“ That's fine as long as you realize you are not going anywhere without our approval.”
“ Can I be excused?” Danny asked bitterly.
“ You may leave the table after you've finished your asparagus," Antonio reminded him.
“ And I'd like you to eat more of your chicken,” Mitch added.
“ You gotta be kidding me.” Danny hated being treated like a little kid, especially in front of Ricky.
“ Do I look like I'm kidding you?” Mitch stared the brat down until he gave up his insolent demeanor. Danny shook his head and lifted his fork as if it was holding something vile and toxic.
“ Do you need help with it?” Mitch asked on his last thread of patience.
“ No, sir,” Danny muttered with a pout.
As he suffered through the last of his dinner, Danny contemplated on bringing Ethan to the house, or sneaking off without permission. He came to the conclusion that it would be best not to risk the wrath of Mitch. For some reason he had been extra grouchy lately .
*****
Ethan borrowed a car and offered to pick up the captivating young man at his house. Danny tried to time it differently, it was just his dumb luck that all four men were home when his date arrived.
“ How old are you, Ethan?” was the first question Antonio asked, after the introductions.
Ethan could not remember a time he felt more conspicuous as the four men loomed near waiting for his response.
“ Twenty,” he said simply.
“ Are you aware that Danny is only seventeen?” Antonio followed up.
Danny was mortified, and more than a little miffed. They had each other, so he couldn't understand why they were trying to sabotage his first attempt to move on.
“ No, I wasn't aware,” Ethan said, examining Danny more closely. “I'll make sure to get him home safe and sound.”
Danny rolled his eyes.
“ Where are you planning on going?" Mitch asked. "Obviously neither one of you are old enough to drink,” he added, making his intentions clear.
“ Obviously. I thought we could go to a movie and get a bite to eat,” Ethan said respectfully.
On the way out, Ethan stopped to shake the two biggest men’s hands.
“ Don't be out too late,” Antonio warned from the door.
Danny let out a sigh of relief the minute they were alone.
“ Wow, how can you stand living there with all those hot men?” Ethan patted his chest pretending to be out of breath.
“ Don't you mean controlling?”
“ They can control me anytime.”
Danny raised his eyebrows and studied his new friend. Ethan's comment stung. He didn't expect him to be understanding of his situation, but it hadn't occurred to him that Ethan's interest in him would have been so quickly overshadowed by the men he lived with.
Noticing Danny's dejected expression, Ethan tried to recover. “I can appreciate why they would want to be protective of you, you're awfully cute.”
“ Whatever.”
Danny hated to be called cute. He would rather not be thought of at all than to be considered something people associated with babies and puppies. Small and irrelevant, meant to be petted and then dismissed. He was no threat to anybody.
“ No, honestly. I'd hate to mess with any of them, especially if I did something to you they didn't like. Are you sure they won't kill me if I send you home with a hickey?”
“ If you don't want to go out, tell me now so I can make other plans.”
“ I didn't say that. I even borrowed this Dodge Challenger to impress you,” Ethan joked. Dust from rust puffed up as he beat the hood of the ten-year-old vehicle that showed evidence of being ridden hard and not well maintained.
“ I'm impressed,” Danny said flatly. “So, where are we really going?”
“ I take it you don't want to see a movie.”
“ I don't usually have the attention span to sit through a movie.”
“ Are you hungry?”
“ No.”
“ We could go for a drive.”
“ A drive?”
"Museum?"
"Huh?"
“ I give up. Where would you like to go?” Ethan knew he blew Danny's first impression of the date, and was trying hard to stay positive and regain some leverage.
“ I dunno. I don't get out much,” Danny admitted. “We live in New York City, there's gotta be something to do.”
“ I know a couple of places that might let us in.”
“ All right,” Danny said, eager to be out of the protective strangling hold of the men he didn't want to love.
“ Man, if those two big dudes find out where I'm taking you, I'll be dead.”
“ They won't."
Somehow Ethan wasn’t too comforted by the kid’s dismissal of what he thought was a legitimate concern.
*****
Danny was immediately drawn into the sounds and sights of the Westside at night. It made him feel older and daring to be walking the streets with Ethan. They approached an establishment that was brightly colored and festive on the outside, but dark and smoky on the inside. A bouncer was standing by the door for appearances only. He gave a quick appraisal and a sneer as Danny squeezed through the door with a group of older men. Ethan rushed in behind him, took him by the hand, and walked him single file through the crowd until he found an empty table.
Danny's excitement was palpable. He couldn't keep his eyes from scanning the place and all the different men.
“ Danny! Danny! Can you hear me?”
“ What?” Danny asked, as he finally turned his attention to Ethan.
“ I said do you want me to get you anything?”
“ Sure, okay.”
“ What do you want?”
“ Umm, I dunno. What are you having?”
“ I'll get us some beers. Don't go anywhere.”
The music was pounding, and Danny's heart was thumping in his chest to the rhythm. He felt the urge to get up and do something, but he didn't know what. His eyes roamed to a man wearing a black leather vest. His chest was bare except for the thick layer of dark hair that covered it. The man raised his glass to him, and Danny blushed and quickly turned around like a naughty schoolboy caught cheating off someone's paper.
“ Is this okay?” Ethan asked, clinking their bottles to the table.
Danny nodded.
Ethan pointed his beer at Danny. “I can't believe I'm here with you.”
“ Why?”
“ To tell you the truth, I had my eye on you since the beginning of the last semester. You shocked me when you asked me out."
"You asked me out."
Ethan chuckled. “I guess that’s technically true. What I’m trying to say is, I didn’t expect you to be gay.”
“ What do you mean?” Danny asked, a little guarded.
“ I just meant, you always had girls around you, and…”
“ I like guys, I told you,” Danny said, cutting him off.
“ I remember, and I'm glad. But do you have much experience with them?”
“ Some,” Danny said, avoiding eye contact.
“ When exactly do you turn eighteen?”
“ Soon. Come on.” Danny grabbed his hand, acting bolder than he felt. “I want to check out that other room.”
Danny snatched his beer off the table and pulled Ethan behind him. When he reached the room that had intrigued him he swung open the door, and stopped in his tracks at the entrance.
Danny couldn't make out who it was. He was too busy staring at men in various stages of sexual activity. “Umm...”
“ He's with me. We were just leaving.” Ethan took Danny by the elbow. The laughter could still be heard as he shut the door behind them.
“ I don't think you're ready for the backroom yet.”
Danny was embarrassed, but not completely disheartened. He took one last look at the closed door and then he took a swig of his beer. “There's a dartboard over there. Do you want to play?”
“ Good idea.”
*****
Ricky was home alone when the phone rang.
“ Ricky, is that you? Don't hang up. Just hear me out. Please.”
Ricky froze at the sound of his voice. His heart was beating as fast as the day he ran from campus. Finally able to speak, his words rushed out. “Brendan, you shouldn't be calling me here.”
“ Then where can I speak to you? I know you saw me the other day. If you had only stopped to talk to me, I wouldn't be calling you.”
“ We don't have anything to say to each other.”
“ I know I hurt you, but I've changed. I changed for you. I stopped juicing. It was making me crazy. I want to be able to make things up to you.”
“ I'm sorry. It's too late.”
“ Do you have any idea how much you're hurting me?”
Click.
Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring…Ricky stared at the phone, listening to it’s insistent ring. Unable to take it anymore, he picked it up. “Brendan, you have to stop calling here. If Mitch or Antonio find out...”
“ Then meet with me somewhere. Give me a chance to apologize.”
“ I accept your apology, now let me be.”
When Ricky hung up the phone again he was shaking. It was on the tip of his tongue all night to say something, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't want to burden anyone, particularly after all the grief he unintentionally caused by creating a rift in their relationship with Danny. He was also worried that if they found out Brendan was back in town, they would do something that could end with someone being arrested, or worse. Ricky was not in the frame of mind to be able to handle the guilt. Despite how things ended with Brendan, he did not want to see him hurt.
Unfortunately, Brendan had unresolved feelings about the end of their relationship, and was not going to be deterred that easily. Ricky had been the only thing on his mind since he left. He was a constant obsessive thought raging through his head - from the time he got up in the morning to the moment he fell asleep at night. Even in sleep, Brendan could not escape tormented thoughts of reuniting with him. If he could only have a few minutes with the boy of his dreams, he was sure he could convince Ricky that they were meant to be together.
Brendan waited outside Ricky’s current residence until he was sure Mitch and Antonio had left for the day. It’s now or never , he thought, as he made his way up the stairs to the townhouse. He wrapped continuously for several minutes, pumping himself up. Brendan was just about to give up when a slouchy, yet fetching, young man opened the door.
“ Is Ricky here?”
“ No.”
“ Is this the correct address?”
“ Yeah. What do you want?” Danny asked curtly.
“ I was in the area, and was hoping to see him before I leave.”
“ Who are you?”
“ A friend of his from back home. Who are you if you don't mind me asking?”
“ Dan,” he answered, with annoyance clear in his voice.
“ Nice to meet you, Dan.” Brendan held out his hand. “I don't remember Ricky mentioning that he was living with a hot little number that matches your description?”
“ Figures,” Danny said, refusing to shake his hand.
Brendan ignored the slight. Pressing his snubbed hand against the doorframe he took a quick scan inside the house. “He must be keeping you a secret.”
“ No, I'm not a secret. I'm just a houseguest.”
“ Another houseguest? How many are staying here exactly?”
“ I'm the only one. The rest live here.”
“ I thought Ricky was only staying temporarily.”
“ Not since he started sleeping with everyone.”
“ Really?” Brendan asked, masking his hostility. That explains why he was not eager to meet with me.
“ Really,” Danny answered, tired of the conversation.
“ What about you?”
“ What about me?”
“ Why aren't you sleeping with them?”
“ I'm not their type.”
“ Really?” Brendan questioned, with flattering disbelief.
“ Really. Look, is there anything else you want?”
“ That depends. Are you free?”
Danny cocked his head and considered it. The man appeared about TJ's age, maybe a little older. He was definitely attractive. Big, too, and built. If only there wasn't something about him that put Danny off. He was too intense, too persistent. Danny had a hard time imagining that he could be a friend of Ricky's.
“ I'm kinda seeing someone.”
“ I won't be leaving for a few weeks. Maybe I'll see you around.”
“ Yeah, maybe.”
*****
Danny was feeling increasingly out of place at home. He phoned Ethan because he needed to get away. He wasn't really interested in him as a boyfriend, he was just a means to an end – an escape – a ride out. It didn’t matter that the men trusted him, or that he was attractive and kind, because Danny's heart was already taken. Bored with the usual places, Danny begged Ethan to bring him to a new club on the Upper East Side.
“ Expect to get a lot of attention in this place,” Ethan cautioned. He slipped his finger through the belt loop of Danny's pants and walked with him possessively to the bar.
“ Why?”
“ This place specializes in little twinks like you.”
“ A what?”
“ Man, you really are naive.”
“ I told you, I don't get out much.”
“ How much experience did you say you had with men?”
“ I live with four of them,” he said evasively.
“ True. They’re smokin' hot, too,” Ethan ribbed, wanting to make him jealous this time.
“ They're all right. Are we going to play or not?” Danny asked, walking up to the pool table.
“ Sure, we can play if you want. Let me explain a few things first.”
“ What's there to know? There's a stick and some balls, and some holes you're supposed to knock them into.”
“ I'm not talking about that game,” he said, with a glint in his eye.
Danny picked up a cue stick and leaned over the pool table being suggestively flirtatious.
“ You keep putting that ass of yours on display, and someone is going to give you more attention then you can handle.”
Danny turned around with a full dimpled grin. “Okay, what are the rules to the game?”
“ In this place you are either a twinky looking for a bear, or a bear looking for a twinky.”
“ Uh, huh. So what are you?”
“ That depends. I'm tall and masculine, but I'm young and thin, so I could go either way.”
“ Oh, yeah? Lucky for you.”
Danny didn't really think that Ethan could pass as the tough and rugged type that made up half of the patrons in the pla
ce, but he didn't want to ruin his illusion.
“ Yes, it is,” Ethan said, with a serious façade.
“ I don't really like twinkies.”
“ That's because you are a twinky.”
“ Why do I have to be a twinky?” Danny complained.
“ Are you even listening? I suggest you stay close to me, that way you’ll be left alone until you know what you're doing.”
“ Oh, I know what I'm doing,” Danny said recklessly.
“ You think so? Because they eat little cream filled twinks like you as appetizers in here.”
“ I'm not that little,” Danny said, stretching up on his toes and taunting Ethan with a kiss. It was nice, but the sparks he felt with his first kiss from TJ were left dormant.
“ You're killing me, kid. What do you say we go back to my place and you can prove it to me?”
“ Maybe another night.”
“ Right, we have to get you back before the clock strikes midnight, and your pumpkin turns into an angry grizzly bear.”
Danny turned his attention back to the pool table, and pretended that Mitch's warning was the reason for his reluctance to go home with Ethan. Even though he never played pool before, he picked it up pretty quickly. Not that it mattered. Danny wasn't interested in winning. He used the activity to dodge Ethan's passes, and to establish a rhythm of smacking balls and stealing glances at other men.
“ I love to watch the way you nail those balls,” came a gravelly voice that snuck up behind him.
Danny jerked his head up and missed his shot.
“ Mind if we play with you boys?”
Danny shrugged and said, “I'm still learning.”
“ Just for fun, no stakes.”
“ I don't know how fun it will be, neither of us are any good at it,” Ethan confessed.
“ No problem, David and I have been playing for a while. I'll take short stuff here, and you and David can team up.”
“ What do you think, Danny?”
Danny bit his lip, and peered up at the tall man wearing dog tags and a muscle tee shirt. The shirt was tucked snug in his pants accentuating his washboard abs. He was wearing tight jeans and a thick black belt. His arms were covered in tattoos, and his face was covered in day old stubble. His appearance exuded sexual energy.
Bringing Home Danny Page 29