Dating Rules And Pretty Fools Ch. 11
By Laura S. Fox
Copyright © 2023 Laura S. Fox
All Rights Reserved
Gay Erotica
Intended for Mature Audiences Only
This story will contain graphic depictions of sexual intercourse, strong
language and it is not meant for readers who are less than 18 years of age.
Consider making a donation to Nifty by clicking the little blue button
on the front page, as they help us all enjoy so many great stories, while
aiding authors like me to display their work.
Chapter Eleven Blind
Spot
Hudson could say that he
had expected this to happen, as he entered Watkins's office and was asked to
close the door after him. Jackie was there already, with the look of a kicked
dog on his face, and stole a glance at him, one filled with pleas of being let
off the hook as the master looked elsewhere for another victim. Unlike him,
Hudson held his back straight and nodded at Watkins, who sat behind his desk,
his fingers steepled in front of him, while his cold eyes inspected his guests
with a sort of cruelty that left little room to guess why they had been
summoned there.
"What's going on?" he
asked directly after the formal greetings.
Watkins stared at him for
a couple more moments. "Jackie here is telling me an interesting story. One in
which you helped my debut number for a new club I've been working on for months
now run away."
"You're talking about
Jasper." Hudson frowned a smidge, as if he couldn't for the world imagine what
Watkins was upset about. "He had a family emergency."
"So I heard," Watkins
replied. He leaned back in his chair and inspected Hudson with his empty eyes,
without showing any sign that he believed what he had heard about Jasper's
family emergency.
It didn't matter. The
boss in charge of those shady clubs had no proof, although Hudson could have
done without drawing the scumbag's attention to himself in that manner. Given
the circumstances, he had made his choice and had no regrets. As long as it
meant that Jasper was safe, he'd see about the rest with the usual caution he
used in his dealings as an undercover detective.
He waited. Jackie was
sitting, his eyes on the floor, although he kept his legs spread, his hands
linked over his chest, elbows firmly pressed against the arms of the chair,
trying to assume a posture that told the world that he was on top of things.
Watkins hadn't invited him to sit, so he remained standing, displaying only
faint signs of irritation. At the same time, he was very interested in what
Watkins would say next.
"I am quite disappointed
in both of you. I would have liked to help poor Jasper in these trying times
myself."
No shit. Hudson schooled
his features into an expression of pleased surprise at Watkins's magnanimity.
"I thought we shouldn't bother you with something so trivial. You are, after
all, a very busy man, and Jasper is just one of the many models under your
wing." He upped the ante and offered a crooked smile. "Consider it a
professional flaw, boss, but I didn't think his leaving would matter. He's not
that much of a looker if you ask me."
"I'm not asking you, Mr.
Vegas," Watkins said and frowned. Something was bothering the fucker, and his
brain was surely turning Hudson's words on all sides while he took his time to
reply. "In the future, I would appreciate if you tell me you're planning to
make my next star disappear."
"Disappear?" Hudson
quirked an eyebrow, feigning surprise once more. "He'd just gone home. I'm sure
he'll be back for the big opening you have in mind if the timeline aligns."
"Well," Watkins said and
grimaced in a weird way that combined pain with annoyance, as well as sort of a
perverse pleasure, "I'd say that he disappeared, seeing how he's gone
completely incommunicado. He's not answering his phone, and the device seems to
be out of service, even." He turned his chair around and took in the view from
his window. It wasn't much, since it looked out onto a back alley, and across
from it, onlookers could see a redbrick building and a fire escape zigzagging
its faηade. "It looks to me like the boy made fools out of both of you, and now
I have to deal with the consequences."
"He was really crying,
boss," Jackie said in a pleading voice. "His momma--"
"Quiet," Watkins ordered
without turning his chair.
Hudson preferred it when
he could examine his opponent's face at length while having a conversation, but
this new boss of his wasn't some schmuck from the street. He wasn't some rat;
no, he was a different creature altogether, and Hudson couldn't help a
prickling apprehension running like an electric eel down his spine.
Jackie looked down again,
even more sullen than before. He definitely felt bad about getting chastised
like this in front of the newcomer. There was no more glance of hope toward
Hudson, either. The chances were that Jackie was already blaming him for this
falling from his master's good graces. That was something Hudson could deal
with. But later. Now, his entire attention was on Watkins and what his next
course of action for him and probably, Jackie would be.
"You will both have to do
some bottom work for a while," Watkins decided.
Hudson frowned, this
time, for himself. Bottom work could mean anything. Could it be that he was
being sent into the thick of things so fast? No, that couldn't be possible.
Watkins wasn't insane to let a stranger like him see the true face of his
business unless he was suspecting him and laying a careful trap. Of what
Watkins could be suspecting him was uncertain, but the Jasper episode had
definitely earned him no points.
"But, boss--" Jackie
whined.
"Do you like your job,
Jackie?" Watkins addressed the young man, turning his chair suddenly.
Jackie made himself
little. The dynamic between the two had certain undercurrents. Hudson stashed
that information away for further perusal. On the surface, Jackie looked like
not the brightest tool in the shed, but looks could be deceiving, as he well
knew from experience. And Watkins called him by his first name, like everyone
else. Hudson couldn't help noticing a certain degree of intimacy between the
two.
"Yeah, boss, I like it a
lot," Jackie said defensively.
"Then, starting tonight,
you'll play bodyguards at Twinlight. Play is a manner
of speaking. You'll break up fights, you'll see about throwing out drunkards,
and so on. And I don't want to hear a peep from you, Jackie. Mr. Vegas, do you
have anything to add?"
"No, boss." Hudson
shrugged as if he didn't mind the demotion and was taking everything in stride.
"We'll know better next time."
"Of course, you will."
The derision was out there, in the open. Watkins didn't give a rat's ass about
either of them, apparently. Hudson had to play the fool and just take it like
it was, his being bundled with Jackie like two schmucks. "Dismissed."
***
Hudson waited until they
were outside for Jackie to speak, steeling himself for the reproach that would
soon follow. As little as he thought of Jackie's intelligence, it wasn't like
him to underestimate people. In the web of deceit and shadows Twinlight and its owners existed in, Jackie had more
information than he did. Keeping on the good side of the guy would be nice.
However, that wasn't what
happened as soon as they were well out of earshot.
"Man," Jackie began
complaining, "the boss really ripped me a new one about Jasper. I tell you, you
were lucky." He patted Hudson on the shoulder in a friendly gesture. "He didn't
yell at you like he yelled at me."
"I didn't think he is the
kind to yell at anyone."
"He yells at me for
sure," Jackie replied and then let out a sigh so deep that it seemed to have
emerged from the depths of his soul.
Again, the detective in
him found that odd enough to require further examination. "Why is that?" Hudson
asked, but as if he did it out of politeness and nothing else.
Jackie shrugged. "He
cares or something."
Nothing came after that
simple admission. There was definitely something there. "Since you're the
veteran here," he said as means to tickle Jackie's vanity, "what's this bottom
work all about?"
"Exactly what the boss
said," Jackie replied promptly and puffed out his chest. "We'll have to keep
our eyes on the customers and frisk anyone who's out of line."
"Frisk? Really?"
"Hey, a lot of good
looking dudes come to the club each night. We might get lucky." Jackie wiggled
his eyebrows with a playful look in his green eyes.
"I thought you preferred
models," Hudson reminded him.
"Yeah, but, you know,
those guys are fussy. And, anyway, I'm just playing. I have my eyes on a real
prize." Jackie nodded and smiled, while his eyes became unfocused. "I mean, I'm
not some nice guy to bring home to momma, but for this dude, I'd go the whole
nine yards." He gestured widely to emphasize his words.
"What dude is that?
Better than your models?" Hudson teased and offered Jackie a lopsided grin.
Jackie sighed again and
gave Hudson a look full of suffering. "He's definitely better. He's like, I
don't know, man, chef's kiss. He dresses like a nice boy, he behaves like a
nice boy, he always talks so politely. Did I mention? He's frigging beautiful,
but you know, not like the usual, but like... I don't know, a bit odd, but in a
good way?"
Hudson felt his face
freezing in that forced friendly grin. "What way is that?"
Jackie shrugged. "Don't
ask me for words. You know, like he's high class. These dudes who take their
clothes off at Twinlight, they're basically like porn
actors. But this guy is like a model for some fashion brand. I mean, he's thin
just like supermodels, and he's... strange, I think, especially with that eye--"
"Eye? Just one?"
Gradually, Hudson sank his fingernails into his right palm to stop himself from
grabbing Jackie by the throat.
"Yeah. He wears his hair
like this, over one eye," Jackie explained. "But it gives him a mysterious air,
you know? Ah, man, I'm totally in love."
"Does this odd-looking
guy have a name?" Hudson carefully chose the last nail to hammer into Jackie's
coffin.
"Even his name is weird.
I mean, who the hell calls their kid Otis nowadays?" Jackie laughed and then
his eyes fell on Hudson, suddenly filling with concern. "Hey, man, are you all
right?"
"Why shouldn't I be?" He
was well aware his voice carried with it a tension that hadn't been there
before.
"You're a bit pale. Is it
something you ate?"
Hudson unclenched his
fist, and with it, the frozen expression on his face. "I doubt it. Maybe I was
nervous the boss was going to yell at me, too," he offered a joke as
explanation.
"It could also be crappy
food," Jackie continued. "I should take you to the restaurant where Otis works.
They have really good food. Good Bits, they're called. Really delish, I'm
telling you."
The asshole even knew
where Otis worked. He was going there to eat, often most probably, and laying
his traps to catch the beautiful young man. Hudson fought himself for another
moment in an effort to regain his nonchalance. That was one more reason to keep
his eyes on Jackie.
Hudson had no use for
fate and looking for meaning in the coincidences in his life. But the way his
lovely neighbor kept popping up everywhere he looked, especially where his
investigation of the human trafficking ring was concerned, made him almost
believe there was such thing as destiny.
***
He touched his collar,
overly conscious of the choker underneath that he'd had gone through great
trouble to hide from view. Nonetheless, he liked its presence there, reminding
him of all those moments he had spent with Hudson a few nights ago. It was enough
to recall the touch of those calloused fingertips, moving ever so slowly across
his skin, and he would shiver, caught in a web of pleasant sensations, strong
as a safety net.
"Otis!"
He jumped at the sound of
his name and turned toward Missy with a guilty expression on his face. "Yes?"
"Sorry, did I startle
you?" Missy touched his elbow lightly. "I've been calling you for like two
minutes."
And he had been
daydreaming, a very interesting activity but which was the opposite of what he
was required to do while awake, which was to pay attention to his surroundings
all the time. "I apologize," he said primly. "It won't happen again."
"Come on, man, stop
acting so serious," Missy said and patted him on the arm. "I wanted to tell you
something." She leaned forward, and her voice dropped to a whisper. After
looking around as if she were expecting someone to jump them from behind the
swinging doors to the kitchen, she began. "Mr. Smith is going to hand out some
bonuses this week. And I've heard someone's name being mentioned." Her smile
broadened.
"Whose name?" Otis asked.
He would congratulate that member of the personnel once the bonuses were handed
out by the manager.
Missy stared at him for a
few moments, and then burst into laughter. "You're such a straight shooter,
Otis, I love you. There's not one drop of ill will in you, is there?"
Those were nice words
that warmed his soul. People believed nice things of him, like Missy and
Hudson, and even Jackie, despite his greasy hair.
"It is you," Missy added
and hugged him. "He's going to give you the biggest bonus this month because
you've worked hard, and customers are in love with you."
He didn't know what to
say, his heart felt so overwhelmed all of a sudden. He had been worrying
constantly about bills and whatnot lately, and there had been no additions made
to the glass figurine collection on his shelf, because he didn't know if he
could afford both a new piece and food at the same time. Things had been
looking up since Mr. Smith had promoted him to waiting on tables, and even
more. He was so happy he couldn't put it into words.
"You deserve it, and I
don't want to hear a word from you," Missy said and her red mane jiggled on her
head, making him smile. "The question is... how are we going to celebrate?
Another night out?"
"I can't go to clubs
because I'm at risk of hooking up," Otis explained warily. He couldn't openly tell
Missy about his arrangement with Hudson, who was giving him dating advice.
"Oh, such dreadful
risks." Missy laughed. "You're a relationship type of guy, I bet. But we could
have some fun without hooking up. Actually, it takes a lot of the pressure off
I usually feel when I go to such places. It's like everyone expects you to hook
up when all you want is to have some fun."
Otis thought back over what
Hudson said about Jackie. However, Missy was right. They could have fun without
hooking up, or feeling pressured into it. Maybe they could try some other venue
for fun? He didn't know what could be more entertaining for Missy than going to
a club and dancing there with frantic moves. The best course of action, as
grandma had always said, was to ask the questions you wanted answers for.
"Besides drinking and
dancing, what could we do for fun? What do you like?"
Missy adopted a thinking pose,
crossing her arms and rubbing her chin in thought. "Hmm, you know what, Otis?
You're right. We should try other things. Do you have something you've always
wanted to do?"
Otis pondered for a
moment. There were so many things he wanted to try, actually. "Maybe wall climbing?"
he said hesitantly.
Missy looked at him
strangely. "I thought you wouldn't want to try any activity that involved
sweating ever. I don't even think you sweat." To make a point, she leaned
forward and sniffed him. "Yeah, you always smell great."
Overly conscious of the
choker he was wearing, Otis took a step back, taking Missy by surprise.
"You don't like people
getting close, right?" Missy asked.
"It's not that," Otis
protested.
"It's fine, really. I'm
too touchy-feely," she added, but Otis could say that she was no longer her
usually happy self.
"It's not that," Otis
repeated, not knowing how to repair the situation. He was bad at making friends
as he was, and keeping the few he had was essential.
Missy put her hands up.
"You're way too nice, Otis. It's all right, and I shouldn't have pushed myself
on you like this."
He was losing her. Yes,
that was going on, and he had no idea how to stop it. So, he did the only thing
that crossed his mind to prevent a disaster ending in a broken friendship. "I
have this," he said and opened the first two buttons of his shirt.
Missy blinked and her
eyes grew wide. "That's so pretty, Otis. I mean, it's a bit, how should I say,
eccentric to wear that kind of thing at work but, boy, it looks great on you."
"It does?" That made him
so happy. Careful that no one else saw it, he buttoned himself up. "My neighbor
gave it to me."
Missy grinned wildly and
put a hand on her hip. "For real? You two are at that stage where he's
collaring you? Man, you're a firecracker." She made a move to slap his arm but
thought better of it at the last moment.
That was the thing that
needed repairing. Otis took Missy's arm and slapped his arm with her hand,
making her laugh again. "There. I'm fine with you touching me," he said with
satisfaction.
"Well, that's a relief,
because I want to pinch these cheeks." Missy did what she said and caught his
skin between her fingers, pulling slightly. "Here I thought that you were a shy
dude, who can barely find the guts to install a dating app on his phone, and
you're playing the hard way with your sexy neighbor."
Playing wasn't the right
word, but Otis didn't wish to contradict her. He wanted to keep his lessons
with Hudson a secret from the world. A secret felt good to have; like his glass
figurines, it belonged only to him, and that mattered the most. Why, he didn't care
to explore at the moment.
"So, when are we going
wall-climbing?" Missy asked.
"We are?"
"Why not? I want to try
new things, too, but most of the time I get too lazy or I talk myself out of them.
As you can imagine, I end up doing the same old things and complaining that
nothing changes."
"Do you have to do new
things so that you can change?" Otis asked, interested in what Missy thought about
that. His grandma had always insisted that he should try new things, things
that young people did, but he'd felt ill-equipped to deal with such challenges.
Now, he regretted not having had more guts to try them. Nonetheless, he was
still young, at twenty-two, and there was enough time to do all the things that
caught his interest, now that he was bound to receive a little fortune.
"Definitely," Missy
confirmed. "How about we go next weekend?"
"After we get the bonus."
"Yeah. It's a deal,
partner."
He shook Missy's hand
formally and didn't protest in the slightest when she pulled him into a hug.
Maybe she thought she was too touchy-feely, but he didn't think that was a
problem between them. He preferred her that way.
***
Hudson was busy going over
and over the details of the meeting with Watkins, and the man's attitude toward
Jackie. Without a doubt, the young fellow was not the norm for Twinlight bouncers, since he didn't have the brawn, nor
their sullen attitude. However, that wasn't his role in the organization,
right? He had just been demoted to it, and with great suffering on his part, as
Jackie had insisted on reminding him repeatedly after they had left the big
boss's office.
Every investigation
tended to be a puzzle. There were events and people, connected or not, which he
needed to examine and establish how, why, or if they were related. His small
apartment wasn't suitable for a crime board, but he had it all in his head and
even took pride in keeping track of many various elements of an ongoing
investigation like no one else could. His captain was crazy about him for it,
or so his colleagues liked to gossip. Being the teacher's pet had never been
among his life goals, but now that he was, he believed he had earned that
place, fair and square.
Jackie didn't fit the
picture somehow, and it unnerved him that he didn't see how he did fit. Watkins
preferred his employees to be quiet, efficient, and nondescript as far as their
physical aspects went beyond the muscles required for the job that regular
people would have a tough time picking them out of a lineup.
And then, there was
Jackie, loud, obnoxious, boastful, not so bright, and yet he had his place
under Watkins's skin. That was a matter worth investigating. Could it be that
they were related? What had Jackie said? That Watkins cared or something?
Hudson zeroed in on that information.
Could it be that Jackie
was Watkins's blind spot? The man had left Jasper, the unfortunate boy, in
Jackie's care, and the braggart had lost the centerpiece for Watkins's gruesome
business venture's debut without asking too many questions. Hudson had been
satisfied with Jackie's lack of brains over it, but there was more to it and he
needed to investigate.
Also, save for some
yelling and a demotion that would probably not last too long, Jackie hadn't
suffered any other consequences for letting Jasper `run away'. But if Jackie
was, indeed, Watkins's blind spot, how had that come to be?
Someone was knocking
energetically on his door. Hudson was working less on taking pictures for his
website, now that he was gainfully employed, but some guys still dropped by
from time to time. Even so, he moved toward the door carefully and looked
through the peephole. A smile quirked his lips when he saw Otis on the other
side. He appeared to have his arms full and shifted a box from one arm to the
other to knock again.
Hudson opened the door
before his cute neighbor could do that.
"Hello," Otis said
politely. "I am here to bring you a gift."
Hudson took the box from
his neighbor's hands and stared at the picture and label on the side. "A
crockpot?"
"Yes. I got two at a
discount," Otis announced proudly. "A really good discount," he added and
leaned forward while raising his eyebrow in an all-knowing expression like an
old lady at the market striking the biggest bargain of her life to date.
"That's nice of you. But
why?" Hudson asked.
Otis's pretty face lit
up. "I got a bonus at work. It's confidential and I can't say anything about
it, although Missy knows exactly how much I got, and I know how much she got,
but we're not supposed to make other people feel bad that they didn't get as
much."
Hudson fought hard not to
laugh at Otis's considerate logic and stepped aside. "Come in. Also, what I
meant to say, is why give me a gift? And why a crockpot, of all things?"
Otis seemed on top of his
game today. He appeared quite bold as he took the box from Hudson's hands and
walked into the small kitchen. "It is perfect for the little space you have.
And for mine, although I had to find new places for other things to accommodate
it. You can make all kinds of food with it." He took it upon himself to install
the crockpot neatly on the counter. Then, he turned toward Hudson, his face all
a smile. "Now you can eat a lot of healthy foods, like fork-tender roasts and
butternut squash soup. It is an excellent addition to any kitchen--"
"Okay, okay," Hudson
stopped him before Otis ended up reciting all the marketing materials he must
have studied at length given his propensity for being as exact and thorough
as someone a lot older than his twenty-two years of age. "Thank you for your
thoughtful gift. The thing is, I don't have a lot of time to cook."
That seemed to deflate
Otis considerably. "You don't like it. You hate it."
Hudson felt like the
biggest asshole in the universe. "No, no. Come on, don't say that. It's just
that it was your hard-earned money you spent on this. Why would you spend it on
me?"
Otis worried his bottom
lip before giving the answer. "Because you help me. And for free, on top of
everything else."
"And nothing in the world
is really free?" Hudson asked while walking closer to his guest. He wanted to
comfort Otis, and that need was strong in him.
"I don't mean it like
that. I just wanted to do something nice for you, but it looks like I was off
the mark, and I apologize. Maybe I should have gotten you that moon lamp."
Hudson laughed softly.
"You know what? A crockpot was just the thing I needed without knowing I needed
it. Just don't scold me when you come around and you find it unused."
"Can I cook for you?"
Otis asked bluntly. "Sorry. May I cook for you?"
It was so easy to fall
for this great guy. Damn the freaking timing. Destiny, fate, whatever that was
called in his case, had the funniest sense of humor. Indulging in this pretty
man, with all his quirkiness and good heart, should have been on top of a list
of forbidden things for him. And yet, he found himself opening his mouth and
saying the most incredible words in his personal history. "I'd love it if you
cooked for me."
Otis was so happy, his
only visible eye shining and his entire face an expression of pure joy that
Hudson wanted to get his camera quickly and immortalize that moment forever.
"These things come with
recipes, and they all sound so good," Otis continued to blabber away. "I will
cut all the ingredients at my place, and then I can come with them and put them
in your crockpot."
"Hmm, wouldn't it be
easier if you just brought me the final result?"
Otis's brows furrowed in
thought. "But then I made a mistake by getting two crockpots. But if I only got
one, then I wouldn't have gotten the discount--"
Hudson stopped another
convoluted budgeting tirade by taking Otis in his arms and kissing his furrowed
brow. "I'm not hungry right now, so you can sleep on it."
"Good. I will do that,"
Otis promised, his earlier determination appearing to melt slowly.
Hudson brushed away the
bangs obscuring the hidden eye and kissed the other brow, too. Otis squirmed a
little and then looked up at him, his lips parted, his eyes even shinier.
Suddenly, he blurted out, "I wore the choker you gave me at work."
"You did?" Hudson licked
his lips. Otis smelled so nice, he felt his throat going dry just from standing
so close to him. He wanted to devour this beautiful young man, crockpots and
recipes be damned. And how nice was that? A stranger buying him a gift because
he was that nice a person.
Such behavior needed some
proper rewarding. Hudson took Otis by the hand and pulled him toward the main
room. "How about showing me?"
***
So, maybe he had been off
the mark with the crockpot, and Hudson, who was a very busy man, couldn't be
bothered to cut vegetables and turn them into edible things, but in the end, it
seemed that everything was working out. Otis was happy for it and tried to
avoid reading too much into the way Hudson pulled him along toward the sofa he
now knew so well.
He found himself feeling
incredibly shy at his earlier admission of having worn the choker to work. Was
that too bold of him? But he had promised Hudson he'd do that, so there was no
reason for him to worry about having gone too far.
Hudson sat across from
him and left him alone on the sofa. His shyness returned, and he looked around,
his eyes drawn again to the paraphernalia on the wall. The sight of a new leash
made him do a double take. That hadn't been there; he was sure of it. He always
tried not to forget things.
"Well," Hudson's voice
was deep and rough, "are you going to show me or not?"
Otis touched the first
button, a slight tremor in his fingers. He had been so audacious showing it to
Missy, so why did he feel like this now? He hardly had any explanation for it.
But Hudson was there. He was his teacher. Maybe he'd know. "I don't think I
can," he whispered.
Hudson misunderstood and
came closer. He began unbuttoning Otis's shirt slowly. Their eyes met as the
rough yet gentle hands continued their descent, one button after the other.
"You really did wear your choker."
"I did."
"How did it feel?"
"Nice. A little naughty,"
Otis confessed in a low whisper.
"Naughty and nice. How
come you're all that?" Hudson asked.
They were so close, they
could smell each other. And Hudson had such a manly, dizzying smell about him,
and not because of the personal grooming products he probably used. No, there
was something unique about his smell, and Otis was sure he would be able to
identify it from a thousand or more. "I don't know," he replied in all honesty.
"I think I do."
"Can you tell me?" Otis
closed his eyes as Hudson's lips brushed lightly over his.
"It's simply how you are.
Still waters."
"Run deep," Otis
completed the old adage. "Is that new leash for me?" Please, say yes.
"You know the rules,
Otis. Say that you want it, and it's yours."
Could it be that easy?
"Yes, I want it. Please, give it to me."
TBC
Support me
on Patreon and read a few chapters ahead:
https://www.patreon.com/laurasfox