This story is set in the fictional city of Trenton, New Jersey. Yes, there is a real city by that name, but other than being a state capital on the Delaware River, it bears little resemblance to the city in this story. While a few of the places mentioned may exist in reality, all of the characters and events are fictitious.
If you are under age, or live in an area where reading stories that include sex between males is illegal, or if you're not into this type of story, please leave. The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at NJMcMick@yahoo.com.
Chapter Eight
I was ready to tear Manny's clothes off him the second we got into my room, but he spent a few minutes trying to talk me out of going to bed with him. Actually, it was more like he was trying to make sure that it was something I wanted and it wasn't the rum talking. Once I'd convinced him, though, he was all over me.
And we did go all the way -- oral and anal. I was already pretty familiar with Manny's body, although our contact had been limited in the past. His smooth mocha skin had always been a turn-on for me and I loved finally allowing my tongue to run all over it. He had a pretty talented mouth himself and in no time our feet were at opposite ends of the bed and our faces were in each other's crotches.
"Oh man, Jerry, I've been wanting to wrap my lips around this big stick ever since I saw you in the shower that day, but now that it's in my face I don't know if I can handle it."
"If it's too big for your mouth I know someplace else I can try to fit it."
"Oh believe me, I want it there, too, but first I want to suck on this baby for a little bit."
He held my cock firmly in his hand and stabbed at the slit with the tip of his tongue, then ran his tongue around the edge of my head before taking the whole thing in his mouth. I pulled his foreskin back, exposing his shiny pink head, licked it for a moment and then took it in my mouth. It was a bit disorienting at first, sucking while being sucked. Marcus and I had taken turns and it was easier to focus on the sensations that way. Doing a sixty-nine meant I couldn't devote all of my attention to what I was doing or what was being done to me. As fantastic as Manny's hot wet mouth felt on my dick, I decided to try to focus on giving him pleasure, at least to start. I'd only sucked one dick so it wasn't exactly second nature to me.
Even though Manny's cock was longer and the shaft thicker than Marcus', I had an easier time with it. That huge mushroom head of Marcus' had given me some trouble, but Manny's head was actually a bit smaller than the shaft. The first couple of times it hit the back of my mouth, my gag reflex kicked in, but I as managed to get it under control I felt him break through into my throat. It felt odd at first, but each time I went down on it I forced more into my throat until my chin was resting on his pubes and my nose was squashed into his balls. With his dick completely buried inside me I tried swallowing a couple of times, tightening my throat muscle around it.
Manny pulled himself off my cock and gasped. "Oh shit, that feels fuckin' fantastic!"
He dove back onto my prick and began sucking furiously. I pulled up almost completely off his and then went back down on it again. I got into a rhythm of relaxing my throat as I went down on him and tightening it up as I pulled off. Once I got into it I allowed myself to concentrate on what he was doing to me. He hadn't managed to swallow the whole thing but he had several inches in his throat. He was sucking like a madman with one hand wrapped around the base of my shaft and the other tugging and squeezing my balls. As soon as I allowed myself to pay attention to my own dick I began to feel that familiar churning sensation in my balls. I pulled off him for a second to warn him I was going to explode. He just kept right on sucking so I gave in to the urge. I couldn't keep any rhythm going as I sucked him so I swallowed the whole thing and stayed still as I began to shoot my load down his throat. Almost as soon I stopped cumming, he exploded into me. The first shot went right down my throat, but then I pulled back a little so I could catch the rest in my mouth. I wanted to taste his juice and compare it to Marcus. He was a bit sweeter tasting, though I couldn't decide if that was better or worse.
I swiveled around and kissed him, the remains of our cum mixing in our mouths. I realized that I'd never tasted my own and made a mental note to try that soon. I licked inside his ear. "You gonna fuck me now?"
"Whoa, give me a few minutes to recover, Jer. I'm not a teenager any more."
"Well, I am and I don't need recovery time. Why don't you just lie there and rest while I fuck your brains out?"
"Sounds like a plan to me, though I don't think I'll be getting much rest with that telephone pole up my ass."
So while he lay on his back I pressed his knees up against his chest and began to loosen his hole with my lubed up fingers. After I was able to work three of them all the way up inside him without causing him any discomfort, I rolled a condom onto my dick and pressed the head against his stretched pucker. I met some resistance at first but I kept up a steady pressure until my head popped through his ring. He gasped but lifted his ass a little, forcing more of my shaft into him. I fucked him slow at first while he got used to my size, but then picked up speed and force with his encouragement. In no time I was pistoning into him, pounding his ass, ramming my big cock far up inside him. He was looking up at me but his eyes were glazed over a bit. I stared back into his black eyes and concentrated on how his ass was gripping my rod, milking it. After about ten minutes of forceful fucking I felt another orgasm building within me. I gave one last hard thrust into him and began shooting my load. Afterwards I leaned in and kissed him, my softening cock slipping from his hole. We lay together and cuddled for a few minutes, catching our breath.
"So do I get a turn in that sweet little boy butt of yours now, amigo?"
"Sure thing. How do you want to do it?"
"You're probably gonna think I'm weird, but I've had a fantasy for a while now."
He got out of bed and pulled me up as well. Then he dragged the weight bench into the center of the room and had me lie on it face down, my ass at the very end. He knelt behind me and I felt him take a cheek in each hand and spread them. Then I felt a wet sensation on my pucker. I turned my head and saw that his face was buried in my ass. He licked, tongued and nibbled on me, driving me wild. He loosened me up and had my ass squirming, wanting to be filled like never before. Soon I was begging him to drill me. It didn't take a lot to convince him. He rolled a condom over his long brown rod and lubed it up, then squatted over my ass, aimed his weapon and pierced me. He stopped with just the head in to give me a chance to get used to the girth, but then plunged all the way down into me.
I closed my eyes, wrapped my arms around the bench under me and held on for what I guessed was going to be a wild ride. I was right. Once he got going he was a madman. At first I wasn't sure I would be able to take his ruthless pounding, but the harder he fucked the more I got into it. He must have pounded me hard for fifteen minutes before exploding deep inside me. He collapsed on my back, gasping for air.
After a few minutes we helped each other back into the bed. I cuddled up next to him with his arms around me.
"Oh man, what a sweet fuck. I've never felt anything like that. You were just made for sex, baby."
"I've only done it twice. I'm not even sure I'm doing it right."
"Oh, believe me, you're doing it exactly right."
He kissed me softly and hugged me tight. I think we were both asleep in seconds.
It's a good thing I had set the alarm because there was no way we would have been up when Gene arrived for Manny at eight. We didn't go to sleep until nearly four. We got up and showered together, then Manny went upstairs to get his stuff from his room. He only had a suitcase and a duffle bag. Gene had a friend who was driving them to Newark Airport so we loaded the stuff in the back of his SUV. Then we had a very emotional farewell scene on the sidewalk. A few of the guys from the house had come out to say goodbye to Manny. Lucille was there as well. Manny worked his way through the little crowd and then stopped when he got to me.
"You take care of yourself, baby boy. I'm going to miss you so much."
I tried to give him a brave smile. "I'm probably going to miss you more."
He put his arms around me and gave me a hug. "I love you, Jerry," he whispered into my ear.
I pulled back and gave him a surprised look.
"Don't worry, I'm not goin' all mushy on ya. But I mean that. You're one of the sweetest guys I've ever known. There's something so special about you."
I couldn't hold back anymore and tears started streaming down my face. "I love you, too, Manny. You're the best friend I've ever had. I don't know how I'm gonna get by without you."
He put a hand on my cheek and caressed my face. "You'll do just fine. You're young and you're a bit naïve, but you're strong, too. You're gonna make it, you'll see."
"I hope you're right. I'll never have another friend like you, though."
"Maybe not, but you'll make lots of friends. All you've gotta do is give that adorable little smile and you'll have people falling all over themselves wanting to help you."
His friends started getting impatient so he let me go.
"I'll call you when I get settled. Don't forget, you're coming to visit me. I'm not letting you go even though I'm moving away."
I grabbed him again and started sobbing on his shoulder. I couldn't help it. I didn't want to let him go. He patiently waited until I calmed down again and then peeled me off of him. He gave me a passionate kiss and got into the car. I stood and watched as they drove off, not able to go back into the house until they had disappeared from view.
I went right back to bed after they'd gone and slept until early afternoon. Then I worked out for a while before going out to eat. When I got back I called Norman on my new cell phone. I told him all about my evening out in the club and my night in with Manny. I didn't tell him everything we did but I did give him enough details to tease him without putting too much stress on his heart. He was nearly sixty, after all.
Sunday it rained all day so I stayed in, except for meals. I had an extended workout in the morning and read all afternoon. Before Norman had left on his trip I'd gone though the bookshelves in his den and picked out a series of books featuring a gay detective.
I felt a little down, but not too bad. I was used to spending time alone. Having friends was something new for me, so missing them was also new. I might have been a little quieter at work during the week, though I never had a chance to talk much anyway. I wasn't out at work, not because I was trying to hide being gay, but just because the subject had never come up. But Betty and Luann knew about my friends Norman and Manny and knew that one was away and the other had moved, so they understood my mood. I managed to get through the week without too much trouble. Even my birthday on Thursday didn't get me down at first.
Since Mom passed away, I'd done the same thing each year on my birthday, always by myself. Ralph had never even remembered my birthday, so it was up to me. I went out for the best pizza I could find, and then followed it with a hot fudge sundae with chocolate ice cream. Not a very healthy meal, but it was only once a year. I asked at work where I could find these culinary specialties in Trenton. Betty suggested the Quaker Bridge Mall on Route 1 a few miles north of the city. Gert told me where I could get a bus to the mall so I decided to give it a shot. It was getting cooler and I had to buy a jacket for the fall, so I could kill two birds with one stone.
I skipped my workout on Thursday and took the bus out of the city. I'd counted my little savings the night before and I had nearly a hundred dollars. I stopped at the food court first thing when I got to the mall and found an Italian place that had pizza. I ordered a personal pizza with the works, everything except anchovies, and did a little people watching while I ate it. I wandered around for a while afterward, looking in different stores at all kinds of clothes. It had been a long time since I'd been to a mall and my wardrobe was so limited that I spent a lot of time looking and dreaming. I finally decided on a light gray soft leather jacket. Even on sale it took almost all the money I had, but it was a good coat and would keep me warm until early winter. Then it was back to the food court for my ice cream sundae before getting the bus home. All in all it was a pretty simple seventeenth birthday celebration, but an enjoyable one.
Or so I was able to convince myself on the bus back into the city. But later, when I was lying in bed, I felt a tightness in my chest and thought I was going to cry. I was so tired of being alone. I was used to it, and knew that a lot of the time I liked it, but deep down there was an emptiness in me that wouldn't go away. I hadn't really let anyone into my life since Mom died. I wanted to be close to Marcus, but given our situation it wasn't possible. I'd opened up more with Norman and Manny than anyone else, but I still held back. I told myself that I was protecting myself, that if I didn't get too close to someone it wouldn't hurt so much when they left, but that didn't help when Manny left. Even with that wall up between me and the rest of the world, I still felt it. What really scared me though, was the idea that maybe I couldn't get close to anyone; that I'd built a permanent wall, one that would always keep people at arm's length. I had been forced to stand on my own and take care of myself for the past few years. I was proud of the way I'd managed to get by, but what I really wanted was for someone to love me, to hold me, take care of me, make everything all right. I didn't want to have to do it all alone, but I knew that, at least for now, I didn't have much choice. Needless to say, it took a long time for me to fall asleep.
It also took me forever to wake up Friday morning. I let the water pour over me in the shower for close to ten minutes before I could open my eyes. Then I went through the rest of my morning routine in the bathroom, got dressed and headed for work. I wore my new jacket, eager to show it off to my coworkers. As I approached the street where the restaurant was I noticed more people than usual on the sidewalk near the corner. I got closer and saw a police car blocking off the street. At the corner they also had the sidewalk roped off. I saw Luann through the crowd and made my way over to her.
"What's going on? Why aren't you at work?"
"I tried calling you. Didn't you get my voicemail?"
I took the phone out of my pocket and looked at the small screen, noticing the icon indicating a message. "I must have been in the shower when you called. What's up?"
"There was a big fire during the night." She nodded down the block. "I'm surprised you didn't hear the sirens, with you living so close."
"There are sirens all the time in the city. I don't even hear them anymore. Was the restaurant damaged?"
"I think so. They haven't let us down there but it looks like the whole middle of the block was involved. Gert just talked a fire marshal into letting her get closer on the other side of the street."
Betty joined us as we waited for Gert. Jung was standing by himself in the crowd, not talking to anyone. Finally we saw Gert coming up the block toward us. She looked drained. We all gathered around her as she ducked under the police line.
"It's gone," she sobbed. "Completely gutted. It looks like the fire started in the fabric shop next door, but everything in the restaurant is destroyed."
I didn't know what to do or say. Betty hugged Gert and Luann tried to comfort her. Gert had always been so tough it was shocking to see her fall apart like this. She pulled herself together after a few minutes.
"Look, guys, I don't know just what we're going to do now. I have to get in there and see just where I stand. And I'll have to talk to my insurance agent, lawyer and accountant. But there's no work today obviously, and none for the near future. I know it's payday and you folks need your money. Meet me back here at two and I'll see what I can do about that."
We each hugged her but she didn't really seem to be paying attention to us. When I let go of her I asked her, "Are you gonna be okay, Gert?"
"What choice do I have, Jerry? I have to be okay." She gave me a little smile. "Don't you worry about me."
Betty and Luann decided to go to the diner down by the highway for coffee and since I had nothing else to do I went along with them. They both ordered a full breakfast but I wasn't very hungry so I just ordered an English muffin with my chocolate milk.
"Gert was really shook up. I've never seen her like this."
"Neither have Betty or I, but you have to understand that the restaurant is her whole life. She and Frank started it years ago and after he died it was what kept her going. She's in shock but she's a fighter. She'll be fine."
"So what are we gonna do now?" Now that the shock of finding out about the fire was wearing off I felt a little bit of panic creeping in.
"Knowing Gert, she'll reopen the place as soon as she can. In the meantime, we can collect unemployment. Don't worry about it, Jerry. It'll be like a little paid vacation." Luann didn't seem to be worried.
"Yeah, my family will love having me home in the morning. It may not seem like much of a vacation to me."
"Do you really think we'll be back at work soon? Gert said the place was destroyed."
"Well, we'll know more this afternoon. If there's no major damage to the building it shouldn't take more than a month or two to rebuild the inside. The insurance will cover everything." Betty's husband worked in construction and she seemed to know what she was talking about.
"So how does unemployment work? How much do we get?"
"You should get about two-thirds of your weekly pay, but they don't take out taxes so you may not even notice the difference."
"Well, that doesn't seem to be too bad, Luann." I did some quick figuring in my head. Since I'd been saving a little each week I should be able to scrape by with a little less.
"Yeah, like I said, a little paid vacation."
When I left the diner I was feeling a lot better. I mean, I felt terrible for Gert; this had to be a horrible personal ordeal for her. But I was relieved that I'd be able to collect enough unemployment to get by on. That hadn't occurred to me at first. I wasn't looking forward to an extended period of having nothing to do, however. Betty and Luann might want to spend time at home with their families, but I knew I'd get bored really fast alone in my room.
I went back to the room and worked out for a while and then took a nap. I hadn't had much sleep the night before and after the excitement first thing in the morning it was catching up to me. When I got up I stopped for a burger at McDonald's and then went to meet Gert. The street had been reopened and the crowds were gone. The restaurant and three shops on either side of it were boarded up. Gert looked more like herself than she had in the morning, though she looked more tired than usual. She handed me an envelope with my name on it.
"All of my records, including the checkbook, were in the restaurant, so I'm paying everyone cash. Full pay, no deductions. I'll figure out what to do about the taxes later. There's also a letter from my accountant for you to take to the unemployment office Monday morning."
"Thanks, Gert. How do things look?"
"The interior of the place is a total loss. They'll have to inspect the building for structural damage. If the building is sound, my insurance will cover replacing everything. Of course first I have to wait for the landlord and his insurance to take care of any problems the building might have, so it could be a while. Don't wait around for me, Jerry. You're a nice boy and a hard worker, but you should be able to do better than this. If you're still in the market for a job when I'm ready to reopen, I'll be glad to take you back, but look around. Try to find a good job."
"Thanks, Gert. You've been good to me and if I'm still looking when you're ready, I'll come back. I owe you a lot."
"You don't owe me anything. You worked hard for every penny I paid you. Look out for yourself now."
She surprised me by giving me a hug. She wasn't exactly the classic stereotype, hard as nails on the outside, heart of gold on the inside. Sure, she was tough on the outside, but she was pretty tough underneath as well. But she was fair and treated people well. No matter what she said, I owed her. She'd given me a job when I desperately needed one. I knew I'd always remember her.
I divided my time over the weekend between working out, reading and wandering through the park. I called Norman Saturday afternoon and chatted a few minutes but didn't tell him about the fire. I knew he'd worry about me and there was nothing to worry about. Besides, he was a thousand miles away and there was nothing he could do anyway.
I sat on my rock on the riverbank and did some thinking about where I was and where I was going. If Gert had been able to reopen in a week or two, I probably would have just waited. I didn't enjoy spending forty hours a week standing at a sink and always knew it was a temporary job, but I hadn't been at it all that long. I decided to take the fire as a sign that it was time to move on. I could collect unemployment and take my time finding the right job this time. With my limited experience and education I knew it still wouldn't be a good job, but just about anything would be better than scrubbing pots and pans.
Monday morning I was at the unemployment office when they opened, anxious to get that started so I could focus on job hunting. I filled out the paperwork and waited for my name to be called for an interview. I lucked out and got a cute blond clerk in his late twenties. He smiled as I sat down and looked over my application and the letter that Gert had given me. His smile turned into a frown as he put the papers down.
"You weren't at this job long enough to qualify for unemployment benefits. Didn't you work anywhere else before this?"
I had left the section on prior employment blank on purpose. I didn't want to leave any trail back to Chester. Since I'd had to put my real date of birth on the application I hoped he'd assume this was my first job. I didn't realize there was a time limit on qualifying for benefits.
"Um, yeah, but it was part time and in Pennsylvania."
"It doesn't matter. As long as you worked at it over six weeks that's all you need to qualify." He slid the application across the desk to me and handed me a pen. "Your benefits will be based on your most recent eight weeks of earnings anyway."
I filled in the information on the coffee shop in Chester and gave the paper back. He looked it over, then explained how the whole system worked.
"You're required to look for work every week and report in by phone or in person, notifying us of where you've applied each week. Calling in is easier than waiting on line here. Your job search can include mailing or faxing resumes but you have to go out for some actual interviews as well. The benefits last for twenty six weeks, so let's hope you find something by then."
"Oh, I'm sure I'll find something pretty quick. I don't like to be out of work." I hesitated. "Um, so when do I get paid?"
"You'll get a check in the mail every week. I can't say for sure when the first check will go out. It usually takes two weeks to process the paperwork, but since your prior employment was out of state it will take longer to confirm that. I estimate you should have your first check in three to four weeks."
"Three of four weeks! What am I supposed to do until then?"
"I know, it's tough waiting when you're used to getting paid every week, but that first check will catch you up and pay you everything you're due. It's not like you're going to lose out on any time. Your benefits will start today."
I was barely hearing him at that point. It hadn't occurred to me that I would have to wait for the checks to start coming. There was no way I could get through even two weeks without some income. All of my thoughts of taking my time to find the right job were gone. I was practically back to where I'd been when I first arrived in town. I needed a job and I needed one right away.
The clerk gave me a packet of information and I left the office. In the lobby I stopped to count the money in my pocket. Fortunately, Gert had paid me the full two hundred forty dollars on Friday. I'd given half to Lucille for rent and could use the rest for next Friday, but that only left me nineteen dollars from what was left of my savings after my little birthday celebration. And that was all I had. If I didn't find a job this week and start right away, I'd be broke within a week and out on the street a week from Friday. There was no way I could go back to sleeping in the park. Even if Lucille let me leave the weights and bench in storage at her place, it was too cold to be spending the night outdoors. And I'd run out of money for food long before then anyway. I had no choice. I had to find a job this week. Something. Anything.