This story contains some explicit scenes of love between males. If you are under age, or live in an area where reading stories that include sex between males is illegal, or if you're not into this type of story, please leave. The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at NJMcMick@yahoo.com.
The story is set in the fictional city of Trenton, New Jersey. Yes, there is a real city by that name, but other than being a state capital on the Delaware River, it bears little resemblance to the city in this story. While a few of the places mentioned may exist in reality, all of the characters and events are fictitious.
Chapter Ten
I slept late Saturday morning and treated myself to breakfast for a change. I hadn't had anything but cheeseburgers all week and now that I had a few dollars in my pocket I allowed myself to think about food and realized how I'd missed the breakfasts that Jung had made for me at work. As I ate I tried not to think about how I'd made the money, but afterwards as I walked around I thought about Rod.
I'd always pictured prostitutes as female, and really cheap looking. You know, tight short skirts, big boobs practically popping out of halter tops, tons of makeup and big hair. And, oh yeah, chewing gum. Really trashy, in other words. Not just their appearance, though. I'd always imagined them as hard and cold. I mean, you'd have to be, to sleep with so many strangers just for money. But Rod wasn't like that at all. He was a regular boy-next-door type, full of enthusiasm, humor and warmth. And he was caring, too. I could still feel his hand gently caressing the back of my neck, trying to make me feel better. According to what he'd said he'd been selling his services for a couple of years and yet he was still a nice guy. Of course, he was only working part-time and I didn't know what he was like when he was with one of his customers, but it seemed obvious to me that his profession hadn't turned him into a bad person.
A little after noon, I went back to the house and put myself through a long workout. I'd only done short workouts in the evening all week. After walking the streets all day looking for work I didn't have much energy left for lifting weights and my mood didn't help either. I showered and then got out a pencil and paper and tried to make some sense of my finances, or lack of finances. The guy at the unemployment office had said the first check would take 3-4 weeks. Assuming four, I figured out how much money I'd need until the check came, how much money I'd have to borrow from Norman. I was shocked when it added up to almost five hundred dollars.
There was no way I could ask him for that kind of money. I didn't even know if he had that much. I mean, he had a beautiful house but it must cost a lot to maintain and he was retired. Plus, he'd just been away on vacation for almost a month. He might be broke when he got back. There was a whole lot of difference between asking him to lend me five bucks for a couple of days so I could eat and five hundred for a month.
As long as I had the paper out I started playing around with figures, trying to estimate what I could hope to make at the kind of job I was looking for. I'd been desperately searching for anything as long as it was a job. But figuring on getting minimum wage or close to it, I realized that a part-time job just wouldn't cut it. At that low hourly rate I needed nearly forty hours a week to make ends meet. If I got a job like the one I'd just lost, it would have to be full-time. A waiter job with tips might work if it was part-time, but even that was questionable.
It was late afternoon and I was hungry again, so I went out to get something to eat. While eating my chicken sandwich I couldn't stop thinking about money. It was getting to be like an obsession. I thought again about Rod and the night before. If he was right and I could get thirty bucks for a blowjob and also be a lot choosier about who I went with, I wondered if I could do it. I broke the numbers down. Five hundred dollars was seventeen blowjobs. No way. That was out of the question. Doing one guy had made me sick the night before. Seventeen guys? Forget it.
In spite of that I found myself heading down to the park when I was done eating. I was curious and tempted to at least check it out. I'd spent a lot of time hanging out around the cruising area, watching the guys. I could do that again. I was sure I'd never be able to approach anyone, but if a guy who was semi-hot propositioned me, maybe I could do it. I didn't have to make it with seventeen guys. I had five days until Norman came home. Every dollar I made in that time was one less dollar I had to ask to borrow from him. And a reciprocal thing like last night would be sixty bucks. With a little luck I could make two hundred dollars by Thursday just by meeting one unobjectionable guy a night. I knew that was wishful thinking and most likely wouldn't happen, but there was no harm in looking. I didn't have to do anything I didn't want to do.
There wasn't anyone around the cruising area when I got there. It was still pretty early, so I decided to go down to my rock by the river and call Norman. I'd been calling him every Saturday and I wanted to make sure he was coming home on Thursday as planned. It was good to hear his voice. I still didn't tell him about my job situation, but just chatted about nothing in particular. He told me about his sister and brother-in-law, their married daughter and her kids, and how much fun Dixie was having. It sounded like he was having fun, too. Before hanging up he said he'd most likely be home in time for dinner Thursday and he'd call me when he got in so we could get together.
I sat on the rock for a while after talking to him, feeling guilty for even thinking about trying to make money at the cruising area. Just imagining about how he'd react if he knew made me feel horrible. But the alternative, begging him for all that money, didn't make me feel any better. As the sun disappeared over Pennsylvania across the river, I got up and went to check out the scene.
Usually when I observed what was going on there, I'd stand off to the side, keeping to myself, or walk through the area without stopping. I didn't want anyone coming on to me and for the most part it worked. But this time I was hoping to be propositioned because I wasn't going to be able to go up to anyone myself. And just because someone approached me didn't mean I had to say yes. I found a tree near the center of where the action usually was and leaned against it, hoping I didn't look like one of those hookers leaning on a lamppost in a red light district. Within ten minutes a nice looking guy not much older than me came by and suggested having some fun together. I remembered the line Rod had suggested and told him that I was working. He stared at me a few seconds, shook his head and moved on. That scene was repeated twice in the next half-hour.
I was beginning to think that Rod was wrong, that the attractive guys, the ones I wouldn't mind doing it with, weren't into paying, when a somewhat stocky guy around thirty stopped and chatted a minute. When he suggested going into the bushes, I gave him my line.
"Sorry, I'm working."
He thought about that and nodded. "All right, what are you into?"
Okay, now I was in new territory. Rod had said something about discreetly giving activities and prices, but how the hell do you do that?
"Um, I'm mostly into oral."
He nodded again. "How much?"
This was pretty direct, not very round-about. "Thirty." I figured the fewer words I said the better. If I couldn't be discreet I might at least claim he'd misunderstood me.
Another nod. "I'm into oral myself, but a little different. I'll give you forty if you let me rim that cute butt of yours."
When I'd thought about trying this out all I'd considered was sucking and fucking. There was no way I was going to let a stranger fuck me in the woods, so I'd decided to stick with sucking. I hadn't even thought about rimming. I'd loved it when Manny did it to me, but it was pretty personal. I wasn't sure I wanted to get that intimate with someone here. I nearly laughed when I realized that I wasn't thinking of having a dick in my mouth as intimate.
"Okay, have you got the money?" Rod had said to always see the money upfront, and try to get your hands on it before orgasm, if possible. The guy took his wallet out of his back pants pocket and pulled out two twenties. He showed them to me and put them in his front pocket.
"Follow me." He led me up a trail into a thicker part of the woods where there were lots of bushes. We only went about a hundred feet and he stopped and looked around. It was practically dark and I couldn't see anyone near us.
"All right, it's cool here. Drop your pants."
I unfastened my jeans and let them fall to the ground. Then I took a quick look around and pushed my boxers down as well. He stepped up to me and fondled my cock and balls. I was mostly hard before he even touched me. It wasn't him that was turning me on; it was more like the excitement of doing it outdoors and the slight danger involved that had me all excited. I stuck two fingers into his pants pocket, felt the bills inside and pulled them out. Then I turned around and bent over slightly, bracing myself with my hands on my knees. "Go ahead."
I was expecting to be grossed out or feel nauseous like I had the night before, but it actually wasn't bad. The guy knew what he was doing and the physical sensation was great. It was easy to pretend he was Marcus or Manny. I wasn't sure how long he wanted to rim me, but I had the money so I didn't mind. From the sound of it, he was stroking himself as he knelt behind me. He was getting more into it and suddenly he froze and I assumed he was cumming. He stopped and I heard him getting his stuff put back together. I bent down to pull up my pants and he patted my lightly on the butt.
"Man, you have an awesome ass. I hope I run into you again."
I held up the two twenties before I stuffed them in my pocket. "Anytime."
He took off back down the trail. I zipped up and rubbed my still rock hard dick through my jeans and thought about jerking off. Having a tongue up my ass had really gotten to me. I was lost in my horny thoughts and was startled by a voice only a few feet away.
"Now if you were a real pro you'd take that hard prick down to the roadway and pick up someone else. Use your horniness to make a few more bucks."
I turned and Rod was standing there smiling at me. "What are you doing here?"
"I should ask the same of you. My girl had a sorority thing tonight so I thought I'd see if I could pick up a little extra cash." He grinned. "And I was curious to see if you came back."
I was glad it was dark because I was blushing. "I thought a lot about what you said last night and decided to see how it all worked, to see if I could do it."
"Looks like you didn't have a problem. Well, maybe a little one." He stepped up to me and put his hand on my crotch, squeezing my still hard cock. "Whoa, I take back the little part. You know, I could help you out with that, if you'd like."
I giggled. "Then we'd have to pay each other, right?"
"Professional courtesy, no charge either way." He dropped to his knees and unfastened my jeans and pulled them down around my thighs, exposing my now dripping hardon. He wrapped his fist around the base of the shaft and slowly stroked it as he flicked his tongue around the edge of the head. After a minute he took it in his mouth and began sliding up and down on it, taking in more each time. Both Marcus and Manny had had trouble with the size of it. Neither was able to take the whole thing. The guy in the Volvo didn't even come close. But Rod had no problem at all. In no time my dick was buried all the way down his throat. I gasped at the tight sensation. He began bobbing and sucking like a pro, which is what he was, actually. I gave in to the awesome feeling and in no time I felt my balls draw up.
"I'm gonna cum," I hissed. He just kept right on sucking, even harder if that was possible. Seconds later I began to shoot. I tried hard not to thrust violently into him with each spurt, but didn't entirely succeed. He took it like a man, continuing to suck, and swallowed every drop. He was gasping as he pulled off after he had drained me dry.
"Damn that was sweet." He turned me around and ran his hands over my ass cheeks, then stood up, turned me again and kissed me lightly on the lips. "You're hung like a horse and have an awesome little ass. If you ever get into fucking you could make a mint."
I shook my head. "Not gonna happen. I like fucking but only with a select few guys I want to do it with."
"Well, maybe you'll let me into that exclusive club someday. I'd love to spend a little time in bed with you."
"Same here. Maybe sometime when neither of us is working." I grabbed his hard dick through his jeans. "How about I return the favor for you?"
"Thanks, but I just got here and haven't made any money yet. I think I'll save it."
As we walked down the trail to the road he gave me more advice.
"Oral sex is a lot safer than fucking, but it's not risk-free. I generally don't let customers cum in my mouth. It's best to make that clear to them before you start."
"Won't that put some guys off?"
"Some, but it's better than going ahead and then spitting it out. Besides, you've already run a risk at that point. Tell them they can shoot all over your face if they like. Some guys get off on that. But make sure you carry tissues with you to clean up. And I would suggest you not make active rimming a part of your repertoire unless you've had the hepatitis vaccine. Even then you run a risk with hepatitis C."
"Sounds like I've got a lot to learn."
"It's not so hard. Mostly common sense. You know most of it. Just keep in mind that with multiple sex partners you're increasing risk, so be extra careful."
When we got to the road he kissed me goodbye. I headed back to the city and he headed off to work. I was feeling very encouraged. In two nights I'd made eighty bucks and I really hadn't had to do much the second time. At this rate I might not have to ask Norman for any money at all.
It didn't turn out to be that easy. Sunday night I hung out in the park for over three hours and didn't make any money. A few guys propositioned me but only one was interested in paying and I wasn't interested in him. Monday I went back to pounding the pavement, looking for a job, this time on the south side of the city. The only offer I got was a part-time job that would have only paid half of what I needed to survive. I thought about taking it anyway, but realized that it would disqualify me for unemployment, so I held out for something full time. It started drizzling in late afternoon so I couldn't go to the park in the evening. Tuesday it rained all day so I couldn't go out and look for a real job, either. I spent most of the day in my room, reading and working out. I had to skip the park again that night. On Wednesday the sun came out so I could resume my job hunt. The only luck I had was that evening in the park when I found a guy who wanted to suck me and also get sucked.
Thursday afternoon I was wrapping up another fruitless day of searching when Norman called to let me know he was home. He invited me to come over at six for something to eat. I went back to my room, had a short workout and shower and then left for his house. As I walked I tried to decide what to do. I was ten dollars short for my rent the next day. If I could find one guy in the park later on that would be enough to cover the rent and feed me for a few days and I could probably make more money over the weekend. I might be able to hold off on asking Norman for help until next week. I didn't feel good about either choice. Doing guys in the park left me with a vague depressed feeling. I knew it should have fed my ego, knowing that there were guys willing to pay for a few sexual moments with me, but it actually had the opposite effect. But asking Norman for money would be so humiliating. It would be acknowledging that I couldn't make it on my own. I decided to wait and see.
Norman greeted me with a huge hug. Dixie nearly knocked me over in her enthusiasm.
"I didn't feel like cooking after spending the day on the road, so I thought we could order pizza if that's okay with you."
"Sure, pizza would be great."
He called and ordered a sausage and pepper pie and suggested I play the piano while we waited. It was good to have the chance again. I hadn't realized how much I missed it while he was gone. About an hour later the pizza was delivered. We ate in the kitchen and I asked him about his visit with his family. I wasn't sure what I was going to tell him about my job and I wanted to put it off. He told me several brief stories about the trip, keeping them short so he wouldn't bore me talking about people I didn't know. Finally, he asked what was new in my life. I took a deep breath and told him about the fire and my search for a new job.
"I've been looking for anything but I'm pretty limited, both by my background and my lack of transportation. If I find something like what I had before it has to be full time. I'd rather get a waiter job because that has more potential and is more interesting, but no one seems to be hiring."
"How are you getting by? Do you need anything?"
There was my opening. I didn't have to ask or beg him. He was offering help. All I had to do was say yes, please help me. But I just couldn't do it. My stupid pride got in the way.
"Thanks, but the unemployment benefit is just enough to get me by. I should be all right until I find something."
"Are you sure? If you need any money I'd be glad to help out."
There it was again. A little voice in the back of my head was screaming, 'Say yes, take the money!' but I couldn't get my mouth to cooperate.
"I really appreciate the offer, Norman. You're such a great guy. I'll let you know if I need anything."
And with that I closed the door. Idiot! Now I was going to have to find some guy in the park on the way home and I wasn't in a position to be choosy. What a jerk I was. I tried to put it out of my mind and enjoy the rest of the evening but I couldn't shake the feeling. I also knew I had to cut the evening short since I had to go to work. Fortunately the long drive Norman had had was catching up to him and he started yawning a little after nine so I got up to leave.
Norman gave me one last chance as he hugged me goodnight. "Remember Jerry, if you need anything at all, I'm here for you. Don't be afraid to ask."
"Thanks, Norman, you're a good friend, but I think I've got it covered."
As I walked through the park I thought about my stupid pride. It was beneath me to accept help from a good friend but somehow it was okay for me to blow strangers in the bushes. That was pride? I made up my mind that I wouldn't let myself go any lower than I already had. If I couldn't find a decent guy in the park tonight, I wouldn't settle for a creep. I'd go to Norman in the morning and ask for a loan. I ended up being lucky. Or maybe not, depending on my ever-changing point of view. I was standing alongside the road for only a few minutes when a car pulled up. The driver looked to be in his early thirties and was a bit of a geek. After we chatted a few minutes he parked and we went far enough into the bushes to be out of sight. I knelt down in front of him and sucked him off. He came all over my face, paid me the thirty bucks and left. I was relieved as I walked home. I had enough to get me through another few days.
Things were pretty much the same for the next week. I looked for a job during the day and cruised the park at night, weather permitting. I had no daytime luck but some in the evening. I wasn't in a panic anymore about either. I knew I could make some money doing not so objectionable stuff in the park. I discovered that I preferred sucking a guy to being sucked, which sounds odd but made sense to me. It was just that if a guy sucked me I had to get aroused and come. That wasn't so easy with someone I didn't care for. But sucking a dick was sucking a dick. I could close my eyes and concentrate on the job at hand, not worrying about whether I was getting off on it.
And if I didn't make enough in the park, there was Norman. Plus, unemployment might surprise me and send the check early. Every day I got closer, at any rate. It wasn't so bad, really it wasn't. I kept telling myself that.
Early the next Thursday evening I was leaning against my tree by the side of the road in the cruising area, waiting to be approached. A silver Buick pulled up and stopped. As the window on the passenger side lowered I moved toward the car, leaning over to see the driver. I froze when I saw it was Norman.
"Get in the car." He sounded pissed. I didn't know what to do.
"Um, I'm busy, Norman. I'm waiting for someone." I started backing away.
"Get in right now, Jerry," he practically shouted.
I looked around to see if anyone was watching us. I didn't want to cause a scene and I definitely didn't want anyone hearing him call my name. I went back over to the car and heard the door unlock as I got close. I opened it and got in, hoping I could convince him that whatever he wanted me for could wait until our Saturday dinner. Once again I didn't have quite enough for the rent the next day and needed a trick tonight. But as soon as I was in the car he put it in gear and sped off.
"Norman, I can't go anywhere with you. Like I said, I'm waiting to meet someone."
"They can just wait, then."
He didn't say another word as he got on the highway and drove the half mile to his house. As we rode I was first a little concerned about his attitude and then a little angry. What right did he have to be ordering me around? He parked the car in the garage and I followed him into the house.
"Okay Norman, what's your problem?"
"My problem? What the fuck are you doing, Jerry?"
I was shocked. He'd never cursed in front of me before.
"What do you mean? I was just hanging out in the park. You know I go there a lot. We've talked about it. In fact, we met there."
"Don't play innocent with me. Blake said he's seen you there a number of times recently, and you're not just hanging out. You're tricking, and you're taking money for it."
Fuck! I'd seen Blake a couple of times but it hadn't occurred to me that he'd tell Norman he saw me. I'd avoided him, not for that reason but because I still found the idea of him and Norman together to be a little unsettling. I realized I was nailed and there was no point in denying anything.
"Okay, so I'm doing a little hustling to make ends meet. It's not much and it's not a big deal."
"Not a big deal?" I thought he was going to explode. "How can you say that? You're selling your body on the street. You're a whore!"
"Whoa! Stop it right there. I don't think you have any right to talk to me that way. After all, look what you're doing with Blake. You don't have any problem with that and I don't see you calling him a whore."
"That's different."
"How is it different? Because it's okay for you but not for me?"
He took a couple of deep breaths and seemed to be trying to calm down. "I didn't mean that. Look, I'm sorry I called you that. I'm just so appalled at this. I'm forty years older than you, Jerry. I know what I'm doing and I can take care of myself. And Blake's a lot older than you, too. He's mature enough to keep it all in perspective. But you're just a kid, a sweet, innocent, impressionable kid. You could get hurt, physically and emotionally. You can get trapped in a lifestyle you don't want."
"I can take care of myself, too. I'm not a little kid."
Norman sighed. "I know nineteen isn't a little kid and you've done a pretty good job taking care of yourself so far, Jerry. It isn't that. But there's something so innocent and idealistic about you. You have a romantic soul. I'd hate to see that destroyed."
"I'm not letting any of this destroy anything inside me. I'm just doing what I have to do and that's it. You have no idea how hard it's been for me."
Without any warning I started to cry. I'd been holding it all in for so long and just starting to talk about it broke the wall I'd built up. Norman took me in his arms and held me, letting me cry myself out. When I finally got myself under control he gave me a box of tissues. I blew my nose and dried my eyes.
"I don't know, but that's because you haven't told me. Don't keep it all inside, Jerry. Tell me what's going on."
We'd been sitting on the loveseat in the den but I got up and started pacing around in circles, trying to pull myself together and figure out what to say. I wanted to tell him everything, but I knew I had to at least hold back my age. He thought I'd just turned nineteen, not seventeen. While I didn't think he'd turn me over to the authorities to be sent back to Ralph, I knew that legally I was a minor and a runaway, so I didn't want to put him in an awkward position. I finally started in on my story, trying to keep as close to the truth as possible, telling how much Ralph and I disliked each other, how I'd tried to make money to get away from him but that he'd taken it from me as fast as I made it, that finally I'd just left and stopped in Trenton to try to make enough to continue on to New York. I made it sound like that had been a while back. Okay, I was mixing things up a bit I was still being a lot more honest than I had before.
"I was doing okay working for Gert but I was just getting by, not able to save anything for emergencies. And I'm really limited about what kind of jobs I can get." I swallowed hard before continuing. "A while back you suggested I go to college to improve my life. I'd really like to, but you see, I never graduated from high school. I'm a dropout." I was so embarrassed I couldn't look him in the eyes. I stopped pacing and stared out the window, afraid I was going to start crying again.
Neither of us said anything for a few minutes and then I felt his hand on my shoulder.
"Come back and sit down and let's talk."
I returned to the loveseat and he sat in a chair facing me.
"Okay, we have a few things to work on. First, your immediate shortage of money. What would you say to moving in here for a while, until you're back on your feet?"
I was stunned. In all of my dithering about asking Norman for help, I never even considered anything like that. I only thought of asking for a loan, not a place to stay. I looked around and gave it some serious thought. This place was a million times nicer than the rooming house. And Norman was a great cook, too. But I knew I couldn't do it.
"I don't think that would be a good idea, Norman. We're both used to living alone and we're very different and we'd probably get on each other's nerves in no time."
"I don't know about that. This is a big house. It's not like we'd be tripping over each other."
"Besides, I know I'd want to get back out on my own as soon as I could, and while the rooming house isn't so bad right now, I think it would be really hard going back to a place like that after living in a place like this. I'd get spoiled living here. And what would people think if I moved in here? I'd feel like your kept boy."
"I don't care what people think and I don't think you do either. But I can understand how important it is for you to stay on your own. Okay then, how much money do you think you'll need to get by for a while?"
"I really don't know. It depends on when the first unemployment check comes. After that I should be fine."
"C'mon, Jerry, don't be shy. I'm sure you've given it some thought. How much do you need?"
I did some quick figuring. I started with five hundred and subtracted what I'd made in the park.
"Two hundred fifty should do it, assuming the check isn't any later than they said."
Norman got up and left the room. He was back in a minute with money in his hand and gave it to me.
"I keep a little cash on hand for emergencies. I guess this counts as one." He sat down again.
"I'll pay you back out of that first check."
"You don't have to do that, Jerry."
"Yes, I do. That check is supposed to be for my expenses right now anyway. I don't need charity, only a loan."
"Okay, if you feel that way, I understand. Now, in the short-term you need a job and in the long-term you need a high school diploma. I have a couple of ideas for both. Let me look into them and get back to you. In the meantime, if you need anything, come to me. You got that?"
"Yeah, I got it. I can't tell you how much this means to me, Norman."
"I'm just helping out a friend. You're a sweet young man and I want to make sure you stay that way."
"You know, working the park the last couple of weeks wasn't so bad. It's not like I enjoyed any of it and it isn't something I'd choose to do, but it was tolerable for a while. It's kind of good to know I have that to fall back on if I have to."
"But you won't have to now."
"Yeah, I know, thanks to you. You're the best, Norman."