Doing Hard Time

[harry113]

Thanks Justin, this story does seem to have a mind of it's own !! It's really intriguing & I am enjoying the read.
Hugs
Harry

 

[Craiger]

Justin,
I just caught up on the last two chapters. So well written that any lack of sex is not even evident. I now some look forward to the heavy sex scenes, but your ability to weave it in every so often proves more interesting and exciting than if it were to be in every chapter.
I like the interesting parallel between Harry's relationship with his father and that of Reid's. You have a great story going and I look forward to Chapter 20.

Craiger

 

[mexamor]

Thank you again for a great story. I love this story and it keeps getting better.

 

[arogersb]

~ Chapter ~
20 20 20 20 20 20 20

Dedicated to my faithful readers​

From the Narrative of Joshua Spencer:

“You want me to fuck you?” I asked Harry.

“Yeah,” he said casually, as if we were discussing tomorrow’s dinner and not him losing his virginity. He started to unbuckle my pants. I put my hand over his to stop him.

“Whoa, hold on there, cowboy. Are you sure you’re ready for this? We’re moving pretty fast here. I thought we’d take it slow.”

He looked up at me with those dazzlingly blue eyes. “I want it now. Please? Reid told me about your first time; you guys didn’t wait around much either.”

I scratched my head. “You seem to have established rapport with Reid, if he’s been telling you how he popped my cherry.”

“That’s when he first fell in love with you,” Harry whispered. I felt the faint stirrings of guilt.

But Harry was still speaking. “I want you to give me a first time like that one. I know you’ll be gentle. Please?” He looked at me pleadingly.

“Okay, stop giving me that puppy-dog look ... although Siamese cat is more like it for you though, what with those bright blue eyes.”

“I’m a cat, am I?” Harry playfully swiped at my chest with a clawed hand and did a very bad impression of a meowing cat.

I laughed. “A growl would be more suitable. I didn’t know you would be so aggressive. Okay, but we’ll save that for last. First I want you to feel what it’s like to be on the giving end.”

He opened his blue eyes wide. “You want me to fuck you?”

“Why are you even asking? Afraid you aren’t up to the task?” I asked.

“No, it’s just … I’ve never fucked a guy before. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“I’ll teach you,” I told him. Then I grinned. “And if you want to know where to begin, a blowjob would be nice.”

Harry smiled. “Your wish is my command.” He pulled my t-shirt over my head, before letting me do the same to him. We both collapsed onto the bed with him on top of me.

He grinned down at me devilishly. “Trust me, this is going to be a night you’ll never forget.”

“I’ll bet,” I thought to myself. Harry leaned down to kiss me passionately. Without letting his lips leave my skin, he traced a path down my neck, pausing at my Adam’s apple, before continuing down. He let out a sigh of contentment as he reached my torso.

“Mmm … I love your furry chest,” he mumbled.

“Do you?” I gasped, because he was gently nibbling at my nipple.

“Yes, to run my hands through it … or my tongue in this case.”

I smiled when I heard him speak with the innocent delight of a child who has discovered a new toy. “I’m glad you like it, because you’re going to be seeing a lot more of it,” I said, ruffling his hair.

He didn’t let up in his passionate licking even as his hands fumbled with my pants. I gasped again as he dipped his tongue in my navel.

“Damn, you’re good,” I told him. It was hard to believe it was his first time doing this with a guy.

He looked up and grinned cheekily at me. Without another word, he ripped off my briefs.

“Ow!” he yelped as my erect cock sprung free and slapped him on his chin. “That was hard!”

I grinned. “Yeah, I wonder who’s to blame for that.”

His smile faltered as he looked down at it.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned.

“It’s … um … bigger than I remembered,” he said.

I realized he was starting to get a bit nervous about getting fucked in the ass. I stroked his cheek.

“Baby, I won’t fuck you if you’re scared. It’s not an obligation for you.”

He put on a determined expression. “I’m not scared. I still want you to fuck me. But right now I want that cock in my mouth.”

Without waiting for me to say anything, he engulfed my cock in his warm, moist mouth and proceeded to give me the most incredible blowjob ever. The sensations in my cock not withstanding, the next best thing was watching the expression of rapture on his face. With his eyes closed and pure bliss on his exquisite features, he really did look like an angel (if you can imagine an angel with a cock stuffed up his mouth).

He worked me up to one orgasm after the other with expert skill, for an amateur. And he even swallowed both the loads fully. He looked up at me, with a dribble of cum on his chin.

“From your moans, I take it that wasn’t bad,” he grinned.

“Hell, yeah. I thought you weren’t going to be good at it,” I admitted. “I wasn’t either; I remember a time when Reid told me my blowjobs were full of teeth.”

“Funny, that’s what Caleb said about …” his voice trailed off as he realized what he’d blurted out. I froze in shock. He had a shamefaced expression and it dawned on me that this wasn’t his first time, and who he’d done it with previously.

I sat up quickly.“I asked him to look after you and he forced you to suck him off. That bastard! I’ll …” I couldn’t finish my sentence because I was so enraged.

Harry looked away from me guiltily. “No, no, it wasn’t … I was the one who offered.”

I stared at him in disbelief. “You what? Why would you do that?”

“I … I wasn’t sure at the time whether I was really straight and when he protected me from Mitch, I found myself … I don’t know … drawn to him.”

“So you sucked him off!”

“He was frustrated, Josh. I mean all those years in prison and…”

“So you sucked him off!”

“Josh, I’m trying to …”

“He’s my UNCLE!”

“Josh, please listen. Sure, I like him – a lot – but that’s all. It’s you I love. If it wasn’t for him, I would never have realized my feelings for you.”

I got up from the bed. “Where are you going?” Harry asked me worriedly.

“I can’t sleep with you now. It’s too weird. All I see is you and him and …” I couldn’t take it. “Did he fuck you?”

“What? No! You’re my first.”

“Why should I believe you? You told me I was the first guy you’d ever been with and now it turns out you’ve been hiding things from me. You’re good at that.”

Harry looked hurt. “I never lied to you! I never said all that; all I said was that I’ve never been fucked before.”

I couldn’t shake the image of my uncle and Harry out of my head. I felt sick. “I can’t sleep with you. You can have the bed; I’ll take the living-room couch.”

“Josh! You can’t …”

Ignoring him, I pulled up my boxers and grabbed the blanket.

“Josh, please! I’m sorry if I led you to believe but …”

I blocked out his protestations from my mind and slammed the bedroom door behind me. I flung myself onto the couch. I’d been a few moments away from having the guy I’d dreamed about for the last five years, and then he reveals something like this!

I got up from the couch and went into Reid’s room. He was sitting on the bed, still fully dressed. He looked up as soon as I entered.

“Shouldn’t you be next door with your lover-boy?” he started to say, before noticing the expression on my face.

“Okay, what happened?” he asked.

I told him the whole story. “I can’t sleep with him now. I … I can’t …”

“You can’t bear the thought of him with another guy,” he said. I nodded.

Reid’s next words took me by surprise. “You’re a damned hypocrite, Josh.”

“What?” I couldn’t believe he was talking to me like this.

“How many times have you had sex with me? Almost every night for the past year! Hell, you even fucked me just two nights ago!”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Harrison hasn’t said anything about that, has he? He’s not upset that he’s not the first guy you’ve ever been with, but you expect differently of him.”

“It was my Uncle!”

“It was prison, Josh. This kind of thing happens in prison, especially for a sexually-confused guy.”

“You’re supposed to support me!”

“Why?”

I stared at him.

“You’re not the one who’s right here, Josh. Harrison offered to let you fuck him. He wants to give up his virginity to you. Doesn’t that gesture mean anything to you?”

“I gave up mine to you.”

“And you don’t love me. That’s true. But it’s different here. Anyone can tell that he loves you.”

“It’s too weird,” I mumbled.

“Oh, stop being a jealous bitch. If you want to blame anyone, you ought to blame yourself. You were the one who actually pushed them together. This sort of this was to be expected in a prison atmosphere. If Harrison says nothing more happened, I’m inclined to believe him.”

I was confused. I was inclined to believe him myself. But I couldn’t bring myself to go back in there.

“Damn it!” I yelled.

“So are you going to make up with Harrison? Because you sure as hell can’t stay the night in my room.”

“I was going to sleep on the couch.”

Reid sighed heavily.

“What is it?” I asked.

“If you’re not going to take the initiative …” He grabbed hold of my hands and started to drag me off the bed. I struggled with him.

“What are you trying to do?”

“Taking you back to where you belong.” I gave up my struggle; Reid’s workouts had certainly paid off and I was no match for his strength. He paid no attention to my objections either.

So I found myself pushed into my bedroom. Harry looked up from the bed, first at me and then at Reid.

“I brought back your boyfriend. He has something to say to you,” Reid announced.

I glared at him. “I don’t have anything to …” I stopped mid-sentence as Harry flung himself on me.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

My heart melted. “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. “Reid made me see I was a selfish bastard. Please forgive me.”

Reid’s choked laugh made us both look at him.

To our enquiring gazes, he answered, “You two are just so cute together. It pains me to admit it, but it’s true.”

“You’re not supposed to feel left out,” Harry said softly. He put one arm around Reid. “Thanks for bringing my boyfriend back,” he said.

“It’s no big deal, Harrison. You talked me out of the blue funk I was in earlier today and I owed you one. And then there’s your Mom, Harrison. She told me how the two of you used to be so close in high school. She has a lot of faith in you two, and I don’t want her to be disappointed either. She’s a wonderful woman.”

“I know,” said Harry. “Thanks.”

“What for?”

“For caring. I was wrong about you before, Reid. You’re even greater than I thought.” Harry hugged Reid, who looked surprised at first, but pleasantly so. After some initial hesitation, he hugged him back.

Harry looked at me. “Group hug?” I grinned and wrapped around my two favorite boys in the whole world.

Reid was the first to break apart. “Okay, I’d better go back to my room now and leave you two kids to have your fun.”

“Kids?” Harry said indignantly.

Reid cocked one eyebrow. “When you’re as old as me, you both do seem like young kids in love.”

“Exactly how old are you?” Harry asked curiously. Reid just grinned and didn’t reply. I held up my fingers behind his head.

“Twenty-six, huh? That’s only four years older than us,” Harry said. Reid turned around and cuffed me playfully.

“You didn’t have to be the spoilsport. Fine, I’m so pissed off, I’m going to say goodnight and leave,” Reid said in mock annoyance.

“Goodnight!” Harry called out as Reid shut the door.

I began to say, “Okay, baby, now that we’re alone again …”

Harry interrupted. “Are we always going to be quarrelling and make up afterwards?”

I hung my head. “I’m sorry I reacted that way. I just couldn’t bear the thought of you … with someone else.”

Harry put his fingers under my chin. “I’m glad you felt that way.”

“Huh?”

He smiled. “At least that means you love me.”

“I love you a whole damn lot, Harry.”

“I don’t doubt that. I want you to understand that I love you too. Caleb and I, what we did – we both agreed it didn’t mean anything and we didn’t go any further than blowjobs.”

I was silent for a while and he looked at me worriedly.

“Do you believe me?” he asked.

Looking into those innocent brilliant blue eyes, I nodded. “Now are you going to start undressing or do I have to do it for you?”

The anxious expression on his face melted away to a grin. He quickly kicked off his pants and, for the second time that night, tumbled into bed.

“The top drawer over there – it has the things you’ll need,” I told him, pointing to the bedside table. He obediently rummaged through the drawer and took out the bottle of lube and a couple of condoms.

“And let’s get that cute little cock of yours out of those boxers,” I said, tugging off his underwear.

“Little?” he bristled.

I grinned. “Okay, not so little … but still cute.” I took hold of his flaccid cock and it responded immediately to my touch. I instructed him to slip on the condom and lubed up his rubber-clad cock. With trembling hands he pulled off my own briefs. I was going to tease him for being so nervous, when I realized that I myself was shivering in anticipation. I mean, it’s not as if I’ve never been penetrated before, but for Harry to be the one doing it …

“Go ahead, lube me up,” I told him. Wide-eyed, he squirted a bit of the lube on his finger and stared at it for a moment. Then he looked at my asshole between my spread legs.

“Go on,” I said encouragingly. Gently he pried my asshole with his lube-coated finger. I let out a moan of pleasure.

Emboldened by this, he inserted a second finger, eliciting another moan from me. I couldn’t wait any longer. “Fuck me now!” I said. Then I added, as an afterthought, “Please?”

Harry grinned. “Reid was right; you are extremely polite during sex.” Despite his outward cheerfulness, I could tell that he was uncertain about what he was doing.

I told him gently, “You put your cock into …”

“I know what to do, idiot!” He gingerly prodded my asshole with his throbbing cock. The first couple of inches slid in easily with the lubrication. I groaned.

Harry stopped and looked up at me. “I’m hurting you,” he said in concern.

“I was groaning out of pleasure, not pain,” I told him. “It feels wonderful.”

He looked disbelieving. “You mean it doesn’t hurt?”

“Well, a little, at first,” I admitted. “But trust me, the gratification more than makes up for it. Now go on, push it all the way in.”

Harry nodded and eased his way in until all six inches of his manhood was buried in my ass. Then he started to move it in and out. I could feel the tip of his cock rub against my prostate. From the expression on his face I could tell that Harry was enjoying it too.

I wanted it to last longer, but we were both too horny to delay our climaxes. The sensation of his cock rubbing against my prostate was enough to make me cum at the same instant he did, shooting his load deep inside my ass.

He collapsed on top of my cum-coated stomach, with his now-limp cock still buried inside me. His face was flushed.

“God, that was …” He was at a loss for words.

“Amazing?” I suggested.

“I never knew it could be so good. I never had that with Melissa. And you came without even touching yourself!”

“You were great,” I told him, stroking his cheek.

“Well, it’s your turn now.”

To be continued …​

The twentieth chapter was supposed to be the one where Harrison loses his virginity. But due to constraints of length, that will now be only in the next chapter. I won’t be able to update as frequently now that the Easter holidays are over. And here is a special treat for readers who might have wondered what Harrison and Josh look like? Of course there are written descriptions of both of them in previous chapters. But maybe you’ve wondered how I actually visualize them? Well, wonder no more. If this story were ever to be turned into a TV series, the actors who I’d choose for the lead roles would be Jesse Spencer (Harrison) and Rupert Evans (Josh). I’m sure most of you recognize Jesse as the blond doctor in the medical drama ‘House’ (important note: Harrison is brown-haired, and Jesse does appear with brown hair in the chick-flick ‘Uptown Girls’ – the only redeeming factor of which was the pretty boy.)
But Americans especially may not be familiar with Rupert Evans. He hasn’t really done much, but it was his show-stealing performance in the otherwise pointless British drama ‘Sons and Lovers’ which first alerted me to him. He may have a smooth chest in that particular drama, but from other appearances you can tell his chest is naturally lightly-furred, which makes him perfect for the role of Josh. You can see some pictures of Rupert Evans, including caps of his full-frontal scene, here: http://members.lycos.nl/britbots1/htm/rupertevans.html

 

[harry113]

Ok then!! We wait for chapter 21 !!!
Thanks Justin, wonderful writing.
Hugs
Harry

 

[Craiger]

Great chapter! I was wondering if Harry would ever tell Josh about what happened in prison. Now that it is out and Josh has been the one to reject Harry it brings us to a point of knowing that "The Green Eyed Monster of Jealousy" can exist in all of us. Thanks to Reid things have worked out for the best. Reid is becoming a much more admirable person and I am happy for that.

So next we have the full right of passage for Harry. I eagerly await Chapter 21.

Craiger

 

[mexamor]

Thank you for another great chapter. I like the way reid is turning out. Awesome.

 

[hungbuzz]

cant wait

 

[arogersb]

~ Chapter 21 ~​

From the Narrative of Joshua Spencer:

“It’s going to hurt,” I warned.

“I don’t care. If it’s anything as incredible as what I felt just now, I want you to feel it too,” he said, straddling my chest.

“Alright,” I said. We rolled over in the bed, so that our positions were exchanged. He looked at me expectantly. I just stared back at him, lost in his exquisite nakedness.

“Hello?” He waved his hand in front of my face. “Earth to Josh! What’re you thinking of?”

“I’m wondering if this is really happening,” I replied softly.

“Do you need me to pinch you?” he said. Grinning mischievously, he did just that.

“Ouch!” I yelped as his fingers grabbed the nub of my right nipple and twisted it. “Okay, that pretty much confirms you’re not a dream!”

“What, you were relegating me to a figment of your imagination?” he asked in mock indignation.

“You’re certainly lovely enough to be one,” I told him.

He pinched me again. “Well, I’m not. Now are you going to make love to me or not?”

“Okay, okay, my eager beaver.”

“I thought you said I was a Siamese cat.”

“Your impersonation sucked.”

“You won’t be getting any sucking from me then.”

“That’s alright, I’ll do all the sucking in that case.” I proved it by sucking on his nipple, which elicited a moan from him.

“If you like that, wait till I started rimming you.”

“What’s rimming?” he asked me innocently.

I stared at him in amazement. “Where have you been living – under a shell?”

He scowled. “Okay, so I’m not exactly well-versed in gay slang. So what is it?”

“I’ll show you.” I raised his legs above me and stretched them apart, placing them on my shoulders. I bent my head between his legs and stared at his virgin asshole, half-hidden by his almost-hairless ballsack.

“You hardly have any hair even down here,” I remarked.

“Yeah, well, who was the genius who nicknamed me …” His words were abruptly cut short by a gasp as I plunged my tongue into his hole.

“Holy shit,” he breathed.

“I haven’t even gotten started,” I informed him and proceeded to rim him within an inch of his life. I soon had him moaning loudly and begging for more.

“Damn, Josh, I can’t bear it anymore. I need you inside me, now!”

When he said that, I realized this was the moment I’d dreamt of my whole adult life, but never imagined would come true. With trembling fingers I tore open the condom packet and slipped it on over my raging hard-on.

I asked him, yet again, whether he was absolutely sure about this, as I lubed up myself and his hole.

He looked at me earnestly and said, “I can’t promise I’ll be as good as you were during your first time with Reid, but I’ll try.”

“You don’t have to try and outdo anyone, Harry,” I told him. “Just doing this with you is enough for me. For a long time I was content just dreaming about it.”

Gently I fingered his virgin hole. Its tightness worried me, because I knew that, while it was more pleasurable to fuck it, it was probably going to hurt a lot during the first penetration. Something in my expression must have told Harry what I was thinking.

“I know you won’t hurt me,” he said.

“Huh?”

“You’re worried because it’s going to hurt me,” he stated. “And I know you won’t.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “I’m the one supposed to do the reassuring.”

“Come on, Josh, you said yourself the pain is only momentary.” He smiled bitterly. “You already know I’ve put up with a lot worse, so this is nothing. At least I’ll get some satisfaction from pleasuring my boyfriend.”

I guess he was right. I shuddered as I recalled the angry welts on his back, all the more livid against his pale skin. How could the congressman have done that to his own son? I pushed those thoughts out of my head.

“It’s for your pleasure too. Okay, baby, I’m going to put in another finger.”

He nodded and half-closed his eyes as I carefully inserted a second finger into his hole, loosening him up. He let out a muted groan.

“Another one, okay?” Two should have been enough since my cock wasn’t as thick as his or Reid’s, but I wanted to make sure he was perfectly comfortable with my fingers up his ass before he received my cock. He didn’t groan this time, but his sphincter tightened around my fingers.

“Okay, baby, here goes.” I carefully withdrew my fingers and replaced them with the head of my cock. I was so horny by this time; it was hard to resist the urge to plow into him immediately. As gently as possible, I eased myself in until the first three inches were buried in his ass.

Despite his best efforts to suppress it, he let out a tiny whimper of pain and I panicked. I’d never fucked anyone before except for Reid, and he certainly wasn’t as tight or inexperienced as Harry. I was so afraid I’d hurt him, I began to hastily pull out.

“I don’t need this, Harry.”

He put a hand on my butt to stop me and fixed his blue-eyed gaze on me. They were bright with pain, but I could tell that he was determined to see it through.

“Don’t stop now,” he whispered. “But kiss me first,” he added.

I leaned down to kiss his lips, and I felt him place both hands on my butt. To my amazement, he actually applied pressure on my butt to push me further inside him. I looked into his eyes and could see the deep trust he had in me. I loved him so much. I kissed him even more passionately. Our lips didn’t part until my cock was completely buried inside him.


From the Narrative of Harrison Ridgeway IV:

I lay with my head on Josh’s lightly-furred chest. We were both exhausted. Sex with Josh was the most mind-blowing experience I’d ever had. I still felt sore after Josh fucked me, despite the fact that he’d been more than gentle with me. But it had told me something important.

“How is my brave little soldier?” he asked quietly, stroking my hair. “You were incredible, you know that?”

“Only because you made it possible.” I rolled over onto my front side. “I’m more in love with you than ever before.”

“I love you too, baby.” He kissed my hair. “I just want to ask you for one thing.”

“What is it?”

“No more secrets, okay?”

I gazed at him and promised. “Okay.” I turned onto my back again.

“That’s my boy,” he said, and ruffled my hair. We lay there quietly until we both drifted off to sleep.

***​

I awoke to the sound of a loud knock on the door. I opened my eyes blearily.

“Boys! You have to wake up now!” I could hear my Mom’s voice from the other side of the door.

Josh got up suddenly, almost sending me flying off the bed since I was still lying on his chest.

“Oh, sorry.” To Mom he yelled, “We’re awake. We’ll be out soon enough.”

“Okay!” she yelled back. “Just don’t forget, Harrison has his interview at ten.”

“Oh, shit,” I muttered under my breath. I scrambled off the bed.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Josh asked me in concern.

“I’m fine.” As I said that, I felt a slight twinge of pain. Josh noticed my wince.

“Oh, baby. Maybe we shouldn’t have done that last night, just before your big interview.”

“No, seriously, I’ll be fine. I wouldn’t have missed that experience for the world.” I grinned widely and kissed him.

Josh laughed. “Someone’s certainly happy to no longer be a virgin. Now, I’m guessing you need a suit for the interview? I’m surprised you got through yesterday’s without.”

“Nah, my clothes yesterday were formal enough, after I added the tie I managed to fish out of my car.”

“Well, today you need some new clothes. You can borrow my suit.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You have a suit?”

He looked down. “Well, it’s not one of those brands you’re probably used to.”

“I don’t want a branded suit, Josh. The only authentication I need on my clothes is that they were once worn by my boyfriend, Joshua Spencer.”

He looked up and grinned. “Well, in that case …” He opened his closet and pulled out a garment bag. He quickly unzipped the bag and pulled out the shirt. He measured it against my back.

“Hmm … it should fit you,” he commented. “A little big perhaps, but nothing they’d notice with the jacket on. You can try it on after you shower.”

I kissed him again. “Thanks. This is only temporary, you know. I’ve asked my sister to sneak out some of my clothes and Mom’s from the mansion when Dad isn’t around.”

“Okay, don’t worry. Until you get your own things, you can always use mine.”

***​

“I’m afraid to ask,” Mom said as we sat down for breakfast.

“What?”

“Joshua, what have you done to my son?”

We both stared at each other.

“I’ve never seen him with such a glowing face before,” Mom continued.

“Oh, that.” I blushed and even Josh looked suitably embarrassed. Reid was looking at both of us with interest. Of course he could guess exactly what had happened.

He looked towards my Mom and said, “I’d tell you, Mrs. Ridgeway, but I wouldn’t know how to phrase it politely.”

“Oh.” It was Mom’s turn to blush. She quickly changed the topic by saying, “Harrison, don’t wolf down your breakfast like that. You still have more than half an hour to your interview.”

“No, Mom, I wanted to get there early.”

“Well, don’t gobble. How do you boys find breakfast?”

“It’s the best breakfast we’ve ever had,” Josh announced. “Since that time we had leftover pizza for breakfast.” He looked over to Reid, who nodded.

“I’ll say yes to that.”

Mom looked horrified. “You poor boys! This is why I was never keen to let Harrison live by himself. I was sure he’d never have proper meals at proper times.”

Reid grinned. “I have the feeling we’re not going to get away without proper meals from now on.”

“You can bet on that,” Mom said fiercely.

“Uh-oh, I think I’ll have to double my trips to the gym,” Josh remarked worriedly.

We all laughed.

***​

Some time later, I was waiting nervously in the reception of Fernley & Ashmore.

“Mr. Ridgeway?” asked the receptionist. I got up. “This way please.”

I was surprised when she led me to the office door marked ‘Adrian Fernley, Senior Partner’. She knocked on the door and announced, “The candidate for the accounting job, Mr. Fernley.”

“Come in,” said a rather imperious voice from inside. I was imagining some tyrannical old man and was taken aback when the man who shook my hand seemed neither tyrannical nor old. Well, not that old. I guessed he was only in his early fifties, although his dark hair was liberally sprinkled with gray. Then I noticed the steely glint in his slate-blue eyes behind their lenses and realized he could be authoritative when he wanted to.

“Please sit down, Mr. Ridgeway."

I thanked him as I took my seat opposite him.

“Shall we begin the interview?” he asked.

“Um, yeah, sure.” I was astonished by how easily I was disarmed by him. He seemed vaguely amused by my nervousness.

I won’t go into the details of the interview. I thought it went quite well. The difficult part came near the end.

Mr. Fernley flicked through the pages of my folder, looking thoughtful.

“Well, Mr. Ridgeway, I just have another two questions and then we’ll be done.”

“Okay.”

He put the folder down on the table and looked at me. “You didn't mention it in the application, but I am perfectly aware of who you are.”

I blinked. What did he mean by that?

“Why did you choose this firm, Mr. Ridgeway? Your father is the local congressman; you could easily have secured a much better-paying job at a larger firm with your father’s help. You didn’t have to go through the whole application process at all.”

I looked down. “I … I didn’t want my father’s help, Mr. Fernley. I wanted to do this on my own.”

He looked interested. “I’m guessing some disagreement between you.” He held up his hands. “I’m not going to pry; that’s your personal issue.”

I looked at him gratefully. “Thanks, Mr. Fernley.” But it seemed I had relaxed my guard too soon.

“However … I still have my second question. Mr. Ridgeway, you did acknowledge that you were once convicted of a hate crime, although those charges were later dropped. Now, this firm does not discriminate against its employees on the basis of their sexuality; I certainly don’t. But that means I will need some guarantee that you will not unleash the same hatred towards any of my employees.”

I was speechless. He was analyzing me as if I was a criminal. Which, I reminded myself, I suppose I was. I calmed myself.

“Sir, I never meant to harm that guy. I did it because …” I was at a loss for words. But there was no need to hide from the world anymore.

“I’m gay myself,” I confessed. There was no reaction from Mr. Fernley except for a raised eyebrow.

I continued, “No one knew at the time, and I was scared that it would come out. That’s why I punched the guy. Only once, I swear! I’ve regretted it ever since. I never meant for it to turn into what it did.”

Mr. Fernley stared at me. It was difficult to know what he was thinking. “I followed the story quite closely in the newspapers, Mr. Ridgeway. I think everyone in this town must have. A congressman’s son …” He shook his head. I hung my head in shame.

“Additionally, the District Attorney is my friend. He discussed the case with me afterward. He told me he had no doubt you weren’t guilty. At least not as guilty as you were portrayed to be.”

“What?” I looked up. This was news to me. I’d always thought the DA wasn’t on my side.

Mr. Fernley smiled slightly. “And I have to agree with his initial impression. You certainly don’t seem to be the type who beats up some unfortunate guy for being gay … especially not if you’re gay yourself. I can tell that you were sincere when you said you regretted it.”

I couldn’t believe this man who I’d just met half an hour ago seemed to be able read me so well.

“You were such an interesting case, which is why I asked the HR department to let me interview you personally. Now, can you give me that guarantee?”

“I swear, sir.”

He smiled. “I believe you. I’m guessing you need this job desperately.” I nodded. “Well there have been numerous candidates, but certainly none as highly-qualified as you. Which is why I was surprised when you applied to our firm.”

“I really want this job, sir. I know I’ve never had one before, but I promise I’ll do my best. I have to support myself and my Mom …” I realized I’d blurted out too much. But if Mr. Fernley suspected anything, he didn’t let it show.

“Well, I can’t tell you straight away. I’ll have to run you past the HR guys, but if I have my way, you’ll certainly be hired.”

I felt tears in my eyes and blinked them back. “Thank you so much, sir. I’m really grateful that you have so much confidence in me.”

He got up and extended his hand. “I knew as soon as I met you, and I’ve never been wrong before. You should know the result within the next couple of days.”

I shook his hand and thanked him again. It was after I left his office that I realized my knees were still shaking. I’d really thought I had no chance of getting the job after he’d brought up the gay-bashing. If I did end up working for him, he was certainly going to be a very interesting employer.

To be continued …​

Sorry for the delay. I've introduced a new character here and I realize that some people may be losing track of the characters, especially the subsidiary ones. Don't worry, I will provide a list once I've finished introducing all of them. I think there's still about 3 more new characters, at least one of which is gay.

Feedback is greatly appreciated.

 

[harry113]

Thanks Justin, this is great!!
I wonder if there is more to Mr.Fernley ? We shall see!!
I don't find the character list difficult to cope with, but a list could help everyone!!
Hugs
Harry

 

[smile86]

I love reading new chapters of your story. Looking foward to more and new characters

 

[mexamor]

great story as usual. I just love each and every chapter. Thank you so much.

 

[Craiger]

Justin,

Another superb chapter and with the introduction of each new character the story becomes more interesting and exciting. Of course, the sexual events add some flavor as well...lol Looking forward to the next installment.

Craiger

 

[kcm17480]

I finally caught up on this story and it one of the best ones on this site. It is very well written and has the elements to make it a I want to read story. Can't wait for the next chapter.

 

[sp0540230]

Just started reading, but love the story. What was good was that you somehow managed to make the reader connect with the characters in the beginning. That's a mark of a great writer. Love the way the story's going and, as with others, eagerly await the next chapter.

Cheers.

 

[badboybad]

Great Great story as usual. I just love each and every chapter. Thank you so much. Please write more.

 

[arogersb]

You'll learn a little more about Reid in this chapter.

~ Chapter 22 ~​

From the Narrative of Harrison Ridgeway IV:

“When he brought that up, I was scared shitless.”

“Harrison!”

“Sorry, Mom.”

“Go on, tell us what happened next,” said Josh.

We were all gathered around the counter of the Surf ‘n’ Sand Café.

“Shouldn’t you and Reid get back to work?” I asked.

“No, because in case you haven’t noticed, there are hardly any customers at this hour. Besides, this is far more interesting than serving coffee to all the …”

Reid’s words were cut short by Josh’s hand over his mouth.

“Not in front of the customers,” he hissed.

Reid shrugged and Josh removed his hand. “Okay, I’ll keep my opinions to myself.”

Josh shook his head. “Sometimes I wonder why you even wanted to start a café.”

“It was a fun idea at the time.” He looked at me. “I don’t suppose you want to take over my job, Harrison?”

“No.”

“Pity, at least I’d have had more time to practice for my competition.”

“What competition?” asked Mom.

“Oh, it’s just the annual Surf Fest. Reid always takes part … not that he’s ever won,” Josh informed Mom.

Reid punched him in the arm. “Hey! I did get second place last year.”

“I didn’t know that you surfed,” Mom commented. “You should encourage Harrison to take it up too. At least that way he’ll get some sun; he’s far too pale.”

“Mom!” I protested.

Josh quickly said, “I don’t think a tan would really suit Harry, Aunt Marcia.”

Mom looked at us amusedly. “I keep forgetting my little boy is all grown-up and now has a boyfriend to leap to his defense.”

Both of us blushed. I hastily changed the subject. “So who won the championship last year?”

“Carter Holborn. If you were here often, you’d see him around; he’s quite a frequent visitor to the café. Not without good reason.” Reid looked slyly at Liz, who was standing nearby. She looked up questioningly when she heard her name mentioned.

“We were just talking about your boyfriend, Liz,” Reid told her.

Her face reddened as she denied it. “Carter isn’t my boyfriend. We aren't even officially dating.”

“Oh yeah? It can’t be Josh’s awful coffee that he always keeps dropping by for.”

Both Josh and Liz glared at him. Unrepentant, Reid continued, “Well, you’d better get him quickly before someone else does. If only he was gay … I wouldn’t mind having him myself.”

Josh and I looked at each other. It was an encouraging sign that Reid was expressing interest in other guys. Although it was hard to tell if he was joking, especially since this Carter guy was apparently straight.

“Leave the poor girl alone, Reid,” Mom said. It was obvious that Liz was hopelessly in love. Her pretty face was still red. “Liz, could you please go and check if those muffins are done?”

“Yes, Mrs. Ridgeway,” said Liz, looking thankful to escape.

“You’re still baking?” I asked Mom. “I thought you already finished?”

It was Josh who answered. “The ones she made earlier sold like hot cakes … which isn’t that far off the mark. The customers kept wondering how they’d missed them all this while. I had to tell them this was the first day we were selling them and they said they’d be back for more every day from now on.”

Mom looked pleased.

“It looks like you have a career in baking, Mom,” I said.

Mom sighed. “If your father hadn’t persuaded me to marry him, I would have finished college and started a little business of my own, not unlike this one.”

“I never knew that,” I said with interest.

Mom looked away and muttered something that sounded like, “There’s a lot that you don’t know.” I was perplexed. What did she mean by that?

But before I could question her, Reid interrupted quietly, “Umm, guys? Just wanted to let you know, there’s this guy at the corner table, who keeps looking towards us in an awfully shifty manner.”

“What? Where?” I said a bit too loudly

“Shh … behind you. I don’t suppose you know him?”

Mom looked over my shoulder and her eyes widened. “Isn’t it the same man who came to the house the other day, just before your father found out about …”

I quickly whirled around. My eyes met the guy’s and I recognized him instantly. It was indeed the guy who Dad had hired to spy on me. I felt myself boil with rage. I know it was unfair of me; he was probably just doing what he was paid to do by Dad. But that didn’t stop me from getting mad at him for ruining my life.

I jumped off my stool and dashed towards his table. But the guy had also gotten up the moment I’d turned around and was out the door before I reached him. I ran out of the café in hot pursuit. But the guy was obviously a professional, having planned his escape route beforehand.

Josh and Reid caught up with me as I glared at the rear end of the black car that was speeding off.

“He’s lucky I didn’t get my hands on him,” I panted. “That arrogant son of a …”

Josh grabbed my shoulders and tried to calm me down. “Don’t get worked up, baby. Hopefully it’ll teach him not to try again. Why do you suppose your Dad’s trying to keep tabs on you?”

“I don’t think it’s me he’s concerned about – it’s more likely to be Mom.”

“Well you didn’t mention your living at Josh’s place or anything like that, right?”

“No, but he must have overheard us discussing her baking for the café. He’s bound to report it to Dad and then he’ll be here to ruin the whole thing.” I felt upset. I’d just recovered from one shock which had ended well, when Dad had to do something like this. Mom and I had walked away from him, but he wasn’t going to let it rest.

The anger faded and I felt emotionally drained. “Why can’t he just leave us alone?” I cried. Josh wrapped his arms around me and tried to whisper comforting words in my ear.


From the Narrative of Reid Emerson Scott:

It was such a drastic change that came over Harrison. One minute he was looking adorably cute, blushing as his mother teased him about Josh. The next he looked so lost and vulnerable, you just wanted to hug him and make it better. I let Josh do the comforting. He led Harrison back into the café, while I remained on the sidewalk, trying to remember what it was we’d been discussing that might have been overheard.

I’d never met Congressman Ridgeway, but if I did, I would have to restrain myself from punching him. It was hard to believe that he could treat his wife and son in this callous manner.

“Hey, why are you still out here?” Josh’s words interrupted my train of thought.

“Hmm? Oh, I was just wondering … you don’t suppose he overheard Harrison talking about his job application at Fernley & Ashmore?”

Josh looked concerned. “You don’t think the congressman will try to sabotage that, do you?”

“I don’t know – you’re the one who’s met him, so you tell me. Do you think he’s capable of it?”

Josh was even more worried. “He can be pretty ruthless; even Marcia says so. But surely he won’t go to such lengths. I mean, come on, they’re trying to move on with their lives here.”

“Yeah, well, that’s probably exactly what he wants to prevent from happening. Why do you think he’s hired a guy to spy on them?”

Josh shook his head. “I can’t believe this. What do you think he’ll do next?”

“Well, stop Harrison from getting a job, for starters.”

Josh looked skeptical. “Are you sure he can do that?”

“He’s the local congressman, Josh. I mean, my Dad could do that, and he’s only the CEO of Scottmart.”

Josh put his hand on my arm and said softly, “I’m sorry. This must remind you of your own problems.”

I shrugged off his hand. “I don’t care about my Dad any more, Josh. As far as I’m concerned, he died along with my Mom. I just wish I could have looked after Carl like Mom asked me to. I haven’t seen him in … almost eight years.” I felt tears gather in my eyes.

“It’s not your fault, Reid,” Josh said gently.

“Dad said it was. He blamed my telling her that I was gay for hurrying her into her grave. And he might have been right.”

“No, Reid, you know he wasn’t.”

I looked away and saw, through the café window, Marcia comforting Harrison. I smiled through my tears.

“Look at them. Sometimes, I really wish Mom was still alive. Or at least that she’d had enough time to tell me how she really felt about me being gay.”

“She would have loved you all the same. Trust me, Reid. Mine did. But we didn’t have that much time together either.”

I turned back to him. “We were both unlucky when it came to parents, huh?”

Josh nodded sadly.

“Well, there’s nothing we can do about that now. But Harrison has got his Mom on his side. And I’d do anything to make sure they stay together.”

Josh looked at me in surprise. “I didn’t know you were so noble, Reid. Where have you been hiding it all this while?”

“Shut up,” I said, pretending to be annoyed. “I was just looking out for Harrison and Marcia. I don’t want to see either of them get hurt.”

Unexpectedly, Josh hugged me.

“What was that for?” I asked in surprise.

“For being such a wonderful guy. I’m sorry I was annoyed at you before.”

“No, you were probably right. I can’t believe myself that I was so mean to Harrison.”

“Forget about that, Reid. As far as Harry’s concerned, he’s forgiven you. And what you’ve just said makes up for it in my eyes, too.”

“That’s great, Josh, but that’s not the issue here. You have to do something about this new problem.”

“Me?”

“Yeah, well, you are his boyfriend.”

“Okay, what is it that I need to do?”

“Find out what Congressman Ridgeway is going to do and stop it … duh.” I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

“Exactly how am I going to do that?”

“Doesn’t Harrison have a sister?”

“Yeah, Phoebe. I think she’s a doctor at the Sacred Heart Hospital. She’s married too, with a baby.”

“Well, you’re going to need her help if you want to do counter-surveillance.”

“I don’t even have her contact number. Although …” He looked thoughtful. “If I’m not mistaken, she’s supposed to come by later and drop off some clothes and stuff for Harrison and Aunt Marcia.”

“Great … then you can ask her.”

“Ask her for what?”

“To find out exactly what her father knows and tell us about it, so that at least he doesn’t have the advantage of surprise.”

Josh looked doubtful. “Are you sure she will be willing to? I mean, she does support Harry, and I don’t think she likes their Dad that much, but still it’s a lot to ask of her to spy on her own Dad.”

“You won’t know until you’ve asked,” I told him. He still looked doubtful. “Unless you want him to find some way to hurt Harrison again.”

“Oh God, no.” Josh shuddered. “He’s done enough harm to him already.”

“Why do I get the feeling I’m missing out on something here?”

He looked up. “Oh, that’s right, you don’t know. I’m not sure if I should tell you …”

“Now you’re keeping things from me?”

“It’s not that, it’s just that it’s kind of personal for Harry. But since you’ve been so concerned about him, I guess it won’t do any harm to tell you. Just don’t bring it up in front of Harry, alright?”

“Okay.”

“Harry’s father … he used to beat his son.”

I was stunned. “What? Oh my God! Why would he do something like that?”

“Because he’s a monster?” Josh spat. “He said it was because Harry disappointed him. But Harry really tried desperately to please him, you know. He was always top of his class and a good basketball player too.”

I was still trying to get over my shock. “My God. I never knew it was that bad. That’s worse than my Dad. At least he never hit me. Poor Harrison. And he still put up with his Dad for all these years?”

“He has one of those complexes. He kept telling himself that his Dad did it for his own good.”

Guilt started to weigh on me. “And I went and assaulted him. I hate myself more than ever now.” I put my head in my hands. “He’s still so nice to me. I feel like shit.”

Josh said gently, “Come on; don’t beat yourself up over it. You couldn’t have possibly known. Hell, even I wasn’t sure until yesterday.”

I looked up. “Yeah, I would never have guessed. He never showed any sign of abuse.”

“Reid, you ought to know better than anyone that people don’t always show what they’re feeling on the outside. But he’ll get over it; I’ll make sure of it. And if his father tries anything again, I will kill him, congressman or not.”

I smiled slightly. “I’m glad you didn’t kill me that day, when you found out that I assaulted Harrison.”

Josh grinned. “One of the privileges of being an ex-boyfriend.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Okay, now we’d better go inside before Marcia and Harry suspect something’s amiss. And I will talk to Phoebe if she comes by later.”


From the Narrative of Joshua Spencer:

It was late in the evening when the doorbell rang. Both Reid and I arrived at the door at the same time; Reid motioned to me to open it. Standing on the doorstep was Harry’s sister, Phoebe. I knew at once it was her, because she resembled her mother quite closely, except that her hair was dark brown, not red like Marcia’s.

She looked from me to Reid, then back to me. “Which one of you is it?”

Reid looked confused. I knew immediately what it was she wanted to know. I put up a hand. Both of them stared at me. I quickly lowered it, feeling like a foolish schoolboy, and cleared my throat.

“Um, hi. I’m Harry’s boyfriend, Josh.”

She scrutinized me carefully. “Well I have to say I certainly don’t remember meeting you. I would remember such a handsome face.”

I blushed, much to her amusement.

“Don’t worry; I’m not going to steal you from my brother. He deserves to be happy, after all the trouble that minx put him through.”

“Minx?” asked Reid. Phoebe looked at him.

“Oh, sorry, I’m Reid Scott," he said apologetically. "I share the house with Josh.”

“Well I haven’t introduced myself either. I’m Phoebe Morrison, Harrison’s sister, as you might have guessed.” She extended a hand, apparently forgetting that she had a bag slung on it. Reid caught it before it fell to the floor. I took the other bag from her.

“Sorry, I’m such a klutz,” she apologized. “But I’m not the minx. That was Harrison’s ex-girlfriend. But you don’t look like a minx. Are you?” This last comment was directed at me.

“Er … no, I don’t think so.” Phoebe’s habit of jumping from one topic to another was making my head spin.

“Good. It was so difficult to find this place. That idiot of a brother of mine, he told me 180 Syracuse Drive. But the last house on this street is numbered 118. I guessed he must have mixed up the last two digits. Where is he, by the way?”

As if to answer her question, Harry came out of the living room, rescuing me from the beginnings of a headache. Don't get me wrong, she seemed like a nice enough person, but she came on a little strong. I half-expected to throw her arms around me and congratulate me.

Harry said, “Phoebe?”

She turned to look at him. As soon as she set eyes on him, Phoebe burst into tears.

To be continued …​

Now as I said earlier, you learn a bit more about Reid's life in this chapter. In a way his story is a bit sadder than Harrison's, because he never did have the chance to find out how his Mom felt about him being gay. And of course his father's attitude didn't help either. But you'll see that for yourself, when Reid's father and brother appear in the story later on. And yes, Carter will play a role in the story and has a connection to one of the characters already introduced. For those who have forgotten who Liz is, she is the main employee at the cafe. Feedback is welcomed.

 

[sp0540230]

Its going good. Seems like Reid, Josh and Harry are becoming the best of friends. Power trio. I really like the way things seem to have worked out. The brooding feeling that Harry's dad may do something is also there. Its sorta like a mystery. Good job.

 

[harry113]

Justin, your writing is superb .... yet another great chapter!!
And still you keep up the suspense !!
Thank you! Eager for the next chapter
Hugs
Harry

 

[Craiger]

I wholeheartedly concur with the above statements. Justin, you are a master at suspense and intrigue. Everything falls into place so well, yet there is always that new surprise that raises it's head. Great chapter.

Craiger