem. But this would be me. Me singing. I can't do it." I was practically causing a scene in front of the few people around us. "Nate, listen to me, just go up there and look confident. Act. I've been in this business long enough to know that you can't back down from anything. Don't let them see you sweat." "Josh, I'll die." "It will be ok," he said, smiling at me reassuringly. With that, he turned and walked away. Before I knew it, everyone was cheering and I was standing next to Justin, taking the microphone from him. I covered it with my hand and leaned over to him. "I'm going to kick your ass back to Memphis, you little shit," I said through my teeth, all the while smiling at him. "Just sing, boy! Sing!" Justin laughed, patting me on the back and hopping off the stage. It was all so very stupid. I had been an actor for years and now I was even famous. Why should it bother me at all? The crowd even wanted to hear me sing. Why didn't I just ham it up and make the crowd laugh? Why did I want nothing more than to just die right on the stage? The music to "I Will Survive" began to start and I would have started to laugh if I wasn't frozen with fear. I didn't know what was going to happen. JC was nowhere in sight, and I couldn't believe that I had been abandoned at such a terrible time. The crowd of celebrities and lucky contest winners were already dancing, perhaps anticipating that I was going to show them a good time. I brought the microphone to my lips, wondering if it was too much to hope that the sweat on my hands would electrocute me. I put on a brave face while I tried to remember the words. Wasn't it, ironically enough, something about being petrified? "Come on," somebody yelled. I smiled and took a deep breath. I brought the microphone to my lips, and then...nothing. Something had happened but at first, I didn't know what it was. The crowd was sighing and looking very disappointed. Was I that bad? Wait a minute. Where was the music? As I floated back to reality, I realized that the karaoke machine was no longer playing. "We'll have it fixed in a few minutes, folks," a technician called out. Everyone turned back to me and I quickly put on a face that suggested I was very upset that I could not perform. Everyone started to applaud me anyway, and I took a bow, mockingly placing my hand over my heart as though I was sincerely touched by their reactions. JC appeared at the foot of the stage, looking up at me. "That was lucky huh?" I hopped off the stage, feeling like I had dodged a bullet. "I can't believe it," I said. "I mean, somebody up there must really like me." I pointed up toward the sky. "Bullshit," Justin said, walking over to us. "You had that happen on purpose." "He was up on stage the whole time," JC answered for me, shaking his head disapprovingly. He leaned closer to Justin. "And stop acting like an ass around him." JC turned back toward me. It was true that JC was shorter than me and that I could probably bench press him, but at the moment, watching him defend me to his closest friend, I nearly started swooning. "I'm ready to go," he said to me. "How about you?" I nodded and we made our way out of the building. I had been having mixed feelings about resuming a sexual relationship with JC, fearing that parts of his anatomy might now make me think about parts of woman's anatomy. Driving home with him, I was pretty sure I could overcome those fears. ---------- "So how are you doing with everything?" I asked, tossing my keys onto the dining room table, still in disbelief that the karaoke machine had malfunctioned. "You realize that table cost $10,000," he said. I picked the keys up and let them drop on the floor in front of me. "The floor is probably pretty expensive too," I smirked. "You might want to get those." "My pleasure," JC said, his eyes looking mischievous. He kneeled down to pick up the keys, but I soon felt his hand grabbing my calf as he pressed his face against my crotch. "I missed touching you," he said, rubbing his face against the denim of my jeans. I just sighed as I felt his hands travel up to my waist and start to unbutton my pants. I moved my hands to the long and currently straight strands of his hair, my fingertips almost burning with excitement. I had closed my eyes as I heard my zipper lowering. I felt my jeans and boxers slide off of my hips, and then my cock was enveloped in JC's mouth. It sounded like he was sighing with relief as he began nursing me to a full erection. "He's all mine, again," I thought to myself, giving myself over to the pleasure I was feeling. I became fully hard and felt him start to take me down to the base, his lips and nose tickling my trimmed pubes. I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it onto the ground. "I love you so much," he said, pulling off of my cock and starting to tongue my balls, pressing his face against them, licking at the area between them and my ass. I couldn't imagine how free JC must be feeling at the moment, but it sure seemed like he was trying to show me. I urged him off the ground, and he stood up, letting his tongue travel up my body until he was standing in front of me, pushing his tongue into my mouth. He opened his eyes, a look of concern washing over his face. "It's ok, Josh," I said, knowing what he was feeling, brushing my face against his cheek. "We made it through something again. We're still together." He smiled and resumed kissing me. My hands reached behind him to pull off his shirt, but as I did so, I felt something strange tucked into the back of his pants. Stitching my eyebrows together, I pulled out a short plastic cord. JC saw what was in my hand and smiled at me. "Um, Josh, is this what I think it is?" realizing that it must be part of some machine, a karaoke machine perhaps. "I couldn't let you be embarrassed up there," he smiled, kissing me again. I smiled back at him, letting the cord drop to the ground. "They'll find another one," he said. I pulled his shirt off and almost frantically started to undo his pants. We rushed out of the rest of our clothes and next thing I knew JC was laying back on his $10,000 table, his legs hanging off the edge, his cock down my throat. "Oh yeah, Nate," he sighed, propped up on his elbows, watching my oral assault. His cock was so long and smooth that it was truly a marvel just to look at. Of course tasting it was even better. I moved up and down his cock, using my hands to play with his balls. I could taste him leaking more and more, and not wanting him to finish anytime soon, I moved my mouth away from his cock and started sucking on his smooth, round balls. He sighed some more and let his back fall against the smooth wood of the table. I slowly started to raise his legs until his feet were planted on the edge of the table, his inviting hole right in front of my face. I tongued the area above it hard with my tongue, assured that he liked it from the sounds coming from above. Slowly, my tongue made its way to his hole, and he shivered as I pressed against it. "Fuck, yeah," he said as I began to rim his ass, nibbling at the sparse hairs around it, tracing the tiny ridges and valleys with my tongue. I spread his cheeks apart wider with my hands, exposing more of his pink rosebud, and diving in deeper with my tongue. He moaned again and I saw his hand reaching for his cock. "Leave it," I said, pushing his hand away, wanting him to concentrate on the pleasure I was giving him. "Ungh, you're driving me nuts," he moaned, his hands falling back down to his sides. I kept rimming him, getting his hole nice and wet, feeling my own cock start to leak. I had been resisting the urge to start fucking him, but now I couldn't take it anymore. "Are you ready, baby?" I asked him, standing back up. "Do you really have to ask?" he smiled, looking up at me. I smiled back and brought my cock up to his hole. I could feel him pushing against me as I pushed into him, my previous work making it quite easy to slide inside him. "Oh God," he actually laughed, his mouth opening widely as he pressed the back of his head hard against the table. It occurred to me that part of the reason JC loved bottoming probably had something to do with it being a specifically gay act. Maybe it made him more comfortable, reminding him who he was. Feeling the heat of his body, my cock pushing against his prostate, I settled down for a nice, long fuck. Despite wanting him so badly, it felt like we had all the time in the world. His feet moved from the table edge and he brought his legs over my shoulders. I grabbed them, feeling the short hairs, kissing his calves. For the most part he kept his eyes closed, but occasionally he would open them to smile at me, or to watch the muscles of my chest and abs move in conjunction with my rhythm. Eventually his hand returned to his hard, wet cock, and I started to speed up, thinking that maybe he was getting close. "Nate, stop," he said suddenly. I looked down at him and asked him if he was ok. "Yeah," he said. "Just pull out for a second." I slid out of him and watched him sit up and lean over to kiss me. I kissed him back, feeling his hands grasp my shoulders. Slowly I felt myself being turned and then I was on my back, taking JC's place on the table. "I just thought I would do some of the work for a while," he grinned, straddling me and grabbing my cock. He lowered himself onto me, staring me in the eyes the entire time. With me completely inside him again, he leaned down to kiss my nipples and play with the short hairs on my chest. Then he straightened up and started to rock his hips back and forth, riding me like he was a jockey. "Oh, God," I moaned. The feeling of him bouncing up and down on my cock was incredible. I could feel my cock dripping steadily inside him, as his tunnel became more and more slick. "Oh, you're so deep," JC said. He was moving faster now, and I reached for his cock, pulling on it whenever it bounced down within my grasp. "Yeah, baby. Ride me." It was one of those times when not only were you loving the sex, you were just in general having a great time. There was a lot of laughing, in between the sighing and the moaning. I tucked my hands behind his knees, marveling at how tight the skin was on his chest. He was covered in a light sweat, and I could see that the little hairs on his body were slowly returning from his last waxing. He really started to slam himself against me, grunting each time, but looking like he only wanted more. I wanted to explode so hard inside him, but didn't want to finish until he was ready. He wiped the sweat off his brow with his arm, and then grabbed his own cock and started jerking it. I started to thrust against him. "Oh yeah," he purred. "Fuck me, Nate. Fuck the cum right out of me." He was working his cock and his ass at a furious pace and I knew I was soon going to have to cum whether I wanted to or not. His free hand started to pinch his right nipple hard and he started to make his familiar high-pitched, erratic sounds, the sounds I loved. "Oh God, oh fuck," he cried, his orgasm building up inside him. Right before it looked like he was ready to burst, he released his cock, and threw his head back. The cum began to pump out of him, hitting my stomach and dripping down his magnificent cock. I grinded my teeth together as I came inside him, yelling out praises for various deities. He rolled back to face me, grasping his cock once again and squeezing out the remaining cum. He continued to moan softly as I continued to lightly thrust inside him, wishing I could feel this way forever. JC leaned down and pushed his lips against mine, his tongue searching for my own. He laid himself down against me, keeping me inside him. "I guess I should have been more protective of your table," I sighed, realizing that I had just ravaged him on top of it. "It's ok," he smiled. "It's only money." ---------- After getting some rest and having a light dinner, we retired to the bedroom, eager to get a good night's sleep. I knew that JC would be sleeping better tonight, but as for myself, I was actually feeling very badly for Lance. "I still can't believe you broke the karaoke machine for me," I said, cuddling against him. "What if someone saw you?" "Please," he laughed. "People just like to stare at my face. They don't care what my hands are doing." "They should," I smiled, lacing my fingers through his. "You have nice hands." We drifted off to sleep, only to be woken suddenly by my phone ringing. "People call you at the oddest times," JC moaned, his eyes still closed. I said hello into the receiver only to hear Lance shout back, "You better get down here to Venice, right now!" "It's three in the morning," I said, looking at the clock on my nightstand. "Nate. Venice. Now!" I looked over at JC. What the hell was I supposed to say? "Ok," I said, closing the phone. JC rolled over to face me. "Who was that?" he asked, his eyes slowly opening. What the hell was I supposed to do now? To be continued