Mardi Gras Mambo (13 page)
Authors: Gred Herren
“So, Mishaâor Sashaâhad a porn site.” Colin smiled. “He did have a pretty nice body. I wonder how much money he made from the site?”
“Well, David said it cost $19.99 per month for full access. I'm using his access code.”
“Not bad. Maybe
we
should think about doing that.” Colin laughed. “If we even got a hundred membersâ”
we
should think about doing that.” Colin laughed. “If we even got a hundred membersâ”
“That would be two grandâfor charging people to watch us do what we would do anyway!” Frank started laughing. “What do you think, Scotty?”
“I thinkâ” I cut myself off just as Misha's whole body stiffened, and his head went back. Then his body began shaking as he reached his climax, and the moans got louder and louder. Then, he let out a deep guttural moan that probably in person would have shaken the whole house. After a few moments of twitching, he pulled back and stood up, getting off the bed and revealing the person underneath him. In his thick accent, he said clearly, “So, you like that big cock, man?”
For a moment, everything in front of me swam, and I heard both Frank and Colin breathe in sharply as the guy's face became clear.
“Oh, sweet Goddess,” I gasped. “That's
David
.”
David
.”
CHAPTER SIX
Ten of Wands
one who is carrying an oppressive load
Â
Â
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“I had no idea David was a bottom.” Colin whistled.
Frank laughed. “Well, from the sound of it, he seems to be enjoying it.”
I flushed but somehow couldn't look away from the screen. Don't get me wrongâI enjoy porn just as much as the next guy and have plenty of tapes stashed away in the little cabinet of my entertainment center. Granted, since the boys had come into my life I haven't had much occasion to watch pornâthey keep me quite busy, thank you very muchâbut it is one thing to watch total strangers having sex on tape and another to see your best friend getting pounded by your drug dealer on the Internet.
“What was he
thinking?
” I said aloud. David is a music teacher and band director at a Catholic high school in the Ninth Ward. There had been a big scandal in town a few years ago when a gay teacher at Archbishop Chappelle had been discovered on one of those gay personals sites, with all kinds of naked pictures that left absolutely no mystery as to what exactly he liked to do. (The shot of him tied up spread-eagled on his stomach with his ass cheeks up in the air and spread was pretty self-explanatory.) The teacher had been fired almost immediately, and the letters column of the
Times-Picayune
had been filled with letters from outraged straight people for weeks. David had known himâI'd seen him around in the bars but had never really talked to himâand had just shaken his head. “Well, I don't think people should lose their jobs because of what they do in their free time,” he'd said at the time, “but that just seemed to be
asking
for it. What did he think the Archdiocese would do? You never know when one of your studentsâor the parents of one of your studentsâis going to run across something like that on-line.”
thinking?
” I said aloud. David is a music teacher and band director at a Catholic high school in the Ninth Ward. There had been a big scandal in town a few years ago when a gay teacher at Archbishop Chappelle had been discovered on one of those gay personals sites, with all kinds of naked pictures that left absolutely no mystery as to what exactly he liked to do. (The shot of him tied up spread-eagled on his stomach with his ass cheeks up in the air and spread was pretty self-explanatory.) The teacher had been fired almost immediately, and the letters column of the
Times-Picayune
had been filled with letters from outraged straight people for weeks. David had known himâI'd seen him around in the bars but had never really talked to himâand had just shaken his head. “Well, I don't think people should lose their jobs because of what they do in their free time,” he'd said at the time, “but that just seemed to be
asking
for it. What did he think the Archdiocese would do? You never know when one of your studentsâor the parents of one of your studentsâis going to run across something like that on-line.”
Sure, David had plenty of pictures of himself on various sites, but always without showing his face. I always thought that was kind of silly in a way; the massive dragon tattoo he has running from his shoulder down around his left pec is pretty distinctive, but then not many of his students or their parents had ever seen him shirtless.
“And David actually showed you this?” I scratched my head. That didn't seem like David.
“Well, he didn't show me
this.”
Frank tapped the computer screen. “He just showed me the site.”
this.”
Frank tapped the computer screen. “He just showed me the site.”
“I can't believe he never told me he'd been with Misha,” I said, unable to take my eyes off the computer screen. David always told me everything. He usually couldn't wait to tell me about the guy he'd fucked the night before.
I'd met David about four years ago on one of those nights when I wasn't in the mood to hit the bars. I'd gone into the Pub, had a couple of beers, and just wasn't in a place where I wanted to do the bar mating dance, that whole exchange of glances, smiles, introducing yourself and chatting for a little while, buying each other a few drinks before finally getting down to business and going home together. Usually I didn't mind, but every once in a while I just got in one of those moods where it seemed like an incredible waste of time. Why did gay men always feel the need to go through these motions? The minute you catch someone's eye and interest is sparked, it would be so much easierâand so much more honestâjust to say, “Hi, I'm Scotty. Let's go fuck.” I mean, that's what it was all about, no matter how much people liked to pretend they were actually looking for a boyfriend. So, after about half an hour of watching other people do this silly dance, and watching the really young and skinny strippers on the bar that weekend, I walked out and headed down to the bathhouse.
There are some gay men I know who think the bathhouseâbathhouses in generalâare disgusting. I've always thought that said a lot more about their own sexual hang-ups than anything else. I mean, come on. What's wrong with a bathhouse? Hell, it's more honest than a bar. At least in a bathhouse, you know why everyone is there and there's no pretense. Everyone is walking around in a towel with his body completely on display, and if you see something you like, you go for it. No talk unless you want it, no exchange of phone numbers, none of that nonsenseâjust pure animal sex. The place fairly throbbed with sexual energy, and for some reason that always made me hornier than usualâwhich is saying a lot.
I'd seen David as I was climbing the stairs up to the floor with the “glory hole” booths. He was about my height, and just ripped lean muscle. I smiled at him, he smiled back at me, and then followed me up the stairs. I leaned against a wall, and he brushed past me, copping a feel of my chest. I smiled at him. He took a few more steps, then turned and came back. “You want to go to my room?” he whispered.
I nodded and followed him back down the stairs. He unlocked his room and turned on the light. I dropped my towel and he put his arms around me and we kissed, before lying down on the little bed.
It took about five minutes before we realized we were sexually incompatible.
“That
fucking
figures.” David laughed, sitting up and reaching for his pants. “The only hot guy in the whole place turns out to be the only other top here!”
fucking
figures.” David laughed, sitting up and reaching for his pants. “The only hot guy in the whole place turns out to be the only other top here!”
I couldn't help but laugh myself. “Well, I just got here myself, so I couldn't say.”
He pulled a joint out of his pants and sparked it. He offered it to me, and I took a few hits before passing it back. It was decent stuff, and we lay down together on the bed and finished, talking and giggling before I finally left his little room. We ran into each other again a little while later and wound up hanging out togetherâdiscussing the bodies of the boys as they walked past us until one of us wound up going off with someone. The following Monday afternoon, I was at the gym working out, and I saw him over on the Smith machine. Breaking one of the unspoken rules of the bathhouse (
what happens in the bathhouse stays in the bathhouse
)
,
I walked over to him and showed him what he was doing wrong on the exercise.
what happens in the bathhouse stays in the bathhouse
)
,
I walked over to him and showed him what he was doing wrong on the exercise.
And that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
David was all about being a top, though. Even his on-line screen name (Butch Top40) proudly proclaimed that to the world. I just stared at the computer screen trying to wrap my mind around this new development in David. It looked like he was enjoying himself.
Well, the heated moans he was emitting every time MishaâI mean
Sashaâ
pushed into him were pretty good clues, too.
Sashaâ
pushed into him were pretty good clues, too.
“I wonder if he knew he was being taped,” Frank mused, stroking his chin. “I wouldn't think so, would you? I meanâ”
“I doubt it. David's pretty careful about things like this. Besides, he hardly would have showed you this site if he knew he was on it. I mean, if he
knew
he was on here, he would have said something, don't you think?” I grabbed the mouse and clicked the window closed. “I really don't think we need to watch any more.”
knew
he was on here, he would have said something, don't you think?” I grabbed the mouse and clicked the window closed. “I really don't think we need to watch any more.”
“I've never gotten any sense from David that he wasâ” Colin broke off and gave me a grin.
“A bottom?” I glared at him for a minute and then laughed. “ButchTop40, my ass!” I waved at the computer screen. “I wonder if it was just a situational thing. I mean, you know, Sasha was pretty hot, and if he was a top, maybeâ” I buried my face in my hands. “It's not any of our business what David does or who he does, but I wonder why he never told me?” David knew I had a mild crush on MishaâI mean,
Sasha.
Before the boys came along, we had a friendly kind of competition going on when we went out. We always tried to see who could wind up with the hottest guy, and let's face it, Misha, er, Sasha, was definitely a trump card. It didn't make any sense to me. I stood up. I was dizzyâprobably an aftereffect of the Ecstasy and being tiredâand had to grab the back of Frank's chair to keep from falling down.
Sasha.
Before the boys came along, we had a friendly kind of competition going on when we went out. We always tried to see who could wind up with the hottest guy, and let's face it, Misha, er, Sasha, was definitely a trump card. It didn't make any sense to me. I stood up. I was dizzyâprobably an aftereffect of the Ecstasy and being tiredâand had to grab the back of Frank's chair to keep from falling down.
“You're going to have to say something to him,” Frank said.
“Oh, you can just bet I'm going to.” I started to laugh. “Helium heels, your legs have been in the air more times than a ballerina's, you've spent more time on your back than Michelangelo. . . give me time, I can come up with a million of 'em.” I'm not Storm's younger brother for nothing, you know.
“Scotty, be serious for a minute.” Colin put his arms around me and squeezed. “What if someone who knows he works for the Archdiocese sees this? He could be fired. And it's not beyond the realm of possibilities that some priest would go to this site. . . .”
“Oh, yeah.” That sobered me up pretty quick. “Hell, the Archbishop himself probably has this one bookmarked.”
“Scotty . . .” Frank sighed. “Look at this.” He clicked the mouse again, and the damn tape started playing again. He clicked on the “restart” button on the video player, and there was David on his back on the bed and Sasha climbing up on top of the bed, and he froze the frame. “
Look.
” He pointed with his finger at Sasha's erection. “What isn't there?”
Look.
” He pointed with his finger at Sasha's erection. “What isn't there?”
My heart sank.
Sasha wasn't using a condom
.
.
“Oh, sweet Goddess. . . .” I felt sick to my stomach.
I felt myself getting dizzy, my legs started to buckle, and I was falling....
I was falling through a mist, a fog that had come out of nowhere. I could hear the sound of a marching band in the distance, the sound of a crowd shouting and cheering, like a parade was going by somewhere close, but I couldn't see through the fog, couldn't make out anything; there was nothing but fog and more fog, swirling around me and cushioning me somehow, so I wasn't afraid. I didn't know where I was, what was happening . . . but there was a peace there, some kind of energy that flowed into me and made my fingertips tingle a little bit, and I could feel all the tension releasing from my body, the knots in my stomach and back muscles relaxing, and I just went with the feeling, taking deep and cleansing breaths, and the calm seeped into me, slowing my racing heart and bringing me to a place of peace and relaxation, a place where I knew everything would work out, a place where everything would be all right.
And then I glided to a stop, coming to rest on a soft lawn, under the branches of a huge old oak tree, and the grass seemed to shape to me, and my body relaxed further. I could still hear the parade sounds, but they seemed more remote, as though it had passed by. The grass was a little damp, and I climbed to my feet. The fog continued to swirl around me, with the sounds of the parade getting farther and farther away. I could see shapes moving a few feet away from me, almost close enough to touch, but when I reached out, my hands went through them like they weren't there at all, and then the tension came back, my stomach knotting up.
“What's going on?” I shouted, and my voice echoed back to me. “Where am I? What is this place?” I'd been here before, in my heart I knew that I was safe here, but still the fear came bubbling back up inside of me, and I thought about David again, and my eyes filled with tears.
The parade noise stopped, and the silence became oppressive. The fog continued to swirl and move, and then I felt her presence.
“Goddess? Are you there?”
“You are safe here, Scotty.”
“Well, great, but where am I and what am I doing here?”
No answer. She's like that sometimes. She only answers what she wants to.
“You brought me here for a reason, didn't you?” There's
always
a reason, whether she decides to share it with me or not.
always
a reason, whether she decides to share it with me or not.
“Frank and Colin love you very much.”
“I know that!” I was getting impatient. She can be so obtuse sometimes. “I love them, too!”
“They're both in danger, Scotty.”
“From what? From whom?” A cold chill swept through me. The boys? In danger?
“You have to be strong. They will be depending on you.”
“What about David?” I demanded. I could feel tears swimming up in my eyes, and I wiped at them. “Is he going to be okay?”
“Do you always use condoms, Scotty?” She was using my mother's voice. We'd talked about condoms any number of times. Mom always worried that something was going to happen to me, and I would always tell her “yes” and get impatient, just like I always said “yes” when Rain lectured me, when Storm did, when Millie and Velma brought it up. I'd get impatient and snappy with them, which wasn't fair; it came from love and worry and concern.
I opened my mouth and shut it again. I couldn't answer; the Goddess would know the truth. I bit my lip. No, I didn't always use condoms. I always tried to, I always intended to, I always carried one in my pocket when I went out or availed myself of the ones the bars kept prominently displayed in bowls at various spots, but sometimes when I'd had too much to drink, I didn't have one and neither did the guy, and we'd decide to “play it safe,” but somehow once we got into the swing of passion and lust and desire, caution would be tossed aside and we'd blow each other, or the guy would say, “I don't care. I want you to fuck me. You're negative, right?” and I would say, “Yes,” because I was, but there was no guarantee that he was, and he really had no guarantee that I wasn't lying, and then I'd wake up the next morning and feel sick to my stomach, sick with fear and wondering, “Was this the time?” So I would always go down to the NO/AIDS office on Frenchmen Street, just a few blocks from my apartment, and get tested whenever I'd been stupid, but so far my luck had held. It was a horrible feeling, knowing I'd done something stupid, put myself at risk because I was too drunk to think things through, and there was always, always,
always
that chance that this would be the time.... “I always try,” I said to the Goddess, remembering what the counselors always said, that “condoms aren't 100% effective,” and got another cold chill
.
always
that chance that this would be the time.... “I always try,” I said to the Goddess, remembering what the counselors always said, that “condoms aren't 100% effective,” and got another cold chill
.
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