The conversation was simple. They talked about the weather, a little politics, and
how so many new homes were popping up outside Savannah. A half hour later, Jim
looked at his watch and frowned. “We have to get moving,” he said. “We’re expected for
dinner at Phil and Dan’s. It’s a sit-down dinner for ten, so we can’t arrive too late.”
Gregory ignored him. He was talking to Rob about how they over-landscaped the
grounds. “Highway robbery,” he was saying, “the way these greedy landscapers just
show up to mow a lawn that doesn’t even need to be mowed.”
Kadin smiled. Back when he and Gregory were their age, men like them didn’t
get together for dinner parties openly, at least not where
they
lived. It was all so casual and comfortable now. Where had he been while everything changed? Now they went out
to dinner in large groups, hung rainbow flags all over the shops in town, and talked about
getting legally married. He and Gregory didn’t even share the same bedroom until their
youngest child moved out of the house.
Then Jim touched Rob’s arm and gave him a look. So Kadin stood up and made it
easier for them to leave. Gregory thanked Rob three times for the orchid and gave him a
long hug. He only nodded at Jim to be polite, then told Rob to come back any time he
wanted.
When they were gone, Kadin said, “You sure are fond of Rob. I hope Jim doesn’t
get jealous.”
Gregory blushed and waved his hand. “Don’t be obtuse. He’s a nice, smart boy
and I enjoy talking with him. In a way, he reminds me of that young man in the story
you’ve been telling me.”
Kadin laughed. “Well, that’s good to hear.”
“Why?”
He picked up his laptop and said, “Because we’re going into the sunroom now,
and I’m going to finish the story tonight.”
* * * *
Kadin went to the fishmonger Saturday evening and picked up two lobsters he’d
ordered earlier that week. On the way home, he stopped at a liquor store for his favorite
champagne. The children were arriving on Sunday afternoon, and this would be their last
night alone in the house for a very long time. He wanted it to be special, a night Gregory
would remember for the rest of his life. When he pulled up to the house, it was after seven thirty. Gregory’s car was
parked on the side. Kadin wasn’t sure he’d be home yet. He’d gone into town at five
o’clock to take the measurements of the windows in the new building. He told Kadin he
wanted simple, tasteful white panels with tie-backs perfectly measured so that each long
window would look the same from the outside as well as the inside. Kadin smiled at the
thought of him holding a tape measure and pulling a pencil from his mouth to take notes.
He already knew he was a perfectionist because Gregory had been his intern. And now he
knew Gregory would make that old building as wonderful as it could be.
He grabbed the lobsters and champagne and got out of the car. He was going to
use the back door, but he stopped when he heard music coming from the front of the
house. So he turned and headed toward the front door. When he reached the steps, he
smiled and shook his head. Gregory had turned on the hi-fi in the living room, and
Take
Me Always
was playing. It was their song, from the movie they’d seen on the first night
they’d met. He hadn’t heard it in years. Until that moment, he hadn’t been sure Gregory
even remembered they had a song of their own.
When he went inside, Gregory was in the formal dining room setting the long
Chippendale table for dinner. There were new candles in the silver candle holders, white
linen napkins, and a sparkling crystal vase in the center of the table held a dozen pink
roses. Gregory was wearing light linen slacks, a white dress shirt open at the collar and a
black dinner jacket. He turned with a silver knife in his right hand and said, “Just leave
those things in the kitchen and I’ll take care of them. You go upstairs and get ready for
dinner.”
“I like the music,” Kadin said. Gregory smiled and placed the knife to the right of the plate. “Ah, well, it’s just a
song from a movie I saw a long time ago on a hot summer night.”
Kadin crossed to where he was standing and kissed his neck. “You look
wonderful, babe,” he said. “Maybe we should go upstairs first and eat a late dinner. The
song you’re playing is getting me hard.” But it was more about the way Gregory looked.
The black jacket and white shirt made Kadin’s heart beat faster. He wanted to throw him
down on top of the table and rip the linen slacks from his body.
But Gregory pushed him back and smiled. “No. We’re having a decent, civilized
dinner tonight,” he said. “You’re going to shower and get dressed for it. And shave, too.
I’ve laid your clothes out on the bed.” Then he ran his fingers across his cheek and said,
“I like the stubble, don’t get me wrong, but tonight is special.”
Kadin put the champagne down on the table and grabbed Gregory’s ass. Gregory
pulled back and pointed to the center hall. “Dinner is at eight thirty,” he said.
The dining room window was open, and a large yellow butterfly flew into the
room. At first, Gregory jumped back and ducked, because he wasn’t sure what it was.
Then it landed in the center of the table, on two roses that were close together, and they
both laughed. It remained on the roses for a minute, flapping its wings slowly, then flew
right out the window again. “That butterfly on the roses is like me on top of you,” Kadin
said. “I just want to get on top of you and flap my wings.”
Gregory smiled. “Go up and get ready now. You can flap your wings on top of me
all you want later on.”
While Kadin showered and dressed, Gregory took care of the entire meal. He
prepared mashed red-skinned potatoes with boursin and scallions, a simple green salad with French dressing, and boiled lobster. By the time Kadin came downstairs, the house
smelled like sweet brown butter. He’d taken longer than usual, shaving and grooming so
he’d look especially good for Gregory that night. He’d even found the small scissors in
the medicine cabinet and trimmed the dark patch of hair above his penis. It was getting
dark outside. The candles in the dining room were lit and the table glistened and
shimmered.
He went into the kitchen and said, “Everything looks wonderful.” He felt as if he
were in an elegant restaurant downtown instead of his own home. Gregory had chosen his
outfit. He’d left his white dinner jacket, his black slacks, and a white shirt out on the bed.
Kadin still had moments when he couldn’t believe this was all happening and that
Gregory was here with him now. There were times when he felt like pinching himself to
make sure his life was real.
Gregory turned from the stove and stared at him. He was melting butter for the
lobster in a small pot. He smiled and said, “You look good tonight. I should dress you up
more often. But then I’d have to worry about everyone else looking you over.”
Kadin’s heart started to beat again. He felt a tug in his balls. He wanted to jump
on Gregory’s back, lube him with melted butter, and mount him on the kitchen table. “I
think you should
undress
me more often,” he said. Then he spread his feet apart and
grabbed a handful of fabric between his legs. He shook it in Gregory’s direction and said,
“Why don’t you put some melted butter on this, babe, and lick it all off?”
Gregory tried hard to remain serious, but he couldn’t stop the corners of his lips
from going up. “Go open the champagne, and wait for me in the dining room,” he said.
“This is going to be a special night.” They ate slowly. Gregory stared into his dark brown eyes and laughed at all his
jokes, and he couldn’t take his eyes off Gregory’s full, round lips. Kadin said it was the
best dinner he’d ever had, and he was amazed at how Gregory could take something as
simple as a potato and turn it into something so spectacular. Then Gregory poured
champagne and toasted their future. “To us,” he said, “and to all the wonderful days
ahead of us.”
Kadin lifted his glass and clinked it against Gregory’s. He looked into his eyes
and said, “And to you, my love.”
When dinner was over, Kadin said, “I’ll take care of clearing the table. You’ve
worked hard today.” He knew Gregory liked things neat and clean. In the short time he’d
been there, he’d never gone to bed with dirty dishes in the sink or a stove that wasn’t
shining.
But Gregory stood up and placed his napkin on the table. Then he leaned forward
and stuck his tongue in Kadin’s ear. He licked it and said, “Tonight we’re going to leave
everything just like it is. I’ll take care of it in the morning.”
Kadin’s penis started to grow. He wanted to fuck him right on top of the messy
dining room table. “That sounds awfully dirty to me,” he said. “You know how I like
that.”
Gregory stepped back from the table and stretched his arms in the air. “That’s
because I have some very dirty things planned for you,” he said. “Now you make sure the
candles are out, the lights are off and the hi-fi is playing our song before you come
upstairs. I’ll be in the bedroom waiting for you with a big smile.”
* * * * Then Gregory went upstairs to the bedroom and left him alone. He took care of
everything, including setting the hi-fi so the record would continue to play without
stopping. Fifteen minutes later, he went upstairs and walked into the bedroom. The entire
room was lit with more candles than Kadin had ever seen burning at one time. Gregory
must have scrambled to light them all. There had to have been more than a hundred. They
lined the tabletops and dressers; a large candelabrum rested on a fern stand next to a
window.
And in the corner of the candlelit room, sitting on a white wing chair near the
front window, was Gregory.
He’d removed all his clothes except for the black dinner jacket. He was smiling
and his legs were hanging over the arms of the chair. When Kadin looked at him, he
stood up slowly in his bare feet, and pulled the hem of the jacket down to the tops of his
thighs. “Would you like to dance?” he asked.
Kadin smiled and his mouth opened halfway. Then he extended both arms and
said, “I’d love to.”
Gregory crossed the room slowly. The black jacket covered his private parts. His
naked legs looked smooth and delicate. He walked into Kadin’s arms and put his palms
on his shoulders. Kadin placed his hands on the small of his back and they began to dance.
Kadin was the lead. Gregory’s face rested on his chest and he followed his moves with
grace. They rocked back and forth very slowly, while Kadin’s hands inched down his
back. When Gregory lifted his arms higher so he could wrap them around Kadin’s
shoulders, the dinner jacket went up and his bare ass was totally exposed. Kadin spread his fingers and cupped Gregory’s naked ass. He danced and
squeezed and massaged at the same time. Gregory sighed and spread his legs wider.
“This is nice,” Kadin whispered. “But you know what would be even nicer?”
“What?”
Kadin stopped dancing and stepped back. Then he reached for the lapels of
Gregory’s jacket. He spread them apart and lowered them over his shoulders. The jacket
fell to the floor. He stared at his naked body, licked his lips, and whistled back. Then he
smiled and said, “That’s much better now.” He wanted to mount that body. He wanted to
climb on top of him and flap his wings. But more than that, he wanted to slap his firm
buttocks, open it wide, and shove his penis in as deep as it would go.
Gregory lowered his head and lifted his eyes. “Pull down your zipper,” he said.
While Kadin yanked his zipper, Gregory went down on his knees. He spread his
legs, arched his back, and reached inside Kadin’s pants. When he pulled out his penis, he
opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue.
He sucked him off for a long time, until Kadin finally grabbed the back of his
head and said, “Get up now.” He didn’t want to come this way. He wanted to fuck
Gregory on his back with his beautiful legs up high and over his shoulders.
Gregory followed orders well. Kadin knew there was nothing he wouldn’t do to
please him. He stopped sucking and stood up. His lips were puffy and wet. Kadin placed
his left arm on his back and bent down to secure his right arm behind his knees. Then he
lifted him up and kissed him on the mouth. Gregory’s head went back and he put his arms
