by A M Huff
“If I did, you and Doug could stop pretending and get married.”
“Not happening,” Harrison said and shook his head. “Neither of us is gay.”
“In my world you are,” Justus chuckled.
“Yeah, I know, in your world everyone is. But I’ve told you, again and again, Douglas has a lady friend.”
“Whom I’ve never seen,” Justus said.
“Well, she works nights and sleeps during the day.”
“Works nights? Like a hooker?”
Harrison pursed his lips and gave Justus a disapproving look. “No, like a nurse.”
“I hear some guys are into that sort of role playing.”
“She’s a real nurse. She works at Good Sam,” Harrison answered, sounding a bit annoyed.
“Oh, my bad,” Justus said and tried to hide his laughter. “So, what about you? I don’t see you dating women—”
“I don’t date men, either.”
“So, what’s that make you?” Justus continued to tease. “Oh, I know. I’ve got it, a monk!”
Another disapproving look.
“Come on,” Justus whined. “That was funny.”
“Not.”
“Fine. I guess you’re asexual, then.”
“What?”
“Lacking sexual feelings and desires,” Justus answered with a smile.
“Fine, if it will put an end to this conversation, I’m asexual.”
“How positively dreadful and boring,” Justus said and frowned sympathetically. “I feel so bad for you. You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“I’m fine, Justus. Really, I’m not looking for a wife or anyone. I like my life. I’m happily single,” Harrison said. He took a drink of his Coke.
“If you say so,” Justus said and copied Harrison, sipping his Coke.
“I do. So let’s drop it.”
“Okay, we can talk about it later.”
“No, we won’t.” Harrison said. “Now, let’s get back upstairs before we’re late.”
Once they reached the twenty-eighth floor, Harrison returned to his office and Justus went back to his desk. He had rounds to make but he did not feel like it right then. Instead he pulled out his phone and called Scotty.
“Qwik Print. This is Eugene. How may—”
“Scotty, this is Justus.”
“Hey there, what’s up?”
“Not much,” Justus answered and suddenly felt nervous. “Remember Andy?”
“Oh, crap, not him again. What?”
“He wants me to go have a drink with him after work. He wants to explain.”
“Explain what?”
“Why he lied to you about his name. Why he treated you the way he did.”
“Justus, I don’t care what his reasons are. I don’t want anything to do with him. He’s such an ass.”
“I know, but I sort of told him I would,” Justus admitted.
“What? Are you freaking out of your mind? Why would you say yes? Oh, that’s right. You never say no!”
“I wanted to.”
“But you said yes.”
“Yeah, I know. What do I do now?” Justus asked.
“Go for it,” Scotty said in a tone that said more than the words.
“Are you mad?”
“No, Justus. I told you, I don’t care.”
“I’m not going to have sex with him. Only a drink and then I’m outta there.”
“Like I said, I don’t care.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” Justus said, sounding defeated.
“So, where are you going to meet?”
“I don’t know. He’s meeting me out front after work. I think we’ll go to Stumptown.”
“Well, let me know when you get home or if you’re out late, you can crash at my place.”
“I will,” Justus answered. “Thanks, Scotty.”
“Please, be careful. He’s crazy.”
“I will.”
Scotty hung up before Justus could. Neither said goodbye.
Justus looked at his cart and then the clock on the wall. It was time to make his rounds.
Chapter Seventeen
As the afternoon wore on, Justus felt more and more anxious about his impending drink with the man who called himself Andy. No matter how hard he tried, Justus was not able to stop time. He did not even have the man’s number to call and back out of going.
“It’s going to be okay,” Harrison told him at three o’clock, again at four o’clock, and then again at four thirty. “You’ll get your answers.”
“But I don’t care anymore. I should have said no. What was I thinking?”
“You were being a good friend, that’s what,” Harrison told him.
Justus paced the floor in his file room while the final seconds before quitting time ticked away. He wished he could be as sure of his intentions as Harrison seemed but he was not. Was he really about to break one of his own rules, he wondered.
“You ready to go?” Harrison asked, standing in the doorway.
“No, but—” Justus sighed. His legs felt weak, like they did when the hygienist called his name at the dentist’s office. He grabbed his jacket and slipped it on.
When they reached the first floor, Justus hesitated to leave the elevator.
“Come on,” Harrison urged, holding the door open. “The alarm is going to buzz any—There. Happy? Come on!” The loud buzzing caught everyone in the lobby’s attention. They stopped and looked to see what was happening which, judging by his red face, embarrassed Harrison.
Justus finally came out and Harrison released the doors. The buzzing stopped right when a security guard arrived.
“Everything okay?” the uniformed man asked.
“Yes,” Harrison answered. He grabbed Justus’ arm and pulled him toward the automatic revolving door. “It’s going to be okay. Just have one drink with the man and then call me. I’ll pick you up.”
“Can I text you?”
“Sure, whatever you like. I’ll keep my phone with me at all times.”
Harrison practically shoved Justus into the revolving door before he followed. Both stepped out into the rain.
“Well, there he is,” Harrison said and nodded at Andy standing near the corner of Sixth Avenue and Oak Street. “I’ll see you later.” He walked away leaving Justus alone.
Justus turned up his collar on his coat. Of course, it has to rain.
“Hi, you didn’t tell anyone about us, did you?” Andy asked when Justus walked up to him.
“You mean, you, don’t you,” Justus corrected him.
“I suppose.”
“Harrison already knows about you,” Justus answered smugly. “After you dumped Scotty in the middle of nowhere that night, he stayed with me and Harrison.”
“So, are you and Harrison a couple?”
“Why? What’s it to you?”
“Nothing, just wondered,” Andy said. He ducked his head against the rain. “Mind if we get out of this?” He held up his palm and caught a few drops in his hand.
“Sure, Stumptown is a few blocks up—”
“I thought we’d go someplace else,” Andy said. “My car is right over there.”
Justus hesitated. He remembered Scotty’s warning. He knew Andy was crazy. He also remembered his rules about married men, but there was something about him. . . Justus looked at the cars parked along the curb while they headed up Oak Street and wondered which one belonged to the son-in-law of a CEO. Then he saw a sporty red Camaro and figured that had to be it. Small man, flashy car.
“Is that your car?” Justus asked and pointed at it.
“You like it?” Andy asked, sounding proud.
“Not particularly,” Justus answered.
“Why not?”
Coffin cars. Get in an accident you might as well bury the car and its occupants. “They’re too cramped and sit way too low compared with the other cars on the road,” Justus said instead.
“Strike one against me,” Andy said and opened the p
assenger door for Justus.
With a heavy sigh, Justus crawled in. The black leather bucket seat was uncomfortable. It poked him in the back and felt as though it could use some more padding on the seat cushion. He fastened his seat belt.
Andy had to wait for a couple cars to pass before he slipped down behind the wheel. He snapped his seat belt on and started the car up.
“I want you to know, I’m really a nice guy,” he said while he pulled away from the curb and into traffic. “Your friend has issues, in case you didn’t know.”
Justus felt his jaw tighten. “If by issues you mean he didn’t want to have sex with you—”
“Is that what he told you?” Andy asked and sounded shocked. “That’s not what happened at all.”
“Really, do enlighten me.” The sarcasm dripped from Justus’ every word.
“Your friend wanted me to take him to my place so we could be alone. I really didn’t want to but he was persistent, so against my better judgement, I acquiesced.”
Oh, using big words to impress me?
“Once we got in the car, your friend was all over me. I had to fight him off in order to drive.”
This guy is so full of shit.
Justus looked out the window and realized they had passed over a highway. He looked around and tried to find a familiar landmark.
“Where are we going?” Justus interrupted another lie.
“I thought I would show you where I took your friend.”
“Your house?”
“Yes. We can have a drink and talk in private there.”
“What about your wife?”
Andy’s head turned sharply and he looked at Justus in shock.
“Who told you I was married?” he snapped angrily.
“Watch out!” Justus ducked and yelled.
Andy turned and slammed on the brakes, narrowly missing rear-ending the car in front of them.
“Who told you I was married?” he demanded again.
Justus looked at him with an are-you-kidding-me sort of expression.
“Really? You’re mad because I found out you’re married?”
“Never mind,” Andy said and gave a disgusted sigh. He stepped on the accelerator and they started moving again. “I’m not taking you to my actual residence. I’m taking you to my father’s house. I inherited the place after he died. I haven’t been able to bring myself to sell it, so I use it as a getaway from time to time.”
“Does your wife know?”
“Never mind about her,” he snapped again.
Ah-ha! Found your hot button.
Andy wound his way through the narrow streets of the West Hills as only someone who lived there could do. He followed Cardinell Drive to the place where Justus had picked up Scotty. Making a sharp left turn he started to climb up the hill along Rivington Drive. The road felt even narrower with parked cars lining the curb along the cliff side. Ivy-covered trees growing on the side of the road looked eerie in the dimming light of evening.
Justus put his head against the window and looked out, up the sloping hillside. High above them, he could see the houses perched on silts along the edge. Ahead, on the left, a house was built right at the edge of the road with only a narrow boardwalk that led to the front door. Andy swerved and missed the parked cars in the road.
“People have to be crazy to live here,” Justus said.
“Crazy and rich,” Andy bragged.
They passed three more houses on the left before Andy slowed.
“We’re here,” he announced proudly. He drove past the garage and turned off the road onto a parking pad that jutted out over the edge of the hill.
Justus gripped the door handle tighter when the headlights illuminated the drop-off at the end of the parking space. He looked up at the neighboring house set high above them. Lights illuminated the deck on the second floor and the underside of the house. Justus felt weak when he saw the two-story building appeared to have been built on poles that looked no bigger around than fence posts.
“Coming?” Andy asked and opened his door.
Justus glanced up at the deck of the neighbor’s house and noticed someone watching them. He opened his door and stepped out, staying as close to the car as possible. He waved to the neighbor.
“Don’t do that!” Andy snapped when he came around the back of the car. “Damn nosy neighbor. She moved in a month ago and I swear she has a telescope aimed at my house. Freaking bitch!” he yelled over his shoulder. “Mind your own business!” He took hold of Justus’ arm and escorted him around the garage to the front door.
The front door was set behind what looked like prison bars.
“Security gate,” Andy explained. “Had them installed after dad died. Didn’t need squatters trashing the place. When I’m here, I usually leave them unlocked.”
Justus wondered if that was another lie. Then he remembered that Scotty had been able to get out so he figured he was telling the truth.
Andy unlocked the front door and opened it.
Immediately Justus was struck by a peculiar odor.
“Oh,” Andy said when he noticed Justus’ expression. “My dad was into taxidermy. I hate that stuff and got rid of the worst of it. It stunk up the place so bad I think it penetrated the walls.”
Justus did not say a word. He held his breath and stepped inside.
“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it quickly,” Andy assured him and closed the front door.
Standing in the doorway, Justus could see the living room, through the dining room and into the kitchen. The interior was decorated in a midcentury modern style that matched the outside but which Justus hated.
“My mother’s idea,” Andy explained while he hung his coat on the rack near the door. “She was into the modern, clean lines crap. Dad preferred rustic, cabin in the woods. I tend to lean his way but when mom died, dad didn’t want to change a thing. Now, I’m stuck with it.
“So, pick your poison. I have a fully stocked bar.” Andy clapped his hands and rubbed them together.
Justus choked and took in a deep breath that nearly gagged him. He pulled his jacket over his nose and mouth to serve as a filter. ‘I’ll have a Jack Daniel’s on ice,” he said.
“Coming right up. Make yourself comfortable. I’ll be right back.”
Justus watched him walk into the kitchen and open a cupboard. Andy turned his back toward the living room while he prepared their drinks. Justus slowly walked around the living room checking it out. Empty nails still stuck out of the walls. Probably where Andy’s father had hung his trophies. There was a picture in a frame set on the mantle above a gas fireplace. Justus looked at the image of Andy posing with his wife and two daughters. That takes nerve, keeping a picture of his wife and kids in plain sight. What a complete jerk!
“Here you go,” Andy said and handed Justus his drink before sitting down in the white leather chair across from the sofa. “Please, have a seat.”
Justus sat down on the sofa. He took a sip of his drink and immediately noticed it did not taste right. The liquid burned its way down his throat. “What’s this?”
“Sorry, I was out of Jack. It’s an Irish whiskey. You like it?”
Justus held the glass up and looked at the liquid inside. It was clear like Jack Daniel’s but had a paler hue to it. He took another sip.
“It’s okay,” he answered. “So, you were saying this is where you brought Ss–my friend?” Justus resumed their previous conversation, somewhat anxious to hear how his tall tale would end.
“Yes,” Andy said and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. Justus took another sip from his glass. “By the time we got here, your friend was a little more, shall we say, subdued. He wasn’t all over me like he was when we left the bar.”
“Uh-huh,” Justus grunted and took another sip of his drink. “Do go on,” he urged and tried not to sound taunting.
“Well,” Andy stood up and walked over to the fireplace, “I fixed him a drink and then we sat on the sof
a. I figured he was waiting for me to make a move. He was average looking and I figured why not throw him a mercy bone, if you know what I mean.”
Justus felt his jaw tighten again and his anger start to rise.
“So, I leaned over and tried to kiss him, but he pulled away. He started screaming and yelling about how he doesn’t fool around and that I was moving way too fast. I told him we didn’t have to do anything we could simply sit here and cuddle a while. He demanded I take him back to the club. I told him I wasn’t ready to leave yet but he was free to go. The next thing I knew that crazy bastard jumped up and stormed out of the house.”
Justus tried to follow the story but something was wrong. He heard the words but they were not making sense anymore. He felt strange all over. Numb. He looked at Andy. Why is he smiling at me? What’s he saying? No! Don’t touch me!
Chapter Eighteen
Justus opened his eyes. His head felt strange. He felt disoriented and slightly dizzy. He stared at the ceiling but was not sure what he was seeing. Slowly he rolled over onto his side. The plastic sheet beneath him crinkled. Justus looked at it and realized he was lying on a bed. The sensation of being cold swept over him, and his bare skin responded with goosebumps. He looked at himself and realized he was naked. Slowly he tried to sit up. A sharp pain in his anus sent a jolt though his body, causing him to lean to the side to take the pressure away. He put his hand down and ran it over the painful area. Raising his hand in front of his eyes, he strained to see it in the dim light. There was nothing. He was not bleeding.
Slowly he made his way to his feet, using the bed to support himself and keep from falling. His head began to throb and the feeling as if he were about to be sick bubbled up inside him. He looked for a wastebasket or bathroom, but quickly moving his head only added to his nausea. He sat still and took several deep breaths until the feeling passed.
Where am I?
He half sat, half leaned against the bed and looked around. There was a door on the wall directly in front of him. It was closed. Beneath the door Justus could see light. On the wall past the foot of the bed was a window with some sort of blind blocking out the sunlight. Still, a thread of light seeped around the edges. Behind him, on the opposite side of the bed, were another wall and window. Its shade was also pulled closed, but light seeped in through a zigzag lightning bolt that tore from the outer edge to the center, a telltale sign of a bad repair job. Nothing about the room looked familiar.