'Well, for God's sake do something,' she said finally, as we stood staring at each other.
Laughing, we stepped forward at the same time and hugged tightly. I didn't go for the kiss, sensing he was still self-conscious, but he didn't move away when I kept my arm around his waist.
'I was told I had to dress like this,' he said ruefully.
'You look fabulous, darling,' Caressa said. 'I'm so happy to finally meet you! Lex has told me so much.'
I could see Rob computing what he saw before him. The beautiful, square-jawed, perfectly made-up face, coiffed blonde hair, the husky voice, the slight bulge of an Adam's apple, and the fact that Caressa was over six foot tall. Immediately he held out his hand for Caressa to shake it.
Caressa looked at the proffered hand, aghast. I thought that any headway Rob might have made with my difficult friend, he had just bombed it.
But then he took Caressa's hand and lifted it to his lips, sending her all aflutter.
'Ooh, he's so proper! Bless you, sweetheart. Maybe you can teach our brutish friend here a few manners.' She shot an evil look at me.
'I don't know. I'm sure there's nothing I could teach Lex that he doesn't already know,' Rob said, smiling at me. Again, my heart did that little dipsy-doodle thing in my chest. I was glad of the darkness of the bar, concealing my erection. It was not going to subside with him standing right in front of me, looking like a homo's wet dream. He smelled fresh from the shower but the warmth of the bar was bringing out his natural, earthy scent. I leaned closer and flared my nostrils as I would with a glass of expensive red. It was too indistinct to catch. I wanted him to work up a sweat so I could get to the real man underneath the soap.
After a couple of hours Caressa tossed back the remainder of her bourbon and kissed us both on the cheek.
'Time for my curtain call. I'll see you on stage.'
'She's a blues singer in her spare time,' I explained to Rob. I steered him away from the crowd and found a seat with room for two people only. Until then we had been surrounded by the Blue Bayou's usual crowd of reprobates and aging queens, all of whom wanted to know more about him. So far he had answered their questions with bemused politeness. I could tell he had never experienced such people before but I was ready to have him to myself. I draped my arm around his shoulders as we sat down and held him close.
'You're looking great,' I said, smiling at him.
'So are you.' He felt slightly tense in my arms. It seemed I had my work cut out to get back to the easy sensuality we had shared back in England. I placed my finger under his chin and tilted his head to look at me. His lips were soft and slightly parted, so I hazarded a light kiss to break the ice.
He melted against me, almost as if he had been waiting for me to kiss him. In the dark our kisses deepened and became hotter. His fingers brushed against my cheek, his body pushing against mine. Any residual ice was crushed as we let our hands and tongues rove at will. We only came up for air when a cheer broke out. A spotlight had appeared on a small stage, revealing Caressa in a red basque, long satin skirt split to the thigh, and tall cowboy boots, a rhinestone Stetson dipped over one eye.
Watching Caressa never got old for me. Her classical education had finally paid off. At Oxford she had studied music, and had performed in almost every club whilst she was studying. Her parents didn't see the progression of her musical career in quite the same way I did, though, and disowned her. That and the loss of her life long love, Gavin, had imbued her performance with a sense of melancholy which only enhanced her stunning voice.
Rob was entranced. I lifted his legs over mine so he was half sitting on my lap, and held him in my arms as we watched Caressa. At the end of "At Last," I stuck my fingers in my mouth and whistled, heartened by her returning grin. I wished I could find her someone to love. She was my closest friend and I adored her.
When the show ended, she appeared, still dressed in her stage costume, and grasped my arm. 'If I don't get some food RIGHT NOW, I'm going to pass out.' She tucked her other arm under Rob's. 'Come on, darling, we're going to Chinatown. I need noodles.'
'Um, don't you need to get changed?'
Caressa ruffled his hair indulgently and sighed. 'You have so much to learn, sweetheart, and your lessons start right now.'
Rob and I swapped "oh well" looks and obediently followed as she cut an elegant swathe through the crowd, picking up friends on the way. As ever, my limo driver was waiting in a side street, ready for my call. He appeared within seconds.
'Oh, I so love having wealthy friends,' Caressa sighed as the doors closed around us, locking us away from the madness of the streets. She patted Rob's knee. I was happy to watch them. Rob seemed dazed, as if he had been hypnotised by a charming snake.
Caressa poured my champagne into my glasses, handed them round to everyone and toasted us all. 'To new friends and infinite possibilities!' We clinked glasses and drank. 'So, darling, what are you going to do in this illustrious city, hmmm?'
'Well, I'll be writing a lot of the time, but I've got a few things I'd like to do. Museums ...'
Caressa threw up her hands in horror. 'Dull! Dull! Dull! I can see you need taking in hand. There's Atlantic City if you want to gamble, Cape May if you want to see the coast. Oh, and they also have a nudist beach. We'll have to go there. The fishermen wear nothing but leather straps around their waists to support their huge fishing rods. Watching them wrestle with an enormous fish is quite eye-opening.'
'Well, I ...'
'Or if you want to be really naughty, we need to take you to Provincetown. That's Cape Cod. It's a drive but it's definitely worth a visit.' She looked craftily at me. 'It would be quite an education for you, my dear. Wouldn't it, Lex?'
I could see where this was going, and knew I needed to have a stern talk with Caressa later. I didn't want Rob scared off by being smothered in fucking fairy dust. Caressa caught my look and her face fell.
'And there's always Coney Island. I'm always trying to persuade Lex to take me and he won't, the spoilsport.' She pouted and looked downcast.
'What's at Coney Island?'
'Only the most famous rollercoaster in the world, sweetheart. And lots of other vomit-inducing rides.'
'I love rollercoasters,' Rob said enthusiastically. 'The scarier the better.'
So he was an adrenaline junkie, which was something I hadn't expected. Caressa pounced immediately, squealing and clapping her hands.
'Perfect! We'll go on Friday. You'll be desperate for a day off from all that hot n' heavy sex you'll be having for the next two days.' She shot a triumphant look at me as her companions whooped knowingly. Rob opened his mouth and shut it again. His face was scarlet.
'Thank you. That will be great,' he said faintly.
I grabbed Caressa's arm and led her away to the bar.
'What the hell are you doing?'
Her eyes widened innocently. 'Nothing, darling. I just want to show our adorable friend a good time whilst you're at work, that's all.'
I opened my mouth to say that Rob was my friend, not hers, but stopped myself just in time, remembering we were no longer at Melville Hall. 'Don't say we were at school together,' I said tightly. 'In fact, don't tell him anything about me, even if he asks. Just say you don't know. Okay?'
'Okay!' She pulled her arm away and rubbed it. 'Meanie. Just remember the more lies you tell, the more trouble you'll be in when he finds out.'
'He isn't going to find out.' I walked away before I said something I would later regret. Caressa knew how much was at stake for me. Going in hot with her would be a fatal error she would make me pay for later.
All evening, I stayed by Rob's side. He seemed content with my arm slung casually around his neck. I felt the thrill of him pressing his leg against mine from hip to ankle. Every touch he instigated sent my libido into overdrive.
'You're cock-blocking him,' Caressa said disapprovingly to me when he went to the bathroom.
'The only cock-blocker at this table is you,' I retorted.
I had agreed to introduce Rob to Caressa and her friends on the first night because otherwise it was just putting off the inevitable, but now I was eager to get Rob on his own again.
Just before midnight, he fell asleep at the table, narrowly avoiding plunging his face into the remains of his noodles. I paid up and called Ty, my chauffeur, and within a few minutes we were saying goodbye to Caressa and her friends, and travelling back to 5th Avenue. Rob fell asleep again on my shoulder. I didn't get any sense out of him until Ty drove into the underground parking lot beneath my apartment building.
I hauled Rob to the elevator and pressed the button for the 49th floor, my arm around his waist to stop him falling over. I had long given up hope of getting any action that night, and I was happy just to have his arms wrapped around my neck and his head resting on my chest. My heart squeezed at the sight of him in the mirror, long lashes sweeping his cheeks. I was totally in love with this man, which was crazy as we hardly knew each other. I didn't want to lose him, yet I knew one day I would. The thought hurt like a red-hot knife being plunged into my heart.
'I'm so tired,' he whispered. 'Sorry, Lex.'
I killed the wretched word with my lips. When the doors opened I scooped him up and bore him back to his apartment. I found his keys and let us in, then carried him to the bed.
He really was a beautiful man, lean forearms, slender build, striking heart-shaped face with high cheekbones. He didn't look like an Englishman but maybe someone of Russian heritage, his dark eyes flashing with humour when they weren't drooping closed with fatigue. I felt my heart beating faster, the hunger rising. I tried not to look at him as I eased his jeans over his hips, even though the smell of warm musk made my nostrils flare again. He was wearing blue trunks and filled them very nicely. The temptation to peel them away and suck that sweet cock into my mouth was almost overwhelming.
His eyes flickered open. He coiled heavy arms around my neck and pulled me down towards him.
'Stay,' he murmured.
To me there was nothing quite as enticing as a sleepy, horny man. I wasn't going to waste time asking if he was sure. He squirmed and hooked his fingers in the waistband of his trunks, lifting his hips towards me as he slid them downwards. His fingers idled over his balls and toyed with his cock, which had begun to stiffen.
'Don't leave now,' he murmured. 'I want you, Lex.'
Those words were like cocaine to my cock. As I fell into his arms our kisses were voracious, as if making up for the dry few weeks we had been apart. His limbs were smooth and silken, drawing me hard against him as he plundered my mouth.
Oh Rob, you angel, I thought, moving down his body to devour him. His cock was musky and tight in my mouth, his fingers tangled in my hair. The hot little sounds emanating from his throat were the sexiest I had heard for a long time. Fully awake now, he panted my name, over and over, in time with the pumping of his hips. This time, I allowed him to hold me down, filling my mouth with his spunk as he came. His semen was nectar on my tongue and as I moved up his body to share it with him, his mouth was already open, ready to receive my slippery, spunk-drenched kiss.
Then, having lubricated his lips, he moved slowly, gracefully down the bed, leaving a moist trail with his tongue down the centre of my body, down to where my cock reared up, ready for him. I almost wept at the beautiful sight of his lips wrapping around my shaft. I bit my lip, hoping the pain would stop me from shooting too soon but it was no use. Weeks of waiting, and the sight and feel of his deliciously warm, sensuous body were too much. I came with a deep groan, spurting deep in his throat, holding his head so my cock stayed deep inside his mouth. I could feel his throat working around my cock as he swallowed my load, prolonging my orgasm until I sagged in a heap on the bed, all energy sucked out of me.
He drew away and snuggled next to me, his head on my shoulder. The air-conditioning in the apartment was cool, so I drew the duvet up around us both and we fell into a deep, satisfied sleep.
CHAPTER 11 - An Englishman In New York
The insistent chirp of a mobile phone roused Rob into wakefulness. Still half-asleep, he listened as Lex talked quietly next to him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his free hand massaging his temple. From what Rob could hear, the conversation wasn't a good one.
Eventually, Lex cut the call and turned to him.
'How's your head this morning?'
Rob laughed ruefully. 'I guess I wasn't a bundle of laughs last night. I've forgotten how to party.'
Lex dropped a kiss on his lips. 'I'm not complaining. Caressa was duly impressed, and she's a hard woman to please.'
Oh yes, the drag queen. The only thing he could remember about the evening before, apart from the copious amounts of alcohol he had unwisely consumed, was texting Geri from the bowels of some nightclub, saying,
OMFG I'm dancing with a drag queen called Caressa!!!!!
Then he remembered his agreement to go with her to Coney Island the following day. No more cocktails for you, he thought ruefully. 'What's the time?'
'Nearly eight.' Lex sighed heavily. 'That call was to tell me my father's had a fall. Of all the frigging times...'
Rob heard the frustration in Lex's voice. 'I'm sorry to hear that. Is he okay?'
'There's some issue with his nursing staff. I need to go down there and sort it out. I'll do what I have to do and get back as soon as I can. I'm sorry, Rob...'
'I'll be fine,' Rob tried to reassure him. 'You need to look after him and I want to get started on my book.'
'I feel as if I'm abandoning you, having brought you over here.'
'I'm here to work, remember? It's fine. Your dad needs you.'
Over a typical New York breakfast of bagels, lox and strong coffee, Rob tried to make Lex feel better, but he was still gloomy when he finally left him to get ready for his trip. On the way down to the limousine, he stopped off again at Rob's apartment.
'Come up to the apartment tomorrow night. I've had this pool party planned for ages but Caressa's going to host it if I'm late back. I organised it to introduce her to a potential mate.'
'You're sure you'll be back by then? Take as long as you need. Your father is more important than any pool party.'
'I wouldn't even be going if I had a choice. The old bastard doesn't need me anyway. He just wants to make my life difficult.'
Rob made a mental note to ask him more about his relationship with his surviving parent when he returned. 'I hope he's okay.'
'Thanks. He's getting the best care money can buy. Or I thought he was.' There was a pause. 'I'd rather be there with you.'
'I know,' Rob said softly, stroking his face. Lex caught his hand and kissed the palm inside.
'I'm going to ream your ass until you can't see straight,' he said hoarsely, and kissed him hard one last time.
After he left, Rob went back to lie on the bed. He felt as if he had been thrown into a cultural washing-machine and had come out every colour of the rainbow. The sights and sounds of the night before, the people he had met, the gay culture of one of the most vibrant cities in the world and the ferocious attraction he had for Lex were all riotous splashes of colour thrown hazardously together like a Pollack painting.
He had been glad when Lex didn't immediately want to stick his tongue down his throat on their first meeting in the club. It would have signified that Rob was there for sex, nothing more, and that Lex wanted nothing more from him. He would have been there as Lex's plaything, his property, and that wasn't what Rob wanted at all. He liked the reticent side to Lex, the hint of humility that showed he had weaknesses. They were equal, as far as Rob was concerned. Time would tell whether Lex felt the same way.
Any further rational thought was difficult with a massive erection slapping against his stomach. He wrapped his fingers around his cock, aware of the smell of arousal emanating from the moist warmth of his balls. He breathed in his own aroma, his eyes closed as he jerked off. There was something totally decadent about pleasuring himself with the drapes pulled back and the
cityscape just beyond his window. He took his time, slowly building a scenario in which Lex would walk back into the apartment and find him, cock in hand. He pictured Lex in a dark suit, wearing a half-smile as he slipped the jacket from his shoulders, unfastened his shirt, unzipped his trousers to let his own huge erection thrust through the opening...
Too soon, warm jizz landed on his chest as he thought of Lex, still half-dressed, forcing his way into him, the desperation on his face and the overwhelming need to claim him flying out of control. The vision prolonged his orgasm until he was drained, still pulsing, yet nothing coming out. He was spent.
His mobile began to buzz again. Still weak from his orgasm, Rob picked it up.
'Are you working yet?' Lex asked.
'Uh, no.' Rob blinked to clear his vision.
'You didn't go back to bed, did you?'
'I've just jerked off thinking about you.'
There was a clatter, then Lex's slightly shaken voice. 'Sorry, I dropped the phone. Don't for get that Ty will take you wherever you want to go. His number is on your phone.'
'Got it. Thanks.'
'You're worth it. Cock-teasing bastard.' The connection cut. Rob stared at his phone, grinning like an ape for a full minute.
After a shower, he sat down at the desk. He had no idea how big the book was going to be. The idea was to just write the damned thing and worry later about the size of it.
His supposedly fictional protagonist was a man in his early forties, a successful man with a wife and two young children, who embarked on a hazardous affair with another man. On the way to exploring his new sexuality he had encounters with queens, other desperados, beautiful young men. He did not describe the graphic sex, but the yearning eroticism of each assignation, the emptiness he felt when it was not what he was looking for. In his mind was the hazy memory of a boy he had met once, who had then disappeared, taking his heart with him. It was the drama as the connection binding him to his wife and children thinned to breaking point, and the realisation of each child that their father was evaporating into a stranger who had no part in their lives.
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