“It’s on your desk in your study.”
“I’ll look at it tomorrow.”
“There is one item you might want to look at right away,” Renesh suggested.
“Oh? What?”
“It was delivered today.”
“A package? I’m not expecting anything.”
“No?” Renesh looked and sounded all innocence. “Perhaps you should go see what it is.”
“I will.”
“I’ll tag along, if I may,” Corey said.
“I will bring the coffee to the study,” Renesh said.
“All right.” The unsuspecting Kaustav went to the study, with Corey following close behind him. In the doorway, before he could turn on the light switch beside the door, Kaustav caught sight of the covered object on his desk, with the desk lamp aimed on it. “What’s this?” he asked. “Is this what you Americans call ‘a setup’?”
“Yes, it is.”
“How intriguing.”
“Go on over and uncover it.”
Kaustav did so.
“Oh, my. I wasn’t expecting this, Corey.”
“Just another surprise we came up with for you. As you see, I’ve made real progress during your absence. Everything is complete except for the crown.”
“So I see.”
“Well, say something, for God’s sake. Do you like it or don’t you?”
“I don’t know what to say. I’m overwhelmed. You haven’t just met my expectations, you’ve surpassed them. How beautiful!”
Corey basked in Kaustav’s praise. “Okay, for a guy who supposedly doesn’t know what to say, you’re doing just fine so far. You’re saying all the right things. Are you really pleased?”
“I’m thrilled. I can’t take my eyes off it.”
“Let me show you how the catches work.” Corey moved closer to the statue and, standing beside Kaustav, rotated the bracelet on Vishnu’s upper left wrist. “See that little rectangular bit, fitted into the indentation, there? You just use the tip of a tiny screwdriver or the end of a paper clip or even a fingernail to depress it gently, and that engages the spring, which makes the ends pop open, like this, and then you can take the piece right off. And when you want to replace it, it snaps right back together.”
He had removed the tiny bracelet and handed it to Kaustav, who leaned over and held it in the light, looking at it closely. “How very ingenious.”
“There’s nothing to it. Although I do flatter myself that the catches, and the hinges, are practically invisible from a distance.”
“Corey, I couldn’t be more pleased.”
“I’m glad. I only wish the crown wasn’t still missing. It’s tricky, and it needs a little more work.”
Renesh came in, carrying the coffee service on a tray.
“Ah, here’s your co-conspirator,” Kaustav said with a smile. “You two planned this very carefully, I see.”
“It was my idea,” Renesh boasted. “Do you like the statue, sir?”
“I love it.”
“I knew you would be pleased.”
“I don’t know which pleases me more—the jewelry or the jeweler. Thank you, Renesh,” Kaustav said as Renesh set the tray down. “Thank you for everything. I don’t think Corey and I will need anything else, tonight. You may go to bed.”
“Thank you, sir.” Renesh gave Corey a knowing look as he left the room.
Coffee cup in hand, Kaustav walked around the desk, surveying the statue from all angles. “I can’t get enough of looking at it,” he admitted. “It’s mesmerizing.”
“I do like the way the diamonds and the other stones sparkle, even in this dim light. I can say that because I can’t take any credit for it. It’s a nice assortment of gemstones.”
“He almost looks alive. Now I can’t wait for the festival of Diwali, so I can show him off. And show you off, as well. I’ll have the invitations printed first thing Monday morning.”
“I’m so glad you’re pleased. But come and sit down, Kaustav. You must be tired.”
“I was feeling a little fatigued before, but now I’m beginning to revive. It’s delightful to have you here with me. You aren’t ready to go to bed yet, are you? Shall we sit up for a while and talk?”
“Sure.” Corey was in fact more than ready to go to bed, if not necessarily to sleep. But on the other hand, he didn’t particularly care what they did, as long as he was in Kaustav’s company.
They sat on the sofa, and Corey was pleased to see that Kaustav twisted his body around a bit on the cushion so that he could continue to look at the statue as he drank his coffee.
“You’re rather quiet all of a sudden, Corey.”
“Am I?”
“Yes. A bit subdued. Is anything wrong?”
“Oh, no. To be honest, my mind was wandering, and I was thinking about something else for a moment. You see, a friend of mine has moved out of town. To San Francisco. It all happened very quickly, without any warning. I just found out after you left on your trip, and I’m still trying to get used to the idea.”
“Is he an old friend?”
“No. We haven’t known each other very long. But we were close. At least I thought we were close. I’m not sure he feels the same way about me. Well, the truth is, I know perfectly well that he doesn’t. Still, I’ll miss him.”
“San Francisco isn’t that far away.”
“That’s what I keep telling myself.”
“My family, and many of my friends, are halfway across the world, and yet we manage to keep in touch.”
“I’m sure you do. I hadn’t thought of that—of them being so far away, I mean. I guess I should stop feeling sorry for myself.”
“Tell me more about this man.”
Corey ended up telling Kaustav all about Joey.
“So I have a rival,” Kaustav said humorously after Corey had finished.
“Hardly. It was a fling. I read more into it than there ever really was.”
“I’m sorry. Sorry that you were disappointed.”
“I’ll get over it, Kaustav. I’m the one who should apologize. It’s not exactly conducive to the mood I was hoping to create tonight, for me to be telling you all about one of my fuck buddies.”
“I suspect that Joey was more to you than just another fuck buddy. But tell me. What was this mood you wanted to create?”
“An intimate one,” Corey said with a rueful smile.
“This seems to me to be very intimate, just the two of us, sitting together here, talking about things that are important to you.”
“I’m glad you don’t mind me rambling on. But let’s change the subject, shall we?”
“If you want to. I’m still astonished by what you’ve done with the statue. You must have worked very hard to get so much done in only two weeks.”
“I sort of got caught up in it. And it’s unusual for me to be able to do a whole set of matched items instead of one isolated piece.”
“Are you pleased with the way they’ve turned out?”
“Frankly, yes. It was a challenge, and I flatter myself that I met it. I hope that doesn’t sound arrogant or immodest.”
“It sounds like a man who takes pride in his work talking. I imagine, in your work at the store, you must sometimes find yourself in the position of selling a customer what he or she wants even if the item in question isn’t to your personal taste.”
“Well, most of what we have in stock is of high quality. I’ll admit I find some pieces more exciting than others. Many people have conservative taste.”
“And when it comes to your own business, have you ever had to design and make a custom piece to the client’s specifications even though you didn’t personally care for the result?”
“Ouch. I’d like to be able to say no. But once or twice, sure, I’ve had to grit my teeth and remind myself that I can’t afford to turn away business. My job is to satisfy the customer. Which doesn’t mean I had to feel good about it.”
“Business is business,” Kaustav s
aid, looking thoughtful. “It doesn’t take place in a vacuum. One isn’t entirely free to do what one wishes. And art is art, hopefully operating on a higher level. But art and commerce have always coexisted and even gone hand in hand.” He smiled at Corey. “But tonight, are you allowing yourself to find some satisfaction in your work?”
“Yes.”
“I’m glad.”
“And I’m grateful to you. I owe this opportunity—this project—to you, after all.”
“I think it’s worked out well. For both of us. Do you know what I was thinking about the whole time I was on that plane today?”
“You were thinking about how eager you were to get home.”
“That’s a good guess. And of course I was impatient to get here. But I also kept thinking about how much I wanted to see you again.”
“Well. Here I am. I hope you’re not disappointed.”
“I’m anything but disappointed. And I also kept thinking—about how much I wanted to make love to you.”
Corey met and held the other man’s gaze. “Well, here I am,” he repeated softly.
“Yes, here you are. Would you like some more coffee?”
“No, thanks. I’ve had enough. Enough coffee. What I would like, Kaustav—”
“Yes?”
“Is for you to stop thinking about making love to me and do something about it.”
“I see. Would it be all right if I kissed you?”
“It’d be a hell of a lot more than all right. It’d be fine. But I’m warning you. In the mood I’m in, you’d better be prepared to do a lot more than just kissing. You’ve gotten me all revved up.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t have drunk all that caffeine this late at night. It seems to have gotten you excited.”
“Caffeine, my ass! Come here and kiss me, damn it.”
They kissed.
“Ah, this is what I’ve missed these past two weeks,” Kaustav said.
“Me, too.”
“You are rather excited,” Kaustav observed. “I do believe you’re developing an erection.”
“Trust me, it’s already well past the merely developmental stage.”
“I want to make love to you. Will you sleep with me tonight?”
“In your bedroom?”
“Of course. Where else?”
“Well, as much as I hate the thought of that perfectly good bed in the guest bedroom going to waste, I have to admit I’m kind of relieved. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to fall asleep with all those china birds sitting there staring at me in the dark.”
Kaustav laughed softly. “I don’t believe you’ll have much trouble falling asleep after I’m done with you. I intend to wear you out.”
“That’s going to take some doing, as horny as I feel right now.”
“Then we had better get started, hadn’t we?”
The two men threw themselves at each other as though they’d been deprived of sex for a month. They began making out, it occurred to Corey, like two hormone-driven teenagers getting it on together in the back of a parked car, kissing, groping, moaning. Their hands explored each other’s bodies restlessly through their clothes.
“Oh, I love kissing you,” Corey whispered. “I love your mouth.”
“As delightful as this is,” Kaustav gasped in between kisses, “maybe we’d better go where we’ll be more comfortable.”
“Good idea.”
“Why don’t you go to my bedroom and wait for me there while I turn out the lights?”
“All right. Assuming I can find your bedroom. This is a big house, you know, and I’ve only seen a few of the rooms so far.”
Kaustav chucked. “When you leave this room, you turn right. It’s the door at the end of the hall. You won’t get lost, and if you do, I’ll come to your rescue. Make yourself comfortable. I won’t be long.”
“You’d better not be. I’m feeling awfully impatient.”
“Good. So am I.”
Corey soon found himself in the master bedroom. It was a large room, and no lights were on in it. One entire wall, however, was made up of floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors, opening onto the terrace and the swimming pool. The drapes were open, and enough light entered the room from outside to enable Corey to find his way to one of the two nightstands flanking the bed. He switched on the small table lamp on the nightstand.
The platform bed was positioned in the center of the room, so it could be approached from any of its four sides. To Corey’s surprise, the mattress was a double, smaller than the bed in the guest room. There was a distinct paucity of other furniture in the room. He saw a small bookcase and, near it, a side table and a chair. On the floor was a metal trunk, obviously old, its surface worn and discolored.
The walls, by contrast, were hung with an impressive display of prints, drawings, and paintings in various sizes, all beautifully framed. Corey admired some watercolors of what he assumed were Indian temples, and street scenes. Among the oil paintings was a large and definitely homoerotic male nude.
Three bronze statues of Hindu deities, each about a foot tall, were lined up like soldiers on parade on top of the bookcase. Corey recognized Shiva and Ganesh, but the identity of the female deity eluded him. She was seated on the inevitable lotus throne, her legs sheathed in what looked like pleated trousers or harem pants. She had an enviably tiny waist, voluptuous bare breasts with a necklace dangling between them, four arms, and the head of a boar, complete with a snout and a pair of tusks. Her head was topped by what Corey felt rather proud of himself for remembering was the kind of conical crown called a kirita mukuta. The goddess was gesturing toward the viewer with her two front hands. Her two rear arms were bent at the elbows, the forearms upraised and the hands holding up two strange objects. One was cylindrical, almost resembling a baton, and the other looked like an upside-down anchor.
Corey went over to take a closer look at the boar-headed goddess. He noticed that, in front of Ganesh, there was a little brass incense burner in the shape of an egg set in an egg cup, with holes pierced in its top to hold sticks of incense. He could detect the lingering scent of burned incense. Next to the burner was a box of matches and a cardboard package of incense sticks. Corey picked the package up in order to examine it more closely. As he’d suspected, the incense, which was patchouli scented, was made in India.
Kaustav came into the bedroom.
“I see you didn’t get lost.”
“No, I found my way okay.”
“The house is locked down for the night. Which means you’re now my prisoner.”
“Um, that sounds intriguing. Do you have a dungeon in the basement?”
“There isn’t a basement, let alone a dungeon.”
“Too bad.”
“I’ll try to entertain you in some other way.”
“This is quite a comfortable-looking bedroom. And I like the art.”
“They’re things I’ve collected, over the years, and they’ve traveled with me from one place where I’ve lived to another. They make me feel at home. That old trunk, for example. I used it to keep my belongings in when I was a young boy. I keep it around for sentimental reasons. It reminds me of home.”
“I was admiring the little lady here. If it’s not blasphemous to say so, she has a nice rack.”
Kaustav chuckled. “Hindu goddesses do tend to be well endowed, above the waist.”
“May I ask why a goddess has the head of a boar, which is presumably male, complete with tusks? Shouldn’t it be a sow’s head?”
“She’s Varahi, the female form of Varaha, who is a boar-headed god. He’s one of the avatars or incarnations of our old friend Vishnu, in fact. She’s one of a group of goddesses who are sometimes called the Seven Mothers.”
“And what are those things she’s holding in her hands?”
“The Vedas, or Hindu scriptures, written on a scroll that’s rolled up and inserted inside a cylindrical storage case. And a traditional Indian plough.”
“Fascinating. I like your
pictures, too. But I must say, as nice as this room is, it does seem rather under furnished. If you don’t mind my asking, where do you keep your clothes?”
“There’s a large dressing room, next door, with closets and built-in drawers.”
“I should’ve known.”
“This is the master bedroom, after all. I admit it’s almost too big for one person. But, to be honest, I really only use it to sleep in—and for sex. Which is why it’s always pleasant to have an overnight guest. Preferably one who enjoys both of those activities.”
“Hmmm. I must say that bed does look inviting. May I try it out?”
“Please do.”
Corey sat on the edge of the bed and made a slight bounce to test the mattress. It was firm. “I think I could be comfortable here,” he announced.
“I intend to do everything in my power to make you comfortable.” Kaustav took a stick of incense from the box, struck a match, and lit the tip of the stick. He blew out the tiny flame that resulted, so that the tip of the stick glowed red and began to emit a tendril of smoke. Kaustav set the stick in the brass holder, which he carefully moved in front of the statue of Ganesh.
Corey caught the faint but distinct patchouli scent of the burning incense as the thread of smoke drifted upward through the air. “That smells good.”
“It’s customary to invoke Ganesh’s blessing whenever one begins a new venture.”
“I see. What new venture are you planning?”
“Our sexual relationship.”
“Oh.” Corey was at a loss for words. Asking a deity to bless a sex act was something new for him. Kaustav seemed utterly matter-of-fact about it.
Corey began to take off his shoes and socks, when Kaustav moved toward him.
“No,” Kaustav protested. “I want to do that for you. I want to undress you.” And he proceeded to do so with almost manic haste.
“I’m sorry, but you’d make a lousy valet,” Corey teased him.
“I will have to ask Renesh to give me some lessons. Right now, though, I want to see you naked.”
“And I want to get naked. In fact, you’d better hurry up and get my pants off before I come in them. Maybe we’d better both calm down.”
“Yes, let not rush ourselves. Not too much, anyway.”
Kaustav had shed his own shirt. Corey drew the bare-chested man to him. They rolled over the bed, their mouths connected in breathless contact, their trembling limbs intertwined, their hard-ons rubbing together through their remaining clothes.
Jewels for Vishnu (Siren Publishing Allure ManLove) Page 22