Sea Change

Sea Change, pt 44

I wish to retain all rights to this story. However, I am delighted to grant permission to any person to publish this story as long as there is no charge to the reader and as long as no changes are made to the story.

Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.

SEA CHANGE

CHAPTER 44 — Lenny and the Airmen

She hugged me from behind as I sat eating lunch on Monday.

“Hi, Caitlyn,” I said without turning around.

“Hi, Longstory,” she said, setting her books in the chair next to mine. “I’ll be right back.”

I looked at my tray of food and wondered if I could eat fast enough to get away. But Caitlyn was back in moments.

“So how was the weekend job?” she asked, setting her tray down beside mine and taking her seat.

“A little disappointing,” I said. “We were hoping to get more done.”

“You missed a great party,” she said, picking up her fork.

“Who’d you go with?” I asked.

“Brent.”

“Oh no, Caitlyn. Not that asshole.”

“He was nicer than usual.”

“That still leaves a lot of room,” I said, shaking my head angrily. “Just because I’m not going to be your boyfriend doesn’t mean I don’t want you to have a decent one.”

“You’re my lover,” Caitlyn said with a crafty smile. “My secret lover. Don’t you like the idea of us cheating on Brent?”

“No!” I said, elbowing her arm as she was about to take another bite.

She missed her mouth and frowned.

“You need a decent boyfriend,” I repeated. “How about Ferg? He’s a great guy, and he thinks you’re really hot.”

“Who’s Ferg?”

“The big guy; the football lineman who was the ringleader of the guys who stripped me that time you stood by and didn’t lift a finger to save me.”

Her face scrunched up. “Him? He’s like three times my size.”

I looked around the cafeteria and saw Ferg sitting in a far corner with Eric and Tracy. “That’s him over there,” I said, pointing. “He’s a big guy, alright, but he’s not really fat. He’s just real strong. And he’s got a heart of gold, Cait. Look at him – the way he smiles and all; he’s cute.”

“Cute?” she murmured, skeptically. But then she sat up to get a better look anyway; studying Ferg’s mop of dark hair, square jaw, and solid build. “I wouldn’t say cute.” She said, half-frowning. “He does look strong… and he’s sorta handsome.”

“He’s a really nice guy. I’ll introduce you.”

Caitlyn studied him a little longer. “OK,” she said, but then shot me a quick frown. “Remember… even when I do get a boyfriend, we’re still secret lovers.”

“Oh yeah, right,” I said. “As if I’d want a guy Ferg’s size catching me cheating with his girlfriend.”

. . . . .

Ken waited for me in the shower after practice. “How did Lenny’s landscaping job go?” he asked, scrubbing under his arms.

“Not as well as he wanted. We hit a lot of rock. But next week we’re renting a backhoe.”

Ken nodded and leaned my way. “We had a great weekend.”

“Did you spend the whole time in bed?” I asked with a chuckle.

“Not quite,” he answered with a wink. “Mikey had to work Friday night and Saturday night. Saturday, we went to the zoo and the park. Sunday, we went to the mall, ate out, caught a movie.” Ken looked around to be sure we were alone, and then leaned close again. “It is so cool to have a boyfriend, Sean. I always wondered what it’d be like. And Mikey’s so damned cute.” He lowered his voice even more. “I think he’s fallen in love with me.”

“And you?” I asked with a raised eyebrow. “Have you fallen in love with him?”

Ken thought about that. “Maybe,” he said. “I’ve had crushes before, but I’ve never like… been in love.” He paused under the shower to think. “I really like being with Mikey. You know? And not just for the...” his voice dropped again, “sex.” He grinned. “But that’s been… ex-cel-lent!” He lathered up hard under his arms. “A couple more weekends like this last one, Sean, and I will be in love.” He smiled at me. “I guarantee it!”

. . . . .

That night, I retreated to Lenny’s room to study after three of his friends showed up. Ken was out there with Michael and it sounded like the whole lot of them were having fun. It was hard to concentrate and I would have liked to join them, but I had too much homework.

Eventually it grew quiet, and I assumed that Lenny’s friends had left. I was about to go out to the living room when I heard sounds of new arrivals. I shook my head; there were times that Lenny’s house could be just as busy as the dorm.

A little while later, Michael came back to the room, looking for me. “You have to come out there,” he said in a pleading voice. “Rafael is here.”

“Who’s Rafael?”

“You’re kidding, right?” he asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed. “Lenny hasn’t told you about him?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head.

Michael sighed. “Rafael thinks he’s God’s gift to San Antonio gays. Unfortunately, there are lots of guys who agree with him. Even Lenny went with him after he broke up with Jack — for about one month. They’ve been sorta like rivals since.”

“So this guy thinks he’s cool?” I asked.

“Oh, he’s convinced of it.”

“So why is he here?”

Mike shrugged. “He stops by sometimes. Lenny’s probably told him about you. I bet Rafael’s here to check you out… fresh meat, you know.”

I groaned. “I’m tired of being shown off. I’ll meet Rafael some other time.”

“No, Sean, you’ve got to come out there,” he said, shaking my shoulder.

“What does it matter to you?” I asked.

Michael’s eyes grew pleading. “He’s making eyes at Ken.”

“So?”

“Ken likes it,” he said. “At least, it looks like it.”

“Don’t sweat it. Ken’s probably just flattered. He loves being your boyfriend and you know it.”

“You haven’t seen Rafael.”

“So?” I asked. “What am I supposed to do about it?”

“Just come out, will you?” Michael asked, standing up. “I’ve got to get back before Rafael really puts the moves on Kenny.”

“Tell me this,” I asked as Michael backed toward the door. “If he’s so cool, why doesn’t he already have a boyfriend?”

Michael paused. “Guys like Rafael don’t have boyfriends. They have conquests and hangers-on. Please… get out there.”

I already didn’t like Rafael; not if he’d been a rival of Lenny’s – hell, not if he’d been a boyfriend of Lenny’s — and not if he had designs on Ken. And certainly not if he was here just so I could be paraded before him like some prize pet. I definitely wouldn’t be happy with Lenny if he’d put this Rafael guy up to it.

Whatever else though, I didn’t want anyone messing up Ken’s and Michael’s budding relationship. Ken was new enough to this scene to be led astray by some pretty-boy stud.

Closing my book, I rose from the bed trying to imagine what possible thing I could do to help. That’s when I had a perverse idea.

Quickly, I rummaged through a couple of Lenny’s drawers and found something brilliant; black leather shorts – so short that they weren’t much more than briefs.

I stripped to nothing and pulled on the shorts.

They were incredibly tight and I had to wiggle into them. “Lenny must have worn these when he was like… six years old,” I mumbled to myself.

The pouch did have enough room, but only barely. It looked obscenely full. If the leg holes weren’t as snug as they were, I would have been hanging out all over. The shorts were tight on my butt and hips. Even if I had any gut to suck, it wouldn’t have helped. Screw it, I thought, and I left the shorts unfastened. In fact, after considering it, I left the zipper only halfway up; just after it cleared my package. Might as well use those shaved pubes to good effect.

Pausing at the door, I mussed my hair and took a deep breath. And then I suppressed a smile because I felt totally outrageous; perfectly so. I straightened to my full height and thought to myself, loose hips. Taking long, languid steps, I headed for the living room, crotch first.

The room hushed as I entered. Jaws dropped, including Lenny’s.

Michael sat beside Ken on one couch. Lenny sat at the far end of the other one. Two guys sat in the armchairs between the couches. Sitting in one was an attractive blond guy. God’s gift to the San Antonio gay community sat in the other armchair. There was absolutely no doubt about who Rafael was.

He sat erect, with his legs casually crossed and his arms resting on the arms of his chair. Though he was sitting, I could tell that he was at least as tall as me; with angular shoulders and a slender frame. He looked to be my age, or possibly older. His complexion was flawless and creamy. His cheeks were as clean as a pre-teen’s. His thick black hair was parted up the middle and fanned out to either side in almost a Farah Fawcett cut. His lips were deeply red. His large eyes were light blue and wide set over high cheekbones. His eyebrows arched perfectly. His nose was perfectly aligned, perfectly shaped. And I thought he was the most physically beautiful guy I’d ever seen. Maybe I won’t hate him, I thought.

And for the briefest moment, I remembered Trevor’s eyes without his glasses, and it occurred to me that Trevor could wind up being a real looker as well.

When I had entered the room, Rafael’s eyes widened and locked on my half-open fly. His clear admiration was damned gratifying, and I really did think that I might like the guy after all.

But I had begun my act for the crowd and I couldn’t abandon it now. I slinked over to Lenny, sliding in beside him on the couch. I put my arms around his chest and sighed loudly. “Lenny baby, when are you coming back to take care of me again?” I asked in my best, bedroom voice. I sucked up his earlobe, tugging on it with my lips.

Lenny giggled and tried to lean away. I held him tightly and followed him over. “Lenny baby,” I protested. “You’ve only done me three times today. I need you!” I tongued into his ear and Lenny howled.

He tried to squirm from under me but only succeeded in winding up on his back with me on top of him. He kept squirming, but I held him tightly, and in the struggle, my hips settled between his legs. “OK, baby,” I said, loudly. “We can do it here.”

Lenny howled again and pushed desperately, trying to get away. Funny thing was, holding him in my arms, struggling with him, feeling sexy in the leather shorts, I started to get hard and figured I’d better back off before something actually did pop out.

I let Lenny squirm out from under me, and I stayed on my stomach on the couch. Staying in character, I gave Lenny a huge pout.

Then I glanced at Rafael.

He had an amused twinkle in his eye. “Hi,” he said.

“Hi,” I replied. “I’m Sean. I’m Lenny’s sex pet.”

Lenny laughed and sat on me; his butt on mine. He leaned back, as if reclining on a throne, his arms out to either side on the back of the couch. “How do you like him?” he asked expansively.

Rafael’s eyes met mine. “I like him, Miss Letti. He’s cuter than your usual… sex pet.”

His voice had depth and incredible timbre. I could swear my balls vibrated.

Then he lifted his eyes to Lenny and smirked. “Come to think of it, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you with a cute lover.”

“Weren’t you Lenny’s lover for a while?” I asked.

Lenny howled and Michael laughed. “It’s OK, Babe,” Lenny said, patting the back of my thighs. “Rafael’s just jealous as hell.”

Rafael’s eyes returned to mine, and he cocked an eyebrow as if to say, “maybe I am.”

He might as well have used his hand; the way his eyes traveled slowly, lingeringly down my bare torso. I felt my cock begin to stiffen again.

The blond, sitting beside him, seemed nonplussed by Rafael’s not so subtle interest in me. The room was silent while Rafael repeated his visual appraisal of my body, and then his eyes settled back on mine.

I had read of people having animal magnetism and thought I had met some. Now I had a whole new understanding of the phrase. It was as though the whole world narrowed down to only Rafael’s eyes and mine.

He bent his arm, resting his elbow on the chair arm, and leaned his chin lightly on the back of his long fingers. “But Lenny’s not your boyfriend, right?” he asked with a smile.

There was an awkward silence.

“He is,” I said. “He’s my San Antonio boyfriend.”

A thin, tolerant smile spread over Rafael’s mouth. And I got the impression that he either didn’t buy the message that I was taken, or simply thought that in his case, such messages never applied.

“He’s got a boyfriend in Austin, too,” Michael said, and glanced at me nervously.

I wasn’t sure what Michael was up to, other than trying to keep Rafael’s focus from shifting back to Ken. I frowned at Michael.

“Oh,” Rafael said with a slightly raised eyebrow. “Two boyfriends? Only two?”

“Show Rafael Daniel’s picture,” Michael suggested, and I frowned at him again.

“Sure,” Rafael said, “Show me your boyfriend’s picture. I’d like to see it”

“My wallet’s back in the other room,” I said.

“I’ll get it,” Michael said, jumping up. “That’s where you keep his picture, right?”

Michael didn’t bother waiting for another of my frowns. He took off for Lenny’s room and he was back in a flash.

I struggled up from the couch, not anxious for Michael to dig around in my wallet. I took the wallet from him and opened it to retrieve Dan’s picture. Suddenly, Rafael was right there, looking over my shoulder. His hand was on my other shoulder and the side of his body pressed the back of mine.

Surprised, I turned toward him and found his eyes only a couple of inches from mine. “Let’s see the picture,” he said with a smile.

I looked back into my wallet and pulled out the pictures I kept there. Quickly, I sorted through looking for the most recent of Dan, as Rafael’s warm breath washed down my collarbone.

“Wait,” he said, and he reached forward, with the hand that wasn’t on my shoulder, to hold my hand still. “What are the other pictures? Who are all those guys?”

I glanced at Lenny. With a furrowed brow, he was looking at where Rafael’s body pressed the back of mine. Looking at Lenny was like taking a breath of fresh air. It cleared my head.

I smiled at Lenny, and blew him a kiss.

He relaxed, visibly, and smiled back.

I resumed going through my pictures one at a time, explaining who was who to Rafael. His blond friend came up on my other side. But it was Rafael’s hand that dropped to my leather-covered butt and rested there.

And it was Rafael’s body that pressed close against mine. It was his breath I felt on my neck. And it was Rafael’s erection I thought I felt against the side of my butt. My own cock began to press out toward my hip.

Rafael cooed over Ry. “Umm,” he said when he saw Colin, and the vibration of his voice reverberated inside my body. “Is he gay, too?” Rafael asked of Colin.

“No,” I said defensively. “He’s straight.” I quickly moved on to the next picture; the one of me and Dan sitting naked on the bed.

Rafael was quiet for a moment. And then he lifted his hand from my butt, and returned it to my shoulder. His eyes met mine, and he nodded. “You two look good together,” he said. “Your boyfriend is very good looking.”

I smiled, and glanced at Lenny. “So is my San Antonio boyfriend,” I said.

When I had shown Rafael my last picture, Lenny stood and joined us. I pulled away from Rafael, and moved close to Lenny.

“Well,” Rafael said, “We need to get going. Good to see you Lenny. Good to meet you Sean.”

Our eyes met, and the invitation in his was now less flirty, more honest.

I swallowed. “Good to meet you,” I said, extending a hand.

Rafael took it and held it as Lenny escorted the blond guy toward the door.

Rafael stepped close while holding my hand between our bodies, and I felt a fingernail from his other hand press into my skin, just above my pubes, at the base of my open fly. The fingernail began a slow ascent.

“Call me sometime,” Rafael said with a smile. “My number’s easy. It’s ‘2-Rafael’; the number two, then R-A-F-A-E-L.”

Despite the erotic shock of his fingernail on my belly, I had to smile. “How’d you get a number with your name?” I asked.

He smiled, “I have friends in high places.”

“Friends in low places is more like it,” Michael mumbled.

Rafael chuckled and glanced at Michael. “You were one of them Mikey,” he said with a grin. “We’ll have to be ‘friendly’ again sometime.” Then Rafael glanced at Ken, the whole time holding my hand. “Now you know my number too, Ken,” he said. “Give me a call.”

“Well,” he said, “gotta scoot.” But he didn’t pull away. Instead, he tightened his grip on my hand, leaned forward, and with his fingernail pressing into the skin of my lower belly, kissed me.

The kiss was more than a peck, yet it lasted for only a moment. It was enough, though, for my balls to curl.

With that, Rafael gave me a final smile and turned to follow his friend out.

I stood there, recovering. When Lenny returned from seeing them out, he was frowning. But then he glanced at me and broke out in a smile. “Baby,” he said, taking my hands and holding my arms out from my sides so he could look me over. “I can’t believe you wore those! I haven’t had them on in ages.”

I pulled my hands back and assumed an angry Superman stance; feet apart, hands on hips, and frowning. “What are you telling people about me?” I demanded. “I’m getting a little tired of being shown off.”

“Whoa, Baby, I didn’t say anything to Rafael about you. It’s just your reputation.”

“What reputation?” I demanded.

Lenny ran his arms under mine, pulling me into a loose hug. “Why your reputation as my lover,” he said, his eyes smiling up into mine. “And as the gay guy who runs around the Trinity campus naked.”

“Asshole,” I said, wrapping my arms around his shoulders. I hugged him hard and pressed my cheek to his. “Hug me good, Lenny. I need it.”

Lenny nodded. “Rafael came on a little strong?”

“A little strong!” exclaimed Michael. “He was trying to steal Sean from right under your nose.”

“No way he could steal me,” I said softly while nuzzling Lenny’s ear. “You really are my San Antonio boyfriend.” And then I gave Lenny a long, sucking kiss. I needed to. I needed to clear Rafael from my mind and fill it again with Lenny.

“Your muscles still sore from the weekend, Baby?” Lenny asked, softly.

“Well, yeah,” I said. “You worked me to the bone… no don’t go there.”

Lenny chuckled and pointed to the floor between the two couches. “Lie down on your stomach,” he said. “I’ll give you a back rub.”

Michael turned on the television, Lenny grabbed body lotion, and the four of us relaxed the way a family relaxes after guests leave, only more so.

Lenny stripped to his boxers for my back rub. Michael and Ken stripped to their briefs, jumped onto the couch, and then pulled a blanket over themselves. Michael lay back in Ken’s arms and flipped TV channels with the remote.

Lenny knelt astride my butt, bent over, and grabbed one of my trapezius muscles in each hand.

“Oh, yeah,” I murmured, moaning loudly.

Ken laughed from the couch. “You’re out of shape, Streak.”

I glanced up at him from the floor. “You have no idea what a cruel task master Lenny is,” I told him.

“Yeah, but how many bosses give their workers backrubs?” Lenny asked.

“You’re only giving me a backrub because you don’t want to pay my medical bills,” I said.

“I can’t hear the TV over all your talking,” complained Michael.

“It’s a Starsky and Hutch rerun,” Lenny pointed out. “You’ve seen it.”

“I want to see it again.”

“He just has the hots for David Soul,” Lenny said.

“Oh, is that true?” Ken asked.

His question was followed by giggling and squirming noises from under their blanket. The squirming grew more rambunctious, and suddenly, two pairs of briefs landed beside Lenny and me. The giggles grew louder and Michael pulled the blanket over both their heads.

“So much for Starsky and Hutch,” I said.

Lenny leaned close to my ear. “Do you have any idea how hot you look in those shorts?” He rubbed himself on my butt.

“Are you trying to turn me into a bottom, Lenny? And are you becoming a top?” I asked.

He laid down on me, his bare chest on my bare back. “Not tonight,” he whispered. “Tonight I want you on top, baby, face to face.”

The giggles from under the blanket turned to soft moans.

I glanced back over my shoulder at Lenny. “Why wait?”

He grinned and got up, holding out his hand to help me up. With his other, he grabbed up the lotion and we left Michael and Ken under their blanket as we retired toward Lenny’s bedroom.

Lenny grinned as he closed the door behind us. “Now, let’s figure out how to get those shorts off,” he said.

. . . . .

I woke because even in my sleep I could tell that Lenny wasn’t sleeping. He was on his back with his head propped on a pillow. I lay with my face buried in his neck and with an arm and a leg over him, and I was really comfortable with my package resting snugly on his hip. But now I pulled my head back to look at him.

His eyes were wide open.

“You OK, Baby?” I asked quietly.

He nodded, but then shook his head. “I’m worried.”

“Not about Rafael?” I asked, surprised.

“No… dumb, college student.” He smiled and gave my back a vigorous rub.

“About the landscaping job?” I asked.

He nodded. “I should have started with something smaller for my first job,” he said. “I’m going to screw this up.”

I propped up on an elbow and stroked his cheek. “No you won’t, Lenny,” I said.

He smiled. “You’re sweet.”

I took his chin in my hand and turned his face to mine. “You won’t screw it up,” I said. “You’re good. You’ve studied what you want to do. We’ll get a backhoe and a lot of help this weekend, and we’ll get it done.”

He smiled, looking slightly more encouraged.

“I’m with you on this, Lenny,” I said, holding his chin and looking him in the eye. “Dan and I both are. We’re with you till it’s finished. I’m the world’s most stubborn guy, Lenny; just ask Dan. I don’t quit. I don’t give up.” I moved up so that my face was directly over his. “I won’t let you down and neither will Dan.”

Lenny bit his lip, and smiled.

“You aren’t alone in this,” I said.

His smile sweetened, and his eyes dropped to my lips. Those light-gray eyes looked like they might be watering. “I’m used to being alone,” he said softly.

“You aren’t alone now,” I told him.

His eyes returned to mine and he shook his head, almost imperceptibly. “You won’t always be around.”

“I’m around now,” I said.

Lenny’s eyes roamed my face as he slowly shook his head. “What did I ever do to deserve you?” He pulled me into a tight embrace, interlacing his legs with mine and pressing his cheek to mine. “You don’t ever like anybody only halfway, do you?” he asked.

“How could I do anything halfway with you, Lenny?” I asked, just being honest.

He chuckled. We hugged and he rocked me in his arms; and he grew hard. When he did, I did.

“If we weren’t such good friends…” he started to say, but didn’t finish.

I knew how he would have completed the thought – If we weren’t such good friends, we’d fall in love. But I belonged to Daniel, and friends — very intimate friends — was all that Lenny and I could ever be.

We hugged hard, pressing our loins, tightening our legs. My mouth found his and I kissed him hard. I rolled up on to him. And we spoke no more, as for the second time that night, he spread and lifted his legs for me, and I entered him; and we made ourselves into a very, very tight ball.

. . . . .

Lenny’s alarm was totally unwelcome the next morning. We were sleeping spooned, my chest, belly, and legs snug against his hard back, butt and back of his legs. I had a forearm under his neck, an arm over his slender waist, and my nose in the back of his hair. I didn’t want to move.

Neither did he.

But the alarm had a high-pitched buzz that was meant to be annoying.

Lenny reached for the nightstand, silenced the alarm, and then snuggled back into me.

“You need a different alarm,” I mumbled.

“Oh, one like your hard-on poking my butt once every hour in the night.”

“Sorry,” I said, nuzzling his hair.

“It’s OK,” he told me, wiggling his butt against me. “I thought about just grabbing it, sticking it in, and going back to sleep.”

I laughed and wrapped my arms around his waist, pulling him tight. “Then I wouldn’t have slept.”

“You better not sleep now, Baby. You don’t have much time before your first class.”

My cock had been stiffening and I pressed it against his butt. “Let’s stay in bed.”

“Nope,” he said, pulling my arms apart and scooting out from them. “I have to get up too, and you don’t need to miss any more classes. Did you finish your homework last night?

I rolled to my back with a sigh, and my cock plopped up onto my belly. “Yes, Mother,” I said. “I was working ahead. And I’ll have you know that when other guys are taking breaks during the day at school, I’m in the library or my dorm room, studying hard so I’ll have more time in the evenings for you.”

Lenny chuckled as he pulled clean underwear from a drawer. “More time for the weekends with Daniel,” he corrected.

“Both, and you know it,” I said, arching my back in a delicious stretch.

He smiled. “I love it when you do that… now get dressed.”

With a groan, I sat up and shook out my hair. “You taking a shower?” I asked.

“A quick one. You can come in too, if you don’t mess around.”

“I just need to wash my cock,” I said with a grin.

“Yeah, well, don’t expect me to do it for you,” Lenny said, as he walked from the room naked, carrying his briefs.

I grabbed a pair of my own from the drawer that Lenny let me use for my stuff, and followed him.

He was at the toilet, his stream sounding almost louder than the warming shower. I stepped up to the sink and rinsed my toothbrush.

“You aren’t going to piss on my legs in the shower again, are you?” he asked, suspiciously.

“Maybe,” I said. “I gotta go and somebody’s in the way at the toilet.”

Lenny shook his head. “You piss; you scrub.” Then he shook off and stepped through the shower curtain.

I brushed, rinsed, and then stepped into the shower between Lenny and the showerhead. I let loose a stream of piss toward the drain.

He laughed. “You’d rather piss in the shower than anywhere,” he observed.

“No. I like outdoors. I like pissing outdoors,” I said. “That’s always fun.” I glanced back over my shoulder at him. “Speaking of fun, I want to take you out to supper tonight; take your mind off the landscaping thing. OK?”

Lenny soaped my back. “Sure, Baby. Where too?”

“You like Chinese?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said, soaping down toward my butt.

“Good,” I told him. “I’ll pick you up around seven.”

. . . . .

Coach frowned. “I can really use the help,” he said.

“I know, coach, but I need weekends for landscaping work,” I said, repeating what I had just told him. Of course, saying that I was helping Lenny with landscaping was only part of it. I really wanted my weekends for Dan. I didn’t think coach would understand that.

“I won’t be able to wait until you’re ready to help again,” coach said. “I’ll have to find someone else for the meets.”

“I understand,” I told him. “You might try Caitlyn.”

Coach leaned back, considering.

. . . . .

“Lenny!” I called out as I walked in the front door that night. “You ready?”

I walked into the living room to find Lettie; that is, Lenny in drag. He was sitting in one of the armchairs wearing low shoes, black stockings, a knee-length skirt, a white cashmere sweater, and silver necklace, earrings, and hair clips. Obvious under the sweater, was a bra. Lettie smiled.

“Whoa,” I said, stopping in my tracks. “You’ve got to be kidding!”

Lenny rose from the chair and came toward me, arms extended. “Oh, please, Baby,” he said. He slid his arms around my chest and laid his head on my shoulder. “You said that you wanted to take my mind off landscaping.”

“Well yeah,” I said, stroking his back. “But going out in drag in public...”

He squeezed me. “No one will know,” he said. “I used to go out like this with Jack all the time and no one knew.”

I mulled it over. Lettie did look like the real thing.

“We can even hug and kiss in public,” Lenny suggested. “As a guy and a girl.”

The thought of kissing Lenny in public, caressing him, acting as naturally with him in public as I did in private, right out in front of everyone… that would be cool… and frankly, exciting.

I relaxed and hugged him back. “Let’s do it.”

Lenny grinned and gave me a peck on the lips.

After we left the Bronco in the parking lot, I slipped my arm behind Lenny’s waist and we walked side-by-side to the restaurant door. And there, I kissed him, with cars passing on the street and other people walking by.

I looked around. No one had given us a second look.

Lenny grinned, and we kissed again.

I found myself thinking of Lenny as a guy and as a girl. The scent of floral shampoo and a fine perfume, the feel of soft clothes and long hair, and a yielding body against mine all confused and excited my senses. I grew hard and the kiss almost got out of hand right there in front of the restaurant.

We asked for and were given a booth in the back, where we sat next to each other, sharing dishes. Lenny was happy; it was in his eyes and in his laugh… and in the way his hand dropped frequently and lightly into my lap as we talked. And he really was beautiful as a girl. He could see that, in my face.

“I did think about it,” he said quietly, pushing at a snow pea with his fork. “About getting ‘The Operation.’”

“No,” I said, genuinely appalled. “Not a sex change!”

Lenny’s brow furrowed. “You wouldn’t like me as a girl?”

“You can’t be serious,” I said. “You’ve got a perfect body, and great equipment. You couldn’t possibly think about… cutting it off!”

Lenny shrugged. “I did. But it costs money, and they say it’s painful as hell. I love being feminine and dressing up, but I’m not that serious about being a girl… although…” he glanced up at me, his hair falling to one side. “What some guys are doing now is taking the hormone treatments and getting breast implants. With a little time and effort, I could be a girl… with a dick.”

“Or a guy with breasts?” I asked.

“A girl,” Lenny said, confidently. “The hormones change things around. Your voice rises, your skin softens, your body becomes more feminine.” He smiled. “I’d be a woman, almost literally. I could find a guy like Jack and we could get married, and I would live as his wife.”

He glanced up at me. “You like girls. Would you like me as a girl?”

I twirled a loose curl of his hair with my finger while I considered my answer. “I like you exactly as you are, Lenny. I like guys. It’s a little kinky, thinking of you with breasts. Oh, not bad kinky. Just different. I suppose I’d get off to it. But don’t you ever do anything to that beautiful cock you have between your legs or I’ll throttle you.”

He smiled.

“If you’re going to run a landscaping crew,” I said, “you might think about staying just like you are.”

He smiled. “You don’t think I could be a tough enough bitch to run a crew of guys?”

I stroked back his hair. “No,” I said. “I don’t think you’re the type to ‘run’ a crew, Lenny. You’re the type that leads one.”

He smiled and placed his palm on my cheek, and gave me a kiss.

“It’s still early,” he said as we left the restaurant. “Let’s go somewhere for dessert. I’ll treat.”

I glanced at my watch. “I have homework… but I guess it’s not that much.” With a smile, I held out my hand, and Lenny took it.

We headed for the car. “Let’s find someplace where we can do more kissing in public,” I suggested, giving his hand a squeeze.

Lenny laughed and slipped his arm behind my waist.

It was dark when we parked off Commerce Street and descended the nearest steps to the Riverwalk. Lights played on the surface of the water, and jazz music drifted on the night air. And I walked with Lenny, hand-in-hand, like a guy with his girl.

It was even darker under the Travis Street bridge. I stopped and pulled Lenny back. He followed me into the shadows. My heart beat faster, and I didn’t know whether it was because we were out in public, or simply that I was taking Lenny into my arms and he excited me.

One of the tourist barges went past and water lapped the bank as we kissed. Lenny’s body molded to mine as our kiss deepened. We paused for a breath, and I kissed the side of his face, holding him to me. I had grown hard, and he pressed his hip against the front of my pants.

“I’m really, really ready for dessert,” I whispered.

He gave my ear a playful bite and took my hand. “Kangaroo Court,” he said. “You’ve got to have Cherries Jubilee. It’s to die for.”

“That’s not the dessert I meant,” I said.

“Patience, Baby. You’ll get your just desserts.”

Strings of party lights crisscrossed the restaurant patio. The aroma of mesquite-grilled meat met us as we came under them. “Oh, damn,” I said. “I could get hungry all over again.”

Lenny squeezed my hand. “Wait till you try Cherries Jubilee.”

We took a small table near the water, and Lenny ordered for us; a dessert for me, a daiquiri for him. “Do you have ID?” the waiter asked. “Sorry… it’s the law. I have to ask.”

Lenny shrugged, and pulled a small, thin wallet from a pocket in his skirt. He retrieved his license from it and handed it to the waiter who looked at it, and then looked back to Lenny, puzzled.

“So?” the waiter asked. “Is this your brother?”

“No,” Lenny answered with a small smile.

The waiter started to say something, then his mouth closed and he looked back at the license. His brow furrowed. “OK, is this like… you, dressed as a guy?” he asked.

Lenny laughed - a light, feminine laugh. “Try the other way around,” Lenny said.

The waiter’s jaw dropped. “No!” he said.

Lenny nodded.

“No!” the waiter repeated.

“Yes,” Lenny said with a twinkle in his eye.

The waiter looked at me.

“Yep,” I said. “I’ve seen the proof.”

Lenny laughed.

“No!” the waiter said once more, shaking his head. He turned, walked three steps. Came back and stood over the table studying Lenny. “You’re good!” he said in a hushed voice. “I mean, this is weird… well not weird, but… well damn! You could fool anybody.”

With a smile, Lenny reached for his driver’s license back. “But you can see; I am twenty-one,” he said.

“Oh, sorry,” the waiter said and glanced quickly at Lenny’s license once more. “I forgot to look at your date of birth.”

I’d never had Cherries Jubilee before; it was good – damned good. I “Ummed” and “Ahhed” over each bite, partly for Lenny’s benefit. He was delighted that I liked the dessert.

Light from a tabletop candle reflected in his eyes and off his jewelry as he sipped his daiquiri and watched me. He looked almost proud of me, and I was reminded of the way my mom used to watch me when I liked something she had cooked. But the affection I saw in Lenny’s eyes had been missing from my mom’s for some time now.

He reached over and touched my arm. “Are you OK?” he asked.

“Yeah. I was just thinking of my mom.”

Lenny rubbed my forearm, comforting.

I gave him a smile. “I’m OK,” I assured him, shaking it off. “This really is very good.”

Lenny smiled.

Movement at another table caught my eye. A table of three young guys was watching us. I pointed them out to Lenny.

“Military,” he said. “Probably from Lackland Air Force Base or Fort Sam.” He leaned closer. “The short haircuts are a give away.” Then he threw his head back and laughed in a perfectly convincing, feminine way. I knew he did it for the benefit of the other table.

“Flirt!” I whispered.

Lenny winked.

“They’re cute,” I observed.

Lenny patted my arm. “Not as cute as my date.”

One of the young servicemen called our waiter over. He nodded our way and asked the waiter something.

“Oh shit!” I said, under my breath. “They’re asking the waiter about us… What’s he going to say?”

Lenny looked away from them and frowned.

“Do we need to leave?” I asked. “You think they’ll try to pick a fight?”

“No, Babe, not here,” Lenny said, but he looked a little nervous.

The waiter said something, laughed, nodded and came toward our table.

“I’ve been beaten up before, Lenny,” I whispered. “I don’t like it… and I can’t run!”

Our waiter, sporting a huge grin, stopped next to Lenny. “Those gentlemen over there,” he said, nodding toward the table of servicemen, “would like to know if you’re together, like on a date. I had no idea what to tell them.”

“You didn’t tell them about…” I started to say, but the waiter interrupted me.

“Didn’t say a word,” he said, looking totally amused by the situation.

“Tell them,” Lenny said with a mischievous grin, “that Sean’s my little brother… my gay, little brother.”

“Oh yeah, thanks loads,” I said. I turned to the waiter. “We’re together,” I told him. “Tell them that we’re together.”

The waiter glanced at Lenny for confirmation.

“We’re together,” Lenny said, taking my hand. “Very together.”

The waiter nodded and returned to their table, said something. They said something. He said something else. They said something else. And then the waiter left their table.

“I’m sorry, Lenny,” I said. “If you want to stay to flirt with those guys, I can head on back.”

Lenny frowned. “What?” he asked. “Don’t be crazy.” He took my hand again. “I’ll take you over three flyboy studs any time,” he said and kissed my knuckles. “Don’t you know…” he started to say, then stopped and kissed my knuckles once more instead of finishing his thought.

The waiter came back with a bottle of champagne and two glasses. “Compliments of the gentlemen at that table,” he said.

I looked at him, questioning, and our waiter smiled. “I thought they’d leave you alone if I told them that you proposed tonight,” he said. “They sent champagne.”

Lenny stifled a laugh, completely surprised. So was I. We waved at them, and they waved back.

We sipped the champagne, fighting giggles. I decided to break for the bathroom. “Which bathroom do you use?” I asked in a whisper. “The girls’ of course,” Lenny said. “But I’m fine right now.”

There were two urinals in the bathroom. One of the servicemen came in right after me and stepped up to the other one. He was an inch taller than me and looked athletic. He had a thin, but attractive face, and he smiled as he unzipped. “Hi!” he said.

“Hi!” I answered. “Thanks for the champagne.”

I heard a quick, little intake of breath and realized he had glanced at my cock. I glanced at his; it was average.

“Congratulations,” he said. “You’re fiancé is really something.”

“Oh, yeah,” I agreed heartily.

“She’s really different; sorta exotic.”

“Definitely different,” I said.

He chuckled and nodded at my crotch. “I can see what she likes about you, kid.”

I frowned.

“Hey, no offense. But she really is a class act and you’re like what? Still in high school?”

“College,” I answered, nonplussed. “Trinity.”

“Cool,” he said. “You two going to get married while you’re still in school?”

“She hasn’t said ‘yes’ yet,” I said honestly, and shook off.

He did the same.

I went to the sinks and he followed. “Think she will?” he asked. “Say ‘yes’ I mean.”

I grabbed a paper towel and dried my hands. “Well,” I said, turning to him with a grin, “she’ll say ‘yes’ to something tonight, that’s for sure.”

He grinned back. “Don’t lose her, kid. She’s a stunner.”

I left, and he followed me out of the john. He rejoined his friends, and they leaned their heads together. Whatever he said, the result was that his buddies looked my way and gave me a thumbs-up.

“I can’t believe you got me into this,” I said to Lenny.

Lenny only laughed. “It’s fun,” he said, taking my hand. Then his smile faded, and for a moment, Lenny had a far-away look.

I squeezed his hand in mine, and his eyes returned to me. He smiled. “Ready to go?” he asked. “I’d like to go home.”

Emails are appreciated at btomandback@hotmail.com