Lexington Black (22 page)

'So go! I'll be here when you get back.' Rob
was angry at his insensitivity.

Lex hovered, glaring at the man huddled in
his shabby clothes. 'Waste of fucking space,' he spat, and strode
away.

'I'm sorry,' Rob said to the man. 'I'm Rob
Martyn.'

The man wiped his grubby hand on his frayed
camo jacket and shook Rob's hand. 'Jerry Ford.'

'An all-American name,' Rob smiled.

'I'm an all-American boy. Born and raised in
Detroit.'

Rob settled on the ground next to him. 'So
what's your story, Jerry Ford?'

The man looked closely at him for a second,
then shrugged. 'Like I said, I was born in Detroit. I loved cars
since I was a kid. That's why I joined the army, so I could drive
those big motherfucking tanks and RV's.' His smile faded. 'I didn't
reckon on seeing my good friend being torn to pieces by a landmine.
One moment he was there, and the next, his brains were all over my
face. I didn't have a scratch on me. The doctors said God was
smiling on me that day, but I'd known Hank since second grade. He
was ...' He lowered his head and rubbed fiercely at his eyes. 'He
was my best friend.

'When I got back home, I couldn't forget. I'd
go to bed every night and get woken up by that explosion, that
inhuman cry as he was torn apart. I couldn't handle it so I began
to drink. And I wasn't a good drunk. I was violent to my wife and
... I know she couldn't live with that. She didn't deserve that. So
here I am.'

'That fucking sucks.' Lex had come back,
carrying hotdogs and coffees. He shoved a hotdog in Jerry's face,
then a coffee, and sat down on the filthy street in his smart
suit.

'Are you clean?' He demanded, avoiding Rob's
incredulous stare.

'I don't do drugs, man. As for the booze, it
took everything I cared about away from me. I don't drink now.
Can't afford it anyway. I went back to see my wife last year but
she was with someone else. I wasn't angry with her. I didn't
deserve her.' He sighed heavily. 'I need to get my life in order
but sometimes it's easier just to sit watch the world pass by.' He
began to eat the hotdog. It was obvious he was ravenous. It
disappeared in six enormous gulps.

'When did you last eat?' Rob asked.

'Uh, yesterday. A woman gave me her lunch.
Nice lady.'

Lex offered the remains of his hotdog. Jerry
took it.

'Thanks. Have to take anything that's
offered. Not sure where the next one's coming from.'

'What did you do in the army?' Lex asked.

'Drove tanks, organised troops, led missions.
We hunted those fucking insurgents down.' His face grew dark. 'The
bastards hid in schools, using kids as human shields. We did what
we had to do.' He looked from one man to the other. 'You got that?
We did what was necessary.'

'We get it, Mr. Ford.' Rob squeezed his
shoulder. 'I wish there was an easy answer to your problems, but
there isn't, is there?'

Jerry shook his head. 'I gotta sort myself
out. No-one's gonna do it for me, are they?'

Lex reached into his jacket and thrust a
business card under his nose.

Jerry looked at it, his eyes narrowed.
'What's that?'

'My phone number. If you ever want a job,
call me. It won't be much at first, but I could get you smartened
up and into employment tomorrow. And if you just want a one-way
ticket to California so you can sit on the dock of the bay, I could
give you that as well.' His voice was abrupt. He stood up and
brushed the dust and dirt off his clothes. Jerry was looking up at
him, stunned.

'Why would you do that?'

'Because I've just been taught a lesson by my
friend here. Take care of yourself, Jerry.' He stuck out his hand
and Jerry shook it, his eyes moist.

After they left, Rob opened his mouth to
speak.

'Don't say anything,' Lex said shortly.

******

The following Friday they drove up to the
coast and Rob taught Lex how to fly the Wind-ripper kite. He loved
it so much that he immediately found a kite shop and bought one
that was even bigger than Rob's. They stayed on the long, sandy
beach for most of the day. When they weren't flying the kites, they
were lying on the large blanket Lex had brought with them, eating
food from a hamper from Dean & DeLuca.

'This can't last,' Lex said, as a chill began
to rise from the sea.

'I know.' For the last few days, Rob had
thought of almost nothing else. He pasted a brave smile on his
face. 'But it's been fun, right?'

Lex looked at him fully. 'I meant this
glorious weather. What were you talking about?'

Rob felt a wave of sadness. He wasn't ready
for this conversation just yet but it had to be faced eventually.
'Surely you know? Us, Lex. I was talking about us.'

Lex moved closer to him. 'Why would you
assume I'd be happy to just have one month with you? You think this
is some summer fling? Is that how it's been for you?' His voice was
deceptively quiet.

'No!' Rob reached out to stroke his face.
'God, no, but how can we have a long-distance relationship, Lex? I
need ... more than that.'

'And you want that with me?'

Rob nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
Lex stared out to sea.

'Wow,' he said flatly.

'Sorry. I know it was just supposed to be a
bit of fun but ... I guess I'm not that kind of guy,' Rob said
softly. 'And I know this puts the kibosh on everything but that's
how I feel.'

Lex looked at him again. 'How do you feel?
Exactly?'

'It's stupid. Pointless. I know that.'

'You coming over here has been
pointless?'

'No! Jesus!' Rob breathed in deeply. 'I guess
what I'm trying to say is .... I love you. That's how it is.' He
shrugged. 'I can't help it. It's not about money, or all your ...
stuff around you. Just you. That's it. Well, the money helps but
...' He was silenced by lips crushing his.

'I'm glad you said that, because it makes my
next question easier to ask,' Lex said when they finally drew
breath. He fumbled in his pocket and drew out a small box. 'Of
course, you might not want this.'

He held up a thick platinum band, inset with
black diamonds. Rob's mouth dropped open.

'Oh my God. Seriously?'

'Seriously.' Lex picked up Rob's left hand
and slipped the ring on the third finger. It was a perfect fit.

'I'm asking for exclusivity, Rob. Us,
together, as a couple, living together. Marriage can wait until you
get used to the idea.' He smiled wryly. 'I don't want to scare you
off.'

Rob was staring at the ring. It looked and
felt so right on his finger, warm and heavy. That simple circle
meant commitment, acceptance of who he was, the promise to make it
public. It meant being bound to the man gravely watching him,
waiting for his answer. It meant a massive risk which he should not
undertake under any circumstances. Any gambles he had taken so far
were miniscule compared to this. It meant Geri giving him any
amount of grief about how stupid and reckless he was being.

'Yes,' he stuttered. 'Hell, yes.' He flung
himself at Lex and pushed him back onto the blanket.

******

On Sunday they were replete after a
traditional roast lunch, which Rob had cooked in Lex's apartment.
Roast rib of beef, Yorkshire puddings, glazed carrots and apple
pie, accompanied by superlative wines from Lex's
temperature-controlled cooler. The weather had turned cold again,
with rain lashing against the window.

The meal was ostensibly to let Peter know
they were officially a couple, but as soon as Lex had told him, Rob
sensed a chill enter the room.

'Exclusivity? Well, that's very nice. I hope
you can make an honest man of him, Rob.'

'I don't have to,' Rob said lightly. He
couldn't understand what the problem was. It couldn't be jealousy
as Peter was very loved up with Justin and seemed to be content
with his own life.

As the afternoon wore on, Peter drank more
and his comments got snippier. He made several barbed remarks about
honesty being the most important thing, whilst glaring at Lex as if
he was meant to read something into them.

With Rob, he was solicitous, almost as if he
pitied him. He asked him if he was sure he was doing the right
thing more than once, to which Rob replied that yes, he was sure,
and tried to make up for the acidic atmosphere in the room.

They had all drunk and eaten too much. Rob
was wondering how long it would take for Lex to ask Peter to leave
so they could retreat to the bedroom. As he got up to reach for the
wine, he was aware of Lex's lustful gaze following his every move.
Catching his eye, Lex cupped his crotch and subtly lifted his hips.
He wanted him and the feeling was mutual.

Eventually, Peter wandered over to the bar
and opened the cabinet.

'Do you have any port?'

'No.' Lex's voice was clipped. He had long
since lost patience with his friend.

Peter sighed impatiently. 'For God's sake,
Lex. Didn't being at Melville teach you anything?'

Rob didn't register what Peter had said at
first, but he was immediately aware of the sudden stillness in the
room, and saw the look of hideous rage pass over Lex's face.

Peter stood up, his chin lifted defiantly.
'Well, I can't stand by watching you act all loved-up, knowing that
you're not being honest with the poor boy. It's time he knew the
truth.'

'Shut up,' Lex said tightly.

'No. As your friend, I'm not going to. We
were at Melville Hall together. I'm sorry I had to lie to you, Rob.
For the record, I told him it was a bad idea from the start.'

'You cocksucking bastard!' Lex was pale with
fury.

'Call me what you like. Real friends don't
treat each other the way you treated me the other day, Lex. If you
want to pull your money out of the gallery, that's fine with me.
Justin is more than happy to invest. I don't need you as a business
partner and I don't want you as a friend, especially one who uses
threats and lies to get what they want.'

'Then get out.' Lex hurled his whisky tumbler
at Peter's head. He ducked and it hit the floor with a deafening
crash. 'Get the fuck out of here!'

'Stay where you are!' Rob had finally found
his voice. He had been watching the exchange with mounting horror.
He leapt to his feet. 'Why didn't you tell me you were at Melville,
Lex?'

'You had no fucking right...!' Lex was still
staring at Peter.

'Oh, stow it. You want me to tell him you
slept with his father or shall I?' Peter was glaring at Lex as if
he had nothing left to lose.

'Tell me,' Rob said through gritted teeth. He
felt sick.

Lex didn't speak. Peter picked up his jacket
and headed for the door.

'Call if you need me,' he said to Rob. 'I
really didn't like lying to you. You deserve to be treated a lot
better than that.'

'No, you stay right there. I want to make
sure he tells me the truth.' Rob walked up to Lex and examined his
face. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

'Fucking snake in the grass,' Lex hissed at
Peter.

Rob slapped his face, forcing him to look
directly at him again. He stared at Rob as if he couldn't believe
he had done it, his hand up to the place where Rob had smacked
him.

'Why didn't you tell me?' Rob asked
again.

For the first time, Lex's eyes showed real
fear. 'How could I? What the hell was I supposed to say to you?
"Hi, I banged your father once and now I want to do the same to
you?" What the hell would you have done?'

'I would have told the truth before I tried
to sleep with you!'

'I doubt it,' Lex spat at him, on the
offensive again.

'Then you don't know me at all, do you? So
you'd better have this back.' Rob tugged at the ring and threw it
at him. There was a little cry of pain from Peter, standing by the
door. His hands fluttered at his mouth and his cheeks were damp
with tears.

'See what you've done?' Lex shouted at him.
'I hope you're fucking satisfied!'

Peter shook his head, stricken.

'You tell me what happened then,' Rob said to
him.

'He doesn't know because he wasn't fucking
there!' Lex roared. He took a deep breath to keep calm. 'There was
a reunion dinner in the January after I left the school. I was
staying at the school in the guest wing. I invited your father up
to my room for sex and we did it. A lot. He left me early the next
morning. No-one saw him arrive or leave. I left for New York the
next day.'

'And two days after that he was dead,' Rob
said coldly, putting it all together. 'You killed him, Lex. You
bastard!' He hit him again, punching him this time, putting every
all the power he possessed behind the blow. His hand hurt like hell
but Lex fell to the floor, gasping. Blood from his split lip
stained the floor.

'No, it wasn't like that...'

'You thought you'd have your kicks by doing
both father and son? Or is my likeness to him the reason why I turn
you on?'

Lex crawled painfully to his knees. 'At
first, the likeness excited me, I'll admit it. But by the time you
fell asleep next to me in the car, I was in love with you. I love
you Rob, even when you're trying to kill me.' He spread out his
hands, kneeling before Rob like a betraying servant before his
king.

'Why should I believe you? You've lied to me
since day one!'

'I lied because I didn't want to lose you.
Yeah, I know. Now I'm saying it out loud it sounds pretty fucking
dumb to me as well.'

'Why did my father kill himself?'

Lex hesitated a fraction too long. 'I don't
know! The police said it was suicide, didn't they?'

'Yes, but that doesn't mean someone didn't
push him over the edge. Did you threaten him? Threaten to tell
anyone about you being together?'

'Hell, no!' Lex jumped to his feet, his eyes
flashing. 'He talked to me about how hard it was, living a lie, but
he didn't give any clues as to what he was planning. He didn't! He
told me he would contact me once I was back at home. And ... he
did.'