“I have an older brother, Max – he’s 25 – and a younger brother, Kenny – he’s 20. I love them both, of course, but I love Max more than life itself. He’s my hero.”
“How so?” Grant asked.
Bobby paused a moment to compose himself. He hadn’t seen his brother Max in a while and was really missing him. He hadn’t been able to come to Bobby’s graduation from Browland in May with the rest of the family.
“Max and I were walking along the river one day when I was 9 years old. Max looked up and saw a good-sized rock coming off a cliff. He yelled at me, and I was able to dodge it with his help. But Max…well, it bounced and hit him hard on the back. I couldn’t get him up – it was like he couldn’t move. The rock had broken a bone in his spine and damaged his spinal cord. I ran back home for help, and they ’coptered him to a hospital in Evansville. But he’s been in a wheelchair ever since. He can’t walk.”
Bobby broke down, and Grant held him tightly.
“I love him so much, Grant, but it changed all our lives forever. Max had to be home schooled after that, but Kenny and I went on and started playing basketball in junior and senior high school. Basketball is big in Indiana, as you probably know, and it was the most fun I’ve ever had – before I met you, I mean,” he added with a grin.
“Max and my folks were always there at every game cheering us on. I was hoping to get an athletic scholarship, but I wasn’t that good – nor even tall enough. But I got an academic scholarship to Browland and finished my degree in economics and history there a couple of months ago.
“I was going to go back to Evansville to look for a job, but then this bank opportunity came along here in Nashville and it was the only good option I thought I had. I don’t love the job, but at least it brought me into contact with you, which of course I thank my lucky stars for every day.
“So that’s my story in a nutshell. Any questions?”
“Wow, I had no idea you had brothers. I’m envious of that. Are they as handsome as you?”
“Well, Kenny and I look a lot alike, but Max not so much. Max wears his hair longer since he doesn’t like to get out to a barber very often. His upper body is pretty developed since he wheels himself around and uses a pull-up bar over his bed, but his legs are paralyzed. But at least he has a good attitude, considering what happened to him. I’ve always felt guilty for being the one who managed not to get hurt that day, but he’s never seemed to feel sorry for himself over it. That and the fact that he may have saved my life are why I call him my hero. I miss him terribly.”
“Does your family know you’re gay?”
“I’ve never talked about it with any of them. I don’t think it would go down well with them, but maybe I’m wrong. I just haven’t faced up to telling them yet. Now maybe I have a good reason,” Bobby said, looking in Grant’s eyes and squeezing his hand.
“I don’t know if Max can even get an erection, much less have a sex life. It’s pretty sad really. I don’t know about Kenny, but I always jacked off somewhere where Max couldn’t see me since I didn’t think he could do the same.”
“You started very young being a good guy, Bobby. That was really considerate of you. Why was I so lucky to find a guy like you to settle down with?”
“Just your good fortune, sweetie – just your good fortune.”
“Well, I never said you were modest – no one’s perfect.”
Bobby responded with an appropriate gesture.
“Okay, I think I’ve said enough for now. Tell me your story.”
“Well, I’m from the other side of the river. My dad worked for the State of Kentucky, so I grew up in Frankfort, the state capital. I’m an only child, unfortunately. I really wanted siblings, but it just never happened. Mom was a hospital administrator, and I frankly think she never really wanted any more kids after I came along. She loved her job too much.
“So I kind of grew up on my own. My folks love me – I know that – but they were busy and gave me a lot of freedom to be myself. I figured out rather early that I was gay and managed to interest a few of my neighborhood friends in experimenting a bit. I loved to take all my clothes off whenever I was home alone – which was quite a lot during the week – and sometimes my friends would come over and do the same. We had a lot of fun with each other after school.”
“Some things never change,” Bobby interjected, with a grin. Grant looked at him askance and went on.
“I did well in school and developed an interest in anything related to finance and business. I was always the one at school and in scouts who would take the lead in selling things or raising money for trips and so forth. After high school I went to Lexington – it was only 25 miles from home, but far enough away that I felt like I was almost on my own. I joined a fraternity, but I wasn’t out to my frat brothers. I suspected that some of them walked on my side of the street, if you know what I mean. We just never acted on it, except during pledge initiation week, when things would get a little edgy – nudity, erection comparisons, things like that. No overt sex that I was aware of.
“I graduated 10 years ago and worked for a mortgage company in Cincinnati for three years. I was homesick for Lexington, so I went back to work for the University in their foundation office, but that wasn’t as much fun as being a student there. I moved to the Nashville area four years ago – I love this city! I’m a big country music fan, and the shows here are terrific.
“I’ve worked for two different banks here. Three weeks ago was the first time I ever got laid off, and I have to tell you it sucks. Then the very next day I missed a step going down the stairs here in my building and wound up flat on my ass with a broken ankle. I guess I already told you all about that. Doris heard me yell and called for help, but I didn’t want her to get involved in my recuperation. She’s just too much of a pest and wants to pry into every little corner of my life.
“Before I called you in to help me I made her think I could do more for myself than I could, just so she wouldn’t knock on my door or call all the time. I think I pissed her off the last time I talked to her because she hasn’t spoken to me since. Obviously, she knows you’re taking care of me now. She just doesn’t know in what ways!”
“Yeah, I imagine I can do a thing or two for you that she can’t,” Bobby quipped.
“You can do a LOT for me that she can’t – or that I wouldn’t want her to,” Grant replied, planting a big kiss on Bobby’s cheek.
“Maybe that’s enough talk for now,” Bobby said. “Why don’t we put some clothes on and get out of here for a while? You need to get off your ass and get some exercise.”
“Is this what my life has come to? Taking orders from a 22-year-old?”
“Yeah, but I’m cute – you said so yourself. And besides, I’m going to be turning 23 on September 4, so then I’ll only be 9 years younger than you. When’s your birthday?”
“March 18, and I might let you spend it with me if you don’t get too uppity between now and then.”
“Then you’ll be 10 years older than me again and I’ll have to get you a walker.”
“Wait’ll I get out of this cast and then I’ll show you what someone in the prime of his life can do.”
“That sounds intriguing. How long will that be?”
“Only about a month or so. How about we plan a Labor Day/birthday weekend trip and take you home to see your family?”
“We?”
“Yeah, aren’t you ready for us to face them together now that you have a boyfriend?”
“Hmmm. I’ll have to give that some thought. That could be a good time to do it, since I’ll have a three-day weekend off. Let’s go take a walk in the park.”
“You’re on, slave driver.”
Philip was surprised at the size of the crowd that had turned out to hear Marcus Hyland on Friday night. From the open door, he could see that the auditorium was so full that the only seats still available were in the front row. He almost changed his mind but decided to do it. If it turned out to be
boring, however, he’d feel conspicuous leaving from the front row. The exit was in the back of the room.
Entering the room, he saw a tall, slender, dark-haired man with a goatee, arranging some books and DVD’s that he apparently would be trying to hawk after his talk. The man almost took his breath away – he was worldly and exotic looking in a way that made Philip stare in awe. This was Marcus Hyland? He caught his eye and they exchanged smiles.
“Hello. Welcome to my talk. Marcus Hyland,” the man said, offering his hand. He had a firm grip, and Philip felt a shock wave go through him as they touched.
“Er, hi, Mr. Hyland. I’m Philip – Philip Spencer.”
“Call me Marcus, Philip. Why don’t you go find a seat – I’m about ready to start.”
“Umm, sure. I’m looking forward to hearing you. I’ve seen some of your photo books before.”
Marcus smiled again, taking a head-to-toe look at the young man – and liking what he saw. Usually his talks drew mostly old ladies and a few reluctant husbands, so he was pleased to see someone like Philip pop in. Lads that young didn’t typically ring his chimes, but Philip had a look that he found appealing – sort of Sal Mineo-like, except with a thinner face. With his dark curly hair, dark eyes, and olive complexion, the boy was handsome – deliciously so, thought Marcus.
Philip took a seat in the front row, only a few feet from the podium. He noticed his heart rate had gone up when Marcus spoke to him – and wasn’t going down very fast. It spiked again as Marcus strode down the aisle and took his place behind the podium. He briefly made eye contact with Philip and smiled.
For the next hour, Marcus talked about his travels in Europe and showed slides of the photos he had made there during several extended trips. But Philip wasn’t listening all that intently. He was in a trance. He did enjoy the slide presentation, however, and noticed a number of hot-looking men in them. Marcus seemed to be making eye contact a lot with Philip as he talked.
After Marcus finished, the audience gave him a hearty round of applause. Most people filed out quickly, but a few stuck around to look at the impressive array of beautiful photo books and DVD’s that Marcus had mentioned during his talk as “available in the back of the room.” A few people looked like they were interested but not enough to wait in line to pay. Marcus was scrambling to keep up multiple conversations that might result in a sale as Philip hung back. He had to talk to this man again.
Finally the auditorium had emptied out except for the two of them, and Philip was pretending to be examining Marcus’ merchandise. He had to admit that the photo books looked intriguing. He noticed that they seemed to have a lot of photos of exotic-looking men in them, just like Marcus’ slide show.
“See anything that interests you, Philip?”
Philip was impressed that Marcus had remembered his name from over an hour ago.
“These are beautiful, Marcus. Did you take all these photos?”
“Thanks. Yes. I’ve been doing this for a number of years. As you can tell from my talk, I have the travel bug – it’s my life.”
“I’d love to buy something from you, but I’m just out of college and don’t have a job or an income yet.”
“That’s okay. Maybe another time. I usually get back to Nashville at least once a year. Did you graduate from here?”
“Yes, just two months ago. I’m from the Boston area, but I’d love to find a job here. I like Nashville. At least I thought so until today…”
“What happened today that changed your mind?”
“Oh, I came back for a job interview today and thought I’d spend the weekend with my old roommate, but he’s not available. Seems he’s found himself a boyfriend and he’s just moved in with him.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. You sound disappointed.”
“Yeah, I guess I am. Sorry – I shouldn’t be dumping on you. I enjoyed your talk a lot. I’ve never been to Europe, but after hearing you I can’t wait to go. Guess it’ll have to wait a few years until I can afford it. My folks are well off, but they don’t give me enough to gallivant around Europe – or buy $50 photo books, beautiful as they are. Would you like some help packing all this up? I’ve got nothing better to do.”
“Well, thanks for the offer, Philip. If you don’t mind, I’ll take you up on that. This is the worst part of my job – setting up these displays and hauling it all away afterward. I think I could’ve sold more merchandise tonight, but people got impatient with the wait and took off before I could get to them. It happens everywhere I do a talk.”
Marcus showed Philip what to do and before long they had everything packed away in Marcus’ van. It was only 9:30 and neither seemed in a hurry to go their separate ways.
“Let me buy you a beer, Philip. It’s the least I can do. You were a big help.”
“Okay. I know a place that’s kind of quiet. Do you want to meet there or follow me in my rental car?”
“Why don’t you hop in with me and show me where this is? Then I’ll bring you back to your car later.”
Philip’s “beer” turned into three before he and Marcus were through talking about the older man’s travel adventures. He sat mesmerized by them – and by Marcus’ intoxicating presence. He was so glad he’d taken a chance on attending his talk.
But Philip wasn’t the only one who was enchanted. Marcus could see that this little dreamboat was vulnerable – just ripe for the picking, so to speak.
“Where are you staying this weekend, Philip?”
“Well, I thought I’d be staying with Bobby, but that didn’t work out. I didn’t bring much money, so I guess I’ll just sleep in the back seat of my car and then go to the rec center on campus to take a shower tomorrow.”
“Nonsense. There’s no need for that. I have two beds in my hotel room, and you’re welcome to sleep in one.”
“You’d do that for me?” Philip was elated at the offer. “But I can’t pay you anything.”
“No problem – I enjoy your company. By the way, did you say your friend’s name is Bobby?”
“Yeah. He and I roomed together all last year at Browland. He’s a great guy.”
“Did he mention who he had moved in with?”
“Umm, I think he said his name was Grant. He used to work with him, but then he got laid off and broke his ankle. Bobby started helping him out, and now they’ve moved in together. Why? Do you know them?”
“No, just curious.”
Marcus looked away for a moment and smiled to himself at the little white lie – and the opportunity perhaps to exact a little revenge.
After they went back to Philip’s rental car to pick up his gear, Philip did indeed share Marcus’ room – and a whole lot more – that night. The spare bed, of course, went unused. Philip asked to use the shower before bed and boldly stripped off in front of the older man before going to the bathroom. Marcus hoped that the flaccid little appendage he’d caught a brief glimpse of would transform into something more interesting to him when he got the young man into his bed.
The older man stripped off himself and followed Philip into the shower, and the desired transformation quickly came about. It wasn’t quite what Marcus had hoped for, but it was appealing in its own small way. However, he was much more interested in exploring another part of Philip’s lithe young anatomy.
And after his dearth of good luck lately, Philip was more than willing to be explored.
CHAPTER 13
Philip woke up happy for a change the next morning – a little sore perhaps, but happy. He never expected that he’d be invited to sleep with the intriguing Marcus Hyland only hours after meeting him. Life is just full of serendipitous experiences, he mused to himself as he watched the still-sleeping Marcus next to him. So far he’d been the passive partner in this brief arrangement, but he was eager to show the older man what else he could do for him – something he had acquired a serious taste for in the past year with Bobby.
“Good morning, cutie,” Marcus said as he awoke and saw that he was being
observed. He hadn’t bedded a man this young in quite some time, but he found Philip’s “assets” quite to his liking. They were almost as delectable as Grant’s had been. Philip just needed a little more “breaking in” before he was in Grant’s league, and Marcus smiled as he decided he was just the man to do it.
The pair showered together again and went to breakfast, then returned to Marcus’ hotel room for another round of “getting acquainted.” By noon they had exhausted themselves and just lay together quietly absorbing all that their unexpected liaison had brought about.
“Marcus, I have an idea!” Philip suddenly spouted out, moving himself into a sitting position across his new lover’s lap.
“What’s that, kiddo?”
“I think you should take me on as your assistant. You need someone to help you with all this merchandise you’re lugging around all the time. I could make some money for us by making sales while you’re talking to other patrons – people wouldn’t be as likely to get impatient with the wait and walk away. How about it? I’m unemployed and itching to travel, and I get the feeling that you don’t find me all that unappealing as a bedmate. We could be a heck of a team!”
The thought hadn’t occurred to Marcus until Philip brought it up. When he hadn’t been bonking the boy since last night, he’d been thinking about Grant and how he’d lost a fine piece of ass when the ungrateful jerk had thrown him out of his apartment a week and a half ago. He even entertained the possibility of getting even, if he could think of something workable.
“Umm, I don’t know, Philip. I haven’t even known you 24 hours yet. I’ve always been pretty much of a lone ranger in my career. It might be a good idea for us to get to know each other a little better while I think about your offer. When do you have to go back to Boston?”
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