Chapter Eleven – Buddy
Euie and Latham came in and sat down at the table with Don, Mac, and me. About the only thing they missed was Don saying he didn't want to be called Donnie any more.
“Nobody ever calls me Donnie except y'all and Lonnie. Donnie and Lonnie … Jeez. It even rhymes.” By y'all he meant the bunch of us who met for a few drinks and a few laughs and a few fuck stories. “And especially now … after … well, I guess that will be MY story one of these nights.”
HIS story? That was new, but I didn't press him. My story was gonna be enough for tonight. I wasn't even sure how to tell it. It all depended on Richard's mood.
“Who pissed in Richard's Cheerios?” Latham asked while pouring his first beer. “I texted him to see if we were gonna get together tonight and he answered, 'FUCK OFF AND DIE.' Is that something I should take personally?”
“It's my fault.” Might as well just get it all out there. “He thinks I have ruined his life.”
“From his point of view, you could say ...” Mac ventured. “But I don't know the whole story.”
“It started three weeks ago. My summer job ended and I had a check coming. Will said to come over to his place, which is a barn on his parent's place, and he'd give it to me.”
“Will … the guy who rapes you at work?”
“I wouldn't put it that way,” I answered defensively. “Anyway, I went and there he was, sober and minding his kids, who didn't seem like like little freaks at all. He gave me the check and sort of apologized for the job being more than I signed on for.” How much should I tell them? Will's apology was a lot more specific than that. We'll skip that part, I decided. “I said no problem and asked him where Tommy Lynn's place was. He pointed at a big house a ways away, but not that far. I thought I'd go see Richard and see if he wanted to ...”
“Fuck you?” Don joked, which kind of pissed me off. I don't think he knows me well enough to make that kind of joke.
“ … if he wanted to do something that night. I drove down a dirt road that led from Will's barn, which is a pretty nice place for a barn, to Tommy Lynn's and parked in a space big enough for about six cars. I didn't know where to go so I tried the front door. I waited a bit and Tommy Lynn, who I didn't know, answered. I'm looking for Richard, I told him. 'Come in,' he said, 'Richard's doing some registry work at the county. He should be back soon if you want to wait. I said I would if I wouldn't be in the way or anything. He said no problem and led me to a patio thing with a swimming pool. 'If you get bored, take a swim. There are bathing suits in the cabaña.' I said ...”
“Those bathing suits?” Mac commented. “They're a set up. Not one of them would fit a normal person.”
“Boy, that's the truth. First I wasn't going to, but the day was hot enough and well ...”
“He counts on that,” Mac added.
“Half the suits were – like - for a kid or something and the others were for the fat man at the circus. What the hell, I thought, and put on one that had a little belt that buckled. I still had to tie it in a knot around my waist to keep it from falling off. I dove in the water and it slid down to my knees. Still, I was alone and the water felt good. I pulled it back up and paddled around for a bit. Then I got out and lay in what was left of the setting sun. It felt really good. Then Tommy Lynn came out and … did I mention he looks a LOT like Will, but older?”
“He's Will's father. Don't ask, it's complicated,” Mac explained
“He had two copper mugs. 'I thought you might like a little drink,' he said. Have you ever had a Moscow Mule?” Nobody had so I explained. “Vodka, ginger beer, and lime in cold copper mugs. Tastes really good. And it's a BIG drink. I was a little buzzed after the first one. 'Want to try the tanning lamp?' Tommy Lynn says and rigs it to shine over the lounge I was lying on. It felt sooo relaxing I almost fell asleep. 'Here's a refill,' Tommy Lynn says rousing me and handing m another mug. He turned off the lamp saying I'd burn if I stayed under it much longer. 'You really need a moisturizer. Here,' he says handing me a jar. It smelled amazing and felt even better. I put it on my face, chest, and legs. 'I can put it on your back,' he said.”
Four loud groans came from my drinking companions.
“I know, I know … I'm not a total idiot. I knew what he was doing. But what the fuck? And I gotta say for his age, he's not bad at all. Plus, half my second drink was gone. I felt great. So what? I decided, let him cop a feel or whatever. I told him sure and he went to work on my shoulders. The lotion and his massage felt awesome. 'You have a splendid body. Let's get these trunks out of the way,' he suggested. He actually used the work 'splendid.' I don't think I've ever heard that word spoken before.”
“So now you're naked ...” Don anticipated.
“Yeah, and he starts working on my ass and legs. I rose up on my elbows to take a sip of the drink and he rubbed his hands around my body. His fingertips brushed my nipples. Do y'all have sensitive nipples?”
Two yes's, two no's.
“It felt amazing, kind of tingly and achey at once. I groaned. And Tommy Lynn said, 'Nipples are the last part of a man's body to wake up, to come to life, I think. Cocks of course come first, then balls, maybe, then …' He didn't say it, he demonstrated and pressed on … that part at the base of your cock? You know? Between your balls and your asshole? I groaned again at his touch. 'But nipples,' he says and he rubbed them again, 'are like the salt in the soup. They wake up and bring everything together, make everything better. Right?' I felt something familiar and turned around to look. His cock was lying on my ass crack. 'I didn't want to get my trousers greasy,' he said. I hadn't even noticed when he took them off. He immediately went back to massaging my back and I sighed. I guess a sigh is as good as a yes.”
“He fucked you,” Euie stated.
“Not right away. He was … God! I don't know. He just kept working on me. Touches here and there. Rubbing into me. I could tell he was hard. He jammed his dick right up against my hole and teased me with it. Made me want it. He even asked if it was ok before he stuck it in. Where the fuck is Richard? was my last sane thought and then he started slow-fucking me. I was right on the edge. I was about to ask him to finish me off when he stopped and pulled out. He stood up and said, 'Let's go upstairs.' I rolled over and he looked at me. Shit, I thought, my cock's a disappointment to him. But he took me by the hand and said. 'You're beautiful – every part of you.' So ...”
“So then you went upstairs and fucked.” That was Don, again. He's creepy; there's just something about him.
“Yeah. We did. And then I sort of fell asleep and then he fucked me again a couple hours later and then again in the early morning. I don't think he actually came every time, but I did. Man, I was drained and so was he, I guess. I said I gotta go and he asked if I could let myself out – he was gonna sleep some more. I got out of bed and he asked, 'Come back on Thursday?' I nodded and he closed his eyes. My problem was I was naked and not entirely sure how to get back to the cabaña to get my clothes. I wrapped a towel from his bathroom around myself and tip-toed into the hall and down the stairs. Everything was going ok; I could see the patio out of a window, so I headed that way. One door to go; I opened it … 'YOU!' It was Richard; he was as surprised as I was. He grabbed at my towel. “NAKED!” I walked the rest of the way to the cabaña with a streak of obscenity following me and no towel.”
“No wonder he's pissed. You fucked his fiance!” Euie chuckled.
“It gets worse,” I confessed.
“How could it?” Euie wanted to know.
“I went back on Thursday, and Friday … the whole weekend.” Nobody said anything. They were absolutely silent, sensing I wasn't done. “Midweek he asked me to come to a party with him on Friday. I said ok. He said, 'Meet me at the Manassas airport at three.' By seven that night, I was getting a scented oil massage at somebody's house in Las Vegas. By ten we were outside where it was still amazingly hot, drinking shots and eating Mexican stuff. The party was mostly guys Tommy Lynn's age and other guys my age. By eleven they guys my age were skinny dipping in a pool with a fountain in the middle.”
“Were you in the pool?” asked a wide-eyed Latham.
“I wasn't. I stuck with Tommy Lynn and listened to the talk. It was all about money, making it, spending it, losing it. One old guy asked, 'How much did Tommy Lynn give you?' And I said, 'A couple of drinks.' They all laughed their asses off, except for Tommy Lynn. At midnight there was a kind of lull. Some people were going clubbing. Some weren't. 'What would you like to do?' Tommy Lynn asked. I kind of shrugged and didn't say anything. 'What if we go get married?' he asked.”
“Latham, close your mouth, honey. You'll attract flies,” Don said. Latham's mouth wasn't the only one hanging open.
“Did you?” Euie asked.
“No. Not until the next night.”
“You're … you and Tommy Lynn … what about Richard?” Mac asked.
“I asked that same question. Tommy Lynn said Richard kept putting him off. Next month one day, next summer the next. He said he had to do it soon, before January, for tax reasons. And he said he liked me a lot more than he liked Richard.” I drank my beer. “I shouldn't have told you that part. Please don't tell Richard.”
“So you live ...”
“Weekends. We haven't told anyone officially. It's for tax purposes. Except, it's more than that. I do like him and the sex is … the best I've ever had.”
“And now you're Will's stepfather,” Euie chuckled.
“No wonder Richard's pissed,” Mac said in wonder.
“Congratulations, Buddy. I hope you're very happy.” Latham, who was sitting next to me, smiled and offered his hand. So nice to hear a non-critical voice.
“It's crazy, huh?” They all told me, no, it wasn't; but I think they all lied. It's totally crazy. I don't know what to tell my parents. “Please, don't tell Richard,” I begged them. “I don't want to hurt him, Richard, that is. Tommy Lynn said he can still make a bunch of money if he is co-executor of the estate with me. 'That's really all he wants, the money,' Tommy Lynn said. And I guess he's right. 'That won't be for years, though,' I said. 'You never know,' Tommy answered. Funny the way after a certain age people get obsessed by it.”
“Do you call yourself Buddy Lynn now?” Latham asked.
“No. I hadn't even thought about that. I haven't thought about much really. I need to. Ok, that's it. End of story, for now. Latham how did the races go this trip?”
“The races went fine. I won a small one and placed in a couple of others.”
“And Racer?” I asked.
“It's complicated,” Latham frowned and I think four hearts at the table broke for him. In Latham's case, 'complicated' can't be good.
LOOK at Me! 
Thanks, Rory.
