This is a story of love between two young men. If you are under age, or live in an area where reading stories that include sex between males sex is illegal, or if you're not into this type of story, please leave. The story begins in 1969. While the characters and their story are completely fictional, it is set at places that are real and is told against a backdrop of some real events. This was a time when all sex was safe. It isn't now, so please respect yourself and others enough to always play safe. The author retains all rights. No reproductions or links to other sites are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at NJMcMick@yahoo.com.
February 12
Danny
I went back to classes today, after a day off. And this afternoon, I had Economics. The scene of the crime. I sat in the front row, not willing to go up any more steps than necessary in this class. But it was creepy; knowing that whoever tripped and pushed me was sitting up behind me, looking down on me. Even with all of that on my mind, Professor Morrow was able to keep me focused on her lecture. When the class ended, I tried to think how to stall to wait for Billy, without being obvious.
"Mr. Stephens, could you wait a minute? I'd like a word with you."
Thank God for Dr. Morrow. The lecture hall emptied quickly.
"I was surprised to see you here today. Are you feeling all right?"
"I still have a slight headache and my wrist feels sore. But I'm doing okay."
"When you fell, I was about a step ahead of you and to your right. I heard a really nasty thing whispered just before you fell, which leads me to think that maybe you didn't fall, that maybe you were pushed. Can you give me any information about that?"
I didn't know what to say. I sure didn't want to come out to one of my teachers. And I couldn't even begin to guess who had pushed me.
"Dan, can I call you Dan? I heard what was whispered. And then you fell, and then your friend, your roommate appeared on the scene, out of his mind with worry for you. Did someone push you? Was it maybe not the accident it seemed?"
There was a slight noise in the doorway and we both looked up. Billy was standing there.
"You're right, Dr. Morrow. Danny was pushed. Someone tried to hurt him because he and I have made no secret of how we feel toward each other in the last couple of weeks."
"Do you have any idea who it was, Dan? I can have them removed from class, maybe even dismissed from school."
"I wasn't paying attention. I have no idea. I know I was pushed, and I think there were two involved, but I wasn't paying attention. I was looking at Billy."
"If you don't mind Dr. Morrow, from now on Danny is going to wait here for me after class. I don't want him going down those stairs alone."
"I don't blame you. He can wait here as long as he wants."
"You don't seem shocked or put off by our relationship, Professor. You reacted as if we had told you we were left-handed, or something like that."
"I found out my younger brother was gay ten years ago, so I've had some time to get used to the idea, although our parents are still a bit uncomfortable about it. Do your parents know?"
"That's a long answer and another class is coming in. Why don't we walk you back to your office and talk on the way?"
Billy grabbed my books in his right hand and took my right hand in his left.
"You sure you don't mind being seen with a couple of faggots, Doctor?
She laughed, "Believe me, I've been seen with more 'faggots' than you can imagine. I take it from your response to my question that your parents know and it didn't go well?"
"That's putting it mildly. They all found out over Christmas vacation and we were both forced to leave home."
"It was pretty much like that with Tim and our parents, although he was already on his own by then, so all he had to deal with was the emotional estrangement. And I have to confess that while I didn't react as badly as my parents. I wasn't there for him at first. It took me a while to come around. One day, something on a TV sitcom reminded me of an amusing incident from our childhood and I realized how much I had loved him, how much I still loved him. And from that moment, his being gay has made no difference to me at all. He's my brother and I love him."
"Wow. He's lucky to have you. Billy and I both have older sisters but we've lost them, too."
"So how are you boys surviving on your own?
"Just surviving day to day. Our tuition and room and board for this semester was paid before our parents found out, so we have a room and food. Our best friend is a sophomore at Douglass and she's very supportive and her aunt has given us a place to stay off campus. For money, we model for art classes and sell blood and plasma to a lab."
"And we're always keeping his eyes open for little jobs we can fit into our schedule and make an extra buck. Danny's the worrier, the one who stretches every dollar."
"Well, if I hear of anything, I'll let you know. Be careful, boys. Have eyes in the back of your heads. There's a lot of homophobia out there."
"Homo what?"
"Homophobia. Literally, it means fear of homosexuals. But generally it's a term for hatred and prejudice against gay people. Which in many cases originates in some type of irrational fear."
"I guess we've got a lot to learn, white boy. Maybe we need to meet other gay people."
"You mean you don't have any gay friends?"
"Well, we went to the gay dance at the Student Center last weekend, but the only guys we met just wanted to get us in bed."
"Well, I've known lots of gay guys and I assure you they are not all like that. Maybe some are at first, but you can get past that. Don't give up. You should go to those meetings. Meet people. Make friends. Friends make all the difference in the world."
We had reached the building her office was in five minutes ago and had just stood there talking.
"Maybe we will, Dr. Morrow. Thanks for being so nice. You're not only a much more interesting professor than I had last semester, but you're a beautiful person, too. See you Tuesday."
"Good-bye, boys. Take care of yourselves."
Billy
Damn, Dr. Morrow is nice. I can't get over how supportive she is. I mean, Lucy and Aunt Connie have been great, but I don't think either one of us thought we'd run into another person like them. We walked back to the dorm hand in hand. We're out now. They're just going to have to get used to us. We just got into the dorm room and got our coats off when there was a knock on the door. I carefully opened it an inch. It was Jeff from across the hall.
"Let me in before someone sees me."
I opened the door wider and he slipped in.
"Don't get me wrong, Jeff. We appreciate your support and friendship. But it would be nice if you were willing to be a bit more public about it."
"I know I'm being a real coward. But I can't take confrontation. And it would really cause problems with Bob. You know how conservative and bigoted he is."
"Yeah, I've noticed once or twice."
"God, Danny. What happened to you? I haven't seen you in a couple of days and look at you-bandage, cast. What happened?"
"I fell down the stairs behind Milledoler Hall. Twelve stitches on my head and a broken wrist. Watch yourself on those stairs."
"Are you okay? Is there anything I can do?"
"No, but thanks for asking. Billy's taking care of whatever I need."
"That's sort of what I came over to talk to you about. You were pretty loud in here after lunch yesterday. There must have been five guys listening outside your door."
"Oh, shit. Danny was on painkillers from the hospital and was a little more verbal than usual."
"Well, I don't think you have anything to worry about from those guys. The bulges in their jeans seemed to indicate that they were getting off on what they were hearing. Hell, so was I. I had to go relieve myself after you guys were done. It never occurred to me that two guys getting it on could be so hot. I mean, that's not what I'm into, but I guess I never thought of it as being just as real for you as straight sex is for me."
"Believe me, Jeff, it's very real. And you were just listening to a blowjob. There is so much more."
"Enough, Billy, I don't need details. I just wanted you to know that maybe I understand a little better and want to still be friends."
"That means a lot to us, Jeff. And don't worry; we won't put you on the spot in public. You take it at your own pace."
"Thanks, guys, but I think I'm ready to be a friend to you in public. Even if it means dealing with Bob. I'm really sick of his conservative shit, anyway."
Jeff left without checking out the hallway first, a positive step.
"So what do you say, white boy? Should we put on another show for the dorm?"
"I have no problems with endless private shows. But I think we should count ourselves lucky that the jocks didn't happen along yesterday. And while I love public displays of affection, I don't think I could handle a public sexual act."
"I was just teasing. Besides, you know we're eating with Lucy over at Cooper Hall tonight. And tomorrow, we're all heading home to Morristown, for Aunt Connie's fantastic cooking and a chance to do our laundry. You know, when I first realized we wore the same size clothes, somehow I thought we would only have half as much laundry to do. But that would only work if we took turns wearing clothes-you get odd days, I get even."
"And the other goes naked? And you think people look at us odd now?"
Feb. 14
Lucy
Thursday night the boys joined me for supper at Cooper. Danny was a lot more himself, no longer on any painkillers and feeling a lot better. And Billy was a lot less tense. They told me about the great encounter they had had with Danny's Economics professor and also the conversation with their dorm mate. It looks like things are finally turning their way.
Yesterday afternoon, I picked them up and brought them home for the weekend. I hadn't told Aunt Connie about Danny's 'accident' and she kind of freaked when she saw him. By prior agreement, we didn't let on that he had been attacked and let her think that it was an accident. We all love her and don't want her worrying. The boys went up to their apartment and I went into the house with Aunt Connie.
"Are you sure Danny's okay? You want me to call my doctor and have him come check him out? He'd do it for me."
"I know he would, but Danny's all right. He's got some stitches and a broken wrist, but he'll be okay. Do you really think Billy's not taking good care of him?"
"When you put it that way... They do take care of each other, don't they? But there's something else that's been on my mind lately. Do you have any idea what their financial position is? It's really rude to ask, but just consider what they've gone through in the last couple of months. I don't know how much they were dependent on their parents financially. I don't know how much they have on their own. But I'm worried about them. Have they said anything to you about money?"
"No. They never talk about money. I do know that they're working to make what they can. They haven't acted like they're broke of desperate or anything. Just that they're being responsible and staying on top of things."
"Maybe I can think of some way of prying without seeming to be prying by dinner tomorrow night."
Billy
It's nice to be home, And funny how much this feels like home. We spent two weeks in this strange little one room apartment over a garage and now it feels like home. Most of the late afternoon was taken up with laundry, down in the basement.
Lucy ordered pizza in, so we all ate together. I insisted on paying half, even though we really couldn't afford it.
Today, it was a little tougher. Valentine's Day. Our first together.
We planned it out and had enough to give Lucy and Aunt Connie a dozen long stemmed red roses each. They deserve them. We only had enough left over for one rose each for each other. We didn't tell them. But now we're down to less than $5.00 between us until Danny's modeling on Monday. After our earrings at Christmas, I was looking forward to being able to give each other something special for our first Valentine's Day. Now all we can afford to give each other is our love. But I guess that's something pretty special.
Dinner was fantastic. Again, Aunt Connie outdid herself. It is so good to have a real home cooked meal every now and then.
"You have got to be the best cook in New Jersey, Aunt Connie, I wish we could afford to have you drive meals down to me and Billy every day."
"I'd love to be able to. Which brings me to a question I've been wondering about for a while."
'Yeah?"
"Are you guys doing okay financially? I know it's rude to ask, but I also know you were struggling through last semester, and now you don't have your parents."
"I understand your concern, Aunt Connie, and appreciate it. But I worked all through high school and saved all of what I made. I have quite a bit of money in the bank. Not a fortune, but enough to get us by for a while. We're doing odd jobs to make money for day-to-day stuff so we can save the money in the bank for the big expenses. We don't mind working, we've both been doing that for a while, so I guess we'll make it."
"I know you boys are trying to make it on your own, But if you find you can't make it, or have a cash-flow problem, please come to me. God knows I'm not rich. I'm a schoolteacher, but I've saved a little to help Lucy and I could help you too, if you needed it."
It was amazing to hear Aunt Connie make that offer. And it also made me determined that we would never need that help. We're gonna make it. We need the help of all of our friends, but we're gonna do it without their money.
Danny
I managed to get through my answer to Aunt Connie without lying. Every word I said was true, though I didn't mention that I couldn't touch any of the money I had in the bank. Between the modeling and the blood, we're getting by, and should be able to save a little now that we've got our books. But we've got to find a way to make more. We've got to buy a reliable car and pay for next year, and no matter what kind of summer jobs we find, we're not gonna make enough for both.
"I'm really glad to hear that you guys are doing all right, money-wise, for another reason. In his last letter, Brad asked me to go to Ft. Lauderdale with him on Spring Break. And he invited you guys, too."
"I think we're gonna have to pass on that, Luce. I mean, Danny's the money man and keeps track of all of the details, but as far as I know, we've got enough for regular expenses, but I don't think we can afford something big like that."
"Brad's offered to take his new car, so the only expenses would be a hotel room and meals. Think about it. With three drivers, we could drive straight through. And you guys could really use a vacation."
"Sorry, Lucy, but I have to agree with Billy. Unless something big comes up for us, we have to stick to the basics."
"If you want, I could at least help you out for a little vacation, boys."
"Thanks, Aunt Connie, but if we can't do it ourselves, we're not gonna do it. You've already been so good to us."
God, this is so humiliating. I don't know if I can take much more of this. Billy must have seen it on my face and picked up on it.
"Danny, you don't look so good. Are you feeling okay?"
"Just a little headache. They still come and go."
"Do you want to lie down, honey?"
"No thanks, Aunt Connie, but a couple of aspirins would be good."
She got up and went to get them.
"Drop it, Luce. If we can make the trip, we'll let you know. But only if we can do it ourselves. Aunt Connie is a wonderful person who would give us anything, but we can't just keep taking. So please don't put us in this position again. Danny doesn't need this right now. Can we change the subject?"
"I'm sorry, guys. I guess I just got carried away with the fun we could all have on a trip together. I know it was rude to pry into your personal finances. And I also know that Aunt Connie is the most giving person on earth. We just both love you so much and want to be sure you're all right."
"Well, just take our word for it that we're fine, and leave it at that."
Aunt Connie came back with the aspirins for Danny.
"Thanks, ma'am."
"Didn't the doctor say you could take the bandage off your head today, Danny?"
"He did, but Danny decided to wait an extra day, just to be on the safe side."
Thank you, Billy. I didn't think I could talk right then. In fact, it was all I could do to keep from crying the rest of the meal. I barely ate anything the rest of the evening, just had some wine.
Lucy
Well, I royally screwed up at dinner. Aunt Connie handled the question of the boy's finances pretty well, but I pushed it too far. But when I realized they were doing okay, I couldn't help but bring up the trip Brad had suggested in yesterday's letter. I still don't quite get their reaction.
Maybe it's just as they said. That they have enough for school, but not much else. Or maybe they aren't doing as well as they said and are struggling to get by. But if that were the case, no way would they have bought those beautiful roses for both Aunt Connie and me. They were even nicer than the ones Brad sent me, and he's rich.
Whatever their situation, they've got a lot of pride. And Aunt Connie and I managed to step all over it today. I'm trying so hard to take care of these two boys I love so much, but I don't seem to know how. They take care of each other so well. Every now and then, one of them turns to me for help. So maybe that's my answer. Let them take care of what they can, but be there when they need some extra help.
Feb. 17
Danny
I took the bandage off my head Sunday and, though the stitches were ugly, the wound looked okay. It was so good to finally wash my hair. Or rather, have Billy wash my hair. And he was so gentle around the wound. I think I could easily get spoiled. I part my hair on the left, so I can comb it over the wound and it's not very noticeable. Modeling went well yesterday. I was really afraid Professor Adams wouldn't let me model with the cast on my arm but he said it added a new aspect to my poses. I hope Professor Cameron feels the same way about it. I feel bad that I missed her class last Wednesday morning, but I was still in the hospital at the time. She seemed okay when Billy called her to explain why I wasn't going to be there. But I lost the income from the class. And Wednesday is our blood/plasma day, so we both lost money from that too. Which is why we're so broke now. We've got to make that up somehow.
This morning I was back at Economics. One week after 'the incident'. Funny, when I went back last Thursday, I wished I didn't have to. Now, after our talk with Professor Morrow, it's my favorite class, in spite of the memories. I was ready to stall as class ended. The other kids were rushing out of the lecture hall.
"Mr. Stephens, I'd like a word with you if you have a minute."
Thank God for the good professor. Just then, I heard the whisper.
"Faggot, and teacher's pet, too?"
I quickly looked around. No one I recognized, no one looking at me, no one showing any sign of having just spoken. But I took note of all of the faces near me. It had to be one of them.
I took my books up to Dr. Morrow and told her what had just happened.
"I don't know who it was, but I've got it narrowed down to six or seven guys."
"Maybe, over time, he'll give himself away."
"To be honest, at this point I don't really care who it was. I just want to feel safe. And even if we catch this guys, or guys, there's always going to be someone else. So the real answer is for me to just keep my eyes open and be alert."
"I think you're right on that. But the reason I asked to speak with you is that I have a proposition for you and your friend. Ah, here he is now."
I looked over at the door and Billy was just walking in.
"Good timing, black boy. Dr. Morrow was just about to proposition us."
I don't know which was harder to believe-that Dr. Morrow blushed, or that I had been the one to make her blush. She quickly composed herself.
'Remember, I'm your teacher. It's not a good idea to be fresh. Anyway, I might have found a way for you two to make a little extra money. It's not much, but it's easy work."
"Anything is better than nothing. Tell us about it."
"Well, remember I told you about my brother? I saw him over the weekend and he had an idea. He and his other half host a poker party for some of their gay friends every week. He said the biggest nuisance that slows down the game is someone having to get up constantly to get snacks and make drinks. So he suggested that if you were willing to do that for them, they would each chip in a few dollars to pay you. It's not much money, but it's not much work either. And they're nice people. I know his friends. And you said you really didn't know any gay people, so this could be good for you in other ways."
"It sounds like fun. Where does he live?"
"Plainfield. It's not that far."
"No, except that we don't have a car, so we can't get there."
"I assumed that, so I made arrangements. The poker party is on Thursdays at seven. I leave here at six on Thursday. I could drop you off at Tim's house on the way home. It's really not far out of my way. And Tim said that either he or Evan would give you a ride back to campus."
"You've really planned this out, Dr. Morrow. Thank you. It sounds like fun, and we can really use the money."
"Then it's set. Be at my office at six on Thursday and I'll take you to meet a wonderful group of people."
Billy
Sunday we took the bandage off Danny's head. I know, I had one not long ago, but this one hurt me so much more than my own, seeing all of those ugly stitches holding together my baby's scalp. The wound looked good from a medical perspective, I guess. Danny looked at it in the mirror and said so.
"It looks like it's healing okay. No sign of any infection. Nothing but a closed line. No drainage. I guess it's okay."
"You sound like a doctor, Danny boy."
"It's just that I've been listening to my mother talking about patients at the dinner table every night for years and then spent two years working in the hospital. I'm completely ignorant of details, but I can usually spot when something's going right or wrong."
We fastened the bag around his cast and showered together. I got to wash his hair. I was very careful around the wound. Of course, we quickly discovered that the way for me to have the best overall view of his scalp was if he knelt in the shower in front of me. That way, I could look down on his head and see everything I was doing. It also put him in position to pay lots of attention to Billy junior while I washed his hair. Danny kept his lips locked tight around my dick while I washed him. Wouldn't want any shampoo to run down and get in his mouth. He fiercely sucked on my black club while I gently, very gently massaged his scalp. Just looking down at this beautiful white boy on his knees sucking on my big black tool was such a turn-on. In no time, I started to shoot rivers of cum down his throat. I let go of his head to keep from hurting him as I let go. Damn! He sure knows what he's doing. But then, I think anything he does to me would turn me on as much.
"Oh, fuck, Danny. That was so good. But you didn't come. Let me take care of you."
"You are taking care of me. Besides, I'm gonna fuck your brains out when we get back to school tonight."
"Oh, really?"
"Yeah, really."
At least I'm in love with a man of his word.
I walked into the lecture hall today to pick up my man. Wow! I can't believe how Danny has charmed his Economics professor. Obviously, she feels bad about his injuries. And maybe she's thinking of how she wasn't there for her brother when he needed her. And is taking this as an opportunity to make up for that. Whatever, we'll take it. We need money and we need friends. And this is a twofer. A chance for both. I guess we'll find out Wednesday night.
Feb. 19
Danny
Yesterday, we ate with Lucy at Cooper Hall. It's becoming a routine, mostly because Billy and I spend the end of the afternoon at the lab and have to walk back to Douglass to get the bus anyway.
"Guys, I know I said I wouldn't press the issue, but I got another letter from Brad today talking about Spring Break. What should I tell him?"
"Just tell him what we said. That right now, we can't afford it, but that we're working on it. So don't count on us, but leave room in the back seat just in case."
I couldn't believe I said that. I'm never that blunt. But things are happening a little too fast around me to take it all in at once.
"You mean it? You mean you might be able to go?"
"Lucy, I just don't know. There's nothing I'd rather do on Spring Break than go to Ft. Lauderdale. That's been in my mind since the first time I heard Connie Francis sing about it. "Where the boys are." Sounds good to me. And she's from Newark, just like Billy. But I'd be bringing my very own boy along with me, if we could do it."
"Yeah, Luce, you know we want to go. But let Danny work out the numbers and see if we can do it."
"I know Aunt Connie and I kind of stepped on your pride the other night, but if you work out the numbers and find you're just a tiny bit short, let us help. Having you along would mean the world to me. I've never gone away with a guy before, and, as much as I like Brad, I'm kind of nervous. I'd really like you to be there."
"We'll see what we can do. After all, it's six weeks away. Even Danny's cast will be gone by then. Who knows?"
Tonight was our first poker party. We were both kind of nervous. Neither of us has any experience being a waiter, and other than beer, we know nothing about fixing drinks. We talked about it on the way to Dr. Morrow's office.
"Do you think this is going to work out, Danny? We've never been waiters or bartenders before."
"I'm not sure, but I nominate you to be bartender. That can take two good hands and I've only got one. I can serve food with my right hand."
"Thanks a lot, white boy. If they want anything but a beer, I'll be lost."
"Hey, if they want mixed drinks, they'll tell you how to make them. Dr. Morrow said they were nice guys. But I'll have to admit, I'm a little nervous. I'm not good at meeting new people, and this is a whole bunch at once. Plus, they're older."
"Don't worry about it, Danny. Just be yourself and you'll charm the pants off them. Not literally, I hope. They'll be crazy about you. I wonder if they're all white and what they'll think of me."
"They'll think you're gorgeous and sexy no matter what race they are."
Dr. Morrow was ready to go when we got to her office. She must have sensed our tension.
"Relax, boys. I told you these are good people. They know you've never done anything like this before, so they'll all help you out. It should be fun."
"If you say so, ma'am."
We'd been riding about 15 minutes when we pulled up in front of a huge old house.
"This is it, boys. Come on in and I'll introduce you to my baby brother."
A good-looking man in his late thirties opened the door as we walked up the porch steps. There was a definite family resemblance to Dr. Morrow. They exchanged a tight hug and kissed each other on the cheek.
"So these are the cuties you were telling me about, Sis. You sure weren't exaggerating. So which is which?"
"Tim, this is Billy and this is Danny. Boys, my brother Tim."
"Nice to meet you, sir."
"Oh, please, none of that sir stuff. Technically, you're working for us, but we're all friends here and on a first name basis. Come on in and get the feel of the place. Can you stay for a bit, Barb?"
"Sorry, I've got to get going. You take good care of my boys."
"Don't you worry about that. They'll be fine. Everybody will love them."
We walked into a beautifully furnished home with huge rooms. Somebody obviously had good taste. There were two men in the living room. One was white, somewhat older than Tim with a little gray in his hair. Not bad looking for his age. The other was black, about the same age and a little on the heavy side, not exactly fat, but stocky. Tim introduced the white one as Evan, his lover of eight years, and the black one as Clay, their friend and attorney. I could see that Billy not only relieved to see another black face but also was impressed that he was a lawyer.
"You boys have got to relax. You both look scared to death. We're not going to bite," Evan said as we sat down.
"Not unless you want us to."
"Talk like that isn't going to help them relax, Clay. Okay guys, who wants to be bartender and who wants to be waiter?"
"I'll make the drinks if someone tells me how and Danny will serve the food."
"It's not going to be all that hard, guys. Come into the kitchen with me. As you can see, all the liquor and mixers are on the table, Billy. Along with a book of drink recipes. Anything you can't find in the book, just ask. If someone asks for a drink they don't know how to make, they don't deserve to get it. And Danny, here in the refrigerator are a couple of trays of sandwiches from the deli. Just put a half dozen on each of these small plates and put them on the table. When a plate gets empty, refill it. Same with these small bowls for pretzels and chips. That's all there is to it."
"That sounds easy enough. I think we can handle it."
"I'm sure you can. And relax. You're with friends. Speaking of which, I think some more may have arrived. I'll take you out and introduce you. By the way, I know it's confusing meeting a lot of strangers at once so I left a pad and pen on the counter. I've listed everyone's name, some individual characteristics and their favorite drink. You can add anything that might help you remember who is who."
There were two new arrivals when we got back to the living room, both white and around forty. Tim introduced them as Ash and Tommy.
"As soon as Mickey gets here, we'll get the game started guys."
"That could be a while. You know she's always late."
"There's a woman coming?" I naively asked.
Ash spoke up, "Almost, honey. He's a hairdresser."
Billy
I was a little intimidated when we pulled up in front of the house. I hadn't been expecting anything so big. But as soon as I saw a black face on the couch in the living room, I relaxed a little. Tim was really nice and friendly as he explained everything to us. This could end up being fun after all. Once we were back in the living room, we met the other two guys and a few minutes later, the last one showed up, the hairdresser.
"Okay, boys, why don't you go into the kitchen and get our first round of drinks ready and some food out on the table. We'll be starting the game in a minute."
While Danny piled sandwiches on plates and filled bowls with snacks, I looked over the list Tim had left on the counter. Man, is he thorough.
Tim- 38, gorgeous, brown hair, bank manager, Chardonnay Evan- 44, very handsome, salt & pepper hair, teacher, vodka & tonic on the rocks w/ lime Clay- 46, black attorney, Jack Daniels on the rocks Ash- 42, dark blonde, accountant, Budweiser in the bottle Tommy- 39, black hair, realtor, Chivas, straight up Mickey- 40, sissy hairdresser, Bacardi and coke w/ lime
I got to work on the drinks.
"Hey Danny, what's Chardonnay?"
"I think it's wine. Check the fridge."
"Here it is. And, on the rocks, does that mean over ice? I think I heard that somewhere."
"Yeah, one of my uncles used to use that expression."
"What about straight up? I think that sounds like plain, with nothing added."
"Sounds right to me."
"Well, at least there's nothing complicated about any of the drinks. But it would be nice if at least two of them drank the same thing."
"Okay, I'm ready to start taking the food out. When I'm done with that, I'll help you bring out the drinks."
"I should be ready by then."
Danny managed to pick up three plates of sandwiches and get through the door to the dining room. He made a second trip out with the chips and pretzels. He was back in a flash.
"They were sitting down just as I got all the food out. Let's take them their drinks."
With one last look at the cheat sheet Tim had left us, we took the drinks out and managed to get them to the right guys. After that it was easy, just refilling a plate or a bowl or a glass when necessary. The guys wanted us to stay in the room with them, so we started to get to know them. Getting used to their sense of humor took a while. At first, they seemed to be rude, almost insulting toward each other. And they came back at each other in kind. At first I thought maybe there were going to be a fight. But then I realized it was all in fun. They didn't mean any of it. They were just teasing each other.
It was all over before eleven. They all had work the next day. They each left four dollars on the table for us. Twenty-four bucks for an easy fun evening. Not bad.
After the others left, Tim and Evan helped us clean up in the kitchen.
"You guys were great, tonight. And I don't just mean your serving. You added something special to the night."
"Evan's right. I can't put my finger on it, but tonight was more fun than usual. Everyone seemed to have a better time. Maybe it was just having a couple of new faces in the crowd. A couple of cute faces, attached to sexy bodies, I might add."
"Speaking of which, we have a proposal for you. Barbara tells us that you also model for art classes to make money."
"Yeah, we each do one class at Rutgers and one at Douglass."
"So, I'm guessing that means you're not excessively modest, then?"
"Well, I'm a little modest, but Billy's pretty much an exhibitionist."
"Hey, white boy. You know you like to strut your stuff, too."
"Yeah, well, maybe you've created a monster."
"You guys are so adorable. You just fit together so perfectly. Anyway, here's our idea. Would you be willing to wear a different sexy outfit each week? Nothing outrageous, nothing too revealing. Just something hot each week. Something for our friends to look forward to."
"Specifically, what do you have in mind?"
"Like Tim said, nothing too far out. Maybe tight pants and no shirts one week. Or skimpy shorts, white for Billy, black for Danny. Or swim suits. Stuff like that. You don't have to, you know. What you're wearing right now is just fine, too. But we thought it might be fun to spice things up a bit."
"The problem I see is that we can't afford a new outfit every week. That would defeat the whole point of doing this."
"No, no, Danny. You've got it wrong. Just give us your sizes and we'll provide the outfits. You can keep them and maybe reuse the more popular ones."
"Well, we're both the same size. Pants, 29" waist. 30" inseam. Shirts, small is kind of tight, medium is kind of loose. So you guys will probably want to go with small. But it's up to you, Danny. You know stuff like this doesn't bother me. If you're okay with it, I'm okay with it."
"I guess I'm okay with it. But remember, Tim, if you do anything to embarrass us, I'll tell your big sister and she'll come over here and beat the crap out of you."
"Ouch! And I thought you were the sweet gentle one."
"He is. So keep that in mind, guys."