Pretty Man

by Ryan Field

  Roland stood beside Josh and smiled.

  Marty stood at the edge of the party by himself while Kenneth scurried all over the place checking his flower arrangements and working the crowd. He wore a stark white suit, with a yellow bow tie and beige and white saddle shoes. His black hair was puffed forward in the front in a style he only wore for extraordinary occasions. He moved from one person to another, calling each one “Doll” and patting everyone on their upper arm as if he were their dearest friend. When he walked past people he and Roland had known more intimately, he’d lean forward and whisper something with a snide grin on his face. Ben and Stewart, old friends, hugged Roland and kissed him on the cheek. They told him how good it was to see him again, and how wonderful he looked. Their eyes popped when they met Josh, their tongues practically falling out of their mouths.

  Kenneth, who couldn’t wait to get Roland alone, finally grabbed his elbow. “I’m going to steal him away for a few minutes,” he said to Josh, steering Roland away toward a white gazebo.

  “Doll, people are talking,” he said. “They are all asking me who this Josh person is and if you’ve lost your mind. Barry and Sally are really worried; they think you might be in trouble. They say he looks cagey and sinister. Simon and Rick told Bill and Randy you gave him the Rolex he’s wearing. And I for one have to question your judgment in this case. I saw him flirting with women, of all things.”

  Roland laughed. “Give me a break, man. You left me for someone younger and turned my life upside down. And we all know how they like to gossip out here in the country. It gives them something to do.”

  “Marty was the biggest mistake of my life,” Kenneth said. “That’s why I’m so worried.” He turned and pointed to where Marty standing at the bar. “Look at him. He’s useless. He’s not even that great in bed. We haven’t had sex in two months.”

  Roland sighed. “Don’t compare Josh to Marty. They are two different people.”

  “Josh is trouble,” Kenneth said. “I’m telling you, he’s trouble.” He leaned forward and took hold of Roland’s sleeve. “Please listen to reason.”

  Roland lowered his eyes and smiled. “Stop worrying. If it makes you feel any better, Josh is a paid escort. I hired him to spend the week with me while I was up here so I didn’t have to face these Ashley Foundation events alone. Josh and I have an agreement, and on Monday morning when I leave for Florida, Josh will return to his own life. He’s really a good guy, and he’s not trouble.” He hadn’t planned on telling Kenneth this, but it didn’t seem to matter much now that he was so close to leaving.

  Kenneth took a deep breath and smiled. “You have no idea how glad I am to hear that, Doll. I was really worried.” He made a fist and lightly punched Roland’s arm. “I’ll keep this between us. No one else has to know.”

  Roland smiled and shrugged his shoulders. “I really don’t care who knows,” he said, then put his hands in his pockets and walked away to speak with an old friend and business associate he hadn’t seen in a long time.

  Mike Grogan was Roland’s first real estate agent in Bucks County. He’d found the house for him and Kenneth and was always the one to advise Roland through his real estate transactions in Pennsylvania. They’d bought and sold condos for profit, built a few spec houses, and even bought open land that Roland preserved to prevent cookie cutter subdivisions. Roland hugged Mike hard. He was in his late 70s but looked more like he was in his late 90s. He was the most unpopular, unloved person in Bucks County. The only reason people invited him to anything was because he had money and donated it. His voice was raspy and low and he tended to be painfully honest, which is what Roland always cherished about him. Kenneth had always despised Mike.

  “Mike,” Roland said. “You look healthy and well.” He lied: Mike was unkempt to the point of his pants being threadbare and his underarms reeking of spoiled onions. Strands of unwashed gray hair fell to his neck, and he was now missing one front tooth.

  “Bullshit,” Mike said. “I look like shit. You’re the one who looks good.” He tilted his head and nodded toward Josh, who was talking with a group of women near the rose garden. “And from the looks of that hot young number you’re with today, I can see why.”

  Roland smiled. “He’s very bright, too. He wants to buy a bookstore in New York.” Mike licked his lips and rubbed his palms together. “With a face and body like that, he doesn’t even need a brain.” He leaned in closer. “Tell me, does he have a big dick?”

  Roland stepped back and laughed. “I’m surprised at you, Mike. Be good.” He lowered his voice. “It’s huge.”

  Mike clapped his hands together. “I knew it. I can spot a guy with a big dick a mile away. I’ll bet that’s some change from what you’re used to with old Nancy boy Kenneth.”

  “C’mon,” Roland said. “Kenneth isn’t that bad. I’m staying with him this weekend and he’s been great. We’re friends now.”

  Mike pressed his lips together. “I’ll bet he didn’t tell you he’s up to his ass in debt with that stupid flower shop. What’s it called? Apro-daisy?”

  “Apro-Posie,” Roland said. “And no, he didn’t mention he was having problems.”

  “Well, the flower shop is four months behind in rent, the house is going up for sheriff’s sale, and from what I hear he’s maxed out all his credit cards.”

  Roland rubbed his jaw and lowered his eyebrows. “I had no idea.”

  “This is a small town,” Mike said. “The house problem is public knowledge. They posted the sheriff’s sale in the local paper, and I know for a fact his landlord is waiting to get paid.”

  “How do you know that?” Roland asked.

  “Because I am his fucking landlord!”

  Roland sighed and gazed out to where Kenneth still stood next to the gazebo. He was talking to a woman Roland didn’t know, fluffing a huge, red satin bow around the brim of her white hat. Roland couldn’t help feeling sorry for him. “Call me in New York on Monday. I’ll take care of the rent.”

  Mike raised his hands up high. “Oh no. I didn’t mention this to get money from you. You gave him a good settlement and you don’t owe him, or me, a thing.”

  Roland hugged him again. “Just call me and I’ll take care of things.”

  Then he left Mike there and crossed back to where Josh stood alone now, sipping a martini and looking ready to lie down on the grass and close his eyes.

  “You good?” Roland asked.

  “I’m good,” Josh said. He looked back and forth to be sure no one was watching.

  Then he pointed to his crotch and smiled.

  Roland snickered and wet his lips. “When we get back to the house, I’m going to work on that.”

  Though the Ashley Foundation was Roland’s favorite charity, he despised the garden party and couldn’t wait to get back to the house and suck Josh’s dick. The past two times they’d been together Josh had fucked him, but he hadn’t actually sucked Josh’s dick all weekend and his mouth was starting to water. So when it was time to leave, he pulled Kenneth aside and said, “I have a headache. Let’s go now.” They’d all arrived in Kenneth’s car, and he knew from years of past experience that Kenneth tended to be the last one to leave any party. During the drive to the house, Kenneth spoke in such a rush it seemed as if he was about to explode. He dispatched all the conversations he’d had at the party, gossiping about old friends and offering his own personal insights to their problems. To look at him, driving his new Mercedes and flashing his large gold rings around, you wouldn’t have thought he had a problem in the world.

  Roland sighed out loud as they pulled into the driveway.

  “What’s wrong, Doll?” Kenneth asked.

  “Nothing,” Roland said. “I’m going down to the pool for a swim. Does anyone want to join me?”

  Marty didn’t answer; he’d fallen asleep on the door with his head pressed to the window.

  “I’m going to pass,” Josh said. “I’ll wait for you in the guest room, though. Don’t be long.”
<
br />   Kenneth glanced at Marty and pushed his lips together in a tight, pinched smile. He pointed at Marty. “And I have to get this one into the house.” Marty was out cold; he didn’t even flinch when Kenneth turned the car off.

  * * *

  While Roland was down at the pool and Marty slept off his liquid lunch, Kenneth removed all his clothes and put on a very short, black silk bathrobe. Then he quietly crossed to the other side of the house to pay Josh a little visit. He didn’t bother to knock. He just barged right into the guest room while Josh was undressing.

  “Hey, Doll. What’s doing?”

  Josh had just removed his pants and stood near the bed in his sheer white boxer briefs with his shirt unbuttoned. He looked up surprised and turned to the side. His dick was visible, pressed against his large balls through the sheer fabric.

  “I thought maybe you’d like to make a few extra bucks this weekend, Doll,” Kenneth said.

  He walked forward and placed his palm on Josh’s ass. “Why don’t you take everything off, lie down on the bed, and spread those sexy legs for me? I’ll bet you’re expensive, but worth every penny.”

  Josh’s body went stiff. He placed his hands at his sides, closed his eyes, and clenched his fists.

  “What’s going on here?” Roland interrupted. He’d been standing in the doorway since Kenneth had placed his hand on Josh’s ass. When he realized Kenneth didn’t have any towels in the cabana, he walked back to the house to get one. And from what he could see, not a moment too soon.

  Kenneth stepped back and smiled. “I just thought your hot little escort might like to make some extra money, Doll. We could have a three-way if you’d like.” He put both hands on the small of Josh’s back and tried to force him down on the bed.

  Even though Josh was strong enough to pick Kenneth up and toss him across the room, he jerked to one side. “Get your hands off me.”

  “C’mon, Doll,” Kenneth said. “I know all about you, and what line of work you’re in. Roland told me everything. Stop acting so high and mighty and whip out that dick like a good little hooker.”

  Josh stared into Roland’s eyes and shook his head. “You told him?” His expression suggested disgust and disappointment; not anger.

  Roland met his stare and shrugged. “I didn’t think it was a big thing.”

  Kenneth reached down and touched Josh’s ass again. “It’s not a big thing. Now show me what you do best, Doll. Open those legs and whip out that dick.”

  Josh closed his eyes and bit his bottom lip. But he didn’t jerk away and didn’t fight Kenneth’s advances. “If this is what you think of me,” he said to Roland, “then I guess I’d better do my job, Doll.”

  “Get your fucking hands off of him, Kenneth,” Roland said. His face turned red and his eyes bugged from their sockets. He crossed the room and grabbed the back of Kenneth’s black robe with one hand and his throat with the other. Roland yanked him away from Josh so hard Kenneth sailed across the room and landed on the floor. His bathrobe opened and his potbelly fell to one side like a deflated inner tube.

  Josh stepped back and watched. This was the first time he’d ever seen Roland lose his temper. His fists were clenched in mid-air and the veins in his neck bulged.

  “Calm down, Roland,” Josh said. “It’s okay.” But he couldn’t help staring between Kenneth’s legs. Roland had been too polite to mention that Kenneth had one of the smallest dicks Josh had ever seen in his life: an acorn attached to a couple of long, low-hanging balls.

  “Don’t tell me ‘it’s okay,’” Roland shouted, waving his fists. But he was still talking to Kenneth, who was on his knees trying to stand up now. “You always go too fucking far, Kenneth. You never know when to stop. This time you’ve crossed a line.”

  Kenneth stood and fastened his robe. “I thought he was a—”

  “Well you thought wrong!” Roland shouted. He turned to Josh. “Let’s pack. Just shove everything into the bags. We’re getting out of here right now.”

  Kenneth stared down at the floor and crossed the room, stepping toward the doorway with his right hand pressed tight against his stomach. His hair seemed bigger than usual and his plucked eyebrows looked silly. In his black silk robe he reminded Roland of something you’d find behind the door in a sleazy motel room in Vegas. He was a pathetic, sunken outline, hunched-over and old and entirely hopeless.

  Chapter Twelve

  It seemed like Roland had Josh’s dick in his mouth almost all night long. The only time it wasn’t there was when he was sucking his balls or chewing the damp, sweet spot in Josh’s crotch next to his balls.

  Sunday was their last night together and Roland couldn’t stop. He was amazed that his jaw didn’t ache and that he didn’t seem to get tired of Josh’s dick. And Josh didn’t seem to mind at all. He closed his eyes, spread his legs, and folded his hands behind his head while Roland serviced his dick. Every now and then he’d say something dirty: “Suck me off,” or “Swallow that big dirty dick all the way back, baby.” And just when he was on the verge of falling asleep, he told Roland to roll over on his stomach and spread his legs (he actually said, “Bite the pillow and open up wide, baby”). Josh had as much interest in Roland’s ass as Roland seemed to have in his dick.

  And then it felt as if Josh’s dick was inside Roland’s hole all night. He climbed onto Roland’s back, pressed the tip of his cock to the opening, and slipped it all the way inside, using only his own saliva as lubricant. When he rested all his weight on Roland’s body, Roland’s legs bent at the knee and his calves went up. His toes curled and he wrapped his arms around the pillow. Josh’s hips bucked with a slow, even pace that made the room spin in circles. Roland rested his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. He could feel Josh’s hot breath on his neck. Roland prepared for Josh to slam harder; he’d learned from past experience this was usually about the time when Josh would press his palms on the mattress and do vigorous push-ups while his dick hammered away at Roland’s hole. But Josh continued to push it gradually, keeping his cock buried as deeply as it would go. “It feels so good to be inside you,” whispered. He pressed his lips against Roland’s and kissed him with such a soft touch he almost didn’t feel it. Roland hesitated for a moment; he knew Josh had a thing about kissing. But when Josh pressed his lips harder, Roland opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue. He ran it all over Josh’s sweet lips while Josh closed his eyes and moaned. Then Josh shoved his tongue against Roland’s and rolled it around in circles. His hips bucked faster and the kissing grew so intense they both had to gasp for air.

  Roland moaned as Josh hit his prostate. His eyes were closed, Josh’s hot, wet tongue was buried in his mouth, and his body was about to erupt into the wildest orgasm he’d ever known. When Josh reached back and squeezed Roland’s ass as hard as he could, Roland sucked on Josh’s tongue until they both started to moan.

  Their bodies exploded a minute later at the same moment. Josh deposited an immense load into Roland’s willing vessel; and Roland came all over the sheets without ever touching his dick. It was a double orgasm that filled Roland’s entire body with spasms, jolts and tremors; one that would ruin him for the rest of his life because no man would ever be able to duplicate it. The first climax began at the lips of his anus, traveled up through his torso, and ended at the top of his head. The second was concentrated inside his hole and went to the tip of his dick. His balls tightened and his eyes rolled back with each ejaculation. Josh’s tongue was in his mouth the whole time.

  “I thought you didn’t like to kiss,” Roland said after they’d caught their breath. Josh gave him a peck on the cheek, then laughed and kissed Roland’s lips. “I never said that I don’t like to kiss. I just said I don’t kiss, which means I don’t kiss paying clients.”

  Roland laughed. “Kiss me again.”

  Josh slapped his ass hard and kissed him on the lips. “How’s that?”

  “Not bad,” Roland said, “But my ass is going to be bruised in the morning.”

 
“I’ll put cream on it,” Josh said. Then he shoved his tongue so far into Roland’s mouth he almost choked.

  * * *

  Roland gave Josh a good-bye blowjob the following morning. He wrapped his lips tightly around the head of Josh’s dick so he wouldn’t lose a drop. Then he licked it clean, rested it with great care on Josh’s stomach, and went into the bathroom to shower. He didn’t brush his teeth; he wanted to keep Josh’s sweet taste in his mouth as long as he could.

  When Russell brought up a tray with coffee and warm chocolate croissants, he handed Roland a large manila envelope. “This was dropped off on Saturday by a young woman named Donna. She said you’d be very interested in the contents.”

  “Thank you, Russell.” Roland stared down at the envelope and smiled. He’d been waiting for Donna to contact him about the job.

  “Can I get you anything else?” Russell asked.

  Roland didn’t take his eyes off the envelope. “Ah, no. We’re fine. Josh will be leaving today. But if you could call the airport in New Jersey and confirm my plane for tomorrow morning, I’d appreciate it.” Roland had chartered a jet for his return to Florida. Russell frowned and looked down at the floor. “I’ll call them this morning.” On the way out the door he turned. “It was good having you back home this week.”