LIFE'S A GRIND-18

LIFE'S A GRIND-18

Jack Scribe
  
The usual disclaimers apply.  If for some legal reason you shouldn't read 
this...don't.
  
 Comments are appreciated at jack.scribe@gmail.com. 
 __________________________
   
Chapter 18, SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME
 
"I loved the look on some of those men's faces when I came out of the 
bedroom in my costume and the music started," Jeremy said to Charlie,
 with a laugh. It was the night after the 4th of July eve party and they
 were stretched out on their backs in Charlie's bed.
 
"Nice guys. Very enthusiastic without being all that proper...although I 
suspect there were several Log Cabin Republicans in the group." Charlie
 shifted around so he was lying on his stomach and had one of his legs
 draped over Jeremy's leg. "It was interesting to see that some of the
 older guys had boyfriends there who aren't much older than us." 
 
"Yeah, and they weren't playing 'son' to a 'sugar daddy' either. I
 remember one couple I met - the younger man is a lawyer and his
 friend's a plumber."
 
"Who probably takes care of the barrister's pipes very well, I'm sure," 
Charlie said with a laugh.
 
"Now that you mention it, the lawyer seemed to smile a lot. And I noticed 
the plumber wasn't complaining." Jeremy enjoyed their private time when
 they could wind down and talk.
 
"I remember that couple. The legal beagle is probably in an Armani suit 
during the day and fills out a muscle tee at night."
 
"Then squeals like a pig as he pulls off his 501's," Jeremy added.
 
"Yeah, a cum pig."
 
"And then flails his legs while the plumber gets out his best tool." Jeremy 
rolled his eyes and added, "I think it's called a 'snake' in the plumbing
 world."
 
"I think this 'snake' is used to root out clogged pipes and cavities," 
Charlie said with a chuckle. "A very vivid imagination, Mr. Sloan. My
 DVD collection is having a bad influence on you."
 
"Such language. The only influence on me is you...and I'm not 
complaining." Jeremy knew they had reached a tipping point in their
 conversation as it veered into suggestive 'dirty talk'. It was their personal
 signal that the evening would soon be more physical and amorous. 
 
"Me, neither, Babe." Charlie nuzzled in a little closer and added, "Oink, 
oink. I saw the way you turned on the crowd last night. I was proud that
 they only got a glimpse of what I have when we..."
 
"It's a two-way street. The temperature in that condo definitely went up 
when you did your 'fireman' routine. I thought you'd have to hose down a
 few." Jeremy shifted slightly so that his foot rubbed against Charlie's leg.
 
"The hosts wouldn't have appreciated any water sports. The carpet and 
antiques would never be the same. The guests, on the other hand, might
 have enjoyed it."
 
"The party was a hoot. I think everyone present was a little puzzled 
before they figured out what was happening. Not everyone believed Rick
 when he announced the extra entertainment and turned up the lights."
 Jeremy put his hand on Charlie's head and lightly stroked it.
 
"You got them so incredibly fired up they wouldn't let you leave after the 
first set. Seemed like everyone wanted a chance to tip you." He leaned in
 and licked Jeremy's pits.
 
"Hon, as I remember, we both counted out about the same in tips. Don't 
under-estimate yourself...it was a fun and profitable night."
 
"Grope-fest was more like it," Jeremy replied with a snicker. "There were 
more hands than bills...but we kinda expected that. You told me when
 we first met that male audiences respect the equipment. But I had to
 back away from one guy who started stroking me."
 
"I saw you before my number...you'd gotten a little aroused." Charlie 
moved his hand over to Jeremy's crotch and playfully petted his partner's
 ball sac. "Mind you, I don't think stroking is a sign of disrespect...more
 the opposite."
 
"Or, just a group of horny guys who react by grabbing first and asking 
questions later."
 
"Maybe we can agree on horny, aggressive respect?" Charlie couldn't 
mask his suggestive grin.
 
"Good summation, counselor. As you know, this was my first male stag 
party and I didn't expect the guys would get quite so carried away when I
 danced around in the crowd. A few times there were a couple of hands
 down my front while someone was exploring my ass. But I pulled back
 before my hormones kicked into overdrive and told them they were
 being naughty...in a friendly way, of course."
 
"You didn't see what happened to me after I did my dance," Charlie said.
 "I was in front of a couple and while one guy was feeding me a few
 bucks, his friend grabbed my hand and placed it on his crotch.
 Sonofabitch had pulled his cock out and got it hard. And the monster
 was oozing a little."
 
"Oh, shit. What did you do?"
 
"Grabbed hold of his dick, rubbed his juice around a few times and told 
him that he should keep that ready for his friend. I brought up my wet
 hand, put it in front of his friend's face and told the guy to lick it."
 
"And..."
 
"He took the bait, tongued my palm and said that this was a sneak 
preview of coming attractions." Charlie moved over a little and nibbled on
 the nearest nipple.
 
"Cool. Must remember that move." Jeremy dug his fingers into Charlie's 
shoulder and massaged the muscles.
 
"Move...for who? The audience or me?"
 
'Maybe both. I'm learning that you gotta be nimble to maintain the 
balance between performing a show and just being sleazy."
 
"Yeah, you're right...that's part of the program. Let everybody have a 
great time and make sure everyone knows how far he or she can go.
 With guys, especially, a private party could change on a dime. But last
 night, everyone understood it was just fun. Plus, I noticed Jim was
 monitoring his guests to make sure it didn't get out of control. Our old
 principal was looking out for us." Charlie moved a few fingers back and
 massaged Jeremy's perineum.
 
"Mr. Franklin...Jim, caught the action with you and the guest with his..."
 
"Oh, yeah. He wasn't very pleased with that one guy who pulled his 
porker out. Jim came out from the kitchen with some drinks and almost
 dropped the glasses when he saw what was happening."
 
"Yikes, I would have been embarrassed?" Jeremy stopped thinking about
 his physical pleasure and added, "What did Jim do?"
 
"By the time he got over to us, I had made my move to extract myself
 from that situation. Jim looked pretty pissed but I smiled and said his
 guest had just gotten a little excited - that was all - and the guy's friend
 would take over later."
 
"My gut reaction is that if we hadn't been there, Jim would have loved to 
join the action and a little playtime...from the glint in his eyes," Jeremy
 replied as he squirmed a little.
 
"Jim, in his younger years, was probably frequently boogying away at one 
of those bars on Halsted Street or checking out the action at one of the
 baths that were popular years ago before all the shit started with AIDS."
 Charlie tenderly circled the ridges around Jeremy's pucker.
 
"But he's quite a gentleman. Funny, I don't really think of him as Mr. 
Franklin after last night - just a very attractive older guy who's kinda
 sexy." Jeremy furrowed his brow and sighed at Charlie's touches. 
 
"Foxy in a distinguished way. By the way, don't feel like you were the
 Lone Ranger in the groping department. I had a few horny toads push
 the boundaries. I was getting worked over by another man who told me
 a Ben Franklin was mine if he could have a lap dance in the bedroom. I
 gracefully told him that my lover was waiting for me and said 'no'...with a
 wink and a smile." He secured Jeremy's balls in his hand and gently
 rolled them around. "I admit a hundred bucks is tempting...but no cigar."
 
"Lap dance? Does that happen often?" Jeremy asked as he continued to
 knead Charlie's back.
 
"Once in a while if the money is good and the situation is right. The trick 
is in positioning the woman a little differently than a man."
 
"And being a good actor. You know...pretending like you're enjoying it. 
Assuming that everything else will work." Jeremy laughed and reached
 under to rub Charlie's pecs.
 
"Ha. You're still at a point in your life where watching dogs do it gets you 
hard."
 
"Ummm, speaking of hormones, there's only one dog that gets me hard." 
Jeremy felt the effects of Charlie's caresses. His cock approved of the
 manipulations.
 
"First I 'oink' and now you want me to me bark," Charlie said with a 
laugh. "I feel like a trained seal. Next, you'll be asking me to blow out a
 song on horns."
 
"Blowing...horns. Charlie, I won't even go there." Jeremy snickered and
 pinched his lover's nearest hard nipple.
 
"Seriously, there's a fine line between entertaining and servicing 
someone...it's just a matter of knowing where that line is."
 
"Understand completely. Garin and I had a few 'what if' conversations 
when we first spoke. I'm perfectly comfortable performing in the shows
 and doing a little soft porn stuff at private parties. I may be younger but
 I'm not naïve as to why I was hired."
 
"Jer, naivety is hardly the issue. You're 18 going on 30 - I'm really proud
 of your attitude about our job. We'll be working a few parties next
 month where the ladies will pay very well to see what's beneath our
 thongs...and how everything looks down there." Charlie moved his hand
 up to Jeremy's erect cock and began stroking at the base. "It's a matter
 of following the rules about no penetration and stuff like that."
 
"And having no problem if they handle the merchandise
 as...you're...doing." From the slick feeling of his lover's hand, Jeremy
 was aware that he was emitting natural lubrication.
 
"I think I handled your 'merchandise' just a little longer than a client 
should," Charlie replied with a whisper. "Probably would be best not to
 get so gooey with someone else." 
 
"Oh, babe, I have a feeling that this conversation is going to be finished 
very soon. Sounds like I'm going to need a little more training." Jeremy
 firmly repositioned Charlie's body so it was straddling his - face-to-face,
 dick-to-dick. "But I'd like to continue with what you're doing and I'm not
 ready to finish."
 
"That we will always reserve for each other...exclusively." Charlie 
pressed his lips on Jeremy's willing mouth and began the ritual the two
 lovers had developed to orgasmic perfection.
 
"Absolutely...exclusively."
 
"And, tonight, we have a little celebration." Charlie looked into Jeremy's
 eyes and slowly ground his crotch into Jeremy's groin.
 
"Celebration?"
 
"I forgot to tell you, with all the excitement yesterday, that the results 
came back from the doctor concerning our HIV tests. It's no surprise that
 we are both very negative and I propose that we dispense with the
 condoms...unless you tell me differently. I have only been with you since
 shortly after we first met and don't have any concerns about STD. I'm
 sorry I forgot to let you know sooner."
 
"Babe, no problem." Jeremy knew the term 'shortly after' probably
 referred to Charlie's nooner with Gio last winter. 'I don't want to screw
 up this moment by bringing up that bit of closed business,' he thought.
 "That's great news and I feel the same way. As long as we are honest
 with each other, I'd prefer not rolling on protection." Jeremy kissed
 Charlie and added, "I'm ready to say 'bye-bye, Mr. Trojan' and feel
 everything."
 
"Me, too, Hon. Me, too." Charlie reached up to turn off the lights. 
 
*****
 
August 1st in Chicago is always considered the beginning of the 'dog 
days of summer' - hot, sultry, sun-baked days and tepid, humid nights
 that locals deal with in two ways. Residents who planned ahead and had
 the financial resources fled for cooler climes; others accepted their fate
 and took evasive action that usually centered near Lake Michigan and
 the drone of thousands of air conditioners.
 
Jeremy fell somewhere into the middle. With tip money from the 
additional private parties and a few more modeling bookings, he was
 setting up a nice reserve of funds. But it was a 'Catch 22' situation: he
 had the money to travel but needed to be in town for his very lucrative
 jobs. Garin, who had become the 'go to' guy for important matters, put
 Jeremy in touch with his broker at Merrill Lynch. He now had a small
 but growing account that blended cautious investments in mutual funds
 and government bonds with a fluid money market fund. 'Not bad for a
 guy about to enter college,' he thought as he stood watch at the Bally's
 front desk on a quiet Monday night.
 
Good news came last week and some sort of closure to his brush with 
physical homophobia. Jeremy's lawyer called and confirmed that Max
 Boring and Billy Perez would plead guilty to the class-four felony hate
 crime. They were scheduled to stand before the judge in two weeks and
 officially receive the sentencing that had been arranged. The pre-trial
 agreement stipulated that each would serve 18 months without any
 parole options. Further, the two young men understood that any violation
 of the order to not contact Jeremy after they were released from prison
 would result in very severe consequences.
 
He was counting down the weeks until he started classes at his new
 school. At the end of the month, he would register and attend orientation
 before the first classes that would be just after Labor Day. Jeremy had
 already obtained a list of books he needed and had successfully found
 used copies at the DePaul bookstore. Even though he was more
 comfortable with his newly earned financial resources, the idea of saving
 60% of the new book prices was very appealing.
 
"Hey, Jeremy, how goes it,' came a familiar voice from behind. "You look
 like you're off in space, someplace."
 
"Oh, hi, Gio. Life's actually pretty good." Jeremy maintained friendly 
relations with the trainer and observed Zach did the same. Zach and Will
 Turner were officially 'an item' but Gio seemed to continue his M.O. of
 seeking out new conquests. "Zoned out thinking about college.
 Registration is only a little over three weeks away."
 
"I remember those days very well. Things were...simpler then. By the
 way, I never really thanked you for giving Jacques - the catering guy –
 my number. He and I have become good buddies."
 
"Really? Buddies as in...?"
 
"Yeah, that too," Gio said with a sly smile. "But more like being good 
friends - although that could change. Who knows? Right now we're
 having a great time with no strings attached."
 
"Terrific. I had a feeling that you two might hit it off." Jeremy figured each 
guy needed no pressure of locking in a commitment. "I liked him
 immediately and I'm glad that my instincts proved reliable."
 
"He told me about the private party where he worked and you 
entertained. Sounded like fun."
 
"Jacques called me after your first date and I gave him the okay to give 
you the rundown of how we met. I trust you not to be telling tales."
 Jeremy laughed and added, "You two should come down and see the
 show at one of the 'men only' nights." 
 
"As a matter of fact, that might happen soon. Zach suggested that we all
 go at the end of this month. He wants to meet Jacques and I want to see
 this man Zach's in love with. Plus, I'm dying to see you in action."
 
"Will Turner, Zach's friend, gives an arresting performance," Jeremy 
replied with a snicker. 
 
"I don't think I understand..." 
 
"Just me being a wiseass. We all play different roles. Will comes out as
 this hot policeman and really gets the audience excited with his baton.
 I'm the innocent, preppy college guy."
 
"Right...innocent," Gio said as he rolled his eyes. "That, I want to see."
 
"Maybe we could all do dinner somewhere afterwards. You, Jacques, 
Zach, Will, Charlie and me." Jeremy decided that it was silly not to fully
 reveal the identity of his lover. 'Might as well get this out of the way,' he
 thought.
 
"Charlie? This is the guy you're involved with? Great. Zach says he's a
 nice guy and we can all sit together."
 
"Actually, Charlie's also a dancer in the show. That's the way he earns 
money for college...just like I'm now doing."
 
"Wow, I didn't know you two worked together. Zach had just mentioned 
that your friend goes to Northwestern."
 
"Excuse me a sec," Jeremy said when a member walked in. He greeted 
the woman, scanned her card and smiled as she went to the locker room
 area. "Gio, I first met Charlie through the Barecats. And, I should let you
 know you've met him." He paused and looked intently at Gio. "Um, do
 you remember meeting a guy in Treasure Island just before Christmas
 and...hooking up with him?"
 
"Oh...fuck, do I. That was the day that...well the shit hit the fan between 
Zach and me. Wait, you mean that your partner and Charlie - from the
 market - are the same guy?"
 
"Yep...that's what I'm saying," Jeremy replied. "Let me take care of this 
gentleman and I'll give you the details." He noticed Gio looked very
 concerned as he turned to greet an older man dressed in gym clothes.
 
After checking in the member, Jeremy gave a capsule account of the day 
he saw Gio arriving at Charlie's apartment. Several times, he paused
 when someone was nearby the front desk. Throughout the monologue,
 Gio shifted from foot to foot and stared mostly at the floor.
 
"Shit. Zach never told me about this," Gio said as he looked at Jeremy.
 "Makes me look like a complete shithead."
 
"It was all going down at the same time. You came in late that day and 
Zach figured out what had happened. You know more about that than I
 do."
 
"Very tense. I was careless and a fool," Gio said as he shook his head.
 
"Personally, I was crushed cuz Charlie had implied another student was 
coming over to study. When I saw you at the apartment...it really pissed
 me off. Not just because you were fucking around behind Zach's back,
 but that someone I had let in my life lied to me. It was only after you
 guys broke up that I was able to talk things over with Zach."
 
"I know you two have a special bond and he looks at you as a younger
 brother. This is the first I've known that I managed to screw with
 someone else's trust in addition than my ex."
 
"Hey, it's water under the you-know-what. At the time, you were both 
looking for a little action. I had just come into the picture with Charlie –
 something you didn't know about. We had a pretty heated conversation
 and got things worked out...really well. It's a solid, monogamous,
 relationship now. And it appears that Zach has the same thing with Will."
 
"The 'monogamous thing' is what gets me into trouble. I couldn't do that
 with Zach, no matter how hard I tried and was fully aware of the
 consequences. Jacques and I are discussing an open relationship. I think
 I love...well, I really like him but don't want to make the same mistake."
 
"If that floats your boat...and, his...go for it. From what I can figure out,
 Jacques might be just the man. He's a neat guy."
 
"Neat is just the half of it. We're working on the other half."
 
"Just promise me one thing, Gio - that you always do everything safely. I 
lost my two uncles because of...well, you know...and I don't want to see
 friends at risk just because it feels better without..."
 
"Understand completely. That's something that Jacques and I agree on. 
Tell Charlie that I'd look forward to all of us getting together...as
 friends...for dinner after the show. I'll go ahead and get tickets."
 
"Buddy, I'm sure that Charlie would like the same thing. I'd like us to all
 be friends without the baggage."
 
"Sounds like a plan. I don't have any more appointments so I'm going to 
change and go home. I'll see ya sometime this week when you're in for a
 workout."
 
"Probably Wednesday. Take care." Jeremy watched Gio walk back to 
the locker room and was pleased that everything had been brought out in
 the open.
 
The rest of the evening was routine. Jeremy was able to get away at 
11:00 p.m. and went directly home on his bike. He reminded himself that
 he needed to officially submit a resignation from his Bally's job, effective
 the end of the month. When college classes began, he didn't want to
 commit to even one evening a week. The Barecats and modeling gigs
 would take care of his expenses very nicely, and he could now afford to
 buy a gym membership.
 
"Hi, Naomi. You just get in?" Jeremy asked when he walked into their
 apartment. Both used it as more of a place to change clothes than a
 home since their mom passed away. Each kept their old rooms – neither
 felt right moving into the vacant larger bedroom. 
 
"Yeah. Tom just dropped me off a few minutes ago."
 
"How is he? I haven't seen the good doctor for a while." Jeremy took out 
his dirty gym clothes from his backpack and set everything on the floor.
 
"Like all of us, very busy. But to answer your question: excellent. Well,
 more than excellent," Naomi said with a big smile. "Can you talk for a
 few minutes?"
 
"Sure, no problem. I...hey, what's that big sparkle on your hand?" Jeremy 
walked over and took his sister's left hand and examined a new ring. "Sis,
 that's a pretty big rock. Does this mean what I think it does?" He pulled
 Naomi off the chair and gave her a big hug. "This is definitely more than
 a friendship ring." Jeremy wasn't sure about karats but this was a large,
 sparkling stone.
 
"Much more than a friendship ring. We're officially engaged and I'm very
 happy." She leaned over and gave Jeremy a sisterly kiss on the lips.
 
"Congratulations. Wow...I knew you two were really into each other but 
this is a wonderful surprise. Tom's a great guy and I'll be proud to have
 him as a brother-in-law. When's the big day?" Jeremy released Naomi
 so she could sit down. He went over to the couch and sprawled out. "I
 want to know all the details."
 
"We're still working out those plans. Tom's mother is still a little
 disappointed that he's marrying outside their faith. But Mr. Goldsmith has
 no problem and we've had some good family discussions at their home.
 Chances are that we'll have a ceremony at their country club in Glencoe
 next summer. The Rabbi has no problem marrying us and since I don't
 have any close ties to a church, we'll probably do it that way."
 
"Are you planning on converting?"
 
"No. Neither Tom nor I are particularly religious. If and when kids come 
into the picture, then we'll figure out something that would work for the
 family. Maybe the Unitarian Church over on Berry Street."
 
"That could be a good compromise."
 
"Don't plan on becoming an uncle for quite a while. I figure that after I 
graduate from nursing school in two years, I'd like to have at least 10 or
 12 years experience under my belt before the baby stork arrives."
 
"I can wait. Actually, I'm unofficially an uncle now with Charlie's older
 brother's kid. Speaking of which, we also need to plan soon on a little
 dinner with Tom and Charlie. The prospective brothers-in-law need to
 meet," Jeremy said with a laugh. "Maybe something here at the
 apartment, so I'm not stuck with only drinking sparkling cider like I'd
 have to at a restaurant." 
 
"Mondays always seem to be good for all of us, and I'd like that. Ah,
 there's something else we need to discuss." Naomi took a big breath,
 sighed and continued, "Tom and I are very seriously thinking of me
 moving in with him. He's got a large condo and we're ready to, um...live
 together. Um, thinking is too tame an expression. I'm going to move in
 with him."
 
"Holy shit...wow. This is all very sudden. Give me a minute to mull this
 over." Jeremy looked at his sister and seemed to physically freeze as a
 lifetime of memories started flashing through his mind. He had lived in this
 apartment as long as he had been alive. The worn furniture, beat-up
 appliances, dingy bathroom and scuffed floors...it was all he'd ever
 known until this year.
 
"Jeremy? Jeremy, speak to me. You look like you're on another planet."
 
"I never thought this would happen. It never even occurred to me." 
Jeremy paused a moment and thought about his statement. "Sounds kind
 of feeble, doesn't it?"
 
"You're disappointed in me wanting to live with Tom before we get
 married?" Naomi asked with concern.
 
"No, not at all. I'm disappointed in myself for not having anticipated the 
inevitable day when you would be moving on to marriage. I guess you'd
 call it a blind spot. As far as you and Tom are concerned, we're adults
 living in an adult world. I have no problem with you two setting up shop.
 As your brother, I'll admit I don't want you to be making a mistake. You
 know the old expression, 'why buy the cow when you can get the milk
 for free', if you'll excuse the crudeness. My worry is that Tom is inviting
 you to live with him - but maybe not for the right reasons. That's just a
 brotherly concern...I don't want you to get hurt."
 
"Jeremy, Tom and I had those discussions and I'm totally comfortable his
 intentions are honorable. He's prepared to have his lawyer create
 documents that add my name to the title of his condo. That was his
 suggestion, not mine, by the way."
 
"Really? I'm impressed and take back my last comment. Sounds like 
we've both got good guys. 'Honorable men', I think Mom would have
 called them."
 
"You're right. That sounds just like Mom." Naomi shrugged and lowered 
her head for a moment.
 
"We've got a long time before the wedding next summer. Ah, so when
 are you going to move out? And..."
 
"And what about you? This is the hardest thing because we're splitting up 
our small family. Do you want to stay here? I know that you can afford
 it."
 
"I see now a split up was bound to eventually happen. You know, Sis, it
 might be the best thing for both of us...moving on. It would really be a
 little strange living here by myself but I'm not sure Charlie wants a
 roommate in his small apartment...even if I'm over there a lot. I'm
 probably too late for student housing, but maybe I could find some sort
 of studio and furnish it with stuff from here. By the way, is there anything
 you're going to want?"
 
"No, I think I want a clean break. About the only things we have here are
 love and memories. Most of the furniture probably isn't worthy of a
 Salvation Army pickup."
 
"Guess it's shit or get off the pot time. Why don't I write a 30-day lease 
termination letter with the rent check and we can be outta here at the end
 of August? I'm sure the landlord will be happy to see us gone so he can
 jack up the rent on this place." Jeremy smiled wistfully as his mind raced
 ahead with the tasks at hand: find a new place, move out and get set up
 before the fall semester began.
 
"Oh, sweetie, this will work...for both of us. Thanks for being so 
understanding." Naomi got up, went over to the couch and hugged 
Jeremy. 
 
"I feel the same way. And I like your addition to the family. Jeez, a 
doctor and a nurse in the family must mean some sort of medical 
discounts."
 
"At least we don't have be concerned about you and Charlie racking up 
maternity bills," she said with a laugh.
 
"We've both grown up. I'm so proud of you." Jeremy looked into his 
sister's eyes and squeezed her hands.
 
"That goes both ways. I'm just as happy that Charlie is part of the big 
picture."
 
"He feels the same way. Sis, why don't we call it a night? I'm tired and 
will be very busy tomorrow." 'It's too late to call Charlie tonight,' he 
decided. 'Gotta call him first thing in the morning and see if he has any 
ideas about where I should look for a place.'
 
"Okay. Make some extra coffee tomorrow morning. I'll get up early and 
start figuring out what I'm going to take with me."
 
Brother and sister got up from the couch and quietly went to their 
respective bedrooms. Jeremy got undressed, opened the window and 
crashed immediately on top of the bed. He was still sorting out priorities 
as he drifted off to sleep.
 
_____________________
  
TO BE CONTINUED
 

ジャック・スクライブ

 

いつもと同じ。18歳以下の人は読んじゃ駄目。

 

 

コメントは大歓迎だよ。 jack.scribe@gmail.com

 

 

―――――――――――――――

 

 

第十八章、夏だ、夏!

 

「僕が衣装を着てゲストルームから出て来て、音楽が始まった時のゲストの表情ったらなかったよね。」ジェレミーが笑いながらチャーリーに言った。7月4日のイブのパーティの次の日の夜で、二人はチャーリーのベッドで横になっていた。

 

「いい人達だったよね。堅苦しくなくて、すごくノッてくれたし…でも何人かはログ・キャビン・リパブリカンズ(作者:LGBTの共和党員)だったみたいだけど。」チャーリーが身体を動かすと、腹ばいになって、足をジェレミーの足の上に乗せた。「随分年上のゲストの中には、僕らとあんまり年の変わらないボーイフレンドがいたね。」

 

 

「うん。それに“お金持ちのパパ”と“息子”っていう関係でもなかったし。僕が話をしたカップルは、若い方が弁護士で、その年上の恋人は配管工だったよ。」

 

 

「多分、彼は弁護人の配管の面倒を凄くよくみてるんだと思うよ。」チャーリーが笑いながら言った。

 

 

「そう言われてみれば、弁護士の彼はいつもニコニコしてたよね。配管工の方にも不満はないって感じだったし。」ジェレミーはチャーリーと二人きりで、リラックスしながら話をする時間を楽しんでいた。

 

 

「そのカップルなら覚えてるよ。法曹界の番犬は、昼間はアルマーニのスーツを着て、夜は身体にぴったりのマッスルTシャツになるんだろうね。」

 

「そしてジーンズを脱ぎながら、豚みたいに鳴くんだ。」ジェレミーが付け加えた。

 

「そう、アレが欲しいってね。」

 

 

「それから、配管工が彼の大事な道具を取り出す間、足をバタバタさせる。」ジェレミーがクルッと目を回すと、付け加えた。「それって、配管工の世界じゃ“蛇”っていうんだと思うよ。」

 

 

「その“蛇”はパイプとか穴の詰まりを取り除くために使われるんだと思うな。」チャーリーがクスクス笑って言った。「凄く想像力が豊かだね、スローン君。僕のDVDのコレクションが、君に悪影響を与えてるらしい。」

 

 

「よく言うよ。僕に影響を与えてるのは君だけ…それについて文句を言う気はないけどね。」ジェレミーは、会話が思わせぶりなエッチな方向に進んでいて、そろそろあの時なのを感じていた。それは、これからもっと親密で愛情深い夜が始まるっていう、二人の間に通じるサインだった。

 

 

「僕もだよ、ベイビー。」チャーリーがもう少し身体を寄せると付け加えた。「ぶうぶう。夕べ、君が皆を盛り上げたやり方を見てたよ。僕らが一緒の時に、僕だけしか知らないことを、他の連中はチラッと見られるだけ…」

 

「君だってそうだよ。君が消防士のダンスを踊った時、マンションの温度は絶対上昇したからね。水を掛けてもらう必要がありそうな奴も何人かいたよ。」ジェレミーがちょっと身体を動かすと、チャーリーの足をつま先で撫でた。