Chapter Ten
“What's in the flask?” asked the black-suited, sun-glasses-on- a-cloudy-day guy.
“A little corn mash,” Randy replied with a grin. “Want some?”
“Can I see your invitation, please,” the guy followed up without cracking a smile. Apparently he could read; he continued, “Stay here, please, Mr. Krol.”
“I guess he noticed Biden's autograph,” Randy chuckled. “Us Delaware guys gotta stick together. Cheers, Refo.” We drank off the fire water and Mountain Dew cocktail before the agent and an older but otherwise identical man returned to announce how sorry they were, but we would have to leave.
I glance around as we were being escorted out of the party area and spotted Charlie, who watched with alarm. I gave him a shrug and figured I could catch a bus home or even walk, it wasn't that far.
“Where do you want to go?” Randy asked. “I can at least drive you home.” I agreed and he opened the doors to the biggest, fanciest pickup truck I had ever seen. “Let's have a drink to the Mothers Annoying Drunk Drivers,” he suggested and took a swig from his flask. He didn't seem reckless or drunk either so I went ahead and took a pull. Straight, the stuff had a mild kick, but nothing that would take skin off your throat. “It's only a little stronger than wine,” he commented. “Like it?”
“Yes. What is it?”
“Got no name, I make it from corn and apples. Delaware apples aren't the best for eating.” We arrived at the Massachusetts Avenue gate and stopped for the guard, who waved us out without formalities. “Where to?”
“You could go up Connecticut and drop me. That way, you'd be almost to the Beltway.” I directed him up Reno before we cut over to Connecticut. He spotted a restaurant I'd seen but never entered before.
“You hungry? Let me buy you lunch.” He looked at his watch. “Does brunch go until two?”
It did on Sunday. We ordered non-alcoholic Bloody Marys. After the waiter left, Randy adjusted the drinks from his flask. It tasted amazingly good. I began to feel a little buzz after three, but Randy seemed untroubled. He was much bigger than me, not fat, just massive, like a football lineman. He suggested asparagus fritattas and I agreed again. We talked about my work, life in DC, and how much better than Biden's brunch the fritatta was. We left at four; I never notice the two hours pass.
“You can drop me at Jenifer Strteet,” I told him. “I'll walk the rest of the way.”
“I'll take you home, if you don't mind. I'd like to fill my water bottle for the rest of the trip.”
I couldn't disagree with that. I left him waiting in the living room while I took his bottle to the kitchen. I filled it with some Deer Park out of the fridge and took it back to him.
“Awesome pictures,” he commented, looking at Carter and Lucien on the wall.
“I call them Hanes One and Hanes Two.” He didn't immediately see why. “Because you can read the brand of underwear they're wearing,” I explained.
He nodded at that. “You have a fine appreciation for men.”
No use dancing around the subject, I decided. “Yes, I should tell you I'm gay.” That embarrassed him.
“Yeah, well … thanks for the water and the company. I enjoyed the afternoon.”
“Thanks for the lunch,” I replied.
We walked to the door and it seemed over. He paused. “Um, Refo, here's my card. If you're going to Rehoboth or something this summer, give me a call. Maybe we can get together.”
If you drew a line due east from Washington, you would hit Rehoboth Beach, a Delaware beach resort on the ocean. On weekends, the drive is fiendishly jammed with traffic, but it's worth it on a hundred degree day. I looked at the card after he left. Randy Krol, President, Krol Farms, Incorporated. It listed a post office box in Denton, Delaware and a phone number.
Minutes later, after two knocks, the door opened. “Well, Little Miss Muffet, what the fuck happened today?”
I was in no mood for taking shit from Charlie. “Along came a spider and sat down beside me and frightened the Secret Service ...”
“That spider is apparently a personal friend of Hunter.” Charlie was huffy.
“Who Hunter? Hunter who?”
“Hunter Biden, you idiot! The vice president's son. They went to Georgetown – not at the same time - and worked together on civic stuff in Delaware.”
“Do you also know his birth sign? I bet he's a Libra.”
Charlie scowled some more and then asked, “Where's Frank?”
“How would I know? How your 'thing' with him going, anyway?”
Charlie softened at once. “He's so much … smarter than you ever said. He got good basic business sense and he's serious and he's … HARDLY the selfish prick you called him.”
I shrugged. “I've been wrong before … You didn't mention what a hot body he has.”
“I don't need to tell you that.” Charlie was as testy as I was.
“Is Frank going to make us not friends?” I asked him evenly; at once I realized I was indifferent to his answer.
“It's up to you,” Charlie said and left. It would have been funnier if he had 'spun on his heel' but he was rarely that demonstrative - just verbal by the bushel.
Fuckin' drama queen, I thought. Do I really need that? I'm the one not getting laid … if you don't count Jawan … and why would you count something so blatantly commercial? On the other hand, twenty dollars a pop was a huge bargain … even if it was just an introductory rate. I wondered what the regular price would be. I guess it wouldn't hurt to find out.
“Three hundred dollars!!!!” I almost broke the phone in my hand.
“The thing to remember is it doesn't have to be at the gym. I make house calls,” Jawan answered. “Think about it, Refo. A personally tailored exercise program in the privacy of your home. Not to mention the convenience. And maybe we could work out something on the price if you were a regular. You're easy to work with … Responsive … I got the idea you liked it … Of course, we can vary the program, if you want … I can be versatile ...”
“Three hundred, Jawan ...”
“I said it's negotiable … Think about it … Your own personal trainer – on your schedule … results guaranteed ...”
“I'll think about it,” I told him and put the phone down.
It annoyed the hell out of me that I got a huge erection while talking to him. Jeez, he's not even that attractive … if his dick was any bigger it would be torture … it wasn't though … and with that ass of his it would be a nice soft cushion for screwing him … it hadn't occurred to me that he would be willing to take it ... yeah, I liked bottoming, but a little variety never hurt.
The phone buzzed. Area code 216. Where's that? “Hello.”
“Refo? It's Carter Guerin. I wanted to call and thank you for the … Photograph isn't a good enough word. It's really a work of art.”
“Glad you like it, Carter.” I squeezed my Jawan-inspired erection and felt a surge of heat.
“I even got an offer. Somebody wanted to buy it. You're that good!”
“Listen, about those other shots ...”
“Forget it. I over-reacted.”
“But you have to know that they'll never show up on the Internet or anything. I'll delete them. I just haven't got around to it yet, but I will. I promise, Carter.”
“Ok, thanks. I appreciate that. And thanks again for the gift. The picture really is wonderful.”
We ended by telling each other the usual, vague 'if you're ever in Cleveland/Washington' lines about being sure to call. It was never going to happen, but, God, it was good to talk to him. San Francisco memories came flooding back. I turned on my computer and called up the folder of his pictures. Seeing his face, I ached to kiss him. The next picture displayed his sheet-draped body and I wanted to touch him. Seeing his erection made me want to suck him. So what if I don't like oral, the sucking was only to get him ready, get him primed. The slideshow of pictures looped again, it got me thinking back to that first day, when he didn't ask, he just fucked me. I rolled back on the bed and fingered my asshole, imagining it was Carter.
Thirty years old and I was jacking off to porn. Carter was right. Yes, it was porn except I had real memories to go with it. Carter was no fantasy; I had the pictures as proof. I licked my lips, watching his hard dick and tight balls, . He was real and hot and … It happened fast. My sperm almost hit the keyboard. I quickly got naked and wiped it up with my underwear. Then I had time for a leisurely second go around. It took longer, of course, and gave me time to relive every minute of the time in San Francisco, gave me time for slow stroking, time to play with my asshole, my nipples, my balls … The second time was draining but less messy. I cleaned up and was ready to take a shower when the phone rang again. Carter calling back. I answered without looking.
“Refo? It's Woody Sanchez … I met you in San Francisco? At the convention?”
“Right. I remember.” Woody's nasal whine killed the last hint of hardness in my already wilting dick.
“I'm coming to Washington and ...” Woody was coming on a school-sponsored trip, he explained, the trouble being the group was staying at some to-hell-and-gone cheap motel near Dulles airport and he wondered if he could spend a night at my place to see the lab over two days.
“Woody, my place is really small, one bed, ...”
“I can sleep on the floor. Just one night. Please, Refo ... It's my only chance ... “
I'm such a sucker for sob stories. So now Charlie hates me and this kid is going to sleep on my floor, what next? Doesn't bad luck come in threes?
I showered, got into bed, and picked up a biography of Linus Pauling. I heard Frank get home. He transited my bedroom being very quiet – just a wave to me on his way to the bathroom. He looked freshly fucked and blissful and it pissed me off.
That snake Charlie is fuckin' my boyfriend. But he wasn't my boyfriend, I told myself. Doesn't matter, I answered myself. It just isn't right for Charlie to do it. I couldn't get interested in the biography of a scientist whose reputation was more dubious with every passing year. I turned off the light and tried to sleep, wondering if, when Frank was done in the bathroom, he would stumble into my bed in the dark. He didn't.