This
story
concerns adult and teenage gay
males who may be involved in sexual situations. If it is illegal for
you to
read such stories, or if you do not like to read such stories, please
leave
now.
This
story is
copyright 2006 by the author who retains all rights.
This
is a work
of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents
either are the product of the author's imagination or are used
fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is
entirely coincidental.
This is my
third submission to Nifty. My
previous submissions can be found in the High School section under
Kiel’s Story. Any comments or questions are
welcome at: carl_holiday@att.net.
A warm
thank you goes out to all who
write. I appreciate knowing someone is actually reading this stuff,
whether you
like it or not. I try to answer all emails, even flames. (I’m a writer,
I live
for rejection.) Although sometimes it takes a little time to get back
to
you, I do
try to answer. If I'm remiss in replying to yours, I apologize.
The Pastel Cowboy
by Carl Holiday
Chapter
12 – Is That Bruce?
Zach knew something
was up
when Sarah took the James Street exit from I-5 and headed straight
toward
Uncle David’s condominium. He
had expected some warning, but she simply drove into the load/unload
zone and
turned off the engine.
“I assume this is
my stop,”
Zach said.
“Grandfather said
your uncle
is willing to let you stay here,” Sarah said.
“He doesn’t want me
back at
the house, then,” Zach said. He looked at Jeremy, who seemed too
shocked to say
anything.
“No,” Sarah said,
“but Jeremy
can help you with your bags. I’m to bring him straight home after
leaving here.
Grandfather was rather adamant about getting Jeremy home without delay.”
“I guess he’s not
in favor of
my continuing relationship with your brother,” Zach said.
“Let’s just say
things have
become uncomfortable,” Sarah said. “I think grandfather’s begun to
think you’re
not the best friend Jeremy could find.”
“Come on, Jeremy, I
guess we
might as well play along,” Zach said. He got out of the backseat of
Sarah’s car
and stood on the sidewalk waiting for his boyfriend. They hadn’t had
sex. A
little kissing, but no sex even though they’d slept in the same bed
since that
night at the beach house with Raul. At that moment, knowing he probably
wouldn’t
see Jeremy for at least a few days, Zach felt he was more in love with
the
younger boy than he’d ever been.
Jeremy
perfunctorily picked
up Zach’s bags and followed him into the condominium lobby. Sadness
dulled his
eyes and pulled down at the corners of him mouth, not in a pout, no
Jeremy was
too sad for that much exhibitionism. Zach’s eyes bore into him as they
rode the
elevator up, but there eyes didn’t meet. Zach was doing everything he
knew to
feel upbeat about their worsening situation and it seemed Jeremy had
finally
succumbed to his grandfather’s desire to ruin their relationship.
David was in his
office and,
much to Zach’s relief, barely acknowledged Zach as the boys walked past
his
door. The last thing Zach needed at that moment was a confrontation
with the
man who could ruin his immediate prospects of a comfortable bed, not
that the
beds in the dorm were so bad he never wanted to sleep in them again.
David’s
condo was a great place to be, especially since Paul was there and Paul
might
still want Zach to pose for him.
When they finally
stood in
Zach’s bedroom, Jeremy quietly put the bags on the floor and turned to
go.
“Wait,” Zach said.
Jeremy turned back,
but
didn’t look at Zach. He stood as if ready to bolt out the door.
“What happens to us
now?”
Zach asked.
“You don’t know
Grandfather,”
Jeremy said. “He’ll do everything he can to keep you away from me.”
“So, what happens
to us?”
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t you want to
see me?”
Zach asked. He stepped toward Jeremy, who noticeably stiffened as if
unsure of
their love.
“Well, of course, I
do,”
Jeremy said, “but Grandfather can be difficult. You don’t know what he
can do.”
“What can he do?”
“I don’t want to go
back to Switzerland and he can send me back to Mother. I want to
be with
you.”
Zach stepped up to
Jeremy and
kissed him. He felt Jeremy’s body relax as their lips parted. Their
arms held
each other tightly, but only Zach’s hands were doing anything close to
attempting comfort.
“Call me when you
can,” Zach
said. He didn’t want to let Jeremy get away, but realized there was
little he
could do at the moment. “Come on, I’ll walk you down to the car.”
“Zach?”
Zach looked up.
Paul stood at
the door and said, “Hi, Jeremy, I haven’t seen you in awhile.”
“Hi,” Jeremy
whispered. He
looked at Zach, then practically bolted away. He was out the door
before Zach
could react.
“So, what’s the
news?” Zach
asked. He wasn’t in the mood for a lecture. His life was changing too
fast for
him and now, out of his own stupidity, he was cornered and in danger of
losing
everything important to him.
“Do you have
anything
important going on in the next few days?” Paul asked. He walked into
the
bedroom and went over to the sofa where he sat down.
“I’ve got fall term
registration at school tomorrow,” Zach said as he sat down at the other
end.
“I was hoping to
get you down
to the studio. We can’t get a lot of the preliminaries out of the way.”
“Preliminaries?”
“Yes, like you
being
comfortable in the studio.”
“What’s so
uncomfortable
about your studio?”
“Well, first of
all, you won’t
have any clothes on, most of the time.”
“What about you?”
“I can’t paint in
the nude.
Don’t think I haven’t tried, but it just too distracting.”
“Pity.”
“Look, why don’t we
go down,
anyway. Maybe we can go over to Bill’s and get a latte or something.”
“Sure, it’s not
like I’m able
to do much of anything else.”
Much to Zach’s
surprise they
walked down to the studio. The drop of the top of the hill was steep
and Zach
thought of walking back up with that steep bit at the end. He wasn’t
all that
familiar with this part of Seattle and tried to pay attention, but
being raised
on a farm in Eastern Oklahoma where the tallest building he’d ever
seen, the
Hannaford Bank and Trust Building, was only two stories tall, did
little to
help him as he walked in the deep canyons below office buildings,
condominiums,
hotels, and hospitals that struggled to reach high enough to have at
least a
partial view of the waterfront.
They walked nearly
straight
down to First
Avenue
before turning left toward Pioneer Square. Crossing Yesler, Zach
noticed the obvious
change in
the architecture and age of the buildings. In many ways, the buildings
reminded
him of the store fronts in Hannaford with all the old brick and stone.
It was
almost too quaint, too artsy for his taste.
“Your studio is
down here?”
Zach asked.
“Bit much isn’t
it?” Paul
said. “It’s mostly for the tourists, but I’ve been down here over
twenty years
so I tend to overlook the more obvious kitsch. After awhile it kind of
grows on
you. Let’s stop in here I feel like a latte and a Danish.”
“Isn’t it a little
late for
Danish?” Zach asked. It was a bookstore, Books on the Square, but it
looked too
touristy for any serious book selling. Yet, there were quite a few
customers
browsing the shelves or sitting in a variety of easy chairs and sofas
seemingly
haphazardly strewn about. Two spiral staircases led up to two upper
floors that
appeared to be full of more books. Zach followed Paul to the far side
where a
young woman, probably not over twenty, stood behind a counter
emblazoned with
posters for numerous concerts and plays in the area.
She was a lot
younger as Zach
neared. She couldn’t have been much more than nineteen with barely a
hint of
breasts, but with a tall and slender body that said, “I’m not your
type, don’t
even think of asking me out.” Her shirt was light blue, long sleeved
with the
collar unbuttoned. The khaki slacks were worn loose on the hips
covering up
whatever was underneath. She looked over at Zach and fear washed across
her
face.
“Hi, Marjorie,”
Paul said.
“This is my new model, Zach. You’ll probably be seeing a lot of us for
the next
few months.”
The barista stared
at Zach
and he knew who she was or, rather, who was hiding under the persona of
Marjorie the Barista. He wanted to come right out and say something
smart, but
held back as if waiting to see if she might reveal her secret on her
own.
“Hi, Marjorie,”
Zach said.
“It’s been awhile.”
“Yeah, what can I
get y’all?”
Marjorie said. She was obviously nervous. Her eyes tried to remain
focused on
Paul, but kept darting over to Zach as if he wasn’t really there and at
any
moment she’d realize he was only a figment of her imagination.
“But, I don’t
remember the
Southern accent,” Zach said.
“She’s from Fort Worth,” Paul said. “She’s been working here all
summer. What?
Something about going to school up here?”
“Yes, I’ll be
attending
college this fall,” Marjorie said. She glanced, again, at Zach as her
assumed
persona slowly began to evaporate. “Do y’all want something drink or
eat, or
just to see sweet ol’ me?”
“You know what I
want,” Zach
said. He couldn’t hold back any longer.
Shock tore through
Marjorie as
she bolted toward the men’s room. Paul looked at Zach, who turned and
headed
toward the men’s room, too. When the door closed behind him it appeared
he was alone.
This was a toilet out of the past with white tile floors, marble
counters and
walls, and chrome, lost of polished chrome. Zach half expected to see a
man in
a tux offering warm towels. Marjorie wasn’t in sight. Zach looked at
the row of
four stalls and the end one, obviously added for accommodation as it
glared
with modernity.
“Bruce? Where are
you?” Zach
asked. He stood facing the closed doors of all the stalls trying to see
in the
gaps. “Come on, Bruce, I don’t want to play hide and seek.”
There was no
response and,
so, Zach tried each door, but each time he opened a door, he was faced
with an
empty stall. At the last stall, the handicapped one, Zach pushed on the
door,
expecting it to be locked, but it wasn’t. Marjorie was in the far
corner cowering
down behind the commode. She looked absolutely pathetic. Zach shut the
door and
locked it.
“Whatever you do,
please
don’t hit me,” Marjorie said.
“Dammit Bruce, quit
being so
fuckin’ dramatic,” Zach said. “You’re the martial arts expert and look
at me,
come on look at me, I couldn’t fight my way out of a paper sack.”
Marjorie continued
to cower
in the corner as if the made up persona had completely taken over
Bruce’s
being. Zach went over and sat down on the commode.
“You know,
Marjorie, you’re
not a bad looking girl,” Zach said. “Not that I’m looking for a
girlfriend. Not
going to say anything? Jerry said he called you, that night. He called
me to
say goodbye, but I didn’t think it was time for him to go.”
“He called me a
couple weeks
ago,” Bruce said from the corner. “He wanted to know if I was mad at
him for
slashing his wrists. He’s living with some nice people back in New York
who are helping him. We talked for over an
hour. I
think I was falling in love with him. I couldn’t handle that.”
Bruce came out of
the corner
and squatted down in front of Zach. Tiredness hung about him as if
being
Marjorie required more effort than he could muster. More than that,
though, he
seemed horribly unhappy, as if a major part of Marjorie was an
overbearing
depression squeezing out of his heart whatever euphoria Bruce
previously
enjoyed.
“What happened to
you?” Bruce
asked.
“I thought he
wanted a
blow-job.”
“You can’t do that
much
damage with you hands. What’d he use? A two by four?”
“Boots.”
“Fuck.”
“Not right now,
maybe when I
get this cast off, though.”
“Damn it, Zach, is
that all
you think about?”
“Yeah, pretty much,
and, you
know, Marjorie? If I knew you weren’t a guy, I’d fuck you. You’re cute.”
“Ah, that’s so
sweet.”
Bruce stood up and
brought
Zach up to where they were closer than they’d ever been since meeting
three
months earlier, so close they might have, under better circumstances,
taken
each other in their arms and kissed, but that wasn’t to be. Zach looked
deep
into Bruce’s eyes and saw uncertainty, which he accepted because of his
own
foolish actions since coming to Seattle.
“Was it bad?” Bruce
asked. As
he traced a finger along the edge of the surgical scar on Zach’s cheek.
“Worse than being
beaten by a
half dozen crazy cowboys and I know what that feels like. I fully
expected to
be dead. It was so fuckin’ bad. He meant to kill me, but he was stopped
before
getting close. I’m taking drugs to stop anxiety attacks I get. For the
longest
time, I kept seeing him, but he’s in jail down in Texas. In fact,
Marjorie, it’s in your county
jail. When
Paul said where you were from, I thought maybe you knew.”
“Ohmigod! No, god,
Zach, no,
I didn’t, honest. Jeez, Zach, you must have thought I was . . . oh,
fuck!”
“I’d like to. In
fact, I’d
like to get to know you a whole lot better.”
Zach leaned in and
put his
lips to Bruce’s. They were soft, welcoming, accepting his invitation.
Smelling
lilac, Zach was reminded of going into the bathroom after his mother
had taken
a bath and smelling whatever concoction it was she added to her bath
water.
Whatever it was the room was left smelling strongly of lilac.
Their bodies were
close
together and Zach felt the hard throb of Bruce’s erection pressing
against his
own need. A momentary flash of Jeremy crossed his mind as he felt his
belt
being loosened, but this was no time for childish games. His good hand
began to
work its way up inside Bruce’s shirt seeking a pair of sensual nubbins.
“Hey! Bruce? Are
you in
here?” a voice asked from the door.
“Fuck!” Bruce
hissed.
“Yes I am, Uncle
Bill,” Bruce
said as he quickly pulled up Zach’s pants.
“Well, it’s getting
busy out
here and you know I can’t do lattes worth shit,” Uncle Bill said. “If
you’re
not too busy, I’d appreciate a little help.”
“I’ll be right out.”
“Who’s Uncle Bill?”
Zach
asked.
“My uncle, he owns
the
store,” Bruce said. “I guess I’ll have to do my first blowjob some
other time.”
“Your first?”
“Yeah, I told you I
was a
virgin.”
“Shit! I figured
you were
just kidding me, us, I mean. Jerry was there, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah, he was
there. I’d
better go.”
“Can I call you
tonight?”
“Yeah, come on. Are
you
okay?”
“Yeah, I’m okay,”
Zach said
wondering if he and Bruce could get together, again. A brief thought of
Jeremy
passed, and an ever stronger memory of Bud took its place. Maybe
getting
together with Bruce wasn’t such a bad idea.
Around the corner
and two
blocks east, the building housing Paul’s studio was in the midst of a
major
renovation. The elevator wasn’t available so they had to use the stairs
up to
the fifth floor, which, except for the northeast corner, was almost
completely
devoid of interior walls, ceilings, and finished flooring. Wire-caged
light
bulbs hung from a tangled mass of orange extension cords woven in the
framework
for the ceiling. An old building musty odor tinged with the tangy smell
of
recently cut sheetrock assaulted Zach’s senses as he followed Paul to a
plain
white door that looked very temporary.
“I couldn’t decide
whether to
move or let them finished my studio first,” Paul said as he unlocked
the door.
“I’ve been in this building from the beginning and wasn’t certain I’d
be able
to connect with my canvas in a different location. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, it’s like a
horse,”
Zach said. “No, really, I think it’s just like my first horse, Sally,
which I
raised for 4-H and then trained for steer roping. Dad offered to give
me five
of his best cows plus one of his older horses, or I could start my own
herd the
following spring with two of the calves he’d pick out for me. I liked
Sally and
wanted to keep her. It took me a long time to decide.”
“You kept her,
then.”
“No, she was good,
but I
couldn’t pass up the chance to jumpstart my own herd and, besides, Dad
did give
me Billy which was his favorite horse. Then two years later he gave me
Sally’s
colt.”
“Sounds like your
dad is
quite a guy.”
“He’s a fucking
bigoted
asshole who doesn’t deserve what he’s got.”
They were inside
the studio
and Zach began to look around. He didn’t know what to expect, but was
surprised
at the amount of light coming in through the three skylights. The walls
were a
stark white which brightened the room even more. There were no windows,
but
there was a small kitchenette in one corner; what looked like a large
walk-in
closet in the opposite corner and turned out to be a three-quarter
bath; an
assortment of wooden stands that he assumed were for posing along the
far wall;
beside the door there was a small desk with a laptop on it; and on the
other
side of the door a full sized bed with a metal frame seemed out of
place.
What caught his
eye, though,
was the floor. It was polished hardwood without a speck of paint
anywhere. In
fact, other than the stands, this room might not have been a studio,
not that
Zach knew what an artist’s studio was supposed to look like.
“Well?” asked Paul.
“I don’t know, it
seems cold,
uninviting. There’s no paint splatters. I thought there’d be splotches
of paint
on the floor.”
“Tarps and a
fastidious need
for cleanliness. I don’t know where it comes from, but I admit I’m a
neatness
freak when it comes to my personal spaces.”
“Uncle David
strikes me as
being rather neat, too.”
“He’s a pig. If it
weren’t
for your Aunt Louise, and now in a sense myself, David would still be
down on
the farm slopping hogs. He’s pathetic. Paper strewn all over. Half
eaten
cookies put back in the jar. He even drinks from the milk carton.”
“You know Aunt
Louise?” asked
Zach. He followed Paul over to the bed and sat down beside him.
“Yeah, we talk now
and then,”
Paul said. “Not that David knows I do it, but she called once needing
something
for their kids. We had a nice long talk.”
“But, she said
she’d never
have anything to do with him, ever again,” Zach said tensing a bit when
Paul’s hand
came to rest on his thigh.
“They have kids,
well,
they’re both adults now, but you know that. Louise has always pretty
much
managed the financial side of David’s writing. She still does, to some
extent,
anyway.”
“But, I remember
when she
told Dad and Mom about him being gay, or rather, in her words, an ass
licking
homo.”
“Do you know where
she’s
living, now?”
“Tulsa, I think.”
“Do you know who
she’s living
with?”
“Should I?”
“As far as this
conversation
goes, she’s living with another woman, a known lesbian.”
“What?” Zach
exclaimed.
Paul’s hand was
softly massaging
his thigh halfway between his knee and, well, somewhere Zach wasn’t too
certain
he wanted massaged. It was so nonchalant, as if it was a normal
occurrence. He
wanted to tell Paul to stop. Yet, he wanted the hand to work its way up
his
leg, too, as if the hand could act on its own accord.
“Your Aunt Louise
found out
the sexual landscape doesn’t have fences. If you let your heart lead
you,
sometimes you might find yourself sleeping with someone who has the
exact same
needs as you. She’s quite happy, actually, not that David will ever
know. David
can be rather vindictive about matters of the heart.”
“Wow! I would never
have
guessed. I bet my father doesn’t know.”
“Your mother does,
but,
you’re right, your father doesn’t. What’d Louise call him? Something
about an
ignorant, head in the dirt, farmer, or something.”
Zach wasn’t certain
and he
wasn’t about to look, but the hand seemed to be closer to his growing
dick. He
needed to move as it was stiffening at an uncomfortable angle. His aunt
was
queer, too. That was a revelation, but not quite as important as what
was
happening at that moment.
He stared across
the room,
lost in the confusing sensations Paul’s hands, as both of them were
touching
his body, now. His dick seemed to be bending itself into an odd shape
and was
getting painful. He needed to move to adjust himself, but he didn’t
want to
stop what Paul was doing to him.
Paul was still
talking. Words
came out of his mouth, but he wasn’t paying attention to what was being
said.
He swallowed and made a little gasp. He looked at Paul who smiled and
their
lips met.
Zach felt himself
being
lowered back onto the bed. Paul’s tongue was in his mouth; and, yet,
everything
was happening at a slow rate as if Paul wasn’t in a hurry and had all
the time
in the world to get this done. Zach shut his eyes and imagined he was
dreaming.
When he felt his
zipper being
pulled open, Zach whispered, “Please don’t. Not now.”
He felt Paul move
away from
him and Zach opened his eyes. Paul stared at him without expression.
“Got a headache?”
Paul asked.
“Something like
that,” Zach
said as he sat up. “Look, I’d really like to do this, but I probably
lost my
boyfriend.”
“Jeremy?”
“Yeah, Jeremy. And,
I found
Bruce.”
“Bruce?”
“You know, the
sophomore from
college who was Jerry’s friend, sort of.”
“Oh, the karate
guy?”
“Yeah, the karate
guy.”
Paul got to his
feet and
walked over to where there were some chairs and brought one back to the
bed. He
sat down and tried to force a smile, but it looked more like a smirk.
“Where’d you meet
him?” Paul
asked, getting up and walking across the room. “Do you want some
coffee?”
“Sure, that’d be
nice,” Zach
said. “He was in the bookstore. We almost got it on in the men’s room
before
his uncle broke up the party.”
“That was
Marjorie,” Paul
said from the kitchenette. He was grinding some coffee beans.
“Bruce hides his
homosexuality by dressing as women,” Zach said. He stood up and picked
up the
chair, which he took over to the kitchenette. “When I first saw
Marjorie I
wasn’t certain, but she was wearing the same shade of eye shadow that
René the
Fairy wears.”
“Bruce is
René the Fairy,
too?”
“Yeah, I saw right
through
that one, too. He tries really hard and fools a lot of people.”
“He certainly had
me fooled.
Then he’s …”
“No! He’s
definitely not
trans-whatever or a cross-dresser. He does it so people won’t suspect
he’s gay.
That’s why he’s does the karate thing, but everyone knows and no one
does
anything. He’s just scared. That’s all.”
“Yeah, I guess
we’re all
scared of being different at one time or another.”
“No kidding,” Zach
said as he
took the cup of coffee offered by Paul. Jeremy came to mind briefly,
but Zach
put that thought away knowing there was little chance of ever getting
together
with Jeremy again. Bud was going to do everything he could to destroy
their
friendship so why put a lot of effort into something that was doomed to
failure.
Bruce, on the other
hand,
offered a new challenge. Zach didn’t know how experienced Bruce was in
sexual
matters, and strongly suspected Bruce was still a virgin like he said.
He’d
have to go slow with Bruce so he didn’t scare him away, but he wasn’t
certain
he could hold back his emotions as Bruce was very desirable at the
moment.
They’d almost
gotten it on.
Bruce was going down on him. He knew Bruce had never done it before,
but it
didn’t happen and now he would have to wait until those feelings could
be
recreated because Zach knew that was one of those defining moments when
inhibitions are tossed to the wind and something that might have been
totally
abhorrent became something highly desirable. He would have blown his
load in
Bruce’s mouth as Bruce wanted, but that moment had passed unfulfilled.
“You seem a little
moody this
morning,” Sara said after she pulled away from the curb. Zach knew she
didn’t
have to take him to registration. He could’ve taken the bus, but he
figured she
wanted to talk about things, things he wasn’t too certain he wanted to
talk
about. So, he agreed, even if he wasn’t too excited about being alone
with her.
“Did you bring your
checkbook?” Sara asked. “You know this trip will be fruitless if you
left it at
home.”
“I have my
checkbook,” Zach
said as he rummaged through his backpack looking for it. He remembered
putting
it in, so it must be in one of the pockets, but which one, there were
too many.
He knew it was in there, in a place that was obvious. He stopped for a
moment
and in the corner of his eye saw Sara glancing over at him. This was
not a good
time to panic. The checkbook was in the bag. He put it there this
morning. He
put it where? It’s in the bag. He put it in the bag. “Yeah, here it is.”
“And, I have
checks, too,” he
said, holding up the book so she could see. He hoped he didn’t sound
too short,
but he wasn’t in the mood for conversation. What he was in the mood for
was
Bruce. “I saw Bruce yesterday.”
“Is he still
working at his
uncle’s bookstore down in the Square?”
“You knew he was
working at
the bookstore?”
“Well, sure,
everybody knew
that. Ohmigod! You didn’t, did you? He said that. What? What was it
that he
said? Oh, yeah, it was a secret. You didn’t beat him up, did you?”
“No, he thought I
was going
to, but he was in drag so I couldn’t. You’re not supposed to hit girls.
Hey,
watch out!”
“What?”
“Didn’t you see
that blue
car?”
“Oh, that one, of
course I
saw it,” Sara said as she looked in her rearview mirror and then became
occupied with her eye makeup.
“Are you going to
drive, or
put on your makeup?” Zach asked. His eyes were everywhere watching out
for
other cars that seemed oblivious to the girl beside him who wasn’t
paying any
attention to them either. They all moved along at nearly seventy miles
an hour,
changing lanes if the car in front was going slower, or going as slow
as safety
allowed as the other cars zipped around them. Sara seemed to be
somewhere in
between, going slow to fiddle with her makeup and going fast when she
remembered they had to be at check-in before ten o’clock.
“If you were a good
gay boy,
you’d be able to do my makeup while I drive,” Sara said. “And, I
wouldn’t have
to drive and fix my makeup.”
“What’s being gay
have to do
with knowing about makeup?” Zach asked, even though he didn’t want to
go there.
There was only one chance to deflect the conversation. “Have you ever
seen me
in makeup?”
“Well, no, silly,
you’re not
that kind. You know, like Bruce. Bruce knows how to do makeup. He’s
even given
me a few pointers on what colors I should wear, but I can never
remember so I
just wear what I want. By the way, was he Marjorie?”
“Yeah, the little
waif with
the fake Texan accent. He almost fooled me, too. Until I got closer,
then I
knew. We made up though.”
“Bruce is nice. You
should
date him.”
“Instead of your
brother?”
“Grandfather would
be a lot
happier.”
“How is Jeremy?”
“On restriction.
For the rest
of his life, I think.”
“Maybe that’s for
the best,”
Zach said, not believing he could say such a thing. He missed Jeremy,
missed
him too much, but it was not to be, not at least until he could prove
to Bud
that he wasn’t the whore Bud thought he was. Of course, there was
Bruce, too.
Bruce was available and Bruce seemed to want to do things, at
least he
did yesterday.
“You know it’s
not,” Sara
said. She looked over at him, but Zach pretended not to notice. “I’m
surprised
you could say that. You love my brother and he loves you.”
“And, your
grandfather thinks
I’m no better than dried up pond scum.”
“No, I think he
likes you a
little bit, maybe just pond scum.”
“Thanks, you’re
sweet.”
“I know, and you
should date
me, too.”
“Okay.”
“But, you can’t
because grandfather
won’t let you near Jeremy. He told me not to bring you home.”
“Figures.”
“Well, I could come
and get
you since you can’t drive. Have you ever kissed a girl?”
“As a matter of
fact I had a
girlfriend before everyone thought I was gay,” Zach said as an image of
Jeremy
crossed his mind. The last time he saw him in the condo when Paul came
into the
room. That was just yesterday and, in all likelihood, might be the last
time
they’d see each other for a long, long time. “We kissed, too. She was
nice, but
she believed them, too. Everyone believed I was gay. You can’t imagine
what
it’s like to have everyone hate you.”
“No, I can’t,” Sara
said. She
turned into the student parking lot on the far side of the athletic
fields and
zipped into the first spot. “But that doesn’t mean we couldn’t go out
sometime.”
“What about Eb?”
“Who?”
“Darnel.”
“Why’d you call him
Eb?
Ohmigod! You’re right! Oh, god, that’s so funny. Oh, he’s gonna be so
mad, but
that doesn’t matter right now. Would you like to go out, say, to a
movie, oh,
say, tonight? Maybe we could get a burger or something before. I’ll
have to
take you home before curfew, though. And, you don’t have to kiss me.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
Zach asked.
He looked at her and wondered if it all had been some horrible dream
and he
just woke up and Sara was his girlfriend; and, no, they hadn’t had sex
yet
because she wanted to wait. He wondered if she sucked Eb’s dick before
they
fucked or if she just spread her legs and let him put it to her. He
looked at
her fingers and wondered if she knew how to put a condom on. Well, of
course
she did. Everyone knew about condoms. He wondered if she had a couple
condoms
in her backpack, like he did along with a small bottle of lube. He
wondered if
she carried some lube, too.
“Are you okay?”
Sara asked.
“Oh, sure, just
thinking
about things. Yeah, I guess we could go to a movie, but won’t your
grandfather
be suspicious?”
“Fuck him!”
“He’s too old for
me.”
“Ew! That’s sick!
How can you
even think, oh, yeah, you can think of that, can’t you?”
“Sorry, it just
slipped out.”
“And, I promise not
to try to
make you straight,” Sara said patting him softly on his ass. He looked
at her
and wondered if she swallowed.
“Okay.”
Bruce was sitting
at his
regular table in the corner and Sara was sitting next to him. There
wasn’t
anyone else at the table. Zach walked up to them and sat in the chair
opposite
Bruce and right beside Sara. She patted his thigh and said, “How’s my
honey?”
“Sweet as ever,”
Zach said.
“Oh, hi, Bruce, didn’t see you. Are you sweet, too?”
“What’s with you
two?” Bruce
asked.
“She my new
girlfriend,” Zach
said. “I had this girl from Texas, but I can’t find her anywhere. You
don’t
happen to
know anyone from Texas, would you?”
“Very funny,” Bruce
said.
“You know I don’t do that at school anymore. So, what is with you two?”
“I’m taking him to
dinner and
a movie tonight,” Sara said. She had a can of diet cola, but seemed to
be
ignoring it. “And, afterwards, well I guess I’ll go home and watch a
movie with
my brother.”
“Obviously, you
like movies,”
Bruce said. “But, Zach, you’re going out on a date, with a girl?”
“Yeah, so?”
“You’re not
supposed to date
girls.”
“You dress up like
a girl and
I want to take you out. So, what’s the difference?”
“Would you go to
dinner and a
movie with Marjorie?” Bruce asked. He tried to smile, but it faded
quickly to a
frown.
“I’d like that,”
Zach said.
“Do you know how I can get in touch with her? Maybe, Saturday night.”
“She has to work
until
seven,” Bruce said.
“I could come down
to the
store, say about six, and then we could go from there. Do you think
your uncle
will mind me going out with Marjorie? You know, me being queer.”
“No, he won’t mind.”
“Well, you two
certainly
aren’t a lot of fun,” Sara said.
“Oh, sorry, I
thought you
wanted me to go out with Bruce?” Zach asked. He put his hand on her
thigh and
felt the muscle tighten. Yeah, he thought, she swallows.
“Well, I thought
you’d call
him.”
“He’s right here.”
“Yes, I am,” Bruce
said. “I
was telling Sara she shouldn’t use any shade of lavender on her eyes.
It
doesn’t work for her.”
“Marjorie wears
lavender eye
shadow,” Zach said.
“You noticed,”
Bruce said.
“Yeah, I kind of
like her.
It’ll be nice going out on a date with her.”
“She doesn’t leave
the
bookstore,” Bruce said, looking down at his lap. “Only René goes
outside.”
“Then, I guess,
I’ll have to
settle taking you to dinner and a movie,” Zach said. “But, I can’t
drive, so
it’ll be either cab or bus. I don’t think my chauffeur works nights.”
“Paul?”
“Yeah, Paul.”
“Okay, you two, if
you going
to ignore me, I’m leaving,” Sara said. “And, you, Zach, can figure out
how to
get home on your own.”
“College Flyer to
downtown
then the Number 2, I think,” Zach said.
“The Number 1 stops
a block
closer to your condo,” Bruce said.
“You’ve been
there?” Zach
asked.
“I used to have a
friend that
lived up that way.”
“Oh?”
“He’s with someone
else. He
wanted more than I was willing to give, at the time, anyway.”
“And, you’re
willing now?”
“Okay, I’m
leaving,” Sara
said. “Zach? I’ll pick you up at six. We’re going to Chez
Martín, so dress
appropriately.”
“Ooh, fancy!” Bruce
exclaimed.
“Dressy?” Zach
asked.
“Very.” Bruce said.
“You’ll
definitely need a jacket and tie.”
“Well, if I have to
dress up,
why can’t we go to a play, or something?” Zach asked.
“Because this isn’t New York City,” Bruce said.
“You two!” Sara
exclaimed.
“And, I’ll check to see if there is something other than a movie to go
to.”
“We could go back
to the
condo and watch a movie in my bedroom,” Zach said. “We could snuggle on
the
sofa. I’m sure my uncle has something other than porn; or, do you like
gay
porn?”
“You have a sofa in
your
bedroom?” Sara and Zach asked, practically in unison.
“Yeah, my uncle’s
condo isn’t
one of those hundred thousand dollar apartment conversions. It’s got
like
almost three thousand square feet, I think. It’s huge. There’s even a
formal
dining room, if you can believe that.”
“Wow, is your uncle
rich or
something?” Sara asked. “Because, you know, if you’ve got more money
than my
grandfather thinks you have, we might be able to use that to get him to
like
you.”
“I don’t have any
money,”
Zach said. “And, I don’t know if my uncle is rich. He writes mystery
novels.
Can anyone make any money doing that?”
“If you’re good,”
Bruce said.
“Is he good?”
“I don’t’ know,”
Zach said.
“I haven’t read anything he’s written. Have either of you read anything
by
David Brandon?”
“David Brandon?”
Sara and
Bruce asked, again, almost in unison.
“You two are going
to have to
stop doing that,” Zach said.
“You mean the movie
producer
David Brandon?” Sara asked.
“Or, the award
winning
screenwriter David Brandon?” Bruce asked. “He’s one nearly every award
you can
win. Didn’t he win a Pulitzer, too?”
“For a mystery
novel?” Zach
asked.
“No, it was for
something
earlier in his career, some literary thing, before he went for the
money and
went to Hollywood,” Sara said. “Don’t look at me like that,
both of you
know Doctor Jeffers comes to the house all the time. He’s like an
expert on
David Brandon. By the way, Zach, did Doctor Jeffers give you a preset
schedule?”
“Yeah, my life is
one big
term paper for the next four years,” Zach said. His hand was still on
Sara’s
thigh and her hand was on top of his. It felt warm, welcoming. Yeah,
Sara
definitely swallowed. The only question was, could he reciprocate? If
she went
down on him, was he obligated to go down and put his face and mouth and
tongue
in that place? Could he get away with using only his fingers? Could he
put his
fingers in that place? Maybe Sara didn’t swallow.
“He was doing that
this
morning,” Sara said. “I think it’s because of his attack. It wasn’t
that long
ago and I think he’s still supposed to be seeing that psychiatrist.”
“Are you two
talking about
me?” Zach asked.
“Yes, Sara was
asking if
you’d prefer oral or anal sex tonight,” Bruce said with an evil smile.
“And, I
said I didn’t know since we’ve never done anything, together, ever.
Then she
said she preferred anal sex, but would do oral sex if you really
wanted, but
she really isn’t into having cocks in her mouth, so you’d have to fuck
her,
only she doesn’t do it the regular way because she’s saving that for
husband
number one. She wants to be a virgin on her wedding night.”
“God! You’re as bad
as Zach,”
Sara said. Bruce winced, obviously in response to a well aimed kick in
the
shin. “I’m leaving. Zach, remember, six and jacket and tie are
definitely
appropriate.”
They watched Sara
walk out of
the cafeteria, Zach watching her ass, wondering if she’d like his cock
up her
ass. It certainly looked like a fuckable ass. Yeah, definitely
fuckable. He
looked over at Bruce, who looked back.
“So, do you want to
take me
home or should we go to my place?” Zach asked.
“It’ll have to be
your place
because my parents don’t like gay boys,” Bruce said with a frown. “They
don’t
even like their own gay boy.”
“Are they hassling
you?”
“Yeah, I was
supposed to move
out when I was eighteen, but I don’t make enough at the bookstore to
pay rent
somewhere and go to school. I definitely don’t want to live in a dorm.”
“Do you want to go
to the
condo?” Zach asked. “Maybe we could pick up where we stopped yesterday
at the
bookstore. Or, maybe we could do something else.”
“Are you always so
subtle?”
Bruce asked.
“If you’re
uncomfortable
about this, we don’t have to do anything,” Zach said.
“You know I’ve
never done
anything. Even with Jerry, it was never more than just kissing and,
well, maybe
a little frottage, once, or maybe twice.”
“We don’t have to
do
anything,” Zach said. “Besides, look at me, I’m not the most desirable
gay boy
at this table.”
“Oh, I don’t know
about that.
I know of at least one gay boy who’d love you get you naked.”
“Well, then, I
guess we’d
better go.”
____________
Author’s Note: Sorry about the delay in getting this chapter
out. I’ve been dealing with a lot of issues lately and this story
didn’t seem
to want to help. I’m not a hundred percent better, but I think things
are
improving enough that the next chapter shouldn’t take as long as this
one.