Twisted (6 page)

“Fine by me. What about your dad?”

“We’ll see on that one, dependin’ on what they say and what PFLAG says.”

“That sounds like a good way to handle it, buddy.”

“Let’s eat now. I really like hamburger gravy and mashed potatoes.”

We dug in to the food. Mike still had a good appetite and put away a good part of the food.

“That was good, Jeffy. Much obliged.”

“I know you like it and thought you probably would appreciate havin’ somethin’ you liked that was comfort-type food.”

He grinned at me. “You thought I’d need comfortin’?”

“It did cross my mind, maybe fifteen or twenty times.”

“You were right.”

“Let me clean up here, buddy, and we can build a fire, snuggle, and drink some good whiskey.”

“I’m gonna call and see about talkin’ to Eve and Guy tomorrow.”

“Okay, and after that build a fire, and I’ll get the whiskey when I’m done in here.” He headed into the living room. I heard him on the phone.

When he was done, I got two glasses and filled ’em with ice. I had a bottle of Evan Williams bourbon, which I brought along. I put the glasses on the coffee table and poured a generous measure in each glass. I sat down on the couch, and Mike slid in next to me. He was lying against my chest, and I put my arm over his back. He had turned off the light, so the room was illuminated only by the dancing flames and the silver beams of moonlight through the window.

“Ice in whiskey? Are you turnin’ into a city boy on me, Jeffy?”

“Just taste it.”

“This is real good stuff!”

“That it is. What’s goin’ through that cute head of yours?”

“I’m still confused. Part of me thinks I should try and forgive him, and part of me thinks I should just kick the shit outta him and have done with it.”

“Did you have a good relationship with him before you told him you were gay?”

“Before he got all addicted to God I did. We were originally Catholic, and he converted and got all enthused about savin’ the world. Before that, I remember him playin’ catch with me and stuff like that. I reckon that’s why I told him I was gay and wanted to change. I thought he’d understand and try to help me.” I squeezed him but didn’t say anything.

“That’s the thing that hurt the most, ya know? I trusted him, and he ruined my life. All the hell I went through, just because I tried to live up to his expectations.”

“Did it help, tellin’ him that the worst part was his betrayal?”

“I don’t know, but it sure felt good to say it and see the hurt look on his face.”

“How’d you feel when you saw him cryin’ after he heard me talkin’ to you?”

“Surprised more than anythin’. I reckon in my mind I’ve built him up to some evil monster who can’t feel anythin’ but joy at hurtin’ someone. It kinda threw me for a loop to realize that he feels bad about what he done.” He took a deep gulp of the whiskey. I followed suit.

“It’s funny, now I wouldn’t change who I am for anythin’, and he seems to be acceptin’. I reckon he was at least sincere about that.”

“It sounds like he went through a hell of his own because of what he did to you.”

“Yeah, but that was of his own makin’. I didn’t ask for what he did to me.”

“True.” He took another sip of whiskey. I put my face in his hair as he lay against me. I nuzzled into him. He was rubbing my leg, just above the knee. He turned up to me. We moved together into a kiss. I could taste the anise sting of the whiskey on his cold tongue. There was a background of whiskey and that indefinable taste which said “Mike” to me. We rubbed tongues, and then I gently bit his lower lip and then ran my tongue across his teeth. He had moved his arm around me as I leaned forward into his kiss, and he rubbed my back and the back of my neck. I pulled back a bit and ran my tongue over his lips before pressing it back into his mouth and against his. Finally he pulled back and looked into my eyes.

“That’s a nice way to get my mind off my family problems, Jeff.” I pushed his hand against my crotch. I had responded to the kiss and wanted to make sure he knew it.

“I can think of somethin’ else to distract you.”

“You don’t mind if we just cuddle and maybe kiss a bit tonight, do you? After seein’ him today, I just want to be here like this.”

“Of course, buddy. This is real nice.”

I continued to just hold him, and we kissed once in a while. He was wrapped up in his own thoughts, in dealing with seeing his father again. We stayed like that for quite a while. When the fire was no more than embers and the angle of the moonbeams had changed quite a bit, I finally asked him if he was ready for bed. As we headed up the stairs, I gave my favorite cowboy goodnight.

“Let’s get some shuteye, Mike. We done used up this day.”

Chapter Three

A
FAINT
but persistent knocking woke me out of a sound sleep. I was wrapped all around Mike, spooning him. He’s a heavier sleeper than I am, so I moved gently and quietly out of bed, letting him sleep. I pulled on my longhandles and a pair of socks and headed down the stairs, buttoning up as I went. My friends all joke around about my running around the house constantly in my underwear, and there’s quite a bit of truth to that. I figure I might as well be comfortable in my own home. Mike had begun following my lead, so I was waiting for them to start teasing him, too, but it hadn’t happened yet. I got to the back door. Outside, Jason, Smitty’s brother, was standing, looking half frozen. I opened the door for him.

“Mornin’, Jason, come on in.”

“Hey.” He looked me up and down. I remembered Smitty telling me he had been hustling and was always looking for an opportunity. From the look he was giving me, he’d figured he’d found one.

“Let me run upstairs and get dressed. I’ll make some coffee for ya in a minute.” Without bothering to wait for a reply, I ran upstairs and pulled on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. Mike was stirring in bed.

“We got company, buddy. Jason is here, ready for his first day at work.”

“Okay, I’ll be right down.” Mike rolled over and began to snore again. He’d done a lot of tossing and turning last night, so I let him sleep.

I went downstairs and walked into the kitchen. Jason was sitting on one of the kitchen chairs.

“Some coffee for you, Jason?”

“Okay. So, it’s not bullshit about cowboys wearing those red long johns, or is that just some sort of show for your gay guests?”

The kid definitely had attitude. I had the coffee water on to boil before I answered him.

“It’s not bullshit. They’re called longhandles, and they’re real warm and convenient if you’re doin’ a lot of work outside in the winter, ’specially in unheated places. They’re comfortable too. Now, what do ya take in your coffee?”

“Cream and sugar.” I set it out on the table. The water was boiling, so I threw in a handful of grounds and let it boil.

“Did you already eat breakfast, Jason?”

“Bert made some tofu scramble for me.” It took every ounce of energy I had not to laugh at the tone of voice he used for tofu scramble. I remembered Smitty’s real name is Albert, so that explained the Bert.

“Okay, you’re a vegetarian, aren’t you? I reckon you’re not hungry then. I was gonna rustle up some ham and eggs and biscuits. I reckon I can find some tofu or something for ya for lunch. I’ve heard Smitty say before that food ain’t supposed to be green, so he’s not big on vegetarian food.”

“No, I’m a vegetarian, but I do eat eggs. Bert’s tofu scramble had to be about the worst thing I ever tasted. I want some eggs.”

I pulled the coffeepot off the burner and added some cold water to settle the grounds. “You want some eggs.” I turned and stared at him. He stared back for a moment.

“Please.”

“How do you want your eggs?”

“Scrambled.” I turned to stare at him again until he added please.

I poured two mugs of coffee and gave him one.

“Lemme get the biscuits on, and one scrambled egg is comin’ up. Now I know ya already had a big breakfast with that delicious tofu scramble, but you got enough room for some fried potatoes too?”

“Yes, please.” The kid was a quick learner. He started laughin’ quietly. I gave him a quizzical look.

“The way you said ‘delicious tofu scramble’ was funny.”

“Actually, the thought of eatin’ tofu scramble is kinda funny.” He laughed at that one good.

“Yeah, especially if Bert is cooking it.”

He put some cream and sugar in his coffee and took a sip. He started coughing.

“I thought it was just a story how strong you guys like your coffee.”

“Whoever told you that was tellin’ you the truth. Lot of the stereotypes about cowboys are true. We wear red longhandles, drink strong coffee and whiskey, and try to treat ladies with respect.” He looked at me like there should be a lesson in there somewhere. I didn’t say anything. I had just finished mixing the biscuits and started dropping them on the cookie sheet. I heard Mike come down the stairs. He had on his sweat pants. It did register we had company.

“Mornin’, buddy, coffee’s on.”

“Mornin’, Jeffy.” He wrapped his arms around me and gave me a real nice good morning kiss.

“Mornin’, Jason, how are you?”

“Okay. Do you guys normally hang all over each other like that?”

Mike kinda stuttered at Jason, and I turned around and stared at him again.

“Uh, no offense, I just don’t know too many other gay people who aren’t out on the street.”

“No offense taken, Jason. Mike and I are out to pretty much everyone. We don’t hang all over each other in public, but here in our home with friends, we sometimes show affection.” I started peeling potatoes and an onion. I had ’em in the frying pan pretty quick. I pulled the ham and eggs outta the icebox.

“Hey, buddy, you want to show Jason the guest rooms and the linen closets, the washin’ machine and dryer, and all the cleanin’ stuff while I finish breakfast?”

“Sure thing, Jeffy. C’mon, Jason.” Jason followed him. I finished getting breakfast on the table. I had typed up a list of duties for Jason, so there would be no misunderstanding about cleaning and just what needs to be done. I could hear Mike going over it with him and an occasional wisecrack from Jason. Mike seemed to get flustered when Jason was surly. I was gonna have to tell Mike to just stare him down. I probably should tell Jason. In front of the dudes at least, we needed respect. They came back, and we started eating breakfast. It seemed we polished off the food in record time. After breakfast, Mike went off to make a call to his family in Louisiana. Jason stared at me.

“What’s up, Jason?”

“So what do I get if I do my job real well?”

“Your pay and a thank you. Maybe, if we have a good year or so, a raise.”

“What if I don’t do my job right?”

“Then you get told to do it again until it’s right, and then you get your pay.”

“When you were running around in your underwear, it looked like you have a real big dick. If I do my job right, can I suck it as a reward?”

I almost choked on my coffee. I glared at him, looking as mean as I could. “Jason, you do your job, you get paid. This job does not include any type of physical favors. If you bring up somethin’ like that again, you’re outta here.”

“Whatever.”

“No, not whatever. This is employment for you, and I expect you to treat it like that. That includes bein’ respectful to other employees and guests and not doin’ anythin’ that’s inappropriate. Askin’ your boss for sex can be called sexual harassment. One more crack like that, and you’re outta here. Do we understand each other?”

He glared back. “Yeah.” I continued to glare at him until he looked away. “Yes, we understand each other.”

“Good, I’m glad we got that cleared up.”

“I better get to work.”

“That sounds like a good idea.” That little request of his was wrong on so many levels, it floored me. I wasn’t gonna tell Smitty what he’d asked, but I sure as hell was gonna tell Mike. Just then Mike came into the kitchen.

“I talked to my mom for a few minutes.”

“Was it a nice talk?”

“It was. She told me if I call back later, Guy and Eve will be at home, so I’m gonna do that.”

“That’s great, Mike.”

“What’s up? You seem like you’re pissed about somethin’.”

“Jason just asked me if he could suck my dick as a reward if he does a good job.” Mike looked very angry all of a sudden.

“Did you fire his ass?”

“I let him know, next time he brings up somethin’ like that or treats any of the employees or guests badly, he’s gone.”

“He’s pretty messed up. He always has some smart comeback.”

“Just stare him down until he answers right.”

“I’ll try, but, Jeffy, you’re a lot sterner lookin’ and meaner lookin’ than I am.”

“Thanks, I think.”

Mike started laughing. “I just mean you’re a lot more secure in yourself, and because of that, you’re a lot more no-nonsense.”

“As long as you’re not callin’ me a mean, cruel, and heartless bastard.” We both laughed.

“Not at all. I will call ya a cocky bastard, but not cruel and heartless. Besides, I like it when you get a bit of mean on.”

“I remember that. Or at least I think I remember that. It’s been so long, I just about forgot.” He really laughed at this one.

“Not only are you a cocky bastard, but you’re a horny bastard too. You gone one day without, same as me, and I ain’t whinin’.”

“Whinin’, am I? I’ll give you somethin’ to really whimper about.”

“I’m gonna hold you to that, Jeffy.”

“You’d better. And you’d better put out pretty soon.” I gave him a stern look, and he just laughed.

“You’d think you ain’t had a piece of tail for months.”

“Well, buddy, in all seriousness, I kinda got used to two or three times a day. Besides, I think your tail is pretty addictive.”

“It’s my secret weapon.” We both laughed real hard at that. It was nice to see Mike laughing again.

“I just hope you’re not usin’ it on anyone but me.”

“I don’t need a secret weapon with nobody else.”

“Not to change the subject or anythin’, but what are we gonna make for dinner tonight?”

“Could you make your beef stew with stout beer, Jeffy?”