The Peeps
I walk slowly and with some trepidation through the dark space. The space is divided by narrow corridors lined with booths. A low whirring sound can be heard. It is one of my first ventures into the world of peep shows. The establishment is in lower Manhattan and is filled with booths that contain loops of eight millimeter film of men and women having sex. There are still pictures from the films posted outside the booths. They are all straight films, but a number of men are milling about apparently more interested in each other than in viewing a film. There are no doors to the booths, but a modicum of privacy is afforded by curtains of about four feet in length which a patron is expected to draw closed after entering a booth.
I turn a corner and am startled to see the back of a man directly in front of me. He appears to be peering into the small space between the curtains of an occupied booth. I move past him and down the corridor until I reach a darker, quieter area. Suddenly in front of me I notice a tall, broad shouldered young man straining to look at the picture or perhaps read the name on a little poster which advertises the film being shown in the booth. He is dressed in a navy blue suit and turns his head to the side as he hears me approach. I walk up behind him and peer at the advertisement with him, standing a short distance away. He spins around and I am stunned to see a large pale, erect cock sticking out at me surrounded by the darkness of the blue suit. The dick looks so white and so huge against the darkness all around. I raise my gaze to his face and his eyes offer an invitation as he parts the curtain and enters the booth. I fairly run from the peepshow, alarmed and excited, haunted by the beautiful vision I just saw.
Some years later I am at a peepshow in the Times Square section of Manhattan. The accommodations are much the same. Men walk slowly up and down a narrow corridor of curtained booths. An attendant browbeats patrons to enter a booth and drop a quarter into the slot, which provides about a minute's viewing of the ten minute film loops. Customers eye each other as they shuffle back and forth. Some straight customers are here to see a film, and quickly make a selection, enter a booth, contribute several quarters and a spurt or two of semen on to the floor and are gone. Many of the gay customers hang out and try to connect. Management knows this and pretends not to notice, providing quarters continue to fall into the booth slots. I have become a little more relaxed since my early flight from the downtown peepshow. I return the look of a man who enters a booth and holds open a curtain for me to slip inside with him. I impulsively accept the invitation, and am standing next to a pleasant looking man of forty or so, with brown hair and undistinguished features. He drops a quarter into the slot, and unzips his fly. He reaches for me and squeezes my dick which has been erect for many minutes. I remove my dick from my pants, and he takes a hold of it with a smile and whispered complement. I take his cock in my hand and play with it. This peepshow caters to gay clients, and there are many booths showing gay films. The one we are viewing is of a black man dressed as a cop. He has an extremely long cock which is draped over a nightstick. Before I can find out much about the film, I am feeling anxious and wanting to leave. After less than a couple of minutes I whisper to my jerkoff buddy that I have to go. "Oh, don't go," he pleads in a plaintive tone. But I slip out of the booth and am soon out on the street hurriedly walking to the subway. I think that I had a few moments of pleasure and once more "escaped safely." Escaped what? Well, the list of fears include arrest, violence and disease.
I have just finished a two week executive training course out of town. On my way home I stop off at a peepshow. A crowd of six or seven men are hanging out. I glance at them as I walk by. Suddenly I notice a handsome blond man with slicked back hair. He looks strangely familiar. I am taken aback as I realize that he was at the same seminar as I, some forty miles away from here. The course had participants from all over the country, and this guy was from some midwestern state. I had noticed him during the course and was attracted to him. The course was held at a military academy with communal showers and I was hoping to run into him in the shower some day. I never did, but I would have tried harder if I realized that he was gay. It is odd that he found this peepshow in Times Square before returning home to the heartland. It isn't exactly on the way to the airport. But I guess everyone has heard about Times Square.
It is a cold winter day, and I rub my hands together to warm them as I enter. I am in a peepshow again, prepared to spend a few dollars for a quick come. I had not planned to have contact with anyone but as I enter a booth a young man too good looking to refuse comes on to me. I silently invite him to join me. He steps into the booth and passively leans back against the wall, clearly expecting me to pay for the entertainment and take a lead in anything else. After feeding a few tokens into the slot, I take out my cock and start to jerk off. He watches me passively and then looks down at his bulge and up at me. Well, okay, I'll take it out for you, I think. And so I do. And I jerk it a few times. But hey, this guy is lazy. He hasn't touched me. Oh, I get it, he's looking for a blowjob. Well, no, pal, you're barking up the wrong tree. I guess he thinks it weird that an older guy doesn't want to suck him off. He starts to open the door to leave. I smile at him, and apologize for my cold hands. It disarms him, dissipating his annoyance, and he laughs in spite of himself.
I pass an unfamiliar peepshow and decide to stop in. It has a rundown look about it. When I go upstairs to the second floor, I notice several young guys hanging out. It becomes apparent that they are hustling. As I enter a booth, a young, burly black guy, peeks in. There are no locks on the doors. I turn away from him and turn back to the screen. As I continue viewing the film, he slips into the booth, flips out a big soft dick and puts my hand on it. I squeeze it, and he asks for five dollars. I tell him no, and he starts to bargain. It is a depressing scene and a turnoff. I give him a subway token and leave. Several years pass. I am at a NYC peepshow once more. There is a formal entryway with a turnstile. A manager sits and collects an entry fee. The booths are much more substantially constructed and have sliding wooden doors. Videotape has replaced eight millimeter film. The tapes are all in living color, some have sound and some even have a semblance of a story of sorts. Lurid descriptions of the videos are taped outside the booths. At least half of the tapes are gay. Gay men cruise quite openly. It is lunch hour. A young man dressed in a plaid sport jacket cruises me and I follow him into a booth. We expose ourselves instantly, drop coins into the slot, and reach for each other. He is nice looking and well hung, and I am in hog heaven. He seems less than delighted. He is apparently waiting for something more to happen. Not realizing that I am expected to suck him, I am surprised when he whispers the request. I shake my head no. He frowns, and then points to his mouth and to my cock, with a questioning look on his face. I again shake my head no, and point to my wedding band. He stares over my shoulder and after another minute of mutual masturbation, he makes movements that show he is preparing to leave. I ask if he would like to go for coffee. His face registers surprise, as though I had asked if I could shit on his head.
"No," he says simply.