Half Past Sunset, An Hour Before Dawn-5
All rights reserved. Copyright held by the author. This is a work of fiction containing explicit sex and graphic language. If you are offended by such, underage, or live in a state or territory where literature of this nature is unlawful, please exit now and read no farther....R.C.
"HALF PAST SUNSET, AN HOUR BEFORE DAWN"
by
Ritch Christopher
Chapter Five
"CHARLENE AND JOHNNY"
Charles Van-Scott Thompson IV, son of the Mobile, Alabama "Thompsons", had been a rough-neck hellion most of his adolescent life. He would antagonize anyone, any size, any age just to pick a fight. When he was only fifteen he started wearing various shades of red t-shirts just so the blood wouldn't show after a Friday night brawl at a local teen club. When he was just a kid he was always getting into trouble just so his parents would spank him. Soon the spankings turned into beatings and as the painful punishments progressed, the more Charles learned to love them. He liked pain, giving it as well as having it inflicted on himself. He wore black eyes and a bloody nose as if he had received a medal. His parents knew from his early age that something was wrong with the child and tromped him off to every psychiatrist in the Mobile Yellow Pages trying to get him help or at least curtail his mean streak. Everything was tried on him...pills, therapy, even yoga, out of desperation, but nothing seemed to work until one afternoon in Charles' junior year at highschool. The principal sent him to the gym for the coach to administer corporal punishment on him.
The coach had a large paddling board with several holes bored it in to make the punishment more severe. Charles liked it so much that he began acting out in each of his classes just to have his half hour session with the coach every afternoon. He was not very muscular with almost a wire frame. One afternoon while Charles waited around for his daily paddling, he watched the coach working with two of the varsity wrestlers. This was the real sport, not like the fake stuff he'd seen on TV with the WWF. The two guys on the mat were really going at each other. Their faces grimaced as each wrestler tried to best his opponent. Charles watched with great interest drawing closer to the match. The coach became aware of Charles and asked him if he would like to have a go at the sport. This looked like real fun to Charles. The coach chose the larger of the two wrestlers, outweighing Charles by at least 100 pounds and touting much larger muscles, to go one round with Charles.
Charles slipped off his Addidas and jeans leaving on his briefs, t-shirt, and white socks and imitated an opening crouch position. The huge wrestler made a lunge for Charles but being smaller, Charles was more swift and ducked so that the large boy landed in a heap on the mat. This tickled Charles and he laughed out loud, irritating the kid flat on his stomach. He got up and tried to get Charles in a hold once more, but Charles was just too fast. He dodged the advance of his opponent as the big guy missed and this time landed on his head. This was just too much fun for Charles. The third time, Charlie stooped down and the kid went over Charles' back and Charles raised up so the guy did a flip and landed on his back with a thud. Charles wasn't the only one amused. The coach was laughing so hard to himself he had to fake a coughing spell. The guy on his back sensed the coach's amusement and became angry, walking away to the showers, foiled and disgusted.
"Did you enjoy that?" the coach asked Charles.
"Yeah, it was all right. He gave up too easy, though." Charles replied.
"You were just lucky, that's all. He'd been working out for an hour before you got here. If he'd've been fresh, he would've flattened you." the coach said.
"Maybe...maybe not..." Charles quipped. "Hey, do you want to spank me while I have my jeans off?"
"No! Those holes in the board would rip your underwear. I don't think I'll paddle you today. Instead, I want you to bring a pair of gym shorts and come back to the gym tomorrow afternoon and try a couple of rounds with some more of the guys. Whaddya say?"
"Sure, if it's your idea to have one of them beat me up on the mat, you may be disappointed."
"We'll see." the coach said, smiling an evil smile. God! How he hated that kid.
On the way home from school, Charles stopped at a video store and picked up three tapes of world famous wrestlers to get a few ideas. He went home and settled in his room, drinking a "near-beer" out of the refrigerator. He stripped down to his briefs and lay back on the bed to watch the videos. The more he watched, the more aware he became of their muscular bodies and the way they touched. Some of the wrestlers were even grabbing a hold on the other one's crotch and the opponent didn't seem to mind. Charles hadn't noticed but the tapes were actually turning him on, he was getting sexually aroused. He just pushed his penis down and kept watching. The second tape was in vintage black and white featuring some of the older pros. He watched the highlights of three matches but then there was a fanfare in the arena and the crowd on the tape started whistling and shouting as they parted for the star to arrive. It was a wrestler named Gorgeous George. Charles could not believe his eyes as the muscular guy entered the ring with curly bleached blonde hair and make up. This guy was made up like a fucking woman. Charles couldn't wait to see the "hero" get his ass whipped...but no one could lay a hand on the blonde creature. Every time the opponent would make a wrong move, George would strut around the ring like some beauty queen. Charles laughed hysterically. The tape ended and Charles just lay there looking at the ceiling and thinking.
He was home alone and he went into his mother's bedroom, sat down at her vanity table and reached for her make-up. Within minutes he has transformed his face into a thing of beauty. He looked in his mom's closet for a huge box of wigs...all colors, sizes, and different styles. He saw a blonde one like the one he'd seen George wear, but instead he chose one with long brown locks curled at the end. He rushed to the mirror to get it straight on his head...now for the clothes. His mother's wardrobe rivaled Baron's of Birmingham's and for the next half hour he changed from dress to suit to evening gown to lingerie. Everything looked good on him and each thing he tried on looked better than the last. Never had he been so excited before. He tried on different wigs, changed lipstick shades, eye-shadows, pencils, and mascara brushes. Just like Columbus, Charles had discovered a new world.
He knew his parents would return home around seven, so he carefully put everything in its proper place and cleaned his face. When they arrived, he met them with a smile. He had a secret that he would reveal to no one. All through dinner, he made light conversation with his mom and dad. The two of them kept their guard up waiting for the other shoe to fall when Charles returned to his old self. But he didn't. After supper, he cleared the table and washed the dishes. The only thing his parents could think was that the latest doctor must have found a miracle drug that finally worked on their son. They continued to watch him in disbelief as he joined them in the family room to watch the Billy Graham Crusade on TV, followed by Barbara Walters' "20-20".
Charles had kept one of his mother's outfits and put it in a small suitcase in his room, along with make-up, a wig, and a pair of high heels. When his parents had gone to bed, Charles went down to rummage through his dad's CD collection and listened to bits and pieces of soundtracks and various instrumental selections. He found a John Williams fanfare, grabbed it and placed it in a carrying case next to his portable CD player.
The next afternoon at school, just shortly after 3:30 PM. The entire wrestling varsity squad had assembled in the gym with the coach for their afternoon practice. About ten minutes later, the gym was filled with the loudest brassiest Olympian fanfare blared out as Charles entered the room in full drag, wig, and make-up. He wore a black see-through negligee covering a pair of black silk trunks and a pair of slinky pump high heels. The wrestlers hooted, squealed, and whistled at the spectacle they were beholding. The coach's jaw dropped almost to his chest before he yelled, "Charles! What the fuck are you doing?"
Charles took baby steps toward the coach, blowing kisses to the boys, and leaned over to his coach to do his best Marilyn Monroe imitation, saying, "Sorry, Coachums, Charles couldn't make it, so he sent me, his sister, Charlene, instead." Thus, Charlene was born and this was just the beginning of the end of Charles Van-Scott Thompson the fourth. Needless to say, Charlene did no more wrestling, nor did Charles for that matter. Just like the song says, "The sound of applause is delicious" and Charles had heard his call.
For the next few weeks, every private moment he had in his house, he concentrated on making himself beautiful. He went through every drawer and closet of his mother's trying on everything. He wanted to establish a "look" for himself, even if it were for his own enjoyment. Soon he had the exact hair, make-up and wardrobe that suited each of his moods. He constantly played his dad's CD's, listening to Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Vicki Carr, and Nancy Wilson, learning their songs, lyrics, and phrasing while practicing for hours in a mirror. A star was being born, but no one knew about it, yet.
Charles wasn't gay, or at least he didn't think he was. He'd never had sex with a guy, nor ever thought about it. Of course, he'd never had sex with a girl either. He'd learn to masturbate when he was thirteen but it was just a passing fancy. It didn't excite him and he hadn't done it that often as he'd much prefer to fight and bleed, but if it took a woman's sexuality to complete his image, then he'd go for it. If he had to suck a cock or fuck a man, then so what? It was just a physical act with no emotional involvement.
He had heard at school about boys giving or receiving blow jobs at the public library. That was as good a place as any to find out what it was like. His parents couldn't believe it when he started coming home with library books four or five nights a week. They were suspicious, but pleased at the changes in their "once" troubled son.
The first time he went into the bathroom at the library, he saw what a glory hole was. He sat fully clothed on the commode while someone in the next both slipped him a note under the connecting wall, saying, "Show hard". It only took him a matter of minutes to decipher this code as he quickly unzipped his pants and worked on his member until he had a full erection. He was a bit nervous about poking his weiner into the hole for fear someone would slice it off with a knife or worse. But when he got the nerve to try it and slowly slid it through the round opening just to the left of the toilet tissue dispenser, he found a new meaning to the word, "wow". This was the greatest feeling of his life. The mysterious stranger in the next stall was giving Charles an unimaginable pleasure. Charles climaxed in a hurry and then it was his time to return the favor to his benefactor. "Heck, it's just skin and muscle", he thought as he stared at the protuberance facing him. He took his time easing his lips over the glans as he heard an "ooh", the sound of delight, coming from next door. His first blow job became a game to him. He wondered how many things he could do to a penis and get different verbal responses. He learned rapidly what to do, when to do it, and how fast. In a few short weeks, guys were lining up outside the adjoining stall in the men's room. Word about him got around really fast. He found pride and satisfaction over the way he could give head, although occasionally, the "old" Charles would creep into his thoughts and he wanted to bite a dick to watch it bleed, but he never did.
One night while he was being the library's star attraction, he heard two guys in the line waiting for him, talking about a new drag show at the Diamond Belly Jewel. They were remarking how pretty the "girls" were and how you couldn't tell if they were women or men. This intrigued Charles until he got home and looked in the telephone directory for the club's listing and address.
The following Friday night, instead of going to the movies, as he'd told his parents. He went to the "Jewel" and saw his first drag show. The "girls" looked fantastic to him, but in the back of his mind he knew he looked better and could certainly lipsync a record as well as they.
One week later, he packed his drag gear in a suitcase and went to the library to change in his favorite booth. And quicker than Clark Kent could become Superman, Charles became Charlene. He took a cab to the "Jewel" and asked the owner if he could perform. The owner was overwhelmed by Charlene's beauty and took her Streisand CD. The third "girl" to entertain was Charlene pantomiming "Don't Rain On My Parade". Guys lined up along the stage to give her tips. She thanked them with a hug and a tiny kiss on their cheeks. The crowd went wild with whistling, cheering, and clapping. They wanted an encore. The fourth "girl" to perform was pissed because of Charlene's successful debut, but stood back to let Charlene do "I'm the Greatest Star". Again, the walls rumbled with thunderous applause. Charlene took about a dozen curtain calls and went off stage trembling but feeling wonderful. It was an hour later that she counted her tips and found she had made over $500.00. Charles was about to disappear forever.
The first time he decided to go home in full drag, his parents were shocked to death at what they saw. At first they thought Charles had dressed up for Halloween or a costume party, but then they demanded an explanation and Charles told his parents everything, leaving nothing to the imagination, including his adventures at the library. His mom and dad didn't know whether to call the police or a psych hospital to have him admitted. Instead, his parents had read many books about "Tough Love" and thought the best approach would be to throw him out of the house and have the locks changed and deny his coming home until he "saw the light" and changed back into "Charles". However, with the amount of money Charlene could make doing drag shows, she didn't need to live at home. She could afford her own apartment and bought her own boudoir.
She became a "regular" at the "Jewel" and soon made friends with one of the bartenders there, who was to become her roommate and her best friend for life. His name was Johnny Livingston.
Johnny was shyly handsome which is to say he wasn't aware of his good looks. He was the middle son of three, Thomas, John, and Edward Livingston. Their father, Paul, was a well-respected physician in Big Sur, California which was practically a stone's throw from Monterey and Carmel. Because of the publicity the area had, especially the TV exposure it received from the annual Bing Crosby golf tournament, Big Sur was an erudite locale. Only people with money lived there. The most enticing view of scenery included the cypress trees, huge crags of rocks, and tremendous waves crashing on the boulders. Paul Livingston had moved to the area during the hey-day of the hippies in the late 60's. Paul had been a flower child and a rebel at Berkeley University, where he later returned and completed his M.D. degree. All three of his sons were conceived while both parents were high on LSD, which might have accounted for their off-springs' emotional instabilities. All three boys with their gorgeous bronze skin, trimmed torsos, blue eyes, and blonde hair, were slightly inept in their scholastic aptitudes.
The three brothers were only a year apart in their ages which explained why they attended the same high school together. When any or all three walked down the hallways of the school, the girl students' hearts were aflutter, even letting out catcalls and whistles. The whole scene was amusing since none of the three were interested in the female anatomy. Tom, the oldest, had his first gay experience when he was fourteen. He indoctrinated his brother, John, with the joy of blowjobs and anal intercourse, who, in turn, passed the sexual knowledge on to the youngest. Edward. None of three had any inhibitions as they swam in the pool and walked around inside their house totally nude. They didn't bother to cover themselves when either of their parents or house servants were present. They exposed themselves quite naturally when guests arrived. Nudity was part of their lives and if any of them sprang an erection in front of anybody, then, so what? Don't all men get boners? They were never overt with their sexual activities. They kept those moments private, only when they were alone or in the bedroom they all shared. If any of them brought home a male school mate, then all of them indulged in the "games". AIDS wasn't known about yet, so there was never a need for condoms for themselves or their guests. There was never any jealousy among the three in their quests because the had an unwritten rule concerning no emotional attachments or involvements with anyone.
All three of them were pranksters and loved to play tricks on others, not maliciously, just in good fun. One of their favorite games to play involved a transformation of Johnny, who was the middle brother and the "prettiest", so to speak. When Johnny was only seventeen and Tom, the oldest, who was eighteen, would go on dates on Friday evenings in nearby Monterey. To pull off their little game of deceit, Edward, the artistic brother. would spend all Friday afternoon making up Johnny to look like Joanna. This overhaul started at the head and went all the way to the toenails, using Elizabeth Arden "this", and John Roberts Powers "that", with bits and pieces of Lanvin and Max Factor thrown in for good measure. When the face, hair, fingernails, and toenails were completed, Johnny would slip on a pair of his mother's Caribbean pants, a midi-blouse tied in the front, a scarf bandana around the head like a kerchief, and a pair of backless high-heel sandals. This is what he wore to go downtown to one of the chicquest dress salons and try on as many as possible before deciding what to wear on the date with Tom, later on that evening. Once the selection of the complete outfit was finished, Johnny used his dad's credit card to purchase the entire ensemble, sometimes totalling over $1.500.00. Johnny and Tom knew to be extra careful because everything they bought on Friday had to be returned for full credit by Monday. Since the refund exchange cancelled the charge on the American Express, their dad had never noticed any unusual items on his monthly bill.
Kim Novak, the beautiful blonde star of "Vertigo", lived in Carmel and the local residents were accustomed to seeing her around town shopping or dining with various celebrities who would drive up from Tinseltown to spend a weekend with her. Poor Kim never knew that she could be seen in two different places at the same time on any given Friday night, because Edward could make his middle brother look exactly like her down to the exact light blue eye-shadow, "pencilled-in" eyebrows, and lavender hair. When Tom would escort Johnny into a restaurant, fashionably late, say around 9:00PM, all heads would turn and a whisper would start and travel like a wave all the way across the room with..."Look, there's Kim Novak"..."Is that her date? He looks like a kid"..."Can't Kim find someone her own age. Why she's practically robbing the cradle!". The fun part of all this was that everyone assumed it was the real Kim and she had to be in her early 30's by now, so all eyes focused on her "date" who actually looked like an 18 year old boy (which he was). Tom would order champagne...no one was going to "card" Kim Novak's escort. Tom and Johnny kept up this masquerade all evening pretending to whisper sweet nothings in each other's ear and Johnny had the real Kim's husky laugh down to a tee, as he had seen her in "Jeanne Eagels" and "Sanctuary" at least a dozen times each.
Some nights when Edward's artistry looked extra good on his brother, Tom would take Johnny dancing or to the local playhouse in Monterey. The actors who were giving a performance would get nervous knowing that the blonde bombshell had come to see them...and who knows...maybe she would like one of them and offer him a part in her next movie? One night the playhouse was doing a live performance of William Inge's "Picnic", one of Kim's best movies. The cast, behind stage was so nervous with jitters from finding out about the "star" in the audience. They had to hold the opening curtain 15 extra minutes while the actress playing Madge had to throw up for the third time.
Tom and "Joanna" watched attentively and both were smitten with the handsome lug playing Hal, the William Holden role. This guy was destined to become a star. Not only was he physically a dreamboat, he could act, as well. His real name was Leonard Hall and he had stars in his eyes about becoming a movie star. Once he learned that Kim Novak was in the audience, he gave the performance of his life. He wanted and HAD to impress Kim. Surely she would be kind enough to come behind the stage after the show and meet the cast. As a matter of fact, it was the manager of the theater who approached Kim (Johnny) after the show and asked how she liked it. In her best huskiest whisper. Johnny said, "I loved it. I just wish I'd had a Hal as young as yours when I made the film, I mean, even Bill Holden was the first to admit that he was too old to play opposite me. They had to photograph his close-ups through layers of cheesecloth, just to hide his aging wrinkles."
Tom had to turn away before he burst a gut laughing. This was Johnny's best performance, yet. Johnny, being only 17 years old, had convinced the manager that he was the thirtyish Kim, trying to look seventeen again. The manager wouldn't take "no" for an answer and grabbed Kim's (Johnny's) hand and practically pulled him behind the stage to meet the actors. Tom excused himself by saying he had to go get the car, leaving Johnny to work himself out of this predicament...but things only got worse when Leonard met "Kim" and instantly fell in love with "her" as soon as their eyes met. "Kim" (Johnny) took one look and got the hots for Leonard, too.
Meanwhile, Tom was out front of the playhouse waiting, with the motor idling, wondering what was keeping Johnny so long. He soon found out...because out the front door and down the stairs came "Kim" with a very handsome Leonard escorting her (him). "Surely. NO!" Tom said to himself, but it was true, Leonard was coming home to spend the night with "Kim". Johnny introduced Tom to Leonard as her best friend who was almost like a brother to "her".
All the way home, Tom had the giggles. Johnny had outdone himself this time and Tom couldn't wait to see how the evening would play out. It has disaster written all over it and, in spite that, Tom couldn't keep his laughter controlled. Tom had forgotten his parents were out of town attending a medical seminar for the weekend, but Johnny had remembered and knew that he (Kim), his two brothers, and Leonard would have the house all to themselves. When the car got to the Carmel cutoff and Tom kept going toward Big Sur, it was Leonard who noticed.
"I thought you lived in Carmel?" Leonard asked.
"I do, Clint Eastwood is my neighbor."
"But you missed the turn off, you're headed for Big Sur."
"I know, but I promised Tom I would take him home if he would be my escort to the playhouse...I picked him up at his house."
Tom shook his head slightly but not enough for Leonard to notice how deeper and deeper Johnny was sinking in his bullshit. Tom almost cackled out loud when he thought how the evening would end if Leonard were to sink his hand into "Kim's" panties. Tom couldn't wait to get home to let his younger brother in on what was about to happen. Sure, all three of them had brought tricks home before, but this is the first time "Kim" had ever picked up anyone...especially a straight leading man.
During the ride home, Leonard kept the conversation hopping between two subjects...the roles he had played....and how marvelous Kim was, naming every movie she'd ever made, including a couple she hadn't made, like "The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown" and "The Girl Can't Help It". Luckily, Tom knew his movies and quickly interjected..."Oh, no, the first one you mentioned was Jayne Mansfield and the second, Jane Russell movies." which immediately embarrassed Leonard and curtailed the impression he was trying to make on her(him).
When they arrived at the house, Tom assumed the role of the cordial host and invited Leonard and "Kim" inside for a drink, which Leonard promptly declined, but "Kim" wanted to be nice and come in, any way. Tom showed his "guests" to the living room while he went upstairs to get his younger brother which gave Tom a chance to let Edward in on the gag they were playing on Leonard. Edward was wide-eyed with glee that his "make-over" had fooled anyone for such a long period of time. Either this guy was an idiot or he had no idea what Kim Novak really looked like.
Tom and Edward decided to stay in the hall just outside of the living room to give Johnny a chance to put the make on the unsuspecting hunk. They watched and listened as Johnny began his step by step maneuvers. He was almost about to kiss Leonard when Leonard pulled back, blushed, and said quietly, "I'm sorry, Ms. Novak, but I can't do this."
Johnny was a bit stunned by the remark, and suddenly he was embarrassed too.
"I'm sorry, too, Leonard." Johnny said, "It's just that most guys who come home with me expect that sort of thing. I guess I owe you an apology." and then came the zinger that almost convulsed Tom and Edward in laughter. "Maybe I should act my age and realize that some men are not interested in women older than they are." How he said that with a straight face is unknown to this day.
"Oh, no, Ms. Novak, age is no problem with me." Leonard replied.
"Well then, if I may ask, what IS the problem?"
"You see...I'm gay...and women don't turn me on at all."
At this point Tom and Edward entered the room, holding their sides. They couldn't keep the secret any longer.
"What's wrong?" Leonard asked.
"Just this...!" Johnny screamed, standing, pulling up his dress and ripping off his panties and gaff revealing the longest penis Leonard had ever seen.
"Jesus Christ! I don't know whether to be happy that you aren't or glad that you are!...Does that make sense?"
"Explicitly," Johnny said..."Now would you like to spend the night for a little fun and games. I warn you in advance, that if you agree, you'd better be ready to do everything in triplicate."
Leonard looked at the two other brothers and more than liked what he saw. "I agree!" Leonard said excitedly.
The four of them began a quick-stripping contest and soon there was a pile of clothing a foot high on the living room carpet. Naked legs, arms, and licking tongues were stacked in one huge sexual heap on the couch. They were like hungry orphans at a smorgasbord; everybody wanted to do everything to everyone at the same time. It was just a typical episode for the Livingston brothers, but for Leonard, it was the wildest night of his life.
Edward, the "lesser" as he was referred to by his brother "mouthketeers" was the first to break up their triumvirate when he got bitten by the love bug while on a school trip to San Francisco. He used his phony ID to gain entrance to one of the City-by-the-bay's raunchiest leather bars where he met a guy five years older than he. After many phone calls and much planning, Edward left the fold and moved 80 miles north to be with his new lover. Some time during the next six months, he contracted the "high-five" and refusing medical treatment or drinking "the" cocktail, he died two months later. Johnny, Tom, and their parents were devastated. Dr. Livingston, the father, gave up his successful medical practice and he and his wife moved to Atlanta for him to work full time in AIDS research at the CDC.
Tom chose Los Angeles over Atlanta and he left home to pursue an acting career. He found movie work to be unstable and was lucky to get a half hour drama which led to bigger and better things. Owing to his good looks and talent, he was never out of work. Johnny, like Tom, had no desire to acclimate himself to southern drawls and manners. His dad gave him $1,000 and a first class ticket to New York. Johnny's looks were beneficial when he chose to "carefully" hustle for his first two years in the Big Apple. He soon tired of one-night stands and faceless cocks in the dark, so again he used his blonde hair, blue eyes, and golden skin to hawk tips as a bartender in gay bars. He was pulling in a small fortune in no time and had hundreds of calling bar customers. This popularity became wide known around the various all male night spots and owners and managers were offering him anything he wanted just to come work in their establishments. Johnny could have his pick. The first place he chose was "The Jewel" where he met a drag star who called herself, Charlene. They became instant friends and Johnny even gave Charlene tips on makeup and wardrobe, recalling his Kim Novak days. The two of them never had sex together and because of it, they mutually agreed to move in with each other to afford a more posh apartment and share expenses...but NOT boyfriends.
They developed friendships with guys who were never a quest or sexual fantasy. Just normal acting guys that they could be friends with, share with, and have fun with. The favorite was the best-looking of them all...a school teacher named Chris. The three of them hit it off like a cherry on a sundae. For Johnny, it was like old times...he had two brothers once again., Chris had an unwritten rule separating friends from tricks and he chose not to see a trick more that once. The three of them became best friends, going out on the town together...restaurants. movies, musicals and plays, and nightclub caberets. They liked living in...loving New York, and sharing it with someone with no romantic attachments.
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