Joe Chapter 9
Joe
by Tim Mead
Chapter 9
He woke up lying on his left side, his right arm draped over the still-sleeping Bill, his hard cock pressed against Bill's butt. Though he couldn't see the bedside clock, he could tell from the light that it was still early, so he just lay there, enjoying snuggling, thinking back over what they had done that night.
He'd never sucked on a tit with a ring in it before. None of the guys he'd been with had piercings of any kind, and he was surprised that it was his lawyer cousin who had one. In his left nipple. Bill had laughingly explained that it wouldn't do for a lawyer, at least in his kind of law, to have visible piercings, so the nipple ring was his quiet – and usually unseen -- gesture of defiance against convention. At any rate, Joe had enjoyed flicking it with his tongue and tugging it gently with his teeth. He'd liked even more Bill's responses to his attentions.
Their sex that night had gone on as it had begun: gently, slowly, caringly. Joe's sex heretofore had been athletic and lusty. Bill had begun schooling him in the finer points of lovemaking, the theme being pleasuring one's partner. This had been a revelation to Joe. Sucking a cock, for example, had up till then been mostly a matter of reciprocating, because the other guy had sucked his or was going to after he came. But for him having a cock in his mouth had been primarily a means to an end. (He smiled at the unintentional pun.) Last night, however, under Bill's coaching he came to truly want to give Bill pleasure, often looking up at his face to see how he was reacting. He found this made the process more satisfying. What had surprised him was that, as he concentrated on Bill's pleasure, he found having the cock in his mouth sexy in a way it had never been before. He'd never had any trouble getting and staying hard, but his cock as a barometer of his own arousal was signaling that just having Bill's cock in his mouth, sucking, licking, flicking, and swallowing it, was a tremendous turn-on.
Another point Bill had made was that taking things slowly made the climax, when it eventually came, even better. He was right about that, too. They had spent a couple of hours pleasuring each other before Bill allowed either of them to come. Joe had heard something about delayed gratification, which had surely worked for him that night.
Of course it helped that he'd always loved his cousin and that he had special feelings for him because of his sexual tutelage and their shared teen passions back in the day. But, as he lay there with his nose in Bill's hair, feeling the rise and fall of his chest as he slept, he knew that, for him, sex with whatever partner would always be a different thing than it had been.
He looked forward to the day with Bill, but also to their night together afterward.
"Hey," Bill said softly. He wiggled his butt back against Joe's cock. "You okay?"
"Yeah. This is nice."
"Mm hmm."
They lay there for a while, both obviously enjoying the moment. The window unit had clicked off during the night, so Joe could hear the usual neighborhood noises. Birds. Traffic a block over on the main drag. Someone down the block running his lawnmower.
"Billy? Last night was great. Thanks."
"My pleasure, kid. And I'm a little old for Billy, don't you think?"
Joe chuckled. "Okay, I get the point. No kid, no Billy."
"You got it, Joey."
"Bastard!" He pinched one of Bill's nipples.
His stomach rumbled.
Bill chuckled. "Yeah, me, too. What's for breakfast?"
"Bacon and eggs?"
"My favorite!"
As they were eating, Bill asked, "Is there a running track this side of Colby?"
"Yeah, there's one around the high school football field, why?"
"Think we could use it?''
"I hear it's open on weekends for anyone who wants to run laps. You thinkin' about a run?"
"We're going to have a run to compensate for all the time we're spending in bed this weekend."
"Hey, cuz, I work for a living. I don't need to worry about spendin' a little time in bed. Which sounds great, by the way."
"And just what kind of work is it that you do, cuz?" He grinned.
Joe described the computer work, record keeping, supplies ordering, etc. that he did.
"I thought you were doing something active with that great body of yours. Basically you've just told me you have a desk job. Better watch it, or you'll be getting love handles."
Joe remembered the summer baseball league season was over and realized Bill was right.
"Okay, let's go for a run. But I'm not very fast."
"Not faster than a speeding bullet?" Bill teased.
"How the fuck did you know about the Superman thing?"
"Your mom told my mom. They both thought it was cute. I couldn't believe the skinny kid I remembered would remind anyone of Superman until Mom showed me some pictures the last time I was home. But you really do look like the man from Krypton."
"My ass!" Joe wadded up his paper napkin, stood, and took his dishes to the sink. "You wanna get your shower while I do these?"
"No point in showering yet. We'll just need another one when we get back. I'm gonna run you till your super ass is drooping."
"But we both still smell of cum."
"That's okay. If anyone else is there, we'll give `em a thrill."
"Wow. You sure don't sound like a fancy-schmancy lawyer!"
"I'm not on duty at the moment. Let's get these dishes done and get out to the track before it gets any warmer."
Joe thought he was in reasonably good shape. After all, he'd been playing two baseball games a week all summer. He helped unload trucks and stack supplies at the shop. And he worked out with his free weights at home every day. Well, almost every day.
But at the track, Bill had to slow his pace so Joe could keep up, and when Joe finally gave up and started his cool-downs, Bill did another five laps around the track.
Joe was sitting in the grass next to the running surface while Bill did his own cool-downs.
"Okay, dude, you've made your point. I guess you must run a lot back in Joisey."
Bill nodded. "Every goddamned morning. Gotta keep my girlish figure if I'm gonna find a man."
`Those guys in Morristown sure must be stupid if they're passing up Bill,' Joe thought.
"So, what would you like to do now?" he asked.
"We've got some shopping to do."
"We do?"
Bill nodded. "Right. After we go back to your place and shower, we'll go into Colby. I assume there's a Circuit City or a Staples there."
"Colby's a big-time place," Joe said, grinning. "We got both!"
"Good."
Joe wondered why Bill would want to shop in Colby. Surely he could get anything he needed at one of those stories back in New Jersey where he lived.
Once they were showered and in clean clothes it was time to set off for Colby.
Joe's old truck had been okay for them to go to the running track in that morning, but he was embarrassed for them to take it to Colby now they were wearing clean polos and khakis. A newer truck would be nice, but that was financially out of the question for a while. Still, he had to make the offer
"You're paying by the mile for your rental." Bill had picked up a Malibu at the airport.
"It's no big deal, Joe. Colby's not that far away. But why don't you drive, since you know the area and I don't?"
"Okay. You want to see the CSU campus? There's not a lot else to see in Colby?"
"Yeah, let's do that first. Then grab some lunch. And then we can go shopping."
Joe enjoyed driving the Malibu. It didn't have many miles on it, and he couldn't remember when he'd had the chance to drive anything new except once or twice when the company had bought a new truck. It had been a very long time since he'd driven a sedan instead of a truck.
He knew nothing about architecture, but he suspected that the mostly post World War 2 buildings of the Colby State campus looked very different from the old universities Bill had attended. During that one semester when he'd been a freshman at SCU, he'd been told that there had been big old elms on campus until the 1960's when the Dutch elm disease had killed them all. New trees had been planted then, but even after 40 years the campus had a rather new look to it. The campus didn't have any sense of antiquity or tradition. Or at least that's the way it seemed to him.
He took Bill to Nelly's for lunch. The place was deserted. The university students were mostly off campus since summer session was over and the fall term didn't begin for a week. And the other gay locals must have been elsewhere doing other things.
They had excellent burgers and fries, along with Sam Adams Boston Lagers, served by a rather pouty waiter wearing eye liner and more piercings than Joe could count. Joe's instant dislike of the young guy was intensified because he consistently called the two of them "boys."
He and Bill had some fun watching a couple in a booth across the room. One of the guys was stunningly good looking: about Joe's height, dark haired, fine featured, a little on the thin side. Bill said he looked like a model for GQ magazine.
"In fact, he's a dead ringer for, oh, what's his name? Marcus something or other, German name. Schenkenberg, that's it! The guy looks just like Marcus Schenkenberg."
Joe chuckled. "Never heard of him. But then I don't read GQ either. I can't afford it, much less the clothes they advertise. The only way I know about it is that I've got a friend who works in the men's department at Dillard's, and he's mentioned it."
"You should check it out sometime. The models in it are gorgeous."
The other guy in the booth was shorter, stockier. His head was shaved, probably because he was balding, but he had big biceps and, to all appearances, was in great shape.
"Those two are a couple," Bill said.
"Ya think?"
"Oh, yeah. The bald guy must have a big cock."
"Bill, I'm disappointed." Joe said, with a mock frown.
"Oh?"
"Aren't you being pretty superficial? The bald guy could be a terrific person. And the great-looking one could be a dick, you know."
Bill laughed. "Joseph, you're absolutely right. I stand corrected." He took a swig of his beer and then raised an eyebrow. "But if that's the case, what are they doing together?"
Back in the Malibu, Joe said, "Now where?"
"Someplace where you can buy a computer. Let's check out Circuit City and Staples. We'll do some comparison shopping."
As he eased the unfamiliar car into traffic, Joe said, "I can't afford a computer."
"No harm in looking, is there?" Bill asked innocently.
They went to Staples first because that's where Cromer Landscaping bought their office supplies. Joe hadn't had a computer of his own for years, and the one he'd had was a hand-me down. So he had no idea what he was looking for. He was bewildered by his cousin's discussion with the clerk at Staples about RAM and ROM and speed and other features.
The clerk asked what Joe would be doing with the PC. Bill looked at Joe and said, "Well, email, for sure. Do you have a camera?"
"No."
"Play computer games?"
"No."
"Do you have an iPod?"
"No."
Shaking his head, Bill talked with the Staples guy for a while. When they'd agreed, they announced that Bill could have a PC with a printer for a price that was a good bit lower than he'd expected.
"Sounds good. Maybe in a few months I can swing that, but . . ."
Bill looked at the clerk and said, "Excuse us? My cousin and I need to have a little chat." He took Joe's arm and led him down an aisle that was empty of shoppers.
"Let me get this."
"No way."
"I didn't think you'd go along with that. How much could you manage to pay per month?"
"I don't want to buy it on credit." Joe had always believed in saving until he could pay for something. "Besides," he added, "the interest would be out of sight."
Bill raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Not necessarily. What would you think of an interest-free loan?"
"But who'd . . . ?" Then the penny dropped. "You'd do that?" Bill nodded. "I appreciate that, Bill, honestly, but I don't think . . ."
"Come on, Joe. I can afford it. And you can pay me off at whatever rate you choose."
Joe wasn't sure he wanted to be obligated to his cousin in that way. But he'd heard people talking about the wonders of the internet, and he knew how useful it was at work. Bill was standing there looking hopeful.
"You'd really do that? I suppose I could swing a hundred bucks a month. But what if things get tight sometimes? I wouldn't want you to be pissed with me because I couldn't make a payment."
"Cross my heart," Bill said, making an X on his chest, "I won't be. If you need to skip a month at Christmas time or something like that, no big deal."
"And you're doing this because . . . ?"
"Well, duh! We're family. You need to catch up with the rest of the world, and I can make that happen. Besides, I thought you'd figured out that you and I have a special kind of thing going."
"Cuz, we're not in love with each other or anything. At least . . . ."
Bill grinned. "No, Joey, not in love. But you're gonna make me say this right here in Staples? Okay, I love you, big guy. I've always wished our lives had allowed us to be together more often. Now that we've re-established contact, I'm gonna see that we visit each other with reasonable regularity. Is that okay with you?"
"Yeah, that'd be great."
"So we're gonna get the `puter?"
Feeling a bit overwhelmed, Joe heaved a sigh and said, "Yeah, I suppose, if you're sure it's okay."
They took the computer home and spent a good part of the afternoon getting it set up. They'd bought a CD that would connect them to an inexpensive dial-up service. Bill insisted that Joe would eventually want a broadband connection, but at least he could get on line with the ISP they'd selected. Once everything was up and running, Bill showed Joe some things about email and surfing the web, including some favorite shopping sites as well as places to find good gay fiction and pictures. He also put his email address in Joe's new address book.
Late in the afternoon Joe began to think about what they'd do that evening. He suggested they could go see the Mud Hens play at Fifth Third Field. Bill said, "Actually, I'd like to go have a nice meal somewhere and then come back here. I'm enjoying renewing my acquaintance with my favorite cousin."
"I'm your only cousin."
"No, you're my only cousin on Mom's side. I've got Kendall cousins and three by Dad's sister. You really are my favorite."
"Sure it isn't just because you like my ass?" Joe asked.
"Well, that, too." He adjusted his package. "I guess even the thought turns me on. But, about supper . . . . I saw a Carrabba's in Colby today. Have you been there?"
"I don't eat out much. It's cheaper to eat at home. And when I do, I usually get a burger at Gridley's here in town or else go to Applebee's."
"Well, tonight you'll be introduced to Carrabba's. Nothing fancy, but good food and a lively place. It's noisy but fun."
"We don't have to get dressed up, do we?"
"Nope. We can go in what we're wearing."
They had to wait twenty minutes for a table, but they didn't think that was bad for the Saturday evening of Labor Day weekend. Their server, a cute little redhead with a twinkle in his eye and an amazing butt, asked if he could start them with a drink.
"You want beer, cuz?" Bill asked.
"You know what? I'd like a glass of white wine."
Bill raised his eyebrows, but recovered quickly and said they'd both have Kendall Jackson chardonnay.
"Good choice," the server said. "Would you like an appetizer to go with that?"
"Trust me?" Bill asked.
"Yeah, so long as it isn't snails or anything like that."
"Well, so much for the calamari. How about warm clam and artichoke dip?"
"I don't know about artichokes, but I guess I could try it." He'd had fried clams and clam chowder, so he figured the stuff couldn't be too bad.
"I'll be right back with your wine and some warm bread."
The cutie was as good as his word. Joe and Bill had devoured most of the bread before he brought out their appetizer.
"I must say, I was a little surprised when you asked for wine."
"Yeah, I could tell by the look on your face. What's the matter, you think I'm too big and stupid to enjoy wine?"
Bill looked hurt. "No way!" Then, apparently gathering his thoughts, he took a sip of the wine. He rubbed his thumb on the condensation beaded up on the glass. "I know you're not stupid. But I guess I was stereotyping a bit. So I apologize."
"No problem," Joe said. "Mom loves white wine. And she never minded me having a glass with her at supper time – on those evenings when we got to eat together. I didn't learn to drink beer until I came to Colby State, but I've always enjoyed wine. Even red sometimes. But white is Mom's favorite, and I like it too. Though it's been a while since I've had any."
Joe enjoyed the clam dip, eating more than his share of it. For their main course Bill chose salmon and Joe had a steak. He was impressed with the size of the portions, and the food all tasted great.
When they'd finished, the redhead recited the desserts available.
"Ever had tiramisu?" Bill asked.
"Tira me what?"
"Tiramisu? It means `pick me up' in Italian. It's great. Trust me again on this one, okay?"
"Okay."
When the waiter walked away to place their order, Bill leaned forward and asked, "You have noticed his ass, haven't you?"
"Oh, yeah!" Joe groaned. "Who wouldn't, the way he wiggles it?"
After Mr. Cute Butt brought the dessert and coffee, Bill said, "Every restaurant's tiramisu is different. I don't know whose is the most authentic, but I love what they serve here. It's lighter and fluffier than what you get most places."
Joe tasted the mostly white confection in front of him. "I think I've died and gone to heaven. What's in it besides cake, whipped cream and chocolate? Booze?"
"Yeah, and in an authentic recipe, mascarpone cheese."
"Cheese? I wouldn't have guessed."
When "Red" dropped off the check, Bill reached for it. Joe put his bigger hand over Bill's and said, "You're my guest. Let me get this."
"I suggested the place, Joe, so I should pay for it."
"Not this time, cuz, okay?"
"Well, okay, thanks."
Joe tried not to show his shock when he saw the amount. He didn't have that much money with him, so he had to use his VISA card, something he tried to use only in emergencies. Still, he was glad to be able to do something for Bill, for whom he was developing unfamiliar emotions.
When they got back to the apartment, both kicked off their shoes and got comfortable.
"You want anything?" Joe asked.
"No, dude, I'm good. We just left the restaurant!"
"I'm only trying to be a good host," Joe said, grinning.
"Relax."
"Wanna see if there's a game on TV? The Tigers are probably playing."
"Later, maybe. But I have a question."
"What?"
"You just came out this summer, right?"
"Uh huh."
"You were in the closet all the way through high school and stayed in it when you left home and came here?"
"Yeah."
"That's a long time. Did something happen?"
"Yeah."
"Somebody give you a hard time?"
Joe shook his head. "Not me. It happened to a kid I knew."
"Tell me about him."
"Okay. That summer you stayed with me and taught me all that good stuff was the summer before my freshman year. I was so excited I couldn't wait to find somebody to fool around with. I really missed what we did after you left. I missed you, too, of course. But I knew you were older and wouldn't have been interested in me if we hadn't been stuck with each other while our folks were away. So I thought I'd see if there was someone else who might be interested in the same things. Shit, how could anybody not want to do those things?"
Bill chuckled. "Most guys wouldn't . . . . So what happened?"
"Well, right after school started that fall, something happened. There was this kid in my class, Eddie Cline. He was smart. Always on the honor roll. A math geek. But a real nice kid if you took the trouble to get to know him. But the guys always teased him. That went all the way back to grade school. He was always the sissy, the queer, the fag. But he shrugged it off and grinned.
"Something must have happened the second week of school, though. Everybody was asking, `Did you hear about Eddie Cline?' He wasn't in school any more. At first it was a real mystery, but a few days later, Bryant being a little place, everyone was saying that he'd been found out front of the school early one morning. Somebody had cut off all his hair, head and body, and written things like `cunt' and `pussy' on him with a magic marker. The story that went around said he had been tied to the flagpole and had a vibrator shoved up his ass."
"Poor kid! What happened to him?"
"I heard he went to live someplace with his grandparents. We never saw him again around town. So far as I know they never caught the guys who did it. Sad thing is, nobody seemed to be very upset about what happened to Eddie."
"And that's what made you decide to . . . ."
"To stay as deep in the closet as I could get. I still get the shakes when I think about what happened to poor Eddie! So in high school I went out with girls, even scored sometimes. I had thought maybe when I got to CSU I'd come out, but I was only there a semester. Then when Dave Cromer gave me a job, it didn't seem like the kind of outfit where a gay guy would be welcome. Imagine everyone's surprise when a year ago the boss got a divorce and not long after that started living with an ex-Marine!"
"Yeah," Bill said, smiling, "that could have started the town talking."
"Well, now we've even got another gay couple. They're gonna be sophomores at CSU this fall. And there's me."
"Anybody give you any grief?"
"No sir! I'm lucky I'm working for Dave, of course. It's pretty clear he wouldn't tolerate any homophobes in his company."
Bill got up, took a couple of steps, and held out his hand to Joe. "I'm glad no one is hassling you. Now, I've had a hard on all day from being around you. Can we go do something about that?"
Joe took his hand and stood up. "Oh, yeah! I think I can help you with your problem."
Again they had slow, wonderful sex. When they were done they had Oreos and milk, brushed their teeth, went back to bed and did it again.
The next morning they slept late. Joe woke up feeling Bill's morning erection pressed against his crack. He sighed and pushed his butt back.
"Mornin'." Bill's voice was low and foggy, whether from sleep or lust Joe didn't know.
He rolled over and faced Bill, though, worried about morning breath, he didn't get too close.
"How are you this morning? Sleep okay?"
"Sure did. Now I gotta pee. Think there's room for both of us in the shower?"
After using mouthwash to get rid of their dragon breath, they bathed together. It was a standard tub/shower combination, so it was crowded, but they managed. Bill introduced Joe to frottage as they humped their wet, soapy bodies together until they came on each other's abs.
As they were having breakfast, Joe said, "Thanks, man, for coming all the way out here to see me."
Putting down his fork, Bill said, "I'm really glad I came. We had a lot of catching up to do. Now that you have a computer, you'll stay in touch, won't you?"
"Sure will! And I'll send you a check every month until the `puter's paid for."
"I know you will."
"Bill . . . ."
"Yeah?"
"I'm really gonna miss you." He tried hard not to show the sadness that was gripping him at the thought of Bill's leaving.
"I'll miss you, too. But we'll make a point of getting together the next time I'm home. I'll see you at Christmas for sure."
"That seems like a long time."
Bill got up and found the coffee carafe. He topped up both of their mugs. "You've got friends, haven't you? And a fuck buddy or two?"
"Yeah, I guess, but . . . ."
"Joe, with your looks, you could have about anybody you want. You're only going to be as lonely as you allow yourself to be."
"I suppose, but I'm beginning to think sex isn't everything."
A look of pain crossed Bill's face. "Is that what you've gotten out of this weekend? Have I turned you off to sex?"
"Oh, fuck no! I didn't mean it like that! This has been the best sex I've ever had. But you've shown me how much better it is when you really care about the guy you're doing it with -- and he cares about you."
"Oh!" Bill grinned. "I'm relieved." He paused to take a bite of bacon and chew it. "So you want more than a fuck buddy or two, huh?"
Joe nodded. "Yeah, I think I do." He told Bill about Dave and Brody and about Justin and Bailey. "I think those guys have something really, well, sweet."
"It can be. But listen to me, man. Be very careful who you give your heart to. When you love somebody, you make yourself vulnerable. The guy can rip it out and stomp on it."
"Ouch! I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have brought up the subject. I'd forgotten about you getting, well, uh, about your experience."
"Just take it slow. Be sure."
Later, after Bill had loaded his things into the Malibu, they hugged. Bill surprised him by giving him something more than a quick peck on the lips. It definitely involved some tongue. During all of their sex that weekend, there had been no kissing. In fact, in all of his sexual experiences that summer, there had only been a couple of kisses that he could remember. One had been at the three-way with Marcus and Roger.
He decided he liked this kiss and was about to respond more actively when Bill drew back.
"I've got to go, cuz. I'm sure you'll find a great guy. Thanks for having me, for the great weekend. And remember, I love ya! Call me anytime. Email me often."
He smiled, got in the car, and drove away, leaving Joe with powerful feelings of loss.
It was still Sunday morning. He had the rest of that day and all of the next, Labor Day, to get through before he could go back to work on Tuesday.
He tried to keep busy. Changed the sheets. Did his laundry. Washed his truck. Thought a lot about Bill.
Did he have a crush on his cousin? No, that was silly. They were cousins. Even if they hadn't been, Bill lived in a different world. Joe could never fit in with a lawyer's life. As his mother had said, blue collar and white collar don't mix. Besides, Bill was smart. Educated. Except for the sex they didn't have anything in common. Bill would soon get tired of him if they were together all the time. Admittedly they hadn't had any trouble finding things to talk about that weekend, but it had been a short visit and it had been a long time since they'd seen each other.
He moped around the rest of the weekend. Watching baseball on TV and playing with his new computer helped pass the time.
Monday evening he sent off an email to Bill.
Hey cuz, just checkin' to make sure you made it back to Joisey in one piece. Had a great weekend. Hope you did too. Thanks for the `puter and the great sex. Love, Joe
He debated about whether to sign it with "love." `What the fuck,' he decided. `I love the guy.'
When he went to bed that night, he was looking forward to being back at work the next day. But he couldn't get to sleep. He couldn't get over how lonely he felt. It had been great having Bill there, but now he'd returned to his world. Roger was off to Pittsburgh and wouldn't be back until Thanksgiving.
Of course there was Jeff Karensky. He was up for anything. Anytime. Anywhere. Not a bad friend to have if all you wanted was sex.
But . . . .
**To Be Continued
Big _hugs to Drew, Tinn, and Mickey for all kinds of editorial advice and encouragement.
Emails encouraged at t.mead76@yahoo.com. If you email me, please put the story title in the subject line so I'll know it isn't spam. Thanks. --Tim_**