This story contains some explicit scenes of erotic 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 29
My 'father' and I had dinner at Minho. I put the word father in quotes, because I had no idea what I was supposed to call him. How do you call someone you've never met Dad? He was really a stranger, so Mr. Johnson would have been appropriate. He suggested Robby, to start anyway, but that seemed weird to me. So I didn't call him anything.
Over dinner he talked about his family, past and present. Chipper had told me a little about his background, so some of it was familiar. I learned that in addition to my half-brother Chipper, I had a thirteen-year-old half-sister named Kaitlyn, who was known as Kat. Apparently she took after her mother so I didn't have to worry about running into a smaller, female version of myself. I told him about my childhood with Aunt Aggie, Mom and Ralph. He grew visibly angry when I told him how I came to leave home.
"He beat you? You should have reported him to the authorities."
"It probably wouldn't have done any good. It would have been my word against his, and besides, even if they did something, I would have ended up in foster care, which might have been worse. So I just left. That's what I'd been planning all along anyway. It hasn't always been easy since then, but I've been okay overall."
"Well, I'd better never run into that jerk. I'm not a violent man, but I just might take his head off."
"I appreciate the support, but it's a little late for that." I wanted to bite my tongue as soon as the words were out of my mouth, realizing that I sounded a little bitter. I could see from the look on his face that he took the comment as criticism.
"I'm really sorry I wasn't there for you when it mattered, Jeremiah. I had no idea you even existed. I don't know exactly what I would have done if I'd known, but you can be sure I would have tried to help you and your mother in some way."
"It's okay. I didn't mean that as a dig. I just meant that the past is past and there's nothing we can do to change it, so I'd rather not dwell on it."
"That's a very mature attitude. I hope we can start our relationship on a positive note."
I shrugged. "I don't have anything against you, but like I said before, I don't know just what the point is here or how far this can go. It might be different if you lived nearby, but I can't see us getting to know each other very well from hundreds of miles away."
"Well, Chipper will be back in the fall, so you'll have a chance to get to know him better. I hope you two can really become brothers to each other. And that could help us develop a relationship as well." He smiled. "I'm a pretty good father to Chipper and Kat, if I do say so myself. Maybe I can be some kind of father to you as well."
"That could be nice. We'll see. I really want to see Chipper again now. We have a lot more to talk about." I grinned at him. "But no more sex. I think I've had my one and only shot at incest."
He rolled his eyes. "I don't even want to think about that, Jeremiah."
The next day he took me to Princeton for lunch. I think he felt more comfortable on familiar ground. He was flying back home in the evening so that was our last chance to talk. He asked me about my education and I told him about getting my GED and my plans to go to county college in the fall. I didn't even have the beginning of an idea of a career, although when he half-jokingly suggested banking I was pretty sure I didn't have any interest in that.
"I don't even have a bank account and I've never written a check. I don't think that's something that's in my genes."
"Well, it was just a thought." He hesitated for a few seconds. "You know, maybe I could help you with your college expenses. It's not much but I feel I owe you something."
"Please don't feel that way. I don't want you to do anything for me out of a sense of obligation. I'm pretty sure I'm okay with school expenses, anyway, but thanks for the offer."
There was along embarrassed silence after that. I hoped I hadn't offended him but I wanted to make it clear that I didn't want anything from him. He'd started off by accusing me of trying to blackmail him, after all. I didn't know if I wanted anything at all from him, but I sure didn't want his money and I had to make him see that.
"Okay, let's move on to another subject. This one might be even more sensitive, though. I hope you don't think I'm prying, or trying to be overly fatherly, but are you seeing anyone? I gather you weren't a couple of months ago when you met Chipper."
"You're right, I wasn't then, not really. But now I'm dating a guy that I met last fall. Since he goes to school in Connecticut we didn't really have a chance to start to build a relationship until he came home for the summer."
"So is this just a casual boyfriend or do you think it's something serious?"
"I don't really know. I thought he was pretty special from the minute I met him and now that I'm getting to know him I think that even more."
He asked me to tell him about Marcus and I told him what I knew.
"He sounds nice. I was thinking that when Chipper comes back to school at the end of the summer I might come with him and we could all spend a few days together. Maybe I could meet this fellow of yours then. What do you think?"
"Sure, that sounds good. I just met his family last week, so it's only fair that he go through the same torture."
He smiled. "And you'd be willing to spend a little time with me again?"
"Yeah, that would be cool. This all feels a little strange, like maybe I'm still in shock or something, but it feels good, too. I'd like to see you again after I've had a chance for it all to sink in."
He drove us back to Trenton, parked down the block from the rooming house and walked me to the door. We stood on the sidewalk and talked a few more minutes until he had to leave for the airport.
"I know what you mean about this feeling strange, Jeremiah. It feels odd for me, too. But, as you said, it also feels good. If I had to be surprised with a new, almost-grown son at this point in my life, I'm glad he's a fine young man like you. You haven't had an easy life but you seem to have come through everything quite well. I'm looking forward to getting to know you better, son."
"I feel the same way. I don't know if I'll ever think of you as a regular father, whatever that is, but there's something nice in knowing who I came from and that he's a good guy. I still don't know what to call you, though."
"Chipper and Kat call me Dad. You could, too, if you're comfortable with that."
"That may take a while, but I'll try."
"I've got to go now. When I made my flight arrangements to come up here I was thinking that this was probably going to be an unpleasant visit so I didn't plan on staying long. Please think about coming down to see us sometime this summer. You should meet your sister. And you've got grandparents on my side, too, assuming they don't drop dead when I tell them about you, that is."
I put out my hand to shake his, not sure exactly what was the appropriate way to say goodbye to a new father. He shook his head, smiled and held out both arms to me. I stepped into them hesitantly, but he wrapped them around me and pulled me into a long, warm hug.
"I'm pleased to have you as my son," he whispered in my ear.
"Thanks, Dad."
Saturday morning I met Patrick at the diner for a late breakfast. He had made an appointment for us to meet Derek's interior decorator at the condo and wanted to talk to me before we went there. He had signed the contract to purchase the condo during the week and wanted to explain the details to me.
"We got the one on the fifth floor that you wanted. The construction should be done by the first of August, so we can close on it anytime after that. The two-building complex is going to be quite nice. In addition to the private gym with sauna and steam rooms, there's going to be a community room that any resident can reserve for special occasions, a landscaped plaza between the buildings and a private parking lot in the back. The units will get one reserved parking place for each bedroom."
"That's two parking places more than Manny and I will need."
"I thought you wanted a car. That's the first thing you said to me when I told you about the inheritance."
Finally, an opportunity to ask. "Yeah, I do, but once you started talking about a condo I was afraid to bring it up again. I thought I'd sound too greedy."
"I'm glad you're being cautious in your thoughts about money, but don't worry about seeming to be greedy. As far as the condo goes, I've explained that that's just swapping one piece of real estate for another that is more practical. And you are co-owner of a car dealership. The trust fund gets half the profits of that each year, so if you want a car that would just be another way of taking your profits."
"So you mean I can still have a car?"
"Of course. I talked to your grandfather right after our first conversation and tentatively mentioned it. He seemed to think it was a perfectly logical request. He suggested that you look around at Ford models, decide what you want and then let him know. He can order the car you want and then you can either go down there to pick it up or he'll have it delivered to a local dealership."
"And I can have anything I want?" This was too good to be true.
"Within reason, babe. I trust you not to go overboard."
"I don't even know what cars are out there. I don't pay much attention to them. Maybe I'll get Marcus to take me out looking."
"That's a good idea. And you can look on the Internet, too. Nothing beats looking in person, but the Internet can give you some ideas."
"So what do we have to decide on today?"
"I don't know that we have to make any decisions right away, with the possible exception of the kitchen, that is, because all of that is built in. The rest of the decorating is all cosmetic and you can take your time."
"So how do I pick out a kitchen? I've seen model kitchens at Home Depot but I'm sure they don't have anything like that at the condo."
"We'll probably have to go by pictures. When I told Mr. Stewart we were coming by today he said they had a few standard kitchens they offered, but we could bring them anything we wanted. I'm sure Blaine will have some ideas."
"Blaine?"
"Yes, Blaine is Derek's decorator." He smirked. "Derek says his name is actually Alvin, but he uses Blaine professionally. Apparently he's a bit of a flamer."
"I guess it isn't only hustlers who use fake names. It doesn't matter to me what he is as long as he can make the place feel like home without costing too much. I really like the way he did Derek's place."
When we got to the lobby of the building, a man who I assumed was Blaine was waiting for us. Appearing to be in his late thirties, tall and slim with slightly long dark blonde hair and hands flailing about, he was chatting away with Mr. Stewart, who didn't seem to know what to make of him. Mr. Stewart, who had never been thrilled with the idea of a teenager buying one of his condos, acted relieved to see me. Patrick introduced us.
"It's so nice to meet you." Blaine held Patrick's hand a little too long, staring into his eyes. Then he turned to me. "And aren't you just too adorable? You can't possibly be the client. You're just a baby."
"I'm not quite a baby." He reminded me of the way some of Aunt Aggie's old lady friends used to fuss over me when I was little. I wasn't crazy about it then and I sure didn't like it as a teenager. "It's going to be my place, mine and a friend's, actually, but Patrick has a lot of say about what we do with it."
"Well, let's go upstairs and see what we have to work with. You can give me your ideas and I'll give you mine." He smiled and winked at me, making me wonder if he'd gone from babying me to coming on to me.
Mr. Stewart took us up to the model condo first where I showed Blaine around, telling him what I liked and what I didn't. They had a book of pictures of kitchen samples, cabinets, appliances, countertops, that kind of thing, so we looked through it and I showed him the style I liked, although nothing in it really appealed to me. Then we went up to my condo. It was my first time seeing my new home and I was nervous. I knew the floor plan was exactly like the model, but just knowing this was the actual space I'd be living in gave me a thrill. It seemed so much larger than the model because it was empty. The kitchen area was bare with just a few pipes and some wires sticking out of the walls. The floors and walls in the rest of the place were done, but there were no light fixtures.
Blaine just wandered around, lost in thought. I found myself gravitating to the bedroom windows, looking out on the view of the river. It was even better up here and I knew that this was the place for me.
"Well, we have a lot of space to fill up here, Jerry."
"I don't want to fill it up, Blaine, just make it comfortable. I like the openness of the place and want to keep it that way, not cluttered."
"Of course, I didn't actually mean 'fill up', just furnish. I was thinking that we could take a ride up to Derek's house and you could show me specifically what you liked there, and then I'll take you to a kitchen showroom out on Route 1."
"That sounds good to me. Patrick said we have to make a decision on the kitchen soon. I don't know if Derek is home, though."
"He's not, he's in New York visiting his daughter. I spoke to him yesterday. I have a key and he said we could look around."
Patrick left his car at the condo and we rode to Derek's house with Blaine. It felt a little strange being there without Derek. Blaine and I walked through the rooms, examining the furniture, rugs and curtains. The place was even nicer than I remembered it, though I hadn't been looking at it so closely the other times I'd been there. Patrick was wandering around on his own and I caught up to him in the master bedroom, staring at the big bed.
"What's up, Patrick? You, by the looks of that bulge in your pants."
He looked embarrassed. If he'd had a lighter complexion I'm sure he would have been blushing.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about you and Derek in this bed. I know that's rude of me to think of you that way, but the two of you must have been so hot together. He's pretty awesome looking and so are you."
"You and Derek were an item?" Blaine had come up behind us. "Talk about robbing the cradle." He looked me over from head to toe, giving me the impression he was undressing me with his eyes. "Still, it must have been hot. I'd love to have been a fly on the wall for that scene."
"Let's get back to the decorating, guys. You two are getting a little distracted." I led the way out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, getting Blaine's mind back on his job. I wasn't sure I was comfortable around him and preferred not being in the bedroom with him.
After a while we went to the kitchen showroom and looked over all their models. I saw a couple I liked and finally picked one after long discussions with both guys. Blaine assured me the stainless steel appliances were the current rage although I didn't see anything special about them. They did look nice with the dark wood cabinets and granite counter tops, though. Blaine then took us to his office, where he gave me furniture catalogs to look over while he talked business with Patrick. I was lost in the maze of furniture when he came over and put his arm around my shoulder. Without meaning to, I flinched and pulled away.
"Relax, Jerry, I'm not gonna bite. I hope you don't think I'm coming on to you, because believe me, I'm not. I'm not into kids."
"I didn't mean to act like you were, Blaine, but I'm not a kid."
"And I didn't mean to offend you with that comment. What I meant was that I'm into men, guys who are my age or older, big guys, take-charge, masculine guys. You know, men. I think you're adorable but you are so not my type. I'm just a touchy-feely kind of guy who loves to flirt and tease. Please don't take it the wrong way."
"Okay, I won't. I guess I'm just a little sensitive, that's all. I'm not used to guys touching me if they're not looking for something more."
"Well, please believe me, I'm not. Besides, I've got a husband who is all the man I want. You and I are going to be working together quite a bit this summer so I hope you can trust me and relax and we can be friends."
I felt a little better as we went over the catalogs and I showed him what I liked. He continued to touch me now and then but it wasn't anything sexual. By the time he took Patrick and me back to the condo I was feeling more comfortable with him. He went in to talk to Mr. Stewart about the kitchen arrangements and Patrick took me back to the rooming house.
"So you got all hot and bothered thinking about me and Derek doing it in that bed?" I teased him. He'd been pretty quiet ever since we'd left Derek's house.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't think of you like that. We had our time, and it was fun, but I don't mean to make you feel uncomfortable bringing it up again."
"It doesn't make me uncomfortable. I enjoyed when we went out, even though it didn't end up being what either of us really wanted. I like having you back in my life as a friend, too. We can't pretend the sex didn't happen just because our relationship has moved on to something else."
"No, we can't. Um, can I ask you something personal? I mean, I know it's not right to pry into other relationships, but I was wondering..." He hesitated and stuttered, which was so unlike him.
"Go ahead, spit it out. If it's too personal, I'll tell you, although I can't imagine holding back anything from you." Unless he was gonna ask me something intimate about Marcus, maybe, but I hoped that wasn't it.
"Well, you know, when we were together, I was pretty much the bottom in bed."
"Pretty much? You mean totally, except for that one time. You really like to get fucked."
"Yeah, I do." He seemed to be trying to blush again. "Anyway, I know you said you were versatile that way, that you could do either. So I was wondering, what did you and Derek do?"
"Uh, that is a little personal. Not that I wouldn't tell you anything about me, you already know it all anyway. But I don't feel comfortable talking about someone else's sexual preferences."
"I respect that, and I'm not just being nosy, Coy. You see, I think Derek is a really hot guy. I thought so right from that first time I saw you with him on New Year's Eve. And then at the cookout at Norman's house, I talked to him a bit and liked him even more. He's not only a hot stud, he's a fascinating guy, too. He comes across as a bit dominant, the kind of guy I like, though you can never be sure about appearances. So I was wondering if maybe he and I might be compatible and figured you would know more than anyone."
"You like Derek?" I stopped and thought about it. Actually, the two of them could be a good match. Derek liked younger guys who weren't looking for a daddy. Patrick was into more mature men. And sexually, they were perfect for one another -- a total top and a total bottom. "Well, I don't want to talk behind Derek's back, but I think it might work out for you two. The only way to find out is to try. Did he give any indication that he might be interested in you?"
"I'm not sure. He was nice enough and looked me over once or twice, but we didn't really talk much. He seemed pretty preoccupied."
"Yeah, he said he only took a couple of hours off from the primary campaign for the cookout. But now that the elections are over, maybe you could call him and go out on a date, see if anything comes up, so to speak."
"Do you think he'd want to, Coy?"
"Well, I can't be sure, I mean, I've never discussed you with him, but I think he would. I don't know why I didn't think of you two before. I think you'd be good together."
"Maybe you could call him and fix me up with him, then?"
'"I've already introduced you, Patrick. If you want to go out with him, you're going to have to ask him yourself."
To be continued.