On the Streets of New Orleans (6 page)

Charlie looked like he was about to cry.

Goddamn muthafucka.

Tony grinned at Charlie, then slipped his arm around Scott’s shoulders as they walked away from the shelter.

“You know Charlie can see you, right?”

“Uh-huh.” Tony chuckled.

“You are so badass.”

“Yeah, you right!”

Scott laughed and bumped Tony with his shoulder. “How far?”

“Other side of the bridge”—Tony pointed to the bridges spanning the Mississippi River—“then about ten more blocks.”

“That’s not too far. Where’s the nearest bus?”

“On Tchoupitoulas, just a few blocks over.”

“Cool. I can ride it up to Poydras, cut across behind the casino, and still go down Decatur.”

“And if you get a transfer, you can take the riverfront trolley. Brings you all the way to Esplanade.”

Scott laughed. “Sure, I can do that in the morning, but maybe in the afternoon I’ll walk back.”

“I’ll walk with you,” Tony volunteered.

“No need. I can manage.”

“Well, if I’m working at the market, I can just hang around until then.”

“Like you did today?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you follow me after you took my money?”

“Yeah.”

“How come?” Scott glanced at Tony.

He shrugged. “Don’t know.” And it was the truth, because he didn’t know why he followed Scott, not the first time. Anyway, if he said something, it’d only sound silly.

Scott bumped him with his hip. “Maybe you saw something you liked?”

“Maybe.” Tony looked down at his feet, watching them as he walked.

Scott grinned.

Tony looked up, caught the grin, and rolled his eyes. “Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Scott held out his hands as he proclaimed his innocence.

“Well, just don’t be rollin’ no eyes at me, that’s all.”

Scott looked up. Above them, the wide spans of the two side-by-side bridges soared, blocking the night sky from his sight. “Those are some bridges.”

“Sure is. I used to have folks on the West Bank, but they’re gone now.” Tony pointed across the river, then dropped his arm, regretting he’d brought it up.

“Where’s the rest of your family?”

“Gone.” He didn’t want to talk about them, not now, and ruin the mood he was in, the warm feeling he wore like a blanket around him.

“Where?”

“Just gone, okay?” Tony shouted.

Scott held out his hands, moving them in a
calm down
motion. “Okay, okay. Forget I asked.”

Tony simmered. He shouldn’t have shouted, but he really didn’t want to talk about them. If Scott knew the truth, he’d leave, Tony was sure about that. And now, more than anything, Tony didn’t want to be alone.

“Just a few more blocks.” Tony looked around and sighed. It’d been a long day, and he couldn’t wait to get home with Scott.

THE FIRST
thing Scott noticed as they stood under a streetlight was that this was the last light he could see for… well, it seemed like forever. They stood on one side of the street, and on the other, an eerie landscape stretched in front of them.

“Damn, Tony, it’s dark.” Scott strained to see, but the world’s lights had gone out. He looked up at the sky, and the stars looked as if he could touch them, they were so clear and bright.

A cat yowled. In a vacant lot down the block, something skittered over rubble, and a small dark shape dashed across the street.

“Cats?” Scott clung to Tony’s hand.

“And rats.” Tony shrugged. “Cats come out in the day; the rats at night. Mostly.”

Scott shivered. “I don’t like rats.” He took a step closer to Tony, making Tony feel about ten feet tall. He wrapped his arm around Scott.

“I got a cat.”

“Really?”

“Well, he’s wild, but he visits me in my backyard.”

“You got a backyard?”

“Yeah. It’s small.”

“Cool.”

They stood there a little longer, eyes adjusting to the dark. “Let’s go. It’s just down the block.”

They stepped off the curb and crossed into darkness.

Scott let Tony lead him down the block. On either side, narrow houses stood empty. Without realizing why, he lowered his voice. “No one lives here, do they?”

“No. Just me, I think. Never saw no one else, but then I try not to let anyone see me.”

As his eyes adjusted enough for Scott to see, more details of the homes they passed emerged. Sheets of plywood covered doors and windows. A few of the front doors had been busted open, black rectangles in less-black squares. Everything was empty.

Lifeless.

This small part of the city hadn’t flooded, but had been vacated, yet no one had come back to claim it.

“Where are all the people who lived here?” Scott whispered.

“Gone. Evacuated.”

“But there’s no flood damage.”

“Naw, it didn’t flood here. Still, most of these houses had real poor people living in them. Guess they found something better wherever they went.” He shrugged.

“Why didn’t you leave?”

Tony tensed, dropped his arm from Scott’s shoulders, and clamped his mouth shut tight.

Scott felt Tony’s body react to the question. He stopped and touched Tony’s arm. “Sorry. I forgot. No talk about family.”

They walked on in silence.

Almost to the end of the block, a large pile of rubble lay across the sidewalk. Tony hopped on top, held out his hand, and helped Scott over it. Then, still clutching Scott’s hand, he pulled him through a small broken gate.

“This is it.”

Scott stared up at the narrow shotgun. Plywood covered the front door and window.

“How do we get in?”

“’Round back. Come on.” He tugged, and Scott followed.

They went to the side of the house and slipped into a black tunnel. On one side, the wooden boards of the house, and on the other, a chain link fence. Scott ran his hand over the wood, letting it guide him in the dark.

Tony stopped at the end, peered around the back of the house, then sighed. “All clear.”

Scott leaned forward and whispered, “From what?”

“Just checkin’. Seein’ if anyone been here, that’s all.”

“Right.” Scott didn’t understand, but this was Tony’s place, and he knew what to do, so Scott went along with it.

They went up a few concrete steps to a back door. Tony fished in his pocket and came out with a key. He unlocked the door and pushed it open.

They went inside, and Tony left the door open.

What little light came from the doorway showed Scott they stood in a small kitchen. A smell filled his nostrils, damp mixed with mildew, mixed with age. It wasn’t a stink so much as an air.

“Not bad.” Scott nodded. In the near dark, he saw the flash of Tony’s smile, and his heart did another little flip.

“Thanks.” He grabbed Scott’s hand and placed it, palm flat, against the wall. “No lights. You got to feel your way to the back.”

They edged along the long hall that ran down one side of the house from back door to front door. They came to an open door, and Tony pointed. “Bathroom.”

Scott peered in. Dim light from a high window gave the room an almost illuminated glow. It looked clean. A claw-footed tub stood against the wall, a pedestal sink at one end, the toilet at the other.

“Great. I need to pee.” Scott stepped in and went to the toilet, not bothering to close the door. He unzipped, pulled out his dick, and pissed, leaning forward to make sure he didn’t miss.

Tony waited, leaning against the wall in the hall.

Scott zipped up, flushed, and then came back to Tony’s side. “You?”

“Yeah.” Tony went in, same song and dance, then zipped, flushed and came back out. “Bedroom’s through here.”

He led, hand feeling his way along the wall, as Scott followed. The three-sided rooms opened onto the hall with no wall to close them off. Tony switched his hand to the other wall, and Scott did the same, and they moved deeper into the room.

Tony stopped. “Here’s the bed.”

“Great. I’m bushed.”

Tony stepped aside. “You want to get in first?”

“Sure.” Scott dropped his backpack on the floor, put his hand out, found the bed, and sat. He pulled off his shoes. “How many blankets do you have?”

“Two, but they’re thick. I keep my socks on.” Tony shrugged off his jacket and spread it out on the bed, like an extra blanket. Scott did the same.

“Okay.” Scott, socks on, stood, pulled the blankets back, and slipped into the bed, rolling over to the far side of the double-wide mattress. It creaked as Tony sat, then creaked as he stood, then creaked as he climbed in under the covers.

The heat under the blankets shot up ten degrees, or so it seemed to Scott. The big man’s body radiated warmth. Tony rolled over on his side to face Scott.

Scott rolled over to face Tony.

Neither said a word, but Tony’s deep breathing sent a shiver through Scott. He’d been with men before, had always known he liked boys. When he first came to the city, he’d traded his body to men for shelter, food, and cash and sworn he’d never do that again. Those times may have involved Scott’s body, but never his heart.

With Tony, there was a difference. Scott wanted Tony. Wanted him to touch him, caress him, to feel his big, rough hands on his skin. To feel his lips, his kisses. Under his jeans, Scott’s cock came to life, pressing harder as it grew.

Scott reached for Tony’s hand and threaded their fingers together on the mattress between their bodies. They lay that way for a long time, just staring at each other in the darkness and breathing in each other’s scent.

Tony didn’t move, but his breathing changed, from deep and slow to shallow and rapid. Something else changed in the dark. The level of heat under the blanket almost roasted Scott’s already on-fire body.

Scott wondered if Tony was as hard as he was. How big his dick was, how it would look, feel, taste.

Wondered if he made a move, would Tony welcome it or reject him. If Tony offered only friendship or more. God, he wanted more. Wanted to belong to someone. Wanted someone to care about him as much as he cared about them.

Scott reached out in the dark, his hand breaking the invisible barrier between them, and touched Tony’s face.

Tony sighed.

Scott shuddered at the sweet sound. He ran his hand over Tony’s cheek, across his forehead, back down to his chin, then his fingertips outlined Tony’s lips. They parted, and Scott slipped the tip of his finger into Tony’s mouth.

Tony sucked it in, fast and hard, his tongue dancing around it, driving Scott crazy. Then with a sharp nip, he released Scott and pulled away.

Scott, breathing hard, heart beating so fast it felt more like a vibration than a beat, pulled Tony on top of him with the hand holding Tony’s hand.

Tony rolled over without the slightest hesitation.

That was a good sign.

The weight of the bigger man pressed Scott into the mattress, and Scott felt grounded, secure, desired.

Tony cradled Scott’s head in his hands as Tony’s forehead rested against Scott’s.

“Fuck, Scott,” Tony whispered, his voice shaky with either fear or need, Scott couldn’t tell.

He stretched up and found Tony’s mouth with his.

Tony gasped, pulling back slightly, then returned to Scott, his lips brushing softly over Scott’s. Scott’s cock stiffened, uncomfortable in his jeans. He shifted, slid a hand down, and adjusted himself.

His hand brushed Tony’s hand, doing the same thing to his jeans.

Scott laughed. “Guess we should take off our pants, huh?”

“Yeah.” They broke apart as both of them wiggled out of their jeans. They dropped their pants over the edge of the bed and onto the floor; then they rolled back to the center of the bed.

They resumed touching each other’s faces, kissing softly, tasting, exploring, building the desire and heat between them. Tentative, afraid of rushing, afraid of frightening Tony off, Scott kept his hands above Tony’s waist and under his shirt, although his own body screamed for Tony’s searching hands to delve lower and discover what waited for him, just below Scott’s navel.

Scott pushed Tony’s shirt up and pulled it off. He kissed warm skin, soft and scented of male, moving his lips lower, over rounded shoulder, down firm chest, until he’d reached the wide flat disk of Tony’s nipple. Flicking it with his tongue, Scott pulled soft moans from Tony until Tony shifted under the blankets and the nipple drew to a hard point.

Scott took Tony’s hand and guided it south. Tony’s fingers bumped along Scott’s ribs and over the sharp angle of his hip, as Scott led it straight to the place that ached the most.

Tony brushed Scott’s cock with the back of his hand, and Scott inhaled, his breath caught on the power of just that glancing touch. With each touch, each jostle, waves of arousal beat against his groin. He arched toward Tony and moaned.

Tony kissed Scott, smiling against his lips.

Made bold, Tony took Scott’s shaft in his hand.

“Oh God.” Scott shuddered at the feel of heat, rough skin, and eagerness wrapping his flesh.

Tony pulled up, dragging his hand along the tender skin, and Scott cried out.

Scott reached for Tony, trailed his hand down all those hard chest muscles, past springy pubic hair, and wrapped it around his thick shaft.

He shuddered again as Tony whispered, “Scott.”

Scott claimed Tony’s mouth as he stroked Tony’s cock.

Chest to chest, cock to cock, they humped and stroked, moaned and gasped, bringing pleasure to each other, taking each other to the very edge with bites and kisses and suckled tongues. Their hands merged, rubbing cock against cock, pulling and thrusting through that tight ring, until they exploded over the edge of the cliff.

The stars shooting behind their eyelids illuminated each other, laying bare their naked need.

SCOTT WOKE
in the dark without a single clue what time it was.

“Tony, wake up.” He shook Tony’s arm as he sat up.

“Huh? What?” Tony sat up, his head whipping around, eyes wide and staring.

“I have to go to work, and I don’t know what time it is. Shit!” Scott slapped his head and fell back on the bed.